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Topic:  Awake (Hades)
Hades
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Hades
 
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  Awake (Hades)
October 20, 2013 8:29:47 AM    View the profile of Hades 
"Cresh Lead, get back into formation!" A voice screamed, somewhere far off. There was a bone-jarring thud and a noise that drowned out the voice of his Squadron Commander. There was nothing for a moment, just noise akin to static filling his ears. "Lieutenant!" Avalar's voice yelled again, slowly but surely distorting into something entirely different,

"Lieutenant!" This one wasn't Avalar's voice, and the speaking of his rank was delivered with a splash of water. Cold water. The Lieutenant spluttered as he woke up, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes and shivering as the water soaked into his undergarments. He spat out the water that had threatened to drown him in his sleep, waiting for his vision to focus and see where he was. Something hurt and hurt badly, so Hades didn't want to risk movement just yet. When his vision did clear up at last, the sight surprised him and colour drained from his face. He was locked in some sort of medical bed, though at first glance Hades suddenly doubted its purpose was anything to do with healing. Just like Kessel, he realised. "Ah," the same voice that had said his rank said finally, speaking to Hades from somewhere he couldn't see - it sounded like he was behind him, "greetings and salutations; welcome to the land of the living."

Hades applied some force to sitting up, but found that he was entirely unable to move. He knew he wasn't paralysed due to the fact he could move everything.. he just couldn't break free, "where am I?" Hades demanded.

"Somewhere safe," the voice responded, calm and precise. The Flight Leader eyed a needle too close to his shoulder for comfort.

"Somehow, I doubt it's safe for me," Hades grunted in reply, "mayhap for you, though."

There was a soft laugh, a pleasant sound, "Quite correct, Lieutenant. You are at least half as sharp as the Commander said you were, I'll give you that."

Hades had gone up against more than one person bearing the rank 'Commander', self bestowed or otherwise. There was no telling if this was an old grudge being enacted upon, or something entirely different.

"So, tell me Lieutenant," the voice was accompanied by steps this time, getting closer. He smelt something strange in the air, something strange in that it was alluring, "how is the vaunted Captain Grey?"

It was Hades' turn to laugh, "Grey? As in, the colour? I've heard of Captain Thundercloud before, but if you're using Captain Grey as a synonym for that, you need to get out of the comedy business and get a real job."

"Amusing. Trivialities, delay tactics and tricks of the mind will not help you here, Lieutenant. No-one is coming for you and we have as much time in the galaxy as we need to break you. Your friends think you're dead"

"What friends?" Hades snorted.

"Friends, colleagues, superiors, subordinates," the voice moved and out of Hades' peripheral vision he could see a shadowy figure. Shadowy because, well.. the figure stood in the shadows. "We use the term 'friends' widely."

"I've got no 'friends' that would come for me, no matter what you think,' Hades answered.

"All the more time to break you, then," the figure stepped marginally closer and Hades could see a reddish-coloured skin. An alien, he thought inwardly, probably not Imperial then. "You see, Lieutenant, I am good at breaking people. I may not like serving who I do, but I do like breaking people."

There was a click, and Hades felt something detach from his ears. Earphones? He felt breath on his ear suddenly and flinched as best he could away, "who are you?" He demanded.

There was another laugh and this time it was clearer - clear enough for Hades to recognise it wasn't a male voice. It was female. Definitely not Imperial then, he thought glumly. At least if she had been Imperial they might have agreed on some points. "I am a specialist, Lieutenant," the tone was low and sultry, the breath on his ear tickling him and making him uncomfortable. He could just see the woman out of the corner of his eye, her face was right by his ear. Hades' mind went into overdrive; this woman was obviously not Imperial, which meant she was either working for the Hutts - which Hades found dubious, as the Hutts weren't much better than the Imperials when it came to sexism. Not to mention the location was too upmarket - or the New Republic and their allies. She had also said she didn't like who she served.. She wants something, the young flight leader realised, and not just breaking me. She wants me to offer a deal. "I think you can guess my specialisation."

"I didn't know the New Republic hired courtesans," Hades remarked dryly. There was a pause as she considered whether or not to take offense to this.

"Oh, I'm much more than that." Good, Hades, he told himself inwardly, play on her pride.

"Zeltron?" He asked suddenly, remembering the smell.

"Very good, Lieutenant," she replied playfully, standing up now.

"A Zeltron into interrogation, how positively imaginative," he said, rolling his eyes, "given the licentious reputation of your species, I presume having a strong young man bound to a table isn't foreign to you. Are you so ugly that you have to kidnap men?"

"Now now, Lieutenant. You're handsome, but your face isn't the only place I can damage. Careful with what you say," but even as she said that, she leant over him. He blinked to ensure he was seeing correctly.. and when his mind recognised what he was seeing, his eyes narrowed; she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, alien or no.

"Let me guess, genital warts?" Hades shot back. That earned him a slap across the face.

"Careful, flyboy," she hissed, "I'm giving you a chance here."

"No thank you, I like my chances of reproduction without genit-" Another slap cut him off, and he grinned up at her. "You're not half as cold and calculating as you think you are," he said, "but you have potential."

Her hand paused, obviously preparing for another slap.. but his last words made her think. She pondered and withdrew slightly, still watching him, "so I went from infected to having potential in the space of two slaps?"

"Well the two aren't mutually excl-" He paused as she raised her hand again. He was still smiling, "yes, you have potential." It wasn't that he was afraid of her slapping him, more that he wanted to keep her friendly, keep her talking.

"For?"

"Were I not bound, I would shrug," he said randomly, as if she should know that, "potential for a great many things. More than simply torturing downed fly-boys for secrets your bosses think they have about this 'Grey'"

He couldn't see much of her, but what he could see was enough to tell him she wasn't as convinced of his guilt as before. Hades was glad of his VENI service now, for if he had not been with them he doubted he'd have the background to talk his way out of this. "Are you implying a trade?"

"Of sorts," Hades replied warily.

"What sort?" She insisted.

"A life for a life, it's only fair. You get me out, I get you a new life."

"A flyboy get me a new life?" She prodded dubiously, almost scornfully.

"You'd be surprised how resourceful this 'flyboy' is." Hades retorted.

"Would I just?" A hand touched his face, tracing the scar, "You intrigue me."

Hades grinned again, though the smile faded as her footsteps faded away. "Wait!" He cried to no avail. A voice drifted back to him from somewhere else in the room.

"Commander," it was her voice. There was a pause as she searched for what to say.. Hades knew she could give him up right there and then, could have saved his captors months of torture, "He's awake."

OOC:
Wordcount: 1,360

Part 1 of a short series to fulfill the RAD requirements.

AAR: Hades is captured yet again. He assumes it's the NR, but he can't remember much of the latter stages of the battle. He forms a dubious friendship with his interrogator, a Zeltron Provocateur who wants more from her life than what she already has.

More to come soon.
[This message has been edited by Hades (edited October 20, 2013 8:34:07 AM)]
Hades
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Hades
 
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[VE-NAVY] Lieutenant Commander
 
Post Number:  1109
Total Posts:  1245
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  RE: Awake (Hades)
October 20, 2013 11:33:34 AM    View the profile of Hades 
He spent what felt like an age in that dreary place. Nothing to comfort him, with only himself for company, pondering whether or not the attractive young Zeltron had given him up. After what he counted to be the third day, Hades was searching for a way to escape. He was bound, so that was an issue. Other than that.. His green eyes trailed around the room, looking for cameras, ventilation shafts, lights - all these things would factor in when he did in fact make his escape. You should have known better, he kept telling himself, reminding himself that the Zeltron woman was not to be trusted. By now he had given up on the hope that she saw merit in helping him escape. He was his only friend now.

His eyes returned to the standard position of looking straight up as soon as he heard the door hiss open. A familiar smell wafted in, and only a single set of footsteps. It was her. He kept his mouth shut now, as much as those enticing pheromones suggested to him that he should speak. "Still alive, Lieutenant?" She asked playfully. Despite her pheromones, Hades detected something more than playful beneath her tone. It took all of his will power to resist saying anything or indeed frowning.

"It appears so," He replied dryly, "I'm still breathing, at least."

"And hoping?" She prompted. Hades paused, reaction times slower.

"Mm," he gave his answer in a sound, "hope is deceptive."

"Our conversations need to happen faster, please," she sighed in annoyance.

"It would help if I didn't feel drunk everytime you walked into the room," he shot back, then realising how it would sound, "remarkably, that's the first time I've used that phrase in a serious context."

"Oh," she replied, sounding unsure whether to giggle or blush. Hades remained silent. The footsteps came closer, and he closed his eyes, doing his best to breathe as little as possible, "I'm going to help you," she whispered when she was close, "but it will take a few days."

"A few days?" he replied warily, opening his eyes. She was right beside him.

"The Commander wants to talk to you tomorrow. After that, you'll be all mine to torture." She was joking, of course, but Hades twitched as she touched his scar. Ever insightful, she frowned, "you received this scar from torture?"

"Yes," he replied. No harm in telling her now. "The hutts," he added quietly. Her hand trailed up and down it for a few moments in silence.

"We all have our scars, Lieutenant," she replied, almost sympathetically. Hades didn't reply to that, and her hand moved away. After a long moment of silence, she spoke again, "two days."

"Wait!" He called out as she began to move away. This time she did hesitate, turning back. Hades exhaled softly - the drunkness that indicated her pheromones were in effect threatened to fall upon his mind like a heavy fog once again, but Hades persisted through the haze, "how do I know I can trust you?"

"What else do you have to lose, Lieutenant?" She queried in response. It was a good question, but she must have taken his lack of response for lack of trust as her footsteps moved closer. Within moments, she was right next to him again and again, he tried to breathe as little as possible. There was nothing for a moment, just silence. But then her head appeared above his and in an instant, he felt her lips brush against his. "Have faith," she whispered. Without another word, she was gone and the door sealed behind her.

Faith. Great, he thought bitterly, tell an atheist to have faith. Despite that, he felt his lips tingling. For a moment he feared she had poisoned him.. but he realised it was excitement instead. Not just because of her, but because of the prospect of getting loose. Hades shifted slightly in his restraints and for the first time, he smiled to himself.

I'm going to be free.

--- --- ---
The next day

Hades was wide awake when they came for him. The meeting with the Zeltron had given him enough courage to hope against all odds, more than that, it had given him determination and confidence. The door hissed open and he heard two.. no, three pairs of boots enter the room. He could smell her already. "Raise the bed," her voice commanded someone. There was no response, only a soft ping as the bed began to rise to an upright position. When he was entirely vertical, he first saw her properly. She was just as pretty below the neck as she was above it. Resisting the temptation to wink at her, Hades scanned the room. There was another with his back facing Hades, and the third he knew was behind him. "Lieutenant Aita," the figure with his back turned intoned. The usage of his name sent chills through his core. Even the Zeltron hadn't used his name. His eyes flickered to her, though she bore a neutral face now. He didn't believe she had given him up, not that it would matter if she had.

"You have me at a disadvantage," Hades replied politely. Of course, it was the thing to say when you didn't know the other's name, "you seem to know me, yet I do not know you. That and you've got me tied up like a dog."

"Ever the charming one, eh?" The man replied with a cold laugh. Hades knew that voice. He knew it from somewhere... but where?

"Only to pretty women." He threw back, not glancing to the Zeltron as he said it. No, he wasn't referring to her. He meant to insult the other man's sense of masculinity.

"Hades, Hades, Hades," the man sighed exasperatedly, "I was pretty before, but not anymore. You saw to that."

"I don't generally beat up the women I-" his joke was cut off by a punch to the stomach, delivered by the figure behind him. He was winded for a moment and his vision went blurry. The figure ahead of him turned as Hades' vision began to clear up.

"Enough with the jokes, Lieutenant." The man hissed as he stepped into the light. Hades' eyes widened for a moment as he recognised the man.

"Vrail," he breathed.

"The very same, though I'd wager I'm not the man you remember me as."

"I never remembered you as a man," Hades retorted. After all, Vrail had been responsible for not only his humiliation, but the outright murder of some of his squadronmates. That still stung, especially knowing Vrail had survived.

"Funny, Hades. You see, when you pushed me from that shuttle, I was dead.. nothing between me and the ground a few miles below. Unfortunately for you, our armor comes with an advanced chute specifically designed for airborne insertions. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't designed to be dropped from higher than a mile.. Hence the ghastly disfigurements," Yes, he was disfigured. An entire half of his face was wonky, like someone had pulled that side down. The other half was pockmarked with small scars, probably from something like gravel. "It took me two weeks to wake up. When I did I had no feeling in my left hand. So they gave me a new one,"

At this point, Vrail removed his glove and flexed the clearly artificial limb. "Nice sex toy," Hades commented. Vrail glared at him and in an instant, sent the limb into a fist and in turn into Hades' stomach. He was winded immediately, the thing possessed the strength of a robotic limb alright.

"Want to try again?"

"Please sir, can I have some more?" Hades wheezed. Vrail obliged, slamming his fist into his stomach again. Hades found the Zeltron, who shook her head. Stop hurting yourself, she was saying through their gaze. While it could have been because she cared, Hades figured it was more because it was harder to escape if you had three broken ribs.

"Say again?" Vrail prompted.

"Don't leave me high and dry, my friend," He coughed. Vrail laughed and slammed his fist into the Lieutenant's stomach again. It was clear Hades was getting to him easily.

"You just don't know when to stop, do you? But then again, that's how you've always been - in a self-destructive spiral that sucks everyone around you into it. It's what got your entire squadron disbanded." It was Hades' turn to twitch, but he refrained from an angry outburst. Vrail smiled coldly, "perhaps you've learned. Either way.." He nodded to the Zeltron, "I presume you met my colleague, Ms. Zella?" Hades gave her a disgusted glance - all to keep up the illusion. She simply smiled, "it seems so. Either way, learned or no.. she will break you." The last four words were whispered. Another smile twisted the disfigured features, and Vrail turned to pace away. The figure behind Hades moved with him, and Zella mouthed the word 'tomorrow' before following them. Once again,  Hades was left on his own.

Now he knew he couldn't escape just yet. He had to kill Vrail first.

OOC:
Wordcount: 1,541
Part 2

AAR: The Zeltron Provocateur is going to help him escape after the 'Commander' visits. Hades realises it's a figure from his none-too-distant past, Commander Okyr Vrail (those Tuk'atas reading this will remember ). After a short but violent meeting, Hades comes to the conclusion that he must kill Okyr Vrail before escaping.

Again, more to come.

Lieutenant Commander Demetrius 'Hades' Aita

"The lesson is this. The only real crime for those of superlative intellect and great prowess is to allow one's self to become shackled by mediocrity. The crime is to let your grasp be less than your reach. To aim low."

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Hades
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Hades
 
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  RE: Awake (Hades)
October 25, 2013 8:46:53 AM    View the profile of Hades 
Hades waited what felt like an entire era for that day to pass. He could hear the dripping of fluids somewhere nearby, implying that he wasn't on a ship as he first expected. Then again, he knew the Empire had lost a few of their Lictor-class dungeon ships to the Rebels. It might well have been something like that.. No, Hades thought, I'd know if I were on one of those. They weren't particularly expensive either, if you knew who to buy it from. No, if he was on a ship, it'd be something far more advanced. He hadn't felt any shifts in gravity, no subtle change of course or acceleration to hyperspace. Then again, they could simply be in orbit. Even so, that required the occasional burst of engine power to keep orbit and not spiral out of control into the atmosphere of the planet.. His captors had taken the liberty of leaving him upright which although easier to see from was also much more uncomfortable. He found himself aching in places he wasn't already within a few hours. Hope dwindled with time, but Hades kept his mind busy to avoid thinking on what would happen if this woman didn't turn out to be trustworthy.. Zeltron were good for their mild telepathic ability and their alluring scent, but they were also known to be quite gullible. For all Hades knew, Vrail had beguiled this woman - Zella - into releasing Hades, only to turn him over later.

Hades blinked his eyes open, realising he had fallen asleep for a few hours. The dripping had stopped and everything was quiet - though he could hear a feint humming in the distance. Propulsion? He wondered to himself. The hissing of the door caught his attention and this time, from his raised position, he could see it opening. His heart thumped in his chest as he prepared for the worst, to see the Zeltron's body put in here with him to demoralise the VENI agent. As grateful as he was for her help, he had already hardened himself against the fact that sooner or later she was likely to die. Hell, she might die later in interrogation by VENI. Hades didn't know and at this point, didn't care. He had one objective and one alone: Kill Vrail, then report to Grey. The Captain had to know what happened here. He was sure the Zeltron would disagree but, hardened against the loss of her he was perfectly willing to eliminate her himself if she posed a threat to his objective. Her footsteps moved tentatively inward and soon enough, her curvacious figure resolved itself out of the contrasting light and dark in the room. It was an interesting use of juxtaposition, Hades noted - the absence of light in some places of the room made it seem almost like a dream. "Lieutenant," her voice purred. Hades didn't flinch as she moved closer, instead looking to the exit, fearing still that a batch of stormtroopers might burst through at any moment. Then he remembered that he wasn't in an Imperial prison, though was still unsure where exactly he was. "Are you ready?"

"Ms. Zella," he replied calmly, tone deadpan, "No, I'm busy hanging here with all my friends."

"Oh," she replied, "I guess I'll come back later then."

Hades rolled his eyes, "get me loose," then after a thought, "please."

"Better," she replied primly, moving over to him. The table began to lower to its original position at the touch of her hand, letting the Lieutenant exhale with relief as a lot of tension in his muscles was relieved by the simple movement. She climbed atop him all of a sudden, causing Hades to raise both brows.

"I know I'm attractive, madame, but now is not the t-" She put a finger to his lips and, whilst still atop him, leaned over to each of the restraints to enter a failsafe code that limb by limb released the young VENI agent. She then retreated slowly, stepping back onto the floor as she released his legs. Hades moved to stretch, sighing in relief. Sitting up steadily so as not to send himself into a dizzying reaction to sudden movement, the pilot felt all of his muscles begin to ease out. It was an amazing feeling, "I'm going to ask a series of questions in quick succession, Ms. Zella, it is paramount you answer them as quickly as possible while moving." She nodded and Hades swung his legs over the edge, testing his legs for the first time. "One, how long have I been here? Two, where is 'here'? Three, how many guards are there? Four, how do you plan to get us out?"

"One: A week. Two: Kiltirin-class Dungeon Ship 'Remembrance'. Three, usually there are fifty, but this ship's running a skeleton crew right now. There are 30. Four, this ship's been modified to fit two Avenger starfighters in the docking bay. Distract the guards with a prison riot, simple." She finished talking and Hades chewed on his lip; nothing was ever simple.

"Alright. How do you plan to trigger the prison riot?" At this point, she smiled.

"I already did. Come on, flyboy - keep up."

With that they both set off in a jog. The sounds of yelling in the distance could be heard, Hades feeling his strength returning with every step. It was then he noticed that she was also wearing the same thing he was - prisoner's attire. Smart. They would blend in. "How many prisoners aboard this ship?"

"Four hundred," she replied without hesitation. "Mostly prisoners of war, but some former Imperials too that Mon Mothma wants locked away for good. Vrail is good at two things: Interrogation and brutality. He usually keeps the prisoners in line and gets what he needs to know from them. When you open four hundred cells at the same time and unseal all bulkheads, however.. things do get interesting."

Hades eyed her as they moved, as yet unhindered. The guards were too busy with higher-density areas. Hades heard blaster fire in the distance. So much for the New Republic being better than the Empire, he thought grimly. It only strengthened his resolve to see the New Republic fall. Rounding a corner, they found a group of prisoners. Six similarly garbed beings lay on the floor, smoking holes in various places on their bodies, while two guards lay nearby with blood pooling beneath their unmoving forms. The prisoners turned as one - four of them - hearing the approach of the two others. Hades and Zella slowed, wary of them. As they passed Hades kept his gaze on one that seemed intent on staring him down, only looking away once they were well past the four.

"It might be best if you don't death-stare all the other prisoners, Lieutenant," Zella remarked bemusedly as they moved. "Come on, the fighters are up here."

"What about flight suits?" Hades asked cautiously.

"The lockers for the pilots are just outside the airlock."

"And what about the pilots?" He prompted further.

"You're a strong boy," came the simple reply. Hades grimaced at the lack of planning.

"If you say so," he muttered. Hades was someone who could react to spontaneous events and quickly-developing situations, but he also preferred to have a plan in place for it. So he began inventing a plan to deal with the pilots - he had to remind himself that they weren't just pilots. He himself was a pilot, so he couldn't underestimate what they were or weren't good at. "Why are there Avengers?"

The question was abrupt and obviously caught the woman off-guard, "because it's Vrail," she replied after a spell, "he wouldn't have anything other than Imperial technology. Most of the guards here are men who've worked with him before, ex-imperials or mercenaries. The pilots are mercenaries too."

"He didn't waste any time getting set up," the Lieutenant muttered bitterly, "mercenaries?"

"Yes. They're nothing special, though," a hand waved dismissively as they jogged. There was a door up ahead with yellow and red warning signs above it.. Hades knew without being told that they were here.

“Do you even know how to pilot an Avenger?” Hades asked as they paused a few steps from a door.

“No. I thought you would,” she replied, offering him a nonchalant shrug. Hades rolled his eyes.

“Talk about on the job training,” he said under his breath, a small shake of his head accompanying his words, "how many ships are with the Remembrance?"

"Just the one," she replied, again with that annoying nonchalance, "an Action-VI class freighter carrying a flight of X-Wings."

"Weaponry?" He quizzed impatiently.

"Dorsal-mounted quad-lasers," Zella answered easily, "spinal mounted turbolasers too."

Hades was lightening up as she mentioned the quad-lasers, but exhaled in frustration as she mentioned the turbolasers. "Well that's just great," he muttered, "find a place to hide, I'll be back."

"What? Lieutenant-"

"Just do it!" He snapped in return and moved down the corridor away from her and away from the door that led the the Avengers. She muttered something rude at his back, but went to do as he'd said anyway. Hades broke from a jog into a sprint as soon as he turned a corner, going by instinct. Blasterfire was up ahead, but he didn't care. It wasn't him they were searching for. He could hear an officer's voice over the comm now, shouting something about all units falling back to protect the bridge. The clattering of boots at the mouth of the corridor saw Hades' sprint speed up. He had to catch whoever it was unawares, or they'd shoot him.

Sure enough, when he was around ten meters from the next intersection, a set of guards appeared. Three of them, all looking fairly tough and armed with standard E-11's. There had been rumors of the Rebels using Imperial weaponry too, so no surprise there. They hadn't seen him yet, which was a good thing... though as he got closer, one turned and shouted in alarm. It was too late, Hades was upon them. The first one went down when Hades twisted the blaster out of his grip and delivered a sharp punch to the neck, almost collapsing it and rendering the man inactive for the time being, though it wasn't fatal. He cursed himself for not putting enough force behind the blow, but there wasn't enough time to dwell on it. He sidestepped to put the stumbling man between him and the other two. One came around the side of the already incapacitated guard, intent on delivering an overhand blow to Hades' head with the butt of his blaster. Both arms of the Lieutenant's came up, forearms meeting the other man's to stymie his attack before it properly began. Simultaneously, his right leg flashed forward, striking the guard's upper thigh with a cracking sound. That leg stayed forward and both Hades' hands now gripped his shoulder, pulling the man down as his left knee shot up into his stomach. His elbow drove down into the guard's neck while his left fist clenched and delivered a sharp jab to his spine. With a sickening crunch, the second guard fell.

Hades nearly fell as the final guard shoved him forcefully, but instead found a wall for balance. He turned just in time to see the man pointing his E-11 square at his chest. Frak, he thought inwardly. A split second's hesitation was all he needed, though, and the guard gave him that. He stepped forward and to the side, wrenching the blaster forward past him with his right hand, while delivering a devastating left hook to the final man's temple. He stumbled back, hands empty now and looking a bit dazed. Reversing his grip on the blaster, Hades pointed it at the guard and fired without hesitation. He stood still, blaster at the ready for a few milliseconds after he went down, steadying his breathing along side his now powerfully beating heart. Finally content the three were down, he lowered the blaster.

A hand grasped his ankle and without thinking, Hades whirled around to deliver a sharp kick to the body that had reached out. The body wheezed and released him as Hades realised it was the first man he had hit. He was still very much alive, though having some difficulty breathing - exacerbated now that Hades had just cracked a rib or two with that final kick. He glanced at the second man to make sure he was unmoving.. Fortunately, he was. Hades knew he had heard the telltale dislocation of one if not several vertebrae of the man's spine. The second man was dead and the third had a smoking crater in his chest. Turning the blaster on the remaining guard, Hades took a step forward so he could kick away the man's own gun. "Which way to gunnery deck?!" He demanded.

"Why the kriff would you-" The guard gasped in pain as the Lieutenant pushed a boot into his ribs, "we just came from there, okay?! Down the corridor, take a left then a right and you're there."

"Was that so hard?" He asked rhetorically, squeezing the trigger to send a bolt of superheated energy through the wounded guard's temple. He didn't wait around, setting off in the direction the man had suggested the gunnery section was. It had occurred to the young pilot that the guard may well have been lying, but when you were in severe pain and bargaining for your life, split second answers usually weren't dishonest. He checked each corner with trained precision, advancing quickly but warily toward the gun deck. It didn't take long to arrive, as the man had said - strangely enough, it was quiet at this part of the ship. Most of the prisoners and guards would be closer to the bridge, he assumed. The door was sliding open and closed in a malfunctioning state, sparks sizzling from a nearby circuit that had been ripped open by an improvised weapon - maybe even an angry prisoner's hands. The pilot moved forward at a slowed pace, one foot after the other placed down quietly with the blaster up, ready for trouble. Turning sideways, Hades slipped through the broken hatch - and stepped into a pool of brains. He grimaced, glancing down to see what was obviously one of the gunners having been pummeled by an aggro prisoner.. Moving on, the Lieutenant scanned the room warily. It looked like they had left the guns and went for the bridge, but then again nothing was entirely what it seemed.

Then he started thinking; his female 'friend' had said an Action-VI was accompanying them with a flight of X-wings. That meant either the X-wings were on detachment from some base not too far away, or there were exterior-mounted fighter racks on the Action-VI.. Possible. Unlikely, but then again Vrail had used that tactic before. Hades didn't doubt he would repeat the tactic - after all, men like Vrail were creatures of habit.

"Lieutenant?" a voice interrupted his thoughts and he whirled, looking for the source. It was a nearby headset. He stooped to pick it up, "Lieutenant, can you hear me?"

"Zella?" He queried cautiously.

"The very same. I've sliced into their communications channel. This should be private between us, but i don't know for how long. I also managed to disrupt the locking mechanism to the Avengers - no-one's getting in or out until I say so or until they manually override the doors. The guards and prisoners are all at the bridge, Vrail and his remaining men have holed up there as a bastion. The prisoners are trying to get at them. It looks like we've escaped notice so far."

"Good." Hades replied softly into the headset, "are the X-wings launched yet?"

"Of course," came the reply, "they launch as soon as there's a prisoner escape in case one manages to get to an escape pod."

"Right," Hades said calmly, eyes leveling on an empty seat nearby. He recognised it from a booklet he had read with Jarv - it was a cannibalised CR-90 quad laser, pretty much taken and stuck onto this ship.

"What are you planning Lieutenant?" Zella queried insistently. Hades simply ignored her for the time being, sliding into the seat. At the touch of a finger, the console before him hummed to life and a screen popped up with a grid. Remember what Jarv taught you, he reminded himself. Keep a lead on them.

"Zella, can you give me a broadcast over long-range comms. I'm talking from here to the next two or three systems?"

"Probably, why?" The Zeltron replied casually.

"We're not getting out of here without help. Patch me through."

"Okay then," the earpiece went silent for a while, then her voice came back. "Done!" she said excitedly, "be warned, once you start talking everyone will be able to hear you. I can't pin down a closed frequency from where I am, so this will have to do."

Hades gritted his teeth. It had to be done, "alright. Tell me when I've the green light."

"Go."

"Any and all VEN forces, this is Lieutenant Demetrius Aita of Jexxel Squadron. I'm being held hostage aboard the New Republic Dungeon ship Remembrance. Coordinates are transmitting now. I repeat, this is Lieutenant Demetrius Aita of Jexxel Squadron, serial number 110323. Requesting immediate fleet assistance against one dungeon ship, four X-wings and a raider-modified Action-VI. Any VEN forces in the area, do you copy?"

"Lieutenant, this is Commander Yltrin of the CR-90 picket group Cresh, please restate your coordinates."

"Roger that sir," Hades replied, keying in the coordinates, "how copy, over?"

"On our way Lieutenant. Hang tight." The line went dead. Hades could hear shouting now and for a moment thought it was from the friendly Commander, but he realised it was Vrail yelling at people to find him. Then a message got through that made him stop dead.

"He's on the Gunnery Deck! Bastion-squadron, engage the gun-deck, repeat, engage the gun-deck!"

Hades' eyes widened as he moved his hands rapidly over the controls of the anti-starfighter emplacements. Frak frak frak frak! A red dot popped up on his grid, and out of the thick canopy he could see a speck approaching. It was a trio of X-wings in attack formation. "Lead, Hades, lead," he muttered to himself as he lined up the first X-wing. The console beeped thrice over and Hades fired, sending one X-wing out in a cloud of debris and vaporised gases.

"Break, break," he heard one of the pilots call over the radio, "gun emplacement live and hostile. Engage at will!"

He tracked the breaking X-wings, following their curves with red bolts from his emplacement. The first hadn't had his shields up, sloppy and poorly drilled. The rest wouldn't be so gullible. He tried to get a lock but he simply couldn't turn the emplacement fast enough. He swore as one shot over him. A few shots spattered off the X-Wing's shields, said shields flickering and dying under the concentrated firepower. "Woah," Hades murmured.

"Boosted the firepower from the reactor. Enjoy it while it lasts, flyboy," came an all too welcome voice. Hades didn't bother responding, instead tracking the X-wing he had fired on and decimated its shields. It was elusive, but finally Hades drew a lead on it and fired into its course. The X-wing broke at the last moment, but it was too late as shots ripped through the fuselage. Another explosion. Hades grinned - he was getting the hang of this. He gripped the controls more tightly, swiveling in his seat as the two last X-wings thundered overhead - or at least they would have thundered if space carried sound. He fired but missed, the quad lasers spitting red death miserably into the abyss. The targeting computer tracked both their movements, but it couldn't predict just where they were going to be.

As they got further away his chance of hitting them diminished, the shots going wider and dissipating too far from the target to be of any use. His fingers were wrapped around the controls in a death grip now, tracking the closest X-wing as it came around and abruptly sped up. Hades compensated for the increase in speed by tapping the targeting computer, indicating it should draw a further lead. It did, having already received its own signals. But this X-wing wasn't so easily fooled. It dodged and twisted, up and down, side to side as it approached and all but one of Hades' quad blasts missed. The one that did hit sizzled against its shields as laser fire rocked his position for the first time. "Kriff!" Hades swore, swiveling to track the fast moving X-wing. It tried to dive to put the ship between Hades and itself, but again too late. Hades had preempted his move by tracking downward so the bolts ripped through the cockpit, killing the pilot instantly and destroying the fighter subsequently. He whooped aloud, but his victory was short lived. Laserfire spattered over the shields of the ship and finally broke through. I hope he doesn't have any proton torpedoes, Hades thought as he lined up the final X-wing... but then his computer picked up a contact. Something that was very bright and moving very fast toward him. A proton torpedo. "Oh dear," Hades murmured, quickly removing himself from the seat and proceeding in a sprint toward the door. As impact came, he dove through the opening and closing hatch and slammed the emergency shut button. He heard the boom, momentarily feeling a sudden tug of his breath from his lungs seconds before the hatch shut and the ship vibrated as the hull was breached right where he had been sitting.

"Target destroyed, Commander,"

"Good work Bastion lead," Vrail's voice came over the comm, "radio for reinforcements, your torpedo hit our long-range comms. We'll need them."

Again Hades cursed, "Zella, I'm coming to you - fast. Be ready for a quick exfil."

"If you say so," mimicked the Zeltron. Hades didn't dignify her with a response, breaking into a run as he retraced his steps, hurdling the bodies of the guards he had downed and rounding the final corner to find the red and yellow obnoxious signs glaring at him. His heart was thumping. He noticed the door was slightly ajar and he could hear voices. Raising the blaster warily, Hades approached the ajar door. Zella's voice was the first thing he heard.

"Bosses orders, boys. Get to the bridge to reinforce the Commander."

"Why are you in a prisoner's get up?" One of the pilots asked cautiously.

"Yeah, and why are you down here of all people?"

"Look, boys, do you want me to call the boss? I will you know and then he'll have your guts for gar-"

Judging by the position of their voices, Hades could get a clear shot. So he interrupted her speech by sliding the door open suddenly and opening fire, shooting twice. One hit the first pilot square in the chest, the other hit the second in the shoulder. Zella spun, wide-eyed. "You could have killed me!"

"Could have. Didn't." The Lieutenant replied simply as he moved in. The second pilot was struggling for his blaster until Zella kicked it aside. Hades eyed her appreciatively as she then curb stomped the mercenary.

"Don't do that again!" She demanded indignantly. Hades eyed her apathetically, brushing her aside as he raised his blaster and fired once more into the downed second pilot. She fumed as he moved past her.

"Suit up," he ordered, already sinking back into his leadership role as a pilot. "You'll need it."

--- --- ---
Five minutes later,

"Ready?" He asked, donning his helmet. It was Imperial-issue, but painted New Republic colours. It disgruntled him. His Zeltron colleague eyed him and smiled, picking up on his unease. She too was wearing the uniform-come-flight-suit.

"Ready." The Zeltron affirmed. "You take left, I'll take right."

Hades didn't question. No need for talk at times like this. He descended the short ladder and opened the hatch, dropping into the TIE Avenger beneath him as he sealed it behind him. Now here was a nice piece of kit.. Vrail certainly had spared no expenses when outfitting his unit. It was no doubt the fastest ship Hades would have ever piloted, with its SFS P-sx7.4 ion engines and beefed up reactor. Maybe not the most powerful - he had piloted a gunboat before - but definitely the fastest. The controls, like most TIEs, were fairly standard. It looked sleeker, cleaner than his interceptor but most of the controls were the same and it had the same navigation system as the rest of the TIE-series. The shield generators were made by the same people. In essence it was his interceptor on glitter-stim. "You flown a TIE before?" Hades asked over the comm.

"A couple of times. Only standard, though." That was at least some consolation. Hades had read enough about the Avengers to at least give some preliminary tips about utilising them.

"Alright. The Avenger is like most TIEs. There are a few more controls and the armament is basically quadrupled.. not to mention the engines hold a kriff-tonne more kick than the standard. Just take it easy, let me deal with the X-wing. You focus on getting to a safe distance. Watch out for that freighter too," he warned her one at a time about the things that might be an issue.

"Relax, Lieutenant, I'm a quick learner." She quipped back.

"Just don't die," he muttered. Then he'd have a death on his conscience that he really didn't want there. He could take it, yes, but he would prefer not to. "Initiate thrust in three, two, one, thrust." At the word thrust, Hades tilted his yoke forward, sending the fighter away from its mother ship with engines flaring silently in space, while he himself was subject to a steady, high pitched hum of the twin-ion-engines that gave the craft its signature name and scream.

"Moving to the edge of the system now, Lieutenant," the Zeltron commented.

"Confirmed. I have the bogie on radar and closing. I think the Action-VI was moving to dock with the Remembrance," he replied as he checked his scopes. The freighter was far too close to the dungeon ship for comfort. Hades increased thrust, noting that the X-wing had pulled a wide loop to head straight back toward him. His interceptor had been outfitted with missiles too, so Hades knew instinctively how to do it. Without a moment's hesitation he flicked over to concussion missiles and fired one, breaking right and pushing thrust to 100%. The missile wasn't locked but the sensors emitted from the tip of the warhead would confuse the X-wing for as long as Hades needed, even if that was a few seconds. Realising it wasn't locked on, the X-wing pulled up and allowed the missile to continue past it on a journey of destruction. The unfortunate thing for the X-wing was that he had chosen to pull up sharply and thus bring himself inverted, down and back level. When he leveled, however, Hades was upon him. Green laser lanced out from the mounted cannons on the Aggressor like angry wasps as they clashed with the X-wing's shields. A slight downward tilt saw Hades pass so close underneath the enemy fighter that he swore he might have scratched a  little paint off the thing. "Engaged X-wing, do you-" Hades checked his scope again and felt his stomach drop. She was still moving away.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. Thank you." With that her transponder disappeared into hyperspace. Hades gritted his teeth, unable to respond with something witty or betrayed. The momentary lapse cost him, though, as the X-wing had had no such distraction. He cursed as fiery red bolts shot past his canopy on either side, causing him to weave and suddenly barrel roll to the left and cut his throttle. The X-wing tried to slow down too but was unable to in time, a few more shots spattering on Hades shields and lowering it just enough to make the Lieutenant uncomfortable. While that was the case, the pilot was now on the X-wing's tail after it overshot. Even as it broke left to try and come around, Hades had matched speed with the X-wing, following it easily through the curve, guiding the yoke masterfully. The X-wing tried and tried to evade his lock, but eventually the targeting system had him and the lieutenant fired, two concussion missiles popping from the underside of the Avenger as its dagger-like solar panels pursued the X-shaped target ahead of it much akin to a predator. Hades didn't slow up, though - he knew the X-wing would probably break and drop something to confuse the missile, which was exactly what he wanted to goad him into doing. An error sound echoed from his controls as the missiles lost their lock and the X-wing broke off, allowing the missiles to pursue the pieces of debris it had dropped.

Having been ready for that, though, Hades tilted his fighter to skirt the small shroud the X-wing had created, following his adversary through the turn and slowly but surely drawing a lead on him, his faster more manoeuvrable craft getting the tighter turning circle. Hades opened fire first with a double-tap dual shot, both cannons spitting their emerald destruction at the X-wing before he switched to linked and let rip. The shields began to flicker and fade on his opponent as the rebel craft juked left, right, then fell into a dive. Hades ceased firing as the X-wing managed to evade his sights for a split second, but continued firing as soon as he guided the yoke downward. He found himself oversteering, used to the more sluggish reaction times of the Interceptors, as well as often applying too much thrust.

It wasn't hard, per se, but it did take some conscious adjustment, Throughout that short period of minutes, the X-wing was more able to avoid Hades because of his overcompensation in the TIE fighter than by any exceptional skill of his own. Finally, after a series of barrel rolls and even a steep dive then break, Hades had him dead in his sights. "Gotcha," he murmured, thumbing the linked laser cannons and letting loose on his enemy. He fancied he could hear screams through the space between them.. but that was only his imagination, as he had no link with the other pilot's comms. The Action-VI freighter on the other hand, did. Hades had been so enthralled in acclimatising himself to the Avenger and taking down the X-wing that he hadn't noticed the Action-VI had now detached itself from its shielding formation and come around to bear on Hades. His shields dropped as a blast from the spinal-mounted turbolaser cannon - illegal, obviously - singed his craft. His sensors went haywire for a good few seconds and Hades almost devolved into a panic as he wrestled to regain control.

His breathing steadied as he broke left, narrowly avoiding another singing. Warnings were blaring at him as the quad cannons - mounted further toward the back of the freighter - came to life. Hades cursed, knowing that he was out of danger from the single, vaporising burst of the turbolasers but in danger where the quad lasers were concerned. As agile as the Avenger was, Hades knew he couldn't evade the quad lasers forever. So he did the only smart thing to do when he was on no shields and being hampered by laser fire: he fled. His shields were pretty much fried so his reactor was pumping power to something entirely unnecessary. With a grunt, Hades rerouted that power to boosting his engines. His fighter shot forward like a Nexu that had been prodded in the rear with a stun-stick and the pilot was forced to do a double take as his eyes widened. He knew he couldn't keep up such ridiculous speeds without frying his engines. Luckily, he didn't have to. The last of the quad laser fire dissipated overhead and he knew he was out of range. He rerouted the boost to fuel regeneration of his forward shields now - they were about the only shields he had left now - and momentarily felt his heart stop as he realised he was headed straight for the Remembrance. The dread stopped when he realised with some relief that first off, the crew were stuck defending themselves against a mob of angry prisoners and secondly, the late Bastion-squadron had destroyed the batteries.

For what seemed like the first time in a long, long while Hades exhaled calmly. He could see on his scopes that the action VI was moving to pursue, but it wouldn't catch him before he got out of- the word 'system' died in his thoughts as two contacts emerged from hyperspace. For the third time, the pilot thought he was screwed. "Unidentified Avenger, this is Commander Yltrin of the CR-90 Sharp. State your name and business."

"Commander!" Hades replied in relief, "it's Lieutenant Aita. The flight of X-Wings is down and the dungeon-ship is currently inactive. The Action-VI is a raider bearing a single spinal-mounted turbolaser and dual, dorsal-mounted quad lasers. My fighter's damaged, permission to come aboard?"

"Granted, Lieutenant. There's a transmission on the line for you when you get on board."

"Roger that Commander. Commencing docking procedures now..."

The line was severed between the two officers and Hades began to guide his battered yet intact fighter toward the closer of the two CR-90. The further one was circling slightly to place itself between the Action-VI and the Sharp while Hades aimed for the ventral docking bay. He could look back on his hectic flight with the Avenger and see what an amazing craft it was. The realisation that it wasn't even the fastest, most advanced fighter out there only made Hades more in awe of the 'middle child' of the TIE series. Not quite as famous or prominent as the Defender or the Interceptor, it was the quiet achiever in the family. His holo-readouts flashed green as his docking vector was approved, skimming beneath the lower hull of the sharp until he came to a stop directly beneath the ventral bay, nudging his fighter upward until he heard the familiar hiss of atmosphere. He exhaled pleasantly, happy to finally be aboard a ship again that wasn't full of people that might want to kill him. His repulsors kicked in to allow him to gently settle on the now sealed hangar floor, though he didn't dawdle any. As soon as it settled he unstrapped himself and climbed out of the the fighter.. but of course, he was wearing New Republic markings. Frak, he thought.

"Lieutenant?" an officer standing near a cadre of stormtroopers inquired. Hades slowly raised his hands to remove his helmet, ensuring they knew he meant no harm. He eyed the man.

"That's me," he replied as he clambered down off the fighter. The officer immediately approached.

"Stand still please while we verify your identity. Don't blink." Hades didn't, watching the retinal scanner he calmly waved before Hades' eyes that soon confirmed his identity. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant, I'm Commander Yltrin." The junior officer offered Yltrin a smart salute and 'sir'.

"What's happening? Are we engaging the Remembrance or just holding back?"

"We're not engaging. We're pulling back, Lieutenant." The Lieutenant in question's brows rose and his head shook.

"No, sir, you don't understand. The Remembrance is carrying a very very dangerous ex-Dominion intelligence officer that has now fallen in with the new republic. We stand to lose a major player in the espionage business by letting him get away!" He protested in vain.

"Orders are orders, Lieutenant. The Chief of Naval Warfare will speak to you in the briefing room. Dismissed," The Commander walked off with his detachment of stormtroopers, not even offering to show him to the locker room. Hades did, however, find the locker room and beguile a kind pilot to let him borrow his uniform before he headed to the designated briefing room. He couldn't get his hands on any rank bars before entering the room,  unfortunately. He liked to be immaculate, but he was certain he looked far from it. When he entered the room, the console was blinking insistently. He keyed it and a projection of Serpent appeared.

"Sir!" Hades saluted smartly, noticing that Serpent had been promoted from LCDR. They were both old friends, but protocol was protocol. Serpent saluted back.

"Lieutenant. Good to see you alive."

"Good to be alive, my friend." He responded cheerfully.

"That's what I like to hear. You couldn't have returned at a better time... We're plugging you back into Jexxel." Hades' mouth instantly opened to protest, but Serpent raised a placating hand before Hades could continue, "you will still be a flight leader, but you'll also be promoted to Lieutenant Commander effective immediately and, if you complete your tour of duty with Jexxel squadron you will be rewarded with entry into the Ship Captain Training Program."

Now that rendered the Lieutenant - Now Lieutenant-Commander - speechless.

"You don't need to say anything, my friend, just do your job."

"With all due respect, Serpent," Hades spoke up after a while, "why are we letting the Remembrance get away! Vrail has key intelligence on-"

"-on the Imperial Dominion, which you failed to attain the last time you two met." Serpent reminded him calmly, "I will not jeopardise our vanguard for an Imperial defector who has knowledge on a defunct faction."

"Serpent, I-"

"-With all due respect to you, Lieutenant Commander Aita, I am your superior and you will address me as such. There will be no pursuit of the Remembrance; that's the end of the matter." He might well have not agreed, but his respect for the VE's authority - alongside his immense personal respect for Serpent himself - overruled his own qualms with the issue.

"As you say sir," Hades replied quietly, "apologies."

"None required, Commander. Just don't see it happen again." Serpent offered him a final, respectful nod before the transmission fizzled into static. Hades knew Serpent wasn't being mean or anything like that - quite the contrary. Had it been anyone else, Hades might have been in for a proper tongue lashing as opposed to a relatively friendly reminder of where he was bordering on insubordination. The now Lieutenant Commander took a moment to calm himself before leaving the briefing room.. it was going to be a long tour of duty with Jexxel, that much seemed clear.

OOC:
Wordcount: 6,519 - grand total, 9,322 words.

AAR: Hades breaks free from imprisonment, refers to something someone in his past taught him to acclimatise himself to utilising quad-lasers (indeed, ripped out of a CR-90 to be used on the Kiltirin-class dunegon ship.) and finally, escapes on a TIE Avenger, almost getting taken out by the Action-VI freighter/raider.

Hades is now back with the VE and on his way to rejoin Jexxel

Lieutenant Commander Demetrius 'Hades' Aita

"The lesson is this. The only real crime for those of superlative intellect and great prowess is to allow one's self to become shackled by mediocrity. The crime is to let your grasp be less than your reach. To aim low."

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[This message has been edited by Hades (edited October 25, 2013 8:49:29 AM)]
[This message has been edited by Hades (edited October 25, 2013 9:02:36 AM)]
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