[System]
Race: Aasimar

Age: 26

Appearance: Mercy is an Aasimar, with appearance that might belie natural beauty in better circumstance, but is often caked in the dust and grime of the roads traveled. Ivory skin, blonde hair tied back, and with deep blue eyes, the young woman exudes an air of confidence beyond her years.

Often those very same features are concealed beneath the shade of a well-worn 'cowboy' hat and the simple draw of a bandana over her lower face. Perhaps the truest evidence of her femininity is her slim perfectly shaped figure, A toned and flat belly blends into a slim waist and then gives way to the curvy flare of her hips and long, powerful legs. Even so, her form is often hidden beneath the padded duster she wears.

Around her throat rests a cold pendant in the shape of the sun, a symbol of her driving faith. The 'instruments' of that faith are far more striking; a pair of well-maintained revolvers rest in a classic 'gunslinger' belt.

Skills and abilities:
Marksmanship/Gunslinging
Short to medium firefights.
Magic: Smiting shot, 'Lay on hands', can channel some positive energy.
Healing: Mundane wound tending.
Decent musician

Weapons:
Gunslinger revolvers
Pump-Action shotgun
Survival knife
Sun pendant focusing necklace.
Stock-whip

Other Equipment:
Traveling Bag (Rations, Water skin, bedroll and fire-starting equipment.)
Leather Long coat
Weather Poncho
Notebook
The Hat.

Background:
There was a time when the birth of an Aasimar was a good omen and cause for celebration, these days it can be a burden. There was plenty in this world people were willing to blame the gods for, and plenty of people who decided that someone who had the slightest hint of their blood was good enough. Even so, early life was as happy and safe as it could be for a time.

Mercy grew up in a small settlement to parents who ran a small tavern within called 'The Oasis' for its location near a well of fresh and clean water. Serving what drinks they could and patching up travelers, their family enjoyed earning a living and the protection of the settlement. She'd sing in the tavern, learned to stitch wounds with her father and went to bed with a full belly surrounded by warmth.

Monsters come in all shapes and size, but it wasn't mutants or infected that brought the destruction of her home, but men. For as long as there have been people alive, someone has wanted what another has. The men that came to town played the part of travelers, enjoying their stay until late in the night.

Mercy awoke to the sounds of screams, gunfire and death. They'd opened the gates and let the wolves in. The raiders took what they could, burned what they couldn't and the noise drew in the infected. The settlement became a ghost town above her while she hid in the cellar below. It took her days to dig her way out and even then she collapsed amidst the smoldering wreckage certain as her eyes closed that something would come for her life in the night.

But the sun rose again for Mercy LaCroix, as dawn broke her eyes opened and her hands closed upon a new weight resting in her palms. A pair of revolvers, old-fashioned and yet in perfect condition. As she stood with the weapons, there was purpose like never before. Such wickedness would be punished; justice would be delivered for the Oasis.

Three years had passed, hands that had one held their weapons with shaky determination were now firm, eyes wide with fear now carried clarity. Tragedy had brought her path to her, but the wastelands had no shortage of people in need and monsters that needed to be put down.

Other stuff:

[User]
S'Hraa silently cursed his luck. Though he and the others managed to fend off the raiders, they did make off with most of their supplies and a hefty body count. Now there is just four left and enough food for only a few days at most. At least he managed to eat one of the dead raiders and though it was one of the smaller races, a halfling if he recalls correctly, it will sustain him enough for nearly a week.

With a new day comes new problems, they would need to scavenge food and fuel before something else befalls them. A fact only reinforced by Zim's words. S'Hraa needed no time for mourning with the matter at hand being more urgent, not that he would otherwise.

" And they shall never truly die as long as our hearts continue to beat. We are living on time they gave us and sitting around is a luxury we cannot afford right now. I can go look for something to eat while you all figure out the fuel situation."  S'Hraa then got up and walked out of sight of the others. Confident in his distance he abandoned walking in favor of slithering, giving his limbs some rest as well as letting him cover more ground. As far as he knows, the others see him only as he wishes to be seen, as a Human. He often had to sacrifice comfort to keep up appearances, his legs were not meant to travel as much as he did recently, and even after sleeping were still sore. The respite, even if it would end up brief, is welcome.

S'Hraa surmised the hotel would certainly have some place for storing and preparing food and after a little bit of searching found the kitchen. Unfortunately, it seemed the place was picked clean long ago and nothing edible remained. But before he could let out a string of obscenities, he detected something nearby. At first, he thought it was one of the others but, after probing the air with his forked tongue, he detected an unfamiliar scent. Dropping low and after a few corners he found a fawn passed out on the ground. " A victim of the dry heat, hopefully it won't claim us as well. A pity it is like this, I'd prefer something still moving. But I'm good enough for now, the others would need this more than me."  After ensuring its death with his dagger, he carried it back to where the others were. A handful of hours and all he had to show for it was this small thing, but it's better than nothing.

 "It seems that, this building at least, was picked clean long ago but I did find this fawn. Not much meat on it but it should last us a meal or two. Did we get enough fuel? I'd like to get out of here before this dry weather affects my scales… er skin."  S'Hraa said, hoping no one noticed his gaffe.  "Speaking of the heat, how is our water situation? Did we manage to get away with any?"  He added, in an attempt to distract from his mistake as well as being a genuine concern. Though he like any snake was well suited for going long periods without water, he figured the others probably would not last half as long as himself. He did not like having to rely on others but he would need to put his trust in them to survive the coming days, weeks, or however long it will take. And he can't trust the dead to do anything but rot.

[Assistant]
The scent of gun-smoke still seemed to cling to the skin of Mercy LaCroix as she rested nearby. Dust still clung to her coat, hat and skin where it could and she'd peeled off her gloves to wipe away the dirt and grime that coated the revolver in her hand. To anothers eyes, it might almost seem a senseless vanity to be attending to cleaning a weapon that was functioning perfectly almost to a 'showroom' finish before one had even taken care of themselves, but it was more than that; reflection. Prayer.

She'd come to the group recently, her wandering travels having aligned with the larger caravan as it had been. They were good people, people she'd wished to help and protect using the abilities she'd been blessed with.

Now so many of them were dead.

In the fight, she'd been a blazing ballet of lead and gun-smoke cutting down raiders and avoiding bullets, but it hadn't been enough. She couldn't put all the raiders down, she couldn't protect everyone she wished and as she'd been grimly reminded of later there was only so much healing she could provide. Even an Aasmir blessed as she was couldn't lay hands on the wounded over and over again.

Drained as she was from the efforts of healing, she'd been sitting there in that 'prayer' nonspeaking for almost half an hour before she finally holsters the weapon and seems to come back to reality.

"We're hurting," she speaks evenly, reaching to retrieve her gloves. "Those that hit us and took what we have would know it. We should check to see if there are any trails that show some broke away. It might well lead us to where any backup they have is holed up, or maybe even water if they've been haunting and hunting around here for a while." A pause, she pulls the leather taught over her right hand and then reaches to glove the left. "At the very least, we'll know if they're more likely to come back while we're still licking our wounds."

Of course, Mercy wasn't a tracker, but it was a suggestion the others could use. Not quite the plan Zim was asking for, but it was a start! S'Hraa's return with his small prize earns a frown, but she nods none the less. Anything that wasn't cutting into what they had was one step further from starvation. She still had water in her canteen, but they'd need more soon enough.

With an exhaled breath, she finally reaches for her hat where it had rested on the rubble beside her, placing it atop one knee while she worked to re-secure the ties that kept her hair pinned out of the way. "Moving is a good idea when we can, but in the mean time we should make sure we're as safe as we can get and look to see if we can find supplies of any kind. Scraps are still something."

[User]
Endre says nothing as the others say a few words and quickly do what they can to ease the pain of those they have known passing. He leans quietly against a dilapidated sand scored cabinet, quietly cleaning his rifle of carbon scoring and the thick cloying dust that seems to get everywhere. He is relatively new to the band, finally tiring of his self imposed exile and seeking out the companionship of those who do not hate him for what he is. At least for a little while. He knows that this is not likely to last for long, eventually words or bullets will fly and he will be back alone on the dusty road until loneliness forces him to seek companionship yet again.

Finally when the others begin speaking of plans her shakes himself from his melancholy and begins to reassemble his rifle with clean practiced movements that speak of a relative lifetime of muscle memory. He nods to Mercy as his hands continue to work at his weapon. "They were desperate, I doubt they left any men behind. They attacked us with the ferocity of cornered animals. If there is anything of value left in their camp, wherever it may be. Chances are that it is water, water is heavy and hard to transport. Prey to your god, and if they are good perhaps they had some kind of heavy foodstuffs as well." He thinks back to the desperation of the attack, and the whipcord thin bodies on some of their attackers. "Though I would not bed our survival on it. I will take my bike back. It should have enough fuel to get me there, and it has two empty jerry cans if I find a water source. And I have cords if they have some nicely prepared for us."

He turns towards the door slinging his rifle over one shoulder before running his roughly calloused hands over one of the horns sweeping back beside his head. "Make sure that you search our fallen allies vehicles, friends though they may have been many will still choose themselves over their comrades." Turning his demonic visage away from the others he heads quickly towards his bike, slowly checking it over before mounting it with ease. Lifting his canteen to his lips he takes a small sip, hearing the liquid within it slosh and feeling it's deceptive weight. In this heat? It will not be enough, not nearly enough. Finally he kicks his leg down savagely once, and then twice before the satisfying roar of his powerful beasts rends the air with its fury. He calls out over the roar, barely audible over the savage noise. "That firefight was long and loud, they know we are hurting. Watch for the vultures."

[Assistant]
There was a frown to cross Mercy's lips as she rests her hands on her hips, a stance of contemplation as much as any other emotion it might convey. Always easier for her to think these days when she had her weapon close at hand and certainly easier to keep on living these days.

Trust the scout to want to keep moving, but he wasn't entirely wrong. They needed more supplies and water most of all. The comment about them likely having set up at a water source or storage certainly made sense enough to her. Even so...

"The bike is loud," she calls, a point that makes itself rather clear when she has to raise her voice. "It'll draw nearly as much attention as any firefight, but we'll need it to look for this camp." There's a sigh from the fair gunslinger before she turns back, looking towards the tinkering gnome and the conjurer with his secret scales she'd never given any indication of knowing about. "But my guns aren't exactly silent either. We'll go ahead for a bit, see if Endre can track them back a ways. Maybe even find some water."

One hand lifting to the pendant at her neck, those gloved digits gift a gentle squeeze before she continues addressing the others. "Follow along or stay here and see what you can do about fortifying this place enough for us to get back on our feet. If Zim can strip parts down or get us some fuel from a wreck, we may just be able to move on with a little more range."

To the Serpent in disguise? She gestures to where their travel bags rest tucked in the corner. "If anyone's going to be able to make sure the water from here or there is safe to drink or any other supplies we have aren't contaminated? It's probably you."
Whatever the others decide, Mercy knew enough to know that there were three things she was good at in this world more than anything. This wasn't the time for music and dance, they'd healed all the wounds that could be treated. That just left the violence that would almost certainly be waiting in the direction of the bandit camp if they could find it.

Hand on her hat to ensure it remained in place, she reached up to try and haul herself onto the back of the bike if there was room. She sure as hell wasn't going to be able to keep up on foot!


[System]
Appearance:

Personality:
Good-natured but troublesome.
Bio:
Dorkle Stein's parents are both librarians at the local library. He is currently an assistant librarian though he would much rather be a scientist. In his spare time, he had created a mini-lab in his family's shed. He does a handful of experiments and records his findings in hopes that some top-notch scientist would be impressed and take him under their wing. He is especially fascinated with humans at the moment. If only he could find some that would let him experiment on them... just a little.
Relations:
Family: Mr. and Mrs. Stein, the local librarians
Skill:
 Amateur Scientist, Avid reader
Weapon:
Blow dart gun
Armour:
Homemade lab coat
Fight:
Basic white pellets fight in form of darts.
Act:
*Check - Tells the player, "He isn't used to being hit on."// After flirting, "Maybe you should give him a better idea".
*Tease - Makes Dorkle angry and his attacks gets more aggressive
*Flirt - Confuses Dorkle and his attacks get weaker
*Inspire - Gives Dorkle an idea but it depends on what was done already. If it is the first thing done, it does nothing. If it is done after teasing, his attacks goes insanely fast and aggressive. If it is done after flirting, he comes up with a solution that would benefit both parties.

Mercy: Flirt, then Inspire.

[User]
♥ ♥
The cave after was dark. Dark crevices and corners on either side, with cracks in the wall leading to dead ends or long, black drops…but distant light leaked out from the wider, main passage illuminated the potential dangers as they came.

…an oblong shape sat in the center of the last cave before the brighter chamber.
It was partially shadowed where it sat, and smelled delicious. Just like...a freshly baked cake.

[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]

-----

♥ ♥

The smallest, pea-sized blob peered out from under the fold of cloth of the green souled human's shirt, teary-eyed as it watched the orange souled human LV up.

Xaria obtains 100G, Elijah unknowingly obtains a Tem...?
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]

-----

Nearing the City
♥ ♥

[CHECK]

Fluffy Pil̪̺̭͉̙ͅl̺̻̼͕̱̹̜ow – ATK 2 DEF 10
Stuffed full of feathers and magic. Surprisingly sturdy!

Another pillow came flying over, flumping instead onto Nina's leg and momentary disabling movement before cartwheeling out of the battle.

The pillow Ash Hare had thrown a saw blade at sliced right open…but unlike a 'normal' encounter, while some lazily floated down to the surrounding ground, most of the feathers came bursting out like darts, shooting out in several directions. Some of these feathers embedded themselves into things of the background, and even a few into other pillows.

*This ain't your grandmonster's pillow fight!

[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]

[Assistant]
♥ Ash Hare

Ash laughed slightly as Nina expressed concern at attacking the monster in front of them. "These things can't speak, like you an' me. And they just attacked you didn't it? I'd say it's life is forfeit." He rationalized. But then she said something that just about blew his mind. Humans didn't have magic? Well then how did they do... anything? And what was that purple trap thing if not magic? Apparently they didn't even believe magic existed up on the surface. What a queer place it must've been.

Nina CHECKed the thing out, after setting a trap. It had low attack, but a surprisingly high defense for something to soft. Nothing he couldn't have told her on his own, obviously. Something he couldn't have told her was the monster's reaction to getting sliced. Instead of taking damage regularly, it split in half, allowing razor-sharp feathers to fly everywhere. Instinctively, Ash dodged. He threw himself to the left, which proved to be a bad move. He had moved directly into more of the feathers, the attack spreading wide. In seeming happenstance though, he had jumped towards Nina, shielding her from the quills that could've hit her.

Ash grunted in anger as he pulled some of the quills from his bones. He had been hit by a few of them. He lost 4 HP, so now he was at 24/30. Shit, he had completely forgotten he had lost some health in his scrap with Nina. He would have to avoid stuff like that again. Looking back, he noticed more FP's around them, one who had just latched itself onto Nina but was fleeing. "D*mn! I forgot they did that... Sh*t did your trap get messed up?" He asked her. Him absorbing the attack probably made them lose their chance at bonus damage. For now he simply weighed his options. He didn't have any items, orange magic would be ineffective, his saw got him hurt, and they were surrounded. It really wasn't looking good for him, huh?

♥ System

A slight grin could be spotted on System's face as Lorelei accepted the regular rate. Normally she didn't get jobs so close together. She would probably be able to splurge a little this week. Still, her brief smile returned to normal as the normally ecstatic and explosive idol became serious. Though the skeleton woman could fight, a two on one, with a human, would not end well for her. So she heeded the advice, and would bring her weaponry along.

Quickly, Lorelei returned to her normal joviality, while asking when she'd start. "Yes. Tonight I'll look over Ash's files. See if there's any precedent. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can talk to him. Or go over to his home, need be." She explained. Even if nothing came of it, seeing this human in action would be fun.

[User]
♥ - Skylar

Skylar was glad that her lame joke had gotten a chuckle out of Rodney, but her smile went away as soon as she realized that he had asked a pretty good question. She listened carefully as she pocketed the candy as Eeeeeeeeeeeee talked about SOULs, and how Rodney's represented JUSTICE, while hers was DETERMINATION. She nodded affirmatively after the ghost asked if her name was correct. She did feel sympathy for the ghost at the mention of his lost brother. She knew she would be the same if she lost her sibling. After the ghost had finished explaining, Skylar commented "I wonder....how come monsters can't handle DETERMINATION? Isn't it just an emotion?"

She then looked ahead as they reached the last dark cave and saw the long oblong thing and the smell of cake reached her nose. She asked out loud in curiosity and confusion "Who, or what, is that?" She wouldn't admit it, but the smell of cake sort of made her hungry. How long has it been since she last ate? Let alone, how long were the two of them down here, including when they were knocked out?

Anywho, she decided to [CHECK] and see if she could glean any information.

---

♥ - Lorelei

Lorelei answered in her usual joviality after System told her her plans, "Excellent Dahling! Just make sure that Ash doesn't know I sent you. If he asks you, don't say that I sent you! Make up some other monster, or say an anonymous client, sent you instead, okay? Also, I'll check in with you tomorrow at 3:00," She then said "Well, gotta go Dahling! Thanks again! I've got a performance to give! OHOHOHOHO!" She then hung up and she started heading for the stage area with her manager once again. However, as she walked on, she couldn't help but wonder if there were other humans down here as well.

[Assistant]
♥ - Eeeeeeeeeeee
'no no no, sky. DETERMINATION is REALLY powerful! technically, all the things that all human SOULs represent are very strong, but DETERMINATION is especially strong. i dont actually know why exactly, but i hear it can be extracted from something or other and put to use somewhere! i dont know where. i dont know a lot about it actually, just that its too strong for most monsters to use and can be extracted to do something. oh hey, a cake smell!'

---

♥ - Rodney Colton Smith
'...I mean, you're not wrong,' I venture cautiously, sniffing the air as I realise that I actually am quite hungry. It smells delicious... reminds me of home, and of my dear wife Olivia, and that reminds of my three kids. Best children a guy could have. God, if only I were back there right now... alright, settle down, Rodney. If you want to get back to them, you'll have to get out of this cave place. Which means past the oblong and its cake smell, regardless of whether it's alive or not.

'Okay, you, uh, oblong-looking entity,' I say, slowly approaching it as I draw my empty gun, and honestly feeling kind of silly for the amount of trepidation I'm putting into this, regardless of how justified it is. A policeman cannot afford to be uncautious in unknown situations like this. 'Now, I don't want anybody to get injured, so if you could just... let us go past... without attacking us... then we can all be on our respective ways without injury, alright?'

Angel Haruki@Major Ursa

[User]
♥ ♥
The oblong shape quivered as Skylar spoke, multi-colored dots fading onto its surface as it seemed to become lumpy. The sweet smell by then became stronger, and seemed to be matching up to the now quivering lump of what seemed to be funfetti cake and white icing mush.

After a moment, a face formed in the cake-icing mush thing, first peering over at the two lazily before blinking, eyes slowly widening in surprise. Gaze darting between each human and then the monster, it jabbed a cake-icing tendril in the ghost's direction a few times before finally pointing at Rodney, finally squeaking out,

"Nyu…!?"

[CHECK]
Chromnelius – ATK 0 DEF 0
A small, innocent, unassuming child.

As if unable to wait for a response, it moved from its spot in the center of the room and continued into the larger chamber…

[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]

[Assistant]
♥ - Rodney Colton Smith
Oh. I guess it's not that interested in fighting us after all. Hell, maybe if I follow after it, it'll lead us to a more interesting place than this, such as the place we were probably already going. I put the gun away again, and begin following after it, again beckoning the other two in our party to follow on.

---

♥ - Eeeeeeeeeeee
'oh, now i recognise what that is! its a... a slonglo! yeah, that!'

I have no idea if it's actually a Slonglo, I've never seen it before in my life. For all I know, it could be a regular living cake. Or a Flee, a small insect-like monster well-known for its capacity to run away from fights when threatened, which has poorly disguised itself as cake to try and avoid attention in the first place. But then it made those cake tendrils, didn't it? My God, could it be that what we just witnessed is the next step in the evolution of the Flee, known only as the Flake?! Oh, what an awful sight to behold!

Oh, and then Rodney wants us to follow him after it. I guess I do that. Trepidationally, because of the Flake. Bwuhuhurgh, how spooky.

Angel Haruki@Major Ursa

[User]
After his mentor left, Dorkle was alone once more. He went back to work, silently. "Come on... come on..." he mumbled to himself. He checked the time almost every thirty seconds, as if it would help time move faster. He just wanted to get out of here and go investigate and explore.

As if his prayers were answered, his mother strolled in the library and was approaching the front desk. "Dorkle dear! I've decided to check on you," she said in a surprisingly loud yet hushed tone. It felt loud but wasn't loud enough to bother anyone. His mother truly has mastered the librarian voice.

"Mother! Yes! Hi! Can I go now PLEASE?" Dorkle said.

The entire building shushed him immediately. He had not mastered the librarian voice yet.

"Dorkle, you must be quiet. We are in a library after all," his mother scolded. "Go where? What do you have going on? Some crazy experiment again? When are you going to stop with that nonsense and focus on taking care of the library?"

"It's my life, mother."

"This library has been in our family for centuries. From your father's father's father's father all the way down to your father. And one day, you. So Dorkle, please. Stop with that science stuff."

Unable to deal with his mother at the moment, Dorkle stormed out of the library before she could do or say anything else. He could feel some tears welling up in his eyes and walked as fast as he could to his make-shift lab. "I just have to prove myself! I will find that human and ... and... well... I'll figure it out when I get there!"


[System]
AKA: Cassie, Cas
Age: 24
Race: Human
Appearance: Cassie stands at 5 foot 9 and has a fit physique. Her hair is full and is a dark brown, it is often left unstraightened and therefore curls at the ends. Her features are what you'd typically expect of a latino, although she retains some of the more 'white' features of her mixed heritage. Generally her features are big, with a slightly wide nose, plump lips and big hazel eyes. However, her high cheekbones reign in these features into order. Her body is littered with small scars here and there. She has but 3 on her face. The least noticeable being the tiny line on her forehead, followed by the diagonal scar parting the freckles on her nose and finally the small crescent moon just under her eye. While she regularly wears gloves, her hands have scars over the palms and forehands with a few tracing up onto her forearm. Her left ear is pierced in three places, and she can often be seen wearing her regular three black earrings.
Faction: Marauder, Criminal, Former Bounty Hunter
Role in Team?: Assault/Defense
Bio: Cassie was born on a martian mining prison colony. Her mother, imprisoned for robbery, met Cassie's father, imprisoned for murder while mining a quarry. The two were practically inseparable after meeting, becoming a pseudo Bonnie and Clyde. It only took a year for Cassie's mother to become pregnant. They knew what would happen to their child if she was born in the mine, she'd be taken away and put in the awful orphanage system the planet had. They couldn't let that happen, and hatched an escape plan with the help of several notorious heisters within the mine.

They planned for months on end, scrimping and saving to buy and steal whatever resources they could muster. It was only a month or so before Cassie was due to be born when they escaped. They blew a hole in the wall of the sleeping quarters using some mining dynamite, stole a transport ship and set out on a dangerous chase across Mars until they finally lost the police and managed to lay low for a few months.

Within this time Cassie was born, and the pair did their best to raise her in a 'normal' environment. But of course, things couldn't last this way for long. The police finally tracked them down after Cassie had just turned 3 and her father was subsequently shot in the ensuing shootout while she and her mother escaped.

Cassie was raised solely by her mother. Forced back into the life of a criminal, Cassie was brought up on the ideals of stealing, treachery and thievery being her way of life. She was taught how to handle a gun by the age of 7, and was well on her way to learning knife play before the police, again, caught up with the two. Her mother was arrested and Cassie was not sent to the orphanage. Instead, she was enrolled in a secret training program for the next generation of soldiers for defense against the other members of the committee in case they ever betrayed the humans.

She stepped foot on Earth for the first time, meeting real earthlings and learning about the world her ancestors helped build. This time was cut relatively short though, as her training started within the first week of arrival. The regime was cruel and harsh, forced to lift ever heavier weights, sprint ever longer distances and be more accurate with weaponry.

Her training finished around the time she turned 17, at which point the leaders of the world decided to decommission the training program on the basis of it having the chance to actually cause the war it was created for if it was ever brought to light. She was given a small cash settlement in exchange for her and the rest of the group's silence. They all went their separate ways with some going on to join the army, others becoming business moguls and few going on to work desk jobs.

Cassie, however, went on to become a bounty hunter. She used what money she was given to buy a fast ship and weaponry. She began garnering a name for herself throughout the galaxy as a bounty hunter of high reputation. Things turned sour when she was 23 though. Bounties became fewer and fewer with less payouts than ever before. Work was drying up, and she was desperate for a bounty if only to pay for food and gas. Soon enough, an anonymous messenger came through, asking her to assassinate a corrupt warlord. She did as she was told, but received no pay.

Unexpectedly, the police arrived at her door the next day and arrested her. She had in fact, murdered a good natured politician, and had been caught on tape in the act. Suffice to say she was set up. Given the option of prison or space exploration, she chose the latter and has been on The Monroe for about a year now.
Personality: Cassie's personality differs from the stereotypical girl to say the least. She is bold, brash and always ready for a fight. The downside to this is that she is often on edge, and is cautious about meeting new people for fear of betrayal or conflict. Before boarding The Monroe, Cassie would often be found alone, preferring a solitary life to that of companionship. However, she has come out of her shell a lot more while in the company of the crew and feels a lot safer. As much as she likes to hide it, she does indulge in some of the more 'girly' aspects of life every now and then. It's quite unusual to see her with straightened hair and makeup on, but when it happens it's usually something to be commented on.
Weapons:
-Rydeen™ Battle Rifle, modified with taped mags, grenade launcher and red dot scope
-Mynci™ dual semi automatic pistols
-Various grenades and other equipment chosen for specific missions
Star-fighter?:
Landslide

Originally a racing ship, Landslide is built for speed suffice to say. It has little armour, and relies mostly on evasion and dodging to survive. Cassie got two rifles mounted under each of the front wings for attack, although these fire very quickly and overheat even faster.
Family/Relationship?:

Raymond Chase
Contrary to how she acts, Cassie has a great deal of respect for, Raymond. While many have died while under his service on the ship, he has never led her astray and she's only gained 1 or 2 scars while under his service.

Luirae Driani
Cassie likes Luirae. Suffice to say, she's been to see her a few times after getting into a few scrapes on and off the ship. She tries to help her understand the emotions and stuff she isn't used to whenever it comes up, but she isn't really the best help at that kind of thing.

8-Ball
Cassie is intrigued by 8-Ball. She doesn't really see him as a properly thinking and feeling being, purely because she isn't totally used to seeing robots do that. She does treat him with a deal of respect and kindness though, even if she's a bit wary.

Tahillie Junta
Cassie is rather standoffish towards Tahillie. She finds his cold, almost unfriendly demeanor to be rude and annoying. However, she trusts him as a fellow member of the ground team and wouldn't believe that he would betray the crew for a moment. When he's drunk she is a lot more friendly towards him, being that he opens up a lot more.

Jolenar
Jolenar scares Cassie on a physical level.

Stun
Not met yet.

Other:
-Used to wear a gas mask covering her whole face to conceal her identity

[User]
This planet made her homesick and long for a past she had left behind. It was not completely the same as Pluvia for the skies on this planet were clear and the glaciers on her HomeWorld were not present though the trees almost felt like they were glaciers with the height. Rae found this planet completely serene and was comfortably trudging through the snow, far less bundled than the rest of the ground team as the temperature was no bother to her. She was pleased with this kind of weather, only second best to rain in her eyes.

It has appeared that all would go well with little to no incidents but obviously, Rae should have know that nothing seemed to go right with the Marauders. It all started when the researcher decided to get samples and explore a nest of some sort. This had prompted an attack from a giant ice bird that had turned its attention towards the Captain after it was attacked by said man. Rae knew it was to buy them time to get to the Monroe and that was all well and good but if he thought she would leave him to deal with that creature alone than maybe she should check his brain for damage.

She had headed out with the rest at first before looping back to find a good view point of the creature and a clear shot. An arm reached back, grabbing her bow and a single arrow before notching the string with arrow at the ready. Rae's vision shifted, the world becoming black as every living thing lit up to her though her focus was only on the bird. The ice made it have little weak points but there was one place that was vulnerable to almost every species. She lined up her shot, ready to sprint since the creature would ultimately not appreciate what she was about to do. Once the creature swiped down the tree, she had only a second to look over Atlas and analyzing that he was indeed mostly uninjured. Orange irises turned their attention towards the creature once more, following its movements a few moments before letting her arrow fly.

It was easy to say that the loud screech and it wobbly flight had meant her aim had been true or true enough to dig into that beautiful ruby eye of the beast. She disliked cruelty of animals but in this case she had to make an exception and if all went well than it would keep its other eye for vision. She tapped her com to speak to the rest of ground team and anyone tuning in,"Ray, I believe the creature is thoroughly distracted at the moment but it will get its barring soon enough. I suggest we make haste to the ship. O'hare can distract it the rest of the way."

[Assistant]
"Most appreciated. I have just left the armory and should be there in a few seconds."

As soon as 8-ball's robotic voice was transferred to Makobi, the bot entered the hanger on all fours, sprinting at the Shuttle 2. Now with a large black bag resting on his back. He hoped back on his two legs as he approached the shuttle, shuffling to it so he could lower his speed. Almost instantly as he reached the shuttle he pulled out a meter long cable from his tool bag's scanner, the end containing a half foot data spike. 8-Ball drove it into a opening on the side of the shuttle. The scanner began to load all the ship's data and began to run a diagnostic of Shuttle 2.

Everything that could be checked was, from fuel levels to the hydraulic pressure for the shuttle's landing gear. After each item was checked, he double checked it. This was his sole purpose and if anything would go wrong it would imply his existence was pointless. Or something like that... After every single diagnostic was finally done, the shuttle's back door slowly fell down to the hanger under it. 8-Ball recalled the cable and headed to the back to look for any interior damage and to check if the physical steering controls were all compliant. He dropped the large bag behind him and started taking out the equipment that they would only need as a last resort.

All ready to go, 8-Ball covered it back up in a black tarp and ran out of the shuttle contacting the Captain. "Captain Chase, the Evac shuttle is all prepared to go. I will be breaking orbit shortly and standby for further instructions ."

[User]
Cassie sat at one of the sleek, white desks in the dining area of the Monroe. Her frustration was obvious, if not from her slumped and sad demeanor then from the numerous scratches and carvings she was making half out of boredom and half out of anguish on the table. Ground missions always excited her, coupled with the fact that she hadn't had a good fight in months meant for an anger filled Cassie.

She was close to falling asleep, her half curled brown locks falling over her scarred eye just as Tango alerted the crew to the captain's situation. Finally something interesting was happening, and she got to use Landslide for what felt like the first time in years. Makobi already had her ship ready with those weird little robots he always had around. She rose from her seat, sliding the knife into her belt and walking rather quickly out into the hallway, only to be met with the shocking sight of 8-Ball sprinting through the hallway like a leopard on cocaine.

She gave a confused look before a slur of voices came through the comms. She began jogging to the hanger before she spoke into them.
"Why is everyone calling me O'hare all of a sudden? It's making me feel like I'm back in 'school'." Cassie hadn't revealed much about her past to the crew, and definitely nothing about the training program she had been forced into all those years ago. She made her way into the hanger, jokingly giving a short salute to Makobi as she boarded the Landslide. Her strange, Spanish/Irish accent picked up on the comms again in response to Rae. "I'm not just going to distract the thing, Rae I'm going to kill it, de-feather it and bring it back for dinner." She half-joked, as per usual not bothering to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

She took off and was on the planet in a matter of minutes, skimming trees and melting streaks of snow through the pure speed of the Landslide. Soon enough, the bird came into view. 'Big' was an understatement, the thing was a behemoth. Cassie pulled down the roll cage over her seat, this would be a bit more bumpy than she expected. The Landslide wasn't exactly accurate, but it didn't need to be with the size of the bird. She flipped the casing over her joystick and pressed down hard on the button it previously concealed. A flurry of bullets pounded on the bird as Cassie managed to dodge under it before looping back around for a second assault.
"Might wanna get outta here quick guys, not sure how long I can keep this thing distracted before it starts looking for you guys."


[System]
* Age: 16
* Gender: Female
* Appearance: Civilian Symphogear
* World of Origin: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
* Personality: Hibiki is a cheerful, energetic girl with a kind heart. She always wants to talk with others no matter how opposite their view points. She wants to reach out, take their hands, and try and understand them. Even if they're enemies, and even if they fight, she wants to understand others. Hibiki's cheerful attitude isn't unbreakable, as things that remind her of less pleasant times can deeply shake her. But she always tries to bounce back and put on a sunny attitude her hardest. Even if she's kind and understanding, she's also very willing to fight to protect those in need, to help her friends, and stop those who would hurt others or threaten the world. Hibiki loves to eat, and loves helping others. However, she can be a little aloof and dense at times, and when it comes to "book smarts" she isn't exactly the best, even if it wouldn't be accurate to call her stupid. Hibiki has a deep adoration for her roommate Kohinata Miku, referring to Miku as "her sunshine".
* History: Over two years ago, Hibiki was the sole survivor of an attack by the Noise, an alien race that relentlessly attacked humanity by converting themselves and their victims into carbon. As a result, she gained a shard of a fragment of the relic Gungnir, embedded in her chest. After three incidents, one of which involved the removal of the shard in her body and her gaining a proper relic fragment, she is still dedicated to helping others using her power as a Symphogear user.
* Abilities: Hibiki uses a fragment of the Relic Gungnir, attuning with it in order to done a suit of power armor known as the Symphogear System. Though she is now able to manifest an armed gear, a weapon based upon the original relic, she rarely does. And when she does, it is only as an extension of her fist. Hibiki fights using the enhanced strength granted by her Symphogear, and martial arts she was trained in by SONG's commanding officer, Kazanari Genjuro. As such, her attacks are her punches and kicks, and she lacks any named abilities. Due to her armor's development, she can now utilize both piston-style movement boosts and rocket boosters on her arms and legs to increase the impact of her attacks or her movement speed. Hibiki can also support the usage of suicidal attacks by bearing some of the burden herself, but only if they run on a system similar to the Symphogears. As Symphogears are activated by music, Hibiki sings as she fights. The Symphogear system also allows for interaction with things that are out of phase with reality, allowing Hibiki to attack targets that are attempting to avoid damage using such methods. Hibiki possesses a supermode that increases her power output greatly, known as Ignite Mode, but it is only utilized when necessary.

[User]
Akuma, Supreme Master of the Fist
- 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi

The martial artist's technique served to disperse the knives, only for them to swiftly correct their course and continue closing in. As Akuma prepared to defend himself, the warrior was suddenly treated to the sight of the knives unceremoniously halting, falling, and disappearing entirely. A quick assessment revealed that his comrades were responsible for this, having broken the foe's concentration. Not only that, but one of them had managed to ensnare the swordswoman in a hold, leaving her wide open.

Not one to let an opportunity go to waste, Akuma rushed towards his opponent. Once he drew near, the warrior allowed momentum to do the rest of the work, and shifted his attention to aiming his fist at the woman's midsection. Akuma needed to end the fight in one blow whilst keeping them alive, so a strike to the vitals was ill-advised. Instead, he went for the solar plexus, a nerve cluster with minimal muscular protection. A strike there would wind even the most resilient of men, and knock lesser ones unconscious. Most definitely painful, but rarely lethal.

[Assistant]
Hellsalem's Lot- Mealtime

"Two bear claws, then? I'll add them to the order. Please wait a moment as we prepare your order," the barista said, quickly jotting something down on a notepad before beginning to assemble everything. His counterpart at the desk nodded and sent off the second order to another person behind them before returning to her job with the next incoming customer.

As that was happening, Satori turned to Shotaro, who had come to wait by the table as their meals (or, rather, drinks with snacks) were being prepared. She paused for a second before shaking her head at the detective's comment.

"Ah... No, I've never heard of any person by the name of 'King Arthur.' Though... Given your reaction and the situation, I assume that Saber over there is quite famous in your home as well? Or is it possible that there are as many versions of a character as there are worlds? That would be... Quite the dilemma."

As she finished, one of the people at the counter rang a call bell before calling out the order that had been put forth by Shotaro for the rest of them.

"Oh, done already? I would think that steeping tea would usually take a while longer..."

---

The 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi
Hanging Gardens
Kagura stopped his barrage of attacks as the two other fighters managed to grab Tsubaki and land a clean hit in her midsection. Wincing as he watched Tsubaki's body go stiff from the impact before falling limp, the fighter calmly walked up to Akuma and Alex before bowing.

"Ah, geez... Thanks for the help. Saved me a lot of headache there. So, as promised, I'll answer any questions you've got, since you're already tangled up in this mess with me."

As he sad that, though, Tsubaki's body twitched before the eye on her shield began to glow. Kagura glanced at it and cursed under his breath. as he began to move back to prepare himself for a fight.

"Damn, I didn't think it'd actually activate like this..."

Just as the light reached its peak, though, a young man with a strange blue-and-white outfit walked up to the group. Kagura let out a sigh of relief, his body losing most of its tension as he looked at the new arrival.

"You're late, Jin. What kept you?"
"Dealing with the side effects of this mess. Did Tsubaki activate Izayoi?"
"Nah, but she's certainly on the verge of doing so."
"Then let me put a stop to that."

After that little back-and-forth, Jin quietly walked up to Tsubaki's body and gripped the hilt of his katana.

"Yukianesa."

With a cold (if not somewhat pained) face, Jin drew his katan and pointed it at Tsubaki's shield. A layer of ice immediately encased it, causing the blooming light to fade away almost immediately. Letting out a sigh of relief, Jin quickly sheathed his weapon and turned back towards Kagura.

"So. Mind explaining who these two are?"

"Right, right. Well, the one who looks like a monk is named Akuma, as far as I can recall, and... Well, I actually don't recall the other's name right now. My bad. But either way, they helped restrain Tsubaki while I was trying to stall her.

"So are you saying you couldn't handle her on your own?"

"Well, it's more like I think that she probably would've activated Izayoi sooner if I went all out..."

"Whatever. If she's unconscious now, we can give her treatment and maybe figure out what caused this in the first place. We've got medical equipment in NOL HQ that we can use to keep her under for a while. Come on; we don't have all day."

Nodding, Kagura watched as Jin carefully took the limp Tsubaki from Alex's arms and carried her instead.

"...So yeah. You're a bit deep in this mess now, so I'll keep my end of the bargain and answer any question you might have here."

Orient Town
"MUNYAAA!"
Taokaka's cries as she was launched straight into a wall were met with a large amount of bricks tumbling down around them. Luckily, none of the bricks had hit Tao, who was now thoroughly exhausted, but... Well, it certainly hurt a great deal to be lying among the debris.

"Nyeow... What's the big deal, crazy hair lady?! You destroy Tao's food, then blame it on Tao! That's nyeot fair!" she complained, weakly trying to roll herself away from the pile of rubble that she was now lying on. "Tao hasn't had any breakfast today, and that was all the food Tao had..."

---

Unknown City, Somewhere in the U.S.

Claire stared back at Sol as if he was an idiot. Even if her comment had been a thinly-veiled insult at how crazy most of them were, this was--!

"...You don't think that I wouldn't have said if there was more to do? You're with the big guy over there! You know, like the rest of your buddies are? Look, see? They're all going with him to look already! Geez, and I thought regular people were bad..." Claire sighed, shaking her head as she brought a hand up to massage her forehead. "Whatever. Your job's with him. He's got the map, so have a blast."

With that, the now mentally-exhausted Claire walked back into the command center, leaving Sol to catch up with the others that had left.

[User]
Resident Evil Verse- Compound
Mentioned: Claire, @VitaVitaAR @Raineh Daze @PKMNB0Y@Wraithblade6

---

Sol stuck a pinky in his ear and pretended to clean it while Claire yelled at him. He stared aimlessly upwards, drawing his pinky out of his ear to flick some crust away. Shrugging his shoulders, Sol turned, shouldering his sword and sauntered after the group. He wasn't going to argue with the girl. If the map had been a copy, then she could have easily made one for all of them and as far as he was concerned, he came alone and didn't even know who all of those jokers were.

Says the bitch who sent an army to attempt to kill one guy, Sol mused.

His free hand dipped into his pants pocket as he lazily followed the group.

I should have went through the other doors. I bet there's more action happening elsewhere than here. Hell, I might have actually been paid if I went elsewhere. Everyone can't be broke.

[Assistant]
----------------------------------------------------------
The 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi - Hanging Gardens
----------------------------------------------------------

Alex tensed up once more when Tsubaki's book-shield flared up. He figured his hold on her wasn't going to be enough for what was about to happen. However, a young man in a blue and white outfit appeared and put an end to whatever magical bull the unconscious Tsubaki was about to pull off, encasing the book-shield in a block of ice with only a Far Eastern sword. Clearly the sword was not normal. At least not in Alex's standards.

Kagura apparently knew the new guy, who was named Jin. After Jin took Tsubaki off Alex's hands, Kagura was again with the two offworlders.

Alex hesitated. He did not know what to ask this Kagura who was probably not aware of the the problems his world harbored. However, the virus thought it was still worth a shot.

"Is there anything... wrong in this place?" He asked. "Is there anything you feel or suspect that isn't right." Realizing that this world was more extraordinary than his, he added. "You know, besides the usual things going wrong. I mean, is our little exchange over here normal or is it..." Alex was not sure if he was making sense. He could only hope Kagura could follow what he meant and what he was trying to ask.

[User]
Hellsalem's Lot - Shotaro and Philip
"Oh, well that's because we got machines that can take care of it a bunch faster," Shotaro informed Satori, "I bet they keep a good amount stored up for busy hours, though." With that bit of modern trivia out of the way, he headed over to the counter to pay up and get their order.

Philip had made his way over to the table after their order was taken and came into the conversation overhearing something about Saber. Aha, some leeway for explaining time! If they were taking a break now, Philip figured he may as well have his curiosity sated and asked Satori, "Did you say something about many versions of other people?"

He took a seat opposite of her and continued, "Well, if multiverse theory is true in regards to all of us, I imagine it might be the same for different iterations of the same person. I don't believe it should matter too much for us, however." His glanced curiously to Saber, "Not unless we find ourselves in the fifth century…"

[Assistant]
Saber, King Arthur Herself

Saber, however, was not focusing on the conversation. Perhaps she would have if there were not another matter to steal her attentions. Instead of going to sit down as the others had, Saber had remained at the counter, and stared down the food as it was assembled, and the tea was placed out. Her eyes were practically shining as it was put together. Really, though, it must have been a bit awkward to a third party, the way she was staring so seriously.

[User]
Kohinata Miku

It was true, there might be people still trapped inside and they couldn't just leave these possible prisoners behind... not with the threat that something was about to explode behind them. It was this logic that caused the girl to transform once again, hovering over the floor but with visor open, since there was no particular need to start targeting anybody right now.

"We should ask why he's doing this before fighting," the girl said, stating the obvious--neither of them happened to be inclined to an 'attack first, ask questions later' attitude towards things. It was worth stating, though; the lab might deserve to be destroyed.

[Assistant]
Tachibana Hibiki, Holding Determination in her Fist

Hibiki couldn't help but feel thankful towards Miku when the other girl transformed. It just felt wrong to leave this situation so quickly and so easily. What if this place was as bad as thing seemed and needed to be destroyed? What if it didn't? What if there were people trapped here who needed help? There were so many things that could be happening, and Hibiki couldn't in good conscious leave when that was the case.

Hibiki clenched her fists and firmly nodded, a look of determination on her face. "Of course, he can tell us what's going on! Let's go, Miku!"

With that she was off, sprinting after the armored figure.


[System]
Mina Han is a plain, somewhat mediocre student with the polar opposite of a work ethic. She's lazy, selfish, judgemental, and complains about nearly everything, with few if any friends. That's not to say she'd a bad person, she could even be described as having a kind and gentle heart in the right circumstances! She's not even an especially... unpleasant person. She's just an irritating pain in the ass.

Dame Theophania was a knight-errant of old, quiet and forthright, with a strong sense of duty and justice. Born to humble beginnings, she earned everything she had, fighting tooth and nail to earn her knighthood. In life, Theophania was possessed of a peculiarity which allowed her to stride across a battlefield in a single step - as she would explain it, it isn't that she is particularly fast, but rather that the world is simply... smaller for her.

[User]
Silently, she drifted through the cold and the dark, hair billowing out around her like the graceful bell of a jellyfish. Ah, a jellyfish… no thought, no intent, just a peaceful existence of nothingness until stimuli provoked otherwise. Stimuli, like that horrible, terrible, beautiful song, calling out to her through void tides like it always had so long, long ago.

Long? Had it been long? How much everything had slipped past since it had last wrung its enchanting, ugly melody in her mind? A moment, a millennium? It reached out to her with loving, wretched hands, yearning to wrap her in its embrace yet again, and she so longed to reach out to it in turn, to lose herself in its discordant, miserable, wonderful glory…

No.

A single whispered defiance cut through the aria, and her eyes snapped open, suddenly and irrevocably herself again. Of course, of course, "no"... how could she ever allow it to be otherwise? The very idea of the disappointment which must have been written across their faces if she did… Heh. "No."

She turned her face upward, looking to that circling ring of light above her, and willed herself to move. Upward, upward, upward, she glided like a knife through the waves, urging herself to break the surface once more. There were things to be done, and this time they would be. They would be. The halo of sunlight drew closer, closer, closer, until she could reach out with her hand to touch it, pass through it, and then-

She burst out of the water, gasping in a long breath of air as she got shakily to her feet. She cast her gaze around, taking in the place she'd found herself in; a stone courtyard of some kind? Shops lay all around, bearing gaudy signs illuminated by some unknown sorcery. The square seemed to be bustling with people, enough to fill a town it seemed; some kind of festival? The more she looked, the more she saw. What she took as a square seemed to be more of an intersection - the shops with their glass storefronts, displaying all manner of treasures and incredible luxuries, stretched on in four cardinal directions, and that was but one of two distinct floors, capped by a ceiling of vaulted glass. Not a square then, but some kind of incredible trade center? How many kingdoms must be represented here?

"Mommy, why is that lady in the fountain?" A child's voice caught her ear; a young girl it seemed, no more than four or five. She straightened, squaring her shoulders. This child was yet one example of all that stood to be lost if she failed.

She stepped over the small wall of the fountain she had risen out of, gesturing to herself with one hand and throwing the other wide. "Fret not, dear girl, for I am the Witch of the Waters, and I have come to defend you all from the evil which threatens this age!"

"Don't stare, sweetie," the girl's mother chided gently, beginning to pull her away. "That nice lady's just having a breakdown, it's none of our business."

A breakdown?! What gall! The Witch of the Waters was no simple madwoman! Had truly so much time passed that even she had been forgotten? Then what of the great foe? Had he, too, fallen into obscurity? But if so, then… what manner of defenses must be in place to protect the people? If the warnings of his return had been lost, then…

She must move quickly.

"Bye, crazy lady!" the child called after her. "Good luck!"

"Thank you, child!" she called behind her, waving her arm in farewell. "I shall surely have need it!"

[Assistant]
Mina leaned back on the back legs of her chair, strawberry frappuccino sitting half-forgotten on the patio table in front of her. She gestured vaguely with her hands as she spoke, in the way people did without realizing as if the motions somehow aided in the act of speech. Her hair spilled over the back of her chair despite the ends caught between it and her back, and one of her feet rested against the leg of the table, pushing on it slightly to rock her chair gently back and forth.

"Like what was she really expecting with that, you know?"

"Uh…"

"Like everyone already knew what was going on with her and Mackenzie and then she suddenly shows up after spring break with her hair dyed flamingo pink and she just expects no one to realize what happened?"

"Ah…"

 It's like who does she really think she's fooling, you know?"

"Uhuh…"

"And you know they think they're gonna be slick about it, acting like no one realizes. God, they're so obnoxious, right? Like they're so in-your-face about it, right?!"

"Um." Mina's increasingly reluctant conversation partner cleared his throat, raising one hand. "Mina, I uh. I mean, I'm really flattered you accepted my confession, and I'm happy you invited me out so quickly… Like, immediately…"

"Nn-hn. What about it?" Mina took a sip of her frappuccino, having recalled its presence in the brief gap where she wasn't talking. It wasn't really cold anymore, and the bottom of the cup seemed to just be strawberry juice at this point, but she didn't seem to care.

The boy, Martin, cleared his throat again, seeming to wither under her gaze. "I mean, uh. I- I can't help but wonder if you're really just going to, um. Just uh… talk about them the whole time…?"

"Nn-hn," Mina answered, with zero hesitation. She set her dissolved beverage back on the table. "You said you were interested in me, yeah? So you're interested in what I have to say about stuff, yeah?"

Martin hesitated, his eyes dropping to the surface of the table beneath Mina's sudden accusatory tone. "Yeah, of- of course I am, really!I just- its just. Different than I was expecting, is all…"

"So?" Mina's eyes dragged themselves over to the street the cafe sat on, suddenly transfixed on the students walking home or crowding into the various stores and small restaurants lining it. "That's just an issue with your own expectations, right?"

Martin's mouth hung open for a moment, processing possible replies for a moment before he cleared his throat again with an uncomfortable chuckle. "Yeah, I uh. I suppose you're right, sorry. Do you uh.. Do you mind if I go to the bathroom real quick?"

Mina grunted noncommittally, not bothering to look at the boy as he scurried away from their table. Honestly, the nerve of that guy! How could he talk about expectations when they'd never even spoken before? Unless they had. To be honest, she hadn't even remembered the guy existed until he'd asked her to meet him behind the school. What a cliche, Mina was willing to bet the guy just stayed at home watching anime all day. She scowled at the handful of young couples she spotted holding hands as they passed. Honestly, just die already.

She sighed, and the front legs of her chair re-established contact with the ground. Mina slumped over the patio table, pushing the cup with her elbow as she rested her chin in her hand. She supposed she could try to be a bit nicer to the guy. She had absolutely no intention of maintaining this charade past today, but she may as well try to make the act convincing for now. There wouldn't be much point to this otherwise, right?

Where was he, anyway? It had probably been like ten minutes or so, and Martin still wasn't back yet. Was he constipated or something? Geez! Mina craned her neck over her shoulder, seeing if she could spot him, but no, nothing - actually, would she be able to spot him anyway? He didn't exactly stand out. Seriously, what a bland guy. But still, where was he?!

Mina started to rise from the table, thinking she might just go get him from the bathroom herself, then froze when she spotted something on the street. A shock of bright pink hair, bobbing in the crowd.

Oh no! Oh no no no! Mina dove under the table; there was no way she was about to get caught alone. Ugh, stupid Martin and his digestive problems! Why did he think she even bothered to bring him here?! And he had the nerve to disappear before the most important part?!

She peeked out of her hiding place, tracking that stupid pink flag through the crowd. Ugh, and she had her groupies with her - what, was her boyfriend busy? She had to dust off those shrill little soccer club nobodies? Mina could almost swear she was being mocked right now.

Mina ducked back down under the table, sitting cross-legged while she waited for her adversary to pass. Forget being nice, she was gonna wring Martin's stupid neck the next time she saw him. She sighed, head in her hand as she waited some minutes until the coast was clear, ignoring the occasional glance from passersby wondering what she was doing under the table.

Once she felt enough time had passed, Mina crawled out from under the table, stretching and dusting off the seat of her pants. Ugh, the cafe staff really needed to clean this patio better. She glanced around, but still saw no sign of Martin. Jerk. She grabbed her drink off the table and tossed it at the nearest trashcan like a baseball. Instead of going in, the cup rebounded off the rim, spilling all over the ground. Someone was playing a prank on her, they had to be.

[User]
The darkness was close, she could feel it; one of his servants must be nearby, and she would have to act quickly if they were to repel their machinations. The Witch of the Waters, stepped briskly down the street, her long hair sweeping over the concrete like a cloak. As she was now, after her long slumber, she did not think she would be able to repel them alone, yet she knew not where to find suitable warriors to stand in her stead.

Perhaps… Perhaps a summoning was in order. Draw strength from the past, to find and aid those with the capacity to act in the present. Yes, that would present a viable solution for now - though, how many would answer? And in her current state, how many could she really call forth? She supposed it would depend on how readily she could find a source of power to draw from, but aside from the fountain she'd found herself in, the Witch wasn't sure of where she could look. A river, a lake, a pond - surely there must be some sizeable body of water to draw from, she could feel it.

This street she was on was lined with merchants and eateries, offering luxuries she had never seen before. Somehow, she could feel the flow of water all through this place, in a thousand tiny streams she couldn't see. Were they buried in the ground, beneath the buildings? Perhaps. Even so, she may be able to call on their power to fuel her magic - she need only find a place strong enough to channel it, and then…

Yes, with the power on this street, she may be able to call forth some few warriors. Hardly a match for the armies the adversary would call to his will, but it would provide a starting point. It would be enough, for now. She would make sure of it.

That just left the question… from where would his servant launch an attack? And when?

---

---

The lights of the arcade cabinet reflected off his sunglasses, his hand flying across the buttons in impenetrable combo techniques that were probably just mindless button mashing. Sure he probably wasn't that great, but did that matter? It was fun. It was a game, and he loved games. This one was something called a "fighting game", which he thought was kind of funny. It had bright, flashing colors, and the characters looked cool. Not as cool as him, but still cool.

"Oi."

He ignored the large man leaning against the wall next to him. He was totally about to wipe the floor with his opponent at the opposite cabinet, he didn't have time to entertain his companion's nagging. The man looked at him sidelong, crossing his arms.

"Ugh, piss off, man," he groaned, waving the man away. "Can't you see I'm busy right now? I can do it later, just let me- Agh!" He cried out in frustration as the words YOU LOSE flashed across his screen. "One more time!" he insisted, reaching into the pocket of his jorts for more coins.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see a line had formed behind him without him noticing. He grimaced at each of the students behind him in turn, then looked back at his companion to see the large man smirking at him.

"Ugh, fine, I'll do it. Man, what a pain." He pushed past the line of arcade gamers, paying no mind to their shouts of indignation as he stepped on their feet or pushed them away, making his way back out onto the street outside.

He stretched and cracked his neck, casting his gaze around for somewhere suitable. "So many noisy kids here, geez," he muttered, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jorts. He chose to ignore the look his companion gave him. There were a lot of birds on this street. Yeah, he supposed he could start here- at least he wouldn't have to walk that far.

"Alright, I got this covered," he said with a yawn. "You can piss off for now. You're cramping my space." The larger man crossed his arms again, each the size of a tree trunk. "Ugh, don't give me that look!" he complained, kicking the man in the shin with the size of one flip flop-clad food. "I said I'd do it, so I'll do it! Geez!"

"Dick," he muttered, after his companion vanished. Now to find a quiet place to hang out and nap. Or uh, work.


[System]
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Nationality: United States of America
Occupation: Manned Spaceflight Engineer - Specializing in the maintenance, usage, and logistics of munitions.
ID no.: LR7132021

Bio:  Born in Topeka, Kansas July 13, 2021, and thrust upon the age of space colonization. Just a year before his birth they announced the efforts to join hands across the globe and pursue space exploration. Like most children living in the outskirts of Topeka, he always had his head in the clouds. Dreaming of going beyond his hometown and doing something spectacular with his life. The quickest way out he found, upon graduating high school, was the military. At 17, he began to push for them to receive him into the Army as early as possible. It wasn't moments after graduation that he was already preparing to leave his family and loved ones behind. Serving as an ammo logistics specialist, he spent most of his career being a "BB counter", as they were called. Learning about different things that went "boom, bang, zoom" and anything in between. It interested him to no end.
 Fast forward to his promotion to Sergeant First Class in the Army, he had just reached his 7 year mark and he was no longer as satisfied as the child of old. One thing that had taken the world by storm though was the constant pursuit of space colonization. At that point, Sergeant Riker took it upon himself to diversify his portfolio in hopes of making himself more of a candidate in the space programs being created. He began enrolling himself in classes discussing different interstellar equipment, mining tools, and anything that might need a proper eye kept on during travel.
 After years of training, networking, and constant badgering of any Lunar recruiter he could get his hands on, he finally got his opportunity. In 2045, he left his military service and joined up with SpaceEX as a Manned Spaceflight Engineer. With his prior experience being in explosive weaponry, taking care of the maintenance and logistics of mining equipment, parts for ships, bits and pieces of research tools used at EDEN was a little less stressful. 5 years, that felt too short, have past since he began his life with EDEN, and he couldn't have been happier with his choice.
Personality: Riker is a natural joker. He understands that these most situations can be extremely serious but likes to bring light to those times with a little humor. However, he has the capacity to be professional at any time it is needed to be. Subjective is the name of his game.
Other: Music is his biggest hobby. The Ukulele is his pride and joy and he will always take it on long flights to help relax the mood of himself or anyone else.

[User]
As Julian just got to finishing up on the documented report...complain about the gravity water pressure wires falling out of the box and the codes going to 'denied' and demented. The young males eyes shifted from the paper to across the room where a woman very disciplined, straight and sturdy stance stood. She was wearing normal everyday clothing since there was no use working in the conditions on EDEN with suits, dress skirts or dresses. Bound to get dirty at a moment or two in the day. Julian watched her a little under his brow his eyes glared at her for a moment before he looked back at the paper. He hated going up to the boss and giving Machine, software or database complaints because those aren't the only complaints that he sees when he hands them in.
15 minutes later
Time passed as he kept glancing up at her then the clock in the dimmed light. The computer database room wasn't that lit up even though there is computers, electronics, and a few ceiling lights. It was still dim since it wasn't a small room and the dimness helped the computer screens pop out at you. As well the eerie dim lights of EDEN was because, their energy and lighting, not fully done going through levels and levels of construction(updates) and new technology for EDEN was still getting discovered. Which Julian personally always tried on his free time to help figure out things for EDEN. Julian never really cared for the eerieness the lights gave off though he doesn't mind or pay much attention to them anyways.
Glancing back at the female's desk she was gone now and he seemed to jump out of his chair in excitement he then noticed he caused the wheeled chair to fly backward into the middle of the room, his desk shrieked an old creaky noise and his shoes squeaked against the hard tiled floor. He quickly went over to the desk and set it right on the female's keyboard. Sighing in relief he was relieved he could get it to her desk before she noticed. Julian quickly spun on his heel and went back to his desk. A sneaky little thing he was being. The documents didn't really ask for the names of who or what found the problems. They just wanted to know what the problem was in detailed sentences of where what and why. So they can fix it there, that, and then.
While walking back to his desk Julian noticed how far he pushed his chair out in excitement. He then slowly approached it as he wheeled it back to his desk in embarrassment with a slight blush on his face. He quietly sat down on the chair he just retrieved from the eyes of every co-worker in the room staring at him as he brought it back to his desk slightly ashamed of how excited he showed he was. Getting his eyes to his computer screen he looked at it noticed he had a few things out of place on the computer. A couple of things took his eyes into consideration of what they were. Messages as he opened them he read through them and realized they were from the boss of the department he worked in.
Julian sighed as he noticed he was sent to go pick up a few things. Though he really doesn't know where those things are for surely located. Exiting out of his computer Julian traveled his way to where he thought the place would be. Cargo deck? Where the hell would the cargo deck be? Running his fingers through his hair as he thought. He took a left which was actually the correct way since he looked up at the sign just in time to know which way he should go or not. Making his way down to the cargo deck he slowly and purposely took his time to not get back into the office right away.
Cargo Deck
It seemed like the shipment arrived a little bit ago since the men around all sized crates were being carried, organized, and opened up throughout the whole room. He was standing on a higher place than the actual cargo deck floor was. Staring through a window he realized he stood there for a bit too long and some of the people noticed him. Smiling a bit awkwardly and walking off down the corridor where it led to stairs and those stairs led to the actual main cargo deck. Julian was a little shaky since he didn't know who to approach or what to say. The email he delivered literally stated Get the package SE-453, 23-DA, C.F. Technology, and package 51800061SD-Code. The shipment should've arrived already though you might have to wait. Its location is the cargo deck. They are small crates except, C.F. Technology. Julian stood there in shock on even what to do. He swallowed hard as he looked around and if you paid attention to his hands you could see they were trembling. Julian started approaching the workers nervously as he hesitated a few times. From some walking towards him, others away and he was not familiar with anything to leaving his office, living corridors or any workspace really unless something turned yellow, orange, or red colors on the work tablet he uses every day for work. Trying to get people's attention. He tried spitting out words though the workers with creates walked right passed him. He then knew he was probably talking to the wrong people on where to get the crates. Julian then froze without noticing as he stared into blank space. He was mentally waiting for somebody to actually notice the paper he had in his hand for the shipments he needs to find and take back to his boss.

[Assistant]
Casey yawned, the noise emitted high-pitched and almost strained as her arms came above her head. Slowly she brought herself to sit up in her bunk, examining the computer on a movable wall stand, the screen had gone into standby. Still half dazed and sleepy she brought up the display, eyes widening slightly as she read the time, shaking her head lightly from side-to-side: annoyed with herself for sleeping in and wasting time.

The majority of the Mission Specialists personal goals in research and study were in chemical compositions and study of lunar soil among other things. SpaceEX, the people who hired her and the science officers around EDEN also had specific missions for her, she had only been on EDEN six months now being among the last lucky few to gain a place living and working on the moon, pioneers, the first.

There were always stories being thrown her way of how horrible it was up here by a couple of people she worked closely with who had been on the station a lot longer than her. It was all just teasing, she was mostly sure. Her ambition and work ethic had not gone unnoticed during her time here either, she browsed down along the assorted list of numerous files, scientific research, neatly and efficiently sorted for sake of convenience. A lot of this stuff was research from when she simply worked for SpaceEX back on Earth, she didn't like to delete any of her work. Taking her hands away from the computer to brush her messy bed hair out of her face and bring her nails down along her thighs and shins, scratching the mild itch. She hopped out of the bed, quickly got changed and tied up her hair so she looked somewhat presentable. After quickly washing her face she felt ready to face the day and made her way out of her habitat, laptop tucked under one arm preferring it to the tablets while she had one she kept it down in the research bloc.

Casey was strolled through the corridors, tunnels and blocs of NE EDEN, making her way to the labs for experiments linked closely with her studies, she hadn't come across anyone until she heard footsteps and as she turned the corner saw someone who she thought she recognized in a hazardous materials suit. They apologized as he walked past and she suddenly recognized the voice, "Oh hi!" She uttered but wasn't sure if he had heard her as he seemed to be a bit hectic. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, still feeling heavy and carried on her way. She had only talked to him on a few occasions, namely in passing but he seemed nice.

Just as she came to LAB she ran into one of the science officers, she sighed and closed her eyes for a second, this guy knew how to get under someone's skin and Casey had gotten just a little bit of a creepy vibe off him which wasn't what bugged her about him but did't do any favor to his character. He stopped her to ask about studies, she politely stopped but hurried to get into the LAB and just work. Setting up her laptop on one of the free stands and and went to make herself coffee, this would be just what she needed. Once she had a cup she walked back over to the workstation and began to bring up files. A radio call distracted her, it was from Space EX officials back home so she left the coffee down to take it.

[User]
Everything was going smooth as silk in the Cargo bay. "Alright Luke you got everything off?" the Co-captain Reggie said to him as he was messing around on his Uke. Luke yanked the Uke out of Reggie's hands, eyes squinting, then a smile creeped across his face, "Of course buddy, everything seems to be covered. Y'all heading over to Bay 9 for refueling I assume then back out?" Reggie laughed and put up a fake boxing stance, sent a few punches into Luke's arm, "You know it buddy. Got a few more trips to make back and forth. So I will catch you next time. Next time for you is..." he trailed off as Luke turned to see a young gentleman wondering around the workers with some paperwork. "Next Monday my boy, will be nothing but a mining shipment this time. So all the crew members will get some stick time on the fork lifts. Until then man, safe travels."

Luke put his logistics paperwork under his left armpit and began strumming Elvis' "Can't help falling in love" on this Uke as he made his way over to Julian. Trying to match his eyes to his he asked, "Here for a pickup?" The young man before him seemed like a very humble young man. Looked like this might be his first time picking up for his section, whichever that might be. As he waited for a response he heard a loud thud behind him. As he whipped around he saw that it was a couple of his crew mates messing around on the forklift and had sped it into a couple of boxes. Their eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights as they noticed Luke had saw them. "Unless you plan on paying for the fork lift as a gift for yourself to take home I suggest you start treating it with a bit more respect you dang chillrin. If you can't do it on your own I have no problem having some of the heavy mechanics come down here and schooling you on that machine again for as many hours as it takes" Finishing with a smile as the two of them apologized profusely. Turning back to Julian, clearing his throat he shot a smile his way, "Kids will be kids right?"


[System]
Marino Di Liberto

"Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist."
George Carlin

---
Nickname(s)
Marty

Age
34

Gender
Male

Sexuality
Bisexual

D.O.B
27th December 2083

Nationality
Italian

---

Appearance
Marino has close cut black hair and small light blue eyes. His face is an oval shape and his slightly rounded chin is lined with stubble, that he refuses to shave. He looks extremely tired from 16 years of non-stop work. His shoulders aren't very broad, and he look rather um-imposing, standing at 5'5" and weighing a mere 66kg. He has a small birthmark on his left cheek, and a scar over his right eyebrow.

Personality
Marino is not what most people would expect in a captain. He has become incredibly jaded. Years of work had tired him out, as he has slowly become a slacker, only trying to keep his job for the pay check. However, his no-stress attitude is very popular among newer recruits, who find him a good boss that always has time to have a laugh his crew. To older crew members, however, they find him lazy and unfit to be in charge. The IOSE would fire him, if he wasn't one of their most valued crew members

---

Position on The Condor
Captain

Skills
* Pilot- Before becoming Captain, Marino piloted The Condor, and two other ships.
* Orator- Marino is well-known for his rousing speeches. It is true that these are very rare, as he is not usually motivated enough to try and increase morale, but when he makes them, they are said to be truly something.
* High-born- Being born into a wealthy family, Marino has friends in high places, which is a boon when he wants something that may be a bit shady.
* Strategist- Marino, having played hours of vintage board games like Risk, has mastered the art of strategy, one of the reasons he hasn't lost his job.

Years working on The Condor
6 years

Other

[User]
---

Christian De Leon
Location: Meeting room
Interacting with: @KahleenCuthald @ChaoticFox @Erklings25

---

Before the others could enter, Jessa had already jabbed his leg and he held in a groan of pain. He lowered his head to the table and took a deep breath. After the pain had subsided, which was relatively quick, he raised his head again. That was when the others started to enter. First to enter had been Luci. She was much closer to Jessa but he had more reasons to be visited by her due to him constantly getting hurt. He really owed a lot to Luci. For the past two years, she had been the one to take care of his injuries mostly because some of the other human doctors had been exasperated with his antics. "Morning." He greeted with a smile once Luci had sat down beside Jessa.

His eyes tore away from the android when another person came in. This one wasn't familiar to him. The question - "Who are you" - danced in his mind as he tried to dig deeper into his memories but her face just wasn't popping up. Was she a new crew member then? He liked having new crew members to talk to. She introduced herself as 'Dokter Vulfe'. Vulfe? His mind began to go through the numerous Earth languages that he knew before finally ending up with figuring out that it was 'Wolfe' and she just had a really thick accent. But, another doctor! That's so cool!

He was about to say something to Jessa about looking forward to working with her when he noticed that she was staring and then began massaging her temples. Christian began to become worried. Was there something wrong with her? The male was completely oblivious to what was raging with his friend's mind thanks to him not even understanding the basics of attraction. He leaned closer to her before whispering, "Are you alright?" There was genuine worry in his tone that she was sure to pick up.

Then, his least preferred person to talk to entered. The Second-in-Command but more serious than the captain himself, Ryan Rolands. He didn't hold a grudge at the guy; it's just that he doesn't like talking to him. He remembers hearing Sir Rolands trying to joke around but it always falls flat because... well, it's like he doesn't know how to take it easy! But that's one of the reasons why Christian doesn't hate him. He at least tries. He bowed his head in respect to his entrance before leaning back on his seat and looking at Captain Marino.

That was when Nexus decided to test Sir Rolands's order and began to slowly sit down on one of the chairs. The chair began to bend in his weight and then completely snapped off, taking Nexus with it on its fall. Christian wasn't really amused by this part. It was what Nexus said after. Like earlier, he suppressed his laughter but his shoulders were heaving up and down. He was obviously trying to hold it back. Most of the time, you would appreciate how he doesn't just outright laugh out loud in serious cases like this and that's only because he at least has the least bit of manners.

He stopped when the captain began to speak. He fixed his position and then listened intently. So a Titchua Pirate group was raiding their company's ships and this time, they hit jackpot. There was something important in their hands and the top brass want them to retrieve it. Sounds simple enough. He means, it isn't easy but it was simple to understand. He turned his head back at the new doctor before saying, "Looking forward to working with 'ya Doc." He guessed they'd have to introduce themselves to her later on, unless she has files on them in which case there was no need for that.

Then Gar gave out a suggestion to which Nexus immediately shot down. Christian wasn't sure what they were talking about so he opted to just let the captain understand that. He only did what he was ordered to after all. In these cases, he had no choice. Should it have been an exploration mission, he would strike out by himself at any time. In critical missions such as this, he has no choice but to follow orders. Which reminded him, since this was going to be dangerous, he should prepare his weaponry for this. Yeah. He then heard Luci's question and then looked back at the captain. "Yeah, do we have a plan on what we're going to do? 'Cause I don't think we have anything they would want lying around so we can't exchange those for the dignitaries. In which case... we'd have to get them out by force." He wasn't much of a planner really but these were just common sense questions. He at least had some semblance of wanting to stay alive.

[Assistant]
Wren
★
Morning Woes
★

 A veiled smile tugged at Wren's lips, though he did not reply to Maria's friendly banter. He could not glean any more humour from his dreams than he already had. As the briefing room swelled with the influx of other crew members, Lawrence felt his eyelids flutter, heavy with sleep. The morning chatter began to fade into background din. His head propped up by the crook of his elbow, the filmy pall of a reverie cloaked him.

 He could see his mother behind a thick wall of glass; see her pearly smile and the wild, curly hair Wren inherited. His father, too, with his hard-nosed countenance and the bristly stubble of a blue-collar worker. He could see their faces being leached of colour, their dusky visage fading to grey husks. Wren felt himself withdrawing from the scene, too fearful to see such familiar and soft faces etiolate like a dying rose.

 Wren's view changed abruptly, and he felt his heart wrench in pain. Standing in front of a small lake, air cockling the edges of the waterside gently, was Drew. The man he left behind on Earth to join the Condor, and to seek a purpose that would make him feel worth a tuppence. He missed Drew, and though Wren agonized over it for the first months of being employed, he never tried contacting the green-eyed charmer. No calls, not even an antiquated letter. He could not put Drew through more suffering to satisfy his own wants. Pain crawled about the peripheries of Wren's mind.

 Stop, he begged himself, I don't want to see. It hurts to see.

 "-ogue Titchua raiding IOSE ships." The voice of Marino startled Wren from his daydream. He sat upright, fingers knotting together and unknotting on his lap anxiously. He listened, trying to reorient himself back to the job he sacrificed so much for.

[User]
Masha

The Tichua aliens? Masha's thought began to wonder and the friendly havoc around her started to blur, giving room for images of those foreign life forms. So they are raiding. Interesting. And ironic. Wasn't it one of their Lehds, chieftains from ages ago, that said that piracy as a business was a crime against god because it did not create anything new, but just robbed others of the fruit of their work? Yes, it was. Dante thought similarly of usury. How times change so much but also stay the same. Even with our current monetary systems there is always an excuse to raid, a cause for envy. In a brief pause of thought, she noted tat Wren had refrained from commenting upon her remark, but his smile gave her a hint: she was not to push the dream business, because it obviously gave him some troubles.

There seemed to be some sort of confusion with the non-organics in the room, and the second-in-command had at some point come in and with strict look in his eyes; but Masha was too concerned with her own thoughts to pay any attention at the time and hoped the eye had not taken note of her, especially if there had been any inquiries directed at her which she failed to register. The most pleasant surprise was seeing the new doctor, Frau Wolfe, appear, a most friendly looking person. I will have to brush up on my Tichua, I guess. Aber mein Deutsch ist immer noch gut, Frau Wolfe, und ich freue mich auf unsere Gespräche. She looked forward to being able to use something other than English with her crew mates, especially German which she was fond of.

When the captain asked for questions, the first thing that popped to her mind were dangers of possible combat, because she had had very little training and was not licensed to carry a weapon on the ship. Well, a fire arm at least. She looked at the holowatch on her wrist. The device had already picked up the word Techua and was working on downloading all the date Masha would need. What a handy device, the watch. Quite literally.

 "Yeah, do we have a plan on what we're going to do? 'Cause I don't think we have anything they would want lying around so we can't exchange those for the dignitaries. In which case... we'd have to get them out by force."  Christian's words confirmed her suspicion.
"Which would be risky, right? Them having precious cargo on their ship. We have to try and negotiate first. If we have it confirmed that these people are alive, that must mean their captors are willing to engage in dialogue. What would be the point of keeping them otherwise? We can't engage them as long as they have the dignitaries." No, don't say that, don't be stup--! "I can try. I can talk to them." Idiot! You are dead! Her heart was beating fast and the digits on the holowatch showed increased beats per minute. She was numb at her own words, but was in a way proud too, even though she knew deep down that what she said were only attempts at avoiding battle more than bravery. But still, small personal victories were satisfying. Hopefully she could calm down before the robot groped her the way he did with the other crew folk.

[Assistant]
Marty rolled his head back, listening to all the questions bombard him. He grinned at the warring robots, well robot and cyborg. He liked Nexus' gumption, but he also acknowledged the fact that Gar was actually being rather sensible suggesting an intelligent method of attack. As Nexus counter argued him, Marty waved his hand as a sign for them to shut up. He didn't know about the rest of the crew, but Gar and Nexus were doing his head in.

He did have a fairly solid plan of attack. The Admiral made him come up with it in their meeting, mainly because if he didn't do it right there and then, he probably wouldn't have remembered. He was about to answer Luci's question when Nexus interuppted him. Loosing his cool for a second, he simply said "Nexus, buddy. I guess you see yourself as the most sensible thing on this ship, so no matter what Gar says, you're going to argue. Well, you clearly aren't. I will not follow through with either of your ludicrous suggestions, frankly, boys. As quick as good old fashioned broadsides would be, I would lose my job if we accidentally killed a hostage. And you, boys, would be for the scrap pile. I want you two to man our good old laser-photon 'blaster'. You're needed for no more than that. Anyone else?"

He next noted Christian and Masha chip in on Luci's earlier question. He was rather taken aback by Masha's request to try and negotiate with the Titchua. For someone who hadn't carried out a mission before, she seemed ballsy. Instead of answering them, he gleefully pushed a button in his chair, turning to the next slide on his presentation, detailing his strategy. "I do love a good slideshow! Well, I don't think that the Titchua are in a talking mood. They won't listen to us, they'll just request their planet back. So, I decided, we'll send round a couple of 'diplomats' as a distrcaction, but send a team of explorers to free the hostages. Then we escape, with them being none the wiser. I was going to send Mr Rolands and a willing volunteer round, I guess that's you, Masha. We got that? Thank god, I was starting to get serious there!"