The Assassin's unexpected Prize (closed)

Jack just merely listened as she spoke, her words bringing back a fresh wave of his own memories, and more then once he found himself shaking his head, while he couldn’t call himself a “warrior” it surprised him, even here in the deepest part of space, to hear that same old human story, strife, grief and struggling, and he could easily sympathize with her plight as he too now found himself cut adrift with no purpose, no meaning to his life now. He was like this station, floating free, cut from his moarings to leave drifting with no path. “Heh…………yeaaaa” he grumbled “I can understand that, sadly I can” he couldn’t completely hide the bitterness and sorrow in his voice as they worked “Fighting arenas huh? Any prizes? Or money?” he seemed to perk at that some, maybe a good fight was what he needed, so many decades asleep and he felt dull, he felt like he’d changed and lost an edge, while Taylanna and then the monkey thing had put a serious dent in his ego and his belief in his abilities, he’d always been a fighter, he’d get knocked down, but maybe this was his chance to get back up”

“hmmmm, think I’d be interested in seeing this………arena….” He smiled, that cocky grin he’d come out of cryo with back on his face, his mind working quickly as he now had something to be able to focus on
 
Yeah we can take a few to look them.over.

She shrugged.

Been a little while since I fought in one.

She smirked St that thought.

Yeah too long.
 
“Well……… I guess lead the way?” Jack said matter of factly “not like I am inclined to go traipsing around this place by myself? He muttered as he looked around the dismally lit area. “so what kind of currency do they trade in out here? cause its not like ive got any kind of money on me, we were instructed about that before we were put into stasis, if we ever encountered another sentient species.” He followed her as they took what they’d found to her ship and he looked it over, wasn’t huge, but wasn’t smallish either, Storing what they’d found he sighed “the fight pits pay? Maybe ill get lucky”
 
Yeah they pay.

She shrugged. As she introduced the AI to him.

Carvagio Jack... Jack Carvagio

The floating head and partial torso flickered on.

Greetings Jack. New recruit?... Welcome. What's that I heard about fight pits. Well I hope some of this stuff will fix the medical computers and devices if you are determined to fight again Taylanna.

She just grumbled and shrugged.

Not like I can get paid to kill anyone anymore.
 
Jack froze and looked at the………….thing…….she introduced him to, blinking several times before he straighted “Im just gunna call you Carve……..think that fits….” He quipped as he followed Tay through the ship, taking stock of what she was dealing with, his eyes moving rapidly as he took it all in, obvious battle damage, ramshackled and strewn together patches of wiring, Greetings Jack. New recruit?... He spared a side long glance at Carvagio “ahhh…….yea, you could say that, “ he muttered as he continued to look around the ship, touching panels and fingering loose wiring, his eyes never cease moving as they make their way to what he presumed was the cockpit he was about to ask a question when he heard the AI inquire about fixing medical equipment and her presumed luck with the fighting pits and looked back at her with a half smirk about to ask a smartass question when her words halted him Not like I can get paid to kill anyone anymore

“Wow………” Jack muttered, flopping down in a highbacked seat and looked to her “Yea, that makes two of us, I used to be a Merc out of Los Angelas, Bounty Hunter, was pretty good at it too until the Government outlawed it and starting to shift resources into building the colony ships, then all I could find was security detail work, boring shit lemme tell yea, “ he sighed wearily as he closed his eyes “I could use a good fight, after a century or so we think, asleep, and just seeing you and that Gorilla of a male something tells me I’ll need the practice, a new edge, perhaps my genetic alterations could be of use “ he hadn’t meant to let that slip, but just hearing her words had triggered old memories of his days as a Bounty Hunter, and he followed the memories back to his present state, blinking to clear his mind “alright, so, you’ll have to teach me how to fly”
 
She was already waist deep in a panel in the wall working.

Car... Did that fix that gravity flux?

Carvagio turned from listening to Jack and moved closer to her pausing.

Anomaly repaired. Nebula gravity systems back within proper parameters. Our new crew member wishes to learn to fly. I am assuming he means to fly the ship as he is strangely lacking any ability to fly on his own. System scan complete. A single blood... Cryogenically reawakened... Is our new recruit... Salvage?
 
Jack half payed attention as Taylanna and AI spoke, continuing to take in the ship as he wandered, watching her work silently, but the unfamiliar controls may have just been written in gibberish, he wasn’t able to made head’s nor tails of the system schematics or any discernable language patterns, with a sigh he just continued to watch her put stuff back together until that damned machine spoke again System scan complete. A single blood... Cryogenically reawakened... Is our new recruit... Salvage? Jack jerked like he’d been boot stomped and stood ram-rod straight “Wait a tick, did you just scan me? And Fuck no I aint nobodies salvage pal, and how the hell could you tell I was in Cryo? What, was it fuckin painted on my forehead or something” he absently rubbed at his forehead like there was something there, growling he caught himself “what else you capable of doing you tin can? Can you make Coffee?, cause im fixing on turning your ass into a Coffee Pot” he growled, being called Salvage just irked him “she found me wandering the station” he lied “Decided to take me on board and give me a hand”
 
Trace chemicals within the body say otherwise. Coffee is always ready in the cantina... Fourth floor. My job before and after the luxury ship was turned into a war ship was to analyze and maintain the health reports for all on board as well as run entertainment or training simulations and food preparation. The fact that you are a single blood also reveals cryo as there have been no single bloods for...

A pause before it spoke again.

The last single blood ceased to exist exactly 94 years 8 months two weeks and three days ago and now there is you.

She just sat back smirking watching and listening to the exchange.
 
It took only a few quick seconds to Jack to grow tired of the AI, he never had a like for them back on earth and now just something about this one gave him an instant migraine. He only half listened as it explained how it how scanned him, the coffee, his job, yadda yadda yadda yadda, Jack growled as the thing finally seemed to stop talking “Don’t you have a Mute button droid?” he practically snarled, however the droids next words stopped him in his tracks as the fucking thing confirmed the hesitations he’d been having since first awakening, he’d been trying to find a Chronometer he could cypher and decrypt The last single blood ceased to exist exactly 94 years 8 months two weeks and three days ago and now there is you And for what seemed to be the umpteenth time since he’d awakened jacks body sagged and he found himself sitting on his ass, not even realizing he’d collapsed to the floor “……….9………..9………98 years………onboard clock was right……….” He said, deadpan “98 years, all 22 billion,in 98 years, after millions of years of survival and evolution, and 98 years in stasis and theyre gone…all of them…….” He stared unblinking at the wall, faced again with stark reality and his mind reeled, Jack scrubbed his face and just let his body fall back to the floor plating beneath him exhaling hard “jesus, you only just found me so I know you couldn’t have programed that piece of shit to just say that, fuck…………..FUCK” he slammed his fists against the deck plate as he sat up, then hissed and brought his hand to his lips as his blood welled from a jagged cut across the back of his hand “well………..that fucking hurt……What now, Captain……” jack wasn’t able to keep the Sarcasm out of his voice
 
If I can ever finish these repairs and you let Carvagio heal your hand we can check out the fight pits.

She grumbled as she tackled the next repair job and Carvagio motioned him over to a console and some medical equipment to repair the cut on his hand.
 
Jack cursed as he got off his ass and followed the damn droid, he allowed the droid to fix and stitch up his hand, requiring 6 stitches for the gash he’d so idiotically gouged into his hand when he hit the floor plating. Sighing after his hand was bandaged he set about helping her repair, not completely helpless he was able to look deeper into the wiring and pinpoint other inconsistencies hidden behind other issues, or buried in the darkness of the low light because of his enhanced vision to get quiet a bit fixed, the other stuff he kept his yap shut and listened as she explained, but mostly he just acted as additional muscle to get things put back into place, taking the time to study and piece together what he could as she explained the in’s and outs of her ship. What seemed like days later he flopped into the pilots chair beside hers, greasy and covered in sweat as he panted “so, whats next” he tapped a few buttons “life supports at 84% far better then it was I think, propulsions patched now that you found that fuel leak and rewired the initiators, defenses, guidance should be realigned if im reading this right…..” he muttered “still trying to figure out this interface dialect, at least on earth by the time our ships launched we had Direct Neural interface for most systems, “ he rolled back the sleeve of his left arm, and tapped the wrist band he’d been wearing, a small patch of skin shimmered and a small input jack appeared on his forearm
 
She sat back looking over a few screens and shrugged.

Don't know anything about any of that just that Carvagio has been with this ship since it was built and has probably forgotten more of it's history than anyone should ever know. You still wanna test out the fight pits or wander space for a while?
 
Jack sat back ,staring out the viewport as he listened. Turning his head he let go a weary sigh, stiffling a yawn and nodding "yea, i dunno if it sounds strange to you but i need a fight, like i said, i know now im seriously outclassed, and a chance to hone and refresh my abilities would be welcome, Ive only ever been good at two things in my miserable life, Fighting, and shooting, now a 100 years later im lacking in both when i was at the top of my game" he stopped talking, looking over to the holographic AI, studying him before he turned back to the women "But, youre the captain, so up to you really, im just cargo *he laughed, but now his voice held a teasing edge to it, and not as much bitterness to it as if finally accepting the situation for what it was

"So tell me about these pits, the kind of people, errr.....creatures, who fight, in them, the rules of the game, that kinda thing, i think im gunna need every advantage i can get for the minute"
 
Frankly you are crew.

She laughed.

Carvagio... Classify him as security officer. As for the pits don't go through any green doors they are to the death and normally nonhumanoid.

She laughed at the mental image of him fighting or trying to fight a Stenak stone soul.
 
don't go through any green doors they are to the death and normally non-humanoid. Jack’s head tilted considering, then after a few minutes he shook his head, deciding to heed that particular warning for the minute, he sighed, watching as she broke down into a giggling fit and he arched a brow at her, crossing his arms as he looked offended “and just whats so funny giggles? Imagining my head getting chopped off?” his voice held a mock serious tone as he tried to look offended at her laughter, shaking his head “I may be rusty, but give me some time, ill show you being human isn’t the worst thing in the world” As they set course they chatted amiably, listening as more of the past 100 years was explained to him, ship functions, the intermittent quip by the AI, and they prepped food and ate. As the hours waned Jack followed the AI to a room and settled in, while he really wasn’t tired he’d just felt the need to be alone for a while with his thoughts, instead deciding to workout, before cryo he’d always found working out to help focus his mind, needing to find out how much his body had fatigued while he slept he pushed himself hard for the next 2 hours, pushups, situps, and other rigorous positions and maneuvers he’d finally crawled into the bunk, sweating, panting hard he cursed. He felt slower, at least to himself, his movements felt sluggish yet, maybe the fighting pits would be good for him he pondered.
 
I do not think our young crew member is handling his situation well Taylanna.

Carvagio chatted as she continued to work on some panels and roam around to see if any new parts of the ship had sprung to life.

Not surprising after all he is a single blood who sleep through what 8 massive wars... Several territorial combat decades and the end of his single blood brethren. I am sure he will figure it out but for now... Medical protocol system should be back to normal and I am gonna get some sleep. Stay alert in case he needs to talk.
 
Jack slept hard, everything finally catching up to him, he began to toss and turn, twitching, sometime later he woke up in a sweat, panting hard as his eyes shot around he sat up, running his hand through his hair as he panted for breath, he looked up as the door swished open and the AI floated in, and Jack just glared at it for a moment, sitting back against the bulkhead “what do you want, I was sleeping” he muttered, the AI just looked at him a minute no, you weren’t, I detected elevated stress levels and breathing Jack glared at the damn nosey machine “I was just having a bad dreams“ he rubbed his face again, and get up from his bunk, throwing his shirt on he sighed, running his hand through his hair he walked past the AI and out into the halls he spent some time walking the decks, occasionally stopping nad finding something he could do pull ups on, trying to fatigue himself, but it didn’t seem to work, eventually he found himself back in his co pilot’s seat, the cockpit dark, set for night mode he stared out at the stars, just letting himself drift
 
Taylanna walked down to the bridge and spotted him.

Can't sleep?

Flopping down into her seat she tapped a couple of buttons and took control of nav from Carvagio.
 
Can't sleep? Jack didn’t know how much time had passed, his eyes had grown unfocused as his thoughts turned again inward, just letting his mind drift across the stars he had been staring at. Blinking several long moments as her words finally seemed to penetrate whatever haze he’d been in, he looked at her, still blinking before he rubbed his eyes and looked at here again “uhh………yea………” he stammered, blinking as he looked down at the console before him, running his hand over it, brushing away unseen dust “Yea, “ he said again. Unable to even bring his thoughts to order to form a coherent sentence it would seem he sighed, several long minutes passed as he just stared at the console but not really seeing anything “I guess……I dunno……..i just cant seem to put it into words, too much sensory overload maybe, “ he spoke quietly, blinking again rapidly before he took in a deep breath, his whole body moving with it before he exhaled, “went to sleep yesterday, wake up today and everything has changed, ive never followed orders well, but I always had a sense of where I was going in my life, and now im sitting on the bridge of a ship with an alien who is deadlier then I used to be, “ he scrubbed his face “I guess its all just sinking in finally, “ he lifted his hands, looking at them, flexing them again and again as he turned them over, then rested them intertwined his fingers together and rested them on his stomach as he sat back “I guess I just need to find a new direction”
 
Look... You are like us... So... We need more crew... Seems like a good of a direction as anything else.

She shrugged.

Could take you to the edge of the civilized empires and you might find some cushy job and life there.
 
Jack just looked at her, silent for a long time as he listened to her speak, he found himself turning to look back out the view port as the stars rolled by, it was some time before he glanced back over at her, running his fingers over the holo-console as he called up the star maps, pulling up an incomplete Star map of the Sol system, Earth, and he looked at it, “Cushy job?” he laughed bitterly as he stared at the holo view of earth, “Cushy job never sat well with me in my life time, I don’t suspect it would fit me well now a 100 years later.” He smiled and turned off the display, licking his lips as he sat back, “even on earth I was an outlaw of sorts, I don’t follow rules, never could, fighting is all ive ever known, maybe I can find purpose here again, maybe I cant. “ he smirked as he looked at her “ive got nothing to lose, and everything to gain from where I sit. So, you lead, ill watch your tight ass, hows that sound?”
 
Brow raised again more ancient human words lost on her as she shrugged.

Carvagio... We have a new crew member
 
It took a few days before they reached the station, Jack said little during their trip and continued to push himself and his body, working out till he was exhausted, but every morning he woke he felt stronger, the tightness of his body seemed to finally loosen, and he felt his arms and legs tighten up, his movements became more fluid, he found open space in a cargo bay, closing his eyes he recalled his old training routine, a mix of Multiple styles of martial arts, he was jerky at first, but soon the muscle memory came back. A few hours in, covered in sweat he moved across the cargo bay, eyes still closed as he jumped, dodged, imaginary punches and kicks, flipping off the walls, twirling and twisting in mid air coming to land on his feet. Panting hard, his chest heaving he listened, the flow of the air, the white noise of the ship. Finally he opened his eyes, looking at his hands, clenching and unclenching them, a small smirk twisting his lips “what is it Carvagio” Jack spoke softly, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the cargo bay entrance, he reached down and picked up his shirt, using it to wipe off his chest before he slipped it back on
 
Carvagio floated over to him.

For a single blood... even enhanced as you appear to be you are becoming better at your chosen styles. Perhaps you could access the former training files from when this was a warship?

Carvagio floated around him his head tilted briefly.

I would not recommend any beyond perhaps level 2 but it is something we ca speak with Taylanna about?
 
“becoming better” jack snorted, then laughed shaking his head “I used to be a top paid Bounty Hunter, at least against other humans rarely was anyone ever a challenge for me, now, a century later I find myself behind the curve, im out of shape “ he ran his hands through his hair, looking around “Training files huh?” jack grew quiet for a bit, thinking as he just watched the AI float around him “yea, why not, lead the way “ he said, following Carvagio through the halls and into an empty room, looking around he spied a Terminal built into the wall opposite himself, Moving to it at the Ai floated about he tapped the controls, the screen waking it scoured through everything “huh, you weren’t kidding, Weapons training, combat, piloting, there’s a ton of programs in here huh..” Jack said in amusement, while Earth’s technology was far from being this proficient they’d at least had holo rooms, rudimentary compared to the quality he’d seen so far in all the new tech since he’d awakened “no higher then a level 2 huh?” he looked to the quiet AI, before turning back to the panel, cycling through a few programs he called up a weapons training one, reading through the file he tapped it again, a soft shimmer and hum he turned, a table now sat before him, weapons of a design he’d never seen before laid out and it peaked his interest, walking to the table he examined what lay before him. Curious he reached out, laying his hand on a rifle, running it smoothly over the curved metal before he picked it up, impressed at how real it felt compared to what he’d trained with.

“Impressive” he said, looking it over, turning the weapon up, down, around, trigger, scope, power cell, weapon function switches he hoisted it to his shoulder, getting a feel for it, gazing down the scope as he aimed around the room then set it down, his eyes going to the blasters he smiled more, he’d preferred blasters in his old life, usually more accurate if tuned properly, lighter he could draw and fire faster then most, he choose a pair of Sleek Looking pistols, light for their size he was impressed, twirling them, and spinning them back and forth as he felt their weight, how well balanced they were. He stepped from the table, pistols’s lowered to his side as he let his head fall forward, a deep breath out and his body relaxed, “Begin Program” he said, hands flexing on the pistols as he felt the air shimmer, heard noises as the room came alive, and he stayed motionless, concentrating on the foot falls, heard the hum and charge of their weapons, he’d programed 15 targets, all various sizes and races, curious to see what he’d be up against. Then heard felt the air behind him stir and he moved, flipping forward from his standing position his foot caught the creatures hand, sending the things gun flying, tucking into a roll with his momentum he came to his knees, spun and fired, the creatures head exploded and Jack’s eyes finally opened, a brow arched the room shifting as obstacles formed around the room, as the dead body faded away a new creature appeared taking its place, 1 down, 14 to go,.

Jack smiled, he’d missed this, that quiet calm of his mind, the feel of his hands on the triggers as he listened, his breathing even, they were trying to flank him, then jack looked up as he felt the wall he was against vibrate before he jumped again, rolling away as, well, whatever the fuck it was crashed through the barrier, the other 2 flanking from either side he turned, fired, catching one in the shoulder as the creature who’d slammed through the wall charged him, landing a solid blow that lifted jack off his feet and into the wall feet away, he rebounded, landed in a crouch then attacked the beast, blaster fire from his right forcing him to duck, seeing an opening he dove through the things legs infront of him, twisting his body in mid air he skidded on his back he fired into the creatures own exposed back, seeing the thing go down before he looked up to see a boot coming down for his head, reacting Jack grabbed the foot and kicked his legs up into the man’s leg, hearing the familiar crunch as he broke its leg and twisted the captured foot, the thing gave a bellow as it teetered and fell back and jack sprang to his feet, firing into the things chest 4 times. 1 by 1 the training holograms went down, by the time Jack finished off the last one he was panting hard, the blaster’s energy cores depleted, having taken more then his share of hits, all non fatal with the safetys on, but it was still tough, and jack found himself smiling, “Carvagio does there happen to be a pair of these on this ship? I kind of like them..” he said holding up the guns
 
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