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April gasped as they heard Danni pull out THE NAME. It was a rare occasion for any of them to hear their full names - largely because they were supposed to be dead. They weren't supposed to have been spirited away by Nemo and saved from the fiery holocaust that had killed every super powered person in the Sol system at once. And then Dorian had the nerve to dismiss completely what Danni and April were saying, going on about how he found a secondary ship, he'd be there soon, blah blah blah. "No shade but what the fuck, Dory?!" April chimed in over the comms. "I'm fine with dying in the vacuum of space but ideally not for a piece of fucking scrap metal!"

The ship was rattling, twisting and turning as they spun like a top. They heard Danni's voice over comms again, this time specifically directed at them. "Oh, just peachy - what about you, bossman?" April replied. They had thought about maybe trying to reach out and immobilize all the ice in the field, but they had caused this mess from the poor control, and it had taken a lot of work to manipulate the ice to begin with. They were powerful when it came to manipulating water, sure, but they had limits.

They couldn't help but screech in fear as a CAR SIZED PIECE OF METAL hit the gunnery window. April's heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. Or maybe even faster. "Okay okay okay, you're okay, that window is made out of... I don't know what it's made out of, but it's fine, there isn't even... Oh shit there's a crack forming... Oh shit oh shit," April muttered, before going back on comms. "Uh, boys? Problem maybe. Gunnery window took a good whack, I'm worried another one and she'll burst. So... Get the fuck back here already, Dory!!"

And then, as Dorian had FINALLY abandoned the cause April had deemed foolish from the start... They got to do what they do best.

And what they do best isn't very nice.

With one eye on the spider web break in the glass, and the other eye on the scope, April targeted the Ravager ship. And they let the flying piece of junk have just about everything the Excelsior was equipped with. It only took one or two shots before the Ravager ship exploded, clearing a path from the destruction to the Excelsior for Dorian to traverse.

---

"You know, wonderin' why th'e fuck our favorite grease monkey hates us right now!" Danni responded to April with a heavy dose of fake cheer. Danni loved Dee, they'd been in each other's lives since they were literal babies, but when he pulled shit like this, it made Danni feel like Dee cared more about his toys than them. Like yes, maintaining the Excelsior was important, but a huge amount of this damage could have been avoided if they'd just left. They were flying through this just fine before the Ravagers, and they could have already been partially fused or whatever it was and been on their way out. Instead, there was a crack in the gunnery, the life support system was damaged, the shields were in bad shape, and Dorian couldn't find it in himself to abandon the shit that nearly killed them in the name of repair materials. Dee was always complaining about preventative maintenance, why couldn't he see stalling in this damn field was a horrible way to prevent anything?

Danni sighed as Dee narrated his series of unfortunate events. Since he seemed… determined, and April was able to get a way cleared, Danni decided to help Dee out a little. The longer they were in here, the worse shit got. Danni threw the thrusters into reverse, whipping the ship backwards as he hit his turn a little too hard and bounced one of the few rocks still clearing the area. Thankfully, the shields were able to absorb all of it, flashing a warning at him that he promptly ignored.

"Okay, we're 'eading ta you, Dee." Danni sighed, savoring how easily the ship moved through the cleared space and settling just above it. "All you 'ave ta do is activate t'e mag-grip and you should be all good ta board after you kill t'e bastard you're in and t'en we'll be on our way."

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"I don't 'ate you I just-" The comm stayed open as Dorian hadn't had a chance to close it as he was being forcefully ejected from the body he was occupying. A confused and apprenhensive sounding voice ran through the communications line "How the fuck?" Just before a short scream and the sound of Dorian's lightsaber igniting came through. There was silence, only the dull hum of his blade could be heard before the familiar noise of it being sheathed. A loud thud and the sound of squeaking leather before Dorian's voice finally came through. "Sorry about t'at. Our little Ravager friend didn't seem to like my free ride, oh well."

April's impressive display of artillery was enough to shake his concentration for a bit. Having blasted the shop from so many paces while simultaneously clearing a path from him to them. He couldn't help but whistle in appreciation of the site. "Mag-grip initializin'." he called out as he began to flip some switches. Instantly he could feel the pull towards Excelsior, a soft clang as the two paired before Dorian finally shut off their new ship. "Switchin' comms to 'elmet. Stand by." He tapped the side of his helmet as he patched the call over before pulling out a small rectangular device from his pouch. He grabbed it from both sides, opening it as he pulled the two sides apart to see the holo display. The engines power was undamaged, with their shields having taken a bulk of the beating for them. The life support was manageable for now.

"Landed and stabilized. Given a second to assess all the damage and see where I need to hit first. Danni go ahead get us to Titan. April great job on clearing the way. I'll get quick repairs down onto the gunner-glass as soon as I can. It won't be a perfect fix, but it'll get us a few more hits before we need to worry. And…sorry about all this guys, got a little greedy there and thought I could get us a second score while we were at it." Dorian grabbed the newly acquired pouch and holopad, placing it into his own as he strapped the electrostaff onto his back before continuing his examination of the ship.

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April winced as the ship rocked, as Danni threw them into reverse and evidently hit something. They didn't take their eyes off of the gunnery window though. It was like being told that a car crash might happen and finding yourself unable to look away - April was transfixed by it. They felt somewhat immobilized as well, disconnected from their own body, like this was something that could potentially happen to someone else. Nothing happened though. The beginnings of the crack stayed just that - beginnings.

Their attention was pulled over by the sound of a scream and hum coming over comms - and then soon Dorian's actual voice, rather than the borrowed one. "Hmm, can't imagine why," they said sarcastically. They had briefly debated making some sort of comment about how even the dead Ravager had wanted Dorian to hurry up with things, but had decided not to. April wasn't always the most fond of conflict. It was part of the reason why they honestly preferred bringing in bounties cold - it was easier on the conscience for them, not having to look someone in the eye and argue with them. Dead bodies couldn't complain about what happened next.

Finally, finally, finally, Dorian was back on the ship. And they could go back to the hard part - getting through the Belt. "Yeah, well, if we lost out on fifteen million credits, I'm spacing you," April lied. They wouldn't space Dorian. They couldn't imagine a set of circumstances where they'd willingly kill either Dorian or Danni - an alien would have to be bursting out of their chest cavity for April to even consider it. "Unless this second score turns out to also be fifteen million credits, then you're safe." Of course, April was pretty certain Dorian could survive being vented out into space - as long as he could go ghost fast enough.

---

"If I get a gray 'air because of you, you're buyin' me 'air dye 'til I find myself on t'e wrong end of an Imperial blaster." Danni grumbled, the rising panic starting to fade away as everyone was, for the most part, back together. Danni wasn't against Dee fucking around in space - his little hauntling could just go ghost and be just fine - but that was in wide open spaces where Danni could just hit reverse or pull a u-turn and scoop him right back up. If Dee got stranded out here, he was basically on his own. "So… we uh… just goin' ta let t'at corpse vibe in t'e little ship now, or we got a way ta drop it before we jump after t'is bit of a rocky ride?"

Danni carefully pushed the ship forward, keeping an eye on his surroundings with their new cargo. The Belt had mostly stopped shifting, just the few odd rocks still shifting, but it was manageable. Danni wove through larger openings that before, slowing them down but preserving Dee's haul in the process. It seemed like the rest would be smooth sailing, a few hard turns and spirals to make them fit, but Danni was forced to wait for just a moment while things moved, and it was a moment too long.

Beyond his view, showing on a sensor he wasn't paying perfect attention to, an asteroid the size of the ship came hurling beside the ship, impact likely leaving them entirely stranded considering how damaged their shields were.. With the way around them still shifting to create an opening, Danni couldn't avoid it even if he'd noticed it!

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Dorian was just about ready to set out and phase into the ship so that he could begin repairs when he caught attention of something massive hurtling towards them on their port side. Based on the ship's readouts he'd been inspecting, if that massive chunk asteroid collided with the ship they'd be stranded in the dead waters of space. Another pile of rubble for this belt to claim and call her own like the dozens of frozen bodies that were littered all around them. He couldn't say for certain if Danni had seen the warning signs, even less so if April had caught the debris depending on which direction she was currently facing, so (not wanting to find out and test his luck) he decided to take the danger into his own hands.

Dorian threw his hand out towards the massive asteroid, feeling his powers grip at the large rock, slowing it down ever so slowly, but it still came. It felt as if the force pushing back would make his feet slide back within the confines of this cockpit. No, they couldn't go out like this. They were The Triumvirate dammit! Hunters of the ship Excelsior and survivors of the extinction of mutantkind. He threw his other hand out towards the hunk of rock, he never understood how, but it always felt as if he could push out more power when he used both hands instead of one, and more power was exactly what he had. The asteroid froze in its tracks, halting mere paces off the port of the ship, casting a shadow into April's gunnery room.

His head was pounding, and it felt as if a nosebleed may come on soon, but they were safe for now. "T'anos's taint t'at gave me such a fuckin' 'eadache. Let's get t'e 'ell out of 'ere D, I don't know if I can't stop anymore Asteroids t'at come barreling towards us." He held his head, though with the helmet on it didn't do much good. Dorian tried to phase out, but a thrum pounded through his head, causing him to lean against the glass of their new ship. He took in a few deep breaths, trying to combat the pain he now had from his little endeavor. It slowed down to a low pressure before he attempted it again. This time managing to enter the Astral Realm. Dorian phased through the ship's floor and then Excelsiors ceiling until he was within the ship itself. "I'm goin' to need a drink after all t'is"

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"You could look hot with a silver streak in your hair, Danni," April chimed in over the comms. They thought it might actually suit him rather well - and it would definitely be an evocative contrast against the dark color of Danni's hair. Maybe it wouldn't be too hard to dye pink or something then on top of the streak, did people need to bleach grey hairs before dying them? They didn't actually know. Their natural blonde hair tended to take color up rather easily, so April had never learned too much the ins and outs of hair dye.

"Could we toss it out the airlock, maybe?" April suggested, thinking about how to dispose of the corpse. Tossing it here would be easiest on everyone - especially if they got boarded or something at the next stop. It was never easy to explain why dead bodies were around, though April supposed there was a possibility someone might've had a bounty out on this wannabe Ravager. They sensed though that Danni was uneasy with the idea of carrying the body around though, and with a fifteen million bounty in their sights, April didn't mind letting this potential smaller one go.

A shadow then fell across the gunnery room, instantly grabbing April's attention - as it was massive. "What the hell..." April mumbled, swinging around the viewport until they saw it. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT'S BIG!" they screamed, firing at the massive asteroid and giving it everything they had. "IT'S LIKE GALACTUS SHAT A FUCKING KIDNEY STONE BIG!" They were hardly making a dent in it, blasting it repeatedly, before the thing finally started to break up... slightly. This stupid thing was dummy thiccccc. "HOW IS IT SO FUCKING BIG...?!?!?!?!?! WAIT DORIAN YOU MOVED THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

---

"What is goin- OMFG I DIDN'T SEE T'AT!" Danni screamed as all the commotion brought his attention to the wayward senors. He hit the throttle as hard as he could, screaming through entire time, and the Excelsior hurtled through the remainder of the Belt.

The trip was as rough as expected. Perhaps it was shot concentration, or the adrenaline still pumping through their veins after the tussle and the recklessness of Dorian, but the smooth sailing from before the Ravager ambush was but a memory. Asteroids, ice crystals, and scrap metal wandering every which way proved a difficult course for even the most experienced ship's in the galaxy and the wayward mercenaries were learning that, ugly bump by ugly bump. Even with April's marksmanship, Dorian's quick fingers Engineering, and Danni's (once in his life) focused flying, the Excelsior limped to the finish line. At one point, a bad turn and a missed shot nearly left them dead in the water but Dorian managed to reattach the dislodged thruster even as April rallied and shot everything down that floated his way.

Finally free of the Belt, Danni let the Excelsior drift for just a minute, taking in deep heaving breaths now that they were out of immediate danger. A million warning signs were going off, but he didn't have the energy to interact with them. It felt like his brain had nearly come loose in his skull with how often they'd rattled around, and his heart was nearly ready to jump out of his chest. He couldn't tell if he was relieved, excited, furious, depressed, or anything really. He was such a jumble of Exhaustion that they all blended together into one big noodlie mess in his chest. "Okay, okay. We're out. We're free! No more rattlin' around, no more damage, no more Ravager bots hangin' around just ta fuck us up. Just one hyperspace jump until 15 million credits!" Danni cheered wearily, sliding off the chair and into a boneless heap on the floor.

Another alarm joined the chorus, this one less urgent but no less piercing. Danni pushed himself upwards just enough to glance at it, before he whined. "Guys, we got company incom-" before he trailed off. In front of the Excelsior, 27 strange whale-like creatures suddenly exited hyperspace, the glowing blue of their skin fading away as they did. Each adult was roughly half the size of of the Excelsior, with four tentacles off their back, the familiar bulbous shape of a what with a larg eye on each side. Purrgils were sometimes considered a pest because they would sometimes jump in front of spacecraft unexpectedly during hyperspace. However now, they glided beyond the ship, a few nosing it gently in curiosity as they continued to swim beneath the Belt.

"I kinda want one as a pet." Danni mused, failing to consider the logistics of keeping something as large as a small spacecraft as a pet. "T'en it could just pull us t'rough 'yperspace, right?" Danni shrugged and since he was basically already up, he stretched to the tip of the console, punching in Titan's coordinates awkwardly into the Hyperspace computer one handed.

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Every bit of turbulence felt within the ship made Dorian's heart stop. He knew it was safer for them all if he'd gone back with Danni and helped to navigate the belt, the complete difference between now and how they started showing it. It didn't help that Dorian's little excursion, coupled with The Ravagers ambush, were pushing Dannis' comfort levels and causing him to drive a bit more recklessly. But anytime that Dorian even thought of placing one step into the cockpit, another problem would arise. Hoses detaching, shield powers fluctuating, thrusters coming undone, it was an absolute mess and he was the only one who paid attention back on the Kree ship in school. He was always interested in computers, hacking, and general know-how (especially of spacecrafts). Now years later it was finally paying off for them.

He tried to ignore the screaming from both Danni and April, focusing more than he'd even had on keeping the ship afloat as each of them did their best for any outside deterrents. When they finally got the all clear, Dorian melted down into the floor as a puddle of exhaustion. A trail of sweat glistening off his forehead as his hands and shirt were now stained with various degrees of grease and liquids let off from some of the repairs. He laid there for a second, taking it all in, as a small laugh creeped up into him that eventually crescendoed into a holler. "We made it! T'e Triumvirate! Conquerors of t'e Asteroid Belt!" Dorian raised a fist in celebration as he lay flat on the floor, before his arm came crashing back down to his side with a clatter. He closed his eyes, and another damn alarm came on.

Jumping to his feet, he checked the display pad to see what the new alert was for and saw the proximity sensors had picked something up. Dorian bolted towards the cockpit to get a better view when he saw the Purrgils listing across space. "T'ey're kinda cute. In an Eldritch 'orror kind of way." When one nosed the side of the ship, Dorian stiffened. "Aye! T'is t'ings in bad enough shape it don't need your 'elp big guy! Scram." He collapsed inside the nearest seat, allowing his body to slide until his ass was halfway off the chair. "I need some food D. Real food. I want a burger, some fries, a shake, a large coke in a glass bottle, a tower of onion rings, fried pickles, and a chocolate cake." With a heavy sigh, he spotted the leather pouch he'd liberated from the Ravagers. Picking it up with his shoe as he lifted his foot lazily and kicked it like a Hackey Sack and caught it in his hand, opening it up to inspect what's inside.

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April had always adored purrgil.

If they had been a witch in the universe of the Owl House - a cartoon they had adored as a child - they would've made a purrgil be the shape their palistrom took. They were incredibly majestic creatures, naturally able to dip in and out of hyperspace. Some people thought they were bad luck, and maybe they were - emerging out of hyperspace into a purrgil was a great way to end up dead. But still, there was a sort of serenity about them that April liked - that caused them to not flinch in fear as a few of the purrgil nuzzled the ship. If it hadn't been for the spider web cracks, they would've pressed their hand up against the glass, trying to make a connection with these lost creatures.

"I'd love a pet one. Or two. Could name them Scylla and Charybdis. Y'know, the Greek sea monsters who guarded the sea, killing sailors in that little strait. The one with the rocks and all? It'd be fitting, actually. We could pick off people in the Belt ourselves, with Scy and Char as the muscle. Maybe it's time we tried out being pirates, once we get absolutely fucking loaded off of this bounty hunting gig?"

They had another thought though about the purrgils - one that they thankfully didn't blurt out. They didn't know how Dorian would take it, and if the idea hadn't crossed his mind, it was better that way. But the strange abilities of the purrgils to travel the hyperspace lanes, well, it reminded them of the pair of teleporting siblings they had known. Hell, one of them had even been named Percy. Purrgils. Purrcy.

"Wait, no no no no no, we don't have time for food! We already used all of our non-existent extra time on getting that fucking stupid Ravager ship. We can eat once we're rich as shit or we're dead, whichever one happens first!" April protested through the comms.

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“No, no, no. If we’re filt’y rich, I am not hangin’ around inside the Belt. We’re gonna ‘ave a nice place, take nice vacations, ‘angout at expensive places ‘cause we can and we’ll give all t’e fancy snobs whiplash when we show up. I do not want ta make t’e ball pit of doom ‘ome.” Danni shudder, the aches and pains fro just running through it protesting any potential future where they went through the Belt on a regular basis. Danni did offer the purrgills a lazy wave as the hyperdrive computer calculated the jump. “Though I gotta agree with Princess on this one, Dee. We can grab that weird meat substitute they have on Titan. Terran meat is too expensive since they gotta ship it off world. We are swingin’ by Sandix’s place. Wanna sell off the Nav data before someone else comes lookin’ for it.” The hyperspace computer pinged, announcing it was ready to launch.

“Alright everyone, buckle in and ‘ope t’at’s all t’e purrgills we find.” Danni announced, as he pushed himself back into his chair. The last of the purrgills slipped out of sight, down below the ship as Danni primed the gravity generator and the life support stabilizers. Inside the Ravager’s pouch was a credit stick with 23 credits, a small silver ball with a blue button on top, and a bottle of fine silver sand. Danni slammed forward the hyperdrive throttle. “Next stop, 15 million credits!”

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Titan seemed to appear out of thin air as The Excelsior dropped out of hyperspace. Atmosphere still heavily yellowed from the high concentration of nitrogen and methane, dark shapes were visible in the gaseous clouds as freight and passenger ships passed through. Although originally used as only a launch point to explore claims of precious metals in Corvu’s core, nitrogen farming had quickly followed the miners in order to supply the artificial farms built in the wake of Terra’s mechanical transformations with a regular source of fertilizer. It was the second biggest business on the moon and special freighters flew in and out of the planet with hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressurized gas canisters.

Danni eased the Excelsior down through the yellow haze of the upper atmosphere until they broke free of the heavy clouds. The Fallow Biome sat on the edge of the Silvered Sea, the largest body of liquid methane on Titan. Massive terraforming structures, resembling oil rigs, alternated between drawing gasses out of the atmosphere and pumping oxygen into the air via long metal shafts protruding from the top. Low altitude transports skipped between the terraformers and the biomes, transporting people, supplies, and gasses.

Beyond that, the Fallow Biome loomed. A gargantuan iridescent metal sphere, Fallow dominated the local space. Its space port could house up to 250 freighters and an additional 50 personal ships in a complex array that stretched out towards Corvu along the moon’s surface. Kilder Co. defense systems were in place, towers half the height of the Biome stretching all around the space port, each equipped with top of the line ground to air ion cannons that could reach a few miles beyond the atmosphere. The installment of the towers was less than a Terran year ago, completed despite widespread disapproval when the money could be used to improve the conditions inside the Biome.

“Fallow tower 1331, t’is is T’e Excelsior requestin’ permission ta land, SSIC 2038923.” Danni called over the comm as they approached the Fallow Space Port. Silence stretched for a long moment, Danni cocking his head in confusion as he prepped the landing gear.

“2038923, this is Fallow tower 1331. Please identify your cargo.” A smooth robotic voice replied. Danni mouthed the word cargo over and over. They didn’t have any cargo, besides themselves, their weapons, and food, right? Cargo, cargo, cargo… Oh shit!

“Oh, shit, I mean yeah, cargo. Uh, actually, we found it abandoned outside of t’e Belt and we took a bit of a beatin’ so we brought it as spare parts? Please don’t tax us on it - we aren’t selling it!” Danni explained quickly. He wasn’t sure what vendor fees were, but he did not want to find out what they thought docking a second ship was worth. There was silence for a while.

“Due to the quantity and location of the spare parts, you will be required to land at Dock 36 - B. No import fees will be applied so long as it does not leave the hanger.” The voice responded. The monitor displayed a credit request and Danni sighed. It was 25% more expensive than normal since they were in an oversized hanger rather than the normal one, but at least there weren’t import taxes as well. Danni approved the transfer. “SSIN 2038923, you are cleared for landing. Sending coordinates now.”
Danni slowly lowered the ship into the landing area with a small jolt as the landing gear made contact. The hanger ceiling sealed shut and the Nav displayed a small timer as the hanger pressurized. “Okay, okay! Team meeting at t’e ‘olo table!” Danni yelled over the comms before racing out of the cockpit. “We gotta do some plannin’ right? Cause we’re gonna ‘ave competition and we gotta know ‘ow we’re gettin’ our dough! I say we ‘ead ta Kol’kill, sell off t’e nav data for whatever credits t’e Val’shin are willin’ to part wit’, see if Sandix knows anyt’in’ about t’e situation, and go from t’ere!” And it definitely wasn’t so he could take the edge off his nerves with a drink or three. Between nearly dying in the belt, and the absurd amount of money they were banking on, Danni was keyed up, on edge, and alternating between ready to take on the world and crumple into a mess of despair.

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Figures, no appreciation for what he’d just done. Sure there were oooo’s and aaaawwweee’s but Dorian didn’t care about all that. Stopping that massive Asteroid had taken a lot of energy and that meant he burned a shit ton of calories he already couldn’t help expending. But he was outvoted, two to one, there would be no pitstop to enjoy a classic American meal before the big rush to capture their 15 million bounty. A part of him hoped there’d be just as many credits inside the pouch he’d gotten, but if that were the case they wouldn’t be pirating now would they? He fished each item out one by one, seeing the credits and stashing them back for later before taking out the other two items. Dorian turned the silver cylindrical sphere in his hand, noting the blue button up top of it as he wondered what that could be. If he gave it more thought he was certain he’d figure it out, but he didn’t want to at this time. Hell maybe he’d find out in some drawn out pitched combat where he’d pull this out like an ace in his sleeve and see just what it could do. The third object was just weird. A bottle with fine silver sand inside, nothing else, no labels or instructions. Was the ravager attempting to sell this off? What is for recreational purposes? Or perhaps he had just acquired it to melt it back into metal before using it on some project. ”Weird.” Dorian slid all the contents into his own pouch, moving around his personal items to accommodate the two new additions.

Once they’d reached the moon Titan, they were immediately being questioned about the new ‘cargo’ they’d just acquired. Danni wasn’t wrong, it was just spare parts for them to use on the Excelsior, but he didn’t expect the hike-up on loading prices just for carrying it. He rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb before laying back into his chair. Even more credits were lost due to his impromptu decision. He really hoped that ship was worth it. To Danni’s request, he got up and made his way back towards the holotable, sliding into the seat before crossing his arms behind his head as he waited for April. ”Sandix? Well if anyones gonna have their ear to the ground it'll be him. But we cant linger there. Surely other hunters are either already on their way there or have beat us to that punch. Lets try not to let this interaction last more than one drink, enough to let us blend in but not enough to be wasting our time once we’ve gotten what we need.” Dorian didn’t suspect they’d wished to get sloshed just before going off on the biggest bounty they’d ever attempted, but he had to mention it regardless. One drink in and out. If need be they could slam it back and leave, but something about it felt different this time. A sinking worry that something was waiting for them at Kol’kill, just trying to take them out. Perhaps the Ravagers had gotten into Dorian’s head a bit.

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April gagged a little bit at the thought of eating Titan meat substitute. Of all of the things in the galaxy, it somehow managed to be less appetizing than none pizza with left beef. But still, they didn't have time to get Dorian some sort of luxurious meal. And if he had really wanted one, then maybe he shouldn't have wasted time trying to double dip with the Ravagers. He could eat the weird meat gogurt and be content with that. Plus, with Danni mentioning that they had to go by Sandix's place to sell off the NavComputer, that was another Dorian related delay.

"If we don't get this score, I'm officially blaming Dory," April said over the comms. "Just want it on the record." They hadn't undone their seatbelt, so when Danni told them all to buckle up, April stayed in place in the gunnery chair.

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April wrinkled their nose, looking out into the gross egg-yolk colored atmosphere of Titan. The moon was somewhat symbolic of everything that had happened to Terra - of the death of its beautiful natural environment, replaced with heaps upon heaps of steel and death. Only the extremophiles still lived in the depths of Terra, and the last time April had been there, oxygen bars were now the hangout of the rich and wealthy. Places like Titan just underlined everything Terra had lost - the natural resources that it now had to steal from other places just to live, like a vampiric planet.

They used to fantasize about commanding what remained of the oceans and wiping away everything from the face of Terra, of destroying everything the Empire had built there. And if they were perfectly honest with themselves... they still did. They didn't talk about it, but there were moments where they wished they had their grandfather's powers. He could have wiped all of it away with the flick of a hand.

That was probably why the Emperor had to murder him.

April didn't pay much attention to Danni's conversation with what was most likely a droid on the other end - only noticing that they had been pushed to a different docking hangar than normal. One that, if they had to guess, was probably more expensive. Another strike against Dorian's side quest. Ordinarily, April wouldn't have been this annoyed, but 15 million credits were on the line and they had their eyes fixated on that prize.

They undid the safety straps and hopped out of the gunnery chair, before making their way up quickly to the holodeck where Danni and Dori already were. "Yes, let's def make this quick, in and out, no getting side tracked, excellent point, Dory," April agreed, before sticking their tongue out slightly at Dorian. "Let's go get this fucking bag!!!"

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Danni looked between his two partners, nodding. “Aight, aight. Wingin’ t’is by t’e seat of our pants, I’m down for it! Improv is our best skill anyways. Besides galactic fashion ‘cause we are, and always will be, fashion iconics here on t’e Excelsior. Oh, maybe t’at’s what we can do wit’ 15 million! We can start our own fashion line and shows, and everyone will be ‘ella jealous wit’ just ‘ow awesome we are!” Danni exclaimed, bouncing on his toes as the hanger fully pressurized and the lights turned on. A few other ships, moderate sized merchant vessels, occupied the hangar but most of the available landing zones were empty. “We can call it… oh, w’at did you say back t’en? Space Sluts? Star Whores? Somet’in’ like t’at!”

With the flip of a switch to disengage the locks and a firm push (and a toe kick, but trade secrets and everything), the loading ramp extended and the exit slid smoothly open. The hangar was massive, capable of holding twenty ships three times the size of the Excelsior comfortably. Large, flying droids carried heavier parts and cargo while little hover carts zipped back and forth on the ground, carrying cargo and passengers the length of the hanger and beyond. A little six seater pulled up next to the Excelsior, the driver an elderly man with long hairs growing out of his ears and chewing a foul smelling sap. The only other passenger was a green skinned Kree, typing away furiously on his data pad and paying little to no notice to the group.

“‘ello, ‘ello!” Danni said cheerily as he clambered in, “T’ink you can swin’ us down ta Kol’kill? Dancin’ t’rough t’e Belt leaves a fucker t’irsty as hell, you know?” Danni grimaced as he sat, touching his temple softly as a headache stared brewing there.

The man scoffed, spitting out a wad of foul liquid that steamed slightly on the hangar floor. “Ya ain’t flew no Belt. And if ya did, ya’d be dumber than a sack of rocks. Though, guess you look it.” The man rolled his eyes. The display on the back of the driver’s seat displayed his name as Wen. “‘nother sucka for Kol’kill, eh? If ya lucky, that mountain witch’ll be singin’. Easy on the eyes and the ears, and not so soft elsewhere, if ya know what I mean.” His chorkle dissolved into a coughing fit as some of the chew slid down his windpipe.

Meanwhile, a strange shimmer appeared at the edge of April’s vision, lasting just a moment in a strange pyramidal shape and then vanishing.

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Originally when their little space adventures had started, seeing a Kree would’ve reminded him of times long gone. His last year (by force) at AA and the first day spent there fighting off flaming bees and naked space rats by a Kree Warship. But now seeing the Kree on his datapad just seemed like another Friday night. It was an odd thought, Dorian never would’ve believed that the charm of space and its many alien races would wear off on him. But with so many years spent out here and away from what used to be home, it all just became commonplace to him. He tried his best not to offend the driver however, holding back a look of disgust as he watched the old man chew on his sap that reminded him of Terran chewing tobacco. It was gross then and its still gross now. He shot a glare towards Danni as he was quick to tell those present that they had just cut through the belt to get here. Luckily those around either didn’t care or didn’t believe them, and that was fine by Dorain. If they didn’t think them to be space adrenaline junkies then they may actually piece together that they were in a hurry to arrive here and that would make getting this bounty that much more difficult.

Dorian tried to laugh along with Wen, his chuckle slowly fading as the man began to choke on his own…whatever he choked on. If he had to fashion a guess it was probably that foul smelling chew he was keeping in his mouth. He slid himself into the small cart motioning for the others to get in. ”’onestly we’ve been called worse and done t’ings far more stupid t’an just run t’e belt.” He chuckled out awkwardly as he tried to act casual. He didn’t know why but he felt tense all of a sudden. Like hitting this god forsaken moon made all of this bounty that much more real than it was before. One wrong move and there went the biggest prize they'd ever even had the pleasure of laying their eyes on. ”Eit’er way destination’s t’e good ol Kol’kill. Gotta get t’at whistle wet and liquid courage for our next stupid endeavour what ever t’at may be”

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April shrugged off what Danni was referencing to, the entire Space Sluts v Star Whores debate. Truthfully, April didn't like thinking much about their life before the Empire. They had lost almost everyone they had ever known in the Incident that had claimed their lives, the one that they had narrowly survived due to Nemo's intervention. Thinking about that time reminded them of their parents, of the friends who hadn't been saved, of the lives that were stolen from them, of the feeling of a living, breathing planet without each inch covered in cold unmoving steel... Their fine control was better now than it had been in high school, but back then, just thinking about what had happened would almost guarantee the hydraulics in the ship exploding.

They had been about to clammer into a seat next to Piccolo (they had watched some Dragonball Z Kai as a kid, not a lot, but some), when something caught their attention. April swung their head quickly, trying to focus on it, but it had vanished as soon as they had noticed it. They scowled. It had been like a shimmering little pyramid shaped thing. What the fuck was that? Were they losing their mind? It did run in their family... Or was it their little sister, being an asshole? Why not send a killer cannibal owl then, if Zelda wanted to mess with them?

April shook it off, putting it out of their mind. Maybe they had a concussion or some shit. They weren't going to worry about it. Not with fifteen fucking million credits on the line! They hopped on in, sitting down next to Piccolo. "Can we get going then? My tits are shriveling up the longer we're waiting here, let's go!"

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With an amused snort, the man kicked the hover cart into high gear and took off into one of the several tunnel ways branching out of the hanger. The driver wove between vehicles, tongue sticking out of his mouth each time he barely made it between hulking transports. The lights in the tunnels flickered more often than not, if it wasn't a strecth that was missing lighting entirely anymore. The rumble of engines and turbines echoed violently around in the tight, enclosed spaces, and a myriad of dents, scrtaches, and rust spots stained the walls and floor.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into the Fallow Biome. The scattered lgihts around the biome glowed like a sunset in the pollution, and the acrid stench of molten metal hung settled like air in unprotected lungs. The Drag sat heavy just ahead, smokestacks and glowing windows and marching Maurauders greeting anyone who entered. The curve of the hover track took them away from the mercenaries and instead took them to a bustling crowd of hard and weary people, rough and wary of others, wandering through a slapdash business and entertainment district for the common laborer. Plenty to do to keep the mind off the exhaustion, to keep the coin in the Biome, to forget the haze and the pollution of a once fair city. Lights here lined the streets and walkways above them and virtual signs displayed street and business names, when they worked.

The driver dropped the trio off in front of a relatively unmarred building - a few questionable stains on large door but it was better not to ask - and whisked away into the crowded hover track. the sign above it, shimmering green and violet, announced it as Kol'Kill and a number of the people on the crowded iron walkway slipped into it even as others pushed past April, Danni, and Dorian without a second glance. A curtain in the window upstairs twitched.

"Oh, 'ow I 'aven't missed you Titan." Danni sighed, not bothering to remove his mask before they entered. "Who da 'ell said t'at livin' on met'ane moon was a good idea? I couldn't stand livin' in t'is metal dome, never seein' t'e stars, never seein' space, never gettin' ta zip around wit' my two besties. It's kinda like 'ell, ya know? But, 'ell doesn't 'ave drinks so let's get one!" Danni pulled open the door to Kol'kill and waved April and Dee in.

The inside was half full, the dinner rush not quite at its peak yet. A number of scattered tables were full, but one or two around the room still had space. Only one person sat at the bar along the left side of the room, insteresting colors swirling in the glass on the bar top. Sandix stood behind it, a tumbler shaking in their hands as they nodded at the group. Their life partner, Haxxal brooded in an opposite corner and nursed a large flagon of a steaming liquid while gaurding a spiral staircase that disppeared in up into the second floor. A small stage was set up at the far end and a harpsichord, scuffed and tarnished along it painted edges, sat besides it, a red skinned, wrinkled four armed Tardanian sat at it playing along while a pale woman sang on stage. Motes of purple light followed her and despite only one person singing, her voice sang in three different octaves, creating a complex round all on her own. It was clear what she sung went unknown to those in the room, but anyone could tell that while the song was energetic and upbeat, there was a sharp edge of meloncoly underneath it all that those who had lost everything could recognize.
"I'mma pop over to t'e bar, get myself a drink and a refill." Danni sloshed his half empty hip flask. "Y'all wanna grab a table so we can have a proper bite to eat? we can off t'e goods, scarf down somet'in' real quick, and t'en do a little noising around?"

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Dorian nudged April as they sat down into the car, giving her a nod as if to ask them what's up? He figured now wasn’t the place to talk openly, their driver seemed like the chatty type who’d be willing to sing for a few credits. But it was clear something had grabbed their attention if even for a moment. Then again, it could just be time playing tricks on them again. He didn’t have long to focus on these thoughts as the driver made his way like a taxi out of hell. Zipping this way and that in between spaces so tight he figured the man might actually be a geometry major with how narrow those calculations were. As soon as they broke through the tunnel, Dorian tapped the side of his earpiece, having half his helmet come out as a sort of respirator. Covering his nose and mouth to filter out the horrid stench that clung to the air of this planet.

He watched as the curtain above moved, wondering if someone was onto them, perhaps a ravager who’d caught wind of what’d happened back on the belt. Dorian tried not to dwell on it. ”I genuinely don't see ‘ow you could miss t’is place. We can ‘ardly breat’e ‘ere, let alone stand wit’out gettin’ shoved around like Yank in Time Square.” He followed behind Danni, keeping a close eye to those who may come near them as they approached. Danni got one thing right, this methane dump was practically hell, but even Limbo sounded more pleasant than this place was. He took in the environment, finding one of the tables was acceptable enough from a defensible position in the event of a show down like what Hans had. ”Sure, just get me a drink while youre at it chere.” Dorian said as he began to make his way towards the empty table.

The scene reminded him like something out of the Fifth Element. It’d been years since he saw it, recalling when his dad had made them all see it as he claimed it was a classic. The place was nothing near as glamorous as the opera house with the Diva, but the scene still felt the same. An impossible voice sung by an alien woman in a room that would captivate the audience yet escape them all the same. He couldn’t help but wonder if the melancholy feeling of her song was because she was being held captive by whoever was upstairs being guarded. Clearly a high profile client, and one that Dorian was now itching to know.