New Character Prologues

[Ellie]

Sometimes in the course of new players bringing their characters onto Jenny Wren, we find ourselves in a point in the current story line that is not conducive to introducing a new character. So these new players, eager to get in on the action are forced to wait until we reach a point where they could write their character onto the ship. So I thought, why not have a thread where they can begin writing for their character before they actually join the ship? Well, here it is! The purpose of this thread is for new players to write their character into a spot where they intersect the crew of Jenny Wren. This is NOT a place for current players to write back story. This is strictly for new characters to be introduced and written up to where they intersect with the ship. As with our regular sim threads, we ask that the characters write their starting location and ending location, they don't need to be super specific since no other players will be interacting with you here, but it helps the other players who are reading to understand where they will be meeting up with you eventually. Welcome, and have fun!

[Ellie]

Location: Bernadette

"Say ahhh."

A little blonde boy, maybe about nine years old, opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue, "Ahhhhhh."

The wooden depressor held down the boy's tongue as the doctor took a look inside. "Mmhmm."

The boy's nervous mother stirred anxiously, but he turned to reassure her with a smile. "Nothing to worry about Mrs. Carson, just a 'bout of tonsillitis. I'll write him a prescription and he'll be right as rain in a couple of days."

"Oh thank you Dr. Graham!" the woman pressed his hand in gratitude.

He patted her hand and then to write the prescription before showing them to the door. Finally they left and he locked the door after them.

"Anything you or Dr. Lehman need from me before I go home?"

Graham shook his head in response to the inquiry of the perky and overly eager to please secretary he was beginning to regret hiring, "No Jill, I don't have anything for you, but you could ask Paul before you leave to make sure he doesn't need your help with anything."

It was a welcome suggestion, he was sure. Jill had been making eyes at his young apprentice since Paul Lehman's first day in the office. Graham couldn't figure out how Paul felt about it, or if he was even aware. The boy was just so nervous and quiet all the time, it made him impossible to read. Marvelous doctor though. Or he would be anyway, once Graham signed off on his apprenticeship at the end of the week.

He watched Jill flounce off towards Dr. Lehman's examination room and gathered his coat and hat. Seemed like the perfect time to escape. It was chilly outside, but Dr. Graham always walked to and from work no matter the weather. Today he leisurely strolled along the road in the direction of his house, greeting people he passed with a smile. He was well known among the townfolk, so many of them called on him during times of sickness and injury. They would be hard pressed to point out someone they trusted or respected more. If Graham was aware of the way they thought of him, he didn’t act it. Instead, he seemed to interact with them as friends, people he cared for and about. Perhaps that was part of why they thought so well of him. It was simply easy to like the guy.

He turned in at his house. Upon entering, he hung up his coat and dropped his keys on the small table, "Mrs. King?"

From elsewhere a woman called out in response, "In the kitchen Dr. Graham, just taking your supper out of the oven. I'll have it on the table in ten minutes."

"Perfect," he replied. It was just enough time to check his messages, see what might have cropped up in the outlying farms where people found it hard to get in to a doctor's office. So he stepped into his small home office where his dedicated source box was. After turning it on, he checked the waves he had received. Didn't seem like anything too critical, some chicken pox had been going around and one of the Henderson twins had broken their leg a while back and wanted to know when the cast could come off. A message caught his attention. It was text only, no vid. He quickly read the contents and then looked out the window. He was looking at the same old scene of the hometown he had been living in for the past three years, but his eyes weren't seeing a bit of it. Graham called out to his housekeeper, "Change of plans Mrs. King, I'm going to be taking a trip off world and I have to leave tonight!"


Graham lay staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't much of a view, truth be told. It was a corroded metal color, probably because it was corroded metal. This would not have been his preferred method of travel, but it was the first transport leaving Bernadette, and he was looking for a quick ride. Now he had nothing to do but lay in his cot and think. He could have interacted with the crew and passengers but they all seemed to be an unsavory sort with which he had no desire to mingle. So instead he secluded himself in this dingy six foot by six foot cubicle that passed for quarters. Heck, he had seen prison cells bigger than these. Not as an inmate, mind you, but during a volunteer stint during his academy days.

And think he did. He thought of the message he received. He thought of Mrs. King's protests, none of which did he heed. He thought of bargaining with this ship's captain down at the docks. Of the looks the crew gave him. He was obviously a higher class citizen than usually took their company for any kind of trip. Finally, after he had exhausted all other topics, his mind naturally (though unwillingly) drifted back to a very similar trip two decades ago.

"Go away kid, we don't take on hard luck cases. Paying customers only!"

The man's face went pale for a moment when the boy (no more than fifteen or sixteen, surely) held out an open bag containing silver! A greedy glint came into the man's eyes and he asked, "Now where would a little gutter rat like yourself come up with silver?"

"I stole my father's pocket watch and pawned it so I could buy my way outta here. How far will this get me?"

The grizzled and hygienically deficient transport captain studied the boy. Someone had obviously been beating on him, and judging from that last comment he could make a good guess who that someone was. Doing some quick calculations the man responded, "Whitefall. Anything farther would cost more, and would not be a good idea for someone like you anyhow."

"Then take me to Whitefall."

And just like that, he had escaped. From the nightly whipping he got from the man who called himself his father. He couldn't tell you what the last straw had been, it just happened one day. His dad had stumbled home in his usual drunken stupor and passed out cold on the door step. Graham had heard him from inside the derelict shack they called home and came out to help him in the house. With one arm slung over his son's shoulders Henry Graham looked at the boy in the face and sneered. "Should have been you who died, not her. It's all your fault, yaknow? Why don't you go drown yourself or something, no one wants you here anyway." It was nothing new, Graham heard it everyday for almost as long as he could remember. Perhaps within him there was a counter, that only ran so high. And that night, it reached the final count with an ominous click. There, with his father's liquor thick breath wafting in his face, Graham decided he was leaving for good. So he did, and he had never looked back and never regretted it.

Even now as he took a trip into his own past, one filled with uncertainty and a touch of anxiety, he did not regret that decision. If he had not left his father, he would not have found his true family. It takes more than blood to make a family, that is what Graham had learned.


Location: Unknown Transport Freighter

Graham strolled the length of the aging ship simply for something to do. He was nervous about the purpose of the trip, so he was constantly trying to keep himself in motion luckily, he didn't notice the crew laughing at him or hear the jokes they made about the crazy doctor they had brought on board this trip. He kept to himself so they didn't know much about why he had booked passage with them. All they knew is that he had paid way too much, dressed like a dandy, and was constantly pacing the ship and staring thoughtfully out of the view ports or holed up in his quarters. They had bets about what his trip was about. The captain believed he was just going to get some medicine for his patients, maybe to keep off an epidemic or some sort of thing. The mechanic was a bit more creative, he thought that the doctor's wife had run off with a drug company representative and the doctor was going after them to try to get her back. The first mate thought he was consulting with one of the drug companies to help develop a medicine he had discovered. The pilot was only interested in the fact that he was a good looking man and it had been a while since she had a good lay. She didn't care why he was taking the trip, she just wished he would spend more time with the crew especially her.

Of course, Graham was unaware of all of this and if he had known any of it (particularly the pilot's thoughts) he would have stayed in his quarters all the time. All he cared about was getting to his destination.


Location: Greenleaf

With a duffel slung over his shoulder, Graham exited the ship which he had been confined in for the duration of his trip. He blinked in the bright sunlight, all that time in the black made his eyes sensitive. The ship had set down planetside as opposed to one of the floating discs that most of the upper crust of the 'verse liked to visit. The surface of Greenleaf was like a tropical rain forest, home to the most diverse variety of plants to found anywhere in the known 'verse. Some of it was natural, some of it was engineered. This feature is what attracted all the pharmaceutical companies to Greenleaf and kept the residents flush with jobs and money. It also made the planet pretty difficult to get permission to set foot on, but Graham was a Doctor. It was easy to use his credentials to get him a visitor's pass, citing the need for better medicines and new information for his practice back on Bernadette.

The freighter's captain gave him instructions to the only hotel in a hundred mile radius and Graham happily left the company of the surly man. He soon came to small hotel, it was nothing fancy, but it was also very clean and would do just fine. He booked himself a room and settled in. Once that was finished he opened his bag and withdrew his portable secured source box and connected to the Cortex. He pulled up the ships that had checked in upon landing on Greenleaf in the last 48 hours.

"Nothere, at least not yet..."

[Ellie]

“Past Tense and Worse days!”

Present Day, Planet Greenleaf.

The past, it’s funny how it manages to catch up with you, the though ran through Liam’s head as he stared at the man before him, past his fancy adorned pistol mere inches from his one good eye blotting out more of the man’s bulbous figure.

The sound of a very raspy and “Oh Dear Liam, Let me count the ways!” the tell tale sound of a hammer clicking back into the ready position caused a bullet of sweat to roll down the man’s cheek. The rancid breath from the man’s unkempt mouth filled his nostrils, “all the way’s I’d like to kill ya for what ya did!”

Having had a few shots his brough“What exactly did I do to ya again?” he asked squinting up at the man. “Cuz I canna Recall yer visage, can you help me with me poor ol memory?” he shifted waiting for the next blow be it death or pain.

The man let out a roar of laughter enough to shake poor Liam to the bone. “Playing Coy!” he shifted grabbing Liam by the hair, and pulling him so that the lights were no longer blinding him. “How about now boy!”

He scoffed “Joy!” he grumbled.

“Joy?” the large man looked at him sidelong. “All you have to say is, Joy?”

“What do ya want me to say, thank ye! The shine was great. I’ll pay ya back for me fill in a couple of decades when I’ve gott’n me riches?” Liam smiled as he leered at the man.

“You will pay with yer life! This time for real!” the heavy set man grinned, he didn’t see the blow but he knew where it came from, the world around him swam into darkness, the last site was the dirty underside of a very large mans underpants, and his last thought was of course “Oh lord, I didn’t even clean me forehead!”

The Past, Planet Hera, Serenity Valley,

`“Low! Seriously!” the exhausted voice called from behind him as they ran down a trench, leaping bodies both alive and dead.

“LOW!”

Liam spun, “For the love of Peat!” he was nearly out of breath. “WHAT!”

“What are we doing!”

“Seriously?” he bowed his head and then sharply looked back up. “Ya could’nt have waited till we stopped!” he turned and began running, the amount of injured was not very heartwarming. “They will be here any minute, so its follow orders and don’t ask questions time Haemis!” he took a sharp turn into a bunker and stopped, his partner nearly bowling him over. “Lord save me, we have to fight in this!”

His partner Haemis peered over his shoulder, “I’ll get a…. “ Before he could finish his sentence somewhere in the distance they both could hear the sound of weapons fire, and very soon after the zing of bullets past them both. So they dove in! The smell was horrendous. But living was preferred at this point, they both pushed away what they could and try very hard not to think about it. More focused on the battle, they were under intense fire, nether of the boys wanted to look over the rim of the make shift bunker.

An explosion ripped through the hill next to them sending dirt, rock and foliage flying through the air caused both of them to jump. “What do we do!” his friend called.
Liam looked his friend in the eye, “We fight! It’s what we’re here for!” he said a prayer under his breath, and a few choice words, then rose up to meet his foes. As his weapon settled into one of the many divots in the wall, his eyes came true to the sites on the weapon he could see what looked like hundreds of Alliance troops filling the valley in the distance and many advancing toward their position. “Save yer ammo, only hit what you can hit!” he called out, the tremble in his voice clear.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as the onslaught continued to come in towards them, neither Liam or Haemis could tell if they were making a difference in the battle, there was too much happening. The sonic sound of incoming aircraft was not a welcome sound, nor was the sudden barrage of heavy explosives landing all around them on the battlefield, the two young men hunkered down in the bunker as the explosions began to tear at the hill around them, the foxholes.

The two of them only reacted as a body came out of nowhere through the would-be door to the bunker from the trenches as an explosion pitched someone in whom landed hard right on the two, an intense pain shot up from Liam’s lower extremities, causing a loud and harsh cough to issue forth from him. A woman’s voice issued forth from the mess laying on top of him and Haemis, “Owww…” again pain and then the weight was off having rolled up against the wall. “Thanks for breaking my fall!” she said as she was clearly checking herself over for injury.

“No problem.” He managed as he curled into a ball against the wall.

“What in the hell are ya do’n!” she hollered at him, “Get yer boney ass… back on that wall… and hold!” she too settled in immediately opening fire as she fell against her firing position.

Haemis just stared at her, as did Liam. “What!” Haemis stammered. “We can’t…” his lips continued but the sound failed to continue, his eyes narrowing on the revolver now trained on his chest.

“Fight… and have a chance at life, run, or die!” she shrugged. “I don’t care either way, just start shooting or start running.” She angrily gestured at Liam with the same revolver. “You too stick!” she went back to her rifle, then stopped a moment before looking at the two her cheeks flushing red with anger. “WELL!” she said snapping them out of the stare.

Haemis looked at Liam, both of them began to shoot. For hours this went on as the Alliance continued to push, by the time all was said and done that day Liam and his two companions were covered head to toe in blood, ash, and dirt. The motley crew they looked indeed, rather a reaverish site.

Haemis was the first to talk in the silent hours that followed. “Were alive!” he exclaimed under his breath.

“That we are!” the woman said, “that we are!” she nodded too the two. “Good shooting boys!” she gave them a nod as she headed for the door.

Haemis stood up, and was stepping towards her. “Miss we didn’t get yer na….” no one even heard the shot, but the smatter of blood and flesh flying across the pit they were in caused Liam’s eyes to go wide. Haemis stumbled to his knees and began to fall, the woman rushed back to her position. Liam went opposite catching his friend before he could hit the muck. “Haemis!” hauling him up, he felt the tug on his left side which nearly pitched him to the ground the searing pain flew through his body but he managed to pull his friend back to the edge of the pit.

“Low…” Haemis coughed blood with each gasp, his lung clearly had taken the hit, the bubbling wound in his chest was a clear sign of this.

Liam pulled his first aid patches from his pant pocket, he shoved one of the bandages down on the wound. “You’re going to be ok Haemis!” he met his friends gaze.

“It… it.. “ he heaved suddenly his body jerking tight with spasm. His friend let one last breath out before going limp in his arms, his eyes blank and clouding over.

His head hung low, the sounds around him were dull to him, the woman was shouting at him as she continued to fire her rifle at the now oncoming Alliance. “Are ya alright!” he hollered at him. “I need ya boy!”

He just sat there his friend slipped from his arms, he was frozen. He felt himself suddenly being pulled and propelled into the trench just as an explosion ripped apart the hole they had been in for the last several hours. As he turned over, the sky was dark and to him seemed to be on fire though it was just the flames from the hole he had just been saved from.

“LOW!” the woman whom had saved him slapped a rifle in his hands. “Fight or die!” she yelled. Everything around him seemed to move slow as he watched the woman turn and begin firing into the oncoming alliance soldiers.

The next few minutes were a blur of weapons fire, and even occasional hand to hand bout which was more like a literal tooth and nail fight for his life. If it wasn’t for that woman he would have died at least ten times over. He didn’t even know her name, but he didn’t have to know. He could feel his body getting weaker and weaker by the moment, and then suddenly the Alliance troops were gone where had they gone? He stood in the trench full of bodies, blood and weapons as if in a daze. Then as if someone had snapped a rubber band darkness faded in.

The Past, Planet Hera, 13 Kilometers outside of Serenity Valley, Medical Camp 3, 2 Days Later…

The light hurt, more than a hangover and less than death. His body felt as if it had been run over by a cargo runner about nineteen times, his vision was blurred but he could see that he was clearly in a tent. His mouth was dry, but he did manage to get a few words out. “Help!” he said raspy. “Hello!” he sagged in his cot.

“Your alive!” an older man with a gritty voice asked as he came into view. “Thought for sure you were done for!” he didn’t look as if he was in that great of shape himself. “No, I’m not the doc. He’s at another camp!” he shrugged, offering a canteen of water to which he sipped.

“Ah, where am I?”

“Camp 3, a short walk from the Valley!” the older man said. “When that lady dragged you in here the doc was sure you were done. Ya took as much as ya gave she said!” he frowned as the sounds of explosions in the distance rang out off the hills.

He shifted in his cot. “How bad?”

“Well it’s not fer me to say son, but I believe the doc said ya would be lucky to get full use of yer left eye back. You lost some innards, nothing ya can’t miss which he said was the worst of it. You took a bullet off the left hip too me thinks, he said ya might have trouble walk’n. He did say if you survive infection ya’d live.” The old man shook his head. “Better than most boy, be strong!”

Liam nodded and settled back into his cot. “Joy!” he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, he spent the next several weeks in that cot changing his bandages eating what little food and drink they would send his way. Nearly seemed they were forgotten.

The alliance showed up sometime during what he felt was his fourth week in the camp and took them all to an internment camp, Liam was consigned to his life ending sometime in the not too distant future, or an eternity in the camp. Whichever came he would accept it and move on with life for Haemis.

To be continued…..



“The Drink of Champions”

The Past, 7 Years after the Battle of Serenity Valley, In Transit from Persephone to Deadwood, Cargo Transport – The Blys Eye, Lower Deck Crews Birthing,

“I’ve got a pair!” Liam said tossing his cards down on the table.
The other four men at the table the lowbies on the crew, simple deckhands all let out a chuckle. “That’s not a surprise Liam! You suck at this game!” he said as he tossed his cards on the table.

“Flush!” he grunted.

The others around the table grumbled and shied away from the table shaking heads as they left for their respective rooms. “Aye, that’s the truth!” he chuckled. “But it’s fun to watch you win!”

The other well rounded man shook his head and tossed him several bills. “good job as always,” he said casually looking around to make sure they weren’t being watched. “I’ll see ya on watch in an hour eh?” he stood stuffing the money he’d just swindled from the others into his trousers. “and come clean, jesus boy!’ he walked or more well stomped off leaving him to his vices.

Liam chuckled. “He said clean…” he took up his walk’n stick and disappeared from the birth into the cargo area, glancing about. At this hour most everyone was in there racks asleep.

He approached the cask of solvent which made up a majority of their cargo, a grin riding his lips. He took out what looked like a flask and proceeded to fill it from one of the spigots. Gazing about he returned everything as it was and headed back to his bunk. Closing the door he settled into the bed taking a pull from the “Solvent” which uniquely was a high grade alcohol in addition to being a great engine cleaner, he stared at the ceiling and began running a hand back and forth in front of his face slowly. “Joy!”

A knock at the door drew Liam’s attention. “Yeah!”
The door slid aside to reveal the ships engineer. “Low! Can ye cover me when we get too Deadwood, I’ve got some personal business to care fer!” he said.

“Toss in a bottle of the good stuff?” he asked his eyebrow rising.

“Bah! Yeah!”

“We have an accord me friend.”

The greasy engineer ducked back out and like the jerk he is left the door hanging open. Taking a long pull from the flask he tucked it neatly into his vest pocket and pulled himself from bed, and started his long trek to the ships flight control center. “I love me job!” though he had a slight limp to his step he made it around fairly well. While inebriated he made it in even better time.

“Early!” his portly friend commented.

“What’s it too ya mate!” he said in a surly tone!

“You’ve been in the soup again haven’t ya!” the large man said.
Liam chuckled. “A wee bit!” he gave him the squinty eyed, sqweezed tight finger expression before stumbling into his seat nearly spilling out the other side. “I’m good boss!” he chuckled.
“Jesus, man!” he shook his head. “That stuff will be the death of you!”

He swiveled in the chair. “Or the life of the party me friend.” He smiled broadly, then turned back to his station.

The large man shook his head, “Where the heck do you get all that swill anyhow!” his attention went back to his console, then back to Liam his expression changing then going back to its usual stoic look.

“Oh… here and there.” He spun in his chair. “This deal or that!” he continued to spin for a moment longer till he realized he was about to dump himself on the floor.

“Right!”

9 Hours Later, Awaiting Landing Instructions for Cargo Dock in Orbit of Deadwood.

Lights came up bright as hell, Liam shielded his eyes. “What the big idea!” he hollered.

“That’s what were here to find out Liam!” the familiar voice of his heavyset friend called out from the gantry’s above. “Just what in the nine hells of the verse do you think your doing!” the man’s very stern voice echoed in the open cargo room.

The sound of several weapon safety’s clicking off caught Liam’s attention. “I can explain!” he said moving around the pallet of solvent. “I got a thingie, on the thingie…” he gestured toward the nearest wall. “that this was in bad order. So I was performing some very important product test’n boss!” he nearly fell over as he lost his footing. “It’s good! Crisis averted and such!”

“Check it!” the boss yelled to someone on the cargo deck.

One of the men came forth a shotgun trained on Liam, he pushed the top off the cover of one of the solvent bins. His mouth hung open. “Umm.. boss.. “

“WHAT!” he yelled.

“It’s nearly gone!” the man was white as a sheet.

What came next is really too much for even censors to bleep out, needless to say Liam found himself being beaten to the edge of his life and left in a remote part of Deadwood. Left for dead! Luck or just his smell was on his side, he was discovered by a hunter, whom proceeded to relieve him of most of his belongings, but was nice enough to dump him in one of the nasty hell holes they call towns. Several months of recovering from his injuries, odd jobs. Bit of jail time we come closer to near present day…. But not there just yet…

To Be Continued…


“Hunted”
The Past, 1 Year after the incident on the planet Deadwood, Planet – Jiangyin, 8:43 PM, General Store,

“Low! You keep an eye on things boy, don’t you screw this up!”

Low scoffed and eyed the woman. “Shut up an do yer part ya harpy, or you’ll get us both nicked!” he grumbled under his breath at the woman.

She raised a hand across the room, “Swear to the verse I will knock that sass out of your ass if you talk like that again to me boy!” she said, her voice way too high for a delicate situation as such.

He stayed near the windows looking about, he could hear the occasional stir of a horse, and the tooling about with the safe his partner Jennifer was attempting to crack. He found Jennifer at a bar in the midst of a bar fight. She knocked him cold after he attempted to handle her delicates while in one of his usual drunken stupors. It was love at first strike apparently because she took him in and since they had managed to become a decent enough team running a scam here or a robbery there. She had taught him fairly well how to put together a scheme to make money, and was already starting to teach him how to breach lock boxes and safes. “How long!” he whispered noting that someone had come out of the local law enforcement establishment down the way.

“Oh, about a pinch and a pop!” she said, he heard the safes tell tale click and pop. “Gotcha!” she exclaimed, and then luck turned. An alarm began blaring as the safe swung open. She looked and caught him with a wide eyed look. “The hell is that!”
“Oh gee I donno,” he flailed his arms. “Didn’t think to look for an alarm or pressure switch did ya!”

“Liam Owen Wh…!” she began

“Not now Jenn darl'n, we’ve got trouble!”

“No dear, we are the trouble, that’s the good guys.” She said as she peered out the other window. The sound of scuffling upstairs caught there attention as the General Store owner finally rolled out of bed. The alarm went out, and the sound of a shotgun being readied made both of them jump and run for the back door.

Liam kicked it straight open, boy did that hurt. He caught his foot just right on the handle, but as luck would have it the door nailed the sheriff’s deputy laying the unsuspecting man out cold. “Ha!” he laughed hopping on his foot a moment. “That’s what ya get for mess’n with a man and his job!” he turned to see Jenn racing down an ally between buildings.

The sound of a shotgun discharging made the hair on Liam’s neck rise. He caught a glimps of the shop owner advancing toward him from in the shop as he leaned just enough to catch a look. “Of all that’s holy man!” he yelled as he took off running. He managed to make the first exit just as the man fired again.

Jen was nowhere to be found as he raced on foot through the spaces between and behind the wooden houses. He could hear the towns law enforcement group coming together and looking for the two. He managed to make it too there room at the pub they managed to book, he found a note and a small amount of money on the bed.

As he picked it up he could smell the sweet sent of Jenn on it. He began to read out loud. “Sorry about your luck dear, but it’s time we parted ways.” He scoffed again. “Joy! Are ya bleed’n kidding me!” he hollered.

“He went up there! Room 3!” he could hear a familiar voice from the street yelling.

“You charlatan, Harpy Deceiver!” he yelled at the window as he watched her mount a horse, tip her hat toward him and blast off heading for the other end of town.

“What to do….” He looked around, and took up the note again, balling it up he tossed it at the mirror.

He pulled out his Revolver and checked that it was loaded and ready to go. “Check!” he mumbled. Pulled out a flask as he put away his Revolver. “Check!” he took a large hit from the flask. “Double Check!” his attention very suddenly went to the door to the room as he heard a thud!

“What in blaz…” The door shattered sending wood everywhere. As the dust began to settle a somewhat toned figure stood in the door, one hand on his hip partially in the lip of his pants, a tooth pick bobbing around on his lips, and an odd looking gun trained on Liam. “Oh my g……”


To be continued…


“No, not quiet but thanks for the compliment.”

“So then who the hell are ya and why’d ya blow me door to the far reaches of the verse!”

“Shhhhh,” his fingers to his lips. “we will exchange names later, as for the door I just wanted you to know… well let me put this in terms you’ll understand!” his voice changing to a low base demonic sound. “I’m going to blow my load all over your insides!” a very stoic look on his features though his body shows signs of inner laughter.

“Well, all righty then...and good luck with that one” he gestures to the window with his walking stick. “I think I’ll take stage right for my exit, good day sir!” he starts for the window.

“Oh that was a fail!” he fires the weapon, its steel prongs nailing the unsuspecting man in the left peck and shoulder.

Liam turned to eye the man, his mouth hung open… “Owww…. What the hell!” suddenly his entire body is on fire flopping all over the floor as countless volts of energy are poured into his body from the Tazer in the man’s hand.

“Then again so was your daddy’s condom!” he walks into Liams now collapsing vision. “I will PROBE you for information later.” He says with a heartfelt smile, before turning out the lights with a quick jab.

About 3 hours later……

“So…. Your probably wondering what I did to you while you were unconscious.” The voice seemed to echo through his mind, not to mention the very loud sound of smooch. “Have fun with that!” Liam’s vision was still blurred and the bright light in the room certainly didn’t help.

Blinking his eyes, he begins to catch an idea of his surroundings. A Cell, imagine that! “Oh Joy!” Glancing around he realized he’s not alone. “Right!” he sighs heavy.

“So…” Glancing over at the other prisoner. “Ok, so this guy leaves us alone, and with only these to keep us!” he scoffs “I think not!” he start to bite at them to try and remove them. “Give me a hand will ya!” he looks up at the man.

“Uh hell no! Do you know what he will do to us if we try to escape!” he gives him that “Oh hell no” look of fear.

“What, threaten to probe us again!”

“Threaten that man is straight diabolical! He will… “ the man hears a noise and clams up looking above him. Liam’s vision follows his and he stops biting at his bindings.

“Oh no…. Please continue, give me some ideas!” a look of pure joy on his face. He proceeds to kick the steel cage open. “It’s your lucky day son, you get to make a call, but first I gotta do some fishing.” He grabs this wicked looking hooked pole off the wall and reaches down toward the man, who oddly just sits there holding his hands out. The first attempt goes south nailing him across the abs drawing blood, the second bounces off a forearm before finally finding purchase on the mans bindings. “Got me a big’n here!” he pulls the man out setting him aside. “Time fer yer call!”

“Oh! Oh! I wanna call me gal!” he yells as the man begins to walk away with the other prisoner.

The lawman steps back into the holding area, peers down at Liam. “Boy you want me to take you seriously you better flush that tird down the toilet.” Making note of the giant pile in Liam’s toilet, then turns and disappears out of the room leaving Liam standing there just staring at the hatch befuddled.

Meanwhile…. In the forward cabin….

Another officer looks up a video monitor. “What did the Irishman want?”

“I donno, he wanted to make a phone call to his girlfriend. Who I firmly believe is a guy named Chuck.”


About 5 Hours later…… Asteroid Penal Colony 5, Cell Block B, Cell # 69 “The Love Nest”…


The cell door rolled open with a loud clank, Liams new home away from home for the next two years. The Lawman grinned as he removed the plastic zip ties from his hands, “You two play nice now ya hear!”

Liam’s eyebrow rose as he turned around just in time to catch a very large, tall and muscular white man with a bald head, and a Chinese mustache.. “Hi I’m Napa! Don’t Drop the soap!”

Liam spins around, his eyes wide watching the very satisfied lawman disappear, and the shadow of his new best friend blotting out the light behind him. “Oh god!” he whispered.

As he closed his eyes. “No! Napa!”

[Ellie]

Transport Class Vessel - Liberation
In Transit to the planet Regina
A joint post Pt 1 by Eloise McKee & Liam “Low” Whelan
Back a spell, before Serenity Valley...

Ellie shuffled the cards and set the the deck to her right, “Your cut Jimmy.”

He tapped the top of the deck with a grin, “I’m feeling trusting tonight McKee.”

She grinned and gave him a wink, “Your mistake,” and then dealt five cards each to the four players, finally flipping over the top Tall Card. She looked over her cards and glanced to her left, “Your call Low, you like the look of that Diamond?”

Low leaned back on his duffle eyeing the cards in his hand and the Diamond card. “Nope.” he glanced around the makeshift table at the others in the dark berthing. “Seems to be my blasted luck tonight! Harrison?” his eyes stops on the man next to him.

The dark skinned man shakes his head in dismay considering his cards, then looked over at Ellie. “About the same.”

She looked at Jimmy, “To you, what’s it going to be?” He considered for a moment and then shrugged, “I gotta pass too.”

She shook her head, “What are you guys mice or men, come on!” She took the Tall Card with a grumble then looked at Low to see if he was going to bet or check.

Low considered his cards again frowning, he looked over at Ellie for a moment shaking his head in a sort of delayed reaction to her comment. “Alright,” he tossed his bet out adding 10 credits to the pot. Then dropped two cards, “Two please!”

Ellie took his two cards and dealt him two new ones as Harrison tossed his cards in, “I got nothing. Fold.” He looked to his left at Jimmy.

Jimmy eyed Low, then his cards, then back at Low before tossing in ten credits, “I’ll call you. I want one card.”

After taking his card and giving him a new one, Ellie counted out ten credits and set them in the pot, then counted out ten more, “I’ll raise you ten.”

Jimmy shook his head, “Ta ma de, seriously McKee, you do this every time. You’re killing me!” He tossed his cards in, not even caring that it was not his turn yet, “I fold.”

A smug grin crosses her face and she looks at Low, “You got the balls to call me Low?”


He grins and lets out a hearty chuckle. “If you had them, sure! But I’m one of a kind. Call!” he tosses in the additional funds. He stared at her waiting for her response but nearly jumps out of his skin as an alarm starts blaring through the room and lights began to flash.

“Stand ready, landing in ten!” someone's voice called over an open PA system.

“Bout time!” Low said standing. “We’ll finish this later!” he said as he began pulling his gear from his bunk sliding things into place. Pulling his Colt 1873 from its holster he checks down the barrel before spinning the cylinder back into place and returning it to his side nestled into his Buscadero style gun holster.

Ellie dropped her cards on the table, she had never been so relieved to hear that alarm. She hadn’t expected him to call her bluff. She grabbed her stuff and started gearing up. Jimmy reached for her dropped cards and she smacked his hand away, “I don’t think so!” He rolled his eyes and went to get ready for landing. She glanced over at Low, “I hear this should be an easy in and out mission.”

Low glanced up as he continued to load rounds into his Winchester Lever action. “Easy?” he frowned. “Since when was anything easy in the verse?” he slid the last round into the chamber and set the rifle up on his bed. “Harrison, when was the last mission we went on that went according to plan?” he glanced over at the man who was likewise loading rounds.

Harrison simply shrugged.

“Man of many words that one!” Low said offering a shrug of his own. “Let’s just hope that intelligence got this one right for a change.” he slid a bandoleer of .45 rounds over his shoulder for his rifle. Then pulled on his trench coat in that wonderful traditional brown color the alliance has come to hate. “We will make our mark or die trying!” he said. The transport bucked and began to shake as they started re-entry into Regina’s atmosphere this caused Low to take a cautious look around.

Ellie listened thoughtfully as she strapped her holster on and slid her Peacekeepers in place. She didn’t comment, there was no need since Low was really just giving words to all of their thoughts. She reached in her duffel and pulled out a worn photo of her parents. With a smile she tucked it into her back pockets and pulled on her jacket as well. She saw Low looking a little anxious at the rough entry, “It’s probably just Carl, he was hitting the bottle a bit, it always makes his landings a little rough.” With a grin she slapped Low’s shoulder, “We’ll give the Alliance hell like usual and be drinking to Regina’s freedom by nightfall.”

He glances around once again as the ship continues to shake and shimmy through the atmosphere. “Yeah, I just prefer fly’n myself!” he slung his backpack on the outside of his coat and took up his rifle and started heading forward. “You know you're probably right, we should be dri….” an explosion drowned out his last statement as he was tossed into one of the bunks. Their vessel was hit by something. Hard. Low could feel his head spinning, or was it the ship. The sound of rushing air and his ears popping snapped him back to reality, the ship was breached. He clamped both hands onto the bunk and held on as the vessels decent became more and more rapid. It was clear to him that something had gone horribly wrong. The Alliance was ready for them!

Ellie was thrown hard against the wall between the bunks. She slid to the floor and got hold of the bottom railing. Clearly, this was going to be a messy landing. She watched her bag go flying and she was suddenly very glad she had taken her only important item from it already.

The vessel seemed to be in almost relative free fall and for what seemed like to those aboard to be an eternity the ship's engines roared to life, the sound was deafening as if they overburned the hell out of them then it hit with a loud ear shattering sound, metal strained and small explosions ripped through the ship but she landed nearly in tact on the hard rocky surface. The sound of cooling metals and the groaning structure was all that was heard for a long moment, until the crew and soldiers began to stir within the ship.

Low slowly picked himself up off the ground, he was happy that his rifle hadn’t gone far. He looked around and quickly starting pulling people to their feet working his way over to Ellie. “Come on, Get up!” he stopped at Ellie and reached down to check on her. “Ellie, you still with me?”

She gave a soft groan as she pulled herself off the floor. There was a small cut over her right eyebrow and the blood was trickling down into her eye so she squinted up at him. “Yeah, I’m good.” Pulling herself up she could hear the sound of gunfire already ensuing outside, “We need to get out there, we’re sitting ducks in here.” Pulling her gun, she moved towards the hole that had been ripped in the side of the ship when they were hit and peered out to see they had come down in a relatively wooded and hilly area. There was an outcropping of rocks about thirty yards away from the ship, “We can lay down cover fire so these guys can move out…” she looked over at Low for his opinion. She still felt disoriented from the landing, and it was leaving her without her usual confidence.

Making ready his rifle, he came to stand just inside the breach in the hull and surveyed the area. “Yeah! That should work good. We need to find someone with a radio so we can regroup too or this is going to be the shortest offensive in the history of the browncoats.” he bolted through the hole in the breach heading for the area she specified. It didn’t take long to get there or to be noticed as bullets zinged passed and hit rocks as he slid into place behind cover. “Go Ellie!” he yelled popping up and began firing at the Alliance positions that had clear line of sight on them.

Ellie heard him call and darted out of the ship, focusing on the rocks as she ran. As she dropped down behind the rocks, she wondered for a second that she hadn’t been shot. She took up position from behind the outcropping as well, joining Low in laying down cover for the rest of the guys as they made their way out of the ship. A couple stayed in position with them, while the others took the opportunity to fan out, finding other positions with cover and taking on the Alliance fire. They were down to just Jimmy and another still inside when large artillery fire hit the ship. The resulting explosion rocked the area and sent shrapnel flying. Ellie slid down behind the rocks for a moment, “Yeh su!” She checked herself for any wounds and then popped back up to fire again before looking at Low, “You ok?”

Low was still firing away as the shell hit the ship and sent debris and shrapnel flying through the air, he dropped down behind the rocks to try and avoid from being hit by any flying debris. A cloud of smoke and dust rolled over them and bits of rock and metal rained down around them. He heard Ellie ask if he was ok, his ears were ringing a bit but he seemed uneffected. “Yeah!” he said a bit louder than expected. “Good to go!” he said giving her a thumbs up. He popped up to hazard a glance out at the field, he could see a stream of browncoats pushing into one of the flanks of the alliance troopers who were a bit outnumbered themselves at the moment. He steadied his aim against the rocks and began firing his rifle trying to pick off some of the Alliance shoulders at range. “We should move from here, see anything good from here? Better cover?” he pulled the trigger and watched one of the alliance soldiers fall.

She scanned their surroundings and noted a position higher up the hill that would provide adequate cover and much better line of sight. She turns back and says, “Five o’clock, check out that spot up the hill, it will be more defensible than here, at least for a bit anyway.” She starts firing to allow him the chance to get a look and move.

He turns and charges up the hill towards the spot she specified, it was a good position overlooking most of the small valley. He surveyed the battlefield from this perspective and waved her forward to come to him. He again propped his rifle on one of the rocks and began looking for opportunities taking shots as they presented themselves. The browncoats were pushing the Alliance soldiers back, most of them that had come to ambush them were dead or falling back no as they group seemed to become more organized. He waited for Ellie to get to his position before trying to decide what to do next. He heard her coming up next to him. “We turned the tide I think. Should we rally with the rest or try and get a feel for the land here first?” he gestured a bit higher up the ridge.

Looking around the area, it seemed positive. Their little group on the ship had managed to push back the Alliance from their positions. She took advantage of the new view and tried to see if she could locate any of their fellow Browncoat positions. They had been with another ship coming in and she could see smoke coming from the rise behind them, but it looked like it might be some distance away. She hoped they had fared as well as their ship had. Turning back to Low she finally responded, “We were supposed to be meeting another unit, but I’m not sure where we came down. I think we had better regroup, and see if we can’t figure out how to get in contact with the rest of the Browncoats here. Judging by that smoke, I’m a little concerned about the other transport.” She sighed, “You were right, guess it wasn’t such an in and out easy mission after all.”

Low stood up from his cover and laughed. “Yup.” he started walking up the hill towards the direction of the smoke. “It sucks being right sometimes. I suppose that’s twice I’ve won something today. If you count that hand. And of course surviving the crash. I’m on a roll today I reckon.” he crested the hill and pulled his backpack out from behind him. “Don’t suppose it’s going to get any easier from here.” he retrieved some binoculars from a pouch on the outside of his pack and drew them to his eyes looking in the direction of the smoke. “tā māde niǎo!” he let out a heavy sigh scanning the area in the distance. His voice took a mournful tone. “This is going to be harder than we thought!” he offered the binoculars to her.

Taking the binoculars she looks in the direction he indicated and comments, “I wouldn’t count the Tall Card, I totally would have had that hand.” She could see the wreckage of the other transport and it didn’t look like there would be much, if any, help from them. There was the sound of a train and she turned the binoculars toward the west where she located the train zipping along. Following the tracks she finally located the town, “The good news is, I think I know where we need to head next. That’s where our unit should be.” Ellie pointed toward the town and handed the binoculars back to him and finally mustered a little of her bravado back and gave him a wink, “We’ll still give ‘em hell!”

[Ellie]

Joint Post Pt 2 by Liam "Low" Whelan and Eloise McKee
Just over two weeks after the previous post took place...
Location: Hancock, Regina

It was quiet. Too quiet. After two weeks of hunkering down in this town, everyone’s nerves were wearing thin. Their unit had regrouped after the crash and they made their way to the train tracks without running into any more Alliance troops. From there they followed the tracks into Hancock, where they were originally supposed to meet up with another unit. When they entered the little town though, they found things were much worse than they feared. Before they had crash landed on the planet, the Alliance had already decimated a good number of the Browncoats stationed there. The unit managed to push them back and hold Hancock with the hope that the two arriving transport ships would turn the tide in the favor of the Independents. It was crushing news to find that only one transport ship survived landing and some of those were already lost in battle. Low and Ellie had met with the Commander and shared what little intel they had and received new orders for their small group. Then two grueling weeks of fighting off the Alliance.


Ellie took a wet cloth and a bucket of water and ducked behind the curtain that was strung up. She could hear the guys chatting on the other side, but she had become accustomed to being one of the few women in the room. And she had lost some of her concern about privacy, since this kind of set up wasn’t that uncommon. One other thing she had learned was to clean up quick, because God only knows how long you have until the next attack. She emerged from her “bath” a few minutes later, wearing the same dirty clothes and with unwashed hair, but at least feeling a little bit more civilized than she had before.


Outside the building, Ellie strolled along the road to the front line. The artillery fire had stopped a few hours earlier. They still weren’t sure why. Low looked up at her as she approached, took a seat on an upturned milk crate and asked him, “Any word from the Commander on our next move?”


Low rocked back on his seat and glanced up at Ellie squinting his eyes against the sun, “We do work for the same people right?” he grinned. “Na, but scuttlebutt says were gonna be going on something big here in the next few days. I figure tis why them cannons have stopped. Alliance is probably moving in on our position again. Not want’n to shell their own people.” he looked down at the dark brown bottle in his hands and nodded taking a swig. “I reckon we're about to see blood again soon!”


Low glanced past her down the street and at the hills, they were littered with pock marks from all the artillery the Alliance had been firing at them. He figured that they were trying to scare them into leaving the town because much of it had remained in one piece. But war was war, the town still showed its own battle scars. “This place isn’t going to be the same when we're done here. You can almost be sure that the people of this place are going to hate us just as much as the Alliance when all is said and done. At least at first.” he reached up and offered the bottle. “It’s not the worst, but no where close to the rot gut they have back home.”


Ellie accepted the bottle from him and took a drink from it before handing it back. She grimaced a bit, “That’s got quite the kick.” She reached in the small bag she had slung over her shoulder and tossed a ration packet at him, “Figured you could use some dinner, seein’ as how you’ve been sitting on this line all day. You want me to take your spot for a spell?”


Low caught the ration pack and hugged it to his chest. “Aw, blessed art thou ration pack, my savior in time of need.” he stood and moved past her. “Thanks Ellie.” he smiled back at her. “Try not to fall asleep in all this excitement, and blue sky!” he said pointing up at the deep blue above. For a change it wasn't littered with aircraft flying over and bombing them, or columns of smoke. But they all knew that would eventually change.


As low sauntered down the short road, he turned into the cantina stopping only briefly to check the faces in the room, most were locals trying to get a pint or two before the next invasion attempt by the alliance. Low nodded to the bar keep as he approached. “Mind if I pop a squat here and have my dinner?” he asked gesturing to the ration pack.


The Barkeep stared at him for a long moment before offering a nod. “I suppose you’ll want me to heat it for ya too?” he asked holding out a hand.


Low nodded, and offered the man the pack. “I would appreciate it kindly good sir.” Low watched with fascination as he walked over and tossed the pack into a device on the wall and hit a few buttons. After about a minute of whirling he popped it out and juggled it between his hands plopping it down in front of him. He eyed the bottom sitting on the counter. “You buy that from Ol’ Willies goods?” he asked taking up the bottle.


“Yeah, paid a pretty penny for it too."


He watched the large man sniff the bottle, he produced a glass from under the bar and poured a small amount in it. Took a drink himself, and frowned deeply at the bottle. He then tossed the bottle at the wall at the end of the bar, it made most people in the bar jump at the sound and splash. “It’s crap!”


“Aye…” Low said, a sorrowful look on his face staring at the remains of the liquid as it slowly ran down the wooden wall and into a pit below. Slowly he looked back at the Bar Keep who was holding another brown bottle.


The bar keep popped the cork, it made that amazing sound of a bottle that had not been uncorked or some time. “Now this will put real hair on your chest lad.” he poured some into a clean glass on the bar, it’s golden liquid cascading into the glass. The smell was divine, much like a sweet confection.


Low picked it up and brought the glass to his lips, he allowed a moment hesitation to smell what was in the glass, it was sweet heaven. He couldn't wait any longer, he brought the glass to his lips and sipped the drink. It tasted like cream soda, or at least of what he remembered but it warmed like alcohol, very strong alcohol. The man set the bottle down next to his ration pack. “Oh my.” low said savoring the liquid in his mouth, the taste lingering.


“Oh my indeed.” the barkeep said and nodded. “On the house!” he turned and slowly moved back down the bar to help serve another customer.


Low sat there astonished, granted it wasn’t a full bottle, but it was a little more than what the guy had destroyed. But in comparisons the cost of this bottle was in no way near what he paid for what was tossed. He looked at the bottle, there was no label or markings anymore so it was clearly very old. Even the glass on the bottom was worn enough that the stamping date on the glass was no longer visible. This bottle might be worth a small fortune. Might be worth spit, but it didn't matter. Low poured another small amount in the glass then turned to his ration pack.


He pulled open the pouch and brought out the steaming food, essentially freeze dried bits. Tasted like bland cardboard. But it was all the nutrients and vitamins a fighting lad needed. He spent some time eating his food,and enjoyed a few more glasses of the sippin whiskey. He could see that the curtain of night was slowly starting to creep along as he took a glance outside.


Low dropped a large sum of coin on the bar as he gathered his things. The barkeep shook his head ‘no’ spotting him leaving payment. He quickly came over and shoved the money back toward him. “Lots of people do not appreciate what you are doing here son, yesterday I saw you save my daughter from our burning house. You didn’t have to in the middle of that firefight but you did, you and that lass. So no, you don’t have to pay.”


Low regarded the man for a moment and nodded. “Your bar may not be standing by the end of this is over, you certain you don’t want at least something while it can be given?”


The barkeep shook his head. “Mathazar!” he held out an enormous hand.


Low shook the man’s hand and swept the coin back into his change purse. “Liam, but most people call me Low.”


“Good luck to you Low!” the barkeep said with a clap on his back and he went back to work.


Low had stopped at the door to the bar glancing up the street towards the hill which had been the sight of many a skirmish in their days here now. He knew something was coming, he could feel it in his bones. Slowly he began walking up the street towards where Ellie was sitting. She looked as cozy as one could get sitting on a milk crate on a porch. He was impressed with her leadership ability, and her survival acumen. He was glad he was fighting with her, and not against her.


He stopped and offered the new bottle out to her. “So the barkeep wanted to thank us for saving his daughter in yesterday's skirmish. Guess the burning house was his." He felt the tug on his shoulder before he heard the shot. He saw the blood spray as the bullet passed right through his left shoulder, then the report of a high powered rifle in the distance. Then came the intense burning sensation, and the hot run of blood from the wound. He stood there for a long moment staring down at Ellie's blood covered face and the surprised look. “Huh.” he said blinking. He looked down and could see the hole in his jacket and the blood running from the large wound. Gunfire erupted from all over town, he fell to his knees in front of Ellie. “Jes...us…." he slapped a hand to the wound trying to hold pressure and fighting the creeping black. “Son of a bitch shot me!” he said, and laughed through clenched teeth.


Ellie watched in shock as Liam fell in front her and when it registered what she just saw, she jumped forward with an expletive, “Wang ba dan! Alliance!” She hooked an arm under Low’s and drug him forward to the cover of the barricade they had built. There was gunfire popping all around, clearly the Alliance was waiting for nightfall to make their move. She peered over the barricade for a moment to get sight of where the enemy were positioned and was able to see a number of different spots where the flash of gunfire gave her just what she was looking for. As she aimed her gun and began returning fire she called down over her shoulder, “We need a medic over here!” She stopped firing for a moment and reached around and rummaged in her bag to pull out a small towel she had on her, courtesy of a kind citizen of Hancock when they first arrived. She moved Low’s hand and pressed the towel against the gaping wound. Grabbing his hand again, she slapped him lightly on the cheek to try and bring him back in focus, “Hold it there as tight as you can old man, we’ll get the medic in here for you.”


Down the line she could hear the cries of their own people, it was clear they were overpowered at the moment. Ellie turned to look over the barricade again and saw two Alliance troopers about thirty paces away and heading their direction, so she took aim and dropped them both as quickly as she could. Behind her someone shuffled up, breathing heavy from what she assumed had been a rush to get over here. A man’s voice asked, “You called for a medic?” Without looking at him, she jerked her head in Low’s direction, “He’s hit, but he’s alive, I know we’ve got others falling, but can you at least get him back, get him somewhere safe.”


The man gave a sarcastic laugh, “I don’t know if there is a safe place.” Nevertheless, she heard him picking up Low to carry him off to a building on the other side of the town where the wounded had been taken for what passed as treatment. “Hey!” Ellie called to the man, who stopped and turned to look at her. She snatched the bottle off the ground, and tossed it to him, “He’ll be wantin' that when he wakes up.” The man looked at her like she had lost her mind, he didn’t think there was much chance of this guy waking up, not in this situation. “Whatever you say lady…” before he carried the guy and his alcohol off.

Location: Hancock, Regina

[Ellie]

Location: Hancock, Regina
“Low’s Last Stand”

Low’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of intense gun fire and explosions, dust and debris rained down on him as he looked up through the jagged remains of the roof of the building he was laying in. He figured it was the general store by the look of all the items around him. When he first tried to sit up he felt his head swim laying him back down hard on the floor.

“Stay down son or you’ll rip your stitches!” an old man said who was crouched in the corner with a pistol laying across his lap. “Them Alliance would like nothing more than to finish you off and the others in here. Just keep yer place.”

An explosion rocked the building nearby sending a gout of dirt and debris in the air above the building, Low was certain he saw a body careening through the air. “Ellie!” he said and was suddenly sitting bolt upright. “Where’s Ellie?” he asked grimacing as pain shot through his shoulder.

“I reckon she’s still fight’n.” the old timer said, he suddenly rocked the hammer back on his pistol and fired it out a window. The result was a body hitting the floor outside.

Low spotted his rifle and a familiar bottle of booze sitting beside him. He took a moment to take a taste of the liquid courage and for all intents and purposes a ‘pain killer’. Then took up his rifle, it was still fully loaded. Slowly he rocked himself to his feet and walked over to where the old man was crouched. “They won’t take kindly to you shooting their men. Why don’t you let me take it from here.” He said holding out a hand.

“You can barely stand boy!” the old man said with glare that could peel paint.

He nodded to the man. “These people need you to take care of them more than you need to be shooting.” He said jerking his head towards the others. He flinched as a bullet passed through the room behind him. He could hear the telltale whistle and the “Thunk” sound it made when it hit the wood wall on the other side. “We all have our part to play.” He gestured again for the gun.

The old man reluctantly relinquished the firearm and shook his head and duck walked his way over to one of the wounded. “Damn kids think your indestructible.” He muttered, which brought a smile to Low.

He took a moment to shove a shelf over in front of the wall which would give him something to prop his rifle on through to help him aim. With his bad shoulder he knows this was not going to be an easy feat. When he finally looked, really looked he could see all the bodies in the street. Soldiers advancing into the town by the hundreds. Artillery shells landing, it felt for a long moment that he was seeing the world in slow motion. Shaking away the imagery he focused on the task. Like so many times before he took aim and fired, the bullet took a man through the neck and sent him gurgling to the ground in a pool of quickly expanding blood.

He continued this process, lever action, aim, fire. His shoulder ached with every shot but the adrenaline pumping through his veins paid it no mind. He felt like a robot firing round after round out of the window only occasionally taking fire from someone. He spotted something in the distance and sighted in on it with the rifle, the man was faint but it was clear that he was a mortar operator, he let fly a bullet that missed only just. His second shot hit the man in the leg sending him to the ground but not before the he dropped his last shell. Low took aim again and put the man down for good.

The Entire front of the shop exploded lifting him from his position and throwing him up over the shelf behind him and to the back of the store. Glass and wood splinters rained like confetti all around him. He was surprised to find his rifle still in his hand, his vision was still swimming horribly and his ears only rang. He dropped his rifle and drew his pistol and the one he had taken from the old man.
He glanced briefly to his left and saw the old man still working on one of the wounded, bleeding form his own wounds as well. Then when movement caught his attention Low turned the irons on the first man through the smoke hitting him twice spinning him to the floor, the second nearly shot him in the head the bullet landed in the wall next to him causing him to flinch, his first round caught the man In his gun arm the other in his thigh as low corrected and caught him with another right between the eyes before he could bring his sidearm to bear.

He fired his last rounds into another as he came charging through the smoke and into the room. He fell skidding to a halt. Something exploded in the middle of the room with a loud bang, a flash of bright light and once again Low’s head and vision swam. As he looked up slowly he saw the alliance soldier running at him only to stop his weapon still pointed at him.

Low could see the man mouth something but he wasn’t sure what it was, the only thing he knew was how bad the butt of the weapon hurt when it hit him in the face the first time, the second time he never felt because he was sent into darkness.


Sometime later…
Aboard an unknown alliance vessel...


“What’s your name?” the man dressed in all black asked.

Low stared at the man pacing on the other side of the table. The room he was in was very plain. Only a table and two chairs. It was maybe a six-foot by six-foot room with a single door. He followed the man as he walked trying to figure out how he wanted to respond. “Nunya” he said smiling.

The man stopped pacing and blinked. “Nunya? What kind of a name is Nunya?”

“Nunya damn business.” Low said with a smile.

The man moved with lightning speed slapping him across the face hard, it made Low’s vision swim. It took a moment for his eyes to come back into focus.

Low spat blood and saliva from his mouth on the floor. “You need a sense of humor.” He muttered.

“I can make this entirely unpleasant for you if you wish.” The man in black said.

“I bet you could.” Low said swallowing hard. “I have nothing to tell you that you don’t already know. Don’t act like you don’t know who I am. I know how your system works. I used to be one of you!” he said accusingly.

“Very good Liam.” The man in black said while taking the seat across from him. “Then you know our methods.”

“I do indeed.” He said shifting in his chair. “You want information, that is clear. I have none to give. I was just a peon in this.” He said.

“Really?” the man in black leaned forward with interest.

“Yeah,” Liam also leaned forward, or at least as far as his restraints would allow. “I followed orders like a good soldier, much like I used to do here.” He said.

“Why did you leave the Alliance for such a cause?” the man in black asked.

Liam considered his words very carefully now. “Someone opened my eyes finally to see what it is were doing to our people. All of our people. The injustice that is being done daily just because people do not live in the core worlds. Or have wealth. We sent people out to colonize then forsake them? What kind of beings are we? I fight for a better tomorrow; you fight to maintain the status quo!” he spat, screw careful words.

“A visionary you are?” the man in black stood. “You were a fine pilot for the Alliance Liam Whelan. Now you’re a nobody. Not even a pilot. Your faction as small as it was shown bright for but a wink in time, now you’ll just be a footnote in history.” He stood at the door looking back. “Enjoy your freedom. It’s short lived I assure you.” He said as he disappeared out the door.

Liam leaned back in the chair, his shoulder ached horribly. As a matter of fact, most of his body did. He still couldn’t help but think of Ellie and what happened to her. He had talked to only a hand full of Alliance soldiers in the past days, no sign of her. Not even a peep. He knew in his heart that she was too damn stubborn to die, and way too smart to be caught by the alliance. He hoped that she was out there in the stars, running if she was smart. He slumped in his chair looking down to his dirty hands. They were still covered in soil from Regina, blood and all manner of other things. They had kept him locked away until now.

An alliance soldier walked in, and unhooked him from the table. “Time to go brown coat.”

Liam allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and pushed towards the door. Outside awaited three more Alliance Solider. Though he had thoughts of going out in a blaze of glory he knew it would be worthless. They led him to the ships hanger deck and deposited him in a large group of prisoners heading to a prison in some god forsaken corner of the galaxy. The man in black was right about one thing, it would be the last time he saw the light of day and freedom for a long time. Liam spent the next two years in a prison mine on a planet he knew not the name.

[Kaylia]

Kaylia was waiting in a bar. She also was waiting entirely to long. You did not want to make this girl wait. Busy time and places to go. Sitting in a corner until she finally had her contact show up. Giving a curious look to him. Then looking at something else. "You're late."

Jasper shrugged a little, "Took longer to get here. What is it to you? You just get paid I get paid, and we're done."

Without looking at Jasper, she flicked a fork over his shoulder, "Anything I say it is. You get paid for the information. You be on time, you be descrete and do your damn job. Do I look like someone to mess with?"

Jasper glanced at the fork and pulled it out of the booth padding. Setting it down. "Actually you do. You are what, one hundred and twenty to nothing? I don't think I have anything to worry about. Where are my credits?"

Kaylia tilted her head. "See...this is where you made your mistake. Just because I am a little girl. Just because I am not lucid all the time. That I am not more dangerous than you, or should I say the three goons you have watching us. Because I know you are a pussy and won't do a damn thing." Kicking the table over just as quickly and grabbing Jaspers head. Slamming it down. That fork now slammed next to the right side of his face. "That could have been your ear. Care to test me again, or do I have to hurt your goons before I come back to you."

Jasper just laughed, giggling even, "You stupid bitch. As smart as you think you are..one step ahead. Guys, now!" Jasper shifted just enough to get out of the way of the gunshots. Which also caused a shit storm of patrons running all over. The gunmen didn't say a word, as they were there for one thing only. Protect, and kill. Shooting up the place.

Said table was kicked and used to provide cover from the bullets. The fork grabbed and slammed down on Jaspers hand. "See that? If you move. It will be your neck next. Now I have to deal with the bullshit you caused." Pulling the fork out of the mans hand with a bit of blood spaly that hit her face. That was not going to be the first set of that this day.

Giving a listen to the direction of the gunfire, and using the monitors reflections she could triangulate where each shooter were standing. "Hrmmm..." Then Kaylia stopped, in her spot behind cover. 'Yew know you want to let them. You never listen to me. Let them kill us Kay Kay. Its easier." Kaylia shook her head back and forth hard. "NO! You are the fucking program and I said NO!" Clenching her fist hard enough to cause her nails to pierce into her palms and cause them to bleed.

Jumping over the table and jumping up with a side kick against the wall to push over where the closest gunman was. Rolling with her landing which also worked as sweeping his legs. Laying on her back she flicked her arm out and backhanded the hell out of him. Rolling over as well as taking the unconcious goon with her, using as cover. That one was shot five time. She did not care. Twisting to a crouch and kicking the body into the second shooter. Jumping over, grabbing out the fork. Stabbing the second right in the throat.

The third was a little smarter. Took refuge behind a bunch of drunk patrons. She wouldn't hurt them...well..wouldn't kill them. Though that started the backyard brawl. Each one in turn got turned into an unconcious pile. They only wished that it was from alcohol, before Kaylia got to the third shooter. "I'm going to tell you one last time. You are not going to win."

David smirked at her, "Are you sure?" The sound of a gun went off.

"Yes I am sure." Kaylia glanced at the sound. Well that was lovely. She staggered just enough to let go the bullet hit her shoulder and went through.

"Doesn't look like it, sugar." David smirked.

"Oh you shouldn't have done that." Kaylia's violet eyes flashed for a split second and she grabbed David. Flung him hard enough across the room to bounce him back at her. She leaned down half mast and punched him in the hip, effectively snapping those bones. Let him slam into the back wall of the bar. Regardless of bleeding from the bullet wound stood up. "I'm the only one that calls anyone Sugar around here and its only if I won't kill you. I will kill you. Go home." Shifting to go up to Jasper. "You want to be next or give me the location and details of the job and where the safe house is."

"OKAY OKAY!!! STOP! Crazy bitch! Here!!!!" Jasper gave her a chip with the link and information. "I'll wave my damn fee. Just get the fuck away from me you bitch."

Kaylia giggled, actually giggled, "I didn't give you permission to wave your fee. Though, considering the damage to your reputation now. You've paid in full. However, I need something again, you saw what I did to him. Think of what I will do to you."

Jasper nodded lots of times. "FINE fine! Just stop! Okay. Just...go!"

"Good boy." Kaylia shifted and left. Heading back to her bought now trasnport to where she had to go to find the safe house. Once aboard and out of anyone's eyes about collapsing from the gunshot. She did not need for her unlucid side to kick in right now. Not while she was bleeding.