Heavy Weapons - Sweet Venom

The light, carefree mood that had occupied the navigation office quickly sobered into something much more sombre as Diego, Wex and Jace returned from the engineering bay. Gentle chatter faded into a muffled silence and concerned glances were shared as Diego continued on his way, back down the long corridor, without even a glance to acknowledge the group. His head hung low, his shoulders were limp. His feet dragged behind him, every step an effort.

For once, he looked... defeated.

"I'd give him a minute," Wex sighed tiredly as the gang gathered themselves and made to follow him. Although he didn't look quite as beaten down as his brother, it was clear that this rollercoaster of a day was taking a toll on him too.

They hesitated, glancing around at each other uncertainly. Only Plasia paid the captain's words no heed and continued anxiously after him. Wex leant heavily back against the wall and watched as Plasia caught up to his brother, cautiously reaching her arm around him.

"What happened?"

Wex almost jumped out of his skin as a bitter shiver prickled across his shoulders, and Seeth seemed to suddenly materialise next to him. Her voice was firm, intimidating. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as her gaze flitted between the fading figure of her boyfriend, and Wex and Jace, urgency in her eyes.

Wex pressed his fingers to his eyebrows and rubbed them firmly; he could feel a headache coming on.

"We recovered an escape pod a few days ago, and he recognised two of the passengers inside. We just confirmed with the commander here that they were executed." He leaned heavily against his desk. "He feels... somewhat responsible."

"So they were actually DA?" Ceri asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed. Diego became acquainted with them through his... service to the DA." Wex cast a look towards Jace, which the dragon did not reciprocate. "He got them off-planet." He sighed again and stretched his arms over his head. "He was trying to help them escape a lifetime of domestic slavery."

An uncomfortable silence followed as everyone turned to look at Jace. He couldn't ignore the power of all of their stares. This is outside of my jurisdiction! He wanted to snap. There are laws against enforced slavery over innocent people, that wasn't my doing! I can't be held responsible for making sure every single law is upheld! But, as the sole draconic representative in the room, he swallowed his tongue. Diego and Wex weren't the only ones that were tired, apparently.

"I cannot speak to the nature of their imprisonment right now, but the individuals who took Darin and Katie's lives are as much enemies of the DA's as they are yours." He said firmly. "And they will be brought to justice." For the little good it'd do them now... Jace cleared his throat then, and fiddled with his suit, brushing himself down and straightening his collar. "I won't impose on your company any longer. Seeth, I'm sure you have other priorities right now, but if you could come by before you leave - there's something I need to discuss with you." He nodded politely to the room then, his shoulders forced back and his head held rigid and high. "May the wind be with you all."

And with that, the commander turned on his heels and marched as quickly from the room as he could, whilst maintaining the shred of dignity that the Draconic Alliance had deemed him.

Wex breathed a slow sigh of relief as the dragon's steps echoed further and further away. Ceri sidled next to him and gently interlocked her tail with his, then rested her head against his shoulder.

"So was it as hot in there as we imagined? People write stories about this sort of thing, you know Wex?" Ceri whispered quietly, pushing for a smile.

Wex chuckled dryly and hooked his arm loosely over her shoulder. "I don't really feel like it's my place to say." He replied with a low sigh before turning his attention towards Seeth, whose eyes were still demanding answers. "So, what's the plan now? I assume you'll want to check on Diego, and then we'll make our way in the morning? You'll have to take us on board your destroyer before then, so we can set up the nav-link. I imagine you'll want to take your own ship, anyway?"

"Of course!" Seeth replied quickly, feeling a flicker of shame. She'd been a captain for all of a week, this was her first interaction with another, more experienced captain, and already she'd forgotten her manners. What a start, she thought to herself. For all of Jace's flaws, he could maintain his etiquette under pressure, and in that moment she envied him for it. "I imagine we'll all be heading back anyway, I'd be happy to show you around?"

"You don't want see to Diego first?" Wex cocked his head.

Yes! Of course I do! "...Well, after all the hospitality you've shown us, practically a group of strangers, it's the least I could do."

"I could do him-IT! Show them round, that is!" Oxyi suddenly piped up. She pulled her gaze away from Wex and Ceri's still loosely interlocked tails, and turned to face the others. "We'd be more than happy to show people around, right guys?"

But her question was answered with a chorus of "errms," "naaahs," and side-smiles fighting desperately to conceal themselves. "I'm actually feeling quite tired, I might go for a lie down." Geralt said. "Oooh yes, a nap does sound wonderful!" Venner agreed, nodding very enthusiastically. "I'm sure Tivy and Trent are just as exhausted as we are!" To which they both nodded in agreement. "I'm also hungry!" Tivy chirped, the seared-heart incident long forgotten, but the unfilled hole in her stomach as a result of it not quite so. "Maybe we could grab a snack, Trent?" And Oxyi's glare only deepened as they continued their excuses, and her cheeks flushed.

"Sounds like a plan." Seeth nodded. Despite the worry that was churning away inside her, she was biting her smile back too. She gestured towards the door. "Shall we? If you're alright with that of course, Wex."

"It'd be my pleasure." The captain smiled at Oxyi warmly. The lioness, who could feel she was on the brink of doing something that would embarrass her even further, immediately strode towards the door.

"Off we go then!" She announced, a little too loudly. "Let's get this tour... touring!"

Tivy stifled a giggle as she skipped after the lioness, the others just behind her.

"You all go on ahead," Wex said to Seeth. "We'll catch up in a minute. And I better not see you when I get to your ship!" He grinned. "Diego's always been high-maintenance, and I'm not sure if a cuddle off one strider-sized queen of a gal is going to cut it!"

Seeth gave the lizard a soft smile, gratitude shining in her eyes as she slipped out the door. Oddly enough, the moment she left the doorway, her footsteps vanished. Diesel poked his head out the corridor after her, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"She's gone!" He said, wide eyed and bewildered. "Did she teleport or something?!"

"What can I say, my brother always knew how to pick 'em." Wex tired for a laugh again as he dragged his feet across the room, to where his coat was still draped over the chair. "I was really hoping they'd say the morning, I'm absolutely shagged after that."

"Gosh, it's so hard being the captain," Ceri teased. "Having to walk around and make conversation with a pretty young woman."

Diesel laughed. "How will he ever cope, Captain? She might ask for a shoulder rub too!"

"Fuck off, both of you." Wex smirked, pulling his coat back over his shoulders. "We've got a lot to do before tomorrow if we're thinking about leaving in the morning. I'll need you both to come along -"

"-Actually, we might stay here." Diesel interrupted, feigning a dramatic yawn, which Ceri immediately mimicked. "Like you said, long day, lots to do."

"What, why?" Wex glared at them. "Ceri, I''ll need you to get the ships linked up."

"I can do that tomorrow, that's fine."

"You? Tomorrow morning?"

"...Yes?" Ceri responded, already regretting her decision.

Wex sighed dramatically. "Fine! Only because I am far too tired to partake in whatever bullshittery you two are playing at. I was only gone for thirty minutes, I can't leave you anywhere." He flicked the collar of his coat out. "How do I look?"

"Fabulous, Captain." Diesel nodded, with an almost trained cadence.

"Like a lioness's dream." Ceri smirked cheekily.

Wex paused for a moment to wait for a third answer, before coughing loudly to get a certain someone's attention.

"Hammond? Are you going to voice your opinion or just bed-bug up there?"

The bug cast a lazy glance over towards Wex from his elevated sway, seemingly still partially in his own world. But eventually, he locked in and climbed down from his hammock, pointing a single finger at Wex.

"Oh. Right." Wex nodded, spinning once on the spot to give Hammond the full show.

"W-I-N." Hammond buzzed groggily.

But to Ceri and Diesel's horror, Hammond went to gather his belongings to accompany his captain.

Oh he's gonna cockblock so hard... Ceri thought to herself, doing her best to stop her internal cringe from cracking her smile.

"Hammond, don't you wanna help me out with the food stock? There's always something up for grabs if it's off the inventory!" Diesel chuckled unconvincingly. "We could do some target practice afterwards if you're up for it?"

But the bug shook his head.

Ceri elbowed the bear in the side firmly before stepping forward and addressing Hammond more directly.

"What about some cocktails in the hot-tub after we're done with prep work?" She winked. "I'm sure we got some sugar honey behind the bar up there!"

But the bug merely shrugged, seemingly uninterested.

"L-A-Z-Y." Although it wasn't possible for Hammond's mandibles to smirk, he almost certainly was.

"Little shit." Ceri huffed back. "Fine."

Yet, it seemed like it was decided. Hammond would also be a part of the tour.

"At least Hammond is loyal." Wex snickered as the bug tottered his way behind Wex, buzz-humming softly along to himself. "And that work had better be done when I get back! I want this ship ready to move! No cocktails in my tub until then."

Wex and Hammond quickly marched out the room, leaving Ceri and Diesel to glance at one another, waiting until they were out of earshot.

"Do you think Hammond actually understands anything we say?" Ceri asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea... Do you think Wex does?" Diesel asked back with a grin.

"Most of it... I think."

*

"And here is the kitchen!" Oxyi said. "It's great, we eat here. There's a walk-in freezer at the back where we keep all the frozen perishables!"

Wex smiled politely and glanced over at the metal door she was pointing at. Indeed, it was a walk-in freezer, not unlike the thousand others he'd seen during his life.

"Hey Oxyi, as much as I appreciate the room-by-room so far, do you think we could go around the bridge? That's the stuff I actually need to see, so I can get a good idea of what this ship can do."

"Shit, of course!" Embarrassment immediately overtook her. "I'm showing you around the ship as though you don't have your own living rooms and kitchens! I'm sorry, we can go upstairs right now."

Wex chuckled - a tired chuckle, but a genuine one. "You say that, I don't really see that much of my kitchen to be honest. Not really the captain's role."

"You, uh, not much of a cook?" Oxyi asked shyly, quickly leading the way back through the ship to the main corridor, where the stairs to the upper floor were located at the end. The Minitaur had a U-shaped layout to its main deck, where the second half of the 'U' was higher up and separated by a single staircase.

"I'm not much of an eater. Most of my crew will take two plates, I'll barely finish one." He grinned. "That said, I could drink a loomer under the table at the drop of a die, but yeah, I'm not really a foodie."

"Well, you're not missing much. Nomad food isn't exactly fine dining." Oxyi almost shuddered at a memory of when she was a child - a few particularly gruelling months when her parents had been struggling to find work, and they'd survived primarily off of raw onions. "But Tivy's a great little chef! She's kept us alive these last few months!"

"We don't eat good all the time, but when it's good, it's good." Wex winked at her. "We get our hands on all sorts of things, some legally obtained, some less so. There's some great places to eat out there as well, if you know where to look. Back alley roasts can kill you, or make you wish for a second stomach."

Maybe you could take me sometime were the words bubbling in her throat. But what she replied instead was "o-oh. Sounds risky..."

They quickly made their way up the stairs as Oxyi nervously giggled, caught both in the anxiety of taking Wex on a tour of a kitchen, and trying to make a good impression. Thankfully, the bridge was only a short walk away and within moments, they landed themselves in the small bridge of the Minitaur, Hammond trotting behind them in his usual carefree manner.

While not exactly sprawling, the bridge's cosy interior hosted a central command console, and two auxiliary ones behind it. The top of the sloping interior was pure meta-glass, darkened to help shield the captain from the harsh solar winds that often battered ships on their journeys, but the view today was of Garon's moon, centered perfectly in the cabin's view. All in all, it felt rather cosy, with enough space to spin freely in any of the console chairs, whilst maintaining a sense of security with its rugged chassis and heavy armour.

Wex casually bobbed between the two auxiliary consoles, before glancing around the main console.

"I uh... I don't know too much about the operation up here. It seems pretty easy to run though, Seeth has never asked for help since we left." Oxyi fiddled with her hair, carefully watching Wex.

"I can see why, she's got this set up to auto-run. Nav-linking should be a cinch. She could practically run it by herself!"

"Y-Yeah. I bet." Oxyi feigned a weak laugh as the realisation hit her like a brick.

She didn't tell anyone about the ship. Her money is her money, but... she kept this from us. Was that the plan the whole time? Was she going to... leave us behind?!

"It's got a quality reactor and engine, so we can make a good pace. Tech is terra-corp level, so linking is easy-peasy. I don't think I need to pry into the ship anymore." Wex swaggered his way back towards Oxyi and slunk into one of the auxiliary chairs next to her, gesturing for her to sit down too. "But I'd love to know how you came to know my brother, if I may?"

Despite the angry throb that had embedded itself in her head, Wex's smile disarmed her somewhat, and she settled herself down opposite him. Suddenly finding herself face to face with the captain, she juddered in the chair nervously and glanced off to anywhere but at him. As she scrambled to reply, the lizard suddenly took his seat for a spin, getting a solid double rotation off a single leg.

"I'm not interviewing you, Oxyi. I promise. I just want to get to know you all." He said softly. She could make out his grin as he went for another spin, the other way this time.

Whatever he was doing, it worked. As she felt herself relax into the plush leather of the chair and mimic his spinning. Soon enough, the two of them were twirling back and forth shamelessly. Hammond was floor in the doorway, glancing between the two of them, seemingly enamoured at their movement.

"Well, people had been going missing, like you already know. I waited months and months for any hint of response. I asked some friends to let me know if anyone landed asking for me, but no-one did. Then the townsfolk started leaving, and there was no-one left for me to ask, and the disappearances were getting more and more frequent and there was hardly anyone left. I didn't know what to do. I ended up spending most of my time sitting at the landing pad myself, just waiting, and hoping. I was so out of my depth." Oxyi chuckled nervously. "And that's when Diego showed up, right when I needed him the most. It all happened so fast I can barely remember it... We went out together to explore the forests around town, and we found the Rewritten - or they found us, I suppose..." Her voice trailed off as the memories of that night flooded her, Leech's hand around her neck still sending pangs of adrenaline through her body. "And it all went wrong. He gave himself up to them to keep me safe. I... I still don't know why he did that..."

Wex snickered softly and shook his head.

"He really hasn't changed. He did the same for me as a kid, less serious circumstances of course, but he took the blame for me on more than one occasion. Even wore a couple of beatings for me too, but we always got the douchebags back."

"Were you a close family?" Oxyi asked cautiously, careful of overstepping.

"Very." Wex replied instantly. "I just can't believe he's back. And he's him, you know? Different in some ways, but absolutely the same in others. But going back to your story, what happened after that?"

"Oh, well, I managed to film what happened and showed the few that had stayed. Word spread fast and they all left within the day. But I didn't want to leave."

"You were gonna go back for Diego?"

"Y-Yeah! I was sure he wasn't dead, and I couldn't leave without him. So I hunkered down in my flat and prepared as much as I could. Even rigged some nail bombs up in my place just in case it all went to shit."

"You rigged your own flat to blow?" Wex asked, stopping his chair with a squeak of his boot.

Hearing the words out loud nearly choked the lioness on the spot.

"I-I-I-mean-I-guess-I-did-that-but-I-thought-everything-was-going-to-end-and-I-wasn't-going-out-

without-a-fight-so-so-so-yeah... I guess I did..." She stammered, her cheeks hot enough to sear a steak on.

"I'm guessing you didn't need to use them though... right?"

Oxyi swallowed loudly and said nothing, spinning faster in her chair, staring up at the smokey glass above them.

"You did?! And you lived?! Huh... Seeth was right about you. You do turn into a badass when you're cornered. With grit like that, you'd be welcome in my crew if your situation ever changed here." Wex laughed, but then it was his turn for a glimmer of embarrassment. "Just to clarify, I am not pilfering from my brother's crew. I intended that in a friendly, uplifting manner to comment on your capabilities. There are rules in the pirate code around pinching another captain's crew that I should remember, seeing as I invented them."

Seeing the captain slightly flustered brought a simmering grin to Oxyi's face, washing away the frothing anxiety in her stomach. The two of them stopped spinning their chairs in unison, with luck making them face one-another under the turquoise green glow of Garon's moon.

They stared at one-another for a brief moment, before they both turned away with a shared giggle and a shy smile. They both felt a tickle as their respective fringes fell onto their faces. Wex flicked his out of the way, Oxyi brushed hers aside gently...

She felt a warmth emanating from the captain. He looked like he was on the verge of saying something else... But before the moment could linger too long, Hammond stood up and began to spin on the spot, his feet tapping against the metal with a frustrated sigh. The lack of rotational motion was noted and not appreciated.

"S-P-I-N." He buzzed with an irritated tone.

"Message received, Hammond." Wex chuckled, following Oxyi's lead as she quickly stood from her seat.

"Sorry, Hammond. I didn't know you were enjoying it so much." She addressed the bug directly before turning back to Wex. Despite the interruption, she seemed much more comfortable now than she had before."You said you wanted a closer look at the reactor. How about I take you down around the utility deck to finish the tour? Maybe we could grab a drink or something afterwards?"