Hiring a Crew

Ellara glided down the ramp of her brand new, Gamma-model, not-even-released-yet, souped-up, hyper-speed SkyHawke and looked out at the grungy filth of Plutos. As she watched, a pair of overweight men labored to drag a refueling hose to her ship, and a bitter smirk fell across her mouth. Disgusting little creatures. As she approached them, they stopped, and she raised her hands, pushing them back. They stumbled and looked at her with wonder while she addressed them coldly, "Now, gents, come, let's not think our fat little grubby hands will be touching my brand new ship, shall we? Go play some game," she hefted the rubber onto her shoulder and called back to them, "or some other thing your tiny brains can manage well!"

One of them, regaining his wits more quickly than his friend, remained undaunted. "That's a right fine ship you got there, miss. Ain't never seen none like it!"

Hearing this, Ellara's pride swelled and she turned, a mischievous twinkle blazing in her eye. "Right you are, good sir! And you'll never see another like it ever again." The fact that I've stolen all the blueprints and files on this baby makes that a little difficult.
Yes, Ellara had finally done it. After four and a half years on other peoples' bloody ships, she'd been given the mission to find and capture one. Find it, she did, and capture it she did. The Patrols on board had been so busy trying to see themselves and each other that they'd never noticed the thousands of volts creeping toward their necks. Yes, she had assassinated an entire Patrol guard, taken one of their newest ships, and, to sweeten the deal, she'd also re-entered the Patrol servers. She'd passed five of their ships, one of them a War Eagle, and the worst she got was an identification scan. Damn, I should be running this outfit!

Tugging her gloves into place, she examined the fuel center of the ship, then carefully regarded the hose. With the utmost care and precision, she locked the piece into place. This done, she slid down the now-rigid structure that was thrumming with a mix of plasma energy, electricity, and melted crystal and looked around for an easy target. Ah! Sidling over, Ellara tugged off her goggles and looked sheepishly at the young man's ship. The boy in question was having trouble setting up his fuel connection, so Ellara gently tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and some leftover electrically-charged goo splattered onto her arm, shocking her rather violently. Immediately he gasped and reached out, wiping it off with his sleeve.

"Oh! Oh, geez, miss, I'm SO so sorry! Please forgive me, that was dumb!"

Yeah, it was...

Turning her eyes back into adoring, innocent buttons, she smiled warmly. "Oh, it's fine. Happens to me all the time!" Hesitating, she glanced past him as if just noticing his dilemma. "I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps you'd like some assistance there? I'm sure it'd make your job go a little more quickly... so that a break can be sooner coming." The play in her voice was wicked, and the sucker fell for it.

"Well... if you wouldn't mind..."

Taking his hands, she had him pick up the handles and align them to the tank properly. She then leaned back (which he quickly caught on to), then she shoved forward. There was a dull crack and she grinned triumphantly. "We did it!" Sharing a high five with him, she accepted his thanks and winked, replying with the same wicked tone, "Anytime." She gently slid away and he grinned, staring after her before he crossed and placed his Patrol key into the hose's electronic station. Once he'd finished, he walked toward the center of business briskly, probably looking to catch up with her.

Meanwhile, Ellara had not gone farther than 20 feet. She sat, invisible to all eyes, on the ground, and when he'd gone, she crossed, removed his key, then returned to her ship and used it on her own. Thanks, P. You guys are great! Walking back, she replaced the item and snickered. I could use a drink.

She wove her way through the throngs of people into her favorite club and slid along the back wall to the back, materializing once she had reached the bar. The two guys she had wedged herself between looked up with surprise when a chick appeared in less than a half a second. They began their eye wars over her back as she leaned on the bar and flagged down the bartender. The guy immediately skipped over and cried, "Chaos, my love! Such a long time since we'd last seen you. Been hearing rumors you got yourself some pretty new wings." He slid the radioactive-looking drink up to her and winked. "All of these are on me tonight if you'll take me for a ride. You know how I'd love to get out of here! If you'd ever be willing to take me-"

Ellara stopped him before he could finish with a light laugh and a gentle push. "Oh, Alyn, you tease! You know I don't let men buy my drinks!" She slid the coins over the counter and he picked them up, his eyes filled with sick disappointment. "You're the tease, girl. You tease every man around but none of us can tease you." He left her with this and she shrugged, taking a sip. Not my fault the only skill you have is mixing drinks. This thought brought her back to the reason of her trip, and she stood, backing away from the counter and sauntering over to the bulletin board. Hirers posted their job openings there, but some of the more skilled men posted their own ads. She read them all and snorted. None of these jobs would be too much for me. I need a real crew.

Leaning back against the edge of the electronic board, she put on her captive business smile and waited, hoping that she wouldn't be standing there all night.

Siegfried woke up in his tiny hotel room on the corner of a busy street on Plutos. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got out of bed, walking briskly to the bathroom. He vacated himself, and then got dressed before leaving the room and making his way onto the street. As he walked, he began musing to himself.

Errgh. This planet is a dump, I hope there's someplace at least half-decent open right now. Oh look, This ought to do.

Walking down the main concourse, Siegfried spotted a tiny little martial-arts dojo that seemed to be open. Standing out side of it were 3 very large punks, who seemed fairly confident that nobody would mess with them. Seeing this, Siegfried did not really care, and proceeded to the dojo, dodging between the 3 men to get inside. As he passed, the 3 goons turned and stared at him before laughing and calling after him.

Hey, idiot! What are you going in there for? We don't recognize you, so your not a student, which means that the master is gonna beat your ass! Ha-ha-ha! Hope you've got a good reason for being here!

Looking back over his shoulder, Siegfried threw the men the peace sign and then continued on. After entering the main room of the dojo, which was covered in padding, Siegfried looked around, soon spotting a giant man who was obviously the master of the dojo. Seeing the strange man enter the building, the master yelled over towards Siegfried, and then walked over towards him.

Hey, little-man! What are you doing here? You're not one of my students, which means that you're not allowed here, so bugger off!

Wiping the man's spittle from his face, Siegfried looked up at him and began to speak.

I'm here for my morning exercises, and your dojo was the closest one. I really would like to be allowed to practice in peace, because I'm not in the mood for dojo-hunting so early in the morning.

Upon hearing this, the large man laughed and then stepped onto the padded practice-area.

You show no respect for your obvious better, you little shit. If you're so confident, then step up.

The man then dropped into a standard karate-defense while watching Siegfried, who sighed and then stepped onto the mat.

Very well. I'll attempt to restrain myself enough to keep from killing you

He then dropped into a pose that was a fusion between Pencak Silat and Taekwondo, with his hands parallel with his body, fist close to his face, and his legs situated behind him, making his body long and giving him a good angle to push from. He then suddenly charged forward, popped up a tiny bit, and then punched the man in the gut, spinning his fist as he did so. This results in the man being sent flying across the room, landing against the wall upside down. Siegfried then brushed himself off, and then started doing a series of elaborate moves using a combination of Muay Thai and Capoeira, while the three goons ran in and then over to the master, trying to wake him up. Right as he finished, they managed to get the man up and standing, and hauled him over to Siegfried.

How the hell did you drop me so easily? I have never heard of any martial artist on this planet who was that good.

Siegfried nodded and then began to leave, before turning back for a moment and addressing the man

That's because I'm just in town for a little while. My name is Siegfried Feuerstein, and I'm on my way back out to the system, and figured I could use a little morning exercise.

After he said this, he turned and left. As he walked away he heard the man start to mumble to himself in a half-fervour, talking about legendary fighters and demons, before passing out again. Leaving the dojo, Siegfried made his way to a club he saw on the other side of the street, and walked up to the bar. Taking a seat, he flagged down the barkeeper.

Hey barkeep! I've been awake an hour and already kicked somebody's ass, can I get something kind strong?

He then sat and waited for the drink, looking around and making mental notes of the hottest girls, before seeing Ellara and having a buzzer go off inside his head. Definitely gonna have to make her acquaintance....

Ellara had been standing there only a short time when a young, timid-looking, chubby Modified sloshed up to her. His uniform made her want to puke, and the rank tendencies of his breath did nothing to improve his situation. He hiccuped and nearly fell over, but after struggling to regain himself, he managed, "My only wish... is t-to be fr-free!" Having no patience for men, let alone blindly drunk ones, Ellara immediately pulled the bazooka out of her belt and, turning off the safety and cocking it in the same motion, she pointed it straight in his face, her eyes a forceful reminder that this wasn't a joke. "Well, then, I suggest you become a free-floater, but not just now, sweetheart, because any one of us would gladly use you for target practice." As the man burst into tears, she slowly turned back on the safety and put the gun away. He fell forward and groveled at her feet for a moment before she kicked him in the chin, knocking him out. "Be glad it was me, and not somebody else."

A couple of the man's buddies came and carried him out, one of them giving her an angry look and another a light apology as he passed. It didn't make any difference to her if the man lived or died, but she wasn't going to kill him in a state like that. She'd stoop low for some things, but her anger wasn't one of them.

A few more drunk people came by and one sober, serious one did, but the man was a mechanic, not quite as good as Ellara, so she let it pass. As the evening droned on, she watched people enter, including an attractive man, probably Genetix, with a carefully-kept expression. It took him a while to see her, but when he did, she could see that same look that every man gave her. She grimaced when their eyes met and looked away. Should I mess with him? Try to see if he's game? The idea was intriguing. The next time their eyes met, Ellara scowled again, but this time, she vanished.

When she reappeared, she stood at the man's side, her empty glass perched between her index and middle fingers. Immediately, her friend Alyn had refilled it and she grinned, querying, "Al, you haven't been talking around about me, have you?" He glanced at her for a moment, then understood and smiled impishly. "Of course not, Chaos. You know I'd never. Why? Too many lookers lookin' on tonight?"

Ellara dissolved once again, and when she reappeared, she had shifted to the man's other side. "Too many beasts with the wrong intent!" She shook her head and downed her drink. Locking eyes with the bartender, she raised an eyebrow. "I need a crew, man, and this ain't gettin' me one. All these lookers, all these prowlers, but none of them are serious. Maybe I'd be better off lookin' someplace else."

When she faded back into existence at her previous post next to the bulletin board, Ellara crossed her arms and stared blankly at the dance-floor. She loved to dance, but she didn't want to miss the right opportunity. The bar conversation had, hopefully, helped her promote her adventure - She didn't want to have spent all that night there just to have wasted her time. Glancing at the time, she resolved to stay an hour more before departing, with or without a good crew to work with her.

After spotting the rather attractive lady who appeared to have set up shop beneath the job board, Siegfried sat and nursed his drink while watching her. After a time, she looked up at him and their eyes met a couple of times. He kept watching her, until she suddenly started to move, disappearing suddenly, and then appearing next to him a few seconds later. Guess she's a Modified then... Probably Genetix too, much too pretty to be Patrol. After she talked to the barkeep and switched from his right to his left, he decided that this was mainly for his benefit. Guess that's my cue then. I am a bit curious what a lady like that needs a crew for though... hmm, guess I'll know soon enough

After the lady resumed her post, Siegfried stood up and quickly threaded through the crowd, approaching her from the side. When she noticed him, he bowed slightly and stepped up, smirking.

"Hello there miss. Fine evening, ehh? I couldn't help but overhear your exchange with the bartender, and I got to be a bit curious as to why such a pretty thing as yourself would need a crew. Could it be your a ship captain, because I don't think I've ever seen a ship-jockey with such... 'pleasing' features, if you catch my drift. Names Siegfried by the way, Siegfried Feuerstein. Didn't manage to catch yours"

As he talked, he continued to study her, noticing for the first time the assortment of weapons and other such items on her belt. Hmm, note to self: 'Don't get the pretty lady pissed, she has some dangerous toys'

Her game had, in fact, had the desired effect. When she looked up from the dance area, she saw that her "friend" from the bar had joined her. Dropping her foot away from the wall, she stood upright, still a few inches shorter than him. This didn't bother her in the slightest, since she carried herself proudly. Even as he spoke, she scoffed internally. This guy has a lot of nerve... If I were talking to a potential future employer, the last thing I'd start talking about is their appearance... But whatever. When he was done, she offered her hand, and shook his in a firm grip.

"I prefer to be called Eris or Chaos in public places. As for why I'm here, I am a pilot. What I look like is irrelevant - I can guarantee that my ship is the best, and that I'm more than competent in getting him around." While most captains referred to their ships as feminine objects, they were, for the most part, men, so she felt herself in the right to speak of it in a masculine light. "However. The crew it came with was completely incapable of being useful, so I had to remove them from service. I'm looking to hire six new people to take their place." She didn't mention the fact that she'd killed the previous crew... Details like that were sometimes better left out.

Appraising the man for what his physique might tell her for the first real time, she concluded that he was probably an ex-Patrol, like most of them, and he'd probably been a successful soldier. While looks could be deceiving, she didn't peg him as the bodyguard-type, although he could be useful just because of his looks. He was a cute boy - Definitely worth dragging around if he'd bring his little paying girl-friends with him. She also noted that he was armed, so he could defend himself.

Resolving that it was worth a try, she smiled at him. "What skills can you offer me?"

Siegfried shook her hand and noted how she was not afraid to shake his hand so strongly. Well she's got some spunk. Hmm, she didn't recognize my name which makes since since she's a new captain, and I haven't done many jobs in this sector... Guess a demonstration is in order, heh. After she finished talking and posed the question concerning his abilities, Siegfried chuckled a bit and looked around for a suitable place for a demonstration. Seeing the dance floor, he decided to use it.

"Skills? Well first miss Eris, I'd like to tell you my previous experience. That usually how these things go, ehh? At any rate, as I said, I am Siegfried Feuerstein. What I didn't mention is that I am a former Enforcer, (just for clarification, that's basically an assassin who can also just beat people up), for the Patrol, and a freelance Genetix merc. I basically hitch-hike around the system helping various Genetix captains, such as I'm assuming your are, with various odd-jobs, because I haven't quite found a ship I like yet. As for my abilities, I am a master-class martial artist who has mastered over 20 different styles. I am also quite a good sword-fighter, knowing several sword styles, ergo this nice katana at my side.

As he spoke, he watched her face for any reaction, to see how she reacted to his admitting to basically being a political assassin. Hmmph, most places that'd just get me arrested, but for some reason I think I can trust her, better safe then sorry though...

Well, that's my spiel. So, want a little demonstration? I can do a little Capoeira on the dance floor, or we can just dance a little first, your pick.

As he suggested the show of some of his skill, he smirked a little internally, having snuck the proposition in to the proposal. Well this will either get me a job, a fun night, or slapped. Oh well, I'm willing to accept those odds.

Ellara listened intently and grinned. While she hated the impunity of men, and his did not falter, she also felt him to be just a generally not-bad guy. She didn't think he'd be one to walk into her room and rape her in the middle of the night... Although, he might sneak into her room, wake her up, and ask her if she'd let him into bed with her because he'd had a bad dream or some such nonsense. And while the girl who liked to be called Chaos could get serious on the dance-floor, she didn't feel completely comfortable enough that she was just going to throw herself out there like that.

"I'm not really interested in dancing tonight, but I can watch you and keep pace with everyone else too. If you really impress me, I might throw in a real dance move." Proud of herself, Ellara couldn't resist throwing up her own bet, and so the odds were placed. She followed him to the center of the floor and people shifted away from the two of them. Immediately some idiot blond took one look at Ellara and was already challenging her, but for the moment, she let it go. Ellara had better things to focus on. She turned where she could see the man and made the smallest movements possible to still look like she was dancing, intent on Siegfried.

His genes probably gave him the power to master all those skills and fighting styles. And I was wrong about him - His looks are, indeed, deceiving. Perhaps this will be useful. He'd make a better bouncer or guard because of it. I only need one thug on my ship - Why let him be someone I don't like when I can have someone just as capable who's much more interesting? But then again, he said he hasn't liked where he's stayed yet. If he's everything he said he is, then I'll propose to let him stay on for free this run, as a passenger. If he likes the ship and the job, he can stay.

She was confident that he'd like the ship. Who wouldn't like that ship?

Siegfried nodded to Ellara's challenge and moved with her to the dance floor, finding a spot near the middle, so that he didn't have to worry about somebody not seeing him and walking off the floor and straight into his feet. He then began warming up, doing a few stretches and then a back-flip or two to limber up. He then dropped down with bended knees and did a couple of side-ways flips, holding himself up with his hands, and then rolling across his back. His feet moved up in the air, getting near to Ellara, accenting her moves, but not getting close enough to show any intent to hit her. He then did cart-wheel-like motion, before doing another side-flip, and landing on his feet.

Well that was just a small piece of Capoeira, doesn't really work well on a dance floor or without another practitioner, but I tried. That was more to show how I can move, rather then actually look good as a dance. NOW I plan on doing some real dancing.

He then took a normal dancing stance, and began dancing alongside Ellara, moving with her small movements, and accentuating them, forcing her to lead somewhat. Heh, this is fun. I haven't done that in a crowd in a while... Now lets see where she takes this, heh.

Ellara smiled. Well, that's nice. To say she was altogether impressed would be an overstatement - She, for starters, was a very difficult person to impress. Secondly, there was nothing about it that she could not comprehend herself doing, and so it was not beyond her reach and therefore above her grasp. Since she was able to grasp the concept, she wasn't impressed. However, she was certain that the technique combined with 19 other styles would make a deadly combination, and so she was satisfied. As she had promised, when he edged toward her and began to move with her, she freed up those movements. On impulse, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, turning his body, for only a fraction of a second, invisible. He seemed a little disoriented when she released him, but she laughed suddenly and broke away, leaping into the center of the dance floor and releasing her tension.

It was clear she was in perfect control of her body. Every muscle seemed in tune and listening to exactly what she said, and every smooth action was smooth; every quick action was quick; every slow action was slow. This blend, plus her own creativity, made her a great dancer. She used a variety of styles and shifted from one to the next with the grace of long practice. Her abilities had been earned - with each club and each bar giving her something new to work on.

Siegfried had been quick in rejoining her, but she was very soon done with the social activity. "Well, that was fun!" Grinning, she touseled his hair, then walked back to the board and resumed her post. She waved at her new acquaintance and, when he arrived, said plainly, "I'll be heading out for the night soon whether or not I've got anyone else. If you'd rather not pay for a place, you can stay in the quarters on my ship and see how you like it," She winked. "...although I promise you won't dislike it."

With that, she returned to her scan of the crowd.

Ellara's plans were cut short by the arrival of the Patrol. In the ensuing, momentary mass confusion, she took the opportunity to reach into her pocket, then gently smack herself and Siegfried in the chest. The Patrol badge had appeared over their hearts, as was tradition for it to be worn. The only difference between these and normal Patrol badges was that they were lighter: they carried no homing device. I hope you're not an idiot and you don't take that off... I'm trying to keep you alive. With that, she returned to her calm, standing state, still on a mission, although she doubted that mission would be successful now.

When the men called the club to order, Ellara watched them, as everyone else did. They began to move through people, sifting through them. Suddenly, they grabbed a man, a human, and shoved him back against a wall.

"WHO ARE YOU LOYAL TO?!"

The blathering man, of course, was so dumbstruck and crying so hard that he could barely speak. He mumbled something along the lines of "Patrol" but apparently it wasn't good enough. The soldier took his armored fist and punched him in the stomach. Ellara gasped and ran through the crowd. Grabbing the soldier's hand, she turned him toward her.

"Hey! That guy's a regular human, you nut! Can't you tell?! Let him alone!" She turned toward the one that appeared to be the commander of the unit and said, in a very diplomatic voice, "You can't just charge in here without explaining yourselves. You have to state your objectives, as ever, soldier - you owe us this right and preparation." She paused. "I'm a Patrol pilot, and never have I witnessed an inspection conducted in such a crude manner. I'm not trying to tell you how to run your group, I'm just telling you how it's always been done and the rules of the game. This is not the way our searches are conducted, sir."

Everyone in the club had been staring at Ellara, and the Saints seemed a little perturbed with the gall she possessed to speak to their commanding officer that way. They all looked at him, hoping for some sort of clarification, and Ellara remained standing as she was, although she'd adopted the general soldier's stance. She maintained this position and waited, watching him with her bright eyes and waiting for his response.

As she started to actually get into the dance, Siegfried was surprised when he was turned invisible, and stumbled. The hell?. Recovering with a flourish, he continued to dance, enjoying the skilled company. As they returned to the board, he leaned over to her and spoke quietly.

"Very nice trick, that. Something like that'd probably prove very useful when flying."

He stood there for a moment listening to the proposal and admiring the deliverer, thinking over his answer. Hmm, well it does sound like it'd be fun, so why the hell not, eh? And hey, if it doesn't go well, I can just grab an ashtray and beat it. Siegfried then broke from his moment of internal dialogue and started to give Ellara his answer.

"You know miss Eris, I think I may just take you up on that offer. Lets see how the night goes, eh? Oh, and..."

Just as Siegfried was framing his next thought, however, the bar suddenly erupted into a hotbed of activity. Looking over the crowd, he very quickly saw the Patrol soldiers. Dammit all! And this was all going so well... Ellara apparently had seen the soldiers too, as she slapped a Patrol badge on both of them. Huh... that's a good idea... Oh wait, maybe I should put on my emblem? I mean, it shows them my former rank, so that may be useful... Oh well, why not, ehh?

Siegfried then reached into his pocket, and pinned a elaborate emblem, that had a rather jarring black bar across it, onto his shoulder. There, shows I'm a former enforcer, but I was still an enforcer so that should stand for something... Ashe finished that though, he saw Ellara run up and help some man the solider was attacking. Ah hell. Well, I guess its time to start my bodyguarding duties... Better have an excuse though, wouldn't look good for a current Patrol pilot to have a former patrol bodyguard, hmm.... Siegfried then walked up from behind Ellara and stood just slightly behind her and to her left, with his hand on her shoulder.


Is everything okay, dear? Don't worry about the soldiers, they're just doing their job, probably looking for rebel scum or some other such thing. Lord knows I hunted down enough of them in my time. You do have a point though, it isn't very becoming of such a well-adorned regiment to be doing such things as abusing the peasants.

Making sure emphasize the 'dear' part, giving himself an excuse, Siegfried then looked up from Ellara after finishing his apparent musing, and turned towards the commander. Heh, this outta be fun...

The name is Siegfried Feuerstein, sir. Former Enforcer for the Patrol. If I may be so bold as to ask, why such a force for this bar? I really do fail to see how a bar on a tiny little planet like this one really warrants this many men.

Mikhael watched as two dancers previously occupied decided to come over, the woman seemingly leading the man in his mens direction. One of his men was being rather rough with a human individual and he watched as this woman seemingly started to reprimand him. He didn't know who this woman was but she had said she was a Patrol Pilot. And it was obvious by the way she was treating one of his men that she didn't know that the man she was addressing wasn't just a mere soldier, or that he was under command of the High Commander. Planning on letting her know this he walked forward and motioned for his Saint to be silent, turning back to the woman he quickly unlatched his helmet and took it off. Carrying it under one arm he looked over her face rather quickly and looked away motioning to his Saints and himself.

"While I understand your critisism towards the methods of my Saints I would suggest you keep to yourself. Not only are you outranked but should you chose to be insubordinate you are also heavily outnumbered. The way the PSC conducts it's raids and searches is undergoing a rework. And my mans question was completely warranted. He asked the man who he was loyal to, he didn't ask him if he was a modified or not. Not all humans are completely in line with the Patrol. And it's obvious previous methods and the "Rules" were not effective enough. Therefor as High Commander of the PSC I've decided to implement my own methods. I've received reports of rumors from many individuals that this dwarf planet has seen much traffic from Genetix soldiers. And I plan on not only leaving a considerable host of soldiers on this world, but to also see to it that all Genetix are sought out and exterminated. That and in truth I really don't have to answer anything to one such as yourself. You should recognize your betters when you see them woman. It's funny that one such as you, a pilot, would even be asking this questions. Why so interested?"

The man that was next to the woman spoke and Mikhael thought about how to proceed. The man carried himself in such a fashion, and was graceful enough, that Mikhael knew he had some sort of martial skill mastered. Either that or he was an exceptional dancer. He noted the distance between himself and the man and shrugged inwardly. It was always possible that this man might try to attack him if the situation turned out of hand, and while Mikhael doubted the mans abilities it wouldn't be good for his assumptions to be incorrect. Speaking to the man but seemingly addressing the entire establishment, his voice filled with authority and malice.

"Why such a force in this bar you ask? We are rooting out all Genetix and Genetix supporters on this dwarf planet. Anyone found helping Genetix will be executed publicly. Anyone found harboring Genetix will also be executed. My previous commander was too lax on this issue, so this new command, myself, will adopt a no tolerance policy. We will rid this work of the Genetix, and each other world one at a time."

He waited.

Ellara's eyes slowly darkened as the man began to lie. Outranked? Ha, what a joke. She ran an individual unit that was above anyone's command, including his. He couldn't tell her what to do even if he wanted to. And high commander was really a joke position because he was still the puppet to the human board. Next, the fact that she was a woman was completely irrelevant. The more he spoke, the more she had the urge to punch him in the face, and so, without much thought in it, she rolled her eyes as he finished, waited for him to finish addressing Siegfried and the bar, then she put her hand on his chest and shoved him back.

"Excuse me." At this point, she pulled the pocket bazooka from her belt and pointed it straight between his eyes. "One, don't call me a woman, because that shows that you're ignorant. Women are just as capable as anybody else, especially in this army, and you should know that. Two, you should watch what you say, because obviously you don't know who outranks who. Fact is, sweetheart, that we're on the same ranking. I happen to be the leader of a little faction called Spies, who, if you remember, falls under no one's jurisdiction. We answer to the board itself, so you might want to check your facts before you open your trap."

Her eyes pierced through him and she stood still, the gun still in hand, with no visible signs of backing off. As a couple of soldiers began to raise their weapons, she cocked it, and they froze, panic-stricken. Her voice was dead smooth, her smile viciously deadly as she spoke, "I hope, for your sake, we don't meet in such disturbing situations again." Replacing the weapon, she smiled wickedly, kissed his cheek, then turned and marched out of the bar, her head held high. When she got outside, she leaned against the outside post to wait for Siegfried.

As he listened to Mikhael make his speech, Siegfried groaned internally. Ergh, since when has the Patrol been led by such a pussy? First he hides behind his men literally, and then behind his rank metaphorically. Also, since when has a large force like that been needed? You bring too many men, you make a commotion, the enemy flees, ever basic commander knows that. Back in my day they woulda' just sent a few enforcers like me, and within a week we'd have invaded the Genetix, killed the leaders, and hunted down the rest of the minions from the top down. Former leader too lax, my ass. You just couldn't see how he was handling things the smart way... After his internal monologue, Siegfried prepared to say the exact same things straight to Mikhael's face, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ellara raise her rocket launcher to the man's face. He then quickly dropped into a defensive stance, with his right and left hands in front of him, slightly curved, and the right under Ellara's gun so that he could move himself to the other side quickly if he had too.

"Don't move boys, this is gonna sound cocky, but I could kick all of your asses, myself unarmed, in a matter of minutes."

As he said this, Ellara also cocked her gun, and the men froze. She then delevered one final barb and departed through the door. Hmmph, I hope she waits up, a free room is too good an offer to pass up. Siegfried then ran forward, put his hands on one of the soldier's shoulders, and flipped over the rest of them, landing at the door. As he passes the first solider, he quickly picked him of is badge and side-arm, without anyone noticing. Going through the door, Siegfried turned and saw Ellara, and then began moving towards her. When he reached her, he passed her the badge and gun.

Here, these may come in handy one day, so... Where's this ship I've heard so much about?

Ellara looked up and smiled at her new companion. He hadn't kept her waiting long, which she appreciated, and put in a mental file to remember when considering whether or not she wanted to hire him and then possible bonuses. Of course, as a runner ship, he wouldn't get a salary, but be paid with each successful transport. It would be to their advantage to advertise well and get a good reputation. While her genes made things that much easier, her training wasn't finished, she knew, and she had to keep that in mind as well. Someday soon, I'm going to go put an end to that nonsense, and when I do, no one will be able to stop me. Amused by the thought, she brought her eyes to Siegfried, and grinned mischievously when he handed her the items. After a brief moment to regard them, she chuckled.

"You know, normally I don't let men give me gifts, but I have to accept such wondrous presents as these." Pocketing the badge, she kept the weapon in-hand and added, "Thanks for that, back there. I won't forget you backing me up like that anytime soon. I hadn't even officially hired you yet, and you did that anyway. That was good." Giving him a twisted half-smirk, she let her eyes wander up the street and nodded. "My baby's that way. But I don't think we want to be followed, so if you don't mind..."

Taking his arm, she wove a field around them that masked their appearance while still allowing them to see each other and themselves. With a sympathetic smile, she whispered, "Generally I don't waste my time with close-range fields, but I know that disappearing is disorienting the first few times, so I don't want you to be uncomfortable." With that, she began to walk, taking care that they wouldn't bump into anyone as they went. The loud streets didn't notice her soft voice as she asked, "So, tell me a little more about yourself. What special factions have you fought under, if any, and what made you leave Patrol, if I may ask? Don't worry, I'm not going to go blabbing. I get impatient with people like that anyway."

She listened to him carefully and nodded, then began to prepare herself for her own scrutiny when she came in sight of the ship. The web melted off and a few people who had been moving about looked shocked to find them there. Ignoring them, Ellara skipped over to the ship and jumped up next to the fuel port, checking that it was ready. She then disconnected the hose and leaped back down, returning it to the pump. Making her way to the cargo bay, she input a long and complex code into a key pad, then stepped to the side as the ship opened. Her eyes were on the moving paneling as she spoke, "I don't have to close up the bay since it comes with an electrostatic forcefield that can be engaged and disengaged, but I'd rather not take any chances, if you know what I mean." Without waiting for it to finish opening, Ellara pounced up onto the dock and climbed up the slowly increasing slant to the inside of the ship.

The cargo bay/garage was a sight to be seen. Its captain had taken extreme care to make sure that fluids and solids alike were removed from the floor. There were ten small repair stations, and five large ones for medium-sized vessels. Three of the smaller parking areas were filled by Racers - low-hovering, high-speed vehicles, - and one held a Czar, a rather large wheeled vehicle designed for livestock transport. Added to this collection was the bulky GlassEye in a repair station, which was used for surveillance, and two single-seat mini jets cabled together to recharge. The two larger walls of the hull were interrupted by four escape pods - two per side - that all had green lights on the indicators. Ellara smiled on her prizes, then turned toward Siegfried and explained the lack of equipment.

"One nice thing about this ship is that you can choose whether or not you leave things out. Anything that came with the ship, like the storage for tools and materials, can rotate back into the wall. It can then be opened either manually or with voice command." Continuing to the back of the huge room, she bounded up a set of stairs and found herself on the deck. The deck held a more comfortable air with cushions on the seats, purple mood lights (probably chosen by Ellara), well-spaced individual stations, and even its own pair of bathrooms next to the entrance. Walking to the pilot's seat, which was decked out in cushions and fabrics, Ellara started the ship up. The lights of the deck flickered on, and the two side screens next to the plexiglass window blinked to life. A mechanical voice chimed, "Welcome captain and guest," and a holographic display appeared in front of Ellara's seat. After tapping in a few things, the voice corrected itself. "Good evening, Siegfried." Smiling, Ellara stood and stretched. "I can't make the voice more masculine, but I figure you don't mind anyway. Would you care to be taken to your quarters for the evening, and possibly the rest of your time here?"

As Ellara commended him, Siegfried bowed sarcastically and smirked. He walked with her, not as surprised this time as the disappeared, and began to answer he question.

"Well, first off, if I may make a point, I don't know much about you either, but I suppose that can wait till later. So, want my story, ehh? Might as well start at the real beginning. I grew up on a small planet named 'Novinha'. This place is patrol-controlled, and an utter backwater shit-hole. My parents were both modified soldiers who were part of a Patrol breeding program. So I popped out, they had their way with drugging my body chemically, further screwing with my genetic powers, yeah me. Then the program lost funding, and we kids were thrown into the street. Well, on a dump like Novinha you either learn to fight, or you die... Needless to say I did the former. So as time went on, I joined martial arts programs, and then the Patrol. I figured they made me, might as well get some use outta me. I went through the training, where they noticed my 'unique talents' and sent me to enforcer school."

At this point, they became visible, and Siegfried took a deep breath before looking back at Ellara, and then the ship. Huh... Nice Ship... He then followed her on board, watching and listening during the tour. When the box said his name he whistled and then turned to Ellara.

Nice trick, heh. At any rate, I would like to see the room, but I would like to finish my story first, if you don't mind, you got me into a story telling mood.

Siegfried then took what looked like a comfy seat and leaned back to continue the story.

"Well, as I said they shipped me off to enforcer school. There I learned to finer points of killing people, I took mainly sword and unarmed courses, but i can still fire a gun okay. So then I became an enforcer and spent my down time on various planets learning more and more martial arts. Then one day I entered in some huge patrol-sponsored tournament and won. Then I was invited into the 'Black Curtain', lovely name, ehh? At any rate, the Black Curtain was the equivalent of a myth to most enforcers, but it turned out to be real. They took the best of the enforcers, wiped their identities off the face of the galaxy, and then used them to do really big things. I was part of a three-man team, with a gun-nut named Steve and a tactician/sniper who didn't tell us his name, so we just called him Elvis, fit him, ya know? At any rate, we killed a lot of people, further the mandate of the Patrol, all of that shit. Well, sometime around then, their identity erasing skills failed, and some people who had seen me at the big tournament started talking about me. I became a bit of an urban legend, so the Curtain let me go out and fight in tournaments to keep up a sense of normalcy. Seeing society again for the first time since joining the Curtain made me realize just how brain-washed I'd become, and I got really pissed, hate being used, ya know? Well, then I decided to quit, which made the Curtain twitchy of course. So they gave me a deal, fight Steve to the death, and if I win, I go free. Well, we didn't much like each other, but then again, I'd hate to kill a man who'd saved me like that, so when we fought I knocked him out and made him seem dead. He woke up a few hours later, sore as all hell, but I was already gone. I then went and bummed around for awhile, joined up with Genetix doing odd jobs, and here I am now.

Siegfried then stood up and stretched.

Well, now that my spiels over, lets go see my room, ehh?

Ellara found it amusing that he thought re-programming the ship's computer to recognize him by name instead of as a guest was a neat trick. Although she had only recently learned to do so, it wasn't a difficult task. In fact, she could re-write the program to insult everyone off-board the ship on loud-speaker and try to seduce those that were in their rooms. It was amazing how far a little coding class went. Still, it was one of those things you picked up while working as a mechanic, and as a pilot in the Patrol, you were forced to be a mechanic for a certain amount of time annually. The whole thing made her wonder how little he worked with technology. While they had barely advanced past their dead, Earth-drained human ancestors, the fact was that most everyone had a basic set of skills. While she didn't think it would be a problem, she mentally filed the fact away with the rest of the information she was receiving. Better to have it in the back of her mind, just so she wouldn't ask him to do something he couldn't handle.

She listened to the story, her form a statue except for the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Even as he finished, she was slow in making any movements. At last, she nodded, her eyes twinkling a bit. "Yes, I do think the Patrol has a knack for pissing people off. I had a similar revelation, only, mine was a touch more complex." Grinning, she turned to front-left of the deck and walked to the corner, where portion of the wall slid back to reveal a small elevator. Stepping inside, she pressed a blue button, then waved him in, holding the door until he'd entered. Once he was inside, she moved her hand and stepped back, allowing the door to close. The only change that occurred was the slight lift the body felt while dropping. She crossed her arms as the door opened and she turned right, striding down the hall it had opened to.

Upon reaching the second door on the right, Ellara stopped and looked at Siegfried. She took his hand and placed it on the gel-covered scanning pad beside the door. Another holographic keypad appeared and she entered the same complex key-code, then re-wrote the program to allow him to enter. She did a few other things that would allow him more privacy, then stepped inside when the panel moved up.

In all honesty, Ellara had never been in one of the crew or guest quarters, so she was looking at the space with the same eyes Siegfried was. It wasn't that much different from the captain's quarters, except that it was larger and the furniture was slightly smaller. Well, that's not fair! But then again, I'm not leaving this ship just because the guests get nicer rooms. There also weren't as many places to hide things. Directly across from the entrance was a shower, with a tinted forcefield that kept water from leaking out and occupants from being seen clearly. The back-left corner (or the one directly to their left) was merged with the double bed, and it had its own night-stand, clock, lamp, and communicator perched on top. There were two identical storage units on either side of the shower, and a mirror on the right side of the back wall. The outlining edges of a small closet stood on the right wall, and next to it was a "comfort station," where the computer would transport drinks and snacks on command. The empty space on the right side of the room had a couch and love seat facing each other, and the wall between them had a screen with a microchip reader. The floor was carpeted, and the room was ready for use, with extra linens and standard-sized clothing stocked on the shelving.

Raising an eyebrow, Ellara commented to Siegfried, "Wow. You guys get it better than I do!" Leaning against the wall, she bit her lip, then continued. "Look, I don't care what you do in here, just don't leave burns, spills, semen stains, or anything like that here. Clean those up. And if you need anything, the black button on the communicator wires to my room directly. If you just tap it, the com-system will tell me there's something wrong in this room, so if you drop it or something, just call in and say that was a mistake. The blue goes to other rooms, so you'll have to specify the number, and the red is for the deck. Everything clear?"