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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 24, 2009 15:04:56 GMT -6
Having left Reese in Solomon’s company the day before helped put Magdalen a little more at ease, knowing the captain would be far more capable of answering the other man’s questions than she'd been able. Nothing had been said in relation to their new passenger afterwards however, so she hoped Solomon wasn’t angry with her for having selected a stranger at random to bring aboard the ship in the first place. After all she wasn’t entirely sure whether he had a criminal record on him and the last thing any of the crew needed was to have yet another potential risk to their safety and the well-being of the Adeala to worry about. Yes, it was true she and Solomon himself had at one time had bounties placed on their heads, but both of them were more or less innocent in the sense that they hadn’t harmed anyone intentionally … if at all. They’d only been doing what they felt was necessary for survival.
That evening she’d opted to sit outside of the port’s main cafeteria, still debating whether or not she should venture out into the countryside while everyone remained behind. What if they needed her suddenly and she was unavailable? That sort of thought convinced her to stay put. She wondered absently then how Olive was making out with her family. It had been said she’d returned home to say her goodbyes but it appeared as though no one had seen from or heard of her since. Hopefully it had sorted itself out alright. What policies did Fauns have on their children leaving home anyway? Mags couldn’t imagine they’d be pleased to learn their daughter was running off with some human.
As for the rest of the crew, she’d spotted some of them in passing but left them to their own devices. They had their own business to attend to and she didn’t want to get in the way. If they needed her they knew where she’d be.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 24, 2009 20:52:42 GMT -6
Sol was just about to enter the cafeteria corridor when he noticed Magdalen sitting nearby. He was relieved that she was the first one he spotted, knowing she was the most important to notify about the ship searches. He did his best to approach her casually, giving her a smile.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice low, trying to appear like he was having a light conversation. "So... act casual, just in case I'm being followed," he warned, hoping she wouldn't immediately start looking around nervously. "There's, uh... a commandant-general searching the ship right now. They're looking for Cass, apparently."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 24, 2009 20:59:40 GMT -6
Seeing Solomon approach, Magdalen tossed him a bright smile and lifted her hand to wave a bit. About to ask him how it had gone with Reese – as they hadn’t had much of a chance to speak up until that point – she was interrupted instead by the urgency in his tone and the words that followed.
“Cassandra?” she repeated, trying to keep her features composed. It wasn’t particularly surprising that someone was looking for the other woman, if only because she had been acting rather suspiciously throughout the duration of their trip thus far. It was however somewhat disappointing, like inevitable bad news she’d known was coming but wished to put off hearing for as long as possible. Allowing herself a moment to calm down, the blonde fixed Solomon with a serious look and clasped both hands together in front of her.
“They didn’t say why they were looking for her then? Does the rest of the crew know?”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 24, 2009 21:20:42 GMT -6
"Something about illegal prosthetics," Sol replied, still unsure what it meant. Cass had looked like she'd had all her real body parts to him, but then again, it wasn't like he'd inspected her closely. He motioned his hands like he was telling her an interesting story, just in case anyone was watching them. "But now the ship is crawling with soldiers. I told him the truth about Cass, but I'm not sure to do if he asks about the rest of us."
He allowed himself a quick glance around. So far there was no one around near them "I told Cain I'd round up the crew, since the others don't have any issues, but if this guy is someone who's going to cause you trouble, you should probably steer clear of the ship. The only downside being that you'll be missing if he asks for some sort of crew list or something, which might look suspicious."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 24, 2009 21:35:45 GMT -6
“Prosthetics?” That seemed like a strange reason for Cassandra to have landed herself in so much trouble. Attempting to appear as though she and Solomon were having a light conversation, Magdalen paused to smile again and nod her head; mind reeling as she grasped hopelessly for solutions. “Do you suppose she stole them or something? I mean … she was in her room a lot and hasn’t said very much to us at all. But you mentioned they’d done a search right? So obviously she didn’t bring anything on board with her.” None of it made sense, but there was no hope for Cassandra’s situation now. It was time to worry about herself and the rest of the crew.
“You did the right thing by telling them the truth. If you’d said anything else and they caught on, they’d have more reason to dig deeper into our files to try and see what other secrets we were keeping. … As for myself, we both know I’m not guilty of anything. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. However those people won’t see it that way.”
And then she thought of something.
“If they have information on me, they probably have details on my brother’s whereabouts.” Immediately Magdalen’s expression changed from concerned to hopeful. “Solomon, I didn’t think we’d have to part ways so abruptly … but there can’t be very many options available to me now. If I don’t return to the ship with you and they realize it, you’ll only be worse off. However if I do go back and they take note of my previous record … well, they’ll request I stay behind with them for further questioning. But they won’t have reason to keep you right?”
This time her smile was genuine, if not sad, and she sighed gently.
“This is something Cass and I have to resolve on our own. You and the other guys have nothing to worry about. So … I don’t want you to trouble yourself more than you already have.”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 24, 2009 22:14:22 GMT -6
"Yeah, they searched the ship, but they didn't find anything," he nodded. "If she had anything that they wanted or needed, she must have taken it with her when she left this morning." He crossed his arms. "To be completely honest with you, I actually did a check on her the night we left Terra and found a listed bounty on her. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to worry anyone, and I wasn't sure if I should have asked her about it. All it said was something about being wanted for questioning in relation to someone else, so I didn't think it was anything serious. At least not... 'Lock Down All Flights' serious."
As she continued to talk, he felt a little worried that she'd misunderstood him. He tried his best to mask it with a smile to keep up the facade of a light talk. "Oh, I didn't mean to stay away from the ship permanently. I wouldn't ever suggest leaving you behind. Just for the day, I meant, or until this thing blows over. But... if you feel comfortable returning right away... I just want to warn you that this guy seems to mean business."
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Post by Cassandra Nida on Sept 24, 2009 23:49:57 GMT -6
Cass tore out of the mouth of the docks and down the street, legs pumping faster than any human's ever could. The bullets and soldiers followed, firing. She just kept moving, heart pounding and too terrified to even look around.
Bullets rippled across her back, knocking her off balance and sending Cass onto the ground. The stones shattered underneath the combined weight and force. She was bleeding. The bullets had mostly hit the supports and steel plating, but a few had gotten deep, and they hurt a lot. She got to her feet, dragging her bag with her as she ran again.
People were screaming around her. Cass ignored them. She was terrified, but it was a sharpened terror. Her survival instincts had kicked in. While she ran away from the bullets, she spotted a low building. Get up on it, and she could see if there were men ahead.
Cass ran and jumped. She caught the lip of the building and hauled herself up before the brick could crumble. Then she ran across the top of it. To her right were more troops. The left was empty, and the alley lead away from town. She jumped. They opened fire, and Cass brought her arms up over her head. The bullets hit her arm and side, tearing up her sweater. She hit the ground and rolled, smashing into the side of a building. But the soldiers were stuck in the other alley.
Once again, she scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 25, 2009 23:38:45 GMT -6
Sol turned abruptly in surprise upon hearing gunfire from a distance. It was in the vague direction of where he'd just come from. "What th--"
Guns didn't randomly erupt on Antheia. Guns were rarely even used for hunting on Antheia. For what sounded like a gun fight, it had to be something big, and seeing as there were a dozen highly armed men patrolling around his ship, Sol could only guess it had something to do with the Adeala.
He began weighing his options, wondering if he should quickly return to see what was going on, or most definitely stay clear.
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Post by Cassandra Nida on Sept 26, 2009 20:21:06 GMT -6
People stopped in their tracks to stare at the girl running down the streets. Cass didn't waste any time staring at them. And after she passed, the soldiers followed, and the citizens of Antheia quickly fled inside.
Cass came around one corner and got pegged in the shoulder by a bullet. There were a few soldiers in front of her, waiting. Another bullet narrowly missed her. The first soldier grabbed onto the second's gun, yelling, "Not the head!" Cass went right, into a building.
The shopkeeper got out of the girl's way and Cass charged into the backroom. There wasn't an exit out of the ship, so she made one, two quick punches displacing enough bricks for her to get through. The bag went first, followed by the bleeding cyborg. She was losing blood and she had to get away before their shots got more accurate and managed to hit her vitals.
There was no one on the other side. The business was closed, either for the day or for good. Cass got the door open and went stumbling out into the corridor. She looked up. The cafeteria was across from her. If she cut through it, maybe she could dodge soldiers. And the crowd would protect her... right?
Cass wasn't so sure about that but she had to give it a chance. She went running into the cafeteria, bag across her chest instead of back. The bullet holes were bad enough, but bleeding all over her notes and blueprints? So much worse. People, humans and elves, fauns and centaurs, stared as she went tearing through the quad and by tables. And then screaming started as the soldiers she'd ditched earlier caught up and started firing. She hoped they didn't hurt anyone innocent, and then she ran out of the cafeteria's doors.
She didn't even notice Solomon or Magdalen as she stopped for a second to look around. Another bullet hit her, knocking her off balance. Her arm whined unhappily, and the smell of burning plastic was impossible to ignore. She couldn't take much more damage before her right arm would be unusable.
Cass went left, running faster than her legs were meant to go. The motors made unhappy screeching noises as they started to grind against one another, but she ignored it. The speed was necessary. Enough speed and she could make it.
The spaceport began to give way to meadows and greenery, clumps of trees here and there. She headed straight for the woods, knowing they would give her the cover she desperately needed. More bullets came close, but her speed made her harder to hit. And soon, as the trees got thicker around her, they grew fainter and fewer, until she couldn't hear any more
But she kept running.
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 26, 2009 20:49:55 GMT -6
The commotion went completely unnoticed by Magdalen until Solomon’s attention drifted. Tearing her eyes away from him, she eventually picked up on the sound of gunshots and screaming, searching the area frantically for any sign of what might be happening. And then Cassandra appeared, clothing torn and expression betraying the terror she likely felt at being chased and shot at.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. Not wanting to endanger anyone, the blonde did not bother calling the other girl over. Instead she continued to watch in stunned silence as she took off in the direction of the port’s outskirts. A league of armed men followed, shouting orders, and Magdalen turned back to stare at her captain almost desperately.
“You should inform the rest of the crew of the situation as soon as possible. I’m sure they’re all around here somewhere. As for myself … I’m going after Cassandra.” She stood in preparation to leave, heart racing but determination evident in her eyes. “We can’t just let them kill her.”
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 26, 2009 23:15:58 GMT -6
Sol couldn't believe his eyes when Cassandra finally tore through the scene, soldiers following guns blazing, leaving a surprising level of destruction in their wake. He could have sworn that Cassandra was being hit by bullets, but kept on running. Maybe there was more to this prosthetic story than previously mentioned, he thought as he watched, frozen in place in total surprise.
When Magdalen spoke up once more, Sol nodded. "Good idea. I'll keep looking for them." He quickly caught her by the arm when she stood up and announced her intent to follow Cass. He wasn't sure it was such a good idea, but he caught himself from saying so, knowing whatever he said probably wouldn't stop her. "Look just... be careful..."
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Post by Magdalen Verena on Sept 26, 2009 23:24:19 GMT -6
With her heart pounding, Magdalen barely felt Solomon’s grip on her arm. However the caution in his tone seemed to reach her and she regarded him with a mix of gratitude and appreciation.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Although she didn’t particularly feel as confident as she sounded, she managed to toss him a soft smile and then took off in the same direction Cassandra had gone. |
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Post by Caden Breese on Sept 27, 2009 13:04:10 GMT -6
Caden had bought himself some food and had just started eating when he started to hear gun shots in the distance. 'People use guns on this flowery planet?' he asked himself and looked off in the direction of the sound the shots were coming from. He kept eating as well as watching to see if what ever this mess was came closer. As the sounds neared he raised an eyebrow recognizing the specific firing sound. The same guns typically used by the Terran Government. 'What the hell...?'
What made everything make even less sense was when he saw a girl tear through the crowd. Cassandra. He stood up when he realized who it was and watched as the government men raced after her. 'Why the fik are they chasing an innocent girl...?!' He wasn't sure what to do. He just sort of stood there with a mixed look of confusion and concern.
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Post by Solomon Taylor on Sept 27, 2009 17:44:59 GMT -6
As Magdalen hurried off, Sol quickly went back to his quest to track down the other crew members. He scanned the cafeteria quickly, finally spotting Caden amongst the confused looking diners. It wasn't Booker, but it was one down. He headed in Caden's direction quickly.
"Hey. Caden. We have a bit of a situation." He said shortly, motioning for him to follow the others. "I'll explain as best I can once we find the other crew members, but grab your stuff and come on."
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Post by Caden Breese on Sept 27, 2009 19:15:48 GMT -6
Caden kept staring in the direction the massive group of people ran off in and only noticed Solomon approaching out of the corner of his eye. He finally looked back at him when he spoke. 'A bit of a situation is an understatement...' "You think?" He said in a slightly sarcastic tone. He wanted to know what the hell was going on. Why would a huge group of government soldiers be after a small quiet girl like Cassandra?
He grabbed the little bit of stuff he had with him along with the food he had and followed Solomon. "Why the hell do they want that girl? I know for a fact, they don't send a squad like that unless you're in some serious fiking trouble! What on Terra did she do?!"
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