[Fan Fiction] Reforged (Updated 07/26/2021)

[dragoongfa]

Chapter 2, part 3

The ganger and the two civilians following her had a short but intense discussion as Astarte left. It was obvious from their demeanor and what she could sense that the two civilians were following the ganger’s lead and they now had second thoughts about things. Alexandra guessed that the ganger wanted to probe her for information and somehow managed to convince the two civilians to tag along.

“Excuse us warrior, may we join you?” The ganger asked from a respectful distance away after managing to convince the two civilians to stay. Alexandra glanced at them and finally recognized one of them, the civilian who she processed right before the ganger.

“You may join me.” Alexandra replied as she gestured at the now empty chairs next to the table she sat at.

“Thank you.” All three of them sent as they sat down but they all remained awkwardly idle for a few moments before the ganger broke the mental silence.

“The décor of the recreational areas of this ship is weird, depicting Arekka like aliens; shorter and with long flat beaks but certainly Arekka looking.” Alexandra couldn’t help but chuckle from amusement at that.

“They are not aliens, they are depictions of old human stories for children about the early adventures of a fictional anthropomorphic duck, that’s one of Earth’s birds, and how he rose from absolute poverty to be the richest person ever. The ship takes its name from his lucky charm, the first coin he ever earned while still a child.” Alexandra explained.

“Fictional anthropomorphic duck? You mean he wasn’t real?” The ganger caught on instantly.

“No he isn’t real. He is an imaginary character for made up children’s tales.”

“So his stories are all lies?” One of the civilians asked.

“No, a lie is a falsehood one attempts to pass along as truth. These tales were never passed along as such.” Alexandra explained.

“Then why bother creating and passing on such tales at the first place? They aren’t real.”

“To amuse children and teach them important life lessons.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to use real stories for educational reasons?”

“Real stories don’t have the playful and carefree tone that human children find amusing enough to focus their minds on and learn from but many of his stories have elements of truth in them.” Alexandra begun. “His life’s path is an allegory for the path that many took in human history. Migrating from their place of birth where they had nothing to a new world of opportunity in order to earn their fortune. Some failed and perished to the many perils similar to those he playfully overcame but many earned themselves the fortune they sought through persistent hard work.”

“Seems like a good tool for teaching children.” The ganger commented. “But humans are sure odd for naming such a ship after an imaginary story.”

“Yes humans do seem odd at first but the ship wasn’t named by a human nor it is owned by one.”

“But who else is in human space…” A civilian thought before making the connection.

“Many Loroi who came to appreciate human storytelling see a connection between themselves and Scrooge Mc’duck, this ship is a testament to the fact that Loroi who had nothing to themselves three decades ago are now able to procure and maintain entire fleets of ships like this.” Alexandra replied.

“This ship is owned by a Loroi?” The same civilian asked.

“It’s owned by the ‘Atlantis Express’ corporation which is a Loroi owned corporation.” The two civilians couldn’t believe this at first but the ganger was thoughtful as she processed everything.

“So we truly are going to a place of opportunity…”

“Indeed, as long as you follow the law and do no harm to others you will be able to thrive, provided you are capable to grasp the opportunity when it presents itself.” Alexandra added.

“What happens to those who fail? Will they be indebted for life in a work gang?” A civilian asked.

“There are no work gangs nor is there any form of indentured servitude. The legalization of your migration contracts was initially opposed because humans believed that the initial drafts were a form of indentured servitude. The laws passed afterwards made sure that all parties involved had adequate legal protections in place to ensure that there would be no slavery nor any form of abuse of the system from the new migrants.”

“There is bound to be a downside to everything.”

“There is a downside. Humans are deeply fragmented, their current level of unification being only the logical result of Union posturing and aggressiveness. If they were left alone they would have been killing each other in the same ways our pre-unification ancestors did. We may end up being caught in some very violent infighting if we are not careful.” Alexandra begun to reply before sensing a question from one of the two civilians.

“But their males are supposed to be their warfighters, their wars cannot be of noticeable intensity.” A civilian cut in.

“Yes their males are their dominant warfighters and yes their wars were as bloody if not more than ours. It’s one of the most difficult to understand male aspects and I only understood it when I witnessed how their children play for the first time. Their male children play the exact same games like we did when we were kids, mock battles, play fighting and finding creative ways to break and fix their toys. Everything that a Loroi female child finds amusing and enjoyable their males do as well. They are too much like us and they will slaughter each other with the same ease Loroi would to other Loroi. Yet for all these similarities they are still males, beautiful and fragile in similar ways to ours.” Alexandra explained in a way she hoped the others would understand.

“What about their females?” The ganger asked.

“They are like our males in many regards, they prefer social games and certain crafts but they are vicious with each other and extremely vindictive but not in physical ways. One could mistake them for telepaths in how they perceive others but they are not, they are just Mizol-like with their instinctive abilities on how to read others through their demeanor and behavior, unnervingly so if someone isn’t wary of them. They are also very hierarchical and territorial with other females; I often thought that they acted towards me in the same way warrior caste Loroi did to civilians. Especially when it became apparent that human males pursued us as mates.”

“The way you describe them, they must have tried to limit Loroi growth in the past.”

“Of course they did but their usual tactics weren’t as effective since we are females in every way that matters to their males. The ridiculous and panicky reactions and arguments of certain of their factions about how we ‘stole their males’ and ‘endangered the future of their species’ was hilarious and ridiculous under some scrutiny. They chanted that ‘Human children won’t be born anymore’ despite the fact of the widespread use of artificial wombs for more than a century, in some of their nations more humans are now born to a machine than the bellies of their mothers because they find pregnancies to be bothersome.” Alexandra ranted before the ganger cut in.

“You seem angry about them.”

“In the same way I am angry towards many Loroi, especially the Mizol. ”Alexandra snapped back before restraining herself. “To be fair to them there have to be many decent to good females among them, I have even met a few but most human women I have run across are like the Mizol in the way they do things.”

“And their females never fight?” One of the two civilians asked.

“They have their violent tendencies but they are not geared for physical violence despite how some of their stories portray them.”

“That’s weird, weirder even than their males.”

“You have to understand that they are the weaker sex of their kind, weaker than their males and us. The fights between two or more of their females are vicious but ridiculous in their absurdity, unless they have some martial training and they are above average in their fitness.” Alexandra explained before remembering something important. “They learned quickly that we are about as strong as their males and that we have no reservation in hitting them as hard as we can, the next octalogue is about their females so you will be taught tomorrow but the gist of it is that their females are very underhanded and sneaky when they seek to harm someone and since human males don’t like to see females of either of our kinds get beaten up then you will have to learn how to act like their females in order to truly ‘beat’ them.”

“They do seem like Mizol from the way you describe them.” The ganger commented.

“Indeed and they have been of great help, in their own roundabout ways, when we ran into Mizol trickery in the past.” Alexandra replied.

“Is that what you do as warriors? Discovering Mizol tricks?” The ganger asked.

“Yes. That’s our primary mission.”

“And have you had success in doing that?”

“I have shaved a fair number of heads, some even had the good grace of shaving themselves to save me the trouble.” Alexandra bragged and hoped that the ganger caught on the meaning.

“That sounds amazing.” The ganger commented while nodding. “For civilians to be competing with Mizol in their own games.”

“To be frank I have rarely run into a competent Mizol, most of their good agents are sent to the Union’s new territories to maintain order. We at Atlantis usually get the borderline failures but some of us did have some prior experience and training before being sent to the Confederation.” Alexandra replied.

“Experience and training? Like Mizol dropouts or gangers?” One of the two civilians asked, with a weird mix of awe, shock and worry in her mind.

“Indeed, we have a variety of gangers among our ranks as their hard earned telepathic skills are invaluable in training warriors able to play the usual Mizol games.”

“And you trust them? Humans trust them?” The civilian asked again.

“Humans are understanding and they do want to keep the Mizol tricksters contained.” Alexandra caught a glimpse of the ganger nodding in understanding at that but her mind was perfectly guarded so she couldn’t be certain if it was an acknowledgement of the offer or in understanding of how things worked in the Confederation. She wouldn’t be certain until they would have a proper one to one interview but that would have to wait for later, for the time being she found it odd that neither of the two Mizol that shadowed the ganger had come close to the otherwise empty rec room; perhaps they thought it would give their cover away or perhaps they were up to something elsewhere.

“And how rich are the Loroi corporations? When compared to Loroi guilds that is.” The ganger asked.

“Not as rich as the old and most established guilds but they are getting there. Human governments generally keep a hands off approach to their private economies as long as the laws are obeyed and the taxes are paid in time. There is lobbying by the various interest groups but nowhere near the politicking the guilds take part in the Union where they are now at the mercy of the warrior castes and those who have some pull with them. My old guild supervisor is currently far richer than she was before our exile and she isn’t anywhere near the most successful Loroi from those I was shipped with.” Alexandra replied.

“That’s good but what good are such riches for if we can’t actually have children?” A civilian asked.

“That’s indeed the greatest drawback. No Loroi males to procreate with as the Union would never allow any males out of their grasp and I doubt that they would tolerate a self-sustaining Loroi population to remain outside of their control if that wasn’t the case.”

“We knew all this when we decided to migrate but even if we didn’t migrate the odds of us birthing a child would still be against us; the restrictions have been tightened even on Maia of all worlds. The warriors still have their restrictions but they can still procreate but civilians cannot hope to do that unless they are good little obedient servants to either the warriors or the guilds that blindly obey them. Gone are the days where you could earn the right if you had proven yourself successful enough.” The ganger commented.

“The results of the war generation…” Alexandra commented.

“Things will change eventually.” A civilian commented.

“Only when the influence of the war generation wanes and this won’t be anytime soon. Their collective minds are always on edge, even the ones who never actually fought. At first I thought that they simply couldn’t grasp the concept of peace but afterwards I realized that they just desired conflict. That’s why they are still like that despite the fact that the peace has not lasted twice as long as the Great War itself.” Alexandra thought.

“Their children are actually worse than their mothers, they feel that they are inadequate and that they have something to prove. They are quick to anger and hard to calm down.” A civilian commented.

“I was afraid of that, very few of these children had become senior warriors when I was exiled but the signs of how they would turn out were there and what I learn from civilians like you only proves my fears.”

Alexandra clearly remembered the cultural shift that the warrior castes went through; the warriors from before the Great war were more open to discussion and even respectful in their dealings with civilians. They were appreciative of culture and far more easy going, electing to take their time in doing things in order to absorb everything they could.

The war generation was the opposite in all regards, argumentative and belligerent; seeing hidden threats everywhere and an enemy in anyone who disagreed with them while their worse aspect was that they lacked patience. Always preferring instant results and gratification in everything they did. In a way they were still fighting the war in their minds and were terrified of letting anything go; fully believing that they would miss something important if they didn’t get what they wanted there and then.

Their children turning out worse than their mothers was the only natural conclusion. Their training, dirals and trials had become harsher and far more punishing; not just because the war generation elected to make them so but also because their children felt that they had to prove themselves worthy to their mothers. Dropouts and accidental deaths had increased dramatically but not to the point where the warriors had to limit the civilian reproductive schemes to the level they currently were which was a main point of aggravation among the civilian castes.

In the end she came to the conclusion that the war generation and their children were just tempestuous, in a near berserk state that sought an outlet, any outlet; normally their elders would see into tempering the over energetic warriors and then would the males slowly but surely calm them and broaden their mental horizons but there simply weren’t enough elder warriors to guide and mentor them, especially among the frontline warriors who were always the ones who led in terms of culture and policy.

“It will be ironic if the Shells managed to break them regardless of the war’s outcome.” Alexandra thought.

“They may have actually accomplished that.” The ganger agreed.

“The warrior castes were certainly far more agreeable before the war.” One of the civilians added.

“That they were, many of the things that have come to pass wouldn’t have done so if the warrior castes were the same as they were before the war.” Alexandra thought as she recalled the various ‘anti piracy’ incidents with Human freighters and her exile. “They would have maintained a modicum of fairness and an open mind in regards to the civilian castes. I used to think that the old stories about how suppressed we civilians were before the various trade deals with the Neridi would remain as such but it seems that they have fully outdone them now.”

“Those actually seem like better times when compared to today.” Alexandra couldn’t help but laugh at the ganger’s comment, drawing a quizzical look from all three of them.

“I am sorry, I remembered a joke I once heard about tempting fate.” They just looked at her with confusion in their minds before she decided to explain it to them. “It’s hard to understand at first, the human concept of luck is different than ours. If someone is lucky it isn’t because someone else in unlucky but because they just are lucky at that very moment, in a way blessed by luck itself. However someone lucky may lose said blessing if they tempt fate with their words, actions and even thoughts.” Something dawned in the ganger’s mind at that.

“So I tempted fate?”

“In a way, the joke was about something between me and my mate. The gist of it was that when someone favorably reminisces a bad situation then the universe will bend itself out of shape not only to re-enact said bad situation but to actually make it even worse.” Alexandra replied.

“I can see how someone would come to believe that.” One of the civilians commented.

“Humans are like that, my mate in particular is of the thinking of always expecting and preparing for the worst so he may be pleasantly surprised when things turn out well.”

“You are fond of him.” The ganger commented.

“I am… and I would be unhealthily so if he was a Loroi; not that he doesn’t remind me of a Loroi male most of the time, right before he showcases his human nature.”

“What do you mean?”

“We Loroi are on average as strong as a human male of similar height but human males tend to be taller than us and take on muscle easier than us. In general human males are marginally stronger than us but they can outclass us if they undergo muscle building training. With this in mind one would think that human males wouldn’t be deep thinkers and philosophers but many of them are and amazingly so. My male is such a thinker but he is still human and he instinctively wants to be protective of me, his mate. His solution of me being as strong as he was at the time was to undergo muscle building training so he could be able to ‘protect me’. I told him it was a waste of time and foolish but he put on some nice hard muscles after some time. This in turn lead to frequent and intense mating encounters since human male libido is directly tied with the hormones that boost their muscle growth. I once joked that I wouldn’t get pregnant no matter how much we mated and he replied that the universe was bound to eventually take pity and bend itself to his will.” The three of them chuckled at that.

“That’s a male alright, how did you reply?”

“Take pity on who?” All three of them laughed at that she couldn’t help but join them.

“And what did he say next?”

“He didn’t say anything; we just mated until I couldn’t continue anymore.” Their stupefied expressions at that were a sight to behold.

“Such males are impossible…” The ganger commented.

“They take some getting used to, especially their outlook towards us. They have come to regard us as ‘beautiful super women’ for all the things we consider natural about us and they have the bad habit of wanting to pamper us.” Alexandra added.

“Super women?” A civilian asked in disbelief.

“We are stronger than their females, all of us are telepaths and there are some telekinetics and eidetics among us. All this makes us super women in their minds.” Alexandra explained.

“With the same reasoning then we should consider them super men; they can easily become stronger than us and they have an impregnable Lotai.” The ganger commented.

“Many of us have pointed this out plenty of times but they tend to be as disbelieving of the notion as we are of their notions.”

“They are very much like us then.” The ganger commented as she leaned back and looked around. “This is a recreation area but there is no one but us here and I don’t recognize any of the games around us.”

“Yes but all of the games here don’t hold much appeal to us Loroi for a variety of reasons, mainly because we can easily cheat in most of them.” Alexandra explained and pointed at the four billiard tables nearby. “Those rectangular tables with the holes are billiard tables, the games played on them revolve around taking turns in pushing various colored balls into the holes by tapping them with the pointy end of the long sticks that are hanging by the wall next to the tables. Even a very weak telekinetic can easily cheat by applying some force on the balls and as such even we who are accustomed with human games rarely play such games. The few humans on the ship will arrange some games when time permits but this place is usually empty most of the time.”

“And what about these tables?” The ganger asked as she gestured at the card table they were sitting next to.

“These are card tables, the games are played with decks of 52 cards and most of them involve chance and bluffing in order to misdirect the other players as to the cards one ‘holds’ in their hand. Telepathy is an inherent cheating tool for obvious reasons.”

“I can understand why such games don’t have much appeal among Loroi, if someone walks behind a player and sees the cards then they can inform the other players.” The ganger commented.

“Indeed but there are some games that are somewhat popular with us.”

“There are?”

“Yes.” Alexandra leaned back and opened the small drawer underneath the table where the decks of cards were and took one out. “The most popular one is ‘Indian Poker’. Each players is first dealt one card that only they are allowed to see and then they are dealt another card which they must hold like this.” She then took a card from the deck and without looking at it she brought it up to her forehead with her right hand to show it to the others.

“This looks ridiculous.” A civilian commented.

“Humans usually play this variant when they are in intoxicated.” Alexandra explained before continuing. “The players place their wagers while holding their second cards on their foreheads. The player with the strongest combination of cards wins the pot. When a wager is made the other players must match its value or fold.” The ganger’s mind betrayed her understanding as she finished.

“I can see the appeal; you know the value of one of your two cards while all the other players know the value of your other card. In order to win you have to deduce the combined value of your cards and that of your opponents cards.”

“Exactly, mental misdirection is also required to trick the other players while playing.” Alexandra added.

“So how do we determine which card combinations are stronger than the others?”

It didn’t take long for Alexandra to explain the card values and the other minor rules of Indian poker before the four of them started playing. The two civilians lost their allotted marks relatively quickly, one of them even managed to score two lucky wins before being knocked out but they both remained to see how the game would conclude; obviously impressed by the mental competition between Alexandra and the ganger who proved to have a good poker sense and face up until the moment the ganger remembered that she had things to attend to and purposefully lost the last two rounds of the game.

Chapter 3, part 1: http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 766#p30766

[dragoongfa]

With the other stuff out of the way I am finally able to properly focus on the Reforged.

[entity2636]

Glad you're back on this, it is good reading, like it a lot. Did notice some typos and weird tenses

[dragoongfa]

Chapter 3, part 1

The ganger proved herself good at going unnoticed if she so wished, that was what she had been doing for the past three nights between 23:00 and 24:00 standard hours; she not only managed to disappear from the ship’s meager surveillance systems but also managed to shake off both Alexandra’s Reforged and the two Mizol.

“She must have figured something out; she is backtracking to check if someone is following her.” Alexandra whispered as she kept her attention to the ganger’s mental signature about 30 meters to her left.

“I doubt that she knows about the tricks we have come up with.” Astarte replied in her earpiece. “The Mizol may have gotten a vague idea but not ganger.”

“Unless some idiot forgot where her loyalties are now.” Alexandra replied while trying to cut off the extraneous telepathic noise from the civilians that were in the cabins she passed by.

“It’s possible but unlikely; the stuff is classified and highly regulated, everything about the new drugs is monitored and everyone who knows about them is thoroughly screened on a regular basis.” Astarte reassured her.

Earth had proven itself to be an extremely valuable world, not because it was the human homeworld but because of its unique biome and the many treasures it hid within it. It was true that humanity had damaged large swathes of said biome but they had also managed to preserve many samples of the rarest flora and fauna within the various preservation vaults scattered throughout the planet.

Undoubtedly it was the Mizol and the Listel castes who first realized the possibilities that Earth offered but the Union, through its actions, discarded any possibility for an in depth research about the telepathic potential that was hidden within everything. In the end it was left to the civilian migrants and the first government sanctioned Reforged to discover said potential and put it to use.

The drug that Alexandra had used for this occasion was just one of the products of their endeavors. It enhanced her telepathic sensitivity by several factors, exponentially increasing her sensing range and allowing her to sense someone with an active mental Lotai; like the ganger was doing now.

“Wait I…” Alexandra whispered as the ganger’s mind simply vanished. “I lost her. One moment she was 30 meters to my left and the next one she was gone!”

“She must have a suppressor.” Astarte commented. “Combined with a good Lotai she could hide from even a farseer.”

“I am closing in to see if I find her.” Alexandra quickly made her way to where she last sensed the ganger but she couldn’t find her anywhere. She dropped all pretenses of stealth and spread her mind as far as she could but the ganger had just vanished. “I lost her, I don’t sense her anywhere.” She had barely whispered that when she sensed something odd at the very edge of her enhanced ranged. “Belay that, I think I sense something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s her and she messed up with her Lotai.” Alexandra replied as she walked towards her new target.

“Keep me posted, I will try to find her through the ship’s surveillance systems.”
Whoever Alexandra sensed was about one hundred meters to the ship’s bow, the signature was muffled in a self-restraining manner but it was definitely there. The closer she got the clearer the signature became until she was about fifty meters away when Alexandra realized that it wasn’t the ganger and what she was doing.

Bored warriors and bored marines. Alexandra thought and made to turn away but a realization stopped her in mid motion. Four days into the trip, probably a Mizol or a Mizol pawn. At that she raised her Lotai and walked straight towards her new target who ended up being inside a men’s restroom. She walked inside safe in the knowledge that there were less than sixty men in the whole ship, which was probably why they picked this location at the first place. She heard some muffled moans coming from one of the closed stalls and knelt to see from the opening below.

Why is it always a Listel? Alexandra asked herself as she saw their legs, the marine was sitting on the toilet seat with his pants down while the warrior was mounting him; with her body suit hanging from her left leg while her armor pieces were littered around their feet. Seeing enough Alexandra just stood up and banged at the stall’s door with all her strength, making the warrior yelp in surprise.

“Occupied!” The marine said angrily in English.

“You will be occupying the inside of a brig if both of you idiots aren’t fully dressed and out of there in two minutes!” Alexandra snapped back in Trade so the Listel would understand.

“Damn…” The marine muttered as she heard both of them stand up. The warrior tried to send something to Alexandra as she waited but she just cut her off.

“Whatever we have to say will be said in a way everyone will understand!” Alexandra said angrily in Trade right before she heard the feint clicks of the warrior’s armor as the Listel begun to put it on.
A minute later the two of the opened the stall’s door an walked out, the marine was first; a corporal with a ruffled uniform whose face was like a child’s after they were caught doing something naughty while the yellow haired Listel Sininran came next, staring at Alexandra as if she wanted to strangle her.

“Who started it?” Alexandra asked as they stood in front of her.

“I did!” Both of them replied in the exact same time before looking at each other in surprise.

“Alright then…” Alexandra said with a sigh and turned to the marine who dwarfed the Listel by about twenty centimeters, without even taking his muscular body into account. “Corporal… Sanders. Did you ask one of your charges for a mating encounter?”

“Yes ma’am!” He replied in an instant but his body language betrayed the fact that he was lying.

“He is lying!” The Listel protested angrily.

“What’s your spoken name Listel Sininran?” Alexandra asked without taking her eyes off the defiant marine.

“I am Listel Sininran Copper.”

“I know he is lying Sininran Copper, human males aren’t good liars, especially when they want to protect a female.” The yellow haired Listel became visibly shocked at that.

“But I…” The marine made to protest but Alexandra stopped him by raising her left hand, his eyes resting of her wedding ring before she turned to look at the Listel.

“He knows what we do to Mizols and Mizol pawns who mate with males for no other reason than to extract information and you should know that he could be court martialled and dishonorably discharged from service for mating with you while you are his charge and responsibility.” Alexandra explained to the Listel as they stared each other down, the Listel was still angry but shocked surprise dawned in her mind as she finished explaining. “Did a Mizol instruct you or suggested for you to mate with him or any other male?”

“No I… was curious about him and his physique and I approached him to ask him.” The Listel begun. “It was obvious that I made him uncomfortably aroused after certain questions and I followed him in here when he tried to calm himself down. I offered to relieve him and I initiated the encounter after he repeatedly told me to leave.” Both the Listel’s mind and face betrayed the truthfulness of her statement and Alexandra just shook her head in an exasperated manner.

“Idiots the both of you.” Alexandra said to both of them before turning to the marine. “If I catch you fucking any other Loroi during this trip I will file charges against you.” She then turned to the Listel. “And if I catch you with any other male aboard or with a Mizol I will treat you like a Mizol pawn, give you a good shave and then send you back to the Union aboard a radioactive waste disposal ship.” The two of them just looked at each other and then at her as she turned to leave. “Have fun for the rest of the way to Atlantis and don’t get attached.” She said as she walked out of the restroom. “False alarm Astarte.”

“No Mizol being a Mizol?” Astarte asked with a tinge of defeat in her voice.

“Just a Listel being a Listel.” Alexandra replied and heard the master sergeant chuckle at that. “Have Listel Sininran Copper tagged for surveillance for when we get back at Atlantis. A Mizol may want to put her to use when she gets there.”

“Will do; any particular instructions if she lets herself get used?” Astarte asked.

“The usual but have her shipped back with a radioactive waste disposal ship, for part of the way at least.”

“That will be tricky but we should be able to manage it.” Astarte acknowledged with easily heard mirth.

“Any luck with finding the ganger?”

“No luck there, the ‘Lucky dime’ is a big civilian ship, someone who knows what they are doing shouldn’t have difficulty staying hidden if they want to. I suggest that we tag and bug any place where she may be going and see what we find.” Astarte replied.

“Good idea but where do we start from?” Alexandra asked, pleasantly surprised with her subordinate’s initiative.

“I was thinking the various cargo bays, the ship did pick up a lot of everything for delivery to Atlantis, nothing eye catching in the manifest. Tea, herbs, foodstuffs from Taben and Perrein, even a herd of live miros for a farming project.” Astarte replied.

“You are learning fast for a telekinetic construction worker.”

“I do have a sneaky smuggler for teacher.” Astarte replied.

“In my experience lots of everything usually allows plenty of hiding spots among the cargo. If her gang specialized in transporting illegal goods then they would need to have someone make sure that the delivery went well.” Alexandra explained. “It’s as good a start as any.”

“So how do we do this?”

“Bug all the access ways to the cargo bays and install some of our own surveillance equipment first thing tomorrow. Then have the ganger followed somewhat sloppily tomorrow and see if she gets caught onto something that wasn’t there before.” Alexandra ordered.

“Will do.” Astarted acknowledged and paused for a moment before continuing. “The two hidden Mizol haven’t contacted any warrior as far as we can tell, they even haven’t gone close to one.”

“Did your girls check for any drop boxes, both electronic and written?”

“Of course and they didn’t find anything. The warriors haven’t even activated any extra equipment yet.”

“Everything ‘extra’ they brought is in the diplomatic cargo hold under combined Marine and Soroin guard, we will know if they try to take something out of there.” Alexandra commented. “Don’t stay up for too long you will have to start early tomorrow in order to prepare our trap.”

Alexandra closed the channel and took off her ear piece, already feeling the beginning of the sense of vertigo that the drugs gave when they were about to run out. She tried to focus herself again and instantly sensed the Listel’s happy mind inside the restroom as the two lovebirds continued from where they were interrupted.

Bored marines and bored warriors, the two most dangerous forces imaginable because of what they could be doing to alleviate said boredom. Alexandra mentally recited as she increased her pace, making a mental note to once again talk to Lieutenant Garnet about making sure that his men keep things within reason.

She caught herself playing with her wedding ring as she approached her cabin, her mind wandering back to home and all the memories that she and Matthew had produced together. Two months and ten days.

Chapter 3, part 2: http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 915#p30915

[dragoongfa]

I believe that I have to point out that this part of the story was written around January, a few months BEFORE the lap sitting incident of the main story. Other than that I hope you guys enjoy it.

[Krulle]

Been avoiding this one for a while, saving it up to have a good time later.
Also because I wanted to finish reading The Pale Horse before getting into your new story, and thus avoid confusing the two stories in my mind.

So, now to dig into the rest....

SpoilerShow

Also noticed your first post starts with a spelling error:
Disclaimer

Chapter 1, part 1

[...]

The Union had never agreed on any talks about establishing any forms of passenger and immigration management protocols with the Confederation. Ideally all passengers would be directed to disembark from different umbilicals onto different locations according to their status and destination. It would simplify and expedite everything but the Union had never even agreed to talk about establishing even such a basic arrangement; electing to just demand for the Confederation to work with the Union’s protocols. The Confederation refused to adhere to such heavy handedness and the Union saw fit to just drop every passenger in a single location at the same time, letting the Confederation short sort everyone out. There was only one arrangement put in place and it was a simple one at that: The warriors would always disembark first.

[...]

[entity2636]

Great work as usual, dragoon, keep 'em coming.

I would, however, offer a bit of mild critique, if you don't mind, something I find a bit immersion breaking. Basically, you could perhaps file some of Alexandra's rough edges down a little, make her a bit more cultured.

If I understand it correctly, she's supposed to be an ONI counterintelligence officer, supposedly an experienced and talented one, tasked with screening out potential spies. She has to be smart, intelligent and cunning and should know how to handle people in a way as to not antagonize everyone instantly, yet she speaks and acts towards others like a blunt instrument, either like someone of much lower rank, like a marine sergeant or a teidar, or with downright disrespect like some "small-dick brass", acting as the queen bitch of the pack who rules by fear.

She seems to enjoy intimidating and threatening people with her authority for no particular reason, regarding everyone around her as shit, but it comes across as petty and something that is bound to come back and bite her hard. I.e., some regular people with no prior malicious intent would get pissed off with this self important piece of (br)ass and actually seek out mizol agents just to get back at her. Or maybe this is intentional?

Another thing, this time funny though, is the use of "damnable mizol" I'm not a native English speaker and I think neither are you, but this sounds too funny for cursing.

[dragoongfa]

Heaven forbid I write characters that don't have some personal flaws

In Alexandra's case she is between two worlds in her outlook towards others, she was a browbeaten civilian who was a failure as a warrior whose only 'family/close knit social group' as we humans recognize it was a criminal gang. She lost even that when she was exiled and later earned something greater and unexpected; she elected to 'Reforge' herself to protect what is hers from anyone who may endanger it.

As for antagonizing people, you cannot expect 'Reforged' Loroi to be anything but antagonistic to all warrior caste Loroi, bar the Teidar and that's up to a point. After all their very reason for existing is to be the telepathic shield against a belligerent Union. I should also point out that anyone foolish enough to 'help' a warrior with some 'harmless' intelligence would also draw any superior's ire, not just hers.

In this instance she barged in the restroom for two reasons, the first and the one that was made apparent in this part was to see if someone, usually a Mizol, had the idea of soliciting fellow warriors to seduce males for leverage (for intel and future blackmail). The second one would be mentioned on a future chapter but suffice to say that there have been several instances where men in uniform abused their position to have a 'harem fantasy', several of them ending up being some very public and embarrassing cases. For obvious reasons she doesn't want to be anywhere near such a case.

In short Alexandra's bitch switch goes to the on position when she thinks there is a reason for it and yes, tormenting warriors who annoy her is a valid reason to flip it.

[entity2636]

Agreed, god forbid writing a Mary Sue or one's own power fantasy, but Alexandra feels too ham-handed for what she's tasked with, bitchy and disrespectful with her subordinates and even her husband, as I said, sort of the attitude one would expect either from someone who's stuck in a dead-end job he hates, or from small-dick brass living out their power fantasy or tormenting subordinates/civilians while the real brass isn't looking. Too high-ranking to be this blunt, yet not high enough in rank to be a real hard-ass.

She reminded me of a character I couldn't place yesterday, but overnight I remembered Don't ask me how I got to this, but she kind of reminds me of Dick Dastardly, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon villain, who's ham-handed, disrespectful towards his associates for no reason, arrogant and incompetent and takes the menial tasks assigned to him by top brass to get him out of the way as something beyond critical. Also the way Alexandra swears (Drat! Those damnable Mizols!) feels like child-proofing of foul language rather than someone from the military, or even better - with a criminal background, swearing.

[dragoongfa]

I think that you conflated things a little. Alexandra can be a bitch when she wants to but so far she has been a bitch towards the two she caught in the restroom. Her attitude with her subordinates will be simple Loroi honesty and she will receive such honest put downs as well. As for her husband he will be given the chance to show how he handles his wife and vice versa

[Krulle]

SpoilerShow

Only the type of errors Autocorrewkt does not catch...

Chapter 2, Part 1

[...]

“Then you will have to problem saying no.” Alexandra pointed out, making everyone else laugh, with the hidden Mizol who asked awkwardly joining in after a couple of moments. Another mistake, proving once more that although skilled, the two of them lacked experience in making themselves hidden in plain sight; it was a petty (did you mean 'pity'?) that they had already shaved their heads to pass as civilians but perhaps they could learn something worthwhile from them when they would intimately debrief them on Atlantis.

[...]

“You are paid (interesting, there she is standing in front of the class, and hammering down on them to not copulate for money...) pair bonded with one of them? Why?” Another civilian asked, this one from among the ganger’s ‘students’.

[...]

“The same things I do.” Alexandra replied in irritation for having to state the obvious. “Is there an other question?” ("another question", or "any other question" seems to be a better phrase here. Yours is not wrong, though)

[...]

“No one is really destined to fail, the whole concept of civilians being ‘failed warriors’ is just an obsolete form of societal control because we Loroi couldn’t allow ourselves to know of any other way to control our nature. Failure isn’t really a permanent attribute it’s just a natural temporary state, success and failure at one’s endeavors are both natural; sometimes you succeed in what you do and sometimes you fail. The original failures were just an excuse to deem us inferior because societies always need someone to do the jobs that no one else wants to and who better to do those menial jobs than those who are arbitrarily deemed inferior? My mate once said that we Loroi are all blades that are seeking to be used in war; every single one of us has the instincts of a warrior but a blade of war is just a singular tool and a society needs many other tools in order to be built and run. No one really wanted to be anything other than a warrior but we needed more than just warriors to advance and thrive. Our ancestors forced some of their numbers to do the jobs that no one wanted to do while tricking others into believing their new jobs were still tasks fit of a warrior despite the fact that most of them would never face a real fight in their lives. It was in a way necessary, the caste systems were formed because we Loroi couldn’t form societies otherwise and the system remained largely unchanged because we Loroi couldn’t allow it to evolve but there are many other societal forms in which we can thrive. Humans had similar forms of societal control in their past but they couldn’t abide by them once the reasons that made those forms of control relevant were no more. We now thrive among the Humans in ways that I couldn’t imagine when I was still part of a civilian guild back on Deinar. I was among the first exiles, those who were forcibly sent away because of the political inconveniences we caused. We weren’t allowed to have almost anything on ourselves and we were sent to aliens that the warrior castes had attacked and vilified despite them being the reason the Union emerged victorious from the Great War. We thrived among these aliens because they gave as us a fair chance to thrive. Humans are too much like us to accept other Humans but they gave us a fair chance to thrive and we did thrive. Most of you are here because a Loroi corporation paid for your passage, they didn’t do so out of a sense of charity or goodwill but because they need capable personnel for their business. We believe that you are not destined to fail and those who paid for your passage know that you will pay for yourselves and that you will do so surprisingly quickly which will allow you to seek your own fortune if you so wish. There is plenty of opportunity at the ever expanding frontier and not enough people to grasp it.”

[...]

Chapter 2, part 2

[...]

“Because they are incompetents. The They let themselves be found out easy enough.” Astarte pointed out.

[...]

“Competent but still young and foolish, probably believing the tales that we wear the garments of warriors in order to prove something to the warrior castes.” Alexadra Alexandra replied. “Doctrinal self delusions are not easy traps to avoid and acting as if they are fact is a lethal mistake.”

[...]

“Yes, she was Mizol Parat Mistwatch bound for Earth’s embassy. Earth’s Reforged confirmed that she is an old veteran at a message (in a message?) they sent before we jumped out of Mirror.” Alexandra replied. “Another competent Mizol could be among our bunch but Atlantis shouldn’t be a priority. They send all the good ones they can afford to Earth where they can get some prime intelligence. Still, keep the others on alert just in case but since that fool tried to fish us then there shouldn’t be someone smart enough to tell her how stupid her idea was.”

Chapter 2, part 3

[...]
“In the same way I am angry towards many Loroi, especially the Mizol.”Alexandra snapped back before restraining herself. “To be fair to them there have to be many decent to good females among them, I have even met a few but most human women I have run across are like the Mizol in the way they do things.”
(nipicking here, you're lacking a space after especially the Mizol." )

[...]

“Indeed and they have been of great help, in their own roundabout ways, when we run (I personally would apply the past tense form "ran" here) into Mizol trickery in the past.” Alexandra replied.

[...]

“Yes. That’s out our primary mission.”

[...]

“Not as rich as the old and most established guilds but they are getting there. Human governments generally keep a hands off approach to their private economies as long as the laws are obeyed and the taxes are paid in time. There is lobbying by the various interest groups but nowhere near the politicking the guilds take part in the Union where they are now at the mercy of the warrior castes and those who have some pull with them. My old guild supervisor is currently far richer than she was before our exile and she isn’t anywhere near the most successful Loroi from those I was shipped with.” Alexandra replied.

[...]

In the end she came to the conclusion that the war generation and their children were just tempestuous, in a near berserk state that sought an outlet, any outlet; normally their elders would see into tempering the over energetic warriors and the then would males slowly but surely calm them and broaden their mental horizons but there simply weren’t enough elder warriors to guide and mentor them, especially among the frontline warriors who were always the ones who led in terms of culture and policy.

[...]

Chapter 3, part 1

[...]

“She must have figured something out; she is backtracking to check is if someone is following her.” Alexandra whispered as she kept her attention to the ganger’s mental signature about 30 meters to her left.

[...]

Why is it always a Listel? Alexandra asked herself as she saw their legs, the marine was sitting on the toilet seat with his pants down while the warrior was mounting him; with her body suit hanging from her left leg while her armor pieced pieces were littered around their feet. Seeing enough Alexandra just stood up and banged at the stall’s door with all her strength, making the warrior yelp in surprise.

[...]

“Idiots the both of you.” Alexandra said to both of them before turning to the marine. “If I catch you fucking any other Loroi during this trip I will file charges against you.” She then turned to the Listel. “And if I catch you with any other male aboard or with a Mizol I will treat you like a Mizol pawn, give you a good shave and then send you back to the Union about aboard a radioactive waste disposal ship.” The two of them just looked at each other and then at her as she turned to leave. “Have fun for the rest of the way to Atlantis and don’t get attached.” She said as she walked out of the restroom. “False alarm Astarte.”

[...]

“Bug all the access ways to the cargo bays and install some of our own surveillance equipment first thing tomorrow. Then have the ganger followed somewhat sloppily tomorrow and she if she onto something that wasn’t there before.” Alexandra ordered. (I'm not fully clear on what you want to write here, the sentence is... lacking something. I could not come up with a clear solution either, my best educated guess starts with "see if she is onto something...")

[...]

“Of course and they didn’t find anything. The warriors haven’t even activated and any extra equipment yet.”

[...]

She caught herself playing with her wedding ring as she approached her cabin, her mind wandering back to home and all the memories that she and Matthew had produced together. Two months and ten days.

Once again, this turns out to be a very enjoyable read.

I especially liked the way she handled the incident of the Listel and the marine. "Just a Listel being a Listel". Curiosity kills the cat.

Thank you, dragoongfa!

[dragoongfa]

Chapter 3, part 2

Alexandra didn't expect for their impromptu surveillance system to catch the ganger in the very first try but sometimes things just went better than expected.

“There she is!” Astarte sent with a triumphant tone. “Cargo bay 4-C.”

“How did she get in there?” Alexandra asked as she went up to the master sergeant’s console.

“Looks like she had the access codes necessary to do that.” Astarte replied as she tapped in a few commands. “Yes, she had the access codes but… weird, corporate inspector level access… There is no inspector from Atlantis express aboard. How did she get these codes?”

“Can you find out whose codes they are?”

“No, they are not tied with an ID but the system definitely recognizes them as belonging to a corporate inspector.” Astarte replied as she checked the system. “However the codes were certainly valid when we left Atlantis, we will have to dig into the corporation’s server to see when they were actually validated.”

“I doubt that we would find anything, it’s obvious that they are throwaway codes that will be undoubtedly be erased afterwards.” Alexandra replied as she thought of the repercussions. “This means that someone rich and connected ordered something important that they couldn’t get through legitimate means.”

“There are plenty of illegal goods that could fill the description but most of them are easily available in the Confederation.” Astarte thought as Alexandra checked the cargo manifest.

“4-C is where most of the livestock is…”

“Checking on something that lives and breathes would explain the daily visits. But who or what would be important enough for someone to go to such lengths?” Astarte sent.

“A wayward daughter, a disgraced warrior who was owed some favors, a male…” Alexandra thought. “Probably a wayward daughter, the Mizol would have stopped the ganger before proceeding to tear the ship she was on apart until they would find the warrior or that male.”

“True… should I schedule a sudden cargo inspection tomorrow?” Astarte asked.

“Yeah but nothing official and on the record; we shouldn’t rock the boat and we don’t know the level of access the ganger has on the ship’s systems. Take a squad first thing in the morning, have the ship’s surveillance system stop monitoring the cargo bays and then check 4-C for whoever she is trying to smuggle in. After that we will grab the ganger and have her explain herself. We will offer the usual arrangements provided that it isn’t something egregious.” Alexandra ordered.

“Is she good enough to be given such an opportunity?” Astarte asked.

“She is certainly skilled enough to make a good instructor for new recruits. I would love to ‘Reforge’ her if she is interested in enlisting but I doubt that she wants to be a warrior.”

“Skilled enough for a shortcut to citizenship but she hasn’t shown any tangible interest.” Astarte thought while nodding.

“Yeah but I am not certain about her yet. She is a ganger and a good one at that so the truth will only come out of her when all other avenues are closed to her.”

“Is there a chance of her doing something drastic if she is cornered?”

“There certainly is a chance for her to do something stupid. Remember that blind trust, loyalty and secrecy are the cornerstones of a successful gang. If she is cornered she may try destroying any incriminating evidence before taking her own life. We will have to plan our moves accordingly but we only need to worry about her cargo for now.” Alexandra replied while suppressing certain memories that always flared about when a discussion turned this way.

“I know that it is uncomfortable for you but were you truly ready to go to such extremes before?” Astarte asked with some hesitation.

“Yes… I was. We were all we had and we never betrayed each other. Had there been a need I would make sure that no harm would come to them. No evidence and no memories left behind, that’s the only way to be sure.” Alexandra replied coldly.

“Then we will have to move quickly and decisively when the time comes.” Astarte agreed before realizing something. “I think that we should make it clear to her when the time comes that we are not going to hand her over to the Mizol.”

“Indeed, that’s the only bargaining chip we have that will be of interest to her but it must be used at the right time for maximum effect. We have already made it clear that the warrior castes hold no sway over us and the Confederation but a perfectly placed reminder wouldn’t hurt, especially if she has doubts about doing what she believes she must.” Astarte’s mind lit up in understanding as she sensed the painful memory that Alexandra was trying to suppress.

“Had you ever had someone do…”

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Alexandra cut the master sergeant’s question before her mind could properly form it.

“I am sorry…”

“Don’t worry about that.” Alexandra reassured her. “The mind is ever curious and questions just pop out of it without thinking.”

“My mental discipline still needs work.” Astarte thought apologetically at that.

“Everyone’s still needs work. Now go and brief the squad you want to check things with and get some sleep.” Alexandra ordered. “And remember: No records on anything.”

Chapter 3, part 3: http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 081#p31081

[dragoongfa]

Yeah, this part and the next one are going to be among the small ones. I will see if I can post the next part in a couple of days and if I can write down something extra.

[Krulle]

It may be short, but it still contains quite some story movement.

Looking forward.

(and no errors popped at me, so no further comment)

[dragoongfa]

Chapter 3, part 3

“Nothing?” Alexandra felt the beginning of a migraine form as Astarte reported the fact that she and her squad didn’t find anyone or anything out of the ordinary in their search of 4-C.

“Nothing, only sleeping miros in their livestock containers. We even opened the containers in case someone was wearing an interference suppressor.”

“Did the ganger actually pull one on us?” Alexandra thought irritably.

“She misdirected us?” Astarte asked.

“It’s too far-fetched, if she knew that someone was on her antics she would pull back and sit tight, she wouldn’t betray the fact that she has almost unrestricted access to the ship.” Alexandra pointed out, mostly to herself.

“Then who or what was she visiting every day since we left Mirror?” Astarte asked.

“Damned if I know… Are you certain that you checked everything?”

“Yes, exactly like you told us. The only thing we didn’t do was dismantle the crates themselves to check their electronics.” Alexandra couldn’t contain a sigh at that.

“Let’s see if she visits 4-C today as well, if she doesn’t then I can only conclude that she was checking for a tail.”

“Didn’t you just say that it was far-fetched?” Astarte pointed out.

“I am open to suggestions on what kind of game she is playing with the two Mizol.” Alexandra replied in irritation.

“What if she doesn’t have a cargo?” Astarte asked after some thought.

“She wouldn’t have left a trail for no reason. She was at 4-C and she must have been there every single day when she did her disappearing act.” Alexandra thought.

“And she was the only one who entered and exited 4-C so she wasn’t meeting some form of a contact.” Astarte thought.

“Not necessarily…” Alexandra realized after thinking about it. “Could she be leaving something in some sort of an electronic drop box?”

“No electronics were active beyond the life support systems for the miros containers and now I am certain that we should have checked them.” Astarte aknowledged.

“I doubt that you would find anything if there is an electronic drop-box or something like that tucked in the circuitry. Not without dismantling everything and having the electronics checked by an expert; the only way to find such a modification is to actually catch her in the act.” Alexandra thought.

“So we will keep watch on 4-C, the ganger and the two Mizols?” Astarte asked.

“Yeah, we don’t have anything else to work on.” The master sergeant just nodded at that.

“I want to have a squad fully kitted and ready for a snatch and grab.” Astarte added.

“That would be… prudent.” Alexandra admitted after thinking about it for a few seconds. “We have already been tricked once and I don’t want a nasty surprise mishandled because we weren’t ready for anything. Yes, we do need a backup plan and you will be leading it.”

“I will certainly be a nasty surprise for the ganger if she tries something stupid.” Astarte replied with a self-satisfying smirk. “The two Mizols will be an issue however, they will certainly contact the warriors and they will try to cause a ruckus if we snatch the ganger.”

“We will warn Lieutenant Garnet about the two Mizol and the… potential criminal they are shadowing. He and his marines should be able to keep the warriors in check if he knows that something is afoot.” Alexandra replied as she rubbed her forehead in irritation. “He will certainly ask questions about why we let a criminal and two spies on the ship despite the fact we identified them from day one…”

“Doesn’t that fall under our prerogative?” Astarte asked.

“It does but the marines are responsible for the safety and conduct of the warriors so he will not like knowing that we didn’t divulge a potential threat both to the warriors and his men.”

“Ah…” Astarte’s mind lit up in understanding at that.

“They are big boys but I will apologize for not informing until now and I will remind him that I could still be withholding said information until the whole thing blew over.” Alexandra thought.

“That should cover that angle. So what do we do now?”

“We keep tabs on the ganger and the two Mizols and see what they do.”

Chapter 3, part 4: http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 346#p31346

[dragoongfa]

Another short part, the next one is bigger and actually has some action so stay tuned.

[entity2636]

Another short part, the next one is bigger and actually has some action so stay tuned.

Staying tuned confirmed

[dragoongfa]

Chapter 3, part 4

The ganger didn’t disappear the next four days; she just laid herself uncharacteristically low in the classes and in her social interactions. On the surface it looked like she was just struggling to absorb everything that she was being taught but she betrayed signs of anxious weariness whenever she believed that no one was paying any attention to her; it was as if she was trying to get a reaction out of anyone who was shadowing her which was odd since she undoubtedly had already identified the two Mizol.

The two Mizol were also acting weird, doing their best not to look bothered about something. They were undoubtedly unhappy that their investigation had stalled but the still kept shadowing the ganger although their efforts had been split lately, one of them was always keeping tabs on the ganger but the other one seemed to be investigating on of the ganger’s students, probably in the belief that the civilian might have gleaned something out of her ‘teacher’.

On the fifth day the ganger seemed to have had enough, at least that was what Alexandra’s gut instinct told her so she decided to set up the bust at 4-C and catch the ganger on whatever she was doing there. Astarte and her hand-picked squad would be waiting on standby fully armed and armored, ready to be at 4-C in less than two minutes. Alexandra’s role would be to wait hidden at 4-C, to confront the ganger with whatever she was doing and bring her to their side of thinking unless the situation was such that she would need Astarte’s squad to rush in.
The only downside of the plan was that she would have to wear a full spectrum suppressor, effectively cutting her off from telepathy for as long as she wore it. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long as the ganger finally showed up in the video feed she was looking at with her datapad but she wasn’t alone; a civilian was with her, walking right behind while holding something at the ganger’s back.

The door to 4-C opened and the ganger reluctantly led her captor to one of the large livestock containers just as the ship-wide fire alarm was sounded. Alexandra took it as a hint that something bigger was afoot and hit the panic button to call in her backup as she observed from the hiding spot. The ganger knelt in front of the container and opened up the panel that accessed the containers life support systems. She reached inside and took out a small box that was connected via a cable to the container’s system; a box that she offered to her captor after disconnecting it.

The civilian took the box and took a step backwards, giving Alexandra a clear look to the short, seemingly wet, blade she was threatening the ganger with. It took a moment for her to recognize the dripper blade, she had seen such a blade only once before and the only reason she was still alive was because she was still of use at the Enforcer who had drawn it on her.

It can’t be an Enforcer.

Alexandra thought as her mind recalled the panic she had felt the last time she had a run in with an Enforcer gang. She drew her sidearm out of reflex and readied herself.

I still have some time before the Enforcer kills her; she will make sure to not leave any evidence behind, they never do and to make sure of that she will have to… wait for her partners. They always work in groups of three for such a cleanup, two were always too few to clean things up and four were always too many to cover their tracks.

Alexandra thought just as the door opened again to let two more Loroi who each carried an unconscious civilian in.

The rest of the team.

Alexandra thought as she stared at them in disbelief before recognizing one of them as the civilian who she had processed right before the ganger; she didn’t really recognize the third Enforcer but her mind was certain that she should be able to recognize her. She tried to remember from where but she couldn’t, her mind throwing up completely unrelated memories at random before she realized that her heart was beating faster and that her hands were shaking.

Damn it… When? For how long?

Alexandra thought as she realized the telltale signs of a deep suggestion resurfacing and the panic attack that was about to hit her.

Not now… Not now… Not now…

She tried to calm her mind and focus herself on the here and now but she just couldn’t stop the panic from rising up. She heard some sort of commotion from where the ganger was but she couldn’t even move her eyes to look at her datapad anymore; she knew that she had to intervene to whatever was happening but her mind and body just wouldn’t obey her anymore.

I am Reforged…

I am Reforged…

I AM REFORGED…

“I AM REFORGED!” Alexandra yelled as she punched the container she was hiding behind with her right fist, the pain of her fracturing knuckles pushing her mind back from the bring a moment before she jumped out of cover with her blaster drawn.

“Everyone halt.” She yelled in trade as she took in the situation again. The ganger had somehow produced a knife of her own and threatened the enforcer who had brought her in with it. “No sudden movements and none of you pretend that you don’t understand Trade!” Alexandra ordered as the three enforcers glanced at each other before turning their attention to Alexandra, the ganger and the weapons they held.

“Don’t even think of it, your target is unattainable now!” Alexandra yelled at them.

“We don’t think so!” The one who had brought the ganger in said dryly as the other two made to drop the two unconscious civilians they carried to the floor.

“Keep holding them.” Alexandra ordered as she saw that, making sure to move into a position to be able to aim at all three of the enforcers. “Not one of you needs to die today.”

Alexandra sensed a feint electric current zap her head as she said that, the ganger stumbling backwards at the same time but still managing to stay standing despite the mental spike she was subjected to.

“You can’t punch through an interference suppressor Enforcers, even if you think you can because you see me.” Alexandra said as she shifted her aim between the three of them.

“We have an assignment… warrior.” The same enforcer who spoke before said.

“Your assignment is now untenable, consider the alternatives.” Alexandra said dryly.

“There are no alternatives.”

“I got a blaster drawn, I have all of you in my sights and I say that there are alternatives to you dying like fools while attempting to kill her.”

“Such as?”

“How about you surrender to me?”

“That’s not an alternative.” The enforcer spat back.

“I won’t hand you over to the Mizol, you are of use to us.” That seemed to catch them by surprise but they all recomposed themselves. “I am pretty sure that you now know that we are welcoming gangers in our ranks, enforcers aren’t excluded.”

“You truly want to recruit us as warriors?” The enforcer didn’t seem to believe that.

“Yes, I want you to be Reforged.”

“And what makes you think that we want to be warriors?” Alexandra’s comm unit buzzed in her ear as a warning and she switched her blaster to stun for what was about to happen.
A moment later the doors to the cargo bay burst open, Astarte and her squad rushing in with their blasters aimed and at the ready. Alexandra fired her blaster at the lone enforcer in front of her, the two electrostun shots hitting her hitting her in the torso before she could even realize what was happening. Astarte’s squad immediately stunned the remaining two enforcers who stumbled down with their two unconscious victims.

“Drop it!” Alexandra ordered the ganger as she turned to aim at her, the ganger just looked stupefied at everything that had just happened for a second before Astarte who was rushing towards them took the initiative and telekinetically knocked the drawn knife off her grip.

“Check their mouths, rip off any tooth that isn’t natural! Break their jaws if you have to!” Alexandra ordered as she deactivated her suppressor, just like the rest of her reforged were busy doing.

“You, I want answers and I want them now; your well-being rests solely on your truthfulness.” She sent to the ganger who was still dizzy from the mental spike she received mere moments ago.

“Yes, I will comply.” The ganger replied as she stared wearily at both Alexandra and the heavily armored Astarte.

“What did you do to warrant an Enforcer hit on you?”

“I run away after my gang was caught on Deinar.” The ganger replied truthfully.

“What kind of gang?” Alexandra pressed.

“We were a medical gang that guaranteed impregnation after a mating encounter for those who could afford our services. I handled transportation and equipment procuring.” Alexandra recalled the small box that the ganger had given to her now unconscious captor.

“Was what you gave her related to your gang?” She asked as she kneeled next to the unconscious enforcer who was having her mouth probed by one of Astarte’s squad.

“Yes.” Alexandra picked up the box and winced as her subordinate ripped out a pair of fake teeth out of the enforcer’s mouth.

“Will we have to check your mouth and the rest of your body as well?”

“No, I didn’t take my last resort with me.” The ganger replied truthfully.

“Is this box booby-trapped?” Alexandra asked as she examined it, it looked like a standard reinforced lockbox much like the ones she used to transport in her ganger days but it felt somewhat heavy and there was a power connector on it.

“Yes, rigged to destroy the contents if it is opened the wrong way, if its power runs out or if I don’t check within a span of eight days.” The ganger replied.

“Defuse it and open it.” Alexandra instructed as she gave it to her before turning her attention to Astarte. “Watch over her while I manage this mess.”

She walked up to the rest of the squad who were busy handling the three enforcers and the two civilians they had dragged with them.

“Make sure that the enforcers are fully checked for any possible weapons and fully restrained. I don’t care if they only wear their underwear and their cuffs if you have to make sure.” She ordered as she took a close look at the two unconscious civilians, finally realizing that they were the two undercover Mizols. “The idiots who lost the two Mizols from their sight are going to be on latrine duty for the rest of the trip to Atlantis.” Alexandra sent angrily as she stood over them and the squaddie who was checking up on them.

“How are they?”

“Drugged and knocked out cold.”

“Good, get these two to the infirmary and inform the others and the marines that we will put the ship in lockdown in about 10 minutes, don’t inform them as to why.” She ordered and two of her reforged immediately picked up the two Mizol and trotted away.

“You.” Alexandra turned to another of her subordinates. “I want you to get four full spectrum suppressors from our armory and have them here in five minutes.”

With the preparations to cover this mess up underway Alexandra turned her attention back to the ganger and Astarte who was standing watch over her.

“Are you done opening it?” She asked as she walked back to them.

“Almost…here…” The ganger opened the box and turned it over to Alexandra to look inside, the box was actually a small portable cryogenic freezer which contained sixty four cryo-ampules.

“Sixty four?”

“Yes, all of them from different males. These are all I could safely grab.” The ganger replied.

“What? How did you get them at the first place?” Astarte asked in an instant but Alexandra cut the discussion off before it could even start.

“Not now, we will have her explain herself later and don’t even dare to think about what you just saw around anyone.” Alexandra ordered before turning her attention to the ganger. “As for you, you will not be handed over to the Union but I expect your full cooperation no matter what happens.”

Chapter 4, part 1: http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 745#p31745

[dragoongfa]

Sorry for the delay, the writing prompts story just got my interest. I will make sure to keep this story going no matter what though.

[Werra]

Ok, stakes just rose through the roof.

SpoilerShow

But seriously, this sperm getting to human lands means war, whether the Union learns of this now or when the first Loroi children are born.