Nancy has been awake for quite some time now and her life has been changing considerably due to new encounters and meeting new people. She met a couple, Maren and Ezrael, who she first met in Omicron Delta around the time where she was still trying to find her way around in this new strange life. Everything still felt like a bad dream at the time but Maren and Ezrael managed to brighten it up by asking her over for a dinner. Nancy accepted and these were the first steps to developing an actual friendship and a way for her to be able to deal with the current situation as she finally had people to talk to.
It wasn’t always easy for her, nor was she easy to handle for Maren and Ezrael as Nancy’s health was far from okay due to this procedure she had received where her mind had been wiped. There had been events where her mind lapsed back to the times where she was young and thought she was still living on Leeds, this made her unable to recognize her friends who tried to look after no matter what. Ezrael who is with Maren was even tempted by Nancy at some point, her being unaware that he was taken which had her make a move as she firmly believed he was some sort of captain that had paid for her presence. Ezrael however managed to stand his ground and was able to distance himself enough from Nancy to not have the scene escalate further.
Whenever her mind would have a lapse like this, she would believe it was a weird dream as only slight scenes would remain in her memory. Nancy, when she is herself, wouldn’t dare to make a move on Ezrael as she respected his relationship with Maren. The jokes that came from him about threesome and the likes were however something she had issues with as she was developing feelings for Ezrael, he wasn’t just pretty but he was caring as well. One wouldn’t really expect for Maren and Ezrael to actually be a couple as they appeared to be quite different. Maren could be called a prude in a way while Ezrael had been living a free life on Curacao, enjoying all the lusts that life offered there. Yet he had fallen in love with Maren and they seemed to be in a steady relationship, something Nancy didn’t dare to touch.
Together with her friends they tried to search for solutions to make her life steady again as her headache and loss of consciousness were bothersome to say the least. They were also dangerous, especially for a pilot. Nancy would really want to go back to flying eventually as this had been what she did most of her life, it was more fruitful than being a waitress and enjoying her time with certain customers, that could be fun but there was no real benefit for others in this. With flying she could at least make a difference and she also had the tools for it but for now she had to keep her ships grounded.
In their search for cures, Ezrael had noticed how Nancy struggled with her feelings for him and he apparently shared much of the same conflict within him. To find a distraction for Nancy he had contacted an old friend, Leon. He is a mechanic and would prove to be useful for Ezrael’s cause and on top of that, he was handsome and wouldn’t mind spending time with a girl like Nancy. This gesture of Ezrael was something Nancy appreciated and when she met Leon it appeared to go like clockwork, they hung out together, talked and enjoyed each other’s presence. It however went so fast that they both forgot about Nancy’s limitations concerning her health. She became overworked by an intimate act and passed out in Leon’s arms, when she woke up they found that she was paralyzed. A doctor, Thallia Thorn, concluded that Nancy would return to her old self eventually but she needed rest and a lot of it.
This is where she is now, recovering from her paralyzed state onboard of a civilian Corvo that was owned by Ezrael. Nancy lived on this ship and so did Maren and Ezrael. Leon was there to and was looking after Nancy day and night as he felt responsible for what had happened to Nancy. Leon himself was struggling with how he should see Nancy as he himself wasn’t used to relationships. He enjoyed spending time with women but never wanted anything serious, yet Nancy seemed different and he cared for her, although perhaps it was just her health that made him want to look after her more?
It has been almost a year now yet Nancy still didn't manage to regain the strength and health she used to have before her mind had been wiped. She can experience blackouts during intense or stressful moments. Due to this she evaded to fly around much, not that she was even allowed as Ezrael as a friend proved to be very protective. His will to keep her safe and her drive to be a free person often collided with each other but it never truly got in the way of their friendship. Nancy does appreciate the care he has shown for her although expressing this is often difficult for her.
Maren and Nancy had become closer as well in the last year but there one major reason for this as Maren is a host to a Nomad. This Nomad goes by the name of Valery and proved herself to be trustworthy, enough at least for the group of friends to accept her. Nancy's health issues were still affecting her daily life and she was also afraid of what was to come. She didn't want to end up remembering the thing she had done as a Reaver as she knew these things were inhuman. She was marked a terrorist by Bretonia for a reason and the thought of remembering these things frightened her, so much even that she accepted the help Maren offered her. Valery, the nomad was to leave Maren and reside with Nancy for some months. In this period the nomad would try to help in settling Nancy's mind.
Valery had booked some succes in her time with Nancy and during this time the incubus and Nancy had grown fond of each other due to the intimate link between them. Valery managed to erase a lot of unwanted memories for good and even managed to filter out some of the better memories of her time as Reaver as Nancy was curious about them. In a dreamlike form she had witnessed some events with Steve (Sapphire Reaver), how they enjoyed their time on a Freeport together and how Steve managed to get himself drunk on some scotch. Nancy cherished these memories and it gave her a better view on Steve who was responsible for the wipe of her memories. She now knew what he looked like yet she had no desire to meet him.
Even though Valery now resides with Maren once more, it and Nancy kept a close bond and would often still share conversations with each other due to the means of Valery showing herself to them in a female form. It was a mind trick but Nancy had always appreciated the sight of her and this had been one of the major reasons she had been able to see Valery as a friend rather than a Nomad. Valery even arranged a physical reminder as she gave Nancy a ring that she could hold onto. Nancy wears this ring as often as possible she however dislikes jewellery when flying and instead keeps it in her pocket at those moments.
Even though her bond with Valery is strong it did receive some dents due to actions Maren and Valery took together. For example they slipped away from Nancy during the night doing some Nomad business. Nancy would never have found out about this if it hadn't been for Ezrael. Things like this nag Nancy at times and makes her wonder how much she can truly trust Valery, yet she can't forget about what Valery had done for her. Leon, the friend of Ezrael who is from Curacao, also made a remark about Valery that made Nancy question her own sanity. He said that Valery does not know what 'love' is as it is an incubus after all. When Valery was still with Nancy she had felt a bond stronger than she had ever experienced with any human yet now that she is without Valery it becomes more and difficult to feel this affection she had once felt. This comment of Leon made her wonder about all of this even more.
Leon had taken a more prominent position in her life as she had given him another chance after he had messed things up about wanting too much too quickly while she was still recovering. He confessed his love to her and after the separation of Nancy and Valery he had filled the void Nancy felt. They can be considered a couple now as they spent a lot of time together. Nancy had her own reasons to side with him as she didn't want to cause for drama and drive Leon and Ezrael apart as they have been friends for ages. She also wanted to be with someone after feeling the loneliness Valery had left her with and since Ezrael was taken by Maren she only had one person to turn to and that was Leon who welcomed her with open arms.
Tensions between the group of friends can often still be strained as Nancy feel attracted to Ezrael and the other way around. Ezrael on his turn has his issues with always having lived a free life and now tries his best to be faithful and loyal to Maren. Maren on the other hand doesn't wish to confine Ezrael to just her as she figured she can't change him. This opened the door for Ezrael and Nancy to get closer to each other. Nancy was hesitant about this as she didn't want to get between Ezrael and Maren nor did she want to hurt Leon. Leon however told her he wanted this for her and Maren had also told her it was fine.
At one point, a year after they had first met, Ezrael and Nancy finally got together and it had proven to be a nice time together yet Nancy couldn't stop thinking about Maren and Leon as she felt she was cheating on them even when they both had given their consent. Later it proved that Leon had simply told her things she wanted to hear rather than being honest to her about how he felt about this. It strained their relationship to the point where he wanted some time off from everything and that is where Nancy is now. Since Leon wanted time for himself and Ezrael and Maren have their own business to deal with she decided to venture out into Sirius to figure out how to continue.
***
Nancy currently resides on Thunder Bay Depot in Ontario where she had just finished a conversation with a Navy pilot going by the designation of 'Silver'. They talked about Nancy and what had happened to her time as Reaver and beyond. Nancy had expressed the wish to find her family as she was unaware of their whereabouts ever since her mind had been wiped. It took some convincing but eventually the pilot told Nancy that her parents were alive yet she didn't get to hear their whereabouts. Nancy is aware that the Navy could use this to blackmail her in some form or way but she is hoping to be able to restore her name and leave her Reaver being in the past, forever.
In the meantime Ezrael and Leon are trying to find a means to give Nancy a new ID with which she might be able to work for Orbital Spa without being traced back to who she is really. She knows she can't use her real name for any official job as it would only be a matter of time before Bretonia or Liberty would come for her. If obtaining a new ID fails she is willing to side with the Junkers and live her life amongst the scraps of Sirius all while trying to keep seeing her friends. Friends who also have to consider her past as Ezrael now works with Bretonia had thus had a more difficult time to keep seeing Nancy. He forbid her to come to the Apahanta which is Ezrael's ship. Once Nancy had looked forward to working on it but now that dream was thrown out of the window with Ezrael working for Bretonia.
***
The conversation with 'Silver' an ESRD Navy pilot:
Nancy was on Thunder Bay Depot where she had rented a room. Even though she had been escorted out of the house of Liberty she appeared to have blatantly ignored the request and deemed herself safe with the Junkers at least as long as she paid for her room which she felt was priced far too high compared to what it offered her. It was a small room with a bunk bed and a closet but not much else.
Silver docked with Thunder Bay, obviously gritting her teeth. The last couple of days were madness and she felt on edge. Nevermind the whole special assignment that ESRD issued at her since day one. The L-117 'Upholder' softly touched down in the bay, and bay techs ran in a hurry to service the ship. A Navy pilot, an ESRD at that, were almost treated like honored guests by the junkers these days with the rising tension between the Liberty Government and the Junkers. So they deliberatly treated the Navy a step up higher than the rest, as to difuse the situation in hand. Donning the ESRD tactical helmet, she jumped of the cockpit entrance, completely ignoring the automatic foot handles. With a hard thump, her feet touched solid ground and one of the techs, nodded towards her. "Refill?" "Yeah. Where are the quarters?" She asked, in the middle of the bustle. "Grab the elevator there. Fourth floor." He replied, opening the H-Fuel intake valve. Silver waved a hand in thanks and walked towards it.
Nancy didn't spent too much time outside of her rented room from where she mostly browsed the neutral net. Since her time here she had flown out a couple of time, one of which she had met this pilot with the callsign Silver. Even though she had invited her she doubted she would actually come by for a visit and thus she didn't expect it.
Dressed in her black flight suit that had some red highlights she laid on the bed, relaxing. On her nightstand was her sidearm and one PDA like device while she held another one as well. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Silver peeked into the corridor and found it empty. Looking at the holo signs, she found the direction she was supposed to follow. Stopping near the door that Sweetwater said it was room, the ESRD clicked her HUD in the helmet. She scanned all adjacent rooms. Empty. Apart from a woman lying down in a bed. She resumed the normal view again, and double checked her weapons. Up close and personal was not her style, but her service with the marines did taught her how to be proficient at it. Rising her hand to knock, she breathed in before and knocked.
Nancy got startled a little when she heard the knock on the door. Recovering her composure quickly she grabbed her side arm and holstered it on her left leg of her flight suit. She also put away her PDA in another pocket before opening the door. She was wary as she wasn't sure who it might be, as the door opened she was surprised to see a Naval officer and caused a light frown to form. "Can I help you?" she asked as the officer was dressed up. "Hi." Silver raised a hand. "I'm Silver." The female radio voice sounded from the helmet. "Which one?" she raised an eyebrow but stepped back as she would invite either of the Silvers she knew. "Errr." She pointed at the Liberty Navy symbol in her flightsuit. "I don't think the Reaver one would be sporting one of these." "Heh, you never know. Perhaps she killed one and now indulges herself with their clothes?" she shrugged as she turned around to walk to the bunk on which she took a seat. The room had no desk or any other seats as it was too small for that.
"So you're curious enough to actually come looking for me?" she asked, looking up to the person in uniform. "Yeah.." She walked in and looked around, one hand in her sidearm. "Had a couple of questions. The Admiral wasn't too keen. However, it surprised me. I thought he would order to sixty six you." She stood up, like a soldier. "So he does not approve of this visit of yours?" Nancy asked, seeming rather tense even though she tried to play it cool by simply sitting there with her hands folded on her lap. "Hmm, I have some degree of freedom in operations." She leaned back at the wall. "Not that I have the time for it." Her HUD pulled up the files ESRD had on Sweetwater. "So Ms. Sweetwater. Born in Bretonia. Freelancer. Mando. Reaver. Even got to the point of being your own boss." She nodded. "Quite the record." "Quite and what about you? Got a name this time around?" she asked, looking up at the woman with a rather sharp look in her eyes. "Silver. Can't go running around and saying my name to a Reaver or former that I really can't trust, can I?" She smirked under the helmet. "Say.. You said you didn't remembered. What happened there?" "Got another nickname than Silver, it itches me if I really have to call you that." she replied, not feeling like going into details yet. "Why?" She crossed her arms. "It's a callsign. It's a nickname. It's a name. It's a color too." "Exactly, it is a colour and thus I'd rather not hear it. But if you really don't want to go by anything else, then at least put off your helmet?" she asked, trying to sound kind in her voice. "Riiight." That voice almost sound familiar. The accent was Texan, but not as deep. "Thing is, Ms. Sweetwater, ESRD operatives must maintain their identities undisclosed at all times. Protection. Intimidation." Her hand moved in the air. "However, you can call me Mari." Again the smirk under the helmet. "From Marine." "Mary should work, such an intimidating name." Nancy smirked in return. "That's at least some progress however, I am wondering why I should be telling you my story, you seem to have it all there already and yet you seem to be curious about more, why?"
She pushed herself from the wall and turn her head around, scanning the rooms in the infrared HUD. Feeling safe, she looked back at the woman in the bed. "Reavers peek my curiosity. You see, I was at the front in Rheinland until the end. I saw Reavers shooting Rheinies. I saw Reavers shooting my own. All because of that woman, you and whoever came next." The memories of her stay at the Westfallen. "I remember seing the news about you and your kind. Mercs without a home and without a creed. Yet you lot were relentless. Unstoppable even." She leaned back at the wall and looked at the room. "Why? What drove you to be this.. powerful?" Her HUD beeped with recon reports, that were ignored. "Even after all these years, people say Reavers and their buttholes clench. And with the snap of a finger, gone. And then up. Got paid. Gone again." "Truth be told I cannot really explain how or why I got there. I never planned on becoming a villain as cheesy as that may sound." She replied before looking down at her lap for a moment. "Do you remember which Reavers were around when you fought them, if you fought them that is?" "Never did. I was a mud grunt back then. Was in the flash of the Westfallen." She sighed. "Different days back then. I only started picking up the stick and thrust after the war. And even then, never met them. But the news were prolific. Silver. Sapphire. Sangria. Cerulean." The helmet looked at the woman. "You have a thing for esses and cees, don't you?" "I suppose, not quite sure what made me pick that exact colour really. What did you hear about these colours though?" she asked a little curious.
Silver used her HUD to display whatever information ESRD had. "Well not much really. Silver seemed to be crazy. Or maybe not. Either way, it seems to be she always knew what she was doing. Kinda eerie though. Sapphire was silent. Just another color in your company. Cerulean was active a couple of months ago, alongside a Inchworm. Seemed like a talker. New Yorker, no doubt."
She grinned. "What about you, Ms. Sweetwater? How you were?" "I was hoping you could tell me, assuming you know the colour I used?" she asked. "Hm." She perused the file. "Determined during the fights. Not so business prolific though. Not like your predecessor. You seemed more akin to a soldier than a commander in my eyes." "Well I was in the Bretonian Armed forces for a short while and it is true that I would prefer to follow rather than to order people around." she replied, feeling a little uneasy about sharing whatever she knew with an officer like this. "Can't blame you. It's more clean. More simple. Less..." She remembered her old unit. "Nightmarish decisions." "I don't really like stress, tend to make bad decisions because of it as well. Say, why did you ask me about Silver and if I knew her?" she asked, wanting to stay on topic. "Well.." She clicked the safety of her helmet, and the visor rose, showing just a part of her face. A pair of grey eyes, familiar were shown. "We're related." "Related?" she asked surprised yet somewhere was expecting the catch due to her curiosity and the name as she had believed Silver had been an LSF wing while the Navy ran around with Gold. "Yeah. Quite the dinner subject, right?" She clicked and the visor came back into place. "Either way, that's why I asked. Never been in contact with her in the past... ten, eleven years? Still family though." "In what way are you two related? Is she your sister?" she asked, being more curious now. "Related. That's all that there is to it, Ms. Sweetwater. I'm certain you got the same, and probably the same urges to know how are they doing." Silver leaned back at the wall, arms crossed. "What do you mean?" She asked, wondering if this woman knew more about her parents. In truth they were in Houston but she didn't know that. "Family. I got none apart from that woman. You probably have some of your own." She replied. "Wouldn't know, they probably perished in Leeds." She admitted, taking in a deep breath while she stared at the wall ahead of her.
She nodded and looked down, a ceremonial couple of seconds of silence. "I'm sorry. Didn't meant for you to think that." She breathed in, visibly and rose her head. "Now, I got to ask. What's your plan?" "My plan? I want a life again. Want to get rid of this Serval." She replied before looking at her and smirked a little. "We could swap, a Serval for a Guardian?"
Silver stiffled a laugh. "Uhh. You can probably swap that for an Eagle or a Sabre in a Freeport. Ames is not far off from here. Barrier ain't either." Her HUD beeped, showing off the nearby vendors. "Although, you did chose a bad neighbourhood to stay. Hackers and Rogues aplenty." "You would be surprised, a lot of people don't want Gallic Royal ships." She replied, scratching her head a little. ""And your plan? Wanting to find Silver?"
She looked up at the ceiling. "No. I got my home to defend. Got my war to fight. And if she wanted to find me, I got a suspicion she would be very fast at it. Pitty you don't remember anything. Any news on her?" "Does she know you exist?" She asked curiously. "Yeah. I mean. Dunno if she kept track of me until now. But up until eleven years ago? Yeah." The HUD shifted to survailance purposes screens. "Never met anyone who knew her?" She continued, eleven years was a long time but she wondered if there was anything to gain from.asking more. "Not really. All I got is from the news and battle reports. At the time I was getting shot at in New Hampshire or Hamburg, friends dying left and right, so I didn't had that in my mind." She shruged, looking around and letting the helmet do its job.
Nancy looked at how she looked around but didn't think too much or it or at least she tried. "How did you two get separated?" "Err. We just did. Life happened." And she looked back at Nancy. "And you? How did you get seperated?" "I simply left home like anyone does at a certain age. Then the war with Gallia happened." She replied. "Wouldn't happen to have a list of refugees in that helmet would you?" She asked slightly curious but wondered if it was a good idea to get her parents involved if they were even alive. "How do you know I have a list in my helmet?" She smirked. "Standard equipment of any military organization? I used to have a fancy one when I was in the Armed forces although my current flight helmet is nicer." Nancy replies rather casually and finished with a small smile. "Right. I do have access. Now why should I, is the question." She uncrossed her arms and stood like a marine. "Could try and get into contact with Silver for you. I did see her about a year ago, not sure if she still has the same comms ID though." "Hmmm. Dunno if I am keen on that. Considering." She waved her hand over her uniform.
"Is there anything else I could help you with then?" She asked as she crossed her legs as she remained seated on the edge of the bunk bed. "Not really. Unless you are that good in killing, infiltrating, keeping to yourself, lovin' good ol' Liberty and knowing how to keep a secret." Silver smirked and crossed her arms again. "What are you suggesting?" she asked with a slight raised eyebrow. "I am not, really. However, I'm betting you didn't just woke past thursday without recollection of where you been for the past years. Right?" She leaned at the wall and looked at the sitting woman in front of her. "Around a year ago I woke up. My mind was a jumbled up mess and I didn't recall where I was. I lost around 5 years of my memories. When I woke up I thought I was a lone Freelancer that worked for Bretonia against Kusari as it was war back then. I found a note that explained I was not who I thought I was and that I had enemies in Kusari, Bretonia and Liberty." She explained, uncrossing her legs and sighing a little while she stared at the wall. "Damn. Here I thought my life was between rough and sandpaper. You got the short end of the stick, didn't you. Who did that to you?" "Doesn't really matter who did it. It won't really change much. I am criminal and a terrorist. Sentenced to be a terrorist, as funny that that sounds. Got Silver to thank for that apparently." She let out a pained chuckle.
An eyebrow rose. "How's that?" "I was sentenced by Kusari to work for the Reavers to make up for what I did against their house as a Mandolorian. I don't really know the details about it. Found some bits and pieces on the net." She explained. "Weird way to pay for your crimes. But then again, Kusari. Reavers were seen in good light over there. Dropping outcasts, Crissies and Dragons. What was the alternative?" Her visor glinted in the light. "I don't know really, I just know the sentence I got. Later I did end up in a Kusari prison. Not sure why but someone helped me escape and now I am here I guess, wanted by at least 3 houses." She smirked at the woman. "You, or that color? Sangria, was it?" The file was shown in the HUD. "Sangria was my colour, yes. But it's not 'or', the name is connected to me. You and your admiral seemed to believe I am still a Reaver so that kind of proves it." "Well, you got to ask him where he got your file, because I don't see files from other colors." She smirked under the helmet. "Don't rightfully know if it's the same towards the other houses. Namely Bretonia." "I doubt going there by my real name would be wise. Are you going somewhere with this?" She asked. "Just getting the general idea on your situation, that's all. Quite complicated, no doubt." She sighed. "Are you going to looking through those files for me or not?" She asked a little impatient. "Hm. This here is trade, Ms. Sweetwater. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. So, all this was to glean if you do have something of worth to Liberty. And I haven't gleaned much." Her head cocked to the side, waiting. "I asked you what I could help you with." Nancy replied with a raised eyebrow. "Give me an offer and I'll see if it is worth the information I am looking for." "I got.." Her HUD flickered with information. "Refugee lists from Bretonia." "Richard or Elizabeth Sweetwater?" She asked curiously, sitting up straight as she really wanted to hear this.
Silver rose a finger, signaling to wait. The HUD flickered, pointers screening the never ending lists. Two names and locations popped out. She nodded silently. "They are on it? Where are they?" Nancy asked, her eyes grown big from curiosity. "Tit for tat, Ms. Sweetwater." She leaned back at the wall and waited.
She snorted for a moment. "Then tell me what you want?" She asked, getting up on her feet to face the woman. "Your memory is busted, I'll bite that. But it has been a year. Instincts don't get lost in memories, right? So what were you up this whole past year?" She grinned. "Recovering, my health took a while to return. Other than that I tried to figure out who I was and am. Did a few small jobs like the one you gave me to keep myself from getting into any debts." She explained. "Hm, then you got nothing." She sighed and straighten herself. "What do you mean?" She asked with narrowed eyes as she didn't like this answer. "Information, things of use to Liberty. I mean, that sounded a very boring year." "Perhaps it was... all I want to know is if my parents made it off Leeds and if they are alive right now. If my mind had not been wiped I would have told you everything but there is nothing I can tell you as there is simply nothing." She replied in a lost and frustrated tone "You just said you did some small jobs." She waved her hand in an inquisitive look. "In did... some escorting around the events in the Omicrons when that Freeport was under siege. Much of the same throughout the year, mostly in the Omicrons." She explained, frowning a little to the woman as she was losing her patience. "Hmm." The HUD flickered again. "Then nothing of note or of interest." She sighed. "Then I am afraid I can't help you there, Ms. Sweetwater." "Then give me a new job? Give me something to do, for Liberty. In return all I ask is if they are alive or not." She asked with three same frustrated tone. "Give you a job?" She asked somewhat taken aback. "I'm not here to give you a way out. I'm not here to give you any kind of direction in your life." She walked towards the woman, hand in her sidearm. "Liberty gives nothing for free. I gave, and still give, and for that, I receive. You want the same, you make the first step. 'Cause you can bet it ain't gonna be Liberty to ask you." "You hired me before." She replied in a mocking way, looking at the hand the woman had on her sidearm. "Perhaps I could see how good my relations are with Gallia? Maybe Liberty could gain something from that?" "The Brets already have that in hand." She grinned. "Shit is starting to look sideways to them gauls. And rising to hit the fan." She looked at the door. "Liberty's war with the Gauls is straight and simple. Burn them until their husks are roast and black." Her HUD flickered. "We're the wall made of steel. They're the hammer made of wood. They can dent. But they will break before breaking us." She looked back at Sweetwater. "Liberty's way is simple. You have to come on your will. You got to make the first step towards the heads. I had nothing, yet I joined to fight in the mud against the Rheinies. And Liberty gave me more than I could hope for every step I took, blaster in hand. Year after year. Grind every day." She pointed at the Navy symbol, the symbol of Liberty. "This ol' lady only respects one thing. Duty." Her finger turned from the symbol and pointed at Sweetwater. "How far are you willing to go for Liberty, Ms. Sweetwater?" "I made my first step, I even invited you here and as far as am I willing to go for Liberty. It will be for my family, so I would go considerable lengths." She replied firm. "Alright. I don't have the knowledge of what Liberty needs. But I can point you the way, Ms. Sweetwater. Fleet Admiral Jones is the man you're looking, so just throw him my callsign. Do well for Liberty, and Jones will do well for you." She walked towards the door. "And before I leave, both of them are alive and well. Just to ease your spirit. Liberty ain't without a heart, Ms. Sweetwater."
She sighed in a quiet relief. "Thank you." She just said, seeing there was no need for anything else. She sat back down on the bunk, letting the woman leave.
The HUD displayed several scan modes, giving an overview of the hall and rooms adjacent. She opened the door. "Oh and Ms. Sweetwater? I was never here." She looked back and tapped her helmet. "Right." She mumbled, wondering if that meant the admiral couldn't know either. "SNLN01-825OKSX. Remember that. He'll reply, not to worry." She removed the safety harness from her sidearm. "And do get to Ames, Ms. Sweetwater. This neighbourhood is not the best." She disappeared as the door shut.
Nancy took her PDA to note down what she had just said but she didn't plan to leave the neighbourhood. It was time to rest again for her.
With the request out for a new ID all Nancy could really do was wait which she did but not on Curacao. She ventured around the Liberty sectors with her Serval and always tried to seek out Junker bases for the regular maintenance. She never really got into a fight except for that one where the ESRD Navy pilot Silver had hired her. It was a good thing as repairing this Serval was always a hassle. No one around here knew the blueprints and a lot of the repairs were simply touch and go. The vessel however was still in good shape and even though Nancy really wanted to get rid of it, the prices that were offered were simply too low. The more offers she denied the more she felt she should just keep it as putting it away somewhere quiet wasn't even that expensive.
The latter happened when Ezrael returned to Nancy with a comms, saying she had to return to Curacao as the ID was ready. He would meet them there, them as the request to return to Curacao was also meant for Leon who had tried to get the ID on his own without much luck. Nancy had Leon had some hefty arguments about this as she didn't want Leon to go out there and get himself into trouble for this. Ezrael was more than capable of dealing with this but her asking Ezrael seemed to have woken more jealousy in Leon. Eventually they managed to settle their argument with Nancy offering him another job and that was to find out more about her parents. She pointed Leon into the direction of Omega-3, planet Sprague as a lot of Bretonian refugees from Leeds were sent there. She still didn't know for sure if her parents were alive but it was at least worth to look for them now, yet she couldn't do that herself, knowing her reputation as a terrorist.
Back on Curacao Leon and Nancy waited for Ezrael and Maren who were taking longer to return. Eventually just Ezrael returned to the cabin on Curacao alone and he talked to Leon about something. Nancy wasn't there to listen to this conversation which was how Ezrael had meant it as he didn't want for Nancy to know what was going on between him and Maren. Leon's mood was struck down when Ezrael left to pick up Maren. Nancy tried to comfort him but he wouldn't tell her what was going on, everything felt off but all she could do was wait.
A day or two later Maren returned on her own to the Cabin to give Nancy her new ID that she had arranged for her on behalf of Ezrael. Maren had her contacts for it but it was probably a good thing Nancy didn't truly know who forged her new ID. Not having realised she had to change her appearance as well she was a little shocked to see her new ID but happy never the less. She knew it would all not be free and changing her hair and wearing lenses was hardly expensive compared to what a new ID could do for her.
With the new ID in hand she changed her appearance and assumed the role of Lily, someone from Pittsburgh that had learned to fly through hauling ores from the mines to their processing plants and now she was without a job. Back when Nancy asked for the new ID she also promised Ezrael as well as Leon that she would work for Orbital Spa but applying under a false ID was still as tricky thing to do. Luckily there was Ezrael again with his broad range of contacts. He visited Orbital Spa's headquarters before her to put in a good word for his friend Lily. At the headquarters they bought his story that Lily was a decent pilot and woman and soon Nancy received an invitation for an interview.
All dressed up and having assumed her new looks with her black hair and brown eyes she sat in a cab that was bringing her to the Orbital Spa & Cruise headquarters. She was nervous the closer she got to the massive building that was reflecting the sunlight with all its glass features. She worried about her cover getting blown as paranoid as she was as she wasn't used to talking to anyone official for some time now, at least not in person. When the cab came to a halt in front of the building she took another deep breath and grabbed her handbag besides her before exiting the vehicle.
In the lobby she was directed to one of the higher floors where she was to wait in room. There were a few more people that appeared to be waiting. 'More applicants' Nancy thought to herself as she sat down. Luckily for her she didn't need to wait long as she was the first to be called for. A tall man in a well fitting suit came to lead her further into the building and guided her to the room where the interview was supposed to take place. Here she was set on a seat in front of modern desk and behind it was a large window that gave a panoramic view over Curacao, it was all very impressive and even in her time with Ezrael she still wasn't fully used to all this expensive architecture that Curacao had to offer, especially compared to Leeds where Nancy originates from.
Being left alone in the room she was left here for half an hour. It didn't help her nerves as she began to believe there was something wrong. Did they figure out who she really was? With her handbag on her lap and held by both her hands she waited and waited. It startled her when the door opened and another well dressed man walked in. "Sorry that we kept you waiting, urgent matters required my attention." The man that walked in spoke up with a calm voice as he buttoned up his suit to look even more formal. "So you must be Lily Austin, nice to meet you, I'm Gordan Radovan and I'll be doing the interview." he continued as he approached Nancy and offered her a light handshake. Nancy took it after standing up and casting a soft smile. At least the handshake felt gentle which made Nancy feel a little more at ease. However she was still nervous and speaking up felt impossible with this feeling of having a lump in her throat. She forced a kind nod before taking her seat again while the man took his behind the desk and opened her file.
On the screen she managed to see a picture of herself but with her black hair and brown eyes and the name clearly showed Lily Austin. It was probably information Ezrael had given them to make things go more smoothly. "Hmmm... we got all the basics, name, place of birth... age but we didn't seem have received your curium vitae. Do you have it with you?" The man asked, his voice sweet to the ear almost which felt weird, he seemed to calm which she stil l did her best to now show how nervous she was. After clearing her throat a little she answered. "I.. assumed you had received it already." she sputtered a little hesitantly realising how badly she was prepared. "Don't worry, you can sum it up for me. Your friend, Ezrael Vertiga said you are an experienced pilot so where did you learn how to fly?" "Most I actually learned from my dad. I grew up at the mines on Pittsburgh and he was a freighter pilot. Mom had her own work so she couldn't really look after me much so I often joined my dad. Not a lot of room to play but I didn't mind that. I could in the cockpit for hours and just stare outside as we flew from one buoy to the other loading and unloading the dirt. I wanted to learn it myself and as I grew older my dad showed me more and more how to fly. At some point I would fly for him so he could catch up on his lack of sleep. I was 16 back then I believe?" Nancy explained, the story she had at least planned, everything of it was lied but that didn't matter to her. She just wanted the job and wanted to appear like she really was from Pittsburgh. "You started young and without any regulations I assume? It will be different here when you fly for us. You have to be presentable at all times as you won't be moving dirt but people, rich people and you will represent hospitality. It will be people from the highest classes so we expect a lot from our pilots." His answer was a little crude to Nancy as it made it sound like she made a bad impression already. "I... from there I worked my way up to a combat pilot to escort the dirt trains. Most of my time I patrolled the boron route between Leeds and Pittburgh, still not very fancy but you did get to see quite some action there. Lots of Liberty Rogues but with the war with Kusari and now with Gallia that route became redundant and that's why I ended up without a job. That's when Ezrael and I met. I'm not sure how well you know him?" Nancy wanted to know a little more about how well this Gordan knew Ezrael as it would make it easier to explain some things, she thought. "Not very well but I've heard things, quite the womanizer isn't he?" The smile that accompanied his words almost made Nancy blush, that was awkward. Apparently Ezrael was that well known. It doesn't come with a complete surprise to her as he someone that owns a capital ship and has been there to defend Curacao before. He is a one of a kind. After a small gulp and a forced smile Nancy continued the story. "He is, yes. We got to talk in a bar. I told him I was without a job and he convinced me he had some laying around. That was some half a year ago. Since then I worked for him and he taught me some manners. A month ago he told me he felt I was ready for a better job. One for a decent woman and pilot and thus I sit here. I wouldn't say I will be your best mannered pilot but I can fly and I will make sure all your clients will be safe with me." Nancy promised with a convincing look on her. It was also received that way by Gordon who returned a small smile and began to type something on his console. Nancy was curious but she was able to withstand the urge to look what he was writing. "I have no doubt that you're a fine pilot. Ezrael convinced my boss to accept your application which has already been granted so all of this is just a formality." He said calmly with a kind smile as he typed further until he was done and turned to Nancy again. "I- I don't know what to say, thank you." Nancy sputtered in surprise of what she just heard. "Don't thank me, thank your friend. However, even though you're accepted as pilot for the OSC, there are still some things to discuss. You seem to have no criminal record which is good. However you're still from Pittsburgh, I'd urge for you to never tell our clients that you're from there as it's no the companies interest. We only have the finest personnel working for us and they only come from the best places in Sirius. Do you understand?" He told her with a stern look yet somehow still seemed kind through it. Nancy just nodded in acknowledgement. She wondered what other things she was going to have to lie about. "Furthermore, your medical records. Our pilots need to be in tip-top shape. You appear healthy but are you, is there nothing we need to know?" He asked rather blandly as it was simply part of his checklist.
Slowly Nancy shook her head, she wasn't healthy considering her jumbled mind but she was healthier than before. She just hoped she wouldn't collapse on the job. "I'm healthy sir, haven't been in a hospital for years nor have I felt sick for a long long time." She lied of course but she didn't want to raise questions or appear weak. "Very well, we have regulations for your appearance as well as you have to remaining looking healthy and are advised to follow training sessions outside of work hours. These are not mandatory and if you believe your lifestyle is healthy enough then you are free to do as you please outside of work hours. However if you are ever caught drunk or unfit on duty hours you will be discharged without warning all to assure our clients have their money's worth. Do you understand?" "I'll behave sir, I promise. Ezrael makes sure I won't slack in that aspect." Nancy promised. "I'm sure he does. The man replied brief before typing something in again. When he was done again he opened a drawer on the desk and took out a OSC employee card. "This one is yours, with it you gain access to all employee liberties on our stations and offices that you will visit. Keep in mind that you will often have to spent the night on your destinations, hardly a punishment as I can promise you that these facilities are well equipped and up to our standards which are far higher than those of places like Pittsburgh." Nancy couldn't help but feel it was a snide comment to the poor, no one willingly choose to be on Pittsburgh or Leeds for that matter. Rich people, she thought to herself but with some upset but her appearance remained kind. "Thank you." Nancy said as she took her new OSC pass. "I'm honoured to work here and I promise you that I won't let you down." she added. It was really just for Ezrael and Leon that she planned to do her best as she didn't want to let them down.
With that they concluded the interview and Nancy was shown out to be introduced to her quarters at the space port. Here she will stay when she won't be flying. Normally an employee would be stuck here for some months before being allowed to go home for a month but Nancy was in luck with having Ezrael as a friend as he was able to pull the strings and decide on when she would be allowed to have some days off. Not that she would mind staying on the space port as the designated quarters were as promised and quite fancy, especially compared to the standards she was used to from Leeds. Perhaps it wasn't like her Gallic freighter but she really couldn't complain about the comfort here.
Her first week as an Orbital Spa & Cruise pilot went smoothly. She didn't get to fly much herself but served as a co-pilot until she would familiarise herself more with the shuttle and ferry that she was to fly. The biggest change she had to get used to was to always wear a uniform when working and having to follow formal procedures when encountering the clients personally. It took some time to get used to this but it wasn't something she ultimately minded.
Ames Research station. Usually a quiet place for Zoners to have a safe heaven amongst the starts and between two houses.
Today however everyone was a little spooked, by a few new faces, that everyone got to know as just usual freelancers. The fleet admiral, now having the appearance of a common man had already rented one of the private rooms in the upper levels. There he was waiting for Nancy to show up. Somewhat puzzled on how to convince her and hoping everything would be according to plan. Nancy had arrived earlier. Unsure on what to expect herself she had come in full gear. It was a light weight black mercenary outfit with red camo patterns here and there. She had a black cap as well and a gun holstered on her right leg. She knew Ames supposed to be peaceful but right now she did t care much. She didn't plan to make a fight here but she simply wanted to leave an impression hoping the Navy would really just talk to her.
The vessel that had brought her here was long gone and now she was waiting on her own in the hangars. Sending a communique to Alan Jones ones more with a simple message that she had arrived and a question about where on the station she was to meet him. "Private room 4, upper level. I'm waiting." His response arrived within the minute.
She would feel like she was being watched. As if that mechanic over there wasn't just a mechanic. Or as if a bystander was watchfully looking over her. Even though everything seemed normal, her instincts were sharpened up as she moved on. Tense as she was she felt anyone could be watching her. Moving down the hallways she eventually got up to level four and he would be notified with a small ring when she tapped the console out of the door.
The door opened. It was someone else. On a full BDU suit he initially spooked her, however he did not hesitate to ask her. "What are you here for?" "Got a meeting with the admiral." She said with a slightly strained voice. On her outfit she had two PDA devices, one like any other while the other was more plain with buttons and Kusari markings. It sat on her belt properly secured. Her firearm was properly secured on her leg as well. It was a basic low calibre laser one. Unlike her profile would be saying, she wasn't blond anymore as her hair that was bundled under her cap was now completely black. Her eyes showed a big contract with that as they were bright blue. "Mhm." The man noded as he grunted. "Put your hands on the wall." As he approached her with a scanning device for a physical check.
She expected that and turned to the wall to which she placed her hands. Aside from her sidearm she carried no weapons. Only the the two PDA devices were noteworthy. The one with Kusari markings belonged to the Kusari law enforcement which would be clear to someone with some knowledge about it. It was a scanner to check convicts and Nancy happened to be one of them.
If the physical scanner would be able to detect internal chips it would mark a live chip in her chest, close to her heart. It was however only able to receive and broadcast signal no more than the body. The guard took away her weapon and inspected the PDA devices. The Kusarian one seemed pretty mysterious. "I'll be keeping this." He put the gun on a bag behind him. "You'll get it when you're finished. What about these two?" He held the PDAs in front of her. "Need that if I am going to be wanting to keep breathing." She nodded to the Kusari device. "The other I make my calls with."
He handed her the kusari one back in her suit. "Are you going to be needing this one?" He pointed at the other PDA. "Might have to make a call but otherwise, no." She replied simply. She knew seeing an admiral would require security measures but she didn't like it one bit.
He held onto the other PDA for himself. "Alright then, follow me."
As she put her hands off the wall, he lead the way across the hall to the room where the Admiral was waiting.
A small conference table was in the room and the Admiral was standing next to the observatory blast window. As they entered the room. "Sir." The guard saluted the Admiral as he turned around to face them. The guard then placed her PDA in front of where Jones had sat earlier on. "Hers." He explained and also whispered something to the Admiral.
Jones proceeded to dismiss the guard. "Thank you James." He nodded as the guard left. "Nancy." He proceeded to take a seat where he earlier were. "Admiral." She said while she remained standing, looking at him after inspecting the room. "Take a seat." he inspected her and her looks while he motioned to a seat next to his side. He quickly quickly gazed the PDA, then continued. "Make yourself comfortable."
She kept quiet and took a seat, taking off her cap which made her black hair drop into her shoulders. With her hands on the table she looked at him. "So we finally meet face to face..." She said a little dryly, giving a slight smiled. That she was tense was however easy to notice. "Indeed." Noticing her now dark hair and her tense stance, he could understand she was having more of a hard time. "Titanium couldn't come. She was deployed." Picking up her pda and giving it a closer look before putting it away again, he continued. "We'll have to do together. For now." "You coming here shows courage. For change." "A first time for everything." She replied to the comment of courage, guessing he thought she had never shown any before. "Not exactly what I meant. You came here against the odds." Jones explained. "Determined to change things. Why?" "Why... well I am not who I was back then. I do actually have feelings despite of what you might think of me. I've searched for a long time to find a way to make up but nothing felt decent enough. I am aware that I cannot fully make up for the things I did but at least I can do my best to do my part." She explained, looking at the wall as she said this. "I am sure the law would have me executed or put in jail to rot away for the rest of my life but I don't see how that will help the people I have harmed. I would rather do something instead."
Somehow expected. "I see.. You do seem a bit lost." Jones briefly paused thinking about it. He then laid back a bit on his seat. "I dont think I can forgive you or get you a pardon. But I am no judge." He came back closer again. "Your friend titanium. She came to me just like you now. Bent on making up for the past." As he paused he gave her, her PDA back. "In exchange for that I can find a way for you to you a new start and something to belong to." "And what would that new start mean?" She asked, not really trusting him with any of this.
She was here now. May not have had much of a choice. Though Jones wanted to make this work without any complications along the way. "Simply put, that means your old identity will have to stay behind. And the price for a new beginning in Liberty, you will be you serving the republic. In the end everything will even out." "And how will I serve the Republic? What would make you want to trust me to serve the Republic?" she asked, having heard this sort of story before, at least she read about it when she went over her conviction in Kusari. Here she was convicted to work for the Reavers to keep her freedom. If she were to stop working as a Reaver she had to sit out her time in jail which she did until she escaped and dropped off the radar. Kusari had wanted to make sure it wouldn't come to this and had implanted her with a chip that would be triggered if she were to run. Once triggered it started a count down and once that would hit zero, she would simply drop to ground, dead as the chip she had would make her heart stop beating. She still had this chip and if Jones was well educated on the Kusari system he would know the Kusari device she had with her was to counter the count-down each time it got triggered. That she was convicted by Kusari was probably no secret either, at least not for Liberty.
"Trust is hard to come by nowdays. And it has to be earned. I can only lay a path for you." Looking at her in her current state, she seemed almost desperate for a better change. One that she could get through the Liberty Forces, if done right. "Right now?" Jones smiled slightly. "You don't have much of a choice do you?" "I don't want to live in fear for the rest of my life but if you can't help me... then I'm sure I'll manage." she said, in the meantime she did find an alternative to this but there was always the worry of being hunted down which was really nagging her and often caused trouble for her.
Nancy seemed rather tired, as if nightmares from gloomy present and past and constant paranoia were taking chunks off of her at a time. "And that's how it translates into helping one another. A favour for a favour creates a symbiotic relation. Your debt to the republic turn into a debt to an admiral and an organisation. Much more manageable I'd say. All you have to do is to be useful. And as for trust? You will not want to betray me. But not because of what I would do about it. But because it is your best alternative to get away from the present situation and not end back in it, or a worse version of it. And your best alternative to find yourself a better place to belong to." Alan said in an inspiring way. "What would a house like Kusari say if they found out you were helping me? Or Bretonia even?" She asked, wondering if all she had to do was being useful and nothing more. "You will no longer be Nancy Sweetwater. As in, this is not what you come up with at your local black marked forger. This is high-end." Jones continued, moving on to the deal aspect of it. "That's what you get to gain. In exchange, I have you put to better use and in my disposal should I need anything to be done. It's a win for the both of us." He stood up moving to the table in the corner to get some coffee. "It may sound strange to you but we're not even getting started yet." "I assume I'd have to tell everything good bye even my friends that weren't involved in anything I did?" she asked, folding her hands while she wondered. It didn't sound appealing to her to end up working for Liberty, especially after working hard in the recent months to get a life back. "That depends on you. Whether you want to make use of your old self shall the situation need that. But at the same time, you won't have a few angry houses on your back. I'd call that a good start." Jones grabbed two cups. "Coffee?" "No thanks." she sighed quietly. "If it wasn't for me showing my face, you wouldn't even have known I was around again. I've been someone else before and I was free to help whoever and wherever I wanted. Just had to dodge the extra security checks but the edge worlds allow for more freedom. Why would I want to take what you offer over that?" "Luck runs out eventually on your own. And Exiling yourself in the edge worlds, well won't save you from the bounty hunters." Jones sat down again with just his coffee. "If you truly thought of that.. that uhh.. speculation as abetter alternative to hopes of actually having a normal life. You wouldn't have considered getting yourself here."
She held her cap in her hands on the table, sighing quietly. "A lot has changed for me since I first send you a comms and you saw me. I have my ways of hiding myself now. I came here to see if your offer is better but I am doubting that. My goals are to help people, I think I can do that better as myself than I can do that in your service." She explained before she would put her cap back on.
She could see Jones' eyes hovering over her back. "If I were you I would rather not jump to hurried decisions." "Then I will say that I will think about it. I have to weight out the pros against the cons." She replied, putting her hair back under her cap. "I'm afraid we aren't done here yet." Now Jones' eyes were hovering right over her head. "We're still expecting someone else." "Are we?" She asked surprised. "As you can see I wanted to see what was going through your mind before we disclosed more into concrete things." Jones Shifted his attention back to her eyes. "Your instincts are still kicking in. You're a mess right now and you're still trying to run."
The inter-com that linked one of the guards directly to Admiral Jones' desk buzzed to life and on speaker. It wasn't a lengthy message, just an announcement. "The Director is here for you, sir."
The message caught Jones' attention. "Excellent. Bring him in." He told the guards shifting his attention back to Nancy. "Seems like our guest arrived."
The door that led here opened, with two guards escorting the newest arrival into the room. Their guest turned out to be the director of agency 404, while he appeared quite young and almost stereotypically wore a suit, there was most definitely more to him than just that. "Admiral." He said politely as a greeting.
It had been a while. Jones smiled to an old friend. "Avery. Great to have you here. Take a seat." He motioned to a seat next to him and followed him with his eyes. "Certainly." Came another polite word from him as he casually unbuttoned his blazer and took a seat where Jones had gestured. He glanced over to the woman in the room once, merely to make sure he wasn't confused, before looking back to Jones. He was expecting some sort of briefing beyond just being called here. "I'd like you to meet Nancy." He motioned at her. "Nancy this is Avery. He may as well be your next best friend." "I wouldn't get that comfortable." He stated bluntly, looking back to her again. "Of course. Ignore my enthusiasm." Jones shifted his attention to Reeves. "What's her deal and how does it concern the agency?" He was evidently right down to business and had no scope for nonsense when on official matters. "She has quite the history. And a bad biography at the same time. And is looking for a chance to start over. Luckily for her, she does have the skillset behind her to make me consider the effort, of putting her to better use. Rather than behind bars." "I take it that given her flamboyant track record, you have no real choice other than to have her work intelligence. She'd be a nuclear warhead in terms of public relations anywhere else." He had already begun analysing the situation, finding himself two immediate ways to handle her and put her to use, both still being considered in his mind. "Precisely. I don't like it either. Apparently the Navy isn't for her. So I believe you're the one who can make something out of it." He hinted Avery on it, to give him some insight. "I have ideas in mind. I'd like to hear from her though as to what her intentions are." He once more turned to her, examining her every move to understand the true nature behind her answer.
Nancy sat there quietly observing trying to figure out the meaning of this. She had heard about the 404 but hadn't yet met any of them. That they were part of the intelligence wing made her a little more paranoid about the situation.
She let out a quiet sigh, once more looking at Jones before she looked at the director with blue eyes and her dark hair covered under her cap. "Just wanted to see... what chances there are for me to make up for my past." she said honest but hesitant as she didn't like being here surrounded by Liberty officials. She was hoping that being on Ames was secure enough for her to actually have a free choice in the matter. "Now look, I don't like what you did up until you got here. I don't know you personally, but I've read your book in a sense. It's going to take more than just comfy words to prove your case. Redemption doesn't come often and it certainly doesn't come easy." Much like her, he had blue eyes and dark brown hair, a neat coincidence but nothing more. While he found her initial answer genuine, there was still a lot yet to be determined. "I'm aware that it will be difficult, so you both will understand I need time to make up my mind about this. I didn't exactly imagine giving everything up to end up being spook." she said said, the idea of being stuck with an intelligence agency didn't suit her, she felt. "I don't head your traditional intelligence agency. We're very different. Jones can vouch with me on the fact that if it's redemption you want, we'll be your best shot. I don't know what you two negotiated between yourselves, but the agency will have its own terms and appropriate rewards for satisfying them." He calmly stated to her, for a change he wasn't pressuring her but actually giving her what seemed like a choice. "This is your life at the end of it. You rise and fall by your own choices." He added for extra clarity, truly not bothered in trying to lecture her on patriotic duty or similar subjects. "Or you pull your hands trying to change those choices." Jones interrupted. "Avery is right. They are your best shot." "I can understand. You're insecure about what lays in front of you. But the other alternative remains the same present situation, in which you are stuck now." "If you know my record, you know I never did well under supervision of ranks. I was kicked out of the armed forces just to become a lone mercenary that eventually somehow made her way up to leading the Reavers. I don't do well with people being above me, giving me orders, telling me what to do and what not to do." She explained, wanting to be honest about this as she felt they might not know what they were even getting themselves into and she didn't want for them to regret their decision as that would probably mean she'd go straight to jail. She needed to trust them and right now she didn't feel that trust was there.
"If I deny your offer I can still help people and if I screw up I don't end up behind bars. I doubt either of you would have any patience with someone like me. I know more ways to get what I want. The alternatives still seem more safe than what you're offering me."
Jones shifted his attention to avery. Looking at him if he had anything to say. "A core tenet of agency 404 is autonomy, but you will be supervised should you choose to accept. I can respect the fact that you want to help people, but I need you to prove it. There are benefits that can be provided to you in return, things more valuable than money." He was a fairly good negotiator, able to understand the subtle push and pull a deal required. He still found it incredibly ironic that a glorified serial killer was so fixated on doing good.
She sighs quietly. "Perhaps you should make a list. What are these things that are more valuable than money? Kusari thought they could make me be an asset as well. That resulted in me being a Reaver, coming here to ruin your lives. What insurance do I have that I won't find myself being an enemy of Gallia or perhaps Rheinland, since it wouldn't surprise me there is still work for people you don't hold very dear against these." "I'm not here to sell this to you. You can go back to being a glorified serial killer for all I care. I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but I'm sure you will. You make your choice, just remember you have to live with it. That's a concept I know all too well. It's not me that has to convince you here, it's your choice whether to prove this miss Sirius pagent nonsense you keep spouting." He crossed his leg over in a formal manner, despite the words that came out of his mouth, he hardly seemed concerned or annoyed. He didn't seem to be giving much away. "And I'm not here to make a rash decision either. I don't feel comfortable putting my life in your hands, people I used to fight against. Allow me to think about this and I'll get back to you both. It would however help me if you could put on paper how you would treat me and what tasks you have in mind for someone like me. Having to scrub the floor for you is not what I had in mind, obviously." she explained. "I'll give you whatever papers are required. But I don't want my time wasted either." He was equally honest about the situation. "Make your choice. I can offer you legal immunity and the ability to have a life again. I'm not out here to enslave you. I'm not going to keep my offer on the table for very long though. I have an actual job to do in order to help people." "I'm aware that you must busy men. Give me a message with what it would be like and I'll consider it." She sighed, looking at the admiral for a moment before she moved her seat back, appearing to be wanting to cut this short. "Well, unlike the Kusarians, we're not here to chain you up and force you to do whatever calling. Here make do on mutual benefit, a win-win situation for everyone. If you find it to be a rushed decision, take your time. But too long and this little chance may as well go away."
He simply nodded. "I'll be taking my leave now as well, if we're done here." "We're done, I'll be expecting a communique." she said, looking at the two of them. "You'll get one." He said as he stood up, buttoning his blazer and opening the door for himself, but he seemed to hold it open for her.
Raising his head. "This is as far as I'll ever get you. It's only up to you now." Jones stood up. "This meeting is over."
Nancy nodded and stood up. "I can have that back then?" she asked, meaning the PDA, assuming the guard outside would give her sidearm back as well. "Of course." Jones picked it up and handed it to her. "James, make sure she is escorted. The director and me will be fine."
She put it back in a pocket of her suit, sighing quietly before making her way to the exit. Once she was through, Jones looked back to Jones, wondering if he had anything else to discuss.
Nancy had stepped outside to collect her gun from the security guard.
"Avery." He continued as he approached Reeves. "Jones." He responded. "There's one man with her in the hall, and three more waiting in the hangars. She's being arrested as we speak." He told him calmly. "Rather underhand, don't you think?" He clearly wasn't on the same page when it came to this, but had no leverage to object.
Instead of giving her the gun, James quickly pulled a trick into Cuffing one of her hands and then quickly and forcefully reaching pulling the other one. "Indeed. I'm afraid I can't let her go like that." He paused for a moment to give james some time. "For a killer she's awfully trusting." He noted, finding a disconnect between her past and how she seemed to really act. "When the ESRD officer told her to first contact me, she somewhat reminded me of Dagon." Jones continued. "She was a bit more.. solid or cold though."
Nancy didn't have time to respond to that and it was already too late to try and pull away. She however still tried desperately to pull away from him. "W-what are you doing?! Let go!" she yelled in a quick panic, trying to push the man off.
On the other side James was overpowering Nancy against the wall. "I have my orders. Resisting is not going to help you here. You will be coming with me and do exactly as I say." "Frak off, they allowed my safe passage!" she was pissed about this, not knowing what was to come but it couldn't be anything good and it freaked hero out, making her try to squirm her way out. "Miss Sweetwater, I can't save you from this if you won't accept working for us. I know you want a life, but if you don't take this shot, the only one you'll know is behind bars. My hands are tied, that's the only help I can offer you." He said out loud to her, hoping to at least inspire some sense of rationality.
Jones smirked. "Was just going to say. She's coming with you."
James was still holding her. "Yeah yeah. And I'm here to make it all safe for you." James tried to calm her. "Now stop resisting and let's go."
Nancy snorted, clearly upset and furious about this. "On a Zoner base? You're doing this here?" "The Zoners won't be able to help you. No one can. Just accept it." James held her steady now to try and get her to cooperate with not much resistance. "You can't do this!" She breathed, sounding desperate in her tone but resisting less, wanting to see if there was a moment where the officer was paying less attention so that she could try to pull away again. She could only think of ending up in jail as she didn't trust these men, not knowing them at all. "Aparently I can. Now get a grip and lets go." He put his arm around hers to make it look normal as they moved to the hall.
Her heard was going crazy and in the moment she felt a strong sting in her head which made her squint a little. It was the stress of the moment that seemed to have an effect on her. She however still didn't want to cooperate fully, wanting to pull away from the officer that kept her secure.
James continued. "Relaax. Don't make it harder." As he pulled strongly on her arm bringing her closer.
She was getting worn out quickly but mostly because her headache increased rapidly due to the stressful moment. It pained her and made her narrow her eyes even more, almost closing them to try and bite away the pain. Being focused on that she was easier to move around. "Miss Sweetwater, for your own sake. You need to make this choice now. It's this or the rest of your life in prison." He was urging her to consent to employment, it was truthfully the only way she stood a chance in redeeming herself.
James just dragged her along to the hall. "Nothing to do about it now. Come on." As he brought her with him to the hangars where more men were awaiting to secure her.
Jones was walking along with Avery. "She'll be coming with you." "Take her somewhere away from the noise and commerce and see if you can make something out of it. Dagon is a former wingman of hers, maybe she can do something about it. But in the end I doubt she has much of a choice as it is."
She remained to pull on James but the longer the walk the less forceful she got, not saying anything at this point. "Have her sent to our mobile safehouse currently in Virginia. I believe it's near the police Outpost." He suggested to James, indirectly obliging Jones' suggestion of trying to salvage something from this.
Nancy gave them an angry look, clearly upset that she was being taken away. She had hoped that neutral grounds had been enough to keep them from arresting her but they didn't seem to care. On her way she could only think of what was to come and who she had just abandoned. "Nice seeing you Jones." He stated in a friendly manner before beginning to walk towards his own shuttle. "I didn't want it to come to this. But I don't see any other way. If she can't be of use.. well.." Jones nodded. "Safe skies Avery. Take care." As he moved towards the Armored transport with the guards who had just taken Nancy in.
As he entered the ship, he crossed with Nancy again looking at her in the eyes.
He knew she would be truly upset from it all, though everything was how it was meant to be.
"Notify the leverage that we have an incoming asset that needs high risk accommodation." Avery had ordered his pilot to convey the following, he had his doubts about Nancy and several questions he would save until he met her again aboard the agency owned liner that operated like a safehouse. His shuttle would depart the station first, on a direct return path to Liberty and by extension Virginia.
Nancy was transported from Ames Research Station to be questioned further by the 404 director and his staff...
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