UNCLE BRO: -His heart was pounding as he checked his gear, a simple enough stealth suit since he wouldn't be able to get in the same means as Rajani. Still, he couldn't help but think: How would she be? How would he find her? Would she even want to come with them...with him? He couldn't let those thoughts in too much yet there they were at the forefront. Their craft was fast approaching a good sized meteor.-
UNCLE BRO: You ready for this
RAJANI: -unlike most missions, there's emotional investment in this one that makes her feel just a slight bit of unease, not enough to deter her of course. It's a tense atmosphere, but when it comes to what they have to do, there's no room for doubt here. And honestly, with the two of them working together, they have the highest chance of success out of any pair-
RAJANI: -she keeps her gaze ahead to the meteor- it's a bit late t0 ask that questi0n. but yes.
[Ahead, the meteor floats scattered amidst a slew of others, a rather large military facility standing on the side they were quickly moving toward. A few other ships were coming in ahead of them them, all checked through a comm line for verification the same way Rajani had been just moments before. For the most part, the ships came and went at the same times, in an effort to prevent any unexpected ships from moving into their airspace. With the information that the resistance and Osiris' hacking had provided them, however, they had their hands on this schedule and many other vital details of the facility.
A few minutes more, and they would be landing.]
OSIRIS: -His voice crackles to life in their ear pieces-
OSIRIS: Alriight you guy2 are cleared two land. Davendork 2hould probably 2tay out of 2iight iin ca2e they deciide two check the 2hiip.
UNCLE BRO: Fuck that ill just slip out when the doors open
UNCLE BRO: Also its dave to you gremlin dick
UNCLE BRO: -Fine, but only because they're landing.-
RAJANI: -okay, that's definitely an entertaining exchange, but she's too focused to show much amusement- g0t it. sh0uld g0 sm00thly.
UNCLE BRO: Youve got the easy part im going to have to somersault through rooms naked
OSIRIS: Thank god there'2 no viideo feed.
UNCLE BRO: You love this ass
OSIRIS: II hope everyone make2 iit except you.
UNCLE BRO: Love you too boo
RAJANI: if the tw0 0f y0u c0ntinue this thr0ugh0ut the executi0n 0f 0ur missi0n, i will mute y0u.
UNCLE BRO: Yeah yeah blame the human
UNCLE BRO: Hows it feel to be a xenophobe
UNCLE BRO: Yeah siri were landing
OSIRIS: -Marge Simpson noises-
UNCLE BRO: -He grins to hide his nerves-
[As they move in for the landing dock, the two other ships ahead of them pull to a stop at the designated line just before the actual entrance. Each ship's going to get checked before they can actually park inside the base and unload. There's a couple trolls hovering in space suits outside, going to each ship's airlock; there's no gravity, and thus no atmosphere on the meteor, so no way to breathe outside. Finally, it's their turn.]
RAJANI: -looks ahead still, completely ignoring dave's presence so he can do whatever he needs to do while they're inspected. this is a crucial moment. before anything else can happen, they need to make it through this checkpoint-
UNCLE BRO: -Hides in a weapons cache?-
[The guards request entrance, slipping inside once the airlock's opened up. It's just the two of them, but they're both holding some pretty serious looking guns.]
GUARDO: GOnna need tO see yOur clearance certificate.
GARDEN: -he's stepping around, peering at the cargo.-
UNCLE BRO: -The most inconspicuous box-
RAJANI: -no big. She's used to taking risks, so she's composed regardless of how she's feeling inside. She already has the certificate at the ready -- very convincingly forged -- and she hands it over to Guardo- 0f c0urse.
GUARDO: -He's inspecting it, reading over the clearance number and the cargo listed, along with her verification. He punches it in the system on his wrist and finds records that match. He nods and hands the certificate back to her before joining Garden in peering around the boxes, popping one open for a mandatory check. The smell of the parts is pretty strong (intentionally so), so he ends up shoving it closed before long with a wrinkled nose, and looks at Garden.-
GARDEN: -He nods, shutting a box of his own.- YOU'RE ALL (LEAR. -Starts heading back to the airlock with Guardo and hops out.-
UNCLE BRO: -He's dying, squirtle-
RAJANI: -of course they're clear. She waits for them to leave- alm0st there.
UNCLE BRO: -Bursts from the crate, wheezing-
UNCLE BRO: What the fuck is wrong with these parts
RAJANI: it kept them fr0m lingering, didn't it?
UNCLE BRO: Yeah but now i smell like it
[They're finally able to pull into the dock, one door after another to get them into the oxygenated environment, and some crewmen direct them into port to park the ship. As should be expected, various men are buzzing around, mostly unloading crates from the ships.]
RAJANI: it's n0 different than usual. -they're directed to park and Rajani waits until they're completely parked- time t0 be g00ds n0w.
UNCLE BRO: I dont wanna go back in the crate
RAJANI: what are y0u g0ing t0 d0? sprint past security?
UNCLE BRO: Sounds good enough to me
UNCLE BRO: You want me to get back in the box dont you
UNCLE BRO: It stinks in there
UNCLE BRO: Im gettin in the box -He climbs back in the crate-
RAJANI: -closes it up rather quickly-
UNCLE BRO: -You're lucky he's here to save his girlfriend-
RAJANI: -as they dock, begins to ready the cart the box is on top of to exit-
RAJANI: d0n't fuck this up.
UNCLE BRO: No guarantees but ill try
[The ship finally comes to a stop, and the doors open slowly. Crew members don't seem to be in any rush to unload her ship yet, since they're still dealing with the previous one, so Rajani has plenty of time to step out.]
[What appears to be a commanding officer of some sort is strolling around on the deck, looking stern. She clearly wants no funny business.]
UNCLE BRO: -Crate noises-
UNCLE BRO: -He's dying in here Squirtle, but he's hanging on waiting for the right time to burst free like a stinky butterfly bursting from its cocoon-
RAJANI: -she taps the box inconspicuously as a sort of good luck. or maybe it's more of a fuck you. who knows? either way, she's exiting the ship. there's really no turning back now-
[The officer stares at Rajani as she exits the ship, eyes narrowed. This is just her expression. She steps to meet her, looking her over.]
NOANDI: P^LOT... MEG^DO. YOU'RE NEW TO THE VE^L BASE.
RAJANI: -she keeps her head down out of a feigned respect, as a maroonblood is most often expected to do on a place like this.- yes. it was much easier t0 find the place than i th0ught.
NOANDI: -frowns more.- ^F YOU WERE NOT MEANT TO F^ND ^T, YOU WOULD BE DEAD.
NOANDI: COME W^TH ME. MY CREW W^LL TAKE OVER UNLOAD^NG THE CARGO.
RAJANI: -she nods and follows her, keeping her eyes ahead and making a conscious effort not to look behind her-
[The commanding officer begins to lead her further inside the base; they're on the east end, whereas the containment units are housed north. The officer explains their basic setup, and shows Rajani the room of bunks where she can rest, and the mess hall where she can eat.]
NOANDI: YOU W^LL BE EXPECTED TO SH^P OUT AGA^N TOMORROW BY 1200 HOURS. KEEP TO YOUR ASS^GNED AREA UNT^L THEN. ^S THAT CLEAR MEG^DO?
RAJANI: yes. -short but sweet and to the point.- it is appreciated.
NOANDI: THEN YOU ARE D^SM^SSED.
[The commanding officer watches her still for a few moments as she walks away, seemingly to return to the parking deck. Despite the size of the place, it doesn't seem there are as many people inside the rest of the building as the numbers on the parking deck implied. Or, at least, not so many wandering the halls. Another pilot, wearing a uniform with a rank similar to Rajani's, is headed into the mess hall. Other hallways seem to be clear, for the most part, except that a few have doors that require some kind of passcodes to get through. Security clearance measures to keep lower ranking officers from wandering where they're not supposed to be, of course.]
[As for getting Davenforth inside, he's going to require access through a maintenance tunnel built into the rock of the meteor. Rajani will have to find a floor panel connected to the tunnel to let him in.]
RAJANI: -she knows how to act as if this isn't a dire situation, and she's studied the floorplan of this place through security cameras. once the water main bursts, she can let davenforth in through a floor panel she hasn't quite found yet. the smaller number people here, the better. so she gets to looking in the hallways, acting as if she's taking a stroll of some sort, but her peripherals are glued to the ground-
[In the path to reaching the north wing is, unsurprisingly, one of the locked doors blocking the hallway path.]
RAJANI: -this seems important. she wants to get in, of course, so she hits a communication button for a headset on her ear to contact osiris- can y0u 0pen this? -it's more like a whisper at this point-
OSIRIS: Nope. IIt'2 fuckiing iimpo22iible.
OSIRIS: Of cour2e II can. Plug your comm iintwo the keypad and II'll take care of the re2t.
RAJANI: -she rolls her eyes- (0f c0urse y0u w0uld be the m0st difficult part 0f this wh0le thing.) -she glances around before plugging in her communicator-
OSIRIS: Fuck you two?? -It's only a couple seconds until the keypad beeps, signaling that the door is unlocked-
RAJANI: (if y0u get me 0ut 0f here alive.) -SHE'S IN!!!!-
[The door slides open, ready for Rajani to enter. Beyond, the north wing appears much less inviting than the east one. At the very least, it's populated with many more drones that walk around, seemingly patrolling. Several regular guards stand around, as well, though they don't seem to be guarding anything in particular. This area mostly has isolation chambers, where prisoners are kept alone for long stretches of time and the least activity occurs. Further in are "interrogation" chambers, and other mysterious rooms. Many of the guards themselves have little idea what every room is, or what's inside them.]
RAJANI: -it's time to get STEALTHY. she uncapchalogues a shoe from her sylladex just to stick it in between the sliding door and the wall, intent on triggering some sort of alarm that can get the guards distracted so she can check out the cells. while none are looking, she takes cover behind a collumn-
[Once the error noise sounds, the guards summarily notice, though the drones don't seem to mind. Really, the drones don't mind much unless they're told to mind. The guards are trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with the door, though. It's kind of a problem if a malfunction lets people just walk in here.]
RAJANI: -takes that cue to hurry and get a quick yet observant glance at what's in these cells. a quick run around while watching her surroundings-
[From what Rajani can see, Lifera doesn't seem to be in any of them. At least, it's difficult to say. The cells seem to be marked more by number than any indication of who is inside, with windows that need to be pulled open to check and see who is actually inside. If she's in any of these cells, finding her will take a little more time.]
RAJANI: -she's hiding again, talking even quieter- (hey, are there cameras inside the cells?)
OSIRIS: No, but there'2 a couple in that room. Nothiin 2peciial. Ju2t two keep track of everyone comiing and goiing.
RAJANI: -she's thinking. there has to be a way to check these cells more thoroughly, but there's no way lifera would be in here. not such a high profile captive. she decides to carefully proceed through the next door/hallway that leads somewhere else-
OSIRIS: II'm goiing two playback 2ome of the iinterrogatiion footage two 2ee when 2he wa2 la2t iin. II 2hould be able two fiind where they took her from there.
RAJANI: (0kay. i'll stall. try t0 be quick.) -and she's hiding behind another column while he does his thing-
OSIRIS: -mumbly lispy curses- Of fuckiing cour2e! 2he wa2 la2t iin about twelve hour2 ago. Look2 liike her room ii2 on the far 2iide, clo2e2t two the iinterrogatiion door. 2he uh, fuck, 2he look2 rough. They miight be doiing 2omethiing el2e two her.
RAJANI: -she purses her lips and tries not to let her imagination get carried away here. luckily. She's good at that.- (the far side 0f this area?)
OSIRIS: Yeah. Wait hold on, that'2 Dave. He'2 iin po2iitiion, but you need two fiind her before you let hiim iin.
RAJANI: right. -she carefully proceeds down the hall, passing the cells until she reaches the one on the farthest side. is there a sliding window here too?-
[There is, in fact, a sliding window. It's shut currently, of course. There is a drone walking closer down the hall, but he doesn't seem to notice anything amiss yet.]
RAJANI: -uses this opportunity to slide open the window and peek inside before that drone gets any closer-
[The room is small, incredibly small. Blank white walls. There's no recuperacoon, not even a bed inside. The horns and the long tangle of hair are more recognizable than anything else; she's got her face down, sitting on the floor with knees up, in simple, dirty grey clothes and hands up, cuffed to the wall behind her. The skin around the cuffs looks pink and raw. She doesn't look up.]
RAJANI: -it's hard not to stand there and stare with her heart breaking like it is right now. she curses under her breath- (where's the closest vent you can see with the cameras?)
OSIRIS: The mo2t iincon2piicuou2 one ii2 probably the exhau2t vent iin the ablutiion chamber iin the room riight out2iide of thii2 one.
RAJANI: -with that, she scopes out the way to the room outside of this and heads toward it, keeping an eye on the drone-
[The drone pauses several yards away, staring in her direction and seemingly evaluating the situation.]
RAJANI: -time to be casual.- (n0w.)
OSIRIS: Now. -On the other side of the facility, there's a loud boom, water starts pouring into that block at an alarming rate-
RAJANI: -she takes this opportunity to quicken her pace to the ablution block, entering and working on getting this VENT open-
UNCLE BRO: Bout damn time -Being in vents is not a pass time he shares with his brother-
RAJANI: i wasn't g0ing to rush it. -vent open. voila.- she's in the cl0sest last cell. -points in the direction- hurry.
UNCLE BRO: Dont gotta tell me twice -He drops from the vent, slipping out of the bathroom and making his way to Lifera's cell-
RAJANI: -she follows, distantly, if only to keep an eye out or distract if needed-
UNCLE BRO: -He's quick, anticipation and anxiety eating away at all his senses. It's hard to not just charge in, but he knows what's at stake and she's so close he couldn't live with himself if he fucked it up. Once in the cell block again he scans the room for anymore guards or drones-
[With the sound of the explosion, most everyone is sufficiently distracted, and the drone has wandered off to investigate. There's no telling how long this part of the hallway will stay empty, though, especially with the high priority prisoner. The door seems to have some kind of electronic lock, probably to keep psionics from opening their own cells.]
UNCLE BRO: Yo siri gimme a hand here -He's staring at this lock like it personally offended him-
OSIRIS: Put your comm deviice up two iit, II got the re2t.
UNCLE BRO: Got it -He holds the device to the lock, a few seconds pass before it beeps and and unlocks.-
UNCLE BRO: -He ignores his heart threatening to burst from his chest, hand pulling the door open...-
LIFERA: -She's already looking up, if only because the muffled sound of the water pipe bursting told her that something was amiss. She looks pale but for the dark circles under her wide, bloodshot eyes, her hair still a horrid tangled mess and, from here, it's more visible how some of the skin on her arms under her short sleeves is patchy with tyrian, seemingly healing from something. Despite the vague, distant surprise on her face, she doesn't say anything.-
RAJANI: -she can't remember feeling this anxious in a very, very long time. but there's something keeping her from entering the cell with them other than the need to look out for danger-
UNCLE BRO: -He feels sick, everything churning in his gut hot and boiling all at once. Rage, anguish, relief, it's all there but to see her like this. No no no, no one deserves this. She never deserved this. It's all too long before he snaps himself back to reality and forces himself forward to her, to free her from her shackles.-
UNCLE BRO: I had this whole stupid monologue i was gonna spit at you but i kinda forgot it i think im just gonna get you out of here alright
[Like the door, the cuffs are under an electronic lock.]
LIFERA: -She still doesn't say anything for a long moment. She looks away. Then, finally, she speaks, her voice dry and scratchy.- Of course you are.
RAJANI: -that voice. shit-
OSIRIS: -Oh let's break it DOWN. These chains of oppression that bind her, that is. The fishes hands are free.-
UNCLE BRO: -His heart aches listening to her, his own hands gently taking hers as he looks her over, dismayed by her condition.-
LIFERA: -Her hands are cold, limp in his. She doesn't try to return the hold. In fact, she doesn't seem very comforted by it at all. She's avoiding looking at him, pulling herself to her feet. She's only a little shaky.-
UNCLE BRO: -That doesn't matter right now. She's been through enough, he and Rajani gotta get her out of here.-
UNCLE BRO: Raj is right outside
UNCLE BRO: You uh want me to carry you
LIFERA: No. -it's a rather immediate response, though still quiet. She seems to be waiting for him to lead her.-
UNCLE BRO: -He just nods quietly moving out of the room, perhaps not as urgent as a pace he could take just to make sure she can keep up-
LIFERA: -she follows, not seeming to be in any particular rush herself, taking measured steps and staring at the ground all the while.-
RAJANI: -she's gotta keep herself together and so she does, focusing on the task at hand. Dave has her now.- i'll meet y0u b0th.
UNCLE BRO: Yeah stay safe
UNCLE BRO: -He's focused as well, not giving himself the time to dwell on the emotions and questions that continue to creep in. To the vents they go.-
[The maintenance tunnel opens up on the floor, a short ladder leading down into the pathways where wires and pipes run through. It can be labyrinthine if one doesn't know where they're going.]
UNCLE BRO: -Good thing they have a nerd that already mapped their route for them.-
UNCLE BRO: You first ill make sure no one else is coming
LIFERA: -She stares down at the ladder for several seconds before sighing softly, moving carefully, looking a little pained as she maneuvers herself around to climb down. She just stands there waiting for him at the bottom.-
UNCLE BRO: -As soon as she's clear he's climbing down himself. After landing he checks his comm for the map and starts heading down their route-
UNCLE BRO: Sorry for taking so long i got lost down here
LIFERA: ... -She follows him carefully, still staring at her feet.- You could make me climb a few flights next time. That would be nice.
LIFERA: -Exercise and all.
UNCLE BRO: Lucky for you we gotta whole tower to free climb after we get out of here -Goddamn these winding passages.-
LIFERA: Great. I love those. -she's breathing a little heavier now, in shorter breaths.-
[The tunnels go on, but, as it happens, someone's down here. Seems like a maintenance worker was sent to see if something was going wrong down here, and she starts upon spotting them.]
UNCLE BRO: Sorry my dude -Dave flashes over to them and puts them in a sleeper hold. Go to sleep dude.-
[Hrk! She's struggling, but eventually the hold has her seeing stars, and the struggling slows before she finally passes out.]
LIFERA: -it's about this point that some emotion shows on her face again, something akin to confusion. She steps closer to them.-
UNCLE BRO: -He's just gonna...set her down gently, lean her against a wall then turn to Lifera.-
UNCLE BRO: You good maybe want to get some luke and yoda action goin
UNCLE BRO: You want a piggyback ride
LIFERA: ... Tell me who they are.
UNCLE BRO: From star wars
UNCLE BRO: Luke is a dusty teenager and yoda is the green muppet that teaches him to be badass
LIFERA: ... -her lip quivers rather suddenly, and she takes several more steps closer.- Tell me about them. Please.
UNCLE BRO: Can i tell you while were movin
UNCLE BRO: Were still talkin about luke and yoda right
LIFERA: -she sniffs.- Yes.
UNCLE BRO: Luke grew up on a sandball of planet ya feel me lives on a moisture farm with his aunt and uncle hes super into electronics and tech kinda actually reminds me of dirk -He trails off talking about Luke as they're moving through the tunnels-
LIFERA: -she's following him closely, moving a little faster. She's not counting steps anymore, even if she's breathing hard.-
[The exit to the tunnels and the way to the deck is ahead. The last hard part. It doesn't sound like there's a lot of activity outside.]
UNCLE BRO: Alright so then yoda is just like yo im gonna be a wrinkly scrotum of a backpack and really teach you how to get ridiculously shit nasty with this force thing so luke is doin this training montage in the swamp with the universes most godly head of cabbage latched onto his back -His voice quiets as he peeks his head around to check for any people that would notice them-
[The commanding officer sure isn't on the deck, and everyone else seems to be taking a smoke break since she isn't around. Either way, they're not paying much attention now that they have an excuse not to.]
UNCLE BRO: Climb on my back
LIFERA: -she doesn't argue this time, sidling up behind him and reaching for his shoulders. He's gonna have to get way down for her to get on, honestly. She doesn't have it in her to jump right now.-
UNCLE BRO: -He'll kneel for you, any time. So he does.-
LIFERA: -She climbs up onto him, thighs squeezing gently around his sides and wheezing softly in his ear.-
UNCLE BRO: -His hands cup under her thighs to keep her secure and he breathes out quietly- Hold on tight
UNCLE BRO: -Then he's moving, almost instantly from one spot of cover to another, ducking behind cargo and whizzing past a couple folks just trying to enjoy their nicotine as he makes his way to the ship-
LIFERA: -she definitely has to hold on tight, because the way this is lurching her around is about what she would expect, and making her feel just as sick. She's determined to hold that feeling back until they're where they need to be, though.-
UNCLE BRO: -Suddenly, they're on the ship. Hi Rajani! Dave, lowers himself to the ground again.- You all good lif
LIFERA: -louder wheezing- No.
LIFERA: -she's practically stumbling off his back-
UNCLE BRO: Shit my bad uh fuck -Wait no he has something for this, maybe....he doesn't know. But he's turning to help her into a seat at least-
LIFERA: -she's doing a better job of ducking behind a box and gagging than anything else right now-
RAJANI: -she doesn't want to crowd her but she wants to make sure she's okay. What she does do is wet a cold washcloth and bring it back behind the box, placing it lightly on the back of her neck-
LIFERA: -she sort of starts for a second before relaxing, still crouched there before turning and leaning to sit back against the box. She looks up at both of them, teary-eyed.-
LIFERA: I didn't think you were real. -She sucks in a breath, exhaling it again, shaky.- I might-- have a tracker. I don't know-- I don't know what they did to me. -slowly, she lifts up her shirt, and her stomach's got a long, straight line sewed up the middle. It looks decently fresh.-
UNCLE BRO: -His stomach lurches- Fuck we gotta find some place to get her checked out
RAJANI: there's has t0 be s0mewhere al0ng the way. i'll l00k int0 it. -she kneels down next to lifera, looking at her stomach- d0 y0u remember what that incisi0n is f0r?
LIFERA: No. I... Think they've just been... -She's quiet for a long moment.-
LIFERA: ... -Experimenting with me.
UNCLE BRO: -He goes cold for a second. It's not surprising, but to hear it said raises a chill from the base of his spine. So much of him wants so bad to turn around, go back and just blow the entire place sky high-
UNCLE BRO: If they put a tracker on you well deal with that later right now we gotta get you checked out and treated
RAJANI: -she swallows, hearing the words leave her mouth- d0 y0u...can y0u remember any specifics?
LIFERA: No. It wasn't... torture.
LIFERA: ... Not-- Not that, anyway.
LIFERA: -She's still breathing kind of heavy, looking between the two of them.- If we're going, we should probably go.
UNCLE BRO: Yeah youre right -Still, he wants to reach out to her, hold her, tell her she's safer now. It's hard to not crowd her, so instead he gets her a bottle of water, a little bit of food. Who knows how much she can handle.- Here
RAJANI: -she doesn't want to leave her, but she has to to get the ship going. she moves up to the deck and puts the controls into autopilot once they are free from the station-
LIFERA: -She's reaching for the water, first, sucking down quite a bit of it before reaching to nibble at something bland. She's hungry, but...-
LIFERA: -Her chewing slows. She's staring at the floor, pink welling in her eyes, jaw trembling, and a terrible noise bubbles up in her throat before she can stop it. It's crushing everything delicate in her chest like a cruel fist, all too heavy and real for the first time. Before, it was different. Before, she had a reason not to fall apart, a purpose. A responsibility. But now...-
LIFERA: -Now, there was nothing.-
UNCLE BRO: -Fuck. His chest ached, a slow burn threading though every sinew of his body as he watched her break. Everything was too much. She'd been through it all and then something. He didn't have words to offer. What could he? All he had was the space between them that he closed and arms to wrap her up and hold her with. She didn't have to be strong right now. He'd do it for them for now-
LIFERA: -The reality of it all burned and ached in her chest, her head, and the arms around her now felt almost too real. More than she had earned. They had risked their lives for her even now, when she had nothing else to offer but more danger, more heartache. She shouldn't be here. She should have gone down with everyone else. Why hadn't she? Why was it always people like her that managed to go on? She felt too weak to return the embrace, but even so, she wanted it. She hated the desire just as much, this pathetic selfishness that she could be glad to see them, to have them, when she had nothing to offer. She cried, and the feeling of letting it take her over was soul-rending.-
RAJANI: -when the ship is in motion, she returns to them, quietly, carefully, as if one wrong breath meant immediate danger. she doesn't want to crowd her, so she sits on her knees next to them. watching, being there. it's a helpless feeling, where she's at right now. but in the case lifera needs her as well, she will be here. she will be here for as long as she is wanted-
