Lost Mission

Rare's stare at the order she 'saw nothing' held great understanding, and she signed a question, 'see', another question, and then tilted her head—'see what?'

She'd seen, and she empathized, and she agreed to say nothing of it.

The little stranger had seen her share of battle-exhaustion, had felt it herself often, and she knew it felt almost too embarrassing for words.

Still, the reassurance that she was safe and the previous gentle touch to her hair were enough. She stepped forward suddenly, hesitated, and then wrapped her arms around the other woman in a brief hug before she stepped back and signed a quick 'thank you' before her mouth twitched mid-blink.

On the brink of tears from relief that she wouldn't be burnt at the stake or allowed to die at this point, she had to fight to keep her expression neutral.
 
Thank goodness for small favours. The teenage-looking Rare seemed to understand Elisa all too well, which further proved the woman's suspicions that she was dealing with no ordinary teenager. Even if she had doubts about invoking the VAPA before, they were all gone now. Completely evaporated. Damage to her craft or not, Rare was someone who could hold the key either to humanity's future or demise based on what she said. And as she had affirmed, every bit of it was true... Elisa shook her head to get the thoughts out of there, then she was suddenly embraced. Relief suddenly flooded her senses as she picked up on Rare's obvious emotions, to which she replied with a smile.

"Don't worry. You're saying the truth. And frankly, humans need all the allies they can get." This was common knowledge to Elisa and most of the citizenship was aware of the precarious situation. After all, it was quite difficult to hide the fact that the taelrikon held several dozen times the forces of humanity and one of their sub-factions was out for the head of every single man and woman in the galaxy. Honestly, it was a miracle that they had not been straight up steamrolled... But thank goodness for small favours, right? Such as a new potential ally, even if she had been cut off from her 'owner'. Whatever that meant. Elise really did not want to tackle that right now.

"Come on," she said, indicating for Rare to follow. "My craft's only five hundred meters from here. You can rest and sit down there." And with that, she was off, always paying close attention to the teenage-looking thing to make sure that she could keep up. After all, there was no reason to take out her own frustrations on an innocent being even if said being was definitely not human. However, Elisa did not offer many details for the other woman for obvious reasons. As they closed the distance, the exhaustion in her became obvious, with some of her movements seemed downright strange at times. And judging by the state of her spacecraft, she got off easily.

Normally, an Exycoran was a long, sleek machine that resembled a snake. The sectioned plating on its side along with its 'head' were all designed to closely resemble Earth's slithering beings in hopes that their deadly elegance would be reflected in the craft itself. This? The Exycoran in front of Rare was practically a slab of molten metal. The basic shape may have been there, but even with her having no knowledge of its regular appearance, it was obviously very damaged. Scorch marks, deep holes and straight up metal icicles decorated the entirety of the deformed hull. And yet. If Rare had especially good ears, she could hear the deep, steady rumble of the craft even from a distance. And even if it did not possess visible weapons, this was supposedly the craft that defeated the taelrikon motherships.
 
The promise of rest brought visible relief to the shorter woman, and she nodded. As they walked, though, she shifted her gait to match Elisa's, intent on catching the other woman, should she fall, but making no move to force her to let Rare support her.

She stopped short as more details of the craft became visible, and she looked toward Elisa.

A quick signing of '? melted boat ?', and she shook her head, then hurried to catch back up. The closer they came, the more she could smell the melted metal, but she could also start to hear the humming of the craft.
 
"It's still operational," answered Elisa, omitting that operational did not mean capable of combat. The Taelrikon did a number on her and she felt a second wave would crush her. Fortunately, she knew of no other exile motherships nearby, so unless the Atlantians attacked again, they were safe. She refused to scare Rare more than she had to when she encountered her; enough blood was shed today.

She discarded these dark thoughts as she opened a hatch on her vehicle's side, then showed the Hunter inside the airlock. After a brief decontamination procedure, the inner hull opened up, revealing a much more promising sight. The interior seemed spotless save for the constant smell of molten metals. A practiced eye could see some molten textures here-and-there, but it seemed the heat spared most of the Exycoran's internals. The steady, regulated hum of alien machinery became as a second heartbeat, reassuring both Elisa and Rare they were alive.

The small lounge Elisa lead Rare to was a nice touch, too. A pair of armchairs big enough for two surrounded a low table of ceramic. A few pictures adorned the wall, displaying either Elisa, her craft, or both in the company of various people. Most of them wore uniform. A metallic disk lay in centre of the table, four lights adorning its sides. Only the faint smell of burned fabric mixed with charred wood broke the cozy scene.

"Please sit down," gestured Elisa, but she did not wait for her guest. An unguarded, exhausted sigh left her lips as she sunk into an armchair. Her posture collapsed for a split second before she caught herself. "All right. So here's what I can tell you: you're currently in the custody of the Intergalactic Human Republic's Solerita Group. I'm Exycoran Elisa Hess, and until reinforcements arrive, I'm responsible for your safety. Does any of that sound familiar?"
 
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Rare followed, obedient and quiet, as she took in all around her. The burnt scents came clear to her sensitive nose, and keen eyes spotted the melty texture of some of the walls. Another round of combat like what it had seen would doom the craft, she was certain.

Not to mention, there was the exhaustion of the seemingly lone crew member.

Rare sat when she was told and kept her gaze on Elisa. At the introduction, Rare tilted her head. Very little of it meant anything to her, and she shook her head.

In truth, she knew what custody meant, and someone being responsible for her safety, though that wasn't needed, in her opinion.

She said as much by pointing to herself, then signing that she was a 'protector'.

Fat lot of good that would do, though, given she knew almost nothing of this place. Still, stating her typical role seemed to calm Rare slightly.
 
As expected. Elisa felt her shoulders sag despite her intentions and this time, she was unable to catch herself in the act. The woman seemed to shrink into her plush armchair. Dark thoughts clouded her face as she fought to summarise the storm of information in her brain. In the end, she opted for the short and sweet route instead of laying it all out.

"So... I am going to give you a brief explanation," she started. "The Intergalactic Human Republic is one power from eight... or seven if you ask any taelrikon... in this part of the galaxy. The others are translated as Atlantean Empire, Coalition of Golden Pyramid Hierarchies, One and Only Forty-seventh Crusade, Saar-Kren Domains, Virus, Metexic and Eharv. The Hierarchies and Crusade are both taelrikon, but only the Crusade is hostile. Everyone else? Stay away from them." As dreadful of a summary this was, it rung true. It did not seem like Elisa omitted any information other than what she was too tired to say, as her posture demonstrated.

"But you don't look like you belong to any of them... So... who... or what are you? Protector does not give me much to go on. Please speak clearly," she asked of Rare. Elisa seemed genuine and more importantly, she made no moves to harm her. As the facade of a hero slowly crumbled around the Exycoran, so did the picture of an exhausted soldier reveal itself. She no longer tried to project the image of being in control or in high spirits; her arms sunk into her chair as did her back.
 
So, humanity was surrounded by danger on every side. Rare listened attentively throughout, and at question of her identity, she leaned her head back, thinking.

How best to introduce herself?

The usual spiel?

Why not?

She motioned to herself, hand-spelled her name, and then performed her name sign: doll, but with her hand forming an L as she ran her thumb along her nose.

She then pointed again to herself, and signed that she was a tool and a doll, skilled in many things: melee combat, cleaning, cooking, theft, spying, sex, breeding, driving, simple machine repair, breaking into secure facilities, submission, blood magic, and more.

The girl appeared on autopilot as she went through the introduction, and a deep weariness in her soul showed through briefly. This was how she was accustomed to introducing herself.

Still, she continued on.

She explained through hand sign that the normal course was for her to deliver herself to a man who would be her temporary master, and serve him for a time until she neutralized a threat against local humans and went home.

Her eyes narrowed and bitterness rose as she signed that she did not think she was supposed to return home this time, that her owner intended her to die.
 
Elisa stared.

Her gaze refused to move from Rare. Her eyes were wide. Her posture got stuck between relaxation and attention. She seemed an ice statue from an artist with enough skill to bring their creations to life. A bowstring frozen exactly as the archer drew it halfway. And yet, as she watched, her eyes filled not with pity, but with bitterness. Resignation welled up in Elisa's expression while the explanation continued. By the time the Hunter finished with her hand signs, a visage capable of turning honey into vinegar took domain over Elisa's face.

"Infiltrator... spy... and much worse..." The Exycoran buried her face in her palms. "I..." A pause. Long, uncomfortable. She could not understand many of the things Rare signed to her, but one stuck out like a sore thumb. "Neutralise a threat against local humans." If Elisa looked terrible before, she seemed absolutely haunted as she lifted her head to look at the teenager. "I... I'd love to believe you could. But did you see those golden ships out there?" She did not wait for Rare's answer. "They outnumber ours more than seven hundred to one."

Grim silence.

"You did not hear this from me... But the odds only get worse from there."
 
Rare signed again, slower as her expression melted from bitterness to weariness as well.

Her hands moved slowly, informing Elisa that she had been informed she would be sent to a place very different from this, one with castles and kings and, her lips twitched as she spelled out 'dragons' before a bitter exhale left her nose, the closest she came to laughing, though tears burned at her eyes.

She wasn't some savior for these people—she was sent to die with them. Hunters weren't equipped for battles in the sky!
 
At least they shared something in common. It seemed this teenage soldier had also been sent on the equivalent of a suicide mission, though Elisa shook her head when she heard the details. With a dry, exhausted smile on her face, she found the strength to disbelieve at least parts of the claim... though who knew? Maybe something crazier than Virus or Metexic did exist out there. This thought wormed itself into her brain and she laughed.

Bitter, exhausted, with a hint of despair, the joyful sound rung hollow. It only enriched the void between them instead of reducing it.

"I... okay. Nothing of that sort exists here," chuckled Elisa, more at her own expense than Rare's. Apparently, she really did believe the teenager. "Do... do they exist where you come from?" she asked, a little bit of energy returning to her form as she found something of interest to latch on. She leaned forwards slightly as fingers of interest caressed her skin along with her stomach, twisting her skepticism into unquestionable belief.

Then again, her existence proved that even skepticism could occasionally break its neck by tripping on a flight of stairs.
 
Rare remained quiet throughout the laughter, only to tilt her head at the comment, and then the question. She could tell the interest was genuine, though, and put aside her offense at being the subject of laughter.

She nodded and began to sign.

She explained that where she came from, she had lived in an underground complex called 'Headquarters'. It was massive, and housed hundreds of thousands of warriors called Hunters, who were ruled by the Council.

The Council sent Hunters out to protect humanity.

She was different, though. Unlike the others, who relied on brute strength, she was trained in other skills, and sent solo instead of with a partner, because a Councilman owned her.

She indicated her collar, then signed that it controlled her to an extent, and it was impossible to remove unless her owner willed it.

M-A-G-I-C, she signed.
 
Elisa's curiousity ended up being more of a trip than she had for. Her posture slowly transitioned from leaning forwards with interest to sinking back into her chair. The more words Rare signed, the harder she became to read. A strange cloud hung over Elisa's emotions, the disease returning to cloud her from senses more apt than a human's. It surrounded the Exycoran like a black cloud of glowing, red eyes, yet it did not seem intent on acting on its lone will. If anything, it seemed as though Elisa had bound it to her; and whatever the hell clung to her skin, it did not feel magical.

Instead, it felt almost like a thick layer of muck centered on Elisa.

"...So. What you are saying is... you are a slave sent here in an attempt to help humans," she summarised after a heavy pause. "And you know magic and so do others." As impossible as that sounded, it did not seem far-fetched if Elisa thought about it logically. There were at least three menaces in the universe whose capabilities could be considered magical. More, if she counted individuals within separate species.

"And you were sent here by a paedophile who wanted to kill you." Disgust and revulsion entered Elisa's voice as soon as she pronounced the word paedophile. She almost spat it, then sighed. The aura around her disappeared as though it had never been there in the first place. "Then at least I invoked VAPA with a good cause. Look, I'm going to be honest: I don't know what'll happen to you. But while you're here," Elisa's feet tapped the metal underneath, "You're safe." At least as far as her superiors along with the various propaganda were concerned. She felt her shoulders sag as the prospect of even less sleep hit her slow thoughts, but... well... She could not abandon an entire planet.

Much less something that might prove useful against humanity's enemies.
 
To each thing, Rare nodded. There were some inaccuracies, but they were based wholly on syntax choice. It didn't matter, Rare decided as she let herself ponder that strange aura and scent around Elisa.

It was like she was experiencing the soldier's emotions from a very intimate position that still remained external.

She didn't understand, even after several moments, but what she did understand was that Elisa wanted to reassure her of her safety, though she at the same time said she didn't know what would happen to her in the future.

Rare wasn't sure either, so they were in the same boat on that. For now, she opted not to fret over it overmuch. For now, she wanted to collect herself, to stop flinching at any unexpected sound, and to stop the tremors in her fingers.

Finally, she signed something else—"Do you know what we need to do next? I will be cooperative as much as I am allowed."
 
"Then please stay out of trouble and rest well," replied Elisa as she stood up from her seat. The sudden pull of gravity on her limbs felt as though a chain wrapped around her, its other end tied to a stubborn ox. She almost fell forward and only a pull on her powers saved her from the undignified fate of slamming into the table between them. Hopefully, her guest failed to notice the subtle motion, but perhaps the frown on her brows told more than she imagined.

She could not stay awake like this.

"Actually," she spoke up before Rare could lay down to rest, "I'd like your help with something. Stay here." With that, Elisa turned around and marched towards a wall, which slid upwards to reveal a hallway. For a brief second, Rare got to witness a spherical room beyond it, but the door slammed down before she could pick up many details.

A couple of minutes later, Elisa returned with a capped needle in her hand. She sat down beside the teenage girl, pulling her clothes up to reveal her right arm.

It was bruised and burned.

"I hope I don't have to tell you what to do. Just look for a vein that isn't damaged," she sighed as she busted the cap open. The scent of stimultant filled the air as Elisa shut her eyes. Her posture tensed and she grit her teeth as she prepared herself for things to come, however, she could not help the slight shaking of her hand. It simply refused to listen to her instructions, no matter how much she willed it to stay still.
 
Elisa's exhaustion didn't escape Rare's notice, and she kept a close eye on the other woman. Obediently, she waited as Elisa left, only to return with a syringe.

Rare watched a moment, then took the needle and stood, moving closer to Elisa as she held the woman's arm steady. She applied pressure, and as a blood vessel popped up, Rare slipped the needle into it and checked by pulling some blood out.

Blood came easily, and Rare injected the stimulant, careful to do it just slow enough it wouldn't burst the vessel. She released pressure, then slid the needle out before she pressed on the injection site to reduce any pain from the procedure and prevent the drug coming back out easily.

After a moment, she released pressure and gently tapped twice on Elisa's arm to let her know she was done, then offered a weary smile.
 
Elisa kept her eyes closed for what felt like an eternity and when she finally felt the needle poke in her skin, her hand balled up into a fist. Her knuckles went white from the sheer amount of force she employed, but at least she managed to keep herself still. The needle hit its mark perfectly, so when Rare tapped her arm twice, her shoulders fell in relief. Her eyes opened with a genuine smile, though she seemed completely drained of energy.

But that would fix itself soon.

"Thank you," said Elisa from the bottom of her heart. "Now we're both safe... Would you like to sleep? I know this isn't the most comfortable place, but..." she trailed off before she finished her sentence, remembering that the single solitary guest room burned both beyond recognition and safety. Her own room was in no better condition eithe-

Oh fuck.

Elisa let out a barely audible groan as she realised she too, would have to eventually sleep in one of the chairs.
 
Sleep.

The very mention sounded divine, and Rare nodded several times in eagerness.

Elisa's groan brought a frown and an inquisitive tilt of her head, followed by a few signed question marks.

Rare waited a moment, then realized she still held the syringe, and looked around for somewhere to dispose of it... In her experience, it was usually a locking red bin of some sort, to prevent reuse of a contaminated needle—and theft.

Not spotting anything immediately, Rare returned her questioning gaze to Elisa, head tilted once more.
 
"Oh, don't worry about it," answered Elisa as she focused on the syringe for a bit. Immediately, Rare felt the air shift and the presence she felt so many times returned with focus. For a brief instant, deathly cold touched her skin along with foreboding clouds of deep blue. It almost felt an illusion, however, the destruction of the syringe in her hand was definitely real. The millions of pieces it shattered into refused to wound her flesh or fall to the floor. Instead, they gathered in Elisa's outstretched palm.

They went up in flames. She did not concern herself with the heat.

It burned up within seconds, followed by a retreat of her host's mysterious aura. Elisa did not seem to notice as she stood up without ceremony, then headed towards the wall section she had disappeared in earlier.

"Make yourself comfortable. You can't damage anything... and sleep well." The last two words, she reinforced with a genuine smile before she went about her business in whatever lay beyond the wall of metal.
 
Rare couldn't help it.

She sat there, mouth agape, as she watched the needle's utter destruction.

She could only assume this was only a tiny hint of Elisa's capabilities, since it didn't seem to tire her at all. The temperature of the flames were surely intense, to burn the syringe to apparent nothingness in only seconds, and yet Elisa seemed untouched by sweat.

And that aura...

Once Elisa was gone, Rare finally realized her mouth hung open, and she snapped it shut. Her ears burned with embarrassment at looking like a bumpkin after making so much of herself earlier, and she watched the metal door a few moments before she forced a deep breath and pulled her legs up. Thin arms wrapped around them, and she rested a cheek on one knee, brows furrowed as she tried to wrap her mind around all she'd experienced and learned.

She lasted several minutes in the quiet, but exhaustion was too great a force. Her mind drifted in and out of consciousness as she tried to keep both eyes open, and then just one eye open... and then her eyes began the rapid movement of dreaming before the second eye finally slid shut.
 
Nothing disturbed Rare's sleep and she had as much time in the world to get rest as she pleased - in fact, probably a bit more. When she woke, Elisa was still absent... along with clocks or windows, by which she could tell the time. She only had the room, in its relative comfort; but nothing gave off a clue as to how much time passed exactly. That is, until she noticed one faint, almost indiscernible noise.

The hum of machinery and the flow of massive amounts of electricity.

It almost sung in her ears, speaking to the machine's capacity. Miniature lightning crackled behind the walls with extreme ferocity, arc after arc popping. Yet it did not impede the spacecraft's functionality, it seemed. Everything sounded as though it were in order. No alarming noises besides the constant buzz. And nothing alarming save for an odd feeling in her gut. Or on her skin? Under her skin? It was difficult to identify, but it almost felt like something... no, someone had pried her open, then inserted themselves. Almost like a second personality.

"Ah! You're awake," chimed Elisa with two massive bags under her eyes. Her shoulders were slumped and though she tried to force some cheer into her voice, the exhaustion destroyed her shoddy facade. "Sleep well?"
 
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