Remnants of the Earth
OUTER SPACE => Open Space => Topic started by: WarhawkZ on October 23, 2016, 04:24:18 am
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Warhawk, ready to kill his client for his unreasonable demand, stared hard at his Raider was loaded with as much cargo it could handle. Growling loudly, he knew that a little over half wouldn't fit in his hold, no matter how he tried. 'Fucking prick just couldn't give me an extension. No it all was time sensitive and couldn't be delayed past that date.' Warhawk silently complained. Going the dockyard's message board he stomped his pride and clicked on to the open channel, "This is Raider Delta Twenty, I have a dual ship run to Edanith that I thought do with one. But the check won't give me an extension on the deadline. So if there is anyone heading towards Edanith, I'm willing to split the pay fifty-fifty with whomever agrees to help me. Can be reached on frequency 505-06.8."
Letting the mic hang, he turn to see the cargo bag door close. 'Hopefully I won't have to wait long for a reply. Pretty any pilot would want some tax free credits.' he thought. Boarding the ship, Warhawk entered the bridge and slid into the command couch. Flipping the receiver on he ran a short pre-flight check.
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The young, prodigal smuggler groaned softly as Seventhreer prodded her side with her nose to wake her up. "What is it?" She inquired with a yawn, sitting up and stretching softly. "A split contract. Well paid. No ties," was what the machine answered, causing Lillith to halt her movements and glance at him. "Patch me through," she said after a short while, rubbing her eye sleepily.
"Lillith, pilot of the Constantine," she stated. "My cargo hold can take on the other half. Docking bay R8, I will tag along to Aedolis." Then her feed was cut.
"Make me a coffee, Seventhreer," she said sleepily, heading to get properly dressed.
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'Fate must love to rub my face in to the grater.' Warhawk mused somewhat sullenly as he recognized the voice. Once he had the remaining cargo sent over to Lilith's ship, he tuned his com to Lilith's frequency. "Cargo's headed your way, I'll meet you in orbit. And thanks for the assist." Aftering cutting his feed Warhawk brought his Raider online. Feeling and hearing the void/ion engines rumble to life he grasped the twin control sticks. 'That feeling of power never gets old Backing off the pad he glanced towards a screen and saw his take clearance flash across. "Hell yeah!" he exclaimed as set the Raider on a high speed power climb. Spiraling up as contrails streamed off the pulse cannons and leading edges, Warhawk felt somewhat normal. Which never lasted long, but it was so worth it because he could forget his past a little bit.
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Lillith oversaw the cargo being loaded into her ship and yawned softly again, taking another swig from her coffee before waving off the workers. It was time for take-off.
She sat down in her pilot seat, the handlebars extending towards her, chair tilting slightly. She glanced upwards at several switches and flicked them, going down a checklist. "Gyro-stabilizer, engaged. Engines green, system check initiated," she murmured, before patting the seat next to her, Seventhreer making hus way towards and sitting down.
"Green across the board," she opened a direct line to the docking control and sighed. "Constantine ready for take-off."
A crackling reply came several seconds later. "Tower control to Constantine, permission granted, have a nice flight."
Lillith smirked softly and turned off the communication feed again, engines buzzing to life. "Let's see which fun routes there are to Aedolis," she murmured, ship hovering sligjtly before turning ninety degrees and shooting upwards at breakneck speeds.
She slowed down again once in space, hailing Warhawk's Raider.
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Leveling out once in orbit, Warhawk pulled the map of hyperlanes and started to plan a route, not realizing that he reopened his feed. "Old hyperlanes are out, to long and debris filled, so that leaves the new ones. And given the bastard's almost unreasonable deadline, I am left with the most popular lanes the universe. If he wasn't paying so well, I'd be tempted to kill him for his ridiculous demands." he stopped mid rant when noticed Lilith's face on his radio monitor. "And now I feel stupid." Warhawk added before slapping his forehead. "How much did you hear?"
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Lillith let out a soft giggle before shaking her head. "Believe me, I've had worse," she turned her ship to follow Warhawk's and kicked her feet up. "As for hyperlanes, if the deadline you're mentioning is that bad, it's best to get the older, even abandoned once. You'll save more time dodging debris than passing security checks," she mused, before humming softly.
"Just a small piece of advice"
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Quickly running through the hyperlanes that he has used in the past, he decides on the most direct one. "Okay, time run the obstacle course. The Devil's Gym, loops from here through Aedolis to Edanith. Should be a blast, unless you spattered youself against an asteroid or derelict space hulk." he said cracking knuckles. Banking line up the first leg, Warhawk took a breath for calm. Glancing to nav screen he transmitted his choosen route, "Just sent my route Lilith. Try to keep up, m'lady." he said before rocketing away at top speed.
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"Pff, you're talking to.theI fastest, kid," she answered, before chuckling as he took off, sitting up in her chair and immediately following suit. "Yours truly ran through Bermuda's Quad at record speed," she answered. Not only that, her ship was high tech, state of the art, so she almost immediately caught up with him. "Eat my ship's fumes," she answered through the radio before activating Alkaline boosters, making her burst forward all of a sudden.
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"Show off." he quiped, as oversized boosters kicked in. As the Raider pulled along side, Warhawk knifed it to avoid a quick moving asteroid. Leveling he swiftly tapped buttons, setting up a temporary relay to keep up his speed. 'Come on, show her that old military tech can be just as fast the new and shiny.' he mused. While he knew the Raider wasn't the fastest around, but it was the most fun in his opinion.
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"Less talking, more dodging," Lillith answered through the radio feed, pulling her ship into a barrel roll to pass through two pieces of debris sliding past, scraping past her hull. "Several hours of this and we'll be in the clear for a short while," she added.
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"Haha." Knifing around another asteroid, Warhawk was tempted to switch on his burst torpedos. But that would cause more navigational hazards than there already. 'Shit!' he thought rolling the Raider over the Constantine. "It's so tempting to just pop several torps here and blow these damn asteroids away. But that won't help, damn." Warhawk quipped, pushing his ship into a steep dive.
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"Hmph," she huffed softly, adjusting some systems to adjust the gyro-stabiliser to the sharp turns and manouvers.
"Oi!" She called out as she pushed the Constantine down to avoid her paintjob getting scraped. "Watch what you're doing!" She said, before shaking her head softly, dodging another few asteroids. "Won't work and you'll waste money." She answered dryly.
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"Maybe, most some would count it as target practice." Warhawk weaving the Raider like demented puppet, he managed to get ahead of Lilith. "This would almost be fun if not for the racing clock." he said, throwing himself into brutal ascending barrel roll.
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"Don't get cocky, flyboy," she answered when dhe saw the rather unnescessary stunt he pulled. The Constantine zoomed past his Raider, if it wasn't for their matching skill, it was because of the hardware upgrade Lillith had. Fly as he liked, old tech could do good, but it'd never fare properly against the newest released prototypes.
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"Never been with anyone long enough to hear them call me cocky."
Hours, and a nearly overheated engines and boosters, later Warhawk brought his ship out the devil be damned high speed run with Lillith's. Popping out super efficient cooling vanes that resided above the engines, he checked the navigation screen. "Damn, covered most of the first leg in under ten hours. That's a first for me, usually takes a little over sixteen." he said with a yawn. Glancing toward screen that held ship's time and the destination's local, Warhawk figured he could fit in a truncated cooldown for his ship. "Lillith, have to ice my engines for a bit. So might get a bite before the next leg." he called over, while the command couch dimmed. Setting an earpiece in his ear Warhawk stood and heard joints pop.
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"Good for you," she answered through the radio, she wasn't in the mood for a, sobstory right now. Honestly, she never was. Her entire life could be described with one word. Pathetic. If she'd wanted a tragic tale, she'd just pull up old memories she'd rather forget.
Lillith pulled out of the high speed travelling, engines buzzing and slowly powering down. "That's what you get with old tech. Shit cooling mid-taxing," she blurted out, pushing herself up, before glancing down at herself. Properly dressed was more than her boxers and a goddamned shirt. "Gonna get something to eat while your engines cool off," she quipped, before heading to get actually dressed properly. And ofcourse, rummaging through her kitchen to find some food, before settling down in her chair. "Back," she yawned softly.
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"Given it was what I could afford at the time. I'm just graceful to have something that I'm somewhat familiar with to work with." he said cracking his neck. After stuffing his gullet with the food in his small galley, Warhawk quickly glanced towards the diagnostic screen. 'Good enough.' he mused, retaking the command couch and retracting the vanes. "So am I. Next leg." he said. As the Raider powered up to resume. the high speed rollercoaster ride. Warhawk sighed inwardly, 'I want a chance to know you, Lillith. Will you give the chance to?' he wondered in the back of his mind.
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She heard the last comment, but didn't really answer to it. She was, after all, preoccupied with getting a cup of coffee and food. "Next leg?" She inquired for confirmation, engines slowly buzzing to life again.
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"Yeah. Could've done this in one sweep if didn't have a clock to deal with and the impromptu race with you. But as you know, had to stop and cool my ship's engine." he said, watching the ship's wings return to their cruising positions. Rubbing his neck, Warhawk stared the chart as looking for a short cut that cut some dinstace off their travel. "Didn't mind the race, it was fun. Hadn't felt that in very long time. Should probably thank you for that. If I ever earn the right to anyway." he whispered.
After a few moments, and silently growling his annoyance, he glanced back to the diagnostic screen. 'Another trip to the drydocks is in my future.' he mused. Using maneuvering thrusters to adjust his vector Warhawk rolled his shoulders.
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Lillith shrugged spftly, tuning up her engines as he talked. Whether he whispered or not, the signal was amplified. Whatever he said could easily be heard through her radio feet. "I ain't unapproachable," Lillith mused, clicking her tongue before her engines were finally ready again. "Just follow my lead," she advised, before the constantine shot forward.
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"Just untrusting." Warhawk said. As he followed Lillith, he lets the Raider weave in and out of the Constantine's wake. Memories from a happier time played in his mind. 'Can't change the past, can't prevent the war, I can only survive the aftermath.' he mused, sighing. Stomping a thought before it left his lips Warhawk ran a hand through his hair. 'One day at time.' he added, rolled his shoulders. "And I find you very pretty."
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"Not even," she answered. "If I was untrusting, I wouldn't be here," she answered with a soft sigh, idly steering the Constantine through the ocassional debris. "What?" She asked through the radio, frowning. "Have we met before?"
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"You told me to buck up in Synesthesia a while back. Also said I knew how to kill a mood." Warhawk replied, maneuvering around debris. Falling back into silence he barrel rolled over more debris. He glanced over at a screen and thought, 'Don't rush it.' Shaking his head Warhawk brought his Raider along side the Constantine.
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She arched an eyebrow at the feed, before shrugging and rolling her shoulders. "Gotta be more specific, what'cha look like?" She inquired with a soft hum.
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Instead of describing himself, which brought up way to many bad memories, Warhawk sent a picture (http://ami.animecharactersdatabase.com/uploads/chars/11498-2040340486.jpg). "Also shot down my offer to dance." he added, diving to avoid a fast moving asteroid. Unconsciously bringing up video of a family trip, Warhawk felt tears well up in his eyes. As it played through the speakers, which he didn't think to lower the volume, he glanced at Lillith's image on his screen. 'She wouldn't get it.' Warhawk thought, reversing his Raider's dive into a sweeping climb. 'Am I that lost?' he questioned himself in his mind. Roughly wiping at his face with a hand, he turnt his gaze to the main screen.
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There was a brief silence. "You're kind cute, have to admit it," she answered, before sighing. "I remember you. Look, I was kinda drunk, so even if I wanted to dance," she chuckled softly. "Besides, I barely know you. Can't rush a girl like that." She snorted, trying to hold back the laughter. "You gotta wo-" she burst out in laughter.
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't say that without a straight face," she took a deep breath, still flawlessly weaving to the debris. "Get to know me. Let me get to know you," she added with a soft sigh..
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"Getting to know you was the idea when I asked." he said, ducking his Raider under an asteroid. Stopping the video, he banked between two space derelicts. Once reaching a relatively clear stretch of space, Warhawk pushed ahead slightly. Heaving a breath, he checked his inbox. Seeing the message from the tanker he hired to meet him near Aedolis. Warhawk opened it, read it quickly, and sent back a reply. 'Just want a piece of happiness. Even if I may deserve it for anything I've done before coming here.' he thought, seconds before burying it.
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"Fair," she answered with a soft chuckle. "Still, to be honest, you could've just bought me a drink instead," her remark was accompanied by a soft hum, before she chuckled. "Though, offering me to share a pay is also a good start."
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"Maybe. More like practicality, many wouldn't want to help without some sort of payment." he says to himself. Hearing a soft beep, he read the text from the tanker pilot and snorted. 'Ok, figured as much. Wasn't excepting to keep most of the pay anyway.' he thought as glanced to Lillith's image. "Anyone ever tell you that your eyes are pretty?"
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She slowly started to hum a tune under her breath as she navitaged the Constantine, before frowning at the radio and chuckling softly. "Not not specifically, no," she admitted with a soft smirk.
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"Well I do. They were the first thing I noticed." he said as checked the nav. 'Don't complain about my past.' he reminds himself, as Lillith's words from Syn replayed in his mind. After a few more silence filled hours Warhawk rolled his shoulders and saw Aedolis' planetary security barrier appear on his nav screen. "Fuel stop here I come." he said softly. "Welcome Aedolis Warhawk, hope you trip here was pleasant." Snorting at the cheery tone from the tanker's female communication officer, he slowed and banked to match the tanker's course and speed. "If you need fuel Lillith, I arranged for the tanker to off load some." Warhawk said while maneuvering his Raider under the telescoping refueling boom.
Not more than minute to hook up, he watched his fuel tanks, which were just under a quarter full, starting replenishing rapidly. 'What will I do after this run?' he wondered, rubbing his face.
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Lillith couldn't do much but chuckle at his answer. "Normally, it's the white hair," she answered. Or the tits, she thought to herself with a soft click of her tongue. Though, those men were mostly drunk.
"We have reached Aedolis," her AI chimed several moments later. "Well. Here we are," she murmured, before shaking her head. "I'm fine, still got enough to last to Aedolis."
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Once his tanks were topped off, Warhawk resets the nav point to Edanith. "Thank you for your business!" Cutting the connection before that voice made him consider attacking the tanker to wipe that cheery voice away. He angled his Raider towards Edanith and pushes the throttle to just under full speed. Finding the stretch relatively clear, Warhawk used it to schedule a stay in drydocks for his ship. "Once on Edanith, I'm going to be stuck there till the work is done."
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"Fair," she answered easily. "I'll get my stuff unloaded, get paid, get drunk and leave the morning after." She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders.
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Warhawk opened his mouth to speak, but then he stopped himself. 'She wouldn't consider doing that idiot. She doesn't know you and you know yourself well enough to realize where that line of thinking will end.' Taking what that inner voice said in to consideration, he stared at Lillith's image, unconsciously seeing traces of his mother's features i her face. 'Woo her.' he thought. "Guess it would stupid to think I could get you stay in the morning if I offered to take you out for a drink and a fancy breakfast." Halftway excepting to shotdown Warhawk allowed his Raider to weave in and out of oncoming debris.