MC: AotE: Old Friends and New Jobs

[starmark2k]

Nic looked back down at Cloud "Get Some rest, I need my mech back on the Job A-S-A-P."

 

Nic then turned around and went back down to the Cargo hold, he looked around the virtually empty room. There were only 5 or 6 crates of the crews personal possession and ships supplys. Nic hated an empty cargo, it often ment he didn't have a job. They didn't only transport cargo, they did lots of things including thefts, cons and general hired 'Guns' work, but they often carried cargo for those.

[ExtreamJedi12]

Cloud did as Nic advised and got some rest. He started to have a dream of how Aerith died.

 

It was another ordinary day in the Echo.....until a Jedi Starfighter(Ep. 3) came their way. Cloud heard something like "What are you doing here?" coming from Nic. Then, the ship shook like there was no tomorrow. "We're in trouble." is what Cloud heard before another blast hit the ship. Cloud got up from his seat and found Aerith. He heard Nic yell "Someone get into turret with Jana!" Cloud moved to the ladder, but Aerith stopped him. "I'll go down. You're needed in here." she said. "Alright." Cloud agreed. She kissed him on the cheek before going down. Cloud ran to the cockpit and got into a seat beside Nic. Suddenly, a blast hit the turret Aerith was in. "No." Cloud said before getting up and running to the ladder. He looked downand seen that the turret was on fire. "AERITH!" Cloud shoted and started to go down the ladder. Oliver grabbed him on the collar. "LET ME GO!" Cloud continued to shout. "I NEED TO GET TO HER!" But, he was told she was dead already. Cloud got off the ladder and started to cry very hard. He went to the cockpit crying very hard and they seen Sephiroth's face on the screen. "Crew of the Echo, you will remember my name: Sephiroth." he cackled before disconnecting. Cloud suddenly filled with anger. The dream ended and Cloud woke up.

 

Cloud got up from his nightmare. He knew he was thrashing in his sleep and that sometimes he sleeptalked. He got out of bed and went up to Nic. He only said 6 words: "We need to go after Sephiroth."

[JasraLantill]

With the Echo on her way to Bespin, Beryl sat in a quiet corner of the common room. She had a small console in her hand, and was pushing some buttons every now and again, listlessly playing a mindless game that involved matching groups of coloured balls as they appeared on the screen in various patterns.

 

She was glad that Cloud was on the mend. Truth be told, it had shocked her to see Oliver bring him back to the Echo in such a state. Cloud was strong and fit, and it had worried her to see him bloodied, weak, and helpless. But, at the same time, she was impressed by the fact that Cloud had survived his encounter, given that Sephiroth had fought him with a lightsabre. She had stayed close to him while Oliver had dressed his wounds, and was there with the rest of the crew when he finally awoke, tired and a bit disoriented. Not knowing what to say to comfort him, she had just stayed close by, quietly watching until he drifted back into sleep.

 

She’d left him then, wanting to distance herself from him. She liked him, and that was the problem. Men that she liked tended to get killed. First there was Kit. Nice looking, fun to be with, fellow test pilot--killed in a test run. Then there was Niyoo. Tall, quiet, well-to-do trader—killed in a freak explosion at one of his warehouses. Next was Tighe. Daring, adventurous, successful swoop jockey—he had met his end on the track, just moments after he had proposed to her. The list went on—Jayan, Harlon, Wilk, Gareth—she wasn’t about to add Cloud to the list.

 

All in all, this latest voyage was turning out to be quite stressful. She felt quite guilty at having gone to Rayne’s port for assistance. Perhaps if they had gone somewhere else, Sephiroth wouldn’t have shown up, Cloud wouldn’t have been injured, and they could’ve picked up another job. For a moment, she wished she was still working for Incom. Test piloting new models of Z-95s was dangerous, but at least the only life she had been risking then was her own. She could only imagine what kinds of feelings Nic was having about their current situation.

 

And something else was bothering her. She had expected her brother Rayne to be a bit more hospitable to Nic and the rest of the crew, but instead, Rayne had seemed stressed and edgy. It wasn’t like him at all to be worried about the Empire. That, combined with his repeated insistence that she leave the Echo, and the fact that he didn’t seem to even care that their brother Nuss was working for the Empire, made her begin to suspect that he wasn’t telling her something. She had difficulty believing that he would cave in to Imperial rule, but that possibility was looming in the back of her mind.

 

Then there was Riebe, or Tarla, as she had known her. Jana had suspected the same thing about her—that she was working for the Empire, rather than against it. If Tarla had indeed switched sides, something that was difficult for Beryl to believe, was it possible that Rayne would do the same thing? After all, he had a family to protect—a wife, kids, not to mention their mother. Rayne was the eldest of her brothers, and had taken their father’s place as head of the family. It wasn’t inconceivable that he would try to protect them in any way he could. Had the Empire lodged threats against his family? Was that why he had offered her a job with him? To protect her?

 

She sighed. She didn’t want to think about Rayne, or Cloud, or Tarla anymore. She continued her game, matching and destroying the coloured balls on the screen. She heard footsteps in the corridor, and glanced up to see Cloud leaving the medbay. Looked like he had made a full recovery. Good, she thought, and let out a sigh of relief.

 

The gamepad bleeped. Game over. Beryl shifted in her chair, then clicked a button and started her fifteenth game.

[stingerhs]

As Cloud woke up, Ryshana smiled a bit to herself. Although she had known he was going to survive, it was always good to see the final outcome for herself. Before anyone else could leave, Ryshana quietly slipped off to her room. Once in her room with the door locked, she stripped off her clothes and set them aside. Taking the bedsheet, she wrapped herself inside of it as she sat down on the floor.

 

Concentrating, Ryshana once again began to meditate. She began to drift a bit as her thoughts shifted. Finally, she settled back into meditating on Nic. "Murderer," an unknown voice whispered behind her. Still in the meditation, Ryshana turned around to see the same younger Nic holding a sniper rifle. "Murderer," the unknown voice repeated. Looking around the empty expanse, there was nothing that she could see. All she could see was Nic wielding the rifle. "Kill her," the voice whispered out.

 

Suddenly, Nic looked directly at Ryshana. Ryshana studied his eyes and noticed flames glinting off of the surface. Following his gaze, all Ryshana could see was the empty expanse. Looking back at Nic, he was beginning to raise his rifle into the firing position, and the barrel was pointed directly at Ryshana. "Murder."

 

The rifle fired, and Ryshana quickly dodged the blast. Suddenly, a woman's gasping could be heard behind her. Turning around, a young woman was clutching her side where blood was beginning to spill out from her body. Looking back over at Nic, he was setting the rifle by his side, and Ryshana saw the cold and uncaring look Nic had on his face. As he began to turn around, Ryshana could easily make out a patch on his uniform that contained three simple letters: NSF. "Murderer."

[starmark2k]

As Cloud Approached Nic turned to him, Cloud was getting better. Impe may be a brunk but he does know his trade Nic thought to himself.

 

"We need to go after Sephiroth."

 

Nic looked at the ground to collect his thoughts then back up at cloud "we can't, he's probably long gone by now, and if we do find him... what do you intend to do, you're still weak and he's an adept. sorry Cloud, But you don't stand a chance."

 

Nic decided to leave it at that and went down to the cockpit.

[XoRRoX]

Oliver entered the common room and took a nice, strong cup of a juma juice. "Now i finally feel i'm actually alive" he thougt to himself, while he saw Beryl in her corner. "Did you sell the non-legal juma juices?" he whsipered to Beryl, while taking a new drink.

[JasraLantill]

"Hmm?" Beryl looked up from her game at Oliver. "Oh. Yeah. I did. Almost forgot." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a credit chip. "Eight cases, twelve bottles per case, thirty credits per bottle...that's two thousand eight hundred and eighty credits. Not bad, eh?"

 

She started to hand him the chip, then pulled it back slowly and looked at him askance. "Before I give this to you, please don't spend all this all on alcohol. You're a talented healer, Oliver, and I know you have some...well, 'problems' for lack of a better word. But drinking isn't going to solve them or make you feel better in the long run."

 

Reluctantly, she handed him the chip. "I worry about you sometimes. You know that, don't you?"

[XoRRoX]

"Yes, yes. You know, that i won't use if for alcohol. And i don't have a problem. I can stop whenever i want too".

 

"I worry about you sometimes. You know that, don't you?"

 

Oliver ignored the last sentence and turned to his room. "Maybe i was to harsh to Beryl?" he thougt to himself, while he took a new drink. One of those new Alderaan Ale. "Nice! I'm gonna buy something like that again, next time i visit my freind in Naboo".

[ExtreamJedi12]

Cloud heard Nic say no and became furious. Then, he had an idea: sneak off in the Headhunter by himself. He went to the hanger, got into the cockpit, entered the launch code, and left the Echo.

 

___________________________________________________

 

"He should've waken up by now." Sephiroth thought as he waited in his Jedi Starfighter(Ep. 3). He concentrated for a moment to find Cloud. He sensed him coming in a Z-95 Headhunter. "Ah." Sephiroth said to himself. "The prey comes."

[JasraLantill]

*Muffled thump*

 

Beryl put down her gamepad, and cocked her ear towards the corridor. The sound she had heard was unusual, but not unfamiliar. She turned off the game, and listened.

 

*Thump, clang, thump, whoosh*

 

Her eyes widened. She knew exactly what the sound was--the quick drop launch bay doors being opened and the Headhunter being launched. Ryshana and Cloud were the only crewmembers not in the forward part of the ship that were capable of flying the Z-95. And Beryl didn't figure Ryshana for being either a thief or rashly impulsive.

 

"Cloud, you kriffin' idiot!" she muttered as she ran for the cockpit. "Nic?! Jana?!"

[Writer]

Jana's door immediately opened. "What is it, Beryl?" she called after the fleeing woman. She gave chase, puzzled. "Beryl? What's happening?"

[JasraLantill]

Beryl stopped and turned her head over her shoulder. "Cloud's taken the Headhunter!" she said hurriedly. "I heard the hanger bay doors open, and I thought maybe Cloud was just checking on the repairs that had been done, but then...." She sighed. "I know those sounds. He's launched it. I don't know what he's up to, or where he's going, but I'd bet credits that it's got something to do with that Sephiroth character! Maybe we can still contact him on the comm. Talk him out of whatever fool idea he's got stuck in his head!"

[Writer]

"Oh for..." Jana grumbled, hushing past Beryl into the cockpit.

 

"Jack!" she snapped, scanning space. "Headhunter, just launched. We're pretty sure it's Cloud. Chase him down. We have to get him back."

 

She reached for the intercom. "Nic, we've got a runaway. Trying to contact him. Get here as soon as you can."

 

With that, she switched on the comm and zeroed in on the Headhunter's frequency.

 

"Cloud what in the flaming hell are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" she demanded angrily. She glanced down at the console Jack was working at. "Spast! Is he prepping for a hyperspace jump? Jack! See if you can catch his coordinates! We'll follow him if we have to."

 

When she was younger, Jana's parents had insisted on a 'no swearing' policy. For the most part, Jana still held to that, but on rare occasions where things were going exceptionally bad, the words would still slip out. She had sworn out of excitement when she and Nic had won the Echo, of anger and sadness when Aerith was killed, and now of anger and frustration with Cloud for thinking something he did would change anything.

[starmark2k]

Nic ran into the bridge from his room and looked at Jana. "we're in the black, we can't have a run away." Nic turned his head to look out the front viewscreen and saw the headhunter flying away from him. "By the force, who has stolen my headhunter? BERYL!!!" Nic said staring out of the window, presuming it was beryl flying away.

 

Nic turned his head back to Jana, but then noticed beryl standing there, a look of confusion came across his face. "How can you be here and piloing the headhunter?" Nic quickly relised the stupidity of he question and turned back to Jana

"It's Cloud isn't it?"

[ExtreamJedi12]

Cloud heard Jana yelling at him. He soon got a visual on Sephiroth. "Welll, if it isn't Cloud Strife, back from the dead." Sephiroth said into the comm system. "Save it you spawn of a space slug." Cloud said back. "Oh, that hurt, merc scum." Sephiroth said back. "I must be on my way." he said before jumping to hyperspace. "I have his coordinates." Cloud thought. "Time for payback, Sephiroth." And with those words, CLoud jumped to hyperspace.

[stingerhs]

As Ryshana continued her meditation, images constantly began to drift by. Finally, one image stopped in front of her. A massive ship came to life. It was triangular in shape, and it brissled in weapons. Suddenly, the view shifted, and she was inside of the ship. Nic, Jana, Beryl, Impe, Jack, and Cloud were all there, and they were all in pain. Then, a dark figure stepped out and towered over them all, and its breathing could be heard over everything. "Vader...." Ryshana said.

[starmark2k]

Nic watched as the headhunter quickly accelerated into hyperspace. After a few seconds he looked down at jack "What in the name of yoda are you waiting for? follow him!" he ordered.

[steven]

"Just a second." Replied Jack "Now!" He shouted as he hit the hyperspace botten. The ship entered hyperspace, following Cloud and Sephiroth. "Captain. I have a request to make."

[starmark2k]

"What is it Jack?" Nic said obviously annoyed. Nic didn't think this was the time for questions, They were in the middle of a chase.

[JasraLantill]

Beryl's eyes grew wide at Jack's question to Nic. "If you're thinking of trying tractor that Headhunter in when Cloud's just gone to hyperspace, I'll kick you out of that taffin' pilot's chair and fly this ship myself, you crill-faced curmudgeon!" Beryl snapped at Jack.

 

She knew she was out of line yelling at Jack, but she was really worried about Cloud. She knew what kind of turbulence a tractor beam would do to a small ship going at full throttle in hyperspace--she would have trouble controlling it herself in that situation-- and she doubted that Cloud was experienced enough to handle such a rough ride without causing serious damage to himself or the ship.

 

"The Headhunter's only got a class 3 hyperdrive," she continued. "We'll catch him up and talk him...." She paused suddenly, and looked at Jana. "The sim," she said, brightening. "I can use the sim to take over control by remote!"

 

She dashed into the common room, where the sim unit lay on one of the chairs, having been left out when she and Jana were waiting for the crew to return. She quickly switched it on and put the visor and gauntlets on, and....

 

It wouldn't connect. Apparently, when the mechanics were repairing the Headhunter, they had not reconnected the remote unit she had installed.

 

"Son of a prugnuficating Murglak!" She ripped off the visor and threw it to the floor, and stormed back into the cockpit. "It's disconnected," she said to Jana. "We'll just have to talk him out of it." She frowned slightly. "Where's Ryshana?" she asked Nic. "She's a Jedi. They're supposed to be good at persuading people to do what they want. Maybe she'd have better luck at convincing him to come back than we would."

[starmark2k]

"That's a fair point." Nic responded to Beryl as he smashed his hand against the intercom button to Ryshannas room. "Ryshana, We need some help up here!"

[stingerhs]

"Ryshana, We need some help up here!"

 

Ryshana suddenly came out of her meditation as the intercom blared. Breathing in deeply, she realized that she was trembling slightly from the vision she just had. There was no doubt that this crew was going to come into contact with Darth Vader: the Force doesn't lie about the future. Not to mention it was plainly obvious that Nic had killed someone innocent in the past. But, we'll worry about that later, Ryshana thought.

 

Getting off the floor, Ryshana hit the intercom button. "Give me a minute!" Ryshana yelled back to Nic. Taking out a cloak from her pack, she wrapped it around her nude form and tied it on. She wasn't too concerned about decency, but it would suffice for the time being. Opening the door, Ryshana quickly walked up to the cockpit. "What's wrong, Nic?"

[starmark2k]

"Cloud has run off in the head hunter and we need you to use that jedi persuasion of yours to bring him back." Nic said as he sat in the co-pilots seat.

[stingerhs]

"Hmm, I don't think I've met anybody that obsessed with revenge. Well, I've heard stories, but that's different. Are we in communicator range?"

[starmark2k]

"If Cloud ain't switched his comm off, we should be." Nic said standing up and twisting the seat around so Ryshana can sit and get closer to the main communications console.