Chapter 2
"So is that everything, dearies?" Asked Horizon as she looked upon the amount of stuff that her fellow legends have found from the base that they were in. It's been two weeks since they arrived in this new dimension and in that time they both learned about this dimension and its people as well as scavenging the base for any remaining valuables. Though there wasn't much, they did find some things worth selling.
From what Horizon could see, it was a wide assortment of electronics, metal parts, and fuel from all over the base. It was Wraith that answered her question.
"We're not Rampart, Horizon." Said Wraith as she looked at Horizon while Mirage scratched his head at what they found. It was a sizable amount of stuff, yeah, but he felt like there should be more. This was a military base, right? So where was the cool military stuff? "We don't have her expertise when it comes to finding what's valuable and what's not from scraps."
"Fair enough, dearie." Said Horizon as she looked at the sizable assortment of stuff the others found. "Not as much as I'd hoped, but more than enough to get us a good start in this reality. I hope."
"Well if you want to get a good price on anything, you can always look towards me. I'm good with people, you know." Said Mirage with a smile as he tried to play it cool. "I mean, not to sound arrogant or anything." Wraith just rolled her eyes at that before speaking up.
"So, Bloodhound found a ship here, right?" Asked Wraith as she recalled hearing that Bloodhound had found a working ship for them to use.
"That's right, dearie." Said Horizon with a smile. "Our resident tracker found a ship that we can use to get out of here and head for the nearest colony to sell our goods. Hopefully, they won't shoot at us the moment they see us. After all, it's a ship that belonged to a bunch of badies, right?"
"Yeah right. Like any respectable government organization will shoot first and ask questions later. Like, c'mon. What kind of government would do that?" Asked Mirage as the other Legends walked into the room they were in, their arms filled with more goodies for them to sell.
"Just to be on the safe side, how about we alter the ship a bit. To show that it doesn't belong to the Delaz Fleet or any other group belonging to the Principality of Zeon." Said Pathfinder as a suggestion.
"Yes, I've read about what this Principality of Zeon did in the One Year War." Said Bloodhound before shaking their head. "What they did in that conflict is nothing short of dishonorable and despicable. May the gods judge them for their actions in that war." Everyone who read about the One Year War nodded in agreement. So much of humanity in this dimension was lost over a war of independence, most of which was caused by dropping space colonies on Earth, biological weapons, or nuclear ones. It was both horrifying and sickening to all of them. Well, everyone but Revenant. The simulacrum just laughed at the amount of death, finding it all amusing and adorable.
"Its amazing what skin suits will go in order to gain freedom." Said Revenant with a laugh when he read about the One Year War.
"True, but we need to be quick with it. The rations here are running out and we need enough to reach civilization dearies. So, any ideas?" Asked Horizon as she looked at everyone.
"Uh…how about painting it a different color?" Suggested Mirage with a nervous smile.
A week later
Papua supply ship
Wraith
"This could be worse." Said Wraith as she ate some heated rations on the bridge with everyone else while Pathfinder was driving the ship. Normally the ship needed a minimum crew to drive and steer the ship while also making sure that nothing passed its sensors, both visual and radar, that can harm the ship and its crew, like enemy ships or stray asteroids. But, thanks to Pathfinder's advanced systems and a few modifications, he can pilot the ship by himself with no issue. Revenant could do it too, but they weren't stupid enough to rely on him to pilot their ship.
"How could this be worse?" Asked Mirage as he ate his rations, disgust clear in his voice. "Like what the hell is this stuff? Did this Zeon or whatever they're called hate their soldiers or something? Because this stuff makes me wanna die."
"Oh just stomach the stuff a wee longer, Mr. Witt." Said Horizon as she looked at Mirage with a look of sympathy, knowing the stuff wasn't exactly top tier in quality. "Once we get back to civilization, we'll get some decent food if we can afford it. We just have to hope the scrap we have here is enough to get by. And if it isn't, well, we'll have to think. Won't we." Bloodhound, who had been just staying silent as Mirage complained about the food, was sitting in front of a massive computer when a button suddenly started to beep. Curious, they asked Pathfinder what it was.
Pathfinder, who was managing the entire ship by himself, gleefully spoke to Bloodhound.
"Oh, that's the comms receiver, friend. It receives transmissions through various frequencies. The button that's beeping right now means that we're receiving a transmission through emergency frequencies." Said Pathfinder, oblivious to what this all meant. Upon hearing all that, everyone was now completely focused on what Pathfinder just said. If they're receiving something from emergency frequencies then that means someone was in danger. Though they all participated in a blood sport, that didn't mean they didn't have morals. In fact, plenty of them have them. Thus, they decided to answer the emergency frequency. It was Horizon that ordered Pathfinder to open up the comms. When he did they all heard the distressed voice of someone pleading for help.
"This is captain Mathias of the cargo ship Fenris. We're requesting assistance! Pirates have boarded our vessel. Our security is being overwhelmed! We need assistance! Please!" Yelled the aforementioned captain before the message repeated itself. As the message repeated itself again, the Legends looked at each other, wondering what to do when Revenant suddenly spoke up. Brooding in a corner on the bridge, Revenant spoke up.
"Well, isn't this delicious." Said Revenant as he looked at everyone. "We got some people in need of help and we're in a position to do so. But wait, don't we want to go to civilization to get some money for us? Well, a smart person would ignore them given we're a little short on fuel and food. Not to mention we have no idea how long it'll take for us to get to our destination. That's what I would do. But wait, don't you skin suits have morals? After all, a moral person would go and save those people, regardless of the practicality of it all. Right?" As Wraith, Horizon, and Bloodhound glared at him, Revenant chuckled. "Well, skin suits? What's it going to be? Because every second we waste is another second those people can't afford." Everyone looked at each other before they unanimously made their decision.
Later
"We're here." Said Pathfinder as he flew their ship towards the source of the transmission. "I have two ships on the visual scanners. They both seemed to be attached to one another via a conveyor pipe. Neither ship seems to have noticed our presence. It appears that they're focused on one another. Shall we take advantage of that and get close to them?" Upon hearing that, Wraith asked Pathfinder to show them a visual of the two ships. Once he did, the Legends could see that one ship was badly damaged and the other wasn't. That helped confirm which ship was the one in danger. Pursing her lips, she wondered on what to do. And so was everyone else.
None of them were leaders. They made calls that helped them win games in the Apex Games, sure, but they were often tactical decisions on the micro-level. Calls that didn't really have as much impact as this. Saving a ship from pirates and taking on more than three to six people at a time. But the people on that broken ship needed them right now. The problem was their ship was only armed with two measly machine guns that needed to be manned. If that pirate ship was armed, they were fucked. As Wraith decided what to do, the voices in her head spoke.
"Go in. They don't know you're there." Said the voices as they once again made their presence known. Gritting her teeth at the voices, Wraith was about to respond when Horizon spoke up.
"I have an idea." Said Horizon before looking at Pathfinder. "Dearie, can you fly this ship over the two ships. We got some zero-g suits in storage. Along with some fighters. Let's go and make good use of them." Upon hearing that, Mirage spoke up.
"Uh…pardon me, but none of us are exactly trained to fly except Path." Said Mirage, causing Horizon to smile.
Meanwhile
Pirate leader
Everything was going smoothly for the pirates. They managed to find a cargo freighter alone by itself without an armed escort, making it easy pickings for the pirates. This was fortunate for them because their ship wasn't armed for ship-to-ship fighting. It had some basic machine guns but that was it. It was built more for speed than anything else. As a result, they quickly intercepted the ship and began boarding it. Though the security on the ship gave them some trouble at the beginning, they were able to overwhelm them. Soon they'll control the entire ship and use it's plunder for whatever they want. As the pirate leader was wondering how to spend his plunder, he was unable to notice an old Papua supply ship towards his ship and the freighter and the same thing can be said for the pirate responsible for keeping an eye out for Earth Federation patrols. He was too busy thinking about the money they will earn from this job over doing his job and it would cost his crew dearly. As the Papua ship approached the two ships, it opened its launch bays and out came several old Principality of Zeon fighters, which were really just retrofitted excavation pods outfitted for combat. The makeshift fighters, upon leaving the launch bays made straight for the pirate ship except for three, which went for the attacked freighter instead. By the time the pirate crew realized the fighters, it was too late.
The fighters that came for the pirate ship made kamikaze attacks on key locations, like the bridge and engines. Upon direct impact, the fighters blew up and caused critical damage to the pirate ship, causing secondary explosions to occur throughout the ship, taking the ship out of commission as well as killing the pirates' main leader, sending them into disarray. As the remaining pirates tried to figure out what was going on, the trio of fighters that headed for the freighter landed, and out came three individuals, who began to find an entranceway that they can use to enter the ship. Once they found one, they immediately opened it and went inside.
Wraith
Upon entering the ship, Wraith looked at her team, which comprised Bloodhound and Mirage. Seeing her teammates with her, she then looked at her gear. Surprisingly, not only did they bring the gear they had with them when that explosion occurred back at Olympus, but a lot of supply crates and gear came with them from Olympus as well. Meaning they were well stocked on weapons, ammo, and all the things they typically found in the Games.
Equipped with an R-301 assault rifle and an R-99 sub machine gun, she saw that Bloodhound opted for a peacemaker shotgun and a prowler SMG. Mirage went for a Flatline assault rifle and a Wingman pistol. Seeing they were well equipped, and no one was around, Wraith then took off the pilot suit that she was wearing, finding it too constrictive for her liking, though that was likely because of her normal attire beneath it all. As she was doing that, Bloodhound scanned their immediate vicinity using the various scanners in their gas mask's lenses. These enabled them to see everything, regardless of smoke or any other obscuring conditions. Upon seeing no one was in their immediate vicinity, Bloodhound followed what Wraith did with Mirage following soon after, both of them finding the pilot suits too restrictive due to their normal attire beneath. With that done, Bloodhound knelt to the ground and inspected it.
"Our quarry was here not long ago. They went in that direction." Said Bloodhound as they pointed towards a hallway. Bloodhound, though they used technology to help them hunt, they also knew how to hunt and track their foes in the old fashion ways, a byproduct of their upbringing. Not questioning Bloodhound's tracking capabilities, as they've proven time and time again to always be right, the team followed Bloodhound's lead as they led them to their quarry. In a few minutes, the three have reached their destination. As they approached, they heard the sounds of banging and insults being thrown. Upon hearing those, the three got ready and stealthily made their way toward the voices. Eventually, they found a group of disorganized and disheveled men and women banging on a door, wielding some old-looking guns. Around them were various dead guards and crew members of the freighter.
"Open up! If you do, we'll make your deaths quick and painless!" Yelled a pirate as he banged on the door. Seeing that the pirates were all preoccupied with the door and numbering around two dozen, the three Legends got into ambush positions around the pirates. Once they were all in position, Wraith, and Bloodhound both primed frag grenades before tossing them towards the pirates, who didn't react to the grenades until it was too late.
The grenades took out the majority of the pirates while leaving the survivors surprised and shocked at what just happened. Before they could do anything, the Legends opened fire on them. With precision and discipline that only experience can provide, the Legends picked off the remaining pirates, killing them without much effort. Once the pirates were all dead, the Legends went towards the door and banged on it.
"It's okay, you're safe now." Said Wraith as she banged on the door, noting its heavy metal. Before either of the three could react, they heard a voice coming from an intercom nearby.
"Who the hell are you three!?" Yelled a surviving crewman as they looked at the odd assortment of people from a security camera nearby. Wraith took a moment to come up with a decent excuse before providing it.
"We're freelancers." Said Wraith. "We came across your distress signal and decided to help out. Don't worry, you can trust us."
"Indeed, we are honorable unlike those that we have felled." Said Bloodhound as they looked at the camera, having spotted it moving. "If you need further proof of this, we will disarm ourselves to prove that we mean you no harm." Upon hearing that, the other side was silent for a few moments before another voice spoke up.
"Do it now." Said another voice, this one deeper and calmer than the previous one. Upon hearing that, both Wraith and Bloodhound did so. Mirage was a little nervous about doing so, worried that the crew of this ship may turn on them, but eventually relented after a few words from Wraith. Upon seeing them disarm themselves, the crew of the freighter opened the door, revealing them to the Legends.
Counting two dozen people of varying ages, Bloodhound felt appeased and relieved upon saving so many from the pirates. They and their compatriots then saw one of them, a big buff man, approach them with a stoic look as if gauzing them to see if they were a danger. Eventually, he sagged a bit before speaking.
"Thank god, you've come to save us." Said the man. "We thought we were done for when those pirates came and killed most of our security. We owe you our lives." Upon hearing that, Wraith spoke up.
"We're just doing what any decent person would do." Said Wraith before getting back to business. "There may still be pirates on this ship. Stay here while we do a sweep of the ship. Mirage, can you keep these people safe?" Upon hearing that, Mirage gave a smile.
"You bet I can." Said Mirage. "Trust me, these people will be the safest people on this ship. That's because everyone else is going to be dead because of you two. Uh…how about…"
"Just stay with them, Mirage." Said Wraith in annoyance before grabbing her guns and taking off with Bloodhound. Once they left, Mirage looked at the crew before smiling.
"So, any of you like pork chops?" Asked Mirage with a flashy smile, leaving the crew bewildered at the question
Meanwhile
Revenant
"*Chuckles* It feels good to go all out again." Said Revenant as he looked up his most recent victim. Having been with the group of suicide fighters, Revenant stealthily made his way inside the pirate ship before massacring any survivors of the attack. Of course, his real objective was to disconnect the ships, but Revenant made an altercation with the plan. After all, why let some skin suits live when they could provide so much more in death than in life.
Retracting his arm from the body, Revenant looked at the controls for the conveyor pipe. Without even thinking about it, he pressed a button and soon the conveyer pipe retracted, freeing the freighter from the pirate ship. After that, Revenant smashed the console just because before leaving for his fighter. His part in the mission is now done.
Later
Papua supply ship
"I can't thank you all enough." Said the captain of the freighter they saved. After finding no more hostiles on the freighter, the Legends took off for their ship. Afterward, Horizon contacted the captain of the freighter to tell him that his ship was clean of all hostiles. "My surviving crew and I are in your debt. If there's anything we can do for you all, just name it." Upon hearing that, Horizon smiled before speaking.
"Well, there is one thing we would like dearie." Said Horizon. "We'd happen to find this ship from a Principality of Zeon base and we like to sell it and its cargo for money. If you can kindly point us to a place that we can get a good price for it all, then our debt is settled." Upon hearing that, the captain smiled.
"Of course. There's a Side nearby that will buy whatever you have for a fair price." Said the captain. "It's called Side 7 and though it's under the control of the Titans, I know a few people in the scavenge business that will give you guys a fair price for whatever you hold, especially if I put my word to you all." Smiling at that, Horizon replied back.
"That's very sweet of you darling." Said Horizon. "If you would please escort us there and answer a few questions of mine, then we'll be in your debt." The captain chuckled at that before nodding. Soon the two ships began to move towards this Side 7, leaving behind the hulking remains of the pirate ship. As they moved, Wraith thought about their home and how they'll get back to it. And if the other Legends are missing them.
