[IC] Dark Abyss (Low Casual)

[Slypheed]

Pixie was caught off guard by the punch and was thus sent flying into a wall, leaving a dent when she impacted. She laughed "You must have a thing for punching faces" she said as her face rebuilt itself. "I'd almost say it's a fetish." She looked at Jason with a grin before launching herself at him with equal speeds, but slightly to the side. She rotated her scythe so the blade appeared, and it was aimed at Jason's torso, then the blade flared out and became a curved plate. She flew past Jason and the plate met his chest with tremendous force, at the same time, Pixie immediately stopped and sent Jason flying. The plate went back to being a blade and she threw it at Jason's shoulder.

---

Sheila heard a voice. She turned around and jumped backwards. There was a person pointing a weapon at her. She began trembling and also began mumbling "Please don't kill me" a few times. She hadn't fully heard what the person said, but knew a gun pointed at her meant he might be a hostile. She put her hands up and her legs knocked together, she was now fearing for her life. She didn't know any better, and that this person was actually a friendly.

[JessieTargaryen]

"Usually it's slightly more effective" Jason growled before something smashed into his chest and sent him flying backwards. As he sailed through the air, he twisted his body so that the blade barely missed, though a cut on his shoulder was seen. Then the boy slammed into a wall with enough force to dent it, and slumped to the ground. Even after that hit the boy shakily rose to his feet. Then he pulled his rifle put and began firing at Pixie's feet to keep her off guard while slowly moving towards her.

[The15thSpycrab]

Yelgir wasn't used to talking with civilians; he mainly kept to himself on the station, and rarely took days off. He didn't have any family to visit or friends to hang out with, so the only times he had been on Earth was to see some famous landmarks. Humans still regarded androids as something to be feared, or something less than themselves, so eventually Yelgir just stopped talking to them. There were a few humans on the station that he had contact with, but the military understood the value of android tech, and was less likely to discriminate.

Yelgir lowered his weapon back into its sling and held his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "It's ok, it's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm from the Haven Alliance, and I'm going to get you home. It's ok."

[Slypheed]

Pixie walked towards Jason. Ignoring the shots towards her feet and swung the more blunt end of the scythe into the rifle. "Don't think you'll be needing that" She then raised the scythe to get ready to attack when she felt something slash across her back. Shroedinger had mended her leg and got up behind Pixie, except her accuracy suffered due in part to the basic support she had with one leg. Pixie then leveled the scythe with her waist and spun around, catching Jason inside the scythe and launching him into Shroedinger. "You two have caused some problems around here, but alas, I'll let you live, haven't been able to have a good fight for some time now. And I want more" She looked at the two before walking to a door.

---

Sheila calmed down a little, and looked at his hands. "How do I know you're not lying like they did when they took us?" She looked at the man. Her blurred and dazed vision was finally starting to clear up, but only slowly. She couldn't make out exact details, but could tell the person infront of her was male. She stayed cautious, and like a rabbit, was ready to run the moment an aggressive action was taken against her. Her knees weren't knocked anymore, but were now tensed up, in fact, her whole body had tensed up. She awaited her answer.

[The15thSpycrab]

Yelgir was a little surprised, and hurt, by the girl's mistrust. "Listen, lass. I am a Haven Alliance android by the name of Yelgir. I'm stationed on the Hydraxi Command Ship Argon, and I'm here with my team on a special mission. I can get you off this ship and back to your family, but you're gonna have to trust that I'm not an enemy. Just like I have to trust that you aren't." An explosion sounded nearby, followed by gunfire. "We don't have time to chat, either come with me, or find your own bloody way off this ship."

Yelgir turned away from the girl, and started back towards his friends. A Jitwaen scout popped into view, and the android fired a burst of energy into its chest. The lizard coughed, spitting blood, then collapsed to the ground.

[JessieTargaryen]

Jason flew and slammed into Shroedinger. As he was dazed while trying to get up, he looked over towards the escaping girl. Jason wanted to go after her, but he fell to his knees before he could move. It was at that moment a large hologram appeared before him.

The hologram appeared before each member of the boarding party, an ugly face that looked like a mutated Mosquito looking at them. " You pests are an annoyance, yet your efforts are futile. " It said in the typical Grüt way. With that, the viewing ports near the members (Hangar Shield became see through, and the hall near Yelgir opened its shutters to space). In it the battle could be seen raging. The Haven seemed to be winning, though with heavy losses. The massive ship from before loomed nearby as its massive prods sticking out the front began to crackle with red electric energy. Then a flash like a new sun appeared.

A large red laser reached out from the ship and hit the planet Earth. This laser then stopped, with the Earth being torn apart at the atomic level. This force of light reached out and engulfed most of the Haven Alliance fleet located at the Earth. Engulfing it all in bright light before flashing and settling. When the flash faded, the Xien fleet had abandoned the system. All those onboard the now derelict Destroyer included. Nothing remained of the Earth apart from some small floating rocks about the size of a fist moving slowly. The fleet which had been there was gone, apart from the Dark Abyss battle group. Everything had been destroyed by the Xien super weapon. As he stared, Jason's vitals spiked. Showing the immense amount of pain and anger her felt. The boy's armor retracted as he hit the floor, on his knees. Staring at the extinction of his race. Tears began to fall down his face. The game had all changed. There was no more home, now Jason had the fire inside to kill.

[Slypheed]

Shroedinger rolled onto her hands and knees and slowly got up. She didn't pay any attention to the hologram, but did watch Earth get atomized, and knew this would have the strongest impact on Jason. Shroedinger walked to Jason with a slight wobble before getting on her own knees to console him. But what could she really do? Tell him it'd be alright? Nothing would be 'alright' to him, a man who just witnessed the destruction of his species' home planet. So all she really could do was rub one of his shoulders. Other times she could say things would get better, but how could the near extinction of his race get better?

---

Sheila cautiously followed the man. She didn't say anything, and would have to place her trust in someone claiming to be from the Haven Alliance a second time. Then a hologram appeared in front of the man saying something about his teams efforts being futile, just as the hologram finished talking, a view port opened near her and the man. And she looked out at the conflict and realized she had been brought to the front. But before she could react to the conflict, a flash of light appeared where Earth was and she shielded her eyes. Once it dimmed down she looked back out to see Earth was gone. Sheila fumbled with her words, the shock that her birthplace and only place she considered her true home was now gone. Tears rolled down her face as she began to break down.

[The15thSpycrab]

The destruction of the Earth was a catastrophic blow to Yelgir as well, even though he wasn't very fond of it. It was the governing body, and military headquarters, of the entire Haven Alliance. With the command structure now just Cthulu and his staff, the time and cost of recuperating their losses would be enormous. Years, maybe decades, as well as an inconceivable amount of money would be required to rebuild their forces. The Xien Coalition had lost next to nothing, and it would be easy for them to finish off the remainder of the Alliance. Yes, there were still some ships and fighters left for the Alliance, but they were scattered across this sector of the galaxy as protection for the planets they guard. Yelgir ran calculations, scenarios, and odds through his head, and only came up with two alternatives. Surrender, or death. Either way, the Alliance had fallen.

With this realization, he sank to his knees, staring out the opened viewport. No tears ran down his face, but his heart, or wherever emotions came from, was heavy. The whole purpose for his existence was to fight this war, and now that it was over, he realized he didn't know what to do. For his entire life, he had been training for, and participating in, the war against the Xien. His maker, Jasta, had been on one of the ships caught in the explosion, and now he had no-one to turn to. The members of his team were still alive, according to the signals from their suits, but they weren't the same. Jasta was as close as a father could be to Yelgir; had given him life, a goal, and the tools to achieve it.

Soft sobbing from behind made Yelgir turn. Apparently the human girl was unnecessary to the Xien any longer, as they had left her here on the ship. She was crying heavily now, tears streaming, breath heaving. He wanted to comfort her, but had nothing to say. Entire libraries of scientific, tactical, and historical data in his head, and he knew nothing that could help. He could quote The Art of War in its entirety, but that still wouldn't comfort a hurt person. "I--I'm sorry." he ventured. "I wish there were something I could say to help." He went over and patted her shoulder, something he'd seen humans on the ship do to help someone hurt. A lump rose in his throat, and he wished with all his heart he could do something to make it better.

[JessieTargaryen]

Jason wrapped his arms tightly around Shroedinger. Pulling the girl into an unannounced hug. He held her for a long time. Obviously taking comfort in her presence. "They're gone, Shroe. All gone." He whispers ad he stays right there. His body was shaking from the Trauma. This event was something that had changed the boy.

[Slypheed]

Shroedinger was caught off guard by the hug, but didn't try to push away. She understood Jason needed this and wrapped her arms around him, she then began to gently sway from left to right while humming a soft tune. She had a feeling that this would calm him down enough to finish up the mission and get back to the ship. That's when Shroedinger heard the faint wails of someone, possibly in the halls, and that's when she remembered Yelgir was in the halls. So using a internal system, she sent a message to Yelgir, it read "I'm hearing faint wails coming from the hallway. Can you look into it, I'm busy calming Jason down". She sent this message so she wouldn't have to talk, which would interrupt her humming.

---

Sheila was very slowly starting to calm down. And after a bit of time, she had calmed down enough to speak. "I-I have no place to call home anymore....No family, no friends, not even a job." She looked at the floor, then to Yelgir who had walked over and patted her shoulder earlier and nodded a slight bit. "It's ok, I think every survivor of this battle is speechless." She looked back out where Earth used to be. Took a deep breath in, then exhaled it in a depressed sigh. "Help me off the ship please? I don't know where to go now." She then turned her whole body at Yelgir. "Please...lead on, I'll follow."

[The15thSpycrab]

A message came from Shroedinger, and Yelgir replied through the same system. <I found a human civilian, a prisoner on the ship. She was very upset by what happened. We're headed your way.>

"You can come back to the command ship with us until we can find a colony for you to stay on. The ambassador quarters are empty; we will find rooms there for you to stay." He turned and started walking back to the hanger, the girl following. "Can you tell me your name? I need to introduce you to my team." They paused for a minute, and Yelgir used the destroyer's communication systems to recall Thor, before continuing to the hanger.

[JessieTargaryen]

Jason's heartbeat began to race as anger coursed through his veins. He pulled away from Shroedinger and ran through the ship, towards the bridge where he downloaded all the intelligence onboard and forwarded it to the Dark Abyss Battlegroup. Then he set a course straight for the sun and set the computer to wait for his signal before blasting into Earth's sun. Then the boy returned to the Hangar. At this point his armor had pulled back on his body, and it was obvious from the wild look in his eyes that Jason was starting to become unraveled and needed somebody there. For only Shroedinger knew about the Monster inside Jason. The side of his mind that had gone completely into rage at the events of Pluto, and had to be separated into a different personality to cope. And with the destruction of Earth, the fires of that monster licked hungerily in the boy's eyes.

[Slypheed]

Before she could react, Jason had run off. But she had caught sight of that look. She sighed heavily. And once he came back he slapped the boy hard, her face showed that she wasn't amused by this. "You will calm down, and tell me what you've done running up and down those halls!" Shroedinger put her other hand on the hilt of her sword, prepared in case the boy lashed out. She also began to sent a message to Yelgir <Be careful when entering, Jason has become a bit feral. I don't want him attacking the other human. Also, if there's a way you can remotely hack his suit, that'd be great, I don't need it functioning while he's like this.>

---

"I-I'm Sheila.....Sheila......I c-can't remember my l-last name anymore." She looked to the man "What's your name? A-And do you think y-your ship will h-have files on me? I r-remember working f-for the H-Haven A-Alliance" She waited for the man to respond to her questions, and for him to lead so she could meet his team.

[JessieTargaryen]

Jason responded by looking down at his feet, then his armor formed around him long enough for it to transfer the information gold mine that he had stolen from the ship's computer to Shroedinger. He left out the part about him programming the ship to fly into the sun after they left. Once the armor was gone again, despite just being hit by Shroedinger, the boy stepped forward and hugged her again. He buried his face in her neck and something that rarely ever happens, happened. The boy felt tears fall down his face and he began to cry. The emotion from Earth's destruction really getting him. His usual hard armor against emotion was gone, he was open and exposed. "Shroe I know what you're thinking. The monster is back, I - I need your help to get through this. Please Shroe. I'm scared." He admitted, instantly hating himself for becoming too much like the scared little kid he never wanted to be again.

[The15thSpycrab]

<Sorry, Two. Jason's suit runs on a closed network. The only thing it's connected to is his brain, and I don't have the resources to hack that.> Yelgir turned as the lass, Sheila, told him her name. "Sheila? Nice name. I'm Yelgir. If you work for the Alliance, then the ship should have something on you. Don't worry, we can match you by looks and a biological sample as well." <News, Saber 2. The girl's name is Sheila, and she claims to work for the Alliance. We can ID her on the way back to the Argon.>
They arrived back at the hanger, and passed through the airlock. The energy barrier was back up; the atmosphere in the docking bay breathable. The Xien had no suits designed for human use, but Shroedinger's spacecraft should have some adjustable spares on board.
A ping in his mind signaled the arrival of Thor. "Duck," Yelgir told Sheila, and covered his ears. "My ship's coming in." The shield opened just wide enough for the small craft to enter, and the roar of its engines filled the hangar. Yelgir's ship touched down, and the deafening sound faded back to the soft hum of machinery.

[JessieTargaryen]

"[i]Saber Team, Report back to home base. Out[/i ]" Came the precise order from Cthulhu. Jason pulled away quickly from Shroedinger, his cheeks unmistakably red from embarrassment, and eyes red from tears. "Let's go home" He whispers to Shroedinger and Yelgir. Along with the new girl. Then boards the ship.

~Le Time Skip~

Thirty minutes later, Jason sad alone in his room, staring at a picture of him with his twin sister, a nurse back on earth, just two days before the battle. His heart ached and the boy couldn't find the drive to move. Everybody on this ship knew he was taking the events badly.

[The15thSpycrab]

Yelgir fired off another burst with the sonic frequencer, and the last ceramic target shattered. Thor was safely back in the hanger, and Yelgir had recently finished repairing some of the minor damage taken. The crew of the ship was subdued, almost as if they were afraid to make a sound. Many of them were lethargic; giving up combat training in face of their inevitable defeat. The small android had no such qualms. On the way back to the ship, he realized that under Xien rule, the worlds would need peacekeepers and lawmen, and his experience would make him a valuable addition. He checked the charge meter on the frequencer, then pressed a button for more targets. He tried to keep busy, but his thoughts kept straying back to Jason and the scientist they rescued, Sheila. Out of all the crewmen on the ship, they seemed to take it the hardest. Jason may try to hide it behind toughness and anger, but after two years of serving together, Yelgir was not fooled. Sheila's story checked out; the command ship had a record of her in the database, complete with DNA and atomic recognition. Turns out she was working on some pretty serious stuff, NLW's, stealth sensors, and personalized cloaking technology. The research was transmitted from the station before it was destroyed, and Sheila was given a lab on the ship for when she recovered enough to continue working.

Sonic Frequencer

As a non-lethal weapon, the frequencer was still useful for shattering certain armors and dispersing unruly crowds. Originally invented towards the end of the atomic era, the frequencer's first form was a giant megaphone that had to be mounted on a truck, and was only useful for making people's ears hurt. It had a large backwash, too, and anyone who used it was required to wear high-strength ear protection. The latest model was now only the size of a pencil, although the sites, grip, and power source made it more of a handgun. It fired precision bursts of sound that could only affected the target, somewhat like a sonic laser. The strength could be modified from getting their attention, to blowing out eardrums, to even shattering certain types of plastic.

[Slypheed]

Shroedinger sighed as she looked at Zephyr. What was she going to do when the enemy took over? She could become like that rouge android they met earlier, modified by the Xien. Maybe....She shook her head, trying to get the thought out. "Why would I want a life like that?" she mumbled to herself. Then looked down at her feet for a solid minute before mumbling again "Better go check on Jason. Have to make sure he isn't doing anymore irrational actions." She turned and walked out of the hanger and to Jason's room.

Once she arrived, she opened the door and looked at Jason. Her eyes looked a bit dulled out, like she was lost in thought. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she stepped in the room, the door closing behind her.

---

Sheila looked around the room they had given her. It was nice, but the loss of her family and friends still resided in her heart and mind. She looked at her hands, which were still shaking from all the shock. "What am I going to do? Sure they gave me a lab, but all the physical tech we had back at the station is gone, I'll only have the data to work off of. And that's not the worst of it. As the only other human on this ship, I can't fight, I'm weaker than most on this ship." She fell backwards onto the bed, staring at the ceiling of the room for a few minutes.

She let out a sigh. "I should at least walk around the ship, familiarize myself with the layout so I don't get lost later." She got up and walked out of the room. "I should also find that team that saved me. I've thanked them a few times already, but I should get to know them a bit more as I'm going to be on the same ship with them for....well..however much time we have left." And began walking in a random direction until she found the ships training room and it sounded like one person was inside it. She opened the door and poked her head inside and saw that it was one of the people who people who saved her. Sheila took a step inside and asked "Can I stay for a bit?....I-If not, I can leave."

[JessieTargaryen]

"She's gone Shroe. As surely as if I had put a bullet in her myself. I ordered Katy to stay on Earth and out of this war. If I hadn't... she would have been here today. I killed her." He whispered, his voice sounding hollow as he stared at the picture of him and his twin. He turned towards Shroedinger, his hair was dishelved and he had hair starting to appear on his chin again, something he would have never allowed before. "They're all dead."

[The15thSpycrab]

Yelgir turned as a voice spoke from behind him, and saw Sheila just inside the training room. He pulled the ear protectors off his head, and set the frequencer on the rack nearby. "Hey Sheila, I hope you are settling in well. I know the rooms are a bit cramped, but at least we don't have to worry about drafts." He tried to joke, but it was't one of his strong suits. Next time he had the chance, Yelgir would have to find a joke book to memorize. Social interaction was a lot harder than receiving orders. "If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. You can easily reach me over the ship comms."