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Izurich

Pikaface
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FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. No Preferences
Genres
Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Space Fantasy, Magical
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"Extinction is the rule,
Survival is the exception"
~Carl Sagan


  • In the 27th Century, 5 centuries after the first successful planetary colonization project took place in Mars. Humanity has progressed into the space-faring era with colonies set up even beyond Earth's solar system, all made possible by the invention of FTL (Faster-Than-Light) travel. Societies prospered as a whole, rapid advancement in science, medical, art, and other fields bloomed. Mankind had entered a Golden Age... until in early 26th Century, they came.

    We were never alone, there was no possible way that in the whole universe, mankind was the only advanced species.

    They came in waves, spreading through the fields of outer space like locusts, consuming everything in their path, destroying colonies and the planet's ecosystem, spawning uninhabitable wastelands in their voracious rampage. Dubbed 'Xenoptera', this hostile alien species will be humanity's greatest challenge yet.

    However, as always, ever since time immemorial, we will fight back and we will survive.

    This is an epic story of an unruly Pilot and her Conduit as they journey through the sea of stars in which the very concepts of sentience, existence, and morality shall be shaken to the core.

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    Founded in the 24th Century, United Republic (of Earth) Colonies, or URC for short, is an evolution of the United Nations (UN) due to humanity progressing into an era where people distinct themselves by the planets they lived in instead of nations. Its headquarter is still in New York, USA, Earth.

    The URC, much like the UN, holds the Colonies together and promotes inter-colony cooperation, including peacekeeping missions. With the arrival of the Xenopteras, the URC is humanity's front against the alien threat.

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    A mysterious alien race resembling mechanical insects in both design and behavior.

    Based on combat and research logs on captured Xenoptera specimens, it can be assumed that the Xenopterans are a bio-mechanical hive-mind insectoid race. Varies greatly in sizes, from a few metres to the equivalent of a mothership, all of them are united under a single consciousness. Their true motives and home planet are still unknown. All attempts at communication had failed, currently, there is no other known way in dealing with them except through extermination.

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    Mechanized Assault Units a.k.a Mecha in popular terms, the PSY-Breed is humanity's trump card against the Xenopteran threat. Developed by a team of URC's finest researchers, PSY-Breeds combine Xenopteran physiology with human ingenuity, these giant humanoid robots have unprecedented capabilities compared to any developed combat vehicles so far in human history.

    A 'living' machine, PSY-Breeds require two operators. The Pilot, which controls most of the suit's movements and functions, and The Conduit, which serves as the 'power-source'. The latter which arises controversy and heated debates among the colonies under the issues of human rights and ethics. However, whether it is 'ethical' or not, one can't deny the significant role these mechas play in the war against Xenopterans.

  • PnKwycn.jpg

    The Conduits are best described as homunculi, artificial life-form created through the splicing between human and Xenoptera DNA and grown in test tubes. They are fully sentient much like a human, but posses a unique ability to interact with Xenopteran bio-mechanical tissue.

    This ability truly shines when a Conduit is integrated into the power core of a PSY-Breed unit. True to their namesake, they serve as the 'conduit', allowing full synchronization between Pilot and Bio-Machine. Without them, the PSY-Breed can't activate due to its Xenopteran nature incapability with man-made controls.

    So far, only XX chromosome embryos have given positive results which makes all registered Conduits biologically female. Subject to controversy due to how they were developed, the URC does its best to keep them hidden from society, often living in solitary confinement, only allowed contact with their assigned Pilot and select scientists.


=Cast List=

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    Name: Lilith Goetz
    Gender: Female
    Age: 22
    Home: Spaaaaace
    Bio: Lilith was born on Hess, a planet that was thrown into a bloody and endless civil war decades ago. WIthout parents and only her sister to rely on, each day was a fight for survival. Hope was something only the desperate and fools believed in, but also something the arms industry made sure to provide from time to time so Hess' primitive war could go on forever. It was simple, really, weapons were cheap to make - only sometimes shaken by highly experimental technical devices - and corrupt government officials earned just as much of a nice sum as shady researchers, everybody important was happy.

    Yes, money was truly a frightening thing, but there was one entity even more scary: The Xenoptera.

    While it did not take too long, by the time the URC started paying attention to Hess, the planet was pretty much lost. Though, there were still lives left to be rescued. Under them, Lilith and her sister Carol. The turning point of their lives.

    Attention to the pair was drawn easily enough, able to take out some of the less threatening Xenoptera just with their bare fists and no future whatsoever, the two of them have taken their chance to serve the URC. Both were considered prodigies, and swiftly finished their training as space cadets and send off to a myriad of missions.

    While Carol was obedient, nice, charming, gentle and caring, Lilith on the other hand was a ruthless person. A sociopath, with only Carol being able to keep her in check. Problematic, but not impossible to handle.

    However, in the end, even with Carol on her side, Lilith simply couldn't do with the military. Obligations, paying respect to weak superiors, following orders and rules and so on, all those tiny bits were reasons that Lilith ultimately left the URC and simply became a sort of explorer. Sure, the young woman still had contact with her older sister but ultimately Carol wasn't supposed to be her sole reason to continue living.... .

    Notes:
    Both Lilith and Carol have the same foster father, Jacts Goetz. Lilith can't stand him.
    Lilith hates being called by her name, Lily, Lil-chan or anything else.
    There's a scar under her eye-patch.


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    Name: C-MRS-10
    Title: PSY-Breed Conduit
    Nickname: "Stella", "10th"
    Gender: Female
    Age: -
    Home: Mars
    Bio: C-MRS-10 stands for "Conduit Mars No.10" meaning she is the tenth Conduit developed in the URC's Conduit Research Facility in Mars, a top-secret institution which produces the homunculi necessary to power up the unique PSY-Breed Units. Standing at 152 cm (5' 0"), this particular conduit appeared as a silver-haired teenager with cerulean eyes. At a first glance, she appeared much like a normal human female if one doesn't know that most of the 'bodysuit' she's wearing is actually her skin. Being a Conduit, she's a mix between human and Xenoptera, thus, she bears the alien's bio-mechanical body.

    Due to the controversy surrounding their development, C-MRS-10 or 'Stella' as she likes to call herself has been living in solitary confinement ever since she was 'born', grown in a test tube, she has no biological mother or father, with the scientists assigned to her serving as her only means of social contact. Stella spends her days trained and experimented to prepare herself for her fated role as a PSY-Breed's Conduit. Often considered as a test subject, not human, Stella grew distant and cold, often hiding her feelings as they won't matter anyway, she was created - not born - to serve a purpose and that's what she'd do.
 
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*CLANK*
*CLANK*

The sound of heavy metal bending its form. Over and over the heavy security door, which withhold decades of neglected maintenance, was giving in more and more as the sole visitor of a long abandoned, and partly destroyed, Battlecruiser kept punching their fist against it. "This dumb suit..." The person, who was also wearing a proper space helmet, prepared for another assault on the military blockade. "JUST OPEN ALREADY!" And as if anger was the only key missing, the abused door fell finally out-of-place. "Tzch, took long enough..." The woman, her voice clearly being female, said as she clicked her tongue and entered the room that the space door tried so desperately to protect - for a good reason.

A fat grin appeared on the woman's covered face as she followed with a whistle. "Ship graveyard and ghost stories my ass! I knew this place was worth my time!" Maybe, the woman couldn't deny that deep down there was some doubt as of why a perfectly fine-looking Mech was left all alone. "Now I just gotta get it out of here..." Looking around, the woman noted a myriad of gadgets and instruments, some of them clearly not belonging to just simple maintenance. Upon realizing that there wasn't a Hangardoor present, or at least none she could see, her smile only became wider. "Guess I can blast this old lady into even more pieces." But for that, she had to get the mech out of here first! The question was only how to pilot it. "Oy, you're just a hunk of metal, no?" Giving the machine a well-placed, but held back, superhuman punch she looked up to it

"Feels rather metallic to me." The woman sighed. The URC liked to talk a lot, including a lot of bullshit, and while she didn't doubt that those glorified Psy-Breed machines were indeed rather powerful she also believed that whole 'living machine' talk was just bullcrap. "To the cockpit I guess." And with those words, all left to do was climbing up!
 
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Floating on the rims of G-187, a small rocky planet, was the remnants of a doomed URC Navy Fleet, courtesy of losing a decisive battle against a major Xenopteran swarm. For decades, they served as an undeniable testament of the hive-mind alien threat. Among them was Battlecruiser Isaac, one of fleet's flagships, it drifted among its peers, it took less damage than most others but its crew had long since abandoned it. Yet, even this derelict space graveyard attracted visitors, the occasional scavengers and pirates hoping to salvage what valuables remained. This was where one Lilith Goetz' story began.

Even after resigning from military service, the dark-haired woman kept herself in shape, fortunately her new occupation as an explorer slash scavenger demanded such things, even more since she must take care of herself during her quests, no on-demand support or reinforcements divisions. The worn entryway proved no match for Lilith's strength, it crumbled under her relentless strikes. Entering this particular section of the empty battlecruiser, Lilith was greeted with the sight of a wide hangar, not as huge as a Carrier's, but spacious enough to make Lilith small by comparison. It used to hold various starfighters, bombers, and other vehicles, a few still parked in their respective spots, defunct and broken... except for one.

There was a particular spot at the corner reserved for a vehicle noticeably taller than the others, humanoid in shape, it stood there, still held up by various beams attached to its limbs, making it obvious it never got the chance to launch before the crews abandoned ship. It was one of the PSY-Breeds, Mankind's ultimate weapon against the Xenoptera, their pilot often praised as heroes and rumors said they were 'alive' in some way, seemingly synchronizing with its operator for maximum combat efficiency.

Speaking about these mechas, the ex-soldier tried the grueling tests to become a PSY-Breed pilot once, but unfortunately, she didn't pass. However, the fact still remained she had enough experience with the simulators and prototype mechas to at try piloting it. One question remained, after all these decades, could it still work? Only one way to find out. No one would protest, the pilot may already be long dead anyway. As Lilith climbed the ladder heading towards the cockpit, she felt her ears ringing, low humming vibrating against her eardrums. The closer she got to the chest area where the cockpit was, the humming became louder until she could discern it wasn't coming from her ears, it was all from inside her head, something was definitely up, perhaps she accidentally consumed an expired ration last night?


"A... Pilot?"

Upon reaching the platform leading to the pilot's compartment, the cockpit hummed, power lines firing up with mesmerizing neon glows, then opened accompanied by hissing steams. It happened on its own, fitting if the rumor about these machines being 'alive' was true. Entering the cockpit, the lights were already on, allowing her to see the controls, an older design compared to the ones she used in the simulations, but she could manage. All she got to do was remove the beams, launch the thing, and went home with arguably the greatest loot in all exploring career since... ever. She'd make more than a fortune just by auctioning off this thing. However, her plans may have to wait as a voice, a young soft female voice echoed in her head.

"Welcome, Pilot."

In a flash, the cockpit suddenly closed shut without her command and a swarm of holographic windows spawned at her sides and in front of her, displaying all kinds of information, but the one that stood out was a 3D Rotating model of the mecha along with a list of technical details about it.


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General Characteristics
  • Code: "Aeterna"
  • Type: PSY-Breed Mechanized Assault Unit
  • Height: 23 meters
  • Weight: 56.5 metric tons
  • Power-plant: Conduit
  • Accommodations: Pilot (Cockpit), Conduit (Stasis Chamber)
  • Armor: Xenopternium Alloy
Movement
  • Main Thrusters: 2 (Back)
  • Secondary Thrusters: 2 (Wings), 1 (Left Foot), 1 (Right Foot)
  • Vernier Thrusters: 8 (Wings), 2 (Left foot), 2 (Right Foot)
Armaments
  • Beam Wave Cannon (Belly)
  • "Palma Fionica" Beam Magnum (On each palm)
  • Missile Pods (64 missiles in each leg)
  • Beam Fin Fangs (Remote Weapons, 8 in each wing)
  • Beam Sabers (In each arm)
Special Equipments
  • Xeno-Destroyer (XN-D) System
  • Synchronization+ Module
  • Self-Regenerating Xenopteran Bio-Mechanical Cells
  • I-Field Generator (Barrier)



Soon, another window popped up at the lower-left side, displaying... the face of a girl with long white hair and deep blue eyes, she looked to be wearing a high-tech plugsuit.

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"You are inside the cockpit of PSY-Breed "Aeterna", Pilot. It has been 35 years 2 months 5 days 17 hours 36 minutes and 15 seconds since its last activation." The girl said with a rather emotionless tone, "I am your Conduit, C-MRS-10, but you can call me 'Stella'. You are not registered in Aeterna's database, but I analyze we match, thus making you eligible to operate the unit. I assume you are a new Pilot, please state your name, rank, and division, I will update as necessary."
 
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For a second, Lilith was seriously considering that something wasn’t right. First, the sounds in her head that she ultimately blamed on not having seen the only person she cares about in a while. Second, the automatic closure of the cockpit, which was probably just some standard safety-procedure as the system booted up. And as far as the automatic boot-up was concerned, well, sensory detectors in case of an emergency or something?

Yeah, Lilith had a more-or-less plausible answer for everything and, upon seeing the specs about the machine in more details, all of her doubts were cast aside as a fat grin formed upon her face. ”Jackpot! This’ll sell for a fortune.” All that was left to do was getting this mobile treasure-chest out of here, or at least that was the plan until another popup appeared, this time showing the face of a young girl, that soon spoke to her.

It was the same voice as she just heard upon entering the machine, and the first conclusion Lilith came to this was some sort of AI, though, probably modified by some sicko pervert to satisfy his own needs. That still left a question about this ‘match’-thing open. Regardless, Lilith kept her cool as she was thinking for a few moments before her grin became even wider.

”Pilot? Silly AI! I am Empress Mikado, Supreme Ruler of the, urm, Allied Human Alliance!” Fuck, she wasn’t very good at this. ”You should feel honoured, for I have personally claimed this out-dated piece of history for our, urm, Xenoptera space museum!” Right now, Lilith would want to punch herself for the kind of bullshit she spilled, but considering the circumstances, she just had to find out how unbelievable she could go in presence of this machine, after all, she didn’t plan to take the mech back in separate components.

At the same time however, inside Lilith’s helmet, yet another small message came into her sight, this time it was a warning. A warning that made clear she wasn’t alone anymore. Or so she concluded, as the message itself was about the small space shuttle she used to come on-board this behemoth taking substantial amounts of damage.
 
The answer given by this new 'Pilot' was strange indeed, Stella didn't know why she did it, but she was obviously lying through her teeth, so poorly worded, it wouldn't take a genius to notice. "I assume you are merely jesting, Pilot, there is no Empress Mikado nor Allied Human Alliance." The white-haired girl answered calmly, then paused for a second, "Furthermore, I am not an Artificial Intelligence, I am a Conduit developed in Mars, currently assigned to this PSY-Breed unit. As said before, my codename is C-MRS-10, standing for Conduit - Mars - number tenth." For a brief moment, there was a tinge of sadness in her eyes before she returned to her calm monotone self, "However, please call me 'Stella', easier that way."

Not only Lilith, Stella too noticed the presence of alien entities approaching the derelict Battlecruiser, it shouldn't be a problem, this mecha was specifically made to combat said entities. "Sensors have detected a swarm of drone-types along with a single cruiser-type Xenoptera with the vicinity of the Battlecruiser. I suggest eliminating them quickly then return to the closest Colonized Planet." Confirming her new Pilot's identity became lower in priority compared to surviving the encounter. "I am activating the MAU, Pilot."



Gradually, power lines traveled outwards from the cockpit to each part of the humanoid machine, feeding the bio-mechanical cells with energy after decades of dormancy. Low hummings echoed within the hangar as the mecha's visor lit up, displaying "Aeterna" along with a holographic symbol of the URC. In the cockpit, the various screens converged into a more organized HUD with all necessary functions such as Radar, Uni Status, Communication Array, and others.

"Garage non-functional, suggest to attempt forced ejection." Going by Lilith's command, Aeterna's limbs twitched and shifted, the giant finally awakening from its slumber. It tore through the maintenance beams holding it up as if they were no more than minor disturbances. Once freed, Aeterna's form hovered up above the floor then flew forward towards the main hangar door separating the garage from outer space, "Sensors indicate Battlecruiser Isaac has been abandoned." Stella stated the obvious and seemed unperturbed by the implication that she had been hibernating for decades.

"Use the Beam Wave Cannon to blast through the door." Aeterna arched its back slightly as an orb of purple energy gathered just in front of its belly, growing larger with each second before it released the gathered power into a thick stream of beam, blitzing through the vacuum, tearing a huge hole on the door, more than enough for Aeterna to fit through. "Once we enter outer space, engagement will be imminent. Prepare for combat, Pilot."
 
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'How are you supposed to know considering you're out-dated for about 35 years?!' Something akin to that were the words Lilith was to throw at the glorified tin-can, alas, that had to wait. And as far as this whole conduit business was going, Lilith didn't have time to think more deeply about that either. Her own survival came first.

"Just a cruiser and some drones?" Lilith said with a hunch of disappointment as the machine freed itself from the steel shackles. Yeah, this ship was truly just a floating hunk of space debris. Giving the controls a good try the young genius quickly realized they were, essentially, pretty much the same as the simulation.

"Outta my way!" Following her original plan, even without Stella telling, Lilith couldn't deny her excitement as the a percentual number slowly made its way up to a 100%, indicating the charge status of the beam cannon. Breaking things was just too much fun. "FIRE!"

The ship was creaking upon being robbed by whatever amount of support the now obliterated parts of the hangar door was providing. With a way opened towards outer space again, Lilith held still for a second, preparing mentally for the battle that was about to come. She was neither scared nor believed she would fail, but the fact the woman had to rely on this machines strength rather than her own was just... odd. Lilith didn't need anybody else. She couldn't rely on anyone but herself, and this apparent 'living' machine should be no exception. Alas, she had no choice.

"... Full power to thrusters!"

As the elegant Mecha emerged from the wrecked Battlecruiser at full-speed, a play of lightshow, created by various laser attacks, followed behind the energy-trail the thrusters left behind as the Xeno already anticipated the emerge of a contester. Just like Lilith anticipated.

"Tzch.." She quickly located her own little ship, which was now pretty much beyond rescue. Whatever. She would get this over quickly with and then just fly... somewhere, with this machine. "Launching Fin Fangs to destroy enemy drones. Launch!"

While the drones would take care of the smaller small-fries, Lilith herself would take care of the rather modest cruiser-type. Continuing to circle around her enemies, Lilith locked onto the cruiser as she let down a barrage of beam shots, which were easily reflected by the opponents shield. "Guess it's a bit sturdier than it looks. Well, fine then." She had a sadistic undertone in her voice as she rapidly pressed a holographic button. "Launching ALL the missiles!" Yeah, why didn't Lilith think about that from the start? This would make a great firework!

The enemy, however, wasn't that stupid. Even with the drones slowly being whittled down by the Beam Fins, their entire attention was drawn to the missile swarm, effectively reducing it by already a half before they got remotely close to the cruiser. In the end, only a quarter made contact as some of the drones even sacrificed themselves through some quick reaction. Nonetheless, a lot of missiles hit their target regardless and Lilith stopped the Aeterna for a second as she seemed completely safe from enemy fire. "Hah! Eat shit, sucker."

Lilith's thoughts of victory, however, were interrupted as she was notified about a high-energy signature before a huge energy beam sliced through the smoke-bomb. More or less prepared, Lilith managed an emergency dodge maneuver, only being grazed by the beam before quickly accelerating at full speed and, without a clear victor, the small laser skirmish between her Fangs and the drones became alive once more.

Even so, the cruiser was visibly damaged, revealing more of its vulnerable parts as Lilith once again shot at it with a barrage of beams. "This little piece of shit doesn't fucking know when to quit." The shield was still holding as the damaged parts slowly regenerated themselves. "That's it." As to make a statement, Lilith now removed her helmet. "You're mine! Full power!" And with that, the woman fully accelerated at full speed towards the cruiser as she unsheated the Beam Sabers.

The cruiser, however, slowly generated a huge ball of energy, floating above its deck, that had pretty much the same energy signature as before while the Aeterna came closer and closer. Sure, it was probably harder to dodge the closer she came, but counting the time it took the laser to fire off last time she was positive she would easily make it. Alas, the one-eyed girl was wronged. "Hiiiyyyyaaaa!" Not fully charged, the beam fired at Lilith a second before impact, forcing her to make a dodge maneuver that would make her following attack completely miss. Or so the Xeno probably hoped. No, Lilith did something different, knowing that this Psy-Breed unit was capable of self-regeneration, Lilith dodged, but only to an extent of avoiding fatal damage.

"DIIEEEEE!" Lilith could feel her body vibrating and her ears going numb as the beam vibrated throughout the mecha's frame as it was shooting of the arm that Lilith had sacrificed. In return however, the woman still left with the other Beam Saber, quickly sliced through the middle of the ship, effectively splitting it in two and, as she dashed past the Xeno, resulted in two separate explosions. She was victorious.[/hr]
 
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In great contrast to Lilith's bloodthirsty zeal, the white-haired Conduit kept her calm stoic face even the new Pilot launched all of the missiles at once for a single cruiser-type, rather overkill, fortunately however, PSY-Breeds were dubbed 'living machines' for various reasons. "As you may already know, Aeterna is equipped with Xenopteran self-regenerating bio-mechanical cells which includes its ammunition." In layman's terms, the mecha could literally refill its own ammo. "On a related note, Recovery can be accelerated through absorbing Xenoptera." Since this was apparently Lilith's first time at piloting a PSY-breed for real, Stella felt the need to remind her, especially with her... spirited nature.

The battle continued on, the Conduit providing intel and giving quick updates on various relevant information, acting both as co-pilot and navigator. "..." A slight look of curiosity spawned on her features the moment Lilith took off her helmet. "Charging directly will be unwise, Pilot." Stella sighed as Lilith brandished the twin beam blades, she was obviously not listening, "Full power to thrusters." as a Conduit, she could give advices and formulate plans, but in the end, the decision was in the Pilot's hands.

In her frenzy, Lilith couldn't notice, but Stella looked tensed as Aeterna closed the distance with the Cruiser-type, she was preparing for the worst. Alas, she was correct, the brash pilot sacrificed one of the mecha's arm to strike a killing blow at the Xenoptera. Being a living machine, Aeterna could feel pain... and since the Conduit was the 'brain' of the mecha, it was logical to conclude she would be the one suffering through the agony of losing an arm. "H... nnnh... ha... hnnngh..." Despite Stella's best efforts, one could see she was in pain, her face wincing, her shoulders shuddering, and she threw her head back slightly.

The cruiser-type was sliced in two, the fin fangs finished off the drones, and basked by twin explosions, Aeterna was triumphed, but.. at what cost? "Ha... nnha..." Lilith's breaths were labored, after decades of dormancy, she was thrusted back into the field of battle. She knew it was her duty to act as a Conduit, allowing Aeterna to function, for mankind to resist against the alien threat; she was made for this and as such, in the grand scheme of things, her pain was insignificant.

"...Excellent performance, Pilot. Ha..." Stella slowly calmed herself down, then took a deep breath, "While Aeterna can regenerate damage, even loss of limbs, it couldn't do so instantly, recovery takes time. Please try to... avoid such deliberate risky maneuvers in the future." The Conduit wanted to convince herself that her reason was that it would seriously hamper Aeterna's performance should another battle ensued shortly after, but... she couldn't deny her heart screaming at her to not torture herself anymore, open her eyes to the suffering she was subjected without her consent. However, no one ever listened to her, she was never treated as a person, no rights, no laws, she was an object, a property of the URC, the Conduit of Aeterna. Could things be any different? Would this new unknown Pilot even care about her? It was wishful thinking and a distraction, better not to dwell on it any further, she had higher priorities to attend.

"Pilot..." The Conduit huffed, "Let's depart from this sector. I advise heading to the closest URC-friendly Colony, then report to your commanding officer." A standard for URC fleet, the Aeterna was equipped with a hyperdrive reactor, making FTL travel possible.
 
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Just as Lilith thought, the regenerative abilities of this machine were exactly what she expected, yet even so much more. This whole biological-machine business apparently seemed truth. Which... probably also meant this Conduit-business wasn't just some insane talk of some AI to satisfy the delusions of the prior pilot. "To the closest URC-friendly Colony?" The pilot repeated Stella's question, pausing for a second. Lilith still couldn't risk telling, or asking, anything that made the Conduit doubt the Pilot's affiliation with the URC, who knew if Stella wouldn't just 'kick her out' of this damaged tin-can.

"No, we're going to visit Nelia-Seven. I don't know what your database says about that planet, but after a.... thorough education program it now serves as an important militarized position of the URC!" Of course, this was just some silly lie that the eye-patched woman made up. Nelia-Seven was, and still is, a backwater planet without much value that neither the Xeno nor the URC pay much attention too. A perfect meeting place for Scoundrel and alike. Lilith could only hope Stella would show herself cooperative as she put in the required commands for FTL-Travel towards Nelia-Seven.

Lilith was rather silent for the entirety of their short adventure. THat was, until they were finally in the stratosphere of the desert-planet named Nelia-Seven. Feeling safe enough to survive now, even if the Conduit would eject her, the vast desert landscapes made it obvious that this planet was most likely still true to what Stella's database told her.

"So..." Lilith now started, not even bothering to hide her lie anymore. "Tell me more about this whole Conduit business, I am more of a freelancer than serving that damned URC, that's my sister's business. And don't you dare giving me that 'classified information' crap." Yeah, Lilith now actually threatened Stella, a bit. "Also, you may call me... Kit." After all, Lilith didn't like being called Lilith, and nobody could force her to tell anyone her real name, right?

As for their landing-spot, maybe Lilith had a thing for wrecked ships, rather than going for a civilized area the woman aimed towards the left-overs of a trade-caravan with hulls of varying sizes deep buried in the sand. And once she was down there, Lilith would also make sure to get Stella out of the Aeterna.[/hr]
 
"..." Obviously, Stella was suspicious the moment Lilith refused her suggestion, rerouting their course to Nelia-Seven instead. The girl was silent for a few long seconds, it'd not take a genius to notice that the Conduit didn't buy anything she said, how could she? The lie was horribly half-assed, Lilith wasn't even trying. Despite this however, the blue-eyed girl simply nodded, "Affirmative, setting course for Nelia-Seven..." Just briefly before the mecha went into hyperspace, a barely noticeable small smile curled at the corner of Stella's lips.

With a show of bright light and straining of space-time in a particular spot above the arid planet's orbit, the Aeterna emerged from hyperspace. The white-purple machine was in the process of regenerating its severed arm, skeletal frame gradually patching itself together as the mecha entered the atmosphere. "Engaging I-Field Barrier." A glimmering purplish orb of energy took shape around the machine, protecting its main body against the resulting heat as it plummeted down towards the planet's surface. Like a meteor, it was covered in flames, streaking through the air until it reached the Troposphere. "We've reached Nelia-Seven, Pilot, as you requested."

A knowing smile answered Lilith as the tough woman revealed the hidden truth... which was not that hard to notice in the first place. "I am aware, Kit. The fact that our compatibility rate is more than adequate still stands, you are qualified to be Aeterna's Pilot. " Stella said, "Official protocol says you're currently hijacking URC military property, punishable by law, but..." The girl paused for a moment "I do not wish to follow the whims of the URC any longer, I am... not their unwilling test subject anymore." No going back now, she must tell Kit everything.

"As said before, I am not an A.I software, I am a..." She paused, "It's better to show you. Access the Stasis Chamber commands from the console, Pilot, and select 'Disengage Cover.'" The moment Lilith done so, the compartment directly behind her pilot seat hissed open with steams flowing out, revealing... A glass tube filled with clear liquid, floating inside it was a white-haired blue-eyed girl, her raised arms and legs attached to the ceiling and bottom respectively where a hole was reserved for each wrists and ankles, restraining her there. She wore what looked like a blue-white skintight bodysuit, thick wires were literally plugged into various spots on her form such as the back the of her neck, her sides, her waist, arms, legs, she also wore a headgear with two more wires attached to it. "...Greetings, Pilot." Stella hung her head down, her long hair swaying in the liquid, "Now we see each other with our own eyes. This... is what the URC subjected me without my consent. I am to serve as Aeterna's Conduit, the 'brain' of this machine, without me, it wouldn't be able to function." She sighed, shifting her restrained limbs a bit, "In doing so, they imprisoned us inside the PSY-Breeds, as you can see... a living battery for a 'living machine'. I am unable to leave, a lifetime of servitude in this chamber until the day when they decide to replace me or the unit destroyed by a hostile force. I have considered self-termination, but I... can't... they restrain our limbs for this very purpose."

Further into her story, Stella's fears and frustration wormed their way into the surface, her breathing became deep and ragged, her form shivering, and... a heart wrenching sob escaped her lips, "I... kuh... I am not human... not entirely... Conduits are artificially engineered by the splicing between human and Xenopteran DNA... I must inform you that I am... biologically immortal, but I can still feel pain... each time Aeterna took damage, I feel as if my own body was struck, so... ha... pilot, I repeat, try to take as less damage as possible... please?" The implication dawned on Lilith, Stella's existence was truly a fate worse than death, confined for all of eternity against her will, endured great pains, and considered nothing more than a reactor for these ultimate weapons. "...ha... thank you for listening to me..." She closed her eyes, defeated, but took solace in the temporary release of letting her heart out, "Do you wish to travel on foot, now? Safe travels ..I will be here, as I always am." Even through those 35 years of hibernation, she persevered... much to her despair.

She didn't even consider the possibility of Lilith breaking her out, so when the pilot worked on the console to manually override her confinements, Lilith widened her eyes, "P... pilot? ...w-what are you doing?" Could this be... she was releasing her? But... why? She was just an object, a creature born in a test tube and in such tube should she stay for the rest of her existence.

"Warning! Warning! Releasing the Conduit will deactivate all functions of the Unit!" The console blared as Lilith went closer to the complicated commands of releasing the Conduit, it should never be selected anyway, what was the benefit of releasing the Unit's essential core? The stasis chamber was designed with a complete life support system, an eternal containment for its occupant. Still, Lilith punched the commands. "...Pilot. Hnngh!" Stella winced as shocks flowed through her body, the wires slowly pulled themselves out of her body, her headgear raised, then the fluid slowly drained out to the bottom, leaving her unsubmerged for the first time in decades, "H...heeeh mmph...!" More fluid was discharged from her mouth. "Ha... ha..." White locks clung to her face as the glass tube slid upwards, then her restraints snapped open.

"Urgh..." The released Conduit fell down limp on the floor, her body writhing, as miserable as she may look, a look of utter joy was plastered on her face. Finally... after so long... she was free, but... now what? "M... mmmph..." Stella shakily stood up, her bio-mechanical muscles quickly adjusting to her newfound freedom, "Y... you have my eternal gratitude, Pi-... I mean, Kit." She bowed slightly, "Now, how may I serve you...?" To be honest, she had nowhere to go, returning to the URC was out of the question, they'd just terminate her or worse, put her back into another PSY-Breed. Kit was everything she had now.
 
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"I do not wish to follow the whims of the URC any longer, I am... not their unwilling test subject anymore."

A bunch of thoughts passed through Lilith's mind as she rejoiced upon this decision of her maybe-AI. Assuming for a second that Stella was right about this whole Mars development thing and how she sounded to be super important for the Mecha itself, it just seemed really retarded to give her such emotions, especially if they ended up 'rebelling' against the URC. And while Lilith did welcome the thought of the URC being a bunch of idiots it just made no sense to her. So... ultimately, Stella was still an AI that thought different? Maybe some sort of rebel-phase? Maybe the pilot before her was into that sort of thing? Rebellious teenagers? The woman was disgusted at the thought of the sadistic asshole who set it all up like that. Regardless, Lilith decided to just assume for a second Stella was speaking the truth didn't speak a word.

In fact, Lilith's feigned trust was rewarded as the Conduit continued on to tell her about how to actually access the entirety of the stasis chamber that were to put all doubts away Lilith had. Selecting the 'Disengage Cover' option made the pilot flinch for a second as she cursed her own foolishness, surely this was some secret sort of code to get rid of her! Still alive however, Lilith's eye widened as she witnessed a sight to behold. Giving off a low whistle the apparent one-eyed woman didn't saw a word as new theories started to be born inside her head. This was some fucked up shit that really put an entire new light on the URC. They had more backbone than Lilith thought, respect.

As Lilith continued to listen to Stella's poor little life story in complete silence, she felt a hunch of pity anger. First, at Stella, but ultimately at herself. 'Shut up', 'I don't wanna hear it', 'Who the hell cares? We all had it rough.' and other lines were things the unstable woman was supposed to say, but she did not. Why? Lilith did not want to wasn't able to answer it, but it made her angrier and angrier at herself.

She has the same unique hair-colour as my big sis.

"Tzch..." Shaking her head at those random thoughts, Lilith felt like punching something, but instead tried to calm down and think for a second. Her original plan was to sell the mech off - with or without the Conduit - but considering the power it had keeping it seemed like a way better idea all of a sudden. Considering the power this machine held it would allow for way more daring endeavours. As for Stella... .

"P... pilot? ...w-what are you doing?"

Yeah, Lilith wasn't trusting her. She was a pet raised by the URC. There was no way she would betray them. Surely, the Conduit would just launch into space again the second Lilith got off the machine. It only made sense. If the Conduit was the brain of the machine then they wouldn't even need a pilot, but some sort of fail-safe like 'do not harm any humans' was surely present. Hence Lilith still being alive. Yeah, it had to be like that. Lilith would open her heart to nobody. The world was a cruel place and everybody wanted to hurt others. Compassion and love would only make her end up dead. Everybody, but her sister, was a potential enemy. And the tool made for war was no different.

But, she could be used, it was a dangerous endeavour, but one exciting enough to undertake. For that to work however, Stella had to come with her. Surely, there was some option to release the Conduit from her chains if she had to be replaced sooner or later.... .

"Warning! Warning! Releasing the Conduit will deactivate all functions of the Unit!"

Finally, Stella was freed! "We're gonna crash for the night." Lilith responded rather indifferent before opening the emergency-hatch, now that the Unit was powered down. "I'm sure you're looking forward to use those legs of yours, but I don't wanna waste my time walking bored in the desert.' With those words, Lilith grabbed Stella in a princess-style fashion before making her way out of the Aeterna.

The pair was under the protection of a big piece of trashed hull that made sure the Psy-Breed wouldn't be that easy to find, but also refused Stella the warmth of the sun - at least for now. "old on tightly." Not really giving the girl much time to appreciate her new-found freedom Lilith simply jumped 20 metres downwards into the sandy surface.

Not batting an eye at the sandy dust-cloud she created, the woman walked a good 100 metres until both of them could finally feel the heat of this system's sun burning on their skin. "If it's too much for you, you can have my jacket." Lilith said before she quickly added, with a bit more emotion. "Don't get the wrong idea or anything! I'd rather not have you break."

With that done, she now tilted her head around a bit. [b"Mhm..."[/b] Before a blue-ish aura surrounded her legs and she suddenly started running in a inhuman-speed into a certain direction.



It took them a good hour or so and 200 more metres of Lilith walking normally before they finally reached what appeared to be a small, but bustling, settlement build around one of the few water-sources of this arid planet. Upon entering said place, that could more be compared with the slums of some bustling continental world, a few eyes were on Lilith. "Yo Dead-Eye, found yourself a child-lover?" Such, and similar jokes were thrown to the woman as she walked among the streets, apparently certain of her location. Not paying any mind to them at all however, there was one shady male literally putting himself in Lilith's way.

"Oh look, if that isn't Dead-Eye." He gave Stella a lustful view for a second before continuing on. "I didn't know you were now active in human-trafficking. This little flower looks so delicate... such quality." He had now a fat grin on his face, maybe even a boner. "Oohhh I can't wait to break her. Show her the reality of this cruel, cruel world. Hear her crying after daddy....how much? I'll pay you really good for that one."[/hr]
 
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Even in Stella's super computer-like mind, Lilith was an oddity, aside from her natural talent and swift reaction time required for a Psy-Breed Pilot, the eye-patched woman wouldn't pass even the first level of psychological examinations. She was brash, reckless, and violent. Ah yes, she should stop thinking Lilith as a pilot, the woman said it herself, she was a treasure hunter, not in any way affiliated with the URC. Despite all these, Lilith was the first person in her life that Stella truly felt safe with, unstable she might be.

"Crash? The Unit has already landed, we can't cra-" Ah right, Stella momentarily forgot she was no longer one with the living machine, one must understand considering it was her first time released since decades ago, "I assume I will be going with you, acknowledged." The Conduit nodded, taking her first wobbling baby steps with her unrestrained legs, "Where shall we headed? I can't run a scan on the surrounding areas without the machine so you will have t-... waah...?" A small confused yelp rang from bio-mechanical vocal cords as the taller woman suddenly picked her up. "...Understood." Whether she'd be using her legs or not for the trip didn't matter much, she was free either way.

Resting against Lilith's body in search for shelter and comfort, Stella examined the naval ruins in silence. "..." While she was glad to be out of Aeterna, Stella realized the necessity of the ultimate weapon, she didn't hate Aeterna in itself, no, she hated the fact that they forced her inside it and kept her there without her consent. She just hoped no one would find the Unit here, it was completely powerless without her, even a single Drone-type Xenoptera could dismantle it bit by bit. Alas, she had no other options but trusting Lilith's judgement, "Unh." Nodding, Stella wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders, anchoring her body there.

"Ah..." So this was how the heat from a star would feel on one's skin, how grains of sand caressed against one's body, it was all new experience for Stella. The Conduit knew about sand, rain, and other geographical elements of various planets in the galaxy, but she never once truly touched them, the only thing she ever touched were sterile lab walls and the liquid filling up her stasis tube. The feats performed by Lilith reminded Stella of those elite troops equipped with power armor, only the young woman wore none, truly she must be a very capable individual in her own right.

"Thank you for your concern, but I am fine." The follow up statement was one odd attempt to cover up her act of compassion, such a strange specimen this Lilith was, "...Please advise me what is wrong and what is right according to you, Kit, I will do my best to accommodate." Stella didn't sound offended by Lilith's deliberate harsh objectifying comment, "My body does not function like a human's, think of me like the Aeterna, we are made with the same components. Outside of heavy weapon assaults, there is very minimal chance of me breaking." Nevertheless, she accepted the jacket in the end, smiling a bit, "...I am grateful."

---

Sixty minutes and hundreds of metres traversed later, the pair arrived at a small settlement with outdated technologies and shambling structures, it was best categorized as slum put together with scavenged objects. The inhabitants weren't exactly civilized either, they appeared barbaric and violent, one scuffle away from breaking into trigger-happy rampages. The comments given towards Lilith (and herself) was... unusual, "..." it made Stella... happy, these people treated her like she was a living being, Lilith's child-lover, that'd mean she was a person, right? "He..." A small giggle was stifled as she slightly looked up at Lilith, or 'Dead-eye' as these humans called her.

The Conduit stared with curious blue eyes at the male human who blocked their way, what did he want, she wondered? She returned his lustful stare with a neutral look, then turned back at Lilith as the man revealed his intentions. "Human trafficking?" Stella knew about it, an outlawed practice of treating fellow humans as trade goods and possessions. Hearing this, Stella narrowed her eyes in suspicion "Did you release me to... sell me? This is false, isn't it?" Thinking about it, it wouldn't be very different from the URC's treatment, only that this person apparently acknowledged her as a human, a young human girl wearing fancy pilot bodysuit maybe, "I advise you to not follow this person's demands." Stella gripped her hands on Lilith's clothes, "I am much more useful to you than him."
 
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"..." Lilith stood still for just a few seconds, enough that the lecherous male could speak whatever he had to say. Normally, Lilith wouldn't have paid any attention to a person like him, but not being a stranger to this backwater place she knew him just enough to realize that there was actually a tiny chance he could have provided something useful. Alas, ultimately, he did not, and as soon as Lilith realized that her body started moving again. "Out of my way." He didn't even had a chance to react as Lilith smacked the back of her fist into his face - a slap of sorts - which seemed strong enough to send him flying like 2 metres to the side followed by a cry of pain. Of course, she was still strong enough to hold onto Stella.

"You shouldn't believe bullshit that vermin like that is spewing." Was all Lilith had to say to Stella, who knew, maybe her apparent doubts did hurt the one-eyed woman's feelings? Regardless, she wasn't showing it. "Fuck..." The guy now cursed out loud, apparently having absorbed Lilith's friendly pushback rather easily as his nose wasn't even bleeding that bad. "How fucking dare you..." He continued. "Do you even know who the fuck I am? One word from me, and you'd be sleeping with the Dune-Eaters!" Now, Lilith stopped, seeming rather happy than actually angry she responded without turning around. "One more peep and I'll make sure nobody in the Universe recognizes your ugly visage anymore."

"Wait here a second." Finally letting Stella down, Lilith now turned around as the thug certainly seemed perplexed, not having expected this outcome. "You...fuck." As Lilith stepped closer, he seemed clearly scared. "Y-You, listen!" He now pointed his finger at her. "Don't think you can go around this place like you own it!" Of course, his empty words didn't stop Lilith in her tracks, though, he somehow seemed more confident regardless. "As much as I hate to admit it, you might be able to crush me in a second, BUT... I know some things, Dead-Eye, or should I say, Lilith Goetz?"

Of course, she was surprised, considering she told nobody on this planet her real identity, it was truly a mystery. Regardless of that though, Lilith kept her poker face as she was now nearly in front of him, clearly breaking apart his confidence. "E-Eh?" Not for long however, as he suddenly had a flash of genius, not backing down from the psychopathic woman. "Your sister!" He begun, actually making Lilith stop now, genuinely looking angry before he continued with a smirk of confidence. "Now I realize what's going on. My god, I'd nearly shed a tear out of sympathy. You miss your big sis so much that you buy some slave-girl yourself just because they have the same, unique, hair? HAHAHA! How pathetic. Does she remind you of her? You gonna force her to call you sis?"

"...You're fucking dead." Was all Lilith had to say as she instantly picked up the pace and easily got a hold of his head before lifting him up. "O-Owh! You bitch!" Not being a complete push-over, the shady guy managed to actually draw his weapon, a vibro-knife, ready to slam it into Lilith's arm. "AAAAARRRRGHHHH!" A deep cry of pain, resounding from the male's throat, as Lilith got a hold of lower weapon-holding arm and redirecting it into his own chest, basically embracing his hand with her own. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" He cried out. "I-IF YOU KILL ME, YOUR SIS IS GONNA HAVE A BA-AAAARRRGH!" Lilith didn't let him finish, though, she also didn't want to get herself too dirty, thus, rather than crushing his head she used his very own weapon to make a mess out of his throat before letting him fall to the ground.

Turning around, Lilith simply walked past Stella now, telling her to hurry if she wasted too much time staying around before they finally got to a Tavern-like place called the 'Spinning Rocket Turtle' - as the broken neon-signs outside the building spelled. "If you're hungry, I am sure there's still some stuff lying around." The lack of heavy dust surfaces made clear that this place was abandoned not too long ago. Why? Maybe Lilith's key to the bedroom they were about to enter would have given an answer to that. Regardless, as much power as Lilith seemed to have, she wasn't invincible, and the need of sleep was just one of many weaknesses she had. Placing a chair to block the door access to their room despite having locked it even more, she simply undressed herself save the underwear. "I don't care where you want to sleep, if you even need it, but isn't it about time you take that fancy space-suit of yours off?" The room itself was rather simple, it had a desk with a chair that was now blocked the door, a barred window and a bed that surprisingly had the size to give both of them enough space to sleep comfortable.
 
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The white-haired Conduit stared up at her 'Pilot', though her blue eyes were calm like ice amidst the hot desert, one could see the despondent glint lingering just underneath the surface. Though her eyes, she unspokenly begged for Lilith to keep her, let her be Lilith's servant, slave, pet, whatever, as long as Stella could stay with her. The tall woman had freed Stella from her mechanical confinement, Lilith 'owned' her for all things considered, please let it continue as such, don't hand her over to some random male human who couldn't even comprehend the capabilities of a Conduit.

"..." Stella looked down at her own lap, curling up on herself as Lilith began moving, warning him to step aside, but didn't spare him even a single second to properly react, the eye-patched woman intended to smack his face in the first place. If one examined Stella's face carefully, one could see a small smile was curled on her small lips, a seemingly minor expression conveying immense gratitude words couldn't convey. Feeling safe and sheltered in her arms, Stella snuggled closer to the woman's warm body, nodding in confirmation.

Humans were strange creatures indeed, a view Stella could agree as the lecher didn't get the message and did the unthinkable, challenging Lilith back despite knowing the vast differences in power. It was a battle he couldn't win so... why threw his life needlessly like that? Stella found herself not caring in the least about him, it wasn't her place to judge what they should do about him. The Conduit obediently stood as Lilith let her down, sighing in comfort at the warmth travelling from the sands to her feet. "Ha..." She closed her eyes momentarily, closing off her world for a short moment before opening them to see the man spouting insults at Kit.

She didn't understand their situation, nor past relationship, but apparently this man knew Kit's other name, 'Lilith Goetz'. "...he?" Stella tilted her head, the name didn't ring a bell, but it seemed to catch Kit off-guard. Nothing surprising of course as Stella spent the last three decades and a half in hibernation. As this matter concerned Kit, her Pilot, Stella observed intently, a wise move as the lecher revealed more information regarding Kit's history. While the man was dead-wrong about how Kit came to know Stella, the Conduit took note that Kit... a.ka Lilith, had a big sister and that woman had similar hair color with herself. Nevertheless, was it true? Was the fact that Stella bore resemblance to Lilith's older sibling affected her decision to free her? The Conduit was curious, she'd ask about this sooner or later.

For now, the petite xeno-human girl watched with indifference as Lilith roughed up the man, he attempted to fight back only for the tall woman to use it against him, tearing his throat, heedless of his screams and threats. Thud, his lifeless body fell, now a mere corpse. Without giving the dead man another glance, Stella quickly followed Lilith by walking shortly behind her, keeping her attention to the woman until they entered an dilapidated Tavern. "This is your home, I see." She finally spoke up after getting a good look at its interiors. The Conduit smiled a little at the offer of food, "Thank you, but I am not... 'hungry' and the way I sustain myself is fundamentally different from humans, Kit. I consume inorganic matter through assimilating it with my body, similar to how Xenopteras function." She was a humanoid version of those ravenous alien entities after all.

Arriving at the makeshift bedroom, Stella turned her head here and there, assessing the room much like a recon drone would. Her blue eyes fell to the Pilot's half-naked form, the human body... hidden underneath the layers of material they called 'clothes' or 'suits', they couldn't survive in their own skin? No... perhaps they were compensating their rigid inflexible metabolism with ingenious ideas, it explained why they could venture beyond their own home planet and reach for the stars. "I am able to 'sleep', yes, turning off my conscious thoughts and deactivate most functions in my body." Lilith's second question was odd... didn't she-... ah yes, she had no prior experience with Conduits before.

She raised her arms at her sides so Lilith could examine her body closely. "This... 'space-suit' you speak of is my body, Kit, my 'skin'. I am aware that I look like as if I am wearing a pilot's bodysuit, but this is who I am, I am not wearing any 'clothing'." This revealed that Stella had been naked the entire time, "I can change the design and patterns at will, but I was ordered to emulate the look of URC Pilot's suits." Putting her arms down, the Conduit was silent for a short moment, contemplating, then decided to take a step forward, another one, and then another until she was sitting on the bed beside her Pilot, "Kit, if you're willing, may I ask whether what the man said about your sister and me is true? Do I... look like her?" Her eyes were full of curiosity, "Furthermore, would it please you if I call you 'sis'? I will do all in my power to serve you... Lilith Goetz."
 
Heh... Stella surprised Lilith for a bit. Though ultimately it had been pretty obvious that the girl wasn't really human at all. Was she supposed to freak out? Call her a monster? Though, then again, she was probably less trash than the average human being. The fact that Stella was technically nude didn't faze Kit either. If anything, she thought it to be probably rather convenient and was semi-curious about the properties of such an ability. Ultimately however, her own pride didn't let her ask any questions of that sorts. Instead, she decided to shrug it off and simply decide to sleep as Stella fell silent.

That was, until the Conduit decided to overstep her limits greatly. "..." Shifting her gaze towards Stella, Kit raised up again in anger. Despite her intends of pure curiosity, at least one part, she nonetheless picked a delicate subject. Did she feel safe around Kit? Was she thinking the Pilot wouldn't hurt her after going through the trouble of freeing her? "You..." Kit raised her clenched fist before quickly striking out. "Don't call me by that cursed name." She started as her hand stopped just mere millimetres to the side of Stella's head. "And NEVER again suggest what you just said." Despite her anger, Lilith looked at Stella in some form of disgust. "Are you trying to manipulate me? My sister is the greatest single being in the entire rotten shit-hole called universe." Lilith fell silent for a second before she continued with her head shaking. "Even if you have the same, rare, hair-colour, it doesn't change anything. Don't try to play ME for a fool, Stella."

With that, Kit simply laid down again before closing her eyes. "And don't try anything stupid now, you wouldn't survive even one night in the streets." Maybe she underestimated the girl, but Lilith simply had to trust her danger senses waking her up in time!

The Next Day

Sleeping as much as she saw fit without any kind of schedule, the Freelancer quietly woke up without any alarm going off. Rather early in the morning, the first thing Kit confirmed was the presence of the Conduit - who was, luckily, still present. Giving off a silent yawn the pilot soon moved from her bed before giving the xeno-girl another look. Clearly being in some state of absence, Lilith was wondering just how much the petite girl was noticing of the world around her. Though, before she could get any closer to the half-xeno it became apparent Stella had now awoken herself. Quickly disregarding the plan she was just about to execute, Lilith simply shrugged before greeting Stella with a lovely and warm good morning! "You're awake, right? I'm going out, I would suggest you to transform into something more...subtle... or take a sheet as cover or something. Ultimately though, I don't really care." After all, Stella already saw what Kit did to people who pissed her off enough. Without further ado, the one-eyed woman removed the chair from the door before peacefully leaving the abandoned tavern behind.

Despite the early morning hours, a lot of people were already onto their usual business between the sandy streets of the rundown town and - maybe to much surprise - Stella actually paid a small stand that was already selling a variety of food.

Chewing on her Miq'abob, a foodstuff consisting mainly of Desertwhal meat with a few vegetables roasted on a stick, Lilith soon arrived at what looked like to be another tavern without much trouble. Unlike her home, as Stella was calling it, this place was a lot more lively upon entering. The giant pinboard on one side of the room and the various people who wore all kind of weaponry quickly made it clear what this place exactly was. Furthermore, as Kit made her way towards the pinboard, it seemd like the hot topic people were currently talking about was about a high-tech weapon that Alptraum acquired.

Initial inspection of said board quickly made clear that a lot of this work was clearly illegal, ranging from assistance needed in space robbery to outright contracts in need of an hitman, but also more mundane things like fresh-meat deliveries, joint exploration of ghost-vessels or even bodyguards for cargo deliveries which paid an absurd amount of money.

Under all those, however, there was also one flyer that was clearly stated a Mr. Johnson was looking for a young girl and, while no definition for an appearance, was simply described as being an oddity. Furthermore, there was an additional paragraph about possible accompany of an URC Pilot that most likely defected. It was, without question, that this contract also paid the most.[/hr]
 
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