Valanx woke up later than usual the next morning due to staying up later than usual the night before with the poker game with the rest of the crew. Even so, he was one of the first to wake up due to not having to sleep off the effects of alcohol and cigar smoke like the rest of the crew needed to do. He took about half an hour to shower and change and generally clean up, as he did every morning, and headed immediately to the lab where he had been dismantling the cryo-pod the day before. As far as he could tell, he had uncovered all of the pod's physical secrets, or at least all the physical secrets that could be uncovered, yesterday. All that was left, then, was the files on the hard drive, some of which he had already looked over, which is how he had found out the girl's name, age, and place of origin. If he was going to find out anything more about Rendyl, it wouldn't come from the files on the pod's hard drive, but the other files he had copied over to his computer might still have some interesting information to reveal. This was what he was looking through as the rest of the crew began waking up and communicating. Since none of the communications involved Valanx for the time being, he ignored them and focused on finding out what else he could about the pod, who had made it, where it was intended to go, and why. This had to be breaking at least a dozen of the Federation's own laws, and yet the Federation had some hand and stake in this, even if they hadn't been directly involved in what was, essentially, human trafficking, though for what purpose Valanx was still uncertain. Rendyl's telepathy was obviously a factor, what with the gift being almost unheard of among the known races, but Valanx was unconvinced that it wasn't something far deeper and far more sinister.

Most of the crew was awake, which made Ray somewhat relieved. Even though they had a crazy night, he still had to make sure that this ship was operational. He had worked hard to gain the respect of his crew, and hopefully this was a sign of it. Maybe after refueling the crew could get some much deserved rest. Raymond smirked at Astrid's hungover voice, and at Josk's threat towards the AI. "Those drugs will kick in a few minutes and you'll be praising the damn thing."

Tony's voice was next to fill the voice chat. "Yeah, I'd like to stay a couple steps ahead of the Committee on this one. I'm hoping Valanx can find something from that pod. It's only a matter of time before the Committee knows that we were lying." Then the other voice chimed in. The Doctor had chimed in, and he suddenly remembered his jacket. It seemed some of the crew was going to the kitchen, and now was the best time to try and retrieve his article of clothing. He entered the kitchen and took a look around at the damage to see that it was non-existent. Tango and the other janitor bots on the ship must have done some work as the crew slept. Once again he would have to thank Tango for all he has done. For years the two had learned to work with one another, and it was rather interesting to see an AI start to grow a personality. He hoped that Ray didn't rub off Tango too much. That's the last thing the Committee needed.

He saw Rae with her head on the table, a feeling he knew all too well. "Morning." Ray greeted the people within the kitchen. He paced towards the stovetop to the kettle, examining the contents around it. He wasn't much of a tea drinker, but he was sure that it would help with the dull headache that had occurred. After a moment of silence from the Captain, he finally turned to face the table. "Doctor… I, er… You wouldn't happen to have my... jacket, would you?" His cheeks felt hot, but he was sure that it wouldn't be noticeable, knowing that he was still recovering from the drinks.

Suddenly, a familiar yet hated little tune echoed throughout the ship. It was the opening theme to the Galactic Committee, and very rarely was it used aboard the Monroe unless absolutely necessary. "Crew of the Monroe, this is Admiral Tori V'sul." The heavenly yet strong voice echoed throughout the ship. "I'm sorry to do this, but the Galactic Committee has sent out a Code: Velvet."

Ray tapped his comms to interrupt the transmission. "With all due respect, Admiral, we have just finished a Code: Silver priority that got one of my men killed--" Raymond started, but he was cut off. "I am sorry for your loss, Captain, but you and your crew are the only ones close enough to respond to this threat. Fortunately it's on the planet of your refueling schedule. I need everyone in the briefing room as soon as possible for a briefing. Admiral out." The comms clicked, and Raymond frowned in thought.

Code: Velvet was not a protocol used lightly. Mostly it was used for highly sensitive cases, with extremely dangerous matters. "It's been a while since we've had a Velvet on our hands... Sorry, folks, but we got one more job before we can hibernate. You heard the Admiral, get to the briefing room... Drink your tea fast, get dressed up, We'll question our newest recruit after all this shit is over with."

”Good morning.”, she answered politely in a soft tone of voice, not bothering to lift her head up just yet as the new guest entered. She had made the assumption that it was Tony since he had announced his desire to join her for tea and she could apologize in a moment for not giving a proper greeting. Her head was still throbbing, the shot giving some relief but it wasn’t anywhere near where she wished it would be. Rae sighed gently, finally making an attempt to raise her head off the table after a moment of silence and raked a hand through her hair so she could tuck it behind her ears. She was practically rubbing her temples when the other occupant in the room spoke up, drawing her attention to him but her eyes widened at the person she was staring at. She should have recognized his voice earlier but in all honesty, the pounding in her ears and throbbing her head were distracting. He had been lucky to get a reply earlier at all.

Rae sat up straighter, trying to get everything under control or else she was going to find herself blushing again. Of course he was asking about the jacket, that was logical since he wore it practically every moment. It was the exact reason she had brought with her but it didn’t change the fact it dug up memories of this morning, finding out she slept in it. Rae thanked every star above that she was able to hold a neutral expression as she looked to Raymond. She opened her mouth to reply to his question but it closed instantly when a tone chimed through the ship. It was one that they all knew quite well but was not a pleasant one by any means. She had to say she wasn’t surprised but was thoroughly irritated that they had chosen to contact them after having just completed a mission. They usually gave them a little more time in between missions, especially after more difficult and dangerous missions but now they were receiving a Code: Velvet.

She listened to the Admiral speak and the conversation held with the Captain, feeling at least a little more comfortable that they were the only ones in close range and it only made sense they assist since they were refueling on the planet anyways. It was better than them knowing the omission or white lie they told concerning Rendyl and trying to punish them. Still, why were they being graced with such rotten luck as of late? At least she was already ready for the day so it would give her a few more moments to just have some tea and relax before the briefing. She gracefully moved from her seat at the table, picking up the folded jacket that sat beside her as she did. Rae made her way to the stove where the Captain stood, carefully holding out the piece of clothing for him to take. ”I hope this answers your earlier question, Atlas. I believe it was safe in my care but please let me know if anything needs fixing. I didn’t have a chance to inspect it this morning., she stated once he took it from her. That being said, she focused on busying herself by taking the kettle and pouring a cup of tea, fixing it up with a spoonful of sugar.

Valanx wouldn't find anything without a security clearance, but he could read the folder names of several he had recovered from the drive:
"Mental state records" "Weekly log" "Weekly therapy transcripts"
"Physical state records" "Medication list" "Manifestation log"
"Important information" "Family records" "Education records"

So close yet so far, The files sat there taunting him with the information he sought, barred from his eyes by a simple password...
_________________________________________________________

Rendyl bounded through the hallways, with Tango's dutiful directions leading her to the kitchen without error. She nearly skipped through the door, waving her hand in greeting to the few people she saw, only for her reverie to be interrupted by a voice she hadn't heard before, which in her mind she immediately dubbed 'scary lady'.

She pushed some hair out of her face, listening ad tilting her head at this 'code velvet'? She looked between the captain and Luirae before blinking at the pair at the stove.

Question me? And newest recruit? Does that mean I'm going to be on the official roster??

She walked up and simply stood by the table, unsure what to do for the moment..

No more drinking, ever, she promised herself. At least not whatever the cap was serving, that stuff was ghastly. Probably illegal at least on some worlds. And if it wasn’t, then someone somewhere wasn’t doing their job. Usually, Astrid would be listening to music or recorded lectures as she worked when they weren’t being hounded by rodents or other rabble, but now even the background noise of the ship was getting more and more irritating with each passing minute. As such, she retrieved a noise cancelling headset normally used when working with power tools in enclosed spaces from the workshop, bringing her some peace and quiet with the exception of her nearly muted earpiece that fortunately fit underneath the protective cup. Both the pilot’s delayed response and sour mood brought some laughter into the engineering bay. ’Never would’ve guessed I would hear her of all people complaining about drugs.’ the engineer thought with a grin.

The half-pint woman had finished mending the damaged door and the blown apart corridor and was now sitting on the floor of her humble little kingdom with the top of her overalls tied around her waist by its sleeves and her back resting against the cold walls. Astrid didn’t know what was in the cocktail they were issued, some apparently despite their protest, and she was certain she couldn’t pronounce half of it even if she knew, but it worked quite fast as neither her head nor guts were trying to kill her anymore, at least not as strenuously as before. Feeling confident she could focus on intangible things such as numbers and planning ahead, she reached for her datapad and started flicking through the ship’s service logs. ”Tango, Can you show me how many times has each turret fired since last refit?” she asked.
”Affirmative. We’ve achieved 87.6% overall accuracy in the last engagement.”
The woman rubbed her forehead when the numbers pertaining to each turret appeared on her datapad, ”Next time we dock, swap out barrels.” she added to the maintenance planner with a groan. ”Oh, and Tango?” she remembered, ”If you notice someone with a gray tank top with a dime-sized hole burned in the right side or black, grease-stained gloves, send them my way when they’ve got a minute, will you?” Yeah, no more Tu'veerian bourbon and while she was at it, no more strip poker either.

The Admiral’s transmission jostled her out of her focus, making the day look miserable again just as life was starting to look up. ”Theme tunes, bloody comic book villains.” the engineer all but spat, zipping up her coverall. ”Closest my foot, how do you make Admiral without grasping the concept of ‘Rest and Refit’? Keep her going while I’m gone, Tango.” she grumbled to herself on her way to the briefing room.

Josk waved off the Captain's reliances, sure Tango could never, ever, do anything right. Unfortunately a few minutes passed and her hangover had completely vanished, the Satasi feeling right as rain. Well, shit. Guess he was right after all. If the robot cared about it's relationship with Yasaliah it would be disappointed to know that it always being correct and trustworthy somehow made the pink and purple pilot resent the ship's AI even more. The tune of the Council chimed throughout the ship and Josk rolled her eyes, sitting back in her chair. Only a few moments later did she grip the sides of the pilots seat and sit up straight.

"Code Velvet?" She said over the comms after the Council had left them all in peace. "That's just perfect." Sighing, she glanced down at her semi-nude body. Getting dressed? So early in the morning? Whatever. "Fine. Be there in a fewmumbmghugrm..." Her words tumbled over themselves as if completing a sentence was too much effort. She was exhausted. Way too tired for a Code Velvet. Fucking Council. Didn't Andy like, just die? How are they going to expect them to keep going after such a tragic loss? Well, maybe it wasn't too tragic for Josk specifically, but other people sure cared about the guy. Plus, they weren't even operating at full effeciency now that they had lost a crew member.

Standing from her chair, her bare feet padded down the hallway as she found her way to her crew quarters. Her room was small, but bursting with as much color as the Satasi could cram in. Posters of beautiful, mostly naked people of both genders and a variety of species were crumpled and taped against the walls. Pop stars, actors, actresses, what have you. Didn't matter too much. There was a semi-clean rug that had a genuinely tasteful pattern of reds, purples, and pinks on it that covered most of the floor. Her bed contrasted with most of the room by being a vibrant blue, with it's aqua pillows and sheets tossed this way and that, undone. There was a desk against the far wall with a rolling, spinny chair. Ontop of the desk was a simple computer, painted black and boring. There was a wardrobe full of different types of clothes. Sure enough, her crop top and short jeans weren't there from last night. Who the fuck knows where they ended up. Eh, she could always just buy more. Indeed, the wardrobe was full to burst with tops, bottoms, boots, and shoes, and one could assemble a single modest outfit between all of them. Taking a step back, she considered what she saw. Smiling, she selected the outfit she desired.

Eventually she emerged from her room. Skin-tight low-rise black leggings tucked into black boots. Josk had also picked out a single-shoulder shirt, tied where her ribs stopped, the extra red fabric trailing down her right side. Since, apparently, this was a Code Velvet, Josk had also decided to bring her pistol with her. The handgun was tucked into the back of her leggings, held coldly against her skin by pressure alone.

Tying her long and frazzled purple hair into a high ponytail as she walked, eventually she made her way into the Briefing Room, the last one to arrive. "So, Captain, who's ass are we kickin' today?" She asked confidently, taking a bite out of a piece of bread she had acquired from somewhere. Glancing around the room at the other members gathered here, her piercing blue gaze lingering on the kid, Rendyl, for a moment longer than the others, she refocused back on Raymond.

Eventually, Tony found his way into the kitchen. His shuffling had subsided as the injection began to truly take its course. He stepped into the space just as the Galactic Committee’s tune played over the intercom, catching his morning greeting in his throat.

”Damn it,” he grumbled, making his way towards the steeping mug of tea Rae had left for him. He pointed at it for a moment, mouthing “mine?”, before beginning to add his personal choice of ingredients to it: a splash of milk and some honey. He gathered the mug in his hands and chose a spot to lean against the counter near Ray and Rae as the transmission played out between the captain and the admiral.

”Code Velvet, eh?” he remarked before his first sip. He gave a soft chuckle. ”What a lovely message. A very thoughtful wake-up call.” Another, longer sip as he listened to Ray and nodded in acknowledgement. ”Any thoughts as to what it might be, Raymond?”

Movement caught his eye as Rendyl entered the space, and he waved with a slight wiggle of his fingers with the mug to his lips again. ”Good morning to you - sleep well?” He itched to sign with his free hand, having already conditioned himself to speak to Rendyl with sign, but as he remembered the events of last night again, he realized it was quite unnecessary now.

Tony’s attention was stolen as Josk entered the room. He tensed for a moment, recalling their own tense exchange from the game the night before. Still, there was no point in beating a dead horse - especially not right before a Code Velvet. ”Good morning.” Tony paused. Maybe just a slight kick to the dead horse. It couldn’t hurt. ”I imagine we would all appreciate a more thorough briefing before we begin kicking, no?’

Rendyl waved back excitedly to Tony, flashing him a set of gestures with her hands and headed over, almost bouncing with sudden happiness. Her admission he was his favorite was known anyway, why bother hiding it.

She hugged his arm for a second as not to disturb his tea, then signed again, making sure he was watching her as she did so. When she was done, she tugged him out the door of the kitchen and pointed either direction questioningly, looking back up at him.

Valanx grunted his irritation as every file that could contain any useful information required higher security clearance than he had. He would have to get Ray to unlock the files, unless they were too high security for even him to access. He was about to inform the captain of this when the Galactic Committee anthem came on throughout the ship, followed by Admiral V'Sul assigning the crew to respond to a Code: Velvet. Valanx groaned audibly. A Code: Velvet? Couldn't they catch a break for once? After everything they'd dealt with over the rats and the telepath (and who knows what else there is to be learned about that), they deserved at least some R&R before embarking on something like this, right? Apparently, however, the admiral did not share his (or the rest of the crew's) sentiments on the matter, and that was that. Valanx made his way out of the lab and to the briefing room to see what this newest disaster was all about. He just hoped it would be something that they could deal with quickly and be done with, but a Velvet was rarely so simple as all that.

---

---

Poker was interesting. Essentially a game of chance, but with an element of skill in terms of deciphering an opponents actions, not unlike predicting the strikes of an enemy in battle. She would have to try it again sometime, Tulez mused. Unlike that revolting liquid the crew consumed for pleasure.

Her daily meditations finished, Tulez fastened her uniform with less then her usual finesse, her claws slipping on a few of the buttons. Taking a deep, controlled breath that rustled her frills gently, she smoothed the jacket's lapels before striding out of her quarters, marking the time for the first inspections of the day and heading to the kitchen, bracing herself for the reek that accompanied last night's jubilation. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised at how clean it was; you couldn't even tell there had been a party lasting all night, and...was that tea? Now that was just the thing to warm the bones and stir the river.

"That's not Lakewood Briar, is it?" Tulez asked as she approached the crystalline doctor, no doubt sounding more conversational then she usually did. "By the waters, I-"

Alas, tea would be delayed by that most loathsome melody. Almost immediately she was at the shoulder of the Captain, listening to him lament about the completion of their recent Code Silver.

"I am sorry for your loss, Captain, but you and your crew are the only ones close enough to respond to this threat," the Admiral rattled off with barely enough empathy to be considerate. "Fortunately it's on the planet of your refueling schedule. I need everyone in the briefing room as soon as possible for a briefing. Admiral out."

"Well, that's considerate," Tulez commented when the communication went out. "Storm forbid, they would be impolite enough to make us change our plans." Inwardly, Tulez groaned. This damned crew was REALLY starting to rub off on her, and not in a way she was fond of.

"It's been a while since we've had a Velvet on our hands... Sorry, folks, but we got one more job before we can hibernate. You heard the Admiral, get to the briefing room... Drink your tea fast, get dressed up, We'll question our newest recruit after all this shit is over with."

"Of course, Captain." Tulez shot off a salute before backtracking for her tea, a shot of energy that would get her through a Code Velvet. Sarcasm aside, it was absolutely something worth dropping schedule over. The Academy drummed a lot of absolutes into her head, but one of the biggest was that velvets were life or death, and not something to be taken lightly.

Of course if things were run PROPERLY, Tulez thought to herself as she entered the briefing room, they would not be the only ship in range who could deal with this. It almost made her wonder if Captain Lovhaug back at the academy was right about his theory that the Galactic Committee only ever had two ships deployed at any time. It really would answer so many damned questions.

"I again apologize for this, Monroe, but I personally trust no other team to do this." Admiral V'sul's holographic figure appeared in the center of the room, taking a look at all the exhausted faces looking back. "Everything you hear in this room is incredibly sensitive, and highly classified."

"Are you sure the Committee wants us to hear it then, Admiral?" Raymond asked, standing in front, his bloodshot eyes fully focused. "It is not their place to say, Captain, seeing as how I am in control of what goes on in the outer regions." There was a hint of a smirk on her face as she glanced at the Captain of the Monroe. Ever since the two met, there seemed to be a distinct understanding between the two. She knew Raymond was innocent, and Raymond knew Tori wasn't a fan of the political system either. In a way, the exchange the two had was:

"We're not going on another Committee errand."

"Fuck the Committee, this is my show."

"Have any of you heard the name Vin Torsq?" The Admiral asked. "As far as the galaxy is concerned, they are the most dangerous target in the galaxy. Also the most wanted." A new hologram showed up, showing a dossier on Torsq, but with no picture, as well as a 3-D map of a prison vessel on course to a place Raymond was very familiar with. "What makes him so special?"

"Torsq is a very rare race that we thought was extinct for millennia. Not long after the Committee formed, they were attacked by a group of aliens known as Breev. They are shapeshifters. No one knows what their true form looks like. All they have to do is look at you and they will be an exact copy of whoever they want. Eye color, height, every scar, any little detail you have. If they touch you, they get some of your memories as well. When the Committee found out about them, they went on a purge, and killed them all... or so we thought. We knew Vin was a highly skilled assassin, but we did not know what he was until we finally caught them."

"While on Transit to the Rock, he took form of a guard, went on a killing spree, and used an escape pod to the fueling depot planet you are currently going to."

The room was dead quiet.

"And you want a group of sleep deprived fugitives to hunt them down?"

Admiral V'sul nodded. "I believe your team is skilled enough, with or without sleep, to find and apprehend Torsq… Aren't you going to ask me how?" Her sense of humor was known across the galaxy. "We have taken DNA from him, and although it is incredibly complicated, there is a way to trace him with the scanner on your datapads. I'm sure Doctors Driani and Valanx can set them up and get them running before you land on the planet."

She looked around once again at the crew. "I can't express enough how important it is to capture Torsq alive. I will send his dossier to your quarters, Captain, but as of now no ship is leaving the fuel depot. You have some time to get a battle plan ready. You're all dismissed... and good luck."

-----------------------

The Fuel Depot S07-1 was a very dry, and baron one. It was not large, but it did hold a lot of natural resources to refuel and supply ships. The only city it has was its capital, and it reminded Raymond of a Bazaar from Earth. The planet had an atmosphere, but was prone to massive sandstorms and intense heat. Needless to say that he issued all his crew to wear appropriate attire for this mission. As the Monroe landed on the fueling dock, and the large ramp lowered with a number of hisses and groans, Raymond was the first to scan the area. He wore a light cotton shirt, beige cargo pants, boots, and a scarf around his neck. He raised a gloved hand to block the intense sun, and then looked at his other wrist, where a small device was strapped to it.

"Alright ladies, gentlemen, and robots, lets head out. Try to find a bar or some place he can lay low. If that doesn't work we'll all split up. Make sure your tracker is working and please don't do anything to embarrass Aamara and I."

Yasaliah donned a pair of sexy, mysterious sunglasses and strode down the ramp of their ship. Other than that her outfit hadn't changed at all- she didn't mind the heat. Nothing was hotter than her. Well okay, the sun might be, but she couldn't get anyone out of anyone wearing cargo pants. She had to look good to work her magic. If they wanted to find a shape shifting assassin, they might have to talk to some of the locals; and as far as Josk was concerned, no one was better at persuading than she was.

"Considering how many people this asshole has killed, I don't know why we can't just put a bullet in his brain. This guy gets better treatment than we do. Do you know how many innocent people I've killed?" She asked everyone, complaining loudly to those around her.

"...Well, less than this guy, for sure." She said with a cheeky smile and shrug. In her own mind, she hadn't directly killed anyone that didn't deserve it. Now, did she indirectly have a hand in the death of innocents by piloting her ship with expert skill and precision? Maybe. But those people knew what they were getting into when they signed up to protect such precious cargo. If they were smart, they would have taken it for themselves. So, really, all the people she killed where either stupid or had it coming.

"Anyway. I can do the talking. I bet this guy's left a wake, a trail, someplace at sometime. Somebody's gotta know who comes in and out of a place where people lay low. With a little bit of palm-grease and some convincing...I can get it out of anyone. Where we goin' first? I don't know my way around this dump. The seedier and scummier, the better." As she spoke she fiddled with the DNA scanning app on her datapad.

As someone who’s spent all but a few days of her life on a ship, her skin, not used to sunlight beyond UV lamps, required some extra precautions, especially on a furnace of a planet like this. As such, Astrid was covered head to toe, mostly following the captain’s example, but replaced the scarf with a shemagh wrapped around her head. Having found no reliable weather forecast, she grabbed some goggles in case of a dust storm and kept them in a pocket for now.

”Embarrass you? Would we ever?” Astrid raised an eyebrow, the only expression discernible through her outfit, ”Such as by getting off-your-face drunk with booze provided by our criminal-in-chief? No thanks, I think there’s been enough of that for a star’s lifetime or two, or ten.” She stepped off the ramp, marvelling at the desert around them. Not as pretty as nebulae and ice belts, and certainly in need of manual environmental controls, but planets had their charm. Until she made the mistake of looking up. With no static reference, the moving clouds fooled her brain into thinking she was tipping over, making her stumble into whoever was standing next to her in an attempt to counter the perceived motion. ”Woah, sorry! Don’t look at the clouds.”

”And who says we can’t?” Astrid thought aloud about Josk’s complaining, ”Orders are to take him alive, yes, but accidents happen. What are they gonna do if he eats a stray shot or hits his head on a table?” she offered with a shrug, ”Can’t give us two death sentences, can they?” she watched Aamra with the corner of her eye, not sure how their warden might react. Given the council’s interest in Rendyl, a psychic, and now a shapeshifter, that dark corner of her mind where all the paranoid and insane neurons gathered was working overtime, cooking up batshit theories ranging from a fucked-up freakshow to a black-ops strike squad. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to begin either. Besides maybe a place to get cheap used parts, she was completely out of her element.

Tony smiled into the lip of his mug as he watched Rendyl sign to him. ”I slept well enough,” he replied as he moved the mug from his lips. ”Might as well hop to it though, eh?” He led her to gather with the remaining crew, figuring that if Raymond hadn’t said anything, it must have been alright for her to view transmission. But he kept himself and Rendyl just far enough away from the holograph so that she wouldn’t show up in the transmission back to Admiral V’sul. And frankly, he didn’t care to show up in the transmission to her either.

He held his tongue throughout the transmission with much reluctance but allowed himself a few comments mumbled under his breath into his mug as he finished the tea. A shapeshifting assassin would prove to be an interesting challenge. The name was certainly one he had heard before in his more covert dealings. How awkward this mission would have been if he had hired Torsq in the past. Perhaps, however, he wouldn’t even be on this mission if he had hired Torsq. No use crying over spilled milk.

------

When he stepped off of the ship and into the depot, Tony took a quick look around. His outfit was something that would have been sold in a set under the name “desert chic”. He’d tucked a partially unbuttoned white shirt into pants made of khaki which were in turn tucked into boots that stretched up his calf. Like a majority of the crew, he’d wrapped a scarf around his neck and once over his head to protect him from the sun. And finally, the glasses he wore were mirrored to better deflect the sun’s rays and add yet another fashionable element.

He opened his mouth to speak, but that was when Astrid tumbled stumbled back into him. He caught her with a surprisingly quick motion by holding his palms up in front of him to rest his hands on her back before gently pushing her upright.

”Easy there, sailor,” he quipped as he fiddled with his tracker. He looked up at Josk and Astrid as they exchanged comments.

”And I didn’t kill anyone, yet I’m stuck with you lot,” he countered, brushing his hand by the pistol on his hip as though to reassure himself. Of course, he wasn’t entirely innocent, but certainly he hadn’t personally delivered the final blow. ”We’ve been roped into some sort of pet project for the Admiral is how I see it. Can’t imagine the sort of praise she’ll receive for our handiwork here.”

”Surely the dock workers would know which bars are most frequented … and perhaps which are a bit more under the radar.” As he spoke, he took a few steps forward and made a move with one hand to wave over a passing worker.

Luirae was now completely convinced the universe was out to make this day the worst as punishment for some unspeakable crime she must have committed. She was seriously, even now debating if she should scratch out the ‘this day’ and replace with ‘this week’. She was tired from lack of sleep, the few hours from the night before not getting anywhere close to the amount she needed. She woke up with the headache from hell and got to puke her guts out, she wasn’t gonna even mention the night before embarrassments. The nice relaxing moment she had planned with a good cup of tea, killed by a code velvet and of course it just had to be some shape shifter which meant it would be twice as hard. It also meant that Valanx and her had to work on the scanners, most of it falling on the other since he was the smarter of the two in the fact he had refused to drink the night before.

Rae frowned as she stepped off the ship and onto the ramp. She raised a hand to block the sun for a moment as she looked around, pulling on a pair of shades with a shake of her head. She hated the desert and any kind of dry hot planet. It was much the opposite of her own and even below ground, it was lush with plant life and close to what others call a jungle which was a different kind of heat. It was for this reason that her hair was in a high ponytail to remove it from her neck. A white crop top tank, jean shorts, and a pair of boots being her outfit with a scarf tucked into her back pocket in case she needed it. She wanted to be as cool as possible and the less the better in this case. She wasn’t afraid of being burnt, her skin not in any danger other than maybe reflecting the light a bit. It might give away her position but that was what the two pistols at her hips were for and the bow/arrows that were settled on her back.

”I haven’t been charged as a criminal yet and I don’t plan to start now. Let’s not give the Committee more of a reason to restrict and or divide us. Trust me, there are worse ships to be a part of and places they could decide to put you. They said he was to be alive and so he will be. Just, if you must shoot...try to make it somewhere non-lethal. I don’t feel like doing too many surgeries in one day, are we clear? Now, let’s go to the bars and see what we are working with first. We can advance and create a strategy from there if needed. Remember, don’t trust your eyes and listen to your scanner. The Shifter could be on to us later and choose any one of us to impersonate.”, Rae stated, as she headed down the ramp. The sooner they had the fugitive the sooner they could rest and get back on track. She had personally planned to be on the nice chilled ship during this little re-fuel but no, here she was in the hot sun and chasing stars know who around a dry desert planet. Why had she volunteered for this again? She was starting to understand why others found it unbelievable she was a volunteer. Still, even bad days didn’t come close to the good ones. The places she had seen and been were worth it. The people she called a crew were worth it. It was just hard for her to convey that.

Rendyl was stewing.

She held onto Tony throughout the briefing, following about half of what was being said as she pouted. She was just starting to see the human side of this crew, now they were off on a manhunt? She had hoped to spend the day getting to know the crew better, maybe even test out her newfound control over her mind, but seems like even adults have people they are forced to obey...

But as Tony and Rendyl were walking out, with the girl still holding his arm, she blinked, her eyes dilated, and for a few moments she saw a a few broken images across her vision.

A courtroom, people pointing at her.
Looking through a window at a campus.
Shaking hands with a much taller alien she had never seen before...

And then they were gone, with Rendyl never breaking stride. She blinked again and looked up at Tony, who apparently did not notice anything amiss. She loosened her grip a little hesitantly as she looked forward again, her pout replaced by confusion as she tried to puzzle out what just happened to her. She knew she had never seen an alien in person before this crew, much less shook hands with one. She had also been homeschooled, and had no memory of being on a school campus.

So why did she know it WAS a campus?

____________________________

Rendyl was standing alone on the ramp, a little unsure what she was meant to be doing. She wasn't part of the crew, but was she meant to help with this mission? Perhaps earn her place by helping? She had not been given a pad, and perhaps it was because she didn't know how to handle one or that she just wasn't trusted? The white haired woman walked forward and tugged on Tony's sleeve lightly, looking up at him with a worried look, as if to ask 'Can I come with you?'

Some of the crew seemed hellbent on killing this creature and getting some well deserved rest... It would have been easier just to track the thing and save the galaxy from its sinister intentions; to do something somewhat respectable in their line of work. What his crew and the galaxy didn't know was that Raymond got to read its file. All the tests and torture it went through, Raymond read it in its entirety. Thanks to the Admiral he also got his hands on the black tapped recordings that not even the Committee wanted him to see. Just thinking about it now made the "M" that was burned onto his neck tingle. Deep down Raymond knew that if he was put in the situation of either killing the assassin or turning it in... He would have that sliver of hope. After all, the assassin shared some similarity with the whole crew in one way or another. "You can kill Torsq all you want. But it will be my pleasure to let you do the hours of extensive paper work, and give your case to the Council in a debrief that would take weeks... maybe months if you're lucky." Raymond stepped foot onto the hard dirt, and was immediately greeted by a slug-looking creature. "Welcome to Solela! It has been a while since an IEF vessel has landed here!" He looked over a gave a low whistle. "It's an older vessel... but luckily my station has the best fuel in the galaxy!" Raymond gave him a hollow smile and pulled out a few galactic credits. "She's a beauty. Fill her up, please."

"Of course, sir! I also can't help but notice that with the embargo on the planet right now, that your ship will be here for a while. Can I interest you in directions to a hotel, or perhaps a maitenance upgrade on your ship? It will cost a little more, but my men are experts, and--"

"With all due respect, I only trust my engineer with maintenance. Just a refueling will be fine... But you can help my crew and I in another way. We're looking for a cantina; some place that has a lot of excitement and good drinks."

"That would be the Phoenix, sir! Best bar in the galaxy! Just exit through the doors, follow the main road, and it is on the left, right before the Grand Bazaar! You can't miss it!... oh, and there are people there that can treat you and your crew really well if you catch my meaning. They love the adventuring type." The slug-man grinned. Once again Raymond gave a hollow smile, and slipped him another stack of credits.
"Appreciate it. Tango! You're in charge of the ship!" He motioned for his crew to follow him, and they were soon introduced to the crazy and exotic world of S07-1. The narrow sandy streets were littered of species of all shapes, sizes, and colors. You could barely walk, and vendors screaming to sell their goods. "Well shit... You guys ever heard of the saying 'needle in a haystack?' it's an Earth saying, but a loose translation means that we got our work cut out for us..." Raymond held up his wrist to see the device... nothing. With a sigh, the crew of the Monroe made their way through the crowd and found the Cantina they were looking for.

As soon as Raymond entered he was hit by the reeking smell of tequila, and dirt. Once again Raymond was left looking for a needle in a haystack. "Alright, Josk. See if you can work your Satasi magic. See what you can find. Everyone do some digging too. See what we can find out with the locals. Any shady location, smuggling cove, anything that could help.

Valanx disembarked from the ship with the rest of the crew, dressed in light colored clothes that covered most of his skin, including a wide-brimmed hat that completely shaded his face from the sun's punishing rays. He was looking at his data pad, fiddling with a few personal modifications that he had programmed in over his time with the Marauders. Modifying the genetic scanning app to recognize their target's DNA had been no easy task, especially with Luirae being unable to help much due to the after effects of the previous night's drinking, but Valanx was still worried that those modifications would still be the simplest part of this assignment. Even with the suspect's genetic information, finding him would be no picnic, and actually capturing him would be harder still. What had happened to the days when they were exploring the uncharted reaches of the galaxy and making fascinating new discoveries instead of doing the Committe's dirty work?

As the crew walked into the Phoenix, Valanx began adjusting a few settings on his data pad, increasing the sensitivity of the genetic scanner to pick up any trace their target may have left behind. With luck, this might allow the crew to pick up the shape-shifter's trail, or find some of the people the fugitive had come into contact with. In the worst case, the modification would have absolutely no effect, but he had been working on this particular mod for quite some time now, ever since they started having trouble with the rats, so it should work as planned. If it did, he would have to remember to upgrade the rest of the crew's data pads with the mod as soon as possible.

”Fine.” Astrid growled beneath the fabric of her headgear, ”But if it comes to that, I’m a lousy shot, so consider yourselves warned.” she slid a magazine into her rifle, going for hollow points to mitigate ricochets and unwanted penetration. ”Why thank you, captain. Hours of unpaid work rack up like mad, but a compliment is always welcome.”

Once thrust into the mill that was the street, she mostly focused on making sure everything that was in her pockets stayed there, especially the pad with the mission critical DNA scanner. Its silence brought peace to her mind as she pondered with just how big a chunk of sodium chloride should she take the slugman’s claim of ‘Best bar in the galaxy’ It turned out a shovel wouldn’t have been anywhere near enough.

Fortunately, the fabric of her headwear blocked some of the stench, but even a diluted whiff of the bar’s ‘charm’ made her realize just how fragile spacers - used to controlled conditions like low exposure to electromagnetic radiation and air filtered almost to sterility - like her were. At least artificial gravity was a thing, otherwise she’d probably be dying due to a weakened heart and being crushed by local gravity right about now.

But she wasn’t entirely out of her element. Shady people and smuggling was something she was familiar with to a certain degree. Leaving the people part to someone more suited to it, she tried her best to see around the taller patrons, looking for tell-tale signs of mechanics: Stained or burned-through clothing, coveralls, utility patches- There. Male with burns on his hands and a 28 mm nut wrench and a screwdriver hanging from his belt. Common practice among gearheads who couldn’t get their hands - or whatever equivalent - on proper weapons for one reason or another. Not that anyone would argue about it with a screwdriver through their palm or a wrench the size of a human forearm flying at their face. He was yhei. Great. ”Five credits say Tony will be the first to get anywhere with this.” she uttered to the crew, wondering how Rendyl was supposed to talk to others. Sure, she could communicate in a way, but that could present a bit of an obstacle if their goal was to keep a somewhat low profile. Astrid made her way to the frogman, again checking the DNA scanner while trying to string together a line of bullshit to get the lizardman talking along the way. ”Ouch.” she didn’t bother to pull a sympathetic face on account of the shemagh, ”How’d one of the high and mighty yhei engineers get coolant burns? Let me guess: GX series coolant regulation valve not standing up to advertising?” She never would’ve thought that time her own ship tried to kill her would be useful someday. ”Could use a replacement myself while I'm stuck here. You wouldn't happen to know a good place for parts, would you? Prices in the core systems are blody insane.”

---

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From her days as a lowly grunt all the way to the decorated Committee officer she had become, Aamra was never one to complain or fret over her duties. Even among equals when it was perfectly acceptable to joke or tease about such things, those words wouldn't cross her mind. It was antithetical, both to her faith and to the oath she swore to when she wore this uniform, for her to do otherwise.

S07-1 wasn't going to break her, but not for lack of trying.

Aamra had been oddly quiet, preparing herself for the mission as Raymond detailed the assignment to the rest of the crew, occasionally leveling a glare at the members of the crew considering putting a bullet in the head of this fugitive. She brought up the rear of the group as they departed onto the fueling platform, dressed in khakis, protective goggles, and a light shirt like most of the others, but instead of a scarf she wore a compact re-breather unit of sorts, a tube connected to a tank of compressed water on her back to provide her a steady stream of hydration. It was no problem for her to carry, and she could still fight and move around easily with it strapped on, but with the steady hiss of amplified breathing, it gave the impression that she was on life support. Which, for a Tazygon, was fairly accurate given their hydraulic physiology. She could usually manage a somewhat warmer climate with HydraTonics, a simple injection and she was good for a day or two, but saying that S07-1 was somewhat warm was like saying that the Caltraf were a little bit mean sometimes.

Even with the re-breather though, it felt like she was walking through a fog. There was extra weight to her movements that she wasn't used to having, and her luminescence glowed without pause from the extreme conditions. Needless to say she looked quite obviously out of place in a dusty desert rock like this, but compared to the alternative of baking alive in seconds, it was tolerable. Even if it made her something of a liability on a mission like this one; a giant glowing space lizard with a mask full of water wasn't exactly going to be overlooked.

Still, she traipsed into the bar after Raymond, a sliver of relief from the slight drop in the heat, as she kept her eyes open for anyone of note or notable enough that they would have some information.