Junebug settled back against the comfortable restraint of the medicomp.

“Well shit.”

----------------------

The slap of boots on the hull plating echoed through the cavernous hangar. The training hall was large enough to hold a dozen Highlanders, the ceiling, occasionally accessable by rope or other climinbing equipment, was at least ten meters high at its lowest point. A group of twenty men and women with severe haircuts were running an assault course, weaving in an out of obstacles and vaulting walls. A sallow faced female drill seargent hurled creative profanity at the soldiers as they tried in vain to reach a bar which would be perpetually be raised. Despite several massive ventilation grates at the end of the training hall, it still smelled like stale sweat and effort.

As Sayeeda completed her lap the training computer attached to her wrist beeped, flashing up a variety metrics to offer critique of her performance. She ignored the data for now, forcing herself to keep the same pace as she started the next rotation. It had been nearly a week since she got out of sickbay. True to York’s prediction she had made a full recovery, if anything she felt stronger than she had before the smugglers moon. Her training times were up across the board as were her marksmanship and reaction exercises. A brush with death could sometimes be good for focus.

The crew of the November Sky was reserved though she had seen a few of the female crew members giving Neil covert glances. For the most part they were polite but distant. Junebug wasn’t sure if this was the result of orders or of a generalized distaste for York and the other intelligence personell which had transferred to his ‘guests’. If they were prisoners there were few restrictions placed on them. Marines kept them off the bridge and out of engineering but beyond that they had the run of the ship. According to York the trip to Sarvan would take almost three months. That given the currents and tides within the RIP that was actually amazingly fast. The bulk of the November Sky meant it could tolerate gradients that would shred a freighter the size of the Highlander. According to what little she had been able to get out of one of the ships astrogation staff she had cornered in the cafeteria, the currents were nearly as bad as it was possible to be. Judging by how haunted the fellow looked, the navigational staff was working long hours to make any progress whatsoever.

The Highlander was still accessible but a swarm of Terran technicians were helping ‘refit’ the vessel. Although the actually seemed to be doing real work, they had ‘coincidentally’ stripped out the fusion plant for a partial rebuilt. The vessel was unflyable without several hours and a full tech team to put it back together. Worst of all York and his men had confiscated the aestimobium while Junebug had been in medical. It was technically a restricted substance in Terran space and though York had made a few token statements about evidence and due process but she wasn’t holding her breath.

“Junebug!” Sayeeda slackened her pace as Taya hurried into the training hall. The girl was wearing a terran uniform without insignia. It was a flattering cut on her, though Junebug wasn’t, in general, a fan of uniforms. The girl had initially been timid but she seemed to be relaxing into her new surroundings.

“Major York is looking for us,” Taya said as Junebug came to a stop breathing hard. The computer on her wrist beeped as it registred that her exercise had come to an end. The mercenary laughed without much real humor.

“I would be shocked if York was in any doubt as to where we are, I’m willing to bet he gets a briefing on what we have for breakfast.” Taya shrugged as if that were of no import.

“Apparently they are going to release Saxon and York wants to hold some sort of briefing, I figured we would meet up with Neil and talk before that.” They were walking towards the showers as they spoke. Sayeeda nodded.

“Good thought, let me grab a shower and then we can meet Neil… somewhere.” Taya reached out and laid a hand on Junebug’s forearm.

“Junebug, I wanted to talk to you about something,” the girl said earnestly. Sayeeda frowned uncertain what the girl had in mind.

“Sure, whats on your mind Taya?” Junebug asked as she stepped into the shower cubicle and began stripping off her sweaty exercise clothes.

“Are you… well are you feeling alright?”

Junebug stepped into the shower and clicked the button, bracing herself. The Terrans evidently believed in toughening up their troops because the shower was icy cold.

“Yeah, I feel great, Terrans may be assholes but they got the best medical tech in the galaxy.”

“Right,” Taya returned in a tone that didn’t quite convey agreement. Sighing Junebug stepped out of the shower and fixed the girl with a level look inviting her to get to the point.

“You look younger, younger since the surgery I mean,” Taya blurted. Sayeeda looked in the mirror, it wasn’t something she made a habit of, after thirty, the chances you would find an improvement were pretty small. It didn’t seem to her that their was much difference, the shadows under her eyes were a bit lighter, her face a bit less taught.

“I was burning the thrusters pretty hard before the Smugglers Moon, I’m sure its just rest and the doctor enforced diet.” Taya looked unconvinced at this as Sayeeda pulled open a locker and retrieved a white t-shirt and her customary fatigue pants.

“Let see what Niel makes of this briefing shall we?”

Neil's palms pressed to the Highlander Floor, and he placed his knees against his elbows, and with a practiced ease, he suddenly lifted his legs up and balanced. A bead of sweat dripped onto the floor, and with a will his legs then lifted fully into the air, outstretching into a handstand. He would need to hold the position for five minutes. It was the last handstand of his set, and then he would get back to tinkering with the Hauler they had in the cargo bay.

Of course the repairs were slightly limited. The Terrans had scanned, searched, and X-rayed the entire ship for munitions and weaponry, and it was under heavy surveillance from virtually every angle in the larger hanger, with guards posted, keeping the ship and its pilot under watch at all times. It was after a large discussion with York that Neil had convinced him to allow re-entry, much less permission to work on the Hauler under supervision. A floating AI with a camera followed Neil wherever he went in the Highlander, which is why he chose to go to the restroom before he entered the ship.

"Three minutes. You got this." he said to himself, his voice strained.

"NEIL!!!"

He lost his balance and collapsed to the ground as the voice reverberated in his ear. "Ah, FUCK." he exclaimed. He'd left the comm on full volume to be able to hear over the repairs half an hour ago. He realized it was Junebug after a moment. "Y-Yeah, what is it?"

"Meet up with us in Assembly room 41A, pilot. We're going to be briefed by York. Supposedly they're releasing Saxon."

"You got it, Capt'n." Neil said, trying to release his pressurized left ear. Lonny appeared above. "You will have optimal hearing in minutes. Only long bursts of loud sound can disrupt the ear drums indefinitely." Neil rubbed his eyes and got up, removing his goggle and tool belt. "Thanks Lonny, you're a gem."

Even after having been here for days and days, the immensity of the hanger still impressed Neil. As he stepped out of the Highlander, men surveyed him from the elevated walkways, lasrifles at the ready and faceless helms hiding whatever expression they might have. Their body armor was simply flak vests, but they were reinforced with Torellian Steel, making it almost respectable body armor in a real firefight.

The sliding door slid open, and Neil stepped into the hall and walked what he believed to be a quarter mile to the designated room. A small meeting room where lesser officials could have private discussions. The AI had stopped following Neil as soon as he had left the Highlander. As the engineer stepped in, he gave them a wave. "Sup?" he asked them, taking a load off on one of the chairs at the long table. He decided he would prop his boots up and relax. It was when he sat down did he blink and squint at Sayeeda. "Are... you look good. You feel better?"

"By the way, I'm not sure if you guys want to play this straight when we reach on-world or not. I never feel bad fucking over Terrans, but..."
@Penny

“Nobody ever feels bad fucking over the Terrans,” York said as he strode through the hatch.

“And why should they, we are afterall the only faction trying to bring peace to a fractured galaxy, the only group with the resources and vision to usher in a… oh whatever,” he said growing tired of the boilerplate speech and waving a dismissive hand.

“Still I really wouldn’t advise it, our intelligence suggests that the beta site is quite deadly enough without trying to play games.” He took a seat at a console and bought it live, projecting an omni directional view that showed a three dimensional map of Saavran.

“And of course if you did decide to betray us we would have to kill you,” he said apologetically. York held up his palms in a placating gesture.

“It's not personal of course, just policy. Besides I want us to be friends.” The smile on his lips was so oily and insincere it had to be deliberate.

“As a sign of my good faith..” as though on cue the door opened again and Saxon, still in electro binders was marched in. Two marines followed him armed with active shock rods thought this was clearly a precaution rather than an attempt to prod the Hex along. Another marine a stunning woman with short blonde hair and Lieutenants pips stepped through after them. She wore a suit of light weight combat armor that covered her chest and legs but left her arms bare to reveal a variety of Terran Marine Corp tattoos as well as some less familiar designs.

“I am releasing your friend, or your associate or whatever it is you call him. I am certain he bears you no ill will, even though you did shoot him with that shock gun,” York said with a prosaic smile. Saxon turned and glared daggers at Neil.

“Before I do so however I should advise him that as I need Mr Edwards alive, I took the liberty of installing certain guarantees while you were unconscious. I would advise you not to test them.” The blonde Marine Lieutenant steeped in front of the Hex and disengaged the binders with seeming unconcern. Across the back of her armor was stenciled the name ‘Woods’.

“I’ll give you a moment to get reacquainted before the Lieutenant here takes over the briefing,” York said as the door opened and Sven entered, EMP binders were attached to his wrist but not currently active meaning he could move freely.

"Oh gee, you shouldn't have." Neil said with faux admiration as York had his 'good faith' present sent in. Taya, despite her fear of Saxon and York, couldn't help but giggle quietly. If it was any other circumstance, he would have admired the blonde woman with much more than a passing glance, but he felt like he wanted this entire situation behind them and ignored any Terran soldiers for the most part.

"Well, now that our cards are all on the table." Neil continued as Sven entered the room. "Let's talk. How big of a reward are we talking when we get the job done. Without tricks." He added and pointed at York. York inclined his head, seemingly amused at the nerve of asking for money before they were even briefed.

"That depends upon the manner of our discoveries. But thirty thousand credits seems good for a minimum, don't you think?"

Neil tried to speak, but then did some quick calculations in his head. He had expected more, but then again that was a good price for a moderately dangerous bounty, and all this mission was, was essentially being an escort and a guide through ruins they had likely already explored. "As a bare minimum, yes." he said slowly. Sayeeda rolled her eyes. The Hexanagallion flexed his hands once they were unbound, and his first glare was at Neil and York.

Unexpectedly however, were his next words. "On my honor, I shall comply."

Neil blinked, and York explained. "We promised dear Saxon here all of his belongings back and another 30,000 credits to not seek any...what did you call it?"

"Blood Vengeance."

"Yes that. And we gave a few concessions to Sven over here as well." The nordic Cyborg gave a neutral, impassable stare. It was the coldest thing in the room, and it was a fairly cold room. Lieutenant Woods cleared her throat, the strict command of her voice was as iron hard as the muscles on her arms. "If we are done, then shall we begin?" she asked. Taya nodded, and Junebug gave a nod and sat beside Neil and Taya. Saxon and Sven still stood, Sven known for not getting exhausted like normal men and Saxon simply too big to sit.
@Penny

Woods took a step forward her full lips tugging into a grin as she beheld her audience. It must have seemed like quite a group. A massive Hex being held back from extracting blood vengeance, an eeriely calm cyborg, a pilot who was sassing the most dangerous man on the ship, a girl barely out of here teens and a mercenary captain who had officially been charged with murdering five Terran commandos.

She cleared her throat and touched the hologram with a fingertip. The map expanded to twice its original size. The hologram was so clear and perfect that Junebug thought she could see the oceans slowly moving in their tidal flows. Terran holographic tech, like everything else, was state of the art. The world had three continents one of which was a polar plate. Two red dots blinked in steady rythym.

“This,” she said in a clear melodious voice, “is Site Alpha.” Images, some from satellite, some from helmet cams populated in the air. It seemed to Junebug like they came from another lifetime but she recognised the lush tropical jungle of Saavran. There were other pictures, clearly taken after the fact with professional imaging equipment, showed a devastated forest and a vast, vaguely anthropomorphic ridgeline. Junebug shuddered, she had worked hard to put the strange golem thing that Neil had stopped from waking up out of her mind.

“Even after three years of research we haven’t made much headway into understanding what happened,” Woods explained.

“The original caverns you penetrated appear to have vanished. Sonar and other remote sensing gear suggests that the ‘guardian’ as we are terming it is a solid undifferentiated mass,” Woods explained. Junebug’s lips compressed into a frown.

“We saw it move though it cant be solid,” she objected. Woods nodded at his.

“Yes we did, current theory from the experts is that it is some kind of super fluid solid that can harden itself when inactive. Whatever control chamber you penetrated must have been subsumed.” Taya leaned forward clearly rapt to be learning about an adventure that had occured before she had joined the crew.

“Which brings us to Site Beta,” Woods went on. The image rotated to bring up a red dot on the polar plate. More images appeared of strange cyclopean architecture thrusting up out of a sheet of perma frost.

“It only became active after you fucked up Alpha, and so far we haven't been able to get so much as a sensor drone within half a kilometer of the edge of it.”

As Woods took measure of the crew, she would notice the smallest columned sections of light emitting off Sven's eyes periodically, and Saxon's gill-like ridges huffing as he gazed at the anomaly that had occurred while he was still fighting the killer worm on the asteroid Neil had stranded him on. Neil watched as only a man who had survived multiple cataclysms would, somewhat tired but still having a stoic sense of humor about it.

"You know, I love messing up with the natural order of things. But I'm starting to think I draw the line at ancient super advanced tech that can come alive and devour planets." He said. "Anyone else feel that way? Just me?"

Woods couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, pretty boy. We'll be there to watch your back." the shapely woman said with an amused smile. Neil blinked, and mouthed 'pretty?'

"We have calculated the risks." Woods continued with a more serious tone. York spoke up. "In fact, we even addressed your friend Sven here and received his input. The risks are hard to tell, but he garnered a rough estimate. Apparently we have a 58 percent chance of finding what we are there to look for and to leave with no casualties."

"From our current data, at least." Sven added.

"Do I at least get to pilot my ship?" Neil asked, hopeful smile on his face. When Woods said he was, he pumped his arm and mouthed 'wicked' before leaning back and tell her "Thanks babe." He'd not driven the Highlander for longer than he cared for. Neil had really started to get fond of that ship. That, and Lonney, of course.

"And me?" Taya asked.
@Penny

Woods seemed a little uncomfortable for a moment and then manipulated her controllers. A video from a small electronic drone showed the same strange architecture from a higher angle. The drone closed quickly and a second feed from a ground based camera appeared showing what seemed to be the same vehicle as it approached the edge of the city. With a startling suddeness the drone picture went blank and the ground based feed showed the little vehicle suddenly exploding in a puff of smoke.

"We haven't been able to get any tech into site beta," she said, a red ring appeared around the site, marking the barrier.

"Biologicals haven't fared any better, we are working on the assumption that Pretty Boy's alien ink will get us through the barrier." She nodded at Taya.

"Best case we get a small window we can carry our tech through. Although I think we probably would be better off using our own people..." she trailed off and York rolled his eyes. Clearly it was an old argument between the two of them. Woods was too much of a professional to rehash it now.

"You will be coordinating tech support on the other side of the shield. We have to assume that comm nets and tech is going to need to be put together on the other side. We will be sending a tactical team in with you. My team. We are going to get in, get what intel we can and try to find someway to bring down the shield so that we can start properly studying the site. If you guys can do that for us, then its mission accomplished."

Sayeeda crossed her legs, looking at the logistics of the operation. It was clear that the Terrans weren't telling them everything. It seemed like they could just take Neil along and leave the rest of them ship side. Why was York so keen to get them all down on this mission?

"Well, we are still a month out, we are just going to cruise in the mean time?" she asked. Woods smiled as though she had been offered the most handsome man in the universe for the night.

"Of course not captain, that means we have a whole month to train up."

The first week had Neil and Sayeeda being put through basic training. Mostly as a formality rather than to aid them in anyway. Junebug obviously passed with flying colors, and Neil's only real problems were from a lack of discipline. However, it was the most amusing televid on the November Sky once they recorded the final obstacle course that they both participated in, competing against one another. More than once did Neil trip up Sayeeda, and Sayeeda planting her boot on Neil's chest multiple times.

Junebug beat Neil by 12 seconds, though they both made moderate time. No one doubted they would have made very good time if the were going separately. In the meantime, Taya was getting basic exercises, command signal classes, and even confidence training to help her in dire situations. Sven and Saxon were both analyzed and took various tests and scans for a 10,000 credit increase in their minimal payments, since a lawless Cyborg and a Xenos who was usually an enigma to the Terrans were hard to come by, and more than a few scientists were curious about them. Sven kept the scans on his various parts to a minimum, however.

After the week was up, they were separated during the day for additional tests. Junebug was tested for her superior combat aptitude, monitored by York. She was given a field test of firing at moving targets via laser gun in a controlled environment. Civilian targets were issued part the way through to avoid. After that, she was given a test on command language, and what she would need to remember in order to respond properly on the ground. She passed that easily as well.

York snorted. "Perhaps, Captain Cykali, you should be training our recruits."

Meanwhile, Neil had been asked to take apart and put back together a Voxx communicator. Woods monitored the test, and she went from amused to impressed when Neil finished minutes faster than any other recorded time, and he still had some time for a few jokes in between.

"How did you..." she began, then shook her head, clearing her throat and regaining some cool dignity. "Up next is close combat."

"Sure. Who is my sparring partner?"

"Me. This way, Pretty boy."

He had expected that he'd fight Junebug, but he guessed they had done enough of that on the obstacle course. He didn't know if she was insulting him or complimenting him with that name. "Hey, I'm manly alright?"
@Penny

Snowflakes drifted down over the artificial hillock at the end of the training hall. York, or Woods took a very literal approach to training for cold weather. The entire hall was blanketed with snow, packed down to ice where the Marines were still forced to conduct their daily PT. Perversley they seemed to blame the crew of the Higlander for this development despite the fact it was clear they had been shanghaied into the whole endeavor.

“Now remember, squeeze dont pull, breathe in, breathe out, breath halfway in…” The submachine gun in Taya’s hand chattered six or seven round burst. The target a holographic soldier about fifty meters away flew appart in a cloud of pixels. A wireframe of the same man appeared a few meters infront of them. Red glowing marks indicated where two rounds had struck, one in the shoulder and one in the right hip. A third glowing dot appeared over the man's head, indicating a near miss.

“Control the length of your burst,” Junebug said encouragingly, “the recoil is lifting the muzzle and making the shots go high.” Both women were laying on their chests on the hill. They were dressed in identical Terran issue combat gear, full body suits with ceramic armor plates protecting vital systems. Neither woman was wearing a helmet although they had been available, instead Junebug had insisted on simple shooters goggles to protect their eyes from the biting wind that was being pumped into the training hall.

“How do you do that,” Taya asked in exasperation, having received the same advise in various forms for the better part of an hour.

“YOu only ever tell me to breath, squeeze and control the burst.” Sayeeda chuckled and picked up her own submachine gun and checked the load. The weapons were made to simulate plasma weapons though, for the sake of the ship, they actually fired ceramic training rounds.

“Well when you start doing those things, I’ll give you more advice,” Junebug said with a grin.

“Dynamic pattern, randomize,” Junebug said and worked the slide to charge the weapon. A soldier appeared down range and she fired a three round burst. He was replaced by another and another at differing ranges and positions. Junebug continued to fire in two or three round bursts until the weapon ran dry. The figures materialized in the scoring zone, each with a two or three centimeter grouping in their center of mass, save for one which had appeared prone and sported two red dots on his forhead.

“Again.” This time Taya managed a three round burst and scored two hits one low in the groin and the other in the sternum.

“How often do I need to do this?” Taya asked as she slipped another magazine into the weapon.

“Every chance you get, I try to do something everyday,” Junebug replied, reaching over to make a minute adjustment to the younger womans grip.

“Don’t you get tired of it?” she asked putting down two more holographic opponents with middling accuracy.

“My old CO once told me that no matter how good you are, the man who will kill you is out there and he is probably training.” Taya shook her head.

“That's a little morbid,” she said, reaching for another magazine. Junebug placed a hand on her wrist.

“That's enough for today,” she said standing up and brushing the snow from her armor. The internal temperature regulators kept her warm but her face was starting to get frost bitten. Taya duplicated the gesture, making sure the gun was on safe before slinging it over her shoulder.

“Back again tomorrow?” Taya supposed. Junebug smiled broadly.

“Now you are getting it.”

Twenty minutes later they were out of their borrowed armor and drinking hot coffee as they head towards the gymnasium where the ships computer had pinged Neil. They passed crewmen at work at a variety of stations, some of them smiled or called greetings to Taya. The cross training she was getting bought her into closer contact with the regular crew than Neil or Junebug enjoyed. Suddenly Taya vered left where Junebug had expected her to go right. Frowning she opened her mouth to correct the youg woman but Taya merely guestured urgently. Junebug followed her down an unfamiliar access way that was devoid of crewmen.

“I’ve disconnected the surveillance feeds in this corridor,” Taya said quickly as her captain joined her. Junebug nodded indicating she had heard the statement but not amplifying it.

“I was going over the Highlander now that we are getting close and I checked on some of the Terran mods,” she went on glancing around furtively.

“I found a remote kill switch in the thrust drive controller,” Taya said urgently. Junebug frowned. The Terrans had installed some significant upgrades in the last few weeks, mostly to the sensor suites and the communications gear, bringing it up to fleet standards so that the freigheter could keep in touch with the November Sky with encrypted comms.

“What did you do?” Junebug asked her face stoic. Taya shrugged her shoulders.
“I pulled one of the leads and left it there, and I asked Lonny to run some diagnostics on the down low, but where there is one….”

“There are bound to be more,” Sayeeda finished. It was logical that the Terrans would install some safeguards against them making a run for it before they fulfilled their end of the deal but the idea of the Highlander being filled with remote access hardware didn’t fill her with confidence.

“Have you told Neil yet?” Junebug asked. Taya shook her head.

“No time, I only learned how to disconnect things here because of the surveillance tech lessons they have been giving me.”

“Let him know as soon as you can, but don’t do anything obvious about it, maybe he and Loney can come up with a way to scrub the ship in a hurry.” They emerged back into a familiar corridor and they both fell silent. They should be arriving within the next few days, and it seemed there was alot they still needed to do.

---

“I guess you will just have to promise to take it easy on me,” Woods said, rolling her eyes.

Without preamble Woods lashed out driving a palm into the top of Neil sternum and sending the pilot sprawling backwards. She was stripped down to gym shorts and a brown pt shirt that was already clinging to her. The tattoos on her arms shifted and rippled beneath her lean taught muscles as she sprang forward cat like, sweeping Neil’s legs out from under him with a well placed kick. Neil fell flat on his back and Woods pounced but he rolled aside before she could land on top of him. He shoved her sideways and used the momentum to spring back to his feet. Woods tucked into a roll and came up like a cobra arms spread in an unfamiliar fighting stance.

“Not bad,” Woods conceded in a mildly amused tone.

“Thank you for noticing,” Neil replied feinting to the right before aiming a round house blow at the Terran Commandos midsection. Woods pivoted with the punch robbing it of most of its force before driving her elbow into Neils chest sending him stagger back once more. She grinned, her expression wolfish and not to dissimilar to how Junebug looked right before she was about to kill someone.

There were a half dozen other soldiers in the gymnasium, some were lifting weights but most had stopped to watch the sparring match. Woods was relaxed her shoulders slightly slouched, looking almost feline in her graceful movement.

“So I had a question to ask you,” she said. Neil leaped forward driving a fist at her. She swatted the blow aside with her forearm and lashed out with a kick but Neil, anticipating the move danced backwards and grabbed her ankle, twisting and throwing Woods of balance. She went down and he dived after her landing on top of the soldier and pinning her to the floor. There was a round of applause from the onlookers. As the soldiers began calling encouragement and placing bets.

“What question?” he asked, raising a cocky eyebrow. She hit him hard in the kidney driving the air from his lungs as she rolled atop of him. A thin sheen of sweat running over her pale skin.

“Are you and Cykali together or what?”
@POOHEAD189

Neil actually felt bemused for a moment, unable to really process his thoughts when a shapely woman pinning him down, asking him about his love life. The fact that she could likely kill him in hand to hand combat made it even sexier. That and, in all honesty, Woods seemed like a cool person. But at the same time, he didn't know what to say. He wondered if Junebug ever got asked that question. Why was it always him!?

Ok, calm down Neil. Just calm down. It doesn't matter that you're not dating Sayeeda. You need to remember that this girl is a Terran Commando, and you're wanted in 3 star systems, all of them Terran controlled. It'll keep you from feeling guilty, and you won't get involved with a Terran soldier. Just lie to her. You lie all the time. It should be easy, just lie.

"No," Neil said, meeting her eyes.

Woods smiled, and lifted her self up slowly and headed to the side bench, taking a towel to wipe off the sheen from her forehead. Her figure was hard to ignore as she did it. "So, does this mean I can take you to dinner after we change?" she asked. Neil's mind went full throttle again. What the fuck is wrong with you? Why didn't you just lie? Look, this can't end well for you or her, or anyone. You're days away from getting out of here Scot free, why are you doing this to yourself?

Neil hopped to his feet with just the swing of his legs and hips, like an acrobat. "Yeah, I could eat."

He'd given all the queues in the world for Junebug. If she wasn't interested, he'd find it somewhere else. Besides, what could eating some dinner hurt? It wasn't guaranteed to end in anything explicit, though he couldn't help but notice the swing of her own hips as she walked away to go and change. "I need to install Lonney in my brain to give me advice." he muttered.

---

10 minutes later.

Taya was still fretting over the kill switches implanted on the Highlander when she saw Neil enter the main access corridor. She had just left the restroom, having told Junebug she would go and grab all three of them something to eat, since Neil should be heading back over. The ship's night cycle was starting in less than an hour and they were all going to have a small meeting, with Taya telling Neil of the important details of the ship.

"Oh good," she said, and started to walk into the hallway. "N-" her words were cut off into a squeaking whisper when she saw Woods step out as well. Neil had on casual clothing, though he wore a commando belt and new shoes given to him by the terrans. Woods also wore casual wear, at least for her. She did have on combat trousers, but they fit snug on her slim waist, and her black top showed more than a hint of her generous bosom. Neil said something Taya couldn't quite catch and Woods laughed, and grabbed Neil's hand to lead him into the next Corridor. Neil's hair was combed to look somewhat managed will still have an attractive unkempt quality, and her hair was down for once, in lush waves.

Taya squeaked and scrambled away to tell Junebug.

---

"Hey Sven, what's up?" Neil asked him.

The next hall, Sven had been waiting for him and Woods. The tall, forbidding man looked at them like a snake might eye prey. His voice was even more gravely than usual, though that was probably from Neil having heard Wood's lovely voice for the past few hours of testing. "When we reach the ground, we don't know how technology will react." he said to Neil, and then paused. Paused like a machine loading. "You use a slug thrower. A .48 ironpuncher, approximately 3 pounds and with a 6.27 inch barrel. You should be safe. Tell your friends they might want slug throwers as well."

"...Ooookaaaay," Neil said. "Thanks Sven. Uh, I appreciate it."

He patted the cyborg on the shoulder, and then continued past him with his date. They made it to the officer's quarters in the 3rd hall, where there was a comfortable couch and a table cemented to the floor. Woods clapped her hands and the lights dimmed. "Wine?" she asked him.
@Penny

“I see,” Junebug said as Taya breathlessly reported her encounter with Neil. The Mercenary captain’s face betrayed no emotion that the younger woman could read. Taya waited breathlessly for some further reaction or comment but Junebug merely continued to walk down the hallway. Several Terran crewmen were moving in the other direction with brisk urgency. Taya side stepped out of the way as they rushed passed.

“Is that all you have to say?” Taya demanded, clearly irritated by the lack of response from Sayeeda. The captain stopped and turned to face the woman.

“What do you want me to say Taya?” she asked, her voice cold and clinical as a galcier.

“Well anything would be a start,” she replied in exassperation.

“It is down time, he is free to have dinner with whomever he likes. Is it ideal that he is cozying up to a Terran Millitary Inteligence operater?” She shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps Neil was trying to get information, perhaps Woods was, perhaps they were just legitmately having dinner. You couldn’t control everything in the field and you would drown if you tried. Sayeeda turned and strode off towards the hanger bay.

“Weren’t you going to get some food?” Taya called after her.

“Not hungry,” Sayeeda called without looking back.

--------------------------

*Bing* *Bing* *Bing*

“All hands prepare for extraction,” an automated voice declared over the public address system. Junebug looked down at the chrono display on her wrist unit. They were about an hour ahead of what the computer had projected but such variations in space and time were hardly uncommon. Carefully Sayeeda lowered the weights she had been lifting setting the bar down on the rest and sitting up. A moment later the color seemed to drain out of the universe and it hung for a second in a monocrome so sharp and pure it seemed to sear her eyes. Then the color was back and the November Sky was back in the real universe.

Sayeeda felt as though the air changed its taste and that the world seemed a little more vibrant. The Terrans claimed they had shielding that protected against the effects of long term immerstion in the RIP but the psychological effects could not be completely mitigated. The RIP wasn’t part of the universe in anyway human biology expected to experience it. Sayeeda stood up and headed for the shower to wash up before reporting to York. She hadn’t seen much of Neil or Taya in the last two days. She had been busy training herself on a number of Terran weapons she wasn’t familiar with. She had also started a side project of sneaking Terran equipment onto the Highlander during the night shifts. Disguising weapons and munitions in more mundane supplies wasn’t difficult. The Marine guards seemed to be fairly relaxed and the few times she had been challenged a vague mention of York’s name had been enough to quell their questions. The arsenal aboard the Highlander had been steadily depleted over their various adventures, and Junebug figured the Terrans owed them about forty million credits in compensation for the aestimobium.

Junebug let the water run down over her body, sluicing away the sweat of her hour long workout with jets of lukewarm fluid. She was just reaching for the control when the ship lurched sideways with a violence that pitched the mercenary into the wall. Claxons exploded to life and there was another massive boom that seemed to shake reality.

“Alert Red, General Quaters!” the PA directed calmly. Sayeeda climbed out of the shower, pulling on her combat pants without bothering to dry off. Thrusting one arm through her t-shirt she stepped into the hall. Her hand rested on her pistol, though more for comfort than any expectation of actual need.

“Cykali to York,” she said but received only the ping of an engaged signal. On a military circuit a higher ranking officers transmission would squelch a lower one, so York was clearly busy with whatever crisis was befalling them. The ship shuddered a second time and this time Junebug felt a tingle of static electricity prickle her skin.

“Unit,” Junebug said, queing the transmission to Neil and the others.

“No idea what is going on, stand by.” A gravely voice came back immediately.

“November Sky has exited jump, the Chalcedon cruisers Eastern Star and Sycantha have engaged the November Sky with mass driver fire.” How Sven knew that Sayeeda had no idea.

“Say again? Are you saying we are involved in a fleet engagment?”

The November Sky jerked suddenly, and a faint explosion could be heard within the deep of the ship. Neil was afraid for the ship, but he realized he had bigger problems when the hauler he had been modifying was now toppling over to from the shipquake. Neil rolled out of the way on instinct, roughly sliding across the floor. When he heard the steel grating thump, he had thought the machine had fallen. But instead, he looked to see the foot had moved to catch itself automatically.

"Nice," Neil said. The balancing systems seemed to be working out fine then. Full AI was not allowed under...well he didn't always follow Terran laws, but he also wasn't stupid. It was common sense not to create any advanced AI. But a system like this that could keep its balance in case Neil needed to focus on different things was invaluable.

Neil picked up the comm, pressing a finger to his ear. "Hey, what the hell is going on?"

Woods answered. "We're under fire. Meet us on the main deck."

---

Woods, Neil, Taya, and Junebug made their way up the access corridor of the vast ship. It was a mere hallway in the Highlander but here? Neil felt as if he was in a ship within a ship. The tall ceiling and wide halls were almost as vast as the halls in Aiden's palace. Woods and Neil had found Taya, only to be joined by Junebug a minute later. Neil gave her a greeting but she acted as if she didn't hear it.

"What happened?" Junebug asked.

"It looks like we aren't the only ones looking for ancient tech." Woods replied, both women looking forward rather than to each other. "It makes no sense, we received no intel on any blockade in the system. But it seems brigands and even an uncommissioned Terran ship has decided to claim this world for themselves. Luckily our ship outclasses theirs, but it looks like whatever arguments they had with one another are on hold as they try to take us down."

"I can maybe jam their frequencies against one another?" Taya asked. Neil pipped in with. "Get me on a gun, or give us the Highlander, we can do more help in there than here."

"Out of the question." Woods said, though she did give Neil a sly grin. "I wouldn't give it to you even if it was my decision, pretty boy." She spoke as if there was a week long inside joke between the two, Neil had to grin back. Before anyone else could speak up, York appeared before them as they entered the deck. "Luckily, I can give it to you." He said with an amused smile befitting a man of means who has just informed their wife of a party now on the calendar.

"But-"

"Not my orders, though it was my suggestion." York replied. Behind him, the multi-floored deck had dozens of men on terminals, and the blast windows showed lasers the size of streamline asteroids flying at targets dozens if not hundreds of kilometers away. "Seems Commander Tiberius has seen the wisdom of it. Luckily, I, Woods, and her crew will be accompanying us. As well as your two large friends. If we have a chance, we will continue on to the planet."

"Sir, it's hell out there." Woods said, though not out of fear. She could see that it was a pragmatic warning to give.

"Well, luckily we have an incredible pilot." York said, smiling to Neil.
@Penny

Junebug grabbed her go bag, a large duffel that contained her battered armor, her helmet and a variety of small arms from her quarters. The November Sky rocked as its massive spinal mounted mass driver fired. The ship immediately maneuvered violently, as the helmsmen worked to minimize the consistency of their target profile. The warships grav pumps kept the maneuver from jellying the bones of those inside but it still lurched violently throwing crewmen into the bulkheads.

Sayeeda nearly ran into York who was sauntering along the companionway with irritating grace. The intelligence officer had not donned any armor but he wore a bandolier of reloads for the elegant plasma pistol he wore in his holster. He reached out a hand to steady her but Junebug ignored it joining him in heading towards the hangar bay.

“Brigands? Really?” she asked as they ducked into an alcove to avoid being trampled by a squad of Marines in full zero g combat gear raced paced at a lumbering run. Junebug assumed they were heading towards boarding pods or other strong points in the ship in case they needed to board or defend against a breach.

“Sven said they were Chalcedon ships, know anything about that?” Junebug demanded, bracing herself against a hatch as the mass driver fired another round. York’s face didn’t change but Junebug had been around him long enough to recognise the irritation on his face. For a moment she thought he was just going to ignore her.

“The Chalcedon League, so called, is a number of former Terran colonies that are currently in rebellion against Earth, they are mostly located across the Gulf, and so they don’t have much to do with the rest of the galaxy,” York responded tersely. The gulf was the vast empty area of interstellar space which separates two of the galaxies spiral arms. RIP travel across the Gulf was notoriously difficult as it became difficult to navigate.

“Isn’t most of the galaxy former Terran colonies that are currently in rebellion?” Junebug asked, amused insipte of the gravity of the situation. York smirked at that.

“Terra dosent care about most of her former colonies. You are all too small and to dependant on Terran tech to be a threat, you can be snapped up in due course if the central command deems it necessary.”

“But you do care about this Chalcedon League?” Sayeeda pressed as they reached the bay where the Highlander sat. Woods was waving a half dozen Terrans in battle armor up a ramp onto the ship while Neil appeared to be trying to load some sort of hauler. Junebug hadn’t been avoiding him since Taya had told her about his date with Woods but she hadn’t had much contact with him either to know what he was doing.

“Some colonies are more important than others,” York said, his tone grudging but not quite confirmatory.

“So why did they show up here then?” Sayeeda demanded, “This is hardly the Terran heartland.”

York rode the bucking deck plates without apparent difficulty. He looked mildly irritated with the situation but not alarmed.

“I suspect they are here to claim the Ancient tech for themselves…” Something slammed into the ship with the force of planets colliding. The lights in the hangar bay went dark for a moment and then lit again. One of the enemy ships had hit the Sky but the shields must have held.

“Brace for a jump!” an authoritative voice called over the public address system. Reality shuddered like jelly as the November Sky jumped into the RIP.

“Extraction!” the same voice declared and the warship stuttered back into reality, its weapons opening up immediately. Quick in and outs were a Terran Navy speciality. It was hard on the crew and the ship but a vessel that was willing to accept the stresses of a series of micro jumps could displace millions of miles in seconds, allowing them to avoid patterns of enemy fire and launch ordnance from new and unexpected angles.

York and Junebug ran up the ramp to join the rest of the team. Neil and Taya were already in the cockpit. Woods, Saxon, Sven and a half dozen marines were strapping in to makeshift crash harnesses that had been attached to the walls. A trimly attractive marine with the name ‘Ragan’ stenciled across the front of his armor slapped the closure switch as the captain and the spy climbed aboard.

“Compliment full sir, all aboard!” he called out of the shattering din of weapons fire. Woods nodded.

“Clear to lift!” her voice said over the comm net, sounding in Junebug’s mastoid implant as clearly as if the woman was standing next to her.

“Belay that,” York said calmly, “Stand by for…”

“Brace for a jump!” The ship slid greasily back into the rip and then extracted a moment later. It felt to Junebug as though her skin were being peeled back and hot irons run over her muscles.

“Launch,” York declared calmly.

The Highlander burst from the launch bay over the north pole of the planet. It was an insanely risky jump on behalf of the Captain of the November Sky, the ship could easily have been destroyed if he misjudged currents by even a small margin. Junebug climbed into the captain seat above and behind Neil and strapped herself in. Taya smiled at her nervously from her own console. Above them the massive bulk of the November Sky flickered and vanished into the RIP.

Junebug looked at her tactical plot forcing her mind to make sense of the complicated array of dots and vectors. The jump had carried them clear of the major engagement zone where fighters and bombers from both the small fleet of Chalcedons and the November Sky were engaging. It also put the planet between them and the major capital ships. Unfortunately there was no way they could avoid the wing of interceptors that was rising from the equator towards them. Speaking of the equator…

“What is that?” Taya asked point a finger towards the middle of Saavran, a massive area, hundreds or thousands of square kilometers to be visible from orbit, glowed with fire and magma. The oceans rippled and vast clouds of water vapour filled the sky. Ejecta reached into orbit in long ribbons. As the watched white flashes appeared on the surface, spewing more material skyward.

“That was Site Alpha,” York declared calmly as he climbed up into the cockpit area.

“The Chalcedon’s are striking it with mass drivers.” Sayeeda found herself momentarily speechless. Saavran was no one's idea of a tourist spot, but there had to have been hundreds of thousands of people living in and around the equatorial port, which was certainly part of the incinerated area.

“Fortunately they are either unaware of Site Beta or hadn’t had a chance to …” Alarms began to beep as the incoming fighters began to paint the ship with their sensors. Junebug reached down and bought up her weapons display.

“Let us hope Mr Edwards is as good as he thinks he is…”

Neil was not unused to space flight (obviously), but jumping in and out of the RIP so many times made him feel as if his soul was taken out and stretched. His skin still crawled and he gripped the handle on the Highlander tightly with the unconscious nerves he had in his head. Leaving the RIP multiple times was something he wouldn't wish on anyone. Ok, maybe Aiden. But other than him.

Once everyone was seat and they were shot out into orbit, Neil release the stabilizers and placed in the 3.19 Algorithm, the freely spinning ship now catching itself in the void and speeding towards the planet amid a hailstorm of lasfire. Once Neil put on the display of the planet, he saw what everyone else saw. A sea of fire and ground upheaval across the belt of the planet. "Well, I wasn't expecting that." Neil said, then turned to York.

"Where the hell do you get your intel anyway?"

"Agents on the ground and satellite ships."

"Well they were not doing their job, this time." Neil replied, cranking up the sub-light engines and increasing the energy payload in the thrusters. Taya gripped the arms of her seat in anticipation, one of the laser coming perilously close to the Highlander. She and Sayeeda had seen Neil at work enough to know what was coming.

"Thank you for flying with Firestorm airlines. If you need to go to the restroom it's already too late, sit down and shut up." Neil said, as if reciting a written statement. The Highlander burst out of outer area and sped into orbit, Neil furiously placing in algorithms and steering freehandedly as the ship display spun and jerked.

"Multiple projectiles in sectors alpha, beta-!" Lonney called.

"I know!" Neil replied, and pulled back on a lever that looked suspiciously like a terrestrial ground vehicle's parking brake, and sure enough the Highlander jerked suddenly, causing everyone to get pulled forward before laying back in their seats. An explosion rocked the void in what was probably kilometers away, but seemed as if it was just next to them. Neil pulled a line down and power surged further into the Highlander. "I need more of the Auxiliary, Lonney. Oh and, give me some music too."

A background noise that sounded like a grating pipe suddenly turned into a guitar riff, and Neil grinned as the Highlander arced over a Chalcedon frigate. Even over the song, a loud beeping was evident. Neil looked at the radar and realized there were missiles on their tail.

"Is that classical music?" Woods asked over the comm, bemused.

"Everyone keeps saying that. This shit is new on Fortus." He replied touchily, and the troopers that now manned the lower guns of the Highlander shot down the initial missile barrage before Neil had to duck and weave past two others. The planet Saavran now loomed before them. Neil turned the ship downward, and sped straight forward into the equatorial firestorm. "Neil!" Taya screeched. Even York seemed a bit perturbed.

"They are not heat seeking missiles." York said to him.

It was too late. Neil had plunged into the flames at 10,000 kilomters per second, only to shoot up before engulfing the ship in magma. Even the void shields were nearly destroyed. But luckily once they crested the fire, the missiles were now confirmed gone. "No, but the plasma used in the mass drivers that accumulate in the fire should do the trick."
@Penny

The Highlander rose out of the sea of flame by only a few dozen meters, trailing whisps of smoke from the tips of its wings. With the instinct of a combat commander Junebug slapped the weapons lockout circuit taking the Highlander’s guns offline before the enthusiastic marines could continue firing. A dozen red warnings blasted across her screen but she silenced them with a tap of her fingertips. Neil wove them among falling torrents of ejecta, keeping them masked from the sensors of their pursuers. Junebug’s instinct told her that the enemy fighters had written them off as dead, particularly as there was a real battle to fight with the November Sky and her squadrons.

For a few seconds there was relative silence save for a few alarms which couldn’t be easily silenced, the steady ping of gravel and rocks against the hull and surviving shields, and Niel’s music. Junebug took her hands somewhat gingerly from her controls and heard Woods blow out a breath that they were all feel.

“That was fucking insane,” the Marine said with a look of incredulity at Niel. THe pilot was whistling along to his music and had put his feet up on the console, lazily flicking the controls to put the Highlander into a slow spin the slid her past some falling debris.

“You aint seen nothing yet,” Neil responded with a smirk.

The atmospheric debris thinned as they streaked south towards the south pole, though the seas below still roiled with the seismic shocks that the planet had adsorbed. The planet, according to the sensors had enough airborne debris to send it into a moderate to severe nuclear winter. There had been no new impacts since the Terran warship had jumped in system however as all the Chalcedon ships had turned their attention to the newcomer, content to finish their bombardment once the threat had been neutralized.

It was hard for Sayeeda not to feel anger at the Chalcedons for such a tactic but then she had certainly firebombed forests, called in artillery with lethal payloads of defoliant chemicals and other environmental catastrophes and she had no doubt that if York thought bombing Saavran would fulfil Terran aims he would do the same thing. Except it wasn't the Terrans doing this. Why were the Chalcedons doing it? And if they were willing to go this far to deny whatever secrets where here to the Terrans, should she really be helping them.

“Coming up on Site Beta boys and girls,” she said unstrapping and standing up. She pulled her helmet down and adjusted the fit, thumbing the familiar settings into place to give herself a 20 percent tactical overlay. York was smirking as though some cosmic joke were about to unfold.

“Lets lock and load.”

"Alright, should be about a hundred kilometers away from the landing area." Neil said, redistributing the power supply and slowing the Highlander down. Steam erupted from a side valve to help cool the thrusters, and it brought an odd iron smell to the room. "If I was given the correct coordinates." He finished, hinting to York. The enhanced human gave a small laugh, patting Neil on the shoulder, assuring him that they had.

"Alright men!" Woods called to her team down the hallway. "Double check weapons! Anders, keep an eye on that-"

The Highlander slammed into something unknown and incomprehensible. It juttered so violently, Neil had thought it had hit the side of a mountain. Even with his seatbelt on, his head struck the console, and it was only thanks to there already being a metal plate in his skull that kept him from receiving a concussion. The others were luckier, not having anything close enough for them to crash into. Woods was flung into the wall, and by grace of her training, the safety was on in her gun.

The Highlander was now freefalling, and sensors beeped loudly in the crews ears as it plummeted out of the sky, smoke trailing. Lonney came up on the display. "Captain, First Mate, all power has been drained from the central systems. Auxiliary power is online, at 37%. Life support systems ar-"

They could breath and that was good enough for Neil. He cut Lonney off. "Us the Auxiliary to open the cylindrical core and insert a new cylander Lonney! Hurry!"

"Performing..."

The ship spun, and the vertigo was almost overwhelming. On the display, the view switched from forest to overcast sky over and over and over. Neil nearly began to lose consciousness, only by happenstance hearing a 'ping' from Lonney that signalled the task was done. With a scream, Neil returned the stabilizers and turned on the engines on low capacity, realigning the ship only half a kilometer over the forest.

"Reroute shields to the keel!"

The frigate smashed into the treeline, though Neil and Lonney had just managed to keep it from being a weighted comet. The Highlander hit the dirt and jumped, but it was controlled. Neil gritted his teeth as he kept it steady, the ship hauling through 3 kilometers of forest before it skidded to a full stop. Everyone in the cockpit was visibly shaken and relieved all at once. Neil checked Junebug and Taya to see if they were ok, then hastily unbuckled and vaulted over them to get to Woods, finding her on the floor but conscious. She'd had her helmet on, thankfully.

"You ok?"

She pulled him down and kissed him passionately. "We outta do that some more." she said.
@Penny

ayeeda turned her back on Woods and Neil and headed back towards the rear of the ship. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the relationship but tired to remind herself that Neil was an adult and fully capable of making his own decisions. It wasn’t as though Woods was hard on the eyes in a ‘I’ll cut your throat and look fabulous doing it’ sort of a way. What was it that bothered her so much? So deep was she in pondering the question that she nearly walked into Sven as he climbed up the access ladder towards the cockpit.

“What have we got,” she demanded of the Cyborg. The question was completely open ended but Sven merely smiled his mirthless emotionless mile.

“The field that protects the city is not a uniform dome as the Terrans theorized, though from the one hundred and twelve probes they launched at it, that was a reasonable conclusion.” They Cyborg did not appear to be impressed or dismayed by the result.

“Its also possible that ground shocks from the bombardment have distorted the underlying field.”

“Suuuuper,” Junebug said, stretching the word out with a definite lack of enthusiasm. She hopped down the ladder in a jump, flexing her knees to take the impact before heading back into the cargo bay as she headed towards the ramp controls one of the Marines reached out a hand to block her path.

“Maam we have to wait for Major York to…”

Junebug grabbed the mans arm by the wrist and yanked him off balance. Before he could recover she grabbed his head with both hands and slammed her knee up into the point of his chin with a crack. In classic Terran fashion he tried to sweep her legs from under her even though he must be reeling from the force of the blow. Junebug was ready for it, bringing her foot down hard on the inside of his armored leg, eliciting a cry of pain. With a negligent jab of her heal she send the man sliding across the deck in a limp boneless heap. Apparently all the extra training was paying off. Junebug became aware that a half dozen weapons were pointed at her but she merely turned and planted her fists on her hips.

“If anyone,” she began in a quiet deadly voice.

“Tries to tell me what I can and can’t do on my own ship. I will fucking kill you.”

The Marines looked back and forth unsure of what to do. There was an unpleasant wrapsing sound and Junebug looked over to see Saxon licking his thin reptilian lips with his long tongue. It took her a moment to realise that he was laughing.
“Neil can we get a damage report,” she said into her commlink. Ignoring the moaning marine and the pointed weapons she dropped the ramp and let in a blast of icy arctic air.

Neil helped Woods to her feet, making sure she wasn't hurt anywhere. When she laughed and protested, Neil backed off and they shared a smile. Though it quickly was wiped off of his face when he heard the unmistakable sound of a knee to the face, and Neil spun and blinked just in time to see Sayeeda threatening the troops and storming out, past Sven and the others. Neil was afraid suddenly. Woods stepped beside him. "Is she ok?"

York had also seen, stepping out and opening his mouth. Neil grabbed the man by the shoulder, interrupting him. "Wait wait...just let her be." Neil advised. York looked bemused at the whole spectacle, and Neil could tell he would likely cite the procedure of striking a man of a terran outfit. But instead he asked 'Why the devil she was in such a fit."

"I don't know." Neil said, holding him back. "But you don't want to lose group cohesion so early, particularly by making Sayeeda even more angry. I'd rather fight Saxon."

"Neil can we get a damage report." the Captain's voice barked on the comm. Neil visibly nodded, even though she wasn't around to see. "Y-yeah, you got it."

Neil grabbed a jacket from his quarters and headed out of the loading area, the bay doors now firmly set in the snowy ground. As soon as he stepped out, he felt the icy wind cutting into him. He could see vast and tall trees, seemingly having crash landed in a Coniferous forest. He went around to the back to check the damaged hull. As he did so, Saxon stepped out in full armor, even his bestial head now encased in Xarconian metal and plascrete. Sven wore his normal beggar rags and cloak, seemingly unaffected by the weather.

Woods called to her men, and they stepped out in a practiced fashion, keeping eyes on their 12 o'clock, 8 o' clock, and 4 with rifles raised. Their winter gear now switched to white rather than the standard black, and goggles set above their eyes to put on and see through various forms of vision at a moment's notice. York stepped out with them, also only wearing a light jacket and seemingly able to take the weather much like Sven.

Once Neil had taken a look at the ship's perimeter, he called back to Sayeeda on the comm. "She's still able to fly, but not nearly at peak capacity, and the shields are damaged. We might take one standard hit before we're open to any attack. The...looks like the landing gear is also out of alignment, should be easy to fix though. The bad news is, we don't have much power left. I can maybe make it out of here but I can't go to any other system before I get more power cylinders."

"I trust you can fix that." she said bluntly, and the comm was shut off before he could reply.

"...Sure," he said to himself, and sighed.

Before them, trees stood tall, and a wall of white emanated off them as the wind whipped. Behind them, past the tree line, a mountain of fire licked the sky.
@Penny

Junebug felt the crunch of permafrost beneath her feet as she took her place in the line of soldiers as they advance towards the wall of snow draped pine trees. Her terran undersuit turned white but her own ceramic breastplate remained steadfastly tan. The trusty old armor was mottled with ceramic patching from a dozen minor mishaps and it clashed sufficiently to make her stand out among the group. She looked at the unarmored York and grinned. York’s expression was strangely guarded as though he expected some reaction from her, but raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I was just thinking how glad I am to have someone like you along,” she confided with a ghost of a smile.

“Why is that Captain?”

“You are a more obvious target for snipers than me.” York laughed in amusement at the notion, a sound that drew a concerned glance from Woods and several of the nearby soldiers.

“I don’t think that any guardians the Ancient’s left in this place are likely to be using modern scout sniper training,” York said, his tone conceding the point to her even though the words refuted it.

“Hey it is your life,” she said before knuckling her chest plate, “and mine I guess.” York nodded equiabley. Ahead of them one of the soldiers looked up from his scanner and held up a fist in what Sayeeda presumed was the Terran field signal for halt. The line of soldiers stopped within a second or so, crouching down to make themselves as small targets as was possible.

“Why didn’t you take the body armor we provided?” the intelligence officer asked after a moment. Junebug shrugged and was silent for a moment before responding.

“I guess i’ve lived this long with my own equipment, why take the chance right?” York laughed again earning an irritated glance from Woods who would apparently have preferred silence.

“Superstitious Captain?”

“It has worked so far,” she repeated. The soldier with the scanner reached into an ammunition pouch and withdrew a small object that turned out to be a portable luminator, an electric kind rather than the chemical types Junebug was familiar with. He thumbed the unit live and tossed it like a grenade towards the trees. The glowing ball sailed in an arc towards the pines, and then, suddenly flickered out and fell dead into the snow. Junebug’s helmet, familiar with the effect from previous Terran data drew a holographic redline across the snowy landscape at the projected location of the barrier.

“Mr Edwards,” York said over the commlink, “Its time to see if they will open up when you knock on the door.”

A few of the strike team seemed uneasy by the way they stood, even if their faces were neutral and hardset. If Neil hadn't already worked with soldiers in the past, he wouldn't have noticed. But he did, and he couldn't blame them. "Oh, it's my party now?" he asked audibly, then stepped forward, feeling the ice particles beneath him crunching until he made it to where the the grenade had fallen short. He held out his right hand.

Nothing.

"Other hand." Junebug seethed.

"Oh yeah." Neil replied, and held out his left hand.

The grenade detonated.

The group crouched and held their hands in front of their faces, though they were too far off to be effected. If Neil had been standing 10 feet to the right, he would have been consumed, but miraculously he was ok, other than a few scratches from the smallest bits of shrapnel, and a ruddiness to his right side having felt a sudden, intense heat. He lay face first in the snow. Woods and Taya rushed over to him, the soldier woman aiming her rifle at the woods as she knelt down by Neil, and Taya shook him. "Neil, are you ok?"

He lifted his head, a bit cut but alright. "I guess we know that the technology works now." he deadpanned.

Saxon growled, as if disappointed that Neil was still alive. In all probability, he was disappointed. York shook his head, though he did have a smile on his lips. The light hearted feeling of the group, and the success of the tattoo, was short lived. It was replaced with fear and wonder as the earth beneath them began to shake for a few, heart pounding seconds before a shape began ascending from the ground not a dozen paces north of them. A vast shape, as large as the Highlander, that split and lifted the tall pines. Small Xenos animals began scurrying away into the dark recesses of the forest in shock and fear.

Lights, both red, white, and green, began to flicker from the smooth, impossibly smooth, multifaceted building that surfaced, and a large red scan began to filter down across the group. Woods quickly grabbed Neil's hand and held it out, and when the scanner motioned over it, a door, the shape of half an oval, opened up from the center. Everyone stopped for a moment, unsure of what to do. Even Sven, the near emotionless cyborg, gaped in awe as he drank in the sight, as if he could sense the level of technology that dwarfed all that he had yet seen in this life.

Neil gathered himself up, dusting the snow off of him and helping Taya up. He took out his heavy caliber revolver. "Well, I'm ready when you're ready."
@Penny