Private Perils of Peekablue [Shot Sutaz, Xan Deesa, Venku Bralor]

[Kadora'Tra]

​

Captain Kadora'Tra had become something of a regular to the world of Belazura. It was no surprise that the world belonged by right and deed to Diviak Manfloon along with the rest of his mining union, to all except of course, Luminous Sun and her entertainment enterprises. It did not help matters since the revelation that Zenitha Chuma still lived and possessed a powerful political influence on the working class on the planet ever since she delivered her message and dealt a critical blow to his bureaucratic infrastructure on the planet. Ever since Luminous Sun has made certain her media outlets have been covering the workers walk outs, strikes, and even some rare cases open rioting; it certainly had stalled many of Diviak's primary facilities since taking over the planet. This public pushback lead to some ventures that were more out of the way, more automated and less reliant on increasingly unreliable masses.

Which was why, for whatever reason, Diviak's personal feline employee was sent to Lake Peekablue for a dip beneath the waves.

"I hate this planet." She muttered under her breath in her transport while she looked out of a viewing port. "Ugh," She moaned as she moved to the common room as it landed, where she would be welcomed by the likes of three rather familiar faces...

The first she knew as a cadet, when they were both younger and being tested for life as a CorpSec officer. Shot Sutaz had been a favored candidate second only to herself in the academy. They had a pretty good rivalry going, until the girl unexpectedly flunked out. No one in the Disaffected Youth Program really knew what had happened, other than some rumors about physical disabilities or some kind of disqualifying accident. Kadora'Tra never really cared, and look down on the now freelancing Sutaz for failing in something she excelled at. Nonetheless, the Farghul recognized skill when she saw it, and despite their history the Captain knew she would do well on this mission specifically, given her Nautolan heritage and technical skill.

The other two were more recent to her, contractors she had hired to investigate the bizarre behaviors, disappearance, and reappearance of corporate personnel coinciding with increased criminal activity. They went their separate ways, and the pair actually found an identical mechanical replica of one of themselves, as well as someone carrying her voice during an attack likely made to cover up the tracks of whoever was behind it all. Naturally, this created a bit of tension between them, until it was sorted out that it would be stupid for her to hire them to investigate, only to have them eliminated for discovering the very thing she wanted them to find. They brought back a head, and the data from it, while incomplete and partially corrupted, was still being processed back on Denon. Despite the importance of the mission, Diviak had her temporarily reassigned her to resolve a "critical loss of function" from one his largest alternative mining installations out of the public eye.

"Hey," She waved a hand unenthusiastically towards the trio, lacking much of the aggressive formality she first subjected them to on Denon. They had reached something of an understanding, for at least two of the three. "Alright, let's get this over with." Plucking something from her belt, and then the Farghul youth placed a holoprojector on the table, which began to display the terrain surrounding the ship. It then began to zoom in to a point within the body of water, and began to detail terrain features beneath the water.

"This is a projection of the mining facility Diviak Manfloon set up underneath this lake - Lake Peekablue - and not to bore you with details, it is currently the most profitable in the region, so it's a pretty big deal right now considering the current political landscape of Belazura," She rolled her eyes and put air-quotes around the word political, showing a bit of visual distaste. "Right now it's plain busted." The holoprojection make a quite explosion sound and made the structure dilapidated. "But we don't know why, or how. We just started seeing mining droids washing up on shore and the com tower stopped responding. So... that's where we come in. Hu-ray." She gave an unenthusiastic fist pump into the air.

"We ready, or what?"

Shot Sutaz Xan Deesa Venku Bralor

 

[Shot Sutaz]

Kadora would come to find in the general area of Sutaz...that there is a pile of junk on the beach. All assorted junk, and the Nautolan herself seems to be sifting through the pile, humming a tune to herself. She still looks as athletic as ever, wearing that skintight suit of hers with a white jacket. It's then that she turned about to see Kadora, and those eerie black eyes of hers narrow. Ever since her discharge, Kadora had found herself superior to Sutaz....Who would win in a fight? Who could say, but Kadora was an orphan, and she found a sort of home amongst the cadets. That's why Sutaz never brought up the truth of the incident, what they did with her, or the truth of the corrupt system she was a part of. Kadora was happy, and Sutaz didn't feel she had the right to ruin that. Thus, she kept the dark truth to herself.

However, Kadora's superiority complex did annoy her somewhat. So, she planned to show off with her sheer technical prowess!

"Ah, Kadora....Been a bit." She says, returning the unenthusiastic words. They were both not very eager to serve their corrupt overlords it seems. "Still hate water?" She asks, pulling some random object out of the pile. It looks similar to a grenade launcher. While Kadora tries to brief them on the mission, that Sutaz may have broken into the system to get info on earlier already, the nautolan interrupts Kadora's words by firing off that launcher into the lake.
Her entire briefing was interrupted by a total of two thunking noises as she launched strange orbs off into the sea. Just as Kadora finishes, Sutaz hands her a datapad. "Still bullying Kyle, kitty?" She asks teasingly, handing Kadora one of two datapads, the other one in her own hands.

"These drones are for scouting. I may be good in the water, but it'll do us no good if there's something there that'll grind us into mulch before we can say 'Kadora can't swim'. So, we drive these towards the base, and see hat happens to them. It's no genius scheme, but not everything has to be. Now, assuming direct control." She pulls a wire jack out of somewhere in her mess of tentacle hair, and plugs it into her datapad. Seems she is now able to see what the drone sees. Kadora is stuck using a video feed and an analog stick to drive around. One thing is for certain Kadora, the ability to plug herself in like that? She didn't have that before. Her hands as well, they have lines on the finger joints, almost like gaps in machinery joints, though the hands look realistic other than those faint lines. The Sutaz she knew would have never willingly went this far with cybernetics. What happened to make her do this?

Kadora'Tra Xan Deesa Venku Bralor

 

[Xan Deesa]

Out of all of the recruited people, it could be argued that Xan seemed to take it the least serious. On the beach, merely a few meters away from where the Nautolan was tinkering with the mining droid, was Xan dressed in a bikini. A straw hat protected her face and a pair of sunglasses protected her from the sunlight while the rest of her body tanned on a towel she laid out. The only thing that made it seem like she was actually there to do something was the duffle bag acting as a pillow behind her head. When the ship touched down, she grabbed hold of her hat and shot an annoyed look at the craft as if her employer was supposed to be able to see it through the walls. "Heads up, here's the sour puss." she quipped at Shot, lying back down.

She couldn't argue that she wasn't entirely confident in Kadora's word. Sure it didn't make any sense to try and kill someone and then try to recruit them immediately afterward. But in Xan's eyes she wasn't off the hook yet. She was still a Corpo and theoretically had inside knowledge of the copycat situation she wasn't letting them in on. She also had a bit of spite towards her and CorpSec for blowing up her apartment. At least the wound on her side had healed up... with not even a scar to show the damage dealt in that fight. Genetic manipulation certainly had its perks.

"Why are you in such a rush, sour puss? Come on! Grab a towel, stretch out and catch a breather first. That mining operation isn't going anywhere!" she quipped as she flashed her a snarky grin. Tap-dancing on her buttons was going to be fun on this job. She just hoped Venku shared the same mindset... if he was planning on arriving anytime soon.

Naturally the Farghul was focused on work and Xan listened carefully despite not seeming interested at all. Her eyes opened and she pulled down the sunglasses when Shot spoke up, busting out some convenient droids and tech. "Why can't CorpSec deal with this? I mean... they didn't have an issue putting a missile into my apartment so why is this so hard?" she spoke up as she rose from her comfortable position. "Wait a minute... can you swim?" she asked with a smug grin as she looked down at Kadora.

Shot Sutaz Kadora'Tra Venku Bralor

 

[Venku Bralor]

A sea bird soared through the sky, buoyed by the ocean updrafts and kept aloft by its long slate grey wings. Round and round it went, watching the waters for a sign of its prey. The bird loosed a cry. A three toned shriek that sounded as sharp as the talons it bore. In moments the narrow wings were tucked against the body and the bird shot towards the waves below like a bolt from a blaster. There was barely a splash as it broke the surface, disappearing below. Venku watched the point where the bird hit the water as he descended to the beach. Minutes passed before it surfaced, its slim form escaping the waves with a flap of its wings and a spray of water. A silver fish struggled in its mouth.

Ferns rustled as Venku waided through the kneed high grass. Even without his regular gear, he had no worry about the local flora or fauna. The durable synth weave vambraces would protect his lower legs from the wildlife and his knee length kama, a durable light weight cloth of dusty blue with orange sun bursts radiating from his waist, would keep away anything taller. On and on he walked, stepping over the rocky outcroppings o bus way to the beach. He would have preferred to land on the beach itself, but life in a desert had taught him much. You never landed on loose sand when you didn’t know what was underneath it. It would b just as easy to blow away the loose sand and land in a ten meter hole as it would be to reveal bedrock a little ways below or blow down to a nest of sand vipers or something much worse. No, better to land on solid ground and walk to the beach.

Another fern brushed against the kama, sending the unfamiliar sensation up his spine and to his mind. This is why he always avoided the things. They weighed his hips down and the feeling of items brushing against it and shifting it at his waist always set him one edge. Nonetheless it was best to wear one when using a jet pack. Cresting the hill, Venku found himself staring out over the sandy beach. Ferns and rocks dotted the terrain, but they were nowhere near as plentiful as the ground behind him. Water lapped against the shore, drawing in and pulling out, drawing in and pulling out. Over and over again the cycle repeated. He had to admit, at least the view was nice.

Down he went, the sand rolling and skidding beneath. Experience kept his tail extended behind him, swishing this way and that to keep his balance. A ship descended to the sand, the noise of its engine filtered through his T visor. The helmet and his gauntlets were the only part of his regular gear he had kept. He wanted to swim after all, and all that heavy armor would do was make him sink. Instead he’d opted for a duraplast chest piece and strong flexible boots. He’d foregone pauldrons all together, wanting to have the extra mobility without them. He kept the light weight armor weave and skin suit of course. Without those he’d be defenseless against the pressure and the water.

He could hear the voices of Xan and Kadora’tra and an unknown sentient as he crested the last dune and sped towards them. The first thing he noticed upon approaching the rendezvous was the hulking metal monster washed up on the shore. The machine was huge, sporting a veritable forest of rust and barnacles. Several of what appeared to be legs were ripped apart and a few had even been torn clean off. A purple nautolan was crouched near the dilapidated droid, fiddling with the machinery.

It wasn’t until Venku rounded the hunk of junk that he first saw Xan. From the sound of things, she’d been chewing out the ferghul in her usual manner. Venku ground to a halt, eyes frozen on the bikini clad form before him. Was she sunbathing?

“Hey highlighter, you planning on workin in that?” Of course, the duffel she had her head propped against gave him the answer but he wouldn’t pass up a chance to tease the woman.

Turning to Kadora’tra, Venku held a hand. “I went ahead and brought most of my forensics kit. Not sure how much of it’ll be needed but if this is espionage of any kind there’ll be evidence to find.” He could joke around with Xan as much as he wanted, but when it came down to a job, he always tried to be professional with the client.

Shot Sutaz Kadora'Tra Xan Deesa

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"Ah, Kadora....Been a bit." Shot Sutaz said, and indeed it had been a long time, though she did not lament the absence of someone who had flunked out as a cadet. As far as Kadora'Tra knew, they were all abandoned.

"Still hate water?"

"Do you have any idea how long it takes me to dry?" Kadora'Tra huffed in her defense.

"Still bullying Kyle, kitty?" Kadora'Tra was notably silent to that for a moment, not sure how to measure a response. Kyle as a subordinate, it wasn't bossing him around if what she said were literal commands he was expected to follow, rather than socially enforced. It wasn't like she enjoyed making him miserable, he just made it too easy. She also decidedly did not like being reminded of that all too familiar nick name.

"Why are you in such a rush, sour puss? Come on! Grab a towel, stretch out and catch a breather first. That mining operation isn't going anywhere!" For once the Captain was glad to hear the voice of Xan Deesa to interrupt her potentially bungled response to Shot. She was also not to pleased with this nick name either...

"Time is money, and the longer it sits..." She let the statement hang, the end of it being obvious enough for even Xan to manage.

"Why can't CorpSec deal with this? I mean... they didn't have an issue putting a missile into my apartment so why is this so hard?" Kadora'Tra scowled and gave out a curt hiss to herself as she looked away towards the water of the lake, still rippling from the explosive impact of Shot's grenade launcher.

"I already told you, it wasn't authorized by me, and it didn't make sense to begin with. It's still being investigated," She huffed a bit, and then continued. "CorpSec isn't outfitted to handle edge-cases like these. If we can't shoot it or arrest it, it's generally above our pay grade... except for people like me, of course. So... are we quite done sniping at me?" She looked around as Shot began to fiddle with her technology, messing with things that Kadora'Tra was not used to seeing from Shot. It's been a few years of course, but she had no idea the Nautolan had modified herself like that. Cybernetics were a common facet for Denon citizens, but the Farghul girl had never taken to it. Her own senses were reliable enough for her that she didn't see a need to enhance them. She was better than most by virtue of who she was, and that included what she was.

"These drones are for scouting. I may be good in the water, but it'll do us no good if there's something there that'll grind us into mulch before we can say 'Kadora can't swim'. So, we drive these towards the base, and see hat happens to them. It's no genius scheme, but not everything has to be. Now, assuming direct control." Shot said as Venku Bralor came along.

“I went ahead and brought most of my forensics kit. Not sure how much of it’ll be needed but if this is espionage of any kind there’ll be evidence to find.”

"Thank you both for getting back to-" Xan interrupted one of Kadora'Tra's few moments of gratitude.

"Wait a minute... can you swim?" Kadora'Tra lost her composure for a moment.

"Ugh! Yes I can swim! Any idiot can swim!" Realizing her loss of control, she recomposed herself as she put a helmet over her head.

Spoiler: Scuba Time

"How long will these drones last for before we dive?" The CorpSec Captain tried to change the subject.

 

[Shot Sutaz]

"I forgot how adorable that helmet was." Sutaz says with a wry chuckle. This is bringing back a lot of pleasant memories, ones that are painful to look back upon. Memories of a better time, when she was still more flesh than machine. When Kadora was a friendly rival, perhaps even close to a sister. Now Kodora was none of that. The nautolan actually found herself silent for a moment. She felt it burning in her soul. She missed friendship almost as much as she hated the corporate monsters that were using children to their advantage. CorpSec took it all away, and left her with half her skull missing, and not a single limb, and to top it all off, they covered it up so the few she considered family now considered her less than garbage.

Her silence, and the inner turmoil on her face, is easily noticeable for a moment before she shakes her head. It seems the others had talked while she was brooding, she's snapped back to reality fully by Kadora's question. "We can dive whenever, the drones will last till they're destroyed. Point is that we'll get a video feed of what's destroying them if they do end up getting attacked. That way we'll know how to prepare. The universe is unforgiving, Kadora, so do yourself a favor and never give it the chance to trip you." Sutaz is more cynical, she used to be so happy and chipper, now she sounds like....Kadora.

She's able to drive the drone around with her mind while speaking. It's quite impressive. She wills the drone to propel it's way over to the mining facility, activating the thermal vision to get a look and investigate if there's anything alive down there. "So uh...Kadora, what've you been up to?" She asks, trying to make conversation with her former friend, slightly hoping to perhaps become friends again.

Kadora'Tra

 

[Xan Deesa]

Resting her hands on her hips, she listened to Kadora's explanation of their situation. Sure it didn't make any sense why she would be behind it then invite them along... but pressing her buttons was fun so she didn't see a problem with it. Though when she slipped her diving helmet on, Xan couldn't hold it in. She burst out in laughter for a moment as she tried to recompose herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she tried to apologize with a straight face but simply burst all over again. "Kark me, we gotta find you some better gear." she quipped as she rubbed at her eye. Thankfully Venku finally arrived, helping her to get out of the groove of giving Kadora crap.

She shot him a smirk with narrowed eyes as she looked him over, lightly pushing out her hip with her hand on her waist. "Wasn't planning on it. But I can make a plan if you're enjoying the view." she quipped with a wink before finally giving a genuine smile. "Good to see you again, whiskers. Though you're making my life a lot harder now. I'm gonna have to distribute my joke arsenal between both of you now." she joked as she glanced at him and Kadora. She finally got serious for once and fell quiet as she suited up. A simple armourweave diving suit with a helmet containing a rebreather. Her flippers were set aside along with her helmet as she turned to glance at the rest.

Soon enough the urge built up again and Xan couldn't stop herself. "So Kadora, is CorpSec gonna pay for my new place or compensate me for the damage? My stuff wasn't exactly cheap, you know..." she asked as she slipped her aviators back on with a smirk.

Shot Sutaz Kadora'Tra Venku Bralor

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"I forgot how adorable that helmet was."

"We can dive whenever, the drones will last till they're destroyed. Point is that we'll get a video feed of what's destroying them if they do end up getting attacked. That way we'll know how to prepare. The universe is unforgiving, Kadora, so do yourself a favor and never give it the chance to trip you."

"So uh...Kadora, what've you been up to?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Kark me, we gotta find you some better gear."

"Wasn't planning on it. But I can make a plan if you're enjoying the view."
"Good to see you again, whiskers. Though you're making my life a lot harder now. I'm gonna have to distribute my joke arsenal between both of you now."

"So Kadora, is CorpSec gonna pay for my new place or compensate me for the damage? My stuff wasn't exactly cheap, you know..."

"It is not adorable! It is perfectly functional!" She protested the laughter, grateful for the thin fur over her body masking the rising heat in her face. Her body had a stiff posture, and her tail whipped around in agitation. Although she was not exactly good at controlling her emotions, she hated the fact her tail acted as a tell even when she did have her emotions in check (at least facially). Though, this would only be a tell for those familiar to her, as strangers would think nothing of it if they thought of her at all. There were not many Farghul on Denon, and although she knew of at least one other feline in the form of Venku the Togorian, they were distinctly different from one another.

"Thanks for the tip," Kadora'Tra replied to Shot Sutaz once Xan Deesa 's laughter died down. The CorpSec Captain pointedly looked away once Xan started commenting on her body, distracting herself by collecting a device that looked very much like a jetpack or oxygen supply. Shot decided to make small talk.

"Dealing with insurgents, and taking care of Lonnie. One of our ops went bad and she was banged up, she's a tough Trandoshan, though." Kadora'Tra said factually, careful not to allow much emotion to bleed through. Then Xan piped up about her apartment again.

"Well must not have been too expensive to keep it all in such a dump. I'll wire 5 Vouchers to you later in the week if you've been on your best behavior." Kadora'Tra allowed herself to smile teasing the contracted criminal.

"Alright slackers, I've acquired some extra Jet-Packs in case any of you neglected to bring your own, they'll help us zip around to where we need to go beneath the waves. Let's get started, yes?" She said, distributing or not based on need. She then waited at the water, seemingly waiting for everyone else to take the first dip, her tail wagging in irritation despite her haughty face.

Venku Bralor

 

[Shot Sutaz]

"Things can be adorable and functional, Kadora." She nautolan states with a slight smirk on her purple colored lips. Patting Kadora on the syhoulder, he gaze turns to Xan. This is her first time running into this person, but it's certainly not a displeasure. "Lots of Neon colors there, you sure like to be flashy. Name's Shot Sutaz." She approaches Xan, offering her hand for the fellow sentient to shake. It's then that she hears what happened to Lonnie, and the tentacles on the back of her head shiver in reaction to that info, causing her to look back at Kodora. "Lonnie got hurt? That's terrible." Sutaz sighs. "I quite miss Lonnie. She's a good listener, it was always nice to vent to her..." Not that Kadora would know. She's not the venting sort.

Turning her gaze back to Xan, she smiles her ever charming smile. Wasn't always so charming, Kadora would remember. She didn't always have looks, but she certainly grew up to have both looks and curves. Offering her hand to Xan once again, she chuckles. "Sorry, I got distracted. I'll be one of the tech specialists on this job." After greeting Xan, he gaze returns to Kadora. "I already have jets installed in my feet. So don't worry about me. I'm uh...more machine than when we last met. That's all I'll say." It doesn't seem like it was a voluntary choice. There's a tinge of sadness in her words.

All while talking, she's still controlling the drone in her head, having them investigate the lake. Does anything happen? Does she manage to get eyes on anything concerning?

Kadora'Tra Venku Bralor Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan let out a scoff at the Farghul's comment on her apartment but kept quiet for the most part. That was until Shot came and introduced herself. "It's a great conversation piece. Plus it's handy when I'm looking for my datapad in the evening." she joked as she reached out to give Shot's hand a firm shake. "Xan Deesa. I'm just here to make jokes at the kitties' expense." she quipped as she flashed her a wink. "Though I'm something of a tech girl, myself." she continued as she glanced at Kadora.

Immediately her hand went up when the Farghul offered jetpacks and strapped one onto her back. The controls vambrace was clamped around her forearm and she ran a quick check of the systems. With everything set she glanced at the others and then at Kadora. "Oh relax, kitty. You know what that one chocolate bar says. Have a break..." she spoke calmly as she paced around, but suddenly gave Kadora a hard bump to the backside with her hip to send her falling into the waves. "Wire five vouchers, yeah right." she grumbled under her breath as she clipped her gun belt around her waist and started to walk into the waves as well. "Alright kiddies let's get moving! Shot, you see anything down there? I might look like a snack but I definitely don't wanna get my leg chomped off by a shark or something." she asked her as she waded into the water.

When she was finally beneath the waves, she gave her suit and jetpack another look and started up its systems. A happy giggle came from her comms as she zipped around with the jetpack under the water. With her fun over and her control over the jetpack established, she relaxed and simply floated in place as she waited for the rest to catch up. "Yo furball, you good?" she asked Venku as she drifted in the water... though the comment might cause some confusion given the other addition to the joke pile.

Venku Bralor Kadora'Tra Shot Sutaz

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"Things can be adorable and functional, Kadora."
"Lonnie got hurt? That's terrible." Sutaz sighs. "I quite miss Lonnie. She's a good listener, it was always nice to vent to her..."

"I already have jets installed in my feet. So don't worry about me. I'm uh...more machine than when we last met. That's all I'll say."

"Oh relax, kitty. You know what that one chocolate bar says. Have a break..." she spoke calmly as she paced around, but suddenly gave Kadora a hard bump to the backside with her hip to send her falling into the waves. "Wire five vouchers, yeah right." she grumbled under her breath as she clipped her gun belt around her waist and started to walk into the waves as well.

Kadora'Tra rolled her eyes as she waited for everyone to just get in the water, suppressing the need to respond to every little insult hurled towards her choice of attire. She nodded towards Sutaz, acknowledging her concern for their mutual acquaintance. At the mention of her cybernetics however, while it wasn't visible under her donned helmet her ear twitched a bit. Cybernetics were a fairly easy commodity to come by on Denon, especially among the rich and powerful like Diviak Manfloon, Larz Blackheart, and Marlene Starlight. There were always cheaper brands and surgeons who catered to lower incomes, and in many cases weren't even considered luxuries in most of civilized space. Yet somehow, Sutaz did not seem to be exactly proud of her alterations.

She didn't get much time to ponder at it before Xan said something stupid inane and-

"Gah, queen! I was going in last! Ugh," Frustrated that she was splashing in the water like a fool already, she decided to just own it and started her swim cursing quietly in the comms. She kept a steady pace before Xan started blasting through the water like a right maniac, as expected from the neon half-cracked glowstick.

The drones were far ahead of them, observing the lake floor as fishes and eels and every variety of aquatic wildlife flowed throughout. As they became closer to the dig-site, however, the fish and other wildlife became... extremely sparse. Then, while the team was still swimming from the edge of the lake, the drones picked up on a deep rumbling frequency echoing through the water, inaudible except to those with an exceptional hearing range (i.e., the two felines and perhaps those with cybernetic auditory augmentation).

"Yo furball, you good?"

"Yes, I'm good. Do any of you hear that too?" Kadora'Tra responded whether or not it was meant for her.

Venku Bralor , Xan Deesa , Shot Sutaz

 

[Venku Bralor]

The ocean was cold, a bone deep chill that would quickly suck the warmth from any skin it touched. Venku didn't feel the cold, as he swam beside Kadora. His skinsuit and armorweave protecting him from the icy depths. Around them, the ocean teamed with life, brightly colored fish darting through the coral. Each flash of color and flicker of movement drew his eyes, and it wasn't long before the togorian was lost in his surroundings, studying the environment around them.

It's as the brightly colored fish and large growth of coral began to dwindle that Xan first spoke, "Yo furball, you good?" It takes him a moment to answer, to absorbed in watching a pair of eels chase each other through a pockmarked stone. "What? Oh, yeah. Still hard to believe there's so much water and life in places like this." Even now, years after he had left the desert, he was still there, roaming the vast dunes of sand and siphoning water from the slightly damp sands that protected it from the burning heat. In the distance, there is a noise. The deep rumble of a far off beast. "I hear it alright."

______________________

The ocean, it turned, was much like the desert. It had been a long time since they had left the thriving coral reefs. Now, sand dunes and cliffs stretched as far as the eye could see. It was boring, and monotonous. Not even the sheer scale of water could distract him.

His jet pack bursts to life and Venku is sent darting forward, twisting in a tight spiral as he went. "ughhh..... And here I thought a planet full of water would look different than home." Venku groans as his jet pack slows and he waits for the others to catch up.

_____________________

There is something in the waters. It is nothing but a shadow on the cameras, a flicker in the distance, the hint of some enormous form hidden in the sandy shadowed waters of the deep ocean. It is dark, and the only light is that of the few weak rays filtered through thousands of gallons of water and reflected and strengthened as best as the camera can.

In the distance, something warbles and clicks. A cold sound, deep and almost silent. At a pitch that none should be allowed to hear. IT calls through the waves, a long low warble and the quickened clicking, almost like the sound of clashing blades.

There are monsters in the deep, in the sun baked heart of the shifting desert. There are monsters in the towering dunes and twisting paths of the canyons. And the ocean is no different. Venku whispers a silent prayer to his ancestors. To protect him from this monster, this hidden threat that lurks beyond his sight. And he answers. "It's closer, now. Manda help us if we ever run into it."

Xan Deesa Kadora'Tra Shot Sutaz

 

[Shot Sutaz]

As they get deeper into the depths, Sutaz is definitely the most acclimated to be here, eyes able to see perfectly fine in the darkness of the water. Her aquarian instincts are running a million miles a minute as she swims alongside the rest. She's quite adept at it, being of her amphibious kind. She uses the small water jets on her feet to spin about in the water as they investigate, keeping an eye on all angles in preparation for ambush predators of any kind. That was the biggest danger in the darkness of the sea.

Her lips form into a frown of concern as they get closer to the dig site. Sparse wildlife. Too sparse, even for a dig site that's harmful to the environment. No dead plants or coral of any sort. Just sand. Too much sand. One thing the rest may have noticed is that she brought something, a case strapped to her back. They would discover what it is when something sends her instincts into overdrive. In the water, as a nautolan, she can hear it all. Specifically sonar. She can't hear it as well as she likes however.

One of the tendrils atop her head opens up similar to a flower, with a blue light in the middle. It seems to be a scanner of some sort, picking up frequencies and noises they would otherwise not pick up. She can hear it, warbling and clicking. They're in it's territory, and it doesn't like that. Her mind on overdrive, the nautolan's first instinct, as it always has been when she's present, comes into play. Keep Kadora safe. She instantly swims to her ex friend's side, a tendril on the back of her head pulling open that leather case. She pulls out what seems to be a harpoon, with some technical upgrades, like a launch system so it bursts forward like a rocket when thrown.

Her right hand takes one of the harpoons, handing it to Kadora before drawing her own, and gently placing her free hand on the Farghul's shoulder. Her voice, it's a tone Kadora has heard before, from the good old days. Slightly scared, but extremely protective. In those dire situations when all they had to depend on was eachother. "Stay close to me, Kadora. Please." Then she continues on to speak to the others. "You, cat number two, and neon girl, the one that really does look like a snack, grab a harpoon. We aren't alone."

Kadora'Tra Venku Bralor Xan Deesa

 

[Xan Deesa]

Blasting through the water, Xan had the time of her life. She admired the reefs and swam with some of the fish around them, or tried to at the very least. Regardless, she was enjoying every bit. Listening to Kadora's grumbling was also rather amusing. She remained quiet for the most part, however. Even as they moved past the corals and into the depths where nothing resided, she chose to observe.

Her attention was drawn to a faint sound in the water, but only after the others mentioned it. She strained herself to hear it, but it was clearly there. "Hearing something, I think." she muttered as she swam beside the rest of the group. Shot seemed prepared and drew a case containing harpoon launchers for them all from her back. Xan swam over and took one for herself, looking it over as she drifted around in the water. She smirked at Kadora when she drifted overhead, upside down with her face beside the Farghul's. "|You heard your boss, Kitty. Rather hang back." she quipped with a snicker before swimming off. "And Shot, if you keep that up, I might just make sushi out of ya later." she teased as she flashed the Nautolan a wink.

With her desire to taunt sated for now, she checked her weapon once more as well as her pistol before looking around. Her eyes glowed as low-light vision turned on. IT certainly wasn't hardcore military grade implants, but they did a fantastic job for organic eyes.

Unfortunately she couldn't see any contacts in the water. "Anyone brought sonar along or something? A way to pinpoint what's around us in the water?" she asked as she drifted around, checking all around them. This was why she hated helmets. Too stifling. No way to see around her. At least she was trained to look all around her. Whether it be underwater or in space. Swimming past Venku, she gave him a light bump on the shoulder. "Didn't take you for a religious type." she quipped as she drifted overhead.

Shot Sutaz Venku Bralor Kadora'Tra

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"I hear it alright."

"It's closer, now. Manda help us if we ever run into it."

"Stay close to me, Kadora. Please."

"You, cat number two, and neon girl, the one that really does look like a snack, grab a harpoon. We aren't alone."

"Hearing something, I think."

"You heard your boss, Kitty. Rather hang back." she quipped with a snicker before swimming off. "And Shot, if you keep that up, I might just make sushi out of ya later." she teased as she flashed the Nautolan a wink.

"Anyone brought sonar along or something? A way to pinpoint what's around us in the water?"

Kadora'Tra's eyes glinted through the waters, trying to make out movement unsuccessfully. It seemed that almost everyone had heard what she did, and a foreboding sense of nervousness seemed to coalesce around them. It was admirable to see that they all seemed to keep spirits high regardless of the ominous noise she picked up on.

Annoyingly, Shot was seemingly overly concerned about her well being, as if she were some incapable kitten. She groaned and rolled her feline eyes as Xan predictably poked fun at her. This time, she decided she had something to say.

"Try shouting in the water Xan, I bet your mouth is wide enough to catch something." Feeling a bit peeved off for no real reason, the feline kicked her feet harder and swam a bit away from the group. She realized her mistake too late, as a massive tentacle seemed to take hold of her and drag her fast enough through the water she let go of her harpoon gun. Quickly feeling the constriction across her midsection she let out an involuntary scream as her companions appeared to leaving her very very fast.

Xan Deesa Venku Bralor Shot Sutaz

 

[Shot Sutaz]

Sutaz chuckles a bit. "Make sushi out of me? I'd prefer if you took me out for sushi instead." She quips back, still sticking close to her feline friend. The single tentacle that's scanning for danger begins blinking rapidly. "I'm using a sonar scanner right now and it's...." Her lighthearted expression changes to a concerned frown. Shot spots Kadora swimming away and gestures for her to come back. "It's picking up chatter. Kadora, don't leave my side, if we're in a group, whatever it is will be more hesitant to-"

That's when it happened, the tentacle grabs Kadora, and Sutaz screams. "NO!" It's a scream of pure anguish and fear as she instantly bursts into action. The hydro jets on her feet go full throttle within the span of a split second as she boosts after her friend, harpoon drawn in her hand and ready to slash. Using velocity to her advantage, she moves in an arc, going upwards and then boosting down like a bullet. The harpoon has a long blade, able to be used for slashing in a pinch, which is exactly what she does when she attempts to make impact with the tentacle. If successful, her high velocity would allow her to chop right through the tendril, severing it. If the strike hits it's mark, she sticks a leg out to pivot herself, turning instantly to grab Kadora in her arms and jet as fast as possible back to the other two before whatever is down there can retaliate.

"Mando, do something scary and deadly to the tentacle thing! You guys are good at that!" She yells as she arrives back at the group. As she arrives, she shoves Kadora out of her arms so she ends up drifting above the group, protected from what's in the depths. She then turns about, taking a magnetic plasma charge from her hip pocket and sticking it to the harpoon before she throws it in the direction that tentacle came from. The jet on the back of the harpoon activates, and it boosts off into the depths. Soon after, whether the harpoon hits the beast or not, it explodes, lighting up the darkness below with a medium sized cloud of burning blue light, hopefully grilling the beast. "GET COOKED YOU CEPHALOPOD FUCK." She howls. Kadora, you haven't ever seen Sutaz this pissed.

Xan Deesa Venku Bralor Kadora'Tra