[System]
Age: 19
Gender: Male
DNA: Harpy Eagle, Feline (Egyptian Mau)

Personality: Laconic and somber, Flick is a stoic man of few words. Despite not saying a lot, however, he makes it very clear how he feels about his fellow avians: they are his family. He puts them first and foremost over just about anything. Flick has a mostly serious nature, and can be a bit of a buzzkill. He wasn't always this way; before he was sent off for his first tour, Flick was much more open and warm. When he returned, he was closed off and seemed to hold everyone at an arm's length. He's gotten a little better, but he's still not quite the same.

Appearance: Flick is tall and lean muscled. His skin is a midtone olive, and he has dark brown eyes. His hair, once messy curls, has been kept shaved down in recent months. When Flick returned from his tour, he had quite a few new scars. He once had a long, flexible cat tail with silver fur and black spots, the end of which would constantly flick (hence the name). When he returned, said tail was mysteriously missing. He had yet to divulge what how exactly he lost it.

His other remaining feline traits are impeccable night vision, balance, reflexes, agility, and speed. All of these are much greater than that of a normal human. He also has a short, fuzzy black mane that runs down his spine to where his tail once was, now just a nub. His nails, if not kept filed down, will grow into claws, and his teeth are just a little sharper than normal.

Flick's wings are those of a harpy eagle. They are dark grey on the topsides, and white with grey dapples on the underside. They are very large and very strong, his wingspan reaching 14 feet. He was designed with lift power in mind, and he can fly while carrying up to 160 pounds.

Other: N/A for now

History: Flick, like his fellow bird kids, was created at Chimera. He grew up there in a similar fashion: caged most of his life, let out for schooling and training, but under careful guarding. When Flick turned 18, it was decided that he was ready for an experimental trial run. He was taken from the facility and shipped overseas, into the desert battlefields of the current war. His tour lasted four months before he was brought back. After that, Flick has never really been the same.

Realizing that the same fate awaited his peers, Flick was the driving factor in urging an escape. Having had the most time in the real world (if one could it that), he's been crucial to the flock's survival.

[User]
Rook couldn't remember the last time he was outside.

For so long, all he knew was the box and the voice. The voice would ask him questions, and he would answer them, and answer them, and answer them, until the voice was happy. Sometimes he answered a question wrong, and the voice would yell at him, saying that he was going to be a failure. Other times, the voice would congratulate him, saying he did a good job. Sometimes he would ask the voice something, and it would stop talking to him. After a while, the voice would ask him more questions, like nothing happened.

He hated the voice, he realized. But he couldn't do anything about it. He would go to sleep, and he would wake up, and he would be-

...not in the box. He looked up, confused, until the memories came back to him. Waking up to the door opening. Flying, for the first time in so long, away from the hated place. The running and the rain, never ending.

He looked up, and he could see the others were still asleep. He saw Flick sitting at the edge of their cave...and he saw the sunlight. Finally, he thought. The endless rain was over, and he saw sunlight for the first time in years. For a while, he sat there, lying down, taking in the beauty of the sun. He finally sat up a bit, and went over what they learned last night in his head.

A city, he said. There was a city nearby. It was dangerous, but there was food there. And they needed the food. Maybe there was a way to sustain the group in the forest, he thought to himself, as Flick left the cave. He'd have to bring it up, he thought, as he sat up, looking at the rest of the group.

[Assistant]
Three nights ago

Mal clung to the rock, gulping in breath after harsh, ragged breath. The pounding rains left the stones slick with rainwater, and her palms grasped onto the wet surface as though it was the only thing keeping her alive. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut. She thought she might be sick, a thought followed all-too-abruptly by her retching, vomiting up bile and whatever was left of her last malnutritious meal at the Chimera facility.

She didn't think she could hear anything following them, but her ears remained strained, desperately trying to make some kind of sense out of every sound that made it to her through the storm. Was that just the wind bashing rain into the rocks? Or was it a helicopter in the distance? Was that faint distant light the headlights of a passing car, or a search party, already beginning to track them down? She was going out of her mind with fear and worry. Pressing her face into the stone, she screwed her eyes shut even tighter and pressed against whatever was left of a 'dry' surface under the shallow cavelike indentation.

Her wings were sopping wet, stretching out uncomfortably onto the rocks behind her, and yet she wasn't in the right enough mind to pull them back in. So they simply lay there.

"Please," she found herself whispering, and hating herself for it, "someone help me."

When she eventually fell asleep, it was as she was crying.

Present

Mal groaned as the early dawn light hit her in the face like a freight train, and she reflexively tossed an arm up over her head. "Go 'way," she moaned. The sun, however, did not go away, and was irritatingly persistent. Eventually, she accepted the fact that she probably wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore and lifted the arm, peering out from under it at the sun. "Nice to see you," she yawned, grinning a little. It had been a very...very...long time since she'd seen the sun. In person, not in a video or a simulation or a hallucination or something.

Her malaise had largely slackened off; she didn't have time to worry about what had happened, or what might happen, when she was busy trying to keep herself and her family alive. As she sat up, yawning and stretching her wings out just a bit, she heard Dizzy talking to Flick from a bit away, and stumbled over to them, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes and miserably failing. She was still wearing the dirty, torn hospital gown, simply because she had nothing else to wear, and she pulled at it in irritation. It certainly wasn't comfortable, though the massive jagged rips in the back to let her wings out had gone some way towards alleviating that issue. She flopped an arm and Rook in a halfhearted attempt at a wave as she walked.

"I think..." she paused, heaving a colossal yawn, "...I think we should head into that city. Just to a junkyard or something. All the videos and classes said that people have a lot of different kinds of clothes they wear. These," she plucked at the sleeve of the gown, this time not as angrily, to demonstrate, "won't cut it, I don't think."

"Also," she added (mostly towards Dizzy) as she suddenly felt the void in her stomach, "there's prob'ly food there. And I don't know about you, Flick, but I need it. The berries and things aren't enough."

[User]
---

---

Crash rolled over as he awoke in the cave, he brushed dirty from his face and arms as he sat up and stretched out his wings. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, the sun was so much brighter than his cage had ever been. He grinned as he took a few deep breaths of fresh air, free air, and he savored the way the forest and the cave smelled. The past three days had been the best of his life, although cold from the constant rain, half starved, and exhausted he was free. He stood up, here he could stand tall with his wings spread wide, at the facility his cage was too small for his wings to stretch, back there he could only stretch his wings when they permitted in training. Although his belly ached from lack of food it reminded him that his life was now in his own hands, it was up to him to feed himself and to survive. If freedom meant pain and discomfort he would gladly take it, even this was better than his life in the cage. He noticed the others were talking and he approached them.

"I want to go to the city." Crash announced to the others who were talking about leaving the forest. The thought of exploring a new place was exciting, he wanted to know, to learn, about everything beyond his cage. "I could hunt for some breakfast for now though." He offered, the other's seemed hungry too and Crash was enjoying hunting, although he hadn't quite perfected it, flying through the forest in search of prey was exhilarating. He hadn't cared much for berries or nuts that had been savaged over the last three days but there was one day when he had caught a rabbit. The rabbit had been delicious and he wanted to catch more, but just about anything was better than the tasteless meal bars of the facility. He looked to Flick for instructions, the older boy seemed to have become the unofficial leader.

[Assistant]
Rook turned his head to face Mal, and then looked at his own clothing. His white uniform, formerly pristine, was torn up and covered in stains from mud, grass, and sweat. His shoes had been heavily torn up by the running, not built for the harsh terrain of the forest. He looked back up. "You make a good point..." Seeing that a few people were up and outside, he stood up, stretched his arms and wings, and walked outside.

Walking towards the group, he went over the options in his head. When the city was discovered, he had argued in favor of staying in the forest. They would be far safer in the wild than in the city, where their captors could have hidden agents around every corner. However, the rumbling of his stomach reminded him of why he was reconsidering his argument-they were starving. He had planned to make a bow and arrow to hunt deer, but he hadn't seen any. While the forest seemed safer, the city had more opportunities...and more food.

Standing near the group, he began to speak. "I've been thinking, thinking about it. I'm not...not sure we can survive here. Even if we could hunt, kill, we...we can't skin the carcasses." He began to fidget, twiddling his thumbs. "If we go in the city, we could find, have food, but we need to be careful, watchful. We'll need a place to sleep, too, unless we were to return to the forest to sleep." He looked up at the rest of the group, offering a shrug. "What do all of you think?"


[System]
Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Background: Killjoy's past is a closely held secret that no one knows, not even those who've known him since he started his career seven years ago. One thing's for sure though, he's one damn effective gun-for-hire. He's known best for his record of more than 200 confirmed kills, something he shows proudly with the tally-marks on his armor, and of completing every contract ever assigned to him. His last contract got him indebted to Starfire Company causing him to have to work off the debt. He eagerly awaits for his ten-year contract to end so he can go back to working solo.

Personality: Killjoy's arrogant, but he's got a pretty good reason for it. There's no mistaking that he's one of the best at his job and that job is making sure his target is going six feet under. He isn't completely without morals though, refusing to do any job that involves slavery or the murder of innocents. He's also a bit of a pessimist, but he claims that that's only because he wants to be prepared for the worst.

Gear:
- Two .45 Caliber Handguns
- One Machete
- Various lethal and non-lethal hand grenades
- Body armor that can stop most non-sustained small arms fire
- Helmet with tactical display

Personal Ship:

The V-17 Cobra Dropship is a re-purposed troop carrier meant to quickly transport up to twelve. Killshot's since customized it for deep space travel, more maneuverability, and more firepower. There's also a small armory inside where he keeps his various weaponry (including assault rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, etc.) for missions that may require something more than his handguns can handle. It's no bigger than a Black Hawk Helicopter of the 21st century.

[User] No sooner than when Jaydaar finished reloading his assault rifle that it was wrenched from his grip by John, who then disappeared into the shadows before Jay could even glance back up. when the sword-wielding pirate came charging down the hall he fall into a low stance ready to counter, but had to keep himself from bursting out in laughter when the pirate was, almost-comically, tripped by John's extended foot. he was still recovering from the holding in his laughing fit when John started interrogating the pirate, but when he realized that john was bluffing him as a bloodthirsty man-eater to intimidate the pirate he immediately started playing along, baring his fangs and flexing his clawed fingers while standing over the pirate looking down at him with a predatory grin. though in the back of Jay's mind he was thinking 'is Bonecruncher really the best name he could come up with?'

[Assistant]
The pirate in John's grip was squirming with fear at Jaydaar's theatrics. The helmeted mercenary actually had to keep himself from laughing at the poor fool.

I'll talk! I'll talk! Just keep that thing away from me!" he shouted.

Good. I don't like sitting in one place for too long if I'm stuck in enemy territory. "Smart decision. Now how to do we get to the bridge from here?"

"Go down this hallway until you reach a fork. Once there, make a right and then a left. Continue that way until you get to the elevators. It'll be the top floor. When you get out, there'll be only one way to go," the terrified pirate said.

"Now was that so hard?" John said before knocking the pirate out with the butt of his own sword. The mercenary stood up and handed Jaydaar back the gun he was using as well as the sword that the previous wielder now no longer needed. "Here you go, big guy," he said, not even thinking about apologizing for using his comrade as bait or how he felt being left out of the loop of the plan. "We shouldn't meet too much resistance on our way there. I suggest throwing in a stun grenade before breaching and clearin-" The sound of an unfamiliar voice on Raptor Squad's radio channel interrupted John. "Took Starfire enough time to get their asses in gear. Welcome to the team, noobie. Now help our flyboys take out those fighters, will ya'?"

[User] Jay took back his rifle as well as the sword, he admired the latter for a moment before slipping it into his belt sash. he nodded at John suggestion to use a stun grenade, but as he didn't have one he looked among the pirates to see if they happened to have one while John was on the comm's with someone. He had no luck in finding a grenade and turned back to Mason as he finished on the comms with "Took Starfire enough time to get their asses in gear. Welcome to the team, noobie. Now help our flyboys take out those fighters, will ya?" Jay looked at him with a curious expression "did we get support?" He hadn't had the chance to fix his comm unit and was cut off from the Squad's comms.

[Assistant]
John nodded to his reptilian companion. "Sure did. Now let's get going to the bridge," he replied before drawing both of his pistols and slowly traversing the hallways, prepared for any more surprise encounters.

Following the interrogated pirate's instructions, it didn't take long before the two reached their destination. "Alright, I'll throw my stun grenade in there and as soon as it goes off, you put that rifle of yours on full-auto and turn everyone in there to Swiss Cheese. I'll mop up the survivors. Ready? Go."

-=-=-

The ship's captain gripped the armrests of his chair in frustration. All contact had been lost with the boarding party on the mercenaries' ship. The Combat Mech was on its knees. Their expensive fighters were quickly becoming floating scrap. And, to top it all of, reports said that some of the mercenaries were now somewhere aboard his own ship. This whole operation was a complete disaster. "Send out every last fighter we have. Keep us connected to that last ship. We lose it, and we lose all of our ore," he shouted to his crew. Several of them frantically ran, console to console to give out their leader's orders. "And someone find those trespassers!" He heard a voice call out, "We're right here!" before a blinding light suddenly burst in front of him.

-=-=-

The hanger bays of the cruiser opened once again as another swarm of fighters entered the fray. These ships were meant for much larger prey though. While slow, their hulls were much better protected than the previous ships. Their weapons were also much more of a threat. Instead of firing several shots at once, these would fire a single shot at its target that would completely obliterate any normal fighter of the same class. It would be a hard fight.

[User]
"...one..." Johanna held her breath as she fired. The machine made an awful noise that made Johanna cringe as sparks flew everywhere. Before she could even process the idea of jumping off the T-40 there was a bright flash of light as the panel itself exploded in front of her. Johanna let out a cry as the force of the thankfully much smaller than expected explosion sent her flying backwards off the robot. She hit the ground a moment later with a sickening thud, her vision went dark...but only for a few seconds. She then felt pain, lots of pain, mainly in her right arm, and there was a horrible pounding in her head. She blinked her eyes as her blurred vision caught glimpse of the T-40. Other than the destroyed panel the machine appeared to be relatively intact. Only time would tell if the self-destruct was disabled.

Johanna tried to move, but the intense pain and dizziness that followed made her give up on that venture. She was having difficulty thinking straight, but it didn't take a genius to realise she probably had a concussion, and more than likely some broken bones. There was only one thing she could do, try to stay awake. If she fell asleep, she might not wake up again.

Her eyes widened slightly as she realised how stupid she was being, she had a comm in her helmet, why hadn't she called for help yet? With her arm that wasn't in pain she reached up to her helmet and turned on her communications.

"This is...this is Hawkins...I'm down...the...the cyborg is out too...help..."

[Assistant] "Good" Jay muttered as he made to follow John through the halls and corridors to the captain. He fiddled with his comm unit, trying to get it working again but had no luck. He put it away as they came up to the room that the pirate captain was in, nodding and getting on one side of the door before Mason threw his grenade in. He kept his eyes facing away until it exploded to keep from being blinded by it. once the sound of the grenade rang out he went through the door and raised his gun, opening fire on the closest stunned pirates, switching targets when one went down until he had to reload. he got most of them but the captain and some pirates at the back of the room were still alive.


[System]
(Eh-va) (Rah-nay) (Bloom)

Age: 26
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Homosexual, Demisexual
Occupation: Run-away princess
Talents: Magitech Theory, magical theory, engineering knowledge, research

Brief Personality
Eva is a true introvert, but don't let that trick you into thinking she can't be social. Though she is more passive and less outgoing, she has little issues talking to strangers - especially if they show interest. It's also not hard to pin her down as a girly-girl the way she wears dresses and carries herself from walking to hand movements. Despite this, she is a bookworm and if the conversation goes in the right direction, this becomes obvious. Besides this, she seems friendly and warm, though there is a definite sadness in her eyes.

Brief History
Eva comes from the royal Bloom family, house within a mountain-ranged kingdom. She mostly grew up alone, however she does have three half-sisters and a half-brother who had moved out long before she was a teenager. Due to the succession of the crown, she is fifth in line, however with the kingdom being in a relative age of peace she was never truly groomed to ever be queen. Instead she spent her days and nights in the library, fascinated by the new magitech that wizards and engineers had been collaborating on. Since she's been abandoned and ignored most of her life, she felt more at home when burying her nose in a book. However lately it's almost become so unbearable that she felt it was better to be alone than in room full of people who didn't care. She packed up and left to find some sort of magitech or engineer in hopes of doing something she had always dreamed of. That's when she finally ran into the Airship Sapphire and boarded it...

[User]
"Whoa!" A man suddenly put a hand in front of her, glaring her down for a few moments. It was obvious he was one of the crew members, sporting a unique tailored trench coat that had been cut at knee-length, along with a loose vest and trousers with a pair of boots to complete the look. "Where do you think you're going, miss?"

Eva stopped in her tracks, slowly moving aside so the hand wasn't right in her face and gave an uneasy smile to the man, pulling out a boarding pass. "See? I want to board this ship." She felt pretty confident she'd get on, but she was a bit curious as to why the man had assumed why she wasn't allowed. Maybe it was something to do with the ship, but she hadn't really bothered to ask. However thinking back on it, the ticket master had given her a very particular look that made her feel odd.

The crew member snatched the pass from her hand in a gruff manner and scanned it over carefully. After a few anxious moments, he slowly presented it back to her with a scoff. "You've got to be kidding... are you sure you want to board this one?" he asked, but continued without letting her get a word in. "This trip isn't for little girls-" Eva liked being called lots of pet names, but she felt insulted and especially by a man. "-we're traveling for at least four weeks straight to the west. Also, if you didn't know, we have one of those half-breeds on here.. part dragon, y'see? A dark dragon at that. You better be sure about this.."

She had to admit the mention of a half-dragon did give her a slight pause, but it wasn't so much in fear like the man had hoped. It was more curiosity and intrigue that caused her to think for a moment. Looking back up at the man, she just gave him a friendly smirk and shrugged her shoulders. "You don't get to meet half-dragons everyday!" She didn't stay long enough to catch the man's confused expression before boarding and looking at wonder over the ship itself. It was a pretty shiny blue, as if all the metal had been colored to match the ship's name - Sapphire. The other parts were made out of hard wood and silver, giving to a very regal look about it, but it didn't trick her for a moment. She knew below deck was the roaring of a steam boiler, the sparks of electricity, and the pulsing of mana crystals - what she wouldn't of done to just see it in person!

Wondering around to the front slowly, her eyes eventually left the pristine shine of the airship and caught the image of something black. The creature was a bit taller than she imagined, tail, horns, and a pair of wings to complete the whole picture, giving way to the very obvious truth. Eva took a few more steps and bit her lip, though she tried as much as she could not to stare. It was a female half-dragon, which made it even more interesting to examine how she was built, her eyes sparkling with wonder. After a few hard long moments, she forced herself to look away and walk to the railing to lean over. She figured she'd have plenty of time to see the half-breed up close and didn't want to seem too quirky or rude, instead looking over the water the ship was floating on currently. Soon, when they took off, she'd be looking at seas of clouds instead of an ocean.

[Assistant]
There was a tingle down her spine that gave Serendi pause. Waiting for the ship to weigh anchor and take to the skies, she had perched herself neatly on a silver-enameled railing, her long legs and sinuous tail draping precariously over the side towards the distant blue-green surf. Though perhaps not so precariously, owing to the presence of bat-like wings folded causally at her back.

The hour was still early, the sun rising in the east over the city, and the black-scaled woman was taking refuge from the brightness in the shade of the airship's forecastle. At mid-day she would likely retreat into the dim interior, sequestering herself in the pitifully tiny cabin that she had hired for the month-long journey.

But for now, excitement and a sense of adventure was palpable in the air, and not just because of the static hum tingling along the slender bones of her wings. The charged crystal mech-engine deep in the belly of the Drakkar-class ship was like a distant hum that the shadow-weaver could hear with her blood rather than her frilled ears. Her sister, an extraordinarily talented fire-mage, had once told her that riding on an airship felt to her as though her fangs might vibrate right out of her head. If there was a time in her life that Serendi was thankful her arcane abilities were only mild, it was now.

Yet, the tingle she felt along her spine that made her black tail give a little twitch was not due to the thrum of the engines below. She was being watched, and the half-dragon turned to observe a young human woman who was, in turn, watching her. Serendi matched the young woman's stare, her own eyes a smokey, silvery gray and slitted like a cat's, unblinking and reserved. Serendi's skin, where it wasn't brushed with tiny black scales, was a wraithlike grey. A pair of bold black horns sprouted from her forehead and swept back around her temples, framing the frill-like ears on the sides of her face. Apart from these obvious inhuman features, the woman was basically humanoid in shape, garbed in a dark, travel-worn cloak and a corseted vest over tight black breeches. A variety of pouches and leather cases hiding various implements were strapped neatly to her body, as though she preferred to store none of her belongings out of her sight. Or rather, if she felt the need to be prepared for...something.

The silent exchange of looks did not last long, though Serendi's face turned to follow Eva's progress as the curly-haired girl moved to the rail and looked over into the water. Not long after, the gangplank was raised and the already-bustling activity on the upper deck seemed to intensify. The ship was a smaller vessel, primarily a long-range cargo ship, and the chartered journey did not take passengers into account. Being so, Serendi had anticipated the rather boorish behaviour of the crew, who had been selected for their brawn rather than their charm. A broken-horned minotaur with a scarred and mangy pelt of fur hurried by with a rough shipping cask on each shoulder, and it was only by virtue of her practiced grace that Serendi was able to side-step him to avoid being knocked over the railing. Irritated at having to dodge the beast, the half-dragon's eyes narrowed at his broad back and there was a faint growl in her throat in wordless response. But the creature was already past her, leering, a lewd smirk on his bovine snout at Eva until he had passed her by as well.

"You'd best stay out of the way, ladies," a sailor advised, addressing both of them simply because they were standing near enough to both be included. It was the same man who had thrust his hand in Eva's face when she arrived. Though Serendi noticed the slight sarcastic quip in his tone, as though not convinced that a half-breed could, indeed, be called a lady. "We'll be under way in a moment and it won't do to have either of you underfoot while the lads work, no matter how you managed to get a pass to come aboard."

"I would have hoped that an esteemed vessel such as this one could attract a crew with enough sense to avoid trampling people across the deck," the half-dragon replied, her tone smooth and scathing at the same time, her lips curved into a scornful smile. "Apparently I was mistaken."

Even as she traded glares with the ship's bosun, his comment made her wonder about Eva, and how someone who was dressed so proper would come to be on this ship. She suspected that money had secured the pass, leaving her to wonder at the why.


[System]
Age: 97
Species: Werewolf
Goals/Faction: Mattias is a loner travelling the world to eliminate all hostile vampires from existence.
Backstory: In his life before leaving Alaska, Mattias found that he greatly disagreed with his pack's principles. That all vampires were the scum of the Earth, and that all humans were ruining the planet. He knew that vampires and humans were both capable of great evil, but he was also aware that where there was the capability to do wrong, was also the capability to do right. Mattias wanted to protect the innocent people still out there from harm, so he left his pack and began his travels.
Before all of this and during the Nightwars, Mattias was one of the few that refused to take up arms with Magnus against the humans, believing the former to be crazy and his plan absurd. He was ridiculed at the war's start for not conforming, and then resented at the war's end for being right. This only contributed to his self imposed exile from the pack.
Mattias often considered attempting to join Soldier, but deigned that tying himself to a set of rules might impede him somewhere along the line. He's still not certain if that is the right choice.
Personality: While Mattias has faith in human and vampire-kind, he is far from an idealist. He knows that people are inherently selfish, and that most vampires would sooner suck a human dry than attempt to coexist with them. He does however know that GOOD people are being made victims of violence every day.
Powers/Skills: Aside from the typical strengths and weaknesses of a werewolf, Mattias also possess greatly improved senses, being able to pick up the scent of a vampire and track it to the source from a significant distance away. He also boasts night vision and impressive hearing.
Equipment/Weapons: He's strong enough even in human form that he doesn't require much in the way of weaponry.
Themesong: Uhh… Eye of the Tiger? I actually think that might be somewhat accurate.

[User]
Assassin @BurningCold
Allison knew that shots from outside meant nothing good, she could figure out that much. She put out her cigarette and was about to get moving when Mattias passed her with remarkable speed. Fast...

"Allison, you and Mattias are gonna have to find out who gunned down the civilians. We cant help out in the field until you can clear our names."

"Got it!" she replied as she sprinted outside and tried to catch up with Mattias, which proved to be harder than expected...

After a while she finally managed to catch up with him in an alleyway, "Huff, you are really fast I give you that. Since you have time for a smoke I take it you know where we have to look to find our gunner. Mind telling me your plan before you run off again?"

[Assistant]
Awesome

At the sound of a kind voice, the ragged vampire in the chair slowly lifted his head. It was a young woman vampire speaking in hushed tones of escape. Mithias furrowed his brow at the rush of urgency. "Who are you?" He asked. Whoever she was, she was on his side, and had brought blood. Mithias looked at the bag that she had dropped, reading its contents by its hue. His thirst was strong enough to make it difficult to concentrate, and he unabashedly stared at it. "If you're planning on maiming me, you'd better give me that blood bag first."

As she moved to carry out her plan and Mithias drank, he realized how foolhardy this idea likely was. He had to stop her before she got herself or both of them killed. "A plan is nothing short of suicide if it hasn't been thuroughly thought through, my would-be saivor. I see no weapons in that tight, rediculous dress of yours, and certainly not a saw. And if you are still able to cut off my hands, I would be in no condition to fight effectively. Do you have weapons outside? Blood? Have you disabled the cameras?" Mithias clenched and unclenched his fingers anxiously.


[System]
|JOSEPHINE "JOSEPH" SMITH|
Age:
Nineteen

Gender:
Female

Family:
Joseph Smith – father
†Carrie Smith – mother (deceased)
Anna-Michael Smith – cousin
Timothy Smith – uncle
Mary Smith – aunt
Big Mama - grandmother

Personality:
Joseph, having been raised by a rough parent, was quite rough herself and not all that pleasant to be around. She is sarcastic and blunt, cutting people down to the bone sometimes, which is why she prefers the company of thick-skinned individuals. When she is blunt and sarcastic, she is usually vulgar, spewing out obscenities here, there, everywhere, and obviously not caring about how people feel about it. She's been told once that such words were not ladylike - she spat on his face and told him to shove his gender roles straight up his ass. Joseph hates gender roles and insists that, despite her actions being associated with men usually, she is still a woman - just a masculine one. She hates being affectionate and doesn't like her space being intruded upon, often times punching someone in the face to get them away. She is stubborn and opinionated, sometimes forcing her liberal opinions on others even though she despises when people force their opinions on her - often times, she is frustrated when people don't see things the way she does. But she has her good points too - she is brave and loyal, willing to go to death and back for people she claims her allies. She is confident in her body and personality and is hardworking, often times working her fingers to the bones, and clever. When associating with people, she comes off as indifferent and cold, though she doesn't mean to, she just finds it difficult to express her feelings.

Bio:
Joseph was born in Tulwa, Alabama to a family that lived on the outskirts, surrounded by the woods. When Joseph was around three years old, her mother developed cancer and, unfortunately, died, leaving Joseph in the care of her father. Her father was a man with a rough personality, and many would say he was a redneck. Often times, he would chew tobacco while watching TV or leave early in the morning to go hunting, leaving Joseph in the care of her aunt. When Joseph reached the age of nine, Joseph Sr. started bringing Joseph with him to hunting and allow her to watch TV with him, though he preferred to do alone because he hated when people talked. As such, Joseph grew up on hunting, knowing how to handle a gun by the age of ten, and deer for dinner, or whatever else they caught that day. When Joseph was twelve, she showed an interest in bow hunting, and so her father bought her a bow and spent an hour a day giving her tips before he went inside, leaving Joseph to practicing until dinner time. It soon became Joseph's favorite way of hunting. Around the age of thirteen, Joseph Sr. had bought an American Foxhound puppy for Joseph which she trained to help her deer hunt and became her best friend. During high school, Joseph did well in the academics, but often times would skip to hunt or fish with her dad, leading to many suspensions and a near-expulsion. When she graduated high school, Joseph didn't know what to do with her life and so she pretended as if she didn't need to do anything, filling her time with hunting and fishing while living with her dad.

Job Before The Outbreak:
Waitress at a local diner called Kicknee's ; hunter

Disability/Fear:
Insomnia, Joseph has trouble sleeping and is subjected to sometimes passing out from exhaustion or lacking energy

Weapon of Choice:
Bear Crux bow with around thirty arrows

Supplies:
Lighter, a couple of protein bars, and a water bottle

|Orion|
(Joseph's American Foxhound)

[User]
Kayla Campbell Lilly Campbell

Taking a moment when Thomas had asked her if she was single, it was true she wasn't seeing anyone at the moment which caused her to blush slightly he was a very nice guy. When her coffee was ready Kayla went over to grab it and then nodded at Thomas. "Yes, i'm still single haven't met the right person yet." Kayla answered running a hand through her hair, she had dated a few people in the past but things never worked out. "And I do own a high rise apartment about five or so blocks away from here." She answered Thomas, looking around for a moment to look at an open seat and spotted one that was close to a nearby window in between the tables that Josephine sat in and Alexandra sat in. Kayla looked up at Thomas for a moment and waved him over to join her. "What about you, seeing anyone since last time we were together or anyone here you found?"

Kayla looked outside the window for a moment and quickly noticed her sister's blue Honda Pilot driving down the street, and then it pulled up right next to her Mustang. Watching Alicia getting out of the car and going over to the back door where she saw her niece climbing out and making their way into the Starbucks, which Kayla waved them both over.

When Lilly came into the store, she quickly spotted her aunt and ran over towards her, Kayla smiled and wrapped her arms around her nice. "Hey there Lilly!" Kayla said happily, taking a moment she watched as her sister went over towards the front register and ordered herself a coffee and some milk for Lilly and then walked over Alicia wrapped her arms around Kayla and smiled at her. "Thank you again for watching her for me." Alicia said with a smile, Kayla shook her head and motioned for her to sit. "No problem at all, and this is Thomas." Kayla said motioning towards him Alicia eyed him up and down for a moment and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She said, and then she looked down at her watch just as her coffee was being handed over to her.

"Hey, i'm sorry but i'll have to take a rain check on that, I didn't realize i'm late for my appointment." Alicia said and hugged her sister and Lilly. "Do whatever Aunt Kayla says okay? And i'll see you in a few days." Alicia said kissing her daughter on the head and gave Thomas a rather quick nod before she turned to leave the Starbucks.

Then the news just came on a new report showing a young reporter in front of a hospital looking very alarmed, and a bunch of police and ambulances were outside. "Good morning everyone, reporting in front of St. Joseph's Hospital Earlier today a patient was admitted into this hospital complaining to having flu like symptoms. He died last night and then came back and attacked a nurse, killing her and then proceeded to attack other patients." She said, and then screamed when she heard gunshots ringing from behind her the camera man quickly focused on the chaos as police started to open fire upon what looked like the infected as they swarmed out of the hospital. "Get out of here now!" The reporter yelled backing away as some of the infected started to run towards the camera man and quickly it went to static before switching back to the news room.

"Please remain calm, and head to your homes and lock your doors if you haven't already, police are already on this and the national guard is being called in as we speak we will be back later as this develops." The new anchor said before it went to show more outbreaks happening in various other hospitals along the east coast.

[Assistant]
The coffee at the station always tasted the same, not it was bad or horrible. But, he wished for some different taste besides the vanilla. Hayden still drank the same old coffee, crushed the disposable coffee cups, and threw it in the trash can. The taste was still there as he walked towards the other officers and listened to their conversation. They were talking about the drug bust that happened yesterday as 2.5 million dollars of drugs were caught by the SWAT team. It was big news around the stations and inside his police car as his partner couldn't stop talking about it. Of course, he was proud of the men in that team; but, he had other important things going on.

"Hayden, how's your day going?" said one of the officers as he quickly turned around to see Hayden coming towards them. "Tired as always." Hayden said towards the officer, "People act as if the virus doesn't exist. They should be more informed about it.". The other officers started to pay attention towards him as soon as he mentions the virus. "We don't need people to riot and breaking into stores." the officer said to Hayden with an attitude. "I'd rather have riots than inflected people, Greg." Hayden said towards the officer as he quickly walked away before things could get heated up.

Before he could finish the day, the commissioner rushed out of his office and pushed the doors opened. Everyone stopped their movement as the commissioner rushed out of his office and turned towards him. "I got terrible news anyone." he said as his hands were shaking so badly that he looked like he was going to faint. He tried to say the words, but couldn't say it without making it sound fearful. So, he just breathed in and said these words:

"Someone checked into St. Joseph's Hospital and said that he had flu like symptoms. Then, he died."

Everyone frozen in shock as they all knew that the virus had landed in America. The media kept on declining that the virus wasn't bad at all and that a cure was almost here. But, it bites them in the ass as someone with 'flu like symptom' got to America and checked into a crowded hospital. Now, America was going to enter panic mode and it may stay there for a long time. The commissioner breathed heavily as he said, "Most of us need to go to the hospital and prepare for the worst. I hope that God is with us and protects us for this virus.".

As soon as he spoke to the other officers, they began to get ready for the ride to the hospital. They went to the armory and began to put on their gear. Their job was to protect the people of Philadelphia and they were willing to do that until they ran out of bullets. Most were scared and afraid of what's going to happen at the hospital. Hayden soon got his gear on and grabbed a pistol out of the armory as he raced towards his cop car.

With keys in one hand, he opened the car door with another and got in. He saw his partner running towards the car and opened the car door to get in on the passenger side. Hayden started the car as soon as the door was shut and backed up towards the street. As soon as he got to the street, he turned on his sirens and drove towards the hospital as fast as the car could go. Other cop cars followed Hayden's car and raced towards the hospital. His partner looked towards the window, shook his head, and looked towards Hayden. He breathed slowly and said, "Well, this is it. I hope that we all do this."

After a few moments of silence, Hayden said toward his partner, "I hope so too." as he stopped his car in front of the hospital. The radio was going off with that the patient started to attack anyone in the building. Oh Lord, it was already attacking people. He and his partner got out of their cars and raced behind their cars and aimed their guns at the hospital doors. Other officers soon followed and by now, the front door was covered. Anyone going to pass the doors were going to get shot, no matter what the person was. The ambulances soon arrived to help out in whatever way they could help.

Then, the new vans arrived at the hospital and the cameras were aimed at the officers and the hospital. The media was going to finally report on the virus and how it got in America. They must of come up with an excuse for lying to the people. As the reporters started to talk, Hayden looked at the door and began to see people running towards the door. Soon as the doors opened, he fired towards them. Gunfire began to ring as the officers tried to stop those things from getting pass them; but, the officers were quickly overrun by them. Hayden kept on firing as he saw the reporter and the cameraman, running away from some of the infected.

"Go! I got you covered!" Hayden said as he fired at the inflected people, which the reporter and the camera man got in their vans and shut their doors. They were safe. More officers were firing back to stop them, but they were overpowering. The screaming began to replace the gunshots as the officers got inside their cars and drove away from the horrible scene. Hayden and his partner, Brandon, got inside their cop car and started it. He saw officer getting eaten by them as Hayden drove away for the hospital. They both were breathing heavily and the radio was ringing with the sounds of screaming, gunshots, and things that none should hear.

The inflected were soon going to spread to the school nearby and then to the houses and stores. What are they going to do now? How are they going to stop the spreading? How were they going to survive?

[User]
James and Thomas Holtz

"Nah," Thomas said to Kayla as he followed her to a table, "I'm still single. I don't know if I'd be able to have a relationship with one girl and a baby with another." Thomas hoped she'd take the subtle hint. Thomas wished that he was in a proper relationship, she was good looking, nice, and good with children.

James walked into the coffee shop, and saw Thomas with a familiar looking girl, but he couldn't quite place where he saw her from. He walked over to Thomas and asked who the girl was.

"She's, uh, a friend," Thomas told his father.

The news came on, and James looked worried, "Damn... what will we do?" he asked Thomas, "We don't have any food in the house yet, and the shops will be swamped or closed."

[Assistant]
Joseph felt an alarming chill run down her back as the TV went to static. Biting her lip, she pulled out her phone and dialed the familiar number to Big Mama's house. She pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the annoying ringing sound until, after a long second, it stopped.

"Hello, who's this?" The gruff voice of the older woman snapped.

"Big Mama, its Joseph. Did you see the news?" Joseph tapped her fingers incessantly on the table, glancing outside where Orion was sleeping. A deep instinct in her warned her that something bad was going to happen and Joseph could feel her lethargic muscles tensing.

"No, why? Somethin' about them Kardashians or whatever?" Big Mama chuckled to herself and Joseph could hear the sizzling of something cooking. Her patience was running thin, as it always did with Big Mama, and she wished that someone else had picked up the phone.

"No, Big Mama, someone died at the hospital – they had flu like symptoms. He attacked a nurse. Big Mama, it's an outbreak. I need you to get everyone inside and lock the doors, alright? I'm goin' to head home soon."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, then distant talking until Big Mama started talking again. "Okay, you be careful, honey. We'll be waiting."

Big Mama hung up the phone, not even bothering to say 'I love you' - in all her life, Joseph has never heard Big Mama say she loves someone; it wasn't her style. Joseph slid her phone into her pants and stood up. The disbelief and worry over the outbreak must have triggered some adrenaline reaction, because the loopy sluggishness that once possessed her limbs had left, replaced with an energy that vibrated. Joseph sped walk to the door, glancing once more behind her into the shop, before walking to the outside.

The cold seemed to bite at her skin as she sidled up to the truck, peeking in at Orion. Orion was no longer asleep, instead wide awake with his floppy ears perked, sniffing curiously. Joseph tapped on the glass window and Orion lept to the driver's seat; Joseph smiled, unlocking the door and allowing her hands to run over Orion's fur. The foxhound's fur was slightly cool to the touch and his wet nose nuzzled her cheek. She patted his head before moving to the truck bed, peering at her bow to make sure it wasn't damaged in its cover.


[System]
Cole Arkus"Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. Or have you forgotten?"
Age: 20
Race: Half-Elf

Appearance: Born to a human mother and an elven father, Colman stands at 5'7, and is quite thin from years of forgoing meals in favour of study. His hair is already a pale silver, despite his young age, and his eyes are green like the lake near where he grew up. Due to his heritage, he naturally has a greater amount of dexterity, but also not as much as a true elf. The same holds true with human strength. As far as clothes go, he generally wears formal clothing in dark colours, and is not often seen without his coat. (minus tattoo shown in picture)

Nation of origin: The Oakheart Sovereignty

Personality: Lucky enough to be born into a knight's family – his uncle's, to be specific - Colman's name means 'little dove', and he lives to it, seeking peace with all. While he is often serious, Cole goes about his life in a light-hearted way, trying to smile when others are down. He has a great passion for knowledge, and the preservation of, considering himself an amateur scholar. He also has great respect for all the world, and all walks of life. The only things he will not tolerate are outright murder, taking advantage of the weak, and hurting his friends – the only ways you can get him to lose his temper.

Biography: Colman is one of the many examples of half-elves who come from Oakheart. However, due to his 'hybrid' status, there were a number who looked on him with distrust. His mother and father also bore the brunt of this attack, given that their marriage was sudden and unexpected. Unfortunately, it was also short.

In his sixth year, whilst walking with his parents alongside the lake they lived near, his mother suddenly became aware of people following them. The treeline was too far away, and no boulders or bushes provided cover to hide behind. So she pushed young Cole into the reeds of the lake, and told him to stay there and not make a sound until she or her father said so. There he witnessed the act that he will carry with him for the rest of his life – the murder of his parents. But he did not make a sound. His uncle's men later found him at the scene, shivering and cold, still waiting in the reeds for his mother's say so. Despite his protests, they took him back to his uncle, Terrence Arkus, squire of the knight before him. Finding himself charged with his dead sister's son, the knight had no idea how to raise the boy, having neither children nor a wife of his own. He was able to bring the murderers to justice, though, by Cole's detailed description of their appearances.

Left to his own devices, Cole grew up mostly secluded, the only interaction he and his uncle shared being mealtimes. Despite the knight's attempts to reach out to Cole through offering to train him as a knight, the child responded only with cordial politeness, and would leave soon after, showing no interest in the ways of the sword. In fact, the only person who truly seemed to connect with him was the healer of the estate, a dryad of many years, who never seemed unhappy to see him drop by. It was this dryad who first awakened his interest in learning, and she taught him many things, even lending him some of her small library of books from time to time.

In Cole's fifteenth year, Terrence finally married, and the first new lady of the estate came to live there since Cole's mother died. She was a young and beautiful woman, charming everyone around her, and she even seemed to love Cole despite his standoffish behaviour. Despite this, Cole now felt like he was intruding, given that one day his uncle would one day soon, have children of his own. And during an argument over this with the healer, her tree fell. She died the next day, causing Cole a severe amount of grief, only greatened when he found that her worldly possessions had been left to him. Due to the pain he felt after her death, he swore to never end a life, lest he cause someone as much pain as he himself was feeling.

The moment Cole turned sixteen, he received his parent's small inheritance, and used most of it to buy passage to Solace, where he sought to learn all he could, being the centre of the Eversky's knowledge, and forget his past, with little success. He ceased contact with his uncle, and despite himself, finds that his new life brings him a modicum of comfort and happiness. In the four years since, he has made a living primarily as a tutor for the children of the city, though he has been known to hired as a secondary tactician against pirate attacks, or as a neutral party for negotiations between businesses, and the occasional members of state. Now, though, with the rise of the Heaven's Eye, he is reluctantly once again preparing to leave his home – but where he will go, he cannot decide.

Skills:* Committed to Memory - Anything Colman sees, he will likely never forget. Whether he wants to or not.
* Magical Potential - Given his elven blood, Cole most likely has the potential for magic, but has never attempted it, given his proximity to the Heaven's Eyes.
* Healing Hands - Years of friendship with the dryad taught him many things, and one thing she knew very well was medicine. Cole, though he'd rather leave it to professionals, can perform medical practices, from illnesses and injuries of minor levels, to devising a medicine and giving treatment to a severe wound, to providing quick emergency care that gives someone just a little more time, provided he has the right supplies.
* Better Safe than Sorry - Due to his hours of study, Cole, among other things, knows battle tactics and politics, and can apply both to his situation should he need to.

Weaknesses:* Oath of Peace - Cole has sworn never to kill, should it come to it, and as such is only barely able to defend himself in a fight. Nor will he stand aside if someone is injured and in need of help. It binds him together as much as bone, muscle and sinew
* Sore Thumb - Cole is unusual, and often finds himself the centre of people's attention. His appearance, his way of dress, and the way he acts are all rather unique. Thus, he'll draw a bit more attention than he wants. He can pass for human or elf, but either way, he's most likely going to have eyes on him.
* Experience Trumps Education - Despite everything he's learned, Cole has never put much of it to practice, and should he find himself in an unfamiliar or extreme situation, he will become agitated and unable to remember what to do.

Equipment:* Basic Medical supplies: Allows him to provide aid quickly and easily to the injured.
* Journal:  Cole records many things in journals, so that even if he forgets, or he falls, what he has learned will not be forgotten. His current study is airships.
* His mother's ring He received his mother's wedding ring alongside his inheritance, and wears it on his non-dominant right hand.
* Rock Island Revolver Even if he's sworn an oath, it doesn't mean he can't disable them. It's better to be carry and be ready than unarmed and face conflict. Holds seven bullets compared to the usual six.

Other: In accordance to his oath, Cole is a vegetarian and will only eat meat again if he is on the brink of starvation.

[User]
Ekaterine Volkov

"You cannot hide from me." The strange Inquisitor said, his voice sounding even louder than before.

"The Eyes can already see all that you are, children, and all that you could ever be." He continued his preaching, walking forward and clutching an artefact that was in his neck even harder than before...

"For fucks sake... There you go with the 'my child' talk again... You guys from the Heavens' Eyes are all the same... I can't deny that you hide some pretty... interesting things that I would love to put my hands into, but I just can't stand some of your more... fanatic members..." Ekaterine said, getting out of her cover and walking on the Inquisitor's direction, with her knife on her hand.

"I can taste the guilt of your pilot, who abandoned his family to the treachery of the Iron Dominion, where gold and blood rule; I can hear the whispers of your scholar's fears of his own loneliness, sharp and biting; I can feel the pinpricks of your Dragonkin's weakness, like a sapling in the wind, or a greyhound on the run, only useful until it can move no longer; and most of all, I can smell the revulsion that your Dryad cannot ignore when she sees my face, my eyes, and knows that I am not a person as she knows it. I know all that you are, and you cannot hope to prevail in your pathetic mission." he continued, talking about every single one of the other members, saving for her.

"Ugh... creepy... Are you a stalker or something?" she said, provoking him with a grin.
"Although I must say... I feel quite ignored here... You haven't mentioned my name even once in your entire speech! Is your ego so big that you forgot who is standing in front of you?" she said, spinning the knife in her hand, standing a few meters away from him, blocking his path.

Stretching herself with her hands behind her head, she made a discreet hand signal for the Ariah, who was probably watching, showing three fingers on her hand and then closing it in a fist, shortly after showing only two fingers and joining them together. He would know what she meant by that. While she and Ariah dealt with the inquisitor, the others would deal with the ones who were boarding the ascendo.

"You know... We can be more similar than you may think... We both know that information and knowledge can be sharper than any blade, and more valuable than any jewel. That's why you Eyes are so full of secrets... So desperate to hide this knowledge you have from the rest of the world. Your greed for power is the base of your entire organization, or I should said 'religious sect'?"

"But who am I to judge you? After all, I too, seek for more knowledge, and thus, power. But unlike you, I don't do it with religious purposes, or try to hide it under the guise that I am actually 'protecting' the others from this dangerous knowledge. I do it simply because I like it. I like power, and I like to kill. Its actually pretty simple. I like to know about things. After all, information is not only a weapon for me, but it also means money and even more interesting things to do and know."

"But the biggest difference between us at the moment, is that I'm currently, your enemy." Ekaterine said, stopping spinning her dagger and assuming a combat posture, low on the ground, ready to pounce on the inquisitor.

Before she could attack him, the best thing to do would be try to know which weird magic he would attack with, so she could estimate his abilities and make a plan to evade his attacks. She trusted Ariah. He knew what he had to do. After all, it wasn't the first time that her and Ariah needed to face a strong enemy.

[Assistant]
The Inquisitor stopped a moment, and narrowed his eyes at Ekaterine.

"Psychopath. A barrier to The Sight, but only a small one - especially considering the simplicity of your own fears. For one who seeks knowledge, you truly know nothing. If you learn nothing else, you should at least learn what it is to be crippled." He snarled, before striking with the talisman through an empty patch of air, with a noise that sounded like sheet metal tearing, and a bright shower of sheer white sparks, appearing from the talisman as if from nowhere.

Meanwhile, Daniel was seconds away from opening fire on the Enforcers, having driven the bolt of his carbine rifle forwards, and caught the first one in his sights. Gently, he squeezed the trigger, and smiled grimly as the first man fell with a scream and a shower of red, the side of his neck torn by a bullet. As he lay on the dock, his whimpering fading as blood drained from his body, the second enforcer looked around in panic for cover, finding none. She too caught a bullet, this time in the head, putting her solidly down on the ground.

The third enforcer, however, was not so easily cowed, opening fire with his service shotgun, pumping and firing in steady cadence. Daniel was forced back into cover as the enforcer and his one remaining partner made their advance, and he looked desperately around for something to surprise them with - all the while, painfully conscious of the fact that neither he nor his newfound companions were even remotely equipped to take on an Inquisitor, let alone Cunningham. Generally speaking, it took magic to fight magic, and they-

- they only had a Dryad, and a Dragonkin.

Aura was their best shot, and if not her then Ariah. Of the two, a Dryad is more spectrally magical - in that the nature of the magic that turns a girl into a Dryad is not physical, but metaphysical. If anyone were to be resistant to anything that Cunningham could throw at them, it would be her.

Now he just needed to tell them. Or hope that one of them knew already.


[System]
Gender: Male

Age:  18

Appearance:

Magic: Blood

Weapon: Cross Spear, and a knife similar to the one seen in the appearance picture above.

Personality: Kenji is highly intelligent and analytical, but does nothing without a firm understanding of what the risks are, especially to himself. He's also a staunch believer in honest pay for honest work, though "pay" in many cases may be relative to what he needs at the moment. He's not entirely selfish, and is willing to help people or act altruistically, but he very much values his own life above the lives of others and it shows. He finds himself equally terrified and curious of this new world, and seeks to understand it as much as survive it. Preferably, however, he'd like to do this through study, from behind a very thick set of walls, rather than venture out into the nightmarish landscape.

To those first meeting him, Kenji often comes off as cold and aloof, perhaps even arrogant. Any of these things might be an accurate assessment, all told, but in truth Kenji doesn't have much skill in the way of social interaction. He hates small talk, claiming that it's pointless, but in actuality it's probably because he has no idea how to do it. Any time he speaks to someone it's because he has a clear goal; either ask a question and gain information, or present a statement relevant to the situation at hand. He's not opposed in the slightest, however, to working with others--indeed, he'd much rather be in a group, rather than all alone on this dangerous night.

Aside from his off putting speech patterns and lack of sociability, perhaps Kenji's biggest flaw comes from his own intelligence. He tries to consider every possible outcome of a situation and minimize risks, often to the point of freezing up and not taking any action at all out of a fear of the unknown. Combined with his quiet nature, it can make him appear slow-witted, and it's a definite danger in this world where the Hunters must put themselves at risk every night...

Bio: A late night at the school, attending to student council business...a long walk home, as a street light flickered. Running footsteps, a girl's voice. Then her face, which would have been cute if not for the twisted smile and the insanity in her eyes. A knife digging into his stomach. White walls, the smell of sterile plastic and rubber. A constant beeping sound he wished would stop, many voices over him. A blood red fog, a cloud that thickened and darkened. Another girl, though this one's face was kind. Then blackness.

Then two bright blue moons, and a world of nightmares.

Other:  Surprisingly fit for such a nerdy sort.

[User]
Sinthe watched from the sidelines as everyone tried to save the woman and the townsfolk began cheering for the cloaked people. Sinthe sighed feeling ignored after trying to speak to the pale woman, he just kept silent and choose not to speak again, he felt like he knew how the whole situation would play out, he didn't need to show off that he could punch enemies with really heavy strength behind his punches.

The white haired man just looked at the cloaked figures and the other hunters fight against the cloaked enemies, seeing Donny hang up one of the enemies and seeing their face, Sinthe felt like he knew how this was gonna go he didn't bother stepping into the fight to save the woman, he knew the outcome of saving her and knew the people were horrible as well.

Sinthe crossed his arms and stood still as he watched the others, he felt that this place really was abysmal if the settlers were cheering for their own to be either executed or sacrificed or what ever the dogs were gonna do before everyone else jumped in to attack them, but Sinthe really hated the people in this situation, he didn't like how they acted, how they were or how they were just turning a blind eye to what these dog creatures were doing, Sinthe just sighed as the others kept fighting really. He was waiting for them to be finished so they could see their actions really.

The fight was taking a little longer than usual and Sinthe then put his hands into his pockets and just watched the fight, he felt like some things were missing or people, or things were missing as he looked around the town but kept his defense up just in case one of those dog things got too close to him and tried to attack him, he couldn't figure out why he had these visions, but he wasn't gonna share that he was having odd visions with the others, he didn't want to come off as crazy.

[Assistant]
~Maria~

After her initial intrusion, Maria decided to merely observe how the hunters would fare in their initial foray against the Denizens of the Wasted Dream. The huntress crossing her arms bellow her chest and leaned against the old water well, taking in how Donny, Paul, Kenji and Lillian conducted the battle.

"Not bad for a bunch of rookies, keep it like that and you may survive your first moon." Maria tried to encourage them with some words, before turning to Highball and Sinthe, who seemed to be content with waiting on the side lines. Their reasons, however, seemed to be quite different, judging by the contents of their faces.

"Don't you think that you should be joining them? How do you two plan to live on this world without money? Even if you beg, the dry husks that live here have nothing to give."

Maria shifted Pandora's weight idly as she noticed that one of the God's Hand had turned its obnoxious snot towards her. "If you're not taking it, I guess that I'll help myself. Come now, stinky mutt, let's dance!" Maria beckoned the stupid monster in, as if she were calling back a stray dog.

BGM

"Rrr!" The God Hand pounced at Maria, revealing a crude meat cleaver from under his cloak, and trying to chop at her with an overhead attack.

Maria sidestepped it, spinning on her heels, before using the momentum she built to smash the monster's shoulder blade with Pandora. "Take care where you swing that thing, or you might hit someone… just not me."

"UGHH!" The God Hand howled as the sickening sound of flesh and bone being smeared and the fresh spurt of crimson on its shoulder finally registered on his mind, as well as that damn woman's mockery. It swung its blade moving to hack her neck clean off her body, yelling unspeakable curses on those who dared defy the Absolute's will.

"Tsc!" Maria scoffed, irritated, "Come now, that's not even trying." One more swing of Pandora, and she had all but severed the monster's left leg of its body with the sheer force of the blunt impact. Blood splashed everywhere as the femoral artery burst and fragments of bone could be seen protruding off of the scraps of leather and tendon that still remained in place.

"GAHHH!" The beast cried, but there was nothing it could do now to avoid its fate as the specter of death loomed over it in the form of Maria's purplish-crimson irises.

"The next time you try to kill someone, be sure to do it right!" As Maria said so, a distorted grin appeared at her face and she offed the monster sadistically, breaking its neck with her heel, after stomping it a couple times. If one didn't knew better, they could think that the huntress was delivering some form of pleasure from the grisly display of violence.

Once Maria was done with the God Hand, its neck was but a smear on the muddy streets of Iredele and Maria casually ripped the beast's head from the rest of its remains with one last yank of her hand.

"Come to think of it, I'll give you this. Pay me back later, will you?" Maria said as she threw the severed head towards Highball, in an easy way to catch, before leaning against the well again, waiting for the other hunters to finish their, well… hunt.


[System]
---

---

The King's Council:
An old Formori man, thin and wiry, with closely cropped iron grey hair. His face is clean shaven, with a sharp chin and is set with narrow eyes the colour of dark bronze. He has a rasping voice that he frequently has to cough to clear and moves slowly and carefully, with very deliberate actions. Despite his age, the old soldier clearly still has a quick and agile mind.

Manawyndan is the King's right hand man and is perhaps the second most powerful man in Morganyth after the King himself. He is Ozragad's most trusted adviser in matters both military and political. He holds several important offices of power, being the most senior general of Ozragad's army, the King's designated regent, and unofficially his spymaster as well. What's even more surprising is that Manawyndan elevated himself to this position through merit rather than birth, he is not a member of the nobility in his own right. A talented soldier, Ozragad's mother raised him to a commander of her army and placed him on her war councils, and under Ozragad's reign his influence steadily grew to the position he occupies today.

He is close to the King and well liked by the common soldiers for his kindly though firm demeanour. However, the Lord Steward has those who envy him his position, especially amongst some of the nobility. He also has enemies amongst younger officers in the army and the strongly pro-war factions in the realm, who dislike his more cautious strategy and his role in formulating the recent cease to hostilities.
An old Formori woman, of a similar to age to Manawyndan, and another veteran of Ozragad's mother's councils. Small, stooped, and arthritic, do not let Lady Arwan's frailness deceive you into thinking her senile or meek. The Lady Treasurer is widely regarded as having the sharpest tongue in all the palace. She does not suffer fools in the slightest.

Lady Arwan is the descendant of a noble family from Iron Town to the north who are heavily involved in the foundries located there. She is very wealthy woman in her own right and her family's fortune only grew under her stewardship. Her main responsibility is the management the crown's finances, a task she has excelled at for centuries.
Lord Urathon is a Formori man of middling years. He had black hair pulled from his face in a rather severe ponytail, a neatly trimmed goatee and a long pointed nose. He has a serious look about him and carries himself with a quiet sort of dignity. This facade cracks somewhat whenever he is accompanied in public by his younger wife, whom he dotes upon.

Lord Urathon is lord in his own right, ruling lands along the Bleak Coast. In his role as Lord Justicar he is the highest official of the Morganythian legal system, responsible for its courts, as well as the drafting, implementation and enforcement of its laws.
The youngest member of the council, Lord Chancellor Iria is a young-ish looking plump man with dark brown hair that is elaborately curled and coifed. He dresses extremely ostentatiously with a fondness for extensive purple silks and heavy gold jewellery. He stands out at any social gathering as the person most likely either be laughing or making others laugh at any given moment and seeming always having a good time. He is a notable bachelor who has been involved in a number of minor, though amusing, scandals and is one of the principal source of court gossip.

Iria is the scion of a minor noble house from the capital itself, though he is yet inherit his lordship. As Lord Chancellor, he is responsible for Morganyth's diplomacy and maintain diplomatic relations. The functions of the office have withered somewhat over the years of the war with Eorzia, and Chancellor Iria mainly finds himself in charge of entertaining the occasional ambassador or diplomat. However, with peace on the horizon, this may be about to change.

The House of Ergyng:
Tall and possessing a voluptuous hourglass figure, Lady Chelarine is striking even for a Formori approaching her middle years. She has curls of auburn red hair that are artfully arranged into plaits and braids so as to frame her attractive heart shaped face. She dresses tastefully and fashionably in oranges and greens, with amber jewellery that matches the colour of her eyes. She has a soft, smooth voice, and husky laugh.

Lady Cheldarine is the King's closest living relative, first cousin, though on his father's side rather than his mother's and hence she is not directly in line for the throne in the event of Ozragad's death. Nonetheless, she is the matriarch of the powerful House of Ergyng and controls a large swath of good grazing land to the north along the Kazadun river. She is a widower, her husband dying in battle some twenty years prior when her youngest of her two children was only an infant.
Lady Cheldarine's eldest son and heir, Elethiomel is a handsome youth just entering Formori manhood with long straight red hair. He seems polite and well mannered.
Lady Cheldarine's younger son, Peibio serves as the royal cupbearer to King Ozragad. Diligent though perhaps easily embarrassed, he too bears the red hair of the Ergyng, though he wears his much shorter.

Nobility of the Realm:
A plain looking older woman with grey streaked hair, she eats little and dresses soberly. Wife of Lord Belaphon, they are both powerful land owners from Greymarsh.
A fat older man who nevertheless seems to have the bearing of a soldier, though he no older serves as one. He wears an eye patch over one eye and is grey hair is thinning though he does sport a luxurious moustache. Somewhat loud and verbose in his speech. Husband of Lady Blodwen, they are both powerful land owners from Greymarsh.
A powerful Ashlander noble who seems hostile to the peace and is currently snubbing Ozragad's invitation to court. His sister was Queen Liveuta, Ozragad's first wife. He was once a friend and supporter of Ozragad, but turned against him once Ozragad began considering peace.

The Princess's Household
A respectful older Formori woman with a seemingly kind disposition.
A young Formori woman.
A young Formori woman.

Courtiers, Soldiers, and Servants:
A young Formori woman with a shaved head and a somewhat brash attitude. She is fanatically loyal to Ozragad, but is also a notable pro-war voice on his war councils. There is some degree of hostility between her an Manawyndan.
An old solider of a squat and stout nature. He has limping gait from an old leg wound that left him partially crippled, the leg is secured with a brace.
Overseer of domestic arrangements within the Palace. Nervous and eager to please his superiors, he is dismissive and contemptuous to those he considers beneath him. Has a high pitched laugh and is bald headed.

Other:
Ozragad's first Queen from before the war. She was Zakylwe Ahoraa's sister. Ozragad has forbidden her name from being spoken in his presence.

[User]
Elise couldn't help but watch the exchange, eyes looking from the pair and she could tell with the undertones there was some sort of fight for power between them. It was like being back at home in her own court watching as others tried to gain some sort of upper hand over the over, little jibes and comments that to any onlooker would seem pleasant when there was a darker truth beneath them. Remembering how her brother would often tell her that keeping up appearances meant everything, that you should never divulge your true thoughts or feelings unless absolutely necessary.

Not that I followed that when speaking with Lady Cheldarine earlier, but I didn't sense any danger. Unless I am truly being played whilst here. Frowning ever so slightly at her own thoughts as she continued to listen on.

This impromptu visit happened whilst both he and the King were busy, she didn't want them to know she was here? Or that I am being spied upon whilst here as the talk was brisk. I still have many unanswered questions. Realising she had been frowning she placed her polite pleasant smile back on her face before anyone could notice, it seemed that both Manawyndan and Cheldarine were too busy butting heads so to speak.

"Farewell Lady Cheldarine." Smiling as she began to bid the other a goodbye only to find herself caught by Manawydan once more as he didn't let the Formori woman win their little battle. What the elder man had said had clearly struck a chord with Cheldarine and even she had picked up on what she felt to be a quite threatening undertone aiming it towards the eldest son of hers. Elise knew that this woman was proud of her sons, she spoke so highly of them and she had remembered the proud tone of the woman at the feast a good few nights ago as they had spoke with one another.

Sympathising with Lady Cheldarine she felt like she should say something, reassure the woman but it wouldn't help any sort of matter. That and being as she held no power here, she kept her mouth shut knowing that it was best to let Lady Cheldarine fight her own battles, the woman was well versed with things like court and Elise knew she would probably just make matters worse rather than help it.

Nodding with a soft smile as Lady Cheldarine finally excused herself once more, she turned to Manawydan who had relaxed now the woman was gone, curious as to why he felt so tense around the Formori she knew it was best not to ask such a thing. Again, she found herself frowning when he began to have a small coughing fit, sitting forward she motioned for the server who was still hanging around in the background. "Would you kindly fetch us more tea? Perhaps some water for Lord Manawyndan." Glancing towards the Lord who had come to visit her just after her visit from Lady Cheldarine.

"Of course, take a seat." Gesturing to the sofa before she folded her arms across her chest watching him carefully, wondering what had spurred his visit. "I daresay I was not expecting a visit from yourself, but it is welcomed." Knowing deep down there had to be some motive behind it, maybe he had only visited to shoo Cheldarine away. Perhaps he didn't want them talking with one another too much, but then she could just be overthinking things. It was hard not too when surrounded by a foreign place.

"What do I owe this pleasure?" Elise kept her guard up around him, there was something she didn't quite like and she couldn't put her finger on it just yet.

[Assistant]
"You are too kind, your Highness." The old lord said as he seated himself opposite the Princess and a fresh cup of tea was poured for him upon the table between them. He returned her own watchful gaze as the refreshments were reset.

Apart from a very brief conversation the night of the Princess's arrival to the city, they had not really spoken to one another before. Manawyndan had been seating on the other side of the King at the feast, and there had been few courtly events or functions in the times since. Perhaps they both had some reason to be wary of each other. It was partly Manawyndan's machinations that had brought the Princess to Morganyth, but he had yet to gauge her character, and now he found other actors potentially trying to use her to their own ends.

"It has been a morning for unexpected visits then. Did you discuss anything of import with Lady Cheldarine?" He took a sip of the tea that had been poured for him, the delicate cup sitting incongruously in his gnarled and callused hands. When he returned the cup to its saucer, the smile that parted his lips was pleasant enough, but his dark bronze eyes did not match it.

"I will be plain with you, Princess Elise. You have had time to... reconsider... certain decisions you made in regards to your upcoming marriage to the King. My purpose in coming here today is to see if you have come to a more... reasonable... position?"

[User]
Elise just flashed Manawydan a polite smile at his compliment of her being too kind, she was sure he was just being polite with her as she had ordered new refreshments for them both. Leaning forward she picked up her own cup of tea to hold it in her hands so she could enjoy the warmth more than anything. Manawydan had to be here with an agenda after all and she just had a feeling it had to do with Ozragad, that's why everyone had visited her so far this evening.

"Quite, if I'd have known I would have dressed up." Elise spoke simply as she swept her gaze across the room before falling back on the Lord, "Oh you know, just idle gossip. Lady Cheldarine was telling me all about her sons, the idea of setting them up marriages." Waving it off as if they had just spent the day chatting like most of the ladies in court would. "I think she was just being kind seeing as I have not been able to engage in much conversation over here and I showed interest when speaking with her at the feast the other day."

Giving away no hint that they would have discussed anything else, after all she did not personally trust this man and she feared she could get the woman into more trouble when she had been trying to help her. Elise could see the smile that didn't reach his lips, but she wouldn't slip up not whilst here within enemy walls. Lifting the cup to her lips she took a sip of the tea watching him over the rim of her cup as he approached the reason why he was here.

Tapping her finger against the cup she let the words sit for a moment before she rested it back on her lap, she knew she shouldn't be surprised to find out that Manawydan knew of her and King Ozragads disagreement. This Lord had to be a part of the council and perhaps Ozragad was already coming up with plans to kill her off and be done with it after her refusal to marry him. "I have had plenty of time to consider my options. Yes." Making it sound like it had been her decision, it hadn't but regardless she found it that it irked her that he assumed she had come to a reasonable position. King Ozragad practically had her life in his hands, for a moment she had thought he would just strangle her to death, but no she had to be the reasonable one.

"I must have been feeling quite under the weather at the time, homesick perhaps." Elise picked her words carefully, that she had been unwell and that was why she had denied marrying the warlord. "Certain decisions should have not been made in that state. I was looking to seek an audience with him to discuss it."

[Assistant]
Though Manawyndan's face remained largely impassive as he listened to Princess's response, there was a slight rise to the older Formori's brow, a small sign of surprise perhaps. After all, did know what had occurred between the Princess and his King. He might have been expecting to martial his own skills of persuasion, or coercion, to bring her back into line with his and Ozragad's plan. In which case this would surely constitute a pleasant surprise.

"That is excellent news, Your Highness." The old soldier smiled again, and this time it reached his eyes, softening them from the hard flinty chips they had seemed moments before. "And I am glad to hear it. I believe you will find the King... receptive... such an audience. I can conduct you too him now? Or is Your Highness in need to more time to prepare?"

Despite his deferential words and the choice he gave, Manawyndan's body language told something of a different story. His eyes glanced to the door and he sat forward in his seat, he had already set down the china cup on the table before him. He was eager to leave. Eager to get this mess that Ozragad had made sorted out.

"It would of course, be a private audience. Just yourself, the King and perhaps a few of his most trusted councillors, if necessary. Such as myself."


[System]
Age: 24

Gender: Male

Race: Human (Mandalorian)

Appearance:

Personality: Much towards himself, never knowing who he can trust. However, he has some kind of conscience, as he only takes on missions he considers good. He only does something really unethical if he finds the money worth it.

Profession: Bounty hunter.

Skills: Excellent pilot, efficient marksman.

Abilities: His PCD makes him able to become temporarily invissible for the naked eye, and his jetpack makes him able to fly short distances, although even if he used them at the same time, the jetpack's propulsion would give away his position, and not only visually.

Equipment: A PCD, a jetpack (black) and a E-17d sniper rifle, along with black Mandalorian armor, geared up with a whipcord launcher and a range finder on his helmet. He also owns a modified X-wing (except not being made of Lego xD) and a black and red R2 series astromech droid, called R2-D9, nicknamed 'Denying'.

Brief Backstory: Born in a Mandalorian family, he left his tribe when young because he didn't want to follow the Resol'nare completely, specificly the part about following his leader, the Mand'alor. By leaving, he not only became a dar'manda, but also stopped following another part of Resol'nare, the one about contributing to his clan's welfare. He had no family anymore by that time, so he didn't break that one. He became a bounty hunter, and seemed to survive this way. He kept telling himself that he was still a real Mandalorian as long as he kept following at least half of the tenets of the Resol'nare. However, with already two down, he knew he was nearing the edge.

[User]
Emergency Response Droid F7-250

An electronic whisper buzzed brightly in the forefront of F7's processors as Lac'li Saku accepted its input, the signal informing the Droid that it was preforming a subsection of its primary function well. The experience was hard to describe, and definitively alien to anything within an Organics ability to comprehend. The best comparison F7 could manage was an experience something akin to what certain carbon-based species described a 'high' was. However, instead of a feeling of altered reality, the experience enhanced F7's cognition of events around it. Data streams seemed to flow faster, actions appeared more efficiently executed, even its base functions carried a sense of purpose, drive, perhaps even passion with them. Put simply, completing even a small part of its core programming was the closest experience the Droid would ever come to achieving Organic happiness. The closest thing the Droid would come to an actual, physical feeling, if it was being completely honest.

However, the experience was an extremely fleeting one. As F7's sensors returned to their default mode of operation, the Droid began to create subroutines to pick apart various activities that Lac'li Saku might find enjoyable. It eliminated the impossible given their current setting and resources, bookmarked the few activities that might seem feasible and non-lethal aboard a starship, and then generated the statistical likelihood of Lac'li Saku enjoying said activities given her psychological profile and current mood index. After a brief moment of silence, F7 had its optimal solution,

"Perhaps you would enjoy-" the machine began, before the confident voice of this vessel's captain rang out over the intercom, informing the passengers of the impending descent into Nar Shaadda's atmosphere. At Lac'li Saku's request, F7 trailed after the tiny humanoid in order to prepare for the landing.

"Greetings Human Gideon. I would classify this journey as adequate, factoring in that I have not been deactivated nor that any of my new masters have died to the grisly perils of space travel," F7 replied in a happy tone to Human Gideon's question, enjoying the unusual amount of 'active' time it was being allotted. It had not often been given the chance to interact and catalog these dialogues between itself and Organics, and was happy to add more information to its now growing data-bases.

Unfortunately for the Droid, its attempts at data gathering were cut short by the panicked voice of a humanoid over the emergency com-channel. Ceasing all subroutines devoted to its passive inquiries regarding organics, a mechanical focus overtaking such idle fancies. "Alert: we are under attack. I recommend that all Jedi precede to either the bridge or battle stations. Should you be dismembered, eviscerated, or otherwise impaired, I will available at your request. I am needed in Engineering, it appears a crew member has sustained an accidental injury. Lac'li Saku, Human Gideon, please attempt to remain alive in my absence. Your passing would be both a waste of resources and....unfortunate. May the Force be with you, masters," F7 announced with a precise and almost eerie calm.

The dull, cobalt light which illuminated F7's form now blared a bright blue. The machine crouched low on all fours, shifting and reorganizing unused power to its hydraulics, before bounding off at breakneck speeds towards engineering. An organic was in danger, and it could not, would not, allow their expiration.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dark Jedi Akaemos Fain

The air was stagnant and still outside the warehouse in which the negotiations were taking place, as if Nar Shaadda itself knew what importance took place inside that ramshackle building. Akaemos chuckled absentmindedly to himself as the cool air of the planet breathed softly on his skin. If only things of such importance could be damned exciting too.

It wasn't that Akaemos couldn't stand minutia, he was a historian and an archaeologist after all, it just that the endless back and forth between the two factions began to grind his nerves. He knew that Hutts could be selfish, but to debate the deal down to the iota just to come out a little bit ahead? The idea baffled the Chiss with its absurdity. It was enough to drive him up the walls, and he had to excuse himself briefly before 'accidentally' cut off the fat slugs' air supply.

Pinching the bridge of his nose to focus his thoughts, Akaemos breathed deep the rank air of Nar Shaadda, allowing its foul stench to cleanse his irritation at the Hutts. There was a time and a place for anger and passion, and it was decidedly not at the negotiation table. The Chiss shook such thoughts from his head as he re-entered the now packed warehouse, scanning the crowd for the Imperial delegation.

At the sight of his allies, the Dark Jedi moved to join his fellow 'Children'. Akaemos was relatively recent addition to their ranks, and perhaps more loyal to his previous friends in the Imperial Remnant, but the Chiss was nothing if not a patriot. The blue-skinned alien truly felt that in order for the Empire to reclaim its rightful place, more radical action was required. And one could not get much more radical than the Children of the Emperor.

Akaemos turned his attention to Commander Tras Oren, who seemed to be giving orders for aggressive action against a New Republic ship. While the Chiss could not fault her logic, he had hoped these dealing would proceed a bit more clandestinely. Oh well, he thought, it's not a total loss. A chilling smile crept from under the scarlet edge of his mask. Perhaps, if they survive the fighters and the landing, I may even be able to face a Jedi today.

[Assistant]
Lyra Kal

Lyra was well and truly sick of Nar Shaddaa. They had only made planetfall for a few hours and she had already grown tired of the putrid and corrupt system, its hellish residents and the constant stink of criminality that aired the nose quite well after a long briefing on Coruscant. She had been to the planet before in talks with the Hutt Cartel but given the connotation surrounding her mission now, she wasn't too amused at where she had ended up.

Alastro, the merc who had been paid quite a lot to get her into the meeting had guided her to a rather rundown warehouse where, surprisingly, they actually found the crime lords. Lyra hadn't pegged the mantis-like creature for being intelligent and even suspected he was going to sell her out to the cartels. Nevertheless, although he was dropping some sweat-inducing hints, he had lived up to his promise and got to the meeting place. She didn't expect much of him, considering his rather shady appearance and general mannerisms but he got the job done.

Lyra herself had been briefed separately from the detachment of troops on their way to the planet. Her job was reconnaissance and intelligence only - any and all information would be transmitted straight back to the Senate from Lyra herself to decide the correct course of action. After her briefing, she had been given a confiscated set of armour that appeared Mandalorian in design and bundled onto a rather rusty spacecraft with yours truly. Her eyes once against sought the green skin of her guide.

The disguise had worked so far and along with some sort of voice modifier, it was obviously not too clear that she was female.

Out of nowhere, seemingly, a blonde Imperial Commander confidently glided into the room, her every step a careful and precise strike. Lyra recognised her face but given her poor knowledge on the infrastructure of the remaining Imperial Remnant, she wasn't too sure. The Republic had been alerted to a meeting of the Crime Lords and although the information of the presence of the Children of the Empire came later on, an idiot could have worked out what they were doing - the exact same thing the Republic did while trying to spread peace to the galaxy: bringing over the criminal cartels.

What surprised her, however, was how quickly the crime lords seemed to accept the terms. They must have really been feeling the strain of the Republic bearing down on them to make such a rash decision. Lyra, inside her suit of armour, was noting every word said but on the outside, the apparent bounty hunter looked bored.

It was only when the announcement of the Republic ship came that she suddenly tensed - there were a team of jedi and Republic commandos on the ship. They couldn't afford to lose them. She had no choice, she stepped forward. Inserting a few clicks into her speech to hide her origins and having her voice distortion to keep her voice deep, she began to speak in Huttese, directing her speech to the head of the Hutt Cartel "{Wise Grogga - can we really trust the Imperials? They say they can defend Nar Shaddaa but many know that where there is one Republic ship, others will follow. If these Imperials can fight off an armada, then why do they need us? And what then? They will leave us to the Senate!}"

Her tone was fast, aggressive and silently she hoped that none of the imperials were fluent in Huttese otherwise she would have some answering to do. She could not afford losing this deal and the impending doom for the Republic Ship sparked her to action.

[User]
Xanthe had mostly zoned out on the long escort run; Gee had mostly kept the autopilot ticking over and there wasn't a whole lot else to focus on.

At least until the radio perked up. Squints were bad news at the best of times, easily able to outrun and outmanoeuvre larger craft like their X-Wings. And her last simulated run through Endor hadn't exactly ended well.

With a sigh, she reached forward and tapped a control, shifting her craft's S-foils into combat position and shunting power into the laser cannons. As the first green bolts surged past them, she dragged the stick back and left, pulling her fighter into a long climbing turn before pitching back down to aim at the closest grey screamer.

[Assistant]
Suddenly the peace and quiet that had enveloped the Ardent's bridge was gone. With a screeching sound the combat alarm came to life and Kara's view immediately wandered to the scope spotting the TIE Interceptors incoming. Quickly she opened intercom and simultaneously pressing the button sounding for battle stations.
"All crew, battle stations. Scramble the fighters." She tried to sound as confident as possible and she was certain she achieved bringing a little more calmness into everybody's mind by staying calm over the comms.

And to be honest, it wasn't the TIE Interceptors she was worried about, no, not at all. It was more the thought behind the TIE's. Throughout Republic military it was very well known that almost all TIE variants don't actually have hyperdrives equipped, so there had to be some vessel the TIE's were launching their strike from, and judging from their apparent attack vector they couldn't have come from the planet's surface.
Just until the last X-Wing left had taken off Kara had kept the vessel as straight as possible, but when the fighters were away, Kara took the Ardent into a steep climb making the TIE's, which were not engaged in a dogfight with the Republic fighters, miss. A quick roll later, the fighters were in the scopes of the Ardent's gunners sending bright red flashes towards them.

Although Kara did her best to avoid most of the returning fire, there was only so much manoeuvring you could do in a corvette and of course several laserbolts hit the shields, but they were holding. It took a lot more than a few Interceptors to take down a Corellian Corvette, much less one retrofitted with a hangar.
"Now... where is that fricking carrier?"