[IC] Across The Galaxy - [Bonjour xx and Eve X]

[Bonjour xx]

The long ride from the Naval Base where she had been held did not do much to improve Kahjo’s mood. She had not anticipated she speed at which she would be dispatched to the task force’s locations and as such, had had to put together a rather ramshackle plan to escape. Normally one for meticulously careful planning when breaking out of jail cells, Kahjo had had to improvise. Without her equipment, without back-up and with officers guarding her that had been given the strictest orders of “do not engage with the prisoner, or else” her options for escape had been severely limited. Her escape attempt had ultimately been unsuccessful and had ended when several thousand volts of energy had been applied to her body, rendering her unconscious. Waking up already boarded on the shuttle carrying her closer to her mysterious mission had not improved her mood either.

Kahjo had flashed the pilot a smile that had had too much teeth, judging by how he had seemed slightly nervous afterwards. She berated herself for that, annoyed that she’d put the man on high alert. She then waited several hours for the chance to try and approach the pilot again, this time with a gentler, more friendly approach, but the opportunity did not present itself. The long hours waiting for the chance did allow her to take in and analyse her surroundings however. The other members on board the ship did not bother her, with the exception of the Desricarti officer. If he held a grudge against her - and Kahjo was pretty sure he did as she’d stolen from him a couple of years earlier - then that was just another problem to add to the increasingly growing list. She’d been careful not to catch his eye so far.

If the fact did not irk Kahjo so much, she would congratulate the Navy on the quality of their handcuffs. They weren’t the standard issue ones so clearly they weren’t taking any chances after her failed escape attempt back at the base. Kahjo rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, focusing on twisting her hands and running her fingers over the handcuffs, looking for weaknesses. Without her lock picking and hacking equipment, escaping her constraints would be difficult. Difficult but not impossible. However, there was still the matter of what she would then do. Kahjo was contemplating her options when the pilot’s voice interrupted her thoughts, announcing that there was something wrong with the engine. She listened to the others as they discussed how to best fix the problem, but she didn’t offer any help, even though a few ideas did present themselves to her. Instead she kept quiet and silently continued working on a way of getting out of this particular predicament before it went any further.

It was then that the Desricarti officer walked by and kicked her, demanding to know what she was doing on board the shuttle heading for the covert mission. Oh, so he was going to acknowledge her, was he? Smarmy git. Her immediate response was that she was handcuffed so that she didn't cut off his balls, but she'd quickly clamped her mouth shut before she could say it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her so heated. Instead she rolled her shoulders gently, adopted her default feline expression of noncommittal boredom before stretching out her lithe body, knowing his eyes would be drawn to it. She let out what she knew sounded like a contented sigh - she was a good actress after all - then turned her gaze to her former paramour.

"Oh darling,” she said sweetly, but her voice was laced with condescension, ”Can’t a girl get into trouble every now and then without the Navy getting involved?” Kahjo sent him a grin that could only be described as feral, bordering on predatory even.

Kahjo didnt push her luck any further though. If it came down to it right here, right now, with her handcuffed and weaponless, she wouldn't stand a chance. However the worse part of it was that the Desricarti knew it. A small 'click' caused her to break the eye contact she was having with the man. Kahjo's grin turned into a smug smirk as the handcuffs fell away from her hands. She rubbed her wrists, which were slightly sore from having spent the last few hours confined in the constraints. She then stood up and clipped the handcuffs onto her belt, lifting up her top garment a little to do so and exposing her creamy skin. She was going to keep those handcuffs, they were rather good quality.

"I'm taking these with me. You never know, they might come in handy later.” And with a wink sent in officer's direction, she sauntered over to the crew member holding her personal effects - and if she let her hips sway a little bit from side to side seductively, well, that was her business.

However, she didn’t get much further than picking up her few pieces of equipment - googles, mask, taser, satchel full of explosives (you know, all the good stuff) - before an almighty BOOM was heard and the shuttle jerked so suddenly that all its passengers were thrown on top of each other in a huge heap. You didn’t need to be an engineering genius to figure how that one of the engines had exploded and the shuttle was going down.

Kahjo mind snapped to attention. She quickly pushed herself to her feet and grabbed a deployment parachute. Securing her various gadgets, though taking special care with her mask as that would allow her to breath in a few moments, she took a quick look out the pilot’s window. She couldn’t make out much of the landscape below them but she knew they were in a pretty hostile part of the Lotorius sector - though where exactly was still unknown to her.

Well there was only one way to find out.

”I’d love to say around and chat boys, but I have things to steal, places to go and people to con,” the thief called as she opened the emergency exit door. ”Good luck not dying though!” And with that, before anyone could stop her, Kahjo leaped out the shuttle. Not a moment too soon either as before she had fallen fifty feet, the craft exploded.

[Eve X]

It took a crew to fly a spaceship. Sure, a shuttle could be manned by one, or, if you had the know-how or the money to man it with AI, then there was always that option. Sadly, it wasn't an option that Caiden could afford. Not by a long shot. The amount of credits it took was far beyond his wage. It certainly didn't help he had lost his one steady source of income.

Even though it had been months, there was no denying that Caiden was still bitter about his severance from the force. He had loved the job. It was in his blood. It was in his genes, goddamnit. All stripped away from him over a stupid indiscretion. How was he supposed to know the woman he had met in a club, had been a wanted criminal? Was he supposed to background-check every woman he was considering to screw?

It certainly had been overkill to force his resignation. Certainly some disciplinary action, a little tap on the wrist, would have been sufficient. Instead, his whole career at the force had been destroyed. He was told he had been lucky he had been given the choice of resignation, for a dishonourable discharge would've ruined his career in virtually any field, too. Not that it would've mattered much. Caiden's heart had been in the army. There was no other carreer he wanted to pursue. Nor were there many he was qualified for.

When it came down to it, he was a man of action, not thoughts. He had no real diplomas, no real academic achievements to write down on his CV. For over twenty years, the army had been his life. He had grown up in it, trained in it, worked in it. And now, he had been spat out by it as well. Left to the side like yesterday's leftovers. Penniless and prospect-less.

And he really would've loved the pennies right now to afford an AI crew.

“Seriously, Micraea, if you don't drop it now, I will drop you at the nearest space station.” Caiden groaned, indexfinger and thumb rubbing his temples.

“I'm just saying, Caiden. I don't think it's healthy to be chasing after your ex.” The stone-faced woman spoke, shaking her head slightly.

“Scrap that. I'll throw you straight out of the airlock.” The man grumbled, sending the Kayrhad woman a slight glare. Of course, the threat seemed rather idle. At an imposing 8 feet height and with an almost frighting amount of muscle, Micraea was anything but microscopic. Yet, her appearance was deceiving. As rough and intimidating as she appeared, it did not stop her from trying to mother him on occasion. And Caiden did not want to hear it.

“I'm concerned, Caiden. It;s too personal. The woman broke your heart” Micraea spoke.

“She didn't break my heart. She ruined my career. There's a huge difference.”

“You cared for her.”

“I did not. She was just a screw. And not even a particularly good one.” Caiden shot back.

The look the woman gave him made it clear she did not believe.

“Whatever.” Caiden grumped. “That's not what this is about any way. This is about the bounty. There's a huge bounty upon that perky little arse, and I'm going to cash it. This is business. Nothing more, nothing less. And if anything, she has this coming to her.”

“If you say so.” Micraea merely shrugged. Shaking her head slightly, the tall alien turned her attention back to the console before her, large body cramped in the somewhat small space. For a few minutes, a slightly heavy silence lingered between them.

“So, we stick to the plan.” Caiden spoke. The Kayrhad nodded.

[Bonjour xx]

The ground beneath Kahjo started to come into focus, at long last. The fall through the atmosphere of the unknown planet had been frigid, with the outside of Kahjo's fingers currently turning blue - from the cold and not from her genetics as a Thuboisii half-breed. She pulled the toggle for the parachute to open. Nothing happened. Well... fuck. Kahjo twisted as she fell, tumbling in a demented forward-roll fashion, trying to grab hold of wherever the backup cord was to be found. By the time the thief had found the life-saving toggle, the ground was looking scarily close. Thankfully when she yanked on it this time, the parachute shot out of her pack and sprung into action, thankfully slowing down the alarming speed she was approaching the ground below at.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kahjo took her physical condition into action, giving herself the once over as she drifted lower and lower. The explosion from the Navy shuttle and it's ensuing blast of debris had earned the notorious criminal quite a few cuts and abrasions, the worst of which was a nasty looking gash across her ribs that blood was flowing out of, drenching her clothing. Indeed, the blood had made it's way down the expanse of her torso and was currently running down her leg, heading straight for her black, leather boots.

Kahjo looked down at the landscape below, looking for a good place to land. The sight that met her emerald coloured eyes didn't please her. Nope, not one bit. For as far as her eyes could see from her high vantage point, there was only desert. Sand, a few rocky outcroppings and oh, more sand. Grrreat. Kahjo steered her descent to what looked like the flattest area to use as a runway for her landing. The landing was less than smooth, the sand giving way underneath Kahjo's feet making her stumbled and trip, causing the parachute strings to wrap around her. When she eventually stopped rolling, she looked like a fish caught in a fisherman's net. Letting out a groan of irritation, she started slicing her way out with the help of her trusty taser-knives that were strapped to her knuckles.

Stretching, Kahjo winced at the sting her wound, now full of sand, was causing her. She would have to cauterise the wound with some of her chemicals that she kept for bomb making in her messenger-style bag. It certainly wouldn't do to loose too much blood and become light headed - the sun would already take care of that. Kahjo made her way over to a rocky outcrop that had a slight overhang to it, offering the injured woman a sliver of shade from the blazing sun and heat. She slumped against the stone and reached into her bag, then started pulling apart a grenade bomb and mixing it with a viscous, purple liquid. Kahjo watched it as it sizzled, then lifted up her top, trying not to wince as she did so. This is gonna hurt... And it did. She had to bite her lip hard to not cry out when the concoction of the chemical cocktail touched her skin. It would be painful for several more days before it finally started to heal and scar, but at least for now the wound was closed and there was little chance of infection. As for the smell of her blood attracting any lurking, hungry predators, she was out of luck on that one. Kahjo cringed, taking into account all her blood splattered garments. Grumbling, she stood up and look around.

"Well, I better get a move on..." Kahjo mumbled to herself, then started moving towards the mountains she had seen on her descent.

[Eve X]

“We've got her on radar.” The voice of the ship's pilot, Sam Hutchins, sounded through Caiden's headset. With a slight nod to Micaea, Caiden raised himself from his seat, making his way from the crew's quarters to the command deck. The title was perhaps a little bit grand for what it truly was: A small cockpit from where Sam flew the ship. There was a second seat for a co-pilot, though there was no official occupant for it.

“There you are.” Sam spoke by way of greeting as Caiden entered the area. He barely even glanced up from his screens as Caiden took a seat beside him.

“Right. What do you have to show me?” Caiden spoke, eyes scanning over the radar before him.

“I still don't see how this is a good idea, Caiden.” Sam spoke up. Caiden stifled a groan. His crew of three all seemed to share the same thought, and apparently only Zilantia had managed to keep her thoughts to herself. Sam, his pilot, only seemed to picking up where Micraea had left off.

“Don't care, Sam. I hired you to be my pilot, not my judge.” Caiden shut the man down. Though the two went a long way back, Caiden had no desire to listen to any more judgements upon his judgements. He could tell his snippy response wasn't received too well.

“So, I'm not supposed to say anything about the fact that we are stalking a naval ship?” The man shot back sarcastically, a single red brow arched. “I don't know what you're planning, Caiden, but if it involves meddling with enforcers of the law, I'm out.”

“We're not.”

“Well, that's what it looks like.” Sam muttered. “So, what is it that we are doing that requires us to closely follow a thief that is already in custody?”

“I'm not the first officer she screwed. I doubt I'll be the last.” Caiden spoke dryly. “She's a slippery one. And when. Not if. When she slips away, we'll get her.”

“That's just pathetic, Caiden. She's in official custody. There's no way she's getting out. Sh- FUCK”

Sam's sentence was abruptly cut short by his surprised yelp. Before his very own eyes, an explosion tore through the very ship they had been following, shredding the metal into a thousand razorsharp pieces, hurling through space at lethal speed.

Hurtling right towards them.

[Bonjour xx]

Kahjo wiped her sweat-filled brow. The blazing sun, the heat and the humidity of the unknown planet she now found herself on were going to kill her within the next thirty hours if she didn't find a drinkable source of water. She might even have less time given that she had lost quite a bit of blood from her injury. The wound was cauterised and sealed now, but her body need rest to replenish the nutrients and ions it had lost. Furthermore, even if the notorious thief's body didn't give out, her wound and blood-soaked clothes could very well be attracting hungry predators from far and wide. Kahjo didn't like the odds that were piling up against her survival, but with no other choice, she trudged on through the desert towards the mountain peak that had only just come into view.

Kahjo paused, looking at the summit in the distance. She was hoping that there was a different landscape on the other side of the mountain, but even if there wasn't, she would be able to get a good idea of the lay of the land from the top of it and thus plan what her next move would be. There was a sickly feeling that made the hairs on the back of Kahjo's hair stand on end that had been with her for the past couple of hours now. She was been stalked, she knew that. She doubted whatever the creature was would make its move before the going down of the sun. No, it would wake until nightfall and then strike, attacking her when she was most vulnerable.

Looking back at the mountain, Kahjo knew there was no way she could reach it before nightfall. She had her equipment to defend herself - goggles, explosives, taser - but no real weaponry like a heavy duty gun. Not been used to confrontations as a thief, Kahjo didn't carry such things. Moreover, she preferred to travel light - it made for a quicker and more efficient escape. However, given that she had suddenly become the prey in a deadly hunting game, Kahjo was seriously rethinking her aversion to guns.

Kahjo filled her goggles down, to try and get an idea of just how many mysterious creatures were following her. They were stealthy and had she not been the same, she would have never known she were being followed. The technology in her googles picked up several heat signatures from trails, but not much else. Whatever the creatures were, Kahjo's goggles weren't picking up their data. Kahjo cursed and gripped her messenger-style bag filled with her chemical weapons a little bit tighter before setting off again.