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Futuristic Blacksun (Notorious x C.DEX)

"Ooh, that sounds promising." Imille said, slyly. "Well, now I kind of have to keep going, don't I? A little friendly competition. Cas is gonna get blown out of the water, and you and I are gonna be painting each other's toenails in no time! Would he let you paint his toenails? Because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't!" she said, regaining her playfulness just as soon as she'd seen she had put Psy in a better mood. On the table, Psy's body was coming together again. It was still a twitchy, broken mess, but it was also a twitchy broken mess that had a torso and arms attached to it. "Goal one: get buttercup addicted to painkillers in order to further the android and I's friendship." she said, clinical tone overtaking her voice.


"Wellll, after you start working on augments, everything else mostly falls into place. At least, weaponry does, and basic engineering knowledge. Actually, after studying biotechnology for a while, augments make weapons look like child's play. No offence to you, of course, but getting you working is nothing compared to getting Cas' icky bloody parts to work with his metal parts. But! AI is a wholly different field - one that I haven't dabbled in too much. Iiiin fact, it might be in our best interest to 'requisition' an intellicard rather than rely on my own handiwork for that, lest RU.0 turn out 'special'." she said, with a giggle.


"How are your arms feeling? ...Connected, I hope?" she inquired, down to Psy.


"You're not as simple as others would like to believe." Casar stated. "If you were, we would have been dead the moment I stopped Etille from shooting you. A simple idiot would have killed us in order to get the coin. But you didn't. Uh, thanks for that. Probably was ... wasn't smart to do that on my end, but I'm glad I did." he said. At that point, his eyes were closed, long since having stopped observing the nebula in front of him. All things considered, despite being injured, despite being in an irritating nebula that tickled at the back of his mind like an annoying tick, he was calm. Whether it was the drugs or being in good company was still up in the air.


"We'll make a pact not to go to each other's homeworlds then, since they're both shitty." he said. "There's going to be a place somewhere where He can't find me. Maybe it'll have a lot of things to hunt, for you. And no people. Or if that's too much, Renagades. I think Psy wouldn't be happy if he didn't have anyone to kill, though. So maybe not. And Eville wouldn't have anyone to test her weapons on, or people ... to dissect." he said, with a sigh. "Do you think we're far enough in the nebula to sleep for a while? Do you sleep? It'd complete the whole ... merciless hunter thing you've got going on, if you didn't. I can plug into the ship's alert system while I slept if you wanted to."
 
"Ru-Ru 2 being retarded ain't really a worry of mine. Only way you can learn is by fucking up over and over." Psy said laughing, actually getting a kick out of the idea. "Just as long as the dumbass can repair me so you don't have to waste your time. After all, Cas has to come first for the doctor. Like you said, it's easier to fix me since I don't have all that icky organic gunk to mess with. My workings are logical, they make total sense. Organics are just... Squishy, bags of meat that defy logic. My head starts to hurt thinking of all the combinations of you people, that all of you have unique faces and chemistry. Droids are for the most part the same internally and some get some cool aesthetic designs like myself, the skull wasn't my first choice but the raiders wanted something spooky."


Psy then moved his arms erratically, flailing them to make sure they were up to par. He felt a crunch and a bit of grinding but once he worked it out his arms were finally operational. He held up an okay sign and chuckled, "It's good to be more than just a head now. Gotta tell you, bouncing around that damn hovercar with no way to kill the Renegades chasing us drove me even more insane! I never want to examine the floor that closely again." He looked down where she continued to work, "As for painting eachother's toenails well... You'd have to install proper feet on me but I'd be game. We can talk about boys and thermo-nuclear warheads. It'd be a blast."


"Sleep is for Vekht babies. We hibernate only after severe injuries or after being awake for month. So yes, fit merciless hunter thing." He replied, his eyes wide open. His race was a rather strange one but it would make sense for a hunter that was so filled with rage to rely on such little sleep. "Renegade comment it why Jagar cranky." Jagar said, a smile underneath his mask. "Partly true. Stay awake long time, no trust other to watch Jagar. Hibernate three day ago, good for weeks."


Jagar leaned forward and hit a button on the control panel and the shutters to the windows came down, blocking out more radiation and sealing the cockpit properly. The Gaius couldn't dream of such protection being such a small ship, the Interceptor looked like a junker but had some true luxuries that many ships didn't have.


"No need plug in ship, rest properly Caz. Rooms are dusty but not taken, free to sleep wherever. When wake up we plot course to new planet. Safe for now, safer than Curretch. Rest easy... Friend."
 
"Yeah. I'd say if I only worked on humans that we have a system - a flawed one, but a system nonetheless. Like appendixes. What's up with those? But... the rest of the aliens are a whole new beast. Thankfully we've only got the dino on-board, and I think his injuries mostly take care of themselves. You're not too bad, as long as your circuitboards don't get fried, but hey ... maybe we can make a copy of your A.I., somehow, just in case!" Imille said, hopefully. Of course, the notion was far beyond her expertise, but that didn't mean they couldn't try. "You had a real close call today. I'm glad you weren't killed."


"I could watch you sleep if you wanted. Won't kill you." Casar said, drearily. If he had been any more lucid he may have realized how it sounded, but neither of them cared for it at that particular moment. He drew up from the chair, giving the sealed viewport and Jagar once last glance. They both were rough, and the way they talked to each other had no indication that only moments earlier they had been at each other's throats, both fighting to survive. Much like Jagar, Casar had come to trust their small lot far quicker than anticipated; whether it was due to the ordeal, their previous experience, or the drugs was up in the air.


"Thanks." he said, rubbing at an eye, before retreating back down the hall. In the workshop, Imille too began to grow tired. She maintained a cheery demeanor throughout the theoretical nebulaeic night, but her movements grew sluggish and her words grew smaller, and after a period of time, when she'd found Psy was repaired and his limbs were reattached, she retreated herself.


There was a certain comfort to the ship that wasn't easily placeable, but it was there for every one of them. Perhaps it was the company of others, or the small nook they had placed themselves into in space. Either or, the Interceptor crew rested easy.
 
Jagar watched as Casar went and found his own room then checked the security cameras to see that Imille too was retiring for the night. Psy came walking up to the cockpit and sat next to him. They didn't share any words at first, that was until Psy broke the silence.


"Pretty quiet up here, the humans going to sleep and all..." He twiddled his thumbs, getting use to how his limbs felt again. Imille was going to have to repair the damage to his armor and body tomorrow but they weren't in a rush to go anywhere. Luckily for them they had their own personal pilot that didn't sleep now, one that was keeping a watchful eye on all of them. One that was ironically just trying to kill them hours ago. After a long moment of silence Psy finally spoke up."You're really gonna have to show me how you murder so well. That. Was. Awesome!"


"Jagar think you all strong, not Vekht strong, but enough to best Jagar. Together, 'murder' will come easy. Teach robot, Caz and Emmolli how to hunt better. Make good team, good hunt."


Psy reclined back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling and taking in his words. He then spoke after basking in the glory that was this new team on this great ship. "This is the start of something... not beautiful... but fucking psychotic."

​
End Scene 3: Intercepted!
​

"Okay... Ready or not, here I come!" Lucy chanted out into the Gaius, turning around and looking out into the loading bay. "Alright little girl, you best have hid well or Auntie Lucy Luce is gonna tickle you until you wet yourself!" Lucy heard giggling across the loading bay and rushed over to the source of it, finding Ayla behind a crate of NutriStarch. The girl was unable to contain her laughter as she took off into a full sprint, running around the Gaius like her own personal playground as Lucy chased after her. Vitor and Ajax stood by watching them up the stairs in the area that overlooked the loading bay near the cockpit.


"That little one is a bundle of joy, you must be a happy brother to have such a sweet little sister." Vitor said, admiring the two playing.


"She's good here or daycare, at home she's a monster." Ajax admitted, standing next to the giant watching the two of them. "She's always asking when the old man is gonna come home or breaking something. I hardly got time for her with my training but usually I'm the one stuck with her at night when dad's on mission. Honestly, I'm practically her father when he's on his long stints."


"There are much worse fates Ajax. Taking care of a loved one beats being out in the battlefield losing one, or being betrayed by someone you trust. It beats a lot of things that are waiting for us all out there, and with you wanting to follow in your father's footsteps y-"


"-No." Ajax finished for Vitor. "I respect you Vitor, but I am nothing like that man. Never will be."


"Why is that? You have... Such hate in your voice. Have you been blinded by your responsibilities? Your father is a great man." Vitor replied, shocked at Ajax's response.


"He was. You met him after our mom died, he died with her." He said, bitterly. "He's an actor. He's great at playing the role he is needed, it's why he was always the go to undercover agent around here. But deep down... He's rotten to the core. You just don't see it yet." Ajax spotted Axel and Dayle walking towards the ship, he was pushing a cart filled with several boxes on it while Dayle walked alongside him. "Give it time, you'll see. He might have done some good things for the people here but... He's a husk of the man he was who either wants to die or kill anyone who stands in his way. It's a damn shame you'll never meet the real man like I knew him, he was one of the good guys." Ajax began walking down the steps, leaving Vitor dumbfounded at what he just heard.


Ajax met up with Axel and Dayle in the center of the loading bay, the Captain stopping the hover dolly and patting the boxes on top.


"Good to see you here son, thought you'd have left Ayla with Lucy. Dayle and me just got some arms from the requisitions office. Going on mission soon so we're getting prepared." Axel looked towards his son who acted as normal as ever, even after revealing to Vitor how he had felt towards his own father. "You good? We're gonna probably have to leave soon so if y'all got everything you need you should head on home in a bit."


"Yeah... We're good, Axel. I wouldn't leave Ayla." And with that he went over to Lucy and Ayla then joined in their game, leaving Axel with Dayle infront of a whole lot of weapons. The Captain let out a sigh and turned to his co-commander.


"Kids..." He grunted, turning to look at everyone standing around. "Thanks for coming with me, Dayle."
 
"They're cute. Kind of makes me wonder what it'd been like if I had 'em. Too late fer'it now, so I'll just live vicariously through yours." Dayle said, sticking her tongue out. She reached down to the top crate, and hooked it with her augment and her fingers. With a huff, she slid it down to the floor infront of the armory doors. "While Lucy and the lot are distracting the little one, I'll load em up. And, no problem. Wanted to get away from the robot, anyways. He gives me the creeps. He's been there since we left." She said, nodding up to Wraith.


Perched on the topmost step, Wraith looked down upon the crew with what could only be described as robotic boredom. There was no point in hiding; they had known why he was there, and it'd be a waste of power. His orders from Nephilim were to observe, and that's what he did. For the past half hour, he watched the children play and converse and Vitor and Ajax chat, while the more interesting crewmembers took off on their way to receive weapons.


"Greetings, children!" Wraith replied cheerfully, overly-loud and with more than sufficient enough volume to draw the attention of nearly everyone in the bay. He descended the stairs the moment Dayle began pulling weapons from the boxes, forcing an irritated groan from her. Knowing well that they'd be wrapped up in what was an 'essential' conversation, and not wanting to push their crew's luck as far as political affairs went, she stopped her work and waited for the android to approach.


"There exists a message from Chancellor Nephilim. Please corral your spawn into their designated areas and your crew here."


The android looked around, and waited for only a moment before continuing.


"In regards to your challenge, Captain Winger, Master Nephilim has assigned you to intercept a periodically scheduled transport ship that is en-route to a larger Imperial Hybrid vessel. Previous intelligence indicated the prime vessel was a telecommunications hub, but we've gained information pointing to the fact that the I.S.S. Icarus not only houses communications, but a string of connected 'branch ships' that make way for Exodlite barracks, cargo, and deployment as well." Wraith stopped, his 'eye' fixated on Axel. "Of course, in his infinite sympathy, Master Nephilim has only assigned you to take down a branch ship of the Icarus; one that is expected to deliver reinforcements and a weapon payload to the Icarus. I actually think he doesn't want you all to die, looking at the specifications. Could you believe that? I agree, of course, as your deaths would prove quite expensive."
 
Axel nodded to Ajax who picked up Ayla then made their way into the other room, they weren't Gaius personnel so anything overheard would potentially be a security conflict. Once they were gone and Wraith filled them in on their next mission Axel stood there pondering over the android's words. The others had gathered around and silently waited for their grizzled captain to speak.


"Only Nephilim would program an android to use words like 'infinite sympathy' and making you refer to us as children. It's cute, makes the chancellor seem real big, doesn't it? Whatever helps him." His little jab made the crew laugh but they knew better than to respond to it, knowing that Wraith was watching them all very closely. Almost too closely as the unwelcome android seemed to be recording everything they did giving them little to no privacy. "Expensive or not, we'll get on that branch ship and show him what we're capable of..." Axel had other things in mind but he wasn't about to share that with the android. "Weapons and reinforcements, smaller ship than the Icarus... We'll clear the ship without being detected." It was a different approach than they usually had, they were usually pit up against a force where they would eventually be compromised, Axel wanted to show that they were more capable than that.


Axel walked over to the equipment crates that he and Dayle brought in and walked over to the top crate and popped open the top. They had recently gotten armor upgrades for Vee and inside their suits were repaired, along with Lucy getting a suit of her own. He then reached in deeper and pulled out silenced weaponry, battle rifles, pistols and an assortment of stealth equipment. He also held up a strange round device that he clipped on to his arm that magnetically sealed around it. It looked as if it belonged on armor only but being that Axel was made of the same materials it didn't matter. He then hit the button and vanished before them, where he was standing was now quite literally nothing. They seen right through him and onto the otherside of the loading bay. He then reappeared behind them, much like the technology Wraith used.


"Daddy got some upgrades for y'all. These aren't the best the RCN can spare unfortunately but I pulled in a few favors. These will get us around the bulk of the troops or get us out of risky situations, they got a big cooldown and they don't fool androids or security systems but when we gotta get around some Exodlites it'll be easy. No more talking to them, it's put us in too many close situations. Our goal is to eliminate them, not play nice with them. Last time we tired that it didn't work so well, Vitor being a special case." The Crusader bowed his head but was slowly starting to believe that statement himself. "So, we have silenced weapons, cloaking devices and info on where this ship is going to be. Dayle, we ship off in 15. Gonna get the kids off the ship and we'll take care of this problem. Inform the Chancellor that we'll be shipping off soon Wraith, I want him watching us... Very closely." He said, a smirk appearing on his face. "Y'all get time to get ready, hustle."
 
"I am an adaptive A.I., Captain Winger. That said, I have information on that various sentient species that populate the Universe. Children is an apt word for the length of your lifespans. Where a Yer'veis alien might be piloting a ship in their 54th cycle, this one," Wraith nodded to Lucy, "Has been entrusted with it before her inefficient mandibular system can even sprout its third set of molars." he said. The avid descriptions of the girl's skeletal system was enough to send a shiver up her spine, but to Wraith, it was nothing more than an observation. "I am to hope your combat capabilities are larger than your ability to detect sarcasm, as of course, my sympathy for you was of the sort. There's a setting for that, but I'm not telling you where it is."


The android watched the crew curiously, his 'eye' flitting down to the weaponry and new technology that they'd bought. It was reminiscent of the darting eye of a inquisitive lizard. He pulled away, and sat down on a bench next to the armory, legs swinging.


"Would you like me to escort your genital spawn to their abodes?" he asked, tilting his head. "No payment necessary. Unless you would like to. I make a good spawnsitter. You will see."


Dayle's voice cut in before Winger could comment, knowing well that the android would draw his ire. "No thank you, darlin'. Winger's kids can find their own way home. The big'un is good like that. Just ... meander off until we're ready to start."


"Fantastic. As for your mission, how you approach it is up to you. Just remember that I am always watching. That is what the big eye is for. Symbolism. Because even if I did not have it, I could watch you. That said, meandering has no point. Unless my presence disturbs you?" Wraith said, as the crew calmly picked through the weapons crates for the armor and armaments that were specialized for them. Vitor's armor, which had previously been pockmarked with holes and bore a visage similar to his old Crusader fare was emblazoned with an adaptive aesthetic feature much like Casar's cloak, allowing him to forego the signature reds and golds of the Imperial Exodus and take on whatever theme had suited him at the time. Lucy's was specialized in the opposite direction; there wasn't much that would fit a small human such as herself, and what did didn't offer the appropriate amount of protection that the Gaius team needed. Dayle's was cut off at the arm - her augment a feature that disallowed her from using the standard fare of armor that Renegades usually required. All in all, the lot had been especially expensive for Axel.


"You don't disturb me, but your big 'ole eye might scare the kid." Dayle said.


"...Oh." Wraith replied, his voice lilting deeper. "It was supposed to make me look more amiable."
 
Axel detected a sense of disappointment in Wraith's voice, there was more to the android than just his large eye so he figured it would be best to get off on a better foot with him.


"It does, makes you look cute." He smirked, seeing the confused robot try and process what Axel was saying. "My ability to detect sarcasm is fine buddy, you'll see my combat ability and my crew's here in a little bit. As for scaring you, you can find out for yourself what Ayla thinks of you if you'd like. She has a big imagination and likes technology, you'll like her." It was a lot for Axel to allow a stranger access to his kid, really it was more symbolic of him letting Wraith in to do his job and to make him feel a little more welcome. He was an android and with programmed feelings sure, but after seeing what other advanced AIs were capable of it didn't hurt to show some kindness.


Axel waved over to Ajax who began walking over with Ayla crawling around his shoulders before seating herself around the back of his neck. He began walking up and Ayla's eyes went wide as she seen the android before them. At first that was interpreted as fear became a morbid curiosity as she reached out for him.


"Hi! Mr Robot! You got a big cute eye!" She said, blabbering on about how adorable he was then followed it with, "Are you part of my daddy's team? YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU HAD MR ROBOT HERE TOO!" She exclaimed, looking VERY excited to see the robot to all of their surprise. "I bet you can sees lots of things with that eye!" She started to giggle, "Lets hope you don't need glasses later!"


Ajax shook his head, smiling at Ayla's childish observations. He adjusted her as she reached out for Wraith and brought her closer, she then touched the outer casing of his eye and patted him.


"Now you listen Mr Robot, you keep everyone safe. Good robot..." She said, patting the AI as if he was a small animal and treating him as such since he hadn't spoke yet. "And if you see my horsey I'd like it back please!"
 
"Listen, underdeveloped human." Wraith said, as the tiny fingers of Ayla patted his eye. His 'pupil' followed it, seeing her fingers at a bacterial level. "One of my primary directives - that is ... values, to you - is to keep this crew from harm's way. They are going to be engaging in activities that a lot of humans and aliens alike would find frightening," Wraith paused for a moment. "...Things such as climbing ladders, and flying around at unsafe speeds whilst not wearing their seatbelts. Very scary things. But you can rest assured that as they do these incredibly harmful things, I will see to it that they are not harmed. Grievously."


His own hand reached up, and tapped the side of his temple. "Inside of this casing, I own twenty-two different types of scanners. They can detect objects as small as molecules to objects as large and wide as solar arrays. As per your request, I will set twelve of those twenty-two different scanners to look for what I assume to be manufactured versions of the equus ferus caballus." His eye began to flash different colors, as if emulating a scan. "I conclude your horse is not bigger than a solar array. So, if it exists, then I will find it."


Dayle grinned a satisfactory smile toward Wraith, as Axel pulled Ayla away and returned her to Ajax's care. "Goodbye, Miss!" he called.


"Alright. That was pretty cute." Dayle said, crossing her arms. "Bye, sweetheart! Auntie Dayle'll ViVo some cartoons for ya! You take care of yer brother!" she called, waving to the two of them as they departed. "Alright. I'll be in the cockpit if y'need me." she said. Armor gripped to her side, she ascended the steps, leaving the android alone with the rest of the crew. They could be assured that soon enough, however, as the pilot once again plugged into the interfacing port of the Gaius, she would be able to hear and see everywhere the CCTV cameras reached.


The ramp of the Gaius began to close as soon as she made her way to the cockpit, signalling that they were ready for launch.


"The location of the Icarus and its docking ship is going to be AX-65-Barsec-K-232-4. You should intercept it before it reaches the Icarus. It is currently en-route, but you are leaving early, giving you a formidable amount of time to clear the ship. I'll send the other mission parameters to your pilot." he said. Then, in the cockpit, the telltale sign of an awaiting message popped up on the viewport.


"Got it! Buckle in, y'all. We're heading out!"
 
"You heard the pilot, get in launch positions!" Lucy said, whirling her hand up in the air motioning that they were about to take off. This was the maiden voyage of the now repaired Gaius, she had been through hell on Vee and taken a massive amount of damage. Luckily for them, for as long as they had been grounded that meant more time for repairs, it had never been in a better condition. The engines began at a soft hum then to a deafening roar as Dayle fired her up, the ship responding to her in a way that was satisfactory for being repaired so thoroughly. The Gaius took flight and soon the Control Tower was contacting Dayle.


"Leech-Class ship Gaius, you are cleared for launch. Fair winds, Beskett." The flight control official said as Dayle punched it, sending the Gaius flying high up towards the airlocks of the station. They phased through the shielding and were now in open space before they knew it, increasing in speed and soon leaving the lonely RCN-1 behind them. Ajax and Ayla looked up at the ship as it left, the little girl enthusiastically waving up to it.


Her enthusiasm wasn't shared by her father.


As soon as they had crossed into space he stood up from where he took a seat and immediately went back to the equipment. Since Dayle hadn't got the chance to sort everything he began moving everything into the armory. He looked at the mission dossier as he did so and noted that it would be a few hours until they got into Exodlite controlled space and on a path intercepting the ship they were tasked to take out. He thought to himself how the Chancellor would normally give them something of worth, he had a feeling Nephilim knew of the dangers of Vee. He wasn't an idiot, he may have been full of himself but he was smart enough to become a chancellor.


Maybe this was a test he thought, obviously it was one on the outside but what if this was something more? The Icarus was a personal target of Axel's, it was vital to the Exodlite's war effort in the nearby star systems. Without it, Exodlite control would be crippled in that sector.


The thought continued to cross his mind as he stocked the mostly barren walls with new, more updated equipment. Usually the Coalition paid for such requisitions but Axel had gone all out, using his savings for his new augmentations and new more advanced equipment for the crew. He rapidly stocked the shelves with all the goodies he and Dayle had acquired and then got suited up. First he placed on his upper armor chest plate, it completely lacked sleeves for obvious reasons. Once locked in he put on his grieves which were lighter than most, being his legs were now made of the same material his arms were. His augmentations were state of the art, matching his armor in one sleek combination that made him look like a cybernetic super soldier.


If he wasn't careful, that's what he'd succumb to if he continued to lose parts or embrace his augmentations further.


Axel made his way up to the cockpit, tying back his hair and adjusting the eye patch on his face as he then walked up to Dayle piloting. It was as if a different captain was manning the helm of the Gaius now, one that was no longer interested in losing anything else. His prescience was cold and chilling, a much different feeling than he had from before. He loomed over Dayle curiously, looking down at what she was doing but her body was limp and simply sitting there while she was interfaced with the ship.


"While you're piloting the ship you make the funniest face." He said, smirking at her. "Bet it feels good to fly again huh?" He was making small talk, a long trip to their destination was before them so they had to make the best of it.
 
"It feels different." Dayle said. "Not the ship. She's always the same, no matter how many new parts we put on'er. Maybe the atmosphere is different. We sure as hell are." she looked over to Axel, opening one eye, who looked a fair bit more calloused than he had previously. Someone who no longer cared about the fun-loving cowboy visage he'd put off. He looked like a stern, hateful man with sunken cheeks. The only solace she had was that they were all still together. Broken, but together. And it was due to the man that had hung over her shoulder, making small talk.


"It's still good though," she said, closing her eye back down again and breaking into a small smirk. "Listen, Winger. We've been worrying about you to hell and back. And I promise that we'll get the little bastard, but right now … right now just take it easy. We do the bare essentials. Save our energy up. Then when it's fair winds again, we can do whatever the hell we need to do. You don't bend over backwards for Nephilim. He's a sleazy piece of shit that wants t'see how much he can twist you after you're broken." she said. "And if you're not careful, you'll heal wrong."


Neither of the two in the cockpit cared for the beauty of the glitched hyperspace colors, at that point. The visors lowered, blocking the viewport, as the ship kicked into faster-than-light travel, sealing the cockpit away from the harmful radiation that'd come from blasting through space. Their destination was fairly far away, so they'd spend a decent moment inside of hyperspace, waiting in limbo until they had arrived at their interception point. Par for the course, the Gaius' cloaking systems came on, as well as the radar suppression systems.


Down in the bay, Wraith had taken it upon himself to prepare for the mission just as well; even if he didn't plan on helping. He meandered into the armory and stepped onto the unused charging pad, whilst Lucy and Vitor prepared themselves for their mission. He watched like a statue as they moved throughout the surprisingly spacious room, decked in white and lined with mechanical feats.


"It amazes me the fascination humans and xenids have with martial technology. There are only so many ways to melt or pierce flesh, but you are always innovating, regardless of the fact that you are all a nape wound away from death." he said. "I find a blade to the nape of the neck most efficient, but I suppose neither of you are stealthy enough to get so close as to make that happen. Lungs are inefficient in that way."
 
Axel's face contorted further, just thinking about Casar and that damned android he was traveling with made him even more angrier than he presently was. He had been able to suppress it when he needed to but the thoughts were still looming in his mind, ever present and unrelenting.


"He probably has this room bugged with that android, but I ain't bending over for anyone. He's a politician but he has resources, he isn't using us... We're using him." Axel crossed his arms, "And if we can't come to a partnership instead of an indentured servant hood I'll take us out of the RCN and we'll go Renegade. It's what we do the best. We'll fight for someone else." The idea was frightening, the fact that Axel was playing with that in his head was scary. He really was unshackled, even going as far to leave the company he had sacrificed so much for. "And we aren't going to take it easy Dayle, not by a long shot. We were hurt, no we're not. Bare essentials is how we lose this war." To her surprise he placed his hand on her shoulder, "Bare essentials isn't what Dayle Baskett does, and it sure as hell what I do. We're gonna go above and beyond of what we've done... We have a shot here Dayle, we don't have the boy weighing us down with his bullshit anymore. We don't have to watch our own backs from betrayal in our own ranks, it happened and it's taken care of."


Axel slid to her side and took a seat where Lucy usually sat at the co-pilot seat. He leaned back in the seat, putting his augmented hands behind his head as he glanced over at her.


"With that parasite gone we're free. We don't have to play babysitter... We can really do some damage to the Exodlites, be ready. We've warmed up with our service together so far, now... Now we're facing the real battle."


Downstairs, Vitor turned to Wraith and chuckled. He had never seen anyone use the charging pad before so it was interesting to have a friendly android onboard.


"There are more efficient ways than a blade as well, Wraith. It just depends on what you specialize in. For example, you prefer the shadows and the quick killing power of a blade. I much prefer being in the thick of it, heavy machine gun in hand mowing down more than you possibly could from the shadows. My shield blocks all that strike at me and if all else fails." He held up his massive hands, "I crush." After he spoke his words his hands clasped down with a loud crunch, his gauntlets accentuating his point. "A blade to the neck is slower for someone of my size and strength, I much prefer severing the head. It is less precise but just as effective."


Lucy stood there dumbfounded, watching the two interact cheerfully over the specifics of killing their enemies.


"I uhh... Just point this and shoot." She said, smiling nervously whilst holding up her pistol.
 
"I don't know that that's a good idea, Winger. And, you know what I mean. It's gonna be easy to burn ourselves out after this. A week in the hospital after gettin' yer legs ripped off ain't no joke. Takin' us out would jeopardize Lucy's role with the RCN, and Vitor's history with'm too. Now, I don't say this for many, Winger... But I'll follow you out if you do. You just think about the consequences before you do a damn thing." Dayle warned. "You sound the horn, I'll pull the trigger. But if you're gonna put yerself in danger, just think about everyone else before y'do it."


"Perhaps we should have a good-spirited contest! After this mission is over, of course. My laws dictate, of course, that I must not assist you on this mission, and cleaving humans in half by the handful would go against that. If there ever is a convenient, arena-style time in which Exodlites are coming at us from all angles in even numbers then I will be happy to best you in the most cost-effective manner possible!" Wraith replied, cheerfully. The pad underneath him began glowing an eerie blue, before abruptly cutting off, indicating that the android standing on top of it was fully charged. He looked to Lucy. "Don't worry! You will find your favorite way. Even humans who don't like killing have a favorite way. Quickly."


He stepped off of the pad.


Outside of the Gaius, hyperspace came to a slow, spitting the crew out into the dark, deep depths of Barsec-K. There wasn't much around them - it was an empty void between the hinges of a spiral galaxy. The ship - if they hadn't known the coordinates - would have been an aimless speck of dust in a far-reaching void. Unluckily for their target, they knew exactly where they were. The Leech, against the darkness of space, was invisible. It was not only invisible to the naked eye - which didn't have much use in the shroud of space anyhow - but also to the raiders of the Icarus-5. It was a smaller ship for Exodlite make, but it sat larger than the Leech itself.


Dayle's voice came over the intercoms.


"Hey y'all! So, as it happens, the ... Icarus-5. It's just a weeee bit too small for us to breach undetected, unless y'all want to do a spacewalk. I'm leaning her in now, so we oughta make this decision quickly. Loud, or quiet. It's'cher choice." she said. Then, her voice cut out. She turned to Axel again. "If we do a spacewalk - if we wanna go in quiet - we gotta leave someone with the ship. That's either gonna be Lucy ... or Wraith. Don't need to drive it; we can GravLink'm together. But if Wraith is just wanting to watch, then he can sit pretty on the ship and watch through the cams. It's gonna be up t'you, though."
 
"Dayle..." Axel whispered before they arrived at their destination. "All I've done is think for weeks now... My mind ain't the safest place for any of our enemies cause I got a fucking ton of bad things in store for them. For all of them." He leaned in closer to her, speaking low to avoid Wraith's recorders. "We aren't going to burn out... We're gonna shine brighter than we ever have before. We've been cautious and courtesy for far too long, trying to do things the 'right' way. There is no right way out here. It's the end of the wild west of space out here and we're the final outlaws out here. The final folk who took risks, did a few bad things for the greater good. So our children and their children don't have to." He sighed, a deep one. He had been thinking about this a lot. "Whoever wins this war is gonna determine how the core galaxies function for thousands of years, maybe longer. We aren't going to win by playing it safe or not taking chances... We're gonna win by brute force, superior tactics and showing no mercy to our enemy. They can't be saved, hell... Vitor is the only one I've ever heard of converting. He might think there's a chance for others but after the shit we went through trying to rehabilitate one... It's not going to happen. Ever again..."


Axel then stood up and leaned in close, almost uncomfortably close to maintain that they weren't overheard. "I... appreciate you would follow me Dayle. Just trust me a little longer and you'll see, Nephilim will be beneath us and we'll be making a real change. We'll avenge the ones we've lost along the way and we make sure our own are taken care of. I've taken too many shots to save the people I love, you're wrong if you think I haven't thought about them. It's the only people I think about... It's why I jump in the line of fire before anyone else." He smiled at her then patted her head whilst she couldn't react, "Good talk, let me know when we land." And with that he disappeared to the lounge to relax before they arrived, gathering his thoughts and focusing on his anger towards the Exodlites.


Vitor laughed heartily at Wraith and patted him on the shoulder as they began to funnel out of the armory.


"I am beginning to like you Wraith. It is a friendly challenge then, my friend. If that day ever comes may the best soldier win... Me!" He said continuing to laugh as they began walking to the cockpit. Axel walked up first beside Dayle again and looked out at their target ship. He listened to her suggestions and how breaching meant that they would be alarmed immediately, but a space walk would provide them a bigger element of surprise.


"Breaching is a good idea, spacewalking is also a good idea. Let's do both." Axel replied, crossing his arms whilst reaching up with one of his augmented hands to his chin and began playing with his beard. He thought for a moment, starring at the ship then finally got it. "The stealth team will strike first. Dayle, you and me are gonna go space walking. I'll breach the bridge, you got crew quarter's. As for the main breach, Luce... You're gonna sit the Gaius down right on top of her after me and Dayle have gotten inside. Give us 30 seconds to clear our rooms and then you drop Vitor in right on top of the cargo bay. That's where the concentration of people will be, Dayle will eliminate any reinforcements while I take out the pilots and essential crew that could alert the Icarus. It'll be over within 2 minutes and they won't know what hit 'em." Axel looked at them all, pleased with his plan. "Any questions?"
 
"Ooh, ooh! Me!" Wraith said, eagerly raising a hand like a small child. "If humans showing compassion to others is called 'humane', is xenids showing compassion to others called 'xenane'? My grammatical protocols are not complete, and this is a thing that has been confusing me."


"Mission-related questions, Wraith." Dayle corrected, though she couldn't help but break into a smile. Wraith's body language fell dramatically, with slumped shoulders and a disappointed arch. Curiosity came to the pilot's mind; the android was particularly good at emulating human emotions. "That depends on who y'ask, though. We contributed a lot to Standard, meaning a lot of our words transferred over."


She looked over to Axel, face dropping a bit. Wondering. A part of her wanted to see where he was at as far as his ability, but another had feared that he had a bit too much hate in his heart. It was a familiar one. She'd fostered the same amount back when she had lost her arm, and it had only recently began to subside again. "It... sounds like a plan, then. I'll take out the rotation sleepers. Make it permanent. If you have any issues in the bridge, you just let me know and I'll come running. After you clear the bridge I'll join you up there, jack-in, and secure the cameras and communications."


The pilot looked to Lucy. "'Nother moment of truth for you, but you got it, girlie. Just think about our practices. It's gonna be a little harder on a smaller ship. Also, lock the hatch after you drop Vitor, so no one can slip by him. Not that they would." she said, and offered the former Crusader a wink. "After that, activate Gaius' communication suppression systems. I'll let'cha know when I'm jacked in and I'll take over from there. We'll be in and out. And it'll be good target practice!"


"I only estimate a five percent chance that any of you perish." Wraith said. "Your chances are more than optimal!"
 
"That chance is 0." Axel replied bluntly, not at all entertained by the emoting android or his estimations. "We start throwing in percentages of dying in here then that rate will go up, get it in the mind of the crew. This is the easiest mission we've been thrown since being formed, let's show this android how we work." The Gaius began its descent with Lucy taking control while Dayle unjacked herself and got ready for the space walk. The young cadet had a look of confidence on her face that she didn't usually have, pure determination was painted on her face and it showed. Axel looked over to her and smirked, patting her shoulder as he and Dayle began putting on their helmets. Axel sealed his helmet in place, the jet black armor sealing him inside and his grizzled face disappearing from view. "Lucy, you know how to space walk us?"


She nodded, "Pull her in close, you and Dayle will jump out and use space locks on your boots to magnetize to the side of the ship. It's not moving too fast so I won't need to account for acceleration. Then-" She smirked, seeing the pride in Dayle's face out of the corner of her eye. "-I decelerate a few degrees and let them move us into position themselves. Then, I accelerate to match their speed and once thirty seconds after your breach I latch on and release the kraken!"


"Atta girl." Axel said, walking past her towards the breaching port with Dayle. Before he made it there though he turned to Vitor, "When you get down there, no mercy. No hesitation. Wraith, take notes." And with that he turned to the breaching port with Dayle. They got into position and the Gaius hummed quietly as she glided through space, approaching the Exodlite ship getting closer and closer. Axel looked down at his feet, looking almost anxious. Not nervous in the slightest, but anxious in the sense that he was finally able to let out some rage in the only way he knew how. "Alright Dayle..." He said to her, his voice going through comm's. "Same thing I said to Vitor, and... Block your comm's to Wraith when we're on the bridge. I need to talk to you once we've cleaned these bastards up. Privately."


The Gaius began its descent and now was beginning to match speed with Icarus' supply ship. Lucy was doing a phenomenal job, it was as almost if Dayle was in the pilot seat herself. With all the practice she had been doing in VR simulations and other training whilst the crew was out of commission she had grown into quite the pilot.


"Breaching in 3.... 2... 1. Give them hell." Lucy counted down then hit the button, opening up the airlock. The pressure from the air sent Dayle and Axel straight towards the supply ship and in an anti climatic fashion their boots kicked in and they were sealed to the hull of the ship. Lucy began to decelerate and then matched the speed of the ship again, the Gaius looming behind the two space walking. "I GOT IT!" Lucy exclaimed happily, looking back to Vitor and Wraith. "Hope you got that on camera Wraith. Vitor, you're up next. Get ready." The giant nodded to her as he began to walk to the breaching area whilst Axel and Dayle began to walk on the outside of the ship.


Axel began to get some distance away from Dayle, walking faster than her with assistance from his augmentations and because his breaching point was further than her's. He scanned the outside of the ship now that they were on it and could get a solid reading. They had a few options here, they could breach the outside of the ship and suck everyone out of it but the shutters would simply come down prevent the leak. So, Axel had an idea.


"Dayle, we'll be hacking their airlocks. Breaches would compromise the ship with us on it. I got you a present in your suit's front pocket." He said as he continued the walk. He looked out to the scenery around them. It was absolutely breath taking, the beautiful nebulas in the distance and the countless number of shining stars. Axel took none of it in as he was laser focused on completing the mission. "It's a hack charge. Throw it on the side of the hatch and it'll open it for us within a few moments. Won't alert the bridge either, some real black ops type shit. Make sure to grab it before you go in, these ain't cheap."
 
"Thank you kindly." Dayle replied, taking the charge in hand. The two walked for a small distance. Their boots kept then steadied, no noise emanating from them in the vacuum of space. Only their helmet lights and scanners guided them through that darkness, the two of them looking much like blips of light akin to stars themselves. While Axel paid no mind to the nebula, Dayle kept her eyes shifting between where she was walking and the Universe above. Finally, they met a cylindrical entrance. Dayle, charge in hand, leaned down and placed the device on top of the outer manual controls, and depressed a button.


"Three, two, one."


The charge fizzled. For a moment, it looked almost as if it hadn't worked. Then, the airlock slid open. Both she and Axel stepped inside, drawing their weapons. The process of decompressing began to occur, but before the hiss of the air filling the room and shutting the door behind them could compete, Dayle's hands flitted up to the controls. Red light filled the room, but the small accompanying siren was gone. No alerts had been sent to the bridge. That, and the only person that had the chance to notice them - an unarmored cargo technician looking down to his clipboard - had been ripped out of the airlock, tearing past Axel and Dayle, along with the oxygen inside the hall. The pilot reached to her sidearm and raised it to the darkness of space. She fired off a silent shot; one that had landed in the technician's throat, safeguarding his silence. Her arm laced around to the outside of the ship once again and ripped off the hack charge.The outer airlock door behind them sputtered closed again, leaving no evidence of their infiltration at all.


She looked down the hall, which split right and left. Her armor pulsed the ship, scanning its interior. "At the end there is where we split. Yer going left, I'll be going through each door and wishing em all sweet dreams." she said, pointing down the hall with the barrel of her gun.


"Lucy. Start the countdown. Winger, see you later!"


Dayle slapped the hack charge onto the residence door adjacent to them. It slid open. The voices of a tired, surprised human raised up, then silenced. Light filled the hall in flashes.
 
"Starting the countdown, good luck you two!" Lucy chimed in over the comms. The Gaius hummed louder as Lucy kept up with the ship they were intercepting, on the outside it was completely silent. If someone were to look towards the Exodlite ship they would only see the darkness of the void.


Axel didn't turn back to make sure Dayle got in alright as he began walking towards the bridge. The hallways were short, each corner abrupt and narrow as he made his approach. In the upper right corner of his helmet HUD a large 30 appeared, signalling that Lucy had just began the countdown. All sounds of the distant Exodlites inside the ship and the noises from the ship itself faded from Axel's mind. He began to focus harder than he usually did on his targets, pinpointing their locations before he crossed the threshold of the door. He was about to place the hacking charge on the door but it opened for him as he drew near, there was no point in locking the internal doors when no one but the crew was onboard. A fatal mistake.


28.


He turned the corner and entered the room, the door closing behind him. They were in mid-conversation, the sound of them speaking masking the sound of the door opening. Axel glanced down at his gun as if in slow motion, an assault rifle with a rather large suppressor attached to the tip of the barrel. He slung it to his back and magnetically attached it to his armor, he didn't need it. It would just make this too quick, too easy. He looked back up as they had begun to notice the strange armored man standing in the doorway. Whilst they tried to comprehend who it was standing there Axel counted 10 men and women on the bridge. Non-combatants. Only a few had side arms, Axel smiled. He reached backwards and ripped out the door controls, sealing them all inside.


26.


A man close to the door began to speak to Axel, confused as to who he was and not immediately jumping to the conclusion that Axel was an intruder even after he disabled the door. A metal hand shot out and grabbed the man by the head, squeezing tightly and threatening to pop his head like a festering zit just from the pressure alone. The man screamed in blinding pain as Axel applied more force than humanly possible, crushing the man's head in his grasp making it pop with a loud nauseating sound. He had done it so quickly, so ruthlessly. The non-combatant crew screamed as the others raised their sidearms at their assailant, one who was now coated in their deck mate's brain matter.


22.


The Captain rushed forward, almost in a blur to the untrained eye as his augmented legs propelled him forward faster than ever before. He went charging into the mess of Exodlites and toppled over several of them with a well placed tackle. One began rushing for the alarm controls on the bridge but Axel reared his arm back and revealed a new upgrade, a long blade of the same material his augmentations were made out of released from a compartment in his arm. It cut forward in front of him, it matched the color of his arms and jutted out ahead a few feet before ending. The blade then began to glow red hot, powered by the arm itself, as he jabbed it into the Exodlite's hand reaching for the alarm control. The poor man never had a chance, screaming as the pain from the blade not only pierced his hand but it had began to burn it from the inside. Axel didn't feel anything.


17.


With a quick flick of his wrist Axel filleted the man's hand, the momentum sending the blade flying up and decapitating the Exodlite with one quick slice. They had began to open fire at Axel but he absorbed the shots with his shielding, not even giving them the satisfaction of dodging their terrible attempts at trying to stop him. His eyes zeroed in on a woman, one who was racing for the door. She was banging on it, screaming for someone to help them. Anyone who would be able to help was too far away to do anything about it, they were all as good as dead. The others continued to fire and Axel noticed his shields were beginning to wear thin so he had to finish this. He retracted the heated blade into his arm and made a great leap over one of the control terminals and kicked one of the men firing at him in the face, his boot cracking his jaw and sending the Exodlite's teeth flying out of his mouth. He then reached out to his right where a woman had fired at him with a pistol helplessly, grabbing her by the head then bringing it down only for him to raise his knee up violently, meeting her head halfway and ending her life with a devastating knee. The Exodlite with the destroyed jaw fell to the ground only for Axel to stomp on his head whilst passing by, ending the forth crewmen's life effectively.


11.


The remaining six were frantic. Just moments ago they were having a pleasant conversation only for this monster to slaughter them all within seconds. It was hard to even comprehend his movements, he was moving so fast and making such calculated maneuvers their shots were missing and the fear of becoming like their friends was all too real. Their minds couldn't keep up with all the stimulus, two stood in shock as Axel made their way over to them. He quickly grabbed both by their heads and slammed them together incredibly hard, the force coming from his upgraded arms making the collision a fatal one. Their necks snapped and their skulls cracked in unison, filling Axel's ears with a satisfying sound.


9.


With four crewmen remaining with one clawing at the door, the remaining three Exodlites raised their hands to surrender. Something an Exodlite never did, Axel sure as hell had never seen this happen and no one alive on the RCN had ever seen such a surprising action. They were trained at a very young age surrendering to their Lord's enemies was treason, one of Damaris' unforgivable sins. They all cowered in fear, dropping their weapons and praying that their assailant would show mercy.


"PLEASE STOP THIS!" One yelled, tears pouring out of his eyes blinding him. "WE ARE JUST PILOTS AND TRANSPORT TECHS!" The others had became a blubbering mess, there was no fight in them left. Axel felt nothing but disgust. "WE WILL DO WHATEVER YOU ASK!"


4.


The one clawing at the door returned to the group who knelled before Axel, their conqueror. They were willing to do anything for their lives, crying and pleading with the man as they were at his feet. They were so disturbed by what had just happened that they were willing to cast aside Damaris, anything if it meant they were to live. Axel looked up briefly at the time, knowing that it was running close.


2.


There was no mercy, no hesitation. Axel raised his arm, releasing his new arm blade and cleaved downwards. One, two, three, then four. With one quick swing four lives were taken, their heads being removed from their shoulders by force and sent careening to the side, all rolling into a neat pile of blood and gore. He retracted his blade and looked up at the time.


0.


Whilst elsewhere Vitor was no doubt beginning his part of the mission and Dayle was done with her's, Axel looked at his bloodied hands in the now empty room. Corpses were strewn across the room in haphazard piles, blood painted the once sterile white walls. It looked like a scene from a horror movie, making it that much more worse that this was real. He was no stranger to having to commit brutal actions for results but this... This was different to the Captain.


He enjoyed every second of that half minute.


"Bridge secure." He spoke into his communicator, his voice not hoarse or faltering. He was cool and even, as if he hadn't done anything wrong even if it was to the enemy. It was just another day at the office.
 
Dayle crept into residence hall after residence hall, sweeping throughout them with steel that'd silenced life after life. She had become desensitized to the sights of taking out the sleeping workers when she had first lost her arm, but there was no semblance of joy in taking out the sleepers. Just cold, calculated efficiency. After all, the timer had started. Even then, when she had come across the waking form of a pajama-garbed cargo technician, too confused by sleep to really gain any semblance of what had been occurring. Still, his eyes fell to his dead compatriot. A hoarse scream began to leave his lips, before he was permanently silenced. A deep sigh escaped from her chest. She could feel no sympathy for them; that was a distant thought, trained out of her a long time ago. However, a flicker of feeling passed over her face. She drew away from the residence hall, having completed her task. That was when the countdown spent its own last second. She ripped away from her somber bit and tore toward the bridge.


"Winger, open up. I need to take over telecomms."


The door slid open, showing Dayle the gruesome sight that Winger had laid out for them. Beneath her armor, her eyes widened. In half a minute, the Captain had done more damage to the bridge and all life residing in it than anyone could possibly imagine. It looked like a horror scene. She stood, frozen, for several moments. Then, the mission had dawned on her. She needed to move quickly. She rushed toward the control panel and shoved her augment arm into the port. It would take a few moments of 'lockpicking', so to speak, but before long she was successfully interfaced with the ship.


"Starting telecommunications suppression. Lucy, drop Vitor in to clean up the rest."


"That was great!" Wraith said, his voice coming over their own telecomms. "I've never seen so much sequential head trauma in my life. And my A.I. has been around for quite some time. In different forms, albeit... Sheesh, you all do make this look so easy. Of course, killing mostly defenseless civilians doesn't come with too much challenge in itself. Maybe the Master underestimated you?" He questioned, voice raising in pitch, almost fake curiosity filling in his lilting tone.


"Axel..." Dayle started. "The Icarus is coming up soon. Giving them this ship in the state it is ... might compromise others, if anyone is intercepting ships like this simultaneously. I might not be able to stop a CCTV link if we dock it, but we can send it off its path, kill its tracker, and no one would be the wiser. For now, you go to where Vitor's going to land in. I doubt he'll need any help, but getting you there's going to make taking off easier. We got a few minutes before we decide what we want to do with it."
 
"He's fine." Axel replied, almost lazily as he walked over to a terminal. A corpse was leaning across it and he pushed it aside like it was nothing then began to search the databases. "We have work up here to take care of, big guy can handle himself. Keep everything operational until Vitor has cleared the rest of the ship." He began to run a search through the ship's data banks, absorbing every bit of Exodlite information into his wrist computer as quickly as possible. The program he was using was focusing on the ISS Icarus, specifically what it was used for, schematics and location. He was up to something and he wasn't about to let Dayle in on it, not yet.


"Alright Vitor... Dropping you in 3...2...1-" Lucy slammed the breach button and the Gaius quickly tore a hole into the hull of the ship. The super quick lasers that tore into the freighter weren't exactly silent, drawing attention up to the ceiling as a perfect circle caved in with a giant riding a top of the debris. Vitor landed in the docking bay with a shake, the floor practically quaking from his weight alarming everyone in the room. None of them reacted right away, confused seeing a Crusader drop from the ceiling but the ones with more combat sense had began to reach for their weapons.


It was too late though.


Vitor raised his heavy machine gun with one hand while activating his shield with the other, the shield coming up in front of him while he fired through it and out into the crowd of Exodlite technicians and guards. Bullets riddled the cargo and their bodies with ease, they were stationary targets and the Crusader's aim was true. Several bursts of the gun later and the loading bay resembled that of the bridge but cleaner, stacks of bodies laying where they had stood undisturbed other than the onslaught of bullets they just absorbed.


"Docking bay is clear, going to clear halls and secure the ship." Vitor said gruffly into his communicator, taking no pleasure in the slaughter of Exodlites but he couldn't ignore the adrenaline jump he had from being back in the field. "Too easy for this to be the real test, Captain." Vitor commented as he began to walk forward, his heavy armor boots making loud thuds as he pressed forward. "The Chancellor wouldn't send an elite team to clean up a transport ship, this is cadet duty. They didn't even get a shot off on me. Dayle, are you okay?"


Before she could respond Axel answered for her, "She's fine, clear the ship." He realized how crass his reply was, then reluctantly added, "You're right, he wouldn't. He's wanting more."


Vitor began to clear the ship, straggler by straggler was taken care of until the entire Icarus freighter had been cleared. The supplies were in ruins, the ship was coated with blood and the Gaius team made this look like a day in the park. Where other teams would have struggled with timing and teamwork, they had been through the ringer enough to know their strengths and weaknesses and it played in well to deliver a satisfactory final result.


"What's the full status of the ship, Dayle?" Axel asked, continuing to download the last bit of Intel the ship had to offer them. "What is it carrying, what is the counter measures on board and how close are we to the Icarus?" He paused, then spoke to Vitor. "Vitor, head to the engine room. Pry open the doors and wait for my command." Vitor replied with a quick 'yes sir' and proceeded to the final area of the ship he hadn't inspected whilst Axel waited for an answer from Dayle.
 
"This is the … Icarus-2. It is currently on its … holy shit. Its seven-hundredth and thirty-second supply route to the Icarus. The Icarus is a lot more established than we've been informed of. If this ship visits it every week, which is generous, that's… fourteen Standard years. That's assuming this was here at its start. There might be a hell of a lot of intel on that ship. Countermeasures are … onboard turrets, active defense system, cloaking, ship intercommunication, but that's light compared to what a ship of this age and size should be at. I'm not sure what makes them so cocky. They're a hybrid ship, not a destroyer. It looks like… they specialize in intel. Probably detachment teams. It doesn't say on the roster what the Icarus' other detachment ships specialize in, but this one is data pods. If you open up those crates you'll find them." Dayle said, with a slight sigh. "It makes sense that they'd be bringing data pods to a telecommunications ship, but I can't imagine what in the hell would warrant seven hundred and thirty two god damn trips of them. Whatever it is, we should bring the cargo they have now onboard the Gaius and have it surveyed. If we can decrypt even a quarter of it then we'll have more intel than we've gotten in a long time." she finished.


"Ooh. It sounds like this mission is more important than you thought it was!" Wraith replied, cheerfully. "Turrets… defense system. Well, the latter only really counts if you're in a ship battle, doesn't it? It sounds like an easy mark! It sounds like you're wanting to do something about it. And due to the fact that it's not technically part of your mission, and due to the fact that you all attacking a large ship might result in casualties… That means I can join you! After all, you would all be incredibly expensive to lose." he said, voice raising in pitch. "Shall I tell you the mortality percentage, by the way? It has increased."


"Never tell us the odds, Wraith." Dayle replied. "But… attacking a ship of that size would be insane. Last time, we had Yeller and Matchstick. Now, this ain't a prisoner ship, but Icarus could be anything from a Library ship to a Stealth Operations Detachment ship. You understand? We could be dealing with a bunch of little Wraiths. That's not somethin' I'm excited about. All we know is that they're intaking a large amount of data, but quantities of that mass've gotta be defended somehow."


She opened her eyes, looking sideways to Axel, who was at the other terminal. His formerly pristine armor was then covered in blood. He was detached. Something had set her stomach on edge. She wasn't entirely sure if it was the state of the room - normally, she wasn't particularly bothered by the sight of blood, but there was a dread that hung in the air from it - or, if it was the idea of taking on the Icarus itself. They hadn't properly seen the size of it yet; their last encounter having been in a nebula and the darkness of space had hidden it away until they would be very close.


"Five minutes. Not a lot of time left. We can get back to the Gaius, and I can send this girl into space where she'll never be seen again." she offered, as a last resort.
 
"Not happening Dayle." Axel said, seeing her visibly recoil at his order. There hadn't been a single instance where Dayle urged him to exercise caution, infact, she was usually the one telling him to step it up and send them into the fire. Not this time, to Axel she was not willing to take the risk after being away for so long. He viewed this as a chance to prove themselves more so than ever. "Nephilim threw us this bait as an insult." He stated gruffly, his voice also being broadcast to both Vitor and Lucy through the comms. "We can either take this small ship as a warm up, prove him right in that we're incompetent by only do the small mission. Or, we defy his mission perimeters. He'd probably say something along the lines of us being too stupid to follow orders, that we took an unnecessary risk and although we won it wasn't a victory." Axel smirked, he had the Chancellor pegged pretty well. "If there ain't winning with Nephilim, there can be winning for the Coalition... And..."


He clenched his fists, proceeded by ripping the terminal he was standing at out of its socket and sending it across the room. Axel was on an edge that Dayle couldn't compare herself to now, he could barely contain himself. Whether that was a good thing for the Coalition or not was yet to be seen, as for the Gaius crew it wouldn't mean anything good.


"Agent Brin. Callsign 4-2-3-3. Those fuckers on Icarus took one of our best agents and made him into their fucking play thing!" Underneath his helmet his face was red and contorted into a snarl. "They did unspeakable things to him and got the location of Terram out of him before they fucking butchered him. They are all going to die... With... Or... Without you... Dayle." He stated firmly. "You know how it is to lose those you care about... Shit, you've lost a whole crew. I've lost just as many, and I sure as hell bet you'd do anything to avenge them. Brin was one of my brothers in arms, an agent so deep undercover he could barely remember his own name without getting brought back by Div. She always brought us back..." Axel looked down at the ground, mostly out of sheer frustration. "He gave everything to the Coalition... He couldn't hold on with their god damn torture and made a grave mistake. They removed his honors, deleted him from the history books. His sacrifices don't mean shit to them now. It could happen to anyone of us here." Axel then looked back up to Dayle, "So... I'm going to destroy the Icarus, with or without my crew. Because I don't know what is going to happen today, or tomorrow, or the day after that. What I do know is that for all my sacrifices I want them to mean something... If Brin was alive he'd want me to save Terram and right his wrong, he'd also sure as shit want me to obliterate those who did this to him."


Over the mic Vitor roared in approval. "THE ICARUS WILL FLY TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN AND BURN A FIERY DEATH!" He exclaimed over the comms. "YOUR BROTHER IN ARMS WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN CAPTAIN! HE WILL BE AVENGED AND HIS ACTIONS REDEEMED BY OUR HAND!" If it was one thing Vitor approved, it was of brotherhood. For this mission to take a personal twist for Axel he now had the full backing of a ridiculously motivated Crusader. One that was going to rip that ship apart.


"That makes two, Luce?" Axel asked. His reply was thrown up in the air for a while then they all heard a groan.


"I'm in. No telling what these monsters would do if we don't take them out. We play it smart though, Captain. We aren't losing anyone here. Do you understand me?" Axel didn't respond to her, so she continued. "According to the information you both are sending over, the Icarus has monitoring technology that surpasses even RCN-1. Meaning... a breach is going to be detected. This won't be a quiet mission. As soon as we latch on, it's game over."


"We have their ship." Axel replied, a smile creeping up on his face. "Dayle, you'll get us in range while we load up the cargo onto the Gaius. Take us in slow, give us enough time to prepare. Once we got what we came for, the four of us will stay onboard the Icarus-2 while Lucy flies off to a safe distance and ready to extract us. In the mean time... Vitor, you're at the engines still right?"


"Yes Captain, I am at the control panel now to the core. It is a magnificent sight. Exodlite tech or not, they sure know how to craft a ship."


"Focus." Axel said, not in the mood for a tangent. "Place charges on the control panels and essential parts of the engine that you can reach without burning your hands off. Don't need a repeat of what just happened." What was supposed to lighten the mood only darkened it further. "Once Lucy is at a safe distance, we dock with the Icarus. Business as usual. Though, we send a distress call to the bridge that the full brunt of the security force is needed on deck we have causalities. They'll send a small scout team and come across Vitor's mess in the loading bay." They heard a chuckle over the comms from Vitor but Axel continued. "That'll get a good chunk of them onboard investigating. Then, we blow the Icarus-2 up. Big fucking hole will be in the Icarus and systems will start to malfunction."


"Captain... How are you four supposed to get out on time?"


"When we dock, Vitor's armor will adjust to the Exodlite's colors and simply disembark. Dayle and me got the new cloaking tech while Wraith doesn't have a thing to worry about. We'll get around and then work our way through the ship from there. The Icarus will be compromised and severely wounded, giving us a shot at taking them out." Although unhinged, Axel was able to come up with an impressive assault plan rather quickly. It made sense now why he was at that terminal, he was researching and calculating all the possibilities on how to take out Icarus. It had been the plan from the start, something he wasn't about to reveal to the crew. "Wraith, I know you aren't part of the crew but inside I need you listening to orders if I need you. Dayle... Have faith in me. Okay?" He raised his visor up so she could see his face as he walked toward her. "I know it's crazy but... It's personal. And we'll be doing a lot of good by doing what we do best. You good with this?"
 
"Just givin' you a way out, sweetheart." Dayle said. "Like I said. I'm behind you. I'm behind you, Lucy, and Vitor. You're the Captain, after all." she said. It was a high compliment coming from the former Captain, because after all, she had used the title sparingly and usually with scathing sarcasm. There was none of that now; she knew very well the graveness of the situation. They were unexpectedly going to take on the hybrid ship, that of which they didn't even know the designation of.


The Icarus itself was an enigma. The RCN hadn't gotten close enough to understand its designation completely. It could have been an espionage ship; the sort that took stock soldiers and trained them to be a far amount better than they had been previously. If that was the case, they wouldn't be dealing with standard zealot grunts. It could have been solely an intelligence ship, stocked with civilians and communication specialists not unlike the cargo technicians that they had just gotten done slaughtering. Or, it could be the Exodlite-equivalent of their own intelligence department. Only, their figurehead wouldn't be a calm, rational Corscezzi. It was up in the air. That was what scared the pilot. But also, she trusted her Captain. It was a strange feeling; there weren't many that Dayle trusted in the world.


She deactivated her telecomms, and for that moment, only spoke to Axel. "Don't take what I said as me not having your back, Winger. Ever. You understand? I've lost people, and ... some of it, I could have prevented, if I had been just a bit more strategic. Or a little more gung-ho. But that's not what this is. I would die before I let them take any of us and do to us what they did to Brin. They'd be in cold space. And if I could find the motherfuckers that hurt my people, I would do the same, but ... Don't feel like you have to. When we do this, you just remember that you got a girl and a boy waiting for you, and I made a promise to them that I intend to keep; that their daddy is gonna come home safe. So, I don't care how many people you kill. I don't care if you kill'm brutally or nicely. But if you lose yourself, and someone gets hurt because of it, well... That'll be on you and me. But I trust you, Winger."


In the cargo bay, Wraith had already begun with the rest of the mission. He had dropped from the breach hatch to the bay below, taken a moment to observe the situation and dispatch any extra life that had been holding on. "Double-tap." he said, as he went to each remaining fragment of Exodlite there was. "Double-tap. Double-tap. Double-tap. I'm helping!" he said, cheerfully. Then, when he found the bay was clear of life, he began easily transferring the dense, information-laden crates up through the breach port and into the Gaius. Before long, though not too far past inhuman, crate after crate was loaded in. The clean, waxed floor of the Gaius had been soon covered in Exodlite-manufactured suspension containers. It was easy for the android, but that was his purpose, after all. To serve.


"Everything is loaded up, tiny pilot human. Feel free to pull away!" he said.


"Lucy, once you undock from the Icarus-2, you stay out until I say the bridge is clear. It's got weapons, and the moment you try to get within two feet of it, it'll turn'm on you. You ain't gonna be able to accelerate fast enough to get away. Wraith, you operate separate from Vitor and Winger. You're gonna make your way to the opposite end of the Icarus, where Lucy is gonna dock to pick us up when we're done. You guard that spot. With your life. The ship is expensive, and Lucy is more expensive. Circumvent those expenses like the good little robot that you are." Dayle commanded.


"To be fair, I'm more expensive than your ship and your pilot gnome, but ... my laws prohibit me from taking that into consideration." he said. "Order accepted."


"Then it sounds like a plan." she said. "Okay. E.T.A. is two more minutes. Lucy, unbreach and wait until you get the signal to lick."
 
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"Thank you..." Axel replied to Dayle after she revealed to him that she trusted him, also hearing that was ready to die for those on the crew meant more to him than he showed in that current moment. To hear that she still trusted him, even after losing Casar and all the hardships they had went through meant a lot to him. For the first time in a while he smiled underneath his mask, a genuine one. "That right there is why you're my co-captain. It helps that we're both a little crazy too." He chuckled, walking up to her as she began piloting the ship into a course towards the Icarus. "Who else would willingly take on a high ranking Exodlite ship with 5 people? We got this Dayle."


Vitor and Wraith had convened on their location, both completing their tasks and reporting for duty. Vitor was the first to walk in and seen Axel's handy work but said nothing, if anything it reminded him of what he did on a normal basis. For the captain to do that however it sent a chill up his spine, something strange was happening but he couldn't put his finger on it.


"The engine room is rigged to blow, Captain." He spoke up, stepping over the pair of bodies that had their heads practically fused together. "I placed the explosives in hard to see places, that way we can funnel as many Exodlites in without raising the alarm that this ship is rigged to blow."


"Perfect. Good work... all of you." He replied, feeling his adrenaline pick up as they seen a massive black mass in the distance. "One minute out." Axel said, checking the time. "Alright Luce, detach and circle around. Keep us updated if any more ships come in to dock."


"Roger that Captain." Lucy said, sealing the breach in the loading bay as she unlatched, making sure to keep the cabin pressurized as she disengaged. She began to push away from the Icarus-2, letting it lead her to their destination as she kept her distance. "For such a big ship you'd think you could see it from h-" She ate her words as the cloaking device on the Icarus went down to allow a new ship to dock. It wasn't quite as large as the ISS Sinai but it was comparable to the ISS Dredge or another harvester ship, where it lacked in cargo hold space for resources or housing for a giant cannon it made up for by being a large hub for Exodlite ships.


It was breath taking, seeing the ship creep out from the void. It was elegant, where the usual sharp sided Exodlite ships were the Icarus was smooth and sleek. Many docking bays dotted the outside of the creature, transport shuttles and supply ships flying between them to speed up efficiency around the ship. Other ships were docking at the same time in the distance, other Icarus-class vessels checking in precisely at the same time. This operation was bigger than they thought, but not entirely impossible.


"That's why we couldn't see it before... Damn thing is a stealth ship. Looks well defended but not entirely a military vessel. Looks like an information and cargo hub... Maybe a foot hold for the Exodlites in this area. We aren't far from where we intercepted them the last time." Axel spoke, crossing his arms as they looked out the front window. "Could mean reinforcements could arrive since this isn't a war ship or a harvester. Means we gotta hit them hard and fast. Y'all know what to do. Vitor, when this ship docks we need you to leave immediately then I'll send out the signal for the security team to rush the area while we sneak out behind you while were cloaked. Understood?" Vitor nodded, leaving Dayle to finish the docking sequence then for them all to get out of the ship as quickly as possible and onto the Icarus.
 
Dayle, too, took in the sight of the Icarus. It was funny, almost, thinking that they were just outside the same ship, intercepting their communications, but at the time they were deep inside of a nebula. If they had known the danger that they were in then, they may have been a little hesitant. Now even more so. It would have been a lie to say that a pit hadn't been in the pilot's stomach, but she knew very well that a crew couldn't function without trusting their Captain. And she did. So she shoved the knot down and continued their steady ascent forward, showing no hesitation in the slightest to dock aboard the Icarus. The Icarus-2 flew forward, and soon, a communication had hit their comparatively small portion of spacefaring metal. It began coming to the cockpit, but soon Dayle had broadcasted it to all of the intercepting crewmembers.


A thick, Exodlite-accented, almost bored message came to their ears. "Icarus-2, you're a few minutes behind schedule. Please send your authentication code in preparation for docking, as well as your cargo and crew manifest." it said.


Before the pilot could panic over a missing authentication code, a new voice came over the comms. It was human, Exodlite… Only, it was coming from the Gaius team. Behind Dayle and Axel, Wraith phased in from nothing. From him came the voice - it was a stark contrast to unaccented drone he'd taken on before. "Greetings Icarus," he said. "Sending the cargo and crew manifest in now." he said, and pointed a finger-gun at Dayle, who had soon sent the appropriate intelligence. "Authentication code is 52-DTH3." he said.


After a small pause, the voice on the other end spoke up again. "Authentication code accepted. You're clear to dock, Captain Yane."


Captain Yane had been sitting, slumped against the panel, next to Dayle.


The pilot quirked a brow. How he had gotten that information was unbeknownst to the rest of them, unless it really was true that Nephilim had been wanting them to play along after all. Or the android had something up his sleeve that he wasn't intending on sharing with the rest of them. Regardless, she breathed out, and continued pulling the ship forward into the massive mouth of the Icarus. Soon, they had been bathed in the sterile white lights of the zealot docking bay.


Around them, some ships lied in deep hibernation, while others moved on about their days. Crew members of all sorts - cargo, science, standard soldiers, amongst other ranks - moved about with an angry business that could only be achieved by citygoers and zealots. They all had a mission; a reason to be on the Icarus, and they were all set out to achieve it. Unlike the Renegade bays, where people lingered in their ships like their homes and others perched themselves in the nooks of vessel windows like observant birds. The Icarus-2 glided to a stop, just as smoothly as the Gaius had in previous landing sequences. And, for that moment, it seemed as if nothing was amiss.


"I will stay in the ship to send out the distress message and foresee that our friends make it in alright. Miss Benskett and Axel Winger, feel free to prepare yourselves to move away. Let me know when you all are situated at a comfortable distance, and we'll begin." Wraith stated, his tone notably less cheery than before.


"Alright…" she said, and unjacked from the ship. Her hand fell down to the piece of stealth tech that wasn't dissimilar to Axel's own. She gave it an experimental press, and much like the Captain had before, shimmered away into nothing. "Lets give'm hell."
 
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