Crosswire

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@glwgameplayer@KaiserElectric@Sakaki Chizuru@Jarl Coolgruuf

---

Cathrida stood at her end of the table in complete silence. As Johanna and Denzel spoke her human eye narrowed and remained transfixed on Johanna. Her orange piercing stare only briefly left the girl, shifting to Denzel or around the room as others whispered at the corners of the room. Despite Denzel's words and Johanna's own claims the women's gaze did not soften. The girl's quick popping of pills did not go unnoticed by her and the more she thought of the matter the more a feeling of concern began to grow and gnaw at the back of Cathrida's mind.

"There are a few reasons she might have to take pills. One of them could be--No, that couldn't be it. Could it?"

Though Laika had missed seeing the pills, she had felt the sharp sudden spike of emotion from the bespectacled girl. It lasted for what only felt like a moment, nearly lost in the slurry pit of emotions that resonated from Dannie. Yet it stuck with Laika and left her on edge, ready for violence.

Standing by Cathrida's side Laika was able to recognize the expression on her captain's face. Looking between Johanna and Cathrida, knowing what at least one of them likely felt, Laika suddenly opened her mouth and spoke aloud.

"Y-yeah!"

The girl only proclaimed, breaking the momentary silence and drawing Cathrida's gaze.

"I know HoPPER! I mean, I know about her. I used to hear her over the landlines. She even got played on the radios in bars 'uncle' drank at. When she was on people always started talking about Zern."

Cathrida looked incredulously at Laika, her human eye and compound sensor eye-patch briefly appearing identical, as both as shrunk into narrow glowing slits.

"S-she also played some nice music..."

Laika swallowed hard. All the girl could think to do was awkwardly smile back, her body stiffening and seemingly freezing on the spot.

Suddenly, Cathrida let out a sigh. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she seemed to relax.

"If Denzel and my cabin girl vouch for you, then you're more then welcome to join." Cathrida said, turning back to Johanna her a less intense expression.

"Not that I have the luxury of picking and choosing right now. If you can fight then that's all that matters, but being technically competent may also be very important in the future."

Cathrida gave one last look around the room. She watched as the workers and deviants at the edge of the light cast from the ceiling, slide even further back towards the walls as she looked towards them. It was as if they were scared of being pulled into the light and absorbed into committing to her efforts.

"Including Laika, that makes four people joining me to fight. That's good. I assume since you're all here you have a mobile worker or suit of your own. Laika, where did you hide your Scutson?"

Cathrida riffled through the papers scattered across the make-shift table before finding a crude map of Habitat 34's layout.

Laika stepped forward and pressed a finger into a north-most part of the habitat.

"Down in the 3rd Maintenance Level, stuffed in the back of a pipe room. I've had to move it around over the years but that is where it is now. Its not too far from the Northern Hanger, I'd just need to take a lift up." Laika explained and Cathrida nodded.

"Then we'll hit the Northern Hanger and steal a mining lander vessel from there. If you leave now we should be able to meet up in the hanger at the same time."

Laika grinned, every hair on her body raising as she realized it was almost time.

"Yes, Captain!"

Turning on her heel Laika made a wild sprint towards the other end of the hanger, fully intent on running all the way to her Scutson. Cathrida stood and watched as the girl blitzed away, the pirate captain nearly smiling before she remembered where she was. The women paused and took a moment to take in the presence of Denzel, Johanna, and Dannie.

"Get your mobile suits and meet at the northern hanger. We don't have the privilege of wasting time for stealth, so we'll be going in loud. We'll take the mining lander by force, though there shouldn't be much opposition right away. Its when we get outside of the colony and head for the surface that we should expect a real fight..."

---

@DostHou@vietmyke@Caduceus@glwgameplayer@Crusader Lord@veenknight343@Golden Spiral

---

Princess Asallia proceeded out of the umbilical, down the red carpet, and into the hanger to the sound of a clapping and composed crowd. The hanger itself was a large rectangular room, broken up 'cut outs' and what amounted to piers for ships to slide into and dock. Normally the docks were in zero-gravity in order to better facilitate the landing of ships and the loading and unloading of goods. However for the occasion the docks had been added to the 'spin' of the colony itself, placing it firmly under gravity for the time being.

"Not all members of the nobility or royal family move that gracefully under zero-g. And the fastest way to ruin the festivities is for someone to get a look up the Princess's dress because they floated too high off the ground." Princess Asallia whispered to Lycoris as they walked together down the carpet.

Walking alongside the Princess, heart beating a mile a minute, Lycoris was surprised at how calm and orderly everything seemed. She had expected a cheering, barely contained mob snapping off pictures and howling the Princess's name as did so often happen in her concerts. yet everyone stood, calm, disciplined, and controlled. Even the mobile suits, those standing off on the sides of the room for security and those marching in unison towards the front of the room, appeared more straight backed and at attention then usual.

As the Princesses and their company moved towards the front of the room, a band began to play somewhere in the room. Brass and drum instruments quickly filled hanger with a classical, upbeat melody that brought to mind the momentous occasion ahead. Once the Princesses were far enough down the carpet, the nobles aboard the ship were allowed to begin to disembark from the vessel, followed by the passengers and crew.

At the front of the room, past the Tommy's standing and moving in formation, were the large open gates that led into the hangers themselves. Sitting in the threshold of the large doors was a beautifully decorated parade float, one in a long line of floats intended to take the princesses through the colony in a grand display of their arrival.

"I thought you just wanted me to come out with you, not sit on a parade float for the whole colony to see!" Lycoris said in a hushed tone of panic, forcing herself to smile as the two continued to walk.

"Deep breathes Lycoris. You need to expose yourself to the things you're afraid of in order to strengthen yourself against them. And don't forget that I'm here with you. Besides, if I have go put up with this, so do you."

Asallia smiled a little more genuinely as she walked and all Lycoris could do was begrudgingly smile along with her.

Then a soldier, one of Asallia's persona guards, fast-walked up to the Princess. Leaning in he spoke quickly and quietly into her ear before departing just as fast as he came. Lycoris couldn't hear what the man had said but she could see the strain that sank into Asallia's cheerful expression.

"There's been a disturbance." Asallia whispered.

"What kind?" Lycoris felt her pulse jump

"Its likely nothing. But if something does happen...Lycoris, when I tell you to close your eyes I want you to close them. And do not open them until I tell you do do so."

"But why-"

"Lycoris. Please."

"O-Of course..."

Lycoris couldn't hide the grimace that came with the promise and she quietly followed Asallia, who continued to smile and wave even as a threat drew closer.

---

@GreenGoat

---

"Damn it, don't let that thing any closer!"

A team of four ZIMS-02 Tommys, one of many guarding the 'rear' of the colony, floated in the blackness of space. They had been told the job of guarding the other end of the colony was important. That though the Princesses and the Venue would not be there, that it was still a vital position to guard. Despite the lack of glamour and being stuck far and away from the festivities, the men had resigned themselves to their duty. After all infiltration seemed far and above a more likely threat then an all-out attack...until they received the news.

Over the crackling comms and broken transmissions, the leader of the small team had been made aware of a fast approaching unknown target. They couldn't yet see the target, all they knew was the direction it was coming in.

"Gutter, set your HE recoiless launcher shells on a timer. Something moving that fast can't have any armor, just hitting it with the shockwave of the explosion should do something!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Tommy's quickly threw up their weapons and began to fire. 90mm assault rifles sprayed in full auto and five 300mm shells spat from a recoiless launcher cut through space. The timers on the shells quickly ran down before they detonated, briefly lighting up the darkness with small flashes of heat and light.

"If we can kill this thing there will be medals in it for all of us!"

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Phoenix347

Her left arm has been completely replaced with a custom arm from Lsect as a gift from Arthur with a gleaming black surface of nanocarbon, it houses a taser along the forearm as well as connection wires leading straight to her implant for easy access.

Immediate issue out of the gate. I don't understand why Alice would receive a customized cybernetic arm _from_ Arthur if it came from L-Sect. If Alice works for L-Sect or has connections with them, then she should have just gotten the arm from them herself. Its not like they'd charge money if she's working as their agent. Plus L-Sect isn't some company Arthur can just get stuff from. They're a secretive research group that supplies cybernetics to the whole of Luna, which are looked down on as being taboo.

I was immediately set to receive cybernetics to replace them, I'm lucky my family had so much held away over the years to afford it.

Another HUGE mistake and a clear misunderstanding of the setting. Cybernetics do not cost money for Lunites. At least basic implants. All Lunite children receive neural implants at birth after all and any lunite who receive injuries, lose limbs, organs, etc will receive cybernetic implants from L-Sect without charge. This is why L-Sect is so well regarded by Luna despite being so secretive. They provide an incredible service to the people and allow them to live their lives despite the difficulties and dangers that come from their work.

I saw it as my goal to be employed with a cybernetics company on Luna. I worked hard to receive high marks and early graduation to ensure I was a prime candidate for employment.

...Phoenix, did you just not read the setting information? Cybernetics are TABOO. No one outside of Luna uses them and they are actively looked down on by Martians. L-Sect is the only real maker and provider of cybernetics, and they're not some company. I listed them in the 'manufacturers' section but only because they do produce things just not for traditional sale.

Overall Alice's backstory is deeply flawed and doesn't make sense due to a clear misunderstanding of the setting lore. Even besides that though its bland and pretty banal overall all. Alice has no interesting elements to her life or motivations outside of getting a job it seems. The way you have her written now makes her more suited to being a secretary NPC then any kind of meaningful character.

The only thing I can suggest is a complete rewrite. The character picture you chose is nice but everything else just falls flat.

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@glwgameplayer@KaiserElectric@Sakaki Chizuru@Jarl Coolgruuf

---

Laika jumped back at the startlingly loud noise and looked on in confusion at the girl who had come crashing down before them. Sticking her arm into the open front of her jacket, Laika gripped the handle of her semi-automatic she’d taken from the dead Enforcer. Looking to her captain to gauge how she should react, Laika was surprised at what she saw.

The former-pirate stood, looming over Johanna, her penetrating orange gaze fixed on her. Yet She did not look on in anger or concern at the loud girl's unorthodox arrival but simply in mild dismay and irratation.

Lifting her glowing orange eyes from where Johanna had fallen, Cathrida glanced around the room once more.

“Is there anyone else?” Cathrida asked again, her tone becoming harsher out of refusal to sound like she was pleading.

Relaxing her grip on her pistol Laika tried to calm herself...but couldn't.

A heavy weight like sensation pressed down on her head.

Her entire body stiffened and she felt sick, almost dizzy.

Anger.

Laika shook her head. Angry? She had nothing to be angry about. No. That wasn't true. Yet-

Blistering. Unquenched. Frustrated. De͚͚sp̟̞̳̖e̥̤̟r̡̳̺̮̗̱̹a̪t̲͎̼̤̦͘e̛̬̠̩̫̩̤̮.

Her heart began to race. Her temples pounded like drums as the unexplained, unjustified feelings only continued to well up inside her. Breathing heavily Laika looked into the darkness of the warehouse, firmly gripping her pistol and readying herself for whatever was coming.

Then she heard the soft squeak of wheels and Laika's tense expression withered, her arm dropping to her side as she saw who approached the table.

Cathrida turned her gaze onto the new arrival and immediately her eyes went wide, lighting up like Christmas trees.

Swinging out her arm Cathrida eagerly slapped her palm into Dannie’s, some not-quite dried blood rubbing off as they shook. Cathrida’s cybernetic hand squeezed Dannie’s muscle laden python in a strong, respectfully firm grip.

“Hahahah! Oh you know, I decided to give being dead a try. Didn’t really suit me. I can see why you don’t care for it yourself ‘Living Dead Dannie’.”

Laika let go of the gun inside her jumpsuit, bracing herself against the table as she breathed a sigh of relief. The feelings still weighed down on her, but they no longer left her frightened or overwhelmed.

“Hi, Dannie!” Laika waved, looking up and smiling “I’ve gotten a lot bigger since the last time we met!”

“And thankfully Dannie hasn’t gotten any smaller. Though it looks like I’ve beaten your personal record for lost limbs.”

Cathrida pulled her hand back and rapped her closed cybernetic fists against her thigh-high boots, which emitted a hard distinctly inorganic sound from beneath.

Laika’s eyes wandered from Dannie and she found them drawn to the floor.

“What is that?” Laika eventually asked, pointing.

“Hmm?”

Looking down at her feet the former pirate captain finally noticed the small, beaming pair of neon blue eyes looking up at her from the metal floor.

“Oh, that. It’s some kind of robotic lagomorpha. Or a ‘rabbit’.”

“What’s a rabbit?”

“A small blob of flesh with large ears, larger feet, and fur all over its body.”

“What do they do?”

“They eat, defecate small pellets, eat those, and wander around. Not that different from what other animals do.”

“Oh…Why would someone build a robot of that?”

Cathrida had to stop and inhale, her patience remaining strong with Laika.

“I haven’t the slightest idea. Robotic animals were never a focus as far as I can tell, L-Sect has been able to make humanoid robots for some time. The technology behind it is more or less identical to those in cybernetic limbs and bodies. However it's not the body that is the issue, it's the mind. For something that small to move around like that it would need-”

Cathrida stopped mid sentence and immediately looked to Johanna, her gaze narrowing as she eyed the visible older-model implants on the girl’s body.

“Sophisticated artificial intelligence.”

Laika meanwhile crouched down on the floor, staring at LAGO hungrily the way a dog would at anything remotely edible.

“Who are you? And where did you get this ‘toy’?” Cathrida demanded.

Laika stood up from the floor, tilting her head at Johanna.

“She sounded kind of familiar…” Laika muttered and Cathrida glanced to her.

“Do you know her?”

Laika scratched the side of her head, face scrunching up in concentration.

“I don’t know. But I swear I’ve heard her voice somewhere..”

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Crusader LordShe's accepted.

@Jarl CoolgruufDannie and Recompense are ACCEPTED! Excellent work.

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Jarl Coolgruuf
I have to say I absolutely LOVE Dannie. I thought you were going to make a Lunite when you mentioned she was horribly injured, but having her wheelchair bound is a much more interesting and bolder choice. I have some comments to make:

General

-The reactor melt down and detonation is actually in line with COOL-Te's overclocked reactor. It provides more power at the cost of 'safety hazards'. I can absolutely see one going off like a bomb if not proper maintained or pushed too far.

-Void Dogs is a sick-ass name for a pirate gang. Just from that name alone I want them to have been part of the big deal pirate gangs that showed up at the start of the Rebirth of Piracy.

Background

My only issue with the backstory is how it abruptly ended. Dannie dueling her captain and then wandering off to join the Mekon Movement feels too sudden.

The Rebirth of Piracy ended very, very violently for a lot of pirates. Once Zern developed the ZIMS-01 Redcoat, the pirates lost their big advantage and it became open season on them. In five years they were reduced down to 1/10th of what they had been before.

I think it'd make more sense if, instead of Dannie's contract expiring, that Everest's pirate crew got decimated. Either suddenly or over the course of a year or two. Dannie saw the writing on the wall and wanted to walk, but Everest wouldn't have it. So they dueled and she walked away. She returned to Venus, but unwilling to make up with her family she instead decided to join the Mekon movement which had grown in the years since her absence.

Recompense:

-Fraken Reactor
Mobile Suit/Mobile Worker reactors might not necessarily be hefty, but sticking six of them into a single mobile suit would definitely force someone to make additional room in the torso area. I'd be fine with green-lighting this if you made the torso of the Recompense chunkier/larger as a result. That'd also provide an understandable trade-off to the large power supply advantage.

-Laser Glaive "Unmaker"
Laser weapons in this setting are (and this is normally a dirty word for me) 'realistic'. They have point-point accuracy and move at the speed of light (for obvious reasons). However they need to remain focused on a target to do any real damage and don't slice through stuff like they do in other series. I suppose you could add a contain laser to give an enhanced cutting 'edge' to a weapon but the boost wouldn't be as extreme as one would hope and the emitters themselves might make the weapon fragile.

In its current state I don't think the Unmaker will work. However since the Recompense has a fuck-load of reactor power to work with, why not make it into a shock weapon? Electrified weapons are much more in line with what's possible in the setting at the moment.

-Layered Shield
Nanocarbon, at least armor that can be used for armor, isn't available to most people at the moment. Only the very rich, very well connected, or researchers would have access to that at this point. If you take it out of the shield then it would be fine.

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Jarl CoolgruufNot to sound cynical, but I'm just as surprised as you are. Its all thanks to the wonderful and dedicated players that have decided to join me. If you're interested in participating then I welcome you with open arms. I suggest you hop on the Discord we have set up, makes discussing characters, plot, etc a lot faster.

discord.gg/p7X7AA

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@glwgameplayer@KaiserElectric@Sakaki Chizuru

---

The Industrial District of Habitat 34 was somehow less welcoming then even the residential sector had been. Flats and tenement houses made of black nanocarbon were replaced by towering castles of plasteel and piping, stretching all the way to the demi-glass ceiling as if trying to take block out what little natural light the people received. Though Denzel lead the way, Laika found she was just as familiar with the path they were taking. Where the residential district had been crowded, bottle necked by two lane streets, the factory district was more manageable.

It was working hours so it wasn't difficult to see why. Everyone was expected to be at their job, in doors or outside of the habitat entirely. Those who were outside moved quickly, eyes locked straight head as they strode down the sidewalk or sped down the road. Everyone moved with a purpose, their faces on the verge of the grimace as their eyes narrowed and their vision tunneled.

"We might as well be invisible to these people." Cathrida thought as she walked, hunched over like before, eyeing the rooftops for any signs of possible enforcers watching them.

The roads around the factories seemed almost foggy. Occasional spurts of odd gasses or strange gushes of liquid would come from the burgeoning pipes and tubes that ran from the factories into the ground and down into the guts of the habitat. Just breathing made Cathrida's throat itch and her eye burn, thought Laika didn't seem to notice.

As Denzel continued to lead them, zig-zagging his way through streets and cutting clean across industrial yards, the factories began to slowly disappear. Things became quiet, the streets emptied out, and the rhythmic sounds of factory equipment and near mechanized worker movements slowly faded away.

Soon the three of them were walking through eerily vacant streets where long, identical buildings of cheap corrugated metal sat. It was only occasionally a fork lift would drive by or the sound of a crate falling or glass breaking could be heard somewhere in the distance, only to be swallowed by the silence. They walked and walked until Denzel stopped suddenly in front of a warehouse marked with the number '1337'. Glancing up and down the street, Laika and Cathrida watched as he rapped a hand against the door and sat silence for several moments.

The shutter door lift up just an inch and a single eye peered out from the crack.

Disappearing as quickly as it came, the shutter door lifted up further, enough for them to roll beneath it.

As soon as they were inside the shutter door was closed.

Inside the warehouse Laika and Cathrida were initially confused. Large florescent lambs hung from the high ceiling and lit towering shelves filled with boxes and rolls of materials. There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary until they reached the back of the warehouse.

There, tucked away in the far back, was a crude circular table arranged from crates and plate plates. Papers and out of date computers littered the table, along with several crude arms and what looked like a make-shift time bomb. A few mobile workers stood against the nearby wall out of line of sight of the shutter door, in various states of visible disrepair. A few people sat at the table, others stood away from it near the walls as if afraid to draw near as the strangers entered.

Cathrida approached the table, straightening up and threw back her hood. She paid no attention to the reactions of the people present, only their number.

"This is it?" Cathrida asked aloud, unable to hide her displeasure.

"Maybe not everyone is here yet?" Laika said, glancing around the room as she moved up to stand by Cathrida's side.

The women scoffed.

"I would hope people who want to fight Zern would at the very least be punctual. If you can't show up in time to fight and then you might as well be dead."

Exhaling and placing her hands against the table in front of her, Cathrida addressed the room.

"You are here because Denzel has accepted a proposition I made to him, and by extension your organization. You will all be assisting in the recovery of something of great importance to me. Something that once acquired will open up new avenues for what you and the Mekon Movement will be able to achieve moving forward."

Laika listened intently, practically leaning forward to drink Cathrida's words as they spoke. In that moment she seemed almost like a child listening as hard as they could to their mother.

"We will be heading down to the surface of Venus where I had something hidden four years ago. Originally I intended to head to the surface myself aboard a...acquired cargo vessel. However complications forced me to leave the vessel and come to this habitat in my mobile suit. As a result, the Zern Empire likely knows where I am. If they haven't been made aware of what I did then they soon will be and will react rapidly."

Cathrida paused as if to check if those present were listening.

"The state of what we need to acquire is also up in the air. I'm certain its perfectly functional, but depending on how much work was or was not done on it in the intervening years since I left it, time might be required to get it into a movable state. That possibility along with approaching Zern intervention ensures that a fight on the surface of Venus is inevitable."

Laika's hands balled into fists at her side and brief look of excitement filled her face.

"How are we going to get down to the surface?" Laika asked and Cathrida glanced to her.

"How do you think we could get to the surface?" Cathrida asked back, almost like a teacher challenging their student.

Laika stopped, biting her lip before nodding her head.

"We could--We could steal a mining drop vessel! Those are built to carry a bunch of mobile workers and equipment down to the surface and back. There's definitely one in the habitat ports right now."

Cathrida smiled and nodded her head.

"Perfect answer. Yes. We will be stealing the miner drop-off ship to carry out this operation. However the lynch pin relies on the pilots that come with us. I likely won't be able to fight myself depending on the state of our target. Laika here is the best pilot I know and Denzel's reputation makes his competent clear. However two pilots likely won't be enough. I can't know the force Zern will deploy in response to this, so I need anyone else who can pilot and fight in a mobile suit or worker."

The former pirate fell silent, looking around the room with her almost glowing eyes as she tried to spot those who intended to come forward.

---

@Yukitamas@vietmyke@Caduceus@Frater Jeremiah@DostHou@Golden Spiral

---

Lycoris remained standing in the hallway long after Lucas had spoken and left her sight. She simply stood in the center of the hall, staring down at the floor. Platitudes were something she had expected from Lucas. It was always easy to assume what he said was done so out of obligation, but it was difficult to tell if such things were hollow or genuine. The words he spoke lingered in her mind and consumed her thoughts as she became fixated on just what their merit was.

"Failure is a part of success?" She muttered to herself, eyes narrowing behind her glasses as the words became bitter and venomous in her mouth.

"Everyone says failure is a part of life, a part of growing. Yet there are some mistakes we're expected never to make. And when we do make them they forever color how we and our actions are perceived. When your failure costs someone their life or causes some grave harm outside yourself, its not longer just a single 'failure'."

Lycoris could feel her heart begin to race as her train of thought grew grimmer by the moment.

"It becomes an extension of how people see you, see your work, see your very existence. A man who commits a crime is considered a criminal long after he is proven innocent or rehabilitated. And a girl whose life work kills a man unintentionally is--"

"A victim of misfortune, like any other."

Lycoris snapped from her stupor and turned around to see Princess Asallia in a long flowing gown accompanies by a small line of armed soldiers.

"P-Princess!" Lycoris stuttered, stepping to the side.

Asallia simply smiled back.

"I was hoping you would occupy yourself with more pleasant things before we docked, but I suppose I can't blame you. This whole thing has me a bit overwhelmed as well."

"I"m sorry. I got caught up talking with Lucas and I-" Lycoris spoke quickly, but Asallia lifted her hand to silence her.

"Started ruminating. I understand. Don't worry. Things will change moving forward, I promise you that."

Lycoris fell silent. Though she tried to hide it, she had difficulty believing what the Princess said. Her doubt and shame was visible on her face.

"I think I should-"

"Would you like to join me?" Asallia asked suddenly.

"What?" Lycoris as taken aback.

"For the ceremony, of course. There's nothing to say you can't come with me. Its better then waiting on the sidelines or in the crowd. We'd have to get you dressed for the occasion on the way. Thankfully my staff are quite experienced with getting me ready for concerts and occasions at the last possible minute."

"Are you sure Princess?" One of her armed guards asked "She's a-"

Though the man's eyes were hidden Lycoris could feel his gaze on her 'horns'.

"She is my esteemed guest. And will be respected accordingly."

Asallia's voice was suddenly like ice and Lycoris watched as the armored soldier built like a gorilla visible winced at her tone.

"Forgive me, Princess. I'm just trying to do my job. Perhaps Signifier Brache should-"

"Sir Bernard has had two months to inspect people aboard this ship. If my long time, loyal student was some kind of murderous skin-stealing assassin he would have learned that long before our arrival. Unless of course you think your superior simply isn't competent in his position?"

"Please, forget I said anything Princess."

Looking back to Lycoris, smiling and staring intently, the bespectacled girl nodded her head.

"A-alright."

---

Moments later Lycoris instantly regretted her decisions.

One second she was walking along beside the Princess and the next she was all but picked off her feet. Several women all dressed in traditional servant attire had appeared as if from nowhere carrying a portable dressing blind, a few garments, and basic cosmetics. The only thing that stopped Lycoris from screaming was Asallia's continued presence nearby and her idle chatter with the women as they stripped and dressed her like a doll. All of Lycoris's objections, save for her refusal to go without he glasses, went seemingly unheard.

When they had gone Lycoris was left dressed in a purple satin gown with arm length gloves and heels. Asallia said nothing and acted like what had happened was perfectly normal. All Lycoris could do was follow alongside Asallia, moving in a confused daze.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the Venue finally reached the Annona colony.

The approach of the massive gun-laden ship was greeted by a dozen Rosencrants and Gildenstern vessels. They were lined up in two neat rows aligned perfectly with the main dock of the colony. ZIMS-02 Tommys and Tommy Commander types stood at attention atop the vessels, saluting as the royal carrying vessel grew close.

Of course the Venue was too large a vessel to fit into the Annona colony's internal hangers, but it was the presentation and precedent that was important.

Long extensions protruding off the colony cylinder and its primary hanger entrance allowed even the largest of ships to connect, unload and supply.

There were many aboard the Venue and a great number of things that needed to be brought onto the colony. However as the Venue was locked in place no one aboard had any delusions about who and what would be the first to get off.

A sharp pneumatic hiss signaled the break in the pressure seals as one of the hatch doors to the Venue opened. Soldiers awaited in the long 'hall' of the extension, armed and at attention as the Royal Princesses and those accompanying them stepped off the vessel.

Asallia proceeded forward at a diligent pace as Lycoris walked nervously beside her, finding herself unsteady on heels.

Even at a glance it was easy to tell the quality and degree of security present for their arrival. Soldiers weren't simply in the extension waiting for them, but were outside as well in EVA suits. Ready to intercept any bombing attempts that could launch the members of the royal family into space.

Just a short walk down the extension was as far as they needed to go for the royal family members and their guests to enter into the main procession area, where esteemed nobles, soldiers and their mobile suits stood waiting for them...

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Golden Spiral

---

Asallia's quiet nostalgia ended at the mention of the military conference. A sharp, almost painful grimace flashed across her face upon remembering but only for a moment. Her composure returned with a smile and it vanished as quickly as it appeared. The smile that replaced it should have been forced and fragile, but looking at Sheena the Princess couldn't help but smile. Though to others her sister's words were cold and blunt, Asallia had known her too long to assume what others might. She knew what her sister meant. Even with their differences, Asallia felt calmer knowing she would be near.

"Of course I'd desire something so wonderful. My schedule might not be much of an obstacle in the coming days depending on how things go and who listens to me..."

Resting her gloved hands in her lap Asallia looked on as Sheena turned her back and began to leave. Just as her smile began to shrink, Sheena's parting words came.

And the Princess laughed.

The door had closed and her sister had left by the the time Asallia regained control of herself. Her exhaustion and weariness still pushed down on her, draped across her mind and body like a lead blanket. Yet her chest was filled with a warmth that hadn't been there before and Asallia finally felt awake.

"...Thank you Sheena." Asallia said to the empty room.

Standing up from the couch Asallia walked to her bed and bravely faced the large, imposing closet near it. As she reached her hands out to open the closet and begin the arduous process of making her 'presentable' for the ceremony, she stopped.

"He should go."

The thought came suddenly, like a bright light snapping on in a dark room.

"The military conference won't be for some time. I don't really have anyone else to send and it wouldn't be--appropriate for me to attend. Even if I did, some might refrain from speaking their true minds. But if he went then he would say whatever came to him. Discussions are only fruitful if they reflect what we actually want...yes. Yes, I think he will like to go..."

---

@glwgameplayer

---

Lycoris felt herself entire body tense up at the question.

It was simple, innocuous, a borderline platitude of small talk. Or it would have been to anyone besides her.

Spending the last two months avoiding every living being she could, Lycoris had came to the realization that others involved with the expo could very well ruin her. As she was she wasn't a threat, but if she got a chance to throw her hat into the ring once more Lycoris had no doubt she could upstage many of those attending. Even if that was her own arrogance speaking, Lycoris didn't feel it was much of a stretch to assume that others might be afraid of her. And when fear was involved, it was all the more tempting and possible to ruin someone.

Her throat tightened and her mind raced to come up with a lie, to simply shut down the conversation.

Yet-

"Just uh, you know, trying to salvage the molten burning wreckage that is my reputation and career."

Lycoris let out an awkward laugh as the words left her mouth. Inside her head half of her mind was aghast at the words that had left her mouth. She was exposing herself, giving out precious information that would leave her vulnerable. Yet the other half of her mind was...pleased.

"I'll be talking with the governor about getting involved with the expo. If all goes well I might actually be able to participate."

An almost alien sense of release came the more she spoke.

"You know how big this expo is for people like us. Engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, if it isn't a complete disaster due to planning it'll be the talk of the tech industry for years to come. Anyone involved is going to get a lot of recognition and people who actually present something will have a lot of opportunities going forward."

---

---

“How did he die?”

The question came as the two slipped into a dark, cramped alleyway that cut between two towering tenement complexes. They had put good distance between themselves and the scene of the crime, but both knew they couldn’t afford to be lax. Yet in the middle of the alleyway Laika stopped dead in her tracks and hesitantly looked over her shoulder.

“Your ‘uncle’ I mean. He was with me from the start. Did I ever tell you that? Finest ship engineer I knew.”

Standing behind her Cathrida blocked what little light poured from the street into the knife wound of an alley. Her front was cast in shadow yet even in the darkness of the alleyway, the darkness of the hood pulled down over her face, Laika could still see her eyes. Both her real eye and artificial ‘eye’ shared the same, orangish glow that penetrated the shadows.

“He was...stabbed.” Laika admitted.

“I found him in the street outside our apartment. He was so drunk he didn’t even realize how much he was bleeding until he was dead.”

A small, grim chuckle came from Cathrida as she lifted her head back.

“That sounds about right. Uprill always drank like someone was coming to cut his legs off. Did you find out who did it?”

Laika hesitated.

“Yes.”

Cathrida locked eyes with Laika.

“Are they dead?”

The girl swallowed hard, her chest tightening as she opened her mouth.

“No.”

Cathrida cocked her head, displeasure apparent as one of her eyes shrunk into a narrow knife-like slit. Laika shifted on the spot, hands closing and unclosing, she looked down at the ground staring at the dark concrete beneath her boots.

“I went asking around and I learned he got drunk at a bar. Really, really drunk. Someone said something to him as a joke and he attacked them. He broke a bottle, the other person pulled a knife and--”

Laika swallowed and forced herself to look Cathrida in the eye.

“You told me not to get in trouble. That I needed to wait here on the habitat. To keep my head down and get ready for when you came back. And I did that. But Uprill--he acted like you were dead. The news was everywhere for a while, saying you’d been killed, they even showed footage over the public wires. It was months later but he seemed pretty convinced.”

It was difficult to see Cathrida’s expression, but her eyes remained unchanged as Laika spoke.

“But I knew you weren’t dead, I knew it. So when I learned who killed Uprill I didn’t do anything. Because I didn’t know for certain I could do it without getting in trouble. And I wanted to say that I did what you asked me to when you finally came back.”

Shoulders hunched, crumbling under Cathrida’s unchanging gaze Laika looked down at the ground a blank look on her face.

“I’m sorry.” Laika muttered.

Seeing Cathrida’s arms slide out from beneath her cloak from the corner of her eye Laika stood, bracing herself for what was to come…

Then she felt a hand press into the top of her head, softly ruffling her messy brown hair.

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.” Cathrida said plainly, “If anything I’m the one who should apologize for taking as long as I did to get here. But it's kinda hard to go anywhere when you can’t breath on your own.”

Laika looked up in surprise and Cathrida cracked a smile

“I told Uprill the same thing I told you. If he was an idiot and got himself killed in a bar brawl then he only has himself to blame. You did the right thing, Laika. You’re the only one I can trust now.”

The girl could only stare in disbelief as a weight lifted from her shoulders. A smile of her own came to her face as she straightened out, standing tall and beaming.

Turning around Laika continued down the alley and out into a smaller street, Cathrida following close behind.

“Still. Did Uprill tell you anything? Did he take you anywhere?” Cathrida asked, but Laika shook her head, glancing around a corner before moving forward.

“No. He’d disappear for long periods of time, but he’d always come back after a couple of days drunk and really smelly.”

“Hmmm. That’s a good sign.” Cathrida muttered

The two continued to walk through the tight maze of streets until they came to a dead end. Sandwiched at the very end of the street, pressed up against one of the walls of the habitat, was a tall narrow building with filthy glass windows and a batter sign hanging by one chain into the street. The sign read “The Grand” and Cathrida couldn’t stop herself from smirking at the irony.

Laika approached the door, before stopping and turning back.

“Captain, are we going back to...how things used to be?” Laika asked, barely catching herself from saying the p-word.

“No.” Cathrida said firmly. “There’s an expiration date on our...previous line of work. You can thank Zern for that. No, we’re going into a different business. One that will soon become quite popular...”

Laika’s hesitation faded as Cathrida’s eyes seemed to gleam and her smirk stretched upwards into a full unbridled grin.

Turning back around, Laika pulled open the door and the two stepped inside the bar.

As the door opened Denzel looked up from his drink to see two new faces to the Grand. Well, one and a half new faces. He had a vague inkling he had seen Laika before, not to drink herself but maybe to come retrieve a drunken friend or member of the family. Aside from that her orange jumpsuit and rough looks told him more than enough. She was another abused worker from Venus, and in that way she fit in just fine.

The cloaked figure was a complete mystery. The only reason someone would dress in a dark cloak would be to hide their appearance. To Denzel that meant one of two things, the person why shy or disfigured and didn’t want the odd looks. Or the person had something more… important to hide. Like their affiliation.

He didn’t like it.

Denzel leaned back against the bar and placed his left hand into his pouch. The movement looked casual enough, but his fingers were lightly gripping his brass knuckles. If the situation arose he could pull out his knuckles and unsheathe the knife in a second. But he didn’t expect it to come to that.

Laika and Cathrida stood at the entrance to the dimly lit bar, the smell of cheap electronic cigarettes and cheaper alcohol hung in the air.

Both looked around, seeing almost no one besides the barkeep. The few customers present were tucked away into booths or huddled at tables, sipping at their drinks or leaving them untouched as they spoke in low whispers. Cathrida turned her gaze towards the bar and the swarthy skinned man sitting at it.

“That’s the Crusher.” Laika whispered. “He’s caused a lot of problems for Zern, at least lately.”

“Just the man I want to meet…”

Stepping forward Cathrida paced across the room, taking a seat at the bar directly beside Denzel. Laika sat beside her as the barman approached, his expression as flat as most of the beer he poured.

“What will it be?” He asked, practically in monotone.

Cathrida slipped her black, nanocarbon laden hands from her red cloak and pulled her hood back.

“Anything without blood or teeth, preferably.”

The barman went rigid as recollection and clear understanding of her words spread across his face.

“I-I’ll just check the back then.” He asked, skittering out of sight as Cathrida against the bartop and turned her eye towards the man beside her.

“Mr ‘Crusher’ is it? I hope I don’t need to introduce myself, my reputation usually precedes me. Or used too."

“No need for introductions. As one thorn in Zern’s side to another, I’d say it’s an honor to meet you ” Denzel sat up straight and his relaxed expression was replaced by one of focus and attention. “I assume since you picked me out of a crowd and called me by name, you’ve been looking for me. Might I ask why?”

“My cabin girl knew you by name. That might not mean much anywhere else, but in regards to the Mekon Movement that means everything.”

Cathrida smiled, her eyebrows perking up as she continued.

“There’s something I need to get from the surface of Venus. Something very important for my continued ‘work’ here. Normally I’d just be a matter of quietly stealing a landing craft and going from there. However my arrival here was anything but quiet. It's only a matter of time before Zern comes to investigate and once they figure out who I am they’ll drop the hammer on this place.”

Cathrida tapped a finger against the bartop for emphasis, nearly stabbing her sharpened digit into the cheap synthetic wood.

“You’re with the movement. You know people, very angry people who want to do something. So I want you, and any other warm bodies with a mobile suit you can find, to come with me. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to get what I need. So when Zern comes knocking I want a merry band of mobile workers waiting to greet them.”

“Hmm…” Denzel took another sip of alcohol as he considered her proposal. “I am entirely supportive of anything and everything that sticks it to Zern, and by extension pretty much everything you do. I only have one objection.”

“I had a previous engagement.” Denzel absentmindedly traced the outline of the patrol route he had memorized on the table. “A lovely date with an under-protected warehouse full of Mobile worker parts that would have been a big help to the movement. The plan was to strike hard and fast while a large portion of the military has their big” Denzel spread his arms “Yay the nobility is here to be condescending bastards party.”

“I might be willing to split my forces to try and get both, but that would be a gamble. I would prefer to perform one mission or the other. Of course the boys are willing to fight Zern whenever or wherever, but I prefer to know what I’m fighting for. Measure the risk and reward.”

Denzel leaned forward against the table and fixed Cathrida with a piercing stare. “So before I make a decision tell me about this item of yours. Or at the very least, tell me how it would hurt Zern, or help us.”

Cathrida paused, glancing to Laika who looked on with interest, before looking back to Denzel.

“I don’t want to show my hand just yet. What I need to get is very important and will make my job, your job, and the rest of the Mekon Movements work much easier.”

Reaching out across the bar, Cathrida picked up the filthy glass the bartender had left on the counter.

“That’s probably not a satisfactory answer, but let me ask you this: What does the Mekon Movement need?”

Cathrida looked to Denzel, rolling the glass over in her hand as she spoke.

“If you’re practical you might say guns, parts, mobile suits, but those only allow you and your people to act. It's not the end goal, not what you really want.”

Laika watched as Cathrida’s grip over the glass tightened, so gradually that she could see and hear the cracks beginning to appear in the beer stained glass.

“But I know what you want. What you’ve all been hungry for, hoping for, fighting for. How? Because I want the same thing. Once I get what I need from the surface of Venus, I’m going to join the Mekon Movement. And when I do, I'll be able to lead you towards what everyone floating above this orange ball has craved for years.”

With a simple flex of her wrist the glass all but exploded in her palm and Cathrida’s eyes went wide, gleaming.

“A chance to make Zern suffer! A chance to strike a blow that they will never forget. A blow that will show the rest of Venus that they do the very same thing…”

For a moment Denzel stared impassively at Cathrida, before he cracked a smile “I didn’t expect a ruthless former pirate captain to be so... optimistic about our chances. But I guess it only makes sense, even as a pirate you were one to shoot for the stars. Fine, when we go to the hideout I’ll tell everyone about our change of plans.”

It was almost like someone flipped a switch in Denezl’s head. The calculating stare seemed to fade away, being replaced by a vague friendliness. “I’ll show you to the hideout once we are done here. I’d propose a toast, but…” Denzel’s eyes scanned over the shards of glass all over the counter “Oh well. Cheers.” Denzel raised his glass and drained it.

“As much as I like the title, “Crusher” It gets a bit stifling getting called that all the time. You can just call me Denzel.” He presented his hand for a handshake. “If you have any requests about what to call you, or what not to call you, now’s the time to tell me. Same for if you would like to introduce me to your ward over there” Denzel glanced at Laika.

“I’m optimistic because I have a plan. I’ve had a long time to think about what to do, and this is the first step.”

Cathrida’s near manic grin remained on her face as she reached out and clasped Denzel’s hands. The inner, almost fibrous palm of her cybernetic arm was warm while the nanocarbon plating of her fingers was cold. Just a gentle squeeze was enough the man’s large, strong hand aching.

“Call me Cathrida and this--”

“I’m Laika.” Laika said firmly, finally chiming into the conversation.

“I want you to get the word out through whatever channels you can. We need to leave as soon as possible. Whoever gets to this hideout of yours when we show up will be the ones that come with us.”

Cathrida turned from Dezel and glanced back to Laika.

“Did you prepare a mobile worker?”

“Yeah. It's not very well armed, but I did my best. We can pick it up once we make our move.”

“Good girl.” Cathrida said and Laika beamed at the compliment.

“I already sent a message to a certain Mekon supporting radio broadcaster about half an hour ago. By now the broadcast has already been made, and the gang is already gathering in the hideout. Once we arrive all we have to do is explain the plan to them and set off. So, lets go.”

Denzel stood up from the bar and left a small amount of money next to his glass, enough to cover for the alcohol, and hopefully for the broken mug as well. He very much didn’t want the barkeep at his favorite hangout to be ambivalent to him

“Come on, I’ll show you the way. There are a couple shady streets along the way but that’s fine. I know all the shortcuts and workarounds.”

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@glwgameplayerEmila and Din are accepted.

Mobile Suit Gundam: LIFELINE

@Golden Spiral

---

"I'm happy to see you as well, fairest sister." Asallia said from her seat on one of the three marble leather couches in the room. A smile came to her face as she spoke, bright, warm, and visibly exhausted.

Lycoris hadn't noticed it in the Princess. Caught up in her own emotions and believing she had caught her in the middle of a nap, anyone as close as family would be able to tell she hadn't been sleeping or at least not well.

A cold cup of tea, likely forgotten and left untouched on her bedside for sometime, was clutched in Asallia's graceful gloved hands the way a man man thrown into space would clutch a life-line. She drank deeply from the cup in a sophisticated manner that had all but been bred into her at birth before pulling the drink from her lips.

"I've come to Venus to stop blood from being shed." Asallia's smile was still as bright as it had been moments before, but her tone was poisoned with a new gravity to them.

The cup clinked against the saucer sitting on the marble coffee table in front of her as the Princess took a moment to softly inhale.

"So as much as I would dearly love to hold a concert, part of me is fearful it would be highly inappropriate to do so soon after arriving. However, when I inevitably do you will be the first one I invite."

Asallia looked up, still smiling, but her weariness cut into the warmth of her expression as she straightened her back.

"You should know what's coming Sheena, otherwise you wouldn't be here. The additional troops wouldn't be here. This ship wouldn't be here. Venus has been the most neglected and abused out of all the Empire's holdings and now we're reaping the 'rewards' of our actions. If things are allowed to remain on their current course countless people will die. And with father-"

The princess stopped abruptly and swallowed hard.

"And with father the way he is now the reaction to the coming violence will not be one of intelligence and understanding."

Casting her eyes down to the marbled floor Asallia took a moment to collect herself before reaching beside her and holding up a small writing tablet.

"I have a speech prepared for the arrival ceremony. Its not the one I informed the planners I would be making of course. Its one of my usual 'mood killers' as father used to call them."

Asallia's eyes welled with a distant nostalgia and she let out a soft giggle as she looked back up to Sheena.

"When I was younger, father would have me come to his chambers when he was feeling lethargic and complacent. He'd tell me just to 'speak my mind'. Yet, whatever I said always seemed to anger him so much that he'd end up shouting for a servant to come to take down his words for later reference. I would just stand there, smiling as a confused scribe sat in hunched over terror as father launched into a tirade about diversifying wheat seed strains or some such nonsense."

---

@glwgameplayer

---

Lycoris picked herself off the carpeted flooring, briefly thankful she was still in the gravity block of the ship and hadn't been launched half-way down the hallway from the impact. As she pushed herself to her feet she readied and obligatory apology to whatever gruff military man or abrasive noble that he barreled into her. However when she looked up and opened her mouth to speak, Lycoris's face froze as she stared into an all too familiar face.

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

The girl's eyes narrowed and almost glassed over behind her thick framed glasses, only barely keeping her groan internalized inside her own head.

"Hi, Lucas." Lycoris eventually said, containing her reserved dread as she dusted herself off.

In the two month journey to Venus, Lycoris had been avoiding many people. She had more or less held up in the quarters given to her, only popping out for food or to use the various amenities on the ship when she assumed everyone else was asleep or busy with other duties. A part of this was her reluctance to speak with Asallia until mere moments ago. The other was avoid certain people she knew were on-board the ship.

One of whom was Lucas.

"Uh, sure Lucas. I really enjoyed hearing about how that one insect rolled fecal matter into large balls. It was very...stimulating to learn."

Lycoris did her best to smile and feign interest, already hoping a hull breach would suck her out into the vacuum of space and into the sweet embrace of death.

With the expo being set up on Venus various industrialists, researchers, and such had been given passage to the orange planet on the Venue. Most were complete strangers, but some Lycoris had met at MIT and others later during the start of the project. Plenty were grating, arrogant, and confrontational intellectuals who didn't like to be told they were wrong about anything. Most knew Lycoris by reputation alone and she had spent 60 days doing her best to avoid getting into spats so she could work in peace.

But Lucas was different.

Lycoris still remembered the boy from MIT, though only barely. He largely blended into the background compared to her other classmates. While they struggled or excelled, Lucas always treaded the middle ground in both his grades and design work. Even after Lycoris had learned he had been pulled into the the project and gotten to peak at what he was working on, it became apparent that Lucas hadn't changed at all.

Lucas wasn't bad or incompetent in Lycoris's mind he was just...banal.

Everything he made bothered Lycoris and filled her with an irate criticism. It all felt too safe, too overly practical. What should have been ground breaking, awe inspiring work was instead underwhelming in design and presentation.

Yet as uninspired as she saw his designs they were functional, which was more then Lycoris was able to claim.

She had stove to reach great heights only to be driven into the ground by her failure. Lucas meanwhile had gained more acclaim and respect by being mediocre then she had with her best efforts.

Just seeing Lucas left Lycoris with a deep bitter taste in her mouth and a heavy stone of regret sitting inside her stomach.

And what made it all worse was that Lucas was actually nice.

Difficult to talk too and with a weird obsession with animals that reminded her of stories of 'animal enthusiasts' Asallia had imparted onto her, but he wasn't offensive. As much as she wanted to hate Lucas and sought an excuse to resent him, Lycoris could find nothing. So she stood and smiled, left with an awkward mix of emotions she felt she wasn't justified to have...

---

---

Wiping her face with her ratty pillow, Laika left the crowded capsule apartment complex and was back on the streets again. She was happy that no one could hear her crying amidst the bustle of their own lives, not that anyone likely cared.

"I need to make some fast cash to pay rent tommorrow, or I'll be sleeping on the streets. Maybe I could steal some, but I need to stay out of trouble...

Laika's mind wandered as she walked aimlessly through the dark Venusian streets, only orange street lamps and bright neon signs lighting her way. Turning off the increasingly crowded street she ducked into an alleyway. Part of her was looking for a fight, figuring it wasn't 'trouble' if someone happened to make trouble with you and happened to lose whatever money they had after doing so.

She strode into the middle of the T-shaped alleyway, which was lit in the center by a single dying overhead lamp attached to the side of a building. Trash and refuse lined the sides of the alleyway and it appeared almost entirely empty save for the strange, unseen vermin likely skittering about.

Letting out a sigh Laika turned around to head back when she saw a man standing at the entrance to the alleyway she had come from.

She stared at the distant dark silhouette, the orange glare of the far off street lamps shrouding it in shadow. Slowly she turned, ready to walk the other way.

As looked however there was yet another silhouette in the distance, standing on the sidewalk.

Heart beginning to pick up speed as realization walked over to her, Laika look down the central alley of the T-shaped alleyway. There, tucked away in the shadows, was a man leaning up against the wall.

"Employee 51313?" The man asked, as a lit cigarette briefly illuminated his worn and semi-wrinkled face.

Laika stared back intently, noticing the other two men at the other ends of the alley beginning to move towards her.

"I'm not employed anymore." Laika said as the man blew cigarette smoke towards her and stepped into the light.

The man was in his late 30's and was dressed in heavy boots, brown slacks, a black vest, and a heavy coat. A wide brim hat sat atop his head, hiding fraying red hair that poked out from beneath. Laika's eyes were drawn to a bronze colored plate pinned to the side of the man's vest.

BOBBY ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

Laika's muscled tensed up and the man seemed to smirk at a little seeing her reaction.

"But you were. And the man you were employed by is very unhappy about what you did to his office, and his ear drums."

Laika stepped back, doing her best not to eye the space the lead enforcer had left in the alleyway he stood in. She kept note of how close the other men were getting and shook her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was fired and left. That's it."

"Really? Are you sure you're not an avid music fan? Though, I guess it doesn't really matter if you are or not. Your former boss seems pretty certain you had something to do with what happened. And he's paid us to ensure there are immediate consequences for what happened."

The man spoke slowly and deliberately, enjoying his cigarette and the growing look of apprehension on Laika's face.

Just as the man took a deep toke of his cigarette Laika shot forward, attempting to push past the man and make make a break for it.

As she did so however the man swept into her way and jerked out his knee, slamming his leg into her groin. Laika winced and stumbled backwards, but the lack of pain on her face seemed to surprise the man.

"You're a girl? Huh, you Vensians really are de-evolving." The man flicked his cigarette into Laika's face just as the other two men closed in.

Laika lunged forward but the man threw out a punch. She managed to jerk her head side-ways to avoid the blow only to move right into the path of another punch. A meaty fist made contact with her temple which threw her into another punch, and another. Eventually she was throw up against the wall, directly under the light.

"We can make this a bit easier. Don't really need to be rough with you as long as you get the idea of what your boss intends to do, and you're willing to grease the wheels a little."

The man rubbed his fingers together.

"I don't have any mon-"

Laika barely got the words out when the lead enforcer punched her clean in the face, a sharp pain radiating from her nose as the back of her head smashed into the wall behind her. The other two enforcers began to punch, slamming closed hands into her chest to knock the wind out of her as they threw her to the ground. They were just beginning to kick Laika when a voice called out.

"My, my is this how gentlemen treat young ladies nowadays? You'll never win her heart with such uncouth behavior...only her wrath."

The three suited enforcers standing over Laika briefly froze as a female voice reached them. Slowly they looked over their shoulders to see a hunched over, hooded figure standing at the throat of the alleyway. Seeing the well covered but seemingly wizened figure allowed the men to relax, expressions of concern flashing into sneers.

"Keep your mouth shut, hag. We're on official corporate business. You haven't gotten to be as old as you are by being stupid, so be on your way." The lead enforcer warned, but a sharp peal of laughter briefly erupted out from underneath the stranger's hood as they hobbled forward.

"Old? Who said I was old? Its so very rude to assume a women's age you know. Keep acting like that and I might have to punish you..."

Laika remained on her knees and supported by one hand, clutching her face to stem the bleeding from her nose. The girl's eyes widened as recognized the voice.

Wordlessly the lead man glanced to the man to his left and nodded towards the figure as they continued to hobble towards them.

Striding forward, the man pulled a telescopic baton from his belt and deployed it with one swift motion of his arm. Running forward the enforcer raised his hand high above his hand and brought the baton down on the head of the cloaked figgure.

SLAM!

A sharp, heavy impact rang out up and down the alley as the lead man expected to hear.

Yet the sound was off. It wasn't metal striking flesh.

It was metal striking metal.

Looking up from the ground and down the alleyway, Laika saw an arm of sleek black nanocarbon had caught the weighted tip of the telescopic baton mid swing. The cloaked figure's hand closed tightly around the tip just as the Enforcer tried to pull his arm back, the black arm no so much as budging. Muscles straining, blood rushing to his face, the enforcer struggled to free his weapon as the black arm moved. Effortlessly it bent the the telescopic plasteel baton into a U-shape, the hooded figure's posture growing straighter and standing taller as they did so.

Releasing his weapon the enforcer tried to shove the figure away, but only succeeded in jostling them and knocking back their hood.

As soon as the enforcers saw the women's face their own went pallid.

Laika smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Standing there before the enforcer was a women with short, lustrous black hair. An orange eye stared out from beneath the shadow cast by her hair and beside it an orange compound optic eye-patch glowed. Her skin was smooth and fair, barely carrying the subtle signs of countless surgeries and recovered wounds.

"Captain...Captain Cathrida." Laika thought, her heart nearly skipping a beat.

"My my what's with that expression? A man like you should be thrilled to see such a beautiful women. Here, let me fix that look for you!!"

Dropping the bent baton the orange eyed women lunged her right arm forward.

Sharp fingers pierced the enforcer's face before he could so much as lean backwards.

With a mechanical strength the fingers broke the skin, drawing blood and pushing away the muscle beneath as they curled inwards.

Jerking her arm backwards there was a wet, disgusting tearing noise as the enforcer was released from the women's grip and dropped to the ground.

The lead enforcer and his comrade could only stare as their friend fell before the women bleeding from the mass of exposed muscle where his face had once been as physical shock muted any screams he might have made.

"Its awfully hypocritical to judge the appearance of others when you yourself are so...unimpressive looking."

Cathrida held up the bleeding, torn away face of the enforcer before casually tossing it to the side where it wetly slapped against the side of a nearby trashcan.

As the women turned her almost glowing gaze to them both enforcer's sprung into action.

The lead enforcer dove a hand into his jacket, going for his shoulder holster as the other ripped a taser from his belt. Cathrida surged forward, her legs carrying her down the alley with frightening speed. She closed in on the taser wielding enforcer as the lead enforcer raised his pistol and took aim for her head.

Finger tightening around the trigger the man was ready to fire when Laika rose up, and thrust a close fist up between the man's legs.

"AIGH!" The lead enforcer squealed in pain, nearly doubling over as the other enforcer thrust his taser at Cathrida as she ran up to him.

Swinging her arm up Cathrida struck the man's arm from below, deflecting his thrust over her shoulder and leaving his torso exposed.

CRACK CRACK!

Cathrida's black fists slammed into both sides of the man's ripcage, which broken beneath her blows like Popsicle sticks. Winded and disoriented by pain the man stumbled backwards as Cathrida raised her hands over he head and brought them down onto his.

There was an audible slam and another, far louder crack as the man was sent flying backwards into the nearby wall where he dropped to the ground and went limp.

Having briefly stunned the lead enforcer Laika pushed herself to her feet and kicked the man in the back, knocking him to the cold concrete and sending his pistol sailing from his grip. It clattered across the ground, briefly spinning until it stopped below the black shiny heeled boots of Cathrida.

Bending over the red cloaked women gingerly picked up the semi-automatic, straightening upwards only to frown as she looked at her hands.

Both arms of sleek black nano-carbon and a hard, red fibrous material were coated in blood which dripped onto the ground and threatened to run down her arms and stain her clothes.

"Hmph. Barely here fifteen minutes and I'm already disgusting. Venus really isn't conducive to clean leaving." Cathrida mused before she was all but tackled by Laika.

"Captain! Captain! I knew you'd come back, I always knew!"

Laika kept her arms wrapped around Cathrida's waist, pressing her face into the women's grey and red top as she failed to hold back her tears.

Amidst the filthy alley where to corpses lay Cathrida stood immobilized, her blood stained hands held up and away from the young girl clinging to her so tightly. For a moment the women stared down in unfamiliar surprise, her human eye wide. Slowly however she relaxed and a small, quiet smile came to her face.

"My, how my little cabin girl has grown..."

Cathrida was tempted to wrap her own arms around Laika, ignoring the blood, but as she looked over the girl's shoulder she saw the lead enforcer trying to crawl away.

Gently pushing Laika to the side Cathrida walked over, grabbing the back of the man's neck and lifting him off the ground. Effortlessly she threw him backwards, sending him crashing down at Laika's feet.

"This isn't the place for heart-warming reunions I'm afraid." Cathrida said, pulling the slide back on the semi-automatic pistol.

"We can't leave any witnesses right now, so show me that you haven't lost your touch."

Smiling Cathrida tossed the loaded gun at Laika. Reaching out she caught the pistol which felt all too natural in her hand. Checking the safety she aimed the gun down at the lead enforcer, who pushed himself up into a sitting position and clasped his hands.

"Please! Please just let me live! I won't tell anyone I swear!"

Laika stared down at the man, pistol aimed at his head. Her finger tightened around the trigger, her heart beginning to pick up in speed as she stared into his eyes.

But she didn't pull it. Relaxing her finger she stepped back, lowering the pistol to her side.

"Thank you! Tha-"

No sooner did the words leave the man's mouth did Laika's right foot swing up and smash into the man's throat. Pulling away, blood rushed from the man's jugular as Laika planted her foot back on the ground the blade in her boot retracting inwards. The man's hands went to his throat as he choked and gurgled, doubling over.

"Good girl, you remembered not to make undue noise." Cathrida said, practically beaming as Laika glared down at the lead enforcer as he drowned in his own blood.

"I am done letting people hurt me." Laika said coldly, her eyes locked onto the man who slowly died at her feet.

Cathrida's smile withered.

"Where's your 'uncle'?" Cathrida asked.

"Dead." Laika said, her voice growing quieter. "He died two years ago."

Silence fell over the alley as the three men lay still and strewn about the trash.

Wiping her hands off on one of the dead men's pants Cathrida walked up to Laika, who didn't lift her eyes from the body in front of her. Pulling her close she rested her head against Laika's and whispered.

"I didn't mean to leave you here for so long."

Still clutching the un-fired gun Laika hugged the women back, closing her eyes tightly.

"I'm just glad you're back."

Laika's voice cracked as she spoke and Cathrida swallowed hard. She allotted herself a few moments to stand with the girl before pulling back from her.

"We need to go." Cathrida stated firmly, glancing up and down the T-shaped back alley.

"We can catch up on the way. Do you know a place where we can lay low for a bit? Things are about to get hot around here, and not because of these three."

"There's a bar called the Grand. Zern avoid the place, only drunks and nice people go there--er our kind of 'nice'." Laika wiped at her face with her wrist, tucking her newly acquired pistol away into her jumpsuit as Cathrida nodded.

"Lead the way then, I think its time I made some fast friends..."

"Yes, captain!"

Nodding her head Cathrida pulled her hood over her head as the two slunk their way out of the alleyway and disappeared into the streets...