[center][h1][color=00a651][b][u]NERO KAYAKOS[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

[h3][i][b]Then...[/b][/i][/h3]

There's always something that Nero isn't telling you, always something he keeps to himself.  It's how he does things.  If it isn't important or it's something he can handle, he doesn't really mention it.  Let's walk you through, shall we?

We'll start with him testing out the fullness of his magic out, namely the abilities that nobody really knew that he had.  Oh, the things he could do with everyone in the galaxy none the wiser!  He'd set The Black Spot on Crowley from Squad 0 and was rewarded with the general sensation of what direction he was in, and a vague-but-present sense of his distance.  The power could give at least [i]this much[/i] on any target he so desired, no fail.  It was only vaguely helpful on a galactic scale, much more useful if you were on the same planet, and as effective as a tracking bug if you were in the same general area.  Nero got that, and then proceeded to test his Necro-Blade on an empty box in the cargo bay of the Xuanzang.  Let's just face it - he spent a fair amount of time there messing about, if he wasn't in his room or wandering the ductwork or something.  Much was the young assassin's amusement to watch the cut from the Necro-Blade expand in degradation until the cardboard had disintegrated.  It stayed limited to the box in question, which was good, and provided a short while of entertainment.  That, however, was when he noticed a sensation that made him sit upright and blink.  It was a [i]familiar[/i] feeling, one that fed back the sensation of the Black Spot on him and-

[color=00a651]"Aw crap!  Cancel, cancel, [i]cancel![/i]"[/color]

Nobody was aware of any of this, and his mood was still a bit too high off of himself to get mad, so it became more of a [i][color=00a651]'Whoops!  Guess I chose the wrong guy!'[/color][/i] thing after the initial shock.  They might get a [i]little[/i] information out of that, but no harm done...probably.  Nero had gone for his stash after that, trying not to think about the incident, and had been snacking and drinking with Laurey in the kitchen area when she brought up the matter of the regularly-scheduled toxin-scrub that rushes through the ductwork and that she was aware of his presence in them, at times.  He was inwardly mad about the risk he'd been apparently subjectign himself to each time, but the irritation was fueled by the early screw-up and it made 'im feel like he was getting sloppy.  This immediately got turned on its head, though, when Laurey made a stunning confession: She couldn't fight to save her life.  So, he ended up starting up some training with her to throw a decent punch, kick people where it hurts, knock people off-balance, etc.  It was fun, and it took his mind off of the fuck-ups he'd performed as of late.

He did a fair amount of footwork because he insisted that Laurey work on a REAL target, which is to say one that could move and duck and weave.  It wasn't that hard to avoid someone that hadn't really been in a fight before when he was a seasoned veteran, but afterwards, he'd obviously exerted himself a while, so he'd decided to sleep as they headed off to the Galactic Bazaar.  Nero hadn't been awake when he received the call, so naturally there'd been a bit of groggginess about him when he looked at the message.  And hey, taking a food crawler to a place to buy some music?  Why the hell not?  Hopefully, this time, they could get down to business without being attacked by [i]another[/i] crawler and-  Ah, who are we kidding here?  Nero [i]definitely[/i] wanted another chance at such a fight!  No such occurrance, of course.  No, this was definitely more chill, and as they were in the music store, the only real surprise was seeing a familiar cyborg from the battlefront that he could hardly mistake.  No harm there, for sure, and by the time we reach this point, all fuck-ups forgotten and no worries.  He even forgot that Laurey apparently had NO headaches now, even though that was clearly something she'd [i]often[/i] had.  Something strange...but then [i]she[/i] was strange.  Ah well.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[h3][i][b]Now...[/b][/i][/h3]

He stepped out of the music store.

[color=00a651]"Later, guys!  I'm gonna go find me a chainsaw!"[/color]

Avelyn had him pegged about what he'd put on a mech, no question.  Not that it was a bad thing.  He had certain tastes that were naturally influenced by his training, but then [i]that[/i] was similarly-influenced by him being [i]him[/i].  Maybe you're wondering just what the hell he did to those Ascendancy people back when he was 'recruited'.  Well, try to imagine a Home Alone situation in which Macaulay Culkin isn't just out to injure the Wet Bandits, but outright kill them.  It doesn't [i]exactly[/i] work because they're in armored uniforms and he's still a kid, but the injuries incurred with things full of nails, random chemicals smeared all over stuff, his cutthroat attacks when they were distracted - you can imagine why the Ascendancy soldiers HATED him.  It was kind of ironic that now that he was essentially a free mercenary that he was in a better mood [i]now[/i] than any time in his youth.  He was making a mental list of all the things he needed, all while carrying a tied-up box of laserdiscs he'd gotten from the music store.

[i][color=00a651]Let's see, first a chainsaw, then new snacks, and then-[/color][/i]

[b]"Heppy Birthday."[/b]

[color=00a651]"Eh?"[/color]

That was his Omnitool.  It spoke up, out of the blue.  He looked at it now.

[color=00a651]"The fuck [i]you[/i] going on about?"[/color]

[b]"You are sixteen years of age at this time."[/b]

[color=00a651]"[i]What?[/i]  Come on, there's nothing on file with that info.  [i]I[/i] don't even know when I was born."[/color]

[b]"Bio-scans have been able to determine the exact age of this user's body.  You are sixteen.  Why not throw a party with friends and loved ones?"[/b]

[color=00a651]"Ehh, I dunno...  Never really celebrated that sorta' thing."[/color]

[b]"That is sad.  One moment.  Now playing some complementary upbeat music in close match to your recent purchases."[/b]

There was a pause from the machine, and then it began to play...uhh what?

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUN7n3Kx8-I[/youtube][/center]

Was it trying to...cheer him up?  

[i]'Once all this is over, why don’t you buy a farm, as well as settle down with the...partner of your choice?'[/i]

[i][color=00a651]Dammit, you and Flame...  Okay, you get to stay on.[/color][/i]

And so, with this playing, Nero headed off in search of the right kind of tool place to gain his coveted chainsaw.  His Omnitool managed to point him in a direction, and now all he had to do was make his way around all the people without dropping or damaging the package in his hands.  Laserdiscs were a bit fragile, and even the sturdiness of the box wouldn't protect them from [i]everything[/i].  Nearest crawler was too crowded, so he was out walkin'.  No big deal.  He had a natural grace that'd be hard for Finbarr's cat-form to keep up.  Well...that is until he found himself bumping into a trio of toughs, humans who looked like they had nothing better to do than grift and steal.  There wasn't NO crime on this station, after all.  Naturally, the leader was pissed.

[b]"Watch where you're going, runt!  Made me drop my cigarette...  Well, you gonna apologize or what?"[/b]

[color=00a651]"Hey, [i]you're[/i] the taller one.  [i]You[/i] should watch out."[/color]

[b]"That ain't how it works, kid.  I'm large and in charge, so you fall in line."[/b]

[color=00a651]"Oh, [i]fuck off[/i] with that shit, dick-brain."[/color]

[b][i]"What'd you call me?!"[/i][/b]

He and his best mates approached him and started throwing punches.  Nero was about to school them when he suddenly remembered what he was carrying and avoided strikes while looking the package out of reach, slipping in between the bastards as they kept trying to land a punch.  Okay, they were better than Laurey when she started out - not as awkward - but he was getting them to friendly-fire one another, here and there, and then cloaked himself to merge with one of their shadows.

[b]"What the fuck-  Fan out and get that kid!  I want 'im in a broken [i]mess[/i] when we're done with 'im!"[/b]

They all took off in different directions.  Once one of them was close-ish to the store he needed to get to, Nero slipped out and you'd see this package on the back of some shadowy animal - A grumpy-looking cat? - amble on into the store before changing back to him again, where the clerk was a [i]little[/i] surprised, but he was a Korta who'd seen some shit in his time, so he wasn't too put out, especially since Nero was a potential customer with money to burn.  He told that he wanted a chainsaw, a chainsaw that could saw so much that other chainsaws killed themselves with jealousy.

[color=00a651]"I want a chainsaw that fucks shit up, lasts a good long time, and isn't a pain to carry, 'cause I still got shit to do today."[/color]

[b]"Would sir prefer that I just send the item to his ship direct?  There is only a small surcharge fee-"[/b]

[color=00a651]"A what?  You mean you guys [i]deliver?[/i]"[/color]

[b]"Why, yes.  Everyone on this station delivers.  It allows customers to keep shopping to their heart's content."[/b]

[color=00a651]"Well, [i]shit[/i].  They didn't tell me that before.  Maybe I ran out too quickly...  Yeah, this'll be sent to the Xuanzang, and do me a favor: Send this package too, alright?"[/color]

[b]"Will do."[/b]

Nero ended up buying the Jaws-of-Slice Super-Cutter with self-sharpening chainsaw, a device shown to cut through pretty much all but tough alloys that was also able to collapse the chain section into the main chassis for easier transport.  Comes with spare chains, cleaning kit, and decent warranty.  Nero wasn't allowed to try it out there in the store, but he was happy, and as the Korta was in back sending off his items...the grifters found him.

[b]"Alright, kid.  Nowhere to run!"[/b]

They all charged him and...well...he just grinned and took them apart!  No knives or anything dangerous.  He just dodged them - kicking, punching, and flipping them so they'd end up on the ground in pain.  He'd cracked some joints and ribs, and got a satisfying breaking of jaws on top of that!  Nero stood amidst the mess they were now on the ground and smirked before wandering off.

[color=00a651]"I need to get more snacks...and a cake."[/color]