Futuristic Burning Sails [OPEN]

[DG-117]

After trying to help the young one and not getting much anywhere besides a shakey introduction, Kalashi continued to watch her disappear among the crowds, bitting her metaphoric lip as she thought long and hard about her. She saw it in her eyes. That she was just as, if not more, messed up than Kalashi herself.

Still, Kalashi needed to gather a few personal resources before whatever these pirates will have her do. She decided to browse through a few dozen markets, she sought out some basic supplies. Mostly those selling second-hand Kossom military surplus.

After some time spent browsing the wares of a few stalls, Kalashi came upon the sight of a dozen or so Sanghvi traveling down in a close pack. Each walking in unison, back to back one another. They all seemly baring the same pearl white cloaks and obsidian black shells. Their sight automatically put Kalashi on high alert with her hand now firmly on her holster.

-----------------------------------

Demius IV
Western-Quardents Border Space
2419
​

Blasts roared throughout underground halls, broken stone flying all around as multiple steel beam arches creaked and crumbled. The supports curling and eventually shattering under the oncoming stress with the ceiling quickly following suit, caving in throughout the underground complex as both Kalashi and her trusty comrade made rushed to the last still-standing bulkhead in this side of the mines.

Both were desperately fleeing through the crumbling shaft, trying not to trip as the uneven ground gave in while blasting back with plasmic-slugs and Laser blasts with Photonic lances flying past back at them in return. Just barely missing them by a hair and marking the walls and floors with bright-white scorch marks.

"FUCKING COME ON! GET THAT FUCKING THING OPEN NOW!!!" Kalashi's comrade roared before firing back a wild volley of Laser blasts downrange to the end of the shaft.

His words were directed at a Nympri, the young Kriya, The newest member of Kalashi's bounty hunting team.

Kriya worked tirelessly at unlocking the gateway at the bulkhead. Her twitching fringers cautiously trying to rewire the circuit while incoming bolts blast apart the rock and steel all around her. Feathers shaking erratically under her armored suit.

"Come on kid....get that damn thing open" Kalashi muttered her mask as a lance bolt flew right past her head, glazing the outer surface of her shoulder Pad, shearing the paint of it clean off.

"Alright, Alright!" Kriya grumbled as another whizzed by her and into the upper plate of the bulkhead. While she had been in a number of hunts and had collected a fair share of bounties on her own and with other small Headtaker teams, she hadn't had one get so hot like this before.

But to Kriya's sudden surprise, after crossing the last wire. The gate-locking rods let out a loud, mechanical squeal and released, lowering back into the ground as the lights on the bulkhead turned green and the turning wheel on the door popped out. Ready to be cranked open.

The Nympri hastily leaped up from off the gravel ground and threw both hands onto the rusty turning wheel, throwing all of her strength into turning it. Yet, it merely creaked even as she pushed with everything she got into turning the damn thing, it just wouldn't budge.

Kalashi quickly gestured with her arm towards the wheel, having her comrade get on it just as they had finished dashing to the bulkhead. She swiftly turned herself around and kneeled with her OBN focused down the hall. Covering the both of them as they worked on getting the door open.

Nympri was soon joined the much larger figure, they both got a good grip on the crank and started getting the damn thing to move. Trying to all get out of here before the shafts had completely fallen in and bury the lot of them 600 meters underground

Yet, Kalashi chooses to focus her attention down the shaft, looking through her gun's sights straight into darkness at the other end of the shaft. Seemly staring into the approaching dust cloud as rocks and other debris fell all around them.

"FUCKING COME ON KAL!" The Man yelled as both he and Kirya desperately tired turned the crank, the gauntlets on his Powerarmor "STOP FUCKING AROUND OVER THERE AND HELP US GET THIS DAMN DOOR OPEN!"

Kalashi simply ignored him, she knew that these bastards weren't going to let them all leave in peace after hitting four slugs into their leader. Whether or not if their stronghold was collapsing around them. They were all too persistent for that, far too meticulous.

"KAL!" He yelled once more, as a loud thunderous roar followed by a wave of dust wash over them. Patches of dirt and rocks are thrown against them, causing Kirya to scream as she pulls more and more on the crank.

"Fuck..." Kalashi mutters under her breath, deciding that it better to be killed caught off-guard the dying buried alive. She speedily gets to the other side of the crank and starts pulling on it from her end.

"Fucking thing, move already!" Kalashi yelled, dragging on it.

With all three towing down on it, the crank finally begins to move and the door after a moment of intense pushing and rocks falling on top of them.

And thankfully, leaving before the shaft finally falls in. All of them getting into a tight, steel corridor with an elevator laying at the far end with a few doorways all caved in on both the left and right. The area was dimly lit by the sunlight coming in from the top of the elevator shaft.

"Just hope Vicc got out on the other side," Kirya said tiredly, letting out a loud sign and wiping the dust and dirt off of her suit before leaning her back against the now collapsed entryway She wasn't used to such a tight and close mission. The short and claustrophobic encounters being especially difficult for her.

"Guy is a fucking roach, he'll be fine..." Grimark replyed after letting out a long breathe before taking off his Helmet. Wiping the sweat off his pale face, He was a Talvolk, a Human or Uypri looking race hailing from the isolationist Tarvisa-gon Sector. The major differences are having grey skin with a faint blue hue, uniform polychoric eyes, lack of any body hair, and an overall shorter, stocker body structure. They are commonly confused for Malmarians, Uypri, or more recently, Humanity.

"Yeah..." Kalashi muttered, walking seemly unphased to the foot of the elevator at the far end of the corridor. "He will be fine."

Kirya just nodded as both she and Grimark took the moment to breathe. The idle sounds of two large industrial fans slowly spin with muffled rumbles and creaks coming from the sunken mines were the only sounds being made besides their heavy breathing and Kalashi working the controls to the elevator.

"So...How are you liking it so far rookie?" Grimark asked while pulling the bolt back on his Laser rifle, releasing the side-mounted detachable battery. Taking the battery and giving a quick over to assess its condition.

"Its...It is not dull so far..." Kirya weaky answered back, still trying to catch her breath before learning to let out another long exhalation. "Not dull a bit..."

Grimark simply grunted back with a slight smirk on his rugged face, his weary eyes glancing over his rifle's nearly burnt-out heatsink. "I mean, it's not for everyone. That's for damn sure, the pay's great but the risk...Well, if you don't have much to live for, that doesn't really matter much, right Kal?"

Kalashi simply rose her off-hand towards him in an offensive gesture with her middle finger raised as she continued to get the elevator console working.

Grimark simply gave her a short chuckle, his attention turning to replacing his rifle's heatsink. The smirk gradually washing off his face as he gave the front bolt on his gun a hardy slap, causing the smoking, half-melted heatsink to be forcibly ejected from the gun.

"Well..." Kirya said while adjusting the shoulder strap on her flak-vest. "I think that it is really interesting but I can't give-."

Snikt

Kirya quickly slumped over with her head the following suit, rolling among the grated steel next to Grimark's foot.

"Fuck me...." Grimark lowly murmured as he looked down at her severed head. The burgundy blood spraying all over his feet and legs.

He quickly rose his sight up to see a spindly-looking Sanghvi, what they would call a "hunter-killer" type looming over the decapitated Kirya. Its monochromic shell was covered in the Nympri's blood as it stood over a hole craved through the rocks that had fallen in.

Before Grimark could even ready his rifle, the Sanghvi had already stood less than a foot from him. And before he could even put his finger on the trigger, the Sanghvi's raptorial-like frontal claws slashed into his both rifle and his left arm, crushing both almost immediately.

Grimark Shericked out in pain, recoiling back instinctively which the Sanghvi used to push him down onto the floor of the corridor, bashing his back through the metal grating that lined the hard gravel floor. Grimark could simply grin his teeth as dust from the gravel got into his eyes.

But in less than a second, as the Sanghvi's raptorial claws ripped and torn into his forearm. The Sanghvi's launched its back talons into his upper chest, pinning him. The steel from his armored gauntlet soon begins to twist into his flesh as the Sanghvi pressed itself into its attack on the helpless bounty hunter.

Grimark could only look in horror as the creature flung the now-crushed Laser rifle from its free raptorial claw. Now rising it up in the air to slash at Grimark's head. The Talvolk closed his eyes and readied himself for the inevitable, seeing his life being ending in one seemed to be a flash of an eye.

BAM

The gunshot caused Grimark eyes to pop open to see the Sanghvi's standing frozen with its claw right at his neck for another second before being shots rung out, holes appearing across its chest.

The creature then fell in onto Grimark, lying dead upon him. Grimark closed in his eye and let out a long sigh of relief before Kalashi appears with her OBV out and drawn. Its barrel still smoking from the discharges.

She turns to see the elevator panel's light flash yellow and the shaft springs to light. She then turns to lock at the downed Grimark.

Grimark was wailing in anguish, moaning, and grunting as his chest and arms were heavily injured in the attack. Still in a sense of shock of it all.

He was critically injured, she didn't know if Vicc was even alive and on the way back with the quick rescue. The rookie was completely dead and Grimark didn't look too far behind. More of those Sanghvi bastards were also surely not far either. Grimark was going to be dead weight... The pay was going to be more than double too if it was just her at this point...

She goes and pulls the dead creature up off of him. Dropping it just a foot away from him.

Kalashi then crouched close next to him, glaring over at him and then the lifeless body of his Sanghvi attacker. ts limbs were still latched onto him with its talons impaled into his upper chest and his mangled forearm held tightly in its raptorial claw. Its cold, dead grip still holding strong. She let out a long breath and shook her head at what needed to be done.

Kalashi took out two shots of Tox, quickly stabbing one into her mask. She then pushes the Sanghvi corpse back onto its side with a strong push. Forcibly yanking out the talons from Grimark chest. His dark-violet blood all over them.

Grimark screamed out in agony, coughing out blood and slamming his still functioning hand down violently on the steel grating, breaking it under his fist.

Kalashi would then walk and bend down towards Grimark side once more, giving him a weary stare.

"Sorry...But that was the easy part..." She said before gesturing over his butchered forearm. Grimark cried out for a moment, Kalashi then proceeded to hand him a rag and pressed the shot of Tox through a disposable rebreather for him to ingest the narcotic. Something to at least dull the edge just a little.

It was a brutal yet effective solution to a situation that they both had very little time in.

Grimark breathed the murky gas fully, letting out a loud coughing fit before having his mouth gagged while Kalashi primed her arm-blade.

The sounds of the elevator descending were promptly drowned by a series of muffled screams coming from below.

-----------------------------------

Shadespear
Renadage Quadrant
2426
Present​

After shorting out some past affairs and old contacts, Kalashi was done here for once and for all. This place meant nothing to her now but past regrets and failures. The sooner she was out of here, the better. She made her way back to hanger bay and back to the Mordred, while Kalashi had simply blown off the Reavers and their plans for this entire time, ignoring their calls and messages to focus on other, personal matters. Kalashi opinion of them was even less than she had left for herself right now.

Whatever that bitch Valkyrie and the rest of the pirates had for her meant less than shit to her, all she wanted right now was to be a dozen lightyears away from her and sky-high in Tox to drown away her woes. The only fucking thing she could really get done right these days it seems.

However, after finally making her way back to the hanger of the Mordred, she had found that a large group of thugs had confronted Lauren, the blue hair bitch daughter of Valkyrie. With the rest of the pirates standing by. These thugs seemly outnumbered them all and had replaced all of the workers usually there.

Kalashi moved slowly behind a stack of heavy-duty shipping crates a good distance away from this exchange of petty insults between these two butches of assholes. Kalashi threw her new camo cloak back up around the collar of her neck while slowly drawing out her newly refurbished OBN, checking the smart-link scope by lining up on the heads of both the prick with the shitty mohawk and the blue-haired bitch Lauren. Causally drifting over their foreheads with her crosshair lining up perfectly.

As Kalashi watched the scene closely, scanning their faces and expressions as they both shouted and gesture about whatever frivolous pirate bullshit now. Another figure jumped in and started to ramble something before getting swiftly domed by the mohawk assface.

Yet, it wasn't the sight of them getting blasted in the head that shook Kalashi. She had seen that unfold countless times, doing many times herself personally, it was in very few instances did the dead-fucker get back up without so much as a scratch on their face.

"Damn..." Kalashi muttered to herself, "Don't see that shit every day..."

Kalashi quickly shifted her aim towards one of the assholes in the back as both parties rose into action with weapons drawn upon one another, Kalashi making sure to aim center-mass and pull the fleshly rebuilt trigger on her Handcanon. Trying to try out one of the bastards aiming at Lauren, didn't want someone else claiming that bounty before her after all.

 

[Infab]

Shadespear Terminal - Bay 7 - Hangar - TURN 1
The Black Crow Corsairs
Cutter's Crew
(HP = 25. No Special Buffs.)

Special Buffs
Blackwell's Reavers:
Carnifex - Nil is a walking super weapon. Every five turns, is able to unleash a portion of his true power. Instantly kills foes, the number being determined by a d10 roll. Doesn't work on mini-bosses and above.
Deathproof - Caiden is a born survivor, and passes that trait on to his allies. If downed, players can roll to revive themselves without the need of medical assistance. If successful, player revives with half HP.

--- --- --- --- ---

Nil = 8. Kills 8 members of Cutter's Crew on the spot (Carnifex.) Cutter's Crew HP = 17. Retaliation Roll = 1. Retaliation failed.
Nathalie uses a stun grenade. Chance Roll = 7. Chance Successful. Cutter's Crew partially stunned. -2 to combat rolls for a turn. Nathalie has 1 remaining stun grenade.
Amy = 9. Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 13. Retaliation Roll = 10 - 4 (6, Amy is behind cover.) Retaliation successful. Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Amy. Amy HP = 9.
Olivia = 7. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 12. Retaliation Roll = 8 - 2 (6, Olivia is behind cover.) Retaliation successful. Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Olivia. Olivia HP = 9.
Vance = 10. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 12. Retaliation Roll = 4 - 2 (2.) Retaliation failed.
Vixaya = 6. Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 8. Retaliation Roll = 10 - 2 (8.) Retaliation successful. Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Vixaya. Vixaya HP = 9.
Katja = 2. Misses Cutter's Crew. Retaliation Roll = 7 - 4 (3, Katja is behind cover.) Retaliation failed.
Shelby = 3. Misses Cutter's Crew. Retaliation Roll = 6 - 4 (2, Shelby is behind cover.) Retaliation failed.
Kalashi = 2. Missed Cutter's Crew. Retaliation Roll = 1. Retaliation failed.
Aesha = 2. Misses Cutter's Crew. Retaliation Roll = 3 - 2 (1.) Retaliation failed.
Zadra = 3. Misses Cutter's Crew. Retaliation Roll = 10 - 2 (8.) Retaliation successful. Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Zadra. Zadra HP = 9.
Caiden = 6. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 7. Retaliation Roll = 5 - 2 (3.) Retaliation failed.
Damien = 6. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 6. Retaliation Roll = 10 - 4 = (6, Damien is behind cover.) Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Damien. Damien HP = 9.
Lauren = 7. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 5. Retaliation Roll = 7 - 2 (5.) Retaliation successful. Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Lauren. Lauren HP = 9.
Valkyrie = 10. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 4. Retaliation Roll = 1. Retaliation failed.

---

>> Reinforcements for Cutter's Crew have arrived! Cutter's Crew regains 16 HP! Cutter's Crew HP = 20! <<
>> A few of Cutter's Crew have reached the Hangar's automated defense turrets! Four Defensive Turrets (5 HP x 4, standard 3 DMG attacks) are now online! <<
>> One of Cutter's Crew made a run for the Mordred's lower main gun! Mordred Lower Turret (10 HP, standard 5 DMG attacks) now online! <<

---

Cutter's Crew = 8 - 2 (6), 7 - 2 (5), 2 - 1 (1), 4 - 2 (2), 10 - 2 (8). Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Vance, Aesha, Caiden. Misses Vixaya and Valkyrie. Retaliation Rolls = 8, 1, 7, 7, 1. Some Retaliation successful. Blackwell's Reavers do 3 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 17.
Defensive Turret #1 = 7 - 2 (5, Amy is behind cover.) Does 3 DMG to Amy. Amy HP = 6. Retaliation Roll = 6. Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Defensive Turret #1. Defensive Turret #1 destroyed.
Defensive Turret #2 = 9 - 2 (7, Olivia is behind cover.) Does 3 DMG to Olivia. Olivia HP = 6. Retaliation Roll = 5. Does 1 DMG to Defensive Turret #2. Defensive Turret #2 HP = 3.
Defensive Turret #3 = 1. Misses Nathalie. Retaliation Roll = 4. Retaliation failed.
Defensive Turret #4 = 2 - 1. Misses Zadra. Retaliation Roll = 10. Retaliation successful. Does 1 DMG to Defensive Turret #4. Defensive Turret #4 HP = 3.
Mordred Lower Turret = 2. Misses Nil. Retaliation Roll = 2. Retaliation Failed.

​

The group watched as some sort of black substance started to creep up Nil's neck from his collar, moving like worms would across dirt. And then, the Hell that Cutter had summoned forth errupted in a violent, bloody fashion. A single black tendril snaked its way out of and down Nil's arm, as Nil snapped his arm up towards a nearby privateer. The black tentacle like mass then rocketed forth, piercing through the privateer's chest before curling upwards, and wrapping around his neck. Then with a twist, the head was removed from the body before the torso itself was ripped nearly in half.

Then, the next victims was targetted. Two other privateers, whom panicked at the sight, attempted to seek out cover. Only to be split in half themselves with a simple high speed flick of the tendril. As Nil worked, a second tendril began to snake its way down his other arm. He casually flipped his arm over, letting it wrap around his forearm before coming to rest in his palm. And his eyes shifted to Cutter, whom was slowly backing away. Trembling in fear.

"All you had to do, Mr. Cutter, was leave! Now I have the pleasure of getting to see what your insides look like!" stated Nil, as he slowly began to lift off the floor. Levitating a few inches from it. "Perhaps what they taste like too." Nil grinned wide, as the three diamond shaped marks on his forehead began to rearrange. Two drifted over to just above his eyebrows, rotating as they moved, while the third one remained in the center of his forehead. And then suddenly, they seemed to 'blink'. They had become new eyes, rapidly forming white sclera and black orb like pupils.

Some of the other privateers opened fire on Nil from where they were, yelling out in horror, but Nil was far too quick. Drifting out of the way before launching the tendril from his other hand at them. Four more were cut apart, their guts and blood spilling out onto the floor as the point of his tentacle sliced them each in half like a hot knife through butter. And then he refocused on Cutter.

The pirate was attempting to run, trying to get to one of the maintenance and storage hatches on the sides of the hangar. He hopped and stumbled over low walls, crates, and cables, flailing in a panic as he fell every time. He wouldn't make it, as one of Nil's trendrils wrapped quickly around Cutter's waist and jerked him back towards him. Then, the second tendril wrapped around his torso.

And then, the tentacles began to squeeze and twist in opposite directions. Much like one would wring out a wet rag. Nil's grin remained, as he watched blood began to spurt from Cutter's body. Bones cracked, shattered, and were crushed audibly. A gorey sight for all watching.

And when it was over, Cutter's mangled body was dropped to the floor in a pile of blood and mashed body parts. "Ahhh, blood pudding!" exclaimed Nil, almost happily.

Meanwhile, the rest of the shooting commenced. Nathalie's stun grenade bounced off a few empty crates, before detonating in mid-air and partially blinding several of the privateers. allowing Amy to line up the perfect shot for her rail-revolver. She fired off one shot, just as soon as four of the privateers managed to almost group up. Trying to figure out where their own men were. The shot ripped through all four, hitting them with enough force to tear most of their shoulder's off in the process. In retaliation, some of the privateers shifted their aim, peppering the crate Amy had ducked behind. A few of the shots grazed her, as the kinetic rounds tore through the thin wooden sides of the crate. Thankfully, no direct hits.

Olivia's shots rang out, dropping one privateer like a sack of bricks at it hit him in the neck. His comrades returned fire, shredding her cover with bullets and nicking her a few times across the side in the process. Vance, thanks to his sense of heroics, remained out of cover as he fired off a shot at a nearby privateer. The ray gun blew a nice fist sized hole through the man's chest, before Vance came under fire by other privateers. Thanks to his natural agility, he remained unharmed.

Vixaya's shots rang true as well, cutting down four of the privateers with her new pistol before being hit herself. A kinetic round caught her shin, forcing her to stumble as she neared a low wall to duck behind. Miraculously, neither Katja, Shelby, Aesha, Kalashi, or Zadra managed to score a hit. Most of their foes didn't either, with Katja and Shelby being behind some crates and Kalashi being too far away. Only one managing to graze Zadra with a burst of automatic fire.

Caiden remained out of cover, one-handing his retro looking kinetic pistol and planting a bullet through one privateer's eye socket. The return fire from the privateers peppered around his feet, forcing him to grunt. "YOU'RE SHIT SHOTS, YOU KNOW THAT?" he barked out. Meanwhile Damien slipped behind cover before drawing out his PDW and opening fire. A burst cut a privateer's legs out from under him, before a second one erased his face. Before he could slip back into cover, a bullet caught his shoulder. Cutting a gash through it, as it missed hitting dead on.

Lauren's autorevolver sounded off, its distinct pop echoing through the hangar as she fired off three shots. All three hit a privateer center mass, putting him on the ground before she was fired upon. A kinetic shot smashed into her thigh, almost knocking it out from under her. But it seemed to be a ricochet, as it didn't go very deep. Valkyrie, meanwhile, took out a privateer of her own with a pistol shot before ducking into cover. Avoiding any return fire from the privateers.

There weren't many privateers left after the opening of the fight, but that would soon change as several of the doors on the right side of the hangar would burst open. More of the Black Crows seemingly had been lying in wait, in the event things went south. And south they had gone. As the group turned their attention to the incoming privateers, one of the remaining privateers broke into a run up the ramp of the Mordred. Aesha spotted him quickly. "MOTHERFUCKER IS MAKING A RUN FOR ONE OF THE TURRETS!" she shouted.

He wasn't the only one. Four of the other incoming privateers sprinted across the hangar, bobbing and weaving between the low walls and crates that were laying about. Occasionally, they would duck into cover behind one of the six thick metal pillars that split the hangar into thirds, allowing for three ships to be parked in the hangar in the event other hangars were full. Eventually, the group would find out what they were going for. These four weren't flanking. They were running for the security controls. There were four large defensive turrets in the hangar, and they were gonna use them on the group.

The group had little time to react, as some of the privateers had sweeped around to their right side, flanking and opening fire on the group while the rest sought their own cover behind some other crates. Those of the group that were outside of cover came under fire, as Vance, Aesha, and Caiden were hit. Their counter attacks managed to drop three of the incoming privateers in response. The privateers running for the security controls arrived without much hinderance, firing the turrets up and taking aim. Each of the turrets swivelled, their twin automatic guns adjusting and locking onto some of the Reavers before opening fire. Amy, Olivia, Nathalie, and Zadra were soon pelted with automatic fire, with Amy and Olivia being hit twice in the shoulder as the rounds ripped through the crates they were behind. Amy would retaliate, taking aim and firing off another rail-revolver shot at the turret on the ceiling closest to them. The shot connected, the turret exploding in grand fashion and sending electrical feedback through the system which fried its operator at his terminal.

Olivia and Zadra would also hit their targets, their shots clipping two of the remaining turrets while Nathalie's own retaliation shot missing wide. Meanwhile, the Mordred's lower turret soon came to life. It moved about, correcting its barrels and taking aim at the largest threat in the room. Nil. It opened fire, large plasma bursts errupting from its barrel, only for the shots to zip by and hit the metal wall at the front of the hangar. Nil was too close to be properly shot with both barrels. Nil attempted his own attack, slashing at the turret with a tentacle and carving a large gash in the metal. Otherwise, however, the turret was unharmed.

The privateers soon started to press on the Reavers. Those on the right flank continued to open fire on those exposed, while those in cover would begin to fire on the group themselves. The crates wouldn't last long, and the group would soon be forced to move behind the other low walls scattered about.

 

[Viper Actual]

Satisfied with the effect of her grenade Nathalie opted to move into cover. This would prove to be a wise decision as the privateers retaliated in force- not that she could blame them.

Her own helmet-mounted camera had captured every grisly second of Cutter's death at the hands of Nil. In all her years with the SSOID she had never seen anything like him- like it- but the more she saw the more she reckoned that at least one of the major galactic powers had a file on this particular extragalactic species.

Nathalie refocused as she was pelted with intense fire that narrowly missed her. Her own attempt to return fire proved futile though one could only be so accurate when blindly firing from behind cover.
Noticing that one of the privateers boarded the Mordred, Nat allowed herself to spend precious energy cloaking once again. Lasting mere seconds to conserve as much power as possible she moved around the shattered group of hostiles and ascended the Mordred'd ramp.

Once she was at the top she decloaked and pulled out her silenced sidearm, holding it in a central axis relock before delving deeper into the ship. Slowly, Nathalie advanced on the pirate manning the lower turret.
Nearing the shaft leading down into the turret Nathalie began to walk even slower while also controlling her breathing, further silencing her presence.

She could see him now- sitting behind the controls and letting loose salvos of heavy gunfire on her allies in the hangar. Problem was the fact that he was surrounded by sensitive components in a cramped space- shooting him was out of the question.
Holstering her weapon, Nathalie grabbed hold of a railing positioned right above the turret shaft before dropping down on top of the privateer.

Wrapping her legs around the man's neck she attempted to incapacitate him with a few well-placed strikes to the head.

 

[DG-117]

"Shnka!" Kalashi grunted under her breath at the missed shot. The damned smart-linked scope must have been off on this thing. Kalashi simply switched it off and tried to line another shot on one of the bastards. However, the sight of that bastard in front getting turned apart, inside and out with some crazy-ass tentacles.

Fuck, Was all Kalashi think after she finished watching all that shit unfold. The seasoned bounty hunter hasn't seen anything quite like that in all of her years. She's seen some metaphysical shit before, especially when working and dealing with the Ara-phi. Telekinesis, sure but nothing quite so...Grisly as this shit.

She didn't expect to see something quite this supernatural on the field today.

Made her think back on the murmurs of some long-gone reports way back in her GKVR, lots of hearsay and rumors but there was quite a bit of fear of some Sanghvi creatures that have been noted as having extreme metaphysical abilities that could even put some of the biggest Ayr and Ara-phi pricks with the biggest psychic dicks to shame.

Still, while nothing ever come out of the extensive investigations made after the first war.

However, she quickly flashed back to reality after a second or two. She quickly adjusts her sights and puts her camo-cloak into action. Turning invisible among the crates and boxes. She swiftly repositioned herself away from the oncoming chuckle-fucks pouring out from the sides. Trying her best to avoid them from spotting her.

She managed to get behind the metal pillar closet to the security controls. Once there, she took aim at the group gathering around those controls, the hanger's turrets were going to be a huge pain in the ass for her and the rest of the poor assholes she's calling "allies" at the moment. Assholes and lowlifes, the lot of them.

Except, for the Young one... And Amy I guess, she's cool.

At any rate, Kalashi took out an old piece of Phonix surplus she managed to snag back at VOG-1 from some poor dead bastard missing his head and then some, a standard Terran fragmentation grenade. Crude but effective enough for the job.

She quickly primed it, pulling the pick under her cloak before quietly rolling out the frag grenade right at the feet of the security controls and the bastards hugging around it. Trying to get it in there without any of them noticing.

 

[Breadman]

The opening seconds are always like a blur, but Amy remembered the highlights. Nil in particular. The four pirates lining themselves up to be shot and the exchange with the turret. She was now behind cover and thinking of her next move. No time to bandage the shoulder, she had to ignore the pain for now. The bounty hunter turned on her cloak and moved to a different position in order to flank the pirates. With any luck, she'd line up another shot.

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia had the luxury of popping her head out of cover to burst fire a guy dead in seconds. And right in the periphery of her vision could see Nil-- whatever the fuck he-- it, is, start tearing shit up like someone had just let their overdeveloped and undertested lab experiment out to play. Ripping people apart... Jesus. If they were alive any longer she'd have started to feel bad for the guys getting ripped apart. Intuition says that thing is gonna act the exact same on the station... the. The criminal station. And if it's smuggling all sorts of shit, and they're meant to kill everyone... that means they could end up...

Oh. Fuck.

That train of thought was cut short as hard as her shoulder, Olivia's hand clenching up around it. Gritting her teeth, she used her good shoulder to shoulder up her PDW and blast towards the turret that had hit her. "FUCK OFF!" Ducking herself right back underneath the crate, she put pressure on the wound. No doubt that thing's not gonna last too much longer, but she was hoping to hell that it'd last long enough for her to find a better wall to sprint her ass over to.

 

[K0mori]

Struck in the shin by a kinetic round while in full sprint, Vixaya crashed to the ground and slid behind the cover she had been seeking- a low wall in the hangar where numerous hookups for electricity, fuel, and atmosphere were available. She rolled into a sitting position, unconcerned about the wound on her leg as she glanced at the plasma cartridge in the back of her VRI, which displayed a roughly 80% charge. This would drop another 20% a moment later as she returned fire on the Corsair reinforcements.

Ducking back down, she ripped the fake mask off her head, as its narrow lenses were inhibiting her vision, and spat the fireball from her mouth into her hand. With a careful toss, she rolled it down the length of the wall to almost the very end, so that the cloud of neon green vapor which rose out of it gave a false indication to the enemy as to her position. Then, after a few seconds, she took up her pistol in one hand, and her SMG in the other, and rushed out of cover from the opposite side, spraying shots at any of the pirates she could see before diving behind another low wall.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

It was difficult ignoring whatever it was Nil was doing to all the bad guys, which involved a lot of screaming, tentacles, and bodies being torn apart. Shelby caught a glance of it from behind his cover and, eyes wide, looked away as he fumbled with another magazine for his submachine gun. Now that was pretty crazy, crazier than anything he'd ever seen. And to think he thought he liked Nil, minus the creepy enthusiasm for killing. He had thought that was just mercenary talk - to the utmost contrary, this was not the case. Suddenly the thought of being alone with them seemed more dangerous than exciting.

And here he was in combat again. Twice in a relatively short amount of time going back to VOC-1. It had the same general thrill of performing, but with a very, very sour aftertaste that tinged every motion, every feeling. These weren't the best sensations. Was it because he was afraid to get killed, or afraid to kill others?

The security turrets earned a small yelp from him as they peppered the area, and he tucked his legs in close as bullets sprayed around his position. He may not be super good at aiming and hitting people, but at least the turrets were stationary. Struggling to muster the strength to charge his gun after a magazine was loaded, he wiggled into a brief firing position and let loose with another arm rattling spray at one of the turrets.

 

[joshuadim]

Although he had been fairly lucky in being able to avoid gunfire from the goons that shot at him, he did take a hit from those that continued to live as they tried to avenge their fallen. As he slid behind a metal crate he clutched at his arm as he felt the familiar pain of a gunshot wound surge throughout his limb and into the rest of his body. Although it hurt like hell, thankfully it seemed to have gone clean through as Vance gritted his teeth. There was plenty of incoming fire as Vance saw several other people take hits of their own from either the mercenaries or the turrets as they peppered the entire area with bullets.

He needed to get in closer but minimize as much as possible the risk of getting hit himself which gave him an in the moment idea. Some of the metal paneling of the floor would have to do as a makeshift mobile cover as he holstered his ray gun and pulled on the floor with his strength. Should he get a decent chunk out his plan was to then advance on the enemy and return fire on them to close the distance and draw fire away from the others.

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja misses her shots, but it can't be helped as her eyes catch the genuinely horrific sight of Nil turning into some sort of eldritch monstrosity and murderfucking everything near him in an instant. Her aim falters and she can't help but gawp in pure unadulterated terror at that abomination doing its thing. She eventually snaps out of it as more goons show up and the turret on the Mordred suddenly belches massive bolts of plasma at Nil. She shifts and tries to change cover to keep her from potentially ending up flanked and she remembers to put the space suit's helmet on in the now very real possibility of the hangar being decompressed by the Mordred turret chucking plasma at things. Once it's sealed up she quickly finishes the rest of her mag at one of the flankers and ducks down to fumble a reload around, her hands are shaking hard from the shock of what Hell had unleashed before her eyes. She doesn't notice it but she's quietly whispering some prayer in Finnish to herself as she tries to put the empty mag into a drop bag on the suit's built in webbing and slot a new magazine in. Once she manages that, she peaks up over the top of her newfound cover and forces herself to try and be steady enough to keep shooting at the bad guys, though at this point she doesn't know who the real bad guys are anymore. Nil after this display of extreme violence is definitely making Katja rethink the mission she accepted from his sister. While the Reavers weren't exactly good people, Nil wasn't even in the same park, he was playing a whole different ballgame in another stadium.

 

[Infab]

Shadespear Terminal - Bay 7 - Hangar - TURN 2
Nathalie attempts to incapacitate Corsair Gunner. Chance Roll = 1. Chance Failed. Retaliation Roll = 7. Retaliation successful. Does 1 DMG to Nathalie. Nathalie HP = 9. Mordred Lower Turret temporarily disabled.
Kalashi uses a fragmentation grenade. Chance Roll = 4. Chance failed. Retaliation Roll = 4 - 2 (2, Kalashi is in cover.) Retaliation failed. Kalashi is out of fragmentation grenades!
Amy = 10 - 2 (8, Enemy is in cover.) Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 13. Retaliation Roll = 10 - 2 (8, Amy is Cloaked.) Cutter's Crew does 1 DMG to Amy. Amy HP = 5. Amy's cloak has been disabled!
Vixaya = 8. Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 9. Retaliation Roll = 6 - 2 (4, Enemy is distracted.) Retaliation failed.
Shelby = 5. Does 1 DMG to Defensive Turret #2. Defensive Turret #2 HP = 2. Retaliation Roll = 4 - 2 (2, Shelby is in cover.) Retaliation failed.
Vance attempts to tear up a piece of the hangar's flooring to use as a shield. Chance Roll = 8. Chance Successful. Vance acquires a makeshift shield for 3 turns.
Vance = 10. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 8. Retaliation Roll = 2 - 1 (1, Vance has a shield.) Retaliation failed.
Katja = 5. Does 1 + 3 DMG (4, Elite Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 4. Retaliation Roll = 8 - 2 (6, Katja is in cover.) Does 1 DMG to Katja. Katja HP = 16 (DMG absorbed by Elite Armor.)
Nil = 6. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 3. Retaliation Roll = 4. Retaliation failed.
Caiden = 6. Does 1 DMG to Cutter's Crew. Cutter's Crew HP = 2. Retaliation Roll = 5. Retaliation successful. Does 1 DMG to Caiden. Caiden HP = 18.
Aesha = 7. Does 1 + 2 DMG (3, Uncommon Weapon) to Cutter's Crew. The main force of Cutter's Crew has been slain.
Zadra = 7. Does 1 DMG to Defensive Turret #2. Defensive Turret #2 HP = 1. Retaliation Roll = 2. Retaliation failed.
Damien uses a gas grenade. Chance Roll = 8. Chance successful. Two of the Corsair Privateers operating the turrets have been incapacitated for a turn. Defensive Turret #2 and #3 disabled.
Lauren = 8. Does 1 DMG to Defensive Turret #4. Defensive Turret #4 HP = 3. Retaliation Roll = 3. Retaliation failed.
Valkyrie = 4. Missed Defensive Turret #4. Retaliation Roll = 1. Retaliation failed.

The remaining (able) Black Crow Corsair Privateers flee!

​

The group continued in their attempts to fight off the Corsairs, using whatever equipment and tactics that they had available to crush the privateers. Amy's cloaked flank was effective, circling around behind the cover that the Corsairs were using to line up a shot on them. And soon enough, she fired. The rail-revolver shot ripped through the torsos of four of the Corsairs, turning their innards into mulch as they were knocked sideways. Blind-firing in retaliation, one of the other Corsairs managed to hit Amy, the bullet ripping through her side and disabling her tactical cloak. Elsewhere, Vixaya ran for a new source of cover, firing at several of the Corsairs that were flanking them from the side. She managed to hit four of them, the privateers dropping as others fired back at her. The shots missed, as Vixaya slid into her new source of cover behind a low wall.

Vance attempted a far more unorthodox method of cover, managing to slip his fingers into the floor and ripping up a piece of the metal flooring. Using it as a makeshift shield, he rushed some of the remaining privateers, drawing his pistol and pumping three shots into the Corsair's chest. His allies missed, the shots bouncing off the metal plate in his hand as he held it in front of him. Katja's shots were more successful this time, her SMG ripping through four more of the privateers before others were able to fire off shots in retaliation. Their shots bounced off her suits armor plating, making simply DINK DINK DINK noises as they slammed into the metal. Nil redirected his attention to one of the privateers, sending one of his tentacles darting towards the Corsair. The tendril punched through his abdomen, snaking through his body and wrapping around his spine before ripping it from his body like a stick through wet paper. Shots were fired at Nil in response, but none connected thanks to how easily he floated about. Laughing as he gracefully moved to and fro.

Caiden and Aesha would be the ones to finish off the regular privateer forces, Caiden planting another kinetic pistol shot through the head of one of the Corsairs before catching a shot to the arm. Aesha, using her new rifle, fired off three round bursts at three of the Corsairs, the shots peppering the privateers and dropping them like rocks.

Shelby focused his fire on one of the turrets, attempting to disable the turret on the ceiling before it could fire off any more shots at the others. He managed to hit, the bullets ripping through one of the twin guns before the turret fired back at him. His cover protected him, thankfully, the shots bouncing off the crate or punching through around him. Zadra also took shots at the same turret, her shots hitting the side of the turret and forcing sparks to shoot out of it. Lauren and Valk focused on one of the others, taking several shots at the turret, with Lauren being the only one to hit it from where they were.

Kalashi attempted a more direct approach, flinging a frag grenade at the group of Privateers controlling the turrets. One of them noticed the grenade, however, quickly punting it across the hangar before it could detonate with a loud bang. Damien slipped in near Kalashi, giving the kanad bounty hunter a glance. "If frags don't work, we gas 'em." he stated. He drew a small canister shaped grenade from his hip, before clicking a button on the side. He waited two seconds, before tossing it among the men. The gas puffed out a moment later, the area around the security terminals slowly taking on a bluish hue. Two of the men began coughing, releasing their controls before slowly collapsing to the floor. The remaining privateer noticed, drawing his shirt up over his nose as he operated the remaining turret.

Inside the Mordred, Nathalie found herself in cramped quarters and close combat with the lone privateer that had managed to slip in to operate the Mordred's lower turret. As she punched him in the head, he managed to grab her arm and sling her off. Her back collided with the wall opposite of them, and as she slid down onto the back of the turret operator's seat, he delivered several punches and kicks to her chest. He didn't give her a chance to try and get back up to fight again, quickly jumping up and climbing back up out of the turret. He wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as he could. Everyone was dead, and they'd be mince meat if they stuck around. As he ran through the ship and down into the cargo bay, he called for retreat to anyone that was still alive. Only the remaining turret operator could respond. He ditched the security terminal, breaking into a run across the hangar.

Under fire, the two Corsairs bolted, eventually disappearing into a maintenance door on the far right side of the hangar. The Reavers had won this little skirmish. Valk straightened up, looking about at the carnage that had been left. Destroyed crates, bullet holes scattered about. Scorch marks and blood staining practically everything. "Whoever ain't dead, sound off." she shouted, looking to the others.

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia's shots pinged off of the turret that had shredded that nice coat she was wearing. Not exactly realizing that all she was doing was destroying inactive station property before realizing that everyone who wanted them dead was either dead or gone. Mostly dead. She lifted her hand up, inspecting it. She was shivering like she had frostbite. She never shook after a fight. Was it 'cause she hadn't popped her pills? The surprise of the ambush? That thing they were working with? In any case, a sigh of some sort of relief came out of her, looking around at everyone else. Feels like she got the worst of it.

"Fuckers got my shoulder, but I'm still up." Her eyes gazed towards Nil, who was, presumably, coming down off of his blood high. "...Valk, you got a minute?" She was already approaching her, and didn't really care whether or not she had the time to spare.

 

[Frankafurter]

Katja's shots rinsed a group of privateers and she watched as they crumbled like puppets with their strings cut, the return fire from the remaining slammed into her chest and she falls over backwards. Her armor stopped the hit but the kinetic impacts of the grounds triggered a panic response in her terror addled mind. She lies there breathing heavily as she lets go of the SMG and grasps at her chest desperately trying to find where she's bleeding until her hands come up clean and the fingers trace across the divots in the plating from the return fire. She tries to get a grip of herself and lies there behind her cover until things fall mostly silent, when she hears Valk's call out for survivors she tries to speak but can't find her voice.

Katja rolls onto her side and tries to push herself up on all fours, her head is spinning and her ears are ringing. She fights to get the helmet off and tosses it aside, letting it clatter across the floor a couple feet from her. The adrenal dump finally hits her and she vomits spectacularly all over the floor under her, retching up mostly bile and acid flecked with little bits of those terrible peanuts she had on the Mordred before this whole mess went down. The only stench worse than the vomit pool under her wafting up into her nostrils is the stench of the utterly mangled and ravaged corpses of Nil's victims not all that far from her current position. The smell of rended entrails causing her to heave a few more times as her brain processes what it is she's smelling.

After about a minute of being sick, she coughs and spits on the floor before slowly dragging herself up to her feet, raising a hand faintly in the air, "I-I'm still alive... I think." She stumbles over and collects her helmet, her SMG hanging loosely by its slingstrap from her forearm. She almost sets off a new round of retching when she catches eyesight of the aftermath and quickly looks away to push it from her mind. She never thought her first taste of combat would be something like this, nothing like this. She knew she might have to kill someone or something but after what Nil did, how he just ripped through those people... that's far beyond what sort of carnage she had pondered on in her hypothetical 'first fight.'

She shuffles over to where the others might be gathering by Valk to regroup. Her eyes have a sort of emptiness to them as she just kinda stands there blankly staring at the floor in front of her as her mind tries to process everything that just occured.

 

[DG-117]

Kalashi simply scoffs at Damien, pissy about not getting good marks as the battle begins to settle down with all but a few of the thugs laying on the cold steel floor dead. Kalashi then gives the area a good scan one last time before lowering her cloak and ditching the more bulky parts of her get-up. She then gets up from behide the cover and walks towards the closet body, she simply gives Valkyrie a quick glare and an nod. She then looks over the rest of them for a second. Seems like none of the Pirates got themselves killed out here by first checking which side of the bullet comes out on their gun. That's somewhat surprising, presumably dumb luck, Kalashi reasoned to herself.

Or better yet, it was probably because of that...Thing. Kalashi thought as she stared that the creature with a bunch of eldritch tentacles coming in and out of its body. Metaphysical bullshit wasn't something she was expecting when signing along up with this gang of lowlives. Hope it gets her Hazard pay though.

At any rate, after giving the more intact bodies that were killed by things other than some batshit-crazy monster. She went over and looked over the few that looked decent enough. She then patdown them for anything of value from some of their still-warm bodies.

However, her attention soon turned onto the young Kanad from earlier, she looked a bit worn, injured with a slug in her shin. Kalashi promptly ditched shaking down the dead and made her way slowly towards her. She knew that she was any bit as screwed in the head as herself, the kid being a (hopefully) ex-child soldier, That lots of precaution was going to be needed after a damn gunfight, she had personally dealt with cases of shellshock with many other survivors of the First Kanad-Sanghvi War.

"[Hey, friend]" Kalashi said in her native tongue towards the young one, this time in claiming voice that was unusual for Kalashi, "[I've got some first aid for your wound...]" Kalashi stated as she approached her, making sure to have had already holstered her weapon before walking over to her. She had her hands up and open in the air for the Kanad to see as she walked over.

"[Now, I've got nothing like a full Medkit or a Stim-pack, but do I got some basic First-aid necessities. Just some things to help null the pain and keep you on your feet till we get you some proper aid now friend.]" Kalashi carefully told her while stopping a few feet or so away from her.

She slowly knelled down and pop opened her satchel. She carefully tossed over some basic bandages, Anti-infection gel, and a syringe half-full of pain represents. While nothing major, it would be enough for a while till they got some real medical attention from whatever hacksaw the Reavers could call a Doctor or a Medic.

 

[Viper Actual]

As the privateer escaped out of the shaft Nathalie grabbed her chest and took several long and deep breaths to regain her focus with one hand clutching to her silenced sidearm aimed up towards the hatch in case the guy decided to turn back and finish her off. Luckily for her he didn't and as she climbed out she noticed a distinct lack of gunfire out in the hangar. Once Nathalie was back on her feet she carried out a basic sweep of the Mordred's compartments before descending down the ramp to find Valkyrie doing a headcount.

"Walker here. Bruised but otherwise intact," said Nat aloud while holstering her weapon. She looked at the carnage covering most of the room- even some parts of the Mordred's exterior- with a mix of awe and fear. Luckily for her and the others Nil seemed to have dialed back down to his less-genocidal self. A comforting sight, if only lightly.

"Did we lose anyone?" Asked Nathalie to no one in particular.

 

[Breadman]

Whoever ain't dead, sound off.

"In pain, but alive." Amy groaned as she held her side and walked to Valk "Gonna need a patchup before we get to the space station." She looked to Katja next, who looked a bit shaken. Just first-time jitters. "As far as first times go, you got a rough one." She looked to the carnage caused by Nil before looked back to Katja "How are you holding up?"

 

[Infab]

As the group sounded off, letting Valkyrie know they were alive and kicking, Nil slowly lowered himself back to the floor. His appearance quickly shifted back, returning to how he had looked when the group first met him. "That was fun!~" he said, smiling as he looked to Caiden. Caiden grunted before speaking. "For you, at least." he said, checking out the two spots where he had been struck by shots. Superficial wounds. They'd heal up in no time.

He glanced back up to Nil, who flashed him a grin, before looking back at the others. "...You should probably try to avoid the 'Destroyer' thing while we're working with this bunch, unless you really have to do it. Judging by some of those looks, they're not too thrilled about the tentacles and ripping people apart." said Caiden, looking back to Nil finally. Nil frowned a bit, but nodded. "I understand. I'll try to contain myself for now." Caiden gave him a pat on the shoulder, before motioning back towards the front of the hangar. "I'm gonna head back to the Ravana and grab our gear. Not the brightest idea to raid a station with fuckin' pop guns." He held up his pistol, before tucking it back into his belt

After a nod from Nil, Caiden turned about and looked to Valk. "Gonna go grab our gear. I'll be back in a few." he said. Valk simply gave him a thumbs-up in response. As he walked away, Nil remained where he stood, clasping his hands together and looking around at the others. Smiling once again.

"...Valk, you got a minute?"

Valk glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked, reloading her own pistol before slipping it back into its holster inside her jacket.

Nearby, Eve quietly stood from behind a low wall that she had been sitting behind the entire time. She knew the group could handle the privateers, so there was no need for her to get involved in the battle. Especially if Nil and Caiden were here. She brushed off her robe with her hands, smoothing it out, before quietly strolling over to where Valk was standing. Meanwhile, Lauren and Damien strolled over to where the security turrets were. The privateers that had ran away had left behind two of their comrades, whom were unconscious thanks to Damien's knockout gas. Lauren reloaded her revolver, as she stood gazing down at them. "We should just plug 'em and leave 'em."

Damien cut her a look. "Why not capture them? You heard Cutter before. We have a mole in our midst. Maybe these two know something? If they don't, they could still be worth something to Lynch's bunch. If not, we can sell 'em off to slavers."

Lauren groaned. "Do you really want to waste your time on these two idiots?" she asked, motioning to their sleeping forms with her revolver's barrel. "We can just shoot 'em now and be done with it. Fuck Lynch, and fuck the slavers. As for the mole, we can find that out on our own."

 

[SniperComZero]

"What is it?"

Rolling her shoulder-- ow, "Fuck." She slid her SMG back into the under-shoulder holster that she had on underneath her coat, pretty content that she could deal with the missing half of a mag later on. "Something that I kinda forgot about, and considered that, y'know. Smuggler station ran by apparently abhorrent assholes..." She looked away for a moment, side-eyeing Nil with a stony glare. Their employers really probably aren't any better than the guys they're helping whack.

"...What's our ROE if we find any people getting trafficked there, Valk?" No quip, no smile, no snarky inflection. It was almost uncharacteristically serious of Olivia to be asking a question like that.

 

[joshuadim]

With the fighting over as what few survivors remained of the Black Crows either fleeing or being incapacitated, Vance simply dropped his makeshift shield and holstered his ray gun. For a few moments as his body flushed the adrenaline out from his body he still felt on edge and alert but once that was over he was able to refocus on the aftermath now that they were relatively safe again. Another sharp pain originated from his arm as a reminder of the wound he had gotten from the fight, although it wouldn't remain that way for long as his body's natural processes did their thing. What was more pressing on his mind however was now realizing who exactly, or rather what exactly he found himself working for now.

A writhing killing machine of tentacles and god knows what else that stirred a disgust in Vance unlike any other he had felt in a very long time. Not only that, but it looked as though it had been enjoyed such carnage and slaughter. Vance thought it had been impossible to already dislike Nil more, but this display of psychopathic violence lowered the bar even more to the point where he could barely stomach being even near such a horrendous creature. "Goddamnit..." Vance muttered as a curse to himself as he made more distance between him and Nil to avoid him as much as possible. Every moment his regret on even accepting to do this 'purge' was growing more and more.

He did find himself overhearing Olivia voice her concerns over a potentially very real dilemma that might be approached on the station. Vance awaited whatever the response as he listened for it a bit off in the distance while sitting atop one of the crates in the hangar.

 

[Infab]

"...What's our ROE if we find any people getting trafficked there, Valk?"

Valk looked around, making sure everyone was up and moving, before looking back to Olivia. Her expression was one of complete seriousness, but Valk's tone was unnervingly casual as she spoke. "What do you think, Olivia?" she asked. Her eyes, locked onto Olivia's, spoke volumes.

Valkyrie didn't care what she, or they, did. Her mind was focused on one singular detail of all of it. Information on Dazik. Kill Dazik, and you hurt Anora. And Anora was the main target.

Zadra overheard their conversation, and butted in. "If there are any innocent people, enslaved or otherwise, on that fucking station, we're not shooting them." she said, marching over and stopping next to Valk. She ripped off her helmet, slinging it across the hangar floor as she glared at Valk.

 

[joshuadim]

"What do you think, Olivia?" she asked.

"You can't be serious?" Vance said aloud, hopping off the crate and walking over to where Valk was with both surprise and anger on his face. Zadra seemed to share the same sentiment and Vance was at least happy to know that even Valk's crewmates were speaking out on this. He returned his attention back to Valk with a glare of his own: "So now you're fine icing people who have nothing to do that with ship Nonara is so riled up about and are there because they're victims? Just so that we can get at the Blood Corps? Where does that end then? Until we're drowning in bodies like they are?"

He then scoffed in frustration: "I get it. You lost someone you loved. But that's no goddamn excuse for slaughtering people."

 

[SniperComZero]

Olivia's gaze hardened on the woman in front of her. She was dead serious, wasn't she? Her lips pursed together, teeth gritted underneath them. Her fists clenched up into tight balls, shaking at her sides. It was taking all of Olivia's concentration to not sock her boss across her dumbass jaw right then and there. At least one of her confidants seemed to have a lightbulb up in their brain, with Zadra taking the right side between the two of them.

"Killing criminals is a line I'm willing to cross, fucking with ONI is a line I'm willing to cross. This Anora's a dangerous bitch who'll fucking slaughter anyone to get what she wants, and we both know that. But as soon as you, fuckin'. You start killing innocent goddamn people to get to her, we're all walking into a pit, of blood for blood and senseless fuckin' murder that none of us are ever walking back out of, Valk. You'll be no goddamn better than she is."

 

[Breadman]

"Excuse me" Amy told Katja, unfortunately not getting a chance to get a good read on her after all of this. There was trouble brewing and someone needed to calm things down before they got out of hand. Again. "We're hired to do a job." The former mercenary spoke up as she walked up to get between the two. "The job is to empty the station from ONI operatives." She looked at Valk "That's what we negotiated. What fucking use is there to kill everyone who is there scared shitless and has no clue about the ship? None!"

"Maybe I'm losing blood that would be going to my brain normally, but I really don't see the point of slaughtering people who don't know where they are in order to add another exclamation point to Nonara's message, when the dead ONI are enough." She was silent to let the others say their peace and they weren't wrong. "We have to draw a line, Valk. That bitch want's to break you like this to justify what she did. Don't let her."

 

[Emperor Sagan]

As soon as the fighting began, it was over, much like a passing warm shower back home sweeping in from the ocean. At least the storms there weren't so deadly that the raindrops would kill you. Waiting an extra moment to make sure it was over, Shelby breathed a long sigh of relief and stuffed his submachine gun into its modified pistol holder. His entire body felt numb again and he had a slight headache, and on top of it, his stomach was hurting, too.

Slithering out from behind his bullet riddled cover, Shelby collapsed onto his side with a groan. "I have a tummy ache. And I want a milk shake," he said with a slight sniffle at Valk's call to see who was alive. He caught sight of the gruesome display of horrific violence on the other side of the bay and, with another groan, hastily rolled over so he didn't have to see it. It looked an awful lot like those undersea mining accidents that rocked the families back home from time to time, such as when there was a depressurization event. Except this had all happened thanks to Nil's... talents, if they could be called that.

After a few more seconds of laying on the filthy floor - which Shelby became very aware of how dirty it was - he squealed slightly and sat up as if awaking from a dream, staring down at his soot stained hands, covered with dirt and industrial grime. He sniffled again and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand which was cleaner, but realized some soot from his face rubbed off on his hand. That caused his eyes to get a little wetter.

The others were starting to argue from the sounds of it and he walked over, vigorously shaking his dirty hands in a vain attempt to clean them. "U-Um, guys, aren't we... aren't was asking the wrong people about that? Didn't the lady say who we didn't kill is um... going to be dealt with by... by him?" Shelby caught a glance of Nil standing amid the carnage, already smiling. That sent a sharp, cold shiver through his body, worse than the realization he had when he noticed how dirty he was for sitting on the ground.

 

[K0mori]

"[Hey, friend]" Kalashi said in her native tongue towards the young one, this time in claiming voice that was unusual for Kalashi, "[I've got some first aid for your wound...]" Kalashi stated as she approached her...

Vixaya's expression appeared blank to most observers, but Kalashi had seen it before. Only a fellow kanad would notice the little things, like Vixaya's narrowed pupils, that revealed the calm but deadly focus that allowed her to dispatch eight foes in the preceding minutes. Slowly, awareness came back to her, and she began to breathe a bit unsteady as her survival instinct loosened its grip over her.

"[My... wound?]" she replied, looking down on herself. Then, as if she began to feel pain that very moment, she yelped and doubled over, grabbing onto her leg. "Akha..." she whined. She quickly accepted the antibiotic gel and bandage from Kalashi and removed her boot to apply them, but was hesitant to take the painkiller injection. "[...I don't like needles,]" she explained, sheepishly.

Shortly afterward, Vixaya was walking with a slight limp as she caught up with the others. Along the way, she scanned around the room, taking note of the carnage and trying hard to remember exactly what had happened after the shooting began. Like on VOC-1, it was all a blur. Her eyes settled on Nil for a moment, and she got the sense that he had done something unnatural, but couldn't quite place it. The terrible gore of the dead bodies was a stark hint of the gruesome truth. She rubbed her temple and walked on to where the others were arguing over their orders to purge the station, again.

She didn't want to be involved with this bickering. Stopping next to Valkyrie, she spoke flatly. "[Just let me know who to shoot when we get there. I'll follow my orders.]" She walked into the ship as the translation came through.