Space Station named Defiant

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The two shuttles both grabbed the rogue shuttle in their tractor beams and together towed her back to the shuttle bay where more security officers were ready and waiting to question her.

Luka couldn't resist ruffling James' hair affectionately as she pulled away. It always bugged the hell out of her brothers when she did it.

"Does the captain know you've gone rogue?" Esk asked, he sounded utterly unconcerned as he finished his glass of water.

"The Aurum Empire believes all dragonkin and all species in relationship to dragonkin should be governed under them, whether by force or annexed." Saraphine gave her input.

Merith nodded again, "A very conquistador-like empire, that one..."

James didn't seem especially bugged by the gesture. He just grinned goofily. At Esk's question, he suggested up somewhat. "We're not telling him. It seemed best to keep it quiet."

~~
"That's worrying," Asher said softly. Another group who wanted Starr. Hurrah.

Esk nodded. "He's still moping I take it." He sounded so unimpressed.

"it's not moping, it's depression." Luka scolded.

"moping." Esk repeated.

"Acus has been through a lot," James said protectively. "And like Luka said, he has depression, which totally sucks for him." He glared at Esk.

"My heart bleeds for him." Esk muttered.

"Good. I hope it hurts," James told Esk. He stuck out his tongue, showing all the maturity that one would expect from a temperamental android. "You be nice to Acus, okay?"

"Why? He already hates me, nothing'll change his desire to hurl me out an airlock as soon as Vicky gets bored." He shrugged. "Blames me for the other Avian getting captured, because I could have predicted slavers right? I'm not a fucking seer, I can't see the future."

"Why'd you take her anyway?" Luka asked.

"Collateral. If I left on my own there was zero reason your great Captain wouldn't just shoot my ship out of the sky. I needed something to hold his fire till I could get clear, she seemed important to him. "

James sighed. "Okay, let me rephrase: Don't be an asshole about him. Also get yourself a job or something, relying on Vicky is... not ideal."

"As long as we remain in low profile, the Aurum shouldn't suspect us, unless they vehemently remember Sinopa's escape with Cassiopeia." Merith assured Asher as he spotted a duo emerging from the crowds, "Ah, here is Vanessa, and it looks like Third has finally shown his actual face."

Indeed, following behind the Entropium was a floating black fox with a ghostly pale face marked red and grinning maniacally as they passed through the crowds towards the shuttle.

---to silver devil?---

"'Low profile'," Asher laughed. That had never been this crew's specialty. "Hello, Vanessa, Third," he said as they came within comfortable earshot.

Vanessa greeted them all warmly, and Third came in in silence, or was about to, until he looked a bit taken aback by Asher's casual greeting. After several seconds of a flat-line-mouth pondering, the fox cracked a crazed smile again and the male voice replied with a, "Hello, hello!" And floated down next to Vanessa.

"I take it you won't be flying the shuttle this time?" Asher asked Third with a smile. He knew Third was unstable and possibly dangerous, but he was out of caution for the day, and he was willing to just try and be friendly. He looked at Merith and Vanessa, "Do either of you want to drive, or should I?"

"No he won't." Vanessa answered flatly for Third before he could speak. Third's ear flicked and his grin lessened, revealing his nervousness.

"You can drive, if that's alright with you." Merith smiled at Asher.

Asher took the pilot's seat, got permission from the station controller to leave, and pulled the shuttle away toward Vestia. He glanced warily over his shoulder at Vanessa. Wow, she really looked annoyed. Poor Third.
Poor Quinn too, she must be freaked out in there as well.
Asher barely kept himself from asking Vanessa to go easy on them.

----To Vestia----

TIMESKIP - THE NEXT DAY

One of the space station androids was washing windows on the shop fronts, making sure that everything looked impeccably clean, because that was her job, after all.

She was oblivious to the ragtag bunch of bounty hunters strolling down the street, but they noticed her--and more specifically her "MegaBrainTech Android" badge--right away.

A security guard was just chilling out, leaning against a wall and watching the area boredly.

A literally slimy woman looked at the others thoughtfully. "You know, after last week, I'd really like the chance to rid the world of one of those things. Or at least hurt it very badly."

The others mumbled in agreement.
"Fucking robots, pretending to be people. it's disgusting. why'd the terrans have to go and make such freaky things anyway?" another asked.
"Hubris? Vanity? Who the hell knows." a slightly smarter sounding one suggested. "You think they get scared?"
"Oh come on, they're machines, they don't feel anything."

The security guard watched them impassively, fiddling with their tablet as they loaded up yet another game.

"It's an insult to real people," a fourth one said.
The slimy woman nodded and walked over to the guard. "A hundred credits if you look the other way for ten minutes," she said casually.

The guard's expression slowly spread into a cruel smirk. "make it two and you can do whatever you want with her. " He nodded toward an alley nearby. "Just keep the noise down, don't wanna attract too much attention."

The slimy woman grinned wolfishly. "I'll spend that much for a bit of fun. It's a deal." She handed him some paper credits; they were harder to track. She signaled to her friends, that the android was fair game, but that they should head into the alley with it first.

~~
Asher, Matt, Shane, and Third would leave the shuttle and head into the space station to get the shopping done.

Shane held his tablet as he walked with the others to get their shopping list taken care of.

Matt followed them cheerfully, his hangover had mostly resolved and he was pretty pleased about being useful.

-

The guard nodded, pocketed the credits and went back to their game. Completely ignoring the group now.

One of the group grinned at the others and pulled out his pocket knife. "Rule number one about dealing with scrap metal, don't let them run away." He held the knife to his arm, "Hey robot! Do what we say, or I'll cut myself."

The android turned to look, and froze as the First Law took over. "Yes sir," she said nervously.

Another nodded toward the alley. "Come along then, we haven't got all day." He smirked and lead the way.