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

[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, Nova, Alister, & Leon ¤Condition: 72% ¤Location: Persephone's Engine Room
I am misused, I don't wanna do, Be not your slave
Misguided, I mind it, I'm missin' the train

A few cackles escaped her clenched fangs, jostling around the innards of her throat. Róisín released her metallic exoskeleton, sending it snapping back into place as the black fluid pouring out of the hole in her face clung to it in web-like strands. Bubbling crackled out from the hollowed eye sockets as her face reattached itself and her obliterated eyeball began to reform under the cover of darkness. She let out a snake like hiss, staring down at the prey still hooked upon one set of claws. “That will come in due time… I want to really enjoy ripping your flesh from your bones,” she said as she slightly moved the claws embedded within his back. While she was safe from any more of his punches and kicks, she no longer had the cover of darkness to aid her attack. She couldn’t rely on the imaginations of the Persephone’s crew to warp her image and instill fear into their hearts. The psychological terror that came upon witnessing her grotesque face and titanic arms would have to suffice until she was able to escape to her ship. For now though, she still had the matter of carving up her latest meal. Deciding just how to drag out his torment was proving to be as difficult as restraining herself from simply ripping out several of the vital organs nestled gently beneath her grasp. She knew where his ribs were, she could feel them pressed against her knuckles. She knew where his spine was; inches from puncture. It would be easy to end it all for the suffering individual, if she had any mercy left in her soul for the human race.

She let out a disapproving hiss as her prey turned his gaze away from her. What could have been more important than to keep one’s eyes on their attacker when death was but a moment away? Silvery orbs, now hidden in the pitch blackness beneath her hood, trailed the ground in search of his attention, coming upon two sets of boots at the other end of the room. Before she could set her sights on the ‘new’ arrival, that she had obviously missed in all the commotion, she heard a voice ring out in the engine room. Enough. Enough? No! It wasn’t enough! It would never be enough to satiate the rage within her! Who was this girl to command her?! Jaws stacked to the nines with sharp fangs opened to protest, but were stopped by the all too familiar sound of electronic beeping. She suddenly couldn’t move any of her body parts from the neck down, no matter how hard she tried. She was trapped. Her claws were torn from Leon’s body as she was thrown from his back and forcibly pinned up against a wall. She snapped her jaws a couple times, growling and hissing in a futile attempt to free herself from whatever contraption had imprisoned her. She heard the sounds of footsteps and her meager attempts at thrashing ceased, instead focusing a shaded gaze at the mutant girl approaching her. The girl had weaponized her belt with a tractor beam modification. The monster narrowed its eyes at the modified being. Had she been wrong to assume this man was not a part of the crew and Alister’s word to be true? She should have known better than to take a human’s word. Her fury towards the commander and her anger at Karl’s kidnapping had blinded her in many ways that night. Her mistakes were piling up and her mood only continued to sour. This ship would pay for what it had done.

”Mister B?” chimed the little fish as he floated closer to Alister’s face. ”I’m confused,” he admitted. ”I thought you wanted to let the flying man get eaten? I think he’s still alive and I don’t think Róisín was finished; he still has all his body parts! Why is Pinky stopping her?” he wondered out loud. He was obviously worried, though there was a bit of a disappointment in his voice. Had Alister lied to him and broke his promise? Had he just led Róisín to her death? Róisín would get out of this like she always did! Wouldn’t she? It was really starting to bother him how things seemed to be turning out for the worst.

The beast’s low growling seeped through the tiny spaces in its maw, eyes dead set on the girl standing between her and her victim. ”Enough? ENOUGH?!” she roared out. ”You know not of which you speak! RELEASE ME! This is a moderate price for the crimes committed! In exchange for the lives aboard this ship, a single sacrifice was made. I was promised a meal in exchange for my cooperation. I am a predator to the damned. I’ve chased my prey past the horizon where not even the stars’ light reaches! YOU WILL NOT KEEP ME FROM THE SOUL THAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE TO DEVOUR!” She tried to struggle once more, audibly getting more and more enraged the longer she was contained. ”Bloodshed is absolutely necessary! It is what drives humanity in the eight arms of chaos! Bloodshed,” she spat as though the word had been misused. There was more than a little sarcasm in her drawl of the word. ”You could not even begin to understand what true bloodshed is, Neonate, for this is but a fraction of what I have witnessed for years! Risen from the ashes, out of the grave, and through the layers of garbage humans have laid upon the planets’ surfaces; I am here precisely because of my cooperation with humans,” she distained as though the word were unpalatable. ”Hurt me…” she nearly mumbled, ”What could you possibly do that has not already been done to me before? The pain of being dead is already wracking this vessel I inhabit, and yet, here you stand threatening to break me as though I was still very much alive.” Róisín’s elongated tongue reached out from two sets of teeth and slid up Nova’s cheek for a split second before retreating back into its sanctuary. The being cockily chuckled at the girl; waiting for even the smallest blunder to make its escape. ”Do you see now, Karl? This is exactly why we don’t conspire with their kind. This is all that comes of it! A thirst for power, the betrayal necessary to harness it, and their deluded idea of humanity; these are the traits every human possesses. They don’t care, Karl. They CAN’T care. It’s embedded into their DNA that so long as they get to live another day then absolutely nothing else matters.”

Instead of arguing with Róisín as he had done before, Karl stayed absolutely quiet. He looked to Alister, Róisín, Nova, and even Leon, as though he were trying to process all the information coming into his databanks at once. He had been sure of himself earlier when he defended the crew. Róisín was special to him, that was no doubt, and the little AI had several big choices to make. Should he help Róisín? Should he help the crew by deactivating Róisín until they were able to contain her? What was the right thing to do?

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

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

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

outfit // Masquerade
stamina // 76% - stimulated, focused, nervous (León, 23% - in pain, dizzy, resigned)
addiction status // delayed withdrawal (symptoms will come back soon)

A horrible ripping sound pervaded the air as the monster was ripped from his body. Its claws, already dug deep into his back, slid like knives out of his flesh as Nova activated the beam on her belt--a weapon he knew from Tiberius, but he had never seen in action. León slumped to the floor, hot blood pouring down his back and slicking up the floor. His vision swam as his body began to shut down from blood loss, and heat assaulted his skin as the open air burned the wounds all over him.

Like he had learned from the Captain, Nova spoke of parley. How she was able to reason with a monster, or attempt to, made him chuckle again as he rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake long enough to witness what would happen next. It wasn't something he wanted to miss. "Whatever you think you're doing, it's not going to work. This monster really hates me, so if I'm not a snack by the end of the day, everyone else is going to die." The motivation made sense to him. Alister Blood, by letting him die, saves everyone else on the crew. Not to mention the guy hated him anyway. León really didn't want it to end this way, but he never expected anything but a messy and inglorious death. ”You know not of which you speak! RELEASE ME! This is a moderate price for the crimes committed! In exchange for the lives aboard this ship, a single sacrifice was made. I was promised a meal in exchange for my cooperation. I am a predator to the damned. I’ve chased my prey past the horizon where not even the stars’ light reaches! YOU WILL NOT KEEP ME FROM THE SOUL THAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE TO DEVOUR!” Definitely, the monster was not playing them.

"My captain is dead. He will hear none of this..." Nova said, hesitation in her voice. León chuckled again and, with great difficulty, turned to face her, staring at her with cloudy eyes. He reached into his pocket, slowly, as to not startle anyone into thinking he was about to pull out a gun--and procured his keyPC. Opening it, he clicked a few buttons. "You know that's not true," he replied, before pressing a final button. A recording began to play, a grainy sound permeating the background like an old-century movie. A cocky, yet tired, voice spoke through the computer.

"Oh come on. I'm trying to do one of those romantic letter-in-a-bottle things, and all you can offer me is a recording?"
"You're making some wild assumption that I'll ever even meet her, loco. So just say what you have to say."
"Alright, fine. ...Hey, baby. What's up? So, not in a pretty great place right now. Of course, you know that, you've seen me...but don't worry about me! You...you go and, and you do what you want. Be happy. Put a smile on that pretty face. I got plenty of pictures of you to keep ME happy, lemme tell ya--ah, but...man, I don't know, this is weird...Nova, I--"
"s**t, the detail's here early. Sorry, amigo, gotta put a pause on this for now."
"What? That's it? You suck, man..."

The recording ended at that moment. León painfully put his keyPC away before laying his head against the cool floor, sticky with his blood. The monster continued to monologue about the terrible nature of the world, and he smiled in agreement, his eyes closed. Really, bloodshed was the only law of nature. If the beast didn't want to eat them, they would probably get along quite well. "A thirst for power, the betrayal necessary to harness it, and their deluded idea of humanity; these are the traits every human possesses. They don’t care, Karl. They CAN’T care. It’s embedded into their DNA that so long as they get to live another day then absolutely nothing else matters.” The monster was reasoning with the AI. A friend, perhaps its only one. He laughed a little. "Even for a horrible monster, you still need to explain yourself to someone else. It's...funny." He coughed, blood trickling down his lips. "No one is betraying you. People are flawed. Disagreements happen. Whatever I did to piss you off, it's probably not half as bad as what I've done to other people. If anyone deserves to kill me, it's not you. But, since is the only way to go right now, might as well take it."

Alexei, her crossbow in position, rushed into the room. Seeing the beast in full light took her off guard, especially considering the blood dripping from its claws and a dead body--was that Gunnar? Oh by the gods, it was--deposited in the corner, with a mangled León covered in blood and Alister and Nova at odds. Nothing seemed sane in the room. The raven-haired woman pointed her crossbow at the monster and warily glanced at Alister. The last few hours were a blur to her, and she really didn't know how she stood with the Captain. The fact that Rhia hadn't shot her dead in the infirmary was enough to assume that Alister wasn't about to break her neck or feed her to the thing, but who in Hades knew with that man?

Noticing the monster was unable to move, she slowly inched towards León. Though she didn't like him at all, she didn't want a higher-up of the Olympians dying in relation to her, especially not this one. She bent down to examine him. "You're called the Skeleton Harvester...right?" she addressed the monster, glancing up at it and seeing a chaotic mix of innards and black and red. "I don't know what you want with this crew, or why you're trying to kill this man, but I can't let you kill him." She noticed the fish, Karl, whatever he was called, floating and taking turns looking at all of them. The creature had been incredibly fond of Daniella. Perhaps she could speak to him. "You, Karl, right?" she asked the AI. "Do you remember Dani? Your friend? She's my friend too. Everyone in this crew is my...friend. I do not want them to get hurt. We do not want to hurt your friend, either. Whatever mistake we made, we are sorry." She lowered the crossbow to point at the floor, checking León's pulse after realizing he had passed out.




_____________________________________



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]

This was becoming maddening, and Alister had had enough of it all. When Nova had entered the room, the two made eye contact, and he knew she was ready to shoot at his smallest inclination. He wanted to give her a subtle motion, indicate that she needed to lower her weapon, but his survival instinct was against that. He needed someone to have a shot at this monster, in case it decided that it didn’t want to accept his offer, and tried to kill them instead. Still, he was thankful that Nova had started everything back up, and that lights now filled the ship once more. The darkness made him feel uncomfortable, even in his own ship. He had watched the horrible monstrosity, now unmasked and unhidden, tear into her prey. Even with the lights on, that thing was absolutely horrifying. Alister considered all of the ways that he could possibly get rid of the thing, not trusting that it would let them live. He listened as Karl warned Nova about wielding a gun in the monster’s presence, and wondered how the innocent little AI could call this thing a companion. There had to be more to the story, of course. He tried to distract himself, to convince himself that what he had done had been for the best. He didn’t like Leon, had no reason to, but he was still condemning a man to a horrible death. Kill one to save them all, the pirate reasoned with himself. It had to have been worth it, even if he would have preferred to try and get some information from the Olympian Commander. Perhaps he would still have that chance, as Nova acted rashly. Whatever Leon had said to her, he wasn’t quite sure what it had meant at all, but it was probably what prompted her into action. The next moment, Roisin’s form was pinned to the wall, and she asked for its cooperation, reiterating his own sentiment of having no interest in hurting her. Still, Nova had moved aggressively, and she was technically under his command, and acted against him.

”Dammit, Nova! What the hell are you thinking? You didn’t need to intervene. Do you have any idea what it took to convince her? To make this deal? Give her that scum, and she’d let us all live. That one, worthless life, for all of ours. And trust me, I weighed the options. I thought about the information I could have gotten from interrogating him. But this was the only choice. I didn’t want anyone acting against her. I didn’t want to show any aggression. You have no idea what you’ve done.” Alister glanced over at Karl, apologetically. ”Apparently, people around here aren’t as good at following orders as I thought. I’m sorry, Karl. I didn’t want this to happen. I was content with Roisin getting her kill, and honoring our deal. But it looks like that deal is going to have to change, now. We let Roisin down, and there’s no guarantee she won’t try to kill every single one of us. I can’t let one mistake lead to others. I need to take the situation as it is, and think about the people on this ship. Their lives are in my hands. Roisin listens to you...whatever happens now, you need to talk to her. Whatever it takes…” Alister crossed the room, holding out his knife towards the battered and injured Leon, but looking at Roisin. He spoke to the Spaniard in an even tone. ”Stay down, for your own safety. Don’t make any smart moves, alright? I’d say medical attention was on the way, but what’s left of our doctor is digesting or something inside the thing that tried to kill you. I’m sure if you suck it up, you’ll be fine...now that we’ll probably have to figure out a new plan.”


At the movement to his pocket, Alister was ready to gut him, but stopped himself, watching as the footage rolled, and he heard a voice that he knew to belong to Tiberius. Another person who know he wasn’t dead...just as Nova had told him, and here was the proof. Was he trying to appeal to her? Just another reason to keep an eye on the both of them. He had learned his lesson about trusting his newfound allies. The shrieks and monologue of Roisin echoed throughout the ship, and Alister listened to her rambling, trying to get a read on the monster, beyond the obvious fact that she was angry. People often said some compromising things while in a compromising position. He practically laughed when she was finished, oddly entertained. Her notions on bloodshed and human nature...they were so well informed, so calculated, and the rang with mostly truth. The way she pleaded to Karl, trying to convince him, seemed to be her weakness. So much more to the story, it was true. And slightly more entertaining would be Leon’s dialogue with the beast. ”You are an absolute riot. You speak with such power, and authority, but the way you talk to your little friend over there, it seems so clear. Róisín, you’re just a frightened little girl, who has seen things she should have never set eyes on, experienced things no one ever should. And whatever it is, it’s made you into a monster. Well, the fear is gone, Róisín. You talk about bloodshed...I have bathed my hands on the blood of so many...the innocent especially, but from every walk of life. And even this man’s blood, that you spilled, stains my soul. I’ve even managed to find pleasure, and employment, by the means of ending lives. You and I...we’re not so different, I think. We’re both people who endured too much, and it made monsters of us. We’ve lost things, people, ourselves...and we’re changed. Among the ooze, and the metal, and the shadows...there is a person, isn’t there?” Alister wasn’t sure why he spoke those words...but it felt right. It forced him to take stock, and think about himself, looking through this lens, and seeing so much of his own pain and logic in the woman, not monster, pinned to the wall. ”You say you’re dead, but that isn’t really true, is it? You may think it, feel it, you may have even convinced yourself that you know it. But you are here before us, very much alive, in some way, shape or form. There is not thirst for power here, there is only survival, and those who threaten it. And yes, I admit that I was going to let this man die to save us all, and yes, to those who sit around in their normal lives, with their normal family, taking all their comforts for granted, not all of us have that luxury. I was ready to kill this man because I DO care. Not about him, maybe, but for the others on this ship that you would have killed. The first man, the doctor that you murdered, he cared too. He was here, and he probably didn’t want anything to do with us, but he came, to treat our sick, and wounded, and risked his life to save my friend. And I will remember and honor his sacrifice today, even if I wasn’t too fond of him.”

The sound of Alexei’s feet entering the room caught Alister’s attention, and he saw her, weapon raised, and listened to the words coming from her mouth. He watched as she lowered the crossbow, glad for that, as he had been about ready to reach out and redirect the weapon himself, away from Róisín, who he did not wish to threaten anymore, for Karl’s sake. ”Don’t call her that, Alexei. If that’s what she wants to be called, it’s only to scare people, to bring about the stories, and the nightmares, and the horror. Her real name is Róisín...and believe me when I say, if she weren’t pinned to that wall...well, it wouldn’t have anything to do with you letting her kill anyone. She would just kill them, and you, and everyone else who she wanted to kill. We’re playing a dangerous game here.” He noticed, vaguely, that the symptoms of withdrawal had faded. She’d gotten her hands on something, she had gotten free, and Alister wasn’t really sure if he wanted her in here, providing backup. She could sooner shoot him in the back of the head with her crossbow, grab Leon, and lay siege to the ship if she wanted to. But she wouldn’t, he told himself. She wasn’t lying about her perception of friendship with the crew, even if most of them didn’t quite feel that way. ”Róisín...we’ve gone over this. Taking Karl is why you came after us, and it was an accident. We didn’t mean to kidnap him, Leon didn’t mean to do whatever he did...probably, and no one wants to hurt you. We’ve had a rough couple of days, we’re all on edge, and you’ve already killed enough people on my ship for today. But if you’re so intent on ridding the galaxy of people, maybe you should change your mindset on us. You saw what we did at that little shindig on Phobos. And I assure you, there are worse folks than us out there, waiting for someone to come along and harvest them. People like the Corporate Dominion. Vizhadi, Cyberteknik, Maelstrom, T.I.T.A.N., GenEx, and Unity...they’ve got their fair share of traitors, and power hungry psychopaths. You can have Karl back, and leave peacefully...or, you can come with us. We’ve got the Dominion coming after us like they’ve got nothing better to do, and I wouldn’t mind giving them a few nightmares.” There it was...he risked it. But Róisín would be a useful person to have around when Halloran came knocking again, and for fulfilling his promise to Nova, to save Tiberius. Gently, he put his hand on Alexei’s shoulder. He still hated her for working with Ben, he still didn’t trust her for kidnapping Daniella, still wanted to hurt her for hurting Rhia, and maybe it was just that moment that he saw Rhia’s suffering in her, but he sighed, and spoke. ”Thank you, for what you said. I’m not sure a lot of us can see the whole friend thing, but I think you believe it, and for now, that’s enough. And you really seem to want to protect Daniella...now, I’m not saying I trust you, or believe you, or that we’re all gonna be buddy buddy...and you will still be detained, and have armed escorts. But not in a cell. You can take your old cabin back, I’ll let you out and around the ship...and maybe you can try to earn some trust among the crew. What can I say, I’m having a weird ******** day.” He looked back over to the monstrosity, and then at Nova. ”So, what do you say? Should I have my First Mate let you down now? Once you make your decision of course.”

[The Smut Peddler]

ⓒⓞⓜⓜⓐⓝⓓⓔⓡ ⓝⓞⓥⓐ ⓥⓔⓖⓐⓢ

╰☆╮░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░╭☆╯

╭☆╯░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░╰☆╮

❝As long as a word remains unspoken, you are it's master...❞

╔══════════════════════════════╗


This shattered dream you cannot justify
We're gonna scream until we're satisfied
What are we running for? We've got the right to be angry.



╚══════════════════════════════╝

Nova's eyes rested on the beast of a woman as she bellowed out at her. The younger woman was nervous, but she dared not show it. Starting to loose some of her adrenaline she had had when Devaro made his opinion known about her livelihood she would realize this creature was absolutely horrifying. Nothing out of any horror film or story could compare. But her words, almost brought a tear to her eye. They were so close to words she'd heard again and again whenever the word "Humanity" had been uttered on her previous ship. Softly she would chuckle, shaking her head as she pulled herself up to look directly at the creature a warm presence in her that was certainly not that of the Commander.

"You're right I suppose. Humanity is driven by its mistakes. Without the memory of tyranny and murder, we would become something so much worse. But that doesn't mean we have to redefine its purpose." She would state, calmly as she couldn't help but feel she understood the creature, on a level that she was certain no one else on the ship could. She herself was demonized, even by her own father. She couldn't really argue how it felt to be ostracized by mankind. To be so different. Whatever the reason, it was human nature to reject the unknown, the different, change. Nova knew first hand how being different caused problems, though she was certain that the creature had dealt with much more extremes.

The word human came up once more, as though this she beast did not believe she was such. These words sounded a lot like Tiberius. Who had been an outcast and did not associate with being 'human.' Nova knew in her heart, she was certain, that he too had been horribly betrayed by people, so much so that he could not accept being one anymore. This woman, reminded her so much of him in that regard. Where he would build an band of misfits to hide behind, she had built a wall of claws and teeth.

Nova would turn as the Harvester turned over to her companion Karl. Telling him of their deluded ideals and false words. But soon after her attention would freeze as the Olympian man clicked on a recording of her beloved captain as he sent her a message. It wasn't possible. How in the Hell would she have ran into a man who knew about Ti? It was a set up. It had to be. They had to have planned him to be there. But how? Nothing of it made sense, but despite wanting to believe it was fate, Nova knew in her heart there had to be something more sinister at work. But as an added bonus, she got to hear his voice again, even if she couldn't enjoy it in that moment. She didn't have time to cross examine the older man, she had a creature who would just as much eat them had she let her guard down as look at them and she could not risk anymore lives. "Trust me, I'll be getting to you. However you got a hold of that is irrelevant, but I do have questions. Just also have bigger things right now as well."

Then she would take notice of Alister and his thorough down dressing of her. She'd no idea of the agreement Alister had made with the woman, when she'd entered in and tuned back into reality there was nothing but a brutal fight in the dark. Nova's lower lip thinned as she made every attempt not to scowl at the man for his scolding. It only made Devaro's words all the more true. They were not a military, they were pirates. Completely lawless. Her eyes would stare at him so completely disillusioned. But then Alister continued to speak over to the woman known as Roisin. A saving grace, was all it could be considered. His words spoke more truly than any she'd heard him utter before. Roisin wasn't so different in that light, and it was something that Nova would completely relate to. How surprising it was to hear such sincerity from an infamous blood thirsty pirate such as Captain Blood.

Alexei had scampered her way in as well, and while she was by the side of the older man she spoke to Karl and mentioned that these were all friends of hers. The concept was quite foreign. So much betrayal, and so much hardship had fallen all of them, towards each other, and against. How could the raven haired woman say they were her friends? Nova would smile at Alister's acceptance of the young woman as it spoke volumes on his own character. Forgiveness may have been too far from grasp, but he was trying, which only stung more deeply when Nova would realize that most likely she would be met by they same fate, only more harshly she'd assume. She would nod to him as he looked at her before focusing back on Roisin. The ball was now in her court, it was up to Roisin how things would go from there. And Nova was ready for it.

╔══════════════════════════════╗


We can't afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It's a do or die situation; we will be invincible



╚══════════════════════════════╝

❝...once you utter it, you are it's slave.❞

xxxx┇ ✦ -
xxxx┇ ♢ 60%
xxxx┇ ✦ Afraid
xxxx┇ ✦ Meant to Live

[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: Alexei, Leon, Alister, Nova, & Karl ¤Condition: 72% ¤Location: Persephone's Engine Room
I am misused, I don't wanna do, Be not your slave
Misguided, I mind it, I'm missin' the train

It wasn’t hard to guess by what little could be seen of the monster’s face that she was more than a little annoyed at the situation. Her victim’s taunts only served to reignite the fiery hatred burning within her soul. “There is no one more fitting to destroy what meaningless existence you call a life than I!” she roared at the bleeding man on the floor. Her words lingered against her tongue, a dull hissing slithering through the spaces in her teeth. It was obvious that even if she was pinned to the wall, the creature still had enough wrath to share. Beneath the thick fur and skin colored hood were still a pair of waiting jaws curled into a sinister snarl. Though she couldn’t currently move, it was only a matter of biding her time. As the Spaniard grew quiet, so did her hissing. How disappointing that he had succumbed to his blood loss. He truly was all bark and no bite without something to hide behind. The amount of crimson fluid pouring from his wounds was not enough to kill him, and she had been careful to not puncture any vital structures when she had anchored herself into his back. It was a good guess that he was still very much alive.

Colorless eyes were drawn to the pink haired woman as her pillowy lips let out a chuckle. Róisín was prepared to chew her out and give her another earful, until she noticed the look in the woman’s face. Where there should have been fear there was warmth. It confused the creature. It wasn’t a cockiness or stupidity that she was used to seeing in the humans she had encountered before. The creature studied her features, as there was nothing else she could do while hung up on the wall, noting how the long ears protruding from the sides of her head had nary a suture line. For Róisín, who had spent many years sewing synthetics to living specimens, it only meant that this was not as simple a modification as she had previously suspected. There was more to it than that. Perhaps it was the revelation that this girl, while still obviously organic, was not as human as the others on the ship that began to calm the beast. There were indeed rumors of GenEx’s experiments. The arms race between the Dominion’s companies was fueled by hearsay and what little each could ‘borrow’ from the other. The words she spoke were not entirely those of a brainwashed peon. There was some philosophical truth within them; a tiny nugget of understanding that meant the girl knew what Róisín was saying and simply disagreeing. She seemed so young, and for a moment Róisín recalled what she had been like at that age. She was so naïve. She had gotten into a number of dangerous incidents trusting that someone would help a young girl struggling to survive. She had found that there were more insidious humans than kind souls willing to think of her as something other than the demon she had transformed into at the Dominion’s hands.

The memories vanished when she heard the heavy thuds of masculine boots clanking against the engine room’s floor. Silver orbs flickered from the woman’s face to the captain crossing the room, intently watching to see if the blade he held was meant for her. Had it not been for the mystifying essence wafting from the rose haired vixen, Róisín would have most likely ignored the man’s speech the way she had done when she had intended to kill him. She listened, the low growling returning for a moment as the man’s words treaded dangerously close to insulting. As quick as he was to cross the line, he was equally quick to traverse back into safety. The way his words danced across logic was interesting to say the least. Was he honestly trying to relate to a monster? It was something that teetered on the fine line between bravery and insanity. Still, there was something oddly understandable in his blathering, even if she knew the man knew absolutely nothing about her. He couldn’t, even if Karl was known to spill miles worth of beans. From the sounds of it, it was rather common for complete strangers to enter his ship whenever they pleased. It would explain why Leon was there despite holding a blade to the ship’s captain. The longer she remained, the more unclear things seemed to be for the cyborg. She held her tongue as another person entered the room with a crossbow aimed for the kill. The weapon, however, quickly lowered despite the captain’s nervously flickering eyes never fully turning to the dark haired woman. She scoffed a bit; both at Alexei’s pleading and Alister’s stroking of Róisín’s ever growing ego. It seemed he was smarter than she had originally given him credit for. She quietly listened to his proposal, ignoring the opportunity to yell at someone for speaking to Karl as this man was showing more and more depth the longer she allowed him to speak his part. Her frown returned, however, as she was reminded of those who had tried to use her as their personal pet and prized weapon. She had not been their equal and after several similar incidents occurring she had decided to lift her head high above them. What need had she for them anymore? They were nothing but dying screams now. The days where she had tried to find a niche instead of creating one for herself were long gone. Karl was the only thing she needed to keep her sanity and prevent her from eternal slavery to her mechanical parts.

Karl took Alister’s words to heart, as much as an AI could, and cemented in his databases that he would help keep Róisín from killing any more people on board the craft. As long as she remained alive then it didn’t matter if she was in a cell or shipped off to the other side of the galaxy in order for his new friends to live. She’d be mad but she’d get over it after a nice long sleep and night of reading reports of the rogue signal that had people’s mechanical parts blowing up. He listened to Alexei as she called his name. “Of course I remember Dani! You’re late to the party, friend, I already know all that! HA! HA! HA!,” laughed the AI. The little fish raised his fin to his face, saluting the captain. “You got it, Mister B!” As it turned out, though, the captain didn’t need as much help as he thought to settle the beast’s rage. Karl squished his cheeks, stars in his eyes as he watched the man take control of the room. Had he had a little heart in his electrical grid it would have been fluttering at the valiance of Captain Alister Blood. Even Róisín seemed to be entranced by the careful finesse of his words to a certain extent. When Alister started talking to the raven haired newcomer Karl quickly hovered over towards his companion without the slightest indication of fear. The tender glow from his glass orb reflected in her eyes, illuminating the pair of refractive irises in the darkness of her hood. He worked his way underneath one of the folds and attempted to nuzzle her cheek. “Róóóóóóóóóóóóóóisín, I can’t cuddle with you when you have your mask on!” he whined. Róisín’s voice lowered to a whisper. ”I’m not taking it off, Karl…” There was an inaudible noise from the machine, like the begging of a small child who could not yet form words. The girl’s second set of jaws remained closed, though the slight sounds of murmuring could be heard between the two of them as they conversed yet again. The occasional outburst was only from the AI this time around. ”BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR, RÓISÍN! NO FAIR NO FAIR NO FAIR NO FAIR!” ”Shh!” she uttered, her voice still low. ”If I can’t eat them, neither can you.” Another childish protest from the AI and the two were back to their whispery conversation for what seemed like an eternity due to the tension in the air.

Karl remained tucked into her hood though their talk grew silent. Róisín contemplated a few more things before finally speaking. Her grungy voice still held authority, though it was no longer screeching or riddled with roars. “Alister Blood…,” she began. “For someone so well versed, you have the oddest choice in company and profession… and yet,” she paused. “I don’t think you quite understand the situation at hand. My ship tore a hole into yours. Even if I decide to leave you in peace, the airlock would be compromised. If I stay within the walls of my ship till you find a place to dock and make repairs how do I know you’re not going to set a trap for us? I’ve been playing this game for a very long time. Long enough to know how easy it is to glue a bomb to a door and attempt to blow up an enemy as they fly off. I cannot even promise the safety of your crew if we do decide to stay and help your cause. Karl and I NEED to do the things we do in order to survive. We have no choice. That was taken from us long ago and embedded into our programming by Cyberteknik Industries. We are not alive in the sense you speak of. If we stay we cannot stop our harvest. While we can try to avoid the casualties of your crew and vessel; people will continue to die and systems will be drained of their power; one way or another, whether we want to or not. Some people choose to kill because it’s fun. Some people choose to kill because they believe it’s righteous. It’s not a simple matter of personal choice for us, this is vital to our survival and basic functioning.” Why she was telling them as much could only be attributed to Karl’s intervening. There were no more threats of disembowelment or words that could be seen as white lies. It was merely a warning; an explanation of just what was being purposed. Karl’s silence on the matter could only mean that he was siding with Róisín after their debate. It also seemed that the cyborg was more willing to let them get away with their lives, provided she wasn’t left with the short end of the stick. ”I did not drag myself out from under the Dominion’s thumb to settle under someone else’s. I don’t take orders and the days of being someone’s toy to puppet and use as a power display are long gone. If your intent was to send me off on a death march, allow me to remind you that I can and will hunt you down. The same way I’ve hunted for several years since Cyberteknik’s betrayal. If you’re lying, Karl won’t save you a second time. That is something I can assure you. What do I even get out of our little contract? If you cannot follow through on the single promise of a common enemy’s death, why should I put my faith in you? How can you promise me the downfall of the Dominion? To save the flies is to kill the spider. Those stories as you call them, are very much true. Perhaps not every single one, but the name Skeleton Harvester was given to me by the ones who lived to tell those tales, and with good reason at that. I don’t care what you call me, however, the more people who know that I am here equals more people who know where I am and how to get rid of me in one fell swoop. The Dominion has tried to get their hands on me and hasn’t succeeded. The two of us combined will only create a larger target for this crew you care so deeply about as well as our own hides. So it comes down to this, Alister Blood; if you can handle the high maintenance of harboring two more high ranking criminals aboard your ship perhaps something can be worked out to meet a common goal.” Róisín glanced at Karl for a bit before setting her eyes back on the captain. ”The enemy of the enemy is my friend.”

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

[Space Candy]

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

XXXXXXXX As Alexei left the room Daniella frowned, but she made sure to keep track of her thoughts as she left so she would be able to follow her. Sure, Dani knew it was probably best for her to follow Alexei's orders and stay behind. But there was that pain in her head and her heart that reminded her that everything, absolutely everything, that was wrong right now was her own fault in some way or another. The blonde looked to Rhia, and that guilt that was swelling within only intensified. Briefly she glanced down to the gun in her hand---the one the crew member had provided her with. Blood's crew had been so...generous to her, in more ways than one. She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment before turning to face Christian. Mentally she took tabs of everyone, and it didn't take long for her to realize that Gunnar wasn't around. "If the Skeleton Harvester kills anyone else on this ship I won't be able to live with myself." It occurred to Dani that while the others may have known that she brought Karl on board, they were not aware that Karl had been the one to contact and invite Róisín on board. No one but Alister was quite aware of just how much at fault she was for this situation. In Dani's mind, it was almost worse than what Nova had done...except her's had been an accident, and she hadn't betrayed anyone deliberately. "I have to try and help. This is all my fault. I can't just hide here with you..." Daniella's eyes wandered over to Devaro and then to Rhia. "Do you remember what happened back at the Olympian palace, Christian? When Leon had his sword to Alister? You saw what I did...I can take care of myself. I need you to stay with them. Make sure Rhia is safe, it's my fault she's in this state."

The blonde had been slowly backing towards the door to the room while speaking to Christian privately. Dani looked to Rhia one more time before bolting out into the hall without question. Gun in hand, Daniella followed where Alexei had gone, but eventually came to the point where she had lost the girl. The petite woman remained still, listening. With the lights on, things were much less eerie, and she could hear the faint echoes of conversation. Daniella followed the noise and eventually found herself at a corner. She could hear the thoughts of all those around. Leon, Alister, Alexei, Nova, and most importantly...That static. Dani's eyes widened and her mind went back to the party. Daniella remembered the woman she had been trying to chase, and how she'd found Karl shortly after losing her...and now someone with static in their mind was here on the ship? Well that wasn't a common thing, and it wasn't hard for Dani to come to the conclusion that the woman at the party and the Skeleton Harvester were one in the same. Daniella listened from around the corner as the creature spoke, mentioning something about being experimented on by Cyberteknik...That was something Dani could relate too all to well, even if their outcomes had been a bit different.

Slowly, Daniella stepped out into view. She was still a few paces behind Alister, Nova, and Alexei, but could see the situation at hand. Dani inspected the creature, but knew that somewhere behind that there was a beautiful woman. The blonde remained silent and reached out to Róisín. "You have...static in your brain. I remember you from the party. I tried to follow you, but I lost you in the crowd. After I lost site of you, I found Karl...and here we are." Dani's grey eyes stared at the Skeleton Harvester. "I was experimented on as well. By GenEx specifically...I'm Daniella. Pleased to meet you, Róisín." Her internal voice spoke calmly, and would hopefully help sooth any worried. But Dani knew well enough that it was up to Alister to negotiate some kind of deal. Dani kept quiet, her hand with her gun still resting at her side. She hadn't raised the weapon once since leaving Christian and the others. Daniella just wanted this to be over. She wanted resolve...

xxxxLocation :: Persephone - Hall
xxxxCompany :: Róisín, Karl, Alister, Nova, Alexei
xxxxHealth :: 85% - Guilty
xxxxTunes ::In Every Dreamhome A Heartache - Talk Normal
xxxxAttire ::Simple

[Lysander the Poet]

They would come to some sort of an accord, then, it would seem. Alister would refuse to admit how nervous the situation made him, even as he gently wove his words together with that little bit of charisma that he possessed. He was to tread carefully, even more so perhaps, as he patiently awaited an answer from the monstrosity. Karl did as he was asked, initiating with Roisin, and thought their conversation was in hushed tones, Alister still felt tense, knowing that if anything went wrong, even for a second, it could spell the end. With only some small bit of hope, and Nova’s tractor beam, they all waited, the hum of the engine starting to get louder as the ship’s systems were all coming back on. The creature began, speaking his name, the tone in her voice...well, it chilled him to the bone, as she said it. He listened to her, long and hard, feeling his way through the conversation, as this was the little talk that would either keep them all alive, or end not so well for somebody. If he had been any more reasonable of a person, or perhaps any less of a savage pirate, he would never have considered dealing with this Skeleton Harvester. Lucky for many of the current company, he was just insane enough for this to have a shot of working out. ”If that’s the case, with your ship...well, perhaps if you do prefer to depart, I could entice you to as least stay long enough to get the repairs, or find an alternate solution, which I’m sure the ship’s AI is already working on, now that the ship itself is up and running again. You may have played this game for a long time, as you say, but so have I. I’ve been playing the long game, so long in fact that I’m not even sure what the goal is anymore. The fact of the matter is, there is no way that you can trust me, absolutely. I’m a pirate, and so at least you know if I did say you could trust me, it’d be so very obvious that I was lying. Can’t really trust someone who rides around pillaging and stealing for their own livelihood, now can you? I think that in itself states a simple similarity between your position and mine. You say that all these things you do are to survive, and all the things I’ve done, the people I’ve killed, the actions that I take, even now, are for that very thing; survival. If you choose to stay aboard, as challenging as you think it is, I can indeed only ask that you do your best to keep your urges under control as it relates to members of this crew, and this ship, for there is enough carnage left in our wake, especially recently,” And with a pause, he glanced over at Daniella, stern faced, but with a hint of a smile, ”To go around. There will be corpses, and most likely a fair share of electronic data for you to do with as you must. We can even house a few victims in the ship’s cold storage area, just in case. I’m willing to negotiate the terms.”

Alister sheathed the knife he had been clutching in his hand for most of the ordeal, and tried to relax his overall posture. ”You’ll kill for your survival...and in doing so, maybe you’ll help us survive as well, as the world comes after us, because I’ll damn sure kill for mine.” He began to pace in front of Roisin, ever keeping eye contact with her. ”I understand that notion...this is a pirate ship, a pirate crew, because of a desire to ‘not be under someone’s thumb’. And I have my own reasons for my less than favorable opinion of the Dominion. While I don’t expect you to take orders, it would be easier if you at least respected my authority as the Captain of this ship. Doubt spreads like a wildfire, and we don’t need anything to interfere with that. Whether or not you like it, I will make decisions, possibly even some hard calls, and for our continued survival, it would be best if you followed my lead. It hasn’t led us astray so far.” Alister sighed, and it seemed as if he was hit a little harder by his collective exhaustion as the conversation continued. Crossing his arms, he tried to suppress his frustration with how difficult she was making this for him. Perhaps it would be easier to drop the Captain facade and be honest with himself...in front of everyone present. ”Listen...you can take this superiority complex you seem to have, and either throw it out the airlock, or stuff it where the sun don’t shine. You aren’t the only one here who has suffered at the hands of the Dominion. I have no doubt in my mind that whatever happened to you at the hands of Cyberteknik was horrifying, possibly beyond my imagination, but the struggle against them is bigger than you are. Bigger than I am. Bigger than this ship, and this crew. I wasn’t always a ruthless pirate, so careless to murder someone just to put food on the table. The Dominion took my life, a life that I lived with pride, and honor, and destroyed it, taking away everything I ever cared about as easily as they would sign a contract for all the money in the universe. So don’t you try and preach to me about anything, and you had better beware if you think that continuing to threaten me is a good idea. In the past few days, this crew has already accumulated a sizable body count, a number of which were Dominion soldiers in service to one of the most powerful military commanders at the beck and call of the corporations.”

His tone had become harsh, and his words weren’t as carefully chosen. Something in this had struck a chord with the Captain, something personal. It was a more vulnerable side of him, that not many knew about. One of the few weaknesses he had shown, and hopefully not something that would be taken advantage of. ”There are stories about me as well, you know. And some of those strike fear in the staunchest of hearts. You don’t become the most wanted outlaw alive without a little effort. I will promise you, even if we make a bigger target, that just means a lot more Dommies coming to their deaths, and it becomes easier to hold up my side of the deal. The crew can take care of themselves, as you can see. If you want to know what you get out of this...you get to help me decimate your enemy. Maybe I’ve stood by, merely surviving, for far too long. Maybe it’s time something was done about them. So, it comes down to this, Róisín; join our little crusade, and maybe you’ll find whatever it is you’re really looking for. This crew of misfits, criminals, and psychopaths will eventually get over the fact that you tried to eat them, and we’ll all benefit from a little cooperation. Your decision, now.” Alister stopped pacing, waiting for Roisin to say whatever she would say. He hoped she would stay, and if she wouldn’t...well, it was never a good idea to jump to conclusions. He couldn’t bare to look at anyone else in the room after spilling a little too much emotion into the room. He wondered what they were thinking, seeing the infamous Captain Blood losing it, just a little bit, and showing a small amount of humanity. He gave Alexei one last look, the intention of which wasn’t quite clear, but there looked to be something reminiscent of sorrow in his eyes. As he passed Daniella, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but could think of nothing to say. Mentally, his vulnerability was overwhelmingly obvious. Finally, he stepped by Nova, imparting on a few words before he left the room. ”Let her down.”

He slid into the pilot seat of Persephone, and the AI flickered into sight in front of him, seated, arms crossed, and a look on her face to match his of exhaustion, and a hint of sadness. ”It’s been a rough few days, hasn’t it, Captain?” Alister could only muster a sigh and a nod, as his hands glided across the controls, testing systems. The ship began to pick up speed once more, a noticeable shift in momentum could be felt throughout. ”Should I set a course for anywhere in particular, sir?” Alister stared out the viewport, into the endless abyss of stars that spread out before him. Wherever they went, trouble would follow. Wherever they went, people would die. He thought back to what he said to Roisin, only moments before now. Had he really meant it? Was it finally time to do more than just survive each day? Maybe it wasn’t...not yet. He had promises to keep, after all; get Daniella somewhere safe, keep everyone alive, kills as many Dommies as he could. It clicked in his head, their next step. After seeing Nova, and the footage that Leon had played before all of them, it was time that fulfill that particular promise. It was time for them to save Tiberius Pierce. After the ship was repaired of course, but there was somewhere that he get get some basic patchwork, and get a little bit more information to answer all his burning questions. ”Take us to Copernicus Station. I’ve got a friend who might be just the thing we need...for the right price, of course.” Persephone ran the coordinates through the system, taking into account spatial drift and other factors, the frown on her face becoming a little more pronounced. ”That’s a pretty high traffic starport, Captain. Not to mention one of the largest Unity shipping offices in the system is based out of there.” Alister chuckled, regaining a bit of his composure. ”Probably the last place they’d think we’d go. Besides, it’s not just a big shipping hub. It’s also the best place to find an information broker.” Persephone gave in to the Captain’s orders, as she always eventually did. ”Course is set. With the damage to the ship, and to the engines, it may take us a bit longer than usual to travel.” Alister climbed out of his seat, and shrugged. ”Just to be safe, take us on a safe route, try to shake off any other unwanted guests.” Persephone watched as her Captain headed out of the cockpit, and gave him a curt nod. ”Aye aye, sir.”

All he wanted was to get to his cabin, have a bit of a rest, and continue on with this madness. That was not to be, it seemed, as he turned the corner to his quarters, to find Liam Devaro standing in his path. ”Something I can help you with, Liam?” Alister asked him, wishing the shirtless man would just get out of his way so he could collapse into his bunk. ”I figured once the lights were back up and we started moving that things were safe. We need to have a conversation, about Nova. Now, when I came aboard this ship, I know there was an intention of rallying the Alliance to fight Halloran and his lackeys. I can’t do that with Nova on this ship. She’s been blackmailed, by the Olympians who kidnapped Tiberius. She caused the deaths of countless men and women that I trusted, on Kessel Station, with her actions. She’s a traitor of the highest magnitude. Looks like you have a bad habit of bringing traitors along with you, Alister. She admitted it, to my face, down in the sick bay, before we sent her off to turn the power back on. She’s on your ship, and that means the punishment lies with you, Captain.” Out of all the things Alister expected Liam to tell him, this was not one of them. ”That’s your reason for stopping me from getting some ******** rest? The Alliance is your god damned foolish crusade, Liam. You know damn well that I don’t support it, or think it will ever work, or have any belief in the ideals it represents. I once thought that I fought for liberty, democracy, and freedom, and in doing so, had my life torn away from me. So, when a group of cutthroats promises those same ideals, I think you can see why I’d be a little skeptical. If this means I can no longer count on your assistance, then feel free to get off my ship at our next stop.” Liam’s face twisted into one of fury, and anger, as Alister’s words hit hard. ”Really? That’s your response? You were willing to put Alexei to death for her betrayal, if it wasn’t for blondie having you in her little trap. She got your balls in a trophy case, too?” Alister moved forward quickly, grabbing Devaro by his throat and slamming him into the metal bulkhead. ”The difference is that she betrayed me, put me in danger, and my crew, and almost made me break a contract. Nova’s betrayal only proves to show how much of an idiot you are for thinking that pirates deserve to establish any sort of government or society that even pretends to know what the notions of freedom and liberty really are. Don’t you ever presume to understand why I do things, or question my loyalty. The punishment is mine to decide? Well, under my authority as Captain of this ship, you lay a hand on Nova, and you’ll lose the hands. Once she’s off the bloody ship, you can do what you damn well please with her, punish her however you want. But I made her a promise too. Whatever she’s done, she did it for someone she loves, and you know that you’d do the same, if you had love for anyone but yourself, Liam. I will not condemn her, but I will fix it. I’m going to save Tiberius Pierce from his fate. Then maybe you can have Nova’s loyalty tucked safely in your pocket. You should know, just like I do...the one thing that motivates us, binds us, is that we all want something. Everything, even our loyalty, has a price. And all hers is...happens to be the man she loves.”

[Lysander the Poet]

[Lysander the Poet]

Command Bridge, CSS Justice
The Asteroid Belt
Sol System
January 21, 2326
16:22 Galactic Standard Time
Two Weeks Ago...

”Reports of an attack on Phobos are filling our feeds, sir.”

”What is the status of our agent?”

”His last message indicates that he has safely escaped the manor, and the deal has been set. Transfer of Tiberius Pierce to a Dominion facility at your earliest convenience.”

”Excellent. I think that Doctor McLaughlin will appreciate a chance to perform an autopsy on the good pirate king. Perhaps it will halt his incessant bickering and complaining about Miss Pearson’s escape. Not sure what he could want from a genetically modified freakshow, but he does have his passions. Set coordinates for the pick up, Lieutenant, and inform Facility Alpha Zero Three that their package will be arriving shortly. We still have a bit of spectacle to perform before we deliver Mister Pierce to GenEx.”

”And another thing sir...Alister Blood and his crew were sighted, caused the attack on the mansion.”

Halloran turned slowly to face the lieutenant, and he scowled violently. It would figure that Blood hadn’t died on Calypso Station like he had hoped. They never did find his body, so it was a little too much to expect that the attack had succeeded. Soon after the conclusion of the assault, he had lost contact with his inside men. Probably Alister’s fault as well, which means Liam Devaro had escaped death, and was probably going to try and rally his puny group of pirates. Still, the whole lot of them were currently the most wanted criminals alive, and their bounties had risen so had, they would have a hard time crossing through even the most civilized areas of the system without someone trying to capture them. That damned thorn in his side had lived long enough, and that persistent b*****d was beginning to cause a bit too much trouble to ignore. The Executive Board was on his a** about clearing up this budding rebellion, before it blossomed into something more than just rumor and accusation. ”Of course he would. Send a message to one of our agents placed within Olympian circles. I want news of Blood’s attack on an Olympian God well publicized and talked about among their ilk. Let yet another cosmic force claw at his throat.” The lieutenant was quick to get to work, his fingers gliding across his workstation with ease. With some more Olympian attention diverted to the mighty Alister Blood, it would be that much easier to make sure he was dead, once and for all. Hopefully they were smart enough to let the girl live, however, as her value was not to be understated. The Admiral departed from the command deck, to return to his quarters, where he could think and brood, while not being surrounded by complete imbeciles. On his way, he passed countless young, bright eyed officers, snapping to attention, with crisp salutes, pressed uniforms, and pride in their service. The fools didn’t understand the truth of the entire thing. They thought they were faithfully serving their people, and mother Earth. They had no idea that each and every one of them were just tools for the Dominion to get what they wanted. Even Kenneth Halloran accepted that even he was just a tool, albeit a more valuable one.

The door of the lift slid open, and Halloran decompressed a bit, stepping into his cabin. That was, until he heard movement inside, and he replied to it with a sigh of the deepest magnitude. ”Do you always have to lurk within my private quarters, Doctor?” McLaughlin chuckled, adjusting his turtleneck. ”Oh, my dear Admiral...I figured I would check up on you, see how you plan on fixing your most recent blunder.” Halloran’s boots were heavy on the floor as he approached the Doctor, not at all looking pleased by accusations of failure. ”Blunder? If I remember correctly, my mission was to take Calypso Station, and I completed it, successfully.” This seemed to amuse McLaughlin even more, as he gave another slight chuckle. ”That was, of course, your military objective, just for show. You were supposed to bring me Daniella Pearson. I don’t think you understand how grave this situation is...how important that girl is to GenEx.” McLaughlin’s hands clenched into fists, and Halloran watched the man’s face, a flash of anger, only there for a moment. ”My patience is running thin with you, Admiral. If you can’t deliver, then perhaps we need to find someone else who can.” Halloran did not enjoy threats, and his hand automatically came to rest on his holster. ”You wouldn’t dare-” McLaughlin’s fists slammed down onto the table, and he rose up to full height, his eyes wild with anger. ”I would do it with absolute pleasure, Admiral, while I use your body for experimental fodder.” It was completely that the two would come to blows, but the Doctor forced that sick smile back onto his face. ”You have one more chance, Admiral. You're keeping me from her...from giving her such gifts...to show her the true potential of her power. All I want is what’s best for her, that dear, sweet girl.”

”I understand...but I think I may have something to placate you.” McLaughlin’s gaze drifted up, as the offer caught his attention. ”Hmm?” And now he played his hand. ”We’ve acquired a specimen from the Olympians. A prisoner...Tiberius Pierce. There are GenEx files that indicate an interest in the modifications that he possesses, and their...origin. I am willing to give you his body, for your research, once we’ve executed him. The punishment for piracy is death, after all.” The game was won, for the moment, or so it seemed. ”Fine. But you still only have one last chance to bring my Daniella Pearson, or you will suffer the consequences.” McLaughlin stormed by him, and into the elevator, disappearing from Halloran’s irritance. The Admiral was slightly shaken, knowing what sort of madness it was that possessed a man like Gregory McLaughlin. He was the kind of psychopath that did not make any threat without the means to back it up. Halloran had also seen the ‘experiments’ that he was in charge of, and knew what horrors would be awaiting him if he failed again.

[Lysander the Poet]

Over the next two weeks, things aboard the Persephone had calmed down, for the most part. It was of great relief to the ragged Captain, who finally had a chance or two for relaxation. As far as they were all aware, Halloran wasn’t on their trail for the moment, and Persephone didn’t even pick up anything besides the normal trade lane traffic on their sensors. This left the crew to enjoy their break from all the action and bloodletting. Alister himself, after cleaning up for the party on Phobos, let his facial hair grow back in nicely, adding back a level to his intimidation that he seemed to have lost without the rugged look. The first few days, he had spent mostly in his cabin, or in the medical bay, talking to Rhia, whose recovery was beginning in earnest. She was finally forcing herself to get up and around. It would be a rough road with their doctor being devoured by psychotic robots, but they would get through it. They always had. Alister had his own issues to work out, physically, mentally, emotionally. Whether it was his fists with a punching bag, taking part in a bit of solemn reminiscing, or enjoying the company of one of the fine females aboard the ship, he was seeking a way to fill the hole that was slowly forming in his heart. Something about his last conversation with Roisin had broken something inside of him. The way he had told even a little bit of the truth about himself, choosing to confide in that monster to keep a group of people he barely knew alive. People that he, for the most part, couldn’t trust. But it made him question a lot of things about himself, things that kept him up at night. That, and the nightmares he started having, watching as the monster tore their good doctor to pieces, in the worst ways imaginable. Watching Rhia go through that dark moment, screaming in the agony that comes with losing that which made her feel so good...until Rhia became Alexei, and he watched her suffer the same. And then he watched Alexei almost kill Rhia, over and over, helpless to do anything but watch. Recent events were beginning to affect him emotionally, and psychologically. But he couldn’t show even an inkling of weakness in front of anyone. Other than his usual stress relief activity, he also spent a lot of time in the ship’s makeshift gym, pummeling a punching bag until his knuckles started to bleed, and then going on for even longer. The scabs never had a chance to form, and bloodstains decorated the punching bag, each day Alister coming back for a little more. After the first week had ended, he was definitely feeling a lot better, finally able to show himself among the other crew members, outside the privacy of his own cabin. He had actually taken to stopping by Alexei’s cabin at least once a day to check up on her, watching her for another ‘bout of withdrawal symptoms. If they set in, he wanted to be there to help her, as he had done with Rhia. If not...then that means she had a source of drugs on the ship, and while that was her own personal business, he preferred to keep such substances as far as possible, lest Rhia, or someone else, have to suffer a similar fate.

He also spent a large amount of time, mostly useless, in the respective cells of both Ben and the mysterious pink haired woman that he found in Dionysus’ chamber. Neither of them were willing to give him any information, though Alister had identified the woman as a warrior of some acclaim among the Olympian circles. Ben, on the other hand, resisted all the violence, and the scare tactics, and everything else he threw at him, with steely eyes and emotionless face. He was obviously trained to resist interrogation, which Alister was very familiar with, undergoing the same sort of training himself. Again finding himself in the presence of Hippolyta as he heard she was called, he pulled up a chair, and stared at her for a long while. ”Now you listen here, love. I’ve taken a little supply inventory, and I’m thinking that out of my three prisoners, I can only keep one of you...and I decided, that you’re probably my favorite. I do like myself a strong woman, to be quite honest. I’ve loaded the other two gents in an airlock, and was on my way to go blow them out into space. I just wanted to give you the courtesy of knowing that you have the death of two other men on your hands. Cheers.” He was lying, of course. He still wanted to get as much as he could out of Ben, even if it took him months to get a single word out of the ******** a*****e. As for Leon...well, after sentencing the man to death by monster, he couldn’t bear to be in the same room at him...to look him in the eyes. The easiest part of being a ruthless scumbag was that when you did kill someone, they couldn’t judge you for your actions. They couldn’t look back at you with any sort of meaning or intent. They were simply dead. The nightmares were getting bad, and Alister wasn’t sure he was up to speaking to Leon yet. In fact, he was hoping they could get rid of him at their next stop, let him go on his way, as a show of good faith. He didn’t want that b*****d on his ship anyway. One Olympian was enough, and he preferred the pretty one. He didn’t expect much of a response from the mystery woman, but was pleasantly surprised when she finally spoke up. ”That’s not necessary, Captain Blood.” Alister curiously raised an eyebrow, ”Oh? So are you going to tell me something that I want to hear?” Six nodded, pushing herself up into a more comfortable sitting position. ”The Olympians have sold Tiberius Pierce to the Dominion, to Halloran. He’s going to be executed, publicly, if he isn’t rescued soon. You just have to find him, of course. Now please...let them both live.” Alister shook his head, standing up, before kicking his chair over, watching it slam into the wall. ”IS THIS A GAME TO YOU? You think you can just ask nicely, and I let them go? You’re going to have to give me more than that, to make up for their silence.”

Six didn’t even flinch. Alister Blood’s temperament was a well known factor. But he was playing the interrogation game well, and eventually she would have to let something slip, at least to throw off some suspicion. If she was going to be stuck aboard his ship, she might as well make herself an asset. Perhaps she’d be able to gather intel of her own. Alister seemed to notice her lack of fear at his intimidation technique, and found it to be a refreshing change of pace. Perhaps he’d have to get a little rougher with this one. Casually unsheathing his knife, he began cleaning under his nails with it, glancing to the woman every so often. Her wide blue eyes watched every movement of the serrated blade with apprehension. ”Listen, I don’t think I have any information that could be of use to you, Captain Blood. All I know is that if you don’t find someone that knows where Tiberus is being transferred to, and soon, he’s going to die...in front of everyone, and if it all goes according to plan, Halloran will break your little pirate Alliance, scatter them, and slowly wipe you from the face off the galaxy.” There was a crunch, as a full first slammed into Six’s face, breaking her nose and knocking her onto the floor, blood splattering across the cold metal of the deck. It joined the rest of the injuries she had obtained from her fight at the party, which had been slightly healed by now. The re broken nose was ******** uncomfortable, but she couldn’t show that she was in pain, for pain was weakness. Picking herself up off the ground, she just grinned at Alister, blood running down into her mouth, and tinging her teeth red. ”Is that all you’ve got to convince me with, Captain? At least I know you’re man enough to hit a girl. I don’t know anything else than can be of use to you, but, I can help you, if you find Pierce. You know I’m a competent warrior, and I’m sure you could use another gun firing at your enemies.” Alister didn’t need to even weigh the options to know that it was a bad idea. ”Give you a gun so you can put two in my back, right? That sounds like a splendid ******** idea ,you dumb b***h. I don’t think you even know who you’re messing with, love.” Six merely shrugged at his doubt, ”Not that you don’t already have a few who would probably do the same, given the chance. I’ve saved your life before, Alister. You owe me, and this is how you can repay me...by letting me help you, and letting the other two men live. You win, simple as that. You can even keep me locked up in this cell. I’ve got my own reasons for wanting to help you stop the Dominion from killing Pierce, and in saving him, you’ll solidify Nova’s loyalty to you, and to Devaro’s little Alliance, and everyone will be stronger for it. And the Dominion loses a bargaining chip. One less piece on the board for our common enemy. At least think about it.” Alister departed the room, locking the cell door behind him, and leaving the guards to their business. If only he could have gotten something out of Ben...that was where the real intel was. Stubborn b*****d…

Persephone had given him a full damage assessment, from the assault during their escape, and from Roisin’s EMP, and boarding procedures. Most of the systems could be maintained for awhile, but there were some anomalies and power leaks that would need a real mechanic to deal with. The hole in the hull from the attached vessel would be easy to patch upon on the station, but the engine damage was probably a bit too much for the short stay that Alister was expecting. Copernicus Station was more of an in and out sort of affair, gathering intel, some supplies, maybe relaxing for a day or so, if time permits, and then off to save the Pirate King, as promised. His brief meeting with the mystery woman had once more called into question the status of his crew’s loyalty. Roisin was obviously an anomaly, and would need to be monitored so very closely. Alexei was still a wildcard, but she allegedly was working towards earning their trust, if she was to be believed by her statement days earlier. Nova, while having the propensity for betrayal, had not let Alister down so far, and there wasn’t much of an indication that she would. Christian’s loyalty was guaranteed as long as he kept Daniella safe, and the young blonde was probably the only new member of the crew that he knew for a fact trusted him implicitly. It was just a feeling he got from her. And as for their ‘passengers’, he was still contemplating shooting them all out into the void, and watching as they died in perverse joy. They could still potentially prove useful, and so he would just wait a little longer. Eventually Ben would crack, and hopefully they could get rid of Leon at their next stop. It would probably be better to get him away from Roisin anyway. Now that Rhia could move around on her own, it would be no time until she was ready for ground deployment again. He already had caught her in the armory, cleaning the weapons out of sheer boredom, since she couldn’t stand for long periods of time, and it was a fantastically dull activity to take your mind off of things. Towards the end of the two weeks, Alister found his way out of his cabin most of the time, spending quite a bit of time in the gym, training with various crewmembers, trying to get Daniella and Christian up to speed, teaching them both to shoot, and just in general attempting to bring Daniella up to some sort of standard of physicality, so that she could maybe hold her own. He even resumed cooking meals, and holding crew meals. There was something about the almost three weeks this ragtag group had been together, but it seems this extended time of rest had put them mostly at ease, and trying to get to know one another, at least as well as you can know a bunch of scoundrels.

A pair of legs swung horizontally, colliding heavily with Dani’s calves, and the floor rushed up to meet her. Alister used his fingers, making a gun shape, and imagined himself lining up a shot, and pulling the trigger, pointing right at her head. ”And you’re dead again. Get up.” The petite woman groaned and looked to Alister from her position on the ground, her face twisted into a pout. Quietly, Daniella stood and rolled her shoulders back. She'd been training with Alister quite a bit recently, though it didn't seem to do much good besides making her mad. However, Dani was trying to stay out of Alister's head so she couldn't predict his moves. The point of this was for her to learn how to actually fight, not how to evade...though admittedly she cheated every now and then. She took a breath before coming at Alister again, knowing she was probably just going to get knocked on her a**. Alister had to admit, Daniella was improving, but she also was started from less than square one, and was a lot smaller than Alister...or anyone else, and he had a lot of actual, formal training. As Daniella came at him, he grabbed one of her arms, twisted it behind her back, and pinned her to the ground, pressing her face into the mat he had laid out, and pulling back on the arm a bit, knowing that it would cause quite a bit of pain. ”Feel that? That’s me, tearing your arm out of the socket. Feel all that pain? You gotta harness that. You have to use it against your opponent. You can’t worry about how much it hurts. You have to keep fighting. Pain is inevitable...but suffering is optional.” At first Dani let out a cry of pain, but as Alister spoke she bit down on her cheek and frowned into the mat silently. He was so much bigger than her, and she could feel all of his weight holding her down. Briefly, the woman squirmed beneath him, but that only made her arm ache more and so she quickly stopped that. Daniella twisted her head to the side and looked to Alister out of the corner of her eye. "It's not fair. You're like five thousand pounds or something." She complained. Her grey eyes moved away from his face and she could practically hear him responding, and she wasn't reading his mind. "Life ain't fair kid. You're a little kitty cat! Everyone is bigger than you little kitten! I'm a scary outlaw!" Dani mentally mimicked Alister, and a small smile spread across her face as she tried not to laugh. Undoubtedly, he wouldn't appreciate it if she started giggling in the middle of training. But still, her mental Alister pep-talk was right----life wasn't fair, and neither were fights most of the time. Daniella quickly linked to Alister's mind, the connection stronger due to his physical contact. Once she was secured, Daniella let out a loud, high pitched, mental screech that would surely make Blood's headache, or at least cause his ears to ring.

Alister released his grip, grinding his teeth, as the sharp, loud sound tore through his brain and into his ears. He stumbled back a step, and then looking down at Daniella, he cracked a wide grin. ”Dammit kitten, you cheated. Good ******** job.” Rhia was watching from the corner, and she also smiled at Dani, giving her a small thumbs up. ”Alright...come at me again, little kitty cat. Let me seem those claws.” The blonde pulled herself to her feet, thankful to be free of his grip and thankful for the instant relief that came whenever he had released her twisted arm. Daniella tilted her head to the side a bit as she glanced to Rhia. It was good to see her out of the medical bay, but Dani couldn't help but feel guilty every time she saw the Scott. She refocused her attention on Alister. Again the two were at it, but this time Daniella chose to copy his move from earlier. The female dropped, and swung her own legs towards Alister's calves just as he had done earlier. It took a lot of effort on Dani's part since she was so small, but hopefully it was successful. She really didn't want Alister "shooting" her again. Alister felt his legs start to leave him, and slammed into the ground, hard, before rolling back up to his feet, taking a fighting stance. ”Good. Use your size against your opponent. Remember, you’re faster than they are. You’re a harder target. Going for the legs is usually a good plan. And remember, there is no such thing as a fair fight. You either win, or you die in this game.” Alister was shifting feet, back and forth, waiting for Daniella to come at him again. Inside her mind, Daniella did a little happy dance. She was happy that the attack had been effective, and truthfully a large part of her progress came from copying Alister's own movements. She mulled his words over in her mind, and for some reason she thought back to his little speech when they were dealing with Róisín. Quickly she pushed it out of her mind. Alister was right, as usual Dani found...it didn't have to be a fair fight. She knew what to do now, she just had to gather that inner strength she needed. Dani rushed at Alister, and her movements looked as if she were going to attempt to tackle him. But she stopped short and instead pushed her palms towards Alister. Without touching him, the larger man was flung backwards and into the wall---admittedly a bit harder than Dani had anticipated. She didn't have quite the amount of control she wished. The blonde winced. "I'm sorry!" Dani looked to Rhia for a moment and then back to Alister. "Really, I didn't mean to do it that hard..." Alister chuckled, brushing himself off, and moving towards Dani. In the next moment, his fist collided with her, and before he realized it, she tumbled to the ground, unconscious. It was one hard punch. ”And that’s why you always make sure you kill your target, kitten.” He said both out loud, and in his mind, as she faded away.

[The Smut Peddler]

ⓒⓞⓜⓜⓐⓝⓓⓔⓡ ⓝⓞⓥⓐ ⓥⓔⓖⓐⓢ

╰☆╮░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░╭☆╯

╭☆╯░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░╰☆╮

❝As long as a word remains unspoken, you are it's master...❞

╔══════════════════════════════╗


This shattered dream you cannot justify
We're gonna scream until we're satisfied
What are we running for? We've got the right to be angry.



╚══════════════════════════════╝

The last two weeks had moved uncomfortably slow for the standing in first mate. There were moments that made the time pass by a bit more easily, but the idle time did not go down smoothly for Nova. She would take after the lead of the captain for a few days, keeping mostly to herself. Allowing her some time to heal from the emotional bruises and welts left from the gravity of her actions on Kessel. It wasn't any easier that she couldn't step outside her cabin without feeling the thickness in the air. Just the presence of Liam was too much at first. But, as Alister remained to himself, Nova took on responsibility as acting officer. She would prepare herself for the day one morning, braiding her long pink hair into a neatly finished professional look before putting on her cap. As she stared at the mirror before her she looked at herself. Possibly the first time she looked at the person behind those eyes rather than the appearance reflecting back at her.

The person who stood before her was supposed to be fearless and strong. But behind those eyes was still a very young woman just barely getting into her own. And for the first time in her young life as a pirate, she was entirely without direction. It was an odd feeling to say the very least. How was she to be a perfect soldier without a leader? It was a foreign feeling, but she would not let it best her. She would need to pick up where the reins had been dropped and learn something new. Finally becoming mentally prepped to taken on her duty she looked over to her dresser and saw the six pack of fancy beers she had pulled from the party that were intended for the two that had to miss out. Being the person she was, Nova would refuse to begrudge anyone she had committed doing something for anything. She would head over and pick up the bottles and head out to her first stop, the medical bay. Pulling out three bottles she'd leave them over by Rhia's bed which she was pleased to see had been empty. Knowing that the headstrong woman was up and about was definitely what Alister's crew needed. Hope. In times like these, she would be happy to take any offered to them to raise everyone's spirits. It would be a moment but finally Nova would head to her second stop that morning. Liam's cabin room.

Nova would not dare knock, she really didn't want to see the disappointment on his face. Instead, she would just rest the bottles down by his door and be on her way. But as luck would have it, Liam was heading out of his room right as she began to head off. Hearing his door close she did not need to turn around to know his eyes were resting on her. She would stop, taking in a deep breath and clearing her throat softly.

"My apologies, I had no intention of disturbing you..." The young woman's hand would tremble, but only until it rested in her other hand. She would push herself to continue, despite the fact that it would have been much easier to just avoid him entirely on the ship. "Those were from the party. I'm sure you've probably had several tucked away in that penthouse of yours, but it was custom on Pierce's ship to always loot something for those who had to stay on board while there was a raid."

It felt as though more was needed to be said, as if explaining her reasons would not suffice, and thus she peered forward, her eyes focused on nothing in particular with a dead stare.

"I hope you can understand Liam, that what I did is not something I am proud of. If you think that what I live with is without regret, you are sadly mistaken. Whatever you want, Liam, I will happily accept the recourse of my actions by the hands of the Alliance. But for now, there is something I have to do." She would swallow hard her fears and continue, her tone much more that of the Commander now. "Just so that it is clear. This place we both stand, is but the situation we are in. Much like the hunter cannot hate the wolf when it eats the children who wander into it's forest for it is a beast of nature; so too the wolf cannot hate the hunter when he comes to kill the wolf, for it is the nature of the beast. I believe we could have called ourselves friends once. Heh. But we have both found things to stand for that meant more. All I wanted to say was, I commend you for being a man of your morals, but as much as you are, I am a woman of my convictions."

With that Nova placed her hand in the pocket of her long red coat and walked off. There was really nothing left to say at that point, and thus she continued on to her post.

***

Time continued to pass and Nova would take a bit of time to think about what exactly Captain Blood had done for her. He had spared her life, even if it were just for the time being. She was left to roam freely and still she was able to complete her mission in rescuing Tiberius. It was a huge relief. And so too was it a great debt that she owed Alister for his allowing it to be possible. She would stop and think about how she could ever repay him, but sadly there was nothing that would come close. As the ship continued at its speed there was something that she realized would at least be a start at repaying such an indisputable debt.

While in her cabin one evening she had her HUD pull up her directory and reach out to a special someone. A few connection tunes later and a face would appear on the projection screen a few feet from her face. A young man, who appeared much similar to Nova herself stared at the screen, grease and grime covered his face as he looked over the communicator.

"Hello?" The young man inquired.

"Hey." Nova would respond, however the man would light up by the sound of her voice the moment she chimed in. "Nova! Hey! How's it going? Figured I wouldn't hear a lot from you with things as they were last time we spoke. It's good to see you're doing ok."

Nova would smile as she looked at the face of her fraternal twin. "Things are still not great... But I need to ask something of you."

The young man sighed and shook his head. "I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my wallet..."

The young pink haired woman would laugh, nodding her head. "Yeah, you probably do. I'm on another ship. And the captain, just spared my life from what would be certain death. I need to repay him somehow. What he's done for me, I can't pay back, but I need to try."

"And he needs a mechanic...?" The young man would assume, looking at his sister with a defeated but smug grin as he rested the side of his face against his the palm of his hand as he rested his arm on the table he sat at. Nova would make a nod and smile, that to anyone else would have just been an agreement to his words, but in twin, had a completely deeper meaning. The young man would sit back, a bit taken aback as he held a disgruntled scowl on his face and he shook his head. "FINE! What kind of bird we talking 'bout anyway?"

"She's a light assault ship. In need of some real TLC. Think your up for the job? Or should I start pulling up some names in the yellow pages?" Nova chuckled, teasing her easily irritable younger twin. "NO! I said I'll do it! Fine. You know where to take it then. Get it there and then ping me. You know the drill."

The young pink haired woman knew all to well how this sort of affair worked, and thus she nodded and just as quickly as the arrangements were made the call was closed. Nova would make a mental note to let Alister know once they had the chance. For now, there was still a lot of easing tension in the air, and while things were settling down the young woman still believed it best to keep everything to herself until a better time.

***

It was the sort of night that Nova despised, moving alongside an electrical storm in a pocket of space, the light outside would flash about blues, reds, and yellows. These particular storms were not like planet side storms. They came from several factors, none of which were fully understood. Crept tight in her bed Nova pulled a pillow over her head and tried to drown out the terrors outside. It didn't help that nights were always rough, but this particular one would be worse than usual. However in the sleepless night came a message on Nova's HUD and she would quickly bring herself to her feet and head over to her glasses. Clicking the call on she would see a face she desperately wanted to see.

Blindfolded, Tiberius would face towards the camera and smile, an effort much harder than it would seem it should be.

"Hey there vixen. We gotta stop meeting like this..." The older man would smile genuinely, a chuckle in his throat as he spoke. Nova would bring herself to the wall and sit down on the floor, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked upon the man. "My God, Ti, what have they done to you?"

It was breaking her, to see him like this, each time a little more life drained from his usually spry and smart a** personality.

"I'm fine. I was just told to let you know that your cooperation will no longer be required..." Exhaling heavily Ti would calm himself and ready himself to continue. "This will be the last time we will speak."

There was a heavy tone that had been set, a sonorous one that chimed eerily like a dirge. Everything she had worked so hard for, was falling to ruin. Crumbling before her eyes. The call would run long that night, and the two would be able to speak freely, or rather, much more freely than they had since his capture. They would reminisce on times past, on futures they'd concocted in the privacy of their heads. About views, about beliefs, about wants and needs. But never straying far from each other. It was a moment in time where the clock struck still, and they had an eternity together. But much like all moments, this one too clicked by, and the two would be left to depart. In the face of it all there was more unsaid than said, as it always seems to go with good byes. A man would come and pull Ti out of the chair while another clicked off the channel. And he was gone. Just like that. Nova would shake her head in denial as she just wanted to scream, but the noise would draw people, which was the last thing she wanted right now.

It would take a day or so, but finally she would surface again and look to see as the ship had ran so smoothly without her. A complete relief it was to the pink haired woman as she emerged from her room to carry on with her duties. She wanted to return to being the little soldier she had always tired so hard to be, not the emotional wreck that had been left in the wake of her captain's capture. She would head out to the common room surrounded by other crew and participate in their entertainment. Some crew members were playing darts, and Nova was pleased to join in. Trying to adjust to the easiness that had swept over the ship. Learning to adapt, Nova had grown some in that time on the ship, and the last moments she'd shared with Tiberius like fresh wounds to remind her how far she had to go. While Nova would never renege on her open door policy, it was the first time on the ship where she seemed truly able to smile without falsification. Perhaps Alexei had been right, perhaps this group of misfits were starting to become more like friends than allies of convenience. And just maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing...

╔══════════════════════════════╗


We can't afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It's a do or die situation; we will be invincible



╚══════════════════════════════╝

❝...once you utter it, you are it's slave.❞

xxxx┇ ✦ -
xxxx┇ ♢ 95%
xxxx┇ ✦ Content
xxxx┇ ✦ Innocence

[Sir Dietary Supplement]

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑳𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒔XXX


gσ unnσtícєd lєt thє frєєdσm wαsh αwαч
lσsíng fσcus thє prєtєnsє ís sєcσnd nαturє
ít's α вrσkєn lífє thαt í clíng tσ trчíng tσ mαkє ríght
í fєєl dísmαч just líkє чσu dσ í fєєl dєcαчєd


чєs í sєє чσu surrσundєd вч thє hσpєlєss
whєn thєч nєєd чσu чσu'rє much tσσ gσσd αnd вlσαtєd
вч thє hσpєlєss lífє thαt чσu clíng tσ trч tσ mαkє ríght
í fєєl dísdαín just líkє чσu dσ í fєєl dєcαчєd



Maya groaned and ran a hand through her hair as she stared at the main who sat across from her. He was ranting about the reason he didn't have enough money to pay her, yet he was trying to guilt her into giving information. "I don't do charity work, I told you that before. What you have in front of me is not even close to half of what I asked you for," she didn't come cheap, but the information she gave was always invaluable. She always gave them what they needed, everything that they could desire to get whatever they wanted done. "All I can tell you with this is that they won't stick around for long, and you are very much trying my patience."

"Please, these people. They...." he was starting to choke up. "They killed my wife, I just want them to pay."

"If you really think crying will help you. You have come to the wrong person, and maybe your wife wouldn't of been killed if you didn't owe them money," the man froze, he probably hadn't expected her to know something like that. Maya smirked. "You don't think I just looked into them do you? Oh, I do my research well and you were in a lot of debt to them. Seems you had, well probably still have a gambling problem. Maybe this was punishment for you gambling away your wife's income. She was the one making the money as you were too busy being a drunk."

"You b***h."

Maya smirked and shrugged. "I've been called worse," she took a sip of her drink and watched the man in front of her fight off a bout of anger. "Seems I hit the nail right on the head. Your gambling problem is most likely why you gave me such a pathetic sum of money. If you really cared for avenging your wife you would of paid me in full. Look at you now, only getting pissed because someone knows your problem and isn't afraid to tell you that you have one hell of problem."

All the right strings were tugged and the man stood from his seat and crossed the table to stand next to Maya. "You don't know anything," Maya chuckled at his statement. It was her job to know things and she always did her research. "I am not to blame for my wife's death and if you say one more thing, I will t-"

"You'll what, hun? Take care of me. Come on big boy, I always love a good tumble," the man reached to grab her, Maya slid back, the man caught himself on the table with his hand. Maya took quick advantage and stabbed the knife into his hand, a cry of pain fell from his lips and he was dumb enough to try to pull his hand away. Maya drove the knife deeper. "Don't think that I can't take care of myself. I'll accept your payment for the information I told you about yourself. Next time you want to avenge your wife, clean yourself up and maybe go to someone who gives a damn. I don't like to be toyed with," Maya stood from her seat and leaned over to the man's ear. "If I ever see you here again, I'll do more then just stab your hand. You understand that?"

"Yes, pull the ******** knife out!" Maya shook her head and pulled the knife out as the bar's bouncer walked up to the two. The man turned to him. "This b***h is a psychopath, she took my money and stabbed me. Why didn't you come in earlier!"

"Marcus, this man is nothing more then a thorn in my side. Be kind enough to show him out," Maya sat back down in her seat and her client was shown the door. Marcus came back up to Maya. "And before you ask, I'm fine Marcus. I told you countless times before I'm a big girl I can take care of myself."

"Wasn't even going to say anything about that, came to give you a message that popped up on your computer," he held out her HUD and Maya took it. "I don't think stabbing that man was necessary though," Marcus said and scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, he was just trying to look for the people who killed his wife."

Maya looked at Marcus from behind the device as she idly pulled up her messages. "You are much too soft Marcus. I hired you to be my muscle in case things ever did get out of hand. I pay you well enough, what happens between me and the clients is hardly your business. You just make sure I don't get shot or something. You know that, the man had it coming. He wasted his money on gambling, went into debt, and the people were merely collecting it in a way he would learn a lesson. Obviously he didn't."

Pulling up her messages, Maya raised an eyebrow as she saw who sent her the message. An old associate to put it best. Friendship wasn't something she made, after all she always sided with who offered her the better paycheck. Yet of all the people to message her. Alister Blood. The man had a reputation and as of the moment, his name was popping up all over the place. Many sources were told her of a raised bounty on his head for traveling with a few other wanted people and the kidnapping of the heir to GenEx, one Christian Bernet Junior. The price was high and she already had people offer her half the bounty if she gave information of his whereabouts. But, Alister knew how to get off the radar, though most of the time Maya could just follow the trail of carnage and assume who was recently there. She would offer that information if they could pay up front, she would rather not hold onto empty promises of some amateur actually capturing blood.

A smug smiled fell onto her face. Here he was, asking for her help. Oh, how she could have fun with this one. Maya glanced over at Marcus. "We will be having an associate of mine here soon, probably with his crew. Make the proper arrangements, they might be in port a few days. We'll offer them shelter, for the right price. And this way you get to cook seeing as you love to do that," Maya stood from her seat and smoothed out her clothing. "I'm going to meet them at the station, I just have to see if the rumors are true and the infamous Captain Blood is now playing babysitter."

Marcus frowned at the sound of the name. He had met Alister before and clearly didn't like the man, it was the first time Maya actually saw Marcus ready to punch someone without her order. The large man cared for Maya and was probably one of the few she trusted her with life. Then again, he was a crew member of Keriann's and once she started to become more popular Keriann, no Daniel mostly likely. Though it would be good for her to have some large man as a bodyguard. Even if he didn't like to harm people. "Why can't he just go to some other broker."

"Cause I'm the best, 'sides right now he won't do anything stupid. He'll know that I hold plenty on him like the fact that the bounty on his head is so very tempting and I could very easily be swayed to take it, and he is coming to me for help. He won't do anything, if he tries I give you full permission to knock him out with a frying pack, okay?" Maya pulled her hair back into a ponytail and started to move towards the door.

"Maya, I would prefer if you took it seriously. He has bounties on his head, if you get involved," Maya held up a hand to stop Marcus.

"I know what I'm doing Marcus. This could pay very well in the long run and Alister always throws in a little something extra that we both enjoy so very much, during that its easy to get a bit more information from him, men always do spout their dirties secrets when in the bedroom," Maya sighed and walked over to Marcus. "Seriously, don't worry your pretty little face Marcus. If s**t goes down, I know you got my back and then you can say 'I told you so,' and shoved it in my face for the next three months, sound fair?"

Marcus gave a defeated sigh. "Fine, but if you have to go anywhere, I'm coming with."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way. You know those pirates give me the heebie jeebies," Maya smirked and cleared her throat. "Now, I'm off and I'll be back soon."

The bar she worked out of wasn't far from the landing port, she weaved through the streets and found her away to the busy ship port. Traders were unloading wares, people were looking for passages elsewhere, offering all sorts of things for the captain of the ship to take them. Some would accept the offer others would not as they had different agendas. She could always tell which ship belonged to pirates, simple traders, the rare few of the Dominion, and of course Olympus. She had either met a few or just knew what to look for.

Taking a seat against a pile of boxes, Maya relaxed a bit. Now it was time to play the waiting game. It was time to see if the rumors following blood were true. If they were, she just wanted to get him into the bar as quickly as possible. Hoping no trouble would follow him. But, trouble always followed Alister Blood. She had been in the fray a few times already because of him.

{[ and Maya is unleashed! ]}


sσ fínd mє α wαч tσ lєαvє thís wαstєd lífє вєhínd mє
fínd mє α wαч tσ lєαvє thís wαstєd lífє вєhínd mє αftєr αll

[Kagome SB]

████████ ██ ᴏᴄᴛᴀᴠɪᴀɴ ｗｈｉｔｅ ██ ████████ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

⊰ ＵＮＩＴＹ ⊱ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx









The crew of the Barzakh had grown accustomed to making unscheduled stops. A lot of the men and women on-board rejoiced at the mini vacations, because it meant they could take a few hours to get some good food, rent a hotel and find someone to have a good time with, and head to the bar to unwind. But in the back of their heads, they knew exactly why they had to stop so often. Some of them even kept count on their calendars, noting the frequency of the stops in the colder weather. Space may be infinite, but that winter feeling never quite shook off, even on a warm planet. And many of them would understand that the hours of shore leave were a party for them, but the opposite for their Captain. So the religious ones would say a prayer, the non-religious would hold up a beer at the tavern, and a smattering would complain. But, they'd push the thought back into the recesses of their minds, and go on with their free time.

Jin Dogen stuffed his hands in his pockets after zipping his leather coat all the way up to his lips. A few people turned to look as he walked by, noting his pale and strangely beautiful face. One man even did a double take, originally mistaking the thin twenty-three year-old as a woman with a short haircut. Despite the human race expanding beyond planet Earth, people didn't know how to react to a feminine, Asian man who had no muscle or body fat to his name. It didn't bother him much, but sometimes he felt like he was on display. Ignoring the stares as he fluffed the fox fur on the collar of his jacket, he pushed open the doors to Copernicus Station's mega-hospital. The structure must have been bigger than Pluto, with all of the wards dedicated to each and every disease that one could catch in the great black void. It was the main reason the station even had a population, and was a popular place for traveling medical students to intern.

He stopped at the reception desk, where conveniently no one was around to greet him. After politely waiting for a minute, he pressed a pale finger against the bell. A woman, her hair and personality frazzled, appeared from the white ether of hospital walls and looked at him through horn-rimmed glasses. "Yes?" she asked, as if she had no idea why someone would be bothering her at the moment. Jin smiled, his peach-colored lips stretching against his ivory face. "I'm looking for a patient who admitted himself about an hour ago. He should be on the express care list...Octavian White?" Jin's voice was soft and gentle, relaxing even.

The receptionist, internally grateful that he knew exactly what list said man would be on, quickly pulled up the name on the computer. "Ward 36-A, Room 17. Says here he can receive visitors, so go right ahead." She peeled off a guest pass and handed it to him. Jin dutifully stuck it onto his breast pocket and bowed in appreciation before heading up to the room.

Octavian White himself was sitting up and leaning back in a hospital bed, his eyes closed. One arm was lazily draped over a pillow with an IV hooked into his wrist. The blood snaking from the tube to the bag was a sickly shade of bright crimson, brighter than normal blood and looking like the blood found in low-budget horror movies. Every now and then, a little black speck would float from the tube and bounce around the IV bag, until the entire bag was discolored with the things, like dust mites dipped in red paint. Jin kept himself from staring at the blood--he never could quite get used to it--before placing himself right next to the bed. "I'll be fine. Just had some buildup in my throat. They drained it with no trouble. My mouth tastes like copper though, and the soda they gave me doesn't really mix well with copper," Octavian said, his Southern drawl slow and deliberate, as if he was tasting each word in between his lips. He always spoke like that. It comforted Jin. The Captain opened his smoky grey eyes and looked over at his pilot. He smiled. "I already messaged the crew and told them to meet back at the Barzakh at 20:30. Don't stay here the whole time and babysit me, Jin. Go and enjoy your time off." He waved away the younger man, before inhaling sharply and letting out a few loud coughs. Jin's skin crawled hearing the damaged throat reverberate throughout the room. It scared the hell out of him when Octavian did that. But, he knew the older man would just get sad if he stayed, so he smiled and nodded. "I can't say no to my Captain's orders," he replied with a mock salute.

An hour later, Jin found himself cozy in a bar just a few blocks from the hospital and also close to the landing port. He could actually see the docking area where his ship sat from one of the bar windows, which comforted him. There were two things he didn't like being far away from: Octavian White, and the Barzakh. And they were both in reach, so he didn't say no when the bartender asked him if he wanted another round. Jin enjoyed the drinks, smiling shyly as he avoided eye contact with a girl a few seats away from him. He didn't even notice the alert beeping on his tablet, transmitted directly from Barzakh's alert system and embedded in the Unity database, that a targeted ship, the Persephone, had entered the station's airspace.




۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞


WITH: himself (Jin: bar patrons) || LOCATION: Copernicus Station || MOOD: tired (Jin: tipsy, shy) || MISSION/OBJECTIVE: none || OOC: introducing our Dominion good guy and his best friend, who actually was a little more important in this post.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDo you think I'm special? Do you think I'm nice? xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxAm I bright enough to shine in your spaces?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBetween the noise you hear, and the sound you like,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAre we just sinking in an ocean of faces?

[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: Persephone's Medical Bay
I am misused, I don't wanna do, Be not your slave
Misguided, I mind it, I'm missin' the train

It had been days since Róisín’s attack on the Persephone, and the body count had stayed at a single causality. The blood stains had been cleaned and the body carried away into the confides of the monster’s ship. For a couple of days the creature slept, safely locked away in the small ship attached to Persephone’s side. She needed to rest after the hustle and bustle of her hunt. She had been shot, stabbed, punched, and blown to bits more times than she could count. While she didn’t sleep every single night, it was still necessary for her to rest every now and again. She had kept to herself, leaving her ship only when others were fast asleep. The longer she remained in one place, the more restless she became. She was used to moving from place to place, setting up traps to attract victims, and searching through archives in search of the galaxy’s latest news at her leisure. As things currently stood, she had to be careful not to get her face shot off around every corner of the ship. Music helped ease her boredom every now and again, but she was still itching for the freedom to dock where she pleased. Over and over she thought about what had happened. While she had no regrets for killing a complete stranger and nearly stranding an entire crew of people, she was still very torn about her decision to stick around. She knew it was a bad idea. Her gut repeatedly told her so. Why was it then that she had silently agreed? Why was she still among so many potential meals? What did she care if they lived or died? Her beef was with Cyberteknik and humanity as a whole. What did it matter if the Dominion and humanity were constantly struggling to overpower the other without completely destroying themselves in the process? She was no longer a part of that fight. She was just around to cause chaos and hasten people’s journey to the afterlife. Still, there were plenty of thought still buzzing in her head. How had they been able to steer her away from ending every single one of their lives? Her recklessness of attacking the ship was only a small factor. Karl had certainly helped them, but that was no surprise. There was something in their words, something in their faces, something about them that kept Róisín’s attention long enough to actually listen to their pleads. It bothered Róisín. It had taken so very long for her to get over the concepts of killing others and then consuming their bodies without batting an eye. It should have been a simple decision. She should have been able to make her way to her ship and disengage the blades anchoring her into their side. She should have been able to simply let them suffocate and fly off into space’s deepest abyss. Something she could not put her finger on prevented her from doing so. It was driving her mad just thinking about the same incident over and over again in such a small space, and Karl knew it. He had stayed with her, keeping her company and making sure she was placid enough to accept an ‘accidental’ intrusion in her private quarters. However, even Karl had his limits. He couldn’t stand being cooped up for long with nothing to do, especially when he knew there were plenty of people to interact with just outside their door. He talked with Róisín, knowing full well he could get out of trouble just by being himself with her. She could never stay mad at him.

The two of them agreed that they needed something to bide their time. It started out simple enough, waiting for the ship to grow quiet and walking down the darkened hallways. At the slightest sound they would do as they had done time and time again and find a place to hide till the threat was gone. She still didn’t trust the humans aboard the vessel. Their captain might’ve ordered to not attack her, but she had still been injured and pinned to a wall while agreeing to his terms. It didn’t sit well with her to just throw caution to the wind and trust that she was safe amongst the group of pirates. She never went very far from her ship, just in case she needed to make a quick escape. Pacing the same amount of space over and over, she began noticing little things here and there that she hadn’t during her barrage. Dust, dirt, stains, grime; the place was filthy by laboratory standards. How did they expect to get any work done when they lived like pigs? The occasional sweep just wouldn’t do. The ship was old, and Róisín could appreciate keeping something preserved, but this was getting ridiculous. She could still see bits of blood splatter left over from her attack and only imagine the festering bacteria eating away at the remains. If she couldn’t spend her time hunting, at least she knew one thing that would take her mind off snacking.

Bringing out equipment from her ship she would spend the nights making sure no one saw what she was doing. Showers, hallways, empty rooms, windows; they all received the same deep cleaning treatment. She couldn’t access all areas of the ship, but the radial pattern from her ship was becoming more and more obvious as she removed layers of gunk from the floors, ceilings, and walls. Every little grate, crack, vent, and seam was picked clean. Every broken screw and rusty bolt replaced in what little equipment she was able to get her hands on. Karl assisted by keeping an eye out for any approaching life forms and shining lights of various colors over the areas in search of any spots that had been missed by either Róisín or the little cleaning droid she had manufactured and brought aboard. It was a far bigger job than the little robot had ever done before, and Róisín was happy it was able to pull through without busting.

After a while, Róisín ran out of spaces within her safe zone to scrub down. They still hadn’t docked, and the cyborg began to wonder if they were trying to wait her out. What if their plan was to wait for her to starve and die, or lure her into a false sense of security? She couldn’t deny feeling a little more comfortable in the small area she had come to know. She knew where to hide, what was the fastest way to get back to her ship, and had learned the scheduled rounds made by the crew members well enough to keep out of their sight. Karl was quick to remind her how she had damaged their ship and needed to be patient with them. It irked her how easy it was for him to find logic in their situation. They could have been flying to their death and Karl would have continued to chime in how honest he believed them to be. While she was not in desperate need of a meal, having already stocked up before the party and preserving the good doctor’s remains, there was a bit of a hoarding mentality that told her she needed to keep a good supply of meat in case of emergencies. It was starting to make her a bit anxious. She hadn’t even gotten to finish off the older gentleman from the party. She had been able to lay a few good slices into him, but she knew he was still very much alive somewhere on the ship. If she needed to eat, she knew exactly who to look for. It was either that or removing some organs from the crewmates while they slept, organs that they would never miss. It was during one of these thoughts that it occurred to her; the ship had a medical bay. She hadn’t seen it yet, however if the doctor had been close by when she entered the ship it couldn’t have been far away from her current residence. They had mentioned some crew members needing medical attention. With their only physician dead, surely they wouldn’t still be hanging around on cots and stretchers, would they? They’d stay in their own rooms to lick their wounds and recover. Anyone who had been there was surely moved elsewhere or had already recovered by this time, hadn’t they? There was only one way to find out.

It didn’t take long to find the frosted glass of the medical bay and the lack of lights inside meant that no one was inside. The woman walked through the automated sliding doors and sighed, this room was no better than the others. She looked around the warzone of disorganization, wondering how they had survived as long as they had in this condition. Perhaps pirates were more like cockroaches, able to live in any condition and through any disaster. It took a night or two of alternating between cleaning and hiding from every wandering eye to get the bay up to the woman’s standards of acceptable cleanliness. Sheets were washed and replaced, and drawers turned inside out in search of some type of system of order. Scalpels, clamps, and scissors were sterilized and placed away in jars of alcohol. She tinkered and finessed with some of the machines, noticing some hadn’t been touched in what seemed like months or upgraded in years. With Karl’s help and urging, she looked through her boxes of supplies in search of parts to replace their nearly burnt out and corroded models. While she had a tiny ship that didn’t require much to maintain, she had brought it upon herself to hoard spare parts away in case she needed to repair or build one of her personal machines. Who could resist gathering parts from the latest models the Dominion was putting out for public purchases? They were so easily accessible. They required very little effort to break and pull out individual parts that could be used for all sorts of gadgets. There was also the matter of building synthetic parts for some of her more insidious plans and good deeds alike. She found pleasure in examining technology and finding the flaws purposefully left by each faction of the Dominion. They kept the best stuff for themselves, handing out toys doomed to fail so the masses would ‘have’ to buy more and fill their pockets with twice the credits they would if they actually made their goods with quality materials. Róisín had worked for the company for quite a bit before her untimely demise, and she had been a student long before then. She knew just what to look for and how to rebuild the most complex of innovations. It had become child’s play to her. So when she came upon a medical robot, named Sara, collecting dust in the corner of the medical bay, she couldn’t help but take a look inside it.

The small task of cleaning up the robot turned into a full blown procedure of upgrading the device. Parts were taken out and replaced, as were medical supplies such as bandages and sterile syringes within the bot’s storage compartment. Processors and programming were improved to keep up with the new parts requiring a faster response time, something especially important when lives were on the line. The woman worked well past her usual curfew, choosing to ignore the footsteps outside the frosted glass. She couldn’t keep hiding forever, not when she had a task currently in her hands. She refused to leave a job half done, even if it was for her own amusement. For what seemed like forever, Róisín had chosen to listen to some music through her wireless headphones draped about her neck. Pianos, trumpets, and the soothing sounds of swing music buzzed from her speakers. Karl hovered about, dipping every so often like he was dancing to the lighthearted beat of the tunes. While there were merely faint thuds of notes hitting the glass outside the room, the inside was empty enough to echo the old timey sounds without having to crank the volume to max. It was exactly how Róisín preferred things to be. For the first time since her arrival on the ship, she had found a bit of peace in the solitude and mundane task of fiddling around with robotic parts. Her kilt pattern dress, which hung about her knees and hugged her body from the hips on up, swung slightly as she kept in tune with the beat. Her hair had been mostly tied up into a pony tail with braids that lined the sides of her head and hid the band keeping the mass of snowy white silk bundled together. The raised branding of Cyberteknik’s tattoo was visible without her hood to cover it or make up to conceal it. High heeled boots clicked against the floor as the girl cantered about the space, gathering a tool or wire to solder into place to the device’s circuit boards. Karl was more than a little overjoyed that Róisín wasn’t gnawing her own arms off from the situation. Maybe she had finally seen things his way and calmed down.
“Johnny and Robbie! What you talking like that for, you're from Stoke! I dunno but I can't stop here pally…!”
”Oh Róisín I love this song!” beamed the little fish as he wiggled in the air a bit more. As if on cue he buzzed over to the working cyborg and nestled into her cheek as he sang in time with the song. ”Like the wallpaper sticks to the wall~!” He paused and the music went on. He stared at Róisín as if waiting for something to happen. Róisín glanced at him, continuing her work as she spoke, “No, Karl.” As if refusing to take that as an answer, he restarted the song and continued to stare at her as the music went on. She exhaled, the smallest of curves to her lips forming as she gave in, albeit a bit unenthusiastically. “Like the seashore clings to the sea… Like you'll neeeeeever get rid of yoooooooour shaaaadoooooow…” ”You’ll never get rid of meeeeee~! Let all the others fight and fuss! Whatever happens,” "weeeeeee've goooooooot uuuuuuuus.”
”Me… and my shaaaaadooooow…”
” We're closer than pages that stick in a book. We're closer than ripples that flow in a brook.”
” Stroooooolling doooown the avvvveeeeennnnuuuue…”
” Wherever you find her, you'll find me, just look. Closer than a miser or the bloodhounds to Liza.”
”Me… and my shaaaaadooooow…”
” We're closer than smog to all of L.A. We're closer than Ricky to confessing he's gay.”
"Not a soul can bust this team in two!We stick together like glue!" ”And when it's sleeping tiiiiime…” ”That's when we riiiise.” ”Weeee start to swing…” ”Clocks don't chime.” ”What a surprise…” "They ring-a-ding-ding! Happy New Year!" ”Me… and my shaaaaadooooow…”
”And now to repeat what I said at the start! They'll need a large crowbar to break us apart!” "We're alooooone but faaaaar frooooom bluuuuue! Before we get finished, we'll make the town roar! We'll hit a few late spots, and then a few more. We'll start up at Stringy's and maybe Groucho's. Life is gonna be wow-wow-wheeeee!For myyyyyyyyyy shaaaaaadoooooow and meeeeeeeeee!"
Róisín’s enthusiasm seemed to rise a bit the longer the two sang together, though she was still relatively toned down compared to the soulful efforts of actual singers and musicians. Karl, though is voice was auto tuned, seemed to just be enjoying the moment he was having with Róisín. Music was one of the only things that settled her nerves and homicidal tendencies, despite also being a big part of her preferred way of butchering. It was just nice to see her relaxed and working instead of brooding in a confined space with nothing to do. With her back to the door, there was enough time to hide her face before someone saw, and Karl was always willing to say hello to anyone peering in through the glass. He made for a good guard dog, alerting Róisín of incoming people without her having to ask him to. He was just too friendly to keep from talking to complete strangers. The lights and buzzing of the soldering gun had indeed attracted a few people, but with rumors of the Skeleton Harvester still on board most were afraid to sneak a peek at the source of the movement, especially in a room full of syringes and knives. The Persephone’s crew valued their bones and organs, preferring to keep them where they belonged. They could only imagine what was being done behind the glazed glass.

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

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

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

outfit // Copernicus Station
stamina // 63% - hungover, regretful, dizzy
addiction status // delayed withdrawal (symptoms will come back soon)

Hot breath tickled Alexei's ear, making her shift under the covers. A strong arm was draped around her, controlling her every little movement--as she shifted against the sudden breath, she felt Dominick's grip tighten around her shoulders. Perhaps it was supposed to be an act of comfort, but it felt more like a seizure of her ability to move. Dominick didn't like her squirming too much, no. She needed to be docile under his touch. So, Alexei ceased moving, instead letting him pull her naked body against his for another rough minute of kisses and bites. As her lips grazed against his collarbone, she resisted the urge to suck on his skin--the last time she had done so, she had given him quite the marking, and he hit her until she bled. "Don't forget who is in charge," he had said afterwards, before helping her to the doctor for a fix-up. And it was true, really. He was in charge; she shouldn't have been so reckless.

Dominick took her arm and flattened the palm, gently resting it over his legs. She noticed something in his hand--a heroin needle, as ready as he had been forty minutes ago. He gently massaged the veins in her arm, coaxing them to warm up and pop up against her tan flesh. "You have been with us for nearly a year, Alexei," he said, her name rolling from his tongue with such command and familiarity that it made her ache for him again. "It still upsets me that I wasn't the one who took your virginity. I know it's a stupid thing to be mad about, but...really? Fifteen years old," he said, a glint of judgment behind the words as he continued to massage her arm. Alexei involuntarily glanced at the bed sheets in response. Dominick noticed and tugged her hand. Like a trained puppy, she looked back up at him. He smirked a little. "That's right, you just reminded me...you were fourteen, not fifteen. Tch. Children these days." He brushed a hair out of her eyes and stared straight into them as he injected the needle. Warmth hotter than the sun, yet comfortable like a winter blanket, constricted her veins and danced through her bloodstream. She let out a small gasp and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She went slack against the headboard, and Dominick caught her as she slid down the wooden back. He cradled her gently in his arms. "If I had been your father, I would have kept you as pure as the first snow," he whispered, kissing her head softly.

Alexei woke with a start to the feeling of a body moving against her. Like most who were ejected rudely from a dream, it took her a minute to realize which reality she had crossed into. Once the waking world had come back to her, her brain caught up and her head began to pound. Her throat was dry, her skin felt oily, her body exhausted, and her stomach in sharply concentrated amounts of pain. She was hungover. [********] she thought poetically, rubbing her temples. Pulling the blanket over her naked body, she let out a large yawn, and then an unceremonious burp which tasted heavily like whiskey. It nearly made her puke. Alexei looked frantically around (and by frantically, it is meant slowly and with a pounding headache) for the tissues on her nightstand to blow her nose...and that's when it occurred to her that nothing in this room looked familiar. And that's when she remembered what had woken her up in the first place. Casting her glance cautiously at the sleeping person next to her, she noticed a familiar white-haired head, soft sheets barely covering a surprisingly chiseled body.

Christian?

Oh. ********] Alexei pulled her goggles off and slapped herself in the face a time or two as her vision failed. She hoped to the gods that when she placed the goggles back on her face and her eyes rebooted, that Christian would be gone and she'd be in bed in her own cabin--but when her vision restored, she was still in the same place and laying naked next to the same man. Paralyzed at what to do, she surveyed the room for any sign of clothes. A pair of badly ripped tights were draped haphazardly across his dresser, and her underwear was crumpled underneath his own on the floor next to Christian's side. As she rubbed her temples again, trying to calm down her roaring hangover, she glanced at Christian's body, unable to resist and particularly impressed by how well in-shape he was. She noticed a small burn mark on his upper chest, a circular one. It was the bullet wound she gave him two weeks prior.

Alexei nearly tripped over her own two feet as she stumbled away from the med bay, an empty bottle of wine in her tightly clenched fist. It had been thirteen days since Alister had 'forgiven' her, but it had been the opposite of easy. For one, she wasn't receiving any transmissions or messages at all from Lethe. Furthermore, she had stolen León's computer during his recovery from Róisín's vicious attack, and the messages she had hacked into were jumbled and confusing at best. León had told her what he knew--that something seemed wrong in Lethe's chain of command, and that he had been ordered to retrieve her less than a day after receiving an order to let her continue her mission for Zeus. He had planned to investigate possibilities of anti-Olympian politics within Lethe, after his relaxing masquerade vacation. And then that went to hell. The attack had changed him somewhat--his jokes had lessened, and his lighthearted personality had been replaced by a resigned solemnity. She wondered what was to become of him, and actually liked him a little after what he had gone through.

Unfortunately, he was locked up in a cell and was rarely allowed visitation, leaving Alexei to deal with the rest of the crew. Daniella was kind to her as always, and Alister had taken to visiting her every day in her cabin and lessening the security protocol regarding her escort around the ship (at least once in a while). Nova seemed preoccupied with avoiding Liam just as much as Alexei tried not to end up alone with Rhia. Christian seethed at her every time she passed, and because he was always around Daniella, she couldn't default to the blonde for company. And Róisín? She was a different monster (literally) entirely. Alexei never actually saw her around the ship--though she had noticed the place was looking a lot cleaner--and when she heard Karl's bright voice pierce the air, she ducked into the nearest room.

And on top of all of this, she had no drugs. They hadn't docked once, so the raven-haired girl had been given no opportunity to feed her addiction. She tried to calm herself by portioning out the rest of Gunnar's stimulants, but one evening, she realized she was rationing the drugs of a man who had been torn to pieces in this very ship, a man who had tried to help her, and the guilt made her dissolve into a rare tantrum. She upturned her nightstand and punched the wall until her knuckles bled, then promptly pulled out a bottle of wine she had pilfered from the kitchen and drank the whole thing in a very short amount of time. While it had dulled the withdrawal pains, she still felt antsy, so she decided to take a walk and find some more booze. Which is how she ended up in the kitchen.

It looked like she wouldn't be able to catch a break. Upon entering the kitchen and making straight for the liquor cabinet, she saw Christian in the dim light at the table. He was red in the face, with a slightly droopy grin, and was nursing his own glass of wine next to an equally empty bottle. Alexei scoffed a little at the sight. He must have tried to prove himself to the other pirates in a late-night round of King's Cup or some other drinking game, and lost miserably. She ignored him as she pulled open the liquor drawer and, finding a nice bottle of whiskey, pulled it out and cracked the seal. The feeling of someone's eyes were on her, and even she didn't need to use her 360 degree vision to know that Christian was glaring at her back.

Perhaps it was the drink, or the built-up frustration of him even being on the ship, but she turned around and took a long drink. She then smirked a little. "What are you looking at, Rich Boy?" Alexei asked scathingly, waving her bottle at him. "You look angry. Upset that Alister didn't kill me? Or are you upset that you don't have the balls to do it yourself?" She passed by him, knocking into his chair. It jerked to the side and he nearly fell off, but he caught his balance against the table and stood up, the chair skittering across the space and hitting the cabinet behind him. "I wish he had killed ya," he scoffed, shaking his head. He slurred his words, but his glare was cold. "I can't do it, Dani would never forgive me...still doesn't change the fact that you're a double-crossing b***h." He took a long drink of his wine. "But, s'pose once a b***h, always a b***h." Alexei's grip on her new bottle tightened. "Ben helped me in a way you can't imagine. I owed him, and I won't run away from a debt." She stepped towards him and waved the bottle in his face stupidly and took another drink. "You can't get anywhere in this life by playing nice, not in this kind of life, no. But you wouldn't really know about having a hard life, would you? Running away from your comfortable, rich little life in a ********' Dominion mansion to play pirate." All of the anger she felt towards him had bubbled up to the surface. Every time they crossed paths, his ******** judgmental stare which normally wouldn't phase her made her blood boil. She crossed over to him suddenly, practically right up against him, and stared him down with her bright orange orbs. Christian sneered at her. "Oh, I am sure he helped you. But I really don't give a damn of reasons, its just pathetic excuse for stabbing us in the back, and then....having the nerve of seeking our aid again." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Just because I was born into high society doesn't mean I had it easy, on the contrary I had to always keep up perfection which is not easy. I wouldn't say I enjoy it." He was staring her down at this point, and though he was only two inches taller than her, he towered a little. He paused to sip his wine, only to be nearly shoved back by her. Though her reflexes were better trained than his, he managed to push her hand out of the way, but he stumbled backwards into the cabinet. She shoved at him again. "And you've nearly died on several other occasions. Having fun yet, Mr. Bernet?" This time, Christian had anticipated her movement and grabbed her hand, squeezing it roughly. "You are one of the reasons I nearly died, there is no fun to it. I'm here to make up for what my father is doing, not running away. Fun is the last thing I think I'll have here." Surprisingly, his grip on her hand was strong enough that she couldn't break free--at least not in her current ******** state. He pushed her away and stepped back as Alexei fell to the ground in surprise, her tights catching on the sharp edge of the kitchen table and ripping up her leg. He glowered at her on the ground. "Don't you have some guy to ******** and then stab them in the back?"

Those words made her lose it. She roared in anger and tossed the whiskey bottle to the side and jumped at him, punching him in the gut. "I didn't ******** Ben, you a*****e. I didn't ******** Alister with the intention of betraying him. Don't talk about s**t you don't know!" Christian fell to the floor in surprise, and he went into attack mode. He slapped her hard across the face and buried his fist in her hair and pulled her head from side to side, managing to even smack it against the bottom of the cabinet. In all reality, the fight looked dangerous, but they were both too drunk to really do any damage. Alexei's full punches were barely bruising him, and visa-versa. Eventually, she ended up on top of him, straddling his chest, pinning one of his wrists to the floor. He had managed to get his free hand underneath the rip in her tights, and he was gripping her leg so hard she had gone numb. He might have even cut into her thigh with his nails. Her face was barely an inch away from him. "Get off me, you two-timing whore," he growled. [******** you," she replied.

A moment, packed with tension of a nature they both didn't realize, passed, and this time it was their lips that crashed together. They rolled around on the floor, each trying to dominate the other, hitting the legs of the kitchen table, the cabinets and even soaking themselves in the booze spilled from earlier. Neither of them cared. After a heated twenty minutes, Alexei's tights were shredded, her shorts were decorating the kitchen countertop, and Christian had lost his shirt. Somehow, they sloppily stumbled back to Christian's room, pausing only to throw each other against ship walls and kiss furiously.

Well. ******** me. Normally, Alexei never regretted one-night stands. She had always been careful to be in control of the man she picked. But this had turned out to be a different story entirely. One hand pressed against her head, she managed to swing her legs over the side of the bed and stand up. She grabbed her underwear and pulled it on, then stole one of the shirts in Christian's dresser to get her decently covered (where the ******** had her bra gone?) from his room to hers. She proceeded to then sit in her bathroom and puke her guts out for ten minutes before managing to take a shower and wash herself very thoroughly. Feeling a little better after the purge and the shower, Alexei threw on a fresh (rip-free) pair of tights, red satin lace-tie shorts, black booties, a deep red and black bandeau, and an asymmetrical black sweater. She applied makeup thoroughly, wanting to hide all evidence of her lingering hangover, and then sat on her bed, contemplating her horrible life decisions as of late. Okay. Take a deep breath. He was...you were...both drunk. You did that when you were fourteen, remember? You'll be fine. It's fine. ******** me. Oh, ******** me. Eventually, Alexei took a deep breath and stood up. She walked straight to the medbay, hoping to grab some painkillers, but upon hearing music and the voices of both Karl and Róisín she changed course to the kitchen, where her escort happened to already be. Giving them the smallest of smiles, she began to make a bagel to kill her pained stomach. Her shorts...and her bra, it turned out...were still on the table. Her escort watched as she quickly snatched them from the table and threw them into the supply closet. They exchanged amused glances as she went back to making her food, lips pursed and focused on anything but another human being.




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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


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