Hive Warfare! Part Duex

*A new day dawns aboard the hive, with Akira waking from a blissful sleep to find Max sitting at the end of their bed with his head in his hands and sweat dotted all over his body*

—
/elsewhere\
*With several tax collectors missing, a squad of Juves under the command of Rhossin set out to investigate their last known position*
(George you get a juve since this is your bit)

*it aint long before they start to smell bodies*

“Guns ready, don’t be sick, and don’t freeze” 
*Rhossin draws her shotgun and follows the stench*

Akira: *groan* "yalright?"

before long they find signs of battle. and the tax collectors. Each one, on or two bullet holes in em, very precise kill shots

“Every time...another rite...another face burned into my mind....Always more blood...they take...the emperor’s will...they say”
*Even in the dark Max’s scars are easy to spot, the bone white Imperial Aquila catches what little light there is as he breaths*

—

Rhossin: “Fuckers...FAN OUT! I WANT ALL OF YOU LOOKING FOR WHOEVER DID THIS!” *Her voice echoes across the streets as she bellows the order*

Akira: "Max. Look at me."

as they inspect it, they see no bullet holes near the corpses, implying that very few shots were fired at them, each one a hit. They also find evidence of bullet holes in the area the presumed attacker would have been, which combined with the lack of missed bullets among the corpses, implies the dead gangers fired first, and were then picked off. Furthermore, their corpses have been picked clean of any money and useful loot.

*He turns slowly and looks at her, his back clicking as he straightens up to turn. She can see the same fear in his eyes that dominated him years before, only this time he hadn’t clawed through his wrist in an attempt to tear through an imaginary binding*

—

*She kneels next to the corpses and sighs, knowing she’d have to find her bosses and alert them*
“You lot! I want another squad over here pronto! You! *She points as a little ginger Ganger in a small leather jacket* “You get to wake up the boss”

"Yes ma'am!" she runs off back to base

*Hidden within winding corridors and large hab-blocks is a series of multi story warehouses, which act as the Gang Headquarters. As she passed through the gates she is greeted by the familiar stench of cordite and other smokeless propellants, no doubt all of this was emanating from the nearby firing range, where gangers would often try to hone their marksmanship. Walking deeper into the complex brings her to the reinforced steel doors of a particularly tall warehouse, which houses her bosses, their immediate subordinates and anything of importance*

she rushes in, looking for said bosses

*she puts a hand on his chest* "Max..." *her other hand cracks across his face. Hard enough to hurt, but not leave a mark*

*He inhales sharply and looks at her wide eyed for a moment before exhaling and shaking it off*
“Nightmare?”


—

*She finds herself confronted by a squat*
“Where ya goin lass?”

*they hear a bit of a commotion due to my lass looking for em*

OOC: Look at the edit

"Gotta find the bosses, someone hit our men"

Akira: "Nightmare."

Max: *He nods* “Thanks...” *He manages a slight smile* “What’s the time?”

—

*The squats expression changes to what looks like a frown*
“Aight lass, know oo ‘it em?”

"No idea. Looked like our lot fired first, but didn't do shit. Whoever it was was damn good, one or two kill shots for each of our guys, no misses"

*The abhuman nods and rubs his beard in thought*
“Was anyfin taken? Guns? Clothes? Money? Drugs?”

"Eleven something."

"Money and guns"

Max: “may have enough time to do your hair before lunch” *he chuckles, removing any last sign of his prior mood and leans in to kiss her*

—

Squat: “Anyfing else you saw?”

"Just the bodies"

Squat: “Alright, go get yourself some lunch lass. I’ll deal with your boss”

she nods and does so

*Lunch meant going to a gang run mess hall and trying the mystery meat special, an ordeal every Ganger has to go through. Upon entering the hall, our Ginger finds herself ahead of the lunchtime rush, allowing her the luxury of choosing where to sit and eat. To her left is a table of Juves playing cards and talking loudly about who’s killed the most members of a rival gang and who can shoot straightest. To her right is a party of older gangers, talking silently amongst themselves and smoking large cigars. And finally just ahead of her in the corner are a trio of Kroot with the infamous half robot Kerak in the middle, all three tucking into the mystery meat with delight*

*she runs her hand through her hair, the short brightly dyed pink on the left, and the short shaved stubble on the left.* "Yeah, do my hair."

“Fluorescent Pink Mess it is then”
*Before Akira can respond a heavy fist raps against their door*
Squat: “Oi! RISE AND SHINE, HANDS OFF COCKS HANDS ON SOCKS! Our tax boys ‘Ave been hit!”

Akira: "GIMME A FUCKING SECOND, OR ILL CHOP YOUR LEGS OFF AND MAKE YOU SHORTER!" *she quickly kisses max, then rolls out of bed*

*Akira hears a hearty chuckle from behind the door*
Squat: “Good morning to you too!”

*Max smiles and gets up before donning his typical get up, an armoured trench coat over a tight black shirt, black combats and a large pair of boots*

Akira dons her usual as well. Faded imperial guard fatigues and her fathers coat, strapping on the crude plasteel plates of armour she and her kroot wear. The plates cover her chest, shoulders, upper arms and thighs, with holes punched in the chest plate to add a hanging apron.*

OOC: I’m imagining a literal apron...

*Max watches her dress before placing a hand on the handle*
“Mind the squat”
*And opens the door to reveal the squat messing with a rather dodgy looking lasgun*
Squat: “what time d’ya call this?”

*akira strides out buckling on her sword belt.* "I call it akira wanted a lie in and thought her trusted lieutenants could manage shit for three hours, O'clock."

Squat: “The rest of us call it ‘buy some bloody soundproof walls so we can actually sleep’. *He follows after her still tinkering with the gun* “Anyway Rhossin is in the area and has called for people to reinforce her position so we can investigate”

Max: “Who would hit us? Almost every local gang is reliant on us for drugs or guns”

Akira:"I don't know and I don't care, I just want them dead. Where's kerak. I want this done quickly."

Squat: “Eating with his Kroot”

Akira: "Hmn, best not interrupt. Send him a message, get a juve to run it. Have him meet us where rhossin is."

Squat: “I know just the lass” *The squat sets off, near mindlessly fiddling with the focussing lenses to fit a beam splitter instead as he walks off toward the mess in search of his Ginger friend*

she be sat around innit

*She hears a familiar voice from behind her*
“Oi lass”

she turns around "Boss"

Akira: "Right let's go sort this bullshit out."

Max: *He nods* “Let’s”

Squat: “Boss’ want you t’tell Kerak what you told me, then ‘ave ‘im go to Rhossin” *He points to Kerak* “They want all three Kroot”

she nods "yes sir"

*kerak is sat in the far corner of the hall, the tables directly next to the kroot are empty. Out of respect or fear, usually both. The other two kroot are an albino female, who's spines are almost transparent, and a greenish male, smaller than kerak, but still quite a beast. The three of them are tearing into their food with abandon, and completely undisguised pleasure.*

Akira: *starting to walk* "What cheeky bastards would hit us? They're either desperate or just stupid."

"sir?"