Author's Note: Okay... I know it's been really close to a year. I apologize for going silent on everyone. But here is the next chapter! I really struggled with this one - I was actually halfway through rewriting Ariel when I changed my mind and decided to write this instead. Anyway. I hope you all enjoy it! I'll try not to take so long on the next one.
1920 Hours, March 20, 2543
Eddie's in the Rock, The Rubble, 23 Librae System
"I love places like this," Fred sighed, easing himself into the dark, secluded booth.
Kelly raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Places like this?" she asked, lifting one hand from the sticky tabletop to gesture vaguely around them. "It's a literal hole in the wall. I've seen two men carried out of here by medical staff in the past fifteen minutes alone. I'm pretty sure the 'brown finish' on this table is actually just an old blood stain. They keep the lights so low just so that we can't see the filth on the ground." She threw one more look around the crowded bar and its patrons, each speaking in hushed tones as they nursed their drinks. "This is your idea of a good bar?" she asked when she finally turned back to Fred.
For his part, Fred just leaned back in his chair and rested his boots on the table. "Yeah," he said with a shrug. "What's not to love?"
Kelly stared at him, her eyebrows slowly climbing to her hairline.
"You're just looking at it like a glass half-empty," Fred elaborated, dropping his feet to the floor so he could lean over the table toward her. "Rustic decorations, medical facilities are right around the corner, unique paint jobs…" he glanced at the blood-stained table at that, this particular recontextualization sounding weak even to his ears. With a slight shake of his head, he refocused on Kelly. "And the lighting isn't low to hide something," he added with a grin, "it's low to keep the atmosphere romantic."
With that he reached out and took hold of her hand atop the table between them. His bright green eyes sparkled mischievously as he waggled his eyebrows at her playfully.
"You're ridiculous," Kelly said with a roll of her eyes.
Fred just grinned in return. "Maybe," he shrugged, "but I like to think that's part of my charm."
'It's not,' Linda interjected, her voice somehow managing to sound annoyed even through the scratchy monotone of the comms. 'Anyone who told you otherwise was lying.'
Kelly pulled her hand away from Fred's, suddenly feeling almost guilty when Linda's voice cut into their conversation. She was glad, for once, for the bar's low lighting. It managed to hide the embarrassed shade painting her cheeks. "What are we waiting for, exactly?" she asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as she could.
'Still unknown,' Linda answered curtly. Four days ago, they had received coordinates to the middle of nowhere on a frequency no one should know – one of the frequencies that they used to use back during their training as children. There were very few of them left in the galaxy – and the majority of those who were still around were already members of Serenity's crew. Despite the lack of information, that alone was enough to convince them to at least investigate.
Once they arrived in the 23 Librae System they received another transmission – docking instructions and the name of a bar along with a time to meet. It took some debate, but Fred and Kelly finally volunteered to investigate. Their shared inquisitive natures left them practically incapable of 'leaving well enough alone,' as Avery liked to say.
'Whoever it was that called us here seemed to know what they were doing,' Linda continued after a while. 'Either they've got a good job in the wings for us… or they're getting ready to take us out once and for all.'
Fred chuckled. "Well if I'm dying, at least I'll go out with a good view," he said with a grin.
"Don't worry," Kelly winked, trying to hide her earlier embarrassment behind a mask of bravado. "I'll protect you."
"My hero," Fred responded, batting his eyes dramatically.
Linda scoffed in disgust. 'The meet was set for 1930. Keep your eyes open and let me know if you hear anything. Until something interesting happens… leave me out of this conversation before you two make me sick.'
Fred opened his mouth as if to say something, but fell silent. His brow furrowed as his eyes shifted from person to person in the bar. "Something's up," he said under his breath, so quiet only Kelly could have heard him. "Folk around here are starting to look a mite jumpy, don't you think?"
Kelly turned in her seat to get a better view of the patrons around them. As Fred had said, there was definitely a change in the atmosphere of the establishment. The din of conversation had died down significantly. The various customers seemed to be hunkering down, keeping their eyes low and slinking into the shadows where they could. Kelly's hand drifted automatically to the M6D strapped to her waist. "What do you think it is?" she asked, flicking her eyes inquisitively in Fred's direction.
Though he was clearly working to keep an easy grin on his face, she noticed that her fellow crewmate's right hand had disappeared from the tabletop. She had no doubt it was now resting on his holstered sidearm. "Not sure," he said, lifting his glass with his left hand to take a sip of whatever questionable liquid he had been served. "But I think we're about to find out," he added, nodding toward the door.
A shadow had fallen over Eddie's doorway. People were quickly shuffling away, either heading out or stuffing themselves back further into the bar to find someplace to hide. Kelly could hear a soft, methodic thudding as something made its way their direction. She tightened her grip on her own pistol and shifted in her seat to make it easier to stand and bolt if the need should arise.
Finally, a shadowed figure appeared in the open doorway. It was large, practically filling the space. Even the braver patrons who hadn't yet scurried away from the bar turned their eyes down, refusing to meet the thing's gaze. It stood there, silently blocking the opening, for several seconds. It had matte gray skin, with an amber visor over its face.
"Well, I'll be…" Fred mumbled, his voice trailing off as he stared.
The figure once again began its forward motion, striding confidently through the bar. With each step, the posture and gait of the hulking beast grew more and more familiar. Finally it stopped beside Fred and Kelly and stared silently down at them. Then it slowly raised its hands, gripping the base of its helmet and slowly lifting it away.
From beneath the amber visor and gray armor appeared a woman - pale skin, auburn hair, a smattering of freckles over the bridge of her nose. Gray eyes that shined warmly and a smile that was at once foreign and familiar on her lips.
Adriana-111.
"Fred, Kelly," the Spartan said, the smile growing almost imperceptibly wider as she looked them over with something akin to satisfaction. "Welcome to The Rubble."
"Hey, Linda?" Kelly said softly, her voice quiet and distracted. "Something interesting just happened."
Fred and Kelly were already in the private dwelling when John and the others arrived. It would be an incredible understatement to say that John and Linda were shocked to find out that Gray Team was not only still alive, but still active… and serving with Insurrectionists to boot. As they entered the dwelling John found the place stocked floor-to-ceiling with the highest-grade gear available. Weapons, tech, even a fully kitted Brokkr System tucked away in one corner.
"This is quite the place you've carved out for yourselves," Linda remarked, looking the room over with one eyebrow arched appreciatively. "You seem to be doing well in the private sector."
Mike-120 offered her a grin, his eyes dancing. "You'd be amazed just how much people are willing to pay just for the illusion of safety – and three fully armored Spartans provide a good illusion."
Jai-006 elbowed his fellow Spartan roughly in the side. "We're just doing our job here," he said, shooting Mike a look that made it seem as though the reason he was so forcefully asserting the nature of their work was as much to remind his squadmate as to inform John's crew. Jai stepped forward to look John in the eye before explaining, "The people of the Rubble have been good to us since the war ended, and we've been trying to pay them back. Working security seemed as good a way as we were liable to find."
John nodded solemnly. "Seems a just cause to me," he concurred honestly. He was surprised at how readily he accepted the thought of his fellow Spartans working with Insurrectionists - the very terrorists and traitors they had all been built specifically to eradicate. Even so, the Insurrectionists were at least human. With a grin of his own, John added, "I figured that retirement wouldn't look too good on you anyhow."
"Have you seen Jai?" Mike asked with a smirk. "Nothing looks good on him. There's only so much you can do to dress up ugly when it runs bone deep."
Adriana gave Jai a reassuring pat on the shoulder while Mike's comment garnered a few chuckles from the assembled soldiers. Even Avery grinned at the playful ribbing. Cortana, Joy, and Miranda just continued staring at Gray Team in something akin to shock. Belatedly, John realized that it was very unlikely that any of the three had ever seen an armored super-soldier up close and in-person before.
"This reunion is touching and all, and I've missed Mike's bad jokes," Fred spoke up from across the room, resting his hands on the back of the chair that Kelly occupied and leaning heavily against it, "but do you mind telling us why you called us all the way out here? The suspense is killing me."
Jai nodded doggedly. "Right," he agreed, "I guess I'd be curious too." He lifted his eyes to look the assembled group over. "The Rubble has been relatively calm since the Covenant War ended. We've stayed out of everyone's way and just worked on keeping fair trade going around, and it was working perfectly; we've had steady trade routes and happy citizens."
"Until," Adriana continued, steering herself around Jai to lean on the table, "we started getting some scattered reports of a cruiser out harassing our freighters." At that, she tapped a key on the side of the table and the holographic image of a battered old RCS cruiser appeared before them. "The Rubble was then contacted by the shipmasters of the cruiser. Tovarus and Hyperius – Jiralhanae brothers who claim to have some standing within the Banished rank structure."
Mike started pacing around the room. "They started putting a tax on all our trade to, as they put it, 'keep our secret' from the rest of the Banished. The Council decided to let that slide for a while… but the Brutes are getting greedier and greedier. We're starting to lose any profit margin we used to have, and at this rate they're going to start demanding all of our imports."
They paused for a moment, allowing the reality of their situation to settle in. Finally, Jai cleared his throat. "The Council has finally given us free rein to do what we should have done from the beginning," he said firmly. "We're going to wipe these things off the map… or at least we're going to try. Before they have a chance to do the same to us."
"Now you're speaking my language," Fred said with a grin. "I've about had it with playing nice with these freaks." He crossed his arms and took a deep breath, as if a weight had been literally lifted off his shoulders. "I haven't even gotten to shoot at one of those things in months… I'm ready to get my hands dirty again."
John took a moment to survey his crew. Linda and Kelly were nodding along with Fred's assertion. Avery, while not readily agreeing, certainly wasn't putting up an argument against it. He shot a glance at Cortana and found her steel-gray eyes staring directly back at him. The captain raised his eyebrows slowly, silently asking the doctor's opinion. She vacillated for a moment, then finally offered an almost imperceptible nod.
"So," John finally said, resting his hand on the heel of his holstered M6D and leaning forward, "what exactly did you have in mind?"
Jai smirked. He'd probably expected this response. Maybe even counted on it. But now that he had it, the large man couldn't help but feel an excited thrill run through him at the prospect of it all. "Alright," he said, leaning forward and speaking in a conspiratorial whisper. "Here's what we've got so far…"
The Rubble's main hangar was a busy place. Filled with civilians, security, and even the odd alien trader. Dozens of pairs of eyes at any given moment.
The hangar in Sector 12, however, was practically desolate. Officially, at least.
Sector 12 was once a hub of activity, taking in shipments ranging anywhere from fuel to fruit, and anything in between. Then the rumors of a cracked gas line in the nearby asteroids drove people out into other, safer sectors of the Rubble system. Now, with the lessened foot traffic, the shadier sides of the Rubble's trading had found a home. With very little risk of discovery by passersby, and increased security added all over the area, Sector 12's hangar grew into a key point for imports, exports, and any other business in the Rubble's criminal network.
Which was precisely why the Sector 12 hangar was chosen as the rendezvous point for the Banished envoy.
Fred stood in the back of the hangar, leaning against the rough-hewn rock walls that made up every facility in this delicately balanced superstructure. He crossed his muscled arms over his chest and glared at the approaching gaggle of 'diplomats' - two dozen aliens of various rank and species, approaching them with all the swagger and pomp of traveling celebrities.
"I wouldn't mind putting a slew of holes in those smarmy mugs," he commented dryly.
Kelly bumped him with her shoulder, the simple contact conveying volumes without the need of a word. "All good things to those who wait," she said with a smirk. "For now, just be glad it's Mike who has to do the talking instead of you for once." She looked him up and down, her smirk staying planted firmly on her lips. "He seems like he's more likely to play nice at the moment anyhow," she added.
A scowl darkened Fred's face as the leader of the alien entourage strutted forward, its furry bulk stomping arrogantly toward their forementioned spokesperson who had situated himself in the center of the hangar. "Funny you should say 'the right foot,' because that's the one I'm going to stick up that thing's-" he began, but he was cut off when Kelly pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. The contact between them lingered longer than was really necessary, and Fred was almost convinced that he caught Kelly's glance flick down to his lips for just a moment. Then she blinked and pulled her hand away, offering him a playful sideways grin.
"Play nice," she chided, the corners of her lips curling up again. "The fun part will come soon enough."
Fred briefly considered making some comment about how his idea of fun would have been to shoot down their dropship before it ever landed. He chose instead to remain silent when he noticed Mike walking slowly toward the incoming group.
Mike timed his approach perfectly to intersect with Hyperius in the hangar's dead center, directly beneath a burning floodlight. The soldier spread his arms wide to show that, aside from his armor, he was unarmed. "Welcome," he said with more artificial warmth in his voice than Fred had given him credit for. He looked at the Brute square-on. Made eye contact and didn't blink. "Hyperius. It's good to finally put a face to the name."
"Where is our tribute?" the mass of matted fur and corded muscle growled in response, ignoring Mike's friendly tone. "We are not here for your pitiful talk, we are here for our prize." As it spoke, its gravelly voice rumbling through the hangar, it glanced over its shoulder at the mercenaries and pirates arranged in an unpracticed firing pattern at the far end of the hangar.
Fred smirked. He counted twenty-seven Banished soldiers, including the Brute leader and the Sangheili skulking along the perimeter of the hangar in their direction. Evidently, Hyperius had elected not to trust their promise of free discussion.
It was wise of him.
Even as the Brute spoke, a baker's dozen of the Rubble's security force watched the interaction through the sights of their rifles from hidden locations around the hangar. Three in the rafters, four hidden in various camouflage smuggler's holds carved into the rock walls, and six men waiting for Mike's signal in Airlock Two, directly to the side of Hyperius's force.
Fred's own finger itched, wishing it were curled around the trigger of his holstered M6S. Part of him envied the stockless variant of the M90 slung over Kelly's shoulder - he liked the thought of using it to make mush out of their 'visitors' faces.
"We're getting your tribute put together," Mike answered, his friendly facade already starting to crack. "We have already sent most of the shipment over to the ship, but we kept a small selection behind for you specifically." Mike somehow managed to keep up the adulation, though Fred could tell by the stiffness of his jaw that the other Spartan was struggling. "You have long been the greater ally to our people, Hyperius… and we wish to reward you."
The Brute snorted, even going so far as to chuckle derisively. Despite the show, however, it was plain to see that he was pleased by the prospect of receiving such special treatment, even if it did come from a lowly scavenger settlement. According to Jai's intel, Hyperius was the less appreciated of the pair of Jiralhanae leaders… this had obviously led to a certain enmity between him and his brother. His thick fur smoothed across his massive body, and his fangs exposed themselves in something more along the lines of a smile than Fred had believed the creature capable.
Fred couldn't help letting a small smile cross his face at the ridiculousness of it all. He had doubted Jai's assessment that flattery would assist so much in their dealings with the brothers, but the proof of it was there, staring him in the face. "I guess flattery really will get you anywhere," he commented idly.
Still, the beast wasn't likely to be placated by kind words for very long. Already its eyes were prowling the hangar hungrily, eager to collect the prize and continue on. That meant that things were about to get very exciting very quickly. An excited thrill ran through him at the thought of it. His fingers twitched again, yearning to pull the knife from its place in his boot and bury it somewhere decidedly squishy.
"It looks like we're running out of time here," Kelly whispered, once again seemingly reading his mind. Before them, the Brute's petulant roars continued to echo around the cavernous hangar. Kelly leaned close enough to bump Fred's shoulder with her own. "Do you think we gave them enough time?" she asked under her breath.
Fred rested his hand on the heel of his sidearm, sparing a sideways glance in her direction. "I hope so," he answered. "Because I don't think they're getting much more."
Linda was a patient woman. In truth, to say she was patient wouldn't do her justice. Her ability to slip into a motionless meditative state was enough to impress even the most devoted monks. The talent had served her very well in her specialization as a sniper; the ability to shut down all thoughts accepting her target was what had made her a better sharpshooter than any other soldier in recorded history.
Of course, she'd never really expected her patience to assist her like this.
The sniper rubbed her temples gingerly as she sat up, the harsh light burning her eyes after several hours of pitch darkness. A black gloved hand appeared before her eyes.
"Nap time's over," Adrianna quipped, smirking down at her. "Time to get back to work."
Linda accepted the woman's outstretched hand and allowed Adrianna to haul her to her feet. "Good," she answered bluntly. "I was starting to think you'd left me out of that coffin." As her feet adjusted to holding her weight again after several hours, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. Jai and John were both loading their weaponry beside her. The dark purple metal of a Covenant cruiser surrounded the tight hangar they had been packed into, and she could see the boots of two Jackals where they'd been stuffed into a corner by whoever had managed to get out first.
"Remind me not to let you book my trips in the future," John remarked dryly, rubbing his neck. "Being express shipped isn't exactly my idea of traveling in style."
The corners of Linda's mouth turned up in a smirk. Jai's idea had been… something, to say the least. The last time the Brute's ship arrived to take their tribute from the Rubble, Gray Team had taken the opportunity to plant a camera in the last shipment. What they learned was that the pirates had grown complacent with their apparent cash cow - they accepted their shipments of food and supplies, only subjecting them to the most cursory of inspection.
Linda was pretty sure that it was Mike's idea to sneak aboard the ship by smuggling themselves inside the crates. Ever since they were kids, Mike was always the one coming up with crazy ideas, from stealing equipment from their DIs to integrating unsanctioned assets into their armor systems. He was great at improvising… especially when other people had to go through with the execution of his improvisation.
Luckily for him, this one had actually paid off.
"We've got ten minutes," John said stiffly, all business as usual. He reached into his crate to pull out an M7S SMG and checked it over, racking a round into the chamber. "If Hyperius showed on the Rubble on schedule, we can't expect any more than that before things start to turn sideways."
"Copy that," Adrianna answered confidently. Both she and Jai had sacrificed their bulky titanium armor in order to fit into the crates, though neither of them appeared any less threatening clad in their more lightly armored MJOLNIR bodysuits. "Ten minutes ought to be enough time to wreak some havoc. We're three decks down from the bridge, fifteen decks from engineering. Recommend we split up and take -"
"Negative," Jai cut her off quickly. "If we split up we're less likely to take either location. We need to ensure that we take the bridge, that's our only chance of actually stopping them."
John nodded. "Agreed," he said, nodding to Jai. "Lead the way." With that, the four soldiers shouldered their weapons and set off out of the hangar.
Linda scanned the corridors through the scope of her M392. While she missed the familiar heft of her custom-built SRS99-AM, the smaller build of the DMR was far better suited to the tight confines of an RCS Cruiser. Luckily, she didn't find much occasion to use it as they made their way to the bridge. A few patrols dodged or silently dispatched here and there, and they had found themselves at the doorway to the bridge.
Adrianna produced a datapad with what she had assured them was the most advanced hacking software available. Without a word spoken between them, the entire fireteam settled into place with each of their weapons zeroed in on the seam between the doors. It took several seconds for the device to pair with the Covenant system, but finally Adrianna reported, "Ready to breach."
"Do it," Jai breathed.
Jai and Adrianna burst through the doorway the moment it irised open, their SMGs coughing silenced rounds into the bridge beyond. John followed closely behind them, and Linda brought up the rear.
She was only a few seconds behind the others, but by the time she entered half of the bridge crew were already lying in a growing puddle of multicolored blood. Linda put two rounds into a Sangheili reaching for its sidearm, then turned three degrees to the left and splattered the brain matter of a Kig-yar on the console behind it. Beside her John silenced the angry grunting of an injured Jiralhanae with a short burst of suppressed gunfire. Jai had already turned toward the captain's command console, producing a datapad from the satchel around his shoulders and plugging it in.
"Boss isn't here," Linda remarked casually as she scanned over the pile of corpses that now littered the floor, failing to find anything that resembled the gaudy armor that tended to adorn a Banished leader. "That going to be a problem?"
"Depends on how long we're here for," Adrianna answered, leaning over to stare at the datapad with Jai. "We are shutting down engine controls. Once we finish that, we can get down to engineering and work on overloading their engines."
A loud roar echoed its way down the corridors - not close, but definitely coming their way. John poked his head out into the corridor before turning back to the others. "It sounds like somebody managed to get an alarm off. We're running low on time - what are our other options?"
Adrianna glared up at the open doorway. "That… that definitely complicates things," she remarked dryly. She tapped a few icons on the pad and Linda heard a series of doors slide shut. "That ought to hold them for now. We'll just need to hurry." She then turned and leaned back over Jai's shoulder. Leaned awfully close, Linda noted absentmindedly.
"I don't think hurrying is going to cut it," Jai remarked through tight lips. "If I'm reading this right, they've already started rallying at the engines. As soon as they figure they've got Engineering properly secured, I'm sure they'll start our way. There's no way that just the four of us will be able to make it through."
"Other options?" Linda called over her shoulder, sighting down the corridor. She wasn't much for tech, not compared to the others with her, at least. But she knew how to be an excellent deterrent when it came time. Of course it didn't matter how good a deterrent she was when it came to facing down literally thousands of enemies in a never ending stream. "Not to pressure anybody, but we're about to be swimming in bodies here… what's our play?"
Jai turned sharply to Adrianna. "Get a message out to Mike and tell him to start the party on his end. See if we can't stir up a little panic and buy ourselves some time to figure out how to get this crate to turn its guns on itself."
While Adrianna immediately set about following Jai's order, Linda raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You know they're going to shut us down from engineering any minute. Do you really think we're going to have time to figure out Covenant fire control before then?" She frowned. Even if they did figure it out, which she was sure they wouldn't, they would never have enough time to actually gut the cruiser before they were either cut off or overwhelmed.
Several seconds passed in tense silence while Jai scrambled for an answer. Finally, John cut in.
"I'm getting some readings from the Rubble," he called out from a side console. "It almost looks like…" he went silent for a moment, then a small grin turned up the corners of his lips. "Forget figuring out their firing systems. Drop the shields, seal any bulkheads except for what we need to escape, and let's get out of here now."
Jai turned to the other man, confusion written across his face. He raced over to John's side and consulted whatever it was that John had seen. Linda then watched the confusion disappear, replaced in an instant by a wide grin. "You're right," he finally said. "We really need to get out of here."
Cortana tapped her toes impatiently. She wasn't happy when they were told to wait behind, but she couldn't deny the fact that she, Joy, Miranda, and Avery were in sorry shape to help out in a firefight - and almost every facet of this plan involved the very high probability of bloodletting. And so she had seen the crew off, sharing one last lingering glance and a whispered 'Good luck,' with John as he marched away at their head, then followed Mike to the Control Center and settled in for a long, grueling wait.
Two hours passed in perfect silence under the watchful eye of the Control Center's dedicated security team. Then, out of nowhere, Joy leapt to her feet and jabbed an accusatory finger at one of the consoles. "You're not doing enough!" she barked.
Cortana immediately surged forward to grab her sister while several of the security officer's hands instinctually went to their sidearms. "What are you doing, Joy?" the doctor hissed, trying to pull the young girl away.
Joy somehow managed to stand resolute, showing deceptive strength for her size. "They're holding back… they're holding back!" she continued to shout, pulling against Cortana's grasp.
The man who had introduced himself as Commander Vincent Grath made his way to their side. He was a large man - nearly as wide as he was tall, with an impressive mustache that covered half of his face. He shot a stern expression down at the sisters, crossing arms over his burly chest. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ma'am," he said gruffly, his mustache bobbing with every word he spoke… it was almost comical, if it weren't for the half dozen armed men that surrounded him. "We only have a small fleet of personal ships. They won't do anyone much good against anything bigger than a Seraph. That's why Gray Team is out there in the first place."
Joy didn't bother looking at Grath. "You can do more than that. You need to do more than that."
"Ma'am," Grath said again, his calm demeanor cracking somewhat. "I assure you, there is nothing we can throw at this thing that we don't have waiting in the wings. Now, if you'll please return to your -"
"There is a Mark 2488 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon mounted and linked with your defense network," Joy cut him off curtly. "You need to get it ready to fire now."
Grath's face darkened. "What did you just say?" he asked, any semblance of friendliness now gone. His hand flashed to the sidearm on his belt, the other lifting to point at two of his men. "Get her out of here!" he barked.
Joy just kept glaring at the consoles. "Juliana, they'll die!" she shrieked.
Cortana stood between Joy and the security guards with her hands up placatingly while Grath's voice grew to an angry bellow. "Where did you hear that name?" the man roared, his face turning red deep down below that bushy mustache. Several of the guards were shouting now. Both Avery and Miranda had leapt to their feet and were trying to fight their way to Cortana and Joy.
Finally a soft-spoken voice spoke up, seemingly emanating from… everywhere. The various stages of strife strewn throughout the Control Center all ceased, each occupant seemingly halting in deference to the somewhat ethereal voice.
'Yes, we have a mass driver,' the voice said, her tones soft and soothing. 'Unfortunately, it is not powerful enough to break an RCS-Cruiser's shields. To bring it to bear would do no more than sacrifice our only tactical advantage… one that we had thought was a well-kept secret, I might add.' Despite the gentle reproach in her tone, Cortana could have sworn that she heard a smile laced somewhere in there as well.
Joy stomped a foot, her cheeks reddening in frustration. "You aren't listening! They need help. They'll die… Jai will die without it!"
Grath stepped forward. "Juliana," he grumbled as his large hand landed heavily on Joy's shoulder, "ignore her. I'll get her out of the way until this is all over, one way or another."
'Leave her, Commander,' the supposed Juliana responded warmly. Several seconds passed in silence, though her presence remained. It seemed to Cortana that she was simply… thinking. Finally she spoke up once more. 'She's right. I don't know how, but she is. Our best chance now is to trust Gray Team. Whether they succeed or not, the Rubble has openly declared war on Tovarus and Hyperius now. Discretion is no longer our friend.'
Grath's face lost its commanding glare in a moment. "Juliana," he said softly, "are you sure?"
'Running up main battery now,' the voice, undoubtedly an artificial intelligence, responded bluntly. 'It will take several moments to gather power - and when we fire, it will leave most sectors drained for an indeterminate amount of time. In truth, we don't know for certain that the driver will fire in the first place.'
"It'll work," Joy said, her voice so confident that even Cortana believed it… and she didn't even rightly understand what was going on. The girl began braiding her dark hair, seemingly oblivious to the lingering tension that pervaded the room.
Juliana hummed something noncommittal; Cortana couldn't tell whether it was positive or negative, but at the very least it wasn't an order for the Commander to remove them bodily from the Control Center. Finally, the AI brightly announced, 'Driver at full charge. Beginning firing sequence.'
"Wait," Joy said softly.
Everyone in the room turned to appraise the young girl curiously. 'Wait?' Juliana chirped, her voice laden with annoyance. 'After all of your arguing, now you want me to -'
Joy just held a hand up, and Juliana suddenly went quiet. Cortana didn't know whether she should be impressed or concerned by the influence her sister seemed to exert over the artificial intelligence. forestalling any further questions. Finally, after nearly a minute of eerie silence, Joy dropped her hand. Everyone stared at her curiously until she noticed the attention she was receiving and casually said, "What are you all looking at me for? You can fire now."
The lights dimmed and several consoles flickered. 'Firing,' Juliana announced, though her voice wavered and distorted itself. Several seconds passed in a long, terrible silence as the command crew studied their readouts carefully.
"I don't believe it," Grath all but shouted, a grin now splitting his scarred and scruffy face. "They got the shields down… Juliana just scored us a direct hit. The cruiser is breaking up as we speak, with minimal fighters and shuttles deploying."
'RCS Cruiser is a confirmed kill,' Juliana declared smugly. 'Commander, watch for any small craft making best speed for Hangar 12. Tell your fleet that they are welcome to fire on any other vessels that manage to escape the cruiser's destruction.'
While Grath and his staff settled into their stations, Avery slung around Joy's shoulders and grinned down at her. "Well, I'd say I don't believe it if I didn't know you," he chuckled. "But why did you tell the lady to wait?"
Joy shrugged one shoulder noncommittally. "Had to give John and Linda time," she said dryly. "If Juliana fired when she wanted to, all four of them would be quite dead. I would be sad if they died. So I told that silly AI to wait." She paused to look up at Cortana, and the elder sister saw the blatant smirk on Joy's lips when she added, "Besides, I didn't want to listen to Cortana mope about her dead boyfriend for the rest of my life."
Cortana felt her cheeks turn pink while Miranda squeaked out a laugh. Commander Grath raised his eyebrows and stared down at them disapprovingly, while Juliana muttered something that Cortana didn't quite manage to pick out.
"He's, uh… he's not my boyfriend," the doctor quickly said, her face burning under the commander's stern glare.
"Can I shoot him now?" Fred asked. His attention was no longer on the infuriating display of compliments Mike was still trying to put on for Hyperius's sake, but on a small Sangheili creeping around the edges of the hangar as if probing… whether for defenses or weaknesses was anybody's guess. For several minutes now, the alien had been ranging nearer and nearer to their position at the back of the cavernous space, no doubt attempting to subtly position itself to take them down should the occasion arise.
"No," Kelly chuckled, answering that same question for at least the dozenth time. She arced one eyebrow in Fred's direction and playfully added, "Don't make me handcuff you just to keep you from doing something stupid."
Fred continued to watch the encroaching Sangheili warily. It had given up the pretense of casually inspecting the hangar and was now brazenly walking directly toward them. "Well… now you're talking about my idea of fun," Fred answered absent-mindedly, missing the slight reddening of Kelly's cheeks that his comment had inspired.
"You look like you might be lost," Fred called out to the alien, his tone a mockery of friendliness. "Can I help you find something, maybe?"
The elite sneered… or at least, whatever its four mandibles were doing turned out to be the closest approximation to a sneer Fred imagined it was capable of. "Perhaps it is you who is lost… after all, the Banished own this pathetic facility of yours, and every soul aboard it. Not that it is worth the effort of maintaining."
"Don't start something…" Kelly warned under her breath, though her own fingers twitched with anxious energy. Unfortunately, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Fred hooked his thumbs behind the buckle of his holster and sashayed forward, casting her a charming, though deeply unconvincing, grin. He then turned toward the elite and smugly said, "Well, you're more than welcome to find your way off of it. Preferably out an airlock, with nothing but the beautiful expanse of stars to keep you company."
The Sangheili's three fingered hand strayed to its own sidearm, a challenging glint entering its dark, glassy eyes. "I expect that would be a greater joy than staying here a moment longer," he rumbled.
"Well, if you're looking for excitement," Fred said casually, his right hand trailing across his hip and landing on the holstered M6S on his thigh, "then by all means… say when." The deadly challenge in his voice was unmistakable, as was the actual joy creeping into his tight grin.
The Sangheili scoffed. "I am known among my band for being a quick draw, human. You are sure you wish to test yourself against me? I am loath to leave your companion here to clean your corpse from the filthy floor beneath you," he chuckled, nodding toward Kelly.
Fred refused to break eye contact. They began slowly pacing around each other, neither letting their gaze stray from their target. "You know," he said slowly, his fingers tapping against the cool metal of his weapon, "where I come from they say there's two kinds of folks; those who will, and those who won't. Which do you imagine yourself to be?"
"I am certainly to be counted among those who will," the interloper answered smugly. "And you? Which party do you claim?"
Fred chuckled, the sound cold and devoid of any humor. "Well… I like to fancy myself of the sort who might," he drawled. His hand hovered, ready to draw, over his holstered pistol. He waited a beat, then breathed the words, "Go on then… say when."
Kelly could only watch, slowly shifting the M90 on her back into her hands. Neither of them moved for a moment and the silence hung like a megaton weight between them… then the overhead lights flickered and a deep, resonating thud echoed through the cavern as the cloaked mass driver fastened to the outer hull of Sector 12 fired at the Banished cruiser. Hyperius roared into his communicator, then grabbed for his own weapon when he realized what had happened. Across the hangar, the Rubble's hidden security team engaged the Banished envoy with superior ambush tactics.
"Well," Fred said with a smirk in the Sangheili's direction. "I dare say that's our cue."
Then, in unison, they both went to draw.
When the incursion team landed in Hangar 12, their Phantom dropship having only barely managed to survive the Rubble's defensive formation of fighter craft thanks to swift alerts from the station's commander and Linda's inspired piloting, they found the hangar already cleared of any threats. Half a dozen Jackals and Grunts had surrendered themselves, while the others all fought to their deaths. Hyperius was among the first to fall, felled by a two-finger blow to his temple from Mike.
When John heard Kelly's recounting of the way Fred drew the Sangheili into a shootout, though, all he could do was shake his head and laugh. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" he asked his crewmate in passing. "You just had to go for the draw."
Fred grinned in response. "Well, I couldn't very well let Kelly have it, could I?" he asked, spreading his arms out in mock defensiveness. "He really thought he had a chance to beat me - so what I did was really more merciful than anything. I only killed him; Kelly would have embarrassed the poor guy first." And with that, he turned and left the hangar.
John shot Kelly a thoughtful look, then shrugged. Kelly was faster on the draw than anyone he'd ever met - probably than anyone who'd ever lived. If that Sangheili really thought he'd stood a chance… "He's right," he conceded. "That was uncharacteristically decent of him."
Kelly smirked. "Yeah, he's a real sweetheart like that."
The Rubble was an enclosed economy - meaning that they didn't have much in the way of currency to offer the crew of Serenity for their help. What they did have, however, was fuel and supplies. And these things they imparted gratefully. John watched as a pair of civilian dockworkers loaded another dolly full of rations and real, actual fruit into the cargo bay, the taste of a space-grown peach still on his tongue.
"You're sure I can't convince you to stay?" Jai asked, materializing at his side. The man was back in his matte gray MJOLNIR armor, standing several inches taller than John now. He crossed his arms over his chest, appearing every bit the soldier and Spartan that John used to be. "The Rubble is a good place. A safe place. And I have no doubt that they would appreciate having another team to help handle any other threats that might start poking around here."
John turned to his old teammate with a subdued grin on his lips. "We appreciate the offer," he said easily, "but we can't settle down in any one place just yet. We have some… peculiarities left to sort out." As he spoke, he turned to watch Joy dancing in the corner to some song only she could hear.
Jai nodded, eyeing Joy curiously as well. "Commander Grath gave me his report. Your young friend over there really got under his skin. Knew some things she shouldn't have known. If it were up to him, he would have…" the large man trailed off, his vision going somewhat distant. "Well. It's a good thing for us all that it isn't up to him."
John could tell by the look on the other man's face that Grath had made some unsavory suggestions. It was probably for the better that he not know what they were - somewhere down the line he had grown quite protective of the odd little creature, and he imagined that he would not have reacted particularly favorably to the station commander's opinions of her. "This is quite the life you've set up for yourselves," he said to change the subject as he turned back toward Jai. "The Rubble is good for you. I'm glad to know that you are all doing well here."
Jai nodded. "We've scoured the data logs on that ship - evidently, Hyperius and Tovarus kept the Rubble secret. Didn't want to share the spoils with their Banished cohort, I imagine. Whatever the reason, we seem to be safe still. For now, at least."
John reached up to clap his hand on Jai's shoulder, noting how strange it was to feel the cool metal under his skin. "You've got our number now," he said with a genuine smile. The smile grew wider as, unable to hold back at least some playful ribbing, he added, "Call if you need saving again."
"Only threw this bone your way because I figured you were bored," Jai countered, grinning back. "Take care of yourselves. Don't let Fred and Kelly get you into too much trouble. In fact, keep an eye on those two. Adrianna said they seemed a mite chummy when she found them the other day." He raised his eyebrows at John. "Between them and the way you talk to that pretty doctor, I'm starting to think your whole crew has turned to breaking frat regs."
"Well if that isn't the kettle calling the pot black," John fired back. "I've seen the way you and Adrianna hang on each other these days." He couldn't suppress a quiet laugh at the way Jai's face instantly blanched. Another moment lingered between them in an expectant silence,then the two men turned away from one another; the first returning to his duties outside the hangar, and the other entering his newly restocked ship.
Cortana was waiting for him just inside the cargo bay, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her thin, pale lips. "Why John, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were going to miss them," she remarked playfully, her gray eyes sparkling as she teased him. "How embarrassing… you're starting to get soft."
John shrugged. "Only on the inside," he chuckled as he slapped at the control to close the gangway, the action bringing him surprisingly close to where Cortana was leaning against the hull.
The doctor slowly reached toward him and brushed her fingertips against the rough stubble that had grown on his jaw, her eyes searching his for… something. "Of course," she breathed, her voice as quiet as a whisper. "Only on the inside."
Her cool fingers trailed along his jawline, down his neck, and rested for just a moment on his chest. A playful glint entered her eyes, looking to John like lightning crackling across a gray storm cloud-filled sky. "But don't worry, captain," she said cheerily. "We'll keep working on that." And then she was off, disappearing through the doorway in the direction of her medbay and leaving John to wrestle with a whole slew of confusing thoughts alone in the cargo bay.
The captain watched her graceful exit and chewed his lip in thought. Finally he dropped his head and sighed tiredly. "That's not going to keep me up at night," he groaned sarcastically. Then he picked up the radio transmitter on the control panel to his side and called up the cockpit. "Linda, we're stowed away and ready to go down here," he reported.
He cast one last glance out the viewport at the Rubble's hangar, wondering for just a moment if he ever would find a home like Gray Team had. Then he cast his eyes about the cargo bay of Serenity and thought of his crew. As he felt the gentle rumble of Serenity's engines as Linda pulled them away from the station, he realized that he already had.
The crew meets Gray Team in The Rubble
Gray Team has become popular in the facility because they are excellent security.
Fred and Kelly are flirting and whatever I don't know
Gray Team needs their help
The Banished have started to pay particularly close attention to The Rubble
One little dude in particular (choose later) is making a play to force The Rubble to supply for him
They want to set up a meeting, then surprise attack bad dude and get him killt
They decide to draw out a small delegation of the Banished.
They'll play at some negotiations for bit, then let things turn ugly and begin a fight.
This leaves the Banished thinking that main attack is occurring on the Rubble
This group will be led by Fred and Kelly, with Mike as backup.
However, the real attack will be aboard the Banished ship.
The Rubble will send over a few crates of food as a negotiation tactic.
Those crates will also contain Jai, Adrianna, John, and Linda. They get shipped over, break out of the crates, take the bridge.
They lower the shields but don't have AI access to figure out how to space the rest of the ship.
Luckily, that's when we realize that is aboard The Rubble arguing with their AI. She eventually gets the AI to listen and they use their mass driver to gank the Banished ship. Infiltration crew steals a Spirit and tests themselves while The Rubble crew kill off the delegates.
Fred ends up in a cowboy draw like Doc Holliday.
Banished lieutenant. He insults Miranda early on and Fred is itching the entire chapter to kill him
Eventually they come down to just the two of them
"Say when."
Gray Team invites Blue Team to stay, but they cannot. Ride off into the sunset, as it were.
Tovarus and Hyperius
Tovarus remains on the ship, Hyperius goes into the Rubble
Hyperius is loyal to his brother, Tovarus is not