Vicinity of the Temple of the Moons - 1 day earlier
Maybe they sensed them. Or maybe they knew they were there all along and could only be bothered reacting now. Who knew what they thought. Sometimes it was better not to think.
Starzone exhaled a sharp "F***," as the dragon suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Something, presumably another one of those teleportation devices, activated on him and he disappeared, seconds before the surveillance system cut out.
*Go look for him,* Epoch ordered. Starzone nodded and scurried towards the lift, thinking to look in the medical facility first. Epoch turned to Trajectory. *Be prepared to defend the ship if necessary.* Trajectory nodded, automatically touching his brow in a kind of vague salute. Epoch himself headed for the bridge.
They didn't seem to think it worth their while to come after them. Ground forces took a while to deploy and even as there were bikes heading out to where the ship was located, Epoch, working in synch with Griever, had already lifted off and were headed back, opening up communications to report the mission a failure, request medical assistance for Nova who had as expected rezzed into the medlab, and most important find out the Tir's current location as it had moved in the time they were gone.
A few half-hearted laser blasts arrowed in their direction, one searing a burn mark across one of the ship's large panels, but that was the extent of the damage they took as they vacated the area.
Catching up with the current timeline - aboard Nova's ship
*How's the dragon?* Epoch inquired. Starzone looked over at him from where she was standing beside the bed the large dragon was laid out on, those biomachine things humming gently as they did their thing.
*He's fine,* Starzone responded, feeling slightly mystified. *Perfectly fine. Everything's fine. It's like they just shut off part of his brain or something. Heart rate is fine, breathing is fine, body functions are fine, it's like he's in a really deep sleep.* She shook her head. *How's Griever doin'?*
*He'll live.* Epoch smiled, resting a hand on the nape of his little sister's neck and gently massaging the base of her skull like he used to do when they were kids, and that he only really did now to tease her about their size difference. *He's repairing himself at the moment, just in case Macabre managed to infect him with something or other.*
Starzone nodded, staring at nothing in particular. Epoch slid his arm around her and hugged her reassuringly. *We're close to home now.*
Tir Tairngire - morning
Derek's quiet tearful joyousness was rudely interrupted by a loud clamouring on the door akin to someone banging hard on it.
"Rise and shine, techy, the rest of our crew's back." Cypher's booming voice was exactly at the right resonance to pound through aching, hung over heads, and the slight smirk that came through in his voice held a suggestion that he might just be doing it deliberately.
Cypher looked upwards as Derek skidded to an abrupt halt with an inch or so to spare, so they were nearly muzzle to muzzle. It was very much an alpha male thing that made him automatically stand his ground and cause Derek to back up. Still, the smirk he gave in response to the Lupe's sheepish grin was almost a smile.
"Hangar." He responded shortly, and turned abruptly, leading the way and letting Derek follow him.
Chip and Byte weren't that far away in the corridor junction. The two looked functional at best, Chip looking about as good as Derek felt and Byte looked remarkably good all things considering, just exhausted. Both raised hands in greeting when they saw Derek rather than saying anything, and the smug look that flitted briefly across their older brother's face as he walked past them to take the lead suggested that they had been roused much the same way as Derek had been.
There was a strange ship docked in the lower level of the hangar, nestled in beside the drop ship. Strike was already there beside it, speaking to four younger mice - three guys and one girl - or more specifically the largest guy. For some reason though, it was the girl who was answering him, occasionally backed up by a nod from the large male or vocal affirmations from the other two. The antennae of the large guy and the girl were glowing dimly, visible only because they happened to be against the ship.
Cypher paused momentarily, seeming to gauge their conversation from the doorway before choosing to continue the approach, allowing Derek to get a good look at the other four as they drew closer.
The largest male and the female were obviously related, both bearing the same slightly coarse copper fur and the same anime spikey black hair. The girl's spikes were streaked bright red. The similarities stopped there though. The girl was very slight of build, where the guy was huge and well muscled. He was taller than Derek and bigger than Cypher and Chip. The girl had liquid golden eyes, the guy's were the recognisable mercury silver of cybereyes. His tail twitched and it became immediately obvious that there were two of them, or more accurately that it was one tail but it had at some stage been split in half all the way down to the base, and both halves appeared quite independant of each other. The guy was also missing the top half of his right ear.
The guy wasn't carrying any obvious weaponry. His female relative had a very short staff, slightly longer than her forearm length, tucked into her belt across her back, looking like there was a spot on the belt specifically for it. At her side what looked like a small metal boomerang gleamed. She had what looked like strips of red cloth tied around her arms, peeking out from beneath the standard pilot get-up she was wearing.
The other two males were both of athletic medium builds, well toned. One was a chocolate and cream piebald with a prominent chocolate patch over one eye, with shoulder length black dreds. He turned and regarded them with amber eyes, a slight smile forming as he saw them. The piebald was gunned up, he had a blaster sticking out of one boot, four handguns on his belt, one pair reverse holstered, and a back holster with what looked like an assault rifle handle peeking over his shoulder.
The other male was red, and the only one not dressed as a mech pilot. Red fur, long red hair caught back in a ponytail and a charming smile. A livid purple slash ran down his right cheek onto his neck, but the colour and consistency of the fur over it suggested that it was like that naturally rather than from some injury. He wore an open trench coat, the most obvious weapon beneath it was a bunched up three sectional staff hanging from his belt. Accompanying it were a few small grenades.
Still standing back a bit from them so that the quiet conversation between Strike and the newcomers was just a mumble, Cypher stopped suddenly. "Epoch, Starzone, Trajectory, Streak," he said, pointing out the large copper male, the girl, the piebald and the red male respectively for Derek's benefit.
It didn't take them too long to finish up, and Strike turned his head, acknowleding the approaching group, then turned back to the one he was speaking to. The group saluted, Streak even more casually than the other three. Cypher led the way over.
"Captain," he said formally to Epoch, and then turning to Starzone, "Starleader."
Starzone grinned, and the triplets surged into the group of newcomers, the girls hugging and being hugged and the guys going for the much more manly one armed hugs with much back thumping.
Somehow in all that, Starzone suddenly ended up right in front of Derek. Her eyes seemed to drill through his and straight into his mind, temporarily rendering him completely immobile. For a second the universe was contained in her eyes and he was free floating separate from time and space. She blinked and the illusion vanished.
"This is Derek." Chip appeared beside Derek, playfully ribbing him and further grounding him back into reality, "Byte's new pet."
"Right, lead the way" Derek responded with a light "Hehehe...", meanwhile thinking to himself 'Glad that went better than it could have gone...' and leaving it at that followed onward to the Hanger. He was also wondering if Cypher had indeed returned his papers to him but wasn't sure if now was the right time to thank him for it or to just wait and find out for sure. Derek was known for his hessitations at times and usually it was a pride thing or a fear of some kind. As though if he said something nice he was concerned on how it would be recieved half the time. Not that it really stopped him from being honest and saying exactly what he thought and with genuine honesty every time. That and right now his mind was still in the land of Z's.
Waving back with a lazy attempt to make an effective wave and a light smile to match Derek did his best to greet Byte and Chip in return but obviously this was the point in the morning where regret for the drinking the night before was just starting to kick in. It could only get worse from here he thought but did his best not to focus on that thought too much. The last thing he needed was anymore bad luck. Then again on the other hand it could have been worse and it wasn't for Cypher he wouldn't still have his papers. Derek wondered though if he actually ever wanted to go home. After all they done for him here and after all he has been through back home maybe going back wasn't what Derek really wanted. For now he was just going with the flow and making an attempt at living a healthier, more cheerful life than before.
It didn't take long for Derek to notice the strange ship not too far from where they currently all were standing and the dim glow from the antennae of two of the mice near the ship certainly caught his attention also. He just had to ask at least about that, knowing maybe asking about the ship was a big mistake. "Hey uh...not to ask about stuff that isn't my business but...what's with the antennae glow?" Derek asked the group with a perk of his brow, pointing his thumb with a light rock of his wrist in the direction of what he was talking about. Needless to say now was probably the most, or one of the most obvious points that he had never met a martian mouse in his life.
Noticing the other four where now approaching Derek quickly shut himself up, clearing his throat quickly and straightening himself to a more presentable level, hoping it wasn't too obvious that he was feeling a little seedy at best even after having taken something for the minor hang over. The very moment he saw just how big the muscular mouse was Derek's first word was a deepened "Whoaw..." and he immediately made a mental note to get on his bad side. Derek was rarely intimidated but when it came to something being larger and even taller than he is naturally he played it smart. At first Derek made a double glance when he saw what he believed to be two tails, rubbing his eyes briefly and just blinking at them before noticing that in fact they weren't two, it was just one split into two as mentioned. But he didn't ask about it, figuring the missing half of this big mouse's right ear was probably a good indication on why he had 'two tails'. Now naturally the female mouse caught Derek's attention quickly and he had to hold himself back from allowing his usual macho-ness to take control and make him say something that would probably end up leaving his face feeling more than a little sore. Instead he simply stood by in wait.
"How you doin'?" Derek nodded with a light wave and a confident smile when Cypher pointed out who was who, Derek stopping near by with a small grin and keeping his confidence well in tact. "Name's Derek" he then added with a thumb-point gesture to himself, folding his arms over his chest after straightening out his own trenchcoat. Seemed like those things where the style of choice around here. Lucky Derek.
At first Derek just stood near by, keeping to himself as the groups greeted each other and then suddenly Derek found himself staring into the eyes of one of the females, unable to do much more but stand there and stare until the illusion vanished. With a blink or two Derek wondered what that was all about, perking a brow curiously and looking as though he wanted to say something but instead he closed his mouth and just lowered his arm in silence. With Chip suddenly appearing beside Derek and giving him a playful ribbing Derek made a brief "Omph!" sound, rubbing his ribs a little as he looked at Chip with a light frown as he replied "Since when did I sign a contract stating I'm a pet?..." With a nod or two Derek turned his attention back Starzone and added with a small smile "But yeah, that's me. Derek."
"Sorry," Starzone said absently to Derek, a hand moving to her forehead and rubbing it, a move mirrored by Trajectory. Addressing all of them in a slightly more formal manner, she said, "Well as you prob'ly gathered, we failed."
The triplets exuded disappointent, though they didn't say anything.
"Traj an' I have decided that we're gettin' 'im back, no matter what."
Trajectory nodded.
"So we're gonna be training our tails off."
The triplets glanced at each other. "Your grand designs include us by any chance?" Cypher inquired.
"They can do," Starzone answered. "If you're dumb enough to wanna get involved."
"Hell yeah!" Chip sounded entirely too enthusiastic. "Full scale attack on the Temple! We can take 'em!" His show of bravado was rudely interrupted by a staggering reel as his head cordially reminded him about the alcohol he had imbibed the night before. Starzone and Trajectory both looked amused.
"Bit of a hard one last night?" Streak drawled lazily.
"A bit." Chip glowered at the red mouse, his expression marred by a slightly sheepish grin.
Epoch's antennae burned then, much more obvious at this range. It drew attention to the fact that half his right antennae was missing along with the top half of his right ear. Starzone's lit up in response, and in an automatic sounding tone, she said, "You train. We'll figure out what needs doing."
"Sir yes sir," Chip responded, raising his right hand and describing a few circles in the air with it before saluting Epoch.
"We think just fine contrary to popular belief," Starzone said, turning to her brother with a pout. He ruffled her hair affectionately, then raised a hand in farewell to the group. The group responded in kind, accompanied by a few variations on goodbye. Epoch turned and headed back to the ship, boarding it. A moment later a Kodiak marched down the ramp of the ship, avoiding the medic party that were also coming in and out, and headed down the massive corridor towards the mech bay.
"So Byte. What's with the new pet?" Starzone's eyes sparkled mischeviously.
"He's our new techy," Byte responded, poking Chip in the ribs.
Streak arched an eyebrow. "You're game," he said to Derek.
"No, no, it's...perfectly fine" Derek nodded, still allowing himself the time to get over what just happened. It was certainly a new experience for him but none the less an interesting one. He could already tell things from here were about to get more interesting as time progressed and more and more secrets and/or talents would be revealed. Which made Derek wonder, what else did he himself have that he didn't know about? For the moment he was content with being a techy who knew his stuff and knew it well. That and he prided himself in having great confidence and being intimidate but very little at all. With acceptions.
Derek would have shown his own level of enthusiasm if it wasn't for the fact that he was still recovering from the night before but you could still tell that he was excited about it, besides pushing aside any concerns about what was in store for them in whatever training and missions and what not would come up next, his tail swaying happily again to which he wasn't too aware of. It just came so naturally lately that Derek hardly even noticed it, even when it barely missed anyone standing beside him but an inch or two.
"Sounds great!" Derek grinned, giving a light grunt and pressing the tips of his index and middle finger against his temple with a frown as that familiar shot of pain rang through it, giving him the same kind of feeling that Chip had when he expressed his own scene of bravado enthusiasm. "Yeah, long night would be one way of putting it..." Derek noted out loud rather bluntly, even if the question wasn't aimed at him.
Again with the glowing antennae? What was with that? Derek had a feeling though it had to have something to do with sharing thoughts or some kind of way of alerting someone or a group quietly. He dared not ask about it just yet though and decided with time, like all things or at least most things, it will be answered.
Derek was in his own train of thought when he suddenly heard the word "Pet" again and he quickly turned his attention to Starzone with a light glare, raising his finger and opening his mouth as though to say something but then stopping shortly after taking a breath in to say something, his expressions changing as though he gave that a moment of thought before then going on to say something else instead but stopped before he said anything at all when Byte responded to Starzone's question. Turning his attention to Streak with a smirk, his arms crossed confidently over his chest and with a bit of a cocky yet cool tone Derek gave a nod as he then grinned in his response.
"You bet! Besides..." Derek shrugged "It's better than what I was doing back home"
Derek felt himself mentally kick his own arse for saying that but he hoped he wouldn't have to explain anymore than that.
Streak seemed quite content with that answer, but Trajectory arched an eyebrow. Perhaps he'd even noticed Derek's mental self kick.
"Great. You can start by checking out our mechs. If you're not too hung over." Starzone casually spun Trajectory around, pointing him back at the ship they'd arrived on. Trajectory allowed himself to be shepherded up the ramp, looking amused.
"You di'n tell 'im what dey get up to?" Streak spoke past Derek to the triplets, folding his arms across his chest as his tail jerked up to point vaguely at the ship where his two companions had disappeared. The triplets shrugged simultaneously.
Derek either pretended he didn't notice or chose not to notice the arched-brow reaction he had recieved from at least one of the mice, thanking his lucky stars for the moment that things for now seemed to slip by under the radar somewhat unnoticed. Good. The last thing Derek needed right now was a bad start to a good meeting.
"Sure" Derek nodded to Starzone's suggestion, smiling bright and with enthusiasm, regardless of the hangover, as he continued "I'll get right to it"
Derek had only just started to walk toward the mechs when Streak said what he did, Derek stopping immediately after raising his foot up for a second step and swivelling on his heel to turn back to everyone else with a perked brow.
"Didn't tell me who does what now?..." Derek asked in a puzzled and unshure kind of manner.
"I t'ink he should at least know what he's gettin' into," Streak said seriously, no hint of jest anywhere in his demeanour. It was quite unlike him.
"You jumped in the deep end and you turned out all right," Byte pointed out.
Streak smirked. "I got Starzi."
"And what, she keeps you sane?" Chip teased, throwing a punch which Streak deflected. A look unrelated to being punched crossed Streak's face, and the triplets immediately sobered and closed in, including Derek in the huddle.
"I donno what happened at the Temple," Streak said slowly. "But...he...Lorus..." a slight shudder ran down Streak's spine, flicking out at the end of his tail, and a look of slight consternation passed over the triplets, "...he did somet'in' to Darkmoon. I t'ink Darkmoon was controlling dem to a greater degree dan anyone t'ought, coz now, dey don' have as much. Control. Over demselves."
Cypher stiffened slightly, Chip and Byte both looked more openly worried, glancing at each other, tails flicking.
Derek was starting to get a little worried, unable to find much amusement or enthusiasm in the moment because of it, although he did his best to remain at an ease. He couldn't let his reputation be spoiled by appearing a nervous wreck after all. For a while he would just stare and occasionally blink at the group, exchanging glances here and there before huddling in close with both ears perked, an obvious sign he was listening carefully to what had to be said.
"Greeeat..." Derek finally began with a deep silent sigh to follow after he rolled his eyes at what he heard "Just what we need. Hmm, come to think of it..." Derek rubbed his chin in thought at this point, his gaze lowered a little and his free hand resting against his elbow as he thought back on some of the stories he heard back at home.
"Back home" Derek soon continued after a brief pause "There's various forms of "Mind Control" that are rumored to be about. For the most part they're lawed out since we don't believe in taking away the wills of others or altering them to the point where they aren't themselves. While this might not "Mind Control" there are rumors of certain...well...curses. Not too many back home delve in that sort of thing anymore but there are still some lone tribes and such that practice such things. That and there are also a form of nano techs which the military sometimes use with specific individuals to alter them but that's a whole different story right there. Apart from that..." Raising his attention back to Streak now Derek asked "How exactly do you mean "Not themselves"?"
The heavy footfalls of mechs down the ramp of the ship temporarily interrupted the huddle as a Raven bounced down the ramp. In the cockpit, Starzone grinned evilly at them before striding down the large corridor that led from the ship hangar to the mech bays. The much taller Marauder came down a little more carefully before legging it after the Raven.
Cypher motioned with his head for the others to follow him, they headed up a ramp that would take them to the pedestrian walkway which was roughly halfway up the mech corridor. Chip started talking at them as they walked.
"I know Starzi's hot but dat's not why you froze up when you looked at 'er." Streak smirked at Derek. "Darkmoon...he's kinda like what you were describin'. He was trainin' Starzi an' Traj, an' wit' 'im gone it's like a crack in a dam. Eventually the damn might break."
Ah the mechs, perfect timing. Derek was starting to wonder if he would ever see them and get any work done and it was a good thing they came when they did. Derek, at this point, needed to keep his mind off of things for the time being and he knew well enough the mechs would give him the work he needed and help him to do just that.
Following where he was to be led Derek looked at Streak with a small yet cheeky smirk as he replied "What makes you so sure?" Confidence was certainly a never failing thing for Derek it seemed. And no matter how long he seemed surprised by something it never failed to back him up. It was either stubborness to prevent himself from being intimidated by things or just plain ignorance. Either way whatever it was that kept Derek standing proud seemed to work well and to a point where it didn't make you feel like backhanding him out of sheer irritation and annoyance. In other words he knew how to stay cool and keep his charm as he would put it.
"Hmm...I see what you mean" Derek nodded with a different more serious kind of attitude. "Whatever the case I'm not liking what I'm feelin' here Streak. I gotta admit, it's kinda freakin' me out...But you didn't hear that from me"
For a moment he paused, lowering his gaze for a moment before bringing it back up to Streak as they continued onward toward the mechs and with that he asked "Streak...uh...ever had the sudden feeling that something big was about to happen to you? You know, something that would either be the end of you or a real impact somehow in your life?"
"Your tail stiffened when she locked you up." Streak smiled playfully.
Streak paused briefly, letting the triplets get a bit ahead of them, looking at Derek until he made eye contact again. "All the time," he responded, his tone was light hearted but it couldn't conceal the underlying seriousness.
Streak hurried to catch up with the triplets.
The mech bay was a hub of activity, filled with various forms of mech, all painted in matte desert camo, and all bearing somewhere conspicuous the red-eyed gold hoop snake. Sparks flew as techies worked where they were needed, and coats of paint were being reapplied where necessary. The mechs were organised by star, as the two new mechs in the ares where the triplets parked theirs was immediately obvious.
Starzone and Trajectory had docked and shut down and were standing beneath Trajectory's Marauder. The triplets headed over to them, followed closely by Streak and Derek.
"Go nuts," Starzone invited.
Trajectory didn't say anything, but his dark look suggested he was going to be watching every move Derek made on his mech.
Both mechs bore fresh dings and scratches. Starzone's in particular looked like it had been hit pretty hard on one side and may require panel beating and who knew what had happened on the inside. Trajectory's Marauder looked like it had been shot up, not badly but badly enough that there were probably a few wires and things that would need replacing on the inside.
"Lies!" Derek blurted with a frown, pointing at Streak in a semi-serious manner, as his response. It was actually rather amusing how he said that and it was almost animated how Derek reacted in his actions.
"I had a feeling you would say that..." Derek responded with a nod, taking in the seriousness of the moment and showing his maturity in how he responded. He was calm but you could tell he was certainly uneased by things. But there was one more thing in Derek's reaction that hinted that he was also refering to something that effected him emotionally. In a good sort of way yet it also appeared he had difficulties coming to terms with it or at least figuring out how to approach it.
Either way now wasn't the time to be distracted and so in a hurried pace Derek followed and headed to where he needed to go next.
The very moment they entered the mech bay Derek was immediately at an awe at what he witnessed. It was like a techy's heaven! All kinds of mechs parked neatly around the area and the atmosphere along with the scene of workers felt suddenly just right. For once Derek felt he was in the right place at the right time and his enthusiasm kicked into gear soon enough.
"With pleasure" Derek smirked confidently at Streak with a quick and cool/casual salute, heading over to the prepiration area to gather what he needed and slip on his gear. Sure he felt a little odd in his suit and all but he was starting to get used to it the more he wore it.
Confident as ever Derek took a moment to observe the damage done to the mechs he was about to work on and with a smirk, more so to himself than anything, he remarked in a good nature "Nothin' like a good challenge I always say" and with that headed over to one of the mechs to start his work.
Almost immediately it became apparent that he certainly knew what he was doing and he worked quickly yet effectively on each of the mechs. It took him a good long set of hours of welding and panel beating, wire clipping and repair work and tuning to finally get the job done. There were a few times where Derek found himself frustratingly trying to figure out how to repair certain parts and wondered if it could even be done but in the end he eventually got it fixed.
Finally, some hours later, Derek emerged, slipping of the head part of his protective/work gear and with a whipe of his forehead and a deep and tired huff Derek smiled tiredly at the waiting team. "There, good as new" Derek noted, covered from head to toe in grease and oil and carrying a few small parts he had to replace along the way. The larger parts were either placed aside of left were they were to be picked up by whoever or whatever gathered up the pieces that couldn't possibly be carried but all in all Derek had accomplished what even he thought toward the end he may not have been able to do. Fortunately he accomplished it.
"Uh...by the way, I kinda...tore the suit..." Derek grinned stupidly, turning to point at a rather large tear just below his arm that trailed down to about half way down his side. "Good thing it didn't go any deeper or I would have lost a kidney" Derek added in a jokingly manner, chuckling a little as he turned back to face the others. "Go check 'em out, I can bet you'll be impressed" Derek smirked confidently and waited for a score from the judges.
When it bcame apparent that Derek was going to be a while, Streak, Starzone and Trajectory disappeared. The triplets wandered in and out over the course of the repairs, but as if there was some secret communication that Derek wasn't privy to, all six of them reappeared in their section about ten minutes before Derek had completely finished his work. Trajectory and Starzoen were both in civvies this time, Trajectory in a black muscle shirt and brown cargoes, Starzone in a red tank top and desert camo cargoes. Starzone had strips of red cloth tied around both forearms from just above both wrists to just below both elbows. Trajectory was carrying just one pair of guns on his belt this time and Starzone had what looked like a very short staff. Streak had ditched the three sectional and grenades and didn't seem to be armed at all anymore.
Trajectory immediately scrambled up the scaffold and into his mech's cockpit.
"Suit's easy enough to fix," Byte said, sounding like it was no big deal. "Happens all the time. We'll go back to the overall shop and swap it for one they patched earlier. And your undies are showing." She grinned cheekily.
"Body parts on the inside is good," Starzone said with a wink, before jumping up into her Raven. "Need to get some paint on this thing." She settled into the cockpit. Trajectory brought his mech online. Both mechs twisted each way at the torso a couple of times, Trajectory testing out his arm motions. Starzone took her mech for a quick wander around the hangar, executing neat manuvers involving turning it practically on the spot, moving in one direction while looking in another, and weaving dangerously between the legs of some of the other larger mechs and eliciting shouts of concern or caution. The tone of the voices suggested they were used to such antics though. Trajectory was quite content to stay in the area, and he docked his mech back to the chargers and jumped out, slithering down the length of the incredible machine back down to the ground.
"Not bad," he conceded gruffly.
"Not bad my tail," Starzone responded as her Raven strode in, cockpit open. She guided it back to its dock and jumped out, closing the cockpit behind her and dropping easily to the floor. "Runs like a dream."
It didn't seem to occur to Derek that during his time of repairing the mechs that everyone had wondered off and even had the time to change clothes. But he figured maybe it was just that he took long enough to give them that time so apart from being slightly surprised to see someone in civvies Derek didn't really take a great more notice of it.
Byte's remark caused Derek to blush under his fur, a quick clear of his throat to follow before then with a nod and a see-through-ish kind of confidence Derek tried to make it seem like he wasn't effected at all. "Well...uh...good thing they're the right colour" Derek grinned, thinking to himself in the meantime with a mental perk of his brow 'The right colour?...That was the best you could come up with?...'
"Well I would have given it a repaint if it wasn't for the fact by the time I was done with the parts I was pretty much wasted energy wise" Derek responded to Starzone with a chuckle, adding then with a smile, bringing his thumb up to point at himself proudly in the process "But if you need a paint job done I'm the wolf do get it done"
Admitely Derek cringed as he watched the scene unfold, Starzone's daring manuevors making him reach up slightly as he gave a worried "Ehhh..." of sorts, slowly closing his hand and bringing it back down as he sighed with relief when everyone stopped moving. He knew he had done well but he wasn't so sure anybody should be dashing through the legs of the other mechs like Starzone did. Derek wasn't ready to repair them all over again and especially not in the mood to have a ton of mechs colide and tumble over like a set of dominoes. Fortunately however everyone knew what they where doing so that eased Derek a little more.
When it was time for the conclusion to be told at first Trajectory's response almost made Derek feel like he only just managed to pass. But when Starzone slipped out and had her say Derek couldn't help but grin and pump his fists with an enthusiastic "Yeah! One point for the Lupronian!" and grinned proudly and apreciatively to Starzone and Trajectory with a nod. "Glad you're satisfied with the results. Heck, at least they can move now without grinding so bad or...well...not working at all which would have happened if you kept them moving and had some of those wires scrapin' along each other like had been. Oh! One more thing. I tuned up a few of the weaponry and added a new set of cooling boxes. You should be able to fire for longer without the guns overheating. That and you might find the Blueray DVD Players handy" Derek smirked.
"Ignore 'im, he's a hard arse." Starzone playfully hip and shouldered Trajectory, who had the grace to shift his balance slightly, "I'm the starleader," she pointed to herself, "and what I say goes." A playful grin followed, making one wonder if she was indeed the same person who had delivered a sombre speech about mission failure and hardcore training upon arrival.
Starzone flicked her tail, and it settled into its default inverted omega shape behind her. "While you were tinkering, the Hunters reported seeing a decent sized alien ship land not too far from here. Rush checked it out and said there were more Lupes. Commander Strike wants us to run recon. And engage if necessary."
"Someone might be more important than they're lettin' on." Byte's eyes sparkled in anticipation as she grinned in a slightly maniacal fashion at Derek.
"If you're tired you can kick back here. Otherwise your...what the hell did they put 'im in?" Starzone turned to Cypher.
"Battlesuit-22," Cypher responded.
"Your suit can hitch a ride on one of the big mechs."
Derek restrained himself from bursting into laughter and making himself look like a complete and utter tool in front of everyone and instead kept his amusement behind a confident smirk. With a light chuckle, his arms folded casually over his chest, Derek replied then with a nod "Apparently so. By the looks of things you've got everyone pretty much under your thumb, huh?"
At first Derek chuckled at Byte's reaction, smirking at her as he began "Yeah, not every day that on Mars you find-" before then with his eyes widening suddenly he let out a quick and high pitched "Lupes?!", that echoed through area and no doubt caused a few perked brows by some of his fellow workers in the bay. Derek then quickly cleared his throat and trying to hide his sudden shock with a more confident-ish grin and a light "Heheh..." to start of his set of words he attempted to use as a cover up for his sudden outburst. "I mean, sure, uh...I'll uh...I'll get change and hitch a ride you ya'll and we'll go check it out. Hehe...uh...be right back!"
Derek zipped out of the area so fast it was any wonder he didn't leave a trail of fire and smoke behind him on the way out. It took him a good few moments before he finally returned in his usual attire, straightening out his trench coat and then announcing with a grin "Ready when you are"
You could tell by his grin that something, yet again, seemed to be on the back of his mind but he didn't want to automatically assume that whoever this was where here to find him. Already one Bounty Hunter had failed his mission. But what where these Lupronians after? Why where they here? Derek was supposed to be pretty much free. There was only one way to find out and Derek wanted front row seats.
"Should I go ahead and mount?" Derek then asked with a little more calm, point with his both his thumbs toward his Battlesuit that was parked over near by.
The pilots were dressed in their blue-grey overalls again, Streak still in his civvies.
"Yep," Starzone responded, giving him the nod. She turned to Streak, who took her in his arms. She placed her arms around his neck as he planted a deep kiss on her. Trajectory turned abruptly and scrambled up the charger and into the cockpit of his Marauder, where he proceeded to belt himself in.
The triplets drifted off towards their mechs as well, climbing up the chargers which doubled as boarding platforms. Only Starzone's Raven and Derek's Battlesuit were small enough to climb and in fact both were standing beneath the charges with an extension cable snaking into their batteries.
"Come back to me," Streak said softly, kissing Starzone on the head after they finally separated. She touched his nose lightly with the tip of her finger.
"Always," she replied, smiling gently at him. Streak unwrapped his arms from around her. Starzone backed towards her mech, then scrambled up it and inserted herself into the cockpit, belting herself in.
"Cavalry Starleader ready. Status."
"Marauder-07 ready," Trajectory's voice came back immediately over the comm, sounding slightly gruff.
"Timber Wolf-02 ready," Byte by contrast sounded quite cheerful, punctuated by the sharp cipping sound of her securing her harness.
"Atlas-01 ready," Cypher reported, all business.
"Dire Wolf-01 ready," Chip called, also happy.
(OOC: If I may take a moment to say that after a couple of hours of reading messages on a bright, mostly white and blue screen of MySpace it's a pleasant change to the eyes to come back to a less brightly coloured forum as this one, lol!)
At first Derek was tempted to say something smart about the deep kiss Streak planted on Starzone's lips but instead he simply smirked to himself and decided instead to be smart and not say anything at all. Besides, right now wasn't the time to be pulling any jokes. And by the looks of things a silent approach was probably the best approach.
Derek proceeded then to head to his Battlesuit, thinking since everyone else was buckling up and preparing to move out he should be doing the same. And so, dressed to kill so to speak and bringing his confidence back from the shadows of his worries, Derek slipped into his Battlesuit and buckled up, checking and then double checking to be sure it was fully charged before then hopping on board and buckling up for the ride.
"Battlesuit-22 Online, All systems ready to rock and roll" Derek confirmed via the transmission, tapping at a few more keys before sitting back and trying to relax with a long, deep breath. "Um...just a quick note before we go I think you might want to know" Derek then quickly added "If these Lupes are Lupronian law enforcers our best approach would be to talk to them civilized like. Heck, even if they're military chances are they'll listen if you have something good enough to explain to 'em. In the meantime though from my own experience I would recommend staying low and observing from afar first. Just wanted to put that out there for ya'll just in case..."
"Only been with us a few days and already he knows us inside and out," quipped Chip.
"Cavalry reporting," Starzone said, seeming like she hadn't heard Derek, "requesting exit clearance."
"Granted Cavalry Starleader," Xu responded, sounding vaguely robotic. A section of the wall suddenly detached with a loud clunking sound, looking like it might topple outwards. Instead, it lowered itself neatly, drawbridge style, providing a nice ramp for them to descend onto the desert.
The Raven loped casually down the ramp, its torso twisting slightly this way and that as its pilot quickly surveyed the immediate area. It was quite unconcernedly followed by the other mechs.
"Sending coordinates, Cavalry Starleader," Xu announced. Starzone tapped a button.
"Received Tir. Heading out."
"Come home safe."
Starzone brought up a map of the area and transmitted the coordinates to the rest of the star at the same time. "Smart bastards landed right in the middle of the plateau," she commented. "Techy, dock with the Dire Wolf. Cross formation, I'm taking point, Marauder left, Timber Wolf right, Atlas rear guard."
Affirmatives came from Trajectory and the triplets. Chip stayed put waiting for Derek to hop on his Dire Wolf's arm. Starzone's Raven loped ahead at a slow walk, while Trajectory and Byte both guided their mechs to stand fifty metres either side of Chip's Dire Wolf.
"Well in this line of work you gotta either learn fast or die tryin'. Personally, I'd rather learn fast" Derek responded back with a blooming confidence that just seemed to continue to grow, switching on and off from time to time but generally staying strong. It was certainly one of his finer qualities that was for sure.
With everything starting to be set into motion for the upcoming mission Derek turned his attention to the control panel, sorting out in his own mind what he needs to take note of and checking what needed to be checked. Pressing the occasional button and flicking a switch or two here and there Derek felt ready and prepared but at the same time he couldn't help but be a little worried as to who exactly was out there and, more importantly, why they were here. He was supposed to be pretty safe now, wasn't he? Well, only one way to find the answers and that was to obviously go out there and find out.
"Affirmative Starzone, Battlesuit-22 on the move" Derek affirmed, hopping of his current perch and with the use of his boosters guided himself to his destination, landing this time skillfully where he needed to go. "Battlesuit-22 landed and safely secure on Dire Wolf. Locked in and awaiting further orders"
Derek was starting to become more and more professional with each passing day and at the rate he was going he was certainly bound to head up the rank ladders pretty quick. At least so he figured. But he wasn't about to get cocky. There was still a hell of a lot to be done and the day had only just started.
"Call signs only in the field. Didn't anyone tell him that?" Starzone directed the first part of her sentence to Derek in a matter-of-fact instructional tone, changing rapidly to a slightly peeved, slightly snappish tone directed at the triplets.
"He was picking up fine," Byte protested.
"Sit tight, techy," Chip said as he put his hulking mass of mech into gear. The Dire Wolf whirred into action, lumbering forward to the gentle rhythm of pistons and parts churning in wonderful harmony. The Marauder and the Timber Wolf both kept abreast of Chip and Derek in their designated spots on either side. Starzone's little Raven was loping ahead, it's skinny legs pumping out some serious rpms keeping about a hundred metres ahead of them, and yet looking like the speed part was no issue. Directly behind them lurked the formidable Atlas, towering over all of them.
"I was under the impression your kind didn't do extraditions," Starzone commented. She was leaning back in her seat with her hands behind her head so one could assume her mech was on autopilot or she was steering with her knees. "If you could tell us more about your Lupes, and any other reason they might be sneakin' round here, it'd be much appreciated."
Derek had to hold his tongue as he frowned deeply at Starzone's reaction to what he figured was a perfectly fine response and in the end had found himself forcing it aside so to better concentrate and, more importantly, not loose his cool.
"Would have helped if I knew that in advanced..." Derek muttered to himself, hoping he wouldn't be heard and thanking his lucky stars at least Byte was sticking up for him.
Chip's words couldn't have arrived at a better time and made it easier for Derek to shrug off something that really wasn't such a big deal. But Derek had an awful habbit of having a bit of a quick temper at times but for now he concentrated on the mission ahead. He found himself further distracted from his minor irritations when he saw the mechs walking and dashing about as they did, finding the real deal certainly to put the simulation he went through to shame. Nothing quite like the real deal.
Starzone's words snapped Derek out of his little moment of awe and he quickly turned his attention to the transmission screen. "Depends on the situation" Derek began with a small shrug, tapping away at a few button and switches here and there as he continued "There's a number of reasons why they could be here. If it's the military it could be as simple as meeting allies here, which they have all over the joint. Or it could be that something needs checking out or whatever. If it's Bounty Hunters chances are they're after a target but I'm doubting they'll be chasing m-...I mean...anyone here. Trust me, I have my reasons to believe that strongly"
"Now if it's the law then they're here because they're after someone who needs to be found, no doubt that wasn't accepted into the planet's society and/or is in some prison cell somewhere in need of being picked up. Or on the run and in need of catchin'..."
Bringing his attention completely to the transmission screen Derek added then "If I were to take a wild guess I'd say it's the military on their usual patrol. Either that or they're here to meet some friends and believe me...they've got plenty of 'em. Apart from that thank you for using Derek's Info line, if you have any further inquires please dial 1 for more info"
Starzone, Chip and Byte chuckled at Derek's hotline impersonation. Cypher looked like he might have been wearing a smirk, though it was hard to tell from the small size of the comm pics, occupying a small unobtrusive section of the HUD. Trajectory was the only one looking thoroughly unimpressed, and further displayed it by reaching over and swtching off his camera, causing the pic of him to vanish from everyone's HUD.
"Move your tails," Starzone said.
The gentle piston pumping increased in rhythm as the mechs surged forward into a run, the sand beneath them flying by.
"I'm maxed out," Chip announced as his hulking beast of a mech hit 70 clicks.
"Slow arse," Starzone muttered, grinning.
"Runt," Chip returned, snickering.
Starzone deviated off the line they were taking suddenly, hading for a nearby rocky outcrop. Her star followed unquestioningly. The outcrop was just big enough to contain the larger mechs, with Starzone's Raven huddled between the large splay toed feet of the Marauder.
"Target's on that plateau," Starzone said, pointing up to the plateau across an appreciable stretch of sand from where they were. "Techy, you're comin' with me. Rest of you standby."
Only Trajectory and Cypher answered with a brusque "Affirmative, Starleader."
Starzone's Raven strode to the edge of the outcrop where sand met stone to wait for Derek to join her, and also to use the Raven's visual enhancers to spot a way up the plateau.
Derek couldn't help but smirk happily at the fact he caused some amusement and even though Trajectory wasn't all that impressed Derek couldn't help but shrug when he noticed his picture vanish from the com link HUD. "Can't please everyone apparently" Derek chuckled to himself and returned his attention to what needed to be focused on. Everyone seemed to be the same after all.
It seemed there was a good natured labelling that happened often between the team members and Derek knew it would be only a matter of time before...actually scrap that, he already had a small and somewhat brief taste of what kind of sense of humor mercs seemed to have. And to be perfectly honest Derek actually liked it. It kind of reminded him of his own sense of humor only not nearly half as firm. That said his sense of humor was often sarcastic but always in good nature. With acceptions.
Hearing that he was coming along with Starzone it was easy to say Derek wasn't too settled by the fact he was going any closer to their target. He didn't know how they would react or what their true meanings where but at the same time he wasn't one to hessitate on obeying orders. Not especially since he's worked so hard to get to where he is now.
"Affirmative, on my way" Derek confirmed, stepping out from his 'perch' and using his boosters to help aid him in a softer landing, wasting no time to switch them to movement boosters as he slid along toward Starzone's location, coming to a stop and switching his boosters off as he stood by in wait.
"Ready when you are ba-...er...ma'am" Good thing Derek caught himself when he did. Chances are he might have got himself into trouble if he didn't. "Should I prepare cloaking mode or will there be an alternative method of approach?"
The look Starzone gave Derek when she heard him correct himself was more amusement than anything else.
"Cloak," she said, and abruptly her blip vanished off the radar. "No jets. Follow my lead up the side. Should be slightly easier for you, you got arms." She smirked as her Raven bounded into the desert towards the plateau.
"Yeah but you've got speed..." Derek added with a slight huff, activating his cloak and follow Starzone's lead with caution in mind.
"So we do know this route is safe, right?" Derek later asked on the way to their destination. "I mean you never know what kind of surprises might be in store and so far I'm not picking anything up on the radar buuuuut you never know"
If it was one thing you need to learn when going on any kind of mission is to never ask if something is safe or say 'It's too quiet...' because chances are something would emerge to remind you why you shouldn't have done either. And sure enough something went wrong but in a completely unexpected way.
As Derek carefully Starzone's lead he suddenly felt his Battlesuit get a little stiff in the gears and the next thing he knew the whole thing grinded down to a gradual halt, the low hum of stilling gears and mechanic tunes settling to a silence as his cloak in turn shut down completely.
"God damn it!" Derek growled, giving a long, overdrawn, borderline grunt of an exhale as he resisted the urge to slam his head against the panel. "Starzone, I'm gonna need to hop out and replace one of the spark plugs. As luck would have it one of the main cores just blew...I think the cloaking did it and my guess it that an old plug just couldn't handle it. I knew I should of replaced the damn thing sooner..."
Starzone, as expected, did not go any faster than Derek's top speed, although she kept pirouetting in front of him, checking out the lay of the land and the air from all directions.
"Nope," she responded cheerfully to his query as to the safety of their route. "What the hell..." she started as she noticed Derek's blip reappearing on her radar. Her query was cut short when Derek swore as his suit broke down. She did look somewhat concerned then, stopping dead still side on so she could turn to see both the plateau and Derek. The dust swirled and settled around the feet of her Raven.
"What the fuck's goin' on over there?" Trajectory demanded, his camera still off.
"Suit broke down," Starzone responded shortly. "Stand by." She twisted around. "Can you fix it?" she asked urgently. They were only sitting ducks out in the open sand, there was too much distance to go to the plateau and to get back to the outcrop. She looked up again towards the plateau, sparing glances around in case anything else was approaching from any other angle. It was fortunate the mechs were painted matte red to blend in with the sand, from a distance they'd be pretty hard to spot at least. Still if they'd spotted the blip they might come investigate.
Derek was running along quite smoothly, Starzone's dipping in and out of his view almost rather expected so in turn not becoming as big of a delima as you would have thought it would have, added to that the fact she was skilled experienced enough not to get entirely in the way for long at all, if at all. So that wasn't the issue. The issue was breaking down and being left out in the open like a sitting duck. Derek was NOT amused.
By the time anyone asked Derek if he could fix it he was already unbuckled and on his way to the top of the mech, radioing in via his comlink which thankfully was easily accessed and able to be used without having to take his hands away from his work. "I can fix it" Derek began, popping open the cover the main core "But it will take me a good fifteen minutes at least..."
He wasted no time in getting right into work, tearing out the old spark plug and fortunately a spare in his tool pouch. Slipping it into the slot and patching up the wires as need be it took Derek a surprisingly short time to actually get it done. But the testing took a little longer to get done. Still, it was obvious Derek was in a hurry to get out of that spot and ASAP but at the same time didn't want to run the risk of the Battlesuit shutting down again.
"Got it!" Derek finally announced as the machine hummed back to life, Derek in turn shutting the lid and securing it back on before slipping into the pilot bay and buckling up, preparing himself to move again and reactivating the cloak.
"Shit...If it's not one god damn thing it's another...Alright, in brief: Good news; Got the suit workin'. Bad news; Cloak will only be alive for about another hour more. The sudden shut down screwed the battery over but an hour should be enough time to get somewhere if we're quick"
Starzone growled, a guttural, obviously annoyed but not at anyone in particular sound. Just momentarily it was also extremely serrated, with a strange echoey quality. The effect lasted long enough to register but not quite long enough for anyone to be certain what had happened.
"Gotta work with what we got," she said, smirking slightly. "Good work techy. Now move your tail." They continued on their way, and then she beamed him coordinates for a different nav point, located not too far from where they were heading. "That should be an easier climb for you," she said. "I'm going to climb a little further on. Will have to use my jets so if anyone spots me, sit tight and shut down if you need to. And try not to use yours unless you have to."
While she was talking she seemed to feel it necessary to vary her speed, occasionally slowing down to walk beside him, then speeding up and striding ahead of him.
Derek had nearly dropped his papers after having snapped right of his little moment of joyous reunitement with his papers and quickly grasped onto them after they slipped out of his hands a few times, managing to catch them mid fall, turning his attention to the door as Cypher's voice sounded more booming than usual.
"Urrghn!..." Derek felt his head pound for a moment or two before he replied back "Coming, just uh...gotta get my gear!" Derek tried to sound more calm and hide the fact he had actually shed a tear or two, quickly wiping them away and tucking his papers somewhere safe and sound. If he needed them he'd know where they where.
Standing up wasn't as bad as he thought it would be though he certainly was in need of an asperine or something to help with the slight migraine pounding just enough through his head to be annoying at best. He slipped on his usuaul attire, buckling up his boots and found himself something to take to help with his slight hang over and snatching his trenchcoat off of the end of the bed on the way out, slipping it on as the door slid open and he had almost ran right into Cypher.
"Whoa!" Derek stopped a mere inch or two away from Cypher, his boots making a quick squeeking sound as he stopped so suddenly and stepping back quick he gave a stupid sort of grin, rubbing the back of his neck with a light "Hehehe..."
"Hey there Cypher...uh...didn't realize you were still at the door. So uh...where's the crew at?"
You ain't got a life 'til ya live it free!
(Thanks Nightbeat/Katana for Derek's picture! ^..^)