Futuristic Burning Sails [OPEN]

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

"I'm not angry." remarks Typhon. "However, whatever it is you are going to do, I prefer my workplace being exempt in any way possible." Typhon finishes up his duties in the med-bay by changing back into his homeless disguise, though as he's giving Olivia another look and listening closer to what her and Amy are saying, he decides to do something peculiar. He takes out one of his first aid bags and slings the strap around his shoulder. It's got a few supplies in it including rubbing alcohol, bandages, gauze pads, and other assorted things. If Olivia's going to do what she's going to do, she's need all of them if what Amy is saying is the truth... and that's if Valkyrie or someone else doesn't just shoot her head off for simply existing.

 

[Breadman]

"Psycho robot started it? Fair. Valk...she's focused on revenge right now." Amy hated to say it, but it was the truth. "Getting in her face is gonna get you killed faster than any of the deadbeats we have to deal with. Its not my job to make you guys friends or something, but I rather we avoid as many violent episodes as we can." She sighed "Fuck if I know how to get that through to Kalashi."

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja tenses as Nil appears rather eager to get her to show off her skin. She gestures him over to her room so she's not out in the hallway flashing her flesh around, once inside, she pulls up the back of her tanktop to where all the tattoos converge into a central trail up the spine to the base of her neck, "The markings aren't the problem, but the bit at the base of my skull is what's damaged." She closes her eyes, trying to shake the constant feeling of dread at the thought of Nil even remotely physically touching her. She just wants this over with quickly so she can go back to avoiding him.

 

[SniperComZero]

"Oh, she's focused on revenge, huh?" Olivia's eyes widened up as she feigned a look of surprise. "I guess that's true, but, uh... last I checked." She made a show of raising up her fingers and counting. "One, two, three... oh-- right, fucking all of us here are. And, last I checked, not a single other person is charging straight towards the edge of the cliff to fuckin' barrel off of it. Not even her kids."

 

[K0mori]

"I help him try to keep his...uh...'wild side' under control. Which is tricky since both of us are wanted criminals after Osiris-1256, and people tend to shoot first when they see us instead of asking questions."

Caiden's story was simple, and left out some key details, but Vixaya was satisfied with the explanation for the time being. The only question she still had was what exactly Nil wanted in exchange for rescuing him, and Caiden already made clear that he didn't know. But... from the sounds of things, Nil had been a prisoner until he was freed by the pirates. He had no reason to readily trust a complete stranger, especially a wounded mercenary, in the midst of his own escape, and yet he stopped for him and made the offer anyway. Maybe Nil didn't even know what he wanted. Or maybe he wanted a favor at a later date, which seemed reasonable.

Regardless, Vixaya found herself more comfortable working with the two newcomers. In a way, she had something in common with them: the feeling of constant danger, and the lack of belonging. "[When I was growing up, my home planet was falling apart all around me,]" she said quietly. "[There were schools and businesses, busses and trains. They all went away; the war made things too dangerous for normal life to go on. Life was just survival, after a while. By the time it was over, I couldn't remember what it was like to go outside and feel safe. Nobody wanted me, either. They said I was dangerous, a 'radical,' or a murderer. It's the same way now, with these pirates. I have a bounty on my head again. This is what normal is to me.]"

 

[Breadman]

"Yeah and standing right in her way instead of trying to push he in another direction is gonna get you run over or taken straight over the edge along with her." Amy raised her hands "But if you want to keep at it, be my guest. I'll call the janitor to clean up after."

 

[Infab]

Caiden listened quietly to Vixaya, as she spoke briefly of her life back on her homeworld. He had met a few child soldiers in the past. Both post-war survivors as well as those still neck deep in conflicts. Either they had been trained from early childhood to fight, or were just thrown into it without prior training or experience. Most shared the same sort of vibe, though. Seemingly soulless husks, bouncing from one place to another.

Eventually, they either find a new purpose, or perish. Forgotten on some lonely battlefield far from home.

"...Friend of mine once told me that the way of the gun is one of the hardest paths to walk." said Caiden. "...He said that every day brings new struggles. New battles. New scars. And you leave nothing but death in your wake, often all for a paycheck and some sense that you changed something for better or worse. But its difficult to stop. Most see you as a murderer, and think you're too fucked up to co-exist with 'normal' people." He shrugged afterwards. "Which is a lie. I've seen soldiers and mercs settle down. Finding new purposes for their lives. Even seen some criminals and outlaws go straight, while working with the BCB."

He motioned towards the tunnel. "...You need friends. A new 'family', in a sense. People that care about you and what happens to you. They help to fill the void inside. I know from experience." he said, before laying his hand back down on the arm of the seat. "They help you find a new purpose."

​

"The markings aren't the problem, but the bit at the base of my skull is what's damaged."

"Ah, yes. A central nexus point. Still, I need to scan some of the tattoos themselves in order to get a proper idea of how they work! The nexus point will be scanned last." said Nil, as he prepared the holoband. A moment later, a blue light shown from the band, which he pointed at Katja's back. The holoband made an audible beep, as it began gathering data as Nil slowly moved it over the tattoos on her back. "This is rather ancient but interesting technology! A wireless system used to transfer a user's consciousness into a mech! My sister's race figured this out a millennia ago!" he stated, as he read over some of the data being recorded. He then moved it up to her neck, and began to scan the implant's central nexus. "Ahhh, extensive cryogenic damage. I see..." he said, his voice bearing a tone of fascination. "I'm sure that most of the brain damage has been repaired by nanomachines, yes? The damage to the implant, however, could reverse things and cause more brain damage if you use your mech extensively. I'll send my findings off to my sister promptly!"

A moment later, he shut off the holoband, before backing out of Katja's room. "There you go!~" he said cheerfully.

​

"Did he tell you what happened?"

"No, I've never spoken to him about it." responded Damien. "All I know the station had to be 'scrubbed' from existence." Scrubbed meaning destroyed via a nuclear weapon. "They must have been keeping some nasty stuff on that station."

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, pardon me for not being more con-sider-ate of the pirate queen's feelings." Her face darkened some. "But, I'd rather get taken down with my morals intact than let 'em get softened up so that I go down the same way she does." As much as she loves her analogies, this time there was a definite sincerity in Olivia's voice, even as she rolled her shoulders. "Y'know. Death of character, or something. And, well. I'm a fuckin' mech pilot, of all things. Subtlety ain't exactly a word in my vocabulary."

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja listens to Nil talk about her implants and how Nonara's race had figured this tech out millenia ago, it's weird hearing that from Nil, but it offers her some small comfort that Nonara knows how to fix it. She drops her tank top back down once he finishes but she turns to look at him at the door, "Uh, before you go. Captain Astro told me that you would try talking to your sister about maybe toning down the wanton slaughter on the space station. Is that true or were you just blowing smoke up his ass about it to avoid more potential infighting over this job?" She folds her arms across her chest but remains slightly hunched like she's struggling to remain in proximity to him, "The other question I have is, you're not gonna do to me what you did to Caiden right?" She hesitates a moment then continues, "I've seen the way he looks at you in conversations and the odd expressions he gave me when we first met on Shadespear when you shook my hand. I don't know what you did to him, but there's more to your 'friendship' than meets the eye. I don't know if you have a bomb implanted in him, brainwashed him, or are just simply blackmailing him, but I can't shake the suspicion that he's not a willing participant to your partnership." She glances up at him to gauge an expression, half expecting his 'monster' face to pop out and for him to rip her apart like he did those privateers in the hangar.

 

[Viper Actual]

"They must have been keeping some nasty stuff on that station."

"Mhm," replied Nathalie. If only you knew Damien, if only you knew.

She nodded towards the two captives. "Think Lynch is going to take a chance at retrieve these two? Or is he more likely to leave their fates in the hands of your mother?"
Nathalie leaned back and rolled her shoulders. "I wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now. Only been to Gostoth once, I'd rather not visit a second time much less be left stranded down there."

 

[Breadman]

"Morality is not what I'm trying to argue with you." Amy squeezed the bridge of her nose for a second. She was getting too frustrated with Olivia at this point "You're the mech pilot so I'll put it like this. Don't place your exposed backside in front of the cannons of your would be allies while taunting them." Whether she got the message or not was irrelevant to the bounty hunter right now. "Anyway about the other one." A desperate attempt to divert the topic "Kalashi and me have some common ground. I'll see if I can get her to get out of your business if I see her. Our chances go up if there's less skull bashing between us."

 

[K0mori]

Again, Vixaya found herself appreciative of Caiden's gentle approach to things. Vixaya hadn't any close friends for a long time, since before she lost her soul. And even then, there were still those she enjoyed the company of, people she didn't expect to disappear at war's end, abandoning her on Spirra without a clear path forward. Caiden seemed to know her better than any other stranger she had met since leaving Kosokom, and what he said about family rang strangely true. She didn't need a family to survive, as she was already an outcast from her own, but she would need to fight that isolation if she ever intended to escape the cycle of killing to survive, and surviving to kill. There had to be more to life than this, even if she didn't know how to truly "want" it yet.

It wasn't some shiny jacket or a pistol she could drop credits on. It was a long-term goal, a purpose in life for someone who wasn't used to thinking in the long-term. Others could, and would, teach her this, if she would only give them a chance. But that meant talking to them. And that was hard.

"Ke'pita..." she repeated. Then, looking at him more attentively, as if having awoken slightly from her trance, she said in English: "thank you." She gingerly stood up and glanced around at her surroundings. "I talk pirate more... for... friend-make. We..." she trailed off a moment, straining to come up with an activity the pirates might enjoy with her other than drinking, which Vixaya had never done before and wasn't eager to try. Then, her eyes widened, and she twitched, looking away from Caiden quickly as if to hide her expression. "We have... nimani and eat moshmallow cerral... uhm," she gesticulated a moment, searching for the English word for "nimani" before her translator did the work for her. Cartoons.

Vixaya looked back at Caiden and blinked several times. Her expression had returned to its blank stare, but there was something subtly different. "Yakka, good. Will try. Ke'pi- thank you," she repeated again with a nod.

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but, closed her eyes, exhaling instead. Sure, what Amy's saying made sense-- maybe, she's just a little heated after the whole... well. 'Willingness to slaughter innocent people with reckless abandon', thing. That and her head fucking hurts. "...Fine, fine." ...Hooh. "...Yeah, now you mention it, I got this vague recollection that you 'n her had some kind of... history? Tension? Somethin' in between?" Olivia, you're starting to ramble now. "Whatever-- you knew each other whenever we all met up after, well. You know. How do you know that self-righteous bitch, anyway?"

...It's by that point that she remembers the 'rough player' line, and she's gotta suck in her lips real hard so that she doesn't get a bruise on the other side of her head.

 

[Infab]

Nil cocked his head sideways, almost like a confused dog or bird. His smile disappeared for a few moments, as his black eyes studied Katja. But soon, the smile slowly returned. "...Caiden and I are friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And what has happened between the two of us is none of your concern, unless he wishes to speak of it." he said, in the same cheerful tone he had been speaking with before. But obviously, what he was saying wasn't cheerful. It was serious.

He then gave her a nod. "Now! Please, relax! I do intend to speak to my sister about innocents on the station, as well as your implants! I never lie! Caiden will tell you that!" He then looked up and down the hall, before speaking again. "Now, I must find quarters for myself and Caiden. See you later!" He gave her a simply, happy wave, before moving up the hall. Looking at each of the doors to see if they were occupied or not.


Damien shook his head. "Lynch is unpredictable. Always has been. Which is why the Corsairs being privateers now doesn't faze me in the slightest. As for these two, I don't know what he'll do or say. Sometimes he'll take his men back, other times he'll leave them to die. Or get sold off into slavery, or handed over to police."

He glanced down to the two Corsairs, whom seemed to be ever slowly waking up. When one of them finally looked up at him, he narrowed his eyes. "Boy, you two are in deep shit." he said, drawing his PDW from its holster and letting it rest on his knee.

"Yakka, good. Will try. Ke'pi- thank you."

"Welcome." said Caiden, nodding once in response to the young Kanad. At least he could help others with their problems. His own life is beyond fucked. No fixing the unfixable, so best to fix other problems. "I'd get that leg looked at by a doc or something when you can. I'm good, but not the best. Still, should last you a good while." he soon said.


"Ah, if it isn't Valencia 'Valkyrie' Blackwell. Might I ask as to why you're contacting me, of all people?"

"Cut the shit, Lynch. I've got two of your boys in my cargo bay, and a hangar full of their friends' bodies. Including your buddy Cutter."

"Ahhh, I figured he would fail. Always eager to just... dive right into things with completely thinking it through."

"Yeah. Now he's dead. I can have Shadespear clean up the mess. Do you want your boys back? If you do, it comes with a price."

"And what's that, Val?"

"You stay the fuck out of my way. Or you're next on the chopping block."

"Oh? Is that a threat I hearing?"

"It's a fuckin' promise. Fuck with me or my people again, and I'll weld your fuckin' corpse to the bow of the Mordred."

"...Understood, Blackwell. You can drop my boys off on Gostoth. Maybe an hour in the storms is punishment enough for their fuckups."

"Good. Was planning to ditch them there anyway. I slap a beacon on one so you can find them."

A moment later, Valkyrie cut the line. She shoved the holotablet back into her jacket pocket, before looking up from where she was seated. She was resting in her chair on the bridge of the Mordred, with Aesha down below looking up at her. "Get us out of here, Aesha. We're heading down to Gostoth. And let the tower know they've got a spill in Bay 7."

"Aye, ma'am." was Aesha's response, as she finished up her preparations for takeoff. Minutes later, the Mordred's cargo bay shut, and the ship lifted off the metal floor of the bay. It spun around gently, before sipping out through the bay's force field.

The trip down to Gostoth didn't take long at all, but those aboard sure felt it when they entered the planet's atmosphere. A low rumbling could be heard, as the ship began shaking due to the intense storms that filled the planet's skies.

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja feels a chill go down her spine as Nil studies her with that brief lapse of his little mask of being a happy puppy, she knows she struck something in him. He reassures her but it falls on deaf ears more or less, she just kind of shrugs and goes, "Yea, okay... bye." She doesn't feel reassured at all and now more than ever she feels like she's being taken for a ride down a road she really does not want to travel. She tidies herself up a little bit and ties her hair back into a loose ponytail so it's not draped around her head and getting in the way. She feels the ship lift off and then no long after, start shaking as it entered some rough space, given the sounds that filtered through the hull, they must be entering a planet's atmosphere and it's definitely not a planet she really wants to spend time on.

She carefully makes her way out of her room and uses any safety hand railings along the hallway to ensure the rumbling off the ship doesn't throw her too far off balance. She wanders her way back to Shelby's room and pokes her head in to see if he's somehow sleeping through the turbulence of the ship. She ducks back out and walks further along the hallway and makes her route to find Caiden, while she doesn't have an interest in prying further, largely to avoid ending up on the wrong end of Nil, she figures Caiden might be a bit more open to talk about the upcoming job and see what he knows about the inside of the station's layout if anything.

She knows he isn't on the deck with the crew quarters and chances are he's either in the medbay or the lounge on the next deck, so she heads down there and pokes her head into the medbay. She sees that Typhon is occupied and the Amy woman and the woman she recognizes from the mech hangar on Sielia are conversing but finds no sign of Caiden. She heads to the lounge and finds Caiden talking to the rather diminutive alien... Kanads she thinks they're called, this one she doesn't recall hearing a name for in passing, so she may have to ask later. She stands by the door and waits for Caiden and small Kanad to finish their conversation, not wanting to be rude or imposing by interrupting them. She keeps her eyes on Caiden though, hoping he catches her gaze and figures out that she wants to speak to him.

She examines Caiden, the guy is the epitome of 'salty veteran', guy who's seen enough to fill several lifespans with horrible trauma, bad memories, and waking nightmares. Though, he seems to have a certain softness to him while he talks to the Kanad, maybe he's not completely made of salt and stone, it only makes her more curious about his relation to Nil. A guy like Caiden mixed up with a psychotic murdermachine from another galaxy that masquerades as some sort of bubbly BDSM gimp. Nil must have really pulled some fucked up shit to keep Caiden around and loyal to him. She dares not to ask Caiden even if he might be more open to questioning than Nil was, the sort of warning that Nil delivered, a threat veiled behind a plucky upbeat tone. A threat she doesn't want to try and call as a bluff given what he's capable of.

No, the more important thing is to learn if Caiden has tactical information regarding the layout and size of the cargo station to see if that maybe, just maybe, Katja could squeeze her mech through the larger interiors to help bring some heavier firepower to the fight since Nonara had mentioned the ONI unit there having some heavy artillery backing them up. Being able to act as a potential distraction and large obvious threat, might allow the rest of the group to have an easier time cutting into the station from alternate routes if the heavy resistance is tied up trying to fight a mech like Katja's. The issue is, even if the mech fits, how would she go about getting it into the station from the outside. They probably don't have enough time to jury rig anything so it'd quite literally rely on the Reavers pulling some shock and awe on one of the hangar bays and hopefully getting Katja out into the fight quickly. The important thing is to find out if it's even possible to fit her and the mech in there to begin with.

 

[Viper Actual]

"Lucky them," replied Nathalie, rolling her eyes. As the captives started to wake up Nat followed Damien's example and unholstered her sidearm which gripped tightly as it rested on her lap.
To further cement the gravity of the situation Damien's comment was followed up with another one from Nat just as the ship began to rumble and shake;
"If I were you fellas I'd start looking for another job. Maybe one far away from here and especially one far away from Lynch."

Nat leaned in towards one of the captives and, while her pistol was trained at the man, she gently tucked in a credit chit inside the man's front pocket. "This will be enough for a shuttle. Or a drink."

She leaned back. "Your decision."

 

[Breadman]

"I had the pleasure of working with her a few times. Bounty hunting makes for strange bedfellows if you're chasing high value targets." Amy explained and noticed that Olivia was biting down on her tongue. Hard. "You were about to say something bad, weren't you?" She asked with a deadpan tone.

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia cleared her throat, dampening, but not quite suppressing her snicker. "Nnn-- no. Nuh uh-- besides, I didn't say anything bad. so it shouldn't--" Ahemmhmhm. "Aaaanyway." She's already really trying to pivot away from it. "I'm gonna guess from that, that you're uh, not the best of friends with her, huh?"

 

[Breadman]

"No, but we're not enemies either. So maybe I can talk with her and prevent future" She pointed to the dent again "Incidents. The doctor would likely appreciate it the most."

 

[SniperComZero]

"Greeeaat. And, y'know. I think that'd be pretty nice, too." Snarky bitch. "Anyway, think I'm startin' to get a dead arm leanin' against this door for so long, so I'll see you around, yeah?" She gave Amy a nod as she turned to walk towards the hangar. Surely there's gotta be some more people there. And halfway down the corridor, those Gostoth storms kick in, causing her to nearly tumble ass over end, and more importantly to her, make her look like a complete moron... well. More of one. She only just about props herself against the wall to get her footing, cursing under her breath. Whoever the fucking moron piloting this thing is...

In the hangar, she was about to pass Nat and Damien-- who she really didn't like both of them cozying up together at all-- though, mostly for her distaste to the both of them. Her disdain toward Nathalie and her origin is quite well established. As for Valk's kid, while Lauren's some gung-ho, all-meat-no-brain mouthy bitch whose attitude she's not entirely fond of though, the irony isn't entirely lost on her, Damien is, from what she's seen, on a whole other level of slimy and weaselly. She was about to pass them by, but, she spotted two others with them. Dressed up in that pirate get-up.

"How the fuck'd you two manage to bag not one, but two of those assholes?" She was calling from halfway across the hangar.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

With the bothersome bickering outside his med-bay coming to an end, so does Typhon’s duties as well. As Olivia walks away, he rudely waves off at Amy that she may leave the premises now also. The doors close themselves with a cold hiss after he enters a combination on a keypad; locking them tightly shut so that no one else might come in to disturb it. And if there’s anyone seeking medical attention still, he’ll visit them instead with the aid bag he has hanging off his shoulder: especially if it’s something that doesn’t require surgery.

Now that it’s closed, he trails Olivia quietly into the hangar and waits to see if her unrestrained tongue gets the rest of her head blown off as Amy warned it might. If she yammers off, gets struck, and dies at the hands of her own dumb self, he’s not going to chance whether or not Valkyrie (in her current mindset) will throw him out of the airlock for letting one of the crew die on his watch; even if they plainly brought it on themselves.

 

[Infab]

Damien eyed the credit chit that Nathalie slipped into the Corsair's chest pocket, glancing towards her afterwards. "Yeah. Running with Lynch will slip you right into an early grave. Especially if he or his subordinates have you gunning for other pirates now. Privateer work isn't worth it." He sat back, his PDW still sitting on his lap in his grip. "And whatever Sol promised you likely will not be honored." He soon glanced back as Olivia made her presence known in the cargo bay, shouting across to where they were sitting. "I used a sleeping gas grenade on them." responded Damien, not bothering to shout back at her.

The rumbling increased, as the ship continued through the planet's atmosphere, before lessening abruptly. They were close to the ground now, beneath the hurricane-like storm clouds. Wind gusted strongly outside, and rain pelted the ship as it zipped a few hundred feet above the ground. Dodging mountains and large rock formations before eventually coming to a stop just above the wreckage of an old ship. It was an old pirate vessel, having slammed into the ground near a river-side beach after the battle of Streg. The hull looked worn and rusted, thanks to the general weather on Gostoth. Not much tended to survive constant hurricane force winds.

The ship lowered slowly to the beach, but remained floating above it instead of deploying its landing gear. And soon, Valkyrie appeared in the landing bay. In her hand, two small sticks. She cut a look at Olivia as she walked by, moving directly towards where Damien, Nathalie, and the Corsairs were. "Get them up on their feet. Cut the ties off." she said, pointing with her other hand at the Corsairs. Damien did as he was told, holstering his PDW before drawing out his knife. He snipped the ties on both of them, before yanking them up.

Soon, the cargo bay ramp started to lower. The bay was sheltered from most of the wind and rain, but the noise was quite loud. As soon as the Corsairs were up and standing, Valk stepped up patted both of them down. Checking for weapons and other goodies. She found the credit chit that Nathalie had tucked into the Corsair's chest pocket, which she yanked out and threw out of the bay into the sand on the beach. "Good luck finding that." she muttered.

Once she was satisfied, handing over anything else she found to Damien, she shoved a beacon into their pockets. "Now get off my ship." she said, stepping back and pointing towards the opening. The pair of Corsairs both looked at one another, then outside, then at Valkyrie. Valkyrie was quick to react. "I SAID GET THE HELL OFF MY SHIP." she spat.

She then jerked one over, before planting her boot square into the small of the man's back. He stumbled down the ramp, eventually tripping and falling. He rolled, eventually sliding down and off into the sand on the beach. Next, she shoved the other Corsair, who quickly jogged down the ramp and onto the sandy beach. "I SUGGEST YOU HANG ON TO THOSE BEACONS." she called out, pointing at them. The pair managed to brace themselves against the strong winds, covering their faces as they looked back up the ramp at Valkyrie. And it wasn't long afterwards that she stepped over and manually shut the ramp herself.

The ramp eased closed, leaving the pair of Corsairs to whatever fate awaited them. They frantically looked about for cover, eventually spotting the wrecked pirate vessel nearby. One of the Corsairs, however, dug in the sand for a few moments and located the credit chit Nathalie had given him. At least he'd walk away with something. Soon, they started to make their way towards the vessel as the Mordred lifted up away from the ground.

Inside, Valkyrie turned to the others. "Lynch is coming to get them." she muttered, before walking quickly back towards the elevator.

 

[Viper Actual]

Nathalie ignored the loud, obnoxious and overly stereotypical jarhead that was Olivia and instead focused on Typhon whom she spotted lurking far off in the hangar. Was he following Olivia?
Maybe he's looking to score another set of innards like he did on Shadespear...

Then Valk appeared as the Mordred finally reached the surface of Gostoth. Doing as commanded, Nathalie mirrored Damien and got her captive back on his feet. He was young, maybe in his mid twenties and it wasn't until now that Nat noticed the fear in his eyes. She couldn't blame him honestly.
Once the restraints were off and the beacons placed in their respective hands it didn't take long for Valk to politely escort the two privateers off of her ship.

Nathalie watched the first captive get kicked off whereas the man in front of her hesitated before willingly sprinting off the ramp. Silently Nat wished both of them the best of luck- they'd need it.

She turned towards Damien and nodded. "They'll have one hell of a tale to tell if they make it out." Nat shook her head. "At least they have a chance. That's more than anyone else would've given them."

As she finished her sentence, Nathalie glared at Olivia. "Eyes peeled, Jarhead," said Nat as she passed her by. "My magical spook abilities tell me we still got ways to go."

 

[SniperComZero]

Just as quick as she'd seen the two pirates kneeling and on the floor, Valk'd come and kicked them right off the ship and into the wilderness below them. They were pirates, and Olivia couldn't say that she felt particularly bad for either of them. Even less so once Valkyrie said that their boss was coming for them. Unexpected, for sure... didn't they say they had a mole? Did they just kick a source of info straight off of the ship just because their boss wanted to not have to rehire some goons--

"No shit." Of course Nat has to get a word in. "So did you two actually get anything out of 'em that could point to whatever that fuckin' mole their dumbshit boss said he had, or did we just toss off the two goons workin' directly under him that probably would've had a lead or two?" A slight pause, before Olivia snickered. "...This is some weird fuckin' role reversal, ain't it?"

 

[Infab]

"So did you two actually get anything out of 'em that could point to whatever that fuckin' mole their dumbshit boss said he had, or did we just toss off the two goons workin' directly under him that probably would've had a lead or two?"

Damien held up a holotablet. "We can break the encryption on their holotablets. One of them could know what's going on. If neither do, Nathalie and I can begin looking into the crew on the Guillotine. We can bring in Slade to help." he said, before slipping the holotablet into his pocket. "Once the mole is found, we can interrogate them to see what all they've fed to Lynch."

He then looked to his mother, who had paused to look back at Olivia. "Or we'll just shoot them. Seems like that's probably the route we'll most likely take." he said, narrowing his eyes at Valkyrie. Valkyrie glanced to Olivia. "Yeah. That's what we're going to do." she said, before turning about again and continuing towards the elevator. "When we get back to the Guillotine, get prepped. Full kit, bring grenades and whatever else you can carry."


Minutes after the Mordred dropped off the two privateers, it had rocketed back through the atmosphere. Climbing higher and higher until it broke through into the vast blackness of space. Shadespear Terminal came into view, the station spinning ever so slowly in orbit. And it wasn't much to long after the Mordred reached space before it jumped to warp. Returning to the Guillotine systems away.

Back on Gostoth, a sleek black ship swooped in through the clouds. Coming in to just a few hundred feet over the beach where the Mordred had been shortly before. It set down quietly, a ramp dropping down beneath the front of the ship and revealing a handful of raincoat clad privateers. They moved towards the abandoned pirate vessel nearby, where two beacons could be detected via a mobile tracker. As they neared the vessel, the ruined pirate vessel exploded without warning. Violently ripping apart in a fireball, sending shrapnel through the air. Two of the privateers were cut down by bits of shrapnel, while the others quickly dropped to the sand.

On the bridge of the black ship, Lynch smirked. So they tried to sneak a bomb in to kill him? A neat surprise. A new trick in Valkyrie's playbook, or perhaps it was her daughter Lauren's way of saying hello? "...Let's go. We've nothing of importance to recover here." he muttered.