RP XSDF Roleplay Thread: Vanguard of Forseti

[ZombieSplitter53]

How much is that doggy in the window...

In Orbit around Forseti (March 31st, 2044)
The Einherjar (1300 Hours)
Main Engineering

Patrick Diggle looked down at his new name tag, pinned against his shirt. "How do they fit..." he mumbled, amazed that one could actually fit a tiny camera in something so small, feeding visual and audio data to the device in his pocket. "Technology is amazing." He continued making his way through Engineering, glancing into Nick's workspace. Not seeing anyone, he made his way to the larger work area in the center of the bay, spotting Alice there, along with something white and fluffy.

"Shit!" He jumped back, pressing against the wall and peeking over. Nobody told me she had a fucking Incubator as a pet! If I go over there now...

"Watch'ya doin', mister?"

Diggle slowly looked down at the girl looking up at him. Who the... she looks like a tiny version of Fischer. Well... except for..."Uh... hi. Nice hair."

"Really!?" Hestia ran her hand through her long, bright pink hair. "I changed it for big brother Nick. And so I don't like so much like Alice. Do you think big brother likes long hair, or should I shorten it?"

Holy crap, this is Fischer's smaller body, isn't it? Why didn't he tell me it was running around on its own?! "Um... I, um..."

"So watch'ya doing?" Hestia pressed against the wall next to him, mimicking his stance and peaking past the corner. "Are we playing spy?" she whispered.

"Not... exactly." Diggle's eyes darted back and forth in thought. She looks so young. She... she acts so young. Maybe... Diggle smiled, and crouched down. "I'm Patrick Diggle. You can call me Patrick."

"I'm Hestia. Can I call you Mr. Pat?"

Diggle chuckled. "Sure, kid. Sure."

Hesita grinned. "Thanks! Alice talks about you a lot. You want me to tell her you're here?"

"Well, what I'd like to do is talk to her alone. But that, um..."

Hestia glanced towards Alice. "You mean Dinah?"

Diggle nodded. "Yes, Dinah. He, um... he always interrupts me by reading my thoughts. Do you think you..."

Hestia giggled. "Dinah is a girl, silly."

Diggle blinked several times. "O-of course. Do you think you could take her somewhere to, um... play?"

"Okay!" Hestia smiled brightly. "I'll go take her to get treats, too!"

"Good idea." Diggle held a finger to his lips. "And don't tell them I'm coming. I want it to be a surprise."

Hestia nodded, and quickly ran over to Alice. After speaking with her for a minute, she lifted Dinah and walked towards Diggle. He ducked into a side room, trying to think of every random thought he could as they passed.

He quietly made his way behind Alice. He smiled at the sight of several plans he hadn't seen before, and normally wasn't privy to see. He gently placed his hands on Alice's shoulder. "What's up, beautiful?"

"Patrick!" She responded in surprise. "How are you?" She reached up and gently kissed him.

"I'm fine. Just busy missing you." He glanced at the blueprints and notes scattered about. "So what are you working on? Something I'd get in trouble for asking about?"

"Hmm... maybe. But I won't tell anyone." Alice pulled up a 3D animation of a four legged robot on her computer, its sleek design resembling a cybernetic wolf. "Say hello to the SA-34, or the Fenrir. It is the result of over ten years of work between a friend of mine and myself. It is a quadrupedal, unmanned combat drone, using advanced learning artificial intelligence developed by both Sonya Randolf and Elena Exalt."

Diggle stepped back, mainly so the spy camera could see the computer. "What can it do?"

Alice grinned, clearly excited. "It has extendable claws it can use to both attack and climb, along with a chainsaw attached to its back that it can use with the manipulator claw on its tail. For long range, at can throw springloaded high frequency knives, and it's chainsaw can be switched out with a gauss rail gun. They're fast, deadly efficient, and even come installed with software to prevent our enemies from hacking them on the field."

"That's... impressive." Diggle smiled. "When are you going to start making them?"

"I need to finalize the programs, make sure there aren't any kinks. Then I'll send it to Commander Mason for approval. A day. Two or three at the most." Alice leaned back, stretching her arms. "I should take a break, though. Nick tells me I work too hard."

"That is true." Diggle stepped behind Alice and started messaging her shoulders, not for the first time surprised by how real she felt. "You really like Nick, huh?"

"Mhmm." Alice looked up at Diggle. "You're not jealous, are you?"

Diggle shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you sleep in his office sometimes. I bet you even change in there. How do you know he isn't recording you?"

Alice shook her head. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a camera in there."

"Really?" Diggle slowly nodded. "I'll have to remember that," he thought out loud.

"Why's that?" Alice asked.

Diggle took a moment to think of the answer. "Um... you know men and our dirty thoughts."

Alice giggled, standing up and wrapping her arms around him. "We're not quite at that level, dirty boy."

"Good thing I'm patient, huh?" Diggle lightly kissed her, then patted her on the hip. "Go. Rest. Nick is right, you work way too hard."

"Yeah, yeah." Alice kissed him one last time before walking over to her computer, shutting it. "Mind bringing my things to Nick's office for me?"

"Sure." Diggle waved Alice off, quietly watching as she headed towards the exit. After a minute, he walked forward a bit to make sure she was gone, then rushed back to the computer.

Opening it, he stared at the password screen for a few moments. Having five chances before it locked, he quickly typed in 'Fischer', 'Nicholas', 'Einherjar', and 'Sunny', hoping Alice was as foolish with passwords like most people. She wasn't.

That failing, he pulled out a hack tool and plugged it into the usb drive. It blinked green for a few moments, then a red light came on, indicating it was struggling to get in. Afraid it would either fail or alert Alice of the hack even if it succeeded, he cursed and pulled it out. And besides, anyone could walk by at any moment.

Unable to hack the computer, he gathered up the paperwork and blueprints, being sure to pause them in front of his badge, and took them and the computer to Nick's workspace to drop them off as he had said he would.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601: “An Objective View, Part 1”

High Orbit over Forseti (March 31st, 2044)
The Einherjar (1959 Hours, Ailey Standard Time)
Floor 4: Hangar B

"Just... a bit... more..." As carefully tightened a large bolt on the underside of the Seraph she had been assigned to work on. Rather than buff up the plating she had found, she had decided to err on the side of caution and simply replace it. Tiring work, even for her synthetic muscles, as it was normally a two man job. "Why I've not learned to turn off my pain receptors is beyond me," she muttered to herself, the act of talking to herself being one of many odd habits she had developed over the years.

"How's it coming?" Addington called out from an overlooking extendable catwalk. The South African was dressed in his uniform as usual, but had elected to try going without the jacket for once. A mistake, he reckoned, as the cold air - seemingly omnipresent in the larger floors of the Einherjar - was getting to him.

Alice quickly pushed out from under the craft. "Mr. Addington! Sir, um..." She climbed to her feet and stood up straight. "It is coming along well, sir."

Addington stepped into a lift on the side of the catwalk, lowering himself down to where Alice was. "Fischer, right? I hear you've been doing a lot of good work here."

"You have? I mean, thank you, sir." Alice smiled. "I... I try to help out wherever I can. All for the sake of the Einherjar and the XSDF."

Addington nodded slowly. "It does appear to me that outside of main engineering you prefer to work alone. Is there a reason for this?"

Alice absentmindedly rubbed one of her arms. "Well, I um... I have a hard time... feeling comfortable with other people, sir. I-I... don't mind others, of course. I'm just... used to it, I suppose." Not to mention I run the risk of exposing myself when I work with others.

Addington leaned against the lift. "That's understandable. I'm sure you've heard enough about me to know my forte isn't dealing with people." The Fleet Coordinator grinned.

"I have... heard a few things, sir," Alice agreed. "Some not so favorable. But... but I prefer to make judgements on my own, not based on hearsay."

"That's kind of you, but some of it was true anyway. I'd like to think I'm a bit better now." Addington waved a hand dismissively. "That isn't what I came here for, though. I wanted to meet a hard worker, aerospace engineer or not, and get to know her better. Perhaps buy you a drink at the bar, if you'd like."

Alice scratched her cheek. "Um... sure. If it alright to get of a bit early, that'd be she nice, sir." She smiled brightly.

"It is." With a smile, Addington turned his body around and spun his head back towards her. "Are you fine going in that or would you rather change into casual clothes? I can wait if necessary."

"Um... I'm a really quick change," Alice answered. "I can meet you in the rec room in about five minutes... if that's alright."

Addington raised an eyebrow, but nodded his assent. "Alright then. I'll meet you there."

Alice quickly put her tools away, and rushed out of the bay. Stopping into a side room, she thought for a moment about what to wear. Her uniform dissolved, and took the shape of a simple pair of jeans and a plain black dress shirt with the XSDF logo in the corner. After a moment of worrying it was a bit too casual, she exited and made her way to the rec room, arriving a few moments before Addington.

He walked in after her, then noticed she had somehow made it first. Staring at Alice in disbelief, he asked, "Do you wear that under your work clothes, or have you perfected the art of changing in elevators?"

"I... I had these clothes laid out in my room. Which is on the way here." Alice made it look like she was out of breath. "I... rushed. When your boss asks you out for a drink, you don't dawdle."

"Well, technically your boss is Henderson. What's she like? I haven't met her yet," Addington said as he sat down at the bar.

Sitting next to him, Alice thought for a moment. "She's nice. A bit unorthodox, but she's dedicated, and seems to know what she's doing. I've worked for far worse, sir."

"Just call me Addington if you want. I've found that everyone calling me sir wore out its novelty in the span of two months."

Alice nodded. "Okay. I was just..." She chuckled. "I've been here for a while. I knew one Lt. Commander that used to snap if you didn't call him sir. Even off duty and with people he had known for years."

"I'm assuming he was a staid old man then?" Addington guessed. "Or maybe a young man that didn't do anything but study in school and didn't know the meaning of the word 'socialize’, perhaps?"

"The former," Alice responded. "We quickly to stick to strict policy and procedure around him... in the most literal and old-fashioned sense of the term."

Addington sighed. "Seniority is an outdated concept in my opinion. Wisdom isn't always from experience. Experience can make you staid or jaded, even."

"I agree." Alice tapped the counter a bit nervously. "But... experience can... also assist you in situations that would otherwise stump you. You... can't completely dismiss it... right?"

"O-Of course," Addington growled. I just don't like the idea of someone equally qualified getting my job just because they're older. I'd be like if I got this job over some ethnic European guy because I have a native African mother. I'd feel insulted."

Alice fell silent for a few moments, looking down at the bar. "I... I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply anything by it..." Well... maybe a little, but I didn't mean to insult him.

Addington shook his head quickly. "I... didn't mean to upset you." He sighed, mumbling, "I'm just... bad at admitting my own shortcomings."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

ZombieSplitter53 and DarkGemini24601: “An Objective View, Part 2”

"I think that's everyone. No one is perfect, and yet so many people try to act like they are. What's important is recognizing your shortcomings, and improving on them. And rumor has it, you're doing just that." The bartender walked up with Alice's usually drink, a rum and cola, and shot Addington a questioning look.

"Umqombothi." Seeing the bartender's lack of comprehension, he added, "It's a xhosa beer. Should be in the section with African beverages." He sighed as the bartender sent off a waitress to retrieve it, but such was how it was with wanting the more uncommon drinks.

"Sounds exotic," Alice said with a smile. "Are you a connoisseur of such things, Addington?"

"Not really... I just prefer drinks made at home," he responded. "Don't have much of a taste for shit like Jeremiah Weed."

Alice laughed, and took a drink of her beverage, being sure to turn off her inebriation simulator. "At least you know what you like." She studied Addington's features for a moment. "I must say... you're quite young for your position. That's quite an achievement."

"My test scores were excellent, and the Einherjar needed someone like me. I'm not surprised that space combat would receive a younger mind," Addington said proudly. "For someone who knows only stellar strategy can more easily adjust that an older officer who's use to directing aerial battles."

Alice nodded. "Is the Einherjar your first assignment, then?"

Addington tensed for a moment, but slowly nodded. "It... it is..."

Alice nodded. "I understand a lot of people have been giving you a hard time about that. And it is true that... you've made a few mistakes. But everything has to have a first. And... I don't think you're doing half a bad job. There are just..." She trailed off, looking away.

"Just what?" Addington asked neutrally.

"It's just..." Alice sighed, chugging the rest of her drink like it would do anything. "Listen, you... you didn't make a lot of friends when you came on board. And I know you aren't here to make friends, but... but when your subordinates like you, they cheer on your victories and tend to pass off your mistakes, as long as they aren't numerous. When they don't like you... winning means you're lucky, and losing means they were right about you. It isn't right, but... like I said, no one is perfect. It is a basic human failing. No one is as objective as they think they are."

"Well,I'm sure A.I.s are, but there aren't many of them," Addington offered offhandedly, both trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

Alice paused for the briefest of moments. She glanced sideways at Addington. "You mean like those soldiers, Erza and Hermes, right? I'm sure they have their... I guess you could say... humanizing faults."

"Well, they're human-AIs. I more so meant a sentient supercomputer-based AI like the one Exalt HQ is rumored to have," Addington specified.

"I see. Well, I prefer the human ones. And humans." The silver-blond gynoid smiled at Addington. "You know... I've heard things about you, like I said. Things about your... attitude and your arrogance. But I also said I like to judge people on my own. And talking to you... I don't see that arrogance or the attitude. Maybe everyone was wrong, or maybe you've changed for the better. Either way... I'm enjoying your company."

Addington seemed a bit surprised, but quickly composed himself. "Thank you. I appreciate that... And I'm glad I didn't have to drink poison masquerading as a beverage to get on your good side."

Alice frowned. "Do... do people really treat you like that? I know you had some troubles when you started, but that really isn't fair for you."

"Driz-...Vega is a hardass like that." Addington sighed. "I have no idea what the common pilot thinks of me anymore though."

Alice smiled again, reaching over and patting his hand. "I've heard better things lately. They're warming up to you. Just give it time."

"I hope that's the case. Though, in any case, it's good to see that someone who likely would only know of me from hearsay isn't taking rumors at face value. Gives me a little confidence," Addington decided.

"No problem."Alice's smile widened a bit. "Though it is good to hear that what people say about me is mostly positive."

"Why's that?" Addington asked, taking some of the volume out of his South African beer. "Are you worried people would think ill of you for some reason?"

Alice sighed. "People tend to... distance themselves from me once they get to know me. It's... complicated. Needless to say, it is one of the reasons why I work alone so much..."

"I can't see why they would," Addington responded. Sure, she's seemingly a bit odd, but...

Alice watched his expression, then chuckled. "Thank you, Addington. I'm glad you asked me out for a drink. I don't get out much."

Addington shrugged. "Not a problem. Though you should be less afraid of people in the future. You don't have any reason to not get out more, from what I can tell."

"My... friends do say I work too much," Alice mumbled into her drink.

"Considering regulations, you have to have some downtime... make use of it," Addington suggested.

"Yeah... okay." Alice laughed. "Don't want to get in trouble for too much work, right?"

Addington chuckled, but then sighed dejectedly. "Speaking of which, I should probably head back up to the bridge. It was nice meeting you, though."

"I feel the same." Alice offered her hand. "I... hope we can do this again some time."

Addington shook it. "Of course. When I have the time."

 

[MarineAvenger]

"What Do I Know?" Part One (MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter53)

In Orbit around Forseti (March 31st, 2018)
The Einherjar (1300 Hours)
The Infirmary, Rehab Room

Korra sat on the bench, apprehensively watching as Brigid slowly walked heal to toe and the mat, a large brace on her leg and an arm in a sling. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Just because they were able to set the bone quickly doesn't mean I don't have to do a tiny bit of rehab. And Irina said I can do a bit of moving as long I take it easy. It sucks being stuck in a room, in a cast, hopped up on pain killers and so helpless you need help getting up to take a piss. Cut me some slack, Korra."

Korra rolled her eyes. "For someone playing the 'tough girl', you sure whine a lot."

"Yeah, yeah. You just wait until you're stuck in here with a broken bone or a melted belly. It's bound to happen to everyone at least once." Brigid stumbled a bit, but was able to regain her balance, shooting an annoyed but grateful look at the Tamearin that was about to rush over to help.

"Well, well... when they said you were a lively one Ms. O'Brien, they were not lying. Only a few days after a near death experience and already being a rebel..." A hidden voice called out, the owner of it not being seen.

Korra and Brigid looked around in confusion. "Um... yeah," Brigid said with a grin. "Can't keep a good soldier down. And I'm also a fan of my... uh, fans."

The voice chuckled. "I wouldn't really call myself a fan..." The woman who the voice belonged to turned a corner from in front of Brigid and Korra, the woman staring at the pair with a wolfish grin, the woman being dressed up in normal soldier fatigues, looking strikingly beautiful except for the scars on her face and the cybernetic right hand.

"Friend, fan, either way." Brigid limped over, raising her good hand. "Brigid O'Brien. But it sounds like you already know me. And you are?"

The woman grabbed Brigid's hand and shook it with a hard grip. "Lieutenant Commander Viviana Sousa."

Brigid suddenly straightened up, flinching at the pain in her stomach but trying not to show it. "Sir! Good... nice... nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh, shit," Korra mumbled, quickly moving to sneak out.

"Ah bub buh... get back here Devolina." Viviana ordered, crossing her arms and her face one that is very stern.

"Damn it..." Korra swirled around, doing an exaggerated bow. "Hello, Ms. Sousa. The pleasure is all ours, I'm sure."

"Starting with the pleasantries already? Well then... now I know any guilt you may have had is now confirmed." Viviana stated walking closer to Korra.

Korra swallowed hard, but defiantly crossed her arms. "So what? You another Streczyk? I thought I was past this, but I guess I'll never be free of this crap."

Sousa narrowed her eyes and she took a big step towards Korra, grabbing one of her ears in an iron grip. "What was that?" She gave a tug. "If you did indeed do something bad it is better to confess now rather than later, your guilt has already been confirmed, so what are you guilty of?" She sounded like a mother scolding her child.

"I didn't... I... slept with someone, okay?!" Korra blurted out.

"Korra!" Brigid limped over as quickly as she could. "What are doing?"

"Give it up, O'Brien," Korra muttered in a defeated tone. "Half the ship knows after our fight in the rec room. Better she just find out so can throw me in the brig and convince Mason to can me. If it makes up for my mistake, so be it.."

Viviana let go of Korra's ear and spun around, bending down and getting close to Brigid's face, giving the soldier a revealing look down her shirt. "And if I am not mistaken, you have gotten promiscuous with someone of your own O'Brien... I believe his name was Walker. If I am not mistaken, you guys have taken quite a few trips to private places..." She whispered to the Irish soldier.

Brigid's eyes widened. "I... I um... please, don't... I'm not... confirming that, but... if it was true, it was... it was always my idea, okay?" She whispered back. "Please, don't take it out on Cayden. Or Korra. Please, she has no where to go."

Sousa stood straight up and said in a louder tone asked, "And is it also true Ms. O'Brien that you have been committing drunk and disorderly conduct in the bar on multiple occasions since you time coming here?"

Brigid scratched her chin nervously. "So I... have a low tolerance. I have to keep it... but occasionally... it isn't my fault people like to see me... a-at least I haven't gotten so drunk I attacked someone! If you knew my mother, you'd know that's impressive..."

Viviana's face grew annoyed and she took a step back. "I am full aware who she is, and frankly I don't care." The Lt Cmdr crossed her arms. "Brigid O'Brien... Korra Devolina... As your commanding officer I hereby order you to buy this officer a drink."

 

[MarineAvenger]

"What Do I Know?" Part Two

Brigid and Korra exchanged a confused look, the latter asking, "You're not here to, like... reprimand is. Because I know this nice little drink with the funniest of names. It's called a Sex on the..."

"We'd love to get you a drink, Lt. Commander," Brigid interrupted, smiling and trying to hide her releaved look.

Viviana shook her head with a laugh. "No, no... I'm not here to get either if you in trouble, I just had to make sure you were women I would come to like. With one of you I learned something very interesting about your private lives." Her gaze rested on Brigid.

Brigid looked away, blushing a bit. Oblivious, Korra grinned, patting her hand on Viviana's shoulder. "Well, you gave us a bit of a scare there. Sorry about calling you another... you know."

Viviana's wolfish grin returned once more. "Are you kidding me? I've been cursed out 10 ways to Sunday in about 10 different languages, most of which I had no idea exist... Being reffered to someone is really not the best insult you have against me." Her hand touched Korra's hair, "You sure are a voluptuous looker."

Korra raised an eyebrow, but only shrugged. "So I've been told. Tends to catch the eyes of humans, both male and female. Like what you see?" Her grin widened, mostly joking.

"Oh most definitely... I've I always had a soft spot for your species, and a couple other spots if they treated me right." She answered in kind. "Humans are great too, but they miss a special touch your people do."

Korra laughed. She looked at Brigid and nodded her head towards Viviana. "I like this one. She has spunk."

Brigid nodded. "You do seem to be a lot more open minded then others I've worked under. Have you been in this kind of position long?"

Viviana shook her head. "I've never actually held as high a position as this before in the XSDF. Not too long ago I was escoring rich dudes on the moon. Though I did have a long run as a captain of my own squad. I assume you've heard of Sabre squad back home? I formed them." The Lt Cmdr said proudly.

"Really?" Brigid smiled. "Well then, you'll be a welcome sight to the Einherjar. We... don't have a lot of experienced officers."

"And we'll need everything we can get with that crazy bitch playing her little war game against us," Korra muttered in irritation.

"Well if there is one thing our enemy forgets, it is we have things to care that make us fight harder." As Viviana led the women out, identifying herself and having no trouble getting Brigid out, she then continued with a question. "So who or what do you fight for?"

"Honestly, I was fighting just for the sake of the challenge," Brigid admitted, Korra pushing her along in a wheel chair. "But since I joined, I made a pact with a friend here to fight for my friends, both to keep them safe, and to keep myself safe for their sake."

The Lt Cmdr couldn't contain a smile as she nodded in approval. "Alright... Alright... Personally I have more than friends that keep me going."

"What... do you mean by that?" Korra asked, a smile creeping on her face.

"I have a son. He is on Earth with my older sister while I serve here." She told Korra with a smile. "I fell for a Tamearin man while I was stationed on Luna. We were in love and we had a kid, but couldn't stick around talking about how he had to go back to his planet. I raised my boy on my own for the 14 years of his life, and he has made my life absolutely spectacular, like an angel who had come brighten my life when I was at a low point." Viviana's hard looking exterior clashed with her personality, someone who looked the way she did talking about her son like any other normal mother.

Korra scratched her chin. "Was his father... normal? And your son?"

"Korra," Brigid mumbled, shooting her a look.

Korra frowned. "What? It's a legitimate question."

"It's a rude question," Brigid countered.

There was an awkward silence, more so from Viviana trying to come up with an answer rather than being bothered by the question. "You could say... His father was normal, at least by your standards. The biggest hurdle was my hand and my eye but he oversaw it for the sake of love. As for my son... He is so normal it almost scares me to be honest." Viviana giggled and she let out a thoughtful sigh. "He looks human... Has my skin color, and my hair color but he has a tail, and his ears are only slightly pointed. He used to be called a freak when he was younger but I helped him move past it. Last I talked to him he was as great as he could be. When he is of age, he will be joining the XSDF as well, but that isn't for another 5 or so years."

"He sounds really nice," Brigid said with a smile. "I hope to meet him one day." Korra nodded in agreement, but the look on her face said at least part of her question hadn't been answered.

Sousa glanced at Korra and her smile faded. "What is it?"

Korra's eyes darted between Viviana and the floor. "Well, um... do you know what Pon-Taer Syndrome is. Because... I've never met a... half Tamearin..."

Viviana shook her head confused. "I'm not familiar with it."

"Most Tamearins suppress their emotions, as I'm sure you know first hand," Brigid explained, and waved her hand to Korra. "Korra has a condition in which she doesn't have the ability to do so, giving her emotions not unlike humans. I believe she is wondering if your son is the son of a normal Tamearin how supresses his emotions and a human who does not, does he share this aspect with his father or mother."

Viviana thought for a few moments, and then answered with, "As far as I know he didn't have that problem, or if he did he never mentioned it. As for my son, he is just like any other normal boy, though he is prone to spacing out and being very unforward about how he feels, so I guess he might have gotten that from his father."

Korra nodded. "I wonder if that's the norm. If the Tamearin emotional supression is the norm."

"Maybe it's a case of dominate versus recessive genes," Brigid offered. "Can't really say which is which here with just one person, though. Our two races haven't known each other long enough. And then having children together is still rare."

"So O'Brien..." Viviana leaned in. "Planning for any of your own?"

Brigid looked up at her in surprise. "What?! Um... n-no. Not... not right now, I mean..."

Korra raised an eyebrow. "Planning for what? A Tamearin boyfriend?"

Viviana raised an eyebrow. "You haven't told her?"

"Haven't told me what?" Korra asked.

"She's just joking around, Korra," Brigid quickly said, starring angrily at Viviana. "After all, if there was anything I wanted to keep from you, she wouldn't just come out and say it in front of you... right?"

"Hm... I thought it would have been general knowledge between you two considering you are roommates." The Lt Cmdr looked between the two women and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well... no sense in spoiling it. To be honest I think the whole rule against that stuff isn't that much of a big deal. It keeps morale up and helps build relationships, so I promise I won't blab anything I find to the Commander." The woman assured Brigid with a teasing smile. "You should tell me more though, I always was one for gossip between me and the troops under me. It is my job to be their role model after all, and how can I be that if I don't become their friend?"

"It... it isn't something I'm sure I should talk about much." Brigid looked down. "A lot of it is just... satisfying urges. Things are still tense in our off time. Sometimes, I wonder if he only does it because he feels bad, or wants to do something to distract us." Korra listened intently, unsure what they were talking about but too proud to ask.

"Hm? What exactly happened between you two that caused such a void?" Viviana asked, the trio closing in on the bar after their slow trip.

Brigid rubbed her hands together nervously. "I, um... you... you said you... like gossip. Does that mean you'd... um..."

Viviana tilted her head. "I said I like gossip, doesn't mean I would spill someone's secret just for it." The Lt Cmdr responded honestly.

Brigid nodded. "Well... you know that thing you were... accusing Korra of?"

Korra raised an eyebrow. "You mean me sleeping with Cayden?"

"I wasn't really accusing or threatening... it was more of a test to confirm what kind of people you were, but go ahead." She affirmed.

"Well... the guy that I'm disappearing with... is..."

"Are you and Cayden still fighting, O'Brien?" Korra rolled her eyes. "You two should just do it already. It'll help relieve stress. Trust me."

She glanced back at Korra for a few moments and Sousa crossed her arms. "So this Cayden guy slept with your friend? So that means you had feelings for him before it all?"

Brigid slowly nodded. "Before... and after. It's awkward."

"Yeah, it is." The trio stepped into the rec room, and Korra pushed Brigid up to the bar. "It is all a case of us being mad at each other and mad at ourselves. But you and Cayden are talking again, right?"

Brigid laughed nervously. "Y-yeah... we're talking."

 

[MarineAvenger]

The Lt Cmdr looked between the two woman and finally reached a conclusion. So O'Brien and Walker are being physical, but are keeping it private... a... strange way of healing a broken relationship. "Oh... shit..." Viviana patted her pants and looked at Korra. "Hate to bother you Devolina, but could you run back to the infirmary, I must have dropped my lighter. And I get... angry without my smokes, if you get my meaning." She gave an intensely menacing look.

Korra smiled. "Sure. I'll be right back." She ran off, scratching her head. Smokes?

Viviana settled into a seat next to Brigid and crossed one leg over the other. "Talk to me... what goes through your mind when you are sneaking off to sleep with this man?"

Brigid sighed, taking the ginger ale the bartender brought for her. "That I want to be close to him... but I'm not sure how to express it. I enjoy it, of course. But... I know he isn't the kind of man that would use me, but I wonder if we're doing it for the right reasons."

"Do you ever say anything to one another before, during, or after?" The older woman asked, taking a glass of gin.

"Well, of course," Brigid insisted. "But neither of us are good at expressing ourselves. It took him sleeping with Korra for me to even get the nerve to tell him how I feel." She leaned back. "Maybe I was wrong to push for us to be together. I... I want to forgive him, but what's the point if he can't look at me without feeling guilty. He doesn't see Brigid, the girl he loves. He just sees Brigid, the girl he hurt and has to work on apologizing too. Maybe it really is too late..."

Sousa reached into her pocket and pulled out a metal case, opening it up and taking out a cigar, next taking out her lighter and putting the cigar in her mouth. "Maybe it is... perhaps you just simply missed the only chance you had, but would you ever want to walk away and just brand it as impossible? That doesn't sound like a person in love, that sounds like a child who broke something and doesn't want to tell her parents."

Brigid sneered at her, but couldn't find an argument. "Yeah... you're right. I've come this far, put this much work into it. I'll just have to try harder. I just hope I can fix this. We'll never get closer then we are now if he can't see me for me."

"I think you are over thinking things girl." The Lt Cmdr told Brigid in a harsh tone. "I've read the reports on your friend Korra. I was much like her in my high school years, and early on. I had ended a lot of relationships because of my actions, some of them I am still guilty about today but I moved past them. You wanna know why, O'Brien?" Viviana took a long draw of her cigar and blew away from Brigid.

"Y-yeah." Brigid pushed her wheel chair a little closer, listening intently.

"Because in the end I didn't mean shit to the people I had hurt. Some of 'em were close friends, some of them I never talked to again, some of them we became even closer, but in the end, whether or not I was a factor, they went on with their lives. A couple of them got married, a couple continued dating but realized they just weren't meant for one another and some never even spoke. Point is kid, this isn't a matter of you, Walker, and Devolina, it is a matter of yourself, and what you feel. There is nothing to apologize for, nothing to beg forgiveness for, just the fact you love the other person with all of your heart. I think it's time you stopped trying to repair something that may be very well already fixed and just show your love. Tell him how you feel, no matter how personal or embarrassing. If he doesn't return the sympathy, then he isn't worth your time or Korra's time." Viviana flicked some ash into a tray and took another draw of her cigar. "But what do I know? I am just a forty something year old mother who hasn't gotten a date in ten years."

Brigid chuckled, then laughed loudly, holding her stomach in pain after a moment. "Ouch... I don't know why. You seem to know what you're talking about. I might have to ask you to stay away for Cayden, or you might steal him away from me."

"Don't worry about it kid, I got my eyes on another sort of prize. Even though I am a grown woman, it doesn't mean I have exactly quite my old habits cold turkey..." Viviana said vaguely. "Besides, not a lot of men my age looking for someone like me, so I've resorted to other means." Viviana noted the time. "I am going to have to return soon... you have my permission to roam about. I will likely pass Devolina on the way here so I can tell her if you want to go on a man hunt if you want."

"No, just tell her to come share a drink with me so we can get back before my doctors freak out." Brigid offered her hand. "And thanks for the talk. It helped."

Sousa nodded and got up, finishing her drink and standing up. "The Lieutenant Commander left me a list of people to look after and to make sure they were attended to. Just making sure my job is taken care of." Putting out her cigar, Viviana put a hand on Brigid's shoulder. "One last piece of advice... don't wait when it comes to these things. When you wait, it gives you time to doubt your decisions, and that is best left for when you wake up the next morning."

Brigid nodded. "Learned that the hard way. I'll take that to heart."

With a nod, Sousa left the soldier, a small smile on her face as she did. It feels good to be back into the groove of things...

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 & Mangrale
"A Spark of Happiness and a Roaring Blaze"

The Einherjar
March 31st, 4:11 PM
Room of Project 19 (Lanore)

Narcisse was tense as he walked along the hallway leading up to his destination. In a sort of midday daze, and to take his mind off things, he gazed at the monotonous segments that made up the walls and ceiling as he passed by. His wardrobe was much like his usual: dark green coat and grey turtleneck.

For him, it felt similar to sitting in the waiting room at the dentist, only without the exceedingly boring articles. Once he arrived at the room he was looking for, he shakily peeked at the paper note in his pants pocket. This was the room, unsurprisingly without the guards that were present a few weeks ago. Here goes... He stuffed the note back in his pocket and waited for his nerves to settle before openning the door.

As he entered, he saw what looked like a young girl sitting on the bed with a snow white, pale complexion, her legs near her head and facing towards the wall in the back of the room, making it hard to see her face as she stayed eerily silent.

After a second, her head perked up slightly as a voice entered his mind. Who... Are you another guard? I was told you were to leave me be...

A voice in his mind other than his own was never something the pilot enjoyed. However, the dread he experiences while being called out or caught usually overrides such discomfort nicely, as it did now. The airman hunched and shook his hands rapidly. "N-No wait. I-I'm not a guard. I-I didn't..." he stammered. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

You're not? Then why are you here to see me? The girl inquired, putting her arms to her side.

Upon recognizing that his voice was the only thing interrupting the peace of an otherwise quiet room, Narcisse normalized his voice. "I well... I've was curious and I thought I'd stop by at least once... to see how you were getting along..." From his position he still couldn't see her face, which added to his slightly perceivable stress.

Really? I haven't had someone honestly care about my well being in a long time... The girl sighed lightly, turning around in a strange janky motion, revealing her smooth but unsettling doll like face and mechanical, unblinking eyes.

"Hmm?" The cyborg let out a sound of intrigue, having never seen anything like her in his life. He took a step forward, not wanting to alarm her. "W-What about the people who came with you? Don't they care about you?"

24 is just a kid... I never got to spend much time with her... He probably deliberately kept her away... She explained, lowering her legs onto the floor. And I only recently met the robot face to face, since it was the latest of his creations...

"My apologies. I don't mean to be so nosy..." His eyes looked away for a moment, pensively. "... but who is this he that you mentioned? The commander?"

I apologize... I assumed you knew more about what happened to me... Lenore replied, An Ethereal did this to me, he tried to turn me into a weapon against my own race...

Narcisse's eyes widened and his mouth opened partially, showing his clenched teeth. "I... heard things here and there, but... it... it doesn't get any easier to hear, especially seeing that it's true." He scratched his back nervously. "And he kept the three of you isolated?"

I don't think it was all of us... Seeing as how 24 seems to know the robot at least fairly well... She lowered her head slightly, More than likely... He only isolated me... To keep me depressed enough so that my ability would work the way he wanted it to...

"That's!... I can't believe...!" Narcisse clenched his fists as well as his teeth. He couldn't think of the right words to say so he rubbed his forehead, disgusted, hard enough that it left a faint bruise. He then growled in frustration.

Terrible? I know... It gets worse from there... I haven't met many Ethereals... But I don't know how they could've almost completely changed their race in only 25 years, like your commander claims. 19 said before looking back up in his direction and noticing his visible anger.

Her attention seemed to snap him out of his angered state, and he softened his expression while sighing heavily. "Sorry about that... y-you were talking about the Ethereals? I-I believe, on the whole, they prefer to be called the Humiliata now."

Maybe to hide what they're really like... Maybe they have changed, but 25 years is a speck in their massive life spans... At the very least it's extremely unlikely... 19 responded, shaking her head, slowly. It's strange... Waking up in a new world... Where everything seems to have changed somehow... Even the objects of my anger and sadness can no longer be blamed... Like an alternate reality almost...

Now calming down, Narcisse began to step slowly and wistfully about her room, observing it's various features, periodically looking back at her. "I don't know as much about how their minds work, but I know that, from what I've seen growing up, a lot of things have changed since the war." He turned to her and smiled faintly. "They went from taking over earth to making reparations, not just to humans but to as many races as they could. I... can't see what they would have to gain by doing that."

Then maybe I'll need to speak to one on my own... See for myself if they really have changed... She considered. Do you know any on this ship?

He thought for a moment putting his synthetic hand to his chin. "There may be at least one on the ship. I heard of a rumor while I was in the um, infirmary a while ago- that we had taken in one. I didn't catch her name, but I think she now operates along with the medical teams.

Hmm... Helping people I presume? That's a good start... 19 looked at him closer. How did you become what you are? Something similar?

 

[Frostlich1228]

Part 2

"W-what I am?" Narcisse was at odds at first, but smiled lightly. Of course it would come to this... "No, I don't think it's very similar..." He raised his hands and articulated them briefly. "This was a long time ago, when I was young. It... wasn't meant to happen."

It happened by mistake? Please explain. She asked.

He eyed the door passingly, and playfully waved his hands at her. "Oh, it's a long and boring story. I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear it..."

I don't... really have anywhere else to be... But if you simply don't have the time... Or you're... Not comfortable... You could go... That's fine... 19 spoke, even though she wanted to speak with him a little while longer.

"I-I don't have... and I-I'm not uncomfortable about - I-I mean I am but..." Narcisse shook his head and sighed. He chuckled and readjusted his glasses, remembering something. "I guess... I could tell you a short version. It's just that... ah never mind." The pilot turned and grabbed a small, nearby chair, placing it in front of her, sitting on it. "Where to start?..." he asked himself, looking down and folding his arms.

When the idea first came up? Lanore suggested.

"Huh?" Bellrose looked up at her, perplexed. "The idea?"

Who decided to give you augments? Did you decide yourself?

Narcisse laughed apprehensively. "Um no... no. My augments were... necessary. Otherwise I would have... well died."

Combat then? Sickness? 19 guessed, going through the most likely possibilities.

"No... just an accident..." He blankly stared at the side of Lanore's bed. "I was just a child back then, helping my father with his research. And one day... I was supposed..." The frenchman leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling a tired huff of air. "Of course... my memory isn't the same as it never was." He grinned. "There was an explosion... from the machine I was working. Burned me alive."

Lanore stayed silent for a second, scooting forward on the bed. Did... Your father try to save you?

"I'm... not certain. I... lost consciousness." Narcisse crouched on his seat and let his hands dangle past his lap. "I'd like to hope so," he whispered somberly, looking down at his hands.

I know how you feel... That was how I... Ended up like this... Lanore said, looking down at herself. The Ethereal... Was running tests on me, when his machine caught fire... It spread quickly around the room... He had me shackled to the table so I wouldn't struggle during the tests... I couldn't escape... I was... Awake... For much of it... 19 transferred to his mind, vividly remembering the pain she felt that night.

Narcisse inhaled in surprise as he raised his head to her. He could almost feel the suffering and endless heat from the flames. "Ah, what is...?"

Are you... Alright? Lanore thought for a second, realizing what had happened. My power... must have leaked through the necklace they gave me to stop it... I'm sorry...

He rubbed his eyes from under his frames before smiling at her wearily, quickly regulating his breathing. "No... you have nothing to be sorry about... especially not for the way you feel." The frenchman chuckled. "It felt familiar... in a way."

But... That is the reason I'm like this... I don't even remember how long it took for him to get to me, but long enough that I suffered massive third degree burns, I lost both my eyes and the smoke burned out my throat, leaving me unable to speak... She somberly explained, So after a bit more testing that showed that I could barely move like this, he put me away until he had enough spare resources to heal me... Probably would've taken me back to his home planet... But I guess he was beaten before then...

Narcisse frowned and thoughtfully placed his left hand over his mouth. "Awake... for all that..." he muttered gravely." He looked at her, lowering his hand, a sad look about him. "And... how do you feel now? Does it still... hurt?"

Sometimes... When I move... But I've gotten used to it, it doesn't hurt too much anymore. 19 replied, looking at her own arm for a second. The partially synthetic man groaned mournfully and quietly, his hands over his downward facing forehead.

My days were... Not easy one's... I had to fight through much pain... I still do... But I suppose it can only get better from here... Light-years away from the Ethereal who did this... She stated slowly, some hope filling the voice in Narcisse's head.

"I know it will..." He sighed, a hand still shielding his eyes. "The doctors here aboard the Einherjar are very capable... I... I know they can help you in some way. It's just..." He tone continued being despondent. "... I think I've realized something..."

You have? What? 19 asked, looking him in his eyes.

Narcisse gave an elongated, tired sigh, a sliver of his voice evident, and looked at her still, unblinking eyes. "Just how selfish I've been..."

What do you mean? Towards me? Or towards someone else? She tilted her head.

"Towards everyone... everyone I've met..." He interlocked his fingers, uneasy. "All my life... I've only thought about myself..."

Well, you came in here and cheered me up... I've haven't had a friend in years... Lanore stood up slowly, You helped me... That doesn't sound like something someone selfish would do...

Narcisse shook his head. "I came here largely to satisfy my curiosity. Before now... there were people, good people... with problems of their own... and I did nothing. I was too caught up with... what happened to me... to even..." He rubbed his hands together. "I guess cheering you up... was the first worthwhile thing I've done for someone else."

It's never too late to start... You have your whole life ahead of you. She said, trying to cheer him up a little.

Bellrose hazarded a tepid smile. "And you... even after everything that's happened to you... now you're endeavoring to cheer meup."

You should be happier... Life is something you should never take for granted... That's what being his prisoner taught me... I may not be able to live a normal life anymore, but you can, you can do anything you want... You can help people, you just have to choose to... 19 added softly, puts her hands together in her lap, You are in control of your life... And you can change it...

He laughed, regaining a measure of his former mirth. "What I want?..." He rose from his seat to see her face to face. "What I want... right now... is for you to live the best and happiest life you can. Whatever it takes. You deserve it."

You're too kind... But I don't think that's possible for me... Not anymore... Not the way I am now... Lanore explained.

Narcisse extended his right hand to her, a little embarrassed. He sighed to collect his thoughts. "I've... never been the first person to offer one before... and I've just remembered... I haven't asked for your name yet... My name is Narcisse Bellrose."

I'm Lanore... She replied, taking his hand into the cold metal that surrounded her own.

"It's very nice to meet you, Lanore." He delicately patted her hand with his second. "You've lost so much... and you still helped me... and you're still optimistic about the future. That means... you can feel something other than sadness... Right?"

I can try... Thank you Narcisse...

"I should be thanking you."

Why? 19 inquired.

He smiled wider. "For opening my eyes... and giving me another reason to keep living... other than for myself."

It was wonderful meeting you Narcisse... I trust that I'll see you again soon? Lanore confirmed, letting go of his hand slowly.

"Of course, Lanore. If you need anything... I'll help however I can, alright?" He nodded to her and headed for the door.

Maybe... I should be more trusting of these people... They don't seem to be out to hurt me, or at the very least, he doesn't... Lanore thought to herself, giving him a slow wave goodbye.

Narcisse waved as well, looking back, the altered young woman being what he saw just before closing the door. He walked along the halls again, smiling thinly, but worry evident in his eyes. She should be safe here... I hope...

 

[BMPixy]

ZombieSplitter53 and BMPixy:
“Unexpected Visitors”
In Orbit around Forseti (April 1st, 2044 / 77.3136)
The Einherjar (1700 Hours)
The Infirmary, Room of Brigid O'Brien

Brigid watched apprehensively as the Dr. Francis slipped on a pair of gloves. "We're going to remove your bandage now. You should be fully healed now, but you'll need to take it easy for a few days."

Brigid nodded, blushing a bit as she lifted her hospital gown to expose her stomach. Oblivious to this, the doctor carefully pulled off the medical tape and took off the bandage. Brigid nearly jumped out of the bed at the sight of her belly, brown, cracked, and decayed like something out of a horror movie. "Jesus, Mary, Joseph! W-what the hell... what the fuck is..."

"Calm down, Ms. O'Brien!" Francis pushed down on the short soldier. "It is only a layer of dead skin caused by the rapid regeneration of your cells thanks to the Tz6."

"Well, what the hell!" Brigid relaxed a bit, but her terror turned to anger. "You didn't think it was a good idea to, I don't know... warn me?"

"Relax, Ms. O'Brien." The doctor started cleaning Brigid up, pulling the dead skin off like the shell of a hard boiled egg to reveal the new, surprisingly scar-free skin underneath.

"The fuck you mean, relax? You really didn't think it wise to warn your patient that they're fine despite the fact that their stomach is going to look like it belongs to the Crypt Keeper? And the original Crypt Keeper, not the shitty CG remake for the show in the 20s?"

Francis rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Ms. O'Brien."

"Don't you fucking whatever me!" Brigid pointed an angry finger. "I've been dealing with this from you every late shift for three days! I was injured protecting innocent people and stopping this ship's precious Elerium from blowing up and taking my teammates with it. I don't have to deal with this shit! You know, when your bedside manner is leagues behind that of a young French girl from Russia with socializing problems dealing with someone she knows personally and an eccentric, four armed, quadracentennial alien who's been in isolation for fifty years, it is time for you to pick up a fucking book on medical procedure and brush up!"

"Calm down, Ms. O'Brien, or I'll have you sedated!" the doctor shouted back. "You'll aggravate your injuries. And besides... you're annoying the hell out of me." Brigid huffed and folded her arms, but finally fell silent. "We'll be keeping you here one more day for observation." Brigid opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced when Francis asked, "Want to make it two days?"

As he walked out the door, Brigid shouted after him, "I just want to say that it is important for you to know how much I hate you!"

"Whatever," Francis mumbled, leaving.

"Asshole." With another huff, Brigid grabbed the computer pad next to her bed, hoping to at least entertain herself by catching up on the decade of movies and T.V. shows she had missed in her travels with Spaceflix. "2044, and still no Wonder Woman movie," she grumbled.

Osahar quickly stepped out of the way of the annoyed doctor as he made his exit, the two exchanging a curious glance as they passed each other. As the human continued on his way, Osahar did one last check of her personal belongings, confirming that everything was indeed in its place. With that out of the way, the Seikron quickly rapped on the door and asked, "Is this the resting place of the one known as Brigid?"

Brigid gave a curious look at the door and the unfamiliar voice. "Um... yeah." She quickly made sure her gown was in place. "Come in."

Osahar briskly opened the door and stepped into the room. "Ah, Brigid-nyin," the Seikron said, pushing the door back so that it was only slightly ajar. "I assume that you are rapidly returning to health, on this blessed day?"

"Oh! Um... y-yeah. I'm just about there, um..." Brigid smiled sheepishly, and hoped this was the one Seikron she had met, "Osahar, right?"

"Yes, that is I," the MEC trooper confirmed, reaching into her side-pouch and retrieving several slips of paper, each bearing Seikron glyphs. "And that is excellent news to hear, considering that the end of the Sonada is a dangerous time for those who have been wounded. Still, it would be unwise to take chances," she continued, slowly beginning to place the slips at strategic points in the room.

Brigid's eyes darted back and forth nervously. "Um... what are doing? I don't need an exorcism... I think."

"An... exorcism?" Osahar asked, trying out the word carefully as she put the last slip in place. "Is that your people's term for putting up wards to ensure a soul's health over transition periods?"

"Transition... no, it's when you're... expelling an evil..." Brigid scratched her head. "I'm sorry, but what exactly are you doing again?"

"It is tradition to put up wards of health around the rooms of any injured or sick that you are acquainted with, to prevent their soul from escaping at the end of the Sonada," Osahar explained. "Granted, I am not sure how effective this practice would be on a xeno, but caution is the vaccine for error."

"Yeah, I... suppose it is." Brigid smiled. "That's... that's really nice of you, Or what. But why me? And, um... what's Sonada?"

"A Sonada is our equivalent of your years," Osahar said, settling into a relaxed stance at the foot of Brigid's bed. "It is 77 days long, which does make conversion slightly difficult." Glancing up at the ceiling, the Seikron added, "As for why I have come to you, it is because you are the first xeno to call me 'friend'. Thus, I decided it best to try and protect whatever equivalent of a soul your kind has. Would be negligent to allow its loss, for the reason listed."

"That's... wow." Brigid chuckled. "No one has ever done something like this..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Does that... mean you consider me a friend too?"

"I am uncertain," Osahar replied hesitantly. "Typically among my kind friendship is something that develops over time and repeated interaction, and from what I learned I assumed that the same was true among humans. But then you referred to me as friend, unprovoked, after I ensured that you would not receive a gruesome reward for your actions. Is it common among your kind to immediately grow bonds with those who ensure your safety?"

Brigid frowned. "Typically... no. Admittedly, it was something I just... said. I mean, you watched my back after all. Obviously, I don't know much about you, or your people."

"Ah, then I appear to have put more weight upon your words than you had." Osahar lowered her head slightly, and added, "You have my sincerest apologies regarding this confusion."

"No, I'm sorry." Brigid sat up a bit straighter. "I think I'm giving you the wrong impression. It might not have had the most weight, but you did save my life, and you've worked so hard for the XSDF. I'd actually like to get to know you. Call you a friend for real."

"Oh? Is such true?" Osahar asked, arching her brow in interest. "Though I am merely a humble Badka, I shall do my best to sate your curiosity and foster this relationship that you seek, Brigid-nyin."

"Well... you can start by telling me what 'nyin' means," Brigid stated with a grin.

"It is a general honorific for xenos, I believe the appropriate translation would be 'foreigner'," Osahar said. "Normally I'd use the relevant honorific based upon your caste and our relations, but since you are outside of that system, it makes you a, well, foreigner."

"Makes sense." Brigid scratched her chin. "A caste system, huh? That's... um... interesting."

"As it right well should be, being the cornerstone of our society," Osahar said, a slight air of pride in her tone. "The caste system ensures every Seikron knows exactly what they are intended to do with their life. In my case, being Badka, I was destined to become a soldier. For my compatriot Nitetis-dhul, since he was born Dhulka, he became a great scientist. And for Tak-sharu-hiba, being Hibaya, he is the Seikronyr consul to Forseti. Under the system, every person finds both use and fulfillment in the advancement of our race."

"Right." Brigid scratched her head, and little nervous. "And... is every caste treated equal? And... you're born into these castes?"

"Every Seikron, barring a few obvious exceptions, is given the exact same rights, regardless of caste: the right to feed, the right to work, the right to advance, and the right to effective government," Osahar explained, rubbing her chin as she thought back to her civics courses. "And yes, we are each born into our caste, as determined by our mother's caste. My mother was Badka, I am Badka, my daughters are Badka, any children they have shall be Badka as well."

"Well... the equal rights thing is cool." Brigid his the sigh of relief, realizing an ethical debate bullet she had dodged. "But... but what if you didn't want to be a soldier? I mean... I guess it's hard to picture, but hypothetically."

"Then I simply file the appropriate paperwork to move to a role that still involves military matters but is not in direct combat, such as supply officer, or tactician, or logistics officer," the Seikron answered plainly. "And if there are openings in such areas, then I would begin work there. I would still have to maintain a basic competency in combat, as all Seikronyr must, but I would not be on front-line combat." Glancing down nervously, Osahar added, "Or, were my issues too great to be solved in that manner, I could revoke my rights, citizenship, and caste to become a tabanje, an out-caste. I would be free, but also unaided."

 

[BMPixy]

Brigid frowned. "But... but that... what if you felt you could still help, but in a different role. Like a scientist. What... what of you had a child that wanted to be a scientist." She looked away. "I'm sorry... it isn't my place to ask these things."

"No, it is nothing to apologize for. You are viewing the system from outside of it, and as such you have questions that only could arise from someone ignorant of living inside of it," Osahar replied, relaxing slightly. "It is as if I were to ask you how you ever figure out what your race needs from you, given so many options of lifepath. As for your question, the answer is simple: we don't. From the start of our education, we are taught that the only role we can fulfill is that dictated by our caste, and that fulfilling that role will bring fulfillment into our lives. After several dozen Sonada of hearing it, that message becomes truth."

Brigid smiled. "I guess I didn't think of it like that. So I take the taban gee thing doesn't happen very often."

"Tabanje," Osahar corrected, emphasizing the final syllable. "And no, it is fairly rare. From what I recall, there are between ten and fifteen thousand tabanje in the galaxy, though that number has likely gone up slightly. From what Tak-sharu-hiba said, there is even one aboard this vessel, serving in your air corps, though she is of the persuasion that our government is far more oppressive than is in reality - a common sentiment among them, for whatever reason."

"I... guess it is just an alternate point of view. At least your government doesn't hold them back." Brigid shrugged. "Like I said, I'm sorry if I made it look like I was trying to impose my beliefs on you. Your people a very different, with a vastly different history and way of life. If it works for you, who am I to judge?"

"It is nothing to blame oneself for. You are merely observing another culture through your own preconceptions," Osahar replied amicably. "Mbimun knows that I am charged with similar crimes as to that, in greater density and scope."

"Is that your... Deity or God?" Brigid asked, genuinely curious.

"They are our chief deity, ruler of the heavens," the Seikron replied. "They were responsible for defining the nature of the universe, and was the one who punished the people of Kadxa for their hubris by untaming the fury of our sun, before vanishing into the ether in disgust. Little else is known of them, as a vast majority of our religious records were lost in the Fall of Kadxa and have been forgotten since then. Few theologians were placed upon the escape ships, after all."

"I see." Brigid laid back. "Religion is an odd thing on Earth. A lot of beliefs were shaken with the discovery of alien life. But most of them adapted, and remain strong. Do... your beliefs account for aliens, or xenos as you call them?"

"'The xeno may have a mind and body, but they do not have anything a Seikron would recognize as a soul,'" Osahar recited, closing her eyes as she recalled what she could. "And considering how important the soul is viewed in regards to morality..." The MEC trooper trailed off, the faux pas of what she was considering saying evident even to her.

Brigid looked taken aback, her smile quickly dropping. "I... do you look at all xenos as... beneath..." Brigid pulled her legs close. "There are... some religions that believe animals don't have a soul, but... another sentient..." She laughed grimly. "So you don't think I have a soul, huh? I'm, what? Just some organic robot?"

"That passage was written shortly after the Fall of Kadxa," Osahar said, dodging the question to the best of her ability. "Our home had just been stripped from us by the Ethereals, billions lay dead, and those that remained were forced to wander the stars in vessels they barely understood. While that quotation is firmly believed by the older members of our species and is the official stance of our religion, it has become less and less popular with the more recent generations. For instance, I am of the belief that while only Seikronyr have animate souls, xenos have a semi-animate soul - capable of morality, but not our degree of passion. I apologize if I have offended." Osahar idly curled her cybernetic arm, trying to relieve stress in some manner.

"Well, I... I'm trying not to be, but it's hard." Brigid laid back, starring up at the ceiling. "I mean... put yourself in my place. Imagine that you've just been told the person you've shown interest in learning about... believes you have no soul, or at best, half a soul. I'm not a religious person, but to be told I have no soul... and that the many of your people, as defined by their system of beliefs, look down on me as some lesser being, the same way I might look at a dog or a... insect, just for being human... it hits you deep, you know?"

Osahar let out an unsteady breath as she thought. Cannot risk causing more damage. Unfavorable impression reduces chance of successful transfer. "Yes, I suppose such hardship can be understood," the Seikron said, standing at attention. "Though I may justify such beliefs by pointing out that only a small fraction of my kind has ever met a xeno, and of those that have it was in battle, I cannot excuse such beliefs. You have my deepest sympathies for the turmoil I have caused you with this knowledge."

Brigid sighed, and sat back up. "It's okay, Osahar. Just... just know that, no matter what you believe, I know that you have a soul. Maybe... maybe some day I can prove to you I have one too." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Bit of an unusual way to start a relationship, but nothing is worth having if you’re not willing to fight for it."

"No, an unusual way to start a relationship is wrecking your cybersuit to provide just enough cover to allow a VIP to reach extraction unharmed," Osahar deadpanned. "This is just merely a misunderstanding between cultures that will likely resolve itself in due time." Hopefully she never finds out how we feel about psions, the Seikron thought, relaxing from her rigid stance. That will likely take more to resolve than a few apologies.

Brigid grinned widely. "At least I know you're not lying about thinking I have at least a partial soul. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered with the wards you put up, right?"

"Indeed, though I am uncertain as to how effective they will be in your case," Osahar replied. "Who knows, perhaps the reason your kind only has a semi-animate soul is because the rest slipped out whenever you were healing," the Seikron joked, a bemused expression growing on her face.

"Maybe. If so, who knows. Maybe we find it when we die." Brigid patted herself on the chest. "But thanks to you, the rest of mine isn't going anywhere. Now all in need is help with partially atrophied muscles or partially fried psionics. Your people have anything for that?"

"I am no doctor, so I cannot help on the former," Osahar replied, "and our kind does not have psions, so we cannot help on the latter, unfortunately."

"Really? Well, that sucks. They come in handy." Brigid lifted her computer pad and levitated it, swirling it around with one finger raised. "Did you guys ever try using the Humiliata's... well, I guess that'd be that last thing you'd do, after what they did. You should give it a try, though. Maybe you could unlock some psionics."

"When I say that our kind does not have psions, a more accurate wording would be our kind cannot have psions," Osahar clarified, lowering her head disdainfully. "Our wills are far too weak and the genes that enabled even meager powers were lost in the Fall."

"Oh... I see." Brigid looked down a bit. "Well... it doesn't matter. Your people still kick ass without them. I mean... you're like the perfect race for cybernetics and MECs. Pretty cool if you ask me." She dropped the pad into into her palm and placed it to the side. "And as far as weak wills go, that isn't what I saw out on the battlefield."

"'The body is frail, the frame is strong,'" Osahar quoted, idly tapping her hind leg against the floor. "That is why we give ourselves so easily to augmentation. As for the weak wills, merely see us in action against psions. That is how my hind leg was lost, after all."

"Yeah? Well..." Brigid grinned. "Stick by me. We'll be an unstoppable force, with your strength and my psionics, no one will stand a chance."

"You have an agreement, insofar as you do not carelessly put yourself too far ahead," the Seikron answered. "While I may be capable of withstanding damage, you... Well, you are here."

"Good point. It's a deal. And when I get out, we should hang out together. Learn more about each other. Maybe exchange battle tips."

"Indeed," Osahar affirmed. "And perhaps you might finally be the one to provide a satisfactory answer on the nature of this thing called 'romance'."

"Romance, huh? Okay." Brigid stretched her arms. "In the meantime, I gotta get ready for my rehab."

"Understood, I shall leave you to partake in that," Osahar said, beginning to back towards the door. "May you have the best of health in the coming days."

"Yeah, same to you." Brigid bowed her head slightly. "Nice talking with you."

"Indeed it was." And with that, the Seikron was through the door, the handle giving a satisfying click as the door shut.

 

[MarineAvenger]

(Note: Spoilers ahead if you have not read the Rulers of Shambala post Grime of the Past)

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Long Road Abridged”

In Orbit around Forseti (April 2nd, 2044)
The Einherjar (0828 Hours)
Room of Connor Karo

Connor’s eyes slowly opened up as his digital alarm clock sounded with an obnoxious beeping that every morning her heard it made him more annoyed he had it. Even though Connor was usually good with waking up early, though got the alarm so that he made sure he was always available and wide awake to go to his training.

As Connor zipped up his black hoodie and prepared to head out, the was a knock at his door and the soldier raised an eyebrow. When he opened the door, he was staring face to face with an unknown man in uniform. “Specialist Karo, you are to report to the hangar immediately.” The man said, pushing up a pair of glasses and looking down at his keyboard as he began to turn to move on.

“Wait, what for?” The soldier asked, confused about the order.

“No one said.” The main returned simply, not stopping or looking back. When he turned the corner, Connor walked out his room and shut the door, looking at the signs and going to run to the hangar.

***

Atka leaned against the side of the ramp leading down from the interstellar shuttle, still a bit paranoid that there was still bacteria somewhere within hungering for her flesh. Shaking her head to dismiss such thoughts, she looked over at Tracey. It had been about ten or fifteen minutes since she sent for Karo. “Your father should be here soon,” Atka assured her. The detective straightened the outer jacket of her uniform as she said so.

About a minute later, a man strode in, looking around as if he had no clue where to go, walking over to an engineer and asking a question, seemingly not getting an answer until Connor turned and saw the ship, his eyes landing on Atka and the soldier running over. “Excuse me, are you the one who sent for me?” He asked as he approached.

Atka nodded, offering him a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Karo. I wanted to tell you in person that your name has been cleared, and to deliver your daughter to you.” She gestured downwards at the girl sitting on the ground in the ramp’s shadow.

When Tracey looked up and saw Connor, her eyes widened and she jumped straight up, running at Connor in a dead run. “Daddy!” She yelled, the small girl jumping up and landing in the soldier’s waiting open arms, the two spinning around for a moment, both father and daughter embracing each other as if they had spent a century apart.

“Tracey! Oh my god… my little girl…” Connor held the girl close to him, almost not able to hold back his tears as he kissed the girl several times on the cheek, earning a giggle from the girl. “Oh my god…” The soldier laughed and he looked up at Atka, his look quickly turning confused. “Wait, what’s going on here? What do you mean my name has been cleared? And why is my daughter here?”

“My partner and I led an investigation into the case of your wife’s murder, and located the real perpetrators.” Atka’s smile fell a bit. “It was the champion you were set to fight the next day, Bruno Di Marzia. And his manager helped him. They’ve both been put away into New Alcatraz now, and you are no longer under any suspicion.”

Connor’s look turned to one of horror upon hearing the name, unable to hold back the tears any longer. “Y-You mean… you mean…” Connor fell to his knees, putting his head on his daughter’s shoulder and crying in out in a trio of emotions including sadness, relief, and pure happiness.

Atka gave him time, merely seeming happy she had done her part to help. “You were never guilty of anything. They set you up, and we’ve exposed that. I brought Tracey here just in case any of their allies were going to go after her. I didn’t expect the XSDF to go to war while I was in transit, but… I think she’ll be safe under your care on this cutting-edge starship. I’m not too worried about it.”

Connor reluctantly let go of Tracey and quickly approached Atka, embracing her in a hug as well. “Thank you… thank you… I blamed myself for so long… I thought I was responsible for everything… I… I… oh god…”

Atka seemed surprised, but didn’t resist, merely putting an arm around him gently. “I understand. I could never imagine going through what you did, but… I’m just glad I was able to prove you wrong in that respect.”

“Thank you…” He said one final time, a small tug in his hoodie causing him to look down at the girl who wanted up, the father picking up his child. “So what now? Tracey just stays with me for the time being?” Karo asked, still not sure he wasn’t dreaming. “I also don’t want to get in trouble because my daughter appeared out of nowhere.” He stated concerned.

“I’ve already cleared it with the Commander. Apparently you aren’t the only one with a child on this ship, so it’s fine,” Atka assured him.

Connor let out another relieved sigh and hugged his daughter closely. “I… I guess this is goodbye? You only came here to drop off Tracey?”

Atka shook her head. “I have a few people I’d like to visit before I head out. If you need anything, just ask for Atka Wiewiora. I’ll probably leave in a few days.”

Connor nodded, and the Latvian man looked down at his daughter. “Alright… I guess I should show you our room. Maybe afterwards we can get permission to go to the surface and have a day out… like we used to do.”

The girl’s eyes widened and her smile spread, giving her dad another hug. “Okay Daddy.” The little girl glanced up at Atka and she said, “Thank you for saving me Mrs. We… Wir… Wah… uh… Atka.”

The detective chuckled. “It was my pleasure.”

With a final nod from Karo, the soldier walked down the ramp of the ship and slowly left the hangar, the reunion between father and daughter almost too much to bear for the man who had suffered for so long, and endured so much. If he was experiencing a dream, it was one he would never want to wake up from.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Black0ut & ZombieSplitter53
Father Figure

XSDF Battleship Einherjar
1249 hours
April 2nd,2044
Medical Ward

Thomas laid on the medical bed, the doctors deeming he was unfit to return to duty. As such, Thomas stared at wall across from him, contemplating his predicament. I wish... I wish that damn Balmadaar didn't exist. Thomas thought angrily I wish that many things didn't happen. But wishing won't change anything.

A light knock came from the door, a familiar voice asking," Um... Mr. Wolfy? Can we come in?"

Thomas' head slowly turned towards the door, a tired look in his eyes making him look alot older. "Who else is with you, Korra?" Thomas asked.

"Brigid O'Brien," the short soldier said. "Do you mind a couple of visitors?"

Thomas hesitated, wondering why the soldier he had met during the mission wanted to see him. Well, misery enjoys company. The medic thought sadly. Making a quick decision, Wolfe called out "I don't. Come in."

Korra slowly opened the door, holding it open for Brigid, who was still walking slowly as she had walked so little over the last several days. They pulled up a pair of chairs, and sat in silence for several seconds, unsure what to say. Brigid's eyes darted towards Wolfe's armless shoulder. "I... I, um..."

Wolfe saw Brigid's glance at his non-existent arm and shook his head. "One hell of a war wound, right?" Thomas joked, attempting to be humorous despite his predicament.

Brigid smiled grimly. "I'm sorry, Thomas. I... everyone keeps telling me not to blame myself. But I can't help but think... the had to have been something I could have done."

Wolfe looked confused for a moment, then realized who might have saved him. "Were you... the one who pulled me to safety?" Wolfe asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

Brigid slowly nodded. "When you went down, I sorta snapped. Good thing, too. I pulled you out of the line of fire on instinct. Knowing me and my temper, I'd probably have just charged the enemy otherwise."

Wolfe smiled, "Thank you. Thank you so much. I... owe you big time. Now," Thomas said gratefully, his smile beginning to fade, "why do you think that this is your fault?"

"Because she thinks it's her job to help everyone and everything," Korra answered. "The stronger she is, the more she thinks she has to be responsible for."

Brigid sighed. "I don't know, Thomas. I guess it is just a version of survivors guilt. I messed up my arm and leg, but unlike you, I get to keep them. It sucks."

Thomas sighed, and then smiled at Brigid. "It sucks. However, I'd rather lose my arm than my life. And you made sure that I didn't lose the latter. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you." Thomas responded gratefully, the big man nearly shedding a tear.

"You're welcome," Brigid responded whole heartedly.

"So what are you going to do now?" Korra asked. "Are you... going to get another cybernetic arm and stay here... or are you out?"

Wolfe sat up slowly and leaned his legs over the side of the bed. For a few moments, Thomas was silent, having an internal debate about leaving. Thomas spoke, his words slow and thoughtful, "I have to stay here. I could leave, but I wouldn't have anywhere else to go. You see, I don't have family. I don't have a home. I don't have any worldly possessions, besides the things in my room. I'm stuck here." Wolfe gave a sad smile, memories too far unpleasant reappearing in Wolfe's mind.

Korra bit her lips for a moment. "What... what if you weren't stuck here? What if you wanted to be here? To... to be with your family."

Wolfe's eyes shifted over to Korra, his eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean?" The medic asked.

Brigid gave her an equally curious look. Korra rubbed her hands together. "W-well, you... you are... ahem..." She lowered her eyes, stuttering. "You... must wonder why... why I keep coming to you... with our, you know... age difference. Why I keep... asking you things..."

Thomas' face dawned with realization; someone cared enough to consider him family. Thomas closed his eyes, suppressing tears that threatened to come spilling out. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "You consider me family?" The medic asked incredulously.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Korra stood up suddenly, stepping away. "I... I'm just... being stupid."

As she walked over to the far end of the room, Brigid scooted a little closer to Thomas. In a low voice, she said, "Because of her condition, her family were never really there for her. Her grandmother was the closest thing to a mother figure she had, and she had no one to be a father figure. The... the way she talks about you... about the talks you have..."

Thomas closed his eyes, feeling uncertain. My father was... kind, but we rarely talked. I don't even know how fathers are supposed to act. Yet, she looks up to me. I can't... but I also can't hurt her... Dammit. Well, here goes nothing. Thomas mentally debated.

With a sigh, the big man said to Brigid, "I... didn't really have a father either. He lived in a different country and only called on major holidays. I grew up bitter because of that. I don't even really know what a father is supposed to be. But, Korra... She's someone worth protecting. Worth fighting for. And as much as she likes to hide her true self from others, she is kind and loving. That," Thomas said, looking at Korra, "made me care about her. That made me respect her. I would gladly fight her battles, because I already consider her the closest thing I have to family. I just didn't know if she felt the same." Thomas finished, a single tear escaping from Thomas' eyes.

Brigid nodded. "Korra, come back over here." Korra reluctantly did as she was told, sitting back down. "Be honest. You're always honest everywhere else."

"I don't want to embarrass him," Korra mumbled.

Thomas chuckled, "Korra, I've been through alot of embarrassing situations. Nothing you say or do can embarrass me." Wolfe said good-heartedly.

"Well... it's just that... I've never been in a situation where I liked a guy as much as I like you, but... but not in that way." Korra slowly raised her eyes. "My... my brother is on Forseti. And when I saw him again, it brought up past feelings of sadness, not only about him, but about how my parents treated me. I remembered that I didn't have anyone to look at like a father. But... but when I thought that... I thought about you, and all the times you've listened to me."

Thomas smiled, happier than he had been in years. "I listened because you were hurting from something, and I wanted to make you feel better. After listening to what you had to say, I decided to start opening up to you," Wolfe said, a twinkle in his eye, "letting you get to know who I really was. You are someone I respect and admire, Korra." Thomas smiled.

"You said to me something along the lines that you admired the reason I joined the XSDF. That's nothing compared to you. You are a kind, generous, and loving. person, Korra. You are a far better person than I." Wolfe finished.

"I... I don't believe that," Korra said softly, wiping a tear from her own eye. "Nobody who's been as nice as you can be bad."

"Or someone who's fought as hard," Brigid added. "It might be second nature to you, but out on the field, I saw someone fighting with all their might. Was that all for yourself. Because I'd like to think at least a small part of it was for your squadmates."

Wolfe looked away, unpleasant memories finding their target. "Why I fight hard for my teammates is due to what I got to witness at West Point. The U.S. said it was a victory. It was a slaughter for both sides. That's how I lost my right arm. A stupid skirmish that didn't accomplish anything. But... I have been holding grudges against people for being in the war. For even being related to the aggressors of that war. I was an asshole to Sectoids for just existing. I still have to go apologize to a Kelio Sparks for my treatment of him. I'm still working on trying to forgive the Humiliata for the war and for killing a good amount of my friends and family. I'm not a good guy. But I'm trying to be." Wolfe said bitterly.

"If you're trying to be a good guy, then you are one for as long as you try." Korra smiled softly. "I'm not the best when it comes to forgiveness either. And... and talking to you now, I might owe a few apologies myself. I don't even have your excuse, because I was born after our war ended. But I'm trying, just as you are."

They keep trying to cheer me up. Even though I told Korra how horrible I am, she still stands by me. Thomas thought. Thomas sighed "The war may have caused me to become jaded and predgidous, but it isn't an excuse. I... am still responsible for what I did, war or no war. I'll spend a good portion of my life trying to atone for what I've done." The big man responded, unconsciously grasping at his missing arm.

Korra reached out and grabbed his hand. "Then... maybe we can help each other with that. As long as we stick together."

"Agreed. It's a deal." Thomas said with a smile.

Brigid scratched her chin. "Well, I... I kind of feel like a third wheel here. But if we're making a pact to better ourselves, do you mind if I get in on this?"

Wolfe glanced over at the petite psion. "The more, the merrier." Thomas confirmed. To think, only a few months ago, I was broken, dejected. Now, I really am broken, but for the first time in 25 years, I'm happy. Thomas thought elatedly.

Brigid nodded, and Korra suddenly sprang forward, wrapping her arms around Thomas. "I'm your friend. And I'll always be your friend. I might not have known you long, but you're more of a father to me then my actual father."

Thomas surprised by the hug, lifted his arm. But a moment later the arm held Korra gingerly, to not injure her. "I'm glad to have met you, Korra. You are someone I trust and you are someone I care about, which means I'll do my best to protect you from anything that tries to harm you." Wolfe said protectively.

"I know." Korra stood up, wiping her eyes. "And once you get out of here, we can all share a drink."

"I'd like that," Brigid said, adding, "And if you need anything from us, please don't hesitate to tell us."

"I won't hesitate to grab a drink with you guys and I'll let you know if I need anything from either of you. Take care." Thomas said, laying back on the bed.

"That's give him a chance to rest," Brigid said, standing up and walking to the door. Korra hesitated for a moment, but finally walked out with Brigid.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Spy Games: Part One

In Orbit around Forseti (April 2nd, 2018)
The Einherjar (1300 Hours)
Main Engineering Lounge

Patrick Diggle wiped the sweat from his brow as he slumped into the cushy couch if the Engineer's staff lounge. Leading a double life as both a full time engineer and a part time spy of one of the most sophisticated androids in the galaxy took a lot out of a man.

That asshole is so demanding! What does he want from me, to be able to do everything his people have failed to do over the last few years? I'm the one putting my neck in the line! He just sits back and makes demands...

With a sigh, Diggle just sat back, closing his eyes for a moment.

Nick stepped into the lounge, holding his periodic table mug in his hands as he made his way ocer to the refreshments table, pouring some hot water into the cup and placing a tea bag inside of it. Glitch, Nick's assistant and best friend who had gotten his A.I. newly upgraded, was close by over his shoulder keeping watch.

Diggle slowly opened one eye, peaking at the teenager. Going over a few pros and cons in his head, he eventually opened his other eye and smiled. "Hey, Nick. Haven't seen you around much lately. You finally back to 100?"

"I've been better for a while, just haven't been out that much lately." He informed the engineer with a smile, Nick's A.I. taking in the man and staring at him silently.

"Speaking of long time no sees, Glitch!" Diggle climbed to his feet, briefly pausing at the pain in his back before standing up straight. "I've seen you even less! You get a virus or something? I missed the bay's smartest machine floating around."

Glitch was silent a few moments, but when he looked at Nick, he floated forward. "Mr. Cauthon was updating my A.I. software, and it took longer than originally thought."

"I... see." Diggle placed his hands on his hips. "You alright there, little buddy? Still getting acclimated to that new software?"

Glitch shook his shell. "No, it was no trouble getting accustomed, though it appears in my abscence you took it upon yourself to get with our partner."

"Glitch!" Nick exclaimed, crossing his arms. "That's rude."

Diggle chuckled. "Blunt as always. It's okay, Nick. He is right. Though I hope I'm not intruding on anything you guys had. I mean... I'd never expect you to be the jealous type, Glitch."

"I'm not jealous." Glitch said in his old serious voice. "I just do not trust you." The A.I. said to Diggle's face.

Nick swiped Glitch out of the air, one of the few times he had ever grabbed his buddy. "That's enough... What's going on with you?"

"Someone needs to be cautious between the four of us." The A.I. stated, irritated he was grabbed but didn't complain as it was his creator doing it.

Diggle swallowed hard, but kept a smile on his face. "I... guess it doesn't hurt to be cautious. But... what exactly is it that you don't trust about me. If I know, maybe I can fix that." Is this ball of bolts on to something? Can an A.I. of his level be paranoid?

"I just simply trust no one who mysteriously appears and then starts dating one of my coworkers. Simply too much has happened too quickly." The A.I. stated with authority.

"I'm really sorry, he usually isn't this rude." Nick informed Diggle.

"It... It's okay. He just doesn't know any better." Diggle let out an internal sigh of relief. "The truth is, I've been trying to get Alice to go out with me for a while," he explained. "She only recently said yes, though. Even with all my trying, I still feel super lucky. I'm too nervous to ask her what made her change her mind."

Nick smiled. "I knew it..." He whispered. "I am sure she will tell you eventually. She seems to really like you." The teen told the man with a grin.

"Thanks. I'm trying." Diggle sighed, sitting back down. "She really is special, isn't she. I... I can't put my finger on it, but there is something... I don't know, different about her."

"She is a little awkward around people, but she is definitely not like others... Must be her charisma." Nick concluded.

Diggle laughed nervously. Little lying... "You said four before, Glitch. Did you mean that little one running around here somewhere?"

"Yes, that would be Nick's younger sister." The A.I. confirmed.

"Did Alice ever tell you we are related. We had different fathers but the same mother. I always knew I had sister but never thought I would meet her. That is why we are so close, despite what people believe." Nick explained with a warm smile.

"Really?" Diggle rubbed his chin in thought. "Strange that... she forgot to mention that when I asked about your relationship. And... she and Hestia look like they share both parents."

"They both took after our mother and I took after my father. After Alice was born she took her father's surname after our mother married him and when they got a divorce and remarried, she kept it instead of changing it to Cauthon." Nick's innocent face seemed to have no ounce or sign that gave off the impression he was lying to Patrick. "Alice is... A little embarressed of me in public, hence why she probably didn't mention the relationship right away."

Heh... pretty good liar for a kid. Diggle have him a shocked look. "Really? I didn't realize that. I guess that's why she always seems so embarrassed when talking about you. Don't know why. You're obvious from a family of prodigies. I mean... why else would little Hestia be allowed to work in here?"

"She doesn't do much honestly. Only reason she is allowed is because my work area has no heavy machinery. She is not allowed on the main manufacturing floor." Nick took a smooth sip of his tea and stared a Diggle with a look that made it hard to determine just what the teen was thinking.

Diggle's smile nearly faded. He's good. "I gotcha. Makes sense. Be pretty silly if they let a normal little girl work on the main floor, huh?" He leaned forward. "I have to ask you, since I'm embarrassed to ask Alice, but... when's her birthday? And how old is she? She looks so young but acts so mature, it's hard to tell. I'm sure you know how women are with asking about their age, a stud like you."

"She's 25." Nick lied, though his pleasant smile made any hint of his lie undetectable. "She is so mature because of her father. I heard some stories about how strict he was and apparently it really helped her bloom. As for her birthday, you just missed it. It was on the 25th." The teen took another sip of his tea.

"So... enough of Alice, why not tell us about yourself Patrick." Glitch said, saying to diverge any risk of him asking anything further into her age.

Diggle blinked several times, caught of guard. "Um... sure, what did you want to know, friends?"

"About yourself." Glitch said, floating slightly closer to the man. "About your skills and where you come from. Maybe a bit of family or personal information, the same stuff you asked of Alice."

Diggle chuckled nervously, never thinking he'd be intimidated by something so small that wasn't a gun. Wonder if I could take a baseball bat, and... "Well... I grew up in the U.S. Phoenix, do be specific. Only child, spoiled by my parents. I got my degree in engineering at the University of Phoenix. I came on board the Einherjar immediately after joining the XSDF, and I've been pretty satisfied so far. I have a number of basic skills, but where I shine is weapons manufacture. I'm largely tasked with not only building the weapon we use, both for soldiers and machines, but disassembling every weapon used in combat, checking for defects, cleaning them, and putting them back together. It is somewhat repetitive, but I enjoy it, and I love the people I get to work with and meet, you two included, of course."

"Thank you." Nick said, chuckling a little.

"And what is it you like in our coworker?" Glitch asked, not giving Diggle a chance to ask a question of his own. "You've said you liked Alice for a while but I have not once heard you mention exactly what you saw in her."

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Spy Games: Part Two

"Well, I... I..." What's with this robot? I feel like I'm watching a girlfriend's father slowly loading his shotgun! "I, um... I admit that it was... mostly physical at first. I'm sure I'm not the only one who came on to her. But, after talking to her for a while, I... I, um..."

"I find it strange how you just happen to work in weapons manufacturing, a division in which Alice is not part of, and yet then approach her looking for a relationship. Wouldn't anyone find it strange that you just happened to run into this specific person once and then became emotionally attached... you must have been very, very lucky." The assistant said accusingly, his eye seeming to squint. "Or perhaps a friend recommended you?" The A.I. asked.

"Y-yeah... actually, um..." What the fuck am I... back off, you bucket of bolts! "My friend... Toji Yamaki... I was telling him how... u-unlucky I am with... with women. He... he works security, so he gets around. He must have... heard what a great woman Alice was from others... and he said I should ask her out. I... she rejected me at first, but... I was too attracted to give up." Diggle smiled nervously. "I mean... w-what other reason would... I... have?" Speaking of Yamaki, when I find him...

I will have to look up this Toji Yamaki... there is something off about this guy... and I refuse to let him hurt Hestia, Alice, or Mr. Cauthon. Glitch thought to himself. "I don't know, but I must say you are acting rather nervously for a situation that wasn't required of it, nor do you have the reason to be embarrassed. I can tell because I learned the signs of when a person's heart speeds up over the years, and also the fact you are sweating does not help." The A.I. got a bad vibe, thought couldn't quite come up with the reason why, mostly his explanation being how sudden this Patrick Diggle had shown up.

Nick merely looked at his buddy with concern, his gaze then shifting to Patrick with curiosity about his answer.

"W-w-well... what do expect?" Diggle asked, deciding to emphasize how nervous he was instead of trying to hide it, his only hope now being Nick's empathy. "I-I really care about Alice! I'd do anything for her! But... b-but she cares about you two, and now one of you is interrogating me, a-accusing me of some... ulterior motive for no reason! W-why isn't enough that... I care about her? D-do you... really think some chicken shit like me could do something to hurt her? I-I'm not even brave enough to take on a small, paranoid robot!"

Glitch didn't by his speech for a moment. He is 'playing it up', as I believe the phrase goes... now I know he is hiding something.

Before Glitch could say anything more, he was stopped by Nick, who saw how nervous he had made Patrick and the teen shook his head. "I'm sorry if you get the wrong impression, I designed him to be this way." Nick explained.

Diggle's eyes quickly darted towards Nick. "You designed him to... to treat people like criminals? I thought we were friends having a friendly conversation!"

Nick appeared a little hurt by the comment but the teen composed himself and shook his head. "I designed him to keep myself and those close to me safe, and to help me with tasks I could otherwise not do myself. I am sorry he has been a little harsh but I always value his opinion."

Diggle's eyes darted between Nick and Glitch, and he took a few deep breaths. "Well, I... I can appreciate that, Nick. I... I know you care about Alice. And it is pretty cool that... that Glitch wants to keep her safe. If that's really the reason, then... then I understand. Sorry for freaking out there. But like I said... what else could I want from her? It isn't like there is some reason someone would be out to get her... right?"

The teen and Glitch looked at each other, Nick glancing at Patrick and folding his hands. "I am going to let you in on a little secret... alright?"

"What secret?" Diggle leaned forward a bit. "Alice... she's not in some kind of trouble, is she?"

"No... nothing like that, but she's been used in the past, and treated poorly by peers. It wore down her confidence and even made her a little anti-social at one point. Now... even though she is my older sister, I take her very seriously, and anyone who tries to go and hurt her, or break her heart, will deal with me." Nick held out his hand to Patrick. "I assume you understand."

Diggle's eyes darted between Nick's eyes and his hand. He slowly smiled, and nodded. "I... would never do that to Alice. I'm no stranger to what men can be like. Treating someone like Alice like she's... an object. Like she's less then human. But I swear to you, my young friend. I would never hurt her. Alice means more to me then some... secret, priceless treasure sought the galaxy over." He grasped Nick's hand. "Trust me."`

As Diggle grasped the teen's hand, he smiled and shook it, though the toothy smile he was giving was not the usual pleasant one he had on, the teen squeezing the older man's hand, having some force behind it with all the heavy lifting and workout time he had put in, the muscle not showing but definitely there. "Good... I am glad we are in agreement." Nick stood up, his grip still tight on the other engineer's hand as he leaned into his ear as he walked over to Diggle and Nick whispered, "Because Alice does not mean more to me than a secret, priceless treasure sought the galaxy over..." The teen said calmly, almost as if he was mocking Patrick. "She's worth more to me than your life... remember that."

Diggle let out another nervous chuckle. "Y-yeah, Nick. We have an understanding." W-what the fuck have I gotten myself into!? Yamaki said this kid was a pushover! When did his balls suddenly drop?!

Nick's pleasant smile returned once more and he stood up, wishing Patrick a good rest of his day and proceeded to walk off with Glitch floating next to him. "Was... was that really necessary, Nick? That was... strangely out of character for you."

Nick let out a sigh and grabbed his forehead as if he was going to hurl. "I know... I don't know what came over me, I just acted on instinct. I already lost one close friend, buddy. I don't want to lose my other." The engineer said, looking forward but a million thoughts running through his mind, most of which was Sunny, his promise still glued in his mind.

Diggle watched the pair go, an anger sneer spreading across his face. That... little, upstart brat! As he stood up, his sneer slowly turned into a smile. Nice try, kid. But never doubt the motivating factor of a shit ton of money. But... thanks for the ammunition...

Later that night, in the workshop of Nick Cauthon...

"Okay Glitch... I think it is almost..." There was a slight spark from the item in front of the teen engineer, the old, useless scrap pistol he had first put together as a ruse to ward away any potential bully or ruffian was now being converted into something more, Glitch's help with his technical know-how and a set of blueprints he was kindly loaned from one of Malcom's friends. "Perfect... er, I think. How much longer you think this will take on your estimation?" He asked his buddy.

"A day if you spend all of tomorrow working on it but I really don't think you should be doing this without supervision or permission, Mr Cauthon." He assistant commented warily, knowing that if he was caught with what he was making, there might very well be trouble.

"Hey Glitch, I've been meaning to ask... earlier today you actually called me Nick for the first time. What was up with that?" The engineer asked with a smirk.

The A.I. was confused and stunned a moment. "I... Uh... it was merely me forgetting myself in a time of worry... nothing more."

"Yeah, yeah... whatever you say." With a smirk, Nick went back to his work.

Hestia giggled, bobbing her head a bit from her bed. "You should start calling him big brother. Big brother likes it when you call him big brother. Almost as much as he likes... Hestia's new hair... right?"

"For the hundredth time you bubbly little android, I love it. Though Glitch calling me big brother doesn't really fit his style. Maybe you should call him big brother though too." The engineer noted with a smile.

Glitch floated in front of Hestia's face and his 'eye' narrowed. "Don't do that."

"I don't know... could be fun, big..." Hestia's eyes suddenly flashed red, and her expression dropped. She pulled her legs close and gave the door a frightful look. "A... A-Alice is coming..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Spy Games: Part Three

Nick raised an eyebrow at Hestia's reaction and he looked at the door. "What's wrong, you've never reacted like that before with Alice, Hestia..."

"Because Alice is usually always happy, and we're linked, so I could sense that." Hestia curled up a little tighter. "B-but... something is wrong. Alice is mad..."

"Mad?" Nick quickly looked down at the item he was working on and grabbed a towel, draping it over the project and standing up, looking at the door with wariness and curiosity. Why would Alice be angry?

A minute later, the door slowly opened, revealing a very anger silver-blond gynoid, the door handle making a squeaking noise as it was crushed under her grip. Alice stepped in, somehow not breaking the door when she slammed it shut behind her. Her eyes darted between Nick and Glitch. "What... did you two... do?!"
Both Glitch and Nick glanced at each other a second and Nick crossed his arm, scratching behind his ear for a minute. "Uh... what... whatever do you mean...?" He asked, looking to the side.

"W-what did you do to Patrick!?" Alice waved her arm towards the door. "Because do you want to know what he told me you did?" She pointed at the floating robot. "He told me you got paranoid about him wanting to learn more about his girlfriend, and started interrogating him like he was under suspicion of murder!" Her finger moved to Nick. "And he told me you threatened him! As in... to hurt him! Has he gone nuts? Is he lying? Please tell me he, and the two other techs who happened to see you talking, are wrong!"

"Um... well... that isn't... I mean... I mean we... hm... well you see..." Nick scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle.

"It's true!" Alice crouched down in front of Nick, gasping his shoulders firmly but carefully. "Why would you do that, Nick? You're the one who told me to get out more. You're the one who told me I should give him a chance. And now he's thinking of breaking up! He's saying how it might be a good idea if we 'just be friends'!"

"If I shall answer for Mr. Cauthon Alice, but there is something very odd with that man. It is true some couples are prone to ask questions about ones they mutually care about but his were... they felt off." The assistant stated, floating over to his creator.

"And I am just looking out for you Alice... what I said wasn't too scary..." The engineer added.

Alice let out a grim laugh. "Not too scary? He said you said I meant more then his life! What you might thought was a statement of sincerity he wondered if he should take it as a death threat!"

"Big... big brother Nick... wouldn't..." Hestia dared to lift her eyes. "They wanted to keep Alice... safe..." Alice shot a death glare at Hestia, and the juvenile gynoid fell silent.

"W-Well it's true. You mean a lot more to me than he does, and if he was to ever hurt you..." Nick squeezed his fist. "He needs to learn his place." The teen said in a low tone while Glitch went over to Hestia to give her comfort.

"Learn... his place..." Alice released Nick, standing up. "Do you know who you sound like right now? You sound like those bullies that beat you up, because they looked down on you when you stood up to them and you had to learn your place."

"That..." Nick shook his head. "Y-You don't know what you are talking about!" He yelled at the android.

"I don't, do I?" Alice rubbed her forehead in aggravation. "Did it... ever... occur to you that I've been around for twenty-five years, and I was practically born with enough information to now make me twice that age, and I might know how to take care of myself? That I might have had my own doubts, but I was willing to take a risk... like you yourself suggested I do?"

"It doesn't matter what I first said." The teen said with venom. "I changed my mind! I said that without really knowing who the guy really was and now I get a bad vibe from him. He is no good for you!"
"A bad vibe? A bad vibe?! Who are you to make that kind of decision?!" Alice turned her head away and sighed. "I respect you, Nick. So I hope you can appreciate how hard it is for me to say this. But in this situation..."

"No," Hestia mumbled, covering her head.

"...you... are a child. A seventeen year old boy who knows nothing of relationships." Alice looked him dead in the eyes. "You are the one who doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Big brother is not a kid," Hestia whispered with a whimper.

Nick could feel his chest knot up, his heart thumping heavily in his chest but he took a step forward. "S-So what!? It is obvious you are too blind to see that you are the wrong one, Alice! Speaking of which, what do you know about relationships? From all your complaining, you could never keep one!" He kept yelling.

Hestia let out another whimper, and Alice folded her arms, standing in silence for several seconds. When she spoke again, it was in a slow, almost monotone voice. "It's hard to keep one when you either have to lie to the person or find someone who doesn't care that you're a living machine. I thought you of all people would understand my struggle." She turned around. "If you'll excuse me... I'm going to go see if I can do something to keep this one." She walked to the door.

"F-Fine! Run away! It seems the only thing you are good at! I was wrong about you! I thought you were someone special, someone I thought I could finally let in after I gave up everything to be here! And when I try to tell you that something is wrong with your delusional little world, you just run back to the person who is going to hurt you eventually instead of the one who would always be by your side! And people are right, you are not human... you are just another domme neuken robot!" Nick yelled at the top of his lungs, standing there while breathing heavily, almost on the verge of tears.

Alice stopped as she reached for the door handle, considering for a moment to stop the appropriate program, but deciding not to bother as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I... I guess I am. Every... every man that ever broke up with me because I told them... they all did because I was... nothing but a machine to them... they couldn't all be wrong, right?"

Alice slowly opened the door, and Hestia jumped off her bed, running to Alice and grabbing her hand. "Don't go!"

"I have to," Alice mumbled, and turned around, crouching in front of Hestia. "But you're your own person now. Nick... Nick convinced me it was the right thing to do. So... if you want to stay..." Hestia looked away in guilt, and Alice kissed her on the head, whispering, "Take care of Nick," before standing back up and walking out the door, not bothering to close it behind her.

Nick stared at the door, his fists shaking in anger as the knot in his chest was at its height of tension, Nick's breathing becoming erratic as he could no longer hold a tear back but tried to stop the rest from following. "What..." Nick put his hands behind his head, turning around and bending his back, taking a deep breath as he turned around and collapsed onto a stool, holding his head in his hand. "What have I done..." He asked to no one, rubbing his eye to try and prolong the inevitable.

Hestia stared down the hall, long after Alice was gone. "Big brother... just wanted to help Alice. But... then he said bad words. He called Alice... nothing but a robot." She slowly turned to face Nick. "Is this how you see Hestia?"

Nick's eyes widened in pain as he covered his face ashamed of what he had done. "Hestia, no... I love you... You are my precious sister... Your big brother would never think of you like that."

"Hestia thought... big brother Nick would... never think of Alice like that." Hestia slowly walked to her bed, laying down into a ball and facing away from Nick.

I don't think of her like that... I never did... "Please, Hestia, you have to understand..." He said, stepping closer to the android on the bed.

"I can't understand." Hestia curled up a little tighter. "Is... is Alice gone... forever?"

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Spy Games: Part Four

"I don't know..." Nick sat down on the bad with Hestia and he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl. After a few seconds he said, "I'm going to go apologize to her... Hopefully she will accept it." He put his face into Hestia's pink hair and sobbed a bit. "I... I-I am a horrible person, aren't I?"

"No," Hestia whispered. "Hestia loves Nick. I... I think Alice still loves Nick, too."

"I... I need to go apologize. Hestia, do you know where Alice is right now?" He asked with his own whisper, hugging the girl again as if he didn't want to lose her too.

Hestia's eyes flashed for a moment. "She was talking to someone a moment ago, but I think she left engineering, heading in the direction of the staff quarters."

"Thanks, Hestia... I will be back soon." He kissed the girl on the cheek and got up, running out the already open door as fast as he could. I have to say I'm sorry... I have to tell her how I really feel...

As her neared the exit, a familiar man suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Where are you going... friend?"

"Out of my way Diggle!" The young engineer growled in anger, that man the whole reason any of this was happening. Before going any further, Nick put his hands behind his back. "I have stuff to do."

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Diggle asked, barely supressing a smile. "Alice is a wreak. I sent her to my room, and after what you said to me, you're not welcome there."

Nick barely kept in the urge to lunge forward and strangle the man, though he knew he was better than that. "I don't care, I amgoing to see her. If not tonight, then tomorrow, or the day after that... I won't stop!"

"And then what?" Diggle folded his arms. "She told me how you reacted. You think you could ever make things right? Face it, kid... you played the game, and lost to someone superior."

"Even if she doesn't want to ever see me, or work with me again, I am going to at least try and apologize. I care for her too much to let that happen." The teen said defiantly, staring down Patrick, trying to steel himself so he didn't appear weak but he couldn't stop a falling tear.

"Oh, that's just fine. Not like I can hide her from you forever. Though by the time you see her tomorrow..."

Nick's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? What did you do?"

Diggle sighed, crouching down. "How do I put this a way your... sensitive ears can handle." He didn't bother hiding his smile any more. "I really have to thank you, Nick. You helped us get together, which is why I talked to you earlier. I was hoping you'd come up with some way to get us past that... last hurdle. And you did, just not in the way I thought."

"What... did you... do?" Nick growled in anger, taking a step back.

Diggle leaned forward a bit. "The question is, what did I promise to do? And the answer is... I promised to take all her pain away tonight. So tell me... does she look as good under her clothes as with them on? I'm guessing yes. I bet she looks like she was... made to perfection."

Nick's eyes almost bulged from his head, his heart simultaneously leaping into his throat and sinking into his stomach. It took everything the teen had not to spit in the older man's face, but instead he just turned around. "Tell Alice to get her stuff out of my workshop... tonight." The teen ran back, retreating into his workshop and grabbing his project from the table, being sure to keep it wrapped up. "Hestia... grab your clothes and pillow, we're sleeping in our room tonight. Alice... Alice is done with us."

Hestia quickly sat up. "W... what? No, she... she'll be back!"

"She doesn't need us..." Nick said in a low tone, grabbing his stuff. Looking around, Nick sighed, "Hestia, where is Glitch?"

"I... I don't know," Hestia answered, sniffling. "I didn't see him leave."

"It doesn't matter." The teen grabbed the rest of the stuff he needed, holding out his arm to the small girl. "Come on... let's go Hestia... you can sleep with your big brother tonight."

Hestia nodded, grabbing her pillow and favorite blanket and taking Nick's hand.

Two Hours Later

Glitch floated down the hallways of the staff rooms, looking around at the numerous name plates that were next to the doors, looking for the one he needed, having eavesdropped of Nick's conversation with Patrick Diggle, deciding he was going to talk to the android himself, worried about his friends' spike in heart rate but knew it wasn't dangerous. when he found the room he needed, Glitch floated back and slammed his shell into the door several times, hoping the person inside heard and that he couldn't feel pain.

The door quickly opened, the wrong person glitch had been hoping for looking out into the hallway. He just barely floated up in time for Diggle to miss him, the young man looking back and forth down the hall. He shrugged, and looked down at his watch. He looked back into the room for a moment, then grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt off the ground and slipping them on before stepping out. He slowly, quietly closed the door again, and took off down the hall.

A few moments later, as Glitch floated back to eye level, the door opened ever so much, just enough for some Glitch-sized to enter.

The A.I. narrowed his eye and cautiously entered the room, looking around to see if he could see Alice. He floated upwards again, scanning the room slowly.

Alice sat on the bed, facing away from the door. She held the sheets against her chest, her bare back exposed to Glitch. "What are you doing here, Glitch?" she asked, not turning around.
"How did you know it was me?" The A.I. asked, staying in his high perch in case the man came back.

"How did you know it was me?" The A.I. asked, staying in his high perch in case the man came back.

"Metal banging against metal, like it was slamming against the door? Not hard to guess." Alice slowly turned her head, but her eyes remained glued to the floor. "I can only imagine what is going through that robotic mind of yours."

"You actually went along with that man... no, I am not confused and can see things pretty clearly right now, the only question is why... after everything, you chose him over the other?" Glitch asked, his tone returning to it's base, generically stoic way of speaking.

"Because I truly love Patrick." Alice looked up at Gltich, starring intensely into his eye. "I told him about me. About what I am. And he excepted me without any problem. Without any judgement. He didn't even seem too surprised, as though he had known... all... along." Alice narrowed her eyes. "Do you understand me?"

"No, I cannot say I do." Glitch seemed to shift a bit in the air.

"Explain what happened to Nick. I... I hope he'll understand." Alice sighed, and stood up, walking over to a side table. "In the meantime, Nick and I should stay apart. It is obvious being near him... might hurt him. In ways he might not be prepared for. I need to sort things out." She turned back to Glitch, and almost pleading look in her eyes and she stood near a computer. "I don't feel... safe... talking to you hear. Alright, Glitch."

The A.I. stared at Alice for a while, trying to think of the best course of action. "I hope you realized that Mr. Cauthon... Nick... had loved you, and looked up to you when he had no one else to do so. You don't know... the reason... why. We were not working from malice, Ms. Fischer... we were working because we were asked to, and made to promise not to tell you about it. The whole time it was never about jealousy, or anything other than the desire to keep holding on to what he saw as a light of hope. Now, without you, or his friend back home... all he has left is Hestia. If she were to disappear, Nick would have no reason to stay with the organization. His own advancement has taken a backseat in his life."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

MarineAvenger & ZombieSplitter53
Spy Games: Part Five

Alice looked away, a pained look on her face. "I... I cared about him too, Glitch. And this hurts me more then you realize. But we need time apart. Hestia won't leave him. She chose him over me, after all. And I would love to make up with him right away. But I need time to sort things out. And talking with you... here... is a bad idea. I-I need you... to understand... what I'm saying, Glitch." She looked back up at the floating assistant, her eyes darting to various points in the room as she lowered a hand on to the computer.

"I hope you know what you are doing... because I fear even with the levels of my friend's forgiveness... there are limits that even he has." Glitch floated down and stopped beside the crack in the door. "Shall there be anything else before we do not speak any longer?"

"Actually... yes." Alice reached behind the computer, producing a letter. She walked over to Glitch and placed it in one of his grooves. "Please give this to Nick. And... and tell him to read it carefully. And... and thank you, Glitch. For everything."

Glitch was silent for a few moments, simply turning and going out the door with a, "Goodbye, Ms. Fischer." As the A.I. made his way to his creator's room.

***

Nick opened the door, a depressed look on his face as he saw Glitch. "Where have you been?" He asked, looking at the item attached in him.

"Taking care of rather unsavory business... take it." The A.I. told Nick, the teen taking it and opened up the letter, not bothering to listen to Glitch as he open the piece of paper with a heavy heart as he began to read it.

Listen, Nick.
Every part of me hurts to have to tell you this.
A rift has formed between us, and I'm not sure how to fix it.
Regardless of what you might think, I still respect you.
Never, ever think that could change.
What has changed in my ability to work with you.
How could I, after what you did... and said.
Of course, I still care about you.
You are a loving young man with a big heart.
And I could never truly hate you
My heart is heavy, even while writing this
At least the time apart will give us both time to think
Knowing that Hestia is with you eases my worry.
I feel the same way about Glitch being there.
I... know we'll be able to get over this... some day.
Sincerely yours, Alice Fischer.

As Nick read the second to last line, he crumpled up the piece of paper and he threw it to the side, the ball landing under the desk in the room as he fell to the floor and leaned against the end of the bed holding his head, not wanting to cry as he didn't know if Hestia was asleep or not.

A few moments later, he heard the sound of the paper unfolding, Hestia standing by the desk and reading it. She started to sob, lifting one arm to cover her eyes.

Nick's felt his whole body deflate, walking over to the girl to wrap his arms around her, more to comfort himself rather than the girl. "It will be alright... we... we don't need her..."

"But... but Alice loves us." Hestia lowered her head. "I... I thought Alice loved us..."

"I thought she did too... but she found someone more important to love other than us..." He stated solemnly, Nick almost on the verge of completely losing it.

"Nick... there was a request Ms. Fischer had for you." Glitch said, interrupting the twos moment of grief.

"I don't want to hear it." The teen said angrily. "I don't... ever want to think about that woman again..."

"Mr. Cauthon, she just merely requested you looked at the letter carefully." He informed the teen, floating down to face level with the two.

"To hell with the letter... I just want to burn it..."

"Please, big brother," Hestia pleaded, turning to Nick and offering the letter to him. "Please do it... for me."

The engineer sighed as he looked at the android girl's pleading face, taking the letter again and looking at it up and down, scratching his neck as he tried to rush the process, after a while he raised an eyebrow and his eyes widened. "Learn Who Yamaki Is? What the...?" He looked at Hestia confused.

"What?" Hestia shook her head. "Who's Yamaki?"

Nick shook his head in confusion but then he was back to being angry again. "No... you know what... she betrayed us... and she hurt us. Why should we do anything for her anymore!?" He threw the sheet of paper onto the desk and crawled into bed. "She can fend for herself for all I care." He said in almost a whisper.

Hestia's hands tightened into fists as she starred at Nick, her lip quivering a bit. She stood alone for a solid minute before crawling into bed herself, and turned away for Nick. "Fine," she said in a nearly inaudible whisper. "If you won't help Alice... then I will myself..."

After a little while, long after Glitch went to set himself on the desk and shut down, Nick turned around in the bed and wrapped an arm around Hestia. "Do you hate me?"

"No," Hestia answered. "Do... do you really... not love Alice anymore?"

"I tried to help her... I tried my best to keep her safe and keep my promise to Sunny... but all I did was let my emotions get the better of me. No... no I don't love her anymore. I don't know if I ever did, or if it was just infatuation with something I grew up thinking was amazing." He explained slowly, deeply suppressed to be admitting it. "And after what Patrick had said and Glitch told me he saw..." Nick pressed his head against Hestia's back. 'But a lot of people, I'd like to believe a majority, take the act very personal, and believe it should only be done with someone you truly care for.' Those were her own words... and I pushed her to that... I don't care what that letter said, it was only a ploy to deliver a message, it didn't mean anything... Alice made up her mind about what she wants to do... and those plans don't involve me.

"Is... is it okay if I still love Alice?" Hestia cautiously asked, whimpering slightly.

"You are allowed to have your own thoughts..." He pulled away from Hestia, and turned around again. "But I'm afraid you made the wrong choice... You don't belong to me... I... I want you to go live with Alice... maybe Patrick could be your father... I don't deserve for you to call me a brother... especially after what I said..."

Hestia laid in silence for several seconds, unsure how to react. After a while, she slowly asked, "Do... do you remember what Hestia said? About... wanting to like Nick because she wants to... not because of her programming?"

"Of course I remember... but how could you ever still be loyal to me after that? After your other left me..." Nick curled himself into a ball and held his hands tight around him. "I'm a failure... I should I have never left home... I should have never joined the XSDF... I haven't done anything right since coming here... I can't get Clunker to work... I can't get the other girl I like to return my feelings... I couldn't make Hermes's memories come back right... I haven't even improved my implants yet..." The teen began to cry again. "I just wish I would overload right now..." He said, the words barely coming out audibly.

"It... it isn't easy for... for programming to become sentience. It takes a special touch. A special person." Hestia tone sounded unusually mature as she turned around, this time wrapping her arms around him. "But you did that. You made me love you. You...you made Alice love you. I don't know what she's doing. She... she cut our link when she left engineering. But I know how she thinks. In many ways... I am still her. And for me to love you so much... that must mean she does too." Hestia nestled her head into his back. "Big brother isn't a failure. Big brother will fix everything. Hestia is sure."

Nick closed his eyes and intertwined his hands with Hestia's. "I just wish I was as sure... besides... it doesn't matter if I love Alice or not... I already like another girl... and she has shown how loyal she is to that man. I just want to forget ever meeting her, and just be happy with you..."

Hestia held him a little tighter. "I love you, big brother Nick."

"I love you too... Hestia."

 

[Adrammalech]

| SEIZE THE MOMENT
| Tabitha Le’talla / Mark Exalt (MarineAvenger) feat. Frederick Mason (DarkGemini24601)
| Einherjar – Cybernetic Labs
| Forseti
| March 31st, 2044 – 11:00 PM

Tabitha looked around uneasily as she entered Mark’s workspace, trying to spare herself too much exposure to the inner workings of his division. She tried not to let her discomfort show for the sake of her purpose there, straightening her back and flipping a few red locks of hair out of her face. Noticing the familiar back of her boyfriend, she rushed over quietly, tapping his shoulder.

“Hey,” she said. “Busy?”

Mark turned around for a few moments, his eyes widening when he saw Tabitha and he set down a tablet, turning around and glancing about and relieved none of his subordinates could see him. “Uh… a bit, why? What are you doing here?”

“I wasn’t up to anything,” Tabitha looked aside, then back, “I was wondering if you wanted to go ‘out’ and do something, if you can leave work for a while.”

Mark bit his lip, turning back around to look at the work he had sat down and shook his head, loosening the tie he was wearing. “I guess that is acceptable.” He told his girlfriend in a rather stern tone, but in reality he was excited for some time with her deep down.

“I was thinking the holo-room,” she suggested. “Escape from the ship walls for a while, know what I mean?”

He nodded his head, Mark undoing some of the buttons on his lab coat and slipping it off to hang it up on a coat stand. “Let’s go.”

As they walked through the wide halls of the ship, Tabitha moved closely with him, seeming unusually touchy but still restrained by the public nature of the area. “So, how’s work going? You must be busy if you’re working so late.”

“With the war we are now in, we are getting up stores of basic cyber limbs so we can assemble something quickly from pieces instead of having to do it all from scratch.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck with a free hand while he opted to hold hers with his left one.

She smiled at his hand, enjoying the contact. “Sounds grim...but smart. Hopefully you won’t have to do that for long.”

“Hopefully.” He put on a pleasant smile, though it always looked strange on his rather emotionless face all the time, even if he was seeming to do it more often.

As they got to the holoroom, Tabitha peeked in for a moment, then opened the door wide, gesturing Mark to follow along. “We’ve got the place to ourselves,” she noted, walking towards the computer. “Anywhere you want to go?”

“What is your homeworld like?” He asked the Tamearin with a hint of curiosity.

“It’s not that much different than here, there’s a little bit of everything,” she replied, scrolling through the options. “I’m sure there are a couple simulations of it in here, if you wanted to see…”

“I see no reasons to object. Might be a nice change of scenery and I am interested in how your planet differs from Earth.” The scientist walked up behind Tabitha to see her choice of selection.

Tabitha pushed a button and the computer let out a small droning sound as it constructed the environment around them. The ground turned into a very light pink sand, giving in to a deep indigo-colored sea on the other side of the room. A few trees wavered next to them, large notched green leaves flopping from side to side from a light brown trunk. The climate control kicked in, and a wall of heat and humidity dropped down and crushed the standard cool and sterile atmosphere of the ship. In a few moments, it seemed as if the room was gone, with nothing but an endless, private, alien beach stretching out infinitely through space.

“This is Jacaranna, where I came from,” she said, walking towards the water. “Not…here, exactly, obviously. Just the kingdom where I was born.”

Mark nodded, looking around at the landscape with some with an approving look. “I also come from an area where the sea is accessible, but it is nothing this tropical.”

“There are a lot of tropical areas, more so than desert,” she replied, turning towards him. “Ours was a popular vacation spot, because of the ocean color. My parents visited here right before I was born, and decided to make it permanent.”

Mark looked around a bit. “A beachfront proposal is not all that bad a situation to profess your love in.” He noted, though the scientist raised an eyebrow. “I hope you are not expecting a repeat of history, as I would be rather unprepared for something of that magnitude.”

Tabitha chuckled. “I’m as unprepared as you, don’t worry about that.” She looked around for a moment and took a deep breath. “I’m really happy where we are though, since we got the psionic lab thing out of the way.”

“Yes, it is a big relief off my shoulders.” Mark admitted, crossing his arms and walking behind the alien girl. Though the fact she and my sister seemed to like each other bothers me… I don’t want her having anything to do with my private life anymore, no matter what. The Exalt thought to himself about his sister.

 

[Adrammalech]

| SEIZE THE MOMENT: PART TWO

Tabitha let out a little groan as she moved to sit down on the ground, patting the space beside her for Mark. She looked out and noticed that the sky seemed to be locked around sunset time, a happy accident from her selection of settings. “If the real planet was like this, I might never have left. But the real beach would be filled with people, ready to judge you if you shout too loud or run around too fast.”

“Seems peaceful… if not a little boring.” The scientist noted as he sat down next to the alien woman, looking out with her.

“There are some things that probably don’t translate to this. Like, a lot of our marine life glows in the dark, and sometimes you can see it from the surface.” Tabitha sighed, leaning back. “Maybe it’s a little boring, but at the same time, it’s good to have a peaceful place to go to. Sitting here, you could forget about the war, the ship, the rules...all that stuff, at least for a while.”

“Perhaps…” Mark sat Indian style on the sand while resting his hands on his legs.

Tabitha turned to face him and leaned forward without a word, putting one of her arms around him and moving in to kiss him.

He was surprised at first, but had gotten used to her show of affection, not stopping her but just accepted the kiss rather than returning it.

She could tell that he wasn’t reciprocating as much, and as she stopped her advance, she whispered quietly to him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, why?” He asked, seeming to have no problem with his response to the situation.

“Just making sure,” she smiled softly. Feeling reassured, she moved halfway over him, almost sitting in his lap and wrapping both arms and her tail around him before kissing him again.

He returned the kiss this time but after a bit he pulled back. “What are you doing?”

Tabitha began to blush and gave him a little more space. “W-what do you mean? Do you not like it…?”

“That’s not it particularly… this is just a little different than how you usually are.” He explained, with a slight tilt of his head.

“I just have been thinking, I like you a lot,” her eyes darted between him and space, “I wanted to get more...intimate with you, if you wanted to too.”

Mark’s expression turned a little surprised, and despite everything he felt his face grow hot. “M-More… intimate?”

Tabitha felt awkward trying to explain it further, so she pushed him down onto his back and got in close again. “How about this...we can kiss like this, and if you feel like you want to touch me more, then I won’t stop you,” she whispered.

“Y-You were never this bold before… just what has gotten into you?” He asked with surprise, trying to crawl back.

“Nothing,” she said. That’s the problem… “I just want to show you how I feel about you. Just roll with it?”

“I-I don’t…” Mark stopped himself, looking at the girl and his face softening. “You really want this… don’t you?”

“I really want you,” she said, smiling with an innocent excitement at him.

The scientist shifted a bit, really unused to the situation they were in. “I-I guess I am just more used to your reserved, blue side…”

“Well, it is a package deal, so you should get acquainted,” she chuckled, leaning in for another kiss.

Mark pulled back this time and shook his head. “This is against the rules Tabitha…”

“It’s always been against the rules,” she sighed. “Don’t you want to touch me? Aren’t you at least curious?”

“Well… of course I’m curious… but what if we are caught? I can’t lose my job.” He explained.

“There’s no one else here, stop worrying,” Tabitha said, running her hands down Mark’s body. “Seize the moment.”

The scientist scratched his hair and he let out a sigh, finally nodding his head. “Alright… you win…” But she sounds like Ezra or Sora… Mark’s hands rose up his girlfriend’s sides, his hands reaching up under her shirt. “Never… done this before…” He muttered.

“Me neither, so don’t be shy…”

A muffled voice was briefly heard outside of the holo-room, before the door opened, the Commander stepping in with a holographic wristwatch, currently on audio-only through a set of headphones. “Yes, it might be prudent to talk t-” He fell dead silent as he glanced upwards, seeing the two plain as day. “Hold on for a moment.” Deactivating his microphone and flipping it upwards, Frederick’s expression was even but his tone was stern. “What is going on here? Don’t… answer that. It’s not hard to tell. I suppose a better question would be what you two have to say for yourselves.”

Mark looked at his hands under his girlfriend’s shirt and quickly pulled them out, crawling out from Tabitha and quickly standing up, pulling down his vest. “U-Uh… Commander Mason… I…”

“We were…I was just helping Mr. Exalt, here,” Tabitha said shakily, brushing herself off. “It was research, for cybernetics…Tamearin physiology, that’s all.”

“I’m sure it was.” Frederick shook his head. “You both know what the rules are.” He rubbed his forehead, sighing. “I want both of you to report down to one of the offices in the brig. I’m not keen on taking a soldier and the head of two divisions out of the action, but I do need some time to… consider what reparations are going to follow this.”

Mark opened his mouth to protest but shut it as he knew it would be fruitless and he let out a sigh, beginning to walk away from Tabitha.

“Vilg…” Tabitha whispered, walking behind him. As she passed Frederick, she cleared her throat and spoke up. “Listen, you can just punish me, I started it…”

“I’ll consider what to do with both of you,” Frederick said unwaveringly. “Now go. I need to think.” He sighed, seeming to have more on his mind that just this.

She nodded sadly and followed along, too ashamed to walk beside Mark on their way out.