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☠ Barrier Gate, Coronado

Bull's sandy tan Aggressor touched down in Barrier Gate's docking bay C, despite being a relatively new addition to the Xeno's arsenal, his ship was already scorched black in some spots by a variety of weapons fire contacting the hull. Missing plates seemed all the rage in Xeno fashion circles, the exhaust of the Aggressor had been burned black all the way around, indicating frequent overuse and abuse of the ship's engine. A good portion of the armor plating on the right wing was torn off going from middle front to right back on the top, the underside was out of view and the second extension of the top wing was completely missing. The only thing noteworthy of the specific vessel was the painting of a muddy copper snake with black spots coiled around a bull skull on the left side of the cockpit.

The cockpit eventually pulled back to reveal the pilot, who stood up from the wide interior, grabbed the stock of a rifle while putting his right combat booted heel on the edge of his cockpit before stepping out with the other leg. Planting himself firmly in a sideways position before turning to look out over the landing bay in search of the Valkyrie he had previously flown with. His rounded helmet with 3 red diagonal stripes and deep brown patchwork suit were distinct enough to make him look like both a bum, and a soldier for hire at the same time. Though he was neither and nothing about him screamed "Xeno."

It wasn't long after their chat in space ended that Valknut's Wraith, the famous highly restricted Rheinland fighter, would find it's way towards the third section of the Barrier Gate, dubbed "C". The ship itself certainly didn't look like a new ship, with marks and bruises marking the hull in various spots indicating that the vessel belonged to someone who was keen in the cockpit. If the marks on the ship's hull weren't enough to show that the pilot had been through a lot with that ship, the way with which the ship was maneuvered and flown inside the station would most likely be. On top of the usual 'bullet-wounds' that you could see around most ships that were currently docked in the hangar, Valknut's Wraith had one distinct 'feature' on it that no other ship shared; it's enormous powercore - the main aesthetic that Rheinland fightercraft were known for - was severely damaged and it was evident to any keen eye that this part of the ship had gotten critically damaged in the past and the replacement that was found was by no means a good one. All of the above observations, if made, would lead someone to believe that this specific Wraith has been through a lot.

Valknut, along with her Wraith, had indeed been through a lot. She was one of the most experienced pilots during her time in the Rheinland Police, having participated in many missions and assignments and having successfully completed multiple contracts. Her career extended to the Intelligence division of the Rheinland Police - where she later on received her nickname, Valknut - and her experience in the fields of planetary operations and spaceborne operations would only increase with time. Her friends and colleagues would often refer to her as an ace, leaving her imagination to guess if it was merely an inside-joke or they were being honest.

Eventually, with the free docking pad that was assigned to her spotted, Valknut would touch down on the ground, the Wraith's engines rumbling one last time before she switched the reactor off, followed with a sigh. She was certainly quite far from home, in a place she had never been to before. For a moment she found herself hesitating to get up. "Do I really want to get involved with the Xenos.. But they helped more than anyone else has for a whole year." She thought, almost as if she was talking to herself.

Finally, with a deep slow in-take of air followed by an equally slow out-take, she got up from her seat, removing her helmet and buckling her belt around her waist. She looked towards the sealed door at the cockpit's rear and paused.

"No looking back now." She said as her hands instinctively landed on her belt, her fingers tracing through it's various components, making sure her side-arm is in place. She knew she likely wouldn't need to use it against Bull. What she did not know is if she'd have to use it against anyone other than Bull that might get any silly ideas seeing her in this station.

She walked the short distance towards the sealed door and unlocked it through the use of a fingerprint scanner, accessing the ship's cargo-hold. The Wraith's boarding ramp would soon afterwards disconnect from the ship's hull and extend downwards. Moments after the ramp touched the ground, a rather beautiful-looking woman in her mid, maybe late, twenties would walk outside with a confident walking pace.

The silver-haired, silver-eyed woman would take a look around the hangar, looking for the Xeno ship. Considering Bull docked on the station before her, she assumed that he would have landed by now. Indeed, a few glances later she managed to locate a ship that resembled the ship Bull was flying, not being able to detect Bull himself however.

Valknut walked towards the ship, slowing down as she got closer and closer to it. Eventually, she would stop a few meters away from it and take a good look around, searching for any sign of a Xeno.

☠ Barrier Gate, Coronado

As the woman began to approach the Xeno's ship, she could see Bull's back curved forward a bit, his rifle currently slung over his right shoulder as he inspected some burns and minor hull damage. There were similar markings elsewhere on the ship and due to how fresh they were it was likely leftover from the tachyon fire Valknut had lay on his ship during their little misunderstanding. He had heard the footsteps of the woman approaching him from behind, he turned around to face her with his helmet still fastened over his head. He let out a low and slow whistle, a relaxed yet perfectly postured stance ensued, right hand on his rifle strap, left hand at his side, not reaching for his sidearm or the large blade tucked into his combat boot."You really don't blend in, do you."

"Would you think it'd be preferable if I wore my helmet perhaps? The Wraith isn't that far.. I can go grab it." Valknut replied with a slight smile covering her face. Under different circumstances and with a different tone in her voice her words could be misunderstood for being sarcastic, but her current tone was more held back and formal. She might know that the person she's talking with is a terrorist, but it was still a person who guided her to where she needed to go safely and certainly the first person to ask her out on a drink after her new beginning.

"Where are your manners, 'Valknut'..!" She thought to herself almost immediately afterwards, rolling her eyes and letting out a chuckle as her torso bent forward lightly while she covered her mouth with her hand.

"I am Freya-Katarina Winkler, callsign 'Valknut', it's a pleasure to meet you, 'Bull'." She followed up right after her chuckle, extending one of her arms forward as if she was expecting the Xeno to do the same. After all, a handshake was a simple sign of respect she could show towards the Xeno who second-thought taking her down earlier.

The woman took a look around the station's hangars, paying closer attention to the people around the two of them.

"Surely looks like a place where one could disappear and 'disappear', as your Boss mentioned earlier," she took a glance towards her Wraith and then averted her gaze back to Bull and his ship, "but that can wait, I do think I owe you a drink for these." She pointed at the obviously fresh markings on Bull's ship with her eyes.

☠ Barrier Gate, Coronado

Bull remained silent while Freya spoke, not interrupting despite his reputation as a hothead. Despite his gaze mostly being hidden by the helmet, his head tilted downward when she outstretched her hand, he seemed hesitant and waited a few moments, enough to make the situation a tad awkward. He thought it odd that someone who had nearly been killed previously now wanted to shake their would be murderer's hand. Yet, in Bull's mind, he didn't shake hands, so he found something to toast to, a shared idea by the Xenos, and something Freya was currently experiencing. His gloved hand outstretched to meet hers, his hand meeting her wrist instead of her hand to commit to a deeper hand shake. He then uttered the words."To a new beginning."

Bull's hand slipped from the grip and he retreated to his previous position, still standing tall with relaxed shoulders. "Yeah I heard you say something about Freya being your name on our way here." Bull's left hand rested on his belt now, he idly glanced back and forth to the goings on around the two, though it was only noticeable in very slight movements of the helmet from side to side "Guess since we're getting a drink together now, you should know my name is Joseph King. You could certainly vanish here, one way or the other, likely why the boss requested one of us stay with you. Many hate us, but few would dare spite us."

A slight smile covered Freya's face as she noticed Bull slowly stretch his arm out, she was surprised but glad that the Xeno accepted her handshake, willing to return the same respect she showed him, back to her. She firmly gripped his wrist for a moment or two. "To a new beginning." She repeated after him with a voice that would betray how tired she was. She had done a good job hiding that up to this point, but her adventure to even manage to get to New York - where she got caught by the Xeno ships - was not a short-lived one. It had been almost a year since she was branded a traitor by the Rheinland Police and that past year had definitely not been an easy one for her. The Gate might not have looked like the most welcoming of places and the Xenos might not be what she expected to be cooperating with, but the former was now her home for the foreseeable future and the latter was now the only group she knew she could rely on.

She averted her gaze down, below Bull's head, staring into what seemed like nothingness as she let go of his hand and lowered hers, placing it on her waist. A soft sigh would follow. Freya spent a number of seconds just listening to Bull, thinking about all kinds of stuff; from what ship she'd end up buying, to how much it'd cost her, to what drinks this station even sold.

"I couldn't have asked for any better company, King, I'm sure you know the Gate better than anyone else I could find." Freya finally spoke back at King, the tone of her voice being audibly filled with discomfort. It was evident that she did not enjoy being in such an unknown and possibly hostile environment and that she definitely felt safer, as ironic as this would sound, with King beside her than if she was in the Gate alone. "I-.. I can call you King right?" She quickly followed up, the slight frown in her face turning into a soft, visible smile.

☠ Barrier Gate, Coronado

King chuckled at all the flattery, though in reality he found it rather offputting. Knowing that in an official capacity she was expected to put on a show of respect often, and he hated disingenuous behavior. Though the real reason he chuckled was because he realized that every house seemed to be the same in that regard, not just Liberty, and despite that grim reality, he still somehow managed to find it amusing."You can stop with all the formality. Didn't come all this way just to kill you for offending me, I might be a terrorist in some people's eyes, but I ain't a rogue. I'll kill you lookin' you in the eyes, and for an actual reason."

King noticed her deep thought, hesitancy and anxiety, though he did not comment. He lifted his left gloved hand off his belt toward the tunnel into the main part of the Barrier station, as if motioning her to follow before he turned and began his stride, which was surprisingly proud for his almost hood rat clothing. "Call me whatever you want, just don't call me a liar."

"Don't get me wrong, Herr King, I'm not being formal with you because I'm afraid of you. I'm sure you are as capable in a spaceship as you are in hand-to-hand combat, but that's no reason to fear you. If anything, I know who my enemies are," she said suggestively, pausing for a good many seconds, "and you don't look like one of 'em." She raised her eyebrows and slightly lowered her head, nodding to him. She hoped that he'd at least understand that she's being formal out of respect towards the Xeno rather than out of fear.

"After all, if you wanted to you would've killed me already instead of going through the effort of asking me for a drink." She continued after raising her right hand, resting her elbow on her belly and stretching out her fingers before turning her hand into a fist, under the glove. She wasn't trying to hint something towards King, her hands had just gotten sweaty under the gloves; she took care that the movements she did were nothing that would provoke the Xeno or hint to him in any way that she's looking to intimidate him. Creating a scene was, after all, not on her to-do list for tonight.

Noticing his motioning, Freya followed King through the tunnel he pointed at, her footsteps matching his pace. Her walk was rather a confident one; intentionally so, the last thing she'd want was to draw attention on herself.

"I assume King will do for now then." She replied, not commenting on the rest of his statement.

☠ Barrier Gate, Coronado

King didn't say anything as they walked, the message was received. It seems in a social setting he's a bit out of his element and not too grand at conversation. He glanced to Freya every few seconds while they walked, and he made eye contact with anyone that entered a 5 foot radius of the pair. His left hand still rested on his belt, rather than near his sidearm.

King lead them to the large and open bar that the large freelancer base held, likely not to King's liking as he immediately hones in on a darker corner to sit at, once there, he didn't sit, but instead leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms to watch everyone in the bar, every entry and every exit. Despite his alert behavior he still talked calmly "So, what do you drink."

Freya kept walking with King until they arrived at their destination, thankfully uninterrupted as nobody seemed to bother them on their way there. Perhaps it was because of the way King eyed everyone who even dared step close to them. Freya's face would be covered by a smile once every few seconds as she noticed how protective King was. It was quite odd for her at first, but she quickly got used to it.

She wasn't exactly disappointed that King picked a dark corner of the bar. She, too, enjoyed not being around too many people and for that specific circumstance the less disturbed the two of them would be by others, the better.

Freya leaned against the table just slightly, not directly facing King so she could look around the bar and him at the same time.

"I'll likely have whatever you're having, King. I can't say I know exactly what's sold around here or how it tastes. I'll trust you with choosing for both of us, if you don't mind, of course." She replied equally as calmly as King asked.

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