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paradis2015-07-17 07:43 pm
hypertoxic) wrote in paradis2015-07-17 07:43 pm
CONTRACTED (AU)
CONTRACTED:
- to draw together or into smaller compass; draw the parts of together
- to get or acquire, as by exposure to something contagious
- to incur, as a liability or obligation
- to settle or establish by agreement
- to assign (a job, work, project, etc.) by contract
- an au where two lost souls who loved each other too much finally find one another and ensure that their contracts will bind them so that they can never lose each other again
VRISKA: After a succession of too many losses of close friends and family, Vriska made a decision that would change the entire course of her future: she abandoned any remaining reservations she had about the CDC and asked to become an instructor. Guided by her adopted mother, Neheda, and adopted father, Gale, Vriska was personally groomed in the positively brutal training required to become a CDC instructor. After finishing her contract with the Neheda crew, Vriska, per the stipulation of her final freebie, was brought back to life, and began working for the CDC directly as an officer-trainee. Eventually, her skillset took her away from the position of instructor and towards the Retributive Actions Unit where she worked under her father. Once alive again, she resumed growing, reaching an approximate physical age of mid-20's about a hundred years after the end of her contract with the CDC. She topped out at 5'5", but gained not-insignificant curves and grew her hair out to the backs of her knees. Over the years, she used her status and influence (and powerful parents) to earn her way into some cybernetic upgrades, most notably for her left eye, which is now inorganic. At some point during her service as a RAU officer she ran into Noh-Varr, someone she'd known in her first year, and the two set off on the exploration/prospecting circuit as a now-inseparable team.
NOH-VARR: Following his transfer from his first CDC-issued crewship, the Neheda, Noh-Varr was assigned to a series of patrol ships in quick succession, where his adaptability and attention to detail earned him good standing. He kept his personal ship, the Marvel, docked at a CDC outpost in a neighbouring reality, but eventually applied to have its AI, Plex, made accessible to him at all times. Eventually he learned enough about CDC technology to access an IT position within a fleet of patrol ships, but the chaotic and alternating nature of his assignments gave him few friends the likes of which he made in his first year. He became more withdrawn, and, as his coworkers eventually skewed non-human, began to lose some of his Earth habits. Over the next two decades he became known for his ruthless Kree efficiency, which propelled his career forward outside of exploration but left him quite lonely. Eventually, in search of connection, he asked the CDC to revive the bahari cub he received in his first year, and it was shortly after recieving Nahrul-the-second's egg that he found Vriska again. Now he's back on the exploration/prospecting circuit with her, though not quite in the same way.
SCENARIO: As a RAU unit, Vriska and Noh-Varr travel the universe at the CDC's behest, neutralizing any threats to the CDC's important trade arteries. They are hitmen and cleanup crew; they are whatever they are asked to be.
POTENTIAL THREADS: first reunion thread, the fated "i love you" thread (from vriska's end), the "i love you too" thread from noh's end months later while they are someplace entirely inappropriate for such a confession, is the getting together thread different from the i love you thread? probably, cheating a casino to death thread, argument about morals and killing children n shit thread, i think that covers it for now
HANGING OUT
no subject
Today, though, she's kicking up a fuss about it. Because of course she is. ]
Noh. Come on. This is boring as fuck.
[ The game is called Strateria, a strategy game from the point of view of a conquering bacteria. The instant she'd seen it Vriska had scoffed and tried to toss it aside, but Noh had snagged it and proceeded to settle down to play. So now Vriska is settled down beside him, both her arms wrapped around his bicep and a sour look on her face as she rests her head on his shoulder. ]
Bleh.
no subject
Relatively simple.
Noh-Varr has manages to gain water access, which he hopes will prove a determining factor in encouraging grass growth in an adjacent barren valley. ]
I find it relaxing.
[ His eyes remain on the screen as his fingers dance in the air in front of him, activating a number of motion sensor commands. Absently, he tilts his head, until her hair pads his cheek. ]
no subject
[ She says, with grumpy derision. She tucks herself a little closer to him one she feels his cheek come to rest on her head, but she's still peevishly watching the game with bright, narrow eyes. ]
You missed something.
[ She points at the screen. ]
There's a pocket of resources over there that would be perfect for sustaining nutrient production. Are you blind?
[ Hope you wanted a second-in-command for your bacterial take-over, Noh-Varr. ]
MISSIONS
MISSION: VIX
NAME: Kheivu'un Nimorra
SPECIES: E'imar (Planet Imara; DEMOLITION #491-B25-07)
BACKGROUND: Former CDC employee; served Numir, Gvarammu, Altus. Rogue following interception of large shipment of BXCV-230 ("Red") hallucinogen/stimulant on CDC outpost T'varax-VI. Currently operating large-scale Red-traffic network across the T'varax sector, concentrating in the Vix asteroid cluster.
[ Half the names on the list have already been crossed off. It wasn't terrible work: it kept them both busy, and given what was at stake neither had room to complain.
The datapad's UI glows in the air between them, as the list of names warps into a map. Standard D-class planet. Mostly desert, with an intensely dry, hot atmosphere, thin enough that a human would find it difficult to breathe, even below sea level.
He glances at Vriska standing across from him, his red visor gleaming and flaring with the endless stream of data it's processing: climate variables, various satellite signals, the solidity of the ship's cloaking systems. Realistically, even once they breach atmosphere they'll be fine: the Marvel's sensorskin is Kree make, something completely foreign to this reality, and augmented with Skrull gene-morph tech and CDC ballistic search reroute modules. They're undetectable, of that he's sure.
There's a whisper in his mind and in response to it he lowers his hand to Nahrul's crest, thumbing the flare of her fur. She purrs for him, out of curiosity and the anticipation she feels from them both, and he gently casts her emotion aside. She'll stay in the ship, to guard as she always does. His eyes fall back to Vriska, and his chest swells with a kind of foreign pleasure, or pride, at seeing her battle-ready.
He flattens the map, lifting his fingers and calling up a 3D view of the area as the ship continues its descent. Mountains, a bare dirt road leading into a valley where ships dock. The base itself is little more than a broad, squat warehouse, the kind that might have been used as storage on small moon sixty, eighty years ago: dark and chromed, in a way that feels dated now. He dismisses the hologram after outlining their drop point. They know this song and dance by now. ]
Ready, snaggletooth?
[ He's here for her. The rest doesn't matter. This isn't a bad life. ]
no subject
But is she okay with it? Sure. Long, long ago, on a planet she barely remembers now, she murdered children in order to protect those on her crew. And she hadn't once flinched or looked back.
She won't now. Noh-Varr gets a smile, one of her gentlest, a smile that warms her whole face. She's ready, poised, her long, long hair bound back tight in a wild, bushy ponytail, her slim form unencumbered except for her uniform. She carries no weapon. She hasn't needed to for a long time. Her dice are all she needs.
As always, she lets Noh-Varr take care of the details. She's got a mind for them too, always has, but prefers to get into the tactical side of their planning. All the finer detail work of compiling dossiers and laying out facts has always been a stronger suit of his than hers. Nahrul comes to her side once she's done with Noh-Varr, and Vriska absently strokes a hand over the cat's head as she watches the 3D display. ]
Always, rookie.
[ Her voice is lower now than it was when she was young, her words a gentle purr like a caress. She can be shrill when she wants to, of course. But that isn't right now. ]
You're up first. Lead the way. I'll give us cover and firepower when we need it.
no subject
This is a straightforward intervention: they'll drop about ten kilometers away from their destination. Vriska will cover for him while he sneaks in, gets the information he needs on their supply chain, and if that proves consequential enough for them to progress, then they'll take out Nimorra himself.
Ironically perhaps, while they were opposite when they met, they've had opposite paths since: Noh-Varr has moved away from human ways of thinking, acting, doing. Even now, with her, he's sloughed away his adopted human behaviours, the small nonsense genstures, the twitching, the gentle shifting of weight that were the signs of an uncontrolled, human body. Now Noh-Varr's every movement is with purpose, backed with training and mindful precision. His body is a weapon, and he uses it with the care that label deserves. Even his morals have snapped back to his Kree roots, efficiency taking the place of honor. There's no room for honor in his life. His survival is all the honor he needs, and Vriska and Nahrul by his side is all that completes him. The blood he has to spill, the lives he has to crush to maintain that completion is accessory.
He doesn't need to cue Plex out loud, reaching out instead with his mind. He takes the moment to return Vriska's fond smile instead. ]
GET READY FOR THE DROP. ETA ONE MINUTE. I'LL BE WAITING WHEN YOU RETURN.
[ That low voice echoes in their heads, everywhere and nowhere at once, electrical impulses dancing along their nerves to communicate. He and Plex have something of a more civil relationship now than when he was younger, but the years have tempered them both. Plex will be his primary relay to cross-check what information he gathers from this run.
For now, though: getting his transporter cuff node ready. Vriska can fly, but he still can't. Maybe he should invest in a good pair of antigrav boots. ]
30 SECOND WARNING.
[ Nahrul has vanished from the drop hatch, leaving them alone as the door warps shut and the pressure begins to adjust. Gently, he reaches sideways and raps his knuckles against Vriska's temple, a long-standing gesture and one he rarely tires of administering.
Ten second. Five. None. They're dropping. ]
no subject
Like her other loves, her precious people she guards with vicious terror, this is one of the chains around her throat. A chain she put on and willingly wears, and is grateful for the opportunity to be chafed by its links.
Vriska rolls her shoulders, shaking her head out and taking a deep, deep breath, one that expands her chest and makes her stand taller. Noh-Varr's rap to her head is met with the brush of gentle fingers against his wrist and one quick, fierce, bright grin before they take the drop.
Even now, after many years, this is still her favorite part. The mad fall into open sky, the rush of air and the pull of gravity reminding her that this body is one that is alive and grows and has a heart that pounds against her rib cage when her adrenaline gets pumping. Vriska whoops at the top of her lungs as they fall, a carelessly joyful sound as she tucks herself up into a ball and flips, angling so she's face-first towards their target far beneath them. Her rocket boots - the same old ones she's had all these years, though with significant repairs and upgrades - kick on, and she rockets away, spiraling below.
She knows Noh-Varr will make it safely. Her first priority is to reach the ground first and ensure it's clear of both potential enemy combatants and anyone, or anything, that could alert their targets to their arrival. From several hundred feet up she'll shut the rocket boots off again and seemingly disappear into thin air.
Hoarding those one time use cloaking devices over the years has paid off for missions like these.
When they meet up on the ground some minutes later, Vriska is alone, at her ease with empty hands, floating an inch or two off the ground, because that is not a power she lost when she returned to life. ]
We're clear for several kilometers in every direction. Our path to the target is wide open. [ Her face scrunches in a wicked smile. ]
Let's rock, leader boy.
no subject
He activates his teleporter module. He vanishes, reappearing only meters above the ground, not unlike that very first drop, in the snowy wastes. He lands more elegantly this time, with the ease of long practice. Without getting up from his crouch, he sends out some pulse-trackers, which will update his readouts. His scanner updates him on the terrain until Vriska returns, he's uncoiled, his dark uniform stark against the plain. ]
I thought I was the 'rookie'. [ Fangs--because that's who she is now, especially when they're on the field--has always taken a step behind him. He's the 'leader' only in the sense that he's the one who drafts the plans. He uploads her route into her cuff. ] Keep them busy, and keep a low profile for as long as you can.
[ He's taking the front door, meaning using his cloaking to make a beeline into headquarters. The longer Vriska can keep them believing the disturbance isn't a CDC raid, the better they'll be. Noh-Varr needs just to get to their database before they start offloading data. ]