[hr][h1][center][color=9e0b0f]Ailbeart Rend[/color][/center][/h1][hr]

[i]The unmistakable stench of alcohol greeted Ford, in lieu of an actual host. The jet had landed independently, and in his short time spent in the huge estate he had yet to see another human face. He walked through the grand hall that housed the landing pad, and very quickly the loud humming that the jet was expelling faded into silence. Three separate hallways led out of the room, one on each wall. Ford stood bemused for a moment, as he came to the realisation that he likely wasn't going to get any help with navigation. In fact, the whole reason for his being here wasn't clear. The sparsity of information that Ford's assistant had been provided with would never have constituted a visit from Ford - with him being one of the foremost robotics experts and innovators in the United States. It was just the accompanying lump sum that had spurred his departure without a second thought. Ford passed his briefcase from one hand to the other and coughed as the alcoholic musk in the air accosted his nostrils.

"Mister Rend?" He yelled, eager to complete his work without any more delay. His assistant had purchased a room for the night at a luxury hotel in Edinburgh, just a few miles west of Rend's sprawling estate. Ford was also interested in learning about the culture and history of the city. He had been to Scotland before, but never to its capital. Noise burst from the hallway in front of Ford as a metal door slid open and businessman Ailbeart Rend stumbled into view. He was a sight to behold: his hair was thinning and was showing the first signs of an irrevocable grey transition, his eyes were rimmed with red and tear stains, and a thick, unregulated beard sprouted from his lower face. Anyone could tell he was incredibly drunk.

[color=9e0b0f]"You're here! Okay, what was I..."[/color] He hiccuped and rested an arm against the wood-furnished wall. He appeared to be half talking to himself and half to Ford, and his face kept progressing through different extreme but undefinable emotions. Ford was unsure of what to do, but he extended his hand in courtesy instead.

"How do you do, Mister Rend, my name is Isaac Ford." Rend stepped a little closer to him and eventually made eye contact.

[color=9e0b0f]"Ahh... aye. You,"[/color] he spat on the floor, though whether it was a reaction to Ford or the alcohol was unclear, [color=9e0b0f]"I... fuck, I can't quite remember..."[/color]. Ford didn't say anything, but he put his arm around Rend and let the man - who he had only seen calm and resplendent on TV before - rest his weight against him. Rend seemed to gain a moment of sobriety, just a moment, and with it he looked up at Ford as a child would look at its mother and murmured, [color=9e0b0f]"Stick that fuckin' thing in my eye and I'll give you more money than you've ever seen before."[/color][/i]

The change of scenery did little to console Rend. The wide open space of the warehouse was just as claustrophobic as the train, for whatever he could see - whether it resembled something on Earth or not - was always populated by some horrific alien. Rend had not spoken to Owen, Tahlia or Yazmin since his argument with the former two, because he knew he would not receive any empathy from them. Though as much as he disliked each of them, he needed someone to speak to that could help him bear the load of the incomprehensible scenario they were stuck in. He could not believe that they could plot amongst themselves and against the creatures, or eat, drink and sleep like before without being overwhelmed. Rend had seldom slept since the operation, and it had only come about when he had passed out from exhaustion or worry. 

Seeing the Artemis from the outside brought further despair to his thoughts. It was a reminder of the lie he had been living. He would have never worked so hard to get into one of the cryotanks if he knew they were bound for space. Space was not a place that they had any control over. It was a realm of incalculable proportions that any human could not help but feel insignificant under. For Rend, space was only welcome as the thing that he could look up at while safely on the ground with a glass of alcohol. Man cannot prosper and achieve in space. It took humanity thousands of years to just set foot on another solid surface that wasn't Earth. [color=9e0b0f][i]Perhaps this was all known to the rest of the crew. Maybe they were getting trained as astronauts an' familiarised with the ship, and I was kept thinking it was merely an underground base. Maybe that's why they're dealing with this so fuckin' well, and they're jus' pretending they didn't known - tryin' to make me feel lesser than them.[/i][/color]

This thought possessed Rend as the four of them stepped up the ramp and back onto the site of their hibernation. The face of Benji, the crew's very own mad doctor, only reinforced his suspicion. He had been absent since Tahlia had ruined Rend's composure along with his neck. He was the harbinger of all their bad news, and he was back - alive - on the ship that he had lived in all to himself for years. His reaction upon seeing him made it clear that the ill feeling was mutual. Then, all his malice and distrust vanished, for the one welcome face in all of space appeared before him. [color=9e0b0f][i]She's alive.[/i][/color] Rend's eyes locked with Echo and did not waver. That feeling that had shocked him and his memories returned, only now that he had thought she was dead and gone, the feeling surged doubly. It had been like losing [i]her[/i] all over again, and it had contributed significantly to his nihilism on the train. He barely heard the crew's greetings to each other, until Echo broke their eye contact and spoke up: [color=f7941d]"...they have discovered something that can be done to us that has changed their minds."[/color] [i][color=9e0b0f]Done to us? No...[/color][/i] What they had done to Rend had been the single most painful and traumatising thing that had ever been done to him, and that was done to save his life. He shuddered to even think what they would attempt when they had a hostile intent. Rend listened to Yazmin's concerns, and even though he wanted to, he didn't speak up. The crew would certainly not discuss anything reasonably with him, because of their respective immaturity and aggressiveness, and the suggestion that they should fight the aliens was beyond ridiculous. Six out-of-their-depth humans against a race, [i]multiple[/i] races of aliens? Not to mention the fact that they knew almost nothing about any of the creatures - their capabilities, their motivations, the weapons they themselves had. Rend was almost ready to tune out of the conversation when Benji began to speak. In fact, he was ready to barge past Benji and even Echo, if only to lock himself in a bedroom and bury himself in a state of unconsciousness. Yet, he was halted by the torrent of information Benji spouted: a 'Divine Principality', a 'Velbenan Queen', his own theory of aliens having controlled Cryonautics and Project Renascence. He would have dismissed it immediately if he had not already lived among aliens for a time, but the idea that the head of Cryonautics was an alien? That was impossible - Rend had [i]met[/i] the man behind the cryotanks. He had cowered under the sights of a pistol and jumped at the mention of money just like the rest of the employees. Then, something happened that cemented Rend's suspicions. The mad doctor spoke their language. He smiled and chatted with an alien creature that no logically-thinking human would ever go near. Rend's bushy eyebrows twitched and narrowed in anger, but still he remained silent. He just made sure not to look back into Echo's eyes with a face filled with hate and suspicion. As Benji began talking to them again, he decided he couldn't stay there anymore without breaking his silence. If he made any noise, the unstable Tahlia would probably try to murder him again. So, he calmly strode past Tahlia, past Benji - as he mouthed off indirectly about him like a six-year old child - and into the room that he had claimed.

They were all united again, with new, vastly changed attitudes, and surprisingly, Rend found himself with a brand new primary worry and enemy. Not Tahlia, but Benji.