The Starstream Adventures! (Sci-fi RP)

ShadowHounder & BMPixy: “A Bladed Tail, A Little Competition, and A Familiar Eye, Part Three”

"And that is why it is called the Sunrise Saber," Gazan declared, turning to observe the score climb to an easy eighty - instead finding it sparking and glitching. Tilting his head behind him slightly, he saw what was behind his holographic foes - the holoroom console. He stared silently at the machine as it sparked, his mask hiding any emotion.

Yip, who was observing from the console room, jumped back when the spark starting flying. She quickly shut off the program using her tail to keep a distance. Once she was certain that the computer has stopped sparking, the cyber assassin ran back to look at Gazan. "What the hell was that!?"

"That attack is not meant to pierce through foes," Gazan explained, dispelling his weapons in flashes of light. "I seem to have not noticed what was behind them, either," he finished, striding back over to the console room. "It is of no matter, I can fix what I have damaged."

Yip let out an agitated sigh. "No doubt Aya will be furious if she finds out what happened here..."

"Nothing builds trust like a shared secret," Gazan replied simply, hopping over the console and crouching down to pry off the front access panel, taking a close look at the electronic guts of the machine. Continuing, he said, "It seems that the magnetic field of the plasma burst caused a surge of current, but the circuit breaker tripped before anything could happen other than a little light show. Let me just reach in here and..." He probed an armored gauntlet into the mess of cables and wires to flick a switch at the back of the console, and the lights on the display sparked to life once more - and thankfully, only in the metaphorical sense of the phrase.

"A shared secret?" Yip crossed her arms as she thought for a moment. "Tell me... How much do you know anyway?"

"Less than you'd think, but more than you'd hope," Gazan replied, pulling himself free of the wires and replacing the front panel. "I've seen more than my fair share of Cartus in the service of other households. After enough galas, debutantes, simple social calls, your kind tend to blur together." As he stood and turned to face Yip, he continued, "However, I more than remember a look the worst off among them had, that look that you had as I first spoke to you. Those eyes, caught between defiance and fear... well, between those, your reaction and recognition, and that no ordinary Cartus would have augmentations such as yours, it was simple intuition that you had something awful happen to you."

"I assume that means you know the Nighthaze." Yip noted bitterly, the name was one she hoped to never utter again. "And my former master, Galidus."

"They were on the short list of those I considered hiring to construct my suit, but I only knew them by reputation," Gazan answered, sending the mental command that dismissed his armor. "And that reputation was enough to see that name struck from my list in favor of more palatable alternatives."

"I guess you get to see there work first hand..." The former slave stated grimly, staring at her metal hand. Though her arms and legs were given synthetic material to appear organic... they were just as augmented as her tail was.

"No, I will not," Gazan said, placing his hands upon his hips, almost looking heroic for a moment. "I will see your work instead," he finished with a firm nod.

The cybernetic girl gave Gazan a disappointed look. "I do not recall this being my work..."

"When you strike, is it not with your fist?" Gazan asked, raising his arms out wide. "When you cut, is it not with your tail? If you win, is it not your victory?" The Shinso snorted and shook his head, as if the answer need not be said, but gave Yip the space to come to that conclusion herself.

"But these tools are not my own. You could even argue that my mind isn't either." Yip countered, trying her best to push back the dreadful memories.

"Foolishness. You are you, Yin," Gazan said simply, shrugging exaggeratedly. "Just as I am the one who will replace the gods with a slash of his sword, you are the one who will..." Gazan trailed off, coming up on a blank as to what 'Yip' meant as a name without knowing how it was written. "Regardless, as long as you bear your own name, you are the one who decides your destiny."

Yip looked down at the cold metal floor. "Would you say that if you knew how they enforced obedience to those that survived experimentation?"

"Of course I would," Gazan replied with a nod, setting a beefy hand on Yip's shoulder. "I am not the sort of person who would only say something in certain conditions."

"If she was still here... I'm sure she would agree with that." Yip responded as she slid his hand off of her.

Gazan arched a curious eyebrow, but did not pursue further. Sliding his thumbs under his robe's belt, he instead said, "Well, I'm certain you did not wish to spend your day dredging up such memories," Gazan said, before briefly feeling a sense of deja vu, though it did not reach his expression. "I shall double check to make sure nothing is truly damaged, feel free to go about your business."

Yip nodded, before moving to the door. "You might also want to fix this as well..." She noted, pointing at the large dent she made when they first met. "As for me... I am going to look at resting for a few hours. I need my strength reserved for any potential mission I find myself in."

Gazan nodded. "Very well, I shall look into it. Rest pleasantly, Yin," the Shinso replied, crouching down to examine the guts of the console once more.

The fallowing is Done by DhalExpert&BmPixy

The inspired hunter meet's the seasoned veteran

Aboard the Golden Wind, Forward Meeting Lounge

"And... bingo," Gazan murmured to himself, getting the holoprojector finally tuned properly. It quickly shimmered to life, switching to a Shinso news broadcast, the two casters babbling about a story in untranslated Standard Shinso. Pleased at his work in getting the projector jury-rigged, the noble leaned back into his seat, cracked open his laptop, and got to work reading the accumulated documents on ship repair he had accumulated, the pleasant sounds of his home tongue providing some background noise to help him study more efficiently - even if those sounds were tales of political corruption, homicide, and how people were queuing for new technology releases. Still, it was a taste of home the noble hadn't had in a long time.

“What the hell someone got the holoprojector working. And the first thing being shown is a war lightyears away.”

Gazan looked up from his studies upon hearing the voice, spotting the other entrant to the room. His eyes just as quickly flashed back to the projector, quickly reading the alien script at the bottom of the newscast, prompting a smile and mirthful shake of the mane. "Ah, I could see why you would assume that," he said to the Kotavorg whilst motioning to the footage of warfare displayed over the table. "No, no, it's actually a promotion for the release of a documentary. Operation Gran-Mekhnes, it seems to be about. It is good, those soldiers deserve the recognition." His eyes returning to the other man in the room, Gazan continued. "I do not believe I have met you. You must be..." the Shinso trailed off, raising a hand to indicate that now was the time for introductions.

Blisk raised an eyebrow.” Blisk Yeah.” He sighed.” And my kind never understood why you write a documentary on things, that’s what stories are for soldiers when there’s still a war going on.”

"Grandmother said this," Gazan said, raising a single finger towards the heavens. "He who forgets the past forfeits the future. Tomorrow is ruled by those who recall what happened yesterday." Lowering his hand in one decisive movement to close his laptop, the noble continued, "Regardless, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Blisk."

“Good to be met, that’s a good saying from your grandma. But my people have there own saying.” Blisk cleared his throat. Crush your enemy sprit today, break there will at night if they don’t surrender by morning it will be a good fight.”

"An interesting saying as well. Exactly the sort of mentality I'd expect of one of your kind," Gazan replied, rubbing his chin. "Speaking of which, I see our first officer dissuaded you from joining as much as our captain dissuaded myself, " the Shinso added. "I assume you are a bounty hunter as well, Blisk?"

“Yeah I am, I would also like to say if do continue this conversation it be nice to know your name.”

Gazan chuckled at that, as if to suggest he was waiting for that very statement. Taking his hands, he swept back his impressive and fiery mane, and began his introduction. "There is one name in the universe you must know. Slashing his sword, one who will replace the gods," he said, standing from his seat. Leveling a prideful finger at Blisk, Gazan finished, "My name is... Gazan Laguz Kamiji Caineghis-Kruger." And, as if on cue, the holo-projector displayed a still image of Gazan as the story of his involvement in the capture of Kolshei Vilanov began - prompting a cocky smirk from the flesh-and-blood incarnation of the noble.

Blisk eyes started to twitch.” Kid I’m goanna say this once, get your finger out of my face before I revert to the old ways and eat it. And in case you miss heard that I’ll say it again, I will eat your finger off your hand.”

"I thought you were only to say that once?" Gazan asked in return, taking his offending finger and tapping his chin with it in thought. "Perhaps you should worry more for your memory than my hearing, old man," the noble lightly joked, his self-satisfied smile growing ever so slightly as he folded his arms behind his head.

“You know it’s not a good idea to mock the man that said he was gonna eat you. And I’m not old I’m thirty four, now you’re name is Gazan huh. So what you’re famous for what capturing someone?”

"More than that," Gazan said, turning to face the observation window and the star-field beyond it. "I am the man who stands at the top of bounty hunters. Where once I sat atop the throne of the Duchy of Caineghis, now I quest across the galaxy to build a legend to last the passing of epochs. A new form of knight errant, for a new era in need of them."

Blisk rolled his eyes.” Your seriously about to make me vomit kid, which is not a good thing. Let me go ahead and crush your dreams here.” Blisk cleared his throat.” You’re a bounty hunter you will be remembered for nothing, it’s a job like everything else, the only people that will remember you is the criminals you captured. Or if you don’t do that the people you help, the rest of the galaxy seems you as nothing more than a dog.”

Gazan gave a snorting laugh at that. "Do you know how many times I have heard that?" he said, tilting his head back to look at Blisk. "And yet here I still stand - for those ideas are the devil's whispers; anathema to the formation of a legend. Life is a long path to a goal, and I am always wary of those who try to send me on detours," he finished, returning his gaze to the stars outside.

“Okay how about some truth to what I said, I’ll tell you a story and you could tell me if you heard of it or not.”

"I shall listen," Gazan said, striding back over to the couch he sat upon before and leaning over the backrest. "I doubt it shall affect my convictions, but it is always good to hear the tales of another."

Part 2

“Good you know of the frontier right? New unexplored space, filled with pirates and criminals?”

"Of course," the Shinso replied with a nod. "A land for brave souls to carve out a new life for themselves amidst danger. I assume your story takes place there?"

“Yeah I spent two years there, hunting the worst of the worst. Pirates gangs big and small, drug lords mercenaries that only care for money. Good times well about seven years ago someone came and started cleaning house.”

"A valiant endeavor, though I imagine given the lesson you are trying to instill, it did not end well for that person," Gazan noted.

“Ou it ended bad for plenty of criminals, Hell I’ve captured stars I don’t even know how many people, crime was down by five percent when I was there. But when I left guess how many people knew of my many good deeds?”

Gazan snorted and turned away from the other bounty hunter, shaking his wild and fiery mane. "Did you chronicle those deeds for the ages? Did you spread your legend when you could?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I fail to see how one with such impact could go without recognition were that the case."

“I didn’t try to spread a legend, but let me hit you with another one. You know Aria right famous pirate slaver?

"Let me guess, she met an ignoble end appropriate for her station?" the Shinso asked, pacing behind the cough with his hands folded behind his back, yet never breaking his gaze from Blisk. "And, since I am the one who stands at the top of guessing, I shall also assume that it was at your hand?"

“You’re damn right. I hit her hideouts first before capturing her. Freeing thousands of slaves.”

"I surmise, given your fatalistic viewpoint that you believe that your name is not spoken of with reverence by those whom you saved?" Gazan asked in returning, his pacing increasing in speed as he spoke. "Or, perchance, I am off the mark?"

“What I’m saying is, the galaxy won’t know who you are. The people you saved sure, but if you’re looking for everyone to know what you did you will be disappointed.”

"Grandmother said this," Gazan replied, raising his finger towards the stars outside. "Chase two birds, and you catch two birds. After all, you said yourself that you are not pursuing a legend. I am, so your ideas are ill suited to holding back my march into glory."

Blisk groined and rubbed his head.” Okay you wanna be a legend, tell me what is the price on your head?”

"I am priceless," Gazan answered, putting one hand to his hip, the other clenched into a fist before him. "A Galactic Treasure beyond worth."

“I’m about a minutes from blowing your head off. No what is the price criminals put in your head, if there is none then you gotta long way to go.”

"If the criminals have placed a price on my head, then that means they believe I can be defeated," Gazan explained. "As such, as one who cannot be defeated, I do not want them to put a bounty on me - I want them to fear me as much as I wish for the common folk to praise my name," he finished, gesturing at the newscasters.

“Well numb nuts, I’m worth about fifteen million credits brought dead. So if wanna have the whole criminal underworld talking about you, match my bounty.”

"Fifteen million, hm?" Gazan said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If that is the metric by which you choose to measure legends, then I will be worth fifteen billion," he finished with a savage, cocky smirk.

“Yeah by the time you accomplish that you would be a corpse. Ok I’m tired of this nonsense. Gazan was it why the hell are you trying to be some dumb legendary hunter.”

"Try?" Gazan asked, arching an eyebrow. "The moment you try, you have already failed. No, I will become a legendary bounty hunter - for this is the best means of rebuilding that which has crumbled, lifting high what has been made low, exalting that which has been damned. The House of Caineghis-Kruger is faced with many hardship and trials, but I am the legendary scion who will overcome them, and reclaim our legacy," he finished, clutching his fist before his heart.

“Ou now I see why you’re acting like some bs hero you see in old Tv shows. You’re a god damn rich boy, who more then likely doesn’t know how the galaxy really works.”

"Everyone who claims to know how the galaxy works have, in my experience, been nothing but a font of cynicism," Gazan replied, hooking his thumbs under his belt as he paced the room. "However, the galaxy is a bright, beautiful place, filled with hope - it must be true, else a man such as I would not exist. And, truth be told, neither would you."

“No people like you exist because you were sheltered from reality, the galaxy is cold and cruel and you will be taught this.”

"If the galaxy were as cold and cruel as you claim," Gazan retorted, returning his gaze to space, "then you would not have been able to free those folk and destroy their master. Though tragedy exists, as long as one can avenge or avert it, there is room for heroes. I believe the author Teri Gnushin wrote it as thus," he said, quoting someone besides his grandmother for once. "There is no atom of hope, nor molecule of justice. It is only by the work of a noble soul that such things are born."

“Trust me are millions of people out there that wouldn’t agree with you, I’m just the product of criminals understanding the anger of a Kotavorg.”

"Then I believe we are at an impasse, Blisk," Gazan said, grabbing his laptop off of the couch and tucking it under an arm. "However, I stand at the top of overcoming such things - one day you shall see that I am right," he finished, making his way to the door. "But I suppose I shall simply have to show you that truth, rather than simply speak of it," he said, hanging at the door for just a moment longer.

“Kid you can’t prove a god damn thing to me, I’ve done this longer than you and I’ve seen all this galaxy has to show, and I’ve seen it devour people that are way too confident like you. I’m just telling you to not get your hopes up.”

"I do not hope," Gazan said, sliding open the door. "I simply do, and the universe reacts," he finished, stepping out the door - leaving the untranslated Shinso news broadcast still playing in the room.

Blisk sat down and grabbed a drink.” Ugh that boy he’s stupid all that crap about wanting to be some top hunter and shit, He’ll be luck to not see the galaxy as I see it. But I’m a veteran he’s not he will the galaxy has a cruel way of beating your spirit.”

Insane Darkness & BMPixy: “Pâté Chinois, Part One”
Golden Wind, Lounge

The kitchen of the lounge was alight with the sounds and smells of cooking as Chuck worked away at the task before them. One giant arm mashed potatoes over the counter, whilst the Azisin’s two secondary arms manned a skillet where onions and ground meat browned away in their juices, filling the air with their scent. In the potatoe pot went a measuring cup laden with milk, the cook’s flow in cooking refusing to break for such things as too many tasks to perform at once.

The door to the lounge opened, revealing the gene-modded Celentius. Blaze’s gaze merely glanced over the individual in the kitchen, but his nose couldn’t do the same. “Ma déesse, that smells wonderful.”

Chuck rumbled in acknowledgement of the compliment, as the primary arm in charge of potatoes retrieved a blender to puree the moist mass they had mashed the vegetables into. “That shall be a sign that this dish will come out well,” the Azisin replied.

“I sure hope so.” Blaze walked across the room to sit on a couch near the kitchen.

“Celentius,” the Azisin noted aloud, cracking open a can of creamed corn into the skillet with a single clench of their free primary hand. “Meal will be finished in approximately one half standard hour. You may go and return then for it, unless you wish to engage in conversation. We have noted that is the trend for those who arrive whilst we work.”

“You seem rather intelligent. I would not mind taking half an hour to speak with you. I can clean my weapon as I wait. Not a problem.” Blaze placed his assault rifle on the table in front of him, pulling out a screwdriver from his coat pocket.

“An assault weapon,” Chuck said, examining it from a distance with one of their sensory Azis as they stirred the contents of the skillet. “We would assume such things would be kept in the armory whilst aboard a vessel, rather than on one’s person. Hulls can be thin, and one-minds are rather sensitive to depressurization.”

“If I told you that I have it on me purely because I wished to clean it, would you believe me?” Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We have no reason to suspect deception,” Chuck answered, taking one of their secondary arms away from the skillet to salt and pepper the pureed potatoes. “It would be inefficient to perform such a thing over this, especially to a new encounter.”

Blaze leaned over his gun, twisting some of the screws so as to gain entry to its internals. “You have a fair point. In all honesty, I merely keep it on my person to aid my anxieties. Being around other people is stressful.”

“Then you must find being around three hundred and eighty-seven very taxing,” the Azisin noted. “You have our congratulations on handling such things coolly,” they added, killing the fire on the pan.

“I would say the opposite. I feel no stress speaking with you or being in your presence. For some reason…” Blaze pulled a metal cover off of the gun. “I am not sure why.”

“We suspect that it is due to our stark differences from the nature of other one-minds,” Chuck replied, retrieving a baking dish and laying out the contents of the skillet in it. Atop it went the mashed potatoes, followed by a light sprinkling of mixed shredded cheeses. “You may read the body language of a one-mind to poorly guess at the thoughts within their head. You cannot do the same to us.”

“So, you are saying the inability for me to recognize your body language could be the cause? I can see that.” Blaze removed a grey cloth from his other coat pocket and brought it up to the gun, scrubbing away the discoloration and dust buildup.

“It is a hypothesis,” the Azisin rumbled as the oven beeped to signify it was at the proper temperature. With one smooth motion, the baking dish went into the stove. “One that was proposed to us by another, but as you have said, it is feasible,” they finished, setting the timer.

“Are you… normally so dexterous with your cooking?”

“This is odd?” Chuck asked in return, tilting their upper torso to the side slightly in an attempt to mimic the sign of confusion.

“For ‘one-minds’, as you said, I would say so. Your movements are impressive to behold. Are you sure you are only just a cook?”

“We are also a hunter,” the giant replied, stepping out from the kitchen. “Additionally, we carry knowledge of starship operations and repair, amongst other things we have gathered through experience and communion with other Azisin.”

“I know very little about Azisin, but you all sound amazing. How does your body work?” Blaze started to scrub down the barrel of his gun.

Chuck was silent for a long moment as they debated amongst themselves how to answer that question in a way the Celentius would understand. Settling on something, they said, “We shall use this metaphor - believe for a moment that all of your innards have their own minds. Flesh, bones, organs. They commune with one another to solve issues, granting independence to act. You do not have to consider the idea of grabbing, your arm will do as it must.”

“If one of your ‘minds’ become damaged or die, how do they become ‘working as intended’ again, so to speak?”

“If it is damaged, it heals,” Chuck answered simply. “If it perishes, it is replaced with another.”

“So, you all possess a healing factor? And how is one ‘replaced’?” Blaze popped open another compartment to his gun, cleaning out more buildup.

“How do one-minds replace their dead?” Chuck answered the question with another question, taking a place at the head of the table Blaze worked at. “We are no different.”

“So, you perform the act of reproduction? I figured it might have been more like binary fission.” Blaze paused. “How long does pregnancy last, then?”

“New Azis are budded after sixteen standards hours, approximately.” The Azisin turned slightly, as if something unseen in the kitchen caught their attention, but they continued speaking as if nothing had occurred. “The time required to reach usefulness varies depending on the role they must fill.”

“Interesting… I should learn more of your kind. Everyone else is built on a similar base. Azisin are much more fascinating.” The Celentius scrubbed away at the fingerprints on his gun’s round count screen. “I swear, I barely ever touch it, yet these damn prints get all over it…”

“One-minds are an equal object of curiosity to us,” the Azisin said in return, ‘watching’ the Celentius work. “Why is it that your bioform is the most common in the galaxy? Why is our kind the only who can truly cooperate? It is a difficult question.”

“Well, are Azisin able to resemble something less humanoid?” Blaze questioned.

“Yes,” Chuck said bluntly. “We carry the memories of those who have become complexes of Azis, stretching far and wide over their territory - not pursuing resources, but obtaining them through their influence alone.”

“I see. As for the cooperation issue, society often encourages individuality and thinking for oneself, let alone the very nature of rebellion most humanoids possess. For an Azisin, I would assume such things are less encouraged or nonexistent.”

“Azisin do not possess society,” the giant corrected. “As such, speaking of things being encouraged or nonexistent is moot. No, we are speaking of biological cooperation - adaptability and mutualism. All other races produce one-minds, those alone in their nerves. Yet being of many-minds has produced many advantages for our kind; so why have similar things not come about elsewhere?”

Blaze thought for a moment. “Progress comes from ideas. Having everyone possess the same or similar ideas will not bring about change. If everyone is able to form together and share their ideas and abilities, progressive change can happen. In all honesty, I am surprised your kind are still alive. Then again, I doubt many Azisin kill other Azisin.”

“No, we do not. That would be to lose their collected memories, to waste resources. We may fight over territory, but to destroy another is not to be done.” Chuck was silent for a long moment, before speaking again. “We are not like one-minds, in that regard. You have entire classes dedicated to the capturing or destruction of your own kind.”

“Conflicting ideas often lead to conflict. Though on the basis of destruction, creation blossoms. Sometimes.” Blaze shrugged. “Rather than treasuring a collective, one-minds treasure individuals. One person better than the rest is praised. One person dying is mourned. And not everyone is willing to donate themselves to medical practices, which is the closest I would say one-minds can get to resource allocation.”

“Short-sighted. Individuals perish and are replaced. Collectives endure. We carry the memories of they who invented warp travel; yet one-minds forget events within their lifetime.” Pausing for a moment, the collective decided to acknowledge a memory that one Azis called forth before speaking again. “Your accent is familiar,” Chuck said, climbing onto an entirely different train of thought.

“It is French. Nothing too crazy.” Blaze wiped down the stock of the gun.

“French,” the Azisin said as if to confirm what they heard. “Is that a dialect of Quebecois?” they asked after a moment of musing.

“In a sense. French is native to Earth, though it spread to my home planet. Some other form of French that evolved to a different tone.”

Insane Darkness & BMPixy: “Pâté Chinois, Part Two”

The Azisin gently hummed at that, a deep and low rumble more felt than heard. “Our prior companion was familiar with the tongue we spoke of. The differences are why it took so long to recognize,” they said, straightening slightly and returning to the kitchen.

“I can see how that could be an issue. Désolé.” The man gave Chuck a quarter bow, as he was sitting down.

“It is of little issue now that it has been placed,” the Azisin replied, cracking open the oven for a moment to examine the meal. “Though it seems the cultural impact of humanity has spread far indeed.”

“I am sure humanity has had many accomplishments, though I would say they are responsible for many of our issues today. I cannot go into any specifics, but I believe humanity to be the most destructive race of us all. As well as the biggest wild card. Do you agree, or do you have a differing opinion?”

“Our contact with humanity has been nothing but agreeable,” Chuck answered. “The Laepaede released the Andromeda AI. The Demigor are well-known for their atrocities in times past. The Shinso are the last bastion of organized slavery; meanwhile their war with the Quin is one of the few conflicts between states in this era. And there is little to be said of the Pickio. Meanwhile, a human saved our lives. The conclusion is clear.”

“I see. So, you believe that humans are the most likely to possess compassion compared to the rest? And what do you think of the Celentius?” Blaze leaned back, leaving his gun open and crossing his arms, giving Chuck his full attention.

“We have yet to come to a conclusion on your kind,” Chuck began. “As for your first question, we shall say no. However, we do recognize that they seem more prone to the activities that indebt others to them, in a positive manner. We do not know the cause for this, but causes do not matter, only conclusions.”

“I suppose, for some things, causes do not matter. Though, I would argue that causes are pretty important to recognize. If you wish for a desired solution, for example, you often have to find a way for the cause to occur. Past experiences with making the cause happen can make it easier the next time. And so on.”

“If you become indebted to another, and then repay your debt, does it matter if your creditor offered you aid out of altruism or measured greed?” the Azisin asked, watching the timer on the oven tick down. “Similarly, do they care if you repaid out of appreciation for their aid, or out of fear of what would occur if you did not repay them? That is what we speak of.”

“The way a transaction would occur can leave lasting impressions on those involved. Good intentions often lead to a fluid and easy transaction, whereas a bad one can lead to lives being affected negatively or ill intent towards the other individual or individuals. The result is the same, but the way things went down change how the outcome is represented and if future transactions would be possible or outright encouraged instead of the alternative.”

The oven beeped it’s conclusion, and Chuck just as quickly silenced it. Out from the oven the baking dish was retrieved, a golden and crispy top layer providing a feast for the eyes, whilst the fragrant smell provided a similar sensation to the nose. Silently, they set the dish out upon the kitchen bar, serving out a portion onto a plate, meat juices slowly spreading out from beneath the potatoes. “Pâté chinois is complete,” the Azisin intoned, laying out a fork beside the plate and sliding it to the lounge side of the bar.

Just as the food finished, Blaze had finished putting his gun back together. Once he stood up, he placed it back into its holster on his lower back before walking over to the divide and picking up the plate. “Do you have any drinks that would complement this dish? Meat takes a while to chew and whatnot.”

Chuck rumbled slightly as the Azisin debated amongst themselves what to offer. Remembering that this was described to them as a working man’s dish, the Azisin silently plodded over to the fridge, asking only a single question as they cracked it open. “Alcoholic?”

“If you are referring to wine, then that is fine.” Blaze caught his own rhyme, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh. That was not intentional.”

“No. Wine would not do for this. Our collection is more fit for luxury cooking,” the Azisin said, probing around at the back of the fridge. “Recommend a milk stout for this. Perhaps oatmeal stout instead.”

“Stout? I have yet to have much stout in my life. But I will take your recommendation.” Blaze nodded. “I have no reason to distrust your opinion so far.”

The Azisin returned to the counter with a bottle of milk stout in hand, cracking open the bottle with a secondary arm as a primary arm retrieved a glass to pour the contents into - carefully, gently, not letting it foam over but ensuring that it had plenty of head. Wordlessly, the cook pushed the glass over to the Celentius.

“Thank you kindly.” Blaze picked up the glass with his left hand, bringing his meal to the table he was at previously. Once he set everything down, he picked up his screwdriver and cloth and returned them to his coat before he sat down. The smells wafted up to his nose, making the hot meal enticing and the mere act of placing his possessions back where they belong feel like hours were passing.

Whilst Chuck loomed in the background, awaiting judgement, such things could be forgotten for the moment as the first bite was taken. The more traditional herbivore’s meat produced an excellent sensation of savoriness, and its juices infected the taste of the corn and onions, producing little pops of their respective flavors once their meaty coating was pierced. Meanwhile, the mashed potatoes provided a starchy background for this dance to perform against, though the slight cheesy addition ensured that background was not without flavor as well. A sip of the stout provided a heady counterbalance to the dish, though the milk used in brewing gave the alcohol itself a very slight sweetness. In the kitchen, Chuck neatly packed the rest of the dish for storage later, labelling when it was made and what the contents were.

“I cannot find enough French swears to describe how amazing this dish is…” Blaze turned his head to look at Chuck. “And you make things of this quality all the time?”

“We have been practicing for close to seventy standard years now,” Chuck replied. “We believe the appropriate phrase is ‘it has become natural’.”

“I would figure buying your services would be expensive,” Blaze stated nonchalantly.

“Indeed it was,” the giant said slowly, turning back to face the lounge. “The Captain has provided us with lodging and one hundred percent of our subsistence needs, as well as the means required to procure the ingredients we require. Thus, we cook, provide maintenance, hunt, and may perhaps be enlisted in aid in bounty hunting. It is a fair exchange.”

“I am glad you have found a job you can enjoy. I believe the captain to be a little too nice, though. It is rather suspicious.”

“Did you not say before that to ensure more pleasant transactions in the future, a kind disposition is a necessity?” the Azisin asked. “She is looking for those whom will perform many such transactions; thus, by your logic…” they trailed off, letting Blaze reach his own conclusions.

“By my logic, she is doing a good job. Yes, I get that. But it is to the point where I feel there is more to her than what she lets on. I cannot believe that she is the most selfless individual in existence.”

“Then ask her if that is the case,” Chuck offered simply, raising their shoulders in an approximation of a shrug.

“As if I would do such a thing. It would be too stressful.” Blaze waved a dismissive hand.

“Then the fault of your suspicions lies with yourself, rather than in her demeanor.”

“I could imagine it being both.”

“Then you shall have two issues to deal with in resolving this matter.”

“I guess so. I will do so on my own time, then. As for you, what will you do now?”

Chuck was silent for a moment at that question. “We shall need to take inventory of foodstuffs for when we next reach port. We shall also have to see what aid we can provide in repairs. By then, preparations will need to be made for the evening meal,” they listed off. After a brief pause, they added, “We have not obtained your identity.”

“I am Blaze. I have also not obtained yours.”

“We have been referred to as ‘Chuck’,” the Azisin said, striding out of the kitchen towards the lounge’s exit. “We shall encourage that tradition.”

“Well, Chuck, it has been a pleasure.”

“We shall say the same,” Chuck replied. “If you wish to eat again, we shall be here. Else, there will likely be leftovers.”

“Expect me to take the leftovers. On occasion, I may speak with you again. It is nothing against you, I assure you.”

“That shall be kept in mind. Until then, Blaze,” the Azisin said as the giant thumped out of the lounge, ducking slightly to clear the doorframe.

“And for once, I enter and leave the lounge without requiring a cigarette…” Blaze stated out loud to himself before resigning to finishing his meal.

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Something ain't right...

Elisa sat inside the lounge, enjoying a small glass of earth style lemonade. She was surprised at how sweet the juice was... considering how tart it was as well. It had a strange complementing... Yet contrasting taste. I need to ask Lady how they made these when I see her again. The young girl thought to herself, recalling earth to be her homeworld.

"Are you enjoying your drink?" Ash asked, wiping down the counter.

Elisa jumped slightly at his question. "Oh, Ash. Sorry... I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon. I do enjoy it... though I'm not sure if it's something that I should drink all that often. Sugar can be harmful in large quantities."

"This is true," Ash agreed with a smile. "But a treat now and then is good for the soul. Or so I am told." The door opened, and Ash bowed his head. "Greetings, Captain."

"What's up?" JJ sat next to Elisa. "Oh, that looks good. I'll have one of what she has."

"Hello Ms. Jetsto- I mean JJ." Elisa blushed a little as she reminded herself of the Captain's preferred name. How are you doing today?"

"Quite well, quite well." JJ took her lemonade and sipped it with a smile. "Mmm. And how are you fitting in?"

"Quite nicely actually." Elisa answered with cheerful surprise. "I've a lot of nice and interesting new people... And even made a few friends!"

As Elisa and JJ had their conversation in the lounge, a communications channeled open up in the Golden Wind... A old soldier looking man requesting to speak with the Captain of the ship.

On communications, Aya requested he wait a moment. "Captain," she said over the comms. "You have a message. I'll patch it through to the meeting room."

"Got it." JJ smiled at Elisa as she stood. "Care to join me?"

"Ummm... sure." Elisa replied nervously before following JJ to the meeting room.

JJ tapped a few buttons on the central display to bring up the image of the caller. "This is Captain Jackie-Jackie Jetstorm of the Golden Wind. Who may I ask is speaking?"

"General Ivan Stoutfield of Planet Commodore 5." The man answered the Captain in a professional manner. "I have matters I wish to speak to you about Captain."

"I understand." JJ placed her hands on her hips. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain stowaway we had recently, would it?"

The General could help but sigh when he heard her remark. "Yes... This is about the assassin that recently boarded your ship by mistake."

JJ held up a hand. "It's okay. No harm was done. I invited her to stay until the situation with her superiors was handled."

"We have handled it." Ivan chuckled. "And that means you might have a new job to look forward to."

Elisa turned to JJ in confusion. "What does he mean by that?"

General Stoutfield looked at the girl with surprise. "Aren't you Malcolm's kid? What are you doing on a bounty Hunter's ship of all places?"

JJ smiled proundly. "She works for us now. Improving her skills and exploring the galaxy."

"Why did I have a feeling he would do something like this..." Ivan muttered.

"You know Malcolm?" The girl asked hin curiously.

"Knew him? Hell, we were friends back in high school. I helped him convince the Admiral that found you that you were worth holding on to." He explained with a small stroke of pride. "That man always has some crazy plan up his sleeve... Still amazing me that he hasn't pursued politics yet."

"Do you approve of Elisa being on the ship?" JJ wondered out loud.

"I question the decision... but I trust he knows what he's doing." The man stated before clearing his throat. "I've been informed that Yip already told you her original objective."

JJ nodded. "And I take it the target has been dealt with?"

"Not exactly..." The General said grimly. "We managed to track her down... but with all of the weapons she stole, attacking her now would simply lead to a war... A war I'm not prepared to fight. I was hoping a pair of your new bounty hunter crewmen could help deal with her before things get out of hand... Again..."

JJ nodded. "I'd be happy to take out someone so dangerous. Will Yip be helping with the mission?"

"As the original hire... she will assist and give you any info that my scouts were not able to obtain in their limited reconnaissance." Ivan explained to the Captain. "I advice that you speak to her when you can... as experience has shown me that she isn't the kind of person to active approach others."

"I've noticed. Please send me all the information you currently have."

General Stoutfield quickly sent files on Alexia, her rebellion, and the various combat weapons she stole to the ship's computer. "I believe your second in command will be able to finish sorting them out. We gathered as much as we could... Make good use of it. General Stoutfield out."

Elisa looked at the Captain as the transmission ended. "What do you plan on doing?"

JJ scrolled through some of the files. "We'll pass by where she is on our way to our next destination with only a slight detour. I have an idea of how this should be handled, but I think it is best if I talk to Yip first before making any final decisions." Despite her usual carefree nature and airheadedness, JJ sounded all business.

Elisa was caught off guard by JJ's quick plan. Before she could say anything however, the girl's eyes began to make a faint glow before she darted out of the room. This time she would find it, Elisa was sure of it.

"Elisa?" JJ took off after her. "Elisa, what's wrong?!"

Elisa ran throughout the halls of the ship, before coming across a certain cybernetic Cartus assassin, who was eating a fish sandwich inside the lounge. Yip looked at Elisa coldly... But did not speak a word until JJ caught up to the girl. "Is there a problem Captain Jetstorm?"

JJ panted softly, wiping her brow. "Wow, you run fast. No Yip, I don't think so. Are you okay, Elisa? What made you run away like that?"

"It was you..." Elisa muttered softly to Yip, her eyes still glowing faintly.

Yip placed her food down and grabbed a small disc like object. She placed it the table and sighed when Elisa walked towards it. She tapped the button in the center of the disc... Causing Elisa's eyes to revert back to normal as she looked around in confusion. "I was under the impression that the GFP outlawed advanced A.I."

"They did." JJ looked between Elisa and Yip. "What... what are you saying?"

"This is an magnetic emitter that General Stoutland gave me." Yup explained. "Though it's meant to sabotage networks and fry computer systems... I've found that keeping it at a low frequency helps me manage my cybernetics. It seems that that same frequency is effecting her robotic friend here."

"But.. I'm not a machine..." Elisa stated in her own confusion.

"That's right." JJ placed a hand on Elisa's arm. "She is flesh and blood like me. Surely Malcolm would have told me if she was a machine. She's either human, or the most advanced android in the galaxy."

That was when it dawned on her. A cloud of nanobytes formed around her arm as she realized what had happened. "Do you think my friends might have something to do with this?"

"Nanobots are very likely to be effected even at minimal settings." Yup remarked as she watched the tiny machines gather and then disappear. "However, the user would not be effected by such an interference unless they, themselves, were of mechanical origin."

"So... it's true?" JJ knelt down and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Elisa is an android?"

"Only one way to find out..." Yip muttered as she walked up to the two girls. "Your hand please."

Elisa nervously lifted her hand to Yip, who grabbed her wrist gently. She examined her arm closely... Reaching for one of her daggers. She quickly swipe at Elisa's palm and leaped back... The nanobytes going on the offensive as pain jolted through Elisa's nerves. She jumped into a backflip and tapped the emitter that still laid on the table. Elisa screamed in agony before passing out... Rendering the weaponized swarm useless.

JJ ran to get a medkit from behind the counter. "What did that prove?!" she asked angrily.

ShadowHounder and ZombieSplitter: Something ain't right... Part 2

"Look at her hand..." Yip stately as she cleaned her blade. The cut on Elisa's hand was deep, but not permanently damaging. As she laid on the floor in an unconscious state, blood leaked from the wound. The Crimson red color of flesh... And the true answer to any questions of humanity. "Try as they might... Scientist cannot replicate the body's internal systems. No android would be able to feel pain... Much less bleed organic blood. I did what I did anticipating the nanomachines would attack me. I was not expecting such the frequency to harm her as well." She walked over to turn off the magnetic emitter. "Cyborg is a likely answer... But at least part of her is human."

JJ nodded, cleaning the wound and bandaging it up. "Well, either way it is going to be a shock to tell her when she wakes up. But I suppose it is better to find out now then some other time." JJ blinked. "Oh, um... we have a mission by the way."

"I already got word from the General." Yip placed the emitter back on her belt and pulled a cleaning agent to help with Elisa's wound. "I'm assuming you were getting ready to locate me prior to the emitter bringing the girl here."

"Eyup." JJ looked her in the eyes. "How would you like to proceed? You have a team with you this time."

"Alexia will likely be aware of my objective to kill her..." Yip placed a hand on her chin in thought. "If we want to get even close to her... We'll need someone on the inside. Unfortunately, she has mobilized most of the Pon Taer in this solar system. Finding someone both capable and willing to act as a spy will not be easy. Unless you have some crazy method to get Aya Me involved."

JJ slowly smiled. "Actually, she has experience acting and lying her way into situations. This sounds perfect for her."

"Doesn't mean she is willing." The Cartus cyborg reminded her new Captain.

"Well... let's go talk to her." JJ picked up Elisa. "Ash, can you bring her to her room."

"Of course Captain." The hologram took the girl in his arms. He walked towards the quarters, and Yip couldn't help but notice him eyeing her, and her device, suspiciously.

"Come on," JJ said. "She's on the bridge."

"Was he effected by the emitter as well?" Yip asked as she followed JJ to the bridge. "The frequency should have only been enough to disable nanobytes connection systems... Not disrupt ship wide programs like the hologram kid."

"Hmm... I don't know. I'll ask him later. I doubt it." JJ tapped her lip in thought, but shrugged.

*****

Aya Me sighed after she was told about the mission, placing her chin in her palm. "Sounds nice and dangerous. You're sure this is the best way?"

"Considering our target... It may be the only way." Yip stated grimly. "With the kind of weapons she stole... The only way to avoid an all out war would be to assassinate her and her council. At least then it gives the GFP enough to time take out the remaining rebels without too much bloodshed."

As she waited for Aya's answer... Yip couldn't help but think about the look Ash gave her in the lounge. Something seemed off about that simple hologram... But she couldn't put her finger one it.

Aya wiggled her nose in thought, and finally nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

"You will?" Jackie-Jackie asked in surprise.

"We have to set an example for the other bounty hunters with us. Just because something is a bit dangerous doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. Besides..." She looked at Yip. "...I'm willing to take a risk if it means stopping an all out war thanks to the fanaticism of my own kind."

"Fair enough..." Yip pulled out her communicator. "Take this with you. It's designed to function on a frequency that can't be tracked normally. I would give you the emitter as well... But it would raise too much suspicion. We will have to set up a plan for you to get noticed and recruited by Alexis so you can be as close to her as possible."

Aya nodded. "According to the star charts, we should be in her system soon. Looks like I'm busting out those acting skills again..."

"Best of luck to you. We will be ready once you give the word." Yip told her before heading toward the door. "In the meantime, I wish to speak with the Captain privately."

JJ blinked, but stood up and walked out with her. "What is it? Something wrong?"

"How did you obtain this ship?" Yip quickly asked once she was certain no one was listening.

"I, um..." JJ rubbed the back of her neck. "I won it in a... kinda... crooked card game. B-but I was only cheating because everyone else was!"

"Seems kind of strange that a prize would be such a worn down ship like this." Yip stated bluntly.

JJ frowned. "Hey, I'm... working on getting it up to speed. I mean... th-the holographic systems alone are worth it... a-aren't they?"

"Yes... But wouldn't be easier to just have it scrapped for parts?" Yip gave JJ a look of concern mixed with doubt. "Unless whoever put it up for auction didn't want the government to find something... So, seems rather suspicious that the highest quality part of this rundown ship is the holographic systems of all things."

JJ rubbed her chin. "You... have a good point. You think they were hiding something in the system? Perhaps I should have Ash look through his systems..."

"And what if Ash is what they were hiding?" Yip pointed out to the Captain. "It's very likely they locked his programming and damaged the ship... so that it only appeared to be a half function spacecraft with a well maintain hologram. Ash would have no knowledge of his original purpose and the lucky winner wouldn't think anything of it."

JJ blinked. "So you think Ash is hiding something... maybe without even realizing it?"

"Precisely..." Yip tapped the wall briefly as she spoke. "I think someone needs to look into his programming and see if he has any files that are either not in use... Or worse forcefully corrupted. A simple holographic system would not be so concerned about a portable magnetic emitter. This doesn't have enough strength to deal considerable damage to the ship's mainframe." She pulled out her emitter disc as she explained how weak it was compared to the ship.

"Maybe... it can do damage to Ash individually, and he realizes that in a... subconscious way, so to speak." JJ nodded her head. "I'll have everyone who knows how search the system for anything suspicious. Thank you Yip."

"I was just explaining my suspicions... I could very well be wrong." Yip walked towards the exit of the ship. "We will need to dock soon. While Aya is making plans with Alexia... I will see if there is a shop to get my joints oiled... The materials on this ship are ill suited for cybernetics."

JJ nodded. "I will make sure that changes very soon. Promise." She smiled and headed back towards the bridge.

DarkGemini24601 & Frostlich1228: “Royal Inquiries, Part 1”

Lina Vizcarra’s boots thumped along the lightly resonant corridor approaching the lounge. She kept a handheld datapad tucked in her right pocket and a miniature medical kit in the left. The doctor turned bounty hunter expected to use the former in the coming hours more than the latter, but it never hurt to be prepared. Circumstance certainly could wound the unprepared. A pair of green lights on either side of the doorframe blinked and the doors swooped open - the left one a little slower than the right.

Might want to have Devo take a look at that, Lina made a mental note of the dysfunction. The blonde-haired woman stepped out into the lounge, spotting the iridescent carapace of the ten-foot-plus sentient she’d been searching for. The Laepaede nearly scraped even the high ceiling with her stature, statuesque in her otherworldly beauty. The pine green eyes of the biologist searched the Royal in awe for a second or two before she remembered herself.

With a controlled breath to regulate her thoughts, Lina made her approach. She tentatively met the alien's eyes - ready to avert them if the contact breached unknown social expectations. "Hello," she greeted simply but curtly. She withheld any further words at first.

The large insectoid woman turned her head to look down at her, a slight smile curling on her face. "Well hello to you as well. You seem a little nervous, am I much to take in?"

Friendly. That makes things easier. The tension in Lina's shoulders relaxed. "Somewhat. I always try to be cautious when meeting a new species - customs can vary widely." She kept her eyes met to her conversation partner's, resisting the impulse to study her appearance further. "Lina Vizcarra," the doctor introduced herself politely. "Nice to meet you," she said open-endedly, seeking the insectoid's name in return.

"Yyashtra'kari." She spoke with elegance. "I'm surprised you haven't seen my kind before... Do you not spend time in Tamearin space?"

"I'm only half-Tamearin," Lina explained, her mind whirring towards an answer. "Intiquecha is on a border of human and Tamearin space. I’ve heard of the Laepaede before--I’ve just never met one. It’s an honor, Yyasha’kari.” Lina offered a small smile, although the expression seemed mechanical somehow. "I'm a doctor," the woman explained. "I studied a little of your people's biology in my training, but they weren't expecting it to come in handy. I'd like to learn more from you, if you're willing. It might save your life if you require medical attention during our voyage."

"Oh? And what would you like to learn?" She tilted her head.

"How familiar are you with human biology?" Lina questioned, following up with the admission: "I'm aware of the triple sexual variance in your race and your need to intake more oxygen, but I don't know much about your internal structure. Do you have different organs to humans and Tamearin? Different positioning thereof?"

"Well. Unlike you humanoids we have no internal bone structure. Our hearts are also larger and pump more blood which is darker blue color compared to your red." She listed off. "That naturally makes our blood pressure higher. As well while we have less muscle than most humanoids we have a higher number of ligaments and tendons."

"Higher blood pressure... a heightened number of ligaments and tendons," Lina made a mental list. "I’ll keep that in mind. I would like to do an x-ray at some point to see where all those go, but you can do that at your leisure. The exoskeleton would make surgery... a different experience, but I can handle it," the doctor assured her.

"I... would hope so." She held up her arms. "But please. No augmentation if you can help it."

"Oh. Intriguing. A past injury?" Yyashtra questioned.

A nod. "Some mining charges went off in an accident," Lina answered simply, her expression serene. "Took it off by the elbow."

"I see. That's a shame." Her head looked to the side.

“I’ve come to terms with it,” Lina replied with a shake of her head. “These things happen.”

"So you're to be our ship's doctor? Did I read that right?" The Laepaede confirmed.

"That's the plan. I hear we have a medic on hand, but unless he shows me a doctorate, I'm probably a better choice if you have the option," Lina informed her calmly - without a hint of boast in her tone.

"Well. You seem well skilled. At least - that's the impression I get. I, on the other hand, perform the roles of a fighter, strategist - that sort of thing."

"I might hit the field where necessary... wouldn't be the first field medic work I've tone," Lina affirmed, "though being under fire will be a first." She gestured to the couch. "Why don't we continue our conversation sitting? I don't know if it's the same for you, but my legs do get tired after awhile," the doctor said with the ghost of a smile.

She looked down at the human sized couch. "I suppose I could try... Although it seems rather small."

Lina headed over to the couch opposite the one she'd offered to Yyashatra, taking a seat with a shrug. "I'll have to mention that issue to the Captain."

"It's difficult to find furniture our size." Yasha repositioned herself on the couch.

“Still, it would be worth the effort to find something suitable.” Lina folded her leg leg across her right hip, folding her hands in her lap. “You said you were a fighter and a strategist both. Do you have a military background as an officer perhaps? Or you occupied some comparable station?”

"I was the Royal of my Hive. We are the heads and leaders of our Hive as well as the ones the birth the children." Yyashtra answered.

"So you're used to fulfilling many roles, then," Lina acknowledged with a small smile. "That's probably a baseline for you, but it's quite impressive from where I stand." She didn't pry about how the Laepaede had gotten here. For a Royal to leave her home, it must have been traumatic. "I'd be interested in seeing your skill in the holo-room sometime, if possible. I'm sure it dwarfs mine: I haven't had field experience yet."

"I've already had a few fights in there already. It seems a lot of you wish to test my skill." She chuckled. "It's a reasonable request though."

"It's the way of warriors--so I'm told, anyway," Lina replied with a shrug. "I won't trouble you with repetition: I can check out the recordings." The young woman rolled her shoulders. "Is there any other medical information I should know, about your species or you personally? I don't mean to pry, but having a thorough medical file can be lifesaving."

"Not... That I can think of... I do have a few organs that other Laepaede you'd see wouldn't have." Yasha finished. "But they're not critical."

Lina's tail swished once in satisfaction and she brought out her digital notepad. "One moment." She noted down all the pertinent points of information from their conversation so far. "Do you have any questions for me? It'd only be fair."

"I take it other Tamaerin don't like you very much." Yyashtra'kari confirmed.

"Those who infer that my mother was a Pon-Taer do not, correct," Lina replied calmly, before deadpanning: "Although I've discovered they tend to warm up when I piece together their arms or legs after mining accidents."

"I was talking more about the arm..." She pointed out. "But that makes sense too."

Lina rubbed the back of her neck. "Apologies, I assumed erroneously. That is something of a sticking point too, yes, but I reasoned that I couldn't do my job with one arm. I don't let it bother me."

DarkGemini24601 & Frostlich1228: “Royal Inquiries, Part 2”

"My people have a distaste for cybernetics not unlike the Tamaerin, but I don't judge those who were forced to get them nearly as much." She responded.

"I appreciate the sentiment. I prefer the integrity of my body as it is--but for me that's just personal preference," Lina asserted. "If not for the accident I would be cybernetic-free."

The Bug Girl nodded, crossing one leg over the other. "Perhaps when techniques in cloning improve you could have an organic arm again."

Lina nodded. "I'd be grateful for that, but I won't hold my breath. If it hasn't happened in centuries of study..." She shrugged. "How have you been adjusting to the ship? Other than the furniture mismatch, I mean."

Yyashtra tapped her chin. "You could say my ideals have caused some tension. So... I'd say my welcome has been... Mixed..."

"With whom?" Lina inquired. "You don't strike me as inflammatory."

"The Cyborg Nick and that new Cartus girl, Yip." She listed off.

"Both cyborgs by the records. I'll admit I don't share the revulsion of cybernetics incorporated into others, but differences of opinion are only natural. As the cliche goes, it's a big galaxy," Lina noted.

"I feel like I may have judged too quickly in hindsight..." Yyashtra admitted. "Although that Human is a stubborn, immeasurably frustrating creature..."

Lina shrugged. "I'll reserve judgement for when I meet him. We do have to get along for these long stretches, being stuck together on the ship."

"Humans are frustrating in general. Thankfully your Tamaerin side seems to make you most personable." The Ten foot tall woman remarked.

Lina raised an eyebrow at that. "I think there are merits to both. My father's a courageous, bold man. Tamearin logic can get in the way of that, sometimes."

"Nothing wrong with logic. It's a sorely lacking trait among the galactic races these days." Yyashtra added.

"Of course. But emotion is the foundation of empathy," Lina asserted. "Humans rightly fear those who consider no one but themselves. I imagine that Laepaede Royals care for their subjects on a deeper level than pragmatic considerations of survival."

"I personally do. Hive Kari is a larger part of myself and I do my best to take care of them. Sadly due to our living conditions some hard decisions have to be made, but those are usually left up to the Laepaede council and the Grand Royal." She elaborated.

"That's reasonable." The half-Tamearin mulled over her next words carefully. "I won't pry if it's an uncomfortable subject for you, but what was your Hive like? There's not much easily-accessible information about how Laepaede live aboard their arkships."

"What was it... Like?" Yyashtra seemed confused by the question. "Do you mean in general or based on my personal experience?"

"Perhaps I should be more specific?" Lina crossed one leg over the other. "I'm curious about the living conditions of the ship, its culture, and your experiences when you lived there. Are supplies often low? How do you make a living as an entirely spaceborne society? What aspects of your Hive culture are unique to its collective personality? And what moments do you remember most fondly? Things like that."

"Ah... I see. The ship is one of the larger in the main Hivefleet supporting a population around a billion. We have numerous Oxygen Synthesizers that create extremely large amounts of O2 per hour in order to support that. In case of repairs and other needs such as that we generally scavenge from worlds we pass and buy parts by trading our unique and extremely valuable products. Honey, Special Wax from our brood chambers, as well as doing the occasional work for the races of the system we pass though for favors." Yyashtra'kari went into a lengthy explanation.

"A billion? I hadn't gotten a proper picture of scale, then," Lina breathed. "They must be quite the feat of engineering, and to keep that running with bartering..."

"It's a point of pride. Laepaede engineers are quite impressive, but not many give us the credit." Yyashtra nodded with a glow to her.

"I'll be lucky if I see one someday. Not much of an engineer myself, but I can appreciate genius when I see it," Lina affirmed.

"We Royals lay around five hundred eggs in a single pregnancy. That adds up quickly and I've been Royal for a hundred years. Most of Hive Kari are literally my children." Yyashtra'kari sighed longingly. "It's hard not to care about all of them."

"That would also be outside my experience." Lina rubbed the back of her neck. "I've never met someone with a family that large. It's something to be proud of though, right? You contributed to the history of that grand vessel."

"Well. I probably won't be given much credit for that now..."

"If you wish to talk about it, feel free." Lina straightened her collar a little. "I won't fault you if it's too personal to speak of."

She closed her eyes, a semitransparent, thin, sheath like eyelid folded over compound eyes. "I was banished from my home. The greatest disgrace to my people. Worse than death. It... Has taken me a long time to come to terms with it... Maybe I still haven't..."

“That’s understandable. Humans who are cast out from society struggle with their isolation.” Lina lifted her right index finger, forming a matrix of interconnected dots of light. “It must be worse for a member of a communal species such as yourself.”

"It is. But I likely deserved it. I was bringing my people down. I should've focused on my duty to my Hive." She continued, lowering her head.

"I won't pretend to comprehend your circumstances as innately as you do," Lina prefaced, "but I'll refer to a phrase my father and brother are fond of. I found it irksome as a child, but I see its wisdom now. 'The past can't be changed. Commit yourself to the future while it's still pliable.'" The doctor folded her hands in her lap. "You can learn from your mistakes, but seeing as they are set in stone, you should endeavor to let go of them. I understand your species is long-lived, so you still have a wealth of time to make your life meaningful."

She sat and pondered this, eventually nodding. "Perhaps. Perhaps I could..."

Black0ut and ShadowHounder: The Price was Vengence

The Golden Wind sat snugly in the Docking Yard of the Spaceport, secure and safe in the artificial gravity. However, a black ship, one that was heavily armed, set down in the docking bay. Faint grayish words un-legible save to Dondondari read, "Be wary ye of little health, for the Black Death be upon you."

The cockpit opened up and revealed someone with red power armor of intricate Old Earth-style. They hopped out of the pilot seat and landed at an impressive twenty-foot drop, with the cockpit resealing almost immediately after the figure left. "Good to know JJ wouldn't leave me even if I was out and about." A feminine voice murmured through several voice filters, giving her an older mercenary-type of vibe.

Strangely, despite no one being near the ship, the entrance to the Golden Wind opened up and closed just as mysteriously. A nearby wall had a notable scratch running along it... No doubt that of a metal blade. Someone was here before Titania... Someone who didn't want to be seen.

The foxgirl sighed. "JJ, you're gonna owe me one..." She grumbled as she approached the entrance, separating the sword handle from her side and mag-locking the gun to her back. Her tactical visor flashed out various information, painting her face a hot pink. Cracking her neck, she walked through the automatic doors of the Golden Wind, intent on finding this unknown threat.

The halls of the ship, unlike the ones in the docking bay, were untouched. However, much farther into the ship, the door to the holoroom was left open and the sounds of combat could be heard inside.

Titania cautiously followed, getting ready to activate her holo-decoys. She cautiously peeked past the automatic door at the intruder.

The holoroom was active... but not in the way one would expect for an intruder. The program placed the layout for a rebel base. Each of the "guards" were patrolling normally... Until one suddenly had his throat cut open. The holo guard broke down as the other digital guards turned to where he died... Now aware of the assassin in there midst. While most of the guards were preoccupied with the sudden death, two more of them dropped from the rear. It was clear at this point that this was a training exercise... But whoever was training was invisible.

Titania quietly turned her visor to scan for electromagnetic radiation signatures, ones that certain cloaking fields might emit and adjusted a setting on her helmet for her various suit 'modes'. "Let's see where you are..." Titania murmured, her helmet already muting her vocals for stealth.

The cloaking field itself did not have a electromagnetic signiture, however a small device on the assassin's waist had a rather sizable one... one that could permanently damage hardware with placed directly onto the wiring. Most visor settings had a hard to showing the assassin... Aside from infrared where her heat signature was more consistent with overclocked computer then a humanoid being. The assassin quickly moved from guard to guard, dispatching them in a variety of ways and angles... Taking advantage of her ability to wall on the physical walls of the room and the scorpion like tail that moved more wildly compared to her other movements.

Titania placed her sword back at her side and quickly retrieved her rifle. Stepping inside,the foxgirl who stood at an impressive six foot four in her armor, shouted out a couple of commands: "Weapons on the ground and deactivate your cloaking field! Move beyond what I've asked and I won't think twice of putting a hole through your face." To illustrate this point, Titania fired a warning shot near the unknown assassin almost grazing her hip and leaving a burn mark in the room.

Yip fell off of a target she was in the midst of assassinating when the warning shot was fired... One of the shots of a panicked soldier going through harmlessly. The shot from Titania's rifle was quickly followed by the by the console letting how a loud buzz and the whole holofield deactivating. A number displayed itself on the large screen as Yip jumped to her feet. She left her daggers on the ground as she decloaked mid movement... Making it somewhat appear as though she just dropped from the ceiling. She drew a long blade on the tip of her tail back into it's origin point... Giving it a appearance more consistent with that of a house car. Her ears twitched slightly as she turned to faced the armored figure. "What brings you here?"

"Could ask you the same, seeing as I have the gun and the training to use it." Titania took a step back to ensure more distance between them. "Why're you on the Golden Wind?"

"Preparing for a mission alongside Captain Jetstorm." The cybernetic Cartus answered. "I likely would've finished soon if you hadn't step in." Despite her word choice... Yip did not sound arrogant or in any way angered.

"You stare down a lot of gun barrels don't you?" Titania asked, before she lowered a hand to open up a compartment of her armor which held a curious metal board. Titania clicked a button on it which formed a laser wall around the metal component before she clicked it again, powering the shackles off. Titania tossed the shackles over, the unsaid demand obvious.

Yip sighed. "Such precautions do nothing to remove the risk." She retorted, tapping her tail. "With or without handcuffs, I will always have one weapon. I will follow you... But I will not bother with such actions as I would have killed you already I were not supposed to be here."

"To be fair, you'd struggle against a fully armored fighter who's main job is to fight upfront and who could see you while you were stealthed. Not exactly going to kill a gene-moddes woman with two species' DNA." Titania replied, her gun still trained on the girl's head "And that's for your tail, to shut it down. It'll reactivate once I remove it, but given the fact you stealthed into the ship, a little precaution is necessary."

Yip contemplated simply using her magnetic emitter to temporarily disable the armor... But figured that would only make matters worse. She picked up the shackles and placed them on her wrists with a bored expression.

Titania put her gun onto her back and mag-locked it before grabbing her handle. "Simulation Iced bakery" Titania called out before the room shifted in lieu of a rather large bakery, with plenty of tables and chairs to choose from. Titania sat down on one gesturing for the cyborg to do the same.

The assassin sat in the seat across from the shogun. "What do you intend to do exactly?"

"I intend to react to what you say." Titania replied, leaning back. "If you give me enough to understand your purpose and discern why you're on board, I will let you go. If not, I can confine you to a room."

Yip sighed as her tail reached over to grab a snack out of the bag in the corner. "Captain Jetstorm already knows of my presence on this ship... She even tried recruiting me." She remarked, munching on what looked to be a protein bar. "Any amount of suspicion would simply look bad when she comes back wondering why I'm locked up."

Black0ut and ShadowHounder: The Price was Vengence Part 2

"Stealthing onto a ship and continuing to do so while entering the holoroom still warrants suspicion. Not to mention showing off a lethality that proves that my caution isn't unwarranted for someone I haven't met for a long time, which would mean you would have to stealth around normally for me not to see you. " Titania countered, tilting her head. "Given that, I think the most I'd received, if you are who you say you are, is some scolding but not an overt amount. But keep going. Tell me, why would JJ try to recruit you? What were the circumstances?"

"I only activated my cloaking field when a ship flew into the docking bay... I didn't want to risk them being an unpleasant pilot so I chose to enter the ship in an invisible state." Yip explained to the woman. "As for why the Captain wants to recruit me... I have no definitive answer. Her second in command, Aya Me, thinks it has something to do with our shared race. Beyond that I have no explanation to why I was given the opportunity so quickly."

"Fair enough. The captain can be a bit mysterious in her reasons. Name, age, and previous profession?" Titania asked, her armored hand that didn't hold anything tapping the table impatiently, while her sword handle aimed at Yip under the table, just in case.

"The name I go by is Yip and my last recorded age was nineteen years." Yip answered without hesitation. "I haven't done any work beyond my current profession. I am a mercenary who specializes in stealth and assassinations. I've mostly dealt with political targets... Rebels, corrupt leaders... Among other priority targets. I merely am working alongside Captain Jetstorm. I have yet to make a final decision on whether to join the crew or not."

"If you are reserving judgement on joining, why are you coming onto the ship and using its facilities?" Titania leaned forward, frowning under her helmet.

"My current contractor, General Ivan Stoutfield, recently appointed Captain Jetstorm as the head of my current operation... Assassinating the Pon-Taer rebel Alexia." The Cartus cyborg told Titania... Surprisingly not annoyed by the interrogation. "She had stolen a large supply of military weapons and the General wanted to dealt with before there was any unnecessary bloodshed."

Titania was quiet pondering for a moment. "I still don't fully trust you, especially since your loyalty is very fluid and as such, you could easily stab us in the back anytime you wanted to." Titania put her handle on her hip before both her hands went to her helmet. A few moments passed without anything audible or movement from the warrior herself. Eventually a hissing sound allowed the sword-user to lift her helmet revealing her cascading, long red hair and a pair of fluffy ears on her head. "That said, I suppose you're not anymore untrustworthy than people from my last crew, so... keep your tail to the ground and bring your hands over here."

Yip lowered her tail and presented her arms to the warrior. "I likely could've gotten out of these should I have the time to examine them... But answering your questions turned out to be the better solution after all..."

"If you failed, you would be shocked with enough energy to render you unconscious. So, trying while I'm watching would be a terrible idea." Titania reached out and pushed a button on the shackle, deactivating it. With a thump, the shackle's energy beam faded as it fell down on the table. "So, what are u going to do now?"

"Continue training until we get word back from Aya Me." Yip stated, her tail whipping back up haphazardly... Like a cat tail tends to do. "I would like to be ready for when the opportunity to eliminate Alexia has been presented to us."

"And afterwards?" The foxgirl asked, grabbing the shackle. "I assume we are disposable assets for you?"

"Not disposable." Yip countered. "Such an assumption would not fall inside the nature of my work. If I am given a team then any casualties are instantly considered failures on my end. If a mission's success rides on the skills of others... Then it would be my duty to make sure everyone survives. So I will not allow Aya Me, your Captain, or anyone else involved to be harmed to the point of permanent crippling or death."

"That's a huge assumption, given you won't be on every bounty hunt that people go on and that you can't be everywhere at once. A sniper can still put a plasma round through somebody's head." Titania closed her eyes. "Any number of casualties can be prevented with skill, but luck also plays a role in who's crippled or dead."

"Probably will not stop be from trying." Yip remarked, her eyes lowering. "If I was given the chance to live my own life then I don't see why I shouldn't give others the same opportunity."

"Slave?" Came a soft question with a matching voice.

"Far more accurate then I like to admit sometimes." Yip told the red haired woman. "Even now I am not used to the amount of freedom I have."

"Wouldn't a more logical choice be to find a world you could live out your days instead of a life as an assassin?" Titania's eyes finally softened into a look of concern and worry.

"That option died when they planted the cybernetics on my body." Yip told Titania. "I can not return to the innocent girl I once was... Even if sometimes I may want to."

"Not perfectly, no. But you still could utilize those cybernetics for an idyllic life. You could still retire from this sort of life and relax." Titania countered, her voice soft. "Saying you can't is proving those assholes who enslaved you that they were right; you become just another weapon, a tool for people to use, instead of an independent and strong woman. You make the decisions, not your past."

"After what happened there... It's not that simple anymore." The assassin remarked. "They didn't manipulate me into becoming an assassin, they made me one. If I hadn't escaped when I did... It would have been likely that they removed my memories and free will next. I've already tried to 'live a simple life.' That village is gone now..."

Titania bit her tongue hard to stop a more rude and mean thought from getting out verbally. "You can still try. You ate free to do whatever you want, but... I would still recommend the simple life. There's plenty of small towns in need of a strong woman to help them." Titania stuck her helmet onto her head and it hissed as it clamped shut almost instantly.

"And millions of my people suffering everyday..." Yup retorted grimly. "I was turned into a killer and I intend to take full advantage of that to help those who are still trapped in chains. I was given cloaking technology... So I will make it harder for slave owners to stop fleeing Cartus with it. If those twisted bastards live long enough to see their success... It'll be as I tear their throats open and throw their mangled corpse where no one will ever find them."

"Revenge is a sweet drug. It gives you purpose and makes you fight like hell for what you believe in. But," The foxgirl started as she got up and made her way to the automatic door, "if you give it an inch, that's all you'll think about. And when there's no one left, you'll be all alone with this hate and it will make you its next target. I wish you good luck, and success with your goal, Yip. You're going to need it."

"I won't pursue revenge... But if the opportunity presents itself I will not hesitate." The young Cartus remarked as she stood from her own chair. "May I give you the same luck for your own goals and ambitions... May I ask your name?"

Titania hesitated for a moment, as she thought about whether she dare risk her emotions on someone who would more than likely die from her rage. It took her all of two seconds to decide. "Until you are less bloodthirsty about revenge, you get my bounty hunter name: Ronin."

"If a misunderstanding needs to be cleared then I shall accept this answer for now." The cyber assassin stated as she moved back to the console. "Until we meet again miss Robin."

DarkGemini24601 & ShadowHounder: “A Duet of Shadows, Part 1”

Yip found herself wandering the halls, something she did not do often: she had hoped to find a place of peace and solitude. Even surrounded by the walls of the room that JJ had provided her, the outside noise and possibility of visitors prevented Yip from sitting down and entering deep thought. Thus her meandering through the lower access tunnels of the Golden Wind. Away from the rumbling of the voices and the hum of the engines, she might find somewhere to concentrate. Presently, she contemplated looking inside the air vents. She could fit inside them with some effort. However, she’d learned from experience that people tended not to trust her if she hid inside their vessel’s ventilation system. They might perceive her as a threat. If they found her.

Before she had a chance to act upon those considerations, the light footsteps of someone striding quietly and alertly reached her ears. She had a few moments to mental prepare herself to react before a woman dressed in a blue-and-black jumpsuit rounded the corner three meters back--far enough to give Yip a chance to react by design. The intruder upon her solitude had keen orange eyes, the pupils of which tightened on reflex. In those split-seconds, however, Kazane did not spring into motion--though she seemed alert.

Yip instinctively activated her cloaking device and hugged a nearby corner. She still had a long way to go before she could trust people without issue. She peered from the corner to see how the stranger reacted... And if they also carried infrared scanners... The easiest way to locate the assassin during camouflage.

Kazane's eyes seemed to track Yip's movement around the corner--and yet they shifted away to the spot she'd been a moment before after a few milliseconds. "If you're supposed to be here, you should come back out," Kazane said calmly. "Otherwise I might misconstrue you as an intruder."

Yip cautiously dropped her camouflage and walked into view. "It wouldn't be the first time. It seems that my actions have a tendency to leave be just as suspicious of me as I am of them..."

"A little advice: don't be showing off your cloaking field if you want people to trust you. Even if you've got a good reason for using one, people tend to be paranoid around covert ops mercs--even the ones on their side." Kazane leaned against the wall beneath the vent Yip had been contemplating. "Kazane Kyunasaki," she introduced herself.

"Kazane..." The young cyborg thought for a moment as her tail flicked around wildly. "I believe a man told me to speak with you to better understand my cybernetics... You may call me Yip." She extended her hand to offer a shake.

"Nice to meet you, Yip." Kazane shook her hand lightly. "You're a Cartus, right? Same as the Captain?"

"Yes... I am a Cartus." The assassin answered coldly. "An unfortunate part of my life I must deal with... But a truth that I can not hide from." For a second, it looked like Yip was in pain... But her emotionless expression held strong.

"Hey, I'm no Shinso. I find your kind adorable." Kazane replied with an unbroken smile. "You've got no judgement to worry about from me."

Yip's expression broke at the word "adorable." She face quickly flustered into a bright red before she vanished and bolted out of the area in embarrassment.

Kazane snickered. "Alright, you're the opposite of JJ. She was oblivious; you're too easy to embarrass. Come on out, you'll make this dull if you lose your nerve that quickly."

After a few minutes of solitude, Yip took a deep breath and returned to normal vision. "Damn half-assed scientists..." She muttered before face Kazane once more. "My apologies for that... I don't have as much control over my actions as I would like. It can sometimes make my job difficult."

Kazane tilted her head slightly. "You got augs that are malfunctioning? I could probably help you with that if you don't mind me poking around a little. Totally understand if you do mind, one's body is one's temple."

"My augments aren't the problem..." The cyberized Cartus remarked briefly, before moving the conversation forward to avoid any further suspicion. "However my do require assistance with my cybernetics. They are not malfunctioning... But they sustained damage that is far beyond my scope of repair."

I don't believe she realizes that you use the terms interchangeably, Nobu noted.

Whatever would I do without your wisdom? Kazane shrugged. "Well, if you're willing to let me take a look, I can probably get them in working order again. I happen to be an expert."

"That would help yes, but do be careful." Yip stated as she pulled her hair back to reveal a large implant on the base of her neck. "Reckless approach to my cloaking module will likely paralyze the remainder of my organic body and potentially kill me."

"...failsafe system?" Kazane asked slowly, her smile vanishing. She'd determined that with immediate familiarity.

"More than likely..." Yip told the fellow cyborg bluntly. "That bastard was known for refusing to let others have what he 'owned.' All of know for certain is this implant is was allows me to cloak my whole body with just a thought... While most other devices require a button of some kind."

“I’ve also had a little experience in disabling those,” Kazane mentioned, her laid-back smile returning too quickly to be natural. “I’ll familiarize myself with your systems while I repair them. I won’t mess with a failsafe until I know them in and out.”

"Alright... Where is it you wish to perform the operation?" Yip asked the woman, placing her hair back into position. "I assume you have a workspace of some degree."

"Follow me." The Japanese woman backed up and swiveled on her heels, heading off towards the hangar. There, she activated the Razor's ramp with a thought, waving for Yip to follow her up.

The airlock's right side had numerous weapons latched to its paneling. In the center stood a lovingly-crafted rail rifle, embellished with stylized wind designs along its hull and lines hinting at the fold-out HUD scope within. To its right were a pair of heavy pistols, each including a gauss barrel that seemed to be a shortened combat shotgun design. To the left, another set of twin pistols with submachinegun ammo feeds. Bolted-down ammo dispensers and a number of standard sidearms covered the rest of the wall.

Beyond the airlock lay living chambers. A sleeping bag in a metallic hammock frame hung from either side of the aircraft's internal structure. Kazane's side seemed obvious enough, a workstation with a vertical cushion designating what must be her cybernetics workstation.

Kazane turned back to Yip now. "Where's the best access to your cybernetics? Front or back?"

"Back... Seeing as my implant and tail are located there." Yip answered as she examined the room. She was not used to this multitude of weapons in one spot... As she rarely ever needed more then three: two daggers and her tail. After taking a moment to process the room, Yip began to remove the synthetic skin covering her arms. "You may need to removing the skin around my legs yourself... I find it to be rather troublesome with my tail."

“Fair enough. Just lean into that cushion when you’re ready. I won’t get touchy unless you want me to,” Kazane noted with a subtle smirk.

Yip merely let out a sigh in response to the sly remark. She laid down on the cushion with her chest forward... stretching out has far was she could to leave space for Kazane to work freely.

Kazane snapped up a few tools in her hands, arranging them along a push-out tabletop for quick retrieval. “Alright, so what’s giving you trouble? Servos freezing up? Wires frayed?”

Yip moved her arm to the side, revealing a large dent on her shoulder. "Large amounts of sustained battle damage, fried wiring all across my left arm... Often making it unusable for long periods of time, multiple rusted joints and gears... And a missing toe on my right foot."

“Wow. Alright. It’s a wonder it’s still operable like this. Not bad craftsmanship. Let’s see what I can salvage,” Kazane almost-rambled as she studied the Cartus’s mechanical parts.

Kazane wrapped a flexible metal band around the joint between Yip’s left shoulder and her torso. She warned the other cyborg before cutting off sensory reception to the arm to paralyze it for operation and make the process painless. From there, Kazane unraveled the collapsed plating, tracing her eyes across the labyrinth of quiet circuitry beneath.

“Kon’ichiwa, kireina josei, (Hello there, beautiful),” Kaz murmured, scanning the intact portions and drifted her eyes towards the cut and crushed wires. “Nagurarete gomen ne. Watashi ga anata wo yoku narareru. (Sorry that you’ve been beat up. I’ll make you better.)”

Switching back to a language intelligible to Yip, she noted: “Shoulderplates will need to be replaced, but I’ve got pieces I can tailor easily enough. Give me half an hour and I can swap out all the damaged parts and mend the circuits that need repair.”

DarkGemini24601 & ShadowHounder: “A Duet of Shadows, Part 2”

"That will be fine." Yip stated before a jolt of pain ran through her spine... One she worked to hide. "How long do you think it will take to do circuit repair for the rest? Even if it's not entirely damage... I'm sure maintenance and upgrades will go along way to avoid further damage."

“Repair on the arm will familiarize me with the systems. Should only take a few minutes,” Kazane replied, already getting to work snipping ruined wires. “If there’s anything else I can fix without messing with your cloak’s black box, let me know.”

Yip turned to see what Kazane was doing, only for unwelcome memory to flood her mind. Kazane soon found a blade tipped tail bring pointed directly at her head... While Yip tried her best to compress the overwhelming fear consuming her thoughts.

Kazane hadn’t moved, yet a shimmering distortion of lights and shadows wreathed her body, looking almost as if she’d been superimposed upon an image artificially. “Lower the weapon,” the Japanese woman demanded coolly. “I’m not your enemy.”

Yip remained in her panicked state. Tears running down her face, the only words she could mutter were: "Not again... isn't this enough," making it clear she no longer saw Kazane in front of her.

Kazane’s pupils narrowed, as they had when they’d had their initial encounter. Her left arm moved in a blur, batting the tail to that side while Kyunasaki slid the other way. During that fleet motion, her in-built SMG had unfolded out of the Japanese woman’s arm, cylindrical barrel trained on Yip.

The distortion seemed to phase out when Kazane spoke. “Keep still. Don’t do something we’ll both regret.”

Yip came back to reality after the gun was pointed at her. Her face was covered in shame and frustration. "It may be best if you disable my tail while you operate... To avoid this happening again..."

“Yare yare dawa,” Kazane mumbled, compressing the gun back into her arm. “Should’ve told me that from the start. I did ask if you were comfortable with someone operating on you.”

"I thought I was..." Yip remarked. "I had not realized the impact that those lab-tables had on my psyche... I was foolish to think doing this wouldn't trigger memories of such a magnitude."

'Foolish' is one way to put it. Kazane sighed, cautiously stepping back over and withdrawing another strip of metal to cut off sensation in her tail. "You got any other weapons we should put aside?"

"Only the two daggers on my belt..." Yip told the fellow cyborg. "Be careful not to activate my magnetic emitter. If that is set to high enough frequency it could fry both of our cybernetics... Much of the damage to my arm was caused while testing it."

"Probably doubles as the failsafe?" Kazane guessed. "What else would set it off?"

"Just don't push the giant button when you take it off my waist." Yip said coyly. "Just because it's a portable design doesn't mean it won't do considerable damage..."

"That should be fairly easily to avoid." Kazane carefully disconnected the deactivate tail. "The knives don't worry me much." She laid the tail up on the main counter before slowly returning to operating on Yip's arm.

Yip did her best to surprise the assault of fear... But still couldn't stop herself from returning to the metal table covered in her own dried blood, the three Shinso researchers tearing her body apart to "perfect" it. The smell of death couldn't escape her nose, as the agony of her limbs being tore off and ripped to shreds echoed in her mind. "We will make you a true assassin..." Were the only words she heard all throughout the never-ending terror.

An unfamiliar feeling intruded upon the deception of her senses--an attempt to bypass the trauma's aftereffects. Kazane clasped her left hand around Yip's, squeezing it gently even as her dominant right continued to field repairs.

Even with her mind back in reality, Yip still trembled as she waited for Kazane to finished repairs. It'll be over soon... I just have to make it a little longer... She reminded herself internally.

"What do you enjoy doing with your spare time?" Kazane asked abruptly.

"Spare time...?" Yip muttered... As if such a term was foreign to her.

"...you ever spend your time recreationally? Having fun?" Kazane questioned. She tilted her head to peer a bit deeper into the morass of wires, beginning to thread replacements in and fuse them to the old endings.

"No... I haven't." Yip answered through her slowly calming panic. "I am not used to such a freedom."

“Well, there goes that bright idea. We need to find you some hobbies,” Kazane insisted, her fingers flying across the wires with speed and matching precision that would be impossible for an ordinary human. “So you can think about them when you need repairs. Pleasant thoughts will take your mind off of those memories you seem to be falling back into.”

"I'll... I'll try..." Yip muttered anxiously. "I'm not sure where I should start however..."

"Maybe something that translates well from your skills" Kazane stepped back for a moment to retrieve replacement servos for her rusted-out portions. "You're a mercenary: what's your specialties?"

"Infiltration and assassination." The cybernetic Cartus answered. "I find a target and I kill them... Leaving before anyone can realize what happens."

Kazane shivered involuntarily, squeezing the back of her neck for a moment. It's fine, Kaz. She's a dork beneath that demeanor. She can't be nearly as bad as her. Probably. "Well, I happen to be a stealth specialist myself. Maybe our interests will align too."

The Japanese woman started swapping out ruined mechanisms in Yip's deactivated limbs. She patted the parts into place and then retrieved newly-shaped plating for the arm. One by one the coverings fitted into place, being further pared down by a laser cutter in Kazane's left hand to fit Yip's frame.

"I'm a fan of martial arts, sightseeing--VR-based while we're stuck aboard this ship--and cybernetics as you might have noticed," Kazane shared. "If you wanted, I could start teaching you self-maintenance. It might make the process less uncomfortable if its steps aren't a mystery. Knowledge gives a feeling of control, I think."

"That would be nice... I have been slacking on daily maintaince and having a better idea of what needs to be done will help mitigate that." Yip replied. "However, I don't recall combat to be a 'hobby.'"

"It's not. But it has 'translatable skills'," Kazane replied, citing the phrase like a job counselor. "My knowledge of cybernetics means I can maintain myself and understand my enemies better. Martial arts speaks for itself. The sightseeing is..." Kazane paused in her speech, thinking as she finished patching up Yip's arm. "Well, I guess there's flimsy connection to my career there. At most... it helps me stay perceptive?" She shrugged. "I just like cityscapes, to be honest."

"I've never been in a city before..." Yip muttered as she began to calm down. "What's it like?"

"Multifaceted," Kazane generalized at first. "Expansive and busy... human and machine activity as far as the eye can see. The noise takes getting used-to, unless you've grown up there." A smile. "Now, depending on what part of the city you visit... you can see past the bustle. I'm especially fond of high-rises, skyscrapers... where the entire world below seems small, and you're ontop of it all, standing in defiance of the wind..." She stepped back from Yip, closing her eyes for a moment and envisioning what she'd spoken of. "The best cities have extensive indoor complexes too. Mazes where you can discover all manner of people and places, both the ugly and the beautiful."

She blinked open her eyes. "I'm finished up, by the way."

Yup slowly sat up, flexing her mechanical joints to test dexterity. "I've never been found of heights... But I'm sure it is a beautiful sight for the ages. This universe we live in is full of wonder, a shame that people often seek to destroy it for power..." Yip usually cold eyes fell victim to depression in it's most honest form.

"That's just the way powerful people are." Kazane put a hand on Yip's shoulder gently. "People like us just have to sneak through the gaps and steal our satisfaction from overlords like them."

"Sounds like you have some experience in that field..." Yip gave the woman a weak smile.

"You could say so," the Japanese woman echoed.

Taxor the First and Shadowhounder
Flesh and Metal, Part 1

Elisa woke up inside a small white bed... Surrounded by medical equipment. "How did I get here..." The young girl wondered silently as she sat up. She looked around the room to get of idea of where she went... And remember what happened to place her here.

Her examination of the room included a rather rugged man's face, almost guilty - as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. What that was, by virtue of the absence of anything else of note in the room, was watching her. That guilt vanished in favour of a smooth, charismatic mask. "Welcome back to the land of the awake," he half-welcomed, half-sneered. "You feelin' alright, girl?"

"Yeah... I'm just having troubles remembering what happened." Elisa answered with a finger on her chin. "I was with Ms. Jetstorm and a girl with a weird tail... But I don't remember anything beyond waking up here."

Kentaro rubbed his bearded chin, frowning. "Well, you don't strike me as a drinker, so it can't be that." He chuckled. "Shame you don't remember anything. A night with the Cap would be burned into my memory forever, for sure. Girl with a weird tail... you mean a Tamearin? Was her hair pink or violet?"

"No... It wasn't Aya." Elisa explained to the man. "She had cat ears... Kind of like Ms. Jetstorm's, but she had a longer, grey tail... I think of was metal or something similar."

The ever-present smug smirk dripped from Kentaro's face like butter exposed to sudden, intense heat. Now, he was serious. "That doesn't sound like anyone on this ship," he noted. Least not anyone on Nick's list. Did he miss someone? That ain't like him... "So a Cartus with cybernetics. You seen her around before?"

"No... But I think Ms. Jetstorm mentioned something about her joining only recently." Elisa told the man, memories slowly reforming. "Oh yeah, we got a job that she was originally work on. But something happened so Ms. Jetstorm was given the opportunity to help."

"So a new hire." He nodded slowly, relaxing. Could be a cover story, but I'd be surprised if they snagged a Cartus to hop on our tail. JJ doesn't strike me as the backstabbing type either. Himi?

Agreed. For once.

You're such a bitch. He chuckled inaudibly, head shaking slightly. "A'ight, well if you don't remember her that well, I'm guessing she didn't smack you over the head with that metal tail or somethin'. She's probably alright." He gestured to the space above and behind her. "You reckon your little, uh... 'friends' might remember?"

"I guess you would be right about that..." Elisa looked up at the distorted cat that had already formed on top of her head. She picked up the small pet and held it in front of her. "A shame they can't speak..."

"You ever tried giving 'em a pen and tablet?" It was only half a joke.

"A few times... But they have horrible hand writing." Elisa said with a slight giggle. "Haven't really found a more reliable way communicate with them."

"Hmph." Kentaro shrugged. "Suppose you could just ask the Cap next time you see her. If it was serious, you'd be under constant surveillance, not allowed to sleep and wake in your own time."

"I guess you have a point there..." Elisa stood up and offered him a hand. "My name is Elisa... What's yours?"

His own slipped out from beneath the opposite elbow, where it had resided during the entire conversation. "Kentaro," he answered, taking her hand and shaking it. He softened his grip at her pained wince. "Ah, shit. Sorry. Hard to regulate yourself when you're as tricked-out as I am. Ain't shaken hands with anyone for a while."

Elisa's own grip suddenly intensified greatly. "No worries... I don't mind using a stronger grip if you want me to..." Elisa remarked to Kenya to with an innocent smile. "Though I've never done this before so I'm not exactly sure how much I could output..."

He blinked at the sudden increase, before laughing, and continuing the shake anew before finally drawing back. "Try it on something sometime. Preferably not someone's hand, though. Something inanimate and worthless. Holo construct or something. I'd be interested to see how much your little buddies can do." He folded his arms again, still leaning against the wall. "You're either decent at eyeballing - as it were - your strength or you're lucky that didn't actually crush my hand. I really wouldn't have enjoyed tryin' to put that back together. Wouldn't have been as bad as the left. Mangled that before. Pain in the ass fixing all the intricate shit on that side..."

"If you want I can try and fix it..." Elisa offered the man. "Surgery was something I practice when I was living with Malcolm... Even had to perform it on myself a few times."

Kentaro emitted a low whistle. "Damn. You're tougher than you look. I like it. And nah, it's all good." He flexed his left hand as if to demonstrate. "'sides, ain't as easy as resetting all the flesh. Ain't much of that left in there. It's the hyper-taut cable thats the hard part. Maybe that's just 'cause I had to do it one-handed, though..." He frowned, then shrugged. "Anyway, like I said. All fixed now. But if I break it again..." ... I'll probably still go to that doctor chick. Wouldn't mind a more in-depth assessment from her.

There are times when organics disgust me. Most of them are generated by you. I suspect riding with you is affecting my perception of 'worthwhile life' for the worse.

Ah, shut up. You love it.

I really do not.

"I mean... With the right materials... I could just construct an entirely new arm..." Elisa place her chin in her hand in thought. "The consistency of muscle would be difficult... And I would need time to figure out vein layouts. Maybe... Most of the body is made with water and iron, may need some carbon to create whatever chemicals I may be missing. I'm sure I can make it work out."

His laugh this time was slightly nervous. "My arm is mostly iron. Or whatever weird alloy they hammer it into. And the design is... rather unique."

"Oh... I'm sorry... I thought you wanted an organic one." Elisa exchanged the nervous chuckle. "I don't know anything about machinery. Best I could do is attempt to replicate the alloy for someone else to build with."

Kentaro waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry 'bout it. I carry some spare materials in my fighter-bike, and I can fix that up myself too. Got the designs right here." He tapped his head with a finger. "Appreciate the extra hand though. At that point, I'd need it, would I?" A laugh.

Elisa obtained a curious look. "Would you mind letting me see a piece?"

A raised eyebrow. "Of my arm, or the metal?"

"Of the metal... Sorry for not clarifying." Elisa apologized while she pushed her fingers together.

"Bah, it's fine," was the light response. "Just wanted to know if you wanted me to split open my arm or show you my ride. Most girls ask for the latter, but I've had a few ask for the former. Take it from me - they're usually bad news." He chuckled and turned, gesturing for her to follow. "I'll check you outta here, then we can head down to the hangar. You'll love this..."

When they did reach the hangar, he guided her towards a sleek, streamlined hunk of metal that almost looked like the head of a arrow, laid sideways. The two backwards-facing prongs comprised the wings, flattened but reaching a sharp tip a short distance in front of what looked to be the cockpit - the tip of the arrowhead. The internal divot of the fighter was taken up by the engines, currently dark and inactive - thankfully. The entire vessel was a dark metallic grey, aside from a few streaks of emerald sheen on aesthetically pleasing sections. What made the craft unique, however, was the cockpit itself. Upon inspection it seemed too cramped to fit the massive man it apparently belonged to.

The reason for this became apparent when he banged the side of it with his fist, and the central section lowered independently of the framework it was built into. What she'd previously assumed were vertical jets flipped out from the base, giving it support as it came to rest on the ground - wheels. And from here, Elisa could see that the cockpit was not just short of height, but long. For the cockpit itself was a standard - if customised - motorcycle, configured to be easily deployable independently of its host framework.

Taxor the First and Shadowhounder
Flesh and Metal, Part 2

Kentaro slung one leg over the bike and reach back up into the frame, opening a compartment. "Ah, shit." He closed it, and opened the one next to it. "I always forget which one it is. You'd think I'd learn by now." He lifted a solid block of metal, admiring the way it glinted in the light, before offering it to Elisa. "Put it on the ground if it's too heavy. Not on top of your foot, please. I ain't payin' that bill."

A cloud of nanobytes formed in front of Elisa and took hold of the block. It brought presented the metal to Elisa, who examined it briefly before she had the machines take a small chuck off of the block. A portion of the cloud moved to place the metal back where Kentaro grabbed it from while the rest process to take apart the metal... Deconstructing it to it's base materials and chemicals.

The metal yielded easily to the deconstruction, and the nanobots noted - in whatever way such enigmatic beings did - that it would have been just as easy to add more metals to the mixture where necessary. The metal itself was a simple alloy base, comprised of iron, aluminium, and - a little oddly - carbon. On its own it paled in comparison to the type of material used in armor or the like, but an imaginative mind could register the value of its malleability. In regards to Kentaro's cybernetics, it was likely that this formed the base metal for most if not all of the components, with a few extra chunks of other metals thrown in to make it more suited to whatever role it was intended for. It was conductive enough to serve as a high-quality wire, durable yet flexible enough to function as the structure of the augment. All in all, it was clearly the result of likely years of research and refinement. Certainly not the kind of material that would be common, or available on a low budget.

"This is an... interesting alloy." Elisa remarked, being oblivious to the expensiveness such a composition had. After a bit, the nanobytes reconstructed the metal and placed it on the floor safely. "Not really sure what it's for but it looks nice... Building it would be a bit of a pain though."

"It's for me. I can shape it as I need it. But you're right - getting my hands on more would be as much of a pain in the ass as fixing my shit one-handed." Kentaro stooped to pick up the reassembled block, scrutinising it for a moment before returning it to the compartment. "Your friends are good at putting things back the way they found them," he noted, leaning on the handlebars of his bike. "If I hadn't just watched it happen, I'd have said they didn't do shit."

"They just work on getting the results I'm looking for." Elisa remarked with a smile. "I doubt I would be where I am today without them."

"Ah, you're the type of person that appreciates her tools. Might make a good leader someday. I sure as hell don't like a leader that treats me like I'm disposable." There was venom in his voice for a moment, but it drained away as soon as it had come. "That's why I like it here. We're all equals. 'cept maybe that Shinso motherfucker. Lookin' forward to stepping on his paws someday..."

"Isn't it a bit hypocritical to say that?" The young girl pointed out. "If we are equals here... That would entail everyone, regardless of our thoughts and feelings towards one another. I think you shouldn't let any personal judgements stop you from seeing others for the people they are. We all have are own flaws, right?"

"Yeah, and I reserve the right to see him as the self-important asshat he is." Kentaro swung off his bike, and with seemingly no input from him it began rising back up into the framework of his fighter - completing it once more. "Actions are what make us what we are, Elisa. I don't just mean the people on this ship, I'm talking galaxy-wide. Wider. You deem yourself above the rest, you better be damn well ready to prove it."

"Then maybe you could find him and see who is truly better~" Elisa stated in a suddenly seductive tone, before blinking a few time in confusion. "I'm sorry... I think I spaced out a bit there."

... Himi, could you confirm-

You're not imagining things. For once.

Well, that's a plus. He packed away the sardonic thought. "Well, Kaz was saying he knows he's got a biker rival now." He smacked the side of his fighter with a cocky grin, only for that to vanish when it began to lower. "Dammit-" Himi.

What?

You know I didn't want it to go down.

Oh, didn't you? Her voice was innocent. My mistake. The cockpit ceased lowering, and rose again.

Kentaro shook his head, sighing. "You feeling lightheaded or something? You wanna go back to your bed?"

Elisa began to blush when he asked the question. "Oh no! I'm fine really... I just have the tendency to lose awareness whenever I find something intriguing. It's really just a bad habit I have..."

"I... see." It was evident from his tone he did not. I hope she doesn't mean me.

That'd be a first.

You are not being helpful.

Elisa looked at the man in innocent confusion. "Why are you acting weird... Did I do something when I spaced out?"

Is she covering for herself? Maybe wanted to take a stab but didn't have the guts to stick with it?

You say this as if expecting me to have an answer. I've told you before I don't understand most organics.

We're not so illogical that you couldn't offer SOME advice here. Kentaro rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you said somethin' real off-tune for you. Least, off-tune for the impression you give. I've met my share of seductresses. Wouldn't peg you as one."

Elisa's cheeks fluster instantly as she listen to what he told her. "Malcolm said I would speak strange without remembering it... But never something like that. I mean you are physically attractive, but I don't know what I like. So don't take it the wrong way of anything but I'm not really interested at the moment and don't plan on looking for anythinglikethatbutmaybeinthefuture..." Her voice trailed off as her words fumbled together too much to remain coherent.

Kentaro held up his hands. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't thinkin' you seemed serious." Plus, I've got a type, and you ain't it.

You prefer your partners to be completely crazy instead of just partially.

For fuck's sake- shut up. He rolled his shoulders. "Sounds like a side effect of whatever treatment you had early in life to me. I ain't bothered. Been experimented on myself, y'know."

"From what I remember I grew up as an experiment..." Elisa stated quickly, still oblivious to the issues that came with such a fact. "I was solo meant for my friends though... So I doubt they would have tried putting another person in me..." Elisa turned red once more. "Please don't take that out of context..."

What context makes that sentence ok?! "Yeah, they tend to get set in what outcomes they want, huh." Kentaro rubbed his left arm. "I'm pretty sure I was disposable. Would've been someone else if not me." That was half true. There had been a reason for his being in that situation in the first place, but if they'd failed with him, they'd have done it to someone else. That was certain.

Fortunate they'd succeeded, then.

"Well the people working on me were extremely nice..." Elisa said, placing a hand on her chin. "Now that I think about it... It was almost like they were afraid of me. Not sure why someone would fear a five year old. That just seems ridiculous."

Kentaro's gaze flicked to the hovering nanomachines. "Yeah. Ridiculous."

"Well... I should probably getting going." Elisa turned to recall where the door was located. "Ms. Jetstorm said she had a mission planned to introduce me to bounty hunting. Maybe we will see each other again."

"Maybe we will," was the gracious response. Or maybe I'll just tell Nick to keep a good goddamn eye on you from afar. "Hope your mission goes well. And tell Cap if you get a chance I'm gettin' bored! Only so many times I can cycle this baby's engine before she loses her charm!"

"I'll be sure to tell her that for you." With goodbyes in order, Elisa jogged out of the hanger in search of JJ.

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
Lounging with Lady

Golden Wind
Somewhere in the Telsela Sector
Holoroom Hallway

JJ went off a mental checklist as she strolled down the halls of her ship. Pick up supplies. Contact her friends. Blisk's bounty. Yip's assignment. Then off to the Sector that would act as their central hub. First, however, she had to make sure supplies they already had were in order.

She stopped at a computer terminal and typed in 'Lady', the computer taking a few moments to find her in the holoroom. JJ's eyes shifted to the door only a few feet away, smiling as she walked over to it and entered.

She found herself in a large, wide open cityscape, tall buildings of different sizes lined the sides of a long straight two lane street and stretched as far as she could see in every direction. She stood on the sidewalk as vehicles passed up and down the road, fading from view as they went over and behind hills at the end of the road. There was a slight yellow sandy haze in the air and a dry heat beating down on JJ's head. Other individuals were programmed into the simulation to wall past her busily on the path, some on their phones, others simply minding their own business, mostly amber skinned humans with the rare Tamaerin here and there.

Looks around she saw what looked to be an ice cream stand in one of the alleys selling cold popsicles out to strangers which was seemingly pretty busy, but no sign of Lady in the current hustle and bustle.

With no where else to go, she headed to the popsicle stand. "Where are we?" she casually asked the vendor. "I'm, um... a little lost..."

"Where are we?" An older bearded man looked over a her, still serving popsicles to the man directly in front of him. He was heavily wrinkled and his skin was very dry, small grains of sand hung onto his eye lashes. "Well... We are in Kardesh."

"Kardesh... right. Of course." Considering the heat and the sand, the Cartus asked, "Which way to the nearest beach?"

"Nearest beach..." He chuckled, pointing off to the distance behind her. "About fifty or so miles that way..."

"Oh..." JJ scratched her head. "Hmm... what... is the most interesting attraction in the city. I'm looking for a friend but I'm not sure where to find her..."

"You're really lost huh... Not much in the way of attractions around here kitty cat..." He looked around, pointing behind him. "But uh... If she's around here you should probably check the apartments on this street... Does she have a name miss?"

"Lady." JJ cleared her throat. "I mean Ladie Brochette. You think she has an apartment here," she asked as if the hologram was aware they were in a simulation.

"Oh. Ms. Brochette. She in the apartment to the right behind me. Third floor, room...uhhh..." It took him a second to remember. "Thirty-Three. Sweet girl, always buys pops for her family."

"Oh, yeah? Thanks!" She ran off to the apartment, calling back, "Maybe I'll be back when the line is shorter!" She headed into the apartment complex and made her way up to the third floor, wondering why Lady had a simulated apartment here.

As JJ reached the door she heard music coming from the inside, the lyrics we're muffled but still audible. 'Beat it, Beat it, no one wants to be defeated. Oh no.'

She smiled, loving Human... pop? She knocked on the door, a bit louder then normal to be sure she was heard over the music.

After a few more words in the song it was cut off, the sound of the door opening to reveal Lady in a tank top and short shorts standing with no shoes on. "O-Oh. Ms. Starstorm. I... Didn't expect you..."

"Jetstorm," Jackie-Jackie corrected with a smile. "And I hope I'm not intruding. It really isn't that important if you want me to come back later..."

"Oh no. Come in. Make yourself at home." She stepped out of the way revealing the living room of her apartment. It was cluttered with three chairs, a sofa, a coffee table and a sizable wall hanging television. A Dinner table sat to the right of the door, the dining area and the living space marked as separate by a rug color, brown and dark blue respectively.

JJ folded her arms and nodded. "Not bad. I could see myself living her. Is this... Earth? I didn't think you had an apartment anywhere, let alone Earth..."

"I don't... Not anymore really... This is my old childhood home." She looked back at the room.

"I see. It is really nice." JJ gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry. I'm intruding on your nostalgia and childhood memories, aren't I?"

"It's fine silly. Come in. Take a seat." Lady reached down and grabbed her hand.

JJ allowed herself to be pulled in, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "Nice city. Bustling. Reminds me of a city near the farm I grew up on but... bigger in every way." She pointed to her head and asked, "Your other half with us too?"

"Of course. She doesn't really go anywhere without me." Lady noted, smiling. "It's nice being able to show her around the place. She doesn't like looking through my memories."

"That's the sign of a good friend." JJ scratched her cheek, silently trying to remember why she came here in the first place. "Oh! Right, the guns..."

"Straight to business? Don't you wanna talk?" She leaned forward over the arm of the sofa she had sat on batting her eyelashes playfully. "Get to know eachother?"

"Just thought I'd get it out of the way before I forget about it. Don't... let me forget, that is an actual possibility..." JJ looked around some more, admiring the place. "I'm not sure if I've ever seen the inside of a Human urban apartment. Who did you live here with?"

"My Mom, My Dad, my two older sisters and my older brother." She listed off, it was pretty clear to JJ that is was a pretty small apartment for five people.

"And you all... fit here?" JJ scratched her head. "And I thought my home was crowded..."

"Kinda... My siblings were all working at different times, sometimes at multiple jobs, we weren't all together in the house at the same time very often." Lady sighed, "My Dad even less sometimes."

"Oh..." JJ frowned. "I guess it was expensive to live here, huh?"

"Yep. Hard living in the city." She admitted. "Still. I had plenty of good memories though..."

"Yeah?" JJ smiled again. "Tell me your favorite one."

"Okay okay. So my sister Leeanna and I would play all these crazy pranks on people right? LeeLee is a little ginger tornado of destruction and I love her." Lady sat up in her seat, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "So we heard that my oldest sister was going out after work to play poker with her friends. So we decide to find the cutest pizza boy we can find and ordered pizza to deliver it to the house where she was playing her game. We always joked that she was too stuck up and she needed to talk to more boys. We spent weeks looking at photos of pizza boys and when they worked to plan the perfect time to call. When the day finally arrived we called and laughed for hours waiting for sis to get home. She got home way later than we thought however, apparently it was a game of strip poker and all the girls were already mostly undressed. So the pizza guy gets there and knocks on the door which, but get this, they left it unlocked!"

"So the door slowly swings open to reveal six busy twenty plus year old women playing poker completely naked and they all just stare at each other awkwardly. The girls scream and run in every direction except my sister of course who confidently walks up to him butt naked and just grabs the pizza guy and the pizzas, pulling him into the room, threatening to beat him up if he talked!" Lady went on.

"I was sent to my room when my sister was telling us this part of the story but I still heard what happened." Lady giggled maniacally. "My Sister and her friends all eventually took a liking to this shy nerdy guy and fucked him at the same time! Then after they were done they slipped him a twenty dollar tip and each gave him their number and told him to come back again later. A few years later my Sister marries him!"

"And that's the story of how my Sister met her Husband because of an orgy her two younger sisters accidentally set up!"

Jackie-Jackie cracked up, holding her sides from all the laughter. "That is... simply amazing. Wow. I can't believe it. He must have felt like the luckiest man... luckiest male anything in the universe!"

"Probably! He's a pretty nice guy..." Lady sighed. "Wonder what they're doing now..."

"How long has it been since you seen them?" JJ asked innocently.

"Many years... At least ten? It's honestly hard to keep track of the years out here." Lady admitted. "No... It's more like fifteen..."

JJ's ears drooped a bit. "Oh... sorry. I forget that you have had a hard life..."

"I wanna go back home someday... When I get money..." Lady looked down. "Or maybe not. I'm so different now..."

"You're never so different that you can't go back home." JJ smiled once more. "I bet they would be delighted to see you again."

"You're good at making people feel better." Lady leaned her head back over the back of the couch.

"Thank you. I try." JJ looked serious for a moment. "It is never too late to head home. And if we all do a good job, you'll be able to afford a nice, long vacation back on Earth."

"Thanks..." She nodded. "I have a question for you though... You and Aya... What's going on there?"

JJ blinked a few times. "What do you mean? Are you asking..."

"You know... Are you two like... Together?" Lady gossipped playfully.

JJ chuckled. "Me and Aya? Nah. We... nah! We just are, you know... very close. We met when we were both pretty young, and, well... we're just... close, you know?"

"Oooo. Is someone blushing. Are you blushing?" Lady brought her feet up and almost squatted on the sofa.

"I am not blushing!" JJ pouted for a moment, then slowly grinned. "I'm not dating Aya, so if you happened to be interested in her..."

"Hmm. Well she seems pretty nice." Lady chuckled.

"But I'm not sure how a relationship would work with the... You know." The Human Woman tapped her head.

"That is a good question... huh..." JJ pondered it for a moment before shrugging. "Guess whoever you're with would have to be willing to share you. Though, in exchange, they'd get to have two girlfriends, right?"

"As long as their okay with slugs." Lady blinked. "I'm not saying you're not appealing Yixx! I'm sure you're very attractive to your people and you have an amazing personality. Anyone would be lucky to have you, I'm lucky to have you, it's just you're not... Conventionally attractive and that's not a bad thing!"

JJ giggled softly. "I'm sure she is quite attractive in her own right to many men and women."

Lady smirked, rolling her eyes a little. "So. Why did you get I to mercenary work Ms. JJ?"

Jackie-Jackie scratched her chin. "Good question. It's been a while. Well... the money, the thrill, the adventure, and, well... can you keep a secret?"

"Of course. We're friends right?" A curious sparkle formed in her eye.

JJ briefly scratched between her ears. "It's just that... I wasn't always the best person, you know. I've... been to prison. And when I got out, I wanted to try and make up for being such a bad girl. And I figured this would be a good start."

"Well... Truth be told I did a lot of bad things too just to survive..." Lady nodded slowly. "I ran with a group of Pirates for a while. It was that or likely be killed. I stood a lot of things from people hopping form planet to planet. I... I killed people..."

JJ slowly nodded. "Guess we both have things to atone for."

"Maybe. But like I said, I think I might be too different now to go home..." Lady's expression fell.

JJ sighed and stood up. She walked over to Lady, sitting next to her and wrapping an arm around her. "I still doubt that. But if you feel that way... just change for the better while you're here. I'll help anyway I can."

"You're really nice..." She spoke, looking off to the side. "You're a Cartus right? Were you... You know..."

JJ took a deep breath. "No, luckily. I never even met a Shinso until I moved out on my own. But my parents were, and the stories they would tell. You those scary stories parents tell their kids to convince them to be goodm About monsters that steal children who wonder to far away from home? My parents' stories were based on experience. In fact... never mind..."

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Lady held her hands up. "It's just... I was taken from Earth by a ship of Shinso... I think they wanted me as an exotic slave... Thankfully I got lucky..."

JJ looked at her. "Doesn't sound very lucky to me. Were they attacked or something? Is that how you ended up with pirates?"

"Cartus Pirates. Guess they uh... wanted to get some pay back..." Lady told her.

"Cartus pirates," JJ reapted with more venom then Lady had thought possible of her.

"Not a fan, huh?" Lady seemed to catch it. "I heard when I was with them that they revolted and butchered their old owners. The Captain herself had a lot of... macabre trophies..."

"No better then the savages that owned them..." JJ blinked and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just don't like it when my people give our race a bad name. We should learn from our suffering, not pay it forward." She tried to think of something to lighten the mood. "Guess what happened the first time I met a Shinso."

"Oh boy. Profiling right?" Lady chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah... on both sides." JJ laughed. "He snared, and I just... dropped to the ground. I was... terrified! I thought that was it. Three days away from home and already captured into slavery. You know what he did next?"

"He helped you up?" Lady looked back and forth, knowing full well that probably wasn't what happened.

The Captain laughed again. "Believe it or not, yeah. He even gave me a small hunk of bread. Granted he told me to run off and find my master before I get in trouble, but it was a much more... civil experience then I expected, that's for sure."

"It took me a while before I knew what Yorin even were. I thought they were just the big guys for a while and I was on their Homeworld..." The Human Woman shook her head. "I really had no idea what waa happening... I just... Blindly boarded ships a lot of the time... I couldn't read alien other than a little bit of Cartus..."

"So you boarded the Yorin ship by chance?"

"Not just Yorin. I just hopped on trading vessels blindly until I found myself in Yorin space." Lady corrected.

"That sounds... is it possible for something to be incredibly thrilling and gut wrenchingly terrifying at the same time? Terriling? No, thrillifying!"

"I just... I just did it... Yeah I was scared, I was so scared... But I had to, if I stopped to let my feelings catch up then I would've starved..."

JJ nodded in understanding. She knew what it felt like to worry about finding your next meal. The difference was running away was her choice. She frowned. Lady didn't get a choice.

She cleared her throat and stood up. "A-anyway, I should... probably head out. You're enjoying your time in your home, and I don't want to interrupt it anymore then I have."

"Right. Hey. Thanks Ms. Jetstorm... It was really nice talking to you..." Lady stood up, walking up next to her.

JJ hesitated for a moment before pulling Lady into a nice, big hug. "We'll be a family for you," she whispered.

"Thank you... For having so much trust in well... The both of us..." Lady smiled, looking at how their ears were positioned next to each other. "I... Can't remember the last time I've had a hug..."

JJ squeezed a little tighter before letting her go. "I'll give you two a hug whenever you want one."

"You're a good friend... Let's hang out again soon okay?" Lady reached up and poked her nose.

JJ giggled, nodding. She stepped out of the room and called for the exit, which appeared at the end of the hallway. "Shoot!" she exclaimed, realizing as she left that she forgot to ask Lady how she was progressing with the gun repairs. She simply smiled, however, figuring she'd ask her later. No one should be interrupted during their special time alone.

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: Innocent but Deadly

Elisa was inside the holoroom... Messing with some of the settings to see what new discovery she could make. The database had so many options and Elisa had so little time to pick one. She still wanted to find JJ... But found her curiosity distracted her once more.

As it so happened, Jackie-Jackie stuck her head in the room, wondering over to the teen. "Find anything exciting?" she asked.

Elisa jumped when JJ walked into the room. "A few things... But I doubt I could go through it all in a timely manner."

"Well, you have the time. Aya is working out a signup thingy to make sure everyone gets their fair share of the room." The captain crouched down. "I could reccomend a few programs for now, or... maybe you wanna try a mission?"

"Do you think I'm ready?" Elisa asked with a hint of nervousness.

"Not sure if you're ready for a full blown bounty, but that's why we're going on this mission. To... wet your toes, I believe is the saying. Supplies and information gathering. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"Sure... What did you have in mind?" Elisa's nervousness and self doubt turned into excitement and curiosity and she stood up to listen to the captain's plan.

"We'll be passing Yagataga III within the hour," JJ explained. "I have a source there. Need to pick up a payment he owes me for some information, as well as some supplies. Names Chong. He's a Yeggian. Do you... know what a... um..." She walked up to the computer and typed a few keystrokes. "Do you know what a Borian is? A Tiddlerm? You're human... a Yak?"

"Sadly... I don't..." Elisa answered. "Up until I met you, I barely knew what a Tamaerin was..."

"Really? What about us Cartus?" JJ swayed her hips and cat-like tail a bit. "The cutest race in the galaxy! Did you... even ever hear about us?"

"N-no... I looked into the race when I met you though..." The young girl remarked shyly. "I was kind of... Curious how similar you were to cats..."

"Pretty darn close. Balance. Grace. Great senses. Cute ears." JJ laughed proudly before remembering why she was there. "A-anyway, you'll see what he looks like when we meet him. I also want to get info on a bounty. Don't worry though, said bounty shouldn't be on the planet."

"I wonder if she likes having the back of her ears scratched..." Elisa muttered quietly before looking at JJ. "I'm ready whenever we need to be."

JJ gave her a salute and a smile. "Meet me in the dock in forty minutes. I look forward to working with you."

"Can't wait!" Elisa quickly bolted down the hall to her room... To make sure she didn't forget anything important.

An hour later, the Golden Wind slowly circled a grassy planet in high orbit while JJ and Elisa made their way down in what was currently the only working shuttle that came with the ship. JJ whistled a light tune as they neared the atmosphere. "Excited?" she asked.

"As much as one can be..." Elisa remarked, shaking with anxiety.

"Well, try not to be nervous. And don't worry about Chong. He's a nice guy, just a little... unusual, even by our standards. He's very free spirited in a manner of speaking."

Elisa nodded as they got closer to the planet. "Is there anything I should do when we get there?"

"Play close attention to me to learn something about dealing with information brokers," JJ stated. "And when we go looking for info on our own, we'll split up, but stay close. I know a pub that is great for info. You just need to act natural, smile, and know that all info has a price. I'll give you more info on the target when we arrive."

Elisa nodded once more. "I will try my best..."

Landing in a docking port in a mid sized city, it was surprising to see a space fairing planet that was so green. There were still many sprawling buildings, but there was also so much foliage. Trees, bushes, grass, flowers. They obviously liked nature on this planet. The air smelled of fresh flowers and was clean.

Heading down the sidewalk lined with trees, JJ said, "Pro tip. If your ship's polution converter or oxygen or water recycler aren't working, they will sell those parts to you on this planet for half the price you'll get anywhere within the entire quadrant. They really love cleanliness and no pollution here."

"I'll keep that in mind." Elisa muttered, once again being mesmerized by the beauty that surrounded her. This was a paradise she never thought she would seen in her life. A place of stories, of peace, one that she stood upon right now.

JJ smiled at her, letting her take in the wonder of a new world as they moved along. They arrived at a small flat and walked to a door on ths first floor. "Would you like to do the honors of knocking?"

"Oh... Ummm... Sure." Elisa walked up to the building and lifted her arm to lightly knock on the door... Just enough to be heard.

As she knocked, the unlatched door slowly opened, revealing a lift that looked like a tornado had hit it. On the couch was a man with lots of wooly fur on his arms, legs and head. The front of his shirt was red, his tongue hung out of his mouth, and flies buzzed around his head.

"Ummm... JJ... I don't think we were the first ones to meet him here..." Elisa said with an uneven tone... Quickly recognizing the man as being dead. "How bad is this?"

"Hmm?" JJ looked down with an even look. "Pretty bad. I asked him to clean up by the next time I came but he never does." She let out a shrill whistle.

The man on the couch suddenly sprang up into a sitting position. "Wha, wha?" He smacked his dry lips and scratched his head, flies still buzzing about it.

Elisa looked at the man in pure confusion... Trying her best to explain to herself what just happened. "You aren't... Dead..."

"Dead? Nah, man, I'm good." He brushed his chest, flakes of some hot flavored potato snack falling off him. "I had this awesome dream, though. You wanna hear about it, tiny lady and cat person?"

"It's JJ," Jackie-Jackie said with annoyance.

"Don't know any letters..."

"Jackie-Jackie Jetstorm. We've known eachother for ten years."

"Whoa, really?" Chong looked down at his three fingers hands. "How old am I, man? Anyway, wanna hear about that dream, tiny lady and cat person?"

Elisa, in her dazed state, leaned over to JJ. "What is going on...?"

JJ patted her on the shoulder. "Chong is quite reliable in his own right, but his mind... isn't always there." She stepped over some junk and stood near the man, though not too close. "Mr. Chong? Did you label any boxes 'JJJ' perhaps?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, man! In the back! Wait... those are your initials!"

JJ rolled her eyes, and walked towards the back. "Keep him entertained, dear."

Chong finally stood up. He waz a tall man, with hooved feet and long, furry legs. It was a wonder her could see anything through the main of hair on his face. "So, uh..." He stumbled towards a refrigerator. "...you're not, like, a nark, right tiny lady? Because you have to tell me or it's entrapment, 'kay?"

"I keep telling you that's not how entrapment works!" JJ shouted from somewhere in the back. "And I told you I'm gonna kick your ass if you start dealing again."

"I'm not, I'm not! I only deal with... all natural stuff, man..." He pulled a beer and a juice box from the fridge, walking to Elisa and offering the beer.

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: Innocent but Deadly Part 2

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you..." Elisa stated as she looked around the house. "You mentioned you had an awesome dream... Maybe you could tell me about it."

"Ah, yeah, man. I was flying through space, but like, not in a ship. Just me and this, like, space rainbow I was leaving behind, you know? I could visit anywhere I wanted and I was there in, like, a flash! And everything was so peaceful. Everyone was so mellow and no one was fighting. It was... awesome."

Elisa giggled at the thought. "I'm sure it was a great time. Though I'm not sure how flying through space would be... I know that peace would be a nice change."

"And how." Chong suckled down the juice and grabbed some chips. "What's your name, pretty lady?"

Elisa was caught off guard by the complement... But maintain her composure. "My name is Elisa."

"Elisa... pretty name for a pretty lady." He stumbled over some discarded bags and looked through a bin. "Where is it..." He eventually pulled out a silver, heart shaped locket. "Ah. A pretty gift for a pretty lady with a pretty name." He walked back over, stumbling like her was perpetually drunk or stoned. It was humorous to watch. He sat on the floor in front of Elisa and opened the locket. "When you find someone you like, you put a little picture of them in here, okay?"

Elisa took the offered pendant and examined it curiously. She looked at the man with a smile. "Thank you mister. I'll be sure to do just that." she placed the locket around her neck. "Though for now it is still pretty enough to wear, right?"

"Exactly." He smiled under his fuzzy hair.

"Good job Chong. Looks like you got everything." JJ brought a crate to the front of the loft. "Cybernetics oil, the parts for our mag rail gun, other gun parts. You even found the spices I asked for. Now all we need is the money you owe me."

"Money? Money... um... money..."

JJ narrowed her eyes. "Now, I was just about to tell Elisa here how reliable you are. You have my credits, right?"

"It would be a shame if your entire reputation went to waste over a few credits." Elisa remarked with an innocent smile. "Considering how would happen to you with JJ doesn't get what she came here for." As she spoke... A small cloud of nanobytes materialized behind her.

"Whoa, dude... pretty and intimidating. Okay... uh... okay..." He wobbled back to a very old looking computer, ancient by current terms. He suddenly popped the screen open and pulled out several cards.

JJ leaned close to Elisa and whispered, "Good work."

"A good thing too..." Elisa remarked as she held the locket in her hand. "I would rather not hurt him right now..."

Chong used a credits transfer device to pool the credits onto one card, then stumbled back over. JJ took it and scanned it. "4900. Hmm... close enough." JJ smiled. "Next time I come here, can you please at least take a shower?"

"Man, why you gotta be all judgemental on a man by the way he looks... or smells." Chong smiled down Elisa. "You gotta show me that trick again the next time we meet, 'kay pretty lady?"

"I would... But it's not a trick." Elisa retorted innocently. "And I doubt my friends would be as kind as I am if they were to work with you."

"Far out, pretty lady." He pointed at JJ. "You watch her back, okay? She's fiesty, but reckless."

"So I've been told..." Elisa let out a nervous laugh while she waited for JJ to say it's time to leave.

JJ patted her shoulder, hefting up the crate and making their way back to the shuttle. Dropping the crate off, JJ asked, "Ready to do some investigating now?"

"Ummm... Sure..." Elisa replied with a hint of hesitation. "Been doing well so far..."

"You have been." JJ led her farther into town. "You ever been in a bar?" she asked.

"Yeah... A few times..." Elisa answered. "But after a few... Incidences... Malcolm tries to avoid taking me there."

"Oh?" JJ grinned. "You have to put a few fools in their place?"

"I didn't..." Elisa looked back at the cloud matrializing in anticipation. "But they do..."

Jackie-Jackie nodded. "Don't worry. I'm sure it will be fine... probably."

They stepped into a bar with no name, but a Pink Rabbit as a logo on the front. It was surprisingly clean smelling for a bar.

"Normally we'd come here later when it is more full, but I want you to just gef a feel for it." JJ gave her a look of encouragement. "We are looking for Rita Zedd. Any information you can get would help. Right now all we have is a name. We don't even know what race they are." She pointed behind. "I'll ask the customers on this side of the bar, you take the other side. Sound good?"

ZombieSplitter and ShadowHounder: Innoecent but Deadly Part 3

Elisa nodded and started making her way towards her side of the bar... Examining who she would need to talk to.

She had two choices. There was a group of three men and a woman, all of whom looked like hardasses, at a table playing cards. The other was a figure drinking alone, their cloak completey covering them from view.

Elisa took a small gamble by approaching the cloaked figure first. She knew that if they were to try anything, her friends would be quick to deal with them... But she also knew that if we're drunk they would be quick to try something. "Hello there... I was wondering if you could help me find someone..." She said with an innocent smile.

The person slowly looked up, amber-red eyes peaking out from the cloak. "Sorry," they said in a scraggly, somewhat high pitched male voice. A blood red finger poked out and pointed to the nearly empty drink. "I'm out. Throat is too dry to help you, human."

Elisa pulled out the card that Malcolm gave her before she left. "Maybe I could help with that?"

The figure raised a hand to the bartender. He came over with another drink and swiped Elisa's card to pay for it. The man gulped down a third of it in one go. "Much better," he said. "Now... the name?"

"Her name is Rita Zedd... A friend of mine is looking to speak with her." Elisa explained to the cloaked man. "I think someone said she could help us out with a problem my friend is dealing with."

"Oh? Is that so?" The man leaned forward. She could see into his cloak, a red face looking back, like a goblin in an old fairy tail she read about. "Someone bothering your friend? Need them to... disappear?"

"I think there are a few guys giving her trouble..." Elisa said, taking full advantage of her innocent demeanor. "When she was talking about it a few days ago someone mentioned Ms. Zedd... But left before they could tell is where to find her."

"I see, I see..." He grinned. "You know Ms. Zedd isn't cheep, right?"

"I'm sure I can use some of my dad's money if need be." Elisa said as she took her card back and put it in her bag. "I just don't want anyone to hurt my friend anymore."

Your... daddy, hmm?" He saw dollar signs in his eyes. He pulled out a card and wrote a few numbers and names on it. "This will help you get in contact her."

"Thank you!" Elisa said with excitement, before running off... A few nanobytes heading over to poke JJ in the back of the neck as Elisa left the bar. It would be best if no one knew who her friend was.

The Cartus stepped out a minute later, looking back. "Was that a Pickio you were talking to?"

"What's a Pickio?" Elisa asked while she read the piece of paper the cloaked figure had handed her.

It listed a planet, a comms number, a location likely on the planet, and a note that said, "Remember to tell her Griff sent you so I get a finders fee."

"That man was one I think. Pickio are... i-interesting people. They don't really care much for non-Pickio, so if he was here, he's probably on business. What you get from him?"

Elisa couldn't help but giggle when JJ explained everything. "Exactly what we needed." The young girl handed the piece of paper to JJ. "We need to deal with those bullies that keep hurting after all, right?"

JJ grinned. "Nice job. You have a natural knack for this. I..." She snapped her fingers. "And because Pickio are so reclusive, it means Rita Zedd is likely a Pickio too. He must have been a scout... extra nice job, girl!"

"Thank you!" Elisa said with excitement. "So what do we do now that we have the info?"

"For now, we call it a day. Then we set up a meeting and see if we can take down Zedd." JJ nudged her. "After I figure out the hefty amount to pay you."

"Actually... you'll be paying us." They turned to find the four toughs from the bar behind them. "We saw how much was on that card when you bought that drink," the woman said. "We'll take that off your hands now."

"I'm sorry... But I don't think it would be a good idea." Elisa told them with an innocent smile. "My friends would likely kill you if you tried to hurt me."

"What friends?" One of the men stepped forward and grabbed her um. "Just give us the credits!"

JJ took a step back. "Oooooh... you shouldn't have done that..."