Rocket’s ship

[Tova koshack]

I feel the panic as I walk down the corridor. It's a new panic one of the new crew. I open the weight room door and sigh.

"Lila should know better that to leave these things laying around." I say I take a breath shift my form to allow me to lift it off him. I smile shifting back to my default look. A tall human female with dark hair and eyes in a red dress with gold armbands marking me as a professional companion.

"You must be new. I'm Tova. The crews main form of entertainment." I say with a wink. "You can find me during business hours in the rec room, don't be a stranger." I say turning and heading towards the door

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"Um, thanks," chokes out Kor as he sits up, struggling to catch his breath. I thought I was done for! 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

I sir back in my chair as both my official and unofficial security teams trickle along with the medical team. There's some new faces here. Kor for one and a family unit from visor three husbands and their wife. Still some will want to leave at the next port and I don't blame them. I can't help but wonder if kor will stay. Their the youngest here and I'm sure the only thing they know is fed thought. Their probably ready to bolt after I took a shot at them and they heard my war name. I've worked so hard to put that behind me.

I wave my hand for silence and everyone goes quite.

"We're set for port in three weeks but we've only got two before we lose our opening. We've got three options. 1 we can stop at brayla tomorrow and sell the run, 2 we can arrange a half way meet up with will mean cutting it close or we can refund the order and make a run for it and resell it on the other side. Thoughts?"

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Kor remains quiet, looking around at the others. It's not my place to speak, I've been on the ship only 24 hours. 

[Reaper]

"I think we should sell at brayla give those who want to stay in federation space the chance to jump ship before making the push. Besides it'd give us a chance to stock up on things we can use and sell on the other side."

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

There's a lot of nodding after reaper speaks. The visor women speaks up about having a better chance if we just run for it.

"Any other votes? Kor what do you think? It's your future here on the line you're the only one that hasn't done a run with us before if you want off well stop at brayla if not we'll make a run fir it. What say you?"

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"What... what are we expecting on the o-other side? Will there be... stores?" asks Kor, hesitantly. 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

"They have everything we have their just free." I say with a chuckle

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Kor looks away, blushing. If it's so great out there, then why are you here in fed space? he longs to ask, but doesn't dare. 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

"No place is perfect," I say wandering the unasked question "the Capra quadrent isn't too keen on refugees and we might now be able to get work for a while.... we could always keep going though see what's outside our galaxy..... or start a colany......there's lots to discuss but I want everyone's input not just the long timers, and the seasonal, EVERYONE has a voice at my table."

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

"...I'll leave you to it," he says, hesitantly, glancing toward the door. No way am I heading out of Federation space with a bunch of... I don't even know anyone here! 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

"We'll go to brayla then. We can be there tomorrow if we push." I say with a nod. "Dismissed."

The crew file out leaving me to head to my charging port. This time I do click in to the full over haul. While my mech is updated, scraped, and cleaned I radio ahead. I send one to the shipping company letting them know their order will be changing hands. The second to confirm the there would be someone there to take the order. And the final to the federation ministers to note a change in itinerary.

Is high contentedly enjoying the feeling of oil on my mech. And lean back setting my brain to scan all channels while I rest it's the only way to stop the pit of my stomach aching when I think of leaving the scared kid at brayla

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Kor lies in his bunk, checking his tablet for news. he knows what he ought to do. He knows someone in Brayla; he met the guy on a forum for sword collectors, knows he works in shipping and could get Kor a job as a deckhand somewhere. The guy works in the packing department for a major warehouse, but he's a manager there, he knows the hiring people; he got another user of the forum a job just a few months back, and in Kor's fantasies, that was one avenue towards escaping his family. Of course, in his wildest fantasies he never considered killing his uncle in cold blood. But then, he never thought his uncle would go so far...

It's time. He sighs, opening up a chat message with the user from Brayla. 

SteampunkSamurai: hey man, I'm in a spot. you around?

The response comes almost immediately:

Metal4Lyfe: yah, this about that tanto?

SteampunkSamurai: nah, actually somethign different. things went bad back home and I ended up homeless

Metal4Lyfe: oh shit

SteampunkSamurai: eh it's fine. 

Metal4Lyfe: u need a fundraiser?

SteampunkSamurai: nah. I need work. I'll be in Brayla tomorrow actually

Metal4Lyfe: oh word, that's sick

Metal4Lyfe: u need a plave to stay?

SteampunkSamurai: yah actually

Metal4Lyfe: I got a flat, studio, but I can take the couch

Metal4Lyfe: leave the bed for the lady  

SteampunkSamurai: i can get a sleeping bag or something

SteampunkSamurai: but a roof would b nice

SteampunkSamurai: u still working at that dropship place?

Metal4Lyfe: yah, we need packers bad

SteampunkSamurai: id prefer to keep moving, be on a ship, but i can do packing if that's all you got

SteampunkSamurai: thanks man

Metal4Lyfe: we'll talk 2morrow 

Metal4Lyfe: wat time u be here?

SteampunkSamurai: not sure. I'l send you my ship's ident

SteampunkSamurai: cap says i can get out of my contract

Metal4Lyfe: y not just stay there if u have a job?

SteampunkSamurai: they're rebels

Metal4Lyfe: oh shit

Metal4Lyfe: cowardly sons of bitches

Metal4Lyfe: bet they use laser instead of metal too

SteampunkSamurai: yah

SteampunkSamurai: well u know me

SteampunkSamurai: i could only get away with one but i brought the show piece

SteampunkSamurai: wasn't gonna leave tht behind

Metal4Lyfe: 10-4

Metal4Lyfe: you guard that with your life

Metal4Lyfe: it's probably worth more lol

Metal4Lyfe: nah jk

Metal4Lyfe: pretty girl like you is worth a lot

SteampunkSamurai: dunno. cut my hair. passing as a boy. so maybe not

Metal4Lyfe: hair can be fixed

Metal4Lyfe: besides, the tomboy look is in on Brayla

Metal4Lyfe: can't wait to show you around the station, get you to meet some folx

Metal4Lyfe: anyway, get some sleep

SteampunkSamurai: u too. thanks a lot. 

Metal4Lyfe: anytime. And hey, who knows. if you stick around, maybe we could get coffee sometime.

It's cowardly. He knows it's cowardly. But Kor leaves the last message on read, turns off the tablet, and tucks into bed. 

[Ryle “Rocket” Arora]

We are an hour out of brayla when the radar picks up 30 federation flyers on radar around brayla.
"All hands on deck red alert."

We stay on the corse heading closer when we get we reside a message
-stay back Brayla is on lock down-

We join the other cargo ships waiting for an explanation and wait. We are there for an hour the whole crew on the bridge watching and waiting for word when it comes.

The Brayla space station explodes. Blasted into bits by the ships which all leave once the station is gone.

-brayla has been harboring tractors to the federation and for that has been cleansed all commerce can be rerouted to Valace. A new out post firmly under federation law will be a stable shed here that kind you for your understanding....... brayla....- the message repeats over and we shut it off

"Get us out of here now!" Comes my command "reaper kor my office now!"

[Kuronue "Kor" Higurashi]

Brayla.

Braya is.

Brayla is... is gone. 

Kor can't wrap his head around it. Thousands of lives. His friend. All his friend's swords. Everything that made up his friend, everything they'd talked about, all his dumb opinions on laser vs metal, all his opinions on the rebels... it's just... it's gone. 

He's dead. 

Kor sinks to his knees, eyes on the monitor, unable to get it through his head, unable to even hear Rocket. Brayla is just.... gone. 

And those were Federation ships, not rebels. How can the law, the authority, do something so... so lawless? So... evil?