Project Epsilon

[Osilon]

Jasmine jumped from the wing of her Jaguar, the sleek bomber sitting in one of the active hangers of Montbard. She sighed. Another unsuccessful trip. Another useless wastte-of-fuel journey. She sighed, leaning against the side of the elevator as it fell smoothly into the asteroid base.
Montbard wasn't one of the largest bases in Gallia. But it housed many Brigands, and it wasn't exactly...organised. Around the less active levels, one could wander for hours without finding another soul. Some floors were near-abandoned, apart from mechanics or engineers tasked with slowly but surely repurposing the outdated equipment.
Jasmine was headed to one such place, a large, previously-empty room known only as Hanger 16, barely within the edge of the asteroid's crust. It had been long abandoned after the docking-bay doors had been crushed shut by the changing rock, effectively disabling the hanger once and for all. That is, until Jasmine had found it.
The elevator crunched to a halt, the doors sliding open as Jasmine stepped into the brightly-lit room. The light hum of machinery echoed into the dark corners of the hangar, most of the space still empty. But one corner of the room was dominated by a supplimentary power generator, powering the lights and machines without a noticable drain on Montbard's energy supply. She prefered that this be discreet.
Removing her helmet, she laid it down on the table next to her. She walked past a bunch of cables that powered some brigand ship weapons, one of her sister's earlier experiments, and smiled as she found her sister, busily working on one of the computer terminals. The two exchanged a glance quickly.
Did you find someone?
Non. Not a trader, not a freelancer, not a single intelligent soul in the "Taus"...
That is bad news, we cannot get the items from Gallic space, especially not as Brigands. I don't dare approach lawful space again, not now.
Oui. And we can't finish the project without them...I'll keep trying, but I doubt it will ever change.
Jasmine grimaced and walked over to a clear, well-lit area that was dominated by a semi-finished machine, optronics and robotics glittering in the light as she ran a hand down the side.
Soon, we'll finish this. Soon.

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A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.