2 hours ago - Galactic Bazaar Docks
It was faint, very faint, but the sound of a spray can could be heard if someone was close enough to the cargo hold of the Xuanxang, the metallic smell of faint spray paint lingering in the air, and for those on the bridge, if they looked at a good enough angle through the cockpit window, would be able to see a thin black mist the outline of someone near the ship's hull.
It seemed that while Amy and Iris were dealing with their sleepover, and Samuel and Tarak were training to fight, someone quietly entered the dock where their ship landed, borrowed a ladder and walked up it with an etching sticker on one hand, and a can of spray black spray paint on the other.
He was an odd one, seemed to stick out like a sore thumb by the looks of the jean jacket over a fancy cotton shirt, the beige leather pants, and some dusty but elegant blue shoes. His skin was tanned a nice brown to match his gelled back hair, and his eyes were covered by golden-tinted sunglasses. The very look of him screamed of a sense of elegance, almost to a point of being outright gaudy.
It seemed he wasn't alone either. At the bottom of the ladder was a girl, looking about 17-19, give or take. A fair caucasian skin with long red hair to match her equally red eyes, brimming with this child-like glow to it. Whereas the man up top looked like he was a rich nobleman, she looked almost the opposite, wearing dirty clothes with a multitude of patchwork done to it, as if she was the daughter of a beggar on the streets.
Seems these two were spray-painting something on the Xuanxang, with the man doing the actual painting while dropping cans he no longer needed, and the girl below catching each one...sometimes with her head.
"
Heeey, Are you done yet?" The girl asked annoyed, as if she was on some boring trip.
"
Almost, little one. One should not rush perfection." The man responded, a hispanic accent rolling off the tongue.
"
...'Perfection', you're painting over a sticker with holes, truly you're the next Picasso."
"
'Ey, Boss wants it to really show itself and you can't do that with something as static as using one color." The man responded, tossing the last spray can for the girl to catch and peeling off the stick to show off the design he painted on the Xuanxang: A rather colorful, if not a little tacky moon with a small laser shooting outward, and the word "Moonstrike" under it.
"
Not bad if I do say so myself, Might have been made better if I had the time and better tools to work with, but I'd say I did the best with what I had." The man said as he climbed down the ladder to meet up with the girl.
Natasha was no fool, although she was no genius either. With valuable cargo (coughRealistcough) in the crew’s hands, as well as the rather hasty attack on Ascendancy Stock Markets, she knew that someone had to watch the ship itself just in case danger approached. And someone spray-painting a signal of their true allegiances to a rebel organization was a clear and present danger. That was why she had activated her ship’s surveillance cameras, part of an anti-theft security system installed on almost every ship (and every car, boat, and vehicle in this technological age).
Her next move was to send a direct message to Moonstrike One using her emergency comm with a recording of the entire event attached as a file to the text, asking:
Are these your folk? They seem to know.Then once Natasha was done, she made sure her armor and weapons were ready, then made sure to go out to meet ‘The Chad’ and ‘The Beggar’, her names for this strange couple. After clearing her throat to get their attention, the ship Captain said, “What are you guys doing with my ship? You do realize that vandalism is a crime here, right?”
Best to not bring up the fact that they know she’s Moonstrike yet.
In any ordinary circumstance of vandalism, the owner coming out to give them a lecture and more was a good time for them to run for the hills. She even had weapons and armor on her like she was about to go to war with them to boot. She seemed a bit overprotective...but the man couldn’t deny liking that kind of thing in a woman as he turned to Natasha, extending his arms in grace.
“
And the lovely Senorita graces us with her presence. Would I be right in assuming you're the Capitana of this beautiful vessel?‘ The man asked her, a charmed smile on his face, his eyes blocked from view thanks to the tint and reflective shine of his sunglasses. The girl beside him looked at Natasha and pointed at herself with a bubbly smile, as if to say “Who, me?”
“
I wouldn’t go so far as to call it Vandalism; more like a painting a badge or medal to show you officially as one of us. Boss heard word of your success, and that attack on the stocks, a pretty gutsy way to go above and beyond in the name of a greater call for freedom. Apologies for coming uninvited though, Moonstrike’s pressed for time, and Ascendancy eyes are always watching. Can’t afford to waste much time waiting for your approval on the matter and risk the lot of us. Besides, it would have been nice as a harmless little surprise from us to you.” The man explained, calmly and suave, a smile on his face as he spoke. To say he has charisma may be a bit of a stretch, but it’s at least clear that he’s had this kind of talk before, simply by how comfortable he seemed explaining himself to Natasha.
“If you want to give a medal, mail it to us,” Natasha was having none of it. “Don’t make us incapable of any more covert missions. Or is open war about to start early?”
Obviously, it wasn’t. Obviously, they weren’t Moonstrike. But nor were they Ascendancy, otherwise this entire matter would have come to blows by now. So did it mean that some other group was involving themselves in their matters? Her head hurt - It should be one of the kids who should be investigating, but they’re currently busy making trouble in the Bazaar. Nevertheless, the Captain waited for their answers to her question.
Common sense and some sass to boot, he hasn’t been around her for even a minute yet, and he already liked this one. He couldn’t help but to resist a chuckle when she mentioned mailing in a medal.
“
Mail? In this kind of environment where the Ascendancy’s even trying to hound on private lines? I prefer a more physical and direct approach to things. Aside from that, I must say, the fact you managed to pull off covert operations on a beautifully noticeable ship such as this is in itself quite a miracle. But you did gain quite a sum from that stock escapade in question, Si? Surely you can buy yourself something to cover it up when necessary, I happen to know a good place outside the Bazaar near the middle rim of the system that can give you a nice stealth covering for a decent price. Just slap it on, switch it on and off whenever you need it, and problem solved.” The man said, walking in front of the graffiti he made and throwing his arms up towards the air as if eccentrically showing where to put whatever he was talking about.
“
So much for Artistic Integrity, eh, Picasso?” The girl spoke up, a cat-like smile across her face as she smugly looked at him.
“
Quiet you.” He simply and calmly said in response, to which the girl gave a small chuckle of her own.
“Well, yes,” Natasha said, “Or I can just paint it over with the type of paint which can be chipped off to reveal the original design underneath.”
She paused and glared at them and said, “By the way, if you two really are Moonstrike, you must know the secret passwords, right? Or the Moonstrike secret handshake?”
Okay, that last one was a bit mocking. But Natasha was curious to see how far this charade would go.
The man had no retort for her when she suggested the cheaper option of easy-to-remove paint. Seemed like something that’d be a pain to work with, but hey, some people like the challenge sometimes, and he could only shrug in that respect. He then heard her essentially wanting proof of his loyalties via a password and handshake.
“
Heh, lindo… New Moon’s Secrecy; Full Moon’s Light, and let me just add that you positively radiate with both, Capitana.” The man said, winking to her as he smiled.
Unbeknownst to the two of them, a shard of glass from above began falling towards Natasha’s at a speed of which would leave a cut wound.
Natasha blinked as she said, “How do you two know that -”
Before the shard of glass cut through her shoulder pad, causing her to scream, almost screech. Whirling around to look at them, she said as she searched her belt for a med-kit but found none, “What was that? It could have been an accident, but if you know what people I serve, you also know that there are few coincidences in my line of work.”
She then seized on the excuse to go back to the ship, to confer with Moonstrike One once the latter had received her message, “I have to go to my ship’s medbay, sorry about this.”
"
Ooof, You alright there, Capitana?“ The man said concerned, cringing the moment he saw the glass hit her shoulder. He then looked up as if trying to figure out where that shard came from.
“
I swear, they really do need to get around to fixing up these docks, they seem like they get worse every time we come here.” He then said, essentially thinking aloud. When Natasha was about to head back into the ship, the girl suddenly chimed in, running towards Natasha.
“
Oh you don’t have to do that.” She cheerfully said.
“
No, I’m pretty sure she does.” The girl ignored the man’s words as she grabbed a bit of white cloth from a pocket, licked it, and then attempted to plaster it onto the wound as if it’ll stick...which it clearly wasn’t. As soon as he saw that, he immediately grabbed her and pulled her away from Natasha, the cloth with her.
“
No, Bad Xis, that’s a bad, bad Xis.” He said, as he successfully pulled her away from Natasha.
“
Apologies, Capitana, I can’t imagine that was comfortable. Try not to hold it against her, she’s from a really backwater planet far into the Outer Rim, and hasn’t quite nailed down the societal rules as of yet.” He told her, the girl still having a cheerfully innocent smile as if she was playing a game, much to his annoyance.
“
Ah yes, how I know the password. I would think it obvious; I got it from the boss. That aside, I did my job, and it’s clear we’ve overstayed our welcome, so you go get that patched up and we’ll take our leave. I do hope we’ll have a chance to meet again. Adiós, Capitana. ” The man said, carrying the girl under his shoulder as he left, the girl - Xis he called her - not seeming to mind.
Xis, probably a fake name, thought Natasha.
Well, time to check with Moonstrike One after getting this wound treated - Is Dr. Millard still in the crew, by the way?She also uncharitably thought that the girl might have infected the wound with something. Either way, time to come back to the ship...
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