G
Gunhand4171
Raphael walked out of his room aboard the queen slave and stretched his 7'3" tall frame. He padded down the halls quietly and stepped into the galley and made himself coffee before he got to work. As usual he was the first one up, besides the Ragnarock night crew that held down the fort. He nodded to one of the guards as they passed with a brief smile. A timer pinged and he grabbed his mug of coffee and walked down to the ramp and out into the cool, twilight of the early morning hours.
He walked from the ship to the palace totting a massive case. He made his way into the palace Courtyard and found his seculded spot. It was an area of the gardens that was out of the way. Not many knew about it. He sat down beneath one of the trees and unlocked the case revealing a massive AMR-1 Anti Material Rifle. He began breaking it down, cleaning it, and re assembleing the weapon. He took a deep breath of the cool fresh air and smiled.
There was nothing like solitude, and to Aashi a good amount of it had not come in a long time. She had hoped to find it this morning, as for the most part she had been inundated with new faces and names and personalities to match them for a short while, now, and was happy to give herself a reprieve from it. Ashi found herself sneakily subverting the eyes of others as she walked through hallways and rooms of the palace her leader had conquered. It was unnerving being unable to steal, but her conscious told her to take a break from the old pastime and take up something very new to her. Besides, circumstances were circumstances and she only had what she was carrying on her to her name. When you had that little there was no reason to try to add silver candle stick holders and napkin rings to that list of items, when you really thought about it.
But for all of her secrecy, she still could not believe that she managed to place her foot in front of her before looking where she was, for she found herself in the personal space of a very large statured Elysian elegantly hunched over his weapon.
"Oh, my," Aashi said, drawing out the latter word. "I seem to have missplaced my step, I'm sorry."
Raphael snapped out of his trance to look up at who it was speaking. "Oh hello..." The Elysian said looking supprised. Then he smiled gently. "It is no trouble at all. I didn't know anybody else knew about this spot. It is pretty far out of the way. Your welcome to come sit. The sunrise is coming soon." He said scooting over to make room under the tree. His wings tucked themselves in tighter to his body as to not get in her personal space.
"That kind of hospitality is nice to see around here," Aashi said in response to the kindness the Elysian was showing, but what else was she expecting from him, exactly? "I would love to sit, now tell me, what is an Elysian like you doing on a starneg planet like this, hmmm?"
Raphael smiled softly. "Well..." He said leaning back against the tree. "I used to date Uso believe it or not. This whole thing started," He said streching his hand out to show everything around them. "...was an idea Uso had during a blind date. Our first date." He said looking over to Aashi. "And so I followed her out here." He said locking his case back and slidding it out of the way. "Why are you here?" He asked.
"I," Aashi said with a smile that hid the truth behind its facade, "am just as interested in Uso as you once were. Tell me, what keeps you here if you're not still, how should I say it? Together?"
Raphael watched her faical expression as she spoke. He made a mental note and anwered. "Uso and I... that is complictaed. I am actually with Ivory. She is the medic who came along with Uso." He shurgged. "It is very complicated..." He said looking back to her. "I also used to take care of the young Princess who used to live in the Palace so that kept me around till Ivory and I got together." He added. "Once we found the princess's aunt, she was sent back to live with her family. I am not sure where they are now."
"Losing those close to you is tough," Aashi said, remembering her crew, her family, her world, and said, "even if you didn't date them, you felt love for them and when they leave it can change your very existence. It's good to know you didn't grow too attached, to either of them," she said. She looked over his red-tipped wings and then back up to his face. He had bi-colored irises, one blue and one red, and a scar that ran from cheek to cheek over the bridge of his nose. It was an interesting sight to her, for sure, but more than that, he interestingly fit the bill for somebody she had heard of alreayd.
Aashi asked, "And where have you worked before this? For who?"
Raphael looked off into space. "Well at first I was a sniper for the NSMC, then I got picked up by the IPG. After a misunderstanding, I left them and worked as a freelancer for a while till I got picked up by the Black Vipers." he answered.
Aashi decided to glaze over the former part of his statement and talk about the latter, the real good stuff that she was excited to sink her teeth into. She had turned her head to him even more fully, looking at his full frame and emphatically smiled, pleased to say, "I've heard of you, then! Yes, I have, indeed. Not your specific story but I've known about almost every pirate ship and their passengers throughout the years. It takes one ear to the ground and, more importantly, one to the skies to hear the kind of things I've heard."
She pressed her palm into the lush grass and shifted her body to face him, "So, tell me of your exploits and I'll tell you if I've heard of them."
He smiled slightly. "I only went on one mission. We were to extract a Nepleslian Weapons Developer and his tech. We were hired by the IPG. Nothing too exciting, I just provided sniper support." He said shrugging. "After that I was picked up by Uso."
"Nothing too exciting is still more exciting than most Elysians get. It's always interestingt to hear other pirate's stories."
Raphael let out a soft chuckle. "Nowadays, nothing too exciting sounds really nice." He said watching the sun rise of the horizion. "I have been nearly killed twice here and shot at more times than I can count." He said sighing. "You have to enjoy the moments like this. When you have nothing to do and nobody trying to kill you." He added jokingly.
"I don't think I've experienced a reprieve from that in a long time," she laughed. "I want to know, what is it that brought you down from Elysia? You shouldn't stray too far from your kind, in my recent experience."
"Are you sure you want to know? It is a bit of a long story..." He said looking bcak over to her.
"I've heard yarns spun for days before," she said, "go ahead."
He sighed. "Well, my father was a Commander in the third Elysian war. He was one of those who was charged defending the Hevans when the Yamatai attacked. My family and I fled from our estate and escaped to New Elysia. However my father and little sister didn't make it. Our family was disgraced for my father's failure to defend our home. At least that is what my family said. I think the man was a hero and should have been treated as such. However the other Patrician families didn't see it that way and shunned our family. My mother grew more and more distant till she disapperaed all together. I was left alone by 16." He said, looking detached. "The rest of my family was busy dividing up the estate and deciding what to do with me, so I ran. I ran away to Nepleslian and joined the marines. To follow the warriors path that my father once walked. You know the rest of the story." He looked as if he was debating something in his mind before he added. "I was moving from place to place to find my mother. After joining Uso, I finally found her. But, our renunion wasn't what I expected. It turns out she left me and never wanted to see me again because I am not actually her son. I am a bastard child. And my 'mother' dispised me ever since." He said trailing off.
"Disgraced?" Aashi asked sympathetically. "Oh no, that's not the truth at all, I'm sure. Disgrace falls upon a family when no action was taken against the oppressors. But you, your father, took action and was unlucky enough to exit this life. Do you believe everything you're told?" she asked, then said, "I don't think so, that's why you became a freelancer, and pirate, and work for Uso. Because you are in every way your own person, capable of knowing that what you think and what ou do is of the utmost importance. Whatever anyone else has to say about your lfie is secondary to what you yourself think about it."
"And besides," she continued, "you don't need a mother, now do you?"
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, I guess not." He said after a moment of silence. "I just... I wanted to know why. And now that I know, it... It is just hard to swallow." He said smiling sheepishly.
Aashi nodded, putting her hands behind her to lean back as she looked at the silvery-haired Eysian, "Then don't swallow it. Keep it out of your mind and away from your thoughts. The mother you once had doesn't need to be a part of your life in any way, if you so choose. Can you do that?"
He nodded. A bit more confidently this time. "Yes, I can do that." He said with a new glint in his eyes. "She dosen't want to be part of my life, then she won't have anypart of it." He said, watching the sun rise higher and higher.
"So what is it that is a part of your life? Besides Ivory and besides your AMR? What can you say you can't live without?"
He looked over to some of the Ragnarock guards. "I would have to say my friend Cyrus. You know, the one who leads Ragnarock. I used to serve under him and he became an older brothher to me. He really has gotten me through some tough times." He said with slight smile.
"Cyrus, huh? I don't know about Ragnarock. If you wouldn't mind...?" Aashi said, trailing off.
"Oh? Yeah sure. Ragnarock was started by Cyrus Marshal on New Belfast. A little Iceball in the Freebeer system. He started off with a small crew of 5 people and it snowballed into this. One of the best up and coming PMCs out there." He replied.
"Would you say Uso couldn't have done what she did without Cyrus Marshal and Ragnarock?"
"Nope. They were the backbone of the entire operation. And they have grown with Uso's empire." He said looking at the guards again. He pointed to them. "All those guys are brand new. From all across the galaxy."
"And how necessary are they?" Aashi asked, raising one eyebrow at the guards. "I hope they're just for decoration. This Cyrus Marshal, will I get a chance to meet him?"
"They are basically the Planet's army. They pay Ragnarock and they stay and protect the planet. They grow by the day." He looked around. "Cyrus can be found walking around the ship or in the palace. Normally in the CIC of the palace." He answered.
"A CIC room, from what I know, is where the NI, or Natural Intelligence, of an Iromakuanhe ship resides. That's not what you have here, is it?" Aashi asked.
He laughed. "No, it is the Combat Information Center. He uses it to coordinate his forces. From the gurad patrols, to the expadentions, to the peace keeping, etc." He replied.
"Oh, then they stand for the same things!" Aashi said with a smile. "Would you mind," she asked, "if I took my leave and went to find Cyrus?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. It was a pleasure. Actually I don't think we ever introduced ourselves." He said thinking back on the conversation.
Aashi tilted her head after she had stood and half-smiled, "I don't guess we did, did we? I am Aashi Nath, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister?"
Raphael stood and held out a hand. "I am Raphael Castiel. It was a pleasure Ms. Aashi." he said with a soft smile and a tilt of his head.
"The pleasure was all mine," she replied with a boy to her head as she put her palm against his and looked up at him, wondering how much more she would learn about him if she used her empath powers as they touched. She had held back as of late and today, she felt differently, she opened herself up to all of the feelings he had experienced, all of the pain he had felt and all of the worry he had experienced as a young boy, dealing with his family's fight against the Yamatains and recenty, as a man cast away by that which raised him. She noticed while she used her empath power that everything he had told her was true, and she released her shared feelings with him, allowing him to see that she had held back on some things. that she had not shared why she was truly here, but that there was confusion there instead of solid answers. She allowed him to feel all of the ease and comfort that she had gained in enjoying her own inner sef, skills she had learned while locked away and also before that, as an Iromakuanhe seeking knowledge as they are apt to do.
"Did you feel that?" she asked after only a moment of the inundation of shared feelings.
Raphael's mind swam. "Uh... yeah I did. I heard that Iromakuanhe had empathy abilites, though I never expirenced it first hand. It was... It was nice. To have someone know exactly how I felt in those moments. Thank you for sharing your feelings with me." The Elysian added.
"Thank you for happy to do so," Aashi said as she released his hand. "I'll be seeing you," she then said before putting a hand on one hip as both swayed with her body as she walked across the grassy lawn and between the double guards, towards the CIC.
He walked from the ship to the palace totting a massive case. He made his way into the palace Courtyard and found his seculded spot. It was an area of the gardens that was out of the way. Not many knew about it. He sat down beneath one of the trees and unlocked the case revealing a massive AMR-1 Anti Material Rifle. He began breaking it down, cleaning it, and re assembleing the weapon. He took a deep breath of the cool fresh air and smiled.
There was nothing like solitude, and to Aashi a good amount of it had not come in a long time. She had hoped to find it this morning, as for the most part she had been inundated with new faces and names and personalities to match them for a short while, now, and was happy to give herself a reprieve from it. Ashi found herself sneakily subverting the eyes of others as she walked through hallways and rooms of the palace her leader had conquered. It was unnerving being unable to steal, but her conscious told her to take a break from the old pastime and take up something very new to her. Besides, circumstances were circumstances and she only had what she was carrying on her to her name. When you had that little there was no reason to try to add silver candle stick holders and napkin rings to that list of items, when you really thought about it.
But for all of her secrecy, she still could not believe that she managed to place her foot in front of her before looking where she was, for she found herself in the personal space of a very large statured Elysian elegantly hunched over his weapon.
"Oh, my," Aashi said, drawing out the latter word. "I seem to have missplaced my step, I'm sorry."
Raphael snapped out of his trance to look up at who it was speaking. "Oh hello..." The Elysian said looking supprised. Then he smiled gently. "It is no trouble at all. I didn't know anybody else knew about this spot. It is pretty far out of the way. Your welcome to come sit. The sunrise is coming soon." He said scooting over to make room under the tree. His wings tucked themselves in tighter to his body as to not get in her personal space.
"That kind of hospitality is nice to see around here," Aashi said in response to the kindness the Elysian was showing, but what else was she expecting from him, exactly? "I would love to sit, now tell me, what is an Elysian like you doing on a starneg planet like this, hmmm?"
Raphael smiled softly. "Well..." He said leaning back against the tree. "I used to date Uso believe it or not. This whole thing started," He said streching his hand out to show everything around them. "...was an idea Uso had during a blind date. Our first date." He said looking over to Aashi. "And so I followed her out here." He said locking his case back and slidding it out of the way. "Why are you here?" He asked.
"I," Aashi said with a smile that hid the truth behind its facade, "am just as interested in Uso as you once were. Tell me, what keeps you here if you're not still, how should I say it? Together?"
Raphael watched her faical expression as she spoke. He made a mental note and anwered. "Uso and I... that is complictaed. I am actually with Ivory. She is the medic who came along with Uso." He shurgged. "It is very complicated..." He said looking back to her. "I also used to take care of the young Princess who used to live in the Palace so that kept me around till Ivory and I got together." He added. "Once we found the princess's aunt, she was sent back to live with her family. I am not sure where they are now."
"Losing those close to you is tough," Aashi said, remembering her crew, her family, her world, and said, "even if you didn't date them, you felt love for them and when they leave it can change your very existence. It's good to know you didn't grow too attached, to either of them," she said. She looked over his red-tipped wings and then back up to his face. He had bi-colored irises, one blue and one red, and a scar that ran from cheek to cheek over the bridge of his nose. It was an interesting sight to her, for sure, but more than that, he interestingly fit the bill for somebody she had heard of alreayd.
Aashi asked, "And where have you worked before this? For who?"
Raphael looked off into space. "Well at first I was a sniper for the NSMC, then I got picked up by the IPG. After a misunderstanding, I left them and worked as a freelancer for a while till I got picked up by the Black Vipers." he answered.
Aashi decided to glaze over the former part of his statement and talk about the latter, the real good stuff that she was excited to sink her teeth into. She had turned her head to him even more fully, looking at his full frame and emphatically smiled, pleased to say, "I've heard of you, then! Yes, I have, indeed. Not your specific story but I've known about almost every pirate ship and their passengers throughout the years. It takes one ear to the ground and, more importantly, one to the skies to hear the kind of things I've heard."
She pressed her palm into the lush grass and shifted her body to face him, "So, tell me of your exploits and I'll tell you if I've heard of them."
He smiled slightly. "I only went on one mission. We were to extract a Nepleslian Weapons Developer and his tech. We were hired by the IPG. Nothing too exciting, I just provided sniper support." He said shrugging. "After that I was picked up by Uso."
"Nothing too exciting is still more exciting than most Elysians get. It's always interestingt to hear other pirate's stories."
Raphael let out a soft chuckle. "Nowadays, nothing too exciting sounds really nice." He said watching the sun rise of the horizion. "I have been nearly killed twice here and shot at more times than I can count." He said sighing. "You have to enjoy the moments like this. When you have nothing to do and nobody trying to kill you." He added jokingly.
"I don't think I've experienced a reprieve from that in a long time," she laughed. "I want to know, what is it that brought you down from Elysia? You shouldn't stray too far from your kind, in my recent experience."
"Are you sure you want to know? It is a bit of a long story..." He said looking bcak over to her.
"I've heard yarns spun for days before," she said, "go ahead."
He sighed. "Well, my father was a Commander in the third Elysian war. He was one of those who was charged defending the Hevans when the Yamatai attacked. My family and I fled from our estate and escaped to New Elysia. However my father and little sister didn't make it. Our family was disgraced for my father's failure to defend our home. At least that is what my family said. I think the man was a hero and should have been treated as such. However the other Patrician families didn't see it that way and shunned our family. My mother grew more and more distant till she disapperaed all together. I was left alone by 16." He said, looking detached. "The rest of my family was busy dividing up the estate and deciding what to do with me, so I ran. I ran away to Nepleslian and joined the marines. To follow the warriors path that my father once walked. You know the rest of the story." He looked as if he was debating something in his mind before he added. "I was moving from place to place to find my mother. After joining Uso, I finally found her. But, our renunion wasn't what I expected. It turns out she left me and never wanted to see me again because I am not actually her son. I am a bastard child. And my 'mother' dispised me ever since." He said trailing off.
"Disgraced?" Aashi asked sympathetically. "Oh no, that's not the truth at all, I'm sure. Disgrace falls upon a family when no action was taken against the oppressors. But you, your father, took action and was unlucky enough to exit this life. Do you believe everything you're told?" she asked, then said, "I don't think so, that's why you became a freelancer, and pirate, and work for Uso. Because you are in every way your own person, capable of knowing that what you think and what ou do is of the utmost importance. Whatever anyone else has to say about your lfie is secondary to what you yourself think about it."
"And besides," she continued, "you don't need a mother, now do you?"
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, I guess not." He said after a moment of silence. "I just... I wanted to know why. And now that I know, it... It is just hard to swallow." He said smiling sheepishly.
Aashi nodded, putting her hands behind her to lean back as she looked at the silvery-haired Eysian, "Then don't swallow it. Keep it out of your mind and away from your thoughts. The mother you once had doesn't need to be a part of your life in any way, if you so choose. Can you do that?"
He nodded. A bit more confidently this time. "Yes, I can do that." He said with a new glint in his eyes. "She dosen't want to be part of my life, then she won't have anypart of it." He said, watching the sun rise higher and higher.
"So what is it that is a part of your life? Besides Ivory and besides your AMR? What can you say you can't live without?"
He looked over to some of the Ragnarock guards. "I would have to say my friend Cyrus. You know, the one who leads Ragnarock. I used to serve under him and he became an older brothher to me. He really has gotten me through some tough times." He said with slight smile.
"Cyrus, huh? I don't know about Ragnarock. If you wouldn't mind...?" Aashi said, trailing off.
"Oh? Yeah sure. Ragnarock was started by Cyrus Marshal on New Belfast. A little Iceball in the Freebeer system. He started off with a small crew of 5 people and it snowballed into this. One of the best up and coming PMCs out there." He replied.
"Would you say Uso couldn't have done what she did without Cyrus Marshal and Ragnarock?"
"Nope. They were the backbone of the entire operation. And they have grown with Uso's empire." He said looking at the guards again. He pointed to them. "All those guys are brand new. From all across the galaxy."
"And how necessary are they?" Aashi asked, raising one eyebrow at the guards. "I hope they're just for decoration. This Cyrus Marshal, will I get a chance to meet him?"
"They are basically the Planet's army. They pay Ragnarock and they stay and protect the planet. They grow by the day." He looked around. "Cyrus can be found walking around the ship or in the palace. Normally in the CIC of the palace." He answered.
"A CIC room, from what I know, is where the NI, or Natural Intelligence, of an Iromakuanhe ship resides. That's not what you have here, is it?" Aashi asked.
He laughed. "No, it is the Combat Information Center. He uses it to coordinate his forces. From the gurad patrols, to the expadentions, to the peace keeping, etc." He replied.
"Oh, then they stand for the same things!" Aashi said with a smile. "Would you mind," she asked, "if I took my leave and went to find Cyrus?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. It was a pleasure. Actually I don't think we ever introduced ourselves." He said thinking back on the conversation.
Aashi tilted her head after she had stood and half-smiled, "I don't guess we did, did we? I am Aashi Nath, pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister?"
Raphael stood and held out a hand. "I am Raphael Castiel. It was a pleasure Ms. Aashi." he said with a soft smile and a tilt of his head.
"The pleasure was all mine," she replied with a boy to her head as she put her palm against his and looked up at him, wondering how much more she would learn about him if she used her empath powers as they touched. She had held back as of late and today, she felt differently, she opened herself up to all of the feelings he had experienced, all of the pain he had felt and all of the worry he had experienced as a young boy, dealing with his family's fight against the Yamatains and recenty, as a man cast away by that which raised him. She noticed while she used her empath power that everything he had told her was true, and she released her shared feelings with him, allowing him to see that she had held back on some things. that she had not shared why she was truly here, but that there was confusion there instead of solid answers. She allowed him to feel all of the ease and comfort that she had gained in enjoying her own inner sef, skills she had learned while locked away and also before that, as an Iromakuanhe seeking knowledge as they are apt to do.
"Did you feel that?" she asked after only a moment of the inundation of shared feelings.
Raphael's mind swam. "Uh... yeah I did. I heard that Iromakuanhe had empathy abilites, though I never expirenced it first hand. It was... It was nice. To have someone know exactly how I felt in those moments. Thank you for sharing your feelings with me." The Elysian added.
"Thank you for happy to do so," Aashi said as she released his hand. "I'll be seeing you," she then said before putting a hand on one hip as both swayed with her body as she walked across the grassy lawn and between the double guards, towards the CIC.
