Author Note:

Yes, hello. Finally branching into another genera. The overall aim of this story is to find my preferred writing style, mess with character development, and try implementing more comedy into, well... everything. But if you're concerned about lack of background or story line, worry not! I'll be sure to set everything up properly this time.

I've often wondered about the soldiers of Hyperion. I mean, what must it be like, living and working within the mega-corporation? But for the sake of interesting plot, the characters can't just be your average run-of-the-mill gun totters. They need to be special, or something... I think.

Anyway, thanks for having me.

Order up.

Hyperion Brat

They had ransacked her home.

New Liptan was a small mining village on the southern rim of Demophon, a peaceful planet up until a few decades back. With a total population of a hundred and thirty two people, the town was well isolated from anything beyond its borders. Still, the inhabitants were friendly enough, and supported a fine culture of drinking themselves to death.

The average life expectancy was a little under forty five. You either coped it in in a shaft collapse, or in front of your liquor. It was normal. People were used to it.

Which is why it came as quite a shock when a dozen Hyperion Loaders dropped in from low orbit. She was young when it happened, barely a toddler, but the sickening quakes of their landing were jarred into her memory.

As was the crackle of gunfire.

Rain jolted awake, slamming her forehead on the steel frame above. "Fuuuuuuck…" Her body slumped back down as she rubbed at the injury, curling into a ball.

"Would you shut up?" Her roommate was not sympathetic.

She sat up in bed, peering through the darkness. "Fuck off Jenkins."

Out of the five others in the room, Jenkins was her least favourite. His lanky figure and curly hair was the trademark of a pussy, always ready to throw words instead of punches. It wasn't the first time that she considered replacing his soap with a bar of slag.

"Are you guys seriously fighting again?" Brick groaned from the top bunk. "It's two in the morning."

Axel cleared his voice, an action that was always proceeded by the readjustment of his specs. "Actually, it's closer to five in the afternoon. We passed another supernova two lightyears back."

"Go back to sleep you fucking nerd." Jenkins lashed.

"Leave him alone Jenkins." Brick had always been the responsible one.

"Hey, this all happened because Rain couldn't keep her fucking orgasm to herself."

"Oh piss off you whiney bitch." The girl snapped.

"Woah, woah, it's not my fault you're overflowing with sexual frustration. You were probably just looking over at me while you went and rubbed that overused cli-"

Brick's heavy figure pushed up from the mattress, shaking the bedframe. "Jenkins that's enough!"

Silence enveloped the room.

The tri-plated glass cast shadows throughout the small cabin, reflecting the shiver of far off stars. Somehow the group had unanimously agreed to leave the bulkheads open that night… Stranger things had happened, she supposed.

"I see no reason why Rain would need to relieve any sexual urges. Her ovaries were removed prior to her initial menstruation cycle. Her sexual drive should be minimal." Axel reported, failing as always, to read to mood.

"Shut your mouth!" Rain growled.

Jenkins let go a riveting laugh. "Oh Christ Axel, I'm so sorry. You are by far my favourite person in this room right now."

"I'm delighted that you think so." The nerd commented.

"If you guys don't quit talking, you'll wake the others."

"Too late." Frag cracked from the back corner. He spoke for Boombox as well, whose tongue had been removed before enlistment.

Frag was likeable enough, mostly because he was quiet. The nickname came from his uncanny ability to fumble practice grenades. He usually stuck with the bald-headed Boombox, either out of friendship or obligation. It didn't really matter though, because they're both minor characters.

"You know, I don't think I've ever asked," Jenkins started, his grin audible in his speech, "are you a virgin, Rain?"

"A virgin like you shouldn't be asking that."

"Excuse you, I've screwed heaps of chicks."

"Bullshit. You were enlisted at the age of five and I'm the only girl in this regiment." Her smirk broadened. "Although I'm sure you've screwed your fair share of Skags."

Outsmarted, the boy resorted to senseless insults. "Well at least I'm not the ship's slut."

Frag cut off her next retort. "So, what happened?"

Silence fell once more as the group waited for a reply. Rain's smile dropped as she settled back in bed. Her back faced the team.

"Another nightmare?" Axel questioned, failing to pick up on her body language.

"Go to sleep."

"Still scared of shadows, gunslinger?" Jenkins quipped.

The girl only shifted slightly, lulling herself back into slumber.

"Hey, it's no fun if you don't get upset…"

"Just leave her be." Brick muttered. "We've all got things we'd rather forget…"

The morning alarm chimed its usual tune.

That was sarcasm.

If you know anything about Hyperion alarms, you'll realise that 'chimed' doesn't quite live up to the devices capabilities… All six recruits tumbled out of bed, landing with devastating impact on the harsh metal floor. The powerful speakers installed in the roof vibrated their belongings around the room, creating a familiar mess.

Brick, who may have retained substantial injury from taking a fall off his top bunk perch, was saved by a deflated figure, who lay half crushed under the sturdy boy's mass. Rain tapped at the floor, wheezing through the assault. "Get the fuck off."

"S- Sorry." The boy rolled away, leaving the girl gasping for breath.

Jenkins would have laughed at this, if he hadn't been in exactly the same position underneath Axel. Even if the nerd was a little anorexic, Jenkin's spindly arms couldn't so much as budge the drowsy boy.

But none of them had time to worry about each other. As usual, Rain snatched at her towel and combat skins, slinging her boots over her shoulder and slamming the door controls. The heavy plate slid upwards, releasing a satisfying hiss of pressure. In seconds, she was out the door and in the hallway.

Hyperion 'H' ships were designed to be functional and efficient. Every walkway was marked with direction lines and ruled off transport paths. The various colours were a welcoming change from the iron faced walls. Rain placed herself in the blue 'Sanitation' isle, and broke into a jog.

Every morning started like this.

Running down the long hallways, avoiding noisy janitor bots and bickering CL4P-TP units, clad in nothing but her underwear and a t-shirt. The shower was always her first priority, for… various reasons…

Her ears picked up a small chorus of doors pressurising as the day cycle lighting kicked in. The girl's irises quivered, trying to adjust to the sudden blaze. After blinking away the spots, she found herself in the bathroom, pulling the white and gold t-shirt over her head and tossing it in a heap on the floor.

The communal area was basic enough, a little too basic if you asked most of the recruits. Although, she was sure that some of the boys would disagree. The large space was comprised of two separate areas. On one side were a few stalled toilets next to a mass of urinals, and on the other, a row of shower heads protruding from a mirrored wall… completely unconcealed.

Taking advantage of the calm, Rain paced towards the strip of mirrors, glancing over her shoulder as she messed with her bra strap. The sturdy clip was always a hassle to unfasten, but the item did its job, even if she did have to make a special request for it. Standard recruitment ships didn't haul female uniforms, leaving her to order them from one of the colonies.

Discarding the Hyperion themed garment, she took a moment to appreciate the feeling of relief, before moving to her lower section. Slipping the fabric from her legs, she soon stood bare before the mirrors.

The girl's eyes traced over her own figure. She was tall… tall enough to rival the boys anyway. The most visible difference came from her chest, which sloped outwards enough to be damn near inconvenient. Her hips were larger too, giving way to strong legs. Sure enough, she could hold her own in a fist fight, but it was her kicks that dealt the real blows. Jenkin's had been on the receiving end of more than a few.

She was attractive, as far as she knew. Mind you, the only thing she'd had to compare to were the porn mags stashed under Frag's bunk. The last time she had seen another living girl was when the captain imported a hooker. She didn't last long. After all, the man had one hell of a temper. One wrong word and whoosh… out the airlock you go.

Rain glanced towards her hair. It was cropped short on one side, letting a long curtain hang from the other in a sort of sleek and suave style. She kept it trimmed to Hyperion requirements of course, but that didn't mean she refrained from styling it slightly. The hue was a dark navy, the colour of an ocean, and for the most part, it was pushed back behind her ears. Of course it didn't always stay that way. Presently, it stuck up at odd angles and hung across her lips, telling of an uneasy night. Brushing the curtain back to its hold, golden irises began to analyse her face, following the light dotting of freckles…

All at once, her self-examination fell to a halt on one particular feature…

The jet black Hyperion logo, stamped beneath her right eye.

A short hiss echoed through the room as the blast door parted. Rain let out an unrecognisable swear, pissed at herself for zoning out. Making haste, she spun the shower taps to full, and drenched herself under the downpour.

A pair of recruits whooped like wild beasts, pacing towards the female. "Lookin' good Rain, so glad we could catch you this morning."

The girl ran her fingers through her hair, trying to set it back in shape. Her eyes peered open to examine the two via mirror. Their shaggy cuts and discoloured skin marked them as outer colony mutts. "Wow, boners already. That must be a new record." She smirked at the bulges in their pants.

They only laughed, setting about removing their clothing. "It's a natural reaction to an exceedingly rare specimen, such's yourself."

"You been reading Downy? Those were some pretty big words." The trick was to keep the conversation going.

"Why yes I have, thanks for noticin'."

The door pressure released again, presenting another group of boys who reacted in similar fashions. Their voices echoed in the cavernous space. A chorus of "Raaain!" interrupted almost every conversation as their eyes locked on the girl.

The first of them usually caught her on the way out, not in the middle of bathing. It was an uncommon treat. Although, Rain didn't see it that way. It was more of a nuisance than anything else.

It was Downy, and his companion who took up the showers on either side of her. Although his friend was soon forced away by a stronger competitor. They started up the water before proceeding to stare at her. She could feel their perverted gazes sliding over her body as she picked sand from her eyes.

A small scuffled broke out as someone tried to overthrow Downy's position. It ended with a quick jab to the gut, the boy unwilling to trade.

Rain could only laugh. "Now, now, there's no need to fight."

The heavyset kid on her right moved while she was distracted, his palm grasping at her ass.

In one fluid motion, Rain hurled her fist upwards, slamming it into the offender's lower jaw. A sickening crack flooded the room, followed by a heavy thump as he hit the deck.

The growing crowd let out a "Woaaah" of excitement, proceeded by intense deliberation of "that jiggle."

The girl bared her teeth, snarling. "If you're ever wondering why I won't sleep with any of you," she waved her finger at the situation, "this is it!"

The lot seemed confused. One of the younger ones spoke up. "So, if we didn't do this…"

She held back a snigger. "Fuck no, you're all ugly as hell."

They burst into a hurricane of insults, a few of them daring to step closer. Downy made a grab for her breasts, which she answered with a knee to his ribs. He wheezed, but managed to cop a handful.

Rain yelped and elbowed him in the face. "That fucking hurts you retard!"

He dropped cold, but was replaced by another attacker. She lashed out a sudden high kick, pausing the group for a moment as they admired her 'technique'.

The spectacle only seemed to fuel the riot as a fresh wave of outburst reverberated through the room. The swell of perverts rose once more, leaving her to nail out a couple quick jabs. The younger kids were the easiest to take, they had nothing against her experience. But the recruits her age proved more difficult.

She lost about a foot of ground as one of her seniors pressed forwards. He grappled towards her waist, trying to throw her off balance. A short hammer to his spine was enough to piss him off. Rain let out a wince as she was slammed into the mirror behind her. In their general manner, Hyperion saw a need to reinforce everything. It didn't shatter.

Staying in the fight, she arched her back abruptly, creating enough space to pull her knees up. The boy restraining her pushed forwards, attempting to pin her against the wall once more. Using his momentum, she pressed off the surface and flung upwards, letting him slam into the mirror with devastating force. Levelling out a flip, she landed on the metal grate roughly, almost falling.

A hand caught her shoulder before she could.

Brick almost received a lashing of his own before she realised it was him. Her knuckles halted an inch from the boy's nose, releasing a small whoosh broken of air. Her narrowed eyes only narrowed further.

Ignoring her reaction, and the fact he was almost knocked unconscious by friendly fire, the boy pulled her to her feet. Pushing away from him and rubbing at her side, Rain's lips only pulled downwards as she recognised the figures surrounding her. Brick, Axel, Frag, Boombox, and even Jenkins faced off the mob.

"Oh fuck off will you?"

"I told you she wouldn't appreciate it." Frag muttered as he watched the crowd shift, assessing the threat.

Boombox nodded in agreement.

Axel took the time to make an unnecessary note. "Referring to last night's discussion, it's most probable that her virginity would be lost without our intervention."

"I can handle this myself!" Rain lashed.

Brick placed a beefy hand on her arm. "But you don't have to."

"Get lost, you sentimental dirt bag."

The words stung slightly, putting him back in place.

"What the hell do you guys want? Tryin' to play knights for the lady?" A voice yelled from the crowd.

"Hey, we're just keeping our livestock out of the wrong hands." Jenkins answered.

"I'll show you livestock, Skag fucker." She looked to Brick, still pissed. "How'd you even get him to show up?"

The boy gave an awkward smile. "He's… uhh… our exit strategy."

"Exit strategy?"

The unmistakable flash of an ECHO shutter blinded her momentarily. The handheld device pinged in Jenkin's grasp, leaving the entire room, Rain included, staring in disbelief at the feat. Jenkin's grinned, and held the display up high. The electronic screen projected an uncut, high resolution view of the ship's only girl, standing stark naked and dripping wet. "And we'll start the bidding at one hundred credits!"

Rain jolted towards the profiteer with killing intent. "Are you fucking serious!?"

Jenkin's sat rigidly at the groups mess table, sporting a large bruise on his cheekbone while he counted through the earnings. Rain sat at the opposite corner, separated from the boy by four tougher boys, all of whom were sternly regretting their actions.

The girl seethed quietly, letting her anger build up. She wasn't one to forgive quickly.

Her combat skin stretched as she took another spoonful of green mush.

The uniform was simple enough, designed to protect the major organs from blasts or heavy impacts. If one were to describe it, the most fitting analogy would be that of a one-piece swimsuit, coloured with a solid yellow, and a long white stripe offset from the centre. It circled in above her hips and before her shoulders, allowing for full flexibility. Of course, this meant that her limbs were fully exposed, which is why she wore a pair of baggy engineers slacks over her legs.

The girl stomached her breakfast with iron tastebuds, still mulling over the morning's events. The tasteless slop of food was a mixture of thirty seven different vegetables, dairies and meats, promising to fulfil every bodily need. Of course that didn't make it any more appealing.

The loudspeakers rumbled overhead, crackling to reveal the captain's voice. He sounded half awake. "Ship standard time is currently… o-seven-hundred. We're set to grace Elpis orbit at o-three-hundred tomorrow morning, where we will soon dock with the Helios. Recruits should be prepped for docking procedures, and immediate departure. I want you off my ship ASAP. Frankston out."

The mess hall returned to its usual buzz of conversation.

"He seems happy to be rid of us." Frag observed.

Brick looked over his meal. "It's not like we've ever done him any favours." A smile rose to his face. "Remember when Rain shot him in the leg?"

This earnt a puff of air from the girl.

Her bulky teammate looked over at her. "He left you floating outside for almost two days."

"Yeah, and I'd do it again if it meant getting away from you idiots."

"Your psych levels were dangerously close to rampancy. You almost went insane." Axel reported.

Rain pushed to her feet, leaning over the table. "And you're about to be dropped if you don't shut your mouth." The boy fell out of his chair, leaving her to sit back down. She couldn't help but sigh. "I need to shoot something."

Almost on cue, the timetable alarm blared through the ship. Everyone braced themselves against the noise, clapping hands over their ears.

"I know I've said it a million times before, but that thing is ridiculously loud." Frag complained, Boombox nodding along.

"Quit whining. Let's go." Rain cast a look towards Jenkins, who had stayed suspiciously quiet throughout the entire meal. "What are you moping about?"

He snarled, but otherwise stayed quiet. Well, it wasn't her problem. Not yet anyway.

The recruit's daily timetable was divided into two sections, combat training, and combat tactical. Amassing a collection of almost five hundred students, the classes were split and rotated between multiple CL4P-TP units, which served as some of the worst tutors available. However, they also happened to be the only tutors available. Hyperion wasn't about to waste good educated people on a bunch of outer world trash. Their enlistment strategies worked as such:

Abduction, brainwashing, education, deployment. Easy as killing Rakks with a spike shield. And that's exactly what they were taught to do.

The killing part,

not the Rakks and spike shield part.

Although Hyperion was making a shift towards fully automated killing machines, they still needed a few boots on the ground to sit amongst their robotic murder weapons, just in case there were any major fuckups. As such, the recruits needed be qualified enough to defend themselves, and Hyperion property, against bandits, raiders, and other wildlife.

Which is why Rain's six man/woman team, along with twenty four other brats, found themselves standing in a large blast proof room, an array of weaponry stapled to the walls, and several sparing mats on the floor.

The mood was one of mild excitement. It had been building for the last week as the ship drifted ever closer to Helios.

Their destination, a giant of spacefaring technology, was something they had all grown up hearing about. So far, it's been the largest ship to pull out of a Hyperion colony, taking materials from over seventeen separate planets and maintaining a construction time of six years, something unheard of within the powerful corporation. Why it had been pulled into orbit over a lowly rim planet was beyond comprehension, but it wasn't Rain's place to question it.

She snapped out of thought as a slightly skittish robot wheeled into the room. Its metal was stained a dull blue with a classic white stipe, distinguishing it from all the other CL4P-TP units. After a time, the recruits had grown tired of mixing up the uni-wheeled circuit boxes, and thus decided on a paint job for each of them.

"C-C-Class, your a- attention please!" The unit had made its way to the front, and stumbled through the line with an annoyingly cheerful tone.

The group ignored the bot until their conversations were finished, but soon turned in to half listen.

"T- Thank you! Um… first up, let's see…" Its central lens flickered as it reviewed saved notes.

By this point Rain was itching for a trigger to pull, eyes staring down her favourite pair which lay waiting on the far wall. They were twins, speckled black and gold, serrated barrels shining in the overhead light. The magazine size was average enough, but their supreme rate of fire made up for it, she knew that for a fact. A Hyperion Synergy was one of the best, as far as she was concerned. They didn't fuck around with any long range adjustment or ridiculous recoil.

She had never had the patience for snipers or shotguns. Too long to reload, too few bullets.

A pair of pistols suited her just fine.

"S- So, make sure to choose a w- weapon you want to keep! Hyperion won't p- p- pay for another one!"

Having daydreamed through his entire lecture, Rain became lost as her peers swarmed to the walls. It only took a second to realise what was happening.

They were finally getting their own weapons.

Darting forwards, she pushed through the mob towards her prizes, shoving the others out of the way. A few grunts of annoyance followed her journey as she struggled through the labyrinth of bodies. After what seemed like an age of fighting, our heroine appeared before the tools of destruction.

Only to find that her children were missing.

Gone, spirited away, kidnapped.

Her head snapped around, searching through the grapple of hands for the thief. The throbbing crowd pressed her against the wall, but gave her a glimpse towards the departing Synergies, which were clasped loosely in a boy's beefy hands.

Rain ducked after him, anger beginning to bubble over.

Although you'd think that by now, the Synergies would have been stamped into the minds of her peers as 'Rain's weapons', it would seem that somebody hadn't quite gotten the message. The heavy form was flung around as she grasped onto his shoulder.

What stared down at Rain was not only a monstrosity, but also her senior. Luke 'Armageddon'. A recruit well known for his brutality and general lack of reasoning. He held the lowest possible grade in Combat Tactical, but made up for it with his proudly held record of 'most kids put in med bay'. If you were smart, you stayed the fuck out of his way.

Rain wasn't smart.

"Where do you think you're taking those, fat shit?"

The heavy boy looked down to the weapons in hand. "With me." He straightened up, adding another foot to his height.

The girl attempted to mimic him, but was dwarfed by his mass. "Hand 'em over before you shoot yourself in the foot." She ignored the waving signals from the rest of her squad, all of whom weren't prepared to see her beaten to a pulp. Except Jenkins. Jenkins was giving her the thumbs up.

With half-hearted effort, Armageddon made to shove the girl away. She sidestepped the movement, leaving him to stumble a step forward.

Waiting until he righted himself, Rain made a polite enquiry. "What the fuck do you even want pistols for? You usually use a shotgun."

"Who cares?" His slow speech was beginning to get on her nerves.

"N- Now, please, d- d- don't fight!" Their CL4P-TP instructor instructed.

Rain palmed the robot aside. "Hand 'em over."

"If you want them, take 'em."

Their shipboard accents began to shine through their aggression. Since each soldier had been isolated in a common area for so long, certain words carried a twisted sound, usually shortening it to a half-assed grunt. Who knows how it started.

With a snarl, the girl darted forwards, shoulder barging the mass of flesh. Her unexpected leg strength took Luke by surprise, and in a slow swaying motion, he fell flat on his ass. It was mere moments before he snapped out of his daze, making a grab for the still standing opponent.

Nimble as ever, Rain hopped from his beefy mitts, retreating back a few steps before winding her way back in. An arched combat boot slammed into his ribs, and the girl ducked away once more. She knew her weaknesses, not that she'd ever admit to them. If Armageddon caught her, he'd crush the light bones to dust. A confronting image of her mangled limbs rose to mind, warranting more caution.

Taking his chance, Luke pushed to his heels, swaying dangerously before coming to rest. He was like a whore with plastic surgery… Top heavy. A rough swipe sailed over Rain's head, missing her by a few well calculated inches.

Making the most of each gap, the girl sprung from her half crouch, attempting to knock her skull against the giant's jaw. For a moment, the feat seemed credible. Insane, but with some impending evidence to back it up.

Or at least it did, until fingers the size of bratwursts clamped around her neck.

Rain jolted, dazed for a few seconds at the situation. The boy had gone from a lumbering gait to a lighting fast snatch. It wasn't possible… and yet the reality only spiralled closer as his fist tightened. Unkempt nails dug into her flesh, dabbling blood into thin trails. Traditionally, skin surrounding the larynx is thin and flexible, designed to cope with movement. Hers began to stretch, teetering on the brink of several tears.

Finally coming to terms with her predicament, she lashed out, kicking towards her constrictor. Although contact was made, her attack held no substance, it was weak and unbalanced. All the thrashing in the world couldn't dislodge her.

Vision hazed to black, and then to a spectrum, as if a strobe light was experiencing technical difficulties.

"For fucks sake!" A powerful voice boomed through the haze.

Rain fell through the air like a sheet of paper, a loud smack ringing out in premonition. The girl gasped wildly on the ground, soaking in the ship's artificial air. It tasted metallic, but in the moment she couldn't care less.

"Every time I step out of my fucking quarters, there's some shit going down, and somebody getting hammered." Footsteps thundered through Rain's ears, until something grabbed her by the collar. "And why is it that you are always in the midst of these shit-fests, cadet?"

Receiving another shot of adrenaline, the girl's mind began to clear. She stared up into the battered face of a cold, harsh man. A lazy smirk rose to her face. "Morning, Cap'n."

A common snarl overtook his features. Usually Rain took amusement from the expression, but the novelty quickly faded as it turned smug. "It's decided then." The man loosed his hold, dropping her back to the ground. "A few minutes ago, I received a long distance ECHO from one Handsome Jack."

An eruption of mumbles broke out at the name.

"Shut your mouths!"

They did.

The captain proceeded. "His request, was that a single team be sent ahead of time, for a special project of his." The words said one thing, but his pale eyes said 'suicide mission'. "Now if you ask me, it's a waste of power. But, now that I think about it…" uneven teeth flashed "this couldn't be a finer opportunity to thank Rain's squadron for all of their hard work."

Rain was beginning to wonder if she had ever met a more sarcastic person.

Brick, Jenkins, Axel, Frag and Boombox were wondering how they ended up in the mess.

"Well, that'd be great and all…" the girl picked herself up, stretching out "but that asshole stole my guns."

Luke stood to one side, still raging for a fight despite the large fist print in the side of his face. He bared his teeth.

Fed up, the captain paced to the nearest wall, and grabbed the first weapon he lay eyes on. The bulky thing hurled through the air into Rain's arms, rattling as it landed.

Her expression dropped to bullshit. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Rain stared down emptily, eyes still glued in disbelief at the weapon on her lap. The rest of the squad hurried back and forth, loading the orbital drop pod with their few belongings.

The mood was sombre.

Even Axel could read the vibes resonating from their defeated teammate. She didn't want to talk, or move, or do anything worthwhile. She was mourning. From experience, they all knew how quickly that emotion could snap to rage. They kept a wide berth.

You may be wondering about one small detail… Orbital drop pod? Aren't those used for transit onto a planet's surface? Yes, of course they are. However, in theory, a missile like launch can carry the hunk of metal within catching range of the Helios. As such, their cargo ship would be the pitcher, the drop pod full of recruits would be the ball, and depending on how things go, the Helios could either be the backstop, or the batter, sending them whirling out into the depths of space.

Why? To save fuel.

Axel and Brick had been jittering over the numbers since the plan was put in motion. From the brief amount she overheard through her sorrow, Rain recognised something about a "forty five percent chance of becoming space junk." But, she had more important things to worry about.

Like the sniper in her lap.

A Hyperion exclusive model, a Transaction. Featuring the standard rapid steady barrel, which improved in accuracy with each successive shot; the two times zoom, which swayed like a bitch each time she glanced down it; and a clip that only carried five bullets. On the bright side, its battered paintjob was surprise, surprise, gold and white.

Rain wanted to dismantle it and send each piece sailing out the airlock in a different direction, never to be reconnected until the galaxy's implosion.

She didn't even know how to use it properly…

"Rain," Brick caught her distanced attention "do you have everything? We're set to leave now."

Taking in her surroundings for the first time, the girl vaguely recognised where she was, and what was about to happen. She glanced over at her almost empty backpack, filled with spare clothes, a collection of ammunition, and… not much else. She had never cared about memorabilia.

She was beginning to wish she had…

"Yeah… I'm good."

"Alright…" Their leader, unconvinced but not willing to challenge it, turned back to his duties. "Frag, Boom, get the hatch."

A loud clank echoed throughout the enclosed space, a hiss of air proceeding it. Absently, Rain pulled the bulky seat straps around her shoulders, buckling herself in. The harness was uncomfortable.

"I wonder what Handsome Jack wants with us?" Jenkins mused from across the vessel, fiddling with his own straps.

Axel sat beside him. "It is peculiar."

"We'll just have to wait and find out." Brick glanced around the cabin. "Everyone bound in?"

They nodded.

He spoke aloud to the ship's computer. "Captain, we're good to g-"

The rumble of engines overpowered Brick's parting speech, and all at once, the tin capsule dislodged from its mother, plummeting into the abyss. The split second of lasting artificial gravity sent their heads into whiplash, but the welcome of an untethered vacuum set their necks at ease.

The bulky boy sighed, communications cut off. "It's been a pleasure, sir."

From the tiny view finder, the soldier girl glimpsed a lonely husky orb, floating in the blackness. It seemed to tremor at their approach…

"Pandora…"

Author Note:

So, how'd you like it?

Feel free to review. Insults, criticism, flaming, puns and inappropriate humor are all welcome. It's been a long while since anybody has given advice or pointed out screw ups, so if anything comes to mind, please feel free. :)

If there isn't much interest, then this story probably won't be continued. I've got Endergirl and A Fool's Conviction to update after all. I kind of really like Rain though, she's a bit of an egotistical badass. What are your views on her? I'd be really interested to know actually.

Take care, and until next time...

Ciao.

- SylentDoom