RP: LSDF Akahar [Interlude] - Are you there?

Are you there,
Do you read me?
Are you there,
I don't feel you anymore...
Foo Fighters - Over and Out

Keib was sitting at his desk typing at his computer. Reinstating what was once a trooper back to the bottom of the ladder was mitigation. He wanted to see how a proud Fyuunen would react to having to start from square one. She seemed tense when he was applying the rank patches and it seemed to him that honour was a forefront thing for Rae'lynn 'Razor' Fyuunen.

A quaint notion to him; what was honour when you were given it for something that was wrong? When you were awarded for doing something which would never sit well with you, no matter how many accolades you were showered with, women were given to you or wine was drunk? The ultimate condescension. He balled his left fist and felt the scar burning like wildfire again.

But, he had a report to write. He had to take inventory of what just happened and send it to the Matriarchy. One thoroughly destroyed pirate ship with eighteen dead pirates and a 'Captain' awaiting the interrogator's scrutiny; four powered armours amongst them - one of which intact and completely usable (with the internal speakers blown out), a Freespacer and her many bodies; a Fyuunen disgraced and reinstated; and a turncoat wildcard.

The hull had been damaged slightly too - not enough to be an immediate threat with basic emergency measures and mitigations, but without repairs the problem would fester. The stock intake and wreckage from the pirate ship could patch it easily.

Keib's assistant stood by his side and put a cup of tea into his field of vision, between his arms near the keyboard. Keib stopped typing. He turned to give Greg a ruffle of his orange hair and a kiss on the forehead, taking a sip of the steaming, invigorating liquid before continuing, keys clacking and thumping like clockwork.

The door to his office was ajar, and the interior was like a living room. The lights were warm, the smell in the air was far from the clinical aura that pervaded the rest of the ship or Hakahn's office. You could walk right in and sit on his couch and eat the perpetual candy, willing to share your problems or queries without a second thought or flicker of doubt.

-

Meanwhile in the gymnasium, Gough and Yar'Mak were dressed in loose fitting, flowing gym uniforms. The skinnier hawk-aspected Gough was performing push ups, finishing after his fifteenth to take a momentary break before moving to an incline press to exercise a different part of his biceps, closer to the shoulder.

Yar'mak had finished his session and he was sitting on a bench, slick with moisture and panting with his tongue lolling out. He cricked his neck and wiped himself dry with a towel. A couple of moments later, he was moist again. The doglike Lmanel groaned and got up, leaving a damp imprint in his place. He gave it a wipe before moving towards the showers.

Al'ris was sitting down with a closed book in the same room, occasionally looking up at Gough and listening to his exertions to remind herself that she wasn't alone here. She appeared to be reading about an analysis of the birth of modern warfare in Lorath antiquity, before Yamatai, before so many other problems, before the rest of the world happened to Lorath.

She stroked a woodblock picture in the book of the Mother of Warfare and left her fingers against the picture's face for a moment before turning the page.

-

The engineering teams were plotting out how to fix the holes in the ship. Their plans were solid and sound, and the resources and materials were on hand to start some spot repairs. The pirate ship's was an asset in death just as it was in life.

"Do you think the freespacer will be assisting us?" the lead engineer, Bes'linn asked her team as he measured his materials once again. Bes'linn was hiding during the pirate raid and it was only after the dust had settled that he could come out to work her magic. She was in her seventies, black haired, fair skinned, bespectacled and wiry. Human-shaped ears indicated her caste quickly.

"What about that woman with the eyes?" One of the engineers asked.

"Naw, she's a computer technician, artificial intelligence ann'at. The Freespacer seems more hands on." She observed. "She already took one of my drones for a spin; who knows what she'd do with a whole team 'o them - teach 'em to fetch and roll over?"

"We need all the help we can get. Proper equipment and help could be weeks away out here."

"Right..." -

The rest of the ship was still humming along in simulated silence. Keib had mandated that a short break was in order while the whole ship and its captain comprehended what had just happened to it.

He pressed enter and sent his report to the Matriarchy, bouncing from node to node. His cup was empty, and his Newton's Cradle was still clicking rhythmically. Tik tok tik tok tik tok...

Help was on its way to restock the ship. Could be a day, could be three. It could even be three hours. He stood up from his desk and shook himself to bring feeling back to his legs. He bent down to press a button on his intercom, the one to Aiesu's room specifically. "Aiesu, you busy? I have a line of inquiry for further support: LazCon."

He wanted to clear some air and remind himself to be a good, rational, reasonable person with Aiesu before he took his gloves off for the pirate captain, waiting below in the brig.

Rae'lynn made her way into the gym. She was wearing a pair of standard issue boxing trunks and an equally standard issue Tshirt. She had recovered her own clothing from the pirate ship, but on Veronica's suggestion decided its best to let them get cleaned

She took a brief look around the room, noting its occupants before making her way to a punching bag in the corner of the gym. She first reached out and put a hand on it, giving it a bit of a shove, testing its weight and security. With that confirmed she started wailing on it like a woman possessed, any sign of any grace and poise currently thrust aside in the face of blind aggression. Combinations of lefts, rights , and the occasional kick rained down on the bag, it was unlikely something that wasn’t Lorath design would survive the punishment.

She stepped away, just then, muttering a bit to herself , running her hands through her now sweaty hair, then as suddenly as she stopped she went back to it though this time more controlled , more fluid movements , to any expert watching she was fast and well trained, but could still use more experience.

"Yeah, girl you show that bag of crap who's boss." Veronica's taunting tone sounded in the gym. Watching Rae from across the room was the former pirate woman, leaning against the wall in a reddish tanktop. The faint lines of circuitry could be seen in her powerful and muscled arms that were folded over her chest while she cocked a grin at the Fyuunen.

"The fuck are you so pissed about anyway? You're free, aren't ya? Don't tell me you were getting off on being locked up." The Violet haired Geshrin walked over to the other side of the punching bag while she spoke to her temporary partner in crime. So to speak.

Unfortunately for the strange duo, Merril entered the gym. It was not the fact that they were strangers that it was unfortunate, but more the fact that Rae'lynn was using her punching bag.

"Oy," the curvaceous L'manel barked, her hands twitching in irritation. "My bag. Move it."

Tan gloves with metal fingertips and joints, with lines between them, covered her hands. She was clothed in LSDF-issued sweatpants and tank, with a towel covering her shoulder.

As Rae heard the catcall from across the gym she wailed on the bag once particularly hard, starting to slow down on it as Veronica approached her “ You wouldn’t understand ..” and before she could go into to much more detail, she heard Merril, its all she could do to take a deep breath to steady herself as she turned to the L'manel .

While not particularly massive for a fyunnen , Rae still towered over her would be antagonist. “ I don't see a sign out sheet, or your name on it..” she said carefully , eying the other woman. “ What am I missing that makes this your bag?”

"Waaah, I can't -understand-" Veronica mocks the fyuunen's explanation. Walking over to her side, she arcs an arm over the top of the bag, leaning lightly on it. "You don't know what I've done or where I've been. Try me." The ever present smirk on the Geshrin's face looked like a challenge for her to try and explain.

"It's a bag. The fuck do you want to lay claim to that for? Unless you're laying claim to someone's nutsack in here." Veronica's eyes briefly glance at maybe one or two other crewmembers in other parts of the gym. She doesn't move as she returns her eyes to Merril. She laughs at Rae's confrontation and slaps her on the shoulder "There ya go. fuck the bag, punch someone that'll fight back."

"Ya wanna know? It's 'cause I'm stronger than you!" Merril declared with a brash gesture, flexing one arm and slapping it with the other. Her fanged grin flashed. Without warning, she launched into a two step shuffle and led into a strike with her right arm, which turned into an elbow strike midway through.

Wildcat wasted no time. This was a fight.

Rae had been in a lot of fights in her life on the few Lorath ships she has served on . Her training had left her, and her sparing partners with their share of broken bones. Despite this, she honestly did not expect the scrappy little Lmanel to actually pick a fight over a boxing bag. The first hit connected square on and Rae's surprise was evident, in how she was bent a bit from the blow gritting her teeth.

Training kicked in squarely afterwords though , and she swiftly shifted to Merril's left, away from the blow that struck her a moment ago , her follow up strike did come in the form of right cross . It was somewhat slowly delivered from the prior surprise, but with the way she was moving now it was likely to be the last of such sloppy blows.

Merril instinctively leaned back the moment Rae'lynn moved left. Her footwork prepared herself to spin, but then the punch came sailing in front of her face.

The hand she didn't strike with never left her front.

Wildcat had pulled it back as she struck forth the first time, but it was still right in front of her face.

The Fyuunen's punch sailed just in front of her hand/face, and Merril grinned. Pushing left, this hand ran up Rae's arm without touching, then connecting with her shoulder with a strong grab. Her other hand pulled back and locked her opponent's wrist into the crook of her elbow. Her right hand folded over that arm, locking it into place as it settled upon her own left shoulder. Pushing with her left, it was a simple matter of guidance upon pulling a joint a direction it's not supposed to go.

It was a perfect armbar takedown.

Rae could almost feel the armbar snap in after she through the punch, it was stupid and overly aggressive, she knew better then that. As Merril went to set it in, Rae'lynn bent her elbow down, breaking the armbar , now with Merril clutched close to her Rae threw her strength and body weight against her smaller opponent intending to shove her clear off and away from her putting some distance between the two of them again

"Ooh shit, come on, bets! Bets right here! I'm already putting 50 creds on my sexy bird. Anyone putting credits down on tits over there?" Her nicknames for both combatants were far from flattering, but Veronica was quick to take bets from any of the other gym goers in addition to anyone that wandered inside from hearing the commotion.

The purple haired Geshrin watched the fight with a grin. She would normally be giving catcalls into the fight, but she sensed there was money to be made from the onlookers.

Mars felt like lifting some weights so headed up to Gym. Walking inside she gave a nod of greetings to the old-guard. Her eyes then noticed the new folks. Merril and Razor were in middle of a fight, with Veronice to the side watching them. Mars sighed and walked closer, stopping next to Veronica who was taking bets.

"I will bet 50 on Razor," She said simply, stopping next to Veronica. "Why are they fighting? Sparring?" The towering Fyunnen asked.

"Nah. Tits there claims it's her punching bag, My bird tells her to go fuck herself basically, and Tits takes a swing at her. You see the rest." Veronica snickers at the thought. She takes a couple bets on Merill from a couple of the guys that were on the sidelines earlier. She uses her datajockey to keep track of who bet what and what the payouts would be. With a handy app that only cost 99 credits! (Plus tax)

"Soo....." Mars says, sitting on one of the benches to the side once she took an bar and put few weights on it. A super-heavy metal counting about 150 kilograms at start. Sitting down she started bending her arm with the weight, without putting too much effort into it. "Basically they are both idiots and we get to be amused."

Gough leaned in and decided to see if he could support the home team. "25 on Merrill," he said, putting the money down on the floor from a wallet. Some paper banknotes and a few coins. Gough considered Merrill a fiery, fiesty little ball of anger, and those qualities might overcome Rae's abilities.

Al'ris had other ideas however. She lowered her book and looked at the two combatants. "50 on Razor bird," she said before looking back her her book and looking at a paragraph on mixed-Caste (or race) battle tactics. She believed that the newcomer's Fyuunen heritage would win over Merrill's barking attitude.

From the throw, Merril felt the momentum, bringing her down. She leant down with it, forward, predatory. Her feet caught the ground running, keeping that same momentum from bringing her flat on her belly as she launched like lightning in that half-second, closing the gap -- too close for Rae's fists to develop the speed they would need to flower into a punch. And with that, Merril thundered into Rae's leg like a storm, enveloping it in her arms -- and then her legs, like concrete. And then, with a swift tip, brought Rae down ontop of her.

Rae fell on top of Merril with a solid thud, not exactly the position she was expecting to find herself in. It was obvious the swift Lmanel enjoyed it closed and personal at this point. But Rae found herself ontop and in the dominant position and ready to go on the offense.

Keeping her hips planted firmly to the sides of Merril's, for balance and to keep the other woman under her ,she started wailing away at her. Landing two.. three.. four blows to the smaller woman's face. Rae's face was ugly with hate, not strictly for the medic but Merril was the first living target she had to vent on in some time and she intended to make the most of it. She drew her right hand up again, and threw another punch..

Merril grabbed the wrist of the hand hurtling at her face, reeling from the previous shots, and forced it to the side so it would impact the ground and not her. The medic forced it upwards, pressing it against Rae's throat in an attempt to choke her.

But that was just a distraction.

The Lmanel pulled her right leg up and rammed onto the Fyuunen's shoulder, and wrapped it around the back of her neck.

Rae could feel the choke lock in, as the Lamnel's leg moved into position. Rae was getting frustrated with her small opponents bloody persistence, but she didn’t have the time to give that thought, it had only been a few scant seconds and she already felt her blood being cut off.

She needed Merril off, and needed her off now. She managed to rip her hands free from Merril and gripped her thighs and dead weight lifted her to the air till she was perfectly vertical from the ground and with all the force she could muster slammed her back down to the unforgiving ground.

"Huh? They're just having a scrap." Veronica looks at Mars like she said something odd. But her attention quickly goes to the new bets and takes them in on her datajockey. "Come on, boys and girls. Show Tits some love and bets. Can't be one sided here, she's pretty flexible."

When the two women fall on top of each other Veronica gives a short whistle. "There ya go. Come on, rip each other's clothes off and we'll double the bets." Veronica's catcall echoed in the gym, a wide grin on her face as she watches.