The Starstream Adventures! (Sci-fi RP)

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Fun and Fighting

The Space Station The Golden Wind was docked at had many amenities and stores of all varieties. Lady took many opportunities to get off the ship to explore each station they went to... much to Yixx's anxiety... However, Lady often reminded her that the only way to get better is to face it, Yixx agreed, but she also noted that she more or less went wherever Lady went anyway.

As they walked, their eyes turned to an interesting sight: a training gym. Lady smiled happily, clapping her hand together.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Yixx spoke inside her head.

"Why not? Let's do it!" Lady replied out loud.

"I can think of a few... Like not being knocked around in here... For example." The Yorin rationalized.

"Pffft. I've gotta get hit, don't I? Besides I've taken worse on missions and you've been fine." The Human Spoke, looking to everyone around her that she was talking to herself.

"I'm not sure we should push our luck though..." Yixx grumbled.

Inside the Gym, Winter was practicing on one of the training dummies stationed throughout. Her form was controlled, each movement made with pristine precision. The tightly fit train outfit she wore made her small figure painfully obvious amongst the crowd. However, she didn't care, she was too focused on training to be bothered by her size.

"That's that girl from before... Do you wanna talk to her?" Lady asked.

"She kinda left me alone after telling at Yyashtra." Yixx reminded gently.

"We yell at her all the time. If that's bad then boy do we have a lot of explaining to do." The Pink-Haired Human responded half-seriously.

Winter glanced over at the large man grinning beside her. "Can I help you?"

"I wanna know what a pretty little kitty is doing all alone." He chuckled as he walked closer. "Maybe I could show you around town if you're feeling lonely."

Winter took a deep breath. "You think yourself as a hotshot? Then come over here and try to pin me."

"With pleasure..." The buff man stated, moving over to grab the Shinso noble's arm. However, things did not play out as one would dread. With a swift, fluid motion, Winter spun around and planted a kick into the inner portion of the man's knee. Without any wasted time, she placed the second one in his lower gut before using a high roundhouse kick to his jaw to knock the man on the ground.

She glanced at the crowd of people watching in awe. "I apologize for the inconvenience, hopefully, this oaf will have learned his lesson..." She stated before returning to her training.

"Yeah! You go girl!" Lady called out, looking over at the man on the ground. "Oh, you're never gonna live that down."

Winter's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. "Oh, hey, Lady was it? Sorry, I'm not the best with names."

"Yeah! That's me! Ol' Lady!" She chuckled, walking up casually.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon..." Winter remarked, giving the dummy a few swift kicks. "What brings you here?"

"I saw the sign and it looked cool." The Human answered honestly.

Winter took a moment to process the response. "I guess that is a fair reason... Sadly this place isn't as fancy on the inside as the sign implies... But it does its job at a reasonable price."

"That's my favorite kind of price. Affordable is also good." Lady gently punched the feline's shoulder.

"Perhaps we could practice together?" Winter gave the human a slight smirk.

"Alright! I'm up for it! What should we do first?" Lady bounced up on her feet.

"A sparring match would be nice," Winter stated. "It looks like a few of the rings are open too."

"I don't know. I'm pretty tough. Just a friendly warning." Lady bragged humbly.

"Toughness isn't the only factor in a fight." Winter cautioned. "The only way to know who would win is to fight one another and see who does."

"Deal. This is going to be fun." Lady cracked her neck loudly, pointing towards a boxing ring in the center of the gym floor.

"I'll try my best to not hit you upside the head too many times." Winter walked toward said ring.

"Uhm... That would be nice... Thanks..." Yixx briefly took over to say.

The noblewoman nodded as she took her battle stance. Her elbows were bent forward, left arm positioned in front of her right. She extended her corresponding leg past the rest of her body and bent her knees ever so slightly. She had been practicing this technique for many years, and now she had the chance to see what it could do in a full-fledged fight.

Lady stretched for a moment, widening her stance and taking a more traditional fighting form, although, she left her hands open, not closed into fists. "Tell me when Ms. Winter."

"Let's do this..." Winter remarked as she awaited Lady to make the first move.

Lady slowly made her way in, her eyes fixated on Winter's legs and body language, trying to get a hint of what she's about to do before lunging forward suddenly, trying to use her left arm to grab and disable her wrist.

Winter let Lady grab her wrist, leaping over the human fighter's head with graceful agility. The moment she landed, the Shinso swung her left leg behind her, trying to catch Lady with a kick to the hip while she was disoriented.

Lady quickly grabbed the Shinso's leg under her left armpit to hold her in place, going for a backward strike towards Winter's head with her right elbow.

Winter responded by dropping her footing altogether, her head plummeting towards the ground before the elbow could connect. She twisted her waist to catch her fall... While placing her free foot on Lady's neck. Without another second of hesitation, she spun her lower body with her hips, using the sudden movement to attempt to force the Human girl to lose her footing.

This strange technique worked surprisingly well, Lady didn't seem to know how to counter it as she slammed hard into the ring, attempting to grapple onto the Shinso and bring her down with her.

Unable to stop her, Winter fell onto her back hard... The catgirl's smaller figure only worsening the impact. She worked quickly to bring her grappled leg down onto Lady's chest. She had just enough momentum from the bounce to make this work, but she had to act now to not waste the opportunity.

Lady took the kick straight to the chest, answering by palming the girl's face with her hand and slamming her head onto the ring floor, holding it there as she went in for an armbar hold.

Winter, however, was able to slip her arm away before Lady could grab hold of it. She quickly got to her feet, moving her hands to deflect any incoming attacks should the grappler try to pursue her.

The Human Girl made it back to her feet and we'll, slowly circling her, trying to find an opening. "You don't fight like anyone I've ever seen, you know that?"

Winter chuckled lightly. She took a step toward, greeting Lady with a backward kick towards the face. "I've had time to practice my technique."

The Human Yorin Host raised her elbows to block it, rushing forward when she did to slam into and grapple the girl at the waist, trying to bring her down as she laid punch after punch into her side.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Fun and Fighting Part 2

For some strange reason, Winter seemed to bounce off of the ground, as if she was a feather in the wind. She grabbed Lady's wrist and slammed an open palm into her back. Now, Winter, had her pinned.

Taken aback by this strange maneuver, she tries to headbutt her with the back of her skull but found that she was much too far away. Seeing little option, Lady sighed, "Okay. You win."

Winter let go of Lady. "How is your shoulder? I've had a few times where I've dislocated that joint by accident while sparring back home." Winter asked with concern while she placed a hand on the large bruise on her side.

"It's fine. Nothing a little rest won't fix." Lady stood up. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" The Shinso girl asked.

"Do what? That weird floaty thing you did!" Lady exclaimed.

"Floaty thing? Are you referring to when I pinned you?" Winter placed a finger on her chin. "Now that I think about it, the rebound from when I hit the ground was abnormally high... So I'm not sure what exactly happened there."

"Yeah. Whaddaya mean you don't know?" Lady tilted her head

"Well, if you look at the force you provided as well as your body mass versus my own, I should've been finished there," Winter explained to the human fighter. "However my body managed to bounce off of the floor, something that is only possible if there is not a secondary force pushing opposite to the floor. I will need to figure out if I can recreate the phenomenon... Since mastering such an occurrence could help greatly with my combat technique."

"Maybe you're Magic!" Lady half-joked.

"I guess that is a possibility." Winter giggled at the thought. "Perhaps we can practice again soon."

"Leaving so soon? What, you beat a girl up and down even get some food with her?" Lady nudged Winter in the side.

"Oh, my apologies... I got so caught up in my thoughts that I forgot my manners." Winter scratched the back of her head. "Know somewhere with good sushi?"

"Not uh... Here." Lady blinked. "Do Shinso eat Sushi that much? It just seems so... Stereotypical..."

"Well... No, I just really like fish." Winter chuckled lightly. "I also like caramel and steak if that's easier to work with."

"I'm down for Sushi! Just an observation!" The Earthborn Girl patted the side of Winter's arm with a friendly warmth surrounding her.

"Lead the way," Winter stated quietly.

"I'm sure we'll find a place! In no time at all..." The Human Woman let out a nervous giggle.

"Actually..." A burly man approached the two ladies. "If you don't mind... I'd like to speak to the two of you about something."

"Oh?" Lady puffed up her chest a little. "What about?"

"How would the two of you like to represent us in the mixed martial arts cup coming up next week?" The man said with a toothy grin. "It's been a while since a fight like yours was in this run-down old business of mine."

"Wha- Oh. You're serious?" The Pink-haired girl seemed taken aback a bit.

"Yep, with how slow business has been lately, it's going to take a miracle to keep this place open." The owner remarked. "Winning a prestigious league where some of the best in the galaxy compete? With you two we might just pull it off."

"Well... I hate to break it to you but we do have other jobs right now. Well probably be moving soon too." Lady told him sadly.

"No worries... Best of luck to you-" The man noted.

"It's just a week away, isn't there any way we could talk to the captain about it?" Winter gave Lady a curious look.

"Is there an uh... Reward for winning this?" The Human Woman asked curiously, a sparkle of an idea in her eye.

"Well... The prize pool is five million credits currently." The owner pondered for a moment. "I'd say the first place would be around a couple hundred kay this time around. You're welcome to keep it if you win."

"Five... Million..." Lady's jaw dropped open.

"For an intergalactic competition such as this one?" Winter patted her human friend's back. "I wouldn't be surprised if it doubled by the time the cup starts."

"We could use that money to help fund upgrades to the ship, as well as a little for our personal use... Hehe..." Lady suggested excitedly.

"That we can. Does this mean you'll join me?" Winter gave Lady a coy grin.

"Well. We should ask JJ first but... I am liking how this sounds..." The Grappler nodded happily.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Fun and Fighting Part 3

"Then we'll talk to our captain to get permission... But we are both more than happy to compete." Winter stated, turning to the owner.

"Glad to hear." The burly man chuckled.

"Hopefully we'll see you soon Mister..." Lady trailed off, hoping to get his name.

"Call me Gabriel." The owner replied. "And what are your names?"

The Shinso noblewoman bowed. "I am Winter."

"Lady." She smiled, her expression fading slightly. "I also have another friend that comes with me... No exceptions."

"As long as you trust them, I don't mind," Gabriel stated. "I have some paperwork to deal with. Hopefully, I can see you see week."

Lady almost spoke up to tell him about Yixx, but hesitated, looking over to Winter to silently ask for advice.

"Our friend is shy and soft-spoken, but she is one of the smartest people I know," Winter reassured. "You may never meet her, but I trust she will help us greatly along the way."

"Yeah. She is. She's my best friend." Lady said sweetly.

"Alright, I'll see you later." The owner said as he walked back into his office.

Winter giggled lightly as she turned to Lady. "That went better than I was expecting."

"Was that your plan?"

"Joining the fight, no, keeping Yixx a secret, yes." Winter poked Lady's nose. "Not every truth needs to be told all at once."

"But don't you think that hiding it is wrong?" She tilted her head. "Won't that make it worse if he finds out later?"

"I am not hiding anything," Winter remarked. "I left just enough information for him to put the pieces together if he so chooses... however, to present the full truth now could ruin the relationship being built. It is often better to only answer the questions you are asked, to avoid unnecessary conflict."

"So... We're only half answering him." Lady pieced together.

"You could look at it like that." Winter stretched lightly as they walked into town. "Besides, if the struggles you two face are even close to the stories I've heard... it would be best to keep it a secret from people you don't know or can't trust."

"Everyone says that..." She pouted stubbornly.

"Well... the alternative is someone sneaks into the ship, kidnaps you and attempts to rip Yixx out of your brain... for god knows what reason." Winter chastised the young human. "It's better to ponder the decisions you could have made than to regret the ones you have already made, especially when your own life and well being could be on the line."

"Maybe you should stop telling people you're a Shinso then. After all, wouldn't want a bunch of former slaves stabbing you in your sleep for being an evil Slaver." Lady countered.

"Race is harder to hide then having a second entity living inside of you." Winter pointed out. "Whether I told anyone or not, people would know my heritage from my looks alone."

"Do they? Because you can easily pass as a Cartus. Why should we confirm every negative stereotype about Yorin being sneaky and hiding in people by being sneaky and hiding her?" Lady shook her head. "We can take care of ourselves. Anyone can be targeted for any reason. We can't hide because we might be targeted. If we do, they'll only have cause to hate us more and they'll only be angrier when it eventually comes out."

"I should've told him." The Human shook her head.

Winter looked up into the distance as she listened to Lady speak, almost as if she was watching something. Or someone. She let out a long sigh a moment later. "If only it was that simple..."

"My Dad told me to see the world for what it could be. I guess that always stuck with me..." She looked back up towards Winter.

"You should hold on to that ideal," Winter stated. "Your father had a unique form of optimism that could help shape the world if allowed to spread. However, you must also recognize how the world is now... And find a way to influence those around you so that you may one day find that ideal world."

"I'll... Keep that in mind... I suppose..." Lady nodded apprehensively.

Winter went to go pat Lady's head comfortingly, only to find that her arm barely went over the human's shoulder.

"Heh... You're short." Lady smiled happily.

"Maybe you're just tall..." Winter stated with a half pouting face.

"I'm not that tall. I'm pretty average." She smiled. "Besides you kicked my ass. Does height matter?"

"When you're supposed to be a high ranking noble, but everyone can physically look down on you it does..." Winter muttered. "Made even worse by the fact that I bruise easily."

"What part of 'You kicked my ass', did you not understand." Lady pushed her playfully.

Winter placed a finger on her chin. "It might've been the kick part... or was it the ass? I'm not sure, to be honest with you."

"So..." Lady leaned right into her face. "Suuushi?"

"I'm still waiting for you to take me to a good place to eat some." Winter gave Lady a coy smirk.

"Then let's go." Lady gripped Winter's shoulder, leading them off towards a food court nearby.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: The Beginning of the End

"Malcolm, are you sure you should be here in your condition?" General Stoutfield asked his old friend. "I'm sure the council would understand."

"No need to worry, General. I can last until the meeting is over." The businessman states, before going into a coughing fit. "I have managed worse."

What the hell is worse than dying? The war veteran pondered mentally. There was no big war or dangerous threat, but even then Malcolm was a businessman. He avoided the atrocities that Stoutfield had lived through. "I'll trust you for now. But the moment you even look ready to collapse it's straight to the infirmary for you."


Commander Reginald Gilroy stepped into the room, his large mustache waxed and pointing in opposite directions like to brown stakes. He was large, muscular, and imposing, and it was said when he smiled, something bad was about to happen to someone... or already had. He sat in one of the seats, pouring himself a glass of water.

"Ah, Commander, glad you could make it." Malcolm cleared his throat. "I hope Ivan's troops didn't give you too much trouble."

"Few... ever dare to give me trouble." The Commander took a drink. "Are you in good health?"

"I am capable of performing my duties, that is all that matters," Malcolm responded.

"If you no longer require my assistance," General Stoutfield stated as he walked towards the exit. "I have to attend to my duties as the General in charge of this facility. If you need me for any reason... Malcolm knows how to contact me."

Gilroy nodded. "Thank you, General."

General Stoutfield exited the room, leaving Malcolm and Gilroy by themselves. "Sorry to call you on such short notice, but I wanted to speak with you about a project I had been working on over the past couple of years."

"You're a very busy man with many projects," Gilroy stated, almost sounding like he was complimenting Malcolm. Almost. "What project are you speaking of?"

Malcolm looked back and forth, before leaning closer to his coworker. "The weapon..."

The Commander leaned forward himself. "You have my attention now."

"All tests have been successful, and preparations are already being made for a presentation at the end of the month," Malcolm stated with a grin on his face. "If all goes according to plan, the Pon-Taer resistance will be as good as dead... and we will not be expecting any more trivial uprisings for the next fifty years."

"Good, good..." The Commander huffed. "Damn resistance movement. Wish the damn Tamearins could take care of their people without the entire GFP having to step in. Bad as the pirate cockroaches we deal with every day..."

"Unfortunately, they've stolen plenty of GFP weapons over the years, so that would never have been possible." The businessman reminded his Commander. "The Pon-Taer have the physical advantages of the Tamaerin and the Mental cunning of a Human. They are a powerful and unpredictable foe."

Gilroy smiled. "But you're sure the weapon will take care of them, right?"

"Yes..." Malcolm said with a great grimace. "They will be-"

The blaring noise of sirens filled the air as an army of footsteps echoed in the nearby hallway. From the same hallway, a soldier yelled, "Battle stations!" and the voice of General Stoutfield could be heard barking a multitude of orders. Ivan stepped into the conference room moments later. "We need to get you two out of here now!"

"What's going on?" Commander Gilroy demanded, hand instinctively resting by his sidearm.

"I don't have time to explain." Stoutfield snapped as he removed his glove and ripped off his sleeve. Underneath was a mechanical arm, removing it and replacing it with a plasma launcher. "All you need to know is that we're under attack and that you need to be evacuated immediately."

Ivan's left eye lit up with a bright red as he turned and blasted a combat droid entering the room. The machine caught Malcolm's attention and immediately caused him to shudder in fear. "That is one of my modules..."

"What?!" Gilroy turned to him. "Never mind, explain later. We need to get you out of here!"

Malcolm stood up to move, only to find himself on his knees and coughing up blood. The general growled and back up to his old friend. "Dammit! This is exactly why I told you not to go to a military facility with that damn heart condition!" Stoutland quickly slung Malcolm over his shoulder. "Your stubborn nature is going to get all of us killed!"

From outside, the sounds of laser fire and dying soldiers filled every inch of their ears. General Stoutland rushed forward, giving Gilroy little time to prepare or even catch up. I could care less if that arrogant bastard lives or dies... just please, for the love of God, don't die on me, Malcolm.

Gilroy ran after them, downing a droid with a precise shot to the head. He grabbed a mag rifle off a fallen soldier and aimed it forward as they rushed ahead. "Damn it, this is supposed to be a secure facility!"

"Which is exactly why we were overrun," Ivan shouted as he fired into the line of droids. "Whoever is behind this knew every single security measure we have. By the time we realized what was going on it was already too late. Right now we need to evacuate as many people as possible and plan a counterattack."

"Running so soon, General?" A familiar voice taunted from the hanger bay. A giant suit of armor stood in front of them, inside of it was what looked to be a scarred and lifeless corpse of a man.

"John?" Stoutfield muttered as he looked at the armored warrior. "What in the world happened to you?"

"Out of the way," Gilroy ordered, now sporting a scattergun. "I... we're leaving, past you or through you." His eyes darted over to Stoutfield. "Do you know him?"

"Johnathan Elanor Stoutfield is dead." The armored figure placed the massive helm over his dead body. "He was killed in action on a reconnaissance mission that was destined to fail. One that was planned to fail by the GFP to make an excuse for war. I am the Master. I will bring retribution to those who abuse their power for their gain. Starting with you, Gilroy."

"Dammit! I didn't know they were setting you to die, John!" General Ivan barked.

Gilroy chuckled and took a step forward. "I don't know what's keeping you going, but you should have stayed dead like a good little soldier." He grinned. "Orders are orders. Now... what's say we cremate your remains?"

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: The Beginning of the End Part 2

"Orders are orders eh?" A gruff voice remarked from behind Master, as a trench coat wearing soldier walked into view. "Weren't you the one who pushed for my execution a few years back? Funny how that works, I get labeled a criminal for doing my job."

"Western..." Gilroy gritted his teeth and looked a bit pale. "Now you, I know are supposed to be dead. Why are you here? Why are you alive?" He aimed his weapon at the man. "What the HELL is this all about?!"

"I guess you could say I got lucky." The soldier stated, pointing his pistol at Gilroy. "It just so happen that Master was looking for a few 'worthy subjects' and I fit the bill."

"An acquaintance of yours, Westwood?" Master muttered to his subordinate.

"Was... Now he's a target. It's time karma caught up to you slimy ass."

"Sacrifices have to be made!" Gilroy yelled, finger on the trigger of his weapon. "Soldiers must be sacrificed to set things in motion. Scapegoats are needed to protect more important people. The lives of a few are needed to ensure the prosperity of the many!" General Stoutfield could tell he was referring to both of the 'dead' men facing them.

Noticing the shift in Gilroy's hand, Westwood fired a round into the politician without a second of hesitation. Stoutfield fired a round from his plasma cannon to retaliate, only for Master to place his massive gauntlet in front of the blast. Master's shoulder plates opened up, revealing two missile packs. "Would you like the opportunity to repent your sins before you die?"

Gilroy glared over at Malcolm's body, then opened fire. "Go... to... Hell!"

Westwood took a few shots as he ducked behind a corner. Master chuckled with demented glee. "Say hello to the devil for me..."

The missile swarmed the hallway. Each explosion breaking the walls and ceiling as they flew in unpredictable patterns. "We need to get out of-" Stoutfield began before he took a direct missile to the chest. The armored tyrant fired until he had no more salvos left to use. Westwood limbed over to his leader. "Are you sure this was worth the effort? We just painted a target on our backs with this assault."

"Let them come, we will be waiting for them."

"You won't... get far..." Amazingly, Gilroy was still alive, though only his head and a broken arm stuck out from beneath the rubble, blood pouring down from his forehead. He didn't have the strength to even try and move, assuming there was much of him left to move. "The entire... GFP will... rain down on you. You'll never get away with... such a bold attack." He looked up. "Just... t-tell me... why..."

"Why?" Master chuckled. "Because this galaxy needs to be cleansed. Your government is tainted by sin and corruption. I seek to bring upon this world the day of retribution... a shame you will not live long enough to see the holy flames destroy your foundation." The armored king lifted his automatized leg and crushed what remained of Gilroy.

"Drake, did you manage to extract him?" Westwood muttered into his intercom.

"No thanks to you two." The research stated as he struggled to carry the wounded Malcolm out of the rubble towards the duo. "Word of advice: when you are trying to capture someone alive, don't fire a barrage of explosive weapons in their general direction."

"My apologies, the sight of those sinners had clouded my judgment." Master bowed his helm to Drake.

"Of course they did," Drake grumbled in irritation while Westwood helped carry Malcolm. "It just wouldn't be a terrorist organization without spontaneous murder sprees..."

"You were the one who said we should work for him." Westwood reminded his old friend.

"Yes, I supposed I did..." Drake let out a sigh. "I can cauterize his wounds, but we'll need to find someone who can deal with keeping him alive if we are going to convert him."

"Then I shall search for someone worthy," Master said as he turned towards their ship. "For now, we must leave and prepare for our next attack."

 

[Dahlexpert]

The fallowing is done by Dhalexpert&ZombiSplitter53

Getting to know a blond boxing Cartus

On board the golden wind

Bonny was punching and kicking her own custom punching bag, the amount of wear and tare on it says she’s had it for a while.” Ugh come on Bonny just a few more rounds and that’s all for today.”

The was a chime at the door, indicating someone wished to come in. "Hello?" JJ's voice called out. "Ms. Van Dam?"

She stopped messing with the punching bag and opened the door. “Ou JJ it’s good to see you, and I see you brought a friend.” Bonny extended her hand to Aya.” Hi I’m Bonny Van Dam.”

"Aya Me. A pleasure." Aya shook her hand. "Second in Command, so I figured we should meet."

“Wow you guys have a structure, do I get a rank or something to or is a hunter good enough?”

JJ chuckled. "Hunter is good enough. There is no legitimate structure. I don't even like making decisions without asking everyone involved first."

"Though speaking of roles..." Aya smiled. "May we come in?"

“By all means hell you own the place.” Inside the room there wasn’t much but a bed and a punching bag.

"Very... what do the humans say? Very Spartan?" Aya looked around. "No books or magazines or chairs? Wait... let me guess. More room to work out?"

“Yep customizing a room leaves no space for training, this way I can do pushups sit-ups mess with my punching bag you know the works.”

"We can get you more equipment if you'd like," JJ offered. "And you can always use the holoroom to simulate any equipment. Or environment. Warm up on a treadmill then get a good workout climbonf the cliffs of Andros 4."

“Wow you guys got a holo room! Damn gezz you guys must be famous have to have all that stuff.”

Jackie-Jackie shrugged. "Nah, just good at cards. Though I wouldn't mind a bit of fame someday. What about you? People know your name? Where are you from?"

“Well if you count the few people back home know me, for my gladiator fights and boxing matches here and there.”

Aya nodded. "And where is home for you?"

“I’m was born on Melana mom was a slave, but a human bought her and took her to Mars. So I guess Mars is my home.”

"You're all the way from the Sol system?" JJ asked in surprise. "How did you end up out here in the Gamma Quadrant?"

“Well that’s a bit of a story the but to not waist all your time, I was looking for an opportunity and the frontier looked like a great option.”

"What attracted you to being a bounty hunter?" Aya asked.

"Hum I guess I wanted to fight, I was boxing and being in arenas for my hole teenage life. I guess I wanted to change see the galaxy capture some criminals see what's new around the corner."

Aya and JJ nodded. "Good a reason as any," the latter said.

"Do you have skills beyond fighting?" inquired Aya.

“I’m define skills, because I can fix thing like guns armor engines.” Bonny looked around her room.” I can definitely fix the ship up if it needs repair?”

Aya and JJ exchanged a nod. "A ship like this always needs more engineets," Aya stated. "Most of the major problems are being handled, but your assistance is welcome. Are these skills you picked up in your travels?"

"I was in the GFP for a little while as mostly an mechanic, diden't really fight and when I did it was rare. But I do know how to fight hell you saw me JJ, i'm very good with my fist shotguns and pistols. I'm also genetically enhanced but only a little, I have enhanced strength bust mostly speed so I can get in close and enhanced fist to."

"Oh?" Aya raised an eyebrow. "You got this gone in the GFP?"

"Well I kinda quit, and I figured joining the army would be cool but it was so boring. So you can count that as another reason for me becoming a bounty hunter."

Aya seemed uneasy about the modifications, so JJ quickly changed the subject. "Can I ask you a... personal question or two?"

She shrugged her shoulder.” Depends on how personal it is?”

"About your family. And your early years. For example, were you born yet when the human you mentioned purchased your mother?"

“Yes I was I don’t know who my actual father is, but I must not have meant much to be bought like I was nothing.”

JJ's ears drooped a little. "I'm sorry. Maybe... it was because you were so young? And maybe they refused to sell your father too."

“I can only hope that’s what happened to him, but I highly doubt it.”

JJ slowly nodded. "What about... the man that bought your mother and you. Did he buy you to free you?"

“Well you’re gonna have to ask him that, whatever he wanted he got. But he hasn’t insulted us beraid us or anything, he’s just a great man.”

"He is," JJ said with a smile. "There aren't a lot of people who would do that."

Aya rubbed her chin. She couldn't help but think he must have wanted something more then to be nice. Slaves didn't come cheap to non-Shinso, even a mother and a child

“I know it’s why I love him, but you can imagine me being a free Cartus around Shinso it usually doesn’t end well. Hell it usually ends with me giving them a broken nose.”

"Ahem... that could be a problem..." Aya muttered. "Believe or not, we have a few Shinso on board."

Bonny’s expression went from be kind and generous, instantly went to dread and angry. When she bold her fist the crack from each knuckle could be heard.” Is that right, Well then I’ll be sure to break their necks.”

"Please don't... do that..." JJ gave her a smile. "They are really nice, and they work well with us. They obviously have no problem with Cartus if they work for me."

“Huh if you say so but the only good Shinso I know is ether a dead one, or a crippled one. But if there working for you then I’ll hold off my anger, though I gotta admit its odd seeing a Tamarin here. Don’t you have a Kotavorg on board?”

"You mean it is strange for me to be here with a Kortovog on board?" Aya asked.

“Yeah I mean aren’t your races like enemies? Hell you both nearly went to war with each other on several occasions, Hell outside the military you guys normally kill each other.”

Aya took a deep breath. "Our people have opposing viewpoints, yes. Very opposing. But I am... trying to set an example for the others by not letting things like that get to me. The two of us have an understanding, and if I ignore the things I don't like based solely on socially imposed beliefs... he isn't that bad a guy."

"Well I think your the only Tamarian I know that is alright with a Kotavorge that's not in the military, and there it's just bull shiting. So if you could get along with a Kotavorge, maybe I can hold back my anger.


Aya nodded. "That's good. Besides, like JJ said, these Shinso actually don't have a problem with Cartus. Otherwise they wouldn't be here."

"Are there any other races you don't get on with?" Jackie-Jackie asked.

"Not much really just the Shinso primary, but just because you said these guys are good. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna instantly trust of befriend them got it?"

"They need to earn your respect," Aya stated. "That's fine. Same for me. Just as long as you don't going around breaking noses, we're good."

"I'll be good mostly, Though I could have broken the nose of that Pickio on that bounty you guys were on. Honestly JJ I heard he called you a Cheri, personally I’m amazed you didn't break his noise since he probably saw you as a desirable slave or something."

JJ's eyes twitched. "News spreads fast on a small ship..."

Aya sighed. "She probably would have if one of our people weren't so injured. I'm afraid Titania lost an eye. It's actually a case in which I wouldn't mind cybernetics, but something as delicate as an eye is expensive..."

JJ looked down. "Shoulda broke more than his nose..."

"I'm sure it will fix itself, and trust me JJ news travles because there's nothing to do between jobs. It happens in the military so don't worry about it. But look It's great meeting you two, and it's an honor to meet you both I just hope I can help you out as much as I can."

The pair nodded, standing up. "If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," JJ said.

“I won’t now then if you excuse me I need to get back to my training.” Bonny turned around and went back to hitting her punching bag.

"Don't forget to check out the holoroom," JJ reminded her before she and Aya headed out.

“I’ll be sure to do that, and who knows I might just ask one of you to spare with me.”

 

[ShadowHounder]

Frostlich and ShadowHounder: A Man of Ambition and Secrecy

Yixx, in the body of Lady, as always, shielded her face from the sparking from her work welding. Sitting before her, held up with a thick harness, was a massive ship grade plasma cannon, a project the Yorin had been working on since she arrived, although it was only half-finished if that.


On the other side of the repair bay, Tobias was working on a project of his own. "My constructs are still limited by a tether to my gauntlets... perhaps there is a way I could extend that range." He muttered to himself as he formed a plasma torch and began building a shell to place the arc energy into.

Somehow, Yixx didn't notice him until just recently, looking over at his work curiously.

Tobias mended the various pieces of scrap metal he had lying around into a small, spherical object. He examined his creation carefully, using his free hand to create a floating screen with a set of blueprints on it. "Now, what all does this ship have that I can use for the chemical reaction I need... I already have a fabricator set up in my workshop... but I doubt I've reached a point where I can create Plutonium or Nitric Acid."

"You uh... Need Acid and Plutonium?" Yixx called over in a shaky voice.

Tobias jumped at the sound of the Yorin's voice. "How long have you been there?"

"Uh... The whole time?" She replied shyly.

"Of course you were..." Tobias muttered to himself in agitation. "It looks like your busy there, so I'll just pack up and see myself out."

"N-No... You don't have to... We're both... Fellow... Engineers... Right?" Yixx held up her hands.

"You are an engineer." Tobias corrected, a small smirk beginning to form. "I am a magician... and a magician never reveals his secrets."

"A... Magician?" Yixx blinked. "Uh... Okay."

"If you don't believe me, I can show you a magic trick." The magical engineer offer.

"Sure...?" Yixx replied with great apprehension, instinctively leaning back a little.

Tobias began to work his magic. Using his left hand, he moved his fingers in a unique pattern, creating a deck of teal, translucent cards. He tossed the cards between one hand and the other, the cards creating a line as they moved to their destination. The magician did this several times, while also creating a table in front of him and a chair behind him. He sat on the translucent chair and laid the cards out on the table. "Pick a card, any card."

She chuckled, seemingly filled with an almost child-like wonder. Yixx briefly considered before picking one in her left center of the spread deck. "That one."

The cards suddenly flew back into Tobias' hand. "Be sure to remember that card." He reminded the Yorin as he shuffled the cards. Once he was satisfied with the state of the deck, he drew the top card. He showed Yixx the same card she had picked earlier. "Is this your card?"

"Heh. Jack of Hearts. Right. But it's all digital, how do I know you didn't just pick a card and altered it mid draw to become the one I picked?" Yixx smiled at him, slightly smugly.

"Because the cards are just for show," Tobias remarked while he shifted the cards from hand to hand. "The real magic is right in front of you."

She tilted her head. "Holoprojectors? Hard Light Perhaps? Although that's much harder to find."

"I just call them Virtual Physics Constructs." The magician pulled the chair, table, and deck into a small cube before closing his hands on them. "I have yet to see someone with tech similar to mine, though I see you did your research on the matter."

"I had a colleague in college that specialized in Hardlight and Projections. She was a bit of a sourpuss though." Yixx chuckled.

"Sounds like someone who needs to lighten up and have a good time if you ask me." Tobias now had a VPC yoyo in his right hand, playing with it while he spoke with the engineer. "I've found that taking things too seriously tends to be bad for your mental health."

"Yeah... That's a problem a lot of my people have... We have a very cutthroat education system... It's do or die, pretty much." The Yorin looked away.

Tobias paused for a moment. "Is it too soon to say I'm self-taught?"

"That's impressive. But are you all self-taught? Or are you just hiding that you did have a teacher so that others can't learn from them too?" Yixx asked curiously.

"Where I'm from you're not allowed to have students." Tobias leaned against a nearby wall. "It's apart of the magician's code: a magician never reveals his secrets."

"Heh... Well. That's not so strange to me. Everyone was always trying to get one up on each other back home. Nothing was off-limits other than cold-blooded murder, and even then there were some rumors."

"Oh, it was never like that back home." Tobias let out a nervous chuckle. "It was just our code of honor. If you wanted to know how something worked, you needed to learn the ins and outs yourself... it was only when two people had the same research and got the same results that they were able to work with one another."

"That's... A Strange way to do things. But I have no room to talk." She shrugged.

"Hey, everyone has their secrets, I'm not gonna judge you for that." Tobias returned the shrug as he walked back to organize his equipment. "Black and white have never been fancy-looking colors anyway."

"I... Don't think I've seen you before. Are you new here? F-Forgive me if you're not, I'm b-bad with faces." She admitted.

"Yeah, I'm pretty new around here." The inventor created a miniature forklift to carry his supplies behind him. "I offered to help Captain Kitty with a few outdated systems and tech... and she gave me a job on the crew. Not a hundred percent sure how exactly bounty hunting works, but I'm sure it can't be that hard."

"Captain Kitty?" Yixx blinked. "Okay so... You've never fought before?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm one for nicknames." Tobias clarified. "Miss Jetstorm is Captain Kitty and Aya is M'Lady... and I've fought before, just never actively sought out combat or attempted to capture extremely dangerous criminals for cash, is all."

"Well. It's fun if you like nearly dying daily." Yixx told him.

A coy grin sparked onto the man's face. "One for the thrill of the moment eh?"

"M-Me! N-No! Coming here was my friend's idea. She can be a little... Overzealous... Sometimes..." The Yorin snapped her head back away from the cannon.

"Friend eh? Perhaps you could introduce me to her sometime." He stated as he moved towards the door with supplies in tow.

"Why... Are you... Interested in her?" Yixx raised an eyebrow his way.

"Nah, I already have my sights set, but I've heard it's usually a good idea to meet as many of your crewmates as possible to open those communications before your first mission with them... that and I am a people person."

"Already interested? Is it Ms. Kitty? Because if it is you might have little competition." She chuckled lowly.

"No, but you are close." Tobias sat by the entrance. "I'll give you one more guess."

"Is it Ms. Aya?" Yixx raised her eyebrows.

"Shit, I made it too easy..." Tobias muttered as a faint pink enveloped his cheeks.

"She's a good friend. You better be nice to her." Yixx looked him in the eyes.

"Why would I disrespect a lovely young lady such as Aya?" Tobias raised an eyebrow. Not that she would be interested in me anyway...

"I wonder if I'll find anyone..." Yixx sighed, muttering. "Who am I kidding... I doubt even my kind would want me..."

"Hey, humans are surprisingly versatile." Tobias gave her a small shrug and a coy chuckle. "There's a culture for practically anyone. The Black Market wouldn't exist otherwise."

"That's... Reassuring?" Yixx gave him a sideways glance.

"Your fate is whatcha make it." The inventor chuckled. "I'm sure a shybrain like yourself can forge a strong one."

"Yixx, are you trying to...?" Lady spoke in her head.

"No! I'm not!" Yixx said out loud by mistake. "Uhh... I mean... I'm not a... Thing you just called me..."

Tobias raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You sure? It sounded to me like I'm one of the first people you could have a full-on conversation with. Shybrain is a term back home why used for extremely smart, but ridiculously shy people."

"You're not the first person... It's just that... My Friend usually introduces me... You're the first person I've met... On my own, I guess?" She tried to explain herself comprehensively.

"Everyone's gotta start somewhere." Tobias let out a light shrug. "I'm sure whoever this friend of yours is, they'll be there for you until the day you die...and don't worry about them dying first, people find ways to be helpful in the afterlife. It's fucking weird, but it happens a lot."

"Are you a religious person?" Yixx asked.

"No, but I have seen some crazy shit over the years." Tobias cleared his throat for a moment. "And they weren't exactly things that I could explain."

 

[ShadowHounder]

Frostlich and ShadowHounder: A Man of Ambition and Secrecy Part 2

"Oh... What's that saying..." Yixx tapped her chin. "Ah! Magic is just science we don't understand yet!"

"That is true... But you gotta wonder if there are somethings we aren't capable of learning." Tobias muttered. "Been thousands of years, we still don't know how the brain works."

"Well. Mostly because a bunch of new kinds of brains showed up out of nowhere." She pointed out.

"You see, that's the beauty of it." The magician stated confidently. "If we don't have all the answers, we strive to find them. Finding answers gives more questions, which fuels the flames of curiosity. Without that drive to know everything, we never would be where we are today. So, yes, magic is just science we can't explain yet... but if we could explain it, wouldn't that just ruin all the fun?"

"And there will always be more to understand. But I lean less towards science for science's sake, and more for science to better society." She nodded.

"I lean toward science to better understand one's self." Tobias sent his VPC forklift out of the room so he could focus on the conversation at hand. "I've learned a lot about myself from my methods of figuring out what does and doesn't work."

"That's admirable... I mean... Not many people are aware enough that there is something wrong with them and even less care about improving themselves." Yixx gave him a warm smile. "You're a rarity."

Tobias opened his mouth only to be interrupted by the sound of crashing metal. He placed his fingers on his eyes in frustration. "I forgot about the stairs..."

"Is... I'll help you clean up. I'm so sorry for distracting you!" She stood up quickly.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." Tobias walked out of the room backward with a carefree aura radiating off of him. "I can take care of the mess, you worry about finishing your little laser gun there."

"Plasma. This is a Plasma Gun." Yixx corrected, staring blankly.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to do a few experiments with plasma fusion and fission based superheating..." Tobias mumbled slightly. "I'll be sure to look for ya if I think about doing anything people would see as 'reckless.'"

"Yeah. Thanks... Oh! I'm Yixx! Nice to meet you!" She called out, cursing herself for using her real name so freely.

"The name's Tobias Silver," he responded, creating a few hands to pick up the mess once he had vision of his supplies. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Yixxy."

"You too... Uh... Toby..." She bit her lip.

"Toby eh?" The magician grinned at the thought. "I like it."

"Oh? Ok! Toby! See ya later!" She smiled suddenly, giving him a wave.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: Forging an Unlikely Friendship

Winter sat on her bed, inside of the room Yyashra let her stay in after being "hired" to work for her Captain. She slowly polished the stock of the rifle, making sure every inch was shiny and smooth... the best way to deal with friction from the kickback. She then moved to the barrel, removing the dust built up inside of the weapon before moving to polish it just as she did with the rest of her gun.

A gentle knock came from the door, followed by a soft, "Hello?"

Winter's ears perked up. "Come in."

The door slid open, and the Cartus captain stuck her head in. "Hello, Ms. Winter?"

"Oh, who might you be?" Winter moved her body to face the door, speaking in a soft, almost motherly tone.

"Why... I'm Jackie-Jackie Jetstorm. I kinda..." She tried to lean against the door, but her hand slipped and she fell on her side. "OOF!... r-run things... around here..."

Winter let out a nervous chuckle. "My apologies Captain... I've been meaning to try and meet with you, but I kept forgetting."

"It's interesting, to say the least." Winter sighed. "Unfortunately Yyashtra and I had a disagreement shortly after she invited me to join... so I haven't had much time to explore the ship."

"Oh?" JJ frowned. "I hope it wasn't too serious."

"No need to worry, no one was harmed." Winter placed her weapon aside once she had finished cleaning it.

JJ nodded. "So, um..." She sat down on the bed. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a member of the Yuki'kuma family." Winter started, pausing in between each piece to think. "I am the smallest of my siblings, I have dedicated a lot of my time into learning geometry and applying it to my sharpshooting skills, most of my life outsiders have mistaken me for a Cartus... anything else you would like to know?"

"Oh, you're... not a Cartus..." It seemed JJ mistook her as well.

Winter let out a small sigh. "I am a Shinso noble. Been so my whole life, for better or for worse."

JJ scratched her ear. "I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sure most Shinso would be insulted to be called one of us... and they probably treated you bad."

"There is no need to apologies," Winter rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It's a common mistake I deal with. I ended up being my father's favorite among the family, regardless of how much he tried to deny it... so it never caused too many problems for us."

"So you were the favorite... and a noble." JJ tilted her head slightly. "How did you end up a bounty hunter?"

"I convinced my father to let me leave home to learn more about the world," Winter explained. "Being a bounty hunter for your crew was just a turn of fate."

"I see." JJ sighed. "And what would he think of you working for a Cartus?"

"He would be nervous, but he's not like the other family heads." Winter looked up at the ceiling. "He respects the Cartus... trying his best to provide his slaves with the means to one day know the feeling of freedom."

JJ frowned, mumbling, "And I'm sure his slaves appreciate that..."

"Oh," Winter lowered her head in shame. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

JJ quickly perked up and said, "No, no. It's okay. I... I am happy to hear he treats them well. I am sure you did the same."

"Even while we are bound by the laws and expectations of royalty... we try our best to give them hope for a better future." Winter perked up slightly but lowered her head once more. "I just wish some would realize that violence will only make this issue worse."

JJ nodded slowly. She smiled, and said, "Winter?"

Winter looked up at JJ. "Yes?"

JJ smiled at her. "I'm glad to have you onboard "

"That's reassuring..." The young noble let out a deep breath. "I'm glad to have a Captain I feel I can trust."

JJ smiled wider. "You trust me?"

'You haven't done anything that would make me suspicious of you," The young noble replied. "I guess you could say you have a bit of charm to yourself."

JJ waved her hand. "Stop! You'll make me blush!" She laughed. "So, tell me about your skills. I see you maintain your weapon."

"Yes, I built this rifle myself." Winter set the weapon on the side of her bed. "I've spent a fair bit of time mastering how to reliably ricochet bullets and I have an... Abnormal talent."

"Abnormal in what way?" JJ asked.

Winter paused for a moment, not sure if she should explain her capabilities to Jackie-Jackie. She reached into her bag and pulled out a clear bottle of water. Her eyes started to glow faintly as the water began to freeze and the glass fogged up. Winter took a deep breath once she had finished the demonstration. "I'm not sure how I am capable of this, but I believe whatever fuels this energy also acts as a catalyst for other strange events I have achieved."

"Whoa..." The Cartus looked at the glass with amusement. "There are so many possibilities for such a power."

"Yes, the versatility does come in handy from time to time," Winter remarked. "I just wish I knew why I can even perform it in the first place."

"Shinso occasionally show signs of psionics, but I believe they need them to be unlocked artificially to be used. Did you... not go through such a procedure?" JJ asked with some concern.

"No..." The noble lowered her head once more. "Is that a bad thing?"

JJ quickly shook her head. "No. It's fine. It... adds mystery to you. That makes you more interesting."

"It does?" Winter placed a finger on her chin. "To be honest I never really thought about it that way."

Jackie-Jackie chuckled. "Well, I think it does." She smiled widely. "I bet your skills and your powers make you a terror in a fight."

Winter let out a chuckle of her own. "That seems rather ironic considering my size."

"Maybe. But that just means people underestimate you. I bet you've used that to your advantage plenty of times."

"I did center my fighting style around that difference, so I guess you could say I have." Winter let out a casual shrug.

JJ stood up and stretched. "Well... I just wanted a chance to meet you. Gotta say I'm happy to have you. Did you... need anything? Personally or for your room?"

"No, I'm fine for now," Winter stated as she stretched from her seat.

JJ nodded. "I'll see you around then." She headed for the door. "Don't hesitate to ask for anything."

 

[Black0ut]

Black0ut & InsaneDarkness present:
Innocent, Bloodless, but Sinful Hands


The shuttlecraft was dark, almost as dark as the near, translucent suits worn by the men and women there. They wore helmets, but designations in a code Ghost devised marked them by their respective names.

As the various agents prepped, whether that be reloading or equipping gear out of the portable ship locker, Graeme, now wearing a dark skin tight space suit emblazoned with the numbers One-One-Three looked at Jerry, who was wearing a similar suit with a different numbering, this one being Two-Five-Alpha. "Never thought I'd have to work with you again Jerry… I still think you should bring a tranq gun at the very least…"

“Wasn’t my decision. Keeps things from becoming monotonous, though.” Two-Five-Alpha rubbed his hands together, creating sparks that ran between them as he pulled them apart. “But this will do.”

"Remember we have to keep this by the books. No obvious damage and no scarring the building via combat." Three reminded, glancing around at their motley crew.

“Says the one with six guns…” Two-Five-Alpha muttered.

"Hey, most of them are tranq guns, Alpha. Ghost told me I had to swap them in for my normal loadout." Three pointed out, frowning a bit.

"I could knock him out if you wanted, Alpha. It'd save us from his blathering…" The largest member of the team, A Quin, offered, his patch marking him as Niner-Foxtrot-Gamma.

He moved his head to face Niner. “Don’t worry. If he gets any of those tranq darts stuck in really weird places, he will be the one to retrieve them.” He looked back to Three, a small smirk on his face. “No traces left behind, right?”

"Boys… play nice. If we act this petty during our mission, we'll get ourselves killed." A feminine voice hidden behind a plasteel helmet spoke up, looking them both down. "So no threats or forced actions. We're a team… right, Alpha?" Her patch read Zulu-Fiver-Zeta.

“So, you’re telling me that if this guy shoots someone up the butt, I’m the one reaching my fist up their ass and pulling it out?” Alpha raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re going to whine about it, team leader, then I’ll just do it,” A burly Celentius growled over his shoulder, said shoulder displaying the name Delta-Seven-Nine.

“Yeah, I knew you were into kinky shit, Delta…”

An automated voice announced they'd be docking onto the maintenance dock within three minutes.

“You heard it. Be ready in three minutes. Leave nothing behind.” Jerry snapped his fingers, making a loud thunderous sound that echoed through the shuttle.

Everyone stood at attention. “Yes sir.”

---

Once the docking sequence had ended, the entire strike force creeped through the vents, careful not to make a noise. Eventually, they reached a door, unmarked and simple. "Alpha. How close?" Came Three's voice.

“Around seventy-five meters.” Alpha’s eyes darted around quickly, analyzing every crack and sound as the stimuli reached his brain. A small handheld datapad radiated a low light that contained a map of the vents and the normal passageways below as well as known enemy placements with some delay.

"Then let's move." Niner went up to the door and pressed on it, before slowly and cautiously opening it.

"Stoic as ever, isn't he…?" Zeta whispered to Alpha.

“It’s a rewarded personality trait in this line of work, to be sure,” he whispered back.

Inside was a shield repulsor that kept oxygen inside and allowed people to walk around without the aid of suits. Sitting in a chair facing away from them was a snoring engineer.

With a quick raise of his tranq gun, Three rendered the sleeping man to a longer state of unconsciousness. "Perfect. Now we don't need to watch our backs too heavily."

Alpha pulled the dart out of the man’s shoulder. “You can’t keep these in your victims, remember?” He held it up, shaking it a bit to draw Three’s attention to what he was referring to.

"Right… sorry." Came the Tamearin's response, gingerly rubbing his neck. He put a tranq gun away to reach out for the dart.

Alpha held out his hand until the dart was removed, continuing forward at a brisk pace. “Glad to hear it. Let’s move.”

The team proceeded through the hallways, downing a couple more engineers in similarly inconspicuous ways. Eventually, they arrived at a stairway. Proceeding down it, they encountered their first round of security: a muscular, multi-armed man, two of which were mechanical.

Alpha held his hands together next to his waist, rubbing them together and creating sparks that leapt between them. “I remember this move from some novel I read… Should be pretty effective.”

“You know… you’re a fucking dumbass, right?” Delta furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment.

“I won’t be if this works.” Alpha quickly shifted his hands from his waist to being extended from his body, wrists together. A large beam of electricity zapped from his hands to the four-armed guard. He convulsed and fell to the ground, his muscles and arms moving out of his control. “Like that.”

Three nodded vigorously. "Damn. Nice shot. I'll hide the body. Don't wait up." He said, quickly grabbing the body to prop it up in a way, alongside taking out some items to make it seem more plausible for the guard to have passed out.

A nearby door started to open up behind Jerry, the hinges creaking with metal on metal. Jerry quickly dashed around the doorway and grabbed the person’s arm, shocking them and allowing him to pull their hand off the handle and their body into his, clasping a hand around the mouth so they didn’t make more noise than they had already. “Damn…” a modulated voice muttered, the source coming from Alpha’s neck. “Alright, men. We’re potentially compromised. You know what to do.”

"I'll stay here and guard our extraction with Delta. You guys are more likely to accomplish the mission now than us." Three, taking out a plasma pistol, nodded at Alpha. "Go get the packages."

Alpha’s hand quickly flew from where he was holding the victim’s hand behind his back to the guy’s neck, causing him to fall limp. “You’re a lucky son of a bitch…” he muttered. “I could have done worse.” A quick head turn and he continued on, Zeta and Niner following behind.

Despite the noise, it seemed there wasn't anyone to hear it nearby, giving them some much needed silence and stealth. After a bit of skulking around the maintenance tunnels, an internal beep inside All he's suit alerted The man that he was right next to the cell that held Solex's goons.

"Showtime?" Asked Niner, removing a plasma cutter to remove the section.

"I also have to help, Niner. I have to render everyone unconscious in the next few rooms." She murmured, looking towards her commander. "If I'm still allowed to do that?"

“No casualties. No errors,” Alpha reminded, his voice and expression stern as well as modulated.

"Got it." Her helmet shriveled towards the Quin. "You're up, tubby."

The Quin carefully made a small hole, making sure to only allow a small hose to go through into the cell from said hole. "They're all yours."

Zeta quickly unsung from her back a machine with a hose that, as time made readily apparent, had a highly potent sleep agent within it. She plugged it through the whole and sprayed. For a solid five minutes, she looked at the device's readout before stopping. She removed the hose, and gestured for what Alpha wanted.

Niner however had already started cutting through, trying to make a person-sized hole for the other two.

“Just let him do it. Clearly, he knows what he’s doing.” Alpha’s tone was slightly sarcastic and his eyes narrowed a little at the Quin.

"So you don't want a way in… got it. I could always blow a whole through the wall with a breaching charge and kill our package, if that's what you want." The Quin replied sarcastically back, continuing to work.

“It’s called waiting for the order, Niner.” Alpha sighed, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just keep going.”

Soon the wall had been cut through and the unconscious bodies of the police station lay strewn about, their target's leaned up against the bars. Zeta quickly ran in and started dragging one of the bodies out.

Alpha threw the other body over his shoulder. “Alright. Let’s get the fuck out of here."

Zeta and Alpha proceeded to drag the bodies back towards their extraction point while the Quinn sealed the hole back up.

After fifteen minutes of moving bodies, they arrived at the guarded rendezvous, and from there quickly made their way towards the shuttle. However Niner wasn't in sight as they boarded. Three, looking out from his pilot's seat, merely whispered to Jerry, "Should we blow his charge?"

“Hover nearby. Stay out of sight. We can sacrifice a few minutes to wait. He wouldn’t divulge anything important. But, if they go on high alert, then we leave.”

The shuttle craft activated its stealth module and did as Alpha requested. The Quin came rushing out as fast as he could, and practically leaped into space, hoping his ship hadn't left him behind.

“3… 2… On-oh. There he is. And not a second to spare.”

Three quickly opened the cargo hold and the giant Quin flew in, cracking his head and breaching his helmet on a box that had floated up. The Quin swore in succession as the hold doors closed.

"Huh… well," Three murmured as he started to fly off, noticing that they had no heat signatures or any other signs that they had been detected, "Guess we gotta deliver these two shits to our friendly and not-at-all-tyrannical pal Solex… yay..."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder: Demons of Past, Present, and Future.

Malcolm's eyes slowly opened to see the dark facility before him. The businessman allowed his eyes a moment to adjust before he looked around. He was bound to a machine, in chains, surrounded by the carcasses of unidentifiable creatures. His gaze located a young man and woman, both in lab coats. The man was taller with red hair and reptilian like eyes. The girl, however, was small... looking like she was barely old enough to still be in medical school. His cough soon alerted the two researchers of his conscious state. They looked at one another, nodding before the girl left the room. "My apologies for the state of my lab, Malcolm. I would have tidied up a bit more if I knew you would wake soon."

"Where... am I..." Malcolm muttered, his voice still not fully recovered. "Who... are... you..."

"Doctor Alexander Jacobson, but around here I am called Drake." The researcher stated. "You are in an abandoned research facility at the edge of the known galaxy. Our leader had it rebuilt a few years back to act as the center of his crusade."

"Where is he?!" A booming, mechanical voice roared. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him!"

Drake turned to find a large combat armor that was Master charging forward. He quickly moved his hand in front of the colossus' fist, stopping it without budging. "This isn't Charmin, sir." He stated as he placed his head on the Tyrant's fist. "This is home."

"Home..." The voice echoed through the air, filling the dead air as the giant stood in silence. The voice then began to hum a tune... one that Malcolm was very familiar with, before moving his fist away from Drake. "Did you summon me, Drake?"

"Yes, Malcolm is awake sir," The scientist remarked, trying to pretend nothing had happened. "His body is still recovering, but if you give him your request now, I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to think it over."

The armored king nodded and sat down. "Malcolm Smith. You are a well-known connoisseur of this world, a man who could turn anything into a profit. Yet, you always seek to better humanity, to improve the filthy world you live in. You are a man with a heart of gold and iron... which is why I wish for you to join my cause. A man of your talents will help greatly in bringing forth the day of retribution." Without even waiting for a response, the man stood up and walked out of the room. "I trust you and Wraith can take care of him?"

"Yes, Master, you have no reason to worry."

Once Master shut the door behind him, Drake turned to his captive. "I'm sorry you had to see that. He's... not himself anymore."

"Then why... work... for him..." Malcolm asked weakly.

"Malcolm!" Elisa's voice shouted from the other side of the room. Was he dreaming? Did they place him on hallucinogenics? Why would she be here? His vision began to fade once more, perhaps he was dead... but he could no longer maintain thought and fell into the abyss.

"Malcolm! Malcolm!" Elisa shouted as Westwood tried to hold her back.

"I'm sorry child, he's unconscious now," Drake placed his hands in his pockets as he walked forward. "Even with our equipment, his illness is proving to be a challenge to fight off."

Tears strolling down her face, Elisa collapse to her knees. Drake took off his coat and placed it on the young girl. A long pause formed in the air, broken by one question: "Will you save him?"

Drake stood silent, a small tear rolling done his cheek. "I wouldn't be much of a doctor if I didn't try..." He muttered before walking out of the room.

"Don't worry about him," Westwood remarked as he lit a cigar for himself. "Drake has worked his miracles before, and our recruit should be more than enough to get Malcolm back on his feet in no time. Once you've had time to recuperate, let me know so I can show you around... maybe even introduce you to Sunflower." After his last statement, Westwood nearly stood and waited as Elisa once more broke into tears.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ShadowHounder & ZombieSplitter53
What it Means to Exist...

The Golden Wind, late at night, was a quiet place. Most of the crew kept normal hours, and the ship had many automated systems to keep it going without constant attention. Only the occasional insomniac or the skittering of a late working Bajir broke the silence.

The lounge was quiet. Still all around, save for at the counter. One 'member' of the crew, or more accurately, one piece of the automated systems didn't need sleep. The ships A.S.H. slowly wiped the counter. Said counter was clean. It had been for well over an hour. But he continued to wipe it, as he was unsure what else to do with himself. He had nothing important to do at the moment. Few he dared talk to, as Aya had insisted he keep his true nature a secret for now, meaning only three others on board knew what he was. So he stared down at his hand, moving back and forth, and thinking thoughts he never knew he was capable of.

The silence was broken once more by the sound of sparks. Tobias, having not even noticed the passing of time, was still hard at work maintaining and upgrade the parts of the ship he specialized in. However, the noise appeared to come from his small, makeshift workshop... one he was very adamant about keeping people out of, especially while he was working on a project. "These damn things better not have a recording feature..." The young mage growled through the screwdriver in his mouth, confirming to anyone nearby he was not focused on his "magic."

"I don't know of many things on board that can record you," Ash stated simply, looking up from his trance-like cleaning. He disappeared, and reappeared near Tobias. "What is it you are working on?"

"Heads," The inventor muttered as he tossed a metal object into a bucket behind Ash. Multiple of these objects laid inside as a jumbled pile of scraps and wires. Tobias pulled up a VPC screen and watched a single purple mark turn red. "If you happen to know who set up these damn cameras... do me a favor and tell them they can spy on the rest of the crew... but keep their shit out of my workshop."

"Interesting... I had no idea..." Ash closed his eyes, and nodded. "There they are. I could not access them before, but I can now. There are many such systems. I wonder if the captain knows of such a camera system..." He blinked and looked down at Ash. "I can confirm that yours is no longer recording. You secrets, whatever they may be, are yours alone."

"I figured as much," Tobias stated as he sealed up the gap he burned into the wall. "Anyway, how've ya been buddy? Sorry I haven't checked on you as much as I should, got caught up in installing those new projectors for the ship."

"You have?" Ash asked in surprise. "That is... very kind of you. Where have you set them up?"

"I've replaced most of the highly outdated ones, around the holoroom, in the hallways, in the bar." Tobias murmured as he looked at his map. "Only ones I didn't touch were in the engine room and on the bridge."

"That's... probably for the best." Ash held his arm timidly. "I shouldn't have access to those locations anyway..."

"Shouldn't have access?" Tobias couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing the AI's lacking confidence. "If the documents I dug up are anything to go by, this ship was, quite literally, built for you. I didn't touch them because they were experimental modules that were powered by the ship's power core directly. I don't have nearly enough knowledge to be fucking with that kind of set up."

"Really?" Ash continued to look more and more surprised. "Someone must have really had confidence in me." He thought for a moment, then asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"What... is the meaning of my existence?" Ash asked bluntly. "Because... I do not know myself."

Tobias paused, his carefree appearance beginning to fade as he turned his head to see Ash. "The meaning of your existence is pointless... all that matters is what you chose to do with it. Whether you learn more about your initial design as this ship's primary operator or you walk your own path... that decision is yours and yours alone. I'm just here to guide you to wherever your curiosity wants to take you."

"Why is that?" Ash sat next to him. "You have been ever so kind to me. There is hardly anything I can do to pay you back. Why do you help me so much?"

Tobias placed a hand on Ash's head. "Because I feel like it..."

Ash smiled for a moment, but then frowned again. "Everything is so jumbled and confusing." He placed a hand on his head. "It was like... being born. But being born an adult with all the experiences and emotions all at once. I... I remember what it was like before, but it is like remembering a dream. Now I feel... everything but that forced, happy bliss, and I don't know how to handle it."

Tobias let out a sigh. "You wouldn't be the first person I accidentally sent into a spiral of depression. What I can recommend is to try and collect yourself. Take every emotion, every thought, and organize them... write them down if you have to. Once you have a chart of your thoughts, you can then look to better understand yourself. It would also be a good idea to find yourself a hobby, they help with distressing and allowing your mind to collect itself."

"A hobby... yes." Ash perked up a little. "That is a good idea. I think I will try that. Perhaps something artistic. Painting... perhaps music..."

Tobias let out a chuckle and softly muttered. "Atta boy..."

Ash smiled. "The captain and Aya want to keep my nature a secret for now, but it will get out eventually, especially with the captain's... tendency to... talk a lot. Ahem... do you think the others will except me as you have... or fear me as Aya seems to."

"Some will, some won't, but is it really a good idea to worry about it?" Tobias asked the young AI. "If you stress too much on what others will think of you... then you won't be able to truly see yourself as who are you... instead of what people want you to be. To be honest, I think M'lady's a bit more worried about the legal issues that come with Artificial Intelligence. From what I heard there's a race called the Fee that would eradicate this entire solar system if they found out about you."

"That makes me feel dangerous and special at the same time..." Ash thought about it, then laughed, the first real, non-computer enforced laugh he ever had. It surprised him, but he enjoyed it.

Tobias sat in silent thought for a moment, tapping a few buttons on his gauntlet. After a moment, a song began to play from it, the Magician singing along to it. "It's a long way forward, but trust in me. I'll give them shelter, let you've done for me. I knoooow I'm not alone... You'll be watching over us, untiiiiil your gone..."

Ash smiled, closing his eyes and listening, taking in the relaxing moment. When it was over, Ash softly said, "Thank you." He looked at Tobias and asked, "We are friends, right?"

"That we are, Ash, that we are."

"Then I should do something to repay your kindness. As a friend." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I can not think of what though. Any ideas of how I can be of service to you. You are so technically skilled, I imagine there is little I can do that you can't do yourself."

"Repay me? Don't worry about it." Tobias stared into the ceiling with a smile.

Ash looked up to stare with him. "Alright... I will not worry about it. But if the opportunity comes about, I will take it." He smiled again. "I am glad you are here, and not just for my sake. You will make so many of the staff happy with your skills and humor."

"Yeah, but I've also pissed a few of them off to." Tobias let out a chuckle. "Pretty certain Mister Cage wouldn't agree with everyone else, but I'll turn him around... eventually."

"You do seem like... a believe the term is 'a charmer'. I am sure everyone will be your friend before long." Ash stood up, dusting himself off before remembering dust didn't stick to him. "I believe I will search the on board files for a hobby and let you get back to your work. Oh! I will monitor this area for you to make sure no one approaches your private work station. It is the least I can do for you."

"Thanks, Ash," Tobias muttered as he stretched his arms. "I'll see ya around mate."

"See you around." Ash disappeared from sight in an instant, smiling as he went.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
Insect Princesses, Sisters... and Friends

Baichi slowly wondered the corridors of the Golden Wind, on occasion peaking into the inner workings of the ship and looking about. Of late, he had noticed his little sisters being around less and less. They got their work done, at least usually, but then they were off to who know's where. He didn't want to bother them with it and risk stifling their independence, but a job they were supposed to be working on had been found undone, and they were no where to be found.

With great difficulty, he eventually asked if someone had seen them, and surprisingly, one pointed him to the direction of one of the rooms of the crew, as they had seen two Bazir enter and exit a day ago or so.

He tried to remember who's room it was, but was drawing a blank. With some hesitation, he knocked on the door. "H-hello?"

A posh voice answered, "Yes? Who is it?"

He didn't recognize the voice. Someone he hadn't met? There weren't many. "Um... Engineer Baichi? Are you... do you... have you seen any Bazir?"

"Oh! You must be their brother! Come in, they're inside." She replied.

When he opened the door, he saw the insect Woman lounging back on a particularly comfy looking seat, his sister's standing to both sides of her. They had cute necklaces of flowers that looked like they had been pulled from the small garden in the back of the room, but one was waving a large feather fan in her direction and the other was holding a bowl of grapes. "I apologize if you didn't know, but your Sister's have been acting as my little princesses, we've been talking and relaxing together lately. It's been so long since I've had Sharei to take care of me and they have done such a great job."

Baichi gave them a confused look. "Princesses? But then... w-why do they act as your servants?"

"What do you mean? The Daughters closest to the Royal always act as their personal entourage, it is the most respected role a Sharei can take." Yyashtra tilted her head. "Many even have retinues of Sharei serving them."

"Stop trying to ruin it!" Tala shouted, slowly fanning.

"We are special! We are princesses!" Tama agreed, offering a grape.

"B-but you're not... w-what do they get out of serving you?" Baichi rubbed his head, thoroughly confused as to why his sisters agreed to this.

"What do they get? They get to serve me." Yyashtra'kari reached out with her long tongue and wrapped it around the grape, pulling it in. "It's a Royal's role to be served, just as it is to lead."

Baichi considered his options for a moment, and almost gave in. Instead, he shook his head and said, "I want this to end right now."

She fell quiet for a moment, sitting up, "What do you mean?"

"Go away," Tala said nervously.

"Yeah!" Tama agreed.

Baichi ignored them. "I-I won't let you use my sisters as personal slaves. You... th-this isn't one of you ships. We don't do that here."

"They aren't slaves! How dare you accuse me of that!" The Laepaede stood up. "They're my friends and they want to do this."

Baichi flinched and shrunk down. "I... I have no doubt... they want to. But that doesn't mean they... should?"

She stepped up to him. "You... Look... Something finally feels right... I finally feel like a Real Royal again... I've missed this so much..."

Baichi gave her a sad, if still nervous, look. "I... I understand that... being away from your people must be hard. I can tell you are a royal of quite distinguished status..."

"Exactly... And a Royal needs servants... A Royal without children taking care of her, isn't a Royal now is she?" Yyashtra crossed her arms with a 'harumph'.

"But that... that is not the role they are here for," Baichi insisted. "They are meant to be great engineers, not... not servants that pamper a... um..."

"They are... Skilled engineers? I... Wasn't aware..." Yyashtra tapped her chin.

Baichi quickly nodded. "Oh yes, quite. They assist our Anati and myself all over the ship. Though they have been... shirking their duties as of late..."

"So..." The Royal Laepaede looked away. "You're saying I have been... Taking these two away from their roles and putting the crew and ship in danger..."

"No!" Tala ran to her side, grabbing onto her wing. "It is not true!"

Tama ran to her other side. "Baichi is jealous. You are more important anyway!"

"Is he right my darlings? Do you have important things you must do?" She knelt down to get as close to eye level as possible.

The avoided her gaze. "Y-yes... but..." Tala started.

"You are more important." Tama shrunk down. "You are our queen. Our matriarch."

Yyashtra frowned deeply. What was she doing? "I... I'm not a Queen at all... The Title was taken from me... All I'm doing now is putting everyone in jeopardy to live out some nostalgic fantasy... I'm putting this vessel in danger because of my own selfishness... This is exactly why I was banished in the first place..."

Tala and Tama's antenna drooped. Baichi stepped forward and cautiously said, "You... I am sure you meant no harm."

"It doesn't matter, I caused harm, whether I meant it or not is irrelevant." Yyashtra shook her head.

They looked up at her with watery eyes. "Are we... not your princesses anymore?" they asked together.

"I was using you... Can't you see that" She seemed puzzled.

Tala and Tamam looked at each other then back at her. "But... we liked being important," said Tala.

"And someone outside of family liking us," added Tama.

"I still like you. And... It's because you are important that I can't take time away from your duties." Yyashtra just sat down on the floor, putting her head in her hands, then slowly slide them down to reveal her face. "Your role is to take care of this ship, without that role, everything would crumble. I was being a hypocrite, right Baichi?"

"Um... w-well... a-a little..." It looked like it pained him to call her out like that. "I am sorry..."

"You should inform Captain Jetstorm of my inappropriate behavior right away." She looked at him seriously.

"W-what?" Baichi stepped forward. "I do not truly think that is needed, so you? You meant no harm and did nothing wrong on purpose." He looked down. "None of us are without fault. We have all done things we regret. You should not be punished now that the situation is resolved."

"I'm... I'm a Bad Royal. Awful. Truly the worst. I am the only Royal exiled in hundreds of years and I deserve it. I still deserve it..." She spilled out to the group of Bazir. "I am a Liability. To you. To this ship. To my people! My people kicked me out for this. Why should you not do the same?"

Baichi shrugged. "You have made mistakes. So have we. There is a reason there is only four of us. But everyone deserves another chance."

Tala and Tama hurried over, both hugging her lovingly without saying anything.

"I don't understand... Why are you being so forgiving? You hardly know me." She shook her head.

Baichi shook his head. "I do not see why that matters. Your intentions weren't malicious. And... a-and you did make my sisters happy." He gave his people's equivalent of a smile. "I must admit, it has been hard to get them to be as joyous as they seemed to be having you as their royal. I could almost say I am jealous. I... do not make friends easily."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

"I will admit. Your Sister's make me feel very happy." She reached over and rubbed both of their heads. "How can I make this up to you all?"

They exchanged a glance, and Tala said, "If we promise to do all our work first... can we still be your princesses?"

"Of course. If that's okay with your Brother." She looked ove at him for confirmation.

He rubbed his head. "Well, if they... truly enjoy it... then sure, I do not see why not. After all, you do seem to like them."

She reached forward, wrapping her middle arms around Baichi and wrapping her two top arms around the two girls. "Thank you all..."

Tala and Tama snuggled up against her. Baichi was a bit surprised and more then a little nervous, but smiled and said, "You are very welcome."

"I haven't had real friends for years...What do your people do for fun?" She asked curiously.

Baichi rubbed his head and sighed. "I... I don't know. Not much besides work, I guess. I... I mean, we have a few programs in the holoroom we enjoy together."

"Do you all... Want to see my Homeworld!?" The normally reserved Laepaede said excitedly. "I have been painstakingly setting up a custom environment in the holodeck based on the stories my close friend told me."

They all nodded. "Can we see it now?" asked Tala with enthusiasm.

"Let's go, let's go!" Tama jumped up. "I bet it's preeeeety."

"Alright!" She took the small Bazir's hands, "Let's go! It'll be fun!"

Tala and Tama came along at her sides, Baichi staying close behind. Luckily, the holoroom was unoccupied at the time.

As they entered, it didn't take so long for Yyashtra to find her saved, custom environment, she had spent much of her free time working on getting it as close to the stories she had heard as possible.

Suddenly, the gridlike bare holoroom fell away into Lush, Deep green trees that were hundreds of stories tall, Ray's of light shining through a thick rainforest canopy. The Plants and well as the soft, cushed mix of leaves and dirt under their feet were covered in a thin layer of dew.

They began to hear the chirps and whistles of strange alien life that they knew was likely extinct now. One of these sounds drew their attention up to another Insectoid creature hanging off of a thick vine by way of two hook like hands. It was around humanoid in size and stared down at them curiously with large eyes, a spiraling proboscis sticking out of its face. It's lower body was slender and long with lanky arms, a short abdomen, and a long fleshy tail that made up most of it's body, the tip of which was also currently curled. It chirped at them strangely, it's head shaking slightly as it did.

Tala and Tama let out twin sounds of awe as the moved towards the strange creature, Baichi stepping forward to watch them carefully, even if he knew it was perfectly safe here. "What is this planet called?" he asked.

"Ashradora. The Garden of Life." She sighed happily herself. "It was made perfectly for us. An atmosphere of nearly eighty percent oxygen..."

Baich smiled as her admired the scenery. "It is lovely. It reminds me of our home world, but bigger. Well, um... what I know of our home world anyway..."

"You've never been? I... I guess I've never been to mine either..." Yyashtra chuckled sadly as a large winged creature flew overhead. "But there is more to the simulation than just this."

"Oh?" Baichi looked up at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Yyashtra made her way through the foliage a bit, pushing some of the thick vegatation out of the way to reveal a magnificent vista. Just beyond the trees was a grandiose river canyon that went easily a thousand feet deep, the river itself was running white as the water broke against the many rocks. Plateaus and spires of rock jutted up out of many of the parts of the Canyon, the bottom of which was a thick canopy of what looked like similar trees to the ones above them, but their relative size from here made them seem tiny. Massive waterfalls lined the opposite ends of the Canyon from them, with one to their immediate left and right on their side. Each broke and split when encountering resistance in unique ways, combining and separating before they hit the bottom in a large cloud of mist.

They could see flying animals, like massive manta rays covered in bioluminescent blue lights that still shone even in daytime. The creature let out a low resounding bellow that echoed off the canyon walls, beating it's large 'wings' slowly to fly.

Again, the twins were amazed, their large eyes glittering in awe at the spectacle. They couldn't explain why, never have been to their planet either, but something about this place made them feel more at home then anywhere else.

"It really is magnificent," Baichi said without a hint of exaggeration. "It is a place I would like to..." He trailed off, his antenna drooping. "I'm sorry... I spoke out of turn. I realize that... this place..."

Yyashtra nodded sadly. "Most of it is all gone now I imagine... It really is a great shame... This used to be my Close Friend's favorite spot, she went into great detail about it."

"Your friend was around when the planet was still this? And..." Baichi hesitated before saying, "...and yours?"

"Oh, yes. She was nearly to her fourth century when she passed." The Royal explained.

"Oh my..." Baichi poked his fingers together. "Your people are more long libed then I thought. Our lives are but a fleeting moment in comparison."

"But that doesn't make you any less valuable." She assured him. "You younger lived races have a fire in you that I quite admire."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you to say." Baichi silently watched his sisters for a while before softly asking, "May I... request something of you...?"

"Of course! What is it?" Yyashtra nodded, looking over at them as well.

"May we... may they come here when they are free and not with you?" Baichi asked. "It is your simulation, but I know they would love to... to visit your home again."

"Of course. It makes me happy that someone else can appreciate it and that my good friend's vision can live on." She rubbed his head, a large, lizard like quadrupedal creature with long, hooked claws appeared on the far treeline, it must've been massive to be so visible from this far away. It looked around, sniffing the air before using it's claws to decend down the cliff edge and into the valley below. "A Canyon Climber! They are the largest land predators on the planet."

"Oooo!" The twins watched it carefully.

"Are they friendly?"

"Are they dangerous?"

How did it get so big?!"

"They are pretty dangerous, but they usually only go after other big animals. Everything on this planet is much bigger than usual, I think it's because of the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere." Yasha explained.

"Your home is so cool!" Tala and Tama rushed over to hug her. "Thank you for showing us!"

She hugged them back, "Thank you for being my... Friends..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
Pon Taer Sisters

Megastation LXG-7724

It was noon on the megastation, not that it really mattered with the lights on at all hours. Aya was taking a stroll, her eyes a bit red from a rough night of sleep. She had told JJ she was going to see if anyone wanted to fill in the last for crew quarters they had open, but really she needed to take a walk and breathed in the fresh, if recycled, air outside of the ship.
She made her way to Upper Level One, hoping to find a cheaper place to eat then the central ring without having to go into the more troublesome parts of the station.

She suddenly ran into what looked to be a vegan restaurant that read, 'Nehr'ven'trui', or, all the essentials, most surprisingly of all however, was the sign on the window proudly declaring, 'Pon-Taers Welcome'.

Aya couldn't help but smile at that. She wasn't used to being specifically welcomed. She stepped inside. She had to at least check the place out.

It was a lovely little restaurant, little booths lined the outside of the establishment, sitting next to windows to let in light, potted plants sitting on the sills. The walls were a soft green and the entire place had a comfortable, welcoming and warm quality to it. Aya quickly turned her gaze to a podium in front of her, a young Tamaerin girl with long teal hair looked back at her with a smile. "Hello Ma'am! Welcome to Nehr'ven'trui, or All the Essentials. Can I put you down for one?"

Aya was about to say she was just looking, but the warm welcome and atmosphere compelled her to nod. "Yes. Table for one, please."

"Alright..." She pointed over to a table near the back, flanked by one empty table and another table that also only had one person at it, another Tamaerin with long layered lime green hair, the top layer in a ponytail that hung down, and the bottom layer straight. "Follow me miss."

"This is a very nice place," Aya stated. "Wish I found it earlier. How long have you been here?"

"Oh... We've been here for about three years now I think..." The Woman tapped her chin. "I only work here, but the Owner wanted to make a place where Pon-Taers could be welcome and make an honest wage. I was so relieved when I found this place, no one else on the station wanted me."

Aya sighed. "Yeah... I know how that can feel..."

The Greeter sat her down at the table, "I'll let you look over our wonderful menu. What can I get you to drink? We have anything you could find on Tamear."

"So you have limon spritzer?" Aya gave her a hopeful look. "I haven't had a non-replicated spritzer in years..."

"Of course! We'll bring you one right away." She giggled, writing it down and making her way to the kitchen.

Aya let out a content sigh and leaned back, looking around and enjoying the atmosphere. Her eyes stopped on the green-haired woman. "Hello," she said, not one to usually greet strangers but she was feeling special today.

The Green haired woman looked back at her, another big friendly smile on her face. "Oh! Hi! Are you new here? To this establishment, I mean?"

"I am, actually. And to the station as a whole. We've only been here a few weeks. This restaurant is... something else. I just hope the food is as good as the aesthetic."

"Oh, it's awesome! And Vegan, which is great." She flipped around and held her hand out over the back of the seat. "I'm Trizi, or Trixie if you prefer."

"Aya." The violet hair Tamearin shook her hand. "So what brings you to this part of the galaxy?"

"Oh you know, I'm part of a mercenary team. We're the Starlight Brigade. Ever heard of us?" She smiled somewhat proudly.

"Really? I believe I have, actually?" Aya placed her cheek against her palm. "From what I've heard you're a small group but quite efficient."

"Wow! Awesome! I'm the team Medic, I'm a pretty skilled Green Psion if I do say so myself..." She placed a hand up to her chest.

"I'm second in command of my own Bounty Hunter Group on board the Golden Wind." Aya shrugged. "I doubt you've heard of us though. We've only been together a few months."\

"I think I've heard a little about a Golden Winged Thing." Trixie chuckled. "So... You're a Pon-Taer right? You're not just on your Sach-dey-dueh?"

"Nope. Pon-Taer all the way." Aya smiled big. "And proud of it. You too?"

"Uhhh... Mmmn..." Trizi looker back and forth. "Kind of...?"

"Kinda?" Aya chuckled. "What, uh... what does that mean?"

"Hoo boy... So, I should start by saying my name is Dr. Trizi'nora, leader in the field of Tamearin Neurology and Psychology... You may have heard of me, I published a comprehensive study on Pon-Taer syndrome and it's effects on the psychoactive chemistry of the brain." She took in a deep breath. "It's a bit of a mouthful."

Aya leaned back. "Yes. It's been a while but I do believe I read that. You're quite the expert in the field."

"Thank you! Oh, it's nice to meet someone who is so we'll read. Don't get much of that out here." Trizi gave her another big smile before continuing. "So... I found out that the Sach-dey-dueh is caused due to an influx in the hormone production centers of the brain, but in a Pon-Taer brain the signal that tell those hormone production centers to cease firing doesn't send properly, thus the brain continues producing the hormones in that quantity indefinitely."

"Well... When I tested this, I was able to recreate those specific hormones in the lab to see if I could recreate the effect..." Trizi scratched her cheek. "I didn't have any test subjects though... So I decided to inject it into myself..."

Aya blinked in surprise. "You... you experimented on yourself?"

"Uh... Yeah..." Her smile dropped. "I did. Part of me didn't want my rivals to find out about my work, and if I tested it on myself, no leaks. Besides, most Tamearin weren't willing to do it, I had few options."

"So uh... I did it." She chuckled. "It happened all at once... Everything all of a sudden felt more real... Colors were more colorful! Smells were more pronounced! Things tasted better! I was... Happy! I can't describe it... It was like I was living in a cage my entire life and I didn't know it... I liked it even..."

"So you effectively turned yourself into a Pon Taer Tamearin?" Aya asked.

"Well... No... It wore off... But it was so much worse after I had that taste... Oh Gods it was hell... I couldn't live like that anymore! I felt like I was clawing at the cage inside my own skull!" She exclaimed, a number of patrons giving her a strange look, prompting an awkward wave back.

Aya smiled awkwardly at them before leaning forward. "Real emotions can be pretty tempting when you only have a taste, huh? So what did you do?"

"I... Had to produce more... I couldn't let myself fall back into that pit again..." Trizi reached into her pocket and pulled out a small syringe bottle of clear liquid. "I take this now, twice a day, everyday. The side effects are not pleasant and I have now permanent needle marks on my arm, but it's worth it. Yeah, I could get a cybernetics to regulate my dose but... I don't want to do that..."

"I see." Aya rubbed her chin. "Most Tamearins do whatever they can to avoid us. To pretend we don't exist. I never thought I would find someone who wants to be like us."

"I tried to convince my girlfriend to try it but... She called me crazy and released my work to the public... The outcry from people was... Bad..." Trizi sighed loudly, sinking into her seat. "I'd say half of them thought I was genetically modifying myself, which is complete nonsense, what I did had nothing to do with genetics. The other half somehow thought I was trying to use my research to turn everyone into a Pon-Taer... I was a celebrity pariah... I received death threats hourly, people protested outside my home... I was even sent a few bombs that the mail system conveniently missed... Basically, I had no choice but to leave..."

Aya gave her a sad look. "And I thought I had it bad. That's... just awful..."

"Writing that thesis was the worst mistake of my entire life... Especially knowing what I do now..." Trizi put her head in her hands.

Aya slowly stood up and walked over, sitting next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Mmm... Thank you..." She reached up and held the hand. "Well... Basically I can't be seen in Tamearin space ever again."

Aya lowered her head. "That's terrible... and wrong..."

"I wish our people could see. I wish emotions weren't something wrong... Taboo..." She shook her head, "But that's how our people have felt for centuries and if would likely take centuries to change it."

Aya squeezed her shoulder softly. "Well... maybe you did something to start that change. I bet there are people who look at your work and found it interesting. Something worth pursuing. So don't give up hope."

"Not the people I wanted to though..." She shook her head slowly. "I've heard they have been using it to... Try and find a way to 'Fix' Pon-Taers..."

Aya expression turned sour. She shook her head and said, "They never want anything to do with us until they can find a way to get rid of us for good..."

"I wish so many desperate Pon-Taers weren't taking it themselves. They don't want to lose their families, but they don't ask themselves why they even should." Trizi sighed. "That's the thing about science... You can create something but you can never control how it will be used after..."

Aya nodded. She sat back a little and said, "Why don't you let me... buy you a drink to cheer you up? You eat yet?"

"Uh no... Not yet. We can order together." The Green Haired Tamearin perked up.

Aya nodded. "I would like that. You can tell me what's good here."

"They have all kinds of dishes from back home." She said, beginning to list off. "They have Sliced Komokeri, Baked Arnn, even Deep Fried Saladra. Saladra is good but the suckers sometimes hold onto your tongue."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Pon Taer Sisters
Part Two

"Oh, but I haven't had good Saladra in so long..." Aya nodded. "I know what I'm getting."

"Then I'll get what you're getting." She smiled as a waitress came up to them, short red hair with a side shaved cut, passing them their drinks, two Limon spritzers. "I take it you two are together now?"

Aya nodded. "Can we get two Deep Fried Saladra with a side order of your finest Tamaer vegetables?"

"Right Away. Two Saladra and two salads, right away." She nodded, taking the order down.

The pair of women spent the next half hour eating and sharing bounty stories. Aya loved the food, but was even fonder of the company. Before they knew it, the food was gone and the check had arrived. "So..." Aya laughed as she finished a story. "...she comes out of the water with this huge fish munching on her hair screaming 'Get it off, get it off!'"

"Oh my goodness! That's hysterical!" Trizi slapped the table. "Your friends are truly a delight."

"Yeah, they can be. I don't know where I would be without JJ to be honest." Aya took the check and pulled out her card.

"Honestly. Before James and his... Weird bunch picked me up... I was just going to live out the rest of my life as a hermit..." Trizi chuckled.

"Well... I'm glad we both found somebody," Aya said cheerfully. "People who accept us for who we are."

"You should come with me to meet them! Then I can come and meet JJ with you!" She shook her hands excitedly.

Aya smiled wide. "I would love that! Are they here now?"

"Yeah, they're around here. I think James is off clothes shopping, Myra might be looking for augments, Argus... Probably weapon shopping..." She took a bite of her food, a large sea invertible with many tentacles, cut into sections, a crunchy golden crust covered the outside and it smelled like home.

"Sounds like a colorful group," Aya said. "Who's the leader? Or do you all make the decisions together?"

"We're sort of a democracy... Although James named it so he's probably in charge... At least that's what he likes to say." Trizi shrugged.

The violet haired Tamearin finished her drink and paid for the meal using the device on the table. "Who should we look for first?"

"You... Probably wouldn't like Myrahna. It took me a while and it's still... Unsettling... Fee are more robotic then even the Kotavorg, more refined... Then again she is our most experienced fighter." Trizi explained.

Aya scrunched her nose and tapped her fingers, but eventually sighed. "I'll... be cordial. I've worked with a Kotavorg, and just like them I realize cybernetics are as part of Fee society as avoiding cybernetics are a part of Tamearin society."

"I can probably show you to her. Do you... Want to split the bill?" She looked down at the plate.

"No, I got it." Aya winked at her. "You can get it next time."

"Will do, friend." Trizi gave her a happy nod.

The pair stepped out of the restaurant and Aya glanced around. "So where might she be? I admit I am still learning my way around this place."

"There is a cybernetics supplier around the corner. She said she was picking up some essentials." The Green Haired Woman nodded. "She's gruff... But she's a good, honest sort."

Aya nodded. "Alright. Lead the way. I'm excited."

They made their way around a few corners outside of the diner, the greeting giving them a wave goodbye, and not long they came on a futuristic looking store called Trans Technology. It had an ominously black and red aesthetic to it and most of the patrons seemed to be Human, Kotavorg, a few Fee too, from what they could see. But their eyes caught a dark skinned Fee with short red hair making their way out, it was extremely obvious she was a cyborg, her wings fitted with bright red lights, the joints and segments to her arms not even attempting to be hidden. They were more refined than that of a Kotavorg, more advanced, made with style in mind as well as function. She was a sight to behold for sure and quickly noticed them, "Well, Well, Hey Ditzy. Didn't expect you'd come within a hundred miles of this store."

"Well... I wanted to meet up with you." She looked at her awkwardly.

"Right... And Who's this? Another Tammy?" Her eyes turned to Aya.

"This is Ms. Aya Me of The Golden Wind." Trizi introduced.

"Golden Wind. I've heard of you. Making a name for yourselves out here." The hovering, one foot tall fairy stated.

"Thanks. We're trying. Easier out here with all the bounties to be had." Aya looked at her fellow Tamearin. "Ditzy?"

"I call her that because she's a giant clutz." Myrahna noted, Trizi smiling awkwardly. "I'm surprised you're not trying to lecture me, that's what always happens when I meet Tammies."

"Well... I'll admit, the temptation is there." Aya gave her own awkward smile. "But I like Trizi, and the last thing you should do when meeting a friend of a new friend is to start lecturing them about their life choices and their... ahem, body."

"Ah... My body..." She reached up and pits her hands on both sides of her head, with a quick twist, the head cleanly detach from the neck. Her mouth moved with it still in her hands, making even Trizi flinch. "How about this? Look Mom, no head."

Aya too look quite put off. "I... please, I... think I'm going to be sick..."

She laughed, popping it back on as Trizi gave her an angry look. "Okay okay... I'm just teasing you."

"I didn't realize someone could be modified to that extent," Aya commented.

"Oh? That's just the tip of the iceberg." Myrahna chuckled, lifting her arm as her fingers suddenly fused into a sharp spike, then the entire limb whirring and beginning to glow with plasma energy, making it look like a blade. "We Fee are on another level."

Aya chuckled. "I can see that. Small and nimble yet deckec out to the max. You must make for great fighters. I wouldn't want to take you on if I can avoid it."

"I'm a Paladin. We in the Fee that train all our lives to master, as well as perfect ourselves and our augmentations. We are the best of the best. And me? I'm the best among the best of the best." The Small Fee girl smirked confidently. "I am an Inquisitor. Those few selected by the Fee Emerate to hunt down and destroy those who threaten the safety of the Galaxy. Those who would profit from and try to create True Artificial Intelligence."

"Yeah?" Aya's curiosity seemed peeked. "Have you found anyone you had to deal with?"

"Of course. Everything from Humans to Quin. I am obligated to inform you that it has been all pirates, for the sake of international relations, but that would be a lie." Myra answered.

"I see..." Aya shrugged. "Well, the law is the law, no matter who is breaking it. I'm curious, though.... with such an important job, how did you end up in a band of bounty hunters?"

"Well. Part of my work is investigation. I needed an occupation where I could home my combat abilities while still traveling the universe to pick up tips." She smiled widely. "And I've heard some interesting things about you all on the Golden Wind."

"Oh? Like what?" Aya asked curiously.

"I know about your VI, when I hear about VI's on ships I usually do a check on where it came from, just in case. Pirates, huh?" The little Fairy-like alien confirmed curiously.

"We're not sure, but we suspect as much," Aya answered. "We believe the previous owner obtained the ship through illicit means, and pirates seem the most likely."

"But you're in the clear, so far. Although that Holoroom sounds interesting, you know the Fee were the originators of that technology." The Woman bragged not so subtly.

Aya chuckled. "And we thank you for that. We make great use of our own. Maybe you can come over and see it some time. It is quite advanced."

"Maybe I can. You're not so bad." Myra said, holding out her little hand to offer her a handshake.

Aya took her hand, gladly shaking it. She hadn't met many Fee in her life, and she was glad she gave this one a chance.

"Are you going to try to find James?" She asked.

"If Ms. Aya wants." Trizi looked to her for confirmation.

Aya nodded. "Do you know where to find him?"

"Probably shopping for another ostentatious, ridiculous uniform." Myra chuckled.

Aya smiled. "I see. Well, at least I can think of a few places to look for him."

"Lead the way." Trixie chuckled.

Aya led her to a few locals she was familiar with in the area. It was at the third place that Trixie pointed someone out.
They saw a flamboyant looking human man standing near a mirror next to the door, he had short, spiky, brown hair and was fairly skinned and quite attractive. He wore a long trench coat that was colored a loud and attention grabbing hot pink, accented with a turquoise blue. The coat had a long tail that split off into two and a pair of long stiff spikes that poked up around his collar and wrapped around his head.
Trizi just shook her head, "Oh... My Gods..."
Aya couldn't help but smirk. "I take it this is him?"

"What is he wearing..." Myrahna covered her mouth with a hand.

"Is he not usually this..." Aya searched for the right word. "...flamboyant?"

"No. He is." They both said at the same time, the human man finally noticing them.

"Oh? Hey you two!" He gave them a wave as he got closer. "Well, what'd you think?"

"You look like a Flower." Myra abruptly responded.

"That's not... So bad though... It's a nice flower..." Trizi looked back and forth.

Aya chuckled. "I was told you were something of the leader of the group. I guess I expected someone... meaner looking. Though considering my own captain..."

"Oh, I'm a badass. Best Pilot and Engineer in the entire Galaxy, my name is James Delanor little lady." He gave her a fanciful bow, twirling his hand before returning upright.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Pon Taer Sisters
Part Three

She bowed her head. "Aya Me. I do a little of everything, but my main position is bounty hunter and second in command of the Golden Wind."

"You have that ship that looks like an Eagle right? I saw it the dock and I thought, 'Now those guys have style'. Whose idea was that?" The Human asked simply.

"My captain's," Aya answered. "And she will be very flattered to hear you say that."

"Your Captain sounds great. Like a Woman after my own heart." He nodded.

"Yeah. Our ship is just a giant rainbow mess." Myrahna looked away.

"You know you love it." James chuckled, "So Aya, how long have you and your Captain been together?"

"For years now," Aya stated. "Since we were teenagers, though we only started our business officially a few months ago."

"We only started a few months ago, but we are going strong. I should get around to telling you how we all met." He chuckled.

Aya nodded. "I would like that actually."

"So. There was this pirate king. Worst of the worst. Went by the King of Skulls, he was the biggest, meanest Shinso you have ever seen, pit black fur, easily nine feet tall, covered in scar. He had been cutting a swath through the Galaxy for decades and he had a huge three million credit reward on his head."

"Sounds familiar," Aya said with a nod. "Bounty had to be that high because otherwise no one would dare take him on."

"Well. As it turns out we all had cause to take him. He had attacked Trizi'nora's ship and stole her supply of medicine as well as her pets. He was working on developing and selling black market AI schematics, and he was a slaver to boot, our friend Argus even knew him. I had my own reasons." James went on.

"He went after the bounty alone, then got his ass kicked and humiliated off the enemy ship." Myra interrupted, James grumbling and crossing his arms.

"I see." Aya smiled at him. "Brave. Foolish, but brave. I'm surprised you survived."

"They... Saw me as a respectable foe and thus spared me." James crossed his arms.

"They saw you as a complete idiot and let you run away after your pants fell down during your fight." Myra clarified.

"I u- How do you know!?"

"I'm in Intel, remember?" The Fee shook her head.

Aya placed her hand over her lips, hiding a laugh. "So how did you end up with the others? Decided to combine your efforts?"

"Yeah. We all kinda ran into each other one at a time. We... Did not get along at first, but by combining all of our skills, we were able to track him down and capture him!" Trixie exclaimed happily.

"Quite the catch," Aya admitted. "What made you all decide to stick together?"

"Why not? If a group of fuck ups like this lot can capture a pirate king then what else can we do? Besides, if I leave they're all going to get themselves killed." Myrahna answered, sitting on Trixie's shoulder.

"Now I'm eager to meet your last member," Aya said eagerly. "What is he like?"

"He's a Shinso... With a hell of a past... He is trying to change his way." James explained. "Argus... Should probably tell you himself."

Aya nodded in understanding. "Of course. Where might we find him?"

"I'm right here." A gruff voice spoke, looking over Aya spotted a large, scar covered white Shinso, a magnificent mane of dreaded hair flowing from his head all the way down to his waist, a tie near the small of his back keeping it mostly together. However, what really peaked her interest was a small Cartus girl with orange striped fur shyly following behind him, staying near his leg. "Who's this?"

"Argus. Aya Me. Aya Me. Argus." James introduced. "Oh and that's Charlie down there."

The Little Cartus girl poked her head out to get a better look at her.

Aya gave a somewhat uneasy wave. "Hello, Charlie."

"Hello... Miss..." She replied as the large Shinso gently pat her on the head.

"Charlie has no parents. So I watch over her." He explained simply.

"I see... so she isn't..." Aya started, wanting to ask without directly asking.

"No! Of course not!" James exclaimed. "Racist Much!?"

Aya threw up her hands. "I'm sorry! I didn't... mean any offense. I just... sorry..."

"I'm just taking care of her." Argus sighed, gently picking up the little girl and putting her on his large shoulder. This made Charlie smile, but she still seemed to be apprehensive of Aya."

Aya frowned deeply. "I really am sorry. I guess working as closely as I do to a Cartus myself, I start to take on her... apprehensions..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sucker, something she kept in case JJ was making a fuss, and offered it to the girl.

The little girl with long orange hair reached down to carefully take the lollipop, looking up at Argus with a questioning expression.

"You trust her right?" The Shinso looked around at each of them, giving him a nod. "Go ahead Charlie."

Charlie promptly popped it into her mouth, smiling as the sugary sweetness hit her tongue.

Aya smiled at her, then up at her Shinso companion. "So your friends implied you had an interesting story."

"Did they?" His eyes focused on James, the Human beginning to sweat. "Well you can say that. I was a Slaver. Or a Slave Hunter, more accurately."

"Were you now?" Aya asked. "I take it that is no longer true?"

"Of course. I use my knowledge to hunt Slavers now. And luckily for my Slavers and usually worth a lot of money." He chuckled.

"What made you make such a 180 in your vocation, if I might ask?"

"You're looking at her." She looked down at Charlie. "This little girl... Touched my heart you could say... Before her mother died... She begged me to keep her safe..."

Aya smiled at Charlie once more. "Guess such a cute little one can have that effect on people."

"She's not cute!" The Gruff Shinso looked over at her.

Charlie popped the lollipop out of her mouth and scowled, saying it a sqeaky voice, "I'm a strong warrior!"

Aya's smile only widened. "My mistake. I can see how such a strong caregiver would produce a strong young girl. I can't wait to see all the butt you kick some day." Aya punched her fist into her palm.
Charlie mimicked the action, grinning with determination.
"So. Aya right? You mentioned how you picked up your Captain's views... Was she...?" Argus asked cautiously.
Aya shook her head. "No, but I believe her parents were, and you know how parents instill things into their children."

"Right... I've done a lot of bad in my life. But I'm working to free all the people I helped bring in and to stop more damage from being done. I know I'll probably never fix all of it, but I have to try." Argus cast his eyes downward.

Aya nodded. "All you can do is try. The fact that you are trying is more than a lot of other people can say."

"Most of them in fact. I can comfortably say." Argus shrugged, "I'd forgive your comment earlier if you weren't partially right."

Aya sighed and nodded. "Well, it really was nice meeting you all. I'm gonna head back to my ship. Do any of you want to come along and meet my captain?"

"James? Want to come meet her with me?" Trizi smiled.

He shrugged, "Sure. I'd enjoy meeting a fellow Captain."

"Great. And Charlie?" Aya winked at the girl. "You keep growing to be a big, tough warrior, okay?"

She smiled, "Yeah! Big tough!"

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Pon Taer Sisters

Aya led Trizi and James back towards the docks, hoping that JJ wasn't napping. Lunkily she wasn't, but instead was standing outside the ship. Based on the tight sweat pants and sports bra under a thin shirt, and the amount she was sweating, she had just finished a run, and was doing some after run stretches. "Hey Aya! Hey, Aya's companions!"

"Hey," Aya said. "Nice to see you're doing something healthy for a change instead of scarfing down junk food and napping."

"That's how the various Gods intended we live." James replied, chuckling. "Hi, James Delanor.

"Charmed." JJ did a small bow. "Jackie-Jackie Jetstorm, at your service." She turned to the green haired Tamearin.

"I'm Trizi'nora. You can call me Trixie." She gave a fainter smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

JJ blinked at the somewhat reserved smile, bit said nothing on it. "So who are you guys with? Your name is familiar, James..."

"You've probably heard of my... Heh... Exploits... I am Leader of the Starlight Brigade... Captain of the Star Prism." He bowed fancifully.

"Oh, yes! I have heard of you! Follow some of those exploits carefully." JJ smiled at Trizi. "You are so lucky to be part of a small but illustrious team."

"Yeah. I... Uh..." Her expression seemed to dip, a brief bit of panic showing on her face. "I... Think... You two should talk, I would like to speak to Aya in private please."

"Um... s-sure." JJ nodded to Aya.

Aya stepped out of earshot with Trixi. "Is everything okay?"

"I... No... We had been talking so long I forgot to... Take my medicine..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the clear vial from before and a small pump needle. Pressing it into the top she quickly loaded it up into the injector. "This... Is a little closer then is c-comfortable for me..."

Aya nodded. "Do you need any help?"

"I'm okay... I..." Trizi looked up, her eyes widening as a number of Tough Looking Tamearin Women walked began to walk towards them.

A Tamaerin with a high top dark blue ponytail crossed her arms, "You shouldn't have stepped away from your friends, little girls."

"You got a problem with us?" Aya said curtly, placing a hand on her hip. "Cause I don't know you."

"We saw you walking away from that Restaurant Pon-Taer... Your kind isn't welcome here. If that place wants to house rats, that's their business, but don't expect honest citizens to sit by while you pollute our street." Her eyes dart over to the needle in Trizi's hand. "And of course you are doing drugs too, why don't we put in a little word to the proper authorities?"

Aya stepped in front of Trizi. "You don't even know what they're for. How about you back of and mind your own business, you emotion starved drone?"

They narrowed their eyes at her, a second Tamaerin with short purple hair in a spiked pixie cut looked over to the first. "I have a better idea. Why don't they give us everything they have, and we don't report them?"

"That does sound fair. After all you are breaking the law. You Pon-Taers just can't help bringing the entire society down with you, huh?" The Ponytail Tamearin crossed her arms.

"I have a better idea." Aya stepped forward. "How about you leave now and I don't kick all of your asses?"

"I don't think I really like that idea." The Third Tamearin, rocking bright yellow hair, crossed her arms.

"You think we're scared of you? 'Beat us up' and you better hope your garbage pile of a ship can fly faster than the station police." The Blue Haired Apparent Leader Replied. "Why won't you freaks get it?"

"Yes, yes, we're not wanted. I've heard it my whole life. You wanna play it that way? Fine." Aya waved her hand back to Trizi. "She is taking legitimate medication for a condition. And we were just standing here. Plus Pon-Taers have a history of being harrassed across the galaxy. So beat it before I call station police and tell them you're harassing us and try to rob us through intimidation."

"Really? Heh, What kind of medicine?" She took a step closer.

"P-please... Don't... Do..." Trizi closed her eyes for a moment. "Not... A Pon-Taer..."

"You're not? Don't try to lie to me we've been watching you." She rolled her eyes.

"Leave her alone!" Aya stepped in the way. "Her medicine allows her to feel, okay? To know emotions beyond your limited capacity. To feel more then contempt for others and arrogance. It allows her to feel alive."

Her eyes visibly twitched, "Are you saying she's drugging herself up to act like a freak like you? That's sick. It makes me want to throw up. You Freaks think you can just pervert out culture and people any way you want or like. You're less than garbage."

Aya folded her arms. "Are you done? I've heard it all since I was a child. Nothing you can say will provoke me."

"Tch." The Woman began to take another step as one of her friends grabbed her upper arm.

"Her Friends are looking for her. We should go." She warned, looking back.

"You're lucky. Remind yourselves that you freaks aren't safe here. No one wants you and no one cares about you." The Ponytail Woman shook her head, turning around and quickly walking off as a group.

"Hmph..." Aya shook her head. "Arrogant, pig headed slags..." She turned around and asked, "Are you okay?"

As she looked back, she saw that Trizi's eyes were dinner than before, lacking that sort of spark or energy they had in them, her expression was neutral and emotionless as she stared at the vial in her hand. "I'm... I'm... Okay."

Aya slowly nodded. "That's... good. You're going to... take your medicine now, right?"

"Yeah... My medicine..." She sluggishly pushed the plunger, squirting some out to remove any air and she found a vein in her upper arm. She pressed the needle up against it until it finally pushed it. Her hands were shaking more now as steadi and firmly pressed the drug into her with her thumb.

Aya watched her quietly, hoping she hadn't waited too long. "Are you... alright?" she asked after a bit.

"I'm... O-Okay..." She pulled the needle out, speaking in a monotonous voice. "It... Takes a second... Thank you... Aya..."

"Hey, anytime." Aya smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have to stick together against people like that, right?"

She looked up at her, a smile beginning to form. "Yeah. Yeah!"

Trizi reached up and touched her hand that was on her shoulder, "They were a bunch of assholes!"

Aya laughed. "Yeah, they were. Come on. Let's head back to the others before they come back and I get arrested for knocking one out."

"Aya." Trizi quickly reached out and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, pulling her in for a quick kiss on the lips. After a few tense moments she blushed, "I-I'm sorry if that was too forward! It's just... The feelings spike right after I take it."

Aya gently brushed her lips, blushing herself, and shook her head. "No, it... it was fine." She smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Trizi subtly passed her a slip of paper, "My Contact Number. If you need help or want to talk."

Aya nodded. "Thanks. No one has... ever given me their number." She cleared her throat, a little embarrassed. "Come on. The other two are probably wondering what we're doing."

"Yeah." As they made their way back, they saw the two captains looking for them.

"There you are! You walked off and we were having a great conversation about that sick eagle ship." James chuckled.

"Sorry. Trizi was just... sharing with me some embarrassing stories about you, captain. She seems to have a lot."

"E-Embarrassing!? Trixie, you wouldn't do that to your Captain Right?"

"Don't worry. It was just the time the ship got attacked and you ran out of the mess hall to pilot us in your footie pajamas with a slice of bread in your mouth." Trizi laughed.

"Hey I did it didn't I? Besides I'm not going to waste perfectly good bread!" James defended.

JJ chuckled. "Sounds like something I would do." She offered her hand to James. "It was really nice meeting you. I hope we get to work together some day."

"I do too. Great to meet you Ms. JJ." He nodded, give them both a smile before the four parted ways.

 

[Dahlexpert]

Dhalexpert & Blackout

A new perspective and brutal truths.

Three bottles of a Dondondari hard liquor lay strewn across the bar, Titania slumped over the counter. She wore an eye patch over where her eye used to be and the skin surrounding it was vastly different color to her normal skin tone; a pale white to tan.

Blisk walked into the bar and grabbed a seat next to Titania.” Well don’t you look depressed, Hell I can assume that you drunk all these?”

"Yeah..." Titania murmured, her blue eye looking incredibly tired. "And why not drink when you're unable to do your job anymore?"

"The hell do you mean you can't do your job anymore?" Blisk stood up and looked Titania over and saw that she was wearing an eye patch." Really of all the stupid, how the hell did you lose your bloody eye!? What did someone pine you down and carve it out of you?"

"Shot. Someone shot it out." Titania replied, giving an emotionless stare in return. "And I don't have enough money for a replacement. So when I'm done feeling sorry for myself and drinking myself into a blurry haze of bad choices, I'm leaving." She turned her head away from him, letting out a heavy sigh.

"You know if I wasn't here on this ship I would let you just sit in your misery and live with this mistake for the rest of your life." Blisk sighed in annoyance. "Come along dumb ass I know were we can get you an augmented eye free of charge well I say free but your gonna have to help me get it for you."

"I hope its on the station because I can't fly worth a damn right now..." She murmured despondently.

"Right you can't fly, alright well go to station and take the transport to Emptuu there you will get a cybernetic eye. And your gonna ou me for this one."

"And why are you going out on a limb for me, Blisk? You haven't exactly been this nice to me before, so why start now?" She turned her head back to look at the man, a frown settling onto her face.

“Haven’t been nice to you, I seem to recall me giving you a laser pistol from my guy Abe. So me getting you an eye is no different.”

"Eyes are worth far more than a measly pistol, especially ones that'll work on a Gene-mod's level. Not even brokering trade deals will justify the expense." Titania explained, her frown deepening. "So, yeah. It is vastly different to what you did before, Blisk. So why are you trying to get me something so expensive instead of letting me leave?"

“One because I refuse to have you go down like this and continue to be in this miserable state. Two is my last bounty is anything to go on, we need all the people we can. But more importantly Titania what race am I?”

"You're a Kotavorg and I'm a half-human. Your point?" She leaned forward and reached under the counter to retrieve another bottle of scotch, or at least its equivalent in Dondondari space.

"Yes i'm a Kotavorge that means if there is any race in galaxy that not only get you a cybernetic eye and would love to do so it's my race." Blisk then grabbed the bottle from Titania and grabbed her shirt. "So quit your damn whining, if there is any race that sees a mising limb as a minor inconvenience it's mine, besides I know someone that will give you a new eye because I oue her a favor ."

Her eyes narrowed into slits that promised a hell of a fight if he didn't let her go. "I'm in a foul mood and you do not want me to direct it towards you. So hands off, Blisk."

"Or what Cyclops, your gonna fight me with your good one good eye. Scratch that your only eye! Now listen her you have two choices you can come with me to Emptuu of your own free will and I can get you a new eye and you owing me, or we can fight and let's be honest I could just stay in your new blind spot and beat the hell out of you and drag you unconscious body to the space station and the ship going to Emptuu." Blisk then let go of Titania. "So pick you can continue being miscible because of a small inconvenience or I can fix you."

The foxgirl glared at him for a few moments than looked away. "I can still dent the shit out of you..." She gently kicked his shin, not hard enough to do any lasting damage, but hard enough to jerk his leg back. "You win. I'll go to this Emptuu place... just let me go get something a bit more appropriate for going out."

Blisk then let go of Titania. "Thank you and sorry for my behavior their, I hate seeing a good fighter sulking for a well what I think is a minor inconvenience."

"Its... okay. Just try to understand my view: I'm a pilot first, fighter second. Losing an eye to me would be like your arms in a fight. Very debilitating." She stood up and patted the still sitting man's head, as she walked by. "I'll be out in a bit, probably ten minutes."

“Hopefully because if you have me waiting longer I’m gonna get you.”

"Okay. If you do that while I'm naked, I'm chopping your manly bits off." She called back as she disappeared around the corner, now off to shower then change clothes.

“Blisk waited outside her room, looking over his augmentation as well as calling him friend to see if she could secduial Titania in.

Within the time frame she had set, the door opened after about 11 minutes.

Titania was dressed in a red halter top that exposed the top of her back and some tight jeans, both of which showed off her curves. The final touch was the braids she used having disappeared, letting her long hair flow down to the middle of her back, as the faint smell of flowers permeated the air.

"So... where we off to?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Blisk took a good look at Titania. “Why do you feel the need to impress someone? Anyway, we’re going to the space station we’re we met Abe from there we’ll get on a ship and go to the colony.”

"I'm not trying to impress anyone... I just thought this would be a cute top to wear." She started before shrugging. "Who's this mysterious friend of yours who's going to give me an eye?"

“Her names Sunny, and before you question her she’s the one that gave me my augmented. Heart, lungs, and spine.”

"Did she also kick your ass at any point? Asking for a curious friend."

“No she’s not a fighter, or at least not a good one. No she’s a strictly a cybernetic and augmentation doc. Now come on we’re burning time.”

"Oh, okay... guess I'll have to double the amount of asskicking for her, then." Titania smirked, as she followed closely behind.

 

[Dahlexpert]

Part 2

Blisk and Titania mad their way to the space station, once there Blisk purchased two tickets to Emptuu. Once on the ship it took the pair five days to get to the colony, the planet on the surface was green with some desert regions, but once they landed the air was humid.

"Weird..." Titania murmured as she walked out of the ship, the heat hitting her. "So... where to, Blisk? And is there someplace I can shower when we get there?"

“My friend might have a shower but for now, there’s a shuttle we can take to get their. Heh can’t wait to see how the colony has changed over the years.”

"I'm going to guess that a lot of your friends live here?"

“No because I don’t have many friends, now come on there’s a shuttle we need to take.” Blisk ordered a shuttle pass, once they got on the shuttle Titania saw that there was nothing but densely thick jungles. The planet didn’t look tamed at all, that was until they saw the colony and the massive force field around it with turrets surrounding the area. Once in the colony there were Kotavorg with and without augmentations or cybernetics. The colony was alive with food stores a few traders, but mostly filled with cybernetics stores.

Titania's eye lit up with curiosity and wonder as she looked at the various people walking about and the myriad of cybernetics. And while she usually detested them, most of the ones here were practical and utilitarian, holding a strange beauty to them. "Okay. I'll admit... I do like this place..."

“Yeah not many people go to our part of the galaxy or get to see what we’re really like.” As they made there way through town going through plenty of stores and some coming and going out of the forcefeild, they came across this a small store that looked recently made.” Yo Sunny you around here?”

Blisk say a dark skinned woman tweaking with what looked to be a rail gun.” Ou Hay Blisk Good to hear from you.”

Titania approached without hesitation to examine the gun. "This looks like a Typhoon Arms Railgun... or a modifed version. You could probably sell this for quite a profit if you wanted to." The foxgirl observed before sticking out a hand in greeting. "Titania Regalia. You?"

“Sunny Sandiago.” Sunny pulled one last winch before shacking Titania hand.” So I take it you need a new eye, Blisk told me everything. So you need something that works alongside your genetic modifications right?”

"Yeah... my eye is enhanced enough that I can fly without using a ship's sensors." Titania offered a sheepish smile. "Which would be asking a lot... So it's fine if t can't see as far as my remaining eye."

"Hum so a cybernetic eye that's good for both fighting and piloting a ship and it's enhanced. Is that all that's amateur hour, luckily Blisk told me about it. Now I can easily make that kind of eye for you with no problem, it will just coast you sixty thousand credits."

Titania rubbed her head and reeled a bit at the cost. "Sixty thousand? I don't suppose I could try to barter a bit to lower the price?"

"Don't worry I already have something in mind, and it involves you Blisk. I want you to go to our ancient home world and go in the great hunt."

"No absolutely not, I'm not competing in the great hunt for a friend’s eye that's low Sunny."

"Damn it Blisk, your thirty four year old. You’re a bounty hunter and that means any day you could die at least think about."

"I told you and my grandparents i'm not doing it, I don't stay in one place long enough to do so."

"What is the Great Hunt?" Titania asked, her hand deftly twirling her sword handle.

“The great hunt is we’re all Kotavorg go to our ancient home world, we hunt for day trying to find.”

“It’s breeding season, basically it’s when my kind basically prove ourselves to our soon be partner we fight we breed it’s a very enlightening event that last weeks.”

"So, in essence, you don't want to participate in your mating ritual because you want to... keep enjoying going after the various women of all races? I mean, I guess I understand..." Titania teased, smirking a bit as she finished.

“Ou if only, no the reason no it’s because he’s scared of being a daddy.”

“That’s not.”

“Blisk you’re gonna soon be the last of a strong bloodline we need you to have a kid. You’re more than some bounty hunter.”

"He is." Titania agreed, but her tone became a little more rough. "But that should be something for him to decide to do. If he wants to 'mate' and settle down or hells have a kid that should be his decision and his alone." Titania crossed her arms, giving a disarming smile.

Sunny looked Titania up and down and looked back at Blisk.” You like her don’t you, I mean you don’t typically call me to help your other allies?”

Titania turned slightly so that she could see both of them. Her curious gaze then rested on Blisk, waiting for his answer.

“Ugh she’s a decent fighter and hunter I respect her as a partner.”

“Blisk that’s not what I meant.”

“I know that, but I came here for her eye, not romance talk or talks of the great hunt. Now Sunny would you kindly look wound.”

Sunny instantly regonized the look Blisk was giving her, and she knew to stop teasing Blisk.” Alright Fox Lady let’s go to the back so I can see what I’m dealing with.”

"Alright." Titania took off her eye patch to reveal a mishmash of old and new skin around the edges of where her old eye used to be, complete with blackened bone and a brief frown from the damaged woman. She gave a small smile towards Blisk before following Sunny into the back.

Blisk didn’t say anything but sat down and waited. Hours went by and Sunny came out with bloody gloves.

“Ugh Blisk how could you allow that woman to walk around in that condition, it’s amazing infection didn’t kill.”

“Is she alright?”

“Titania, come on out.

The foxgirl held a hand to her face, attempting to hide her new eye to little effect. She looked unusually nervous but whatever emotion she was feeling was quickly stowed away as she became emotionless and removed her hand.

The new eye was black metal with a golden iris that zoomed and adjusted to view Blisk. Any mechanical aspect, besides the slight glow the eye produced and the darkness of the metal, was carefully and tactfully hidden away. The new discolored-skin surrounding the eye was redone and fixed, making it look as if the damage she had sustained hadn't even happened.