Jess nodded in response to Beatrice, picking up her silverware again. The mood of the nobles towards Brian was something to be wary of. She could recognize it as the dubious suspicion she had sometimes encountered, usually closer to being forced to move on due to rising tensions and increased threat of violence. She was too frail to be able to withstand much abuse.

Suddenly her utensils fell from her hands, and her pale grey eyes turned opal-white. She spoke without warning, in a clear, carrying voice. "The dark survivor of the Nero Wars contemplates death," she said, not addressing anyone in particular. "He must be stopped, or it will mean disaster."

CDS Hatred:

Riley gave a dry laugh, runnng a hand over his forehead. "If the old man was never in a bad mood, then all wouldn't be right in the universe... Ariel must've burnt something again if he's yelling this much."

"I doubt it's that," Jarad said plainly. "Seriously, man, every time we come in here, anything we talk about always comes around to that girl."

The canine-type's face visibly tensed, his face flushing. "I-i-it's not like that!" he stuttered, suddenly standing up. "Dammit, Jar, do you always gotta say things like that?!"

Jarad and Craig laughed heartily at him, which didn't help any. Riley finally sighed and sat back down, placing his head down on the table. "Seriously, guys, quit it. S'not like a cute girl like her's gonna notice someone like me."

"Who won't notice someone like you?"

All three heads turned to a girl wearing an apron standing right behind where Riley sat. Ariel Lestrade, the very subject of the now interrupted conversation, was a fox-type Charran also around the same age as the boys. She was rather tomboyish, preferring to work in the engine rooms of the Hatred and bashing heads open with her trusty wrench when the men there got in her way. If she was here now, she must have gotten in trouble with the head engineer again, and was stuck on kitchen duty (although she was also a very good cook when she wasn't burning things on purpose). Her vibrant violet eyes glared at the three of them, expecting an answer with an "or else" kind of look.

A devious smile crossed Jarad's features, and he told the black-haired girl in a loud enough voice to echo in the mess hall, "Ri was just talking about how cute you are, 'Riel."

"... Cute?" Ariel's face contorted with anger, causing Riley to look panicked. "You think I'm %&$#ing CUTE?! YOU DAMN MUTT!!"

She drew a large wrench from her apron pocket and swung so quickly, the canine Charran barely had any time to dodge as it whizzed right by a few loose hairs.

Jarad and Craig hurriedly got up from their seats as the already claw-gouged table was reduced to a twisted mess of metal and plastic.

"JARAD!! CRAIG!!" Riley called after his friend, dodging another swing from Ariel's wrench. "STOP THIS CRAZY GIRL, will ya?!"

"'Bout time, even this crap looks good right now." The Kitsune yapped ripping open the foil over the first ration and moving to take a bite.

*WHAP*

*THUD*

The fox stared as if in pain as the mouse slapped the ration from his hands and to the floor. "Don't think helping me with Mouse fixes what you did." And YOU, the pudgy grey rodent squeaked up pointing at the skunk, "I wake up after you shot me and the only thing he did was set the stupid course? My friend was dieing and that kid needs fluids, you think this murdering psychopath is going to help them?! I got half a mind ta-OOF." The young man went down into a chair, shoved by Nathan. "Now LOOK Ratboy, A. I helped your friend the best I could. Hell I even made Stinky there wake your ungrateful ass up. B. I'm @+%%%@% tired of this whiney bleeding heart !+@%$#*%. You think for ONE minute that those guys woulda let us outta there? This is IGNUS for fucks sake, they'd have WORSE done to them than be put in a box. Pally there had friends alright, and they did the only thing they could. They let me kill them so we could escape."

The mouse sat staring at him wide-eyed, "But... They could have just let us..."

"No more gods-damned buts. Going against orders is cowardice and not something they can do. Much like you ain't all you seem, your face wasn't all rainbow farts when you shot that man. Why ain't you beating the hell outta yourself and calling YOURself a murder." The fox yelped getting into the mouse's face.

"Y-y-y-y-you'd already killed so many... and he was going to shoot me through Pallens. I-i-i couldn't let him kill a little kid." Israel said stammering badly.

"What do you think I was doing? Having a party? Hell I was gonna kill both of you when the kid said you were gonna leave him."

"Y-y-you were?"

"I... Well YEAH! What kinda a dick steals from a little kid?"

The mouse's ears fell, he hung his head and stared at the floor, "I... I'm sorry."

The fox rolled his eyes, "Guay... Stop with that.... Geez, whatever." The man stood up and snatched his ration off the ground, brushing it off gently and looking at the pilot. "Stinky is Alex... ok. I'm Nate Cobb, and I'm going to find a way to get that water into the kid. Setting it on him isn't gonna do no good. What the hell are you a damn robot?" He grinned and stamped off to the back.

The mouse didn't raise his head, but instead just his glistening hazel eyes, "I'm Israel..."

CDS: Hatred:

              Craig fell to the ground, laughing. He honestly found Riley's lack of grace in this particular matter to be hilarious. However, he did come to his friend's aide. "Ok, 'Riel. We get it. You're as tough as the lot of us, but could you stop thrashing the kid about? Or would you rather take over for him on turret control as the, what... twentieth operator since we left port last month?" stated the mole-type Charran a bit bluntly, "I swear that position is a death trap. I'm glad I'm on the boarding crew." After the boy had finished his speech, there was more yelling from the back of the kitchen, and the sound of a small explosion, followed by more angry shouts. "Besides, sounds like Old Riem blew up another converter back there." He sighed, grinning a bit, but otherwise ignoring the possible injury that could befall the surly old walrus in the back.

________________________________________________________________

Redwater Castle, Mera:

             "The dark survivor of... what now?" questioned a confused Beatrice, "Yer gonnae be having to explain that one, lass. I don't really understand all this mumbo-jumbo ye're spittin' off." Brian and Lilly looked on with mixes of confusion and concern, neither of them knowing quite what had just happened.

            The tiny queen hopped down from her throne-like dinning chair and approached the other child. "Are you well, miss?" she asked, reaching out to place her small hand on the other girl's shoulder. There was a deep well of concern for what she thought to be one of her subjects in her eyes, looking as if she wanted to just take whatever illness the other might have and lock it away in a box forever.

________________________________________________________________

Within a Warp Envelope:

            Alex nodded, noting the injured squirrel had not yet been introduced. "Might I inquire as to the name of the injured party?" His expression had returned to the dead calm that he had had before. It was then that the envelope around the ship dropped and they pulled out of warp. The were hovering over a small gas giant with an obviously weak gravitational pull. it was a deep brown with swirls of red and green throughout its form, a large storm taking up nearly half of the visible surface. Around the gas planet was a ring of debris and rubble from countless destroyed star ships from every galactic nation. Foundation cruisers, Charran battleships, Sylvan frigates, Ifreeti destroyers, Kitsune battleships, and many more could be seen, all in various stages of destruction, and before them was a place that had seen the worst that war has to offer.

           "I see that we have arrived at the destination I input. Welcome to Mobius. We can easily lay low here." stated the skunk with a calm efficiency.

_________________________________________________________________

The Foundation: Orlandu's Monument:

            Ramza's hand shook upon the trigger, his eyes closing and his face wincing, preparing for the end. But he couldn't do it. He lowered the gun from his head, resting against his other hand. He thought of his younger sister, Jade. If he died, what would happen to her? There was no one left who could take care of her, other than him.

           The fennec stood, walking toward the stone and marble edifice. He brushed his hand along the golden plaque that bore the names of his friends who were no longer among the living, and placed the revolver at the feet of the man it had once belonged to. A wave of guilt washed over him, nearly causing him to weep as he stared at the stonework, wishing that he could have done something to save them, wishing that he could take their place. With a deep and heavy sigh, he turned from the monument and began his walk back to the Hunter HQ, hoping that work could take his mind off of the pain.

Jess's eyes had cleared by the time Lilly placed a hand on her shoulder. She started to sign something to the young queen, clearly uncomfortable with being confronted by royalty, enough so that old habits took over. When her hand signs only confused her audience further, she flushed in embarrassment and reached for her pad of paper. "I SEE THINGS. VIZONS. DON'T NO WAT IT MENS," she wrote shakily, before presenting the paper to the queen with a nervous bow.

She had hoped that she could keep her little ability a secret for the most part, especially while she was still trying to get used to living in a new place, but apparently it was not to be. And she wondered how many people like Jareth would now try to use her and her curse for their own ends. Far less pressing was her rather abstract worry about the person she'd seen in her vision. He had seemed so sad -- to put it mildly.

((Alright. I forget if I already mentioned this, but Jess exists in part to be subject to visions of all sorts of things. So if anyone wants to foreshadow a future event you have planned, or have her See some important present event, just let me know. Past events she usually Sees only in relation to those she knows well or is in physical proximity to. She's a plot toy, basically. Word of her existence should gradually spread beyond just Mera, so if you have a character that might have an interest in acquiring her, feel free to put a plan in motion.))

Ariel stopped in mid-swing and turned towards the mole with an indignant expression. "Hell no I ain't operating the turrets! Lex was the one who installed that thing, and I am NOT touching anything his grimy hands have been on!"

Hearing the small explosion and renewed shouting, she relented, turning to the cowering Riley, who had ducked underneath another table. "Get from under there, I'm not gonna bash your head in. Besides, that old man's calling for me, so I gotta go now. $%&ing kitchen duty..."

Riley got up from under the table a little too quickly, His face pale and flushed at the same time. "Uh, 'Riel," he started weakly, his voice was too low for her to hear. Jarad and Craig exchanged amused looks as he watched the fox-girl disappear through the swinging kitchen doors.

The dog Charran swore loudly and kicked at the table where he'd hid and sat down in a chair. His eyes were open, although the golden yellow hues were staring at the floor, and his expression was rather forelorn.

The lion boy shook his head. "Damn it, Ri, you got it bad. Head over heels, you are."

Carla breathed a silent sigh of relief as Reis made her way to where Beowulf stood and stuck close to him again. It wasn't that Carla was happy to be free of Reis- she seemed nice enough despite her apparently timid nature- but she seemed in some way to depend on the large man; as though he was an anchor in a sea of chaos, something familiar to which she could cling. As for Beowulf himself, Carla had no great desire to get too close to him again- if she did he might make some ridiculous comment about her not being able to resist him after all. In fact, Carla suddenly thought, he might make that comment if he simply saw her in here. Idly wondering what had happened to Reis to make her so dependant the lecherous Hunter, Carla turned to leave when something caught her attention.

As part of her training to become a Hunter, Carla had come to the Hunter HQ dozens of times before and the message board system by which missions were received, assigned and distributed had been explained as part of her induction. This being wartime, the boards (along with the room that housed them) were always busy. After a while you could usually tell quite a bit about what was going on in the wider reaches of inhabited space by gauging the atmosphere around the message boards. And just now there was a tension or expectancy that was not normally present- or perhaps the normal tension had been amplified? Whatever it was, there was no doubt in Carla's mind as to its meaning: Something big either had happened or was going to happen- and (if it was the latter) it was going to happen soon. She sighed to herself, musing that her hope of having a 'last day as a civilian' had been a hope too high. It looked like she shouldn't have bothered changing out of her armour upon graduation after all. Walking briskly, Carla left the message boards and went to retrieve her armour before the source of the ominous atmosphere within the Hunter HQ was announced.

"Middle of a old battlezone, yeah, perfect place to take a breather." The Kitsune grumbled to himself trying to get the now half conscious Pallens to drink something. "Look runt, ratboy says you need water. I even got your smelly ass propped up so you drink this. So quit giving me that look." He grunted menacing the boy with what looked to be a sippy cup. The small wolf made foul face, his first attempt to speak out in protest about the object was met with the ex-soldier cramming the plastic straw into the youths muzzle. The fight didn't last long, but even in his weakened state the little Ifreet fought valiantly against the embarrassment of drinking from an infant's drinking apparatus. He quickly tired and resigned himself to taking slow drinks from the thing, a look of indignant rage plastered across his entire face.

"His name is Mouse." Izzy said quietly, standing and moving to look after his friend. He didn't even seem to have the motivation to save his young friend of certain mockery, pulling a canteen up from the bed where the skunk and laid it and watching the squirrel's breathing for awhile.

Nathan turned away feeling the mouse sit behind him, the boy using the moment to pull the sippy cup and attempt to rid himself of it's presence. Watching the mouse worrying over his friend for a time, his own mind wandering.

"COBB! Dammit, you got a hearing problem? We're moving, NOW!" Cried out a larger Kitsune shoving him hard. Nathan saw himself look over and stammer out, "Sorry Sarge, got a nephew at home that age." The other man snorted and stomped over and knelt by the boy. And to the Kitsune's horror, pulled the shoes off the boy, realizing at once the creature was still barely alive as he squeaked and made a faint grab as the man removed his shoes before falling limp for a final time. He saw himself stand speechless as the fox walked back and tossed the tiny shoes to him and bark out, "They die. That's what civilians do here. Meran's especially. Least your nephew got new shoes outta the deal. This pile of death ain't gonna need 'em."

"'Ey, ratboy," He muttered as he pulled the shoes out of his coat and reached back. Then set them by Israel and added quietly, "He's your friend. Maybe you should look after those."

Izzy looked at the pair of shoes up, still unsure what he meant but nodding and turning back to the squirrel, pushing the shoes closer to the young man's bedside. The Meran sighed and opened the canteen, wetting his fingers and rubbing the water on the squirrel's mouth in a vain attempt to get him to wake up and drink something. He felt himself starting to tear up but pushed it back, there we no reason to give either of those two emotionless pricks ammunition to mock him with. All this, they got away, and now Mouse was going to die anyway. It just wasn't fair.

"Mobius? Always thought that was a crappy name for a planet. What next? Klein? Ha." The squirrel's voice broke his brooding, it was meek but he was awake. Israel smiled, "About time. man. Thought you were gonna sleep the whole way home." Mouse smirked a little, "Think I deserve a break-" He tensed and grabbed for his side. The mouse squeaked moving and stopping him from moving too much, holding his arms away from the injured area, "You gotta lay still, I dunno how bad it is. I don't know enough about this kinda thing." Still grimacing and with his fur starting to matte with sweat the injured Meran nodded, "Trying, it's bad though, swear it'll hurt less if I ain't laid flat."

"It'll feel better, and bleed more. Keep that runt out flat ratboy." The fox commented once again fighting Pallens to drink from the sippy cup.

"Please Rayray, lay backward. I don't want you to die." Whether it was the grim reminder of his situation or the nearly helpless look in the mouse's eyes; the squirrel complied and laid back down on his back, grimacing the whole way. "I wish it was me, Rayray. Gods I wish it was me." The pudgy little Meran whined gripping his friend's hand. "S-Shutup Izzy." Mouse gasped out as the pain relented some, "I'm tougher and you know it. And stop calling me that, we ain't kids anymore."

Nathan made some comment to the boy involving duct tape, the cup, and his muzzle before standing and moving back towards the front and leaning over the beside the skunk. "Look, Stinky, I realize you think this place is safe. Maybe it is, I dunno. But safe for you and I ain't safe for Bones and Leaky back there. Ratboy ain't no doc, neither am I. So unless you earned your wings on Ifreet ships AND a PhD in bullet wounds we need to find civilization. More to the point, doctor. Dunno how long sippy cups and gauss are gonna work."

Redwater Castle, Mera:

              Lilly simply tilted her head to the side. "Visions? You mean like... of the future?" The Meran Queen didn't quite understand, but no sooner had she said this, than a large brown weasel wearing a hood stepped forth and placed his hand on the small girl's shoulder.

              "You needn't worry about such things, your highness." stated the finely dressed nobleman, "Please, allow your humble servant to address this matter."

              "Ye'll refrain from layin' a hand on her highness, ye ambitious cretin." piped up Brian as he stood from his seated position and strode angrily towards the Meran noble. The weasel was taller than the rat, but neither of them looked about to back down. Lilly looked all to uncomfortable with the confrontation, but did not say a word.

              "If I might make a suggestion, your majesty... It would be prudent to avoid using the royal courts time to play house with the guard." quipped the weasel, rather bluntly, then turning to gaze that the younger girl. "Where are my manners? My name is Cory of Basilisk. I am the ambassador from the aligned states of the Western Marches. If it is your wish, I would like to give you a tour of the castle." He offered his hand, only for it to be slapped away by Beatrice as she wrapped her arms around the child protectively.

___________________________________________________________________

CDS: Hatred:

               Craig laughed a bit, once again seating himself. "Why don't you just tell her already? Or get her a gift, lad." the half-mole chimed, "It's not like it could kill you. Well, it could, what with that wrench an' all, but hey, you would have gotten the word out." He laughed again before letting out a sigh and a grin. "So young you are, and already decided on a partner. You've got the luck of my bro. Heh, even to the point that she's likely to kill you in the end." Nathan's death was a harsh story that had always reminded the boy of an old fairy tale his mother had told the two when they were young. The strong man meets his love on the battlefield, the two fighting alongside each other. They meet again under the same command and become lovers, but are separated by the betrayal of the one that commanded them. One sides with their old commander, and the other with the enemy, and in the end, one kills the other before taking their own life. It was a tragic tale, to say the least, but Craig didn't view it that way. To him, his brother had written himself into history, forever as a loyal and diligent soldier.

               Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Old Riem was throwing pots and silverware every which way, raging throughout the kitchen. He even went so far as to lift one of the younger staff, a crow-type Charran, over his head as if to throw him into one of the walls. However, he stopped as soon as he spotted Ariel stepping back into the kitchen. "Where in all of the bloody Lifestream did YOU run off to, you stupid girl!" shouted the walrus-typed Charran with the rage and spit of a bull, "Get your arse in there and fix that damn thing!" As he finished his rant, he unceremoniously tossed the crow behind him like a sack of old meat.

____________________________________________________________________

The Foundation: Hunter HQ:

                Ramza stepped into the overhead room, walking forward to stand next to Taimat. She only vaguely acknowledged his presence, more concerned with the welfare of all of the assembled rookies, knowing full well that for many of them, this would be their last day. "So many who are far too ready to throw themselves upon another's blade. Such foolishness." she stated, solemnly, "So little they truly understand."

                "You can not coddle them all, Headmaster." stated the fox in a calm and level tone, "Death is simply yet another unfortunate side effect of war. Few know what that is like. Just hope that they do not learn of it." The Kitsune looked down at them all with eyes that would lead one to believe that he was far older than he actually was. "Hope that they at least do not suffer."

                The emerald armored headmaster glanced at the onyx armored fox with a mix of concern and understanding. "Then perhaps you should be the one to accompany them? At least with a true veteran at their side they might stand a better chance of making it home." offered the hardened woman.

               The fox was quiet for a long time, contemplating the offer.

_____________________________________________________________________

Mobius Orbit:

               "I had taken that into consideration, Mr. Nathan." began the Meran, "After the conclusion of the Nero Wars, the station before us was abandoned, and quickly filled with criminals from all edges of the galaxy. It is likely that there is a doctor aboard that can tend to the wounded. And to answer your earlier question... No. I have no medical experience of my own." Alex began to prep the ship for landing upon the station. "However, if you know of another location that offers medical aide without asking to many questions, I am open to your suggestions. Perhaps you have contacts within the Confederacy that would offer us sanctuary? If that is the case, it WOULD be of preference."

OOC: Just for the record, the setting is open enough that you can feel free to make up locations and people if the need arises.

Riley immediately looked up, his face stricken. "... No way, I can't do that! She's better off not knowing... at least she can find someone who..."
"... 'Actually has some social standing,' and more blah, blah, blah," Jarad said mockingly. "You go through this almost every day, Ri, you're gettin' on my nerves."

Before the dog-boy could reply, he grabbed him by the arm. "I'm ending this now. You're gonna tell 'er even if it kills you, I don't mean it just figuratively, either," the lion Charran growled. "YOu can whine with your tail between your legs later, but right now I ain't gonna let you keep carryin' on like this." He turned to the mole. "Ain't I right, Bottles?"

Ariel groaned, getting a good look at the badly smoldering converter. The thing was old and it often broke down several times a day. Once again holding up her trusty wrench, she shouted back at the old man, "Call me stupid again, and your tusks are gonna buy me a new toolbox!" Stomping by Riem and all but shoving him aside while grabbing the nearest extinguisher, she sprayed the thing and continued, "What the hell didya do this time, old man?! I told you to stop banging it, that's how come it keeps breaking in the first place! It's the oldest thing on this ship!"

Jess shook her head at the offer of a tour, drawing closer to Beatrice. She already disliked this weasel. Something about him reminded her of Jareth and his oily, slicked-back hair. His equally greasy manner....His greedy eyes....and his hard, painful hands. Nor did she desire a tour of the castle. The last thing she wanted is to be shown just how big her new home is, and how terribly lost she might get if she wandered off on her own.

OOC: Rammy I got nothing. I thought I was joining the other groups after my intro arc so... I'm dead in the water.

Redwater Castle, Mera:

            The weasel retracted his hand. "Such a shame. Such uncouth behavior from one so refined. Perhaps another time, when you come to your senses." And with that, the man walked away. He gazed back only once, glancing perversely at the young queen, his eyes following her form all to closely.

           "Bleedin' git!" shouted Beatrice as she hugged Jess tightly, "Just who the 'ell does he think he is!?" She harrumphed and glared daggers at Brian. "Ye shouldae been here sooner! What would ye do if that idjit traumatized the poor girl!?" Brian was taken aback. He looked down, solemnly and placed his hand over his heart in a fist.

            "My apologies, ma'am. It was not my intention tae be late." he said, but he needn't have bothered. Lilly embraced him in a childish hug, smiling giddily.

_________________________________________________________________

CDS: Hatred:

            The crow scampered out as the others entered the kitchen. He had bruises from the beating that Riem gave him regularly. Most of the crew thought it was because he was a bit of a pretty boy, and Riem had no tact of any regard. His name was Gregory. He was nameless, like Craig. Riem glowered at the newcomers, lifting a metal plate from the counter and hurling it in their direction. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!" he yelled. Craig cringed as he looked at the remains of the metal plated, having crumbled as it hit the wall.

            "Our friend here wants to talk to... uh..." stuttered the mole.

            "You can talk later! Get out of my kitchen before I serve you as dinner!" he shouted as he grabbed a knife.

___________________________________________________________________

Hunter HQ, Foundation:

             "I want you to go to Kohel, Ramza. There have been rumors of increased smuggler activity." stated Taimat with a glance at the fox. She then handed him a map. "Their last known position was the mountain range north of the Baltic Herbalist's Resort. The natives don't know you're coming, so be discrete. We don't know who's in on this yet. Take a small squad with you. I suggest a few of the recruits, but the decision is yours." Ramza nodded, looking over the map. Something caught his eye. A small hill near his drop location. He shook the thought from his head.

            "I'll take the new Galvinite and Reggy. That should be enough for this." he said, packing away the map and logging the information into his visor. Taimat nodded and continued to stare down at the assembled Hunters.

            Reis stared at the large man, his suit blocking most of her vision of the board, but that didn't bother her. She was content just seeing him, the only remaining member of her old squad. He seemed to be looking at something intently, mulling over it, before turning and bumping into the girl. "Wha! Oh, sorry, Reis. You really shouldn't do that." laughed the man. Reis stuttered out an apology and stood up, brushing herself off.

__________________________________________________________

Mobius Orbit:

            Nathan was silent, and Alex took that note to land the ship. He slowly edged the craft forward, inciting an angry voice to crack over the com. "Just what in the blue blazes do you think you're doing!? Get that pretty ass piece of crap out of my sight before I blow it up!"

           The skunk looked back toward Nathan, inviting him to handle this. The Kitsune spoke sternly into the microphone, "Who the hell do you think you are, you rat bastard! I don't give a damn if you don't like my ship, I'm landing."

           "Fine you sack of $*%&! Land your damn ship! But don't expect a warm welcome!" The voice slammed the com, turning it off.

           "What a lovely bunch of ingrates." stated the fox as the ship pulled in. As they left the hold, the were greeted with a vision of famine and disease. Men and women were huddled together for warmth around burning barrels and near the doors of rooms that were filled with more sick and dangerous people. None of them looked friendly in the slightest.

Redwater Castle, Mera

Jess is clearly shaken, and once the man is out of sight she reaches a hand for her pad of paper. DON'T LIKE KORE. DON'T TRUST HIM. She turns the paper so Beatrice can read it, grey eyes worried. Even without a vision, she can sense ill will from the weasel, a sharp aura of ambition and avarice.

~~~~~~~~~

An Inn on Kohel

Angie is sitting cross-legged on the floor, cleaning one of her guns.  Lexie lounges on the bed, looking up information on her portable user interface.  "Hey, Angie.  Word is there's a smuggling ring here on Kohel that's getting pretty bold.  Do you think...?"  The brown haired girl trails off, blue eyes sliding over to her partner.  Angie looks up with a predatory grin.  "Sure do.  Download all th' info.  We'll get some sleep, then take th' Cerberus over b'fore dawn.  I'll leave a note fer our employers, 'case i' takes a li'l while."
"Got it."  Lexie immediately starts downloading schematics and references, everything they'll need for their assault.

sometime in the wee hours of the morning

Angie and Lexie look down at the smuggler's base from a stand of trees.  They'd landed a mile or so away running on silent so as not to attract attention, and hiked the rest of the way.  Both have the schematics, such as were available, commited to memory.  Angie's busy tracking one of the guards with her assault rifle.  Lexie is doing stretches to limber up.  Both are wearing dark clothing, their hair tied back, and gearing up for combat.

((I need an approximate number of combatants in the compound, and I need to know if there are energy weapons (projectile type) in this setting, please.))

OOC: Finally back! New post forthcoming effective immediately!!

IC:

Hunter HQ, Foundation:

Carla swiftly donned her armour, the process as routine as any drill she'd been through in all her training. Only this time, unless she'd been badly mistaken about the atmosphere around the boards, she and a great many others were soon going to come face-to-face with the war for real. She took a quick mental inventory as she suited up. Her utility belt contained most things a field mechanic was ever likely to need. She had her pistols holstered at either hip. She smiled as she gave them a quick inspection and twirled them around expertly. She had given these pistols her own personal customisations and modifications, so that outwardly they resembled firearms made on her home planet- to an extent anyway, since Meran firearms didn't yet come in pistol size.

Re-holstering them, Carla gave her two blades the once-over. One was a Meran short blade that had accompanied her when she left home to join the Foundation. The other was a powered blade she had acquired during her time here. She slid them both home. Now she was almost ready to get back to the boards. As she picked up her helmet, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked every inch a Foundation Hunter, though she had still to be assigned her first mission. That thought triggered off another, one that seemed surprisingly apt for the moment. There was an old proverb she'd once heard that ran: "Innocence can only accompany you to the start of your first battle- thereafter it becomes the first victim. Treasure your innocence while you can and if you can, say farewell to it when you must". Carla gazed at the face in the mirror. If now wasn't the right time she didn't know what was. Softly she addressed her reflection. "Goodbye innocence," she said softly, "time for us to go our separate ways. When you next peek out at me," she continued, addressing her reflection, "we'll both of us have seen a thing or two we'll want to forget". Then, having said her goodbye, Carla donned her helmet and made her way back to the message boards.

OOC: I still got nothing. Whats the goal here...

Israel tried to hide the contempt that was welling up in his gut for both the skunk and the fox. First this Alex character had shown nothing but callous towards them and now he couldn’t even take care of his friend. He sighed knowing Cobb had been right. Pal wasn’t very heavy and was semi conscious now, Mouse was a good 20 or 30 pounds heavier and was dead weight, and as the Kitsune had said he was dead weight likely to spring a leak if not handled right. He wanted to complain but he couldn’t, he wanted to help Mouse but he couldn’t.

“This place looks rancid.”

The Ifreet’s youthful voice piped up from his back, contrasting the level of words he was using. Israel had half expected the almost glowing fur of the boy to be at least warm if not scalding to the touch. Ifreet fur was very much an enigma to him and carrying one made him a little uncomfortable, as things that glow are generally not things you should be picking up without prior knowledge of them. He winced as the still lethargic youth dropped his chin unto his shoulder. “Sorry,” the boy muttered, “Hey, Israel?” The Meeran glanced to one side, “Yeah.” He answered quickly trying not to make eye contact with the people around him, but it was hard to turn away from all the pain and suffering they were walking through. “Thanks. I mean, for not leaving me.” He still sounded indignant but the young Ifreet’s meaning was clearly grateful. Israel quickened his pace to keep up with Nathan and Alex, who both seemed to be beelining for something. “What they did do you wasn't forgivable. I don’t care if it’s some weird tradition of your race. You don’t do that to a kid.” His voice softened and brightened up a bit, “Besides, aside from Mouse you’re the first friend I’ve had in awhile. So I wasn’t about ta leave ya.” Pallens gave a weak smile and continued his fight to stay conscious.

Mobius Station:

The skunk stopped in the middle of the old, run down, visitor center. It was a wide plaza that had probably looked beautiful years ago. However, it was now a rusted and derelict hulk of rubble and refuse. A fountain sat in the middle, looking like it hadn't seen water since the Earth Stone Age. Groups of people were huddle in the corners, trying to stay warm, or chatting about ways to fix the place up. Overhead, several of the railways were had, or were beginning to fall apart. A lighting fixture hung perilously overhead by a single bolt, flickering with dim light and shining off of the dusty haze the permeated the air.

Alex looked forward, trying to focus on a single thing at a time. He didn't like this place, and despite his calm exterior, the others could tell. He stepped forth, toward a counter that was manned by a middle-aged Charran rhino, the horn on his forehead broken and infected. "Excuse me, sir, but could you direct me to-"

"Get out of my face, before I set your fur aflame." greeted the grizzly receptionist in a slightly Jamaican sounding accent. The skunk simple stared at the creature with a cold, dead stare. Conversation was not his forte.

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Kohel; Depleted Mines:

Only two men stood guard immediately outside of the shaft. Neither one of them seemed to be paying any particular attention. But then... they didn't need to. The mines had been equipped with advanced turret systems throughout as a countermeasure to this exact kind of situation. However, one of the smugglers seemed to have managed to get his hands on the identification keys for the whole mine. Autoturrets, sentry drones, even the mining armor that allowed the old inhabitants of the shaft to safely excavate in the less stable tunnels was all at their disposal. It would not be easy to breach their defenses.

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Mera; Redwater Castle:

Beatrice did everything she could to keep from laughing at the simple statement. It was a simple truth that Cory was not to be trusted. Everyone knew it. Lilly quivered as the Weasel left the chamber. "In light of... the circumstances, I believe it would be prudent to pay the Foundation a visit. It isn't everyday that you find a Cubia survivor. They would want to know about this.

"I shall prepare yer vessel, my lady." stated Brian as he moved to leave.

Lilly turned back to the girl and patted her on the head. "You'll be safe. We'll keep you out of harm. Tee hee." The miniature queen then skipped off after the retreating Brian.

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Foundation; Hunter HQ:

Beowulf pressed his finger against the board, causing a small display to appear. Upon it was an image on the old Mobius Station and a mission brief. The blonde man fished around in his pockets for a data drive and inserted it into the display. "Ok, Reis, I've got our new mission! Let's go show these guys what it means to get hit by a Templar!"

"Um... Ok..." stuttered Reis quietly.

"You know, partner, you could at least sound a little enthusiastic... You're getting me down, you know." he sighed as he welled up dramatic tears, "I don't think I can make it. You're heart just wasn't in it, partner..."

"B-b-b-but, I... Um... B-but..." she stuttered, panicking.

"Ah, forget about it. I'm just pricking with ya." laughed a hearty Beowulf. Reis turned red and hid her face, embarrassed at being fooled so easily.

Redwater Castle, Mera

Jessie just nods, eyes wide. She's heard a little about the Foundation -- some sort of group of heroes or something, living in their own special base in space. %That means...I'll be traveling though space....% She isn't sure how she feels about the idea. She was supposed to live her life in a small town, part of a mining community. Not meeting knights and heroes and royalty, and certainly not leaving the planet.

-CDS Hatred-

The three male teens didn't need telling twice as they all hurried back in the direction they came from. Riem was the second scariest character on the ship, with Ariel being third and Strahl being first.

Jarad was the first to finish catching his breath, and he grabbed the still gasping Riley by his shirt. "Dammit, Ri, you are so FREAKING weak, I oughta..."

Before the lion could say another word, however, the loudspeaker crackled to life and started broadcasting a familiar voice to all the crew.

"Attention. We're about to arrive at our destination. All hands, report to your appropriate stations and standby for further orders."

Craig adjusted his goggles, looking disappointed. Exchanging looks with Jarad before turning back to Riley, he scratched his head, saying, "Looks like we'll have to find another way later. I gotta go."

The lion waved him off. "Yeah, we will."
When the canine did nothing more than sigh, his friend elbowed him and he, too, saw the mole off properly.

"Come on, stop brooding, Riley," Jarad said sternly. "We've got work to do now."

The Foundation, Hunter HQ:

Carla strode back into the room that harboured the message-boards, her eyes taking in the scene through her visor as she went. If anything, tha activity in the room now seemed more intense, the atmosphere more potent. A lot of new recruits would be given their first assignments today. Carla was optimistic enough to look forwards to meeting whomever she was to work with & to participating in her first live mission. She was also however, enough of a realist to know that for many of the new recruits- herself included- the first mission could easily be the last. Even if- thanks to her training both at the hands of the Hunter's Academy and her previous instructor- she was strong enough and skilled enough to survive individually, that would count for little if the company to which she was assigned failed to meet those same requirements collectively. She could only hope that- when she was chosen and assigned to a company- whoever did the choosing chose well.

Dismissing such grim thoughts from her mind, Cala noted that Reis had found her large friend again and seemed to have calmed from panicky to only mildly flustered. That much was good news at least. Turning her attention entirely to the message boards, Carla began to to go over the mission briefs, piecing together an overall image of the war in her head as best she could. Knowing the big picture was crucial. If she could understand that, it would shed some light on the heightened tension in the room around her.