ROLEPLAY HQ - new-hope

I sit in the back corner of the coffee shop, hoping not to be noticed. It's been nice, getting off the ship and enjoying the space station. I just hope the repairs are finished soon. Then my wrist com chimes, and I check it. Princess is ready, head home. G Finally! Before I can even start to get up, it chimes again. Frowning, I check it. emergency! Public bounty general alert! Get home NOW! S That one didn't make sense, what public bounty? What is he talking about? The I start to hear all manner of chimes. The space station is crowded, and it seems like every com device here is receiving a message. My own chimes once more. 90,000 intergalactic credit bounty alert Luvin: medium-short, mottled green and purple skin, brightly colored hair. Facial- almost eyes, pert nose, small mouth, large lips. Humanoid. Frequently seen with flora. last known location:Delun space station My heart pounds erratically. I glance around, trying to dissappear into my chair. Nobody has noticed me yet. I tug my hood down a bit better, and keep my head down. I don't know what to do! Then my com unit chimes one more time. stay out of sight! We are on our way! AM Relief floods through me. A'Metta is coming, I know she will get me back to princess. As long as she gets here before one of these aliens finds me. The space station seems to have gone insane. So many people are searching, fights have broke out. People are looking in shipping crates, garbage cans, it looks like a shop is being ransacked across the street. Two mean looking bounty hunters are standing in front of the door to the coffee shop, grabbing anyone with a hood and ripping it off of them, then throwing them aside. I couldn't get out of here if I wanted to anyway. They don't seem to be stopping anybody without a hood from going out or coming in. I imagine them ripping my hood off, then exclaiming gleefully that they've found a Luvin, and dragging me away. I can't detect it, but I begin to emit an arom

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a. A pleasant, floral scent, laced with sweet tones and pheromones. The scent is reflexive and instinctual. I can't control it. It's purpose is to calm and relax any attacker, sooth tempers, and create a general sense of content. It's a defense tactic Luvins evolved quite uniquely. It works well, on Luvin. In space, it can be quite unpredictable. Some species are not affected at all. Others are affected to varying degrees. Occasionally I've encountered a species who is affected in a very bad way. They become crazed, or angry, or unconscious. For now, all I can do is try not to be noticed, and hope A'Metta gets here before anyone else.

I am also sitting alone in this coffee shop. This is supposed to be a relaxing venture and I am not expecting any trouble. So I’m leaning with my back against the corner, on the seat in my side booth, wearing a large hat that covers my hair and face. Ofcourse, trouble often finds you when you do the kind of work I do. The announcement is made and within minutes, the whole street seems to erupt into chaos. A lot of these people honestly just need an excuse to go wild. I get an interesting sensation. Something I’ve felt before. It’s not a sensation that is detected by the senses. Instead, it’s a feeling, and not one that is my own. Worry? I’ve had this sensation before, but not for many years now. Being part of a species that has evolved from flora, this particular pheromone has this unique effect on me. I recognise what the source is and start looking around. Noone here is trying to stand out other than the two tough guys at the entrance. But there is one figure that catches my eye. A shorter figure sitting in a corner with a cloak on. Jackpot! If I can nab a Luvin, it’s going to be just the payday I’m looking for. It must be my lucky day. Spoke too soon. I see a Qhurgan man walking towards the cloaked figure. He may not be able to sense the same feeling as me, but his curiosity has been peaked all the same. If he gets his hands on this Luvin first, it’s bye bye credits. He’s going to pass by my seat on his path to the mark.

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I wait for him to get close and then casually get up off my seat like I’m about to leave. Just then, he’s about to pass right by me and I smack him in the jaw with an uppercut. Qhurgans have weak chins and he gets knocked out cold in one hit. I use his forward momentum to catch him in almost a hug and set him down on the seat on which I was sitting. I take my hat off to reveal my red hair that is basically a tangle of leaves, tied into a short ponytail. I place this hat on the Qhurgan to hide his face. He’s just...sleeping. I look around the room. Noone noticed. I make my way to the Luvin instead, taking the same path the Qhurgan man was taking. Once I reach the table, I sit down on the chair across the table from the mark. I do it in a casual, but abrasive way, my body facing the side rather than the Luvin. “I count a total of 3 people in here who are armed with some sort of blasting weapon. Atleast another 2 are openly carrying blades. And guess who their prize is. What are you planning on doing in this situation?” I ask like I’m having a casual conversation with an old friend.

@redder_6989

I raise my head just enough to catch a glimpse of this person's face, then duck down again. I don't know who he is, but he hasn't tried to hurt me, and the way he is sitting blocks me from sight of the people on the street. I risk another glance, holding my hood in place with my hands. "I don't know what... what I'm going to do..." I say quietly. My soft, melodic voice doesn't carry far in the shop, especially with the noise on the street. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. If he was going to do anything to me, he would have already, right? I am unarmed, small, and harmless. "What are you going to do with me?" I tentatively ask, assuming he has figured out that I am a Luvin.

Kora. Hold on girl, I'm coming! I shoulder my way past a Bawn Gaod thug who thought he would block my path. He thinks he is tough or something, because he decides to try and grab my shoulder. Unfortunately for him, I can't afford to be delayed, and he just became a delay. I have a blaster on each thigh, but I don't need them for this. I grab hold of his wrist and drop, catching off gaurd, causing him to stumble. I turn my body and use his momentum to pull him forward as I roll, slamming him into the ground on his back. He stares up at me in a daze as I walk right over him. "Did I ever tell you, I'm glad you're on our team, A'Metta?" Mafacto jogs to catch up to my determined stride. His shorter legs have to work to match my pace. "I'm sure you've mentioned it, Mafacto. Keep close, if I have to come back to save your ass from some half-pasted baser I'm not going to make life pleasant!" I snap. The reaction to the public alert is alarming. I have never seen a group of aliens act like this. The bounty isn't that high, it doesn't make sense. The trouble in this part of the galaxy must be worse than it sounded in the reports. None of that really has anything to do with us now. I just have to get to Kora, and bring her safely back to Princess. I'll feel better knowing she's safe, with people I can trust. This riot is not a place for someone like her to be.

Turn you in and buy myself a new ship “I’m going to get you out of here, of course. Us bipedal floral life forms need to stick together” I say, trying to sound as charming as I can in this situation. I’m not the biggest, strongest or most authoritative guy you’ve ever met. I’m a good fighter, but trying to punch your way out of every situation won’t get you very far in this world. So I’ve learned to use my head. “But in order for me to do that, I’ll need you to trust me. Those two bulls are blocking the main entrance, but there should be a back door here used by the employees. We just need to get to it without raising suspicion.” I glance at the counter. A single barista is manning the counter. This isn’t a very big place. Probably understaffed and probably just a couple of people at most in the back. “I’ll go and distract the one at the counter. Sneak behind the counter when she’s not looking and go to the back room. Find your way to the alley in the back. I’ll go out the front door meet you in the back alley” With that, I get up off my seat and make my way to the barista. It’s better to move quickly and not give this Luvin much time to get used to think about what my intentions could be. I approach the counter and catch the barista’s attention. “Who do I have to thank for the delicious coffee you’re selling here?” I say to the barista @redder_6989

but A'Metta is coming for me! I'm supposed to stay put, wait for A'Metta. I glance around and don't see her. What I do see are the two bounty hunters out front getting bored with their tactic and taking note of the coffee shop behind them. They shove each other and appear to have a disagreement about who will pay. I can't stay here, they'll find me. While the barista is busily flirting with the leafy-haired alien who offered to help me, I move as quickly as I can to slip behind the counter. The employee door swings both ways, and I slip through quickly. There is a single employee in the back, a happy looking alien with a natural smile, who appears to be listening to music somehow while stocking shelves with its four arms. I slip past it and make my way through the shelves until I find a door. It's unlocked, and I'm relieved when no alarm goes off. It leads me to the last bit of space at the back of a narrow alley, with a dumpster blocking me from view of the street. I press myself to the corner where the dumpster meets the wall and curl up, wanting to make myself small enough to dissappear. The floral scent practically drips off of me. Not only am I being hunted by every alien on this space station, now A'Metta doesn't know where I am. I wrap my arms around my knees and wait.

"there! That's the right place! That's where she was!" I tell Mafacto. Two thugs are shoving each other, arguing in front of the door. I hardly notice them, just shove them aside and walk through, quite an I mpressive feat for an unimpressive alien like myself. I look around the shop and don't see Kora. That has me worried. "Mafacto, she can't have gotten far, check everywhere!" I can't see her having left when I told her to stay put unless she was in danger. Fearing someone may have spotted her, I head back outside to peer up and down the street. @.leoxleo

I see the new arrivals enter the coffee shop. They immediately start looking for the girl, talking about it loudly and causing a ruckus. More bounty hunters probably. Thanks to them being so overt in their search, if anyone didn’t know she was nearby, they’d definitely find out now. I get the feeling this is about to turn ugly. Looks like getting her out the back before they arrived was the right call. It’s time for me to make my exit as well. I finish talking to the Barista, slipping her a larger tip than usual. I do it covertly as this is not the sort of planet where you show off that you have a lot of money on you. I try to ignore the two new aliens and make my way to the entrance of the coffee shop. I’ll try to get past those thugs if I can without making a scene. I don’t match the description of the Luvin and am not hiding my face so there shouldn’t be a problem, but really, anything can be a problem in this place if the mood strikes the wrong person. @redder_6989

I look at the people in the coffee shop first. Not many, and none look like they recently saw a Luvin. I'd assume if they had they'd be a bit excited. The fellow at the counter slips out the door and I see the barista quietly pocket a tip- was that two bills? Something tells me this guy is hiding something. Or someone. Trusting my instincts I watch as he leaves, then follow him out the door, heading to A'Metta. "Did you happen to see that redheaded fellow?" I ask her quietly when I am right next to her. She shifts just slightly, then nods. "What about him?" "Call it a hunch, but he's got a secret. Can you see him still?" "He's going down the alley." I nod, then step aside and bow with a flourish. "After you, my dear." I say, letting her lead the way. @.leoxleo

As I am about to head into the alley, I glance behind and see those same two aliens talking to each other while looking in my direction. Damn. They’re onto me. I can’t go into the alley like this. They’ll find her and take her for themselves. I see a mean looking man crossing my path. He is decked out in weaponry and patchwork armour. Classic mercenary. This guy could be useful. As he’s passing by, I casually point behind me with my thumb in the direction of the two aliens. “Hey, wasn’t there an announcement about some 90,000 credit county on a shorter girl with green skin? Think that’s her?” And I keep walking right past him. Who knows if this will work or for how long. I need to get to the Luvin. I leave the man to do what he will the idea I planted in his head and turn into the alley. The Luvin is not hard to locate in the alley. Not only can I smell her, I can feel her fear as well. I almost feel bad. Almost. I walk up to her and peek behind the dumpster to find her crouching. “We should go. And quickly. There are a couple of bounty hunters after you and they’ll be coming here any minute” I put out my hand, prompting her to take it so I can hurry her out of the other end of the ally from which I came in. I can only hope the floral smell is not leaving a trail that is strong enough to be followed. @redder_6989

he found me, and I don't known if that is a good thing, or a bad thing. A'Metta is looking for me, I know she must be close, I'm supposed to wait for her! "I should stay here, I have friends looking for me, I have to stay here." I insist, "please, they must be close, if I stay here they will find me." I look up at the man, causing my hood to fall back a bit. Green and purple hues seem to shimmer under my skin. My hair, thick and dark purple, is dotted with flowers. My big purple eyes are pointed on either side, and turned up to you full of uncertainty. And trust. And hope, and innocence.

"Do you smell that, Mafacto? That's her." I growl, "Hurry, get to the other side of the alley." "No need. Just got a message from Toggle. Teekay Oh followed her scent signature. They are coming up from the other side. What's this fool want, now?" Mafacto informs me. That's a massive relief, because I know Mafacto isn't the fastest runner. But now some idiot is walking up, sizing up Mafacto like he intends to start something. "Looks like I'll be taking the green girl, sorry but your luck. It's just not your day." He leers at me, and Mafacto steps back. As the alien reaches for me, I grab hold of his arm turn as I move behind him, then around him, bending him forward With both his arms locked in a painful hold that would dislocated his shoulder if I pulled a bit harder. I plant my foot on the back of his head, dropping him to the ground as I let go. Mafacto bends down, laughing, to speak to him. "I'm afraid the green girl has other plans. Have a nice day, sir." He is still laughing as he runs to catch up to me. I'm done playing. As soon as i reach the mouth of the alley, I can smell Kora, and the red haired alien is right there by a dumpster. I pull both blasters and level them on him. "Step back against the wall, hands where I can see them, and don't fucking move!" I call to him. At the far end of the alley I see one tall and one surprisingly small figure start walking toward us. @.leoxleo

with the man in her sights, A'Metta doesn't see the man enter the alley behind her. It's a ways off, but my eyes can focus and magnify. I see him reach for a weapon. "Get down!" I shout, breaking into a run, my right hand switching out to a Lazer gun. A'Metta is a smart girl, and immediately drops as the man behind her snarls and points his own firearm. Mafacto, a little slow, drops to the ground as I fire. The shot passes immediately in front of the red haired man's face, narrowly missing him, and hits the weapon in the attacker's hand before he can fire. He scream, holding his injured hand, and Mafacto grabs the man and draws his solar sword. The man, confronted with a light blade wielding warrior, steps back and reaches for another weapon. Mafacto makes short work of severing his hand. The light blade cauterizes the wound, making a sizzling sound as it cuts through him. The man screams again, falling against the wall. "Shut up you coward or I'll take the other one too!" Mafacto snarls, then, displaying surprising strength for such a short man, he hauls the attacker forward and shoves him toward the red haired man. "Friend of yours?" He asks. "Kora, come over here, honey, let's go home." A'Metta holsters one blaster and reaches toward Kora, keeping the second one trained on the red haired man. "Teekay Oh, you got these guys, bring them back to Princess." "Oh, hell, A'Metta! What are we going to do with another one!" Mafacto gripes. "You mean two." I correct him. "Both of them? They aren't together! I won't have it! You know Guuly won't do what has to be done!" With that, Mafacto steps forward and pierces the second alien's chest with the light sword. The alien shudders as Mafacto holds the blade in his chest until smoke rises from the blackening hole. @.leoxleo

Damn, I had it wrong. These people aren’t random bounty hunters. They’re her crew. That’s so much worse. It means I can’t turn them on each other and slip away and I can’t have her trust me over them. This plan’s gone to shit the moment it started. They’re pretty brutal. And kind of hot headed as a group. If I make a wrong move, I’m as dead as that other guy. This situation is going to need some manoeuvring to get out of in one piece. If they want to take me with them, I think it best to let them for now. I can’t fight five of them at the same time. I look at the Luvin. No, make that four of them. This one’s not a fighter. She’s just a passenger. So what’s this crew’s angle? Wait for her bounty to go high enough and then sell her out? “Looks like your friends found you” I say to the Luvin with a smile. That’s really all I can do. Her testimony in my favour is all that’s keeping me alive right now. @redder_6989

I clutch my chest, staring at the dead man, and a strangled cry escapes me. When A'Metta holds her hand out to me, I shake my head and stand, and grab hold of the red headed man. "He tried to help me!" I say, pressing against him as if to shield him with my own body. "Damnit, Mafacto, you know this can't happen in front of her!" A'Metta snaps. Teekay Oh takes hold of the man's arm, pulling it behind his back. He looks at me with his metallic eyes, then gives a small smile. "Can you search him for me, Kora? I promise you, he won't be harmed while I have him, but I need to make sure he won't harm us, as well." He says quietly. I nod, then look at the alien. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen." I whisper. I start by checking his pockets, then pat him down, feeling for guns or blades. Once I've found any weapons, I hand them to Teekay Oh. The whole time I searched, A'Metta scolded Mafacto angrily. When Teekay Oh starts moving down the alley with him, keeping a firm grip on his arm and shielding the fact that he is a captive with his body, both A'Metta and Mafacto quickly surround me. "Keep this on, you know better." A'Metta tugs my hood back over my head before stepping ahead of me. Teekay Oh and Mafacto are to either side, and slightly behind me, placing the red haired man directly behind me. It's only a few blocks to Princess. She wasn't at the docks, she was in a shop, having a thruster replaced. As we reach the cruiser, the small Alien reappears, seemingly out of nowhere. She darts ahead of us into the ship and is promptly lost again. Teekay Oh takes the captive to his own room, which had once been just a closet and now was the machine's retreat. He has no need for sleep, but does still occasionally enjoy solitude. Once that door is locked, A'Metta addresses a very tall, slender, grey alien seated on a chair. So far this alien hasn't said anything, just watched with interest as we all filed onto the ship. "Where is Captain Guuly?" A'Met

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ta demands. The grey alien just nods toward the hallway behind her. A'Metta turns on her heel as Guuly comes onto the bridge. "Captain, I--" "No time, A'Metta, take your station, begin launch sequences. We leave this trap now" Guuly heads toward his own station as well. I go to my own room and leave my hooded cloak. I stop at the small potted plant on the table and gently caress the leaves that turn toward me, as if straining to reach me. It calms me, and soon I have a smile again. I feel the ship leaving the space station, and I feel when we hit hyper drive. The space station will be so far behind us soon, it will be just a bad memory. Except for the alien we picked up. I hurry out of my room as captain Guuly takes his seat on the couch. Teekay Oh is just opening the door to let the man come out. I pause in the hallway to watch, hoping all goes well. @.leoxleo

While searching me, the Luvin finds a gun, one with actual bullets rather than a blaster, tucked into a holster i wear on my left shoulder under my coat. She also finds a knife in an ankle holster. I’m not really looking to blow people’s heads off generally so I keep weapons to a minimum usually. I’m walked to their ship and I let them guide me. Looks like they want to keep this Luvin happy and won’t kill me as long as I can make it so that she would be upset if they. As I am getting onto the ship, I notice its name printed on the side. This seems right for a crew this size. But once inside the ship, I find even more people in there. It’s suddenly looking like a fairly crowded space. Who knows who else is hiding out around the ship and is yet to be seen. I think about my own 2 seater ship that is parked in the docks right now. I suppose I’ll have to come back for it later. Better to not mention its existence to these people. I find myself locked in the closet that’s been outfitted with a chair and some other basic necessities, but far less than what you would expect in here. This place is obviously used by someone, but feels a just a little bit lifeless. I don’t see anything that I can grab and use as a weapon. There aren’t even any utensils. Looks like that will have to wait. I sit down on the chair and make myself comfortable. No point tiring myself out unnecessarily. No use worrying about what you can’t change. I feel the ship take off and eventually go into hyperdrive. The rattling stops and door is finally opened. Showtime. I walk out of the room. “Nice place you all have here.” I say, looking around the ship properly. I spot the Luvin. “Are you feeling any better now? I never did catch your name” @redder_6989

I smile, my whole face lighting up as I go to greet him warmly. I walk right up to him and slip my hands in his, studying his face closely. The aroma from before is gone, replaces by a new scent, and new pheromones. This scent is rich, earthy, and deep. It's a comfortable scent, almost like fresh dirt and rain, with a lightly floral undertone. The pheromones accompanying this scent are calming, relaxing, and trigger dopamine release. "I'm Kora, thank you for helping me in the coffee shop! I'm sorry my friends were so rough with you, they just want to keep me safe. I didn't get your name either?" @.leoxleo

I can smell this new aroma same as last time, but there is also the associated feeling that I can feel. I know for sure now that this is simply her own feelings. This one seems to be relief “Yods Ezear” I reply. No real reason to lie. I’m not in any databases. I’ve nit been arrested. There really isn’t anything in my past that would get me into trouble here. I mean ofcourse, I’ve been a smuggler for a long time and am now trying my had at bounty hunting, but I get the sense that these people won’t care. “It’s fine. I can understand. That’s really all I was trying to do as well” I’m laying it on a bit thick, but this girl seems like the gullible sort. I’m expecting her yo eat it all up. I’ll just have to bide my time and separate her from her crew when the opportunity arises. @redder_6989

"Kora!" A quiet voice reaches me, making my ear twitch. Curiosity crosses my face as I look over and spot Slim waving me to him. I let go of Yods hands and move over to Slim, who is smiling pleasantly. Mafacto is seated on a couch with a bottle of liquor, and Guuly is making his way over to join him. A'Metta is impatiently tapping her fingers at a drink dispenser. She still has her weapons, and Teekay Oh, who is a weapon, himself, stands nearby. He is so still it would be easy to mistake him for a piece of furniture, and his posture is not aggressive. Slim is seated behind and surrounded by several holographic monitors of varying sizes. He shuts down a couple as I approach and glances over at Guuly suspiciously before adopting a stage whisper. "I've found a new one for you!" He seems genuinely pleased with himself, and my face lights up as he reaches into a pouch at his waist. @.leoxleo

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it's a very casual atmosphere, everyone seems quite content in their environment. Guuly tosses back a shot of the liquor Mafacto pours, then sets the glass on the table in front of him. "Care for a drink, sir? Captain Guuly, custom cruiser Princess." Guuly introduces himself without standing, and Mafacto grumbles but pours another glass of liquor.

They have no reason to poison me, right? And the captain just took a sip himself. I go and sit down where he’s left a seat open. If there’s someone other than Kora that I need to charm, it’s this guy. I take a sip of the drink offered. I may be engaged with the captain, but I’m still curious about what the alien talking to Kora has for her. “This is a neat ship you have here. What purpose does it serve for you?” Let’s see what these people do for a living @redder_6989

I watch as slim holds out three little brown pebbles to Kora. It's always those, more seeds! Kora gushes over them, thanking Slim quite profusely. She cradles them in her hands and smiles at Slim with delight. "Do you know what they are?" She asks hopefully. "I do not, it will be a surprise." Slim answers. Kora stands and moves toward her extra room. Intended to be a storage room, Mafacto and Guuly had converted it into Kora's space. Kora walks to the door and opens it to reveal a small room, so full with growing things it actually produces oxygen. The walls are covered in Vining, growing things. Shelves covered in pots with Flowers bursting from them. As she enters the plants all rustle, as if there were a breeze, which is not possible on a spaceship. The plants seem more healthy and vibrant under her care. She's only in there a few moments before she emerges with a small pot with a leafy little plant with several blooms. She takes it over to Slim. "This is the last one you gave me. Can you identify it yet?" She asks. Slim smiles and looks it over. "Not until it blooms, dear, then we will know for sure what it is." He says gently. I keep my eye on Yods as he sits with Guuly to drink. He isn't armed, but I can do damage unarmed, who's to say he can't? I stay alert. "Princess actually was a way for my brother-in-arms and I to break free from our respective sister planets and find our own corner of the universe to call home. She's come a long way since then. Mostly a pleasure ship, but she's been used for scavenging, mining, we've hauled a couple bounties in with her. Did a stint hauling repos for a guy. Lately though, she's home for all of us, and we've been on the hunt. The last few years, she's been outfitted with some rather incredible new features. That's why she is classed as a personalized. She's been almost completely rebuilt and reprogrammed." Guuly explains proudly.

The part about the bounties piques my interest. So they are bounty hunters. They may be playing nice, giving her gifts and keep her happy, but if that bounty climbs high enough, I bet they’d sell her out too. Well I won’t let that happen. Because I will be the one to claim this bounty. “That’s really something” I say, sounding impressed. “I’m curious to see the things she can do” Of course, knowing the features of this ship would also help in running away from it or maybe blowing it up if the need arises. I need to sound like I’m interested in their operation right now. I can’t just have them just drop me off at the next port. However, not everyone here seems to be as willing to accept me into the fold. The green one’s giving me the stink eye. The short guy, Malfecto(?) seems like the grumpy sort and that one guy’s practically an emotionless sculpture. No matter. I’ll just have to gain their trust individually. @redder_6989

"this ship can do more than she looks like she can do, but I'm not the one to explain such things. For that you'll want to talk to Slim." I look over to Slim as he and Kora talk about plants and seeds. Kora loves that he hunts down the rarest, most exotic seeds that can be found and brings them to her. She has never failed to get them to grow and flourish. "It's either him, or Toggle, wherever that stowaway has gone off to. I know you've met already, but this is Mafacto..." as I make introductions I notice A'Metta remains aloof and indifferent but don't take any notice of it. It's not an issue, A'Metta is simply distrustful.

Kora always seems to brighten any room she enters when she smiles. I get her the seeds because I know how much she loves it. I get her rare seeds, so she can have something of value. It's become a favorite hobby. I find the rarest, most obscure seeds, ones that are said to be impossible to grow outside of their planet of origin, and even then it's rare. Seed for plants that cost a fortune in IC. Seeds, like these latest, that are from plants that are extinct, and may or may not have had to dispose of the previouse owner in a trash incinerator. Kora doesn't need to know that. She loves the plants, and they thrive for her. It's sort of a challenge for myself. I am on a quest to find a plant Kora can't grow. So far I'm delighted to have failed. Another benefit is that Kora has a greenhouse on a spaceship filled with plants that could bring her a small fortune, each. As far as I can tell, this particular Luvin trait is unparalleled. Nothing I've found can compare to the way plants respond to Kora. I can literally watch them growing under her attention. It's incredible. I only keep half an eye on the Captain's conversation. Kora was quite upset when she returned, not surpising, with Mafacto killing an alien practically in her face. The plants and gentle attention should help her relax. Kora upset is distressing to all of us. From what I can tell, the pheromones Kora produces create this bond between us and her. The longer we spend with her, the stronger it gets. It's not necessarily a romantic or sexual thing, though I would not be opposed to trying to make her happy in that way. It's something outside of that, entirely, and it's an entirely pleasurable thing. Kora is important to us all. We choose to care for her. She has never, and will never, make us regret that choice. Even if it's a choice we give our lives for. I reach toward her sweet, smiling face and cup her cheek, meeting her eyes. Once again, I find myself compelled to try. I would love to have

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romance in our relationship. "Kora, you're so very beautiful. How can I get you to see me the way I see you?" I ask gently. Kora tilts her head into my hand, smiling at me, and meets my gaze. "I don't know how, Slim. I can't ask for more from you, you are already so very good to me. I have nothing more I can give you." She says innocently. I let my hand fall from her face and she hugs the small pot of dirt with the seeds in it to her chest. "Thank you so much, I can't wait to see what they grow into!" "I am excited as well, I'm sure we will be pleasantly surprised." I reply. She turns and takes the pot to her greenhouse, though she leaves the dooropen. From where I am, I can catch an occasional glimpse of her as she moves around the room. I shake my head slowly, smiling, and mutter about Luvins good naturedly. I give the majority of my attention back to my displays, while still keeping part of my mind on Guuly and the guest.

At Guuly’s prompt, I look at the one named Slim. Slim indeed. And i also notice something curious. The way he’s talking to Kora, the way he’s touching her, the gifts he’s bringing, it’s clear he’s attracted to her. Probably wants more than what they have. She on the other hand seems to be completely oblivious about what’s happening. This tells me two things: first of all, I’ll need to be more assertive with Kora if I need to get her to do something for me. The second is that this slim guy could either be the easiest one to get on my side or the hardest, depending on his personality and how I handle him. First things first: I want them to want me on their ship for the long term. For that I need more information about what their goals are and what they’re lacking. If I know those two things, I can present give then a reason to want me me around, even if I have to lie. It would be most effective if I can get them to think it’s their idea to have me join up. It would raise the least suspicion. “So you guys jumped into hyperspace pretty quickly after leaving the atmosphere of that last planet. Tells me that you have a destination in mind. Where are we headed and why?” I continue to drink as I ask this. It needs to sound like idle curiosity. They need to think I have nothing better to do than go along with whatever they want to do. @redder_6989

"oh we jumped all right. Haven't had a close call like that in over a year now. I wouldn't have stopped there, but I had to have Princess serviced in a shop." I say, watching this young man closely. He has a lot going on behind those eyes of his. "Yods, don't act like you didn't see the public notice. Not a soul on that space station wasn't looking for Kora. I know your type, and you're no bounty hunter. To many people to answer tool for that. You've got the look of a gun for hire." A'Metta interjects. I shake my head, butunfortunately, A'Metta is quite perceptive about these things. "Slim, anything on the origin of that public notice. I know it looked official--" "There was nothing official about that notice. Someone gained remote access to the space station's alert system. No authority will ever put out a bounty notice for a species, much less a species that doesn't exist." Slim says as his eyes dart from one monitor to the next. He very casually produces another holographic projector and sets it in a clear spot beside him. It immediately produces another screen that he operates deftly with his long, slender fingers. "I want to know how they knew she was there. That wasn't just a shot in the dark. That caused riots. That's the biggest risk they've taken so far, the authorities are going to be investigating that alert." A'Metta points out, then turns to Yods. "Let's get one thing clear, Yods. There is no bounty on Kora. It's a hit, and nobody is going to harm a hair on that girl's head."

“I take whatever job I enjoy and I don’t particularly enjoy killing innocent girls. I hear you when you say I better not hurt her, but I’m sure you noticed that I didn’t really try to do that at all. Didn’t even threaten to do so.” I say to the green woman. “Honestly, I thought you were the bounty hunters after her, bursting into the coffee shop like that, announcing so blatantly that you’re looking for her. If I hadn’t gotten her out of there before that, the whole street would’ve converged on us the moment they realised where Kora was and that we were allied with her” In presenting my argument, I subtly ally myself with the whole crew. I want them to come to the conclusion that I’m basically already on their side. I also want my words to sting a bit. This woman seems like the stubborn type. I can’t seem too meek around her or she’ll know I’m trying to play her. I’m willing to bet she’s the sort that bases her opinion of people on how much she respects them, so standing up to her a little and firing back a bit might help. Either way, I’ve rolled the dice. Let’s see how she reacts. She has a good point, however. If this is an unofficial bounty, it really is more of a hit. But really what’s the difference? Ultimately, bounties are just hits that someone with a reputation to uphold has put out. It won’t stop me from pursuing this. Money is money. @redder_6989

I narrow my eyes at the alien distrustfully. I don't like him, and I won't trust him. Even if he hadn't threatened Kora, what the hell else was he doing, trying to sneak her out the back of the coffee shop, knowing the price for her? I keep my eye on him as I head over to my station. I don't like not knowing where we are going, and Guuly has a habbit of not keeping me informed. It's not much of problem, I just have to check the course. "I can try to trace the signal, but it's more than likely protected. I will, however, start pooling data from the shipyard. I'll keep the station under watch, see who comes and goes. Its possible they are at the station, themselves." Slim seems to just be thinking out loud, not really expecting anyone to respond. Yods comment bothers me. He talks like he's a member of the crew, "we" are allied with her. What game is he playing? I pull up the routing and check the coordinate destination, only to be floored by the results. "No, Guuly, we agreed, it's to dangerous to go there, I thought we were going to go in a couple cycles!" I round on Guuly, pissed off. Not even he could be this stupid, could he? "I know we talked about it, A'Metta, but I don't see any other way to find a lead. Even Slim agreed, it's certain to get us some solid data--" "Solid data in the form of a damned warship turning us into rubble!" I snap. Guuly looks over at Slim, who puts his hands up and shakes his head. "No, I already told you, I'm staying out of this one!" Slim says, "in fact, I'll be in my room, I need to focus." "You'll be on the bridge when we approach coordinates, I need you at your station." Guuly orders, and Slim nods as he collects his equipment. "Of course captain." "Guuly this is suicide!" I push for the alien to use his head, but he just gets that stubborn look on his face. I throw my hands up, disgusted, and follow Slim down the corridor.

Great. Looks like they’re headed somewhere dangerous. I avoid trouble when I can, but if hurtling towards this hazard is what I need to do to gain their trust, it’s what I’ll do. I’ve decided which of these people I need to work on first. I’ll focus on getting in with the captain. He’s the one who ensures my place on this ship so he needs to want to keep me around more than anyone. Guuly seems like an adventurous guy. He’s being vague about their destination. And by the others’ reaction, it seems this is a fairly daring plan. I notice Guuly had turned to face the front of the ship and is looking out at the lights rushing by as we hurtle through hyperspace. I go and stand next to him, facing the same direction. “So what’s this suicide mission about, captain? Care to fill me in?” @redder_6989

I sigh, keeping my gaze on the stars. It's time to tell the whole story. I'm not the best at telling stories. "Well, around ten years ago, today, would be the day Kora saw her planet destroyed before her eyes." I say heavily. "The poor girl was just 16 years old. Her people held a class trip every year for her level. They all went to their moon. It just so happened that it was also the Luvin holiday they called their "celebration of generation, " their once a decade holiday to celebrate family and being together. It was a day that every Luvin would be on Luvin. And the last day that she or any if her 300 or so classmates would ever have a family to celebrate." I turn and look at the alien next to me, wondering what he thinks of the tragic talk so far. @.leoxleo

I’ve heard the story before. It’s something that was buried quite well, but my background in smuggling has made me familiar with this history lesson. I’ve helped smuggle Luvin around before. I was a part of someone else’s crew back then and not the lone wolf I ended up becoming, so I didn’t know all the details. In those days, the pay for smuggling them around was simply higher than the bounty, so we followed the credits. Things seem to be escalating now. I can’t say I’m not curious what this is about. “Wow. That’s all news to me. I had no idea Kora had been through so much. I just saw a scared, innocent girl and had to step in” @redder_6989

"they're being hunted like animals. Their entire planet was destroyed, and all record of it or their species is gone. I have never seen anything like it. What I don't get, is why. That's what we're trying to find out. " I sigh, then turn from the window. "A'Metta doesn't want us to go to the location of Luvin. She thinks they're going to be there, waiting to pick off the remaining Luvins. Ten years, it's time for that celebration of generation. Luvins, the ones that are left, are going to want to be here. I know Kora does." "A'Metta worries to much. Princess can handle it. She needs to be put to the test after that last hardware Toggle installed." Mafacto chimes in from the couch. "That she does, she certainly does." I agree, then head to my station console. "As for you, Yods... see, we have a bit of an issue. I can't drop you off. You know my ship, my, name, my crew, and my most precious passenger. You put telling people about the Luvin on my ship is a most undesirable factor. I'm just going to need some time to figure out what to do with you." I quickly become engrossed in my console, reviewing the stats and monitoring the ship. "Yods?" I hear Kora quietly approach and offer her a smile she doesn't try to interrupt. It isn't often the poor girl gets to meet people, ig guess she finds our new passenger to be quite interesting. @.leoxleo

I stay quiet through the rest of Guuly’s story. Yes! This is perfect. Now I can take my time and figure out a way to separate Kora from the pack. This is almost too easy. I hear Kora’s soft voice call me from the side so I turn and take a few steps over to her, meeting her in the middle. “Yes, Kora? What is it?” The last Luvin I met was in a constant state of worry aboard our ship so there was a constant barrage of aroma and, for me in particular, negative feelings, being emitted from them. The entire time I’ve known Kora, she too has jumped from one strong emotion to the next. I wonder if these pheromones are a constant presence, even when she is relaxed. I wonder whether or not I’ll be able to tell what she is feeling at all times through our journey. @redder_6989

I blush when Yods I so quick to answer me, not expecting such an immediate response. I blink up at him with my big, expressive eyes, and venture a tentative smile. I'm not the best at meeting people, though not for lack of wanting to. It's just not been safe to do so. Now, I'm very interested in meeting this new person, and hoping to make a good impression. It helps that I'm in the only place that I feel safe, surrounded by people who love and support me. While I may feel some superficial nervousness, the pheromones I exude are calm, comfortable, welcoming, relaxed, and content. "I was wondering... if you would like to see my greenhouse. It's my favorite place on Princess." I ask tentatively. Captain Guuly chuckles lightly. It's quite a novel thing, keeping a greenhouse on board a spaceship. Only a Luvin could make such a thing possible. @.leoxleo

I glance over at the greenhouse. I got a peek of the inside before, when she opened the door. It looks like a jungle in there. Or at the very least, an extremely dense garden. That could be a good spot to get close to Kora without being interrupted by the others. “I would love to see it. Lead the way” and I start walking beside her rather than actually letting her lead the way. We enter the greenhouse together and the door behind us shuts. I take in the greenhouse. It really is a unique experience seeing this on a hunk of metal hurtling through hyperspeed. Same as with Kora, I can sort of “feel” emotion from these plants as well. But lacking the complexity evolution has offered creatures like Kora and I, the actual meaning behind the emotion is quite...interpretive. The plants suddenly react to Kora’s presence and I’m bombarded with their feelings. It’s a bit overwhelming the first time. @redder_6989

I can't help but smile as the plants enthusiastically welcome me. It's a small room, and there are enough plants that shelves have been installed all around the walls. As I walk in, the plants with flowers subtly shift, turning their flowers toward me. I giggle softly and reach out to touch a leafy vine. "I was just in here, but they act like I've been gone all day!" I look over at Yods, and as soon as my attention is diverted the vine I'm touching begins to carefully send out a tendril of new growth to wend itself around my wrist. "Nobody else likes plants as much as I do. It's nice to have another flora based alien on board." I blush slightly, then notice the vine attempting to ensnare me. I carefully extract my hand, smiling gently at the plant. Then I move to another shelf that has much smaller plants in pots. "This is the one Slim just got for me." I present a pot with a single, frail looking, deep aqua colored leaf rising from the dark blue soil. The leaf is still furled, but as I hold the pot it seems to be attempting to open. "I'm not sure what it is yet, and it's having a really hard time growing. I don't know if Slim knows how old those seeds he found are, but they are happy for the chance to grow!" I set the pot down and present another, telling you a bit about the plant, then show you another. Once I pot that one back on the shelf, I look at you curiously. "You... you do like plants, too, don't you?" I ask, suddenly self conscious.

That’s a good question. Do I like plants? I’ve never really thought about it that much. I come from Nora C7: a planet on the outer rim of the galaxy. A place far enough away from anything that matters to anyone, that they stopped bothering giving every planet a unique name. This planet has developed a unique ecosystem where the vegetation is the dominant force. At least that’s what I’ve learned of my planet of origin with what little information is available this far away. I belong to a race of creatures known among certain circles as Milia, although, who knows what we call ourselves. My oldest memory is of being a very young child, barely at the cusp of having attained consciousness. I remember what I suppose were my parents, carrying me in my arms as they ran from something. Something... hungry. I never really saw what those things chasing us were. I imagine if I ever had found out, I wouldn’t still be alive. I could only really feel their hunger and their excitement. My next memory is being dragged away from creatures that look a bit like me. I can’t remember their faces, but I can see their bodies hit the ground and stop moving. And I remember being thrown into darkness. I suppose I don’t feel too strongly about plants. Any that don’t want to eat me are fine with me. “Of course I like them.” I say, tugging at one of the leaves on my head. “You really have a way with them, don’t you Kora? I wish I could play with them the way you do” @redder_6989

I smile slightly and reach out to caress a trailing vine. A thin new growth tendril begins to wind around and around my finger, so that it's a tiny corkscrew when I work my finger free of it. Then I turn to another plant, one covered with large, unopened flowed buds that all look ready to burst, they are so full. "This one is my favorite bloomer. Watch this." I say with a smirk and a wink. I cup one of the buds in both hands, and in moments, it opens up in a spiral, unfurling five large, bright pink petals. The yellow stamen in the center stand up and display proudly against the striking pink petals. Then, all at once, every blossom on the plant blooms, each one opening into a large, bright splash of pink, purple, or blue. The one i have cupped in my hands seems to drop itself off of the plant, and I turn and present it to you. The fragrance of all the flowers is strong, quickly filling the small room, overpowering even my own lightly floral scent. "Here you are, for you!" I say happily as I hand you the large bloom. "It should be about time to eat, are you hungry? The kitchen is this way." I open the door, flooding the ship with the scent of the sweet flowers. "Ooh, Kora! Could you leave that door open! What a lovely smell!" Toggle says as she is walking by and catches the scent before anyone else. "Of course!" I say with a pleased smile.

I take the flower presented to me with a polite smile. I don’t really want this. I don’t even know where I’m supposed to put this thing. I’ve never been given a flower by someone before. Kora starts leaving the room. I struggle for a moment to decide where to keep the flower, but ultimately just stick it unceremoniously into the inside pocket of my coat once Kora has turned away and can’t see me. Leaving it here might upset her mad, so this is the thing to do, right? I follow Kora out of the room. Food sounds great to be honest. I haven’t really had a proper meal in a while. I notice every interaction Kora has with her crew is overwhelmingly pleasant. It’s a bit nauseating to be honest. Noone can be this nice constantly. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this charade. We eventually make it to the kitchen. I wonder if there are any members of this crew that I haven’t met yet @redder_6989

I look over and Kora walks in, followed closely by Yods. Appearantly I'm the only one who feels Kora's safety is of the utmost importance. "I guess we have to feed the rats, now, right?" I comment with a pointed look at Yods. Kora looks surprised. "I don't, and won't, trust this alien, Kora. Am I the only person on this ship with half their wits intact?! Everyone's so quick to forget there is a very high tag on you, but I'm not about to let anything happen to you. Kora, please, be careful. He's got secrets, we all do, but this time... just trust me, please?" "I trust you with my life, A'Metta." Kora says simply. She pauses to smile up at me, the continues to the pantry. "What do you like to eat, Yods? I like these rations from Delta-green. I don't remember when we picked these up, but they're very good." She retrieves two meal packs, then takes them to the oven, puts them in the slots in the front, and pushes the button. After a few moments, the meal packs are ready, and a tray slides out to eject them. The food is rehydrate and steaming hot, where it's supposed to be. In the case of the Delta Green rations, it's mostly vegetables. "Will this work for you?" She asks as she sits down at the table and slides one toward Yods. I sit down on the bench seat next to Kora, as I can already forsee problems, should Yods get it in his head that he wants to be friendly with her. "I don't understand how you can eat that stuff." I comment, looking over the food choices. "Don't you talk to plants? How can you eat them?" "I don't talk to plants, I just... share their energy. Eating them is no different. It gives me energy, that I can give back to them." She explains. "Oh, is that how it works?" I chuckle. "What about you, Yods? Kora doesn't look like a plant, but she shares their energy. You've got a decidedly plant like look to you. Are there any related traits that your species has?" I ask.

Yeah. I can read your friend’s every emotion “Unfortunately, I don’t” I say, taking a seat opposite Kora and A’Metta. “What Kora does is pretty special. I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone who can do anything like that” I grab the food presented and open up my meal pack. I’m glad it’s vegetables. Because of how my metabolism works, I can’t digest meat. The food itself is not bad. Not the best meal I’ve ever had, but not the worst. That being said, a free meal is a free meal. I’m considering asking Kora about her home world. I wanna see if she can tell me something about the place. I’m not gonna have any chances to get her off this ship while we’re in deep space. Maybe there will be an opportunity once we disembark. But wait a minute, didn’t her home planet get destroyed? So what the hell are we sailing towards? I am considering exactly what I should say to get the information I want, when a little beep goes off and a computerised voice pipes up “Destination approaching” it says in a calm manner. Looks like I’m about to get the answer to my question pretty soon @redder_6989

my eyes widen as A'Metta hurries to the bridge. Slim passes by the door on his way to his station, as well. I hadn't expected to be anywhere in particular. A'Metta muttering curses as she leaves isn't encouraging. "Well, I think we should go too..." I say hesitantly. I drop the remnants of my meal into a chute by the door and hurry to the bridge. Along the back wall are about 6 seats with 5 point harnesses for passengers. The crew has seperate stations they man. Captain and second captain share a station. That's where all the communication equipment is located, as well as navigation. That's where the "driver" controls the ship. Slim monitors the ships data. His station almost completely encircles him with dozens of monitors giving off constant data feeds.. He is uniquely qualified to handle the ship in this capacity, as the majority of the ship has been his personal project for almost two decades. He and Toggle have rebuilt the ship almost entirely, and what they kept of the original hardware has been modified and reprogrammed to be incorporated with everything else they've done. Toggle is able to man his station, but, as she has technically been a stowaway for almost as long as Slim has been on the crew, she only does so in emergency situations. She runs repairs, should something malfunction or take damage the rest of the time. Teekay Oh, being mostly machine himself, has actually been incorporated into the ship. He is able to wire in at his station and connect with the ships offensive and defensive systems seamlessly. It's not even a big deal to him, as he was technically built as a superweapon, and linking with the ship just makes him an even bigger weapon. He is Toggle's pet project, as she is the only reason he even runs. I take a seat in one of the extra chairs and watch with curiosity as captain Guuly turns the nose of the ship from opaque to transparent. Now we can see firsthand what is around us in space. We are observing a solar system. More s

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pecifically, we are quite close to an asteroid belt circling a sun, almost like a ring around the sun. The ships computer marks the locations of objects in orbit around the sun on the transparent panels, so that, even though we can't see the objects, we can see where they are in relation to us. Guuly seems to be studying the skies around us, intent on finding something. "Damnit, where the fuck...?" He mutters. "That's it, Guuly, that's all that's left. Kora, come here, girl, I want you to look at something." Mafacto waves me over to him, near the edge of the bridge, as he peers out at the asteroid belt. I hesitantly walk over to him. "Look out there. Look long and hard, and tell me what you see." He instructs, and I peer out at space to see what I'm supposed to be looking at. It takes a moment, but once I see the first familiar constellation, I see more and more. "I know these stars!" I exclaim, placing my hands on the transparent wall to peer out at the skies I had seen from my home. "We are... this is Luvin? This is my home?" I ask, my eyes going to the asteroid belt. "All that's left is... dust? Space rocks?" I whisper, completely shocked.

The gravity of the situation truly hits me when I actually see the asteroid belt that was once Kora’s home. This is the hole in Guuly’s plan; If Luvins are truly going to to try to come back here, there’s not going to be much to come back to. Even the largest chunks of leftover rock are not much bigger than the Princess. There’s definitely no remnant of this planet large enough that people could gather on it. That being said, maybe the moon Kora was on and perhaps other moons had survived even after all this time. I find myself drifting over to Slim’s console to see if the scanners have picked up any such large masses. As I get close, I see on the display the faintest dot drifting a bit differently than the space rocks. It’s moving ever so slightly in a different direction. Slim seems to be unconcerned about this entity, but I know immediately what that is. Ships put off an energy signature that can be picked up by others to trace their location. There are however ways to hide that signature by temporarily shutting down the ship’s engine and turning off anything that uses a lot of energy, including the life support system. It’s a dangerous trick and can only be used temporarily. Cargo vessels have been known to use this on occasion to avoid pirates and such, but no cargo ship would do that in the middle of an asteroid field and it wouldn’t be headed in the direction of an unidentified vessel that had loudly appeared out of hyperspace just now. These are pirates, bounty hunters or something of the sort and they’re coming straight at us. “Captain!” I call out “we have an enemy ship coming at us on the starboard side, through the asteroid belt. It looks bigger than ours and I doubt it’s the friendly sort. I suggest we get into the middle of that asteroid belt ourselves or we’re going to get sucker punched” @redder_6989

in the silence that follows Yods warning, I check my readouts. I should have seen any other ship in the area. I still don't see anything alarming, but that doesn't mean I'm not missing it. "I don't see any electromagnetic signals, no stealth shielding, there's... nothing I can detect." I say. I'm tempted to tell him to leave the defense to the crew, but something stops me. I look over to Teekay Oh. "Link up to the hull monitors, see if you can get a look around." I instruct. Teekay Oh nods, then focuses for a moment. The cords attaching him to the ship plug in to the base of his skull, making a headset the perfect adaptor for attaching his processors to the ship's brain. "Possible enemy ship, but it looks dead. It's just floating toward us." Teekay Oh confirms, then rattles of coordinates. Guuly looks anxious, and A'Metta looks like she's already prepared for a fight. I glance back and see Kora already buckled in. "Shall I shield us, captain?" I ask hesitantly. "... we can find cover in the asteroid belt. A'Metta, be ready to take the deck." Guuly decides. Mafacto casually makes his way to the captain's station and peers over at the display. "You may want to buckle in, Yods. Looks like you might get to see Princess in action." I'm somehow excited and apprehensive at the same time. Seeing Princess in action is always amazing. I did build her, after all. But being in a spaceship during a conflict is always nerve wrecking. "Send a hail, A'Metta. Let's see what she wants." Guuly stands by to monitor the other vessel as A'Metta records and sends a transmission. "This is second captain A'Metta of the custom cruiser Princess. Is there anyone on board, unidentified? Please identify yourself. Do you need assistance?" She sends the message and Guuly works a bit of maneuvering to keep a decent amount of debris between the two ships. They can't fire at us, UT we can't fire at them either. Hopefully it enough. I have our Shield's ready to engage as so

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on as I get the order.

What the hell are these people doing? I am suddenly struck by how straightforward and nice this crew is. Of course they’re nice. They’ve been harbouring a bounty worth an absolute fortune for a decade now and they brought a stranger on board their ship just because he told them he was friendly. And now they’ve just casually told an enemy ship that’s trying to hide, that we’ve noticed their presence, rather than attacking first or running away. No. Nice is not the right word here. It’s naive. But if they’ve survived this long doing things this way, they must also be fairly strong. All that strength won’t matter, however, if this enemy ship decides to blow us up. And we don’t even know if there are more of these bastards hiding around here. We could easily get flanked. Clearly someone had the same idea as Guuly and showed up to this place to lie in wait for any Luvins that would be stupid enough to show their faces here at this predictable time. I don’t think they’ll try to destroy the ship as their first move, however. If they do that without confirming a Luvin is on board, they can kiss the bounty goodbye. We still have a small advantage, but that advantage is going to disappear in an instant if they see Kora. If Guuly’s hailing the other ship, he might decide to start a video conversation as well. And when they see Kora in the background, we’re all dead. I walk over to Kora sitting in the back of the bridge. “Would you like to come with me and get away from all this trouble? The crew can handle things here. Let’s hide elsewhere on the ship” I hold out my hand to her. @redder_6989

I can hardly stand the wait. Its just 5 minutes, but its the longest 5 minutes ever. Finally, Guuly shifts impatiently and I breathe a sigh of relief. Time to go. Then we pick up a response. "Captain Bal-Gra of the mid-striker Jericho. What brings Princess out to these parts? You're an awful long way from civilized star systems. Very suspicious, if you ask me.. Tell you what, though, you let my men board you, have a quick look around, and if everything checks out, we'll be on our way like you never even saw us." I snort and look over at Guuly, who clearly does not intend to be boarded. He studies the radar and real-time feed closely, cleverly manipulating the smaller ship through the asteroids, getting some space between us and the large striker. "I'm afraid we can't allow that, Bal-Gra. We have a time sensitive delivery of medical supplies we need to deliver, the longer we delay, the more people die. I apologize for the inconvenience, have a nice day." I record in response, then look to Guuly for approval before transmitting. A few minutes pass in silence, then the other ship comes to life. System lights come on, and I can feel the deep vibration of her engines powering up. I hear Slim curse. One look over my shoulder and I see Yods reaching for Kora. "Yods! You keep her safe or I'll gut you myself!" I snarl at the strange alien as Kora naively takes his hand, all innocence and trust. Why does it have to be so difficult to protect something that's good?

I take his hand just as A'Metta barks at him to keep me safe. I look at Yods, wondering if he knows she really would gut him. I have no intention of getting hurt, so he should be fine. "Where are we going?" I ask with interest. There aren't many options, after all. "Shields up, Slim-" "Done, Captain," I do my best to block out the now urgent sounding exchanges on the bridge.

I swiftly lead Kora to one of the only two rooms on the ship I am familiar with. I end up choosing the one that would make her feel safer: the greenhouse. Once inside, I gently push Kora against a wall that is covered in wines. “You can make them move, can’t you? Have those wines hold on to you like a harness. This ride might get a little bumpy” I then step back from her, indicating that that I don’t intend to stay here with her. “I’m going to have to go back to the bridge, Kora. Our friends are facing enemies whose tricks they might not know in their entirety. But I do. You’ll be safe here. Can you just sit tight for me for a few minutes?” Meanwhile, the rest of the crew can see the lights of the ship that is powering up in front of them. It’s not clear what they intend to do. Maybe they’re getting ready to attack. Maybe it’s an intimidation technique. Just then, another blip appears on Slim’s console. It’s a another ship and it’s similar to the one in front. Very similar. This one is inside the asteroid belt as well, but is behind them. They’ve been flanked. And more ships may be hiding in the asteroids. @redder_6989

"Captain, another one behind us." Slim announces. "Shields-" Guuly barely says the word and the ship hums as the Shields are brought up. Then another, higher sound that I recognise as the guns warming up. "Not yet, we let them fire first, Teekay Oh!" "Yes captain." Teekay Oh always gives me an uncomfortable feeling when he is at his station. His eyes turn black, as if there were no power, and he becomes strangely still. "There could be more, captain." I point out, "are we going to use the alternate power grid?" As much as I want to berate Guuly for bringing us to this obvious trap, now isn't the time. I need to know his plans. Guuly looks quite serious as he gives a small nod. The console alerts us to a live feed transmission. Guuly glances back and sees Kora is nowhere in sight before opening the transmission. The front of the ship is filled with the video feed, projected into the air larger than life. The alien I assume is Bal'Gra stares coldly down at us. "Captain Guuly here. I'm afraid we cannot be delayed, Captain. I've got transplants spoiling in my hold." Guuly says, his gravely voice sounding irritated and impatient. Bal'Gra takes his time looking over each member of the crew. That's enough to tell me he is looking for someone in particular. I'd bet my life he hopes to fined one small, purple and green alien with large, emotional eyes and a ready smile for everyone she meets. "Captain Guuly, you will allow my men to board Princess. This area is under watch. You won't be able to get away. Let's do this peacefully. Dock at our station, bring all crew and passengers to the bridge. We will walk through, then you are free to go." Bal'Gra sounds truly bored with the whole ordeal. I very much get the impression he doesn't expect to be refused. "Let's make this fast, then. Where is your docking station." Guuly looks irritated. For a moment I'm in shock. Is he really going to comply? As Bal'Gra gives instructions for docking I glance back at Slim a

10:25

nd Teekay Oh. They appear equally as surprised, but one of the best things about this particular crew is that, as unstable and near-sighted as the captain may at times appear, the crew won't question him when it matters. It helps that Guuly and Mafacto have, time and again, proven themselves to be shrewd, calculated thinkers who won't hesitate to go with their instinct.

I just nod, then reach out for the vines. Incredibly fast, yet with agonizing slowness, they begin to wind around my hands and arms, working their way to my torso. As if they understand the importance of what they need to do, they anchor themselves to the wall at every opportunity. It takes a few minutes, but I am soon safely restrained against the wall. "Yods?" I call out before he can leave the room. I hesitate, not sure what I want to say, then, "stay safe, ok?"

@.leoxleo

“I will” I say as I back up against the wall next to the door. I press the button on the console and the door slides open for me. I peek out around the corner and see that the crew was indeed having a video transmission. I seem to have just caught the end of the conversation as the video feed shuts off. I take one last look at Kora and give her a reassuring nod before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind me. I then walk over to the rest of the crew. It doesn’t look like we’re trying to run away just yet and I’m not currently floating in the wreckage of the Princess so we haven’t been attacked. I’m guessing Guuly’s told them they can board us or something along those lines. This is either very good or very bad. The next few minutes will decide. “I do hope you have a plan, Captain. Letting them on the ship without one is a death sentence” I try to keep that half smile I always have. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it pays to look relaxed and confident in situations like this I can see on their faces that some of the other crew, especially A’Metta are a bit skeptical of this action by the captain as well. I do hope he has some trick up his sleep. @redder_6989

"well don't all look at me like I've lost my mind!" I chuckle as soon as the video feed is terminated, "I'm not letting them on my ship! I was buying us a few moments. looks like we are going to have us a scrap. Switch to the alternate power grid, Slim. A'Metta, you've got the ship, keep her safe right next to that ship's dock she can't fire at herself, and I doubt the other one will fire at her either. . come on, brother, lets do this again!" I cant help sounding excited as I offer my hand to my brother-in-arms. Mafacto grins and grabs my forearm as I grip his. A surge of energy pulses through the ship. Slim glances up at us as we emit rippling waves around our body. As one, Mafacto and I focus on the ship. as soon as the ship suddenly goes dark, accompanied by Slim announcing the grid switch, it flashes back on. this time she sounds much more enthusiastic. "we're manning the turrets." Mafacto and I say in unison once more. We move to opposite sides of the bridge and ascend the ladders built into the wall, going through the manhole into the two gun turrets. Part of Slim's customization, these turrets do a lot more than just fire guns. When bonded, Mafacto and I can use the turrets to channel the energy produced into many different forms, as well as supply power for the ship and the systems Slim created specifically for this unique power source. nothing like our bond has existed before. As members of two different species, from different planets in the same solar system, Mafacto and I should have nothing in common. However, our planets share the same orbit, or damn near it. Once every seven years, the two planets would pass so close to one another they could be seen in the daytime sky with the naked eye. Naturally, both war-prone species was determined to attack the clearly advanced civilization that could be seen on the other planet. Eventually, simultaneously, our predecessors managed to attain space travel advanced enough to reach the sister planet. wha

08:57

t was found on each other's planet was shocking. The two civilizations were so similar it was eerie. even architecture had uncanny resemblances. The most disconcerting discovery, however, was just how alike the two sister species were. Another alien looking at us would think the two species were one. Once the Trevight invasion brought an end to the constant battle between the planets, theories were born. The most plausible theory is that the sister planets were in fact one planet, at some point, that was split into two by some calamitous event. It sort of explains the close orbit, and the similarities in evolutionary growth. however, as of now, only Mafacto and myself had found this bond and energy we could produce. Everything we know about the bond has been through our own trial and experience, and through Slim's brilliant engineering. He eagerly took on the task of making every use possible out of the bond. Princess is his prototype. Now we get to show just what she can do. A'Metta takes us right to the larger ship's dock and holds us steady, almost touching hulls. I can imagine the confusion on board that ship when we don't dock. Before long another live feed is transmitted. "What are you waiting for, Princess? My men are waiting to board." Bal'Gra's unpleasant face and surly voice can be heard all over the ship. A'Metta is quick to respond. "Like I said, we have organs expiring, we have no time for these games." @.leoxleo

@.leoxleo

I can’t help but gawk at the strange display from the Captain and Mafacto. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Haven’t even heard of something like it. But this is not the time to be thinking about that. I run over to the seats along the wall at the back of the bridge and put on one of the harnesses. There is tense pause as we drift closer to the ship hailing us and we approach it. But we don’t dock and they seem to not like that very much. Now what? A sting of shots fire from the ship that still a ways away. They miss both, our ship and their ally completely. The intent is clear. These are warning shots. The guns on the ship next to us also swivel to face the Princess. They’re just waiting for a reason to shoot us down at this point. They may not have seen a Luvin on board, but that doesn’t mean they’re just going to let us go. It would be more efficient to come on board, search thoroughly, kill the crew and then strip the Princess for anything of value before going back into hiding, waiting for more Luvin carrying ships to show up. I wonder if the enemy can detect the sudden surge of energy within the Princess. If so, we’re not really getting much of a sneak attack. Strapping in, I can’t do anything right now, so I just sit tight. No use worrying about things you can’t change. @redder_6989

now it's show time! Princess moves fast with bond energy. It took a lot of practice to learn what she is capable of. Slim has to keep constant watch on internal temperatures so we don't melt our engine. Toggle stays ready for just such an occurrence. "Let's make it a clean escape, A'Metta." I hear Guuly and Mafacto both, speaking in sync because of the bond, over the com system. "Just make sure they aren't going to try and follow us." "Yes, Captain." I confirm, then wait for the inevitable live stream from our would-be captors. When the transmission comes, I open the link to Bal-Gra's big, ugly, angry face once again. "Second Captain A'Metta, in response to captain Bal-Gra, as I said before, we don't have time to waste. You will not be boarding Princess, and you will not attempt to follow us. We will be leaving now. Thank you for your understanding on this matter." I close the link as Bal-Gra sputters angrily. As expected, the larger ship that I'm sheltering near turns its guns on me. I edge Princess in closer until the ship's guns are maxed out on their tilt and can no longer target us. Under other circumstances, their shields would keep enemies from getting so close. They hadn't activated their shields because they had been expecting us to board. It isn't long before the other, smaller ship positions itself to target us. I wait for Guuly's signal, then drop away from the larger ship, fast, just as the smaller ship fires. Their EMP charge hits the larger ship, causing part of the ship to loose power. It's just the dock, not a vital area at all. Nothing to celebrate, yet. By dropping bellow both ships I put the smaller ship in full view of the turrets. I can hear them humming, briefly, as Guuly and Mafacto surge into the guns, then a bright flash lights the skies as the lasers fire, bolstered with the bond energy. The smaller ship's shields safely dissipate the laser charge, blocking that energy completely. It's the unknown power that they pig

09:02

gybacking on the laser charge that penetrates the shield without even slowing down. The concentrated bond energy bursts into a firey display of damage against the other ship's unprotected hull. Pieces of metal fly away in the flash of electrical fire. I don't waste time waiting to see how badly they've been hit. There's no way the larger ship could catch us even without the alternate energy system. With Princess tapping into that well of power, I can put more space between us and them in ten minutes than they can hope to cross in two hours. At least, I could if we weren't in an asteroid belt. Princess handles like a dream, but at these speeds, it takes all my focus to avoid the obstacle course I'm gunning down. Even so, Teekay Oh has to blast a few of the smaller asteroids apart when I'm unable to avoid them. "Get clear of the asteroids and enter warp drive, A'Metta, were getting hot already! Toggle, you're going to have to switch the coolant tanks red hot, and soon!" Slim calls out. Toggle darts back toward the engine as soon as Slim mentions the coolant. I take as straight a line as I can to get out of the asteroids. Heat from the engine brings up the temperature on the bridge. Finally, I clear the belt and don't hesitate to slam into warp drive. The main engine goes idle as space seems to distort around us. Similar to shifting gears, the ship settles into warp drive with ease, using our speed and some incredibly complex technology to cross more space while expending less energy. We can't be touched in warp drive.

@.leoxleo

That went pretty smoothly. Too smoothly. Yods knew what was coming next, but before he could raise any concerns, they had already activated their warp drive for the second time after having come out of the previous one maybe 10 minutes ago. Sure enough, the ship started shaking mere moments after it had entered warp speed. The shaking became more violent by the second and it seemed like the warp drive would explode at any moment. Was this it? Years of surviving through some crazy situations. Would a rushed warp attempt be what did Yods in? Fortunately, it seemed the ship had been well designed atleast. A failsafe apparently kicked in somewhere and shut the warp drive down forcefully. The ship was spat out of hyperspace as the rushing lights around them settled into a fixed position. For a moment, everything was still. Noone made a sound. They were unsure if they could breath a sigh of relief yet at not having met their end so unceremoniously. Metal creaked somewhere and there was a sharp grinding noise. Yods peeked back to see that a pipe had split into two and was splitting its bright blue contents into the hallway the ship. There goes the coolant. The spill was slowly making its way to the captain’s shoes on the bridge. It didn’t look like they’d be warping anywhere anytime soon. That’s what happens when you try to warp too soon after doing it once. Atleast it got them away from the enemy. Yods looked back out of the front of the ship. They were still in the same solar system. He couldn’t spot the asteroid belt in his view, but based on the stars, it was probably somewhere nearby. Wherever they were, they were probably trapped for a while. @redder_6989

as soon as I get one mess cleaned up, another leak, or break, or disconnect happens! Once the coolant leak is handled on the bridge, I have to rush back to the engine to deal with the pressure. Left on my own, I'd tackle whatever problem was near to hand. Thankfully, Slim is able to assess and prioritize for me. I can handle whatever needs handled most urgently. He's almost useless with a welding gun, but he has other uses.

when Guuly and Mafacto come down from the turrets I could almost kiss them both. Piloting the ship under these conditions is nerve wrecking. They walk up to the captain's station and each put a hand on my shoulders, telling me they are still bonded. "You did well, A'Metta, go treat yourself to a drink." They say in unison. Happy to be relieved, I leave the station and go straight for the captains bourbon. "Slim?" The bonded pair inquire, but Slim is already on it. He runs his program for trading off the power source. The ship dims, then power goes out completely. Several long seconds pass in which Toggle can be heard cursing about the sudden loss of light. Then the hum of the engine can be heard and felt, and the lights brighten once more. "Main power system operational, Captain. You're clear to eliminate secondary power." Slim says without once pausing as he continues his systems analysis. Guuly and Mafacto release their bond. They almost seem to shrink as the power that flowed through them dissappears. Mafacto stomps over and pours his own bourbon drink before joining me on the couch. Guuly stays at the captain's station to analyze star charts and figure out our position while waiting for Slim to clear us for thrusters. Teekay Oh has the blank look of a dead robot, but I know his attention is just on the exterior of the ship, vigilantly watching for any threat to our vessel with all the sensors and radars available to the high tech piece of machinery most of him is. "Slim, what's that O² tank doing?!" Toggle yells from under the floor as an insistent beeping starts at Slim's station. Muttering an oath, Slim silences the beeping and sighs. "Pressure dropped, I cut off the output. We are running on one of four until you fix the supply line, Toggle, but there's no rush. I can repressurize the oxygen tank with a purge of Kora's greenhouse. It might take a few purges, but all those plants are good for more than just looking pretty."

@.leoxleo

Slim’s screens were slowly rebooting one by one ever since the power had come back. About the time when he’d made the comment about Kora’s greenhouse, his navigation tool came online and immediately pinged him. When he looked at the screen, he saw that they had landed near a planet. No, this looked too small for that. This was a moon. Slim waited for the data on his console to update, and it showed him that it was something that was indeed moon sized, but with no planet to keep it in orbit, it was moving strangely. It seemed to have taken up an orbit around the star at the centre of the Solar system instead. Slim could only imagine what the surface of this moon would look like now if it had any life at all to begin with. This moon must’ve left the ideal position around the star where it could support life. Instead, it must’ve passed very close to and very far away from the star multiple times in the last 10 years. The surface must’ve burned to a crisp, then frozen over, then burned again several times. Slim did not know at this point whether this former moon had any significance to Kora. Even if it did, was it a good idea to tell her of this moon’s existence? What might they find if they decided to go down there? They probably would not even be able to leave their space suits the entire time they were down there. Either way, the moon was close enough that the ship had started to feel the faintest effects of its gravity and was being pulled towards it ever so gently. They could probably get close enough to settle into an orbit around the moon within a few hours if they chose to.

@redder_6989

"Captain, we have a small planetoid nearby we can land on, to let Toggle access the exterior repair panels." I inform Guuly. He nods, and I send the exact coordinates and any other relevant information. Guuly directs Princess accordingly. Once her rout is selected, he turns around and addresses the ship. "That was good work, and excellent teamwork, by all of you. This is why I'm proud to have you all aboard this vessel. Each of you is integral to our success." He says, giving a brief acknowledgement of our work. Working under Guuly is always a refreshing treat. The last captain I worked under never once said a word about the improvements I'd made to his vessel. Guuly is always on top of noticing new things on his ship. Guulyfrown, looking around, a confused expression on his face. "Where is Kora?" He asks suddenly. I look around and don't see her. A heavy, hard feeling hits my stomach. I look around and spot Yods. "what? Where is she?" A'Metta jumps up and stalks toward Yods as if he had something to do with it. "A'Metta, she isn't far. We're on a ship, there are only so many places she could be!" I point out, hoping to give her pause before she decides to just blast the poor guy. @.leoxleo

I’m glad to hear that we’re going to be able to limb towards solid ground, but if my experience tells me anything, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to jump into hyperspace for a few days. For better or for worse, looks like we’re stuck in this system for a while. I stand my ground as I am approached by A’Metta. However, I do it in a non combative manner. I keep my body relaxed as I face her but don’t immediately back down. “Relax. She’s safe in her greenhouse, protected by her plants” I hold my position for a couple of seconds before moving away from A’Metta and towards the door to the greenhouse. “She’s fine, see?” I say as I press the button that slides the door open. I turn to look at where I left Kora as the door slides open. @redder_6989

as soon as I see that it's Yods at the door, I start moving. I was almost completely hidden from view by the vines that had grown over me. I move slowly, giving them time to relax their hold on me so as not to break them. They seem reluctant to let me go. "Is it over, then? Are we... are we all safe?" I ask, coming out of the greenhouse, peering at Yods, and A'Metta. My eyes land on Slim, and notice him close his eyes with relief. He was really worried. I look back at Yods, confused. "I was safe, and nobody would see me. I thought it was a good idea." I say. "It was a good idea." Mafacto chimes in, looking at Yods speculatively. "Quick thinking, to get her out before a live feed was opened."

@.leoxleo

I give a slight nod to Mafacto and then turn to Kora. I smile and hold out my hand invitingly. “You can come out now. They’re gone” As I look towards Kora, I keep A’Metta in my peripheral vision. From this potion, I may not be able to see any subtle changes in her facial expressions, but I will probably be able to see any changes in body language. If she is so hell bent on antagonising me, I have no choice but to provoke her into doing it more. Simultaneously, I will get the crew to trust me. If they believe that I’m harmless and they see A’Metta still crying wolf about me, eventually, they will stop taking her seriously when she raises suspicions about me. That will be the ideal time to take Kora away from them. If A’Metta does try to stop me, she’ll be alone in doing so and will have lost the advantage in numbers. That’s the plan anyways. @redder_6989

I smile brightly when Mafacto approves Yods having hidden me. A'Metta scoffs and glares some more as I take Yods hand. Everyone seems to have something to do except us two. Even Teekay Oh stays at his station, monitoring outside. A'Metta, Guuly, and Mafacto seem to have some down time. Guuly sets the ship to wake hum when we reach wherever we are going, in an hour or so. "I wonder if they get more tired when they use their bond." I muse. I'm the resident passenger on Princess, a fact I've often tried to find a way to make up for. I manage some odd jobs, trying to pull my weight, but at times like now, when Slim and Toggle are all over the ship, and A'Metta is in a bad mood, I usually just try to stay out of the way. I haven't let go of Yods hand yet, so I gently tug it, then tilt my head with a smile, indicating that he should follow me. We won't be in the way in my cabin.

I see Kora lead Yods toward her cabin and can't think straight. Why would she take him to her room? What is she thinking? What are they doing? "Slim? Which vacuum belt?" Toggle snaps her fingers in my face and I quickly glance at my screen. "The support system belt, then you'll need to weld the ducting." I respond automatically, pulling my attention back to the work I need to do. Kora is a grown woman, and never asked what I think Yods might be after. She never wanted my opinion. Kora has never asked anyone's opinion. She makes her own decisions. My desire to protect her seems to be getting problematic. It distracts me from my job, pushes important priorities to the back of my mind. My mood and temper are affected. I'll be acting like A'Metta soon, suspicious of everyone angry for no reason. I have to keep myself in check. Especially with this new lead. Guuly is going to hunt it down just like the others.

@.leoxleo

(( @redder_6989 @.leoxleo is it ok if i archive this? ))

CiderSol

(( @redder_6989 @.leoxleo is it ok if i archive this? ))

Absolutely