"I take it we're not docked to drop off any passengers are we?" he said, assuming already that he wasn't going to be left at this dock.
"Naw, just a pitstop," She said with a wry commiserating grin, "And believe me, you wouldn't want to be ditched on this rock anyway. This place is miserably cold."
She didn't mean just temperature wise either, although Liore would have no way of know it. If they left him here the doc would never get off this rock, his skills and talents as a medical man would be far too valuable to let him leave. They wouldn't give him a choice, and he'd be forced to stay- to heal or not at their wim.
Not that they were giving him much of a choice in the matter either, but at least she would see that they didn't totally abuse their unwilling crewmember too badly. She was the one responsible for him being stuck here, it was the least she could do... Her eyes darted over to her brother, she did owe him one after all.
"Valko's doing fine, vitals steady, no new activity but sometimes people just suddenly wake up, sometimes they ease in."
He explained reassuringly. "Everyone's different, you know what he's like though, I'm sure you'll know when he's coming back before any of us."
Viva merely nodded and shrugged at the doctor's reassurance as she tugged her coat on fully. It would be just like her brother to prolong his convalescence just to vex her, but that would only be if he knew how much trouble he was in with her. She wanted her brother to be okay, but Viva also wanted answers... and she wasn't sure she'd like the ones she would get.
"Just sit tight doc," Viva replied pulling her headphones from around her neck, "We'll be out of here in no time."
With that she headed out of the ship, leaving Liore to his bedside vigil. Reaching the hatch she stepped out into the frigid cold silence that was Spaceport 241. Taking in the atmosphere, she breathed out clouds of breath that hung frozen in the air, the only sounds that could be heard was the quiet hum of electricity, the cooling tick of machinery and her own breathing. The place was mostly vacant, as it would be what with it being down for maintenance, just a few scraggly souls sculking in corners trying to keep warm, and she could hear a service patrol jogging by- probably a few miles away.
Donning her headphones, she was soon soothed by the raging metallic tones of White Noise Blackout, and nodding her head as she grooved to the pounding beat she set herself to work refueling The Lucidae. It had been a while since she had had to do something like this, everything was so automated now. Still, it was fun getting the fuel lodge open herself, and using the old robotics to move the spigot. Doing stuff this mechanical only served to remind her more of her brother. If he was up and about it would be him doing this for sure. After a few tries however, she finally managed to get the parts to mate up, and snickering to herself she turned to go top off the power cells.
About halfway through Night Rage: World Ending Love, about a quarter of the way refueled and almost finished with the power cells- Viva had been warming her hands with her breath before they froze solid, when she stopped cold. A chill had gone up her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature, and yanking the headphones off she whirled around with her brothers name on her lips -
Only to choke on her tongue as she came eye to eye with the barrel of a plasma pistol.
The pistol wavered in front of her face, clutched in the trembling grasp of a desperate looking vagabond. The man, or woman, honestly it was so difficult to tell what with how emaciated and filthy they were, was wild eyed and wracked with fully body tremors. There was a fervid gleam in those over-dilated eyes, and a blackened tongue snaked out to lick at cracked and grimy lips.
"Don' move," They hissed in a hoarse and wrecked voice, as Viva had slowly put her hands up, "Don' move don' move don' move. I'll kill yah. I'll shoot em dead ifin ya move."
A skeletal hand left the grip of the pistol, and made to grope and rummage through her pockets, "Where is et, gotta have it. Know ya have it. Gotta have it."
As the wasted creature grew more frustrated with the lack of anything on her person, it became increasingly angry.
"Give et to me," It shrieked and snatched at her throat, and slapped savagely at her face, throwing her music player to the ground, "Give et to Me! Gimme the NTH!"
Her eyes darting up from where her music player had landed, the sudden increase in silence making the creatures wailing shrieks for the dambed drug all the more loud, Viva's eyes pinned the druggy with her own enraged stare. The smoldering anger she still had for Noah getting them involved with Nth raged to a bonfire, and this pathetic exuce for a human being had just volunteered to be her punching bag.
With her still half raised hands, she brought them both down full force on the would be mugger's ears with a resounding clap. Then as it recolid and made to clutch at its wounded person, she brought them down on the back of it's head and shoved it down to meet her rising knee.
With a screach of pain, the druggy rocked back and went down hard, dropping the plasma pistol as it went. As it tried to scramble up to its knees Viva gave it a savage kick to the solar plexus- knocking the wind out of it and leaving it gasping and drooling on the floor.
With almost casual slowness, Viva bent down and picked up her musicplayer- and then the plasma pistol almost as an afterthought.
Stepping over to the squirming mass on the ground, she shoved it over onto it's back with her boot. Still gasping and weazing, the creature looked up at her with tears and blood trickling down its wasted face- to come eye to eye with the same pistol that it had used on her.
"Kindly do us a favor," Viva said, leaning down on her boot that was still on the creatures chest as she primed the gun, "Fuck off, before one of us kills you."
With that she removed her boot and shot the gun right next to the muggers head. The druggy screamed and yowled in terror as it scrambled away from her, and she gave it a parting shot near its boots to ensure it's retreat.
Lifting a hand to her face she felt at her nose, and pulled it away to find blood there. Damn Nth druggies were always freakishly strong even when wracked out with withdrawls. She'd prolly have a partial black eye as well- but what realy was fueling her fire right now was the fact that they were mugged by a nth druggy that KNEW they were halling Nth.
Slamming the powercell back into its slot, she checked the refuel and saw that they were nearly halfway through. As much as she would love to leave this rock now, they needed to be fully topped off in case they were caught into another chase. And they would be, someone out there knew that they were hauling Nth and wasn't shy about spreading the word- they needed to leave this rock fast.
Dabbing at her nose again, she kicked the hatch door open and made her way inside.
"Noah! Fuck-NOAH!" She hollered into the ship, "We have a problem- We-"
A clatter from the kitchen silenced her, and ducking behind one fof the crates she made shure the door was shut behind her before she made her way farther in. Had the druggy brought a friend? Nth users were usually too paranoid to maintain relationships but stranger things had happened, and after checking the powercells on the plasma pistol she made her way stealthily over to the kitchen window.
A glance inside and she saw a dark hunched and limping form scrabbling in the cubbords, coughing and groaning. Easing herself around the corner she mentally counted down to three before whipping herself to the doorway pistol brought to bare, "Freeze right there scumbag!"
Flinching back with a clatter as proteinbricks and other nonperishables clattered from thier places, Valko lost his ballance and fell back with a yelp onto the floor "Ow, Fuck! What the shit Viva?!"
"Val!" She cried back, immediately lowering the pistol and going to her knees by his side to help him up, "What the fuck are you doing in here?"
"I was hungry," He whined pathetically, and groaned as he put pressure on his brused and wounded side.
