GM Collab Post

John Green

The Galactic Bazaar was a gigantic artificial ring built around a rocky, barren planet that was the size of Mars. In this ring, every race and faction was present, for commerce and exchange was the lifeblood of known space even in times of war. And now, a group of former Child Soldiers have chosen the place as their home, working as mercenaries in areas where the presence of children in combat would not be balked at. From acting as security for deliveries, to raiding bandits and illegal slavers, the band of teenage mercenaries have been slowly making a name for themselves in the world of armed solutions.

And now, their Leader, John Green, had received news of a 'big break'; a job that will finally allow them the funds to purchase a decent starship and a little extra for weapons. It would be their next big step towards dismantling the Ascendency, of taking the fight to their tormentors. Unfortunately, if John was going to be honest, even with a job this big he didn't know how he and the others were going to bring down their oppressors; he just knew they had to be brought down no matter what.

As he walked through the corridors of an abandoned automated factory to meet with his contact, he did review what he knew of the Political Situation: News was leaking out of the Ascendancy's use of child soldiers, but the higher-ups there were suppressing any attempts to acquire or exhibit concrete evidence. Nevertheless, enough people had taken the rumors seriously enough to form a rebel group, Moonstrike. Led by a mysterious leader, Moonstrike was staging attacks on the fringes of Ascendancy space, but was being opposed by the Ascendancy's best generals.

Despite all the opposition the people had over the Ascendancy, when comparing Moonstrike's military capability against the Ascendancy's might, it was like planet Earth compared to the Sun. Only the best, and the bravest, dared to join the mysterious group. Others cower in fear of one man: Alexander Kherol - warrior, soldier, general. As a result, Moonstrike's current stage of activity is limited to guerilla warfare: staging hit-and-run attacks against the Ascendancy's important places. Sometimes, they were capable of making a large-scale attack against the Ascendancy's post, but occupation did not last long.

The Team

@Styrgwyr @deadpixel101 @Duoya @Starlance @Double @Pathfinder

The team had been ordered to watch John's back and keep themselves secret so he appeared to be alone. Nevertheless, they ought to be close enough to aid their commander if he required it, and a few might even be within eavesdropping range, lip-reading or otherwise. Inside the abandoned factory, they had different jobs, with Rachel being almost directly behind John in order to serve as immediate backup and extraction for the commander, while Jonathon Ace and Karrsh were stationed on a higher floor, where a convenient hole that led to an old water storage pit was visible just up ahead. Said storage pit was John's meeting point with his contact, and the team was expected to secure it first.

Siara and Aaloka, meanwhile, were on the roof, where an even larger hole exposed the water storage pits to the artificial sky above. And Terry, good old reliable Terry, had been sent to the factory's old security room, and instructed to use his Caduceus to 'operate' on the old surveillance systems in order to reactivate them and keep better watch on the whole situation.

Why Terry, one may ask? Because there was no one in the group who knew computers; no one who did joined, and so the closest thing to a hacker they had was a surgeon. Very un-optimized, but it was the best they can do under the circumstances.

---

If he was a lesser man Terry would be groumbling to himself as he dug through the innards of the surveillance system, using the smaller scalpels and scissors to patch his way past whatever security the previous company implemented. It was a long, soul-sucking process that was frought with many frustrations, namely that he didn't actually know what he was doing and was following his research as much as he could, fudging what he wasn't able to cover in the brief amount of time to study.

With a short, unsure snort, Terry grapped a bundle of wires and pulled them to the now exposed power cell of the Caduceus Glove, it's glowing battery emitting a white light. With a spark of power the monitors above him hummed to life and his view of the playing field expanded... by about half of the factory. A frown of displeasure crossed his features before disappearing just as quickly, all of the outside cameras were offline and nearly a quarter of the indoor cameras were either too unfocused to give any information or blocked off by equipment that never left, leaving the several rooms and corridors unaccounted for.

Still, he had enough of an eye on the situation to warn everyone on the inside of funny business. Opening the com channel, Terry spoke, his voice calm but haggard "Listen up, I've got eyes on half of the factory and I'm completely blind outside. Charlie I'm going to need you to be my eyes and ears out there, any vehicle that shows up we need to know about it. Otherwise we're in the clear. Delta out."

John Green

John walked the floor of the water storage pit, where his contact had asked to meet him. Said contact was clad in a jumpsuit, a heavy coat, and a mask; a basic way of concealing themselves. Approaching said contact, he would say, "All right, what job requires this much skullduggery?"

"I assure ya this would be good." The man spoke with a heavily local accent. It was clear that he was the eyes and ears of the region, spying and fishing for black information and discreet jobs like this. "There is a beauty, a very rich one in fact, coming through here. I heard that she was a daughter of some rich CEO in the region. Anyway, she is in dire need of bodyguards. For ten million credits. A very booty price, ain't it? I couldn't possibly think up of a better deal than that. I reserved this just for ya."

John looked at the man, before saying, "I think we can fulfill that job. Where do we meet her?"

"Here." He called for John to get close to him, as he pulled out a transparent tablet, opened a map which showed a certain star system. "Ya see this. It's the star system CW-021. You can meet her on this planet. Planet Cobalt. Coordinates are..."

The man instantly clicked on the planet, in which he had marked down the location of the rendezvous point. The coordinates instantly popped up on the screen for John to see.

"If ya accept this one, I'll make a call to them."

"I accept," John said. "Thank you." He then turned to take his leave; it seemed as though his team needed to do no fighting today...

Rachel stuck to the dark spots, taking in the layout of the factory, comparing it with the floorplans she studied beforehand and mapping possible escape routes. Unsure of her usefulness in a direct confrontation, she tried to stay slightly ahead of John at all times without letting him out of her sight to warn him of any danger in advance, all the while trying not to expose herself to any eyes that may or may not be lurking in the factory’s numerous nooks and crannies, much like herself. Given their past, she would not be surprised at all if someone was watching. Her task was made somewhat easier by the fact that John was the only green thing in the seemingly endless sea of battleship gray and the occasional faded black and yellow warning tape that was the abandoned factory and therefore easy to keep track of. As they approached the tank, Rachel opened a channel to John. “Nae way I can get inside the tank unseen, ye'll have to manage on yer own. I'll be right at the door, so nae problem pal. Holler and I'll be there.”

She watched John enter the tank and settled close to the door, straining her ears for any signs of commotion or a cry for help. All she heard was a muffled conversation between John and another man. “Playing the princess’ guard, oh the sweet irony.” she thought with a sigh, turning her attention back to the silent factory. But was it? Rachel took a few steps away from the door so the conversation inside the water pit wouldn’t interfere and listened carefully. Nothing. Nothing but a slight draft and distant noises of a busy district. Satisfied for the time being, she retreated back into the shadows beside the pit entrance and waited for John. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she found it hard to believe the mysterious woman would pay ten million credits for bodyguards, especially a group of teenagers in less-than-ideal mental states, magic or not. Either the lady expected to go through hell, or worse, or the entire job was a ruse. She made a mental note to ask John’s opinion once they were out of the factory and waited, eyes darting from one corner to another, looking for oddities.

Allie sat perched, crouched down with her knees close to her face overlooking the hole in the ceiling, to where the meeting took place. Her hearing wasn't exceptional, so she had to rely of sight in case anything went wrong. The idea of an illusion blocking her perception tugged at the back of her mind, but she more then trusted John to find a way around that should the need arise. So she just sat, eyes unblinking at the container. The faintest ghost of a song humming next to inaudibly in her throat. She rocked backwards and forwards, like a broken metronome. The movements were too faint to really notice, and too faint to knock her off balance. Her weapon was clutched in both hands, working as a tripod to keep her up. The curved blade resting some distance behind her neck.

Though rarely, she would move her eyes off of the meeting area to look at her partner, and around the rooftop expanse. It was a large building, and her pair was in the open. If someone wanted to they could make it quite difficult up here for them. But Aaloka didn't feel like it. She didn't sense something watching her, or any battery acid in her gut. Just the usual trepidation that came with being cautious.

In time though the meeting came to pass, and nothing of alarm appeared while the two spoke. As John began to leave, Aaloka stood up, and backed away a step from the overlook. "Good to go?" she asked quietly to Siara. Her expression didn't change, as it hardly did, but she was anxious to leave. Finding out as soon as possible what their next move was, and getting out of the open like this sounded fantastic right now.

It was almost eerie how silent Karrsh could be. Of course, while moving his body made a few noises, that was unavoidable. But right now, as he remained still, could pass for a statue if he wanted. His body kept itself regulated almost entirely on its own, thanks to the augmentations. His breathing could be kept deadly quiet, and most of his body could simply rest in a sleep mode to stay perfectly still. For being half-machine, Karrsh could hide surprisingly well. And hide is what he did. Technically, his current orders was to secure the meeting place, but he knew the real reason he was here, and Green knew it too. This was the one place in the whole plan that remained completely out-of-sight from the outside, and that was exactly what Karrsh had to do more and more of lately.

The silence was almost too much to take sometimes. All this staying hidden and keeping away from people just gave Karrsh more time to think. All thinking did remind Karrsh of how utterly non-existent his life was. It could be downright soul-crushing to think about, but occasionally it was also infuriating. Karrsh was a freak, even among the freakshows. He was different, even from the other child soldiers and they all knew it too. But even worse than that, Karrsh's mind always ended up remembering the aliens he'd killed. Those whose lives he often literally crushed in his hands. And sometimes, sometimes... Karrsh wished he was back there again. At least when he was slaughtering people he had something to focus on, something keeping him occupied so he didn't have to stop and actually think about the horrible atrocities being committed by his hand. But here? No, here he had nothing but time to think about those things.

"Tell me why..." he said in a low voice that somehow didn't sound like his normal tone, "...Why are you here? Why are any of you here? You had a choice, right? So... so why would anyone actually choose this?" this was not the first time these words came out of Karrsh's mouth. In fact this only one of several times he had quietly questioned the team members who happened to be around, wondering why anyone with a sane mind would actually choose this life when they had an out. It was no secret that Karrsh was not here by choice, that the same offer made to all the others was not extended to him because of his... situation. But his tone and words were not those of jealousy, at least not anymore. Now, they were just... words of confusion.

"Uh, never mind..." his low whisper trailed off. He'd heard everyone's story at least once already, so hearing Ace's again would have been pointless. In all honesty it was a good thing for Karrsh that the team even existed in the first place. If they all took the offer, and Karrsh was left to his own devices? Well, a recurring nightmare he'd been having for a while now would become reality. That nightmare was one where Karrsh simply... forgot how to be human, succumbed to the circuitry and devolve into a mindless machine. At least with the team around there was something keeping the remainder of his humanity intact.

Sometimes it was hard, having no combat potential. Those were the thoughts Bree was having at the moment, a good distance away from the abandoned warehouse where the rest of the kids would be meeting.

It wasn't that she was useless per se, but in situations like this, where mobility was more important and the possibility of conflict was low, there wasn't much use for an extra pair of hands that couldn't do much in a fight, at least, compared to the others - she was fairly certain her bodily modifications allowed her to outperform regular humans.

At least, that was what she told herself. The others hadn't exactly been forthright with their answers when she asked why she needn't come with them for the meeting.

Still, she was ever one to make herself useful, so while they were away, she didn't waste her time meandering about. She did a quick rundown of their current supplies, double-checked the essentials, and purchased any deficits. On the way, she bought ingredients to be used for supper.

Her role as a combat medic aside, she put it upon herself to watch the diets of each member of their crew. Her meals were often carefully calculated so as to fit with the specific nutritional intake that was required of each member. It was difficult to do so, at first. The supplies the received from the aliens weren't so plenty for them to spend in frivolously, so she was often forced to make do. Sometime along the way, however, once they began making a name for themselves, she had enough supplies to make meals - actual, decent, meals, instead of just lightly seasoned canned foods and powdered juices.

Back at their current HQ - she honestly had no idea how long they'd be staying here, they'd been forced to move locations before - Bree was marinating a steak, while cutting strips of chicken and bacon into pieces. Dinner would be unusually extravagant tonight, but it was well within the budget (or rather, most of money came from her own personal savings) and Bree reckoned that now would be a good time to cook something nice.

John seemed excited about the job, after all, and even if he tried to bury it under a layer of caution, he was more animated than usual. So if the job went through, then they could have a feast to celebrate - if it didn't then at least they had something good to eat to pick their spirits up.

Bree checked over the dishes in preparation once more. She'd made sure to pick up some of their favorites while she was out. With the dishes still being prepared, and with nothing else to do, set the table, ready to welcome the other members back home.

Siara Volnert

"Charlie here. We'll keep an eye out, over." Siara responded professionally through her commlink.

Although she had already been keeping close watch over the vicinity even before the call, hearing Terry's words pushed her to redouble her efforts in vigilance. Perched upon an elevated vantage point on the roof with her electrum wings deployed, Siara's profile could be likened to that of an eagle standing guard over its nest... or a little gargoyle with a pair of binoculars. It depends on who you ask.

While she mostly focused on the corner roads that would lead nowhere else but the abandoned factory, she'd occasionally put down her binoculars to survey the broader area that would normally be made impassable by other buildings and infrastructure, as well as the surrounding air-space, just in case.

There were a few times when stragglers wandered into her established surveillance zone, but none of them quite reached the level of "suspicious individual" and quickly left after scratching their heads.

"Good to go?"

Taken out of her single-minded focus, Siara turned to her partner.

"They're done already?" Her brows raising in slight astonishment, Siara absentmindedly put her binoculars back to her utility belt and walked over to the hole to see that, yes, the meeting was over and John was already leaving.

Absentmindedly depositing her binoculars to her utility belt, Siara stood and walked over to the hole to see that yes, the meeting was finished, and John was already leaving.

"That was quick." No complications, no incidents, no false alarms, it was almost too perfect. But she guessed it was just one of those days. It's not like every operation was destined to go awry.

"Alright." With a small shrug, she turned towards Allie, her lips curving up to a sweet smile.

"Let's go." Stretching her wings a bit, she opened her arms towards her expectantly.

"Tell me why..." Siara froze, as a voice whispered through the comm. links.

"...Why are you here? Why are any of you here? You had a choice, right? So... so why would anyone actually choose this?" She was confused at first as to who was speaking, but the more the voice talked, the more she recognized it.

"Karrsh..." She muttered to herself, her earlier smile turning into a concerned frown. Karrsh was one of the more unfortunate ones who've lost more of their humanity than others. "More machine than man", he calls himself. While technically true, Siara liked to believe that he was no less human than any of them... at least at where it counts.

"Uh, never mind..."

Siara unconsciously remained in her awkward pose as her mind was embroiled in an inner turmoil, vigorously debating if she should or should not answer, and if so, how would she answer? Her goal had always been to shut down the Ascendancy, or at least, put a stop to their cruel experiments so that no more children would end up the same as them. But would that, as an answer, help or even satisfy Karrsh? That was what's important to Siara here.

In the end, she remained stuck in indecision.

Ace sat against the cool factory walls, only a small distance from his partner - Karrsh. He was a couple years older than Ace was, and to be honest, he had seemed to take far more of a beating than Ace ever had. Hell, most of his body was cybernetic at this point, a feature that was pretty hard to ignore. Still, he was pretty quiet for a metal man, and Ace was focusing on the task at hand - making sure everything was secure, and nothing happened. To be honest, the work was an immense drag - there was nothing to do, and he wanted to make sure he was focused in case things turned sour. The small cauldron on his back hummed slightly, the constant heat it emitted comfortably warming his back. Ace never enjoyed the cold - while the intense heat of explosives against his skin was unbearable, at least that only lasted a few moments. When reverencing, he was kept in intense cold for hours on end in order to help with the burns - the scars of which still litter his torso and limbs.

Ace didn't think about much during the time they spent there - he had grown used to the intense boredom that follows without any stimulation, having been restricted to it countless times when not on a mission. He simply learned that turning off your brain and not focusing on anything made time go by faster - unfortunately, he was on a mission now. Ace kept his senses sharp, and made sure to be ready for action at a moment's notice. When Karrsh unexpectedly spoke, however, it caused Ace to nearly jump.

Ace had to pause temporarily - everyone had heard each other's stories, and no one there were strangers to cruelty or abuse. Karrsh was simply never extended the same opportunity to live a peaceful life that the others had been given. Would he have taken said opportunity had he ever been given it? Personally, Ace chose not to respond. Talking would either distract him from the mission, or bring up thoughts and emotions that would distract him. They could talk about their motivations and incentives when their wasn't work that needed to be done - if the Ascendancy of Man had given him anything, it was a good work ethic.

"Uh, never mind..."

Ace responded in his own quiet whisper, unaware that Karrsh had been speaking through the comm. link.

"If you say so."

To be honest, Ace had no idea how to respond - but he definitely wanted to make sure that Karrsh hadn't been thinking that Ace simply ignored him. He really didn't want to get on any of his teammates bad side - especially since they were his only way to get back to his father.

GM Collab Post - Letter Bee and Pathfinder

Present Day - Relevant to Karrsh

John saw it as his duty as a captain to give a substantial reply, saying to Karrsh once his contact had left: "I chose this because I didn't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else again. I wanted closure, to confront the people who can be so cruel. I see what was done to you, to us, and I want to make it harder for anyone to do it to others once more." A pause. "Karrsh, there are some things that should never be done; some actions that should not exist. It is over-idealistic for me to think such, but that is what I want."

A smile, and he'd say, "Look, I can play videogames with you, if you want; they make nigh-indestructable controllers these days. We have a day or so until transit. Terry can join in; right, Terry?" He asked over the comms. "In fact, we can have a game night before we go, and a party."

---

Terry had to make a concious effort to bite his tongue as soon as he heard common chatter over the comms, reminding himself that they were no longer in the military. So, instead of chastising the group, Terry began to pack up, stuffing the various wires back within the computer and preparing the Caduceus Glove for travel. By the time everything was in order the meeting was finished and Terry was halfway through the door before his thought processes were interupted by John's voice.

The words put a bitter taste at the back of his throat as his thoughts turned to their resident cyborg. It wasn't that he disliked Karrsh, far from it, but he couldn't help the feelings of guilt that creeped up whenever the subject was brought up. Terry might be one of the best medics in the galaxy but Karrsh's cybernetics were so insidiously and intimately wired into his being that Terry might as well be back to the first day of medical school trying to piece him together. It was discouraging to say the least and not something he wants to dwell on... not yet.

Pinching the frown away from his face, Terry responded in his usual dry, ragged whisper, "Going to have to call a rain check on that one boss, I have some data I need to pour over back home." Before making his way back to the rendezvous point with an added hustle to his step.

---

A nod from John as he made his return as well; he planned to do videogames with the others if Karrsh refused.

Rachel watched John leave the tank alive and well, thinking about Karrsh’s question. “My upbringings weren’t anything grand, but it was something at least remotely normal.” she responded quietly “Than the Ascendancy came, took everything I knew and turned it all into nothing more than distant memories. And although many, including all of ye, had it much worse during the war, I just don’t have it in me to forgive such a thing. I want to watch them burn, just like they watched us. Just make sure ya take inspiration from John and not me, and ya’ll be right as rain.” Much to her surprise, she became quite fond of the group, something unthinkable just a few months ago. The presence of others who went through a similar ordeal worked wonders. Humans were, after all, pack animals.

Although Rachel wasn’t sure mixing alcohol and magic-wielding super soldiers was a good idea, she welcomed anything that would keep the group’s spirits high. Perhaps ‘spirits’ wasn’t the best choice of words. “A party, ye say? Should I go and steal a few bottles of something? Maybe some snacks to go with them?” Rachel asked a semi-serious question over the comms as she followed John out. Some distance from the meeting point, she emerged from the shadows and joined their leader, still vigilant of their surroundings. Falling into pace, she spoke, off the comms. “What are yer thoughts on this deal? I didn’t hear all of it, but what I heard sounded a little too good to be true, at least without a significant hitch somewhere down the line. I mean, ten million? Is the lass planning a field trip through a war zone or something? Who in their right mind would pay so much for bodyguards?”

Aaloka gripped tightly with two hands on her scythe, and twisted the indiscernible mechanism. The staff collapsed slightly, and the bladed head curled inwards, making the whole affair at least somewhat easier to transport in some cases. She then clipped the wring at the head and handle onto the back of her belt, so that it wouldn't get in the way of flight. She moved with a fluid rigidity, almost mechanical in nature but clearly made of practice and discipline. As she did so her partner responded, but was interrupted by the comms buzzing with activity.

A certain member of the group was asking questions. Allie had no answer for them. She was never a big talker, and honestly those sort of questions just flew under her radar. She didn't ignore him, not at all, she just felt he wouldn't get anything from what she might have to say. As her fellow soldiers spoke, bringing a lighter tone to the conversation, Aaloka watched her winged partner stand with her arms outstretched, looking a little put out of place. The shadow of a smile formed on her features as Siara stood there awkwardly. As if to answer her she approached and nestled in for the customary flight hug. She didn't say anything still, as was her way. But the big eyed look she gave up to her taller companion was enough communication. At least from her perspective.

She wouldn't admit it but she was pretty excited to get back home. While she liked all the party members for her own reasons and their own ways, she was particularly fond of Bree. For a reason she herself was unsure of. Maybe it was just the "aura" she put off, who knew. Perhaps it had something to do with their shared past in medicine. Even though Aaloka was no longer useful in that regard, and they weren't the only two with such a background. She found Bree much easier to approach than Terry. Nothing really unsettled her anymore but spending too much time with him always left her feeling a little more...empty?

Siara Volnert

Siara almost flinched at the physical contact, her body tensing, almost coiling itself up, as her mind briefly shifted into battle mode before quickly remembering where she was and who she was with. Seeing her partner's upturned, doe-eyed look, Siara felt all tension melt away. Wistfully smiling, she placed an affectionate hand over an affectionate hand over the back of Allie's head, ruffling her hair a bit as her other arm wrapped around the girl's waist and pulled her even closer. Siara had always appreciated Allie's comforting presence. Her silent affection, or at least that was what she had assumed, reminded her a lot of the old house-cat she used to play with back when she was still but an innocent child. So much that she had unconsciously taken hold of the girl in the same way she had used to embrace her cat.

"Sorry for spacing out." Her smile turning a bit more cheerful upon hearing the ongoing chatter happening in the comm links. It seems their ever-reliable leader already has it handled.

"Hold on tight, Allie." She cheerily reminded as her wings unfurled to their full extent, its alabaster scales, that were arranged to look like feathers, shimmering a mystical glow. A bell-like hum reverberated through the air, as their feet slowly left the ground and became aloft. Then, after reaching a certain height, with a graceful twist and a single beat of her wings, Siara flowed gently and swiftly into the alleyway with an elegant dive, negotiating its narrow space and tight turns with relative ease and poise. Only when they left the alley, did she spread her wings again, gravity magic hard at work to rapidly bleed their momentum, bringing them to a complete and instant halt just beside the factory's entrance.

Silently landing on the side, Siara released her partner.

"Let's wait for the others." She said, even though she already knew that was a given.

"I wonder what kind of job we got this time." Siara wondered idly as her wings began to retract, its scales sorting themselves like decks of cards, sliding above one another until they were sufficiently compressed enough to enter the compartments on her shoulder blades. She then brought out a white double breasted coat from her belt satchel to wear over her intentionally-cut-open-on-the-back undershirt. It was a fashion she had adopted after being forced to fight literally half-naked in one of their missions.

"Any clue?" She turned to her cherished friend, still giving her clothes some final touches.

Karrsh offered no audible responses to anyone, as was generally the norm for him. Instead he just went back to focusing on the job, or at least what was left of it. The meeting itself was short, almost disappointingly so. Some part of Karrsh hoped this would be a trap so he would get see a little bit of action, but that didn't seem to be the case this time around. As for the job offer, well one couldn't easily turn down that kind of payoff. But as someone else pointed out, it did look a little too good to be true. And if something seemed too good to be true, chances are it was exactly that. But the payoff was, again, too good to pass up as well. In a way this was almost a Catch-22 in that regard.

Karrsh just remained silent, though. Talking and discussion was best left to those were more suited to it. Besides, there was a pretty good chance that at least one of the others would say pretty much what Karrsh was thinking anyway, that was usually how it played out. Some movement noise finally came from Karrsh moving to stand up from his position. He could tone it down if he deliberately slowed his moves, but if a fight broke out and he was go full force? Well he wouldn't be so quiet anymore at that point. And of course, Karrsh had to take the extremely specific route given to him, the one that would keep him out of sight almost the whole way back. It was also a roundabout way to get back as well, but he had no choice in the matter. Karrsh never seemed to have a choice these days.

"You can run on for a long time..." Karrsh started to sing without warning while he made his way back. One of the team members once suggested that songs would be a good way to occupy his thoughts when he was on his own, and so he took to singing a song or two every once and awhile, particularly in quiet moments when he was just waiting for something to happen. His choice of songs were often... gloomy, but still, "...Run on for a long time. Run on for a long time. Sooner or later God'll cut you down. Sooner or later God'll cut you down."

"Go and tell that long-tongue liar.
Go and tell that midnight rider.
Tell the rambler, the gambler
the back biter.
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down."

GM Collab Post - Letter Bee and Conscripts

As they made their way back to the apartment building where the group made their home, John would respond to Rachel, saying, "Ten million credits for a bodyguard? Of course its suspicious, but the Ascendancy is not in the best state right now, at least not at the fringes. It just got defeated in a major war, so it's doubling down on dissent at home. But if Moonstrike's existence is any indication, they're stepping on the wrong toes." Suspicion then pricked John. "Planet Cobalt...its an Ascendancy planet, but rebellious. It's a frontier world chosen for its rich mineral resources, but the mining conglomerates that were extracting said resources lost a lot of money in the war. It stands to reason that...more data is needed."

He then looked at Terry, but found the other young man lost in his own thoughts as the latter walked beside John to the minor residential district the group were living in.

Then, as they passed an intersection with an holographic 'billboard', John's eyes would dart towards said billboard sharply - It was showing the Interplanetary News. The Newscaster, a female Quo'arta, would then say in Galactic Standard Language as the background showed the burnt-down ruins of a Planetary Shipyard, one that, from the wreckage, had been producing the legendary Drone Carriers of the Ascendancy Fleets.

"Moonstrike has made their highest-level strike yet on an Ascendancy of Man facility close to the Galactic Bazaar and the surrounding Interstellar Commercial Zone. The target was the Hepaestus Shipyards, a military facility that, per the terms of the Treaty of Galactic Peace, had been slated for abandonment and demolition to avoid future aggression against other species. Due to the evacuation measures already in place, loss of life was kept to a minimum, but rumors indicate that this was a body blow to the Ascendancy's pride and spirit. Moonstrike's leader, The Angel, has since released a statement, a copy of which will be broadcasted in the next few moments," What would come next was a surprise.

For the screen then shifted to show a figure wreathed in a winged dress of light, light that to someone trained in High Magic, can be recognized as raw, burning Mana. The leader of Moonstrike was a Mage!

"Greetings, people of the Galaxy. I am The Angel, leader of Moonstrike. For far too long has the Ascendancy of Man preached war and slaugther where there should be peace and coexistence, robbing its own species of the fruits of their labor. Poverty and inequality is increasing throughout all of Human Space, a symptom of a greater corruption that has overtaken the Ascendancy. President-for-Life Thorfinn Thoreau's tyranny has stolen not just the futures of the adults of the Sector, but children as well. You may think that the rumors of child soldiers used by the Ascendancy are lies, but I assure you that proof is coming that they are true." The voice was beautiful, musical. John felt...touched by the sound of the lady's voice. "So I call upon Humanity: Wake up! You are being decieved!"

The voice then finished and the broadcast shut off. The Quo'arta Newscaster would then continue, "In response to this, President-for-Life Thorfinn Thoreau of the Ascendancy of Man has recalled the 'Undefeated Commander', General Alexander Kherol, from Unknown Space. Having expanded the Ascendancy's dominions against species not covered by the Treaty of Galactic Peace, General Kherol is a ground and naval commander without an equal, one whom it is till rumored could have won the Ascendancy War of Aggression had he been deployed in that war. After a request by the President-for-Life to give a speech responding to these events, the Galactic Bazzar news service has a record of Kherol's counter broadcast..."

The image of the Newcaster suddenly faded away, as the image of the legendary general appeared on screen. It may come as a surprise to a few individuals that a person this young could be called a general. Ever since the first time his name had appeared on the Ascendancy's propaganda, only a few knew his real face, and the only privileged were in the army, a place no commoner would want to join. This broadcast would be marked as his first public appearance.

The man was a rare sight. He had short black hair, deep red eyes and wore a dark blue uniform, with gold epaulettes and embellishments, an uncommon attire comparing to normal Ascendancy officers. On his chest, although small, but could be seen if paying close attention, was a rank plaque, with five gold stars pinned onto it. His face, his eyes glimmered with a hypnotic effect that were seemingly able to bend even the strongests of leaders to his will. But even that, disatisfaction could be read from his expressions. What disatisfaction though was a mystery.

"Citizens of the Galaxy." He began, his tone of voice strict and austere. "In recent days, there has been...political unrest amongst the inhabitants of several star systems. It would be safe to assume that the people had become dissatisfied. With our policies, with our interests. But do not forget. The factor that resulted in the demise of the old government before the Ascendancy was not due to wars, but to rampant incompetence. The people under the name of freedom, justice, pursuit of happiness had done nothing to contribute to the security of their nation, because they were unprepared. This is also the reason why the ancient Thebauter also collapsed, and the Geraren Republic. And many more in our brief history of time."

Alexander said, pausing to let the words sink before continuing, one of his hand placed on his chest, his tone less strict, more of sympathy and kindness.

"Did the war between the Rau've and us cause unnecessary deaths and destructions? Yes. Was it a wrong decision? Yes. As a military man, I regret the lost of lives. I hereby bring my dearest apology, on the behalf of the generals that commanded in the war. I understand your cause of frustrations, but I will ask one question." The general held up his index finger, as a visual aid. "Do you believe that a government built up from the people who rarely, or doesn't even, know the seat of governorship will last? The Ascendancy of Man is a government, currently keeping hundreds of planets fed, clothed and educated. Corruptions, yes. It exists. But no government is immune to the disease of rampant self-interests. But we are changing day by day, to demolish it. Only when the people agrees to cooperate."

But then, with a final and threatening say, addressed not at Moonstrike, but the entire galaxy, those who had rebellious tendencies.

"We are willing to cooperate with the people. But we will not tolerate rebellious interests attempting to topple our government. If any rebellious movements are to be recorded, be warned that it will be met with the might of the Ascendancy's Army. Be reminded that disturbance of tranquility is never a way to solve any problems"

There, the broadcast ended.

Ace was never really the video game type, considering he had only played a few before he was kidnapped. Still, eve if the wanted to play, the offer to play games wasn't directed at him - Ace had learned a long time ago that speaking when you aren't directly spoken to was usually a bad move. Or at least the backhand of several different officers had ingrained that thought on him over the last few years. After the offer was extended, Rachel also began to speak.

Thankfully, the meeting quickly started and ended, with Ace paying little attention. He was not used to that kind of atmosphere in the slightest, so he mostly allowed the others to talk. Still, if he heard anything, it was the credits - Ten million for bodyguards... Following behind Terry, Rachel and Johnathon, a Moonstrike announcement began to play, with the leader appearing... While Ace really didn't care for Moonstrike or the Ascendancy, he didn't enjoy that the woman hid her appearance. After all, a figure head should be someone you rally behind knowing full well who they are, not some mysterious entity. Soon after that announcement was finished, however, the Ascendancy quickly made it's own reply.

While the general was not famous for showing his public face either, he at least did for this message. Hr proceeded to describe the Ascendancy's point of view - and while Ace initially expected the typical propaganda that was spewed while he was under their care, this man actually provided reasonable arguments - he actually acknowledged the corruption within the government that was obvious. Up until the end, Ace actually found himself approving of what the man was saying.

The part about rebellion was what made Ace pause, however. He was horribly mistreated and tortured for nearly half his life, and this was his one chance to actually change and choose to rebel against the people who did that against him - and he felt no incentive to do so. It was a strange, almost alien feeling. He knew that he probably should have been angry, but after the years of brainwashing and abuse, Ace really only cared about finding his father - everything else was secondary. Hell, while most of his allies were motivated by revenge on the tyrannical leadership of the Ascendancy, Ace honestly could not care less. He just wanted his old life back. Soon, the transmission ended, and Ace opened his mouth to comment on the announcement.

He immediately closed it, deciding to wait for the others to respond instead. He knew that getting on their bad side was a bad move, and approving of anything related to the Ascendancy in front of a bunch of other child soldiers was simply begging for him to either be beaten, or to be sold out the second things got bad.

Allie flew in pleased silence to where they were expected to meet with the others. She took to dusting herself off in an almost mimicking fashion until she was asked a question. One in regards to the nature of their new mission. Aaloka had no abilities that would let her know at this point, but she tilted her head to the side, looking down in the opposite direction to think.

"Something simple, but dangerous."

She didn't have much to make her think that, but with how quickly the meeting went it must have been a pretty basic concept. But with all this cloak and dagger, it couldn't have been the easiest thing. Then again, when did they ever do the easy thing?

As it turned out, she was at least close. A bodyguard job, for a hefty price. She didn't comment on John's acceptance of the mission. It wasn't her place to do so, and she trusted his judgment. Aaloka just plodded along beside the rest of the group, swinging the heavy ends of her somewhat too big sweater sleeves to and fro. She walked with a uniform but exaggerated gate, kicking her legs up in time opposite to her arms. She only stopped when the announcements began on the large screens above. Her round eyes reflecting the bright rectangles as she silently took in the opposing proclamations. Seeming in a daze she didn't move, but did something one would rarely find her doing so; breaking a silence.

"Both of them are wrong, and right."

She didn't mean to start any debate, but she felt it might be a statement the group could resonate with. If anyone knew anything about taking the good with the bad, it would be these people.

Blinking hard a few times she then looked up to her nearest teammate, who happened to be Rachel.

"What games do we have?"

The part of the Galactic Bazaar where the factory was located reminded Rachel of the Nariman district of Londres Nova, where she grew up back on Mars. Dark, somewhat rundown, quite cramped, almost claustrophobic in some places and very few law enforcement officers ever ventured there. But it was home, no matter how bad it was. A heaven for a fingersmith such as herself, had it been more populated. With her hands in her pockets, the former scoundrel followed the group towards the team’s humble abode in long strides, leaving her mind to wander. Eight years ago, give or take a few months, she tried to steal her first bicycle in a street not very different from the one they were just walking on. Given that she has never learned to ride a bike, it was the first and also the last one she ever set her hands on.

When the group stopped to listen to the news, Rachel followed the broadcast with her ears, eyes mindful of the street. Although the general was correct in citing the lack of security in the name of freedom as a problem in past regimes, his apology rang hollow. He was also correct about the corruption issue, but there was a big difference between a corrupt government and a species-wide cult of personality. She had to snort with laughter at the last bit. ‘...disturbance of tranquility is never a way to solve any problems.’ Spoken by a representative of the government that started a race-oriented war and pissed off every known major species in the process. And the might of Ascendancy’s military? Rather, they would face whatever scraps were left of it. But despite the massive beating they received at Proxima and during several late-war battles prior to it as well as the subsequent disarmament and sanctions, squashing a couple of annoying bugs was still a fairly easy task for them. And their little group was a very small bug.

As the broadcast ended, Rachel turned to Aaloka. “I don’t know. I think I saw a deck of cards in one of the cabinets?” she searched her memory for more, but came up with nothing. ”We’ll have to check when we get home. That is unless something that needs to be done first pops up.” she added, looking forward to sitting down at last. “How long do ye think the job will take? Few days? A week?”

Bree smiled in anticipation as one by one, the members of their little cell returned. They were close enough that she could see them from the window of the apartment. With a bit of flourish, Bree put the finish touches on the nights dinner and finally set the food down. She tried her best to have a bit of something for everyone, though obviously the dessert foods came later.

Soon the table was practically glittering with food as she huffed with satisfaction. She couldn't remember what she was, before the war, asides from a few throw-away hints by the scientists that had worked on her, but she thought that in that life, she probably wouldn't have minded being a chef. It was fun work, after all.

"Oh, almost forgot . . ."

Bree made her way to her room, where she kept a large wooden box. It was a wine cabinet, of sorts, though it didn't really have much contents. She wasn't fond of alcohol, at least not as a beverage, but she made an exception for wine. The soldiers she had worked with like to have wine to celebrate, and one officer in particular taught her the finer points about the drink.

She paused, browsing through the six bottles she had. Her eyes lingered on a particular bottle; aged ten years and classified as a Class A wine, it was easily the most valuable one in her small collection, and also the only one she didn't buy. It was a gift from the same superior that taught her about wines in the beginning, as thanks for saving his, and his men's, life during a skirmish.

He told her to save it, and open only for a really momentous occasion, for a time when her heart sang out and the desire to immortalize the moment burst forth uncontrolled.

Unfortunately, she'd yet to find that moment.

Shaking her head, Bree picked out another bottle - aged five years, from a respectable winery, and toasted with a vanilla aroma - and headed out, setting it on a smaller table for later.

Taking off her apron, she double-checked everything, and made her way to the living room, ready to welcome back the crew.

((Collab Post between Letter Bee and Conscripts))

Five Days Later

Five days later, John Green would wake up the rest of the group, saying: "It's time to go on the trip! We'll be taking a freighter to Planet Cobalt; it's not going to be a Spacewarper, so we'll be flying the mundane way through a wormhole."

The cast of geniuses might need to review what they knew about space frieghters and wormholes, aka the poor man's method of FTL travel. The majority of non-military spaceflight involved sending goods and cargo on large space-borne vessels, whose engines were strong enough to head to interplanetary orbit. There, in the middle of space, awaited the wormhole, a rip in space-time that connected different planets to each other. This route was profitable but dangerous, especially as pirates might wait to ambush vulnerable ships on their way to their destination.

Basically, they were going to take a large ship, be carried there alongside cargo, and perhaps get ambushed by pirates on the way. Fun.

Timeskip to the Frieghter

The perhaps quickly turned for the worst though, as mid-way, as the cargo freighter was steadily heading for the wormhole, a ship, equivalent to the size of a cruiser, suddenly emerged from the nearby meteor belt, in utter discretion. The ship was painted black all around, shaped like a combination of a flying saucer and a cross, with guns placed messily all over the ship. At the head of the ship was a large skull, ornamented both for ramming purposes and for intimidation. The insignias on the ship was all too clear for anyone who came into contact with it.

The ship quickly exited the asteroid belt and caught up with the cargo freighter. Its engine was roaring with ferosity, and the thing would be easily able to catch up with the freighter if its captain decided to make a run for the wormhole. There, the space pirate ship's captain made his announcement.

"This is captain Kulora of the Simone, the pirate group in the region! We demand you, surrender your ship and offer all your cargo on your ship to us!"

In response, the Frieghter tried to veer away, attempting to return to the ringworld that was the Galactic Bazaar. Its engines were firing at full speed, taking advantage of the frictionlessness of space to accelerate faster than expected, jolting the cargo, which by now included the band of geniuses. But they would keep themselves steady among the boxes, containers, and other passengers that filled the cavernous cargo hold of the spaceship. Turning towards the group, John would say, "It is time to fight."

"Very well..."

The pirate captain handed down the order, as the targetted cargo freighter tried to drift away, ignoring their warnings. Their engines roared with mightiness, unbound by friction, as they began catching up with the cargo ship. Despite its initial outlook, the engine, bought from the most discreet but with utmost quality of black markets, was significantly faster than the cargo ship's. The ship quickly caught up with the cargo ship, drifting steadily nearer to the vessel.

And then suddenly, the pirate ship made a sharp turn towards the freighter. Seconds later, the front skull of the ship rammed onto the back of the freighter, sending the ship off its current trajectory, and sent the cargo onboard a tremor. The pirate ship then open fired their weapons onto the hull of the cargo ship, quickly tearing apart its shield and significantly damaging the hull and engine. As the freighter began to falter in terms of momentum, the pirate ship began to pull the cargo ship towards them, preparing to dock with each other. And finally, when the ship was near enough, a boarding party, consisting of hundreds of space pirates began pouring onto the ship.

Their target: the cargo bay.

The last few days passed uneventfully, with little change - the only differences being the weather, and the ways Ace killed time. While the others played video games, Ace mostly spent his time either running or reading - both of which were some of the only activities he was allowed to do while in the custody of the Ascendancy. Still, reading novels that were not hand-selected by the organization was a breath of fresh air, and when not doing either of these things, he interacted with his fellow soldiers. As Ace expected, none of them shared his opinion on the announcement that had occurred a few days ago, and he made sure not to let slip his own opinions on the matter. Eventually, however, the fun and games were over.

Green woke up the rest of the group, but Ace had just returned from his morning run, a habit that he had developed ever since he escaped the Ascendancy's clutches. Luckily, Ace made it back in time in order to hear Green announce that they were headed out - finally. The journey to the freighter itself, as expected, was completely uneventful, with the group staying among the cargo of the ship rather than staying with the other passengers.

Still, at least the place was roomy - Ace had managed to find a small armchair, and upon sitting and placing his cauldron on his lap, he was prepared for a long voyage - he took out an older book, entitled "Flowers for Algernon." The novel was about a middle-aged man who, upon receiving treatment from an organization, received enhanced intellect. The writing was excellent, and Ace couldn't help but draw several parallels between his companions and himself to Charlie and the titular Algernon. Only a quarter of the way into the book, Ace was taken away from his reading by the sudden declaration coming from somewhere nearby.

"This is captain Kulora of the Simone, the pirate group in the region! We demand you, surrender your ship and offer all your cargo on your ship to us!"

The group steadied themselves among the various pieces of furniture and other forms of cargo as the freighter tried to evade the newcomer, and Green alerted the group to the danger that presented itself. Ace swore under his breath, realizing that he had no explosives with him - and even if he did, there was no way he would detonate them so close to other people's possessions and in a space ship. Unfortunately, he had to rely on ramming into these pirates with his incredible speed - something he didn't enjoy doing very often, considering the risk it prevented. Less than a minute later, massive tremors and crashing occurred all around him, and Ace began to breath heavily - he hated loud noises. Soon, the sound was replaced - the cold, metallic wurr of a ship beginning to dock. A hiss escaped from the docking area, and hundreds of men in exosuits began to pile inwards - upon seeing the various weapons they had slung across their backs and wielded in their hands that Ace finally grew truly terrified.

With their Anti-material rifles, the chances of them shooting through the hull of the freighter was massive - especially since the hull was already damaged. As soon as these pirates suffered a few losses, they could simply puncture holes in the ship, either causing explosive decompression, or simply depriving everyone in the bay of oxygen. Ace had never before been in a situation where his durability would not simply protect him from any harm - he was used to fighting on planets, not in space. Still, there was no choice but to fight - if he hid out of fear, the pirates would simply take him prisoner...

There would be no difference between that and being the Ascendency's soldier.

Maneuvering himself into position, Ace prepared to start running at a moments notice - should any of his companions be in a sticky situation, he would rush and ram into the attacker, like a human-sized bullet. Even with his immense speed, Ace felt he could reliably tank the damage from running like that - the only thing he wasn't sure about were the Anti-material rifles... Those may be able to put a dent in him.

The five days before the transfer to planet Cobalt went by without anything of note. Perhaps the last few calm days they would enjoy for some time. Despite hitching a ride among the cargo, the trip wasn’t of the worst. She would almost call it comfortable, compared to some of the places she’s been to during the war. As the flight dragged on, she entertained herself by browsing the cargo manifests attached to most crates and other containers. Perhaps there was something that could be useful to them. What was a few opened crates to a large shipping company? That was until the freighter turned around rather hastily and, by the looks of things, tried to get back to the Bazaar at full burn. This kind of maneuver was rough on the passengers and cargo even in top of the line vessels, let alone a freight barge. As soon as the ship somewhat steadied, Rachel dropped what she was doing and made her way back to the group, wondering what could have caused the crew to head back in such a hurry? Engine trouble? No, they would take it slowly. Something critical, like a life support failure? Could be. Or perhaps...

The pirate ramming attempt caught her mid-step, promptly sending her onto the floor with a hollow thud. As she scrambled back to her feet, the ship started to shake again as the pirates pummeled it with weapons fire. She could only hope the hail of fire wouldn’t penetrate the cargo compartment they were in, much like the rest of the passengers and crew. As far as any defensive action was considered, she was next to useless in a situation like this. Rachel spent most of the war observing the enemy, infiltrating key positions and extracting information. Most of her training was devoted to not being seen. They only started shooting after making sure the team she was assigned to like a piece of equipment had every possible advantage before executing a swift sweep with surgical precision. The other possibility was being ambushed by an enemy force, but that never happened while she was on a ship. She took a breath and was about to suggest they just hide and live out the raid. But that was before the pirates docked, no doubt intent on deploying a boarding party. “So much for that plan.” she cursed under her breath and hid behind a stack of crates, more for concealment rather than cover given the raiders’ firepower.

The best course of action would be to stay back and support her more combat-oriented teammates by throwing any pirate that would be a threat to her teammates into a wall or pulling a friendly away from said threat with her telekinesis Sadly, this ‘best course of action’ was still quite limited. An illusion at her level could only affect one target at a time and she couldn’t do much else while it was active. Rapport was dependent on the target’s mental fortitude, but if she focused on injured pirates, the spell’s chance of success would be greater. She doubted Fire Surge would be effective enough against opponents in vac suits. “Ideas?” she asked with a good measure of uncertainty in her voice.