Operation: Red Guard(IC, Open, Sci-Fi)

[The Republic of Atria]

Michael

His shots served as more of a distraction than anything, but as he kept behind cover, he caught the attention of some blonde woman wearing rather high end armor, and gave a slight nod as she spoke. Basically telling him to aim for the guns, which he pretty much already knew, but contrary to most people who offered advice, she at least had the decency to give him a way to actually accomplish it. She also told him not to miss, but it was exceedingly rare he ever missed a shot. He was more than a little annoyed at getting ordered around in his own place of work, but was willing to ignore it solely because they had the same goal in mind.

The blonde woman did her thing, throwing an overload device at the mech, exposing several vulnerable points. Michael drew his weapon and delivered the shots with his usual pinpoint accuracy. The thing was locked in place and the targets were obvious. It wasn't much of a challenge and he only devoted a little of his mental overhead to dealing with it, with the rest being focused on his surroundings, looking for anyone or anything that might also be a threat.

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
The Modulator

The mech refused to go down, tripping for only a brief moment before returning fire with a volley of glowing blasts. Errol broke the stream of gas off with another pull of his tendrils, ducking behind Officer Wallace's shield in the same moment to avoid his head being taken off by another stray shot. He had been bracing his legs for an impact, a toss, even locking his core in case the blast ploughed the shield and right into his stomach or chest, but the shield remained a fortress, pushing out any intrusion with frightening efficiency. He barely felt a tremble as he settled into position, peering around his scorched cover as Commander Mathers, now freed by some unseen force, tossed a small orb to the machine's feet. A bomb. A handheld explosive. He could feel his knees buckle out of instinct, his cannon and the spent, empty gas cartridge inside clattering to the floor as his tendrils loosened and the Sol compass in his mind beckoned behind him, beckoned him to dive away from the explosive.

But a hook caught on, a magnet that threw the compass off. Why would Commander Mathers throw an explosive in the middle of countless allies? Before he could commit to either train of thought, the answer was placed before him. Sparks at the floor expanded into a massive, glowing shockwave that engulfed the massive mechanical weapon, freezing and suspending it dead in its destructive tracks. There had been no explosive, because then there would have been no cause to aim for the arms as Commander Mathers had said, and Commander Mathers knew better than to throw an explosive that powerful into such a crowd. He had been foolish and indecisive, and he could not afford to continue that trajectory any further. Especially now that the signal was given, and pistol fire was being exchanged from all directions. The cannon was no use, too unwieldy, and he would likely be sloppy in his shot, if he was even able to fumble a new cartridge in time. He would have to get in close, fly in the face of his original strategy.

Grunting, Errol yanked the hilt of his battle axe from the harness wrapped around his waist as he quickly steadied himself on his feet and slipped around Officer Wallace's shield. Almost immediately, the device shuddered to life, rapidly heating up to the touch and coursing with vibrations as the gas inside was super-charged into a stew of ions. A second before he reached the mech's left side, a shimmering pink blade of gas burst out from the axe's body with a stunning glow, his cue to whip the weapon back and charge the metal beast's shoulder head on. A low growl ripped through his chest and stomach as he hefted the axe behind his own shoulder, swung in an upward arc, and drove down, the axe slamming into the beast's upper left gun as he begun to hack away. Only time would tell how effective it was.

[Tomia]

The Modulator
After the electronic shock to its system, the mech began to falter after the onslaught of attacks between the heavy gunfire and Errol's vicious melee attack. Errol managed to cleave its lower left arm clean off and soon its knees began to crumble and the electronic whirring of its engine grinded to a halt as it fell lifelessly to the ground out of the bar. Just then its face came back to life with a blaring alarm matched with an ominous blinking red light.

"Errol, get out of there!" Kira shouted, throwing another grenade in his direction that produced a bubble shield for him to jump in. Moments later the mech detonated in an explosion that sent an intense wind towards the bar that nearly blew the door off of the establishment. With that harrowing experience concluded, Kira ran forward to check on Errol. Once she determined the Noxial was still breathing, she turned back to her crew that were still in the bar. "Alright, the package should be secured. Time to get out here and figure out what the hell is going on." Kira said to her crew before approaching Michael. "Sorry about the mess, was hoping to do this quietly but I didn't expect the robot army to show up. Tell Maud to send me the bill if she wants." She told him apologetically. "By the way, nice shooting today, appreciate your help. We could use someone like you with the Red Guard, if you're interested. We'll be leaving in a few minutes, catch a ride if you want to see what we're about." With that Kira headed off toward the truck with her her crew after checking to make sure there were no injuries they needed to attend to. She arrived at the back of their transport where Raela and Monica were waiting with the captive Elnoi and their contact. She approached Raff first, stepping toward him a bit menacingly. "What you have better be worth it." She told him sternly before turning to the Elnoi.

"You want to explain who you are exactly?" She said to Sal, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You know, your soldiers could use work on their manners." He quipped smartly.

"Sorry, we're not too friendly with people who attack us. Why'd you do that exactly?"

Sal merely looked away. "I was trying to keep things from getting messy. I am still trying so if you could let me walk out with the snitch here I'd really appreciate it."

Kira merely scoffed and banged on the front of the divider between the front and the back of the transport once everyone was loaded in.

"Get us out of here, time to head home."

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
En-Route: The Modulator to Fort Rawlings

"Grrrrrrr...cursed androids." Errol grunted, a statement cut brief by a spluttering fit of coughing triggered by a cloud of dust wafting into his mouth. Between the force of the explosion throwing him against the back of Commander Mathers' bubble shield and said bubble shield promptly depositing him on the ground in a jostling heap, his head and torso had been rattled around some, leaving his back and bottom aching with newly forming pains and his eyes seeing two superior commander's checking his pulse and breath instead of one. He could still feel his limbs clenched around the axe's grip, the weapon now having cooled as the plasma blades blinked out of sight. It had been a foolish move, charging in as he did. Granted, remaining behind the cannon would've been utterly useless, but utterly useless was far better than utterly reckless. He could've been killed if whoever had shielded him had been a moment slower, he knew that, and yet, he still charged. He had let instinct take over. He couldn't do that again.

It was a thought that troubled him as he limped across the bar, gathering his cannon and empty cartridges from where they had been blown some feet by the exploding android, thankfully undamaged. Not only was he needed at Fort Rawlings, but he was needed by his family back home, and he couldn't afford to take such risks for cheap thrills. Moreover, if he was to have any hope at staving AXL's symptoms away, he would need to keep his body healthy, keep his healing to a bare minimum. No more sprinting into the thick of things. Caution and a cool mind would prevail. For the sake of his colleagues, he would do it. He had to do it.

However, it was quite difficult to maintain his calm when he came face to face with the Elnoi lowlife that had attempted to snatch their informant, especially so when he was forced to sit directly adjacent to the wasting heap of slime upon leaving the now-desolate bar and entering the transport. His tentacles once again being mashed against his back, his neck being craned, and his legs being pushed up did not aid in his comfort or general temperament. Where was the honor in beckoning soldiers to your aid and attempting to double-cross them within the same moment, kidnapping a free man in the process? His smarmy attitude was even worse, Errol could barely keep his lip from pulling inwards in distaste as he wiped dust from his axe and cannon. Perhaps he could break his self-imposed decorum just once.

"The smell of rat in my nose is unpleasant." Errol jeered at the white-and-gold faced Elnoi, letting a tendril go loose to lightly flick the young man across the cheek. "I have half a mind to strike you round the face for dirtying my cannon. Or better yet, have you clean the barrel with your tongue to cure your insolence."

[The Republic of Atria]

Wrapped up

And with that it seemed that the robotic attackers were dealt with. It was even easier than he'd expected it to be, but there were plenty of people fighting them, and the mech was clearly not as well designed as initially thought. He was about to reprimand the handful of people responsible, but they apologized and even offered to pay for it. He'd looked at the damages, and between insurance and whatever bill Maud would send them for the damages, it would be an overall net positive for the Modulator's income. That, and the reputation for ending firefights that happened at or near the bar was, at worst intact, and at best, reinforced. If a mech and robots couldn't do it, what chance does anyone else have?

"I'm sure she'll reach out with an itemized list." He replied, noting that she considered him a decent shot, recommending him for the Red Guard. As far as shooting went, that didn't even break his top twenty best shots, so he was a little curious to what she would think about shooting he considered impressive. "Hm. If a basic shot like that is all it takes to impress you, then maybe you could do with a quality sharpshooter." He said, considering the offer. His mind ran the numbers, and it would absolutely be more exciting than crunching numbers and occasionally slapping around a drunk merc or thug. He'd be able to apply his skills in different environments.

They also didn't seem to mind the fact that he worked for a very well known kingpin. There was a small chance, less than one percent, that they wanted to pursue any sort of legal action. It would implicate them too much if they tried. His tharasite gave him very good odds that the offer was genuine. The only issue would be leaving Maud's employ, but he'd cooked her books so effectively that the Modulator, if all the expenses tripled, would still be more profitable than it was before he joined up.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

---

---

With the informant in tow and Raela carrying the Elnoi prisoner behind her, Monica walked out the back door of the Modulator, finding herself in an alley to the side of the club. Fortunately it didn't seem like the robots' leader had thought to block that entrance, likely because the only real exit from the dark alley led back to the street in front of the club, from where any lookout would easily be able to spot any fugitives. Whatever the case, the remaining robots, if there were still any, were clearly within the Modulator itself and not interested in maintaining proper area control, which made her job much easier. Still with Raff slung around her shoulder, she quickly scouted out the front of the building. With no hostiles in sight, she relaxed and made her way back to their armored transport, where she promptly set Raff down before reclaiming her seat.

"First I get to be a lookout and now I'm on babysitter duty... when I got transferred here I was hoping the job would be interesting, but so far I'm really disappointed." The cat-eared woman complained to herself, removing her helmet and rubbing her temples. "At least it's easy." She sighed.

It wasn't long until the rest of the group started filing in, appearing unscathed for the most part, though there were a few notable exceptions. The Noxial officer, Errol, seemed rattled from the battle against the mech and displayed a foul mood, picking on the Elnoi to let out some steam. Monica found this sort of behavior remarkably amusing on account of how out of place it felt - the man was usually the calm, cheerful sort. Coming in behind him was someone whose behavior seemed perfectly consistent with what Monica knew of him: Ajax. The delicate-looking medic seemed shaken by the battle against the mech, a slight tremble in his movements as he took his seat within the armored vehicle.

"We're already heading back and you didn't even bring me a drink? Kira, you break my heart." Monica spoke up in a playful tone as the commander took her seat and the vehicle began to move. Disappointed that the mission was already over, she was nonetheless relieved that she didn't have to spend even longer looking after a prisoner and a snitch. The sooner they were off duty, the sooner she'd be able to find some relief for her perpetual boredom.

Looking to the side, she noticed the medic still struggling to calm down. "What's wrong, tangerine hair? Someone hit your pretty face?"

"What? No." Ajax replied hastily, his annoyance at the new nickname apparent though he opted not to mention it, knowing very well that the white-haired soldier wouldn't care. "It's just - that was the first shootout of this magnitude I've ever seen." He explained. "I've seen guns before, that's common in Red Town, but mechs and explosions galore? That's... that's new for me." He admitted. "I'll be fine... it was just a lot all at once."

Monica considered poking fun at the medic's plight, but ultimately decided against it. "I see. Well, that sucks, but don't worry, you'll get used to it. It's really not a big deal if you're not stupid enough to get yourself killed." She said with a nonchalant shrug.

[Tomia]

Kira
"It was nothing personal squid man." Sal scoffed at Errol as the truck moved on. "You're the ones who got in the way." Meanwhile Kira heard Monica complaining about her assignments, "I'll buy you a drink for your troubles when we get back" she half joked to the solider as they continued to move towards their destination. After about fifteen minutes, the transport vehicle pulled into Fort Rawlings. As they departed from the vehicle Kira ordered the prisoners to be taken to separate interrogation rooms before turning to her squad. "I am going to talk to the informant alone, I want you all to observe so you don't have to be briefed. After that, we'll talk to to the Elnoi together.

With that Kira headed into the nearby building where their holding cells were. In the first room on the left sat their informant behind a two way mirror. He wasn't restrained but two guards stood at attention by the door. Raff's head picked up from the table he was sitting at as the commander entered the room.

"How long exactly do you plan on keeping me here?" He asked as Kira approached the table.

She casually sat down across from him, her legs crossed and her arms casually in her lap. "Once you give us what we went through such trouble get. I want the information now, or I hand you over to our Elnoi friend out there."

"Fine fine! Just relax alright?" Raff said in a bit of a panic. "I just want this shit over with. Look those kids that escaped? They're traveling together. A friend of mine saw them down in Red Town near the box houses." The box houses were slang for a small abandoned neighborhood of dilapidated houses on the outskirt of Red Town. "They looked like they were trying to find some place to stay."

"That's it?" Kira asked with disbelief. "That's what people have been trying to kill you for? I don't believe it."

"Seriously, I can help you narrow down where in the box houses, but that's it."

"Well enjoy talking to whoever the Elnoi's employer is Mr. Raff, I'm sure they'll be plenty nice." Kira said as she stood up and started moving towards the door.

"Wait! Wait! Look there's more, but this is serious shit okay? There are people that will do worse things than kill me if they know I ratted."

Kira gave a small satisfied smile to the crowd outside the mirror before turning back to him. "We'll protect you, now talk."

"They lied about how many escapees there are, the people who put out the bounty. There's another one. He's fucking big, and mean. Apparently he's working with somebody to hunt down the escaped kids."

Kira raised an eyebrow with interest. "Who is he working with?"

"I don't know I swear, that's all I know."

Kira thought for a moment before deciding she believed him. "Wait here, someone will come by and find you quarters." She told him before heading out of the room and rejoining her squad on the other side.

"Well this just got more interesting. I'm not 100% sure he is telling the truth, but we need to find out what's going on. We need to talk to the Elnoi, figure out how the hell he fits into this. Any thoughts on how we should handle that?" She asked the crew.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

---

Once the crew had returned to Fort Rawlings after a relatively successful first mission and everyone witnessed Commander Mathers' brief interrogation of the informant Lucas Raff, the time came for the members of the group to offer some input in regards to how they would deal with their Elnoi prisoner. Hearing Kira's words, Ajax was quick to speak up, the memory of how the man had been treated on the way to Fort Rawlings spurring him on.

"If I may suggest something, perhaps not treating him like a punching bag might yield some results?" He said, inadvertently glancing in Raela's direction as he spoke, though he immediately looked back to Kira when he caught himself. He didn't appreciate the way the Elnoi was treated, but that didn't mean he wanted to draw a teammate's ire... especially when it came to someone like her. "We have him locked up without communications, I'm sure he'll realize he's out of options and cooperate. And even if he doesn't, testimonies extracted under duress aren't exactly reliable."

"No punching the prisoner? Way to take the fun out of it." Monica remarked nonchalantly. In reality she didn't terribly care what they did with the prisoner, and she certainly wasn't hoping to be the one to deal with it, but it was still fun to tease the redhead. "He's probably right, though - he didn't seem too fazed by the way Rae-Rae tossed him around, so I don't think roughing him up some more is going to do much." She admitted.

"More importantly, Kira - aren't we going to look for the kids in the box houses? They're the cause of all of this so the sooner we secure them, the better."

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
Fort Rawlings

"Hrrrmm..." Errol grunted, thoughtfully staring at Raff fidgeting away in his seat with a hint of perplexment in his eyes. He had chosen to redirect his attention away from how much he'd like to throw that wretched Elnoi from the roof of Fort Rawlings and towards the information that their human informant had provided. The statement concerning the box houses was worth very little; if Errol had been forced to guess where those escaped children had found themselves, his first selection would've been the box houses. Hermes Street most likely, the state of that block was absolutely disastrous. Disgusting business indeed. However, the news concerning the hunter searching for the children was cause for a flash of worry to echo across Errol's eyes and mouth. If they failed to catch the children in time, they would be forced to compete with an apex predator for the scraps, as well as said predator's co-conspirators. It would be bloody, and many would get hurt, not all of them being warring parties. It seemed to give Commander Mathers the same pause, convincing her to leave Raff alone and retreat back to her crew. A slick disguise for a lack of direction or knowledge on how best to proceed.

Now, they were faced with another impasse; what to do with the wicked Elnoi. Errol was just as displeased as Monica over his inability to beat the information out of their capture, but tactical thinking would've quickly ruled that method out anyways. He had done interrogations under C5, hundreds of them, but with those, he had seized loot, or protection, or money, or something else that his captured bandits wanted in exchange for giving up some basic clues. However, he had no clue what the Elnoi wanted, or even what Red Guard could offer him. Well, besides Raff, but what prevented him from lying just to achieve his ends? It was a conundrum of an issue, and Errol couldn't wrap his head around it alone. He needed the advice of his fellow fighters.

"What could we use to pull the truth from that Elnoi's lips?" he wondered aloud to his colleagues, turning away from the window to face them head-on. "Is there something we have that could bribe him into it?"

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

Raela Alestrandra - June 9th, 2225 - Fort Rawlings, Mars, Sol System

---

...

"Firstly, I was positively gentle with him, didn't break a bone, I doubt I even caused him any serious bruises. I don't think we can say for certain punching him a bit more wouldn't work, it'd certainly be more fun, as kitty-kat says." Raela said with a smile.

"However, regardless of how enjoyable it is, I've found torture is usually not be the best way to get accurate information out of people."

...

"I do have concerns about bribery. It can create a sense that we're desperate to get information out of him, which could make him willing to resist. It'll also have to be a pretty big bribe if this is something that's be life and death for him. Not to mention it'd set a bad precedent if word gets out that we pay people off like this. Don't want to have to make paying off people we've captured in the midst of deadly firefights a regular expense, aside from costs, It'd probably not be that great for morale." Raela said.

"I can't say exactly how we can use this against him, but he did seem really confident in the ride back, talking about how he's trying to save us from things getting messy. He seems to think whatever side he's on has the upper hand, perhaps we can get information out of him by getting him to elaborate on that?"

[The Republic of Atria]

Michael

Maud was surprisingly understanding with his ultimate choice to go explore the rest of the galaxy. He'd served her well and earn his time off. What did surprise him was how little paperwork and fanfare there was to him joining. He complied, giving them basic information about himself, his skills, and his tharasite abilities. He'd probably be more thoroughly assessed at some point, but it appeared all he really needed was the recommendation. He was shown to his quarters, not quite as luxurious as his old one, but there was a certain charm to it. He'd furnish it as time went on. Maybe get an aquarium or something.

Whatever mission they were attempting was clearly not on as many books as he initially thought. Which did make more sense taking in what happened at the Modulator and now them inviting him to a meeting, where the4 interrogation of lowlife by the name of Raff. The red haired man, Ajax, the medic from earlier, commented that torture probably isn't effective, and even the brutish woman agreed with him.

"If I may. My tharasite does let me measure the probabilities of lies, so torture is unnecessary unless you're feeling particularly boorish. And yes, I agree with our red-headed friend, it more often than not, simply does work. I can say that from experience." He confirmed.

[Tomia]

Kira
"I have no intention of hurting him." Kira confirmed as Ajax, Monica, and Michael argued against torture. It hadn't been something she was considering anyway as not only was that not her style it would not be a good start to her reputation with the locals. She then turned to Monica's question about the escaped children. "Of course we're going after them, but we're clearly not alone. If there is someone else looking for them, willing to go through the trouble of sending a mech army after us, we can't just chase after them blind. Besides, now there is another variable, this supposed ninth escapee. If he is as dangerous as Raff seems to think, then we need to figure out where this Elnoi stands and what he knows." Finally she considered Errol's suggestion of bribery and Raela's concerns about it.

"I don't intend to pay him, but I do have an inkling we might be able to help each other. We'll have to see how amicable he is." She told them and with that lead the group over towards the next room where Sal was currently secured to a chair with electromagnetic handcuffs. Once again, the inside of the room was visible through a two way mirror.

"Alright, Elnoi, I have no idea who you are but I don't take kindly to people who try to hurt my troops." Kira said as she entered the room, closing the door behind her. "So I want to know who you are, and who you are working for, and maybe this doesn't have to end badly for you."

"My name is Sal, like I told your redheaded friend and the others. I work for the people who put out that bounty, trust me it had nothing to do with you. Now if you'd release me, I really don't want there to be more trouble today."

"What do you mean trouble?"

"Those machines you fought? Where do you think they are coming next if you don't release me."

Kira's fist clenched as it hung by her waist. "I don't appreciate threats Sal."

"Not a threat, just a fact. I have a... well let's call them a partner. They aren't going to just let me rot here. Maybe we can work something out though. Clearly we're after the same thing. Let me go to my partner, I can convince them we should work together on this one."

The commander paused, turning away and looking towards the mirror. On one hand she didn't trust the Elnoi at all, but on the other hand if he was telling the truth the last thing she wanted was to fend off another wave of those mechs. Besides, there would be something to be said about having those machines on their side.

"Don't go anywhere." Kira told Sal sarcastically as she walked out of the room to her assembled team.

"Alright, time is of the essence, so we're going to need to split up. Monica, Raela, Galahan, we're heading to box houses. We need to find those kids before someone else does. Ajax, Errol, Michael, you're going to escort the Elnoi to wherever his partner is hiding. Be on your guard, but try to handle this peacefully if at all possible. Alright, take a little time to prepare yourselves, both squads move out in an hour.

[Tomia]

Kira
An hour later Kira was in the garage, having prepared one of their transport vehicles. Their official driver would be escorting the other group and so Kira decided she would drive her squad this time. It was somewhat unorthodox but Kira was a fairly hands on commander. She didn't like assigning others to do tasks she felt she could do herself. When her crew arrived, she directed them into the vehicle.

"Come on, I'm driving." She told them as they piled into the vehicle. This mission might seem routine on the surface, but at this point she was wary of even that. The sooner this bounty business was over, the sooner things could get back to normal. With everyone in the truck, they made their way back to Red Town. The drive was a little longer than the one they had taken earlier in the day. The box houses were on the outskirts of town, which was good just in case things got ugly again. As they drove on, the scenery was depressing. Red Town itself was already economically struggling but outskirts were completely destitute. The few homes that were there looked either abandoned or like they were falling apart. The streets themselves were filled with makeshift huts and tents, and were crowded with people peddling whatever they can to survive.

"This is the Mars I remember." Kira said somewhat quietly as they drove on. Soon enough they had reached Therma Street in the heart of the box houses. These houses were almost completely abandoned, avoided by even the most desperate. Which is exactly why Kira thought their fugitives would be there. As she parked the car she turned to her mission companions. "Alright, the kids are here somewhere. Remember this is a rescue okay? They might be hostile but we are NOT using force here. Defend yourself if you have to but these are not enemies." She said looking pointedly at Raela. With that, the dismounted and headed cautiously towards the houses.

The nearest house was a two floor brown house, that looked a bit more intact than the others. The lights were off, but as the crew got closer, there were definitely signs of life. Kira turned to Monica, giving her a hand motion for her to secure the back door while the others followed her to the front. They moved quietly, and Kira turned to Raela and whispered, "I want you to go stealth, disappear, and use your judgement when to reappear." Kira told her before approaching the door.

Before Kira could even open the door, it was blasted off its hinges and slammed her into the ground.

A young man in ragged clothes now stood in the doorway, his hand stretched out towards Kira.

"You're not taking us anywhere!" He said, clearly mustering as much courage as he could. A younger girl appeared out of the door, and her body started to transform until she a massive hulking figure easily over seven feet tall. The beast like creature charged towards Kira, who launched a bubble shield just in time to block the charge.

"Relax! we're not here to fight!" Kira shouted, trying to get to her feet as the transformed young girl pounded on the bubble shield.

Meanwhile, outback, a teenage girl named Caitlyn was leading the two youngest children out of the house while their friends bought them time. Just as Caitlyn got to the door however, she saw Monica standing them. The two younger children, no older than ten, began crying and Caitlyn shoved both of them behind her. Suddenly her skin began to transform into some metallic substance until she looked like she was made entirely of metal.

"Jeremy, Katie, stay back!" She told the children before glaring at Monica. "I will not let you take them!" She shouted, though her voice was quivering in fear.

Sal, Outside Olympia
The second team meanwhile was being driven outside the city of Olympia under the direction of Sal. As they drove, Sal spoke to Errol, Michael and Ajax. "I should warn you my partner is a little temperamental. She isn't going to be happy about me showing you our base. So just.. be ready for anything."

After about forty five minutes they arrived in the dessert, where there was nothing but a few large rock formations. Sal suddenly hailed the driver to stop and the crew descended out of the vehicle. Sal approached one of the larger rocks and beckoned for the Red Guard members to follow him. He reached down and started clearing some sand away from the ground. and suddenly it was clear that something metal was buried in the sand. He opened a hatch, revealing a dark path downward with a ladder descending down.

"Come on." He said as he dropped down. Once inside they were faced with a small hallway and at the end of it was a sophisticated electronic door. "Max it's me, I brought some... guests. They want to talk to you."

Suddenly two turrets popped up out of the ground, aimed menacingly in the direction of Ajax, Errol and Michael. "Hello future corpses, so you are the ones who captured Sal? Any last words?"

"Max!" Sal shouted admonishingly, but she continued anyway. "Alright, maybe that's a little hasty, but I'm going to need a good reason if you want me to open the door for a bunch of space cops."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

As the group arrived at the infamous box houses on the outskirts of Red Town, Monica saw her superior's gesture and gave her a brief nod before moving towards the back of the building, taking up a position in front of the flimsy wooden door and crossing her arms as she stood there, waiting for further orders or new developments that forced her to act. It wasn't likely that the children, if they were indeed the people inhabiting that rundown house, would escape through the boarded up windows, but it didn't hurt to be cautious, so just in case the soldier kept her ears peeled. Towards the front of the house, she could clearly hear the door get blasted off its hinges, the shouting of several voices and, in general, the sounds of a skirmish. Nearer to her, she could hear the sound of several sets of footsteps fast approaching, and mentally prepared to react to any hostilities.

However, as the door opened, she was not met with hostiles. Instead she saw children, a boy and two girls. One of the girls seemed older and braver than the others, who immediately began to cry at the sight of the armored woman. It was... a strange sight for her to behold. If these children feared for their lives, then why didn't they fight for them? Why would they simply... freeze up and do nothing but cry? And the older girl, the one who stood at the front of the pack, she was willing to fight and yet clearly filled with dread at the prospect. Was this what she looked like, decades ago?

Regardless of the answer, the sight before her filled her with a sense of pity. Rather than react with violence at the older girl's threat like she might have otherwise - she was well aware of how awful her temper could be at times after all - the young Titan took off her helmet, revealing a less intimidating visage. While the scar running over her left eye wasn't exactly a comforting sight, her long white hair, clear eyes and soft features made her seem far less fearsome than she had seemed before, while she wore the black helmet of her custom Titan armor. Her Acux ears added to that - she normally didn't appreciate that they made her seem softer, more inviting or any of that nonsense, but in this case, she hoped it would help.

"Calm down kid, I'm not your enemy. We don't have to fight." Monica said as she crouched down to look at the girl in the eyes, hoping her words and gestures would calm her down and reassure her. "Look, I get that you're scared and you don't know who to trust. Back when I was your age, I wouldn't have trusted me, either. But I'm not here for the bounty on you, I'm here to help you. My colleagues and I want to take you back to Fort Rawlings so that you'll be safe from all the mercenaries and bounty hunters that are looking for you." She explained.

"If you could come with us without fighting, I swear we'll keep you safe." The cat-eared woman promised. The sound of the scuffle at the front of the box house reached her yet again, seemingly escalating. "And if you could convince your friends not to attack my commanding officer, that'd be great too."

---

Ajax Wallace

Needless to say, Ajax was more than a little apprehensive about driving into the desert outside Olympia, away from civilization, and going down a suspicious hatch hidden in the middle of nowhere. His suspicions were proven right when, not long after they entered the underground hallway that led to the hideout of Sal's associate, two turrets appeared from out of nowhere, without provocation, and took aim at him and his colleagues.

"...A little temperamental?" The redhead repeated Sal's words as he glared at the Elnoi. As far as he was concerned, that was the understatement of the century. While a part of him was panicking at the thought of dying in this place, another was incredibly annoyed. At how uncharitable this Max seemed to be, at how unnecessarily cryptic and unhelpful Sal had been in general, and especially at how he had been assigned to this mission instead of helping look for the missing children. He was good with children, he had several younger cousins and even a little niece that he often played with. Besides, he was sure that Kira or Monica would just stand in front of the turrets like it wasn't a big deal if they were here instead of him.

With a sigh, the medic pushed these thoughts from his mind. They wouldn't do him any good, and right now he had to deal with the sticky situation he found himself in. Clearing his throat, he addressed the door, since this Max woman was still nowhere to be seen.

"We're just here to talk, like your partner said." He stated. "During questioning, Sal here said that we might be able to reach a mutual understanding about this whole bounty situation, so our commander sent us here to negotiate on her behalf." He explained, hoping it would get the girl to stand down.

Just in case, though, he was ready to activate his shield. It would only cover him from one turret, of course, but maybe if he jumped on top of the other...

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
Olympia Outskirts

"Hrrmm...another stationing has not yet shed my belly." Errol said, half-irritated and half-amused as he struggled to squeeze his large form through the vertical tunnel in the ground. The ladder was made for humans and other Sol races with limbs and opposable thumbs, not necessarily for Noxials with tendrils in all directions. Not to mention, it was narrow. His shoulders and back constantly rubbed up against the wall, forcing him to shift this way and that to avoid getting completely stuck halfway down the chute. The way the rickety ladder trembled, he believed he was going to destroy the entire structure! Yet, nevertheless, he was able to finally make his way down, touching down on a dusted metal floor with a heavy clunk from his boots. The hallway stretching away from the chute was equally unsuited for his form, but it was not quite so physically uncomfortable. A simple bow of his head and shoulders was all that was required to scrape through comfortably. Living in Olympia after having just gotten resettled in Toro, it was...alienating. Everything was too cramped and small for him, and everyone stared at the massive-sized marine monster in a city where he was one of a few dozen Noxials at most. It was as if he was consistently out of place, even within Fort Rawlings.

Perhaps that was how the escaped children felt. Out of place, alienated, unable to find a comfortable position. It sent a pang of sympathy into his chest as he trudged through the hall, neck beginning to ache from constant bowing. It was imperative that they caught those children, ensured their safety and gave them a place before sinister forces did. What if they were his own sons? He couldn't bear even thinking of them being captured, being imprisoned by the evil men of Olympia. He didn't like this Elnoi, and he likely never would, but he couldn't let his pride and arrogance sit in the way. He would do whatever he could to negotiate with this man and his taskmaster, even if it meant staring down an automated turret that promised to turn him into a corpse.

As soon as the turrent whirred out of the floor, Errol instinctively whipped his axe out of his belt into a combat stance, the heated gas blade immediately ejecting from the top and coming a hair away from scorching the side of the hallway. It was a useless defense, he already knew; he could toss his axe and destroy one turret in his brightest possible move, but that would still leave another that would likely tear every man in that hall to shreds. The Elnoi's boss had the high ground, and it was miles above where he stood. Thankfully, whoever was behind that complex door was merciful enough to pause before firing, allowing Officer Wallace to plead with the boss to let them inside. Errol wasted no time in backing him up.

"Your b--...partner is unharmed, and we hold no desire to change that." Errol said gruffly, eyes still bouncing between turrets as he gripped his axe even tighter. "He suggested we cooperate with you directly on the subject of the bounties in town, and believes that we can help each other, so to speak. In fact, he even suggested that he could convince you to 'work together on this one', isn't that correct?" Errol emphasized with a cough and a glare, nudging Sal on the shoulder with a loose tentacle.

[The Republic of Atria]

Michael

He, the Noxial, the medic, and their Elnoi were ordered to head over to where his partner was hiding out, and try to handle it peacefully. The Noxial grumbled as they exited, probably due to his physiology not being the intended user of ladders, but he made it out. The drive itself was relatively quiet, partly because he was effectively a stranger, and the medic was surprisingly skittish all things considered. Maybe it was Michael's experiences with the criminal underworld that hardened him and honed his tharasite to know when to expect an ambush. They almost definitely were going to get ambushed. You don't step onto a criminal's turf and not expect it.

Lo and behold, his prediction was completely correct. Sal warned them of the temperamental nature of his partner, and when they approached, they were greeted by a pair of turrets and some threatening words. He'd seen those models before, and felt confident he could at least take one out assuming the medic deployed his shield in time. However, violence was not the mission.

Michael put his hands up, thoroughly unimpressed. "Please. Why bother speaking if you really intended to kill us? You want reason why no, and here's why: You know who we are. You can see that we're not heavily armed and we have your partner. If we intended to start a fight, there'd be more than three of us with low end weaponry, and you'd need more than a pair of shoddy turrets to stop us." He explained. "Lets say you use those turrets and shoot us. No guarantee they kill us all. Let's put the ball in your court and say they do kill all three of us and your partner miraculously survives. What do you think happens next? Whatever crimes you committed prior would mean nothing to starting a fight with someone larger than you in every conceivable way. It's bad for your business. Very bad. I say that as someone who knows illicit business probably better than anyone. Killing us would bring far more trouble than it's worth to you. Power down your turrets, let us discuss things, and be on our way. If you have what we're looking for, then there's a decent likelihood you're coming out of this better than most."

He'd dealt with many criminals. Too many were short sighted and would make the very same mistake he just explained to "Max." "Be smart about this. Let us talk, and you'll be fine. Or kill us and die shortly thereafter."

[Cybernetic Socialist Republics]

"Soon enough they had reached Therma Street in the heart of the box houses. These houses were almost completely abandoned, avoided by even the most desperate. Which is exactly why Kira thought their fugitives would be there. As she parked the car she turned to her mission companions. "Alright, the kids are here somewhere. Remember this is a rescue okay? They might be hostile but we are NOT using force here. Defend yourself if you have to but these are not enemies." She said looking pointedly at Raela. With that, the dismounted and headed cautiously towards the houses.

The nearest house was a two floor brown house, that looked a bit more intact than the others. The lights were off, but as the crew got closer, there were definitely signs of life. Kira turned to Monica, giving her a hand motion for her to secure the back door while the others followed her to the front. They moved quietly, and Kira turned to Raela and whispered, "I want you to go stealth, disappear, and use your judgement when to reappear." Kira told her before approaching the door.

Before Kira could even open the door, it was blasted off its hinges and slammed her into the ground.

A young man in ragged clothes now stood in the doorway, his hand stretched out towards Kira.

"You're not taking us anywhere!" He said, clearly mustering as much courage as he could. A younger girl appeared out of the door, and her body started to transform until she a massive hulking figure easily over seven feet tall. The beast like creature charged towards Kira, who launched a bubble shield just in time to block the charge.

"Relax! we're not here to fight!" Kira shouted, trying to get to her feet as the transformed young girl pounded on the bubble shield.

Before they even left the vehicle, Raela expected the kids to come out swinging. It's what she would have done at their age and in their position. They had no reason to believe that anyone that was coming to meet them meant them well, so their best shot at protecting themselves would be to immediately start attacking and hope for the best.

Raela more than sympathized with the kids, she'd do almost anything to avoid harming them, she didn't need Kira to remind her not to. But she suspected that a little harmless display of power would be in order to show the kids that if they did want to harm them, they'd have been able to do so with ease. So, Raela made sure to cover her gloves in her Prog-Matter, just as Kora began addressing her. Cloaking, as Kira, told her, was in fact useful for Raela's intentions, appearing sjdde .y where would emphasis how overmatched the kids would have been if they did mean them harm. She hoped it'd help them see that they meant them well, but even terrifying them enough to get them to cower would, while being far from ideal, work.

The 'fighting' started with one kid blowing the door Kira was about to open in her face, knocking her back and Raela, now cloaked, couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. The follow up charge by the girl that had transformed was significantly more dangerous, though, but luckily Kira brought up a shield in time. Now was probably a good time to, thought Raela, to reveal herself.

Standing at an angle that was off to the side but visible to the children at the front. Raela telekinetically pulled up the door that was blasted at Kira towards off the ground and toward herself just as she existed invisibility. Then, just after her right glove started glowing pinkish purple, she sliced the door in two with ease, width-wise, sending the two parts skidding behind her.

"If we wanted to take you by force, this would have gone very differently. We're here to protect you from the people who do mean you harm." Raela said, mustering up as harmless a demeanor and tone as she could in her not quite harmless looking armor.

[Tomia]

The Box Houses
Caitlyn untensed slightly at the sight of Monica removing her helmet. She didn't look nearly as much of a fearsome mercenary as she had expected. She had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth or if it was simply a deception to get her to lower her guard. It honestly didn't matter though. Caitlyn might have developed powers but there was no way she could possibly stand up against a trained soldier. Her only chose was to hope that this cat eared soldier was telling the truth.

"Alright... we'll go with you." She told Monica before turning to the children behind her. "Jeremy, Katie, stay close behind me." She told the children before the sounds of fighting in the front of the house intensified. "Well I'll do my best to talk them out of fighting, lead the way though. I don't want my younger friends getting caught up in it."

On the other side of the house, Cole looked startled as his weapon was suddenly cut in half as Raela had appeared in front of them as if out of nowhere. "I don't know you, and I don't trust you!" He told Raela. He was about to turn his powers on Raela when Caitlyn came running out behind Monica.

"Cole! Stop!" She shouted at him. "They really aren't here to hurt us, we have to trust them!"

The young telekinetic paused when he heard Caitlyn shouting at him. Meanwhile the hulking figure continued to pound away at Kira's energy shield. "Hey, Cole is it? Could you get your big friend here off me?!" Kira shouted, preparing to defend herself if her shield was broken.

"She can't just turn it off!" Cole replied, turning to the monster. "Amanda you have to calm down!" He said, turning his telekinetic powers towards her, pinning the monster shaped little girl to the ground. Caitlyn stepped towards her encased in metal, landing a strike on Amanda as she resisted Cole's powers.

Once knocked down, Amanda started to change back into a twelve year old girl with disheveled red hair and Kira now understood why there was so much interest in these children. With the threat of the attack over, Kira stood up and addressed Cole.

"My name is Commander Kira Mathers of the Red Guard. We'll keep you safe until we can figure out a permanent solution, you have my word."

Cole nodded, still looking a little unsure but not hostile. "I am Cole, and my friends are Amanda, Caitlyn, Jeremy, and Katie. So uh... where are we going exactly?"

"Our base, but let's talk more in the truck. The sooner we get you out of the public eye the better." With that the team and their rescued children piled in to the transport vehicle and as they sat down Caitlyn turned to Monica. "I wanted to say thanks... We didn't exactly greet you warmly but, I believe you are what you say you are."

Similarly Cole turned to Raela. "Sorry about attacking you. I couldn't take any chances. These kids... I'm pretty much all they have right now." He told her as they drove on towards the base.

Sal
As each member of the Red Guard said their piece to Max, the guns stopped whirring and returned to their places beneath the ceiling panels. Then a few moments later the door they stood in front of them opened, revealing an Elnoi woman in a casual looking merc suit. She wore fatigues and and a black t-shirt that was complimented by two straps of suspenders.

She stared at all of them for a moment, as if examining them, before turning to Michael first. "You talk too much." She told the human man. "But you're right. Killing you isn't a smart move for me, even if you did so rudely attack my brother."

She then turned to Errol. "Weird seeing a Noxial here on Mars. I've run into a few in the Abyss, but you seem nicer. Or at least, you haven't immediately tried to to shoot me. Anyway, nice to meet a friendly squid man, I'm Max."

Finally she turned to Ajax. "You're young for a human right? I can't always tell, you all look the same to me. But I think I'm right. Anyway, I don't know who is in charge here, but if you're here to negotiate then fine I'm interested. I assume your commander wants me to stop hunting the kids with the bounty, I can do one better. I'm willing to work with this, what is it, Red Guard? I'm sure you'll fine my skills useful. In exchange, not only do I want Sal back, his freedom with no strings attached, your little group needs to help me with a mission of my own. You'll get the details when you need them, but I'm not asking anything absurd, just need a little muscle for a job. Do we have a deal?" She asked, looking between Ajax, Errol, and Michael.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

Hearing the girl in charge of the other two children finally relent and agree to come with her, Monica let out a sigh of relief and straightened up, taking a quick look around to make sure there weren't any onlookers or, worse yet, any unscrupulous mercenaries who might want to take the prize for themselves. Fortunately, it didn't seem like there was anyone at all in that area other than the Red Guard and the fugitives, which made the whole affair much easier. Hearing the girl mention that she didn't want the two kids - Jeremy and Katie, she had heard her call them - caught up in the fight going on at the front of the building, Monica nodded. "Alright, I'll lead the way. Wouldn't want them to get hurt, either."

Walking forward, the Titan pushed aside the door and walked into the building, noticing that the door on the other side had been torn off of its hinges and split in half. Clearly things had escalated a bit more than she had initially assumed, so she quickly ran across the building and out the hole where the front door used to be, seeing Kira pinned down by a monstrous creature and Raela in a standoff with who seemed to be the oldest boy in the group.

"Stand down!" She shouted at the children, but before she could say anything else, the girl from before rushed forward and pleaded with the boy, Cole, to stop fighting. It took a bit for things to fully deescalate, but fortunately, before long, both sides had agreed to stop fighting.

Still with her helmet off, Monica approached her commanding officer with an amused grin on her face, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder once she was standing right next to her. "Got knocked on your ass by a twelve year old girl, huh? Good thing I arrived in time with the other kids." She said with a chuckle before leaning in close. "Looks like you're lost without me, commander." She added, giving her a few more pats.

Having had her fun, the cat-eared woman moved away, donning her helmet and then moving to where the unconscious redhead was, carefully picking her up before joining the rest of the group at the armored vehicle. It wouldn't do to leave an unconscious civilian lying prone in the middle of nowhere, especially not one that was currently being hunted by virtually every mercenary in the city of Olympia.

Hearing the words of the girl who could turn herself into metal, Monica simply nodded. "Yeah, thanks for trusting me. I would've hated having to use force on little kids." The soldier stated. "And don't worry about the harsh welcome, I... know what it's like, having your back against the wall and no one you can trust." She admitted, before gesturing towards Kira. "Besides, if you ask me, I didn't have it that bad." She chuckled.

---

Ajax Wallace

After saying his piece, Ajax remained quiet, waiting for some sort of response from the woman called Max, while also prepared to act in case the turrets began firing and he wasn't immediately killed. Instead of any of that, it was Errol who spoke next, and the redhead appreciated his input, though afterwards it was Michael's turn, and he frowned slightly at the words of the former enforcer. There was some truth in all of his tough guy talk, that much was true, but threatening the other person in any way was hardly a sound negotiation tactic, especially when a turret was aiming at you.

Luckily for everyone involved, things did not escalate. Instead, the turrets sunk back underneath the metal panels on the floor, and he let out a sigh of relief at the sight of his imminent death suddenly backing away from him - it would've been terribly embarrassing to die on his first mission. Shortly afterwards, the metallic door slid open, allowing them to look at the elusive Max at last: a slim Elnoi woman dressed in clothes that would perhaps be best described by the ancient urban tribe denomination "punk".

Having heard all of them speak their pieces - albeit Sal had remained frustratingly silent throughout the whole exchange - it was clear that she had something to say as well. There was not a lot to be said about her words to Errol and Michael, though the notion that they had rudely attacked her brother was quite upsetting. Either way, as she turned to him, she not only responded to their offer, but raised an offer of her own. He wasn't too familiar with how the military hierarchy worked yet, so he didn't know if he or Errol had the authority to accept on Commander Mathers' behalf, but the offer itself was far from unreasonable. As long as Max's little mission wasn't anything illegal, he doubted there would be an issue.

Besides, if they didn't have the authority to at least set some terms, then the commander would have come here personally instead of sending them on her behalf, right? In which case...

"It's not a bad offer, Max. Would you care to come back with us to Fort Rawlings to discuss the details with Commander Mathers? We can at least guarantee Sal's freedom for you, and I don't foresee her having any issues with the rest of your terms, as long as you don't need us to break the law."

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
Olympia Outskirts

Errol watched with a satisfied grin as the turrets slowly rolled away underneath the ceiling, despite his ever-growing desire to take this "Sal" by the scruff of his neck and smash the back of his head open so that his ancestors could see his empty inner workings. So much for "convincing". It seems as if him, Officer Wallace, and this new fellow that had joined the Guard had been doing all of the convincing. Especially the new fellow. Errol admired his wit, even if he had a tendency to come off as somewhat...unlikeable. The Noxial had spent much of his life killing criminals, and once the galaxy had become tired of killing criminals, he had begun to arrest them. Never in his life had he spent hours making deals with them! The expertise was valuable, to both the greater team and especially to their small unit.

He was equally as pleased with how well their negotiations had begun to settle in, even if he remained wary of this Max woman. Threatening, vicious weaponry had been reduced to a sole Elnoi woman in combat fatigues, one who even paid him compliments, albeit slightly backhanded ones, ones that gave him pause. She claimed to have met vicious Noxials in the Abyss, but Errol had spent decades in the Abyss, and he knew Noxials were rare. Sure, a stray law enforcement official or soldier or politician may show up, but most Noxials were quite content to remain in Koronic. There was hardly a Noxial smuggler or mercenary that wasn't a slim picking to be snapped up by a greater band, and he knew that because he had read lists of every major band in that galactic hellhole. If there was a Noxial shooting at her, they were a guard or security official. Which meant that this woman was undoubtedly a mercenary. Why in Toro's name she had chosen to make her nest on this infected blister of a planet as opposed to any number of lucrative outposts elsewhere in the galaxy, he hadn't the faintest of clues, but as he knew all too well, he had spent little time in the company of criminals. Perhaps she was laying low. Either way, he had reservations over opening a partnership with any woman of criminal roots, especially Abyss-related roots.

"I'm glad we are on speaking terms, but we still have cause to be wary." Errol interjected, eyes darting between both Officer Wallace and Max as he deactivated his axe and sheathed it into his belt. He left a loose tendril wrapped around the grip out of habit, just in case he would need to quickly reactivate it. "I may be nicer, but I'm not naïve. How do we know we can trust you? Perhaps you find little of value in us, but you may find more value in our information, or our muscle. As it is, we are in perfect position to be used. What can you offer up-front that binds you to us, something more concrete than 'skills'?"

[The Republic of Atria]

Max

The woman emerged, agreeing with his assessment that if she did infact kill them, it would doom her in the long run. Though, she did say that he talked too much. "Just being thorough. Not everyone has the same level of common sense. Most people are also smart enough to realize starting a fight in front of a known and dangerous kingpin is also a poor idea."

She was already making demands, the first of which included the release of her ally, with no strings attached. Which was a reasonable demand, however, he narrowed his eyes as she said that they would need to help her with a mission. "Hm." The Noxial spoke first, speaking the very same thoughts Michael himself was thinking. She was offering something invisible, intangible. Her "skills." "I hope those supposed skills are not the very same skills that allowed us to reach your doorstep as easily as this, as those are definitely lacking."

He was no stranger to illicit matters, they made his living for almost his entire existence. "I do hope you're not lying to us. I will know. As for acting as hired muscle, I agree with our Noxial friend, be a little more forthcoming with what exactly you want, and maybe an arrangement that benefits everyone can be achieved."

[Tomia]

Kira
Kira scoffed at Monica "That twelve year old looked a little more like a giant space monster when we met." She said with a sarcastic tone as she took her place in the driver seat. It was interesting to this softer side of Monica. Kira was used to either seeing her as a deadly warrior or a sour drunk. Maybe she does give a shit after all.

As they drove, Cole was clearly anxious.

"So this.. Red Guard, what is it exactly?" He asked the group.

"A peace keeping force, organized jointly by the Sol Confederation and Elnoi Collective." Kira told him matter-of-factly.

"Right..." Cole replied, clearly a little suspicious.

"Look kid I get it, I was a Mars rat myself growing up. But you're going to have to trust us if we're going to keep you safe."

"Sorry lady but if you're really from Mars, you must know that Confederation and trust don't go well together." Cole was pretty confident for a teenager. It was clear that the world had forced him to grow up.

"Believe what you want for now, but our job is to protect you and that's what we're going to do." She told him a bit curtly. He hadn't said it outright, but Kira had always resented the idea that she was supposed to be against the Confederation just because she was born on Mars. The red planet had never done anything for her, whereas the confederation gave her her entire life... well until they tossed her back to Mars at least.

Kira was silent for the rest of the ride but Caitlyn turned to Monica. "So uh... I don't mean to pry but, the lady in front said you are working for the Confederation... does that make you a soldier? I mean I know you are a fighter obviously, but I don't know, soldiers are usually scary." Caitlyn said, blushing from embarrassment as her words trailed off.

Max and Sal
"Trust me new friends, Max knew we were coming a mile away." Sal said in response to Michael. "If I hadn't been with you, you wouldn't have gotten to the front door without a fight." He chimed in. Meanwhile the ridges on the top of Max's head scrunched as she was asked to prove herself. "Listen, I know your little Red Guard's actual mission. These little experiment projects your after? Sure, I was after the money, but I'm also interested in the people behind it. If it's who I think it is I have a score to settle with them. You don't have a reason to trust me, but I don't have a reason to trust you either. Leaving my base and my toys behind and following you to yours should be enough of a reason to trust me. Besides, you still have Sal for now, and he is important to me." She told the Noxial and the human as they showed suspicion. Sal seemed to turn away at that last phrase, whether it was from embarrassment or discomfort was unclear.

"Now, let me lock up and we can go meet this leader of yours."

Back at the Base
Kira's team arrived back first, and Kira gave orders for the kids to given quarters, a chance to wash up, and clean clothes. Kira meanwhile after showering went to her office to report what had happened. As she wrote the email she hesitated slightly, wondering if she could trust everyone involved with their Confederation and Collective overseers but ultimately decided it was best they know in case things got bad. Her stomach grumbled as she wrote, a clear sign that it was time for dinner soon. Before that however she sent a message on her communicator to Monica and Raela.

Good work today both of you. I appreciate how you handled those kids.

She then sent a separate message to Monica. Typing it and pausing before finally hitting send.

Want to get that drink I owe you tonight?

With that done she heard a car door shut and turned towards the door. The other transport had arrived, looking unharmed and with a new guest. Relieved that they were seemingly successful, she made her way out to the yard to greet them. "Ajax, Michael, Errol, I'm glad you're back. I see you've brought a guest."

"Name is Max" the Elnoi said abruptly. "You in charge here? Fancy place for military, tech is okay too by human standards at least."

Kira raised an eyebrow but offered her hand. "Commander Kira, I take it you coming here means you're interested in working with us?"

"Yup! Sal and I will help for now. I told your boys here I want a favor though, but we can go over that later. I'm hungry, any food in this glorified prison?"

Kira scoffed and shook her head in a bit of a grin. Great another character. She gestured to a nearby guard "He'll show you the way to the cafeteria. Dinner is soon. Take Sal with you." Once the two were gone she spoke to her three squad members.

"We recovered the wanted children, thankfully other than a little misunderstanding there wasn't much of trouble. So, tell me about this 'Max', can we trust her?"

After the three finished replying to her question, Kira heard the bell ring that indicated dinner time. "Come on, we could all use a meal I imagine." She told them as she lead them to the dinning hall. She got them a spot at a large head table in the center that would hold all of her squad members and their two new guests. She figured it was good for them to have a meal together and get to know each other. She had a feeling this would not be the last time they would be in serious combat together.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

---

Thankfully for him, the rest of the negotiations, along with the ride back to Fort Rawlings, went by relatively smoothly, and before long he was back in friendly territory instead of some barren desert where no one would ever find his body. As he arrived, it seemed he wasn't the only one relieved about it: Commander Mathers quickly approached and expressed as much. Ajax smiled at this, but said nothing and simply stood by as she conversed with the new arrival, noting the shorter Elnoi's cocky demeanor hadn't changed one bit despite no longer being in her turf.

After a bit, the Elnoi siblings took their leave and the commander turned to him, Errol and Michael, inquiring about just how trustworthy these colorful characters were. "Well, she seems to have a smart enough head on her shoulders, enough that she decided she'd rather work with us than try to pick a fight with the Red Guard. Though given how arrogant she is, I wouldn't put it past her to think she can pull a fast one on us..." The redhead admitted. While he would much prefer not to speak ill of others, Kira wanted an honest assessment, and that was exactly what he intended to give her. "In any case, she seems to be quite attached to her brother, so I don't think she would do anything that might jeopardize his safety. So as long as we hold up our end of the bargain, I don't think she would have any reason to betray us."

Having said his piece, the young man followed the commander towards the mess hall, eager to relax for a bit. Much to his chagrin he realized he was in fact quite hungry, having rushed his breakfast and missed lunch due to being on the road. At least we can rest now...

---

Monica Lantrix

---

Hearing Caitlyn's inquiry, Monica simply grinned in amusement at the young girl's nervous question. Normally she would be irritated to hear someone questioning her value as a soldier based on her appearance, but, coming from a child who did not know any better, she simply found it endearing.

"Well now, fear isn't an accurate way of gauging someone's skill, you know. I've seen a lot of soldiers who look like tough shit and couldn't aim to save their lives." The cat-eared woman said with a chuckle. "Besides, you don't think I'm scary now that you've seen my face and accepted that I'm on your side, but you weren't exactly calm when you saw me standing in your way when you were trying to escape, were you?" She said, tapping the side of her own helmet to emphasize her point. "But if you're worried about me being a good soldier, don't worry, I'm more than dangerous enough to protect all of you."

---

After the armored transport arrived back at Fort Rawlings, rather than retire to her quarters or otherwise head off on her own, Monica decided to supervise the soldiers that led the children to their temporary quarters, making sure that they were treated correctly, but keeping her distance. She had a reputation to uphold among the men stationed at Fort Rawlings, and she didn't want any of them thinking that she had gone soft. Eventually, however, the young escapees were all settled and given a chance to mingle, so the Titan left them alone, finding herself on her own.

As she walked the hallways of Fort Rawlings, the white-haired soldier felt a vibration on her pocket and pulled out her communicator, noticing a message from her commander that had been forwarded to both her and Raela, thanking them for handling the children without having to resort to harming them. Feeling like she had simply done her job back there, she thought nothing of it and was about to pocket the device when she felt another vibration.

What now? Monica thought, expecting another assignment or request - and given that it was almost time for dinner, the idea didn't thrill her at all. Instead of that, however, she received a far more personal message, and found herself grinning as she read it. A chance to have a drink at someone else's expense was always welcome, and Kira certainly wasn't the worst drinking partner she could think of. Who knew? Perhaps that night would be fun.

Looking forward to that, she simply placed the communicator back in her pocket, figuring she would let a little suspense build up before responding.

For the time being, she instead headed down to the mess hall after hearing the bell that let the fort's inhabitants know it was time for dinner. Arriving in short order, she went straight to where all of the food was laid out for people to pick their preferred meals - Monica grabbed a tray and then snagged a large seasoned fish fillet, along with a helping of rice with vegetables. Noticing that the rest of the commander's inner circle had gathered on a large table towards the center of the hall, the cat-eared soldier walked over and sat down next to her, immediately getting started on her meal.

"New faces? I take it the prisoner didn't trick us then." She commented between bites, glancing towards Max and Sal.

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
Fort Rawlings

Some time later, Errol emerged from the transport with a wide grin underneath his helmet, a wide grin soon showed off to the world as he tore off his helmet and let the wind catch his skin freely. His time in war and combat had enabled him to enjoy the smallest of things in life, fine details that many people simply ignored. The sensation of wind splashing your face as you freed your head from the helmet and wind splashing your legs as you freed your feet from thickly clumping boots. The way certain pillows wrapped around and snuggled your cheek as you rocked to sleep. The small victory of finding your page after you forgot to mark your reading progress in a particular volume. The feeling of your limbs going numb in the hottest of steam baths, Toro had some of the greatest steam baths anywhere in the galaxy. No sensation was quite like it. A mission success did not feel quite as good as a steam bath, especially considering the great amount of anxiety he felt towards his own fate and the great amount of hatred he felt towards the Elnoi rat he was escorting, but Commander Mathers' smile of relief and approval felt a bit better. Their work had amounted to something, however small, and that was the assurance he desired at the end of the evening. Even if he would slightly prefer a good, hot steam bath.

What would take slightly more push to achieve would be convincing Commander Mathers of Max and Sal's trustworthiness, a quality he contained serious doubts over himself. After such a brash first impression? He had his work carved with an electroshock knife. "Officer Wallace is essentially correct." Errol said in a low tone, eyeing Max carefully as he spoke. "She is intelligent, not even in the casual way, in the prodigious one. From what I was able to glean, she was a mercenary at some point, and is armed to the teeth. Some of it may be stolen, but her base was underground, carefully built, with turrets implanted into the floors. It takes more than theft to create weaponry of that caliber. Even remaining out of sight with such a force requires cleverness and smarts. Her ego is well-earned, and as Officer Wallace said, I wouldn't put it past her to attempt to trick or bamboozle us. Our greatest bargaining chips are knowledge of her location and the boy, Sal. She will threaten to burn us to the ground if we present harm towards him, but she will never light the match if he'll burn too. Let us uphold our end. She will pay a great debt if she fails to uphold hers." Errol summarized, coughing slightly with the final words. His words had become mushy with saliva as they approached closer to the mess hall, and even mushier once the prospect of a crew meal became apparent. His breakfast had gone barely consumed, and his stomach roared with tension. It was time to feast!

Havoc was wreaked when the tentacled giant entered the mess hall. Succulent chops of meat, massive fluffed rolls of bread, savory stew, the fattest of green stalks, and a thick pitcher of beer were soon gathered at lightning speed by multiple careening tendrils, totally ignoring the kitchen staff's knife-sharp eyes in his direction as Errol filled his first massive platter. Partially because they were in disbelief that such a glutton had been allowed into a historic fort, partially because they knew from previous days that the glutton would likely return for second helpings. How could he help it? He had traded three square meals for one, and he was a massive man bound in muscle and strength. A man of his caliber required nutrition and sustenance. If nothing, his fellow soldiers could pluck food off his plate.

Errol seated himself on the opposite end of the table from Commander Mathers, a space able to take his massive dish as he adjusted his cutlery and began to respond to Officer Lantrix's question. "He did not." Errol said shortly, resisting the incredibly tempting urge to add a 'Surprisingly.' at the end of his statement. With a flourish, he pulled a large white cloth from his vest's breast pocket, beginning to quickly unfold the material into not a cloth or a handkerchief, but a thick eating bib with the words "I ♡ TORO" printed across the chest. "I'm glad new guests are finally joining us at the table. New faces, new stories...it always breaks monotony, no?" he said cheerily, carefully tying the bib behind his neck as he spoke. "Not that you are monotonous folk, but guests are always exciting, aren't they?"

[Tomia]

Fort Rawlings Mess Hall
Kira had been the first one at her table, her plate filled with a simple chicken salad, a bowl of fruit, and some slices of bread with butter. She sat down at the table and began to eat as she saw Max and Sal enter the large room. Sal looked a bit more muted and reversed around Max than he had before. The two grabbed trays before heading over to sit with their new commander of sorts.

"Human food is so strange." Max commented casually as she sat down along side Max.

"It's a lot less... sterile than Elnoi food." Sal added, to which Kira laughed.

"Sterile isn't really a word humans use to describe food." She told him just as Monica sat down. The cat eared soldier hadn't responded to her text, but Kira certainly wouldn't mention that at dinner.

Sal heard Monica's snide remark and shrugged. "I had given my word after all."

"I take it Sal here was the prisoner, who are you exactly. More interestingly what are you. I've never seen someone quite like you." Max told her. She wasn't teasing or being sarcastic, there was genuine interest in her voice.

Kira figured her squadmate wasn't keen on answering that question and so she interjected somewhat under the guise of introductions.

"Monica, this is Max and well you've already met Sal."

Sal gave a silent wave whereas Max gave a bit of a goofy salute. "At your service."

Soon Errol showed up and pulled out an amusing bib with impressive flair. Kira had to do her best to not laugh. Their resident Noxial was certainly an eccentric one.

"Well you all are new to me as well." Max replied. "It is certainly exciting, I didn't expect to be on a military base any time soon. However, I get the feeling this won't be the typical military experience."

As she spoke, the children lead by Cole entered the cafeteria and found a table off in the corner. All of their trays were stuffed with food, expect for Cole who took a fairly modest meal.

"They look like they've been through hell." Kira commented sadly. "We're going to have to figure out what to do with them... There's a school here, maybe we can get them to take them. I don't exactly think they should be raised on a military base."

"I could built a robot babysitter." Max quipped. "Though its been a little while since I've made something not designed to kill, maim etc..."

"Thanks but... no" Kira told her, rolling her eyes subtly as she turned towards Monica and Errol.