The sentence had stuck in Emma’s head ever since it had been spoken, that late, surprise filled, night at the Drift. She just couldn't wrap her head around a situation that would would be best served by her presence. Sure, she had to admit she sometimes had her uses; doorstop, punching bag, conversation piece... But even those things she was good at, she was pretty certain could each be done better by someone else. In fact, she was having trouble coming up with even one situation which specifically required naivety, questionable fashion sense, and a train of thought that was usually so derailed, it pulled into sideings on completely different planets. Nope there wasn’t a sing-
The roar of the ship flying low, perhaps too low, overhead snapped her back to reality. She checked her watch, “Huh... He’s on time for once...” Nighttime shipments were famous for being late, especially in Eaves; so much so that she could normally squeeze a whole hours worth of self depreciating internal monologue in before the engines roared above, making it impossible to hear her own thoughts. This time, she’d barely managed five minutes, she almost felt cheated. She’d have time to dwell on that later though, for now, she needed to get to work.
The sputtering and growling of the freighter, struggling under its own weight as it descended toward the landing zone, comfortably masked the soft clink of metal against metal as the grappling hook latched snugly in the scaffolding of the guard tower and pulled the intruder over the barbed wire fence with barely an inch to spare. She looked down at her legs, surprised by the lack of any cuts, any new cuts in any case, it made a welcome change.
Beneath her, a skeleton group of soldiers were making their way out of the gate, heading to the landing pads to guard the latest shipment, all wondering what they had done to deserve this shift, all save one anyway, he -knew- what he did, and four weeks into the punishment, he still thought it was worth it. She looked up through the grating above her, all the watchmen had their eyes focused on the gate, expecting any trespassers to try and sneak in in the scarce few minutes that the gate would be open. Little did they know that the one they were after was right beneath them, climbing down the side of the tower, now satisfied that no one was looking her way.
The ship had long since landed by now, the night was almost silent again, save for noise of the ill-maintained mules fading into the distance to collect the cargo, naturally Emma’s thoughts had started to make themselves known again, and for a brief while she distracted herself with thoughts of weasels, boots and of whether or not XoXo would let her bring a couch into her new office, but eventually the real topic of the day came back to haunt her.
“I mean, think about it,” She lectured herself silently in her head “Gabe and Duncan dont need help. She can do anything she puts her mind to, especially if it involves beating something or someone, and he’s been doing this for years, bet theres not even anything that can surprise him anymore... but you... You’re like this wierd hole” The ‘wierd hole’ in question was a feature in the easternmost wall of Sergeant Abrahams facility, most liklely a decomissioned fire escape or some such other useful item that was removed in an alliance cutback. “You dont add anything, in fact, the place would be more secure without you there”
She paused, picking herself up off the ground after having just dropped through that very same hole to gain entry to the building. She mentally cursed herself for it, since doing so had just proved her inner voices whole point. She ran quickly to the next room, and down the stairs. It being the middle of the night, and there being a hole in the wall, meant that the ceramic floor was freezing, and seeing as she was barefoot she figured the quicker she could get to the moderatly comfortable carpet flooring of the Sergeants office, the better.
Now, most people would wear shoes to a break-in; but she wasnt most people. For a start, her normal choice of footwear was incredibly noisy, and secondly, it made it harder for the authorities to deduce it was her. A size 14 bootprint? Narrows it down to probably being one of either herself, Gabe, or Jai. A size... She didnt actually know her real shoesize anymore, always going for the aforementioned ridiculously sized boots, but she guessed her plain footprint was average enough that it didnt point to anyone in particular like the boots did.
She slouched in the Sergeant’s chair, putting her feet on the desk, careful not to dislodge anything that looked like important paperwork. “Am I really putting them at risk by agreeing to go with them?” She stared at the ceiling, as though she might find an answer written between the cracks in the plaster. She hated to admit it, but her inner voice had a point. Trouble seemed to follow her around, she had the ever changing pattern of cuts and bruises to prove it. And she had a habit of breaking things, putting her inside a giant peice of machinery that if it stopped working mid journey would likely mean doom, did not sound like a good idea.
An unusual sight caught her eye before she feel too deep into her thoughts. There was a can of Blue Sun Cola on the writing desk, with a note taped to it. She didn’t consider the Sergeant a cola drinker, and the shiny blue and brushed metal can contrasted with the browns and creams that dominated the room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she plucked the note from the ice cold refreshing beverage that contained less artificial sweetners than the leading compet- She blinked... she was hearing the BlueSun marketing slogans run through her mind just from looking at the drink, maybe she had been working there too long...
The note was simple, and in crisp, though not very formal handwriting. “Since you complained about the lack of suitable refreshments last time, perhaps this would be more to your liking” She couldnt help but smile. The last time she had broken in, she’d left a note complaining that all there was to drink was aged Londinium whiskey, and apparently the sergeant had responded. She pocketed the drink, she almost didnt want to drink it, she wanted to frame it somewhere, as a reminder that sometimes people can surprise you and be nicer than you thought they were. But then, people would ask why she had a framed cola can, and she’d have to explain she had a habit of breaking into Unity barracks and yeah... It wouldnt go down well. Maybe she ought to just drink it.
She walked back into the uncarpeted part of the base, over the cold floor and back to the ‘wierd hole’ The fact she was drinking an ice cold refreshing beverage with less arfticial sweetners than- “Gorram it” She was doing it again. In any case, the cold of the cola offset the cold the floor was trying to inflict on her feet. She took a moment to look through the opening. The barbed wire fence was less than a foot from the edge of the building, and slightly higher than the storey she was standing on too; she didnt usually risk jumping it, instead normally grappling back to the roof and going back the way she came. Trying to clear a barbed wire fence barefoot was just asking for trouble, at best you’d tear up the your soles, at worst, you’d snag and fall down over it, getting barbs stuck in... well, everywhere.
She took a few steps back from the hole, she’d had one pleasant surprise already today, maybe she could have another. Downing the last of the ice cold refreshing beverage with less artificial sweetners than the leading brand, she sprinted for the hole in the wall...
Ouch. But less ouch than there could have been. She’d cleared the fence without a single scratch, but the surprise, combined with how pleased she was with herself contributed to a botched up landing. On the other hand though, she was used to those. She picked herself up off of the ground and rubbed her side, wondering what she had landed on. Ah, the cola can. She picked it up and looked it over sadly, she’d completly crushed it... So much for keeping it. Although, flat objects did tend to be easier to frame... She pocketed it again, barely avoiding shredding her thigh with the torn metal, and began making her way to the silhouette of the firefly in the distance, recounting the events of the last few days in her head as she went. It had been a pleasant surprise to run into Gabe and Duncan in Prosperity, The Ice cold refreshing... Stop it... had been a nice surprise too... so had not shredding her feet a moment ago... Maybe it wouldnt be so bad... Maybe her luck was changing and things were looking up...
Maybe she should stop dwelling on stupid things like this and just see what happens.
Yes... that last option was probably best.
Now what was the entry code for the ship again...? Rats....
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