Venus Ascending [Chai & Alkaline]

[Chai]

Kaisa struggled once more against the cuffs on her wrists, the metal biting into her skin. There was a neon blue glow to them—an energy barrier of some kind that seemed to deflect any incoming damage—and despite the protective measures, she fought against its hold. She was seated on the floor, chains on her ankles and her arms bound behind her back, and after a moment of twisting and turning, she sighed and slumped her body against the wall of her cell, the muted thud ringing out against the silence. It was just a small space on the ship, all white and sterile with a reinforced pane of glass as a cell door.

"I always wondered why people called you the Bloody Rose," a humanoid man said from across the glass, not looking up from the book he was reading. He sounded utterly bored as a he flipped a page and continued talking. "You don't seem bloody or rosy at all."

Even sitting down in his chair he was clearly a tall creature, easily taller than most humans at his 6-foot, 9-inch frame, but he was just about average for his own species. The alien Adirans, Kaisa recalled, were known for their tall stature, regal presence, and graceful features, including the high cheekbones, ghostly pale skin, and silvery-blonde hair that all of his people seemed to share. The only physical feature that set them apart from one another were their vibrantly colored eyes, hues that ranged from all over the rainbow. But if anyone asked her, she would have said they all shared the same smug, shit eating attitude that made her want to knock the daylights out of them, but hey, what did she know.

"Un-cuff me, big boy, and I'll show you exactly why they call me that," Kaisa sneered at him, giving a hollow laugh, "Maybe I'll show you how sweet death can be when I shove my boot so far up your ass that—"

"Enough. We will not tolerate threats of any kind, including those from low-life mercenary scum," he said, finally looking up so that the captive girl caught his bright golden eyes flashing with anger. Then a platinum band on his wrist beeped with a notification and he brought it level to his face, a small blue hologram of a woman displaying just above it. "We've landed. Fugitive is in custody," he told her, though his eyes remaining fixed on his prisoner.

"Good work, Captain Pax." The woman's voice sounded approving but cold. "We'll be waiting for your arrival."

He nodded and set his arm back down, tucking the book into his long coat and standing. After pressing some keys on a pad next to the cell, the heavy glass slid open. "I hope you're ready to meet your maker, girl," he barked at Kaisa, stepping aside as two armed guards appeared out of the hallway and roughly hiked her up from the floor.

"At least buy me dinner first before you get that handsy," Kaisa quipped, but they said nothing in return, only escorting her through a labyrinth of hallways and out of the medium sized spacecraft. She was met with the bright, almost blinding rays of the sun beaming down on what looked to be a heavenly city. The regal nature of the Adirans extended past the individuals and to their society, evidenced in the way they built their cities. Elegant skyscrapers jutted from the land, their clean design pairing nicely with the golds, silvers and bronzes that were chosen to decorate the city. Everything was immaculate, down to the last fountain that spewed glistening, crystal clear waters, and in the distance the gentle slopes of lush green hills met the blue waters of the sea. By most anyone's standards, it was perfect. It was picturesque.

She hated it.

In front of her, some couple hundred feet ahead, stood a looming statement of architecture. Like the surrounding buildings, it was decorated in the same reflective metallics, but this one was one of clear importance. Spiraling spires rose high into the sky, and multiple towers surrounded a large dome. An inscription was engraved above the main entrance—it was in a language she couldn't read, but she had an inkling of a feeling that it was related to being just or fair or whatever else bullshit the Adirans liked to lord over everyone else. The guards nudged her forward, led by the Captain and followed by the remainder of his crew. They were a specialized group of the Adiran police force; she hadn't seen them before, and was blindsided when they'd come after her. Bastards.

They led her past the massive golden double doors and inside the monstrosity of a building (or so she thought it was), only to be greeted by a group of Adirans seated in a semi-circle around the dome of a room. They were ostentatiously dressed, long flowing robes and elaborate jewelry, and by the way they looked at her, Kaisa guessed their egos were as high as the room ceiling. Even more guards seemed to join out of nowhere, flanking the girl on either side. Such tight security for someone Captain Pax deemed non-lethal, she thought to herself, though she knew they were afraid on some level. They at least respected her reputation, unlike the last group who'd tried to capture her. They'd all ended up dead, their bodies piled up in some dirty alleyway on a much less respectable planet.

"Captain," the woman at the head of the circle stood and greeted Pax, "Thank heavens you made it back safely. For a moment we had gotten worried, but I can see you were successful." Her magenta eyes moved slowly over to captive human girl, sizing her up and looking at her disdainfully. "Venus Kaissandra Holland. Your reputation precedes you. Why go by Kaisa, I wonder. Venus is such a lovely name."

"It stands for 'Killing Annoying Idiotic Shit-eating Adirans'," Kaisa retorted at the mention of her full name, and she was immediately met with guards pulling various weapons.

The alien woman raised her hand to signal for them to retreat, and she took a seat on her silvery platinum throne. "I assume you know why you've been brought before the Council," she continued unfazed, and several of the other council members made various murmurs of disgust. "Multiple charges of murder, grand larceny, aggravated assault, evasion of law, and—" she paused, smiling coldly, "—disruption of the peace on Adiran soil."

Kaisa was grinning at the mentioned criminal activity, not because she was a sadist who enjoyed crime, but because it confirmed her reputation as one of the most revered mercenaries in the galaxy. She was human, an orphan, and had in fact come from Earth, but she had been raised as an assassin early into her childhood by a bounty hunter who decided on mercy when he'd caught her trying to steal from him. And now as an adult, she was carrying on the skills just as her mentor had taught her.

"It was a moon," Kaisa smirked and rolled her eyes, "A moon that Adirans send all their second-class citizens to rot in that godforsaken dingy—"

"But our moon nonetheless," the Councilwoman said with finality, and she leaned her head on her hand, her elbow propped up on one of the arms of the throne. "The consequence of such actions is death... however, the Council has delayed that decision, and in the mean time, you will be escorted down to the prisons to await your fate. And do be a dear, Venus, and try not to cause trouble. Your life might depend on it."

With that, the Councilwoman waved her hand and the guards pulled Kaisa out of the domed structure, leading her toward a side entrance to the holding cells underground.

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic Ryan was bored. He'd been waiting for what felt like a few hours, but was almost certainly only about 45 minutes. Letting out a heavy sigh, he glanced down to check the time on his PDA, pulling the sleeve of his shirt up past the elbow, and tapping the screen as it reactivated from sleep with a flicker. 0957. More time than he had expected, at least. The Adirans were nothing but punctual at the least. They were also a petty race capable of holding intense grudges over the most minor offenses. So what if he'd been late for a meeting with the council once? He certainly didn't think it required them to insist he show up an hour earlier than was necessary now. They paid well enough to make up for it, but hopefully his next job wouldn't require quite as much... 'bureaucracy' and office time. Shooting something. That would be better.

With a yawn, Dom stretched his legs out, boots rubbing against the floor with a little squeal that got a quick side eye from the Adiran sitting across the hall from him. God damn were they tall. This one was well over 7' feet. Dominic was only 5'9 himself, so the difference wasn't exactly subtle. He'd spent years being poked and prodded at by those motherfuckers at OmniCorp, and they couldn't have bought him an extra few inches? Sure, he'd gotten plenty of other perks; enhanced agility, bones and muscles that outperformed almost any other human in the universe, and a body that looked no older than 30 despite the fact that he was starting to near the century mark himself. But for years of torture he'd have hoped he could at least make one request for himself.

"Bastard..." he whispered under his breath, cursing the alien for no reason other than to try and tell himself it was the alien's fault for making him feel self conscious. And for reminding him about those years. Sure, he probably shouldn't have still been self-conscious about it all, but apparently he was capable of the same petty grudges as the Adirans, his just dating back to some middle school bullying. Whatever it was that slowed his aging, was clearly affecting his own emotional maturity as well, he thought to himself, only getting even more pissed. Luckily, a hiss of a door disengaging nearby snapped him out of his thoughts and back into reality. A quick glance down and he saw the clock tick to 1000. Right on time as usual.

Dominic watched the guard at the desk snap to attention, standing and saluting the imposing Captain Pax as he rounded the corner. "Sir! Your appointment is ready, shall I prep...." his voice cutting off as the Captain held up a hand, two other guards and a woman in chains following him around the corner.

"No need, Lieutenant. We have it from here. You are dismissed..." he said with a curt nod and a stony gaze, sending the guard away rather quickly. Dominic sat with his own smirk, arms crossed, legs still stretched out to block half the hallway before he casually tipped to the side, peeking around Pax to get a look at the woman.

"Who's she? Seems like a little overkill, what with all the shackles and extra security..."

Pax's eyes narrowed, glaring down his nose at the man before nodding his head to a room nearby for some privacy. Dom hopped to his feet to follow, meeting the woman's eyes for the first time. His own were odd, to say the least. They were gold, hints of orange flecks catching the bright white lights in the hallway, with thin, long pupils more akin to a cat. He grinned and gave her a playful wink as he walked past and into the room nearby. "Seems like a bit of a grump..." she could hear him say to the Captain just as the door shut behind him.

"That's Venus Kaissandra Holland," Captain Pax began, before being interrupted.

"Eh? Should I know her?"

"The Bloody Rose," he said with a sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "She'll be working with you on a covert operation to..."

"Oh. Didn't she blow up your moon or some shit?"

"She did not.... blow up the moon. She did take out one of our forward operating bases, but she did not blow up, the goddamn moon. Now, as I was saying, she'll be working with you on a covert operation. Our intel suggests the Barranians have begun to deploy troops in a nearby sector, and seeing as we prefer not to play a part in their on-going feud with OmniCorp, we'd like you two to go in and disrupt their plans, if needed. Their conflict is beginning to encroach just a little too close to our territory for the council's taste and given me authorization to finance more mercenary help if we wish to seem impartial. I assume you can maintain your normal level of discretion, correct?"

With a snappy, mocking salute, Dominic grinned and stood tall. "Sir, yes sir! Assuming you pay as well as normal, we'll take care of it. Though I have to ask why the Bloody Rose needs to come along. Seems well within my grasp without the assistance."

"Understanding that request is not part of the job. You do as we ask without questions, and we pay, as usual. I assume 750,000 credits is sufficient this time?"

Grinning widely, Dom nodded and reached out to shake his hand in agreement. "750,000 credits, no questions asked. Seems fair to me," he said as the Captain motioned him towards the door. As he stepped out of the room, he gave Venus another grin. "Nice to meet ya... partner."

 

[Chai]

Kaisa's gey eyes swam with a kind of warmth as she looked up at Dominic. While she was average height for a human female, she was still decidedly shorter than he, standing at only 5 feet and 4 inches. Her boots added barely an extra inch, but what she lacked in height, she more than made up for in terms of skill, agility, and prowess. That was her own high opinion of herself at any rate.

Then the warmth turned to mischievousness, and she cocked an eyebrow at the man and gave him an amused once-over. "It's Kaisa, not partner," she emphasized before turning to glare at Captain Pax, though a hint of her signature smirk remained on her lips, "I don't do partners. And I one-hundred percent blew up your moon."

She honestly didn't know where that rumor came from. The first time she'd heard it she thought it must have been someone's exaggerated sense of humor, but the more it was repeated, the more apparent it became that people believed it. What had actually happened was a job gone slightly wrong; that moon in particular really was Adiran soil, the farthest one in orbit of the planet they inhabited. Officially they were there for colonization, but she guessed it more or less existed as the council's eyes and ears for the happenings around their little corner of the galaxy. She'd been asked to cause a diversion so a slave ship could pass into Adiran territory undisturbed, but what had started as a little fiery fun had accidentally ended up in the destruction of multiple reactors and a base. Some lives lost here or there, but she liked to think it was just collateral damage for the greater good. The slave ship had passed and she had gotten her 200,000 credits, and money was always good, right?

"You did not blow up the moon," Pax insisted, "And you don't get to choose." He was in the lead again, now guiding the pair down the hall of holding cells. All around them the cells were filled with all sorts of unsavory characters, some of which seemed to recognize Kaisa as she walked past. Side eyes, glares, and quiet curiosity permeated the atmosphere; one could only wonder exactly what it was that elicited such reactions, but Kaisa only followed the captain has he rounded a corner, unperturbed by those that took interest in her.

Pax opened the door to another room, where another official-looking Adiran sat behind the table that dominated the room. Judging by his robes he looked to be a councilman or other related person of importance, and he motioned for the trio to sit. The room was just as white and sterile as Kaisa's confines on Pax's ship, and the Adiran behind the table rustled some papers as he gathered them in to a neat stack.

Kaisa's chains clanked loudly against the floor, and she sighed after a moment of silence. "Am I missing something here? Am I not supposed to be thrown in one of these cells, then make my daring yet completely expected escape? Cause just let me know, I'm—"

"Venus," The Adiran at the table interrupted her, enunciating her name very carefully. He tapped the stack of papers on his desk, drumming his fingers atop the white pages. "Here is a detailed list of all your charges; the incidents, what and who were involved, and where they took place. It's quite an impressive list... if that's the metric of what one would consider 'impressive'. We've been watching you."

"Oh. I mean, sure, that's not weird or anything.""

"We've decided that you'd be a valuable asset to our goals here. You see, while others promote war and violence, we are a peaceful race that promote peace and tranquility. We do a lot of work to, ah, keep that peace and prosperity of our quadrant." He looked thoughtfully down at the desk, then back up again. "We're looking to employ you as one of these... peace keepers. Temporarily, of course, and on a case-by-case basis."

Kaisa looked at him with genuine surprise in her eyes, cocking an eyebrow and leaning forward, some of her auburn hair falling in front of her face. "Employ me? Peace keeper? You know my track record, I don't exactly do—"

"Peace requires vigilance and reaction when necessary. That's where you come in, yes? Unless you'd rather be sentenced to death." Kaisa shook her head and he slapped his hands on the desk with finality, then stood. "No? Well that's settled then. Captain, remove her from the chains and binds, and Dominic... well, good luck with her."

"I'm not as bad as they say, promise," Kaisa grinned up at the other mercenary, rubbing her wrists that were now free from the metal cuffs. "Just don't get in my way, and we're all good."

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic eyed the woman up and down, taking the "Bloody Rose" in before his eyes found hers again. She may not have looked like it at first glance, but when you were locked in chains, and still the most confident person in the room, it didn't matter how tall you were. And this girl had some serious, "swagger" as the kids said. Fuck. How did that stupid world still survive the last few centuries, Dom thought to himself. Shouldn't they have come up with some other slang by now?

Unable to help himself, Dom smirked a bit at the woman's confidence and just let himself drop to the back of the conversation. He could talk with the best of them, but he'd learned fairly quickly that it was just as valuable to stay in the background too. You weren't going to be the richest merc no one ever heard of by blowing up moons and pissing your name in the ashes left behind. And the Adirans certainly weren't going to pay you nearly a million credits if you were in the habit of doing that as well. They were peacekeepers, after all.

Once in the office, he found a seat near the back and continued to observe. The job, as he suspected, didn't sound particularly difficult. Adding in Kaisa seemed like an unnecessary risk, but as with previous cases, there was likely more instruction to come anyways. It never ended up as simple as it seemed.

"Oh, I think I'll be just fine," he said with a smirk, kicking his legs up rather dramatically to get himself out of the chair he'd taken. "I've always had the best luck, haven't I?" he said with a grin to the Captain. His immediate scowl confirmed that he hadn't quite forgot about that night of cards either. It was a shame he continued to refuse to play again.

"I'm sure I can stay out of your way... darling," Dom said as he turned to open up the door for her. He was grinning again at her, his eyes dancing with a hint of playfulness as well. It was almost like he was daring her to react to, what he assumed, wouldn't exactly be her favorite nickname if it stuck. "You wouldn't know it, but I've blown up my fair share of moons too, you know. I just don't go about getting arrested for it," he said as he turned to escort her back down the hall. "In fact, I'll happily stay out of your way and just reap the reward instead."

As they passed back through the holding cells, one of the inmates near the end of the block suddenly threw himself against the cell walls, growling and spitting on the floor. "Ryan, I'm going to fucking kill you still. They can't keep in here forever..." he snarled, drool dripping from his rather pronounced underbite. The creature may have been over 10 feet tall himself, Dominic never could get past the bulging eyes that reminded him of one of those pugs back on Earth.

"Sure you will, Crusher. I'll see you soon then, eh?" he said, chuckling to himself when he saw the goofy face again, then carefully stepping over the spit on the floor. "Just to clarify, Crusher is the stupid nickname he gave himself," he said in more of a whisper as he leaned in a bit closer to Kaisa, shoulders brushing for a brief second as he did. "To be fair, he did have some nasty habit of smashing skulls to bits though."

Once they finally made the end of the hall, Dom called down an elevator, a soft ping ringing as the stark white walls split open and he stepped inside. "So how'd they actually catch you, anyways? You've been a pain in their side for quite some time now," he asked once the doors were shut and they were alone. "I have to admit, that work on the moon was actually pretty impressive too."

 

[Chai]

Ding!

The doors shut and Kaisa was finally left alone with the man, and she immediately whirled on him after he'd asked his question, pushing him back against the white wall. She had none of her usual weaponry on her given the fact that it had been confiscated and had yet to be returned, but she was skilled even without it, capturing his wrists in her hands and pinning them on the wall behind him. It wasn't anything forceful or hard or threatening, but it was enough to make him listen. And she wanted to make sure he heard her next words loud and clear, pressing her body against his and tilting her head back to look into those feline-like, golden eyes.

"Call me darling again, and I'll paint these pretty white walls with your blood, 'kay?"

She was smiling as she said the words, though it didn't quite reach her icy grey eyes. A strand of wavy auburn hair falling in front of her face, but she only continued to stare Dominic down, taking advantage of the privacy of the elevator. Anyone looking in on the scene might have guessed she was making a sexual pass at him, but instead she was giving him a violently sweet threat over her name. It was something she was strangely particular about, especially from this stranger who she was sure was intentionally trying to piss her off.

"Or you can do it again and find out how serious I am," she finished, finally releasing him and turning to press a number on the digital interface that sent the elevator on its smooth ride up.

It wasn't about intimidation or the need to prove herself; she didn't need those. It was about principle. He was going to work with her, therefore she needed the respect she deserved, not sarcastic little nicknames or sassy quips about getting away with blowing up his own moons.

"Honestly, the easiest answer is that I don't know how they found me. I'd been at the Forge for a while—you know the one, sleezy little outpost with all the fucking nutjobs—looking for a small crew for this, uh, job. Let's call it that. But yeah, I wasn't expecting that they'd find me there. Adirans don't normally hang out so far from their picture perfect planet, do they? I have a lot of enemies, but I'd like to think we're not low enough to go reporting each other to intergalactic police forces."

The elevator dinged once more and she stepped out before Dominic, though she walked beside him through a grand hall that resembled Greek or Roman architecture. "If you're as badass as you claim, why haven't I ever heard of you? I think at some point down the road, I would have heard of someone blowing up moons that wasn't me."

 

[Alkaline]

Dom rubbed his wrist softly once she released her grip, a smirk still on his face. A temper and she gets physical fast, he thought to himself. That certainly could be a recipe for trouble, but better to know what you were getting into ahead of time. Trouble itself wasn't even a bad thing all the time. Either way, he'd thrown out the bait and she bit just as he had expected. Couldn't really blame her of course. He'd probably have done the same if he was in her circumstances, but always better to know who you are working with before the real shit hit the fan sometime later.

"I think you underestimate the Adirans and their desire to meddle in just about every affair they can. You are right, it's rare to see them that far away from home, but they pay to have eyes and ears almost everywhere they can. And they have a decent streak of pettiness, so once you cross them, they almost always plan to get you back..."

Nodding towards a rather large archway at the end of the hall he took a turn motioned for the woman to follow. The Greek and Roman designs gave way to a more modern design again, the walls returning to their stark white color as they headed towards the hanger bay.

"As far as my work goes, well I found that most people, or at least some like the Adirans, pay even more to make sure you can make something look like an accident. So let's see.... The collapse of the salt mines on Naviria, the Grand Chancellor of Portanus' very unfortunate demise by food poisoning..." He tapped each finger on his right hand as he counted them off, eyes glancing up towards the ceiling. "The moon I 'blew up' was the OmniCorp research base on Titan. To be fair, they knew that was me, but for business purposes kept it under wraps."

Turning down the final corner of the hall, an expansive hanger opened before them, white giving way to a more industrial grey. Footsteps echoing a bit on the now metal flooring. Just as they were about to enter, he grabbed her wrist rather suddenly to stop her.

"Oh... I can't believe I didn't even tell you my favorite one. The uprising on Maul? It was led by disgraced military general that inspired a populist revolution when he was assassinated? Well I may have been the military general. Of course the assassination was obviously staged. Well... The one where I was assassinated. No one found out about the real one since we buried him at the bottom of the ocean."

Smiling, he turned back around, heading into the hanger. He assumed she would think it was bullshit, but he didn't need to convince her in the end. At the least, his ship would likely give her some pause.

"Let's just say you can make a lot of money if you have the right connections and aren't..... Reckless," he said, letting the last word linger just a bit before motioning over to a ship nearby. "Anyways, she's mine. We can take her if you'd like..."

The ship he indicated to was by far the most advanced one currently docked. It was all sleek, straight lines, a perfect shine to it's dark black exterior. Top of the line, but small and from the looks of it with enough space for two to three crew at most.

"Not too bad for someone you've never heard of, huh?"

 

[Chai]

Kaisa stared dumbly for a moment, a rare look of awe and disbelief crossing her face before it disappeared, replaced by a scowl. She said nothing, but the frown spoke for her; the scowl deepened and her eyes were darting upwards, flicking back and forth as if trying to make out some mental calculation that was getting too hard to comprehend. No, that couldn't be. Not when he looked so young. Modification wasn't unheard of, especially in this day and age where scientific advancement was so prevalent and at the forefront of society. Kaisa herself had been the product of genetic selection on Earth, something she attributed her peak physical condition to. But modification to slow, stop or reverse aging—now that was something special even with the advancements made by this century's scientists.

"The uprising on Maul happened almost 20 years ago," she said plainly, reaching out to touch his arm, stopping him as he was about to take a step toward the ship.

She was already 27 and had only heard of the Maul incident because... well, anyone worth their salt in this line of business knew about Maul. She knew about Maul from the time she was old enough to even comprehend that her adoptive father was training her to be exactly what he was: a mercenary, an assassin, a spy. She could slip into whatever mold was necessary, and while others also called her a liar, cheat, and swindler, she wasn't all too bothered by outside opinions.

What she was bothered by was the fact that she had no idea who this guy—Dominic—even was. Her hand was still on his arm as she blinked up at him, half expecting him to pop another smirk. But when he didn't, she simply let go and finally tore her gaze away, crossing her arms loosely across her chest.

"Well I guess you can't get a sweet ride like that unless you've been something doing something right," Kaisa murmured, letting herself admire the sleekness of the craft for just a moment before she walked toward it, Dom presumably at her side.

Shiny metal and clean lines were always appealing; it reminded her of her own ship, except shinier and newer and not lost. One could only guess where her ship was or who even had taken it, but she was willing to bet it was now in the hands of her greedy little crew. A ramp opened from the belly of the craft, making a smooth touch with the ground below, creating an entrance for both mercenaries to walk on board. Kaisa paused, taking in the view once more.

"How'd you know I like big, black stuff?" She joked, laughing as she took the first step up. "And you're totally letting me fly this thing, right?"

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic could still feel his arm tingling from where she'd touched him. He knew he was just imagining it, of course, but it certainly had felt nice, even if it was just a casual gesture.

I've spent far too much time with these Adirans, he thought to himself, dropping back just a step to let Kaisa take the lead up the ramp. Truth was, avoiding people was kind of his thing. Couldn't find it in himself to trust too many of them, and especially not a fellow human. At least the Adirans were predictable, and predictable was safe. Weren't much for fucking though, and that was apparently starting to wear on him if a simple touch on the wrist was enough to get his blood boiling. Of course he couldn't deny that a strikingly beautiful, confident, and aggressive woman was his achilles heel as well.

Maybe I haven't spent enough time with these Adirans, he told himself as his eyes fell down her body, stealing a glance at her ass as it snapped back and forth with each step. They may be boring as shit, but can't deny they take care of business efficiently. With a soft sigh, he shook his head a bit and painfully pulled his eyes back up towards his ship, her question bringing him back to reality.

"Hmm... I was led to believe you had a sense of humor that was a little more developed than that of a teenage boy," he said teasingly, hand gently resting against Kaisa's shoulder as he moved her to the side and stepped in front of her to open the airlock. As he pressed his palm against a panel, neon blue lights backlit against his hand, a little humming noise kicking in as it scanned his biometrics. "Though I will say, big and black is only satisfying for most if it lasts. Sadly this one's incredibly fast and you likely won't find much pleasure from her as a result."

Winking as he said it, the door disengaged and opened up wide, a pleasant British voice chiming in from overhead with a "Welcome aboard, Mr. Ryan." Smiling, he turned back over his shoulder towards Kaisa, before pointing to the ceiling in reference to the voice. "You are welcome to fly the ship, but only if Emily gives permission first. She's the real star of the show, to be honest. Like I said, it has paid off to be subtle in my case, and being able to afford a top of the line onboard AI is one of the nicer perks... Now, Emily, my dear, do you think we should let Kaisa fly the ship?"

After only a brief pause, the doors at the end of the hall popped open, a string of lights flickering along the very corner of the ceiling, ushering the two of them towards the cockpit before the AI responded.

"Venus Kaissandra Holland, also known as the Bloody Rose, has multiple incidents on her record, most notably the destruction of at least three separate vessels of which she was the primary pilot on board. While her combat record indicates an advanced affinity for flying, it also shows a penchant for reckless endangerment and it is not recommended that she be allowed to pilot this ship. It would be far safer to continue letting me navigate with your assistance, Mr. Ryan."

With a rather fake frown, Dom turned back towards the woman and gave a shrug. "Doesn't seem like Em likes you very much, so you'll have to sit this one out for now," he said before plopping into one of the two cockpit seats, legs immediately kicking up onto a footrest as he brandished a key and plugged it into the dash. "We won't receive clearance for take off for at least an hour though... Want me to show you around or you think you can take care of yourself without running off on me?"

 

[Chai]

Kaisa's jaw dropped, looking somewhere between amused and taken aback by the AI's assessment of her.

"Well we all can't afford such delightful AI's on our ships, can we, Mr. Ryan? In my defense, I was flying those vessels through restricted space and they just happened to be destroyed. With the exception of the second one, that one was, uh..." Her voice trailed off into a silent snicker, though a wide grin split her face at the memory. "I don't think commandeering a ship for the express purpose of crashing it should really be counted against my record. I mean, sure I was piloting it, but I also wanted to destroy it. I bet Emily didn't think of that, huh? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to explore." Then in audible laughter and a sing-song voice, she turned away and added, "Emily can kiss my ass!"

"My apologies, I can only take orders from Mr. Ryan," came the echoing reply as Kaisa moved down the opposite end of the hall.

"Smart ass," she muttered under her breath, face brightening when she tapped her hand on a sensor that slid open a door to the general seating area. The interior was just as sleek as the exterior, the dark grey walls and silver structures accented nicely with a pop of red leather. Across the seating was a large screen presumably for entertainment, and to the left of the sofas were storage cabinets.Tucked away in one corner of the small room was a mini drink and food bar; a welcome sight considering the last time she'd eaten had been the previous day when she'd poked and prodded a hard lump of bread and a pile of goop that Captain Pax probably thought was edible food.

Her stomach grumbled and she crossed the room, picking up a pinkish-red fruit and sinking her teeth into it in a rather large bite. The lush flavor exploded within her mouth, sweet but also gently floral, and she almost groaned in appreciation. Hexia pears were a luxury for many, as they only grew on select planets and import prices were high. But of course Dom would have the best of the best on his ship, and it only made sense that it extended to his food as well.

Then opening the small fridge down below, she took note of the tightly sealed clear containers of food held securely in place, and the row of drinks lining the door. Various juices, water, fizzy sodas and alcohol were all lined up to choose from, and in the end she picked a bottle of plain water, finishing the cold liquid in a matter of seconds.

A pang of regret and jealousy shot through her for just a moment, reminding her of the luxuries she used to have. Her ship hadn't been quite as nice as Dom's, but it had what she wanted, and more importantly, it was her own. She hated being dependent on someone else, but for the time being it was necessary before she could build herself up again. She'd done it from the ground up already, so surely she could do it again, especially with the credits still tied to her name.

Kaisa continued her exploration after discarding the remnants of the pear, walking down a smaller hallway that split from the main walkway, where she found a lavatory, two sets of closed doors, and a large observatory window overlooking the hanger bay. One of these rooms had to have been the captain's quarters, she guessed, and while it might have been considered an invasion of privacy to enter Dom's private room, one little peek couldn't hurt, right? She tapped her hand against the sensor on the side of the first door, expecting it to slide open, but instead came Emily's voice through a speaker in the hallway ceiling.

"Access denied."

Kaisa turned and tapped on the second door.

"Access denied," Emily said again, "Paging Mr. Ryan."

"Are you actually kidding me right now, Emily? Don't get your pant— wires in a twist," the young woman said, rolling her eyes and leaning back to rest against the wall.

 

[Alkaline]

Dom smiled as he listened to the two bicker, closing his eyes and reclining the seat back instead on engaging for the moment. For now, the ship had sufficiently done it's job, and Kaisa seemed impressed enough to give him a little bit of respect. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that she would actually listen to an order if he tried to give one, or that she wouldn't stab him in the back at the first opportunity, but at least she seemed to buy into the fact that he wasn't just some rookie being thrown into the mix.

"Dom, I once again must insist that she does not pilot this ship," Emily said, the voice taking a much more casual tone once Kaisa had left the room, confining the response to just the cockpit so she wouldn't overhear. "Flying through restricted space is not a reasonable defense for losing a ship. It should be clear to her that doing so greatly increased the likelihood of confrontation with authorities and dramatically increases the odds that..."

"Relax, Em. I appreciate your concern, but you don't have to worry. If we get into a situation where she is allowed to pilot, you'll have full override authority and can take control at any time," he said, reaching out and softly patting an empty spot on the navigation panel before he flipped a few switches and brought up the onboard security cameras to take a look at what the woman was up to.

"Dammit, found that last hexia already," he cursed under his breath, frowning as he watched her bite into it enthusiastically. Hopefully she appreciated it, it would likely be awhile until they were in a port where he could pick up a few more. Sighing, he leaned back once more and continues to just observe her exploration, shaking his head and chuckling at her immediate attempts to break into the individual quarters as well.

"Emily, go ahead and grant Kaisa access to both cabins. She is welcome to Snoop around as much as she likes... I'm sure she will find I'm relatively boring once she has a chance to dig through my personal belongings," he said into the shipwide intercom, smirking as he watched the monitor for her reaction. He could see the locks disengage, and then swung his feet back down, working his way down towards the room himself. When he finally arrived, he slipped into his own room, leaving the door open for Kaisa, and flopped onto the bed, kicking his shoes off in the process.

"Ahhhh," he said in relief as his body sunk into the mattress. Of all the things he'd splurged on with the ship, sometimes he thought the bed was his favorite part. The cost had been... excessive, to say the least, but by God was it the most comfortable place to lay in the entire universe in his opinion. The room itself was fairly minimalist. The bed may have been a luxury, and was adorned with a mountain of pillows as well, but otherwise it was limited to a closet, a simple desk with a large monitor, and a dresser. A personal television was also installed into one of the walls, and when he entered the room it immediately flicked on and began to play some ancient music from the Earth's 21st century.

"Just to let you know, the rooms are completely private. I'll have Emily give you your own personal lock for your quarters, and as tempting as it was, I decided against being a pervert that could spy in on those rooms as my guests changed. So there are no visual security systems installed" he said loud enough so that his voice could carry to the room across the hall if needed, sitting back up on the very edge of the bed.

"Hopefully it's all to your liking? We can always pick up some additional comforts if needed when we stop at the Athenian space port before we jump. Get you one of the big black toys to keep you in high spirits," he said with a bit of a laugh, craning his head to look out the door a bit and see what she was doing.

 

[Chai]

Kaisa shifted her weight onto one hip and raised a middle finger in the air, unsure of exactly where the security cameras were, but positive that Dom would see them all the same. "You don't get this good by minding your own business," she exclaimed smugly into the air, stepping into the guest quarters when the lock undid itself and the doors opened. It was true enough; most everyone she knew in her line of work weren't the most honest people. It took a certain kind of personality with enough balls to go meddling in affairs that weren't theirs, but it paid well—oftentimes extremely well—to do what they did.

The room was decently sized, or as decently sized as guest quarters could be. The one on her primary ship had been smaller, but that was mainly due to the fact that she almost never had guests on her ship. Perhaps Dominic actually had guests this frequently to invest in a dedicated guest room, but then again perhaps not. Maybe she was the first to step inside since he'd bought the craft. The room itself was rather plain, with much of the decor matching the standard grey and black theme seen throughout the rest of the ship. On the immediate left was a wardrobe and storage, empty of course, but she planned on getting items to fill it. Seeing as all of her belongings were now floating away in a ship that more than likely stolen at this point... Yes, she would need some replacements.

The opposite wall had a television and a small sofa, then at the back was the bed itself, small in her opinion, but it had more than enough room for her to sleep. And Lord knew she was going to get plenty of that. Time in the holding cell of Pax's ship definitely hadn't done any favors for her neck and back, and despite what anyone said, napping in chains was not a comfortable task. Nor was it an easy task; the sound of clanking chains had woken her whenever she shifted on the floor, but she supposed it was also the consequence of being a light sleeper.

"Are you serious?" Kaisa asked incredulously, turning for a moment toward the music coming from the room across the hall, and she laughed at the choice. "At least play the good shit if you're gonna go back that far." She herself was fond of all kinds of centuries-old music from Earth, though she had a particular soft spot for 2000's hip-hop and funk from the 1970s.

She was removing her leather jacket now, folding it in half and draping it neatly across the foot of the bed. Then she tied up her long auburn hair into a high ponytail, the toned muscles of her arms and back now visible with the absence of the jacket. A navy blue cropped shirt stopped just above her navel, with a sliver of sun-kissed skin showing between it and the high-waist, skin-tight black pants she had on below. If she'd turned around, one could have seen the hint of her only tattoo peeking out on her back below the shirt. It wasn't very big, but it was just enough to make it obvious that it was there.

"I don't need toys, Dom," she called out from across the hall, then turning to walk into his room she added, "The only things I like playing with are flight controls and myself. And seeing as I'm not going to be doing the first anytime soon, I guess I'm stuck with the latter for now." She was smirking as she said the words, plopping herself down next to him on his bed and crossing one leg over another.

"Aww, boo, yours is bigger," she joked leaning back against the soft sheets. "So much better for playing with yourself." Her eyes sparkled with unvoiced laughter at the layers of innuendos. Teenage boy humor wasn't necessarily her thing, but she also wasn't afraid of speaking her mind. And Dom certainly seemed to enjoy the banter, or at the very least, didn't seem to mind it. Then she rolled her body over his, straddling him playfully. "Now that we're all comfy and alone, maybe you can tell me a thing or two about the Adirans? Or actually, to get straight to the point, what happens to me if I dip? I'm sure you're supposed to tell them if little Kaisa goes missing, aren't you?"

She searched his feline eyes for only a second before laughing freely now and rolling off of him. "Kidding. Even I'm not that stupid to go escaping." Yet, she tacked on mentally to the end of the sentence. Sure, she was in a bind for now, but at the first convenient opportunity? Ditching Dom's popsicle stand was probably the first thing she would want to do. Not that he had to know, of course.

 

[Alkaline]

"Playing the good shit," Emily chimed in from above, an almost audible eye roll heard in her voice. "Please enjoy the Grammy winning album, DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar from the year 2018. I believe that Humble, may be of particular interest to you, Venus."

Dominic smirked, leaving up on his elbows, legs still dangling off the edge of the bed as Emily teased the new guest. Might need to turn down the sarcasm setting before a fight breaks out. When Kaisa came wandering back in, he couldn't help but yet again find himself briefly exploring her figure. His eyes lingering just a moment on that flash of skin between pants and shirt, toes curling in his boots as he painfully pulled his eyes away. He sat up briefly, tossing his own jacket off and onto the floor near his closet as he did. The simple white v-neck he wore beneath it was just sheer enough to show his own tattoos in vague detail. It appeared to be an intricate web of lines, criss-crossing over her shoulders and chest, though the real details were hidden beneath. If one stared hard enough they would likely realize it was a blueprint of some sort, though the shirt obscurred it for now.

As Kaisa dropped onto the bed, he leaned back again, laying flat with his arms crossed behind his head. When she was on top of him only a few seconds later though, he had to briefly pause and wonder if he'd accidentally invited the approach. Not that I'd complain, he thought as his eyes found hers, unable to hide a little smirk from crawling onto his lips. His body began to betray him quickly though, all sense of composure starting to flush away when he felt his cheeks flush just the slightest bit. Instinctively, his fingers clenched tighter into fists, nails biting into his palm and leaving little marks. Oh she's real trouble... Dammit, I really shouldn't be this easy. Think of... Captain Pax. Rolling around... In mud. Yes. That will do it. Pax. Mud. Pax. Mud.

It may have only been a brief moment, but he was sure she saw his eyes flicker away as he tried to distract himself. The small slits in his feline eyes quickly expanding and contracting as well. Once she'd rolled off of him though he wasn't sure whether he was disappointed it was just a tease, or relieved to gain some level of control back.

"To be honest, you try and run and a best case scenario is that they'll just ask me to kill you. Worst case, they'll ask me to capture you and return you so they can kill you themselves. They may talk about peace plenty, but behind closed doors they can get into some seriously twisted shit."

Rolling back over, he pushed himself up onto his feet, looking down at the woman as he wandered back towards the exit to the room. He wasn't sure the last time someone had got under his skin quite so quickly, so at least the little extra space gave him some sense of self control too. "Look, you behave yourself and maybe I'll let you have the big bed and a little extra cash, how's that for incentive? I would really rather not have to hunt you down, and I can make a compromise or two if you can just make this easy for me. Deal?"

 

[Chai]

Amusement twinkled in her grey eyes as Kaisa watched him get up. Touchy, touchy... The moment had been brief, but his disconnection from their eye contact had not gone unnoticed. The urge to giggle overtook her, brought on by the emotional insight of his eyes, but she managed to suppress it long enough to regain composure of herself. Perhaps his eyes had given away too much; was that why he looked away? She wondered idly if the widening and narrowing of his pupils mirrored the same signals as actual feline creatures' did. Excitement and surprise were the first that came to mind, but other choices included anger, fear, or pleasure. She swore she could have guessed which emotions were in that split-second interaction, but there really was only one way to find out, and she was fighting not to do it again.

Maybe if he hadn't stood so abruptly, she might have gotten the chance to confirm her thoughts. There was something so enjoyable about pushing men to their limits. No, not just men, but people to their limits—she wanted to know what made them tick, and how far she could take things before earning a consequence. In truth, she also enjoyed the simple fact that getting on top of men was fun, and anyone who said differently was just a stick in the mud. Or gay.

But her mood suddenly changed at Dominic's suggestion, and she propped herself up on her elbows to face him, staring as he looked at her from the doorway. Her brows furrowed in annoyance, or perhaps even disapproval, and a pouting frown found its way onto her lips.

"Easy for you?" Kaisa repeated, tilting her head marginally to the left, causing her long ponytail to fall and drape around her shoulder and arm. "Do you think I don't take this seriously? Or that my very presence is somehow going to make things harder for you?"

She sat up on the bed, leaning back on her palms and stretching her legs, though the frown was seemingly less severe. Her tone took on a defensive quality, unused to being treated with doubt and uncertainty, and she eyed him carefully. "I'm a lot of things, but being bad at what I do isn't one of them. I don't need to be enticed like a kid with candy. I'll do my job, and you do yours, and everything will be fine."

A brief silence hung in the air around them as they simply stared at one another, threatening to turn awkward by the millisecond until Kaisa smirked and relaxed once more. Her arms stretched up and she laid back on the luxurious sheets, fingers grabbing at the cloth in a way that was reminiscent of extreme appreciation. Or passionate lovemaking, but she would let Dominic decide on the interpretation. "Does the big bed come with you in it?" She finally asked innocently enough, laughing softly and peering at him through her fluttery, dark lashes. "Forget the cash, maybe that's the kind of candy I want."

Her laughter was more audible now, sweet and melodic as she stood from the warmth and comfort of the bed. Making her way across the room, she flashed Dom a quick grin before slipping past him and back into her own room. "Keep it. Playing with yourself is always more fun on your own bed," she called through the open doorway, grabbing her jacket off the white bedding before joining him once more in the hallway.

"Now about that space port. I have nothing with me, clearly, so I'm gonna need to get some replacements if you don't mind. And tell Emily to turn up the heat in here, it's fucking freezing!"

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic crossed his arms behind his back, one wrist grabbing the other as he leaned against the wall. His fingers squeezed tightly, and he could feel his jaw clenching as she began to question whether he took her seriously or not. That's what he tried to tell himself at least, but he wasn't actually sure he wasn't just a bit overwhelmed by the rapidly changing emotions instead. He was the an embodiment of self-control. It's what made him so damn good at what he did. She was chaos personified, instead. Sure, it made her great and what she did too, but to pretend this was going to be a match made in heaven would be a fucking stretch.

Dom's eyes narrowed as well, a thousand rebuttals running through his mind as she glared back, but the tension was gone even faster that it had risen, leaving him to just stare with those words left on the tip of his tongue. Instead, his anger was pushed back as he found himself watching a beautiful woman writhing in his own sheets, taunting him with sexual innuendo that rolled off her perfect, pouty lips with ease. Whatever upper hand he may have briefly held in this game was completely gone, so he just stood silently, lips pinched tight in a hard line as he pretended to act like he was following along with the conversation, not lost in his own head.

You are in control... She's just trying to get to you. It's all just fun and games to her...

It was easier said than done, apparently. He could hear the words, but his mind was stuck looking at the indentation in the sheets from her body; the small bunches where she'd grabbed at the sheets in pleasure. He couldn't quite shake that image, wondering if it would have looked that way if he was on his knees at the end of the bed, her legs draped over his shoulders as his lips and fingers slowly wandered up her thighs. It wasn't a bad image to have, not at all, he thought, his head tilting just before Kaisa's voice brought him back to reality.

"Ah, yeah... Spaceport," he said, grumbling just a bit from the lingering frustration. He pushed off the wall, walking towards his own doorway as he brought up the holographic display from his wristband. "Looks like we're cleared to depart... We'll stop there to get you setup, then..." his voice trailed off a bit, pausing to read through the most recent message that had arrived while he was off day dreaming of what Kaisa may have tasted like instead.

Mr. Ryan,
Please report to the regional branch of OmniCorp located in Alstara by 1900. Local law enforcement will escort you to a recently discovered crime scene that we would like you and Ms. Holland to examine. It appears that the conflict between the Barranians and OmniCorp may be escalating much quicker than anticipated, and we are concerned that it has already reached Adiran. The Council has authorized me to give you full access to any resources you may need, and we have transferred an additional 50,000 credits to your account to encourage expediency. Whatever you find in Alstara, please note it is to be kept completely confidential. If our suspicions are confirmed, this may have been an assassination, and we do not want to get dragged into this mess. <eom>

Well, this was certainly escalating quickly. "We'll need to be in Alstara by 1900," he continued. "Pax said there is a potential murder he'd like us to check out..." he said, smirking just a bit as he raised his eyebrow quizzically. "Emily, can you plot a course for us? We should have plenty of time, correct?" Alstara was, to his knowledge, on the opposite side of the planet, and approximately 25,000 miles away. An easy enough trip as long as they didn't spend too much time at the spaceport. "Oh, and I guess lets check on the heat for our guest here. Bump it up to 72 degrees?"

Murder, the perfect thing to distract from the quickly growing desire to fuck your partner, Dominic thought to himself as he turned to head towards the cockpit. As he did, he couldn't help but squeeze by Kaisa in the hall, briefly letting his fingers slide over her hips as he maneuvered around her in the tight space, eyes briefly connecting with hers again. Fuck. Maybe not.

"Alstara by way of the Athenian Spaceport will take approximately 87 minutes via travel outside of the planets atmosphere. Estimated docking queues at the spaceport will add an additional 32.5 minute delay, leaving you 3 hours to shop for supplies if you wish to arrive on time. I do caution that increasing the temperature to 72 degrees exceeds the threshold for optimal energy efficiency. Additional costs will be in excess of 5000 credits if this temperature is maintained for the next week ship wide. Increasing the temperature in just Ms. Holland's living quarters will save approximately 80% of the cost, as an alternative."

Rolling his eyes and dropping into the pilots seat, Dominic leaned over and punched a few lights on the dashboard. "It's fine, Em. Pax just sent us another 50,000 so we can splurge on heating costs just a bit... Let's just get out of here for now, okay?" he said, as the rest of the cockpit burst to life with extravagant holographs and flashing lights.

"As you wish, Dom... Artificial gravity has been deployed. Clearance granted. Please sit back and enjoy the ride," Emily said, just as the ship lifted off the ground, rotated rather quickly and accelerated out of the hanger. Within 20 seconds they would be breaking the atmosphere, the artificial gravity making it feel like the ship hadn't moved at all to the passengers inside.

 

[Chai]

Kaisa was almost positive that she'd made him angry, or mildly annoyed at the very least. His tight-lined lips were the only response to her teasing, and she wondered if she'd taken things too far. Not that she would have felt bad about it, but getting under people's skin had always been her specialty, and she wasn't about to stop now just because she was tied up in a ship with a man she barely even knew. At least they could keep it civil, which was really the only thing she'd ever asked of her crew back before she was captured and subsequently forced to be a pawn in whatever game the Adiran's were planning.

Or maybe Dominic wanted to keep things more than civil if his hands on her hips were anything to judge by, brief as it was. Her back pressed to the wall, fingers splayed against the cool metal as his own slid over the curve of her hips, gently holding her there until he moved his body past hers. Immediately, her gaze flicked upwards toward his face, questioning the physicality but also daring him to move closer, daring him to slide those hands up her waist and under the navy blue crop top. But the moment was gone in the blink of an eye, and she was almost grateful for the break. There was an intensity about his eyes that she couldn't quite read, but she could feel it in the atmosphere between them. For people that had gotten off on the wrong foot, literally thrown together to form some kind of ragtag team, there sure was a lot of a different kind of tension. Electric. Sizzling. It didn't help that, all things considered, he wasn't exactly an eyesore (in fact she considered him to be quite attractive), and she wondered if he could feel it, too.

"Funny— usually when there's a potential murder, I'm the one doing it," Kaisa said sweetly as she followed Dom back through the ship and toward the cockpit. There was more of the vessel to explore, but it could wait. Right now she was more concerned about getting off this damned planet, and if it meant playing as an Adiran puppet, she would gladly do so until a better offer came along. Living was always better than dying, and she was a woman of opportunity.

"Alternatively, you can keep my room cool, Emily," she countered playfully, "I'm sure I can find other ways to get nice and hot. It'll save you that teeny little cost, too."

She wasn't entirely sure how out of all the A.I. she'd encountered through the years, this one was the only one that managed to pull at her nerves. But she plopped in the copilot's seat, sideways with her legs draped over one arm of the chair, and watched the displays light up, monitors come on, and and the spacecraft lift off the ground. Soon enough they were breaking through the exosphere, the bright blue sky giving way to the inky darkness of space, an ocean of black with sparkling dots of distant stars. Kaisa's body visibly relaxed, clearly more at home than she'd been on the Adiran planet, and she shifted her position to inspect some of the ship controls. It was clearly more advanced than any ship she'd personally flown, and a quick pang of jealousy shot through her, as did the urge to relieve Emily of her piloting duties and manually take it for a joyride.

"You have no idea how much I want to override autopilot right now," she mentioned casually to Dominic, beaming at him innocently, which earned the immediate response from Emily.

"Absolutely not, Venus, I shall remind you once more of the recklessness and des—"

"Destruction of vessels, blah blah, I got it. Play some Travis Scott, though, and we'll see if I don't shut up for the rest of this ride."

"I'm sure we'd all enjoy that, Ms. Holland," Emily's sarcastic tone replied, sounding like some kind of disapproving boss or possibly even an irate parent. Nevertheless, the sounds of SICKO MODE blasted through the speakers, leaving the female mercenary happy and generally true to her word, keeping mostly silent until their arrival to the Athenian Spaceport.

The massive station was just outside the edge of the Adiran system, serving as both a trading post and entry into Adiran space. Regulated entry, anyway. Kaisa herself had never followed that, especially after the few incidents in which her reputation with the Adurans had been tarnished and blackened. Blowing up the forward base on the moon had just been one of those things, and also seemingly the last straw. Still, she'd visited the Athenian Spaceport on more than one occasion, always delighted to go exploring within its markets. The existing Adiran authorities on the spaceport always gave off the impression of being slightly more lax than their planetary counterparts, which allowed for a more or less unregulated market within its walls. And being that it was so close to one of the largest economic and political players in the galaxy, it was also one of the largest. Whatever travelers needed, they would find, from basic necessities to weaponry and collector's items.

Kaisa's face lit up as the ship slowed and stalled to enter a docking bay. While the port itself was Adiran controlled and had a lingering elite area for the travelrs and staff that required the finer things in life, she knew the rest of it existed for the seedy, scummy, and dishonest. Yes, she would be right at home in this crowd, if only because she felt out of her element among the obscenely rich and high-class citizens.

"I want to make this quick, and I think you want this to be quick," she told Dom, stretching her arms above her head and turning to look at him. She needed a wardrobe and, more importantly, she needed to replenish her weapons arsenal, feeling disconcertingly naked without it. Thankfully, she knew just the guy...

"Clothes. Weapons. A big black toy," Kaisa counted off, and then hearing her own stomach grumble for the third time that day, she added, "Food, the kind that doesn't taste like ass."

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic rocked back, closed his eyes, and did his best to just enjoy the ride. The music, he'd hoped, would at least provide a distraction, but instead he found his thoughts continuing to flash an image of Kaisa stretched out on his bed, body twisted in pleasure. Somehow, each time he found her clothes slipping away, his mind helping filling in the details of what her body would look like naked as she sprawled across his bed.

Did she have any scars? She must have, in this line of work, he thought briefly, as he etched some onto her skin, a light pink line running down between her perky tits. She probably picked that one up during some bar brawl. "If you think that's bad, well you should see the other guy," her voice said in a devilish whisper, her lips teasingly brushing against his ear while a single fingertip ran down her chest.

Reality brought those day dreams to a screeching halt as the ship began the station initialized docking procedure. He could see long, mechanical arms stretched out, clamping down on the ship with a rather unpleasant scratching noise, and grimaced as he thought about the damage to the hull. Sure, it was superficial, but he liked to keep Emily as pristine as possible.

"Shit doesn't go off, and I guess, I can let you take the ship for a spin," he said as he stood up from the pilot chair, catching even himself by surprise. A buzz crackled through the speakers, Emily indicating her annoyance silently, before he turned and found his eyes locking back with Kaisa.

She knows. She knows and I can't do anything about it. Fuck. She can read my fucking mind, can't she?

No. This is what she did best, he told himself, and there was no shame in finding her attractive. Anyone with a functional set of eyes would have to agree to that. And even if he couldn't get her out of his head, she didn't have any actual control over him. He was in control still. He wasn't the one with a bounty on his head. He didn't have the Adirans threatening to execute him or throw him in a maximum security prison. So yeah, he was still in control. Right? Plus, no one could actually read minds, so he was fine.

"In and out, nice and quick. You're going to have to explain this difference between a weapon and a big black toy though. Aren't they the same thing, for the most part?" Dom said with a wink, his eyes seeming to gain just a little more confidence as the banter found its return, and he turned, smiling to himself as he headed down the corridor.

As the entrance ramp began to lower, but before Dominic reached it, he let his fingers drag across the wall, a hidden panel sliding open to reveal his own personal stash of weaponry. "I'd offer to share, but they are bio-locked to my DNA," he said, shrugging as he pulled two matching pistols out and slid them into the holsters on his hips. "You can carry one if you want to look scary, but only Em is allowed to override the lock, and she doesn't seem to like you very much."

"It's not a matter of like, it's a matter of trust," Emily responded, right on cue.

Shrugging and rolling his eyes, Dom laughed and walked down the ramp and taking in the crowd filing back and forth. The space port itself wasn't too busy, but he figured the markets would still be a mess. Luckily, the list Kaisa had was relatively simple, so in and out was doable, assuming they didn't run into any trouble. Avoiding trouble wasn't a given with the Bloody Rose though, and he found himself drawing the pistols, checking the chambers and making sure everything was in tip top shape once the thought crossed his mind.

"So, where too first? Can't promise we'll have much luck finding food that doesn't taste like ass, but I assume you want to see Big Mike about the guns, eh? Or do you prefer Red Brack? Prices are nicer, but I just don't find the quality to be as dependable myself."

 

[Chai]

"That's fair, I don't trust you either," Kaisa said in response to Emily, dropping the sarcasm for once, though her voice was gentle and uncharacteristically polite.

The sentiment was more intended for Dominic anyway, being that it was his ship and he was technically in charge. It wasn't accusatory or suspicious, but simply true. People in this line of business didn't go around trusting people they'd just met, much less those they'd known for years. Trust wasn't earned on words and compliments, only repeated action, similar to respect, and even then, it was fragile and easily broken. She suspected that her misplaced trust in others was what led to her capture, along with the lack of loyalty in her crew. Whoever had convinced them to turn her in was clearly able to out-pay her, but that was an error on her part. Any loyalty that could be bought with money was sure to shift to whoever had the bigger wallet and, as rich as she was, sometimes it wasn't her. And as annoying Emily was, she could understand not wanting to trust a random woman with a record.

"Besides, I don't need a gun to look scary," she smirked, casting a sidelong glance at Dom as they walked down the ramp, then seeing the horde of visitors and travelers up ahead. The lighthearted tone had returned, and she beamed a toothy and dazzling smile at him. "The reputation does it for me. Or maybe that's just the resting bitch face that makes people look away, who knows." She shrugged and moved forward, beginning to wind her way in and out of the passing crowd.

Kaisa had, of course, already heard the rumors about herself. Apparently, she was at her scariest 5 inches away from her victims' faces, their horror growing as they stared into her cold grey eyes and realized with each passing second that they were about to die. She supposed that description wasn't exactly wrong considering most of her assassinations relied on stealth, cunning, and frankly, her good looks to even get remotely close to her targets. Covert operations and hand to hand combat was her bread and butter, and while she was an excellent shot out of necessity, she most definitely didn't need a gun to make even the toughest guy in a room piss himself. But still, having the gun visible meant fewer people attempted to fuck with her on average, and that was always welcome.

She knew this place almost by heart, weaving through the people with ease to get to the place she was after, itching to have something holstered to her hips once more. "Mike first, definitely," she told the man beside her, arching a beautifully groomed eyebrow as she shifted her gaze toward him while walking. "Price isn't normally something I consider. If I like it... Well, I've usually had enough to get it," she finished almost smugly, though she was positive Dominic's experience was similar if not the exact same. The best, as with all things, came at a steep price, most of which was still likely to be affordable even given that her credit account apparently wasn't as robust as his.

This part of the port was decidedly emptier, filled with fewer guests as the two of them ventured deeper into the shadier areas where bright, friendly flea market faces turned into standoffish vendors silently observing those who passed by. Around them, tourist shops transformed into questionable stores manned by equally questionable staff, ranging from herb shops to foreign imports. If she had to take a guess, she wouldn't have been surprised if they all had some sort of ulterior purpose; the place she was headed definitely had a secondary purpose, one that was very different from how it presented itself.

A few moments later, Kaisa and Dominic were standing in front of Applause, a quite obvious titty bar and strip club with its flashing neons signs and menacing-looking bouncer right outside the door. Strange, that Mike opened the doors to his club in the middle of the afternoon, but business was business, she figured. "Hey," she started after approaching the bouncer, watching him incline his head just the slightest bit to acknowledge her, "I was wondering if... Big Mike was in."

"Who?" He replied, his deep voice rumbling in some sort of accent that she didn't recognize.

"Big Mike," Kaisa repeated, and after a pause, he spoke in hushed tones into a comm device before nodding his head once and ushering them inside.

He opened the door and the duo was met with a thudding bass and a pulsing beat that vibrated through the floor. "There," the bouncer pointed quickly to the curtained-off area in the very back of the establishment before leaving them to return to his post outside.

Hues of deep blue, pinks, and purples flashed around the room, bright lights filtering through the mist that surrounded the small stages where the few go-go dancers and half-naked strippers were currently entertaining clientele. The place wasn't packed given that it was only late afternoon, but there were still a variety of customers to be serviced. She was able to pick out some of the alien species she'd run into during her travels while walking through, only a little bit surprised that they found interest in what appeared to be mostly human women up on the stage. But she supposed the male mind was able to appreciate a bouncing set of tits no matter what species they came from.

She heard his voice even before she pulled back the curtain, his obnoxious laugh reverberating and audible despite the loud music. Nevertheless, she found herself donning a genuine smile as she pulled open the black fabric, revealing a man in a tangerine, floral printed suit, and his entourage. Well, it was more of a harem of scantily clad women at the moment, draping themselves over him as he lay back on a plush sofa while talking animatedly in a business call. "Hold on, hold on— I'll call you back. I've got company," Mike said, grinning, and hanging up to welcome both mercenaries.

"Kaisa, my most beautiful rose," he continued, standing to embrace her and give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Welcome to Applause, where hands aren't the only things clappin'. To what do I owe this pleasure? And well, well, if it isn't Mr. Ryan in tow. I didn't realize the two of you knew each other." He walked to a small table and poured a couple of glasses of water, offering them to his guests before taking a seat at the edge.

"We didn't. At least, not until now," Kaisa answered, accepting a glass and taking a few sips. "And if I'm here, you already know what I want, Mike. Or in this case, what I need."

"Of course," he said, eyes twinkling with unvoiced giddiness, "If you'll follow me." He touched a panel on the wall, causing a solid metal door to close off the open curtained entryway, and then waved them on to follow him down a narrow hallway. "And girls, do find a way to entertain Mr. Ryan." Mike flashed Dom a knowing look, and within seconds a couple of his strippers had latched onto either side, giggling and stroking Dominic's arms as they walked along.

 

[Alkaline]

Dominic always forgot how annoying the lighting in these clubs was. His rather advanced eye sight was usually able to adapt quickly, but the pulsing neon lights was always a challenge. Plus it distracted from all the pretty ladies, and that was a real shame. He found himself gritting his teeth, and shielding his eyes until they found the proper middle ground, hoping Kaisa hadn't noticed. While he wanted to trust her, he still preferred not to give away any sort of weakness, how ever small it may have been. If she needed to, he had no doubt that she'd find a way to take advantage of a similar effect if needed. Mike, and his garrish orange shirt, and a laugh that was worse than nails scratching on a chalkboard, only made the whole experience even harder to stomach.

"Mike..." he said with a small nod, content to let Kaisa do most of the talking for now, unable to hide the smile that crept onto his lips as the two women took his arms. I suppose this makes up for the lighting and... Well, Mike being Mike.

"Well aren't you two friendly... Kaisa, feel free to take your time," he said as one of the two playfully grabbed his wrist, tugging him towards a private room towards the back of the hall. "And no running away! Mike, shoot her in the ass if she tries, okay?" With a laugh, he felt another hand grab him by the collar, tugging him into the room, and tossing him into a chair before he had a chance to think twice about it.

The excitement was sadly short lived though. Just as the beautiful, buxom brunette was playfully wrapping a boa around his neck, he heard a rather loud shout, followed by the apparent bang of a gunshot. The two girls gave a sharp shriek, ducking behind the couch quickly. Outside, the thumping base from the dance floor lowered, and he heard a man shout again.

"Bloody Rose! I know you're in there ya fuckin' asshole! Get out here so I can fuckin' kill you!"

With a sigh, Dominic pushed himself up out of the chair, and moved back the curtain to peek onto the dance floor. He could see a group of men mingling about, the leader pushing one of the dancers to the ground violently as he paced back and forth. Mike's head briefly popped out of the backroom as well, but Dom just held waved him back inside. "You two finish the deal, I'll take care of this for you. These two bit fucks ruined my lapdance, so I owe them some payback..."

Taking in a deep breath, he steadied himself and took a step out onto the floor, arms held wide in a show of peace.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid the Rose is busy tonight, so you'll get me, instead. You better have a good reason for ruining a mighty fine time I was about to have..."

Four men, all armed, though thankfully only one with a gun. The rest had some variety of club or blade, though it was clear they weren't the wealthy type. The leader, a man probably in his mid 30s, snarled and bared his crooked teeth, tongue pressed up against a gap where the front two were missing.

"Like hell she's busy. That cunt killed my father, and now she's going to pay herself!"

"She killed my mum too! So yeah! We're gonna make her pay!" chipped in one of the eager fellows behind him as well.

"Hmm, real sorry to hear that, but if I let you back there, she's only going to kill the lot of you too. Imagine how sad the rest of your family would be to hear she got to you all too."

The leader, spitting yet again, moved closer to Dominic, his chest bumping his as he stared him down. Just an extra inch or two, that's all I had to have. These fucks wouldn't feel like they could intimidate me quite so easy if I was six foot, I bet. He could see his finger twitching, sliding closer to the trigger as their eyes locked, a single trail of drool slipping out the corner of his mouth.

"I'mma give you 10 seconds, or I'mma have to kill you, then we'll start killing these ladies one by one until the Rose shows her face. How's that sound ya twat?"

With another heavy sigh, Dominic dropped his head, rubbing his forehead as he did. Apparently these men were deadset on getting revenge. Normally he'd understand, but fuck if he wasn't in need of that lapdance. Threatening the women too, now that was just the icing on the cake.

"Alright, so we're doing it the hard way then?"

The leader just grinned, flashing his gap tooth smile once more as the men behind him stepped in closer.

"Yeah, looks like we are you stupid mother fu-"

Before he could finish the sentence, another shot rang out, a splatter of blood hitting Dominic in the face. He coughed and spit a bit, wiping his face with the back of his hand and only causing the blood to smear across his skin instead. The leader, mouth gaping open, smoke rising up out of the fresh hole in his head, fell to his knees and then crashed to the floor, leaving Dom standing with his pistol still pointed to the ceiling.

"Didn't think that through now, did I?" he asked the remaining three as they stood in stunned silence. Casually, he holstered his weapon, then flicked his hand towards the ground in an attempt to get some more blood off. When he looked back up, the three remaining thugs had unfortunate scowls on their faces. "Huh. Dumber then you look. Impressive," he said with a grin, his teeth shining out brighter against the bloodstained skin. "Well alright then, let's do this..."

With a feral yell, two of the men came charging at Dominic. To his surprise, the third made a bolt for the back room instead. Okay, a little smarter than I gave them credit for, he thought as he raised an arm to parry the first attempted blow. As he carried the man's arm away, his other hand shot up, palm smashing him in the nose and breaking it instantly. A torrent of blood ruptured from nostrils, and he fell to the floor with a piercing shriek of pain.

No sooner had the second fallen, and the third was on top of him, wailing in a high pitched voice as he raised a jagged blade into the air. A quick side step from Dom, and the fool found himself stumbling forward, and slicing nothing but air instead. Dominic wouldn't give him a second chance to attack, moving quickly from behind and stomping on his achilles, the bones crunching as his ankle snapped and sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Stupid fucking idiots..." he muttered under his breath as he watched the two writhing on the ground, sobbing in a crumpled mess. "You're lucky I won't kill you, ya know that? I very well should, considering none of these fine women will want to give me a dance covered in blood. Now where did your last friend take off too?" he asked, turning and giving the one with a broken nose a sturdy kick to the gut as well.

"Well fuck..." He said, watching the final man kick down the door that Mike and Kaisa had ducked into. "Rose! You got one coming your way!" He shouted as he casually walked over to the bar and grabbed a napkin to attempt to clean a little blood off his face.

 

[Chai]

Big Mike was anything far from big. In fact, he was rather small with his 5'7" frame and lean body, but what he lacked for in physique, he completely made up for in presence and ego. If the tangerine suit wasn't enough of a signifier, the borderline gaudy rings on each hand were most definitely a display of his ostentatious flair. Brilliant precious jewels covered his fingers, all of them the real deal. They must have cost a fortune, but in the line of work he was in, his goods sold for a fortune.

No one really knew where he got his supply from. Rumor had it that he managed to take over a few warehouses through bribery and connections. Others said he was the shadow behind all the legal distributors, playing both sides like puppets on strings. Either way, he was a man with goods and a reliable mouth over his customers' names. Then again, it would be a bad business move to spill the details over who purchased what from him. The men and women he catered to were powerful and definitely the type to seek retribution if he didn't keep things on the down low.

"Place seems more full than the last time I was here," Kaisa commented as Mike put his hand up to a display and unlocked a heavy steel door. The soft sounds of gears turning and locks clicking open preceded the gentle hiss of the automatic vault. And inside were weapons upon weapons: pistols, shotguns, automatic rifles, knives, the shiny brass of ammunition, and even the blue glow of energy packs were on display.

"Business is booming," Mike replied serenely, walking toward a chiller on the far side of the room and popping a new bottle of wine open. He poured two glasses and handed one to the female assassin before positioning himself behind a glass cabinet full of handguns. "Word travels fast about where you guys—my valuable clients—get the reliable... services."

"I was talking about Applause."

"So was I," the arms dealer said, grinning from ear to ear over the ambiguity of the conversation. "Weaponry and strip clubs aren't exactly all that different. You provide high-quality products that people like, and they come back for more. Sometimes with friends who also like to pay top dollar. Now, what can I do for you, Rose? The last I heard, you were captured by some uppity Adirans who wanted you dead. Instead, you're here doing business with me. Interesting, how even on the brink of death, you come out the other side unscathed."

"I know, I'm a walking life cheat code," Kaisa responded, returning the grin, not unlike Mike's from earlier. Really, she had no business being so braggadocious about the situation, but she couldn't help herself. Rumors like these helped fuel her reputation, and she intended to keep people fixed on the fact that she was a dangerous hitman, not on the fact that she was caught over some rookie mistake. "But not unscathed. Weapons stock is now floating away with no intentions of returning, so I need to start replenishing. Pistols, blasters—you know what I like. And the knives, too."

"Hand to hand still your thing?" Mike asked, more rhetorically than anything, before pulling product after product from the shelves and her letting her try the feel of them. He seemed to pride himself on his selections, setting aside each of the confirmed items. "I know you'll like everything about these. Custom grooving for a nice grip, and the marble resin is just as beautiful as you are," he commented on a pair of twin daggers, holding out one of the blades for her to play with.

She took it, smiling as she checked the balance of the blade in her hand. The point was slightly curved upwards, able to cleanly slice through a flesh even at the tip. And the black and gold resin on the handle was something she admired. It was—

"ROSE," came a scream from down the hall, and the sounds of a body heavily stumbling into the walls. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, little bitch." The words were filled with venom, hate, and disgust easily traceable in his voice.

The door to Mike's weapons room was open, and Kaisa's instincts immediately took over, adrenaline coursing its way through her body. Pressing her body to the wall adjacent to the door, she waited until the idiot had poked his head inside to strike. The dagger in her hand found its way to his exposed arm, blood splattering on the ground as he retracted his hand. He staggered backward, his injured arm aimlessly swiping in front of him to fend off an attack.

"GODDAMN BITCH," he roared, just before Kaisa ducked and maneuvered to wrestle the club from his fingers. It was a basic weapon, a slab of wood with nails crudely attached to one face, but lethal nonetheless. She grabbed the handle and swung it down, hearing a thud and a sound somewhere between a scream and a sob. One of his kneecaps was now crippled, and Kaisa stepped behind the man to catch him before he sunk to the ground.

"Tragic," she said softly in his ear, the dagger pressing against the soft flesh of his neck, "You were going to kill who, again?" She made a thin incision, just enough to break the skin and have blood bead up on his neck.

"You're a whoring, dirty little cock suc—" the man managed to say before the assassin slit his throat mid-sentence, a stream of blood leaking out onto one of her hands before she let him drop.

"So sorry, Mike," Kaisa said apologetically, accepting a towel that he offered her. She wiped her hand mostly clean, and then the dagger. "I honestly don't know how these people find me anymore, and actually think it's going to do anything. But anyway, let's transfer these credits I owe you. I'll take the daggers now, but have the rest delivered to the bay in an hour, and I'll come pick it up. Secured, I should add."

"No worries, Ms. Holland, my staff will be waiting." He tapped a few times on his watch, accepting the pending payment and then sipped the rest of his wine. "Let's check on Mr. Ryan?"

Kaisa nodded, strapped the daggers to her belt and walked out, frowning slightly at the bit of blood that had spilled on her blue shirt. She was a mercenary, not a barbarian, and she hated leaving a mess on her clothes. Then her eyes drifted to the three bodies on the floor, eyebrows raised at the quick work Dom had made of them. "Not bad, not bad," she complimented him as she walked behind the bar, washing her hands in a sink off to the side. "I'm guessing you didn't get that strip show finished, huh?"

 

[Alkaline]

"Mother fuckers didn't even let it start. I suppose I could have let them just track you down, but some stupid knight in shining armor complex kicked in..."
Dom said as he sighed, tossing a towel of his own onto the counter as he dried off his own hands.

"To be clear though, I wasn't trying to save you. It was all these pretty dancers that..." Dom paused, eyes wide as he stared down at his own shoulder. A small chunk of spongey pink flesh clung to his jacket, no larger than the size of a dime.

"Oh fuck. Gross... That's brains, isn't it. Fuck me. I can't throw up in front of Diamond and Pearl and Sapphire or whatever jewel these girls are named after... No... They'd completely refuse to ever give me one of their dances if they saw that..." Gagging he turned towards the sink, a finger reaching up and quickly flicking at the little mass. It was sent flying into the wall nearby where it stuck for a brief moment before tumbling down onto the floor.

Dominic braced himself against the side of the counter, closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths as his cheeks flushed a little pale. "I can handle blood. I can handle guts. I can handle a guy pissing and shitting himself as I cut his head clean off... But I fucking can't handle brains for some stupid fucking reason," he muttered under his breath, eyes finally opening up after a few more moments.

"This is all your fault by the way. If you hadn't killed any of their damn 'mums' I'd be happily pinned into a comfy chair, a beautiful ass rubbing against my cock..." he said, glaring over at Kaisa and vulgarly grabbing at his crotch. "Maybe, I'd even have the pleasure of convincing one of them to suck it too! But no. You killed too many fucking mothers or at least the wrong fucking mothers and instead I'm on the verge of wretching into a sink and making a damn fool of myself."

Dominic's trademark smirk was long gone now. Instead, his eyes burned, filled with an intense anger as he pounded his fist against the counter. Before he said anything more he found himself turning quickly to the two men behind him. Stepping over the corpse with his head blown open, he walked up to the pair as they writhed on the ground in pain. "Sorry gents, I was feeling generous at first, but your buddy's brains made me feel a little self conscious apparently. Truth be told, probably for the better that I do this now anyways. I get to blow off some steam, and you don't have to be tortured by Big Mike and his goons."

Drawing out his pistol, he gritted his teeth and spat on the floor next to the first man. "Tell your mom or uncle or whoever the fuck it was hi once you reach hell," he growled, his voice low and filled with anger as he let the gun fall down to point towards their chest.

Over next five seconds, the club was once again filled with the sound of gun fire as Dominic unloaded the chamber into the two men. Four bullets in each. A quick, remorseless act. With his back to Kaisa, he was a silhouette against the flashing strobe lights of the catwalk behind him, each shot seeming to ring out in time with the thumping bass. After a few seconds she could see him tilt his head toward the ceiling, and his shoulders slump in relief. When he turned around his smile was back, even if the anger was still there.

"That's a little better I suppose..." he said as he causally set his gun down on the bar and reached out to grab a bottle of whiskey. With his free hand, he pulled out a rather large sum of credits and scattered them on the countertop. "That should more than cover the mess and damages, Mike. And the cost of whatever piss water this might be," he said as he held the bottle up in front of him, squinting at the label.

As he leaned in and uncocked the bottle with his teeth, he grabbed two glasses and began to fill them both up, finally turning back to Kaisa once more.

"And you. You owe me a lap dance, at the least. Don't think I'm going to forget that you and your damn reputation cost me a good time tonight. I was really looking forward to blowing off some steam..." he said as he tossed back the first drink. "You get what you need though? Or can we get off this space station. Not sure I'd like to stick around and see if it can ruin my mood further."