The Last of the Alistair Family Headquarters

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The car from the shore would drive all the way back to town and further. It pulled into an alleyway and the inhabitants within the car would depart: Judas, Gnu, Matthew, and finally Lai. Judas would place a small triangular object on the ground, and it sprang to life as a small circular blue portal.

They were transported to a small, white ship that orbited the planet above. Matthew seemd very familiar with the place and instantly called shower first and left to go bathe as Judas, Lai and Gnu were left alone. Gnu began tending to labrats with each of them in their own cages. Some of them looked very sick as a note written in common was posted up front: Please do not interact with the testing rats! They are contaminated with a lethal and contagious disease known as lycanthropy and are currently going under testing procedure. Thank you!

Lai was left alone as Matthew's brother, Judas, went to go tend to his notes, telling Lai to make herself at home.

"Well took you long enough." Lai retorted, "Nothing much, more or less attempting to get to know each other since you told neither of us about each other." She gave him a accusing look, "plus of course I figured out the reason why you whined so much about my one shower day."

Matthew rolled his eyes slightly, "What did you want a written biography of each other?" He chuckled. "Sorry... Surprise?"

"Wouldnt of mind a heads up." She snorted, "you gotta meet my side of the family." She mused.

"We could if you wanted to." Matthew said as he went to go slip on one of his brother's white tanks. "But I want to give the crew a few days to rest. They don't often see the other side of the bars. I think a few are actually considering resigning..."

She shrugged, "well in all honest you would be more seeing cousins and so forth..my brother is at a family base as you know and my mother.." She paused briefly, "Well anyway. Uhm is there anything I could wear so I can shower or...?"

Matthew nodded in understanding of her words, his hands tightening on his towel slightly. Judas interjected. "Yeah, you can use my clothes. Might be a little big, though."

"Rather I go nude instead?" Lai mused, still finding it hilarious how mammals are so weird about the concept of nudity and modesty.

"No!" Matthew cried.

"Hell YES!" Judas said at the same time, causing a towel to be thrown at his head, "HEY! Don't distract the driver!"

Lai snickered at the two sibling reactions while she stood wincing slightly. "I'm still confuse about mammal species and their whole modesty thing, anyway I am going to assume there a blow dryer so I dont have to deal with wet feathers for hours?" She asked.

"Yes, there's a blow drier, but it's in the cabinet with the equipment care. I don't use it for hair, but in case something gets wet that shouldn't get wet." He motioned to the cabinet in question. "Towels are in the shower, and I have shampoo and body wash. Go wild... But not too wild! I'd like to have some left, thanks."

"Well, unlike Avians and other species, we don't have fur or feathers to cover our... Body parts. So it'd be a bit embarrassing to walk around skin and butt naked." Matthew explained while he continued to dry his jet black hair.

She nodded and dug it out, "Rather not be dripping wet for hours." She sighed, and held this bemused look at matt2 comment, "But wasn't there a time in nearly all mammal species that they roames naked on their planets?" She inquired, her hours on end reading as a child showing itself.

"Yeah, when we had thicker hair. We don't have that protection anymore." Matthew replied, watching her quietly.

Lai huffed as she saw that the hair dryer was right out of her reach, she did a classic bird hop to grab it, "Fair enough, I will obviously be a bit myself." She headed off to grt clean after snagging a shirt.

As Lai headed off to shower, Matthew stopped in putting his shirt on as he glanced sideways at the door. The knock rang loud and clear. Judas looked just as surprised, while Gnu gentlemanly and cheerily chirped, "I'll get it, even though we aren't expecting anyone~"

The robot with long blade legs gracefully strode over to the door and opened it, surprised to see a stranger there. "Well, hello there, Mademoiselle, but I don't seem to recognize you? What, pray chance, brings you here on such a secluded rock?"

Starr looked at the robot curiously then smiled a little "I came to see Matthew" She said then looked beyond him without moving from where she stood.

"Matthew? Very well, come inside Madamoiselle. The waves hit against the rock quite chillingly." Gnu gallantly stepped aside to let her in.

Judas was tending to his labrats, albeit some seemed rather moody, since the windows above them left them exposed to the nearly full mood. They didn't seem very friendly, but they wouldn't transform until tomorrow night. Judas was merely feeding them through the glass with rubber gloves. However he paused to stare at Starr in slight surprise, not recognizing her.

But Matthew did. He stared at Starr as well, but this time, it was more of a suspicious shock rather than one that was caught off guard. He realized he still hadn't had a shirt on all the way and quickly slid his arms through his sleeves, the cloth dropping down to cover the whip scars and brand. Matthew, in honesty, felt a bit exposed to be in such casual wear in front of his enemy.

Wait. Then he realized, he didn't have any shorts on either. Only his boxers.

"Shit!" He screeched and instantly dived for the cabinet space, grabbing a random pair of shorts as he hid on the other side of it. Judas took the cue to burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Did the lady startle you, Matty?"

While showering for Lai didnt take long blow drying did, but even she heard the girly squeal and popped half her body out toweless with confusion, "What the hell got killed?!"

Starr stepped in then saw Matthew with only boxers and a shirt that he was just dropping into place. Her jaw dropped and she turned a little, using her wing to give him privacy as he dove for the cabinets to grab more conventional clothing "Um...I could have waited outside for you to be dressed" She said, trying not to join in the contagious laughter of his male companion.

"Nonsense! It can get dreadfully cold outside." Gnu said. He carried himself with blissful obliviousness, though he knew very well what he had done. Good think he had no expression drawn into his face. "I shall start tea. Something warm, yes?"

Matthew slipped on shorts, his face a slight purple in embarrassment as Judas continued a squealing and wheezing giggle of glee. "No one killed, Miz' Lai. No one at all. Now, who is this young lady?"

Matthew stared at Starr, silent from his shame.

"I am Starr" She answered, looking to Judas then carefully to Matthew before settling her wings back into place when she was certain he was decent "Tea would be nice, if Matthew can take some time to speak with me? I will try not to take too much of his time." She said then glanced to Lai and dipped her head to the other female "I trust you are doing well here Mrs Lai?"

Lai held a sour look at Star, "Oh, it you." She said dryly before vanishing back into the bathroom figuring that would be clear enough of her feelings towards the dragoness.

Matthew glanced over at Lai and sighed. Granted, he felt just as sour. But you couldn't really put on a sour face after his mess up. He looked up at Starr, "Well, I guess there should be an explanation for this? Is one of your crew mates already hurt enough to need my assistance? Or is there some other reason for violating the contract?" He was defensive and untrusting as Gnu invited Starr to sit at the cough surrounding the coffee table.

Starr frowned at the mention of the contract, obviously not liking that though she let Gnu lead her to the table. "Am I breaking that contract when I came here with a suggestion that could benefit you?" She asked instead then looked to the rats pointedly "I see you are already using the werewolf blood, I wonder what you would have done with mine had you kept it."

"Wrong!" Judas boasted. "These were already infected. I just needed more for further developing my research. As for y-... Wait, she's the Star Dragon?"

Matthew nodded, and Judas looked at the woman in question, "Weird. Well, as for your blood, it's DNA could have been very useful in the refining process for arcane emulation, a type of tech that most if not all other species do not quite grasp quite yet." He puffed up his chest proudly, "Drakkan are by far very advanced creatures."

"Benefit me?" Matthew said, ignoring Judas' boasting. "Benefit me how?"

"For one, as the Terrans used to say, "Drop off the face of the Earth' Unusual saying, but apt for you." Starr said, glancing to Judas then back to Matthew again "Basically, being a slaver is no longer going to be beneficial since so many will either turn their backs on you or try to turn you in to the Family now. Right?"

She said then looked to the bathroom door and back once more "I have spoken to a few of your crew already and they seem to have the same fears. I proposed that with a crew the size of yours that it would be simple enough to create a bounty hunter company."

"You yourself could change your appearance a little, probably your name as well then you could then hide in plain sight and not have to capture innocents to sell them like animals." She offered, trying hard to not get angry about the slavery thing again, that would not help anyone at this moment.

She paused then and looked to Judas once more "I am the last free Star Dragon to my knowledge. All others are either dead or enslaved, so you can tell that I hate slavery because of that one fact. My people were hunted down until not even our home remained. Drakken tech is too advanced for most cultures to understand or use, though some wouldn't need to be allowed near it even if they can understand it...and no, I am not going to willingly give my blood."

"A bounty company..." Matthew muttered in thought, leaning back and thinking with his eyes half closed, the slits of ruby red shining against cobalt skin.

"Not a bad idea," Judas mused, "It'll take a while to pick up on but I'm sure you have enough income to stave off money problems, right Matty?" The younger and smaller-statured man looked their direction after writing some notes off a clip board.

"I could... But I'm not changing my name." Matthew sighed, opening my eyes, "I will... Try this bounty hunting idea, but changing my identity is a whole different story. I find hiding a cowardly tactic." He said simply, looking at Starr. "But yes, I'll... Consider... A bounty company."

Starr dipped her head a little "That is your choice of course." She said then pulled out a paper from her pocket to hand over to him "If you do decide to go that route, then contact them, they can help you get started." She said then stood and glanced over to the other male again before turning towards the door. "They are friends of mine and an assassin company that has bounty hunting as a sideline."