Nex felt his heart drop into his stomach, and the acids of his stomach caused his heart to feel a great pain for her. A great anger came soon after, a great anger for whoever would hurt his love in such a way. If he was ever able to get his hands on that person.... He would tear him into pieces. He would not ask who performed such acts, his eyes filling with a great caring. He pulled her closely, so her head was rested within his chest, not wanting to let go at that point. "I'm so sorry to hear that..." It was all he could say, he did not know what else.

Wolfe enjoyed the pleasent parts of this conversation, but kept a serious note in his voice when they got to the planet. He sighed, knowing this question would come. "My friend's beloved ship parts.... And My friend's beloved..." he paused at that, referring to Cara, "Cara, as you know, is a native of this planet, Nex is an old friend of mine, I'm not one to leave a friend behind. Us Mavericks, we are like brothers. We refuse to leave each other behind, that is just the way we are.' he nodded, "As for my own personal reasons.... There are none. Eventually, if you ahve seen as much planets fall as I have.... If you keep on caring, it distracts you from your true purpose." He said honestly, knowing that probably didn't sound good.

Cara simply shook her head. She felt no self pity at this point, it happened to many women on her planet, it was actually rather common. If anything, it fueled more hatred towards the space pirates on her behalf. At that point bad memories had already flooded her mind, and she was left trying to block them out, being pulled closer to Nex helped greatly with her effort. She actually chuckled rather grimly at his apology. "Thank you for your sympathy... I'm sorry for bringing up such a subject... I just felt it needed to be said." she said truthfully, before turning her gaze to the stars, hoping to change the subject. "The sky is beautiful tonight.."

Vienna listened, intrigued. The end comment, of course, did not sound good. However, she figured she might feel the same if she was put into his situation. After all, he had no deep, personal connection to this planet.. and, why should he? "You must be a good friend." she stated simply, grinning before walking a few steps away to get a drink form a pitcher.

Nex realized now that it must have not effected her as bad as Nex might have thought, it effected her at the time, but she seemed to have come to terms with it now. However, that did not mean Nex would stop being close to her, his arms still tightly around her. "Don't apologize...." was all he said before moving onto the next subject. He looked to the sky as she mentioned it, agreeing, it was a night full of stars with a sunset. just leaving their eyes. He nodded, just laying there with her on the cool grass and saying nothing there, his eyes locked with hers.

Wolfe gave her a grim smile and shook his head, "i'm only as good a friend as everyone else here. I am nothing special, I just own the ship." He said, feeling the awkwardness of conversation pop up again, Yu passing by with a beverage, his eyes only drifting to the woman for a moment. Not to look at her in a perverted way, but just to see her level of strength, see if she had a confidence about her. She seemed clouded with doubt, but that was only because of the conversation with Wolfe. Yu decided it was best to end this unusual conversation. "Ah.... Lady Vienna I presume.... I see you are getting aquainted with Wolfe, I am sure you have heard his hot air to an unusually high level considering how long you have talked to each other.' he said jokingly. The old man hand kindness in his voice, although he was not among the beautiful males here with his long beard and his wrinkled skin, his strength was evident, he could meet any warrior here and give them a good contest. Wolfe groaned, the old man did not need to get involved in this one, however, he did break the silence.

Cara's eyes only stayed on the sky momentarily, before locking with Nex's. As always, she felt a bit lost in his eyes, just laying there, in his arms, looking at him. A smile slowly spread to her face, which was almost a surprise to her after the earlier subject. However... that was just the way he made her feel... happy. Cara snuggled a bit closer to him, resting her haad oh his chest as she continued to look up at him.

Vienna shook her head in disagreement. "Everyone here.. just for coming, is something special in itself.." she said softly, not bothering to explain her comment. It was true, coming to save a planet, being a planet that isn't their own, was special. Even if it was just for a friend. she then turned to pour her drink, then turning, cup in hand, to face Yu, who had just then spoken. She laughed softly, her eyes going up to meet Wolfe's as she responded. "Why yes, I am acquainted with him, though not well, and I fear I have already ruined his night, as getting rid of any chance he had of 'scoring'." she said, a bit teasingly, talking to Yu as though Wolfe wasn't there, but keeping her eyes on him as she took a sip of her drink.

Nex smiled and kept his arms around her as the two of them laid on the grass. He smiled, nuzzling the top of her head and keeping his arms around her. He kept his eyes down at her, as he was lost in her eyes as well. Everything around them was quiet, not even the forest seemed to stir at this time at night. Nex gently placed his lips to her lips shortly after, keeping them there as he lovingly and slowly kissed her.


[wha....? Sylus? Yu came up XD.... Not Sylus *hugs*]

[arghh.. oops, sorry. >.< im really out of it today.. i fixed it! but all i really did was edited the name. ^^;;]

Cara smiled into the kiss, enjoying just laying there in the grass with him, the kiss just adding more enjoyment to it for her. She returned the kiss, gently and lovingly as he had kissed her, one of her hands coming to gently rest on one of his cheeks as they kissed. She couldn't help but notice how quiet everything was... even the sounds of the large group they left in the town was silenced form the grassy hill they lay on.

Sylus, in his covert ways, sped through the town with nothing blocking him. He was able to see every corner of this town, he knew the layout as of now, and he had found the location of the two that had wandered off, seeing them holding each other in the grass. It would be rude and awkward to watch, so he simply walked off, keeping himself hidden through the entire thing. It was as though he was scouting, as though he could not even rest in a time of celebration. He found himself back at the party, seeing that Yu had joined into the conversation. He leaned against the wall, sliding down and deciding that it was best to relax at this point, after all, he needed the rest. He reached outward for a beverage, something that he normally did not drink due to him being constantly alert. Alcohol. It was a small bottle of it, and it was availble upon request at the party. He could see that Wolfe was slightly buzzed. Sylus, being a lightweight, would not be far behind.

As Nex pulled away from the kiss, he rested there alongside his lover, his eyes still on her as the two rested in the grass. He whispered sweetly into her ear, saying how much he loved her every once and a while, saying how much she meant to him, and saying all of the other things in the world that come from the heart. By now, she would most likely be blushing.

Wolfe nodded, glad that she undersodd his situation, but felt that it would not help the conversation by pushing it any more. He turned to the left for a moment, reaching out for another drink from the cooler, seeing the old man had joined their conversation. Wolfe groaned, feeling as though he wanted to be anywhere but here at this point. Her response only caused him to groan further, giving another platform for which the old man to jump upon and kick him to the ground. But to Wolfe's suprise, Cheng Yu did not do that. He simply laughed warmly and spoke yet again, "Judging by the way your meeting has been buzzing about the group, that option died before it even began. But something also tells me he had never intended that in the first place." Yu never believed in scoring, and the sheer thought sickened him. This is one of the reasons that Yu did not always enjoy his company with Wolfe, however, now would be the only time he felt he could get to know the reason as to why Wolfe did this things with a female version of himself standing right in front of him. "So, have you enjoyed your company with our group today miss?" He said, turning to see Sylus in a partially buzzed state.

Jarek frowned a bit as he sipped his water. This had not gone right. When he had called Cara's dad, he asked for a few friends, not 30 fighter-owning, battle-ready men and women! He growled a bit, throwing his empty cup on the ground. His gaze went over to the group before him, the Mavericks and the newcomers to the group, a slow smile spreading onto his face. "How naive of them. After the little stunt I pulled earlier, no one would suspect-" he was cut off by a man creepy up behind him, jumping. "Xander! Don't... do that." he said, shivering a bit as the other man laughed. He couldn't help but notice a creepy edge to it. Had he heard him? Xander had heard Jarek talking, and was not about to let it slip. He'd act as if he hadn't heard a thing for now, though. However, he wanted to know what he was up to, and he was sure that he wouldn't want to cause a scene a the party. "Hey, Jarek, let's go for a walk."

Cara smiled as the two rested there, a small blush occasionally rising to her face as her lover spoke sweet things into her ear. She turned her head a little again, gently laying kisses along the side of Nex's face as they lay there, her eyes still locked on him, rather than the peaceful night sky as they had been.

A scream came up from one of the nearby houses, one by the edge of the forrest, a lone woman running into the group. Her body was shaking, and she had obviously seen something that had not been the pleasantest. Vienna was about to reply, when she heard this, and being nearby, she ran over to the woman, firmly wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her out of the group to talk. "What did you see, ma'am?" Shaking, the woman pointed over to some trees, her eyes on the group still as she spoke softly to her. "That man.. he.. the one that made the second shield come up..." Via nodded slowly, motioning for her to go on. "He took the other man back behind the trees.. He gave him to the space pirates for a reward." This made Vienna's brow furrow. "Xander." she said softly, turning to Wolfe, alarmed. "Where did Cara and Nex go?" she asked, the smile she previously had on her face obliterated.

Alarmed by the sound of a distant scream, Cara sat up rather quickly, looking around. Of course, they couldn't see the village from here, but she knew something was up. "Nex, let's go.." she said softly, gently grabbing his hand.

Sylus was right behind Vienna as the woman screamed, Wolfe turning toward her as well as the entire group of Mavericks ended their merrymaking. Sylus said nothing, he only wanted to hear the location and what was going on, then he was off. Sylus used his incredible strength to jump over the massive crowd, landing on the roof of one of the sturdier houses, repeating the jump again, he flew in the direction of the trees, hoping he would catch a glimpse of the supposed trade off. But Sylus was always thinking of an alternate reality, he wondered, was the whole thing just another trap.

Nex heard the scream as well, ruining their perfect moment together. For a moment, he wanted to scream, but now realized that someone was in trouble and needed them. He followd her along, back to the main village

"Alright men! This has turned into a rescue operation, we will send a small group to the north of this area to tear through the trees. Keep your eyes open, this could be a dangerous situation." Cheng Yu barked out orders, just as Nex was popping up. "Ah, you picked a good time to join the group, I want you to lead one group to the north, take Cara with you... Wolfe, you lead the next group, take whoever you feel is needed. Sylus has taken the opportunity to be pointman, if you see him, keep an eye on him.... He is one of our powerhouses, however, he is very reckless..." Yu sighed after that, not know what else to say. Wolfe called out for people, "All those who want to come with me, come with me, the rest of you can go with Nex, come on!" He said, walking with a small group of men following him along.

Cara's father split up his group as well, a portion leaving with Wolfe, some staying behind to keep their ships watched over, some going to join Nex's group. Her father himself was staying with the ships, figuring they would needed to be looked after well, they were rather pricey material for this planet. Before completely turning to back to the ships, he spotted Cara, still in a state of confusion, and his heart went out to her. Xander meant a lot to her, and she would be shattered if he was killed.

Cara was highly confused as everything seemed to turn into.. well, a search and... find something mission. This was the point where Vienna found Cara, running to her cousin, and gently rubbing her back. "He'll be fine." "Who will be fine?" Via sighed, leaning in close to Cara. "Jarek sold Xander off to the space pirates." Cara's body froze over for a split second, and she found found her world spinning yet again. "They'll kill him." she stated plainly, to no one in particular. Cara found her knees wobbly, vision a bit blurry, as she joined Nex again, her cousin, Vienna, not leaving her side as she did so. Cara walked along with the group into the forrest, no real emotion on her face, aside form her betraying eyes, watering, though not quite crying. she would have to make herself get over the possibility that he was more than likely dead, as he had betrayed the pirates on more than one occasion.

Jarek smiled to himself as he walked back to the town, looking around, seeing that no one was there, aside from Yu and a few that were left behind. "Uhh..?" He looked around, acting confused. Had they already caught wind of it? Should he be running? Cara's father answered that question for him, greeting him with a look of disapproval. Oh.. shit.

Xander was knocked out cold at tis point, and slung over the should of an old colleague of his. One that Cara would surely recognize.

Nex knew that they shouldn't have trusted Jerek, it was just too late before he could react to it. He cursed himself, allowing his trust to get the best of him, but just as about he was going to leave....

All of the remaining eyes went to Jerek, Nex about to leave, but Jerek now blocking the entrance. Yu eyed him, knowing that these would be his final moments on this earth, he simply exhaled and spoke up. "Behind you...." It was Sylus, his arms crossed and his spikes just inches away from the back of his head, if he would turn around Sylus would attempt to grab him by the neck and lift him into the air. "Tell me, were the pennies worth your life? Tell me where the ex-pirate is, and I'll make your death swift... But I promise you will not survive.... You are beyond redemption slime."He was blunt with his words, and his threat was obvious. An offer for a quick death, or torture at the hands of Sylus.

Wolfe at this moment was searching the forest, wondering where Xander went, he could not allow this man to be captured by space pirates, it would not bode for them, and Cara would be crushed. Very well, I will do this for the sake of Cara if I must. His group moved through the forest, unable to find their target... But they were close, very close.

Jarek, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this one, simply laughed. "Ah, yes, you have me there, porcupine." he said, looking to Sylus. "However.. I'm afraid your little search parties will be too late. Xander is done for. He's been a walking dead man for far too long... One little call to a friend of mine.." his voice faded out, Cara's father raising his gun. This is where things got out of order. Cara's father's gun turned to be pointed at Sylus, the leftovers of his group that didn't go into the forrest, raised their weapons to the Mavericks. Nearby fighter ships rose, surrounding the area, clearly ready to shoot if things got ugly.

Cara stopped as Nex had before the group left, turning to see the following scene, a mixture of anger and horror in her eyes. Her gaze went to her father, his gun still aimed at Sylus. His face softened as his eyes met Cara's. "Sweetie, we didn't come to help our planet, it is doomed, you know that. We juts came to get you.." Cara shook her head in disbelief, looking at Sylus. "Cara... I've been meaning to tell you. you cannot trust this man.. he destroyed earth, he was planning the same here. He's the colonel who killed your mother." She really shook her head at that one, scenes from her younger years coming into her memory. She knew the face of her mother's killer, and even if she hadn't had that knowledge, someone who cradled a crying child could never be such a sadist It was clear to her who were the 'bad guys' in this scenario. She slipped the small gun she carried out of her bag, pointing it at her father. "That's a load of bullshit, dad."

Soon Wolfe's group would start hearing voices, men talking. A great many of them actually, around 30 or so going through the forrest, following after a rather tiny man riding a rather large creature, resembling something of a bird. Slung over the man's creature would be a rather revolting sight, heads of his enemies tied to the saddle he was riding upon. The first two men following after him would be the largest of the whole group, carrying a long, somewhat narrow bag, blood smeared along part of the outside.

Sylus gave Jerek a toothy smile, two spikes seen jutting out of the top of his teeth, and two coming out of the bottom, "Bold things coming from a coward of a man facing a long dirt nap!" he said with his confident and gruff voice, but something was amiss, the clicks of guns could be heard as what remained of the Mavericks pointed their guns out, Nex had his plasma rifle arm out, pointing it in a direction he did not want it to be pointed. Toward the man who said the words not too long ago.... take care of her. It was breaking him apart inside, he had to say something. Sylus broke him off, the gruffness in his voice suddenly off, knowing that this situation did not call for interrigation, it called for negotiation. He held Jerek as a shield and began to reason with the man, "By doing this you are dooming your planet to a thousand lifetimes of pain and suffering, you will be no more than slaves to the pirate trade.... You will become nothing. Do you really want the legacy of your people to end in self destruction!? Think of it for a moment...." Nex now had to talk, his armgun to the side, he was within shooting distance of Cara's father, he spoke with compassion. "What happened.... You told me to take care of her, you were willing to fight alongside us, and I had felt as though there had been something established there, a connection... I don't want it to end it this way.... Please..." Nex spoke, turning to his own love to see that she had her gun out, "This will end out good for nobody.... If we fight together, we can all lead somewhat normal lives, and your people can live free, don't you want that for your people. Don't you want that for Cara...?" Nex was playing on a strong emotional card, Sylus's eyes scanned the group, finding the woman from earlier in the group as well, if there was any possible situation where she did not have to be another one of the many dead, he would take that chance.

Wolfe heard them, and yet again they had felt themselves completely outnumbered. Wolfe may not be the master of battle, but if there is one thing on field combat he knew, it was guerrilla warfare. He looked to his men, making signals to them in heading for the bushes, spying for the moment just to see what the space pirates would do. They watched, waited, and were like hunters in the brush, the pirates being their prey... That is.... If they knew exactly where they were, but if they had found them, indeed someone would get the jump. Wolfe just hoped that they would not get spotted first.

Cara and her father's gaze was still locked. He seemingly ignored the Mavericks' words, all except Nex's. "Ohh, yes. 'Take care of her.' Well you seemed to have interpreted that wrong, young man." he said gruffly, sliding out another gun, this one pointed at Cara. She was not surprised by this, but the people who had been in his group were. They looked between him and Cara, not sure who to believe. Some dropped their guns, Vienna being one of them. She cautiously walked over to Cara, her gun now aimed at her father as well. Laughter erupted from the man, and Cara stared in disgust, eyes narrowing at him. "Cara, do you remember who killed your dear mommy? Perhaps a man who slaughtered most of your village?" he asked, his skin shifting as he spoke. Her eyes widened as the man before her changed completely, a sort of mutated figure standing there. Parts of his skin fell off, reptilian scales coming up beneath it, his face had been completely rearranged; eyes smaller, face narrower, no lips visible. Anger flooded Cara, something no one besides a few select few that had come with this man to meet the Mavericks. Vienna being one of them, her hands shaking, gun dropping to the ground. "Who are you?" she demanded, knowing full well who he was, but meaning for his name. "Your father." she shook her head at this, taking a slow step closer. He sighed, then smiled feigning sweetness. "Cara, I don't blame you. I disappeared when you were small, got genetic enhancements thanks to a few friends of mine working at a nearby AIP lab, and, well... let's just say your mother found out." Cara knew the rest of this story, tears coming to her eyes. Everyone that had formerly been in a group with this man raised their guns, all pointed at him, only causing him more laughter. "Well.. we'll be leaving now. Jarek?" Jarek nodded, and at that a fighter swept right above the large group, Cara's father swiftly leaping up to meet it, grabbing Jarek's shirt collar as he did so. Cara would not have this. As they dipped to get Jarek, only about 6 feet off the ground, Cara jumped, yanking Jarek's ankle, successfully pulling him off of the ship, and before she really realized what she was doing, she had her sword in his throat, and was standing there, staring down and panting heavily.

Xander started to stir, finding himself in a rather uncomfortable bag. A body bag? He growled at the thoughts of his foolishness, not killing Jarek while he had the chance. He ever so slowly unzipped part of the bag, just enough so he could see out.

The space pirate soldiers walked unknowingly right past the group of Mavericks and their assistance.

As Sylus slipped away from him he reached a desperate and powerful jump into the air, unable to catch up to them he found himself landing just short as the fighter escaped his grasp, he landed a few feet in front of Vienna, his knees nearly buckling at the pressure of the massive jump. He turned, seeing that Jerek had not gotten away with his life, he at least accomplished one thing today. Only through Cara however. He looked up at the two of them, knowing this must have been hard, But for Vienna..... This must have been hell, the life she had once known left her right in front of her, and all though it appeared that he was bowing to her with his recovery time, he lifted his head and said words that seemed a bit out of character for this person. "I'm.... Sorry I was unable to get him..." He pulled himself halfway up, still bent over to regain his strength, "And I am sorry that you have basically lost your life... I don't know how much it means, but if you feel there is nobody else to turn to, you may speak to me," The Mavericks still encircled the remaining individuals which the reptile left behind, wondering if they would surrender. If they could do anything they would try and avoid a firefight.

Nex looked upon the now dead figure that was Jerek, knowing this must have been a terrible moment for her. It was a moment which he felt what could have happened fall apart, but he could not imagine what it would be like for Cara. He put a hand on her shoulder, using it to pull her up off of Jerek slowly, keeping his hand there. "I'm so sorry it had to come to this..." was all he said, not knowing what to do for Vienna. He wondered if she would fall apart or hold himself. Either way Sylus seemed to be there for her.

Wolfe took his chance, the pirates were sitting ducks. The hooting and hollaring of the space pirates would echo across the forest, a close quarters ambush taking the pirate's by storm, Wolfe being at the front of it and cutting through as many as he could before he spotted the bodybag. "Charge!" The Mavericks sounded like animals as they went for the man holding the bag, they had finally found their target, and one shot had yet to be fired.

Pyrus felt the winds change as more ships took to the sky, he was surrounded by troops at the IAP, and his eyes caught hold of what he had been waiting for a long time, he laughed, crossing his metallic arms, but frowning as he was able to see it come closer. Jerek was nowhere to be seen, and Jerek was the reason for all of their victories today. The commander was standing just to the left of him, he was silent, and his eyes followed the ship with no emotion. He still had his mask on, awaiting where it would decide to land.

Vienna let out a soft sigh. She kept herself together, she hadn't lost much as Sylus seemed to think. She found it odd and somehow out of character of him to apologize and offer such a thing, but found herself grinning at the man. "Do not apologize. He was nothing more to me than an uncle and well, I suppose we could call him a small fleet commander.. what we call a fleet." as this she grimly chuckled, then grinned again. "We'll hold up. She took the emotional blow, if you really need to know." she said softly, glancing at Cara before going to her comrades, now surrounded by the Mavericks. "Our so called fleet commander... maybe relative to some, or friend to others.. was a sadistic bastard who destroyed Cara and myself's village.. and I'm sure many of yours.. more than once. That man, there" she said, pointing out Sylus. "Is not the enemy. As Cara and I have made it clear, our former 'leader' was.. now I question you. What will you do?" Slowly, the sound of weapons falling to teh ground would be heard as the entirety of the group dropped their weapons, now understanding what had just happened. Vienna then looked to the Mavericks surrounding them, expecting them to get rid of the threat posed to her comrades by their weapons.

Cara's thoughts consumed her, and she stayed silent during this. She had found out a lot in that short time. The reason for her father's disappearance was his desire for enhancement, the reason for her mother's death was her finding out, this man.. her father had led countless raids upon villages. He was a sadist, and the only close relative she had left. This angered her more than anything, and made her wish to be alone rather than in a group. She gently patted the hand Nex had placed on her should and grinned up at him in a silent sign of thanks before walking to the edge of the forrest. Cara made sure not to go in too far, as soon as she was concealed by trees she stopped, tears overflowing her eyes.

Xander had already made an escape plan; roll, shoot a few, run. It had sounded good to him. 3... 2... 1! At that he rolled himself along with the bag out of the men holding him's hands and onto the ground, popping out of the bag. He slipped his guns out of the back of his shirt, where he found himself hiding them quite often nowadays, and soon got himself into fending off three men; the two that were holding him and the one on the bird-like creature.

He stared in surprise, both hearing and seeing the Maverick coming, which was a shock to him. Why were they here? Had something happened back in town?

The ship landed but yards away from Pyrus and the commander, the rather stern looking reptilian man hopped out of it as it did so. He casually walked up to the commander, and the other man which he did not know. His head bowed the tiniest bit in respect towards the commander as he spoke. "Jarek was killed, sir. The Maverick group made sure of that... more specifically my daughter."

Sylus said nothing more on the subject, lifting himself into a standing position before taking a quick glance at Cara, Nex had it all covered as it seemed, she did not need his help. But as she walked off, Sylus was about to protest to this, knowing it would not be safe. He then realized that she needed this time alone, Nex realized this as well, his expression anything but happy as he stood there alone, following her along half way just so he could hear her.... Just in case anything happened. Sylus turned his attention back to Vienna, watching her as she showed her strength in this situation. Sylus's respect grew for the woman, he smiled a bit, not knowing much of what to do at this point. So he did the only thing that came to him, he walked away, to an area where he could be alone and none of the world would follow him, just as things would be. The Mavericks saw that Vienna had indeed coaxed them into dropping their arms, they understood what it was like to lose a world, lose everything they loved. The Mavericks lived that way, the reason they fought was because they had lost something important. Nex had lost his father and brother, Wolfe had lost his entire family, and many of the others here had similar stories which would break the heart of everyone who hadnot experienced anything like this before. The Mavericks would not lock them away, the would accept them with open arms and compassion, placing their weapons to the side and walking up to tend to their needs. Whether it be emotional or physical, they would be there to help them. Yu blankly stared into this, he couldn't help but wonder something to himself, If this man had done these things to them, what is their motives for working with him? He would not ask this question out loud.

The hooting and hollaring of Wolfe's group echoed through the forest, anyone who was near them would more than likely confuse it with a group of hunting animals. Wolfe was the first one to charge up, he had to get close to Xander, and he did, but in the process found himself in the same desperate situation while the other pirates surrounded the two. He was back to back with Xander, and he simply said one thing. Without fear, without any sense of doubt, wolfe showed the defining quality which made him an animal in battle, "This is gonna be fun..." he said, unloading the bulk of his current cartridge into anything he could see. The others were trying their best to cut through the pirates, no longer sounding like animals while doing this.

The commander kept his eyes on him as he landed, following him up the entire way, as he came up to deliver the bad news, he frowned from behind his steel mask. He was obviously in a bad mood with what had already gone on today, but now that they had gotten their hands on someone who truly knew the land, they had all the opportunities they needed. He responded simply, "I see, its a shame that the man didn't make it this far, we could have used his connections." Pyrus spoke up, "It is not connections which win battle anyway, he had exhausted his usefulness as soon as he called upon his 'friends'. By the way, where is that group of people you flew in with? They seem to be eagerly surrendering according to our reports." The Commander spoke up yet again, "Pyrus, it is not wise to agitate our honored guest. He is a military man, not a man of diplomatic stature, I seem to remember your allies doing the same thing when you went on a mass recruiting spree through the Nexus." Pyrus laughed, "Aye! And they all died for their foolishness." He smiled at the lizard man, "Something tells me that you and I shall have fun in this oncomming battle!" The Commander filled in the detiails. "You, Pyrus, and 40 men supported by 3 armor units shall march forth. That is our plans, we cannot allow them to reach the snowy landscapes of this planet. Is that acceptable to you?"

Cara stayed there for only around 10 minutes at most before coming back, it had not taken long for her get out whatever emotional excess she had needed to. Coming back, she did not approach anyone, her mind was still someplace else. However, Vienna did approach her once the Mavericks lowered their weapons, the tension between the two groups seemingly gone. They made short conversation, avoiding the earlier subject, Vienna mentioning she had met Wolfe, which Cara found hilarious, a smile finally coming back to her, as well as short laughter. Vienna then continued to explain what had happened during their encounter, to which Cara found herself laughing further. "So, what now? You and your twin gonna go shopping together?" "I wouldn't be talking, 'Little Mrs. Cyborg'." To this, Cara blushed. "'Little'?! I'm three months older than you! And.." her blush just deepened, her eyes trailing off somewhere else. "What? Aren't you and space boy lovers?" Cara nodded, but with some hesitation, which Vienna seemed to pick up. "You aren't hitched?" Cara shook her head. Vienna then sighed, looking at her cousin. "Your mom wouldn't approve." "My mom's dead, Via." The conversation then ended, the two getting quiet until Vienna started giggling again, the teasing then restarting.

After this, Vienna traveled back over to where she had been previously, near the larger group. She saw the man from earlier which she had started conversation with, Yu, and made her way over to him. "You looked a bit confused." she stated, noting his blank stare.

Xander was still a bit oblivious to the reason why Wolfe and his group were here, but he laughed as the two went back to back. "Yes.. I suppose it will be." At that, he started shooting at the pirates, focusing on the larger groups, trying to 'kill two birds with one stone'. However, in this case, it was usually more than two, and they weren't birds, they were much stupider, space pirates.

Nex was worried, his eyes following her along as she came back, seeing that she had at least had some time to release some of her emotional pressure. Nex saw her smile, then laugh, and just seeing that improved his mood greatly. He smiled, walking a bit closer to hear what they were taking about. Cyborg? Have you gotten a good look at Wolfe? Have you seen the majority of people here? That was the thing about Nex, he was sensative about his mechanical parts, he said nothing of it, but on the inside he knew that wherever Cara went, as long as it was with him they would be judged. He knew that wouldn't matter to her with her heart, yet he felt a bit bad for it. He would say nothing of it, simply waiting at a distance for her to come over to him.

Cheng Yu began to walk away, but found himself stopped all of a sudden by Vienna. He looked at her for a moment, contemplating exactly how to speak of this. He did not want to offend, however, he had to be blunt. "Your people seem lost, with no true leader. This many powerful people seeking guidence is not a safe thing. What caused them to be in such spirits?"

As Wolfe cleared the last of what was left, he stepped on the body of a space pirate and rolled him over, looking at his face. "Hmmmm...." It was not human, it had scales, it was evident that the space pirates had extended their reach even further than he thought. "We better return to town... Fast, we have no idea what might happen while we are gone." He trodded over the dead bodies, his group of Mavericks following along, some of them already back to town.

Cara was still a bit on the iffy side emotionally wise, obvious when Vienna left. Her smiled faded quite a bit, and she longed for someone whom she couldn't see at the moment.. She scanned the crowd, frowning, then turned, looking around her, Nex catching her eye. She felt a tad stupid for not seeing him there earlier, she had instead been looking for him among the crowd. For a moment she waited to see if he would approach her, but seeing as he didn't, Cara walked over to him, one of her hands gently grabbing his. "Hi." she said softly, not quite sure what to say at the moment. The comment from Vienna earlier, 'mom wouldn't approve', had gotten to her a bit but she would say nothing of it. She instead looked up at Nex, who seemed to look a bit bothered. "Is something wrong..?" she asked, a bit hesitantly.

Vienna sighed. She had expected something of the sort, but she couldn't help but feel a bit offended. "I.. I fear I do not fully understand your question." 'What caused them to be in such spirits?' In her mind, this could mean a multitude of things. Why had they come here? Why are they so lost? Why were they following under him? She hoped he could clear that up for her before she attempted to answer, however, after his earlier comment, she was not sure she would want to.

Xander let out a deep breath, slipping his guns into his pockets, before nodding in agreement and following the Mavericks back to town. On the way, however, he decided to try and get an answer to the question he had been pondering, hoping to clear his confusion. He turned to Wolfe to answer this for him. "Why did your group come?"

The man frowned a bit as he was questioned about the whereabouts of his group. "Jarek caused quite the scene in the town the Mavericks were staying in, the fools I flew in with got caught up in the confusion and ended up siding with the Mavericks." At Pyrus next enthusiastic comment, he smiled, revealing something not very lizard like, pointy teeth. "Indeed we shall.. That is more than acceptable, sir." his skin started shifting back to its original form, as he decided it would be best to save his 'enhanced' form for battle.

Nex didn't want to bother her with any more, he shook his head, "I'm not bothered, I'm just worried," He said, finding a good excuse so there would be no need to delve any deeper. He felt her hand grab hold of his own, smiling a bit shortly after. He moved in closer to her, putting her arms around her comfortingly, he thought she would just need someone there, letting her know that she was never alone in this. He had nothing more to say.

Yu knew that she obviously didn't understand, he sighed, speaking again. "I mean not to offend, but it is rather obvious. Your people lack a direction, they followed a leader that seemed to be right. Unless your people lack the insight to see that following a man like Jerek and that lizard was a wrong direction, there must have been something deeper to cause this. I lack a degree in psychology, but you.... You have lived so long with them and seem to have a natural quality of leadership about them. Why did they continue to work for those two?" He was blunt, not meaning to anger her, but he had to be brutally honest to her. Her people had made a mistake, it was time to come to terms with it before Cheng Yu would fully trust them in their group. He was not about to make the same mistake twice.

Wolfe felt as though he had been asked this question 1000 times from the group that had come here previously. He sighed, "Jesus, you people are just full of questions aren't you?" He said jokingly, but then proceeded to answer the question. "Well, if you must know.... We are only here because of Nex. Nex was the man who pushed this journey along. He told us that it didn't feel right to leave these people behind, and he had also left his ship behind in the process. If we are able to get our hands on his ship and save all of these people, our mission will be complete." He said simply, waiting for his response as the passed through the town gates. His eyes catching hold of the familiar Vienna as he walked here. She seemed bothered, something had happened when he had left, he wanted answers. But he could wait.

The commander eyed the lizard-man for a moment, a sign of distaste in his next voice. "Your men are basically more rienforcement for the Mavericks, it was a mistake to bring men with no loyalty with you.... This is going to be harder than we thought..." He sighed, turning to another of his elite troop, he walked up, looking at the man. "Zhao, I want you to scout ahead on this mission. Your stealth abilities will help us greatly on this mission..." The man referred to as Zhao had a similar suit, but as he was adressed he reached up and clicked the back of his helmet, revealing his face. He had a thin, pointed beard and mustache, his eyes were somewhat thinned, and his eyes spoke of a great experience despite him appearing to be only in his 30s. He was obviously of Asian decent, "I'll get right to it..." he said simply, walking away from the group shortly after. Pyrus looked upon his human form, seeing less strength in it. Although he was human himself, most of it at this point was entirely metal. Rumors have it that even his heart was metal, which was convenient with his lust for death. "I shall greet the enemy myself! Feel free to join me!" He walked off in the same direction as Zhao, the commander saying nothing, as he felt that there was nothing else to say.

[this was quick, so sorry for shortness >.<]

Cara looked up at Nex a moment or so after his response, not quite buying it, but then just let out a soft sigh at the feeling of his arms around her. It seemed that he wasn't in teh mood to talk, which was more than alright with her. She returned the embace, gently resting ehr head against his chest as she did so, just closing her eyes for a moment or so to relax. she heard footsteps and mild conversation as Wolfe's group returned, openening her eys to find them, count to make sure there were no casualties, then noted an extra number, which brought a soft smile to her face. Xander was back.

Vienna was indeed a bit hurt in his lack of confidence, then again she could see where his point was. "They.." She wasn't sure how to reply, and was at a bit of a loss of words, still not quite sure how to answer though she did understand his question. "Some of 'my people', as you have called them, have followed, looked up to, and known those men for their whole lives. Maybe not Jarek, I know I've never been too fond of him, but Cara's father.. my uncle. He was once considered a great man, though that image seemed to have just been teh naiievety of th group." she said softly, letting out a soft sigh as she spoke of her own blindness to this. "I suppose after spending quite some time, loyalty toward that man had been built by the entirety of the group, as opposed to the Mavericks. However, I believe once the confusion has been cleared and what they sdon't understand is... well, understandable to them... They will regroup and.." her voice broke off, confusion covering her own face. "Some may stay to help... otehrs may leave. The group that stays will most likely decide on a new 'leader', and try to assist the Mavericks if.." she hten looked to Yu, now serious. "If you can accept our help once again."

Xander could not help but chuckle at this. "I know ell teh intentions of Nexion and Cara, I was an owner of one of his precious ship parts not too long ago. That was not the way my question was meant.. I do not question teh Mavericks' presence on this planet, merely the reason for this small particular group to be attacking the force of space pirates back there." He was rather oblivious, he did not see himself of much importance to this group, so it would not be likely to him that it was a rescue mission per say, but something else.

The lizard man stayed silent, the commander was true, but even if he wasn't, he wouldn't desire to argue with this man. He simply nodded at Pyrus' sort of invitation to follow along, and did so, jogging to catch up with teh two of them.

Nex knew that Wolfe would not fail in his mission to get Xander, and as he turned to see them return, he could not help but smile along with Cara, his arms still around her as Wolfe began to explain things. Wolfe thought the answer to this question was obvious, but if elaboration was needed, Wolfe was the only one who could give it. "Well, if you really think you need to hear the obvious. We followed those space pirates along to rescue you. After all, you are Cara's friend, and losing you wasn't really an option in any of our books." He paused, deciding to add a little note, "And just to let you know, you are among people who have been in the same situation as you. Most of these people are ex-space pirates, even I was once a pirate a long time ago. But things changed, and I realized what I was doing was wrong... And escaped to the Mavericks," He spoke his own story to him, adding one final thing before allowing him to respond, "So consider yourself a brother Xander, and one thing about the Mavericks are is we don't leave brothers..." He looked to Cara for a moment, "Or sisters behind..."

Cheng Yu thought long and hard on this subject, it was a difficult situation, and the old man felt the gears in his mind turning as he contemplated all of the options. Needless to say, the old man let his heart get the better of him. "You.... Your people are a very proud lot, it would be a shame to let their aid slip away. I will give you and your friends a few options. One, you may choose to seek refuge in our starship until the heat of the battle is over and they can safetly return to their planet. Two, they can leave freely and wander the planet as they wish, and if this means returning to their former leader, so be it. Or three, they can choose to help us in our fight. Bring the case to them yourself, something tells me you will be able to tell it better than I can." He attempted to be as kind as he could with his words, giving them whatever they wanted. Sylus almost thought the old man to be a fool, but indeed the old man had not lost his heart with age. He thought that Yu would make a terrible military adviser. He kept his eyes on the people still, being sure that none of them had any plans yet.

Xander only raised his eyebrows, surprised, staying quiet. Cara's friend? Of what importance is that to him? I mean, of course I'm his best friend's lover's friend, but.. He let out a soft sigh, then grinned. He had forgotten how differnt teh Mavericks were from the pirates, and chances were, it would take him a long while to get used to. Xander then thought for a moment, looking arouind the group. Something was different.. the happiness was seemingly gone from the atmosphere, something seemed to have happened since they'd left. But he'd ask later.

Cara hadn't been listening to the entirety of Wolfe and Xander's conversation,but she did catch the end bit. Sister? Her facial espression turned into that of confusion, turning to think about his words. I suppose I am part of the 'Maverick group'.. and I am with his best friend... That may be all ther is to the meaning of that word, though. The confusion cleared from her face, she lifted her head again, looking to Wolfe. If his gaze hadn't moved away too much, she would send him a grin, almost as a sign of thanks.

Vienna listened closely to Yu, nodding a bit at teh first part, their pride. The didn't have as much as they used to, most likelydue to the state of their planet and the betrayal of their 'leader'. When she was done, she smiled warmly at the man before replying. "Thank you. I will see to it that they hear their options." She then nodded before walking away, going ot speak with the group she arrived with. Vienna explained their options, though with a harsher edge, making it clear that all those with allegiance to their former 'leader', or those not wanting to fight were to leave immdeiately. The select few in those categories took the tone of her voice and left quickly. This left a good 20 in their group, which Via found not so surprising.

Wolfe was a bit more impatient than Xander, walking into the mass of people who were either leaving or slightly confused as to what to do. He finally was able to get to Cara and Nex, seeing her smile, he returned the smile and spoke up. "What exactly is going on here?" Nex stood silent for a moment, not sure of how to explain it, but finding the words after a delay. "The leader of the newcomers happened to be a traitor along with Jerek, we were able to get our hands on Jerek and kill him, but the other man morphed into a humanoid lizard and was able to escape." Wolfe listened to the story, a bit confused as how Cara's father turned into a Lizard, was there something Cara was not telling the group? Wolfe felt it was not right to delve, he dropped it there. "Hmm, that doesn't really help our situation, but from the looks of it the loyal members of that guy's group had already left.

[i'll finish it later, storm is getting heavy]

Edit:

Cheng Yu noted that she had strengthened her voice compared to his own, thinking that it was good. The situation caused for seriousness, and she was the one to bring it. Cheng Yu was serious, but he was never angry, at least, most of the time. He walked up next to her, the remaining 20 was enough for him. "I appreciate each and every one of you, and you will be treated as though you are fellow Mavericks, if you seek information ask me or another Maverick. Sylus is not a Maverick, he is only a man who has decided to aid us, do not ask him of any information unless you believe it regards him directly." He said, in his 'business' voice right now.

Sylus didn't even know he was being referred to, watching the men who decided to leave with little interest. As the last one left however, he spoke directly to him. "Deliver a message to your people.... When I find you on the battlefield, I will not hesitate to rip you and your newfound IAP friends into shreads." He did not hold back, almost uncomfortably close to the last person. He wanted to send a message, a message that would hopefully demoralize them, making them easy targets.