Anarion

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

“Singing?” Lareth tilts her head to the side in the classic stance of a quizzical Zaldarian. “I am not sure I really understand what you’re saying. But…I know what it looks like when someone’s got a problem that they just can’t let go. My son…you know.” She chuckles. “Like I said, that’s just how I think I guess. He’s a lot like you, just in a different field. And I know a little about love, at any rate.”

She nods to herself, and you can see her slowing down a bit. She glances down to the drone she put down, no movement to even try and pick it up. “I’ll think about the interface while I meditate. You’ve been hooked to the Kathresis a lot, I gather. So you’ll need to think about it too. It’s cold, a colder god than anything I’ve ever met, and more than a little disdainful. Wherever you got it from, you’ll need to think about what kind of song you’re going to sing to it to make it listen.”

She nods to herself, leaving the drone ignored at your feet. “I’ll need to rest and meditate soon, I’m not as young as I once was, can’t do long shifts. I’ll leave the drone with you if that’s alright. What should I take into my meditations? I’ll need something to reflect on for your song.”

***

Mirror, Jade, and Dolly

Valynia looks up from her papers when Mirror enters. She doesn’t stand. She allows the entrance to happen, straightening the documents and clipping them into a large binder she keeps at her desk.

But when you draw the glyph, a poem answering to the station’s beacon, her eyes widen and she blushes, a hand unconsciously coming to her mouth.

For a moment, silence hangs in the air, the only sound the faint, smothered murmurs coming from Dolly as she continues her heroic effort to melt through her bonds.

At last, Valynia takes a breath. “You are…beautiful” she says, smiling. “You are the mercenary, the One-Day Defender, Mira of the Fisher Clan whose star name is Whispered Promise.” She goes through each name in turn. “And…you are piloting the wrong mecha.”

She stands, walks over to Dolly. She runs the back of her hand, fur still smelling of her scent, along Dolly’s face, past her nose as she looks only at Dolly. “I actually quite like you, you know. That one over there, she’s out of my league, but you’re something special priestess. I hope I’ll get to see you again~”

Then she turns to Mirror. “I never expected this. I can’t imagine how the goddess could even contact you, of all people. I know the smart thing to do would be to hand her over without a fight. But…”

She gestures to your poem, and says aloud

“A thousand shards of light are a thousand names. Each one its own story of struggle and triumph. A sunlight treasure is most beautiful which is most beautifully earned. The keeping of a whispered promise.”

Her claws flash as she steps forward, and you can see that she wishes for a beautiful fight to remember this day.

[Valynia will spend her string immediately: Take an XP if you give her a beautiful fight to earn Dolly’s rescue.]

***

Isabelle

Chief Tomas is keeping himself in good shape. You can see he’s been up there with the crews working on the physical repairs. He’s got the thick, worked arms that tell you he’s been lifting heavy chunks of metal and working a wrench, and he wears the tight shirt with his mechanics jacket hung nearby that tells you knows it too.

When he sees you come in, he doesn’t put the jacket on, just finishes his chat with one of the mechanics and then walks over to greet you. “Ms. Lozano, a pleasure as always.” He doffs his head, tipping his helmet your way. Never one to allow head injuries in his repair bay, though he’s had to fight for that point a few times when the family has tried to cut costs with longer shifts. Are you familiar with those fights, or were they all handled by your parents?

Regardless, he’s surprised when you ask after the Emberlight. “Oh, did you want it back? The orders I’ve got are to retrofit it for long-term service protecting the mining interests in Nadir. They’re from you, said you were switching to the Novasurge full time because you didn’t like piloting a mecha once it had lost a match. We’re nearly done, it should be ready to ship out in a day or two guarding a delivery convoy to Terenius Prime and then on from there.”

It’s still in the hangar, but substantially retrofitted, focusing on moderate power laser weaponry for long-term service, a loadout that assumes it won’t be fighting anything particularly sophisticated. Of course, you never sent those orders. But you can guess who did.

[If this is as big a deal as I think it might be, you can mark your betrayal destiny line and reset it.]

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

“What does…language mean to me?” Lareth says its back out loud, changing the tone and inflection to muse. “It’s the uh, the words you say, I guess? I’m not sure, I only ever think about it when it’s a machine problem, like getting these drones to talk to the Kathresis.” She taps the drone with her foot, though looks like she’s decided better than lifting it with limited remaining energy. “I don’t really know how to answer that. I just like making friends, I think. Kind of feels like my son’s here when I’m talking to you, too. Older you get, the more you don’t see much difference between the signals and the hard metal in front of you. And anyway, talking like this has gotten me this far, so I figure I’ll just keep doing it. Need a good reason to learn something new at this age, once you’ve been through a few cycles, raised a kid, done the same work for so long, you go with what works unless you really get stuck I guess.”

She offers a shrug. “I don’t feel like that really answered your question. I guess…maybe it’s a time thing? You spend twenty or thirty years with someone you love, you get to know them so well they become your idea for sorts of big vague things, even how you think I guess. Does that help?”

***

Mirror and Jade and Dolly connected by synthweave

There’s a rush, after the combat. The mixed feeling of euphoria and of relaxation. A reward for adrenaline used quickly, or a reward for technical protocols fulfilled effectively in concert with an expert pilot, or a…blessing for correct behavior in line with the rules and role of priestess and goddess.

This close, with three parties linked together, these things blur into emotions, your own, others. Existing in a world that went from sudden motion to silence and slow rotation. There is no air in space, but there is force and wind, and the movement of asteroid dust that refuses to follow a single planar line as you make your way to the research station that is a pirate station.

The code that it’s broadcasting for itself is solar flare observation post, but also [cave behind the waterfall whose treasure may be solid or may be the light of the sun in a thousand shards] and in this there is the hand of someone poetic who enjoys laughing to herself at her own creativity.

The hangar is not large. It only had births for four mecha and a couple shuttles. One of the mecha was clearly away. Perhaps it could return later. The other three are now floating among the asteroids, their pilots bailing out for the slow spacewalk back to the station. The shuttle is still here. The interior is a light steel, almost silver, lit gently with a yellow tinge and not so harshly as the Terenians sometimes prefer.

The side of the hangar is equipment storage, munitions, looted cargo, possibly even some actual solar observation equipment and chemical analysis machinery. Ahead, there is a luxurious hallway, its sides lined with woven Hybrasilian tapestry. Based on its size, it could probably house at most thirty pirates snugly although based on the reception and craft here, as well as Dolly’s impressions, you know it’s more like twenty. Now minus three.

It’s not clear if anyone other than Valynia would intervene though. You’ve arrived in a powerful mecha that could wreck the station if it wanted, even with one arm, and has already defeated the defenders. The Red Band, isn’t going to go all in on comradery and unit cohesion to protect one of its members. Not at the cost of losing its only remaining transport out and being stranded in a ruined station out of revenge or frustration. It’s going to let you go for the kidnapper, claim your prize, and leave. Only Valynia herself is likely to offer opposition. The others will even point you toward the right door and offer compliments on the fight. One enterprising lioness shouts an offer of joining them. Of course, if you lose after the show on the way in, you can expect extensive taunting from the entire station.

***

Just Dolly

A pirate runs in to tell Valynia that the defenders have lost and the goddess mecha is coming into the hangar untouched. There’s a brief moment where Valynia’s tail swishes and you see her let out a stressed single crack of a laugh. Then it turns into a real laugh and she sighs and relaxes her shoulders, settling into her chair. She slides backwards, coming to rest leaning against you and stroking your face.

“Ha, a perfect plan ruined because I didn’t wait until the Stone of Dishai was repaired and your little goddess turned out to be too much for three huntresses. Where was that piloting skill against Erys, huh? Was she really that thrown by copying your outfit? No no, shhh, don’t try to speak, it’s a rhetorical question sweetie. I guess I’m going to have to give you up so she doesn’t wreck the whole station. But then, she’s a goddess, right? I’ll have to let her come to me. Or at least summon me. It would be rude to intrude on her, don’t you think?” She rubs your face affectionately. “Ah well, it’s been fun. And I’m sure I’ll see you around, Dolly~”

She gives you a big grin, and makes absolutely no efforts to loosen your bonds as she waits for Jade’s arrival.

***

Isabelle

Asil snorts a short sharp laugh. “We’re gonna have to work on your witty one-liners princess. Especially since the contract’s on the table already, you can do better.” She zips up your shirt for you, checking you over to make sure there’s no visible marks. “You go about your day, go take a walk maybe, do some studies. Let me handle this part. Here’s one for you, you couldn’t be in charge of a relationship even if you were hooked between 220 and ground.” She gives you a light little kiss on the cheek, barely more than a brush, leaving no sign. “I’ll make it simple. I will find you, and whatever you are doing, you will let me in if I ask. Even with that Zaldarian you kidnapped. Nice and easy, I think even you could handle it without getting confused. Now go, get outta here before someone catches us. Leave me to clean up the paperwork. Take the coffee, it will help get your mind straight.”

She puts your cup into your hand, makes sure you’re gripping it strongly enough, and gives you a little shove to get you moving out the door.

And then you’re out and you’re going to have to go…somewhere. Can’t just stop walking in the middle of a hallway, people will gossip.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

When you confirm that Lareth can speak to you, her whole body language lights up. She’d clearly been worried that she had the whole thing wrong but didn’t. When you get to telling her that it talks with battles, she’s almost reverent, and you can see her hand fiddle almost like she’s imagining writing that in her head.

“Of course, rather than try and force a more engaged interface, make the drones more autonomous. Trust the Kathresis.” She shakes her head.

“You know I ought to know that lesson. I’ve got a son about your age on Zathar. Not a grand pilot or anything, he makes clay things, a lot of pots for storage and art sometimes. You probably wouldn’t have seen his sort much, with all that running about for the empress, and the…banishment.” She shifts awkwardly, cutting off her story for a moment and half bends to pick up her drone again. But she decides she’s not yet up for hefting it with a bit of a sigh.

“So…anyway, when he’s bored and has nothing to do with his hands, he gets pretty irritable. We always had to find him something to be doing when he was younger till he decided he liked something. But when he gets going on a project, he’s a whole different person. Doesn’t want to be bothered by anything, but also not bothered by anything going on around him. It’s really something, he gets so intense, especially when he’s doing something he really finds beautiful and not just a quick job for someone else. He’s even got a piece in Halak Rasra’s new hold on Zathar’ak.”

She beams with pride. You wouldn't know the name she’s referencing. It’s an a general title for a new hold expanded from Zathar, probably into the system between Zathar and Styx based on the fact that their contingent is here. That system hadn’t been named when you were banished, so this would be a very recent establishment, with all its inhabitants being Zathar transplants.

***

Isabelle

For a few moments, there are no words. Asil hears yours, but her mouth is busy and her tongue has better things to do. She works her way down slowly, first the upper chest and then around to the back, savoring every second. Your skin goosebumps when the air suddenly touches it, and then she’s over that, heat and warmth running through you like electricity if electricity were also feather soft as it touched you. Each nip sends a jolt running through you and oh Asil is enjoying herself and never wants this moment to end.

It doesn’t have to end for a good while. But it does eventually, as your body adjusts and she starts to run out of new spaces to make you tremble. And she needs to breathe besides. She’s behind you now, hands around your waist, her chin resting on your shoulder. No marks where anybody could see them. At least as long as they don’t walk in on you in the shower.

“You really had me going there, princess. The high and mighty routine and how long you put me off. But I’m glad that we had this…business meeting.” She smiles and pulls your outfit up over your shoulder. One of you has been watching the time and it really wouldn’t do for someone to come looking for you because you went over your time block, would it?

Any final words for her? And where are you going after this? Where can you go after all that?

[Roll an entice for Asil]

***

Mirror and Jade

As you approach the asteroid field, three mechas launch from the nearby station where Jade’s neural link has been guiding you. They are Hybrasilian designs painted in reds and oranges, but not the newest models. There’s nothing like the tails of the Nine Drive System, nor anything like the sleek and powerful figure of Jade’s mecha or the stone fist of Dishai that Erys Bander had been piloting. These are what you’d call standard Hybrasilian design: small and sleek coming in below ten meters in height, shaped to match the average Hybrasilian pilot for ease of movement, with basic cloaking and a choice of weapons systems as well as a generation-old crystal fire drive.

One of them begins laser fire at you, weaving shots in between asteroid debris or simply shattering the smaller rocks to obscure vision. One draws a broad, two-handed spear and rushes you, using the pattern of laser fire and asteroid debris to shield its advance. A series of EMP net grenades are visible on its waist as well. The final one goes into cloak immediately to hide its armaments, though it’s an older cloak and imperfect at hiding its location as it advances.

It seems that you’ve encountered a pirate den in earnest, if a small one.

***

Dolly

Jade is close! You can feel her enter the area where the station is housed. On her own? No, that’s not the impression you’re getting through the bond. She’s got a pilot! Around you a warning klaxon is sounding, but you’re so deep in sensory overload that the sound barely registers. Valynia has gotten up and consulted with a few of the pirates, who raced out. She’s still here though.

She returns and runs a hand along your stuffed cheeks. “Seems your goddess has come to join you. Good girl. Try to make sure she doesn’t break too much on the way in, okay sweetie?”

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giri cocks her head as she stands from the fight with Hanaha, moving in front of Azazuka to protect the girl with her bulk. But the mud spirit isn't coming to fight, it's simply leaving with the demon maid and one of the N'yari.

Ah and there's the scribe pulling her tricks out to race after it. Giri grins. A horse summoning. What an excellent use for the fan!

She didn't feel the same urgency here, but they did need to follow the thing, preferably with a bit more knowledge in hand. She only has a small sigh as she considers. "Do you have a shaman among you? Tell me everything about this camp and this glade. I'm going to have to narrow down why that thing is here. We'll need to follow it too. You, and you..." Giri gestures at Hanaha and one of the other burliest N'yari "come on, I'm your shaman now until we sort this out, follow that thing and keep my guest safe. If we're lucky, maybe we can even finally take care of that damn Rakshasa."

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

The rust-colored Zaldarian mechanic hefts a Terenian-designed combat drone that she had been tinkering with as she walks over to you. Her movements are slow and careful and you can see that she’s conserving energy as she moves, indicating her advanced age. She drops the drone delicately as she reaches you, almost opens her mouth, then begins signing just a little too fast, like she’s awkwardly trying to get through what she wants to say and putting all her focus on it.

It’s an honor to be part of your household, Walker of the Mountain, I think. I mean, are we part of your household officially? I just meant, I’m Lareth, one of your engineers and a nanobot specialist. You used to pilot the Aeteline, the spirits still speak of you, even on Zathar and I never thought I’d meet the Walker of the Mountain because you were banished and even though I was called to venture into Terenian lands the odds seemed so incredibly slim given my time left.

You can see even through her rust coloration that Lareth’s embarrassed by how she holds herself and it gives you the impression that she developed a maternal crush on you from afar. Perhaps she even imagined you as though you were one of her children and she needed to look out for you. She must have been devastated when she received the news of your banishment.

She hesitates after her speedy signing, bending over the drone and trying to fiddle with it again. It hums when she does, to what appears to be her consternation.

I’m sorry to bother you, she signs more slowly, shifting into business. It’s just, the rifle has been no problem, that’s just a matter of directing the existing power output. But the drones, the Kathresis is fighting us. It works here, and I can configure it with nanobot activation, but the Kathresis doesn’t seem to want to interface with them. It’s almost like they’re rivals. I can’t work as long shifts as I used to either and I can’t seem to reach a proper communion with it to get past this. Do you have any wisdom you can offer me?

***

Isabelle

“Oh”

There’s a moment where the world is perfectly still. A single sound escapes Asil’s mouth as the words sink in. She does not move, you do not move, the fern does not move. The door, shut, blocks out all sound and the air is silent.

Then it shatters and Asil is suddenly standing, pressing you against the door with a technique and strength that belies her thin frame. Her hand is against your collar and she pulls roughly as she brings your head down to hers.

The kiss is fire. Her teeth sink into your lip, and her tongue presses against yours, taking dominance. She steals the words from your mouth, the breath from your lungs as she presses. You can taste blood as she bites harder, and the warmth of her tongue as she follows and everything inside you is heat and salt burning like a supernova.

She continues it long enough to make you beg to be allowed to gasp, to make you think that she wants to devour you whole. And then, finally, she lets up from that and jabs an elbow into your solar plexus.

“Okay Lozano” she says, deliberately, taking the time where you can’t speak or recover. “This is no pedestal. This is what no fucking pedestal looks like. This is how I want it. I better not have fucking got this wrong because if you say this isn’t how you want it, I will fucking die right here.”

***

Mirror and Jade

Outside of the idol, the cult is scrambling. Thrusters are firing and they’re detaching repair equipment and opening the Hangar bay as fast as they can manage. The sound of Hybrasilians hissing and screeching intersperses with running, but they manage the trick.

Flying Jade’s idol is unlike the Nine Drive System, but also unlike a typical Hybrasilian mecha in some ways. It’s far more solid and singular than the nine drive system, a complete body (currently absent an arm) for a goddess. Further, it has been modified over time to map closely to Jade’s form, to allow for her projected world and her physical world to align as much as possible. Because she is a goddess (and has had a planet’s worth of databanks to consider what that means) the proportions are not quite those of a typical Hybrasilian. Too tall, the arms too broad. These are small things, probably ones that Dolly never noticed since her piloting was as a high priestess worshiping for her projected goddess and the mecha simply aligned with that. But for someone closely observing all the details of the idol’s movement, considering its weight and balance and center of mass, these small things are noticeable.

Even so, it represents the latest in technology coming out of Hybrasil. The crystal fire drive is powerful, the idol is fast and strong, its shields and its armor sturdy. Being in repairs, it has only a small energy blade and small guns that are built into the body, nothing big that would be held separately with two hands or require its own mount that wasn’t fastened on. But that just gives more energy for maneuvering, an abundance of riches.

You have a moment, both of you, to savor this experience as you clear the Hangar and pass by the planets of Akar towards the faint signal of Dolly. Then, there will be pirates to fight.

***

Dolly

Valynia’s touch is soft, her paw tickling your ear as she runs a gentle caress down the side, along your head, and over the soft neck fur.

She’s finished with her work, she’s sent the stack of marked manifests out with one of the station crew, and now she’s alone with you, enjoying a different sort of torture.

“Thank you for being soooo well-behaved while I got some things done, little priestess~” She barely speaks above a whisper as that terrible, taunting hand moves to the back of your neck and gently caresses the fur, brushing against your hair as it presses. There’s no claws this time, no pain. Just gentle pressure as she massages you, down and to the sides to each shoulder, and then back up to once again caress the side of your head and gently over each soft triangle with the most delicate, slow care.

And here you are, tied up, unable to do anything but shudder and make soft moans.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Jade and Mirror

Jade is not the idol. The idol is not Jade. Mirror is not the idol, the idol is not Mirror. In the heart of the idol sleeps fire. But Little Sister Fire sleeps no longer.

The edges of the ring do not flicker but flare to life. The torches roar with white fire and a thousand colorful butterflies take off from their hidden perches within bushes at the edge of the ring. A blue one flutters past your nose, Mirror. They sparkle with light as they rise to the sky and become the stars and still the torches burn brighter. Jade did not do this.

Little Sister Fire has no voice save to roar, but you can feel the urging within her. Both of you, Mirror and Jade. The urge to step from this birth, to run, to soar. Every Hybrasilian mecha has a heart that yearns for a pilot, for movement and soaring and the free expanse of the stars. But Mirror did not do this.

Indeed, all Hybrasilian mechas are built with subroutines that cause power to flow to operational functions when the pilot and the mecha AI are interlinked. A convenience, a failsafe, a critical tool for rapid response. Mirror did not do this by growing herself to fit her cockpit. Jade did not do this with her vision. But together, you did this. Little Sister Fire always did like to light the way for lovers.

***

Dolly

It is very difficult to catch your breath, even a quarter hour later. You find yourself strung up, smelling heavily of the musk of many pirates pressing against you, thoroughly and repeatedly gagged, your arms behind your head and tied together, your legs tied together, your back pulled tight by the rope wrapped in a brace all around you.

In front of you, Valynia is taking a break to get some desk work done. It’s clear by now that she’s the huntress of her group in a literal sense. Erys is the strong one, the loudest most of the time. But Valynia, before you, is putting in the work of stalking prey in the modern sense. She’s got a huge stack of ship manifolds. Name, ship type and size, company, cargo, dock number, destination and jump route. She’s carefully digging through them, a small datapad on her right as she makes notes with a stylus. To a pirate, this might as well be a stack of gold or a tome of prophecy. It’s a mystery how she could have these, but now she is carefully reviewing them to select targets. Never too many from one source, never too many at one point. Flip, flip, flip. She licks her stylus absent-mindely as she makes her notes, an old school habit that you yourself might have done.

She’s ignoring you because you can barely manage a muffled squeak. You’re just a cute jaguar decoration for her room.

***

Isabelle

When you enter the small room, Asil is already there. The estate was obviously not prepared for a sudden change in your schedule and your mother had other plans for the larger conference rooms, all of which were booked. What you’ve got instead is what was supposed to be a solo focus room turned into a two-person meeting room. There’s a small table, round white top, barely large enough to hold the two cups of coffee someone brought in for you without making the saucers look like they’re about to tip off the table. The walls are slightly off-white, perfect for a no-distractions call or a no-distractions reading session. There’s a little fern in the back right corner with three fronds so that one is against each wall and the middle one keeps trying to tickle whoever sits near it. There are two low stools, they do not qualify as chairs.

Asil has already taken one, the one that isn’t fern-kissed. She’s also already holding her coffee. She takes a sip when you walk in to cover the cringe on her face. There’s a contract on the floor beside the table, the sponsorship paperwork which someone dutifully got for you based on the meeting title. They obviously gave up trying to find somewhere to put it though.

“Alright, what the fuck is all this?!” She asks as soon as you shut the door.

***

Solarel

You are insane, signs the priestess Hethar, her hands lit red by the star Akar. Admirably insane, one might say. Committed zealously to the ideals of Zaldar if not the society of Zaldar. I did not believe the Terenian when she said that you had prepared a…she stumbles here before deciding on the signs for “word challenge” for the Terenian lawsuit you had prepared for Ivy. But then, I am here, so I am also insane. Zathar is ignored and seeks other sources of wealth beyond the sight of the Empress and so we are all insane. You find yourself in good company, and the gods have blessed your efforts. I have had my fill of not believing for today. The Kathresis will be prepared precisely as you have specified.

She pauses and stares out from the balcony in silence for a moment as the sun dips into twilight and the reds turn to purples. It is quite beautiful, she signs.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

Priestess Hethar misses a step as she accompanies you. You can see she almost exclaims out loud in front of the Terenians before putting a hand to her face. She hitches up her robes and hustles to catch up with you.

Truly?! I…truth be told that was only a guess because of the focus you requested but I didn’t really believe…you’d betray the empress, your service, your knighthood, surrender perhaps the greatest god the Zaldarians have ever seen for love?!

She shakes her head as if to clear it, cocking her head like an owl as she considers you. You know, she signs rapidly, trying to recover from her shock. The most popular version of the story on Zathar is that the empress sent you on a secret mission to infiltrate alien societies, your banishment was a cover so they’d accept you, and when you win the tournament everyone believes that you’ll make a spectacular show of donating your prize to the empress to request what she wishes. They’ll never believe me if I tell them the truth.

***

Isabelle

You’ll definitely want to check on Emberlight later. Novasurge is a strong mecha though, and nothing to sneer at. Your setup is a heavy one. The rifle is too-handed, autocannons need to take up the shoulder mounts, so you need to mount the missiles on the back of novasurge. Adding on point defense and shielding as well means that you’ve filled up pretty much every hard spot with no excess power to spare.

There’s an art to fighting heavy, especially at range. If you do it poorly, you’re setting yourself up to be exploited. A faster, lighter opponent can outrange, outlast, or outmaneuver you, bringing their weapons to bear at ideal range while frustrating whatever you’re trying to do. But some of the best pilots prefer this kind of setup (Marcina Villajero, the previous champion, is particularly known as a master of this fighting style, though Adriana does not favor it).

The key is to get into the right flow state in combination with near-perfect knowledge of your capabilities and your own body. You have to know exactly how much you can take. When to direct power to the deflectors or the drive system and when to simply lean into the hit so that you can line up a perfect shot of your own.

You’re really getting into it and the Lozano pilots have stepped up to fighting you 2v1 when the jarring explosion of a missile going off near you sends Asil’s little message pod rolling out of your jacket.

In front of you a small hologram appears, and since you’re actively in mecha with no reason to have turned off your comms before now, her speech is broadcast to everyone listening or watching the match.

Message: “Isabelle Lozano. Why did you sponsor me? Was it just for the drones? They’re good, but not great. I thought…when we met it seemed like you saw something in me that you cared about. I certainly did in you, unattainable as you are. Maybe I’m just an idiot, huh?” *the small hologram stops and shakes its head. “I could have just sent you a mesh, let you directly experience how I feel, but that lacks a certain something. It’s why I got into doing this, our tech has such blindspots. But, I have my own blindspots and maybe you do too. If I’m…if I’m wrong, come see me. Come to me, find the time, tell me you want me to be here. Otherwise, well..” She speaks suddenly more coldly, as if finally coming to a conclusion: “If it’s just the tech you’re after then I’m grateful for the sponsorship but go fuck yourself for leading me on. I’ll be gone the second I find a higher bidder.”

***

Dolly

“Aw, poor thing” comes Valynia’s voice, blurred through the tears welling in your eyes from the pain. You just need to breath and drink some water, but you can’t get up because who knows what the pirates would do. Sitting here and being brave is the greatest challenge you’ve ever faced.

Which does not prepare you at all for the sudden ambush of Valynia coming up behind you and licking your face. Her tongue is rough and hot as she comes up the cheek, and she ends with a nip on your lip, the spice of the soup mixing with the salt of blood for a whole new round of spice.

“You missed a spot” she says, the grin audible through her voice even though you can’t turn around. You absolutely must not turn around suddenly. Or yell. Or jump up and give her a reason to further restrain her “escaping” prisoner. How are you going to seduce this dastardly pirate captain for Jade if you’re not only reduced to muffled moaning but you’re also so restrained that you have to be carried around the station helplessly?

***

Jade and Mirror

There’s the soft sound of scurrying paws from the cult. None of them have the temerity to disobey Jade’s wishes as to how Mirror should be presented to her. None of them would dare interfere with the goddess. But they absolutely, absolutely want to have the best view of what’s going on. And that means that a whole group of them are shifting positions in the elevated walkways, trying to keep up with the angles as Mirror had jumped and climbed, looking for the best view as she slashes the memory weave for her own bindings, and then making haste to keep up as she slides down and strips the goddess of her ceremonial wraps. There’s a swiftly hushed gasp from someone in the gallery.

Once Mirror is in, they’ll all make yet another rush to make sure the hangar is prepped for launch, as best they can for a one-armed goddess.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

Priestess Hethar signs back to you. Of course. As the chosen pilot of the Kathresis, you may direct its purpose. Nor will it come to any harm from the Terenians. They are instructed to obey the directions of my acolytes under significant penalty from their own leaders. The inhabitants of Styx have shown themselves to be independent of the greater Terenian forces and they did not lend any material aid to the war effort. As such, we have an agreement.

She offers you a slight bow, barely more than a head nod out of respect. It would, of course, be your choice as head of household whether to accept the Terenians into the household itself or if they should continue to be treated as outsiders.

She walks with you through the hangar then, not saying anything. It appears that she is considering how to propose something to you very carefully. There are many…speculations in the Zaldarian worlds about why you left the service of the empress. Is the Mira of the Fisher Clans the…reason for this choice?

***

Dolly

The smile of delight on Valynia’s face is so sincere. “Ah, that’s what you wanted huh? You’re such a loyal little thing, and I like that in girls I take~” She nuzzles you, cheek against your face, and then pulls you up with her strong hand to nestle you against her chest.

“Since you’re being good now, I think it’s time to claim you properly and show you around the rest of the station. Couldn’t have that before if you were going to bolt the first chance you got, or try and tackle some unsuspecting Bander.” She laughs like that was the funniest thing she could picture, the laughter rumbling through her body. Rested against her like that, you can feel that rumble penetrate through yours too.

But that’s interrupted by a sudden sharp burning sensation that makes you yelp! If you look at your exposed right shoulder, above it Valynia has a small laser in her hand and she’s burned off some of your hair. It’s a little hard to see with your bound form perched against her, but it looks like she’s burned the symbol for a caught hare into your shoulder. If you get the chance to look more closely, you’ll see it’s a stylized character for the precise moment that the hare is taken by the huntress’ teeth. This must be Valynia’s personal symbol.

Then she takes you out of your cell, still bound and gagged, and into the station mess. The mess isn’t particularly large. This is just a research station after all. It seats twenty, tightly. There’s some automation for the food, but also a Hybrasilian chef working in the kitchen adding spices to the pots set to automated cook times to make sure that there’s some good flavor. The mess itself has ten people, two Terenians (one the Terenian you came with) and eight Hybrasilians. Now adding you and Valynia. If you were looking into this Red Band, you’d find this interesting, since they had started as a strictly Hybrasilian pirate organization robbing shipping within your own sector of the galaxy, but had obviously expanded out to recruiting Terenians.

And then everything is a bit of a whirlwind. Valynia sits you on a chair and poses proudly next to you like she’s caught a prize fish and strung it up for a photograph. Suddenly, all ten people in the mess, especially the Hybrasilians, are all over you. Inspecting, pinching, pressing, rubbing. You’re the new prize, Dolly and everybody wants to make sure that they get to have a little fun with it. Someone, hard to say who in the pile, even slaps your butt hard enough to elicit a mrowl through your gag.

Eventually, when they’re all done, Valynia will untie one arm and the gag just enough to let you eat what is probably the spiciest meat stew you’ve ever had in your life.

Going to take advantage of this tiny speck of freedom?

Jade

The sensations from Dolly start to get a little overwhelming. Like she’s being touched all at once in more places even than you can manage. But of course you have to let that go because Mirror’s right in front of you climbing up your idol in what is absolutely malicious compliance with the dictates of a goddess and you’ve got a lot to say to her, don’t you~?

Mirror

You can tell, even with the limited data you have, that the goddess is distracted by something going on elsewhere. It might be her little priestess or someone else if anybody besides you right now and her glove have this sort of memory weave. But it’s obvious despite any efforts she makes to hide it that some external source is making it hard for her to give you a hundred percent of her focus.

***

Isabelle

Quar doesn’t keep you. She appears to be enjoying herself, but you are her captor and she is focused on teaching you communication. If you want to stay, you’ll need to come up with the excuse. You don’t, she doesn’t, and so you’re off.

It’s interesting that you’re carrying Asil’s message around with you though.

First off is mecha practice. You have the option of customizing the novasurge today. You don’t know your next opponent, so there isn’t a recommended setup specifically to counter them yet, but you can make some decisions about armament preferences. Do you want to focus on ranged or melee combat? Heavy or light, long or short, rapid fire or precision? Do you want a missile loadout, or would you prefer that physical equipment focus on a shield, a heavier weapon, or extra defensive generators?

Whatever you choose, you’re going to be thrown into the Novasurge and required to practice against some hapless pilots in your house’s employ. What do you want to practice? And are you carrying Asil’s message even into the cockpit of the Novasurge?

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Dolly

Valynia listens to those muffled angry mewls. It makes her stop her playful claw work and kneel down next to you. “Mmm, you’re a loyal priestess, aren’t you? Trying to valiantly fight me off. Hitting me with that purse of yours even though you knew it was pointless, just to show me how tough and strong you are, isn’t that right?”

She tilts your chin upwards and back down so that you nod for her while she keeps thinking. “But you know, I don’t need to stand in the way of you and your goddess. She’s welcome here too! The Red Band would be so happy to have that beautiful idol of hers. We’d bring her offerings every day. Especially if she were to, say, help earn them.”

She grins, a wide mischievous grin. “How does that sound, little priestess? I take you and mark you as mine, and then, if you’re behaved, I’ll let you call your goddess here to come join us and we can start up her cult right here. Then when the Red Band have our own planet, we can set aside a whole city for the worship of Smokeless Jade Fires and you can be her high priestess, bound at my side while I rule the province for both of us.”

Then she actually looks at you. No nodding your head for this one, though her palm presses just a little into your chin, pushing against the stuffing in your mouth. Valynia Bander is many things, but a small dreamer she is not. She thinks bigger than Erys Bander, maybe as big as Jacinta Niares herself, and she actually wants you to like this. You can see it in her eyes.

At the same time, you finally, finally feel something from Jade, but it’s muddled, maybe by the distance. Or…or maybe it’s muddled by what Valynia was saying. Maybe Jade’s interested in having her own cult city? Maybe Jade wants you to recruit Valynia for her and go along with this. That’s kind of what it feels like!

Jade

Dolly is distant and she’s…well she’s doing something, something with a close touch and a hand cupping the chin and it’s VERY DISTRACTING at the same time that your summoned pilot has arrived dressed to kill!

***

Mirror

The…engineering cult? The engineering cult has given you a respectful distance, likely at Jade’s request. They can hear her (and they have system monitoring going anyway, though the drape is hiding most of the damage from her last match). But they can’t hear you, you’re free to speak directly to the goddess with no interference.

***

Solarel

The priestess nods and bows before you and the Kathresis in a formal, low bow done without bending a knee. Her brown cloak and hood fall past her sides. She does not speak, but she raises one silver arm and sends a geist out that introduces herself to the Kathresis as Hethar Rasra, priestess of the forward Zatharian raiding hold under Halak Rasra. The geist requests information about the Kathresis, its nature, and its status.
Her name in this case does not necessarily indicate relation, but merely that she is adopted within the household. This would be the closest Zaldarian settlement to Styx.

As the geist begins to return information, she steps up before the Kathresis (and you, but she is looking up), lowers her hood to reveal an aged silver face, and makes a series of hand symbols offering a prayer to the Kathresis. She draws in turn the signs for small and dragon, then the signs for ice and death as she takes it in, absorbing information that it offers in response to her prayers.

She cannot have gained the full understanding that you hold from days of linked meditation, but at least a small piece of it has come to her and she has offered her prayers in return.

When she finishes, she gestures with one arm to both her crews to come forward. The three Zaldarians will approach the Kathresis and begin reviewing its body digitally for indications of damage, wear, or needed resources. As they direct, the Boatmen will begin assembling scaffolding, bringing in equipment and tools, and starting repairs and refurbishment as needed.

Finally, once they are all moving, she signs to you: I have been informed by these Terenians that you acquired a new god without a cult. I shall be directing its maintenance henceforth. Your bond with the god is acknowledged. This does not change your standing with the Zaldarian Empress, but the proper worship of this new god supersedes your banishment.

***

Isabelle

Oh, no, the tiredness is completely obvious. Once free, and despite her imprisonment, Quar offers you some of her food with an honestly caring look on her bronze birdlike face. She holds it up until you take at least a bite, so there’s really no choice on the matter.

She eats the remainder, fairly ravenously, then turns to you and begins signing. She tries to go slowly, like she is teaching a child. She points to herself, then signs, then points to herself again. The sign for her name most likely. She points to the food and signs. Then to her drink and signs. Food and water, or maybe the word for meal or something close enough. She does these repeatedly, prompting you to mimic her until you can do them smoothly.

Then she points between herself and you repeatedly and signs. She points to your mouth and prompts you to speak the words, and eventually you realize that she’s giving you the signs for teacher and student. Agreeing to the arrangement that you proposed upon your return.

This is slow-going, but valuable. The nanobots are helping your memory with these signs, assisting you in retaining and incorporating their meaning into lasting memory, but you have to figure them out by yourself one by one using mimicry and saying words out loud to make sure that you’ve understood correctly.
For a brief while, you can lose yourself in the flow of this. You’re learning a language and making connections between Quar and yourself, between your unique implants and your brain, between pieces of your own psyche. The Zaldarian sign language is rich and expressive, with gesture modification to express emotion (Quar is by and large calm at present and signing accordingly, but indicates to you excitement, fear/agitation, and anger). This makes sense coming from a species that, by and large, will not communicate with other species except through this medium.

Your time will be cut short though. You have lessons, you have mecha practice, you have technical studies, you have match video to review and a fairly substantial berating to receive.

But perhaps you don’t want any of that. What would it take for you to simply blow off your duties and stay here for the morning and afternoon, at least until word of your truancy reaches your mother and she comes looking for you?

[Spending one of my free GM strings to ask that question, answer truthfully.]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giri gives Hanaha a hard thump, pushing her weight down on the N'yari. "None of that. I've won. Your sisters are going to respect that too, right? If they don't, it would mean they don't respect you and you'd help me get my friend Azazuka on her way, right? She's under my protection." Giri gives Hanaha another thump for good measure, pushing the catgirl's head into the dirt, mouth still open from sneering.

Hanaha was probably enjoying this, the N'yari always did like a challenge. But in this moment, she needed her victory to stick. There were too many people here, too much risk, and too much to be done to just lean back and enjoy a nice N'yari vacation. And among all those things, Giri had promised to keep Azazuka safe and that had to come first. And that meant focusing on this match, and Azazuka's safety. Besides, they way Azazuka was looking, it would be fine if a N'yari caught her up for a few minutes. Just as long as they could make their exit afterwards and not have to wait for the turning of a full season.

She glanced to the side, just once, briefly. Well, she just hoped that the rest of that remained safely. She'd have to trust the scribe and the maid, both. Maybe that would work out, it's certainly not what either of them would expect.