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Starfinder: The Jade Regent Pt. 08

Author's Note: This bit has, at the end, a bonus smut roleplay held between CJ (Xata) and Jason (Sam.) No one else was involved, and they kindly allowed me to put it here. Thanks Jason, thanks CJ! :D Now, on with the story.



Starring



Lucithanaas Hana Song

Kittyas Nora

Nathan Ravenwood as Rakain

Jasonas Sam

Cyrano Johnson as Xata

Previously, on Starfinder: Following mystical visions and clues, our heroes have arrived at Kalsgard Station, a disreputable trade station at the edge of the massive ice nebula known as the Crown of the Galaxy. Hunting after the last known possession of the Tian captain who took Amieko to the Pact Worlds, they have found the man who purchased it - Fynn, a retired corporate executive. But it seems that the sword is longer with Fynn...and why?

"Shadowrunners, that's who!"

The massive metal tankards that Fynn had brought out for the party smashed into the table with an alarming clunk - the ale within sloshing and frothing. Some dribbled along the edges as Fynn, looking quite energetic for a ninety year old man, hung his head forward, panting softly. "It was bloody Shadowrunners."

Ami looked at her friends - still looking somewhat odd in her disguise as a dusky skinned girl with a poofy afro - and sighed. "S-Shadowrunners stole the sword?" She asked, sounding uncertain.

Fynn nodded. "And it's a damn shame...that sword was my best friend for quite some time..." he muttered.

Ami blinked. "Wait, what?"

Fynn nodded. "Oh, yes, Suishen was quite a talkative blade. She was my best companion during most of my retirement. Never said much about where she came from. The captain who sold me her didn't mention she talked..." He chuckled. "In fact, it took her four years to finally mention she was a living sword, not just a magical one..."

As Fynn spoke, Ami looked at her friends - her eyes wide...and it was clear now why the visions they had been given told them to find the sword. If Suishen was the last surviving crew member (after a fashion) of the ship that had brought Ami to the Pact Worlds, she would know what had sent her and her guards fleeing to the farthest reaches of the Tian Star Empire.

But there was a secondary issue - even if they left right then and there, without any more information, they would still need some kind of guide to get through the vast Crown of the Galaxy nebula. The massive field of ice and dust was not to be navigated lightly...

Fynn sighed, shaking his head. "So, what brings you lot here looking for Sui?" he asked, frowning slightly. "I am sorry you come unable to find her here...sorrier still I wasn't in my home, and couldn't kill those damn Shadowrunners when they broke in here..." He grumbled, quietly.

"Well.. we've got some good news and some bad news. Good news is we will be definitely finding those bastards and getting the sword back. Bad news is it'll be coming with us. We've been contacted by a high ranking Tian official who desires the return of their ancestral blade," Hana said, nodding slightly as she did so.

"Very high ranking," Rakain added. Ami blushed, ducking her head forward at the mention of the 'high ranking' Tian official. Nora was quiet as usual as she sat in a seat, her focus on her wrist. She keyed buttons while watching her display, chewing her lip a little as her eyes flicked back and forth.

"Right. We've got a job to do, Chummer." Xata had accessed her Cyberpunk Fiction databases.. "And we're set to get it done, so ka?" She was very proud of the Quality of the Slang. Sam chuckled at that.

Fynn nodded slightly. "Well..." he rubbed his chin with his finger. "I won't want to keep her..." He paused, looking at Xata, then back to Hana. "I wouldn't want to keep her from her home anyway. Besides, she's a bit bored here..." he smirked.

As he did so, Nora tapped away at her wrist.

"So, I assume you have some form of home security system so maybe we can get some images of the.. shadowrunners who did this?" Hana said, pausing slightly at the odd term.

He nodded, slightly. "Yeah, but the footage isn't the most useful..." he said, turning away to walk out of the door - heading to the back. He called over his shoulder. "Try some of the ale! It's a gift!"

Ami gulped, then picked up one of the ale cups, sipping from it. She blinked, then started to tilt the cup back, drinking...and drinking...and drinking...and drinking. Then she put the cup down, gasping. "Ah, that's good!" She said, grinning brightly. "It's sweet!"

"I'm cool," Nora said without context. She raised her hand with a few keyed buttons, opening a port in her palm. An array of light shot out onto a wall, projecting the video files she had manged to discover. The empty house, save for a single droid that totters up when the front door opens. SEveral men and women enter wearing black clothes and masks. The droid asks them if they wish anything - but the leader, a MASSIVE man (like, easily seven feet tall) punching the droid's head off with a single blow! They rush in, grab the sword, then flee.

Xata looked at the ale quizzically but did not drink it. She was privately wondering if consuming it would constitute Doing a Deal With a Dragon. Sam just shrugged and took the offered drink- and chugged it.

"See, why does he need to punch the droid's head off?" Rakain said, taking a swig of his ale. "We get it, dude, you have a big dick."

Xata frowned. "Data indicates that penis size and punching power do not strictly correlate. Except if you're Sam, of course."

"Don't tell Brash," Ami said, grinning slightly - looking none the worse for wear from the massive tankard she had drunk.

Rakain laughed, then laughed harder at what Xata said.

Hana frowned, leaning in to look at the faces as close as she could. "Actually, there IS a bit of logic to it. If he didn't destroy the droid it might be easier to identify him or it could contact someone as they stole the sword."

"He stands out. Honestly if we seek out a team with him at the lead we'll be possibly close to finding the group who stole the sword," Nora offered after a moment. She took the time to isolate a portion of the footage and freeze, leaving the image of the full Shadowrun team. "If we can possibly extrapolate the rest of the team and work from there we'll also be on a good road."

"Kinda hard to blend into a crowd when you're seven feet tall," Rakain said.

Sam's own eyes were bigger than her it seemed as she had to stop for air after only downing half the tankard. A very unladylike burp followed. "Sorry- but this is potent." She said, blushing a bit.

"You are surely more potent yet," Xata assured her confidently.

Hana sighed, "Cliche as this is, can you zoom and enhance here?" She said, pointing to an armband one of the men wore that he clearly had been trying to cover.

Ami blinked, looking at Sam, snickering. "It...didn't have that big of a kick." She paused. "...fuuuck, is this a Kami thing?" She whispered - reminding them of the time where they had found Ami riding a completely exhausted Rakain - apparently having not realized they had been fucking for literally hours and Rakain, though willing, was near to passing out.

Kami things.

Rakain coughed once. "Yeah. Kami things."

Sam nodded to Ami, saving face. It was odd to have someone with that much more endurance around

"Gimmicky CSI Function, GO!" Nora said with a small giggle, nodding to Hana. She keyed a few buttons and did as asked by zooming the footage in. The footage zoomed in with a whirr, and then became clearer as they saw the armband showed a snarling lion on it.

"Son of a bitch!"

Looking, they saw Fynn had returned, holding a thick data crystal in his hand. He seemed focused on the armband and thus, didn't ask uncomfortable questions about how they were viewing the footage he had gone to go and get. Walking forward, he pointed at that. "I know that symbol! That's the ring of Asvig Longthews..." He frowned, slightly.

"That's...quite a name," Rakain said.

"Well, he is a tall bastard," Fynn said.

"So, you can point us to them then?" Hana said casually, trying to push past how Nora had hacked the man's security system.

Fynn shook his head. "No, I don't know where Shadowrunners stay about. Wage slave and all that." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps you know where Mister Longthews might seek such people?" Xata suggested.

"Might worth noting they also hack places in advance. Sorry, but I found a backdoor on a hunch which is how I found the footage. I was curious," Nora said with a small wince. "I did my best to...'patch' the code up, you could call it."

"Dive bars tend to have Johnsons..." he said, frowning. "The lower levels are better, the further from corporation held locations."

Hana frowned, "You obviously know something. and I would assume you wish to help us find the men who did this, don't you?"

"I know the symbol," Fynn said, sighing. "Asvig and his gang hit Rangacorp half a dozen times over the past two years. Small jobs, but well done."

"That kind of news gets around, even among us retired bogies."

"Johnsons." Xata cross-referenced the term. "Database suggests corporate talent scouts. In the right venues we might be able to masquerade as such, to gather 'intel'. Alternatively we might be able to portray ourselves as Shadowrunners and gain 'intel' from fellow Chummers."

"I dunno about talent scouts," Rakain said. "I think we're all a little too colorful to pass as corporate stooges."

Sam chuckled. "Well, I also wouldn't want to get too much information from you. Atleast that sort of intel that would be able to get traced back to you.." She noted, then followed up with "but I think I know their types well enough. Let's go take a look around after we cover up these little flags signalling our obedience to their corporate overlords and crack open a melon or two."

"I'd think acting as potential employers would be easier. It doesn't take much to dress yourself up as a corporate type and acting as fellow runners would have the disadvantage of not only a lack of rep, but us asking about fellow runners might seem as if we're threatening them," Hana said, her voice skeptical.

"I do have some old suits," Fynn said, grinning slightly. "They're still in fashion, I think."

Ami leaned over, whispering to Hana. "You do look sexy in a suit."

"I propose the mobilization of Cyber-Punk Tropes in general." Xata looked at Hana. "Splitting the Difference, I think Hana and I would make excellent Rocker Girl/Boys. Plausible as new entertainment professionals with intersection points in both worlds."

Hana snickered, "I do have a suit of my own, or something more submissive if you'd prefer I act as a barely sapient service droid type."

"Well I'm not opposed to being dressed up a little. Black Tie Optional can be fun." Sam nodded.

Fynn's cheeks colored, then coughed. "W-Well, ah...how you handle it doesn't matter much to me. Just so long as you bring them to justice." He nodded slightly.

Ami stood. "Sounds like we've got a good plan..." she said, looking at the others.

Nora stared down at her things and then shrugged, "Low effort hacker will be low effort and hang around someplace and just blend in."

"Black Tie Optional... Clothing Optional... Morality Optional..." Xata suggested playfully.

Rakain cracked his knuckles. "Big vesk will serve as Plan B Fire Support."

"Well, that IS the issue with pretending to be employers. Logically we wouldn't all be able to go at once in a group." Hana said, shrugging.

Xata gave Rakain a Saucy Wink of approval. To Hana she suggested: "Rocker Girls and fans, though..."

"Xata's idea could work, actually," Rakain said.

Ami blushed. "Okay, can someone please tell clueless old Woodwise what the heck a Rocket Girl is?" She asked.

"Yes, excepting the fact that would not only require more specific outfits, it is basically the problematic idea of acting as runners.." Hana sighed. "I may be wrong, but I can't imagine why one group of runners would be looking for another that isn't hostile."

"An entertainment figure who moonlights as a Shadowrunner but uses their fame and wealth to get away with it. They get popular with their exploits." Nora hummed, "I think?"

"Oh, like those people who stream their dungeon delving on Delve dot Twitch?" Ami asked, snickering.

"Rocker Girl," Xata said. "Entertainment professional in civilizations of a certain advanced state of decadence who specialized in Rocking Tunes, Fucking Groupies and General Naughtiness. Rocker Boys and Girls could be criminals but did not have to be, as Nora hints at. It would situate us in a Grey Area of the Law."

"I think we've been in legal grey area for quite some time now," Rakain chuckled, taking another swig of his ale.

Sam shrugged. "It's not like there is a code among them, not as much as you'd might think. No merchant guild running them. Besides, the people we would want to be asking isn't other thugs like them. It's the people that supply and maintain their ability to live off the grid. You don't find a shadow by looking in the dark. You start finding the light sources."

"Excellent point," Xata nodded approvingly at Sam. "And," she added: "Shadowrunners should be as vulnerable to a Rocker Girl's charms as anyone else. With any luck, they would come to us."

"Didn't know you moonlighted as a poet, Sam," Rakain said.

"Yes, but assuming these are professionals, they would be keeping track of who is looking for them in general, especially among those who they deal with regularly. Which would be more enticing for you, someone asking about one of your friends offering employment or someone who is at best a potential rival?" Hana pointed out.

"Someone who is neither," Xata said, warming to her Theme. "Like an Innocently Curious Artist. Who you might also Totally Want to Fuck." Her circuits were starting to glow. She was liking this plan more and more.

Ami snorted, quietly. "I...don't want to alarm you, Xata, but fucking dangerous criminals might not be as much fun as it sounds in the books..." She said, nodding. "Why don't we try asking around subtly first, then see about approaching people more openly secondly?"

Sam shrugged as they continued to discuss plans. "Fynn, what is the seediest, dirtiest dive or hole in the wall that you know of?"

"We could pursue both strategies simultaneously," Xata suggested. "Inquire on the underneath by one avenue while providing Stimulation by another."

Fynn nodded. "The Polar Bear's Den," he said, quietly. "That's where the icehoppers like to go."

"Ice hoppers?" Ami asked.

"The natives who live out in the Crown - they come in here sometimes to sell and trade and such," Fynn said, nodding.

"Perhaps they could use Professional Musical Entertainment!" Xata said.

Hana sighed, "Alright, we can split up. Xata can pick her group to go with her and I'll act with whoever is left as a potential employer."

"Xata is a One-Gynoid-Band," Xata mused. "But I do think Sam and Rakain have a Certain Style if they wanted to act as my Side-Sapients." She gave them both the Big Cute Android Girl Eyes by way of persuasion.

Rakain drained his ale and slapped the mug down on the table. "Side Sapient, reporting for duty," he said, standing up and moving to the android's side.

Sam chuckled at the display, amused. "We can fun like that later. Rakain should stick to you, as should Nora. I should stick close to Hana. Thinking of trouble, after all."

Xata gave him a luminous smile. "Rocker Girl Xata is Very Generous by way of compensating her Side-Sapients," she said with a wink. She nodded at Sam: "Very prudent."

Ami snorted. "Lets...see how the bar looks first...Fynn, got a direction?" she asked.

Soon, the group was headed out. Taking the elevator down - Ami paying the elevator payment again - they came to the lower levels of the station. HEre, the corridors were thin and filled with a cold mist. People lounged against the walls, speaking to one another, and several sent them fishy looks. The actual tavern was a small, quiet hole in the wall - whose neon sign had half died, meaning it looked more like T OLE EAR rather than the actual name of The Polar Bear.

But as they walked up, the hatch opened and a writhing sack of pissed off muscle was thrown from the hole. The figure smashed into a pile of trash heaped on the far side of the corridor, writhing and springing to her feet. "Fuck you!" she shouted, shaking her fist at the door as it slammed shut and latched.

The woman who had been tossed out of the bar was a sight to see - lean and tightly muscled, with a body that had a perfect set of abs along her tummy, coffee brown skin, straight black hair, brilliant blue eyes, and clothes that showed off her figure...and yet were also quite strange and exotic. She had a tight blue top, with white fur along the shoulders, and a brown pair of pants. She kicked a can at the door in frustration, then turned to look at the six people looking at her.

She scowled. "What!?" She asked, spreading her hands. "You want to start something too!?"

As the six looked at her, they noticed that she was quite pretty...but she also looked a bit battered. She had a black eye, a slowly healing split lip, and one of her fingers were in a splint. Not that that seemed to stop her from glaring at them.

"Rough night?" Rakain snarked.

Xata looked at her with sympathy.

The girl sighed, brushing some dust from her shoulder. "It was the afternoon, actually, that kind of sucked..." she muttered.

Hana raised up a hand, "We don't want to get in a fight with you, don't worry." She said, stepping back.

"So enough has been started then." Sam said with a shrug, casually brushing off the threat. "Sounds like you could use a drink."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance." Xata approached her gingerly, hands out. "May I?"

"Bad days arn't enjoyable. Sorry to hear," Nora offered with a friendly wave, wanting to help diffuse things.

The girl sighed quietly, looking at Xata. "Uh, sure..>" She shook her head. "But not yet. I need to find that asshole and kick his head in..." she grumbled, quietly. "Tall fucker's friends won't get the drop on me a second time..."

"You might find it easier with some help," Xata said gently. A song was already rising in her throat.

"How does a man the size of a T-rex sneak up on you?" Sam asked, teasing.

Hana raised an eyebrow, "Well.. seems like our search is a bit easier than we hoped..."

The girl blinked. "Wait, you know Asvig?" she asked, her eyes widening as her clothes striaghtened and a few busted seams tightened up under the magic that Xata was casting. "Whoa, whoa, what!?" She looked at Hana.

"Not as allies!" Hana raised her hands up quickly, "We want his ass on a platter. Well, first we want to ask him about some stuff, then we'll beat his ass."

"Well, that and if you are refering to them as tall, then giant might be a closer description." Sam pointed out.

The girl nodded, then grinned. She held out her hand - not seeming to care that her finger was splinted. "Well, uh...lets find a better dive to get some drinks and I can tell you about my sorry day. Oh, the name's Ukahkka Korra." She paused. "You can forget my first name, it's Varki."

"Pot. Kettle. Relative darkness." Hana said to Sam, snickering. Then she frowned to the girl, "Is Asvig inside?"

Ukahkka Korra shook her head. "No, they threw me out becuase I...threatened to kick some asshoel's head in..." She rubbed the back of her neck, looking somewhat chagrined.

"What did the asshole do?" Xata asked with innocent curiosity.

"Well, he was one of those assholes who tell Shadowrunners what to do," Korra said, nodding. "I figured if anyone would know how to get to Asvig's place, they would."
"A Johnson!" Xata said, her voice bright. Her eyes literally lit up.

Hana nodded, "So, we find another bar, then you can tell us where we can meet Asvig in exchange for enough drinks to calm.. you.. damn it.." She grumbled. "So, you don't know how to find him?"

Korra grinned. "I didn't say that..." She reached into her pockets, then fliped up...a PDA. Her eyes sparkled. "Totally worth getting my finger broken, huh?" She asked, cheerily.

"Why did you try and get back in then?" Ami asked, snickering.

"Well...cause I was winning the fist fight!" Korra said, as if that explained everything.

Nora finally broke out snickering, "Lets just take her along and get her a drink. She's great."

Sam laughed at that comment, amused. "Well if you were winning and they backed off, then you won."

"Not saying we couldn't adopt her, Nora." Hana smirked, "Just saying I wanted to focus on getting info first. But since she might have it. Korra, you give Nora the PDA, she'll hack it while we take you somewhere to celebrate your victory." She patted the woman's arm.

Korra nodded, grinning. "So, you a...Recker?" she asked as they walked along the corridor - heading towards a different bar.

Ami snickered. "Close enough!" she said, grinning at Nora, then murmured. "Though, uh, maybe Wrecked is a better word for her..." She stuck her tongue out at Nora.

Rakain nudged Ami. "Or Zai. Or Xata."

Korra looked completely confused as she looked at the three of them.

"I have definitely been Recked," Xata averred proudly.

"Ehh, Better than dogged." Nora shot back, leaning over to give Ami a playful shove.

"Oh, speaking of which. I'm Hana Song." She held her hand out to the brown skinned woman.

Ami snickered - and then they came to the HAPPY DAZE, the next dive bar that was willing to let them in. As they walked towards it, a balding human staggered back and away from the door, laughing, waving his hand. "This...should be on ALL the tourist locations...come...see...the REAL Kalsgard Station!" He giggled, then wobbled drunkenly past them.

Korra smiled, shaking HAna's hand. "What song?" She asked, curiously.

"First name Hana. Second name Song." Hana said, sighing slightly.

"The Song of Constant Bad Jokes," Xata put in Playfully.

Korra blushed. "No, uh, sorry...I was trying..." She shook her head, blushing harder. "Come on!" She said, ducking into the bar - which had dozens of tables under low, dim lights, the lamps hanging from somewhat frayed cables. The faint smell of burning rubber came from the back of the place, and the bartender was this huge alien none of them recognized with four arms, who was using all of them to clean multiple cups.

"I just go by Nora," The mechanic offered, waving her false hand. She watched Korra with a slight snicker as they stepped into the dive before pausing to look around. "That is a unique scent..."

Xata gave Hana a nudge and whispered: "I think she was Attempting to Flirt With You." Korra put her hand over her face, muttering something in her native language. Xata hadn't whispered it very softly.

Rakain tapped Korra's lower back with his tail. "Rakain. Nice to meet you."

Korra nodded to Rakain, taking his hand, then took her seat. "So, uh...do your...jacking off," She said, nodding to Nora. "That's how you get the files, right?"

Hana snickered, "So.. how about we go get some drinks and discuss how we're going to beat some Asvig?" She said, smiling.

Sam just gave Korra a pat on the should as she walked by on her wait to the bar. "Sam." She offered as an introduction before starting to talk with the bartender.

Xata blinked. "Jacking in?"

"I don't know the slang, I try to stay out of this fucking station," Korra said. "my life's out in the icesteroids, not among these..." She waved her hand. "Wage slaves and...shadowrunners." She made a face. "It seems like everyone here's stealing from everyone else."

"Data indicates that jacking off has a different terminological valence." Xata sense of the subtleties of Flirting had been exhausted. But she recovered: "Fortunately we are also here to steal from someone else. Though they have already stolen so it is Heroic."

"The more I hear about this place the more I can not wait to get the hells out of here.." Hana frowned slightly.

"You and me both," Ami and Korra said at the exact same time. Ami grinned at her. Korra snickered softly.

Rakain laughed and put an arm around Xata. "I love the way you think."

Nora coughed in an attempt to hide her laugh before smiling at Korra. "Something like that, yes." She moved to the bar as well, finding herself a seat and brought her wrist up to set about accessing the PDA. "Could you grant me access to your pad? "And you'd both be right. This place is a total thief haven."

"Well, it's not mine," Korra said, nodding, her voice soft. "I stole it from that Mr. Johnson."

"Oh!" Nora added with a brighter tone. She was grinning at that point, "Pull up a seat and order a drink. I think we've got plenty to cover the cost. This won't time me long. Probably has some two-bit firewall."

"I'd assume at LEAST a couple kilobytes, Nora." Hana said, smirking.

Xata looked around the bar as this happened. Rakain kept his head on a swivel, watching for potential danger. As Xata looked around, she saw quite a few people in their cups - but also, that Sam was in a quiet discussion with the massive, four armed, green skinned alien, who was showing her a photograph and then shrugging. It only took the mechanic a few minutes until she was in. She paged through a few files, mumbled 'Moron' to herself and then the group suddenly found their credit account balance inflated by an extra 5000 - which split five ways with a soft ding. "Well, done."

"Nice," Rakain said.

Ami blinked, looking as the credits appeared. "Uh, no location?" She asked - Korra looking nervous as she bit her lip.

"Just contact information," she said with a sigh. "No location. Ooone second." Nora nodded, reaching into her pockets. She fished out a small bud that she plugged into her ear and then keyed the pad a few times.

After being quite gabby with the bartender Sam just sauntered over like a cat that had drunk all the milk. She stole one of the open seats and gave Korra a look, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows.

Meanwhile, their comms beeped at receiving an information package.

Xata quietly vanished from the table as all this went on. Her violin was out and is if in obedience to some hidden instinct, she was wending her way among the tables, augmenting the minimal beats from the sound system with ethereal sounds from her strings. Hana checked her com curiously to see what Sam had sent out. Xata checked her comm-link as she played.

As Nora tapped a fes buttons, Korra blinked as she looked at Sam - but then Nora hit play and each of them heard a recording taken from the PDA.

The first voice was male: "You got a job?"

"Yes," the second voice, female, spoke. "A double run. First, hit an old wage slave. Steal an object - a sword, curved, Tian. Second run is right after. There's a man - Ulf Gormunder. The client wants him and the sword disposed of."

Korra gasped, quietly.

"Got it," the male voice said. "Like, we just shoot him or-"

"No," the female voice said. "The sword you can trash however you want, but the man goes to airlock C98-2. He'll be taken care of there."

Korra, who was holding one of the cups from the bar, clenched her fist so tight the plastic creaked. The audio played out a bit more as details were given of the sword and the man's location - with the female voice adding: "He's got a partner, some icehopper tribeswoman, but she's going to be out of town, so don't worry too much about her."

The payment for Asvig was...quite high, and the female voice added one last note: "Final note. The client told me to say...Odin's eye is on you."

There was a long pause and then Asvig silently hung up - ending the conversation and the recording. The info dump from Sam was also quite informative. She had been speaking to the bartender, and had recorded some of what he had said: "Oh, aye, Longthews and his bunch come around here sometimes. I had to find where they live to get the fucking credits they owe me sometimes...but last time they were around, I heard someone they knew - their Johnson or someone - had died and they were going to throw a big bash to honor 'em. Then, tomorrow, I hear they're going to do a big fuckin Ulfin funeral. The whole shebang, they have a shuttle, they have the dead bugger's body on it, and they're going to fire it into the sun."

Ami's eyes widened. "T-That will definitely destroy Suishen..." She whispered.

Sam, too, brought out a location of Asvig's hide out - but sadly, no information as to where the shuttle that would bear the Suishen to her death was located.

"Okay," Rakain said slowly. "As awesome as an Ulfin funeral sounds, we need to make sure that the sword's not on the shuttle when they launch that sucker."

"So.. should we go to their hang out or to airlock C98-2?" Hana said curiously. "Of course, that also depends on if one is on the way to the other from here. ..also, how long ago did they steal the sword?"

Nora keyed a few things on her wrist so that everyone had a message sent to them. Raven watching us == Odin's Eye. One in the same.

Xata had crept back to the table, her musical improv cutting off as the importance of the data came clear.

Sam's eyes didn't leave Korra, though her expression wasn't playful or purposely silly anymore.

Korra frowned, and Ami sighed. "Fynn said three weeks ago," she said.

"It'd have taken weeks to get a shuttle ready for that kind of funeral," Korra said. "But...but...they can't have just airlocked Ulf, could they?"

"Three weeks," Xata said. "About the time we found the Kami and... those visions..."

"Coincidence?" Rakain said. "I don't fuckin' think so."

Ami shot Xata a look, and Korra blinked. "What Kami?" She asked looking confused.

"Kami?" Xata belatedly engaged her Guile Subroutines. "Who said anything about a Kami? Not me, certainly."

Hana looked at Korra, "So.. you want to get involved in this hit and get heavy with it? If so, do you want to follow us off station, or go back to your normal life?"

Korra looked between Hana and Xata, then back to Hana. "WEll, these assholes kidnapped my best friend...so..." She grinned. "I'm in. This station isn't my normal life. I usually make a living guiding people through the Crown of the Galaxy."

Sam shrugged. "Also, though it wouldn't pay out anything worth while- some private eye is looking for a Tian runaway. Likely from a corporate home she is rebelling against." She said then offered a very basic description of Ami. "Keep an eye out. For the meantime we can crash a party."

"Assuming all goes well, we can talk about it on the ship then." Hana smiled at the other woman. "But right now, we need to focus on getting the sword back, or we're not heading anywhere. ..I mean.. okay, we'll go back home or probably back to Absalom, but.. you know.."

Ami nodded grimly to Sam as Korra rubbed her hands together. "Crashing a party...sounds kinda like we're going on a shadowrun of our very own, right?" She asked. "Like, we get maps and make a plan and stuff?"

Hana snickered, "That's the idea. ..doubt it'll end up like that, but still..."

"Shadowruns typically involve plans that go horribly wrong, according to cultural data," Xata put in. "But why not?"

"Usually our plans go out the window in about five seconds," Rakain laughed.

"Exactly! We are Ideally Suited!" Xata seemed quite cheered by this fact.

Korra nodded, then stood. "Come on, lets talk about this at my ship." She said, starting towards the door, looking around nervously.

Xata also looked around nervously, in moral support.

Rakain stood up. "Lead on, Korra. We got your back."

Hana nodded to the woman, following after her.

Sam nodded as well, getting up and following them as she tapped out a message on her tablet to everyone else: Just remember to be aware of what we talk about outloud. We are likely bugged.

###

Korra's ship was...well...it made them all rather grateful for the delights of the Sunwolf. IT was a kludged together mess of blue metal and white rock, welded and patched, and quite uncomfortable once they were inside. But it had a connection, and that was all Nora needed to bring up a schematic of the area that Asvig and his shadowrunners had staked out. The original blueprints were sure to be inaccurate - that part of the station had been unused for years...but the original designs were still there...

There were six entrances - two from service corridors, one from a "primary" corridor that was wider than any other. Three were via vents that were so small that only a halfling could fit easily inside them. Of the actual main rooms, there were only three in the complex. The primary and largest room had originally been used to process ice into drinkable water back when this had been a mining station. Who knew what it was now. The smaller adjoining room was a control room, where the original ice mining operators would have been situated. There was a final adjoining room that looked like it had been an equipment locker in the past.

"Well, the only one here who can get through the vents is Nora's drone," Rakain said, studying the map. "Unless we go back to the Sunwolf and get Brash."

"Whose this Brash you guys keep talking about?" Korra asked, frowning. "if I lived here, I'd have made this place..." She tapped the main room on the map. "The livable one and set up roost there."

"Well, he goes between adorable and sweet to hunky and sweet?" Nora offered, rubbing her chin after a moment. "Sweet and kind is a good one."

Korra looked deeply skeptical. "And he's male?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Rakain coughed, his nares coloring. "That's...flexible."

"Well, I've been kicking around a while," Korra said, cynically. "I've dated a few men, they tend to fall into similar patterns..."

"He's Brash," Xata said, matter of fact. "And remarkable. The rest doesn't matter."

Sam chuckled at them as she watched the map.

Nora stuck her tongue out at Rakain, "You can't turn into a Psudodragon. So you pretty much have that 'hunky' bit all the time."

"He goes with the kami in stuff we'll explain if you decide to hitch your wagon to our star, but is not important to the current conversation." Hana said, frowning. "I could crawl into the vents, summon up something opposite the entrance we want to enter so they'll all be distracted when you all come in."

Ami nodded. "And you can keep firing from the vent if it becomes a fight!" she said, excitedly.

Nora nodded, "Agreed. We'll let you know when you get on our ship later. I could control my drone along with you in those vents Hana."

Hana nodded, "I'd say it and I go in separate vents so we don't get in each other's way and we can split fire even more."

"So, you go for the northern vent..." Korra pointed. "And ferretdrone goes for the southern one, and we...go in through room five?" She asked.

"We go through room five." Xata said, her voice certain. Heroes have no use for Question Marks.

"Well, that's the main entrance, so..." Korra shrugged. "It might be a great way to get shot to shit."

"So, I'll summon something over here." Hana said, tapping the map near the southwestern corner.

"Ah, just let me lead," Rakain said to Korra. "I can take a couple hits."

Korra arched an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Fair..." She said, quietly. "Still...it's not a bad plan..." She glanced at Sam.

Nora nodded, "Paths. I can also get my drone to a place in the vents I might access their systems and cause havoc. Other fun things. Find nudes."

Xata summoned her Chant of Concealment and turned herself invisible. Hana blinked at where Xata had stood, "So.. we're heading out now then?"

"Well, Xata's ready to go!" Rakain laughed.

As Xata shimmered and vanished, Ami blinked, then snickered. "Even if we were, I don't think we'll get there before your spell wears off, Xata."

"I can take a main entrance or cut them off." Sam noted. "Very little is likely to be changed in terms of exterior walls, but the tunnels may be trapped or there may be false walls put up, or entrances blocked off."

"I am willing to take the risk," said Xata's disembodied voice.

"This ship is being suppressed from outside signals, we aren't being watched- right?" Sam asked the icehopper.

Korra nodded. "Yup!" She said, grinning. "Having rock armor may be slow and ugly, but it does stop pretty much every scanning device known to man or alien."

Sam nodded and relaxed a bit, "Alright. But raiding the party shouldn't be our own gamble. We should have a plan be for finding the shuttle. As much as I don't like the idea of letting the jerk continue breathing we do have an issue if this is something setup as automated. He isn't our goal right now, as much as he might deserve to be."

Korra bit her lip. "Well..." She said. "While you head to the party, I can...skim the shuttle bays, see any of the shuttles that look like they're getting prepped?" she asked.

"Well, is there a way they could send the shuttle out without someone in command knowing?" Hana said curiously. "I'm just saying if Nora can get in contact with local security, we could keep an eye on all the bays at once, right?"

Ami bit her lip. "You want to trust these corporate goons?" She asked, lookking skeptical.

"Odin's eye may be in command of those docking rings." Sam noted, sounding a touch paranoid over the matter.

"I was more thinking Nora do her hacking thing to be honest.." Hana said, smirking.

Korra grinned. "Yeah! Jack into them!"

"That I can do. Fuck talking with them," Nora said, rubbing her neck. "That depends on access though. I have to be close to a network. I can't just...leapfrog through a connection."

"OR we lie and tell them someone's planning on sending out a small shuttle with a bomb in a corpse that they plan to detonate," Hana said.

"Nora's Hacking is Mighty. Jack off to them, Nora!" said Xata's disembodied voice.

"I agree with Xata the ghost," Rakain cackled.

"Errr, into them," Xata corrected. "Jack off into them, Nora."

"Well, can you safely nullify these SIN bands here?" Sma asked, smiling at their comments. Rakain laughed so hard he started wheezing.

Ami snickered, quietly, shaking her head, while Korra started up. "Wait, you can amke us Sinless?" She asked, excitedly.

"Possibly?" Nora said. Nora blew out her breath and focused on her wrist.

"Just have them on long enough to get us back into the station. Able to turn off after." Sam added.

"Oh, there is way too much sin floating around between all of us to ever fully purge it," Rakain said, composing himself.

Korra arched her eyebrow. "Uh-huh..." She said.

"We are extremely sinful," Xata's disembodied voice explained helpfully. "Our orgies are Legendary."

Nora opened her mouth after a moment, keying a few things on her wrist. She took off the sin tag she was given and held it in her false hand while keying a few things. "...Oh stars they're dumb!" She shouted. "Okay! Tags off - I disengaged their locks. Hand them over. I'm going to have fun. Fucking put a garbage line of protection code in like that and expect me to not go nuts..."

Korra unstrapped the SIN collar she had on her wrist, holding it out, while Ami grinned and held out hers as well. As they set them down, Korra sighed quietly. "So, uh...you guys are pretty comfortable with each other, huh?"

Xata's SIN tag appeared from nowhere. It was tossed over to Nora.. Sam held out her wrist to Nora.

Hana snickered, "Let me guess. The SIN tag gave you access to security?" She said, offering up her tag.
Rakain held out his own wrist. "Veeeeeery comfortable," he said, winking at Korra.

"Yes, and I can make them look like anything I want to their systems. So i'm pretty much granting us anything I want while making us look totally normal." Nora said, breaking into a fit of laughter.

"HA-HA-HA-HA," Xata's disembodied voice amplified sportively.

Hana snickered, "Because you're extremely kick ass or because their systems were coded by mentally challenged pigeons?"

"I found a line of code that pretty much made me an admin on the level of the system zero day programmer." Nora continued, falling into excited snickering, "It's like a skeleton key."

Sam seemed to understand some of those words. "Well then, that's good."

"Huh.. lucky you. I assume you're going to make it so no one else can access that bit of code now?" Hana asked.

Ami nodded. "So, even if the party blitz is a fail, we can still find the shuttle!" She said, grinning slightly.

"And keep them from being able to leave by keeping the doors shut." Hana added.

"I'd have too rework and get CEO control of a shitload of companies and enact a bunch of changes. I'm a great hacker, but that would be the work of a Wish spell or something." Nora said with a shrug. "Right now though it's an exploit I can use to play the system like it's my bitch."

Sam spent a moment tapping her armored thigh. "Wait a minute- is there any network conduits or hubs near that location or along the way? If that is a pretty much abandoned section of the station then it may not have any attention being paid to it."

"A very impressive exploit, Nora!" chimed in Xata's disembodied voice with elan.

"If any, they're shut down. We can turn them on if we find any." Nora said, rubbing her neck. "I can do a lot with code but we'll have to get bodies out to it soon."

Ami nodded, then stood. "All right!" She said, her voice serious. "That sounds like a plan. We head for the party - and we see if we can find any nodes along the way. If the party fails, we just find the shuttle directly..." She nodded. "Because, well, Asvig may know more about what happened to Ulf, and if we need to hurry, it's better to know now. Agreed?"

Sam nodded.

Rakain nodded. "Let's do it."

Hana nodded, "Also maybe set up a program to tell you if someone tries to access that airlock they were going to toss him out?"

"Affirmative, chummer!" Xata sang.

Korra flinched at the idea of her friend being tossed out of the airlock.

Nora blew out a breath, mouthing 'Thank you Ami' as she settled back in her seat to focus on her coding, working on the bands. "Workin on it Hana."

Hana nodded to Nora, "Good. Would kind of suck to handle all Asvig's men to find out he was busy offing Ulf the whole time."

###

As the group walked through the stations, they made their careful way through the corridors, coming to the darker, lower regions of the station proper - where the corridors were left quiet and unused and unattended. They found no sign of a network node...but as they walked up towards a corridor, Rakain held up his hand. He had seen something in the darkness hte others had missed...

Hana paused, frowning slightly, wondering what the vesk saw that she missed. Sam stopped at the signal. Rakain snapped his fingers and conjured a tiny little light in his palm, he held it up near the wall. A pair of runes were carved into the metal wall, both of them lionheaded. "Anyone know what these are?" he whispered.

Nora stopped while she urged her drone skittering along the wall to continue a little forward, pause and then peek around.

"They match the bands on the man's arm in the image," Nora whispered back, "I believe?"

Xata looked at the runes curiously. her body having become visible again in the time it took to arrive here. Hana moved to check the runes curiously as well.

"About 90% sure," Nora added, shrugging.

Hana frowned, "This is an annoying little sigil that summons guardian lions if you pass by without making the sign OR if you try to destroy it..." She sighed.

"Oh, fek. Well, uh..." Nora gestured to Hana, "Gogo robomagic?"

"The signal is specific to each crafted sign.. I'll look, but.." Hana sighed, looking around for some possible indication of the countersign. After only a few moments, she murmured quietly. "But.. I think.." She leaned in, making a sign on the sigil, trying to disarm it, "This should take care of it..."

Rakain crossed his fingers on one hand while grabbing his pistol butt with the other.

The sigil flashed...and there was a slow delay...and then the two lion head runes glowed, then faded. As they stepped through, nothing happened, which was the best outcome. Ami grinned. "Nice work, Hana..." She said, nodding as they walked forward, coming to the corridor right before Asvig's place. Despite a heavy bulkhead being shut against anyone coming, they could hear the deep, bass rumble of music coming from within - and saw the vents that would lead into the area.

Hana smiled, "Just doing my job." She said cheerfully, then moved to the vent that would be hers, trying to pull the cover off so she could get inside.

"Do you need a hand?" Sam asked as Hana pulled on the vent cover.Hana scrambled up the vent...and then skidded back down, thudding into Sam's arms. Xata looked on with visible jealousy.

"..ow.." Hana grumbled, then sighed, "I think I might need to-"

"Wait!" Nora said, as Hana started to move to get back at the vent.

Hana looked to Nora in confusion.

"Tripwires," Nora noted, moving quickly. She used her finger to generate a little pointing laser and pointing up to Hana's vents.

"Haha! You all thought I was inept, but I was clearly avoiding those." Hana said, smiling playfully.

The mechanic still moved to give her friend a brief hug, "Just lookin' out."

Sam nodded.

Hana snickered, "Thanks." She laughed softly.

As they looked up at it, Ami nodded. "Can we snip it?" she whispered. "Or...maybe use the other vent?" She asked, quietly.

"That's up to you guys -I'm too big for the vent conversation," Rakain said.

Ami chuckled, elbowing Rakina, whispering to him. "That's what she said..."

"That's what you said," Rakain muttered back. "Many, many times..."

Ami snickered as Korra watched the door, clearly just waiting for it to open and a bunch of Shadowrunners to come out for her to punch. Nora reached up with her hand, using a finger to ignite a little welding torch. She used the cutting fire to quickly slice the trap after a moment of careful thought and nodded, "Shooould be good now Hana."

Sam teasingly rolled her eyes at them. "Need a boost?" She asked.

"Apparently I do." Hana snickered slightly. Sam nodded and took a point under the vent, hands clasped to act as a foothold. As Sam helped Hana up, she swept up into the air vent - and the drone skittered in...through Hana and their drone's eyes, they could see the main room. The place had been changed from the blue prints, but not extremely...the parts and machinery within had been covered up, more than moved, and replaced with beds and cushions. Lights were hung from the walls and about fourteen people in there. They picked Asvig in the corner, chatting with a gorgeous redhead who was covered in tribalistic tattoos, her body wired up with enough chrome to make her a near mirror of Nora - down to her tiny draconic droid, which sat on her shoulder. Asvig was a big, beefy, blond guy. The kind of guy who'd have played Thor in the movies, save that he wore douchebag sunglasses despite being inside and in fucking space. He was gesticulating around himself, while the other Shadowrunners - mostly young, tough looking types - danced and banged their heads and ground against one another to the beat of the music. A few droids puttered around, with trays that had drinks...and drugs. Some of the Runners were out cold on the ground - a full six of them were snoring on cots in various modes of undress.

Ami frowned. "...I think Asvig invited some extra friends over for his fucking party..." she muttered into the com link. Douchebag sunglasses. Xata's circuits glowed with an almost instinctive spite.

Sam snickered at that. "Almost tempted to lob a smoke into the vent."

"...Bootleg bint." Nora muttered under her breath, glaring at the redhead. She had her little drone explore as best it could.

"We need a Distraction," Xata said.

Hana texted the rest of the group: I think Asvig thinks that the lions are doing the.. lion's share of the guardian work. The woman seems displeased with his security, but he said "My friends got this"

Rakain drew his gun. "Do we want a vesk sized loud distraction? Or something a bit more subtle?"

"I could go to the main door and knock. We know a dangerous line." Sam replied to the message over the comms.

"More subtle." Xata looked over to Hana. Or, more accurately, to the vent Hana had crawled into. Ami snickered.

"So, uh, will they even notice a summon, Hana?" She asked. "That music is loud.'

They'll notice. We all ready for me to summon? Hana sent to the others.

"Summon away!" Xata said.

Bring the house down, Hana! Rakain messaged her. Sam took a position by the door, ready to knock it open. Xata brought her katana to the ready. Hana focused, muttering softly to herself and a massive golden rat appeared on the chest of the reclining douchenozzle. As the rat appeared, Rakain touched a claw to his choker, then tapped his laser pistol, suffusing it with emerald light.

As Rakain slapped down the spell...five things happened at once.

The red headed girl that Asvig had been speaking too walked into the control room, unaware that her heels were dogged by the ferret drone. Her dragon drone hissed, but she ignored it, despite it trying to point her eyes at the small ferret, which hopped onto the computer control system - the ferret plugging in it's cute connector tongue into the slot.

Asvig, who had been walking near the center of the room, called out. "Come on, this is a party, lets EAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH!"

The sound was not entirely manly. But to be fair, a massive, white furred, golden halo'd roadent from the higher celestial planes had appeared on his chest, claws digging into his shirt. He screamed like a girl and every runner in the room started to laugh raucously.

And then the doors in entrance that Rakian, Sam, Ami, Korra, Xata and Nora stood by swung inwards - letting them see the chaos within as the inner doors locked - sealing the red head in a room and trapping the runners within as they luaghed - too drunk to realize what was going on.

"The Data is quantum locked by a key. Either Redhead or Dicklord have it." Nora said as her fingers flew over her wrist. "Gunna try to keep them from being able to do much else."

Xata's katana whirled into motion as her voice began a hypnotic, rhythmic Song. She tried to mesmerise as many of the assembled douchebags as she could. Four of the goons did notice them - turning to look at them, blinking slightly as they looked at Xata...and...well, they looked more confused than hypnotized. The Confounding Chant of Cantor Delilles was at least good for making people stop and say: "WTF?!"

"Let me know if you want me to give the redhead a shave." Sam offered to Nora as she stepped into the room and behind the distracted Asvig, her helmet snapping into place to conceal her face. She was taking this casual, not as someone rushing in to slam a blade into his back but more that as if she belonged here, something that only confused the other four currently paying attention to the group more.

Which made it all the more shocking when her hand went to the hilt at her hip and the blade snapped free from it's sheath in a lightning fast swing that bit into the side of the oblivious Runner.

"Odin is watching." She said in a tone that carried a casual disregard for life.

The massive man who still had a celestial rat on his chest staggered, screamed, and shouted. "What the FUCK!?"

"Yeah, that's it, keep your eye on the rat!" Rakain yelled, sighting down his pistol. He fired. The supercharged shot slammed into Asvig's chest, blowing the massive man backwards off his feet to crash into the tables behind him, dead as a doornail.

Asvig sprawled on the ground - and sliding from his pocket came a tiny, glinting key-card...the key Nora had mentioned.

As the runners stood in shock, blinking down at their suddenly dead leader, the drama in hte other room continued - the red head kicking at the door that had selaed her in, trying to hack her way past the computer code that Nora had slipped into the system. Behind her, unobserved, Nora's ferret drone chomped onto the quantum locked hard-drive that contained the sensitive information in the Shadowrunner's base. It dragged the hard-drive free, then scampered off, holding the drive in its teeth. It skittered up into the vent.

Half of the things they required from the runner's compound were taken - they only needed Asvig's keycard!

The golden rat leaped off the dead body, rushing towards one of the other gang members as Hana muttered, lifting up the keycard with her arcane magics, pulling it off the ground and up to her hand. Xata swung into the Chant of Bidirection as duplicate versions of her fled in two different directions!

The shadowrunners looked in every direction, shouting to one another, pulling their weapons as the mirror images ran around them and the rat romped among them - each of them seemed to be facing in a different direction, trying to run towards doors that had been locked. Pure pandamonium had been kicked off!

A soft clink hit the floor from under the robes covering Sam's armor before a small cylinder rolled out into the open. Those with some sense might recognize the look of an improvised explosive, a short fuse already burning as it came into view.

The sparking line disappeared into the device, and smoke started to billow from the device and fill that half of the room. Under the cover of the smoke, protected by her environmental seals, Sam just walked out the door she came in, cleaning the blade and putting it away.

The ferretdrone skittered away, while Hana squirmed backwards - the smoke full of confused Runners, and a single snarling rat. And so, as the party retreated back and away from the runner's domains and away from the shadows, that celestial rat continued to scamper about, until it emerged from the fog, dragging a hunk of fast food it had stolen from one of the tables, skittering around a corner to enjoy its meal before it was yanked back to its home dimension by the spell collapsing...

###

"All in all," Korra said, nodding as she lounged back in her seat on her ship. "I call that a pretty dang successful mission!"

Xata said: "Killer mission, chummers. The Shadows have learned to fear us! Or at least to be reasonably confused by us..."

Hana took the keycard from her pocket, offering it to Nora, "Here you go." She said, smiling slightly.

"We are badass!" Rakain whooped.

Korra sighed, quietly. "And Asvig got what he had coming to him for kidnapping my friend..." She said, quietly. "Now, hopefully...Ulf's okay..." She bit her lip slightly.

Nora took the key and drive. With her drone and some wiring she set to work connecting and getting through to the system.

"I am going to laugh if the Johnson that died was Odin." Sam laughed as she stole a chair to lounge in. "We are going to have to check our information. I hope he is alive as well."

Xata's jubilance died into pensiveness as she waited on the result of their efforts.

As Nora tapped away, they found that the hard drive contained the files that were saved by Helva - the redheaded mechanic that had been in the party. It seemed she hadn't trusted their bosses one iota...and had slipped a tracker on Ulf when she had dropped him off in the airlock.

That tracker currently blipped softly, sending a weak signal from a point on one of the moons of the gas giant that Kalsgard station orbited.

Korra's eyes widened. "I know that place!" she exclaimed. "That's Ravenscraig!" She looked at the other. "It's been the headquarters of the Rimerunner's Guild for the past few years - they're traders and merchants who travel through the Crown of the World..." She bit her lip. "What the hell do they want Ulf for!?"

Despite her questions, they could see that she was deeply relieved.

"Oooooh, that explains why they wanted him tossed out the airlock." Hana nodded. "Any sort of lead on the sword?"

"It's on a shuttle." Nora said with a yawn, pausing to rub her eyes. "It's being sent into the sun tomorrow."

"We must act quickly, then." Xata said, nodding.

"So, let's head out and get the sword now." Hana said, frowning. Sam nodded in agreement. Rakain cracked his knuckles.

Ami nodded. "That makes sense..." She said, grinning. "Though, uh, I think we should make sure we have a secure line to Alfie, so she can pick us up if the assholes launch the shuttle with us on it. Because you know that's something that's going to happen if they know we're there

"I trust Nora to take whatever measures are needed," Xata said.

"Confirming it before we're hurled into the sun would be nice though." Hana snickered slightly.

"Well, Ami is right. But there are a few methods of dealing with that." Sam noted in agreement.

"I'll get the best ship ever and it's best AI alerted," The mechanic said with a nod, "What if we intercepted the shuttle inflight?"

Korra nodded. "We are about fifty AU away from the sun," she said. "Even at full burn, that's a day to get there."

"We would need the flight plan for the shuttle to do so." Sam replied.

"The sun," Nora said. "Do math!"

"We must prepare for Maximum Effort," Xata said, nodding.

Korra snorted. "She's got a point," she said, dragging over her computer console - a massive, chunky looking mess that she slapped at, tapped away. "Narrowed down the limited paths and...there." SHe turned the screen around, showing them the route. "That's the most efficient route."

Sam chuckled. "Fair enough. You have the launch time tomorrow?"

"Just seems easier to grab it before the shuttle heads out. Also, we don't need to send it back out this way and our ship is less corpsey," Hana said.

Ami nodded. "That is a good point," she said.

"Also allows more room for error." Sam said.

Ami sighed, brushing her hand along her face. "Okay..." She said. "Korra and I have your route. WE can join the Sunwolf waiting out in space. YOu can signal us if you end up in trouble. The smaller party means you sneak better, and we can grab you if the ship launches!" she grinned. "Best of both worlds!"

"Sounds excellent, chummer!" Xata said.

Rakain looked at the android. "Chummer?"

Ami snickered. "She's been saying it all day," she said, her voice soft.

"We are still Shadowrunners," Xata grinned.,

Nora leaned against Korra with a yawn, "So does that mean we can rest a little still before the shuttle?"

Korra nodded, her brown cheeks darkening further as Nora leaned against her toned body. "Um, s-sure!" she said. "Since it's launching in a few hours, breaking for a bit's fine..." She smiled slightly.

"If you need to." Hana said, frowning slightly, "I mean.. it's probably better to do it as soon as possible if we can."

"An hour or two one way or the other makes little difference for me, omae," said Xata.

"Yeah, it's only going to be so long before the confused fucks at the party start doing something stupid." Sam noted.

"Just an hour without my head going through so much code. I'm seeing numbers." Nora rubbed her palms against her eyes with a groan.

Ami nodded, squeezing Hana's shoulder. "We'll set out soon..." She said, her voice serious as she sighed.

And so, the party setlted to rest for a short time - and once they felt their aches fade and their bodies ready, they would set out again into the darkness of Kalsguard station - to head for the shuttle bay...and the planned final resting place of Suishen.
But not if they had anything to do about it.

###

Sam was feeling antsy. Her own temperament and experience screamed at her to finish what was started, that too many loose threads were dangling about. Yet her companions needed rest and the small ice mining barge offered that, though little comfort was to be found among the hard steel and fused stone. Though machinery and their controls were scattered about and the layout of the vessel was directed to function. She had stolen and improvised seat made of some padding she placed over a series of large pipes that ran up over the floor, curved to get over a section of rock as it was easier in the design than to go through it. She sat fully armored in that gleeming steel bodysuit, the curtain of rings over the metal bands seeming to give a glint of green as the pale lights played over it, table in hand as she tried to occupy her mind with distractions.

Though it was clear that it wasn't working. Every so often her eyes would wander from the device and look to someone in the group or just to the wall as if her sight could bore through the solid stone and see into the nearby station. Her toes tapped into the empty air, as if every second was dragging it's talons across her skin and all she could do to fight it was twitch and worry.

It wasn't long before she had enough of this and gave up on technology passing the time. She set the miniature computer into the recess on her arm gaurd, locking it in place before she looked over her companions once more. Upon her gaze landing on Xata her face lit up in a smile as a thought churned in her mind.

"Hey Xata, could you come over here for a moment?"

Xata's body was almost vibrating in the wake of the action, keyed-up. Humans would call the effect an "adrenaline rush." Her body lacked adrenal glands but the rush of energy in the wake of stress was a more than passable facsimile.

Their intrusion on the shadowrunner crew had been a nearer, and luckier, thing than she'd allowed herself to appreciate as it was happening. It had illustrated to her that her facility with the new spells and chants that had surfaced from the depths of her memory banks was still imperfect. Part of her wanted to spend the transit time meditating, dredging her consciousness for access to new devices and functions. But the more she did this the more the mysteries unsettled her, made her feel broken next to her companions. They were all whole people, with memories, with pasts; what was she?

And so she found herself putting it off. Looking around the cabin restlessly. Certain other memory files replayed themselves in her mind. She caught herself glancing shyly at Sam, recalling vividly the last time they'd been together. The memory file was a pleasant distraction, but she yanked her eyes guiltily away when she saw Sam looking back at her. She didn't want to seem greedy.

Still, it was like music to Xata's ears -- and for Xata this was saying something -- when she heard Sam's voice inviting her over. Did she need help with something? The android felt her circuits glow with an anticipation, a hope, she didn't dare let herself feel fully. Her voice sounded small and fragile in her own ears as she attempted her customary bright optimism.

"Of course, Fellow Adventurer!"

Sam chuckled at the comment, Xata often did amuse her. As the android approached Sam sat up straight, or as straight as the pipes she lounged on would allow, and pushed herself up to give a light peck on Xata's lips.

"I've noticed you're a little excited." Sam whispered softly, her tone that of a promise. "I would enjoy giving you relief once more."

"You would?" Xata tried not to let her voice sound too eager, but her circuits thrummed in response to that peck of a kiss, the promises it held. Sometimes it seemed Sam only had to look at her to make her wet. She was so strong, so confident, so... sure. It spoke to something deep within the unknown recesses of her memory banks.

She didn't know what it was, but at this moment she realised she didn't care. She was excited. She could use a little "relief."

Before she knew what she was doing, the android was returning that first light touch of a kiss with interest, opening her mouth against Sam's, yielding against her. She found that her fingers were shaking as she began to pull at her armor, something inside her needing to relinquish that layer of protection. And she heard herself say: "You could always... make me your captive again..."

"Someone enjoys the feeling of the rope, I see," Sam teased as she watched Xata strip; and as more of that beautiful body was revealed once more it was clear Sam had quite the interest in the show. Slowly she tugged at her own collar, that small angled line once more bending like a dogear in a book and pulled apart an unseen seam in her armor, bands and rings parting as she exposed it back just enough to give a view of her cleaveage.

Once Xata was standing naked before her, Sam's hand went to the inside of her thigh and those fingers played along the android's false flesh.

"Though it seems you are already my captive. Are you sure you want that, to be mine to use and abuse as I please? For me to collar you as a belonging, as a pet?" Once more her tone was a playful teasing.

Am I sure I want it? Xata asked herself. But at Sam's touch -- those hands that could be so powerful, that could crush and defeat Dastardly Enemies, playing over her skin with incongruous gentleness -- she knew the answer.

"Yes..." it escaped her, a helpless little moan. She was trying to keep it quiet, to avoid disturbing the others, lost in their own thoughts, though none of them were slow on the uptake and they had to be noticing what was going on by now. It was a blessing, at least, that the group were so open about these things. That there were no traces of shame among them.

The thought of being watched sent an extra frisson of passion through her, and she shivered as Sam caressed her, the wetness growing between her quivering thighs, her sex pulsing, every inch of her tingling.

"Oh yes... I want to be yours, your plaything, your pet... anything you want me to be... I want the touch of the rope, the touch of your hands... I want you..."

Sam gave an amused chuckle as her armoured hand brushed upwards to Xata's nethers, fingers teasing around her lips and slowly spreading her. A single digit, cold from it's metal wrapping slipped into her and started stirring as it forced its way into her eager depths.

"Now, stay standing or I wouldn't be able to have my hand here." Sam noted, her hand playing her pet like a fiddle, pushing another finger into that wetness before curling them towards her, dragging them against the front wall and coaxing spikes of pleasure as she targeted those sensitive spots.

Xata's body quivered like a plucked string as she struggled to keep her feet. The waves of pleasure from those insouciant, invading fingers were already driving her toward the brink, faster than she could have dreamed possible. She bit her lip, moaned as she took the finger-fucking like an obedient pleasure doll, folding her hands behind her and arching her back to give Sam access to anything she wanted.

The feeling of vulnerability was total, like her whole body had become an exposed nerve. But there was a safety in it. It wasn't like the fear that haunted the quiet moments, the fear that she didn't let the others see. This was sweet abandon, the feeling of being vulnerable to someone whose strength and goodness would keep her safe. And the reality of that made her wetter, wetter with every inward stroke of those masterful digits, a quiet squelching emerging from her sex as it clutched at those sweet invaders with every inward stroke.

The android let out a little whimper, her eyes closed as her muscles tensed. Somehow it felt right to ask permission, and she was saying: "P - please... please... may I... may I come?"

"No." The order was firm and matched by those fingers slowing down, turning to a lighter caress before retreating entirely. "No, you don't get to go off so easily." She explained, her tone almost wicked before her hands grabbed Xata from the back of her thighs, lifting her weakened form from that awkward position and bringing her ontop of the amazon woman. Her knees were set to either side of Sam's head, Xata set down straddling the object of her desire.

"Now, enjoy it fully like a good girl." Sam said playfully, her tone kind and accented by the soft love bite she gave to the thigh next to her head. She raised her lips and kissed those soft lips before her, her tongue teasing up and down the length before delving in.

"Ohhhh..." Xata felt a touch of shyness at the way her hips bucked as Sam's tongue made contact.

Somehow, being forced to hold the orgasm at bay was only making the pleasure more intense. As the gorgeous warrior began to devour her quim, that tongue skilfully playing over her yearning slit, delving inside her, flicking up to lash her stiff clit, she had to clap her hands over her mouth at first to keep herself from crying out, from begging.

After a moment she had to give up on trying to stifle the sounds of desire that came from inside her throat. She moaned again, found herself saying Sam's name over and over, chanting it like a mantra of passion. She released her hands to reach down and played with her pert breasts, tugging gently at her own nipples and feeling the pleasure heighten as she writhed under that expert tongue. She was whimpering, yearning for the climax building inside her like the pressure behind a dam, thrashing her head back and forth as her hips bucked and squirmed and slathered her dripping sex all over her lover's face.

Desperately obedient, she tried to keep the explosion of climax at bay... but her resistance was crumbling, moment by moment.

Sam pulled back, both from knowing just how close her pet was to breaking her order and for the very human need to breathe.

"Come, my pet. Let it wash over you," she ordered as her hands took a firm hold on Xata's hips, holding her down tightly to Sam's mouth as she pushed her tongue once more deep inside her captive, dragging it against the soft mound inside and out to flick at that erect clit, alternating her pleasurable assault.

She couldn't fight it any longer. Sam's words of permission went through her like a bolt of raw sexual power. As that tongue delved into her and flicked her clit, again and again, Xata went rigid, taking handfuls of her own hair and writhing as the moment came closer... closer... closer....

"Ahhh-haaahhh!"

Little glitches played across the inside of her eyelids, stray pieces of data firing this way and that as the orgasm tore through her in wave after wave, her juices sluicing out to anoint Sam's beautiful features as she drew the pleasure out with that sure, deft touch, playing her pet like an instrument of pleasure, clearly revelling in her cries of release as her stomach muscles clenched in rhythm with the climax bursting from her sex. It seemed to last for a sweet eternity... and she chose to let it feel that way, ignoring the voice of her precise internal chronometer in favour of that subjective time that let the golden moment of release suspend her in its glow.

At last the waves pulled back. She was gasping, looking at Sam's face bright with her spend, and saying: "Thank you... thank you... can your pet return the favor?"

Sam held her partner down to her lips as pleasure caused Xata to writhe in place and drank her as she climaxed. That tongue didn't stop, instead dragged her orgasm out and prevented her from falling back to her senses for as long as her mind would allow. Sated and grinning like a cat Sam pulled back and took a deep breath as Xata returned to her body and gave her the moment to ask her question.

"Your Mistress would enjoy that." Sam said as her hand went behind Xata and to the seam in the armor. Once more Sam pulled at it, revealing more of her toned body until that line of exposed flesh reached far enough down to reveal her shaft, letting her hardness snap free from being tucked between her legs, her balls once more dropping free from their confines and covering her own wet slit.

"Please me, pet."

"By Mistress' command."

Xata's eyes glowed with delight as she wriggled around onto her belly, now draped lengthwise across Sam's body as she took that magnificent prick in hand, revelling in the tumescent heat of it as she stroked it. She took in breath for the purpose of feathering it over the bulging head of that remarkable and fascinating organ, watching the head swell and a drop of pre-cum leak from its tip. She darted forward and delved her tongue into that little slit, gathering up that pearl of fluid and enjoying its flavour on her tongue as she spat on her hand and began to wank Sam's cock, slowly, luxuriantly.

Turnabout was fair play. The pet wanted to tease her Mistress a little, and she didn't begin to suck. Not just yet. She wanted Sam to want it. She stroked that hard organ, lavished it with little kisses that was almost have been chaste if it weren't for their anatomical location. As one wet hand made its journey up and down, up and down that throbbing, pulsing shaft, the other explored a little lower, toying with the hanging balls, kneading them very, very gently in rhythm with the motion of her other hand.

She kissed the tip of Sam's cock, drew out and tasted another little pearl of pre-cum and said: "Does Mistress like?"

Though Sam projected the idea that she was in total control of this, there were the signs that Xata was getting exactly what she wanted from this. Sam's shaft twitched in pleasure to the sweet kisses and caresses, her hips jerking softly even as she tried to hold herself still. Her own breathing started to turn heavy as she forced back the moaning that wanted to escape her lips.

She wasn't going to just let her pet play with her like this and be passive. She gave a sharp smack to Xata's rear before groping her ass.

"Planning on taking your time? Or is my pet going to actually suck on a cock today?" Sam snided, though her desire was heavy in her tone, and she followed up with the order: "Lips to the head, and take it into your throat as deep as you can."

Sam was already being a bit evil. Her hand didn't stop at just groping Xata's butt; rather a gloved finger pressed to her tight star, working the ring of muscle and threatening to force its way in.

"Mmmm-hmmmm..." Xata moaned with lust as she felt Sam groping her, felt the probing at the aperture of her tight sphincter. In obedience to Mistress' command -- and feeling a thrill of desire in her pussy as the sting from that peremptory smack on her ass diffused into a pleasing warmth -- she opened up and took the cock in her mouth. She shoved down on it with a ravenous hunger as profound as her former teasing had been playful, burying it to the hilt, her throat opening and flexing around it as those big balls tickled her nose.

She began to hum musically as she began to lunge her salivating mouth up and down the length of Sam's prick, continuing to knead her balls as she worked as much of that organ down her gullet as she could manage. She suspended the need for breath now, bobbing with tireless enthusiasm and wriggling in delight as she felt the pressure at her asshole begin to transition into penetration.

With her free hand she continued to explore... and found the length of Sam's slit under the cover of those bulging testicles, beginning to run her fingers along it in tandem with the hand working at the balls draped over it as she sucked.

Sam moaned at the blissful feeling of that tight tunnel swallowing her shaft, from the bulbous head to the thick base it twitched against it's confines. Pleasure spiked as the flared ridge was dragged against Xata's throat due to her pulling back and plunging the shaft into her once more. Sam was delighted with the fonding of her heavy balls, content as she felt herself inching closer to her limit, being driven by the dutiful partner she had ensnared.

Sam didn't leave herself idle though, her finger suddenly penetrated that tight ass and held itself there, let the feeling become acustomed before starting to slowly pump in and out, to prepare and train it for future use and abuse.

Her focus was broken when a surprise sensation shocked her, her finger suddenly curling in Xata's ass as that hand that rested on her rear instantly took a hard grab of her flesh. Seems that the mistress was a bit sensitive there, that Xata had discovered a weak point.

Xata glowed with pleasure as she felt the cock twitch in her throat, the finger delving into her yielding rectum as she relaxed to accept it, delighting in the crude sensation... and in the way that finger curled and Sam's body tensed as her pet's fingers found that sensitive, vulnerable slit.

She teased it as she sucked, moaned as the finger violating her arsehole probed deeper, stretching her, and decided to exploit the pleasurable chink she'd discovered in Sam's armour of dominance. She broke off sucking for a moment to gasp: "It seems Mistress likes a little something else, too..."

A moment later she was ramming the prick back down her throat almost brutally, wriggling with delight as she did it. As she gently squeezed and gathered up those delightful balls with one hand, she explored the sensitivity of that revealed second sex with the other, delving an exploratory finger in and beginning to pump it gently in and out in time with the sloppy suck-job she was lavishing on her lover's pulsating organ.

"Why- you- oh that's it," Sam responded, words starting to fail her as that finger explored her tight slit. She was pushed closer to her climax and she could feel it rapidly approaching from the dual assault on her shaft and nethers, and she embraced it, sought it. She forced a second finger into Xata's rear, spreading her further as they fucked her harder, as a hand took a tight hold around her head and controlled her bobbing. Sam's hips raised up to meet those tender lips as she face fucked her pet.

"Don't stop, deeper! More!" she ordered as she felt herself approach her limit, her balled flexed and shaft swelled as it started to fill with her seed. Precum continued to well at the tip and gave Xata a sign of what was about to be released into her throat. Her body was being used and abused, her ass ravaged by those fingers, her throat taken by that cock, and soon her stomach would be filled with her mistress's thick spunk.

Xata tensed up, feeling delightfully full fore and aft as Sam took control of her mouth's rhythm, fucking her throat as a second finger stretched her asshole. Even without direct stimulation she felt her pussy about to cream again even as she finger-fucked Sam's slit deliriously, bringing a second finger of her own to bear as the ptich of their wild romp built toward a climax. She felt Sam's cock twitching and swelling, her slit growing wetter, and the android put everything she had into bringing her over the edge, all thoughts of teasing long gone as the moment of completion came at both of them.

She savored Sam's cry of pleasure and the first hot jet of spunk that erupted into her throat, the balls pulsing and the slit clenching around her delving fingers as her Mistress went over the edge. She drank and drank as bullet after bullet of creamy spend slid down her gullet, pulled back to catch the last few splashes of it against her cheek and chin as she cried out with the pleasure of the anal rifling and felt Sam's magnificent body go rigid with the multivalent passions tearing through her... through them both.

She pulled her fingers free and chased Sam's thick, sticky load with the flavour of her sweet slit as she licked it off her digits. "Thank you, Mistress," she whispered contentedly. "Your pet is Duly Relieved."
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