S2E6.2 - Hunter or Hunted

Started by kysenp, January 13, 2014, 04:22:22 AM

Vega Barnet

Vega swung down from the truck bed as The Beast came to a stop, weapon up and scanning for targets. The place certainly looked deserted. Lin gave a quick set of orders. "Aye Cap." Vega said in response, and moved off to hunt for ammo.

Lin Kuei

December 23, 2015, 05:39:58 AM #221 Last Edit: August 02, 2019, 06:38:20 PM by Lin Kuei
The whole process of getting back to the ship only took roughly a hour. It was upon their return that Lin noticed they were no longer being covered overhead as if the ships above had discovered a new target or had decided to search out the Beast. With some expediency, the crew set to repairing the ship so it could survive the trip to the outpost for longer repairs.

A few hours later, with the Beast securely stowed in the cargo bay, the Ronin lifted off the ground and hovered for a few seconds before settling back down again. A second attempt got it off the ground by a good twenty feet before it started moving forward. Lin piloted the ship out of the valley it had crashed into and guided it slowly enough to not damage anything but quick enough for it to not crash again.

While it took the Beast thirty minutes to traverse the distance and a fully fixed Ronin would have taken but a minute, this flight ended after five minutes with the ship setting down gently on the far side of the outpost near the mechanic's shop. With the touchdown, Lin promptly killed all systems but life support. "We're down. This outpost still has food, water, and supplies to fix the ship. We may be here a while so let's get started getting things repaired. Hopefully, our adversaries have left us behind and will not revisit this place."





Luke Donovan

December 27, 2015, 04:49:17 PM #222 Last Edit: December 27, 2015, 04:50:28 PM by PurpleRiver
It was an hour of intense work for Luke and he was coated in engine grease and oil to show it. It had helped to keep his mind off Adriana Lucy's absence. He'd gotten so used to her presence guiding him in every decision. As long as there was work to do he could shake off the strange, heavy feeling that hung about him in her absence. He wondered if it was the meds -- or was it a sign of foreboding?

Then there was the strangeness in the fact that whoever it was that had attacked them, were no longer hovering overhead. Were they gone, or were they lulling Ronin into a false sense of security?


The short flight had been a stressful one for Luke as he tried to keep an eye on every aspect of the ship. When they finally touched down, Luke found himself the comfiest chair in the lounge and collapsed into it. He just needed to rest for a moment...

Abenette Kelker

As she paced a bit in her cabin, Abe knew she needed rest, but she couldn't seem to stop her mind long enough to let it come.  She wanted to try to contact Ian.  She knew they couldn't chance a call out from the ship.  If they were still paying attention, it would just alert them to their position and to the fact that someone had departed from the ship shortly before they were attacked.

She was worried though.  She wasn't really sure if he had even gotten away.  She felt that he had though.  Somehow she just knew that she would know if Ian Dugan had left the 'verse.

Plus there was the fact that she wasn't feeling so good.  Her stomach was in knots and se was almost sure that she probably looked green.  It was probably a lingering effect of the sedative she had been hit with during their fight.  The stuff was heavy duty, meant to knock a person our cold faster, rather than slower.  Maybe she was a bit allergic to it or maybe she just reacted badly to sedatives in general.  It's not like she had taken any before then.  Any injury or sickness she ever had never resulted in surgery.  Or there could be the fact that maybe she just needed to eat something.  Nothing heavy, just something light to quell the churning.

So she left the cabin and headed for the Galley, just to see if anything tripped her trigger.

Luke Donovan

Luke started when he heard Abe come into the room. He didn't like to be caught napping. He didn't want anyone to think he was slacking off. He tried to think of what he should be doing.

Abenette Kelker

January 02, 2016, 11:07:19 PM #225 Last Edit: February 06, 2016, 12:47:07 PM by Abenette Kelker
Abe silently looked through the cupboards and could only find some fruity oatey bars easy to grab, which made her almost retch.  Although she didn't want them really, she grabbed one and opened it.  The smell alone made her lean over the sink and about loses what little she has already eaten.

So she turned around, deciding to go lay down and saw Luke.  She jumped.

"I'm sorry!  I didn't see ya there," she exclaimed.  Then her countenance softened.  "I am glad ta see ya takin' a break though.  I've noticed that ya have been workin' 'specially hard.  Do ya need anythin'?  A little help?"

She hoped he knew that she - and probably the others - were not oblivious to his efforts.  Getting the ship off the ground and moved was extremely helpful in ensuring their safety.

She sat down on one of the chairs by him, happy to have someone to talk to.  Maybe it will distract her from how badly she felt.

Lin Kuei

January 04, 2016, 02:45:30 PM #226 Last Edit: August 02, 2019, 06:38:32 PM by Lin Kuei
Lin climbed out of the pilot's seat and made his way down to the cargo bay. Taking the opportunity, he slid down the railing before making his way over to some of the consumables they had acquired before returning to the ship. Hauling the crate of protein bars to his shoulder, he started making his way back up to the main deck.

Taking a moment to readjust the weight on his shoulder of the slightly bulky box, he headed for the circular stairwell to galley. Leaning against the wall to readjust the weight a second time, Lin got it into a better position and started marching up the stairs quickly.

Bursting in to the galley, he noticed Abe and Luke seated. "I appreciate the need to take a rest now and again. Just remember the longer we are here, the greater the chance they might come back and find us." Setting the crate down on the floor, he cracked it open and began to move the contents through the open pantry door.

"Feel free to relax from the stress for a couple of hours if you want. If we were in the black, we'd have about four hours of energy of the engine and couple of hours off the backup before we'd suffocate so it's not an emergency at the moment." Having finished stowing the protein bars, Lin started boiling some water for tea. As he set out one cup for himself and a second for Victoria, he gestured toward the duo inquiring whether they wanted one as well.

Luke Donovan

Luke's initial reaction when Abe seemed to be sick was to do something to help her but he quickly realised that she hadn't noticed he was there. He hated other people to see him vulnerable so he naturally assumed she would feel the same way. He sank back into his seat, letting her alone until she turned and saw him.

Quote from: Abe"I am glad to see you taking a break though.  I have noticed that you have been working especially hard.  Do you need anything?  A little help?"

The appreciation for his hard work, however small, meant a lot to Luke. Not quite enough to make him smile, but enough to help him relax for a minute.

"Me? Nah," he shrugged off the compliment and offer of help. "What about you? Have you gotten any rest yourself?" He knew she'd taken a watch straight after her injury and she'd been pushing herself as much, if not more, than Luke.

Quote from: Lin"I appreciate the need to take a rest now and again. Just remember the longer we are here, the greater the chance they might come back and find us. ... Feel free to relax from the stress for a couple of hours if you want. If we were in the black, we'd have about four hours of energy of the engine and couple of hours off the backup before we'd suffocate so it's not an emergency at the moment."

Lin came in and though his words may have been meant genuinely, Luke only heard disparagement. He immediately felt guilty for his perceived laziness. When Lin offered tea, Luke waved it away.

"No, I'm getting back to work," he said flatly. He grabbed a protein bar from the crate and he knew where to find a mini-fridge full of energy drinks in the outpost. He'd take one of those to get him over the next hump.

Lin Kuei

January 17, 2016, 05:09:24 PM #228 Last Edit: August 02, 2019, 06:38:55 PM by Lin Kuei
"Luke, you are doing good work. If you need to take a breather and take a walk, I spotted some more stuff we can get on board that might help with the engine. It's on the far side of the bar that used to be here at this outpost. Take a walk and clear your head. We've all been under strain lately." Lin patted him on the shoulder before the young mechanic disappeared down the stairwell.

As the water came to boil, Lin set the herbal tea bags into two cups and slowly let the water pour around them. Lin turned off the stove and let the boil subside as he carried both cups to the table and set one in front of Abe. "You look like you could use this. I have a feeling you are more than just tired. We have some time on this hunk of rock. Up for discussing it?" Lin sipped his tea gently. As he looked at her over the rim of the cup, he raised an eyebrow as if to indicate she feel free to talk about whatever was on her mind.

Victoria Dare

Something had happened during the fight, something small and terribly important that had gone completely unnoticed at the time.  Perhaps it was a bump on the head, or the force of the grenades exploding so close to her, but whatever it was had knocked loose a crucial bit of wiring that held everything together in her mind.  As they worked to restore their home to working order, her mind was slowly unraveling.

It wasn't obvious at first.  Things were so stressful after the ship was reclaimed that her disorientation was easily chalked up to the anxiety caused by their situation.  She never tolerated it well when her routine was disrupted or her home threatened, so it was easy to accept that everything was normal.  Yet, as things settled down, and she should have become more calm and focused, her condition only worsened.  The Here-and-Now became jumbled up with the Yet-to-Be, and both become entangled with the past.  By the time Ronin touched down outside of the outpost, Victoria could no longer sort out what was, what had been, and what was yet to come.  She couldn't so much as walk down a corridor without becoming hopelessly disoriented, and she was no longer able to navigate the world around her.  Gradually, she had abandoned her duties in the galley as she became more and more isolated, hiding away in the quarters she shared with Lin.  It was not a conscious decision--that would imply she had the ability to make decisions.  She was lost in the labyrinth of her own mind and could not find her way out again, not even enough that she could ask for help.

She slept, mostly.  There was little else she could do, but sleep did not bring her any peace.  Her mind continued to race even in dreams.  Disjointed and senseless, they offered her no comfort and no solutions.  Brief moments of coherent thought were overwhelmed by information she couldn't process.  She didn't even have the presence of mind to wonder if she was going mad.

At last, she awoke, but not to the sight of Lin's quarters.  Rising from bed, she found herself surrounded by tall, majestic trees swaying gently in the breeze.  The world around her was beautiful... rhythmic... peaceful...  She had never seen anything like it.  Looking down, she saw the white hospital gown.  She didn't like it.  She pulled it off, dropped it on the ground, and headed off into the forest in search of something better.

In a reality Victoria could not perceive, she stepped out of Lin's quarters, barefoot and clothed in the simple cotton gown that she often slept in, her hair in disarray, her eyes icy gray in color.  Fortunately, she had not actually disrobed in reality as she had in her vision--such a sight would have been a shock to the crew that they might never have recovered from--but it would be clear to any who saw her that she was not in control of her own faculties.  She wandered slowly down the corridor, evading invisible stones and logs that littered the forest in her mind, heading for a destination that no longer was.

The forest broke, and a small clearing appeared before her with a homestead carved into the landscape.  Smoke rose in quiet wisps from a chimney, and clothing pinned to a clothesline waved lazily in the breeze.  Voices could be heard coming from the house--their conversation too indistinct to make out--but Victoria knew that she would not be seen.  Without breaking stride, she went to the clothesline, removed a skirt and tunic, and pulled them on before continuing towards the village that she knew lay just beyond the hill.

Vega Barnet

Vega was outside the ship, searching the outpost for anything that might be useful, and thinking hard. Their pursuers had simply left. Why? Out of fuel? Certainly within the realm of possibility, but very unlikely given how much fuel ships carried. Maybe they'd gone for reinforcements? Again, unlikely. No extraction team as well trained and equipped as that would just leave their prey unattended in such a manner.  It followed then they must have left a lookout team to watch the Ronin, and Vega has spent a fair bit of time scanning the surrounding area with binoculars, but to no avail. Either they were good enough to not be spotted by his practiced eye, or they weren't there. His instincts told him an attack should be coming, but all evidence seemed to be pointing in the opposite direction.

He sat down on a crate next to what appeared to be an old bar. "Doesn't make sense." He said aloud.

Luke Donovan

January 19, 2016, 04:48:39 AM #231 Last Edit: January 20, 2016, 03:29:41 AM by PurpleRiver
It might seem strange to some how much a small word of praise meant to Luke. Hearing Lin tell him he was doing good work was as good as a shot of caffeine to his energy levels.

"Thank you Captain," Luke said earnestly. He felt a sudden urge to shake Lin's hand but that would have been an overly formal gesture. So Luke touched a finger to his own forehead as a casual form of salute instead.

Luke headed out to where Lin had suggested, only to find Vega already there.

"Hey man," Luke greeted him. It had been a long time since Luke had had a friend. He definitely considered Vega one. He felt a prompting to say something to that effect but Luke just inwardly chuckled at such an idea.

Jeez, this exhaustion was making Luke feel awful sentimental.

He'd had every intention of getting to work but he needed a minute. The walk Lin had suggested sounded good. He took his leave of Vega and wandered through the outpost.

Where was Adriana Lucy? She'd never been gone for this long before. Why had she forsaken him?

As he wandered, something caught his eye.

It was a body.

The crew had cleaned up the outpost from the vicious attack but they must have missed this one. Luke squatted down to pick up the body. He couldn't just leave him there to rot. As he picked the dead man up, he heard a dull jangle.

The man, during the firefight, had pulled a grenade. He had been shot dead before he released it and, the way he had fallen, he had landed on the grenade in such a way as to hold the clip down. When Luke moved the body, the grenade was released. It fell at Luke's feet.


The explosion could be heard all over the complex.

Vega Barnet

Vega returned the greeting. Luke was bit of a lost soul, but a good kid. In some ways he reminded Vega of his younger self. Vega didn't have many friends. Crew mates, people he could trust to watch his back in a firefight, sure. But at this point in his life he could probably count the people he considered real friends on one, maybe two hands. He definitely counted Luke among them. Maybe once things slowed down a bit he'd offer to give Luke some pointers on hand to hand combat and marksmanship. He already had a scrappy resilience, and a total lack of fear in the face of danger. With a little training and some discipline Luke could turn into quite the fighter.

Luke wandered off, probably needed to clear his head some, they'd all been working pretty hard near nonstop and it was starting to take its toll. Vega remained seated for another couple minutes and then stood up and stretched, time to get back to work. No sooner had he taken a step towards the ship an explosion rang out across the complex. He reflexively dove for cover behind the crate, rising to his knees and scanning with his rifle up. He activated his comm and spoke. "Probable contact! No visual. Sounded like a grenade." He gave his location and then started moving in the direction of the blast... realizing it was also the direction Luke had been heading.

Vegas mind locked down. Luke hadn't said anything on the comm, and there was no screaming, yelling, or cursing. Either he'd been knocked unconscious or... worse. Vega rounded a corner and saw the small crater and... two bodies. He moved straight to Luke, it wasn't pretty. At a glance it looked like the grenade had gone off at his feet, both bodies had been thrown a little ways by the force of the explosion. It was pretty clear he didn't need to check for a pulse but he did anyways... there wasn't one. Others from the crew would likely be there within moments. He rose and spoke into the comm as he started sweeping the area for hostiles. "Luke is down." His voice was a flat monotone.

Abenette Kelker

January 21, 2016, 08:31:49 PM #233 Last Edit: February 06, 2016, 12:49:33 PM by Abenette Kelker
Abe really would lend Luke a hand if she could and if she was able.

"Me? Nah,"  "What about you? Have you gotten any rest yourself?"

She forced a smile and then shook her head. 

"No.  Hard ta sleep, ya know?" she told him honestly.  She just didn't tell him why she couldn't sleep.

Then Abe startled just a little when Lin came in.  Damn, she was off.  She hadn't even heard him approach.  Maybe this was worse than she thought.  She just couldn't seem to shake whatever she was feeling.

"I 'preciate the need ta take a rest now and again. Just remember the longer we are here, the greater the chance they might come back and find us."

Abe watched Lin as he moved around, but her brow furrowed. 

"Feel free to relax from the stress for a couple of hours if you want. If we were in the black, we'd have about four hours of energy of the engine and couple of hours off the backup before we'd suffocate so it's not an emergency at the moment."

Maybe she didn't understand him very much, but that felt like a kick in the butt.  Luke had been working hard.  It wasn't like he was slacking.  But then he starting making some tea and offered them some.  Just the thought of tea made her stomach roll, but she just gripped the chair and worked to calm herself.  Luke didn't take any either.

"No, I'm getting back to work,"

It seemed as Luke thought the same thing about the comment.  Luke had nothing to be ashamed of.  He had been busting his tail.  Then Lin spoke again.

"Luke, you are doing good work. If you need to take a breather and take a walk, I spotted some more stuff we can get on board that might help with the engine. It's on the far side of the bar that used to be here at this outpost. Take a walk and clear your head. We've all been under strain lately."

Of course...  She'd been wrong.  Lin did appreciate all the work Luke had done so far.  Her judgment was really off.

"Thank you Captain,"

Then Luke went off to do as Lin had suggested.  Abe didn't know it would be the last time she would ever speak to him.

Lin came around after a moment with some tea and set a cup down in front of her. 

"You look like you could use this. I have a feeling you are more than just tired. We have some time on this hunk of rock. Up for discussing it?"

She took a deep breath and figured she needed to come clean.  After all, their lives could depend on it.

But first, she needed to get rid of the tea.  She smiled softly and pushed it back away from her.

"I'm sick.  Can't sleep.  Can't eat.  My stomach is a mess," she admitted as she looked into his face.  "I think I might be havin' a reaction ta the drug I got hit with durin' the assault.  Allergic maybe?"

She shrugged.

"Anyway...  Can't say I am running at 100%.  Maybe not even 80%," she revealed.  "Just thought ya should know."

After a bit (leaving time for them to talk if needed), the explosion rocked the camp and Abe could tell by the affect in Vega's voice that when he said that Luke was down, the likable young man would never be up again.

Lin Kuei

January 31, 2016, 03:59:57 PM #234 Last Edit: August 02, 2019, 06:39:07 PM by Lin Kuei
At the sound and vibration of the explosion, Lin was immediately on his feet and moving toward the stairwell. He motioned for Abe to follow him. Careening down the stairs, Lin made his way to the main deck with speed. "Abe and I are on our way." As he rounded the corridor to head toward the stairs down to the cargo bay, Lin came face to Victoria's back.

He motioned for Abe to continue on without him. Victoria had been out of it and staying in their quarters pretty much since the original assault on the ship after it was grounded. Lin spun her around so they were face to face. "Victoria? You should be laying down relaxing. We're grounded and the mercs have left us alone for now. We are going to get repaired before we take off again. Luke just got hurt and I'm going to be lighting up another emergency beacon. Come with me."

Lin took Victoria's hand and lead her into Ops where he recorded a brief emergency message and sent it out detailing the planetoid they had crashed on, lack of medical or mechanical resources, and requesting aid. He quickly sent it out over an older coded frequency. A frequency which some of his old crew could access and respond to and perhaps they could bring friends to help. With it sent, Lin turned to Victoria. "Bao bei, are you sure you are okay? You looked to be dreamwalking again."






Abenette Kelker

January 31, 2016, 06:47:57 PM #235 Last Edit: January 31, 2016, 06:50:17 PM by Abenette Kelker
It was a very awkward moment.  Kuei had just asked her about the fact that she was probably more than a bit tired and seeing as she had been with them for a while, she opened up about how she was feeling.

She expected some kind of response, but nothing.  Maybe he was thinking for a bit, not knowing how to respond. After all, they didn't have a doctor at the time.  But she had taken a step towards trusting him and with Ian being gone, that said a lot.  She would have thought he would have said something.

Luckily, there was a commotion and she was glad for the break, but not glad when she knew that it wasn't a trivial thing.  Vega had reported Luke as being down, but she knew.  She didn't want it to be true, but she knew. 

He was gone.

"Abe and I are on our way."

"No. no. no..." she whispered as she sprinted in that direction.

Please don't let it be true...  Please let him be alive...

They rounded the corner to almost run straight into Victoria.  It was good to see her up, but she wasn't in any kind of state to help out.  Kuei waved her on, stopping to take care of Victoria.

Abe arrived to see Vega in full on defensive mode, looking for unfriendlies.  She skidded to a stop and took up a position at his back, watching the other side of the area.

"He's dead, ain't he?" she asked as she looked hard at every corner and shadow for something or someone looking to do them harm.

Victoria Dare

As Lin took her hand, he manifested in his vision.  A part of her thought it was strange.  He didn't belong here--she hadn't met him yet, but her broken mind was unable to process what that could mean before he lead her away through the ship..As they stepped through the door, the forest dissolved and became the inside of the tavern where she had met Angel.

Quote"Bao bei, are you sure you are okay? You looked to be dreamwalking again."

"He thinks he's going to catch me," she replied in a distracted voice, and she turned away to face nothingness.  In her vision, she saw Angel, the bounty hunter that had hoped to claim the reward on her.  He had a gun trained on her, and she on him.  The tavern around them was in shambles from their short-lived fight, with overturned tables and scattered plates and flatware littering the floor. "But he's wrong," she continued, and she turned to point the non-existent gun at the agents who had just come through the door.  In a moment, bounty hunter and prey became allies as Angel realized he'd been used.  Together, they dispatched the three agents that had come to claim them.

Victoria moved a few feet away, staring at the floor.  In her mind, she gazed down at the lifeless bodies of the agents, but in reality, there was nothing.

"He owes me now."

She turned again and walked to the opposite side of the room, staring at the wall.  She was gazing out at the forest again, but this time, she wasn't alone.  She was in the company of several others--the original crew of the Ronin--and they were under attack.  Bullets zipped through the air around them, and as she looked down at her hands, she found them clutching a pair of knives.

"There's a sniper," she commented, and she went through the motions of slitting a throat.  Her memory of the dying girl's face, no older than she, staring up at her as her blood soaked into the forest floor.  Victoria was emotionless as she watched the young woman die.  "I took care of it," she continued.  She could still see Lin, but the reality she saw was still a reality that no longer was.  She continued to move through her vision, and at last, she and the crew came upon the Ronin.  "There it is," she breathed.  "I'm home..."

Victoria blinked slowly, and when she opened her eyes, she swayed and toppled to the floor from a sudden wave of dizziness.  She was back in the here-and-now, but not all of her had returned.  Some pieces of her had been lost along the way.

Vega Barnet

Vega hadn't seen a thing yet, no contacts at all. It didn't make sense. Abe showed up and took position on his six.

Quote"He's dead, ain't he?"

"Yeah. Looks like a grenade went off at his feet. Would have been pretty much instant..." His voice sounded lower than usual, and it had an edge to it that could have been barely restrained grief, or rage. It was hard to tell. "Doesn't make sense. They take one of us out and then don't follow up?" Somewhere in his heart he knew what had happened, but his mind was still refusing to accept that it might have been an accident.

Lin Kuei

Lin quickly picked up Victoria in his arms and held her. "Come on, bao bei. Time to rest properly." Scooping her in his arms, he quickly moved to their quarters and laid her down on the bed. He quickly slid her small frame under the blankets, kissed her on her forehead, and moved to set the kettle to boil for some tea. It was one of the few small comforts left.

Lin tapped the comms to advise Vega and Abe of the situation. "Victoria's resting now but still a little unsettled. The crash got to her more than I expected. If Luke is down, let's at least give him a proper burial. I've sent out an emergency burst signal looking for former crew members to give us some aid, especially a mechanic and a medic. Stay sharp, you two, and create a collection point of anything you think we might need so we can then move it inside as we get more room. I'll stay on board and monitor communications from here while keeping an eye on Victoria. Hopefully, we'll get the help we need and Victoria will be cooking everyone a meal before long." As he finished talking, the water came to boil and he filled both teacups.


Vega Barnet

"Acknowledged." Vega said shortly into the com. His mind was slowly accepting the reality of what had happened, and with that acceptance came a wave of rage. There were no targets. Luke hadn't been taken out by an enemy attacker. It had been an accident. Red tinged the corners of his vision, and he was barely of aware of Abes presence for the moment. He seemingly calmly set his rifle on the ground, and did the same with his revolvers. There was a table a little ways off, a big heavy table with some random bits of junk piled on top. He stalked over to it and paused for a moment. Then he let the contained rage explode outward, shattering the mask of composure.

Roaring with anger and frustration he started grabbing pieces of junk and hurling them at a nearby wall. After all the small bits had been thrown he grabbed the table itself, the muscles in his arms straining, and flipped the whole thing, remaining junk and all. Still wordlessly voicing his anger he kicked several more bits of junk, sending them flying. The outburst lasted only about a minute. Then the rage left him as quickly as it had come. He sank to his knees, panting. Sense and awareness returned. He looked over at Abe, and the unsuppressed pain of friends lost, both recently and long ago, was plain to see on his face. And for a moment he looked much older than his 37 years. "Sorry." He said, rather lamely.

He quickly recomposed himself, his face now showing little to no trace of the emotions that had so dominated it only a moment before, and then got up. He retrieved his weapons, and walked over to the second body to check it. He surveyed the scene. "Was an accident." he said aloud, his voice flat and tired sounding. "This guys been dead a while. Probably from when the Mercs hit the place. Looks like he managed to pull the pin on a grenade and then died before he could throw it. Way he fell kept the clip from releasing, at least til Luke found the body and went to move it."

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