Duty and Honour (FT, CLOSED)

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

“Definatly,” Lucia nodded. “And a shower please, I’ve got a few new bruises to sooth.”

She reached behind her back and rubbed one of the bruises caused when Kurva attempted to dislodge her by knee strike. It hadn’t done any permanent damage but there was a bruise there that hadn’t been there before. No matter it was all part of wrestling and was more or less harmless.

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Gymnasium...

The Major took a moment to gather up the mat and put it back in its place before returning to Lucia.

“And a shower please, I’ve got a few new bruises to sooth.”

"Well that makes two of us," Kurva gave a cheeky grin and turned away, leaning over to gather up her kit and armor. "But I've got a little bad news. Gym doesn't have its own showers, not enough running water on the ship to justify it. We'll have to the showers are up on Deck Eight. Good news is it's near the mess, and should be pretty empty at this time of shift though." Holding her gear strapped to her or by her side, not having put any of it on, she walked to the far hatch, glanced back to check of Lucia was following, and walked out. The other occupants of the gymnasium watched them go.

It was a little quicker back the other way now that Lucia had been that way once and there weren't so many people around. They encountered a handful of crew in the lounge and passed the same guards, but otherwise only saw a few engineer-technicians and soldiers passing by in pursuit of their duties. The kitsune and her companion got quite a few looks, but at least in the lounge there were several who "dressed" in the same liberal fashion, and they seemed more appreciative than anything else. It was as cold as ever in the corridors, which would serve to quickly cool them down but might soon have them shivering, even Kurva with her fur coat felt the chill by the end, pads dancing lightly over the frigid deck. When they finally passed the now almost empty cafeteria and turned into a hatch a few meters down she was thoroughly ready for the steam and hot spray herself.

"Wish these were baths but there's logistical problems with holding a large quantity of still, open water on the ship," she explained as they entered. The general area was set up simply, with a changing room featuring benches and shelves where users could put their clothes and personal items, where Kurva set up her armor and other effects. Only a couple other crew were in the compartment, a reptilian Berrax and a human woman who glanced at the newcomers before finishing putting on their uniforms and walking out. So when they entered the main shower area, which was nothing more than a large room with shower heads and soap and shampoo dispensers along the walls and bars with towels hanging from them at the back, it was deserted. Striding over to one Kurva turned it on and a spray of warm water came out instantly, which she immediately stepped under, beckoning to Lucia.

"What do you think so far?" she asked, voice more than loud enough to be heard over the hiss and patter of water against the floor. Water ran over her feet as it streamed towards central drains, bound for a purifying recycling system. "Not a bad little command, if I do say so myself. Wash your back? I could probably help with those bruises."

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Even given the rather liberal approach of Roman society in general and the Legions in particular to the naked human form Lucia found it rather strange to walk through a ship with nothing on. Never the less she found it oddly liberating although she rather doubted it would catch on aboard a Roman warship, and she was at least somewhat comforted by the fact that there were other off-duty Xiscapians who were likewise ‘attired’. She didn’t miss the looks and smiled broadly with amusement as they made their way through the ship with impunity. She felt the cold against her skin, especially as it began to cool the formally warm sweat that had resulted from her exertion and she was infinitely glad that there was a shower waiting for her at the end of this trip through the ship.

When they arrived at the showers Lucia placed down her uniform tunic, gladius and other equipment and eagerly followed Kurva towards the showers, echoing the mutual wish that it was in fact baths but of course understanding the reason why you couldn’t have them aboard a warship.

She stepped underneath a shower and immediately felt the hot water on her skin and relaished the feel as it flushed the sweat and dirt from her skin leaving her feeling much cleaner. The pounding of the water began its task of releasing some of the strain in her muscles. She leant backwards under the shower to stretch her spine which clicked slightly as it realigned itself, she then stood back up straight and leant forward to do the same.

“I’m no naval expert, but I like,” Lucia replied with a smile. “Interesting design but clearly capable, well equipped and well staffed.”

It didn’t take her long to consider Kurva’s offer.

“Yes please.”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Communal Showers...

Upon reflection Kurva was glad for Lucia's open-mindedness. It was nothing for a kitsune, but most humans she knew would not have willingly wrestled her in the nude. Most would have insisted on stopping to change before walking through six decks of the ship. Indeed, she suspected most would have insisted on staying in bed in the infirmary. But Legionary Lucia Ivanos, she was quickly finding out, was not most humans.

Dousing herself in the shower's jets, Kurva let it wash over and into her fur, dampening it and slicking down the hair, making her seem even smaller than normal. It was therapeutic, like she was being worked over by dozens of warm, wet fingers by some skilled masseuse, and she turned on the spot, letting it run down her front, dripping off her snout, between the cleft of her breasts, down her taunt belly and in between her legs. Leaning over, she hit the dispenser's pad and let the soap pile up in her cupped hands before covering herself in it, applying the foam across her body. She glowed with pride at Lucia's complements, she had been with the Lightening Song for several years and she loved to show off her chosen home and family. At the Roman's response though she turned to face her back and raised her hands, starting at the top around the shoulders and the base of the neck and slowly moving down.

The Marine Commander's fingers, which before had been forceful and domineering, were now soft and tender. Her hands had lost none of their strength, but she was applying it in a different way, rubbing the kinks out of Lucia's muscles and helping her relax. She knew human anatomy well enough to be able to find muscles and nerve clusters, massaging them easily, and when she came to the bruises left by her own knees her touch was light and served to wash the pain away, undoing her own work. Before long, however, her hands found their way even lower until they were cupping the Legionary's firm buttocks, kneading them gently. It was then that Kurva leaned forward, pressing her body against Lucia's back, and at this range even she would be able to smell the pheromones wafting off the vixen.

"I like you a lot," she told her, voice husky, snout just over her shoulder, vulpine eyes glittering. "I did since I laid eyes on you. Wrestling you was...amazing. I didn't want to let you go at the end." She let out a shuddering sigh. "Do you like me?"

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia relaxed under the Xiscapians touch as she massaged her muscles and began to undo some of the damage her own actions during their wrestling had caused. Another beings touch was much more effective than the simple pattering of water against her skin. She was surprised that the Xiscapian knew human anatomy well enough to give an enjoyable enough, not to mention effective massage. She shuddered gently under the touch as it reached the bruises caused by the knee strikes, they were still a little tender for obvious reasons.

It was hardly surprising given their interaction that the Major’s hands made their way down to her buttocks and began to knead them as she had the rest of her body. She considered the situation that she had found herself in. As Rome had invaded other species and conquered them it had gone without saying that over the years there had been liaisons between the Roman conquers and their new found population, to the extent that there were plenty of hybrids that had inherited their Roman parents Roman Citizenship, it was one of the most subtle forms of Romanization. Therefore most Romans were generally open-minded to sexual relations with other species although it was on the individuals personal preferancies. In the case of Lucia she was not opposed to the idea, and found Kurva to be attractive.

Lucia didn’t tense and she leant back against Kurva’s body as she leant in, feeling her breasts against her back. She turned her head slightly towards the Major before replying.

“Yes I do,” Lucia smiled. “What do you think we should do about it?”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Communal Showers...

Working tirelessly, reveling in the feel of taunt skin under her palms, Kurva practically purred to Lucia. She gave a small groan as the woman fell back against her, squeezing her breasts into the Roman's wiry back. Sliding her hands up over her hips, along her smooth belly and up to her firm breasts, she began to give them the same treatment she had the Legionary's rear. This allowed her to press her pelvis against Lucia's bottom, water escaping between them in rivulets as she pulled the girl against her, like she was physically trying to make two become one. She leaned her head around as the woman spoke again, smiling.

“Yes I do. What do you think we should do about it?”

"I think we both know the answer to that," she murmured, and, craning her head forward, kissed Lucia hard on the mouth. The angle was mildly uncomfortable so she lost no time in guiding the woman in turning around with her hands, putting them front-to-front. Her hands ran up and down Lucia's sides and hips as they pressed together, Kurva doing everything she could to not break the lock of their lips. Even as they came together she ran her tail teasingly between her legs in an echo of what she had done earlier in the wrestling match, only this time instead of trying to unnerve her Kurva was doing her best to excite Lucia.
From what she could tell, it was working quite well, and so she smiled into the kiss, eyes closed.

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia moaned softly as she felt Kurva’s hands all over her body and in particular across her sides and her breasts. She eagerly reciprocated the kiss, even more so as she turned around and as they pressed their fronts up against each other as they continued their intense kiss. She herself ran her hands along the Xiscapians body preparing to do with her hands what she could not without a tail. She shivered into the embrace as she felt the tail between her legs. She didn’t know how this was going to end, or what they were going to face in the near future but she was determined to enjoy every minute of it. She knew that if they were going after the enemy then there was every possibility that she would be dead in a few days, if that was what the Gods dictated then she would not argue. For now she would enjoy herself.

She pushed the Xiscapian up against a wall, broke the kiss long enough to smile, before kissing her again.

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Communal Showers...

An eternity later Kurva raised her head from where she was lying slumped against the bulkhead under the shower. Water dripping from her fur and snout, she smiled softly at the form of Lucia sprawled across her, head in her lap, only now getting her breathing under control as the kitsune was doing the same. Their union had been as intense as it was pleasurable and had left them both winded in a way that even the running and the wrestling had failed to achieve, so for a time they had just laid together, letting the water fall on them and wash away the traces of their lust. She wanted to just stay like this for another hour or so, but a hunger that had nothing to do with sex was gnawing at her belly and she knew she would soon have duties to attend to anyway. Reaching out and stroking Lucia's head to rouse her, Kurva waited until she had withdrawn from her before standing, stretching mightily with a fox-like whine, ears perking and tail raising.

As her lover also stood Kurva reached out and kissed her one last time, slowly and easily, savoring it. Then, breaking off with a wide grin, she turned the shower off and crossed the room, making for the towels where they were hung up in waiting. Taking two, she threw the first over her own shoulders, letting it hang off her body before turning to Lucia. She couldn't resist snapping the towel edge against that lovely rump, laughing as Lucia jumped before throwing her the towel, taking her own and starting to dry herself off. Focusing around her head for the moment, trying to sponge all the water out of her hair so it wouldn't keep running down into her fur, she walked out with Lucia behind her into the changing room.

"You've had practice with females," she observed with a smile as she dropped the towel on one of the benches and bent over to start gathering up her armor. "Is that your preference?" She glanced curiously over her shoulder at the Roman.

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia was glad that it had happened. Given everything else that had happened recently she had needed something like this, some love and some satisfaction. She had not felt so good in a long time and would have more than happily remained there for longer as Kurva would. But like the Xiscapian Major she knew that they couldn’t. She awoke quickly and climbed to her feet and stretched as well. She enjoyed the last kiss, particularly it’s slowness. She saw the towel coming but was unable to avoid it before it struck her behind and jumped away in surprise before catching the towel and following the Xiscapian into the changing room.

Lucia was able to dry much quicker, lacking any substantial body hair save for on her head, and as such she towelled herself off and was about to start dressing when she heard the question.

“I have indeed,” Lucia confirmed with a smile. “As for my preference, as a culture we Romans have never had a word in Latin referring to same-sex unions, Hetro and Homo Sexual have no reference in Latin, we do not see things in that way, although other concerns regarding such unions have ebbed and changed over the years. Personally I have no preference, I’ll take either.”

She added a wink before drying the last of her hair and placing the towel down on the side. She reached first for her uniform trousers and pulled them on, they were relatively light but still remained smart and not too informal to be a uniform. She pulled on her boots and quickly secured the laces. As she dressed she watched Kurva continue to dry. After a few moments she took her tunic and pulled it over her head and slipped her arms through the short-sleeves and checked that all her patches and various insignia were in the right place. Standing she took her belt and attached it around her waist, ensuring that the uniform was positioned as it should be, before reaching for her dagger and Gladius both of which she attached to the belt in their correct places. Finally she picked up the blood red cloak that marked her out as a soldier of Rome (although it had expanded to include all military personnel) and threw it over her shoulders, attaching by a clasp around the neck and allowed the material to fall to the ground.

For the first time since coming aboard she would be in her role as a Legionary of Rome and she had to look the part. Any warrior of Rome, any Roman Soldier or Officer whilst on duty was representing Rome, a duty which everyone in the military took very seriously. Whilst in uniform they were the living embodiments of Rome’s will and as such they had to maintain a certain decorum and dignity befitting the might of Rome. The past few hours had been spent recovering, if you could really call physical exercise and sexual activity recovering, but they had been off-duty. Now she had waited long enough and she had work to do. Now fully dressed again she was ready to do it.

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Communal Showers...

Listening with perked ears, finished drying herself and draped the towel over the shelves, reflecting that there was a certain kind of beauty in the way that the Roman language did not discriminate between unions whether they were with male and female, female and female, male and male or otherwise. It struck her as similar to the way that the native Xiscapian language had no word distinguishing between male and female, only the gender-neutral kitsune; even the term "vixen" in the Common tongue was a human word. She winked back at Lucia, chuckling slightly, and pulled out her bodyglove. It same on as simply and easily as she had taken it off, zipping up again in the back before she knelt and separated her armor out from her shotgun. Time to get dressed for duty.

It took her several minutes, as she had to apply each segment in turn, laying it over her body and using her implants to run diagnostics on each to make sure they were all in working order. It was a type of "thin" power armor that afforded the usual benefits of the exo-skeleton -greatly increased strength, maximized running speed, full seals and NBCI (Nuclear Biological Chemical Informational) protection that worked submerged in water and in the vacuum of space, gave her climate control features, made her impervious to all but the heaviest blunt force and cutting edge damage and gave her protection against shrapnel, stun beams, projectiles and explosives- without most of the bulk. Her helmet afforded her three hundred sixty degree vision (something she had had to train to be able to use), polarized lenses that protected her eyes from the effects of flash-bang grenades and bright lights, an on board sensor suite that allowed her to scan through smoke, fog and fire and a built-in HUD (Head's Up Display) that would allow her to identify and track friendly and enemy units and access her climate controls, scanners and helmet camera. It also came with a communications link that automatically cycled to prevent interceptions or jamming with audio options for speaking openly, privately to individuals in her unit or receiving transmissions from other sources. The helmet itself was padded to prevent head injury, and was divided into four layers; the outer armored carapace, an anti-blaster mesh beneath that, magnetic shielding below that to foil enemy hacking attempts on his on-board computers and then the interior insulator. It conformed uniquely to her head to accommodate for its shape as well as his ears and muzzle; no human would have been able to use it effectively.

When she was finished it was as if Kurva had vanished and been replaced by this faceless, anonymous kitsune soldier. The suit concealed her identity so well it was impossible to tell her gender beneath it, though species was still clear thanks to the prominent ears and tail and muzzle-shaped helmet. Strapping her shotgun across her back, the Major retracted her helmet into her armor, looking Lucia up and down in approval. "Smart uniform," she commented. "Wouldn't want to try to fight with that cape though. Personally I'm famished, so let's hit the mess."

Moving out of the showers, Kurva walked them the few meters out across the corridor and into the mess hall. It was set up simply, tables with stools attached at intervals throughout with a serving corridor on the far bulkhead. As it had been when they had passed it earlier, the compartment had only a handful of people occupying it, all off-duty crew and soldiers focusing on their meals. Even as the Marine Commander and the Legionary walked to the serving station they felt the ship rumble around them. "Must have just entered Jaunt," Kurva thought aloud. "Must be going back to the Kana System with the Concord in tow. Won't be long now."

The selection of food before them was less than impressive. It seemed to consist mostly of freeze-dried foodstuffs warmed over and left in pans and trays for those with plates to help themselves, some assorted meats, greens and pastas mixed in with preserved fruit and breads, some familiar to Lucia, some not. There didn't seem to be any seasonings or condiments available. Kurva was piling food onto her plate readily enough, taking a little from every source. "It all tastes practically the same and if the meat's not rubbery then it's stringy as fuck, but it's nutritional and filling. What you get when you let the military design food," she said with dry humor as they carried their plates and utensils to nearby seating.

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS ConcordDetachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

“We take the cloak off to fight,” Lucia laughed.

Lucia was more than grateful to get some food down her she had not eaten in some time. She was more than capable of going without food whilst on combat operations but that didn’t mean that she had to enjoy it, she enjoyed getting her chow as much as the next. They crossed the short distance to the mess hall and went to get their food. The food didn’t look particularly nice but she knew better than to refuse food, after all who knew when they would next get a good meal. She believed Kurva when she said that despite the appearances that it would be more than nutritional.

“I’ve seen far worse,” Lucia laughed.

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Mess Hall...

Sitting down at a table, Kurva picked up knife and fork and dug in, starting with the meat and moving to other dishes as she went. Crews and troops everywhere liked to rag on the military for its food, but she knew at least part of the reason for it was because with rapidly diversifying fleets and armies including all kinds of species the chow had to be more and more regulated to be edible and halfway palatable to every group. It was why she, Lucia, the faceless Remelar pilot a few tables over and the amphibious Sar in the far corner could all sit down together to eat the same food. At least, she thought, her Roman counterpart was eating with gusto. Chewing a piece of synthesized beef (rubbery this time) Kurva swallowed and got up for a moment, going off to the side of the cafeteria and returning with two cups of water, one of which she put before Lucia.

"Practically all they'll let us drink normally," she sighed before taking a drink. "Officers can get tea, coffee, even liquor if they buy it themselves. I would have my own stash, but I've got to set a good example for my troops, and that means only getting drunk on special occasions." The kitsune allowed herself a small chuckle. "Are you a drinking woman?"

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia looked up from her food with a wry grin.

“I’m a Roman Legionary,” She laughed. “We have something of a reputation, tends not to be a good idea to bother a group of Legionaries out on the town.”

She shook her head with a smile.

“But the answer is yes,”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Mess Hall...

“But the answer is yes."

"Yeah?" Kurva grinned in response. "I like vodka myself, it's the only native Xiscapian thing worth drinking around here if you want to get more than a little tipsy. Kitsune generally have notoriously low alcohol tolerance, so compared to most Xiscapian alcohol is very weak. Not me, though, so I go with the vodka, and sometimes Setulanite hard stuff, brandy and whatnot. What's your poison?"

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

“Well as a culture we Romans have a soft spot for wine, by the Amphora-load,” Lucia grinned. “It’s a multi-billion Denari industry, indeed no agricultural or training colony is considered to be successful until it has produced it’s first harvest of wine, and is a landmark event as it starts to bring in a lot of new funding to the colony in question.”

Lucia smiled slightly at her diversion.

“AS a Legionary however I will happily drink anything alcoholic if it it placed before me, however I have developed a taste for beer, it is after all the main drink we get on deployment so it’s the most common thing I’ve drunk,” Lucia continued. “In short I’d happily drink pretty much anything.”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Mess Hall...

“AS a Legionary however I will happily drink anything alcoholic if it it placed before me, however I have developed a taste for beer, it is after all the main drink we get on deployment so it’s the most common thing I’ve drunk. In short I’d happily drink pretty much anything.”

"Seems like that's something most of us have in common," Kurva observed. "No matter the nationality, species, position, if they're a soldier and they're biologically capable of it, they'll drink. I'll have to take you out to a bar somewhere when we go off-duty again. Bars and bathhouses for a good evening out," she smiled at the thought. "Don't let all this fool you, we know how to have fun, myself included. Of course, you've already felt that." Her smile turned into a full-blown grin before her eyes flicked past Lucia, prompting the vixen to stand.

Walking towards them was Captain Iwamoto. Having never seen or met him before, the Roman wouldn't recognize the short gray kitsune, but judging from the amount of silver gilt around his collar and shoulders, more than any other officer she would have seen so far, the long katana sword on his hip and the way Kurva bowed deeply to him, she would be able to guess his position easily enough. He bowed first in return to Kurva, then to Lucia as in accordance to custom, taking a seat as the other kitsune did the same. "Legionary Ivanos," he greeted her with a nod of his head, ears twitching where they extended from the top of his cap. "I am glad to see you are well along the road to recovery. No doubt the Major has been of some assistance," he made the statement deadpan, but a certain glitter in his vulpine eyes told them that knowing Kurva, he could make a very accurate guess as to what that assistance had entailed.

"We are now approaching Thundersinger starbase in the Kana System with the Concord in tow. It is Kitsune Imperial territory, and as such we have teams standing by intending to begin working on the Concord as soon as possible to get her up and running again. Among our interests would be retrieving data the ship's security systems might have collected on the attackers, if any, and accessing some sort of beacon or long-range communications to alert the Star Republic as to the situation. I would like to know if you can assist the engineer-technician crews in repairing and reactivating the ship. I am aware you are a soldier, not a spacer, but even basic help with the computer systems and the like would be invaluable."

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia turned and saw the officer approach and figured by Kurva’s response was the ship’s commanding officer, or at the least a senior officer, so she quickly followed suite and stood promptly. She saluted sharply in the Roman style in much the same way as Kurva had just bowed before sitting back down once the other two had likewise settled back into their seats, trying to be as comfortable as possible given who she was now speaking to. She nodded in reply to his sentiments as required before digesting his words and responding.

“The main computer core took a beating, but if we can get it back online we should be able to get some information, the actual data storage is really rather tough,” Lucia commented. “I can provide some guidance with our systems as Marine Legionaries act as additional damage control, we aren’t just passengers after all, but if it’s in depth we’ll want to wake one of the techies still in your sickbay.”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Mess Hall...

“I can provide some guidance with our systems as Marine Legionaries act as additional damage control, we aren’t just passengers after all, but if it’s in depth we’ll want to wake one of the techies still in your sickbay.”

"Understood," the Captain nodded. "I will let the engineering teams know that you will be coming aboard to assist and for them to defer to you as far as the Concord's systems go. Major," he turned to Kurva, "show Legionary Ivanos to forward airlock five as soon as you finish your meal. Work on the Concord is to begin as soon as it can be moved into position, so I want her ready to pitch in with the first wave. You may accompany her to the ship if you wish, there is a great deal of other work to be done aboard and I am sure they can put you to good use."

"Yes Captain," she bowed her head. "It will be done."

"Very good." Iwamoto stood as quickly as he had sat. Giving them both a final bow and tipping his cap to Ivanos, the kitsune turned on heel and strode off to tend to his other duties as the frigate maneuvered the Concord and prepared to dock with the starbase. Kurva didn't watch him go, but turned her full attention to her food, eating quickly as she knew they were likely only minutes from arrival. Chasing down the last bite with a swing of water, she balanced her cup and cutlery on the plate, took up Lucia's when she was done, and carried it all back to the counter where it could be washed, sanitized and put back into service. Thus finished, she swiftly lead the Roman out of the mess hall, boots sounding against the metal deck as the kitsune turned the corner and started off down the hallway.

"Do you think we'll be able to get the attention of the Star Republic?" she asked over her shoulder, tail swishing.

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia nodded.

“There’ll be ships out looking for us and they’ll doubtless be scanning as many channels as possible, if we put a strong enough signal out they’ll hear us,” Lucia replied. “If not, I suppose we could always sent a courier ship out to the nearest world, but that’ll take much longer and is much more of a imposition on your people.”

Given the time that had passed Lucia strongly suspected that the Roman forces had already found the location at which the Concord had been attacked, no doubt wondering exactly what had happened to the ship as it was equally obvious that the ship had not been totally destroyed; there was far too little debris for a ship the size of the Concord. Once they had realised this they would no doubt regroup and begin to search for the ship, no doubt assuming that someone had taken it with them, which in a way was the truth, but they needed to get a communication to them as quickly as possible, the last thing that Lucia wanted was for the Roman commander to open fire on the Xiscapians under the mistaken impression that it had been them who had attacked the ship and not the raiders. In a way it was probably best that Lucia would be on the ship, at least they would be able to see a Roman on the bridge of the ship when they no doubt hailed if they found this system before they could be contacted.

“Do you know if any of our techs are awake yet, we could use their help as well,” Lucia commented.

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Corridors...

"Good," Kurva sighed in relief at Lucia's first words, glad to know that chances were that the Romans would be in contact in a matter of days or hours, as opposed to the weeks or even months it might have taken the Xiscapians to find them on their own. They inevitably would have of course, but that would have involved delving into the navigational computers of the Concord, locating coordinates, preparing a ship and delegation and sending them out there, explaining the situation after arrival and so on and so forth, by which time the trail on the attackers would likely have gone cold -or worse, the Romans would have suffered more lost ships and people at their hands. This way they could meet up with the Romans, cooperate with them to track down this newest adversary and annihilate them before they could be a threat to any more Romans or the Kitsune Empire. "I don't think it would be that much of an imposition, considering we already took the trouble to drag the Concord all the way here, but we do need speed," she told her. "The longer it takes for my people to hash things out with yours, the longer those bastards are roaming free."

“Do you know if any of our techs are awake yet, we could use their help as well."

The Major stopped short, thinking, tail curling inquisitively. "I don't," she admitted, "but you're right, they could be helpful. If we hurry we'll have time to make it down to the medical center to pick them up and get to the airlock when we dock at Thundersinger. Let me just check with the doctor and see if any of them are fit to be working." With that she stepped off into a side compartment that proved to be an empty storage room so she wouldn't obstruct traffic and used her vox to ping the Chief Medical Officer.

"Major. I heard you made off with one of my patients." Despite his words, Warsaw's tone was not accusatory; he seemed more amused than anything.

"That I did," she responded, unabashed. "And I'd say she's better for it. Most soldiers don't like being cooped up, you know."

"I'm aware. You're the same way whenever you have to come to us. Even if it's just a routine checkup."

"Yeah, well, soldiers aren't that much different from each other. Look, Lieutenant, are any of the other Romans awake yet? We're about to dock at Thundersinger and the Captain wants Ivanos on the Concord straightaway with the engineering teams, and she thinks having some of the Roman techs will help. I'm inclined to agree. What's their condition?"

"Give me a moment to pull up their records...according to my charts, of the twenty three here eleven are currently conscious, though under my orders they haven't been allowed to leave their beds. The other twelve are still asleep, and I have no intention of waking them. Of those that are awake I couldn't tell you how many of them are techs, we're not privy to that information, but they do seem restless. Normally I'd advise that they continue their bed rest, but given the situation it's acceptable for the techs among them to engage in light work with plenty of rest," he heavily emphasized those last words. "And just in case I will be requesting that a medical team from the Thundersinger be put on standby aboard the Concord for them. If you want them you will need to come down here yourself to discharge them."

"Understood. Thank you, Lieutenant. Ivanos and I will be down in two. Kurva out."

Shutting her vox down, the kitsune stepped back out into the hall and jerked her head back the way they had come, towards the medical bay. On the way she explained what Warsaw had told her, noting that he wasn't aware of the ranks or classes of the awake Romans. Thanks to moving in a swift jog and the Xiscapian soldier's memorization of the frigate's layout they were outside the ship's hospital soon enough, passing the station inside to the rows of covered beds that extended the length of the compartment. Finally slowing, Kurva produced the chart she had borrowed from the desk, handing it over to Lucia in hope that she would be able to recognize at least a few of the names and know who could be most helpful. "Your show for this," she said. "You'd probably do a better job explaining things to your people and getting them to accompany us than I would."

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
XIS Lightning Song, Deep Space

Lucia glanced along the names and managed to put faces to the names as well as their departments and specialisations. She noted that at least two of the people she would need were actually commissioned officers which would potentially make this a questionable situation as they technically outranked her, it all depended on whether or not they trusted her or accepted her situation-granted authority. If not then it would be a difficult situation. Regardless she had a job to do and that meant getting back to Rome, if any of these officers wanted to raise a complaint then they would have to wait until they were back in Roman jurisdiction and she would take the rap for it at that point, not now. She went along the line and gathered all of the awake personnel she required and gathered them around her so that she could brief them.

“Okay people, here is the situation, as you all know our ship has been heavily damaged and as a result our new friends have towed us to a nearby system, obviously this means that it’ll be much harder for any Roman assets which are looking for us to actually find us,” Lucia said simply. “They are sending engineering teams aboard to try and get the comm system back online, we’re going to go over and help them. It is our primary objective to get the long-range communications system reactivated so we can put a call out to the Fleet, but if you can get main power back online that would be advantageous.”

Lucia paused and glanced around.

“Any questions?”

“Do you really think that the Fleet is out looking for us yet, Legionary?” One of the naval enlisted questioned. “They may not even know that we are missing yet.”

“They’ll have received our distress call by now, so they should have started looking for us,” Lucia replied. “In any case, if we can get the Comms back online we can send a direct message.”

“What about the Xiscapians, we don’t want them poking around at our systems,” One of the Officers asked.

“At this point we can’t turn down help when we’re in this kind of situation,” Lucia replied. “Hopefully we can trust them not to look too deeply, Anything else.”

There were no further questions. Lucia nodded and the naval personnel turned to get dressed into their uniforms in preparation for heading over to the ship. In the meantime Lucia turned back to Kurva.

“We’re good to go as soon as these get dressed.”

[Xiscapia]

XIS Lightning Song, Medical Bay...

As Lucia rounded up and briefed her fellows Kurva noticed Doctor Warsaw watching from the far end of the clinic, framed in his office door. She glanced over at him and he only nodded, tail raising slightly as his ears also perked. To her, the message was clear; Don't forget what I said. Giving him a small nod, she turned back around to the Romans, having heard every word they said. Looking to the officer who had expressed his concern about the Kitsune Empire getting its hands on sensitive information, she singled him out.

"Trust me, if the techs had orders to pry data out of the systems of the Concord they would have done it already," she told him. She didn't elaborate on the fact that for all she knew, they may well have. Her people liked to keep on top of and in control of every situation. "All you should be worrying about is getting a signal out to your people so they can come for you and your ship." Looking around at all of them, the kitsune grinned. "Major Kurva, by the way. It's looking like I'll be your de facto liaison here. Welcome aboard the Lightning Song, but don't get too comfy, because we're gonna be splitting for the Concord in two shakes of a kit's tail."

Once the Romans were all dressed and armed she led them out into the halls of the warship, headed back in the direction she and Lucia had originally been heading. They made short work of the journey despite the still-weakened crew and cramped quarters they were forced to navigate, arriving at the appropriate airlock soon after the Lightning Song bumped into her docking port, settling into the steel embrace of the starbase outside. As soon as the seals were disengaged the soldier led her little force of Romans through, moving directly out from the hull of the vessel and into one of the structure's great loading docks. The compartment, though low as traditional in Xiscapian architecture, seemed to stretch on for kilometers, and indeed it did, designed as it was to service multiple craft at once. Though it was crowded with people and objects they were nevertheless orderly, crates, drones and machinery making orderly stacks that crew, base staff, soldiers and other members of the KIN moved through in tight groups, not heeding the cool darkness reminiscent of an underground cavern.

"Stick close, wouldn't want any of you getting run over by a grav-cart or something," Kurva chuckled, winding through the pathways of the bay. "This is Thundersinger starbase, biggest independent Xiscapian military installation this side of Chalybs. Thirty two kilometers long, population of over a million if you count all the civvies and freighter crews just passing through. Not many places safer than right here, which is probably why the Concord and all of you got brought here. A sight better than drifting around in deep space I'd say."

It took them some time to walk through the station, as Kurva revealed that the Roman heavy cruiser had been docked at the next bay over due to space constraints. Though Thundersinger was certainly a great deal larger than the Lightning Song, the corridors they moved through looked and felt much the same, not alternating from the cold, dim, low and narrow design aesthetic, the only difference being that they were more crowded with personnel. They passed by a group of off-duty mechanics perched on crates gambling away their pay in some kind of same of chance using a holographic board and armed avatars, a couple of pilots examining schematics of an alien transport, a brace of Imperial Marines jogging off to some distant point and other military officers and enlisted with an even wider range of species and types than were witnessed on the frigate. A few of them gave nods, flicks of the ears or tails or other signs of acknowledgement to Kurva, who returned them promptly -the vixen was apparently well-known here. When they at last arrived at the Concord the only way they knew was because she led them to a set of blast doors and then stopped, waiting to get checked and waved through by the guards there before tapping into her vox and motioning the rest of them back into the passageways of their own ship.

"Engineers say they've already got a team on the bridge," she turned to Lucia by force of habit. There were probably Roman officers present, but it seemed the young Legionary had taken charge and until she was told otherwise Kurva would treat her as the C.O. of what was left of the crew of the Concord. "I assume we'll be wanting to head there? Lead on, anyway," she gestured forward. "You all know this ship better than I do."

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
RNS Concord, Thundersinger Station, Kitsune Empire of Xiscapia

The Roman personnel had kept closely together as they had followed the Xiscapian Major through the station and observed the hustle and bustle around them. Although there were obvious differences it would not be too far to removed to see similar sights aboard a Roman space station. Although the size and scope of the station was beaten soundly by the likes of the shipyards over Rome it was still a remarkably large construction and Lucia was glad at least that they were at what was clearly a highly-capable and well-defended safe haven from the night. Whatever had attacked the Concord would not be able to touch them here. It would be as good a place as any to recoup and repair until they could be recovered by Rome and start the task of bringing retribution down on those that had dared attack a Roman warship. Lucia felt the urge for vengeance running through her veins, there was nothing that she wanted more than to hunt down the creatures responsible for the attack and rip them apart with her bare hands, just as they had done to her shipmates, all but a scant handful of them.

It was gratifying to be back aboard the Concord, even if it was under less than perfect circumstances. The Romans looked around at the airlock with grim expressions, this had been one of them single most concentrated conflicts of the boarding, and as a result there was a great deal of blood and body parts, although they had been moved out of the way of the passage. There were no doubt similar visages all over the ship. Lucia turned to the two Legionaries who had accompanied them, both were male and muscled.

“Legionaries, it’s not a pleasant task, but I want you to start recovering the bodies and assembling a ad hoc morgue in the main cargo bay,” Lucia instructed. “Identify if you can, if not we’ll get some biological scans done later, once you’ve cleared the decks of the honoured dead head down to the Armoury and see if you can find any Power Armour, then start removing any debris that is blocking access to parts of the ship.”

The two Legionaries nodded and saluted sharply in the Roman style before departing.

Lucia turned to two of the naval personnel.

“You two head down to the engineering decks, try and get the internal sensors back online, I want a full damage report as soon as you can manage it,” Lucia instructed. “The rest of you, with me.”

The reason why the young officers were deferring to her judgement would rapidly become obvious. In the time since the attack and their rescue by the Xiscapians she had taken the lead and had got them through it, it was no fault of the officers, they were young and somewhat naive, by contrast Lucia had a hell of a lot more life experience than them and was a natural leader. In any event she was in de facto command, even if legally a Legionary was not supposed to take command of a Warship of the Roman Navy, but she somehow doubted that anyone would have a problem with it, under the circumstances. As Kurva had expected the Romans were more than capable of making their way through the ship towards the bridge and they were making quick progress. Of all of them Lucia was the only one able to make her way through without staring at the bodies and other signs of the fight. At first it would seem that she was being cold and insensitive, but a careful look would show that she was deeply in emotional turmoil but was keeping it hidden for the sake of those under her command.

They arrived on the bridge.

[Xiscapia]

RNS Concord, Bridge...

As the Legionaries and crewmen moved through the ship on their assigned tasks they would find Xiscapians were already there, often having already started doing those jobs and thus grateful for the assistance. Imperial Marines stood at junctions and outside important areas, standing guard just in case the Concord was not as deserted as it seemed and moving pieces of the bodies and equipment scattered throughout the halls and compartments out of the way, though they deferred to the directions of the Romans and started transporting them down to the cargo hold. Engineer-technicians left bloody footprints as they tried to activate anything beyond basic life support, standing over consoles and checking the wiring behind bulkheads and doing their best to ignore the stench of old gore all around them, keeping their helmets on and sealed. There was not nearly enough of them in the vast emptiness of the heavy cruiser than had once been home to nearly a thousand souls to make it feel occupied again, and indeed there were still many long, dark stretches that one could wander into for hours and never see another living person, but it was progress. Indeed, the little team saw more and more of them as they got closer to the bridge, the heart and brain of the ship.

Glancing over at Lucia as they walked, Kurva noticed the way she walked swiftly and without pause, not even seeming to notice the carpet of corpses below her. If it made even her, the Xiscapian veteran of a dozen gory battles, a little sick to see, it had to have an impact on this Legionary. She had known the young woman long enough to know that it did, that she would never forget her friends and comrades lying dead and in pieces on the deck, and that was enough to keep her going. But she was holding it in, for the sake of the people now looking to her for leadership, and in doing so she demonstrated such capability better than any of the officers who outranked her. Kurva wanted to take her hand, to squeeze it to let her know she was there, so she did, briefly but firmly, eyes finding hers for a moment to tell her she was not bearing this alone before they arrived on the bridge.

It was fairly bustling with techies and portable electronics humming and making the compartment rather warm compared to the rest of the ship. Now the Major was all business. "Alright, so we need to get those communications back online. Where do we start?" As ever, she looked to Lucia.

[The Roman Star Republic]

Legionary Lucia Ivanos, Legionary of Rome (RNS Concord Detachment, Marine Legions)
RNS Concord, Thundersinger Station, Kitsune Empire of Xiscapia

Lucia appreciated the brief hand-hold but by the time they arrived on the bridge she had unemotional composure back. In the end she would deal with what she had seen her, she would no doubt have nightmares, but now she had to push that aside, it was a trait that made her a good legionary and a trait that would make her a good leader, even if it made her feel cold an unemotional as she strode along the corridors. Arriving on the bridge it at least felt like it was inhabited, that made her feel somewhat better as she stepped up behind the Command Chair and rested her hands on the back of it as she looked around, her comrades quickly looking at the systems. She considered Kurva’s question as well as what little she knew about the situation the ship was in.

“Well the communications array is still online, otherwise we’d have been unable to contact your ship,” Lucia commented with a frown. “We only had short-range comms primarily because of a power issue, the boarders wiped up the engineering decks in the opening wave of the attack, incidentally that indicates that they at least have some intelligence, in any event if we can get main power back online then we should be able to get a signal out, although we’ll probably want to check all of the data nets that connect with the system for damage.”

Lucia reached down and tapped a control on the side of the command chair, even with just emergency power the internal communications still worked.

“Bridge to Engineering, Decurion Shay, you got anything?”

Decurion Marcus Shaya, the engineering officer she had sent down to the engineering decks along with one of his enlisted personnel, responded promptly.

“The main power linkages out of here are pretty badly torn up, we aren’t going to get any more from here,” Shay replied with a sigh. “If you can get power from the Xiscapian station we should be able to get internal power back, at least enough to get the communications system working and begin to fabricate parts to fix the linkages amongst other things.”

“Roger that, I’ll ask the major,” Lucia nodded and glanced up at Kurva. “Any chance we can get some power, it won’t get the ship fully back online, but we should be able to get a comm call out in minutes, we’d have Roman ships here within a pretty short time and we can begin to work this thing out.”