Welcome Home

[Snek]

(Theme song for this RP: "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria [media]



[/media])
He could still hear the shots of GAC-grade energy rifles, could still hear the screams of civilians and the shoutings of the rebels around him who were frantically flocking to the escape pods.


Vex stood up and gazed wide-eyed at the chaos around him, watched in horror as his comrades either stumbled and tripped over rubble as they fled to the escape pods, or were shot down by the GAC platoon that was swiftly advancing.


Suddenly, a voice nearby shook him from his horrified daze.


"VEX! We have to get the rest of them out of here at any cost! I'm going to start a counterattack, it's the only way to ensure the rest of us get out safely!" yelled a rebel leader named West, who was a few feet away. West was one of Vex's best friends, and one of the strongest leaders in the rebellion.


"Are you insane!?" yelled Vex in response, "That goes against almost every code of action that exists in our organization! It's suicide!"


"Codes of action don't mean anything anymore, Vex! This is about more than keeping the rebellion alive, this is about saving our race, it's about returning to where we belong!! And I would commit a thousand suicides if it were for the sake of our people! Now go! Help Thursday get the rest of them out of here! HURRY!"


Vex clenched his teeth. West was right, there was more than just the rebellion at stake here.


He turned and ran towards the escape pods, where Thursday was helping fellow rebels board the escape pods. The two of them ushered a father, mother, and daughter aboard one of the pods and sealed the door, releasing the pod into space. This sort of process continued for about four more minutes.


The shouts of a GAC officer pierced through the clamor of the battle. Vex turned, and before his very eyes, West was shot by an energy rifle blast and fell to the floor. Vex yelled West's name, and the last thing he saw was the GAC platoon bearing down upon them.


~


Vex jolted upright in his bed, sweating profusely and gasping for breath. It was early dawn, and the light from Earth's sun was just beginning to seep through the entryway of Vex's tent. He looked around at the crude dwelling he slept in, identical to all of the ones everyone else slept in. They would normally have used more advanced technology for shelter purposes, but it was decided amongst the Council that they would all reserve their resources until the safety and habitability of the environment in which they had landed was determined.


He rubbed his face and stretched, and was just about to pull aside the blankets that covered him when a fellow Council member burst through the tent flaps. Vex didn't recognize her, but she must have been a lower ranking, because Vex didn't recognize her, and the teenage girl flushed when she saw Vex's bare torso protruding out from the bedsheets. Pfft. Greenhorn, no doubt.


"What is it?" asked Vex sleepily and irritably, his wavy blonde hair a mess from tossing and turning all night.


"Uh...Vex, there are more of us landing soon, and one of the other officers requested help with making sure resources for the incoming rebels' shelters were distributed efficiently and correctly."


"There aren't any other available officers?"


"No, most of them are dealing with a matter brought up by one of our scouts. Something about the local wildlife."


Vex rubbed his face a little more in irritation, then rose from under his covers. He wore only a pair of white and blue plaid boxers. The greenhorn flushed redder and turned around.


"Go tell the officer requesting help that I'll be there in a few minutes, I have to get dressed and check in with the engineers first."


"Y-yes, of c-course, Vex, sir."


The greenhorn hurried out of the tent.


When Vex finished dressing himself, he stretched one more time and exited his tent.


I miss being able to sleep in.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie opens her eyes jolting forward and felt the seatbelt catch her from falling forward. She must have fallen asleep, she couldn't remember her dream, but she felt like she had one. Her eyes wandered around the pod wondering if there was anyway to tell how close they were. She thought again about what Earth would be like. Remembering what little she herd about the place from stories, she rested her head back against the seat. The old world was something so many had fought for, it must be better there. It was said to be a land full of beautiful creatures and fresh air. It sounded so magical.


She lifts up her hand brushing her orange hair behind her ear and noticed her knuckles had turned white from gripping her seat. Releasing her hands, she hadn't realized how anxious she was. Then she saw the alarm lights and looked up nervously her hands immediately returning to grip her seat feeling the pod shaking. She closes her eyes tightly trying to calm herself down.

 

[Snek]

Vex strolled across the camp over to where the engineers pavilion was. He brushed aside the tent flaps and walked inside.


"Wednesday? Any success deactivating those GAC guns' safety mechanisms?" Vex called into the depths of the tent, which was chock full of elaborate scientific and mechanical equipment.


A man slightly younger than he was stumbled out from behind a few machines and stepped in front of Vex. The man had tousled brown hair and clothes that looked more fit for upper-class citizens on the Arks. A pair of steampunkish goggles sat on his head, and his handsome face was spotted here and there with patches of what looked like the bluish tint of plasma exhaust fluid.


"Almost got 'em taken care of, Vex. The system's locked down tighter than the Grand Chancellor's personal storage safe, but I've gotten most of the restrictions down. Should only take a couple more hours," said Wednesday.


"Good work, Wednesday. Thursday would be proud. Speaking of which, where is that lazy bum?" asked Vex, looking around the shop.


Wednesday chuckled.


"He went out into the wilderness to get some alone time. You know how much of a cool guy he tries to be sometimes."


Vex shook his head.


"That guy's gonna get himself killed one of these days. Keep up the good work, Wednesday," said Vex as he exited the tent.

 

[Sea]

"Aster! Aster! Wake. Up."

​

​

"Five more minutes..."

​

​

"No. You already had ten, Astoria Thorne."

​

​

Aster felt her consciousness stir. It only seemed like a few seconds ago that she had closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless slumber. Nonetheless, she felt (although a bit sore) energized and ready for any work that would be thrown at her (if any). She slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and stifled a yawn, noting how tangled her blanket had become over the night.

​

She looked at the person who had pulled her out of the peaceful sleep: Galax, a short brunette spy who had no enhancements, but amazing speed for someone who was never tampered with. Aster brushed a short strand of blonde hair behind her ear, only to have it fall back against her jaw. "Get. Up." Galax seemed frustrated, sighing as she watched Aster stare blankly back at her before saying tiredly, "I'm up already. Let me get dressed, Gal." The short brunette grumbled, but stalked off, probably to tell whoever told her to wake up Aster that the job had been done.

​

Aster was still wearing the dark blue denim-enhanced jeans she was given. The material had been fixed to become more flexible and comfortable, though looked more like skinny jeans that anything else. She had on black tank top, but quickly covered it by buttoning on a long brown blouse that ended at her elbows. She slipped on the sickly green vest, her black boots, and belt bag, making sure it had her gun and dagger-sword. As she left her small corner, she tied her blonde hair into a bun and made sure her locket was hidden.

​

There weren't an excess of spies in the Rebellion. Although there were many, it seemed as if the amount were made for the Rebellion, and overuse of them would cause shortage. And as any job of the Rebellion would be, it certainly wasn't easy and took dedication to get used to. Aster, however, loved her job and adventures. Whatever assignments she had to do, she would be up to the task immediately. Somehow, she could never recall ever having this love of excitement befor. Perhaps it had just appeared when she joined the Rebellion.

​

Aster plopped herself onto one of the stools, glancing at the map projected on the main board at the front of the tent. Spies were busily playing/testing with new gadgets, attempting to find ways to infiltrate a building, or any other way to busy themselves. A few maps were strewn here and there carelessly.

​

 

[Octavius]

Alva was in his make shift laboratory when the morning at started tearing apart random bits of machines and other items trying to see what makes them tick or how the rebels can use it to their advantage, he never did socialize with the other rebels to much just because of his own personal preferences but then again most rebels did'int talk to him to often either only when they needed someone to stitch them up from some sort of wound. He was wearing his gas mask like he usually did because he was somewhat paranoid of what could be in the air after all these years or when someone accidentally opens a tear gas canister he would be the lucky one. He flicked the little mental switch he had in his mind and his computer like brain started going.


"Lets see now c'mon" He started talking to himself rather quickly while taking a look at some cells under a microscope.


"Divide you little bastards divide!" He said even more quickly


The work he was trying to do was make medicine for the rebels if the time ever came for it but time after time agian he had failure. He smacked the desk with the palm of his hand then paced back and forth in his tent cursing under his breath.


"Maybe if exposed to certain amount of heat cells would be more likely to expand or recreate themselves? Or I could be possibly be creating a very toxic poison" He walked back and forth in his tent continuing on with this rant on how to perfect his medicine.

 

[Snek]

With his visit with Wednesday over, Vex made his way to the site where the next batch of rebel escape pods were predicted to land. The area had been mostly cleared of tents and supplies, and another leader was standing nearby coordinating the efforts to remove the rest of them from the area. This particular leader was the one who had requested the help from Vex, and the her name was Shale.


She was a rather good leader, but strict, like a schoolteacher. She was the kind of girl that didn't take crap from anyone, and she always made sure everyone did their jobs right, or payed the price. And she was very scary. Not appearance-wise, mind you. Shale was actually rather pretty, with a lithe figure, fiery red hair, and gorgeous red lips. As pretty as she was, though, no male rebel in their right mind would try to make a move on her. The ones that already did have not been heard of since. Vex exhaled heavily and approached her.


"Shale, you requested my help?"


"Yes, in fact, I did. These numbskulls aren't getting this done fast enough. By this rate, they might as well let their belongings and shelters get crushed flat by the arriving pods. There are too many of them for me to whip into shape alone," snapped Shale, brushing a lock of crimson hair out of her right eye.


Vex nodded and walked over around to the other side of the landing site and began redistributing the work flow. Shale was right, these guys weren't doing this very efficiently at all. Maybe they were still weary from their arrival? Maybe they were still in shock from the battle at the docking bay aboard the Ark? It was all a hellish experience, but now they were finally home.


Give 'em a week, they'll adjust by then, thought Vex as he shouted to one of the workers to be careful with the large canister of plasma fuel he was carrying.


~


Galvan, the leader who was currently assigned to direct the Spy division, called out to all of the spies gathered in the Espionage tent.


"All right, everyone, listen up! We've got a new mission. There have been reports of large animals that have been sighted in the area surrounding our camp. The Council must know the nature of these creatures, whether they are dangerous or benign, so that they may decide if we have to move the camp for the sake of our safety."


He walked around to the front of the main board with the map projected on it, picking up a yardstick and pointing to various waypoints on it.


"You will all be grouped in squads of two and dispatched to different parts of the forest that surrounds our camp. You will all have communicators, with which you will give a status report with every tenth minute. Tread lightly, or else you could scare off the animals. Make sure you are not carrying any food or drink of any kind on your person. Any questions about the mission? Tread lightly, look for large animals, report your findings."


There were no questions.


"Okay then. Faye, you'll be with Dew, Baron with..." he proceeded to read off squad pairings from a list. When he got about halfway down, he read off Aster's name.


"Aster, you'll be paired with Thursday. He isn't present at the moment, but you'll rendezvous with him at your waypoint. Is that clear?"

 

[Sea]

Aster snapped back to attention. "Yes, sir," she replied crisply, an automatic response. As he proceeded to call off the other names, she reviewed his words. So her partner wasn't here? She inwardly sighed. Where could he be this early in the morning? Well, it wasn't too early, but she was still sore from waking up.

​

As the last few people were called and the group dispersed, Aster examined the projected map, which had been switched to one of the area surrounding the camp. Their names were scattered by pairs into differnt areas. Her eyes quickly read off the names until she found hers next to Thursday's. They were to examine an area a good distance away from the campsite. Not too far, but wasn't exactly comfortably close either.

​

"Aster, here's your com. Thursday probably already has one, since he's already out there," Galax said, placing it on a nearby table. Aster whirled around and gingerly took it in both hands, giving Galax her gratitude. She knew how important and scarce technology could be, especially since the GAC liked heavy defense systems on their weapons. Most of the pairs lingered behind, taking a few minutes to talk about their procedure and strategy. The others were quick to move and get on with the assignment. Aster secured the communicator on her wrist, checking to make sure it worked before heading out into the wilderness.

​

She took quiet, nimble steps, careful not to disturb the other teams' territory. Just being out of the camp gave her a feeling of peace and excitement. After a few more minutes of paced walking and observation, she remembered about meeting Thursday, and was aware that she was nearing the waypoint where they would meet.

​

What was he doing out here?

​

 

[Octavius]

After dealing with the frustration of failure number #24 of his experimental medicine he wandered out of his tent into the open area it the sun blinded him for a moment but his eyes adjusted and he watched as some rebels vanished into the forest.


"Are we being invaded? No sounds of screaming or gun fire... Unrealistic anyways" He murmured to himself quickly. "Very possible scouting mission, yes that must be it" he continued on


Alva turned off his mental switch and returned to his previous sate that he was in before, just with a slight headache. Alva went to the other side of the camp were Vex was because he had a few questions.


"Vex when can we be expecting the next batch of pods to be coming through? I need men to set up more medical tents"

 

[Snek]

Vex sat down on a nearby stump and caught his breath. Making sure other people did their jobs was harder work than everyone else seemed to think. It had only taken a few more hours, but they finally got all of the gear packed up and moved away from the landing site.


A low rumbling filled the camp.


"The new arrivals are here! Brace yourselves!" called Shale.


The batch of escape pods was visible as a small cluster of four approaching silver spheres hurtling through the sky. They lit up as they entered the atmosphere, and swiftly rocketed towards the huge barren area that had been cleared for their arrival.


The ground trembled and sprayed into the air as the first pod landed. Some of the rebels shielded their eyes, some covered their ears instead. Vex did neither. The next two pods landed in a similar fashion. The last one, however, seemed to have taken a slightly offshoot course, and was heading straight towards a young female rebel who stood about ten feet away from a supplies tent. Vex recognized her as the teenager who woke him up that morning.


The girl didn't move, just stood frozen in fear at the approaching meteor of metal and GAC-grade blast glass.


Vex acted quickly. He swiftly dashed in front of the girl defensively, and right before the pod barreled into them, he leaped towards it. The skin on his right fist rippled rapidly, and the air around it swirled like a vortex. About six feet off the ground, the escape pod bearing down on him, Vex waited until the pod was right about to ram into him, and he slammed his tornado-fist into the pod as hard as he could. The pod, losing all of its momentum, fell straight down to the earth and landed. Vex landed gracefully on top of it and shot the teenager a look of disappointment, then reached down and tore off the hatch of the wayward pod.


The other new arrivals had already exited their pods and were being directed towards their shelters.


Vex tossed the door aside and leaned into the pod. Inside was a girl, seemingly younger than him, with long orange hair. She must have been scared out of her wits by the impact, because her knuckles were bleach-white from clutching her seatbelt and her eyes were shut tight, as if she already expected herself to be dead.


"Hey, you all right in there?" called Vex into the vessel.


~


"Why do I always get stuck with the flighty, inexperienced newbies?" groaned a voice behind Aster.


There, sitting on a rock behind her, was a shady-looking individual. He had dark, deep eyes, and his eyebrows were slanted in irritation. The boy's dark hair slid smoothly down all sides of his head and half-covered his eyes. He wore a simple performance outfit, standard Rebel issued, but it was modified with different material, knife compartments in the pants and sleeves, and thin Dura-Plating plates on the chest, shins, and forearms. Despite the slightly heavier-than-average appearance of his outfit, and the fact that they were surrounded by bushes and shrub, he had made no sound, no rustling of leaves to give away his presence.


He stood up from his sitting place on the rock and placed his hands on his hips.


"Well, you just gonna stand there gawking, or get going with the mission?" 
Vex looked over and hopped off of the escape pod, approaching Alva.


"You mean the ones that just landed?" he chuckled, pointing a thumb behind him at the empty shells of the escape pods that had all just landed. A group of rebels was already gathering them up to deconstruct in the engineering tent for scrap metal and wiring for weapons.

 

[Sea]

Aster looked behind her, mildly surprised at his excellent method of hiding. Despite this, she gave no clues to her surprise and kept her face composed, though her demeanor and aura darkened at him sneaking up on her like that. Newbie? She had been here for a while now. Well..about a year, and not as long as many of the others had, but still, she didn't consider herself a newbie anymore. Galax was a newbie, only a few months into the business.


Biting back a retort, she ignored him and turned back around to take in the surroundings. There was no sign of any wild animals yet. Dark green leaves and muddy brown bark covered most of the landscape. Shrubs and bushes grew to about half her height. Zipping up her vest, she pressed the button on the communicator and said curtly to her wrist, "I've met up with Thursday..." As they confirmed it and ended the short conversation, she muttered a soft "..Sadly.." that was almost inaudible for anyone else to hear.


"I suppose we can get going now," she finally said, replying to his first question, struggling to keep her usual tone. The faster they did this, the faster she could part from him.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie opens her eyes once she felt the pod stop moving she blinks shielding her eyes when the door opened. She wasn't prepared for the strange lighting. Blinking her eyes until they adjust she herd a muffled voice, it took her a delayed moment to realize it was asking if she was alright and she nodded her head. "I think so" Letting go of the seat and fiddles with her seat belt trying to unlatch it. Standing up she shakily makes her way toward the exit of the pod. Her eyes focusing she caught sight of the man who opened the door.

 

[Octavius]

Alva heard Vex shout at the visible pods and Alva got the answer he was looking for he just wished he was a bit more prepared for the next set of injured but he would have to make due with what he had for now. He soon saw the astonishing act of power and heroism that Vex demonstrated for him.


"Interesting subject.. could possibly use cells for medicine experiment? Maybe even make some sort of steroid" His thought of his next little experiment came to a quick end when he was put into a bit of shell shock from the landing of the pods. Alva was a bit dazed from the loud landings but the ringing in his ears would have to wait, He rushed to one of the pods and used the console to pop it open to see who was inside. There was a man with a obvious wound in his abdomen area.


"C'mon buddy lets go" He said calmly as he grabbed the man out of the pod reaching through the small crowd of people in there. Alva put the unfortunate soul on his back and carried him. He calmly walked over to the pod Vex was examining with the man the bleeding man on his shoulders and noticed that a girl had gotten out of the pod.


"I expect to see you and anyone else in my med tents as soon as possible" Alva said to the girl while walking pass Vex.

 

[Snek]

"You suppose...? Hah. Won't last long if you go around 'supposing' things. Try to keep up, newbie."


Thursday swiftly strode past her and into the underbrush. Though it was clearly visible that he was pushing past branches and striding through the undergrowth, nothing he did made any noise. If you closed your eyes, it would sound like he was standing in one spot.


"So how do you wanna go about doing this, newbie? You any good at traps? We could try that. Might not trap what we're looking for, though. Maybe if..." Thursday looked up above the two of them into the canopy of the forest that surrounded them, not seemingly interested in what Aster had to say.

 

[Sea]

Aster glared at him as he strode past her, glowering at his behavior before following after him with her quickest, quietest steps. She knew that if she lost sight of him, she would never see him again because his steps were inaudible. Newbie. She mentally scoffed at the insult. She wasn't the most experienced, but still, it annoyed her quite a bit. "I'm alright with traps, but.." She was going to say that she hadn't used them in quite a while before coming up with a better response. "Can't we just tranquilize them?" she continued, remembering she had some tranquilizers left over from the last assignment. She also had two small gagging bombs, but she doubted they would work on animals.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie looks around at the scenery in front of her taking everything in. She jumps out of the pod and looks down at the strange surface beneath her feet. She looks up spotting the man telling her too head too the med tent. It wasn't the first thing she would put on her agenda, but she didn't mind. She looked up at the sky getting lost int he sight. She smiles taking in her new home. It looked as magical as it was described, maybe it wasn't exactly what she expected, but it was still nice.She turned and headed off in search of the med tent.

 

[Snek]

Vex helped the girl out of her pod.


"That there is Alva. He's kinda quiet and anti-social sometimes, but he's one of the best medics we've got. I'm Vex, by the way, I'm one of the leaders in the rebellion. You'll see me around every now and again. You should probably check in with the head of...whatever service branch you're in. Munitions, I'd have to guess? Make sure you check in with Alva before you do anything else. Cya 'round."


Vex walked out a few feet, then turned back.


"Oh, one more thing. Welcome Home," he called, grinning. 
Thursday scoffed.


"Tranquilizers might be an option, if we actually knew what we're up against. We'll have to find one first before we do anything else. To do that, we should probably get as high up as possible, maybe we might find one if we increase our range of vision."


He turned to a nearby tree and began climbing it.


"C'mon, greenhorn, we don't have all day, eh?"

 

[Octavius]

Alva went into his medical tent to him it was almost like home besides the people moaning in pain and the other ones telling him to hurry up so he can work on them but other than that he was pretty comfortable. He placed the man on the wooden table they had and inspected the wound on the man lower abdomen.


"Mhmm appears not to be a plasma shot" Alva said as he craned his head around the wound looking at it


"Doc can you.... see through that mask?" The rebel asked the doctor as he moaned in pain.


Sure it was strange for a doctor to be wearing a gas mask but it made him feel safe. Alva turned around from his patient and poured two shot glasses with alcohol in it.


"The answer is yes..." Alva turned around holding both of the shot glasses then handed one to the man "Drink up friend."


The alcohol tasted god awful but it would help numb the pain and for the other glass it was for steralization as the man soon found out when Alva suddenly poured it on his wound. The man jolted in pain but as soon as he laid back down the bullet was out, It was the man got caught in the cross fire and another rebel hit him with a bullet.


"I suggest you duck next time" Alva said with a bit of seriousness then pointed off into another direction. "Now go see my lovely nurses who will patch you up."

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie accepeted the help gratefully and exits the pod listening too Vex. She smiles at his last comment and walked too the med tent. Stepping inside she saw the man he was helping before leaving the wooden table. She waits patiently at the entrance not sure if she should interrupt.

 

[Octavius]

"Whos next damn it!" Alva turned around and saw the girl "Oh it you!, yes come now and sit on the table" Alva spoke quickly then turned around and dug through his tools.


Surprisingly even under the circumstances that they were in Alva kept his tools rather organized and tried to clean them to the best of his ability. As he went through his tools in his bag you could hear shuffling around and it sounded a lot like silverware hitting against each other.

 

[Sea]

Aster reluctantly climbed the tree after Thursday, still mulling over his words. She reached one of the higher branches and stopped climbing. She could see that there weren't many animals near where they were. A soft rustling of leaves were towards her left, so there might be animals there. She could also make out the outline of a herd some sort of animal way up ahead. "Herd of them over there," she told Thursday. She felt her pocket, making sure the tranquilizers were still there.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie walks over too the table and pulls herself onto it sitting down. She places her hands in her lap watching Alva silently. She fiddles with her fingers in habit a bit nervous. The last time she had been around medical tools, it hadn't been a pleasant experience.

 

[Octavius]

Alva pulled out a thermometer and a small hammer then walked back over to the girl to give her a small inspection. Alva's mind switched on and suddenly he appeared a bit more jittery.


"Put this in your mouth" he said quickly as he handed her the thermometer.


He suddenly crouched down then tapped right below the knee cap with his makeshift hammer.


"Mhmm you seem to be fine no cursing or yelling indicates no broken bones or physical problems" he continued to talk quickly to the point she may not of even been able to understand what he said.


"Physical injuries none..." He turned around with his back facing her and thinking for a minute but then turned back around.


"Mental injuries quite possible!" Alva said with a bit of enthusiasm


The ideas of the GAC doctors kicked into his mind because a handfull of people he's worked on tend to have some sort of experience with them.


"GAC scientist do you remember these people? The lucky ones don't!" Alva asked the young girl.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie took the thermometer and places it in her mouth watching him work. She listens trying to keep up with what he was saying. She took the thermometer out of her mouth "There is nothing wrong with my brain. I'm not stupid" she replied insulted by his comment about having mental injuries. She falls silent at his last question pushing away memories. She looked down at her hands with her grey eyes, avoiding eye contact. "I remember" she mutters her voice much more quiet then before.

 

[Octavius]

Alva fell quiet for a minute then patted her on the shoulder and smiled under his gas mask.


"Don't worry dear I remember too" Alva said quietly to her.


Alva plucked the thermometer out of her hand then wiped it off and placed it back into his satchel then turned his body around facing her. The idea that she was experimented too somewhat excited Alva because he wanted to know what she could to what power she held.


"Show me what you can do, right here, right now" He sputtered out in excitement.

 

[Little*Dreamer]

Janie felt his touch and relaxed a little, it was comforting. She watches him take the thermometer then She nods her head and stops fiddling with her finger she closes her eyes taking a deep breath in concentration. It took a moment, but finally her eyes opened and she vanished from sight. She kept her bare skin from touching the table so it could remain in sight. She watches him waiting for a reaction.