VENDETTA - Chapter 2: Ambush
30 Nov 2024Isabella Adair-Levine
NOTE: This story contains mature themes.Previous Chapter
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DATE: 30th of November, 3310 [08:51 UGT]
LOCATION: The Lakehouse, Undisclosed LocationIsabella Adair-Levine
Soft, gentle wind brushed through green trees, leaves rustling in the breeze and sending subtle ripples through a large lake. A modern house sat by the edge, a real wooden deck extending out over the water. It was quite the idyllic paradise with dense forest all around, snow-tipped mountains stretching across the far horizon. In the first floor of their home, Aurora and Isabella were sprawled out over the blue sofa in their living room, the full glass window that stretched across the whole one side of the house providing a gorgeous view of the lake.
The duo giggled amongst each other, chatting away while the TV played some show... movie... whatever. The noise of the TV faded into the background as the two were clearly far more engaged with each other, nestled and cuddling into each other with Aurora leaning back, gazing up at her wife. Both wore casual outfits, Aurora with her typical color scheme of a black hoodie and pants, while Isabella wore a red t-shirt with a cute, blushing strawberry right in the center, loose-fitting jeans covering her legs.
"...-not a good idea to get stuck into a movie if Violet's visiting soon anyway. I mean... we don't haaave to watch anything. TV is nice ambience for cuddling. Or we can go play a game or something. Or suddenly go on another fifteen thousand light year journey and be back home before lunch?"
Isabella laughed softly, starting to blush a bit as she looked down at Aurora, who laid back against Isa's chest while they took up the couch together.
"Ha... hmm, with that new ship of yours, I'm sure you could. Might be a good idea with... everything that's going on. As long as we don't go hitting black holes or something. Buuut... you're a professional ace pilot now... and it's definitely hot."
"Ohhh come ooon... that was one time! I have been practicing now... plus the Borealis is way more agile than that Krait I was flying. Bit easier to avoid stuff when you're both aware and in a ship that can actually maneuver..."
Aurora chuckled a bit before she continued.
"Plus, if I can pull off neutron jumping, I probably won't be hitting any more black holes any time soon. Do you wannaaa go on another expedition trip, sometime soon? Now that it's way more accessible in the Borealis for us, I'd love to go out and explore more."
Isabella nodded, glancing up at the TV as she continued to browse it, seeing if she could find anything interesting.
"Yeah, the Borealis is more maneuverable - as long as you're not distracted, hmm. But... I'd love to go on more trips and explore. See more... weird looking plants and space stuff."
Aurora rolled her eyes playfully as she turned to look at the TV, watching Isa scroll through while they chatted.
"Gosh... wonder how I could possibly get distracted. Though, honestly... not sure if I wanna find more weird space plants after the last ones. With the... lips or whatever..."
"Hmmm... I don't know. They kind of reminded me of you~..."
With a gasp, Aurora sat up and nudged her wife as her cheeks started to glow.
"Isaaa~... haha~... hmmm. Well... I know you do think of me a lot~..."
Isabella didn't respond as she hummed and felt her face warm, looking over at Aurora. Placing the remote aside, she leant in - the move being met halfway by Aurora as the two kissed in the calm silence of their living room. That simple move seemed to get Aurora into action as she slowly got up onto her knees, turning to mount her wife as she straddled her lap, her arms coming over her shoulders. Everything else became utterly irrelevant as their lips slowly contested, the moment only breaking as Isabella couldn't stop her smile, breaking out of the kiss to speak.
"Already all over me. I really am distracting~..."
Aurora giggled, her arms resting over her lover's shoulders as she gazed at her with a beautiful smile, her deep blue eyes focused purely on Isabella.
"Well... at least I'm not flying our ship right now. Mm... I love you~..."
"I love you even more~..."
Sharing that gaze for just a few moments longer, Aurora eventually leant back as her hands gently massaged Isa's shoulders.
"So~... since there's not much on TV to watch, wanna go sit outside in the fresh air?"
"Yeahhh. Oh! We could go for a walk, I guess. I was exploring a new trail a few weeks ago when you were still working on your ship. I haven't explored it too far."
"Yeah, we could. Probably won't get any further down the trail with me there, though~..."
Aurora hit Isabella with a playful smirk that made her heart skip a little, before she slowly began to climb off of her wife and the couch as she rose to her feet, picking up her glass nearby on the coffee table which was filled with fizzy, orange drink.
"Let's have our drinks and then go put some shoes on for the walk?"
It took Isabella a moment to respond as her eyes travelled up and down Aurora, admiring her outfit and her wife before she nodded, getting to her feet as she grabbed her own glass from the table.
"Let's. It'll be fun, I'm sure. There's always so much out there."
"Mhm. Come~..."
Walking around the couch, Aurora quietly walked along the wooden floor as she approached the large sliding door integrated into the full window. Unlocking it and sliding it open, she stepped out onto the deck overlooking the lake with Isabella in tow. Following her wife, Isa took a breath of the fresh, cool air as they both settled near the railing, gazing out at the environment. A beautiful blue sky with big, fluffy clouds contrasted against the lush green of the dense forest, the light of the star catching on the clear water of the large lake. Isabella took a sip of her fruity peach drink, before lowering her glass onto the railing and speaking.
"Beautiful day as always on this planet."
Aurora let out a soft sigh after she took in a breath of fresh air, before turning to look at her wife as she nudged her with her hip, flashing a teasing wink at her wife.
"Something, something... not as beautiful as you~..."
Isabella laughed as she heard that, looking over at her curly-haired wife as she promptly reached over to gently smack her rear, squeezing Aurora's butt playfully as the duo's gazes were once again stuck on each other.
"Oh... how did I know you were going to say that~...?"
"Mm... because it's true~..."
A soft blush started to rise to Aurora's cheeks again as she slowly sipped her drink for a moment, while Isabella looked into those piercing blues, gently releasing her rear after a moment. Seeing that look in her wife's eyes... that love and affection that made Isabella so happy, that made her feel wanted and loved. It made her get lost in those blue eyes for just a little bit as she felt those desires for Aurora, wanting to give back that same love every day she could. She was lost in her wife's eyes, dreaming about all the things they'd been through and done together... before she remembered about all that was going on in the galaxy.
"So... hun, I wanted to ask. Is your family going to be okay? Back at Sol?"
Aurora's smile did fade a little, but she exhaled slowly through her nose and took a sip of her drink before responding.
"Yeah... they will. My mum messaged me this morning saying that they've already left Sol with all the stuff they could carry. I... was going to suggest they maybe come stay at the Solaris but... the squadron's going to get involved, and staying away from danger would probably be better."
"I agree. Where else will they stay, though?"
"A family friend, I think. I... I don't actually know where... I'll have to ask. But it sounds out of the way, at least."
"Well... here's hoping, hun. This Thargoid war just keeps getting... worse."
The duo sighed as they both sipped their drinks, gently nudging shoulders together as they stood there out on the calm deck of their home.
"Yeah. I just hope there's an end in sight. I don't know. I wanted to take you on a date, but I guess that's not a great idea with this shit going on."
"Mmm... well... you're on a date with me right now, hmmm? Standing out in the fresh air... looking all cute."
Aurora looked over at her wife, laughing as she just smiled and bit her bottom lip. Isabella gazed into those deep blue eyes that were flashed at her, prompting a smile as she quickly downed the small remainder of her own peach drink, placing the empty glass down on the railing before looking out at the forest.
"So...walkie time? Go for a fun stroll in the woods and distract ourselves from all this nonsense?"
Looking over, Isabella watched Aurora's eyes do what she did herself moments ago - travelling up and down before looking up into her hazel eyes again, still holding that playful smirk.
"Mmmm... before that... what's the time? Should probably check how far Violet is, she probably should have left the Solaris by now. I know we checked the route was... y'know... safe... but maybe just go make sure?"
"Shoot, yeah. I'll... shit, I left my PDA in our room. I'll go get it and check."
"And your beautiful wife will wait for you right here~..."
Isabella bit her lip as she watched Aurora take a long, slow swig of her drink, her eyes never leaving her. But, remembering her PDA, Isabella said no more as she walked away, stepping through the sliding door and heading for the stairs that took her up to the second floor of their house. Walking through the hallway that had all sorts of picture frames with their own images, Isabella approached the master bedroom and stepped through the open door. Rather than wood, the bedroom was tiled with white hexagonal tiles, and there was a lot of free space... which was mostly taken up by Isa's scattered clothes... and a bit of Aurora's, sprawled out over the crumpled sheets of their bed that hadn't been made yet.
Making a mental note to clean this all up soon, Isabella walked over to her nightstand and grabbed her PDA, switching the screen on. After passing the lock-screen that had a picture of her, Aurora and Violet, she began to scroll through her messenger... before noticing a message from Violet. Expecting some kind of 'I'll be there soon' type of message, Isabella opened it, only to have to read it again... and again as she tried to make sense of it.
Violet's shuttle attacked? Tyrese? She had to read the message again... Tyrese. She started to panic as her mind went back to the man that nearly killed her several years ago. But he was in jail... locked behind bars for life. Violet had to be mistaken.
"H-... Honey!"
Isabella yelled out for Aurora, quickly exiting the room as she made her way for the stairs, heading back to where her wife was as she began to type up a storm.
"Babe! I think... Violet's in some kind of trouble!"
Coming to the bottom of the stairs, Aurora was already there, confused as she took a moment to stammer out a response.
"... W... what? What kind of trouble?"
"I... She said she was... attacked on her way here. Some lone ship tried to attack her shuttle... but not Thargoids. She says they escaped but... their FSD... or something is broken. I don't understand who attacked, she says Tyrese... his voice was on the comms when the ship hailed them. But... it's impossible, because he's in prison and probably... most likely dead in prison. Come on, Violet... respond! Why is this happening now?!"
Not getting any response after she sent her message was making her feel nauseous as the knot in her stomach tightened. Aurora seemed to take a moment to process that info before she quickly began to pass Isabella, heading for the stairs in a jog.
"Okay, uh... we... we need to get our suits. See if you can figure out where she is, we'll take our ship to find her."
Still tunneled in on her PDA, Isabella still got no response no matter how many messages she sent. With one last message saying they were on their way, she quickly turned and followed Aurora back to their room, her heart pounding in her chest. She entered to see that Aurora had deployed the hidden equipment rack in the wall immediately right of the door upon entry, stripping herself of her hoodie as her black t-shirt underneath covered her, starting to grab the main body of her Maverick suit.
"She's... a bright girl. She'll be okay, right?"
Aurora was already getting suited up as she slid her Maverick over her pants, pulling it up to her hips as she began to slide her arms into the undersuit, covering herself completely and doing up the seals as the next step was mounting her armor. Isabella began to follow, but she was a little slower as her hands trembled a bit. It'd been a while since they'd done... anything like this. She just prayed Violet was okay.
"Let's just make sure she is, okay hun?"
"Y-yeah. We should go quickly... ask her what's going on personally."
Sliding on her boots and sealing them to the suit, Aurora was almost fully suited as her suit pack was next, slinging that around and locking it to the backplate of her Maverick, before she yanked her rifle from the rack and secured it to the magnetic holster. Her belt and suit pouches were already loaded with equipment, so all that was left was to grab the slim helmet that she tucked under her arm. Isabella was still a bit behind, getting her boots on as Aurora quickly left the room.
"I'll go get the ship ready."
Nodding, Isa focused on getting ready as quick as possible, grabbing her pack and her own gun and then double-checking to make sure she wasn't missing anything. With that, she quickly pulled her helmet from the rack and ran after Aurora, speeding down the stairs and sprinting after her wife as she zoomed out of the front door, heading out onto the stone path that led towards the landing pad. She could see Aurora further ahead, just arriving at the pad as she seemed to quickly tap on her PDA. With a loud mechanical groan, safety railings shot up along the edge of the landing pad as the hangar began to open.
The pad dipped down and slid to the side, exposing the red ship inside as it was lifted up into the outside world, light catching the sheen of its fresh hull and sleek wings. Aurora's new Mandalay, the Borealis, sat atop the pad, ready to go as the railings retracted and Aurora continued her sprint towards the front ramp of the ship. With Isabella in tow... it didn't take long for the two to embark and spool up the ship. Thrusters roared to life, scattering leaves and dirt as the Borealis took to the air, a single boost sending it soaring into the sky and cutting through the clouds as the resulting sonic boom echoed through the area...
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DATE: 30th of November, 3310 [09:10 UGT]
LOCATION: Empty Space around Undisclosed LocationAurora Adair-Levine
With a bright flash, the Borealis burst into normal space as it came to a stop, a large Earth-like dominating the sky nearby. It was only a short travel for them to reach this spot. Slowly increasing the throttle as she turned on the ship's night-vision, it didn't take too long for Aurora to spot the target. Violet had managed to send another short message on their way, providing coordinates of her shuttle. Well... they had certainly found it.
The small Adder sparked as it slowly floated in space, missing an entire chunk of its hull where the rear left thruster was supposed to be. The exposed fuel lines burned as hydrogen was expelled into space, ignited by the sparking electronics that remained. Aurora cursed quietly as she brought the ship closer, headlights illuminating the wreck. At least there seemed to be no internal breach from what she could tell, and some lights were still flashing on the hull. The canopy also looked okay, but from here it was hard to tell if anyone was inside.
"We need to hurry. She's stuck in there and we need to get her before something happens. The ship is in bad condition."
Hearing her partner behind her further into the bridge, Aurora brought the ship to a stop as close as she comfortably could without risking a collision, before she released the controls and grabbed her helmet off her lap. Flipping it around and sliding it over her head, she passed the controls over to the co-pilot seat and got up.
"Okay. Hold the ship steady, I'll EVA and go check the ship out..."
Aurora trailed off a bit as she looked over at her partner, seeing that she was already standing. She sighed internally. It was better if Isabella stayed behind the controls of the ship... not to mention her wife still had difficulties maneuvering in a spacesuit.
"Honey, I need you to take the controls. I'll go."
"What? No. I'll come with. It's Violet, she's... I'm coming with."
"And I need you to watch my back, Isa. Please, love. I know the Borealis isn't armed, but... if whoever did this comes back to finish the job, I need you in the ship."
Sensing Isa's hurt, Aurora felt that pain herself, but knew they had to act as she approached the ladder behind the flight seat, taking it down to the lower level of the bridge as she approached an equipment rack near the door, pulling her suit pack off the rack and slinging it around to fit onto herself, locking it into the suit while her wife approached the edge, protesting.
"But... but I can go. And... it's your ship. What am I supposed to even do if they show back up? Ram them?"
Aurora shook her head, looking up at Isabella while she made sure her helmet seal was good, letting the heads-up display boot up.
"No, absolutely not. The shields won't survive that. Just... scan them, get whatever data you can... distract them if you can. I'll be fine, Isa. Violet will be fine. I need you here, okay? I love you."
Isa let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine. Ugh. Yeah. I can run distractions if they show up again. Just... be careful and... make sure she's okay, Aurora. Please. And keep in contact with me. I'll patch ship comms to your suit here in a minute."
"I will, hun. Just deploy the gear so I can get out the front airlock, please."
Approaching the door, Aurora opened it and began to make her way through the Mandalay's interior, moving through the living section as she took another ladder down towards the front airlock. She quickly took a moment to synchronize her comms and switch her microphone to open, allowing her partner to hear everything as Isabella's voice came through the radio shortly after.
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[Okay... got comms up. Can you hear me?]"
"Yep. Hi~..."
Opening the inner airlock door, Aurora stepped through and began the cycle process, the door closing behind her as the vents began to work, depressurizing the airlock. Simulated sound took over seamlessly as her breathing echoed in her helmet slightly, waiting for the cycle process to finish before she tapped the console once more to open the exterior door. It parted, revealing dark space beyond and the Adder helplessly floating there.
"Deep breaths, love. Violet's going to be fine, okay~...?"
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[Yeah, I know. I just wish I could be there to rescue her. She's... like a young sister to me... even a daughter. But you be careful too, love.]"
"I will, honey. But... for the record, you're here to rescue her too. Watching out is just as important... and there's no-one in this galaxy that I'd trust behind those controls more than you."
Exiting the airlock as she slowly descended the ramp with the help of her magnetic boots, Aurora checked for a decent spot to land on the Adder's hull that was clear of any flaming fuel lines or damaged sections. She settled on the top of the hull near the blown-out rear thruster, bending her knees and getting ready before she kicked off the ramp, sending herself floating into zero-g. Small bursts of her suit thrusters finetuned the trajectory as she extended her hands to brace for the landing.
Her gloved hand first gripped a protruding piece of the Adder's hull, letting out a grunt as she pulled herself around and brought her feet down to contact the hull, the magnetic boots locking with a firm clunk as she had made the jump. Standing up on the hull, she looked back at the Borealis, seeing her wife behind the co-pilot controls. A quick quip came to mind as she began to navigate the hull, heading towards the rear of the ship.
"You look so small from here~... cute."
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[You do too. Just be careful, love.]"
"I will. Looks like the rear airlock of the Adder is still fine despite the... chunk of thruster missing next to it. I guess I'll try that."
Kneeling down as she grabbed the edge of the hull, Aurora used it to pull herself down towards the airlock, floating a bit before grabbing onto the railing just outside of it. The airlock looked intact... but immediately she could tell it was locked based off the console.
"Okay... console is locked. Damn... hmm... I guess I can e-breach it. No luck in contacting the ship I guess?"
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[No. It's weird, I tried hailing but there's nothing. I guess the ship is in pretty bad shape. Hope Violet is okay.]"
"Okay... let me try hack the console."
Popping open a pouch on her belt, Aurora pulled out a disposal e-breach as she turned to the console. There wasn't exactly a port for this thing... so Aurora grabbed a multi-tool from her belt, quickly converting it to a pointy screwdriver as she jammed it into the gap under the console, prying the screen off. It did damage the console, but that wasn't her concern as she exposed the wires beneath. Checking the wiring for a moment as she traced her fingers along it, Aurora quickly pulled out three wires before swapping the multitool to a small utility knife. Stripping the ends of the wires with the blade, she put it away once done and began to place the exposed wiring against contacts on the e-breach.
Using her fingers to force the wiring to maintain good contact, Aurora held it and switched the e-breach on. There was no immediate feedback, until the rear airlock suddenly opened up, revealing the tiny chamber within.
"Aha! Okay, I got it. Heading in..."
Discarding the e-breach aside, Aurora quickly moved into the airlock and approached the cycling console, tapping it. There was no authorization requirement this side of the airlock door, so it began the process without further ado as the exterior door shut, the barely-functioning life support of the ship starting to pressurize the airlock.
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[How's it looking? In yet? Everything okay?]"
"Just heading in now, airlock just pressurized. Passenger cabin should be right ahead."
Waiting for the inner door to open, Aurora kept her focus as the airlock finished pressurizing, allowing her access into the interior. The door parted and revealed the room ahead, washed in intense red light. She entered and looked around... but the room was empty. She sighed, turning her suit light on to cut through the red light a bit more, lighting up the door ahead that led further into the ship.
"Well... the passenger cabin is empty but... the interior of the ship seems okay. I'll head further in... knowing Violet, she probably went to the cockpit instead of... staying put, as usual."
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[Maybe I can get closer to the ship so I can see into the cockpit. It's hard to see even with the light. I can be very careful.]"
"I... guess. I'll admit, the headlights on the Borealis are... not great. I..."
Aurora was cut off as the door further in leading towards the cockpit opened. The door parted, revealing a feminine figure with their face covered by a helmet... but immediately, Aurora could tell it wasn't Violet. They wore a standard Remlok flight suit, holding a Karma P-15 in their one hand, wincing at the bright flashlight that shone on them which made them lower the pistol. That gave Aurora the advantage to quickly draw her Tormentor from her right thigh, bringing it up as she shouted out.
"Drop your weapon!"
The woman shouted back, Aurora focusing on their movements as she heard Isabella trying to figure out what was going on, calling for Aurora in the background.
"Who the fuck are you?!"
"I SAID DROP IT! I'm the rescue party, drop the fucking gun NOW!"
Aurora wasn't sure if she was about to be forced to shoot this person, but thankfully that decision never came as a smaller door in the left of the cabin opened. A young woman wearing a blue and white jacket peeked out, their visor not fully dark. That was enough for Aurora to see her concerned face, instantly easing as she slowly lowered her Tormentor. It was Violet.
"Aurora?! That you?"
"Violet... are you okay? What happened?"
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[Is she okay? Is she hurt or anything?]"
Before Aurora could respond to Isabella, Violet already started going off as Aurora holstered her sidearm, the woman in the doorway doing the same.
"We were attacked. Some ship started firing on us. Our pilot here that you almost shot saved us. Saved me. She's good. But... I heard Tyrese. It was him who attacked, I swear to god it was! He's... out somehow."
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[That can't be possible. He's in a Federal penitentiary on some distant ice ball, last I ever heard. It's been years.]"
Aurora sighed and folded her arms. Seeing the ship... seeing Violet... she knew it was true. She wouldn't just make this up.
"Okay... Violet, sweetheart, let's get you off this ship and back to the Solaris, okay? Isabella is waiting for you on our ship, can you EVA?"
Looking over at the pilot, Aurora gestured to her loosely.
"Sorry for the... confrontation, but I think it's best if you come with us too. Isabella, can you position the ship ramp a bit more lined up with the rear airlock? Should make it easier to jump across."
"No, wait. We need the black box. It's proof it was him and it should have the comms. I need to extract it first."
Aurora stopped Violet with a hand on her shoulder.
"Violet, let's get you safe first, okay? We'll get the blackbox, let's just get you onto the ship safe and sound. I'm going to contact the squadron and we'll get a team to fetch the blackbox, okay?"
The pilot scoffed as she folded her arms, snipping a bit at Aurora.
"I hope you're going to pay for my ship repairs. And if you have a whole squadron, maybe you can get your own private transport instead of endangering random Apex pilots with... whatever this is."
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[Jeez. Great pilot indeed...]"
Hearing that comment from Isabella, Aurora chuckled - seemingly randomly to the others as she waved a hand.
"Sorry... yeah. Look, Violet, we'll wait for the squadron, I'll send the message right now and... maybe I can try pull the blackbox real quick. Usually need special tools for it... but regardless, I want you on the ship. Come."
Bringing up her left forearm, Aurora quickly opened up her PDA and navigated to her secure messenger. With a few taps, she was sending a message out to the squadron... they'd need a team to help secure the ship and probably buy time with system authority while they took the black box back to the Solaris.
"... okay. I'm sure Isabella is having a panic attack on the ship if she's not here, huh?"
IDENT: {'Borealis' BS-02X} "[I heard that. And no. I was just a little worried.]"
"No... that's my trick. She's just worried. Come... you can go chat to her and I'll see what I can do about the blackbox."
Leading Violet and the pilot to the airlock just behind them, Aurora squeezed in with them and checked both of their helmet seals before letting them go through. The outer door parted, revealing the Borealis directly behind the Adder with the ramp only a few meters away. It was an easy jump as Violet and the pilot drifted across, with Aurora remaining in the airlock to ensure they made it across. With that... she sighed, turning and cycling the airlock again as she headed back into the ship. She'd have to see what she could do about the blackbox... preferably before any system authority showed up and tried to take it.
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DATE: 30th of November, 3310 [09:33 UGT]
LOCATION: T.O.C. Solaris Q4V-40N, TionislaAurora Adair-Levine
The airlock door of the Borealis opened with a hiss as Aurora descended down the ramp, the heavy blackbox case in hand as she carried it with her. The cold air of the hangar made her shiver a bit as it met the warmth of her exposed arms, her suit unzipped and tucked around her hips, with her black t-shirt keeping her covered. Isabella and Violet followed, heading towards the hangar lifts as Aurora thought back to the whole ordeal.
Walking by her side, Isabella reached for Aurora's free hand and gently took it with a squeeze.
"Well... hope this isn't... anything."
Violet immediately started up again as she threw her hands up slightly, glaring at Isa.
"It is something. It's him. I'm not stupid. I don't know why you won't believe me."
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just hard to... how could've he escaped? Not a lot of people do, unless you have a lot of money and power. He's just some thug."
Aurora sighed as they reached the lift, tapping on the console to open the doors as she entered and let her wife and Violet enter afterwards. With the trio in the lift, she tapped the console to take them to the operations deck, the doors closing as it began to travel.
"Violet's right. Who would attack a random transport shuttle, and then taunt it? There's a lot of people who should be locked away, yet get lucky and manage to escape. Just the way the galaxy works, I guess..."
"I guess so. I should've killed him."
"Yes. You should've. Then this wouldn't have ever happened and we wouldn't be having to deal with that murdering lunatic who killed my father."
"Come on, Violet. He deserved to rot in prison."
"He deserves to be six feet under. I thought this was behind us and we could move on. But no."
"We don't even officially know yet. So...let's just-"
"I know what I heard!"
Aurora listened to the argument, getting increasingly frustrated... not at Isa and Violet, but just this situation in general. They were all supposed to be happy, starting a new life and learning to move on from the past... but now it didn't seem like that peace would last. It pissed her off, to say the least.
"Both of you, stop arguing, please. We'll find out what's on the black-box, and once we know for sure... if this 'Tyrese' is back, then we'll deal with it. Let's go talk with the operations crew."
They both went quiet after what Aurora said, the rest of the lift's short journey remaining in silence before the doors parted with a ding, revealing the active operations deck of the Solaris, with crew and guards roaming around. With the blackbox in hand, Aurora began to walk, the signs guiding them towards the briefing room. It wasn't a long walk, as by the time she turned the next corner, they were there - the door open and revealing the briefing room, lit in calm blue lights with the large holographic table at the middle.
Several CSF guards were present outside - but they were different. Instead of the typical black and silver armor, these guards were dressed in heavy, matte-black armor with deep red highlights across sections of their armor. The four guards offered loose salutes, which Aurora returned as she kept on walking, heading into the ops room. Three figures stood around the holo-table, turning to the approaching trio as Isabella commented quietly.
"I remember this room all too well..."
Walking up to the holographic table, Aurora lifted the blackbox and promptly placed it down on top. The idle hologram distorted around the box slightly as the individuals around the table looked at it, before a man with short, smoothed back hair and a stubble contrasting against his pale face spoke.
"Well, I know that look. Where'd you get this, Commander?"
"It's the black box from Violet's shuttle that got attacked, Faust. I want to hear the last thing on it."
With a hesitant nod, Faust promptly pushed the black box along the table over to a man with short hair and glasses, who popped open some ports on the exposed black box and began to plug it into the table using some adapters. It didn't take long to interface the box into the table, prompting him to access its contents with the holotable interface, before playing the last communications recording taken by the box..
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SHUTTLE GH-89 BLACK BOX DATA
INCIDENT DETECTED AT 08:43 UGT
LOCATION DATA: REDACTED
SEVERE HULL DAMAGE SUSTAINED AT 08:45
Playing last recorded communications log...
IDENT: {SCRAMBLED} "[...-huttle GH-89, you are carrying illicit cargo. Submit to a scan and prepare for possible boarding action.]"
IDENT: {Shuttle GH-89} "[There must be a mistake. I'm only transporting personnel. Not cargo.]"
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////Interrupting the recording, Violet suddenly spoke up.
"That's Tyrese! I told you, Isa! This is when I realized it and told the pilot to bolt. She hesitated but-..."
Violet went quiet as the recording continued.
////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Resuming last recorded communications log...
IDENT: {SCRAMBLED} "[That's exactly right. The person you are carrying is a wanted felon of the Federation. Submit now or be destroyed...]"
Frame Shift Drive Charging...
!!! WARNING: UNDER ATTACK !!!
Error... playback ends. Closing last recorded communications log...
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////The comms was silent for a long moment as the room took in the words, before Violet finally spoke up.
"That's when I told the pilot it was a pirate that was hunting me and to put it in top gear, and get the hell out, which she did. He immediately opened up on us, fried the shields, then got several cannon rounds into our hull before we could jump away."
Aurora felt her anger growing just hearing what this 'Tyrese' said over the communications, looking around the table. It was quiet for a moment before Faust sighed, folding his arms as he straightened up and looked over at Aurora.
"It's... certainly a scary situation to be in, but Commander, there isn't much we can do. We can't go running around hunting for some pirate we know nothing about."
Shooting a glare at Faust, Aurora then looked over at her wife, her frown still plastered over her face.
"Isa, tell them who Tyrese is."
"He's-..."
Before Isabella even had a chance to speak, Violet interjected abruptly.
"He's the piece of shit that killed my father and the entire settlement I was in. He has... or had, I don't know, a private army of trained ex-soldiers. He was helping some corrupt woman take over the Styx system when I was living there. Isa killed most of his men and almost killed him. We thought he was in prison, but obviously not. We have to find this guy and descend upon him. Destroy him, and anyone who's following him."
Isa let out a slow exhale, shooting a look at Violet.
"Okay, Violet. Thanks. And yes. He's ex-military, ex-special operations. He's well trained and probably has someone - or several people - behind him. It's... personal."
Faust scratched his stubble, looking down at the table again.
"Hm. That complicates things."
Aurora looked over at Violet and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly as she offered a bit of a smile. Eventually, the silence was broken by a woman with tied back brown hair and a scar across her right cheek, who looked at the trio with a sympathetic gaze, before settling on Aurora.
"Commander... what would you like us to do?"
Looking up at Avery, Aurora juggled decisions in her head, remaining quiet for a moment before she spoke.
"I... I want the entirety of CSF activated to hunt him down. I want Jaiden and the Peacekeepers to find out what he can about Tyrese's exact background, any other contacts he might've had before or during his time in prison, anyone who could've helped him escape-..."
Faust interrupted, disbelief across his face.
"Hold on, Commander. That's a huge mobilization you're asking for. We can't do that for some soldier and his cronies!"
"I am not asking, I'm TELLING you to do exactly what I fucking said. I want the Elite Guard with me, and I'll do it myself."
"Aurora, this is ridiculous. The squadron has other matters, Sol is about to be attacked by the Thargoids. We can't just-..."
Aurora suddenly snapped as she went off, shouting down the briefing room to the point of her voice cracking slightly.
"Last time we got attacked by a small group of people, they turned out to be a massive criminal organization, and then THOUSANDS of people died. I won't FUCKING have a repeat of EMBER again. I'm NOT having some FUCKING ASSHOLE hurt my family again. The Thargoid war can FUCKING wait."
Faust sighed and lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as Aurora stood there, trembling with anger. She felt Isabella take her quivering hand, letting Aurora's words settle for a moment before she started speaking herself.
"I can take care of this, if I have a bit of back-up with me. But we will need a little bit of TITAN's resources. We need to find out where he is... or Violet... myself... even your Squadron Commander - my wife - won't be safe. He's after all of us. So, Aurora is right. Even if the Thargoids are attacking... we can't risk Tyrese stabbing us in the back."
Avery nodded, placing her hands behind her back at ease.
"I agree... however Faust is right as well. Mobilizing the entirety of CSF for someone we still know little about is not a good move, especially not when the Thargoids are about to launch an invasion deep in the Core Systems, on Sol nonetheless. That carries wider ramifications beyond just the Federation."
Interjecting again, Aurora shook her head, shooting an accusing glare at Faust.
"What's ridiculous is that Faust thinks it's okay that some fucking criminal attacked a shuttle and tried to kill a teenager."
"That's absolutely not what I'm saying, Commander. But spending all available resources on one target while there is a wider war going on with an alien species?"
"We NEED to be ready. Sol's important, sure, but the squadron is just one drop in the bucket. How do you think he found out that Violet would be taking a shuttle to visit us, huh? He likely has people watching TITAN. I want an audit done on every single recent hire within the last few months, and..."
Avery once again tried to stem an angry Aurora, raising a hand.
"Aurora, you need to calm down. We understand this is personal, and... given the past we've all been through together... I understand wanting to throw everything at this. But these are difficult demands to comply with in a timely manner without stretching the squadron's resources thin."
Aurora went quiet as she stood there, her emotions getting the better of her for a moment before she shrugged and continued.
"I'm sorry, but I don't care. I at least want a significant portion of conventional CSF ready, and I want to speak to the Captain of the Elite Guard. I understand I... I don't a-always make the best decisions but I... am... so tired of this fucking galaxy hurting me. Hurting u-us. Do not stand there and tell me I'm being ridiculous when we're facing possible attack again. I understand the Thargoid war is important but so is this."
The room was quiet again, eyes on Aurora as she tried to calm her breathing, glancing around the table. Faust nodded slowly, leaning on the edge of the holotable.
"... Fine. When Stafford can get more information on the target, I'll brief CSF CENTCOM on the target and have the squadron on high alert for him and his associates... as best as we can be considering the circumstances. We might not be able to spare more of CSF, but you'll get the entire Elite Guard ready to follow the hunt... and whatever other resources you need - when you need them, and if we can get them to you."
"That's all I was asking for. We'll... send Violet to our home where it's far safer and she can stay there while we figure this out. Until we know for certain Tyrese has no one on this carrier, and he's dead. And until this whole Thargoid crap blows over..."
Isabella smiled a bit, seemingly glad Faust made the right call. Violet... however... was far less enthused about Aurora's suggestion.
"I'm not sitting in an oversized home while you get to go out there and hunt the piece of shit that killed my father and those I cared about. I'm going to kill him myself and make sure the job gets done."
Looking over at Violet, Isa shook her head, frowning.
"Absolutely not. You're not killing anyone, Violet."
"I don't remember asking for your input. I'll do whatever I want. And that's to kill this piece of shit."
Aurora looked at Violet, shocked that those words could even come out of her mouth. Her bewilderment took a moment to pass before she saw where this was going.
"Please just... give us the room for a moment. Isa and I need to have a chat with Violet."
While the others departed the room swiftly, Aurora turned to face Violet and folded her arms, shaking her head slowly as she looked at her in surprise.
"... Violet... how can you speak to Isa like that? She's right, you're not getting your hands dirty. I know this is personal but you don't want this, trust me. We are not letting you put yourself in danger, let alone kill anyone."
"That's bullshit. Why the fuck do I have to sit here and wait for you two to kill him? If it's so bad and dangerous, then go tell the authorities or leave it up to CSF."
Taking Aurora's hand, Isabella took her turn to offer her input.
"He's after all of us, Violet. It's better if it's just a few people. Plus, we don't even know where he is or what's his next move."
"I make it for him. I put myself out there, he'll come for me to get to you, Isa, then we capture him and I kill him for destroying my fucking life."
Aurora sighed.
"Violet, come on. You have a whole life, you have a job, you have people who care about and love you. Don't throw that away for revenge. That's exactly what Tyrese would want, why give it to him? You're not trained enough for this, and if Tyrese gets ahold of you, that makes everything so much worse for me and Isa. You're going to stay at our home and be protected until we sort this out."
"I'll do whatever I want. I'm not sitting with my thumb up my ass while the fucker who killed my father gets to... just walk free. No. I don't care about anything other than seeing him six feet under."
Starting to get frustrated with how stubborn Violet was being, Aurora raised her voice slightly as she glared at her.
"He isn't going to walk free, Violet! You think Isa and I are going to allow that?! I'm prepared to bring this whole squadron down on him! Look, you can say what you want, but it doesn't change the decision. You're angry and upset, I get that. But you need to take your tone down a notch."
"Yeah. We'll see. He should've been fucking dead already."
"Violet, ENOUGH!"
Glaring at Isabella and Aurora, Violet suddenly turned and stormed out of the command room, prompting a heavy sigh from the duo as they watched her leave. Stopping her would likely only make things worse... though they had to make sure that she didn't do something silly, like leaving the carrier. The two were quiet for a moment as Aurora's eyes started to water, trying to stem the tide of emotions as Isabella spoke softly, leaning against the holotable with her hip.
"This sucks... so much for having a nice weekend together. Ughhhh... now this psycho wants to kill me... Violet and... maybe you."
"He'll die trying. I'm here with you... I'll protect you and Violet. This squadron will. We're not letting some fuckwit dictate our lives again."
Isabella sighed, turning towards her wife as she slowly wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug.
"I'm... also sorry about Violet. She's... you know. Emotional about this. Though... if you could have guards watch her. I imagine she's gone to her living quarters here on the Solaris, but... I don't want her making irrational decisions."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Aurora turned and hugged her partner tightly, nodding.
"I k-know. I'll get... some guards to keep an eye on her quarters. But... for now... I think you and I should... return to our ship and come back to this when... emotions aren't so high. Hopefully when Stafford can... pull some info about Tyrese."
"We'll get through this, Aurora. He's nothing. I'm... more worried about Violet, however."
"Same..."
Sighing as she leant out of the hug and took her wife's hand, Aurora offered a weak smile as they turned and began to walk towards the briefing room door, stepping outside to exit. The three operations crew members were standing, conversing amongst each other before noticing the clearly upset duo stepping out into the hallway. Faust was first to speak, folding his arms.
"Everything okay, Commanders?"
"Did you see Violet storm out? We're... hoping she went to her quarters but... please get a security element to check her quarters, it's on the deck where Isa and my quarters used to be. And... make sure that she's blocked from leaving this carrier until I say so. We hate to do this to her but... we've also never... really seen her act like this..."
"Right. I'll ask Jaiden to get some Peacekeepers to pay a visit... probably a better idea to send them instead of a CSF patrol."
"Thanks. Isa and I are... going to go back to our ship. We'll stay docked so please let me know if... anything happens or if Stafford gets any info."
"Will do."
With that... Aurora and Isabella walked past, heading back to the lifts they originally entered from. Both were quiet, though clearly deep in thought. Aurora knew Isabella carried guilt about not killing Tyrese all those years ago... that she might blame herself for allowing this to happen. Aurora was just concerned about not having a repeat of EMBER. She couldn't allow the galaxy to almost take this from her again. Neither Violet or Isabella.
This day had already gone downhill so quickly... from planning a sweet date and a relaxing day together, to almost losing Violet and now having to face another enemy of the past. She knew this was personal to Violet... but her outburst stung no less. It hurt all of them... all Aurora could think about was the things they had already been through. The near-death experiences. The pain and suffering. She couldn't go through that again.
She wouldn't - couldn't - allow this 'Tyrese' asshole to hurt them. One thing was certain... he was a dead man walking, no matter what. They'd make sure of it.
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Credit: Written together by CMDRs Radiumio and Maple, imagery created by CMDR Radiumio and story provided by CMDR Maple. Thank you so much for reading!
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