Upon Vestia: Chapter Twenty-One

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Luka made a face. "gross. Computer, regular clothes please." She looked relieved as the gown disappeared and she was just in her usual cargo pants and vest. "Who should we go annoy then?"

Esk nodded. "We have quite a lot of ammo at least, we should be able to hold them off for a while before we start having to ration it. " He stood up, hefting up the rifle and tucking the helmet under one arm.
"We should eat." He glanced to Ethan. "Or recharge or whatever. "

"Yes, it would be wise to attend to our own well-being. A weakened army is an ineffective one!" Tala stood, collecting her own rifle and ammo. She didn't have any armor yet, they didn't have any in her size. Tomorrow she'd go to town and get some fitted.

Ethan got up, he only took a pistol and a pouch of bullets for it for now, it seemed wrong to take anything bigger before he had been trained to use it properly.

Tala looked pleased. "We have done a good day's work, soldiers. Tomorrow we shall do all the better." She really was in her element here.

Ethan gave Esk an 'is she always like this?' look.

Esk nodded, only just resisting the instinct to salute. Damn programming.
He straightened up though and shot Ethan a smirk.
Oh yes, tala was always like this.

Ethan shook his head, a little baffled. Tala was weird. Soldiers in general were weird here. He didn't really know what to make of it.

Tala left for the galley. She needed to eat. Now she wasn't busy, she was starving.

Ethan gave Esk a last confused look, then made his way to his room to recharge.

Esk shrugged. "Might just be her, might be all Minotaurs." He explained with a snicker and went to drop his stuff off at his room and then secure the guns again. Didn't want anyone just wandering in and taking stuff they'd so carefully prepared and sorted.
After the armory was secured he'd head to the galley for food.

Tala was already munching her way through her second veggie burger when Esk arrived. Yeah, she probably should have helped Esk, but he could handle locking up weapons on his own, right?
And she was hungry.

Esk didn't really care, he was used to doing things on his own.
He nodded vaguely to Tala and found something to eat.

Luka came in, knocking on the frame of the door. "Captain?" What the heck was he up to?
She tried to get a good look at it all.

---

Mourn returned to eat, still scribbling ideas down as he did so.
He was loving this, preparing, organising, building stuff.
the mortal danger part didn't seem to have yet occurred to him.

Swarm recompiled and joined the majority of the crew in the mess hall, giving them a detailed description of what was going on in the capital and the small mercenary groups prepping.

"We need to get everyone together." Esk mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Anyone who's gonna fight."

Web and Starr would appear right where they'd left, reality rippling and shimmering around them for a second or two.

Web let go of Starr's hand and exhaled deeply. Yeah, it was a bit exhausting making large jumps okay?

"We'll call them together in the morning," Tala said. "Tonight they must rest and fuel."

Ellie came in to eat something nutritious after the first aid class was done. She must be in a weird mood to be eating so healthily.

Esk eyed Ellie suspiciously. "That's not secretly made of sugar just to throw us off right?"
Where was Ellie and what had they done with the real one?

"Nope, it's all exactly what it looks like," Ellie said. "Sometimes I eat healthy food, okay?" She ate a cooked carrot. "You know, sometimes people do that."

Web nodded. "Take care, come and get me when you need me. Savor this time with your children." He smiled sadly and headed for the mess.

Esk snickered. "Maybe, or you've been replaced." He didn't really believe that. "Sure you don't want to dip it in sugar and colourings?"

---

"What is that?" Luka came over to get a better look.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I just felt like eating this today! It means nothing, geez."

~~
"Starr is back," Vestia told Kay and Asher, wherever the heck they were.

Esk snickered. Yes, annoying other people made him feel better okay?

---

Kay set things down and nodded to Vestia, taking a deep breath. Time to go break the news to the kids then, oh dear...
He looked to Asher worriedly. How did they even start?

Asher looked back at Kay with worry, which he quickly tried to hide. "You're not doing this alone," he said softly. "We can figure this out together."
It was going to be hard though. Poor Danika, she wasn't ready for this at all. Asher remembered the first time Emma had told him that one day she'd be sent away, and they'd never be able to talk together again. It had been years before that day had actually arrived, but even the time he'd had to prepare hadn't been close to enough. This was going to be so awful for Danika, who didn't have any time at all to get used to what was going to happen.

Kay winced, feeling overwhelmingly guilty. But they had to stay, they had to fight, it was the right thing to do.
He hoped.

He squeezed Asher's hand and nodded grimly. [Tell Starr we're on our way.] He told Vestia.

---

"You made a bio bomb!??" Luka was shocked, but also seriously impressed. "Ho.. how? "

"Asher and Kay are on their way to talk to the hatchlings with you," Vestia said to Starr helpfully.

~~
Asher smiled forcedly at Kay and led the way toward the babies.

Kay followed Asher, chewing his lip and looking anxious.

----

"You're brilliant!" Luka gushed, looking at all the parts in awe. "So... brilliant. " She hoped it worked, ooo it'd be wonderful to see those assholes explode. HAH.

They'd meet Starr in a hall not to far from where the babies were. "Hello Starr," Asher said. "Did you and Web have good luck with the project?"