The franchises of Borderlands and Dirty Pair respectfully belong to 2K, Gearbox Software, Sunrise, and Nozomi Entertainment.
Prologue
Inside the Director's Office room of the Galactic Welfare Agency Headquarters Building….
Chief Director Poporo is sitting on his chair and with the files and data on his desk related to the latest mission he's going to give. Although… the African-descent boss sort of wish that it should be someone else more qualified for the assignment, instead of whom the GWA main quantum computer had chosen. After some time of waiting, the entrance door opens. Coming in are two beautiful women almost in their mid-twenties. One has orange-colored hair with a frontal patch of gold-blond, moderate-tanned skin, green eyes, and wearing a red outfit that befits a tomboy (red vest covering her chest and red short pants); the other has vivid violet hair, blue eyes, smooth skin, and a conservative dress that includes a skirt (her facial features indicated 'Japanese' ethnicity). The GWA chief maintains the serious composure after the entryway close automatically.
The more 'civilized' beauty said, "The Lovely Angels are back from our month-long vacation and accounted for, sir."
"Yeah… so Chief, what's goddamn important enough to halt our personal hunt for Arisha Lebuconii?" asked the redhead.
"Hmm… apologies for bringing you two away from your ambiguous endeavors to apprehend your mentor. Right now though, we need to go through the essentials related to this mission."
"And… what are the essentials for this task, Boss?" The 'Asian' gal questioned. Soon, the bald man activates the window shutters that blocks anybody from the outside to see. Afterwards, the indoor lights dim to near darkness and a hologram appears that looked like an H with 'Hyperion' in the middle.
'We begin with the Hyperion mega-corporation, known for manufacturing the most accurate firearms in human use across the nineteen galaxies; alongside with being responsible for teleportation systems on localized levels and the former makers of the CL4P-TP steward bot series."
"Uh… wait, the C-L-4-P… don't you mean the Claptrap units, Chief?!" The director answered the violet lady's question by changing the holographic content to the shape of a yellow, boxy droid. The female pair immediately recognized the projected object.
The tomboy stated, "Oh… my memories are coming back now. Those buggy Claptraps were more like failed comedians than useful custodians."
"Indeed, Kay. And if it wasn't for their persistent annoyance, then I could have shed grief for the robots' demise back 3 or 4 years ago."
"Well, you did kinda feel sad about them being blown up uh… everywhere unexpectedly, Yuli."
"Oh sure… who in their right mind would miss the idiotic jokes and dancing that came from those mechanical freaks?" The elegant woman sarcastically said.
"AHEM! As I was saying, the current CEO of Hyperion goes by the name 'Handsome Jack' - who took over the weapons manufacturing company around four years ago." The director informed.
Kay in confusion asked, "Uh… right, are we going to avenge the yellow rust buckets?"
"Kay… it's little to do with those custodian failures and more about the wild border planet named Pandora, which is under Hyperion's jurisdiction as of today."
"Pan-dora… um, what kind of place is that?"
"Well Kay, I heard from stories of Pandora saying that dangerous creatures and madmen run amok over there before Hyperion came by and…" Yuli realized something and look at her superior. "Hey, are we really being sent to that world of viciousness?!"
The hologram changes again to that of a planet with its moon and a giant H-shaped space station, before Chief Poporo resume the details. "Honestly, I would rather chose someone more professional enough to survive through that big rock of insanity. Nevertheless, the A.I. mainframe calculated that the Dirt-ah… ahem, I mean the Lovely Angels are more suited for this inspection."
The redhead then questioned, "So how did is this hellhole of a planet got GWA's attention?"
The bald director responded with adding the corporate logos of Atlas, Dahl, and Hyperion onto the present holographic picture. "Here's what we can summarize: this untamed planet was first occupied many decades earlier by the once-dominant Atlas Corporation in their search for lost technology of Eridian design, just like the huge alien caches on Promethea that they first discovered and reverse-engineered."
"Who are the Eridians, Chief?"
"Not 'are' Kay, it's more 'were.' An ancient, alien civilization whose history, culture, and even its demise are unknown to us at this time. All that's left of them were their ruins and technologies across many star systems before we humans began to travel through the cosmos. Now then… after years of searches and excavations, Atlas didn't find anything significant that they're looking for. However, rumors of untold technological and monetary wealth on Pandora persisted across much of the galaxies. Consequently, a wave of fortune hunters arrived at the planet to find the so-called Vault. The influx of treasure-seeking freelancers inadvertently created an economy necessary to expand their properties onto the undeveloped world. A few decades later with Atlas' permission, the Dahl mega-conglomerate reached the place to establish mining operations for the untapped mineral resources; particularly the lucrative element Eridium."
Yuli interrupted, "Kind of think about it, there seem to be a connection between the element and the long-lost aliens you mentioned. Would that be correct, sir?"
"Maybe… or perhaps not, Yuli. But let's continue on the briefing, ladies. With the arrival of Dahl, the local population received a boon in numerous supplies, products, and materials to grow in prosperity."
"Yet the good times over there didn't last forever in the end, right?" The tomboy noted.
"Unfortunately so, when Dahl abandoned Pandora over seven years prior to today as Atlas threatened it's rival with an invasion force if they refuse to leave. Additionally, the fleeing company did it in such a hurry that thousands of Dahl employees, families, and ex-convict laborers were left behind. You can imagine the anarchy that followed when those former criminals broke free from their detainment, along with the dangerous wildlife awoken from their periodic hibernation."
The violet-haired woman has a thought to speak out. "Shouldn't that backwater mayhem discourage Atlas and other adventurers from their alien treasure hunts?"
"Evidently not, ladies. The mega-corporation maintained several installations across the planet for two more years, aside from fortune seekers often called 'vault hunters' that traveled there to find that mysterious cache."
"Sooo… what happened next after two years?" Kay wondered.
"Well… from what the Hyperion propaganda told everyone outside Pandora, an employee of theirs by the name 'Handsome Jack' came to the chaotic place five years ago. After his arrival, this man armed with Hyperion weaponry fought and defeated many bandits, hostile beasts, and even the Crimson Lance of Atlas in order to find the 'Vault.' He eventually found the elusive site but what came out instead was a giant monster designated as the 'Destroyer.'"
"Isn't there a picture of this 'Handsome' Jack and the uh… Destroyer, boss?"
Poporo grumbles a bit and bring up the holographic picture of a man standing triumphantly on a big creature with one eye, a mouth, and several tentacles.
Yuli commented at the updated hologram, "Hmm… this guy does seem to fit the bill of being handsome. For the 'Destroyer' though, it looked so ugly and rather… disappointing."
The dark-skinned chief stated, "I should remind you pair that this portrait came from the corporation's advertising department after this Jack fellow risen to CEO, so there a chance that it may not be true. Back to the story, girls. Ahem… anyway, Mr. Jack killed the beast from the Vault per say. For unknown reasons afterwards, the amount of available Eridium on Pandora skyrocketed and the only person available to exploit that sudden abundance was the 'hero' himself. Consequently, that made this man a tri-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. This Jack guy became super rich and gained control of the entire intergalactic corporation. Now what seem to be the main problem?" A bored Kay asked.
"Ugh… well, it got to do with testimonies from former Atlas employees in hiding; saying that their people found the Vault first; but four vault hunters killed the supposed monster in the end. Followed by the Crimson Lance failures to subdue the dangerous adventurers that cost several bases, heavy investments, and the life of their great commander, General Alphonso Knoxx."
The surprised beauty of 'Japanese' descent commented, "Oh wow… that's incredibly embarrassing for well-trained, corporate soldiers to be defeated by such a small bunch."
"If you asked my opinions, these freelancers are more like you rambunctious duo."
"Huh?" Both the trouble consultants bafflingly stated.
"Well sure, those Vault hunters were said by the unofficial gossips to be very dangerous. As far as I'm concerned however, there's nothing in this universe to match the huge sway of collateral damages that you two left behind; whenever a serious case or situation was assigned for you pair to solve."
Yuli nervously chuckled, "Eh, heh, heh, heh… actually sir, there were a number of legal actions that we managed not to mess-up."
Kay added, "Yeah… and technically, a lot of the wreckage in every such case were not really our fault."
"Enough excuses for today, Lovely Angels!" Chief Poporo reminded. "Ugh… you must know that I undoubtedly want you gals to complete your missions smoothly and without significant destruction; but this kind of investigation doesn't seem to allow such exceptions to happen."
"Uh… why not?"
That question was answered when the bald superior plays a recorded radio advertisement that came from the Hyperion Truth Network. "Are you hungry for excitement? Fame? Eternal glory? Well… we got good news to your satisfaction! The Hyperion Corporation needs YOUR help to search for the lost alien Vaults of Pandora! See the world! Fight dangerous creatures! Get rich beyond your wildest dreams! Become a Vault hunter today!"
The females are uncertain of what they just heard. The violet-haired one noted, "Okay… that doesn't sound right. Weren't we been told that there's only one 'Vault' on Pandora?"
"Regrettably, our agents were unable to completely assess the situation of that planet under Hyperion occupation. Right now, they're being informed by the company's public officials that the Pandoran inhabitants 'enjoyed' the corporate presence and security. For unofficial news though, several operatives did managed to sneak into the planet. Alas, I had not hear any report from them a few years since. Therefore, the available option today, as presented by this radio announcement recently, is to have someone enroll themselves as thrill-seeking treasure hunters. And guess who got picked by the GWA main computer to fit that description?"
It didn't take long for the ladies to realize their circumstances. "You mean us?!" Both said simultaneously.
"Now you got a clearer picture, Kay and Yuli. Nonetheless, you two need to use disguised aliases in your investigations on whether or not this Handsome Jack is the heroic protector against bandits that he self-proclaimed. We certainly do not want Hyperion to easily recognize the infamous Dirty Pair incognito."
Both women grumble at their unwanted nickname as a team, but at least they have enough self-restraints to understand how necessary secret identities are to this mission. The Asian-looking gal wondered, "By the way sir, are there any idea on what our disguised names going to be?"
"Frankly, the GWA mainframes had already set up the secrecy. For instance, Yuli would be called Yuriko and Kay being named Keeda. As such for needed disguises, I highly recommend changes in hair color, outfits, and possibly skin tones to blend in with the Vault-hunting crowds; not to mention taking a different transport shuttle heading towards that planet while your other ship wait as backup. And like I said before about Pandora, it will be wise to be heavily armed to the teeth."
The redhead has one, rather unusual concern, to speak out. "Um… Chief… is it going to be really, really necessary to kill people in this infiltration… Again?"
The rest in the office space looked at her with surprise.
"Wow… that's unexpected from someone with a strong preference on pulling the trigger a lot," 'Yuriko' noticed.
"Don't get me wrong, partner. I'm quite comfortable with using my marksmanship to shoot up bad guys. But… uh…"
The male director resumed, "In any such case, the Lovely Angels probably should request help from within the incoming treasure hunters to ahem… lessen more smears on your already notorious reputation. However, there might not be a choice to spare when all the Vault-hunting freelancers are gone for whatever reasons."
"Heh, heh, heh, oh boy… let's hope that doesn't happen in this dangerous mission. Otherwise… we'd be more seen by much of the galactic public as cold-blooded killers than professional trouble consultants," the violet-haired woman nervously commented.
"Hmm… speaking of assistance, here's a radio broadcast from 'Handsome Jack' himself that this agency recorded a few days ago."
"Huh?" The Lovely Angels expressed with confusion.
Chief Poporo plays the documented audio. "Hey there, this is Handsome Jack. Reminding you that we at Hyperion are still offering bounties for Pandora's most wanted. Uh, the reward has risen to eight billion dollars for the bandit we know as Brick: big guy looks like he survives on nothing but ground beef and 'roids… and hookers. Uh, we're also offering six billion dollars for the capture of ex-Underdome star known as Mordecai; as well as a smaller reward for the capture of his stupid, little bird known as Bloodwing. Oh sorry, I uh… it's backwards. Yeah, I read that backwards. It's six billion for the bird, 20 bucks for the has-been. My mistake… and as always, I'm personally willing to offer thirty billion dollars for the capture of the bandit leader known as Roland. Double that if you use Hyperion weapons to bring them down. Okay, okaaaay! Ah… oh, and stop contacting us with questions regarding the bounty on the little freak show known as Lilith. Uh, the fugitive was confirmed dead months ago. Oookay? Alright, Handsome Jack signing off! Hyperion rules!"
The two pair are slightly… perplexed. "So… that's the voice of Hyperion's CEO," 'Keeda' said.
The other one with 'Japanese' ethnicity responded, "Well, isn't that obvious to hear. Although… his announcement was slightly um… childish."
"Ugh… girls, it appears that you two just missed the people under the company's wanted bounty list." The dark-skinned boss complained.
"Don't worry, chief. I got the names alright: Brick, Mordecai, Bloodwing, Roland, and Lilith."
"Uh… Yuli… why did you need to include a feathered friend right there?" The tomboy asked.
The chief notified "Ladies, I need to wrap this briefing up immediately!" The gals evidently pay attention. "Now, you pair have an additional option of locating those individuals and deducing the genuineness of Handsome Jack's claims over Pandora. Any questions?" 'Yuriko' and 'Keeda' sway their heads side-to-side, indicating a no. "Good to hear, Lovely Angels. Dismiss."
I'm going to position this story as a way to deal with the slow progress I currently had with my other fanfictions; particularly on developing drama that might be too close to real-life events, situations, or daily life. Additionally, the 'Dirty Pair' from this altered universe were planned to show up in the GATE/Battlefield crossover - once I get it on the way. Any feedback is definitely appreciated.