Fandom Star-Crossed Striders | HSR

[Marlowe]

Stonehearth, Biastea -- the Endless Pursuit
Afternoon

So, this is how it was.

The Antimatter Legion foot soldier's sword had entered through right underneath his right breast and sliced straight through flesh and muscle. Zhao Ming spluttered in agony, the sheer pain that razed his body so intense that he couldn't even muster a scream. The blade streaked violently upwards, streaking through sinew and tendon and lopping off the entirety of his right arm. The severed limp landed with a sickening thump a few feet away to his right. His mouth hung open as he took a step backwards, his body already losing its warmth at the expulsion of his blood. His bow clattering to the floor as his quivering left hand reached up to try and stem the flow. Crimson gushed between his fingers, burning hot against his cold and pale skin as it poured down his side and splattered upon the stone at his feet.

It was just like back then on the Xuling. He was useless now just as he was back then. His breath came out in wild gasps as he fought the shadows that crept in the corners of his vision. The ivory soldiers and the Legion crept closer and closer. Though his body was wracked in shudders, he took another step back. His right heel hung off the edge of the cliff.

So cold. He was so, so cold. Zhao's vision blurred as the soldiers raised their rifles and aimed down their sights. Another rain of gunfire fell upon him, and Zhao anticipated the rest of his body to be torn apart by the bullets. But they cracked against a veil that fell over his form and clinked harmlessly to the ground. Someone had helped him, an Aeon or spirit, maybe. But it was no use; the fury of the gunfire never ceased and cracks began to form over the aura that had shielded him.

Lark was safe. She had finally gotten off this damn planet. Zhao couldn't save his people-- not now, not ever --but he had saved her, and that was all that mattered. It was time for him to rest at last.

 

[Serei2477]

Stonehearth, Biastea -- the Endless Pursuit
Afternoon


He had heard of this mysterious planet known as Biastea for quite some time during his long, lonesome adventures across the sea of stars. He had heard that it was very behind in danger of succumbing to a strange beast known as "Quarry", and their very limited technology was hindering their progress for survival. That was what made him decide to steer his ship in the direction of the planet in the first place. He wanted to provide his aid where he could and perhaps mingle with the locals. Wren knew very well that his glistening armor would attract all sorts of attention, but he would be happy to explain to them the significance of such masterful craft. He was without the armor for now, but he'd be more than happy to put it on and show off its beauty once he landed.

Unfortunately, the knight of beauty quickly realized that upon entering the planet's orbit that Biastea was about to be no more.

The Legion was in the middle of annihilating the planet for some reason and Wren sprung into action. He turned off his radars and signals and laid his ship low to avoid being spotted by the Legion's large ship and scoured for any survivors. All he could see was the destruction of IPC ships, the executed innocents being left in the snow, and strange creatures running around terrified of the sudden activity.

They were all dead... He didn't make it in time.

Or did he?

He flew his ship North and barely managed to eye something. The remaining survivors standing at the edge of a cliff. A foxian man, a blonde woman, and a white haired man who seemed at a loss. There was also a large train barreling in just off the cliff, with what looked to be someone opening the door.

That's when Wren witnessed it. Something so beautiful...

The foxian man said something, and his two comrades jumped into the arms of a man on the train. He'd caught and taken them into safety, but the foxian stayed put. He was fighting a hopeless battle in order to save his comrades. The man lost his arm, and was about to be at the mercy of the Legion's guns...

Such beautiful heroism. Such comradery. Such bravery... To sacrifice his own life for the safety of his friends. And now he was about to be executed...

Not if Wren had anything to say about it!

The knight applied directions to his ship's autopilot to loop around and venture close to the ground, enough so that Wren could play a risky and dangerous game. He grabbed the fasteners near the entrance and quickly clipped himself in multiple places to the safety bar next to the door. Then, he undid the hatch and opened the large metal door, seeing that the robotic horses of his "chariot" were approaching the ground and approaching quickly. He hung his body outside, keeping one foot on the step bar and putting all his faith into the safety fastens.

The black and white clad soldiers all turned their attention to the noise that stampeded towards them. In a sudden, startled motion they moved to try to dodge the oncoming ship or try to fire at the metallic stallions but instead they were barrelled through. The sickening sounds of bones crunching on impact and bodies being trampled were drowned out by the ship's engines, thankfully. Meanwhile, Wren opened his arms in a hugging motion and scooped the man into his arms, holding him tight. The action was enough to knock the wind out and maybe break a rib or two of Wren's, but the foxian man was in his hold.

He quickly dragged the man into his ship and redid the hatch. The autopilot would begin to fly them out of Biastea's orbit and to... anywhere really. They just needed to get away from this place and quickly!

Speaking of quickly, the foxian man needed treatment!

Wren would then take the foxian to his bed, where he would begin his songs of healing. The young man had taken a lot of damage, but not enough that the knight's powerful spell wouldn't at least put him on the track of recovery.


-----

Infirmary Room -- the Astral Express


Darkness... Everything was dark when his consciousness first arose... Lazuli, for a brief moment, thought he had died. That he was floating through space, awaiting the hands of Xipe to take him to paradise. But... he did not feel such a thing.

Underneath him he felt an uncomfortable hospital bed and the silky bedsheets were cold under the pads of his fingers. He could feel his muscles were in pain, but not because he had been injured. Lazuli had exerted himself and used much more of his strength than usual in such a short period of time. He was exhausted, but his only injuries were the ones he'd received from the Quarry.

The Quarry... Biastea...

Suddenly the memories of Biastea came rushing back to him and Lazuli's eyes shot open. He sat up quickly and he looked around, his heartbeat on the monitor quickened in pace significantly; no doubt it would get someone's attention. He was in an infirmary-- but whose? And where? He remembered a man had said something to the blonde cavewoman but at the moment he didn't recall what it was. All he knew was that the man had saved them from being executed, but Zhao Meng had stayed behind.

Zhao Meng...

He shook the saddening thoughts from his head, looking around for someone--anyone-- to talk to.

 

[Marlowe]

Infirmary Room -- The Astral Express

A whistling tune drifted from Rhys as he trotted down the lengthy corridor of the express. Within his hands was a large tray topped with a spread of food: two sets of slightly overcooked toast and jam, a pair of cups three quarters full with apple juice, poached eggs, and other fixin's that might delight their guests. He was never much of a cook (he was more likely to burn water than produce a decent meal) but Evie was willing to help him, as always. Surely, the pair of survivors wouldn't appreciated burnt toast and sour jam when they woke from their extended rest. No, no, they needed something pleasant after waking up from their nap of two days.

Twili told him that he should be the one to deliver the food, though. He had little problem with it; Rhys was accustomed with meeting new people, as with everyone else on the Express. Though, it was different when such individuals were survivors of heinous war crimes. These two almost died. One of them lost someone close to them. They would have to be dealt with delicately, unless he stepped on their toes and offended them. As an ex-Galaxy Ranger, he was more than accustomed to interacting with people under extreme distress, but even then it was still a tricky thing to deal with.

His song didn't falter even as he stepped through the sliding door of the infirmary. It wasn't a large room-- there was enough space for some rudimentary machines and cots -- and so they had taken note and provided enough space between the pair. The blonde girl who had given his forearms a good clawing was curled up on her side, obviously still asleep. However, the other one-- the white-haired young man -- had woken up and was currently wriggling about in his cot near the corner of the room. Rhys approached with a lop-sided smile.

"Good mornin', bud," he sang out as he placed the tray next to the man's nighttable. "The universe says hello!"

Rhys squatted next to the bed in order to peer closer at the new face. His features were delicate, his nails quite taken care of... it was evident that this man hadn't come from the planet that was just destroyed. Interesting. "You're on the Astral Express," he explained, already predicting one of the first questions that would be asked. "Probably've heard of it before, right?"

 

[Serei2477]

Infirmary Room -- the Astral Express


An unfamiliar tune accompanied by the light sounds of footsteps became louder and louder as it approached the door of the infirmary. The stoneheart didn't calm down; rather, he wasn't certain if this person's presence would be a threat to him or a source of relief. Was it the man from before? Lazuli didn't exactly get a good look at their savior so he wasn't sure what to expect, but friend or foe they would at least be able to answer some of his questions, right?

The person that came in was a tall man with long black hair and maybe some scars, carrying a large tray with an assortment of foods. His whistling didn't stop even after he entered the room which made Lazuli confused about how he should feel. Should he be concerned? Happy? Afraid? Was this man going to hold him hostage? Kill him?

The lop-sided grin told Lazuli that perhaps he should calm down a bit.

"Who hasn't heard of the Astral Express?" Lazuli asked the man in kind.

He'd heard of the train many times in passing from colleagues. It was supposedly created by an Aeon, destined to travel all around the galaxy. So this man was a trailblazer then.

Lazuli relaxed a little. At least it wasn't the Legion.

The planet, Biastea. It's no more, correct?" He asked the other man for confirmation more than anything. "And it was you that caught us... Thank you for that."

 

[Marlowe]

Infirmary Room -- The Astral Express

Ah, the man had sass in him. That was always a good sign. His question, however, was concerning. Rhys' smile faded away from his lips. "The Legion called their Doomsday Beasts not even five system minutes after we departed," he explained carefully. "Pair of them. If there is somethin' left of Biastea, it's no longer habitable. 'm sorry."

Perhaps the young man did hail from the planet after all. He was dressed a little different than his other half. Maybe he was a lord, or high-ranking officer. It wouldn't surprise him, judging off of his delicate features and dainty form. Ah, well, here he went assuming things again. There would be time for questions later. "Your friend still hasn't woken up yet. Sleepin' pretty deep. But she'll be up and at it before you know it, so you don't need to worry your pretty lil' head," Rhys' smile returned as he lifted up the tray once again and held it closer to the man. "Now, what's important is that you eat. You've been out for a day or two, so you need the energy. 'sides, I worked pretty hard at cookin' this!"

He wiggled the tray in a tempting fashion, his eyebrows following the motion. Rhys didn't know if this man shared his sense of humor or if he was a sour son of a bitch, but hey, might as well keep the mood light. "Name's Rhys by the way. I'm one of the Nameless on board here. 'n you are...?"

 

[Serei2477]

Infirmary Room -- the Astral Express


So Biastea was nothing more than a few rocks in space. Brilliant. Surely the IPC would love to hear how not only a 500 million credit debt disappeared with the planet, but even worse, a whole crew of soldiers, personnel, and many more had been killed by the Legion. Surely the IPC knew by now what had happened... He was certain one of the crew members or the pilots themselves would have sent a distress signal or a message before they were killed...

He would need to report this soon.

"That woman is not my friend." He made very clear. He doubted the two were anywhere close to friendship, not to mention he didn't even know her name.

What really caught his attention was that he had not been asleep for an hour or two, but a day at least!

Lazuli immediately shot up onto his feet, "Two days?!" Though before he could question further he suddenly felt his head start to swim and his eyes lose focus. He forced himself to sit back down. Damn it all he needed to speak to Diamond, but the man--Rhys--was right. He wouldn't be able to focus or get anything done in his current condition. He'd have to eat first then go about his work.

He looked over at the breakfast that Rhys, admittedly, made look more tempting. It was a plain, simple meal but to Lazuli it looked downright heavenly.

Lazuli picked up a fork and started with one of the eggs. It tasted amazing to his starving body, so much so that he had to force himself to eat with manners.

"Call me Lapis Lazuli, or Lazuli for short." He said, eyeing the man as he spoke. Would he see anything concerning on the other man's face? Or perhaps metaphorical credit signs in his eyes? "How many Nameless are here?"