(A Collab post between myself and [@The Man Emperor]) With everything on the Circle of Hell dealt with and everyone back into Xuanzang, Finbarr had nothing better to do, other than maybe sleep. Or eat, if he was famished. As such, after hours of sleep, Finbarr walked back into the mess hall, wearing lain back clothes, though as usual, he was having black. Coughing, he took a ready made meal from one of the metal cabinets. After microwaving it for a minute, he proceeded to tear off the foil covering the top of the thing before stabbing the lone piece of bacon inside with his fork. It was breakfast, though day and night were meaningless in space. Nevertheless, Finbarr dug on the food, occasionally sipping off from a glass of chocolate milk. It didn't look like it, but he was waiting for company. [hr] From the moment Alan was in the ship, he couldn't help but tilt his head at the...roommates aside from his fellow Star Marines that joined up with. He thought Joey was a freak and likely the odd man out, little did he know how well he would fit in and be normal with this crew, had he re-joined them during the retreat. We got a cyborg, a doctor somehow just as soulless as Maria by the look on his face, an Alien trickster who he could tell [i]really[/i] like Iris, and the cherry on top: it's headed by a woman who so willingly decided to reward them....By fucking with the Stock Market with Flame and Ashton - Of COURSE it's that opportunistic duo that helped pull this off- and trashing enough trust funds to award 20 million credits to every single member of the crew, and still have more left over. These fucking [i]Madlads![/i] ...Alan didn't know whether to love them, or take his chances outside... [i]before[/i] they land. At the very least, there are worse crews he could be riding with. Speaking of which, he walked to the mess hall, a new set of unmatching clothes - like he gives a shit about his looks - of a black T-shirt and brown pants, wondering that now that he had millions of Credits...what the hell is supposed to do with all of it? He never really had any money before, and now he's a millionaire, feels odd...and off, doesn't know where to begin with it. It was around this point that he saw Finn in the Mess Hall. Oh yeah, There was something he had to go into more detail with him with, huh? Without much in the way of hesitation, He walked to Finnbar as he ate. "[i][color=red]Oi, Finn...Any idea of what to do with 20 fuckin mil? I need some ideas...[/color][/i]" He said to him, sitting down next to him. [hr] Finbarr chuckled, popping the yolk of the sunny side up egg into his mouth before chewing with an avid look of satisfaction on his house. [color=c4df9b]"Might buy some land on one of the colonies."[/color] Finbarr shrugged, and took another sip. [color=c4df9b]"Or, if everything goes south, I could get a plot of land and make a house elsewhere, maybe in one of the Kanarusian planets. Those have a lot of open spaces."[/color] Smiling at himself, Fin continued. [color=c4df9b]"But not before getting my family out of Titan. We lived dirt poor lives, and they probably still are, right now, thinking that I'm already dead or worse. Though meeting you guys is the silver lining through all that. You know, it keeps me sane. As for you, though..."[/color] Finbarr looked at Alan, from head to chest, studying him closely. [color=c4df9b]"You got no idea what to do with that amount of money no...? What, you got no one to go back to? I have. I hope..."[/color] [hr] Alan gave a light smirk as he grabbed a drink, followed shortly by a small chuckle. While he looked amused, there was some deeper layer of sadness to his expression. "[b][color=red]Hehehe, Well, I'm sure you do. Hope everyone else has someone too. As for this guy... can't say one way or the other. Memory's still a bit fried, but some stuff did start coming around when I was training with Sensei back on that Rau've planet...Nothing particularly present though. An orphan I think, ...Without a home, without family, without friends, ...that's the most prominent thing I can get out of this head. ...So, yeah, Far as I'm concerned, you lot may as well be family, similar to how Sensei may as well be my mom.[/color][/b]" He explained to him. Looking down towards the table in contemplation as if trying to think on what memories were still hazy. He then shook off that thought to move on. "[b][color=red]Buying land, Suppose that's not a bad idea...Not exactly we should be doing with it now though right? Should at least wait for the Reform we make before we start thinking of living large.[/color][/b]" He said. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"In that case,"[/color] Finbarr smirked, [color=c4df9b]"I will be saving up this cash, so that it gets even bigger when those two wonder boys pull off another scam or whatever it is. That, on top of the one that we got while we in the Bazaar... we're going to end up as very rich people by the end of our mission of vengeance. Ah well."[/color] Finbarr reclined back on his seat, his hands locking toegthe behind his head as he relaxed. [color=c4df9b]"It's sad that they fried your memory. You could have been living a nice life before you got dragged into... this. Welp. I guess we are simultaneously the luckiest and unluckiest kids in this galaxy, eh?"[/color] [hr] "[i][color=red]I sincerely doubt that.[/color][/i]" Alan thought. What memories he could dig up from this head was anything but nice. But as Finn said about how lucky and unlucky they all were, he nodded, but then went into another silence in thought. "[i][color=red]Luck...[/color][/i]" He grabbed his cup and took a big gulp, as if in preparation, before then taking deep breath. "[b][color=red]...We knew you guys were heading for Realist. That blonde freak Joey patched into the Communications and we heard the Briefing you guys had about the Plenty mission. We figured we'd go down there get it first, and then wait for you guys to come down. We'd be reunited, the mission accomplished easily. Wins all around. ...But despite there being a jail break from the shipwreck, there were still alot more guards on that ship than we expected. We thought they were gonna all be focused on rounding up the Escaped inmates, but a lot of them were on guard on that ship. Guess someone else was tasked with that. More importantly, they expected us to come to that ship to take Realist. Anti-Magic collars and everything. At first, I thought someone sold us out, but I know now that that's not the case, cause it didn't take very long for them to start loosening their lips when they got us inhibited. ...Someone got to Realist first, before any of us could. A [i]'magic pirate'[/i], they said. Apparently they thought we were in league with some group of Space Pirates, the Captain of which, they claim was one of us.[/color][/b]" He explained to him. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"Magic pirate?"[/color] Finbarr shook his head at those two words. [color=c4df9b]"And their captain was one of us? So, a Star Marine that deserted and became a pirate? Sounds like something we should be concerned with."[/color] Finbarr then shrugged. [color=c4df9b]"Well then, one problem at a time, we should take. This pirate with magic... and then whoever was the guy with the crow mask that came in and fought with Nero and the Matthews twins. Whoever it was, they had magic too."[/color] Coughing one last time, Finbarr continued, [color=c4df9b]"At the very least, we found you right on time before those traitors in Squad Zero got us. Those, and Kherol."[/color] Smirking, Finbarr gently squeezed Alan's shoulder. [color=c4df9b]"Maria is the same as ever, I assume?"[/color] [hr] "[color=red][b]Indeed, I don't have any real proof or evidence, but I do have a guess at who it could be. Mostly because he's the only one I can think of that isn't accounted for.[/b][/color]" Alan said. He then heard about the crow masked individual who also had...wait, what? "[color=red][b]I heard about that from Nero. An adult guy with a mask...He had magic too? ...Did those scientists lied to us then? Guess I can't be surprised if they did, but that raises its own questions...[/b][/color]" He said, though at that point, he was more thinking aloud. As Finnbar tried to change the subject again, what he said to do so led to some more thoughts from Alan. "[color=red][i]Oh yeah, they were there too...Why were 'they' on Plenty? Were they hunting me and Maria down, Or...did they find out about that Pirate supposedly being there too? And their connection with that masked man...A lot of strange coincidences seemed to happen on that mission...too many to shrug off.[/i][/color]" He thought. Of course in comes Finbarr grabbing his shoulder to break his concentration with a ice-breaker question. "[color=red][b]Yeah. Though we were only together at the time we met Joey. Apparently Tarak sent her on some errand after you guys left for the Bazaar, though she was pretty tight-lipped on what it was. Didn't bother digging anymore than that; You know her, nothing opens that mouth if she doesn't want it to. [/b][/color]" He said. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"I don't trust a single word the bloody scientists said."[/color], Finbarr responded. [color=c4df9b]"They're the ones that took us away from our old lives and pumped us with dust made from ground up Kaisokens, and they work for the Ascendancy. No reason for me, or anyone else, for that matter, to take them at their word."[/color] Sighing, Finbarr took in the last piece of bacon. [color=c4df9b]"Just want to settle down some time. With Na-, no, no, that's not right..."[/color] Oops. [hr] Now [i]that[/i] was an interesting slip up. It was too late to take back what was said, the "Na" was enough to make Alan smirk a bit. Oh yeah, he knew [i]exactly[/i] who he meant. "[b][color=red]Hehehe, You and her? That's a battle I'd rather forfeit from personally, but hey, don't let that stop you.[/color][/b]" He said with a sly smirk. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"Um..."[/color] Finbarr blushed, and look away, embarrassed. [color=c4df9b]"I don't... I'm not sure if she feels the same. But... yeah. Not gonna stop now."[/color] [color=c4df9b]"Well, is there any more about that line of conversation we had about the magic pirate, or...?"[/color] [hr] "[color=red][b]Well I can't prove anything, but...There was one of us who deserted the Star Marines, well before the Battle of Proxima. Don't rightly remember his name, think it also started with an 'A'. He was probably one of the youngest of us, must have been around the same age Maria was...[i]actually[/i] was back then. He had a very odd magic, still don't know what kind of Kaisoken combination was used to make it. But it was a passive magic, very support-oriented, far as I knew. He was also very...meek, shy, never really stood out, don't even think he was educated in the slightest, he was a scared little kid we took pity on even after the injection. No idea how someone like that would become a Pirate. He mentioned having an Uncle somewhere, so we just assumed he escaped and went into said uncle's care.[/b][/color]" Alan said, holding his hands together as he tried to dig up memories from back then. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"What we went through under the Ascendancy is traumatizing as hell."[/color], Finbarr replied, nodding. [color=c4df9b]"There were quite a few deserters too, so I can't remember who that could be as well... maybe he was in a different squad. Either way, the kind of treatment the government threw at us may have caused a meek little child to become something sinister. It happens to the best of humanity, after all. When terrible things happen to good people, they could become demons in their own right."[/color] [hr] "[b][color=red]True...what we were put through was a true case of hell on earth. ...Some of us never recovered from it.[/color][/b]" Alan said, taking another drink and sighing in exhaustion. "[b][color=red]To tell the truth, I don't know why it's bothering me... Even if there is a Star Marine playing Pirate somewhere, it shouldn't have much to do with us and our objective. Just...something about that situation just seemed off. Whoever these pirates were, they knew about Realist, and infiltrated the ship, well before either of us...[/color][/b]" [hr] [color=c4df9b]"Let's just keep the thing in the back of our minds as we go on towards our next mission."[/color], Finbarr smiled, pushing away the empty container of his meal. [color=c4df9b]"If we have a run in with the crow masker, or the pirate, we'll be ready."[/color] Standing up, Finbarr tapped Alan on both of his shoulders. [color=c4df9b]"Ah, I think you've grown a bit. Bloody hell. I didn't realize that."[/color] [hr] "[b][color=red]I trained with the Hellfire Rose, back on that Rau've planet when you guys first left for your rebellion. That might have had something to do with it.[/color][/b]" Alan simply said, getting up when he did. "[b][color=red]In any case, I'm gonna go rest in my room for a bit. I have a bit to think about, and a bit to train with.[/color][/b]" He then said. [hr] [color=c4df9b]"Okay man."[/color] Finbarr nodded as he bowed slightly. [color=c4df9b]"It's been nice talking to you again. And... I'm going to continue the thing I'm writing..."[/color] [hr] Alan said nothing else, instead waving to Finn from behind as he walked out.