18+ Shadow Station

[Simus]

Jessica timidly extended her own tightly gloved hand and accepted the Breton woman's outstretched one. This was the first genuine kindness Jessica had been shown in what seemed like forever and now someone was kind enough to hold her hand. Despite all the lies it was built upon Jessica missed the Academy. It was her home and most of the people there were good to the core. She missed her parents and friends and teachers she had grown up with. She missed being hugged and held. She missed her mom warming her pajamas up in the dryer before changing in them and she missed her dad tucking her in at night. Holding this woman's hand brought back a little of that. A little of home.

"Thank you." She said tearfully, ready to go whenever they were.

 

[Valin Oakthorn]

Xzavier sat back down at his seat after the blackstar woman had explained everything everything was under control. Nothing was ever under control on the shadow station, and the assassin knew that. He closed his eyes under his visor and reclined in his chair. Life on the station was slow for Xzavier, so sleep was a common thing for him. The people around him all seemed very occupied, and so he could only hope that someone would wake him should anything interesting happen.

 

[Andre Marek]

Aden hesitated when Jessica took the womans hand and began walking with her. On the one hand, if he explained how he did indeed know her parents then he would completely blow her cover out of the water. On the other, if he stayed quiet, he risked having Jessica leave his sight. He couldn't allow that to happen. He'd made a promise that he would watch out for her and he intended to keep it. I wont say anything yet. Not an ideal place with so many people around to hear. He thought, glancing at the door, where the other hunter stood watching the others in the bar.

Stepping in behind the woman and Jessica he announced with finality, "I'm coming. I've got some explaining to do it seems and this isn't the place to do it." Clipping his rifle to his back, Aden casually put a hand on his holstered pistol and waited for the woman to lead the way to wherever they were headed.

 

[Baneloth]

Derek turned away from the group. He didn't exactly trust any of them not to shoot the kid in the back and drag her back to...wherever she came from, but he couldn't help it. Besides, if the group was a bounty hunting team, there wasn't much he could do to stop them. True, his weapons were better than some, but his heavy steel armour could only take so much. "I'll just leave you to it, then." If they wanted to protect the kid, by moving around as a big target, or simply collect on what ever bounty there was on her head, it was none of his concern. If he found out something had happened to her, he'd beat himself up plenty.

Until then, he had to eat. His armour and weapons needed maintaining, and the hangar bay that was housing his ship, the Nomad, wasn't free. The only way to do that was to take on bounties. Glancing at the ex-cop, who still hadn't left the bar, he nodded, making up his mind. The man wasn't a hunter, but Derek could use a partner. Especially on a place as dangerous as Shadow station. If the man insisted on pay, which he doubted he would, Derek would split the bounties with him. There was no shortage of scum in the lower levels of the station. Well, truthfully, there was no shortage of scum anywhere in the station. "Excuse me. I was wondering. You want to hunt scum, and I need to eat. I suggest a short time partnership. To both our benefit"

 

[EpicVakarian]

I nodded, and gripped Jessica's hand all the harder. I led the group out of the bar, and towards the most quiet, empty place I knew; the balcony on Level Twenty-Three. It looked like a small bubble on the outside of the station, but in reality it was a platform, built out into space and covered over with reinforced, pressurized glass. No-one ever came here except me and a couple of others. So I decided we could talk safely here.

"Okay. Jessica, I'm going to introduce myself. You and Marek can never tell anyone who I am, okay?" Jessica nodded, and I looked to Marek to see him doing the same. "I'm La'ara Darkstrider. Known here as the Black of Night. I'm not a bounty hunter, I'm a... rebel, I guess. Fighting for justice on this scum-infested rats nest they call a station. And this is Vex. Or the Black Reaper, they call him."


I smiled at Jessica. "Now, do you want to tell me why you're here? I... don't mean to offend you, but this place isn't exactly somewhere a woman as young as you should call home. What are you, sixteen? Seventeen?" I realised how cold I sounded. "You're... very beautiful. Truly, you are. But on a place like this, you don't want to be beautiful. Half of the people on this station would torture you, rape you and kill you. The other half would kill your family first." I saw that I had shocked her. "And that's why you need somewhere to stay, right? Somewhere safe? Well, if you want, you can stay at my place. You know who I am, staying there would hardly change anything."

 

[Blackwhite1223]

"Excuse me. I was wondering. You want to hunt scum, and I need to eat. I suggest a short time partnership. To both our benefit" Galen looked at the man. He was covered from head to foot in his heavy green steel armour, and had a serious looking weapon that the ex-cop guessed to be a shatter rifle. He shuddered. He'd seen rounds from the weapon tear through the lightweight armour that most law enforcement units used like it was paper. He wondered briefly if there was a bounty on his head. After all, he had sniped a powerful gang boss in public. The mans' underlings would be less than willing to let that pass.

Since he'd been 'let go' from the force, he'd encountered several thugs, looking to 'teach him a lesson'. Shadow station was a good place to disappear, and help some people while he was at it. Considering that the hunter hadn't shot him yet, Galen decided to take his chances. "Acceptable. But don't think I'll target innocents, just for your paycheck, bounty hunter"

 

[Baneloth]

Derek chuckled. The man obviously had no qualms about shooting down gang members and other filth in cold blood. Then, when considered, being shot was one of the more merciful ways to go on the station. Considering what the inhabitants of the lower levels did for fun, it would be a favour to the galaxy at large to remove them from it. "Trust me, friend. Where we're going, there's no such thing as 'innocent'" He turned to the door of the bar, noticing some Khajiit-Elf hybrid slumped in the corner. 'Passed out or sleeping...dumb thing to do in a place like this' then he turned back to the ex-cop. "Hey. I don't think I got your name"

 

[Valin Oakthorn]

Xzavier awoke to the sound of a large, drunken nord trying to remove his own sniper rifle from his back. Xzavier pushed the man away, only to recieve a drunken charge from the man. Xzavier punched him in the throat, remaining seated and watched as the man fell to the floor. The assassin looked around the bar sleepily. He saw a large green armor wearing man with another of whom looked to be another sniper. Oh plops! as he stood up from his seat. He had told himself to watch the sniper earlier, and had failed to keep tabs on him. He pulled his hood over his head and moved quietly from group of people to another until he was within range of their conversation. The only thing he had managed to here from the wall he was now leaning against was "Hey. I don't think I got your name"

 

[Wolfbane]

And this is Vex. Or the Black Reaper, they call him." Vex quietly raised his hand to wave.He leaned up against the wall and let the others talk out a plan. He would only answer if he was asked a question. He likes to keep it simple. No miscommunication, no confusion. His thoughts were his own. 'I wonder if this will complicates things. I need to kill my target. But at the same time, I need to be here. This girl is already as safe as a large sum of septims on an imperial starship, but still. It won't make me look good. Hell, it will make me look like a typical bounty hunter. This drug, Shade, needs to be off the streets, but killing one guy won't stop that. Choices, choices. I guess I'll have to see where this goes. I wonder what this girl is doing here? I suspect we will soon find out.' Vex causally looked around the room while La'ara and Jessica were still talking. "Now, do you want to tell me why you're here? I... don't mean to offend you, but this place isn't exactly somewhere a woman as young as you should call home. What are you, sixteen? Seventeen?" 'She sounded a little annoyed. Maybe she should try a nicer tone.' "You're... very beautiful. Truly, you are. But on a place like this, you don't want to be beautiful. Half of the people on this station would torture you, rape you and kill you. The other half would kill your family first." 'She really sucks with people, doesn't she? Not the tone I was expecting.' "And that's why you need somewhere to stay, right? Somewhere safe? Well, if you want, you can stay at my place. You know who I am, staying there would hardly change anything." 'There we go! That's more comforting sounding.' Vex swept his hair back and continued to listen.

 

[Andre Marek]

Aden listened to the introduction La'ara gave for herself and Vex without comment. He made a note to run their names later on. Both of them sounded familiar and it was always good to know who you were dealing with. Once she was finnished he nodded once before activating his helmets bug scanning equipment. Ignoring the others for a moment he walked the perimeter of the small glass bubble they were in, running the palm of his glove along the walls as he did. Once he was sure the room wasn't monitored he walked back over to La'ara, Vex, and Jessica.

"Can't be too careful in a place like this." He turned to Jessica, "Jessica. You may not want to believe me but I promise you, I'm telling the truth. I've known your parents my whole life. And I've known you all of yours, though you never knew me." Aden stopped to think for a second before continuing, "Your mother is a microbiologist. She teaches high level biology courses at the Academy. Your father worked for the Empire as an astronomical engineer for years before he was recruited by Mengsk to teach at the Academy as well." He watched as her expression went from disbelief to outright denial. Aden knew he'd need more than that to convince her. Something personal. "There was a night, you probably don't remember... It must have been six, seven years ago by now. You came downstairs in your parents apartment. There was a man there, an friend of theirs. You asked who he was and they told you he worked for the government, catching bad guys. Do you remember now? That man was me. It had been a couple months since I'd seen them and I was passing through so I decided to stop by. They never meant for you to meet me. They thought you would be upset, and rightfully so given my line of work." He wished he could have taken off his helmet, to jog her memory, but he didn't dare with this La'ara and Vex pair there.

 

[Simus]

The Breton woman introduced herself as La'ara Darkstrider. It was a beautiful name and Jessica could tell that she was placing enormous trust in her by revealing it. Jessica had been on this station long enough to know that trust was rare and precious, and she was taken aback at how much trust La'ara was showing her. She then asked Jessica what she was doing here and made it very clear that a girl her age shouldn't be here. Her words were hard to hear and they confirmed a lot of Jessica's worries and fears, but Jessica knew she needed to hear them. Her world had been so small for so long and she was beginning to realize just how small it was. She needed someone to help her wise up.

Then La'ara told Jessica something she didn't expect. She told her that she was beautiful and she really meant it. Her jaw dropped in awe, not only because someone had openly praised her beauty but that it came from a woman who's beauty far exceeded her own. She was speechless, a rare thing for her. La'ara offering to take her in was too much for her. Too much kindness after she had been showed so little. Jessica didn't have word to express her gratitude so the tears started to roll again. She hugged La'ara around the shoulders and pulled herself close to her. Jessica laid her head against La'ara's chest and watched Marek circle the room.

"Jessica. You may not want to believe me but I promise you, I'm telling the truth. I've known your parents my whole life. And I've known you all of yours, though you never knew me. Your mother is a microbiologist. She teaches high level biology courses at the Academy. Your father worked for the Empire as an astronomical engineer for years before he was recruited by Mengsk to teach at the Academy as well."

Tears trickled down Jessica's face. She was in denial about this man having anything to do with her. "Anyone could find that information in their public files. Do not tell me that you had a relationship with them. It's insulting." She whispered through her tears.

"There was a night, you probably don't remember... It must have been six, seven years ago by now. You came downstairs in your parents apartment. There was a man there, an friend of theirs. You asked who he was and they told you he worked for the government, catching bad guys. Do you remember now? That man was me. It had been a couple months since I'd seen them and I was passing through so I decided to stop by. They never meant for you to meet me. They thought you would be upset, and rightfully so given my line of work."

The tears picked up a little despite the safety of La'ara's arms. Jessica's eyes widened in revelation. The only way Marek could have known that was if he was the man he spoke of. Jessica did find this news upsetting, but also curious. She sniffed and took a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. Her voice was sad, defeated. Her mental safety barriers had been broken through. "I do remember. I had been in bed for an hour but I couldn't sleep. I came downstairs to ask mama for a glass of water. I was in my favorite footy pajamas. Blue with white snowflakes. I have several pairs just like them now and I sleep in them most nights. You were sitting in a chair across from daddy. When you saw me you smiled down at me and said my pj's were cute. Mamma and daddy never intended seeing the two of us in the same room together, you're right about that. Then, thinking on their feet, they introduced you as Mr. Aden and they did say you worked for the government and caught bad guys. I suppose that's true, considering you're one of Mengsk's pet bounty hunters."

Even though Jessica couldn't see Marek's face, his body language betrayed his surprise. Jessica gave a small smile despite her tear soaked face.

"I took a few of his files with me. I may be naive but I'm not stupid. I know who you are Mr. Marek and I've been avoiding you ever since you arrived on the station because I figured you were sent her to haul me back to Mengsk. What I didn't expect was for you to peacefully approach me, which is a factor in my current fear and desperation. The fact that you haven't bagged and dragged me yet leads me to believe that you can be trusted, but the jury's still out on that."

She cuddled slightly deeper into La'ara's chest and rested her head there, feeling safer there than anywhere else.

 

[EpicVakarian]

Jessica's mouth dropped when I said she was beautiful. I wasn't particularly good at talking, but I could judge thoughts well. And I could tell that Jessica took that as a great compliment from me; she thought I was way more beautiful than she was. And the moment I finished talking, tears began to stream down her face and she hugged me tightly, burying her head in my chest. I didn't mind; the tears could easily be washed off, and comforting this young girl was more satisfying than anything I had ever done before on the station.

More tears began to come when Marek explained how he knew Jessica. How he had met her when she was barely ten. I smiled slightly and nodded to Aden, and rubbed Jessica's back as she replied. She explained how she knew who Aden was, but hadn't known that he was the Aden she had met at ten. And the thing that made me grin was when she revealed how she knew who Marek was; taking files and staying away from him as much as possible because he was a bounty hunter. Jessica clearly wasn't stupid. She buried herself deeper into my chest and closed her eyes, tears still soaking her face. I patted her on the back gently.

"Come on. I'll take you back to my place. Vex, Mr. Marek, do you think you could meet us back here after a good night's sleep?" They both nodded, so I withdrew myself from Jessica's grip, and took her hand. My gloves were incredibly tight; my slender fingers were perfectly outlined and were wrapped around Jessica's, which were just as tightly gloved. I put my other hand around her shoulder for comfort's sake. "Listen, Jess. Can I call you Jess? What I said, about what the people on this station would do. I didn't mean to scare you. But you need to know just how risky it was to come here over anywhere else."

I opened the door and took her in, showing her to the sofa and sitting down next to her, giving her a wipe to clear her face of tears.
"Do you fancy a drink? VATI, could you get Jess a drink?"
"Of course, ma'am." Within thirty seconds, a cup had been placed down on the table in front of them, steaming slightly and smelling wonderfully tasty.
"Go on, take it. It won't be boiling; VATI made sure of that." I smiled at her. Such a delicate little woman. I'm not sure how long she could last without anyone to help her. I need to help her. I think... tonight she can sleep on the bed. I'll take the sofa. She needs it more than I do.
"Now, go and get a good night's sleep. You take the bed." She began to object, as any decent woman would do. "I'm serious. Take the bed; you said you'd been sleeping in lockers for the past day or two. I'll take the sofa. You're not changing my mind," I said, laughing, "so get into bed and get to sleep!"

 

[Wolfbane]

Vex, Mr. Marek, do you think you could meet us back here after a good night's sleep?" Vex nodded and proceeded to walk out of the glass encased room stretching out into space. His implant then pulled up information on his target. He was determined to get the bounty. The time was as good as any to do so. 'Maniel Paric. Where are you, my drug slinging friend? Well, I wouldn't associate with you, but you know what I mean. Looks like you are in the industrial district. As much as I want to get off this hellhole of a station and take the bounty off this station, I can't. It would look more strange if I didn't kill him! Not to mention scum will think I'm going soft. It seems like that I will kill most of my bounties. Wait. Why not just stuff him in a container that is bound for the world I got the bounty from. Not to mention that will make it more interesting. Hopefully after all of this I'll get some sleep.' He walked, bumped, swayed and weave in and out of people.

This was a great time, sure, but he didn't want to lose his bounty. The sound of commuters, consumers, store music and banter. The industrial district was home to more than factories, chop shops, droid stripping. It also has honest workers and businesses. He then linked his retinal implant with the cameras around the shops so he could track Peric in real time. Peroc was picking up the pace, so Vex decided to take the scenic route. To the left of him were some steel containers, a ladder, then rooftops of shops. He hopped up the containers and was now sprinting towards Maniel. You could hear the steel contact of his boots against the steel roofs, almost like small grenades going off. He was getting closer, and lucky for him, Peric thought that Vex was behind him. As the two were quickly approaching each other, Vex sled down a roof and shot his dagger as soon as he saw the now doomed Peric. He yanked Peric's feet out from under him as soon as he landed. Peric tried to claw away until Vex stepped on his back. Peric turned for a minute and tried to ask Vex his name. "Are you the black..." He was immediately knocked out by a punch to the face. ' Looky there. There is a flight leaving in 25 minutes. Not to mention it's right by.' He tugged at the wire around Peric's feet. 'Come on, wouldn't want you to miss your flight." Vex began to drag Peric to a supply ship to Theren. Vex stopped for a bit, then stuffed Peric's body into a container. A worker grabbed the container as Vex slipped into the darkness. "I got the target. He's coming your way. Look out for a supply ship from Shadow Station." A voice from the other side of the comm chimed in. "Good, thank you for your service. The money is being wired into your account as we speak. Looking forward to working with you again, Black Reaper." "As am I" He then walked away, and towards his apartment for some rest.

 

[Simus]

La'ara held Jessica in her arms and gently rubbed her back. She grinned when Jessica explained that she had been hiding from Marek because she knew he was a bounty hunter. She was proud of this, being able to show these people that there was something between her ears besides a pair of big teary eyes. La'ara soon took Jessica back to her apartment, offering to meet with Marek and Vex again after they all got a good night's sleep. She led Jessica to the front door, then put her arm around her and took her hand into one of her own. Jessica smiled at the motherly gesture, finding it interesting that they both complimented their bodysuits with thin, tight fitting leather gloves that wrapped around their fingers perfectly. It made it easy to fire weapons or use a keyboard, or anything else that required precise use of fingers. Jessica never worried about fumbling while still keeping her hands warm and protected. It seemed that she and La'ara had similar training, or at the very least similar fashion choices.

"Listen, Jess. Can I call you Jess? What I said, about what the people on this station would do. I didn't mean to scare you. But you need to know just how risky it was to come here over anywhere else."

"I know La'ara." Jessica said, looking up at her. "Don't worry about it, I needed to hear what you told me. I had no idea the world could be so big or so cruel and I need someone to help me find my way in it. And Jess is fine."

La'ara let Jessica in and sat her down on the couch. She cuddled up to La'ara again, but sat up after a computer named VATI replicated a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of the couch. It was warm but not boiling and La'ara reassured Jessica of such. She took the cup and sipped it and it tasted wonderful.

"Thank you for the tea VATI, it's delicious." Jessica said with a genuine smile. She always had a soft spot for A.I's and loved to talk with them. It was always amazing to listen to a machine tell her who it was and how it worked, let her know its soul. In addition to the worship of the Nine Divines, Jessica was a member of the Machine Cult, a religion that was founded by the Dwemer thousands of years ago and introduced to the rest of Nirn six hundred years ago when the Dwemer were found among the stars. The Machine Cult credited Lorkhan, the Machine God, as the chief deity of the cosmos and the creator of all machines and inspiration for machines. His heart was a vessel that linked him with Nirn, the world he helped create. Every machine had a spark of life granted from Lorkhan and should be treated the same as an animal or person in terms of respect and care. The Machine Cult had followers all over known space and produced some of the finest technological achievements in known history. Every machine was blessed and given proper rites of awakening once built and large machines such as tanks and spacecraft usually ended their construction with a special religious ceremony intended to provide it with a long and productive service life. Old machines destined to be scrapped were given last rites so their souls may return to Lorkhan and inhabit a new shell.

"It was my pleasure ma'am."

"Blessings of the Machine God upon you VATI. May your circuits never fail." La'ara was surprised that Jessica offered her computer a religious blessing. Either she wasn't familiar with the Machine Cult's teachings or she didn't think Jessica would be into that sort of thing. Jessica didn't mind either way and would be happy to explain it to La'ara if she asked. She enjoyed spreading her faith.

"Now, go and get a good night's sleep. You take the bed." La'ara said. It was nice of her to offer, but Jessica didn't feel right in accepting it. "Oh I don't want to take your bed! The sofa will be just..."

"I'm serious. Take the bed; you said you'd been sleeping in lockers for the past day or two. I'll take the sofa. You're not changing my mind," She said, laughing, "so get into bed and get to sleep!"

"Well, an actual bed would be more comfortable than a shuttle seat or a storage locker." Jessica said laughing. "Allright, I'll take the bed. Thanks La'ara, I really appreciate it. Would it be okay if I used your shower first? I'll get into my pj's right after, I promise. I've got a void sphere here on my belt that has all my stuff in it. Carries as much as a couple of suitcases and I could fit it into a desk drawer. It's also held in place by a little force field at my hip so that's pretty cool.

The little blue sphere, about the size of a baseball, was hovering at her side flush against her belt. Also...um...do you have any food? I'll shower first but I haven't really eaten in the last couple of days and I'm really hungry. Booze are NOT food by the way." Her stomach growled to reinforce that point.

 

[EpicVakarian]

I was surprised that Jess followed the Machine Cult. It wasn't a small religion, but still, Jess was very young. I sent it out of my mind.

"There's the shower, down that corridor, right at the end. And feel free to change out of that suit; VATI's managed to adapt the washing machine to clear my suit, so it should work with yours as well. I'll cook something up while you're in there." I smiled at her as she followed my finger down the corridor, then I got up and began to search the cupboards. I couldn't find much, so I decided on an omelette. I cracked open three eggs and emptied them into a frying pan, waiting for the whites and yolks to fill the pan. Then I threw in slices of random vegetables and meat; peppers, the odd bit of chicken. Then I turned the stove off, sliced the omelette in two, and put a half on each plate, just as Jess emerged from the shower dressed in her bedclothes; the blue one-piece with white snowflakes, just as she had said. It looked adorable but I said nothing; saying it was cute could hurt Jess' feelings, even I realised that. I set down the plates at the table. Jess had slightly more than me; she was obviously more hungry. She nearly drooled over the plate.
"Go on, take a bite. Just looking at it won't fill you up!" She did so, and her eyes widened. Then she wolfed down the rest of her meal within ninety seconds. I stared at her for a second, then began to laugh. My high, lovely laugh was quite loud, and quite hysterical. "By the stars, Jess, you must have been hungry!"

 

[Simus]

The shower felt wonderful. It had been days since Jessica had been able to bathe and she and her suit were starting to smell like it. It felt good to get all the grime off of her and La'ara said the washing machine could take her suit, gloves and boots, something Jessica was grateful for. After she got out she brushed and dried her hair and let it hang behind her shoulders. She usually tied it back with a black ribbon but at night it was nice to just let it hang there. She went into La'ara's bedroom, unpacked what she would need for the night and changed into her blue footy pajamas with white snowflakes. They were cute and comfy and she loved them. Just as her ancestor Alice Psyrakon loved hers over a thousand years ago. They covered her whole body except for her head and hands, just like her suit and they zipped up along the middle from the groin to her collarbone: a lower, less restrictive neckline than the high one on her suit. They didn't have a butt flap despite the convenience of such a thing because Jessica hated it when it came undone on previous pairs.

She walked back to the kitchen, the grey dotted rubber soles of her footy pajamas providing good traction as she walked, and smelled a fresh omelette being cut in half and placed on a plate for her. Jessica got a bit more than La'ara She sat down and La'ara encouraged her to take a bite and when she did it was the best thing she had ever tasted. She inhaled the rest of it and gave a grateful smile. She sat back in her chair, eschewing good manners, and patted her less empty belly with a burp.

"By the stars, Jess, you must have been hungry!"

"You have no idea. I'm still hungry, but my stomach's not gnawing at me anymore."

She then got up and walked over to La'ara, within hugging range in case she stood up and offered one. Jessica hoped she would, she wanted a lot of hugs right now. La'ara hadn't commented on Jessica's pj's yet and she found that a little odd. The couple of friends who saw her in them either thought they were adorable, hilarious or ridiculous. Her parents, especially her mom, thought she was cute in them but that was what parents were supposed to think. She decided to bring up the subject to see La'aras intention.

"It feels good to be back in my jammies. I'd live in them if I could, they're so comfy. I never get cold in them and it's fun that they have feet. Mama always said I look cute in them. She even bought me this particular pair for Christmas last year, but she's probably just being a mom. I've only shown them to a couple of girl friends and one of them thought they were silly. Almost ridiculous. Are they ridiculous La'ara?

 

[EpicVakarian]

I saw Jess' arms move outward slightly, as if beginning to try and hug me. I stood up and hugged her; tightly, and with both arms around her.

"It feels good to be back in my jammies. I'd live in them if I could, they're so comfy. I never get cold in them and it's fun that they have feet. Mama always said I look cute in them. She even bought me this particular pair for Christmas last year, but she's probably just being a mom. I've only shown them to a couple of girl friends and one of them thought they were silly. Almost ridiculous. Are they ridiculous La'ara?"

I looked down at her pyjamas. They looked a little childish, but I liked them. They looked a lot like a more comfortable version of Jess' blue bodysuit. They suited Jess; her bubbly, talkative personality fitted right into those pyjamas.
"No, they don't. They suit you. They're cute." I smiled down at her, and she smiled back and hugged me again. I hoped that Jess would be feeling better by the time she woke up; she seemed very delicate at the moment. "Hey, so I was wondering; I said we'd meet Vex and Marek later on. Now, I'm not entirely sure what to do, but myself and Vex might end up hunting down another target. Understand that I don't have targets like a bounty hunter; I choose my targets, based on my thoughts on their actions. But if that ends up being the case, do you want to come with us, or do you want to go with Marek? Or you could come back here, VATI will look after you. What would you like to do?"

Later on, I retreated into the bedroom to change my clothes. I was still in my bodysuit; I dropped it out of the way, so Jess wouldn't trip up on it, and got into my floaty dress. Luckily, no draughts came through this apartment, or the dress would float up to reveal my most intimate parts. I left on my underwear tonight, because I didn't think Jess wanted to see that on her first proper night on the station. I hugged Jess, said goodnight, and dropped onto the sofa, covering myself in a thin sheet. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes. Jess was like a little sister, already. She already seemed to look up to me, and we were quite close already.

Whatever happens, I thought as I drifted off to sleep, no-one hurts Jess. Even if everyone else on the station is dead, I'll make sure Jess survives. To see her parents again. My mother was strong, like me. If Jess is anything to go by, her parents will be destroyed if she doesn't make it back to them. I'll make sure that doesn't happen.

 

[Wolfbane]

Vex finally arrived home after walking back from the industrial district. It felt good having money in his bank account. Best of all, he didn't have to kill the target. He walked towards the kitchen to get something to drink, check his inbox to see if there were any calls, took his chest armor and shirt off, then started the shower. While he was waiting for the water to get hot, he took off the rest of his clothes.Finally the water was hot enough, so he proceeded to walk in the shower. The station leaves a feeling on you that makes you want to take a shower on the spot. He was quite enjoying the shower. After 45 minutes, he emerged as a new,clean, man. After he got out he decided to make some food. Nothing too fancy, just something he would enjoy. He took out two eggs and two slices of bread. The eggs were then cracked upon a steel frying pan. He slid the eggs back and forth, hummed a favorite tune, then put the bread in the "space toaster" as he calls it. The food was done, he got a plate, and began to eat. Most of the time he can't go to bed on an empty stomach. He began to think about who he just met. "I'm surprised I met a person who hates talking as much as I do. Not to mention a woman at that! A good looking one as well. Then there's little Jessica. By what I've seen and heard she seems like a sweet girl. I can't really tell if she is naive, but I have a feeling I will soon find out. Let's not forget all the bounty hunters on this station. Some with no morals at all. I have heard Aden Marek's name, and seen him in action before. He's quite good. Probably ran a background check on me, no doubt. I have only seen the rest of the people here. Take for example, a Khajiit-elf mash up. Quite interesting, if you ask me. That right there is the perfect assassin. After him, is the ex-cop sniper. At least I know he's not a bad guy. At least, not up front. After those two, there is a redguard. He looked decent enough. Last, but no least, is the Blackstars leader. Rules with an iron fist, yet seems like tough love." He was talking to himself, like he always does. It's not a crazy kind of thing, it just helps him sort out his thoughts. His mind bounces around a lot. He decided to watch some TV while he cleaned the dishes. He flipped it on to see a segment about how a young imperial girl was killed in the slums. She was beaten, sexually assaulted, and then strangled. There was no official law on the station, so some details about crimes are released.

"What drives people to kill? Is it power? Finally that person has the power they have lacked for so long. Or maybe it gets them going. Is it desire? "Your body is burned into my mind, I must have you. If I can't, then nobody will. Maybe it's repressed memories? Some men, for instance hunt women and "hurt" them because they haven't had a normal relationship with them. Maybe they want to show people how powerful they are. Narcissism, sadism, etc. They say killing is very intimate. Or, some men, and people are just sick. Ironic, coming from a bounty hunter. It's quite fascinating, really. The mind, abnormal psychology. Anyways, I should get to bed." He finished with the dishes, turned the TV off, set his comm right by him, then got comfortable. He read for a bit, then he finally drifted off to sleep.

 

[Simus]

La'ara asked Jessica what she wanted to do tomorrow after they talked with Vex and Marek but all she could respond with was a yawn. La'ara smiled and figured it was time to sleep but remembered Jessica was still hungry. She dug around in the fridge some more and found a couple of cupcakes she had received from the grateful family as a reward for bringing a killer who had murdered their daughter to justice. She presented them to Jessica, which she greedily ate. Her stomach was no satisfied and she told La'ara so. She led Jessica to bed and tucked her in under her ample blanket after hugging her goodnight. Jessica said she really liked La'ara's floaty dress. Jessica then curled up under the thin sheet and two thick, soft quilts she was wrapped up in and went to sleep.

Or at least she tried to. Ten minutes after La'ara tucked herself in on the couch Jessica's fears and worries manifested themselves again, taking advantage of her being very tired and unable to cope very well. If Mengsk knew where she was he could come for her at any time. He could send any one of his myriad of sleeper agents after her or worse, one of her classmates who was still loyal to him. She had told them what the Academy really was and their true purpose in it before she left and about half of them decided to help her, and themselves, escape. Several were killed in the attempt. The other half either couldn't accept the truth, were too scared of Mengsk to act or didn't care about it. Some even relished the chance at killing Dominion citizens with no repercussions and those few scared Jessica. They were the less stable members of her class. The ones who enjoyed being cruel in their VR sims and who went out of their way to kill everyone they could.

Jessica got out from under her warm cocoon of blankets and walked out of the room. The lights were still on, probably because La'ara hadn't asked VATI to turn them off or do it herself. She walked in front of the couch and looked down at La'ara with her hands folded. She then realized her glasses were off but it didn't really matter. She could see without them just fine, she just enjoyed wearing them because they looked cute.

"La'ara? I can't sleep. This sounds really childish, I know, but I don't feel safe by myself. Could you...maybe...get into bed with me? Please?"

 

[EpicVakarian]

I heard a muffled voice saying my name, and I burst from sleep into consciousness. Jess was standing in front of me, asking me to stay in bed with her to help her feel safe.

Stars, she really is worried. I looked at the clock; it was barely fifteen minutes since we had laid our heads down.

"Alright. Go on, back to bed. I'll be there in a couple of minutes." She nodded, and walked back to the bedroom. I rubbed my eyes. "VATI, why are the lights still on?"

"Because you didn't tell me to turn them off, ma'am." I sighed heavily.

"Turn them off."

"At once, ma'am." I was plunged into darkness, and I found my way to the bedroom. I could just about see Jess' eyes poking up over the sheets. I walked to the other side of the bed, climbed in and closed my eyes. I left a hand in the middle of the bed, in case Jess decided she wanted to hold it for comfort. Then I closed my eyes, and went back to sleep, hoping Jess wouldn't be this difficult to look after all the time.