(ooc - XD I'm pretty easy as far as playing goes, and to be perfectly honest, I only have plans sometimes ;)
"I'm not gonna start anything." Starzone fiddled with a few settings here and there and began piping communications through her comm. "I will however finish it if I need to." She popped the cockpit and, leaving the Raven concealed where it was, popped onto the top of the rock, flipped off the front of it and sauntered towards Commander Nubis, not exactly announcing her arrival but nowhere near approaching being sneaky. The only thing she was blatantly obvious about was the fact that she was unarmed and the only thing that could potentially be a weapon was the very short staff on her back.
"I gotta bad feeling about this," Trajectory muttered.
"If you can name one situation you haven't had bad feelings in, I'd be impressed," Byte retorted in amusement. Trajectory shot her an annoyed look. "I know, I know. We're entirely too far away to be useful backup." Trajectory nodded slightly in a very absent-minded fashion. "You of all people should know you don't haveta worry 'bout her. If they turn out hostile she'll fry 'em. And worse case scenario, she'll paint 'em and we'll send 'em a LAM."
Trajectory cracked a smile. "Someone's gotta not overestimate her," he said finally.
(ooc- no wonder we play well :P)
Starzone, who had been checking out the ship on her approach, was cooperative enough to stop when challenged by the guard, though it was more as an excuse to then check out the relative numbers of soldiers on the ground, wondering how many if any were still on the ship, and checking out how thick their armour was. She was erspectful enough to give Commander Nubis most of her attention as he approached, though, amusement evident on her countenance at the use of "ma'am".
"You're currently investigatin' our turf," Starzone responded, her tone playful. "I got sent to see what you lot were up to." She made a more obvious show of looking around. "Whatcha investigatin'?" She quite happily played up her youth, acting her eighteen years.
(OOC: XD! I have to agree with you there ;P.)
Commander Nubis, spotting the hint of amusement in Starzone's expressions, couldn't help but smirk in his own kind of amusement at it though he didn't make a fuss about it or laugh at it. More so for the sake of staying professional than anything.
"You're the first inhabbitant I've seen on this planet since we landed" Commander Nubis began to explain, folding his arms casually over his chest as he looked Starzone over for a moment before then with a more serious expression yet a calm sort of tone he continued "But by the looks of you I'd say you're not just an average civillian. So I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and answer your question"
Looking over to his large ship Commander Nubis then once again continued "My team and I were sent to this planet for three reasons. The first was to collect four samples to take back for research purposes. We were told it would be on military grounds so we'd have to recieve clearance before landing, which we did" Turning his attention back to Starzone he added "So don't you worry, we're not here by force. Anyway, the second objective to our mission was to find a Lupronian who had escaped our prisons and fled the planet some weeks ago but so far we haven't found him. Truth is though..." Commander Nubis would proceed to pause, turning his gaze toward the ship with a small frown as he continued with much more serious tone "I'm starting to believe we'll never find him. Secondly they want us to take him out and I don't think he deserves that..."
"And finally" Commander Nubis continued yet again after a moment's pause to help settled his obviously tickled nerve, turning his attention back to Starzone "There is a second individual we've been trying to locate for the last four days. She's...an interesting one. And what makes it hard to find her is her ability to blend with the crowd...There's a long history about her and her kind and-"
"Sir! Look above us!" One of the soldier's suddenly interupted, catching the Commander's attention who immediately looked up to the skies just in time to see a large vessel of some kind come zooming down with a trail of fire, crashing at a not-so-distant area just over the rocks. Derek too had caught this and blinked some at the scene.
"What is it with this planet and crash landing?..." Derek thought out loud with a perk of his brow.
"Puh, no one told us anything." Starzone looked put out. "We're only the caretakers an' all." She smiled sardonically. "Glad you're not too intent on retrieving that Luprronian," she rolled the Rs slightly as she tried the new word out, "if he crashed anywhere in the desert and didn't get help off the bat he's probably digesed in some sabersquid's gullet right now. Whatcha collecting?"
Her inquiry was interrupted by the latest crash. She looked up, and her antennae burned. *Traj, tell Chip an' Byte to check it out. You an' Cyph sit tight.*
*On it,* came the telepathic reply.
In the outcrop, Trajectory waved to attract the attention of the brothers. They both looked at him. He pointed to Chip and indicated that he power up. Chip complied, the large signature of his mech suddenly popping up on radars for anyone who happened to be paying attention now. Chip's image came up in the comm channel.
"Starleader says you two go and check the crash out."
"On it. Taking point." Byte immediately headed out, staying out of sight and range of the plateau. Chip's Dire Wolf lumbered after her, they hit the slower mech's top speed and quickly disappeared through the rocks.
"No" The Commander began with a shake of his head "Chances are knowing him he would have figured a way out of that situation somehow. In saying that I have to be honest and say I hope you're wrong...For his sake..." Regardless of the firm streak the Commander seemed to hold it didn't seem like he was very cruel or rude about things in general. Truth be told he was one of those Commanders you could learn to admire and get to know a little better. So long as you stay on his good side.
Commander Nubis hardly had the chance to respond to Starzone's question when the crash apparently caught everyone's attention. A new and unexpected twist to a usually normal-ish scenario.
"This should looks like it should be interesting..." The Commander perked a brow curiously and slightly puzzled at the scene, turning then to Starzone as he gave a nod in the direction of the crash site. "Think we should investigate? Obviously we're not enemies so we may as well work together. Unless you'd rather ask a few more questions and let someone deal with the matter. Like your team that's waiting near by" Commander Nubis' smirk indicated that hint of perhaps knowing all along. Or at least having figured it out somehow. Which of the two was a good question.
Meanwhile at the crash site...
A small yet heavily built ship, or what used to be a ship, lay now in ruins at the edge of a small rock wall, bits of debris and fire scattered all over the place and quite possibly giving Derek's crash a good run for its impact kudos. However from the wreckage there soon enough was some movement and the sound of someone or something slamming at the ship's side door. Eventually the side door busted open, falling from the wreckage as the pilot soon enough slipped out of it with a few cuts and bruises to show it hadn't survived unhurt but certainly had survived.
The creature was a feline-type creature with brown-ish coloured fur and white over its front. It turned out to be a she, wearing a type of decorative, golden breast plate of some kind decorated with small and maybe valueable stones (which actually didn't seem to cover much at all), complete with matching wrist guards and ankle wraps and a golden ring earing near the end of her right ear. Apart from that there wasn't really much more else that was covering her really. Anyone might have mistaken her for a Catatonian, (Even though they look nothing alike, lol! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h293/moonshade84/Image1.jpg Yeah, I love it ^..^. And it's my inspiration for the new character) being a feline-type race and all, and though she bared a few cuts and all the way she handled her staff and shook off the dizzyness of the crash's effect proved she was certainly a strong type.
Hopping down from the ship she landed in a skillful and agile crouch although when she stood up she found it a little more difficult to do so than usual. Her body ached but she wasn't about to stay where she was for too long. She would have to gather her things, whatever she could recover, and get to safety. The rest she would have to figure out on her own.
"They're on it," Starzone said without blinking. "Whatcha collecting?" she asked again, seeming to forget about the crash.
Byte's Timber Wolf sauntered towards the easily visible wreck. Chip had stopped some distance away, remaining out of sight. At least this one wasn't in the bottom of a canyon, unlike a certain Lupe's, but easily accessible crashes brought their own hazards. Still, she had the upper hand here, as long as the passengers didn't have vehicle gunnery they were thinking of using on approaching mechs.
"Approaching with weapons down," she reported, "whoever's there, I'm giving them plenty of notice. Not detecting any weapons on the mess and no one's shooting yet."
Her hand was very close to the button that would arm her lasers, the fastest weapons to arm, one foot right next to her jump jet pedal, awaiting any excuse to drop on them. Hopefully none would come. Derek was cool and so far the new Lupes hadn't given them an excuse to have to hurt them. Byte didn't know about anyone else but she was well fed up with hostile invaders.
"Gotcha back, Timber Wolf." Chip's voice was comforting. His long range missiles were armed and he was waiting for any hint of a reason to pummel anything that might threaten his sister.
The Commander simply nodded to show he understood before then proceeding with explaining what he was collecting, gesturing for Starzone to follow him over to a medium sized crate which he popped open and gestured for her to take a look inside.
"Not much more apart from a few samples of sand and whatever else we can find that may have some lifeforms the science nuts back home can look into. We want to know more about this solar system so we're just gathering what we can. We don't take anymore than a tiny sample since every planet needs its resources. But we have noticed so far that this planet's been through one hell of a war ride in the past and as of recent. This correct?"
For now he left the crash scenario to whoever was in charge but made sure to send a few of his men to keep watch over those who did go to investigate the crash.
"Just stay out of their way unless they need you to butt in" The Commander ordered to a small group of soldiers.
"Affirmative on that Commander, on our way" The group leader responded before turning to his group and gesturing for them to head out. They would only intrude if and when need be. That was their orders. With that the Commander turned his attention back Starzone.
Meanwhile...
With something approaching the female newcomer quickly stopped what she was doing and reached for her side weapon, more so by instinct than anything, and quickly hopped behind cover in the hopes of not being seen. Derek remained put for the time being, not wanting to bring attention to himself and knowing that where he was right now was probably a good place to remain perched and on the look out. Besides, Byte seemed pretty well covered for the moment.
As she hid she watched as the large vehicles approached close but remained low and hid as far back within the rubble of the wreckage as possible. She was silent, quick and agile, obviously skilled in stealth and she drew a small handle from her side, pressing at a little attatchment on it as a curved blade where drawn from either side. Not that it was probably much use or she was really intending on using it unless she needed to but either way she armed herself, feeling whoevere this was could be a threat. Seemed the thoughts where mutual on both ends.
Plateau
Starzone nodded, very mindful of anything that might clue her in to underlying things that suggested that the seemingly innocent scientific expedition was a front. The last time there had been diplomatic and scientific expeditions to the planet they had been invaded. Twice. This particular group, if they were planning on being the third invading party, they wouldn't really have a lot to conquer unless they were just looking for another planet to add to their portfolio, and/or a base of operations to attack the neighbouring human infested Earth. And if that was their intention, they would be needled and bothered every step of the way just like the previous two.
"You should probably tell me more about the blending in person you're looking for. Particularly if you suspect that might be their ship." Starzone nodded towards the smoke signal arcing skyward from the wreckage which was just out of their line of sight over the rocks.
Crash Site
Showing fearless bravado on the front and internally hoping she wasn't about to die here right now, Byte popped the cockpit, hanging onto the internal handle to prevent it from fully opening.
"Anyone alive out there?" she yelled through the gap at the crash site.
Chip meanwhile noticed they had inbound. Keeping well within range of Byte and the downed ship, he swung out on an intercept path.
Plateau:
Commander Nubis wanted to make it quite clear that the last thing he was intending to do was invade. In fact that wasn't even a thought yet alone an intention of his and thus why he was so willing to show Starzone as much proof of this as possible. In fact Starzone and the rest of the team were fortunate to have bumped into one of the more nicer and well respected Commanders of the Lupronian army and the stars he wore on the chest piece and right upper arm pad suggested he had earned his ranks and a few of them hinted toward some possible heroic deeds. He didn't appear to be the type who accepted the bad guys very well at all even though he himself was fairly firm. But not entirely so, he was showing a more kinder side to him even though he gave out his orders like a true professional.
"To be honest" Commander Nubis began, sitting himself down on a smaller crate and bringing his attention back to Starzone with a small shrug and a brief shake of his head "We hardly know much at all about her. What I can tell you is that she's a feline race of some kind...or at least feline-esque. Agile, super quick on her feet, and a hell of a skilled warrioress. She travels light and usually uses blade-based weaponry and stealth in her approach. Being silent too makes her a hard target to hit...Not that we want to take her down but we need to find her. Trouble is...she doesn't trust us. At all."
Crash Site:
Her ears perked at the sound of someone yelling and her instincts began to kick in, forcing her to hide further back within the shadows of the rubble, gripping the handle of her double bladed weapon tightly as she tried to control her breathing. The only thing that could be heard was the sounds of the small bits of fire scattered here and there and the occasional spark or two from the half dead electronics of the ship. The ship itself was fairly ancient looking but with a modern kind of streak to it. Kind of like what you would expect out of Star Gate or some TV series like that.
The leader of the squad gestured for his men to stop a short distance away from the crash site, giving the signal to spread out and get into position before he noticed one of the mechs aheads.
"This is Squad Shadow transmitting to merc mech, requesting details and confirming any sign of threat to assist with, over" The squad leader sent out a transmission to the nearest mech. Whoever would pick it up would need to be the one to answer of course and the squad leader wanted to make darn sure he wasn't about to ruin anything here. Secondly, and more importantly, he wanted to make sure that Byte and the others knew they where on their side.
Plateau
"With all due respect sir, I wouldn't trust a bunch of giant scary lookin' Lupes comin' after me either." Starzone remained standing as Nubis seated himself, her arms loosely folded. "Why you chasin' 'er?" Starzone glanced at the soldiers, watching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, a break in the pattern of industriousness conducted in the scientific military expedition. She was internally annoyed about her traitorous antennae glowing like a beacon (even though it wasn't so obvious in the current lighting conditions) every time she expanded her awareness, but there wasn't much that could be done about it.
*Ask the techy if there's anything in particular I should be watching for with this guy.*
*Rightio.* "Oi, techy," Trajectory's tone was still abrupt but not nearly as sharp or gruff as usual as he attracted Derek's attention, "Starleader wants to know what she should be watchin' for with that guy you're scared of."
Crash Site
Chip picked up radio frequency. He frowned, and his fingers danced lightly over the console, the fact that he still had eyes on as many of the Lupes as he could see, seeing as they'd gone and fanned out and some had gone to ground indicative of how familiar he was with his mech. He quickly tuned and just picked up the transmission starting from "merc mech". Considering how many mechs there were in the area he figured they were probably talking to him.
"Nothin' doin', Lupe group," Chip drawled, affecting his brother's mannerism temporarily, much in a fashion that often had people that didn't know them very well confusing them. "You guys sit tight." Keeping enough of his attention on them to notice if they were going to pull out heavy artillery as he wasn't terribly bothered by their personal weapons, Chip turned his attention back to Byte.
Byte, unaware of what was going on or that another stirke force had arrived, continued her approach slowly. Her scanner was indicating that there was someone alive out there. She let the cockpit pen fully. "Hello," she called tentatively. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Well not unless you try to hurt me first. I'm gettin' outta the mech." Byte released her harness and extricated herself from her metal body, alet for any movement that might suggest someone was going to throw something at her.
Plateau:
Commander Nubis found himself smirking in a kind of agreeful expression once Starzone gave her first response, chuckling a little before then responding with a nod and that smirk still in tact "I can respect that. Personally putting myself in her fur I'm not so sure I'd be so willing to trust us either" With that his expressions returned to a more serious yet still calm manner as he answered Starzone's question.
"Well we don't want her harmed if that's what you want to know" He began to explain, folding his arms in the same casual manner that Starzone folded her own as he continued "She's an important figure from what we've been told. An assassin actually and part of the reason we want to find her is to know a little more about her kind as well as to get her home safely back to her tribe. Again though trust is the big issue and from the little we do know of her race they simply don't trust others easily at all. And given their history...I don't blame them..."
The Commander could tell that Starzone remained aware of the situation and in all honesty he couldn't blame her at all. Truth be told he too was remaining on his own level of awareness, his troops watching the scenario carefully but Commander Nubis would make sure no attacks were to be made unless an attack was made first. They were not here to start a war, they were here to do their mission and go home. Of course, not everything goes exactly to plan and the crash was about to prove that point.
He noticed the glow Starzone's antennae gave off from time to time but didn't question her about it. He knew enough about the inhabbitants on Mars to know that whenever they did that it was usually a form of communication or recieving a communication. At least from what he knew. So respecting her privacy he let that slide.
Meanwhile Derek was caught by surprise by Trajectory's sudden transmission, a quick "Agh!" slipping from him before then with a quick clear of his throat he replied "The Commander? Oh...uh...Well apart from the fact he's highly trained, which is a no duh, I have to say...I'm surprised he's one of the good guys. I'm just worried he..uh...well wants to know where I am. I uh...haven't been home in a while so he's probably...wondering why...Apart from that...I'm actually not so sure these guys are a threat. I mean, not you lot anyway...Not sure about me..." Derek was trying not to give too much away about his past to those who didn't know about it but the more he tried to hide it the more obvious he seemed to make it that he was hiding something.
Crash Site:
"Affirmative on that" The group leader confirmed, giving a quick hand gesture to the group to sit tight and stay low before then adding "We'll stand by and await any orders. Commander Nubis told us to only act if need be and on your group's command. Over."
It was only natural to be weary of new allies but so far the Lupronians they had managed to bump into didn't seem to be showing any sign of threat. Which was a surprise to Derek who felt they would be fairly full on and hardcore about getting their mission done and, more importantly, grabbing a hold of him to take him back home. But so far it didn't seem to be the case at all...They seemed more interested in collecting those samples and finding this individual who had crash landed than finding Derek and dragging him back to prison. Still, Derek didn't remain completely calm about the situation.
Speaking of lack of trust...
The female remained hidden, now making her way silently through whatever gaps she could find through the rubble and managed to fortunately find another opening that was much closer to where Byte was. Though not without having to make her way through whatever part of the ship's base was still in tact, somewhat, and slipped out of a small yet large enough exit though still remained hidden. Her body ached and the blood dripping from above her eye was starting to make her eye sting as it trickled along the edge of her eye.
Just at the right time she slipped out of the rubble, slipping behind Byte and grabbing her, pulling her back with surprising skill she flicking the bladed weapon up and held it close to Byte's throat. No sooner had she done that however did about a dozen Lupes aim their sites down at her, remaining hidden. "We've got her in our sites, just say the word and we'll bring her down..." The group leader notified.
Meanwhile the female hissed as Byte's ear. "Tell your men to back down..." Judging by her breathing she was holding back a great deal of pain. "If you mean no harm...then they must prove likewise..."
"Anythin' happens to her coz of somethin' you didn' tell us..." Trajectory stopped rather abruptly, sounding as if he'd bitten off the comment mid thought.
***
"Anyone fires a shot and I squash you," Chip said tightly in response on the channel the Lupes were using, a remark which was also broadcasted on the secure channel.
Byte exhaled sharply as she was suddenly grabbed from behind. Reflexively she started grabbing for the hand that held her but froze when she felt sharp blade along her throat.
"Man. Singular. I only have one other with me." It was an effort for Byte to try to remain calm when her heart felt like it was going at four million beats per half second. If her nervousness wasn't showing in her voice it was definitely showing in the fine hairs along her back sticking straight up. "I'm gonna signal that it's okay. Please don't cut me or he'll kill you." Nerves made her almost run the last sentence fragment into a barely discernible jumble.
Very slowly, Byte raised both hands and signed to Chip not to shoot, adding that her captor was injured. In the same motion, she reactivated her wrist comm. "Timber Wolf-02 to Dire Wolf-01," she said, more for the benefit of her captor than anything else, "don't shoot. Contact's just nervous."
"Do not under any circumstances do anything other than fall back," Chip said to the Lupes. He hoped they complied as he didn't want to have to spray bullets into the hidey holes of the ones he was aware of. They were a right royal pain in the tail, with them there he couldn't dismount and go talk to the cat thing, which was what he would have done otherwise. As it was he noticed Byte turning on her comm, and was reassured to have a line of contact with her. "Contact's not the only one nervous from the sounds of things," he joked over Byte's wrist comm, hoping he'd be able to do something about defusing the situation from the mech.
"Affirmative on that..." The group leader confirmed, gesturing for his men to lower their weapons and just sit tight. If their help was needed they would know about it soon enough.
In the meantime...
In truth the female holding her blade against Byte's throat was actually rather surprised to find how nervouse Byte was considering that Byte probably could have kicked her butt and completely owned her for all she knew. Yet something about it made the feline feel a little more on the same level as part of the whole reason she even dared attack was a result of her own nerves. However the moment she drew her blade and knew she had at least somewhat of an advantage she felt her confidence kick in and her killer instinct became deadly sharp. But she wasn't about to kill anyone unless she truly had to. Still, it didn't mean she was completely calm. At all. In fact she was quite at a peek, every movement catching her attention quickly and her eyes would dart to any kind of movement she even so much as heard. She was starting to shake a little in her grip, a combination of her injuries, nerves and the adrenaline pumping through her system making a rather uneasy mixture ready to boil over at any moment.
She also was walking a very fine line and needed to take caution and play it smart.
She watched now, carefully taking in every tiny detail and taking into consideration that she was very much so outnumbered, as Byte gave the orders. It eased her a little more but now she demanded something more.
"The Lupronians watching from the distance...they unsettle me...have them leave..."
Byte glanced down with her eyes as she felt the slight tremble in her captor's grip, sighting the blade and looking along it to see how big it was, debating the wisdom of attempting escape now. Very carefully, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
"Any idea what she's on about, Dire Wolf?" Byte asked the air.
"Vaguely," Chip answered over the comm. "I'll see what I can do." Chip flicked channels away from Byte's comm and to the one the Lupe group was using. "Fall back," he said tersely, imitating Cypher's starleader tone and wondering if they would actually listen to him.
Fortunately the Lupe leader did listen and though hessitant to do so he agreed to fall back. "Affirmative, falling back" He responded before giving out the orders for his men to leave it to them. Though hessitation prevented most of them from leaving very quickly in the end they did so, leaving it now in the hands of the group to deal with the threat. They wouldn't stay too far away though just in case but enough to stay out of their way.
This eased the feline a little more but she still seemed hessitant to let go. "Good..." She began, her breathing starting to get a little heavy now but still she tried to keep herself standing and strong. She obviously was very skilled to have snuck up and acted so quickly but she didn't seem to have the intentions of making a kill. At least not yet.
"Who are you?..." She would then ask once she was sure the Lupes where away. "No lies! I will not hessitate to act...if need be..."
Meanwhile...
"Is it just me or is Byte and the others taking longer than usual?..." Derek asked out loud, still remaining in his spot. He was starting to grow concerned but at the same time figured things have to be under control. Right?...
Chip watched the Lupes that he could see slinking off through the sparse vegetation and the rocks, only their uniforms and their training allowing them to blend in so well with the hopelessly barren landscape. A flare of annoyance rose in Chip, and from what he had observed, the same thing happened to at least everyone in his star, possibly everyone in the Tir, if they let themselves think about it too much.
Sighting the feline and his sister once more, Chip put his mech into gear and lumbered forward, closing the distance between them. Closing the channel to Byte's comm for the moment, he responded to Derek, "We have a bit of a situation, techy. The ship's occupant jumped Timber Wolf. I've got it covered for now."
Trajectory's antennae flared as he reported to Starzone.
***
Starzone briefly acknowledged Trajectory's mental transmission, and the very short addendum he tacked on about the techy hiding something. She didn't really break eye contact with Nubis for as long as she still held his attention.
"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out, lowering her chin very slightly in a show of deference, "why you huntin' this person?"
***
This was one of those situations where Byte wished she had Starzone's training. she could tell from the slightly ragged breathing of heer captor that she was probably feeling more and more sapped by the current happenings and everything that had gone on before. She was extremely mindful of the blade and as much as attempting to remove herself from the potentially fatal position she was in, she wasn't particularly interested in dying at this point.
"Callsign Timber Wolf-02, pilot, Cavalry star, Tir Tairngire." Byte easily fell into the "name, rank and serial number"-esque introduction, these days only used on outsiders, that had been extremely commonplace back in the day when there had been three Tirs and they hadn't travelled together. She shifted slightly, testing the grip her captor had on her.
"Greeeeeat...as if this day couldn't get any better..." Derek responded with sarcasm just oozing from every word, his expressions matching his sarcasm as well as the brief roll of his eyes. "You just let us know if you need our help" He then added, assuring that though fairly distant from the others now Derek wasn't about to leave anyone behind.
Meanwhile...
Commander Nubis stop mid raise of his water canister, lowering it down with a small perk of his brow as he began "Actually, I answered your question quite clearly. Unless you mean the Lupronian we're after. The other one we're after more so because..." With a silent, deep sort of sigh, leaning forward and holding his water canister just a small distance away from his legs in a casual sort of way, he then continued with a bit more of a serious tone "Well to be honest she's dangerous and unpredictable. Already she's taken down a few more men than even some of the highest trained men my team has have ever taken down in such a short time period. She's not an outcast and her people want her back but she doesn't seem to eager to go back home. We just want to know why"
"As for the Lupronian..." Commander Nubis went on to explain, taking a drink of his water and lowering the canister back down between his legs as he leaned back against the side of the massive ship, turning his gaze back to Starzone "He's an escapee. He managed to escape a pretty high security prison back on Lupron and we either need to take him home or find a good reason to leave him behind. Between you and me..." Commander Nubis paused as he looked around to make sure no one else was listening, leaning in toward Starzone a little with a gesture for her to come to closer as he added more silently "I actually want the best for him. He's a nice Lupe, never killed anyone in his life even though he could do so. The only reason he's been in prison at all is because he's...well he's a bit of a rebel and a rogue of sorts. That and he's hacked his way into one too many security bases and such...Well, the list goes on. But the end, I have learned to respect him, regardless"
Back at the crash site...
"Hmm...Military, are we?" The feline hissed, though sounding a little more calm than before. But the moment Byte tested the grip she had on her the feline tightened her grip a little more, the edge of her blade pressing closer to Byte's throat but not making any cut as yet. "Be still!" She hissed with more tension to her tone "I will let you go once I am convinced that you pose no threat to me...What is your team's purpose here?...Speak!"
Suddenly a sharp pain hit the feline's side and her grip lessened a little, her injuries obviously starting to really kick in now. Lord knows what the heck she did to herself in that crash. A small trickle of blood ran down the corner of the feline's mouth yet with a feline-esque growl, like that of a larger cat such as a Cheetah or the likes, she continued to hold her stance and keep her grip as best she could. Still, how long she could keep this up was another story...
Starzone nodded absently, her eyes flicking to the thin stream of smoke still rising from the crash site, her mind a confusing buzz of static to anyone with mind probing abilities.
Byte grimaced as the cat tightened her grip, then loosened slightly. "After a fashion," she responded.
Chip in the meantime had lumbered within range. He parked the squat Dire Wolf behind a large enough rock, turned on his comm so that Trajectory and Derek could hear what was going on, then jumped out of the cockpit on top of the rock, in full view of the cat and his sister. He looked down, taking in the crash site in a sweeping glance before focusing on the cat. She looked a right mess, and in desperate need of medical attention.
"Lupes are gone. Let her go." Again he was emulating Cypher's authoritative tone and posture, though not being aggressive.
Commander Nubis had a feeling that things where taking longer than expected because Byte and whoever else went along side her had bumped into some trouble. And when his men had returned to report what happened Commander Nubis exhaled deeply in slight frustration.
"Our only option here is to wait it out. If we persue the matter we might loose her, not to mention we might get someone killed and that's not something I want to happen..."
Meanwhile...
Derek wasn't too sure what to do with everything happening so fast and so soon. If he moved there was a chance that everything would be screwed up for both him and his team. If he didn't he felt as though he was standing completely useless. But he obeyed his orders and stayed put, listening on and watching what was happening and deciding only to act when told to. That's how it worked in these situations, right?
Meanwhile the feline kept her grip tight on the blade, her vision blurring from time to time as she became weaker from her injuries. Obviously she had done more to herself in that crash than she at first assumed and with her adrenaline starting to wear off and her options becoming slim she eventually, though hessitantly, withdrew her blade with a quick flick of her wrist. The blade barely missing the side of Byte's face by about an inch as she did so and letting Byte go the feline stumbled back, still gripping her blade tightly as she remained in an unsteady yet ready stance, a low growl rumbling deeply as she stood her ground. Obviously she still wasn't quite convinced that these individuals where here to help her at all.
Her breathing heavy and her hand now shakey as she found herself struggling to hold her blade her knees felt as though at any moment they where about to buckle. She was a fighter, that much was obvious.
"Come any closer...and I will not...hesitate to attack..." She spoke between breaths.
Trajectory glanced at the tension on Derek's face and it mirrored his own inner turmoil. "Sucks when you can't do anything," he offered, for once not gruff or abrupt.
Byte jumped ahead and spun in the air to face her captor for the first time, landing in a crouch, hand near the boot that held her blaster. Chip moved into a covering position, hands resting casually on his hips, though neither of them drew weapons, watching the feline carefully.
"You're in a right state," Chip stated, no longer emulating Cypher. "What are you bein' so aggressive for anyway?"
Honestly at first Derek didn't expect that kind of reaction from Trajectory at all and blinked some at him in slight surprise. It didn't take long for a friendly smile, though slightly weakened, and a nod or two to follow Derek exhaled, his gaze lowered slightly as he gave his response.
"Yeah, you're tellin' me...I guess it's all part of the job description" Derek shrugged, trying to toughen it out.
Meanwhile at the crash site...
The feline watched Byte and Chip with accuracy in attention to detail, apart from the occasional disturbance by a brief blur of her vision, her state only worsening with every moment. This wasn't her day at all...
"Because I do not trust easily..." The feline hissed at Chip, gripping the handle of her blade shakingly as she continued, her attention darting from Byte and Chip from time to time as she did so "My people...have trained their warriors to trust few and be loyal to the genuine...Thus far...I have seen only co-operation...Besides...in my line of work...One trust very few if any...any at all..." The feline cough hard, spitting out blood and with her free hand shakingly whiped it away from her mouth, still keeping her stance held. But soon enough something had to give and her right knee buckled, forcing her down with a hiss to one knee.
She still didn't seem so eager to let go of her weapon though and stand down. Which would have been the wise thing to do but maybe there was more to her story than she let on.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Chip brushed aside the feline's hisses, "We'll leave you well alone if you want, and no one will tail ya, but with your injuries and our wonderfully hospitable climate, you're quite likely to die out here."
Byte glanced at Chip briefly before her eyes flicked back to the feline, slight amusement evident at her brother's wonderful powers of negotiation.
Chip continued: "I dunno why those Lupes are after ya, but we can escort you to 'em if you want. Or you can go it alone. Or we can patch you up as best we can. Or you can come with us and get fixed up proper by people that know what they're doin'. Or any combination of the above. Your call."
It was a tough call but...Chip was right. The feline knew her injuries wouldn't allow her to last very long at all and enough was enough. Obviously they were not about to jump her, at least not yet, and through some moments of pushing through some hesitations she finally broke through, easing her posture with a deep and silent sigh that was a borderline frustration sign.
"Fine..." She confirmed rather bluntly, tapping a little button of sorts on the weapon she carried as both blades on either side flicked back into their hiding place and she placed the handle in a special holster for it at her side.
"I see my options are slim...." She continued, raising her gaze back to Chip and Byte as she continued with a nod "So I will co-operate...but I warn you...should you attempt to harm me I'll-Urghn!" The feline held her side as she coughed up a little more blood, bravely whiping it away as she tried to straighten her posture. But she was getting weaker with every passing moment. It was a miracle she was still able to stand.
"But...don't take me to them...Not yet..."
Chip and Byte glanced at each other again, Chip running his real hand through his hair in mild exasperation, wondering whether it was nerves or personality that was making the cat talk so much. Chip moved around into a better covering position as Byte carefully approached the cat, being obvious about pulling out her bioscanner.
"Just gonna see if anything's broken," she said, pulling it out and turning it on. From looking she guessed that the cat was similar physiologically to themselves and the other alien races they had thus far encountered, it was remarkably convenient that every life form they knew of seemed to be bipedal, carbon based and with pentadactyl limbs, and also spoke variations of the same language. Perhaps there was some truth to the theory that some ancient race had seeded the universe. The only variation on that theory were the Mecurites and Venusians, with their additional wings defying established structures. But there was a bit to be said about evolution and anything was possible.
The cat had three broken ribs to go with a few gashes requiring stitches, heavy blood loss, concussion setting in, and possible shock. Byte arched an eyebrow.
"Well according to this thing you shouldn't really be conscious, but your species also isn't registered on it so not too many dramas there." She looked over the scanner to the feline. "I'll go get my kit." She headed back to her clearly visible mech, leaving Chip to keep watch.
Chip in the meantime activated his comm. "Marauder."
"Sup," Trajectory's voice came back over the comm.
"Starleader found out what those Lupes are up to yet?"
There was a very short pause before the response: "More or less. I think she's found out all she's going to find out."
You could just say the feline creature was just stubborn. At least in this scenario since it took long enough to convince her that maybe she should just let them see to her and get her patched up. That maybe they were not here to harm her or take her away and that maybe, just maybe, they were here to help. Still, she obviously wasn't too trusting in general and she certainly had speed and skill at her disposel. In fact she was, at least, very quick and considering she was injured and still moved so agile and quickly was certainly a brow perker to most.
When Byte approached her the feline, for once, started to calm down a little more and wasn't as tense as she was before. Note "not as tense" as she was before. The device Byte used to did catch her attention but she knew at least whatever it was wasn't about to cause her any harm. It was a scanner, that much she knew. What exactly it did she didn't quite recognize until Byte would tell her what she was to do with it.
She simply nodded at Byte when she told the feline was she was going to do and from there she watched her every move. It didn't seem like anything that moved passed her by at all and the device certainly was a fancy one. It was indeed a conveniant thing that she, like most races and the likes, held the some structure and such which made the medical side of things much easier to handle. And although she spoke more or less the same language there was a slight hint in the way she pronounced her words somewhere there that she had a somewhat tribal-esque background that seemed set with a background of technology. Much like that you would see out of some Star Gate episode or the sci-fi movies/shows of the likes. She didn't hold a thick accent and in fact was relatively formal and well spoken. But there was a hint of that she spoke some other language as well in her words. Faint but there all the same.
"It is a good thing that our kind are known for being rather resistant..." The feline responded in a semi-serious, semi-sarcastic tone. It was true but her condition didn't make her feel that way at all. How she managed to be still be standing, yet alone having had survived that crash, was a miracle to say the least. Chip's presence did kind of intimidate the feline but not in an overly fearful way. At least he wasn't trying to threaten her. Yet. She would watch as Byte made her depart for her kit and while the feline waited she raised her right arm as best she could and with a bit of a shakey attempt managed to flick out her wrist guard to reveal beneath the almost ancient looking armor lay a more advanced piece of device.
"Ch'akra tamu alphu, ju'r tebu? Ch'akra tamu alphu?" Exhaling deeply with a small curl of her lip she shut the device and muttered almost unheard "Great...and a loss of communications to top off the already brilliant day..."
Meanwhile...
"Guys? I think now that the road is more or less clear, shouldn't we head out? I mean...I'm starting to feel like a sittin' duck here..."
Derek was starting to get a little impatient and feeling like that at any moment some Lupronian Soldier was going to walk on by and notice him, in turn causing all kinds of complications for him. Not that Commander Nubis neccessarily was intending on taking him back home and all but Derek wanted to be sure he wasn't about to be dragged away kicking and screaming.
"Not to sound inpatient or anything, but what exactly is going on? I'm picking up an unknown lifeform over in Byte and Chip's sector and I'm not too sure what's going on with Starzone and that Commander guy...Would be nice to have an update...You know...being a team and all..."
"Calling home?" Byte inquired by way of announcing her return, although she'd been making enough noise to be heard, just not enough to wake the dead. She set down the medkit and opened it up, glancing at the cat, then at her stuff. Eventually she started picking out what pads and bandages to use and began carefully applying them to the more heavily bleeding wounds. "Why can't any of you get cut up in easy places," she grumbled, more to herself than anyone else.
***
"Can it, techy." Trajectory had returned to being brusque and slightly unfriendly, though still a lot less harsh than when they'd initially met. His antennae flickered. "Get back down the way you came up and come back here. Starleader should rejoin you at some point, til then I gotcha back." As he said that Trajectory looked up and made eye contact with Cypher, signing that he was going to move a little way out into the desert towards the plateau at a very slow pace so he didn't kick up any dust, thus making it more difficult for air units to spot him physically unless they came down within easy firing range. Cypher acknowledged.
The Marauder's power core whined slightly as it powered up, the joints hissing quietly as the large mech moved out into the open, its pilot alert for any danger.
***
Starzone glanced towards the crash site again, then once more around at the expedition. She still wasn't entirely certain about their motives. Granted they may just be trying to kil two birds with one stone with the large military force out to recapture fugitives and the scientific expedition trying to find whatever it was they were trying to find, and scientific expeditions having a military escort to protect them in case of danger wasn't unusual, but this was a bit too much military.
"I'll leave you guys to it," she said to Nubis. "As long as you're still on our turf though you're likely to get checked up on so you'll probably see a few flyovers and some patrols about the place every so often. They shouldn't bother you unless they think they have a reason to. If you need to communicate with us for any reason hail one of them. My callsign is Raven-13, if you ask someone should patch you through."
Starzone moved away and started heading towards where she'd left her mech, hoping that Derek had started moving when Trajectory told him to, and keeping him aware of movements of everyone around her.
"Attempting to..." The feline type fem responded in a serious but somewhat calmer tone than she had originally hissed out moments ago.
She continued to watch Byte but now rather than unsurity or suspicions (God...my spelling is horrid today...), at least not too many of them, she watched more so out of curiousity. Eventually she sat herself down, making it easier for Byte to tend to her wounds and surprsingly she was rather co-operative about it and patient too. By now she figured that since Byte was at least trying to help her wounds wise the feline type should give her a name to call her by. Her remark about the wounds was met with a brief nod before then with a few pats on her chest the feline type alien decided to tell Byte her name.
"Rav'una" She began, lowering her hand to rest on her thigh as she added with a serious yet calmer sort of tone "That's my name. And you are?"
Back at the Platuea...
"Fine...just shut me up then..."
Derek was pretty known for speaking his mind and though he was certainly one smart cookie indeed half the time you had to wonder if he really thought about what he said before he said it. So a lot of the time he found himself having to hold his tongue and prevent himself from saying something he would regret later in one way or another. And as confident as he made himself out to be in truth Trajectory's tone was enough to intimidate just about anyone. In fact from Derek had experienced so far if anyone could handle it without getting at least some kind of level of intimidation you either knew him well and was used to it or really brave. Even if he had toned it down a little it was still enough to shut even Derek up.
"Affirmative on that, on my way" Derek later responded to in regards to Trajectory's orders and carefully began to make his way down to said destination. He too was careful not to kick up too much dust or make a lot of noise and used his cloak as he moved along. He would only deactivate it once he was in his position and/or a safe distance away from the other Lupronians.
Meanwhile...
Lupron's military would often go on the whole 'Better to be safe than sorry' motto and it wasn't unusual for them to go a little extreme for something small or which only needed a small force of troops, etc. But they also were out to find one or both of the individuals they were seeking to find. So the extra troops were kind of neccessary and to top it off they knew that Mars could well and has well had its share of not so friendly types. So far they fortunately haven't yet bumped into any of the unfriendlies.
"Understood" Commander Nubis responded to Starzone with a respectful salute and a nod to follow "Thank you for your time, understanding and the heads up. And speaking of call signs..." Reaching into a pocket of sorts in his armor, which was more of a small compartment built into the thigh of the suit, Commander Nubis took out a small circular device, offering it to Starzone as he explained "Should you need to contact us you may contact me directly at any time with this. It's a fairly standard device, shouldn't be hard to figure out. My call sign is Anubis-415"
With that the Commander continued with his mission. Although finding who he needed to find was probably something he was going to conveniently forget. At least Derek wise. Something about the way the Commander refered to him and didn't make it obvious who was talking about hinted that he didn't exactly want to find him and take him home. A kind of respect if you will.
Derek meanwhile had already started to move, carefully calculating his steps but effectively moving along at a reasonable speed. Should Starzone need to catch up it shouldn't be a problem at all. Then again if Derek was moving at full speed it still probably wouldn't have been an issue for her to catch up.
Byte didn't take her eyes off her work, not being a medic she hadn't mastered the art of looking at her patients and being friendly while tending their wounds. "Byte," she responded, picking up a clip and clipping off the end of a bandage she tying. She tentatively let it go. It held. "That's Chip." She didn't feel it necessary to say they were related, it was kind of hard to miss.
Chip nodded from where he was before looking back out into the bushes, trying to spot the Lupes in case they hadn't retreated like they said.
***
Starzone paused, and took the proffered device, glancing briefly at it. Recognition tweaked in her eye when Nubis gave his callsign. "Anubis," she repeated, a hitherto nearly undetectable accent suddenly coming through in her voice and giving the word a more exotic flavour. "Four one five," she added, the strength of the accent gone but the undertones affecting her speech now detectable as it had been heard, as if simply verifying the callsign. "Thanks."
Deep in thought, desperately wishing Darkmoon was around and missing him even more deeply now, Starzone trotted back to where she had left her mech.
She activated her cloak as soon as the mech powered up and headed down the same way Derek had gone down. She however hooned across the desert at her top speed, up to the point where she spotted the slow moving trundle of dust. Slowing down as she came up beside it, she recognised the Battlesuit painted with the Tir snake immediately.
"Move your tail techy," she said light-heartedly, running a ring around him and using that manuver to check the surrounding area fully. "Marauder, Atlas, rendezvous with the others. Take up defensive positions. Techy, follow me."
The Raven turned sharpy once it was out of range of most standard firing weapons on the plateau and headed towards where Byte and Chip were tending Rav'una.
Trajectory turned around and headed back. When he was within line of sight, he signalled to Cypher to power up. As soon as the Atlas came back online, Trajectory relayed Starzone's orders, and the two of them marched off on a different line towards where the others were, but aiming to get to defensive positions out of line of sight of everyone else and in a good position to cover at least the area they were in.
"Byte and Chip...I must say those are quite unique names" Rav'una responded after her attention went from Byte, to Chip with a brief nod in greeting, and back to Byte again. "By the looks of things I would say it is you are both related, am I correct?" It wasn't a coincidence that Rav'una somehow knew they were related. But then again as mentioned it wasn't all that difficult to miss.
She watched Byte as she tended carefully to her wounds and made note of how she did so. Well at least she hadn't made anything worse which was a start and so far she seemed to have patched up the wounds rather nicely. Especially considering she wasn't a medic.
Meanwhile...
Though it did catch his attention Commander Nubis decided not to make a fuss or ask any questions in regards to what just happened with Starzone's accent then. But the positive side was that he actually found it fascinating and it was enough to make him smirk in a good mood about it. Not so much amusement but more a bordeline pride for someone to have pronounced the name the way Starzone did. With a nod he replied then, his friendly smirk still in tact, with "Anytime ma'am. I'm sure we'll meet again"
And with that Commander Nubis made his depart. Although in honesty he would have apreciated more time with Starzone to chat. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen today. Perhaps another time.
Derek meanwhile soon enough picked up movement on his radar and the ID came up on screen, confirming it was Starzone although by the time he had she was already running circles around him. He couldn't help but chuckle before then with a smirk and a friendly wink he replied "Some of us happen to have faster mechs" With that and a small chuckle to follow Derek then smirked confidently as he gave a small salute to Starzone's orders.
"Right behind you there Starzone"
Following Starzone close behind, keeping his eyes peeled and on the look out for any signs of unwanted company and such, Derek was starting to wonder where exactly they were headed. Either way he was just happy to be on the move again, not to mention relieved at the fact the other Lupronians didn't know he was even here. How Rav'una would react to him was something yet to be seen. Though it may not be exactly as expected...
Chip's comm bipped as it received a communication. Chip was on the furthest wing of his self imposed patrol so while Byte and Rav'una heard a voice coming over it, they couldn't make out what was being said. Chip responded with an "Affirmative, Starleader," and started making his way back towards them in the same, unhurried, casually alert manner as he had been affecting throughout his watch.
"Common as sand here. Yours on the other hand..." Byte winked and finished tying off the last bandage. "There. That'll hold you together til you can get some real help." Byte sat back, a serious but non-lethal mistake if th feline was still feeling hostile for whatever reason as she was a little too relaxed, to crtically appraise her handiwork.
Chip reached them then, and shot Byte a look which had her shifting position to a more ready one to move if she needed to. "Rest of Cavalry's enroute. We're headin' home from here." He looked down at Rav'una. "You comin'?" he asked simply.
***
With Chip and Byte duly notified, Starzone's antennae flashed and she lapsed into the very casually alert phase of deep level communication with Trajectory, who also entered a similar phase.
*The guy's callsign is Anubis.*
Trajectory blinked, a sleepy looking motion from the outset, as he took in the information and recalled Derek's nervousness when questioned about the Lupes on the plateau. *How oddly appropriate.*
*Yeah, considering he's a fracking Lupe as well.* There was a sardonic undertone to Starzone's thoughts.
*It's probably just a random pick. Affectation. Thing.*
*Probably. It's not exactly something I've come across casual usage though.*
*Not here. Could be a common Lupe name.*
*Could be.*
He could feel the ripple of something, not quite unease, not suspicion but not far off, something. *What's bugging you?* He asked on the offchance that he would get an answer other than the one he was expecting. Starzone shrugged mentally.
*Something. Maybe we should check up on him. He should just be someone using the name.*
*And if not?*
*We're in for a barrel of laughs.*
Without Darkmoon. She didn't say it, but she didn't need to.
Something else was bugging Starzone, something that wasn't quite so important but yet might be critically important. She couldn't think of what it was though.
(OOC: XD! Sounds a bit like my playing habbits ;P. Everytime someone asks "So what did you have in mind?" I usually respond with "I was just going to improvise and go from there" XD!)
"Never said you where going to" Derek responded as he too fiddled around with a few notches and such "And I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one finishing it off if it starts..."
Once Starzone was on her way Derek sat in wait and watched as she went ahead and headed straight for the Commander. He had to admit even his own level of confidence was starting to dim behind the strong backlighting of nerves that was starting to shake him up a little but he never the less remained as calm as he possibly could be. The last thing he needed to hear was the obvious and Trajectory wasn't the only one who had a bad feeling about things.
"That's the problem..." Derek added to the conversation between Trajectory and Byte "We might have a way of reacting as need be and she may well fry 'em and all but garanteed they'll give us a challenge to make us think twice about being cocky...Not to mention Nubis has frightening record of accuracy and skill...But for now I'd recommend we just lay low and take it easy. I've got a feeling this should, note that word, be okay..."
At first Starzone's presence caught the attention of a few guards who, naturally, stood in a defensive position between the Commander and Starzone, weapons aimed and one even demanding she stated who she was and her reason for being there. The Commander, however firm as he appeared, was surprisingly calm in his approach, walking over to the soldiers and placing his hand on one of their shoulders, his attention kept on Starzone as he ordered for them to ease.
"I'll take it from here..."
"Affirmative sir" One of the soldiers responded and with a few hand gestures silently ordered his troops to do as the Commander asked, parting their ways and leaving the Commander to deal with Starzone accordingly.
Noticing she was unarmed eased Commander Nubis a little more though having someone just walk on in did make his ears perk, his lips pressed into a slightly suspicious curl before then with a more calm approach he stepped up to Starzone with his hand up in a gesture to stop.
"These ground are currently temporary under Lupronian investigations ma'am. I'm going to have to ask to stop there and state your reason for being here..." Nubis said in a firm yet calm manner, his voice lean and tough yet certainly not a villain-esque kind of tone. In fact it quite the opposite. Surprisingly.
Nubis was built, as most Lupronians are, and how. His armor was very high tech, slim enough to not be too in the way yet thick enough to withstand a lot. He didn't wear a helmet like the others but could easily have access to one in an instant if need be. For now he seemed more concentrated in keeping the peace and taking the more peaceful approach to the scenario.
You ain't got a life 'til ya live it free!
(Thanks Nightbeat/Katana for Derek's picture! ^..^)