Author's Note: This is my second fanfic. Am awfully pleased with myself, but feel free to level any constructive criticism, especially if you spot any errors with tenses.

As usual I don't bother with disclaimers. Everyone knows what belongs where, so there. You can find an image of my OC on DeviantArt, just search for the name and the obvious keywords.

BORDERLANDS

Enter the Siren - Part 1

There it was, floating in the sky, like an unreachable, impenetrable fortress. Yet, it was still battered, but not beaten. A fortress without any defenses, apparently. One that could actually be reached with but a small effort. Odd that people called it Sanctuary, though the name existed even before the whole thing went airborne, twice, actually. First it took flight as the Dahl Corporations prime mining ship of the same name. After their unsuccessful mining venture, it was abandoned and overrun by bandits and a city was built on top of it. The story of how it took flight a second time after that was sketchy in its detail, with not many people left alive to tell it...or to believe it; save for the credibility of those who called the place home. Even so it didn't fill just everyone with confidence, if a sanctuary is what they sought. Once they got past their amazement at where they were, it became rather apparent the place could be easily sieged by a large enough military force and it couldn't possibly put up much of a resistance. Speaking of resistance, there had to be much more to the former Headquarters of the Crimson Lance brigade and the raider resistance group that formed from its scattered remains, aptly named the Crimson Raiders. When asked, most people on Pandora told how it now functioned as a hub for Vault Hunters; and when used together and in plural, those two words could peek anyone's interest in the whole galaxy.

She landed the small aircraft rather roughly in front of what looked like a garage. She took in her surroundings, searching for a particular place where all the information about Vaults and their hunters, and any other odd jobs, odd people and even odder creatures circled, Moxxi's. She spotted it immediately, the way to it a straight walk and up a few steps. Looking herself over, black boots polished, white jacket unstained, checking the zippers around each shoulder that were used to detach the sleeves, and black fingerless gloves ready to punch someone, she started off towards her destination, a pair of female legs made of neon.

Moxxi noticed a face she hadn't seen before entering her bar; her clothes, her whole appearance made it obvious she wasn't Pandoran. She slightly raised an eyebrow, curiosity taking hold. Cleaning a cup, she followed the raven-haired newcomer with her gaze as she approached the counter. A woman, in equally unusual attire and blue hair, was sitting on a stool, immersed in a science book, judging by the cover. She sat down on her left, one empty stool between them. Her eyes slowly sized up the reading woman, in fact, as soon as she entered she seemed to gravitate towards her. As her gaze fell upon what looked like blue tattoos running down her entire left arm, her eyes narrowed, curiosity in them and a hint of recognition. It was that last bit, that brought Moxxi to alert, but when she saw her new guest smirk, she relaxed, though, not entirely. She sauntered over, twirling a cleaned shot glass between her fingers, other hand on her hip, close to her pistol, Rubi, just in case.

"Can I get you anything, sugar?" asked Moxxi in her usual seductive tone. The woman looked up from her reading, thinking the question was to her, but then noticed the new arrival.

The stranger looked Moxxi up and down, her eyes quickly got stuck on a tattoo of a small heart, or rather on the part of Moxxi's body where said tattoo was. After she practically had to forcibly tear her own eyes away she answered, "Mmm, you could!" Moxxi gave an amused smile, while the blue-haired woman raised a brow at the stranger's bluntness, not because she found it rude, not at all, and it is Moxxi she was dealing with. As far as she knew the woman, it would probably take a hell of a lot more to cross a line there. Moxxi had an expectant look, waiting for the stranger's choice of poison.

"Nothing really strong...alcohol isn't really my thing, but...how about a...Jäger?"

Moxxi's features briefly turned quizzical at that. "Nothing strong, she says..." she said, chuckling as she started searching for a bottle of Jägermeister.

"I'm sure I still have some lying around, hmm, from the last millennium. And that's as vintage as it can get. You don't even look old enough to be old-fashioned like that." commented Moxxi, teasing the woman a bit, as she couldn't have been more than 30.

"I'm old enough to know what I...like" came her reply, as she couldn't help but eye Moxxi up a bit more, as she was leaning in and under the counter to rummage through it. She then looked at the woman next to her, and said to Moxxi, "One for the scholar lady, here." nodding towards her, catching her attention some more.

She shifted her eyes, taking in the exotic woman's features, who was also trying to look her over as she looked as out of place as she herself once did, along with her Vault Hunter friends. She was stopped, her own searching gaze caught and frozen by the stranger's piercing silver eyes tracing her own face and slowly moving south. When the unknown woman's eyes were done exploring her, she meet her gaze, and she couldn't help but to give a somewhat shy smile. She wasn't bothered by the obvious attention she was getting from the woman, not in the least, but it was new to her and she was flattered and amused by it.

"Name's Vian." She extended a hand.

"I'm Maya" She moved to shake hands, but Vian took hers, lifted it and placed a quick peck on top of her hand and chuckled.

"Hello, Maya!" Maya blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her neck a little nervously with the same hand.

"Love your tattoo!" Vian told her as she ran her eyes over Maya's left arm.

"Oh, uh, thanks!" replied Maya a bit flustered, but also a bit on guard, as her Siren markings became the focus of attention.

"Here you go, ladies!" Moxxi reappeared, cheerily, with a bottle and put a shot glass filled with Jäger in front of the two.

"To all the men I had to punch in the face!" toasted Vian.

Maya giggled as she raised her own glass.

"I'm guessing they had it coming?" *tink*.

"They underestimated the bitch I can be." boasted Vian, and she downed the whole glass, as Maya stared for a second, surprised by the self ad-hom.

"Well, you seem to know yourself." She said, jokingly, and smiled taking a sip, then downed the rest of her glass.

"Maybe I'll need a second-opinion" Suggested Vian, as she looked pointedly at Maya. "After a dinner and a movie?"

Maya was lost for words for a second as Moxxi laughed.

"Definitely old fashioned...and a fast-worker, too. You don't waste time." Moxxi commented on Vian's flirting, as she poured another glass for the both of them.

"The pleasure cruise is always sailing." Another glass down. "There's always a free spot." She added, with a suggestive side-glance at Maya, who nearly mirrored her look, not without a glint in her eye, either.

"Aww, she likes you." said Moxxi, in a voice one uses on a pet. Maya shot her a look and Vian made a mewing sound, like a cat looking at its owner, overjoyed.

The bar-scene was observed from a far-off table in the corner by Lilith, Mordecai and Brick with Axton, Zero and Salvador at an adjacent table. Krieg was sitting by himself...or by themselves, closer to the bar. Gaige sat, away from the rest, but still close, tinkering with Deathtrap and caused a small electrical burst just then, making her jump a bit, which got Moxxi's attention and that of the other two at the counter. She yelled to the Mechromancer, "Gaige, sweetie, I told you to work on your bodyguard somewhere where you can accidentally kill less people."

Gaige shot back at the obvious dig at her past, not with contempt, though. "Hey, that was this one time, and I wasn't even on this planet, yet."

"Lucky us." said Mordecai from further back.

"I can make Deathtrap prioritize targets with lots o' alcohol in 'em." Gaige said in an explanatory tone, as if she was giving some trivia. It didn't even sound like a threat.

"Bull!" said Mordecai, challengingly.

"Try me!" answered Gaige with more of a daring tone than a threatening one and Mordecai was relatively certain she wasn't bluffing.

Vian looked the lot over and turned to Maya. "Weird bunch."

"They're...an acquired taste." answered Maya with a friendly smile.

Chatter around them died down as five bandits walked into the bar, one of them slightly larger than the rest, and seemingly tougher. He gestured towards Vian, and the others fanned out, two from either side, slowly approaching her. The two bandits from the left got a little too excited and started making threatening motions and sounds, laughing and getting ahead of themselves, nearly looking as crazy as the certifiable psychos on that planet. Before they could take another step, however, both were suddenly shot and set on fire by Moxxi's pistol, Rubi. Hilarity ensued as the two burning bandits tried putting the flames out on each other, slapping and patting each other down to no avail.

"I won't have that in my joint!" warned Moxxi.

"Bitch, we only had a beef with her!" said the bandit leader, pointing at Vian.

"We woulda just dragged her away quietly and then we woulda made her scream, but now we're gonna wreck this whole place, and make the two of you a double-act! Boys!" he threatened, barking orders for the remaining two.

"Someone thinks they're a bad-ass, but all I heard was 'Punch us in the face, please!'." Vian commented as she and Maya were now turning on their stools to face outwards.

"This'll have to do" said Moxxi, as she leveled Rubi on the bad-ass and took a shot. Unfortunately it was practically eaten by the larger bandit's shield. "Tch, aww." Moxxi clicked her tongue and pouted, not looking any more worried than anyone else in there.

"Start with that one and she's next" the bad-ass pointed towards Vian, then over to Moxxi, and the two remaining henchmen slowly approached, forking to either side, again. Maya started to get up, but was stopped when Vian put her whole arm out in front of her, and said "I got this." She took a few steps and glanced from one bandit to the next, adding, "This trouble followed me, here."

"You're gonna wish you took someone else's buzzard!" The bad-ass threatened, yet again.

"Ah told you Ah heard a buzzard." Said Brick to the others back in their corner.

"Broken watches, man." Mordecai quipped.

"This could get interesting." Zer0 commented as Axton and Salvador started counting something on their fingers, ending up with seven digits, looking at each other to make sure.

That last comment might as well have come from Lilith, but who was unusually silent, and was giving Vian a suspicious look.

The two bandits took a boxing-pose and the one from the right tried a right-hook on Vian, who pulled her head away as a fist breezed by inches from her face. A left-hook from the bandit, but this time, she grabbed his forearm with her left hand as it flew by, moved her grip to his wrist and twisted it, the crack audible over the bass of the speakers. She yanked on the bandit's arm, making him fall nose-first into her right elbow, with another sickening crack. She stepped behind the bandit, grabbing the back of his head and pushed him into the other one, who was attempting to lunge at her. They fell over in a heap on the floor, and as the one below pried the other off of him, he had but a fraction of a second to look, his retinas capturing his last image, that of the soles of a left-footed boot, before everything went black. Another crack, as his jaw entered his brain. The other one, apparently not dead, but soon to be, had a whole second to take in the thick smell of blood inside his own mask before it too was turned 'built-in' by Vian's foot.

"Ouch." Maya said, more impressed than mortified, as were the others. The bout lasted a good 10 seconds.

The bad-ass of the bandits shook his head in disappointment. "If you want something done right..." he started to say as he was popping the joints in his fist.

"...take four idiots with you, anyway, just in case?" Vian suggested, as she finished it for him.

"Yeah, keep talkin' while you got a throat." Again, with the threats.

The boss bandit apparently shared a love of boxing with his mates, as he started employing the same...uh...tactic, as the two K.O.s. His size seemed to give him an advantage the others lacked, tough, for when Vian attempted to grab hold of him, he wouldn't budge. She quickly let go and had to duck and weave to avoid his attacks. One more attempt by her to put him in a lock didn't turn out as planned, either, as his other hand grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. She didn't appear to be panicked by it, as she pulled both of her legs up to her chest, and gave the bad-ass bastard a double dose of what his comrades got, at the same time pushing herself away and out of his reach.

"Tough guy, huh?" Vian taunted the bandit, who was likely ready with an insult or two, but fell silent as she began to take her jacket off, throwing it on the counter, amidst surprised gasps from the crowd, revealing a black bare midriff tank-top, an incredibly well-toned upper body - serious muscle-mass given her 5'8" height - but more importantly, the intricate blue markings of a Siren on the left side of her body. Lilith narrowed her eyes, her gut-feeling having been right. Maya's eyes were wide, mouth hung open in recognition. They all stared as the woman's body started emitting strange blue energy. It moved down to her fists as she crossed the distance to the bandit in a final blink of his eye, as it was permanently shut, cheekbone fractured by her fist. Vian delivered a flurry of punches as her new punching meatbag stumbled from left to right and back. The bandit eventually managed to find his footing and steadied himself, as the distance between them had widened.

"A glutton for punishment, I see." Vian said menacingly as she pulled both of her arms back behind her.

The others, bandit included, had no idea what was coming next. The few brief seconds he felt safe had gone as Vian punched the air in front of her in his direction, and let loose a ball of energy, hitting him square in his battered face. Then, another and another. Vian's fists were flying as she was unleashing dozens of the blasts, even as the bandit reeled backwards, his feet momentarily leaving the ground, with the next hit connecting just then. He was sent flying backwards a few good feet, as he landed with a loud thud back at the entrance. As he was trying to stop the world from spinning, two more bandits came out of the woodwork and saw their boss having considerable difficulty locating his own arse. The two exchanged looks, took one at Vian, then picked the now-not-so-bad-ass up, each hooking an arm around his from under him, hoisting him as they started dragging him away as he was screaming slurred obscenities and threats, still facing towards the Siren, just barely conscious.

The trio barely took a few steps when they looked back at Vian as her Siren energy flared, starting to take on an elongated shape, concentrated in her right hand. Pulsing, dense, warping the fabric of reality in and around it. The bandits made it to halfway between Moxxi's and the edge of the floating town, straight down from her bar and towards Scooter's workshop.

"Is that a spear?" asked Gaige from where they were all standing, no longer feeling the need to interfere.

"More like a javelin" correct Mordecai.

"What's the difference?" Gaiged asked, a little irritated at Mordecai having a go at her, again.

Just as she finished her question, Vian took a few running steps forward and threw the thing. A brilliant light soared through the air and they all watched as the apparently javelin-like projectile arced and lodged itself firmly in the once bad-ass bandit's sternum, running him trough.

"That." came Mordecai's answer to Gaige. "A spear is for stabbing, but they throw 'em a lot, too. But, a javelin is specifically made to be thrown. In history, soldiers could use their javelins while they ran, too, instead of standing still and aiming as they had to with spears."

"Romans also had these pilums. At close range, those things could pierce both a shield and the soldier holding it." added Axton as Brick and Salvador looked from person to person as they shared their piece of trivia, giving each other shrugs.

"Pff, weapon nerds!" Gaige said, mockingly.

"Hey, we're not the ones with the self-made giant killer robot." defended Axton.

"Hah, please, that turret of yours is practically a person...the way you treat it. Deathtrap actually has a personality-..."

"...disorder?" finished Mordecai, taking another dig at the red-head. Gaige just blew a raspberry, and left it at that.

Theill-fated bandit duo was too busy gaping at their dead boss and sticking their faces ever closer to the shining objectsticking out of his corpse to hear Vian's warning.

"You might wanna clear the hell out!" The bandits looked back and forth between each other and her. Merely a few seconds after her warning, a sudden explosion lit up the area, after which all three bandits lay scattered in too many pieces for even a forensics team to bother counting. Half the people winced, the rest were either shocked, impressed or downright excited at the sight.

And that was Pandora for you.

(To be continued...)

Author's Note: I loathe alcohol and Jäger is about the only thing I will drink, if pressed, and only if there is an occasion, like a shift-party with the colleagues from work. My colleagues told me you have to be careful with a Jäger, because it doesn't feel like it has much of a kick, but one will feel it later. I guess, that goes for all alcoholic drinks, but I have absolutely no idea.