KiraVanhelsing

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Ursa took out one of her pistols moving through the ship along with Orion cautiously just in case another of those creatures were on board. When they reached the hallway Ursa let out a sigh, thankful to see Cel up and talking. She placed her pistol back in its holster and crossed her arms, about to comment on Cel’s last words when Orion turned to Ursa implying that he desired his jacket back. She smiled almost too sweetly, pulling it off her shoulders as she handed it to him, “Of course. I feel much better. Thanks for letting me use it.”

As he reached to take it, she pulled it away slightly watching him extremely carefully before she released it to him, noting his slight insistence. Interesting. She had already snooped in the pockets, making note of each of the items inside, but not removing them. She then turned to Cel and placed her hands on her hips, “Now you! What the hell happened Cel? I found you passed out on the floor and the golden alien your talking about just above you. I almost shot it before it entered your body!”

She held out a hand to Xael, hoping to help her up as she waited for Cel to respond.

Cel watched as Ursa and Orion walked into the room. “Ursa… Sorry I don’t know what happened. I was telling Xeal here about what I just experienced. I still don’t really understand it.” Cel did his best to recap what had just happened to him. Saying everything out loud though made everything seem like a fever dream. The fuck was Golden Experience? He looked at Orion who seemed to give him a strange look. “Look, I’m not talking about some sexual bullshit if that’s what you’re thinking.” He gave Orion a dirty look. “Anyways. I don’t know if that makes any sense but, that’s all I remember.”

Ursa tried to stifle a laugh as he talked about the Golden Experience, imagining exactly what he didn’t want them to see, before speaking, “Well..I’ve never heard of a creature that is capable of performing such a feat, but it seems as though this creature doesn’t wish to harm you which is a good sign. Although it did knock you out and changed your hair.”

She placed her hands on her hips, “And this is the first time you’ve ever seen this thing?”

At the mention of his hair, Cel ran his hands through and looked at what he was able to see. Most of it was black at this point, but he could see that it started to fade back into blond. Everything was so confusing right now and nothing made sense. He could see Ursa trying to not laugh and it looked like the others were holding back a giggle as well. This started to piss him off. Cel stood up then walked to the other side of the room.

“If you’re not going to believe me then maybe I can show you.” He grumbled then took a deep breath. “Golden Experience!” He yelled and stuck a pose. The golden like figure fazed right in front of Cel and posed just like Cel did. “Holy fuck it worked!” Cel took a step back. “Can all Yakuza do this or is it just me?” He thought to himself.

Ursa jumped back as the creature came out, also slightly surprised that it worked, “What the hell! That thing is freaky Cel! Are you sure it won’t hurt you?”
She kept her hand poised at her hip, preparing to shoot the creature if need be.

Cel watched as Ursa placed her hand on her hip. “I have no idea if it’ll hurt me or not but, it might hurt you so you might not want to pull that out.” Cel motioned to her hip then got out of his pose. With that, the stand disappeared back into him. “Look all I know is shit’s weird and someone owes me some jugs. Normally I don’t care about that but, right now, I feel it’s okay for me to ask that.

Ursa brought her hands away from her gun, waving them slightly to imply that she was being friendly. Her expression dropped as she raised an eyebrow, “You better be careful, having a parasite like that attached to you. I don’t know where he came from, but we don’t necessarily have the time to deal with it, after what just happened. Also, try not to die! If the head of the Yakuza dies on my watch, my rep is blown.”

At his mention of her boobs, she shrugged, pulling up her shirt quickly to give him a quick glance before she laughed, “Not that special really. Keep it for your spank bank bud, cause you ain’t ever getting to see em again.”

She walked up smacking him on the shoulder before she winked at Xael, “I better get back to watching out for pirates. Once we get to your ship Orion, I have to call my crew. They probably think I’m long dead now.”

She pointed for Cel to follow her, “I need a minute with him alone first. Sorry guys. Just a quick business meeting.”

As she headed back into the cockpit she turned to Cel with a serious expression, “Now that it’s just the two of us. What do you make of them? The girl seems innocent enough but I find it’s suspicious that the general there knew that ship’s build and just happened to be on Phobos. His story makes sense but honestly, Phobos being targeted is ridiculous. Other than the Yakuza and the Draconians, the place was a shithole.”

She rubbed her eyes and looked back out at window, “Also..are you okay? I didn’t lose anybody on that rock, but I know a lot of your men just lost their lives out there. Good guys. I don’t want to upset you, but that must be hard...”

Cel walked with Ursa back to the cockpit and listened to what she had to say. “Yeah, I don’t really trust that Orion guy but then again I only just met him. I want to trust Xael, but again we just met her and in a very strange way. Back to Orion though I think he is hiding way more than he is letting on and until I can get all the info out of him, I will never trust him.”

He thought for a bit after she brought up Phobos. It was strange that Phobos was targeted for an attack like that. All that was really on Phobos was an abundance of criminals and then also a hub for trades. “I want to know more about the ship that attacked us. Maybe then we will learn about what the hell happened. I do still think that Orion has more to tell us but then again he probably wont say anything to us. We need to gain his trust.”

This was the first time he thought about the rest of his group since the explosion. He did lose a lot of good men but he didn’t really want to think about it. “I’ll be okay. I don’t know who all lived or died but all I can hope is that someone made it to my ship and lived. Let’s just finish this mission.” He held back a tear then walked off to see how the others were doing.

Ursa nodded quietly, “I’m glad we are on the same page about Orion. Keep an eye out and if you learn anything let me know. I’d rather have someone scratching my back out there if ya know what I mean. Same goes for Xael, there is something about her thats different. I can feel it.”

She watched as his expression changed at her comment and felt for the guy. She didn’t want to be the one to remind him of his loss but he needed to face the possibility now before they were on Orion’s turf. He needed to keep his head in the game, so to speak. She gave him a quick nod, “Alright. If you need to talk about it. I’ll listen man.”

She watched as he headed back to the others, making sure he was gone before she turned back to the control panel. She hit her vid-com trying to see if she could get a signal, knowing full well it was impossible. She slumped in her seat after the dial tone disappeared, digging her hands in her hair. She began to think, about her predicament and how she would be able to stay on top of this disaster, watching for pirates lurking behind the stars.

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

The large plasma cloud that Orion pointed to made Ursa squirm, her voice slightly scratchy, "Probably could get through it, but the ship doesn't need the extra damage."

With Orion putting in some coordinates and setting the ship to autopilot Ursa changed the temperature back to normal before she stood up, stretching slightly. She rubbed her neck, "I suppose I can take first watch..I am still burning off some energy from the chase."

She watched as Orion took off with Ace and walked over to her hat turning it around so that she could push her bangs out of her face before she looked over at Xael, "Thanks for the directions, and the ship. I know having us bums join you probably wasn't what you were planning today."

She gave the girl a once over, wanting to mention what happened earlier with her eyes when she figured she should go check on Cel. He was her friend after all and he seemed to be struggling with something physically. She pointed to the door, "I'm just gonna go check on long locks. Want to keep an eye out for a few minutes."

At Xael's response she smiled walking towards the hallway connecting the cockpit to the weapons station, "Cel? You all..CEL?"

She looked over to see Cel with thick black hair and a gold alien-like shimmering just near him. She pulled out one of her guns and narrowed her eyes, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM JACKASS! You don't know me but I can promise you I am one hell of a good shot. So unless you want one between the eyes. I suggest to you. STEP. BACK."

She was deadly serious, and the creature seemed to take her warning honestly before it leaned down slowly towards Cel. She prepared to shoot it as it prepared to strike her but instead it began to fuse into Cels form. She watched in silence before it disappeared inside her friend, "What the f.."

As soon as it was gone she re-sheathed her weapon and ran to Cel falling to her knees as she rolled him onto his back pushing his hair out of his face, and leaning his head back so she could feel for a breath, "You better not be dead...you little. Oh, thank Cthulu."

She put her ear to his chest, sighing when she heard a heartbeat. She sat up resting a hand on her knee as she looked over him, leaning down to tap his cheek, "Cel?? Handsome?? If you wake up now I'll show ya my jugs??"

Cel would probably be over the moon for that or at least disturbed by her use of the word jugs, but he didn't seem to hear her, meaning he was completely out of it. She pulled off Orion's jacket and placed it under his head as she stood up moving back towards the cockpit. She called out to Xael, "Hey Xael? Uh.. Cel is passed out in the hallway, and I think, mind you not being dead sober, that a gold alien being just was vacuumed into his body. Do you have a med bay or can you help him? I'm worried.."

She motioned the girl over, looking down at Cel as she placed her head on his forehead to feel his temperature, "He feels cold, but that may be because of the temperature."

She didn't lie to Xael she was worried. She didn't love Cel like a brother, but as criminal relationships go, they had a solid one. She didn't want to see him hurt.

She looked over at Xael, "I'm gonna go let Orion know what's happened. Just in case we have another stowaway hiding on here. Can you stay with him? Okay..I'll be right back."

She headed down the hallway, unsure where to go when she heard some music. She followed it, pausing as the voice of a woman could be heard inside. She was about to interrupt when she realized it was a recording. She waited until the second song played before she came in, walking over to find Orion about to fall asleep, "Yo...Sexy pants. Sorry to ruin your sleep but Cel just fell unconscious and an alien-looking motherfucker just leeched into him. I don't know if there are more of them on this ship, but I figured I should tell you. Xael's with him now but I don't know if she has any med skills?"

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

As the temperature dropped, Ursa brought her hands up to her mouth, trying to warm them slightly as she shivered. Orion walked over and she turned to look at him, giving him a nod when he mentioned her name. She was about to reject the offer of his coat in protest of her pride when he paused turning to Xael.

Ursa listened in to Orion’s introduction, taking in the information with a newfound interest. She knew about the war on Valera through her boss Jerry. That sector was run by Yuri’s crew, and he was probably providing the Rulon’s with ex-grade munitions to fight the Valorian’s, or aiding the Valorians in the same manner. Hell, the bastard was probably doing runs for both. She didn’t know and she was glad that she could honestly say she knew nothing about it. Would be messy if Orion found out her compatriot was batting for the other team. She turned away looking out at the carnage before her as she tried to deduce a pathway out of here. The loss of both Phobos and the innocent lives that settled there would haunt her. She was lucky to be alive. They all were.

She turned to look at Xael with a tough reassuring smile, “Don’t worry about the fighters, Dollface. I’ve never lost a client or a vessel in my entire career and I don’t intend to anytime soon. Just in case we die though, I also want to thank you for letting us use your vessel. I’m Ursa Cooper by the way!”

She shivered again her hands shaking slightly on the handles when a jacket was draped over her and the chair. She looked up at Orion, wishing her hat didn’t fly off earlier as she felt slightly exposed. She gave him a cool look, one she used to keep most men at arms length when he spoke. She felt the urge to look away, not liking that he seemed to be able to look right through her. Her yellow eyes didn’t waver though, and even though she seemed to keep her control, she was slightly rattled. She felt the sudden urge to be honest, and to let him see the pain she carried. Perhaps it was because she could see he had it to as he said visible in his own eyes. She didn’t trust him though, she could already tell by her attitude with him that she was playing with fire. Secrets were her livelihood and the less anyone knew about her the better. So she closed up and the brief moment of truth was replaced with a mischievous smirk, her thick titanium walls closing to him as she responded lightly in a teasing drawl, “Thanks, cowboy. I bet you say that to all the pretty girls. And uh..thanks for the coat.”

She gave him a too-wide smile as she put it on the right way, her hands shaky as she pulled it tight around her. Humor was a defense mechanism she used often, and even with the sadness just below the surface, she felt it necessary to use it now. She was already feeling warmer as she turned to watch the big behemoth, move slowly away from the destroyed remains of Phobos. She could see from a distance the release of scouting ships, with four to five heading in their direction. She swore, "Shit..."

She then looked up at Orion at his request to help and turned to Xael, “That depends on the weapon system this ship is equipped with. Dollface, we have got five bogies coming this way, and the temperature drop will only hide us for so long. I’m assuming the big boy needs time to recharge that wave before it hits again so if we want to hyperdrive we need to do it soon. It will take too long to give me full access so you will have to man the drive.”

She turned to Ace who seemed to be spewing out commands/system checks too fast for her to comprehend, “Is uh..he okay? Seems like he has a few wires loose?”

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

The ship in front of them was something she had never witnessed before. It was a beast, with a functionality that both entranced and disturbed her. She jumped slightly, creating some space when Xael came to stand in front of her, touching the dash to bring out a hidden compartment that she assumed was part of the security feature. She watched the girl quietly, her eyebrows raising in question. She opened her mouth, about to ask the girl what she just saw when she noted the Hyperdrive was loaded and ready to go. She dodged a large piece of a broken cruiser, when her thoughts were interrupted by Cel and Orion’s discussion. She eyed Xael giving her a, “I saw that…” look before she returned back to the massive ship in front of her, wondering who would design this terror. Her answer came from Orion and she turned to look up at him, only briefly before she eyed the small futile battle in front of her. ACE explained further about the station, and her eyes widened. Valorians, Dark Void technology! Who the hell was this guy??

She turned back to her job, the ship veering to the right, as she tried to focus on what Orion was saying. Despite the way she treated him early, she could tell his memories were painful, and his sadness touched her. She looked up at him quietly as he gazed at the maelstrom, not knowing what to say to comfort him. She pondered as to why she would want to when he explained that the man sent to kill him probably wasn’t in coalition with this behemoth.

She was about to comment on all this information when suddenly another ship swung towards them, She narrowly swung out of the way, gripping the handles tightly as she headed back towards Phobos. She charged through the carnage of space, expertly dodging heavy debris and strike shots. She could hear the harrowing calls for help and the screams of innocent civilians who just hours before were just laughing in the market place. A ship to the left of them blew up, bodies floating into space, those that weren’t killed by the blast gasped for oxygen that they could not find. Ursa reared to the right, not willing to let herself be overcome by the carnage, as she had passengers with her. She was waiting for just the right moment to use the hyperdrive when suddenly a loud eruption exploded beneath her and the ship swung out. She grit her teeth, digging in her feet as she tried to retain control, “COME ON!!”

She gained some leverage and swung back, noting something was wrong. It took her a minute to realize what it was. It was the silence. No more calls for help or orders to the fleet, because Phobos was gone. She stared forward, their ship surrounded by the remains of destroyed ships. She looked at it all with a torn expression not even realizing a tear had fallen down her cheek, as the chaos erupted around her. Suddenly a deep blue light erupted from the behemoth, and Ursa watched in horror as this wave hit many of the remaining ship's Drives cutting them off before her. This wasn't an act of war. This was a complete genocide. Annihilation to completion. Innocents destroyed so quickly and efficiently. She stared at the behemoth as if it had a new face. One showing an evil that she had never seen firsthand, and she had seen some dark hells in her own past. Her shock was broken by ACE in the background when suddenly Orion’s voice hit her like a hammer.

She followed his command, reacting quickly as she slammed back the control lever powering off the vessel instantly as all the lights and energy in the ship turned off. The wave only feet from the ship now. They were far enough from Phobos’ atmosphere that they wouldn’t fall but the gravity in the room was also canceled. Ursa rose slightly off her seat but was held down by her seatbelts. She glared at the ship in front of her, as she responded to Xael, “We can’t do anything to it in this, and I don’t think we have much time, before they realize that we are still alive. They clearly don't want any survivors and I don't plan on dying today. So.. Handso..I mean Orion, tell me when I can hyperdrive out of here...”

She wiped her cheek, her emotions locked down as she turned down the ship's thermostat the air inside the ship turning colder by the minute. Just in case they were scanning for bodies, the cold would help to block their heat signatures. It wasn't a fast method but with that machine as big as it was, she figured its range was split into different quadrants which would make readings a smaller percentage, "That might help if they are tracking for life forms. Try to keep your breaths short and soft."

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Ursa turned to Cel after he came back from fixing his hair, her focus clearly on keeping the ship from getting blown to bits or hit. She listened to his thoughts and nodded, "Oh I don't doubt that. Someone wants him dead and on top of this evacuation, it all seems a bit coincidental."

She geared right, the ship shaking slightly as she moved her focus from Cel to the sky 'road.' She heard Cel's request and turned around quickly, "Oh right away your majesty. You just sit there looking pretty."

She smirked at the new girl's comment, pulling up as they narrowly missed a Raxer 900 superspeeder.

She grumbled turning back to hit a few buttons, "Thankyou..Let's just see if we get out of here with this ship intact then we can see about getting your vessel. Okay?"

She turned to Orion as he brought up an image of the newly destroyed bay. Ursa ignored Orion's rage at Ace her thoughts moving to the port beneath her. Beside the bay was an orphanage called Red Tides. She knew of it because the kids there she would use to help her catch intel for the Draconians. Phobos was a rough place to live, but the kids didn't know any better. And now they never will.. She let out a soft breath, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the sky, hearing Orion's wish to find out what's happening, "I think it's about time we find out. I'm done with this crowd."

She hit the gas and shot up, breaking out of the traffic to sore through the skies up towards the airlock. Ahead of them large cruisers and smaller personal space yachts were scattered, heading for the airlock as they tried to dodge large blasts. Ursa stayed calm, rolling back and forth as she twisted through spaces just big enough for her vehicle, to push through. Suddenly a blast came to the upper pocket and she was pushed to the left slamming into a deep grey spacecraft. It flew back hitting two more vehicles as they fell back to the blackened Phobos. Ursa pulled back grunting as she tried to regain control. She went against the current, barely hitting another speeder before pulling back. Moving again through the cracks before finally, she could see the entryway. She plowed through her eyes narrowing as she swore, "The blasts are aimed. They aren't random...They are trying to shoot civilians?!"

She looked around at the cruisers that seemed big enough to take enough damage. She rolled past a Draconian styled yacht, and shot up towards the other side of a cruiser, leaving a very narrow space of escape. It would allow them to clear the air-lock and keep them out of range of the blasts, but it would be close. She knew that if they missed they would be dead, either crushed by the cruiser or smashed into the edge or another spacecraft. She smirked, letting anyone see the intention on her face. One of both wild abandon and delusion, before she sang out quickly an old earth song by Kansas, "CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON, THERE WILL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST!!! DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!! HOLD ON!"

She floored it, a cry of fearless abandon escaping her, as she lost herself in her own personal melody. She kicked the ship into high gear as the air in the craft pulled whatever wasn't nailed down across the room. She clenched the controls hard, her hat flying off of her head as she wrenched the craft a hard left as it rolled around facing Phobos. Moving backward, she swung it up into a vertical angle, her hair flying downwards as they slid just narrowly past the cruiser, and the airlock. She hit the controls to prep the vehicle for space travel and set her right side up, moving up the edge of the cruiser before she slowed, hoping to stay behind it as they came to see what was shooting them.

Ursa let out a breath and turned to look at her companions, whom to her seemed a bit disheveled with the ships drastic twists, "Made it."

She smiled wide as if she didn't just almost kill them before she turned back to the screen, pressing a button so that the windows were open to open space just as they began to slowly see what was shooting Phobos. Her eyes grew wide as she tried to understand what she was seeing, "What type of ship is that???"

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Ursa followed along behind the group with a shrug as they chased after the new woman. She moved quickly past people and blasts that created an elevated amount of chaos around her, keeping behind Cel as she watched the other two intently. She looked up at the sky, wondering why anyone would want to take out Phobos? She slammed into a young woman falling to the ground in a painful tangle. After a few moments, she swore whilst the other young woman gave her a glare and ran off. Ursa rubbed at her bruised nose, placing the woman’s vid com and virtual wallet in her pocket for later.

As they reached the port, Ursa looked at the ship solemnly, but never one to be pessimistic she hoped on, giving Cel a look before she watched as the new man and his robot went to work. She heard him and immediately jumped in, moving to stand by the young woman “Oi Jackass! It moves, and she’s kind enough to let us use her vehicle, the least you could do is give her a fucking thanks. ACTUALLY I COULD USE ONE TO FOR SAVING YOUR ASS SHITHEAD!”

She shook her head, her opinion of this new man falling regardless of how attractive he was. She glared at him before she turned to the young woman with a smile, “I'm sorry about his manners. He is right though. We will have to switch vehicles if we want to survive the traffic and the blast strikes. I promise you will be compensated for any damage, generously. I'm good for it. You cool if I drive?”

She didn’t even really give her a chance to answer moving into the pilot's seat before she began to press some buttons and pull back some levers. The vessel hummed on, the jets getting ready to burn when she yelled at them, “Thanks. Seatbelts Kids!”

She cracked her neck, her eyes narrowing as she grabbed the handles, getting a good grip before she pressed forward, the ship lifting off. A blast went off to the left of them and Ursa yanked hard to the left, avoiding it as best she could as she pressed forward, lifting up into the air, her eyes zoning in on the camera screen as she burst forward quickly but with not enough speed to blow the engine. She darted around vehicles in the setup air roads high above the city, as she yelled over her shoulder, “Yo Senator Mcfucknuts. You want to tell me where your ship is, or Cel do you have something closer?”

She dipped, barely dodging a rogue ship that was hit by another blast on the way out, "Jesus! WHO THE FUCK WOULD GO AFTER PHOBOS!!"

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Ursa listened to the young man with a raised eyebrow, as he offered the going rate plus 10% or 20% if she waited. She looked over at Cel with a confused expression, wondering if he explained to this young man her abilities. When he asked for her to share the credentials she bawked, growing standoffish as her brows came together. Now Ursa was not a cocky person naturally, she usually liked for people to consider her an underdog, but having to explain why she was one of the top smugglers of their century was something she found a bit demeaning.

She opened her mouth about to let him be verbally beaten down when he seemed to catch on to her thoughts. She paused letting him speak, simmering down slightly when the young woman from before entered. She looked over at her and shook her head as if to say that she didn’t have to pay her back. Suddenly the alarms went off and Ursa looked down at her vid com noting that the entire spaceport was in high alert, and was calling for a full evacuation of Phobos. She felt a wave of relief that her crew was off on a fuel drop and nowhere near here. As a smuggler, she was used to thinking on her feet and turned to the young woman about to relieve her of her worries about paying her back when she noticed a slight glint in the club. She noticed the scope and reacted immediately just as a shot went off.

She lunged at Orion, using her full weight to knock him off his feet, as the bullet whizzed by hitting the wall behind him. She sat up, looking down at him quietly, “You still alive, cowboy?”

She waited for a response before she nodded, “Good. Now, I don’t have a rap sheet to give ya, but I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I’m Ursa...Ursa Cooper.”

She didn’t stay long rolling off of him, as she kept her head down, picking up her hat as she fit it back over her hair as she eyed the exit, “I can pilot for ya, but only because Cel over there is a friend and can cover the charge if you can’t pay it. Which I very much doubt you can. Now, my ship is at the port on the other side of town. Do any of you have anything closer, regardless of what just happened we need to evacuate. Fast. Once we gett out of here, you can tell me who the fuck you are and why I just had to save your ass from getting shot to hell. ”

She eyed the young woman, “You need a ride out of here darling?”

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Ursa shrugged nonchalantly with a cheeky smile on her face, her eyes returning to her book. She didn’t take compliments well, her expression awkward, “I have a good crew..”

Before Cel could respond to her warning his vid com went off. Ursa laughed, moving to her book as she began to read again. She usually would try to listen in to Cel’s conversation and try to get some snippets of what was going on, but today she couldn’t be bothered. She had stolen enough to make her quite a bit of coin. Jerry would be pleased and her crew would be fed.

She noted Cel looking at her, and wink. She shook her head and took a sip of her beer her eyes turning back to the girl in the corner. She was curious as to why she was here alone, or why she would risk her safety in such a way. She looked back to Cel, pulling off her baseball cap to brush her teal hair off her face. She flipped the cap backward and continued reading. When Cel put the vid com down she turned her eyes to him and shrugged, “I’ll be around for another night, and think about what I said. Opportunities man. Don’t waste them.”

She watched him bow and take her hand. She laughed as he kissed it, learning that no matter how much she protested that she wasn’t the type of broad who needed the attention, it was easier to just let Cel be the gentleman he was. She gave him a wave as he walked off, out of her sightline. She felt eyes on her and turned to see the girl’s face staring directly at hers. She smiled awkwardly waving slightly when her own vidcom went off. She tapped her ear chip so that only the audio would turn on, “You get the books you wanted?”

She smiled hearing Mac’s voice, “Most of them. Did the fuel-up take long?”

“Easy. Peasy. We should have enough to get us to 7 now. We left the flyer, so you could meet us on the way back.”

She lifted her beer and put it back down, “Good. That’s good. Oh..big news on the Yakuza front. Asterik’s dead.”

Mac grunted, “Good. That man was a pig.”

Ursa shrugged, “He got shot by an angry woman…”

Mac was silent for a few minutes, “You don’t think they..”

Ursa’s voice turned very serious, “Oh I definitely think so.”

“You didn’t tell him did you.”

She looked down at her book, then at her board to the side of her, “No. I ain’t getting involved in gang business. I did tell him about the Draconians and threw in a snippet of the Italians. For old times sake. The Yakusa brings us good business, and if Cel is going to be the next leader. I want to be the first person he calls with a job.”

“Alright. Captain. Just be careful. If he finds out you had something and you didn’t share, that relationship could change fast.”

She nodded, grabbing her board as she pulled out a few kredits leaving them on the table as a tip, “If there is one thing I know how to do Mac, it’s keep a secret. Now get back to work. Ya lazy shit.”

He laughed, “Take your own advice, BOSS. I’ll contact you tomorrow.”

She smirked, “Bye.”

She was just about to head towards the door when a waitress came over, letting her know that Cel wanted her to come to see him. She was surprised to hear he hadn’t left yet and followed her towards a table where she could clearly see Cel. She looked down at her book and held up a finger-walking over to the girl's table. She gave her a smile and placed it down, “Hi. Noticed you were looking at it. I finished so..enjoy.”

She waved kindly before she headed back to the table, where another dude in a bomber jacket, faced the other way. She waved to Cel with a questioning face when the young man turned to look at her. She froze for a split second, as the world turned slow, Cutting Crew’s, “Dying in Your Arm’s Tonight” flashed in her brain. She blinked and the feeling simmered down, enough to realize she was just standing there looking like she was hit with a brick. She realized she was being awkward so she walked the rest of the way and stopped to look down at Cel, “I thought you left?”

She took a minute then turned to the new young man, her yellow eyes looking over him, as she wished she didn't look like a college kid who just rolled out of bed. She blushed, although she didn’t turn away, remaining confident as usual, “I’m hoping he hasn’t promised you anything. I ain’t cheap.”

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

When Celebrimbor strolled into the bar she barely noticed, not moving her eyes from her book until he spoke. She giggled lightly, “Still wasting all your money on your hair.”

She gave him a soft punch to the shoulder, picking up her cig as he spoke. She took a sip of the new beer he ordered for her and held it up quietly, “Thanks...and I don’t mind. I needed the break as well, honestly. Works been booming.”

She took a sip then listened to why he called her up. When he finished her eyes widened and she mouthed an expressive, ‘Wow’, “I’m not shocked his ass was finally plugged by a lady. I never mentioned it, but the guy was a perv. No offense.”

She sighed, taking another sip of beer, "I remember. You know I always am the first to say to go for exactly what you want and fuck everyone else, but that’s not good advice. Truth is they won’t let you leave easily, and even if you do what happens to your crew? They depend on you, and you will hate yourself if you leave them in the dust. It might not be all bad though. Maybe..with Astrik gone you can stear the Yakuza into what you want it to be. Don’t waste opportunities man. Even if they seem like burdens.”

She took another drag of her cigarette stretching out as a young drunk man walked up to them and placed a gun down. Ursa raised an eyebrow in curiosity, as Cel asked the man why he was interrupting. His words made Ursa laugh, pointing to herself as she looked past the fourth wall to the writers of this roleplay, pointing to herself ‘Me? Whore?”

Cel always the gentleman, stood up for her. She didn’t think it was fair that he should have to so she went to reach for her own gun, not with any intent to use it, but rather to level the playing ground before she beat this man to death with her verbatim. The man just continued with his insult before Cel punched him square in the jaw. He told her to enjoy her book and she shrugged, waving at the bartender “ Alright...I hate fighting anyway... Jerry whatever they break I got it.”

She brought up her book, finishing her cigarette as the fight ensued. When he was sitting back down she smiled, putting on a bimbo voice, “ Oh...I don’t understand much of it. Perhaps if it had pictures a whore like me would understand?”

She laughed, being more serious, “I'm kidding. It’s good. Moolson’s a bit pretentious though, and he has a full on hatred for his colleague Tolstey. The whole book is basically a ‘Fuck you’ to his thesis on relative physics in the global market.”

She noticed the girl in the other booth looking at it, and tilted it slightly so she could read the title more easily, “Well now that you’ve defended my honor brave knight. I have some news for you too.”

She looked him over with a wry smirk, “The Draconians aren’t going to be bothering you during this change of regiment.”

At his look of why she bit her bottom lip, “Because they are going to be hunting for 40,000 tonnes of Ecstasy that were stolen just minutes before you called.”

She gave him a knowing look, never fully letting her guard down with even a good a friend as Cel, “I would offer the Yakuza part of the cut, but the Italian Gragunds on 7 made me an offer too sweet to say no to. I am telling you this as a friend babe but they have some serious coin. If they are willing to share that type of spread with lil ol me then you have bigger problems then a pissed off hooker, and a dead friend. You didn't hear that from me though. Jerry would chew out my ass for sharing that tid-bit with you.”

Intergalactic Space Adventures --- ISA

Club Cyanide was a small club in the downtown area of Phobos, it was a hub for some of the criminal elite in the area and a place the locals were kind enough to avoid most nights. This evening the area was only mildly crowded with a few lost tourists chatting here and there. The bar itself was dark with simple cocktail lamps and green velvet couches. Imported wood and black leather built most of the bar, giving it a warm pub feeling.

Ursa was sat in the back, her Treo's Pizza hat turned backward to keep her hair out of her face. A half-drunk beer lay on the table whilst a cigarette and a book occupied her hands. She kept it just partly covering her face as she read over the newest book on Economic Physics in the Ragon Galaxy by Prof. Gix Moolson. She could have opened the book on her watch but, she didn't like virtual reading. Her preference for real paper over a hologram made a vintage book collectors dream. Most physical copies of books were expensive and the masses were extinct. Aside from the physical book though, Ursa looked like a scrub. Her hair was combed but hung loose around her shoulders, her jeans were dirty, her sneakers used to be white and her jacket was clearly old and worn. She had tattoos and light makeup that she put on in case any Draconians came by, but otherwise, she looked like a poor college kid. She flipped the page, as she waited for her friend to arrive. Much to Mac and Takashi's dismay, she had decided to remain at this spaceport for at least another night as they headed towards one of her security warehouses with their newly collected loot.

She loved her ship and crew but at times she needed room to breathe, collect her thoughts, and try to enjoy the small victories. Plus with Celebrimbor phoning to get a drink, she couldn't exactly say no. The Yakuza were a deadly force and she had aided them on multiple occasions to smuggle bodies or drugs across the galaxy. She had also helped there enemies with the same aid, but she kept that to herself. She wasn't biased when it came to who she worked for it was all just business. That's probably why she got along with Celebrimbor, they both had their own code of ethics and respected it. She took a drag of her cigarette feeling a shift in the room. She peered over her book seeing a young woman enter the bar. Men seemed to turn to stare at the innocent-looking girl who moved almost like a dancer towards a corner booth. Ursa smirked giving the young woman koodo's for coming to this dump by herself. Brave woman. She tapped off her cigarette into an incinerator tray and returned to her book, sinking back into the darkness of her booth to remain as inconspicuous as she could.

Suddenly her attention moved to a few drunken marines and a young man who she could only partially see through the crowd. She sighed her attention keeping to the book, not surprised that a rowdy crowd was present tonight. She took a swig of beer, trying to get comfy, as she waited for her friend, hoping that the chaos would be small tonight.