Commonwealth [Inactive]

Vex paused for a few moments, watching him with unblinking eyes. "Commonwealth AI. Sure. I saw that little jolt that Alice gave you, and I'm willing to bet you're none too happy about that. Sure, she can be a bit of a handful, but I know she wouldn't have tried to hurt you permanently." he said with a small laugh. "I mean, be happy that she did what she did, if you'd have really made her mad she would have just pumped cyanide gas into the cabin."


He tilted his head. "Sure, what do you want to know? I figure if we're all going to be working together, we may as well learn to trust each other." he said, his arms folded.
 
"Are you ready to go into town captain?" She asked, this was going extremely well as the other two had gone off, now she would be able to lead the captain to a secluded spot and take him down easily. She had actually been dreading the thought of having to kill the other two, and was glad it wouldn't come to that now.
 
Thomas arrived at the bar Kuzzuk mentioned, he could hear a fight going on inside, so he opted ta wait for Kuzzuk outside. He casually leaned against a wall and tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone.
 
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Lilly nodded and walked down the lowered ramp and into the city. Right away people in the throng made a point of giving her a wide berth as if they feared her. "He has a house near the center of the city, I can get you inside."
 
"So now we're all charismatic Prince Charming? Don't think talking about trust and teamwork will compensate for the fact that you d*** near sold us into slavery," snapped Alexei, "But that's really beside the point here. That's not what disgusts me the most about you, what disgusts me the most about you is that I have to ask this question: Why? Why kill for coin, you know? I do what I do because I believe in something, but why do you kill people for money like a greedy psychopath?"
 
Vex just laughed. "Oh, don't think I still won't turn you both in for the bounty... If you don't behave yourselves, of course." He shook his head a bit, leaning up against the wall to watch him. "Well... I -am- a greedy psychopath. I like to kill. So, the way I figure it, why kill one person and get put away for life, when I can kill thousands legally, and get paid for it? It's the next best thing to being a part of the Commonwealth, except the pay's better." he explained, his head tilting slightly.


It was unnerving, with only four pinpricks of light for eyes and no facial features to be staring someone down. There was no way to tell what he was thinking. "So, do you think that slicing is a victimless crime? Alter the code on a ship's life support systems by one digit, and everyone dies. One little virus can wipe out a terraformed planet. Don't think you're some saint because you don't outright put a gun to someone's head and pull the trigger."
 
"I'm not here to be some angel sent down from the heavens to save mankind from its sins," Alexei retorted, his veins burning with anger. He clenched his teeth together for a moment, grinding them against each other, and took a slight breath. He hesitated for a moment, but continued, "But at least when I play God, I play fair. But you? No. The galaxy can rot in hell for all you care as long as you get your credits."
 
"Damn straight. So long as my account is overflowing, I couldn't care less about the rest of the galaxy. Now..." he said, and in an instant his face was mere inches from Alexei's. "If you have a problem with it, you're welcome to do something about it." He was impossibly fast, especially in close quarters like this. The metal plate on his forearm rattled ominously, as if the blade concealed underneath was just begging to come out. Vex could be a nice guy and all, but pushing him at all was a very, -very- bad idea.
 
"Well," grinned Alexei, "It was nice having this heart-to-heart moment with you." A few moments later he was exiting the loading ramp, pacing out onto the rolling green plains, enveloped by forest on all sides. Looks like we found a weak spot, he mused, It would be a shame if someone like innocent old me was to capitalize upon it. Perhaps having a hand in his account would be a valuable asset. That will take some time that I don't have just yet though. I'll need somewhere more stable, more private. But more importantly, I need somewhere where the maniac won't kill me.
 
A shot suddenly would ring out, kicking up the dirt at Alexei's feet. "You know..." Vex said, pistol in hand as he followed him outside. "Your bounty is, to be honest, spare change. A couple thousand credits, but every little bit helps." He took better aim this time, right at Alexei's throat. "One twitch of the finger, and I can turn your head in." His eyes shifted from their normal blue-green to a reddish orange. "Now, the one thing I'd like to ask, is what exactly are you planning? We could either work together as friends, or I could just take your head and be done with it. I'm just as good with electronic systems as you are, so it's not like we'd miss out on anything if you were gone. What would you prefer?"
 
"Just when I thought we were getting along so well," replied Alexei, concealing how startled he was. "We can play this cutesy little game all day if you want, but if you want to control someone, you might want to look elsewhere. Learning to read might help you out by the way: I'm wanted alive. As it turns out they'd rather watch me rot as a failure than let me hang as a martyr. Either way, we both know that's not what you're really here for, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten a warning. I believe I said we're done here."
 
"The bounty offices tend to make exceptions if I bring a criminal in." he explained, lowering his pistol. "Anyways, I've got work to do. Work that doesn't involve trying to build a counter-A.I. program." he said, stepping back into the ship. He hit the button for the door, watching as it closed, separating the two of them. He she shook his head, sighing a bit. "Alice, the slicer seems a little too interested in A.I. right now. I'd recommend locking down everything, maybe going airborne. I don't trust the guy." he said, making his way to a nearby terminal. "Good idea. I'll stay in contact, but I'm going to shut down all physical and wireless connections. That way, the only way to me would be through you." she said. Vex would just nod, hooking up to the terminal. He began to get the auto-repair systems restarted, dropping the control package deep in the system as he did.
 
Mark looked from one eye in the crowd to the next. There was a strange blue alien with three long eye stalks glaring at him angrily. Then an old woman jeered at him. A little later, an insectoid flew up to him, making a farting sound, then bolting with a bunch of others, laughing. Mark looked down. He was no longer wearing his uniform, but he was still giving off the air of a GC high commander, the official title of his rank. High Commander Marcus James Fuller of the Galactic Commonwealth, well, no longer. Yet he wondered why people were shying away from Lilly. "For such a young girl as yourself, in such a vulnerable position. These people sure seem to fear you. Care to explain?"
 
Alexei let out a sigh, his false bravado dissipating. He took a few steps away from the ship and looked around the Rogue Prudence's wreck. He pulled out his tablet and opened a diagnostic program.


-Command Prompt: Run diagnostic on system <Alice>.


ERROR: System Not Found.





"What the hell?" he muttered, shaking his tablet, "That's impossible... unless he cut off network connection. But that would virtually eliminate any information flow into his servers..." Wait, no information. He has no information. No, no, no. Too good to be true, he probably has personal network connection. But, on the other hand it's near impossible that it would be on the same level as Alice. It seems he's unwittingly given me at least one advantage... as scarce as those may be. I guess that doesn't stop him from putting a bullet in my brain.
 
Vex was hard at work, making sure his program was buried well enough to not be found later when Alice spoke. "Your intuition astounds me sometimes. He just tried to run a diagnostic on me remotely." she said, chuckling lightly. Vex just shook his head. "I figured he would. If you notice him anywhere in our systems, run Alpha-10. Maybe frying his equipment might get the point across." he said, putting his programming work on auto-pilot as he searched for Alexei's tablet on the network. It was decently hidden but he was able to find it, and forced open a communication channel.


"A little birdie told me you're being naughty. I don't suggest continuing, if we're going to be working together I'd at least like to have the illusion that I could trust you." he said sharply, his voice ringing out over his tablet's speakers. "Why don't you be a good boy and help me get these auto-repair systems restarted? There's only so much I can do from one terminal, and you seem to make bad decisions when left to your own devices." His voice clicked off as he closed the communication channel, leaving a blocker so Alexei couldn't re-open it later. Being mostly machine, he had been the target of many a Slicer before. He knew their tricks because he had used them all before.
 
Mark felt a little naked without the frequent situation update's from Rogue, his ship's AI. He tapped the communicator by his ear and twisted a nob. "Alexi, this is Captain Fuller. Do you copy?"


((OOC: I just realized the Rogue Prudence's initials are 'RP'. This was destiny guys. :P ))
 
"Yeah, I copy," he said, "One sec." I glanced at his tablet with an amused smirk, "Cute." he tapped on a few keys and suddenly Vex's computer shut off. "As it turns out my network isn't without safeguards," he muttered. He typed in another line of code, making sure that anyone trying to access his network would be promptly met with a blue screen. "What is it, captain?"
 
Vex muttered under his breath, watching as the screen on his HUD went black. "Hmph. Fine, it's not like I need your help anyways." he said, turning his attention back to the ship's computer. As he worked to restore the auto-repair systems he began altering the ship's security clearances slightly, just minor changes that would allow him full access if he ever needed it. He then buried the evidence deep in the memory banks, somewhere where it wouldn't be found. Being mostly machine had it's advantages.


After he did his own personal modifications to the ship he finished up with getting the auto-repair systems restarted. The ship hummed to life as it began to repair the damage from the crash landing. "There we go. It's always a good idea to have an ace in the hole." he said, taking a walkthrough of the ship to get an idea where everything was. If the situation called for it, which he hoped it wouldn't... but if it did, he would be able to assert total control over the ship, and knowing the layout would be necessary. He began to make his way towards the armory, it was more than possible that they would have something that would interest him.
 
"They don't want anything to do with someone who works for the Blackwater Syndicate, the gang I've gotten involved in is a particularly nasty one." She guided him down the twisting streets and alleys until they came to a dark and narrow alley between two buildings, Lilly looked into one of the shadowy corners and nodded, hoping the captain wouldn't see the signal she gave.
 
Thomas looked at his watch and frowned, "Fifteen minutes he said, fifteen." it had been over two hours ago that Kuzzuk had told him to wait at the bar, and Thomas was getting impatient. Perhaps he had decided to ditch them and go back to his old life with the mafia. Thomas sighed and resolved to return to his ship, if he remembered the way back, that is. He pushed his way through the crowds of people, taking his best guess at the way Kuzzuk took him. When he found himself in the back alleys again, he let his trenchcoat open a bit, making sure that anyone looking for an easy target knew he was well armed.
 
Kuzzuk searched through alley after alley, using his wings and natural agility to stay on rooftops and dart through the shadows to remain unseen. He looked up to the sky to get an idea of the time. Two hours already? Ah well, he was sure that Thomas would be fine without him. Well, probably. Besides, he had more important things to worry about. He had a pretty good idea who the girl was. Rumors abounded over a young woman being behind many assassinations, and for this one to just show up at the wreckage of a known high priority bounty? The evidence couldn't be overlooked. He didn't tell anyone else for fear of her finding out what he knew. Also, he was looking forward to the challenge of fighting her, and would prefer not having anyone else to get in the way. Finally finding Fuller and the girl, he noticed a shady-looking man in a trenchcoat and hood waiting on a rooftop next to an alley they were headed in. He quickly and quietly made his way up behind him, and dispatched him with a quick blade to the throat. Making sure it didn't get any blood on it, he donned the trenchcoat and hood. It wasn't a perfect disguise, but it could fool someone for a few moments, and that was hopefully all the time he needed.
 
Vex found the armory, it's door halfway hanging off it's hinges. He sighed a bit and stepped inside, pausing as he did. It was full of weaponry, all military grade. A definite upgrade from the black market crap he currently had. He dug around for a moment, finding a large black bag. He would need it to carry out the gear he was going to take. As he started inspecting the various pistols, assault rifles, DMR's and explosives, he scanned through his comms channel to hail the Captain.


"Captain Fuller, I was able to get the auto-repair systems started up. Your ship was pretty badly banged up in the crash, the main computer hasn't finished calculating how long the repairs will take." he said, marveling at the quality of the weapons here. Once he had filled up his bag with an adequate amount of guns, ammunition, and explosives he turned to leave. That's when he saw -them-. A pair of matched vibro-blades, each a meter in length. He chuckled a bit and pulled them off the shelf, slinging them over his shoulder next to the bag as he stepped out into the hallway. "Alright, now which way to robotics?" he wondered to himself, strolling leisurely through the ship. Today was turning out pretty good, all things considered.
 
At Lilly's signal, three men stepped out of the shadows. They wore black coats and had masks covering their faces. They pointed their guns at captain Fuller and surrounded him. Lilly stepped back, determined not to be under suspicion if the ambush failed.
 
Kuzzuk watched as the three men ambushed Fuller. Not wanting to be ambushed himself, he went around the nearby rooftops, making sure there were no more thugs waiting, dispatching any he found. He only hoped Fuller wouldn't get himself killed before he was able to help.
 
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