[IC] Justice among the stars

[Flynn]

Aidan walks through the long metal corridors till his eyes catch a bar called the 'Drunken Astronaut'. He swings the door open and enters the building. Everyone turns his head to Aidan and his seals. They quickly focus back to their own business, clearly not wanting to catch the attention of an Inquisitor. People were usually afraid of Inquisitors. He couldn't blame them since the Pantheon probably held the most power in the galaxy, apart from the Terran Council.

He sits down on a stool in front of the bar and slams his hand on the counter, catching the attention of the bartender. The sweaty man quickly makes his way to Aidan and puts up a warm smile. "To what do I own the honor of serving one of the most holy Inquisition? What will it be?" Aidan quickly glances over the man, but his attention quickly drifts off to the list of drinks. "I'll just have Temodian Whiskey. Pour in another as soon as a pink haired lady walks in." The bartender nods and gets out a brown bottle. He quickly pours the content in a small glass and slides it to Aidan who catches it in his hand and downs the drink in one go. He shakes his head in response to the burning liquid gliding down his throat and looks at the bartender again.

"And now for information. What's the news on the station? No signs of dark cults I hope?" The bartender quickly holds up his hands and shakes his head. "Noooo... Nothing worth mentioning here. We're just a small space station that welcomes newcomers to the Sol System. All devote believers of the Pantheon here. May Kaadilan guide our righteous path and all that. Though there are dark tales from travelers that come from the all over the galaxy..." This makes Aidan raise an eyebrow and lean on the counter. "Go on..."

[Angel Vicky]

Val did not agree to wearing the Inquisitor symbol on her clothes while dealing with civs. They would get very uptight and closed off their information upon seeing it, she had learned throughout her travels. And so she would often go under cover as a mercenary or pirate. She overheard a couple of people talking across the stall from her.

"Hmm....interesting..." She thought to herself. She then picked up her bag and proceeded toward the Drunken Astronaut.

She pushed the door open with some force behind it, that it slammed open and everyone in the bar turned to look at her. She glares right back at them all. She was not to be messed with.



The bartender did as Aidan ordered and poured her a whiskey as she approached the bar and dropped herself on the stool next to the Inquisitor.

[Flynn]

Just as the bartender was about to tell his findings, Val slams open the door of the bar and marches inside. She heads straight for Aidan and sits down next to him. Aidan simply raises an eyebrow at her. "That was... quite the entrance." He looks at the bartender and points at his glass. The man quickly pours another whiskey and shoves it off towards Aidan who catches it once more. "So lovely that you could join us here, milady." He bows his head in jest and takes the glass that the bartender poured for Val and places it in front of her.

He downs his own glass in one go and let's it swirl in his mouth for a couple of seconds before swallowing, feeling the burning liquid glide down his throat. "Tell me. What have you bought, and more importantly, what did you hear? The lovely bartender here was about to tell me some fascinating news as well. Bu you go first. "The man looks at her inquisitively and awaits her story.

[Angel Vicky]

"Yeah well. Start as you mean to go on. Tell people not to fuck with me." She gave a mischievous grin as she downs her whiskey in one then coughs. "...Smooth..." She pats her chest. She didn't appreciate the taste at all.

"I heard a couple of gossips, saying about some abandoned wreckage out in Sector 4 of the Quadrant, no-one can say what happened to the ship or its crew. The people on board all vanished without a single trace. And the ship was undamaged, but it lost all power and its just floating there unable to move. They start salvaging next week." She explained her story and then lifts her glass up. "Another." She had to give a good impression to her new mentor - she could handle herself and her drink. Although, she preferred to keep herself in top physical condition and rarely drank. This would go straight to her head. So she DID have a vulnerable side.

[Flynn]

Aidan scratches his beard as he listens to her story. "Hm... It's strange that we didn't get report about that. Probably an oversight or dealt with by local authorities." He shrugs and orders another glass as well. He looks at Van down another glass and tilts his head. "You're not proving anything by drinking a drink you don't like you know. It are your taste buds though..."

He focuses his attention to the bartender. "You were about to tell me something interesting!" The bartender nods quickly and leans forward so that only Val and Aidan can hear the story. "There is talk among travelers from sector DB-291 about witchcraft. They say an entire planet appeared in that sector about a Terran week ago. Just... pop... like that. Out of nowhere. Now, of course people from sector DB-291 are never taken really seriously because most planets are pretty backwatery, but still, it's hard to make up planets, even for them." The bartender shrugs and leaves the two Inquisitors. Aidan turns to Val and scratches his beard once more. "Interesting... How much do you want to bet that that's the assignment Lunt is going to give to us?"

[Angel Vicky]

"I'll bet you a year's worth of drinks." Val winked at Aidan. She was a tomboy at heart, knew how to get along with the fellas. This story sounded very confusing though. A planet popping out of nowhere..? It was like something from a fantasy novel. Val downed her second drink with another scoff and pushed the glass away from her on the counter. "That's enough of that shit.." She brings out the bag of provisions for him to inspect. Food, water, all-weather clothing.

[Flynn]

"Pfff... You'd be dead before that year is over because of alcohol poisoning." He let's out a snicker and shakes his head. "Right, let's see what you bought." He looks in the bag that Val is showing him and his eyes glide over the varies of items. "Hm, good... Good. Food, yes. I'm a bad cook, so good job with those instant pack things. Water, yes yes. Very good. They forgot to refill the water tank back on Earth. And... is that clothing? You mean your armor isn't outfitted with internal climate control?" He looks up and smirks at her. "Good job with most of the stuff though."

Aidan gets of the stool and beckons Val to follow him. "Come, let's return to the ship if there is nothing else you want to do. If we do not have the assignment now... I will really start to think that Lunt is slowly getting worse at his job." He shakes his head and let's out a sigh, opening the door of the bar and leaving it, heading straight for the airlock where the Invictus is attached.

[Angel Vicky]

"I don't like wearing Inquisitor armour all of the time, it will come in handy for reconnaissance." Val called after him as he left the bar. She caught upto his walking stride and matched his striding speed. "Not all tasks should be done so...openly, Partner." She informed him from past experience. "Sometimes if people dont know who they're talking to, can let slip the most important information we need."

Some people were scared of them. And others hated them that much they'd feed false information just to see an end to their lives. Sometimes it paid to be discreet. She followed him onto the ship.

[Flynn]

Aidan scoffs as the hatch to their ship opens up. He steps through and enters the Invictus. "It's not like we're doing anything with the information that is given to us. It's more a way to keep in touch with the 'normal' universe. We're often so busy with all the supernatural and such, that we often forget what's normal. Talking to the people gives you perspective." He turns around to face her and smiles. "The information they give us can be whatever they want it to be. It doesn't matter." Then he turns around and heads for the cockpit.

Sitting down in the pilot chair, he opens one of the windows on a console. A direct message from HQ. Their job had finally arrived. He opens it up and a video starts playing. Aidan pauses the video and calls for Val to come to the cockpit. When she arrives and sits down, he starts the video.

The video shows a rotating planet whilst someone is talking. "Welcome Agent Aidan Crowe and Agent Valentisha Vivier. You are tasked to go to Sector DB-291, better known as the Yirigo Cluster. The planet showing is an undiscovered planet that has not been seen on our radar for ... well, ever. We want you to go there and check it out. Thus far we have managed to put up a quarantine and no external contact has been made. You'll be the first to land. Report if anything seems out of the ordinary or if you get the idea that the planet reeks of Dark God energies. Good luck and good hunting. HQ out." The video closes automatically and Aidan looks at Val with a grin. "Called it."

[Angel Vicky]

Val only gave Aidan a look of concern. "Planets don't just pop up out of nowhere." She worried what they may find there. She sighed as she sat back in her co-pilot seat with folded arms and one leg crossed over the other. "So, whats our strategy? Send scouter droids in first or just go in all guns blazing?" She wondered what kind of Inquisitor Aidan Crowe was. Whereas Val could be anything you wanted her to be. Your sword, your shield, your executioner. She was good with her words but she was never any good at that touchy feely stuff. The most you'd get out of her was maybe a fist bump at best.

[Flynn]

Aidan detaches the Invictus from the Space Station with a few button clicks. He steers the ship towards the beacon and enters the coordinates for sector DB-291. The Beacon, looking like a large tower with a sphere in the middle of it, is constantly glowing as new ships arrive almost every second. The Invictus is just one more of the many ships, and trail of energy shoots to the Invictus, powering the engines. The ship shoots away, leaving a blue trail until it's off the radar.

In hyperspace, Aidan leans back on his chair, watching the timer tick down. An hour until they dropped out of hyperspace. Another hour to fill. He places his fingertips together and touches his mouth. "We'll make a quick planetary scan for any lifeforms first and process how many of those are humanoid. Then we land down where the concentration is the highest. If we find humans, we 'question' them. If we do not, we'll use the Particle scanner of the Invictus to see if there is any Dark God magic in play. If that's the case, we blow the planet. If the populace does not cooperate, we blow the planet. Even if the environment is just too hostile... we blow the planet. But if everything turns out fine, I'm sure we can give colonization a go." He shrugs and focuses his attention on some other terminal that shows a bunch of numbers and statistics.

[Angel Vicky]

Val raised an eyebrow and slowly turned her head over toward him sitting in the main pilot seat. "How are we exactly going to blow the planet?" The Invictus cant have weaponry capable of that fire power surely, she thought...could it?

So a whole hour to sit and plan and think. She wondered if Aidan would ever read his old partner's diary.

[Flynn]

Aidan points at a screen, showing two icons of rockets. "Deepcore charges. Every Inquisitors personal ship are outfitted with a maximum of two. You place these bad boys on a flat surface, and they will drill down into the core of the planet. There it will detonate with such force that the entire planet goes BOOM! A messy, but sometimes necessary action."

Aidan turns the chair 180 degrees around and gets up. "I will be in my bunk. I got some... reading to do." He gets out the journal from under his robes and shows it to Val. "Try to enjoy yourself in that hour. If you have questions about something, just knock on the door." He walks off into the hallway, enters his own room and closes the door.

[Angel Vicky]

Val put her feet up on the edge of the console to take in the quietness and beauty of space. She always loved just to stare up with her own thoughts into the endless blackness. She never saw an empty cold abyss. She saw a vast expanse of wonderment. She placed one hand behind her head and relaxed back, waiting for the journey to be over. This was the only peace she would ever get between missions. And so she intended to enjoy the quiet while it lasted. For she never knew what tomorrow may bring - whether it may be her last day alive.

She did wonder how Aidan was going to be after reading his partner's diary. Would he be sad or angry? Whatever transpired between them before the end, it clearly affected him and it would do no good to bottle it all up. So she hoped as the two grew closer together as a team, he could come to rely on her as a comforting shoulder to cry on. And so she would wait for Aidan to open up. Although, if she ever did have a man cry on her shoulder for real she may just end up slapping some sense into him and telling him to man up. She smiled to herself upon thinking of Aidan's reaction if she just slapped him. She had her mischievous and playful side after all.

She tapped her foot lightly on the metal counter, listening to the sounds of the ships console. She was always on watch, always on edge for whatever may appear out of the blue. She never could quite relax one hundred percent.

[Flynn]

The hour passes in near silence, only the humming of ships engines disturbing it. Suddenly shouting and curse words can be heard coming from Aidans room. Although muffled by the walls, his words can still be heard clearly. "You stupid fool! Why'd you do that... It is written clear as day, even here by yourself! And yet you still make the stupid mistake!" A harsh sound can be heard. Some dull object hitting metal. The door glides open and Aidan steps out of his room, a thunderous look on his face.

He walks up to the pilot chair, pays no attention to Val and sits down. The timer, only 10 seconds left on it, begins to make an alarming sound. "Yes, yes. I can see it. We're there. Leaving the H.T.R.^* in 3... 2... 1... Mark." The view in the cockpit flashes white for a second before turning black once more. Well, not completely black. Most of the view is obstructed by another Beacon. Of to the side can be seen some smaller space stations, none as large as those on the Sol System.

A message appears on one of the screens in the cockpit of the Invictus. It reads 'Welcome to Sector DB-291. Please refrain from nearing the coordinates 281.12893.4123. If you are found within a 10.000 kilometer range, you will be detained. Thank you for your cooperation.' Aidan steers the ship away from the cluster of space stations and the Beacon. "And guess which coordinates we are going to." He types in the coordinates, puts on the automatic pilot and stands up, walking to a lever on the wall. "This lever will turn on our Inquisitorial tracking code. It basically refrains the automatic defenses from shooting us down. I usually keep it off as to not attract to much attention to the Invictus."

(( ^*Hyperspace Travelling Route))

[Angel Vicky]

Valentisha was brought out of her calm and meditative state by the sound of the shouting and the sound of an object being hit. She sat forward, bringing her legs down to the floor, her clunky boots making a thud.

She watched Aidan with her piercing blue eyes intensely. She waited for him to finish the ship's controls before asking. "Everything....all right?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow. She could care less about his 'feelings' but rather, she wondered if his emotional state could affect this mission. Anger could lead to making mistakes.

[Flynn]

Aidan looks at Val with a blank face and shrugs. "I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?" A beeping sound announces an incoming signal. A screen flashes on and a man in black combat armor appears. "Inquisitor Aidan Crowe. We have your ship on our radars." Apparently they entered the 10.000 kilometer range. "We are aware of your mission regarding the planet. If you have any need of our assistance, we stand at your disposal. In Black we serve." The man salutes and the link is cut.

Aidan sits down in his chair once more and takes the yoke. He doesn't look at Val but starts talking to her anyways. "See that control panel to the left of you?" His finger points towards one of the many control panels. This one being attached to the left most wall of the cockpit. It has many display screens and some levers and buttons. Sitting in the chair, it is just out of reach. "Those are the controls for observation drones. The Invictus carries five of them. I want you to take control of them as soon as we are near the planet. Just pick a nice spot for them somewhere in low orbit, and put them in hover mode. While the planetary scan is running, we can observe the surface from up here."

The planet that so suddenly appeared, was quite close to the Beacon. It didn't take long or there was a dot visible to the bare eye. "There we have our mystery planet..."

[Angel Vicky]

Val leaned in toward the screen, her blue pearls peered at their mystery planet. She took in all the information he gave. "Controls for five observation drones, put them in low orbit in hover mode, got it." She gave him a confirmation of a nod at his orders.

As the ship neared the planet enough. She hit the control panel and five drones were sent from the bow of the ship. She picked five spots in equidistant from one another, spread out across the planet. She patches the static through the visual comms panel where they could view the surface in the comfort of their cockpit. She waited for anything unusual but so far it looked like any other normal planetoid. With rocky terrain, trees and water.

[Flynn]

Aidan reads out the incoming information that rolls in on one of his many screens. "Stable atmosphere, breathable oxygen levels, no weird colors in the terrain I dislike... Huh... Nothing out of the ordinary. You'd think that a planet popping up out of nowhere would at least look a little... well, I don't know... Stranger I suppose?"

The planetary scan that had been running for some time now, finally finishes with a beep. On a screen to the right of Aidan appears an image of the planet, colored in different colors. Aidan points at the picture. "The greener the color, the more biodiversity. No purple, so no traces of unknown particles and would you look at that. Red dots means humanoid lifeforms. All huddled around the Equator. Right, I see no point not setting down and checking it out. I'm think I'm going to put us down on the landmass that looks like a hat."

The Invictus enters the atmosphere and burn marks appear around it as it goes lower and lower. It doesn't take long for the black of space to be replaced by the blue of the sky. Before the two Inquisitors lies a sea of green. A massive jungle as they could be found on Earth so long ago. Aidan let's out a whistle in appreciation and looks at Val. "Quite something."

[Angel Vicky]

The Jungle on A World of Mystery..

A small smile begins to form on the cold hearted Valentisha Vivier upon hearing him whistle. She slowly turned her head to reply Aidan's comment. "Paradise." It seemed the ice queen had a soft spot after all. For green and nature. Although, she tried hard not to show it, her face betrayed her cool and calm composure, almost trying too hard not to care about anything. But she had to have this bravado in order to save herself the hurt and pain of loss. Keep others at bay long enough and soon they will care not for your parting.

"What we waiting for then, Partner?" She lets out a quiet chuckle as she took point with gun in hand and with one flick the blade extends forth over the barrel. She was a woman of action and few words. Her long legs stride powerfully, with each heavy step came a loud thud into the grass, creating a footprint. Her eyes scanned their surroundings.