Raymond couldn't help but smirk at Rae's response to their question. As if it wasn't insulting to be asked the same questions numerous times just because they didn't trust you. It was funny to think that when he was in the military there wouldn't be any doubt or hesitation whenever Ray asked someone to do something. They would jump off a cliff if he asked them to... It was clear though his crew mates would vouch for him, and trusted him fully, but the Committee was definitely not interested in that. Raymond nodded at the points Rae made when saying that it was a team effort. He was proud of his crew, all of them brought something to the table that would help them survive even longer, and he was thankful for that. The Committee's attention reluctantly turned back to Raymond when Rae requested that Terry and Meghan be reassigned on another ship. Time for Raymond to step up again. "Captain Chase, do you agree with the Doctor?" The Chairman asked. Ray nodded. "Yes, Chairman. They are remarkable, but it is for the best of the Monroe and the Expedition Force that their assistance should be put elsewhere." The Committee seemed to like that answer. "Very well. We approve your request, we will update your roster before you leave the Spire later today." The Earth representative said with a nod. "And speaking of which..." The Chairman muttered again, receiving a tablet from a Committee member. "You have new members for your team, Captain. Galvus Velinian, a Zaetherian soldier. Everything you need to know about him will be at your private terminal on the Monroe." "And Pip Bernadotte, let this meeting be your hearing. We have looked up everything we could on you. A very secretive, yet messy history of being a mercenary... Where you've recently broke several laws under Committee code..." The Yhei Representative muttered, examining the tablet of information. "Mister Bernadotte, as head Earth Representative, I have the authority to sentence you for the crimes you committed against both Committee and Earth laws. You have three options. Death Row, Death Row in The Rock... Or you can join the Marauders." Hal Mitchell said, looking at the man straight in the face, even though it was not a good sight. Raymond was actually very surprised. Losing two members to get two new ones right back, both of which seemed like two very big alphas... But there was a bit of respect with Pip and Ray, and he didn't know a thing about this Galvus character, but he did hear stories about the Zaetherians. They were a military race, were similar to both a Tu'Veeri and human in the sense of thinking, but these are just stories he's heard. "Captain Chase, Doctor Draini, you are allowed to leave, Mister Bernadotte does not have to make a decision just yet, but he will be held in custody until his decision is made. Refuel, resupply, and whether or not you get two new members or one, you will be cleared to leave by the next Sol... And Captain, make sure you look at your private terminal periodically. With all of these events, there will be a lot of work that will need to be done." Raymond looked at the Head Chairman, gave a nod and respectful bow, and walked towards the exit ------ The elevator doors opened and Raymond Chase walked out back onto the bridge, with a lot on his mind. He was exhausted, his crew was exhausted, and yet he couldn't sleep. Not yet. He had new crew members joining, his team was probably going to be constantly hit with requests and questions about how they found a cure of the mole-man poison on an Expedition Ship, and they were going on another voyage soon. He wasn't complaining, though. The more he works the less he has to deal with the politics, the more he's out there, the more he shows everyone that if anyone deserved a second chance, it was his crew members... And he was living his childhood dream. To travel to those far off stars in the clear Colorado sky. He was halfway across the large bridge when he heard a voice behind him. "Excuse me sir. Can I see some identification?" Raymond rolled his eyes in frustration, and was about to tell the man off, but when he turned and looked up, he gave a shocked grin. "Holy shit. What the hell is your ugly face doing out in public?" Raymond asked as he looked at the large Tu'Veeri man. The long brown hair was braided neatly, matching his neat Committee uniform. This man joined the Committee the same time as Raymond, and they were partners in their basic training. His name is so hard to pronounce, that he usually goes by simply Barney. "Sir Chase, Captain of the Monroe. It's great to see you again." Barney said, holding out his hand. Raymond grabbed the large forearm in a handshake, giving a smile. "It's been a while. You a security guard now?" Ray asked teasingly. It was strange to have a Tu'Veeri have a sense of humor, most of them are literal and don't take kindly to mocking their honor, but Barney was very different. "For now, yes. With all the Council members meeting for the next few days, security has been even tighter here. I heard you survived an ambush from the Sekvali. Impressive, but I'm not surprised. Atlas always survives." Barney said with a grin, and Raymond avoided eye contact. "It was just another mission, and without my crew I wouldn't have gotten far, but thanks Barney." He said with a nod. Barney returned the nod and looked around, clearly uncomfortable about something. "What?" Ray asked. "I... Have some information. About your family--" Barney began, but Ray turned. "I gotta get back to my ship, man. I don't need to hear more about my dad." Ray said, starting to walk down the bridge again. "It isn't about your dad, Ray!" Barney called out, which made the Captain stop dead in his tracks. He walked back towards his old friend, staring at him dead in the eyes. "What do you know?" He asked quietly. Barney shook his head. "I don't know anything personally... But I know someone who does. But there's a problem. I overheard him at a bar last night. He's a crime lord known here. He won't be easy to get to." "Where is he now?" Ray said in a deadly quiet tone. "Probably working in his illegal cage fights in the lower districts. Every time the Committee tries to stop it, he either beats the committee members to death, or disappears for a few sols and starts it somewhere else." "Tell me where the fights are. I'll talk to him." Ray said, but Barney shook his head. "Did you not hear the part where he beats people to death? He's a rare breed on the Committee. A Xonak by a name that roughly translates to Plague." Ray looked at his friend again, his dark green eyes staring intensely at him. "Where is he, Barn?" ---- [hider=Ray's Adventure!] "Winner by knockout! Atlas!" A nasty voice screamed and the dingy and barely lit room erupted in an applause. The lower districts of the Spire were not a nice place to visit, but if you were a criminal and had a reputation, you could find a place where you could last more than a couple minutes. For Raymond Chase, it wasn't hard to find the cage fights, and it was even easier to challenge Plague into a fight... But Ray had to fight Plague's best fighter before he could fight him. That's the only condition. That's when the son of a bitch will talk with him. Plague's best fighter reminded Raymond of a giant turtle. He was large, had pale green scales all over his body, and the ones on his back side were thicker and darker. His limbs were ginormous, his face pinched off into a snapping turtle-like scenario. The fight left the turtle-man unconscious and bloody, and Raymond had seen better days. He took off his shirt for the fight, his body bruised and cut, his lip was swollen and bloodied, and the injury on his forehead was reopened. The loose fence was surrounded with all kinds of different looking aliens, slamming and screaming and cheering as they placed bets on who would win in side the pit. The only light was a large one right in the center of the arena. Ray looked around the arena, fire in his eyes, and spitting out blood.The crowd cheered, then die down as soon as the Xonak jumped into the arena. He was large, green, nothing but muscle, and had four arms as thick as tree trunks. An eyepatch covered one of his three eyes, and his disgusting yellow teeth grinned at him. "So the stories are true. The best fighter in the Committee, the "Immortal Atlas" in charge of the Marauders. All it took to see him in action was to get a little information about his sister." Raymond didn't answer, he just put his hands up, his body aching. He didn't know if he could win this. This guy definitely looked like he could kill Ray with just one punch. [i]It's alright to be afraid baby.[/i] Plague made a very quick and powerful jab towards Ray. Ray barely managed to duck under it, and came up with an uppercut, square in his jaw. The giant stumbled backwards a bit, but simply laughed and cracked all his knuckles. "Now that was a nice hit... That all you got?" Every time Ray blocked a punch another arm hit him, and every time Ray countered and moved in for a hit he was blocked by another arm. Ray was getting tired, Plague grabbed Ray with two of his arms, hit him in the gut with the other two, and tossed him onto the floor. Ray was in immense pain, his vision was blurry, and he felt like just closing his eyes here... No. He had to see his sister. He had spent three years going through suicide missions, had everyone doubt him, had faced everything head on with no regrets. He WAS going to see Anna again! Raymond stumbled up, which made the crowd cheer. More action, and blood. Plague laughed as Ray wiped the blood from his mouth. "I've always liked you humans. They are either pathetic and cowardly, or they have the warriors spirit.. like you. come on!" He gestured for Ray to come at him, and with a scream of rage, Ray charged, but instead of getting too close, Ray dove to the side, missing the arms as Plague lunged forward. Ray hit the ground, and with every strength he could muster, used both of his legs to hit the side of his knee, and luckily, a large snap was heard. The Xonak fell to his knees in pain, but simply gave a grunt, and turned to face Ray again. A giant fist tried to hit Ray, but the Captain of the Marauders grabbed the arm, and bent it backwards until it snapped as well. The crowd was going crazy as Ray scrambled to kick Plague down, and then jumped onto the Xonak and punched at him with all the strength he could gather, screaming in frustration and pain as he did so. Minutes of that and Ray was thrown off the creature known as Plague, the cheering turned to shouting. Raymond had won. ---[/hider] [i]"There was a rumor going around that your sister used her family name to get aboard a colony ship heading to a new safe planet to help colonize it. She's working for some organization that works with new colonies or something. Last I heard it was going to Sector 14, Quadrant 2."[/i] Plague told Ray everything he needed to hear. The man may be a criminal and running an illegal fighting arena, but he knows when he's been beaten, and respects it. So everything he told Ray was the truth. Raymond Chase walked towards his ship, now clothed. His head was bandaged, but his lip was still swollen, and bruises covered his face. The first person he met was Tango. "Captain!" The robotic voice said as he turned to face him. "Welcome back! How was the meeting?" Tango examined Raymond and his battle wounds. "Not good, I suppose." The robot said quietly. "The meeting went fine... The doctor make it back yet? Did we get a new member besides, Gabe? Gavin?" Ray asked, looking at the cargo that was being added to the Monroe. "Do you mean Galvus? He is right over there." Tango said before walking on board the ship. Ray made his way to the large Zaetherian. "Galvus Velinian?" Ray asked, looking him up and down, as if scanning him. "I'm Captain Raymond Chase. This is the Monroe, and it will be your new home for a while. Welcome to the Marauders." Raymond held out his hand, normally every species in the Committee had some form of handshake, so he decided to play it safe and offer a hand.