Futuristic Starpath: Burning Sails [IC] [CLOSED]

[Infab]

it wasn't long before Lauren herself came through the door of the bar, with Vance and Vincent in tow. Aesha, Olivia, and Derrick soon arrived as well. Lauren looked out, doing a mental headcount to make sure that everyone was there that needed to be there. Zadra, Drav, and Pearl were back at the ship dealing with cargo and doing refits, so they'd be filled in later. She then noticed the crusader looking guy near Yolandi. He wasn't a member, and most of the group seemed to be giving him some hostile looks. "Hey buddy," she started, "I think you got the wrong door. Cosplay club is a deck down."

The recruits cracked up, before returning to their drinks and waiting for the captain to fill them in on things. She moved to the bar, and Davidson automatically gave her the spiced rum she usually wanted. He always had a few bottles stashed under the bar for her whenever she came in. One she poured herself a glass, she turned to the rest of the group. "To the new recruits, welcome to the family. Most of you have already completed your first jobs, so congrats. The others, watch your asses. Don't be dickheads. You need something, ask one of us older members. Overall, my word is law. Its 'Blackwell's Reavers', not whatever else you may think it is. Got it?" She paused, and the recruits sounded off with an 'Aye, ma'am.'

"Good. Now, the recruits can go do whatever. I'll be seeing you back on Sielia. My personal crew, stick around. Gonna need to chat with you a minute." she said, looking to the members of the Mordred's crew. Most of the recruits got up and left, while others remained and continued to drink.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho looked to Shelby, then at Daniel. "Oh, most definitely. I mean, look at him!" He leaned on the table and whistled at Daniel. "My my, darling! Breaking hearts already? We've just been here a few hours.~" Jericho waved at him, but then in walked Lauren. Who was quick to mock the weird crusader dude that came in. He let out a chuckle, before paying attention to the captain. "So what's the deal, darling? Do we have a new job?"

 

[Breadman]

"One question. Are you serious about this revenge thing or is another way for you to catch a free ride on someone else's expense?" Petar glared at Serra. "I'm not cleaning after another mutiny because of you had a mood swing."

"If your captain is as shit as your dad, I'd be out of here in no time." Serra downed her drink "If he paid more attention to his crew I wouldn't have made off with what I did." She began to fiddle around with her lighter "You can cut the shit Pete. We still worked together even after that. Greva, Solim and that yacht."

"All jobs you weaseled in and I didn't agree on."

"And yet we raised hell all the same. Shame you missed out on the Death Vigil job. Everyone walked away with a lot of money after that...minus the Vigil." she grinned "Fuck you, Mordecai."

"Well, I was indisposed. Being frozen and all." Things quieted down between them as they observed the fight between Yolandi and the crusader.

"And here I thought you would be the one making a scene with me around." Serra commented while observing the crusader. Was he really who he looked like? A few minutes later Lauren entered the bar accompanied by two other men. She gave a speech to introduce the new blood to the crew and told them to get lost after. Petar looked at her, expecting her to just up and go. "What? You think I'm just gonna leave? I'm on your ship, remember?"

"I wish you weren't." He was mad, but not enough to outright throw her out. As much as he hated to admit it, she's going to be useful. She was his father's best operative and she ran her own pirate operation for a long time. She knew how to play the game as much as anyone. And she said she wanted Anora dead. Maybe that's how he was gonna keep a leash on her. "But we don't always get what we want." His attention shifted to Lauren. Time to find out where they're going next.

 

[Doomevil]

36 Years Ago... Unknown Planet

“We’ve been running from them for a while now, John. You’d think they’d call off the search. Especially in an uncharted planet like this.” A man lit up an old-fashioned cigar with a match in the middle of winter for god knows how long. He only wanted to find someplace warm. He tailgated a man dressed in all white, a beige overcoat complimenting his mysterious figure. John looked over his left shoulder, viewing Lincoln from the back.

“Of course Lincoln. But you have to remember, I’ve been fighting Terrans the day I became a teenager. When it comes to them, there is no calling off. It’s only temporary till they bring it back up. We’re not running from criminals, we’re running from the authority, remember that.” John struggled through the snow terrain while shielding his rifle over his eyes. It’ll be a few hours before they got to some pocket of haven out here but so far, nothing. It's going to take a lot longer now that they're stuck here in the middle of tundra. Lincoln could see his own breath

“You think the others are going to be alright all alone back there?” Lincoln turned to one of the members.

“That’s what that shuttle is for if we need them.” A female voice answered, covered in an all-white outfit following the others. She wielded a similar rifle, hardwood covering 60% of the gun.

“We still have limited communication, Claire. Not to mention we’re almost out of fuel for the ship. Our option is to either wait out this winter or find another planet. And I really don’t want to find another one.” Lincoln rolled his eyes, squinting to get a clear view in the front, but snow is raining down heavily. But was it really worth it at the risk of getting caught? He had second thoughts.

“So long as we stay hidden and out of sight, no big movements. Resort to using radio, documents etc. We’ve just lost a big supply cache when we were still in Earth territory.” Claire marched, boots in the snow as she attempted to recall their thrilling escape.

“We also had to leave people behind. It’s a bit scary to think ‘bout.” Lincoln commented, recalling their covert activity. Claire sighed harshly. “At the very least they’ll be safe, Red. I know how you feel about them, but they’ll be fine.” Claire reassured, turning to face him much close. Up ahead John navigated his way through the blizzard, praying for shelter. But from the end of his own eyes, he saw something dark. He couldn't believe it, it was a goddamn cave.

“Claire, Lincoln! I’m seeing some sort of cave. Now I had some bad experiences with caves, but maybe this one isn’t so bad.” John pointed towards a hollow opening as they got closer. Lincoln glanced at the area, a bit too morbid for the likes of him. He pressed his gun as he thought about ways to hunt wild game in there. Of course, in his experience caves meant danger zones.

“This better not be a trap, John. Alright then.” Lincoln reluctantly settled for as the trio made sure their column isn't left behind. All three gestured for the long trail of people, “Let’s move in people!” John exclaimed. The entire group hurried to the checkpoint freezing their butts off as the climate dropped down. The group entered the cave with leftover snow on their boots, observing their surroundings for unknown danger. John went on in first, looking through his iron sights.

He checked every corner and pocket of shadow but no beasts here. The only strange findings were white marks around the cave, depicting humanoids gathering together. Lowering the rifle, he turned to everyone.

“Alright everyone, start some fires and make sure you search for danger further ahead. Wild beasts, the undead or toxic fumes. Now, it's been a very long and enduring journey. I know we're all tired and hungry, but the hard part is over now. It's going to get rough in the next few months, but I will assure everyone we will get through this. The war is over now, we've made our decision the moment we left. But we cannot quit. This is a new chapter for us from here on out. We are strong together.” John proclaimed as everyone under his watch observed silently. Lincoln crossed his arms, slowly nodding, knowing it's only the beginning.

"I want everyone to pull their weight around. If something bad happens the kids are the number one priority. Let's get to work!" John declared and immediately people began to hurry on their jobs. John set himself down on the floor rubbing his hands together. He and Lincoln saw several of the members rummage through the remains and sparking fire sites to keep each other warm. This place will do for now, but soon it won’t be enough. John pulled out a large journal from a duffle bag, writing 100 to the top and went down to a list of names, he scratched out several of them a while ago. Names like Neves or Carly, where ever they are now, they could finally rest up there. He held his rifle, grabbing a rag to polish the barrel gently.

Lincoln sighed, poured himself a cup of eggnog while he raised one for John. “Merry Christmas, John. And, a Happy birthday.” He lifted the cup in honor, shooting a friendly smirk.

“Uh, you too Lincoln.” John continued while Lincoln stared at the rifle by John’s side. It's a little, no, a lot old for someone to use in this century. Now he's a bit curious why would he use it for? Recreational sports?

“Say John, what’s that gun you got there? Looks shiny but old enough for my great-great uncle to have that.” He tilted his head, wondering if they even used that for standard military in the DC. But since he was only in the civilian arm, he wouldn’t recognize it. John chuckled behind his mask, happy to explain the antique rifle.

“Winchester 9422, you know those guns you have to cock with a lever.” John brandished the silver plated rifle, showing the lever and the fingerprints. “Well, this is that. It’s old alright, but my ancestors passed this gun along for many generations. My folks did the same before God’s Refuge fell. Of course they still have to repair it now and then.”

“Well, does it shoot plasma? Can it switch to alternate ammo types? Can it recharge?” Lincoln joked around, chuckling while John shook his head.

“Nope. It carries a .22 for it. That’s pretty much it, lightweight at least. For the best.” He patted the frame.

“Oldies ain’t something you’d want to fight against bounty hunters or giant scorpions. Or Luther Vandal.” Lincoln warned til he stared up at pitch black

“That’s alright, we can’t afford those kinds of weapons so I use the old stuff. So whether or not you use them, treat this as a real weapon. Bullets. Kill.” John warned with two fingers holding up a .22. Lincoln attempted not to smirk, switching focus on his own items.

“I’ll remember that when we shoot drones with a winchester.” He shook his head in amusement.

“John, Lincoln. We’ve found people on patrol.” One of the civilians dressed in a white tunic alerted them. Lincoln raised an eyebrow then quickly waved away the man as he got up. “Great, let’s go then.” Several of the dwellers looked mammalian and docile enough they weren’t an immediate threat. John and several others stared at them with no idea what to do. Lincoln marched in, seeing the aliens who were confused at the sight of the Humans. At first they seemed hostile on close up, but there were other aliens who put on a brave face despite being outnumbered.

John shook his head, “Ugh. Xenos. Now what?” He shrugged while Lincoln tossed his cigar aside. “Anyone got a translator?” One of the Safe Heaven members passed along a holoband down the way as Lincoln kneeled down. The holoband attempted to decrypt one of the aliens. It took some time while the others looked down with skepticism, some were shocked just by the sight of them.

One of the aliens pointed to itself, mouthing off as the translator did the work. Finally they all heard their actual words. "[Who are you, people? What are you doing here?]”

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, turning to John. “I think we oughta ask the same thing. But since you asked first, I’m Red Lincoln and that’s John over there. He’s leading this expedition for a new home. We’ve been kicked out of our old one but I think we’re the only ones left.

“You don’t belong here, the last thing we want is more trespassers or invaders. Away with you!” One of the aliens raised a club towards Lincoln.

John shook his head at the Xeno, “No you!” he pointed at.

“Have you been out there lately? It’s freezing out there and we got a hundred civilians with us. The only soldier we have is John right here. I’m more of a hunter than anything else. But the point is we’re going to die out there.” Lincoln reasoned.

“Not our problem mouthbreather, maybe you should think before you enter in winter!”

“Listen, there’s a reason for that but we’ll do anything to stay. Just give us the word. Kids are tired. We need to rest until then. Please.” Lincoln pleaded.

The alien narrowed its creepy black eyes but nevertheless waved for them to enter through a gate. The gate itself was guarded by a large golem, wearing a suit of makeshift armor. The only exposed part of the golem was his head, yellow eyes and scratches across his head. The golem marched slowly, raising a giant club. The alien leading the way raised his hand for the golem.

“Easy there big guy, we’ve found ourselves a bunch of Humans. They’re okay, for now.” He explained before the golem lowered the large club.

The golem tilted its head, thinking up something to say for the new guests. “Hello.” He raised a free hand.

The Creed members stared at it for a while until they were near a hideout. The area was more cave-like than the group had ever seen, only with wooden huts and cobblestone for roads. “Place looks homely despite the primitive kind, no offense,” Lincoln said as they walked on through getting odd looks from the alien locals which was a given.

“We do what we can and what the Spirits give us. You’ll be staying in several huts. But, we will have to see our Chieftess Shaya for this. Are your youth starving?” The alien asked, observing the children.

Lincoln shook his head quickly. “No, we have our own food. Thank you.” Lincoln said, seeing their new place to sleep in. They settled inside the tents and unpacked while John stood there, actively isolating himself from the cave.

...

The group joined up with the aliens after unpacking. One of them led them to a deeper area, accompanied by trails of glowing fungus. Several of the children were curious enough to pick them off along the way until Claire told them to drop them due to health concerns.

“Over here, we’re almost close. I wonder how will Shaya feel about this.” The alien said. They were intended to meet up with the chief of the village. Earning good faith with the chieftain here would put relations at ease at Claire's suggestion. John, Lincoln and Claire opted to meet this chief themselves to see what they’re dealing with. The main hut was larger and more dense than the other huts they encountered, adorned with necklaces and skulls. A silhouette faded behind the entrance, unveiling a feline humanoid dressed in battle gear. She had a spear in her right hand and wasn't in the best mood. She raised an eyebrow.

“Humans in this village? It’s odd but I can take that.” The chieftess said, kneeling down to stretch her legs. She placed her palm on her chin, amused. “Why are you here?” She asked.

John awkwardly went up to Lincoln’s ear, “It’s one of those cat girls, Red. We should go back.” Lincoln shook his head, seeing the leader.

“Howdy, Miss Shaya. My name is Lincoln, this is Claire and John.” Shaya eyed all three of them with suspicion, white's not the greatest color either.

“We came from a major war, we left as soon as things were decided then and there. We were just looking for shelter until this winter clears up. Our ship is almost out of fuel and we really need to rest up. Is it okay with you and your folk that we do what we need before we get on out of here?” Lincoln insisted, waiting for the answer they needed right now.

The leader sighed, “Very well. You can stay. On one condition, Human.” She added, her feet stepping past as she got closer. “If you came from a ship, what they call a spaceship. You most likely have medicine on you. Several of our own are sick, dying. It would be a fair trade. Do you accept?”

“Yes of course, we’ll take it! Right?” Lincoln gave a stern look towards John. John stared blankly, hands clenched so tight they got red. “Fine.” He said.

The Chieftess nodded in appreciation, “My name is Shaya. I have my eye on you all.” Shaya returned to her tent as if the meeting didn't happen at all. At the end of the day it went surprisingly well Lincoln thought. He was glad enough John at least tolerated the decision. If it was a different leader, they would have met different results.

“Thanks. I know you’re not okay with this, but it’s for the group.” Lincoln said, patting John’s shoulder. “Yeah yeah.” John rolled his eyes, walking away. John sat down near the fireplace, rummaging through items in his bag until he stopped. He held a photo of a woman and a man side by side. Both smiled and there was a year marked 2380. Tossing the picture aside, he unzipped a bag, revealing plate armor that resembled knights would wear in the old days. He pulled out a great helm, dented and covered in scratches.

“Maybe next time.” He said to himself. John placed all the stuff away and walked out of his tent, seeing Claire and Lincoln argue.

“The others in the ship are fine. We’ll be leaving once morning hits. With that said, we best get to work on helping these folks. I should talk to the concerning majority about the locals.”

“The least we can do after they bothered to take us in. Now let’s help.” Clarie stressed irritating Lincoln, “Alright fine. But don’t expect John to do squat, he’s more traditional that way. Ain’t you John?”

“I’m not crusading on them so that’s not a negative. But I’ll oversee what you guys are doing. I’m a bit weary they would let us in that easily.” John muttered until all three of them saw a large golem walk up to them. He stood seven feet tall, wide as heck. Claire looked nervous for a second until he gave a short wave.

"Yo. Uh, we could use your help if you guys want to stay. We're not doing so good right now. Is anyone a doctor?" The golem asked causing Claire to light up. She stepped forward, nodding. "I'm a Doctor. Claire. Yours?" She extended a hand towards the rockman. He stared at the surprise gesture but maybe these people meant well. The large alien slowly extended his arm towards her, hand pressing until they both shook. His blank expression then became a gentle smile.

"Grommy."

...

Present
Grommy stared into space for a little while until Lauren came back, welcoming the new recruits. He turned to the knight talking to Yolandi right now. He was at a lost for words at the moment. The bartender bought his glass of water already so he drank until it was half empty...

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Castilia
Sugar Beach Resort, Executive Conference Room
Some weeks ago....

"Madam Teresa has arrived, sir."

Robert du Pont took a slow drag on his cigarette, saying nothing for a moment as he looked out the wide conference room window. It allowed one to look over a significant portion of the beach and ocean as if they were a king, as it was one of the highest establishments in this zoning district, owned by one of his own shell corporations and essentially a fully owned du Pont resort. Not everyone knew that, but the right people did. And that was all that mattered. Only the best service for the best kind of people. There was never any fuss about silly little accidents or misdemeanors. If a few street walkers went missing, or someone had a little too much to drink and regrettably 'hit their head,' the Sugar Beach Resort was fully suited to deal with little inconveniences like that. Naturally, the area was away from the underclass districts further down the atoll. If there was one matter the security forces of the various families could agree on, it was riff-raff was at the bottom and you do with them as you wish. Hell, it wasn't uncommon for rival corporation security teams to occasionally get together and have an enjoyable beat down on some neon freaks who happened to wander past the border. It was the afternoon so there wasn't much nightlife like that to see, but on a really good night you could take out some binoculars and - if you were lucky - spot something fun like that.

"How long has she been waiting?" He asked. The suited woman by the door didn't even need to look at her watch. "Nine minutes and twenty seconds, sir."

"Perfect. Send her in now."

Forty seconds later, Teresa du Pont stepped into the conference room by herself. She was in a black day gown that demonstrated she was more than likely doing some business today, which made Robert smile a little. If he knew she was in black, he would have planned this outside on the patio. He was already in silver-grey so it wouldn't bother him one bit. Would be proper payback for when she made him come out to that yacht without boating shoes last month.

"Well, here I am, Robert. What the fuck did you drag me out here for this time?" Teresa's voice was like that of an angel, if said angel had taken an extended vacation to hell and decided to buy some real estate.

"Teresa, sister, you never sound happy for a little family reunion. We see each other so infrequently these days. It pains me to think how you must miss me and the others. Father busy with the board, mother off-world for a deal. Little Shelby, lost and all alone and scared out of his mind in this big and terrible galaxy. Or so I wished," he said with a sigh, flicking his cigarette away into an ash tray a few feet away. He had gotten pretty good at that. "The screen. Check it out."

Teresa walked over to the paper-thin screen propped up on the table and tapped it to turn it on. She was immediately greeted with obnoxious underclass music, that filthy electronic bass and pop shit that the cyber dens churned out like an endless supply of trash. The fact that it was popular made her realize just how far humanity had fallen, if it had ever risen very far. At least the families gave her hope that a superior breed persisted, even when the vermin continued to breed. Unfortunately, the vermin was necessary.

On the screen was a slim blonde boy - or girl, given the attire and the fact that androgyny had been a staple for years now on Castilia for the entertainment industry - dancing away with neon glow sticks to the beat of one of those starpop songs. Their voice was perhaps the only thing worth anything, though their looks turned quite the profit, too. That was until they flew the nest.

"You found him? Finally? It took you this long to find the brat?"

Robert strolled over to the screen, adjusting his glasses as he looked down at it. "Mmm... not quite. We don't know where he is. The broadcast origin alternates between various locations around the quadrants. Improbable locations. Each and every day. And thats when its readable. No, Shelby has found some friends to look after him. He wouldn't have made it this far otherwise."

"You're not wrong about that. After this long, I expected to see him turn up in the pillow and silk market. Or disappear entirely to some unlisted type, spending the rest of his life in a basement somewhere."

"Charming thoughts, as always," Robert smiled. "While it doesn't appear he is under any duress or has been harmed, we are watching these shows quite closely. You know the people we have on the situation, both watching and hunting. The best, naturally. They even donated some money to try and track the revenue, but also that has turned up... fuzzy."

"If they were the best, then Shelby would be right here, under my fucking heels begging me not to harm that pretty little face of his for embarrassing us like he did."

"Patience, dear sister. Its a virtue, after all. All in due time. Grandfather didn't gain ownership of New Havana in a year. Shelby will be back, voluntarily or otherwise. Regardless," he tapped the screen and navigated a menu for a moment. "Look. They assembled a trail and some possible locations. We interrogated his staff quite well, as you recall, and they were surprisingly... ignorant. But Betelgeuse Starlines, they have been more cooperative than you can imagine. I heard an executive had a heart-attack when he found out little Shelby snuck away on one of his starliners. Very kind of them to dump those stocks because of it - but thats another point entirely. See here? These are the most likely places he went."

Teresa glanced the list over. "Whoever said Sol is a fucking idiot and should be fired. Elysium would have been my guess, but what is this... the Renegade Quadrant? They think he made it all the way out there alive?"

"Evidently so. These are the experts, Teresa. They might be slower than we want... but they get the job done. That is, of course, if our third party friends don't get to him first. You've heard of... Bubblegum?" Robert said the name with some distaste, finding it so utterly befitting for neon trash that it was a wonder she was such a good bounty hunter. "She's on the hunt as well. So if I were you, I'd make sure you have your best heels picked out for when he returns. Something elegant, but sharp. Just for our dearest, wayward brother. If you remember my friend Whitey, he suggested a baseball bat or golf club. Classical, certainly, but not for my taste in this matter. I need to consider it some more. I did buy some new leather gloves for the ordeal. I even have them with me."

Robert removed a pair of fine, somewhat ordinary looking leather gloves from his suit pocket. They no doubt cost a fortune. "They wash quite well. Whitey provided a rather convincing demonstration, and they're very comfortable when you're working."

"I thought Whitey didn't wear gloves?"

"No, thats Marco. The water specialist. He says gloves aren't conducive to his techniques."

Teresa simply shrugged. "Right, whatever. I want Shelby back home by the end of the month."

"It may take longer than that... but who knows. We may get lucky," Robert grinned.

 

[SniperComZero]

Evidently, by the way the newest arrival carried herself, and how the rest of those stationed in the bar, this, was their leader. And judging by how she conducted herself, and insulted her at what seemed like the moment that she saw him, he'd figure that she was as much a common thug as the rest of the crew. Well, he wasn't here expecting everything to be amicable, after all. At the very least she hadn't gotten up in his face like the woman sitting beside him, who he sneered at beneath the helmet. He shrugged off Lauren's comment, standing a full head taller than the pirate. He thudded the bottom of his shield to the floor to draw attention to himself, whilst resting both hands atop it.

"Much as I believe that I would win a costume competition, I have come here to offer my service in your employ." He spoke slowly, deliberately. This time trying not to actively piss off what would be his prospective boss.

----------------------------------​

Olivia finally made her way to the bar, and just in time, too, only to see. Someone dressed up in some dumbass looking crusader getup. Ohmyfu--. She tucked herself away in a corner with Aesha, making sure he won't hear before asking, "What the hell's up with guys and dressing up in LARP outfits?"

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi grins to herself as the knightly man seems to take her bait, she won't push his buttons too much harder though as Lauren comes in and starts talking to the crew. She looks at Lauren afterwards, "If you want, I can toss him out on his head. He's a bit of a high and mighty type, doesn't look too fondly on our ilk. Though he might have his use, maybe we should try bringing him along on a job and see if his shit really doesn't stink as he seems to believe." She finishes her rum, now pretty drunk at this point, "Your choice, Cap."

 

[Infab]

Lauren glanced to Yolandi, before looking back to the crusader before her. She had heard about some guys from decades ago that started a war with Sol over something. Supposedly her mother lost her arm to one of the guys. They were long gone now...perhaps this guy was a survivor of it all? "...Alright, you can join up. We'll see what you can do." she finally said. Perhaps he could still fight like he did back then.

She then turned to the rest of the group. "Alright, so we're gonna be doing a favor for a friend. Guy named Dangelo Rasmussen, friend of the family. He stole some experimental tech from the Feds near Ker, and ditched it on an ocean world while trying to avoid Feddie patrols. He can't go get it right now, so I offered to go get it for him. We get half of the profits he makes when he sells it off in exchange." she said, before drinking some of her rum. "We'll be borrowing his mini-sub. Hope some of you are good divers, too."

---
​

"What the hell's up with guys and dressing up in LARP outfits?"

Aesha chuckled. "Its nice to play dress up every once in a while, but this is getting ridiculous."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby eyed the strange knight man from where she sat, hidden behind her tall daiquiri. Another strong kind of person, probably very violent and tough. He didn't seem the type to be friendly. Continuing her people watching, she noticed Olivia and practically vibrated out of her seat from excitement when she noticed the woman had a new dress with her that she must have recently bought. She zipped out of her seat and over towards her, where Aesha was too.

"Olivia! I like your new dress!" She beamed, appearing quickly beside her and pointing at the new dress she had bought. She then started pointing back towards where Jericho was seated, surrounding by the clothes she had bought earlier. "I got some really cool new clothes, too! A couple dresses, and a bunch of really awesome and premium made Castilian cut suits! Do you wanna see them!?"

----

Lucy quietly meandered into the bar not long before Lauren arrived, and she took an isolated spot near the side of the room, standing alone by the wall and staring out at all the gathered patrons. The staff had certainly grown larger in the past months as they expanded their operations. It seemed her permissions for staff orientation had also been revoked, another subject on a long list of things she was no longer allowed to do. Each restriction pained her. No one seemed to want her expertise on these matters, even when nothing was done about the situations she pointed out. She had internalized hundreds of thousands of words pertaining to workplace manuals, and no one ever asked her about them, or asked her to recite them to the newcomers.

Hearing Lauren's announcement about a submarine vehicle and diving made her twitch slightly. There were regulations there as well for safety and operational procedures that would likely be ignored again.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho gave the thumbs up to Lauren, as she explained the mission. "Don't worry, cutie. I cam walk underwater and I'll be fine." As Shelby ran to Olivia to talk with her, Jericho decided to call his friend Bubblegum. Over the course of his stay in the Reavers, Jericho and Bubblegum had stayed in close contact. While they hadn't seen each other as often as they once did, they still talked with one another fondly like great friends. Still, it pained him greatly that if she were to ever find out of Shelby, and the fact that he had been lying to her, she'd most likely try to kill him for his betrayal. He let out a heavy sigh as he marked the number on his pad. Due to him being in the Renegade Quadrant, he expected a bit of a wait. But surprisingly the call connected just fine. "Huh...oh!" He cleared his throat. "Sup, bitch! Its your boy! How's my favorite person ever?"

 

[SniperComZero]

Thirty seven years ago.

"So now what?"

Two men sat across from one another at a table designed for ten. Dark, solid oak. Or, at least that's what it was made to look like. Lord knows what the thing was truly made from. Their helmets on the desk, and a holoscreen at the further end of the table from them both. Their helmets were laid out on the table, a cross placed upon the table at each empty seat. The both of them had their head in their hands, and both remained silent for a few moments. Opposite the holoscreen, the emblem of their unit was inset. A solid, inch-thick disk of numerous coloured steels. The Order of the Confessor. A division of only the most chivalrous knights of the creed. Trained even further beyond the initial high standards of the knights, they were equipped with the most ornate and toughest armor, and paraded around as much as possible. True knights in shining armor. A morale boost for the citizens of their nation.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to make much of a difference now.

Preceded by a heavy sigh, the knight across the table responded. "I don't know."

It had scarcely been a week since the end of the war. The remnants of their Order were on a civilian-grade cargo freighter, headed to god-knows where. Even the navigator didn't know. They drifted aimlessly through space, a dour mood having beset itself upon the crew. None more disheartened than the two junior officers that sat at the table. "...How many do we have left?" Finally, black-ringed eyes glanced up to his fellow officer.

"I don't know. It can't be more than maybe fifty. Half of those are our soldiers, and I'd count ten at a maximum being at fighting strength." The counter seemed like the more antsy of the two, his foot tapping against the floor whilst he looked across. "...You know, we might have more if--"

"If what?" The marginally more senior of the two raised his voice to a near shout. "If we had followed your plan and allowed civilians to pile onto the ship, Abraham? If we let that happen, then none of us would have made it off of that doomed world. Our time was short-- if we had waited any longer, then those wretches would have followed behind the crowd, and we would not be alive to discuss this." The officer's expression had deepened further into a scowl, as his body posture became more raised from the chair.

"Samuel, your lack of compassion betrays the rank that you hold." Abraham held up an accusatory finger. "Every person that we left down on that planet-- our home, was another statistic for Sol to add to its enemy casualty list." "...And if we had stayed, everyone we already have on this ship would have added another handful to that tally." Samuel held his head in his palm, his mood ever grim. "But--" Abraham was quickly shut down.

"But what? Suppose we did manage to get off without being blown to pieces in orbit. How much food is on this ship? Two, three weeks? A month if we can ration it well? You know damn well as I do, that if we had gotten any more people aboard this ship, then this ship would be a husk. Nothing more than another paycheck to some lowlife scrapper." Abraham finally relented with a sigh.

"...Fine. You have a point. Look, maybe we should try and consolidate what forces we have left. There-- there must still be something out there, right?" Abraham clung to his hope desperately, a tinge of that reflected in his voice. Samuel, however, had long since abandoned what little hopes that he had left, his body soon leaning over the table once more, fiddling around with the pad in front of him that controlled the holoscreen. "If we tried to communicate what little is left, then the Terrans would be upon us in minutes, like ravenous dogs from the deepest bowels of hell. Even with the aid of the remnant forces, I doubt we would be able to make any sort of dent in theirs... for all we know, we're now the highest-ranking earthly peoples in the Creed, now."

"So what, then? Do we just crawl up and die?" Just as Abraham's fingers pressed against the table, white-knuckled, the other officer shot him an annoyed glance, before pointing to the holoscreen. It had since changed to a galactic map, showing a rather rough outline of the various nations and states in the galactic playground. "I know at least that we should not be staying here any longer than we have to. We need to go... somewhere they don't recognize... or at least don't care about us being there."

"The Renegade Quad--" It was now Abraham's turn to barge into the other's speech, the metallic kthud of steel-covered fist hitting against the desk. "I will not suffer to degrade myself down to the level of a common pirate, to scum, in order to live."

"...It is your pride, Abraham, that betrays the rank you hold. A man of God cannot continue his work if he is dead, you--" Before things could get too heated, Samuel clenched his fist, and grit his teeth, before pointing to the door. "Leave me be." He made the request with a shake of his head. "I will conduct a plan that will... give us time to think about our course of action, I don't know." He sounded defeated. Devoid of all of his energy.

Wordlessly, Abraham grabbed his helmet, and stormed out from the room.

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...

"...Alright, you can join up. We'll see what you can do." The knight seemed distracted for only a moment, but, satisfied with his answer, he sat back down in the same stool, listening with only half interest in the captain's words. He had little care as for the personal details of the job, and once he heard they were going diving, felt as though it may have been a job he would be ill-suited for. Oh well. He may just have to wait in order to show off his skillset.

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"Yeah, no kidding." Olivia rolled her eyes, before knocking back her drink. Or being about to, anyways, before Shelby nearly pounces on her with her enthusiasm for her dress. It was kinda heartwarming, actually. She was like a kid... Olivia had to press back the very large qualms she had about someone like Shelby rocking with a crew of hardcore pirates. "I got some really cool new clothes, too! A couple dresses, and a bunch of really awesome and premium made Castilian cut suits! Do you wanna see them!?" Olivia tipped her head over to the far, far larger mound of clothes than what she had. [Don't get envious, don't get jealous...]

"Uh-- yeah, sure! Lemme see all the stuff you got!" Olivia replied, trying to drum up the same enthusiasm she was greeted by. There was just... one thing that stuck in the pilot's mind, though. [...She wears... suits? I mean, I could easily see it for Aesha but-- uh. Can this kid even pull them off?]

 

[Viper Actual]

A diving op? Nathalie nodded to herself. Could be fun. Hopefully no one would start blowing shit up left and right while they're underwater.

She glanced over at the Knight and narrowed her eyes. Evidently some of her former colleagues hadn't been doing their job as she was seated only a few meters from a very obvious member of the Divinity Creed.

---

Daniel ignored the comments made by Shelby and Jericho. Normally he wouldn't care about words but in this case it was sensitive. Jaro was part of his personal life, something which was already very limited as it was.

The medic perked up when Lauren briefed them on the coming mission. Daniel drummed his fingers against the table. Seems like it was time to learn swimming.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Shelby returned to where Jericho was seated, snatched up two bags, and returned to Olivia in record time. It would have made a short distance sprinter jealous. She pulled out a white suit jacket with slightly sharp angles, such as in the shoulders, waist, and arms. She was already wearing a cream turtle-neck sweater, the very same she wore when she showed up hear on the first day since the station was a dirty place and she would never wear anything nice here. Probably. That would likely change next time, but....

She shrugged on the jacket. It had just enough alteration in the chest to preserve the illusion that something existed where it didn't, even as minor as it was. Most of the figure was in the waist and hips. "It doesn't fit the best over the sweater, its cut for these shirts," she said, pointing out several collared and button shirts neatly folded in one of the bags. Beside them were a couple more suit jackets, all in bright summer colors. "Oh! And I got these dresses, too."

The second bag had a few dresses that were in the general style of sundresses, two with long sleeve and one without, while the remaining one was a tighter, formal dress of dark red.

 

[Dmaster]

Shun stared on at Lauren as she told them of their mission - a deep sea retrieval of some kind. The cyborg seemed awfully neutral about the whole thing, and yet again it seemed like details would be rather sparse as to what role each member would play in this venture. He had no intention of diving, for while his suit was climate controlled and pressure sealed, it wasn't exactly the best option for dealing with the immense pressures the deep oceans of a planet would put him up against. Perhaps he would run a more logistical post in the upcoming mission, then.

 

[Infab]

A moment after Jericho finished talking, a female voice responded on the other end of the line. Her accent was high pitched and odd. In old Terran terms, she had a 'valley girl' voice. "Jerry, you slut! How've you been? Its been a week since we spoke!"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"I know, darling, I know! I've just been a bit busy, that's all!" He let out a hearty chuckle. "Just wanted to call you before a new mission! Right now, I'm just having a drink." Jericho grabbed the margarita he ordered for Shelby, whom apparently didn't like Margaritas. No matter, more for him! "So what are you doing now, darling? Where are you?"

 

[Frankafurter]

Yolandi glances over at the space knight, "Hope you can swim in all that armor, bud, would be a shame if you sank like a rock and drowned." She sips more of her rum and chuckles, "I'd hate to have to dredge you off the bottom of the sea." She raises her glass at Lauren, "I'm down for a diving op, not everyday that my main hobby comes into use. Just let me hit the market before we leave so I can buy some proper fins. My last ones wore out and started to fall apart from the amount of use."

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia, of course, hardly remembered what someone wore when she saw them last week, let alone when she first met them. The sweater is neat, though. Olivia kicked her feet up as she watched Shelby get herself into the jacket which... actually didn't look too bad on her. Even if the pilot thought that the kid'd rock a dress better than she would a suit. And then she was shown more-- and more clothes. And not just the cheap shit that she'd gotten for herself. This all looked like high-end stuff.

It did linger on her mind for just a moment how she was able to afford all of this at once. "...Holy shit, dude. How much did you buy?" She glanced through both of the bags, before back up to Shelby. "I mean, damn. This is all high class looking stuff. Have you just, not spent any money in the past couple months?"

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"Don't hope for it." A simple, short response that barely dignified Yolandi's continued remarks.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

"Pretty much!" Shelby smiled. "I think I spent... probably all I had on these clothes. The job pay, plus what I make from the dance streams covered all this. I buy only the best, after all. Though I did get some clothes that can get dirty. You know, like regular people stuff. T-shirts. Jeans."

Shelby then pondered her clothes for a second and started to count off on her hand. "I also got some shoes, some ties - skinny and fat, a pair of heels, cuff links, umm... probably some more? I forgot everything I bought."

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

The two bitches yammering intrude on Typhon's frantic thinking of an escape plan once the serum takes hold of everybody. Slowly, he turns to look at them in anticipation of telling them to shut the hell up, but the topic actually causes him to hesitate and listen.

It's dresses. They're talking about dresses. Fucking dresses. They're all supposed to be talking about the mission during this briefing and they're talking about dresses. And that little one, Shelby or whatever her name is, why is she still here? Lauren should've put the runt up for adoption days ago; this is supposed to be a cutthroat, blood-thirsty pirate crew, not a bunch of babysitters. He shakes his weary head in disgust at hearing Shelby mention her spending every single cent in her possession on them. Could've spent it on upgrades to the ship, but whatever.

Maybe Amon's right. He should've just legged it and find some other crew that would take this business far more seriously, especially now that in the midst of his mind frantically trying to find a reason to stab them in the back has found another justification in the form of an annoying little girl the rest of his brethren won't ever live down.

Then something else walks into the bar that catches his attention, something that alarms him way more than some dumb conversation about fancy dresses and expensive clothes. It only takes just one look at the man, and Typhon knows almost everything about him. Enveloped head to toe in a battered set of armor only one group of people in the galaxy he knows would ever have. This leaves only two possibilities: that the man really is who Typhon thinks he is, or is a pirate that killed for that armor.

"You. Crusader." he calls out to him. "Dominus vobiscum." If this man really is Creed, he'd know how to respond to this.

 

[Infab]

"So what are you doing now, darling? Where are you?"

"Oh! I'm finishing up a job!" There was an audible gunshot on the other end of the line, followed by a groan of pain. "Damnit, you got blood on my boot."

She then spoke louder again, returning her attention to Jericho. "I'm over on Rook's Wharf! You know the place, right? Nasty pirate haven. Fun place to hang around, honestly! Might get a vacation home here." She chuckled afterwards, then there was another gunshot. Another groan. "Oh, have you heard anything about Shelby? Her family's getting a little impatient, and there will be others out looking for her! I don't like having to deal with competition, you know. Things get messy!"

 

[Breadman]

"Deep see diving." Serra looked at Petar with a hint of amusement "Already throwing us in the deep end."
---
Vincent didn't have much to think about for the next job Lauren had for the crew. In truth, he would have been dead weight probably. He couldn't swim. Never learned since there was no need. But he had another way to be of use.

"Captain, can I have a word?"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jericho spat his drink all over Grommy's back as Bubblegum mentioned Rook's Wharf. That was EXTREMELY close to Shadespear. "U-Uh...Sorry. Just saw...a drunk falling down. Made me laugh...W-what are you doing in the Renegade Quadrant, babe? I...doubt that the Shelby kid is around here." This information was extremely important. He quickly got up, and gave Grommy a little nod as well as an apologetic look before walking to the entrance of the bar. "You know I'd tell you if I saw the Shelby kid. I'm...working near the Renegade Quadrant, after all!"

 

[SniperComZero]

Whilst the crusader looked rather bored, even if only going by his posture along. Something however, made him sit upright immediately. Though he'd initially thought it to be the entry into another jab at his apparel, until he followed through.

"Dominus vobiscum." Behind his helmet, the knight locks eyes with the man. Getting up from his seat, he strolls on over to Typhon's table, pulling out a chair to sit across from him, resting one elbow upon the well-worn, overly scratched wood. Scrying eyes observed him for a few moments, before he inhaled, speaking low.

"Et cum spiritu tuo." There were a few more moments of long silence. Judging from the look. That pallid, jaundiced skin, the amber eyes which seem just not quite right, and the massive, blackened rings around his eyes. He had a fair idea what Typhon was, and it wasn't human. "...I'm curious to know. What is an artisynth doing all the way out here? I never took your kind to be out, consorting with pirates. Aside from those... usual suspects, of course." No prizes for guessing just which group he was referring to.

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A moderately impressed Olivia soon went from surprise, to shocked, and even a little bit appalled. "Wh-- you did what?" Olivia sucked in air through her teeth as she kicked back on her chair again, this time pinching the bridge of her nose. "You spent-- all of it. On clothes. I mean, are we going to some sort of fucking fancy dress pa-- [sigh], jus--, fucking hell, dude." Sure, she picked up a dress. A single one. She didn't blow out her entire savings on stuff that she wouldn't be wearing 90% of the time.

She's just absolutely gobsmacked.

 

[ANIMAL MOTHER]

Typhon puts his legs up on the table and signals to the bartender to bring them some drinks. "Same reason you're out here too, Crusader. Sol fucked us hard."