Rocket’s ship

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

'us'. oh. OH. Kor suddenly swallows, looking down at his lap. "Edo is a Federation planet. That's where I was raised. They said it was for pride and glory and wickedness -- that Aurora wanted a lawless realm with nobody to tell her no, and that she wanted to undermine our laws."

[Reaper]

"Is that how they spin it? They destroyed their holly lands, killed their queen, and stole their children and they call us lawless?!" I wake a long drink to calm myself. "We fought with Arora all of us here. All the techies and I that is, we were there that night at the final battle. We were there to liberate Minava. A prison camp where they were selling the body parts of children for alcomy and doing all after of experiments on them. Your magic is the same color as the gard for Doctor Mandalive we lost a lot of troops that night but Rocket lost her son at the hands of the magical madman. That's where she went today. She went to that loss and that need for revenge. He got away that night and she's been hunting him ever since. She can't do anything about it tho. She's been pardoned we all have. But the next best thing is to get out of federation space. Except every time we get out they expand the border. Still it's better than one of the camps..." I shake my head again

"I know this is a lot and like I said it's not your fault you don't know. Edo always has been firmly intreanched in the federation."

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Kor blanches. "I.. I didn't know."

[Reaper]

"I didn't expect you to. You're a second if not third gen at this point. The truths been beaten to death long before you were born. You're a good fighter. Your instincts are good. You're quick on your feet and you skill with that blade is undeniable. But if you're going to work security out here on the edge you're gonna need to unlearn a lot of book stuff." I say taking a bite of bread.

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"Is there..." he begins, then blushes. "Forgive me. I suppose there isn't a book for how to unlearn book stuff."

[Reaper]

I laugh a bright ringing sound "no kor there no book. But ask me your questions and I'll awnser them as I can"

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"Where do I begin?" 

[Reaper]

We spend the next few hours going over the war. How the federation had invaded Maries and stolen their land a resources in violation of 100years worth of treaties. How the people fought back with protests and sabotage of machines. How the federation put them in camps as slave labor. How they killed the Maris queen and all the clergy.

How the mechanical soilders were the federations idea until they rebelled. How they won back Maris and wher fighting for full independence. How I respond our children were taken. How I and many others had joined the fight from the Bata quadrant as private citizens to push them back. 

I talk about the cost of the war. How it's left scars on the land and the people who were there. How we don5 talk about it much because the federation is always listening and they don't like to hear about their own genocid.

"It's cyclical. Every few hundred years the federation gets to big for its britches and pushes out. And if no one stops them they'll go on forever. We're not looking for war anymore we just want to live outside their control. We're tired. I'm tired. At the end of the war the bata quadrebt put up a wall. We can't cross. It's kept the feds out. But I can't go home. But then again I don't think I would even if I could. Capa quadrebt to setting up the same wall we're making a run for it. We'll be on the other side when it closes....I don't know if anyone's tol you that yet... this is our last run in alpha. Three weeks from now well dock at the last port in quadrent and then move out of federation space and not look back. That'll be you last chance to leave if you ever want to go home again...." I sigh stretching

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"I-- I'll think about it," he says, slowly. 

[Reaper]

"You got time to figure it out, in the meantime we need to get to the bridge." I stand and stretch when a siren sounds "yellow alert come on kid move!" I shout running for the lift.

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Kor bolts forward, his canine-enhanced legs always ready and eager to run despite the period of sitting, the reeling his mind is going through. What... was all that? Can I trust it? Or are they having some kind of elaborate joke with me? he wonders as he sprints after Reaper. 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

I'm on the bridge as my crew poops in.

"We picked up a flyer on radar. Nothing yet if their coming but I don't trust them this far out. Reaper full performance please and kid stay out of sight. Don't need the feds asking for your papers if we don't have to." I nod as he hides behind one of the consuls

"Their in range captain." My pilot sparky says. She's a tall reptilian women from southern Trimias while reapers from the north. "Their hailing us." She says as she cues up the viewing screen.

A man in Edo dress stands next to a federal captain. It's fairly standard talk. Where are you going where are you from do you have your papers. Then the odd question do you have anyone from Edo.

"No." I lie "yes I'm sure captain I know my crew there's no one from Edo here you have my crew manifest so you know I'm not liying." He nods then breaks protocol.

"One last question, why don't you come home general we could use your brilliance in the capital...."

"Because I'm retired."
"As you wish. Have a good day genital Arora."

The screen goes dark and we move off. "Punch it when it's safe sparky I want as much distance between us and them as possible. Run it fast and hard if needed but I want to get to trellis early."

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Arora? Kor's ears twitch, but he doesn't let his face show any sign of having heard. Instead he leans against the wall, trying to stay out of sight lest the fold in his eyelids give him away. 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

"Coast clear. I need a meeting with the full security team in an hour." I say leaving the bridge.

I sigh leaning back agents my docking port. It clicks on instantly and I can feel my batteries charge. The matnance light clicks and and I select to charge only. I don't have the time for an over haul today.  That kids running from something in Edo but I don't know what. Still we'll be out of foundation space soon.

A private message flashes and I open it

the final sale date has moved up. Be moved out by 3/7/3578

Two weeks instead of a month and less than that if we're going to be safe. Their might not be time for this cargo run then.... another alert digs a message from the federation..it's the same offer they always make when their ramping up for an expansion. Come fight for us with a not so vailed threat of or else we'll lock you up if you are any wear near us.

Still best stop charging and get to it

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Given an hour before he figuers he has to be back, and not knowing anyone, Kor decides to head for the weight room he noticed on his way to the sparring ring. He locks his sword in a locker, deciding to only do a light workout since he doens't have workout clothes with him. I really need to go shopping, he despairs, thinking of the gold chips stored under his bunk -- all his life savings, retrieved from the bank at the station and ready to be converted into any currency. It's not much to buy a whole life with, not really. 

Distracted, he slides into the weight bench, leaving it on the weight setting it was on before. And for an instant, it seems fine -- heavier than normal, but... then the rest of the weight hits his muscles and he drops the bar onto his chest, pinning himself in the weight room. 

"Help!" he rasps, but he can't get the air to scream, not really. Well fuck.