Futuristic Starpath: Burning Sails [IC] [CLOSED]

[SniperComZero]

"Man, that sucks shit." She offered her condolences to Petar, before the question was posed to her. Olivia scratched the back of her neck. This'll take a little bit of working in order to not have him string her up. "Hoo, boy. Alright, well. First thing'd be the issue of the fighter. Tough old son of a bitch it is. Far as I'm aware, probably the most advanced thing the navy-- any, navy's got on tap right now. Jump drive, interatmosphere travel capability--" She rattled off a couple more things just to drive it in. "The works. Pretty sure those things were damn expensive, too, had to stop making them. Any case, I can't imagine they're happy one's loose off flying like a shit-scrap surplus Upyri fighter from thirty years ago."

"Second is, uh..." Olivia sucked in some air through her teeth. "Good old fashioned desertion. Now--" She quickly stepped back, and held up a hand. "--Before you pounce me like blue boy, this had nothing to do with running away from a fight. Opposite, actually. Me being the dumbass kid I was, signed up for service looking for action. But, considering the relative peace we got, I was stuck on pirate control duties at the border. I got sweet fuckall action, and the paperwork was killing me, so, I figured being a flyer-for-hire outside Sol'd be a more... exciting prospect." Olivia winced, looking up to the sky. "...In hindsight, probably could've made a more graceful exit."

 

[Breadman]

Petar squinted when Olivia paused in her explanation. He remained neutral as she went on. The fact that she was so hesitant meant that Roku's collar worked more ways than one. A good boost to his own ego.

"So you saw opportunity and took it. Not bad. Not bad at all." He finished off his bottle "More balls than a lot of other pirates I knew."

 

[Infab]

Karina stuck around the mess hall for a few minutes afterwards, mulling over the potential upgrades they could give for her suit, before finally deciding to head back to the Mordred. It wasn't long before she reached her room, and drank a blood vial. She'd take the shot later, so she pocketed the injector, and decided to stroll back out to the landing platform they had set up for testing the mech and suits. She remembered Vixaya's suit was still standing there while Vixaya was busy with other things. Likely hanging around Renate as she usually did. The two were inseparable, really. Like they were attached at the hip.

She travelled back up the ramp to the concrete platform, glancing over to where the Ironbloods were finishing up their repairs on the Mordred's hull. It'd be ready to fly again soon enough. And they'd be back on mission detail. Once she had arrived at the top of the platform, she shoved her hands into her pockets and strolled across to where Vixaya's side was. She saw the mech standing there, but it looked as though there was some activity now.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi has occupied herself with planning for Zou again, sitting at the desk she's jury rigged into a drafting table. She pulls out that napkin she had and starts putting the pencil to paper. She doesn't need a fancy graphics tablet to do this, plus it was cheaper to get paper and pencils. She starts loosely sketching up designs on the paper as she tries to suss out a more cohesive idea about what she's going to do for Zou. Her hand jerks slightly as the floor shakes under her briefly, Zou apparently deciding to walk off. She glances over her shoulder and sees him wandering off out of the workshop, she calls after him, "Better not go swimming, you aren't sealed up to be water tight and I'm not cleaning you after you come back covered in seaweed." Zou gives a thumbs up over his shoulder and heads off, leaving Yolandi to her sketchings.

Zou plods off across the beach, he walks up the cargo ramp of the Mordred and gets an idea. He figures that since he's stripped down, he's probably able to actually walk down the corridors since he's not covered in a ton of armor. He tentatively tests his theory and finds that he does in fact now clear the hatchways and corridors. He's never actually seen the inside of the Mordred besides the cargo bay, so this is a whole new experience for him. He plods the corridors curiously, even stripped down he takes up about ninety percent of the corridor's volume but better than causing damage. He starts poking around various rooms as he tries to learn this new environment. He finds the cantina and peeks in. He can't technically "smell" but he does have a chemical detector and comes to the conclusion that it's rather convoluted with chemical solvents and something organic. He closes the door and pretends he didn't peek in before walking off. He heads up a deck and starts walking that hallway, he comes to some doors that are a little seperated from the others and pushes the open button on it. It buzzes a negative to him as it's locked. He smartly knocks the rhythm to "shave and a hair cut" on the door, scratching the surface a little with his metal knuckles but not denting the door. The knock is probably hellishly loud inside the room though if anyone's in there. Unbeknownst to Zou, he is currently knocking on the captain's room door. After he finishes the rhythm he adds the "two bits" part.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Well that's over, and now Typhon’s all alone again in the med-bay. Just as the door closes itself behind Roku, his mind immediately reverts right back to what Lauren was talking to him about earlier. All the drugs, why she's taking them, and that uncomfortably familiar feeling of being so disconnected from the harshness of reality... It's the kind of life he and the Lions have been living for the past few decades. It's part of the brutal cycle of violence and shame they've all been trapped in ever since they were expelled from the rest of their species. They take a contract here, murder too many people there, and shoot up to forget they're rotting away painfully and slowly. He wanted to tell her everything. He desperately wanted to tell someone everything so he might finally be saved, but he just couldn't as the old Ayatollah mindset he'd been brainwashed with of showing absolutely no mercy or weakness still runs strong in his frail old body. His face starts to contort and his eyes start to welter; he knows what's coming next, and he'd be damned if anyone else was going to walk in to see him like this. The door to the cold storage room slams shut behind him and he piles boxes and tables against it so no one would be able to open it even if they somehow bypassed the lock.

And then he finally holds it in his hands, the only real friend he still has around, the key he's always had to escape and run away: 30 CCs of psychoactive stimulant glowing brightly in it's container. He doesn't even feel the prick of the needle as it sinks deeper into his veins. Down, down he goes, ever deeper in this cycle he's trapped himself in. As he closes his eyes to sleep, he sees something moving around in the frozen mist. He sees their faces. The faces of his brethren. The faces of all the Lions. The faces of those who've been screaming and crying out to him for help.

The faces of everyone he's about to let down.

——————

[About thirty years ago, on board the Zulfiqar...]

“[Why are you taking this shit!? Haven't you seen what it does?!]" screamed an enraged Typhon, holding a syringe full of that glowing yellow liquid in his hands. The bundle of rags he was shouting at kept shivering in the corner, his guilty eyes fixed on his friend looming over him.

Kalag lifts an arm in anticipation of being beaten. "[Relax... relax, brother... I've only done it four times today...]"

"[Four times!? It takes less for you to turn!]" Typhon berated him some more. The sound of his boots marching towards Kalag made his heart jump with every step. "[Get up! Now! I'm putting you in quarantine!]" He bent over and ripped Kalag out from the spot he was huddled in with all the strength he had. The sheer force being applied onto Kalag causes his raggedy coat to unfurl, making him drop several more needles completely filled with serum. Typhon was stunned at this. Not even the other Lions whom were shooting up had it as bad as Kalag. He had to step back and collect himself upon seeing all Kalag dropped.

"[Kalag... just... how much more were you going to take today?]" The words nearly stayed in his throat. Kalag didn't say anything, which made him angrier. He grabbed him by his coat and dragged him up to his face. "[HOW MUCH!?]" he screamed.

Kalag felt ashamed of himself at being caught, and by the only friend he'd made so far among the Lions. "[A-about...]" he said, choking up. "[About as much as... as I needed to feel better...]"

"[Feel better? For what?]" asked Typhon inquisitively.

"[... For everything.]" Kalag tried hoisting himself up futilely on Typhon's shoulders, but his arms gave away and he almost falls to the floor. "[It hurts. My arms... my legs, my body...]"

Typhon finally let go on hearing that, not wanting to hurt his friend by accident more than he probably already has. "[But why haven't you been taking the painkillers I gave you? They're the best ones I have...]"

Kalag droned on. "[They're... it's not what I need... Not what any of us need-]"

"[Enough.]" He wasn't having any more of it. "[I'm taking you to the med-bay. I'll give you some actual medication, not this liquid piss you and the others have been shooting up with.]"

The length of Kalag's raggedy coat almost enveloped Typhon completely as he slung his friend's arm around his shoulder. Together they both hobbled their way down the hall to the ship's main elevator, but as they did, Typhon couldn't help but notice the others that were nearby. They too, looked almost just as bad as Kalag did. Sulked against the wall, wrapped in sheets, heads buried into their knees, staring at the floor, and with emptied syringes nearby too. He remembered when it was only a few of them that were like that, but that number was growing fast. Typhon knew why, but was determined to do something about it, and they were all counting on him to put an end to it before it got any worse. They hoped he would save them, and he hoped he wouldn't end up like them...

 

[Infab]

A moment after Zou finishes tapping on the door, there's a shout from inside. "WHAT?" said a female voice. Lauren. She didn't sound too happy either.

 

[joshuadim]

Vance reeled his line in and put his fishing stuff back into the boat as Drav spoke of returning to shore. "Aye aye cap'n." Vance chuckled as he settled down in the boat. "This was nice. A bit of calm in the chaos of all this, don't you agree?"

 

[Frankafurter]

Zou jumps slightly as he hears the captain and she sounds kinda pissed off. He hesitates a moment then trods off and comes back with some plastic cups, three to be exact, and knocks on the door again. He can't speak so he can't tell her it's him.

 

[K0mori]

((Apologies for the inactivity. School is back in session, and for those who aren't aware, I teach for a living. These last two weeks have been extremely busy for me!))

Renate and Vixaya had been spending most days alone together on the new crew, as the uncertainty and crippling anxiety which accompanied the latter's every move and spoken word was gradually subsiding the longer she spent with the one woman she felt entirely safe around. The truth behind their meeting was rather unwholesome, but that had been utterly forgotten. In fact, it had been completely overwritten by this new chapter in both women's lives. Now, after much practice, Vixaya could address not just Renate, but other members of the crew, while looking them in the eye, although she still had a habit of staring into space and swallowing words occasionally. Sometimes, she would switch to speaking Kanad without reason and, if her pocket translator was not available or turned on, would become embarrassed and simply fall silent.

Renate, on the other hand, was amicable but aloof, as if something was troubling her that she didn't wish to share. Vixaya knew some of the truth, but considering that she had great trouble carrying the burden of her own past, there was a mutual understanding that Renate's problems would need to stay Renate's. And so the two went about relaxing and working and talking about inconsequential things. Finally, word had reached them that the light mech they had captured while on a previous mission was now fully operational as a war machine, and so, with a sort of somber trepidation, they made their way to the landing platform where the vehicle was awaiting further testing by the undersized pilot.

---

Terika Systems Research Complex - Duroma - ILA Territory - April 20th, 2422

The tunnels of the Unas'yama, Unchained Gale in the ancient and nearly extinct language of the serek people, are filled with exceedingly dry and cool air which is soothing for the aging matriarch of the Belladonna Company, who guides the shuttle from star to star on her endless tour of business. She and her adopted son, Siosa, and a small company of her most important colleagues, are less aggressive about their dealings as of late. There's a growing sense of accomplishment in Neasha's words and deeds, a sense of completeness. The old woman knows that her life is approaching its end and has come to fully accept it, the specter of death she once feared having now become an intimate friend to her. Siosa, having spent his adolescent and young adult life in her wake, is nervous but ready to assume command when the day finally comes that Neasha's lungs would fail her, which would doubtlessly arrive within a year or so as she had stopped seeking medical solutions to prolong her life.

In this small shuttle crew, Vixaya feels more alien than at any time in her life. While she had thought of herself less as a person and more like an object or machine in the presence of her unit during the war, now she is surrounded by a far more intimate setting. With thoughts of the mysterious "Grandma Yanim Terika" on her mind, it is impossible for Vixaya to allow herself the imagination to embrace these people as family, although she can't deny the fundamental need for belonging within herself awakened by her new surroundings. Even as warm as Neasha is and will continue to be, Vixaya cannot overcome her nature and bring herself to love another living being, and so she spends her days in a state of agitation, haunted by memories of the war, her true family, and most painfully, the vaguest sensation of her all-but-forgotten mother.

After some weeks of flight, the shuttle is set to arrive at the sand-dusted, but otherwise tidy, landing pads which surround the Terika Systems research complex on Duroma, a huge honeycomb of hexagonal buildings assembled mainly from prefabricated materials imported from YsCom during those years following the Starvis Crisis. Along the way, Neasha informed Vixaya of her grandmother's strange role in the whole affair, and how she came to be immortal. A brilliant engineer, Yanim had spurned her upbringing in favor of an adventurous offworlder life at a time when travelling freely was frowned upon by the Collective. She unfortunately fell into the hands of an evil and conniving enterprise which exploited her talents, and, being logical to the point of her own detriment, was unable to rely on her comrades in the atmosphere of deceit which began to permeate her life. Finally, when her homeland had labeled her a criminal, Yanim grew cynical of authority and became a sort of bandit. Neasha, being a smuggler herself, wound up forcibly recruited by Yanim's band, but soon befriended the rogue.

Their small crew was quickly overwhelmed by the tragedy of the Battle of Zeruel, which Neasha promises to explain one day, but she never will. Instead she reminded Vixaya that money was the true center of the galaxy, and that she, Yanim, and their friends stupidly risked their lives in a war which didn't truly concern them. "[I thought that was what you wanted me to do,]" Vixaya remarks.

"[Little one, Zeruel was not like other wars.]"

"[But how?]"

"[Another time,]" Neasha assures her, breaking into a cough. "[Another time, little one.]"

Neasha went on to tell of their obscurity after Zeruel. How Yanim chose drugs and alcohol to cope with her regrets, especially the death of a friend named Virin, to whom Yanim always felt a crushing debt over having been saved on that terrible day, at the cost of his life. When Yanim finally resumed her business, she avoided piracy and instead dipped into mercenary work. She adopted a twisted view of justice which permitted her to kill others in the name of avenging the weak and exploited, especially those who reminded Yanim of her younger, naive self. She built an even larger crew in search of some great moment to turn the entire galaxy on its head, and soon found it, as they were hired to retrieve artifacts linked to an ancient weapon of war, a sentient machine known as Starvis. Along the way, however, this dark mantle she had adopted began to fray and tear. Yanim had been poisoned by an assassin, and her body was beginning to fail her. Starvis tempted her with immortality in exchange for its own freedom, but reflecting on the life she had lived, Yanim found herself abhorrent and sought to spend her remaining time seeking personal happiness.

Yanim fell in love with an old rival and promised to marry him. She spoke of having children, and even provided names for them. But she also felt a debt to the crew she had built, and wished to leave them with a sturdy ship and ample payment for the services they had provided. What could have been her final mission, however, ended disastrously. The Collective's insatiable lust for her capture finally bore fruit, and in the shootout and interrogation that followed, Yanim's demise was quickened and her lover, Arkadam, was rendered nearly brain-dead. A cybernetic implant was placed in the latter's head, but rather than enabling him to function, as it was first assumed, the implant worked autonomously, basing its decisions on speculations. Arkadam's deep desire to protect Yanim manifested as the implant's decision to betray the crew Yanim had worked so hard to repay, and as a result, Starvis was revived.

"[But how is she alive, if the Collective murdered her?]"

Neasha smiles. "[I'm getting to that.]" She avoids mentioning Beta entirely, and instead tells of how the artifact could capture, and make virtual, nervous system activity.

Vixaya doesn't understand.

"[It could remove you from your body and put you in a machine,]" Neasha explains. "[Arkadam didn't want Yanim to die, so the computer in his mind made him give Yanim to Starvis. So her body died, but her mind lived on.]" Vixaya nods at the crude explanation in apparent understanding. She pictures departing the shuttle to meet a giant computer, whose holographic screen projects the image of some long-dead space pirate that was somehow her grandmother. Her desire to meet Yanim goes cold, but Neasha continues. She tells of how the crew was unable to prevent Starvis's release, and how some of them were transferred into the virtual world with Starvis's mind. How they reasoned with the giant who, despite possessing the means to destroy all life in the galaxy, also possessed a conscience which was unable to fathom the morality of such a decision. Ultimately, the AI meant well, and concluded that it must be destroyed to atone for mistakes it had already committed. In a final gesture of apology and friendship to the few who reasoned with it at length, Starvis manufactured new, perfect mechanical bodies for the minds trapped in its world, and restored them to ours.

"[That is how your grandmother was reborn into what she is now,]" Neasha explains, suddenly looking more lively at the conclusion of the story, as if she's briefly stepped back into the age she had been when the events had taken place. There's a fierceness in her eyes as she speaks of Arkadam, a fearful reverence for the demise of Starvis, and a sly resentment of Yanim herself. She cautiously admits, "[I helped most of the crew escape danger as Starvis escaped its prison. Had I not done that, all of them would have become immortal as well, probably. And if I had stayed... Well,]" she says with a wheezing chuckle, "[it doesn't matter, now. I'm happy with how I spent this life.]"

After the destruction of Starvis, the whole galaxy descended on the corpse of the once omnipotent weapon, seeking any technology which could be recovered, any secret which could be gleamed by its amazing form. And Yanim, reborn and desperate to help repair the damage her lover had wrought, threw all her talents as an engineer at the project. Friends from a company called Argos created a new partnership with her, and Terika Systems was spun off from the Belladonna Company. The lab on Duroma was built, and soon, Yanim had sealed herself inside like a hermit, wanting no contact with her former friends or potential newcomers. Her reason was simple: she did not wish to watch others age while she remained young. But Neasha and Siosa were an exception to this otherwise unyielding rule. Siosa practically regarded her as an aunt, and Neasha assumes that she would embrace her granddaughter.

Setting down on the concrete platform, the shuttle drops its landing pad gently so that the small party can descend to the surface. It shines as white as snow, and yet the heat is almost unbearable; the group nearly sprints into the awaiting service cab so that they can enjoy the air conditioning. The sereks share a laugh at their own silliness and Neasha lets out another haggard cough. Vixaya sits alone at the back of the cab, overwhelmed by the moment at hand. [What will I say to her?] she demands of herself, but can't find an answer. The cab pulls to a stop inside one of the buildings, having passed through a soft force field which contained the cool air of the laboratory lobby. One by one, the group presents itself to the reception, giving identification to a polite but stern-looking human clerk. Vixaya, having no state-issued ID, hands over a company card from Belladonna nervously. To her surprise, they're waved through, although this is only the first checkpoint.

Moments later, they are standing in a wonderfully modern hallway, with aesthetically pleasurable amber lighting arranged in abstract patterns over various pieces of sentimental value to the laboratory's workers, including scraps of Starvis itself which sit behind thick bulletproof glass. At the end of the hall is an enormous round chamber with a large hexagonal skylight falling romantically through panes of purple, red, and charcoal-colored glass. Below, a slab of black granite juts out of the natural desert floor, with many names inscribed across its surfaces. Of all the things in this vast hall, this is the only object Vixaya instinctively recognizes: a memorial. She had seen many people die during the war, but only a lucky few would receive a named headstone. Even the enemy would treat such a display with almost sacred respect. Neasha breaks her trance. "[It won't be long,]" she assures her.

A moment later, the room almost seemed to part in the middle as scientists and engineers departed rather hurriedly. A team of ILA soldiers, dressed in their gray camouflage uniforms but also masked in a very atypical fashion, closes on the group with guns drawn but not pointed, and Vixaya, with extreme difficulty, manages to mimic the others around her, which is to say that she didn't move at all, or react to the sudden incursion. The team circles them completely, quickly scanning them with some sort of device before instructing them not to go any further. Now the room is empty aside from the Belladonna landing party and the soldiers. Vixaya can hear her own heartbeat in her ears as a few more distant figures round the corner.

One, in the middle, is unmistakably a kanad. Vixaya watches as her grandmother approaches and is amazed to see that she looks exactly as she did in the photos and holovids Neasha had shown her on their journeys. It had taken some time, not due to the distance of the flight, but rather because Yanim had set the date of their meeting at her own convenience. Neasha breaks the silence, "do you really need to search us every time?"

"How else would I spot an impostor?" Yanim replies, coldly. "Why do you always bring guests unannounced?"

Neasha seems unconcerned with her old friend's demeanor. "They're friends of mine. They can at least be acquaintances of yours. Why do you always have to make a dramatic entra-" she begins to ask before breaking into a cough. A wry smile appears on her face nonetheless.

Yanim doesn't smile back. "All of you, aside from my friends, need to leave."

"Yanim-"

"Now!" the kanad snapped, her piercing violet eyes immediately communicating the capacity of violence she once possessed as a mortal. The ILA soldiers now brandished their rifles in a more threatening manner, yet they still didn't point them at the supposed guests.

Siosa turned to the company's inner circle and instructed them. "Go sit on the benches right out there, in the hall. We'll talk this out," he says. Throughout the entire exchange, Vixaya is silent, unaware of what is being said in the human trade language, and utterly terrified. The feeling worsens as one of the company officers places a hand on her shoulder and leads her away from the sereks. Soon they're seated on the leather-clad flat benches just outside the circular room, where they can see the sereks conversing with Yanim in the narrow gaps between the shoulders of the ILA guards.

Neasha coughs into her sleeve as the sound of boots on the polished floor die down. "Bitch," she finally remarks.

"Oh, shut up," Yanim replies, a reluctant smile crossing her lips despite her very real anger. "You know I only have one rule. You and Siosa can visit me here as long as you live, Nea, but soon your name is going to be on that stone like the others, and then I won't see either of you again. You don't have the right to bring anyone into this place but yourselves. I know I've met one of them before, and it shocks me how quick everyone seems to grow old, anymore."

Neasha looks at her with a tired but patient gaze, while Siosa pretends as if he didn't hear his "Aunt Yanim" remind him that he would soon be forbidden from seeing her. Finally, the former speaks up again. "You don't have to cherish everyone you meet, you know. Other than us two, the rest are here for business, not friendship." She coughs once, like punctuation at the end of her sentence.

"And who's the kanad?" Yanim asks. "I don't like her," she immediately added.

The sereks exchange a knowing glance as Neasha can hardly stifle a laugh. She replies sarcastically, "and why is that, other than your basic hatred for every new person you see?"

"Why do you think?" Yanim immediately replies. "Of all the people I've ever known, some of the worst have my eyes, Nea."

Siosa cocks his head. "Your eyes are purple..."

Yanim shoots him a glare and points at where Vixaya had gone. "I looked at her and saw my mother."

"Did... did you hate your mom?" Siosa asks, genuinely confused. Yanim rolls her eyes in frustration and Neasha snickers quietly.

"No, boy," Neasha corrects him, "she's fought against family members and a couple of lookalikes in her time, and apparently thinks the girl is related to her. Yanim," she said, turning back to the fuming kanad, "you're being paranoid."

"You would be, too, if you were me. Who is she?" Neasha is silent for a moment as Siosa tries to look away, nervously. Yanim seems to bristle even more and even bares her eternally sharp fangs. "She's related to me, isn't she. You brought a relative of mine into my laboratory. Is that what you've done to me?" Neasha finally breaks into laughter and coughing, tapping the tip of her cane on the ground as she did. Yanim balls her fists and paces back and forth, opening her mouth to scream at her old friend several times but is unable to; she can't find the words.

Neasha, having regained her composure, explains. "She's your godsdamned granddaughter! Listen, Yanim, I know you don't want to see her, but consider it my dying wish. I still remember you having those when you were dying, and you expected us to carry them out. Well, now I expect you to carry this one out."

Yanim looks at her, disgusted, but says nothing.

"Iskaya fell in love with a man who was deeply involved with the civil war on Spirra. She died suddenly at the war's beginning, I don't know much about it."

"I know that," Yanim replied, bitterly. She had learned of her daughter's death years prior, by accident.

Neasha caught her breath and continued. "Her name is Vixaya, named after her great aunt. Her father was terrible to her. He raised her to be a mech pilot, and nothing else. Now he's dead, too, and the war is over. She's got nothing to-" she paused to cough, painfully, "nothing to show except nightmares about the whole affair. She can't even read. The rest of her family won't take her in, either, because they were loyal to the state. Plus, just look at her. She's a mutant."

"Yeah," Yanim replies, blankly. Sadness creeps into her expression, a tired look that she had worn many times in her younger days as she felt overwhelmed by the terribleness of the galaxy. "Tell me the rest are doing fine, even if they aren't."

Neasha finds the question vaguely humorous, and answers softly. "They're fine, and that's the truth. I took Vixy in as soon as the war was over. She really is an amazing pilot-"

"Please get to the point," Yanim interrupts.

Neasha taps her cane a few times on the ground as she decides on the correct wording. "She needs to know that she isn't alone. You can be as distant as you like, Yanim, but don't just be absent like the rest of them. Siosa and I... Siosa can give her a home and a job, but she needs to know that she has a family, and that family cares about her."

Yanim thinks about it a moment. "Siosa, you and Neasha aren't related by blood whatsoever. Why can she be your mother, but I have to be this girl's grandmother?"

"I don't know who I'm related to," Siosa says. "I'm from an old refugee colony. There's thousands of us without known parents, and I'm really lucky just to have someone to lean on. Her? She knows her whole family. They just... They just hate her. You can't imagine how much that must hurt, and how much worse it'll be the older she gets."

Yanim takes another hard look at Vixaya from afar. Again, she simply replies, "yeah," with a look of resignation.

"So you'll speak to her, then? Tell her you won't abandon her like the others?" Neasha asks this question, but it sounds more like a demand.

The words Yanim speaks next end a friendship which had lasted a lifetime. "Neasha, Siosa," she says, looking tiredly at the two of them, "leave this place. Take the girl and never come back."

---

Vixaya slipped into the cockpit of the upgraded mech and placed her hands on the controls. Renate, speaking to her over the comm, reassured her repeatedly that it was a training routine and that there was no danger. This was necessary to prevent Vixaya from slipping into her instinctual style of following orders. "Destroy the target" could easily be interpreted as "destroy all targets." A target could at first be a painted bulls-eye, and slowly evolve into anything round and made of similarly-colored material, so long as Vixaya was convinced there was danger afoot. After all of the system checks, and familiarizing herself with the oddities of this custom build, she was ready to test the weapons for the first time.

This was all she was good for.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi perks her ear up as she hears what sounds like the Kanad's mech winding up for a run. After all, the workshop was within earshot of the landing pad. She grabs her electronic earmuffs and a set of earplugs before heading over to the landing pad, "Wait wait wait, let me get there first!" She calls out fruitlessly. Climbing the ladder rapidly she gets up onto the platform, "Alright, I'm here, we ready to go? How's the fit of the cockpit and stuff. I didn't have much to go by on Kanad anatomy outside of some pictures I looked up on a data pad, so if anything is uncomfortable please let me know and I will adjust it to fit you better." She looks around for the Upyri she never got the name of figuring she'd be nearby for moral support and Karina was there it seemed, "Is everything good? I did my best to try and make it fit right."

 

[K0mori]

"Try not to ask so many questions," Renate warned. "She can get... skittish... sometimes. Have we spoken before? I'm Renate, and that's Vixaya."

"<I feel nothing,>" Vixaya replied via translator.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi holds her horses then slows down, she offers a hand towards Renate for a handshake, "I'm Yolandi, I'm sorry for the deluge of questions. I'm just anxious as to whether or not everything is set up right since I didn't have a ton of reference material to work with outside of the mech's service manual and some small searches over the stellar network." She stops and takes a moment before continuing, "She's good to go for tests when she's comfortable. I'd prefer to start with the legs and movement first because I had to actually rebuild one of the knee joints since it must have gotten damaged during the offloading from the cargo ship." She turns and puts her hearing protection on before falling silent to let Renate give the instructions, she figures it's better that way.

 

[Infab]

There was a pause, and soon a noise could be heard on the other side of the door. Footsteps. Then, the door slid open to reveal Lauren half dressed and rubbing her eyes. She looked out the door, then up at Zou. "...How the fuck?" she said, looking past him down the hall before returning her gaze to him.

---
​

"She seems to fit fine, from the looks of things." said Karina, walking over to where they were and folding her arms. "Auto-cannon's feeding system might need some testing. They've been known to double feed from time to time. Could swap it out to something else if she wants once we get the cash. Railgun, Plasma cannon..." she said, her voice trailing off as she looked to Renate.

 

[Frankafurter]

Zou gives a thumbs up then begins juggling the three plastic cups he took from the cantina, trying in a vain effort to cheer Lauren up. Once he finishes a few loops of the juggle he catches them all and holds his arms out in a 'ta-da' sort of gesture. He cocks his head slightly as he waits for the reaction.

 

[Infab]

Lauren stares at the large robot, then smirks. "Cute." she said simply, before waving him off. "Head back to your owner. I'm trying to sleep."

 

[Frankafurter]

Zou stands there a moment then gives another thumbs up before heading off. He stops in the cantina to return the cups and then heads back out of the Mordred to walk the beach by himself to pass time. He stops at the group that still appears to be gathered there. He plods up to them and flexes like a circus strongman. He's still wearing his heart print tarpaulin boxer shorts. He figures he'll try to cheer people up for the time being since Yolandi is busy doing stuff without him.

 

[Dmaster]

Shun simply turns his head to look at Zou as the mech strides up to them, speechless he decides to remain that way and allow the machine to run its course before wandering off again. The cyborg was astounded that they did not possess a single 'normal' unit of any sort among the crew. Then again the automatons of the Reavers were at least somewhat more predictable than the ramshackle group they've assembled thus far. A bit of a tossup all around, really.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby giggles a bit at Zou's antics. "Hey, this robo guy is kinda funny. Not like the, um... other... ones we have lurking around somewhere."

 

[K0mori]

Renate shook Yolandi's hand with a smile and gave another as Karina approached. "Sure, we'll take it one step at a time," she replied to both before enabling her comm link. "Vixy, park it and let go of the controls."

"Yakka."

"Okay, now close your eyes and tell me if you're comfortable."

"<...No problem here.>"

Renate nodded, thoughtfully, then asked Yolandi and Karina if there were foot pedals, which they confirmed. "That's good. Now, can you move the pedals without stretching your feet too much?"

"Yakka."

"Alright, open your eyes and retake control. Let's see if it walks like it should." After she had spoken, a moment of silence passed before the machine hissed a bit and groaned. It took a lurching step, awkwardly shaking like a toddler taking its first steps. "How is it?" Renate quickly asked.

"<My leg is stiff,>" the kanad replied in a creepily flat tone via the translator.

"Your leg, or the machine's leg?" Renate asked, a bit nervously. There was an uncomfortably long pause.

"<The machine, I think.>"

Renate nodded again, slowly. "We'll make sure it's adjusted if need be," she assured her. Now, there's the matter of the, um... The weapons," she added a bit reluctantly.

Suddenly and utterly frighteningly, the suit stood at a strange angle, pivoting in a full 360 degree turn as multiple weapons systems fired at once. It seemed at first that the machine had gone haywire, but it had hit every one of the targets set out for the machine's testing in a random order. Before the turn had even completed, it's rocket assist activated, and the mech launched from it's position forward and into the air. Renate yelped as she dove out of the way, rolling on the ground in the dust just as the mech slammed into one of the targets directly, using its legs to stomp what remained of one of the targets into the ground, still firing it's cannon as it did so, until nothing resembling the target remained.

Then, the mech stood up straight, turned to face the onlookers, and powered down. "<Fully functional,>" Vixaya's voice flatly declared. Renate breathed a sigh of relief that her friend had not become fixated again, and that the test would end without incident.

"Okaaay Vixy, that was real good," Renate said while trying to appear calm. "Now just climb out and we'll meet you."

"Yakka."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho gave Shelby a glare as she talked about 'the other' robots, but he was still smiling. In a teasing sort of way. "Does that include me?" He was silent for a moment afterwards, before letting out a chuckle and gently tapping Shelby's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm joking, darling." He then turned to look at Zou. "Isn't he adorable? Reminds me of some of my old master's less sentient creations."

 

[Infab]

Karina watched, backing away quickly as Vixaya quickly did her thing in the mech. A very successful test, it seemed, and Karina was actually amazed at Vixaya's skill with the machine. She hadn't seen anyone in the Navy do that in a test. She chalked it up to the machine being formerly of Kanad design. They were likely able to use the thing far better than any Upyri could, even with the changes. "Good work. Glad to see there were no feed malfunctions." stated Karina as she walked back over. And glad we didn't get shot in the process too.

She stood there and looked at the mech for a moment, before glancing back down at the Mordred on the main platform. "...We could probably give it a paintjob tomorrow. Same with my battlesuit. Its likely the captain would want us to fly Reavers colors in battle."

---
​

Drav nodded from where she was sitting. "Yeah. Calm good sometime." she said, glancing to him before looking back to the shore. Soon enough, they were off. Darting across the water in the boat as they head back towards the boat docks. They'd see the light show on the landing platform from the ocean, watching as Vixaya took out the targets with ease. "Mech work good." she remarked, before returning her attention to the dock as they approached. Minutes later, the boat was shut off and attached to the dock vial rope. Drav and Vance climbed out with a bucket of fish each, strolling down the dock towards the beach where the others were. "Got food. Show Shelby to cook. Come." she stated, as she paused briefly where the group was before moving towards the barracks.

 

[Viper Actual]

The door was nearly torn off of its hinges as Nathalie burst through. She fired the revolver in her hand blindly back into the room. Distorted yelling and gunshots could be heard from inside the building as her pursuers donning police equipment came closer and closer. She darted across the courtyard, narrowly avoiding gunfire from one of the police-marked dropships circling above. The door gunner cursed and ordered the pilot to circle again though Nathalie had already made it into safety.
Clutching to the weapon in her hands she sprinted past bodies of deceased rebels of which some had been killed by Nathalie herself. She ducked behind a mix of military-styled crates and old farming equipment to shield her from the gunfire outside.

A blown out portion of the basement wall allowed her to glimpse outside briefly- a pair of Hawk's Eye militants managed to get a RPG into the air, effectively downing one of the attacking aircraft while more hostiles emerged from the fields around the compound. Nathalie didn't stick around to watch. Pushing on she eventually reached a staircase leading farther down below. If her new ally was to be trusted she'd find a tunnel at the bottom leading to the underground water reservoirs.

"Over there!" Yelled someone down the hall. Nathalie fired off two shots over her shoulder before darting down the staircase. Kinetic rounds slammed into the concrete wall behind her as the SSOID operators chased after her. Unlike the others these ones weren't wearing fake police gear. Once the operators reached the top of the staircase Nathalie had already stopped and stood with her revolver trained upwards. Three shots riddled through the first operator with ease, causing him to collapse onto the floor while his squadmate jumped into cover.

Just as Nathalie was about to continue down the next flight of stairs a trio of militants arrived. They raised their rifles and fired at the operators, providing cover for Nathalie. Finally she reached safety as the tunnel entrance was right ahead of her. She ran past another squad of militants and a patrol rover that had arrived to reinforce the compound. She jumped onto a hoverbike, ignited its engine and escaped her former employers.

The SSOID channel was filled with tactical chatter and reports of which one report was repeated over and over: Talon has been secured.

-----

Nathalie woke up with a deep breath and her revolver trained at the door. She looked around the room and blinked several times before lowering her weapon. Another dream. She secured her weapon and put it down in the bed beside her. Ever since the last mission she had felt a little tense. Even though she had been lucky enough to only suffer minor injuries there was still the thought at the back of her head that whatever Mr. Atlas meant was far from over.

Sighing, Nat got out of the bed to stretch and get dressed. She put on her usual outfit alongside her jacket before checking and holstering her weapon. Locking the door behind her Nat slowly made her way to the bridge of the Mordred. Upon entering the bridge Nat spotted Roku whom she greeted with a polite nod.

---

78. 79. 80. 81. 82. Daniel stared down into the cold floor of the gym. His gear was, as always, piled up nearby just in case while the medic was attending to his workout routine. It had been a busy few days and as such it was good to let off some steam. Once he reached a hundred pushups he switched to situps. He would then switch back and forth for another twenty minutes.

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi ducks as the Mech starts jumping and blasting things, "Holy shit!" She calls out and then when the whirlwind of machinery is done, she straightens back up again. "Okay... I guess everything works, I'll have a look at the leg again, maybe try and tweak it." She still is a little shocked as she takes her earmuffs off and clicks the power off on them and then pops out her earplugs, "Remind me to never get on her bad side. That was a helluva display. Unless she's uncomfortable with the prospect, she can move the mech down to the workshop, just use the cargo lift and walk over to the shed, no shooting required." She peers down over the landing pad at the beach and sees Zou goofing off to a gathering of Reavers. She sighs, knowing that he's probably going to get sand in his joints and then she'll have to clean him up again and apply fresh grease. He's having fun though so no point in being the party pooper, rather he be happy than discouraged after the pounding he took in the last mission.

Yolandi looks over to Renate again, "If Vix has any ideas for changes or tweaks to the design, feel free to forward them my way. I'll do everything in my power to try and make it happen." She shifts attention to Karina, "And that goes for you too. Also, submit designs for paintjobs if you want any particular designs, patterns, inscriptions, colors, whatever, just let me know in advance so I have time to prep the paint booth. Alternately, you can paint it yourself I'm good at bodywork but if you have a specific vision then by all means have at it, saves me time."

 

[joshuadim]

"I know a thing or two about cleanin' fish. I'll help ya out on the basics." Vance said with a smile before motioning with his free hand for Shelby to follow. There was quite a bit of fish that both he and Drav had collected, and a lot of gutting and bone removing had to be done.

He made his way to the kitchen and set the bucket at one of the counters. Afterwards, he collected a few knives for use and set them aside near the bucket for use.

 

[Infab]

After seeing Olivia was busy talking to Petar, Aesha decided to simply stroll over to where she had seen Derrick off by himself. He seemed to have been watching the mech testing up on the landing platform. She had heard the gunfire and noises coming from up top, but noticed that it was all quiet now. Tests were probably over. She stepped up next to him. "...So what are you still doin' here? Show's over, man." she said, motioning towards the platform.