Elvie was a strange woman, to say the least. She had an adventurous soul; never staying in one place for too long. She had no place to call home, for it was among the stars.
Maybe that's why the life of a salvager suited her.
Free to do as she pleased and take whatever she desired. She had made a small name for herself and her crew on the Bonaventura. What really earned her this fame was her use of Kig-Yar on her ship. Despite the Jackals reputation as backstabbing savages, she found them to be respectfully cunning and resourceful. In fact, her bodyguard was a T'vaoan Kig-Yar named Rath Zed. He had been a Skirmisher Champion when he had served the Covenant but had fled to Venezia during the Great Schism in search of his missing mate and chicks.
She had never met a Kig-Yar like Rath and she was unlikely to ever again. He was more mellow and affable than the rest of his kind. This however made him a sort of outcast among his peers but to Elvie he was special. She knew just how much he'd been through. That many of the scars he bore ran deeper than the skin. In that way, she and the T'vaoan were kindred spirits.
Elvie watched Rath as he tore hungrily into what looked like some kind of snake that had been roasted on a stick and then marinated. She couldn't help but compare him to a vulture, a bird of prey from Earth that she had once read about. He was washing the snake down with a strangely colored drink. It smelled foul but he seemed to be enjoying it even more than the food. Rath had explained to Elvie once that it was to his kind as beer was to humans.
"Ugh...Watching you eat always makes me lose my appetite." She groaned as she looked at the burger on her plate.
"Then don't watch, stupid." Rath teased in his raspy voice, as if he constantly had a sore throat.
Elvie cracked a smile but it soured into a frown when she looked at her watch.
"They're late." she sighed more to herself than her friend.
"Thirty minutes. Then we leave a tab for them to pay. Punishment for wasting our time." He squawked.
She chuckled at the devious yet tempting idea. Suddenly her attention was caught by the chime of the bar door as it opened. She watched as a female Kig-Yar entered, followed by two males. They closely resembled Rath as they were also T'vaoan. The female's plumage was much smaller than the males or Rath's but she wore a crown-like headdress.
"Pirates…" Rath whispered a warning to Elvie.
The female Kig-Yar looked silently around the bar for a moment before spotting Elvie and Rath in the corner. She directed her lackeys to follow her to their table. The group took a seat across from the odd pair.
"You are Elvie Mccarthy?" The female asked the human in a shrill voice.
"At your service." she nodded.
"I am Moq Cim. I have an offer for you."
Elvie knew she would have to tread carefully. The last thing you wanted to do was piss off a Jackal or she'd have it's entire clan out for her blood. However she was also intrigued as to why Pirates would be coming to her for help.
"Then let's get to business shall we?"
"Yes. A few hours ago we lost contact with one of our ships somewhere in the Urs system." Moq spoke in hushed tones.
"Urs? That's strictly Sangheili territory. What the hell was your ship doing there?" Elvie interrupted.
"Navigation error." Moq hissed in irritation. "The ship was carrying a very important asset. One which we must reclaim and soon."
"So then I'm guessing you want us to get it back?" Elvie sighed.
"We are willing to pay 50,000 credits for its retrieval."
Rath nearly choked on his food as soon as the words left Moq's mouth. Elvie herself was dumbfounded. That was a lot of damn money for an "asset". Whatever it was they really wanted it back. She thought it over a moment for speaking.
"We'll do it for 60,000."
"That is not negotiable!" Moq hissed menacingly. Elvie however didn't flinch. Not when she had Rath by her side, who was now prepared to pull out his Plasma Pistol.
"What your asking is suicide. Everyone knows that the Arbiter's fleet patrols the area looking for pirates and whatever else they can use as target practice. This is a fool's errand and you know it."
Moq opened her mouth to speak but backed down. Crossing her arms in frustration.
"Very well. You have a deal."
Moq hissed a command in Kig-Yar to one of the males. He handed Elvie a small chip.
"This is the last known coordinates of the ship when we lost contact. You may use them."
"Pleasure doing business with you. Moq Cim." Elvie smiled cheerily as she slipped the chip into her pocket and left the table. Rath followed right behind but not before scarfing down what was left of his meal.
The New Tyne shipyards were busy as always. With the cities economy growing in trade, it came as no surprise. In the distance Elvie could see the Bonaventura, a Mariner-class ship, a common choice among salvagers for its speed and sleek appearance. She had spent the past nine years of her profits on improving the ship. The ship was equipped two fusion engines, top of the line coms and navigation technology, and even a military grade slipspace drive. The only thing it really lacked was an AI. Something Elvie had been holding out on for years.
"Elly!" a high and bubbly voice suddenly cut through the noise of the shipyards.
Elvie smiled wide as she instantly recognized the voice of her pilot, Penny. She was very young for a pilot, no more than eighteen. Her hair was a fountain of blonde curls and her eyes were as blue as the oceans on Earth. She had a friendly and caring personality, not even an alien could resist her adorable charms. Elvie was nearly knocked off her feet by the small girl as Penny wrapped her in a tight hug.
"You guys took forever! We were just about to go looking for you!" Penny pouted as she let Elvie go. She extended an arm to Rath, inviting him into the hugging session.
"Hug me and I will eat your arms" He hissed threateningly.
"I'll get you one of these days." Penny laughed.
Elvie smiled warmly at the exchange. The only thing she loved more than her ship was her crew. They were like family to her. Even Rath. They were all misfits like her. Lost and without a cause when she found them. Now she couldn't imagine life without them.
Elvie noticed Leon jogging up behind the group. Tall and handsome with a sharp jaw and toned muscles. He had hazel eyes and light brown hair that was always cut military style. A small scar cut into his right eyebrow. He looked like a regular Marine, and he had been during the War. Now that it was over he had joined Elvie's crew as weapons expert only months ago. Rath scoffed when he saw the man. He and Leon's relationship was rocky to say the least. Neither were very fond of the other.
"Hey! How'd it go?" Leon asked between breaths when he finally reached the group.
"We got a job. I'll discuss the finer details later."
"So...how much?" He asked.
"60,000 credits. That's about 12,000 each." Elvie answered as she did the math.
Leon let out a long whistle of surprise.
"Damn. Must be big then." He mused.
"Like I said. We'll discuss it later." Elvie said as she started to continue her path to the Bonaventura. Her little entourage followed suite.
When they finally arrived at the ship, they were welcomed by an aging man. Slightly pudgy with greying hair and bearded face. However his eyes were full mirth and zest for life. He waved to the group as they walked up.
"Good to see you two finally make it! Thought Rath had to drag your soused ass back." the old man joked with a cheerful smile.
"Shut up, Sebastian. He's my bodyguard not my babysitter." Elvie smiled back. "We ready to go?"
"Yeah. Just finished the adjustments you asked for." Sebastian nodded.
"Thanks. I want a meeting in the command center now. We're headed out." Elvie commanded.
"Aye!" her crew answered in unison.
Elvie made her way to her captain's quarters to take a quick shower. The bonus of being a captain was your own bathroom. She hated the smell of the nearby Tantalum mines. She had once loved Venezia. It had been her home once but now she couldn't stand it. The smell of the mines, the sound of the streets, everything. She couldn't stand it anymore. It was like reliving a nightmare every time she set foot on the planet. A nightmare she wanted to run away from but always found herself coming back to.
Throwing her clothes on the floor, she glanced at the jagged scars marking her soft stomach. She traced the outline of one with her finger. They no longer hurt but they still left a dull ache in her heart. More covered her thighs. Where the rest of her legs should have been was metal and wires. They were prosthetic. Elvie felt like broken china. Cracked and barely held together. Unwanted and worthless. With a shaky sigh, she climbed into the small shower. She stood in the hot burning water for a few moments, letting the pain wash over her and numb the ache inside.
Elvie quickly finished the rest of her shower and threw on a change of clothes. She checked herself in a mirror. Her hair was still soaking wet and her eyes were a little red and puffy. She used her nimble fingers to tame her hair into a long tight braid. This would have to do for now.
As she walked into the command center of the Bonaventura, she put on a smile. She didn't want her crew to know how she was really feeling. How much she just wanted to curl up and cry. Seeing their faces helped soothe her nerves. Her smile seemed to fool everybody but Rath. He grabbed Elvie's arm with a concerned look on his face.
"You alright?" he whispered quietly.
"I'm fine. Just ready to get off this planet." she nodded as she pulled out the chip she had received from Moq Cim.
She walked over to the medium sized holo-tank in the middle of the room. She plugged the chip into the device and almost instantly a map of a solar system flashed to life.
"Alright. We've got a request to retrieve some precious cargo. The client lost contact with one of their ships some hours ago. These are the last known coordinates of that ship. Somewhere on the inner circle of the Urs system."
The crew exchanged some nervous glances. Leon was the only one to speak up.
"But that's-"
"I know. This shouldn't take us more than an hour to get in there and get out. We'll be long gone by the time the Sangheili even know we're there." Elvie stopped him.
Everyone else wasn't so sure as an air of dread and uncertainty filled the room. Elvie wasn't exactly happy either with the situation but what choice did she have? Penny turned to her screen as she worked her magic.
"Once we leave Venezia's atmosphere I can set us to jump. Estimated travel time is three days."
"Excellent. Let's get to it." Elvie nodded.
With that, the Bonaventura departed from the Venezia shipyards and left the planet for its new destination.