It had been dark for several hours, but the lights from the city and from the ship yards kept the Harpoon's exterior illuminated enough to see where one was going. Balva had dug up a spotlight from somewhere in the depths of the ship under which Iisska was currently working away on patching the re-entry plating. He had wanted to ask Sterling for money to run out and grab some parts before leaving the planet, but had found the droid's vaccant body after somebody had gotten to it and decided it would be better for both of them to just pretend he had never seen that. For now he could work around the lack of parts. Balva stayed with him engaging in chit-chat and aiding with the maintenance.
Visitors to the planet and city roamed the streets and dock still, some enjoying the nightlife, others just looking for a meal and a quiet place to rest. Iisska couldn't help but give passing glances to those who came close. Part of it was paranoia, part of it was just an interest in the comings and goings of people and part of it was being relieved to finally be somewhere that wasn't Courescant. In particular an old man and a few buddies sat outside his scrap shop at an old table, drinking smoking and gambling in relative silence with the occasional bout of laughter or story. These warmongers seemed to have some peace in them after all. He listened to Balva talk and recant unsavory and humorous tales about the Harpoon's crew. It wasn't enough to keep him from planning his eventual departure from them though.
After welding down the last major split in the plating he moved onto the thrusters to see what could be done. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone approaching the men at the scrap shop. They were silenced a bit and it became obvious the newcomer didn't belong. Her features were hidden under a hood but she was small and lithe and graceful. She moved up to the men and showed them a link-pad. There were hushed tones and shrugs and scratched heads as they looked through the info. Iisska squinted trying to get a better look. He couldn't be sure but he thought he recognized the uniform peeking out from under her cloak and the blurry shape of a gold sigil on her collar. Regardless she had to be an authority. One of the old men suddenly pointed toward the Harpoon and the woman's gaze turned on them.
"Hey, man," he hurried over to Balva and picked up the tools and materials trying to stay casual, "Bodge the last of that up and let's call it a night, eh?"
He slipped back inside, the anxiety and flight response still chewing away at his gut. He had to convince the others that it was time to leave or at least find a way to keep a lower profile if running wasn't an option. The Harpoon could at least make it off planet at this point. If only Sterling wasn't still out and... covered in graffiti... Iisska put away his work and reclined against a wall near the loading bay. There he drew his blaster turned the safety off and tried to keep his senses sharp for anybody coming too close.
The hooded woman ducked out of sight between a couple of dilapidated buildings and pulled a holovid from her cloak. It flickered to life as she dialed her contact. On the other end a mechanical voice answered her call.
"Commander Kalor," she demanded quietly.
There was a short silence followed by a gruff, "Kalor. What is it?"
There was no hologram to accompany it. It was just like him to hide from her.
"Commander, I've located the criminals who escaped from Courescant last night. Visual confirmation on the ship and one suspect," she said.
"Already? Good work. I'm sending a squad, but for now you are to stay clear and keep me informed. Maintain visual but do not under any circumstance engage them. Understood?"
"... If they--"
"Agent Quin," his tone was absolute, "Do you understand?"
"... Yes sir," she hissed.
"Good. I'll leave you to your work then," the link went dead.
She gripped the holovid in her hand tightly until her knuckles went white then swiftly pocketed the device. Her fingers came back clutching what looked like a very small and minimalist blaster. It almost looked more like a toy than anything that would be carried by an adult. She made her way back to the shipyard until she could see the fugitive vessel, but she stopped there. Staying low she aimed the little firearm at the ship and pulled the trigger. There was a tiny pop! but nothing more as a slug whistled out of the barrel. It flattened itself on the hull of the ship and stuck there tightly with four little prongs that snapped out of its sides and sunk into the metal. She retrieved her link-pad and after zipping through a few screens she found where the slug had already started to upload the location and various other data about its new host.
Now she had to endure a maddening wait. Vengeance was so strong in her blood she could taste it on her lips. Friends of hers had been on the patrol ships that had been destroyed. These monsters would not be getting away from her.
##
##--user Zenithar : Ouran --data-ascii @TransmissionsInquiry.dpd GDLN://local//received//new
*--Connected to GDLN
*--Connected to local (127.0.0.1) port ##HIDDEN## (#0)
*--Port auth granted user 'zen'
> POST /Received text transmissions
>AUTH: Basic ZnJ1ZDpmbGludHn0b25l
>HOST: localhost: (#0//Iridonia)
>ACCEPT: */* (#145.1.1//Dac)
>CONTENT: application/x-text-transmission-data-form-encoded-received
>GDLN/127.0.0.1 OK
[[
"To": {
"Zenithar" endUserID}
"Body":{
"Zen,
How are you doing? Pretty well, I'd assume. You do tend to go about in that happy, little, twisted, apathetic, careless way don't you? You self-absorbed, childish, asinine, loud-mouthed sociopath. In case you missed it, you single handedly ruined months of my work in mere days. I don't expect you to have noticed this time nor the other several times you have done so. This is you we're talking about after all. Since you have been so careless and destructive and inconsiderate I have no choice but to permanently kick you from our group and ban you from all further P&T sessions with us. If you love to play the game as much as you say you do then maybe this will teach you to pull your head out of your ass and actually learn to play it like a sentient being and not a half-dead slime-mold. Have a nice life.
-Merlai
P.S. Nobody cares about your stupid, drooling, ugly, mutt. Do yourself a favor and just shut up about the smelly bitch if you ever slither your way into another P&T group.}
]]
>CONTENT: //end
##
DemonTongue Member
Extra Terrestrial Cattle Rustler
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Finally the sights were lined up properly. Despite a bit of a color difference, the parts taken from the spare DT-57 were more than enough to erase the damage done to the original. He stood from the makeshift workbench he had put together, aimed at the doorway and narrowed his eyes. The problem now wasn't in the blaster or the repairs or his tweaks. His hands were shaking. His whole body was shaking and couldn't stop it. He clenched his jaw and started to squeeze the trigger, but quickly shoved the gun in its holster. It wouldn't leave his side again. Not on this ship. Not with Him around. Iisska stood still, taking a few deep breaths. There was work to do before they could go anywhere safely. He looked out the door of his modest quarters but didn't move. The blaster wasn't helping at all. There was nothing he or anybody could do against that bastard if he snapped. Nothing. It was hopeless. He shook his head and rubbed his temples. Work to do.
He picked up his tools and pulled a small data pad out of the bag. He fired up a blank file and left the room ready to compile what was sure to be a mile long to-do list. First things first: he had to check life support and and the hyperdrive. The two things most likely to murder them all. Wouldn't that be nice?
The Batarian captain paced back and forth muttering to himself nervously. His hand occasionally put pressure on a painful scorch across the side of his skull. One of his men sat nearby in the shade of a small rock formation groaning and dying slowly of a gut shot. Another stood next to him, a blaster in one hand and his other arm in a make-shift sling. Every few seconds the captain would look up at the horizon and scan the rest of the skies. He rubbed his head and wrung his hands and hissed and kicked small stones in the sand as they waited on the canyon ridge high above their decimated camp. In the distance a large black ship appeared. It was coming toward them at an alarming rate. The captain stopped his pacing immediately and backed up a few paces. In no time the shuttle was upon them. The noise was deafening and it spewed dust into the air as it landed before them. The engines wound down and quieted. The airlock hissed open and a ramp lowered to the ground. Six armed men in black battle armor and featureless, eyeless steel masks filed out of the ship in silence.
The Batarian captain bowed low, "My Lord!"
Out of the dark ship stepped a giant. The humanoid's feet fell heavy on the steel and crunched into the sand. He was at least eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerfully set body. He dressed in a very heavy, battle-worn, blackened set of armor that had been augmented by hydraulics and computers. He too was masked but had two very thin slits over where his eyes would be. The small openings revealed nothing. He wore a cloak and a shroud over his head and shoulders. He slowly and gracefully clasped his hands behind his back while staring at the captain.
"My Lord! There was an ambush! We could not have seen it coming! They were bounty hunters! Demons!" he hissed and pleaded, "I-- We-- With just a few more days and a few more men we could make up our loses! I swear it to you! Please forgive us!"
The captain continued to beg and prattle on and make excuses while the dark men and their leader watched in eerie breathless silence. The giant raised a gloved hand. The Batarian shut his mouth almost immediately.
"Where are the slaves? And your men?" his voice was deep, grinding and mechanical.
"They..." he glanced down into the canyon behind them, "The bounty hunters took the slaves that still lived. Aside from us three there are only corpses down there."
The leader got on his communicator and spoke quietly, "Send the shuttles," then he turned to his guards, "Collect the bodies. And be quick about it. They need to be frozen. Now."
The Batarian glanced around nervously as the giant stepped closer to him. He came within inches, towering over the slaver.
"Your entire operation was crushed by... bounty hunters? That is... upsetting. We will be taking what is left of the slaves. Along with the bodies of your men."
"Y-- yes. Yes! Take them! Please!" he somewhat chuckled, "And... and our payment? We did have a contract, My Lord."
There was a very long silence that left the Batarian squirming, he started talking again trying to make more excuses. It was several tense moments before he realized he could not see this horrible man breathing. His observation made his words trickle off into nonsense and quiet. There was a minuscule moment as the masked man looked at one of his guard who pulled a blaster and shot both of the captain's remaining men in the face without a word. In an instant the desperate slaver found himself high in the air, over the giant with a vice-like steel hand clamped around his neck. There was a pop as his trachea collapsed and his gasps turned into a sickening, breathy whistle. His thrashing stopped and his body went limp in less than a minute. He was dropped.
"This one as well," the man ordered before heading down into the canyon to oversee the losses.
Buried deep within the guts of the Harpoon Iisska was starting to feel calmer. Getting the ship safely space worthy had consumed him after an hour or two. His mind was absolutely drowning in the amount of repairs she needed. Any other technician would have told the crew to sell the ship for parts and start over. They would see the huge piece of scrap as a lost cause. He saw it as job security. But that was only if he could keep Zen off his back. His stomach rolled over at the thoughts. He tapped a loose coupling and instead of adding it to the to-do list he just tightened it on the spot. As far as he could tell that was it for the parts he could access from the inside of the ship... Now for the outside. The Togruta wriggled his way back up out of the access panel reading through the already huge data file he had written. He pulled himself up and sat on the floor taking a moment to save his progress. Then he felt a hot breath on the back of his head.
At first he jumped then froze when the growling started. Very, very slowly he turned to look over his shoulder. The growling was turning into a snarl and he found himself staring into the eyes of a not only hideous, but terrifying and furious creature. The tukata. Right.
"Heeyyy, girl," he groaned but smiled and tried to look calm. When he moved his hands upward, her snarling turned even more viscous and she snapped her teeth only inches from his neck. He stopped moving all together.
"Hokay, hhoookay. It's fine, I'm a friend. Not gonna hurt you or nothing. Promise," he said slowly through his teeth. She continued her growling and circled around to his side. He stopped looking her in the eye hoping that would help, but it made no difference. She continued sniffing him and bearing her teeth and tensing up ready to strike.
"M-- Mar-- Sterling!" Iisska called only as loud as he dared, "Trinity! Need a hand here..."
He picked up his tools and pulled a small data pad out of the bag. He fired up a blank file and left the room ready to compile what was sure to be a mile long to-do list. First things first: he had to check life support and and the hyperdrive. The two things most likely to murder them all. Wouldn't that be nice?
The Batarian captain paced back and forth muttering to himself nervously. His hand occasionally put pressure on a painful scorch across the side of his skull. One of his men sat nearby in the shade of a small rock formation groaning and dying slowly of a gut shot. Another stood next to him, a blaster in one hand and his other arm in a make-shift sling. Every few seconds the captain would look up at the horizon and scan the rest of the skies. He rubbed his head and wrung his hands and hissed and kicked small stones in the sand as they waited on the canyon ridge high above their decimated camp. In the distance a large black ship appeared. It was coming toward them at an alarming rate. The captain stopped his pacing immediately and backed up a few paces. In no time the shuttle was upon them. The noise was deafening and it spewed dust into the air as it landed before them. The engines wound down and quieted. The airlock hissed open and a ramp lowered to the ground. Six armed men in black battle armor and featureless, eyeless steel masks filed out of the ship in silence.
The Batarian captain bowed low, "My Lord!"
Out of the dark ship stepped a giant. The humanoid's feet fell heavy on the steel and crunched into the sand. He was at least eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerfully set body. He dressed in a very heavy, battle-worn, blackened set of armor that had been augmented by hydraulics and computers. He too was masked but had two very thin slits over where his eyes would be. The small openings revealed nothing. He wore a cloak and a shroud over his head and shoulders. He slowly and gracefully clasped his hands behind his back while staring at the captain.
"My Lord! There was an ambush! We could not have seen it coming! They were bounty hunters! Demons!" he hissed and pleaded, "I-- We-- With just a few more days and a few more men we could make up our loses! I swear it to you! Please forgive us!"
The captain continued to beg and prattle on and make excuses while the dark men and their leader watched in eerie breathless silence. The giant raised a gloved hand. The Batarian shut his mouth almost immediately.
"Where are the slaves? And your men?" his voice was deep, grinding and mechanical.
"They..." he glanced down into the canyon behind them, "The bounty hunters took the slaves that still lived. Aside from us three there are only corpses down there."
The leader got on his communicator and spoke quietly, "Send the shuttles," then he turned to his guards, "Collect the bodies. And be quick about it. They need to be frozen. Now."
The Batarian glanced around nervously as the giant stepped closer to him. He came within inches, towering over the slaver.
"Your entire operation was crushed by... bounty hunters? That is... upsetting. We will be taking what is left of the slaves. Along with the bodies of your men."
"Y-- yes. Yes! Take them! Please!" he somewhat chuckled, "And... and our payment? We did have a contract, My Lord."
There was a very long silence that left the Batarian squirming, he started talking again trying to make more excuses. It was several tense moments before he realized he could not see this horrible man breathing. His observation made his words trickle off into nonsense and quiet. There was a minuscule moment as the masked man looked at one of his guard who pulled a blaster and shot both of the captain's remaining men in the face without a word. In an instant the desperate slaver found himself high in the air, over the giant with a vice-like steel hand clamped around his neck. There was a pop as his trachea collapsed and his gasps turned into a sickening, breathy whistle. His thrashing stopped and his body went limp in less than a minute. He was dropped.
"This one as well," the man ordered before heading down into the canyon to oversee the losses.
Buried deep within the guts of the Harpoon Iisska was starting to feel calmer. Getting the ship safely space worthy had consumed him after an hour or two. His mind was absolutely drowning in the amount of repairs she needed. Any other technician would have told the crew to sell the ship for parts and start over. They would see the huge piece of scrap as a lost cause. He saw it as job security. But that was only if he could keep Zen off his back. His stomach rolled over at the thoughts. He tapped a loose coupling and instead of adding it to the to-do list he just tightened it on the spot. As far as he could tell that was it for the parts he could access from the inside of the ship... Now for the outside. The Togruta wriggled his way back up out of the access panel reading through the already huge data file he had written. He pulled himself up and sat on the floor taking a moment to save his progress. Then he felt a hot breath on the back of his head.
At first he jumped then froze when the growling started. Very, very slowly he turned to look over his shoulder. The growling was turning into a snarl and he found himself staring into the eyes of a not only hideous, but terrifying and furious creature. The tukata. Right.
"Heeyyy, girl," he groaned but smiled and tried to look calm. When he moved his hands upward, her snarling turned even more viscous and she snapped her teeth only inches from his neck. He stopped moving all together.
"Hokay, hhoookay. It's fine, I'm a friend. Not gonna hurt you or nothing. Promise," he said slowly through his teeth. She continued her growling and circled around to his side. He stopped looking her in the eye hoping that would help, but it made no difference. She continued sniffing him and bearing her teeth and tensing up ready to strike.
"M-- Mar-- Sterling!" Iisska called only as loud as he dared, "Trinity! Need a hand here..."
"Simple pleasures," Iisska tensed and muttered under his breath, "Right." He was still fuming at the sight. Even if they were pirates it felt wrong to leave them like this, but he did for Kifkae's sake.
She sat behind him on the speeder, clinging tightly to his waist. She was a tough little thing and hadn't complained much at all even with both legs broken and swollen. Even now he could feel her singing random notes and little made up tunes. A few times an old folk song or lullaby he recognized from childhood would slip in. Bile continued to rise in his throat and his knuckles had been white on the handlebars of the speeder the entire ride back to the city. He glared into the distance deep in thought. Finding the little girl alive was a blessing in far more ways than one.
Once back in town Iisska kept an eye out for the thugs they had stolen the speeders from, but he doubted they would see any more trouble from them. Good thing too. He was not in any sort of mood for that. Following Sterling's directions they arrived in the marketplace and neared a small shop. Kifkae started bouncing, grinning, pointing and talking while patting his back. She was talking so fast and excitedly he could barely get a response in. This was the place apparently. Careful of her wounds Iisska picked her up and put her on his shoulders again. They walked into the shop and he looked around to find another Togruta behind the counter. The man's eyes widened and he nearly jumped over the counter to get to them. Kifkae nearly dove off Iisska's shoulders to get to her father. He slowed her down to keep her from hurting herself further, but soon father and daughter were reunited in a tight hug. Despite the touching moment and a tiny smile that was forming on his face Iisska couldn't stand it and had to look away. He put his hands in his pockets and mumbled in Togruti.
<"Glad to help. She needs to get medical attention soon though.">
<"Wait!"> the main raised a hand and stood before switching to basic, "I promised your friend here a reward," he nodded to Sterling and walked to a display stand to retrieve the portable holo-projector. He handed the extremely expensive device over to Sterling like it was nothing. The smile still hadn't left his face and his daughter clung to him tightly and even managed a grin and a wave at the scary droid.
"Oh, thanks," Iisska said. He wanted to object but knew it wasn't his place. He gave one last glance at the pair before starting out the door. But he was stopped by a startled Kifkae yelling at him.
<"Hey! Don't leave!">
He looked over his shoulder and she motioned him over. When he got there she caught him around the neck and gave him an affectionate squeeze. He frowned, his brow furrowed and he tried to hide his face until he got his composure back.
<"Thanks, kid,"> he sighed, <"Good to see you safe, but we gotta go.">
She frowned but nodded, <"Come back and say hi,">
<"We'll see,"> he said.
"Hey," her father spoke in basic again, "You Ranna's boy?"
"... Yeah," he looked at the man through a narrowed gaze, "Why?"
"Heh, thought you looked familiar, but you were just tiny last I saw you. Your mom and I used to take out akul together. That woman's a beast. How's ol' scarface doing these days?"
Iisska sighed and slouched eager to get out of here but not about to leave in the middle of conversation, regardless of how unpleasant, "She died... probably six or seven years ago."
"Oh... Sorry to hear that."
He shrugged, "Wasn't without a fight, I hear. Dad's still kickin' around though," Iisska turned his attention toward Sterling again and nodded, "It was good to meet you... again, I guess. But we should really get going. Thanks for everything, and good luck with your shop," he nodded to the man and smiled at Kifkae before leaving. His mood was only souring.
Zen was waiting for them at the Harpoon. Iisska parked his speeder by the airlock, hopefully there would be a place to store them in the ship so they could have them on hand later.
"Hey, Zen, we got your rifle back," the Togruta said with an unsettling smile as he walked toward him, "So there was no need to butcher women and children back there, but hey, must have had fun right?" As soon as Iisska was in range the smile turned to a glare and slammed his fist into the bastard's face with enough force to make himself stagger.
She sat behind him on the speeder, clinging tightly to his waist. She was a tough little thing and hadn't complained much at all even with both legs broken and swollen. Even now he could feel her singing random notes and little made up tunes. A few times an old folk song or lullaby he recognized from childhood would slip in. Bile continued to rise in his throat and his knuckles had been white on the handlebars of the speeder the entire ride back to the city. He glared into the distance deep in thought. Finding the little girl alive was a blessing in far more ways than one.
Once back in town Iisska kept an eye out for the thugs they had stolen the speeders from, but he doubted they would see any more trouble from them. Good thing too. He was not in any sort of mood for that. Following Sterling's directions they arrived in the marketplace and neared a small shop. Kifkae started bouncing, grinning, pointing and talking while patting his back. She was talking so fast and excitedly he could barely get a response in. This was the place apparently. Careful of her wounds Iisska picked her up and put her on his shoulders again. They walked into the shop and he looked around to find another Togruta behind the counter. The man's eyes widened and he nearly jumped over the counter to get to them. Kifkae nearly dove off Iisska's shoulders to get to her father. He slowed her down to keep her from hurting herself further, but soon father and daughter were reunited in a tight hug. Despite the touching moment and a tiny smile that was forming on his face Iisska couldn't stand it and had to look away. He put his hands in his pockets and mumbled in Togruti.
<"Glad to help. She needs to get medical attention soon though.">
<"Wait!"> the main raised a hand and stood before switching to basic, "I promised your friend here a reward," he nodded to Sterling and walked to a display stand to retrieve the portable holo-projector. He handed the extremely expensive device over to Sterling like it was nothing. The smile still hadn't left his face and his daughter clung to him tightly and even managed a grin and a wave at the scary droid.
"Oh, thanks," Iisska said. He wanted to object but knew it wasn't his place. He gave one last glance at the pair before starting out the door. But he was stopped by a startled Kifkae yelling at him.
<"Hey! Don't leave!">
He looked over his shoulder and she motioned him over. When he got there she caught him around the neck and gave him an affectionate squeeze. He frowned, his brow furrowed and he tried to hide his face until he got his composure back.
<"Thanks, kid,"> he sighed, <"Good to see you safe, but we gotta go.">
She frowned but nodded, <"Come back and say hi,">
<"We'll see,"> he said.
"Hey," her father spoke in basic again, "You Ranna's boy?"
"... Yeah," he looked at the man through a narrowed gaze, "Why?"
"Heh, thought you looked familiar, but you were just tiny last I saw you. Your mom and I used to take out akul together. That woman's a beast. How's ol' scarface doing these days?"
Iisska sighed and slouched eager to get out of here but not about to leave in the middle of conversation, regardless of how unpleasant, "She died... probably six or seven years ago."
"Oh... Sorry to hear that."
He shrugged, "Wasn't without a fight, I hear. Dad's still kickin' around though," Iisska turned his attention toward Sterling again and nodded, "It was good to meet you... again, I guess. But we should really get going. Thanks for everything, and good luck with your shop," he nodded to the man and smiled at Kifkae before leaving. His mood was only souring.
Zen was waiting for them at the Harpoon. Iisska parked his speeder by the airlock, hopefully there would be a place to store them in the ship so they could have them on hand later.
"Hey, Zen, we got your rifle back," the Togruta said with an unsettling smile as he walked toward him, "So there was no need to butcher women and children back there, but hey, must have had fun right?" As soon as Iisska was in range the smile turned to a glare and slammed his fist into the bastard's face with enough force to make himself stagger.
Hey better late than never :b
I'll be working on some stuff after I get through some chores and things today.
Edit/Life update: After getting fired last month I've been working at a new job for a few weeks and still adjusting to a new schedule and sleep pattern. Been pretty damn tired and sore, but I'm gonna try to be way more active here and start seeking out some new players.
I'll be working on some stuff after I get through some chores and things today.
Edit/Life update: After getting fired last month I've been working at a new job for a few weeks and still adjusting to a new schedule and sleep pattern. Been pretty damn tired and sore, but I'm gonna try to be way more active here and start seeking out some new players.
Aurora had been put far behind them by the time the sun set. Both were more than happy about that. Gabe had left immediately, taking the satchel and the large red gem with him. The journey to the Dead Zone and back would give him several days to think and the others to rest. He noted that the wind whipping past him was slowing. Boulder started grumbling, pulling his wings in and losing altitude as he became tired. Unfortunately they were over a thick forest with no clearings in sight. Gabe sighed, feeling bad for putting him through this flight again.
"Need to keep goin' a little more, bud. No place to land here," Gabe patted the dragon's side and nervously clenched with his knees.
But still Boulder continued to drop. The tops of the pines were coming within a dozen feet of his belly.
"Hey, what're you doin'? Pull up!"
The first tree snapped against his stony hide. He tucked his wings in tightly and spread his talons ready for a rough landing.
"Ah, dammit!"
Sitting next to the fire and tending to his bumps and scrapes, Gabe looked up at the jagged dragon-sized gash that had been torn through the forest canopy. It lead downward into a long stretch of torn up earth and ended in a deep pit and a tall mound of dirt and branches. Boulder had padded it down and nestled into it like a bed, rather proud of his accidental creation. However, making it resulted in his irritated rider being thrown several yards into the trees. He was considering the training Anna had suggested but, how does one train a dragon anyway? Did he even really need such a thing? With a sigh he stood up and moved to slump down against Boulder's belly and rubbed it for a second. The dragon didn't move but made a deep thumping in his chest like purring.
It took all of the next day and part of the one after that to reach the dead zone. Finally they were flying over the island where this whole mess had started. They swept in low far from where he remembered the camp of prisoners being. However, he couldn't for the life of him remember where the river was nor did he know how to get to this mysterious cave from there, but Boulder seemed to know exactly where they were going.
He landed in the shallows of the river as smoothly as his huge body would allow, placing them directly in front of the opening in the damp rock face. Gabe felt chills running down his spine as he stepped into this place. It almost felt as if the atmosphere itself was trying to repulse him. The deeper he went the worse it got. By the time he reached the pedestal and the door at the end he was well ready to be far far away. A cursory glance at the doorway and he knew exactly what to do. He reached into the satchel and pulled out the large star gem. Actually touching the thing made him uncomfortable. Quickly he reached up and put it into place in it's slot above. It slid in easily and had a seem-less fit with the stone around it. After getting it set Gabe tried to wriggle it around to make sure it was secure. It didn't budge what-so-ever. With that it was time to leave again. He stepped back slowly, still looking at the door and was startled by a viscous roar that echoed up the tunnel behind him.
Gabe sprinted blindly out of the caves and into the sunlight. Boulder was gone. A patch of trees by the river was on fire. A large swatch of trunks stood where their tops had been melted off in an upward slice. Covered in a foul, caustic slime they steadily continued to dissolve. Gabe looked around frantically before more screeching and roaring up above got his attention. Three dragons tore through the sky above. Boulder trying to outrun two smaller, sleeker creatures who mercilessly blasted him with flames and raked at him with their talons whenever they were close. They dropped below the tree-line with a loud crash and more roaring and screaming. Gabe bolted through the trees.
Just before he reached them he pulled his sword only to hit the switch and remember that it wouldn't work here. He leaped off a large rock and into mess of shredded ground and splintered wood where they were fighting. Boulder was back in his element on the ground, spitting acid, bearing his teeth and keeping his neck, wings and stomach tucked. The other two came down on top of him regardless of their own well-being. For a second he froze, not sure how to stop this horror. Then one of the beasts, a large red snapped his gaze over to him and snarled. Its eyes were unfocused and crazed with pupils dilated to no more than thin lines. It bounded up over Boulder and its partner and charged at him. Gabe couldn't move out of the way. It caught him around the torso with a massive claw and slammed him into the ground, pinning him in place, broken and breathless. He put both hands on the dragon's scaly flesh. It opened its mouth, sucking air and beginning to drool flammable liquids. Then it froze perfectly in place like a statue save for quivering and shuddering that ran through its body.
"Don't... fight us," Gabe managed to spit through his teeth.
The red's snout darted down a few inches before being stopped dead in place once more.
"S-stop..." he gasped for breath and begged, "I don't want this."
Again its head snapped down and froze, chemicals now pouring out of its mouth as it continued to try and spit flame. The air was no longer flowing either, its lungs had stopped. Suddenly the dragon's head flipped violently to the side and the shuddering and twitching grew erratic and more wild. Sickening, fluid, gurgling came from its throat first. Then its eyes glazed over, fogged and became dull gray orbs. The drooling from its mouth became tinged pink, then red, then was replaced with a heavy flow of blood. Dark red, nearly black, streams sputtered out of its nostrils, ears and eyes next as the seizures continued. Next spots of flesh opened, festered and oozed as wide sores. The once magnificent creature was helpless as its blood boiled out of its veins and pooled in the dirt. In moments it was dead. Gabe released it and it crumpled heavily to the ground.
Boulder thrashed and tried to claw his foe across the face with a desperate blow. The copper dragon snapped out at him in time to catch a wing in its mouth and started ruthlessly throwing its head back and forth, shredding the tender membranes in its teeth. A long, red, crystalline spike pierced through its neck before liquefying out of existence. Enraged it wheeled off Boulder and writhed, swiping and biting at an enemy it had yet to locate. Another spike went through its clavicle and melted away like the first. Then it spotted Gabe, standing in the bloody mess from the first dragon, the liquid somehow running up his legs, torso and shoulders and down his arms to his hands where it collected into amorphous, shifting, lashing tendrils waiting to be shaped. The copper wasted no time in spitting its flames. With a smooth twist of the wrist one of the red tendrils under his control snapped out and crystallized, withstanding the flames and piercing through the dragon's mouth and through the back of its skull. The flames stopped and so did the chaos.
The mercenary dropped smothering the flames that clung to him. Fresh burns patched his skin. On his knees he struggled to breathe and wrapped an arm tightly around his torso. The blood under his control laced his body and began to sink into his flesh. More misted out from the two corpses and gathered in droplets on him. It was wrong. He felt sick. But it was necessary. Slowly the burns began to clear and stitch themselves together. There was a crackle and he winced and gasped as his ribs were forced back into place. The disgusting act continued until he was able to rise to his feet and was completely cleared of wounds. Like it had never happened. After, the remaining fluid was allowed to drip away.
He backed away from the corpses. Beautiful, legendary forms twisted and crushed and broken into a hideous mockery of their race. He wanted to vomit. Boulder thrashed and groaned behind him. No longer able to face what he had done he turned away and walked toward his friend. The rocky beast recoiled away when he reached his hands out. Boulder was covered in lacerations and burns and one wing hung limp at his side. Gabe stepped in again and tried to touch him but again he snapped back and this time hissed.
He sighed and hung his head, "Not gonna hurt you... A'right? I can fix ya' and if you want, when I'm done, you can take of an' leave me here. Gods know I deserve it."
Boulder was still and silent, eyeing the man cautiously and fearfully. Gabe sat down on the ground and scratched his head. It took several minutes but slowly Boulder limped over to him and nudged his shoulder with his under-bite and rumbled a sympathetic whine. Gabe smiled weakly, pulled out a pocket knife and pressed the blade into the palm of his other hand.
"This is gonna feel weird, bud, but you'll be good as new," he said while slicing through his flesh. Gabe placed the wounded palm on Boulder's neck and closed his eyes. The wounds and broken bones began to knit as he threaded his own life into the dragon.
Brooklyn strolled back to the inn with a few groceries, supplies and some spare parts she had scrounged up from the market in hand. Her eyes and the veiny red marks on her skin had cleared up, but the dark splotches on her hands and spine still remained. Any spare time she had the past several days were spent at Sebastian's side or trying to find errands to run or tasks for herself to do. Really anything to get away from SEV. She shuddered. Once she thought Sebastian was foul and rude and forward, but compared to that robot he was an absolute prince charming.
She entered the street that lead back to home base and looked down the other way toward the hanger and parking garage where they had left the dragons. A frown crossed her face and she wondered if she should go check on Aurora. Gabe might show up today too. He should have been quite some time ago if all he was doing was taking the star gem to the cave. She had grown worried, but the others seemed to think everything was fine. A tap on her shoulder startled her and she nearly dropped her bags and parcels.
"Ah!! What!? Hi! I'm sorry--" she stammered, "... Oh! You're back! I was starting to get... You don't look..."
The corner of the blond mercenary's mouth turned up slightly. He looked disheveled, pale, slightly thinner and had dark circles under his eyes. Brooklyn fooled around with her words trying to regain some tact, but there was no nice way to say it.
"You look really... bad," she finally said.
"Jus' tired," he shrugged, "Long flight an' everythin'... Ya' need help with any o' that?"
She smirked rolled her eyes, "So tough. Here take these. I was just on my way back. Anna has gotten a lot better since you were gone and Sebastian is well... He's being Sebastian. They'll be glad you're back. We're all kinda starting to go crazy just sitting around like this."
"Need to keep goin' a little more, bud. No place to land here," Gabe patted the dragon's side and nervously clenched with his knees.
But still Boulder continued to drop. The tops of the pines were coming within a dozen feet of his belly.
"Hey, what're you doin'? Pull up!"
The first tree snapped against his stony hide. He tucked his wings in tightly and spread his talons ready for a rough landing.
"Ah, dammit!"
Sitting next to the fire and tending to his bumps and scrapes, Gabe looked up at the jagged dragon-sized gash that had been torn through the forest canopy. It lead downward into a long stretch of torn up earth and ended in a deep pit and a tall mound of dirt and branches. Boulder had padded it down and nestled into it like a bed, rather proud of his accidental creation. However, making it resulted in his irritated rider being thrown several yards into the trees. He was considering the training Anna had suggested but, how does one train a dragon anyway? Did he even really need such a thing? With a sigh he stood up and moved to slump down against Boulder's belly and rubbed it for a second. The dragon didn't move but made a deep thumping in his chest like purring.
It took all of the next day and part of the one after that to reach the dead zone. Finally they were flying over the island where this whole mess had started. They swept in low far from where he remembered the camp of prisoners being. However, he couldn't for the life of him remember where the river was nor did he know how to get to this mysterious cave from there, but Boulder seemed to know exactly where they were going.
He landed in the shallows of the river as smoothly as his huge body would allow, placing them directly in front of the opening in the damp rock face. Gabe felt chills running down his spine as he stepped into this place. It almost felt as if the atmosphere itself was trying to repulse him. The deeper he went the worse it got. By the time he reached the pedestal and the door at the end he was well ready to be far far away. A cursory glance at the doorway and he knew exactly what to do. He reached into the satchel and pulled out the large star gem. Actually touching the thing made him uncomfortable. Quickly he reached up and put it into place in it's slot above. It slid in easily and had a seem-less fit with the stone around it. After getting it set Gabe tried to wriggle it around to make sure it was secure. It didn't budge what-so-ever. With that it was time to leave again. He stepped back slowly, still looking at the door and was startled by a viscous roar that echoed up the tunnel behind him.
Gabe sprinted blindly out of the caves and into the sunlight. Boulder was gone. A patch of trees by the river was on fire. A large swatch of trunks stood where their tops had been melted off in an upward slice. Covered in a foul, caustic slime they steadily continued to dissolve. Gabe looked around frantically before more screeching and roaring up above got his attention. Three dragons tore through the sky above. Boulder trying to outrun two smaller, sleeker creatures who mercilessly blasted him with flames and raked at him with their talons whenever they were close. They dropped below the tree-line with a loud crash and more roaring and screaming. Gabe bolted through the trees.
Just before he reached them he pulled his sword only to hit the switch and remember that it wouldn't work here. He leaped off a large rock and into mess of shredded ground and splintered wood where they were fighting. Boulder was back in his element on the ground, spitting acid, bearing his teeth and keeping his neck, wings and stomach tucked. The other two came down on top of him regardless of their own well-being. For a second he froze, not sure how to stop this horror. Then one of the beasts, a large red snapped his gaze over to him and snarled. Its eyes were unfocused and crazed with pupils dilated to no more than thin lines. It bounded up over Boulder and its partner and charged at him. Gabe couldn't move out of the way. It caught him around the torso with a massive claw and slammed him into the ground, pinning him in place, broken and breathless. He put both hands on the dragon's scaly flesh. It opened its mouth, sucking air and beginning to drool flammable liquids. Then it froze perfectly in place like a statue save for quivering and shuddering that ran through its body.
"Don't... fight us," Gabe managed to spit through his teeth.
The red's snout darted down a few inches before being stopped dead in place once more.
"S-stop..." he gasped for breath and begged, "I don't want this."
Again its head snapped down and froze, chemicals now pouring out of its mouth as it continued to try and spit flame. The air was no longer flowing either, its lungs had stopped. Suddenly the dragon's head flipped violently to the side and the shuddering and twitching grew erratic and more wild. Sickening, fluid, gurgling came from its throat first. Then its eyes glazed over, fogged and became dull gray orbs. The drooling from its mouth became tinged pink, then red, then was replaced with a heavy flow of blood. Dark red, nearly black, streams sputtered out of its nostrils, ears and eyes next as the seizures continued. Next spots of flesh opened, festered and oozed as wide sores. The once magnificent creature was helpless as its blood boiled out of its veins and pooled in the dirt. In moments it was dead. Gabe released it and it crumpled heavily to the ground.
Boulder thrashed and tried to claw his foe across the face with a desperate blow. The copper dragon snapped out at him in time to catch a wing in its mouth and started ruthlessly throwing its head back and forth, shredding the tender membranes in its teeth. A long, red, crystalline spike pierced through its neck before liquefying out of existence. Enraged it wheeled off Boulder and writhed, swiping and biting at an enemy it had yet to locate. Another spike went through its clavicle and melted away like the first. Then it spotted Gabe, standing in the bloody mess from the first dragon, the liquid somehow running up his legs, torso and shoulders and down his arms to his hands where it collected into amorphous, shifting, lashing tendrils waiting to be shaped. The copper wasted no time in spitting its flames. With a smooth twist of the wrist one of the red tendrils under his control snapped out and crystallized, withstanding the flames and piercing through the dragon's mouth and through the back of its skull. The flames stopped and so did the chaos.
The mercenary dropped smothering the flames that clung to him. Fresh burns patched his skin. On his knees he struggled to breathe and wrapped an arm tightly around his torso. The blood under his control laced his body and began to sink into his flesh. More misted out from the two corpses and gathered in droplets on him. It was wrong. He felt sick. But it was necessary. Slowly the burns began to clear and stitch themselves together. There was a crackle and he winced and gasped as his ribs were forced back into place. The disgusting act continued until he was able to rise to his feet and was completely cleared of wounds. Like it had never happened. After, the remaining fluid was allowed to drip away.
He backed away from the corpses. Beautiful, legendary forms twisted and crushed and broken into a hideous mockery of their race. He wanted to vomit. Boulder thrashed and groaned behind him. No longer able to face what he had done he turned away and walked toward his friend. The rocky beast recoiled away when he reached his hands out. Boulder was covered in lacerations and burns and one wing hung limp at his side. Gabe stepped in again and tried to touch him but again he snapped back and this time hissed.
He sighed and hung his head, "Not gonna hurt you... A'right? I can fix ya' and if you want, when I'm done, you can take of an' leave me here. Gods know I deserve it."
Boulder was still and silent, eyeing the man cautiously and fearfully. Gabe sat down on the ground and scratched his head. It took several minutes but slowly Boulder limped over to him and nudged his shoulder with his under-bite and rumbled a sympathetic whine. Gabe smiled weakly, pulled out a pocket knife and pressed the blade into the palm of his other hand.
"This is gonna feel weird, bud, but you'll be good as new," he said while slicing through his flesh. Gabe placed the wounded palm on Boulder's neck and closed his eyes. The wounds and broken bones began to knit as he threaded his own life into the dragon.
Brooklyn strolled back to the inn with a few groceries, supplies and some spare parts she had scrounged up from the market in hand. Her eyes and the veiny red marks on her skin had cleared up, but the dark splotches on her hands and spine still remained. Any spare time she had the past several days were spent at Sebastian's side or trying to find errands to run or tasks for herself to do. Really anything to get away from SEV. She shuddered. Once she thought Sebastian was foul and rude and forward, but compared to that robot he was an absolute prince charming.
She entered the street that lead back to home base and looked down the other way toward the hanger and parking garage where they had left the dragons. A frown crossed her face and she wondered if she should go check on Aurora. Gabe might show up today too. He should have been quite some time ago if all he was doing was taking the star gem to the cave. She had grown worried, but the others seemed to think everything was fine. A tap on her shoulder startled her and she nearly dropped her bags and parcels.
"Ah!! What!? Hi! I'm sorry--" she stammered, "... Oh! You're back! I was starting to get... You don't look..."
The corner of the blond mercenary's mouth turned up slightly. He looked disheveled, pale, slightly thinner and had dark circles under his eyes. Brooklyn fooled around with her words trying to regain some tact, but there was no nice way to say it.
"You look really... bad," she finally said.
"Jus' tired," he shrugged, "Long flight an' everythin'... Ya' need help with any o' that?"
She smirked rolled her eyes, "So tough. Here take these. I was just on my way back. Anna has gotten a lot better since you were gone and Sebastian is well... He's being Sebastian. They'll be glad you're back. We're all kinda starting to go crazy just sitting around like this."
All hail our glorious leader. Long live the Enclave.
*Swats Vash away with a rolled up newspaper.*
GranoxFirewind said
Meanwhile, Devon is just watching, clenching his fists in pure rage. Shits bad, but shooting our recruits to give the others a challenge, I don't think that shits training.
I guess that concern is why he's our medic. :)
Disclamer: Those ooc posts were sillyness and would never happen :b
Realistically now: Agreed that there's a limit to the brutality of the training here, but in that first post it never said Lucy just shot that girl for no reason or purely for the sake of the drill. Maybe she messed up pretty bad first and things just escalated. Our characters probably saw similar situations during training. Not supporting it from a moral stand, just saying it could happen.
Lucius Cypher said
Lucy (Likely) :"Oh yeah. I still need to send the recruits to take out the remaining recruits from the last exercise. I'd figure, hey, we all went through getting dunked in simulated FEV. I might as well step up the game by dumping the recruits in actual FEV. Turned most of them into super mutants. Who'd a thought an Eagle Claw member would have succumbed to radioactive sludge? No one does. That's because a real Eagle Claw member would never get turned from getting dunked into FEV. Those who do aren't worthy of the title. QED."
Tristan: Walks into his bunk only to find a bouncing baby supermutant trashing the place. "Oh for the love of..." Shoots it. "Really, Lucy!? This crap again!? Just look at the mess I'll totally be making one of the non-mutated recruits clean up!"
Lucius Cypher said
Lucy has a way of bringing people together.
Lucy (maybe): "...I'm not going to tell them about the other five trainees still out there running laps in the storm with an angry robot behind them. Want to see some drama in the morning."
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