Meeting Again for the First Time (IC)

As Jules stands she pats herself down, shock could cause some wounds to go undetected, all seemed to be in order. She sigh's a relief at Rhones voice "I'm ok, can't see much." she replies as she starts to grope in the darkness towards the friendly voice.

Initiative :

Round 1

The sound of footsteps gets louder. They get closer. In the pitch black that Jules is suffering, it is a terrifying noise.

Action Economy on Jules


+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14
Jules 12
Enemy 5
Rhone 4

Born and raised on a penal colony Jules' survival instinct kicks in. She hated violence but when she was threatened she gave as good as she got. A cornered rat.

It was so dark though, she could see very little and that kept some healthy fear close to hand. It helped her focus. She saw little point in firing randomly into the darkness, Rhone could see and his pistol would let out a flash. Failing that she hoped she'd have a good idea from the noise when they were right in her face. Best to wait, bide your time Jules!

Eye's wide she somewhat steadily holds out her hand-cannon in two hands ready to blow away whatever threatened her when it got close.

action:

Jules tries to control her breathing as she holds her heavy pistol out in front of her. Did she just hear foot steps?

Spoiler:

Jules cannot be sure she hears anything at all, her heartbeat what it is inside of her chest. She holds off on firing just yet...

... As Rhone gathers himself, he looks up in time to a... creature... moving silently toward Jules. His photolenses pick out the hideous thing, human only in basic shape. It had a bulbous bald head, its eyes dark, pupils like a feline. Two hands extended outward, looking almost to grab Jules with deadly claws.

Rhone cannot bring his weapon up before it closes the distance to Jules, but perhaps he can act before the creature attacks.

Spoiler:

“JULES!!”

Rhône’s voice is a growl, cutting through the darkness as he calls out to the girl in genuine concern.  The prick was faster then he expected.  Shouldering the shotgun, Rhône takes aim at the abomination. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human...but that didn’t matter in the slight west right now...it needed to die...

He lets out a slow, steady breath as the creature closes in on Jules and pulls the trigger...

-Round 2-

The concussion of the weapon's report roars out. In the tight confines of the corridor it is amplified, both in flash and noise. The creature takes the blast of buckshot in its side, its arm soaking most of the damage. There is a noticeable lack of blood, and Rhone wonders if the bulkiness under its filthy fatigues wasn't, in fact, flak.

In his peripheral, he sees another of the creatures move from around the corner, half covered by the wall (effectively in half cover - right arm, body, and head exposed). He rears its head back and begins hocking, filling its mouth with something before spitting directly at Rhone...

Spoiler:

... the viscous substance hits the non-commissioned officer squarely in his chest. It rapidly eats through his heavy jacket and undershirt, singing the flesh beneath. It stung like a son of a bitch.

+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14 (only right arm, body, and head exposed) - 3m N of Rhone.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon; in melee with Enemy;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; taken 7 dmg.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel; PB from enemy in melee with Jules ; taken 2 dmg (12/14 wounds remain)

Jules heart almost leaped out of her throat when Rhone's shot briefly illuminated the thing directly in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was a beast or mutant and she didn't care, it was reaching for her! The small amount of light was gone in an instant but she had her mark. She quickly brings her hand-cannon level with the thing, inhaled and fired...

Action:

The flash of the hand cannon illuminates the sharp, bestial features of the thing in front of Jules. There's a flower of red on its chest. Then all goes black for her again and she hears a heavy thump on the ground.

Rhone, dealing with his own issues, watches the form crumple into a heap a few feet in front of Jules. It didn't move.

Rhone is up


+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14 (only right arm, body, and head exposed) - 3m N of Rhone.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; taken 7 dmg.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel; PB from enemy in melee with Jules ; taken 2 dmg (12/14 wounds remain)

The veteran sergeant grunts as the caustic substance eats through the cloth covering his chest. A superficial wound...it was still enough to piss him off.  Just as he makes ready to finish off the enemy in front of him, to his surprise, it slumps dead to the floor.

“Nice shot, darling, One down! We’ve got one more in cover, watch for my muzzle flash!”

As he speaks, Rhône turns on his heel, expertly plucking a shotgun shell from its side saddled position on Kenji’s weapon and loading it into the barrel he just fired. With all three barrels locked and loaded, Rhône’s finger lies flat across all three triggers.  Holding the weapon and planting his feet, he exhales slowly as he braces for its devastating recoil...then he pulls all three....

Jules sees nothing more than a bright flash - a body prone in front of her, and piece of wall disintegrate under the loudest report she has ever heard from a weapon.

Tinnitus mother lickers:

The creature peers back at Rhone a moment after the blast. The wall it was hiding behind had been its saving grace, leaving Rhone with an extremely expensive paper weight in his hands.

Sizing up the biggest threat, the creature moves past the blind one directly into combat with the larger body. Rhone sees for the first time the wicked looking third limb extending out of his ribcage on the left side, ending in one scythe like claw. It punches it into Rhone, hoping to take him out immediately. Unfortunately, he misses well wide.

Action on Jules

+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14 (only right arm, body, and head exposed) - in melee with Rhone.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; DEAD.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel *need reload*; in melee with enemy; taken 2 dmg (12/14 wounds remain)

Jules take's Rhone's word for it that the creature in front of her is dead, even so she nervously backs up a few feet. She keeps her hand-cannon up, aiming roughly for the wall where Rhone had shot which was now pitch black again. Jules was lost for words, she was too scared to reply. Rhone could hear her breathing, almost panting. The other half on her concentration was making sure she didn't use the powers that often got her into trouble, not that she could see to use them.

Action:

Rhône keeps an eye on the mutant’s bladed third arm. Narrowly escaping what could have been a devastating blow, Rhône wastes no time.

Dropping the shotgun to the floor, the grizzled veteran instinctively brings his hands up  and pivots at the waist.  Rhône had a pugilistic reputation on Cadia that followed him to The Colony. Whether fighting for his life, or a can of preserved grox slurry, Rhône’s record boasted no losses thus far...time to see how well he faired against a mutant.

Setting up the creature with a few jabs from his left, Rhône swings with a right hook, catching nothing but air.

The creature doesn't let up. To the contrary, it increased the ferocity of its attack. The blade comes in quicker than Rhone had anticipated from the last attack. If he didn't get out of the way, it would bite into his leg.

Spoiler:

Rhone quickly sidesteps the attack, showing off his combat prowess.

It was so dark. She felt helpless, how could she help. By staying out of Rhone's way? On hearing what she assumed was the shotgun clatter on the floor Jules feared the worst until she heard the shuffling of feet and a scuffle starting. Rhone had been disarmed, was he injured?

"It's too dark, I'm not sure I can help." Jules pants her breathing still sharp. She raises her cannon to aim at roughly where she thinks the beast may be "You need help?" Jules queried hoping he'd said 'no'.

Action:

Rhône studied his enemy’s movements as he moved with a hint of grace that almost seemed to defy his muscled frame. Kasrkin advanced unarmed training, met bare knuckle boxing, with a dash of Tallarn grappling techniques, topped off with a little something he picked up from...well, he wasn’t allowed to talk about that.

Rhône took note of Jules’ position. She was right where he wanted her.....out of harm’s way. She could handle a gun, but it wasn’t in Rhône’s nature to let the girl get this up close and personal with a fighter this deadly. He calls out to Jules in response.

“You just hold tight little darling. I’ve got this....”

Turning his attention back to the three armed abomination, Rhône grins.

“Alright you beady eyed turd nibbler...let’s see you dodge THIS!!”

Before he finishes his sentence, Rhône delivers a massive roundhouse kick. A heavy steel capped boot comes crashing down towards the creatures head....

The kick slams into the target's head with a jerk. It seems none the worse for wear, and instead lashes out at Rhone again, only this time a little more cautiously. Unfortunately, its caution causes it to miss wide. Clearly Rhone was the better fighter, but would his stamina last?


+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14 - in melee with Rhone; taken 3 wounds.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; DEAD.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel *need reload*; in melee with enemy; taken 2 dmg (12/14 wounds remain)

Stood there in the dark Jules shiver's slightly in nervousness. She stays put, her weapon pointed in the direction of the melee, ready to leap backwards if she sensed any danger.

Action:

There's another crack as Rhone lands another expertly placed blow.

The creature hisses and a few words take shape. "The Innerwyrm Rises!" The words were Low Gothic, though they sounded forced, as though the vocal chords did not want to push them out.

The creature then swung again. This time the third arm lashes over and down, while its clawed hands rake up. As fast as Rhone was, he wasn't that fast. He could only avoid one if he moved quickly... unfortunately, he doesn't. Two blows land in rapid succession in the Bastard sergeant's midsection. His bomber jacket takes a beating as blood is drawn from the skin beneath..


+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14  - in melee with Rhone; taken 5 wounds.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; DEAD.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel *need reload*; in melee with enemy; taken 7 dmg (7/14 wounds remain)

Jules flinched as the thing spoke, it could speak! The saints preserve us. She adjusted her aim slightly to centre more on where the noise had come from.

It was human, or at least once was. Jules was almost glad she couldn’t see the thing. Almost. If she could see it she could put a bullet into it, finish the fight quickly. It sounded like they were brawling with blows landing from both sides, which made her think. Why hadn’t Rhone just shot the thing, she’d seen the bolt pistol he carried a weapon that would drop most things. Why hadn’t he used it. He couldn’t have been showing off as she couldn’t see shit. Perhaps he was stupid.

“Rhone, shoot the thing and finish it. What are you waiting for?” she demanded from the darkness.

The innerwyrm rises? The hell was that supposed to mean? Rhône glares at his opponent before he quips.....

”I’m flattered shit for brains, but mutants just aren’t my- ”

Rhône’s smart ass remark is cut short as he let’s out a solid grunt this time. He feels the chitinous talons rake across the flesh of his abdomen. That would need some mending. He shakes off the blow.  Crying about it wouldn’t help him. Without skipping a beat, Rhône calls back to Jules.

“Oh I’m sorry, darling. Did you have somewhere you needed to be?”

His words were in jest more than they were in irritation. Sure the girl was sitting on the sidelines while he danced with the enemy, but  Rhône didn’t need a corpse on his conscious. Emperor’s atrophied scrotum, she was right though. Up until now, he had refrained from drawing the weapon, in hopes of minimizing the collateral damage of sending bolt rounds through walls and pipes. He had no idea of his surroundings, or how far away civilians could be...but time for caution was over. Another blow like that would have him spilling his dinner all over the floor...through a gaping hole in his stomach. Leave the Carapace plate at home Argus. It’ll be a quick job Argus. In and out you said....He mocked himself internally.

Flipping the cross strap of his holster with his thumb, Rhône pulls the bolt pistol and fires a quick shot, hoping to hit his target.  The weapon barks as it spits out a miniature explosive round, but fails to hit its target.

The flash lights up the melee for Jules, perhaps startling her. The noise was huge, reverberating in her ear with a minor whine that didn't want to go away. The confines of the corridor amplified the report to dangerous levels; however, they were still less dangerous than the creature in both bastards* midst.

A flurry of claws fly back at Rhone in response, but the shot must have startled it too. It has trouble connecting at all with the big sergeant.


*Jules is definitely a bastard of her own nature. See? It all fits!

+++Init Order+++
Enemy 14  - in melee with Rhone; taken 5 wounds.
Jules 12 (Effectively Blind) - Hand Cannon;
Enemy 5 - in melee with Jules; DEAD.
Rhone 4 - Kenji's Triple Barrel *need reload*; in melee with enemy; taken 7 dmg (7/14 wounds remain)

Jules was no seasoned killer, she had no real combat training so Rhones shot did startle her, causing her to let out a small shriek and her trigger finger to inadvertently squeeze. The resulting noise and flash did not match the sergeants bolt pistol but it was a hand-cannon, its bark was still loud. Darkness descended almost immediately, had she hit it?

Rhone was so close she wasn't sure, she thought he might have stepped into her shot at the last moment. He didn't yell out but then the shock of being hit by a bullet wouldn't necessarily immediately register. She stayed quiet not wanting to draw the creatures ire.

Action:

It didn't take long at all for Rhone to realize what happened. Despite the current fight for his life, Rhone manages to let out an irritated sigh as he feels the large caliber stub round tear across the flesh of his shoulder. Shaking off the flesh wound, The Bastard Sergeant rolls the dull pain out of his shoulder and growls low before calling out to Jules in a sarcasm laced, anger dusted tone that took every ounce of his patience to maintain.

"Nice shot, darling....you were aiming for me, right?"

The wound was superficial, but it was enough to cause his next shot to go wide.  Rhone's jacket had seen better days.  As the bolt pistol barks again, it fails to bite.  Rhone mutters a quick curse, in a Low-Gothic dialect that Jules was likely unfamiliar with.  As he weaves and bobs, Rhone sidesteps another pair of clawed strikes  that easily could have been his end.  He had to end this now.  With one eye squinted, Rhone continues the deadly dance, while trying to bring the beast into his cross hairs.

"Hold still, you little assho-"

Rhone's words are cutoff by another throaty roar from the bolt pistol.  This time however, a wet sound follows as the mass reactive round burrows into the creature's left eye socket, and finds a cozy spot deep inside of its grey matter before detonating. Teeth, brain matter, and a gored mist are all that's left of the mutant's head before its body slumps to the floor.  Rhone let's out a sigh of relief as he drops to one knee, clutching his abdomen.

"Who taught you to shoot....an astropath?

Shit, shit, shit! She’d hit Rhone and she couldn’t blame him for his tone. “Sorry!” was all the reply he got for now, Jules didn’t want to distract him and thought having a conversation about it right now probably wasn’t appropriate despite Rhone’s vocal style of combat.

Two more barks and flashes of the bolt pistol follow and Jules is relieved to see the sergeant on his feet. She filed away the penal dialect curse he’d used for a future time. A brief panic passed over Jules at the silence that followed but that was quickly squashed as Rhone cracked off another wise ass comment, which she chose not to answer.

She groped out in the darkness wanting to make sure he was alright and for reassurance after what was for her a terrifying fight into the absolute darkness. “How bad is it? Give me those glasses of mine back and I’ll have a look.”

Medicae Roll:

The scars covering his torso varied. Las-burns, lacerations, solid slugs and shrapnel have all tried to take Rhône’s life, with no luck.  While he had no medical training, the veteran soldier knew what he could shake off, and what would require more attention.

Clenching his abdomen with his left hand, Rhône grimaces as the muscles contract with each movement. Pulling the photo-glasses from his face, Rhone holds them out towards Jules and speaks, allowing her to follow the sound of his voice.

“Don’t worry about it, little darling....bullet just grazed the shoulder.  That three armed little bastard may have cut through the abdominal wall though”

He grunts as he lies back, extending his legs and propping himself up with his elbow to allow Jules to work.

“You okay...?”

Questions and Technical Results:

Jules deftly goes to work. With her eyesight restored thanks to the photolenses, she is able to easily manipulate her medi-kit and get what she needs. Rhone was lucky; he had been burned by some sort of bio acid and lacerated multiple times, but nothing was life threatening. Some quick-stitches, antiseptic, burn ointment, medical tape, and Rhone was aching but good to go.

Spoiler:

Awareness:

Jules steps back satisfied with her work. Rhone had clearly seen a lot of action his body scarred from numerous wounds, she’d seen similar stuff on the house guard aboard her previous vessel, although perhaps not to the level Rhone had suffered. He must be ex guard or perhaps a mercenary… perhaps both? It didn’t really matter. Jules blushes with embarrassment which is lost in the darkness as Rhone excuses her for the rash shot, if he was happy to brush it under the carpet then so was she.

At Rhones query as to her health, she looks down examining her torso, she stretches her arms and legs which all seemed ok. “I’m fine, guess I’m lucky that those things saw who was the real threat.”

After the experience in the dark she was reluctant to hand the photo lenses immediately back to Rhone, she knew she should as he was most capable at dealing with threats but she felt it was her turn… just for a short while. She might be able to fix her light source “Stay there a moment, I’m gonna see if I can get my glow globe working.”

Actions:

Jules finds her glow globe easily enough, but as she starts to tinker with it, she realizes that this is no easy fix. Internal mechanism had blown out completely following the EMP blast; they were fried and needed to be replaced. Perhaps frustrated, Jules briefly looks around the room as though the part to fix it would be in there. It was not; however, a glint of something catches her eye.

At first she thinks it might be a rock, but upon closer inspection it clearly was something else. Even though she was only seeing in a monochrome green currently, she was holding a jewel of some sort.

Christmas Gift (finally):

Jules turns the stone over in her hand, trying to get an understanding on what she found. It looked pretty, perhaps it was valuable. She looked forward to seeing it in the light. Yup, I've certainly had enough of this place she thought. Pocketing it and placing the broken glow globe in her pack she returns to Rhone and the two dead creatures.

"Just a little while longer, darling'" she echos to Rhone, an amused smile on her face at the quip as she kneels down and examines the mutants. Jules having been brought up in a penal colony found amusement in the darkest of times. It was a way of keeping sane when things were bleak.

Jules spent a short time examining the bodies; were they mutants or some creature or a mixture of both? They had the same kind of traits; was that usual for mutants, she didn't know. But she was intrigued from a medical point of view.

Actions:

Jules peering over the bodies reveals some insight. If these were mutants, they were remarkably similarly mutated. Larger-than-human eyes sat roughly in the same place as a normal humans', but the skin was much more leathery and wet, as though covered in a thin layer of mucus. The teeth were sharp, like a maw of razors and their hands ended in vicious claws. One of them had an extra appendage that ended in a very sharp claw.

Both wore the coverall fatigues of low-grade workers. Jules recognized it as similar to what penal laborers wore when doing hard manual labor. It seemed to be retrofitted with a hardy substance just under the cloth, which gave them additional protection.

As she runs the auspex over the bodies, faint blips from far away barely register on the screen. They were coming from the direction of Kenji's noodle bar...

"Ah fuck," Jules says as the auspex reads back. She couldn't tell for certain what the auspex was telling her. Were they out of effective range for the device for Mr. Ken's place. It was impossible to tell in this maze. Jules at least knew there was movement back that way.

Standing she grabs Rhones right hand, letting out an audible sigh as she hands over her photo lenses. "There's movement back towards Mr. Kens. Double time solider."

When they move off Jules places her left hand on Rhones shoulder so she can follow. In her right she keeps her pistol ready.

Rhône sat in the darkness, lightly probing the sutured wound on his abdomen. The deep, cutting ache that nagged him with each movement was entirely gone. Damn she was good....

He shook his head and smirked at Jules’ comment. He could detect her amusement in the tone of her voice. This wasn’t the time to let his guard down though. The thought of relying on a civilian was unnerving. As much as Rhone knew he was better tactically suited to keep watch with the aide of the girls’ photo lenses, he kept quiet, allowing her the luxury of vision for the sake of her morale. He would spare her his commanding bark unless it was necessary....besides...considering he wasn’t bleeding out on the floor, Rhone acknowledged he was already racking up debt with the girl.

Before Rhône’s brain could process it, his instincts guided him. He quickly took the photo lenses as they were handed to him. With his vision returning, he quickly picked up the shotgun and reloaded the weapon. Noting the girl’s presence at his back, Rhône took amusement in her last comment.

“Yes ma’m.”

There was a playful tone in his voice. Even in the absence of light, against the unknown, his breathing was steady. There was a macabre calm that surrounded him. With the shotgun at the low ready, he moves forward at a trot, finding a rhythm that Jules can keep up with while she clutches his shoulder.

“Something tells me you’re about as prone to trouble as I am, and that’s saying a lot. Stick close darling....”

You jog back the way you came, covering the distance much faster now that you were both familiar and moving much more quickly. A quick glance at the auspex shows much stronger signals now by the earlier blips. There were a handful of figures definitely moving toward you.

The corridor that leads back to the hole Kenji's men made in the wall should have been where your two paths merged. Instead is alive with the sounds of gunfire. You have no line of sight on anybody, but there are bright flashes of light that go along with gunfire coming from inside of Kenji's animal roost.

Jules pouts at Rhones back as she follows him in the darkness. "I don't go looking for it, thats for sure." she replies. She'd had a rough ride of things though she mused. Trouble definitely did tend to find her and her need to help those less fortunate then her or just to do good certainly didn't help. Her scaring off the gangers threatening violence against Mr. Ken's place evidence enough.

At the sounds of a gun fight are heard Jules tenses up, she'd never seen so much action in such a short a time. She was tough enough and could weather a 'storm' she just didn't hide it at all.

His smirk fades...
His eyebrow quirks....
His jaw goes square......
His eyes narrow as the pupils dilate......

Rhone halts abruptly; his body rigid as he jerks a fist up in the air.  Countless combat patrols and special ops made this action come as second nature.  Identifying danger and keeping those around him safe was like drawing a breath.  He listens momentarily to the unmistakable sounds of small arms fire.  Rhone holds his weapon at the ready position.

Turning his head, the grizzled sergeant locks eyes with Jules.  There was an intensity in his gaze that she had not seen before.  Gunshots were an expectation on the battlefield....not in the basement of a lone noddle bar in the slums of a voidstation on the edge of the halo stars.  

"Seems my luck and your luck are getting along just nicely...."

Jules holds Rhones gaze for a moment and gulps back her nervousness.

She checks her hand-cannon and replaces the bullets spent. Then nods resolutely to Rhone to signal that she is ready. Jules hoped Rhone knew it would be to back him up and not the other way around. She smiles slightly at him in encouragement.

With a grin and a wink, he raises his weapon and begins mouthing the words
Three...
Two..
One.

Jules and Rhone turn from the side corridor and into Kenji's basement/animal roost. There were two bodies on the floor, neither of which were Kenji's workers. Three more of the attackers were huddled around the bottom of the sharp staircase that leads up. One was about to make its way up the stairs while the other two were aiming up to cover, delivering the odd pot shot to keep Kenji's peoples' heads down.

None of them have yet noticed you, much too intent on aiming up.

You have the drop on them.

Spoiler:

Jules went with Rhone on 'one', Kenji's triple barrel shotgun leading the way as she stepped into the roost. She paled slightly at the sight of the invaders to Kenji's domain, combat always ran the risk of her having to use powers she should not.

She was a survivor though and knowing Rhone would surely open up she didn't hesitate, feeling some increased confidence from his presence. It would also give Kenji's people respite and a chance to counter. She had no formal training in combat, but she was a smart cookie. Best to act before they were noticed.

Jules lines up the shotgun, how could she not hit them, takes a brief pause and squeezes the trigger to an almighty triple boom...

Spoiler:

Combat senses kicked in as Rhône rounded the corner. Time slowed to a crawl as the soldier stalked quietly. He noted the girl’s position in his peripheral vision, anticipating her movements and her target.

The duo had the drop on them, which meant for a critical moment, they had control of just how bloody this would get. With a target in sight, all Rhone had to do was squeeze the trigger. Thoughts flooded his mind. Who the hell are they...? Why are they assaulting a noodle bar...? Despite the old man’s generosity, was this Kenji someone they could truly trust considering the endless supply of trouble that seemed to follow him....?

Rhône assessed the situation quickly, but it wasn’t quick enough. Somewhere in between the thought of approaching the enemy from behind and coercing them into surrender, and approaching stealthy with blades drawn and throats slit, came the roar of Jules’ shotgun.....Rhône sighed internally. Having the decision been made for him, his eye zeroed in on his target as he squeezed the trigger of the bolt pistol. The weapon barked.

The body of the intruder on the far left from the mid back up simply disintegrates into red mist, the wall beyond the stairs peppered with bone matter and pellets. The lower half is blown forward as well, adding to the mess.

Spoiler:

Rhone responds with a shot of his own. It goes low, hitting his target in the right leg. They are so close that the bolt doesn't have time to activate and instead explodes into the wall behind. There is a tremendous amount of blood and tissue lost, but the attacker remains standing.

The one making its way up the stairs turns to face the new threat. It levels a short barreled autogun at Jules and begins to squeeze the trigger.

Three pops ring out. Two smacking it straight in the side of the head and the third slapping into its shoulder. It tumbles down the stairs, squeezing the trigger of the autogun and putting a three round burst into the back of the last remaining tango.

In seconds it was over. Hurried footsteps and voices upstairs call out.

"Announce yourself or prepare to meet your fate!"

Rhône’s jaw clenches as he sees the short barreled shotgun bearing down on Jules. Before he could react, he watches with satisfaction and caution as the enemy is dispatched. With his pistol held low, Rhône calls out in response to the voice upstairs.

“Kenji...that you? It’s Rhône and the chicken doctor.”

Jules grimaced as the gun smoke cleared, revealing her messy kill. She felt a little sick in the pit of her stomach at the sight of it. She hoped that he deserved it, it had at least been quick for him.

It had panned out as she'd hoped, the sudden assault had allowed those above to finish off the 'attackers'. As Rhone answered the call from above she set about loading the shotgun. Just in case, although she’d hoped she didn’t need to use it again.

"Rhone? Ha! Sugoi-hitotachi, you two. Mina, get to work! I need that hole patched. Ima ikou!"

Kenji made his way down the stairs cautiously, hand cannon at the low ready until he saw the two and relaxed. He grinned and nodded, then kicked one of the bodies off of the stairs. He had taken a wound to the arm and abdomen along the way, but clearly it was not life threatening. His workers began moving down into the basement area, checking the bodies to make sure they were dead and searching for weapons. It was never more clear that these men had previously been Imperial Guard.

As Rhone and Jules made their way inside, two of the men covered the hole with weapons while two more began welding sheet metal over it. Previous mistakes would not be repeated by this lot.

"I'm starting to think you two might be omens of trouble. It seems to follow you - or perhaps it is the other way around." The big noodle master took a seat on one of the stairs and lit up a lho, offering one to both Rhone and Jules.

He took a big drag, exhaled, and then looked down at the bodies. The faces almost looked human at a glance. While it was dark, the emergency lighting allowed a longer look at their features, and that was all it took. They were clearly not human. Not at all.

"What in the Emperor's holy name are these things?"

Spoiler:

Jules gave Mr. Ken a big smile as he made his appearance, which quickly turned to a look of concern as she saw his injuries.

Her heart then sank a little at his words, she hoped it didn't show. She was and continued to be a 'bad omen' as he put it, although she stayed silent on the matter. Oh for a quiet life she thought.

"We came across similar in the service tunnels" Jules nods back at the hole which was now being welded shut. "I'd guess mutants?"

"Now, we can speak while I tend to your wounds" she quips sternly at Kneji brooking no argument  "they do not look serious, but best to clean them if thats all thats needed."

While she spoke and tended to injuries her head started to swim at the thought of what was to come, she'd need to decide on her next move soon as her stay here, as nice as Mr. Ken was, looked like soon to come to an end. She needed to get off planet.

Spoiler:

Kenji listened intently. Nodding and grunting softly as she spoke - an affirmation that he was actively listening to her. It wasn't a standard Imperial conversational response, speaking again to the planet where Kenji and his people had come from.

"What was down there? What were these mutants after?"

He brokered no argument as she expertly tended his flesh wounds. One had been a claw mark and the other a graze by a small caliber autogun round.

"Bad omen or not, you definitely come in handy, young lady. I greatly appreciate your care." He smiled warmly.

Rhône takes the lho stick with a single nod of thanks to Kenji. Patting the pockets of his BDU trousers, he finally produces a chrome lighter. Mass produced and embroidered rather simply with the sign of the Aquila, he flicks the top with his thumb and lights the lho stick, subsequently taking a deep drag before closing his eyes and contemplating.

Somewhere between full blown coincidence and good ol’ fashioned fate was where Rhône’s beliefs fell. There was a very brief period in his life with the Astra Militarum where It would have been hard for Rhône to wrap his head around the series of “coincidence” that had slapped him in the face the moment he arrived on Port Wander. Years of “coincidence” offered a glimpse into the horrors of the galaxy, and the relentless downpour of “fate” the Emperor dished out. Mutant uprisings, lockdowns, mysterious girls with itchy trigger fingers and a useful set of skills....Rhône finally decided, today was just another day in his eventful existence.

He exhales lho smoke through his nostrils before getting to business.

“Whatever those beady eyed little pricks had planned, they were up to something. An EMP pulse knocked us off our feet. What happened here Kenji?”