Nobody's Coming Back for You (Part 1)
22 Jun 2022Aurora Bael
(OOC: The following is a collab between myself and CMDR Rixses, also of TSCG. His words and character is used with permission)-------------
Commander Aurora Bael sits in her cockpit turning a data shard over in her hand as she ponders the call she's about to make. It hadn't been terribly hard getting ahold of the old G3 equipment, but it wasn't exactly a cake walk either. It was a great relief she was able to get in and out without killing anyone. A few ruptured ear drums, broken bones and minor concussions, sure. But no one had to die. That made coming back to the life feel a bit less awful than it did in the beginning. Laser focused vengeance rather than scattergun plasma rage. It felt cleaner. More grown up... And not least because she was about to try and convince an Imperial Officer to give her access to classified documents.
"It'll be fine," she says out loud to herself as she flips on the com and starts tuning to Rixses's frequency. "You're squaddies, right? Got more in common than you thought. You had drinks together several times back in the day. He's a chill guy, right? Nothing to worry about...
"Except if he won't help, you're up shit creek and have to pull off the cleanest infil of the last fiscal century," she sighs.
//TELEPRESENCE V 4.2.03
RECORD MESSAGE FOR: CMDR RIXSES, TSCG RESERVED CHANNEL
ANONYMOUS?: N
ENCRYPT?: Y
BEGIN RECORDING... ... ...
"Hello Commander Rixses," Rory begins, still in her natural voice, now several days later. She tries to ignore how much she likes it, but it feels... Warm. Like sleeping on the belly of a dragon. "It's me, Rory Bael. You know, from 'round The Bar in Shaps'? I know it's been a while but a um... A friend of yours working with the Azura Initiative, a Dr. Burbarry, thought you might be able to assist me in locating some... sensitive materials. We—"
She suddenly hears herself and realizes... This is administrator talk. Official talk. What she wanted was not and could never be official. It was time to drop the act.
"Look Rix, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye about the Empire's role in the galaxy, and I'd be happy to explain every little reason why to you if we can talk in private. Truth is right now I'm in a bit of Barney Rubble and Beatrix said that you might help or else I'm up a creek. I've sent part of the file she worked to give you a taste of what's happened... I think in some ways the pair of us got more in common than we got different. I wouldn't ask this of you if there was a better way. Hope to hear from you soon. Buzz me back with where to meet. I'm here in the neighborhood as long as it takes."
SEND?: Y
MESSAGE SENT.
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Rixses returns to his new, and temporary, quarters aboard the INV Emperor's Fortitude. The Capitol ship assigned to Achenar. He, Admiral Ordanon, and the surviving crew of the INV Abhuire were temporally stationed there following the destruction of the Abhuire. Pulling off his helmet, he collapses into bed just as his wrist terminal dings an incoming message. Struggling under his own weight to bother reaching the terminal he taps to display the indicator.
1 new message from 'Aurora "Rory" Bael'; 87 previous new messages; 14 missed waves"
"Rory... What does she want? Eh... That can wait. I need sleep." Rixses taps to expand the rest of the incoming list. "Oh crap! Two from Beebbs!" Sitting up again he reads and marks a quick acknowledgement to the first one and pauses on the second.
//Message from: Dr. Burbarry
"Rix. I've been asked to help an acquaintance of yours. A Commander Bael also from TSCG. I felt obligated to help her as repayment for a favor from Tyy'sun. And a possible Imperial security issue. She's got some fucked up stuff going on from her past that's a probable danger if it's let out of control. I gave her a file and she needs some info. Maybe more... You're the safest way for her to get that and keep this safe. Hear her out. Be extremely careful. But do consider helping her. Her story is not unlike my own.
~BB"
//Message ends...
"Huh... Okay Beebbs" Rixses thinks to himself as he taps over to the message from Rory and reads it. "If this has you taking note, I'll hear her out."
//dat.comm system call: Telepresence Wave
//Contact @CMDR Aurora Bael | "Rory"
//Holo Acitve
//Calling...
-------------
//INCOMING CALL FROM: @Rixses
HOLO ACTIVE
DATASTREAM UNENCRYPTED
ANSWER?: Y
Rory cringes a bit as the holostream puts her together in front of Rixses in... Some honestly pretty lavish quarters on what she assumes is a Capitol ship. It was always a little disorienting at first. That eerie feeling of being in two places at the same time... But this is not a call she could afford to skip. As her image finishes compiling itself, she smiles sheepishly, hands buried in her jacket pockets.
"Hey Rix... Been a while. How've you been?" She can tell he looks like hell, but at least it's that 'you should see the other guy' kind of hell. But the bruises still healing on his neck are... Concerning. Best not make an issue of it unless necessary. All that prints to her eyes is a general quiet concern. "Heh... Didn't realize you were such a big wheel!"
Rixses laughs the tiered laugh of someone ready to pass out. Still sitting on the bed he waves a simple hello. "Big wheel, or a small cog? Ya' know it's the same thing Rory. Never seems to stop. But it has been a while. How's that Vulture treating you?"
"It did a damn good job getting me where I needed to be. Taught me a lot. Thank you. And yeah, I know that feeling. One never really seems to get away, does one?" She's clearly a little nervous, unsure what she can or can't say on this kind of channel.
"No... One does not..." Rixses responds as she collects herself to get to the real reason for this contact.
There are aspects of the situation that are part of public record now... So with a deep breath, she launches in. "I got caught up in something big recently. Big enough that someone was able to mess with my brain directly. They tried to get me to kill the Director of a deep space colony out near the core. I don't know who it is done it or why, but I have some leads. I'm afraid I can't say much more over the air for OpSec reasons, but after talking it over with your friend, Dr. Burbarry? She seems to think you can help..."
Her face is twisting a bit with some intense emotion that she is doing her very best to keep deep down inside. There's no time for the pain just now. Stick to the objective. Keep it simple. "I've spent an awful long time being a Puppet, but this last bit, messing with my mind is just... I want to be certain no one else has to go through what I have. Maybe after you get a little sleep, we can meet somewhere and go over it?"
"I thought I heard your name in the news a little bit back. I'll send you an access code you can submit at docking. It will tag you as a guest of note and get you aboard. I'm not scheduled for redeployment to another Capitol Ship for a few weeks. And I hope to be done here before then. I'm on board the INV Emperor's Fortitude, Achenar. You said you're in the area so come by. We have a safe place to talk here. After some sleep of course..." Exhausted, Rixses flops backwards onto the bed again, letting out a heavy breath as if doing so knocked the wind out of him. "I'll see you when you get here. No rush. I can sleep." He grins laying there and then abruptly lifts his head to look at Rory again. "Oh! And do you like cake?"
She cannot help but giggle at the offer and its deeply delicious irony. She'd have to tell him so when they talk.
"I love cake. Any day with an excuse for cake is a good day." A notification for special access to the INV Emperor's Fortitude appears on her Com panel, along with all the legal provisions, movement limitations, and other notices inherent in such access. Simple. Clean. Efficient... Damn that was getting harder to ignore. "I've got the code, thank you. I'll come 'round in a couple hours. Sleep well, Rix." With that she disconnects. And then that warm thing happens to her stomach again... The idea of being welcome in Achenar, even just for a short time... It was unthinkable a year ago. Hell, even a month ago! But today? It was easy... And that feeling was getting very hard to ignore... Is this what healing feels like?
Rixses waves as the holo falls apart and disappears. Rolling onto his side he sends a message over to Admiral Ordanon to let him know that he'll be unavailable for a few days on 'personal business' but to message if anything comes up. As soon as the special access was sent, a notification comes through that there is a 'security risk' boarding the Fortitude. He copies the Admiral and sends the special access codes he used. Dutifully, he requests a guard escort detail, but notes he will take personal responsibility for his guest. Then he passes out for a long overdue nap...
-------------
Six hours later, after a quick nap and a shower of her own, Rory jumps into Achenar in her stripped down streamlined Imperial Courier, Blitz. She is the opposite of 'out of place' in this vehicle. Everything about it feels completely natural, right down to the way the lambskin seats wrap around her body as the boost slams her kidneys into her spine. It feels like flying ought to feel. Fast. Supported. Just a little bit dangerous. And completely unrestrained. She smiles as she pulls a drift around the Nav beacon, scans it in motion, and is back out of range before any of the flustered IISS vessels can get a proper scan on her. Then it's off to the Capitol ship, where in a much more measured and slow fashion, she drops into local space and immediately sends up her hail.
"INV Emperor's Fortitude, this is vessel Foxtrot, Kilo, Bravo, Yankee, 1. Independent Commander Alpha, Uniform, Romeo requesting docking permission. Transmitting access code now, standard frequencies. Will hold at 7.5 km range for response."
As expected a few other small naval ships surround her and begin scanning. She knows she's in the clear but being regarded by 'authorities' in silence always makes her a little antsy. Not as antsy as a Thargoid doing the same, but still uneasy. Aurora hits the 'all stop' button and watches as the wing gathers, tipping her wingtips as a show of respect. She'd know in about 40 seconds whether or not this was going well or... 'Or else,' she supposes. After a few moments a familiar accent of a traditional Imperial heritage keys in, and in a welcoming tone returns her hail.
"Foxtrot, Kilo, Bravo, Yankee, one, welcome to Imperial Space. This is the Imperial Navy Flight Control. Codes received and accepted Commander. Please make your way to Ambassadorial Landing Pad Zero One, and observe standard docking procedures. Vector, Kilo, Romeo, Two, Six will escort you in."
An Imperial Eagle on her port side breaks formation, banks, and comes around to take up a position 300 meters on her 5 o'clock. The rest return to the typical patrol routes.
"Acknowledged, control. Proceeding with escort to Ambassadorial Pad 01, channel open for additional instructions as needed, over."
Ever mindful of her shadow, Rory eases the throttle forward to coast smoothly into her assigned place. The ship is... Massive. They're always bigger than they look, once you get close. And the centrifugal habitation ring for comfortable quarters is... Honestly too perfect an idea. Long haul navy voyages with no gravity were bad for the sailors. It struck her as strange that no navy but the one accused of all the human rights violations seemed to care about that much.
Gingerly she sets the Blitz down on the pad and feels the feet lock into place. Before she can even request it, the platform lowers and the hold seals above her. Shoving the G3 shard in her pocket, she takes off her helmet and carries it under one arm to the rear of the small ship, making sure to check all the locks on her way out. Her hand hovers over the P-15 in its biometric locker by the door as she considers her options. Which would feel worse: to go Armed into an Imperial Capitol ship and have the threat of seizure hanging over her head or to go unarmed and feel the lion's jaw around her head without even the barest hint of resistance? She puts a knife in her boot instead and lowers the hatch, stepping out onto the magnetized surface of the hangar. Stepping out, Aurora is greeted by a Captain and two armed guards in full dress uniform. While she can tell the two guards are there for security, the get-up they're wearing significantly reduces the obviousness of the threat. And while formal, their greetings are quite pleasant and welcoming. On the way, the Captain gives her a little bit of a guided tour around the habitation ring to show off the features and amenities, including several practical conference areas to help facilitate diplomatic meetings and events.
After the tour, Rory is shown to a small conference room that overlooks one of the biospheres. This one of a small park with a troop doing directed calisthenics. "Please, make yourself at home, Commander Bael. If you require any additional assistance, the guards outside will be happy to assist you. Otherwise, do take care and enjoy your stay with us."
"Will do. Thank you," Aurora answers, and nods to him graciously.
The Captain bows and exits, leaving two guards posted outside and one commander alone in the privacy of the conference room. It's quite handsomely furnished with typical imperial luxury chairs, loungers, what appears to be an actual wooden table, and a data projection suite. Laid out along the center of the table are a variety of cakes. Various tea cakes, miniature cakes, and a swath of specialty cakes with fruity and spicy aromas. Ignoring them for the moment, she crosses to the window and spends a moment looking out over the biosphere. The luxury of everything, the decorum, the general nicety of the guards assigned to keep her in check... It reminded her of the good times. That sense of belonging. Of being a part of something larger. Where the rest of the galaxy openly practiced social barbarism while preaching freedom and self determination, the Empire openly declared its own barbaric tendencies and practiced civility and efficiency instead. These were the same people who enabled her abuse for...decades... But she was increasingly unsure they were the ones who deserved the blame...
With a soft smile she turns back to the cakes laid out on the table. Hell of a spread. Must have taken hours to bake it and lay it out just so. She picks up a lemon square as she takes a seat in a plush calfskin chair. Even puts her boots up on the table a moment to complete the momentary revelry as she takes her first bite. It's goddamn amazing. Clearly made with fresh grown ingredients, too. None of that reconstituted or synthesized shit. The kind of treat that would have come out of her kitchen a lifetime ago... She puts her feet back on the floor as a chill runs up her spine.
Not a moment later, Rixses bursts into the room panting as if out of breath. He's holding a crystal decanter and two glasses as he enters and struts across the room to the table. she reflexively stands and folds her hands in front of her before realizing, with some effort, that she is actually a guest here. Shaking the flashback off she sits back down and smiles over at her old ... Acquaintance? That didn't seem right any more. This was a big favor he was doing. Friendship level stuff.
"Ugh... Sorry I'm late," Rixses says, setting the glasses down. "Can't seem to keep up anymore. But your visit was a great excuse to take a few personal days. So, thanks!" He pops open the decanter, sets down the stopper, and raises the fine crystal with its clear amber liquid inside. "I brought bourbon! Or I can have something else brought up if you'd rather?"
"Bourbon is perfect, thank you. I've been drinking so much damn gin these past weeks I've completely lost taste for the stuff. Thanks for the spread, by the way. I feel every bit the Queen of France." Aurora looks over at him all panting and bleary eyed and cannot restrain saying what she's been thinking since she saw him on the holo. "Pardon my saying so but you look like hell. Have you..." She suddenly stops and glances around the room. How much surveillance were they under? Where was it? "I don't want to blow your spot up if someone's listening, but you look like you've spent the last month climbing Everest if you catch my meaning."
Rixses barks a laugh and then considers himself for a moment before shrugging. "Well... I've been in a coma. Almost got killed twice. One caused the coma, the second felt like someone was trying to melt my brain with a plasma vent conduit just by them staring at me. I've been running on about three months of booze and mil-spec drugs. And every time I seem to make any actual headway on what I'm dealing with, something goes horribly, horribly wrong," he says with all the severity of recounting his adventures at brushing his teeth. "Oh, and don't worry about the security. You said you wanted to talk in private and after glancing at that file fragment you sent I can understand why. I disabled the monitoring systems in this room. We're clear. Just... Do me a solid and don't try to kill me. I've had enough of that and I would really regret turning the system off just to have my face rubbed in it." Rixses finishes pouring the bourbon, passes her a glass, and holds his up in anticipation of a clink.
Chuckling, Aurora clinks her glass against his and takes a small ship, letting it swirl over her tongue before swallowing. It's damn good stuff. Oak, of course, a hint of red wine, sharp center and a mellow coffee note on the finish just before the burn sets in. "Yeah that... sounds alarmingly familiar, honestly. Different, but quite familiar. I'm sorry for whatever you're up against. Can't be good if you're taking pharmaceutical grade Merc Cocktails but after that story, I can't exactly blame you..." Looking into the glass in her hand, Aurora takes a deep breath. She pulls out the shard from her pocket and sets it on the table, fixing her eyes on her companion.
"Alright. Confession time. I haven't talked much about this back at the bar because... Honestly I'm not even sure at this point. Someone has been messing enough with my head that the last six, eight months is all just pure episodic memory with motivations that don't quite makes sense so... Fuck, I'm stalling, aren't I?" With a self aimed grimace, she takes at least half of the remaining glass in one swallow and pulls off her jacket, laying her left forearm out in the table. The Torval Crest is there on the inside in the raised, puckered flesh of a hot iron brand. "I was a slave once. Baron Harlan Montgomery's property, Kurrae A1.
Rixses lets out a long and slow whistle at the sight of the brand. "Well well well... Old fashioned fucker huh? Don't think I've ever seen a burned brand before. Least not a real one. Didn't they outlaw those like, decades ago?"
"Oh, he wasn't the one who branded me," Aurora says, more than a little surprised to hear herself defending her captor. "You can thank Madame Regiana's Finishing School for Girls for that one. I've looked up Grooming Academies since and most have been shut down but... When Daddy got himself in trouble, it was still legal for him to sell me off to solve it. Lifetime sale, too. Apparently I was very expensive..." As if to punctuate her pride at getting out, she grabs the chocolateiest cake she can find from the stack and takes a bite. "I got out when a mercenary group called Foxtrot Company collected on his mortality contract. And between 3302 and... Last July, I guess... I was working for them. Heard of them?"
Finishing his drink and pouring a second round, Rixses plucks a sweet honey cake from the array and eyes the data shard... "Foxtrot? Nah, I've not heard of them. But I don't much keep up with the merc companies. Apart from service I've spent most of my time as a mechanic if you hadn't guessed. I did my time with some bounty hunters a while back, but mostly just a small group of freelancers that spent time together." He pauses a moment. "And needed a mechanic more often than not," he chuckles.
"A mechanic? Heh... Suits you. I can hack a board together pretty okay but the kind of things you showed me about module integration and power management blew me away. Most of my talents are in breaking things rather than building them. Surprised you never heard of the Company. Your friend, Dr. Burbarry, called us 'one of the more destructive groups of freedom fighters'. Our Captain, James Conrad, certainly fancied himself a revolutionary but... Mostly I think he was a crook that wanted an excuse to go full Yeti on anyone he could. I believe, although I do not know, that my involvement with them and my erm... talent for prison exfiltration are what got me wrapped up in this... program.""
Rory follows Rix's eyes to the shard and she smirks, finishing her small cake and her glass of whiskey. "And I suppose that brings us to this." Her fingers slide it across the table to rest right in front of him.
"I suppose it does." Rixses sits and leans back in the chair looking up at the ceiling. "You were an abused slave. You got out and did some gruesome things. Then you end up with some sort of implant that's affecting your brain. Black out and murder people. So..." He lifts his head to regard her as she answers. "Why are you here, Rory?"
Aurora smiles darkly. "What does any girl want? Revenge." She reaches for the decanter and pours herself another drink. This part was going to be hard, so she may as well play it hard.
"The implant was Imperial tech. Some Commodore named 'Bavis' something behind it. Dr. Burbarry said that they used a subspace burst or something to control it. On that shard is an algorithm that would cross reference the signal with Imperial Intelligence operations, provided it's got access to the Archives... And I'm not keen to lose a second lung trying to hack an Imperial Listening Post." A distinct memory of watching blood pour from her chest as the air was squeezed from her like an open balloon flashes across her consciousness and she (poorly) restrains a shudder. "One miserable failure was enough."
Rixses lets his head fall back against the chair and stares at the ceiling again. Disappointment is painted on his face.
Aurora shrugs and laces her fingers behind her head. "What can I say? I'm a dirty treasonous spy. The eponymous 'one woman genocide.' But I'm trying to get out and make good, and so far it's working out. Hudson and the ADF I can deal with any day of the week. But either I spend the next six months chasing shadows killing far more people than I have to or want to, I pull off the data heist of the century and die in the attempt, OR..." She lowers her hands again, suddenly much more serious. "... I ask you... And as our Yank friends sometimes say: 'Real recognize real.'"
It's no mystery that it's time to shut up. No need to press her host. But she's not dumb. Mechanics don't write their own checks on the Imperial Flagship. He says he's a mechanic? Sure. But damn sure he used to be something else. She picks up her drink and takes another sip. A genuine expression of joyful pleasure crosses her lips as she closes her eyes to savor it. "Damn that's good stuff. Have I said that? This is really good Bourbon." Rory takes another sip and groans happily as she feels the drunk set in ever so slightly behind her eyes.
"So... Revenge," Rixses says dispassionately. "Go from being a merc killing things to killing for revenge. And for what? For how long? You kill your way across space because someone wronged you." He sits up again setting his empty glass on the table. Leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees. Fingers threaded together in front of him. He looks back to her. Looks into her eyes. "And then what? After revenge, after all of the killing, after there is no one left. Then what? What is that worth?"
She laughs bitterly and also leans forward, meeting his gaze measure for measure. "This might surprise you, but I'm actually working with a research and agricultural cooperative that's expanding to a colony near the core. A place called Pamantesc. I work with them staffing their colony, getting them self-sufficient for food, and providing security. Spend my free time cruising around looking for life forms and working to establish a universal common ancestor for all life in the galaxy. Find my d—" She sits back suddenly and clears her throat before continuing. "Find the kids I raised for Harlan and make sure they're alright. Spit in my father's eye. Make peace with my little brother. Maybe occasionally make a nuisance of myself by buying as many slaves out of bondage as possible with the billions I've made helping build the Colonia highway. What? You think want to still be a shooter when I'm 40?!"
Aurora feels her anger and indignation start to rise, and takes a deep breath, sinking back into the chair... Her pain is now showing on her face, and not just in the scars and obvious wetware eyes. "... Honestly? Revenge is part of it but I'd be in therapy right now if I could sleep at night thinking I was the only one they did this to. But I'm not that good. There have to be others. It doesn't make sense if it's just me. I'm supposed to just let some black ops office keep doing this to people? Why, cuz I got mine and fuck them? No. I can't live like that." She turns back to her host, meeting his gaze again. There isn't any playfulness left in them. This is not fun for her. "I know I'm already damned, Rix. But this whole mess started when I turned myself in. Instead someone shoved wires in my head and made me into a puppet all over again. I want to be done. I'm trying to be done. Just let me clean up the mess... Come on, would you let them get away with that?"
As she talks, Rixses is sitting there. Watching her. Listing to her. His uniform pulling tight against him like it's trying to contain something. Something much bigger than the buttons want to allow. As Rory finishes and takes him in, Rix is suddenly stern. Like he has hardened somehow. "No. I understand wanting to be done. Wanting to rectify the violation of being controlled like that. That was dishonorable and it's hard to believe the Empire condoned it. I agree that it needs rectified. You were abused against all of our laws, traditions, and cultural dictates. The cause of that needs to be brought to justice. The Imperial tradition is that of honor above all. No self respecting Imperial could or would tolerate what was done to you."
Aurora takes a hot second to blink the incredulity from her eyes. Wordlessly she takes another drink of whiskey.
Rixses stands and moves toward the equipment in the room, starts it up and punches controls on the panel. "It's good to hear you have plans beyond revenge. That you want to help rectify the dishonor and injustice done. Help build a better life for others. But are you willing to pay the price?"
With that a 3d holo image of a Majestic Class Interdictor, a Capitol Ship, comes into focus in the room. It appears to be just like the one you are currently in. The image has a text at the top floating there with an identifier. The INV Abhuire.
"It's my turn to tell a story." Rixses says. The image suddenly changes. The name is the same. INV Abhuire. But now it's a fractured husk. Debris, fragments, fighters, life boats are all floating dead in space. Something catastrophic happened. A Capitol Ship, the pride of the Imperial fleet, broken to pieces like some cheep toy. "That's the ship I was on just a few weeks ago. This image was taken from my black box just before total systems failure. Fully maned, the crew compliment is around four thousand..." His voice becomes strained. "Twelve hundred and thirty three survived... All because I asked a question."
Rixses moves over and collects the shard from the table. "A question like this..." He says turning the shard over in his hands. "I came here a few weeks back looking for answers to something sinister. Because I asked that question, because I insisted on getting the information, they died..." Taking a deep breath he continues. "I dove in head first. Driven to figure out the problem and solve it. Save people and save the Empire. In my zeal, I caused this..." Holding back the torrent with all he has, Rixses raises his head to look Aurora in the eye. "Now you're here asking something similar. Something that may reach just as far or farther. So I ask you. Are you willing to pay the price?"
To be continued...