Tia just entered the hanger to find out who tried to blow up the ship.
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The Dimensional Drifter
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Heh heh, just added to the list.
Wonderful. Just wonderful. That was what was going through Tia’s mind as she examined the ship sitting before her. Not only is my employer dead, but I am now part owner of a ship that is probably worth more in its weight in scrap than anything else I could use it for. Really, why is this thing even still in service?
She was half-tempted to just walk away. Since Luzami was dead, and she hadn’t actually done anything yet, the contract was essentially void. There was virtually nothing keeping her here, and no reason to set foot aboard a ship whose flight-worthiness was in serious question.
And yet, she picked up her bag, slung it into one of the cabins, made sure to lock it behind her, and made her way to the bridge. When she had last actually spoken to Luzami, he had mentioned that he already had some jobs lined up for them. Since she was already here, she might as well at least see what kind of worked they needed. Furthermore, since they apparently needed to vacate their docking pad, it would be a good idea to stay on-board until the issue of ownership could be resolved.
The booming music coming from the hanger, loud enough to set the corridor walls rattling, made her wince. Great, one of those engineers. She was thankful that her visor unit included earpieces. It also turned her thoughts to the rest of her possible crewmates. Five Humans of what were likely various backgrounds, four Turians with what were likely at least military grade training, a Drell, another Asari, a Quarian, a Vorcha, a Krogan, and a Batarian. Certainly one of the more eclectic crews that she had been a part of. The one blaring the music was probably one of the human females, she had seen one of them stay in the hanger. The Krogan was likely another hired gun; whether or not he’d be an asset or a liability would depend on his temperament. The Vorcha was equally uncertain; if he was trained, then he’d be worth his weight in credits, otherwise he would most likely end up being a nuisance.
She paused when she spied him examining the corridors. Definitely trained, his movements were too purposeful just to be wandering around. Tia had made similar walkthroughs herself. Good to know.
By far the most interesting member of the crew, to her at least, was the Batarian. If she had to guess from the way they carried themselves, at least half of the humans were probably former military, and after Mindoir neither race was able to get along in any meaningful way. Even among the gangs of Omega, it was rare to find Humans and Batarians working together in significant numbers. While it was doubtful that he had been involved in the attack, he didn’t carry himself like a pirate, it was still a grenade just waiting to go off. His neck tattoo was also interesting. It had taken her a few minutes to place it from a distance, but she was fairly certain that it was the Blue Suns emblem. It also looked like he had tried to get it removed and did a rather poor job of it. Likely a former member then. It didn’t matter much to her, in fact she had a certain amount of respect for her former gang rivals. Of course, most of her interactions with them had involved gunfire, but that was beside the point. If the Eclipse could be considered professional, then the Blue Suns were rigid to the point of unyielding. She had also worked a couple of jobs for them, and they could at least be mostly relied upon to make payment.
Yes, it would definitely be worth keeping an eye on him, if only to make sure he didn’t get anyone, or himself, killed. As for the rest, there was nothing noteworthy. The Drell and the Turians she’d have to figure out individually, and while it wasn’t often one saw a Quarian, she was also an unknown. The Asari looked young enough to still be in her maiden stage like herself, but she also seemed like she had military experience. First, however, Tia had to decide whether or not any of this was going to be her problem.
Two of the Turians were already in the bridge when finally found her way there, a male lounging in the navigator’s seat, and a female taking the ship up into low orbit. A pity that they had to vacate the docking pad so quickly, but if the condition of his ship was any indication, then Tia really wasn’t surprised. It was looking doubtful that, even had Luzami still been alive he wouldn’t have had the money to keep them paid.
Not acknowledging either of her companions on the bridge, Tia settled into the captain’s chair. It did not particularly concern her what they thought of it. She was in the middle of trying to access Luzami’s files when an explosion rattled the consoles. For a few seconds, Tia was silent, waiting. No alarms, which means no damage to the ship. Yet. She activated her omni-tool, calling up a simple clock function. Huh. Took almost half an hour. Already exceeding my expectations.
Arriving in the hanger, passing by the Quarian without a word, Tia surveyed the carnage. Two Human women and one Turian male. She ignored the Drell’s announcement about the weapons system, that was his problem, and she wasn’t expecting them to be in combat with anyone in the near future.
The shattered remains of a drone lay scattered across the floor, and the Turian and one of the Humans were conversing about something. Taking slow, measured steps into the hanger, Tia spoke. “So, who’s drone exploded, and who do I need to talk to to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
She was half-tempted to just walk away. Since Luzami was dead, and she hadn’t actually done anything yet, the contract was essentially void. There was virtually nothing keeping her here, and no reason to set foot aboard a ship whose flight-worthiness was in serious question.
And yet, she picked up her bag, slung it into one of the cabins, made sure to lock it behind her, and made her way to the bridge. When she had last actually spoken to Luzami, he had mentioned that he already had some jobs lined up for them. Since she was already here, she might as well at least see what kind of worked they needed. Furthermore, since they apparently needed to vacate their docking pad, it would be a good idea to stay on-board until the issue of ownership could be resolved.
The booming music coming from the hanger, loud enough to set the corridor walls rattling, made her wince. Great, one of those engineers. She was thankful that her visor unit included earpieces. It also turned her thoughts to the rest of her possible crewmates. Five Humans of what were likely various backgrounds, four Turians with what were likely at least military grade training, a Drell, another Asari, a Quarian, a Vorcha, a Krogan, and a Batarian. Certainly one of the more eclectic crews that she had been a part of. The one blaring the music was probably one of the human females, she had seen one of them stay in the hanger. The Krogan was likely another hired gun; whether or not he’d be an asset or a liability would depend on his temperament. The Vorcha was equally uncertain; if he was trained, then he’d be worth his weight in credits, otherwise he would most likely end up being a nuisance.
She paused when she spied him examining the corridors. Definitely trained, his movements were too purposeful just to be wandering around. Tia had made similar walkthroughs herself. Good to know.
By far the most interesting member of the crew, to her at least, was the Batarian. If she had to guess from the way they carried themselves, at least half of the humans were probably former military, and after Mindoir neither race was able to get along in any meaningful way. Even among the gangs of Omega, it was rare to find Humans and Batarians working together in significant numbers. While it was doubtful that he had been involved in the attack, he didn’t carry himself like a pirate, it was still a grenade just waiting to go off. His neck tattoo was also interesting. It had taken her a few minutes to place it from a distance, but she was fairly certain that it was the Blue Suns emblem. It also looked like he had tried to get it removed and did a rather poor job of it. Likely a former member then. It didn’t matter much to her, in fact she had a certain amount of respect for her former gang rivals. Of course, most of her interactions with them had involved gunfire, but that was beside the point. If the Eclipse could be considered professional, then the Blue Suns were rigid to the point of unyielding. She had also worked a couple of jobs for them, and they could at least be mostly relied upon to make payment.
Yes, it would definitely be worth keeping an eye on him, if only to make sure he didn’t get anyone, or himself, killed. As for the rest, there was nothing noteworthy. The Drell and the Turians she’d have to figure out individually, and while it wasn’t often one saw a Quarian, she was also an unknown. The Asari looked young enough to still be in her maiden stage like herself, but she also seemed like she had military experience. First, however, Tia had to decide whether or not any of this was going to be her problem.
Two of the Turians were already in the bridge when finally found her way there, a male lounging in the navigator’s seat, and a female taking the ship up into low orbit. A pity that they had to vacate the docking pad so quickly, but if the condition of his ship was any indication, then Tia really wasn’t surprised. It was looking doubtful that, even had Luzami still been alive he wouldn’t have had the money to keep them paid.
Not acknowledging either of her companions on the bridge, Tia settled into the captain’s chair. It did not particularly concern her what they thought of it. She was in the middle of trying to access Luzami’s files when an explosion rattled the consoles. For a few seconds, Tia was silent, waiting. No alarms, which means no damage to the ship. Yet. She activated her omni-tool, calling up a simple clock function. Huh. Took almost half an hour. Already exceeding my expectations.
Arriving in the hanger, passing by the Quarian without a word, Tia surveyed the carnage. Two Human women and one Turian male. She ignored the Drell’s announcement about the weapons system, that was his problem, and she wasn’t expecting them to be in combat with anyone in the near future.
The shattered remains of a drone lay scattered across the floor, and the Turian and one of the Humans were conversing about something. Taking slow, measured steps into the hanger, Tia spoke. “So, who’s drone exploded, and who do I need to talk to to make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
@Zanavy Rebeca will not be in the parade, however she will be watching.
Name: Ceisstia “Tia” V’dore
Race: Asari
Sex: mono
Age: 179
Class: Vanguard, security, weapons tech. She also has some first aid skills and rudimentary piloting experience with transports and single-person craft.
Appearance: Tia stands at around 5’8”, with dark bluish-violet skin and dark blue eyes. She has a rather slim, muscular build, appropriate for the amount of training and combat practice she does. The second head crest on her left side is missing a third of its length. Her facial markings are very short and narrow, save for where they extend along her head crests. She has numerous knife and bullet scars across her body. Her armour is decorated dark purple, with certain pieces bearing patch marks, dents, and scars. She almost always wears at least one piece of it, usually the breastplate and shoulderplates. Her visor unit is never removed.
Background: Ceisstia was born on Omega, the daughter of a club dancer, however she bears very little memory of her. During a turf war between the Blood Pack and another gang, a stray missile struck their apartment, and Tia’s mother was killed. It was this same event that damaged Tia’s headcrest.
Afterwards, Tia was essentially adopted by a Turian named Matius Ruflin, a disgraced former captain who had deserted after a poor tactical decision resulted in his unit being annihilated by pirates. Matius and Tia’s mother had had a quite cordial relationship, and Matius saw Tia as his chance at redemption, by teaching her the codes of honour that he had failed to live by.
Under Matius’s tutelage, Tia became proficient in marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, as Matius recognized that Omega could be a very dangerous place for someone who was not capable of defending themselves. The combat philosophy that she developed was one of brutal efficiency and pragmatism, taking down enemies in a short period of time without giving them any opportunity to recover, retaliate, or strike first. This relationship also drove the development of Tia’s biotics, using them primarily to supplement her skills as opposed to relying on them. Consequently, Tia’s biotic strength is only a little above the average Asari. By far the most formative lesson that Matius taught her was that of integrity. Tia’s word became her bond, and the idea of breaking it was anathema to her. It was not until much later, when her adoptive father lay on his death bed, that she learned how much of a hypocrite he was.
As many on Omega were known to do, after Matius's death Tia joined up with one of the mercenary gangs that controlled virtually every aspect of the station's life. In Tia's case, it would be the Eclipse who took her in. Over the course of her 115 years as a member, Tia has developed a reputation as someone who could always be relied upon to get the job done, with relatively few moral issues. She also became known as someone who would clear house, with zero tolerance for traitors and backstabbers, regardless of rank, position or skill set. This became apparent very early on in her career, while she was working security aboard a salarian freighter that was commonly used by the Eclipse for smuggling. The captain was discovered to be both overcharging the gang for fuel and supplies, as well as shortchanging his crew, so as to produce more profit for himself. When Tia demanded her pay in full, the captain attempted to cover his tracks by killing her. The confrontation ended with the captain's head splattered against the wall.
This was only the first of several such incidents; people who made the mistake of attempting to take advantage of her supposed naivety learned that having a sense of honour was not a weakness. This is not to say that these attempts have not left their mark. Most of her scars came from wounds left by those who decided they were better served with her out of the chain, and a botched treatment of one such injury cost her all feeling in three fingers on her left hand.
Ultimately, it was this dedication to honour, along with the Eclipse's habit of getting into feuds with the Blue Suns and Blood Pack, that caused Tia to leave; the few people she considered trustworthy were all too often killed by those who weren't. When she made the decision to leave, the bloody path she had left across their ranks made the gang decide that perhaps the wiser choice was to leave her be. The two came to an understanding: Eclipse would not come after Tia directly, and Tia would not return to Omega.
For the next 24 years, Tia primarily took on security contracts, retrieval bounties, and the occasional hit if the pay was enough. Those who hired her found that she treated contracts with the same level of respect as most species treated holy scripture. Tia always completed the job as it was agreed upon, payment was expected as agreed upon, and renegotiation was only accepted if there were unforeseen complications in the jobs completion. Employers also found that attempting to cheat Tia was unwise: she always came to collect, and even death would not keep her from getting what she was owed.
With the flood of contracts and hunts following the Skyllian Blitz, times have been good for Ceisstia, and she's developed a modest nest-egg for herself. No longer feeling inclined to accept high-risk contracts, she's turned her interests towards more secure, long-term work. And a newly posted security contract with a certain salarian smuggler looks just right to her.
Equipment: Executioner pistol, M-22 Eviscerator shotgun, M-96 Mattock heavy rifle, Incendiary grenades, medium armour with off-hand ammo packs, and a visor unit (a precursor to the Archon visor) that she acquired as payment for a job.
Powers: Pull, Throw, AP ammo, Disrupter ammo, Shredder ammo, technically Stasis, however using it requires concentration and cripples her combat ability
Colour: Flame, E25822
Race: Asari
Sex: mono
Age: 179
Class: Vanguard, security, weapons tech. She also has some first aid skills and rudimentary piloting experience with transports and single-person craft.
Appearance: Tia stands at around 5’8”, with dark bluish-violet skin and dark blue eyes. She has a rather slim, muscular build, appropriate for the amount of training and combat practice she does. The second head crest on her left side is missing a third of its length. Her facial markings are very short and narrow, save for where they extend along her head crests. She has numerous knife and bullet scars across her body. Her armour is decorated dark purple, with certain pieces bearing patch marks, dents, and scars. She almost always wears at least one piece of it, usually the breastplate and shoulderplates. Her visor unit is never removed.
Background: Ceisstia was born on Omega, the daughter of a club dancer, however she bears very little memory of her. During a turf war between the Blood Pack and another gang, a stray missile struck their apartment, and Tia’s mother was killed. It was this same event that damaged Tia’s headcrest.
Afterwards, Tia was essentially adopted by a Turian named Matius Ruflin, a disgraced former captain who had deserted after a poor tactical decision resulted in his unit being annihilated by pirates. Matius and Tia’s mother had had a quite cordial relationship, and Matius saw Tia as his chance at redemption, by teaching her the codes of honour that he had failed to live by.
Under Matius’s tutelage, Tia became proficient in marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, as Matius recognized that Omega could be a very dangerous place for someone who was not capable of defending themselves. The combat philosophy that she developed was one of brutal efficiency and pragmatism, taking down enemies in a short period of time without giving them any opportunity to recover, retaliate, or strike first. This relationship also drove the development of Tia’s biotics, using them primarily to supplement her skills as opposed to relying on them. Consequently, Tia’s biotic strength is only a little above the average Asari. By far the most formative lesson that Matius taught her was that of integrity. Tia’s word became her bond, and the idea of breaking it was anathema to her. It was not until much later, when her adoptive father lay on his death bed, that she learned how much of a hypocrite he was.
As many on Omega were known to do, after Matius's death Tia joined up with one of the mercenary gangs that controlled virtually every aspect of the station's life. In Tia's case, it would be the Eclipse who took her in. Over the course of her 115 years as a member, Tia has developed a reputation as someone who could always be relied upon to get the job done, with relatively few moral issues. She also became known as someone who would clear house, with zero tolerance for traitors and backstabbers, regardless of rank, position or skill set. This became apparent very early on in her career, while she was working security aboard a salarian freighter that was commonly used by the Eclipse for smuggling. The captain was discovered to be both overcharging the gang for fuel and supplies, as well as shortchanging his crew, so as to produce more profit for himself. When Tia demanded her pay in full, the captain attempted to cover his tracks by killing her. The confrontation ended with the captain's head splattered against the wall.
This was only the first of several such incidents; people who made the mistake of attempting to take advantage of her supposed naivety learned that having a sense of honour was not a weakness. This is not to say that these attempts have not left their mark. Most of her scars came from wounds left by those who decided they were better served with her out of the chain, and a botched treatment of one such injury cost her all feeling in three fingers on her left hand.
Ultimately, it was this dedication to honour, along with the Eclipse's habit of getting into feuds with the Blue Suns and Blood Pack, that caused Tia to leave; the few people she considered trustworthy were all too often killed by those who weren't. When she made the decision to leave, the bloody path she had left across their ranks made the gang decide that perhaps the wiser choice was to leave her be. The two came to an understanding: Eclipse would not come after Tia directly, and Tia would not return to Omega.
For the next 24 years, Tia primarily took on security contracts, retrieval bounties, and the occasional hit if the pay was enough. Those who hired her found that she treated contracts with the same level of respect as most species treated holy scripture. Tia always completed the job as it was agreed upon, payment was expected as agreed upon, and renegotiation was only accepted if there were unforeseen complications in the jobs completion. Employers also found that attempting to cheat Tia was unwise: she always came to collect, and even death would not keep her from getting what she was owed.
With the flood of contracts and hunts following the Skyllian Blitz, times have been good for Ceisstia, and she's developed a modest nest-egg for herself. No longer feeling inclined to accept high-risk contracts, she's turned her interests towards more secure, long-term work. And a newly posted security contract with a certain salarian smuggler looks just right to her.
Equipment: Executioner pistol, M-22 Eviscerator shotgun, M-96 Mattock heavy rifle, Incendiary grenades, medium armour with off-hand ammo packs, and a visor unit (a precursor to the Archon visor) that she acquired as payment for a job.
Powers: Pull, Throw, AP ammo, Disrupter ammo, Shredder ammo, technically Stasis, however using it requires concentration and cripples her combat ability
Colour: Flame, E25822
Alright, Rebeca is awake and active. If anyone in particular would like to interact with her, she can be encountered somewhere in the city. Otherwise, if neither @Ardent Dawn or @Sickle-cell mind, she'll pop in for some food.
By the time the sun finally breached the horizon, the final preparations for the parade were already well underway. As spectacular as the parade was sure to be, it paled in comparison to the frenzy of activity to ensure that everything went without complication: fixes for last minute mechanical failures, costume adjustments, instrument tunings, dance routine reviews, and the wrangling of wayward Pokemon into place. All of it had to be done before the final commitment, along with fervent prayers that nothing else would go wrong.
However, they were not the only ones that had risen early this day.
Up on a hilltop outside the city, Rebeca sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with slow, steady breaths. She didn’t know the precise amount of time she had been awake; the sky had turned a pale pink when she roused herself from fitful sleep. Arrayed on either side of her were Mihkail and Maya, though while Rebeca’s focus was turned inward, they simply watched as the sky burned with increasing passion. The air around the trio was significantly warmer than what it should have been at such an early hour, fueled by the heat waves that billowed from Rebeca’s mouth with each fall of her chest.
As Rebeca and her Pokemon walked alone down a quiet alley, snippets of conversation floated through the air. Many booths had just closed down for the night, but some remained open. Groudon's avatar happened to pass one with a rather loud salesperson.
"...sample lasts for two days," the perky woman explained to a potential customer, "but the full strength product lasts one month. Just one simple injection of Typgard, and Pokemon moves of your chosen type will have their damage reduced by seventy percent if they hit you. Perfect for trainers with young or mischievous Pokemon!"
Mihkail paused when he noticed Rebeca stop. Hmm? What is it?
Rebeca frowned, glancing in the direction of the open booth. What the hell is she talking about? Moving closer, she held her arms behind her back, concealing the markings on her arms as she listened.
"Cool!" the customer enthused. The young trainer grabbed the Pokeball on his belt and released a Treecko. "Do you have fire type? It would be great if Forrest could beat my sister's Torchic for once."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," the saleswoman clarified. "Typgard is meant for humans, to prevent injury from Pokemon moves. It can be harmful to Pokemon."
"Oh..." the boy sighed, disappointed. Forrest the Treecko seemed a little uneasy as it looked at the booth.
When the sun broke over the horizon, casting its rays across the landscape and bathing the hilltop in warm light, Mihkail nudged Rebeca’s arm and she opened her eyes. She smiled and ran her hand over the Spike Pokemon’s horn, then rose and dug into her backpack, pulling out a pair of gloves. Unlike the ones she had worn the day before, this pair appeared to have been crudely sewn together, made from thick Ursaring hide and had bulging pouches over the upper third of the fingers and across the backs of the knuckles.
Donning the gloves, Rebeca turned and flexed her fingers, then held out her hand. For moment, all was quiet, then a low rumbling sound broke the silence. The ground in front of her trembled and churned, until a thick granite pillar pierced the surface, nearly two feet thick and rising to head height.
Something that can protect people from Pokemon attacks? Rebeca's frown deepened, and she took a step forward, careful to keep her arms hidden. "How's it work? I would think it's impossible."
The saleswoman turned and directed her retail smile toward Rebeca.
"Typgard is a small, unobtrusive implant that detects when a Pokemon move is about to hit," she explained cheerfully. "Then, it projects a thin field, developed by analyzing the move Protect, around the person's skin."
Laying her head against the wall of the booth, she groaned quietly. This was going to give her a headache, she just knew it. "How can it do that? And wouldn't it break? Most times I've seen Protect fail after one or two hits."
The woman's perky smile faded to a puzzled look, then to a light frown.
"I'm afraid I'm not qualified to answer all the technical questions," she responded. "If you want to know more, you can try contacting the developers."
The woman handed Rebeca a white and blue business card. It featured the Typgard logo and the phone number of a Dr. Tony Henriksen.
Muted thumps filled the air as Rebeca punched the pillar over and over, her brow furrowed in concentration. They started as nothing more than gentle taps, then grew in force, but the pillar did not move. She added kicks to her attacks, striking at the pillar’s sides. At sharp gestures with her hands, large chunks of dirt became enveloped in silver light, compressing into stone, then flew into the air to shatter against the pillar. Fragments and shards split from its angular surface with each blow, and as the force and fury increased the pillar began to tremble.
A scream split the air, and the blonde-haired girl tore away from Rebeca’s embrace, slapping at her body. The grass beneath their feet was singed and scorched, and Rebeca stumbled backwards. Everything was just so warm, she felt like she should be sweating, but she wasn’t. She felt… energized.
Shouts of startlement and concern filled the air as a swarm of people gathered around. “What did you do!” cried an older woman, her own blonde hair streaked through with grey as her brown eyes gazed fearfully towards her.
Rebeca shook her head, trying to think clearly through the comforting warmth that filled her mind. “I… I don’t… I didn’t,” she stammered. Whispers erupted through the crowd as she looked down at the flames that still licked across her naked arms, trying to fathom the molten markings that burned in her skin.
“Let us through. Let us through!” The booming voice cut through warm haze, and Rebeca raised her head to the three people pushing through the crowd. The first was a burly-looking man with ragged brown hair and fierce blue eyes, the second a slender woman with long brown hair, and a Machoke bringing up the rear.
When they managed to reach the inner circle, they stopped and stared, the woman clapping her hand over her mouth. “Baby… how are you doing that?”
Rebeca bared her teeth in a snarl, an audible, animalistic growl issuing from her throat. White light enveloped her fists, and she lashed out at the pillar. A sharp crack split the air, and the top third of the pillar sheared away, tumbling down the hill to shatter against a tree.
You know, punching a rock can’t be good for your hands. You should use one of those punching bags most humans use.
For a moment, Rebeca simply stood there, panting. Then she grinned, chuckling a little as the light faded from her hands. This was a conversation they had had many times. Yeah, probably not. But I’m not lugging one of those things around on my back all day. My backpack’s enough.
Mihkail rumbled quietly, bending his head to allow Maya to scuttling onto his back. Maybe you should try one of those Gyms that we’ve seen.
Maybe. Rebeca sat back down next to her brother, pulling her gloves off and reaching up to caress Maya’s shell.
Silence followed the pair for a moment, before Mihkail spoke again. Thinking about what that saleswoman said?
Rebeca nodded. Something along that line.
And?
And I think it’s a load of Tauros crap.
Mihkail hummed again. Not interested in the slightest?
She glanced down at the Omega symbol branded on the back of her hand, a gloomy expression crossing her face. I have no reason to be interested.
Not you, maybe. The Spike Pokemon eyed her for a moment, then turned his gaze on the city below. You should tell the others.
Rebeca smirked. You just want me to get you more of that fancy food.
Guilty as charged. And you’ll do it, too.
Snorting, she turned her gaze towards the city as well. For a while, the pair were silent. I suppose that means I should get dressed, doesn’t it.
Yes, that might be a good idea for you. Rebeca smacked his side, grinning as the Rhyhorn rumbled good-naturedly, then reached for her clothes.
In less than a minute, she stood garbed in an old purple t-shirt and black sweatpants, Maya happily clinging to her breast inside. Smiling warmly at the infant Kabuto, Rebeca pulled her usual gloves on and stared down at the city. Alright, let’s go see what trouble finds us today.
However, they were not the only ones that had risen early this day.
Up on a hilltop outside the city, Rebeca sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with slow, steady breaths. She didn’t know the precise amount of time she had been awake; the sky had turned a pale pink when she roused herself from fitful sleep. Arrayed on either side of her were Mihkail and Maya, though while Rebeca’s focus was turned inward, they simply watched as the sky burned with increasing passion. The air around the trio was significantly warmer than what it should have been at such an early hour, fueled by the heat waves that billowed from Rebeca’s mouth with each fall of her chest.
As Rebeca and her Pokemon walked alone down a quiet alley, snippets of conversation floated through the air. Many booths had just closed down for the night, but some remained open. Groudon's avatar happened to pass one with a rather loud salesperson.
"...sample lasts for two days," the perky woman explained to a potential customer, "but the full strength product lasts one month. Just one simple injection of Typgard, and Pokemon moves of your chosen type will have their damage reduced by seventy percent if they hit you. Perfect for trainers with young or mischievous Pokemon!"
Mihkail paused when he noticed Rebeca stop. Hmm? What is it?
Rebeca frowned, glancing in the direction of the open booth. What the hell is she talking about? Moving closer, she held her arms behind her back, concealing the markings on her arms as she listened.
"Cool!" the customer enthused. The young trainer grabbed the Pokeball on his belt and released a Treecko. "Do you have fire type? It would be great if Forrest could beat my sister's Torchic for once."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," the saleswoman clarified. "Typgard is meant for humans, to prevent injury from Pokemon moves. It can be harmful to Pokemon."
"Oh..." the boy sighed, disappointed. Forrest the Treecko seemed a little uneasy as it looked at the booth.
When the sun broke over the horizon, casting its rays across the landscape and bathing the hilltop in warm light, Mihkail nudged Rebeca’s arm and she opened her eyes. She smiled and ran her hand over the Spike Pokemon’s horn, then rose and dug into her backpack, pulling out a pair of gloves. Unlike the ones she had worn the day before, this pair appeared to have been crudely sewn together, made from thick Ursaring hide and had bulging pouches over the upper third of the fingers and across the backs of the knuckles.
Donning the gloves, Rebeca turned and flexed her fingers, then held out her hand. For moment, all was quiet, then a low rumbling sound broke the silence. The ground in front of her trembled and churned, until a thick granite pillar pierced the surface, nearly two feet thick and rising to head height.
Something that can protect people from Pokemon attacks? Rebeca's frown deepened, and she took a step forward, careful to keep her arms hidden. "How's it work? I would think it's impossible."
The saleswoman turned and directed her retail smile toward Rebeca.
"Typgard is a small, unobtrusive implant that detects when a Pokemon move is about to hit," she explained cheerfully. "Then, it projects a thin field, developed by analyzing the move Protect, around the person's skin."
Laying her head against the wall of the booth, she groaned quietly. This was going to give her a headache, she just knew it. "How can it do that? And wouldn't it break? Most times I've seen Protect fail after one or two hits."
The woman's perky smile faded to a puzzled look, then to a light frown.
"I'm afraid I'm not qualified to answer all the technical questions," she responded. "If you want to know more, you can try contacting the developers."
The woman handed Rebeca a white and blue business card. It featured the Typgard logo and the phone number of a Dr. Tony Henriksen.
Muted thumps filled the air as Rebeca punched the pillar over and over, her brow furrowed in concentration. They started as nothing more than gentle taps, then grew in force, but the pillar did not move. She added kicks to her attacks, striking at the pillar’s sides. At sharp gestures with her hands, large chunks of dirt became enveloped in silver light, compressing into stone, then flew into the air to shatter against the pillar. Fragments and shards split from its angular surface with each blow, and as the force and fury increased the pillar began to tremble.
A scream split the air, and the blonde-haired girl tore away from Rebeca’s embrace, slapping at her body. The grass beneath their feet was singed and scorched, and Rebeca stumbled backwards. Everything was just so warm, she felt like she should be sweating, but she wasn’t. She felt… energized.
Shouts of startlement and concern filled the air as a swarm of people gathered around. “What did you do!” cried an older woman, her own blonde hair streaked through with grey as her brown eyes gazed fearfully towards her.
Rebeca shook her head, trying to think clearly through the comforting warmth that filled her mind. “I… I don’t… I didn’t,” she stammered. Whispers erupted through the crowd as she looked down at the flames that still licked across her naked arms, trying to fathom the molten markings that burned in her skin.
“Let us through. Let us through!” The booming voice cut through warm haze, and Rebeca raised her head to the three people pushing through the crowd. The first was a burly-looking man with ragged brown hair and fierce blue eyes, the second a slender woman with long brown hair, and a Machoke bringing up the rear.
When they managed to reach the inner circle, they stopped and stared, the woman clapping her hand over her mouth. “Baby… how are you doing that?”
Rebeca bared her teeth in a snarl, an audible, animalistic growl issuing from her throat. White light enveloped her fists, and she lashed out at the pillar. A sharp crack split the air, and the top third of the pillar sheared away, tumbling down the hill to shatter against a tree.
You know, punching a rock can’t be good for your hands. You should use one of those punching bags most humans use.
For a moment, Rebeca simply stood there, panting. Then she grinned, chuckling a little as the light faded from her hands. This was a conversation they had had many times. Yeah, probably not. But I’m not lugging one of those things around on my back all day. My backpack’s enough.
Mihkail rumbled quietly, bending his head to allow Maya to scuttling onto his back. Maybe you should try one of those Gyms that we’ve seen.
Maybe. Rebeca sat back down next to her brother, pulling her gloves off and reaching up to caress Maya’s shell.
Silence followed the pair for a moment, before Mihkail spoke again. Thinking about what that saleswoman said?
Rebeca nodded. Something along that line.
And?
And I think it’s a load of Tauros crap.
Mihkail hummed again. Not interested in the slightest?
She glanced down at the Omega symbol branded on the back of her hand, a gloomy expression crossing her face. I have no reason to be interested.
Not you, maybe. The Spike Pokemon eyed her for a moment, then turned his gaze on the city below. You should tell the others.
Rebeca smirked. You just want me to get you more of that fancy food.
Guilty as charged. And you’ll do it, too.
Snorting, she turned her gaze towards the city as well. For a while, the pair were silent. I suppose that means I should get dressed, doesn’t it.
Yes, that might be a good idea for you. Rebeca smacked his side, grinning as the Rhyhorn rumbled good-naturedly, then reached for her clothes.
In less than a minute, she stood garbed in an old purple t-shirt and black sweatpants, Maya happily clinging to her breast inside. Smiling warmly at the infant Kabuto, Rebeca pulled her usual gloves on and stared down at the city. Alright, let’s go see what trouble finds us today.
<Snipped quote by Dervish>
I think it's more of the fear that he has if his sexuality was discovered, after all his own family disowned him.
There's always a few.
Just popping in to say that I am currently working on something to post.
@Dervish To address your first point:
Matius had deserted rather than admit responsibility for getting his men killed. It was this revelation on his deathbed that caused Tia to turn her back on him, since he hadn't lived up to the values he had instilled in her.
On your second point, I think I've already made some wording changes to clear that up. Tia was recruited by the Eclipse shortly after Matius's death, and was a member for the next 115 years of her life. I think it would be a little much to expect me to detail everything that she did in that time span.
For your third point, I must be wording things wrong. I don't mean to imply that Tia would kill people at the slightest offense done to her (it's kind of hard to get paid when you kill the guy who's supposed to give you your paycheck, and as you say, past a certain point you are considered a liability to the gang). What I'm going for is that, while her particular sense of honour did make her very reliable, it also made her something of a target for people who would use less scrupulous methods to get ahead, but would find that having a sense of honour does not mean she is naive.
Afterwards, Tia was essentially adopted by a Turian named Matius Ruflin, a disgraced former captain who had deserted after a poor tactical decision resulted in his unit being annihilated by pirates.
Matius had deserted rather than admit responsibility for getting his men killed. It was this revelation on his deathbed that caused Tia to turn her back on him, since he hadn't lived up to the values he had instilled in her.
On your second point, I think I've already made some wording changes to clear that up. Tia was recruited by the Eclipse shortly after Matius's death, and was a member for the next 115 years of her life. I think it would be a little much to expect me to detail everything that she did in that time span.
For your third point, I must be wording things wrong. I don't mean to imply that Tia would kill people at the slightest offense done to her (it's kind of hard to get paid when you kill the guy who's supposed to give you your paycheck, and as you say, past a certain point you are considered a liability to the gang). What I'm going for is that, while her particular sense of honour did make her very reliable, it also made her something of a target for people who would use less scrupulous methods to get ahead, but would find that having a sense of honour does not mean she is naive.
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