Nothing much was happening. Max simply floated in blank space, his gaze wandering around to observe just how empty his surroundings were. No noise, no commotion, no violence. The space around him was peaceful, undisturbing, but it felt cold. And the more Max thought about how cold it was, the colder it continued to get, until Max was freezing. First, came the shivering, then came the difficulty breathing, and then his limbs began to stiffen up. Although most people would be frantically searching for a way to leave this situation, Max sat, still comfortable. The void embraced him, and it’s bitter cold comforted him. He felt a sort of familiarity, or camaraderie with the cold. They had to share the space, so why not make it easy on the both of them?

Soon, a new roommate moved in. This roommate was warmth, and it wrapped itself around Max as soon as it entered. It embraced him, and Max immediately felt at peace in the duality of heat and cold. The cold kept him comfortable and secure, while the warmth made him feel loved and provided a sense of companionship. Max had finally achieved his balance, and finally drifted into eternal sleep. 

As his consciousness began to fade, the warmth began to crawl it’s way to his ear, whispering sweet nothings.

[color=6ecff6]"Alert, the [i]Gladius[/i] has arrived at its destination, the planet Glacies in the Zeta Orionis system. Please report to the bridge for debriefing."[/color]

Max shot awake, taking a large inhale as his head rose from the wall it rested on. His eyes darted around his surrounding room, before he realized he had simply fallen asleep on his bed. He sat up against the wall at the head of the bed, his jacket sat across his lap, with the needle and thread still in his hand. The hole on the jacket’s sleeve had been sewed up well, thankfully the thread he had chosen matched the color of his jacket’s fabric. The hole in his skin would have to wait, he had a debriefing to report to.


Max stood from his bed, stretching slight as he worked out the stiffness of sleep from his muscles. In a swift motion he scooped up his jacket, shrugged it over his shoulders, and slipped his mask back onto its familiar place.

[color=silver][i]A scouting party to a desolate planet that just went silent? Sounds interesting.[/i][/color]

Max raised his hand after Princess, speaking up, still a bit groggy.

[color=silver]”I’ll join this little scouting party we have going, but I think we need to keep numbers low, or we might as well end up sending the entire ship. Plus, I don’t think my counterparts know how to keep a very low profile-”[/color]

He looked at his scouting mates as he said his last line with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

[color=silver]“-So, should anything go awry, the less of us biting the dust, the better. Better for the rest of us, at least.[/color]

Max took another, more subtle glance at the three others who had volunteered to go on the scouting party. The man in the suit was probably a bit of a wild card, but the large revolver he carried didn’t exactly read “Sneaky” or “Subtle” to him. The woman with the cybernetics didn’t carry any weapons that could Max could see, but her newly found arm, which Max had just noticed, probably served her well. As for Princess, she was the wildest of the three cards, and judging by the weapon and explosive devices he had pulled out of her box while he was in her room, she definitely wasn’t the stealthy type. Max heaved a quiet sigh.

[color=silver][i]All I need is the fire breathing fucking dragon and I’ll have a bona fide ghost team on my damn hands.[/i][/color]

Max spoke up again, this time directly to the other volunteers.

[color=silver]"In fact, are you sure one of you don't want to sit this out? We're gonna need to be quiet, and I'm not sure that's quite your forte, kid."[/color] He said, turning his mask to Princess. He glanced over the woman with the cybernetic limbs, but nothing about her screamed 'loud and proud'. His gaze turned to the man in the white suit, and he looked again at the revolver on his hip.

[color=silver]"Big fucking revolvers aren't exactly quiet, either, suit."[/color] He grunted. Max wasn't used to working with humans, or loud ones at that.

[color=seagreen]"..but.. what if you need something exploded?"[/color] Taka questioned, eyes shimmering with dejection. 

Jesse silently pulled his revolver from the holster, and discharged a round into the ceiling. What might've been a loud rapport from a ballistic weapon instead came out as a quiet ping of laser fire. Though the bright red flash certainly didn't help Jesse's case, he stared deadpan at the masked Novhan.

Max let a huff of air out of his nostrils. [color=silver]"Yeah, if they don't hear us, whatever's down there will see us. Better hope that, whatever it is that's down there, it's blind. Because, if not, we're just a little fucked."[/color]

[color=hotpink]"Has anyone ever told you how much of a party pooper you are?"[/color] Jesse asked, dropping the revolver back into its holster. 

[color=seagreen]"Yea, you're a party pooper!"[/color] Taka reinforced with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest.

[color=hotpink]"Pinky over here makes a very good point."[/color] Jesse said with an ever increasing grin, looking to the green-haired Nohvan. [color=hotpink]"Anyways, Helmet Hair, we're just scouting. If we need to be shooting, we already fucked up."[/color] He said, fingers tapping steadily across the table.

[color=silver]"You may have a point, Suit. But, still. Even if we need to make a hasty escape, the quieter, the better. Your funerals. For all your sakes, I hope this goes better than I expect."[/color] Max crossed his arms, and relaxed his stance.

[color=silver]"Four should be enough. At least, I hope."[/color]