[center][color=Skyblue][h3][u][b] Y A Z M I N M I R A J [/b][/u][/h3][/color][sub][@Deadnaut] [@POOHEAD189] [@The Survivor] [@Musaki Hajime][/sub][/center] When Yazmin got her answer from Commander Hale, she nodded and asked no more. [color=skyblue][i]Donovan Mars.[/i][/color] Meeting this man will be inevitable and she'll know soon enough why his name sounds vaguely familiar. [color=skyblue][i]Given, of course, that I'm assigned to the infiltration team. If not, well then, I won't be able to find out...[/i][/color] When she thought about it, it really didn't matter...or at least, she'd like to think that it didn't matter. The reason why this man's name was familiar to her was probably because she was from UNF before. That was it. Nothing else. All the important people in her artificially made life were no longer of this world anyway. Or was there some reason why his name sounded familiar? Is it plain curiosity? Still mulling over the scientist's identity, she gave the Commander a salute and as soon as she acknowledged, she turned and headed towards the hangar. She sought out Captain Aura and waited for her briefing, watching in silence as she welcomed the new addition to their team. It wasn't the friendliest or the warmest welcome but it made sense and was well placed. Hearing it made her think back to the time when she first arrived at the Ordo base. The welcoming committee was most definitely not welcoming. And most of the people were hostile towards her. [hr] [i][color=gray]"Why would a UNF pilot defect? She's a spy, I tell you. I say we find out what she knows and then do away with her. If she's not executed, we'll have only a few days... hell, probably less than a day for this base to be ran over completely. I don't even know why they're letting her live. I mean, what? Is she gonna be fighting for us? That's bullshit. It's obvious that she's a spy. Girl was just stupid enough to walk in here in a UNF uniform."[/color] [color=gray]"Reverse psychology, man. She probably thought that walking in here wearing that uniform would convince everyone that she really deserted UNF. And I agree. We need to get rid of her immediately. We should go to the Commander. Petition for her early execution. I hope it'll be me who get to pull the trigger. Pay back for the family I lost to the UNF scums."[/color] Yazmin had looked over to the two men conversing loud enough for her to hear. Was she supposed to be scared that these people wanted her dead? Was that the right emotion for this situation? Should she resist if it came to it? Should she try to escape? Even though she was completely surrounded by Ordo people, she had no doubt that she can escape execution, she had her rigorous training in the UNF to thank for that. [color=skyblue][i]Something to thank UNF for, at least.[/i][/color] She sighed inwardly. [color=skyblue][i]But it's also thanks to the UNF that I might actually end up dead where I stand here today.[/i][/color] Or should she accept the fate she had walked into? She knew the repercussions of walking into an enemy base very well. On her way to this base, she had thought long and hard about it. Should she join in the opposing faction? Or should she just hide out somewhere nobody knew her and try to live out her life as normally as she could? But then, what was normal? Nothing about her was normal. Would she fit in? Would people accept her? Would the death of her family let her stay hidden and silent for long? After a while, the need to exact revenge for the death of her family took precedence and she found herself heading towards the direction of the base even before she had made up her mind. The people of Ordo would most probably have her head. It didn't really sound so bad. If she died, then she'd be reunited with her family. The thought brought about a completely different string of confusing thoughts. Reuniting with her family of clones. Did all of them even have souls? The two men met her gaze, equally. Both men's gaze were filled with murderous hatred. If the Captain hadn't issued the order to leave her alone, one of them would have probably pulled the trigger the moment she stepped into the room. The shorter of the two shivered unconsciously under Yazmin's dull stare. [color=gray]"Ugh. She gives me the creeps. Looking into her eyes gives me the impression that there's nothing there. An empty shell. I can't wait to be relieved of this guard duty,"[/color] The shorter man looked away and he lowered his voice but not enough for his words to escape Yazmin's hearing. He turned to the taller man beside him. [color=gray]"By the way, I know you could be relaxing by now, given that they run you ragged from doing all those maintenance work on the Valkinais but thanks for keeping me company, dude."[/color] [color=skyblue][i]Empty shell...Am I an empty shell?[/i][/color] [/i] [hr] Yazmin's thoughts shifted back to the last time she was in the UNF laboratories. The day her father, brothers and sisters were killed. [hr] [i][color=firebrick]"These things... these clones don't have souls. They're empty husks, built to blindly follow whatever commands we give them. They exist for that sole reason and nothing else. And when we decide that they die, then they die. They're not even permitted to flinch when we deliver that last blow."[/color] A harsh laughter came from Candice, the female UNF soldier Yazmin always thought had been nice to her. She stood in the spilled blood of her scientist father. [color=firebrick]"And this man had been playing god for too long it's getting scary,"[/color] she pointed her gun at the still body of the scientist. [/i] [hr] [color=skyblue][i]Yes, a very warm welcome for an empty husk indeed,[/i][/color] Yazmin thought a little sarcastically. Sarcasm wasn't difficult to learn, especially in the situations she continuously found herself in. Fortunately, it took only a few weeks for the people to start warming up to her despite her lackluster social skills. Of course, there were still some who preferred to avoid her but most of them were comfortable enough to at least talk to her once in a while. A handful even took the effort to actually hold lengthy conversations with her. She never really expect to make friends in the base, but she most certainly appreciated the occasional hi, hello or good morning. It did her heart some good. She turned her attention to the newest addition to their team, her thoughts earlier making her miss the way he had stared at her. She, however, noted how his face turned slightly reddish. But she immediately attributed it to perhaps excitement for the upcoming mission. He was, after all, fresh out of training. This time around, it was her turn to study him. He was easily the tallest and the most built in the team and the Valkinai behind him was huge and obviously designed for destruction. Having him around would definitely make their odds of succeeding in the mission higher. She would have continued analyzing him and trying to deduce his personality from the way he looked (she found it entertaining to do so, especially in a place with such a diverse population) but the Captain's words made her set it aside for now. Hearing that she was to be in the infiltration team, her thoughts shifted back to the scientist. [i]Donovan Mars.[/i] [color=skyblue][i]I'll get to sate my curiosity, after all,[/i][/color] she thought to herself and then brought up a mental image of the base. While the lay out they had been provided seemed to coincide with the image in her head, she hoped that it hadn't changed so much since the last time she was there. That'll definitely make it easier for them to finish the mission without the real need for any casualties. A flawless victory, as Neil had said. [i]Balls deep.[/i] Did that mean the same thing as victory? Yazmin blinked, the phrase unfamiliar to her, turning her ever curious eyes towards Neil again. It was curious, the way he spoke. She made a mental note to familiarize herself with it later on when she gets the chance. [hr] When the time came for the mission to start, Yazmin was ready. She made sure that her Glock 17 was loaded and her karambits sharpened, sheathed and strapped onto her legs. Ordine was ready too, well maintained by one of the men who had insisted she be executed just a few weeks ago. [color=gray]"Take care out there and get back home safely."[/color] The man's name was Lance. He gestured towards Ordine. [color=gray]"Ordine's revved up and ready to go."[/color] [color=skyblue]"Thank you, Lance. I'll do my best."[/color] Yaz responded in the most pleasant way she can. Lance did come a long way from hating her to wishing her safety on a mission. She appreciated it. Once in a while, she could still see the telltale sign of mistrust in his eyes but his words made her want to do her best. Lance nodded and stepped aside. Maybe having friends wasn't such a bad idea after all. Yazmin smiled.