as written by Script and Saarai
"Nice place," Alanna remarked, "Looks honest."
The station looked like a place that'd chew you up and spit you right out if you pissed it off. So, honest.
"I'm just glad to be back in-atmosphere, personally," she went on. "Space is great and all, but there's not enough water in the air."
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"That's right, you're like a water witch. Like Ursula." Benedict said to Alanna as he and the other mercenaries disembarked from the ship. "The villain from The Little Mermaid...?" Another mercenary asked.
"Pathos!" Ty yelled, holding his arms out towards a man crossing the hangar. The other man was extremely large, larger than his voice made him sound, with dark skin and a bald head.
"This everyone?" Pathos asked, gesturing to the group. "Got one more passenger, they'll be out soon." Ty answered, "Good. Let's get a drink. The rest of you can join us or be on your way. Since Ty says you're okay to be here, you're okay to reap a few limited benefits." Pathos said, pointing towards a door on the other side of the hangar.
"We'll get you food for your travel, and a few vehicles." He continued, "Thank you." Vanessa, gesturing the others towards the exit. "I'll meet you all outside. I want to speak to Pathos here."
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"I like to think I'm a little more athletic. A few less tentacles. Less likely to be impaled by a warship? Can't be a hundred percent on that one. Stranger things have happened." Alanna snorted with amusement.
"Roger that," she noted as Vanessa indicated that they should move out, nodding her head and joining the others in making their way in that direction.
"Seriously though, I don't have the tits to be Ursula. Or the evil laugh. Mwa ha ha? No, see. Can't do it."
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"I'll be the judge of your tits." Benedict joked, pushing open the door out of the hangar. Almost immediately he found himself greeted by sunlight and the pirate haven that was Olympus.
"This seems like the kind of place you roll your windows up and lock your doors in." A mercenary said, watching as the unsavory denizens of Olympus went about their days.
The city was slightly less lit as the second of Hera Prime's suns began to lower. Night would be approaching in a few hours and it wasn't going away any time soon.
"You all look new. Can I interest you in my wares?" A man asked the group as he approached. He wore the chestplate of a traditional English knight, though everything else seemed thrown together.
Even the armor seemed off, like it may have been a replica or a prop. It wouldn't defend against a thing.
"You like to make love? Have you ever heard of Scatterrans?" He asked, "Great lovers, and you too can make love the Scatterran way. If you buy Aphrodite's Kiss." He said, approaching Alanna.
"Have you ever heard if Aphrodite? Where are you from?"
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"I'm from nowhere important, bud," Alanna shrugged her shoulders. She didn't doubt that this place saw a lot of visitors from 'nowhere', 'none of your business', and 'who's asking'.
"And I'll pass on the love drug. It'd only be wasted on a frigid bitch like me."
She stepped over to lean against the wall of the hangar building, looking out across the city. "Maybe Benny's got time to worry about that sort of thing if he's going to be judging peoples' tits." She smirked at the mercenary. "How's about it? You fancy a big wet one from Aphrodite?"
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Benedict shook his head, "I think I'll pass." He said to both Alanna and the salesman. "If I don't die, I might be in need if this place is as bad as it seems."
"News!" A woman yelled, prompting most people to quiet down and begin to huddle around comms and radios around Olympus. It must have been important news. Or they at least knew the importance of staying informed in their business. Things were constantly changing in the universe.
"Turn that up." A nearby smuggler said, "Olympus, this is Meka, scout for The Dread Pirates. A few hours ago gunfire erupted in the capital, Aether City. Around the same time, an army crossed The Badlands heading there." Meka's voice said over the comms.
Benedict jogged over to a radio to listen, gesturing for Alanna and his team to do the same.
"I decided to investigate. I found Aether City occupied by an army clad in blue, led by a man named Elias Crowley. He's taken control from the wealthy. Many of you are familiar with Crowley, you know he's a man of the people. You also know his organization found themselves attacked not long ago." Meka continued.
"War is coming to Hera Prime, be prepared, my friends. And Ty. For the Dread Pirates, Meka signing off."
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"Oh, fan-fucking-tastic," Alanna snorted bitterly. "Is literally everywhere in the universe at war, or does it just follow me around?"
She rolled her eyes. "This is going to complicate shit, I just know it. Even if it has nothing to do with us. That's how it always manages to work."
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"Don't jinx us." Benedict warned, "She's got a point." Vanessa said, approaching the group. "You've been in the field long enough to know that we're always jinxed." She said to Benedict.
"I know, but I like to believe that some god is out there looking out for us." Benedict replied, "Making sure I make it to see my kids disappoint me at their grade school sports games."
The mercenaries couldn't help but chuckle at Benedict's joke.
"On me. I got some directions from Pathos and worked out a deal. We'll need to do a favor for him and Ty, but it should be easy." Vanessa said as she began to walk off towards what appeared to be the entrance into Olympus.
Several dirt bikes and three dune buggies waited for them, a mechanic double checking each one to make sure there were no issues.
"We need to deliver that mystery passenger to a place just outside of our destination. An old military outpost, long abandoned up until a few weeks ago. His friends." Vanessa told the group, "Once we get to Siren, we'll need your memory, Alanna. Point us in the direction." The mercenary said to Alanna.
"Pick a bike or buggy and let's move out."
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"Got it," Alanna replied with a nod, "So where is this enigma, then? Can't exactly play escort if they don't get their ass in gear sometime soon."
She made her way over to one of the bikes and swung a leg over it, shifting her weight around to get used to the vehicle's balance. "Ready to split whenever you are."
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Vanessa shrugged, handing a mercenary her rifle as she moved to get onto one of the bikes. "Hopefully they'll be out soon." She said, "They were... off-putting when I met them, to say the least." The Chinese mercenary told Alanna.
Almost as if summoned, a tall man approached and climbed into one of the buggies with Benedict. He was dressed for the elements, a scarf covering his head and mouth, goggles for his eyes, and a body covering duster. "That's him." Vanessa said.
"Speak of the Devil..." Benedict said, shifting over to the driver's seat. "We're all good to go, boss." He said to Alanna.
The front gate began to open up, revealing a pathway that led down the mountain and into the Badlands. Vanessa was first to start moving, slowly at first to allow her to put on a pair of goggles of her own.
"Comms on, we have about four hours until nightfall, three hours until we hit the drop, two more to Siren if there's no stops." She told the group, "But, this place is the dangerous. Expect stops."
"Let's move." She said, shooting off down the mountain to lead the convoy.