Vampire/Crome Analysis

[macky]

Instead of returning to her quarters, she entered the Blind Eye's cargo hold, surprising the crew.

"What are you doing back so early, Taskmaster?"

Zoe blankly stared at her first mate for a moment and replied: "We'll be leaving soon. It's a long and very dangerous trip. I don't know when and if we'll get back. I'd like to take the new Firefly, the Spatial and the Blind Eye, If anyone wants to stay behind, I won't stop any of them."

First mate Sena didn't know what to say. She stood there, for a moment, contemplating what she just heard.

"I think I should tell the rest of the crew about this. Wait up in your command station, Zoe. I know how you feel. We never mentioned anything but, I knew how close the two of you were."

Zoe nodded, still keeping silent, she headed to her command quarters and awaited the response of her crew.

***

A couple of hours or so went by. Zoe fell asleep on her bunk. The past few days drained her of everything. Fighting against Crome's forces and the TSOD had taken it's toll. She was dead to the world, just like Macky...

She was awakened by a soft voice coming from beside her. She opened her eyes.

"...Ah, there, you're awake. I told everyone about what you said. All of us except Simon and Alice are going with you. I've taken the liberty of loading supplies and upgrading our Solaris cannons to Cerebrus'."

She sat up and said: "Thanks Noelle, I appreciate it. I'll address the crew as soon as soon as we're under way."

First Mate Sena nodded. "Is there anything else you'd want?"

"We'll depart by 23:00, that's two hours from now. If everything is in order, you should get some rest until then."

The young woman saluted Zoe and respectfully left her quarters.

Zoe stretched her arms as she stood from her bunk. She knew that what she had in mind wouldn't be easy. She's have to call on old favors from her long lost smuggling partners. But she knew that if she wanted to extract retribution for what happened to Macky, she had to use all of her available resources.

The hangar where the Blind Eye was docked was bustling with activity. Supplies and ordnance were loaded onto the Gunship and the Firefly Transport beside it. It was obvious to see that these vessels are going on a very long trip, on very short notice.

This activity, did not escape the eyes of the Sons of Plunder Triumvirate...

[wulfe]

I gripped the rails of the walkway lining the walls around the hangar bay as I watched the controlled chaos go about down on the floor.

"Hm, shes taking quite a bit with her huh?" I thought to myself, "Zoe Jaquin, I just hope you know what you are getting yourself into...."

[macky]

Zoe stepped out from the Blind Eye to check how loading of the ships were going. Everything seemed to be in order. The hangar chief barked his orders and made sure that supplies and ordnance were distributed accordingly.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Simon Sinclair and Alice Devraux were having trouble looking at her. It was obvious that they felt ashamed that they couldn't go accompany her on her voyage. Both of them had families living in the Barrier Gate Station. Although both were able crewmen, she couldn't allow them to go. She approached them and told them that she understood how they felt, why they had to stay. Zoe hugged both of them, uploaded a few credits onto their neural net accounts and sent home.

A familiar figure with ghostly white hair and his trademark trenchcoat emerged from the darkness. It was the most visible leader of the Sons of Plunder, Wulfe O' Donnel. At only twenty six years of age, he's been through a lot. He was captured and sent to Pittsburgh prisoner mines, lost his home on Bethlehem Station and now is on the bounty boards with over ten million credits on his head. Considering all that, he was but a child to Zoe, however, it seemed that he aged quickly since she first met him. The burden of leadership is never easy and leading the Sons of Plunder isn't.

They exchanged brief glances, no words were exchanged, but Zoe knew that he already understood why she had to go.

Zoe scanned the Hangar, it looked like things were almost done. She nodded at Wulfe and boarded the Blind Eye.

[wulfe]

I nodded to Zoe as she saw me in the shadows monitoring progress. i couldn't stand to watch any longer, my favorite Sister leaving didn't exactly sit well in my stomach for some reason, allthough i couldn't quite put a finger on why...

I quickley steeled my will and stamped out such feelings, none were needed, and none had a place in the Sons at this time. i turned my back and walked away, and never looked back.

[macky]

One:


It has been quiet in space for the past week. No TSOD ships have been spotted and there were no reports coming in from the Sons of Plunder leadership or the Requite.

Things must be going well against the war against the TSOD, she thought to herself. She was very far away from home, but there were things she had to do before she returned. She didn't want another Crome incident happening. It caught her unprepared and even cost the life of one of her smugglers. She had to set up her network again. To do that, she had to establish communications with her old contacts.

The Captain of the Blind Eye studied her view screen as her battle group went through the Omicron Minor Jump Hole. The swirling gases were indeed a sight to behold. Constantly shifting colors, pulsating lights and a vivid imagination made it seem as if the Jump Holes were living beings that slowly consumed a little of the life energy of travelers that dared to enter its maw. Of course, it did feel that way. Though a jump only lasted for a few seconds, it felt as though all of the cells in your body were being forcefully torn apart from each other as you traveled through space and time. Zoe never got used to that feeling. She tried her best not to show it but she always felt nauseous after jump.


Three Sons of Plunder ships appeared on the opposite end of the Jump Hole and quietly slipped through the asteroids of Omicron Minor.

"Captain, we have now reached a safe location within Omicron Minor and we are ready to broadcast." her First Mate informed her.

"Excellent, Noelle. Communications Officer, please send out the message that I prepared beforehand. We are in the territory of the Order. We don't want to provoke them by coming in unannounced."

"Communications have been sent, Captain. What now?"

"We wait."

[wulfe]

***Sending Report: Target: The Blind Eye***
***Source: Nivertong Base: Sons of Plunder District***

There have been no sitings of any TSOD ships as of late, but there have been many Navy and Bounty Hunters. i am not sure if you know, but I am on the most wanted list of criminals in Sirius, and I have a 10million credit bounty on my head. i have been forced to shoot down many Hunters for their foolish attempts to collect on it.

I have also massively increased our relations with the LR, as I have rescued Frost twice now. I have been forming large war parties to terrorize Liberty, Commander Frost has joined twice, and has been shot down, twice. Each time I have tractored in his pod and taken him to a nearby base.

The forces of the Liberty Navy have also taken damage from my men, our war party destroyed the [LNS]Renown, and a couple bombers.

Also, I have enough money to buy a destroyer, and all i need is to get the proper paperwork for it.

Thats is all I have to report to you, hope you come back soon.

Wulfe

***END TRANSMISSION***