Somnambulance [Retconned]

[Toaster]

Nodding in agreement with the plan, Olivia rose from her table and stood before Cobra, sizing him up one last time.

Saving me again, she thought to herself, wondering whether it was some strange cosmic joke that kept crossing their paths. She reached out and clasped the man's hand in her own, giving it a grateful squeeze. She held it for a brief moment, then released him again, picked up the black crate and turned towards the hallway labeled with directions towards the hangar.

"Guess I owe you again," she said quietly, gave him a nod, and strode off, leaving the Alliance commander behind in the cafeteria.

The hangar was a little busier than it had been when Olivia arrived a few hours ago. Xeno personnel were hurrying about, hauling fuel tanks and ammunition crates across the cavernous space. It seemed the freighter she would be taking had just returned from a supply run. Stepping around the form of Damien's Eagle, still parked where they had left it earlier, she found the ship that would ferry her to Hudson. Her heart sank at the sight of it and she let out an exasperated groan.

"You've gotta be shitting me," she muttered as she read the name painted across the Kestrel's hull. The pilot, leaning against the scored and pockmarked chassis beside the access ramp wore a shit-eating grin and gave her a mischievous wink.


- - -


Once again, Olivia found herself strapped into the No Time to Decompress' jump seat, staring out over the pilot's shoulder as the ship shot out of Pittsburgh's atmosphere at speeds that even Dublin racers would have considered reckless. Like a guided missile, the craft dodged and weaved through the debris field surrounding the planet, either through the pilot's sheer skill or through a miracle avoiding any fatal collisions with the billions of tons of scrap that littered the vicinity.

Wisely, they avoided New York's trade lane network, opting instead to climb above the system's plane and cruising towards the eerie miasma that covered many of the system's southern sectors. Through further luck and thanks to the cloud's electrical interference masking their sensor signature, they managed to plow through the Badlands at a record pace, finally finding the jumphole anomaly that would take them to Texas.

On the other side, they promptly stumbled across a convoy of Junker ships, all parties surprised about the unexpected encounter. Furious at their intrusion into the North Dallas debris field, the scrappers didn't hesitate to open fire on the Xeno freighter. However, their salvaging ships stood little chance to actually hinder the Kestrel's flight, and so it quickly escaped out of their weapons and then sensor range.

As the freighter raced on, parallel to the Texan trade lanes, skirting along just out of range of the weapon platforms that lined them, Olivia sat back in her seat, savoring the respite from the wild maneuverings and stunts that had brought them this far.

This is it, she thought. No turning back now.

Her mind wandered to thoughts of the people she was leaving behind - this time, likely, for good. Isla and Reyes. Prower. Her mother and uncle. Even Cobra. Against her better judgment, she had made friends in Liberty, to some degree or another. The mercenary didn't know if she would ever see any of them again, or, if she did, under what circumstances. A solitary tear ran down her cheek and she let out a quiet sigh.

One step at a time, she reminded herself, closed her eyes, and focused again on the journey that lay ahead. The Xeno pilot would deliver her to another of their bases in Hudson, from which she would have to organize her own transport to Rheinland. Once there, she would need to find a place to rest. She would need a new ship, too. The Lich remained behind on Pittsburgh. Whether Cobra would leave it be or claim it for the Alliance, Olivia didn't know, nor did she much care. It was well outside of her reach now, one way or another.

Then, she would need to find out what was going on. What was happening to her. What was causing the blackouts and fits of murder.

With renewed determination, she opened her eyes again and glared out through the canopy as they approached Liberty's border.

One step at a time.

---

Olivia Sable