The ruined village was reduced to sticks of wood. The air was filled with the smell of death and blaster fire. The earth sighed with regret for the ample blood that had soaked through the soil that day. It was dusk, and soon the darkness would cover the destruction in a blanket of blissful ignorance. Not everyone would forget though.

Captain Ayme Katash, appropriately nicknamed Havock especially after that day, sat by herself drinking a bottle of whiskey she had found amidst the rubble that was once a tavern. Her back was against a pillar that used to frame an inn.

She watched the flames around her with contempt for their vitality. They had come to the town to do a job, an easy job that got complicated fast. 

**12 Hours before**

“Remind me why we came to this bass ackward place again?” Jaenna kicked stones as she walked towards the town.

The remains of the Bonniereade Fleet looked as ragged as Havock felt. They had lost Brightstar to some fools errand Havock couldn't help but assume involved Joamer somehow. Now their fleet was just the Broken Bitch and Jaenna's ship the Datastream.

“Havock seemed to indicate it would be a good honeymoon location.” Bishop smirked as he walked through the forest. His arm was around Cassie St. James, his new wife and fellow Retathorn revivalist.

Retathorn had been her uncle's gang, and her home since her time as a captive with the Black Sun. Retathorn was destroy and her uncle killed, but Bishop wasn't about to let the gangs demise remain permanent. The two people were closely tied to Havock's youth and the closest thing to siblings she had growing up. Bishop was her best friend at Retathorn but had also briefly, and horribly, had been her boyfriend. Cassie was an orphan with Ayme at the Orphanage.

Her actual siblings were either missing or distant and always on covert missions for ARC. Her thoughts briefly drifted to Aeos and where she had gone so suddenly, but the reverie was quickly ended with a jab in the ribs from Jaenna.

“Seriously woman, why are we in a forest? You hate forests.”

Havock smirked. “First National Bank of Ator, or whatever they call themselves-”

“Ass Incorporated.” Cassey giggled.

“Clever, but no that's not it. Anyways they are picking up their monthly allocation from the town today.”

Jaenna frowned. “You mean taxes?”

“Yes, would you guys stop interrupting? Anyways, I figure we sneak into position, Bird flies over and causes some mayhem, and we redistribute the wealth to a more ... civilized location.”

Havock slowed her pace and looked back at her three companions. Jaenna hadn't found a pilot up to her standards yet, so she remained the only pilot for the ship rendering it sidelined for the mission. Havock decided to bring on Bishop and Cassie since they had no real base of operations yet and she didn't mind having a few extra slicers that she trusted with her life around, even if their marital bliss could be somewhat gag-worthy.

Jaenna put her arm around Havock's waist as they continued to walk. “So tell me the truth, does it bug you?”

They had placed a decent amount of distance between them and the lovebirds, which Havock checked by glancing over her shoulder before she responded. “Bishop is my friend, heck Cassie is my friend, why would I be bothered by them groping each other every day.”

“Right.” Jaenna drew out the word sarcastically.

“You know the truth is I just miss you groping me every day.” Havock smirked which was greeted with a chuckle from Jaenna.

“Damn right you do.”

The small town of Prosperity appeared just past the tree line in its mundane glory. There wasn't more than a dozen small structures and three to four obvious trails leading to homes that were probably buried within the parallel line of trees. People milled about walking between the buildings with no real awareness of the world spinning around them.

Havock leaned against a tree and simultaneously pulled out her datapad. Millie had been working on a map of the town since they flew over the landscape. She had pinpointed the most likely location of the bank.

“Millie got the intel to you?”

“Yea Bishop, look don't forget you two are on lookout duty. Jae and I will deal with the bank.”

Cassie stepped forward before Bishop could respond. “Come on Hav.”

“No, I turn this boat around right now if we aren't clear. I need eyes and I trust you both, and I'll be damned if some farmer shoots you over their last credit.”

Jaenna smirked and made sure her twin treppus blades were hidden under her coat before slapping Havock on the shoulder and walking towards the town.

“Isn't she worried we aren't going to follow her?” Cassie raised her eyebrow in confusion at the retreating figure of the fellow slicer.

“Nope.” Havock shrugged and started towards the town after her.

OOC:

I'll stop here, and let Jae take the next part. And she will post in the next week or so or else:



HOLY SHIT HAVOCK POSTED!