Every Breath You Take
Posted on Sat Jan 6th, 2024 @ 6:16am by Alden Loxley & Cooper O'Reilly & Arca Loxley & Daiyu & Jonas Bailey & Spencer Wainwright & Whit
Mission:
Oh, Give Me a Home on The Range
Location: Ezra - Blue Cloud Ranch
Timeline: 18 November 2517 - Night
In the cold aftermath of the exodus of Kindra’s ride back to civilisation, Alden hadn’t expected to have his heart squeezed with a chokehold from a second, preceding, romantic hell. He, Spence and Daiyu had busily pondered the technical nature of the voice that emanated from Echo’s console. The one that had spoken despite the lack of external power or open connection, but there was really only one explanation.
That answer meant that the inbound ship and its unannounced arrival (more due to the fact they’d shut down any wider comms than any need for covert infiltration) gave no call ahead or warning that was heard within usual channels. It was visually present, however, and there was no mistaking that, or the united call from the lookouts keeping their own vigil over Blue Cloud ranch, which sang out loud and clear.
‘After the war began, the Independents’ General Armitage (who had owned one of those luxury models) commissioned Ballestra Shipworks, the company making that ship, to alter the design for military use: More bunks, reinforced hulls, cheaper reactor and thrusters, etc. The result was the Komodo, a ship that had all the elegance, comfort and performance Ballestra was known for, wrapped up in a combat-ready package.'
The Komodo that landed on the ranch’s pastoral lands was, like most in current circulation, defanged somewhat by the removal of its forward turret weaponry. It had managed to hang onto the rear turret, however, which spoke volumes about the crew within. No shots were fired this time, there followed no call for surrender nor sign of rocket launchers or open intent for violence.
Still, the woman who stepped down from the Komodo’s access ramp sent a white-hot spear of pain through Alden’s heart as he watched from Echo’s own open cargo bay. Said woman was followed immediately by a Mule with a familiar trio aboard, the plucky vehicle preceding Io’s exit by virtue of its confident vehicular speed.
“....” Alden said, the lack of words somehow audible in the close space. Then, with a soft sigh. “What fresh kinda hell is this now?”
For the fourteenth time that day... Or was it fifteenth? Spence supposed it didn't matter, but there was only so many times he could quietly ask himself what he had gotten himself into. "I don't suppose things are going to get worse again, are they?"
"Well, they ain't shooting at us," Alden answered him quietly. "So I'm calling that a win." A soft sigh preceded his next comment, words quiet enough for anyone close to hear didn't make a lot of sense. "But that... She... She's dead. My wife... She died."
Spence blinked twice, unsure of how to reply to that. He'd been around enough death to last a dozen lifetimes. Resurrections though... that was best left to pilots and shepherds. All he could do was act on an ounce of compassion and place a hand, briefly, on Alden's shoulder.
It surprised him, that act of kindness from a stranger, but Alden didn't shrink or shrug away from the gesture. "Thanks, man." He said, gifting Spence a grateful nod. "I'll explain later," Alden added, "Y'know, when I figure out just what in all the hells is going on."
Daiyu saw that Jonas, Whit, and Alden's sister appeared to be unharmed. Even so, she didn't feel any better about it. Not with the look on Alden's face. "Are they hostages?"
"No," Alden answered Daiyu, his tone gentler still. "They're riding free enough." And getting closer by the second. He stepped forward, walking down the ramp ahead of the others to meet that inbound Mule.
In the artificial sphere of lit open ground created between Komodo and Firefly, there was a minute or so of available time for the Mule’s occupants to give Echo’s crew some form of greeting, warning or call to arms before Io’s crew would cover the same ground. Elle, for her part, was driving, and had to keep both hands on the handlebars over the rough dirt.
Whit kept his peace. Any encouragement he offered to Elle would also tip off his thoughts to their antagonist. In the end, he kept his hands carefully hidden beneath his folded arms. Better everyone get accustomed to not seeing them for a spell.
Nothing happened. Nothing bad. The Mule kept coming, and the Komodo crew didn't take any action to avoid such. No shots were fired, no voices raised, just a calm, steady slow continuation of folks making their way from A to B with the clear intent for conversation.
But the second Elle got the Mule to the base of Echo's cargo ramp, she leapt from the seat and ran to her brother. "It's not her," Elle said, ruining any underlying doubt as she wrapped her arms about Alden and squeezed him tight. "It's not Anouk... it's her sister."
Emotion still flooded Alden's systems, tightened his heart in his chest and quickened his breathing, but the words slowly started to sink in. He looked straight from the striding, familiar-faced stranger to Jonas, his gaze cast over Elle's shoulder, and let their eyes look for the longest moment. His heart raced, but he locked down emotion one at a time, readying for the inevitable as the woman finally reached the base of Echo's ramp.
"We meet at last, Loxley," said the woman Whit, Elle and Jonas had already been introduced to. "Vianna Io," she said, smile tight and gaze direct to his as they stood close enough to touch each other now. That smile broadened just a little at the look of mixed, confused emotions on Alden's face. "You have something of mine, something that was hidden and not supposed to be found. I could take it by force, or we could make things more interesting..."
Words didn't seem to be coming from Alden's mouth, the overriding thoughts in his head haunting back to a woman who'd looked just like this one. He took the hard nudge from Jonas with a sharp exhale and an awkward little shuffle of steps to stand level with Io, and Alden forced himself to push past everything his heart and brain were yelling at him.
"Interesting?" He said, the word not nearly enough, but it was something.
"Indeed," Io continued. "You have a free pass in and out of Ezra's orbit. You have a ship that'll fly with a little help. And, it seems, you have a small, but very intriguing little crew wrapped about you and this old bucket." Her gaze shifted from Alden to Whit to Spence and then Daiyu, rested briefly on Ayla and Morgan and returned with a sharp, definite turn to Alden. "You might last longer than the last crew to test my little secret. Have you figured out what it is yet?" She asked, looking directly to Spencer now.
Spence had ideas, but he wasn't sure sharing them out loud was a good thing. "I know it's somethin' too valuable to be tucked into a Firefly. No offense to the rest of us, but you'd think tech like that would be better served elsewhere with people that have more smarts."
Jonas kept a wary eye, and ear, on the goings-on. But when talk turned to tech, he knew he'd eventually be lost. The fact Io looked directly at their new mechanic, who immediately gave a response...odd.
"Very valuable," noted Io. "And I'd neither agree nor disagree with regards to the smarts. Sometimes one finds intelligence in the most unlikely of places. Homegrown, roaming wild and free is just exactly where I believe this little secret needs to be. That would be why you all still have your heads on your shoulders and your brains between your ears." She smiled sweetly as Alden rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, interesting is where we're headed."
"Cut to the chase," Alden said, tone a little sharper than he'd like. Seeing his dead wife's sister all alive and bossy wasn't helping his shredded sanity any. "What do you want?"
"I want you to work with my project. I want you to keep it secret. And I want to pay you to educate her." Io kept her tone curt and her sentences short, as if she were talking to a frustrating child.
"Her?" Was Alden's swift reply. He looked from Io to Spence and back again. "What are you talking about, woman?"
An amused chuckle relaxed the older woman's face a little and Vianna relented, finally. "I want you to test and teach a fledging ship-sentience," she said. The blanket ban on outward comms in place, the location wild and free and their hands already more than halfway into the cookie jar. Perfect storm. Well, semi-perfect. "But I am going to need you to keep it away from your brother and the Ezra Overlord. Think you guys can do that?"
Alden looked utterly confused as he held his answer a moment. If anyone else wanted in on the opinions front, now would be a real good time to interrupt.
Spence found himself oddly conflicted. He was bound in service to the so-called Ezra Overlord, and had a duty to report such odd things. Truthfully, he could see value in a ship-sentience, especially as a way to police plenty of browncoat smugglers and unreliable folk to make sure said Overlord wasn't cheated. Maybe, just maybe, if he could deliver some real information, Spence might be able to buy out his own contract and be a completely free man.
The mechanic had lots of questions. Lots. And most of these questions were certainly not to be asked in fear that this Firefly crew would find themselves disqualified. "What is it you want us to teach it?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, there's a lot for it to learn, 'specially out here in the black."
"Good question," seconded Alden, still reeling somewhat as he took all of this on board. "And how 'sactly do you expect us to keep things out of Niska's reach? I mean..." he expanded his arms outwards to imply their whole current environment was against them on this front. "He owns all of this, he has eyes and ears - machine and human - everywhere."
"And yet," Vianna stated. "He's not sent anyone down here."
"Not exactly comforting either way you look at it," noted Alden. "But he does have my brother 'hostage' right now, and my whole family is on the line."
Io ignored Alden for the moment and focused her attention on the Firefly's current engineer. "Teach her to be a valuable asset to your crew," she answered Spencer's question. "Whatever that looks like. Right now she's new and quite basic. She won't be picked up as more than that. Use that to your advantage. You might need it later - well, you will need it - when her development attracts more interest."
"If we're not dead..."
"I'm sure you and Younger Brother Loxley have at least some worth to Niska," Vianna continued. Her voice was clear, bright and directly offered. Her stance was as confident as anyone backed up by a working ship and an armed crew. "And for whatever reason, my sister trusted you. Those two factors work in your favour, until they don't. So, are you in, or do I just have you all killed and find someone else to take this little project on?"
Whit sidled up to Alden and whispered in his ear. "Take the offer, Alden. I'll have her marked for perdition with the next cortex wave."
Spence tried not to smirk or otherwise physically express his thoughts. It was vain to think that Niska's eyes and ears weren't everywhere. In fact, Spence could almost guarantee that Niska would be hearing about this innovation sooner than later. He looked over to Alden and said, "My vote's for livin'."
It had been inevitable, Alden considered, the moment he'd landed Echo back on Ezra. Something had been about to drop, badly and with heavy repercussions. And in the wake of Kindra's exit, Drake's double dealing and his family's permanent position in the eye of the orbital tiger, he'd never really had a choice.
At least with a few trusted souls in the mix - Jonas (his oldest friend), Elle, Ayla and the vouched-for Morgan - and the addition of the so-far dependable Whit, he had some back-up. Whether the others, the newer additions, would come through or stab him in the back, remained to be seen, but what other choice did he have but to test those loyalties.
"Okay, you got me," Alden said, his dark blue eyes staring directly into Vianna's near-black pair. His heart thumped and his soul cried out one more time in confused longing for the person who had looked exactly like this unfair replica. But that pain and emotion didn't show in his face beyond a couple of stress lines in his forehead. "We're in."
Io nodded curtly. "Excellent. Let's get started then."
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