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

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

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

outfit // Persephone
stamina // 88% - rested, but hungry
addiction status // satisfied


Alexei had listened to Alister intently as he laid out the situation before them. She had been a bit amused at the wanted poster they had crudely designed for her and Lorelei--apparently, they were not as important as the others they accompanied. Still, she was interested to hear about each one's situation, and was more than surprised to learn that the company she kept included the heir to Gen Ex. She glanced over at Christian with fascination a few times during Alister's talk. When Alister mentioned they were going to Calypso, she perked up. Calypso had a small Lethe hub that Maiachev often recounted traveling to during liaisons. It would be very beneficial to her that they stop there, so she raised no objections. As for the danger level of the area, she was used to that sort of thing, though Daniella and Christian might have some trouble.

The money, however, worried her. Alexei did not have any personal cash because of her 'agreement' with Lethe, and the card for credits that she used had so many technological mumbo-jumbo magic on it that she could buy a slice of pizza in a hut on Arendes and they would know within minutes. She couldn't just hand Alister the card and tell him there were millions of credits on it. I don't suppose anyone on the ship is fixing to buy three thousand credits worth of lotos off of me? she thought.

A sharp pain surged through her head. Alexei felt the temperature in the room rise. Once again, her thoughts wandered to the lotos in the briefcase. When Alister finally let them go, Alexei silently followed Rhia on a tour of the ship--which mainly consisted of Rhia grunting at them names and not being pleased whatsoever that there were new people on the groaning hunk of metal that was apparently a ship. Nonetheless, Alexei immediately excused herself when a room became available and she locked the door behind her. Turning around, she noticed it was a pretty small area--probably a newbie's quarters. Without hesitation, she dropped the briefcase on the tiny coffee table and turned on the light. The briefcase had a coded lock, but Maiachev had provided it for her right before...

She pushed the thought from her head and opened the case. Like she had expected, pounds of lotos in neatly cut blocks were sitting in the box, covered neatly with plastic wrap and tagged in metal boxes. She took them out carefully--the boxes were coded to only open to Lethe members, but she wasn't sure what booby traps could activate if she slipped up. She then searched the rest of the case--unfortunately, she couldn't figure anything out at all about what else was in it. Apparently something incredibly important that was supposed to go to Zeus...provided everything hadn't fallen apart at the seams with the Coalition storming everything. Deciding not to trouble herself with it further, she opened one of the boxes and pulled out the block that had been used to sample the product. Using her knife, she cut off a piece and chewed it. It had a bitter minty taste, almost like someone had put salt in mint gum. It slowly began to mix with her saliva and, once it attained a soft enough consistency, she moved it to under her tongue.

A moment passed by, and she began to feel elated. Her mind cleared and she felt a bit of numbness under her skin before it turned into a pleasant tingle. The electrifying feeling traveled through her body, and she sighed and smiled. Everything was better--for now.

She took a quick nap, showered in the tiny bathroom connected to her room, and then headed down to the kitchen, remembering dinner was ready. The lotos still moving through her system, she saw Alister drinking. Apparently she was the first to arrive. Alexei looked Alister up and down. He was incredibly handsome, she noticed, and there was this dangerous aura surrounding him that caused a small tremble down her spine. He had given her a wink earlier...she hoped to collect on that later. Magnified by the lotos, she couldn't help but smile a little, which was out of her nature.

"Steak? Seems pretty gourmet for this ship," Alexei said, walking over to him. "By the way, about your credits...this is going to sound typical, but I truly have no money of my own. Once we get to Calypso, I can pay you back in full." Selling some of the lotos would net her a good amount to give to him, and keep him from hunting for her once she found her way back to Lethe. "Ares must have been especially feisty today," she added, touching the pendant with the Children of Olympus symbol that was under her sweater. "Your ship is named Persephone. Are you an Olympian as well? If so, any statue would do. A little prayer would be nice right now." She didn't want to specify her favored gods--she'd take any one she could get. She eyed the bottle he held. "Got a sip for me?"

_____________________________________

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


- "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo", Wilfred Owen

_____________________________________

[Space Candy]

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

XXXXXXXXDaniella Pearson sat in her room cell with her head tilted back. Grey eyes stared up at the lights above her. They were the lights she'd known for most of her life. Sunlight was a rare encounter. She yearned for more of that kind of warmth. To feel the ground beneath her feet instead of the cold floor she was use to. She was alone for now, it was late, almost time for the lights to shut off. And then she would leave. Dani had learned the layout of the complex over her years, piecing together a mental map that would lead to her escape.

A light sliding sound caught her attention, and Dani turned her head to gaze upon Gregory McLaughlin. He was the bane of her existence, and the one who managed all of her projects. Daniella was smart enough to play along with his ways, upsetting him or crossing him would end badly. She had to pick her moments wisely. McLaughlin was wearing one of those awful helmets. Dani remained from smirking, knowing full well the device did them no good. It did not stop her from prying into their minds in any way. It was odd for him to come visit her this late though, just before lights out.

"I need to talk to you about something Dani. Your opinion would be helpful. You're a smart girl. You know about science and math, genetics..." Gregory said aloud, linking his hands together behind his back.
Dani stared at him for a moment. "I will give you my opinion, though it may not be what you are looking for." She replied in a calm manor. The blonde eyed Gregory cautiously.
"We've been looking into some new projects...How do I put this...."

The scene faded, and her mind proceeded to run through various memories from her life. Some were recent, and others were from when her brother was still alive. They didn't come in chronological order, and were jumbled together.
She was running, and then she was in a class at the complex. Screaming, pain in her neck. Then she was crying.
Daniella traced her fingers over her arm, and after a moment she was digging into her own flesh with her nails. The blood was everywhere. She could remember the pain and the way it smelled...

The female opened her grey eyes and stared at the wall opposite her bed. It took her a moment to realize where she was. Dani wasn't use to waking up anywhere but her cell at GenEx...
She remained laying down for a moment, processing. Alister had come and talked to them earlier, and after that she had chosen a cabin on the ship at random. But the image of the wanted posters were pressing the back of her mind, causing her to worry. Her fake ID would be useless for the most part. The poster had her name on it after all...
Her belongings, however few, were stacked neatly at the foot of her bed. Daniella had placed them there before taking a shower and passing out. No one had come in to disturb her and that was good. And the fact that she could enter and exit the room at her own leisure was a welcome change. The guards outside her door were a familiar sight, but at least they were there to protect her, not trap her...for the time being anyway. Dani had become so use to being locked up. It was something Daniella had no desire to go back to. She didn't need to be caged any longer. Dani wanted to be free. Perhaps she could move to a small secluded town...she didn't need a lot of credits to be happy. In an ideal situation she'd become a teacher, educating youngsters about mathematics and old literature. GenEx had been surprisingly lenient with lending Daniella books to read...Even they wanted to keep their little project feeling like she had some choice in things. But that little dream was something Dani knew she'd have to put in a jar on the shelf. Where was she supposed to go now that she had a wanted poster? The number of people after her had to have jumped exponentially after that.

Daniella peered around her room calmly. After a moment, she sat up and grasped a brush to run through her hair. "Christian..." He wasn't too far from her, and it was easier to link with him than it was with any of the others. With the way the cabins were set up no one was out of her radius....which could be good or bad, depending. "What am I supposed to do now? How can I disappear...What are you going to do? Your father will be not be enthused when he realizes you assisted me. This is a mess...."
The blonde ran her fingers through her light waves and glanced to her arm. Her bicep was still wrapped in bandages, which probably needed to be replaced. She would have to fix it up later though. "I'm so sorry Christian. I shouldn't have allowed you to help me." Daniella pressed her thumb into the palm of her other hand, massaging it gently as she worried about where this journey would take her.

It was dinner time now, a message made clear to everyone on board. Dani was hungry, but she was so nervous that she worried eating would only make her nauseous. Still, it would be wise for her to get something in her stomach after the day she'd had...She picked through her remaining clean clothes and slipped on a pair of jeans and a nondescript grey T-shirt. It was a little large on her, but Dani wasn't about to complain about something of that sort. She put her sneakers on and walked to the door to her cabin. Daniella took a breath before opening the door, still internally thrilled it had opened when she wanted.
The blonde stepped out of her room and past the guards, giving them a meek glance. Daniella began making her way towards the dining area, hoping that the meal would be uneventful and calm...but with their current make-up of people it didn't seem too likely. She could always hope though...

xxxxLocation :: Heading towards the kitchen-dining area.
xxxxCompany :: None
xxxxHealth :: 100% - Cautious.
xxxxTunes ::Everybody's Watching Me - The Neighbourhood

[Lysander the Poet]

"This food is a lot of things, but gourmet it ain't, darlin'. Got a client whose into the spice trade, among other kinds of trade...the more illicit kind. Pays me a fair wage for both the honest business, and the other kind. Also graciously stocks the ship with spices. Fresh food is hard to keep on long journeys, but mostly it's an expensive luxury. Most pre-packaged garbage and protein goop. But, with a bit of spice and some culinary magic, a lot is possible. And don’t you be talkin’ crap about my ship. Especially when it was mostly her who pulled all your asses out of a rough situation. She may not look like much, but she’s probably one of the best ships in the system...or that may just be my affection for her. But she’s got it where it counts, even if she’s not always reliable. Hard to keep a ship in top shape when the pirating business starts to go out of style. Dominion clamping down and such." Alister took another sip from his drink, and gave Alexei a proper look over. Her most standout feature was her eyes. That was the second thing Alister noticed. The first was how calm she seemed about this entire situation...and there are a certain kind of people that can retain that kind of calm. She also looked to be a bit younger than most aboard the crew, and certainly a fair bit younger than Alister himself, who would be turning 28 in a few months. He also recognized something in her voice, and some subtle features that were indicative of Mars born culture. When he heard the situation on his payment, he sighed, but it wasn’t much of an irritated sigh...just a normal sigh without undertones. He forced his muscles into a smile, and shrugged it off. He took another mouthful of beer, letting the liquid slide down into his body.

”Not often you hear those kinds of words AFTER we’ve already started the journey. Guess I can cut a pretty lil girl like you some slack. But, it’s definitely gonna cost ya. Might have to take off the little discount. And of course, I can’t be takin’ you all the way out to Calypso, without some kind of...collateral, or something. But, you’re a smart girl, and judging by what happened on Kessel Station, you can take care of yourself. I’m sure you’ll figure something out before we dock at the station. Even once we drop out of FTL, it’ll take time to locate the station in the sector of the belt that it’s in, and even then, navigating the asteroids for a good docking angle is a pain in the a**...plus waiting for docking authorization. We’ve got a bit of time to relax, decompress...and I have to come up with a next move.” He ran his free hand through his hair, and adjusted his stance slightly, leaning back against the wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room. When she spoke on Ares, and asked if he was an Olympian, he did what he could to suppress old hatreds, and it probably came across as a sort of offended look, but that faded in an instant. ”Ares, the God of War…” He mumbled, drinking a bit more beer...he would need some increased intoxication if he was going to be dealing with this crap. And it would take a lot more than the beer he had shipboard to do that, but he had to start somewhere.

”Folks have to be some kind of special to blame the problems and happenings in the galaxy on their damned Gods. Olympians, Terrans, clinging to such old and absurd notions. No Gods are guiding my destiny. No big invisible men...or women, in the sky, controlling what I do, and what happens around me.” Taking another swig, he gave an inquisitive look towards Alexei, and then shook his head. ”Didn’t mean to offend your faith or anythin’, darlin’. I got more reasons than not to decide to toss you out an airlock, but I don’t have any plans to. I’m not an Olympian. And I didn’t name the ship...she named herself. AI programming lets the intelligence pick a form for itself, and well, this one decided to look like that, and called herself ‘Persephone’. I’m sure we can find something for ya...maybe generate a hologram or something. As long as you keep your prayin’ as far from me as people... Speakin’ of Olympians...I can sort of hear it in your voice...you’re from Mars. I was born in Ares, on that little red ball o’ dust.” Alister, sort of shifted on the wall, reaching around the corner and opening the fridge. Grabbing another bottle out, he pulled the cap off with his teeth, and passed it over to Alexei. ”Here. And a toast, to still being alive.”

Outside the dining area, Rhia was storming down the hall, generally displeased. Not for much of a reason, just because that was the way she was. The blonde Scott had enough anger in her to blow up a damn ship. And while she was storming down the hallway, anger about absolutely nothing in particular, she almost plowed right into Daniella. They were close enough that they could hear conversation happening in the dining area, and Rhia really wanted to get to dinner...but, seeing as she had almost ran down the younger blonde, she felt a flutter of...something. Definitely not any real emotions. She grabbed the girl to save her from falling to the ground, and brushed her off a bit, very roughly. ”Come on, lassie. Can’t have you tumbling around the ship all pathetic like. Already bad enough you’ve got the cap’n shooting people for ya, instead of you doing it yourself.” She didn’t say it as an insult, or intentionally cruelly, but it may have come off that way by how cold Rhia seemed. ”You’re going to have to learn to defend yourself if you’re going to be on the run...and to protect your little boyfriend, too. Rich kid like that probably doesn’t even know which end of a gun fires, much less which nerves in a man’s body can cripple him for life with just the right amount of pressure.”

If Daniella attempted to sift through Rhia’s thoughts, she would have quite the hard time trying to do it. Rhia’s mind was pretty fortified, not because of some special training, but just because she had a lot of psychological scar tissue. Brief glimpses of a small girl, probably her, covered in blood with a knife in her hand. A fleet of ships that were most likely pirate in origin. A cruel man, who was even more scarred, tattooed, and ferocious looking than Alister Blood, an extreme feeling of hatred, regret, and the word ‘father’ along with it. And then there were glimpses of the Persephone. The overall feeling was serene accompanying these images. It was a rollercoaster of emotion, and almost impossible to follow. ”Your name is Daniella, correct? I’m Rhia...and I suppose I’m at your disposal if you require anything. So that you don’t constantly bother the captain.” It was also probably very obvious that Riha was attempting to be nice. It wasn’t a very effective try, but she was nonetheless. She was mostly stalling, since she wasn’t looking forward to dinner as much as she had, even though she was hungry...all these passengers they couldn’t trust, dining with them...it wasn’t a good idea.

[Resounding Memory]

William Howard Braxton

After the group meeting had broken up, Will made his way to an open cabin. First thing he did was lock the door. Second, he swept the room for any monitoring devices. Once his paranoia had been satisfied, he disrobed and took a shower. In the shower, he thought about the situation he found himself in. While there were worse places he could be right now, this was not a pleasant spot. He had a bounty on his head, was being taken to Calypso, and shared a ship with people who neither trusted or liked him. It was a tough predicament, but if he played things right, he might make it out alive. Still, this was a proverbial minefield he was in through. One wrong move, one ego bruised, he might have a new hole in his head.

After showering and getting dressed, Will laid on his bed with his hands behind his head and wondered what Corsair and Quincy were doing. Naturally, he assumed they were looking for him, trying to see if he had sent any messages to them. Either that, they were hot on Persephone’s tail, following them to Calypso. That theory hinged entirely upon whether Corsair had received Will’s last message before making the escape. At any rate, he could make contact with someone once he reached Calypso. It was entirely probable he could hitch a ride with another Terran Intelligence operative. Saturn saw enough activity with Intelligence someone could extract him from Calypso without raising eyebrows. Then, he would be back on his way; however, there was still the matter of Daniella and Christian.

While Daniella was top priority, Christian was now someone he wanted to get out of this situation as well. Neither belonged with pirates, especially not with someone like Alister Blood. He would either get the killed or would do it himself. Still, Will had damaged relations with them by trying to snag Dani back on Kessel, so he doubted he could easily get them to agree to come with him. As he weighed his options on how to proceed, the announcement dinner was ready brought his focus back to the present. Standing up, he grabbed his jacket and slung it over his shoulder before exiting the cabin.

Will made his way to the dining compartment, moving past Dani and Rhia with nothing but an, ”Excuse me.” Finding himself a seat at the table, he set his jacket on the back of the chair and took a seat. Looking over at Blood and the mysterious woman, he gave a small wave when they acknowledged his existence. Blood was someone Will knew about, but this woman was an unknown. Based on what he had seen, he figured she was probably addicted to something. The way she was acting before they went back to their new rooms versus now, and even in the firefight, suggested something had bothered her that was not stress. It had to be withdrawal and probably one from a strong addiction. Her skin was indicative of a Martian, based on how many Will had seen. She piqued Will’s interest, and he hope dshe would be a more stable element than Blood.

Current Name: Ben Hughes

Status: Healthy
Location: Persephone Dining Area
Current Objective: Survive and Try to Salvage His Assignment

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

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

outfit // Persephone
stamina // 88% - lustful, hungry
addiction status // satisfied

As she had suspected, Alexei wasn't going to get off easy when it came to owing Alister Blood. She thought of a way to pay him before they got off of the station. She couldn't give him the lotos--no, that needed to get to Calypso--but perhaps there was something in her keyPC that could help her. She glanced down at the small, thin box strapped to her side, hoping that the firewalls on the ship weren't going to trace her searches. She could use the Lethe database (at least as far as her access allowed) and find something that Alister could use. Enemy locations, perhaps? "Well, let's see what I can offer. Send me a list of any organizations or names you've had trouble with--drug rings, specifically--and I'll see what I can do."

The sudden defamation of her religion caused Alexei to frown at Alister. Olympians were often accused of being self-serving because each god corresponded to a certain part of culture. As a result, people of one sway would follow the teachings of one god, and that was normally beneficial to them--however, those on the outside could misconstrue it as taking advantage of the blessings without acknowledging the misdeeds. She was surprised to hear him then apologize (in a way) about his outburst. "To live without faith is a dark path," Alexei replied. "But to live with faith is even darker, because the light is simply not there, like the old Bible taught. They aren't just men and women in the sky...they are ideas, beyond what we can truly understand, and they are what created us. Might as well be thankful for it," she added. "I thank you for letting me use a hologram. It'll do." In the hardest moments of her life, she at least had her faith. That's one of the things that kept her going...that, and her father's well-being.

Alexei was once again taken off guard when Alister mentioned he was born in Ares. "Oh really? I come from Dysnomia," she replied, and then paused. The lotos made her open up a lot more--usually, she wouldn't be talking so openly like this. She took the bottle from him and lifted it up as a sort of salute before taking a swig. The liquid burned pleasantly as it traveled down her throat.

About twenty minutes had passed, and she had finished half the bottle. Mixed with the lotos, she felt pleasantly tipsy and high, and the combination was exquisite. At this point, Alexei had taken off her sweater, and was wearing only her red tank top that was underneath. She smiled a little and ran her fingers through her hair before looking at Alister behind those orange goggles of hers. "Seems like people are taking a long time to show up," Alexei noticed, moving closer to him and placing a finger on his chest, slowly drawing circles and bringing her finger down until it touched his belt buckle. "Look, I don't know if you trust me or not, but I need to get to Calypso, and I'll make sure you get me there, with no inconvenience to you. But you need to relax, I need to relax...so instead of making awkward conversation that neither of us enjoy while waiting for the others, why don't we go up to your room and screw?" Alexei had always been blunt about sex. When she wanted it, she asked. If she was rejected, she didn't push. But something told her that he wouldn't say no.

However, before she was able to see if he'd honor her in the request, Ben had arrived. He had most likely seen her hand against Alister's chest, their bodies merely inches apart, and maybe he'd heard her proposition Alister, but she didn't care. She turned and looked him up and down. He's also attractive, but probably less receptive to casual sex...I can try him out later, she thought. Alexei no one aboard the ship trusted him, but she had no reason to not. His problems with the others didn't concern her. And with the lotos flowing through her, she felt open enough to talk. "Looks like someone's joining us," she said. "So...Ben Hughes, huh? Seems like you got off on the wrong foot with everyone, but that doesn't matter to me. We've got steak. It's pretty nice-looking actually." she said, moving over to him and clearly staring him up and down in a slightly predatory manner. She smirked. "So, what's Calypso to you? Any plans once we get there?"

_____________________________________

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


- "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo", Wilfred Owen

_____________________________________

[Sir Dietary Supplement]

Ｃｈｒｉｓｔｉａｎ Ａｄａｍ Ｂｅｒｎｅｔxxxxxxthe heir to GenEx


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


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



➤ his room > near mess hallxx➤ no one > dani, rhiaxx➤ relaxing a bit


"Mr. Bernet, I am so glad to hear from you! Are you safe? Did you get off the station? Did anyone hurt you? If they did I will personally track them down and shoot them myself!" a small chuckle slipped from Christian's lips as he finally contacted his secretary.

"I'm fine, unharmed and off the station and you are as well?" the woman nodded. "That's good, glad to know you got out of there alive. Insane what happened."

"Mr. Bernet, I already heard that someone said an Alister Blood kidnapped you. One of your father's men asked me questions and I didn't know what to say....he's letting you contact me? Odd situation you find yourself in," she was concerned. The red head furrowed her brow for a moment. "And this Pearson girl, what do you know of her?"

"Matters like that aren't important. I just need you to keep on trusting me. I am not in direct danger at the moment, but I can't talk for long. I need you to do me a favor, I'm sending an encrypted file with various names. I need you to transfer money from those accounts to the first one on that list. Don't ask me reasons, I cannot share them right now. Also, make sure no one can track the transfers."

"Sir, are you sure you alright. If the kidnappers are asking money have your fa-"

"No, it has nothing to do with that. Just don't ask questions. I have to go. I'll be safe and I'll keep in touch as much as I can. Say no word to my father that I contacted you. If I could tell you the reasons I would, I just need you to trust me Ms. Holbrook."

"With my life Mr. Bernet. I'll do the favor, just keep yourself safe. Don't let anyone underestimate you. I know you can kick a** if it needs to be done," the redhead smiled and Christian chuckled a small bit and nodded.

"Take care, I'll talk to you soon."

Christian signed off the phone and turned the device off. Once they got to port he would have to buy another device. His father could too easily track his current one, though he could get a bit of money for his current one. Trade it in and get a slightly older model, he could live with that. It would at least alone him to make use of his alias's with very little worry of it leading back to him. Laying back in the bed he soon heard Dani in his head. Something he still had to get use too.

I could care less about what my father thinks at this point. Not like he'll disown me, he's too old to wait for another child to take over the company. Besides, it was my choice to help you. Don't worry about me. I'll handle whatever happens. Christian knew the risks he was taking once he started to aid her. He wasn't going to stop now, he was too far into it. He wanted to make sure she got somewhere safe, then he would put a stop to the program once he took over GenEx. It was that simple, if he couldn't of helped others escape he would of. Sometimes things just had to be done one at a time. It was the start of things that could easily make or break GenEx. Christian would hope the latter of the two would not happen, but he wouldn't know for sure until he took over.

As dinner was announced, Christian ran a hand through his hair. At least his clothes stayed fairly clean during their escape. Some grim was on them, but nothing major. He wouldn't mind a change of clothes though, perhaps someone on board would have clothes his size. Exiting his room, he made his way to the mess hall. Stopping as he saw Dani and Rhia. He smiled towards the two. "I didn't get a chance to say it early. But thank you for the accommodations as well, hope we don't cause you too much trouble," he smiled at Dani. "I'm Christian, but most know who I am anyways."

He looked over at Dani. "You doing okay?" he asked. They were near the mess hall, he was good at making notes of where things were, always blessed with a good memory. "Shall we see how well this food comes out?"

{[ its something. ]}

[Space Candy]

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

XXXXXXXXDani stumbled as Rhia slammed into her. The poor girl almost fell down, but thankfully the other woman managed to steady her. The surprise of the incident had thrown her a bit off guard, and as such she managed to catch a few thoughts and images from Rhia. Dani quickly shut them out again though, not happy about the risk of seeing something she didn't need or want to. She cleared her throat softly and glanced to Rhia. Her words stung, even if the intention wasn't to insult her Daniella definitely felt like someone slapped her. Boy friend? Was she talking about Christian? That was the only thing Dani could think of, though the notion of anything romantic was not something that came easily to her. She cared about Christian, but mostly felt indebted to him: and guilty for bringing him into her mess. Romance and love were not something on Dani's agenda, and truthfully she probably didn't know how to be affectionate in that way. Still, Dani let it slide. She was not about to try and correct Rhia. It would get her nowhere, and more than likely cause an unwanted tension.

"Yeah...I don't know the first thing about how to fight. I lived a very..." Dani knitted her brows together for a moment, picking her words. She became somewhat distracted, and her gaze left Rhia. As if she was staring behind her. Christian had responded to her mentally, and at his words she bit the inside of her cheek with worry. All her fault. Daniella snapped back to reality and locked her eyes on Rhia again. "Sheltered life before all of this." Absentmindedly, the woman push her hand through her hair, fingernails scraping the side of her head gently. Daniella looked to Rhia cautiously. "There are a lot of things I'm not use to yet." There was a brief pause, and Daniella crossed her arms as if that would somehow help sooth her. It was about that time that Ben walked past them. He gave a brief 'excuse me' and continued, but Dani couldn't help but feel uneasy despite his words. The blonde watched him go, eying him for a moment before turning back to the Scott.
"I will probably wind up staying on board for more than just this trip to Calypso. I feel I should end up a bit further from Kessel Station than that..." Arms still crossed, Dani picked at the bottom edge of her bandages. "Perhaps...you could teach me a few things. About self defense and the like...If you don't mind? Up to you really..." Daniella wasn't a fan of violence, or death---much less that horrific silencing of thoughts that occurred at the point of death. But Dani wasn't stupid. She was realistic. It was obvious now that she needed to learn to take care of herself. Wherever she ended up in the end, Christian wouldn't be there with her. No one on this ship would. She would be alone, starting new. A clean slate. But not all people were good. There were people with rotten cores and selfish hearts. People who would hurt her, or try to, even without knowing her true abilities...Daniella shifted uncomfortably and brought her fingers to her chin in thought.

"You can just call me Dani, if you like." That was about the time that Christian showed up. He spoke to Rhia politely as ever. If Christian had anything besides money is was manners. He was a gentleman, Dani knew that much. He was raised that way, and even though she could read his thoughts and know his motives it still somehow baffled her that he hadn't turned out like his father. But perhaps Christian's father wasn't so bad...Daniella had hardly been around him during her time at GenEx, it had mainly been Gregory McLaughlin who was the cause of all her troubles. Perhaps Bernet Senior had good intentions that were misplaced...Even so, he did allow the genetic experimentation to happen, and that was bad enough. Dani's grey eyes drifted down to her shoes. She nearly flinched when Christian spoke to her out loud. Daniella wasn't quite use to it yet. For years she'd communicated mainly through her telepathic links, and up until recently any communication she had with Christian was either telepathic or electronic.

She was having to use her actual voice now. That timid shaky voice that she hated. No doubt that her trailing soft words made Rhia think she was even more pathetic. "I'm fine. Physically, anyway." Daniella gave a meek smile at the mention of food. She was looking forward to whatever it was, even if it was prepared by a wanted outlaw...

Daniella glanced to Christian and Rhia again before turning and making her way to the dining area. Ben had already seated himself, and Alexei and Alister were practically smushed into one being. It didn't bother Dani either way. She could care less about anyone's romantic exploits. The blonde took a breath and straightened as she briskly walked past Ben, deliberately sitting as far away from him as possible. Dani also made it a point to not look at him directly. She didn't want anything to do with him...Ideally he would just disappear, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. She pressed her lips into a thin line before begrudgingly admitting to herself that peeking around in Ben's head would do her some good. The more she knew about what specifically he wanted her for the better she could avoid him and whomever he may be working with.
It wasn't odd that someone would want a telepath at their disposal. Who wouldn't? That was why she didn't go around flaunting it. So far only two people on this ship knew of her ability, and she planned to keep it that way. Daniella realized that in this time of chaos, spying and gaining intel were sometimes more effective than actually fighting. GenEx had planned to use her for that purpose after all...along with some other things. Daniella pushed the memory of her last talk with Dr. McLaughlin out of her mind and tried to focus more on her current situation. Ben wanted to take her somewhere, for someone...but not for GenEx. He'd communicated that much to her and was being truthful about it. That didn't quite ease her paranoia though.

Slowly, Dani slid her eyes over to Ben and then lifted them to look to Christian and Rhia. At least she had a few people on her 'side'. Even if some of them were only helping her for money it was still a good thing. Alexei was talking currently, and seemed a tad intoxicated along with something else. Daniella didn't want to know though, and refrained from digging around in her mind. All she wanted was to figure things out...and eat. Steak did sound good. "Well well, isn't someone the unexpected chef..." She cooed internally, a smirk brushing across her features. It vanished quickly, and soon Dani went back to inspecting her surroundings.

xxxxLocation :: Dining table.
xxxxCompany :: Christian, Rhia, Alexei, Ben, Alister
xxxxHealth :: 100% - Cautious.
xxxxTunes ::Everybody's Watching Me - The Neighbourhood

[The Smut Peddler]

♚▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄N`O·V.A(`·.¸ Y ¸.·´)V.E·G´A S▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄♚

● Pirate
● Commander
● Lady Stratagem


“Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.” ~ William Blake



The morning had started out pretty rough for the lithe young woman. She had scheduled a trade of sorts deep in the heart of the black market area. Smuggling in a slew of military grade weapons to some allied pirates, the young pointy eared girl felt her heart sink as these pirates she’d grown to care about bought her products with homing nanites built in. Virtually untraceable, except by the Children of Olympus. But this was the position she was in. She had no other options. Extorted for her connections with the Independent Alliance of Humanity she would have to destroy them from the inside if she ever wanted to be rejoined with her beloved Captain alive. Sadly, she had an honest face, and a trustworthy demeanor; no one would question her motives.

A man with a glass eye looked over the weapons, shrugging as he nodded to a shorter wiry man.

“It’s legit.” He said, tossing one of the large rifles to a tall man in back who started packing them back into a crate. “Some of the best military grade s**t out there.”

The second shorter man grinned and took out his card. “So, commander Vegas, how much for the lot.”

Vegas smiled kindly and began to speak, but was interrupted by the larger glass eyed man.

“Whatever happened to The Pirate King himself? Skipped out on you and that whole “relationship thing?” Face it kid, he’s not the ah- settling down kind. If you get me.” He’d say, almost passing judgment on her for her choice in men. The smaller man shook his head in disagreement. “Sh- Tiberius would have never left that coat with her if he up and left. You know that! He’s too… into himself to let anything that important slip from his fingers. Isn’t it obvious he’s dead!”

Vegas stood there beginning to lose her compassion for these men. Her tender innocent face slowly turning into a scowl and a glare. The two seemed to be having plenty of fun at his expense and even the third man started to chuckle as they continued.

“Unless of course Commander here got tired of his perverted antics and killed him herself.” The glass eyed man laughed before catching his breath, looking up at Vegas. “So, how much, Veg?”

Without changing her flat expression she spoke, her tone seeming to have changed to a much more assertive one. “20,000 credits.”

The eyes of the small wiry gent widened greatly. “What?!?! That’s ridiculous. Commander, please reconsider, this is us you’re talking about. Cut us a deal here.”

“Prices went up. What can I say.” They grumbled under their breath “This would have never happened under Captain’s orders.” With that comment she had had enough and she took a tablet stylus and drove it into the crate millimeters away from the offending man’s hand. Her eyes looking menacing as she glared at them. “So help me I’ll cut you if you speak of him ONE MORE TIME! Now pay for the goods or we’ll be having words. Sharp, pointy, metal, words…”

Without hastation the men paid and took off. Almost as quickly as the sale started, it had ended. Happy with her return Vegas walked the streets of the Market sector alone. The long red coat making her stand out, but not nearly as much as her pointed ears and very long, thin, hairless tail. Those who knew her, paid no mind, but some youths would stop and stare. She would smile at them and press forward, but she would ignore their comments. On Earth the augmentations were something that the rich and powerful would give to their ‘fashionably’ lab created children. She had always been told by her father that they were experimental enhancements. And they did have some perks to them. She would stop at a coffee shop and buy a coffee before heading off to lay low for a while. Until she was told what to do again. As her hands became busy with a tablet and stylus, her tail would grab ahold of the Styrofoam coffee cup where she could sip at her leisure.

Reaching the docks Vegas met with Rhia and made arrangements to broad their fine ship. She wasn’t fooled, this ship would do just fine. It reminded her a bit of her old ship. Except more legal in appearance from the outside. After having their ship ceased, all it’s illegal parts torn apart and the ship destroyed for information it was a bit hard to board another ship. It felt too intimate, too soon. As if she needed more time to mourn it as it had been her home since she’d left Earth. Vegas boarded her things and set up in a fairly decent room and waited for launch. During the downtime, Vegas was pinged by the kidnappers. She had to answer the call. She started to hear a scuffle outside, but this call was by far more important to her.

She pulled up a screen on the HUD on her glasses and smiled as she saw the blue eyed man with the same genetic enhancements that she had staring at her.

“Ti-baby!” She exclaimed, much like a giddy little school girl. “Are you alright? I did what they asked me to do. They’re all can be traced now.”

The man appeared to be eagerly looking at the bottom of the screen, moving his head as if he would better see something on the screen as if it were a window instead of an image. “I can’t see anything.”

“See anything….?” She looked at him, her emerald eyes peering back. The man nodded and lifted his cuffed hands and groped the air before him. “I can’t see ANYTHING from this angle. You get me?”

She would chuckle, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at him, giving her the same coy grin he had the very moment first she saw him. “I miss you.” He would smile and respond back “I miss you too Nova.”

He would look a bit serious and sigh. “They want me to remind you that they will contact you next time they need you. Until then, lay low.” Vegas nodded and watched the screen fad out for a moment and then back in. The ship had obviously taken off. The screen would take a moment but Vegas would see Ti’s charming face last time before he would say something she couldn’t hear before the screen turned off. She let the tears fall down her cheeks as she watched the footage over and over again on the display until she finally pulled the glasses off her face and rested them on the nightstand.

There was so much going on, but she was stuck inside her own mind. Worried sick on whether or not he was ok. The rumbling, the commotion, none of that seemed to phase her as much as that call had.

Finally growing hungry enough to at the very least look at some food, Vegas journeyed out into the mess hall/dining area. She would reach the room and look about, to see where she best would fit in the layout of the room. Looking the room over she would recall Alister, who’s reputation proceeded him. She was unsure just how much her reputation proceeded her within this bunch, but it mattered very little at this point. If they were on a well-known pirate’s ship, would they honestly be surprised to be seeing… pirates?

She smiled warmly, “A lively crew you've got yourself her Captain.”

Taking the seat closest to her, she sat down. She noticed the others around the table as well, one in particular standing out, was the intoxicated lass downing a bottle of liquor. Vegas would have happily taken up this hobby herself, if she thought she'd have the will to stop. Hearing the words of the young woman about her age stated she smiled. She envied her carefree nature. The chance to be upfront, demand action, she envied the confidence she had.

Vegas took off the oversized red coat, and neatly rested it on the back of her chair. Removing the large coat revealed an unusual accessory on her waist, it appeared to be a tractor beam attached to a belt buckle, but not of any grade seen in markets or shops. She'd sit down again and look about the room. Resting her forearms on the table she appeared to be unengaged, but in truth, she was very observant of the happenings around her. I hope no one steps on my tail... She'd think to herself, the tail, under everything, tapping almost like one does on a desk out of boredom.




Mood: Torn
Health: 100%
Song: xXx

[Lysander the Poet]

Alexei had made her move, and there was absolutely no subtlety to be had from her. And to be honest, Alister had to respect the absolute, blunt honesty of the proposition. Of course, that, and the fact that it was very enticing in its own right. It was at that point that Ben entered the room, and the she-predator diverted to stalking even more prey. They were also eventually joined by Dani, Christian, and Rhia, and finally the odd one of the bunch, whom Alister only recognized by reputation alone.The dining area had found itself full of voices and movement in almost no time. Alister was enjoying the rest of his drink, watching as the rest of his passengers streamed in at the dinner call. Alister didn’t trust any of them at all, but still, it was nice to see the dining area so crowded, and alive. Heartless murderer that he was, he could still enjoy some good company, even if he had to be ready to slit their throats in their sleep, or put a bullet in their backs. Hopefully, he could get his credits, and dump most of them off on Calypso, and be off without another thought. It would be fast, easy money, and the less time they spent aboard, the better. For him, and for them...it was easy to get lost on Calypso, and even easier for the world to forget you. Except for himself and Daniella, most of this would blow over. Alister couldn’t help, however, this insane feeling in the back of his head. Something bigger was going on here than any of them were willing to admit. The Dominion had taken a big step in taking Kessel Station. It was a bold move, and would certainly send ripples through the entire human race. Ripples became waves, and waves came crashing down thousands of miles away, tearing everything down. He wondered briefly where these waves would crash.

Seeing as the rest of the table was settling in, Alister took a seat at the head of the table. He began absorbing the different, smaller pieces of conversation. Unseen by most was the enormous amount of effort he was putting into NOT staring at Nova. The ears, the tale...he’d seen an interesting range of genetic modifications among the Dominion’s citizens. Hers took it to a whole ‘nother level. Hell, it was hard to believe that she was even human. ”Y’all can go ahead and start eating. I know it isn’t the best food you’ve ever had, but I did my best. My mother taught me how to make the best of whatever I had, and that includes cooking up a good meal. All credit transfers will be finalized before each passenger disembarks on Calypso. If you plan on staying aboard, we’ll set up a timetable while we’re on Calypso, depending on the length of the repairs. I also feel like I should go over a couple rules, since I’m sure a few of you aren’t familiar with the more...customary workings of Calypso.” He cut into his steak, and forked a piece of the meat into his mouth, giving it a fair chew before swallowing. The look on his face reflected that he was actually surprised that it tasted like anything resembling food. And he was definitely one to rest on his laurels. Other than eating, and trying not to stare at Nova’s peculiar features, Alister practically had one eye shifting from Dani to Ben. Luckily for him, Rhia had seemed to take a sort of liking to Dani, or something akin to liking, since he wasn’t sure his first mate was capable of liking anyone. She placed herself next to the younger blonde, and began shoveling food into her mouth.

”While we’re on Calypso, if you’re not seeking a path towards other destinations, I would highly recommend either staying aboard the ship for the duration, or at least don’t leave the vicinity of the dock without Rhia or I. Calypso isn’t exactly the safest place. All the pirates liked to play nice on Kessel, and the loose code of the Independents meant something. But places like Calypso and such are ruled by their own crews and gangs, and their view of morals and ethics are flexible in all the wrong places. I’ve got a few smuggler friends that like to run illicit goods throughout the Dominion territories out of Calypso. Might help us get an update on Dominion movements, see if they’re locking down any sectors. Moving out of Calypso is a lot easier than moving on in, but the belt is big, and the Dommies shouldn’t be able to find us. There aren’t many places safe from their touch, but I’ve got a few ideas of where to continue from Calypso. I’m also open to suggestions...your ideas are good as long as you’ve the credits to back ‘em. You’ll eventually get used to the life of having wanted posters of your face plastered in most civilized corners of the system. That, or you’ll get caught. I definitely have no notion of those bastards catching me anytime soon, though.” When he said this, he glanced over at Nova. There were a lot of rumors going around about the fate of her captain, Tiberius Pierce. Alister had met Pierce maybe once or twice before he popped off the map. He was less enamored with the ‘King of Pirates’ than most of the community. Though, probably because with Pierce gone, Alister Blood was the one who filled those shoes the best. And Alister sort of liked adopting the moniker, though he hadn’t. Not out of any kind of respect, but simply because he felt he needed one big job to earn something that prestigious, for it was definitely not a title that was earned easily, or taken lightly. All those things, and because it was hard to have a King of the Pirates if you couldn’t have a kingdom. All those IAH ideals of uniting under one banner, being truly free...it was a load of garbage. All these damned pirates were merely out for themselves, and Calypso was a good place to see that. Part shipyard, part smuggling operation, and they had even extended into asteroid mining territory, which rubbed quite a few people the wrong way. It was starting to attract too much attention.

Alister continued to devour his meal, realizing with a small sadness when it was finally gone that he was still sort of hungry, and overall exhausted. From landing on Kessel Station to their dramatic exit, it had been a long day. He was looking forward to getting a little bit of rest before arriving on Calypso. Though, judging by certain factors, he wasn’t sure how much of that relaxation was going to be sleep. Once he finished his plate completely, he rose from the table and took it over to the kitchen, placing it in the dishwasher. Unlike the models of the past, dishwashers in this era were extremely efficient and convenient, annihilating and residue or leftovers in moments, leaving the plate spotless. He washed his hands thoroughly, taking a moment to stare at his scarred, tattooed hands. He shook off whatever he had felt for that moment, and stood in the kitchen for a moment, checking some messages on his wrist-device. What he was really looking for popped up, and it almost made him punch a hole in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. News finally came out on the state of Kessel Station, and it wasn’t good. The Coalition, or more specifically, the Dominion, billed it as a pirate uprising. They accused the pirates of negotiating with Children of Olympus forces, and attempting a hostile takeover of the station, and the execution of all Terran Coalition and Dominion affiliated parties. Luckily, Admiral Halloran responded to a distress signal, and descended upon the station, with no choice but to destroy the resistance, and establish a garrison. Derekk Arnev was given the position of Magistrate of the station, replacing the Overseers. Another famous name...Derekk Arnev, led military prosecution against Alister Blood at his court martial. Another man firmly in Halloran’s, and the Dominion’s, pocket...and another name on Alister’s list of men who wanted to watch burn.

The most outrageous part of the report came near the end. There was a small section where they let it leak that the heir to the GenEx throne had been kidnapped, and it was assumed that the kidnapper, ‘infamous criminal and traitor to the Coalition, Alister Blood’, was also the one who began the pirate uprising, which they named the Kessel Rebellion. Halloran was a smart b*****d. He even went as far to insinuate that Alister’s new passengers may have been a part of the whole scheme. It gave the hunt for them, the wanted posters, all of it, some sort of official substantiation. Alister was furious, but he opened the fridge, cracked open another beer, and entered the dining area, looking around at the others. As he made his way out of the room, he glanced back at Dani, and briefly wondered what her deal was...it was an odd fascination, but there was something more to her than met the eye. He stepped past Alexei, and casually spoke out of the corner of his mouth, ”If you want to conclude negotiations of payment, you know where my cabin is. You don’t want to be in a position of debt with me.” He figured she knew exactly what he meant. Looking around the table again, he put on a smirk. ”Enjoy your dinner, everyone. I have...Captain-like duties to attend to. I’ll let you all know when we’re docking at Calypso.”

[Resounding Memory]

William Howard Braxton

Alister and Alexei’s affairs were an afterthought in Will’s head until the young woman approached him. Looking up at her from his chair, he noticed her examining him. Her gaze was not hostile though; it was closer to desire and hunger than anything else. ”Well, I made a poor judgment call, and it hasn’t made my trip on the ship any less exciting at least,” he said to her with a friendly smile. ”I plan on getting off this ship and finding mine when we get to Calypso. Hopefully, my crew will be nearby,” he said in response to her question. He then stood up and added, ”I think I’ll try some of that steak.”

Stepping away from Alexi, he made his way to the food and began to fix a plate. It was clear he was not interested in reciprocating her desire. She was a bit young for him, and he was not about to engage in such intimate activities with someone he had just met. That’s not to say he had not done that before, there was usually another motive to it though than simple bodily pleasure. Information was a common one, but he had done it to get closer to people as well. Most intimate settings for him were not that, rather just a means to an end. He had detached feelings from such things years ago when he became an intelligence agent. Emotion and feelings were dangerous when coupled with such acts. It made completing a mission harder when you could not pull the trigger on someone you had spent a night with. Will imagined most people would find it cold to be so removed when it comes to such things, but it was all part of the job for him.

As he finished preparing his plate, he returned to his seat and cut off a piece of steak. Much to his surprise, it was not half bad. Given the limited supplies and the fact the food had been prepared by a homicidal pirate, the steak was decent. It was not much better than military rations, but he guessed eating food on the Cornucopia for so long had spoiled him. Quincy had installed a software package, which allowed him to cook an incredible variety of food with little supplies, and all of Will’s profits earned from his smuggling were his to use at his discretion. Terran Intelligence realized how lucrative smuggling was and had simply supplied the requisite materials to get Will going. Otherwise, Will was financially independent unless things got tight. There was little oversight on what he spent the money he made on, most of which went towards improving the ship and getting better food.

Not long after he started eating, the rest of the passengers began filing in to eat. Naturally, Dani sat far away from him with Christian. He could not blame her for avoiding him after what he had tried to pull on Kessel Station. Most of the time when people try and snatch others away, it ends with the abductee either dead or locked away somewhere wretched. Will was not trying to do that to her. Instead, he was trying to give her a life with purpose other than running from Dominion goons. With him, she would stand a much better chance of getting even with the people who messed with her genes. [ij]If you only knew how much you could hurt the Dominion with me, Will thought as he continued to eat.

With his food done, Will stood up from the table and put away his dishes. It was strange eating at a table with strangers, let alone other people. Group meals were a luxury Will rarely had the opportunity to partake in, at least those that did not end with someone or in cuffs. Walking back over to his chair, he quietly grabbed his jacket and looked at the curious girl with pink hair. He recognized her face from a file he had seen when looking into the most notorious smugglers. She was Nova Vegas, an associate of Tiberius Pierce, the so-called King of Pirates. Will had never met either of them, nor did he know much about Nova other than she was a skilled strategist. Seeing her in person was strange. While anyone could look however they wanted with genetic augmentations and the right styling, few looked quite like her. It was likely the tail that was so strange to him. Most people did not go for additional appendages these days, too tricky to learn without therapy or cybernetics to help control them. Whatever her reasoning behind it was, Will was not too concerned. Tossing on his jacket, he walked out of the dining area, glancing at Dani on the way out. He then returned to his cabin.

Current Name: Ben Hughes

Status: Healthy and Full
Location: Persephone
Current Objective: Survive and Try to Salvage His Assignment

[Sir Dietary Supplement]

Ｃｈｒｉｓｔｉａｎ Ａｄａｍ Ｂｅｒｎｅｔxxxxxxthe heir to GenEx


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


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



➤ mess hallxx➤ dani, nova, alexei, benxx➤ surprised


Christian nodded a bit. "Well, if you want to talk or anything, I'll be around. Just having company of someone you know would be nice in our given situation," he looked over at Rhia. It was to be taken with no offense, it was a matter of trusting strangers. Even if having money gave them a reason to keep him alive, money that would be given once he got somewhere safe enough. Once they got paid, he could easily be picked off. Which is why Christian would go with the half now and half once he and Dani were somewhere safe. Though he doubted Alister was the type to shoot someone in the back with very little rhyme or reason behind it. Even if he was infamous and wanted, the man probably still retained some sort of honor. Otherwise he wouldn't of offered to first take Dani somewhere is such limited funds, it wouldn't get her far. With him onboard, Dani could get much further and to somewhere much safer. Hopefully out of the hands of GenEx, or somewhere that the companies or the Dominions control wasn't so strong.

Getting into the mess hall, Christian walked over and took the other empty seat next to Dani. He was wary with Ben being on board the ship, it seemed Alister understood that much and was uneasy around the man as well. He scanned over the others in the mess hall. Alister seemed to have his hands full with the woman on his lap. Though, he surprisingly knew one face and he couldn't deny it was her. The ears were telltale. The GenEx heir smiled.

"Nova, didn't expect to see you here," she had gone a different path from him. Granted after everything with her father and GenEx, he didn't expect anything else. Though, he was happy to see her alive and well. They attended the same school, he might of been two classes above her. However, her father was high up in the company and the two often had time to hang out with each other. They were good friends and Christian enjoyed her company while they were in school. At least compared to some of the other girls that attended the school.

"Though, I must admit I am happy to see you in good health," figuring Dani was safe with Rhia next to her, he took the seat next to Nova. It had been a bit since they last saw each other and he had worried about her. Often times he just couldn't let it bother him as he had too many other things to worry about. His father was always on his a** about other studies and prepping him to take over. It was around the time she left he started to learn about all of GenEx's side programs. Many of which Christian did not agree with. They would be stopped once he took over, no matter how many problems came of it.

He looked over at Alister as he spoke, helping himself to some food and taking a bit. It wasn't bad, he had better. But at least he could stomach the taste and he would have to get used to eating like this for the time he was onboard. Couldn't expect anything better, he would just keep his mouth shut. Alister gave a warning about Calypso and he felt like it was aimed a little more at him then anyone else. No doubt people on Calypso would know who he was. Very few didn't know the next face of GenEx. His father made sure the public knew about him.

As Alister made his exit, Christian leaned back in his seat. "Well, this could be an interesting journey," he would see the world in a different way. On the run, well he wasn't on the run. At the moment he was deemed kidnapped, but of course they wouldn't know the truth of the situation. Besides, being kidnapped would mean his father would spend as much money as was needed to get his son back in one piece. Anyone who needed funding would see it come from GenEx, as long as they promised that Christian would be returned to them unharmed. He was much too important to wind up dead is some city, or actually go missing completely. One wrong move and he could end up with company that wasn't Alister. Someone who would rather sell the heir of GenEx to the highest bidder.

He shook his head of the thoughts, he had to stay focused at the moment. Too much was at stake to worry about such petty things. It seemed as long as he paid Alister took care of his passengers and as he was paying well, it seemed Alister was making sure Dani and himself were in good hands. He looked over at Nova once Alister left. "But how have you been? I worried about you once you left," he admitted and scratched the back of his neck, almost sheepishly. "But, its a relief to see you now of course."

With Nova on board he might be able to have some of his worries about Alister off his shoulders. See if he would honor the money that Christian was offering him and how far what he was offering would take himself and Dani. As long as not too many questions were asked he would be fine. It was up to Dani if she wished to reveal her situation to Alister and Christian would offer his support on whatever she would choose. "I must say, Alister surprises me with the food he made. Not as good as what I am used too, but I'll deal with it. Its not horrible, I'll have to give him my thanks later. Probably upon discussion of payment..." the last part was a note to himself. It seemed the longer he stayed on board the more he would have to pay. While it probably wouldn't leave much of a dent in his credits, he might have to touch other alias's to keep the payments from raising attention.

He took another bite of his food and glanced over at Dani, offering her a smile. Don't worry about a thing with paying Dani, I want to make sure you get somewhere safe and with everything going on now. I don't want to take any chances of you ending up in the wrong hands," and once he got a new communication device. He would be able to get information my Ms. Holbrook. As long as she stuck around his father, she would stay informed. Which would work in his favor as well as Alister's.

[The Smut Peddler]

♚▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄N`O·V.A(`·.¸ Y ¸.·´)V.E·G´A S▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄♚

● Pirate
● Commander
● Lady Stratagem


“Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.” ~ William Blake



Food had been dished up and it seemed this brought everyone into the mess hall. Everyone seemed to be getting their pick while Vegas waited for a point where the area was clear to grab herself a drink head back to her chair. She wasn’t particularly hungry, or at least that’s what she’d say if anyone asked. Enjoying the company of everyone as they started to partake in the meal that the captain himself had prepared. It looked like it had been made quite well, everyone seemed to be enjoying it, there was just one thing wrong with the situation. Vegas, was strictly pescetarian. Being that the only meat she would eat, was shellfish, otherwise she was hard lined vegetarian. She would make no mention of this. Simply drink her glass of water, sit and partake in the conversation. She had a few snacks still in her room. So she thought little more on the subject.

While listening to the captain lecture on Calypso Vegas would scan over the room, only to find him frequently staring at her. She’d only noticed because he was doing such a poor job of hiding it. It would make her diminish in size. She hated those sorts of stares. Looking away from his gaze she would reach to adjust her glasses only to realize that they were no longer on her face. It was then that she heard the captain’s words about him having no intention in being captured. She would look back to see his gaze meeting hers once more. If anything he’d say all night would strike a cord with the young woman, it would be this. She was livid, but she’d do everything she could to keep her composure. She was among thieves, outnumbered, and ill-equipped.

Chuckling she would blush, nervous about bringing more attention to herself and not being able to lean on “the Commander” bluff for strength. Her bright, almost luminescent green eyes softened as she looked at the brutish captain. Her lips breaking from one another as she gathered herself to respond.

“If you’ve reservations about the repercussions for the actions you commit, mayhaps you’re in the wrong profession, captain…” She would pause to take a drink of water before her soft eyes returned back on his. “A man on the run is only as free as the length of rope he’s using to hang himself.”

Her expression was almost condescending being that the chipper expression did not match the words she spoke. But never once did they teeter from their soft and gentle inflection. There was a right way, and wrong way, to say ******** off in pirate. It was nothing personal, but she would let no one speak ill of her captain, not when she was sitting right there anyway.

Do you honestly think he was caught from anything anyone else in his position could have done better? A novice mistake, a stupid gamble, -tch- damn it. She would look away, close her eyes, hold her breath, and keep from letting her feelings get the best of her. Her captain, was reckless. It was a miracle he’d reached adulthood really. With childish antics like pantsing important military figureheads, or having stolen a weapons grade magnetar based tractor beam and strapping it to the front of a spaceship as if to say “Yeah, I know you see me. Come get me.” He was reckless and somehow brilliantly stupid. Regardless, she missed him terribly.

She would notice the man that the Martian woman would hit up next, eying him like a piece of meat she would have to smirk a little. His uncomfortable response was certainly expected, but never the less entertaining as an observer. She’d guess him a gun for hire, as he did not strike her as a pirate. Pirates never turned down smokes, booze, or ladies. And she would admit that she was no different than any pirate in that regard.

She’d notice another stare, but soon the blonde man would venture off from the mess hall. A little relieved to be away from the stares Vegas had heard a voice that sounded oddly familiar. Almost like a voice from a very, very distant memory. She would look to see Dani, the young woman who seemed to be very meek. Her face would offer a subtle smile, she in some ways, remembered being a lot like Dani. Being very shy, quiet, and innocent. But being a female pirate, she could no longer cling to that sort of maidenly naivety. Starting out, like most females in her profession, she’d seen her fair share of men’s bunkers and changing rooms. She’d be little more than a wench until she finally got her first real task as an officer. She missed that innocence.

Lastly her eyes would be brought to Christian, who she recognized only after a brief pause to connect this person to her past. She smiled as she was taken aback by how much more mature and grown he’d become.

“Christian!” She’d say, perking up and out of her soured mood. “It’s been so long.”

If it were still possible to be ashamed of how she’d turned out, this would have been the time. Vegas never looked back to her past, but in that moment. Looking at the heir of the GenEx corp she’d realize just exactly who she’d have been had she never ran away. Successful where she had fallen so short, Vegas smiled as the young silver haired man would express how good it was that she was in good health. “I’m glad to see you are in good health as well.”

Vegas, was caught off guard when Christian said he’d worried about her when she’d left home. As the heir to a mega-corporation like GenEx, Christian was not easy to talk to, not because he was unapproachable on his own means, but because female classmates kept other girls very far away from him. Vegas would recall an innocent gesture rubbing the heir to another conglomerate the wrong way and her bringing in her borage of mean girls willing to do her bidding. But, outside of those social standards, they were two people here. Class, meant very little on this ship. She’d pause, wondering just why he would be here, on an ship like this.

“I’m- fine…” She’d think a moment, it was hard to say she was doing well when she’d just experienced quite a drastic endeavor. “My crew, was recently decimated, we’d taken a single wrong turn and fell into the hands of some of those Olympus goons. And-“

She’d swallow hard, turning to him with a smile on her face. The same façade she’s use in social gatherings as a child, pretending to enjoy whatever it was she was doing.

“I’m still here.”

She was almost relieved to have someone she knew sitting with her. She’d look up, down, and up again with a genuine smile on her face this time around.

“I don’t know how far our paths will head the same direction, but I will admit, it will be nice to reminisce in the meantime.”





Mood: Torn
Health: 100%
Song: xXx

[chibichick27]

Ʌℓεxεɪ Ϩαηʈɵɢɵℓ∂

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

outfit // Persephone
stamina // 96% - torn
addiction status // satisfied

Alexei knew right away that Ben was not interested in her. The smile he had flashed her was a genuine one, so she figured that she at least had more trust from him than he had for any of the others on the ship. She had, after all, been the only one of them who didn't have any particular grudge against him. Though, the new woman who joined them in the dining hall didn't seem to have any problems either.

The woman had brilliant pink hair and genetic modifications that were stare-worthy, indeed, but she made sure not to do that at all. Alexei already had people boring holes through her when they saw her goggles and her eyes--she didn't want to spread the idea that people were zoo attractions. Besides, while Alexei had been recovering in the hospital after her eye surgery, she saw a good number of gen-mods that only the rich and bored could come up with. Horns, elongated fingers, dyed skin...it made the tail and ears almost commonplace to the Martian. Nonetheless, she felt a nagging in the back of her mind. Did she know the woman from somewhere? Alexei stole glances at the woman as she ate. There was no way she'd forget meeting someone like her. The memory dangled over the edge of the cliff, with Alexei at the bottom waiting with open arms to claim it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't coming.

She shrugged it off and finished her meal, as Christian, Daniella and the woman, named Nova, began to chatter. Alister and Ben had exited. Alexei made no attempt to join their conversation. The initial euphoria of the lotos had worn off, and now she went back to her antisocial self. She quietly stood up, put her dishes away, and headed out of the room.

Her keyPC pinged, and she opened it up in front of her. Alister, like she had asked him to, had sent her a list of names connected with the interstellar drug trade that had wronged him or otherwise ended up on his s**t list. She noticed that a few lesser members of Lethe had ended up on there--immediately, she ignored those. Instead, she focused on one particular name that was on the upper half of the list - Czeslaw Romano, a spice-V dealer. A small smile spread across her face. Czeslaw had double-crossed the Nyx Runners during a smuggling assignment on Venus, which ended up with Seline Kendorus'--the unofficial leader of the Runners -- own niece dead, as well as twelve others. Alexei had also been an...unfortunate part of the whole thing. He had been in Runners custody for years now, and the only reason he did not lie dead was because he was such a fine rat. However, lately they had been questioning his abilities (constant torture and forced mania could do that to a person). Alexei could pull some strings with the Runners and get Romano released into Alister's...care. If that was the appropriate word for it.

The only problem was that she'd only be able to contact them once she arrived in Calypso. Because there was no way in Hades that she was going to talk to Lethe superiors on a ship with an unregistered IC-IP address. And Alister had demanded payment before then.

Well, she was already making her way to his room, so she weighed her options. He'll kill me before he lets me off without paying him. But what else could he do? Keep me hostage I suppose and find out who I worked for. Torture, too... she thought, grimacing. Alexei had never been truly tortured. As a bodyguard, she wasn't high enough on the totem pole to be considered for it. And this was something she was rather fond of.

Alexei found herself at Alister's cabin. She knocked and waited patiently for him to open the door. Once he had done so, she stepped inside. "I know you wanted us to speak in here," she began. She re-opened her keyPC and pulled the image of Czeslaw Romano out into the air in front of them. "This man, Romano, was on your list. I don't know why he was, but it doesn't matter. I can deliver him to you." Now came the hard part. "However, I can't do that until we get to Calypso. And you said I had to have something before we docked." Pausing for a moment, Alexei searched carefully for her next words. "...isn't there anything I can do for you?" Perhaps the most cliched line of romance novels and porn alike, but she was being serious. She did not expect her body to be worth anything to Alister, and it certainly wasn't worth three-thousand credits of shuttle payment to man who could get that sort of company wherever he went. However, beyond handing over her eyeballs, the case full of lotos, or her billion-credit card, she did not know what else to do without some guidance from the older man.

_____________________________________

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


- "Apologia Pro Poemate Meo", Wilfred Owen

_____________________________________

[Lysander the Poet]

Alister had entered his cabin, and immediately sat at the computer terminal set up in his room. The cabin itself was a good deal larger than the passenger and crew cabins, but shared overall quality. As for a personal touch, there really wasn’t one, as Alister didn’t have much ‘personality’ to speak of, in this respect. One of his walls was decorated with various wanted posters of himself during various points in his career. The wall over his bed had various weapons set up for display, probably older models, or museum pieces. On his desk there was a picture, seemingly of a younger, less murderous Alister Blood, a pair of older folks that could probably be assumed to be his parents, and a young woman, who was making an awkward face at the camera. He took the time to check the various security feeds around the ship, monitoring activity in the dining area, which seemed to be getting all warm and fuzzy with Junior and that chick with the tail. They knew each other...had some kind of connection. Perhaps something that could be further exploited. Not that Alister Blood really planned on exploiting and extorting Christian any further, at least not yet. Getting Daniella to a safe place was going to get him a healthy paycheck, and selling back Junior to his big, scary daddy could set him for a long time, if he negotiated right. Still, a pirate ship was no place for some rich, entitled brat, and Alister would have to watch him closely...for the kid’s safety, of course. Especially since almost everyone in the system knew his face. And then there was Ben Hughes. Normally, Alister wouldn’t obsess over something so much, but he knew something was off about the guy. The way he turned down Alexei’s predatory advances, the way he carried himself...and what would some simple smuggler have wanted with Daniella before it even came out that she was something important to someone. The pieces didn’t add up, and he knew that it was going to end badly for someone if he let Ben Hughes go too far without a leash. Giving Daniella a guard detail would hopefully be enough to dissuade him for now, but there was no telling what he would try later...perhaps while they were on Calypso, nobody was really around...or they were in a crowd of strangers.

There was a subtle shift in the momentum of the ship, signaling that they had exited FTL. Now came the tricky part. Calypso Station was designed after quite a bit of trial and error, and was a pain in the a** to find. All ships had to stop outside the asteroid belt, since passing through it at FTL wasn’t safe, or even recommended. The station itself sent out a heavily encrypted sort of ping across several pirate channels, which when pieced together and decrypted led you through a series of markers, sending out their own encrypted signal. It was like following a trail of breadcrumbs in a blizzard. And since not all ships were equipped with an AI, some crews had to perform the calculations and navigation manually. Luckily, that was not the case with this ship. Still, performing the needed decryptions, and proper navigation would take probably ten or twelve hours, plus getting docking authorization, so they still had a bit of time before they actually stepped foot on the station. Closing out from the ship’s security feeds, he began sifting through a folder of names, pictures, people; his s**t list. Most pirates had one, a list of people that they wanted to hurt, to kill. It was how he kept track of all the scum in this system that had ever wronged him. Grabbing a few of the names here and there, he forwarded a list to Alexei, as he said he would. Various drug runners, smuggles, distributors, sellers. He had a bullet for each one of them, and a lot of their heads were worth money to someone out there.

It came as no surprise when a few minutes later, a knock came at his door. ”Come in.” He responded, softly, rising from his chair to meet whomever had sought him out. He already knew who it was, however, before she even stepped through the door. Mostly a scare tactic, the door slid shut behind Alexei, and the mechanical click of it locking could be heard clearly in the silence. This wasn’t the first time he had taken on a client in a time of need that later revealed he couldn’t pay upfront. It didn’t happen often, and the last guy...well, it took about a week to get the blood stains out of the floor completely. Very casually, Alister slid his knife out of the sheath, and began to clean under his fingernails with it, but it was just another thing meant to try and intimidate Alexei. ”Don’t need anyone else knowing your business, or mine, darlin’. Hope you don’t mind the more...private setting.” He held the knife up, as if he were inspecting it, the sharp blade long enough to penetrate an organ with one, easy stab. It was in prime condition, as if it were sharpened often, and Alister glanced past the blade, staring into Alexei’s eyes, his expression neutral. ”I usually don’t appreciate having to wait for payment, especially when I did the lot of you a favor, and no questions asked, pulled your a** out of that hellhole.” Alister stated this point with an absolute sort of tone, as in he was going to get his payment, somehow, someway. That was when the image of Czeslaw Romano appeared in front of him, and his expression went from neutral to a menacing snarl. ”Mister Romano has a penchant for getting other people killed. Unfortunately for him...one of those deaths happens to be a very personal one for me. But even if you say you can deliver him to me, and as beautiful as that opportunity would be, as far as I know, you’re still...just...words. Words, promises, and in my debt. And you can’t spend words or promises, sweetheart.”

At her second, more subtle attempt at propositioning him, he chuckled, shaking his head, ”I liked it better the first time. It was bolder...but now I see you’ve opted for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Listen, I see you’re playin’ the game. But you’re still young, and maybe you’re still learnin’ the rules. I know that it took me a little while to learn how play it. You strike me as a girl who takes what she wants. That’s what I saw earlier, but not what I see now. I’ve backed you into a corner, and you’re getting desperate. Never let them see you get desperate. You gotta always act like you’ve got the winning hand. And if you’re going to make an offer like that,” He made a casual gesture to her body, ”You don’t want them to think it’s some kind of suggestion. You want to come on strong. You don’t want to give them a chance to wonder if it’s a fair trade, or if it’s a good idea. You don’t want me to have a moment to ask myself if a night with you is worth the three thousand you owe me. Which, for future reference, even if it’s the best I ever had, I’m not that simple. You promised me the money. You promised me Romano. I expect both. I expect a little extra on the monetary side, as a late fee. And…” He approached Alexei, sheathing the knife, and brushed some stray strands of her hair aside, looking into those cybernetic eyes of hers. ”Show me you learned something.” Over the ship’s intercom, the soft, familiar voice of a woman gently announced that it was about ten hours until they would be docked at Calypso Station. ”It is recommended that all crew and passengers attempt to get some sleep before docking.”

O.O.C.:: Impending short time skip to Calypso. You can continue to socialize a little more, BUT WE ARE MOVING RIGHT ALONG. More time for character interaction and development will crop up along the way. So yeah, y'all can end your next posts after waking up, and getting prepared for departure from the ship, onto the station, and having breakfast, and talking and stuff. Then a story post will be going up and stuff. ^^