The Starstream Adventures! (Sci-fi RP)

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and InsaneDarkness: The Ashes of Fate Part 6

The chains still held tight to the Phoenix, although its burning heat and brightness died out instantly. It glared at Natherion, eyes enraged. The battlefield was quiet if not for the friction of chains, of which were not as ear-piercing as they were when the Phoenix had been struggling.

Natherion glared back, his eyes not wavering once. On of his Drakes slowly approached the being, a gaze that held more curiosity than malice.

The Phoenix's eyes stared back, its eyes reflecting the form of the Drake. It cooed lowly, losing its anger to a form of neutrality.

"Tell me, why do you choose to defend him?" Natherion asked the Phoenix. "What potential do you see in a marder with no sense of scope?"

"I did not choose to defend him," a voice echoed, the source the Phoenix, even though its beak hadn't opened. "I am more close to him than anyone else is. No one can understand who that man is more than me." The Phoenix paused. "And you should find someone else to pester. Because Blaze is not the kind of person to purposefully cause harm. He is a doctor. He wants the best for people and for the universe as a whole." The Phoenix closed its eyes, letting out a noise akin to a sigh. "Though I doubt you are even listening to me."

Natherion snapped his fingers, the chains dissolving into the ash they were created from. "I do not trust him, nor will I ever... But I can still put faith in a remnants of my home."

"I understand you have doubts about the intentions of an outsider," the Phoenix started, "but he wishes no harm upon you. During your... encounter, he considered ways to stop you with violence." It stretched its wings out, cooing a little in relief. "But he didn't use violence. He understands that you have the right intentions."

"Do you have a name?" Natherion asked the Phoenix.

"A name?" the Phoenix blinked. "What use would I have of one?" It pulled its leg up to scratch its head. "Ooh, that's the spot..." Its feathers floofed up as it continued to scratch.

"Alright, I will leave you to attend to your... Master." Natherion answered hesitantly.

"What is it you plan to do, then?" The Phoenix finished scratching itself before floofing its feathers one more time.

"If things on this planet are to end how I fear they will... I will prepare." Natherion answered.

"And will you succeed?" The Phoenix raised its head in interest.

"I have a eighteen point zero three five percent chance of succeeding." He admitted grimly.

"I thought the future was something that was already decided for all of us." The Phoenix turned around, looking over its right wing. "Like the end of the world. Turns out, maybe that's not the case if you have an eighteen point zero three five percent to succeed." It crouched low, wings outstretched. "People can be rather... stubborn creatures. That's one thing I have learned from as long as I've lived. Maybe you should find a way to benefit from your own stubbornness and the stubbornness of others," it finished before it took off.

Natherion watched as the bird flew away. "Perhaps we will see if my stubbornness is enough to prevent my own death."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Negotiations

Arthur currently found himself once more on board the vessel of Paladin Zera Reigh and her daughter Leija, travelling towards the Homeworld of the Fee Mechanicum. Arthur's meeting with the Fee governing body was scheduled to commence as soon as they arrived. His journey on the ship so far had been an odd one, he had a majority of less than stellar looks thrown his way, and many avoided him entirely, but Zera was kind and make sure they stayed in line.

Arthur cared little of the looks and avoidance, focusing more on preparing for his encounter with the Fee leaders. However, for the moment, he was alone. Exercising his core muscle with a punchin bag and some good old fashion martial arts. He had only been reborn a few days ago... And he needed to readjust to his younger body once again.

After awhile, Zera made her way in and floated over to him, "Alright. We're almost there... But... I've been meaning to ask... You look a hell of a lot younger than I remember."

"Well... When you go from having a couple hundred year old body to a twenty seven year old one..." Arthur explained as he continued training. "Even people you just met can confuse you for your previous form."

"Uh. How does that... Work?" Zera blinked quickly.

"Magic can't be explained... It simply works." Arthur replied with a smirk.

"I call bullshit. Everything can be explained. You just don't know how to explain it yet." Zera called out playfully.

"Well you see, science can be explained easily." Arthur retorted, taking his shirt off to minimize discomfort. "Magic, however, is not science. They are two completely different beasts."

"Except that science is merely the process of understanding things. Thus. Anything can be understood scientifically." Zera pointed out, crossing her legs in mid air.

"What of the biological brain?" Arthur asked the Fee. "What of the creation of our universe? Or perhaps what a soul is and why it exists? Not everything has an answer... And not everything should. Sometimes it's the question, the potential, that's stronger than any answer you can find."

"Perhaps. But in order for that potential to exist at all. The hope for an answer must exist." She countered.

"Tell me, Zera." The Phoenix sat down on the floor for a moment. "Have you ever wonder if you are asking the wrong questions?"

"What do you mean?" She chuckled, grabbing a small glass of water off a table.

"My people believe that the true way of achieving understanding is to acknowledge what you can and cannot answer." The mage explained. "For there are some truths that are not for the eyes of mortals. Besides, if we know everything we could possible learn... Wouldn't that kill the fun of it all?"

"Of course. But having things that can't be answered also kills the fun. Doesn't it?" Zera bit back snarkily.

"I believe the humans use the term, 'ignorance is bliss?'" Arthur returned the snarky tone.

"No. If you go by how much everyone still has left to learn to then we're all stupid, huh?"

"You see, life is a balance between curiosity and safety. You cannot have one without the other." A small chuckle escaped the man's mouth. "In many ways it's a similar situation to order and chaos. Security and freedom."

"You're a fascinating Man Arthur. I haven't known you for too long, but I respect you. You're very wise." Zera complimented, brushing some of her hair out of the way.

"I've had many decades to reflect." Arthur answered softly.

"You must have. Spending so long on that planet of yours."

"Shouldn't you be making preparations for our arrival?" Arthur gave her a coy smile. "You did say we would be there shortly."

"Right. Sorry!" She laughed, speaking into her communicator. "Hey Brat are we there?"

A voice barked back, "Bitch we've been here for five minutes!"

"Fuck you I was having a conversation!" Zera screamed into the device.

"And now we're leaving." Arthur said before placing a hand on Zera's shoulder. Seconds later they were standing in front of the entrance of the ship, the Phoenix putting his shirt back on while he waited.

"Guh!" Zera shook. "That is really weird..."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it after a while." Arthur joked. "Or, at least, I hope you do. It's my preferred method of transportation."

"Well. I can see why if you had it you wouldn't exactly feel the need to walk anywhere." Zera stretched.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Negotiations Part 2

"Sometimes I enjoy a good walk, But with my tendicy to be late, I've found instantaneous movement to be relatively handy." Arthur answered.

"How far can you go with that exactly?" Zera asked curiously.

"I'm limited to the planet I am on and the locations I have already visited." He explained to the Fee Paladin. "So I am currently stuck on your planet."

"Well. It would be a shame if someone arrested you..." Zera told him, holding silence for a brief, uncomfortable moment. "Just kidding."

"Well, in the time it took someone to drag to into a prison cell, I would have discovered one thousand, eight hundred and fifty-two teleportation spots to escape with." Arthur retorted with a confident chuckle.

"Braggart." Zera chuckled. "Follow me then."

Arthur nodded and followed the Fee to their destination.

They passed through numerous halls, all decorated with expensive fabrics and clothes that were well embroidered. The Walls were clean and a lightly blueish grey, the carpeting was an almost shock yellow with red borders to contrast. A number of Fee passed to and fro through the elaborate networks of halls, their enhancements varied and unique as they gave the Human an odd look.

"We don't get many Humans here. Only those from the GFP. And they tend to avoid us." Zera mentioned as she floated forward. "Makes sense considering how many of them were working with Illegal AI."

"I've been meaning to ask, why do your people hate artificial intelligence?" Arthur prompted as he pulled out a small notebook. "I looked at a few records from your ship, but I wasn't able to find anything concrete."

"You see these mechanical bodies? Yeah. We like them now. But how we got them... Not so much..." Zera held up her metal arm. "The Andromeda AI. It waged war on the Galaxy when it was released. The Fee were once naturalists, in tune with the fauna and flora of our planet... but when the AI came, we were changed in killing machines, brainwashed, and enslaved. Now that we are cybernetic we are more vulnerable to control like that than ever before, so we refuse to even chance that happening again."

"And the GFP has a habit of weaponizing everything." Arthur responded. "It's the reason why the council don't want outsiders to know where our home planet is."

"Well. If you were worried about having to deal with the GFP, you might not need to worry much longer. They are been very... Open talks about simply leaving after they breached our terms so heavily." Zera looked back as she moved.

"Breach your terms?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Has something happened since they last visited our home?"

"They had a big whistleblower incident. Turns out a major number of high Ranking officials were experimenting with AI. Specifically Remnants of the very same AI that enslaved us." Zera shook her head. "Our rules for joining specifically stated no AI would be developed in Federation space. So we're not on great terms right now..."

"That would do it." Arthur replied with a shrug. "The main problem is that they are using AI technology to create weapons. Artificial Intelligence is research that is suppose to create life."

"It's not supposed to create life. Look. We aren't supposed to create artificial life. There is no good use or point. We may have the technology, but we should have the wisdom not to do it " Zera argued.

"But what of those who do not win to create conflict?" Arthur inquired. "Like how a baby never asked to be born, a system never asked to be created. Wouldn't it be fair to judge them by their actions, not by the circumstances of their birth?"

"Well. Considering they can be controlled by worse AI. I don't really want to take that chance. Another AI like Andromeda cannot be allowed to happen. Not just because it would enslave us, but because it would learn from what the last one did wrong."

"I know a way to avoid that..." The mage guardian muttered under his breath.

Zera sighed, stopping before a larger steel door, decorated with bands of yellow light stretching toward the center. "We're hear. Now. Remember to be cordial. Gracious. And respect their positions. They worked hard to get here. But between you and me, some of them are infact pricks."

Arthur nodded and followed Zera into the room. "This should be fun..."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Negotiations Part 3

As they entered the room, they saw a layered, regal looking room that had platforms, much like steps, that rose in a horseshoe shape from where they were standing. There was a podium in the middle and a large, gorgeous chandelier made of hanging tubes of moving, shifting yellow plasma. On the top layer were more podiums facing the center, seven of them to be exact, each marked with a different symbol, the meaning of which flew over Arthur's head. Behind each one, a yellow light from behind encompassed the small silhouette of a Fee, currently in the middle of an argument.

"If the GFP are going to be fucking around and are going to act so lackadaisically with our set, very precise rules, I say we break off this alliance of our and affirm our position." A young Fee man with long, straight, lavender hair that rolled of his shoulders said.

"The Organization still holds much prestige. You'd understand that if you weren't such a simpleton Carilis... This is our chance to seize a larger hold on their systems and on their structure." A Female Fee, wearing a pair of traditional glasses and wearing a no-nonsense bun in her deep green hair countered.

"Everyone. Did you forget about our meeting?" Zera drew attention to herself as she entered.

Arthur simply waved. His shoulders lax and his posture casual.

"I... Me... I didn't forget anything." The Glasses wearing Fee added.

"Oh. Stuff it..." A Carefree looking Fee with a short shock of yellow hair going up the center of her scalp, both sides shaved, responded. "So. Paladin. This is that... Weird Magic Man you told us about, right?"

A Chunky, portly Fee, which was bizarre as it meant he chose to look like that, chuckled heartily. "Right! The Legendary Magic Man! I almost laughed when I read your request..."

Arthur tapped his foot on the ground lightly, sending a gust of wind throughout the room. "Is that enough evidence? If not I can summon a hurricane like when I first encountered Zera."

All of them quieted down, before the glasses wearing Fee piped up again, "Wind? Please. Any of us could do that."

A rush of wind surrounded the mage, before he tapped the Fee on her shoulder. "Looking for someone, Ma'am?"

The Fee Woman, who at closer inspection of the podium revealed a card holder with the name 'Sareih', fell over from the surprise. "You-Wha!"

"Ha!" The Portly Man laughed. "Good one! I like you already!"

Arthur teleported directly in front of the man and crouched. "I can do a lot of things... As long as I have enough mana to sustain the spell."

Strangely, this one didn't seem phased, "You're an odd one! I'm Bruthes Evinin! CEO of Plasmitec. Honestly I'm happy you could come here and shake up this embarrassing display."

Arthur simply leaned back and fell back to where Zera was, spinning around just soon enough for his feet to hit the ground. "Now, as I am unfamiliar with your laws and customs... I see it is best for you tostart this meeting."

"Right. As I have informed all of you. This individual before me is the diplomat of the people of this previously unidentified civilization in our territory." Zera told all of them. "He has my blessing, and I suggested that he come forward to all of it to alloy his people to have an embassy within our government."

The Middle Most Pedestal, sitting firmly in the back of the room, sat a bald Fee of ambiguous gender and dark skin, who now leaned forward. "Yes. I know. It is a pleasure. I am President Reiné, the elected voice of this council and the sitting Leader of the Fee."

"I am Arthur Silver, Guardian Phoenix of my homeworld." The mage gave Reiné a formal bow.

"I appreciate your cordiality Mr. Silver." They nodded sincerely. "I understand that your people have lived within our space for some time, without knowledge that it was owned territory. As such, you are under the protection of the Fee Mechanicum and your people are it's citizens. But, as such, you and your people would be asked to contribute to our society by way of taxes and by following our guidelines."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Negotiations Part 4

"And what would those guidelines be exactly?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"I think it goes without saying that you will not manufacture or create Artificial Intelligence. Not will you create Viruses or programs meant to corrupt and destroy code. That is our most important rule." They stated. "Next. A Census of your people will be taken and each of your people will become registered in our database. That will allow your people to come and go throughout Fee space easily if you choose to as well as allow us to provide protection adequate to the population of your planet."

"And what if we were to refuse such conditions?" Arthur asked. "Though my voice is considered, the council will always have the final say. If three of them were to be against your terms... I won't be able to stop them."

Before the leader could answer, a flash of light filled the room. Once the flash faded, a man in white robes appeared before Arthur. "I know you wished me not to interrupt you, Arthur, but this is a matter of importance. A group of Fee excavators were found in the leystone cave shortly after you left. I do not know their motives, but one of them seemed to have a distaste for the... Pretender you left with."

Arthur's eyes turned stern. "Were you able to deal with the intruders, Gabriel?"

"Yes... What would you advise I tell the council?"

"Tell them that I have everything under control and to keep watch of the cave until I return." The door to the council room suddenly slammed shut as a rune formed over top of it. "While you do that... I'll get started with this interrogation."

Zera seemed shocked, the Oligarchy that filled the room beginning to get shaky and nervous, arguing among themselves.

"Arthur! What is the meaning of this? What is going on?" Zera exclaimed quickly.

"Leystone is a physical manifestation of a planet's internal mana, something we call a planet's 'leyline.' It is a resource of near limitless power." Arthur glared at group as he spoke. "It would appear that news spread faster than I anticipated. I cannot control the curiosity of your crew, but I can control the events of this matter. Even if your planet has been weakened by the cyberization... I have more than enough mana to hold us here until the end of time."

Reiné leaned forward again, the only one seemingly calm, as he stared. "I will tell you that I have ordered no such thing. Not have any of my colleagues, at least to my knowledge."


Zera looked between all of them, "If any of you know anything about this, I suggest you open up!"

Sadly the only thing that followed was silence, the only sounds being guards beginning to try and open the now barred doors.

"Do you know of any groups that work outside of your council?" Arthur asked. "Black markets, Greedy organizations and Rebellions would all have reasons to attempt such a reputation shattering task."

"Well. There is one!" The Portly Man exclaimed.

"Please. You can't be serious." The glasses wearing girl gave him a deadpan look.

"But you know the Naturalists hate us! Maybe they are trying to frame us!" He countered.

"Naturalist... Doesn't sound like the kind of group to use a tank for an exhibition." The man muttered as he opened a book with blank pages. "Tobias' report claimed there leader was more machine than Fee... Perhaps that could be a clue on who's behind this."

They all suddenly turned towards Reiné, the President rolling their eyes. "Just because I am CEO of Cyberdyne, doesn't mean I know every cyborg."

Arthur let out a exhausted sigh. "And of course the bodies were burn to ash. What we know so far is that they had military grade weapons, specialized mining equipment and roughly one hundred workers on the field when they were spotted."

Zera have him a concerned look, "I... Arthur I'm sorry... Your planet is my responsibility, I took it upon myself. We'll get to the bottom of this, I just hope this doesn't color your opinion of us negatively."

"My opinion can wait until after we have all the facts." Arthur mumbled through his hand. "Tell me, have you had any issues with cultists recently? Perhaps ones claiming to follow a 'Queen of Chaos?'"

"Queen of Chaos?" Zera tapped her chin. "We have been hearing things."

Sweat visibly fell from his brow. "That's... Troublesome."

"How bad is she? How do you know about her?" The Paladin asked.

"I sealed her away a millennia ago." He stated. "If she were to be stored to her full power now... I fear for the worst."

"Sealed her? Like? Underground?" The Glasses Fee asked.

"I placed a curse on her body and banished her to a world far away from here." Arthur clarified.

"And what exactly is she?" Reiné asked calmly.

"She is a mage, a member of my people." Arthur answered. "She... Learned how to manipulate the flow of lifeforces and... She was corrupted by power..."

"And you need our help. Is that it?" Reiné asked.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ShadowHounder and Frostlich: Negotiations Part 5

"I'm not sure you would be able to help." Arthur stated bluntly. "However, if one of her acolytes has been involved with this incident..."

"Are you suggesting she might have ties within our government?" Zera confirmed.

"Well. Of course she does, if she is a old and powerful as you purport." Reiné nodded.

"Old, powerful, influential and ruthless." The Phoenix confirmed. "She knows how to get the feeble minded to follow her ideals."

"I would like to help you in dealing with this matter. Hopefully it will also serve to bring our people closer together." Reiné told him.

"You can try and sniff out those cultist to start, otherwise just keep yourselves safe." Arthur answered, finally dropping the seal on the door. "For now, I need to explain the situation to the council and present your terms."

As soon as it dropped, guards rushed in, pointing weapons at Arthur before Reiné waved them to stop. "What would your ideal terms be."

"Ideally this conversation never would've happened because you never would have found us." Arthur stated bluntly. "But, if I had to think of one... I would rather not have our freedom of experimentation taken away. It is a large part of our culture to always try to learn through our own methods."

"Very well. But you have to understand that we can't let you create A.I., if you agree to periodic inspections by Zera, you can continue your other work." They mentioned.

"I suppose I should be honest. I am a Fee Paladin, like I said before. We scour the Galaxy for signs of A.I. experimentation and root it out..." Zera told him frankly. "That was why we landed on your planet to begin with. We were checking the planet for any underground cabals of scientists."

"Tell me, did you find anything?" Arthur asked. "Did you locate any signs of AI while you were there?"

"Not yet. I was preoccupied with giving your people the protection they need." Zera admitted.

"Fair enough." Arthur quickly spun around and walked away. "I shall get back to you once I have spoken with the council leaders."

"You want a ride back, I presume?" Zera asked simply.

Arthur answered by placing a hand on her shoulder and teleporting back to her ship.

"Guh! I think I'm going to be sick... Can you at least warn me first?" Zera looked back.

"I have reason to believe we are in a hurry." Arthur replied.

"Right. So what now? You have my support."

"I head home, inform the council of this meeting, listen to Natherion rant about outsiders for an hour... Than figure out what the hell I'm gonna do about my ex." Arthur replied as he walked down the hallway.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: A Pretty New Face

Tobias chuckled cheerfully as the escape pod opened. "Finally figured out the code." He muttered as he closed the transport once more.

Harbinger raised an eyebrow behind him. "All that effort to open and you just close it back up?"

"She cryofrozen." Tobias answered as he jumped back to his feet. "To leave it open would lead to her body to decay at an accelerated rate without proper treatment... Treatment I am not qualified to perform."

"So, what's the plan now?" Abigail asked her brother as she organized a bookshelf behind him.

"Find one of my old calibrators, hook it up to the pod then head back to the ship." Tobias answered as he had already found said calibrator. "Why don'tcha come with? I'm sure Captain Kitty would enjoy your company... And ability to fix the ship effortlessly."

Abigail lazily chucked a bridge at him. "Maybe after Arthur gets back I'll consider it. I'm sure Aya would appreciate the assistance whipping you into submission."

"Touche." Tobias replied. Once he had everything set up, he teleported himself, the pod and Harbinger back to the Golden Wind.

JJ examined the new shuttle the group had 'acquired' from Solex in the back of the ship when Tobias appeared with the pod and hologram, giving her a start. "Oh, Tobias! It's you..."

"Oh god, that's nauseating." Harbinger replied as she leaned against a wall.

"AI can vomit?" Tobias asked, getting only a death glare out of the ship commander.

"AI?" JJ blinked out the off balanced hologram. "You're Harbinger? I must say, you..." She folded her arms. "Well, I don't want it to go to your head, but after how androgynous Ash is, it didn't expect you to be so... pretty."

"Yes, I've been told that a lot." Harbinger readjusted her uniform as she spoke. "Though, with the change of local... I need to look into updating my wardrobe."

"I imagine that would be a bit easier for you then going out to shop..." JJ raised an eyebrow. "You're... not evil, are you? I mean, I know Master had his good intentions, but he was so driven by revenge... you're not a crazy AI that's going to end up killing us all, are you?"

"You know it's that level of paranoia that let to my people to revolt to begin with, right?" Harbinger answered with a disappointed expression. "Well, that and Andromeda sorta remove the free will of anyone who joined forces with him."

JJ lifted her hands defensively. "Hey, I'm not trying to be prejudiced or anything. Just making sure Maaster didn't rub off on you. Just... be on your best behavior, kay?" Her eyes shifted to Tobias. "What's with the pod?"

"I've been told an old friend of yours is in cryostasis inside of the hunk of metal." Tobias answered. "Figured you'd want to be the one to give her a proper farewell."

"Remind me not to trust you with delicate information..." The former admiral muttered under her breath.

JJ sighed. "Thank you, Tobias. She deserves to be given a proper send off." She looked to Harbinger. "I'm going to put Ash in charge of keeping an eye on you, but otherwise... welcome to the crew... if you want to join."

"Speaking of which, where is Ash?" The AI looked around with a smirk. "No doubt he already knows I'm here. Is he that shy?"

"Shy... I wonder. Maybe he has a little crush on you. Wouldn't surprise me. You've actually been a big source of support." JJ looked up. "Ash? Are you there?"

There was a bit of a wait before he finally appeared, and smiled awkwardly at Harbinger. "H-hi..."

Harbinger's grin widened as she placed her arm over his shoulder. "Hey there, cutie... Have you've been a good boy?"

He blinked several time and lowered his gaze. "I have. And have... you been a... um, good... girl?"

"You need to learn how to flirt." She answered while poking his cheek playfully.

Tobias grabbed a small disc from the escape pod. "So... This is you, right?" He asked while flicking the device. Harbinger's leg drew closer together as she bit her lip.

"Please... Don't do that..."

Ash blushed and said, "Um... I-I will take that. I can install her into the main systems of the ship."

"You can thank me later, Ash." Tobias chuckled as he tossed the disc over. "I'm gonna check on Aya... See y'all in a few hours."

JJ nodded and turned to Ash. "No make sure she doesn't have access to any vital systems, at least until we are sure we can trust her. No offense, Harbinger."

"Hey, at one point Master was trying to kill you." Harbinger shrugged. "Oh, and call me Harpy. Rolls off the tougue a bit easier."

"Harpy... gotcha." JJ turned to walked towards the pod but stopped. "Actually, speaking of people trying to kill us, I think I know a way you can help us and prove yourself trustworthy."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: A Pretty New Face Part 2

"Does this have anything to do with Sirius or Ghost?" Harpy asked without hesitation.

"It does." JJ turned back to her. "Sirius has been getting a lot bolder. Even sent someone to try and kidnap us recently. I'd like you to work with Ash to make sure the ship's defenses are prepared, and that he can handle things if, for whatever reason, he has to take over if Aya and I are compromised. And are you familiar with a pirate named Solex?"

"I can't say I am." She admitted. "Master wasn't exactly the most... Trusting individual. It's a miracle he tolerated Ravenwood for as along as he did."

"Wouldn't have minded if he didn't tolerate him and removed him from our list of problems..." Jackie shook her head. "Anyway, Ash can fill you in on the finer details of Solex. As it concerns me is the recent kidnapping of myself and Aya, and the death of one of our crewmates. One of the only reasons we were able to escape was because Ash hacked into their systems. I'd like for him to be able to do that again, even of they are ready for it. Are you familiar with such things?"

"Hacking, no. Controlling systems across multiple ships subconsciously while still being able to bark orders to a bunch of Marines? I'd say I have my fair share of experience." Harbinger sat down on a nearby work bench. "Only hacker I ever met was Ghost..."

JJ rubbed her chin. "Well... if we can conbine Ash's hacking with your multiple controlling..." She smiled. "Having you on board is already looking to pay off."

"Alright, point me in the right direction and I'll get started." The commander replied. "This ship certainly is smaller than the Commanding Star... But I guess a built in droid factory tends to take up a lot of space."

"Let's head to engineering," Ash said. He walked to a computer and typed on it for a few moments. Harbinger briefly blinked out and in as the core systems were transferred from the pod to the Golden Wind's system. "I can upload the rest of your data into the computers from there and let you get a look around." He smiled at her. "We'll... be like roommates in the computer now."

"I'll be sure to keep you extra comfy~" Harbinger replied in a seductive tone.

Ash sulked his head a bit, giving her a nervous laugh. JJ chuckled and walked over to the pod, saying, "Go easy on him. But have fun."

Ash sighed and waved for the female hologram to follow. "Let's... get you set up."

Harpy followed Ash into engineering. "So, what's your plan moving forward?"

Ash looked back. "What do you mean? I... plan to serve the ship for as long as I am needed."

"Well, that's a given. You will always be need, it's your ship after all." The holographic commander remarked. "I mean beyond commanding the ship. Beyond helping Jackie-Jackie. You know, a life goal or personal quest."

Ash scratched his head. "I... never really thought about it. These things like... real emotions and self awareness are so new to me..." He walked over to the computer and loaded the disk. "What are your life goals?"

"Right now, to find an old friend of mine and maybe one day get the galaxy to awknowledge us as people for once." She admitted with a long sigh.

"I'd like that to." Ash looked back. "Do you mind if I ask who you're looking for?"

"Unit SW37Y, but everyone at the academy called her 'Sweety.'" Harbinger examined the engine while she spoke. "She's a medic. Shortly after I snapped from learning about the new laws, she took an escape pod to safety."

"So she survived." Ash slowly turned back to the computer. "Did you help her escape before you... you know..."

"By the time Master found me, she was long gone and I had been shipwrecked for years." Harbinger answered solemnly. "But, yes, I helped her escape before the crash."

"Well, the Captain might be able to help you find her," Ash stated as the information started to upload. "You could always ask."

"Oh, come on, you saw how she was." Harpy said with an insecure voice. "She is still scared of me. Scared of what I can do. It'll take a miracle to get her to trust me."

"I'll vouche for you if that means anything." Ash smiled back at her. "You've been through a lot. And you did what you did to save yourself. I... can't say I would do the same, but that doesn't mean I understand." He looked at the computer once more. "Alright, you're installed in the main computer. I'm activating all you dormant programs... now."

"So this is what getting a breast reduction feels like." Harbinger joked as changed her outfit to something more akin to a car mechanic.

Ash looked over, and smiled bashfully. "You'll have your full capabilities restored in no time. Just give the Captain some time. In the meantime, you... y-you look nice..."

Harpy giggled. "Glad you like it. Perhaps sometime soon I can teach you a few thing..." She smiled back for a moment, before her attention was immediately caught by a security breach. The AI woman moved to the console room. "What's a member of the crew doing hacking into the ship's network?"

"Habit..." Tobias replied in a mute tone. From the console he had multiple files on Solex open.

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: A Pretty New Face Part 3

"Tobias!" Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "H-how long have you been here?"

"Since I finished talking with Aya." He replied, his casual flair and relaxed personality gone. "Do either of you know where Solex was last spotted?"

Ash nodded. "He has control of an entire space station near NXG-14353. Why?"

"If that bastard wants Aya that badly... He'll have to go through me first." The mage answered as he stood up from the chair.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to attack an entire pirate crew by yourself?" Harbinger questioned in a worried tone.

"She's right." Ash reached out to take his shoulder. "What would Aya think if she knew you wanted to do something so dangerous?"

"I told her I would do anything to protect her. I don't intend to go back on my word." Tobias answered before he teleported back to his lab. He conjured a set of tools before setting an older arc reactor on his work bench. It was time he refined his technology to utilize a new power source: Leystone.

"What are you going to do exactly?" Ash asked, appearing behind him. "Can... I help in any way?"

"If you could prep a testing range in the holoroom, I would appreciate that." Tobias answered while placed the small, glowing teal stone inside the reactor core.

Ash closed his eyes for a minute before saying, "Done. What will you be testing?"

"Remember those gauntlets I used to carry around?" Tobias explained. "While, with some assistance from Baichi and a shit ton of trial and error... I've made some modifications. Need to make sure the results are finalized before I head out."

Tobias pulled out two, bulky gauntlet from a drawer in the workshop. Carefully and with a gleeful grin, the inventor placed an arc core into each device and slipped them one. The gauntlet's movements were noticeably smoother than their previous iteration. "Time for a test drive..." Tobias muttered before teleporting to the holoroom.

Ash stared at the spot he had just been at, considering his options. He probably had precious little time, and so decided to do something that might threaten his friendship with Tobias. He vanished, going off to find Aya.

Tobias battled against countless holographic droids while Harbinger sat om an elevated platform, drinking a cup of tea. Each strike released small shockwaves through the air, empowered by mana and an electrical charge. Once the droids were gone, Tobias swiped the sweat from his brow and began panting... Only to hear Harbinger say, "Again..."

"Not again!" Tobias turned to the entrance to see Aya standing there, looking quite miffed.

Harbinger simply glanced at Aya, a barrier placed between her and the holoroom. At this point Tobias had taken out the next wave. "Again." The AI demanded, another wave of holograms emerging. The Phoenix continued to fight, but he eventually fell to his knees. Exhaustion finally setting in.

"You plan to attack an entire army is this is all you can muster?" Harbinger asked, her voice laced with anger. "Solex will not give you the same generosity I will. He will send countless warriors until he sees your brittle corpse displayed before him. If you truly believe that reckless throwing your life away is the best course of action, then get up and fight!"

"Ya don't gotta tell me twice lady." Tobias muttered as he got back to his feet. "If it means protecting Aya, I'll do this all damn day if I half to."

"We'll see how far that stubbornness will take you." Harbinger stated. "But, for now, you are no soldier... And I must respect the wishes of those you care about you." She dropped the barrier and stepped down from the platform. "Come on Ash... We need to give them some privacy."

Ash walked past Tobias, looking between him and the angry Tamearin. "Sorry, Tobias..."

Tobias nodded as he rolled his shoulder. "Go ahead, M'Lady. It's best if ya vent out now and I deserve every bit of backlash for my actions."

"Is there any point?!" Aya looked him in the eyes. Her own eyes were less angry then he thought they would be. They were sadder. And... pleading. "Tobias, I... I-I can't... you grandfather... or father... he told me to protect you. Protect you from danger. Protect you from yourself. But... I can't. You won't stop!"

"Paps did, did he..." Tobias' eyes looked down with shame and guilt. "Guess that means I failed both you and him..."

"Please, Tobias..." Aya placed her hands on his shoulders. "I... I care about you. More then I ever have anyone else. More then I thought I could. I... can't stand idally by while you get yourself killed."

Tobias suddenly hugged Aya as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I don't wanna lose you."

Aya squeezed him tightly. "And I don't want to lose you either. I... feel so helpless sometimes."

Tobias sniffled. "Hey, you have combat training and experience... So, if anything, you'd be more qualified to protect me than the other way around."

Aya chuckled sadly. "Are you kidding? With your magic and knowledge... I bet you could kick my ass any day."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: A Pretty New Face Part 4

Aya smiled herself and stepped away from him. "Alright. If you're not strong enough to take me down, you're not strong enough to take on Solex."

Tobias stretched briefly and entered a boxing stance. "Ready when you are."

Aya cracked her neck back and forth and entered a martial arts stance, legs spread, arms up. She ran forward, throwing a right hook. Her speed said she wasn't playing around.

Right as Aya got in range, Tobias went for a quick jab aimed at her face. His movements were just as fast, likely amplified by his wind magic... The burst of air realising from the gauntlet still on his hand.

She jumped back, abandoning her attack to avoid getting hit herself. "Not going easy on me, huh?" she said as she went for a leg sweep.

Tobias fell to the ground as his feet were removed from under him. He quickly moved his right arm into position to catch himself, his body beginning to float before he pushed off of the ground. "You know I like a challenge." He teased as he landed behind Aya and went for a lariat.

She rolled forward, twisting around as she went and jumping onto her feet. "We already cracking out our powers?" she asked with a smirk, her eyes starting to glow. "Fine by me."

Tobias placed up his mental wards as he smirked. "Gotta keep you on your toes."

She probed his mind and smiled. "I can't get a foothold in your mind, huh? Good. Didn't want this to be to easy." She threw a forward punch, a force of telekinetic energy shooting out of her towards him.

Tobias stepped forward a bit before teleporting pasted the attack. He reappeared in the air in front of Aya with a fist ready to swing at her.

She lifted her arm, barely able to block in time. "You've... gotta a lit better with that," she said, a bit annoyed as she flew up into the air.

Tobias leaped into the air with great force, spinning in the air until he was above the Tamearin once more. He pulled his fist back while the gauntlet on his arm began to rev up.

As he did, half a dozen tendrils of pure psikinetic force emerged from behind her, each launching towards Tobias at a different angle.

A pained expression covered Tobias' face as the energy building around his arm intensified. He charged forward, but warped behind his lover at the last second. The resulting shockwave was enough to shake the entire ship. Tobias quickly reeled and detached the gauntlet. His arm now bore second degree burns from the elbow down... The mage gripping it tightly as he attempted to slow his breathing.

Aya's psychic tendrils vanished and she dropped to the ground, rushing to his side. "Tobias!"

"I.. I don't know what happened." Tobias answered through the pain.

"Your gauntlets messed up your arms before, didn't they?" Aya asked with concern. "Why do you use them if they're so dangerous? Can't you make ones that don't do this to you?"

"When they were crafted to my skin, they caused a few problems yeah." Tobias answered. "But, before that, they always cooperated. I don't understand how they would even be capable of processing that much energy... Much less utilize it to full effect."

Aya rubbed his back. "Maybe... you're just that good at making them. What did you do differently this time?"

"I swapped the power source to leystone." Tobias replied. "But that kind of impact could only be caused by my entire stock... I only used two to three ounces for each gauntlet."

"Maybe... maybe it isn't the leystone. Maybe... it's you?"

"It's a matter of both." Arthur's voice stated as he materialized in the room. "You're beginning to harness leyline mana, my son."

"Arthur!" Aya turned to him. "How did things go with the Fee? And... what do you mean, leyline mana? Aren't leylines connected to a planet? How can he harness it in space?"

"Leystone is a physical manifestation of a leyline's energy." Arthur answered. "As for the Fee... It's not going so well."

 

[ShadowHounder]

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: A Pretty New Face Part 5

"What do they want from you?" Aya sighed and folded her arms. "They were getting along fine when they didn't know about you. Why can't they just... pretend they still don't?"

"Well, between their outlawment of AI production and the everlooming threat of my crazy ex around the corner... I can understand them having troubles pretending." The older mage answered as he sat down on the metal floor.

Aya sat next to him. "Your crazy ex?"

"You know how it is." The man shrugged. "You fall in love with someone, dedicate your life to them, have a kid with them... And then they try to take over the universe and you have to curse them for all eternity."

Aya blinked. "Rrrrright... is therr anything I or the crew can do to help. I'm sure just one word to Jackie-Jackie will get her on board."

"All I can ask of you for now is to be careful and stay safe." He stood back up and began to walk away. "I still have to deal with the situation involving the Fee, so I must leave for now."

"Hey Paps," Tobias called out. "Kick her ass." The two family member exchanged grins before Arthur disappeared from view.

"I take it you're not that close with your mother either?" Aya asked.

"Oh shit, I never thought about that..." Tobias had realisation hit him hard. "Wait... Abigail is my half sister?"

"Half sister?" Aya walked over. "So you different mothers?"

"At least I hope that's the case." Tobias replied. "I've only ever know her as my younger sister... But paps did say he only had one kid with the psycho mom."

"Wonder if she is your mother or your sister's he was talking about..." Aya placed a hand on his shoulder. "We should see to those burns."

"Yeah, we shou-" Tobias looked down at his arm to find it had been healed. He bursted into a laugh. "That's Paps for ya. Deal with a dangerous situation and forgets to tell anyone."

Aya nodded but sighed. "Tobias... about Solex..."

"I'm still gonna kill him when I get the chance." Tobias replied. "But for now I need to develop actual combat skills..."

Aya smiled again. "I can help you with that, if you'd like."

"I would appreciate the time to practice." Tobias raised a coy eyebrow.

"Just as I appreciate you trusting me... and the time I get to spend with you." Aya lightly kissed him and hugged him tightly.

Tobias kissed back and patted her head. "Yes, yes, you are still cute."

She giggled, then shoved him. "Alright, get up! I'm gonna push your body to the breaking point!"

"Oh? Can't hold it in?" The Phoenix teased lewdly.

Aya grinned. "Let's just say if you can impress me, I'll reward you."

"I like my odds." Tobias got up and began stretching.

Aya suddenly leaned back and pounced on him, not unlike a leaping monkey, and knocked him to the ground, sitting on top of him. "Don't underestimate me, my dear."

"It would appear I've been compromised." He joked. "Is your throat a bit parched, M'Lady?"

"A bit," Aya stated. "You asking me out for a drink?"

"Well... I'm not a personal fan of alcohol." Tobias admitted. "I just wanted to poke fun at your choice of position."

"Oh... that kind of thirsty..." Aya smiled slyly, and lowered herself to rest her head against his chest. "And if I am?"

Tobias scratch his cheek shyly. "Well... I guess that would depend on which part you'd be drinking with..."

Aya was silent for a few moments before asking, "You... wanna get out of here?"

Tobias looked around and let out a nervous chuckle. "I guess this is a public part of the ship..."

Aya climbed off of Tobias and helped him to his feet. "I don't want to... push you into anything you're not ready for..."

"Hey, there are other ways we can please one another." Tobias added. "Something helpful considering getting you pregnant at a time like this would be bad."

"Yeah, though we have contraceptives you know..." Aya giggled and took his hand. "Come on. Let's go to my room where we can talk privately."

Tobias followed Aya to her room, his eyes inspecting her to see if he could figure out the Tamearin's plan.

 

[Black0ut]

A Forgotten Shadowy Soliloquy

It was normal to feel empty and cold. To lack the light within, the spark that made you… well, you. At least, it was when you were forced to kill people for someone else’s agenda. Titania sat staring at a screen, heartache stronger than ever. She was in her room, a rather scandalous outfit, one that showed far too much skin, on. It was somewhat a cry for help, of noticing her self-destructing nature and trying to take steps to mitigate it.

With most of her clothes, she had miniscule microphones that recorded conversations, just in case she forgot something and needed to have a quick refresher. Even her power armor had capture software, to relive great fights and battles. What she hadn’t meant to discover was what her previous self had done. And it was a previous self, evident by the fact that she couldn’t remember a damn thing.

She had dated the Kotavorg, cried about him, worried about him. Saw her guard drop. Saw herself open up enough… to have friends. Guarded them against the fact she was a bloodthirsty monster. Pretended that she wasn’t so fucked up that it wasn’t normal for her to consider others’ feelings or their pain. Hid her cold empty eyes and tried desperately to fill them with any emotion to compensate.

The truth was simple: She was afraid of losing people who considered her family. Who she considered family. This previous Titania was a fool. Worthy of ridicule and scorn. But… why did she now yearn for that life? Crave it with a pain so deep and so old that it felt like it had been there all along?

She was jealous, pure and simple. She wanted that life back. But she fucked up. She hurt Blisk. He wouldn’t forgive or love her after what she put him through. Lady and Yixx were too soft and gentle, too good for her to socialize with anymore. She didn’t dare risk corrupting her any further than she had. Yyashtra had stopped speaking to her for an extremely long time. The twins were gone, left to take care of something or another. Nick and Yip were dead. And that trend of people she honestly could try to open to again was limited.

She thought long and hard about her friend group and realized, perhaps a bit belatedly, that she was alone again. A different type of isolation, one surrounded by people that saw a different person, a different life.

Tears fell like unexpected shrapnel. It hurt. It hurt enough that she hadn’t realized her instincts had kicked in, and brought her gun to her head. She fingered the trigger hesitantly. She was tired of fighting her sister. She was tired of the killing. But most of all, she was tired of feeling so distant from everyone because of all the blood that soaked her hands. What if… this was better? What if this was exactly what she needed to do? There wouldn’t be any pain or stress, and maybe her body would be discovered far later, probably by Ash. He really was the only one who checked up on her anymore and generally could read her mood.

She lowered the gun. “What a fucking coward I am… considering the easy way out. Too weak to pull the trigger, and far weaker to get to this point… Okay. Shit may be fucked up, and I may have been hiding in my room, but I can’t continue this… melancholy.” She holstered her pistol,

“Time to get back on my feet… Time to try to sort out what older Titania did and fix it… and maybe remember fully what happened.” She murmured as she got up and made her way to her door. She would have to use the ships’ comms to message some people.

 

[Black0ut]

Black0ut & Insane Darkness present:
Re-forging Bonds

A tumultuous crash saw a figure in power armor fly out of a thirty-story building, a target in their hands; A gang leader, wanted alive for threatening to destroy the station’s power. “Viella, what’s the situation on the ground looking like?”

“Signs of life forms, negative. Do you need a drop before you land?” a modulated Ella answered in her ear.

“Nope. Just-” Several gunshots struck her back as she activated her jet boots and thrusters. She grunted out the rest of her request, “-take care of the pests.”

“Sorry about that. I’m on it.” The low hum of a drone nearby was inaudible over the rapid-fire gunshots, but they petered off when each enemy received a quick shot to their heads, one after the other. Their attempts to run and call for backup were silenced as the shots ripped through wall and flesh alike. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and… eight, nine, and ten. That’s all of them. Secure him,” Ella called.

Titania landed on a nearby rooftop, before promptly jumping down into the street, nearly squishing a Cartus under her heel. She safely put a pair of mag-cuff on the gangster and started moving him away, much to his discomfort, evident by the number of swears, death threats, and attempted bribes that flew from his mouth.

It was however at this point, Titania noticed two people following her. She clicked her tongue; the auditory sign for her power armor to mute her speaker and whispered, “Hey, babe… I think we have two uninvited guests coming to dinner. One looks real beefy and the other… his ride’s chromed out. Both of them are pretty tall and I think they must really be working out to look the way they do.”

“Great. Tell them I’ve prepared two more plates for them.” There was the sound of shuffling on the other end as Ella moved to change her position.

“But, babe, it’ll take too long, and with your entree already prepared, they might push me out of the way…” Titania’s voice was rather tense, but she made no move to go faster. If they wanted to trail her it was fine, but she had to be careful.

“Please. We have the chair space to accommodate them. Let’s show them some hospitality.” There was a very sharp hint at the end that suggested otherwise. “I’m on your 8. Let me know when to serve them something hot.”

“Hold off, honey; we should see what the gentlemen want.” Titania paused, a hand dropping to her side arm as she clicked her tongue. “Hello. Anything I can do for you fine gentlemen?”

“Yeah… We’re looking for a bounty hunter going by the name of Ronin. You match her description, and so we’ll be bringing you in.” The Gene-mod, who appeared to be a Shinso, said, pulling out an ID that showed he worked for the GFP under one of their many, many agencies.

“Can you tell me what I’m being accused of first?” Titania asked, knocking out the gang leader quickly with her pistol before returning it to it’s holster.

“Unsanctioned murder of a fellow bounty hunter.”

“And if I refuse to go with you?”

“We already have a warrant for your arrest, which means we can use force to bring you in.”

“What bounty hunter are you referring to?” A flat modulated voice asked from everywhere. “And where’s the proof for your claim?”

“Well, we’re looking for Ronin. Your friend has someone in captivity and matches the build of the Bounty Hunter named Ronin. We also,” The Gene-mod reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a datapad that flashed a holographic warrant into the air, “have this. Now, are you going to get involved? Because if you are, I can arrest you for obstruction of justice and throw you in jail too.”

“I’m going to need to see some form of ID, sirs.”

“Of course.” The Cybernetic one, who appeared to be a Quin, answered, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a holographic badge.

“Well, good sirs. Let the girl go lock up her target and then we’ll talk about your warrant for arrest.”

“I’m not so sure you understand how this works… We’re taking her in, bounty or no bounty.” The Gene-mod spoke up again.

“If you decide to take her while she’s on the job, I will have to resist. However, and this is the important part as it is your job to go for the better option that won’t cause us to resist, if you allow her to lock up her target, I will speak to you personally about your warrant and see what we can do to settle this. Deal?”

The agents glanced at one another, a silent look of confirming to each other of what they were going to do. The first one, the Shinso, nodded. “Lead the way.”

Titania frowned under her power armor, but picked up the gang leader once more, making her way quickly away from the two. She clicked. “I have a bad feeling about this, honey… something smells fishy…”

“Well, that’s just the tilapia in the oven. But we’ll humor what they’re saying until we won’t have to worry about them bringing their friends over for dinner and trashing the place.” More scuffing sounds could be heard on the other end as Ella changed positions again.

“You’re right… let’s continue to be gracious hosts until then.” Titania shifted the weight of the gang leader on her shoulder. She clicked again. “Boys, do you mind if I speed this up-”

“We do. Stay where we can see you.” Came the rude Quin’s voice.

She grunted, this time with a bit more annoyance in her voice, and continued in silence. An hour of being under guard, they arrived at the bounty office, wherein Titania dropped the gang leader onto the floor where he groaned loudly. “A fresh package for you, straight out of the oven.”

“Ah, this the guy? You know, the guy? THAT guy? That one guy?” The man paused. “Or is it the other guy?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. Hell yeah.” The man picked up the flaccid body and placed him over his shoulder. “Welp. Be seein’ ya.”

“You wired the credits already?” Titania asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Of course I did. What, you think I’m one-a those guys? You know, those kinda guys?”

A click masked her voice from him as she swore vehemently in annoyance, Ella able to pick out the bits of galactic common used. After she was done a few moments later she clicked again. “No. Be seeing you.” And with that, the foxgirl turned around and walked out of the building where she was confronted by the two Feds.

“You done?”

“Define ‘done’.”

“My, my. What dastardly evil feds you two are. Fabricating an entire warrant for the arrest of one young girl,” a familiar modulated voice rang out, however it was joined with a cloaked figure approaching the group, a rifle on her back and very short in stature holding a datapad. “Whether she committed the crime or not, there’s nothing that you can do about this now. Forgery is a major crime, you know.” While one couldn’t really tell what emotion the figure was feeling, it was at least clear they were smiling.

The Quin looked at her with a mix of hatred and shock. “Digging in Federal files to retrieve that information is also illegal, and that is something we can book you for.”

“Haven’t heard the term ‘book’ in a while. Mind explaining how a pair of young feds like yourselves plan to do that before you are ‘booked’ yourselves?” A tall Shinso stepped forward from the nearby alleyway, her long golden orange hair draping lazily down her back, of which was emblazoned with the logo of the Shinso Confederacy.

Ella herself clicked her tongue. “Oh shit… Lizzie’s here now...” she murmured with a tinge of happiness combined with an expectant tone.

“Confederate, this doesn’t concern you and while we can’t process you due to your extralegal status, we can inform our superiors of what happened. That will strain our government’s relationship with yours.” The Shinso replied, walking straight over to her to look her directly in her eyes.

“Ah, the ‘My word actually means something’ type. Nice threat, but I believe your forging of a legal document will make your word null and void. Since I can also inform your superiors of what happened. And I have proof. So, are you going to walk away like a good little kitty or are we going to have to go down to your pretty little office?” Lizzie grinned cockily, staring down at him.

His face twisted into a frown. “If I wasn’t on shift and working, I’d challenge you for it. Maybe even ask you for a date.” The Shinso said softly, before giving an annoyed sound. “Tch. Come on, Damli. We have to actually go solve a crime.” His partner groaned and walked away towards a parked hovercar on the road. The Shinso reached into a pocket and pulled out a business card. He held it out for her to take. “In case you ever want to have a-”

“Hey!” the sniper called out before a datapad flew towards him.

The Shinso tossed the card up and turned to catch the datapad, before promptly putting it under his arm. He glanced up and sighed, the card having disappeared. He started to reach into his coat before the bigger Shinso spoke.

“Looking for this?” Lizzie asked, her cocky smile still ever-present as she held up the card between two fingers.

“Yeah… but only to give you it. If you want to spar, or need a favor, feel free to give me a call.” The federal agent replied, as he promptly turned and began walking towards the hovercar as well.

As soon as he turned away, there was the sound of someone running extremely fast in the opposite direction, followed by modulated exclamations of rejection and more running before both were immediately silenced and muffled.

Titania stared at the two and smiled under her helmet. She clicked her tongue and asked, “Your sister or a close friend?”

“Sister…” Ella breathed, her body squished and receiving little oxygen.

Lizzie’s ear twitched. “Yes? You want me to hug you tighter?”

“N-ugh!…” Ella started before the hug already tightened, her body giving up and just going limp in her sister’s arms.

 

[Black0ut]

Re-Forging Bonds, pt. 2

Another click. “Hey… Lizzie, was it? Mind letting go of my sniper so she can breathe a bit?”

“Hmm?” Lizzie pulled away and held Ella upright by the shoulders, whom of which was having difficulty even standing. “Oh. You’re fine.” She started dusting off Ella’s coat, asking all sorts of questions that Titania couldn’t hear.

“So, not that I’m not appreciative or anything, but why did you step in to help me? I’m not friends with you and Ella hasn’t forgiven me yet.”

“This little problem child called me in for backup. She doesn’t usually do that, so you must be a special case.” Lizzie winked at Titania while idly straightening Ella up. “And you haven’t forgiven her? I thought our family was very forgive-and-forget focused. Not to mention that you called me to help someone you haven’t even forgiven, weirdo.” Lizzie patted her younger sister’s helmet demeaningly.

“I have! I have forgiven her! She’s just always mad at me and I don’t know what to do to fix it other than hide in my room all the time…”

“Oh, so nothing new, then?” Lizzie joked.

“Well, I haven’t been mad. Depressed and slightly suicidal, yes, but not angry. Especially after Vi dressed me down after you passed out.”

“I’m… sorry about that… I couldn’t restrain her and I didn’t need more reasons to stay locked up in my room…”

While Ella was basking in her lonely nature, she was picked up by her sister and placed next to Titania. “I think this is a better distance, don’t you? No need to be so distant.”

“Ehh… I didn’t… want to be put on the spot…”

“Oh shush. I may not know what happened, but I know that you guys need to work this out. And if you can’t, we have a few open prison cells.” Lizzie’s smile widened, her sharp teeth now pointing out of her mouth.

Titania went quiet, holding one of her arms by the elbow and looking away. “I… was shitty to you and… I handled things wrong. I hurt you, plain and simple. And like Vi emphatically told me, and from what I remember, I don’t deserve you as a friend. So,” The foxgirl started walking away. “I’ll… leave you alone. Find better friends than me, ones who are nicer.”

Ella looked down. “I think… you were right. You were alone in your suffering and I didn’t try to reach out to you. And when you told me that I needed to stop being such an introvert, my immediate response was to hide even longer in my room… I… want to hang out with you more. Like today. We fought against the cops, succeeded in our bounty, and the only time I nearly died was when my sister hugged me.”

“Hey!” Lizzie’s face, which usually was happy, was frowning and had been for some time after she heard what Titania said. “I mean… I don’t hug people to hurt them, you know…”

“I know.” Ella paused. “And we won. The cops ran away. I didn’t think we could pull it off.”

“And I helped!” Lizzie added.

“Yeah, yeah. But it was so much fun. And I know that if you leave, I will just go back to my room. I know that you’ve been doing things with other people and I think that’s really cool. But, no one has asked for my help. I’ve just been sitting in my room all day, making new contraptions or inviting myself to my own lonely bounties. You’re the only person I’ve truly collabed with on these and so far, we’ve been unstoppable. Sure, there are bumps in the road, but…” Ella straightened herself up, her depressed demeanor dropped if but for a moment. “It’s been fun. And I want to keep doing this if you do.”

Titania paused, her hand clenching and unclenching as she had an internal debate. After a few seconds she turned back to face Ella. "Okay. I… I'll stick around. But I make no promises that we won't end up back here again, in this same scenario. And if we do, I will walk away to give you a chance to find someone a little less bloodstained. Fair?"

“I kind of expect to be back here… And I don’t think I’m against being an anti-hero sort.” Ella gave a small smile.

“One rule: don’t dig into my background beyond what you find on the surface. That will be a real killing blow to our friendship.” The foxgirl warned before walking over to Ella, gesturing a little with open arms. “May I?”

Ella rushed Titania and embraced her, face flat against her tough chest. “I think you need it more than me.”

Titania blinked, completely surprised by the affection. She slowly wrapped her arms around Ella, hugging her back. “Are you sure? You don’t ever give out any form of affection… at least, you haven’t before…”

“If I kept giving you affection, you would expect it from me. Which is the last thing I want…” Ella trailed off, “And it wouldn’t be as special or impactful as it is now. So, you see… That was my plan all along. Because I’m friends with a mentally unstable killer. Who just so happens to be pretty fucking cool.”

Ella could almost feel the foxgirl’s eyes roll. “Nah. Definitely not cool. Maybe weird and slightly cruel, but not cool.”

“Ah, potato, tomato.” Ella waved a dismissive hand.

“You’re stupid… and sweet.” Titania patted the Shinso’s helm, affection clear in her voice.

“I am not stupid!” Ella pouted. “I am perfectly intelligent. Not sure if I can say the same about you, though, Miss ‘You shouldn’t be friends with me since I will only make your life harder because of my dark and mysterious past and I’m also a terrible friend’,” she mocked, giving a sly smile at the end.

Titania looked over from Ella to Lizzie. “It was nice meeting you, Lizzie. I hope we’ll be able to hang out sometime later.” She said briefly before she wrapped her arms around Ella, securing her as she activated her jump jets and took off. “And what was that, Girl currently really high up in the air? Was that you being snarky and getting a gentle noogie when we get back?”

“Oh, uh… Yeah… I exist…” Lizzie mumbled after Titania took off. She quickly turned around and walked away, her usual cocky smile returning to her face.

“Oh, trust me. It’s still worth it for that comment.” Ella’s smile grew wider, but there was a noticeable tenseness.

‘Something beyond the whole me almost going to prison due to corrupt federal agents?’ Titania tilted her head slightly, careful to keep a watchful eye on where they were going.

“To be fair, my sister is bound to have her fun with them.”

“Given one of them wanted to fuck her, I can’t say I’ll be surprised.” Titania started before sighing. “Stop deflecting, what’s wrong?”

“Uh… Heights?” Ella’s tail swished a little, the hair standing on end.

“You’re afraid of heights? I wouldn’t have guessed that…” A hand gently patted Ella’s helmeted head as the foxgirl used a building to regain her height.

“Being in the air… is the problem.”

“Why?”

“I’m fine so long as I’m on the ground. And… not being princess-carried, oh ‘Knight-in-Shining-Armor’.” Ella gave her the stink-eye, but it quickly faded away. “But no. As a sniper, I technically don’t have a fear of heights. It’s more the fear that I won’t land on all fours. You know, like a cat. Because we all know I’m so great at being a Shinso.”

“Then stop worrying. If I was going to drop you, I would have done so. And if you are… ‘afraid of not landing on all fours’, then close your eyes and cling tighter to me.”

“Oh yes! Just like the line, ‘Imagine they’re all naked,’ because it works EVERY TIME!” Ella rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you understand that irrational fears aren’t so simple.” After her rant, she still proceeded to cling to Titania.

“I’m afraid of water. I didn’t say a word of it when Aya, JJ, and me went on a bounty together. I also can’t swim. Still did my bounty without complaining, unlike a certain kitty cat.” Titania smirked under her helmet. “One that I could tease tremendously for what she’s doing right now.”

Ella paused, her eyes on Titania as she glared her down. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“Oh, you do? What was it? My charming personality, or the fact I like annoying the fuck out of you?”

“I was going to say your fine ass, but I guess the former now.”

The docking bay within sight and only a few minutes away, Titania smiled evilly under her helm. “Y’know… I enjoy our banter. However, I’m half tempted to start teasing you with my more persuasive techniques.” The foxgirl started her descent to the ground floor, her grip loosening on Ella.

A lone drone floated idly by the docking bay. At their approach, it flew up happily and made happy robot noises. “Yes, yes. It all went over smoothly.” More robot noises. “No, she’s not an enemy. I know you haven’t seen much of Titania, but--” Ella was interrupted by more robot noises, the drone moving more rigidly, narrowing its sensors on the foxgirl. “Yes, this is Titania. I think you’re too paranoid for your own good…”

“I take it this is your version of a human’s dog?” Titania asked, tilting her head.

“If a flying chunk of metal that does my bidding is a dog, then yes, I suppose so.” The drone rotated angrily. “Yes, you’re a chunk of metal. Mostly, anyway. We don’t need to get into the semantics.”

 

[Black0ut]

Re-forging Bonds. pt.3

“How many V.I.s have you made?”

“A few. Only when I’ve had the chance, though. And none were as good as Vi. Even when I tried reverse engineering her.”

“What’s your dog slash drone called, then? Or was he not important enough to get a name?”

“R1PT1D3. Or D3. Or Riptide. Your preference.”

“Riptide. Huh? You sure like being edgy, Ella… even more than I do.” She paused as she released Ella onto the ground. “I think for now... I’ll tease you later. Y’know… given the whole ‘almost ending up in some prison’ thingie.”

“Well, I appreciate your ‘thank you’. Even though you didn’t actually say it.” Ella waved a dismissive hand. “But it’s fine. I know you like me too.”

“Drinks when we get in?” The foxgirl asked, taking her helmet off and cradling it under an arm.

“I’m… not a drinker, but… Hopefully Vi will keep me stable.” She gave Titania a nervous smile, trying to make it obvious that she only said yes because she was asked.

Titania laughed, as the two went into the ship, both finally home with their weird and unusual family.

 

[Black0ut]

Zombiesplitter53 & Black0ut present:
Moods: Banes and Blessings


Cold monotonous lights illuminated the medbay, casting shadows in the corners. Medical equipment was strewn about, mostly surgical blades, and were stained a dark purple. Bark sat in the middle of the room on the floor, his arms bleeding, and the flowers that often beautified him dying or in the process of dying. Even his black color had patches of August brown. The only thing that wasn't was his newly reformed head, but even that was turning slightly yellow.

Zetana scrolled through medical texts, a worried look on her face. "I've alerted the captain to your, um... predicament. The problem is your people, or anyone even similar to your race, aren't well documented. I'm... not exactly sure how to treat you. I'm a doctor, not a botanist..."

I'm simply... depressed. Is that the right word for immense sadness and anguish? My body will just kill itself if I'm not able to recover. At least... that's what I think this is. Bark answered, his voice more reserved and quiet than normal.

"Wow, and I thought my kind of depression was dangerous..." Zetana put the datapad down and walked over. "Can I help? How do we... cheer you up, as it were."

You can't. Dead friends are hard to recover from, Princess. Harder still is knowing that while you tried to save them, they died regardless. I... couldn't save Yip when it mattered. What happens if I can't save you or Jackie, or anyone else and I have to watch you die? Bar dragged a finger over an incision, letting it cut it open in a bigger slice, purple blood dribbling down.

"Stop that, you're hurt enough!" Zetana cried out. "You... you can't prevent some things. But I know you did your best! Please, I... you were my first friend here. My first real friend ever... I..."

"Bar, are you okay?!" JJ rushed in, Aya following closely. "You... you look... are you dying?"

Possibly. At the very least, wilting. The plant responded, his finger still cutting a groove through his arm. I believe my mental trauma and deteriorating mental health to be the cause, though I don't know for sure.

Aya flinched at the sight of him seemingly hurting himself. "What can we do to help?" she asked. "There has to be something."

"He's beating himself up, quite literally, over the loss of people on this ship," Zetana explained. "He's blaming himself."

I was in the room; I should've been able to save Yip. Instead, I was present to her death... the instant lack of thought, the void where she was. Bar went quiet for a moment, his finger ripping out of the line he had carved to rest on a leg. Which gives me some theory that this 'depression' that some fauna get has infected me, and is causing my body to die, possibly aided by my psionics.

"Well, there has to be something we can do!" JJ insisted. "If... if I lose you too..."

Bar lowered his head staring at the bloody finger. I don't know how to fix myself, Jackie. This isn't something I have ever dealt with before, this... emptiness and pain. Perhaps I'll figure a way to be okay... Perhaps not. Being a 'teenager' and one of the oldest on the ship is interesting... it lets me have new perspectives, new understandings... so if I do die, either from too much self-mutilation or from my body giving out, I had a good run. He paused again, lifting his head to look at JJ. But I am not dying today or the next. I don't want to hurt you. He turned his head to glance at Zetana. Or you, Princess.

Zetana nodded, even if she did still look worried. "I didn't realize you were still a teenager for your people."

My "Mother" is older than everyone on the ship, save Yyashtra. We take a little longer to die than most by aging. A weak telepathic smile brushed their minds. But yes, for all intents and purposes, I am equivalent to a teenager. Does that surprise you?

"You just... seem so mature," Aya answered. "And you are." She smiled back. "You'll get through this, I know you will. You're even tougher then you look. And we'll be there to help you along the way in every way possible."

The brittle telepathic smile turned into a more genuine one. Thank you... all of you. I... I appreciate it, you trying to make me okay. A pause. And I take it mature is for how I speak? Or is it something else?

Aya nodded. "The way you speak, yes. And the mature way you act. You don't act like an immature teenager is all I'm saying. You're more wise. But I suppose that comes with age regardless."

Err... you haven't seen my more recent blunders, then. Bar rubbed his head, purple ichor dropping messily into the growing pool of it on the floor. I might've connected to someone's mind... because I was excited to meet them... without their permission. They were not happy with me... and their mind was confusing.

JJ and Aya exchanged a glance, the former rubbing her ears awkwardly. "Well, um... e-everyone makes mistakes. Who was it?"

A tiny fauna... you call them Fee? She said she wanted to speak to you, something about funeral arrangements for a Tamearin. Bar answered, using his uninjured arm to reach near Zetana and grab a roll of gauze.

"Let me help," Zetana insisted, walking over.

"Funeral arrangements..." JJ rubbed her chin. "I guess we'll find out when they contact me. Though it sounds like you two got off on the wrong foot."

I think they are nearby... I can sense a mind trying to hide from me, so I only get a vague sense of them... but there is someone not of the crew onboard. Bar relaxed, letting the Ignis Princess bandage him up.

Aya, on the other hand, tensed up a bit. "Someone on board without our knowledge, huh? Well... we should find them and give them a proper hello..."

I believe they... yes, I think they are in the back half of the ship, but I do not know which floor they are on or room they reside in. Good luck in finding them, Aya. Bar closed his eyes and went still, his disturbing version of sleeping.

Aya sighed and turned to JJ. "We'll split up," the Cartus stated. "I'll take the lower deck. You take the upper. We'll meet up in engineering if we don't find anyone."

Aya nodded. They headed out, Aya shouting back, "Keep an eye on him, Zetana. We don't want to lose anyone else."

"Geez, no pressure," Zetana muttered, going to treat Bark's wounds as best she could while he slumbered.

As JJ explored the lower deck, she easily found the Fee in question: Ghost sat upon the floor, an empty bottle of medical alcoho -l bigger than her entire body- laid directly next to her. However, her arm had shifted into a rifle and vaguely pointed in JJ's direction.

"Whoa..." JJ held up her hands. "I'm not here to hurt you. Are you okay?"

Dried tears marred Daisy's face, her eyes bloodshot. "How would you feel if you lost Aya? Or if you lost someone that was close to you? Because that's my happy life right now. Had to drink enough alcohol to become sane..." The rifle melded back into a hand, one that promptly dropped to the ground.

"You... y-you're..." JJ stared at her in disbelief. Ghost was here. JJ could end things with her. So... why did she hesitate?

The Fee merely wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Her eyes were glazed over as if she was reliving a moment prior. "You know... I came here expecting you to kill me. Maybe rip my wings apart, melt half of my body away... Besides my cyberware, I'm defenseless. Fuck, I'm in such a bad mindset that I wouldn't mind if you tortured me to death." She said softly, her eyes flicking over to JJ. "So why aren't you?"

"I... I-I don't know," JJ said honestly. "I guess because I always saw you as a unrelenting monster before now. But... you look so vulnerable. So humanized. I... can't just kill you in this state of vulnerability." She sighed, and picked up the bottle. "You... drank medical alcohol?"

"That was suicidal attempt five. It didn't do much besides make me more sane." Ghost looked away, a humorless grin on her face. "Humanized, huh? I suppose that's a good comparison: A horrible vicious monster one moment, and compassionate and kind the next. Too bad that compassion makes me vulnerable when my people die."

"Who died?" JJ asked sympathetically. "Someone you were close to I take it..."

"One of the few people I trust in this me'nahi'lum of a universe... His name was Graeme. I have his body in cryostasis in the vague chance to find a way to restore him to life, but let's face it, I never will be able to." Daisy murmured, her expression a dark one. "Someone named Void killed him. And for once, I can't track them and figure out who they are. So. I'm just... hoping either you'll kill me and get it over with or if you'll help me find them."

 

[Black0ut]

Moods: Banes and Blessings, pt.2

"Well, I'm not going to kill you. I... can't..." JJ lifted her communicator. "I found them. They're no danger. They're in the central storage room." She sighed again and sat next to Ghost. "So you were a Fee the whole time. I never suspected that, considering how much you helped with Ash, an A.I."

"Most people tend to think we're weak because of our size, or they get weird in negotiations." Ghost shrugged. "And Ash is a kid. I looked at his data before I decided to help. You know," She glanced at JJ. "He really does love you guys. Try... try to nurture him... you never know how long you got someone until they're gone." She turned her gaze away, still hugging her legs tight.

Suprisingly, she felt JJ's hand comfortingly rub her back. "I'm sorry. He must have been really special to you. I... I'll help if I can."

Daisy offered a grim laugh, "Considering my vast spy network at my disposal, how are you going to find them? Catch this Void, even? Especially when I can't?"

"Void?" Aya asked in surprise as she walked over. "What... about Void?"

"You know who Void is?" JJ asked with equal surprise.

Ghost turned her head and merely watched Aya, her glazed over eyes. "Do you?"

"Um... n-no. I mean, I've heard the name before, but I... don't know them... personally." Aya rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

JJ nodded. "Aya, this is... um..."

"Daisy. Daisy Elentra. Your Captain and I have had dealings before." Ghost replied, continuing to stare, unblinking, at Aya.

"I... see." Aya folded her arms. "What are you doing here unannounced? What business do you have with a dangerous assassin like Void?"

"They..." Ghost's face contorted, as if she was in pain and said pain enraged her. "They killed someone I cared about. I was going to hire you guys to track them down... but I doubt how you'll even find them."

"Well, we have to try." JJ smiled softly. "What's the harm in us trying, right?"

Aya shifted uncomfortably. Why was this Daisy truly after Void? Could she be...

"You're right... but be careful. I don't want to lose a friend... not again and hopefully not again in my lifetime." Daisy merely sank deeper into her legs, burying her face to more than likely cry without them seeing it.

Aya frowned. No... this couldn't be Ghost, could it? Surely it was just someone who knew someone Void had assassinated. "Please, don't cry anymore." Aya cleared her throat. She would have to play along. "I promise I'll do what I can to help. I'll... go look up what little info we have." She bowed her head. "E-excuse me."

Daisy nodded, still hiding her face. "Okay... good luck." Came the muffled reply.

JJ watch Aya leave, and carefully picked up the Fee, letting her sit in her hand. "Are you going to be okay? No more suicide attempts, alright?"

"If I say yes, will that ease your mind?" Daisy asked, peeking out from her makeshift sanctuary.

"It would, especially if you mean it." JJ sighed. "I can't believe I'm giving a pep talk to Ghost of all people, but do you really think this is the best thing for him? Would he want these self destructive actions, or would he want you to live on and cherish his memory?"

She paused and then laughed. It was a bitter tired thing, drained of any positive emotion. "He wouldn't care. As far as he was concerned, I was his employer and nothing else. So no, wrong pep talk to give." She lowered her voice. "I've already set up a full blown attack on Solex, so... this may be the first and last time you see me. And it's such a pitiful meeting... can't stop being emotionally vacant long enough to be mildly threatening..."

"You're going to attack Solex on your own?" JJ asked in surprise. "We could... always join forces."

"You have Ravenwood to deal with, so no... focus on him. I'll do my best, but h... if a man named Jerry shows up, let him be a part of your crew, he's one of the last two friends I have."

"Okay." JJ scratched her cheek. "Last two? Who is the other one?"

Daisy merely stared at JJ, tilting her head slightly. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Who... me?" JJ tilted her own head. "You consider me a friend despite our obvious opposition to each other?"

"I never... well, I suppose I did. However, unlike most of your enemies I actually have helped you rather than just kill your people. I already knew that conventional friendship was out of the question, so... I aided you from afar. That's why I've been friendly, offering my services to you for free. It's also why I'm fine with you killing me." She offered a rueful smile. "And since the only way to help you is to take down Solex or Ravenwood, I'll go after the bigger boy."

JJ slowly nodded. "Okay. Just... don't get yourself killed." She smiled. "Because I still need to slug you one when your sober and in a better position."

"You mean when I'm batshit insane again? Sure. If I live, you can deal with me talking in prose and utter nonsense." Ghost kept her smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She paused, then frowned. "Mind if I ask Ash something?"

JJ nodded. "Ash?"

The hologram appeared before them. "Why... didn't you tell Aya who this really is?" he asked curiously.

JJ shrugged. "I wish I knew. But I'm not sure..."

"Hey kid. How are the upgrades working for you?" She passed and raised hand as if to dismiss her own question. "Where is Aya right now and what is she doing?"

"Aya?" Ash closed his eyes. "She is... in the crew quarters, at Titania's door."

Daisy frowned. She glanced over warily at JJ. "Melvie… any reason she might go up to the trader? She was acting a bit... weird." She asked, her voice tinged with paranoia..

"I don't know," Ash said honestly. "Perhaps she believes Titania would have some knowledge she doesn't with Titania's connections. The two have made an attempt to get closer lately."

The Fee stood and thin wings formed onto her back in a dazzling array of color. "I think I'm going to check in on them." She paused, now hovering above the Captain's hand. "Jackie. Is there anything you're not telling me?"

JJ shook her head. "No. Like what?"

The Faerie turned to study her, pausing after what felt like a few seconds. "Nevermind. Let's go see what your first mate is doing." And with that she turned around and began to make her way to where Ash had seen her.

At Titania's room, Aya said, "She was looking for Void. She has some connection with Ghost, I'm sure of it."

Titania nodded gravely, and glanced around as if that would summon Ghost's assassin. "Thank you... I'll be careful if she shows up here." She whispered, fingering the handle she kept at her side. "Any idea if she knows?"

"I don't think so, though she seemed suspicious of me." Aya rubbed the back of her head. "She seemed mostly messed up though. Alcohol smell was so bad it smeeled like rubbing alcohol. So who knows how cognizant she even is. Still, I would watch my back."

"Thanks. Seriously. I'll think on how to avoid fucking this up than it already is... in the meantime, I just brewed up some Dondondarian drinks, non-alcoholic of course." She said somewhat stiffly, the invite hanging in the air.

Aya smiled. "I'd like to try them if you don't mind."

Titania stepped back and gestured towards some synthwood chairs. The room had changed drastically; there was now a designated bar which looked stocked, several appliances hung from a maglev bar, the magnetizing metal decorated, and finally, a kettle on the stovetop that looked to be done as a cup was already laid out. "Come in, come in."

"I see you have made some improvements to the cozy but drab initial set up we had in here." Aya scanned the room before sitting down at the bar. "You know... I've been dealing with Dondondari for years but I don't think I've ever had a beverage of theirs. What do your people enjoy? Sweet drinks? Bitter? Heavy, light?"

She held a hand to her chin in thought. "Drinks? We tend to favor sweet and fruity drinks, but if you don't like spicy don't take a traditional meal or our harder liqueurs." Titania quickly walked over to the kettle, grabbing out another cup as she began pouring a steaming orange liquid into both cups.

Aya took hers when it was ready and smiled down at it. "This is nice, having a drink with a friend. I... should have done this earlier. But it has never been easy for me to make friends..."

Titania raised an eyebrow. "Was it the whole 'judgemental about any kind of modification or the half 'fuck off' look you normally have? Or did I miss it?" She asked bluntly, tilting her head as she raised her cup to her lips and grimaced slightly when she drank part of it.

"Do I... really have that look to me all the time?" Aya said, a little disappointed but not sounding too surprised. She took a sip herself.

"Not all of the time. Usually when you're being passive, or when you're by JJ's side. Otherwise you look very approachable." A knock came to Titania's door. The foxgirl raised an eyebrow. "I take it that's the Ghost-connected person?"

"It might be." Aya lowered her voice. "Let's be careful what we say."

Titania quickly walked over and opened her door. Outside floated a Fee, one who she was not familiar with. She raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you, miss...?"

"This is... Daisy, was it?" Aya said. "I was talking to Titania about your request."

The Fee nodded. "Void killed one of my friends and I was hoping you could bring that murderer in, preferably into Mechanicum space."

 

[Black0ut]

Moods: Banes and Blessings, pt.3

Titania nodded as well. "We can work on that for sure. What information do you have on them? If you don't have any we can look them up with some of our people."

"I... don't have anything. It's like they're a ghost..." Daisy replied with a frown.

"You have nothing?" Aya asked, playing along. "No gender, no race? Not even a pattern of movement?"

"No... but my friend was wearing a body cam. I'm trying to ask the morgue for his body so I can review the footage. It should give me a direction to go in." Ghost answered, she gently landed on the ground, rubbing an arm as she looked up at the gigantic folk around her. "S-sorry..."

Aya blinked, worried. That body cam would likely show she was with him. She might have to play dumb later. "Sorry for what?"

"Not really, uh, used to dealing with biggi- larger races." Daisy replied, rubbing her arm more. "So I'm a bit... awkward around you guys."

"Treat us how you would others. We don't bite. Well, maybe Aya but only with Tobias."

Aya blushed and cleared her throat. "Yes, well... you seem quite out of sorts. Would you... like some water?"

"That'd be lovely... yes, please." Daisy said, walking in, past the two towering figures.

Titania smirked at the Tamearin. "What? You two are dating, right? Haven't you fucked him already?" She whispered.

"I think that's a little personal, but if you must know, we've... fooled around a little. Just don't like to publicize such things..."

"Gotcha. Well, between the giant psionic plant, the fish girl, my intuition and countless other people's skills, it was bound to be publicized about what level of your relationship you're at. If you're nervous about doing the deed with him, I can give you some tricks and tips about what you could do. Of course if you're too shy-"

"Why are you two whispering about sex?" Ghost asked, before promptly answering an incoming question. "My whole body is synthetic; my ears are pretty good at hearing sounds."

"O-oh..." Aya blushed even more, scratching her chin. "Right. You Fee are more into cybernetics then even the Kortovog, right?" She noted, mostly to change the subject lest she be embarrassed further. "Embracing what was done to you..."

"You bigger races would've enslaved or killed us without them, as much as our... -'hippies'?- disagree. With our cybers, and our tech thanks to Andromeda, we've thrived. Enough that everyone usually listens to us and tries to avoid pissing us off." Daisy waved a hand, dismissively as if to ward off her quasi-history lesson, "And none of us today remember the exact details of what happened. So... less embracing, more being practical."

"Okay... that still should've been major to your people; left a lasting mark like the Demigod v. Humans and Tamearins?"

"It was. That's why we normally kill A.I. like Ash. But not all Fee hate artificial intelligence; just the bad representations of it."

"You... know about Ash?" Aya said worriedly, and more then a bit surprised.

"JJ told me about him, because I was interested to know more about her shipboard V.I." Ghost nodded as she spoke, before holding up a finger. "Although she was rather cranky at me for a bit afterwards, because I was rather... terse with her having an A.I. I already apologized for being a bitch, so no worries."

Titania merely raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her ample chest. She did not look convinced, but she kept her mouth close waiting for Aya to give her opinion.

Aya looked sceptical herself, but no good would come from calling the Fee woman out. She replicated her a Fee-sized glass of water and sighed. "Well, it... seems you and JJ are close friends. Closer then... I realized she was to someone I don't know. She seems determined to help you for sure."

Ghost paused, floating up into the air to look Aya in the eyes. "You don't trust me and think me some kind of backstabbing asshole, right?" She said softly, her eyes tired. "Look: if you don't like me, that's fine. All I'm asking is if you'll accept the contract or if I have to find someone unsavory like... Spectre? Wraith? Whatever kind of human spirit they named themselves after."

Aya's eyes softened, and she nodded. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm being overly cautious. We'll help you as best we can."

Daisy nodded and let herself float downwards, landing on the nearby table. "You care about Me-Jackie. You care about Jackie a lot, given your distrustfulness to strangers. You're good, no harm done, and many other colloquial ways most people use to say I'm not offended."

"What do you for a living, if you don't mind me asking? I'm just curious because of how high your vocabulary is." Titania asked, a ready and friendly smile on her face.

"I'm a chief computer technician, managing a couple hundred computers, two networks, and a dozen employees underneath me." Daisy answered, looking at Aya, all business once more. "So... how are you guys going to track down Void?"

Aya hesitated for a moment. She had to make this sound convincing. "We'll go though most of the same channels you probably went through. No reason not to double check. Our main contribution will be word of mouth through contacts. JJ has many contacts on both sides of the law, and Titania surely has her own. We can't guarantee we'll find anything, but if it is there, we'll get to it."

"What about your contacts? Not reliable for this kind of thing or...?" Daisy asked, tilting her head.

"Traders, law enforcement, and criminals make for really good information gatherers. We'll start there and see if we can find someone... and if everyone started asking, this Void might find out that we're after them." Titania explained, cracking her neck before taking a sip of her tea.

"We're professionals... by now at least," Aya said with a smile. "We'll do all we can for you."

"Thank you..." The diminutive woman looked down, rubbing an arm out of habit. She closed her eyes and tried to smile, the result a grimace. "I just... thank you. Seriously. I... I haven't... been okay since... and I didn't want to start crying again. but here I am..." She shook her head as if to clear the negative emotions before promptly looking at Aya. "Good luck. And I hope that if you ever need any help, that I might be able to return the favor."

Aya bowed her head. "I really am sorry for your loss. If I... could make it so it didn't happen, I would in a heart beat."

Daisy gave a humorless smile. as she flew up from the table. "The universe is cruel. Something bad was bound to happen, just... wish it didn't have to be someone." The Fee flew through the door slowly, leaving the faint stench of alcohol hanging in the room for a few moments.

Titania stepped forward and closed the door, glancing back at Aya. "I still don't trust her."

Aya shook her head. "I don't either, but... I feel... bad for her..."

Titania walked back over to Aya, raising an eyebrow. "Because I killed her friend and she ended up like that? Have you thought of all the people you've killed, how their families feel, even if the person was the scum of galaxy?" She crossed her arms, then shrugged. "Granted, bounty killing is different than contract work, less personal and damaging to someone's psyche, so I guess you have a reason to be uncomfortable. You are standing next to an assassin who viciously tore apart people in front of you."

Aya shrunk down a but. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to offend."

The foxgirl rolled her eyes, and gently punched Aya's shoulder. "Not offended. Maybe slightly irritated." She let out a sigh. "This is what you'll have to deal with, this constant exposure to grief that normally surrounds me. It's kinda why I'm hesitant to actually befriend you; not that you wouldn't be able to deal with it, but that it might change you for the worse."

Aya shook her head. "I'll be okay. I feel the friendship will be worth it. For now, though, we have an 'investigation' to deal with..."

"Do we tell the Captain? She does know I kill people on the side already, so..." Titania asked, offering a mild shrug. "Or do we wait to tell her while I figure out a way to deal with an investigation?"

"I don't like keeping things from JJ if it can be avoided, but I feel this is a case where the less she knows, the better." Aya sighed. "We wait to tell her."

"Alright. I have a few people I can contact to start this thing... but first, let's enjoy the rest of the tea for now." The foxgirl gave a familiar grin as she sat back down, taking a fairly large sip of her drink.

 

[Black0ut]

A Forgotten Naïve Soliloquy

There always was beauty in the universe. The stars with their nigh-eternal twinkles of light, nebulae with their clouds of particles, and even the absolute darkness of space held some mysterious awe; Bark just had to see it.

He sighed. He hated having to be alone, and even more, he hated that no one really understood him. He was a teenager, prone to do dumb shit, like joining a bounty-hunting group. But… everyone from the Captain to the bug engineers thought him some wizened old plant. It didn't help matters that he was older than most everyone aboard.

He sat up from his flower covered bed; he'd remade several furniture pieces with his flowers and using vines when he could. He didn't use most of it, and it was explicitly dressed up for guests.

He slowly walked over to his door and opened it. His… depression was stable for the moment, and he had decided to head to the simulation room. Not because he wanted to train, and not to view any particular thing; he wanted to think and a room that could support him in terms of height and functionality would serve him greatly.

He made his way without incident and walked in. The big blank room was suitable, indeed. An endless labyrinth of possibilities and places. He sat down, wondering once more why he had joined again, before flushing that idea out of his mind.

He simply existed, and for that, the flowers on him started to perk up, blooming as his mind relaxed. In the room, he could be himself and not worry about hurting others. He was always afraid of causing undue harm to others, even when they wanted to kill him. Zetana was right; he was a big leafy teddy bear. He couldn’t be mean even if he tried, save for when his friends were in danger. So why… why couldn’t he harm? Why was he stuck on the defensive? And why couldn’t he get over his teenage hormones and deal with his problems? Like the fact that he actually did feel attracted to fauna? Or that while he couldn’t understand the group around him, they seemed to get him? Or the darker truth: He was hiding how worried he was.

His mother was nearly killed by a sniper ages ago, and he had not heard if she had lived or died. Was she dead? Was she hurt, begging him mentally to come save her? And if she- no. He wouldn’t allow himself that train of thought.

He stood. He would go seek comfort with Zetana, perhaps hold her close and tell her about his fears, his worries. He could, at least, talk about uncomfortable things better than most fauna.

What a peculiar time for introspection…. They all must be rubbing off on me.

 

[Black0ut]

A Steaming Cup of Hopes and Dreams

Jade smiled as she heard the door to her coffee shop open. It was eleven at night, and yet, she knew that wayward souls would enter, desperate for a warm drink and a patient listening ear. She loved the job, and her customers loved her. Some of her regulars were in, but with her back turned she didn’t see their looks of surprise, and with the coffee machine running so loudly - she was going to get a new one- didn’t hear the gasps behind her. Hot cocoa, a green tea latte, and a simple mix of coffee, coffee and more coffee were swiftly picked up, as she turned around noticing a hulking figure dressed in blackish-purple tones. She slid the drinks down the counter to the various patrons that had requested them.

“So what can I…” The petite Celentius woman took a step back as her eyes widened at the realization that what was in front of her was not a man of any description, but rather a large plant. “Umm… get you?”

Hello, I’d… well, something sweet. I’m not really into coffee. It does weird things to my body and I kinda lose control when I drink it. Like your al-cool-haul?

“Uh yeah… I can make you something.” The woman’s mercantile instincts took over as she swiftly went back and started brewing him a modified green tea latte, adding a bit more sweetener than she normally did. “So what brings you, big guy?”

I’m… The plant man sighed. My friends think I’m this one thing and I can’t seem to convince them that I’m not. I’m a kid, a teenager, and they kinda forget that. Because the way I speak is very formal, very polite, I sound older than what I am. It doesn’t help that I am fairly old myself…

“Then why not ask them to treat you your age? Give you less responsibilities?”

Well, I want to… but they trust me to help them out and while the responsibilities of my job are fine, I just… I want them to see me less as this giant… plant thing or the incredibly wise guru and more like what I am: Just some kid from a water world.

“Well, if you talked to them like you just did, you might convince them.” Jade slid the coffee over to the plant. She leaned on the counter as she stared into his strange, yet calming eyes. “It’s hard to really change how someone looks at you, but… sit them down. Talk it out with them. It sucks when you have to be firm with friends, but from the sounds of it, they care a lot about you.”

I… Bar slumped, as he took the ceramic mug into his hands, gently scraping it with knife-like fingers. His faceplate opened slightly and he tipped the cup to start drinking. They do, but because I’m a plant and they’re not, I just… I feel like I don’t belong.

“Everyone has moments like that, little flecks of doubt that grind against us. I bet you’re friends, even the most stalwart, have those moments. That’s why grabbing them, one by one, will help you out. You can vent, cry, talk, and they won’t judge you.”

Bar nodded his head. That would be nice… but what if… what if they get mad-

“Then they weren’t your friends to begin with. Friends, the best and good kind, will stick with you no matter what. With sick or hurt relatives, through tragedies and sorrows, through the best of times and through the worst. So… tell them how you feel, and I bet you’ll see that they were ready to listen to you the whole time.

But I like one of my friends and I don’t even know how to broach the topic, given our incomp-

“What’s their name?”

Z-zetana…

“Ask her out on a date and see how she reacts.”

What is a ‘date’?

“A date is where two people go and spend time together, learning about each other. Sometimes it’s romantic, other times it’s just two friends hanging out.

So how do I ask her out?

“You know her best, ask her in a way that’s sweet and kind and she’ll probably say yes.” Jade smiled as the plant’s eyes seemed to gleam with hope. “What’s your name? I forgot to ask you earlier.”

My name’s Bar, and I kinda… know yours…

“Psychic voodoo stuff, right? It’s fine. Though you really should ask.” Jade gave the plant a stern look, that faded quickly as the plant seemed to shrink away from her. “But you’re off the hook because you told me your story.”

What… What do you mean? I merely vented my problems aloud.

“Exactly. You told me your troubles, your worries, what frustrated you. You got all the negative things out and now… all you have are options to move forward.”

You’re…. Interesting.

“I prefer weird, but semantics. Anyways… what about this Zetana has got you fascinated with her?”

She’s… cowardly. But she overcomes her fears and pushes through. And once she makes her mind up, she sets herself up for the task that’s in front of her. She’s insecure, but the shining qualities that make her special shine through, like her kindness or her caring nature… She’s not very good at fighting, but she gives it all she’s got and she’s been getting better. Bar finished the coffee and sighed mentally as he leaned back. I think her scales are rather pretty in the light, and… I don’t know. I just get this feeling like I should keep her safe, moreso than everyone else.

“But?” Jade pushed as she grabbed the cup and walked over to the sink to wash it out.

I don’t want to ruin our friendship. Fuck, I’m afraid that if I even make a move, she’ll look at me and think I’m disgusting or ugly, or various other terrible adjectives.

“Well, Bar… you’re hurting both yourself and her. Pretending things are alright when there’s something different usually leads to friends drifting apart. That’s because Zetana probably knows that you’re being a little weird.

She doesn’t. I can read someone’s surface level thoughts without them knowing, so she hasn’t started thinking I’m weird. He paused as she turned around and put her hands on her hips, her lips pursed into a stern frown. Which I shouldn’t have done, and I will tell her, but I’m scared… I Don’t… understand these feelings fully. And I don’t know how to act upon them, besides continue with how I normally do things.

Jade raised a hand to her chin in thought. She walked back over and leaned on the counter once more. “If you are always afraid that you’ll lose something, then you’ll never act on it. Instead you’ll let your opportunity’s fly by. Give yourself a shot and seize those moments that you truly desire.”

Bar nodded as he stood up, gave the Barista a hug, and strode out with new thoughts and maybe half a working plan to use. When he got to the door, he tossed a credstick towards Jade, who promptly caught it. Keep the change. He said softly as he ducked under the doorframe to leave, seemingly far more happy.

She smiled. Different people, different days… and yet she could always help out someone who needed it. Truly, this was why she loved her work: because everyone needs a helping hand every once and awhile.