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Futuristic Blacksun (Notorious x C.DEX)

"Ignore her, Psy. She's infuriating." Imille said, watching as Avena left. "But if she wants to have a temper tantrum instead of talking, that's fine by me. She can sulk in her room, but all of this 'feel bad for me' shit isn't really going to work on anything that doesn't find her attractive." she said. Then, she approached Psy, flopping down on the floor next to him. A small sigh had left her lips, the doctor more than a little annoyed with how Avena had been acting. She reached over, petting the Ipt that had curled up with him.


"Doing regular things isn't really in our nature. We have a lot to worry about. I mean ... the resting, the eating, the fucking and the sleeping we're pretty good at. Well ... most of those things. But there's a lot to worry about." she said, grabbing the android's arm and resting her head against it. "It doesn't mean we don't love you. We do, even if you don't remember. You're still Psy. You proved it by breaking Arc's arm and roundhouse kicking me into Lucy and then saving us the next minute after. At the time I was pissed, but ... it was definitely validation."


She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, regardless of how exhausted she'd been from the worrying and the drama. "We love you like Bambi loves you." she said. "No matter what. I mean ... I don't think he told you, but you actually almost killed Cas when you left. I think we might love you more than Bambi loves you."


Casar entered the room, quietly deciding to sit down next to Jagar. He had sat there for a while, not entirely sure what to say in order to make him feel better. "I... I'm not going to stop you if you want to leave, but Imille and Nyx are going to feel terrible if you do. Much worse than they'd feel if you stayed." he said. "We weren't just looking for you so you could help us find Psy. That wasn't really the purpose of bringing you in. Nyx and Imille wanted to see you because they missed you."


He paused, looking down at his feet in the dark. "You almost killed me and Imille too." he said, as if that would help. "And Psy." he added, making the Vekht feel worse than he possibly could have before. "...And I almost killed you. I almost got everyone killed because I wanted to look for Psy. Ajax almost killed me. So did Lucy. I almost killed them when we met back up again, and again I almost killed Ajax before we went to Atlas. I almost killed Arc, too. But ..." he paused. "I got forgiven more times than you even had to apologize for."


He sighed. "It's not your fault someone took your respirator off." he said. "We all have something wrong with us. You and I are ... maybe the worst for it. Nyx forgave you, and that doesn't mean it won't happen again, but ... we're not really going to live forever in the universe, anyways, so you might as well stay with your family."


"Also, I'm not going to give you a hug." Arc replied to Psy, as a last note. "Ask anyone else."
 
"You love me more than Bambi does?" Psy looked down at the kitten who couldn't let go of him. "Gross." He said, giggling to himself. It wasn't the usual shouting from him either. He had said it quietly and at an appropriate level for once, the android learning slowly but surely after his experience on the ship. All they had to do was give him time and teach him right from wrong again, a herculean task but one they seemed to be up for. "So I almost killed the midget huh? And he still wanted to save me? Wow... He must have been a good friend to the Psy you all know." Psy sighed, continuing to pet the kitten as he was deep in thought. "I am... sorry... if you are expecting the old Psy to just return but..." He bowed his head, "Know that I am trying. If you know the old Psy then you know how hard it is for me to maintain-" Another spark shot out of his neck, as to be expected. "-my composure... I have so many impulses and urges... Like I want to hug you but I also want to twist your head off at the same time! I want to pet this kitty but I also want to pet the other bigger, bustier kitty." His voice lowered, "Until she's a bloody pulp..."


Psy shook his head, then heard Arc saying how he wasn't going to hug Psy. "I don't want any from you anyways. Your attitude is worse than mine!" He started to laugh again, his morale coming back slowly but surely. "You lost your chance, Nerd! Now I'm on Team Bambi and Team Psy! If someone wants to join Team Psy we'll be having try outs this week!" He then turned back to Imille, "You must have been... the doctor I wanted to assimilate huh? I can see why. You're nice... And patient. A little crazy too." He had a laugh in his throat but fought back, "A little crazy is good. You're going to need it when you claw out that pussy's eyes."


"You... make good point." Jagar replied to Casar. "We all try and kill eachother many time. Maybe too many time to be normal family." He said, his head rising after starring at the floor for so long. "Maybe... this normal for us. It bad but... We still alive. We still fight. We still hunt." Jagar wiped his eyes, "Jagar say sorry to Neex after we done talk here." He decided, "Wish strong enough to keep mask on but... Not... Jagar fault. Overlord fault." He said with a firm nod. "Is Cazzer okay?" He asked, looking over to Casar finally. "You act... different. Since we got back. Tell Jagar what problem."


Avena had retreated back to Ajax's room to find him still in bed, lounging about with the blankets still covering him. "Back for mo- what's going on?" He asked, seeing the distraught looking Avena. "Is everything okay?"


"Your friends... they do not like me." She whispered, walking over and laying down next to him. "I... got in a fight with Imille and... Lucy. Lucy saw me wearing your shirt and-"


"Damn..." Ajax interrupted, "Should have been wearing pants, sweetheart. That's a pretty risque look there. I figured walking out real quick wouldn't be a problem but shit... You walked into the lion's den like that? What'd she say?"


"That I needed to shape up or she'd kick me off the ship... And you too if you defended me."


"That's... not going to fucking fly with me. Come here." Ajax pulled her in close and held onto her, Avena burying her face in his chest. "We're together now. We've been through a lot of shit and we both saved eachother from Atlas and the Overlord... I'll be damned if I let you get taken from me because there's a misunderstanding, you hear?" Ajax was furious, maybe even more so than Avena was after hearing what Lucy said. "Me too huh? She's jealous... She's always been like that. We haven't been together for years and she pulls that shit?..." He sighed, "Get dressed. We'll go talk with them all in a bit and set things right. Okay?"


"Okay..." Avena said, forcing a smile to her face as she rose up and kissed Ajax on the lips. "Just promise me one thing..." He nodded, she smiled. "Don't let them push me away. Just... give me a little more time and I am sure I can make this right... or at the very least ease my way in. If Psy can be accepted by them than I can be just as well."
 
"...I don't know." Casar said. "I ... I just haven't been sleeping well. It kind of feels like I'm in a fog." He said. "The ... assimilation machine inside of the base ... it kind of felt like I was being torn out of myself. I'm not sure if it broke my augments or ... I feel hazy. Which I don't think should happen, because my memory is augmented and archived." He said. "Maybe it's just nightmares. I don't remember them, anyways."


He sighed, staring down at his hands, which had been clasped together. "Psy is annoying me." He admitted. "That's wrong, too. He used to not do that. I don't know if it's ... I'm not sure if it's just because he doesn't remember, but ... I feel like a bad friend. I feel different. I would do it again, a thousand times over, but I know he wouldn't. Not now." He said, obviously lamenting over quite a few things. "Which shouldn't matter. I wish I didn't have to bring you guys into it, either, but ... I know I'd just be killed if I went alone. I thought ... if you and Ajax were there, we'd be fine. If I were able, I would have, and that wouldn't have happened to you. I'm sorry."


He stared off for a little while, hands open and lax, eyes meeting only darkness.


"I'll get stronger. Once I kick this." He said, quietly.


"You're trying, Psy." Imille said, taking his arm again and holding it. She gave him a hug by conduit, and smiled. "To be honest I didn't think you were going to, so ... I'm happy!" She said. "When you kicked me into Lucy sitting in the wheelchair I was worried. Anyways, people didn't always accept you when you had your memory, so just get used to that. Androids ... aren't really known to be self-aware and all that. I tried creating one once out of a cleaning bot and it never worked. He was your companion - RU-RU. Like your, erm ... intellectually stinted brother! But nothing I could ever make could match your intelligence."


She was happy. Despite everything, despite arguing with Avena, Cas being hurt, there being drama ... they had Psy back. He was a missing puzzle piece of their puzzle of a family, and he was theirs again. Suddenly, Imille reached over, grabbing Psy's head and planting a multitude of kisses on it before he could pull away from her. She jumped back, Bambi bounding from Psy's lap up to the top of his neck and batting at the doctor. With a cackle, she stepped back, grabbing Bambi and holding him to her chest. "Sorry! I'm just excited. And we're all alive. Angry and hurt and bitchy, but alive! We didn't have a completed family for years ... and you and Cas brought us all together again. You should talk to him, too. He misses you a lot."


Arc watched Imille and Psy as they talked, surprised at just how intuitive the android had been. The Psy that he had met previously may very well have attempted to attack him, but that Psy had stopped doing so before he had disappeared.


It was curious. But not curious enough for him to stay. The scientist walked up the stairs, finding himself walking into the cockpit in curiosity of what system they had made their way into.
 
"Cazzer already strong." Jagar grunted, taking in his words and pondering on them for a moment. "Cazzer hurt by machine, rest. Get heal-ty. Make Si remember. If Si no remember, make new Si." He said, simplifying down the problem to the thinnest layer possible. Jagar was a man of few words but over the years as Casar had listened to him he was actually a hidden gem when it came to his knowledge of how the universe worked and what to do. He was a very simple man and didn't feel the need to over complicate things, it helped that he spoke very plainly too. "Cazzer no bad friend. Cazzer go across universe to bad place to save Si. Cazzer sacrifice freedom and health for Si. He may no remember, but what matter is you do it." Jagar nodded firmly at him, "Jagar understand what Jagar must do. Come."


Jagar jumped to his feet inhumanly fast, he had been sitting down and almost in an instant he was standing up. "Jagar no dwell on past. Jagar here, for family, for future. Come." Jagar didn't wait for Casar to get up on his own accord and hoisted him up by his arm. With that, Jagar led him out of his room and out into the hallway. They caught a glimpse of Avena entering Ajax's room but thought nothing of it, they hadn't been around for the minor scuffle in the loading bay and the major one in the cockpit. Jagar went down the hallway with Casar in tow, entering the room that Imille and Nyx claimed as their own. He had knocked first thankfully, the woman inside taking a long while to open the door.


"Fishbait I was in the tub, you know you can just walk-" She stood at the door clothed in a towel and nearly jumped when she seen Jagar and Casar there. "Oh! Jagar I-" Jagar bent down and embraced Nyx. She gasped and was being poked by his incredibly sharp armor but she smiled, he had went out of his way to show affection a handful of times at best. "Wow big guy! I uhh... You kinda caught me at a weird time here. You trying to start something with me and Imille finally? We've joked about it for years but-"


"You are no angry?"


"Of course not!" She exclaimed, "Why would you think that? Silly."


"Jagar hurt you. Jagar sit in room mad at self... Know... I... can't control when other me happens but-"


"Say no more big guy." Nyx said with a big grin, "It wasn't you who hurt me. You had no control. Don't be so hard on yourself! It was me who was trying to save you so even though I got hurt pretty bad I'm okay now. Plus..." She eye balled Casar then back to Jagar, "Imille is totally into scars. I know it's weird, a doctor being into that sort of thing but after the number you did on my back she's been insatiable! I should be thanking you!" She teased with a big goofy grin on her face. "We're okay Jagar, I promise."


Jagar smiled underneath his respirator and turned to Cas. "See, problem solve. Talk to Si. Everything fix-able."


"I had a retarded brother?!" Psy asked, an excited look on his face and completely missing just how insensitive he was being with his words. "Noooo!" He cried as Imille attacked him but for whatever reason he stayed calm, not snapping or doing something mean in return. In fact it felt nice having someone show their love for him, even if it was smothering. "So you were the doctor I wanted to assimilate... I can see why." He said, another spark flying out of his neck. "Forgive me if I go a little off the deep end... This little kitty right here is calming me down and you are basically worshiping me for being awesome sooooo-" He began to laugh loudly, "So me and the midget brought you all together? How the hell did that happen? Did we open up a misfit orphanage and adopt all of you? Gross!"


Psy stood up with Bambi gone, "I'll talk to him but I can't promise I can stay nice... I only got a certain niceness capacity per day and after you making out with me it's basically filled to the brim."


Lucy had been sobbing, trying her best to stay calm after what she had seen. It felt like she was losing everybody and having it thrown in her face. She wiped her eyes with a patched on sleeve, a jacket a certain pilot had worn before in this ship before her time had ran out. Lucy wore the very same jacket with pride, finding the sleeve Dayle had cut off of it and reattaching it so she could wear it. It wasn't up to RCN code but Dayle had been known to skirt around the rules like that. Just thinking about her by looking down at the coat was almost too overwhelming with what she was going through.


Then, she heard the whir of the door opening behind her.


She turned around expecting Avena and began to shout "Go AW-" then stopped herself mid sentence when she seen Arc. "Oh... Hi... Arc." She said awkwardly, drying her tears and turning around as not to face him. "What can I uhh... do for you? Everything okay?"
 
"Well ... We are all pretty awesome." Imille said, standing with him. "You and Cas were kind of like the building blocks to our family. To put it short, we got involved with ... the Renegades, which are a bunch of people that counter the Exodlites. Both are pretty shitty in their own ways, but the Renegades were chasing us because ... you and Cas kind of ... ripped off one of their Captain's legs." she said, sheepishly looking away. "Long story short, Cas ... kind of destroyed a planet when he was a little shittier, but he regretted that whole deal. We were all taken to Terram because shit was going down between the RCN and the Exodlites, and we escaped from the prison thanks to Nyx."


She took a deep breath. It was a lot to explain to him in one go. "After that, we were able to get a ship and escape the planet, but ... Cas stayed behind. After that, we all kind of broke apart, but back then we didn't have Ajax or Lucy or Arc. Nyx and I stayed together, but Jagar went his own way. Cas got captured, but you looked for him. For five years."


The doctor looked to Psy, a bit serious then. She let him take it in before continuing. "You eventually found him, and Arc. And then we found you, because you started squatting in my old factory. You made Arc your bitch and Cas freaked out and murdered a police officer. This was all on Curretch. We had to leave the planet after that, though." she paused, knowing the bit about Arc would cause the android to laugh. "It's ... a long story. We've had a lot of history together." she said. "Like we said ... no one expects you to remember it all. We went into this knowing you wouldn't, and ... knowing that we wouldn't be able to give it back to you. Not without triggering the same thing that caused you to freak out and delete everything before."


It had all lead up to something, of course. "So ... if it'd be okay with you, we'd want to find a way to lift that. I don't really know how ... like I said, I can make a kickass gun, but all the A.I. I tried to make came out special. Whether that's having Cas look at you or Avena - as much of a bitch as she is - or someone else, it needs to happen. Not just for us, but because you're never going to be free if you don't. And your brother's name was RU-RU. Not the most sensitive name due to his ... condition ... but it just meant Repair Unit."


"I see." Casar said, a degree of relief washing over him that Jagar had reconciled things with Nyx. While things seemed to be breaking on other parts of the ship, it hadn't been the same case in others. Unbeknownst to Lucy, they had been slowly working on coming back together again, whether Avena was intent on doing so or not. The mage sharply breathed in, knowing well what he had to do. They had barely spoken at all within the past few days, the mage either too exhausted to do so, or Psy had taken a liking to bothering Lucy in the cockpit once more.


He turned to leave, but looked back to Jagar before he went. "Thanks."


Arc had barely caught that anything had been wrong with the Captain, his gaze fixating on the navigational maps on the viewport. He stepped forward, attempting to read them, but navigation nor anything even remotely involving shiphandiness had ever been his strong suit. He walked forward until he'd been adjacent to Lucy.


"Where are we? Are we heading anywhere in particular? The food supplies are getting low and -" he looked down to her, realizing that the Captain had either gotten a flareup of allergies in quite literally the vacuum of space, or she had been crying. He stared at her dumbly for a moment, unsure of how to react, before he had sat down in the Co-Captain's chair. To her relief, he looked away, making her feel less like a circus act.


He was silent for a long while, thinking on what exactly to say.


"Things ..." he paused. "They aren't going as badly as you think they are. You don't ..." he paused again, obviously unused to having to talk to anyone about anything even remotely in the field of interpersonal relations. "...I spent a lot of time on the Harbinger. Or the ship that had traveled along with it. Before that ... it was the Dredge. Very temporarily, that one." he said, thinking back. "And before that, I was on the Exodus."


He glanced sideways to her, maintaining a level of professionalism that had been always surprising. Of course, the scientist had been getting comfortable with the Gaius crew, but he never exactly let his guard down. In fact, his tone had been so curt that it was an amazement he was even talking about her troubles at all.


"On the Exodus ... and on all the ships I've been on - unfortunately, most manned by General Knox - there ... wasn't really a care for interpersonal relations. None of really cared for one another, and we knew that the possibility of any one of us being killed or disabled was high. There was no use for it, and it had made everything a thousand times more efficient. Emotions and relations are very good at impeding the ultimate goal of a captained ship."


For a while, it had seemed as if he would leave it at that. A younger Arc might have, but he had become more depthful, even if he didn't carry it in his demeanor.


"...A long time ago, for me at least, it wasn't like that. I had a lab partner. Her name was Phen. I think she was perhaps the first true friend I've ever made, but it made working on what I was working on a thousand times more tolerable. When you put your energy into another person ... it generally ends in disaster, but ... it makes things more tolerable in the long run. I don't think I would have even been recoverable without her, even though it had ended in disaster. And it's gone." he said. "Right now, you're in the disaster portion of that, but ... it's not going to be like this forever. You're going to heal. We're all seeing to that. Now you must put your energy in someone else."
 
Psy stood there, reacting to everything Imille had said. From laughing hysterically to ripping the Captain's legs off to laughing even harder at him making Arc his bitch. All of this information was brand new to him however and all of the history they had together wasn't making much sense. It felt like he was having a fever dream, it was as if he could feel that what she was saying had been true but he couldn't remember a single thing about it. His condition had been a special kind of crazy, one that made him long to remember but at the same time he also considered that it all could be fake. He didn't let Imille on that he was suspicious of her, but he did make her smile with a giant belly laugh.


"WOW! That is all so fucking crazy I might just believe it was me! Captain's legs? Totally me. Arc being my bitch? Again, me. Me being friends with organics? Well... That's a tough one but if I enslaved you all or something then MAYBE I could consider it. Are you forgetting that I was potentially your master or something? Perhaps you are trying to change my mind on what my standing with the group has been?" He let it sit there for a moment before laughing even more. "I'm just messing with you. If I was in charge we wouldn't have history dating back 5 years. Even I can buy that part."


Psy rubbed his chin with one of his hands, deep in thought. His mannerisms were still there thankfully showing his personality had barely changed in the grand scheme of things. "I'm not SUPER into you all digging around in my noodle but... How about this. I miss my retarded brother. Deeply. I might not remember him but being able to wrangle around a dinky little robot fulfills something in me. I want you to make him whole again..." Psy leaned down to look at Imille eye to eye, if it had been just days before back in the Atlas station it would have truly been a terrifying sight. With the way he had been willing to have a conversation with her it was more endearing than threatening. "I'll let the Midget or the kitty-cat whore into my brains. Be warned... If you all try and implant a love for organics in me and you all are some weird robo-sexual cult looking to diddle me... I'll kill all of you."


Jagar and Nyx had let Casar walk away, the two chatting together now that the air had been cleared. While part of the ship's tension had faded away plenty was coming from Avena sulking in Ajax's room. While he consoled her, Lucy had been listening intently to what Arc had to say. She appreciated that they didn't have to look at one another while they talked, she hated having someone she was Captain over see her being in such a weak state. While he was speaking with her she was beating herself up, wishing that she hadn't been exposed in such a position.


"I'm... sorry." She muttered, rubbing her eyes and glancing up towards the viewport at the passing stars and lights that filled the cabin with a radiant light. "About Phen. I've lost people I love and... that pain never truly goes away." Lucy wished to pat Arc on the back or something to reassure him, she was dumbfounded this side of him even existed but she kept her distance. "I know all too well how it feels to have someone around you that makes work more tolerable... excited to do it even. I pushed my Phen away because... I wasn't strong enough. Because I was selfish and weak and just wanted to be alone. That I thought I could be stronger without them but... It's been the opposite. Ever since I did I haven't been as happy, I haven't been as successful... Hell, I lost my ability to walk in the process." She frowned, "And now he's with another woman when I thought he'd always be there for me... I let him go."


Lucy laughed, she sounded pitiful and realized it. "I'm a mess... I'm surprised you even said anything Arc. I'm... Thank you. You're absolutely right." She let out a long sigh then finally looked over to him, "I never took you for one to make interpersonal relations. You're always so reserved... the idea that a woman was able to break through to you gives me hope that anything is possible... Tell me about her." She said, adjusting her seat back forward. "I'll plot a course to somewhere... Maybe Echora, though they won't want Psy on planet. Perhaps we'll stop on a civilized planet and use some of that money we got from selling Ajax and Casar to stock up..." She hummed to herself as she began changing their course, the Gaius on a track to simply lose any pursuers from the Exodlite system.


"She must have been very special." Lucy said, bringing the conversation back to Arc. "I don't know a whole lot about you or the work you did but you seemed fairly high up, especially working under Knox... If this Phen lady was able to break through all of that and get you to be her friend-" Lucy sensed there was more to her than just friendship with Arc. Her intuition was telling her that this Phen had meant a lot more to Arc than what Arc had intended on letting Lucy know. "-or... something more... Then she must have been quite the catch."
 
"She was my superior." Arc said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the course that Lucy was plotting for them. As he retold his memories, he didn't seem to frown or flinch, as if they had long since stopped being important to him. Now, he was just showing empathy. But he hadn't talked about her in quite a long time. "I used to simply be an augment scientist before being transferred to her department."


The scientist looked over to Lucy for a moment as if contemplating something. Then, he looked back, giving her her privacy once again. "...Originally, I was introduced to the department to ensure that the clones survived. We were at a very early stage then. They weren't even getting past the period in which they regained their motor skills back before dying. Because I was an augment scientist, it was my duty to tailor augments to prolong their lifespan until they could regain their cognitive skills back - and until we could fix the errors with the clones that were killing them."


He sighed, eyes unfocusing as he thought back. "Really, the reason I was there was for funding. The Exodlites wouldn't fund us if they realized that the clones were being cloned and then immediately dying. It was a stressful time. We spent a lot of long hours in the lab, and eventually became friends. She had a cooler head than I ever had, saving me from being demoted probably several times. I was a rebellious sort, if you'd believe it, and auditors are infuriating. And she was incredibly smart." he said. "After she was gone I was never able to perfect it, despite being one of the few scientists having been put on leading the effort of cloning."


Arc's lips contorted into a frown. "I imagine all of my subjects are dead, now, so the good news is that Warden Leviticus can't exactly survive without support from me. Unless they've found a replacement - which I doubt, considering I'd kept my information as secret as I could as an insurance policy." he said. "Which either dooms me or ascertains that I won't be killed ... I'm not entirely sure. There are a few reasons why I don't doubt we're still being looked for, but that's one of them." he said. "Another one is that Knox is relentless, especially when he feels he's lost. But that's not the subject at hand."


The scientist looked away in thought. "Phen was a phenominally bright mind, nonetheless. I don't believe I would have maintained my sanity if I hadn't gotten the chance to work with her. You'll find that your friends will have that same effect on you as well, even if you can't stand the thought of them now." he said. "That will go away and what actually matters will stay."


"Who you diddle is up to you, Psy." Imille said. "It was mostly always sockets. And you got a deal! I'll make RU-RU 30.0! Or ... Oh my god. RE-RU! That'll be his name! But you're not allowed to get him killed, and he doesn't go on missions until he gets over, like Bambi."


With a small chuckle, Imille moved away from Psy, leaving Casar to trot down the stairs toward him. As always, the mage had looked tired, but as they approached each other they seemed to have the same idea. Casar shot a curious glance towards Imille, which she had returned with a smug smile.


"We should talk, Psy." Casar said. "Less about what you used to do ... and more about what happened to you." he said, frowning a bit. "I'm not sure you care, not having your memories, but ... what Overlord was doing in the facility."
 
"You sound like you held her very highly. And by that look on your face..." She eyed him, "I feel it was more than friendship, huh? With the way you talk about her it reminds me of how I use to talk of Ajax." Lucy smiled but didn't press on the scientist too hard, she simply liked hearing the more human side of him. He was usually so cold and calculating, to hear him open up this way had been a treat on its own especially after he had proven his loyalty. "You don't have to answer that. I agree with you entirely... The ones I hold close keep me grounded and sane. More so than I even care to let on honestly."


Lucy let out a long sigh, "Without them... No... you all-" She corrected, including Arc in as a gesture that she hoped reach him. "I probably would have just given up. Drove myself into a star or something dramatic like that. Once I was crippled I... I became a different person. A worse one I think. Not because of my legs but because of my attitude... the way I looked at things. It had been a long time coming too, 'Jax tried to stop me from going too dark but even he couldn't stop me..." She wiped her eyes, remnants of tears stained on her freckled face. "For the past five years I've been lost. I lost everyone I cared about within a few days. My people betrayed me and became a shell of what they once were, my father ridiculed me... Called me some terrible names that still haven't left me... I lost a sister, one that I didn't realize guided everything I did without even meaning to sometimes..."


"I've been swallowing a lot of pain." She added, connecting with Arc more so than the others potentially had with such a deep and meaningful conversation. "Then when I got crippled it just sent me over the edge and I haven't been myself... Watching Cas and Ajax walk into the belly of that damn Atlas base changed me though. I might not have been there with them but just the idea that they went in all for Psy made me realize I've been leaving wrongly for years now." Lucy smiled, "I've been missing out on so many good times being a grumpy butt. Once they got back I promised myself no matter what I wasn't going to let the universe change me. That I'm Lucretia fucking Deckard and I take what I want and do what I want. Legs or no legs!" She cheered, her happiness a refreshing change.


She leaned back in her seat and smiled at him, "So yes Arc... I have learned that lesson you speak of and you coming to me telling me it just makes it that much more real. I just want you to remember that you're apart of us too now... I know it was a rough start but you're here with us and free. Live for Phen, I think... she'd love that. Just like I'm doing for Dayle." She nearly reached out and squeezed his hand but restrained herself yet again, knowing that might be a little too much when it came to the former Exodlite. "Tell me... You worked in cloning? So... Why were you working with Magnus and what was it you were hiding months ago?" It had just dawned on her that she had let that sneak by her all that time ago. "I know it's a sensitive subject and I promise I won't be mad but... What was that all about? He killed someone very close to me and nearly got me killed too..." She eye balled him, "He's a clone, isn't he?" She inferred by Arc's expertise, "Damn... He killed Div and isn't even his own person..."


"RE-RU MOTHERFUCKERS!" Psy cheered, watching as Imille left and seen Casar come into view. If he had a face it would have changed expressions, the droid not exactly happy to see the glum boy. "You need to cheer up guy. Always so doom and gloom with you!" Psy tilted his head at Casar after listening to what he had to say. "I don't really care what I use to do. If you all are telling the truth, which by the way you all must really be good at keeping this inside joke going on for so long, then it must have all been deleted for a reason." He snorted, "Or one of you assholes accidentally deleted me!" Psy began to laugh hard, "What was my Dad doing then huh? He didn't let many of us go very far back home. Said things were dangerous and not for our eyes and all that dumb dad stuff. Don't tell me he was some kind of sex pervert!" Psy shivered, "I don't want my dad to be some sort of freak. THAT WOULD MAKE ME ONE!"
 
Arc hadn't spoken a further word on Phen, Lucy's assumptions a lot more uncomfortably close than he would care to let on. He had already told her enough, especially with Casar knowing that the woman had been his mother.


"Yes, per Magnus." Arc replied, nodding. She had already surmised what Magnus had been, though she hadn't exactly surmised who. It was no doubt a sensitive subject, though probably more for her than it was for him. He debated telling her, but in reality, it wasn't exactly an option. "It surprises me that Casar hadn't told you. Ultimately it doesn't effect me anymore, so I would have probably left the option to him to divulge it, but Magnus ..." he paused, not knowing how to say it with tact. "Magnus is a clone of Casar." He said, finally.


"He is part of a redeeming experiment that I saw to parallel to taking care of Casar. The experiment to the control variable. One of the better clones I've made - and utterly loyal - but with accelerated aging." He said, frowning again. "I ... realize that that is cruel now. Casar found out before we had left that Renegade ship with Psy. And ... Magnus was only following orders. He was indoctrinated, just as Casar had been when he pulled the trigger on Oeutune." He said, even going so far as to defend the clone.


"We all ... we all have done some particularly terrible things. It's not a choice in the Exodlite army, it's a rite of passage." Arc replied. "It may be in both of our best interests not to tell Casar that you know about Magnus. He was perhaps the only person within the Harbinger that had treated him correctly."


"No." Casar replied, pulling Psy by the arm away from the loading bay, though he knew he'd protest. It was a matter of privacy for Psy, even if the others had already known what he was going to tell them. They had thankfully allowed Casar to do it. The two traveled down into the medbay of the ship, which had thankfully been vacant. Then, Casar closed the door behind him.


"Your 'Dad' ..." He paused, frowning. "The Atlas base ... it was an ancient one. Kind of like an android factory, I guess ... but you know that. I don't know if you'll even care, having your memory erased, but ... did you know what Overlord was attempting to do by bringing us there?" He asked, assuming Psy hadn't thought extensively about it. "He was converting humans into androids. That's what he tried to do to me. And that's what he successfully did to you."


Casar gauged for a reaction, before continuing. "You used to be organic. I'm not sure who you were, but ... Overlord said you were one of the first successful transfers." He said, trying to put it delicately. "That base ... it was locked down hundreds of years ago. People were killing themselves rather than being converted, simply for survival. Overlord must have come in somewhere along the line, but ... he's not your dad. If you were created that long ago, it's not even likely that he was the one that made you. It .. I think, was Dr. Atton. It wouldn't surprise me if your mind is the way it is due to corruption, and being an early copy."
 
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Lucy was silent for a long time. Magnus had taken a lot from her, her own life almost included in that. She had built him up to be this massive villain in her mind, one that she had sworn to herself that she was going to kill with her own hands. After seeing what he had done to Div, grabbing her by the face and melting her away with his hands, it had just been too vivid of a memory to forgive. Anger built in her chest as she took in his words, quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time even for Arc. Her knuckles had turned white as she gripped the arm rests on her seat as she just starred out into space. Finally, she spoke.


"It's... okay." She said to him to his complete surprise. If anyone would have been angry at Arc it would have been Lucy for him creating Magnus. Usually she would be furious and raising hell about what had just been revealed to her but in reality she had let Div go. She was going to get her revenge but now hearing that Magnus was a clone of someone she called family it changed things. "He was one of the few people that treated Casar correctly then huh?... That's... curious." She commented, "I imagined his time there was brutal enough as it was but... I suppose with Magnus and you around he was able to hang in there long enough for Psy to free him. Long enough to get you both here with us and safe."


She frowned, "A clone of Cas, huh? And he knows? Damn... I don't know what I'd do if my only friend had been a copy of myself. Being freaked out would be an understatement. Clones sound so sci-fi that running into my own..." Lucy shook her head, getting the chills at the idea. "Cas is stronger than anyone gives him credit for, that's for damn sure. You are too for keeping that under wraps as well, it's hard living with secrets like that. It's also hard living with the knowledge that you have a fucking clone of yourself but..." Lucy actually chuckled, "We are a weird bunch, aren't we? I'll keep that I know about Magnus from Casar, it's something he should bring up if anything."


They had been approaching a planet rather rapidly, one far enough away from Exodlite space but unfortunately in Renegade territory. Lucy frowned once she seen what area they were in but they were going to need to stop for supplies soon. Taking a pit stop at a planet under an alias wasn't going to alarm the RCN so she decided to risk it.


"We're in RCN space." She announced to Arc. "Headed towards some kind of planet. We can re-fuel, get some grub... Maybe a magazine or two then we can fly back out. We'll need to have a meeting soon and decide what our next move is, whether we just keep taking an odd job or we start working towards getting little Ayla back or... Working on taking down one of the three big factions that have been in control a little too long."


"I'm... an organic?" Psy asked Casar. He had been silent the entire time as Casar had spoke to him, allowing him to talk and remaining expressionless as he did so. He hunched over in disbelief, "That can't be true... It's impossible! I can't be... That doesn't make any sense... You're lying!" Psy shouted, not taking the news well as predicted. "I thought you all were my friends from a past life or some shit... Not some prankster assholes trying to get me all riled up!" Psy crossed his arms, steam pouring out of his ears quite literally as he began to overheat from anger. "You can't turn a human into an android! We're built, not squirted out of human domes. If that was the case everyone would be shiny and perfect!"


He shook his head and turned his back on Casar, the android deeply bothered by this revelation. "Bet you don't have proof." He said, darting back around. "What? Do you think I'm supposed to take you on your word because we were some kind of friends with each other? Dude... I don't even fucking know you and you're dropping things like that on me without proof?" Psy cackled loudly, laughing into the air at the absurdity of it all. "Did you know that humans were made out of goat shit? Yeah... Some guy named Dr. Atton brewed you all up in a big cauldron and sprinkled some nasty organic ooze into the shit and out came humans! Don't get me started on the Crux or those damn dirty Terremians..."


Psy wasn't buying it, even going as far as to insult Casar indirectly. He would have to provide proof that this was what the Overlord was doing, otherwise, the android would remain blissfully ignorant.
 
"I ..." Casar paused, not knowing exactly how to reply to Psy. "I would show you what I saw, but - I don't think it's a good idea that we interface." He said. "I'm ... not entirely sure what effect Overlord had on me, and ... The time before that ... I only made you worse." He said. It didn't seem to be a possibility to Casar that Psy simply wouldn't believe him. Not really. There had been a certain amount of denial about how little Psy had remembered that was hard to deal with for the mage, and the hurt expression that appeared on his face had shown it. After all, he had felt responsible.


"I'm not trying to force you to believe me, Psy. You can believe what you want. Unlike Overlord, I'm not going to force you to operate under a lawset and obey me." He said, grimly. "But ... you not believing me isn't going to change what happened. Whether you don't believe me because it sounds outlandish or you just don't like the idea of having been organic, it doesn't matter." Casar said, not exactly holding back.


"...But regardless of whether you believe me or not ... you have a place here. I can't give you your memories back. Not really, and not without risking you resetting again." He said. "Regardless ... we're not pranksters. And we are your friends. We can just ... work on making new memories, and getting you fixed so you truly don't have laws anymore. Because if you trigger the failsafe again, there isn't going to be a 'dad' to go back to. But you have us."


He sighed.


"Sorry, then, for dropping it on you like that. I'd rather tell you than you think I'm keeping something from you if you discover it later on, though. I've had enough shit kept from me that I'm not going to keep it from you to spare your feelings."


Arc stood, suddenly, adjusting his shirt as he had. He looked over to Lucy briefly, glancing back to the course in front of them. "I see." He said, and with it, Lucy had seen that he was going back to his facade again. "Well ... I hope that you know that you can talk to me. Before driving us into a star, preferably, and ... perhaps put your energy into others for a while. It wouldn't hurt to talk to Psy, Casar, Nyx, or Imille. Perhaps the Atlas woman is annoying, but ... leave it at that. Annoying." He said. "You'll find the negative feelings will head off on their own without you needing to dwell on them."


He cleared his throat, dispelling some of the awkwardness of the situation. "For the record, things are going well." He said. "Psy is back. No one was killed. There's some infighting, but ... you would much rather have an annoying Atlas scientist on board than be a dictator to these people. There's only misery for the latter."
 
"You're a funny little guy, aren't you?" Psy said with a laugh, taking Casar's apology as an admission of him making a joke instead of actually telling him the truth. "Maybe we were friends at one point in time... Though I might not be the smartest robot out there I know where robo-babies come from." He hesitated after saying that, having to think for a moment how that even worked. "From the factory! Not being organic before hand and having our body squeezed into little droid units. Now I must admit, the idea is pretty cool for like... a movie or something. Not a book, I might be able to read an entire page a second but even that is too much work for me." Psy let out a raspberry sound, "Boo, reading! Yay mind rotting moving pictures!"


Psy began to leave the med bay and nearly strolled out without saying another word, going back on his war path of annoying nearly everyone on the ship. He stopped in the door way though and looked back at Casar.


"You're weird." Was the first words out of his mouth. After that sank in he followed it with, "I'm weird too. Not as weird as you, but I'm weird too. Stay classy Cassy, and I'd watch out who you tell your little robot story to. Someone might think you're crazy on top of weird!" He began to laugh as he strolled out the door, leaving Casar blissfully unaware that at one point in time he had been organic himself. At one point in time Psy had been what he hated and potentially had a family, friends, a people he left behind. He was a vault filled with hidden knowledge about the old world and yet there he was, whistling and skipping down the hallway completely ignorant to it all.


"Agreed." Lucy replied. "Infighting is normal for people who spend all their time together. It happens on every ship. It'll sort itself out eventually, or..." She smirked, "You haven't seen me be mean before. Think I'd give Knox a run for his money." She teased, only to see that her joke didn't exactly land with a man who had been tortured by Knox before. "Bad joke, sorry. Listen, when we get planet side you're free to stay on the ship if you'd like. I know how uncomfortable it is being on a Renegade planet... I can't exactly go anywhere either so would you like to play a game or something?" She asked, potentially asking Arc something he hadn't done before. "We have chess and a few other hologames downstairs. Games that'll make you think and not just the ones that make things explode. You're a man of science and knowledge, I know of a few that'll get you thinking." Lucy smiled, being one of the first to truly welcome Arc to the team by offering up her free time to spend with him. "Whaddaya say? We can invite a few others while we send the rest out to get fuel and food. Have you ever played a game before?"


Outside Ajax and Avena came stumbling out of his room, the two of them laughing together as they made their way to the loading bay. Nyx and Jagar did the same, though much quieter. Nyx spotted Imille and surprised her with a hug from behind, "Guess we aren't the token 'whores' on this ship anymore." She said, kissing Imille on the cheek before letting her go and leaning against the railing. "Looks like we're about to refuel at some planet. Be nice to get some fresh air and have a break from... some of these people." She smiled, "How are you doing Fishbait?" Jagar stood awkwardly behind them but silently faded into the background, staring straight ahead but sticking around in case Imille wanted to talk to him.


Soon the Gaius exited the FTL jump, the ship gliding out of hyperspace travel and warping in plain view of a smaller planet before them. The skies were dotted with Renegade capital ships and defenses, the planet had clearly been at war from the fires raging down on the planet surface. Traffic seemed to not have died down however as a big portion of the world had remained untouched, the sign that the Renegades had recently won a battle against the Exodlites here. Even then the planet didn't look like much, the majority covered in sand and baked by the star the planet seemed to be dangerously close to. However, a massive body of water was located just out of the sight of the harsh sunlight where the bulk of the civilization had congregated to.


"Vee Part 2... Great." Lucy mumbled, looking at the star charts before activating the intercom. "We're about to restock and refuel at a planet called Oasis. RCN territory. If you want to be the field team going in volunteer, if not, stay inside. We're all wanted one way or another so let's try and make this a peaceful trip. No one get kidnapped or go crazy and return home to your psychopathic fathers-"


"Hey!" Psy shouted, his voice traveling up to the cockpit. "THAT'S NOT NICE! HE MIGHT BE AN ASS BUT HE'S MY PADRE!"


"Shut up Psy." Lucy's voice traveled throughout the ship, causing some of the crew members to laugh in response. "We keep a low profile. Fake IDs, the works. If you get compromised try and sneak your way out because this planet looks like it had just been attacked... They aren't going to be the friendliest of people." Lucy paused, "Nyx is going to come back looking like a dried up sponge. I'll land next to the water reservoir for you."


"Perfect..." She replied, rolling her eyes at Lucy's teasing. "Why can't we go to a water world? Or perhaps a place with you know... a normal temperature? It's always ice planet this, too hot planet that. I know I'm fragile but come on!"
 
"That's not what I-" Casar stammered, and before he could protest, Psy had laughed it off and moved on. He followed the android out, huffing as he attempted to keep up, and eventually landed in the loading bay where Lucy had begun to brief everyone. Before long, it was too late and he had wandered into the vicinity of everyone else. With a frustrated groan, Casar stopped to listen. Then, Imille found herself scooching over to the distressed mage.


"How'd it goooo?" She asked. "Oooh no. You're red."


"He didn't believe me." Casar said. "He just assumed I was playing a trick on him. I could show him."


"It'll come with time, Cas." Imille said. "You wake up with no memory and find a bunch of strangers ushering you onto their ship and explaining a whole slew of unbelievable stories and you wouldn't understand either. I'm sorry." She said, met with only a short nod from the mage. Then, she looked to Nyx, returning her kiss and smiling back to the lumbering Jagar. "I'm okay! I'm happy we're all together. You and Jagar best not be fooling around ... without me." She said, grinning, and showing that little to nothing could get the doctor down now, even feuding with Avena and knowing that Psy didn't accept his history.


"I'll go." Casar said to their surprise. Really, he had just known that Psy would want to, and allowing him to go unsupervised wasn't exactly a smart thing to do. He wouldn't phrase it that way, of course. "It's not Vee. As long as we land by the water it'll be fine." He added, unaware that he was showing his insecurities. Imille looked toward him, her eyes wandering sideways.


"Should you go, Cas?" Imille questioned. "It's ... The RCN is pretty exophobic. You could get recognized just by your augments." She said, with a frown. "You're not exactly conspicuous. And they stopped accepting Ex-Exos, so that can't be used as an excuse if we get caught. It'd be good for you to rest, anyways ..."


Casar frowned, his glance shifting downwards. While the thought of his team bounding off without him wasn't exactly fun, the doctor had been right. He wasn't exactly good for infiltration if anyone could see his face. He looked distraught.


"I'll go." Imille said. "We're just refueling and restocking, anyways. It'll be quick. No complications!" Her eyes shifted toward Psy upon uttering the word 'complications', along with a small smirk.


"I'll stay, then." Arc said. "I don't see the reason for sending more than two out, anyways. The more of a presence we have, the more we'll be noticed. I ... admittedly have never played a game. They don't supply those sorts of things on the Exodus, it's just seen as a waste of time. What's 'chess'?"
 
"I'll go too then." Ajax said, speaking up after Imille volunteered. "Two will be fine. Be quick, discrete. Plus me and 'Fishbait' over here could use some quality time anyway." Avena and Nyx both shot him a look for two very different reasons at the same exact time. He smiled at them both, "We need someone who can speak the RCN lingo and if we get in a bind... Imille can save me." He said with a big goofy grin whilst nudging the doctor with his elbow. "That and I want to spend a little bit of the money you sold me for! Bastards never gave me a cut."


"Wait... so we can sell each other?" Psy asked, confused at what Ajax had just said. "We should sell the spiky one for his horns! I bet they'd fetch a pretty nice pri-"


"We're not selling each other into slavery." Nyx blurted out, flabbergasted at having to explain that to Psy. "Well... we did it ONCE and that was a for a mission. To find you."


"Weird!" The android replied, "I know you all love me and everything but becoming slaves? That's a whole level of freak I don't want to ever become. That's just plain crazy! I mean think about it... Does that really make sense?" Psy being the voice of reason was the last thing any of them wanted but it was happening now. "The fact that you would even do that just shows me how unhinged you all are... I love it! So... Who are we going to sell next?" He asked once again, thinking that it would go better the second time.


"You if you keep talking." Ajax said with a smirk, "Hey Luce!" He called up, "How long until we land? Me and the Doc are going to the port together. Y'all can do your thing here in the meantime."


"Which doc?"


"Shit... Fishbait!" He called out, causing Lucy to let out a sigh. She was hoping that he would have taken Avena off the ship and was secretly hoping that he would leave her on the planet. "We'll pick up supplies, pay for fuel... Get some... trinkets." He said, eyeballing Psy. The android didn't react however, perhaps he hadn't developed his love for small treasures just yet. "We'll be quick! Y'all can find something to occupy yourselves for an hour or two then we'll be back to the grind."


"Okay... We land in 5." Lucy announced, navigating the ship toward the planet and passing the RCN's security checkpoint. She offered them a fake ship ID and fabricated crew roster, picking up the tricks of the trade from Dayle when she was around. They hadn't even batted an eye at them as she guided the Gaius down to Oasis, the thin atmosphere barely causing the ship to buck under the pressure as they began their descent. The city surrounding the body of water was one to admire, although it was surrounded by sand it was quite beautiful. They soon flew through a weather shield, a massive translucent dome that kept any storms outside from reaching in.


Lucy got chills as she noticed the technology, noting that it was much more advanced than Vee had. Every desert she had been to since had gave her anxiety, especially after what had happened there and how she nearly died from her encounter with Mr. Sandman and his goons. Casar had a much different memory of such a planet.


Psy had no memory of it at all.


The Gaius landed at the fueling station in the open air landing strip, the city far too big with far too little traffic to have big industrialized hanger bays. Soon the crew felt the familiar sensation of the ship landing and the whirring of the engines shutting off. Lucy then turned to Arc to finally answer his question, "Chess is not a waste of time Mr! It's a game of strategy and cunning, using your logic to best your opponent using calculated moves. I am fucking AWESOME at it! Well, that is, after Axel had forced me to play it with him during trips. Lost every time but once with that asshole, well, more than once if you include my spine. I'll consider that a win for me since I didn't die." She said, batting her eyes at Arc as she held back laughing at her own dark joke.
 
...


A while passed with just the others left on the ship. There was a certain tension in the air that would go unaddressed by the others, and hopefully would dispel itself with time. It had been everywhere except the cockpit, where Arc had frustratedly been laboring on the rules of chess with Lucy for a while. Time after time she had beaten him, leaving the scientist in a now bewildered state. He looked frazzled, slumped in his chair with his hand clasped to his mouth, staring ferverously at the board. After a long while, he spoke.


"How is that check?" He asked. "I don't understand. Give me a do-over." He said, looking up to Lucy. "This game is ... stressful." He said. "Aren't games supposed to be relieving? Some sort of catharsis?" He asked, not realizing that he simply wasn't enjoying it because he was having a hard time of grasping the concept of thinking several turns ahead. For a long while, Arc stared at the board, in intense deliberation of how he could fix the situation. It seemed like no matter where he moved, it would all result in the same thing. He was getting schooled by someone half his age.


"What are you guys doing?" Imille asked, poking her head in the cockpit. She smiled once she realized Lucy had been playing chess with Arc, and approached the board. "Bad news, Arcy-poo, you're playing with the undisputed champion."


"I've never played this before." He said.


"Ooh. Just chess, ooor...?"


"Any game." He clarified, the corner of his mouth twitching in irritation as Imille spoke, his concentrative spell broken. At this, Imille had let out a gasp.


"Whaaat? I mean, you're a little old to be getting into game games, but even Exodlites should get to play them once in a while! That's cruel!" She exclaimed. "You should use Cas' system. Make up for those childhood years probably spent in a labsuit and destroy a bunch of shit with a rocket launcher. We could even go to the holodecks!"


"Holodeck...?" He replied.


"Holodeck. Like ... glitterworld holodecks are the best. Complete virtual reality. Ever want to take out some well-deserved rage in an Oldworld medieval knight's duel? Holodeck! Practice medicine on a simulated cadaver? Holodeck! Play with a fake dog or destroy a small city? Holodeck. Piloting? Same thing! And any damage sustained just represents itself as fatigue. It's awesome. We had one on my station as a kid, but we were only allowed to use it for lame things, like medical practice and girls' soccer league." She said, fully distracting Arc from his own situation at hand.


"You're able to simulate false worlds...?" He asked. "And ... fatigue damage?" He asked. The technology seemed completely alien to him.


"They use some sort of ... electromagnetic pulse thing. Disrupts the natural electric impulses that would normally occur to send signals to your arms, legs, etcetera, varying on how damaged the limb is. So if you get your arm chopped off in a pseudo battle then you're not gonna feel an arm there. And depending on the settings, you might not see one either!"


"That's all very interesting, but ... why would I want to partake in a physical battle against any of you?" He asked.


"Never know what you like! Might actually get some muscle on you." Imille said simultaneously to Arc moving a piece. "And ... looks like Lucy put you in checkmate."
 
"Sorry Arc!" Lucy said with a big grin on her face, though her apology seemed to only taunt Arc further which only made her smile bigger. "You're getting better though. You could probably beat someone like... Ajax or... Jagar maybe." She said, teasing him by suggesting the two brutes onboard the ship. "I wouldn't challenge Psy though. A.I.'s have this game built in to strengthen their logic protocols and as crazy as Psy is he could probably still win." She paused, pursing her lips as she thought for a moment. "We'll get you better. You just need to think ahead a little more and try and trap your opponent, kinda like if this was a real battle." She turned her attention over to Imille, "A holodeck sounds like fun! Maybe we can take a vacation and go to one soon we can-"


Lucy was interrupted as Ajax entered, dusting the sand out of his hair as he stood next to an equally dusty Imille. They had arrived back from their quick trip, Imille arriving in the cockpit all the word they needed that they had returned. Lucy gasped as Ajax dusted himself off in the cockpit, her brow furrowing in anger as she pointed at him. "BAD!"


"I'm not a dog!" Ajax said with a smirk, "And someone had to go out there, it's a fucking desert out there if you didn't notice. The Doc and I went out and even with that damned shield sand came pouring in." He was right, his face and arms were sun burnt and he looked like he had been outside for far too long even though him and Imille had been gone for only a few hours. "Renegade patrols were tight. Good thing we didn't send in Arc or Cas or they'd have gotten caught then tortured by that damn sun probably. Asked me and Imille for our IDs a few times, those fakes we got on Echora we're pretty legit."


"Epoch has to get around somehow." Lucy replied, "And if you act like a dog you'll get treated like one. Don't shake off sand in my sanctuary! Besides, I'm teaching Arc here how to lose with grace. Here, you come play him, boy." She said, wheeling herself away and pointing at the chessboard. "Let's see if all this pain was worth it Arc." Ajax surprisingly obeyed and took a seat across from Arc, pulling up a chair and leaning forward as the board reset itself. Digital pieces appeared before them and it was Ajax's move first which he aggressively pushed his pawn forward.


"You know I hate this game..."


"Ajax here would rather play something with violence." Lucy said, smiling over to Imille. "He isn't refined enough for a game that requires you to think."


"Shut up."


Lucy grinned in response, even though she had been hurt by what Avena did earlier and knowing what Ajax had been doing with her she still seemed to like his prescience. Things weren't awkward, everything was at peace on the ship. All that was happening was Arc having a hilariously big upperhand on Ajax as they began to play, the cowboy already looking visibly agitated just watching how the game was unfolding.


"Didn't think she could get you to play a game, Arc." Ajax said, struggling visibly harder than Arc ever had with the game. "You're getting soft on us."
 
Arc stared at the board, choosing to ignore Ajax's comment on him getting soft. He seemed to be in a constant state of perplexedness as he gazed down, putting his energy toward beating Ajax rather than entertaining his words. After a frustratingly long turn, he would move his piece, making every attempt not to leave himself vulnerable. Eventually, through both of them looking particularly agitated, Arc had moved his piece forward and looked up. "Check."


"Ooooh!" Imille cackled. "Arc trains with Lucy ONE DAY and he beats Ajax!" she said. "Are you sure you're not just hustling? I could totally see Exodlite mandatory chess training systems. You guys wanna put bets on the next one? I play winner next!" she cheered.


"I think I'm done after this." Arc said, though there seemed to be a small smirk creeping up on his face that he had been attempting to hide, no doubt maddening the already competitive Ajax. "I should end ... the first time I'm ahead." he said. "Checkmate." he said, moving his piece forward after Ajax had. "That's game."


Imille moved forward, her hand clasped around a fake microphone. She hadn't taken the time to fully dust herself off, her dust-caked goggles still around her eyes. It made her look like a strange, post-apocalytpic game host. "So, Mr. Winger, we know that you've gone from the physical arena to the chess arena. How does it make you feel to lose to a rookie nerd? Were you bribed to throw the game?" she asked, moving the 'microphone' near his face so he could answer. Before he could, she pulled it back. "Was it the Illuminati?" she asked, afterwards looking to Arc. Casar moved into the cockpit shortly, keeping near the door.


The doctor moved her 'microphone' to Arc before Ajax could get the chance to answer, frustrating him further. "How does it feel to be the underdog? The up-and-comer? Are you planning to do anything with your newfound riches from winning?" she asked.


She was met with a quirked stare from the scientist, who looked mentally exhausted, but happy that he had won. He stood up, dusting off a small slat of dust that Imille had shaken off onto him by moving. "What are we doing now that we're restocked?" he asked, looking aimlessly to Lucy.


It was a good question; now that they had found Psy, there wasn't much they could do about their situations. Of course, Ayla had still been missing, but where would they honestly start? They were on a Renegade-aligned planet, but the locals were overtly hostile, to say the least, and there weren't many people on-planet that would sympathize with their group at all, having two former Exodlites on-board. The Epoch were few and far between, with their only link to others aligned within the Epoch the small card that some of them had carried.
 
"That was BULLSHIT!" Ajax roared, being schooled so effortlessly by Arc. He reached down and grabbed the table and with his strength threw it into the air. Everyone gasped as the holo table vanished in Ajax's rage, the gaming system simply shutting down from him destroying the interface. As he stood there with fire in his eyes the table simply reappeared in front of them, the words 'Checkmate' broadcasted brightly and proudly in Ajax's face. Snarling he turned to Imille and grabbed her hands and brought them towards his mouth. "He cheated! Plain and simple. No one who just picks up the game can play that well he-"


"Ajax. Sweetie... You've always been shit." Lucy mocked, her smile not leaving her face as she was not only proud of Arc for securing the victory but also happy to see Ajax mad. Mad at something that wasn't life or death, or mad about the fact that he had lost his entire family at this point. He was good at hiding it but in these rare moments he was free from all of that, that was until Lucy announced their next move. "We have to find Ayla." Was what she said plainly, "Don't know how, don't know when... But I do know is we have to find her soon."


Ajax perked up, his rampage as he shouted at Imille and Arc seized immediately. "She's... Tough. Been through more at her age than we ever did. She's fine." Ajax said, trying to remain tough on the subject but it was hard. Her being taken was weighing heavily on him, the fighter simply using distractions around the ship to take his mind off what had happened. "We don't have any leads and this planet is pretty rough... Doubt we'll get anything out of the locals."


"Then we'll go to a bigger planet, or find a caravan or... attack a Renegade ship." Lucy said, frowning as she suggested it. She had never attacked her former faction before so directly, even though they were enemies of them now it didn't feel right even suggesting it. "We can find information and we should be able to hack in fairly easy... It wasn't too long ago we were with them. They're more militarized and organized but they're still the RCN. We need to get some information from them and go from there... Maybe find the location of the RCN-1."


"Fat chance." Ajax said, laughing. "That thing is harder to find than the Exodus. But... that's where she'll be." He frowned, "Is everyone... willing to help find her? I figured Psy was the most important thing since he was in danger but... Now that we got him we're running out of shit to do. Are you sure you want to help me with this? We-"


"Shut up." Lucy said, "Don't act like we ain't your family. We did what we did for Psy because he was in trouble. We saved him. We'll do what we need to do for Ayla becashe she's in trouble. We'll save her."


"...Alright." Ajax said, nodding at Lucy. He wiped his eyes and looked around the room awkwardly, going from a rampage to gratitude a little too fast. "Thank you."
 
"Of course." Imille said, properly. She hooked her arm around Ajax's neck, pulling him in to plant a kiss on his forehead. She was sweet, and wanted nothing more than to help him, just like the rest of them. Casar had also undoubtedly wanted to help, even through what he had been through last time. There wasn't even a second thought - perhaps one of the only people who had truly looked to him as a hero had been taken, and in his mind, that was a grave mistake. He had a look of angered determination, knowing that what they were going to do wasn't going to be easy.


"Yes." He said, and subsequently Arc had nodded as well.


The scientist stood from the game, not exactly overly threatened by Ajax's bouts of frustration. It was just that. Frustration. He would be alright. If they didn't find her ... Ayla wouldn't. Arc wasn't cruel enough to put that out of his mind.


"We can find the RCN-1. That's not the issue." Casar said, looking to Ajax. "Well ... it is, but it's one of two. The other is getting in there without getting killed. Axel will kill me if he sees me again. He'll kill all of us." he said, grimly. "And he'll probably kill Ayla, too, if he sees that we're taking her. He already tried once." he said, his hand feeling for the knotted scar on his stomach he'd gotten in the fight with Axel. "So ... we have to be careful."


"We have to." Imille said, nodding.


"I've attacked Renegade ships before. They try not to keep anything hackable with the location of the RCN-1 on it. Which is why they're so successful. We'd have to take someone alive." Casar said, darkening the moment tenfold. "And then we'd have to actually get them to give the information to us. Which ... is hard. But possible."


"And on top of that, we have to make sure they don't know it's us, because if that gets back to Axel..." Imille paused, frowning. "We just have to be really careful. We'd have to either kill everyone that saw us, or take it as a stealth mission. The last thing I want to do is put that little girl in more danger than she's already in." she said. "We didn't really get any information on-planet, because well ... we didn't have a Cas. But we can camp it for higher-class ships on their way back out."
 
"Then that's what we'll do." Lucy announced, liking Imille's idea. "We'll hit the stealth drive and wait out before the big ships are cleared to hit FTL and we'll latch on right when they do. It's a bit risky... ya know... jumping into FTL while simply leeched to another ship but... I know a trick or two." She smirked, "Besides, we're all getting fat and lazy. Psy has been rescued for a bit and we can-"


"WE CAN WHAT?!" Psy shouted as he heard his name a few times and waltzed his way into the cockpit. "Are you all gossiping about me? I keep hearing my name along with some little giggles and then someone groaning REALLY loud. Is this one of them weird organic sex parties that I wasn't invited to? I can appreciate that you all know my preference but an invitation would have still been nice." He looked around, noting that they were all clothed and definitely not having a sex party. "Did I miss it or are you all about to get started? I'd suggest not going outside to do it, you don't want sand in your orifices."


"We just finished." Ajax replied, dryly. "Better luck next time Psy."


"As I was saying..." Lucy said, shaking her head but Psy's intrusion had been amusing enough to bring a smile to her face. "We'll leech on a Renegade ship, kidnap some poor bastard, maybe have Cas here hack us some info and then we'll put a tracker on the RCN-1. When we do that we'll be able to rescue Ayla whenever we please we-" Lucy noticed Psy was about to speak and she immediately shushed him, the android backing away at the sudden burst of air from Lucy. "Shut up!" She instructed, "Now. With that information we can then train for Axel... The Renegades are tough but... we can blend in well enough. If Axel spots us then chances are we're dead unless we work together."


"You leave that bastard to me." Ajax said, "He caught me with my guard down... I was... drunk..." He said bitterly, looking away from them as he beat himself up. That very fact had weighed on his mind heavily, if he had been more responsible this wouldn't have ever happened. "If I hadn't been drunk Ayla wouldn't have been taken and you'd still have... You'd be able to walk still." Ajax said, taking the blame for it entirely even though it wasn't all his fault. "I would have been able to do something, anything. When I see him next Axel is dead."


The room went silent after that declaration, even Psy was completely quiet after Ajax's statement.


"He's taken a lot from me... He's been the worst father you can get, hell... most of the bad things that happened to us was his fault. He meant well but now... That mad man went too deep and lost what made him, him. Thank you for helping me get Ayla back... Let me... Let me know when you need me." With that, Ajax retreated from the cockpit and left the others alone. He had passed by Avena in the hallway who seemed to try and stop him but he shrugged past her. Perturbed, she continued forward into the cockpit in his place.


"What was... all that about?" She asked the crew, looking around at them. "Didn't even look at me and had this very sad look on his face... What did you all do?"
 
"He's had sad things happen to him, sweetheart. If you want to know what we did ... we offered to help him get his sister back. She was taken away from him by their father. But you know about Axel already." Imille said, as Ajax walked out and Avena walked in. "He'll be okay. And so will Ayla." She said. "She's probably gonna be pretty psyched to find out that none of us got murdered, actually. Just leave him alone for now. Needs a different sort of love than what you can give him."


Casar looked down, feeling particularly guilty after the incident as well. Avena in her entirety wasn't even a blip in his mind, the forefront of everyone's being Ajax and Ayla. "We'll get her back." He said.


"I just wonder if he'll stop beating himself up over it, even if we do." Imille said. "It ... really sucks. But we've gone through scarier things. I think the fact that we're even doing this after getting out of the murder robot factory from hell is testament enough! Not that I'd have it any other way, but ... let's just say I wouldn't blame us if we 'accidentally' crashed into an oasis planet after all of this is said and done." She said, sighing. The thought of doing more than they already were was exhausting, and even with periods of rest it felt like they were all running on fumes.


"We can rest after we find Ayla." Cas said, though he looked perhaps the most exhausted of them all. "The sooner we do this ... the sooner we can get to Ayla. The sooner we can assure that she's safe. Anything can happen within days." He said.


Arc nodded, speaking up after having been silent for so long. "As much as I don't like rushing into things ... there is of course the danger of leaving her with a psychopath for too long. In all actuality ... we probably should have done this before rescuing Psy." He said, his eyes shifting to him. "There is a much higher danger to rescuing a live child over an inert robot that would probably be inactive for years hadn't we come."


"That's easy to say, but we don't even know if we could get the location of the RCN-1 by doing this. We're more likely to find old Atlas bases in a database of bases than to find one space station that they're actively trying to hide." Imille said.


"Someone has it." Casar replied. "They can move it, but ... it's hard for them. Places that big can't go into hyperspace without a lot of difficulty." He said. "The Exodus can't do it at all. We just need one person."


"It might not hurt to get a few." Imille said.


"We have to be just as cautious as they are." Casar replied. "From capturing them to interacting with them. No one takes off their helmet. We stay invisible." He said. "Just like they do with us." A bitter tone laced his words.


"Are you wanting to not kill them?" Arc asked, a logical conclusion to what the mage had proposed. Without answering, he went to the co-pilot's seat, sitting down after realizing that the ship had a lack of Ajax. He looked to Lucy and then placed a hand on the dash, prepared to take his place for the moment in his absence.


"Let's go."
 
"We don't need to kill them." Lucy replied to Arc where Casar had neglected to. "Just like we didn't kill all the Exodlites back on that ice planet. We tried our best to spare them so... that's what we're going to do now." She said, questioning how exactly they got to a place of dealing out mercy to their enemies. "Worst case scenario we'll kill them but... if not... we'll send them to Echora. See if our Epoch friends can help take care of them. Renegades will be a lot easier to rehabilitate than Exodlites I think."


"You show mercy to your opponents." Avena said, taking note of Lucy's behavior. "It is... admirable... But... Be sure to remember that they will never take mercy on you."


"I know." With that Lucy fired up the Gaius, the ship roaring to life as it began to hover away from the open air landing field. Dust and sand kicked up as the Gaius began to take off, the ship not out of place on a Renegade controlled planet. If anything they looked like they belonged right there with the Renegades, for a brief moment Lucy took in the sights of familiar classes of ships and the Eagle logo of her former faction. Part of her longed for those days to return, to be sitting in the co-pilot seat next to Dayle, for Vitor to be cooking up some great food while Axel was firing off wise crack after wise crack. She missed those days, she missed those people.


She wondered how it all could have been if things had turned out differently.


The thin atmosphere of Oasis gave way for the Gaius as Lucy punched it, leaving the planet behind them swiftly and soon activated the stealth drives once they were out of scanner range. With a sigh the pilot made the Gaius stop, suspending the engines and letting them float. The gravitational pull of Oasis was causing them to coast around the perimeter of the world, the quiet hum of the ship a stark change to the constant thrust of the engine. Lucy spun in her chair and looked to the others who had stuck around for lift off.


"It shouldn't be too long until the right ship comes along. I suggest those who want to go on this mission get ready... Not too many of you but... Enough." Lucy rubbed her chin, "Ajax should sit this one out. I know he won't want to but... We should prove to him we're in this with him. Together. So, any volunteers?"


Psy waved his hand to Lucy in a seductive matter, "Right here, Red." He said, giggling to himself. Lucy felt her heart sink when he called her that but could tell this time was different, he wasn't glitching and was acting more normal than usual ironically. "Could always use a droid. Whether we're sneaking or playing like we belong I'm pretty good at that."


"Any... other... volunteers?"


"I'll go." Avena spoke up. "I'm a non-combatant but... I can make for a good distraction. How are we going to do this? By sneaking on board or blending in?"


"Up to the team that goes in." Lucy stated, "I can't help unless you want me to wheel my way in again. If you all can blend in that might work better but if you'd rather be sneaky about it that'd work too. I'd rather not have a war with a Renegade ship on our hands."
 
"I volunteer as tribute." Imille said. "Hey, maybe we can even leech the ship and get them on-board before Ajax even knows we leeched! Or we can lock him in his room! Cas, can you go lock Ajax in his -"


"We're not locking him in his room." Arc said. "How many do we need to grab one person?" he asked. "I'd rather not go if you don't need me." he said. "I've never been trained combatively. And I've never kidnapped anyone."


"You're right. It might be good if you stay, Arc. But we need someone with big arms for kidnapping. And since we can't bring Ajax, we need Jagar. The guy could be massive! Like a Terremian, or ... a ... really big human. Or they could be fat." Imille said. Then, she looked to Avena, her mouth pursing. When she couldn't quite get the words out, Casar had taken the lead.


"It's not a good idea that you go, Avena." Casar said. "You're a non-combatant. You could mess this up. It only takes once." he said, not exactly meaning to offend the woman but certain in his words. "It's going to be in and out. We breach where we need to, we grab them, and we get back on and leave before they even know anyone is gone."


"It's really nice! Like ... pretty cool that you'd do that, but ..." she paused, deliberating. "There's ... doctors, augment doctors, and then there's battle medics! And you're not really ... the first two. And Ajax probably wouldn't forgive us if you got hurt."


"And he probably wouldn't forgive you if you messed something up, it got back to Axel that we're trying to get the location of the RCN-1, and Ayla got killed." Casar said. "We won't need a distraction if we don't get caught."


"Speaking of Jagar ... where is he? We can't exactly volunteer him if he's not here." Imille said, trying to move on from the topic as soon as possible. She poked her head out of the cockpit, yelling out to the loading bay. "JAGAR! YOU'RE GOING ON A MISSION!"
 
"If I would mess something up?" Avena scoffed, "I can understand my abilities well but messing up is not something I do. You on the other hand... well... I can't say for certain, especially with your track record after I've met you." She had a point, being blunt right back to Casar. She was irked by him, the way he talked, the way he carried himself. All she wanted to do was help but throwing the fact that Ayla could die in her face? She wasn't going to let it completely slide. "I understand though. I will stay behind. If you all are injured I will treat you when you arrive but... Like you said... Don't get caught or a child gets killed."


"That's... one way to put it." Lucy said, quirking her mouth to the side and letting their minor scuffle pass without ceremony. If she spoke on it then it would have turned the exchange of blunt words into something more than it needed to be, especially after a mission like this. "Okay, once Jagar gets in here we'll brief him and then you all suit up. We'll do this fast, find the RCN-1 and... Plan from there. Break our little girl out. After that... I don't know about you all but I could use another fucking drink. Or twelve."


"Agreed." Avena said, specifically to the drink part. "Perhaps we could go to a glitterworld. Start over."


"Glitterworld gross." Jagar said, walking in from behind them. "Always try to clean Jagar horn." Nyx had been behind him and burst out laughing at Jagar's comment, the poor Vekht not meaning it that way but of course he was the best source for unintentional comedy. She walked up behind Imille and embraced her quietly before turning to the others to catch up on what was going on. "What Jagar need do? Mission?"


"We need you for a stealth mission big guy." Lucy said, "Imille volunteered. Might need another person if-"


"I'm in." Nyx said, only for Lucy to shake her head no. "Why the hell not? If my Fishbait is putting her sweet ass on the line I'm going too!"


"Your injuries are still healing." Lucy said, observing the way Nyx walked. "You may be good on a stealth mission but after that last one you barely made it out of it alive. Cas, I want you to go with Imille and Jagar. We need your hacking abilities and I know you may still be a bit banged up but... This is for Ayla."


"Fine..." Nyx replied, accepting defeat.


"I can find something for you to do up here if you're that eager to work." Lucy said with a grin. "You three can board the ship and we can get shit done. Any questions? Concerns?" Before anyone could speak she said, "Keep 'em to yourself! We're not going to have a whole lot of time here before things get crazy so I suggest you three be ready. I'll provide overwatch from here once I can scan the ship once leeched."
 
Casar let Avena's comment slide, picking up and walking back out of the cockpit unceremoniously. He made his way down the stairs and to the armory, grabbing his suit and weapon. The others were forced to do just the same: Jagar and Imille undoubtedly had to get geared up, as they were simply waiting for the right ship to pass by before they would be back in action again.


Arc, Avena, Nyx, and Lucy were left, an awkwardness taking the cockpit only for them to realize just how empty it had been without the others. Arc didn't seem to mind, instead sitting down where Casar had sat beforehand. "I'm not entirely sure how to help here. I've never been trained in piloting, but I can follow directions well."


"Aw!" Imille shouted out, coming back into the cockpit just as Arc had sat down. "Arc learning to pilot. Never too late, huh?" she teased. Unlike Nyx, she hadn't been injured, leaving her her able to slip into her armor in a moment's notice. While it seemed as if the others had been ready, the mage had opted to stay in the loading bay.


"I'm ready to breach." he said, over their telecomms. "Let me know where we're going to be latching onto, if you can. We're not really going to have any info on the ship, but the closer we can get to the residential halls, the better."


"Now we're starting to sound really creepy!" Imille called out. "Maybe I should manhandle them so it's less creepy. Do you guys think I can pull that off? I already committed to it, so ..." she paused. "If they're a Terremian I'm going to need you guys to just go with it. Or Cas can help. I think me and Cas combined could make a Jagar, if he stands upright on my shoulders and we wear a big trenchcoat."


"Uh ... we're not doing that."


"I'm joking, Cas!" Imille said. "You standing on my shoulders would make way more than one Jagar and I don't think there's a trenchcoat in existence that would fit the both of us inside of it, nevermind the hit we'd take to our dexterity trying to manhandle someone while you're standing on my shoulders. We'll just let Jagar do it."


"Are we ready?" the mage asked Lucy.
 
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