H O R I Z O N // Sci-Fi // Literate (Accepting applicants!)

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

"I need a FIX 'cuz I'm going down."

outfit // Masquerade
stamina // 100% - ready, observant
addiction status // satisfied

The food Quincy had prepared was simple; soup with noodles and vegetables mixed with soy sauce. An Asian delicacy, and something Alexei didn't often get to taste. She enjoyed it immensely. The saltiness mixed well with the broth, and the vegetables were hearty. Daniella had joined her quietly. The blonde had changed into a new outfit, and seemed to want Alexei's opinion on it. The civility of the whole thing surprised her, actually.

"It looks nice," Alexei responded, not used to having conversations about fashion with kidnap victims, or anyone in general, for that matter. "You're very pale, so the lightness of the blue actually works well with your skin tone. If I tried to wear a color like that, I'd look silly. However, you'd be better off wearing baggier jeans or even skirts. The definition in the jeans show how dangerously skinny you are."

Dani listened to her advice, and the next words out of her mouth--well, out of her mind, essentially--put the black-haired woman in a dilemma. My offer stands. I will help you get that case to Zeus, in return for your help. I want you to contact Christian, or the Persephone and inform them of our upcoming trip to Phobos. If you do this, and they manage to make it to Phobos in time, I won't allow them to harm you. Even if I am reunited with them I will still help you. I just don't want to be...Here.

Alexei frowned and leaned back in her seat, quietly taking sips of her soup. Daniella's powers elevated her to the level of a God. And while it was not her religious duty to seek out those with the potential, she still had found one, and she had to let the discovery be known. This duty preceded any other obligation she had, whether it be to Ben or to Lethe. Of course, the party at Phobos would be the perfect place to eliminate several birds with one stone. She could sell off the lotos at the party and get in contact with someone who could bring Daniella to Zeus. But now Daniella was promising that Alister would take them? Alexei knew she had a duty to protect the blonde at all costs, and her wishes were divinity incarnate. Yet, Alister was not going to be forgiving. She had nearly killed--or perhaps she had killed--Rhia, and made enemies with Christian, Nova, and the surgeon. She was also fairly certain that no one was going to believe her sudden switch in allegiance, especially not after turning on them once.

Still, Alexei knew what she had to do. I will tell them. She pushed her bowl away, and Quincy dutifully grabbed it to take to the wash. She stood up and headed into her room, opening a public link that pinged to a popular extranet fashion site, and then bounced to a private link embedded in the server for Lethe communications. She then rerouted the server to search for Persephone's channel, and downloaded a message directly into the AI's motherboard, but not before blocking the signal so they could not be traced. Alexei didn't want them to have a direct link to Cornucopia. It was not her ship, and she would not tamper with its security.

'This message is on behalf of Daniella Pearson. Daniella Pearson would like to rejoin all of you, and I am helping her accomplish this. She has but one obligation to me, and I have many to her. We are en route to Phobos in the Mars Quadrant. I expect we shall arrive within two hours. There, we will be attending a masquerade party hosted by the Olympian God Dionysus. I will not disclose the nature of the mission for the party, but know that I shall help bring Daniella to you. You are free to believe that this is a trap. I cannot stop you from assuming that. But it is not.'

With that, Alexei sent the message.

---

The woman they had rendezvoused with reminded Alexei of Rhia, funnily enough. Tough, sexy, and able to lead men around by their balls. She hadn't been blind to the look Ben, "Iridium" apparently, had given her, and without any doubt she could tell there was sexual history between the two. And it didn't seem to matter, because Six did not let up. There were suspicious and scathing words thrown at both her and Daniella--Alexei had said nothing in return, merely heading to the transport and following Daniella into a room to change into their dresses and masks. The mask was actually a perfect addition to the outfit, because it would disguise her goggles efficiently.

Alexei looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her dress. It was floor-length, black, and made of a sheer floral pattern that only covered her torso--effectively hiding her tattoo from view, thankfully. Her breasts pushed against the black fabric in such a way that though they were covered, there was still a lot to look at nonetheless. The heels were easy to walk in, and she accentuated her appearance with some dark wine lipstick and gold nail polish, offering to apply makeup to Daniella as well. She finished the look with a gold chain choker depicting the beautiful and tragic faces of Medusa.

A small sweat began to form on her brow. She frowned and dug through the pockets of her discarded pants, eventually pulling out her bumper. She placed it in a nostril and pressed a button, releasing a hit of cocaine into her system. Alexei sniffed and wiped her nose, finally pressing the mask onto her face. There would be no shortage of drugs at that party, the Lethe-woman knew, but better to get a quick hit out of the way now. She lifted her briefcase. No matter how odd it would look at the party, she wasn't going to leave it behind.

A knock sounded at the door, and Ben walked in, looking incredibly handsome in a suit.

"Everything fit alright?"

Alexei nodded. "We are ready when you are."



_____________________________________



I, too, saw God through mud —
The mud that cracked on cheeks when wretches smiled.
War brought more glory to their eyes than blood,
And gave their laughs more glee than shakes a child.
Merry it was to laugh there —
Where death becomes absurd and life absurder.
For power was on us as we slashed bones bare
Not to feel sickness or remorse of murder.


- "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo", Wilfred Owen


_____________________________________

[Lysander the Poet]

So it wasn’t just ears and a tail, then? Alister wondered for a few seconds what the fun ones actually were. He took note of the coy sort of look she gave him, and chuckled, shaking his head as she commented on ‘the other boy’. ”Wouldn’t have really called him a boy. More like some sort of ******** mutant behemoth. A shame, it’s not one of the most incredible stories I could tell you, but you would never believe it. Thing was massive...at least part man, but not sure what else. Dommies had him chained up like some sort of beast of war, that’s for sure...and they were afraid of it.” Even the mighty Alister Blood shuddered when he thought back to the horrid monstrosity he had laid his eyes upon. He did his best to just play it off as shivering from his skin against the cold atmosphere of the cockpit. They seemed to have reached the business portion of the conversation, as Nova also brought up her own thoughts pertaining to Daniella and her rescue. ”First of all, I don’t think it’s too much beyond sanity to want to save a young, impressionable, fragile girl from the claws of the absolutely and obviously evil Corporate Dominion, especially when she can read ******** minds. You can’t let them acquire something of that magnitude...and, I mean, she’s a human being for ******** sake. Just the fact that he kidnapped her is enough to make me want to rip that scumbag’s entrails out and strangle the rest of the life out of him with ‘em...but you do have a point when it comes to payment. Or at least, I don’t think I’m willing to part with the amount of credits I expect you would be charging…”

Things seemed to be getting into the negotiating territory, and it was pretty obvious to Alister that the pink haired woman wanted something, and had been looking for some sort of way to acquire it, and while he wasn’t going to flatter himself into thinking Alister is just what she needed, he saw the opening. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed at her apparent refusal for trading a little ‘something’, though it was definitely he who had taken it off the table for the moment. It was almost a missed opportunity. ”Keep talkin’ then. Perhaps I would be open to, at a later date, trading a little ‘something’ for just a little ‘something’.” He gave her a wink, then groaned slightly at his vicious injury. It was aching like all hell. He also made note to himself that it would probably be a bit gentler than a tumble with Alexei, who didn’t seem to object to his rough tendencies. As the pain in his body started to increase, he even found his mind gliding further down that train of thought, for both Alexei and Nova. His hand resting over a newly forming scar, he remembered Alexei’s gentle touch over each one of them, and then caught himself even imagining what Nova would look like lacking her skin suit. He had almost lost track of the conversation, but quickly snapped back into it, hoping she didn’t notice his distracted posture. However, the service that she required in return for her help was almost shocking, and he couldn’t help but be obviously surprised.

”Captain Pierce...isn’t dead?” His imaginings of Nova in certain, possibly comprising positions faded away as that sort of washed over him. Say what you will about the scum that were pirates, but everyone knew of the sort of...thing that Nova and her captain had going on. While, at least it common knowledge, it didn’t seem to be much more than a fling for the old captain, it still seemed odd for Alister to think about Nova in such a way when her lover was apparently defying rumor and scuttlebutt, clinging on to life somewhere...and apparently needed saving. Saving would indicate some sort of capture. If the so called ‘King of Pirates’ had been captured, then things must be slightly more dire than just the poor man being dead. A certain hardness swept over his face, but somewhere in the bloodbath and darkness that was the black hole making up his heart, he found compassion. Just a spark of it, of course. He stopped himself from leaping back as he felt a cold pair of hands, well, at least cold compared to his skin, begin to try and take care of his newest injury. And of course, she would ask about it, since it was, as much as Alister wanted to deny it, pretty damned horrible.

”Oh this little wound? Just a bit of self-impaling on my own durasteel katana during the heat of battle to gain proximity to the enemy, giving myself the upper hand, as I used my shotgun to evacuate its chest cavity. I mean, I’m pretty sure I didn’t puncture anything necessary, like organs, and I’m almost sure I didn’t shear any of my bones in two. Durasteel can pretty much cut through anything, so it’s not like I would even know.” He smiled after his recounting of those brave exploits once more. He sat as still as he could, letting Nova treat his wound as best she could with the medical kit, and he started feeling sort of light headed, probably from blood loss, and he could feel his heart doing its best to keep up. There was too much thinking going on right now. Worrying about Daniella, and how they were going to find her. Worrying about Captain Pierce, and whatever was going on with him, his captors, and whatever tortures they were enduring. Worries about Rhia, who was basically on the edge, ready to pass through death’s door any second. And there was the looming threat of Halloran, always coming to hunt them down, destroying everything in his path. You could almost feel the stress in the air. ”Of course, it would be a temporary thing, you as First Mate. I just need someone reliable, and I don’t want to strain Rhia too much. She needs time for recovery, and I don’t want her thinking that she needs to push herself as hard as possible so that she can resume her post. Alexei almost killed her...and if I find that woman...I don’t know if I can be held fully responsible for what may happen.”

Alister, sort of snarled at the thought, and then once more became irritated at just how much they were going through right now, all of them. He took another swig of the whiskey, and leaned back in his seat, still trying to stabilize himself to ease Nova’s work. Finally, he was sick of it. It wasn’t that she was doing a bad job. In fact, it was probably quite beneficial that he had a skilled pair of hands such as hers working towards his wellbeing. Gently, he reached up, and grabbed her hands pulling them away. ”That’s enough...it’s fine...but yes, once we get Daniella back, I promise, I will do everything within my power to help you save Captain Pierce...but you should also accept the possibility of the worst.” He shook his head, knowing that he shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion. ”Regardless, we’ll find him...but you don’t need to think about that right now. Like you said, no sane person would do what we’re doing, going to save Dani. And we won’t be able to do it with all this stress, all these mental distractions. Luckily, I know just the thing for that...a little...’something. Unless you would rather not...” And while he left it open for refusal, he reached out, and grabbed Nova, who was remarkably lighter than he expected, and hoisted her up, setting her in his lap, facing him, back towards the viewport of the cockpit. Leaning up, using his teeth, he grabbed the zipper of her skinsuit, and pulled it down as far as he could managed with just that, and slowly made his way back up her stomach and chest, gently placing his lips against her bare skin with a passionate kiss as he worked his way up, extremely gentle when it came to any of her injuries, until he worked his way up to her neck, where he became a bit more forceful, and...found another use for his teeth. While he was there, he managed to get out a short whisper, "You were saying something about...fun augmen-somethings?"

[Space Candy]

xxxx"Speech."xxxxx"Thoughts."xxxxx"Others."

XXXXXXXX A while passed, but eventually Dani found herself standing beside Alexei as a new woman joined their group. She was stern and cold, and Dani didn't bother to pry into her or Will's thoughts during the exchange of words. She'd made Daniella feel even smaller than she usually did, and out of insecurity the blonde had found herself taking a couple of small steps closer to Alexei. She was more than thankful when Six and Will headed off to get themselves ready. Quietly, Daniella went with Alexei. It was funny how getting her to do what Dani wanted made her appreciate Alexei's company...
They changed, and Alexei assisted Dani with her lipstick---something she'd never put on before. It had a weird texture, but Daniella wasn't about to complain. This was kind of like a fantasy of her's really...Daniella was no fashionista, but never in a million years would she have envisioned herself in something this nice.

Mask still in hand, Daniella looked Alexei over. Of course she was gorgeous, as usual. Curvy and womanly and everything Daniella was not. She glanced away as Alexei fixed her craving. Dani decided not to comment on the woman's drug use for a second time, especially since she was being cooperative now. Her mind wandered. Alexei had sent out a message to the other's...but wether or not they had received it was another story. She laced her fingers together in worry.

How was this all going to go down? Daniella knew Alister well enough to realize if they made it to the party that all hell would break loose. Her training with Will had been anything but successful, and as such hand to hand combat was not a reliable choice of defense. And she'd sworn to keep Alexei alive...and keeping Alister from killing her...Well, honestly Dani wasn't sure how that was going to work. She did her best to formulate a plan, but short of shoving the brute back with her newly found, and uncontrollable, telekinesis there was nothing. There was no guarantee that her new powers would kick in when she wanted them too though. Still, there was a feeling in her gut that told her if she desperately needed it she'd be able to use it. Dani returned her grey eyes to Alexei and gave her a close-lipped smile as the woman picked up her briefcase. That was a whole other ballpark. How was she supposed to help her get it to Zeus? Daniella knew she had to figure out a way...but she couldn't just keep using Christian's money to bribe Blood to do whatever she wanted. In theory, she could...but in reality she felt very guilty about it. Christian had done so much for her and he'd ended up wounded. Dani honestly wouldn't have been surprised if after everything that went down on Calypso he no longer wanted contact with her. What if he'd left already? Gone back home to his father? With all that happened, would he still want to shut down the GenEx experimentations? It was crashing down on Daniella all to suddenly that there was so much more at stake here than just herself. Alexei had her family to protect, as she'd gathered, and there were countless other humans being tortured and experimented on while Dani zipped around the solar system. Not to mention that destruction and chaos continued to follow her...

She'd messed everything up.
Maybe if she had just stayed at GenEx, Christian could have just taken over eventually and put a stop to the program without getting shot. And as simple as that idea seemed, her thoughts soon landed on McLaughlin and she was reminded all to well of the reason she had run away when she did. Daniella shut her eyes and pushed her finger's through her hair. She was being selfish. She was free, and at least her experimentations had left her with useful abilities, her free will, and her mind----at least for now. There were other projects at GenEx that were too far gone. Mindless killing machines. Dani had seen some, and learned of them even though she really shouldn't have. And then there were the children. They were clueless as to what their futures would become, and didn't know the definition of caring or anything about family. Dani stared down at the red fabric of her dress, suddenly hating herself. She was focused on surviving of course, but somewhere in that she'd lost her main agenda...
However, there was one way that she could think of quite plainly that would accelerate her plan. Finally, Dani stood. She paced around the room silently, doing her best to get use to her heels. She'd never worn heels before, and being so high off the ground did make her feel just a little more confident.

There was a knock at the door and Dani put her mask on just as Will entered. He was dressed nicely as well, which wasn't surprising. But the way Daniella's eyes inspected him versus the way Alexei looked at him were completely different. He asked about the clothes, and Alexei gave a simple response. Dani stared at Will for a few seconds more, resenting him for making her go to this party where she would more than likely be put in some sort of danger. With her track record, it was kind of expected at this point. Like hell she was going to cooperate with him. How the hell was he supposed to know if she was actually reading anyone's mind or not anyway?
Daniella placed herself next to Alexei and looked to Will. "Ready as I'll ever be." She stated in a soft tone, pulling her eyes away from him. Dani bit the inside of her cheek, silently hoping that things would work out for the best...

xxxxLocation :: Cornucopia
xxxxCompany :: Alexei, Will, & Quincy.
xxxxHealth :: 90% - healing.
xxxxTunes ::Paradise Circus - Massive Attack
xxxxAttire ::Fancy

[The Smut Peddler]

"I will never stop trying to be the person I see reflecting back at me through those eyes."

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Alister's mention of some nearly inhuman cretin sent shivers down Vegas' spine and goosebumps down her tail. She stared at him with the most serious of stares. "You can't be serious."

She didn't want the man to have to relive the event any more than she wanted to relive what she now believed she saw. Whatever the Dominion was doing was truly unimaginable. She paused to listen to Alister's words in regards to Dani. It was quite an odd feeling to be listening to the cold hearted and typically callous Alister Blood speaking so passionately about human life. Even in the time since she'd been on his ship Vegas had not seen him feel compassion for human life, whatsoever. But a girl? There was more to this, but she was unsure if it was just Alister's ego for an untarnished mission record.

"Well, it appears that our views on this are quite different. You, typically trigger-happy and myself who opposes killing are on opposite sides here. I get that she is just a girl. Innocent. But face it Alister, she is also a weapon. One of unfathomable potential. If you truthfully cared for human life, you would be concerned about what all lives could be lost if such power were to be used. Her existence, is an endangerment to mankind. I respect your desire for the righteous path, truthfully I do, but can you really call yourself just if sparing her life leads to the end of thousands of others? For the rest of that woman's life, she will be sought after as a weapon. Tortured, maimed, mutilated to be of another's will. Personally, I believe all killing is wrong, but torn between a single life or the lives of nations - I hope you can forgive me that our perspectives on the matter seem to differ." Regardless his answer, Vegas would follow and respect his desire to return Dani. As a second in command she believed it to be her solemn duty to protect the wishes of the captain, with her life were it necessary. Vegas had no intentions of harming a single hair on Dani's head, but she had to say her peace, if it were the only time she'd ever bring it up. "You have my word Captain, that I will take on the task of bringing Dani back alive, and lend my expertise any way necessary to accomplish just that. I just truly hope that your romanticized view on the matter grows to fruition and that my cynicism be nothing more than that. She deserves a chance as much as anyone."

Vegas listened as Alister boasted about his durablades. The pink haired woman would shake her head and continue working at the wound, she would listen to his reasons for the offer as first mate and she would nod. "Rhia does seem the type to push herself too far... Alright, I accept your offer."

Vegas paused as her hands were pulled from her work on Alister's wound. She'd stop and look up at Alister, meeting his gaze. He would mention Captain Pierce and to be ready to accept the worst, her eyes would soften and she would nod silently. "I accepted his death on the same day I swore my loyalties to him. But that does not mean that I will sit idly by and let it take him before he accepts it. Reckless and completely oblivious, I have to save him from the one he's never seen gunning for him... Himself. He may be captured, but, his big mouth and childlike antics are what I'm afraid will do him in. Otherwise the captors would have killed him by now."

The pink haired woman looked up as Alister spoke about mental distractions and stress. And then a proposition that ended a bit meekly. Without a moments delay Alister had hoisted her up and sat her on his lap, as he took his teeth and unzipped her skinsuit Vegas' bare skin became visible. Vegas cheeks had been painted a soft scarlet hue and the spots that were visible began glowing brighter than they had prior. Leaning up Vegas would line her fingers through Alister's hair, rubbing the scalp as she smiled at him with the most impish of grins. "You can't come off as an apex predator only to become prey. If you are going in for the kill it's best not to ask your prey if it would rather not be eaten..."

She would pull his hair back to bring him to offering his neck up to her where she would n**, nuzzle, and kiss at the exposed flesh passionately. Fingers would line the definition of his abs, still careful of his wound, as a preoccupied tail worked the facets of his skinsuit and pants. A subtle gasp escaped her as her neck was bit, taking her nails and lining them down his sides touching every scar on the way down. "I'll give you three guesses... Captain..."

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*SUPERNOVA*
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Lie To Me...

"Out there, every star in the night’s sky is an oath I took for you..."

"Written in the largest letter I never sent. This oath I took for you, was written on my very soul and displayed for all to see in this very sky."

"...I love you enough to fuel the night's sky." ~
Tiberius Pierce

...Just once more

Mood: Lusty
Health: 35%
Song: Sex and Candy

[Yasha_Glory]

I'm miss autonomy, miss nowhere, I'm at the bottom of me
Miss androgyny, miss don't care, What I've done to me
¤Company: Karl and a Corpse ¤Condition: 90% and rising ¤Location: Not-so-safe-House
I am misused, I don't wanna do, Be not your slave
Misguided, I mind it, I'm missin' the train

“Can't wake up in sweat! 'Cause it ain't over yeeeeeeeet~! Still dancing with your demooooooooons~! Victim of your own creation! Beyond the will to fight where all that's wrong is riiiiiiiight~! Where hate don't need a reasooooooon~! Loathing self-assassinatiooooon~!”

Was that music? It was so very faint and fuzzy at first, but slowly the sounds of drums and guitars started to fill the head of a brunette girl sprawled out on a grungy old mattress in a dimly lit room. It smelt of mold, dirt, and a few other things; but the strangest trait was that it was now warm and a bit moist. Even odder was the fact that the girl could not remember when she had fallen asleep. She moaned a bit, attempting to recollect what wild party she had gone to or if she was even in her own home. No, this room was different. She remembered that much. She remembered asking her newest flame to provide her with a safe place to stay while chaos raged outside. Soon her problems would be over. Soon she could once again waltz the streets showing off the beautiful curves of her body that only seemed to become more refined as she climbed the social ladder from hooker to mistress. Appearance was important in a relationship such as hers. The prettier she looked the more allowance her little sugar daddy gave to her, and the more things she was able to buy and horde away in selfish greed. Had she been with him earlier? Was that why she was so tired and listless? She didn’t hear his breathing or smell his expensive cologne; all that remained was the sound of music. As her ears became less muffled, she was able to hear a tiny clicking sound. “Hello? Who’s there?” The girl smiled and ran her tongue over her teeth. “Mmmm~? Is that you, Baby~?” The rhythmic sound was tapping in beat to the music playing. Music she didn’t remember downloading. Her sugar bear must have brought it to be romantic! That had to be it! Oh she could feel her heart fluttering in her che—wait. That was when she noticed she couldn’t feel her legs, or her arms, or some of her face!? She tried to wiggle her toes and fingers but to no avail. Her head felt like a heavy rock against the pillow and suddenly her bed head of hair against her cheek felt like it was smothering her. “Help me…! Help ME! I CAN’T FEEL ANYTHING!!” she screamed out into the safe-house’s empty rooms. “You’re even stupider than I thought…” said a voice from across the room.

”You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight, and now they have the nerve to tell you how to feeeeeeeeel. Feel! So sedated as they medicate your brain and, while you slowly go insane, they tell ya, ‘Given with the best intentions, help you with your complicatioooons’!”

“Who are you!? What did you do to me?! HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP!” The squeaks of a rolling chair’s wheel tumbled across the wooden floor, the back squeaking as someone leaned against the cushion. The girl could hear someone’s feet pushing and sliding against the floor in heavy boots, getting closer and closer to her immobile body. She tried to struggle, and the more she did the more of her face she could feel. Slowly she was regaining control of her body, enough so that she was able to turn her head in time to see a luxurious computer chair swivel to her side and gaze up at a pair of glowing white eyes. What little light there was in the room refracted off into a pair of pupil-less circles glowering out of deep black sockets. A cheshire maw of protruding metallic fangs made up most of the creature’s face, accented by chips and scratches embedded into the hardened face. The girl’s eyes widened and she started to scream as loud and long as her lungs allowed. Her head shook from side to side and now she saw that her wrists had been tied to the posts of the bed. This was all just a terrible nightmare! Her lover was just playing some music while she slept and this was all a dream educed by the lyrics! A slick black arm slithered forward and gagged the girl’s open mouth with a cluster of clawed fingers. “Sssshh…” the creature hissed. Its voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard, metallic and eerie, like its vocal chords were in desperate need for some oil. Between the breathiness and tone, it was indistinguishable as being male or female. Regardless of gender, the voice remained steady and almost monotone as though it had a few lessons to teach from years of desensitizing insensitivity. The creature forced the girl to look at its face as twin rows of teeth opened and synchronized. “Screaming won’t do you any good. This is a ‘safe-house’ for a reason. Namely, so nobody will ever find you.” It chuckled and tapped the girl’s cheek with a talon so sharp it could’ve made quick work of a metal door. Her face would have been like hot butter had she continued to struggle against the grip. She could already feel the tiny pinpricks and stings of the punctures and scratches on her cheek. Tears rolled down the sides of her face and she tried to plead to the monster, however, her words were muffled, not that they would have mattered much if they weren’t.

“You shooooould have knooooown the priiiiice of eeeeeviiiiiiil~! And it huuurts to knooooooow that you belong heeeere, yeeeah~! Noooo ooone to call! Eveeeryboooody tooo feeeeaaar~! Yooour tragic fate is looking so cleaaaaar, yeah! Ooh, it's your ********' nightmaaaaaaare! HA! HA! HA! HA!”

“You thought you were being smart, didn’t you, girly? You thought you could take ME down by having a little hissy fit? Now I want you to do something you’ve probably never done before and use what little grey matter is left in there. Think about what you did and tell me, was this really worth it? Look at you, you pathetic little ingrate. You look like you have no idea what I’m talking about. Well let me refresh your memory. Nobody would do your little cosmetic surgery. ‘You’re addicted to the knife’, they said. But those last couple of ribs weren’t doing you any favors were they? You’d much prefer lazing about to working for the perfect body and you decided that they had to go if you were going to keep fitting into designer clothes. Somehow you tracked me down because there we were in a back ally with a chest full of ice and a hefty bunch of credits with my name on them. You couldn’t handle that I told you the surgery was unnecessary and a waste of my time when people are out there dying for a kidney! Nobody tells ME no!” the beast mocked her, “Then, and I know this is a generous assumption, you THOUGHT, HA! I crack myself up with that one. You thought that you could ******** out a favor from your little boy toy and tip off a couple of bounty hunters and police to my location? You thought you could hide out in style and that I would learn not to keep what you want from you, right? Yeah, here’s the thing, sweetheart,” the monstrosity shook its head condescendingly; “You’re an idiot.” The being’s free arm rose up and waved the girl’s neon pink communicator in a slow motion through the air. “Do you see this? This is the reason why I was able to find you. Every time you use it, it sends out a signal that anyone can access. Do you honestly think I wouldn’t find you? All these ‘anonymous’ tips are kept in a database, a database that keeps a record of where the tip came from as well as a recording. You caused me so much trouble that day. I had my liver torn out and half my left shoulder blown clean off! Do you know how hard it was to replace my liver with a model suitable enough to fit in the amount of time I had? At least you gave me plenty of choices to pick from,” the creature chuckled. “I almost had to make an effort to find you. Almost. No most the time we spent apart was filled with me thinking. I thought for days on this, while fixing up my organs and mending the clothes I nearly had to throw away because of your little endeavors and what not, and I decided that I have no hard feelings against you. You were right and I’m going to let you go for absolutely nothing! Those ribs just have to come out if you’re going to meet your prince charming at the dance tonight.” The organism lifted its hand from her lips and stood from the chair, strutting around the corner of the bed as the terrified girl stared on in bewilderment. Was this honestly happening? As her eyes followed the cloaked figure they caught sight of something glistening in the shadows. It was a silvery chain attached to the side of the mattress by the clamp at its end. Brown orbs trailed the object and became horrified when they realized that not only was the chain attached to her flesh, but the entirety of her body cavity was out on display. A perfect Y-incision down the center of her body was held open with various chains, clamps, and pins against the mattress. She could see her intestines moving, her heart beating, and the more she screamed the more she could see her lungs inflate and shrink. “How do you like my vivisection treatment?! Only the best bedside manner for my clients! And guess what else, I found the bed’s leverage level!” The monster seemed to be enjoying itself, its voice becoming louder as it got more excited. It smashed its heel onto the level at the base of the bed and flung the mattress up in a vertical position. It bellowed out a laugh. “HA-HA! See how good I am at pinning? You didn’t move a bit! Now we’re going to play a little game. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up, and now I can see you’re starting to move your fingers. You have until I reach your heart to escape. The anesthetic is wearing off so if you manage to get a couple of your limbs free I’ll make the pain stop and patch you up all nice and seamless. You lose and I’m going to wear your skin like a Halloween mask.” The girl started to hyperventilate as the beast pulled back the large fur-trimmed hood of its coat, sliding off the garment and placing it on the rolling chair. A pair of large wrap around headphones hugged her neck and had been playing music while she searched the house. As the song died down, slender fingers reached up and touched a few buttons on the instrument’s rims. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE! Just let me go! I promise I won’t tell anyone you were here!” But the being had already made its decision and twisted its head side to side, loudly cracking out the calcium deposits in its neck. “We’re going to let the celestial DJs decide your fate. Our little game will start when the music begins. Are you ready? Here we go,” it purred with a reptilian flare to its already inhuman speech. With a flick of its wrist the earpiece began to spin and search for a signal to latch onto. The girl wasn’t wasting any time, tugging at the ropes binding her limbs to the bed. Her rapid heartbeat only served to flood the numbing medication from her extremities. Slowly the rotations came to a stop and the static dulled into a thick silence. Within moments a high pitched voice and the sounds of an ancient ukulele came tittering through the speakers and the creature struck its talons into the girl’s ribcage, biting at and picking off her lowest level of floating bones like they were made of glass. The girl continued to scream as the creature gnawed on its meal without the slightest bit of trouble. “Oh come now, girly, I know you can’t feel any of this! If you spent less time screaming and more time thinking maybe you wouldn’t be in this situation. Oh well.”

It wasn’t much of a contest as the skeleton harvester worked its way up to the last couple of ribs that kept her from her prize and devoured them just as easily as she had the last. A quick lunge and the beast was face first into the damsel’s chest cavity, dagger-teeth ripping apart the rubbery tubes to ribbons and exposing the warm liquid to the world for the very last time. It was hard to tell if the girl had died from sheer terror, shock, or blood loss; but for all the time and preparation that had gone into the sadist’s plan the ending was surprisingly quick. An elongated tongue reached out from the monster’s inner mouth and licked the crimson liquid from each pointed tooth. “Róisín! Róisín! I found it! I found it!” cried a light male voice from the other room. The creature craned its neck up from its meal and looked towards the doorway, a much softer expression in its eyes as the metal mask began to turn jet black and press against the skin beneath it. Bounding in, through the air, came two glowing green orbs of energy particles; a fish in one and a pair of objects in the other. What remained of the black goop stuck to the being’s face liquefied; softening out features and slinking away to the nape of the neck. Thin white strands of feathery soft hair fell to frame the slender face of Skeleton Harvester’s true identity, as though they had been pinned back when the mask donned on. Thin almond shaped eyes, lined with red and black stared at the transparent fish and held out an onyx claw that seemed to melt away from a tender palm of porcelain fingers. Happily, her computerized assistant dropped a masquerade mask and tiny pane of glass into her waiting grasp. “Thank you, Karl…” cooed out the woman’s intoxicating accent. Red lips, still stained with blood from cupid ’s bow to chin, were licked clean as silvery eyes inspected the items before her. “Hmm… I’m sure I have something that matches this somewhere. This is going to be easier than I thought.”

And I don't know where I've been, And I don't know what I'm into, And I don't know what I've done to me
And as I watch you disappear into the ground, My one mistake was that I never let you down
So I'll waste my time and I'll burn my mind, On miss nothing, miss everything

[The Smut Peddler]

Ｃｈｒｉｓｔｉａｎ Ａｄａｍ Ｂｅｒｎｅｔxxxxxxthe heir to GenEx


xxxxxxxweep » for yourself, my man,
xxxxxxxxx☎ You'll never be what is in your heart
xx■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
♔ x x WEEP LITTLE LION MAN
xxxxxxxxxxxxYou're not as brave as you were at the start
xx↷ *)Rate yourself and rake yourself
xxxx ● ● Tak ⊹ e all the courage you have left
xxxxxxxxxxxxxWasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head


████████████████████████████████████████████████████████



➤ persephonexx➤ nonexx➤ recovering


The day was a messed up blur by the time that Christian and the others returned to the ship. The drugs were wearing off and in the safety of the ship, Christian could react to everything that happened. How that b*****d took Daniella with the help of the b***h Alexei. He wanted to get back at Ben, never before had he wanted to kill someone before. Ben however, it was a different story. The b*****d had to die, he would just trade Daniella off to someone else. Someone that would use her, just like GenEx and the Dominion would do. He had worked so hard to get Daniella away from them, and now someone would turn her over to some other b*****d. It was disgusting, and Christian felt like he should of done something. Maybe found someone more trustworthy, someone who could of been ignored on the radar, someone who could of just gotten her somewhere safe.

Everyone had gone their own ways, Gunnar was tending to Devaro and Nova went to help the ever stubborn Alister. Rhia would be left to rest, and Christian was to do as he pleased it seemed. Part of him wanted to go pass out after the days events. Another part of him wanted to do something about the tension that was building up. He was armed, but he didn't know the first thing about shooting a gun. It seemed that as long as he was traveling with Alister, getting shot at was going to be a regular thing. He would have to learn how to shoot a gun himself. It would be something that would keep him alive. There was bound to be a gun range on the ship, or at least somewhere that they could keep up their skills.

As the others were busy with other things, Christian set off to learn how to shoot the gun that he had on him. It took some time, but he soon found what appeared to be the shooting range. It was time to learn how, even if he didn't have anyone to show him how. He was smart, it couldn't be that hard. Aim and pull the trigger, it wasn't that difficult.

Pulling the gun from his waist, Christian flicked the safety off and aimed towards one of the targets, taking his first shot. Which missed terribly, he cursed a small bit. Aiming would be the hard part it seemed, it was off. At least he was, there was a bit of power to the gun and it threw him off. He wouldn't let that turn him off though. He took aim again, letting out a breath before he pulled the trigger. It missed again.

"Stupid gun, everyone makes it look so easy," he muttered to himself. Raising a hand to run through his hair. Had to be an easier way to learn how to shoot a gun, it would be easier if he had someone show him how it was done. Though, everyone was occupied at the moment. It was always good to have some time to himself though. It allowed him to think, allowed him to deal with the situation on his own. He needed to be able to deal with it, Daniella was in the hands of some b*****d who could do anything to her. Alexei was more than a questionable character, and if she was pushed a bit too far over the edge, it seemed like she could easily snap. Something that Christian didn't want to think about.

He had to contact Ms. Holbrook, reassure her that he was okay and make sure funds were still being transferred. She could tell his father that he was okay at the least, even if most would think his father a greedy b*****d. He was still his father and the only family Christian had, he couldn't leave his father worrying about him with no word of how he was. The slightest bit of reassurance would be healthy for both of them.

Now was not the time to worry about his father or Ms. Holbrook. Daniella was somewhere and he wanted to find out where. He would have to keep an eye on his aliases, in case they got a message from her. Right now, it seemed like a good idea to work on getting some of the tension out.

Maybe if he kept on shooting he would get better.

[Resounding Memory]

William Howard Braxton

”Good,” Will began, ”We’ll be arriving at Phobos soon, so be sure you’re ready. This will be one hell of a party.” Will then looked at Dani directly, observing she had already put on her mask. He could not see her gaze, but it was easy to guess it was everything but friendly. ”When we’re at the party, you will stick with either Six or myself. It’s for your safety. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about these parties, but you’ll stay with us if you want to make it out alive and in one piece.” Will then turned to address Alexei next. ”Don’t do anything to compromise us, and you can do as you please.” He then looked between the two women and said, ”I suggest you finish getting ready. We’ll be arriving soon.” With that, Will left the two to make their final preparations.

Will joined Six back in the cockpit as they approached Phobos. The two agents sat quietly, focusing on the mission instead of each other. The larger of Mar’s two moons took over more of the cockpit’s viewports as the transport cruised towards its destination. One could spot the domed cities on Phobos as the transport began its descent towards the surface. Most of them housed important and rich people as well as some of the most elaborate shrines to the Olympian gods. Will had never personally been to one, but the pictures he had seen were worth more than a thousand words. The architecture was a more ornate version of the ancient Greek designs and crafted from some of the finest materials in the solar system. The temples were easily some of the most expensive structures ever constructed by humans, worth more than a warship. To Will, it was a waste of resources to spend so much on something that would do so little to aid in the war against the Coalition and Dominion, but he could not understand a lot of what the Olympians did. He always wondered why they would put so much faith in mortals being gods, and also how they would react to a so-called god being executed for all to see. The people they would soon be interacting with would consider these kinds of thoughts heresy of the highest order, but fortunately for him, he was the one with the telepath.

As the transport cruised over the desolate surface of the moon, a large dome appeared on the horizon. Evening was already beginning to fall on the dome, and bright lights marked the life inside the structure. In the dome was a mansion that was more like a castle, a home fit for the Olympian god, Dionysus. A couple of interceptors approached and flew alongside the transport, escorting it all the way to the hangar. AA guns tracked their approach as well, signaling just how serious they were to protecting the god’s residence. There were numerous other ships inside the hangar, and there were many more like this one, all receiving the guests. As the transport settled on the floor, a group of Olympian soldiers approached, a man in formal attire man leading them. The two agents stood up and headed for the boarding ramp, meeting Alexei and Daniella at the ramp. Quincy made his way to the cargo hold and would remain on stand by in case he needed to bring in the toy chest. Will and Six put on their masks and motioned for the other two to do the same. ”Alright ladies, it’s show time,” Will said and extended his arm for Daniella to take. Once everyone was ready, the group proceeded down the boarding ramp. At the bottom was the man, his armed escort standing behind him.

”Your invitation, please,” the man said through his mask as he extended a hand. Six produced the invitation and handed it to the man. He took the invitation and examined it for a few moments, taking his time reading the words he already knew were on there. ”I see you’ve brought several guests,” the man spoke as he looked back up at the group.

”That will not be a problem, will it?” Six asked, her voice softer and more soothing. Will had heard her use that voice many times before. It seemed to have a natural way of making everyone believe she was sweet and harmless. Too many had given into this illusion and found themselves in a tight spot later when she had them pinned and begging for mercy.

”Of course not,” the man said after a few moments of silence. ”My master believes the more the merrier. Please, enjoy yourselves,” he spoke, his voice warm and inviting. He gave a slight bow and motioned to a large doorway at the end of the hangar, which lead to the inside of the dome. The soldiers parted and watched as the group walked by, their act meant to reinforce that while the partygoers were there to have good time, they were still being watched. At the first sign of someone attempting to cause harm to Dionysus or anyone else the guests were not supposed to, the soldiers would be swarming them in seconds. Will made a note of their armor and weaponry, knowing that it could be crucial to exploiting their flaws later if things went sour.

Inside the dome, one could fully appreciate how grand Dionysus’s castle truly was. The building towered in the distance, every window glowing with light from the inside. The grounds were covered with grass, shrubs, and trees, all of which were well maintained. Walkways weaved around the inside, leading to fountains, plazas, gazebos, and a few pools. Everyone one looked, there were lights bathing the grounds in a rainbow of colors. Servants walked around with trays of alcohol and food, all of which was incredibly rich and delicious. The party was truly divine; however, the guests were far from it.

A quick glance was all Will needed to see the people at the party were there to have a good time. Everyone was wearing a mask and seemed to have a drink in hand. Glass after glass was downed in no time. The servers could hardly keep up with the demand for drinks, and yet they were still able to provide everyone with the alcohol they desired. Off in the distance was a grove that provided some privacy, but Will could see the a moving mass of people, and it was easy to tell they were all engaging in carnal pleasure together. As few people sat on the grass with a large pipe, passing it from person to person, each taking a puff of whatever was burning. Laughter and music assaulted Will’s ears as they continued along the path towards the house. Six leaned close to Will and spoke into the radio in her mask, ”I am going to take care of some business, keep an eye on the girl.” She then moved next to Dani and grabbed the girl’s arm. It was calm, but she squeezed as she whispered to Dani, ”Do not screw this up.” With that, the woman disappeared into the crowd.

Will continued to walk with Daniella for a little bit before saying, ”Keep an open mind and try to find our man. He’ll likely be thinking about the exchange of information or whatever their meeting will be. If anything, I bet this guy will be nervous making a deal in the shadow of Dionysus’s party.” He kept the girl close, making sure no one got too close to her. Several men and women had already made advances on the girl, offering her drugs and alcohol with the promise of a good time later. Will had deflected them with a quick laugh and mention they were heading to the castle. His concern for Daniella’s safety was not mirrored with Alexei. He knew she could take care of herself, and he was not concerned with what she chose to do at the party. He and Six had plans if she betrayed them, but Will was confident the money was enough to keep Alexei loyal for now.

Current Name: Ben Hughes

Status: Healthy
Location: The Grounds of Dionysus's Castle, Phobos
Current Objective: Locate and Identify the Leak

[Lysander the Poet]

The ship gently glided through the void of space, the metal within slightly creaking with the navigational shifts, and the hum of the engine permeating the entire spacecraft. The gunshots rang out through most of the ship, the utter lack of crewmembers attributing to a haunting silence throughout. With a subtle flicker, the holographic image of Persephone appeared, and she crossed her arms, watching Christian firing at his target. Her robes seemed to flow of their own accord, and millions of lines of code seemed to run down the length of her body. ”Never fired a gun before, have you? I hope it does not offend you to say, it seems quite obvious. Your stance, hand placement, breathing pattern...you’re angry, and maybe even somewhat afraid of the weapon. You’re going to have a hard time winning a firefight unless you improve. And, with all things considered, there are probably many of those firefights in your future, if you continue on your course with the Captain. I’m sure he or First Mate Dravyn would be a better source of insight on this matter, but one is preoccupied, and the other probably is not up to firearms instruction. I’ve been monitoring her recovery closely, and it still isn’t looking well. Speaking of which, I don’t remember you being cleared to depart from medical…hmmm…” The holographic woman flickered out of view, then reappeared next to Christian, staring down the range, twirling her long hair around her finger. ”I suppose I can attempt to assist you, if you prefer. Just don’t tell the Captain. I’m not even sure if you’re allowed to be wandering the ship without an escort. He doesn’t like when passengers walk around his ship, unsupervised. Doesn’t trust them. Though, he may make an exception for you and the others, with all you’ve been through. Captain Blood is different...has been ever since all of you came aboard. It’s a nice change. I’ve even seen him act somewhat human. Previously, I was unsure he was capable of much compassion and human decency. I enjoy being proved wrong.”

She smiled as Christian, and then looked down at the gun in his hand. In front of her, a blown up, disassembled image of the gun appeared, and she examined it in its entirety with a musical sort of hum. ”Alright then. So, I assume you know the basics of loading, unloading, firing, and the safety, as you’ve been able to fire the weapon. I have no desire to insult your intelligence. However, we must definitely work on your stance and breathing if you hope to succeed in the art of wanton killing, or perhaps in your case, self-defence. The most common handgun stances are quite old, devised centuries ago. The Isosceles stance, and the Weaver stance. There are various modifications that can be made to each stance, but that brings much more complexity to the subject, and you are just learning. For the first,” she began, and the holographic image of the weapon assembled itself, and she took it in her hand. As she talked through each step, she demonstrated it to Christian, analyzing him closely. ”You stand, facing your target, shoulder width apart. For the purpose of marksmanship training, you should always point your weapon down the range, for safety reasons. Wouldn’t want you shooting someone, or putting a hole in the ship.” At the end of the range, where the targets stood there was a holographic flicker, and the original target took a familiar form; that of Ben Hughes. ”We’ve been working on an advanced holographic simulation system for target shooting. Never got it working completely...but, visualizing the target as someone you actually would like to shoot could possibly help you concentrate, give you a place to put your anger, or else it will just distract you.”

The target downrange from Persephone took another image, that of Alexei, and the AI continued her demonstration. ”You want to bend your knees slightly, to compensate for the recoil of the gun. It’ll help you maintain your stability, so you don’t fall backwards. You want to extend the gun outwards, and lock your arms in a straight position, to compensate for recoil, and to assist in aiming. Make sure your breathing pattern is normal, or it will throw off your aim. You should fire the gun after you breath out, naturally.” The AI simulated a breathing motion, and then pulled the trigger, putting a shot into the Alexei target’s chest. ”In the Weaver stance, you stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your stronger leg slightly back. Keep you knees bent, and shift your body weight slightly forward. In this stance, your elbows are bent, with the supporting elbow pointed downwards. This stance provides a smaller target your your enemy. With both stances, you want to hold the gun with both hands, like so…” She showed him the way she held the pistol, and then fired at the Alexei target a few more times. ”Typically, you aim for center mass, instead of the romanticized notion of the headshot. These are just basics. Once you get better at it, you can do what you like. But, I had almost forgotten...I did not come here merely to instruct you in shooting. A message was patched through to the ship, and I believe that it will interest you, Mr. Bernet. I attempted to trace the source, but it was cleverly routed. It is from Alexei Santogold.” She presented the message to Christian, before continuing. ”I’m sure the Captain will receive the message once he is not longer occupied.” As she finished the sentence, a far off sound from somewhere in the ship that sounded suspiciously like a combination of screaming and moaning could be heard. Persephone shrugged at Christian, ”If you need anything, Mr. Bernet, I will be available. Just let me know.” And with that, she flickered out of the room.

In the medical bay, Devaro had been out for awhile as Gunnar did his work. Rhia appreciated the quiet. As much as he enjoyed Devaro, she was quite glad that he had stopped running his mouth. Every fiber of her being was in pain, but she forced herself to sit up in her medical cot, and glanced over at Gunnar. ”Hey, Doc, do you have any more of that ********’ whiskey? A girl could practically die of thirst over here, y’know?” Not that whiskey would help, but it would make her feel so much better. The entire last leg of their escape from Calypso had been foggy at best. She hardly remember any of it, except for seeing Gunnar smashing a few soldiers with a hammer. It was reassuring that her doctor was also a man of...violence. Captain Blood would have definitely approved of it. She glanced around the room, realizing that Christian was gone. ”Seems that the kid slipped out while you were tending to the rest of us. I hope someone is watching him. I know he’s got a lot of built up anger, and he better be putting it to good use. We had best get out hands on that ******** Ben, and his little whore, so that I can fill ‘em with a few ******** bullets of my own.” In her excitement, Rhia had begun moving around, and growled in pain, forcing herself to sit still once more. [******** s**t.” She cried out, her shattered bones and bruised body impeding every action of her life. Even her breaths were labored and struggling, and every word that tumbled from her lips seemed to barely make it out through the agony. All that commotion, and now even Devaro stirred, his eyes fluttering open sort of half-heartedly.

”Dammit, Dravyn. Would you just shut your big mouth and concentrate on not being dead over there. You know that Blood will be out for...well, blood, if you end up dying in this damn medical bay because you’re being angry and stubborn.” He chuckled, which spiraled into a coughing fit. He wrapped his hands tightly around Gunnar’s arm to stabilize himself until the coughing fit finally ended. ”Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be doing more for her, Doc? Sure, I got tortured pretty bad, but our girl over there was almost killed. Plus, her life is far more valuable than mine, in the long run...I mean, I’m sure Blood gave you the whole ‘if she dies, you die’ spiel. And he’s not ******** kidding, either. That man will savage you and hang your entrails from the hull of his ship if she doesn’t make it through the day. Me, on the other hand...you can all live without ol’ Devaro, and I’m sure my health won’t plummet if you dedicate more time on Rhia. I’m feeling pretty bright and shiny.” It wasn’t easy, but he forced himself to stand. ”You deal with her, I’ll go check in on the kid, and then come back for some medicine. Might also wanna clean this place up, Doc. The Persephone hasn’t had a ship’s doctor in a long time.” And with that, Devaro wandered off, searching for Christian.

Back in the cockpit, a good while had passed, and Alister’s heart was pounding in his chest, his breaths were heavy and labored, several drops of sweat running down his brow. The glow of the ship’s console was the only light other than the countless stars spanning out before them, and Nova’s own bio-luminescence.. ”We definitely...need to do this...again sometime.” Each few words in his speech were interrupted by a deep breath as he recovered.”You...that...was..amazing. Definitely nothing I’ve...ever experienced before.” His hands shifted, fingers running up her bare skin, until he came to her face, and brushed her hair aside, his breath finally normalizing, but his heart still pounding violently. He leaned up, and once more locked his lips with Nova, a final kiss to punctuate their actions. As he pulled away, he gave one last moment, lightly and playfully nibbling at her bottom lip. He then glanced around the cockpit, and chuckled as he noticed their clothes strewn across various consoles and chairs, or littering the floor. He also noticed a light blinking on the console, indicating a message. Resting his head on Nova’s chest, he reached forward, tapping a few buttons on the console, the message coming through.

'This message is on behalf of Daniella Pearson. Daniella Pearson would like to rejoin all of you, and I am helping her accomplish this. She has but one obligation to me, and I have many to her. We are en route to Phobos in the Mars Quadrant. I expect we shall arrive within two hours. There, we will be attending a masquerade party hosted by the Olympian God Dionysus. I will not disclose the nature of the mission for the party, but know that I shall help bring Daniella to you. You are free to believe that this is a trap. I cannot stop you from assuming that. But it is not.'

Alister frowned, the message running through his mind, various thoughts spinning in his head. He had just gotten rid of all his stresses and frustration, but this message...was it relief, or even more frustration that came with it? It was from Alexei, that much was obvious. For some reason, she was leading them right to her, Ben, and Daniella, even as she had almost killed Rhia, and helped that b*****d kidnap the girl. Why go through that much, just to tell Alister exactly where to find them? Was it all just for the money? Daniella couldn’t be paying her anything, especially as a captive, so that couldn’t be it. And even though she spoke against it being a trap, Alister would be an idiot to believe that without trepidation. An Olympian, calling them to attend a party within the hallowed halls of one of their Gods? Perhaps there was some mighty plot, to kill Alister and the rest of them, once and for all, and maybe even take Daniella to the Olympians...another weapon in the war against the Coalition and the Dominion. Nova had said it, and she was right, more than Alister wanted to admit to himself, or to anyone. A girl, yes, but also a mighty weapon that everyone wanted to get their hands on. Even with all these thoughts, though, he knew that he would have to go, he would have to try, and the others would probably agree as much. He already had Nova’s cooperation, after all. He rose up from his seat, hefting Nova up with him, and setting her gently on the floor of the cockpit, sighing. ”Well, our fun had to end sometime...Persephone, set a course for Phobos...and get us there as quickly as possible.” Alister collected the discarded clothing all around the cockpit, and turned back to face Nova. ”I guess it’s time for us to plan for a party. First step, I suppose, would be a nice, hot shower, after all we’ve been through. You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like. My shower has room for the both of us, though it may be a bit cozy. After that...we can gather up the crew, and come up with a plan to grab Daniella...and put a bullet in Ben’s smug ******** face.”


OOC: So, next posts for Alister and company should be after a small timeskip, after Alister gets showered and redressed. There will also be a story post in the near future, but feel free to post whatever you want. Party group, you can start your party things, and mingle with party goers and things.

[Space Candy]

xxxx"Speech."xxxxx"Thoughts."xxxxx"Others."

XXXXXXXX Behind her mask, Daniella rolled her eyes. Of course Will wanted Dani to stick close to him, he would be stupid not to. And requesting to be with Alexei instead was nothing short of suspicious...Dani kept her mouth shut, knowing that any hint of Alexei helping her out wouldn't end well for either of them. He left the room, leaving the two women alone again. The blonde turned and looked to Alexei. "I only have a certain range of telepathy...I'll keep in contact with you as best I can, but I may lose you." The words would flow through Alexei's mind calmly. "Thank you for all you've done. Even if it doesn't pan out how I hope..." With a sigh the girl looked down at her red dress again, this time paying special attention to the "sleeves" that she had. They were almost long enough to cover the scar on her bicep, but not quite. The little bit of shiny skin appeared and disappeared as she rotated her arm lazily. At least she'd gotten rid of the damn tracking device...not that it had seemed to help much over the past few days.

Eventually they arrived, everyone masked and ready to go. Will commented on it being show time and lifted his arm to Daniella. She glared, though he could not see it, but kept herself from frowning. If she didn't want to get killed she needed to at least look happy like any other party goer. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was more scared of the partygoers than she was of Will. At least Will knew her value, and wouldn't kill her without a second thought. Dani didn't know what to expect from the others attending...Reluctantly, Dani took his arm and walked with him, not at all happy about the physical contact they were sharing.
As Six handed over the invitation, Dani paid attention to the guards more than anything. They were all weaponized and ready to kill if needed. This was a tense situation...Briefly she looked to Alexei, gauging her reaction to everything. Surely, as an Olympian, she was excited to be here even under these circumstances. They entered the dome, and Dani looked around. It was definitely a sight to see...truly she was kind of bewildered---but her amazement at the scenery only lasted for a few seconds before the thoughts of all the partygoers they were passing started hitting her. Still walking with Will, she shut her eyes and blocked them out to the best of her abilities. It was occurring to her that even if she did want to help Will, this mission was damn near impossible. Not that anyone could understand that from Daniella's point of view.

A grab at her arm caused the small female to flinch slightly. It was Six, and Daniella frowned at her words but somehow resisted the urge to snatch her arm away from her. She left quickly, moving on to do whatever else she needed to do. Dani sighed bitterly and walked to Will, still shutting everyone out. She listened as he spoke, taking in the information and keeping it in mind. But still, she hadn't started searching through the crowd for anything of use. A few people tried to associated with Daniella, but thankfully Will was very adept in making them go away. Seemed about the only redeemable quality he hand in Dani's mind...She kept quiet for a bit and began tapping her fingers against his arm nonchalantly. "You know this is damn near impossible right? I have to find the one person, out of all these people, who happens to be thinking about such things the exact moment I come across him. I can only read current thoughts, not memories. This is like finding a needle in a damn haystack. And do you know how much of a headache these types of things give me? Can you imagine everyone in around us trying to talk to you at the same time? It's not a pleasant thing." She paused and glanced to her taller companion. "And how would you know if I was listening to others or not? You have no way to monitor me...I could just tell you I found nothing, or frame an innocent person and you would be none the wiser." Daniella was feeling a little more brazen now. She tugged against Will leading him in another direction. "Don't look so glum. Why don't we dance or something? I've never been to a party you know."

She grinned slyly, and it was obvious she was just toying with the man. Biding her time...Still, Dani knew she'd have to start looking for this person soon. Finding him meant causing some harm to the Dominion, which would be fantastic and a bit vengeful. However, cooperating with Will was just irritating. She hated him...but for the time being he was the only person on her "side" so to speak. She didn't know anyone else at this party...

xxxxLocation :: Phobos -Dionysus' party
xxxxCompany :: Will
xxxxHealth :: 90% - Cynical.
xxxxTunes ::Death Valley - Fall Out Boy
xxxxAttire ::Fancy

[The Smut Peddler]

"I will never stop trying to be the person I see reflecting back at me through those eyes."

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With her hand rested on Alister's chest Vegas could feel his heart beating fiercely. As Alister spoke, barely able to gather his words her luscious pink lips curled into a playful grin. "Well, you know the way to my cabin, so don't be a stranger... Captain." She had not broken a sweat, but her heavy lidded eyes did indicate that she had been happily sated. Unsure of the unwritten rules of this encounter, Vegas chuckled softly, taking his head and kissing the top of it. She'd gaze into those endless blue orbs of his as they caught the light of the stars outside. A sight she'd assume was rarely seen by others. Bringing his hand to her face she would nuzzle his gentle touch before he pulled stray strands of pink hair away. For one last moment he pressed his lips against her own and offered up a kiss. Caught off guard her heart would thud loudly as she grinned back at him, but she would passionately reciprocate. She would be lazily drawing circles on his chest when he chuckled as he looked around the cockpit at their haphazard chaos. She'd glance about in almost admiration of the room having been torn asunder. Vegas smirked at Alister resting his head on her chest until she'd realize he had started up a message that had arrived in their moment of temporary incapacity.

The message immediately broke Vegas of any other concentration she may have had prior. Alexei? Was giving them a tip off to rendezvous with her and collect Dani. Something sounded terribly off about this. It burrowed deep inside her that this was a trap. She'd laid witness to this sort of ploy before, and she worried greatly. But as she glanced back at Alister after the message played, she could tell that wildly and recklessly like a lemming he would blindly follow. Vegas would sigh inwardly, she'd seen this before, and challenge it she would not dare. His mind was made up, and there were some battles that just could not be won.

Being hoisted up and brought to her feet on the ground Vegas looked at her new captain almost sheepishly. He'd order to set a course for Phobos and Vegas nodded, beginning to gather the loose lingerie, skinsuit, pants, her garter holster, and finally the large red captain's coat. She'd bring herself together once more, almost as sensually as they'd been taken off the first time. She'd be sure she was fully suited before exiting the cockpit, she wasn't the sort to kiss and tell. While Alister was welcome to do as he pleased, his private life was not for her to expose.

As he spoke to her about planning a party she smirk, nodding silently. She would be happy to prep for their mission, retrieving Dani, and finding a place for her out there in vast sea of skies. She just hoped against all hope that this was not a trap they were walking into.

At the mention of a hot shower, and an offer to join, Vegas grinned back at Alister. She would walk up to him, circling him halfway before leaning over and whispering in his ear. "It sounds more like you need a nice cold shower, rather than a hot one..."

With her heavy words she would blow on his ear and titter softly. "By all means Captain, lead the way..."

***
***

After a refreshing shower Vegas had redressed and was brushing out her long pink hair. She'd apply some necessary make up to conceal her black eye and any other miscellaneous bruises she'd have along her face and neck, including any that were left from hers and Alister's little escapade. She would finish, nearing the door and snap on her tractor beam. She glance over at Alister with a sincere look. "I will gather the others and have them await your briefing right outside the medical bay."

With that she would venture out, hearing the shots fired in the shooting range she'd journey down to the range, meeting up with Christian and Devaro. She'd smile, leaning against the door frame as she watched Christian firing off round after round. Vegas would offer a smile and nod to Devaro and then glance back at Christian.

"Christian, Captain has something pressing he'd like to discuss with you, if I can have you head right outside the medical bay, he will be holding a briefing. Devaro, you're welcome to join, but if I see you over do it, so help me I'll kick your a** and strap you into a wheel chair myself." She'd then smile with a cocky grin, bowing her head slightly as she departed and headed to the medical bay. As she reached the medical area she knocked before entering and looking over to Rhia and Gunnar, nodding she would smile over at the battered and beaten woman. "Rhia, Gunnar."

"Captain Blood will be in shortly." She would soften her gaze as she knelt down and looked to Rhia, taking her wrist softly in hand. "Just relax, he's a good doctor, he's got this."

Vegas was almost certain that Alister would want to speak about this where Rhia would not get stressed out, but that meant that Gunnar would need to be nearby, so just outside the medical bay seemed like the smartest place to discuss the mission at hand. But Alister could call them out after seeing and speaking with Rhia, otherwise, Vegas was afraid that she would push herself to get in on the briefing.

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*SUPERNOVA*
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Lie To Me...

"Out there, every star in the night’s sky is an oath I took for you..."

"Written in the largest letter I never sent. This oath I took for you, was written on my very soul and displayed for all to see in this very sky."

"...I love you enough to fuel the night's sky." ~
Tiberius Pierce

...Just once more

Mood: Professional
Health: 65%
Song: Sex and Candy

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

"I need a FIX 'cuz I'm going down."

outfit // Masquerade
stamina // 90% - drug-addled, lusty
addiction status // satisfied

Their entrance went smoothly, perhaps one of the smaller miracles Alexei had to be thankful for happening in her life. Their surroundings were gorgeous, full of life and mysticism in the way only the grounds of an Olympic God could be. And yet, beyond the beauty, she could see the debauchery present within the hearts of every guest. A bacchanalia was taking place behind the painted shrubbery, a group affair that Alexei had never been fond of--too many people meant less pleasure for her. But, among these madmen were enough people more than willing to buy a few ounces of lotos or two from her, and that was her most important job right now.

Other than taking care of Daniella, that was. Ben gave her permission to wander about wherever she wanted, but the blonde had to stay by his side. That didn't bother her. Oftentimes, she would be in a mission for an extended period of time that required her to stay undercover for the duration, and she would drink, dance, eat at fancy places, until the signal came--and then it would be knives out and guns blazing. I only have a certain range of telepathy...I'll keep in contact with you as best I can, but I may lose you. Thank you for all you've done. Even if it doesn't pan out how I hope... Daniella spoke into her mind. Alexei glanced down at the girl. Luckily, the mask was made out of materials that didn't hamper her eyes, so she found it pretty easy to look through. I don't deserve thanks for hurting you, Daniella. I thank you for helping me find a little bit of clarity in this shitty life I lead. I'll stay in range. If it's an emergency, say 'Arachne'. I'll come for you. Alister and Christian should have received the message by now. I'm sure they are on their way. She then looked at Ben and Six. "If you need me, use 'Arachne' as a code word."

With that, she walked off. Mingling with Dionysus' guests was not difficult for someone like her. She remained aloof, and that attracted people towards her. That, and her glowing eyes behind the mask. Within a half-hour, she had sold a decent amount of the lotos on her person for quite a profit--one thing she was good at was making sure everything was a commodity, so that person thought they were the most original and special people in the universe for owning the item. Much to her pleasure, one of her sales ended with a demonstration of the sexual capabilities while under the drug. Two men, both no-nonsense and very rich, took a small amount after the black-haired woman led them into a couched side room. She placed a kiss on each of their lips, and the second man began to trace his fingers down her spine and hike up her dress ever so slightly. She did not stop him, and did not object when the other man wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed his hands on her chest.

Twenty minutes later, she left the room by herself. Catching her reflection in a mirror nearby, Alexei noticed her lipstick had smudged a little. She took care of it and wandered deeper into the main mansion, using her eyes to penetrate as many walls as she could to see if she could find Dionysus, or a tattoo marking a Lethe member. They had a public outpost on Phobos, disguised as a donation center, and actually helped with community service for the under-privileged. Even though Phobos was an incredibly expensive place to live, those without selfishness who tried to eke out an existence on it would be downtrodden quickly by the ambitions and cruel whims of those around them. It certainly was not a planet for the faint of heart.

Something caught Alexei's eye, about three rooms past the ballroom. She made her way through the dancers and found herself in a shrine to Dionysus. His statue was glorious, gold and manganese accented with peridot. Bundles of people stood together in small prayer. Alexei closed her eyes. "Ο Διόνυσος, ο Κύριος της γιορτής, Φύλακας του Φεστιβάλ, στέκομαι δοκιμαστεί. Κρατήστε σταθερή μου όπως εγώ βόλτα μέσα από αυτή τη θύελλα*," she muttered, kissing the statue's feet. She then took a chalice and filled it with wine from the offering basin nearby, and drank it down, placing the empty cup by the statue and marking its robe with a drop of wine.
*Dionysus, Lord of the Feast, Guardian of the Festival, I stand tested. Keep me steady as I ride through this storm.

One of the worshipers broke away, a petite girl wearing a silver mask and a shimmering green dress. Her lips were full and red, and she had rope burns across her throat. She strutted over to Alexei, wearing a sultry glare behind the facade. She offered her hand to the woman, and Alexei noticed a tattoo on her palm, a symbol of a Phalanx--one of the ultimate warriors of an Olympian army, and sometimes personal security to a God. Though she swayed and giggled in drunken ecstasy, Alexei knew this woman could kill her without contest.

"Join us, Daughter of Lethe," she said with a heavy Phobosi accent. The others in her group turned to look at her, their smiles inviting. Perhaps it was the drugs she had sampled throughout the party--lotos, vex (Venusian ecstasy), cocaine, and Rose, to name a few--combined with the alcohol flowing through her system, but they felt warm and she suddenly had the urge to join them. So, she walked over to them, and they smiled and laughed and touched, everything dissolving in a pleasurable hysteria. Nothing rational occurred to her--she didn't think about what she was doing, or why they knew she was a member of Lethe. Nearby, a woman stood against the wall, painted gold and wearing a mask that seemed to tower above her presence, one that covered her entire face. The woman saw the flash of unnatural orange through the girl's mask as she glanced in that direction for a moment before being pulled in by the lips of the Phalanx. Behind the cool metal, her lips stretched into a smile, straining the threads that weaved across them in a sickening web of silence.




_____________________________________



I, too, saw God through mud —
The mud that cracked on cheeks when wretches smiled.
War brought more glory to their eyes than blood,
And gave their laughs more glee than shakes a child.
Merry it was to laugh there —
Where death becomes absurd and life absurder.
For power was on us as we slashed bones bare
Not to feel sickness or remorse of murder.


- "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo", Wilfred Owen


_____________________________________

[Yasha_Glory]

I'm miss autonomy, miss nowhere, I'm at the bottom of me
Miss androgyny, miss don't care, What I've done to me
¤Company: Karl ¤Condition: 100% ¤Location: The Party
I am misused, I don't wanna do, Be not your slave
Misguided, I mind it, I'm missin' the train

Humming in tune to the song blasting from the pair of headphones gingerly placed on the vanity before her, Róisín sat staring into the mirror as she powdered and primed her face. Concealing the black markings beneath her eyes and the ink soaking her lids till her ivory face was absolutely seamless. It was easier to hide in plain sight than to risk being found in a mansion full of killers and blood sucking upper crusts. It was no secret that anyone would kill to get into one of Dionysus’ parties, but Róisín had other agendas on her mind instead of bumping elbows and hips with the underworld’s elite. Her sights were set on ruining someone’s entire evening. An eye for an eye; it was payment for ruining her last hiding spot and causing all sorts of trouble in the aftermath. She had to repair her liver while hooked up to all sorts of wires and tubing when she could have been relaxing and working on a project or two and behaving for once. Instead, it had only given her time to brood.

Karl floated up behind her and displayed a screen of his vision so Róisín could see the barcode at the nape of her neck in the mirror. With some cream and a few blots of powder to set it in she was able to conceal the code’s bars just as well as the patches on her cheeks’ apples. After a few flicks of mascara to her eyes she stared at her reflection and let out a small sigh. “You look so pretty, Róisín!” chirped her floating companion as he hovered beside her head. “Thank you, Karl…” replied the ghostly lady as she rose from the seat and undid her hair from the bun she had made. “Did he answer back?” she asked with a shake of her head to release her shoulder length white hair. “Yes he did! He’s very excited to see you! He wanted to pick you up but I told him it’d be more fun as a surprise! He’s going to try and find you at the party!” “Perfect… Thank you, Karl,” she replied with a quick saunter over to the half-eaten corpse still pinned to the bed. Continuing to hum she examined the girl’s face for a few seconds, tapping her lip with her index finger. From beneath her finger nail dripped a thick black sludge. The viscous fluid stretched a few inches before violently splitting apart and wrapping about the girl’s hand; glowing bright blue and constricting against her flesh until it was a skintight fit and tipped with a fine black blade. The ivory skinned beauty reached out and dragged her claw against the brunette’s hairline, following it entirely around until she had completely scalped the body and began to fold up the ringlets into the skin pouch she had fashioned. Cramming the ball of hair and meat into her mouth in sections she chomped off cold chunks and swallowed them down. Her snowy strands of silken locks cascaded from her shoulder blades down towards her thighs, absorbing the dead keratin from her latest meal. She shook her head, craning it back and running her fingers through her luxurious mane. “Okay, Karl, let’s pack up and go, we’ve got a party to get to.”



Sauntering up to the mansion’s regal walls came the femme fatal dressed to kill. Bright stiletto-red lips glistened in the night, nearly glowing neon against her milky skin. An eye mask, accented with feathers, lace, and a few pearls nestled atop the apples of her cheeks. Its eye-holes had been blacked out with shiny black lenses, preventing anyone from gazing into the android’s refractive eyes. Ringlets of fresh fallen snow hung gracefully along her neck and shoulders, a few draping down her back and bouncing with each step of her thigh high boots. Braids that had been teased out into rows of hearts conjoined from either side to the left of her head to form a side swept rose of hair bobby pinned into place. Black roses held pearls in their center against each earbud, matching the ribbon and flower choker tied about her neck. The lacey corset’s satin petticoat was to the floor and bundled like the expensive curtains one would find in an opera house’s auditorium. Forearm gloves clutched a tiny purse and a fan of black and red fabrics while a thick black fur shawl of rosettes hung in the crook of each arm. Hovering about the woman’s shoulders were a pair of bat-wing like speakers, programmed to follow her and move as she did so it would appear as though a succubus were standing before any man lucky enough to take her by the hand. “Róóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóisííííííííín! It’s dark under here! I can’t see anything!” whined something within the folds of her skirt. A flick of the wrist and the fan spread open so she was able to fan her face while she spoke to, seemingly, herself. “Karl, if anyone sees you they’ll start asking questions. Do you know what will happen then? They’ll try to steal you and gun me down. Again. We don’t need a repeat of last time.” “Aw, but, Róisín! I loooooooove meeting new people! They’re always so nice! Last time was just an accident I’m sure! They didn’t mean it! They were probably just playing!” “…They blew my shoulder clean off.” “I knoooooooow… but you still won, right? That’s always a plus! And now you get to go to a fancy party! You love fancy things!” The willowy woman paused as though she were suppressing the urge to tear something to shreds. “I do…” she admitted, “I do love the finer things life has to offer.” Her skirt happily buzzed, as though the computerized fish was attempting to purr with delight. “Now remember, Karl, you have to be quiet. I need you to keep deleting the temporary files while we keep in contact and look for the target’s location. We have no idea what type of communicator he’s using or if he’s really at this party. It’s obvious he has connections, so if we do this wrong we’re going to have a lot of people chasing after us again.” “Aren’t there always people chasing you?” “Yes, but there would be twice as many if we manage to piss off our host.” There was a moment of silence and for once Róisín was impressed that Karl seemed to be handling something so profess—“Oooooooooooooh! I get it. Then you won’t get to dress fancy anymore?!” “…No, Karl, no more fancy clothes,” she sighed. “Awwwww! But you look so nice in them, Róisín!” “Then let’s not mess this up, okay? Only speak through messages to the controller. When it goes off we won’t be able to talk for a while so don’t say anything until it’s safe.” “Okie dokie artichokie!!” Ping! The neon pink phone in her handbag alerted her that there was a message. Stopping her trek to the house she reached in and looked at the screen in hopes that it was her prey tugging at the carefully placed bait. Her eyebrows furrowed as she felt a nuzzling against her inner thigh.

Karl: C: ~<3

Róisín placed the phone on vibrate and back into the silky pouch, sauntering the rest of the way to the entrance. When she handed over her invite to the guard he looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Traveling alone, miss?” Róisín fluttered her fan against her cheek, a small smirk curling her plump lips. “I’m playing a little game tonight, if my sweet finds me before the night is over—weeeell,” she smiled coyly. “Let’s just say there will be fireworks.” “By all means then, please enjoy yourself,” he remarked as he stepped aside and held her hand to help her up the last few steps. “Well, well, well, not too shabby,” she thought to herself as she gazed upon the décor with polarized lenses. “Now if I was a man waiting for his latest little doll to play with… Where would I be?” she pondered, holding the fan to her chin and scanning the group of party goers. As a server walked by with a plate of wine glasses, Róisín reached up and plucked a drink without missing a beat, as though she had practiced living the high society life ten times over. She took a sip of the earth’s nectar, solemnly peering into the liquid as it swished around its translucent container. ”…Still tastes like ashes in my mouth,” she sadly observed. It had been ages since anything other than taboo meat and decaying carbon had graced her taste buds with the euphoria of flavor. The closest she got to remembering what it was like to tantalize her senses with fine foods was when she ate spoonfuls of homemade black pudding, and there was a fleeting flavor of rich chocolate before the sweet saltiness of the blood overpowered it. Though she could taste nothing wrong with rancid meat and polluted organs, her mind still told her that they were not supposed to taste the way they should. Her brain had merely been fooled into believing that what she was eating was delicious. A simple play of hormonal signals, but a very effective one.

And I don't know where I've been, And I don't know what I'm into, And I don't know what I've done to me
And as I watch you disappear into the ground, My one mistake was that I never let you down
So I'll waste my time and I'll burn my mind, On miss nothing, miss everything

[Lysander the Poet]

[Lysander the Poet]

Dionysus' Mansion, Phobos
The Orbit of Mars
Sol System
January 19, 2326
19:46 Galactic Standard Time

The masked servant scurried through the halls of Dionysus, so intent on informing her master of what she had seen. The party was just starting, but it was definitely already in full swing. Dionysus’ infamous parties were known to last for days, an unending marathon of drug addled joy, alcohol soaked debauchery, and eventually the very halls reeked of sex. The God enjoyed seeing the writhing masses, indulging in all manner of substances with which they dulled their perceptions, whittled away at their impulses, and gave themselves to pure ecstasy. Perhaps, somewhere deep within the recesses of his dark, perverse heart, he wished that he was a putrid servant of these lesser urges, to enjoy things so simple and so animalistic. But he was not of the dirt, as all children of Terra were. No, he was a child of the Heavens, a mighty being of unfathomable might. He took these events as a way to remind himself of the power he commanded, as the masses flocked to him at his very beck and call, eager to surrender themselves to his will. He shuddered with his own sort of enjoyment as he practically felt the prayers of the sons and daughters of Olympus leave their lips. The servant’s feet plodded along the marble floor of the extravagant halls, navigating them with such memory, until finally stumbling into the presence of her master. She instantly dropped to her knees in submission, and being the gentle, benevolent God that he was, he reached down a single gauntleted hand, caressed the woman’s masked face, and lifted it to look at his own. Their eyes met, and beneath the mask, the woman was still giving something of a smile, and Dionysus seemed to know what her expression held, even under the mask, as he spoke, gentle of tone. ”Oh, my dear, sweet NAME OF SERVANT. You seem positively glowing with joy. What is it that you have seen, my beauty? What is it that you wish for me to know?” And in the next moment, the gentle touch of his hand become something more, as he delved into the recesses of her mind, picking away at the thoughts and memories dwelling within in an instant to find the one that he sought, that brought such a smile to her face. Something about his power, his presence brought an unnatural air of pleasure. It was intoxicating, and permeated the entire mansion. It was in the food, the drinks, the drugs, and in the very oxygen that the guests were breathing. And it was in his very touch, as he plucked away the thought, the woman would writhe and, as best as she could, moan with unfathomable ecstasy. She collapsed to the ground, spent, as if she herself had enjoyed the perverse and carnal company of a hundred men.

”So...this is the one that was spoken of. A daughter of the Lethe...eyes of an unnatural glow. I do believe that I know of this one. Alexei Santogold.” Dionysus, and the other Gods as well, had a disturbingly intimate knowledge of most of the goings-on around the system, even on a scale as small as the Lethe operations, small in the more cosmic sense, of course. While it was completely possible that he had never actually interacted or dealt with any operation or dealing Alexei had ever touched, all it took was the right victim of his power, a wrong word spoken from the right mouth, or any other number of things. He knew who she was, he knew she had a family that she cared for deeply, and he knew that she had that which Zeus sought. All of these things were tantalizing, so much so that he would salivate at the very prospect of meeting her. She was going to be quite interesting indeed. Though, her companions were less so, for the most part. The man and younger girl were obviously unimportant in the grander scheme of things. The pinked haired one, however, Dionysus knew as well. She had been risen to some infamy among the Olympians over perhaps the last decade. She was a savage warrior sort of woman, and many of the Children of Olympus would equate her to the old stories of the mythological Amazons of old Earth. The woman had come to some recognition from unknown origins when she engaged in one of the most sacred of Olympian traditions of this day and age; gladiatorial combat. Most Olympian cities still boasted mighty coliseums, where those from all colonies would come to prove their worth for the amusement of the rich, well-connected, and often for the blessings of the Gods themselves. The stories among people said that the woman had bested the greatest warriors on the field with her bare hands. Perhaps she would be worth a moment of his time, but first, business. Alexei was at the top of his list. Dionysus drifted down the halls of his mansion effortlessly, his feet not making a sound as they maneuvered along. As soon as he hit the bottom of the stairs, coming to the main floor of the mansion, people who caught sight of the God dropped to their knees in reverence.

Silence fell around Dionysus, other than the quiet whispers of prayers falling from the lips of the kneeling. He swept by each and everyone one of his subjects, barely regarding them as he scanned the room. It was in a dark corner, that Dionysus found his prey, quite literally entangled in the form of another woman. He approached, and stood before them as they continued engaging in their activities for a moment before the recognition set in. Dionysus smiled beneath his mask, giving a light chuckle. ”I am glad to see such revelry among you, my children. Even those burdened by the thoughts of war and death should be able to take solace in the moments of peace and love that all should enjoy. But if you would please excuse me, my dear, I need to borrow Ms. Santogold for a moment.” The woman who had previously been enjoying Alexei’s company giggled as she stood, and pulled Alexei to her feet. She swayed a little bit, resting her head on Alexei’s shoulder, kissing her neck. ”Try not to leave me alone for too long. I still wish to enjoy you a bit longer.” Dionysus merely nodded at Alexei, and then gestured for her to follow, the mere gesture something of a command. The whispers seemed to heighten at the sight of Alexei and Dionysus walking together, rumors already spinning out of control in every mind. Dionysus cared not for the opinions of all these lesser creatures. His interest in Alexei was none of their concern, and if not for the Oracle’s sight and Zeus’ command, even she would have been regarded as nothing more than one of these primitive beings. ”I have awaited your arrival, Ms. Santogold. I do hope that you are having a good time. I do not, however, remember seeing your name on the guest list. Must have found another way into my halls, I suppose. You have not the position nor the influence among the Lethe to garner such an honor, even if you do have a reputation that precedes you.” As his words wormed into her mind, everything would seem to become clearer, effects of drugs and such wearing away as long as he kept on speaking.

”You have come a long way, haven’t you? From the slums of the Dysnomia Ghetto, to the gold plated halls of my estate. And you are such a young, beautiful little thing. It is truly a shame that one such as you has seen such unfortunate circumstances, and has been forced to throw in your lot with thieves and criminals. You could have had such a better life, if the world were a different place.” The words he spoke were so soft, dripping with a kindness almost unnatural. It was all part of the great deception that was Dionysus. He was more of a figure of charisma than power among the other Gods, and in this way, was just as mighty. ”But, to have pity on you is not why I have come to you...or, to put it more specifically, that you have ultimately come to me. The words that I have to speak to you, of course, must be spoken in privacy.” They had walked through the hallways, winding and endless, for some time, and Alexei would realize that they had finally entered something that looked like a living chamber, as if she had just awoken from a sleep. ”The Oracle spoke of you, and your coming. You have something that belongs to Zeus. He has sent one of his representatives to fetch the item in question, as it is too dangerous for him to come himself. As you know, possibly with more intimacy than most, the Dominion forces have been pushing, and prodding, and have come close to Zeus with their attack on Kessel Station. Now, I am to relieve of this burden immediately. It is too dangerous for you to carry any longer, my daughter. Hand it over, and then you may run along, and enjoy the party. And you will forever have the favor of I, Dionysus, and be forever blessed with it. I’m sure, given the chance, that Zeus himself will desire to present his gratitude, one day. Who knows...perhaps freedom from the Lethe is closer than you think.” A final, sugar coated lie to lull Alexei into his trap. He had already killed the one whom Zeus had sent. He had no intention of handing over such a prize willingly. If Zeus wanted whatever this was so badly, he would have to pay for it. Slowly, he reached out, and caressed Alexei’s face, reaching into her mind. He saw the briefcase, knew what it contained. He saw Ben, and the pink haired woman, their mission unfolding before his eyes. He could practically taste her reverence as images of Daniella flitted from her mind to his. And then he saw Alister Blood, another victim of Alexei’s pursuit of carnal pleasure. He too, was interested in the girl, Daniella, just as Alexei was, and he would be coming for her. How...entertaining that notion was. As he pulled away, just as with his servant, a pure form of ecstasy and pleasure would overwhelm her senses.

[Lysander the Poet]

Alister stood in his quarters, towel around his waist, as Nova would prepare herself. He was transitioning, mentally. Alister Blood had a reputation of being ruthless, psychotic, and quite the bloodthirsty monster. He enjoyed the image that was given of him in the circles of the Dominion and Olympians. It taught others to fear him, and usually kept him out of most trouble. When he had been with Alexei, it was just another outlet for his ferocity. They were both battered, broken people, with monstrous intent as the order of the day. Fighting, killing, it was all a bred in reflex by now. This was evidenced by all the bruises left on the girl after the fact. Nova, however, was different. Alister did his best not to let her in on all his little secrets. When he had seen her, bagged up heads of her victims, he knew just how hard it was for her to do it. He assumed that the mere fact that it had been done meant that the situation had gone out of hand. It was to be expected with the likes of Kramer and Locke. He needed Nova’s resolve to be strengthened, for her to be ready to kill, in the very likely case that the Dominion would continue hunting them. Rhia was going to be in recovery for quite awhile, and while he already had to accept that Nova Vegas was not a ruthless psycho like himself and Rhia, she was the best person to fill in for the blonde Scott. He could practically see it in her face, how much it took out of her to take another life. A completely heartless pirate he was not. And now, Nova has seen him, softer and more vulnerable than any other person alive. He didn’t have to be so violent with her. It was a gentler moment, showing facets of himself that most people never saw. Small droplets of water run down the various parts of his body that had not yet been completely dried, and gently tapped on the floor. He ran a hand through his hair, pushes any thought that brought a smile to his face in the back of his head. For the mission they were about to perform, there was no room for any of that. There was only room for his anger, his ferocity, and his capacity for vengeance. Leaving Ben to Christian was another part of his plan to mould these passengers into a proper crew, for the time being that they were stuck together. He’d probably have to at least immobilize the target, but he’d have to let Christian kill him. That left Alexei for himself. Or maybe he would leave her on the edge of life, just so Rhia could finish her off. Either way would bring him utter satisfaction. He still was convinced, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this was a trap, and Alexei had done this at the beck and call of her new employer.

He heard Nova’s voice, and turned his head to look at her, fully dressed, ready to play the part of First Mate as best as she could with their ragtag group. Nova she was no longer, as the last vestiges of that persona hung before him. She was somewhere in between, and he knew that in a few minutes, or possibly as soon as that door slid shut after she left, she would be Commander Vegas. And by the time he left these quarters, he couldn’t just be Alister...he needed to be Captain Blood, wanted for innumerable crimes. ”Please do so, Commander. I’ll be there shortly.” The tone was so authoritative, so detached and cold. Alister gave her a last, knowing look, before becoming fully submerged in his true persona once more. He stepped towards the mirror he had, staring at himself, his fingers grasping at the violent scar forever marring the flesh of his throat, a knife that almost cut deep enough to kill him. The dropped the towel from his body, and stood before the mirror, looking at himself, each scar, each tattoo speaking more of the life of Alister Blood than any rumor or story ever could. The door closed as Nova left, but he continued to look at himself in the mirror. He was ready...for a suicide mission, or at least, what everyone else would see as a suicide mission. Breaking into a party, held by a man who had earned the moniker of a God, and getting back out again. It wouldn’t be the first time he did something that stupid. Gently, he pulled away the multiple pairs of dog tags hanging around his neck, and flicked through them, not needing to even read the names. He knew all of them by heart. They were inked on his skin. The only one that he had to look at was his own. He stared at it for many moments, before hanging all of them back around his neck. He dressed in solitude, once more donning a pair of worn out jeans, steel toed boots, and a deep black wife-beater. He exited his quarters, and made his way to the medical bay, where everyone on the ship would gather. Christian, Devaro, Nova, and Gunnar, with Rhia laying out on her cot just past them all.

Alister would push through the assembled group, and approach Rhia. He looked down at her, and she scowled again him. ”’Bout time you dragged your arse up here, Captain. I was beginning to think you had somehow died between the apartment and here. Should know better than to bet against you, though.” Alister shook his head, and chuckled. ”You are god damned right about that. Is the doc taking care of ya alright, or should I just skip the bullshit and kill ‘im now?” Rhia looked over at Gunnar, and winked in his direction, before looking back at her captain. ”I’d just break a few of his fingers off if he doesn’t give me some more meds for the pain. But I see you have everyone here...did you find Daniella?” Alister nodded, and Rhia attempted to sit up, but with a gentle hand, he pushed her back down. ”You can listen in on the briefing...but you will not come with us on the mission. You will stay here, you will recover, and you will take your time recovering. I don’t have time to waste worrying about you, alright? Commander Vegas is entirely capable of filling in for you while you’re here. And don’t be givin’ the doctor too much trouble, alright? If he pisses you off, I’ll take care of it. But if you piss him off, don’t blame me when he does some crazy, wacked out ******** experiments while you sleep.” Rhia looked almost as if she would protest, but lazily fell silent, and just laid on her cot. Alister nodded, leaving her to probably brood, and stepped out of the medical bay, into the center of the assembled party. He looked at each of them, frowning as he went around the room, and crossed his arms. ”You were all present for the failure that occurred on Calypso. Daniella, a girl that I was so generously paid to protect and transport...lies in the grip of those with an unknown intent for her. She’s not just some normal girl, as we all now know. She’s telepathic. That makes her special, and as Commander Vegas pointed out to me so boldly...a weapon, in the wrong hands. I believe, wholeheartedly, that Ben’s hands are the wrong ones. Whatever you may think,” His gazed paused on Christian for a moment, ”I’m convinced he is a Dominion agent. It’s how they found her on Kessel. It’s how they tracked her to Calypso. It’s how they knew where to find me...and as much as he liked to play smuggler, he stinks of military training.”

Alister sighed, running a hand through his hair before continuing. ”I’m the only one here who has an obligation to save her. It may be a petty thing, but I have a reputation to uphold. As dangerous as she is, she is in the hands of someone who can make her even more so. This mission is an all volunteer operation. You aren’t my crew, I can’t give you orders. Commander Vegas has already agreed to assist me in Daniella’s retrieval. If any of you would like to back out, that’s fine. But here we go...the ship received a message an hour or two ago, from Alexei. I guess it was too soon to hope she was rotting in whatever her damn religion equates to Hell. She says they’re going to Phobos, to a party hosted by the God, Dionysus. His parties are legendary events, sometimes days longs, of food, sex, and drugs. She didn’t say why they were there, only that Daniella wishes to rejoin us, and that she would do whatever she could to help. She was also smart enough to acknowledge that we would most likely expect it to be a trap, which I definitely do. But it is a risk we have to take. Unfortunately, security is a bit...interesting. We can get all the way to the door, but without an invitation, they’d likely kill us on sight. And there is no getting an invitation at this point. What this means, is that if you do decide to join me, it would be fair to bill this a suicide mission. The only way into the mansion is through the front ********’ door, and that’s how I plan to enter. Shoot up some Olympians, sew some ******** chaos, and get Daniella back safe. Other objectives including Christian evacuating Ben’s brain cavity at some point...and I have a bullet or two with Alexei’s name on it. If anyone else has a better plan, I’d like to hear it. If not, everyone needs to get ready. We may be crashing a party...with guns...but we may as well dress for the occasion. Might even get to kill a God or two, you never know. I like to be optimistic about our chances.”

OOC: That moment when you realize both people Alister has slept with are only 19.