TOBY (uneasy):
Can you guys stop screaming “cookies”, please? If Orendi hears, Ernest and i will never get these tests done… Also, c’mon, Montana, leave me one…!
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Boldur grabs a single cookie, pours himself a stein of beer, then crushes the cookie into the beer and sprays some whipped cream on top.
BOLDUR:
It is cookies and cream! THE BEER!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
He drinks.
BOLDUR:
Boldur was recently introduced to ice cream by friend Montana. THANK YOU FRIEND MONTANA!!! BOLDUR WILL NOT TELL THORN YOU ARE SNEAKING ICE CREAM AGAIN IN MIDDLE OF NIGHT!!!
A pause.
BOLDUR: (Completely oblivious to what he’s done)
Ah! Thorn! When did you get here? Would you like cookies and cream? The beer? Next boldur will try rocky road… WITH REAL CHUNKS OF ROAD!!!
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Seven excitedly chitters for the cookies have brought all the friends to the yard
…
Fish Cookies… Do not Know… Cookie in Beer… Do not Know… COOKIES FOR ALL. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA=-21302-=0413-9509476-053=204=-35=-4506=-507=4-5680=4680=-5=32=312-3=
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Ernest sighs, then shrugs and holds out a claw. I’m down. Gimme a try of that.
Boldur: Ahhh, good choice, friend Ernest! Cookies and cream beer is most excellent taste sensation! Will put hairs on chest, and maybe crumbs, ha!
Ernest grins and grabs the stein from Boldur, takes a deep swig, then shakes his head and wipes cream from his beak.
Boldur: It is glorious, no?
Ernest, deadpan, holds the beer out to Montana. Try it.
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Seven is now confused on what to do. It came back to help with making the Hyperion Pistols compatible with the weapons of the Battleborn, but now, said Battleborn are crawling out of the walls for Cookies, and said Cookies are being consumed quite quickly…
…
Everyone likes Cookies. I have Work to Do. Everyone likes Cookies. I have Work to Do.
…
Dammit. Conflicting Processes Detected.
5 Likes
TOBY (quietly):
I’ll try some, sir… I-If you’ll let me, i mean! I actually used to work as a part-time brewmaster at a black market Lorrian distillery on Sanford LV, back before i got started building Berg… I used to have a lot of odd jobs back then, before Reyna took me in…
5 Likes
Montana grabs the beer, looks down at his freshly waxed chest, and hands the beer to Toby. “Thanks, but no thanks, sarg. It’s hard enough for me to wax as it is, I don’t need more hair to get rid of.”
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Toby uses both his flippers to bring the beer mug to his beak, then spits it back out with an expression of disgust.
TOBY (embarrassed):
I guess i’m just used to the grog in the Detritus Zone…
Toby looks at Montana.
TOBY:
Umm… By the way, Montana, how would you like a minigun with pin-point accuracy…?
5 Likes
Just outside of Ghalt’s office, Rath and Pam pass Reyna, who has just left it, and turns around when she notices the ashamed expression on Pam’s face.
REYNA:
Hold up! Why are you two goin’ to see Ghalt, and why do i feel like yo answer is gonna piss me off?
RATH:
To give the caption my assessment on Pam’s lack of combat readiness. It does not concern you, so move along…
Reyna’s face twists into a fierce scowl, and she quickly walks in front of the door to Ghalt’s office to bar Rath’s way, causing him to scowl himself and place his hand on Axiom. Reyna puts her own hand on her plasma pistol. Pam backs up uneasily, and quickly looks around for cover, as she has seen that look in Reyna’s eye before.
RATH (coldly):
Move aside, Reyna…
REYNA (icily):
Wanna try an’ make me?
Rath pulls Axiom from it’s sheath, and Reyna pulls her pistol in response.
RATH (with contempt):
You may have a special… Relation -with Captain Ghalt, but do not think that gives you the right to interfere with-
Reyna fires a shot at Rath’s chest, which he deftly bats aside. Pam can see the fury in both of their expressions now, and that the situation has gone volatile. Swallowing hard, she walks between them, even as Ghalt angrily inquires into what is going on, from within his office.
PAM (pleading):
Please stop, Ms. Valeria…! He’s right… I failed my test… I couldn’t kill the thrall, and-
REYNA (seething):
Bullsh*t! We’ll run it again, and this time I’LL be givin’ it to you!
RATH (furious):
You dare question my ability to judge-
REYNA (overriding Rath):
I QUESTION THE F*CK OUT OF YOU BEIN’ THE ONE TO GIVE HER THAT TEST!! Everybody knows that yo pale ass has had it out for Toby ever since he joined up with Rendain!
RATH (laughing):
Do you of all people really presume to pass judgement on me for that?! You would have had him killed, if i recall…
REYNA (faltering a little):
HE HURT ME- US!! He don’t deserve any mercy, but you shouldn’t be takin’ yo vengeance out on Pam! She-
RATH (overriding Reyna):
-She did not pass her test, and she cannot be trusted to act in the event that combat is required!
REYNA (sneering):
Maybe she just needs the right teacher to push her, instead of someone who gives up on her befo’ the test even started. I saw what she was capable of in that base, an’ so did you!
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Pendles decloaks beside Pan
Should I stick around to watch Reyna and Rath get yelled at or should I leave
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Pam nearly screams as Pendles decloaks next to her, but she manages to keep it together.
PAM (depressed):
If i could cloak like you can, i’d leave myself… You don’t think they’ll hurt each other, do you…?
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Honestly if blood starts being she’d I’m going to charge people to watch the fight gladiator style.
But I think Ghalt has it handled.
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Continued from this post…
BIOREP: MULTIPLE INVASIVE RUPTURES ON LEFT WING; MULTIPLE INVASIVE RUPTURES IN SPINAL MUSCULATURE
://ENG_REGEN_PRI_1
$NANOGO$
Mechabenedict fires a rocket into the manual override controls to the avionics bay’s pressure door, destroying them. He groans in pain from the bullet wounds on his back and wing as his regenerative nanobots begin to repair the damage. He sits. From the door they can hear pounding and muffled shouting.
THE LORRIAN:
Bruh, don’t take this the wrong way, but, you make an awesome bioshield.
MECHABENEDICT: (Still groaning)
I need a few minutes. Some of those bullets punctured vital organs.
HEAD LORRIAN: (Leaning into Mechabenedict’s ear)
That’s it… rest up big fella. Hush big badass, don’t say a word, I’mma gonna buy you a…
Mechabenedict waves his claws through Head Lorrian, enraged, and deepens some of the wounds on his back. He growls in frustration.
THE LORRIAN:
Okay… I know you’re dealing with the unpleasant side effects of being shot right now, but I kind of need help breaking into the spacedock’s override controls…
MECHABENEDICT:
Hold on…
://Run: MCOVERRIDE v.15.22.3
$CMDCONF$
THE LORRIAN:
Okay… so we’ve got a bay we can completely override on level 132. It’s three floors down, but we can probably get there by blasting a hole in the ceiling from this level, if you’re not picky about collateral damage. We have two small cargo vessels and…
MECHABENEDICT:
No.
THE LORRIAN:
Huh?
MECHABENEDICT:
I’ve had enough of this f**ker. I wanna REALLY piss him off.
THE LORRIAN:
Well, he’s got a personal yacht docked in pad 3 and…
MECHABENEDICT:
Setting it to remote self destruct.
THE LORRIAN:
Okay… do you WANT to escape, or do you…
MECHABENEDICT:
I wanna steal a capital ship.
THE LORRIAN:
Uh… yeah… that’s REALLY not a good idea, they’re guarded, like, really well… we stand a better chance of escape if we take a personal shuttle or a cargo freighter or…
MECHABENEDICT:
Arcship Epic Win. Pylon 34. Level 56.
THE LORRIAN:
Again… well guarded… NOT a great plan…
LLC COMM CLUSTER 4 - LIVE TEXT CHAT REQUEST ACCEPTED. USER: D00M.
://ACCEPT
$CMDCONF$
ROUTING TO PORT 1
:>[D00M]: Did I or did I not warn you about going back to the LLC?
:>[0ct@ve_M3CH]: Are you going to help or not?
:>[D00M]: I get 100% of the cargo. I get to keep the ship.
:>[0ct@ve_M3CH]: That’s the deal.
:>[D00M]: I want The Lorrian.
:>[0ct@ve_M3CH]: No.
:>[D00M]: Well then, good luck getting your ass out of there on your own.
:>[0ct@ve_M3CH]: Dumbass… if I wanted to escape, I could just take a cargo transport. It’d be REALLY easy. It’d still accomplish my goals. You don’t want it? Fine. I’ll just escape and you’ll recuperate none of your losses from the Magna Carta expedition.
CONTACT LOST.
Mechabenedict feels a surge of pain in his back and falls to the floor in agony.
HEAD LORRIAN: (In a much more threatening tone)
Turn over The Lorrian, and I’ll make your death excruciating.
MECHABENEDICT:
I said I wasn’t turning over The Lorrian… learn to READ!
HEAD LORRIAN:
Oh, I read what you texted. This is just a friendly warning that we are not to be trifled with. Go back on your deal, and I… will… liquefy you.
A vivid flashback of lying in the medical bay with his cells liquefying from Nega-Pam’s anti-buteonen bioweapon assaults his mind. He feels everything he felt in those moments. He screams and slowly the pain recedes until only the pain in his back remains.
Head Lorrian disappears. The pain in his back stops.
THE LORRIAN:
Uh-huh. I see you’ve tripped my failsafe. Sorry. Forgot to mention that.
Mechabenedict runs up to The Lorrian and slams him against the wall.
THE LORRIAN:
Careful Mecha. Any harm comes to me, you know what happens to you.
MECHABENEDICT:
What did you do?
THE LORRIAN:
I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. Nothing personal. But if you do try to sell me out to Reyna or the LLC, Sweet Thang WILL retaliate.
MECHABENEDICT:
It broke into my nanoregenerative coding. It’s antics were a distraction to keep me from noticing.
THE LORRIAN:
Hey, if you weren’t thinking about going back on our deal, the failsafe would never have triggered in the first place.
MECHABENEDICT:
I told my contact NO!!
THE LORRIAN:
But you thought about saying yes. Don’t lie to me. If Phoebe can’t get you out of hot water with the LLC, your plan is to join the Rogues. And what a great bargaining chip I’d be. Turning me over to your new best friend, Reyna, am I right?
Mechabenedict stops.
MECHABENEDICT:
It was just a passing thought. I had no intention of going through with it.
THE LORRIAN:
Well just consider Sweet Thang extra incentive NOT to go through with it.
CONTACT REESTABLISHED
:>[D00M]: I do want that ship. But know an alliance with The Lorrian will make it much more difficult to join the Rogues should things fall through with the LLC. Let me know when I should begin my attack run.
Mechabenedict tests the muscles in his back and feels them fully healed.
:>[0ct@ve_M3CH]: Stand by for my signal.
They hear a loud explosion just outside the door. Security is trying to break through. Mechabenedict loads his rocket launcher and prepares to blast a hole in the far wall.
MECHABENEDICT:
I do not appreciate being lied to, and I do not appreciate extortion.
THE LORRIAN:
No one will look out for my best interests but me. I’m sorry, but I needed a backup plan, and let’s be honest here, you don’t trust me any more than I trust you.
MECHABENEDICT:
If we’re going to work together, we will have to trust each other. That is what being a Battleborn is about.
THE LORRIAN:
Trust is earned… and no offense, but I just met you.
MECHABENEDICT:
Trust is earned, and you have already broken mine. The door swings both ways. Remember that next time you decide to screw someone over.
Mechabenedict blasts a hole in the wall and runs through the unnatural doorway to a hall beyond, taking out three drones in the process. The Lorrian stands still with his head down.
MECHABENEDICT:
Disable as many defenses as you can along our route to the arcship. I will attempt to gain control of some of its subsystems.
A pause.
MECHABENEDICT:
We still need each other here.
The Lorrian looks up.
THE LORRIAN:
Ok, yeah. I wasn’t standing still because I felt really bad about sticking a failsafe in your head. Believe it or not, disabling a ton of defenses between here and the arcship is kiiind of tricky, and I needed to concentrate. Lead the way, bioshield.
Mechabenedict grimaces and the two run down the hall in the direction of a cargo transport anchor.
6 Likes
But what we really need to consider is what the outcome of this argument will mean, because I know for a fact that if Ghalt sides with Reyna here she’ll be using it as a bargaining chip if the Battleborn ever split, training someone to fight in mainly other factions could be used as leverage for widespread black market operations within territories previously unoccupied by the rouges.
Especially if it ends up in Upr territory.
6 Likes
Pam gasps softly, seeing the possible truth of this. However, she eyes Pendles suspiciously, unsure if she should believe him.
PAM (dubious):
You’re saying that Ms. Valeria might be… Be using me…? But she’s my friend…
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She’s using us all in some way, sometimes it’s jusst not clear, Shayne is a great pilot which is a useful skill for a space pirate, Whiskey is intimidating, I’d say that most people are scared of him. Toby’s being used for his mechanic skills. Me for assassination of potential competition or potential enemies.
The only one I’m not sure about Is Orendi but I’m sure she has a reason to keep her so long. Frankly I’d be surprised if she wasn’t using you.
6 Likes
PAM:
Well… She won’t even look at Toby without scowling anymore, and while i know that HE wishes that she would take him back into the Rogues, i doubt that she would after he… You know.
Pam glances at Reyna suspiciously.
PAM (thoughtfully):
Maybe she is just pretending to be my friend though…
6 Likes
Frankly I can’t blame her, Im still suspicious about how after betraying us and then dying he comes back with no memories of said events. Something strange is happening to the Battleborn and I think it possibly tear us apart.
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Pam gulps uneasily, not wanting to believe that Toby- her Toby -could possibly be the catalyst of something terrible enough to drive a wedge between the Battleborn, but neither can she deny the suspicion in her own heart that something- or someone -brought Toby back for some nefarious purpose.
6 Likes
Ghalt pulls open the door to his office hard enough to make it rebound off the wall, causing Pam to flinch. He transfers his hard gaze from her, to Pendles, to Rath, and finally to Reyna.
GHALT (angry):
What the HELL is going on out here, and is it worth being dismissed from the Battleborn indefinitely?
REYNA:
What’s goin’ on is that thin, pale an’ ugly here purposely sabotaged Pam’s combat readiness test because he’s tryin’ to get back at Toby for joining Rendain!
Ghalt frowns, disbelieving, and turns to face Rath.
GHALT:
Is that true?
RATH (scoffing irritably):
Of course it’s not! Pam froze up and refused to kill the virtual Bonecrusher, even when it was about to cut her down. As a result, i’ve deemed her unfit for combat, lest she freeze up when needed in a true fight. The two of us were on our way to discuss the possibility of letting her work alongside Toby as his assistant, when captain Valeria saw fit to bar our way and challenge my authority as Pam’s instructor, by shooting at me with her little toy there.
Reyna rolls her eyes and shoots Ghalt a look of appeal that clearly shows that she’d like to speak to him in private. Ghalt sighs in response.
GHALT:
Reyna, in my office. The rest of you wait out here until i call you in.
Ghalt closes the door behind Reyna as she enters his office, and then gestures for her to sit. She smiles.
REYNA (playfully):
Not gonna offer me a seat yourself, huh? I see how it is…
GHALT (coldly):
Cut the act, Reyna. This isn’t a social call, and i’m disappointed in you for thinking that you can do whatever you want on my ship, without consequence.
Reyna’s smile vanishes, and she drops into one of the seats on the side of Ghalt’s desk opposite his own chair. After he seats himself, Ghalt stares at Reyna with sudden vehemence.
GHALT (angry):
What are you up to?
REYNA (defensive):
Makin’ sure that Pam doesn’t get screwed over!
GHALT (flatly):
Don’t lie to me, Reyna. Not now. Ever since Toby came back, you’ve been overly protective of Pam, and clearly want to keep her away from him. Why?
REYNA (looking away):
You saw what him leaving did to her… I ain’t gonna let him do it again, even if i have to kill the little sh*t! She deserves better than him…
GHALT (softening slightly):
Reyna, i understand that you want to protect Pam, but you have to realize that this Toby isn’t-
REYNA (overriding bitterly):
Yeah, i know: He’s not the same Toby that betrayed us, because he’s “genetically younger”. So the f*ck what?! He’ll just do it again as soon as an opportunity presents itself; and damn it, Ghalt, i won’t let him do that to his family!
DEANDE (decloaking):
Toby possibly betraying us is the least of our worries regarding him right now…
GHALT (coldly):
Are we really at the point where we can’t trust each other to not spy on our meetings…?
DEANDE (distressed):
I apologize for the intrusion, but this is of the utmost importance, and it simply couldn’t wait.
Ghalt sees that Deande is visibly shaken and paler than normal, even for a sustained Jennerit.
GHALT:
What’s wrong, Deande?
DEANDE (uneasy):
I… I don’t know, Trevor… Beatrix is outside, and she can explain it better. That is, if she can keep from going into hysterics this time…
REYNA (frowning):
What about Rath and Pam?
DEANDE (dismissive):
I told them and the Roa that we’d discuss the matter, and sent them away until we call for them.
GHALT (uneasy):
You don’t plan to discuss it though, do you?
DEANDE (shaking her head):
After what we’ve just discovered, everything else can wait.
GHALT (sighing):
I was afraid you’d say that…
Ghalt raises his voice and tells Beatrix to come in, which she does, closing and locking the door behind her. Her face is drawn and completely void of it’s usual mischievous expression.
GHALT (calling out):
Pendles, i swear if i catch you easedropping on this meeting… ANY of you for that matter…!
There is no response.
GHALT (muttering):
God, that Roa always has me on edge…
DEANDE (looking at Reyna):
Captain… How do i put this? I think it would be wise to keep what Beatrix is about to show you between as few people as possible…
REYNA (stiffening):
Excuse me?!
DEANDE:
I’m sorry, but if this knowledge were to find itself in the wrong hands, the potential damage caused could be irreparable.
REYNA (furious):
"The wrong hands?!" Are you trying to say that I can’t be trusted?!
BEATRIX (swallowing hard):
Please, let’s just get this over with…
Reyna and Deande, offset by Beatrix’s demeanor, let the matter drop.
GHALT:
Go ahead, doctor…
Beatrix nods and then pulls out a small handheld projector, which she sets on Ghalt’s desk.
BEATRIX (taking a deep breath):
The last time we spoke about Toby’s genetic tampering, i stated that i thought the area that had been tampered with could possibly be the personality trait that led his other self to betray us. It turns out that i was right, but… It’s a bit more complicated than i at first thought. You see, one of the most recent discoveries in genetics is that one’s memories are stored by the brain as they continue to live, and it is those memories- and, more importantly, the experience we gain from them -that lead to the development of our personality. In other words, science now knows that our personalities are constantly generated and updated by our brains, in the form of genetic code. Code that can be altered like the rest of our DNA…
GHALT:
And you discovered that Toby’s personality had been altered in this way, in order to remove any chance of his betraying us in the future?
BEATRIX (frowning):
Not exactly… You see, as far as science knows, you can’t alter someone’s personality traits without removing or altering the memories that resulted in said trait, and so that person would have gaps in their memories. However, during Toby’s mandatory therapy sessions, i discreetly questioned him about any times he remembered feeling betrayed, and carefully listened to his description of the accounts of betrayal that i already knew about, such as when you betrayed him to the Lorrian, Reyna.
Reyna mutters to herself, but doesn’t challenge Beatrix’s statement. Meanwhile, the doctor begins staring off into space, as if to distance herself from what she is trying to explain.
BEATRIX:
Without exception, his memories were clear and unaltered. Thinking that i had mislead myself as to the subject of Toby’s mental tampering, i decided to be thorough, and ran a scanning of Toby’s two genetic codes- his old self’s using the ETB system’s records, and his new self from a blood sample -and limited the search results to memories involving the feeling of betrayal. The whole sifting procedure took two days, and will unfortunately give you a headache when you see my next invoice, captain. I wanted to compare the two, you see, a-and…
Beatrix starts to hyperventilate, and Deande lays a calming hand on her shoulder. Deande then touches a button on the projector, causing a side-by-side comparison of Toby’s genetic codes to be displayed.
DEANDE (gravely):
This is what she found…
GHALT (confused):
What am i looking at?
BEATRIX (frantically):
Here! Right here!
She points to a very small section of Toby’s newer code, where the “C’s”, “G’s”, “U’s” and “A’s” have been replaced by “1’s” and “0’s”.
REYNA (shocked):
Is that binary?! In a genetic code?!
BEATRIX (hysterical):
YES!! And this is just one memory being displayed here, as minutely dissected as modern science can manage! We don’t even know what a segment THAT small even means, and yet here is evidence that someone not only knows what it represents, but can actually alter it!
DEANDE:
However, she theorizes that it’s the literal feeling of betrayal-
BEATRIX (cackling):
Because theorizing is all i can do! This is more advanced than anything we’ve ever encountered before! It shouldn’t even exist yet!
Beatrix comes close to losing it, and Deande motions for her to sit down in the chair next to Reyna, which she does.
REYNA:
What does it say…?
Beatrix places her head in her hand and moans, causing Reyna to shudder.
DEANDE (quietly):
Whoever replaced this segment of Toby’s genetic code did it in all of the memories relating to his feelings of betrayal that Beatrix searched for. Each section of binary translates into a letter, and if you line up the letters from the earliest memory to the latest…
Deande hits the button on the projector and brings up the next page. The color drains out of everyone’s faces as they look at the message left for them in Toby’s very DNA, by an unknown entity powerful enough to bring back the dead.
GHALT:
Oh my God…
“THE ONE WHO RESISTS MUST GO TO VOXIS.”
To be continued…
6 Likes