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#thank u everyone who marinated on some of these thoughts with me in the circle <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
bromelads · 7 months
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I am not playing the “you're racist if you say Ed is abusive" game with y’all 😒
This shit is not new or helpful to POC in the fandom. I wrote about it earlier this year (too little, too late), so I've built this post up from that.
I encourage folks to read this analysis and call to action by uselessheretic from back in JANUARY since it addresses key aspects of the harassment campaign that was par of the course for the fandom in 2022. This discourse plays into that harassment.
Listen, for all of its widely-held progressive values, the ofmd fandom is still a hobby space filled with mostly white, first world, LGBTQ+ ppl. Most ofmd fans fashion themselves leftists and generally agree that structural racism exists and is a problem. Overall, there's worse fandoms to be in.
That said, this particular wave of hand-wringing about fans calling Ed abusive is not at all about the ways indigenous people are stereotyped in media.
The most telling giveaway is the timing: fans expressing frustration towards Ed following the sneak peek that shows Fang, Archie, Jim, and Frenchie all but having an intervention for Izzy because they think he is "in an unhealthy relationship with Blackbeard" since Ed "cut two more of his toes...[which] seems pretty toxic to me."
I am not emotionally prepared to deconstruct the dark humor of holding a spontaneous intervention for your asshole white assistant manager who's on his last fucking wit because your brown and beautiful rockstar boss is too high to function and keeps cutting the guy's toes off. You either get the joke or you don't.
For the purpose of this post, all I care to extract from it is what it tells us about who is exercising the most control over the ship. Despite his physical absence, Ed’s ghost is all over this beautifully crafted scene. The tone of their wardrobe is dictated by Ed’s. They are carrying out Ed’s orders. Frenchie and Jim’s exclusive presence as former members of Stede’s crew was decided by Ed. Izzy’s authority as first mate is sanctioned by Ed. And it is Ed’s fitness to lead that Frenchie, Fang, Jim,and Archie are questioning ultimately.
I’m not particularly worried about Ed’s integrity as a charismatic lead being hurt by a storyline that paints him as someone who abuses power--the flow and exchange of power is a running theme for ofmd. Stede and Izzy themselves abuse their power in season 1 for their vanity. What I am worried about is this cute cultural feature of the wider ofmd fandom:
the chronic unwillingness to grapple with interpersonal power dynamics amongst peers, not only in the show, but in the fandom itself. 
So here we are again, ofmd fandom, working ourselves up into a moral outrage so that you, in your leftist white glory, can publicly police yourself because apparently you only know how to experience People of Color in fiction through these two lenses:
white guilt (am I racist for thinking this? are people around me racist for thinking this?) and
the white imagination (stories about characters of color are valuable because they inform my politics)
This push against reading Ed as abusive is not about calling out the problematics of depicting an indigenous man as mentally ill, violent, lonely, and rageful, it is about trying to sound self-righteous to mask anxiety about accidentally doing a racism on the indigenous, brown lead. 
This is even more obvious now with the season 2 premiere days away and audiences being primed to question whether the severity of Izzy's punishment was appropriate.
Now, here's the hard-to-swallow pill the ofmd fandom's been avoiding cuz we don't wanna point out the inevitable problems of representation within canon:
We are being served a storyline where a complex protagonist (who happens to be a brown, queer, indigenous man in a position of power) harms people who are close to him and we are meant to recognize this as a problem that he must come to terms with. I don't like it either, but I'd rather have this than no Ed story at all.
Other people have written far more intelligently about this than I could, but it bears repeating: what's happening here is fans projecting their own insecurities about racism and power onto a white character ("izzy exotifies ed!" "he wants to control ed!" "izzy is an incompetent pirate actually!") while at the same time applying a shiny veneer of respectability and perfect rationality to a nonwhite character ("ed had every right to hurt izzy!" "maiming is fair game as retribution for racism, it's in-world rules!" "ed can't be abusive because he's been abused!") in order to mask white leftist fandom's discomfort about a morally ambiguous brown protagonist.
Anyway, take a breath.
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Ed is a character whose impact in "the real world" does indeed go beyond how he makes us feel. Taika Waititi's Edward Teach represents a watershed moment in indigenous representation—not only for his position as protagonist, not even for his queerness, but because of his depth, charisma, complexity, and connection to a community that cares about him. These things have been rarely afforded to the very few indigenous leads in the global film canon--no matter how his story is handled in season 2 and 3, Ed's impact has already been cemented.
Okay I'm done, here's some actionable advice to wash this all down with.
If your goal is to foster a welcoming environment for fans of color and elevate engagement with characters of color, then immediately remove shaming people's headcanons from your toolbox and read this article. Take stock of who is in your fandom social circle and take stock of what you do in order to at least see more fanworks featuring characters of color.
If your goal is to promote or participate in productive race-conscious conversations with other fans, get real about your relationship with power, your positionality in life (and in fandom) and the channels through which you want to have these conversations. Some questions to start with: Can you describe your relationship with your race? What is your experience talking about race in mixed-race spaces? What avenues do you use to participate in fandom? How do you participate? Where do you have influence? How do you manage unwanted feelings that spark from disagreements about racism?
If your goal is to interact in fandom with integrity, get explicit about your values. Engage in dialogue, treat others with the respect you want. Be curious and ask questions. Avoid becoming someone's useful idiot and learn to think critically.
Finally, if your goal is to enjoy your blorbos without having to think about the problematics of representation for QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color), then save us all the grief and just join a different fandom.
Good luck!
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willsimpforanyone · 3 years
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Hey there! Hope you are having a great day!🙂 could u please write a Percabeth fic with badgirl!Annabeth and kind of Nerdy!Percy? Perhaps in 🛏 Percy flips the tables where he is SUPER dominant and he uses Annabeth’s kinks against her? Sorry if that’s 2 specific!
ooo an au and a smut? i'll do my best!
sidenote- i'm such a sucker for pet names so 'doll', 'darlin'' and 'babygirl' are gonna make frequent appearances
i don't think there are any warning needed
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"Annabeth, please, I need to concentrate." Percy frowned at the papers in front of him, puzzling over the maths. Annabeth sighed, flopping on the bed, her black leather jacket creaking as she threw her hands behind her head.
"I'm bored, Seaweed Brain," she lightly kicked the back of his chair with a boot. "And you've been staring at the same problem for twenty minutes so clearly you are too." Annabeth leaned up on her forearms, blonde twists tucked behind her ear. "What, I'm not as interesting as marine biology?"
Percy chuckled, but his eyes stayed fixed on the paper. "You're plenty interesting, but right now I really need to figure this out, okay?"
Annabeth sat up properly. "Can I help?"
"You're a genius at architecture and ancient Greek, babe, but marine biology has unfortunately never been a hyperfixation of yours." Percy noted something down on the paper and Annabeth's heart fluttered at the petname. It wasn't often that her boyfriend called her anything other than 'Annabeth', 'Annie', 'Beth' or 'Wise Girl'.
The leather jacket was shrugged off and Annabeth was left in black ripped jeans and a tank top, sleeves dipping to her hipbones. "Perce, you gotta relax," she stood behind his chair and rested her hands on his shoulders. Her lips touched his ear as she leant down. "I know, for a fact, I can help with that."
Percy reached up and lightly stroked her cheek, but returned his attention to his damn work. "I'm serious, Beth, I have to finish this by tomorrow."
Eyes rolling, Annabeth threw herself back on the bed. Clearly, being subtle wasn't working. Well, desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Honey, I'm bored, and I want attention. Specifically your attention." She fixed her eyes on the back of his head. "I want it now, Percy. Get over here."
There was a tense pause. Percy's pencil stopped scratching across the page.
He sighed.
"You're so demanding."
...that was a different tone than Annabeth was used to.
It didn't matter, she was ready to be in control. Percy silently got up from the desk and neatly tucked his chair in, picking up Annabeth's leather jacket from the bed and placing it on the back of the chair. Annabeth made to stand up from the bed, but Percy's hand pushed her back down.
"No, you wanted my attention, right?"
Annabeth paused. This was different. "...yes"
"Then strip."
Percy's voice was deep, commanding, and Annabeth shifted slightly on the bed. "What?"
He placed his hands either side of her thighs, eyes focused on hers. "I don't think I need to repeat myself, baby, do you?"
Oh fuck. Annabeth was so screwed.
Percy backed away, arms folded and giving her space. She stood, uncomfortably aware of her slightly shaky legs, and somewhat inelegantly kicked off her boots. No reaction. She shimmied out of her jeans and tossed them on the floor. No reaction. She pulled off her shirt and tossed that too. About to pull off her bralette, Percy held up his hand to stop her.
"Sit up on the bed."
Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Since when did you start giving me orders?" She loved this new side, but oh boy was she gonna make him work for it.
The dark smile on Percy's face sent electricity through Annabeth's body. "Since when did you start obeying them, darlin'?"
He moved forward, so close they were almost chest to chest. "Now, be a doll, and sit on the bed. Leaning against the headboard, if you'd be so kind."
Annabeth moved onto the bed almost before realising it. Her breath caught in her throat as Percy grabbed his shirt and pulled it off, revealing toned, lean muscles.
Percy's eyes were dark, a shadowy green that pierced into Annabeth's smoky greys as he knelt on the bed, lowering his head to press kisses down Annabeth's thighs.
Shaky breaths left Annabeth as he kissed closer and closer to the line of her underwear. He winked as he nipped at her skin, pulling a gasp from her. "What, no retort? No witty comeback, Wise Girl?"
"Fuck o-" Annabeth choked on her words as Percy licked a stripe up her clothed pussy.
"That's what I thought," he whispered and leaned up, taking the material between his teeth and dragging it down, lifting her hips to pull the underwear down her legs and throw them across the floor.
Annabeth's head was whirling. Her sweet nerd had a whole other side to him and she felt out of her depth in the best way.
She slapped a hand across her mouth as Percy flicked and writhed his tongue, stifling the moans that threatened to spill out. A sharp slap to the outside of her thigh jolted her body, and she looked down to see Percy glaring at her.
"Don't you dare."
He dove back in and Annabeth's back arched, hands fisted in the sheets as her eyes squeezed shut and moans filled the room. Percy trailed his fingers so slowly across her skin she almost screamed when he plunged them into her, the new sensation lighting her on fire.
"Perce, fuck, more!"
Immediately, Percy pulled away, leaving his girlfriend panting and whining. "I don't think you're in the position to make demands, babygirl."
Annabeth pouted. "What? You just stopped, why?"
"You demanded attention like a brat," Percy shrugged, sitting back on his heels. "And now I'm giving it to you, you think you deserve more?"
A shiver ran down her spine as Annabeth registered the tone and the fact that her sweet, usually submissive boyfriend just called her a brat.
"Tell you what," Percy trailed a finger down her stomach. "If you ask nicely, and be a good girl for me, I'll give you what you want." He smirked. "Sound good?"
Annabeth tried her hardest to not instantly say yes, to retain some of her dignity. She was the tough one, the one everyone knew not to fuck with, and now she was on the verge of begging her boyfriend to fuck her.
She nodded.
"That's my girl." Percy beckoned her to sit up and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her into a fierce kiss. His lips were a soft contrast to his behaviour, and she smiled into the kiss.
All too soon, Percy pulled away, but kept his hand on her neck. "Now, darlin', ask me for what you want."
She swallowed any uncertainty. "I want you... I want you to fuck me."
Percy shook his head. "That sounds like a demand, babygirl. Try again."
The fucker wanted her to beg.
"...please, Percy, please fuck me, I'll be good, I promise!"
The dark smile that spread over his face settled a pleasantly tight feeling in Annabeth's lower stomach. Percy pushed her back so she laid on the bed, and he kicked off his jeans and underwear. "That's much better, darlin'." He reached into the drawer by the bed and withdrew a condom, tearing open the packet and rolling the latex onto his cock. He slid back in between her legs, head dipping into the crook of her neck. Annabeth pushed against Percy's hips as his lips made contact with her skin, and both moaned at the friction.
"You're so gorgeous, baby." Percy nipped at her skin, leaving a trail of red marks in his wake.
"Perce, please, stop teasing me," Annabeth looped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a sloppy kiss, pressing her body up against his. "I asked nicely, please, plea-"
Annabeth cried out and threw her head back as Percy thrust into her. He kept an unrelenting pace, and it was all she could do to hold onto him.
"This what you wanted, huh?" Percy's heavy breath was on her neck, his voice directly in her ear. "You wanted my attention, you finally got it, right?" Annabeth didn't answer, eyes closed and mind clouded with lust and pleasure. Percy slapped her thigh, snapping his hips into her hard. "Answer me, babygirl."
Annabeth shrieked. "Yes! Yes, this is what I wanted, Percy, thank you baby, I got what I wanted!"
Percy chuckled lowly into her neck. "That's my girl."
He sped up the pace, hitting that spot inside her that had her toes curling, stomach clenching, nails digging into his shoulders. "I-I'm so close Perce, don't stop, please please please don't stop-"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Wise Girl." Percy kept his movements consistent, only dragging a hand down Annabeth's body to rub circles in her clit.
Annabeth came with a scream, eyes squeezed shut and legs wrapped around her boyfriend's hips. Percy groaned deeply, reverberating in his chest as he spilled inside the condom, stilling his motions inside of her.
His arms shook with the effort to not collapse on top of her, and he gently pulled out of her. Shifting to the side of the bed, he let himself fall on the bed next to her. Removing the condom and tying off the end, he threw it expertly in the bin.
"Baby, that was just a whole new side of you, huh?" Annabeth smiled.
Percy blushed red, a stark contrast to just a few minutes ago. "Did you like it?"
She brushed his hair behind his ear. "It was new, but I did like it." She poked his shoulder. "My cute nerd has a dominant side, who knew?"
Percy grinned, and pecked her cheek. "Can I go back to my paper now, brat?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled and shoved him off the bed. "Get back to it, Seaweed Brain."
-----------------------------------
i very much hope you enjoyed! this took me forever to write bc executive dysfunction is a bitch but thank you so much for requesting!
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inkedstarlight · 3 years
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Bittersweet: Chapter 11
Summary: The Inner Circle rings in the New Year. Notes: Read it here on AO3! Warnings: brief mention of (implied) self-harm scars, themes of depression Bittersweet Masterlist
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“I fucking hate the holidays,” was Emerie’s greeting to Nesta a couple days after Christmas.
Nesta glanced up from the drinkware she was cleaning to watch Emerie hang her jacket on the hanger in a huff. Her raven hair was pulled back in a loose braid, her eyes lined thickly with kohl and mascara. Nesta couldn’t help but smirk with amusement. “I take it seeing the family didn’t go well?”
Emerie snapped her head to glare into Nesta’s eyes. “They spent all of Hannukah lecturing me about doing something else with my life, something more respectable than 'slinging drinks around a dirty bar,’” she recalled with air quotes, her lip curled in disgust.  
Nesta dried the last glass. She threw the towel on the counter and turned to face her coworker. Crossing her arms, Nesta inquired, “And your response was?”
“I threatened to go into sex work.”
Nesta quirked a brow. “I thought you already worked at Euphoria on the weekends. If I recall correctly, you invited me to watch one of your performances.”
“Yes, Nesta, I'm aware that I'm already a stripper. That's the beauty of it. I threaten to join an even more unconventional line of work so they will accept my moderately unconventional job. They would much rather I bartend than strip.”
Nesta snorted. “I can’t argue with that logic.”
Before Emerie could try to convince Nesta to visit her at Euphoria again, Helion swooped in from behind them. He planted a loud kiss on Emerie's cheek. She feigned disgust, wiping the spot where his lips had been. Turning to him, Emerie smacked his chest playfully.
"Hello to you, too. You look ravishing," Helion wiggled his eyebrows with a wolfish grin.
Emerie rolled her eyes. "I'm immune to your charm, Helion. You should know that by now."
Helion gave her a questionable look that said, You sure about that?
He then turned his attention to Nesta with a grin and took a step forward - most likely to try to kiss her cheek as well - but he was quickly met with a death glare. He did this every time he came into work, and Nesta always rejected his affection. She had to admit he had balls for not giving it up.
Then again, he was a certifiable slut.
Helion's hands were raised in surrender when he turned to address both of them.
“I see you ladies are falling behind," he said, nodding his head to the current score of their little competition. Helion had titled the game, "Who's Got the Biggest Tip?" with an obscene drawing next to it.
Nesta looked behind her at the chalkboard. She was in last place.
The tip competition hadn’t even crossed Nesta’s mind. What with college, Tomas, and family, she wasn’t quite prioritizing the opportunity to man the music at Rita’s. Free booze on the other hand... that she could get with.
“Hey, I’m not that far behind you!” Emerie protested. “It’s Nesta who’s lagging behind.”
They both turned to her. Nesta merely stood there as they inspected her, Helion rubbing his chin in contemplation while Emerie tilted her head as if she would see something different horizontally.
“I’m not entirely surprised,” quipped Helion. “I mean, she’s gorgeous, but if looks could kill…”
Emerie hummed in agreement. She gestured to Nesta’s chest. “The uniform does wonders for her tits. It’s just once you get to the face. The hair can be let down, maybe pinch some color on her cheeks.”
Nesta continued to give them a blank stare. She was highly unamused.
“Don’t forget the smile,” Helion chimed in.
“How could I forget? Gods, her resting bitch face is even worse than mine.”
"There's potential, though."
"Undoubtedly."
Before the mischievous duo decided to go all "Miss Congeniality" on her, Nesta interrupted their daydream. “Are you guys done?”
Her question brought them back to reality. Helion sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Time to make some tips."
With that, the three of them got to work. Throughout the night, Nesta found herself trying to smile more. At customers, at Emerie and Helion. But every time she managed to pull her lips up, an invisible weight seemed to drag them back down to a deep frown.
Smiling had never been so hard.
They were celebrating New Year’s Eve at Feyre and Rhysand’s place. Nesta hadn’t been looking forward to it considering they had all just gotten together on Christmas Day. Seeing her sister’s asshole of a boyfriend and her infuriating neighbor biweekly was enough for her, thank you very much.
The night was uneventful. Elain had volunteered to be the designated driver, so Nesta took the opportunity to have more than just a couple drinks. By the time the clock struck 11:30, Nesta was far gone. She rarely ever got drunk in social situations, instead choosing to get fucked up in the comfort of her own home. The last thing she wanted was to lose control and do something she would regret the next morning.
But all those worries were thrown out the window the minute she had her first sip of liquor.
Nesta hated the phenomenon of New Year’s resolutions. She hated the idea of self-reflection, of changing, of setting a personal goal. It was bullshit. She felt this obligation to be better. To change into an entirely different person, someone sensitive and warm and outgoing. In other words, someone - anyone - except for herself. It was suffocating.
So as Nesta downed drink after drink, she watched the people around her – she doesn’t quite consider them friends, save for Amren – waiting for the new year to begin. Particularly Elain and Azriel.
Since Elain confessed her feelings for Azriel to Nesta – though some may say Nesta forced Elain to spill the beans – Nesta had been watching them like a hawk. Elain hadn’t yet been in a relationship, at least to Nesta’s knowledge. Perhaps that was why Nesta felt so protective over her sister. That, or because she was the most gentle person Nesta knew.
Nesta didn’t know much about Azriel. Their conversations had been scarce. All she really knew was what Elain told her. He had grown up across the street from Cassian and Rhysand, and the three of them had been thick as thieves since childhood. While Rhysand attended Pryth U and Cassian joined the Marines, Azriel stayed home after graduating high school to take care of their mother, much like Elain with their father. But their mother died just a few months after the three boys graduated. After working a couple minimum wage jobs, Azriel founded a local animal shelter a couple years ago with his friend and since then, his entire life had been dedicated to it.
From what Nesta could tell, Azriel seemed like a good man. But she could tell he still struggled with things from the past. And it wasn’t just the scars on his hands that gave it away. Feyre had briefly mentioned to Nesta that Azriel had gotten in trouble with the law many times in his younger years. Although Feyre didn't elaborate on his wrongdoings, Nesta couldn't help but imagine the worst.
Nesta would be lying if she said she didn't see similarities between herself and Azriel. The scars, the haunted looks, the guarded demeanor. And because she knew that there was no way she could possibly be in a healthy, functioning relationship, she had a feeling that Azriel couldn't either. It was painfully clear that he hadn’t yet dealt with whatever trauma he’d experienced. If he were to get into a relationship with Elain, it would only end in heartbreak for her.
Nesta watched from the kitchen table as Elain and Azriel played the Wii. Nesta could tell just by Elain’s body language that she was smitten. Her entire body leaned towards his when they sat next to each other to take a break from their “bowling” competition. And while Azriel engaged with her, Nesta noticed the hesitance in his expression, the way he shied away when Elain got too close. Almost like it was a reflex.
Nesta's hand twitched. She wanted to interfere.
It’s Elain’s life, Nesta reminded herself. As much as you worry, she has to be the one to make her own decisions.
With that uneasy thought, Nesta relaxed back into the kitchen chair she was sitting on and took a large gulp from the mixed drink she held. Everyone was mingling in the living room as Nesta watched from the breakfast bar. All their backs were facing her, offering her the slightest bit of solace knowing that no one was paying attention to her.
She hadn't seen much of Cassian tonight. They both seemed to be holding themselves to their agreement to distance themselves from one another. He seemed perfectly content to stay out of Nesta's way, and Nesta felt the same. She just couldn't help but be surprised he hadn't tried to get a rise out of her.
At least, not yet. There was always time.
Nesta loathed the way Cassian was able to get under her skin, hated the way he made her feel. She didn't understand it. He was virtually a stranger and yet he made her blood boil. And all because he found it entertaining to watch her lose control? Gods, he was twisted.
As the thirty-second countdown began, the couples paired off. Mor grabbed Aurra until nothing separated them. Feyre leaned against the wall and Rhysand rested his hands above her head. That only left Azriel, Elain, Nesta, Cassian, and Amren.
Cassian and Amren remained seated on the couch that was directly in front of Nesta. Amren was whispering to him, no doubt making fun of every couple in the room. They laughed together. Then of course, Azriel turned to Elain with a shy smile.
And that left Nesta sitting alone at the bar, her drink half empty. Her glazed over eyes followed Elain and Azriel.
Ten.
They looked at each other.
Nine.
Azriel took a couple steps closer.
Seven.
Azriel dipped his head to Elain’s ear and whispered something.
Five.
Elain blushed. She looked up at him and nodded with a smile.
Three.
Azriel gripped her waist with one hand and pulled her in.
Two.
Elain melted into his touch.
One.
They stared deeply into each other’s eyes.
Zero.
Azriel pressed a soft kiss on Elain’s cheek. She closed her eyes as if she were trying to savor it, to hold onto that moment for as long as she could. Azriel’s lips reluctantly left her cheek, only for him to lean his forehead on her temple. Their chests rose and fell heavily, their breath seemingly in sync. They remained like that for a moment, both unwilling to let go of one another. It wasn’t until Rhysand hooted, “Happy New Year,” that Azriel broke away from her and re-entered the present. Eyes wide, all they could do was blink at each other, the air between them palpable with uncertainty and excitement and pain and hope.
Everyone around them was cheering. It was almost too loud for Nesta. Her ears rang.
As everyone around them laughed and yelled, Cassian looked behind his shoulder from where he sat and his eyes met Nesta’s.
They looked at each other for the briefest of seconds before Nesta flipped him off.
Nesta could've sworn Cassian's eyes brightened before he returned the gesture.
---------------------------------
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whirlybirdwhat · 4 years
Text
Accidental Family Man Au
remember that one ask where I talked about some projects? This is one of them. Enjoy dad franky!
So it begins with Franky – a back alley repair in the illustrious mechanic city of Water 7 – a miracle engineering city, they call it, with intertwining roads of cars and rivers. Venice, if Venice was made of concrete and had a road system above its water system, twisting above houses and everything.
Franky used to be one of those engineers that created those miracles, but an accident later, and he’s the scourge of the city and half bionic, making his living in back alley repair shops where you either pay with cash or your life.
He never said he was a good guy, did he Ice Burg?
 He still has connections though – and these connections lead to Iceburg, and to the Straw Hats.
 Iceburg’s the mayor, of course, and while he doesn’t care much for his public image, he knows that if he starts accepting money from shady kids who showed up to his doorstep possibly covered in blood with a woman who he swears he’s seen before beside him, that maybe Water 7’s people will take a hit for harboring criminals.
But hey, He knows a guy already doesn’t he?
So he sends these kids and their broken van down to the Franky House to see if he would fix their beloved, broken, van.
The Straw Hats never reach it, because the woman (Robin) gets kidnapped and a fight breaks out, leading to the separation of the group,
So the story really begins with Franky and the little broken down RV called The Going Merry, previously belonging to the kid who’s standing in front of him, begging him to fix it.
More Hcs Below cut including actual dad Franky stuff lol
That kid is Usopp, and he’s asking because Franky’s the only repair man in the illustrious city of Water 7 that will possibly accept the cash that Usopp has to offer.
He doesn’t.
Instead, he attempts to kick the kid out and gets kidnapped in return.
Oops
 So, Franky’s introduced to Ennies Lobby one of the worst places this side of the country – where people go and never come back, and hey, whats this kid doing kicking down the door?
Safe to say, Franky is rescued, and learns a little more of their story.
And Safe to say, Franky sees the woman they are going to save (him, and a bunch of teenagers and some 12 year old brat) and he near damn falls in love with her on sight and definitely does when he actually talks to her.
They save Robin, and start running – of course, Merry the van is just barely struggling to save all their added weight but they make it but also merry’s totaled.
So Franky shows them his pet project, The Thousand Sunny, supposed to be his super get away, home a way from home rv but with a few modifcations… the Straw Hat Gang has a new home. And a new crew member.
Franky learns everyone’s stories and about all the absolutely shady shit they are into. He learns he fits right in.
 And then… then the moments start happening.
He helps Usopp fix up the Sunny, and teachers him about cars and such. 
He and Chopper start bonding over bionics and medical shit that went into building his body. 
Zoro and him geek out over comic heroes (this, at least in zoro’s part, is canon the big nerd.) 
He helps Nami out with some headings and listens to her troubles. 
Sanji and him go fishing one day and it’s the most surreal experience of Franky’s life because this teen is in a three-piece suit and catching giant fish out on the shore of some lake? What? 
Franky gives Luffy advice and pulls him out of fights and shows him cool robot things.
 And its two months in when Franky realizes – here is it actually typed out lmao
“In all honesty, Franky doesn’t know how it happens.
Well.
He has a vague idea.
(Can you save her? Please? Merry’s the best.)
But still – tracing the events that led up to him frantically calling Ice-for-brains at one am in the morning at a near abandoned gas station on the west coast was a hard task.
“Hello?”
Finally.
“Ice-for-brains,” He starts using the familiar name.
“Flunky? The hell? What are you calling me now?”
“Iceberg.” The use of his real name quiets him. He knows this is serious. Franky takes a deep breath, and exhales, saying the next words in a single breath. “I accidently became a dad to six crazy teenagers. Help.”
“Goddamnit bastard-berg this is no time to laugh!””
AND THEN HE GOES ON TO HAVE MORE DAD ADVENTURES INCLUDING:
Organizing the kids at Sabaody Park
being emotional support for all these kids trauma please world, give them a break
doing his best to say no to allowing luffy to swim with sharks but giving in anyway
being a component (aka fierce menacing bodyguard) in his daughter’s nami’s schemes
breaking up fights
 Attempting to ground known criminals who may or may not be stronger than him
Modifying the RV so that they can have Brook and Jimbe on it as well
“MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!”
Overthrowing the government in at least three different countries because his kids wanted to
Doing experiments with illegal fireworks on Usopp’s behest
“Do you want to play catch” “Franky that’s dynamite that we found in the stach what the fuck- “Do you want to play catch” “…Yes.”
Explaining Safe Sex to teenagers who have biggers worries such as the government
Teaching them all how to drive. He thinks hius heart has popped out of his chest.
Snoring loudly on their tiny couch and everyone just dogpiling on him
Also I had this in my notes
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So that’s a thing that’s going to happen!
Uh anyway uh PART TWO – THE OTHER FCKING STRAWHATS
Note: Everyone is aged down three years from pre TS ages  to enforce the fact that 1) the government is fucking nuts for assigning bounties to these kids in this au 2) give more dad moments as while we all need a dad in our lives at any age it gives me more plausible reason here 3) plot related issues and the fact that this story takes place over several years and 4) the image of a 14 year old taking down the government is hilarious to me.
So.
Moving on.
Luffy – 14 years old and an absolute bastard
Luffy grew up in the port city of Fuusha as a way for Garp to keep an eye on him because of his family connections and make sure nothing bad happened to him -  didn’t quite work out.
dads a terrorist, his brothers a world class criminal, his gramps is an abusive piece of shit but also weirdly protective marine officer, his family’s complicated. 
 he grew up in the seedy underbelly of the city and made friends with a lot of criminals (who helped him get out because hey that five year old who used to steal our food is a brat and maybe we should help him get out before he becomes to chaotic (too late) and becomes our friend (also too late) )
Among these criminals are Shanks, who wanders through once in a while, Buggy, begrudging friend,  Jimbe, because he has connections, Crocodile, because this brats a bastard, and Rayleigh, among others.
Annoys them to make him his friend, continues annoying them afterwards.
 He just thinks they’re neat.
Luffy leaves two months after Ace, his brother under Dadan’s, the local gang leaders, roof, leaves because Ace can’t tell him to stay behind anymore
but the govt got word now he’s on the run – Coby helps him escape
As such, Luffy grows up with a very very skewed moral compass as in canon but a bit more, and now literally is almost ten times more feral as he should be.
  His goal is now to do whatever he wants, without people telling him what to do or that he can’t do that – He’s going to be free, damnit.
Franky understands and learns over time to adjust his Parenting Skills accordingly
Zoro – 16 and illegally owning a motorcycle because he thought the best way to improve his skill was to go out and hunt down people to fight, and of course he needs a motorcycle to do that, doesn’t he?
 He was pulled over for speeding then taken in for being underage
 He is also caught up in some bad stuff (fight circles, bounty’s, etc. this kids 16 and breaking grown men’s spines.)
Then comes Luffy who was also arrested for dine and dashing and is in the back seat.
 Luffy, who after the police car pulls over, punches out the police officer, unlocks Zoros cuffs and tells him “Drive”
 So they drive
“Hey, hey Zoro. Join my crew. It’ll be fun.”
 “Anything you say captain”
 knows Luffy for three seconds and is immediately down to murder with him
 Its great
He wants to become the greatest sword fighter still, which is still a thing in my fantasy modern world, so anyway, picture this 16 year old going up to you and tell you to fight but he has a sword in his mouth and in both hands and the most dangerous look in his eye.
 He and Luffy immediately rob a sword shop to find him new swords after they meet, it becomes a thing later on where they will steal (horribly, they literally crash in through the window every time because they have no subtly) something small from each city they visit. 
Nami - 15 year old pick pocket in the city where luffy and zoro stop, just trying to scrap up some money to pay off her family’s debt.
 Bellmere’s still alive damnit.
Nami thought Zoro and Luffy were police originally (because they are driving around in stolen police car) and tried to pull the ‘oh officer help me’ card when the people she stole from chased after her
 To her surprise, it was two kids her age in the front seat.
Luffy: “get in”
 she gets in
they dont talk about it
The people who were chasing her was Buggy’s gang who Luffy waves at as he goes by
 Buggy sends a message to Shanks which is essentially “hey that brat u liked is still alive”
And Shanks is like “oh thank god” not knowing the terror he has unleashed upon the world
A month later Arlong has mysteriously disappeared and the Bell-mere farm is flourishing while the second daughter becomes a world class criminal.
 Bell’meres never been prouder and it gives Nojiko a great conversation starter.
Usopp’s 14 and lives in a trailer park called syrup alone
Has a business where he sells odd herbs and such, passing them off as anything that will get him some money – think of it as Toad Oil from Wano but with some popgreens and such mixed in.
His goal is get enough money to stand on his own and leave the park but its slow going. And then…
 Luffy punches the heck outta the creep that was creeping on the owner of the park, kaya, and think’s Usopp’s stories are super cool.
Usopp wants to go with them, to explore the world With Luffy.
At this point, the Straw Hats have realized that driving a stolen police car around is a bad idea
so they take the huge van - a gift from Kaya named The Going Merry, and set off, using Nami’s stolen funds to get them by.
Sanji - 16 year old who longs to be a chef with the best food and just wants to feed people who need it
He hates government cause they don’t feed people and has a lot of petty grudges and helps Zeff run a lot of kitchens to help people.
 He’s still the Sous chef of the Baratie and still has a penchant for kicking unruly customers around. Baratie has a less then stellar reputation for service but the food? The best in the land.
 He feeds Luffy the food.
  Luffy likes the food.
Luffy kidnaps Sanji
Zeff worries about it but he can’t do jack since he actually is not Sanjis legal guardian (he kidnapped the kid first on accident after they both were stranded. He still tries to call anyway, and is proud of the change his son is making in the world. He’s currently working to get suspicious government people off his back about his missing Sous chef with the unique curly eyebrow…
Anyway, Sanji becomes the cook for the strawhats and is really happy because everyone likes his food and he can help anyone along the way and send business to the baratie
Its a good deal for him, and with all the places he visits his skill grows as a chef.
Chopper - 12 year old prodigy who really wants to be a doctor but both his legal guardians are out of the way
Hiruluks dead and Kureha, against her will because she’s still beautiful at 100 dammnit, is in a nursing home trying to break out
 Chopper has nowhere to go but still tries to pursue his medical career, and this fucking twelve year old does so by patching up people from bar and gang fights.
The Straw Hats pick him up and Usopp hacks into a govt control thing to sign him up for online medical course
Kureha’s proud and gives him a book of pressed cherry blossoms that was Hiruluk’s
  He cries
Chopper gets lots of practice for medical stuff with Luffy and Zoro who like to fight in fighting rings just for the heck of it, and for the money that Nami wants.
Robin – 25 year old depressed archeologist (and assassin) they found in a mafia in the next country over (Vivi’s)
Crocodile’s running it, aka Luffy’s criminal uncle number 500
 Luffy’s pissed about it and smacks him into the dust because it’s his friends country, and then drags Robin along because she needs to have some adventure, and hey, they are checking out the ruin’s next, wont that be cool?
 So robin comes along as the ‘adult super vision’, at least in Nami and Usopp and Chopper’s mind.
She learns that these kids have some how been able to dodge school, and starts teaching them the basics of what they would need to know, and then any thing else they want to know. (Zoro, she finds, is extremely good at math while Sanji enjoys chemistry. Nami and Usopp catch on quick, while Chopper has his own studies already but enjoys talking to her. Luffy dislikes learning, but if the promise of pirates or foods or letters that wont spin in his head is involved, he’ll gladly sit down for a bit. He especially loves the stories however.)
Robin finds herself inching dangerously into mom territory, and accepts it whole heartedly after meeting Franky, who she finds handsomely hilarious.
She has a shady past but is slowly opening up about it, and knows she will watch the world burn for this crew.
Y’all know about Franky already so im gonna move on.
Brook – super fucking Old musician they found on the street looking for his dog Laboon
 He used to be a star but lost his fame but doesn’t care – he  only wants to make people happy with his music.
Luffy just straight up just drags him into the sunny, its becoming a habit of him kidnapping people, that’s not how you make friends Luffy (or at least it shouldn’t be – he always seems to make it work.)
 Everyone just goes with it at this point while Franky sighs and triie sto figure out how to make a giant RV even bigger
The Crew find out his dog is living in luffy’s home town and used to play with Luffy when his friends weren’t around. They vow to go back once everything dies down, but in the mean time Dadan gets a new guard dog in her house hold
Usopp posts one (1) video of Brook (on Halloween in skeleton make up) and he instantly becomes a revived star, thriving on the mytery of the Skeleton Soul King.
He now posts videos from around the world of him singing but its impossible to predict where he will be next, and he’s invisible with out his make up to the internet, so its good for the whole criminal thing.
Jimbe
(best) Criminal uncle 501
 No one knows exactly how he knows luffy beyond luffy himself but they are 90% sure its something to do with the underground warlord system that Luffy has connections too
 He gives the best hugs, Uncle Iroh but without the well-meaning manipulation.
 He’s tired of responsibility that he has in his underground position and kinda wants to fuck off to the Caribbean but then he meets luffy again and is like this is better
He Leaves the fishman gang behind with subordinate in charge and joins strawhats
He becomes stressed - “Why did you choose an archeologist and a man who wears speedos for adult supervision, how are you alive, do you need a hug, do you know basic math, have you even gone to school, oh thank god Robin is here - ”
Two minutes later
“Do you have code names, can I have one,”
 He’s a big faker the dummy everyone can see right through you, you’re aren’t on this crew if you have common sense
Between dad moments, essentially its just the Straw hats breaking in and causing havoc where ever they go, building their bounties and being a found family.
That’s it for now, but please ask questions! Sorry this was so long lmao, ill also add something for Vivi later!
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jae-canikeepyou · 5 years
Text
| marked | j.jh | ch. six
genre: superpower!au
a/n: i’ve missed days to upload but thanks for waiting! :D I've finalized the chapters for this series and it’ll have 14-15 chapters more or less. please look forward to them! ~j. 
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you entered the cafeteria with mina and eunha. it was just in time for lunch after long hours of classes and training. they taught you in-depth information of each power category. as for someone who recently arrived at the core, you would say your hardwork paid off and if there were any flaws, there was still room for improvement. “ah finally! i’m so hungry!” mina stretched to grab a tray for the three of you.
“well duh, who isn’t? ah corn soup please, thank you.” eunha chuckled at your friend as you waited when food was being placed onto your tray.
you were headed to your usual table until mingyu, eunwoo and seokmin spotted your group. they gestured you to sit with them and in which you did. “i tell you if mr yoon catches me sleeping again, i’d say ‘hello detention’ for a week.” mingyu yawned.
“you easily adapted to the core, y/n. that’s quite quick for someone new.” seokmin smiled, popping a fry to his mouth.
“well it has been three weeks.” eunha said, later turning to you, who seemed dazed off as usual. “uh hello? earth to y/n?”
“oh sorry, i was just thinking.” you embarrassedly smiled as you began to eat.
“yeah sure thinking of jaehyun.” mingyu yet again said his thoughts aloud.
mina and eunha kicked the boy from across while eunwoo and seokmin gave a soft sigh. it had been almost two weeks since you last seen or talked with jaehyun. as an absolute you could see what he was doing. not trying to interfere with his privacy or anything, but the thoughts of hurted people would show unless they thought of you, so it was different compared to the normal.
in jaehyun case? he was actually thinking of you. right now you couldn’t bring up to your friends because they’d ask either to clear things up between you and him. jaehyun on the other hand hear your thoughts as if it were music to listen to. he did feel guilty of storming off that day, he had his reasons and he hoped you understand. he questioned why things would get into you so easily, like you were vulnerable and not bothering to see the whole picture, and the bright side. sure you were both people with absolute sense of sight and hearing, but personality really differs.
gongchan appeared before everyone in the hall, chanyeol and wheein soon followed. they had papers in hand. “hey y/n.” eunwoo called out to you. “do you mind if you could take a peek of the papers they’re holding?”
without any second thoughts, you did see them. “it’s a list we have to fill in for the upcoming three days two nights field trip.” you began to have little bites of your meal. “that’ll be five days from today.”
“in the snow? heck it’s not called a field trip.” mingyu complained.
“it’s a survival game. i couldn’t see much but a team should have a group of seven and one of the members should be an adapter to the cold.” you continued speaking. “that’d be you seokmin.”
“oh right! it’s that time of the year, huh.” seokmin’s pearly whites shone. “tell you what, y/n, our team never lost. we’re the defending champion holder. five years already since jaehyun joined our team.”
“great, since there’s six of us we could ask jaehyun to join u- ow!” mingyu hissed, earning another kick from the girls. “seriously stop doing that!”
“we had to because you keep bringing jaehyun up!” mina rolled her eyes at the boy.
“yeah always not a good timing.” eunha sighed, rubbing her temples.
“c’mon guys, it’s not like we’re dating.” you broke the soon-to-be heated argument. “i don’t mind if he’s with us. we’re not gonna talk anyway.. for now.”
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the days seemed to come by so fast. per usual jaehyun didn’t show up for classes, so you either trained alone or with wheein mentoring you. the snow piled up and the forest began to look like wonderland. it was still a sight. each group were given glowlamps; to protect yours and steal others’. it meant survival and tactics. protect at all costs and if yours ever broke, your team will go back to the core. your group chose an area by a lake where mingyu could camouflage the team with his aquatic thing; you still don’t know what it was called.
as your group walked to the spot, the boys began setting up the cabin tent that was large enough for the seven of you. the game began at dusk, you knew there will be no sleep.
“now this is all set up, how about we have dinner?” mingyu asked, other responded with yay’s and finally’s. “jaehyun and i prepared many dishes, but this is the star meal.” he pointed at a huge container with marinated meat, a smile grew on his face.
“ey don’t exaggerate.” jaehyun’s ears slowly tinted pink.
mingyu ignored him, “jaehyun’s recipe: jae-yook!”
“it’s been long since we’ve eaten this!” mina squealed with hands on her cheeks. “y/n! you should try-“ she turned around, only to find you weren’t behind her. “y/n?”
eunha nudged mina, pointing your tired body by the lake. it brought attention to the boys, they wanted you to join.
“she probably doesn’t know we’re about to eat.” seokmin wondered. “y/n! food’s ready!” they saw you turned around, slightly jogging to where they sat. “all you had to do was call her.” he shrugged his shoulders.
the only light source in the forest was the moon above and the campfire. with seokmin’s powers, it wouldn’t be hard to sleep in the cold, that is, if you were going to. before discussing the plans for tonight’s survival game, they decided to play uno and other games they could come up with. there were history and stories told.
you all sat around the campfire. it was awkward at least for you because jaehyun sat across from you. “should we check our essentials before heading to bed?” jaehyun asked everyone whose eyes slowly dropped.
“ah yes we should.” eunwoo stood up and went inside the cabin tent. you soon followed as you remembered mina had packed before you left the core. inside the emergency kits included flashlights, extra water and sleeping bags. you helped eunwoo fetch the first aid and other things that might help the game.
“do we have those red light thingy? the ones that shoot up the sky for help?” jaehyun asked as he reached for the things that were passed to him.
“yeah of course. we always bring them.” eunwoo grabbed another bag. “y/n i think there’re some in there.”
“mina packed it for us before leaving. i’ll double check.” you said in a soft voice. your hand dug deep into the bag, rummaging for the items. “ah got it.” you grabbed hold of a gun and cylinders that were a little larger than the size of a whiteboard pen. the sight of it made you wonder, where have you seen this before? for no particular reason, you began to feel uneasy. your head spun in circles and your chest pumped like your heart wanted to go out.
eunwoo finished gathering the items as he went out the tent, handing them to the others. jaehyun saw how your face turned pale even if seokmin’s powers were still in force. “are you okay-” he held your unbalanced body.
embarrassment and guilt showered you, not wanting to talk to him because of the behaviour you showed him. “i-i’m fine.” you voice raised as you quickly went out of the tent.
eunha and seokmin already fell asleep on the chairs. mina had to wake them up to move inside the tent. “can you maybe light up the fire a bit more? it’s about to die out.” you asked mina as she supported eunha.
“yeah sure.” she said, noticing your unusual self. “are you okay? do you want to get some sleep?”
“i’m fine. my mind’s too occupied at the moment. if i sleep right now i wouldn’t have a peaceful one.” you managed to smile.
“alright we’ll go on ahead then. see you tomorrow.”
“jaehyun, y/n and i will do the nightwatch. we’ll do rounds on alternate days.” eunwoo told mingyu and mina.
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it had been four hours since the others slept. you, eunwoo and jaehyun took turns in guarding the glowlamp or sleep in for a few minutes. until now, you and jaehyun haven’t talked. none wanted to take initiative as you were afraid it may lead to another heated argument.
jaehyun perked up in his seat and looked at the distance. eunwoo soon took notice and stood up. “did you hear anything?”
“yeah, i hear voices. only few miles from our current location.” he zipped his coat and stood, as if he was preparing to leave.
“they’ve got their lamp. a red one.” you added as you fixed yourself on your chair.
“that’s yugyeom and jungkook’s team. both of you take care of them while i guard ours.” eunwoo lifted the lime green lamp.
“nah i think i’ll stay.” you convinced the boy but he wasn’t buying it.
“go. it’s your first survival game. i guarantee you can handle it. jaehyun is with you anyway.” he smiled, and you really wanted to hit him right then and there.
you sighed in agreement, with jaehyun reaching out his hand to support you from the downhill slope. jaehyun looked back at eunwoo, who gave him a thumbs up and mouthed ‘man up dude’. he tossed jaehyun the signal flare in case something comes up.
as you walked in the forest, silence still was between you and jaehyun. sounds of the snow breaking from each footstep you both made.
“look i’m sorry,” “i’m really sorry,”
you looked at jaehyun and he did the same. like having a stare down, little laughs escaped your lips. “you first. l-ladies first.” he insisted.
“i’m sorry for how i acted. i should’ve listened when i know nothing about our identity.” you rubbed your arms, avoiding his gaze.
jaehyun hesistated to grab your hand, but he did anyway. the heat from his meant he understood. “i’m sorry too. disappointment got the best in me and expected too much of you. i- i mean..” he stumbled his words. “i mean because you’re an absolute too. so i thought you’d be better than this.”
before you could say anything further, jaehyun pushed you away as multiple balls of electricity got in between you and him.
“oi, lovebirds already hitting it off?” yugyeom walked close, playing with electricity like it was fun. jungkook, donghyuk, rose, jihyo, junhoe and yubin appeared behind him.
jaehyun took your hand in his. “stay behind me.” you followed, not liking the vibe coming from the tall lad. “you seem confident, yugyeom. still got underlings huh? you can never do things on your own.” he smirked, the dimples showed.
“well, i just did throw my power to you.” he laughed.
“for someone whose aim is sloppy, that was a bad throw.” you scoffed, earning a tight squeeze from jaehyun.
ooh’s and gasps were heard from the group. claps were of sarcasm and disbelief. “feisty, aren’t you, newbie?” oh how you wanted to beat him up.
“on my signal, take care of the girls. the lamp is with them. you have to break theirs before they reach our tent. i’ll handle the others.” jaehyun let go of your hand as he pushed you up front.
the group continued with their intimidation, in case it actually had an effect on you. they did the first move, but you knew better. how this was a piece of cake? you didn’t know. the strength building up inside you wanted to show its best. jaehyun was a one-man stunt, four against one. he was unbelievable.
you chased down rose, who had the lamp in her cold hands. by now you have gotten out of jihyo and yubin’s grasp. rose screamed for help when she couldn’t face you. ah she’s one of the weaklings, you thought. it was like rugby, the drive to steal the lamp was intense.
just a little more before rose could use her vine powers, you managed to smash the lamp— bits and pieces of glass shards cut your flesh. claiming your team’s first catch, you shot up the signal flare and you called out for jaehyun as you turned around-
only to meet a huge wood log, aiming your face.
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| marked — chapter six: survival game |
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blizzweirdo · 6 years
Text
No Omen, No Country’s Cause Ch. 6
All right! So now we’re back from our flashback just in time to see the Umojan Navy rally to help the new Terran Republic and Tarsonis against the UED and Stukov’s forces. However, something’s not quite right, and the Umojan Navy must learn the truth behind Stukov’s actions.
As always, this chapter is also available on FanFiction.net, Archive of Our Own, and Wattpad.
If you submitted a name, look for it in this chapter! I think I added four or five from both public and private submissions. Thanks for your help!
Also, I lied... It’s not that late. Welcome to the longest chapter thus far.
NOVA LISBOA, UMOJA 16:42 UCST (10:42 DCST)
     On stage, Figaro had just learned the court's plan for his wife Susanna and was beginning the first lines of "Se Voul Ballare." It was the first act of Il Nozze de Figaro and the first production of it at the Pasteur Opera House since the End War. Admiral Renata Marín was pleased to be there, having begged box-seat tickets off her commanding officer, Fleet Admiral Thierry Augustin, a donor. Her partner, Lieutenant General Wynand Vermaak, was less than enthusiastic and already nodding off to sleep. She should have known better than to bring him here; Marín knew he wouldn't enjoy it. It had been enough of a battle to get him into a suit, and he still chose to wear his motorcycle boots with it. She had to admit that she was more comfortable in the grey and teal of the Umojan Protectorate Navy's uniforms than in a black formal dress and heels, but she prided herself on her ability to adapt—and she had fell in love with opera in the academy. She and Vermaak had known each other since then, and she had changed a lot over the years. But he had not. He was still the same steady, dependable if slightly incorrigible, self. His cleanly-shaven head bobbed again, and then he was asleep, snoring quietly. Thank god this is a private box, she thought.
     An usher appeared at the door, asked her for her name, and then handed her a datapad. She looked at him quizzically, but he just shrugged. Taking it in her hand, she stood and moved to the corner of the box so that the other opera patrons would not be bothered by the bright screen. On it was a message to her: "LARGE SCALE ATTACK ON TARSONIS IMMINENT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ADM. MARÍN AND LT. GEN. VERMAAK OF CORE FLEET RENDEZVOUS IMMEDIATELY WITH FLEET ADM. AUGUSTIN OF EDGE FLEET AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS." For a few seconds, Marín stood there, stunned. She refreshed the datapad, making sure she hadn't misread it or that it was a mistake. She walked to Vermaak and shook him awake. Vermaak turned to her sleepily.
     "Oh, was I sleeping?"
     "Get up."
     "Don't be angry... You know I don't like this. I'm not bothering anyone. We don't have to..."
     "No, Wynand. We have to go." She pressed the datapad into his ruddy, calloused hands. He read it dazedly, his grey eyes hardening as he comprehended what it said. Without a word, both of them exited into the atrium of the opera house. Through the atrium's three-story tall windows, Marín watched as a shuttle landed in the abstract sculpture garden outside. The scream of its engines reverberated through the atrium and into the concert hall. Men and women in formal wear began trickling out of the hall, concern registering on their faces as they checked their own electronic devices. Marín picked up her skirt and sprinted down the stairs as the shuttle touched down, her heels loudly clicking on the marble floor. Vermaak was close behind her. It was one of the UPN Uhuru's shuttles. That's our ride.
     The glass doors moved aside for them as they exited the garden. They both stood next to the shuttle as it hovered close to the ground, blasting air at both of them. Marín was glad she already had a hold on her skirt, but couldn't control her long, black hair. Vermaak looked nonplussed. Now there's an advantage of being bald. The shuttle door opened, and the navigator yelled at her over the din.
     "This shuttle is just for you, Admiral. There's another shuttle from the Liberté circling to pick up Vermaak. Gen. Oyaleni wants to speak with him before the rendezvous."
     Marín turned to Vermaak and lightly touched his arm, mouthing a kiss to him. He smiled faintly and nodded to her. She boarded the shuttle and strapped herself in as the hatch closed. It would a dangerous mission—possibly the start of a war. But she felt herself strangely relieved to be alone and away from Vermaak. Maybe they had been spending too much time together.
     "We're ten minutes out, ma'am," the pilot said as she settled into a seat in the back.
     "Good, because if what my orders said are true, we need to be at the rendezvous now." Wasting no time, the pilot took off; in minutes they were already climbing high above the city.
     "Do you know who is attacking?" Marín yelled over the sound of the shuttle's takeoff thrusters.
     "No, Admiral. I can turn on the news if you like," the navigator said.
     "Whatever they say is probably wrong at this point... I'll wait."
     "Yes, ma'am."
     Marín watched as Umoja's horizon curved then disappeared through the forward viewport, replaced by the blackness of space. The shuttle turned sharply upwards and to its starboard. The Uhuru gleamed in the distance, parked above Umoja's planetary defense platform. The shuttle's main engines spun up, and it lurched towards the Uhuru. As the Uhuru grew larger, her thoughts turned to who could be attacking Tarsonis. The zerg were the most likely culprit, but Zagara had professed peace so an attack would be out of character. Is it the Kel-Morians making a play for the Terran Republic's territory while it's vulnerable? Nothing quite made sense.
     The Uhuru's port hangar yawned before the shuttle as it glided inside and set down. Her XO, Commander Anders Ahlberg, was waiting for her as she stepped off the shuttle. Marín removed her heels as she walked across the flight deck. They were just going to slow her down. Ahlberg matched her stride and handed her a datapad.
     "Is this the briefing, Ahlberg?"
     "Yes, Admiral,"
     "Can you give me the highlights?" Marín said, impatiently thumbing through it.
     "Oh, you're not going to believe this. Earth is back."
     "What? Earth?"
     "A UED fleet dropped out of FTL above Tarsonis... They ordered their surrender, and of course they didn't take that well..."
     "I'd imagine not..."
     "And so they've started an invasion. They've sicced the zerg on them—and the infested."
     "Infested? How?"
     "Vice Admiral Stukov? Ring any bells? UED guy... He's been hiding out here since their first invasion. Never heard of him, but they've got a dossier on him in there. Hadn't had a chance to look at it."
     "All right. Thanks... I'm going to the bridge, but I need you here. I want all of our banshees, liberators, dropships—everything—ready by the rendezvous. Tell the bridge I'm on the way up."
     "Yes, ma'am!" Ahlberg turned on his heel and jogged back inside the hangar. It would be quite a job for him and take time. Marín commanded fifty ships in the core side fleet which protected the Umojan Protectorate's territory towards the galactic core. There were twice as many marine detachments. She hoped that Vermaak had radioed ahead to them. Marín continued towards the door. As it door opened, her chief engineer, Dani Jansa, stepped through. As usual, her coveralls and elaborate blonde braids were coated in grime.
     "Lookin' good, Admiral," she said playfully.
     "And you look like you got dragged behind a dropship."
     "That's pretty much what happened!" Both of them continued on, their jobs elsewhere. Hopefully they could sit down to a drink at some point, as they both kept swearing they were going to do. Camaraderie among her crew was important, but she had been setting a bad example as of late. It was something she needed to amend. But that's not happening soon. As the lift rose towards the bridge, Marín read through the reports. Most of it seemed like standard UED tactics if on an immense scale. But the infested attack was worrisome. She thumbed through to the dossier on Stukov as the door opened onto the bridge.
     "Admiral on the bridge," Lieutenant Commander Achille Barre said as she exited the lift. She waved her hand at him, dismissing his formality.
     "No time for that, Barre. We're en route?"
     "Engaging FTL now."
     "Good. Barre, put me on speaker—don't do the visual feed though... I'd rather the whole ship not see me in this dress..."
     "Feed is live."
     "Everyone. As you've heard from news reports, Tarsonis is under attack and this is not a drill. What you haven't heard is that an old threat has returned to the Koprulu sector—the United Earth Directorate. In accordance with our recent treaty with the new Terran Republic, we are obliged to render whatever aid and defense we can. The core fleet will be joining the edge side fleet at the Tyrador system. From there, we will coordinate with Terran Republic forces and receive our orders. I'll keep everyone posted. We've trained for this, people. Let's go keep our sector safe."
     Marín motioned Barre to cut the comm. He gave Marín a "so-so" hand gesture. "I'd give that about a five on the pep talk scale. Needs more bullshit."
     "If the only criticism is 'needs more bullshit,' I'll take it," Marín said, walking towards her office just off the bridge. "I'm going to finish this briefing. If anyone calls, I'll take it in my office." Barre gave her a thumbs up.
     Inside her office, Marín put her shoes under her desk and sat down to finish reading. Terran Republic ghosts on the ground had sent back troubling images and reports. Massive Earth-built carriers supporting space-to-ground aircraft and battlecruisers had overwhelmed the system and locked down Tarsonis. Several command centers had been constructed, cementing their foothold on the planet and cutting Tarsonis City off from aid. And the zerg are attacking—and the infested. What a nightmare. She began reading the dossier attached to the briefing. As someone who had fought in the End War and had defended Umojan territory against the UED when they first arrived, she knew his name and remembered watching his funeral when the UED broadcast it via comm buoy. The dossier cited his participation in the End War and listed him as "infested," but that moniker didn't make sense to her. The infested are mindless zombies. How could any of them be in "control" of the others? And if he participated in the End War with the Dominion, why is he not on our side now? Is he even sentient or rational? The damage and casualty reports were horrific. Infestations were destroying buildings. Soldiers were falling only to rise again as the infested to fight for the UED. Most distressingly, the Umojan fleet was only a fraction of the size of the incoming UED armada and the Terran Republic had been caught with its pants down. They had suffered heavy losses in the End War and against the Queen of Blades; their forces had never been fully rebuilt. Also, Raynor was MIA and Horner was busy trying to hold the new Terran Republic together while also commanding the Republic's military. The new Republic was not in any state to repel an invasion.
     Barre stuck his head into Marín's office. "We're at the rendezvous." Marín gathered her dress and returned to the bridge.
     "Hail the Vrede." The Vrede responded immediately, the chrubic face of Fleet Admiral Augustin appearing on the screen.
     "Renata! Good. Get over here. We have a lot to discuss. Where is the Liberté? I need to speak to Oyaleni and Vermaak as well."
     "He left just after I did. I'm sure they'll be here soon."
     "Okay," he said dubiously, "but this is a horrible time to keep us waiting. We need to proceed with the utmost care and alacrity. See you momentarily. Oh, and... Nice dress. Shame about the opera... Ta ta! Augustin out."
     "Message the flight deck, Barre. Get me a shuttle ready."
     "Don't you want to change?" Marín was already in the elevator.
     "No time!"
     Marín boarded the shuttle and made her way to the Vrede. When she arrived on the bridge, Augustin and Valerian Mengsk were already discussing their plans for repelling the invaders. Marín was somewhat taken aback that Valerian was there—and in all his princely finery. She, like most Umojans, had a distrust of the entire Mengsk clan despite their government's original backing of them. They had been burned by it, and despite Valerian being originally an Umojan citizen, they did not hesitate to effectively end Valerian's reign by releasing further documents about Moebius's experiments. They were relieved that the Mengsk dynasty would not continue. But now he was here. Marín could not help but think that this would end up being a renewed bid for control.
     "...And the Republic and Moebius fleets will remain under my command until—or if—Horner rejoins the fleet."
     "Where's Admiral Horner?" Marín said, eyeing Valerian. Augustin rounded on her.
     "Ah, yes. Adm. Marín, I'm sure you know Valerian Mengsk?"
     "Yes... Of course," she said. Valerian extended his hand to her. She took it cautiously.
     "Pleasure to meet you, Admiral. I hope you don't mind if I reviewed your personnel file on the way here... Your record is quite impressive."
     "Thanks, I don't mind... After all, your 'record' is pretty public,'" Augustin coughed to stifle a laugh and Valerian frowned slightly at the comment but regained his composure.
     "You look... as if you were interrupted?" Valerian said, eyeing her dress.
     "I was at the opera..."
     "Ah yes, Il Nozze de Figaro was playing, wasn't it?"
     "Yes, yes it was."
     "Shame. They perform it so seldom... The Pasteur Opera House has one of the best companies I've had the pleasure to listen to... Though I might be partial to it... My family donated a great deal to the building's construction... There is a focus on culture there that is not present on Korhal or Tarsonis... We'll have to chat about opera later, if you're a fan."
     "Sure... Once all this is over, perhaps..." Marín said, unconvincingly. Valerian, to her, had always been a man of contradictions, but that he enjoyed opera puzzled her. Opera normally dealt with epic themes and abstract concepts like freedom and loyalty and what happens when power is abused. It seemed strange to her that he would enjoy it without seemingly internalizing any of its messages.
     "Valerian is here because Horner is trapped in Tarsonis City," Augustin said, quickly changing the subject, "For now, he's currently in charge of the Moebius and Republic fleets, but we're working on a plan for Horner's extraction—along with as many civilians as we can evacuate."
     "What is our plan of attack?"
     "There isn't one," Valerian said softly, "We're greatly outmatched. Our position will be defensive. We want to get as many people out and hold the UED off until they escape."
     "We're just going to let Tarsonis fall?" Marín said incredulously.
     "There's no other choice, Adm. Marín," Valerian said, "But we do have a defensive plan."
     "Which we'll discuss when Gen. Oyaleni and Lt. Gen Vermaak finally arrive..." Marín nodded, her eyes drifting towards the holographic table in the middle of the bridge which depicted the UED's troop movements in real-time three dimensionally above it. She walked to it, and then used her hands to manipulate the display and zoom in on the planet's surface. There, she watched a flurry of red dots—the infested—flooding the streets. But there was something odd about it—something that bothered her.
     "His involvement surprises me," Valerian said, walking quietly towards her, his cape flowing behind him. Who wears a cape? Marín thought.
     "Whose?"
     "Vice Adm. Stukov. Raynor thought highly of him... Or at least had a begrudging respect."
     "But he's zerg... And UED. Doesn't sound that surprising to me."
     "No, I suppose not... His alliance may have only been to Kerrigan. Without her in play, his loyalty may have defaulted to the UED. This is unfortunate... He is resourceful and... hard to predict. His assistance of the UED is already evident... The UED knows more than they should about the landscape of the city—and its weaknesses."
     "So wait, I thought he was infested? Aren't the infested mindless zombies? You're talking about him like he's still a man."
     "Stukov... Is a special case. He's... not going to be easy to push back..."
     "Yes," Augustin broke in, "and we've been discussing who would be best suited to do that. Renata, I think that person is you."
     "Wherever you think I would best serve," she said absently, still looking at the holographic map.
     "That's my girl," Augustin said jovially. "Stukov is attacking the heart of the city, limiting our access to a building where Horner is pinned down. There is an underground bunker and an access tunnel that leads to a nearby police headquarters—with a helipad. If you and Vermaak can push Stukov back and deal with the infestation, we should be able to get everyone in there out. The core fleet will be our shield, deflecting attacks from the evac and blocking ships from entering Tarsonis's atmosphere over Tarsonis City."
     "My fleets and the edge fleet will try to take out as much of the UED fleet as we can before we have to retreat," Valerian said. Marín nodded. It was what she expected, she supposed, but the doomed defense of Tarsonis agitated her. She did not like going into a fight she knew she could not win. All they could do was mitigate the damage. Still, maybe there was something she could do without obeying orders. She studied the map again. Maybe... If I could neutralize this "Stukov" and take him out as a random element... It wasn't what she had been directed to do, but she decided if she had the opportunity to kill or capture him, she would take it.
     Vermaak and Oyaleni finally arrived. "So good of you to join us," Augustin said sarcastically. Marín looked at him. He had changed, maybe even showered. Oyaleni looked somewhat pissed off like she had been kept waiting. So that's what took so long, Marín thought. "Gen. Jane Oyaleni, Lt. Gen. Vermaak, this is Valerian Mengsk..."
     "Mengsk," Oyaleni said, barely acknowledging him.
     "I know who he is," Vermaak said curtly.
     "Vermaak and Oyaleni will be assisting us in deflecting attention away from the evacuation and defending us on the ground."
     "Just tell us who to shoot," Vermaak said.
     "Charming," Valerian said with a tight-lipped smile.
     "Like I was telling Marín just now, Moebius, the Republic, and the edge side fleet will engage the UED. The core fleet will protect the evac and Tarsonis City while pushing Stukov's forces back away from Horner's position with Vermaak's marines. Oyaleni will deal with the larger threat of UED forces on the ground... Is that clear?"
     "Simple enough," Oyaleni said.
     "Good. We've wasted enough time. Vermaak, Marín, you're Dismissed. General Oyaleni, may I speak with you further?" Oyaleni, a woman of few words, crossed her broad arms and stood near Augustin, tapping her dark fingers on her sleeves as she eyed Valerian. No Umojan trusts Valerian, Marín thought.
     Marín and Vermaak boarded the lift from the bridge to make their way back to the hangar. As soon as the doors closed, Vermaak looked Marín up and down.
     "What are you still doing in that dress?" Vermaak said. Marín turned to him, annoyed.
     "What are you doing showing up thirty minutes after everyone else?"
     "Didn't want to look like a twit in a suit."
     "One, Valerian always wears a cape. You wouldn't have been the only 'twit' in the room. Two, are you calling me a twit?"
     "You look a bit crazy, yeah."
     "I look like I care, Wynand."
     "Fine," Vermaak said, sighing. "I knew if I showed up dressed like I was, Augustin would put two and two together about us."
     "You don't think that he has? It's been three years and we've known each since the academy. And the they didn't bother giving us separate orders because they knew we'd be together."
     "It looks unprofessional."
     "I know you want succeed Oyaleni..."
     "Why wouldn't I?"
     "I don't care if you do, Wynand, but I don't know what about our relationship would keep you from it." Except that she did. She had a reputation, and it was not necessarily a good one. Of the two of them, despite his vulture-riding swagger, she was the more controversial. Marín was considered by some to be too eager and maybe a bit too clever for her own good. People talked about her. Some respected her, others didn't; their feelings were either hot or cold. It was not that way for Vermaak. Most people had no opinion or not much of one. He was good at gliding just under the radar and not upsetting anyone. If it was widely known that they were partners, his reputation might be slightly sullied. But it wouldn't matter that much.
     As the two of them boarded the shuttle back to Uhuru, their conversation turned to more pressing matters: the coordination of Horner's evac and how to deal with the infested horde.
     "The infested... Don't have much experience with them," Vermaak said gruffly. He rubbed his hands together slowly, lost in thought.
     "No, we don't... Occasionally we'd see them, but we'd stay the hell away. Nuke 'n go if we could."
     "Can't do that here."
     "We can keep them at arm's length though... Siege tanks?" Vermaak considered this with his usual careful slowness.
     "Yep. Keep the line from getting too close."
     "Banshees too. From what I saw, Stukov has sacrificed air for ground speed."
     "May not be a choice. Are there any starports nearby?"
     "That's a thought. No one to infest. He could build spires, but the city may be too densely packed to raise them.
     "Right."
     "You know, your usual cautiousness is going to come in very handy right now." Marín knew she had said something wrong when Vermaak's eyes narrowed at her and his brow knitted together.
     "My what?" He absently put his hand on his thigh, on the edge of where she knew his bionic prosthesis began under his fatigues.
     "I mean in comparison to me... You know how I am. Pushing back slowly—that's the only way. Losing troops to the infested will just feed Stukov's war machine." Vermaak nodded in agreement, his anger diffused momentarily, but then he turned to her again, suspicious.
     "You're planning something, aren't you?"
     "What? No."
     "I can tell... You're going to do something stupid. What is it?"
     "It's not stupid..."
     "Renata..."
     Marín sighed. "Stukov needs to be taken out. If I see a chance, I'm going to take it."
     "How do you think you're going to find him? How do you think you're going to kill him?"
     "I'll... Figure that out later. Like I said, if I get the chance."
     "Don't get yourself hurt... or killed..."
     "I haven't yet..."
     "Not all of us have been so lucky..." He rapped on his leg, making a hollow, metallic sound. "This could have been much worse."
     "I know, I'm sorry..."
     "Sorry? It's not your fault. Just... be careful. Don't do something brash."
     "I... I won't."
     The shuttle landed softly in the Uhuru's hangar and the shuttle's door opened. Vermaak stood, taking her by both hands.
     "I hope you mean that."
     He leaned down and kissed her.
     "See you later, eh?"
     "Yeah, I'll send Oyaleni my notes. Be careful."
     "I always am. That's double for you."
     Vermaak disappeared out of the shuttle and into the hangar bay. She could already hear the doppler effect of his booming voice as he barked orders to his marines while he marched deeper into the hangar. Marín got up and made her way to the bridge and into her office. At her desk, she drafted her orders but stopped, looking again at Stukov's troop movements one more time. There was something odd about them, something she couldn't put her finger on. She keyed up Republic archive battle footage of Stukov from during the UED invasion. It was the first time she'd had the occasion to use it since the treaty. What she saw there did not match what was happening now in the city of Tarsonis. If anything, Stukov had always been very aggressive, arrogant even, and had intricate strategies meant to confuse his enemies. Here, he kept the line and advanced incrementally, attacking only in defense. She had no idea what that meant.
     In any case, she had a plan. She would recommend what she and Vermaak discussed to Oyaleni: no ground troops except siege tanks and, she added, firebats. The siege tanks to push back the infested, and the firebats to clear the infestation. They would have to keep from losing their own troops and rely heavily on her for air support. She would assign as many liberators and banshees as she could spare. But, the sheer number of troops Stukov had been able to raise would be hard to churn through. Secretly though, she thought they could rout him—if she could figure out where his command center was. Over eager... Sticking my neck out again, she thought. But we'd all be safer if he was gone.
     She drafted the battle plan on a map and sent it with annotations to her captains and Oyaleni. And now all she had left to do was address the fleet again. She stepped back onto the bridge. "Open a channel, Barre."
     "Aye, ma'am." A chime let Marín know she was on air.
     "Good evening... Or morning depending on where you've come from in the sector... I wish I had better news to tell everyone, but with the zerg and UED fleet attacking Tarsonis now, when it is most vulnerable after years of war, there is no hope that we will 'win' this battle. What we must focus on is protecting the citizens of the Terran Republic in their evacuation from Tarsonis. Aside from that mission is another important one—to help the Terran Republic in its rescue of its current leader, Adm. Matthew Horner. In doing so, we will go up against the zerg and the infested under the command of Vice Adm. Alexei Stukov, an infested human and UED military leader. This will necessarily be a mission that we will have to undertake very carefully. Your orders are being sent now. Keep abreast of them and keep your eyes open. We need to do as much damage as we can to the UED fleet while we are here, but stay focused and don't take any unnecessary risks. See you all on the flip side. Good luck."
     This was the part that always filled Marín with guilt: giving orders that meant someone was not coming back. Protocol stated that she should not leave the Uhuru and lead from afar, but she found that unconscionable.
     "Put me through to Dani, Barre." Barre patched her though.
     "Hey Dani, is my wraith ready?
     "Ready and waiting, boss lady."
     "Be there in five."
     When Mitchell reached the hangar, the deck shook beneath her feet. Banshees, liberators, and medivac shuttles were all waiting to launch, their engines on, roaring with noise and shimmering with heat. A warning klaxon sounded as the hangar launch port shield snapped on and the hangar's immense door began to open. Her wraith was waiting for her on the only wraith launch rack still in use on the Uhuru. Unlike the other vessels, the wraith, unable to stand on its own, had to be catapulted out of the hangar on a jet-powered rack. Marín pulled herself into the cockpit, lowered the cockpit canopy and put on her helmet and breathing apparatus. The canopy sealed shut, dampening the noise of the hangar, but she could still feel the vibrations of the ships on deck through the seat. The hangar bay door was fully open now, and aircraft were launching in groups out into the void of space. She engaged the rack; it lurched the craft forward, putting her in line with everyone else. A few minutes later, it was finally her turn.
     "Hit me, chief."
     "Aw, yeah."
     She felt the jet on the back of the launch rack ignite. The rack sped forward, throwing her wraith out of the hangar. Suddenly, all was quiet as the vacuum enveloped her. Below, she could see the bluish glow of Tarsonis and in the distance the UED fleet. She engaged her cloak, and above her a squadron of banshees did the same. Behind them, the Uhuru, four squadrons of banshees, a squadron of liberators, and what battlecruisers could be spared to attack Stukov, began turning planetside.
     "Squadron leader Gavran, this is Marín. I'm here as an extra pair of eyes. Support our firebats and siege tanks. Keep the infested at bay and push them back so our battlecruisers and medivac units can assist with evac."
     "Roger, Admiral. Good to know we've got you over our shoulder."
     The squadron moved past her and down. She went in the same direction but skimmed the upper atmosphere, keeping the battlefield below her. She wanted to get a peek behind enemy lines. The ground moved swiftly by as the city thinned to suburbs and then to an industrial area.
     She called Vermaak to assess his progress.
     "Wynand, how's it look?"
     "We're pushing back. Progress is slow but looks like we can get a bird in for Horner in about thirty minutes."
     "You hear that, Gavran?"
     "Yep, we'll be waiting to escort."
     She flew quickly over a large train depot and trainyard full of empty train cars. Something caught her eye. She turned around quickly—and immediately she wished she hadn't. A massive horde of infested sat waiting, stuffed in train cars and obscured by a train depot. They were just kilometers from the city. What is he waiting for?
     Marín hailed Valerian.
     "Valerian, this is Marín. We have a window in thirty minutes to get Horner out, but I've got eyes on a phalanx of infested hiding in a train depot outside the city. Radio Vermaak." She didn't want Vermaak to know she was out in her wraith, "I think a massive push is imminent."
     "Can we stop it?"
     "No, but I don't know why he hasn't attacked yet... He's just... waiting. Does he know Horner's there?"
     "I don't know. Possibly."
     "Even so, I think he would have flattened the place by now. I'm going fly in and investigate."
     "Wait, you're in play?"
     "Nice chat, Valerian. I'll see you at the debrief later." She cut the comm, not wanting what would inevitably have been a lecture.
     In the distance, Marín spotted a spire. Mutalisks stood by it, obviously on stand-by. An overlord lumbered into view; she gave it a wide berth. Everything was ready, but everything was waiting. What is he doing? It was then she saw it: a battlecruiser—or what was left of one—lurking in low orbit, flying just low enough to confuse the fleet's scanners. The charge on her wraith's cloaking device was low, but she thought she could make it in for a closer look. She burned towards the battlecruiser. Studying it, she could plainly see it was one of the old model UED battlecruisers, dark and brutal in its design. He's in there, she thought, watching.
     Marín's cloak began to break up. She flew higher into space and away from the infested battlecruiser and the UED fleet to seek shelter behind the Umojan line. Around her, a battle between the UED fleet and Augustin's forces raged. Marín was in no position to join in the fray. She cut her engines and drifted, taking cover in the debris of the fight and letting her cloak recharge. As she observed the skirmish, the UED fleet appeared so large that it almost blotted out the light of the Tarsonis system's star. Her ship turned, listing in space. Below her, she saw Stukov's battlecruiser begin to move away from the city and behind his line. As her cloak finished recharging, she fired up her engines and reengaged it, steering her ship back down and towards him. She opened her comm and turned the band to a universal frequency.
     "To anyone on this frequency, this is Adm. Marín of the Umojan fleet. I've found Stukov. I'm radioing rendezvous coordinates now. Anyone with air-to-air that can break off from the main battle—Republic, Moebius, or Umojan—please converge on those coordinates. We're going to end at least part of this conflict." There was a clamber of replies on the open channel. From what she could tell, around eight liberators—five Umojan, three from the Republic—that would be joining her. The Moebius fleet remained slient. Figures. They must only kowtow to Valerian. She changed her comm frequency to that of the Republic fleet.
     "Is Horner out?"
     "Transport just lifted off. He should be back on the Hyperion in five," the Bucephalus's comm officer said.
     "Good to hear."
     Below her as she passed the edge of the city, she saw the earth heave beneath her. To her horror, two massive utralisks—larger than any she had seen before and armored—burst from the ground.
     "What the fuck?" she inadvertently yelled into the comm.
     "Ma'am?" The comm officer replied, shaken.
     "Ultralisks inbound on the city. Our line..." she cut the comm and whipped her wraith around and flew towards the train depot. The infested were streaming out of it. A flock of mutalisks screamed by her, almost ramming her. She changed back to the universal comm frequency.
     "Infested, ultralisks, and air units are mobilizing. All ground troops be on alert! This is the real attack, everyone. Vermaak?"
     "We're moving out," Vermaak said hurriedly, forgetting to turn off his comm. In the background, she could hear him screaming orders to his marines in his husky voice.
     "Evac isn't finished. What should we do?" Capt. Gavran cut in.
     "You've done what you can! Get the hell out of there!"
     Marín sped up, gunning towards the rendezvous. Now that she had seen how powerful Stukov could potentially be, it was even more imperative that they put him down. Something still nagged at her. It seemed to her that he had waited until Horner was out and until the bulk of the civilians had been evacuated. His movements made no sense, she reasoned, unless he was consciously trying to avoid civilian casualties and was allowing Horner to escape. There may have still been some underlying loyalty left, or there may have been unforeseen variables in play. Despite that, taking him out was still a benefit. To Marín, letting him live was not an option.
     The squad of liberators joined her.
     "Aw yeah, let's kick that zerg motherfucker right in the cu-." a Republic captain began.
     "Uhhh, you realize that Admiral Marín is on this frequency..." one of the Umojan captains said, speaking over him.
     "Uh, nope. No, I did not. Sorry ma'am."
     "I've heard worse. Let's get to it." The liberators surged forward, swooping in to follow the infested battlecruiser, but Stukov saw them, and the battlecruiser began rising in the atmosphere to leave orbit. Running back to the fleet, Marín thought. One of the liberators came within firing range, but before it could get a bead on him, a tendril snaked out of the battlecruiser and lanced through both of the liberator's engines. The tendril flicked the liberator into space where it cartwheeled away from Tarsonis's gravity well. "Sit tight, Captain. I'm ordering you a medivac. Use your thrusters to stabilize your pitch..." Marín called in a medivac, and the remaining liberators, led by Marín, continued their pursuit of Stukov. "Get in close around him but stay out of range of those... tentacles. Head him off. We can't let him jump to FTL." Suddenly, the battlecruiser fell several thousand feet and flew right under them, burning some of the infestation off of its hull in the process. He rose again and veered away from the UED fleet. "Follow him!" Marín and the liberators gave chase. The liberators, quicker in atmospheric conditions, easily outpaced Stukov, who had still managed put the planet between him and the UED fleet. They stopped in front of him, turning to face him. Marín followed behind the battlecruiser, still cloaked but cutting off his escape.
     The battlecruiser came to a stop. For a breathless moment, the liberators stared him down. Slowly, the battlecruiser came about to face Marín's cloaked ship. She thought for a moment Stukov would make another run into the atmosphere, but his battlecruiser stayed stationery save the long zerg tentacles waving beneath it. What is he doing? Does he...
     "Time to give him what's coming to him... Permission to fire, Admiral?"
     "Negative, Capt. Baker."
     "What?" one of the Republic liberator captains broke in again, "The dude just pulled his pants down and showed us his ass. Let's lube him up and fuck 'em then put him to bed."
     "Vasiliy, goddamn it," one of the other Republic liberator pilots said quietly into the comm. Ignoring them, Marín dropped her cloak and nudged her thruster forward towards Stukov's battlecruiser. A din of shocked exclamations erupted over the comm, telling her not to get any closer.
     "He's been able to see me the whole time. Calm down." She changed her comm's band and broadcast a ship-to-ship automated call, introducing herself, her rank, and her command. Moments went by, and she received a message on the same frequency—but text only. The message read, "Urgent meeting requested. Meet in 3 hrs at the coordinates encrypted in this message. Come alone and unarmed." Stukov's ship began moving again, turning towards the liberators. Distortion, caused by the battlecruiser's FTL drive, made the space around it seem to bulge and bend.
     "He's firing up his FTL..." Capt. Baker said over the comm.
     "Get out of the way. Let him go."
     "What?" Vasiliy said incredulously.
     "You heard me." The liberators reluctantly moved away from the battlecruiser, and it jumped away to FTL.
     Augustin called Marín. "Adm. Marín. I was given word that you had cornered Stukov. Have you been able to neutralize him?"
     "No, sir... But I've made contact."
     "Contact?"
     "I'll explain later. We're done here."
     "Then for heaven's sake, get back to the Uhuru. We're overwhelmed as it is and we need to fall back."
     "Yes, sir."
Just what have I gotten myself into...
14 notes · View notes