Surprise, I'm not dead! This chapter has easily been the hardest one for me to write so far. Writer's Block is bitch, and me being a perfectionist certainly didn't help, that's for sure. In the meantime, I hope this chapter will be able to tide you all over! And thank you all so, so much for the support on the last chapter! It really means a lot to me! And I'm going to reply to a few reviews:
MrMateusz: As for what you asked about the crossover, I personally think that Cooper's 'realism' would stay the same, and Rivet would look more 'realistic' in a sense, while still keeping some of her more 'cartoony' traits like her weird body proportions. If you've ever seen the Rivet model done by Théo Domon (@Gloomeskk) on Twitter, that's pretty close to what I'm trying to describe.
Trux-Killer: Don't worry, BT will have his time to shine soon enough!
Jctherebel: Thank you, I'm happy that you think so!
LGAHO: I had a wonderful Christmas day, thank you for asking, I hope you had a great day too!
With that out of the way, let's get on with the next chapter!
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OUTPOST L51,
SARGASSO
Rivet emerged from her bathroom wearing a baggy white t-shirt and a pair of grey shorts, entering the large, open spacecraft hanger she called her home. She finished drying off her face with a towel and then hung it up on a drying rack, before continuing on to the other side of the room, passing by her signature jumpsuit that was hanging up as well, and was soaked in a particular green fluid which slowly dripped into a bucket sitting beneath it.
Whilst she was sneaking between the patrols on her way back to her ship in Nefarious City, Rivet had gotten a message from Mort, who informed her that there was a problem at the gelatonium factory, and to get back as soon as she could. To be exact, one of the pipes on the factory's interior had burst, sending gelatonium gushing out onto the factory floor.
To make matters worse, the controls to regulate the pumps were damaged in the process, rendering them inoperable. That meant that she needed to engage the manual pump shutdown switch with her OmniHammer... Which ended up requiring her to wade through waist-high gelatonium to get to it...
Thankfully however, that was all the help the Morts needed from her, and after offering her a glass of lemonade as a thank you (Which Rivet gladly accepted), they came in and started remedying the situation by using some external pumps to slowly but surely drain the raw fuel from factory floor and into temporary storage. After that, Rivet treated herself to a nice hot shower (A good ten minutes of which was spent cleaning gelatonium off of just her tail) and changed into some more comfortable clothing.
After glancing over the message Quantum sent her (and presumably the other rebels), telling them the usual "good job" and "lay low" like he always did after a successful mission, Rivet was finally able to take a better look at the piece of technology given by Obsidian for her to repair, which currently rested on top of her workbench, alongside a toolbox containing some of her most prized tools.
After switching on her work light, she immediately got to work disassembling it. She slowly and carefully unthreaded screws and popped out pins, then removed of the module's metal shell piece by piece, exposing its internal components, most of which was displaying extensive damage.
Anything that couldn't be replaced, she carefully removed with the help of one of the many tools at her disposal, and placed into a tray with the intention of repairing later, taking care to ensure that she didn't accidently worsen their condition. Any broken parts that she could replace easily, she removed and tossed into her scrap bin. A warm smile slowly made its way onto her face, as she reminisced of the time when she was younger and would try and tinker with anything she could get her hands on, much to Mort's dismay.
This tech... I've never seen anything quite like it... Rivet thought. She had no idea what it was used for, though it was thankfully proving to be easy enough to work with, despite having to essentially learn how everything worked and went together at the same time. Then again, that was the way she'd worked with at least eighty-percent of the things she's ever worked on, and she always loved that kind of challenge.
Usually, Rivet would be completely engrossed in whatever it was she was working on, whether it was one of her personal projects, or a simple repair job for one of her fellow rebels. This time however, she wasn't, as there was something else floating around inside her mind:
When she got back to the warehouse, she just barely caught a glimpse of Obsidian's face through his open helmet while he was sitting in his ship. Though, she was unable to make out any features other than light skin and that he had two eyes, before his helmet snapped shut.
She wasn't sure if he knew that she'd almost seen his face, though his calm disposition after the fact suggested that he didn't — Or he did, and simply didn't care. Wait a second, why am I thinking about this of all things right now? She wondered, as she carefully removed a tiny wire with a tweezer and placed it into the tray. Maybe it was simply because of how mysterious he was?
And speaking of mysteries, there were many things about the Commando that just didn't add up to her, from him being able to vanish and then reappear at will, to his very sudden appearance. Why did he only show up now and not when Nefarious took over years ago, or even before that? She assumed Nefarious was the reason he was even here in the first place, but then why did he ask Phantom about both the Resistance and the Empire like he was some tourist learning about history? He didn't seem like the kind of guy to go into something completely blind. And again, why would he only appear now, right after the emp?
After that last thought, Rivet suddenly stopped her work as she noticed something, a something that made her kick herself internally for the fact that she didn't notice it sooner:
Obsidian had appeared not even a day after the emp had happened. An emp, mind you, that was powerful enough to disable things from simple electronics to warbots, from Corson V and all the way out to Sargasso, and likely even beyond that. The timing was simply too convenient to be jogged up to a mere coincidence. Was Obsidian connected to it somehow? Or... was he even responsible?
...
Ok, Rivet admittedly thought that last part might be a little too far-fetched to have any weight, but the more she mulled it over, the more plausible it became. It wouldn't be too improbable to assume if Obsidian possessed technology that could allow him to vanish and reappear at will, to also assume he had the technology required to produce an emp with such a large range, however mild its effects were.
That still left one more question in Rivet's mind: Where did Obsidian even come from? It was fairly obvious that he wasn't from Polaris, otherwise the Resistance (and likely Nefarious, too) would've known about him a long time ago. But that still begged the question: Where did he come from? Considering his usage of a combustion gun, Solana seemed most likely, as Rivet knew that Solana's economy had been doing poorly ever since Nefarious took over Polaris. Since combustion guns were far cheaper to build than modern blasters, their popularity unsurprisingly skyrocketed.
Looking over to where her communicator rested next to her bed, Rivet hummed in thought. Should I let the guys know about this? She questioned. She had no doubt that Phantom wanted to pitch the idea of possibly recruiting Obsidian into the Resistance to Quantum, especially after the huge success they had taking down the warship factory with the Commando's help.
But then she started second-guessing herself: What if she ended up being wrong about this? What if it was just a mere coincidence? She had seen some pretty crazy coincidences over her years of fighting against the empire, now that she thought about it. That, and it was definitely possible that the other rebels might not be overly fond of working with someone who could be responsible for causing an emp that powerful. If this went wrong, she could end up robbing the Resistance of a potential ally, an ally that they could absolutely use right now.
Rivet thoroughly deliberated on what she should do next, before she came to a conclusion: You know what? I think I'll hold off on letting the guys know about this — At least for now, anyway. She needed to learn more about this "Obsidian", and actually confirm whether or not he had anything to do with the emp, like she now suspected. Obviously, there wasn't much she could do from the confines of her hideout. However, there was a device currently resting on her workbench that could give her the perfect opportunity to do some sleuthing.
Rivet cracked her knuckles, picked up her soldering tool again and returned to repairing the module with renewed vigor. A few hours passed by, as Rivet continued working on the module into the evening, replacing or repairing many of the module's internal components in the process. After that, Sargasso's sun dipped below the horizon and plunged the swamps around Rivet's hideout into darkness, with the only light sources left behind being Sargasso's moon, the planet's various forms of bioluminescent flora, and the lights surrounding the Morts' Gelatonium Refinery and their other installations.
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ZURKIE'S GASTROPUB,
SCARSTU DEBRIS FIELD,
AROUND 3 P.M PST
After finishing up the repairs on his module, Rivet made sure to get in touch with Obsidian to inform him of its status, and to arrange to meet at Zurkie's in the afternoon. Rivet admittedly would've preferred to go on a solo-mission right now, or even fight in Zurkon Jr's Battleplex to earn herself some Bolts, but a deal was a deal, and she wasn't going to leave Phantom hanging. Oh well, maybe she could do the latter once she finished her business here with Obsidian, and work to reclaim her spot on the leader board.
While she was landing her ship on the same platform that she always used in the landing port, Rivet spotted the Commando's green and yellow spacecraft parked on one of the outer landing platforms. Specifically, the one next to and below hers.
Noticing that the Commando had arrived before she did, Rivet couldn't help but think that there might be a chance that wherever he was currently living might actually be closer to Zurkie's than Sargasso, wherever that was. Or, his ship was simply faster than hers, or he wanted to be punctual and left sooner than she did. You never know.
Once she greeted Ms. Zurkon and restocked her ammo and Nanotech supplies like she always did whenever she happened to come by, Rivet deposited her weapons with the bouncer and entered the Gastropub, holding the repaired module by its convenient handle and resting her other hand against her hip.
The pub was pretty lively, as it usually was, with nearly every table and booth taken up by at least one or two people, with the booth closest to the entrance was taken up by a group of Space Pirates. Three of which sat at the table inside discussing something with one another, while a fourth Pirate leaned against the wall next to their booth, who was keeping a close eye on something over by the Battleplex window. Despite the sound of the bustling Gastropub in the background, Rivet's fine hearing allowed her to eavesdrop on their conversation, albeit unintentionally:
"So, we wait for him to leave, then we follow him outside, and then we gut 'im, right?" One of the Pirates asked the group.
"Ye need to lay off the grog, matey." Another told him.
"What do ye mean?"
"'Cause I told you that already!" She answered irritably.
"Why are we even doin' this?" The third Pirate questioned. "We could be out pillagin' right now, but nooo, he'd rather have us waitin' 'round to kill some guy that bruised his ego!" He remarked irritably.
"In case ye didn't hear, it was a bit more than just a bruised ego he got."
"Ehh, whatever. Me point still stands." He replied, as he took a swig from his drink. "And I never understood why the Captain made him of all Pirates his First Matey. He's nothin' but a cowardly excuse of a Pirate, can't rhyme to save his life, and — Oh Zoni, don't get me started on how he sings!" He added with a groan, putting his free hand over his face.
"Well, I heard that he apparently saved the Captain's life durin' an Imperial raid a while back." The first Pirate said.
Suddenly, the fourth Pirate standing outside the booth leaned in to speak. "Whatever ye lot be grumblin' about — It don't matter. If the Captain made Pierre of all Pirates his First Matey, then I won't question his reasonin'." He told the group, "I suggest ye lot do the same, unless you's would rather become Bubbles' dinner!" He warned, as the other Pirates promptly shut their mouths.
Rivet stopped and actually shuddered as she heard that last part. Not the part about the Pirates possibly being fed to their pet Kraken, but rather, Pierre. The Pirate's First Mate who, for some unknown reason, greatly enjoyed flirting and messing with her, much to her own annoyance. Her ears pressed against her head, as Rivet sincerely hoped his name being mentioned didn't mean he was here. A quick scan around the place (thankfully) seemed to prove otherwise, which allowed her to relax a bit. She then started wondering: Just who had pissed off Pierre enough to make him send a hit-squad after them?
Looking down to the Battleplex window, Rivet saw that there were many people of varying shapes and sizes standing at it, all of which were intently watching the current ongoing deathmatch. There was a table on each side of the window, the one on the right being the table that she and the other rebels usually used whenever they were having a team meeting. A familiar Commando sat at that said table with his arms laid on it, occasionally looking out into the arena and also keeping a close eye on his surroundings. When he looked back in her direction and promptly noticed her presence, he gave a small wave, which Rivet acknowledged with a wave of her own.
As she walked down towards the table, Rivet began thinking over just how she was going to learn more about Obsidian, and hopefully gather some clues on his potential involvement with that emp. There was really only one way that she could do so here without arousing any suspicion: By simply asking him a few questions. She knew she would need to be extremely careful in what type of questions she asked, and how she spoke — The last thing she wanted was for him to think that there was any kind of malicious intent behind them, and ideally, only think she was being curious, and (hopefully) oblige in giving her some answers.
"Hey, watch out, the floor's wet right there." The Commando warned suddenly, pointing a finger down towards a particular part of the floor near the table, which on closer inspection, had the obvious damp sheen of water on its surface.
"Oh, thanks." Rivet replied, as she carefully stepped around the aforementioned piece of wet floor and joined Obsidian at the table, placing the module onto the middle of it as well. "Oh, and uh, here's your module."
"Thanks." Obsidian spoke, as he reached over to the module on the table and pulled it over to himself, and he began to inspect her handiwork. "I must say; I am very impressed you were able to get this thing fixed up." The Commando admitted, then looked back to her, "I assume it didn't give you too much trouble, then?"
"Nah, wasn't too hard. I like doing that kind of stuff, anyway." Rivet admitted, simultaneously brushing off the praise with a wave.
"Well, I suppose I better pay you for your work, then. It's the least I can do." Obsidian reckoned, as he materialised a few Bolts into his right hand and offered them to her. Not wanting to come off as rude, (and simultaneously admitting to herself that she could use the extra cash,) Rivet somewhat reluctantly accepted the Commando's offering and deposited the Bolts into her Holo-Manager, subsequently watching her balance climb by approximately two-thousand Bolts.
As Obsidian returned to inspecting the module for a brief moment, she noticed his armour was now sporting some new scuffs and scrapes on its surface, giving it a more battle-worn look. Looks like he's been busy. She remarked silently.
As she was pondering over what she would say next, what she overheard the Pirates talking about popped up in her mind again, remembering how they wanted to 'gut him', whoever this 'him' was.
As Rivet leaned back and raised an arm to scratch a sudden itch on the back of her head, she gazed over by the booth at the entrance again, and noticed how the lone Pirate standing outside the booth was glaring straight at the Commando sat across from her, who was now inspecting the module on all sides. When he noticed her looking his way, the Pirate quickly looked away.
It didn't take Rivet long to connect the dots: The Pirates were planning to kill Obsidian, having been ordered to do so by Pierre, because he had apparently 'bruised his ego', or whatever. Now, where have I heard that before? Rivet remarked internally, recalling the multiple instances in the past when she was ambushed by Pierre's crew whenever they just happened to be on the same planet. Good times... She sarcastically remarked to herself.
Being all-too-familiar with what that felt like, Rivet decided that she should warn Obsidian of the threat he likely didn't yet know about. "Hey, uh, just to let you know, I overheard those Pirates say that they're planning to follow you outside and attack you after you leave."
The Commando's head quickly perked up upon hearing the Lombax's warning. "Huh, I figured they were up to something. That asshole's been watching me ever since I got here." Obsidian replied with a huff and a nod towards the Pirate standing outside the booth.
"Not exactly 'subtle', are they?" Rivet commented with a cocked eyebrow and a knowing grin.
"I take it you've dealt with them before?" He presumed.
"Oh, trust me, you don't know the half of it." Rivet said dryly. She looked at the module again, and immediately thought of a good question to get herself started.
"Just out of curiosity," She began, "What's that thing even supposed to do?" She asked, as she gestured towards the module being held by the Commando.
Obsidian remained silent for a moment before he spoke. "Eh, it's nothing special. It's just a processing module for a communications system."
"Huh, okay." Rivet acknowledged, happy to have an answer for at least one of her questions. "And... where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I'm sorry?" He replied in a stiff tone.
I should've known this wouldn't be easy... She thought. "Back when you took out that Juggernaut at the factory, I mean. I've never seen somebody pull off something like—"
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my Petite Chérie, and my Adversaire!" A new, heavily-accented voice commented suddenly, one that Rivet recognised immediately. When both herself and Obsidian looked to the voice's source that had suddenly appeared beside their table, Rivet was unaware that he was thinking the exact same thing she was:
Oh, great.
It was Pierre, the last person she wanted to see right now. He wore the same outfit that he'd worn as long as she had the misfortune of knowing him, which consisted of a cyan vest and plain black pants, alongside his signature hat that had a single blue and white feather attached to the top. But, unlike the last time she'd met him, Pierre was now sporting an eyepatch over his right eye, and there was some visible damage that could be seen peeking out from underneath said eyepatch. How did that happen? She wondered, as she knew from past experiences that Pierre wasn't the kind of Pirate that fought his own battles.
"Oh, hey Underbite!" Obsidian suddenly spoke in a much too friendly tone that was laced with obvious sarcasm. "You looking for a rematch?" He queried, as he cracked his knuckles and pointed a thumb out towards the arena.
Rematch? Rivet idly thought to herself. Okay, something definitely happened between those two. But what? She wondered.
Pierre on the other hand, merely shook his head in response. "As much as I would love to take you up on your offer, there is a far more important matter that I must tend to."
"I, Pierre Le Fer, am here to reclaim what you have stolen from us!" He declared loudly, then gesturing widely, before turning his head back to look towards the other Pirates by the entrance of the gastropub. Rivet knew that this was just Pierre trying to show off in front of his fellow Pirates, which was usually after he was embarrassed in front of them in some way. What the reason was today, she didn't know.
"Stolen? What have I apparently stolen from you?" Obsidian retorted accusingly.
"The blue orb!" Pierre answered sharply. "We discovered it first, and as such it is rightfully ours!"
In response, the Commando let out a small snort, which then turned into full-blown laughter.
"What? What is so funny!?" Pierre demanded, as he put both his fists at his sides.
It took a few seconds for Obsidian's laughter to reduce to where he could speak again. "A Pirate of all things is bitching about getting robbed!" He remarked, as his laughter turned into mild chuckling and eventually died down altogether.
Pierre scowled at the remark, while Rivet had to quickly hold back a surprise snicker. She had to admit that Obsidian definitely had a point there, and this was definitely new territory, even for Pierre. But, when the Pirate's head suddenly snapped over to her, was when she realised that she might've accidently let out a tiny snort.
Pierre then crossed his arms over his chest. "And why are you here with him? Is this another one of your desperate attempts to gain my affection, Rivet?" He asked the Rebel.
"What are you talking about, Pierre?" Rivet questioned in a dreary tone, clearly not in the mood for whatever it was that he had in store.
"You know exactly what I am speaking of!" The Pirate said, as he gestured to both her and Obsidian. "You are dating this man in a pitiful attempt to make me jealous!"
"I... Wait, what?" Rivet spoke dumbfoundedly, with a slightly confused expression appearing on her face. That was a new one, she had to admit.
"I will admit that I am somewhat flattered that you would go to such desperate measures in your attempts to win my affection, I must reiterate that my heart is taken!" Pierre added.
"Are you paying a whore to fuck you, or something?" Obsidian jeered at him.
In response, Pierre sneered at him. "Oh, be quiet, you pest!" He ordered the Commando in an irritated tone, with an equally irritated expression now beginning to appear on his face.
"With a face like that, it must cost you a small fortune at the least!" Obsidian taunted even further, which only caused Pierre to become visibly angrier as a result. The First Mate then exhaled sharply, composing himself.
"Why do you have yours hidden behind a helmet, then?" Pierre argued. "Why don't you remove it so we can see who truly possesses the more charming appearance!" He challenged.
"That wouldn't even be a contest." Obsidian laughed again.
"Oh? How so?" Pierre inquired in a doubtful and mocking tone.
"Because I'm not a bucktoothed, one-eyed bastard!" The Commando insulted.
In response to the insult, Pierre let out a fierce growl, then suddenly clenched both of his fists and angrily glowered at the Commando. In return, Obsidian quickly stood up out of his chair with his fists raised.
"If you really want me to take your other eye, I'll be more than happy to oblige!" He challenged, as Rivet instinctively got up out of her own chair and excused herself from whatever was about to happen next.
As her eyes quickly went back to the Pirates at the entrance, she saw them all standing outside the booth closely watching Pierre and Obsidian, keenly waiting to back the former up at a moment's notice. She knew from experience that being outnumbered by hostile Pirates with her arsenal was already a pretty bad situation to begin with, let alone completely unarmed.
Thankfully, before the altercation could escalate, Zurkie suddenly appeared between the First Mate and the Commando, with both of his arms outstretched in an effort to keep the two separated.
"Zurkie's is a violence-free zone! If you want to fight, then do so outside!" The Gastropub's owner sternly ordered, as he pointed a finger in the direction of his son's Battleplex.
"Yeah Pierre, let's head outside and give these fine people a show!" Obsidian challenged, his voice dripping with malice, as he lowered his fists and began cracking his knuckles.
Pierre continued to glare daggers at the Commando for a few tense moments, as he then began to literally tremble in what could only be a pure and only barely-contained rage, before he let out another angry growl and then turned and stormed off.
"Coward!" Obsidian called out after him, chuckling mildly as he returned to his seat. Once Pierre was out of sight and the other Pirates had gone back into their booth, Rivet sat back down in her own seat and let out a sigh of relief, now able to relax a little with that crisis adverted. In all the time she'd known Pierre, Rivet had never seen him get so angry just from an insult. Must be sore about losing his eye, however that happened. She thought.
As Zurkie left to return to the bar, the Rebel leaned over the table towards the Commando. "Hey, what the hell was all that about?" She asked inquisitively.
"Long story." Obsidian dully replied, as he let out a sigh. "Fucker needs to learn how to mind his own business..." He muttered to himself.
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Rivet coincided.
As an amphibian waitress with pink skin and large green eyes carefully carried a tray of empty glasses past their table, the Lombax attempted to ask the Commando another on of her many questions: "How were you able to—"
"AAHHH!"
The Rebel was cut off when the waitress walking past their table cried out suddenly, when she slipped on the previously-mentioned wet floor. As a result, the tray and empty glasses she was carrying were flung high into the air.
Before Rivet's brain could even comprehend what happened, Obsidian suddenly clenched his left fist, then jumped out of his seat at a breakneck speed, becoming nothing but a dark blur for a split second. When he stopped, Rivet could only sit there stunned in shock when she saw him holding the waitress by her waist with one hand, and all of the glasses perfectly on the tray with the other, as if she'd never slipped at all.
"You alright there, Ma'am?" The Commando asked softly, being careful as to not let any of the glasses on the tray in his other hand fall off it.
"Yeah, I'm okay!" The waitress replied, "That new janitor Zurkie hired is so damn useless! Can't put up a 'wet floor' sign to save his life!" She angrily remarked as she quickly regained her posture, prompting Obsidian to let go of her. She then gripped his free hand with both of her own and brought it into a firm shake. "Thank you so much! I'm already struggling to make ends meet as is; there's no way I would've been able to afford to take time off if I'd gotten hurt!" She explained.
"No problem — And be careful, alright?" Obsidian replied, as he then carefully handed the tray back to her.
"Oh, I will!" She acknowledged, "I'm gonna give that janitor an earful the next time I see him." She irritably spoke to herself, as she walked away to tend to the other tables.
Rivet on the other hand, could only sit there with her mouth agape and her mind in flurry. How did he move so fast!? She thought bewilderedly, baffled on how the Commando was able to move faster than what even the quickest of species out there could only dream of.
While she was thinking that, as Obsidian turned back around reached over to pick up his module, Rivet could swear that there was a glowing blue ring on the back of his left hand. As quickly as she saw it, the glowing ring vanished, like there was nothing there to begin with. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Was she going—
"Well, I suppose I better get going." Obsidian said abruptly, snapping Rivet out of her stupor. "And again, thanks for fixing this thing for me, I owe you one." He said somewhat warmly, as he turned and began walking back to the entrance of the Gastropub.
"Wait!" Rivet spontaneously spoke without thought. The Commando ceased his departure, then turned back around to face her, tilting his head in question.
"Uhm..." Rivet stammered, before she recalled the question she was about to ask the Commando before she was suddenly interrupted. "How were you able to just disappear by flicking your wrist like that?" She asked, flicking her own wrist for emphasis. "Do you have some kind of gadget that lets you turn invisible, or something?"
The Commando nodded. "Yeah, it's called a Cloaking Unit." He explained, as he raised his left hand and flicked it, just like he'd done at the factory. Rivet watched him flicker for a split-second before he completely vanished from view, and she heard a faint, but familiar electronic buzzing. She squinted her eyes and focused on where he stood, trying to see if she could actually see him or not, and found nothing. About ten seconds after flicking his wrist, the Commando reappeared in the same spot he had vanished from only moments prior. "Do you... not have those here, or something?" He asked with a hint of surprise in his tone.
"No!" Rivet said enviously. "The closest thing we've got would be Hologuises, like the one Phantom has." She explained. "Even then, they're really rare."
"Fair enough." The Commando remarked. "See you around, Fluffball." He spoke, as he turned back around again and made his way towards the exit — uninterrupted this time.
As Rivet rolled her eyes at the use of the nickname and watched Obsidian leave the Gastropub, she realised that with every answer she obtained only left her with even more questions.
As Cooper retrieved his weapons and left, the Pirates all stood up from their seats to follow him. Before they could, however, their First Mate suddenly appeared again, and stopped them with an outstretched arm. "Change of plan: Do not kill him. Follow him discreetly, and report back to me when you have learned where he is hiding." Pierre ordered them in a dark tone.
"Aye aye, First Matey!" The other Pirates affirmed, one of which giving him a Pirate's salute.
As they left, Pierre put a finger to his eyepatch. "Fils de pute. I will have my vengeance, Commando. An eye for an eye, as they say." He quietly remarked to himself, as he let out an ominous chuckle.
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THE CARTER BRAXTON,
THARIA,
EIGHTEEN HOURS EARLIER
Daniel entered Officer Adams' quarters with a somewhat tired look on his face, and carrying a standard Militia MRE in his hand. After setting it down on the desk, he then removed his equipment and put it down onto the floor next to it, placing his helmet on top of the desk as well. Once that was done, the Pilot sat himself down and let out a weary groan.
As it turned out, eating nothing but nutrient bars for two or three days straight wasn't good for you. So, saying he was eager to get some actual proper food into him was an understatement.
Upon ripping the bag open and freeing the included plastic spork from its prison, he took his water canteen from his pack and unscrewed the cap, and then slowly poured the water into the bag, stopping once the bag's dry contents were just barely submerged. After replacing the cap on his canteen and putting it down on the desk, Daniel could hear the sound of the water inside starting to bubble as it came to a boil, due to the chemical reaction from the bag's inner lining. A few moments after that, the delicious aroma of a warm MRE entered his nose.
Thankfully, unlike the older, typically tasteless survival rations that were commonly used by Militia forces in the years prior, these new ones were of much higher quality in terms of nutrition value and taste, which encouraged soldiers to actually finish their meals.
After enjoying his meal for a few minutes, his attention was caught by his helmet's visor flashing a few times. He knew that it was most likely just BT trying to get his attention in order to tell him something. As Daniel somewhat reluctantly placed MRE back down onto the desk, he reached over to his helmet and put it back on. What BT said next, almost made his heart miss a beat:
"Cooper, I have detected the Ark's energy signature on a planet designated as Torren IV, located in the Vela sector."
"Wait, what!?" Daniel spoke bewilderedly, completely caught off-guard by the Titan's report. "I thought the Ark blew up on Typhon, and you're telling me that It's here!?"
"Yes." The Vanguard monotonously spoke."I am unable to determine the cause of it's current resurgance. Nonetheless, it must be secured asap."
After brushing off the inital shock, the rational part of Daniel's brain started to kick back in: BT was right; they had to secure the Ark asap, as there was no telling what could happen if someone found it. That, and if the Ark was able to bring them here, there was the possibility that it could bring them back.
A determined look appeared on Daniel's face. "Get the ship ready BT, I'm on my way!" He ordered, as he quickly stood up and started hastily reequipping his gear.
"Long-range scans indicate that Torren IV's geology primarily consists of arid and rocky deserts that contain deep canyons that span across the majority of the planet's surface. BT informed. "I recommend bringing additional water provisions with you."
"Copy that, BT!" Cooper acknowledged, as he left Officer Adams' quarters and raced down the hallway towards the cargo lift, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
However, there was nothing that could've prepared him for what was going to happen...
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Vanguard Of The Rift, even if it was a little shorter than past chapters. Also, if you're a little confused by some of the events (Namely, Cooper's sudden burst of speed, and how he knows Pierre) in this chapter; don't worry, they will be addressed in the next one.
Until then, see ya!
