Kaia's Capture (Invite Only: Shaggy, Outlaw)

[Annie]

Kaia was on a simple mission to scout in the Sigma-17 system, near the Freeport 7 wrecks.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Buenos Dias Kaia. We meet again it seems.

|+|-Kaia: "Huh?"

Kaia tries looking for the signal on her sensor, but it shows nothing.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: If I am not mistaken, you are around 5k from my location.

Kaia picks up the signal.

|+|-Kaia: "H-Hello.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Si we are in need of essential supplies to Planet Crete though.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We meet again it seems.

Kaia nods nervously.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Are you afraid little one?

|+|-Kaia: "I'm... I-I suppose.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Si that is true.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The last fight, I did not mean to harm you.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Your fellow pilots attacked me.

|+|-Kaia: "I.. I understand."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: So tell me a little bit about yourself Kusarian as you say.

|+|-Kaia: "Tell.. about myself?"

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Your a little nervous.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: No need to be scared of me senorita.

|+|-Kaia: "I've.. joined the Cross not long ago.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Cross. You mean Crimsons Cross?

Kaia nods.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Can I ask why you choice to join the enemy of the Corsair Empire?

|+|-Kaia: "It.. It was a suggestion from my last Master who freed me.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Your master?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: What are you, some sort of slave?

|+|-Kaia: "I was.. before the Cross."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You do realise that the Outcasts, inject themselves with Cardamine and end up poisoning their pilots right?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Here in the Corsair Empire we just smuggle Artifacts to the Junker bases in House Territory.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We are also from the Hispania.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Sleeper ship that is within Omicron Alpha.

|+|-Kaia: "I see.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Have you ever seen the Sleeper Ship?

|+|-Kaia: "I have."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Well that is were the Corsairs come from.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We did not want to take refuge on the near-by planet so we moved on in transporter ships.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We found Planet Crete, in Omicron Gamma.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We called it the Empire of the Corsairs.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We fight for survival.

|+|-Kaia: "Why.. Why do the Maltese and Corsairs.. hate each other?"

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We fight over the Hispania.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: There are many stories to be told about the Corsair and Outcast war,

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: But that is the main reason in my own opinion.

|+|-Kaia: "I see.."

Kaia shifts a little bit uncomfortably in her seat.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: So would you class yourself as slave to the Outcast?

|+|-Kaia: "No.. Not.. anymore at least.."

|+|-Kaia: "The Cross is different from.. the other Maltese.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: How are the Cross differnt from the other Maltese?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They are all living from Planet Malta. They're all smuggler and inject themselves with Cardamine!

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They are all the same.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Soon they will do the same to you.

|+|-Kaia: "They.. don't approve of slavery and are kind to their own. They haven't shown any superiority over me.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You will be fighting along side creatures known as the Nomad and K'Hara.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Those creatures destroyed this station here.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: This was Freeport 7 for civilians of the Sigma's, a safe haven for the freelancers.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: This here is a wreckage of Freeport 7.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Many civilians lived here, only a few survived.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Look at what is left.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You wish to side with creature that do things like this?

Kaia stays silent while looking at the wreckage, having all kinds of mixed thoughts.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Have the Maltese started injecting you with Cardamine?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Or asked you to help smuggler there drug into Liberty space where civilians live?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: People who work hard to survive, and feed there families.

|+|-Kaia: "I.. I was made addicted when I-I was.. enslaved.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Join us in the Corsair Empire, and we will help you.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I will help you personally.

|+|-Kaia: "I-I..."

Kaia shifts uncomfortably.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The choice is yours Kaia.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You are no threat to me.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You are no threat to my people.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: But you are a threat to yourself.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Maltese will change you.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They will force you to do things you do not want to do.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They will put you in situations you feel uncomfortable.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They will put you into battle you know you cannot win.

|+|-Kaia: "Are.. are humans any better than.. nomads?"

Kaia looks away, recalling harsh memories of the people during her slavery, the humans that never had a second thought about hurting others.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Nomads, they are the worst creatures known to humanity.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They destroyed this Freeport that was right here.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: With 100's of innocent people onboad.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You tell me, are nomads any better than humans?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: My opinion they are worse, they need to be destroyed.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I will protect my people with everything I can give.

|+|-Kaia: "Humans do the exact same.. For selfish reasons.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Here in the Corsair Empire, we are only fighting for survival. We want to survive.

|+|-Kaia: "But.. I don't think it's.. acceptable in any case.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We are in search of people that are willing to help us and supply Planet Crete with supplies.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Si I agree.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: So if you are not comfortable in the battlefield, are you comfortable flying transports?

|+|-Kaia: "I.. I don't know.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You will be asked to help supply Crete with food supplies, oxygen and water.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The essentials to survive.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Until you feel comfortable with whom you are around.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: And until you feel like you wish to start your training in strike crafts like the one you are flying.

Kaia recalls their initial meetup in Sigma-13, where he seemed to be drunk and talked about making Kaia a slave, even marrying her or something. It sent shivers down her spine.

|+|-Kaia: "I-I.. but.. I can't just.. betray the only friends.. I have.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You are calling the Maltese your freinds?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: If that was the case, where are they now?

Kaia bites her lower lip, remaining silent.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Bueno Dias, S Spiegel.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Kaia come with us, the rescue ship is here.

Kaia panics as she sees the battleship.

|+|-Kaia: "W-What?"

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Do not be afraid

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Hola.

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Geez, what happened to this station?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Spiegel has a medical team that will be able to help you with the cardamine addiction the Maltese have forced on you.

|+|-Kaia: "B-But.. I-I can't just.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Spiegel this is Freeport 7, the one the creatures known as Nomads destroyed many centuries ago.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I think you can Kaia.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Come with us, and be free.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Be safe.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: If any of the Corsair Empire threaten you, I will deal with them. I am feared by not only enemies of the Empire.

Kaia remains in place, thinking about it but unable to just outright betray the only friends she had made. Kenneth, Sabina, Zoe... She couldn't just throw them away.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: But by the Empire.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Come. Come with us.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I will keep you safe, you have my word.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Do not be afraid little one.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Spiegel you have a medical team ready?

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Roger. The docking bays are open.

|+|-Kaia: "W-Wait.. I.. I can't just betray..."

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: The G-Team is standing by.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Kaia, The Spiegel is here to help, come with us and be free, be safe.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You think the Maltese will protect you, keep you safe, make you free?

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: I have heard these nomads are doing tests on Outcast civilians.

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Quite some nasty stuff.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The nomads did this to a civilian Freeport.

|+|-Kaia: "I-I... I-I don't.. want to lose my only friends.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Do not be sad Kaia, your freinds. They are not true freinds, here in the Empire, we will protect you.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We wont harm you, make you do things you do not want to do.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You saw what the Maltese attempted to do to me yestarday outside a Freelancer Station in Sigma 13?

Kaia is in a small shock, unable to decide nor move.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Spiegel you picking up that CL Outcast?

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Roger, I see him on long range scanners.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Keep eyes on him, he came passed here not so long ago

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Aye sir.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Spiegel, get that emergency team ready, I think she is moving in.

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Standing by.

|+|-Kaia: "W-What? I-I haven't.. said anything..!"

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Well the choice is yours little one.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Do you see me as a threat to you?

|+|-Kaia: "N.. No.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Your freinds?

|+|-Kaia: "B-But.. I-I can't.. I just can't.. betray.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: You say you have a few within the Maltese yes.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Who are you betraying?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: How long have you been within the Maltese Crimson Cross?

|+|-Kaia: "A.. month, I think.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: A month of being with the Maltese, and they have already injected you with there horrible disease of a drug.

|+|-Kaia: "They didn't do it!"

|+|-Kaia: "The Cross, I-I mean.."

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: The Maltese would have done it for you.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: They forced you to take the drug.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Here in the Corsair Empire,

Kaia gulps, recalling the day she was forced on Cardamine as an initiation to her slavery.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We have Artifacts that come from Crete.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We smuggle them to Junker bases in and around house spaces within Sirius.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Such as Bretonia and Liberty.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I know little about the Artifacts, as I am the Fleet Commander of the Corsair Empire.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I deal with strategies, security, organization of the fleet.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I deal with protecting the people of the Empire.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: So Kaia, you have two options, you can come with us peacefully, or I will take you in with me safetly.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: We do not want to harm you, you seem rather nervous and scared.

|+|-Kaia: "W-What?"

|+|-Kaia: "B-But..!"

Kaia feels even more afraid now that he mentioned taking her regardless.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Kaia I do not like the way you are being treated in the Maltese, I want you to be here with us in the Empire.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: I want to know someone as innocent as you is safe, and protected and free.

Kaia hesitates too much to accept such a deal.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Spiegel, I have readings of a transponder reading "Vanille Dia Oerba."

"Ghost.Ship"-S.Spiegel: Roger, hostile contact!

Vanille.Dia.Oerba: You have indeed.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Outcast sighted.

Vanille.Dia.Oerba: Corsair sighted.

Vanille.Dia.Oerba: And what now?

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: What are you doing here?

Vanille.Dia.Oerba: Right now shooting your friends.

Vanille.Dia.Oerba: Then we'll see.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Spiegel move in and collect the pilot.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: She is coming with us.

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Keep her safe.

|+|-Kaia: "W-What? N-No..!"

Santos-Benitez[TBH]: Come in fast, quick and ready to tractor.

By then it was far too late for Kaia as her ship was rendered immobile and was collected on board the Spiegel.