Walking through the hallways with the guards behind Anna. Even though being brought to the
guest quarters it didn't feel that way. It didn't feel no where near being a 'guest'.
Once arrived at the quarters one of the guards opened the door, Anna took a step inside the room, 'It's a good thing they didn't put me into some cell I suppose.' She thought to herself. As she took her
step, giving the guard a small frown to not let her hopeless feelings be shown to them.
Thank you for the 'escort'.
She said with a cold voice, closing the door herself. Letting the guards a bit startled standing in
the hallway.
Sat down onto a chair looking at a shiny table in the middle of the room, reflecting herself. Anna
stared her reflecting. Some girl with a mask on. Sitting on a Outcast Battleship, imprisoned? Her
love 'Jake' taken away, Ripped out of her heart.
'Was it my fault?' Anna looked down at her hand, her engagement ring was still on her hand. 'Was
it my fault that this happened to Jake?' Folding one hand around her the other, around the ring,
Sinking away in thoughts, in what happened over the last few months.
Some time later Anna walked to a couch, laying onto it, burying her face into it. Resting her head in
between her arms as the scenes with Jake flashed through her mind.
Trying to get some rest, her mind not letting her. She remained laying on the couch till the next day.
[color=#FFFFFF]Based on the common opinion of the Maltese one would expect to find a rather post
apocalyptic scenery inside an Outcast vessel. Quite on the contrary, the corridors which Samantha and
Anna walked were perfectly clean every single thing labelled. Survival requires perfection, and survival was
the only thing the Maltese people have fought for through the ears. Every single thing inside of the
dreadnought was designed to be as efficient as possible as safe as possible. Every single compartment be it
toilet could become self sufficient in an event of de-pressurisation, the lights were positioned on the walls so
they don't hurt anybody if they fall due to battle damage at every 10 meters there was a first aid kid and a
closed respiratory module...Survival. For the Maltese people every life was sacred and it did not matter if
more credits were spend for designing a simple bulkhead than the annual gainings of a Freeport as long as
it could preserve a life.
Anna was in an odd position, surrounded by people looking at her with eyes blaming her, eyes that would
rip her flesh apart if they could silently walking the corridors to the hangar bay next to Samantha. She had
taken that sacred thing...many times. Sam could only guess what was going on through her head when yet
another crew member gave her an angry look when yet another security guard cursed her in Spanish.
***
Almost two hours later the Pelican touched down on landing pad-1 of the Navy's secondary spaceport.
During the descent the window shutters were down so nobody could see anything. When the ground crew
gave the all clear the boarding ramp slammed the ground and shook the whole ship. As the passengers
walked out Samantha felt the slightly sweet tasting Maltese air which made her smile for a bit she
instinctively turned towards Anna as if expecting some sort of comment. There was none... Sam tried to
look at Malta as if she was Anna, rocks endless fields orange sky and a whole lot of hostile people...a real
hell. But quite frankly that hell was home for Marquez and the feeling that she is here was quite pleasant.
Like a weight of her shoulders, and indeed weight there was. The drama she had to put up. She despised
being the drama queen all or nothing but sometimes it is the only way you can get what you want and to
Samantha the end always absolutely always justifies the means. Several hours later Anna got settled in
building in the administrative complex of naval yards. A tall building built close by a cliff side rising almost
300 meters into the sky. It was a sort of house arrest, she could move about the building and its
surroundings but nowhere further. Several hours from now she'd have her first interrogation session, and
after vigorous persuasion from high command Samantha agreed to be on the interrogation team...
As they approched Malta, Anna didn't know what to expect from the planet. The stories about it,
about the atmospher there. Would they all be true? I'm here now, nothing will change that.
The ramp of the Pelican slammed down. Seeing the stories were true, smiling a little as if it was a
dream. One horrible dream. Anne knew it wasn't a dream and felt the looks of the people clashing
against her.
Remained silent while some guards to her to the the administrative complex of naval yards. A bit
carried away in her own thoughts, thinking back on the times in New York, the times with Jake. This was inevitable. She thought. Settling in the room. Trying to think of the best answer she could
give when they would start the questioning.
The mask was killing her, when she was left alone in the room and the door closed. She pulled off
the mask throwing it into the corner of the room. A unusual smell approched her. Not that she cared
about it anymore. Sat down on one of the chairs digging in her mind about the event that had
happened. Thinking about this Samantha, she was totaly not what Anna expected from a Outcast.
Careless? or was it just bluff that part of the missiles at Barrier?
Early in the morning Samantha arrived at the building in which Anna was
held. She was weary, tired from yesterday's patrols and quite easily agitated. An elevator took her to the
10th floor then she walked in a room adjacent to the one Anna was held in. Taking a sip from her morning
coffee Sam walked in and nodded to a man already in the room whom she apparently knew. There was a
large one way mirror in the room, on the other side there was a room with nothing but table with 4 chairs.
[size=small]
"There's your bird, she's been like that- blank stare for hours now"
[color=#FFCCCC]"Anything unusual?"
"Nothing...One thing I don't get though...Why interrogate her? Why not just execute her and broadcast it on
the 'neural, that will make a good example."
Sam didn't like to explain a lot of things about her plans especially when she was sleepy and agitated. She
took another sip from her coffee then put the cup on the table and moved closer to the window staring at
Anna.
[font=Palatino Linotype]"Because she managed to kill a dozen of our people, and evade us longer than anyone..."
"Even a better reason just to cut her head off"
[color=#FFCCCC]"I don't want to cut a head that's probably more competent than you in the cockpit, and I didn't order 4
nukes to be pointed at barrier gate just so we can end her life...Anyway I've got work to do, start the
recording"
Samantha walked in the interrogation room where Anna was. Pulling a chair Sam sat down on the opposite
of her. Marquez was calm but something was different, it was her turf, her rules.
"Right, If I hope you had a good night, now let's start"
Sam drunk the last bit of her coffee and put the cup upside down on the table
[font=Palatino Linotype]"Let's start at the beginning. Full name, date of birth, place of birth, short history"
Seeing Samantha walk in the room gave Anna some sort of relief, not really sure why though. It
just did, maybe it was just a confirmation she didn't felt dead yet or that this Samantha was the
only one that actually didn't want to shoot her straight away.
Great my history...
The name is Anna Prentice, Born and raised on Pittsburgh in New York. I was born in the
year 796. Worked there, got my hands on a ship. A friend of mine learned me how to fly it.
Got knocked on by some slaver, he never caught me instead I shot him.
She pauses for a moment, as if she sees the scene happen in front of her all over again.
When I figured out about the Cardimine being involved with the slavers I started to, well do
my best in stopping them. Then ran into Jake...
She first smiles a little as she looks up, remembering when she ran into Jake the first time. As the
shy little guy he was back then. Her appearance changes abruptly as she gets reminded of what
'could' have happened to him. She sighs shortly.
"Some friend that must have been to teach you fly like that" Samantha though
while Anna was still talking. "So this whole thing, started with a slaver...figures. What can a slaver do
to force a young lady like yourself into fighting? Even go as far as disrupting our Cardamine routes and kill
our people..."
Sam locked her fingers and and put her elbows on the table.
[font=Palatino Linotype]"We know that you've also engaged in piracy, what
was the reason for that? Did you need money after Sol picked up your scent...
In that moment Sam's PDA rung with an annoying tune. She apologized to Anna for the interruption and
went outside of the room.
"Señora Marquez, I'm from Kirkwall's deck team, we've just finished taking apart those Civilians fighters
you ordered. We've also got the data from the flight recorders you've requested...The pilot of those ships
shot down 30 Maltese ships, more than 18 of them resulting in loss of the pilot...that said the pilot was
forced to eject only once"
[color=#FFCCCC]"Wait what? Are you serious?
"Si, señora it's all in there..."
"Very well, thank you."
Sam stood there for half of minute having trying to comprehend what she just heard then walked in not
letting Anna know what she just learned. [color=#FFCCCC]"Sorry about that...where were we? Ah yes Sol, how did you get involved with Sol?
Having heard only half of what noise came out of Samantha's PDA, Anna sighed a little as she
was guessing what it was about. 'finished taking apart those Civilians fighters' was enough to
understand what it was about. And Samantha's reaction gave Anna a slight grin, feeling proud of
what she had done.
But now that Sol...
Sol, well I first ran into him when I had this bounty on my head. He came looking for me. I
ran though. I guess I 'shot' some of his men and he took it personal. He tried to hunt me
down several times, I managed to evade his shots long enough up to the point where I ran
into him personally on Barrier Gate.
She frowned, talking about Sol made Anna feel strange, the one that took Jake away from her.
And about the piracy, one thing was led to another, resulting in me being signed off as a
criminal. I couldn't care anymore. If they wanted to see me as a criminal I'd show them.
Sam chuckled a bit as she listened to Anna
[size=small]
[font=Palatino Linotype][color=#FFCCCC]So...a bit of an...Outcast yourself then? You hid on the Barrier gate
where no government has any jurisdiction, hoping to get away from it all, live a normal life if you will. But you
gotta get enough to get by somehow, so you started blasting ships for loot...Real vigilantes, living in the
shadows commiting small "evils" for a "just" cause...
A smile appeared on Samantha's face, then she shook her head a tiny bit
[font=Palatino Linotype][color=#FFCCCC]"...If only the Universe was indeed so poetic. Tell me something
else Anna. The universe revolves around the survival of the fittest, that's why you are here still alive. What
made you think that "slavery" as you put it is bad? Those who weren't strong enough to defend themselves become
servants of others to find the niche in life in which they fit in, and if they don't they die. A universal law."
Sam stood up and went to the one-way mirror looking at herself but keeping her peripheral vision on Anna
[font=Palatino Linotype][color=#FFCCCC]"How about I make you a proposition? How about you see what it
is to be one of us, what our lives are like their good and bad sides, and then decide if you can play the judge
deciding to take our lives based on assumptions and misheard stories."
Anna listened to Samantha's words, knowing she was right that the world would never be that
poetic. Anna felt like she fooled herself. Blaming herself for what had happened to Jake. Because
of what she dreamed about and wishing, wanting and 'knowing?' of it all to come true. Yet life
was much more different. Anna had to face the facts.
Anna followed Samantha's every move with her eyes as she remained seated.
It's funny isn't it? How your dreams can suddenly be swept away as if they were never
there. As if they were just mean to fool yourself. And now, now I'm hear, on my own.
She paused for a moment, as she stared at the table in front of her.
It almost sounds like you're now convicting me to become a slave of the Outcasts. Say
that I would accept this 'proposition' of yours. How will that change the view of your men
towards me. How will it keep them from acting like vigilantes and make their own
judgement about me?
Anna had seen the looks she was given, the only reason that she is alive now is Samantha, but
she didn't know if she should feel grateful about it. 'Living with the Outcasts, it sounds so unreal',
she thought.
Still looking at the mirror Samantha slightly bowed her head as Anna's words
resonated within her head." How your dreams can suddenly be swept away as if they were never there".
She remembered something and smiled at herself. Then she turned around with absolutely no trace of the
smile left and said unusually coldly
[color=#FFCCCC][size=small][font=Palatino Linotype][size=small]
"A dream is something fictional, it is nothing but a concept in your mind based on desires. Only fools and drunks
chase a dream. Survivors chase goals"
Sam moved closer to Anna, crossing her legs as she sat on the table
[color=#FFCCCC][font=Palatino Linotype][size=small]"How would that change how some of us look on
you? It won't...It won't at least in the short run. But then again almost all of the people that know what you
look like are in this building, or in my squadron. I can't change their opinion nor I want to. You need a little that
little slap from reality to wake up once in a while, to remind you that the universe is not black and while, there
are also a lot of greys in between."
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