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

[Lysander the Poet]

ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ: Training Room, Persephone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｃｏｍｐａｎｙ: Octavian.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｓｔａｔｕｓ: 80% - All wounds sutured and bandaged, equipped with Heartbreaker MK I. Emotionally stable, motivated.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｍｕｓｉｃ:We Will Robot Rock You - Queen/Daft Punk Mash-Up

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”Captain Blood,” Alister harshly corrected, pulling his attention away from the punching bag and to Octavian. ”You are free from shackles by my own decision, so the least you could do is show me some respect.” He adopted his standard, arms crossed posture, his previous grin twisting into more of a scowl. ”And where else do you really think you’re welcome? You’re a wanted man now, Mister White.” He took great pains to accentuate the title he bestowed upon Octavian, the same why he had corrected the man before in use of his own. ”Halloran has made you an accomplice to me, and a rebel. There’s already a hefty bounty on your head, lad. I don’t plan to collect, but it’s enough money to turn some heads. For every man and woman that takes your side in this fight, another dozen or so will side with Halloran. The Dominion, at least those who run the show, will take Halloran’s side. They’re filling his pockets and holding his leash, after all. People are associating you with this ship, and this crew, whether you enjoy it or not.” Alister took notice of Octavian’s caution before he spoke, remembering all too well their encounter in the cells, and the rage that overtook the pirate. ”Whatever you were, you are now nothing. And to be completely honest, I would not wear that rank with a badge of pride anymore. The people see what it means to lead in the Dominion, even if there are few as despicable as Halloran. By your own hand, you’ve branded them all, and shifted everyone’s perceptions. You are as in charge of your own actions as any man. It was merely a gesture of goodwill on my part to wish to include you. Since you do not wish it to be so, I’ll make you the same deal I made Roisin; as long as you are aboard my ship, you will at least respect my authority as Captain. If you disagree with this one term, there’s an airlock not far from here, and I’d be glad to escort you.”

”You can indeed stay board this ship, for as long as you deem fit. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful for your presence. You did your part to save my life...though, I doubt that was ever your intention until the moment was upon you. You saw the Dominion how I see them...how I’ve always seen them. Their true colors...the hideous monster that rules you all. You have my allegiance, a cabin, and the same cause. That’s enough for me. But if you’re unwilling to follow orders, then perhaps you should stay off the field. I don’t need anyone that’s on their own ******** program with their boots on the ground. And if your men get in my way…well, let’s just say I’ve invested a lot in stopping these Dommies pricks.” Alister was feeling confident about this whole conversation, doing his best to get the point across that he was prepared to work towards stopping Halloran and his men, with or without Octavian. At the sight of the other man’s agony, however, Alister looked the slightest bit concerned. ”Persephone, I need you to send Ella down here. Octavian needs tending to, immediately.” He approached Octavian, prepared in case he collapsed, or worse. Still, the man spoke words that felt like sandpaper across Alister’s nerves. ”The Dominion itself is an embarrassment. All it is, in truth, is the pinnacle of greed and hubris. They’ve buried their claws so deep into humanity, that we may never be free of them. Humanity used to have freedom, ideals, and dreams. That was until the Dominion used their money and power to suspend our government, and start taking control. They are scum. But we need not argue about that now...perhaps you need some rest.”

The Captain shook his head when Octavian brought up Daniella. Daniella told him a great many things about Octavian. Some specific details did not come to light, such as what he revealed. ”Dying? Why is it that every time I hear ******** GenEx, someone just happens to be suffering? And you ever wondered why I am so against your precious Dominion. Human experimentation of that nature? Disgusting. It’s going to be awfully hard to lead any kind of rebellion from the grave.” As if their losses weren’t bad enough, they had a dead man walking on board. ”I hope that you aren’t getting reckless so close to your expiration.” The conversation between the two men found itself interrupted, as Nova presented herself to them, along with a strange redhead. Alister’s eyes sat upon Nova, ignoring the newcomer as he attempted to read his comrade, but to no avail. He could only tell that something was off about her...or at least different. And it wasn’t just the eyepatch, or her absolutely horrid simulator scores as of late. She was even and respectful in tone when she presented both her apology and reason for her interruption. Alister waved away her ‘sorry’ as quickly as she gave it. ”Thank you, Commander Vegas. I can handle it from here. I wish to have a meeting later, if you have the time...status update on the ship, and our next moves. Persephone will remind you, and the others. We can’t just sit around in a mine forever…” He turned to speak to Octavian as well, ”I’ll want to see you there too, Mister Rebel Leader.” Alister finally regarded the redhead, but did not scan over her features. At about the same time, Ella practically charged into the training room, approaching Octavian. ”Captain said you need some help?” She looked at him cluelessly, not apprised of his situation.

”You must be Prudence, right?” Alister reached out his flesh and blood hand, offering it for a handshake. ”I’m both glad and surprised that Christian was allowed to make contact in any way, much less send an associate of his. Of course, you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t trust you instantly. If you’re to stay aboard, you’ll need an escort at all times...for your safety, and that of my ship and crew. Any news you have on either Christian or Daniella, however, may persuade me to distrust you a little less...though, not by much. It’s a bit too convenient that such a short time after what happened, Christian is able to send you along to us. Even if he trusts you implicitly. You’ll probably want to pick out a cabin, get to know the ship, introduce yourself to the crew...eventually. Business first, eh? What sort of information do you have? Anything about Junior, Daniella, the Dominion...anything that could help.”



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[chibichick27]

▌OUTFIT ●●● J'kr's Chop Shop ▌MOOD ●●● thoughtful, energized ▌SONG ●●● "Clint Eastwood" - The Gorillaz ▌LOCATION ●●● Earth – the Persephone, training room




Nova’s answer was expected, if not a little odd at first, but also thought-provoking. "To be honest it was always told to me that the difference between pirates and soldiers was that soldiers wore medals to show their accomplishments, while pirates wore theirs as the scars upon their flesh…But this will be no such thing. This, is a reminder of what promises I've broken, what I've done, and failed to accomplish. I don't really need an artificial eye to try and cover that up. This is sort of my first attempt at redemption, in my own way..." Alexei examined those words carefully. She tapped her goggles, and wondered. She had needed her sight to survive. But every time she looked in the mirror, she was reminded of the cost paid for her life. Her father nearly died for it. When she was younger and had gotten really low, sometimes she would consider prying them out of her face and leaving them at the feet of her masters. See what they would have done then—only the thought of her family suffering stopped her, for she cared little for her own life. But now, she had several reasons to live, beyond them. Daniella, Kenway, Alister, really the entire crew of the Persephone. And now her baby, two months along and desperately wishing her to continue on.

ONE WEEK EARLIER...

Besides Kenway, Alexei couldn’t think of anyone else who needed to know about her state. People were struggling with their own dilemmas at the moment, and she didn’t feel the need to burden anyone by announcing to the crew that she was pregnant. If Daniella had been there, she would have told her in a heartbeat—of course, the blonde probably would have figured it out after even just a second of telepathy. Daniella made her think of Christian, however, and she felt somewhat sick again. Christian was one of the men in that window of time Ella had given her, making him a candidate for fatherhood. And of the men on her list, she really didn’t want him to be the father. It would complicate matters heavily, and probably hurt Daniella even more. Also, Christian and Alexei may not have gotten along, but she figured that he would be the sort of man to become involved in the life of his child. Which would not be particularly great for either of them.

Absentmindedly the raven-haired woman wandered until she found herself in the training room, hoping to find Kenway. Instead, she came face-to-face with Alister, once again testing out his new arm. Rhia was his sparring partner this time. Alexei felt incredibly awkward all of a sudden. She hadn’t ‘spoken’ to Alister in weeks, and she usually found excuses to avoid him. Even after two months, the guilt ate up her heart—though she knew eventually, she’d have to tell him about Dominick. Not to mention with her new little secret, Alister’s name also stamped itself on her list. Alexei found herself staring at the pirate a little too long. Quickly, she looked over at Rhia and gestured for her to follow her into the hallway, to a private area. She gave another glance in Alister’s direction and offered a particularly small, somewhat strained, smile.

Rhia glanced back at Alexei for a moment, comprehending her request. Her eyes were filled with something most of the crew had never seen before: sorrow. The First Mate of the Persephone was never one for tears, sympathy, or any of those soft, worthless emotions. That was, until she met Daniella. Her little brush with death, and the effect that little blonde had on them all, had changed Merhia Dravyn fundamentally. So much so that she looked upon the girl who had once almost murdered her in cold blood with the caring eyes of a friend and comrade. Alister regarded Alexei with what could pass for a smile, but the tenseness in his muscles practically told the whole story. He was a man that was learning to smile all over again, and it looked like his first time doing it. He gave Alexei the same look as Rhia. He still blamed himself for what happened to her, and the longer his gaze lingered, the worse he felt. He knew that she and Kenway had been spending much more time together. And that time was becoming more than just a friendship, or a duty to protect her. After their own tender moment, the night before the assault, Alister could see why someone could be fond of her. His own feelings were muddled and confused, but he chose to push them out of his mind and concentrate on getting back up on his feet, to take the fight back to the Dominion. Any thoughts he had of Alexei were quickly tossed away whenever they cropped up. He was glad to see her and Kenway together. They seemed happy, and in the end, that was all that mattered. Alister Blood had a war to fight, after all. He didn’t have time to think about what his heart could have wanted, whether it be another tender night with Alexei, or another round in the ring with Nova, whom he had been too afraid to confront so far.

”Excuse me, Captain,” The Scottish accent rolling off Rhia’s tongue ever so harshly. Alister nodded, taking it as an indication that his training session would have to continue alone. Rhia departed the training room with Alexei, turning to look at her as they walked, watching Alexei for any signs of pain, discomfort, or anything else. She remembered all too well the struggles of the first few weeks, when she spent all of her time at Alexei’s side, observing her suffering. That alone almost made her shed her first tears in years. But she had held strong, for Alexei’s sake. The young, raven haired woman didn’t need a weeping caretaker. She needed someone strong, to guide her along the correct path. ”Whatever it is, you’d best get it out. You should still be resting, you know? You’ve been through quite a lot.”

Alister didn’t have time to think about anyone else right now. Alexei could see that in his expression. And it wasn’t a cruel notion, just something he had to do in order to get by. To be honest, she had also avoided Alister because of Kenway. To push away any notion of feelings. But it saddened her, too, because she felt the friendship she had made with Alister crumble ever so slightly as a result. She wondered if they would ever be able to talk how they used to again. Of course, the more Alexei thought about her situation, the more she realized Alister would be just another person passing through her life, because eventually, life on the Persephone would be impossible for her.

Glad that Rhia understood the need for privacy, Alexei led her into an alcove near a storage door. Her orange orbs pierced through the Scot’s blunt stare, and she opened her mouth to speak as if she forgot she couldn’t. A moment passed and Alexei closed her lips and lingered awkwardly with Rhia, wondering how in Hades she would be able to convey this to her. She shook her head to Rhia’s statement, and pointed to her stomach. Then, she rifled through her dress pocket and pulled out a tiny bottle of pills, something Ella had managed to procure during their last refuel. It was crudely labeled ‘prenatal’. Alexei smiled, but grew nervous. Kenway’s reaction had been glowing, soft. How would Rhia react?

Rhia frowned as Alexei attempted to speak, remembering the first sights in the med bay after Luna. Ella had assured them that Alexei had a fair chance to regain her voice, as the damage wasn’t beyond repair. Her gaze followed Alexei’s motions, first to her stomach, and then to the bottle of pills she produced. It took a few moments for her to process, but after blinking a couple of times, Rhia’s mouth fell open wide. Alexei was pregnant. Rhia was not typically prone to spontaneous bursts of emotion. But she had seemed softer recently, at least around Alexei...as she had become around Daniella as well. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, capturing Alexei in her embrace. The older woman held her for awhile, before letting go, her hands instead moving down to grab Alexei’s, a smile on her face. ”After all that’s happened...I didn’t expect any sort of good news! You’re going to be a mother. That’s...such a foreign concept to think about. A pirate ship really isn’t the place you consider something like that. But, still...congratulations. It’s wonderful!” Smiles were hard to come by these days, at least ones that were strained. As the wheels started to turn once more inside Rhia’s mind, she let go out Alexei’s hands. ”I’m sure Kenway is really excited...he’s the father, right?” It would make sense...the two were obviously romantically involved. ”How far along are you, anyways?”

Honestly, Rhia’s reaction was the opposite of what Alexei expected. Though technically not a pirate, she still lived a dangerous and fast-paced life, something a baby shouldn’t be subjected to. And pregnancy on a pirate ship seemed hard to the mother, and unfair to the baby. But still, it was life, being created and nurtured in a world that Alexei had always regarded as cruel and hard. Maybe, just maybe, she could make sure her child had a different life, a better one. And perhaps Rhia saw that too, because when she felt the woman embrace her, Alexei melted into it and hugged her back, her smile unable to contain itself to her face.

But when Rhia asked about Kenway, and mentioned the father, Alexei’s happiness faltered a little. Honestly, she was going to raise her child one way or another, and she didn’t need a father—or need to know who it was—to do it. Kenway had pledged himself to helping her, even though he didn’t know either. Alexei could have lied at that moment to Rhia, made it easier, but it would have hurt Kenway in long run, being congratulated for the miracle he may or may not have helped create. So, she shook her head to Rhia’s question, and activated her keyPC, pulling up the personal comms section for Persephone members. She pulled up Kenway’s image, then Alister’s, and finally just typed in Christian’s name as he had no comms anymore. Putting the little computer away, she held up two fingers and mouthed ‘months’ so not to confuse it between days or weeks.

The Scott saw a little bit of Alexei’s joy melt away from her questions. She was almost afraid that she offended the poor girl, and was prepared to apologize profusely. She watched as Alexei flipped between Kenway and Alister on the comms, and read her lips. This caused her to frown, followed by the furrowing of her brow. ”Well, you aren’t going to be able to stay board this ship for much longer. For your safety, and for the child. Not that anywhere is truly safe, especially for any of us, not anymore. And I know that it’s probably not a subject you want to approach, but take it from someone who grew up without a father that was there for them. A child can still grow up to be happy, healthy, and successful without their father’s guidance. But you are going to have the hardest job in the universe. My father did nothing for me until I had nothing left to lose. He’s the reason I’m where I am today, aboard this ship, living day to day as a pirate. He sent the once-in-awhile birthday present, but I never saw him. He never spoke to me....and it pained me terribly. You’re at least lucky enough to have a man that does care about you, and I’m sure Kenway will be there for the kid whether it’s his or not. If it’s Christian, you can bet that he’ll provide for you and your baby, no matter what. He’s a good kid, with a proper head on his shoulders and a compassionate heart. The only one you’d have to worry about would be Alister. Deep down, somewhere in that bloodstained, scar ridden wreck of a man, there is definitely some good, and tenderness. But he’s dedicated to this path, the one that led all of us here...and almost to death itself. Personally, I’ll be praying that it’s Kenway. He is a damn loyal person, but he would give up his absolute loyalty to this crew for his own blood. Plus, you too are sickeningly cute together. But you didn’t hear me say that, if you want him to keep his bones unbroken, and skull uncracked. I’m here for you, whatever you may need...and I guess this is supposed to be a secret, right? I don’t plan on telling Alister, anyway.”

Rhia’s word’s were filled with both truth and sadness. Alexei knew all of these things about those men. And just like the older woman, she really hoped Kenway was the father. But the Scot’s words about fatherhood, and the struggle of living onboard a pirate ship while pregnant, hit her hard. It was true; Alexei couldn’t raise her baby on a pirate ship, no matter how supportive the crew because. Because Alexei didn’t want her child to grow up into that lifestyle. No, he or she deserved a normal life, like the one she was helping her aunt and uncle provide for Nikolai. His biggest concerns were whether on not he’d gotten onto the swim team at school. Perhaps not as exciting as Alexei’s life, but she would rather her child know no hardship. And dwelling on the horrific tragedy that was New Armstrong, she knew that her own safety was barely an option onboard the ship. She really didn’t want to leave. But she knew that she had to. Still, there were things she wanted to take care of first. Hopefully, they involved making amends with Alister, seeing Daniella again, and finally, the goal that she had pushed to the back of her mind—being able to see Zeus and apologize for her failure. Her ties with Lethe would have to be taken care of as well. Dominick wasn’t going to just let her go without a fight. All of those worries began to pile up on her mind, and she grew nervous. Upon hearing Alister’s name, Alexei shook her head vigorously. She didn’t want him to know. He didn’t need a distraction, not now. She gave Rhia one more hug, a long one that a passing crew member saw, but hurried off to pretend he hadn’t just seen their fearsome First Mate in an embrace. Alexei pulled away, smiled, and then walked off, passing the training room again. She glanced in, seeing Alister covered in sweat, face full of determination as he got a better handle on his arm. If he saw her, she smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, before heading off. Kenway was beeping her.

PRESENT...

The voice of a stranger broke Alexei away from her reminiscing as she saw a red-headed woman walk up, looking very nervous and equally out of place with the environs. "You must me Nova and that would leave you to be...Alexei?" Prudence rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm Prudence, Prue for short. Christian has sent me in his place as he is too busy dealing with his dad at the moment. I was hoping to catch the Captain, but didn't want to just walk onto the ship and risk getting shot. That would leave us in a bad place. But anyway, hi." Just a hi. It made Alexei smile, because it reminded her of how Daniella had been back when they first met. Shy, nervous, not sure how to fit in with the rowdy pirates and drug cartel bodyguard surrounding her. She gave a small wave, and luckily Nova took over, which made Alexei’s silence a lot less awkward. The raven-haired woman followed them to the training room, where Octavian and Alister were chatting (though it seemed to be a heated chat indeed). Alexei observed quietly as J’kr angrily pulled Nova away and Ella rushed by her to check on Octavian, whose arm was dripping with blood. She wondered why he was so sick, and if his fight on New Armstrong hadn’t helped things. To suddenly become the image of rebellion couldn’t have been easy for him.

Alister spoke to Prudence coldly, but he had slipped back somewhat into his usual demeanor, which made Alexei happy to see. She also noted how interestingly attractive he was with a metal arm. But if this Prue was Christian’s representative, then perhaps she’d be their link to finding Daniella also, or at least keeping Christian informed on what the group was up to. Alexei decided it was now time to bring up what she was dreading. She opened her keyPC and pulled out an email document, quickly typing her thoughts down as Prue and Alister spoke.

’Prue, if you have ties to Christian, then this is a good a time as any to let you know, and also you, Captain. The man who attacked Christian, who attacked Daniella, and who scarred Nova…and also attacked me, is someone I know. His name is Dominick Maiachev. I’ve told you about him before, Captain. He used to be a higher-up in Lethe, and I was his bodyguard on Kessel Station the day the Dominion attacked, and we all met. I thought he had died in that attack, but obviously he didn’t. I’ve been on comm silence with Lethe for a while, and I think it’s because he’s taken it over. I don’t know what he did to Hector Milieux, the man who was in charge…but obviously, Halloran must have seen a good reason to ally with Dom…Dominick…rather than kill him. He asked me, before he attacked, about the briefcase. You might not remember it at all, but I was tasked by Lethe to deliver it to Zeus. That’s what Daniella promised she could help me with, when I turned on Will...but Lord Dionysus stole it from me. And now Lethe is under Dominick’s control, and they are allied with Dominion. Which means they’ve turned from the Olympians. I think we need to go to Mars. Lethe’s HQ is there, as is Ο Όλυμπος*. I can try and get an audience with Zeus. Maybe, we’ll find allies against both Lethe and Halloran in his men.’
*Olympus Mons, Mount Olympus

Alexei paused, and was about to send it, but chose to write one final thing. ’Also, tell Christian I’m sorry. And that I hope whatever Dominick did to him…well, I will pray for him, and hope that he heals peacefully.’ She sent the message, the notifications popping up in both Alister and Prue’s comms. It was the best she could do, in her situation.

[The Smut Peddler]

Horizon Chapter V
Broken Promises

As Alister dismissed the young pink haired woman she nodded her head at his order, her uncovered green eye resting back on him as she addressed his request.

"I will inform J'kr of the status updates and await Percy's reminder then. I have a few things to attend to myself now, but I should likely be around for the update." Nova said, a subtle almost emotionless smile crossing her face. She would turn on her heels to depart the training area to allow Alister time to speak with the red headed woman. She would nod to Ella, Octavian, and Alexei as well to acknowledge them as she headed out.

Pulling up her HUD as she walked through the halls of the Persephone Nova messaged her brother about a status report before heading back to her own room. There she sat down at the small vanity, pulling a drawer out and taking a piece of parchment and pen from it. She would stare at the blank page for several minutes before she glanced over to her own reflection in the vanity's mirror sighing heavily. There was a very specific reason the young woman had not even made time to consider cybernetics for replacing her lost eye. It was simply a waste of money and precious time spent building and training a dead man walking. Her hand would take the pen and score across the page as she began to jot down a letter that she had been putting off for two months. She was reminded by her conscience daily of her agreement. And now so close to neutral ground she could uphold her part.

Finally drawing the letter to a close she folded it neatly as she stood from her chair. Her hands shaking slightly at the gravity of its contents. In the mirror, the image of a traitor to her faction standing there. Had things gone differently, had Pierce lived, would it have changed anything? Likely not, if she really thought about it. Her own guilt was her undoing. Taking her weapons she laid them out on the vanity, her pistol, blade, and tractor beam all neatly rested on the cherry wood stand.

Exiting her room she headed down the hallway before stopping in front of a specific door. The one to the former leader of Calypso's room. Nervously she stood for a moment before sliding the letter under his door and headed out.

Inside reading:

Liam,

As per my agreement, I am handing myself over to you and the Alliance for the acts of treason on Kessel Station. If you would like to send someone for my retrieval for execution there is some neutral ground outside the mine to rendezvous. I will be there this afternoon as well if there are any specifics that need to be relayed to coordinate.

33.394266 (Lat)
-104.523024 (Long)

Nova

As she passed through the off ramp of the ship Nova met the eyes of several crewmen. She would nod softly as she headed out and into the vast area that was the shop. Finally she would reach a large diesel truck, with a large spinning blue orb that acted as a top of the line engine. Walking up she took the three steps to gain access to the steering wheel and sat inside. The keys in the ignition as was custom among her brother's vehicles. Though unlikely that the shop would ever be breached, J'kr felt it necessary to allow his workers ample opportunity to escape. Nova looked over the vehicle, moving the rear view mirror before placing her foot firmly on the clutch and turning over the key. The roar from the blue orb was like that of a thousand lions. The power of this engine more fierce than some smaller space transports. Easing off the clutch as she placed her hand on the large shift and set it into gear before she tore off into the deep depths of the mine. After a few turns at high speed the head lights flickered on as the path became unpaved. There were no longer lights that followed along the right side of the mine, all that rest before her was darkness.

That was until finally a tiny glow started to take shape before her, just a tiny dot in the distance as it grew and grew. Eventually it would creep close enough to see and a ledge would be right before it. Slamming the beast of a machine into neutral and starting the brakes the truck spun a few times before resting right before the ledge, one tire barely on the lip of the chasm. Putting it in park the pink haired woman would climb out taking her long coat and tossing it into the back of the truck as she threw her long hair over her shoulder and sat at the edge. Here was where the mine had met an ancient cousin, the natural cave that ran beside it. Before her was the quiet stream that had once carved the beautiful path which was the cave itself. As she let her feet dangle the rubber of her heels would just barely grace the water's surface. The headlights of the vehicle offering light which was captured by the large chunks of quartz and allowed a prism of colors to dance across the water. It was here that Nova had buried her captain's possessions. Here that she had made her goodbyes, much like this one. Closing her eye she would take in the calm and tranquil moment in reflection and regret and revel in this sort of rare moment as long as she could.

xxxx┇ ✦ Ship // Mine // Secret Spot
xxxx┇ ♢ 90%
xxxx┇ ✦ Emotionally withdrawn
xxxx┇ ✦ One More Suicide

[Space Candy]

McLaughlin walked briskly, his hands hooked behind his back. His feet padded lightly on the floor of the southern wing of the small facility he was currently in charge of. There were various cells lining the walls, all with large steel doors with three sliding locks. Strong and sturdy, even the monstrosities within could not break them, and there was evidence that they had tried. The older man turned and looked over his shoulder at the Cyberteknik employee he was guiding. "This is where my...War Machines are, so to speak. Quite interesting things don't you think? I'm sure your company could find some use for them." He paused, turning to face the other person with him. "I'd like to thank you again for agreeing to meet with me. I think if we work together, we can create something truly extraordinary. Perhaps even involving my dear girl...She'll be awake within the hour if you'd like to stick around and meet her. From a distance of course. Wouldn't want her picking your mind." Gregory smiled eerily, obviously proud of his little creation despite the fact that she had been quite the handful lately.

”Useful?” questioned the pompous youth, ”Your creations are superb, Dr. McLaughlin. That’s undoubtable.” The man placed a slender hand on his chest, as though the whimsical wonder was too much for his frail frame, ”I speak on behalf of the company, and our company’s Chairman,” the young man looked around, as though expecting the devil incarnate, ”when I say that we are delighted to be working alongside such a brilliant mind, such as your own.” The butt kissing levels had just about reached their maximum potential. After Cyberteknik’s sorry display of power on New Armstrong, and the inability to quell the mass hysteria enveloping Phobos; the smallest faction of the Dominion was struggling to stay afloat. Just as they had many times before, it seemed as though they were having to piggy back on another faction until the chaos blew over. This time had been in the form of one of their top research labs following the good doctor throughout the halls of his facility. It had seemed that this would be the perfect place to run their little joint experiments. It was secluded, secretive, though still very functional. ”I do apologize that my liege could not meet with you personally. He’s been rather busy kissing babies, reassuring the public, and helping with damage control. He has such a way with words, and that jolly attitude of his is infectious. But as I’m merely delivering what we hope to be an acceptable present to our ‘sister’ company, I hope my presence will suffice. These prototypes are special models that haven’t hit the mass production lines yet, they’re far ahead of their times, hopefully they can be of some use to your guards while we fit them with their new helms and decorate your fine work.” The youth smiled, running his hand through his mop of curls with a fake smile plastered upon his face. He knew very well that his superiors would have preferred to keep their prototypes to themselves. Drastic times called for drastic measures, he supposed. If he could see them in action, perhaps that would allow him a starting point at reverse engineering the miniature armory. A chill crept up his spine and he was notably spooked when one of the beasts banged against the metal of its cage, sensing an intruder outside its cell. ”Your shining achievement is the stuff of dreams, sir. I wish these were as prim and polished as your little sweetheart. Are they always so… rowdy?” he asked the man before him, his proper tone replaced with a slightly off key air as he composed himself, attempting to not think about the strange noises that had filled the facility from the moment he arrived.

"Oh I understand. It's hard to tear yourself away from the public in a time like this..." McLaughling shrugged. Truthfully, he didn't care who Cyberteknik sent to visit him...So long as he got what he needed it didn't matter. He shifted his eyes to the side as one of his pets slammed against the door, which only caused others to follow suit. Briefly he looked to the younger man, inspecting him as he spoke. "Unfortunately, yes. These ones were made for battle. They were made to tear people apart. Naturally that means heightened aggression and the like. It seems they don't think too clearly, but we're working on a few controls for them..." He trailed off, gently placing his hands in his pockets. "Daniella is a shining star, that much is true. But she has yet to reach her full potential...So until I've figured out the ins and outs of what exactly she's capable of, and what her limits are, I'm afraid I can't repeat the project. The board doesn't want to give me funding for more experiments like Pearson until I've proved that she's of use....You would think that being a telepath would be enough, and for a while it seemed it was. But this recent vacation she's been on...Well it put quite the kink in my progress." Gregory smirked. "I'll admit, I am a bit impressed with her. Angry, but impressed. I'm hoping your company's help will aid in getting some things back on track."

”We will do everything in our power to make your vision a reality, sir. I am certain that any little bumps in the road will be taken care of soon enough. I’ve several people hard at work, observing any and all video footage of your specimens so that we can better form their shackles and arm your men against their abilities.” The mousey man cleared his throat and checked his cuffs, still attempting to retain what little composure he had. After what seemed like hours of constant banging and scraping of creatures wanting to be set free, he could see why people would be driven mad working for GenEx. Suddenly his lab seemed safer, comfortable, and predictable. The only reason he wasn’t there was because he needed something to cover his a** before a boot was firmly placed up it. Even as he spoke to the doctor, he couldn’t help but feel as though he were being watched. Surely the chairman wasn’t around was he? Or worse yet, Cyberteknik’s personal creeper, Dr. Lippershey. It was no secret that he and McLaughlin would have gotten along swimmingly, if it wasn’t for the minor feud between the companies. It was impossible; he hadn’t seen either of them on the ride to Venus. There was no way they could have gotten in without an escort… right? The brunette took a quick look over his shoulder, a chill creeping along his spine as he could have sworn he saw something flicker across his vision and escape out of the corner of his eye. It was a trick of the light, a hallucination, something other than the possibility that something, or someone, else was roaming around on the hunt for a couple of delicious morsels. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask. ”I should ask, and this won’t go on any type of record should something happen, but this facility IS secure, yes?Any workers our company sends in won’t have to worry about being in the middle of a riot or possible outbreak, right? I have no worries, I can see that your building is perfect in every possible way, but as a formality these are the types of questions I must ask for my superiors. A couple of them are sticklers for the books and uphold the law to the fullest extent, they don’t want any lose ends snagging during our merger.”

McLaughlin slid his eyes to the side, looking at the other man. "Of course it's secure." He quipped. "I've been operating in this facility for a few years now, along with the main complexes. But this one is special. It's off the books. Only specially trained GenEx guards and lab assistants are allowed here, or anyone that I approve of. Such as yourself..." Gregory smirked. "No one could even dream of finding this place anyway...Having habitable environments on Venus' surface costs money, and for the most part it is deemed out of the way, especially when you consider the location of our other facilities...And so here we are, all alone. You've got nothing to be scared of anyway. Even my little darling won't be able to pick your mind...that being said, you won't be in the room with her when you see her. Unless you want her to rummage around in your head." He shrugged.

The man smiled, a sigh of relief escaping his chest. ”It must be nice to have absolutely no worries about being bothered with trivial things. Nothing but hours upon hours of time to do your important research must be a wonderful privilege to have. I feel absolutely honored that you sought out me to be witness to your accomplishments!” Now that his fear had temporarily left, it was back to brown nosing. As the two continued their trek into the bowels of the facility, their conversation was interrupted by the gentle buzzing of static coming through the intercoms. ”Ah!” the man joyfully exclaimed with a raised finger, ”Not to worry! We can fix that! It’s what we do, and no one even comes close to our clarity of sound systems!” The interference waned for a few moments, intensifying for a second or two, before dying out completely and a male voice came on over the speaker.
“Ha okay, okay, okay…” Beats began to boom over the speakers, Korean flooding the musical notes as both lab worker and guards looked up in confusion. Cyberteknik’s representative looked over at his tour guide in a quizzical fashion. ”Does this usually happen?” His answer came in the form of a single clicking sound, quickly followed by a barrage of clanks and screeches as the locks began to undo in sync with the music blaring through the hallways. The man’s heart leapt into his throat. This wasn’t good! This was not good at all! As if things couldn’t get any worse, a tremor raced past them, the ground quaking beneath their feet as someone yelled, “BOMBS! CODE BLACK! CODE BLACK! EVERYONE EVACUATE!” The coward didn’t need to be told twice, especially as some of the beasts became enraged at the excitement going on outside their chambers. They wanted in on the blood shed! They wanted to instinctively get away from the hot air flooding the buildings from the explosions going on outside! He was already running in the opposite direction. He didn’t care to check on his associates. This was a time of self-preservation and he knew all he needed to do to survive was outrun everyone else. ”EVERYMAN FOR HIMSELF!” he cried.

The older man's dark eyes widened as he comprehended what was happening. The explosions continued to ring out through his precious facility. Evacuation was necessary, and it was likely that his now loose, rampaging, experiments, wouldn't survive....or, at least not all of them. McLaughlin looked to the person he'd been giving a tour to, only nodding to what he had cried out. There was only one person McLaughlin was truly worried about at the moment...

[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



tab shortly after new armstrong events

"No offense Maya this is even low for you. They are short on hands and need help," Marcus told the brunette who gave him a rather dry glance from over her shoulder as she packed up her room. "So what if they lied about some blonde girl. It doesn't matter. Half the people here are on deaths door and the other half are barely keeping this ship running. I cannot just le-"

"Let me what Marcus. I'm an information broker. I don't belong in the middle of some god damn war. I need to remain neutral. You know this. The moment I start to look like I'm playing for one side, is the moment that my head gets a price tag on it. Now, I don't know about you. But I am not fond of getting hunted down and killed," Maya hissed, running a hand through her hair. New Armstrong was a mess. They were lucky they got out of their alive. The rich brat was gone, along with his girlfriend. Alister lost an arm and was barely alive, Alexei and Nova followed behind him. If she got caught on the ship, all of her work would be in vain. She would be branded a traitor, something she couldn't have.

"Besides, its always you saying. I shouldn't put myself in dangerous situations. The moment that I want to get myself out of one before it starts, you say its a bad idea. Also, you don't even like Alister. So why the hell do you care about what happens to him."

"This isn't about Alister. This is about doing the right thing for once in your life," Marcus told her. Maya shook her head. "You are a selfish b***h and you know it."

"Yeah. So what if I am. Its how I survive. You of all people should know that. I get it that you are upset of Pierce's death. You knew the man, at least back when you were with Keriann. But, I can't. I can't risk myself. I need to make my living, I need to get paid for what I do best. That is selling information. Now, I won't give anyone information about Alister or his ship. It wouldn't be a fair fight, they would just come in and it would be a god damn slaughter. But, we need to go. We need to go back to our lives. Its that simple, if you aren't with me then stay on the god damn ship for all I care. I am leaving, whether you like it or not."

Marcus sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll leave. Sure there is some bar we can buy out and you can start business up in," standing from his seat on the bed, Marcus stopped at the doorway. Looking over at Maya as she finished up packing. "You can't stay away from this. You know it. Sooner or later you have to chose a side. This entire thing has started a rebellion. Either you are with it or you are against it. Neutral sides won't survive."

tab current day

"And well, sorry to say your husband is a lying b*****d. That only married you for the money, dried out your accounts and ran away with your best friend," Maya told the woman once the credits had entered her accounts. "A little extra, for the nice tip you left me. He is staying a local hotel waiting for a ship out of this hell hole, the expensive one with the spa. I am sure you'll find him and his new found love sipping champagne while getting a couples massage."

"That b*****d, I knew it," the woman killed the glass of whiskey in front of her, slamming the glass down onto the table. Maya raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, you were a lot of help. Well worth your price, Ms. Taylors."

"Just do what I am good at. I can always tell of a few people that can help you exact revenge, of course it will cost you just a bit more. I assure they will do a fine job, or give you what you need to do your revenge," Maya offered, pouring another drink for the two of them.

"What kind of people?"

"Well, depending on how much money the scumbag left you with. I know hitman, private assassins, and someone who could sell you things to deal with the man yourself. The last choice would be the cheapest, you just have to clean up your own mess," Maya explained. The woman thought for a moment, before reaching into her purse pull out her HUD.

"How much to meet with the man that can sell me items?"

Maya smirked. "A thousand," Marcus gave Maya a nod once the credits rolled over. Grabbing a napkin, Maya wrote down a name and address. Passing it towards the woman with a coy smile. "Tell him that I sent you, he will set you up with something nice."

"Thank you so much," gathering her things, the woman nearly scrambled to get out of the bar. Standing from her seat, Maya walked over to the counter that Marcus was working at.

"See. Life is easier this way, ain't it?"

"You aren't at all curious about conditions of Alister and his crew?"

Maya shrugged. "Takes a lot to kill Alister. He was alive when I left, I doubt he went to go meet his maker just yet."

"Yeah, well. Know that I told them to contact us if s**t really hits the fan for them. We'll help them find a safe area to lie low and figure out supplies they may need," Marcus smirked towards Maya. "I can always do it on my own, if you wish to not get your hands dirty."

"You know how I feel about it Marcus. Just...don't attract the wrong kind of attention to us. Alright? I know Dommies have been snooping around already, I don't need to give them anymore reason to."

"I will handle any problems that come Maya, don't worry about it. Its what you hire me for."

"Alright, just don't make me regret it."

tab onto prudence

Prudence waited to get a reply from either way, Nova was the one that seemed to take hold of the situation. Leading her to the captain. Though she would never admit it, Prudence was nervous of being on the ship. The stares she got from the crew, she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. Though she did kind of stick out. Expensive pants suit, clearly not used to being where she was written all over her. She was soon led to what she could only assume was a training room. Coming face to face with Alister blood.

Christian didn't do him justice. He was the poster child for pirate. She stepped forward as he acknowledged her, meeting his handshake. "Ahh yes, but call me Prue. I hate my full name," she said with a small smile. "Well, I can at least tell you Christian is recovering. He does have a few things to work though. I wouldn't call him all there mentally, but he is coping. His father is making sure he is kept busy and is kept out of the public eyes for the moment. He doesn't want him to know much about what is going on. He isn't an idiot, obviously. GenEx is making ties with other companies. Helping each other clean up their messes. People are quitting as they don't agree with the companies views, those that do...are punished. For anyone working its either they keep working and don't say anything, or they are branded and their entire family has to suffer," Prudence shook her head. "Christian and I haven't been able to find too much on Dani yet. Its driving him crazy, his father did a good job of hiding her. We know that she is in some facility and narrowed it down to a handful. We just can't figure out which one. All of them are experimental facilities. Sad how many we have."

Prudence hadn't noticed that Alexei joined them until her HUD beeped. She opened it and read over the message, looking over at Alexei once she finished reading it. Talking of going to Mars, meeting with one of the Gods that she had only read about. A bit to take in. "I will pass the message to him. He's stronger than he gives himself credit for. And trying to find Dani keeps him motivated and its what he needs, I just hope I get to meet her soon. Gotta see if she is good enough, you know," Prudence said with a smile.

She looked back at Alister. "I understand your distrust, Mr. Blood. I assure you my intentions here are for both your benefit and Christian's. I am sure you were told, my skills are available for your use. I brought my systems with me, I should be able to hack into plenty of systems. Help us stay under the radar if anyone comes snooping too close. I also have a list of connections of those that support this rebellion. We can set up supply drops and safe houses through them. Christian will also notify me of any changes he comes across. Important information you should know."

"Christian is glad to know that you all made it out alive. He sends his regards and hopes to join you again soon. Once he gets his moment he will take it. But, I do wish to settle in and not be a bother to you. Its was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Blood," she turned to Alexei and smiled. "You as well Alexei, do take it an easy both of you."

One of the crewmen came over to Prudence to escort her to the cabins and she settled into one. It was sure to be an interesting trip.


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

[Lysander the Poet]

ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ: Outside the Mine.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｃｏｍｐａｎｙ: Lissy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｓｔａｔｕｓ: 80% - All wounds sutured and bandaged, equipped with Heartbreaker MK I. Emotionally stable, motivated.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｍｕｓｉｃ:We Will Robot Rock You - Queen/Daft Punk Mash-Up

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”Prue, then.” Alister said casually, still eyeing the woman carefully. ”After what happened on New Armstrong, I’m surprised that anyone is recovering as well as they are, myself included. It was surely a mighty blow, and will not be forgotten anytime soon. By us, or by our enemies. Glad Junior is doing alright, though. He’s a lot stronger than back when I met him on Kessel. He can definitely take care of himself, at least long enough for us to get him the hell out of that gilded cage his daddy keeps him in.” Hearing that Daniella hadn’t been located yet was disheartening. It had been two months, and it had probably felt so much longer for her. Who knows what sort of horrors she was being put through. They were surely running tests, dissecting her like some kind of beast, trying to figure out how to make her powers stronger, or how to replicate them...and how they could profit. ”We’ve got to keep looking. We have to find Daniella. There’s no way I’m going to leave her for those monsters to do whatever they want to her.” He had begun to raise his voice, anger bubbling to the surface. Alister had to breath deep, and save it for later. Save it for when he could crush GenEx, and McLaughlin, and all the others with an almost literal iron fist. Escaping from his anger, he took small notice of Alexei. It had taken a lot of work to not instantly look upon her and feel absolutely guilty for the condition she was in. Time after time, he thought of the Persephone as a collection, containing the many monuments of his failures and sins. None of this showed on the outside however, as he simply wrangled up a tiny smile to give her. He would go on to acknowledge her message, but would save reading it until after he was finished dealing with their new guest. ”Please, enjoy your stay board my ship, miss. Any friend of Christian’s is a friend of mine. If you have any needs, there should be a communications panel in your cabin. Persephone, the ship’s artificial intelligence, will be able to help you out. Try not to wander too much...a lot of the ship is off limits to ‘civilians’ such as yourself.” As she was escorted away, he gave the crewman a knowing glance. She was to be monitored very closely. After what happened on New Armstrong...anyone could be working against them. Alister was done with surprises for now.

Ella may not have been acutely aware that her current patient was a dead man walking, but she did know from hands-on experience that his blood was extremely acidic. For her own safety, she donned a pair of rough looking gloves. Anti-Hazmat gloves from engineering, to be exact. It gave her less dexterity while treating Octavian, but it would keep her hands safe from contact with his blood. She gave him the usual quick exam, checking his vitals both with her portable instruments and manually. She had taken to reading medical books over the extranet to brush up on skills, since she was the most qualified medical person on the ship at the moment, and she really wasn’t all that qualified. There were some minor variations in his vital signs, but those had eventually become associated with Octavian, and within his normal range. ”Everything looks fine, Octavian, Captain. Nothing too out of the ordinary...for you, of course. I would suggest a more in depth exam if the Captain believes there is any cause for concern, but it’d be better for Roisin to do it...if she were here.” Alister gave her a dismissive sort of wave, rubbing at his temples. She saluted, smiled at Octavian, and skipped off with her med bag. Alister looked up at the man in front of him, smirking. ”She’s right you know. Roisin might be able to help you. She helped me quite a bit. I know a metal arm isn’t the same as saving a man from dying, but you never know. Unlikely solutions to unlikely problems. I didn’t tell Ella what you just told me because it isn’t her business. I won’t tell anyone that you don’t want me to...but you need help, plain and simple.” Footsteps entering the training room once again heralded another interruption. This time, it was Lissy, her enormous rifle slung over her shoulder, grim look on her face. ”Captain Blood, there’s something I think you need to be aware of topside. Like, immediately, sir.” Alister’s own irritated sigh punctuated her statement, and he pulled out a cigarette he had stashed somewhere on his person, along with a lighter he seemed to produce from nowhere. Lighting it up and taking a quick drag, the nicotine doing wonders to calm him, he began to follow Lissy, nodding at Octavian on his way out. They headed out of the Persephone, out into J’kr’s little complex, and made their way to the mine’s freight elevator, which would take them to the surface. Lissy had been standing an almost constant guard up there since they landed, only swapping out for sleep and meals. She had a terrible feeling that she just couldn’t shake.

Meanwhile, in the depths of Persephone, a certain other pirate captain was going through a miniature crisis. As he looked over at the young lady passed out next to him, it occurred to him that he had never gotten her name. Luckily, he had chosen to sleep on the outside of the bed, leaving her curled up against the wall, her arms tightly wrapped around her pillow. Liam wasn’t sure how long he had been out after getting a bit of exercise with his new friend, but it had been awhile. Some people need their beauty sleep, and after the ******** that was New Armstrong, every day had to be one of relaxation and pleasure for this pirate. His bare feet practically bounced off the cold floor of the Persephone, and he stifled a small scream from the sensation. Letting them adjust to the temperature, his eyes also had finally adjusted to the lack of light in his room. His eyes were drawn to something laying on the floor, just in front of the space beneath his door. Pulling himself away from his bed, he grabbed the foreign object, and discovered a letter. The writing was somewhat familiar, and the people he knew aboard the ship that would actually WRITE, on paper...well that was even less common in a place like this. It narrowed it down quite a bit. The contents of it, well that just made the whole game of deduction far too easy. How long it had been waiting for him was unclear, but what was clear was the importance of the message, and the person who left it. He would quietly dress in a very typically rugged and handsome fashion, style his hair a bit, and stop off in the mess to find the second finest bottle of whiskey (the first reserved for Captain Blood, obviously) and two glasses, before trotting off to the elevator. He managed to catch Lissy and Alister as they were about to head on their way up. ”Ah, Captain Blood and Miss Harding. So good to see the both of you this fine day. Heading up I see?” Alister nodded, watching the door close behind Liam and the ascent began. ”What brings the both of you out here, if I may ask.” Liam wasn’t shy about the alcohol and glasses, and expected a questioning. He figured he would get his in first.

”Lissy had something pertinent to bring to my attention, up on the surface. Going out for a lovely little...rendezvous? Don’t you still have one of my engineers in your bed? I bet J’kr wouldn’t appreciate one of Persephone’s able hands to be idle at a time like this.” Liam gave Alister quite a smirk in response to that. ”Oh, don’t you worry about that Captain. She was anything but idle.” Alister and Lissy both got the picture, glancing at each other, then back at Devaro, thankful to the imaginary gods of their fellows as the elevator opened once more, letting them out into the mine entrance. They parted ways from Liam on their way out, heading up to a bit higher ground. Lissy passed Alister a pair of binoculars, and pointed out towards the north, using her rifle’s scope to get the view. ”They’ve been abuzz with movement for days. It looks like some kind of temporary outpost...and packing a lot of weapons. Clearly Dominion. I think they know we’re out here, Captain. Someway, somehow, I think they’re on to us.” Alister stared out at the activity Lissy indicated, his jaw tightening a bit. They were definitely Dominion alright. He took another long drag of his cigarette, before pulling down the binoculars, and pondering their options. ”J’kr won’t like it if he finds out we’ve got Dommies on our doorstep. I figure he’s pretty keen on keeping this hole a secret, which is probably the entire reason Nova wanted us to come here. If we don’t finish the repairs on the ship, and get a lead on Daniella soon...we may have a fight on our hands. Still, it isn’t absolutely certain that they’re looking for us. Assemble a small team...see if you can get close enough to figure out what they’re up to...and maybe jam their comms a bit, just in case. If they’re a problem, we’ll be able to just pick them off.” Lissy gave the Captain a firm nod, staring back down the scope and watching their enemy for a few more moments. ”I think I know just what to do, Captain. I’ll keep you informed, of course.” This whole situation was just getting worse and worse. Alister’s first suspicions jumped to Prue, obviously. But she hadn’t been there long enough to tip off the Dominion, and their location had probably only been confirmed for her when she had gotten close enough. Either it was just a routine bit of Dominion activity...or one of those damned corporations was up to something more sinister. Then again, when weren’t they? Alister briefly remembered Alexei's message. In lieu of speech, it was a fine substitute he supposed. He sort of missed the pleasant sound of her voice. The words he read were merely another hook, plunged into his flesh and tugging at his attention. Between Dommies, the ship getting fixed, the mysterious Prue, Daniella's location, Octavian dying, Roisin abandoning them, and now this...Alister Blood was just a bit overwhelmed. Now he had to go find Alexei, and learn how to interrogate a mute.

Liam dropped into the sitting position right next to Nova, seemingly out of nowhere. The sly captain quickly offered up a glass of the fine whiskey, and took a deep drink himself. ”Turning yourself in when you have a little bit of a war to fight? I don’t think Alister would appreciate being abandoned by one of the few people he actually trusts in this galaxy. And he does trust you...even if I don’t like it. Obviously, on those grounds alone, I’d refuse to apprehend you. But that isn’t why I crawled out of your brother’s little hole. I came all the way down here, and with a nice bottle of whiskey I might add...to tell you that you are forgiven. You have paid for your crimes far more than anyone ever should have to. The only thing you were guilty of is being in love, Nova. I guess I wouldn’t be one to understand such a silly, asinine concept as love...but there you have it. I am perpetually unlovable. I’ve had more than two months to think about how I was going to punish you, and it wasn’t until today that I made up my mind. You’re pardoned for your actions against us in Kessel Station. Really, I don’t even know how much actual power the Alliance is going to hold. We always were ever just a bunch of pirate Captains that wanted to play democracy and freedom. It’s not really our card, structured government. But nobody knows how to be free like a pirate does. The only thing I need from you, is a promise. Promise that you’re going to find the ones who did this to Tiberius Pierce...and kill the ******** like they killed him. He was the best of us, the so-called King of Pirates. Someone else is going to have to pick up that moniker, at least for symbolic ******** purposes. Someone that can strike some fear in our enemies...everyone.”


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[Yasha_Glory]

¤Company: Karl ¤Condition: 100% ¤Location: Venus GenEx Facility; Security Tower ¤Outfit: {X}



~A Couple Weeks Ago~
It had been some time since the Skeleton Harvester had done anything noticeably terroristic since her attack on Phobos. While she had yet to be suspected as the mastermind behind the crime, it was only a matter of time before the dueling sides realized the truth. She wasn’t even entirely sure that the crew of the Persephone knew what she had done the night she met them. No one had questioned what the Skeleton Harvester, a known enemy of both Dominion and Olympians, was doing at a god’s party. She was thankful for that, especially after everything else had gone wrong since she boarded the ship. She was lucky the informant hadn’t caught wind of how the wanted criminal ended up aboard the ship, and that was only because she had been distracted with other pressing matters during her stay. When it was obvious her flirtatious ways were going nowhere with the cyborg she seemed to have given up and moved on to other, fresher, sweetmeats aboard the vessel. With the threat of possibly being eaten diminishing with each passing day, the Skeleton Harvester had seemingly began to fade into the walls. Instead there was a mystery bubbling to the surfaced, most wondering just how the uniquely dressed and poised woman living in their medical bay could have ever gained such a gruesome reputation. Though there had been the occasional resident that attempted to converse with her, none had gotten as far as Marcus or the Captain. Still, neither of them knew just where she had been going or what she had been doing when she disappeared from the ship. It wouldn’t be more than a day or two, perhaps sometimes three, that she’d be completely absent from the Persephone. With the crew stitched up and a captain perfectly capable of learning the ins and outs of his cybernetic limb, there wasn’t a lot for her to do. Once again she had found herself becoming bored, antsy, anxious; pacing around like a caged animal as the world passed her by. Things were becoming too comfortable, too predictable, and much too routine for her to feel safe. She had been running and moving for so long that things didn’t feel right when they remained the same. She didn’t know how to cope with the realization that she had learned a couple of names and faces of the crew. How would she deal with the fact that she may actually be looking at the next bit of fodder for the monster in her chest? Was she actually beginning to care for the humans she had planned to slaughter and gnaw on like a sack of beef jerky only a couple months ago? No. That was impossible. Improbable! She just had nothing better to do at the moment and the information she had gathered on her outings would eventually lead her to something of value and she’d be able to forget all about the people aboard the ship.

As luck would have it, Karl came upon just the snippet of news to capture the dame’s attention. A joint project between Cyberteknik Industries and GenEx was emerging from the shadowy aftermath of New Armstrong. Something irked the woman, and it wasn’t just the fact that she knew a couple of listed names all too familiarly to sit idly by and brush off the topic. She dug a little deeper into the subject, becoming disgusted as her real name showed up in a number of documents. It seemed her prototypes were still floating around company hands; they were family jewels of Cyberteknik in the cosmic arms race. Just what were they planning on doing with her inventions, she wondered. When she tried to hack further into the files she had discovered, she noticed odd little changes happening in her desktop’s screen. Someone was counter-hacking her, they didn’t seem to know who she was but they knew they didn’t want any peeping toms. The femme fatale smirked, cracking her knuckles in anticipation of the miniature battle about to take place between white and black hats. Keystrokes flew across the board, Karl eagerly looking over her shoulder and cheering her on as she repeatedly regained control of the situation. Just when it seemed she had won her screen turned black and a puff of smoke escaped her portable computer’s vents. Both she and Karl stared at the device, mouths slightly agape for a split second before they let out a perturbed gasp in unison. Róisín turned her tool this way and that, taking burnt part after blacked piece off of it until there was nothing left. It was completely fried. The information was safe, as any good technologist lived with at least three external backups of their files, but in a last ditch effort to protect their reputation the white hat had caused her personal computer to obliterate its own systems in an extreme case of overclocking. A deep growling had escaped the woman’s throat as she left the destroyed remains in the medical bay and the two quickly headed for her ship. Someone had really done it this time. Regardless of if the company merger was innocent, now it was personal. What had started out as a fun game of cat and mouse had turned into an ugly quest for revenge. There wasn’t a need to alert the crew or rally any troops, those weren’t resources she normally had access to when things began heading south, no, she was going to enjoy taking matters into her own hands. One way or another, she wasn’t going to let someone get away with the last word.

~Present~

The hellion quietly chewed a piece of cotton candy flavored bubblegum, not that she could recall what the sweet treat tasted like, as she fiddled with wires and buttons inside a wall panel. She was crouched amid some rafters, close to the ceiling, hidden amongst the pipework with her dark clothing. The sounds of behemoths ramming into the walls of their cells drowned out the tiny tinkering noises that came from her accessories. With a few cuts and rearrangement of wires, the woman was ready to add her own little device to the mix. She wrapped up a few stripped ends, nestling the machine on a wad of sticky gum behind the loose panel. Fastening the square of metal back into place, she made sure to feel over the seams and double check that her work was unnoticeable from the outside. It wouldn’t have mattered at this point, she had already spent a couple days sneaking around and installing similar devices throughout the facility. It took time, as all great things did, and she needed to be sure she knew the ins and outs of her plan of attack before she was ready to go through with her revenge. She couldn’t afford any more mistakes, especially after the recent events on New Armstrong. The Dominion was on high alert, calming the public and triple checking their security. It made sense that her prototypes would arise in this time of desperation. She had lost track of them since the incident, figuring that they had either been scraped or locked up for preservation purposes. With all the buzz about piracy and revolutions, Cyberteknik must have thought it imperative to bring about their ‘solution’ to the problems of their sister companies. It was time to bring out the big guns. The ability to create smart guns that could lock onto certain targets and curve bullets around teammates allowed even the most untrained and useless of grunts to partake in the action, conserving the elite for harsher battles yet to come. Attempting to steal the weapons back proved more troublesome than they were worth. They were locked up tight, heavily guarded, and constantly moving from place to place in tiny transportation ships. Even the biggest distraction would have failed to draw enough attention away for a classic bait and switch. The only other option the devious lady had was to destroy them, along with everything else she could. The more she pried, the longer she crept, and the deeper she managed to get into the building the more disgusted with humanity she became. The crew of the Persephone had attempted to change her mind on their race, thinking that perhaps she had never experienced kindness before and just needed a tender embrace to make all her ‘bad feelings’ go away. It was an unsuccessful and pointless endeavor they soon found, though she had to admit that the urge to skin them alive had considerably died down after seeing body after body carted into the medical bay. Then there were the other experiments that had somehow found their way onto the ship, people just like her that had done nothing to deserve the modifications forced upon them. Yet they were different. They were still young with an innocent air about them that screamed sincerity. While Róisín had always been a strong willed individual, having been raised at an arm’s length from her parents, she remembered what it was like when she discovered just what had happened to her on the happiest day of her life. She was terrified, frantic, and constantly ending up with the short end of the stick in her hands. It had hardened her. She had come to accept what she was and embraced it. The others aboard the Persephone, all classified as monsters and painted to be vile miscreations in the eyes of the public, they were teetering along a very thin line, waiting to be pushed to either side. Would it really be so bad, being on the darker half of the tightrope, to give them a gentle shove away? If they fell into the light and remembered that they could choose their own path, was it wrong to let them believe that for just a while longer until they could say with certainty that they knew what they were? The subject had been on the femme fatale’s mind for some time now, easily flipping from one side to the other as she contemplated letting them figure out things on their own, the way she had, or helping them the way she hadn’t been helped. As the masked individual rose and looked down at the staff bustling about, she wondered about the subject. She wondered if one day they would be in her shoes, blowing up years of work for nothing other than the quick rush of feeling alive while others became empty and dead inside. Sure, this could have been seen as an act of mercy, even as an aid to the revolutionary war going on between Pirate, Dominion, and Olympian, but it came down to the simple selfish fact that she was doing this because she felt like it.

As she stared down at the incoming visitors to the hallway, the burning hatred that pushed her forward reignited, spying an all too familiar head of brown hair. She was going to enjoy ruining this for him. She smirked, her toothy grin curling into a sinisterly crooked smile, as she watched a man lead him towards what would soon be known as ‘ground zero’. Oh things were going swimmingly, and for once the dame felt excited and eager. Explosions were oh so lovely, especially when done correctly. An elegant display could only be enjoyed from a fitting stage. Currently, a high tower filled with monitors was the only place fitting the requirements; funny that she had been able to follow the wiring systems to just that particular location a while ago.

The vixen climbed over and under a variety of pipes and hanging cords, finding it much easier to sneak around above the view of the security cameras, until she got to an air vent that had already had its screws stripped and covering tossed aside. A bright lime green light waited inside for her, happily beaming upon her blackened face as Karl beckoned her inside the small space. It was just large enough for her to crouch and slowly crawl around in without making too much noise, granted that she took her time to do so. Karl had been appointed as her lookout, keeping tabs on who went where at what time and for how long. She just needed a small window of opening to get inside and do what she did best; terrorize the ever living daylights out of someone. The door was locked from the outside, a single guard having keycard access to the highest room of the tallest outlook post. There weren’t many reasons for him to leave, nor were there many reasons to leave his precious key anywhere. But he was human; even he needed basic necessities like access to a toilet. The small office had its own plumbing, more of a modified closet than anything fancy, and when the man rose from his post to enter the washroom a long black claw slithered from the ceiling and jammed itself into the computerized lock on the door. The lights flickered for a bit as someone from inside the stall yelled, ”WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS?!” The handle jiggled, a few sparks spiraling up the creature’s arm as the potty prisoner realized he was trapped inside. He began pounding on the door, hollering for someone to let him out as a vent cover was pushed open and a slender figure joined the gruesome limb. Heavy boots hit the floor, loose fitting studded leather chaps dusting the woman’s ankles, and a long coat tail trailing the ground behind her as she walked. Multiple belts jingled against one another, crisscrossed across the woman’s hips. Thighs, wrists, and waist were cuffed with spikes and studs; the woman’s body hidden beneath the alligator skinned coat. The terrorist stretched, cracking her neck and popping her bones as she let out a deep, blissful, breath. Feathery trim fluttered as she strutted; a pair of onyx hands reaching up to hood her head and conceal her masked face. They ran themselves over the plating of her neck, brushing up against both the spiked blue choker and the metallic pair of headphones resting upon her shoulders; a last minute preening before her latest magnum opus. Karl eagerly zoomed out of the vent after her, hovering about her head as she stood before the control panel and plugged in a small device into the computers, quickly uploading an override program that had a very special function built into its system. Yanking the object from its port without a second thought, she allowed the program to run rampant throughout the database, watching as each camera on the screen shifted towards available monitors. A few clicks here and there of keys filled the empty room, along with the ever increasing cries for help from the bathroom. With a single push of a button, chaos began to run rampant and free through the facility.

It started simple enough, music and a strange voice blaring over the intercoms, until computer screens flickered black and a devilish image of a surreal happy face appeared. Its eyes were made of jagged crosses, and its mouth was a torn mirage of stretched polka dots. The face blurred and shook to the beat of the music playing within each and every monitor, technical support staff pressing any and all buttons in a vain attempt to solve the problem. It wasn’t until the machines began to burst smoke and glass in sync with the song that people began to run around and scream. Years of data gone! Files gone! Unsaved files gone! Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, there was word of locks being undone to the caged beasts hidden within the asylum like facility. Fire was added to the flames when bombs started to go off and spook even the most timid of experiments. Like a stampede of raging bulls the monsters bolted from their open cages, and began taking out anything and anyone in their aimless path. Another explosion would scare the majority of the creatures as they got to certain forks in the road, a carefully plotted layout to steer them in a direction that would cause the most damage. Alarms began to blare, smoke rising from the toppling structures as flames licked each support beam until it came crashing down to the world below it. The Skeleton Harvester began to chuckle, giddy at the beauty unfolding before her as their realm came crashing down around them. She couldn’t have imagined the show being quite so enthralling, even if she had spent countless hours planning it out. There was only so much one could appreciate from a simulation, when the unpredictability of the universe caused imperfections, adding uniqueness to the extreme artwork.

With a few good hits of his shoulder the security guard managed to knock down the door to his private abode and stare in horror at the scene before him. How had a simple pee trip turned so badly!? ”WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he shouted at the shadowy figure illuminated by cinders and rising ash. His scream was caught in his throat as the creature craned its head back at him, only catching an orange gleam flickering from the darkened space beneath is hood before a nearby bomb went off. The glass windows burst from the blast, blowing the man back against the locked door and sending shrapnel into his forearms. The creature continued to chuckle with its deep growly tone, having been spared from most of the shock because of the beam between the glass panels. It stepped up upon the computer desk, grabbing the glowing green orb that had been blown around the room and was excitedly chattering on about how much fun it was having, and reached an enlarged ebony limb out the empty frame. Sharp, thick, digits curled about the railing on top of the tower and the mysterious figure pulled itself up above to watch the rest of her plan unfold in all its wondrous glory. Wind blew about the androgynous figure as it stood tall and proud, a dim red glow beginning to envelop the area as static buzzed from disconnected cameras and the dull sounds of music still played in every other direction. She needed to soak it all in. She needed to be sure everything went off as it should have. She needed to see the destruction of the abominable place and find out what other secrets would rise to the surface after the dust settled.


"Where words fail, Music Speaks."
¤What's Playing: In This Moment - Big Bad Wolf

[The Smut Peddler]

Horizon Chapter V
Broken Promises

It was unclear how long Nova had been alone daydreaming before the red headed captain arrived and sat down beside her. She turned to look at him and smiled softly as he offered out a glass of whiskey. Just on color alone she could tell it was a high shelf bottle, not the cheap stuff that she had tucked away in her own pocket flask. The young woman waited to read the situation before drinking, listening to Liam's words.

Liam touched on many things with his speech, firstly on leaving Alister in the dawning of a brutal war, and his trust. Nova chuckled as she took a drink from her glass, her head shaking before she looked back to him.

"I almost led the poor man to his own death. It was only by random chance he lived in the first place. As if the countless deaths on Kessel weren't enough..." Nova took another drink as she paused. "Blood trusts a lot of people. Many far more than he should."

Liam's forgiveness was something Nova did not know how to interpret. On the one hand, he seemed to understand her intentions, on the other, Liam's trust had been destroyed in nothing short of a week. By herself, Kramer and Locke. The fact that he could find forgiveness at all was truly beyond her.

His next words took her by surprise. Unlovable? Really? She would turn to look at the lights reflecting off the water before her and smirk, taking the last of her drink and throw it back. "I seriously doubt that..."

Quickly the subject changed and Nova rested her glass down beside her, turning to face Liam as he spoke about the Alliance. "I think the Alliance has quite the potential. It's a work in progress, but so is any notable government. You've done wonders for it, don't sell yourself short."

The red headed man asked a promise of the young pink haired woman, she paused silently for a moment a sigh escaping her lips before resting her gaze on him with her lone emerald eye. "I've every desire to right the wrongs that took place on New Armstrong. Those bastards need to be apprehended for their actions. If I don't kill them they will certainly wish they were dead."

Nova said nothing as Liam noted that Pierce's title would be passed along to another. It was a thing with pirates, their titles. She was at a loss for words by the notion, she simply nodded, her gaze set off to the side where in the far distance his belongings had been buried. She'd nearly forgotten the moniker of her once powerful captain, he was but a man in her eyes. A man killed in the eve of a new war, a new time.

Stirring a bit Nova leaned herself back some, resting on the palms of her hands as she took in the vastness of the cave around them.

"I hope this means we are on speaking terms? I will admit I've missed the chit chat, you're quite the conversationalist after all." She stated, teasing him as she did. A coy smile vaguely seen on the corner of her lips as she tittered.

”Oh sweet girl, we’re definitely on speaking terms again. But as much as I’d like this little ‘conversation’ to go a different way, be on a completely different subject, and have entirely different circumstances... I may have to hold back. Just be assured, my tongue isn’t only good for talking. Not that it’s appropriate to bring such suggestive terms up in the wake of Tiberius’ passing. He wasn’t a good man, you know. He was a great man. As much as any of us can ever be, I suppose. The scum and villainy of the universe. Played a terrible game of poker though. Worse poker face I’ve literally ever seen. Used to try and cheat by holding extra cards with his tail. Those were good times. And I remember, vaguely, the first time he ever spoke of you. To be honest, his description did not do your much justice. Made you sound like a little girl, prancing around in a fantasy. But now look at you...so fierce, graceful, proud, and beautiful. And now you’ve got the whole eyepatch thing going on. A true pirate of a woman.” Liam consumed a bit of the Scotch, swirling the rest around in the glass a bit. ”I’ve been trying to reach out to my contacts, to truly gauge how much damage has been wrought in the wake of New Armstrong. Calypso and Kessel are still under the heel of the Dominion, and soon I fear many others will be as well. Kessel Station was once the protected heart of piracy, and a true haven for all peoples. I know that Alister has other plans, other obligations, such as Daniella’s rescue and protection, or dealing with Halloran’s new allies. Still, he knows as well as I that if we are to stand any chance in a real war against the Dominion, we need Kessel Station back. It’ll be a symbol, and a place from which we can extend our reach, just as the first to travel from the station hoped to extend theirs. For years, the Dominon and Olympians have been fighting more of a Cold War, with a bit of heat occasionally bursting forth. With Octavian’s little rebellion added to the mixture, this war may be getting a lot hotter. Knowing that you’re dedicated to killing our enemies is good. And you are very smart to be wary of how much Blood has come to trust so many. To be fair, the man has always been so slow to trust. Even his own crew has had to earn it through sweat and blood they shed. But with you, Daniella, Christian, Alexei, and to a lesser extent, Roisin and Octavian...it almost feels like he’s built an inner circle around himself. Something a competent leader does when he knows he cannot accomplish everything on his own. Question him all you’d like, but the man has a leadership quality about him that we both know is hard to find in our kind. Even more than I, or even Tiberius had. The question I have behind all of this, if you will indulge me...how far are you willing to follow Alister Blood?”

Nova would chuckle at Liam's flirtations. Her glance turned back at him with a soft smile on her face. "Well that's a shame, always having to be mister upright and felicitous. Leave no room for foolhardiness and whimsy. Pierce always did see me a bit more fragile than I actually was. But I am glad you can see some potential in me, coming from the witty and handsome Liam Devaro, I'm quite flattered."

The question Liam had asked took Nova off guard, she'd really not considered where her loyalties lied now. She was true to the faction, and would offer Alister the help he needed, but how far was she willing to go for the man? Even she was unsure.

"Don't get me wrong, I respect Alister greatly. And I agree with you wholeheartedly, he's quite a man and one Hell of a pirate. But that trust, in a traitor even, well, you've said it yourself... I think he has the fire in him that it would take to bring forth a change. I suppose I'll follow Alister as far as I believe he needs me. After all, I was only a fill in for Rhia, and she is doing much better, enough so that she'd been running the show while Alister was recovering. Right now I guess I will play it by ear, see what is still needed of me, and what I can be of service with. Though I can't say I'm not torn. I feel an obligation to aid in the resurrection of a neo-Kessel. I can't fix a damned thing I've done, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to die trying. So let me ask you much the same; do you foresee staying aboard the Persephone much longer yourself?"

”Are you kidding me? I may have just complimented Alister’s leadership, but I like to pride myself on being one of those ‘members of the inner circle’. He would be absolutely lost without me. Besides, he needs the Alliance’s support and resources, even if he refuses to officially be recognized as one of us. Long has he preferred his lone wolf ways of doing things. But I think it has more to do with who he was, than who he is now. I think I have to stay, just to see this whole thing through. Sure, I could be on my own ship, leading my crew, doing all sorts of damage. But I have a feeling that the Persephone is where I actually belong. Those horrible things that happened on Kessel, and Calypso? Those led me here, to this moment, sitting next to a beautiful woman who I was once considering the death penalty for. Oh, how weird the world truly is, don’t you think? I definitely think you should stay on board, in any case. Yes, Rhia is back on her feet now, and has assumed her post once more. But don’t you think for a moment that Alister Blood doesn’t value you. And I don’t just mean based on your extracurricular activities...even though, keeping that man de-stressed may be a blessing for us all. You’re smart, and you’re fierce, and you have a loyalty to those you care for that is unwavering. And I know, in some way, shape, or fashion, that you care about Alister Blood, Daniella Pearson, and the others. You cannot just abandon them, Nova. A pirate’s crew is their family. They may not have been born together, but they will probably die together. It is the family you choose, and is the strongest bond you can have. I don’t think it’s long before Alister recognizes you in a more official capacity. I may or may not be privy to some things that are in the works...such as your name on the official crew manifest for the Persephone. You’re one of them, Commander Vegas. Those men and women would be prepared to die for you almost as much as they would for Alister Blood. Even Alexei has redeemed herself in the eyes of that crew, and is one of them now. I don’t know if you believe in fate or destiny or any of that s**t. But I have become beholden to the concept, and I feel like we have a bigger part to play. This rebellion is just the beginning. Something the likes of which we’ve never experienced lies on the horizon."

Liam finished off his glass of whiskey, before pouring another for himself and for Nova. He looked at her, not able to avoid practically undressing her with his clothes as he had done countless times. A stupid grin crossed his face, and he sighed a bit. "Hopefully that's not too much for you..."

There was a subtle smirk on Nova's face as Liam showed that confident streak of his. "I'm glad to hear you'll be staying then. Not everyday you find someone who's willing to tell you like it is; make you realize things you didn't know about yourself. This crew has become more of a family than I'd ever anticipated they would. I care for them all every bit as much as I did my old one. I would gladly fight for them, any one. I may be slow to make bonds, but when I do, they stick for life. But even still I have a hard time admitting it, as it's been used against me in the past."

Nova held an impish expression on her face as she played coy. "Mmm, I've no idea what you're talking about Liam. Madame Stella always told me that a true lady would never kiss and tell. So whoever is telling you these things about such sexcapades is a terrible gossip. And if it's Alister, then my position still stands... "

Nova chuckled. With all joking aside, it was really no secret that she'd slept with the Persephone's captain.

"I've no need for any type of recognition. But.... I suppose being offered on to some sort of payroll shouldn't be turned down. Room and board is great, though it would be nice not to resort to pick-pocketing each time we reach a new destination. Not like that's some sort of cardinal sin, I am still a pirate after all." Nova grinned back at Liam as he poured another drink, the warmth from the whiskey felt more than it had before as she shook her head. "Not at all. I'm fine."

She would then take the glass before taking a drink. Looking over at Liam as she caught his expression. Her cheeks becoming darker as she processed why it was likely there.

"Having fun?" She asked, a devious smirk on her face as she slide over a bit closer, tilting her head as she rested her eye on his.

"Not yet," He replied simply, shifting to come closer to her. "You know, I really shouldn't do this...but you've always been a little bit of a free spirit, haven't you? And besides...that eye patch is sort of a turn on." He leaned in, reaching up to cup her face gently with his hands as he finally made the move he was waiting to since Calypso. Liam moved to kiss Nova, his eyes flitting closed as he came in for the kill, his lips meeting with hers, and he savored the moment. After the initial kiss, he would pull away, their faces still close, his nose brushing against hers. "Of course, perhaps I should have asked permission first? Then again, we are pirates. I was quite jealous to hear, and I won't say who told, of Alister's little fun with you."

"I am a pirate after all, I think being a free spirit is just part of the job. And I'm glad you like the eye patch, that smile of yours is certainly doing it for me." Nova's lips met against Liam's, her eye closing as the velvety flesh touched her own. It was a different sensation, almost electrical. As they pulled away the light from her eye would shine a bit brighter as she would press her teeth against her own lip and as it slipped from her grip the pink flesh would ripen with a deep scarlet hue. Her hand rested on his chest as stroked his cheek with the other. "I like when a person knows what they want and goes after it. Interesting... you jealous? Hm. That's actually kinda cute."

It wasn't but a moment before Nova began kissing down Liam's neck as one hand would slide down to his knee where it would slowly caress its way up his thigh. "I can smell women's perfume on you, can't say I wasn't just a little jealous myself."

Liam ran a hand through her long, pink locks, gently admiring her. It looked like she was making a lot of the moves, and Liam Devaro appreciated a little bit of forwardness from the ladies. "I would have gotten what I wanted back on Calypso, if we weren't so rudely interrupted. Guess I need to make up for lost time." He smiled as he felt her hand on his thigh, pretty sure he knew what is was there for. He couldn't help but a smile and wink slyly at Nova. "Oh, now you being jealous is simply ******** adorable. If I would have known you were available, maybe it would have been you waking up in my bed instead of one of Alister's cute little crew members. And hell, we'd probably still be there...maybe starting up for round two. In fact, neither of us are going anywhere, any time soon. Waking up in my cabin is still an option for you, beautiful."

Nova's head would move in line with Liam's hand causing her hair to become disheveled as she looked at him with a wanton expression that now adorned her face. With what appeared to be the go ahead she pounced up and rested on his lap where her hands made short work of the layers of clothing he wore. "That would work, although I doubt there would be much sleeping to wake up from."

She would lean up to lock lips with the man once more with a soft purr in her throat, pulling away and smiling back at him. "So that is entirely up to you, Liam. How attached to that beauty sleep of yours are you?"

Liam was quite adept at undressing the ladies, from years of experience, and had no problem maneuvering Nova's clothes. Having the lithe vixen resting in his lap was extremely comfortable, and he enjoyed another wondrous kiss from her, returning it with many a dexterous motion of the tongue. After they parted once more, he smiled back at Nova, pretending to ponder for a moment. "I'm not really quite partial to it at all, I suppose. Maybe I just wake up looking this good. Though, I'd rather look a little worse for wear and be laying next to you. But we don't need to head back already. I doubt anyone will find us out here. Maybe we can have a quick warm-up round, before heading back?"

There was a bit more light as Nova's spots lit up the area around them as her alabaster white skin became exposed. Her tail moving idly to the side of her as the only thing that remained on her body was the patch that covered her eye. With nothing but her fingertips she would coax Liam back as her lips softly kissed along the line her fingers had drawn down his chest and stomach. She would fix her gaze up at him as the warmth of her breath brushed against his flesh as she spoke.

"True, I have seen you in quite the predicament before and you were still as ruggedly handsome as ever. But a warm up sounds splendid. And I doubt anyone can hear us either..." She'd respond, her kisses traveling further south.

"Then I expect you to do your damnedest to make sure that someone out there can, no matter how loud you have to be. Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you the right incentive. And you know, maybe when we get back, I can introduce you to this cute little girl that's probably still laying in my bed. I'm sure she'd be open to participation in our activities...if that's something you don't have a problem with." Liam shuddered a bit as Nova's kisses reached lower, and he prepared himself for something he'd been awaiting since Calypso.

xxxx┇ ✦ Secret Spot
xxxx┇ ♢ 90%
xxxx┇ ✦ Lusty
xxxx┇ ✦ Flesh

[Space Candy]

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

XXXXXXXXThe drugs Daniella had been pumped full of had been slowly fading. She didn’t know for how long, but she knew she was finally regaining her sense of awareness. Sounds around her became clearer, and the bright lights above her were beginning to appear as spotty colors behind her eyelids instead of a sleepless black void as they had been for…How long? In actuality, the drug dose had been decreasing for a day and a half: all part of McLaughlin’s plan to finally unveil what he’d been working so diligently on to his new pal from Cyberteknik. Dani knew she was waking up…but she didn’t know if that was worse than being in an endless sleep. At least if she was awake there was a better chance of her escaping…Daniella squinted a bit as a pain began to creep into her skull. The drugs had been blocking the pain more than likely, and now she was aware of a soreness in the back of her head as well as on the back of her neck. She could also tell that she was dressed, which she was thankful for. Seems McLaughlin wouldn’t want to show her body off to just anyone. Finally she was able to open her eyes. Just a bit, and as soon as she did she regretted it. Daniella winced at the bright light above her and let out a soft groan as her body tried to catch up with her mind. Carefully she lifted a hand, relieved to find that she was no longer strapped down to the table. Maybe McLaughlin figured the drugs were enough to keep her subdued---he was right about it, of course. Daniella wasn't going to complain though. Any bit of mobility and freedom was cherished by the girl...She squeezed her eyes shut again as she thought back to Alister and all of her other friends, and then to Christian. All of that freedom...Of course she'd cherished every moment of it when she had it. But now, locked up again, it seemed so much sweeter.

Now knowing that she was somewhat free, Daniella slowly moved to a sitting position on the table. She looked down slowly at her attire. An inky black body suit that hugged every small curve of her petite frame. Her feet were bare, which annoyed her. It was always so damn cold there. Why couldn't she have some shoes or some damn socks at least? Carefully, Daniella swung her legs over the side of the table and let them hang there. She remained silent as she curled her toes a few times, and then proceeded to clench and unclench her hands. Her body felt like jelly, or like it was all asleep. She tingled everywhere, a sure sign of the drugs that had been keeping her under for however long. Daniella moved her hand to the back of her neck, able to feel some slim bandage covering her scar, which had been reopened. What had they done to her now? She remembered all the pain, and everything else. Suddenly she wanted to cry, and she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to stabilize. She didn't need to cry right now, no matter how much she wanted to. It was a delayed reaction of sorts. A response to all of her recent trauma that she hadn't been able to cope with while unconscious. She needed to hold it together...Gently, Daniella slid down so that her feet touched the cold floor. She looked around the room as she stood slowly. It was empty, as she expected. Not even one piece of medical equipment was left behind. If anything, McLaughlin was thorough.

Quietly, Daniella stepped around the chilly room. She lifted a finger to her hair and twirled a strand of pale gold lazily as she made her way to the door. The large lock was in place, and there was no budging it...unless...Dani focused on the door and imagined herself sliding the lock. She could see the metal shift slightly, but it wasn't enough to actually unlock the door. Maybe she could just break it open? Dani narrowed her steel colored eyes and this time attempted to just shove the door backwards. She concentrated, and whatever invisible force she possessed slammed against the door. Dents appeared...it would take a while, but maybe she could break out this way. But could she do it quickly enough to not be stopped? She wasn't sure. Just as she began to chew on her bottom lip, a soft static cut over the speakers. Odd. And then music started...Something was definitely up. And before Dani's eyes, the lock on her door just slid open, and the door was open. She felt her heart skip a beat. Was she dreaming? No. She was certain she was awake now. This definitely wasn't normal though. Daniella took a quick breath, and pushed the door with her hand. She stepped into the hallway and peered around. McLaughlin had made sure that all guards would be out of her range. She was isolated, to an extent. It would take someone at least two minutes or so to come and apprehend her. But Daniella wasn't familiar with this complex. McLaughlin had taken extra precaution to keep her in the dark this time around. What was going on? There was a quake, and then another. Daniella felt the ground of the facility shake beneath her bare feet, sending a chill up her spine. There was a loud explosion, and Daniella snapped her head to the side just in time to see the flames flowering in the hallway, racing towards her. Another boom, this time a little closer, and then another, as if the hall had been lined with them. She could feel the heat already.

"Run." Daniella tried to obey her own mind, and turned to scramble down the hall. Her legs still felt awkward to her, but she pushed forward and mentally coached herself through the process of running. But it seemed it wasn't fast enough, and she could still feel the heat creeping closer and closer. "No, no." She just couldn't run any faster. s**t. This was how she was going to die? Burned to death because some wacko decided to blow up the GenEx facility? Not that she blamed them. McLaughlin and all his cohorts deserved to be blown to smithereens...but she did feel somewhat sorry for all the other experiments that would perish from such an act. Daniella could feel the heat on her, and had practically resigned herself to perish that moment. She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her eyes shut...and was surprised when she opened them again and saw the flames in front of her eyes. Daniella turned her head, able to tell that he hot flames surrounded her, but glided around her body. A shield of some sort. The orange ball of fire finished it's path, leaving Daniella unscathed. She let out a sigh of relief, and went to continue running. That was a neat little trick, but Daniella wasn't sure how she'd done it and wasn't going to count on it working a second time.

She needed to escape. Whoever had blown up the facility was just making it easier for her. Daniella whipped around a corner, almost sloppily...Empty. Where to go now though? Daniella didn't have a clue...Someone's thoughts entered her head, and shortly after a GenEx guard came into view. Daniella stared hard at the man. That wasn't forty feet. Daniella had become damn good at judging distance for various reasons, and she knew right where forty feet was...but he was further away. Fifty-five, to sixty feet away probably, and Dani could hear every word running through his brain. She knew he wouldn't kill her. Even in the current chaos, Daniella's life wasn't something McLaughlin would want to be thrown away. But he had a weapon to electrocute her, to stun her. To stop her and keep her in the hands of Gregory.

"Pearson!" He shouted and rushed towards her with his weapon raised. The gap between them was closing. Dani stepped backwards, preparing herself to run from him.
Daniella could hear his thoughts. He was going to pull that trigger and ruin any chance she had...

"No."

She only meant to take his weapon. Daniella had locked her eyes on it and willed it to move to the side...She was successful. More or less. But the man's arm came off with the gesture. There was a sickening sound as his shoulder ripped from his socket and his flesh split apart, and soon the limb dropped to the floor next to him. Thirty feet away now, Daniella watched as he bled and bled. There was a pool on the ground. Part of Daniella was scared by what she'd done...
The blonde watched as he reached for his pistol, obviously planning to do more injury than he had intended the first time. How was he still alive anyway? Shouldn't he have bled out or something? Dani stared at his head, and that too ripped from his body. Silence, again. She stared at the head on the ground and flinched when his body finally dropped. Daniella took a small breath and approached the deceased guard. Daintily, she avoided stepping in his blood and moved to take his pistol. It was a bit bigger than what she was use to, but she was not about to complain. Daniella stared down at the weapon, deciding then and there that it was for use on herself only. If she couldn't escape she would off herself. That was better than being with McLaughlin anyway.

Again she looked down to the pieces of her first real kill. She was scared by her own ability. It was stronger than before...but it was just oh so easy. Daniella smiled eerily and continued walking down the hallway. Anyone that ran at her wasn't a surprise. She could hear them coming. Daniella seamlessly idled through the complex, ripping apart anyone she ran across who threatened her. As she moved further away from the solitary unit, she could hear people above her on higher and lower stories. There were more experiments in this part, and Daniella spared those of them who looked scared by all of the fire. However, if any of them rushed her our of programmed rage she didn't spare them. There was no time to negotiate. Coming across larger numbered units was a pain, but also rare. It seemed most of the limited personal at the facility had either evacuated or had already been killed. There was no sign of McLaughlin either.
Daniella stared down a group of four guards, and was able to dismember two of them before they were able to fire their weapons. The other two shot off some rounds, but Daniella was fast enough that it didn't matter. Soon they were dead, just like the rest of them, and Daniella walked away with a couple of bullet grazes and nothing more. She'd had worse, unfortunately. Eventually, Daniella found herself in a nicer part of the facility. There were windows that peered out over the grounds, all inside a habitable dome on who knows what planet...Dani thought it looked like Venus, but she wasn't sure. Freedom was so close, but she was a few stories up in this particular section, somehow. Daniella shifted her weight as another explosion went off somewhere in the vicinity. The glass of the windows she'd been staring out of finally shattered, and Dani raised her arm to shield her face. The woman held tight to the gun she'd lifted from earlier. Eventually the quake stopped, and Daniella peered out of the windows again. This time her eyes caught sight of a figure. Familiar inky black arm, black attire, and a glowing green orb. All clues that lead Daniella to the only conclusion that made sense. Róisín. How could she get to that part of the complex? The woman stared at the top of the tower she was resting on. It didn't seem too difficult...Hopefully she'd make it there before Róisín left... Daniella took off, running through the halls and following any signs that were available.

Daniella slammed open a door to the stairwell as the building quaked again from explosions. How long would this place hold up? Surely it would crumble eventually. Daniella climbed the stairs as quickly as she could, but she was getting worn out from her earlier activities. Maybe escape was really possible right now. Róisín had come to save her: at least that's how Daniella saw it. Never mind the fact that she'd almost been killed in all the chaos. It didn't matter. Daniella saw the situation purely as someone coming to help her escape. She climbed as high as the stairs would allow her, and then scrambled back into the hallway. There wasn't much on this level it seemed, but the blown out windows gave Daniella a clue that she was very high in the air. Top story. Daniella crept down the hallway, and finally she was able to hear that familiar static. It was faint, but it was there. Sixty feet then, roughly. Daniella ran, her sides burning. She followed Róisín's thoughts, and also heard another. He was in pain, frantic, something about explosions and a monster. Daniella approached the door and easily pulled the locked door off of its hinges: it was much more flimsy than the door on her operating room had been. The man inside the office screamed again, and turned to look at who had done such a thing just as he had been trying to pull glass from his arms. "How did you get up here?" Daniella just grinned, but didn't bother explaining herself before she ripped the man clean in half right at the waist. The telepath moved his bloody corpse to the side of the room and continued towards her current goal.

"Róisín!" Daniella connected with the woman, shouting to her as she leaned out of the window. She tilted her head, able to see the Skeleton Harvester in all of her glory watching the chaos and destruction below. With a smile, Dani followed her gaze and stared at the fire that was engulfing the place she had been trapped before.
Róisín’s chuckling was interrupted by the sound of her own name. A chill ran over her. Who could have possibly known who she was in a GenEx facility? Had her old adversary survived and seen through her disguise? Had someone finally managed to track down the Skeleton Harvester? Her hooded head quickly whipped around, the grin melting off and turning into a scowl of bared teeth. Something caught the beast’s gaze and her formerly poised stance contorted as she looked down at the broken window below and saw a head of golden tresses attempting to climb up the wall. ”D-Dani?!” the creature stuttered out as it collapsed down on one knee and reached down with one of its mighty claws to help the girl onto the roof. ”DANI!!!! I MISSED YOU! DID YOU MISS ME?!” ”Daniella, what are you doing her--MMF?!”

Daniella's hand gripped the lower jaw of Róisín's mask, and in a swift movement she had pulled it down and moved forward. The smaller female pressed her lips to the Skeleton Harvester's now exposed ones, giving her a well deserved kiss. Their lips met just as another explosion went off, and their hair blew slightly due to the blast. Daniella lingered there for a moment, enjoying that little slice of relief and happiness. Róisín was there: she was really there. And that meant she could get off of Venus. Finally she pulled back and ended their kiss. Daniella stood here, still holding onto the taller woman so that she didn't plummet to the ground. "I'm so glad to see you Sugar Lump." She chirped happily. "I missed you too Karl!"
Time seemed to slow down for Róisín, embers floating through the air and illuminating the girl’s long flowing hair as she drew Róisín in for the kiss. The ground shook beneath the two and slowly they began to fall over the ledge. The words would drop from her throat, settling like rocks in her chest as shock turned into an overwhelming sense of passion. Her heart skipped a beat, but the fluttering that rushed afterwards was strong enough to reset the world into a normal speed. As their fleeting meeting of lips ended and the two nearly careened over the edge of the building, Róisín was barely able to regain her balance and pull the tiny human being into her lap. It was a strange sensation to feel warmth in her face once again after years of brooding isolation. Her eyelids flickered, her senses coming back to her after their miniature rendezvous, and the scent of blood coming through the cloud of smoke and ashes. Her large claw held the girl’s back as the monster’s eyes traced over her black body suit. ”Daniella… You’re soaked with blood! Are you alright?!” The creature began to frantically look about again knowing she hadn’t planned for this to happen. This wasn’t a rescue mission; this wasn’t even a mission the Persephone crew even knew about. With cameras blown to bits, it wasn’t a simple matter of the general public getting information; it was a complete lock down. She knew she could have scrambled away and survived a blast or two if any soldiers got too close to her location. Dragging Dani along made everything change. She couldn’t leave her here. She couldn’t abandon her in a doughnut shop and make a promise to return she knew she couldn’t keep. She couldn’t bear to see the hopefulness and joy in the girl’s eyes that would only be destroyed as night came and the place slowly emptied. She needed to get back to the Persephone.

The woman’s tone shifted to a much more serious degree as she looked over the rising flames and knew that there was only more destruction to come. ”We need to go. Now.” The Skeleton Harvester rose and brought the girl with her, scanning the area that still retained some semblance of structure. She couldn’t just call her ship to pick them up, otherwise the secret of her mirror coat would be revealed. She needed to slip into the chaos and bring Daniella along before it was too late.
"I'm fine. Few cuts here and there, but no problem." Daniella beamed a bright smile. "I took care of it, don't worry. There's even a snack in the office for you. I agree, we need to leave....But first... She trailed off as she stood with Róisín, still holding onto her for dear life with her left arm. Daniella held out her right arm and looked up to her companion. "There's a tracking device in my bicep, right above this old scar. If you could dig it out that would be grand. Last time I did it with my nails and it wasn't so pretty."

The woman froze at the dainty blonde’s words. It plucked at her heart’s strings differently than when they had shared their enthralling moment before. A chord had been struck and snapped, a painful sting radiating through her core. Her glowing white eyes rolled downward to meet the maiden’s grey gaze, and saw the happiness and joy that lit them when she spoke of what she had done. There was a somberness in Róisin’s gaze, a sadness that asked, ‘What have they done to you?’ Her clawed thumb ran down the pale girl’s arm, caressing the soft skin rather than slicing it to bits. She had a plan forming in her brain, two plans in fact, for just how to help Daniella. One plan would have to wait until they were safe and sound; the other was still missing a vital element. ”…I’ll take it out in a bit, first we have to get something. Stay close.” With that she lead the girl away from the rooftop, intent on saving her instead of watching the trivial burning of the god forsaken facility. Karl snuggled back into Róisín’s hood, not wanting to be left behind, as the trio traversed through the decimated factory.

xxxxLocation :: Unknown GenEx Facility
xxxxCompany :: Róisín & Karl
xxxxHealth :: 90% - a few scratches here and there
xxxxTunes ::Cloudburn - Feed Me
xxxxAttire ::n/a

[Lysander the Poet]

ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ: Mess Hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｃｏｍｐａｎｙ: No one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｓｔａｔｕｓ: 80% - All wounds sutured and bandaged, equipped with Heartbreaker MK I. Emotionally stable, exhausted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｍｕｓｉｃ:Black Sun - Death Cab for Cutie

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A new day dawned upon the plains of New Mexico, the sun gently pulling itself over the horizon to gaze out at the desert and greet the world as it always did. But even as early as it was, there were still sounds of movement in the bowels of the Persephone. Lissy had done as she had been ordered, picking out members for a small team to scout out the nearby Dominion presence and sabotage it, engaging only if necessary. The team was already assembling in the shuttle bay, getting their gear together for the mission at hand. From the crew, she had chosen Rhia and Ella, the former since she had been itching for some action now that she was fully recovered from her wounds, and the latter as medical support. Surprisingly, the prisoner-turned-ally, the mysterious woman known only as Six, volunteered for the mission straight out. Lissy had also pleaded for her big brother to go with them, puppy dog eyes and quivering lip expertly pulled from her arsenal. The mission was starting bright and early, in hopes of getting the drop on the Dominion scum. The small woman was seated on a cargo container, feet dangling off the edge as she carefully began to assemble her rifle. She hummed a little tune as she fit each part together like a puzzle, doing it almost absentmindedly as she had a thousand times before. From her little seat, she could see much of the shuttle bay. Repairs were still underway across the entire ship, as well as the necessary upgrades, and there seemed to be no shortage of work to be done. Lissy was simply glad to get out of this hole, after being cooped up for so long. The first person to report to the bay was, as she expected, the First Mate. Rhia strolled into the room a bit slowly, still finding it painful to take long strides without her crutches. Her platinum blonde hair had grown quite a bit longer in the last two months, falling down to her shoulders in haphazard waves. It made her look a little less intimidating. It did nothing, however, to dull her soul piercing gaze. Said gaze scanned the bay, finding Lissy on her perch, and smiled approvingly at the sight of the small female’s enormous weapon of choice. ”If you were a man I’d definitely think you were compensating for something, lass,” She said a bit fondly, approaching her own gear locker. The Scott’s hand traced the plates of her armor, the stock of her shotgun, the extra clips for her pistols. Each piece was caressed almost lovingly as she unloaded it from the locker, her heart throbbing for a bit of carnage. Her medical condition in the aftermath of Alexei’s attack was mostly resolved, but she hadn’t been of much use to the crew because of it. She finally had an opportunity to get back out there. And she was looking forward to killing a few of those Dommie bastards for what they did to her friends. ”Do you...need help, ma’am?” Lissy asked from above, watching as Rhia struggled to pull on her chestplate. ”No,” The blonde replied, maybe more harshly than she should have. It showed in her eyes that she regretted her tone the moment the words escaped her lips, and so she simply put her smile back on. ”I just need to do it myself, Lissy.”

Alister pulled himself from his bed, staring off into the mirror at himself. By now, he was used to seeing the shimmer of his mechanical arm in the light, but the rest of what he saw felt so...different. It was the same body, with all the same scars, tattoos, and every other blemish and feature. But when he looked into his eyes, he knew something was off. The light clink of his dog tags as he shifted was the only noise in his cabin as he shuffled towards the shower. They had finally been able to fully repair the water heating system for the entire ship, so there was no fear of using all the hot water. The scorching shower was like a ritual to Alister, as it burned away the days long past and allowed him to continue on to the next. And it was quite good for washing away the blood that usually stained his skin after a particularly hard job. Oh, how he longed to return to the days of simple piracy. Morality was always a simple concept as long as it was ignored in favor of a larger haul of loot. But ever since Daniella had hired him back in that ******** bar, the pressures of morality were beginning to add up. It wasn’t enough for him to simply be the ruthless, murdering pirate he always had been. That damned blonde had made him softer after only a few short months. Let the water wash it away, he thought to himself. The events on Phobos, where he should have killed Alexei, Daniella’s plea be damned. His skin began to grow hot from the water running across the flesh. Sparing Will after his little show of treachery. Letting Leon escape from Roisin’s clutches. All these lives he would have once easily taken, and now they were all out there somewhere, clinging to an existence they no longer should have had. And now they were all paying for it. Alister was responsible for each and every drop of blood that had been shed in that battle. He was responsible for the maiming and deaths of his crew. And Tiberius’ death most of all, was on his hands. Steam began to fill the room, and Alister’s skin was turning red from the heat. He ran his hands, one flesh and blood and one metal and cold, through his hair. He bore a mark of this failure himself, in the limb that Roisin had built for him. Every time he looked at it, he thought of the strange woman. He thought of the promises to her he had broken, the way he had treated her like she was some sort of monster from the moment she stepped out of the shadows. And he thought of the new promises that were made, to wreak vengeance upon those that wronged them all. And to keep true to that particular one, he would have to expunge any weakness that had developed. Hesitating, thinking too much, trying to play the hero he clearly wasn’t, those things would allow Halloran even more victories.

His interrogation with Alexei had given him some crucial information on the events of New Armstrong. Namely, the identity of her attacker, a man named Dominick Maichev, who was supposed to be dead. The Lethe connection to Halloran was strong, and would cause them quite a bit of havoc in the long run if they didn’t see to it eventually. The ruthless, single-mindedness of Admiral Halloran backed by a contingent of Olympian monstrosities for hire was a nightmarish prospect, any way that it was spun. Yet another thing to add to Alister’s enormous pile of variables to the very idea of defeating Halloran. To finally stop the b*****d from coming after them. Not that killing him would stop the rest of the Dominion from coming after Dani, as long as she was with them. Somewhere deep down, Alister knew that Kenneth Halloran’s head on a spike would only be a bloody beginning. Octavian’s rebellion was making sure of that, as the entire system stoked the fire that was simply smoldering as of late. The war between the Dominon and the Children of Olympus had cooled down a bit, but that wouldn’t be for long. With the Dommies mobilizing across the system to quell the unavoidable uprisings that New Armstrong would cause, they’d tread on many toes. Alexei also made the very pertinent point that the Olympians could be their allies in the fight, though Alister did not trust those savages any more than he did the Dominion. And there was still the insistence that their own Daniella could have a place among their most powerful. That she could in fact claim a godhood of her own. Alister most certainly would not seek that path unless he had no other choices, or if Daniella thought it was necessary. And as if to top off the entire thing, the blind woman also told him that she was leaving the crew, and Kenway was going with her. She refused to tell him why, but Alister was quite aware that there was no stopping her if she wanted to leave. It was safer for her that way, after what she had experienced. It was a shame to be losing one of his own, but Kenway had always been a loyal crewman, and deserved this bit of joy in his life after all these years. Secretly, Alister hoped that some of his own guilt would subside with the raven haired woman gone, removing one of the reminders of his own hubris. Let the water simply wash away all his thoughts, concerns, and horrors. He stepped out from the bathroom feeling warm, comfortable, and refreshed. It was the briefest of respites from the long road that he would begin to walk, but one that he could not avoid. There was no other path to take. He dressed slowly, donning black cargo pants, signature steel toed combat boots, and dark gray wifebeater. His wandering mind led his feet to the ship’s mess hall, where he found himself unconsciously pouring a glass of scotch even at this earliest of hours. He now heard footsteps, though they were far off and far removed from his cares. He simply leaned against the counter, falling into the warm embrace of the scotch in his mind.

Lissy had taken to the deck now, pacing as she waited for the rest of the team to finish their final gear checks. Rhia clutched the shotgun close to her chest, her hands wrapped around the gun like a vicegrip. Six looked particularly worn out, dark circles and bags under her eyes, her hair frazzled and wild, mostly a dark brown now with only the ends holding their previous pink color. Ella was double checking, no wait, quadruple checking the contents of her medbag. They were just waiting on old d**k Harding now, before they headed out from this damned hole. ”So...this is just a simple sabotage op, right?” The woman asked, checking that gauntlet was secure while cracking her knuckles violently. Lissy nodded at her, caressing her anti-materiel rifle. ”Unless we think we can take them all out, Captain said he wants ‘em jammed and crippled. Our main objective is to find out if they’re here for us, or if it’s just one of those rare universal coincidences. I assume you can all handle that?” The trio nodded at Lissy, with a little smirk from Rhia who definitely approved of her taking a bit of command. ”I’ll be on overwatch. Ella is medical standby, so cover her a**. d**k will be our plan B is things go to s**t. First Mate Dravyn, and...Six...you two are going to be doing the whole espionage bit. Any kills you have to make...make sure they’re quick and quiet ones.”



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[The Smut Peddler]

Horizon Chapter V
Broken Promises

In the depths of the mine the morning's light didn't make much impact. The air was still chilled from the desert night and would stay that way until dusk, when it would warm ever so slightly before dropping once more. d**k's eyes stared out at the point where the mine was unfinished, noticing the small trickle of water from above which indicated it was morning. He bit the end of his cigar and lit it as he slid his dense fingers through his prematurely grey hair, tossing long strands out of his eyes from his downplayed mohawk. He would exhale before taking both hands and placing them on a wheel style lever on the wall. It was old, worn, and rusty, making it nearly impossible to move. As the man forced the lever over there came a blue light from his chest, where his replacement heart worked viciously to keep up with the overexerted demands he was expecting of it. As he did this the lights in the mine stopped for a moment as things converted over from generator power to solar. This was one of the hundreds of menial tasks J'kr kept him busy with. Hired muscle. That was what he had always been, always would be.

To his surprise his young sister Lissy asked of him something that brought the smallest of smiles to his face. A mission of sorts. Just the thought alone was enough to get him out of these grueling scrapyard tasks and on to bigger and better things. And if all went well, or rather, if all did not go well, he would get the opportunity to crack sculls and shatter bones. d**k made his way over to the deck after retrieving his guns. Guns being that it took two men to use or carry, but for this workhorse, that was never the case. That was what modifications were for, to make him into a piece of equipment that could do the job of two able men. He carried a massive sized machine gun, though, it looked piecemealed together and that it was obviously not from any reputable arms dealer. It was built special, for someone of his particular skill set. Once on deck d**k noticed that he was surrounded by women, which was unusual for him. He'd notice that everyone else appeared to be set and that all were waiting on him. He nodded over to his pacing sister as he chuckled, a scratchy, raspy, and husky voice escaping his lips.

"Didn't mean to keep you all. Hope you weren't waiting too long."

Nova was up early, on account of her terrible sleep. Even beside the devilishly handsome redheaded man she could not shake the nightmares. When they weren't about the people she'd signed away the lives of, it was about the inhuman creature that she was. Much like one could question if other people saw color the same way they do, she wondered if human nature was the same as her own. She wondered what all her brother knew, if anything. He'd stayed with their father much longer than she herself had. Perhaps, he'd told him when he was old enough to comprehend. She wondered if being raised in the nest of humans was enough to make her like them. And Pierce. He knew. All that time and yet never once had he thought it to be important enough to tell her. Instead he remained vague, making everything he said be taken with very little regard as things always sounded so fabricated with him. But would she have believed him, had he told her? Probably not. She would turn to look at Liam's sleeping form on the bed, and she would unravel her tail from around his leg, being careful not to wake him. She needed a smoke, her hands were shaking. Without a word she pulled on the most minimal amount of her clothes she could to be presentable and able to leave the cabin and return to her own.

Once in her own cabin she started a bath and waited for the water to fill the tub. Nova stripped back down to nothing as she sat on the edge and lit herself a cigarette, her hand barely able to keep the torch at the tip as her nerves where just so shot. It wasn't the nicotine that eased her, for the moment the embers started to show she had returned to her regularly calm state, before she'd even inhaled. She closed her eyes for a moment as she let her mind wander. She thought about the tenderness Liam had offered her that she simply was incapable of returning, the spirit of a warrior that kept her from being allowed to be truly vulnerable. She sighed heavily as she exhaled, the smoke becoming a haze in front of her. Finally she would slip into the water, one hand dangling over the edge to keep her cigarette from getting wet. In her mind she stirred about several subjects. The fight against the Dominion as flashes of the previous night fluttered intermittently about as she envisioned the creatures on New Armstrong, and weapons they were to face, the deaths of several good men and women, either completely oblivious to their wrong doing, or unable to fight it. The losses. There had just been so many. She held her breath and submerged herself completely under the water, her spots changing from the glowing green to a bright glowing redish pink. The oxygen in her would be used more efficiently and she would be able to stay under for quite some time. Her mind would finally rest on the blue eyes of Tiberius Pierce. They held an iciness to them, a stare that confused her, one she'd never seen him possess. She held a perplexed look on her face as she tried to place its familiarity with where she'd seen the stare before. That was until a few strands of black hair fell in front of them and she bolted up for air. Her glowing red eye would look down to the ground were her cigarette laid, burnt to the filter and extinguished by the water that came up over the side with her abrupt surfacing. Her eye would turn to her hand, which had been burned by the smoldering ember. There was a great deal of guilt still lingering from the actions that took place on New Armstrong, and Nova still felt responsible for dragging another entire crew into that obvious slaughter. She had been aware of Alister's reclusive behavior in the past couple months, and she knew as much as she wanted to forget all the awful events that had occurred, she still needed to talk to him. Even if the shine from that metal cybernetic arm was a blaring reminder of her faults in the matter.

The pink haired woman dried, brushing her hair and dressing for the day. She placed her eyepatch covering the hideous scar that tore across her face. The phantom feelings had subsided, but every now and again when she removed the cover she would think that the eyelid would open and she would see just like she always had. However, this was never the case. All that she saw was the endless abyss of darkness. Once dressed Nova headed to the mess hall where she stopped, noticing that same mess of black hair as before. She nsaw him holding one of her personal favorites, a bottle of scotch in hand as he poured into a glass. She would approach him, a shameless grin on her face as she brought herself over to him, before she leaned against the counter.

"Morning Captain. You're actually just the guy I was looking for. Have a moment?"

xxxx┇ ✦ Mess Hall - Persephone
xxxx┇ ♢ 95%
xxxx┇ ✦ Unsure
xxxx┇ ✦ Counting Stars

[Lysander the Poet]

ｌｏｃａｔｉｏｎ: Mess Hall.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｃｏｍｐａｎｙ: Nova.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｓｔａｔｕｓ: 80% - All wounds sutured and bandaged, equipped with Heartbreaker MK I. Emotionally stable, exhausted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxｍｕｓｉｃ:Black Sun - Death Cab for Cutie

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All he had wanted was a peaceful drink, away from all the hopeful looks and concerned questions. A solitary moment away from the rest of the crew where he could unwind before the long day that was surely to unfold ahead of him. Alas, this was not to be so, as a familiar sound of footsteps came to his ears. The lithe, pink haired young woman looked very much the same as she always had, but Alister knew that she was different, beyond the merely physical scars of war. Alister glanced up at Nova, and his instant reaction seemed to be to set his glass aside and reach for another, filling them both to the brim. Exchanging the bottle for one glass, he took the other and passed it along to the pink haired lass, and then drank deeply. His eyes traced over the eyepatch she wore about a thousand times in that moment, flashes of the grotesque injury beneath flooding his mind. Even his new mechanical limb reflexively clenched uncomfortably at the thought. Her voice, which he once found as pleasant as any other, now caused his tighten with anxiety. His heart was beating a little faster, and he shifted his weight a bit before killing off the entire glass of Scotch in a single swig. ”Looking for me, lass? Well, I suppose here I am, still alive and kicking. Couldn’t stay rotting in my hole of a cabin forever. I looked for you yesterday, to have a quick meeting, but someone told me you had left. Not that I’m surprised...getting away from here sounds like a bit of paradise.” He filled his glass again, ever so gently swirling the alcohol around in small circles. ”I’ve got more than a moment, I suppose. Nothing more pressing to do.” Alister sorely wished there had been some other task to distract him. Hell, he probably should have gone with Lissy to scout the Dominion. The fact of the matter was, he still wasn’t in the best fighting shape. But he would feel at least a hundred times more comfortable shooting Dommies than being in the same room as one of his victims. That’s what he saw the woman before him as, truthfully. A casualty of his own stupidity, despite the fact that she had been the one to rush off without them. He should have known better, moved faster, and protected one of his own. He knew not how long these feelings of guilt and regret would haunt him, but it was surely to return every time he looked upon Nova’s savaged visage. Alister wouldn’t let a modicum of his inner-strife appear on his face, choosing instead to give off a stern glance as he tried to subdue his thoughts with more alcohol.

”Why exactly did you volunteer in the first place? I understood pulling you out of your little cage to fight on New Armstrong...but trusting you with something like this doesn’t exactly seem like the smartest move for the Captain. You must have been pretty convincing.” Rhia had finally broke the silence, double knotting the laces of her boot as she looked up at mysterious brunette. There was an obvious tension between the two women that hung in the air like a rapidly thickening fog. ”I did not convincing, Miss Dravyn. I merely heard that Miss Harding was putting a team together for a mission that could involve killing some Dominion, and I signed myself up. Look at it this way: if everything goes badly, at least you have someone who isn’t of your crew to throw at your enemies so that you need not waste one of your lives. If you’re afraid I’m here to betray you, there’s most likely nothing I can say to change that assumption. But I assure you that I am genuinely here to help you. I have no love of the Dominion...perhaps much less than even this lot.” There was something off about the woman to Rhia. Maybe it was the way she held herself, or something about how she looked, or even the tone in her voice. Whatever it was, it made the First Mate feel extremely unsettled. ”Guess I can’t argue with the Captain’s decision. But you remember, I’m watching you. One wrong move, and it won’t take much for me to end you, lass. Wouldn’t be the first time I knocked some stuck up b***h down a few pegs.” Six simply smiled back at Rhia, flexing her fists against the armored gauntlets she wore. Ella looked up from her seat in the corner, clutching her medbag in her arms as she mentally prepared herself for the mission ahead. She liked to pray before heading out into the field, something that most of the crew weren’t too keen on, though nobody said anything to her about it. If anyone could pray their little hearts out, it was the ship’s medic.

The final preparations were underway for their little mission, when Lissy’s ears practically perked up. She grinned at her brother, and to the rest of the assembled company it was a shock that the two of them could possibly be related at all. While Lissy was one of the youngest members of the crew, and quite clearly one of the smallest, her brother was a behemoth of a man. He was easily five times her size, if not even more. There were small traces of resemblance, though the only obvious thing they had in common was their penchant to wield weapons made for someone much larger than they. There was a bit of d**k’s composure in the way that little Lissy Harding cradled her rifle. ”Everyone, this is my big brother. Like I mentioned earlier, he’s our guy if s**t heads real south real fast. Now that everyone’s here, time to roll out. Keep your comms open in case we get separated, but radio silence unless you absolutely need something. Don’t want them to possibly eavesdrop on us and know that we’re coming.” The group of women, and the large man that accompanied them, made their way out through the shuttle bay doors and navigated the labyrinthine structure of the mine to the surface elevator. They had to split up into two groups, one consisting of the Hardings, with everyone else riding up second. From the moment they entered the elevator, Lissy stuck to her brother’s side like glue. It had been ages since they had last seen each other, before she joined up with Alister’s crew. There was a lot to talk about, and quite a bit of catching up to do. She regaled d**k with tales of the past few months board the Persephone. Really, the whole period in which things had become much more interesting, beginning with the day they brought Daniella Pearson aboard their ship. Anyone could hear the fond way that the girl spoke of Daniella, just like anyone else on the Persephone. A clear sign that no matter how much or how little time they had spent with the blonde, they all felt her absence on the ship. Mostly in their Captain, who Lissy knew damned himself every morning for letting the girl slip away from him yet again, to a fate possibly worse than death itself. She showed her brother a few of the tattoos she had gotten. They were all a bit flowery and feminine, but she insisted it made her more pirate-y. She even had a very cliche skulls and crossbones tattoo on her left shoulder. She worried that when she proudly showed off the scars she had earned, d**k would possibly not be so thrilled to see those. But if she had learned anything in her years aboard the ship, it was that scars told a lot of good stories, and having them was nothing to be ashamed off. The primary teacher of that lesson being one Alister Blood.




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[The Smut Peddler]

Horizon Chapter V
Broken Promises

Not the one for introductions d**k kept an emotionless gaze ahead as his younger sister set expectations. His eyes were wild like those of a caged beast, he had a hunger for being out there, in the fight. He would pop his knuckles as he tilted his neck allowing it to crack, he moved forward as they headed out. He didn't really need to worry about idle chit-chat, because he had no conversations that were going to be aired on live frequency that wasn't absolutely necessary. Though some would find the catacombs of the mine confusing d**k was able to navigate them even with his eyes closed. He'd walked them enough times that he knew them by heart. However, he broke his concentration when Lissy approached him in the elevator. She did much of the talking, about what she'd done since she had joined the pirate's crew. She spoke on Daniella, who he assumed must have been one Hell of a special girl, as her name came up quite often by the Persephone's crew. It was amazing the sort of things one learned with a mind like a steel trap and a mouth nearly screwed shut. He'd picked up quite a bit about most of the crew, and gave so little about him. He hoped it stayed that way. He wasn't the opening up sort. Though he couldn't act too distant and risk worrying Lissy. With Tomi, or Thomas' death, d**k had become quite the mute. Smiling he glanced at the tattoos she showed him, pretty and effeminate.

"They suit you well Lissy." He smirked as he nodded to her, exposing a portion of the detailed tattoo that was set on his back like a huge artsy canvas. Showing the two roosters fighting with machine guns in their talons. He'd chuckle as he lowered the shirt back down. "So, be honest, worth the fourteen-hundred credits?"

At first d**k hesitated at the scars Lissy had endured, this was his younger sister after all, it pained him to see her harmed in any way. But he knew that this was what it was to be a pirate. The only difference in this reunion was that d**k did not offer much information on what he'd been up to in their time apart, there was too many things that had happened, nothing he wanted to discuss. He followed the team, careful not to get in between the angry Scott or the mysterious brunette with the pink mid-tones.

Nova nodded as Alister handed her a generous glass of scotch. He mentioned he had tried looking for her, for a meeting the day prior. She shook her head and sighed.

"My apologies Captain, I had a personal matter that I had to attend to." Nova glanced at Alister, trying hard to keep from staring at the cybernetic arm as she paused from his words. She could feel the guilt flooding over her again as he reminded her of his long stay in his cabin. It was hard not to turn around and hide, this was the person who saw something in her when her own had turned against her, and that was no small thing. "I am happy to see you out and about again, I know these words are coming too little and too late, but I need to say them."

She would collect her thoughts before turning her focus back at him to meet his gaze.

"Thank you, for everything you have done for me. You've spared my life when I should have been turned over to Liam's custody and killed for my actions on Kessel, you responded to my distress call on New Armstrong, even though I had failed to keep Dani safe, and you had your crew recover my useless carcass from surely perishing that day like I should have. But most of all, you did something that no one else would have ever done for me. You kept your promise, even when I severed out contract. You were there, like you said you would be, and you kept your word..." Nova took a foot forward to close the gap between them, her hand at her chest as her arm moving out to place her hand atop his before she smiled up at him. "Thank you Alister. If it takes a lifetime, I will find a way to repay you. Somehow."

She would look back down as she noticed her hand still where it had been perhaps a moment too long and her face turned a dark shade of red. Quickly she pulled away, she could easily blame the flush of color on the scotch. She turned to the glass to see it was still completely full and grabbed it, taking a few large swigs and downing it all. As she looked back she smiled softly at the blue eyed man.

"Well, if getting away from here sounds like a paradise then perhaps you need a day or two of shore leave. Ship's still getting finishing repairs and between Rhia and I, I'm sure we can handle things here. You've been cooped up for two months, so come on, quite being the selfless Hero and do something that makes Alister happy." She would smile as she brought another cigarette up to her mouth and began to light it, offering out a second to him. "He's a pretty great guy, you should do something nice for him from time to time."

She would tease before exhaling, her eye closed as she collected herself from her prior foul-ups. Opening it the green iris beamed with bright light. "Nonetheless though, I'm here now, did you want to fill me in on this meeting yesterday?"

xxxx┇ ✦ Mess Hall - Persephone
xxxx┇ ♢ 95%
xxxx┇ ✦ Gracious / Nervous
xxxx┇ ✦ Counting Stars

[Yasha_Glory]

¤Company: Dani & Karl ¤Condition: 95% ¤Location: Venus' Atmosphere ¤Outfit: Blue Flame Rocker



Róisín carted Dani off through the burning remains of the facility, eventually finding a storage unit that was devoid of people. The trio had snuck around, avoiding sight as best they could, though they knew it was in vain. The telepath had a tracking device in her arm, and no matter where they went, GenEx was sure to find them. They needed to get rid of it, and fast. There was no telling if every monster had run away from the bombs, and it was only a matter of time until GenEx attempted to regain control of the situation. There was far too much at stake to fool around and watch the Dominion lackeys scatter around like ants from a magnifying glass. Róisín hadn’t anticipated that her plans would change from a terroristic take down to a rescue mission. As the cyborg took one last look around the cramped space her mind was already planning two steps ahead in case anyone stumbled upon them before she was finished. The crackling of the nearby fires seemed to be the only sounds around, no sounds of footsteps or screaming employees to indicate that there would be a surprise guest. Her shoulders loosened just a bit, though they were still ready to pack a devastating swipe or two if the need arose. ”Alright, Daniella, this is going to hurt but only for a little bit, okay? It won’t leave a scar as big as your old one. We don’t have a lot of time though so we’ll have to patch it up later. My ship isn’t much farther from here but I have to make sure they stay off our trail long enough for us to get a head start, otherwise we’re just going to lead them straight back to the Persephone.” The monster took the slender girl’s arm, cradling her forearm in its claws as its dominant hand ran over the scar, and caressed the blonde’s supple skin. Glowing white eyes that seemed to disappear and flicker with the chaotic movements of the flames outside, searching the tissues by touch and forming a mental map of the veins and musculature she was able to feel. ”…There it is!” her mind exclaimed as her claw rested above the metal chip. ”Ready? I’ll make it fast.” The woman gave no countdown. There was only a slight repositioning, a test tap, and then her claw jabbed itself into the blonde’s upper arm. It scooped up the small device, covered in blood and tissue, but at least it was out of the girl’s body. The woman wiped away as much as she could, examining the finer details of the metallic tag as she kicked a couple of cardboard boxes in the corner of the temporary hideout. Roaches went skittering and scattering across the room, frightened at the sudden jolt to their shelter. As if fire and smoke wasn’t bad enough, now they had this monster destroying their only solace. The beast’s remaining mighty claw hovered over the mass of bugs, pinning one in place by a wing with a quick flick of the wrist. She jabbed the chip in the soft flesh, exposed by its frantic attempts at escape, and released it. The creepy crawly haphazardly ran out of the storage unit and into one of the building’s remains, doing anything in its power to survive. ”That should keep them busy for a while.”

Daniella nodded as Róisín spoke to her. At the mention of going back to the Persephone, the girl smiled. Anywhere would have been better than GenEx, but the Persephone had sort of become her “home”…or at least the closest she’d ever had. Róisín studied her arm for a moment before asking if she was ready. Daniella nodded briefly and did her best to hold still. Daniella stared at her arm, watching as the white haired woman sliced into her flesh and dug out the tracking device. She bit the inside of her cheek to avoid instinctively flinching away from the pain. She did have to admit that it hurt a lot less when Róisín took out the tracking device than it did when she dug it out with her own nails. She lowered her arm and shifted her weight before pressing a small hand against the incision. She was bleeding, but it wasn’t too bad. Some of her other scrapes were worse. Nothing too life threatening…Her mind wandered. How lucky she had been that Róisín had been able to find her. When they got out of here, Daniella was going to ask how the woman had found this complex…From what Dani understood, it wasn’t even known to exist by most of the GenEx employees. Grey eyes drifted back to Róisín as she released the cockroach. She smirked a bit. Genius. But of course Róisín would come up with something like that…She was a smart woman, after all. ”Very clever…” Daniella cooed. She looked to Karl for a moment before clearing her throat. ”So…Where do we go now? I’m much more useful now. Just show me the way, I can help clear our path.”

The monstrous figure watched the last of the insects scurry back into the pile of junk that filled their makeshift hideout. Her mind was wandering, racing through all the possible outcomes and layouts that she could remember. Did she know which way was out at this point? If she had let the whole facility go down in flames it would have been easy to figure out where her ship was. She remembered she had left it in an unmarked patch of the guards’ patrol to keep it from being accidentally found, but with all the commotion and botched plans there was no telling if someone had bumped into it and tried to figure out what invisible mass was blocking their escape route. Would they even care? Would something like that even cross their minds when there was shrapnel flying from all directions? Even if they managed to find it, could they get inside when she was so far away? The woman’s claws began to shrink in size, compacting into a pair of long black gloves. Their blade tips drummed against a wooden pallet that was partially propped up by wall and debris, a light repetitive clacking sound echoing each time a digit hit and hacked a small bit of splintered wood. She was thinking and she knew she needed to refigure her plan as quickly as possible.

Karl wriggled out of Róisín’s hood and happily buzzed around the tiny room, enjoying the chance to actually fly rather than be dragged around in a thick mass of fur and cloth. He immediately snuggled up to Dani’s cheek, invading any and all personal space, as his high pitched voice rang loud and clear. ”DANIIIIIIIIII I MISSED YOU! DID YOU MISS ME?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WERE YOU PLAYING WITH OUR COMPUTERS TOO?! DANI SOME MEAN PEOPLE BLEW UP TOM! HE WAS JUST BEING A GOOD LAPTOP AND THEN HIS BRAIN WAS FRIED LIKE BSSSSSSSHHHHHZZZZZZZZTTT!” Karl made it a point to display static across this screen and fragment his projection to simulate a fatal error in his programming. A series of laughs escaped him immediately afterwards as his hologram fish body returned to its normal state. ”We can fix Tom though so it’s okay! I don’t think we could fix you if you got fried though! It doesn’t look like fun! Dani! DANI! Dani.” His tone appeared to get a little more serious, well, as serious as Karl could get. ”Don’t get fried. It’s not fun.”
Daniella grinned as Karl snuggled her, to the best of his abilities, before going on babbling. ”Of course I missed you Karl…And um…I’ll do my best not get fried…I’m fireproof now. I think that helps…” She trailed off a bit. The girl gently rubbed the back of her head, trailing her fingers across the incision site on the back of her neck.

The cloaked figure’s talons slowly scraped down the wood as it turned back to the blonde with a semi-calm expression across its demonic features. ”We need to stay low to avoid the smoke. That should also cover us from anyone still left in the upper levels of the buildings. With all the bombs that went off though, I’m sure everyone has evacuated, at the very least, downward. Unfortunately, that also means we might still run into someone, or something, if we’re not quick and careful. I set off the bombs in a sequence that should have sent and inmates running in the opposite direction, though I wouldn’t put it past them to hide or stand their ground until the coast was clear. We need to get outside the facility grounds, which shouldn’t be too hard now that everything’s in shambles, so Karl can call the ship to our location. Unless, that is, we’re lucky enough to find it on our own. I didn’t expect to find you here so I didn’t exactly plan the best route for more than one person to travel along. I suppose any route would be just as dangerous now that everyone knows there’s something to panic about. Are you ready to run? We only have one shot at this. If we get caught, no one else knows we’re here, so we’re s**t out of luck.” It was a lot of pressure to put on the girl, but it was not unnecessary. Róisín had no intention of leaving the girl behind, however, Róisín’s abilities only went so far. It was hard enough jumping down from rooftops with the extra weight dragging her down. Even the slightest miscalculation could have sent them spiraling into a chasm of sharp glass and severed pipes pointing at the heavens and beckoning them into their domain. It had become more of a trust fall and calculated series of jumps that hopefully landed them on just the right spot that would support their combined weight. Now that they were on the ground it was a whole other ball game. They no longer had the advantage of height on their side, nor an element of surprise. The chaos Róisín had caused had only served to cloak them for the first half of their escape, with the clock still ticking it was working against them as protocols were remembered and enacted. ”Once we get to the ship we need to high tail it out of here and hide for a couple days. We just rattled a nest of angry wasps and they’re not going to stop looking for us any time soon, but if we can get some distance between us then we shouldn’t have to worry about leading them right to the rest of the crew. Everyone’s still recovering after what happened on New Armstrong…”
She didn’t expect to find her here? Daniella bit her cheek as she slowly realized that this hadn’t been a planned rescue after all. It stung, kind of, in an odd way…but she wasn’t about to complain about it. Róisín was here now, and she was helping Dani escape. That was all that mattered. Daniella shook her thoughts away as Róisín spoke and did her best to focus. The two women moved rapidly. Róisín was faster, of course, but Daniella did her best to keep up. She wouldn’t hold onto her savior though, in fear of slowing her down. She still had her handgun from earlier, just in case. There was no reason to discard it. The blonde kept a lookout as they moved, listening in for any stray thoughts that might come into their range. So far, nothing. It was good, but too lucky for Daniella to be comfortable. She looked over to Róisín for a moment…and then there it was. A little blip on her so called radar. So familiar….Daniella’s heart skipped a beat and she lost her footing, but only for a moment. She scrambled so that she wouldn’t fall down. With the way the two of them were running, the distance between Daniella and her target was becoming smaller. ”R…Róisín, stop!” Daniella put her hands to the side of her head trying to shake out the thoughts. The edge of the complex was in site now, but Dani couldn’t focus. Not with the thoughts of the person she feared the most ringing through her head.

There was barely any time to think as the trio slipped out of their little crack-in-the-wall hideout and began their mad dash towards the finish line. They couldn’t look back; they just had to keep running for what could very well be their lives. The outside world seemed to blur together, the sounds of crumbling buildings and rumbling concrete merging into a singular muffled white noise, as their feet flittered against the ground. Róisín’s boots crunched against the bits of gravel scattered about the surface as she came to a stop, hearing Dani’s already meek voice ring out much too quietly for her to be directly behind the woman. Karl flew out from her hood, unable to stop as quickly as she had, and spun around in the air with a couple of quick laughs as Róisín’s eyes searched the rubble for the petite blonde. Something was wrong, it was obvious by the way the girl’s fingertips were digging into her scalp, trying to keep something out of her head. She was about to call out to her when she saw a man approaching the girl with a gun in his hand. ”s**t…!” If Róisín made any sudden moves, Daniella could have been done for. How was she going to explain to the others that not only had she messed up her own plans and possibly made things worse for them, but was also responsible for a bullet hole through the poor girl’s brain.

”I thought I heard someone….How lucky I am to see you Little Dove.” McLaughlin skidded to a halt near them. He was armed, but overall weak looking. He was breathing heavily, face lacerated and some of his clothing burned. Singed skin could be seen peeking from his clothes, and his eyes were wild with anger, and a bit of fear. ”Look at you, you’re a bloody mess. Come with me Daniella, and we’ll get you cleaned up.” He raised his pistol at his little project as he cooed to her.
Dani stared at him for a moment, grey eyes filled with fright and worry: a perfect deer in the headlights look. She took a breath but said nothing, which only seemed to anger the impatient doctor. He took a few hasty steps towards his prey, a scowl forming on his bloodied face. ”Don’t be dense girl. You belong to me, so let’s go.” Gregory stomped towards Daniella angrily, and just as quickly as he moved he was lifted up…Daniella pinned the good doctor against the nearest wall, a loud thud sounding as his body slammed against the surface roughly. A smile crept onto Daniella’s face, her eyes moving to the hand that held his gun.
”I don’t think you need this.” She chimed. In an instant his hand was severed. It dropped to the ground, and Daniella watched with a plain expression as Gregory bled and cursed her. But there was no one else around to aid him…for once the tables had turned. Daniella was no longer the victim. She stared at McLaughlin, her own fear dissipating as his grew. She wanted him to suffer, but knew that she and Róisín needed to escape.
”Daniella Pearson. You need to calm down. How could you do this to me? You’re mine. I made you…And you hurt me? I took care of you. I made you strong. And we were going to be happy together. Don’t you want that?” He was depraved, to say the least.
Daniella didn’t bother to respond to him as she kept him on the wall. ”Róisín…If you do me a favor, I swear I will repay you.” Gregory screamed as his other hand was torn off. She turned her head, looking to the Skeleton Harvester. ”Will you kill this man? You’re better at it than I am. I want to hear him scream…You can even eat him if you like…”

Róisín listened as the man spoke directly to Daniella, the two obviously having some type of connection, and something was beginning to rub her the wrong way. Who was he and what did he mean Daniella belonged to him? Her teeth began to grind, a low rumble creeping from the back of her throat. If there was one thing Róisin hated above all else, it was the idea that people were objects that could be owned and manipulated to their ‘masters’ will. It suddenly didn’t matter who this person was, he had made it onto Róisín’s bad side, not that that was very hard to do. Certain people just had the special ability to jump to the top of her hit list, and the already maimed man looked that much more delectable. A couple of steps towards the two and it suddenly became apparent that the blonde didn’t need the Skeleton Harvester to protect her. The mangled body of the stranger flew through the air and smashed against the wall, a couple of flickers of her own ‘flying experience’ going through her mind. It had only been a couple months since the girl had asked her to kill someone who had tried to control her. With New Armstrong’s incident taking up most of her time, she hadn’t bothered to search for people to kill while she was trying to save those that dragged their bruised and bleeding bodies back onto the ship. She hadn’t held the freezer incident against the girl, it had been an accident after all and in the end no harm had come to the Skeleton Harvester. As the familiar sound of body parts slopping against the floor and blood spurting from fresh wounds entered her ears, the woman made a grave realization. The girl’s powers had advanced from a troublesome ability to move a couple of nuts and bolts to dismemberment and with it came a transformation from a sweet nervous girl to a bloodthirsty killer. There was definite control this time around, evident by the fact that the woman wasn’t pinned up beside the handless victim. Still, she worried about the blonde’s state of mind. That same devilish smile and tone of voice she had when she mentioned leaving a snack behind for Róisín was radiating from the girl, but there was sadness in the beast’s eyes as her boots thumped closer to the scene. The man’s words were lost on Róisín, her attention on the girl who had become so much stronger since they had last met. One of her blackened hands reached out and touched the girl’s shoulder, squeezing it ever so gently as she gazed down at her with her hidden face. Daniella turned her head slightly, looking to Roísín from underneath her lashes. ”Daniella...” the woman’s voice solemnly crept out from her hood. ”I want you to keep going towards the exit. Karl and I can make quick work of this and be right behind you. You don’t need to see it.” Her fingers limply slid from the girl’s arm, falling back to her side as she passed the girl and took a few well-paced strides towards her target, Karl happily buzzing after her with a quick happy wave at Dani on his way over. Obsidian fluid began to drip from the woman’s sleeves, never actually reaching the ground as it snaked over itself and returned to the dark recesses of fabric. Fur trimmed tips were engulfed by the viscous liquid, traveling upwards past the woman’s elbows into their signature jagged edges. Her claws quickly fleshed out from glops of goop, their blades reflecting the light as they grew sharper and more defined. The cloaked figure stood there with its back to the girl, staring daggers at its prey as it waited to be alone with him. She didn’t want Daniella to see how much of a savage hellion she could be without a cover of darkness to shield some of the horror. She hadn’t had much to eat since her parasitic relationship with the Persephone had begun. There wasn’t much time to search for ‘worthy’ prey at their quick stops, so the woman had resorted to conserving the food she did have, including the Dominion corpses she and Maya had gathered aboard the ship. Perhaps it was all the physical activity of sneaking around the complex the past few days, or the leaps from rooftops to hideouts carrying her ‘ward’ around; but the woman could not deny that her body felt that much heavier and the soon-to-be-carcass before her smelt that much more appealing. Something about his blood was attracting her towards it like a dinner bell. The intoxicating aroma of singed skin and fear wafted into her senses; loosening her grip on humanity the longer she spent in its vicinity. It was beginning to become a bit maddening how deeply she wanted to sink her fangs into his flesh and drag her claws through his tissues, so she could feel his still warm blood slither down her throat and sit in her gullet. Gigantic nightmarish digits flexed as she spoke once again in her Skeleton Harvester voice, as though she were growing impatient, ”GO!”
Daniella was absolutely torn. She put her gaze back on McLaughlin, who was already bleeding quite a bit due to her handy-work. She wanted to watch him suffer. She knew that much. She wanted to watch as the life drained out of his eyes….she wanted to watch as he realized that everything he’d worked so hard for had come to bite him in the a**. But Roísín was demanding that she leave, and she didn’t really sound to open to opposition. Dani looked back to the white haired woman for a moment as she debated. Ultimately Daniella came to the conclusion that Roísín was her ticket out of here, and she was going to do as the woman asked. At least she could revel in the fact that Roísín had accepted her request, and that Gregory would be killed. Briefly she nodded to Roísín, and turned to leave. Gregory dropped from the wall and haphazardly crawled along, trying to stand up. Daniella began running, bare feet striking the ground with little regard of avoiding glass or anything else.
She could hear Gregory yelling after her, but she did her best to block him out. ”Daniella! Don’t leave me here! What about our future? What about our family?” She gritted her teeth and linked up with Gregory mentally one last time. Gregory wailed and collapsed on the ground, screaming as his head ached. He wanted to claw at his head, but sadly was unable to. His bloody arms lifted, and eventually he slammed his head into his forearms. McLaughlin shook, a bit of blood beginning to leak out his ear. And suddenly the pain stopped. He took a few ragged breaths, able to hear his heart pounding out of his chest. Slowly, the older man turned and looked to the monster who was tasked with killing him. ”P-please…”
It was oddly soothing when Gregory finally fell off of Daniella’s radar. An astounding silence surrounded her…unable to find another stream of thought within sixty feet. She was still running though. Just a bit further. Dani pushed herself and eventually skidded sloppily to a stop once she deemed she was far enough away. The woman turned around, staring at the place that she’d been held captive for…how long? She still wasn’t sure. Her grey eyes stared intently at the exit that she was decently far away from now, waiting for Roísín to appear. She looked down at the gun that was still gripped in her hand. Daniella did her best to catch her breath, dropping her arms to her side. She grimaced for a moment, trying to hold back the lump in her throat. Ultimately, she was unsuccessful. Dani began crying, quiet sobs. She let the tears stream down her face, a grateful smile reaching her lips. She was free, again. All thanks to Roísín. After a moment she looked away from the exit, staring at the wasteland that was Venus.

Róisín listened to the blonde skitter away as her eyes stayed fixed on the bleeding man before her. Though she had been focused on getting Daniella out of the building as soon as possible, her brain was screaming at her that this was top priority now. She couldn’t process any other thoughts at the moment. Usually she could rationalize her thoughts, tell herself that she could wait till later, but there was something else controlling her hunger at the moment, she was on auto pilot, and the girl couldn’t be gone fast enough for the monster’s liking. It only took the girl’s footsteps to be out of earshot for the beast to completely take over the normally composed woman. There wasn’t the usual look out, planning, or dragging her victim into a hiding spot, she didn’t even check to see if Daniella was okay before her claws started to slash the man to bits and sink her teeth into his flesh. She didn’t know how long it was until she came back into consciousness and swallowed the mouthful of whatever was resting on her tongue. With blood smeared down her chin and neck the woman stared down at the pile of visceral organs, taking a sharp breath in as she struggled to remember at what point she had gotten down on her hands and knees. She scrambled back up, staring down at the body parts scattered along the ground with wide eyes, golden tresses flashing across her vision as she remembered just what she was supposed to be doing. ”Daniella!” Karl buzzed into her vision, causing the pale skinned woman to nearly jump out of her skin. ”RÓISÍN HURRY UP WE HAVE TO GET TO THE SHIP BEFORE PEOPLE FIGURE OUT THAT WE’RE HERE!” The woman stared in a daze, the words escaping her as Karl let out an exasperated sigh and started scanning and beaming up parts still left on the ground. The woman shook her head and took in her surroundings, looking in the direction of the exit as the haziness in her brain dissipated. ”Karl… let’s get out of here.” ”OKAY!” the little computerized fish squealed out as the two fled from the crimson soaked rubble. They regrouped with Daniella, stopping for no more than a single tick before the three of them continued running towards the ship. There was no time for explanations, and at this point there was no real need. Daniella knew where the blood was from, and Róisín knew that whatever that man had done to make the sweet girl wish for his death was enough to justify what had just happened. It wasn’t necessary at the moment to interrogate one another about the details; all that mattered was that they get out of Venus and into hiding till things blew over. As they got closer to the ship, its camouflaging mirror coat flickered out of view and the door slid open, allowing the trio to quickly slip inside. Róisín immediately rushed to the front of the tiny ship and started pressing button after button and sliding her fingers across screens and floating projections, the ship bracing itself for takeoff. ”Hold onto something!” the woman yelled as the ship’s engines blasted and propelled the ragtag aircraft into the planet’s atmosphere.


"Where words fail, Music Speaks."
¤What's Playing: In This Moment - World in Flames