THE FERAL WITCH
17 Aug 2022Jav Marlo
THE FERAL WITCH10 JUN 3308, Harma system, Pegasi Sector.
This is commander Jav Marlo, recording this log at Gabriel Enterprise, in the Harma system.
I was dead... I mean, clinically dead. Some masked bounty hunter shot me down at Jenkerson’s Anvil. I shot him too. I do not know if he survived. But I am sure I didn’t.
Jav Marlo being shot at Jenkerson’s Anvil
I was alone on that forsaken base getting ready the Mjolnir for some big diamond heist job Ayumi was trying to get from a pirate clan in order to rise on their ranks. In the meantime, Ayumi was touring the system, going from one pirate outpost to another, trying to find any clues about the fate of her sister or the whereabouts of the Pretorian, the ship that brought both here. By the time she returned to Jenkerson’s Anvil, like we have agreed, there was no trace of me. Not even my corpse.
Ayumi returning to Jenkerson’s Anvil on the Electra
It might be because Ayumi believes she is in debt to me after I rescued her, or perhaps because she is not willing to loose anybody again to the Pegasi Sector, as she later told me. Or maybe I mean more to her than I thought. Anyhow, I am really impressed by the way she dealt with the situation.
Ayumi entering into Jenkerson’s Anvil saloon
Knowing her, I would have expected that she would have turned Jenkerson’s Anvil to ashes. But instead, she entered the saloon cold as ice.
She managed to keep her cool and questioned the locals about me, the mechanic that has been working on the huge Imperial Clipper parked on the outskirt of the base and disappeared leaving no trace.
Ayumi questioning the locals of Jenkerson’s Anvil
Pirates do not usually mess into others business, they know how dangerous that can be into their line of work, but they do not like bounty hunters either. Finally, an obscure local contract allocator agreed to tell Ayumi about my duel with the masked man... for a price.
Ayumi listening about the duel
For some credits more, the greedy operator even told Ayumi about how he personally had examined my corpse after the duel and, after discovering the strange cybernetics in my chest, have sold my body to a group of local scavengers from a nearby base who deal in the body augmentations market. And yet, Ayumi managed to restrain herself of crashing his skull where he stood.
Ayumi inquiring about Jav Marlo
Before my ill fated duel, I have had the time to finish adapting the Mjolnir for the piracy business; and there it was, fully armed and loaded, just waiting for Ayumi to take it.
Ayumi walking towards the Mjolnir
The scavengers had a tiny outpost nearby, smaller than the wingspan of the Mjolnir. Ayumi, might have restrained at Jenkerson’s Anvil because she needed the intel; but now, covered by the twilight, the corpse harvesters were about to discover Ayumi’s true feral nature.
The scavengers base
They had my corpse, and Ayumi was willing to do anything to take it back. True to her style, Ayumi looked for the high ground to study the base.
Ayumi studying the scouting the scavengers base
And she came up with a very straight forward plan. First, covered by the shadows, she draw her heavy shotgun and shot all her way to the power plant. I guess those poor bastards did not even saw what killed them.
Ayumi shooting her way into the power plant
Then, she switched off the power to the base to create more chaos and deactivate any defences and alert signals.
Ayumi waiting for the power core to deactivate
With the power off she felt free to stroll the perimeter of the base wiping off any possible opposition.
Ayumi ready to leave the power plant
She went building by building looking for my corpse and bringing mayhem to anyone that crossed her. The more she saw what was going on within the labs and disassembling facilities the more enraged she became.
Ayumi strolling around the scavengers base
Soon there was nobody left to face her, but there was no trace of my body either. Guilt and despair overwhelmed her, as she recalls it. But then she noticed a small habitat module apart from the main complex that she had missed during her search.
Ayumi heading to the small habitat module
It was the lab and... there, on the dissection table there was my body... with a big hole in the chest and a pale blue humming coming out of it.
Ayumi finding Jav Marlo’s body in a hidden facility
According to Ayumi, my body was clinically dead but... somehow... the tech that Zedakiah put into the implant of my chest when he cured me from the Thargoid poisoning had managed to remain active. And it glared the same way the Guardian structures do.
Ayumi saw a spark of hope and... well... she did the same thing the last time I died, she put my body into cryostasis and took me to the nearest proper medical facility, that happened to be in Gabriel Enterprise.
Ayumi entering into Gabriel Enterprise piloting the Mjolnir
Pirates are usually very good in fixing the maimed, but me and the technology of my chest were beyond their skills. Nevertheless, Ayumi paid a small fortune to keep my body in stasis, cared and safe. She stayed at Gabriel Enterprise by my side. Weeks passed and she got into more troubles and fights at the pirate headquarters. She was famous because of the incident at Huberath Gateway, and many pirates wanted to test themselves against her. Their bones were crashed and their faces were slashed. And the pirate lords could witness how feral Ayumi could be. And finally... one day... after weeks being dead... I... I woke up.
According to the doctors, I have Guardian shrapnel inside my chest and, somehow, the crystals have rearranged themselves to rebuild my burnt organs and reactivate my nervous system. But they do not have a clue about how this can be possible... (Sigh) I guess that there is more to the tech that Zedakiah used to rebuild my lungs than he told me.
I was alive again, but had to remain at Gabriel Enterprise waiting for my body and limbs to recover from the long stasis. The doctors also proposed some skin grafting to cover the horrible scar and blue hue of my chest. But the most important thing was that, with me recovering, Ayumi felt free again to take the Mjolnir and pursue the search of her sister.
Ayumi ready to depart Gabriel Enterprise piloting the Mjolnir
I must confess that, the first time I saw Ayumi and ALIX, the advanced COVAS I got from Denton Patreus, interacting, I thought that more sooner than later Ayumi would tear the artificial assistant into pieces. But I guess that, in times of need, we all need allies; and Ayumi and ALIX have found a way to cooperate.
Ayumi at the cockpit of the Mjolnir interacting with ALIX
The Mjolnir, with ALIX managing most of the systems and capable of monitoring hundreds of merchant traffic lines at the same time, plus its combination of speed, big cargo hold and heavy weaponry, not forgetting a skilled and charismatic pilot at the helm like Ayumi, has become the apex of the pirate ships. And they had never seen something like that in the Pegasi Sector.
The Mjolnir in Harma
When we arrived to the Pegasi Sector we failed to secure a contract that would have sent us to steal the low temperature diamond miners operating on the ice rings of a nearby system controlled by the Sirius Corporation. It was a nasty business that would have involved facing the security ships patrolling the mining zone. But Ayumi found a better way.
She lurked for the fat Type 9s on their way from the ice ring to their base carrier, their bellies filled with diamonds. She interdicted them and melted their shields in an instant with the powerful lasers of the Mjolnir.
The Mjolnir engaging a Type 9
Then she would deploy a swarm of limpets to crack the Type 9 cargo bay and hastily collect all the diamond canisters. Drag munition missiles would keep the Type 9s steady in case they try for a run. And ALIX monitors system’s communications for incoming security patrols. With an enough number of limpets, the Mjolnir cargo hold can be filled in minutes. And it is a big cargo hold, bigger than the ones in most pirate ships. Enough to make every heist very profitable.
Limpets collecting stolen low temperature diamonds
By the time the patrols arrive there is not much they can do. The Mjolnir can outrun most ships, and the ones swift enough to catch it cannot mass block it. But usually, when the security forces arrive, the Mjolnir is already gone leaving just a disabled T9 behind. A clean operation. No victims. And a cargo hold full of diamonds every time. And that is how Ayumi managed to rise into the pirate ranks. One of the pirate clans asked her to steal a cargo of diamonds in order to consider her. Instead of that, she provided with a stream of diamonds directly to the vaults of the pirate King in Gabriel Enterprise. And Sirius Corporation is still trying to find the ship that has been exhausting them.
The Mjolnir at Gabriel Enterprise after a heist
For those exploits, Ayumi was summoned by the pirate King himself. The weak imperial girl that was meant to be part of Delaine’s harem now stood in front of him as a proud and fierce pirate. Of course, Delaine did not knew who she truly was. On those days, he was focused on dealing with a plot to depose him orchestrated by the pirate lord Vidar Trask and his Death Corsairs. He personally asked Ayumi to join the fight on his behalf for the control of the Harma system and the Kumo Crew, and declared that she should be known as the Witch. The feral was soon added to her name by the pirates, in reference to her wild combat style. And that is how the tale of the Feral Witch that came from the Imperial fringe was born.
Archon Delaine
I can tell that being in the presence of Delaine, the pirate King himself, caused a deep impression into Ayumi too. That man exudes power, she later said. Of course she hated the man and would have killed him if possible. And it is true that Ayumi has meet other incredibly powerful and ruthless men in the past, like Denton Patreus. But I guess that being the kind of man that makes his point by beating his rivals to the death in combat with his bare hands is another thing. Nevertheless, once again Ayumi proved that she was worthy of the title of the Feral Witch.
Ayumi on the Mjolnir patrolling the ice rings of Harma
She took the Mjolnir into the ice rings of Harma and felt over the Death Corsairs of Vidar Trask and his allies from the Blue Viper Club dredger clan of Kay Volantyne like a bird of prey. Her space combat skills matching her hand to hand ones. Dozens of ships were shot down by the Feral Witch. And the pirates feared her name.
The Mjolnir fighting over the ice rings of Harma
Now, both the Death Corsairs and the Blue Viper Club are in disarray, being pursued and fighting for survival. The pirate King feels again safe on his throne. And, as a reward for her services, he has granted the Feral Witch permission to start her own pirate clan. Thousands of pirates have appealed the Feral Witch to let them join her ranks and sent her trophies and tokens of valour trying to prove worthy… (Deep sigh) This situation is getting out of hand.
Jav Marlo at the docks of Gabriel Enterprise
I am now waiting for Ayumi at the Gabriel Enterprise docks. My limbs have recovered and I feel in shape to fly again. I want to convince Ayumi to leave the Pegasi Sector. I will never forgive myself for my part in the current situation. I want to help her finding her sister, if she is still alive. But we took too many risks and a bounty hunter found us. Another reason for not remaining here. And Delaine is no fool, sooner or later he will find out about Ayumi´s true identity. He is probably checking on his new rising star right now. If not him, any other one might do it. She is calling a lot of attention and making many enemies. We have bounty hunters on our tail, and we do not know who is sending them. We must leave the sector before they find out our intentions. There must be other way to trace Ayumi´s sister.
The Mjolnir landing at Gabriel Enterprise docks
There is the Mjolnir… And here comes the Feral Witch. (Deep sigh) Damn! I do not know how I can convince her to leave. She… she will never…
(Ahem) Ayumi, glad to see you. Listen, we need to talk. The situation es getting out of control. We are in danger here….
JAV! JAV! I GOT IT! I THINK I GOT IT!
You got it? What do you mean?
LIZ! ELIZABETH! MY SISTER. I THINK I KNOW WHERE THEY TOOK HER.
Ayumi at the docks of Gabriel Enterprise
But how?
I think she is in Lemmy´s Rock, in HIP 96456. Or at least there is where they took her. Look, I talked with Delaine´s slaves mater, told him that I wanted to start a slave trade enterprise in the fringe of Imperial space, and he let me see some records. See, there used to be a steady flow of slaves coming from the Empire, directly to the market in Chang-Diaz Colony and from there to the mines in Lemmy´s Rock. And it all started right after Hengist Duval was killed.
Jav Marlo listening to Ayumi at Gabriel Enterprise
That must be it!
Wait, there is more, the Kumo Crew recently lost contact with the clans there.
Lost contact?
Yes, I mean, the minerals deliveries are still coming, but the Kumo Crew has not been able to stablish any short of communication with the base lately. And they agreed that I should visit the system and find out what is going on there.
Ayumi talking to Jav Marlo at Gabriel Enterprise
So, what do you say? Would you fly with me?
Always! Let´s get out of here!
Jav Marlo signing out.