A/N This is a rewrite of an older fic, "Bonded by Crime".
Acceptance
Puckworld, before the Saurian siege
She waited until the security guard was asleep before slipping into the room. Multiple moniters showed her various views of the museum floor. Not that they ever bothered to put those cameras on the roof. Shaking her head slightly, Dutchess slid next to the computer.
Her hands were confident as they flew over the keyboard. She was in her element as she shut down the various security measures the museum had installed. A final check to make sure she hadn't missed anything, and she spoke softly into the small microphone near her mouth.
"You've got five minutes bro."
"Plenty of time," Duke L'Orange smiled as he slid the skylight open silently and checked for guards. He waited until one turned the corner, then quickly lowered himself through the shadows to the floor. Within a few moments, he and the Starla Gem were gone.
Back in the security room, Dutchess L'Orange did her own disappearing act.
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Dutchess watched her brother as they made their way back to headquarters. Didn't he know how hard it was to keep your cool when you were dying to find out if you made the cut? Had he no clue how desperate she was to hear his verdict? She wanted to strangle him, brother or not. He wasn't even fazed!
Duke kept an eye on his little sister. Her face was a mask of indifference, but it didn't do much good when her eyes gave away her anxiety. He forced himself not to chuckle. Let her stew for a bit, let her worry. After all, it had been her first heist. Once they made it back to the apartment building Talon had bought for them, he'd do better than tell her he was proud. Getting the gem out was one thing, making it home safe was another.
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The majority of The Brotherhood stood in the basement to hear Duke's verdict. The twenty members of The Brotherhood of the Blade stood on the small stage that had been set up for these occasions. Talon, leader of The Brotherhood, stood to address his true family.
"Every one settle down." He waited a moment for silence, and then continued. "The Brotherhood is a close-knit organization. We look after each other, train each other. Heck, we even clean up after each other sometimes." A small chuckle rippled through the crowd. "Tonight is a big night. We celebrate the introduction of two of our newer members," at this he gestured to Jackal and Sena, "who proved themselves very well in their first heists, we celebrate my two year, three month and four day anniversary of dating to the most beautiful female on Puckworld," he smiled at Sandy, his girlfriend, as groans and jeers circled the room, "and," he paused for silence, "we get to see if a young girl is capable of joining us. Some of you have been members of The Brotherhood since we were kids at school, stealing from others to prove we could. Most of you have joined since we grew up and became the top gang of jewel thieves on the planet." A cheer from The Brotherhood rose.
"It is with bated breath that we now wait, as a young girl who grew up with us as a little sister or friend has taken the challenge to become a full-fledged member of, not just The Brotherhood, but the elite Brotherhood of the Blade. Testing her tonight is none other than the leader of The Brotherhood of the Blade, Duke L'Orange!" Another cheer rose as Duke came down the steps and walked to the stage. He and Talon clasped hands and gave each other a one arm hug. With a magnanimous gesture, Talon turned the audience over to Duke and seated himself beside Sandy.
"Fellow members of The Brotherhood, ya know the tests that come when someone wants to join us. We take on no one lightly. We can't afford to. That in mind, I'd like to bring in our newest applicant, Dutchess L'Orange."
Dutchess stood at the top of the stairs, butterflies doing the rumba in her belly. 'Geez, what made me think I was up for this? What made me think I could handle this?' They were waiting on her. All of them. What if I messed up somewhere? Did something wrong? What if Duke just refuses to let me take such a risk? She could hear a chant starting up. The Brotherhood was the only family she'd ever known, and they were supporting her even now. Shaking only slightly, she took the first step.
The rest of the walk to the stage was blurred by nerves. Duke was talking some more, but she couldn't focus. She wanted, no, needed this so badly. She didn't relax until Talon and Sandy stood and came to either side of her. They were solid, a unit. Talon's medium frame masked Sandy's hand resting lightly on her back from the rest of The Brotherhood. It gave her the strength she needed to focus.
"Dutchess L'Orange, it is my duty, and pleasure, to welcome you as a full member into The Brotherhood of the Blade."
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Duke stood aside with Talon and Ricochet, watching his sister turn down Jackal yet again. "The boy'll never learn," he mused, shaking his head.
"Cut him a break Duke." Talon responded. "After all, he doesn't have your way with the ladies."
Ricochet chuckled. "Ladies only go for Duke 'cause of the eye patch. If only they knew he got it 'cause he was blind in that eye from birth."
Duke sneered at his best friends as they laughed. "At least I can get a girl." It was weak, but then, he wasn't in the mood for a good round of teasing. Life seemed to be passing him by a bit quicker these days. At least he had good friends. He took a moment to consider them.
Who'd believe that millionaire Talon Pierce was the leader of the infamous Brotherhood? Duke knew it and had a hard time believing it! The guy had started recruiting young, forming the core leadership while attending a public school (having been kicked out of the tenth private school and chased off his tutors until his parents agreed to let him go). At first, Talon let the others believe they were just the wannabe bad boys of the school. He'd worked them up, training them, until they all realized that they could go after bigger prey, stores with security systems. There had been a few misses, but mostly, Talon had gotten what he wanted. He was "reforming" his rebel image in the public's eye, and was dividing his time between social obligations and The Brotherhood.
Talon had brought Duke in himself. Duke was only a few years younger than Talon, so they'd been at the same school. Duke had at one point been the punching bag of both bullies and his father, but when he finally snapped and defended himself, Talon was there to guide him. Talon had even provided one of the apartments for Duke to move into, allowing Duke to runaway from home with his little sister in tow.
Ricochet had found his way into The Brotherhood's eye, but Duke had been the one to actually recruit him. Ricochet had been making a living off swiping small items while pretending to be a bodyguard. He'd also proven to be a natural with a sword, and therefore became one of the first members of The Brotherhood of the Blade.
All in all, it made for a tidy line. They had good lives, great reputations, and were the best at what they did. Not too shabby at all. Duke shrugged off deeper thoughts and joined Ricochet in teasing Talon about Sandy.
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Six Months Later
Wolf Star, Dutchess' hacker code name, was on a roll. Accessing files from Tech Speacilist Tanya Vanderflock wasn't a walk in the park. But then, if it was easy, where was the fun? Today, however, she'd found her way past the security systems and was busily hiding files. She'd had a few more heists in the past few months, but she shined with technology. Give her a system, she'd find a way to hack it if it was at all possible.
She moved the last few files, uploaded a worm to let her see what Tanya did, and then left her signature. A few keystrokes and she disconnected from the system. A smile formed as she leaned back. Life was good.