Her dreams were not pleasant, but then again, neither was she. She rolled her head slightly, stretching her neck muscles as she peeled the sheets from her naked body. Sweat lined her glistening skin, and she gave a small sigh of exasperation as she slowly slid her legs round, touching the floor. The cold wood made her legs shiver, and her hand flew out to press the wall controls, raising the heat.
She smiled tiredly at the warmth that flooded into the large room. Being the Captain of her own ship had it's perks, she mused. Scrunching her eyes up tight, she slowly padded her way across the wooden floor, each step leaving a small footpring behind from her sweat. Her dreams had been full of pain and death, terror and anguish. They usually were.
The things she had been through... the things she had done. She deserved these cursed nights.
She flicked the light on as she walked into the bathroom, her eyes blinded at first by the harsh rays, but soon adjusting and seeking out her own reflection in the mirror. She turned slightly, and looked over her shoulder at her back, her arms crossed tightly in front of her...
She smiled at her body. Sex was something she could use well, to ensnare, to capture, to kill. Countless men had died at her hand, going to bed with her, never to awaken. Some had called her a goddess when they saw her, and the name had stuck. She was a goddess of the flesh, or love, of beauty, of sex.
She gracefully entered the shower, relaxing as the jets of water cascaded around her, pounding her flesh, seeming to cleanse her of her worst sins...
[File Name: Aphrodite]
[Codename: Aphrodite]
[Real Name: Unknown]
[Ship type: Border Worlds Transport]
[Last known location: Omicron Theta]
[Hunted by: Corsairs, Outcasts, Bounty Hunters, Main Houses, Main House Corporations, GMG, Hessians.]
[Current Bounty total: 210 million credits]
[Current Occupation: Assassin]
As Sarah stood there in the shower, the water rippling around her, little did she know she would change who she was that day. Little did she know she would renounce her old life.
[File Name: Hermes]
[Codename: Hermes]
[Real Name: Greg Prestion]
[Ship Type: Sabre]
[Last Known Location: New York]
[Hunted by: All except Zoners, LSF and IMG]
[Current Bounty total: 267 million credits]
[Current Occupation: Assassin]
Sarah turned off the water reluctantly, her bad feelings seeming to roll back into her as the water faded away. Then she heard the noise. It was a heel, clicking against a metal deckplate. She grinned, and with a playful lick of her lips, twisted the water back on, pretending not to hear. She knew only 2 people could get on board this ship, and unless Greg had undergone some... experimental treatment, she knew who it was.
[File Name: Athena]
[Codename: Athena]
[Real Name: Ada Kester]
[Ship Type: Eagle]
[Last Known Location: Omicron Delta]
[Hunted by: Bounty Hunters, Corsairs, Liberty Military and Corporations, Bretonia Military and Corporations]
[Current Bounty total: 82 million credits]
[Current Occupation: Weapons supplier]
Sarah heard her enter the bathroom, could see her long sexy black legs through a gap in the curtains, decked in lustful raven dark heels, leading up to a stunning red dress, hugging her perfectly. She was walking hotness. With a smile, Sarah whipped back the curtain, grinning at Ada, who just stood there with a smirk on her face.
"You're wearing too much" Sarah muttered, pulling Ada back into the bedroom, water still dripping from her.
***
After they were done, they lay there, comforted in each others arms.
"Why are you here?" asked Sarah, her eyes staring at the ceiling. Ada stirred next to her, her arms wrapped around Sarahs chest. She hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Becuase you need to retire."
Sarah's face became thoughtful, and Ada started to panic, knowing she was in bed with a deadly killer.
"I'm too young." came her answer.
But Ada had already thought this through. She had an oppurtunity, a way for all three of them to retire, to start a new life, without death, without harming people.
Sarah turned to look at her, and Ada told her about the oppurtunity of a new life, a new way to live.
And Sarah kissed her.
[File Name: Trio of the gods]
[Files inside: Aphrodite, Hermes, Athena]
[Brief description: Trio of operatives who will kill anyone you want killing. Named themselves after gods and goddesses from ancient languages long forgotten. Went missing in the year 813 AS, not seen since.]
[Possible links: LSF ship, named "Hephaestus". Likelyhood: Quite likely, killing is in their blood. RepEx ship, named "Zeus". Likelyhood: Unlikely, traders they were not. Zoner ship, named "Aphrodite". Likelyhood: Unlikely, the ship is a Juggernaut. Bounty Hunter ship, named "Hermes". Likelyhood: Possible.]
[Close file]
Ada had heard about it long ago, when she had been providing some Corsairs with explosives. A ship, made and run by Zoners, was being built in Omicron 74.
Few knew of her existence, and fewer still would know where it was being made.
But the Zoners needed experienced people to run it. With the Nomads attacking more frequently and more violently every day, they needed not just powerful ships, but powerful people to run them.
So they put out the message to the Zoner Freeports.
It was short work for Ada to convince them she was from Freeport 2, Zoner all her life. She effortlessly span her tales of experience and adventure, sounding stronger willed and more knowing than the grizzled old veterans sitting in the corner.
And of course, when the interviewers stared openly at her tight red dress, she knew she had extra... "qualifications."
She told them about three people, 2 women, 1 man, who knew more about ships and the hard life than almost anyone. People who wanted a new life.
And while the interviewers were old and frail, engineers of incredible knowledge and wisdom, they could see that she told the truth. For the truth it was.
So they said to her, bring us these two, let us see them for our own eyes.
And now she sat, in the darkened room of Aphrodites Border Worlds Transport, and they drank red wine and sang cheerful songs until the clunk of a fighter docking was heard.
Greg had arrived.
His Sabre was elegant, sleek, deadly. But next to Herme's himself, it was like a wart next to a prince. Greg was handsome, his arms toned to perfection. He didn't go overthetop with weapons, for he didn't need to compensate for anything (Both Ada and Sarah knew that very well), merely carried a long blaster in a leg pouch, and a sharp knife along the back of his belt.
He smiled warmly at his two favourite women in the universe, and they jumped up to hug and kiss him.
He chuckled. "So then ladies, you called?"
But they pulled him to the table, calling off business until the morning. More wine was broken open, and they spent a night in peace, eventually retreating to Sarah's bed.
And lying in each others arms, they felt comforted. Very rarely did these people feel safe, or happy, or content. But now, now they felt all of those, and more.
And so slowly they made their way through the eternal night of space to come to Lividia Shipyard. The journey wasn't easy, they ran out of fuel three times, and had to pirate passing ships to get it. Greg laughed like a maniac whenever he went out to attack them, his Sabre effortlessly decimating 3 or 4 Eagles or Titans.
People always used to shudder at the name "Hades".
But eventually they made it. Many hours of drinking, laughing and playing poker after they started their long journey, they finally arrived at Lividia.
There they met the men who built the Aphrodite. They were incredibly smart, each one of them capable of building a ship that could effotlessly destroy a million lives. These men were the smartest of the best. They were older than Sarah would have imagined, but they knew what they were doing.
She smiled at them as they welcomed the three of them into the office where they would be interviewed. Greg crossed his arms and looked like a warrior, like he always did. Ada shamelessly uncrossed her legs and gave up on modesty in general, and Sarah actively engaged them in coversation.
They questioned them on battle tactics, weapons operation, command choices. Each test the old engineers threw at them was completed easily with flying colours, and before long the old men were having trouble thinking of things to ask.
"So, if a transport was approaching the Freeport, under attack by several Nomad vessels, what would you do?"
Sarah answered the man quickly.
"Launch three wings of Eagles to target any nomad fighters, use the Flak cannons and Razor's to quickly demolish them. Any capital ships that are with them should be targeted first by pulse cannons, and then with main weapons and the Heavy Mortar cannon for quick defence. To protect the trader we would move the bulk of the Aphrodite between them and the attackers, drawing fire."
Eventually the men gave up. These three people knew more about fighting and commanding then they ever could comprehend. So they nodded, and smiled, and informed them of their desicion.
"Congratulations." The head engineer said. "You three shall command the Aphrodite in defence of Freeport 11."