RPG Outlaw Star: Future Prospects [12+]

[Wondershot]

[center]Heifon Planet Surface - 22:00h

- - -Naturally, things start to heat up as we get closer and closer to our target. I don't mean nerves or excitement or anything. Hell, Sata has never even seemed surprised at anything since I activated her. What I'm trying to say is, we start dreaming, so to speak. We try and think like our victim, see, we wonder what name he's going to give us, and how we're going to seal the deal, so to speak.- - -

- - -Sata has been scaring me lately, since those last battles she has been so intense, and despite the fact that she is part human, she still thinks of herself as an emotionless weapon, and everyone else, even women or children, are potential targets, all I have to do is say the word. I'm not afraid she'll hurt me, or anything, it's just that she listens to me so diligently, that I'm afraid that I'll mess up and ruin everything for her as well...- - -

- - -Sometimes...I wish I had never met her...- - -[/center]

"Welcome to Heifon, Mr. Jaihera. Is there any way we can assist you?" The lady receptionist at the spaceport asked cheerfully. Rao nodded.
"Yes, simple routine repairs are required to maintain the ship, spare no expense, if you find sometihng worth repairing, put it on my bill." Rao replied nonchalantly. The woman smiled and nodded, and the video feed ended. Rao turned his head slightly, and spoke over his shoulder to Sata.
"Encode the log data, please." Sata nodded, and manipulated the terminal in front of her. Suddenly, a large disc appeared on the video screen, comprised of concentric circles with several symbols etched onto each section of the ring. Sata nodded once, and the rings began to rotate slowly, some to the right, others to the left. The circle in the center didn't move. Sata nodded again, and the rings stopped, the symbol in the middle turned from green to red.
"Encoding complete, please register simulation codes in order to prevent loss of data." A computerized voice replied monotonously throughout the ship. Sata left the terminal and stepped outside with Rao.

"Fred Luo's companny HQ is located five thousand-eight hundred-thirty-six metres from this precise location, our best option would be to find some mode of transport to get us there quickly and inconspicuously." Sata replied with a mechanical certainty. Rao, however, shook his head.
"No, not very interesting, we're on Heifon, we should relax and do some sightseeing." Sata stared at him, but instead of registering surprise, she continued.
"I am afraid that that is an illogical choice, we are currently running low on funding, and the idea of staying in Heifon for more than two days would reduce our funding to nothing." Rao smiled.
"You really have to learn to live a little, you know? This is H-E-I-F-O-N. We can't just come here on vacation, this is work, so we should take advantage." Sata didn't bother to reply, so Rao continued.
"No objections? Good." Sata snapped to attention suddenly and her head whipped to the side of the spaceport.
"There is some hostile activity going on between two parties in that direction."
"Oh, a fight? Sounds like none of our business..."
"Shall I engage the targets?" Sata continued. Rao stared at her, and then he asked.
"Who is involved?" Sata's eyes whipped back in the direction of the scene, and then answered.
"They appear to be freelance outlaws...and Ban Pirates." Rao grinned, but jumped when he saw, or thought he saw, Sata doing the same.
"Shall I engage?" Sata asked again, Rao looked seriously at her.
"No casualties, please, nonlethal reconnaissance only." Sata nodded, and began walking quickly in the direction of the fight, heels clikcing loudly...

[center]- - -Sometimes I hate myself for letting Sata do as she pleases like that, she always follows orders, and comes back alive, but still, I feel that I could be doing something other than getting in the way. It feels strange to be like this, since Sata is so great, but sometimes, I forget that I have control, and let some...strange feelings take over. It's a weird idea, but it can happen.- - -

- - -Sata, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind this, and although her methods condradict multiple laws of human morality and reason, she doesn't let those, as she likes to call them "insignificant human thoughts" get in her way.- - -

- - -Oh, well, [i]ecce universa terra coram te est recede a me obscero...[/i]- - -

-END TRANSMISSION-

-LOGGED AS RJhf2200.txt-[/center]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]OOC: Wow, this is later than I'd expected ^_^; Hopefully it can be resurrected.
-----------------------------------------------------

The Ban Pirate convulsed violently on the floor for a few seconds, then lay still, his eyes rolled into his sockets and his chest collapsed. Trace strode over and tore the Pirate's jacket open, immediately rifling through the pockets. He picked out three small metallic objects and checked them over. A small red symbol flashed dimly on one- he threw it back and shoved the other two into his pocket.

"Can't waste a clue..." he murmured.

An unknown voice split the silence. "So Ctarl-Ctarl, you are the one who has split the blood."

Trace whirled round- a tiny figure stood on the wall above them, holding a sword in an open guard position. He trained his rifle on the small samurai, trapping the image of his head directly between the crosshairs.

"You better have a damn good reason for spying on us, Pirate." His finger squeezed the trigger. "Any false moves and these bullets will pass through your skull like-"

"You would be wise not to threaten me, outlaw." The samurai replied calmly, his kodachi unnervingly still in his hand. His eyes were still closed. "I am not a Pirate."

Trace and Senrai exchenged wary looks, then lowered their aggressive stances.

"Then get lost. This is no business of yours."

"I chose to make it my business."

Just as Trace sought to reply, his communicator bleeped.

Colt's voice hummed through the speaker. [i]"My scanners are picking up strange energy readings from nearby."[/i]

"Shit, now what?"[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Senrai inhaled deeply, then raised her hackles angrily. The samurai looked unruffled, until she took a single step forward and rocked the ground they were standing on.[/i]

"Get lost. ......and while you're at it go get stuffed."

"So the rumors were true."

[i]Senrai restrained herself from jumping him and ravaging that face he called his own. Trace watched her check herself and smiled slightly. Not a mindless killer....but sometimes awfully close to it. Those energy signals, why wouldn't she be able to sense them? Or was she already sensing them?[/i]

"....do you know what Colt's talking about?"

"You mean this bastard samurai that knows sorcery?"

".....you can smell that?"

"Of course."[/COLOR]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]"Well samurai, any last words?" The rifle barrel clicked hungrily as Trace's finger gripped the second trigger, ready for a multiple barrel-fire.

His communicator bleeped again. [i]"Forgive my interruption Trace, but the readings I am picking up are not of a Spell nature, although there are numerous emissions nearby- I have detected electronic signals from a source approximately one hundred metres away from your current position."[/i]

Trace's rifle dropped slightly. "So what is it? An armoured frame?"

[i]"Negative. I am unable to identify. I suggest an immediate withdrawal to the ship."[/i]

Senrai grunted derisively. There's no sport in that. If whatever was approaching was out to get them, they might as well get it first. And even if it wasn't... there was no harm in playing with it.[/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Trace and Senrai looked at each other for a moment before turning back to the samurai. Trace raised the gun slightly again, when he began to hear something, the sharp ckicking of high heels against the pavement. He turned slightly and saw two strangers walking towards them. Trace stiffened, Senrai seemed to be looking intelnly at them.
"Is something wrong?' He asked tentatively, as though he wasn't sure he wanted an answer. Senrai growled slightly, and Trace's communicator crackled to life.
"Trace! Do you see anything unusual?" Colt shouted, the transmission was crackling with static and almost inaudible. Trace shouted back.
"There's two people coming up the walkway!" Trace shouted back, "A young guy, and a woman!"
"Tra....evac....the wo...." Colt's voice crackled before the line was flooded with white noise. Trace cursed under his breath before turning back towards the samurai. The clicking of the high heels becoming more ominous by the second. Senrai growled and sniffed at the air.
"It's her, it's that human girl..." She muttered to Trace, Trace kept his eyes on the sasmurai. Taking a step back, he muttered under his breath:
"Can anything else go wrong today?"

"There appear to have been casualties in this confrontation. I am curretnly identifying one Ctarl-Ctarl, two humans, and two other races who have not been recorded in my database." Sata announced, Rao folded his arms.
"And the Ban?"
"The Ban appear to have been eliminated already." Sata stated coolly, she turned slightly.
"I would request a new set of orders, as the original set appears to have been violated upon the death of the Ban source."
"All right, find any evidence regarding these people's connection to the Ban, as well as why the Ban attacked them, should they become hostile, use evasive auto-defense tactics. No casualties, please."
"Affirmative." Sata started walking again. Rao shifted uncomfortably before starting to walk again...

Senrai stared maliciously at Sata as she began her approach again. Taking a heavy step forward, she roared.
"Who the hell are you? Get out of here!" Sata ignored her completely, continuing to stride forward, unperturbed. Senrai growled and stomped forward.
"Explain yourself!" Sata stopped and began to recite blandly.
"My name is Sata Jaihera. I am currently engaged in mission ops-mode, and I am unable to react according to orders from any source other than my controller. Therefore, this is all the information I can divulge at this time."
"Leave! There's nothing for you to see here."
"I am afraid that is impossible, I cannot detract from my orders as I am engaged in ops-mode. I must warn you that any hostile actions will result in automatic self-defense." Senrai roared and took a flying leap forward. Sata blinked and her eyes changed colour from blue to a bright green.
"Automatic defense, Sata." Rao stated, arms folded.
"Affirmative." Sata replied, as her right leg began crackling with electricity. As Senrai closed in, Sata jumped forward and dealt a flying kick to the face, blowing her back with such force that Trace had to jump back as Senrai landed right in front of him, showering chipped pavement everywhere from her hard landing. Sata, meanwhile, continued to walk again as though nothing had happened. Rao stared with mild interest, he had never seen Sata take Ctarl-Ctarl before. His smile faded as Senrai jumped up almost immediately, despite the energy shock she seemed no worse for the wear, and what's more, she was just slightly fazed.
"Well, now, I have to admit I didn't expect that." She replied coolly, Sata said nothing, just stopped again. Rao continued to stare, thinking how this would turn out, when he noticed another person standing up on a roof.
"A kid...Ah, of course." Rao thought to himself. He casted a quick eye back to Trace, who, despite the shock of seeing his teammate land like that, also seemed calm, and was now checking his gun. Rao's eyes shifted back to Sata and Senrai, who were now standing face-to-face. Sata was wearing the same expressionless stare, and Senrai growled slightly under her breath.
"Hmph, want to try that again?" Senrai challenged smugly. Sata brushed her hair back over her right ear, and fell back into a combat stance. The two fighters eyed each other cautiously, and Rao, meanwhile, was talking into a little device...

[center]- - -Sadly, I can't say that I never saw this coming. Sata is still somewhat of an enigma to me, but since I have to control her, every single bad descision I make passes on to her, as she learns from the most imperfect species in existence.- - -

- - -I figure that we will end up making the right choice someday, but I would at least like to understand a little more about what will happen between now and then.- - -

- - -Still, I wonder what might have happened...were circumstances any different...- - -

-END TRANSMISSION-

-LOGGED AS RJhf2230.txt-[/center]

OOC: My apologies, Raiha, I did not intend for it to sound that biased.

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue]*coughs modestly* ....if you remember correctly, a Ctarl-ctarl's skin can break steel and iron. ....and no bio android has been made to best one yet.[/COLOR]

[RioLaskand]

Lex trained his rifle from one target to the other. The strange girl shot a glance towards him, staring straight though his crosshairs with chilling blue eyes. The smoke from the hole the Ctarl-Ctarl had made slightly screened his views, but he did see a man catch a glance at him before he had pulled back. He breathed in, and efficiently reloaded his three shots. Pausing for a second, he threw his rifle back over his shoulder, and twirled his knives out of their holsters into his hands.

[i]Trace is going to need more than a sharpshooter down below. That android looks nasty.[/i] he leaped off the roofs, turning around in midair, and dug his unbreakable knives into the concrete, jamming them to make a set of handholds. He quickly released them again, and dropped freely down the building, digging them quickly a few feet before the ground swallowed him. He landed softly on the ground, and twirled his knives back into their holsters.

"Nice of you to join us, Lex," Trace didn't look up from his rifle, which he was checking for damages, and brushing debris off.

"I figured a hired gun up top wouldn't do you much good. That android can handle a few high calibur shots, but close range is always a different story,"

Trace eyed his knives, "Your skill with those as good as your aim?"

Lex smirked, "Perhaps, although this could be a bit of a tough target. Your Ctarl-Ctarl friend looks to be rightly pissed, so we should just let her take it for now. Pride I have very high respect for,"

[Wondershot]

Sata glanced casually from target to target, while still keeping her hands up at about chest and face level. She cast and icy glare towards Trance and company, but then returned to her primary target, the Ctarl Ctarl. She heard Senrai laugh casually, and speak.
"You go ahead, I'd like to see you try that again." Sata charged up the energy blast in her right leg again, but Rao's voice reached her.
"You have no chance, Ctarl Ctarl are practically indestructible, nothing less than a caster will do damage to one, let alone kill it." Sata listened attentively, Senrai laughed again.
"Your blonde friend has a point." Rao continued.
"It is beyond question that at your current level it is impossible to beat her, but you can outmanuver her. Redirect all your focus to evasion and stamina control."
"Affirmative." Sata stood inert, like a statue in a battle stance. Senrai reached up a hand.
"Fine, you won't start, I will."

Senrai brought the hand down with lightning speed, but Sata, even more quickly, dodged it. Senrai pulled a quick roundhouse kick, but Sata ducked it, and when Senrai came around with a sweep, Sata took a small jump back to dodge.
"Hm, so you are fast..." Senrai replied amusingly, Sata did not reply, just kept her determined aim. Senrai's smile disappeared as she took another swing forward, which Sata simply blocked, then spun around to make Senrai lose some momentum. Sata ducked the next punch, and managed to bend back even further when Senrai went for an explosive kick to the face. Seing an opening, Senrai went for a thrust to the stomach, which Sata avoided again by bending sideways. Senrai stared at Sata in this bizzare contortionist pose, and watched as she did a quick backflip to get upright again, high heels clicking softly. Sata lowered her hands and began to walk towards the fallen Ban pirate, when Senrai stepped in her way again.

"What makes you think that we're finished?" Senrai demanded angrily. Sata blinked once, then replied automatically.
"My mission is not to defeat you, it is to investigate the confrontation that occured here earlier. As it appears that it is not your immediate objective to destroy me, it would seem logical that we get out of each others way and continue with our respective business." Senrai glared furiously at Sata, who just replied with her usual expressionless stare. Senrai growled slightly, before cooling down again.
"Hmph, well it may not be your business, but it is mine. If you fight me, you fight me to the end." Senrai fell back into her stance, and Sata back into hers. The two gladiators eyed each other carefully, but Rao was already doing his job, as no one saw him edge himself closer to the body...

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Senrai looked up at the full moon, then back at Sata. Her energy level skipped a few beats, then began to throb through her body, pulsing with unhindered power.

Sata did not attack all at once, but rather watched her opponent, who seemed to be gathering energy. Senrai slitted her eyes, the pupils shifting swiftly from normal, to feline. She took a running start, then launched herself upwards. As her feet left the ground, she shifted.[/i]

"Mother moon, infinite....come to me now."

[i]While she started running as a human, she hit the bio android dead on as a cat. In her ears, she could hear the dull roar of rushing wind, and across her body she could feel the movement of her fur, but all she could see was her opponent, bathed in red mist.

It clouded over her eyes as a beserker fit took her over, and she savaged her opponent without discrimination or dissapointment.[/i]

"Kreegahai!"

[i]Her screech shattered eardrums and windows alike as she bared her iron tipped claws and lashed out.[/i][/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Although Rao and the rest of the group jumped in surprise at Senrai's instantaneous transformation, Sata, despite being the one pinned down by the giant were-beast, maintained her poker face, and simply craned her head to the side as Senrai's massive paw smashed into the ground next to her. Using a small energy charge in her legs, Sata pushed off the gorund right out from underneat Senrai, and slid on her back about thirty feet before jumping upright. Senrai rushed forward, and Sata made a quick jump over her. Senrai, however, wasn't about to let that happen, as she stopped almost instantaneously and lunged at Sata while her back was exposed. Sata jumped again and let herself roll off Senrai's back, but the damage had been done. Sata turned her head slightly as she felt three enormous gouges open up in her back. Her suit was torn open, and, amazingly, the scratches did not draw blood, but rather ripped her skin open to reveal mechanical parts underneath. Sata seemed unfazed, however, and began to run as Senrai turned for a third attack. As Senrai lunged forward, Sata sent an energy blast from her hand, suddenly propelling her in the opposite direction, right underneath and behind Senrai. Senrai turned, but not quite as quickly, as Sata had begun running again. Senrai pursued quickly, but as she closed in, Sata dove sideways without warning through the window of a dilapidated building. Senrai stopped to turn around, and followed suit.

The building, an ancient bar, was immediately wrecked by Senrai's rampage, as Sata ducked and rolled, like a small mouse, to get out of her way. Trace and the rest of the group walked over to the broken window to see what was happening, but Rao had a different priority. He loooked closely at the body of the fallen Ban pirate, and searched through his pockets. He looked over the other side, and saw the face of the pirate.
"Rui?...shit." Rao stared into the face of his old comrade, and just then, a flood of memories came rushing back to him.

[i]"So maybe it is a weapon, who knows, but until then, what atre we gonna do?"
"Look dangerous to me, maybe we ought to dismantle them first."
"I'm sure that if whoever built them could, they would have. that's why we found them all in cryo tubes."
"Look, what we're disputing over is a bunch of androids, they can be easily programmed to follow orders, how do you think they would have accepted being shut down in the first place?"
"They wouldn't have, they were just following orders, like any biological weapons."
"If this were that simple, someone would have used them to conquer the universe a long time ago. There has to be some kind of problem, otherwise why would they have been frozen all this time?"
"I'm sure that whatever scientist built them never had the balls to finish what he started."
"He must not have anticipated that his creations could have been so adept as weapons."
"Never you mind with that, what about the first one?"
"Rao has sure taken some interest in the first one."
"He found it, what do you think? You walk into a room and find a girl in a tube who listens to your every command, who wouldn't be interested?"
"Look, maybe we sould leave Rao out of this, if he dares turn on us with that thing we can use the others to rip him to shreds."
"That's if they listen to us."
"They will..."[/i]

Rao came crashing back down to reality as he felt his fingers close around something in Rui's pocket, he pulled out a small data card, and pocketed it. Suddenly, he heard a small click from behind his head, as Trace asked:
"You mind telling me what you're doing?" Rao raised his hands in the air, and smiled, replying as calmly as possible.
"What kind of problem you have with Ban, man? I'm just here investigating the death of an old war buddy, and while your girlfriend is trying to eat my sister, you sneak up on me like this, where's the justice?" Trace picked up Rao by the collar and spun his around, pointing the rifle at his face.
"What are you doing here?"
"i could easily as you the same question, but my sister and I are just innocent passerby, and when we saw this body, we decided to check it out. I even specifically told her not to hurt anyone. You don't seem to want that body very bad, so what's the deal?" Rao grinned slightly as Trace kept the gun trained on Rao's face. In the background, a huge table smashed through another window as the fight continued...

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Trace snorted indignantly at the grin on Rao's face. He always hated negotiations. It was tempting to punch him just for making the 'girlfriend' remark, but that thing fighting Senrai could do serious damage. Bioandroids weren't common, especially not ones trained for unarmed combat. This could mean something big.

He kept the rifle pressed against Rao's head and looked to his ship. It'd better not get damaged. They still had their job to-

Suddenly, a thought struck his mind.

"Colt, you there?" he said quickly.

[i]"Yes, Trace."[/i]

"Pass a hacker line through the android girl. Search her databanks for anything of note." he commanded, keeping Rao held firmly against the wall. Rao's eyes flinched slightly.

"Look, we don't want any trouble..." Rao urged, slightly more forcefully this time.

Trace gave him a cold glare. "You're not making the choices any more, pal. Initiate hacking lock."

Rao's confident smile faded. He grabbed Trace's arm in an effort to loosen the Gauros' grip. Above them, the Midnight Wing began to emit a low whirring noise. A metal ring slid into position and a laser sight beamed onto the ground. The red dot floolwed Sata's movements, trying to keep a decent lock on her position.

"You don't actually think that'll work, do you? She's just-"

"I know what she is!" Trace barked. "Unless you give me a straight answer I'll set my hacking system on her and pull the information out by force."

A piece of concrete flew low over their heads and crashed into the ground nearby, showering them with dust.

"If you're not quick she'll be torn apart by Senrai." Trace yelled over the battle crashes and the Ctarl-Ctarl's ferocious howls.

The laser sight was moving closer to Sata each second, anticipating her movements.

"Your choice."[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]Sata threw up her arm to fend off a blow from Senrai's viciously tipped claws, only to find her jaws lock on it. She shook herself, struggling to free her impeded limb, only to find that Senrai's jaws had indeed locked, and she wouldn't let go until the arm was either disconected or her opponent died.

She summoned up her strength and whipped the Ctarl-ctarl around only to find that the feline went with the movement, arching her body. As soon as her paws touched the ground again, she dug her back claws in and shook her head, shaking her opponent with it. Despite the weight of the bio android, Senrai was able to lift her up over her head, then slam her back into the ground. The concrete shattere beneath both her feet and the impact of the android hitting it. She growled around the limb in her mouth and sunk her claws into the torso.

......meanwhile Trace eyed his opponent and avoided them at all costs. To come between a lock-jawed Ctarl-ctarl was about as safe as painting himself red and throwing his body in front of a charging bull. Only the cat wouldn't be paused by any sort of bullet. [/i][/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

"Look, I don't want to make an enemy of you, this is your last chance." Rao said firmly as Trace kept his eyes on Rao.
"My last chance? You've gotta be kidding me."
"You are unaware of exactly what Sata is capable of...please." Trace snorted and quickly shifted his gaze up towards the Midnight Wing. A small device behind Rao's right ear crackled slightly as a voice came through.
"This is Unit 01, I am sustaining critical damage, please transmit new orders." Trace reached over and pulled a small communications headset from behind Rao's ear.
"Sounds like she's in trouble, what are you gonna tell her?" Trace mocked as he handed Rao back the headset. Rao stared at it for a moment, before putting it back behind his ear.
"Sata..." He began before blurting out the next part.
"Objective acheived! R.D.E.!" Trace punched Rao in the face as he said the last part, and pointed the rifle at his forehead.
"What did you just tell her?!" Trace roared, before Rao could rely, a bright flash came from the building, and Senrai roared loudly.
"She shocked Senrai...somehow!" Lex cried out, before he oculd finish, there was an even brighter flash, and the room exploded, blowing Lex and Kaia backwards. Trace whirled around at this, and Rao capitalized by jumping to his feet and running. Trace whirled and fired a bullet, but Rao had alreaty started his mantra.
[i]"Pagu-a-sun-fa, pagu-a-sun-fa, pagu-a-sun-fa..."[/i] A bright green light shield coated his body and the bullets stopped just before they hit. Rao grinned and kept running. Trace started to follow, but then his communicator crackled to life.
"Trace! The android is escaping, she's going out of range!"
"Damnit!" Trance cursed under his breath, before responding.
"Find the kid!"

Sata ran through the perpetually empty streets, moving faster than usual, due to her new orders. Senrai, efter recovering from the shock, began a hard pursuit, but as she bagan to catch up, Sata turned down an alleyway, and Senrai followed, seeing red. Sata arrived at a dead end, but rather then stopping, kept running towards the wall. Taking a large leap, her feet hit the wall and stuck there, and Sata continued running vertically. Senrai followed suit, but being heavier, was just a little slower at the vertical climb. when Sata reached the top of the building, she threw her blazer off and kept running. Senrai continuing pursuit, When she reached the end, she jumped, and suddently two large energy-based wings appeared with a brilliant flash from her shoulder blades. Pushing her arms hard downwards, Sata took flight, and Senrai stopped as she could no longer follow Sata through the air. She roared with rage, when a voice came to her.
"Follow the other one..." Senrai took one last resentful look towards her escaped prey and leapt off the building, after Rao.

"What did you find, Colt?" Trace asked.
"The kid is not in range either...or his Spell singals must be shielding him from my scanners...but you should abort immediately and come take a look at this."
"What is it?"
"I wasn't able to pull much from the android, as she escaped range soon after the beam locked on, but what I did find is something you should definetely look at."
"All right, be there in a sec." Trace closed the line, and took one last look at the smoking building before walking back in the direction of the port...

Rao raced through the streets of Heifon in a small jet-car he found in a garage off the spaceport area. It was rather fast, but it had little equipment, as he sould not locate Sata. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a bright light soared down from the sky directly at him, but in a flash, it had vanished again. Before he could even consider what just happened, a voice came from beside him.
"Mission accomplished." Rao whirled in surprise as he heard Sata's voice come from the passenger side. Sure enough, there she was, sitting patiently as though nothing had happened. He stared at her shredded clothes, but her skin seemed to have been undamaged.
"I thought you said you were in critical condition!"
"Affirmative, I require an energy recharge, my base level is dropping to below 10%." she looked at him, and he looked in surprise as her eyes had turned a misty purple. He stared at her.
"Where should I take you, then?"
"the Malus Gemellis has such a station to accomodate the process." How convenient, Rao thought bitterly, as he gunned the jets again, heading back to the port. Suddenly, there was a loud bang behind them, and a roar that sounded like...
"I thought you lost her!" Rao yelled as Senrai began chasing the car. Sata seemed unfazed, as she stood up in the seat, since there was no roof.
"What are your orders?"
"Any trick you can use to throw her off is authorized!" Rao yelled back, Sata moved her hands out, and then moved them so that the palms faced each other, A small white beam of light shone from between her hands, as small electric particles jumped between her hands. Once the beam grew larger, Sata clapped her hands together, and one explosive flash later, the Ctarl-Ctarl was howling in pain. Sata sat back down as Rao stared at her in surprise.
"What did you do?!"
"A Spell-based flare, she is now recovering from temporary damage to her retinas." Rao smiled with amazement as he gunned in back towards the port...

"So...what did you find?" Trace asked Colt, who seemed even more urgent and nervous than usual.
"That android...named Sata Jaihera...she is in her mid twenties..."
"You misunderstand, Colt, I came for the urgent information."
"That was it, the infromation is in the name, Sata."
"What?"
"Sata is not a name, it's an abbreviation: S.A.T.A."
"What's it stand for?"
"Something big, that unit is part of an old historical study of bio-androids, when it was considered the newest thing."
"Yeah, but what is it?"
"This type of research was only considered to be a rumour, but this is the evidence that it was real. S.A.T.A. stands for 'Specialized Assault-Tactical Androids.'"
"So...what of these S.A.T.A. units?"
"Since they are nothing but rumours, my best guess is that they were part of a failed weapons exeriment to train bio-androids as soldiers."
"Failed?"
"Yeah, from what I heard, the units seemed to exhibit 'strange tendencies' which made them hazardrous to their owners."
"'Strange tendencies?'"
"I don't know much more than that, but if there are S.A.T.A. units running around, then we could all be in trouble."
"All of us?"
"All of us, even that kid..."

[center]- - -Another day, another enemy.- - -

- - -Need I say more?- - -

-END TRANSMISSION-

-LOGGED AS RJhf0100.txt-[/center]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Trace shook his head, observing the readouts on the tiny communicator screen. Damn Fred for getting him involved in this. He never said anything about Ban Pirates. This was definately going to mean higher pay.

He looked to Lex, who wore a grave expression on his face while trying to support Kaia. Her leg had been injured by the blast and was bleeding fairly heavily. Trace gave her a quick look of concern and then turned back to the comms device.

"We need to find Senrai."[/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Engines humming monotonously, Rao and Sata whirled down the highway to look out at the city skyline, dotted with as many lights as there were stars in the sky. Rao turned to look at Sata, who appeared to be unperturbed, despite the fact that her clothes were badly shredded. Rao thought of that vicious battle, and wondered to himself how Sata managed ot get herself out of it again. Rao couldn't help but grin, his sister was full of surprises.
"Rao," Sata spoke, suddenly suprising Rao since she never talked to him before.
"Yes?"
"I am in need of recharging, as it would appear that the battle has drained most of my energy reserves, please return to the Malus Gemellis so that I may recharge."
"Oh, sure thing." Rao replied, grinding the controls and pulling off a slick U-turn right on the highway. Rao hung his head back and turned on cruise control, letting himself fall back.
"Reverting to safe mode, please stand by for further status." Sata proclaimed, before closing her eyes and going limp almost immediately. Rao stared at her and looked back in the direction of the spaceport facility.
"You know what, I think we ought to work something out with those guys." Rao said to Sata suddently, despite the fact that he was pretty sure she couldn't hear him.
"Well, you know, I hate making enemies like that, so tomorrow morning, you know, to make sure that Ctarl-Ctarl woman doesn't morph again, I'm gonna try and talk to them, and I don't want you to hurt anyone." Rao pulled over to the side of the road, looking at Sata.
"I'll fix you up with some new clothes, so you be a good girl and be nice to those people tomorrow, you hear?" Rao took off his seatbelt and leaned in closer to the sleeping girl.
"And thanks for helping me, I couldn't have done it without you." He gave her a small kiss on the forehead, and she replied,
"It was my pleasure." Rao jumped at the sudden response, and without looking at her again, gunned the engines and took off back to the port.

"Whoa! Check it out, man, these girls are frozen solid!"
"Yeah, and they're cute, too."
"Quit being pervs, you guys, we need to figure out what they are."
"Hey, man, aren't you a little turned on?"
"We're here on a mission, shut up and focus!"
Rao watched the video feed in amazement. The reception was horrible, and he could hardly make anytihng out, just the fact that it was a dark green metal corridor, lined with ominously glowing cryo tubes that contained women, almost acting as a source of lighting. It was freaky, but it was, indeed, the place he had been thinking of.
"So, what do you tihnk these chicks are used for, anyway?"
"Dunno, but someone must have got tired of them, since they're here now."
"Well, they're probably outdated or something."
"We'll leave that to HQ to figure out, so we'll go back and let the search team..."
"Dude, are you meaning to tell me that you're gonna leave these girls here for HQ? Wha'sa matter? Scared?"
"We were just the advance team sent out to check for hostiles, no one else is here, so now we go get the search team to..."
"Hey, man, I thought you were more of a man then that, let's go see how to start these ladies up!"
"Dude, I think he's right, let's..."
"Forget it, you wussies go back and get your search team, I'm gonna have some fun..."
"...This isn't some sort of space harem, man..."
The screen, now saturated with static, faded out. Rao stared amusingly at the screen as reminiscient memories flooded over him, he never remembered being that scared or attentive of orders, things sure change in a year...

"This is Third Eye, we're out looking for our stupid partner who is out trying to get laid..."
"Dude, what do you think these women are for, anyway?"
"Not what he thinks they're for, anyway."
"Yeah, but they've been frozen for some reason, right? Any guesses?"
"How should I know? This isn't supposed to be my job."
"No need to bite my head off, dude, it was just a question."
"Well, maybe they were used for cheap labour...or something."
"Women, man? I'm not sure."
"Ok, maybe he was right, then..."
"Huh?"
"Dudes! Dudes! It's unbelievable! Dragonite, man! And it's all hooked up to this one chick!"
"What?"
"Wow, that is a lot of dragonite."
"Yeah, but why's it here?"
"Who cares, man? This stuff could be worth millions!"
"Hm, well, as I said, the search team should..."
"Screw the search team! I'm cashing in now!"
"You realize what'll happen if you're caught with that stuff?"
"Hey! Whoa! What'd you do?!"
"I dunno! This switch, I thought..."
"We have to go!"
"Hey, whoa!"
"It's another one, and she's moving!"
"AAAHHH!"
"You who have activated me and restored preliminary functions to normal, please state your name so that I may record information for future reference."
"Rao, I think she's hot for you, dude."
"She's an android."
"...Rao Jaihera..."
"Affirmative, Rao Jaihera, please state your next command."
"Hey, man, what's she talking about? Rao?"
"...Rao?..."

[center]- - -I coudln't believe it, but that old datacard did have the video feed from my old mission, it was like walking into that dream world again, seeing so much and never really thinking about what was happening, just that the energy was flowing through the air and you could never let it go.- - -

- - -Now, that world is gone. Rui is dead, and...I don't know where the other guy is...Hell, I've even forgotten his name, how about that? That space station is now property of the Ban Pirates, but I really want to go back, and see what has become of the others, and him too. Yeah, I really would like to see him again, even if he tries to hurt me.- - -

- - -Yeah, first step is to see what those other guys think of this datacard of mine. After all, I don't really think we should have anything against each other, after I return their information, anyway.- - -

- - -Gee, I guess the enemy thing isn't so true after all, at least I hope not.- - -

- - -Oh, well, [i]Nolite bastierdi cabarundum[/i].- - -

-END TRANSMISSION-

-LOGGED AS RJhf0300.txt-[/center]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]OOC: Okay, it's shorter than I intended, but the story explanation's coming up in the next few posts. Just keep it going, please ^_^;
--------------------------------------------------------

"Rui's team has not returned, master."

"Dead. I did not expect this."

"It is a disappointing end, but only a minor setback. The outlaws will not survive long enough to find out anything about our plans."

"Good. See that they are killed immediately, along with Luo. I've had enough of him."

"Yes, Master."

---------------------------------------------------------

The interior of the Midnight Wing was a cold, steely blue. Metal corridors and ladders led into darkened corners of the ship; it was running on auxiliary power for the time being, so there were few lights on.

Since the ship was in an upright position, the remaining members of the group were climbing a ladder to the control deck. A crackly computer screen lit up on the walls every few feet- Colt was watching them.

"I suppose a Gravity Generator would have been too costly an investment."

Trace smiled. "It's been shot out since... well, for a while. If you want to try fixing it you're welcome to try."

"No thanks." Lex scoffed. "I'm not an engineer."

Eventually, they entered a long room that tapered to a point at the end- the Flight Deck. This was the only room that was actually the right way up- a gyroscope system changed the position of the room depending on the gravity of the planet they had landed on. In the centre of the room was a seat surrounded by a gyroscopic steel frame, on which were mounted several display screens.

Lex studied it closely. There didn't seem to be any way of controlling the ship from there. As he made his way up a ladder to another gravity-aligning seat, he watched Trace slot his assault rifle into the base of the control panel in front of him with a resounding 'click'.

A low booming noise rumbled through the ship. The lights flickered on and the control panels burst into life. At the front of the room appeared a small triangular console.

"Welcome back, Trace," a voice called politely. The screen flashed a dark green as it spoke. "Have you been successful in retrieving a crew?"

Trace nodded. "Yeah, but one's still missing. Can you run a DNA match of the area?"

Colt sounded almost hurt. "You know what I'm capable of. I could run ten thousand data searches all at once if you wanted me to."

"Don't get cocky, Colt. I only want one species match- Ctarl Ctarl. Raduis 6 miles."

"Scanning now..."

The computer screen in front of Lex flashed on- details of the search zipped up the monitor faster than he could read. What kind of computer was this?

Suddenly, the results appeared on-screen. 3 Matches found, only one moving.

"We have her?" Trace called.

Lex poked the screen. "Yep. She's heading back towards the Wing at Ctarl-Ctarl running speed."

"Let her in when she arrives." He jumped down from his seat and strode over to the wall. "Colt, send a maintenance drone to the Gravity Generator room. I want to fix as much as possible before we take off."[/COLOR]

[RioLaskand]

As Trace finished his order, a small droid came out of the ceiling, attached to a system of connecting pathways usually used in anti-gravity systems. It gave a tweet of acknowledgement to the two humans, and shot forward, disappearing around a corner.

"Nice ship you got here. Even got your own maitenance crew. Usually when we wanted something done we would just pump lead into the panels," Lex caught Trace's eye as he continued, "It seems that guns have become keys rather than wrenches now," he cracked a smile, and Trace followed suit.

"But seriously, what was that android? I could tell that she was a tactical model, but I have never seen one behave quite like that. Rao was strange too. He seemed almost...affectionate," Lex pulled a crushed bag of cigarettes out of his hidden coat pocket, and pulled a lighter out of his other pocket. He was about to light up when a small laser came out of the wall and cut the burning cigarette in half.

"Wha?!" he stared in half shock, and half amusement.

"Colt doesn't like people fouling up his air. It takes effort for him to clean it. Here," Trace tossed him a pack of antique patches. The insignia was almost gone from the pack, but Lex could barely make out "CQ" on the right side of them, "And as for the android, Colt did a premilinary scan on her, and found her out to be an S.A.T.A,"

"That wasn't just her name?" [i] that sounds familiar...[/i]

"No, and the name is the peculiar part. It stands for Specialized Assault-Tactical Androids,"

"Oh shit..." Lex breathed, recalling a past event, "I have dealt with one before, but I thought they were discontinued because of their sporadic tendencies. My old gang fought against a rival gang who had bought one on the black market. It should have wiped us out, but in the end none of us were hurt. The android went berserk and killed all of their gang. We got off the planet before it could follow us, but it took out an eighth of the population before it ran out of energy. I never thought I would have to see one again,"

"Nice to know you are on top of things, Lex. You know what we need to do then,"

"Yep! I need to go take a shower, find some place where Colt hasn't set up lasers so I can smoke the rest of my pack," he eyed the control deck venomously, "And then I am going to take a long nap," He grinned vivaciously, "But first, we need to take care of her," he motioned to the Hyfon he had been carrying on his back. The load was starting to get to him, and he carefully placed her in one of the nearby seats.

"There is a sick bay down the ladder..." Lex twitched as Trace mentioned the ladders again, "...or there is the same system that the drones use. It may take a bit longer, but I can rig her to hang on her own and you won't have to carry her,"

"My back thanks you. I think I will have your computer give me a once-over as well," he subconsciously moved his hands to his side, squinting a bit.

As soon as Kaia and Lex were hooked up to the system, Trace gave the word, and they awkwardly puttered down the old system.

"Trace, I have word that the Ctarl-Ctarl you wish to return is almost here,"

Trace pressed a button on his seat, and a brandy snifter shot its way through the seat, filled with half an inch. He sipped casually, hearing Lex curse at the computer from far below, and the Ctarl-Ctarl's thundering footsteps approach the Midnight Wing.

[i]Good choices[/i] He commented himself as he leaned back.

[Wondershot]

After such a hectic day, Rao jumped lightly onto the top bunk in the sleeping quarters, and fell asleep almost immediately, clothes on and everything. So out of it was he, that he never even heard the ominous sound of high heels clicking slowly down the metal corridor to the quarters. Sata looked up the side of the bunk and saw her programmer lying there, completely inert. She slowly lifted one hand over his face, and a small signal went off in her mechanical tactile nerves.
[i]Breathing pattern is rythmic...confirmed...target is asleep.[/i]
Lifting har hand over his head, he focused slightly, and tiny electric bolts jumped from the tips of her fingers to Rao's forehead and back, still not disturbing him. Sata checked her sensor again, and replied slowly.
[i]Replay effect...in 5....4....3....2...1...[/i]

Sata shut her eyes and an image flashed through her mind, a long corridor, illuminated by a chilling green light that seemed to only make the room colder, another image, Rao, running down the hall as fast as he could, something seemed to be chasing him down. He stopped suddenly, as what he appeared to be running from was now in front of him, there was a flash of blood as a hand was thrust like a spear right through the person's back, and there was some kind of marking on it. Another image flashed by, this one was saturated with static, as though coming from a bad video feed, and it was close to thr ground, pointing upwards at the ceiling. A voice came through.
"Those markings....Hazanko-dono....no...." The person speaking groaned and gasped for breath, but then the video feed died, and Sata opened her eyes.
[i]Replay file appears to have been corrupted, target has repressed memory, permission to extract more files...[/i]
Rao groaned and Sata's eyes whirled back to him....

Rao jumped up in shock, as he felt like he had just been electrocuted. His eyes darted to the far corridor, but no one was there, he looked over the side of his bunk to the lower bunk, and still no one was there. He gasped and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Realizing he was still wearing all his clothes, he looked over the side again, then took off his large jacket and threw it to the lower bunk. He flopped back down, and, despite the incident, fell asleep again. Sata took the opportunity, and looked out from the shadows of the door where she had been hiding.
[i]Target appears aware of another's presence, permission to abort and store replay files...confirmed.[/i]
Sata turned and walked back to the deck, the sound of her high heels echoing through the halls...

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]"Colt, get me a communication line to Fred Luo. I want a word with him." Trace barked.

[i]"Certainly."[/i]

A few seconds later, a slightly dishevelled-looking Fred appeared on a screen in front of them. He forced his eyes into a more awake-looking position and glared dwn the viewscreen.

"This is Fred Luo, and I don't really apprec- Trace, is that you?"

Trace nodded. "Yeah Fred, it's me. You never told me the Ban Pirates would be involved in this."

Fred scratched his chin. "Well, this is news to me. I know Gene was last heading towards the Arasean system but I fail to see why the Ban Pirates would be so interested..."

Trace folded his arms impatiently. "Perhaps for the same reason the Kei Pirates were after him a few months ago?"

Fred smiled. "My, you are thorough. Yes, it's true that the Kei Pirates were after the Outlaw Star and Melfina. But the information I've been given about recent Ban Pirate activity suggests they're mainly focussing on mercenary work for the Tendo King. I've had to break a few arms to get even that much information on it."

"So you knew they were after Gene?"

"No, I just like to keep in with the competition." Fred yawned, twirling a long strand of his hair around his finger. "It does sound serious, though. You'll still take the job?"

Trace rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm taking it. But I'm getting danger money on top of my fee, alright?"

"Of course. Bye now."

Trace leant back in his chair and gulped down the last of his drink. Ban Pirates. It would make sense that they were after the technology the Kei had wanted, but... this could get serious.

[i]"Trace, would you inspect the damage to the Gravity Generator? The Maintenance Drone is not responding."[/i]

"Damn things are always crashing." Trace cursed, digging his claws into the arm of his seat.

"I thought these things were designed to work constantly without a system failure?" Lex asked idly, squeezing the CQ patch on his arm.

Trace snorted derisively. "Unfortunately, the modifications I made to the combat and search systems of this ship don't comply with a lot of the maintenance command units. I need a real programmer to try and sort it out. I'm more a hacker than anything else."

Lex raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "A hacker? Since when?"

"How do you think I found you in the first place?" the Gauros smiled wryly. "The Space Forces keep lots of interesting data on their systems." He grinned widely at the look of mild surprise on Lex's face, then waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I wiped that station's system clean. As far as they're concerned, I have no criminal record and they can't prove I stole the upgrades to this ship. So, I'm clean, as are your various..." he licked his lips thoughtfully. "...enterprises."

With a confident flick of his tail, he leapt across to the hatch in the floor and slid down the ladder to the lower parts of the ship.

* * *

The lights hadn't been working here since the Generator blew up. He flicked the flashlight onto full power and swept its golden beam over the charred metal plates. Hurriedly connected wires lined the floor, some connections sprung apart or missing their counterpart plugs entirely- this place was a mess.

Up ahead, he could see the maintenance drone. It was rotating slowly on its hinged base, emitting a low humming noise. In front of it was a large, grill-protected cylindrical structure, half of it completely melted away.

He'd been lucky to have the ship still function. The ferocious creaking and splitting of the metal hull still echoed in his ears... but they didn't matter now. With a swift movement of his right leg, he gave the drone a massive kick and set it sprawling across the room.

[i]"Memory checksum invalid- processing fragmented restart."[/i] The drone hissed.

Trace stared at it for a few seconds, watching its various body parts hum back into action and slowly right itself. It crawled back to the control gird it had been working on previously. Sparks flew from the mess of wires and split panels as Trace turned to go back to the upper decks.[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[color=royalblue][i]Senrai whisked her tails with pleasure at the fast pace she could generate out of her battered body. Her fur had already regrown itself and her eyes had also repaired themselves, retinas, rods, and cones all accounted for. She saw the ship and watched in surprise as the door opened for her. She didn't bother to ask why it had done that, but she put on a burst of speed and charged in, the pads of her feet screeching her to a full stop within seconds of her pause.[/i]

"HAHAH!"

[i]Her laugh of triumph sounded in t he air. While headed up the stairs, Trance almost fell over her. She snorted, just about to transition back into her natural form. She laughed at him, a soft chuckling roar sound, and rose up onto her hind legs. Instantly, her fur peeld away and revealed her humanoid form once more. Her hair was in a slight state of dissaray and her clothes appeared to have gone through several meat grinders. She laughed and stripped off her ruined fatigues. That always seemed to happen to her after a good fight.[/i]

"...little help here."

[i]Her captain smiled and threw her an extra jumpsuit, and she pulled it on without question. The doors shut behind her and the ship left the docking bay.[/i]

"You sure took your time."

"I was lost."

"Whatever."

"Either way...I'm here, no?"

"Did you get anything?"

"A good scuffle, training session, some blood?"

[i]She grinned at him insanely, rebraiding her hair all the while.[/i][/color]

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86][b]"The Black Box has been opened."

A cold feeling gripped the room bathed in darkness; by the glass wall stood a huge bulk of a man who grinned upon hearing his subservient's snivelling voice.

"Good. Begin the extraction of the data files and start transporting them to The Machine. The Kei Pirates may have failed in their mission, but the Tempa Empire will not stand alone any longer."

The man ran his clawed fingers along the glass, streaks of ice trailing behind them along its surface. Behind the panel, floating in space was the key to his ascension. The red ship to one side, gutted by Ban Pirate technicians; and the second- a massive half-completed bulk of metal soon to be a ship housing the most devastating power in the universe.

He turned on his heel and strode towards the door, shaking the room with each step.

"Akahito, reactivate Gilliam I and prepare it for integration into the Nemesis. I want it ready as soon as it's finished."

"Yes, Master Goro."[/b][/color]

[Wondershot]

[center]- - -Boy, the way things change around here, it can be scary.- - -

- - -Take today for instance, Sata seemes to be acting strangely lately, almost as if she has sometihng on her mind, which is not really likely. Then again, if she did, it would probably be more likely that she wouldn't want to tell me, since she has something agains bothering her programmers, so something like that.- - -

- - -Sata, just what is on your mind? I really want to know.- - -[/center]

The sun, rising agonizingly slowly over the sleepy Heifon city, brought with it the signs of new life, what was left of the grass shining with the dew in the light, and a low rumbling premeated the idyllic silence of this scene, as, some distance away, a large smoke cloud rose from the Heifon launching pad. The Midnight Wing, parked up on it's side, was emitting a low groaning sound as the engines whirred monotonously, causing a thick cloud of fire and smoke to rise from the ground. A lone Rao, as though waiting, stood his ground, staring at the rising smoke cloud with interest. He was dressed in a bright white coat, as it was rather cold at this sleepy hour. He reached a hand up to his earpiece, and spoke softly into the mic.
"Showtime, No. 1. Are you okay?"
"Affirmative." Sata's expressionless voice replied. "However, I must again reccomend against your attempting this mission on your own, as risk of danger is high."
"Don't worry, as long as they are willing to talk civilly, we'll be fine. You know I'll call if there is any trouble." Rao replied soothingly, Sata did not reply.
"Ok, time for radio silence, you take care, and I'll be back soon."
"Affirmative." Sata replied, Rao pulled the mic out and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He took a look at the rising smoke cloud ahead, and walked slowly, with his hands in his pockets, towards the ship...

"Affirmative, Mr. Akiyoshi, your credit has just been cleared, and you are free to take off at any time." Trace eased himself back into the helm chair, and replied coolly.
"Thank you." The woman on the video screen smiled, and the line was closed. Senrai stepped into the side chair, and folded her arms, keeping her eyes closed. Trace looked at her, but he decided to keep quiet for now. Lex rose from the lower deck and took his place on Trace's other side.
"Kaia looks like she'll be fine, so we can go whenever you want." Trace maintained his poker face, and looked at the control panel in front of him. Pressing a few buttons, the jet stream from the ship intensified, and the ship was in final phase for liftoff. Trace cracked his kuckles quickly, as his hand hovered over the ignition. He paused for a moment to look at the screen, when a warning message flashed up.
"Huh?" Lex said, looking at his control panel, Colt's voice rang through the bridge.
"Trace, there appears to be a civillian near the pad, trying to send us a message, shall I move to camera view and open the line?"
"Yes." Trace replied, wondering what this was about. He wasn't exactly prepared, however, for the camera to zoom out towards the grassy edge of the launch pad, and focus on Rao's face, coat flapping from the powerful wind. Trace's hands clamped onto the chair, and Senrai even opened her eyes slightly to look at the unexpected visitor.
"Hey." Rao's voice floated through the bridge, and Trace roared back.
"What are you doing here!?"
"Why are you in such a hurry, man? It's really early, and it's nice out, you should enjoy a morning like this before you go." Trace stared furiously at the video of Rao, and growled back.
"Who the hell do you think you are..."
"I'm just saying you should relax a little, maybe come down and have some breakfast, and we can talk for a bit." Trace's hands slammed down, making Lex jump slightly.
"Breakfast?!"
"Yeah, you know, enjoy a little something before you leave so soon, my treat, and maybe look at the sunrise, it's really great." Lex seemed unusually mystified, and Trace stared with hatred at the video screen. Breakfast?! Who did this guy think he was, coming up here, asking about breakfast like he was a good friend?!
"Leave here now! I don't want your...breakfast!"
"Aw, but aren't you guys hungry? I'm sure you didn't eat much since yesterday, and I know a great place in town..."
"Shut up!"
"Ok, fine, forget breakfast, but I still want to talk to you." Trace stared at the screen.
"What?"
"I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot the other day, but I'm sure we have lots to talk about...you know, why you were fighting Ban...why I didn't want to fight you..."
"..."
"Come on, at least we ought to talk a little before you go. I don't really want to make an enemy of you so soon, before we get the chance to know each other a little, it's just a damn shame." Trace stared at the screen, now not so sure what to do. He looked to his left, where Lex did not reply, and to his right, Senrai still didn't seem in a very talkative mood.
"Well? It won't take a minute..."

[center]- - -Gee, and to think, If I was still with the Ban, I'd still be busy trying to kill him right now.- - -

- - -As I said before, scary how things change so fast...- - -

- - -Heh, I'm sure even he'd agree to that. - - -

-END TRANSMISSION-

-LOGGED AS RJhf0500.txt-[/center]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=MediumTurquoise][i]Senrai rose to her feet silkily, her recently rebraided hair falling down to her knees, her eyes snapping and sparkling wildly. As she opened her mouth to speak, all members present who looked caught a flash of purple and red in her mouth. Her tone of voice spoke volumes, a smooth humanoid voice mixed with a low dark untertone that was an unmistakeable growl.[/i]

"What's more of a damn shame is that I never got to taste your blood last night. ...."

"Um....well..."

"You being so good at running and hiding and all."

[i]Trace stood swiftly coming between them. The Ctarl Ctarl was looking increasingly insane, or it was his very vivid imagination. Either way it was not difficult to picture her sitting on top of him, her mouth full of his blood and flesh, howling to the moon, writhing in ecsta-[/i]

"Let's just get going."

"As you wish. Captain."[/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

Rao, although somewhat scared, immediately cleared his throat and replied, as cockily as ever.
"Gee, so sorry to dissappoint, but running away happens to be what I do best." Senrai's voice crackled through the line.
"Then you had better start now."
"You wouldn't hurt a civillian, would you?"
Senrai roared at him.
"Don't tempt me!" Rao backed off, looking a bit disappointed.
"Well, I guess I tried...so long." Rao looked up in the sky as he walked away, but noticed a curious sight up in the air, strange dot-shaped clouds hovering in the sky.
"Huh?" A moment later, Rao's telecom started beeping incessantly...

"There appear to be multiple Ban missiles heading down towards the surface from space." Sata's voice traled through the com. "I reccommend immediate evacuation."
"Missiles? How are they doing that? Normal missiles can't last re-entry!" Rao blurted out before realizing, with some horror, that the other com was still on.
"What did you say?" Trace's voice cracled urgently.
"You've gotta get out of there! There are Ban missiles heading.."
"The Ban appear to be using special pods to house the missiles as they enter the atmosphere, Nothing less than a counter-cannon with a range of over eight kilometers will be able to stop them." Sata droned on. Rao turned back to the other com.
"Do you have an AA cannon?"
"No! What is going on?!" Trace roared, more angrily.
"Leave, I said! There are Ban missiles heading this way, I'm serious!"
"This is all your fault! You and that..."
"The Ban pirates appear to be using a mechanism on the surface to calculate the range at which the missiles can fire." Sata interrupted. "If we can destroy or jam the signal of this device, the missiles will become unstable and detonate before they reach the surface.
"You heard her! Help me look for the device!"
"Don't tell me what to..." Rao didn't bother letting him finish, he turned back to Sata.
"Help me find it, Sata."
"It appears to be well guarded, and it cannot be jammed by the Malus Gemellis' signal at this range."
Sata replied. "Your only chance is to move in and demolish it."
"Where?"
"From the spaceship, north-west-north for a few kilometers, just outside the highway. The missiles will reach automatic control range in approximately twenty minutes, so time is of the essence." Without waiting for another word, Rao rushed off in the direction of the highway, when Trace's voice crackled through the line.
"Wait!" Rao didn't stop, but replied.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you doing this?" Rao slowed down a little, and turned back in the direction of the ship.
" 'A friend in need'...Right?" He turned off the com and raced back in the direction of the highway, not waiting for an answer...