Alsatia - "A Place Where Law Cannot Reach"

[Bazza]

The system of Kansas, only technically within Liberty's domain is, for the most part, a completely empty and rarely traversed area of space far removed from its parent house. Sitting deep in the forgotten backwaters of space, the sector is devoid of human presence for very nearly entirety; only the occasional transport or escaping pirate vessel is ever observed breaking this monotonous silence.

This was correct only up until recently, however. For the past several weeks a inexplicable boom in traffic has streamed across the vast emptiness of the system, each ship's respective destination an apparent mystery. The only common point between this influx of passers-by is Planet Wichita.

Highlights of this flow of traffic include but are not limited to an eerily familiar Scylla-class Liberty Rogue Destroyer, a self-proclaimed "floating Neural Net" in the form of a Spyglass battleship , a swathe of various utilitarian vessels including a ship proudly bearing the name "Alsatia" across her bow and finally a selection of apparent Liberty Navy vessels.

Those few who venture closer to Planet Wichita would quickly become aware of the suspicious levels of dubious scuttlebuzz surrounding the planet's solitary moon. The moon itself, whilst technically having a name, is simply part of the background scenery for most people.

For the vessels not welcome at this seemingly useless lump of rock, a small armada of out-dated, obsolete and jury-rigged fighter craft, gunboats and indeed even two distinctly hand-made battleships await to either chase them away or terminate them.

Ships with approval, however, will find themselves gliding between this hodgepodge assortment of defensive units, down to the surface of the moon itself - a cold, barren wasteland; devoid of atmosphere and featuring only vague whisps of a gravitational pull.

Amongst the shadow-streaked cliffs, valleys and asteroid impact craters, nestled in a small area of relatively flat ground, an area resembling a landing pad can be observed. On this crude, rapidly assembled construction sits another small selection of ships of equally varied origins.

After putting down the ship onto the area provided, one can observe a hive of activity surrounding a large, utilitarian steel blast door embedded into an adjacent cliff face. A fleet of mining robotics such as crawlers, tunnel borers and slag trucks dive in and out of the open doors, still completely exposed to the elements surrounding them.

Small trucks filled with waste rock and dirt traverse the sandy ground before them to a growing heap off to one side, the knowledgeable person noticing this same refuse had been recycled to level out the landing pad.

A small number of people in full space suits oversee the predominately robotic, remote-controlled operations, each taking the utmost precaution to avoid becoming a victim of the deadly vacuum which engulfs them on all sides. Part of the construction under way is that of a building not unlike the common catwalk, a sealed and pressurised walkway whose apparent direction indicates it will eventually link the overbearing blast door with the landing pad beside it.

Two large transport ships sit side by side amongst the others; one being of distinctly lower-class origins - bearing all the hallmarks of a ship "well loved" by its owner: Pock-marked, faded paintwork, plasma burns and noticeable surface rust adorning the unattractively triangular exterior design. The latter of the two craft standing in stark contrast to its' sister: a clean, sleek vessel without a single mark upon its gleaming, stainless steel skin.

Within the confines of the bridge of the second of the two transports, the figures of four people and two children can be made out, staring out through the almost gratuitously large windows overseeing the operation before them. Standing at the very front of the group is a young Bretonian woman, in her arms the shape of an infant. Proudly standing beside her is the form of a Kusarian girl, whom despite looking younger is near-as-makes-no-difference the same height as her Bretonian counterpart.

Behind them are two more Kusarian women, one of whom bears a large sword at her side, watching over their employers as bodyguards. Rummaging around the control room is a small child, also of Kusarian descent, lost in her own little world as she contentedly explores her new home.

The Bretonian leader impatiently lords over a small laptop computer, tapping a pen on the steel-topped console in front of her with her one free arm whilst suspending the sleeping infant - presumably her own child - in the other.

"They should have been here by now..."

---

[Shagohad]

With a sickening lurch, the gunship stabilized and righted itself during descent. The rather futuristic shape of the Lane Hacker vessel crested a small cluster of hills before coming within visual distance of the hodge-podge operation taking place in an artificial crater. With an ominous blue flare, the vectored ion thrusters brought the gunship into a hover, swiveling about to face a make-shift landing pad.

Gracefully, the craft touched down, the landing feet of the vessel poking out from the sponsons like chubby insect legs. Light spilled from a hatch on the 'cheek' of the gunship, a thin loading ramp extending to the ground. A suited figure wandered from the open hatch and down the ramp, carefully making his way to the transports. A fleet of hovering machines with insectoid apparatuses under them shadowed his route, their tiny red eyes darting this way and that as they surveyed the terrain.

As he made the final approach to the transports, the machines scattered and darted off in different directions. The man's head watched them as they disappeared over the horizon before turning back to the ship and accessing the open comms channels.

"So, Madame McDowell, this is the site. I am currently surveying the ground beneath your ships and have located a few suitable layouts for the materials you have at your disposal. Any requests?"

---

"THE HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED AND THE SCIENCE IS LEAKING OUT!"

[Bazza]

Evangeline looks down at the figure outside, a warm yet ever-so-slightly devious smile crossing her face. She folds down the microphone arm on her headset and presses a button on the side of it.



I want you to come aboard and show me what you've found so far.



The under-belly cargo bay door of the Borderworlds Transport slides open and a lift declines to floor level, beckoning the suited man to step upon it.

---

[Shagohad]

Without a second thought, he marched his way over to the lift and stepped inside. The doors sealed him inside as it lurched up. There was a sudden wash of pressure and the audible hiss of atmosphere as the elevator climbed. A few seconds of rather smooth travel and the door opened to the bridge. The Borderworld's transport vessel was much cleaner than the other vessels that he had seen employed by Eva. Well. For now.

He walked over to the group of women standing in overwatch of the operations. Quickly, he pulled his helmet off, holding it under his right arm and sweeping his boots together, making an audible click. "Madame McDowell," He said quietly, letting his silver eyes focus on the only blond of the group.

---

"THE HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED AND THE SCIENCE IS LEAKING OUT!"

[Bazza]

You know you can just call me Eva, right?

The matriarch of the vessel stared down the man in front of her. Despite being noticeably shorter, the girl carried an aura of command that demanded attention.

She briefly peered down at the infant in her arms, the child sound asleep and completely unaware of what was going on around her. Evangeline carefully passed the baby to her counterpart, the young Kusarian girl featuring short, caramel coloured hair who stood at almost the same height despite their significant age difference.

Having secured the child in her second mothers' arms, Evangeline tactlessly jumped into mid-air, the lower gravity of the small moon allowing her to fly a significant distance across the floor, colliding with the suited man and grappling him in what was known amongst the crew and associates as a glomp.

Knocking the man to the floor, Evangeline found herself in a dominate position atop his waist. He had dropped his helmet in the collapse and fallen on his back, coming to rest on the floor with the weight of the young Bretonian on top of him.

You're late.

Evangeline stares down at her prey with the eyes of a huntress; a vague, deviant smile crossing her face while she waits for the man to regain his senses.

---

[Shagohad]

The collision and the action itself left him stunned. He let out a loud grunt and dropped the helmet, hitting the ground with a soft whump and a rather confused expression on his young face. His mid-length black hair falls in front of his eyes before the zero-g brings clarity to his features. From the speaker tied around his neck comes his voice in a monotone, " I apologize, Madame Mc- Eva. I arrived as fast as I could."

He had no motion to dislodge her from atop him. Ever since what he had dubbed the "Pants Incident", he knew that this women thrived off of fear. If he showed any fear or resistance, she would only make it worse. Or perhaps he was just really awkward in these situations. A smile suddenly appeared on his face as the speaker continued with a more cheery tone, "I see you are happy to see me. Or am I in trouble and the beating comes next?"

---

"THE HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED AND THE SCIENCE IS LEAKING OUT!"

[Bazza]

Trouble? Not at all. It's just that in this universe where someone can die so easily.... it's worth making a big deal out of every time they come back safe.

Evangeline slid off of her place over his waist, casually stood to her feet and extended an arm to haul the man up off the floor. Whilst her face still bore a smile it had lost it's deviant edge and was considerably sweeter.

After pulling him on to his feet, Evangeline reclaimed the tiny infant from her "better half", an embarrassed yet joyous sigh accompanying a vague grin emanating from the Kusarian as she relinquishes control of the baby girl to her mother.

You never get tired of picking on this man do you, Evangeline?

Evangeline replies to the query in full knowledge that the subject is able to hear.

But he's just so adorable! I can't help but want to pick on him....

Evangeline turns and faces the subject of her light-hearted abuse, expecting the flustered, awkward response she enjoyed so much.

---

[Shagohad]

As if on cue, his cheeks turned deep red, his gaze down, and his head tilted to the left. "Oui...cute..." His posture began to slouch as he gathered what remained of his dignity. "As mentioned before, you are the only one to bring this up." His posture became straight once again, "Embarrassment aside, what would you ask of me?"

---

"THE HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED AND THE SCIENCE IS LEAKING OUT!"

[Bazza]

Evangeline's mood quickly changes to a distinctly business-like tone, a trait she is well known for. She turns to face the large windows the bridge of the transport offered and looks out over the half dozen or so people working for her.

I want you to help me track down and liberate a shipment or three of unprocessed gold ore. There is a mining boom in Bretonia, as unlikely as it sounds given the house is about to crumble underneath the Kusarian war effort....

Evangeline trails off, her mind lost in thought. Despite having left Bretonia many years ago, she still felt tied to the house and although her logic said otherwise, still felt pained knowing what was happening to her home.

There is a large number of poorly protected and under-funded mining convoys passing through the independent systems between Bretonia and Liberty, where the gold goes for processing.

I want you to help me scout out the best targets in advance so we can sweep in and take what we want. Building a base takes credits, after all, and the more I have the better.

I was thinking we could set up a scanner drone or something to that effect to alert us to suitable prey going through Cortez and Magellan. Then we jump them, take the ore and run it back here for laundering.

Something similar to the.... motley assortment of pirates I've had working for me in the past but a bit more.... professional. If you know what I mean.

Of course a slice of the pie is due for you if you can help me out.

Evangeline stands idle as the man's face scrunches up, seemingly in thought.

---

[Shagohad]

The words became data as he made sense of it all. The fact that he was thinking showed on his face. After a few short moments, he finally spoke, "The sensors will not be an issue. I already have a few set up as it is."

A few moments passed before he spoke again, "Miners will be easy to intercept. I have contacts in Bretonia and the bordering systems. Assembling a strike force won't be terribly hard. I can dig into that as well."

He turned on his heel and headed back to the lift. "And as for payment, I require none," He spoke, before slipping his helmet back over his head and disappearing into the lift.

---

"THE HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED AND THE SCIENCE IS LEAKING OUT!"