"Turncoat Renegades"
So there I was, sitting in the Sette desert with a pounding headache. My captors stood and sat around me, going about their own business and caring little for the welfare of myself. If the assault I had to endure wasn't painful enough, the mere confusing nature of it was. What had started as routine mission from the Union had turned first into a fight for my life followed by my capture by the… curious bunch.
To the left, sitting beside me, was another Bellato female. Her armor suggested that she was a force user like myself but the quality of the clothing was less than war-ready. She was looking happily over my blue staff which she claimed as her own to replace her less powerful yellow one. The grin hadn't left her face since the time my vision came into focus. The most curious feature of her were the tattoos marked around her eyes.
"Aye, I know that Emma but Tami—"
Straight ahead of me, standing motionless in the shadows, was Zappa. Zappa was huge, easily twice my size, and rightly so being that it was an Accretia. At one point its armor must have been impressive but now the luster had been sand blasted away from the harsh environment. We would usually assume how powerful the Accretia was based on how spine-like their armor was. I would guess Zappa was reasonably strong, especially with that huge sword it had strapped behind it. It hadn't said a thing since I first saw it, just looming and watching with its glowing azure eyes.
"I just thought you're so attached to yours… You wouldn't want some Union-made weapons, would ya?"
To the left, standing a ways off was the Cora. She was like every other Cora I've seen: beautiful, shapely, with long legs and scant clothing. What was different about her, though, was the fact that her skin was so bronze it was nearly brown. Her eyes were sharp and cold, golden in color—just like her hair. I gave her only the slightest respect because she was also a cunning force user. Apparently her name was Emma.
"Ahh..! No no, lovely! I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying—"
Emma was currently 'discussing' something with the last of my captors, apparently the leader. He was cut off by the Cora's hand slapping him before she turned about and marched off. He rubbed his cheek with a lopsided grin, tilting his head slightly to watch the woman storm away. The Bellato then turned to me, dropping his hand to his side and walked over. I would guess him to be a ranger, given the lightning gun strapped around his back, but his outfit wasn't exactly one issued by the Union. His boots were high and armored and his shirt close fitting. On one hand was a full metal gauntlet, the other a fingerless glove, and across his eyes he wore a single-eye visor which was painted black. He, like all the rest (except Zappa), wore a unique headset which looked Bellato-made.
Squatting down before me he smiled his crooked smile, looking me over with his red eye. "Evening missy. Sorry about all that before. What might your name be?"
Was this guy serious? His Cora and Accretia ambush me and then attempts to make small talk? Honestly! With a huff I moved my eye contact from his, my head still pounding in protest.
He scratched the back of his head which was more of a fray of messy dark-brown hair. "All right, you're sore. I understand that. Again, sorry. Nothing personal. Name's Stavvy."
"Stubby," the other Bellato (Tami) murmured loudly, eyeing Stavvy playfully with that endless grin. He didn't seem to like the name much. That was good, I'd use that name instead.
Clearing my throat I looked back to him. "Well, Stubby, what do you plan to do with me now? I'm really of no use or status to you and your… group."
He stood and grinned once more, brushing off my attempt to annoy him with his pet name. "You, my dear, have been selected to take a little trip with us," he explained, waving his arm dramatically in the dimming light.
"Why would you possibly want to kidnap me? Money? I don't have any family Novus-side so I doubt you would get much, if any."
Stubby laughed and shook his head. "Well, yes and no. You're worth quite a bit more than you give yourself credit for." The conversation was interrupted by the sound of gunfire a distance away. We jumped a little, Zappa not even creaking, and Stubby quickly turned his focus back on me, his look suddenly very serious. "Did you call for back-up?"
I had, when I had gotten a chance to escape the Cora and before the Accretia showed up. They had taken my headset some time between then and when I woke up, so I wasn't sure if there would be any hope. I smiled politely up at him.
He cursed under his breath and turned to Tami, she nodding in response and standing, wielding my staff as her own. Stubby then turned and looked in the direction the Cora went. "Emma! We're gonna check that out. Watch her for me!" With that, he and the female hurried out of the secluded campsite and into the desert. I looked back to Zappa, who still had yet to move, wondering if it was even active. Every Accretia I had seen always moved independently but this one was obviously different.
There was a rustle and I looked. It was Emma. She leered at me for a moment before moving towards a stuffed backpack on the ground. After searching around within it for a moment she turned back to me and threw something in my lap. Startled, I caught it but just barely. It was a headset. Not mine, but one similar to the kind the Cora was using. I glanced back at her but she was holding her staff menacingly. With a sigh I slipped it on and pressed a button.
"If you run, I'll kill you." I blinked a few times and looked back at the Cora. She had said something in her tongue and almost instantly the words were translated into my ear piece. It was a very odd effect, hearing the same thing twice yet differently. Emma didn't supply any explanation for the device.
I turned my attention back to the Accretia but it wasn't going to make conversation anytime soon. The sound of footsteps caught me off guard and I noticed Emma tense up, aiming in its direction. Stubby came running up to the camp with Tami a distance behind, her steps not as energetic as his. For having left in such a sour fashion, Stubby's attitude had done a complete 180. His smile mimicked the kind Tami had when first given my staff while Tami looked rather perturbed.
Emma watched the male Bellato move quickly about the camp, collecting things and loading his gun. Finally she asked, "What?"
Stubby wheeled about to the Cora, grinning widely. "Our little dear requested a MAU." The beat of gunfire echoed again in the distance. It sounded like turret fire. Emma didn't move and Tami continued to look annoyed. A Massive Armor Unit? I didn't expect the Union to go that far. Maybe a Sniper at best.
"Stubby, do you really think we could capture it? I mean, it is a MAU," Tami pointed out, perhaps trying to speak some reason into the Bellato. Her words obviously went unheard. He called Zappa to attention and started to leave once again, Tami sighing and trotting after the Accretia.
Thirty minutes later the three returned to the camp, empty handed. Tami was winded, Stubby was covered in sand and bleeding from the forehead, and Zappa had a few dents in its armor—one of which looked critical on its chest plate. Still it never complained. Stubby was another story.
"Bloody Union and their bloody MAUs! They were never that well-armored when I was there and hell, I could have made them better!" Stubby threw his gun to the ground while Tami adverted her eyes. "If I could just get a hold of one they would see. Foor's plans were years behind my ideas! Ugh! And all this damn SAND!" He then brushed himself off violently, not looking any better afterwards. His attention then turned to Zappa, who was simply standing there, damaged. "And you! You worthless pile of metal. Get over here so I can fix you!"
Zappa stood motionless for a moment before stepping closer to Stubby and kneeling down to one knee. Stubby adjusted some things on the front of the Accretia and the plate detached, leaving the much slimmer metal chest exposed. Stubby heaved it to the ground, nearly growling in his frustration, and went to go get some tool out of the backpack Emma first rummaged through.
I couldn't help but stare at the Accretia. Its internal frame was in much better condition than the rest of the armor. It was chrome in color and insanely lean; how it was able to support such a heavy creature I have no idea. It was funny to see the enemy exposed in such a fashion with no shame or opinion on the matter. I'm sure Emma wouldn't be so willing to do the same.
Tami noticed my interest and spoke up, sitting back down beside me and slinging the staff, my staff, against her shoulder. "We found him a while ago here in the desert. Think his circuits got fried from the heat or something. Stubby rewired him and now he follows what he says most of the time." She smiled a little to herself and looked over to the Bellato male who was pounding the dents (and his anger) out of the Accretian's armor, cursing. "Stubby really is a genius."
Stubby finally got the armor into a shape that he agreed with and lifted it back up, realigning it with Zappa. When he went to fit it back on, however, it didn't quite fit. He cursed some more, putting more force into trying to get it to stay, but it kept slipping. Finally he fixed it into place and kicked the plate as hard as he could. Zappa didn't budge but the chest piece locked into place. The Accretia then rose slowly without any commands, looming over Stubby, its azure eyes burning in the evening light. Without warning the Accretia swung at the Bellato, sending him to the ground.
Gasping I stood, staring wide-eyed at the scene before me. Admittedly I was more concerned with the Accretia turning on me and attacking, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from Stubby. Tami rose as well, looking concerned, though knowing better than to get in the way. Emma rolled her eyes and strode off, wanting nothing to do with the conflict. After a few seconds of being stunned, Stubby found his feet and faced the Accretia, bleeding even more from his head. He was grinning that foolish lopsided grin of his but his gaze was intense. "All right, you sorry excuse for a toaster. You want to fight too?" Zappa was silent and still. "I'll rewrite you into a Ghost!" And with that Stubby planted another kick on the Accretia. Zappa swung again, hard and fast, narrowly missing the small opponent.
The two of them went at it for a minute or so before I turned to Tami who was watching nervously. "Aren't you going to stop them?" She blinked and turned her marked eyes towards me. "Would you get in the middle of that?" she asked back. She had a point. We both looked back to the match which, in truth, was one-sided. The blows Zappa landed on Stubby looked horribly painful while the Bellato's physical assault hardly budged the metal warrior. Then Stubby pulled his gauntlet hand back and gave the Accretia the hardest punch I'd ever seen. I could almost hear his knuckles cracking and breaking from the contact with the solid metal foe. It was strong enough, in fact, to force Zappa back a step, leaning over just slightly. After this the Accretia stopped, falling silent and still once more.
The Bellato pant hard from exerting himself with the Accretia, managing to stay upon his feet but only just. His armored hand was limp and unmoving at his side, most likely broken. "Get out of my sight," he told Zappa and the Accretia did so without complaint. Once the machine was gone Stubby slumped down to a sit and sighed, running his better hand through his hair and smearing some blood into it in the process. Tami quickly ran over to him and knelt beside him.
"Stubby, you're crazy! Are you all right? Oh.. You're bleeding more. Hold still…" Tami frowned and continued to fuss over the wounded Bellato but he didn't seem to care much. I figured Tami to be a Chandra like myself given the way she was trying to care for Stubby but his wounds never looked any better. I glanced around. Zappa and Emma were out of sight, Stubby was in no condition to go anywhere, and Tami was far too worried about the other Bellato than myself. I could escape. Not knowing exactly where the Accretia was made me uneasy but if there ever was a time, it was now. I hesitated, looking back to Stubby.
He was a Bellato but he was still my enemy. Both of them—Turncoats. He was hurt pretty bad. I sighed and walked slowly towards the other two, flexing the fingers of my right hand and concentrating. I turned my gaze to Stubby. "Hey."
He glanced up slightly, having had taken an interest in his broken hand still confined within the metal, and looked me over with that one eye.
"I'll make a deal with you. You swear to let me go and I'll fix you up." He didn't move, just watched me with the same silence Zappa had. I then added, "And I want my staff back." To that he gave a little grin, shaking his head slightly.
"I can't do that one, missy. That staff is Tami's now. You can get another one from the Union." Wincing faintly Stubby adjusted where he sat, straightening his back and cradling his arm. He glanced at Tami who was still looking very distraught. "Get my bag, love?" Tami frowned even more but moved to retrieve it, holding the staff tightly in one hand and watching me out of the corner of her eyes.
I tightened my jaw. "So you won't negotiate?" I could still get away. I didn't need my staff for all my force attacks, just the ones that hurt people… I wasn't interested in turning out like him because of Zappa or dueling with the Cora without my staff. Tami walked past me then and set the pack down in front of Stubby who started to pull out some tools with his good hand.
"Not about that staff… no. See Tami here has been needing one for quite some time. Once she caught a glimpse of yours that just about sealed its fate. Supplies aren't as easy to come by out here in the desert." He started to roll up the sleeve of his gauntlet hand. "As for asking to leave… Heh, well that's very polite of you. It just looks worse than it is."
That liar! "You're hand is broken. How can it get much worse than that?" Well, he showed me. He seemed to rub his arm before the whole thing from his elbow down detached. Suddenly the name Stubby was much for fitting than I first thought. I noticed then that the eye with the blacked out visor was on that same side; his right. He laid the arm across his lap and fetched out a small utensil which he used to start and prod at the hand. My dumbfounded silence made him snicker quietly.
"You can thank your Union for this. Chandras can only heal so much." I found myself staring, watching, intrigued by the man before me. There was obviously a lot more to his story than being just a rebel or outcast. He didn't press the issue and continued to work on his hand. Tami crouched back down beside Stubby and watched him with a saddened face. His focus seemed to waver in and out as the blood hadn't stopped flowing from his head, dripping down his chin slowly.
Maybe it was pity, but I took a step closer and aimed my hand towards Stubby. Tami started to rise threateningly but I paid no attention to her. Closing my eyes I channeled the Holy force around and within me and concentrated. "What are you doing!" Tami snapped, pointing the end of the staff at my chest.
"Calm down," Stubby ordered and she looked back at him with her tattooed eyes. The blood was still there but the wounds were closing and repairing rapidly. It was hard to see at first but the weight that seemed to be upon Stubby's shoulders lifted. There was still nothing to be done about his arm but he could probably take care of it himself. Once the arm and hand were in working order he readjusted it back onto his arm, the fingers flexing carefully after the connection had been made. That single red eye peered up at me then, his slight smile tilting to one side. "At least stay the night, won't you?"
I found myself smiling back, just a little. That grin was growing on me. "I suppose." Tami looked annoyed with this answer. Stubby rolled his sleeve back down and put the tools away before standing slowly. He collected his discarded gun from the ground and we settled into camp for the night.