Echoes Of The Black Sea Ep.1: An Express Of The Future

[Agritum]

"If you would have resorted to legal and pacifical means, such as buying whatever you are searching for, now you wouldn't be facing such a fierce resistance." Ancelotte rebuked to the woman in white, unsheating Arondine.
"Kenna, you ready?" she asked to her companion.

[Rupudska]

"If you would have resorted to legal and pacifical means, such as buying whatever you are searching for, now you wouldn't be facing such a fierce resistance." Ancelotte rebuked to the woman in white, unsheating Arondine.
"Kenna, you ready?" she asked to her companion.

Kenna nodded. "As A'll ever be." She noticed the sword. Not many people still used swords these days. It was practically a dead art. Pity, really, there was so much you could do with a sword.

"Nice sword. Wha' kind is it?"

[Agritum]

"If you would have resorted to legal and pacifical means, such as buying whatever you are searching for, now you wouldn't be facing such a fierce resistance." Ancelotte rebuked to the woman in white, unsheating Arondine.
"Kenna, you ready?" she asked to her companion.

Kenna nodded. "As A'll ever be." She noticed the sword. Not many people still used swords these days. It was practically a dead art. Pity, really, there was so much you could do with a sword.

"Nice sword. Wha' kind is it?"

"It's a Stygma Weapon. It actually works as a catalyst for my powers. It is incredibly helpful in my job, and stronger than a normal handgun, I dare say." Ancelotte replied to Kenna, before pointing the sword at the woman in white.
"I give you an Ultimatum. Surrender, and you won't be harmed in any way by us. I swear it on my honour."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

The masked woman in white clothes continued approaching during Ancelotte and Kenna's short talk, walking forward until she was just outside Arondine's range. Afterwards she simply stood there, watching the three people before her through the eye holes of her plain black mask. When Ancelotte made her ultimatum, the girl simply stood there in silence for a few moments before finally responding.

"...Well... I would like to. You seem like a nice enough person." She said. "But..." She continued. "I'm afraid I can't do that. And we couldn't have used legal or pacifical means, because our requests would have been rejected either way. I'm not asking you to feel pity for us, though, I'm just asking you to move out of the way." She stated.

[Agritum]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

The masked woman in white clothes continued approaching during Ancelotte and Kenna's short talk, walking forward until she was just outside Arondine's range. Afterwards she simply stood there, watching the three people before her through the eye holes of her plain black mask. When Ancelotte made her ultimatum, the girl simply stood there in silence for a few moments before finally responding.

"...Well... I would like to. You seem like a nice enough person." She said. "But..." She continued. "I'm afraid I can't do that. And we couldn't have used legal or pacifical means, because our requests would have been rejected either way. I'm not asking you to feel pity for us, though, I'm just asking you to move out of the way." She stated.

"I am not. I am not moving away for any reason. I rebuke my ultimatum: surrender, or suffer the consequences. We mean no harm to you, unless you force us to. Your choice, Miss." Ancelotte replied, keeping her hands around Arondine's hilt.
She actually waited for the woman to attack first, to avoid unnecessary harm.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

The masked woman in white listened to Ancelotte's response and sighed, knowing that there was nothing else to be done. She didn't have the time to try to convince this person, either way, so there was only one thing left to do.

With a swift motion, the woman hit Arondine's flat side with the back of her hand with startling accuracy, and then flipped right over Ancelotte and Kenna, landing behind the miner and stunning him with a precise blow to the head before throwing him to the other side of the hallway.

"This is my choice."

[Agritum]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

The masked woman in white listened to Ancelotte's response and sighed, knowing that there was nothing else to be done. She didn't have the time to try to convince this person, either way, so there was only one thing left to do.

With a swift motion, the woman hit Arondine's flat side with the back of her hand with startling accuracy, and then flipped right over Ancelotte and Kenna, landing behind the miner and stunning him with a precise blow to the head before throwing him to the other side of the hallway.

"This is my choice."

"Damn!" uttered Ancelotte, turning around just to look at the whole scene, shocked by the incredible dexterity of her opponent. Opening the palm of her hand, Ancelotte collected the light of the lamps around the room, creating a small orb of light in her hand, before shotting it at the woman in white.
"Kenna, it"s a flashbang! Beware!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

Seeing Ancelotte gather the light of the hallway in the palm of her hand, the woman in white raised her eyebrows beneath the mask. "A Child of the Lake..." She muttered to herself, watching the light sphere grow.

When her opponent shot the orb of light towards her, the woman moved to the side, but when Ancelotte shouted to her comrade that it was in actuality a flashbang, it served to warn her as well, and thus, she closed her eyes, standing perfectly still until light flooded the hallway. At that moment, hoping she could use their attack against them, she flipped over her opponents once again, landing behind them, and attempted to trip Ancelotte by putting one foot in front of hers and shoving her forward.

[Escalan Corps-Star Island]

The departure had been hardly noticeable, smooth and uneventful as usual. After a bit of maneuvering to get free of Hesnet's gravitational clutches, Tristan relaxed in his bridge chair. Casually reading the scanners and seeing nothing momentous or even noteworthy, he stood up, stretched out his back, and stepped down to the hallway leading back. I figure I should go and see how my guests are making out. Besides, there's a few things I'd like to ask them. . .
Opening the door to the room where they had been staying, he peered inside, unsure whether they were still present.

"Excuse me?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The Rivadir

Arda was still sitting on the bed, her coat and scarf folded neatly beside her. She was currently barefoot, as one of her boots was on the ground, while the other was in her lap. She seemed to be using an odd tool to tweak the boot, and was so focused in it that she didn't notice when the door opened and Tristan peered inside. In fact, she hadn't really paid attention to much of anything around her, not even Artan, so she was currently unaware of what he was doing, or if he was even still in the room.

It didn't take long for her to finish, and once she was done, she placed the tool inside the boot before placing it on the ground. After that, she looked up, and finally noticed Tristan. However, even then she didn't speak, merely looking at him inquisitvely, with a hint of curiosity, wondering what exactly he wanted.

[The Inritus Extraho]

The Rivadir

Arda was still sitting on the bed, her coat and scarf folded neatly beside her. She was currently barefoot, as one of her boots was on the ground, while the other was in her lap. She seemed to be using an odd tool to tweak the boot, and was so focused in it that she didn't notice when the door opened and Tristan peered inside. In fact, she hadn't really paid attention to much of anything around her, not even Artan, so she was currently unaware of what he was doing, or if he was even still in the room.

It didn't take long for her to finish, and once she was done, she placed the tool inside the boot before placing it on the ground. After that, she looked up, and finally noticed Tristan. However, even then she didn't speak, merely looking at him inquisitvely, with a hint of curiosity, wondering what exactly he wanted.

Artan had watched her quietly, trying to find out the purpose of the boots. They appeared to be adjusted in the same way as gliding boots, but... He doubted they were. Gliding boots were rare, or so he was led to believe. Amazing though they may be, the problem of being slowed on uphill slopes was insurmountable with how they worked. And yet, he still wanted a pair of them. They really were interesting.

He shrugged, and then leaned back. "Yes, Tristan?" he said, looking the man square in the eyes.

[Mortelatuzia]

Kathy had been wandering the hot end of Gilese for what seemed like years. She finally stumbled upon a city, small with barely any inhabitants, but a city nonetheless. She wandered inside and found a rather large building labelled "Kalrow Central." She entered and found a few guards, some sort of panel, and what looked like a large doorway that had been painted over with gray. She stepped off to the side to observe for awhile. She saw a man walk in and talk to one of the guards, handing him a slip of paper. The guard went over to the panel and did something, talked again to the man, and then the man just stepped through the frame and sort of disappeared. Must be some sort of transportation, Kathy suspected, but what was on the piece of paper? Was it a pass, would she even be able to use this contraption. Even then, where will it take her? She decided it best not to just stand around suspicious-like and walked casually up to one of the guards, deceivingly smiling all the way. "U-Ummm... hello? C-Can you tell me what this is?"

[Nature-Spirits]

Françoise was the next to be interrogated. She walked into the tent and, remembering that Seton had said that they would take her weapons temporarily, handed them over immediately before sitting down.
"Where were you at the time of the attack?" he asked.
"I was walking in the street. When it happened I was scared - I've spent all my life on Shaara - and so I 'id."
"What were you doing before walking down the street?"
Françoise blinked. This seemed like kind of a stupid question to her, but tant pis. "I'd come from Shaara via Gate. My island consists of a fishing town, so we need one for trade, and I, being the official administrator of the fishing operation, know how to operate it. I came for a new experience, to 'ave fun."
There was a pause. As far as the man was concerned, the story seemed legitimate. His last question was: "Name?"
"Françoise Duvent."
Another pause. "Uh, how exactly do you spell that?"
Françoise bit her lip. She couldn't quite remember the English names of the letters, coming from a very French-influenced part of the planet, and so eventually said, "Èf, èr, ah, êne, cé accent cédille, oh, i, êsse, eu, dé, u, vé, eu, êne, té."
The questioner... wasn't quite sure how to respond. He had very little idea about what she'd just said. He understood some of the letters, but others were simply incomprehensible.
Fortunately, one of the security guards, evidently a Shaaran, finally came forward and translated, feeling that he should aid them.
The man then said, unable to pronounce some of the sounds in her name properly, "Okay, Françoise, you can go. I'll contact you if we have any more questions. You may go."
Françoise thanked the questioner and the security guard and went to collect her weapons, shoving her knives into her boots and her gun into her waistband, then returned to the outdoors. "I'm free," she said happily.

[Agritum]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

Seeing Ancelotte gather the light of the hallway in the palm of her hand, the woman in white raised her eyebrows beneath the mask. "A Child of the Lake..." She muttered to herself, watching the light sphere grow.

When her opponent shot the orb of light towards her, the woman moved to the side, but when Ancelotte shouted to her comrade that it was in actuality a flashbang, it served to warn her as well, and thus, she closed her eyes, standing perfectly still until light flooded the hallway. At that moment, hoping she could use their attack against them, she flipped over her opponents once again, landing behind them, and attempted to trip Ancelotte by putting one foot in front of hers and shoving her forward.

"Damn!" Ancelotte yelled, falling on the ground. "Kenna, do something! Shot her, beat her, do anything, please!" she continued, rolling around while extracting her handgun from her holster and shotting at the woman in white while she rolled.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Oasis Town, Dayside, Gliese

The guard simply looked down at the smiling girl, and blinked, quite obviously confused by her question. It took him a moment to respond.

"You... You're from one of the more secluded parts of Gliese, aren't you?" He said, trying to sound friendly. After that, he pointed at the Gate, the transport contraption that Kathy had just seen in action.

"That is called a Gate. Basically, it's an easy and quick way to get from one place to another, and even travel between planets." He explained, before turning back to Kathy.

"Why? Was there anywhere specific you wanted to go to?" He asked.


Starfall Plaza, Hesnet, past dusk (Planetary time)

The inspector had done his job and had stayed outside the tent, waiting for everyone to be questioned by the authorities. Once Francoise stepped out of the tent, smiling and stating that she was free, Seton smiled back at her. Apparently, she was now feeling much better than back at the security station.

"I'm glad." He commented. "Not that they were going to imprison you or anything." He added afterwards. Then, he looked around. Franky had been the second to go, having been questioned right after him, and Urvin had headed to another tent to save some time, so the only one left was Corvo. Thus, Seton turned to him.

"Well, Corvo, your turn." He said. "The sooner you go in, the sooner you'll be done with it."


Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

After tripping Ancelotte, the woman in white simply stood there, awaiting the bounty huntresses' next move. Hearing Ancelotte's seemingly desperate shouts, the woman couldn't help but realize that, indeed, Kenna hadn't currently done much of anything throughout the battle that was being held there.

"I guess bounty hunters are just that solidary." She mused as she rolled out of the way of Ancelotte's bullets and then flipped over Kenna, landing behind her and on the opposite side of where Ancelotte was.

[Terintania]

Corvo stood quietly while everyone else went and got questioned, and spaced out. He wondered if they would have a way to tell that he had lockpicks, and how suspicious that would be...A gun could just be used for defense, but lockpicks...Was there really a non-suspicious use for lockpicks? Locks existed for a reason...He blinked out of his spacy mode when Seton spoke to him. "Alright," He said with a sigh, heading in to the tent.

After a bit, he came back out, having finished his questioning and been let go without a problem, despite the lockpicks. Once he came back out, he sighed again, then said,"Man, what a day.....Maybe next time I try to do something fun it won't end in disaster," He said the last part kind of bitterly. He then looked around at everyone else, not sure what to do now. He wasn't exactly in a hurry to go 'home', since his home consisted of a sidewalk.

[Mortelatuzia]

Kathy stood still and thought for a moment. This was her chance to finally escape this place! She called upon her memory of the books she was given as a child about space. There was that Hesnet planet, which could definitely be a stepping stone in how to act with other humans. Or perhaps she could go to Azora to witness city life and city life only on the massive platforms. No, she decided to take things one step at a time. And besides, if she got unnerved she could always just come home with these...Gates.

"C-Could you send me to Hesnet, please?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Oasis Town, Dayside, Gliese

The guard noticed that the girl seemed to be nervous about something, and when she asked him to send her to Hesnet, he figured that she must have some relatives there. Thus, he smiled at the girl and nodded. "Certainly, that won't be a problem. I can send you there for free today." He stated, before punching a few coordinates in the Gate, causing it to become black once again. He then simply motioned for the girl to step through.

When she stepped through she would instantly come out through another Gate, but the environment was different. Up above her, the lights of Hesnet were visible, and around her was a relatively small but quite beautiful town.

[Mortelatuzia]

Kathy looked around in awe at the beautiful landscape around her. She knew it would be fast, but it was thrilling how one second she was home and next she was here in this town. It was much more wonderful outside than she could ever imagine, however she felt like she was missing something. Either way, she began a slow stroll down the unfamiliar streets. She walked quietly, not speaking to anyone passing by her. She came upon a large open area with a fountain and a statue of some unknown person. This was the town square she reckoned, and took into account all of the neatly placed and groomed ornaments and plants. She sat down on a patch of green and plotted out her next course.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Lake Town, Hesnet

The patch of green that Kathy sat down at was actually quite big, with grass all around her and several trees dotting the landscape, one of which was currently providing some shade for her, protecting her from the Hesnettish star.

And in fact, from that tree, someone suddenly descended. Said person, a boy, didn't fall off, though. He was hanging upside down, not unlike a bat. He looked around for a bit before noticing Kathy sitting there. Surprised to see someone around, the boy eyed her curiously before finally saying someething.

"You shouldn't sit or step on the grass, you know." He stated. "Who are you?"

[Mortelatuzia]

Kathy heard a voice and instinctively wanted to run, but she stayed put, just seemingly twitching. She adjusted herself, seeing as if there was any danger she could just use her gift.

"U-Uhh... My name's... Kathy."

She slowly turned around to see the boy standing there behind her. She sighed in relief, she almost expected something worse. She wasn't quite sure what to do, her only other reactions with humans were her parents, the guard, and her target practice. Hopefully, whatever she was supposed to do he would do first.

"Why... shouldn't I sit on the...ga-...grass?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Lake Town, Hesnet

"Kathy. Odd name. I take it you're not from here." The boy said when she told her his name. He was still hanging upside down from the tree. "My name is Reach. Nice to meet you." He said, and then looked at that she seemed to have a kitchen knife. "Anyway, you shouldn't sit in the grass because it's forbidden. The people of Lake Town take nature very seriously. Also, you should hide that." He said, pointing at her knife with one of his index fingers. "Not much is going to happen but I doubt people will like seeing someone with that walking around."

[Rupudska]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

After tripping Ancelotte, the woman in white simply stood there, awaiting the bounty huntresses' next move. Hearing Ancelotte's seemingly desperate shouts, the woman couldn't help but realize that, indeed, Kenna hadn't currently done much of anything throughout the battle that was being held there.

"I guess bounty hunters are just that solidary." She mused as she rolled out of the way of Ancelotte's bullets and then flipped over Kenna, landing behind her and on the opposite side of where Ancelotte was.

Kenna simply smiled. She didn't say anything to the woman, as she saw no reason to. She tilted to one side to get a better shot and fired four times with her microwave pistol at the woman, aiming for the ribs and stomach. She didn't like wasting battery power on headshots; while she could easily hit the woman's head at this range, headshots from a microwave pistol were rarely successful, and almost never killed instantly like those of a gunpowder weapon.

[Mortelatuzia]

Kathy slowly got up from the grass.
"O-Oh... sorry, I didn't know."
She took the knife from her belt and put it in her sleeve, using the buckles on her cuff to keep it in place and not showing.
"Uhhhh... Nice to meet you, Reach."
It was strange, Reach was being rather kind to her, despite what her parents said about other people.
"So...Uhhh...What is there to do around here...?"
She almost cringed at asking that. She felt like it wasn't her place to get involved with anything. Then again, the whole reason she was out here was to get away from her secluded home on Gilese. Besides, she could easily protect herself...right?

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ganor Mining Facility, Baldr, over Hesnet

The masked woman in white managed to dodge Kenna's blasts simply by being constantly moving, and though the heat passed dangerously close to her, it didn't seem to affect her much. She was about to jump away again when someone shouted loudly enough to attract the attention of everyone present, even the miner who was only now regaining consciousness.

"Stop!"

It was Alvarus, who currently held a strange contraption in his hand. However, he made no signs of being about to use it. "You seek the Hadium, don't you?" He asked the woman in white, who looked at him, slightly surprised, before simply flipping over and landing behind him, safe from both Ancelotte and Kenna's gunfire. She then put a hand on Alvarus' shoulder, who promptly turned around, shoving it away.

"Yes. Why? Have you decided to let us have it? We will gladly leave if you have." She said kindly.

"Ah, no. You see, we have no such thing. Some researchers suspected that it could have formed naturally, but our mining operations have not yet managed to get us any natural Hadium." He stated. The woman tilted her head.

"How do I know you are not just saying this to make us go away?" She inquired. Alvarus simply handed her the device.

"This measures Hadium radiation emissions. I'm sure you're familiar with it. There are no readings nearby, see?" He stated. "We are right next to a vault made of simple metal. If there was any Hadium nearby, this would detect it."

The woman stood there for a moment, immersed in thought, before nodding and handing the contraption back. After that, she also handed him a stack of credits, before a pillar of flame emerged and blinded everyone. The woman was gone, and after several minutes the security forces would confirm that there was no intruder present anymore.

After the fuss was over, Alvarus approached Ancelotte and Kenna. "Well, what do you know. A honorable thief, if we could call her that. She paid for the damage done to the installations." He said, showing them the stack of credits. After that he started separating a few. "Anyway, Clarice contacted me. She said that she would like to see you two again for another job." He said, before handing Ancelotte the credits he had separated from the stack. It was the payment for the job, plus something extra. "It must have been an eventful day, no? Thanks for your work, ladies." He stated, before heading off.


Starfall Plaza, Hesnet, past dusk (Planetary time)

After everyone had been interrogated, Seton stood before all four of them (Franky, Corvo, Seton, Urvin) and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Alright, now that the questioning is out of the way, I have something to announce to you all..." He said, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Since you all have some... Special, we'll say, situations, the H.G. has decided that it would be best if you all were sent to a protected town to live for a while, until things calmed down. You are the only witnesses of what happened to Mr. Enghei, after all, and you might be targetted for it." He stated.

"So... I'm afraid you're all going to have to pack your things and then come with me." He finally announced.

"Can I set up my shop there?" Urvin asked. Seton nodded.

"I can get you the permits." He said.

"Alright. Nothing to lose, I guess."


Lake Town, Hesnet

"Around here, hmm? Well, that is a good question!" Reach said, jumping down from the tree and safely landing a few feet away, just outside the patch of grass that he had just told Kathy was basically hallowed ground for the people who lived around.

"You're in Lake Town, land of the first Hesnettish colonists, home of Altrine Du Lac the Lady of Light, protected bastion of the H.G.!" He announced, outstretching his arms in a theatral gesture, before letting them drop again.

"By which I mean, there's really not all that much to do here. But, I can show you around if you want." He said with a smile.