Wasteland

[Moneytalks]

Sage

"Thaylohn?" Sage looked over at the light to their left suspiciously.

"It's okay Sage... we'll go with them..."

She frowned but nodded in agreement.

She glanced over her shoulder at the 'kind one' as she now referred to him. He seemed to shrug within his great suit of armour.

She turned back and glanced down the drop and the water below. Thallon had already waded towards the light the stranger held and so the space below her was clear. He had sunk as he jumped so the depth was good. With a neatly executed flip she dived and surfaced quickly, paddling herself towards him. Wanting to stay close. This was her first meeting with a group of people that Thallon seemed to know. She wondered if they were their kind.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

When I reached the water's edge, Sage was already there, right behind me. Damn, she was fast! The Andromedian reached down and helped me onto the rocky ledge he stood on. I turned and helped Sage out. Once we were on the ledge, I glanced back, wondering what was taking Valerios and Denoitnem. Oh, well, I thought, they'd get here when they got here. THey could handle themselves.
I turned to the Andromedian, taking out the photographs and handing them to him.
He smiled and nodded, his face appearing ghostlike in the dim light of the flare, "Good work. Are they shots of the whole city?"
I nodded, then said, "Yeah, from all sides, but they won't do you much good."
"Oh," he said, his smile fading.
"The city's probably gone by now."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Her hair plastered to her head she silently mused the irony of having been cleaned now twice in as many days.


The one that helped them to the ledge now was not one of them. It was another 'other'. It seemed to speak the same words as Thallon... and Thallon definitely seemed to know it so she relaxed and looked around a bit.

Her interest only peaked when she noticed the look of disappointment on the 'other's' face. She looked at Thallon and wondered what he had said cause this look... he finished by saying...

"The city's probably gone by now."

Sage wondered what a 'city' was and what had happened to it. Why was it so interesting to Thallon and the 'other'? Too many questions. Better to just wait and listen.

She shook her hair trying to dry it, then pushed it back with both of ther hands. She had enjoyed the water. Especially after the heat from walking during the high sun.

The air... the air was clean here... she sniffed cautiously before removing her mask. Inhaling carefully. She smiled. This would have been a good cave. She wished she had found it earlier.

The 'other' started to move now. Thallon followed and she followed Thallon. She gave no thought to the 'others' rightly assuming that they were able to fend for themselves.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Denoitnem:

Finally, the sandstorm ends, in a quieting roar.

The wind stops and the cold, harshness of flying sand is replaced with the sweltering heat of the midday desert sun.

Falling back into a yumanoid shape, I trot away from the crevice knowing that there are many odd minds in there.

Perhaps I will meet with the Yumans again in Yumantown--err Zion.

 

[poohlive]

"Lock her up," he said, inside his ship. Parts from the destroyed wreckage laid all around. They hadn't gotten much, but the little they did get would be so helpful.
He moved into the cockpit, taking them high into orbit. Inside the higher stratosphere, where the pollution made it nearly impossible for any scanners to spot them. He put in a nice orbit, beginnig to scan from some of the space stations in orbit. He would attack the closest one that had what they needed.
Letting the crew check the equipment, he went down to speak a few words with the new prisoner.
"Hey, there you are," he hit her across the face, hard.
"Listen, we're in a tight spot. There's a few codes I need from you, some silly things. Door access, bridge priority handling systems, a flight surveillance thing. Nothing absolutely hard, you are, I assume, someone in high power, if not royalty yourself?"
He paused slightly, not even looking at her for an answer.
"That's great. Look, if we could get this it would help us out a lot. Thanks so much."
(I'll wait for you for a a day or two, then I need to get this going)

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

Oc: Sorry, been on the road the past few days..

Ic: Valerios watched as Sage and Thallon talked among themselves. He preferred to wait up on the ledge. It wasn't that he didn't trust the New Republic, it simply was that he didn't belong to their group either. He belonged to a small group of Andromedians known as the Dark Vengeance, a guerilla group to be honest that had only one target, Martians. They didn't mind humans or even Lucians to much, but the New Republic was a different story, they gave the Vengeance the shits, so to speak.

Sighing he eventually lept across the cavern to land beside the girl and man who were facing the other Andromedian. As he rose from the crouch and nodding to the surprised expressions of his companions he faced the other and spoke. "Grast oin Telda wosk heeed mun. (Greetings, I am here in peace.)" then in human he spoke to the figure "I am Valerios of the Dark Vengeance, I come peacefully, and these are my friends, though I think you know Thallon better than I. I ask the hospitality of a brother being for my friends and I." and with that he held out his fours arms straight from his sides in the universal gesture of peace.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

Valerios was there in what seemed a second, landing beside Sage and I and startling us both. He rose and spoke some words in Andromedian tongue that I made no sense of, then said in English, I am Valerios of the Dark Vengence, I come peacefully, and these are my friends, though I think you know Thallon better than I. I ask the hospitality of a brother being for my friends and I."
Well-spoken, I thought.
THe Andromedian raised all four of its arms in the air, signaling something that I did not understand, but Valerios didn't seem threatened, or even alarmed at it, so I relaxed and concluded it meant acceptance.
The other Andromedian then waved with one arm and said, "Come, follow me."
He turned and started toward what appeared to be a wall, but as the flare illuminated it, I realized that a cave resided in its rocky form. THe Andromedian started through the cave, and I followed, holding SAge's hand and leading her through it, feeling too protective and yet worried still all at once. THe cave was long and narrow, but we fit easily through. WHen we reached the end of it, the Andromedian turned to us again and said, "Just around this bend. Let me do the talking at first...answer only what they ask you, though there shouldn't be many questions. Everyone knew your name, Thallon."
"Everyone?" I asked.
He nodded. "You've got a reputation around here."
"How is that? I've never met you before, and Andromedian's, No offense, aren't generally who I keep company with."
"None, taken," he replied, "I know that Andromedains and humans don't often share company these days, but the day will come when that is all behind us. The New Republic isn't what it once was. We're not all Andromedian here, we're a blend of humans and Andromedians. We're even trying to recruit a few Lucians to the cause."
"The cause...what would that be...a civil war among your own?"
He shook his head. "A new world where we live together peacefully. Doesnt sound bad does it? By the way, my name is Luj'takin. Nice to make your acquaintance."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage had been startled by the sudden appearance of Valerios. She smiled though. Listening carefully to his words. She looked at Thallon in confusion and he seemed equally non-plused.

'Ah... that is the kind other's words...' she considered thoughtfully.

Then he said something more in keeping with Thallon's words. She smiled. The 'other' had a name.

"Vaa-lar-ree-ous" she sounded out carefully.

Then the one that was leading them spoke to Thallon. Thallon seemed suprised by his words... but then the other four armed one introduced himself.

"Loouj-taah-keen" she murmered.

Pointing to herself she said, "Me Sage..." with a smile. The Andromedian looked at her curiously, or as curiously as an Andromedian could appear.

"Pleased to make your aquaintence also Sage..." he responded politely before beckoning them all to follow.

Sage felt a strange happiness when Thallon took her hand. This must be what our kind do... she thought. She looked over her shoulder at Valerios, suddenly curious about him now that she knew his name and that he spoke other words.

"You words not Thallon's words..." she said.

He nodded in agreement.

"You teach Sage..." she said.

He seemed amused by this but Sage had not yet grasped the idea of humour.

She was quickly distracted by the crowd of people that Luj'takin had led them to.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra

"Zion base to Water Vessel Three... come in..."
"Water Vessel here... what's up..."
"Hey Spike... it's Satra... can I have a word with Terrin?"
"What's it about?"
"This is direct from above Spike... I need to speak with him directly.."
"Ain't it always?"
"Cut the crap Spike get him online!"
"Geez Satra no need to get Lucian on my ass..."

Satra sighed... this insubordination... though rife in most military areas... really got on her nerves.

She was born and bred military. Everyone in her family seemed to have military in their bones. She'd begun training under her brothers at a ridiculously young age and had just thrived on it all. 5'4" and all muscle... she had short blond hair that she kept just long enough to be called spikey... it was almost entirely cut that way for efficiency. Enough to keep her head warm but short enough not to require extensive washing or grooming. That it suited her was neither here nor there to her. She was attractive. She'd used her womanly charms more than once to gain the advantage on her opponents... but she wasn't at all skilled at being... feminine. She was military through and through.

"Get me Terrin Spike... or the next time I see you..." she didn't need to finish that statement.

She listened to him flick the switch that would beckon Terrin to the main deck.

 

[poohlive]

"Zion? Who is it?"
He raised his eyebrows repeatedly, " Satra... she wants you."
Terrin sighed, oh man. What did she want now? He hated military types. They always wanted answers, and they wanted everything done now. They couldn't hold their horses.
"All right, put her in my quarters. I want to talk to her alone."
He moved into his own little room with a desk. Very tight, but he didn't spend much time here. Actually, he only used this for two things. Military conferences was the other thing.
He opened the link.
"I told you never to call me here," he said nearly seductively. Terrin flashed a smile, not letting her respond.
"Listen, I don't have much time to leave this channel open. We're in the upper stratosphere right now. I have a prisoner, who has the codes we need to get the water transformer. If the head council needs any other information tell them they have to wait. I'm extremely busy right now."

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra

Blinked... her military poise almost... but not quite... wavering with Terrin's sly seductive inuendo.

Quickly in control again she frowned.

"A prisoner?"

Terrin didn't respond... he just waited.

Satra scowled.

"We have reports telling of a Lucian vessel entering the Earth's atmosphere at an irregular rate of decent. Apparantly not far from you designation... would this prisoner be from that vessel?"

She wasn't beating around the proverbial bush. She didn't like Terrin's lack of respect and what she regarded as an almost inerrant need to do things his own way. She considered him a wild card. And she disliked wild cards. Unpredictable. Not dependable in a military situation.

One could say she had a love-hate relationship with him. She openly seemed to hate him... he openly seemed to love to goad her.

"This is direct from the Elders themselves Terrin..." her expression was impassive... "they want her presented to them in tact A.S.A.P. You are NOT repeat NOT to speak to her or let any other member of your team communicate with her."

"How did you know it was a woman?"

"Cut the bullshit Terrin... we know... that's all that matters... and the Elders want her presented to them yesterday... no questions."

"Terrin..." she continued a little more calmly... "there have been rumours... and I'm not one to listen... but word has it one of the Martian cities was destroyed... completely... and... what with the assasination attempts over the past month... this isn't the time to get insubordinate... get your vessel back to Zion and present the prisoner to the Elders and NO futher contact with her until then."

She moved to press the button that would end the communication...

 

[poohlive]

"... Within the hour," he said, cutting the communication. He stepped outside, looking at the rest of the crew.
"What did Zion want?"
He walked over to the storage cells, "Just wanted to make sure we survived the Lucian ship's explosion. I told them we are fine. Prepare the ship for the attack, I want that water transformer on this ship in less than an hour."
He walked back down to the newly made prison.
"Sir," Spike ran after him, "The new equipment is up and running. We have most of the codes we need, except to lower the shield."
"Excellent, if I don't get it from her than we'll just have to blow the shield generator up."
He agreed, "Should we get a warhead ready?"
Terrin gave a nod, letting him go off and finish what was needed to be finished. Back with the prisoner, all he could do was smile.
"We don't have much time. Your useless to me if you don't start talking... and we discard useless items."

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra

"Satra... report!"

"Message relayed Zed."

"Did Terrin acknowledge."

"He said within the hour Sir."

"And... do you believe him?"

"No Sir."

"I see." Zed turned to his second in command, "contact Blue and Gerald, tell them phase three will be initiated within the hour."

"Understood."

Zed turned back to Satra who straightened up noticably keeping her face carefully blank.

"You're friendly with Terrin." It was a statement.

"Sir?"

"It's common knowledge Satra, you've been seen dining with him."

"Sir, there is nothing between us if thats what you're..."

"Satra," he interrupted easily, "no one is suggesting anything, but as his friend you know him as well if not better than I. You know his tendancies to... let us say... go his own way for what he believes... correctly or not... to be the cause."

"Sir..." she neither acknowledged this nor denied it.

"What do you think he will do now?"

"Sir... I... I don't understand what you're asking me."

Zed sighed impatiently, "it's a simple question Satra, take a guess at his next move, will he deliver the Lucian to the elders?"

"Sir I..."

His frown cut her off. Her lips tightened showing her dislike at being asked.

"I believe that if the Lucian holds the kind of fire power he thinks he needs for his wild plan... he'll use it... he won't give it up... even for the elders."

"Just as I suspected."

Satra refused to look at him. Staring steadfastly forward.

Zed's second in command returned.

"They have been notified Sir."

"Perfect... well Satra... hopefully you are correct... if so... we won't be asking you about his movements any longer." He smiled at her look of surprise, "because my dear, he will no longer be a problem."

She frowned just as armed guards surrounded her.

"Sir?!"

"Take her to the barracks and keep her... safe... no one is allowed communications with her until I give word."

Zed turned his back on her as the guards manhandled her. She shook them off angrily. "Zed... the elders..."

"Will not interfere at this time girl... " he chuckled menacingly, "they've given me cart-blanche... your boyfriend has taken too long... time for proper action... they've decided my idea of working with the Lucian's has merit."

"But the Lucian's have done nothing but try and destroy us... what makes you think..."

"Funnily enough... the elders said nothing of having to inform you of my plans..." He smiled at her look of outrage... "take her away..." he waved his hand disdainfully.

Satra held back her initial desire to fight them off. Lifting her head proudly as the guards took her away. Outside in the hallway she looked at the guard to her left.

"Franklin... you can't be serious..."
"Satra... sorry... I can't afford to disobey a direct order... you of all people should understand that."
"But this is suicide... they'll slaughter us all!"
He looked pained. He glanced over her head at the man to her right and then down at his hand which he passed carefully over his hip. She saw him disengage his small hand pistol. She swallowed and looked at him.

She took up the pistol swiftly and shot the two guards behind her in rapid succession downing them. Caught by surprise she managed to high kick the guard to her right knocking him out cold.

"Thanks Franklin... and sorry..." she shrugged apologetically before elbowing him in the jaw sending him sprawling. She ran up to the first communications link.

"Put me through to Delta-4..." she paused listening to the crackle as the intercom put through her request.

"This is Delta-4"
"It's Satra... Zed has taken charge... plan B"
"Gotcha... flier will be waiting... dock 6"

Satra used the butt of her pistol to bash in the intercom effectively making it useless before running down the hall. She heard the heavy footfall of guards and ducked into the nearest doorway. Her heart pounding. Adrenaline rushing. Checking her watch. She had exactly 27 minutes. She smiled to herself. Just like the good old days she thought.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

Luj'takin introduced us to the others of his crew. There were five of them stationed there, all Andromedian. I only distantly heard their names. My head was almost spinning. he New Republic believed that we could co-exist with the aliens...well, I guess the Andromedians and humans could manage, we were pulling that much off as we stood there. But what about the Lucians and Martians. They were vile, the Lucians bad enough and the Martians entirely dispicable. The Lucians were clearly our most potent enemy, but the Martians had no respect for us as lifeforms. That made them the most dangerous. They could attempt to enslave us again.
Once the introductions were completed by Luj'takin, I introduced my crew in full.
That done, Luj'takin excused himself to contact his superiors, rolling his eyes and saying, "Well, you never know what they'll say until you tell them, eh?"
He disappeared into another cavern, then but I could vaguely hear his voice, speaking in Andromedian tongue.
"So, you've got an alliance on your hands...any Martians or Lucians?"
THe nearest of them shook his head. "They have little to no interest...I think we're looking at a bloody battle ahead."
"What type of forces does the Republic have?"
"Currently, we're in a building stage. You're one of the few outsiders who knows about us...and we wish to keep it that way. If they know we're here, they'll wipe us out before we even get started. It'll be a massacre."
I nodded, understanding fully. I looked to Sage and smiled, hoping that if she understood the meaning of the word 'massacre' she wouldn't be afraid at having heard it.
Odd, I guess, because I was beginning to be.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Lunden

She wondered if what she'd heard was just a misunderstanding...Satra? A turncoat? It seemed rediculous. She'd been so committed, so militant and formal, so stiff...she'd known a man like that once, and he'd nearly ruined her life.
Well, perhaps he had ruined it...since everything she'd had of that life was now gone and replaced with something she liked less...
"Yeah, she's been dealing with the Martians for some time...hopefully, the Elders and the security teams can discover exactly what information she leaked out..." Ruben was rambling, talking excitedly about something he should have been upset about...If Satra had sold them out, then the Martians probably had enough information to locate every living being in Zion and destroy them, plus the city to boot.
"Wow," she said, dumbfounded. "What do you think they'll do?"
"Probably execute her." He smiled.
No shit, she thought.
"Shouldn't they evacuate the city then?"
He shook his head, "Nah, they'll cach her and that'll probably be the end of it."
She doubted that.
"Well, I'm pretty tired. My shift's in seven hours, too. I'm heading to my quarters to sleep."
SHe stood, and left, leaving him sitting in the dining room with Satch and Torrie.
Instead of going to her quarters, she started toward Satra's office. SOmething had to be mistaken. Satra? A turncoat?
It didn't add up.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

Luj'takin returned a moment later, looking my companions over as he did. He looked to me, appearing as though he intended to speak, then scanned his eyes over Valerios and Sage again.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Okay, here's the deal. The technology we're looking for is gone, at least our chances of retrieving it from this city is. Several of the Martians have escaped the city and are roaming around above. They're firing at anything that moves. That means we can't surface, which in turn, means we're stuck down here. WE do have a way of getting out of here, and in fact, getting where we want to be. But there's something else."
"What's that?" I asked, taking SAge's hand again. WHatever he was about to say was causing him difficulty, and that made me uneasy.
"You all have to come with me...I've been instructed to take you back at any cost...by any means necessary."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage looked up at Thallon expectantly. He was smiling at her but was acting... odd. She hadn't understood what the Andromedian had said but she did understand body language. And Thallon was worried. She smiled back at him happily enough. She knew better than to panic. She would wait and see what would happen.

So long as she didn't lose Thallon yet. He still had so much to teach her. And... and she was becoming fond of him.

She gripped his hand squeezing it back gently.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

Valerios was amused by the actions of the woman Sage. Especially when she asked him if she could learn his language. Soon they were meeting the rest of the New Republic unit that was there to meet with Thallon. Valerios wasn't thrilled to meet them nor they him. But as one cat puts up with a new cat brought into the house he and they tolerated each other. Till Luj'Takin told them they all must meet with his Superiors.

In response, Valerios folded his arms and made a low growl in his throat. The other Andromedians all got to their feet in response to his rumbled protest. One even went so far to place a hand on the butt of his pistol. Eyes narrowed Valerios shifted his weight into a more favorable stance for a fight. Then Luj'Takin spoke again.. "Hold, all of you. We merely wish to know why your faction decided to destroy the base, and that is all. (he said to Valerios) We cannot force you to reveal your knowledge without severe harm coming to many of us, so let us leave it at this."

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra

Satra had slipped by the first round of guards. They were ridiculously easy to out-manouver. They were loud and always in formation. They worked on the principle that... if they filled the corridors... and kept on walking... eventually they'd cover every space and find their prey.

She slipped out of the supply cabinet she'd hidden in and made progress down the hallway but she knew she needed to get out of the main base and into the outer dome. Docking bays would be guarded. It was a no brainer.

'God damn it!' she thought with annoyance, 'why did Terrin have to rock the boat? Zed would never have gotten the Elder's ear if Terrin had been a bit more subtle. Fucking Terrin, didn't have the word subtle in his fucking vocabulary'

The thing was. She found herself stuck in the middle of politics. She avoided politics. She was smart enough to know what she was. She was military. Not a politician. She took orders and she carried them out. She was disobeying orders now because Zed was a maniac that had to be stopped, and Satra wasn't suicidal. She hated being in this position. She didn't necessarily agree with Terrin and his ideas... but at least with him it wasn't a guaranteed slaughter.

"FUCK!" She smoothered the curse as she heard another round of guards approaching.

She ducked down another passage way and kept moving. The pistol she had stolen at the ready. Finally she found an exit stairwell. She pondered her options and then started down the several flights of stairways that would get her outside.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Lunden

Satra's office was blocked off by security. Apparently, they hadn't actually apprehended her yet. I acted surprised to see them, as if the information wouldn't have traveled so fast. We weren't supposed to share information with one another...you never knew who might be a spy.
Security informed me that everything was under control...respectfully of course, I did outrank them.
I went about my business, heading away cheerily on the outside, while inside, my mind scanned for a possible way to find her. Where would she hide, or go? How would she escape?
Immediately, I thought of the docking bays...no, they'd be covered by now, crawling with security.
I debated, checking there anyway, then thought it was not a smart move. I told the others I'd be in my quarters, then to show up in two places where Satra might be, it seemed too suspicious. They'd apprehend me for sure.
I decided to make my way out of the complex. I had to be in Zion, not in Zion's main military complex, if I was to pull this off. If Satra was running, that meant that Zed was making some sort of move. It was expected, at least among a few of us it was, and that meant it was time to run.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

OOC: I'm not sure who all wants to follow, so I'm only going to include Thallon and Sage. I'll write around Valerios, try to leave it open so you may or may not be there...Cool? If there's a disagreeance, I can always edit later...

IC: We followed Luj'takin and his men through numerous tunnels. Should it have come to it, I doubted I could find my way back through them. Sage, I was certain, could have, so I didn't bother her during the journey, letting her take in whatever she could without distraction.
When we finally reached the base camp, I found it was small, a cave just a little larger than the one we'd just come from, with twenty more Andromedians and at least thirty humans all packed inside.
The humans stood at attention and watched Sage and I intently as we entered. Men and women alike were among them, all armed. I took their sudden discretion as a sign that there were huamn factions that disapproved of the New Republic as well.
I hoped this wasn't all of them.
A human and an Andromedian stepped forward as we entered. THe Andromedain I recognized immediately. It was Hum'battaan. I'd met with him to arrange the agreement surrounding the photographs.
"Hello, Thallon," Hum'battaan said, offering a hand, "This is Walter."
I shook hands with both and introduced Sage to them. They looked curiously at her, noticing her accentricities, then looking to me questioningly. I ignored their stares and went straight to questioning.
"So this is the New Republic?"
"Oh, no," Walter replied, smiling, "There are thousands of us, but they're in the city."
City?
"They're all posted in Zion?" I asked.
"No," he replied. "Much has taken place in the past few months. I'm glad to hear you know nothing of it. If word has gotten around, then we haven't done our jobs very well."
"We've made an attempt to ressurect Filda." Hum'battaan said.
"You're rebuilding a city?"
He shook his head, "No, the city was never destroyed."
"I was there when the invasion started."
"I know," Walter said, "So was I, but the merely invaded, emptying us out, then occupied it. THey had no use for our buildings and such, and so decided to build their own city just north of it, about one-hundred miles North, in fact. Filda was too well-hidden for them, they prefer to be able to see in every direction. They transferred all their kind to the new city as soon as it was liveable."
"And they allowed you to re-populate the city?"
"Let's not say allowed," Walter said, "Let's say, they just don't know about it yet. We populate the lower portions, the parts that the mountainous terrain block from their radars."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"You think that's something new? How about this...we're building a new city as well."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage looked at the two who approached them.

Another four armed creature like Valerios... and another like Thallon.

She sniffed the air curiously as they neared. Listened intently to the conversation for any words she recognised. Then she yawned. Loudly.

She stretched as she did this. It looked to be as if it was a very satisfying stretch.

Walter and Hum'battaan paused in their narration of events to look at her again. She stared straight back at them. It was rather disconcerting to have her look at them in that way. Like SHE was the one inspecting them.

"Thay-lohn" She spoke her voice was almost seductive as she spoke, she pointed to the crowd of humans behind Walter, "Thay-lohn's people?" She asked.

Walter looked at now with unhidden curiosity as her words gave away her lack of dialect.

Thallon shrugged... they weren't exactly his people. They were simply of the same race. He followed up with a nod of sorts.

Sage looked them over. They seemed very different from Thallon. They smelled different too. She wasn't sure about them yet. She seemed... suspicious.

She sniffed again. Once. It was a decidedly human trait as if dismissing them all for now.

"Thay-lohn and Sage, need food, need sleep." She pressed herself closer to him.

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra

Satra stepped outside of the Zion base and looked up at the great dome that surrounded the city. It was almost pretty. Glinting as it did beneath the arid sun.

She checked her immediate area for anyone following her and then quickly made her way to the centre of the city. Crowds were always good for hiding in. She didn't expect they'd follow her outside yet. In the past... they would of been tracking her already... but she wasn't carrying her comlink. She'd ditched it during the fight with the guards. The chaos that existed within the ranks was actually working in her favour at the moment.

They'd be too busy deciding who to take orders from at the moment. She walked through the maze of haphazard streets that would lead her near the city centre.

She passed several dubious herbal vendors. They made their living selling fusions of strange plants found outside the dome. There were all kinds of strange things being sold. If one had a mind to buy.

She didn't.

She moved quickly, heading deeper into the city.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

He followed Thallon and Sage to the meeting place with the New Republic. As the two groups passed information, he merely leaned against a wall and crossed his arms. He didn't want ot be there, but if he was to leave with his friends he had to wait. He was amused though by the actions of Sage and he demands for food and rest. But he still held his peace..

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage turned to look for Valerios behind her. She seemed agitated until she saw him and then visibly relaxed. She left Thallon's side momentarily and trotted over to him.

Thallon and Walter took that opportunity to clarify details.

She stood before Valerios and considered him carefully.

"Val-air-re-ous" She spoke up at him. "You are kind one... you friend... you teach Sage... you stay with Sage and Thallon?" She asked with her limited vocabulary. Clearly she was annoyed at her lack of ability to express herself, but not enough to stop her from speaking with what she knew.

She pointed to Valerios' extra set of hands.

"Val-air-re-ous not like Thallon... many hands... Thallon like Sage..." she frowned.

"Val-air-re-ous... you called what?"

"Andromedian" he spoke carefully.

"Ahn-droh-meed-eahn" she repeated.

She pointed to the rest of the Andromedian's.

"They all Ahndrohmeedeahn?"
"Yes, they're all called Andromedian's"
"Ahndrohmeedeahnszz"

She paused. Pointed to herself.

"Sage called?"
"Human."
"Hyuuu-mahn"

She pointed to the others.

"They all Human?"
"Yes, they're all Humans"
"Hyuuu-mahn-szz"

Her eyes widened as she slowly comprehended the concept.

"One is Human... Two is Humans?"

Valerios nodded with a smile. She looked at him carefully. Then she smiled in return. She decided she liked this Valerios. She pointed to his weapon.

"What that?" She frowned and tried again... "what ... IS ... that?" She smiled as Valerios nodded in approval.