Everflame 2 (FINISHED)

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Krade grinned, then a laugh came out, tired and short.
"Yes, well a lot has changed, don't you think?" She slid her back down the wall until he sat with her knees up, and head leant back. "I suppose it's changed a lot for you too. I think I remember you right? The one with the boyfriend. What happened to him?" The tilted her head to the side with honest, inquiring eyes.



Reggie lifted a piece of chicken, ready to eat, but he just left it hanging in the air as he looked down at Tess. "Depends what's at stake, but personally?" He glanced to Blaze. "I'm with you." He ate the chicken, gave a little glare to Tess, then looked at his food. "I mean, not that I'm not grateful to you Tess, after my stuff was stolen and... all that. But you have to decide what's important."




Howl moved to Chronin's side and looked up at Nero. "I'm fine where I am. We're all working toward the same goal, so leave us be."


The beast encroached closer in on the ship, moulding to its shape. Golden eyes looked through the hull, melting it until it peered inside at the components. It moved closer still, melting the hull entirely, leaving the cockpit alone as it breathed in the engine force, andreached inside, cutting everything dead. The ship went quiet, leaving only voices.

[KittKat chunky~]

Annie's breath caught in her throat. Her gaze fell on the opposite wall as she relived, as she did every night, the last moments that she had shared with Kitt Szarda...



"Ship crash landed on strip 12, not two clicks from here... We're the closest team to the site. We get in, and get them out..." Kitt glanced around at the faces of the team. All wore dark red fatigues and no body armour or helmets, testimony to the unexpected nature of the alarm call. The ship juddered again as it roared through the sky. Annie stood opposite her husband, and grinned as she glanced over his muscled frame. His hair was greying at the edges, prematurely like his father's, but his eyes still shone with vibrant youth. He caught her gaze and smiled in return. Overhead, a light turned from red to green, and the ship shook for a final time as it landed...


Colony 254423A, locally known as Jermain. Arid, but habitable, vast concrete landing strips covered the planetary surface. As the ramp of the Mechanicus Dropship lowered, several immense Mechanicus Carriers in the far distance came into view. Giant steel constructs that stretched for miles, they sat now silent and still on their landing strips, hundreds of smaller ships swarming around them.

Close by however, a ship of much smaller design lay near the Dropship. It stood, engines pointing to the sky, nose burried deep into a charred furrow of concrete and earth, thick black smoke billowing. 

The team set off at a run, boots clanking down the dropship ramp and crunching on the concrete landing strip below. Five minutes went by in a blur of hydrants and dousing sprays of fire-retardant foam. The ship still blazed from within, and so Kitt was the first to enter, air purifier pulled over his mouth. The door of the ship opened with a clang and a figure slumped out of the smoke and darkness inside. Kitt caught the fox as he fell, already checking him over for burns and carrying him bodily towards the waiting stretcher.


Back in the dropship the pilot had received a second message, just as the lone crewmember of the crashed ship was rescued from certain death. A message that, had it reached the team in time, would have saved Kitt's life... "Do not approach crashed ship, pilot assumed to be dangerous and unstable. Await arrival of police forces and make no attempt to approach the ship... I repeat, make no attempt to approach crashed ship..."




Annie clenched her fist tightly and glanced up at Krade. How long she had been staring at the blank wall she did not know, and so instead she cleared her throat hoarsely "He's dead. Shot three times in the chest from point blank range..."




-----




Blaze grinned and glanced from Reggie over to Tess. She sighed and stabbed at her own breakfast, all appetite gone "Your making a big thing out of it." Blaze put down his fork and turned in his seat to her "No, your the one who is acting like this is alright. Why does it matter to you what the other engineers think?" Tess bowed her head over her plate and mumbled weakly "Well it does matter to me... I wish it didn't, but it does."

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin's sense went wild as he could feel the presence closing in, and it drove him to repeatedly bash himself into the dead machinery and whatever was left of the cockpit. Eventually the self-injury caused him to go unconsious, but that was only a brief calm before the other side took over. Whatever was left of the hull was torn apart to add onto Chronin's frame, essentially scrapping his only method of traveling by somewhat conventional means. It was a small price to pay though, as his soundless shriek scattered the beasts wings and pushed Nero a good ten meters away. His lack of control was evident since he was giving off  a massive amount of energy and he was adopting a more bestial posture.


He gave off so much that his mother, Vuranin, could feel the spike from several lightyears away. Would figure he might end up in this, he is the only known hybrid after all. She continued to stand there, not really sure if she wanted to spend all the effort and possibly arrive too late. She dispelled that doubt though, when she felt herself gravitating towards the energy spike. She shrugged only for a moment, and then she was gone...

[Entaru]

Nero flipped through space for a moment before regaining his posture.  WhaT IN HelL WaS ThaT?  Nero snarled at Chronin and approached Howl, what little mischeif he had in mind now gone.  "We may be after the same goal, but our methods are very different.  I know that you have some idea as to where the Everflame is.  Tell us where it is...your diplomatic approach is taking far too long and the boundries between our worlds is becoming thinner with every passing moment.  We'll take what is ours by force, since peace is obviously too slow."

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Krade narrowed her eyes, and a small twist of her mouth almost seemed like a smile. She brushed her trousers at the thigh with her hand, whether there was dust or not. Breathing a sigh, she looked to the vixen, and the twitch of a smile left her.
"Mine died as well," she said with a lilt in her voice. "I suppose maybe we could share sob stories if you like." Stepping forward, she leaned close to Annie. Her fringe dangled in front of her like a screen. "But that's not why you're here, is it? Why are you here?"




Reggie smirked, and scarfed down half his meal. "You know what, I'm no good at being mediator. You deal with this yourself. How do I get to the mortuary from here?"




The four inter-dimensional beings floated in space, with the beasts' wings threatening to enclose all around them. Howl drifted by Chronin's side, and looked up to Nero with a set scowl.
"There's no need to hurt anyone. That's not why we came here." He shook his head and looked out into space, looking over to where they were headed. "And maybe you're right about the peaceful solution, but we're not going to hurt anyone. We'll steal the everflame and so everyone's happy."

[tangletail]

Leo sat there in the cockpit quietly waiting for an answer, soon shrugging seeing he wasn't going to get one anytime soon. "I guess that is a no." he sighed looking off to his side out of the window.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin's power was still affecting everything as everyone's aura seemed to bend and stretch towards him. Inside his shell of metal though, Chronin was silently freaking out at how he was in space and somehow not dying or suffering bodily damage from the change in atmosphere. It was only Howl's words that pulled him out of his self-speculation. "Wait, stealing Everflame? If I know anything about protocol, any ships that left the Sphere are going straight to Serra Draconis, which will take at least a day with a ship, let alone on 'foot'. Plus, only one of those ships would have it, and my only parent would probably be on it! I am not leading these two to her!"

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The vixen jumped at Leo's voice.
"Hm? Oh sorry, I was distracted." She gave a quick smile then tapped on the front console. The door shut and the engine began to spin and hum, giving rhythmic breaths of life. "You'll be fine. I'll be with you every step of the way, now lets go."




Howl darted eyes back at Chronin. "What did you think we were doing? Look we don't have time for this we've got to go, now." His body seemed to bend and shift, one part floating in toward Chronin, the other drifted out to space.

[KittKat chunky~]

With a flick of her ponytail to one side Annie returned Krade's cold stare. It was her turn to give a hint of a smile "No, of course it isn't. I would not come traipsing across space just to relieve sentiments."  She cleared her throat and ran a hand down each of her lapels, composing herself "You have made quite a name and reputation for yourself. I am in need of your services. All greetings aside, we need to talk..."



----



Blaze gave an exasperated sigh and then turned to Reggie "The mortuary? What do you want to go there f-" Tess elbowed him sharply in the ribs, glaring peevishly.
She glanced up at Reggie with an apologetic glint in her blue eyes "Go down down the corridor to your left, there's several grav-elevators there. Take one and insert your pass card. Then its as simple as selecting the place you want to go." Blaze nodded in conformation, sheepishly staring at his fork and chewing silently.



----



The bridge of the Mechanicus Carrier echoed with constant chatter and clanks of boots running back and forth along its length. Captain Vladiik sat in the middle of it all, two fingers pressed to his temple. He sighed "Pilot, how long until the Carszenian fleet arrives?" A finch glanced up from his screen, tearing his eyes unwillingly away from the series of jump calculations he had been preparing "One hour thirty sir." Vladiik nodded and the finch turned back to his screen.

With a vertebrae-cracking stretch, Vladiik unfurled his wings and stood. He walked through the bridge and came to rest against the railing that ran along the length of the bridge. Five metres of clear plas-steel and countless deflection shields where all that stood between him and space, inky darkness flecked with stars.

He sighed, jumps always took a very long time with a ship as large as Mechanicus carriers.  Normally several days would be put aside for preparation, calculating every possibility and ensuring minimal deviation. Now they had less than an hour and a half in which to evacuate thousands of Mechanicus crew. Any civilian ships not docked couldn't be accounted for, they must be left behind...

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Krade flashed a smile like a silent explosion, there and gone in a second. Her teeth flashed in the light. She nodded her head, her brow starting to knot, hands on hips she leaned back, tall and staring down. "You need my services, you need my services, we need to talk? Yeah, yeah we do. You know what, you first. Who flew that ship you came on?" With every quickfire phrase, she twitched and turned, eyes never leaving the fox. "Looks like a piece of crap to me. How'd you end up on a ship like that? Do tell."




Reggie stood, watching the boy prod his food. He took his tray and headed away, putting it with the others before leaving the canteen and walking to the grav lift. He ran his hand through his hair, gripping strands.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin made a soundless sigh as Howl seemed to get cross for the wrong reason. "Let me clarify myself, I already knew we needed to snatch the Everflame, but such an undertaking will not be possible with those two 'helping' us!"

[tangletail]

Leo smiled back "Thanks thats very reasureing" his tone was hard to differ from sarcastic and serious now. Turning his attention back into the dark pits of space "So how long is this trip going to last?"

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Howl frowned, his body shivered its little motes of self, and he folded his arms as he moved close to chronin. "So what do you suggest?"




The vixen smirked and leaned on the pilot chair. "Shouldn't be long. We'll intercept them, or even turn up ahead of them." She tapped the unfurnished walls, making metallic thuds. "This ship is faster than it looks." She pushed off to stand straight, and headed back through the ship. "That said, you best eat something before we arrive. Keep your strength up, we've no idea how long your mission will take."

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin thought about it for a moment, and a sudden surge in the attraction force signified his idea. "I... have clearance, which can at least get me to my Aunt, whom has full clearance. She, or at least her I.D., can get us to the Everflame stone, then my mother -going out on a limb with this, mind you- will take the stone back to your realm since she is apparently an expert in traveling through space."

[KittKat chunky~]

Calm and composed, Annie frowned "Of course, I suppose you have every reason to doubt me." She suppressed a small smirk "After all, I would not trust an old friend who just happened to turn up looking for you, after all these years. The ship was piloted by two officials of the mechanicus, and the ship originates of the same company."

With a tap of the finger to the Mechanicus badge stitched to her shoulder, Annie continued "I ordered the ship to be flown here and await my return, under official business, the true nature of which is unknown to the company." A frown creased her brow and she sighed "Any other questions. Anything else you doubt or don't believe Krade?"



----


Tess sighed, snatching glances across as Blaze. Finally she slipped her fingers around his wrist, stopping him from prodding despondently at his chicken, and smiled "Look, if it means this much to you. Maybe it dont matter what others think?" She sighed and kissed him. Blaze dropped his fork and returned the kiss, grinning he pulled away "Thanks. Come on then, we both got the day off rota... So what do ya wanna do?"