Will we ever learn from the past? Have eons of destruction and war taught us nothing? It was once said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it and yet, how many times is the past that we remember that which leads us to the mistakes of our future? Perhaps looking to the past is nothing but heart break. Remembering those we have loved and lost. The homes we once knew. The lives that no longer draw breath. We cling to these memories as if they are the very air we breath yet they are nothing but poison. Reminding us of the pain and the agony, the tightness in our chest telling us we have to carry on for vengeance and those standing on the other side seeking retribution for the same. When does the cycle end?
The year is now 2521; ten years after the Battle of Serenity and the end of the Unification War, three years since the tragedy of Miranda was revealed and the 'Verse learned the origins of Reavers. We saw a world without sin and one consumed by it. One tenth of one percent of Miranda's Population was what turned into Reavers, that was what they said. The Population of Miranda was over 5 Million. That meant just on Miranda alone the Alliance created over 5,000 Reavers. Many thought with the annihilation of the Reaver Fleet that Reavers would become the thing of lore and legends in time. They were wrong.
More Reavers are making themselves known as each year ticks by, but the Alliance claims to not know where they are coming from, that Miranda was the only planet on the Outer Rim that was subjected to the PAX but can we trust them? Some say yes, some say no but who has time to debate when war has broken out once again. The Rebellion has started and now the 'Verse faces The Independent Wars; Alliance verses Browncoats, both against the Reavers. Will anything survive come the end? Only time will tell. If any survive, I beg of you to remember the past but not to linger there. Don't be so driven by the past that you throw away your future.
Whitefall: Population 2.5 Million - One of the moons that orbit Athens. A green planet with patches of scrubby deserts and rolling rills, reminiscent of the central North American continent back on the planet of Earth hundreds of years ago. In the northern hemisphere the weather is anything but pleasant right now. The day is hot with temperatures reaching close to 100F(38F) and humid. The moon is too far out and too small for the Alliance to normally bother with.
Since the day that the K-3 Mine was destroyed none have bothered to even land there in that location, much less rebuild. That doesn't mean that other things do not happen on the rest of the planet but that area is basically a dead zone. Patience has other matters to attend to. Especially now that war has broken back out and her fenced goods are fetching a higher price than ever.
Outside of the ruins of the K-3 Mine sits Vengeance. The ship landed not twenty-four hours earlier because of an emergency that broke out. Several emergencies.
- Fire Suppression System: Pressurization Failure
- Grav Boot: Shipwide Gravity Fluctuations
- Heat Exchanger: Steam Venting into Kitchen
- Atmo Scrubbers: Clogged Filter
- Compression Coil: Inner Ring Busted
If that hadn't been enough, the final nail in the coffin was when a power cell exploded in the fusion reactor. It was only by luck, or Gods Grace according to Preacher, that Vengeance had been close enough to Whitefall and Daphne had been a skilled enough pilot to make the landing near K-5. The yelling in the bridge from Captain and Daphne had been something along the lines of The Definition of Interesting is Oh God Oh God We're all going to die and then a brief word from Captain over the com telling people to fasten in, smoke them if you got them, and brace to explode.
Thankfully that had not happened but it can easily be assumed that everyone that did smoke lit up right after landing. Since that moment Anisa and Jack left to deal with Patience's people to try to get repair parts with the order of - If one more things breaks shoot yourself so I don't have to. Parts have been acquired and the two are back. Repairs will take two to four days if they are lucky.
Persephone: Population 2.5 Billion - A vast planet that is home to both the pinnacle of Alliance High Society and the depths of the Criminal Underworld. Today on Persephone the weather is as pleasant as ever. The sun is shining, a few wisps of clouds are in the sky. The temperature is a comfortable 73F(22.7C) and the wind is blowing in from the east. A perfect day.
Down at the Eavesdown Docks rests The Retribution: an Alliance Patrol Boat that is in the city to refuel and restock. The had set dock three weeks before for repairs after a minor skirmish with some Browncoats. There was minor damage to the ship but enough to want to get the repairs done before meeting up with any other Independents. The airlock fork was fracturing and the oxygen relay was deviating. These could have lead to much larger problems so it was decided to dock for repairs. The crew has been doing what is needed of them and today they will be setting back off into the Black. It was a good thing they had stopped in the end, their resident pilot was set to be transferred out and onto another vessel and a new comer was coming aboard. Instead of having to go elsewhere in the 'Verse for the trade, Persephone made for a good middle position for all parties concerned.
Up on the Bridge, a communication comes in that reads the following - Information Acquisition; broken signal but source reliable. Unknown Independent Ship, location Whitefall K-3 Mining Post. Investigate.
This location will ring a bell to Higher Ranks alone. It was one of the many locations destroyed while the Alliance was trying to capture River Tam right before the Universe Battle in which the truth of Miranda was revealed. Why would anyone make a landing in a place that was whipped out and has yet to be rebuilt? The crew will be able to calculate that with a plotted course it would take between 3 Days 17 Hours and 2 Days and 16 Hours to travel the 89.74 AU depending how much Burn the Captain wanted to put the Retribution through.
Anisa Crowe
Location: Engine Room -> Dining Room
"So you're gonna tell me this little hissy fit pitched by my ship has nothing to do with your tinkering? My ship don't crash, if she crashes you crashed her," Anisa spout off as her fingers wrapped around the frame of entrance way to the engine room. The woman was livid right then. Hours of having to deal with the middle men to get the parts they needed was enough to make anyone's blood boil and the captain was not known for being a patient woman; especially when it came to her ship.
"Get this shit fixed or I swear to fucking god I will serve you up as an appetizer to the Reavers," she added with a swift kick at an empty box that sent it sliding across the floor towards Vengeance's resident mechanic. Turning, the sound of her heels clacking along the metal walkway echoed through the hull of the ship as she made her way towards the bridge.
The task at hand was a pick up of military weapons stocks that had been stolen by the Independence on Boros. The job was simple enough. Pick up and drop off. Stay under the radar. The pick up had gone off without a hitch. Even at cruising speed that were supposed to have been in Newhope in a little more than twelve hours. That deadline came and went a while ago as her ship was sitting under the baking sun of Whitefall. Sure they were not far away from Newhope right then but it wasn't exactly like they were teenagers and they could call and tell mom they would late for curfew.
A Comm had been placed to let the people know they were stuck for a few days and it was decided to let sleeping dogs lie. One known Independent ship on the planet was more than enough, having another to come and hand off was pressing it. They had been lucky enough to have been picking up armaments that had yet to be discovered missing. There was no talk about the job on the airwaves. It was better to take it slow and hopefully stay under the radar.
That didn't put the captain at ease though. "Tian Di Wu Yohn," Anisa muttered under her breath as she ducked her head slightly, entering the dining room and shooting the preacher a look as he sat there shuffling his deck.
Atticus Pearson
Location: Dining Room
The landing had been anything but soft and at the time it happened Preacher had been in his bunk thumbing through his bible until he was thrown because of the turbulence and all around fucked-up-it-ness of the situation. He opted to stay on the floor of his room until they either exploded or landed. He figured it was better than to try to get back into his bed or get to a seat and strap him, imagining he would just get tussled here and there again.
While the landing could have been worse he was just glad that his little collection of explosive materials hadn't decided to get temperamental during that time where he was laid out on the floor in his underwear and sock while staring down a box of grenades. A few bumps and bruisers were more than acceptable in his mind considering the alternative. Always better to be injured than, well you know, dead.
Sitting back in his chair, he rocked on the back two legs as he placed his booted feet on the table and crossed them; shuffling his deck of cards mindlessly while he listened to the captains voice ring out down the corridor. Seems she was pissed and was taking it out on Gideon yet again. As much as he thought she was too harsh on the boy or that what had happened wasn't his fault she couldn't fault her anger. It wasn't exactly the best place to be in right then.
Looking over to her he gave her a crooked grin. "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."
He couldn't help but chuckle as Anisa stopped in her tracks and her head whipped to look at him incredulously. "Habakkuk 2:3. I'm basically saying that shit happens when the time is right," he said before giving her a toothy smile as he shuffled the deck once again, letting the cards fold together between his fingers.
Granted that might not have been exactly what was being said in that verse but it was the first one that popped into his head and he ran with it. The bible was flexible by his standards. It was a guideline. Then again, it was the final say and law. So it just depended on his mood and the situation to what babble came out of his tower.
Camilla Powell
Location: Her Room (5) -> Engine Room
When all Jing Tian Dwohn Di had broken loose Camilla had been wandering through the ship nibbling on a strawberry. She had finished stowing their cargo in the various little smuggling holds that were through out Vengeance and decided to grab a little snack. It wasn't often they had fresh strawberries available but it had been part of the payment for the current little endeavor they were on so she figured she might as well enjoy it.
She had just sat down along the main walkway overlooking cargo bay, the one that connected access to the port and starboard shuttles. Her feet dangling over the edge as she rested her forehead against one of the railings. Everything seemed peaceful enough, then things started to go wrong. Like suddenly she weighed a lot less and alarms started blaring. Camilla leaned back as her head swiveled about, the strawberry held between her lips as she grabbed a hold of the steel bar. Then it got worse and she couldn't remember how she had gotten from up top to laying on her rear end at the bottom of the stairs, everything happened so fast but she had a bruised bottom to prove that she hadn't taken the easy way.
Yelling in Vengeance was never kept to just the room it was uttered. It traveled, like a megaphone through the place and even down in her room on the other side of the dining room from the engine it came in crystal clear. The captain was at it again but by the time she had grabbed hold of the ladder that lead up and out of her room the yelling had stopped and she heard Anisa's heels clanging against the metal with each step she took. Did the woman really have to where five inch heels on the ship?
Shaking her head she rested against a rung of the ladder and had to laugh to herself as Preacher started in on one of his sermons right then. Did the man want to start a fight with her? Letting out a long breath she looked up and made the climb out of her bunk and peeked her head into the dining room. Making note of the look on Captain's face. The woman looked like she was about to throw a fifth of whiskey at the mans head. Figuring it was better to remain silent right then she slipped around the back wall of the Dining room and passed them heading towards the engine room to check and make sure Anisa hadn't done anything but yell at Gideon.
Stopping at the doorway she crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the frame. "Piss in her protein this morning?" she asked with a smirk on her lips as she glanced around the room; her eyes rolling up and over the ceiling before looking back over to Gideon.
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