#sy: sihnon

[neosy]

interlude: wage this war

berate me, belittle me, make me seem weak; tear my name from the walls of my successes and make me another fucking pawn.

his teeth dig into the gag in his mouth so hard he can feel his canines prodding from each side, almost shredding into the fabric with the working of his jaw, the grinding of his skull. 

on his knees with a gun to the back of his head he becomes aware of his position as the victim, as someone who was caught, a mercenary not of much use as a hostage. he's fucking embarrassed, frustrated, and angry, so fucking angry it whites his vision, it vibrates under his skin, it makes him almost shake, his wrists fighting his restraints, body restless as he forces it into his submission, to remain as still as possible. he fights his will, not to be subservient, but to exemplify his patience, his understanding of the situation. 

he might not trust jaewon entirely, suspicions always prodding at his mind, but watching him press a gun to kafka’s head was almost humorous, he could almost laugh, cold and bitter, disdainful. he wouldn’t disturb the captain’s plan because he wasn’t fucking stupid, but something about the thought of being used as leverage for the little thief of all people pissed him off. he didn’t like being the ass end of a trade, he didn’t like the idea that he could die in the place of someone else just because. he wanted to cause pain, destruction, a storm inside of him brewing so powerfully he felt like being possessed, losing control in the waves of his misery and ire. 

so simply pushed to his feet like cattle, herded forward towards his crew like fucking property.

the tension in the room could kill, and he could feel the intensity of it mixing with his own, a cocktail of disaster and chaos, every singular being damp with it, soaked in the preface of catastrophe, trigger fingers heavy. they say you can feel when a storm is about to break, the air chokes you, the atmosphere crackles and shakes with electricity before lightening is ready to strike. just the same, he tenses, he feels it like a shockwave and then there is the boom of what could’ve been twenty guns going off almost at once.

neo ducks immediately, slamming his body into whoever has their gun to his head, shaking them off and finding a cover, everything moving so fast he almost finds himself struggling to keep up, if just for a moment. the blasting of guns, the yelling, kafka cuts his wrists free and neo doesn’t bother to thank him, not even turning his direction as he pulls the gag from his mouth. 

as soon as the restraints are gone, the rooms energy hits him hot with adrenaline, and he sets off like an animal. ducked behind the crates he grabs the closest body he sees aiming it’s gun at his crew mates and drags them back with him, arm caged around their throat to cut off their oxygen, letting them fight. neo could’ve escaped in that time, he knew he could’ve, but he refused to be one of the people to leave the battlefield without spilling blood; a hostage he barely stomached, a deadweight he refused, knuckles whitening as the mans hands pressed against his face, brute force hitting him and trying to get away. neo attempted to pry the gun from his left hand, while the right caught him in the face, a hard pressure as he seemed to try to grasp at neo’s jaw, pressing under his mouth. the gun fires wildly in a random direction, the flourish of bullets firing nearby masking the sound, the yells of direction and the sounds of bodies and tearing flesh. 

so neo does what any man would do, and angles his head to dig his teeth into the skin, ripping in so forcefully blood pools in his mouth, teeth almost hitting the bone of the man’s pointer finger as he rips away as if he is feral, knee digging itself into his side, swift kicks to knock the air out, when finally the gun comes free, but he doesn’t use it. he tosses it to the side momentarily, the spat hidden by stacks of crates as he waits for his fight to dwindle, the energy to lessen on the man in his hold before releasing his throat, climbing on him with heavy breaths, and slamming the man’s head into the ground. once, twice, three times, over and over until it caves in, a piss poor excuse for a skull, blood over his hands and chest, dripping down his chin and staining his teeth, body covered in chunks of what must’ve been brain and matter, hideously stained red and black. he wasn’t as invested in escaping in that moment as causing pain, burning anger, his roots of violence and torture singing songs in his veins, skipping through the playground of his bones and muscle memory, making him insane with it.

he knew he only had minutes to spare, grabbing the gun and using cover as he withdrew, firing through the beginnings of his escape.

the crackle of the machine gun rings alarming, every body in the room hiding for cover and he sees several things happen at once; he sees crew members escaping back to the ship, bodies cowering and falling on both sides, he sees their captain walking out into the gun fire like he’s the fucking messiah -- he sees chaos in it’s most potent form, blood and flesh and there’s something almost cathartic, welcoming and disastrous. 

then jaewon, their captain, their leader, their fucking jesus christ reincarnated does what he always does, no matter how bitter neo is to admit it, he pulls through. it’s like he’s dying for their gorram sins, his fucking disciples watching with bated breath as his bullet meets it’s target and the boss battle ends, the highest vantage of danger falling and leaving leeway to a much safer escape, a less daunting trek home. neo doesn’t think much of it, pretends he doesn’t feel much about it either, but he finds himself at least somewhat hoping jaewon doesn’t die. the fucking cockroach that he is, neo doubts that he will, but finds comfort in that fact that even if he does, by some miraculous occasion, drop dead, well, at least it looked really fucking cool, didn’t it? 

he let’s the destruction flood itself, lets mina and other members of the crew cater to the fallen as he’s simply just far too self involved, too baited and angry to feel concern, to go out of his way for them the same way they did for him. he returns to the cargo bay intact, of course, with the exception of his pride.

later, after they safely escape, he considers packing his things.

[serenitykrp]

             We must have                                                         bloody noses

Two members of Serenity have been kidnapped, two more were almost taken! There’s little to no clues as to who the perpetrators are, or why they’ve done this now in the midst of Sihnon’s worldwide celebrations, or what they could ultimately be after. Read the crew’s experiences HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE

To stave off panic and keep everyone remaining calm and safe, as well as protecting anyone else from being taken, the captain brings back all his crew and passengers to the ship, sending out distress signals and comm missives to get them all to return, to regroup and answer questions about any details they can recall about the incidents. VULPECULA CANON, Octavia, is being treated by the doctors, and the captain commands his hackers to check all frequencies involved in the black market for any matching descriptions of their missing crew or anything that can be connected to those who took them.

Given what is known about the Alliance and their Paladins on Sihnon, the possibility of the government acting in such a way is unheard of, so at least everyone can agree these are not officials, despite how they were dressed in grey synonymous fashion. This is not a lawful crackdown on the renegade regulars of Serenity, because if it were, these would be public arrests during the daytime, not secret abductions carried out as soon as the sun crept low along the horizon.

��                                                           and crack’d                                                  crowns

They don’t need to wait very long before the ship gets hailed through an unrecognizable source, its origin untraceable, its designs unclear, the only header given is that it’s meant for the captain, as obvious a marking as any that this is some sort of ransom demand. The captain accepts the missive, opening the line of dialogue between himself and the other party, allowing the ensuing conversation to take place on the bridge, in front of whomever wishes to witness it.

To read this exchange, go HERE.

In short, it is a trade, blood for blood, two for the price of one-- OPHIUCUS and AQUILA, in exchange for our VELA CANON, who has a history much darker than he lets on. Coordinates are given for the site of the intended transaction, and five hours as the time limit.

After the communication is finished, the captain instructs his engineers to get the engine running, his pilots to bring the ship out of port immediately, and for all his mercenaries to gather every weapon and firearm they own: its going to be a bloody fight. For any of the canons, crew or passenger, if they know the risks and are ready to step up and take back what belongs on this ship, they are welcome to join in. If not, they’re at least in for a wild ride.

This is obviously a trap, but instead of avoiding it, the plan is to go in guns blazing anyway, to get back their stolen colleagues. No trade. Just a battle.

                                         WELCOME TO PART 2 OF THE SIHNON EVENT

This event is meant for all members of the rp to find ways to react and participate! Threads, scripts, headcanons, and solos are all welcome in regards to this highly stressed situation

This is Part 2 of the event! It consists IC-wise of preparations being made during the five hours it’ll take to get from Sirius, on Sihnon’s surface, out to a floating skyplex on the other side of the planet. For the two canons being held hostage, you’re allowed to either post solos or thread with each other about the situation ( feel free to write them interacting with their captors! )

This stretch will last July 1st to July 8th, midnight CST, a total of one week, for plotting and posting starters, but again, threads are allowed to be continued on after the given date

Please message the main if you have any questions about anything

Please continue to tag your posts sy: sihnon

Have fun and good luck, crew! Keep your boots tight and your gun close…

[syharper]

let’s go drunk in the night

@syxnine​

somewhere amidst all the festivities and spending time with people despite not really wanting to, harper finds herself starting to enjoy herself. no longer alone amidst the sea of people finding joy in the celebration of a new year, harper finally feels a little like the days of old again, when days like these brought her warmth and joy, spent in the presence of people she cared about and filled with the things she loved to do.

so when she finally manages to free herself of the captain and his gorram on-point suspicions, she finds herself wandering around the place trying to find octavia again. or one of the other people she can be herself around. in order to drag them out to spend a fun night with her, share a drink, perhaps even enjoy some dancing. there’s plenty of things to do on this seemingly never-ending celebration.

she doesn’t spot any of the people she’s looking for, however, but when her eyes land on one of her fellow mercenaries, one who has quite recently returned to them, harper can’t keep herself from going up to him. and the mere sight of him, the thought of the fun she can have with him without ever being questioned about her sometimes dubious moralities or any other strange quirks she might just let show on the surface, causes her to be in high spirits instantly.

“niiiiiiiine!” she therefore exclaims happily as she approaches him, an arm automatically being put around his middle, as she drapes herself against his side. “it’s good to see seven hasn’t eaten you yet, my friend.” sending him a bright and happy grin, she then allows her gaze to wander over their surroundings, until she spots a stall a little further up ahead that’s serving the most delicious drinks.

“let’s go get ourselves something to smear our vocal chords, shall we?” she instantly suggests, tugging the other mercenary along with her like there’s no question on whether or not he will go along with her. “you look like you need to get some fun in your system. let’s get drunk tonight!”

[hanaxsy-blog]

Ceremonies and paths re-traced | Jaewon & Hana

@syjaewon

There had been a time when Hana reveled in the festivities on Sihnon. When every lantern, gown, and fawning adoration of spectators brought a rushing high. But times change, and people change. The noise and laughter no longer a fatal attraction for a curious young girl, but rather, that to be avoided by sights tainted through time. It wasn’t the crowds that drew in the ex-companion, whose name is often muttered with nostalgia and lust, but rather the silence of the forest that comforts her. 

A simple crop top and a leather jacket now sufficed. A drastic change from the embroidered and decadent downs she used to don this time of year. But Hana had long traded in beauty and constraints for that of comforts and freedom; traded in adoring gazes for the bliss of blending in. 

Plus, she’d already done due diligence by dressing up on the first day, and as the forest awoke with light and sound, so did she. After bathing at a waterfall a few minutes away from her hidden hideout in the cave, Hana began her usual routine. Consuming tea before all else was a habit that stayed with her, even after she forgave her contract to the guild. And so she brought out her small wooden table, a sitting mat for her knees, and her tea-set. The familiar song playing softly on the speakers to accompany the symphony of the forest, a stomping of footsteps collided with the click of the water brewing. From the corner of the eye, Hana could make out a stumbling Jaewon. 

“my my captain, not here to break another tea set right?” Her voice mused aloud, a chuckle following suit. 

[syxnine-blog]

Of fortunes and spies

@syjaewon

"Hello Captain." Nine greeted Jaewon. "I did not expect you to be interested in fortune telling." Nine shifts his gaze back at fortune teller, and stared him down. 

There was a karambit buried into a card on the table, and said fortune teller was shivering, his eyes looking at Jaewon pleadingly. “I believe this person might be spying on us.” Nine continued, pulling his hand out from under the table. The tablecloth had hidden his arm up to his elbow, and now revealed, a gun in his hand. Nine scratched his nose with the gun, before moving it back under the table pointed towards the fortune teller.

“He said I am usually emotionally unavailable, and had difficulty understanding personal relationships.” There was a red flush on Nine’s face. “To think after I escaped from Harper here, I found myself in a spy’s nest.”

“Captain.” Nine blinked slowly. “Let’s torture, and interrogate this person.”

Nine grinned.

[sylynx-blog]

𝚂𝙸𝙷𝙽𝙾𝙽 𝙴𝚂𝙲𝙰𝙿𝙰𝙳𝙴 | ‎한이슬  ( moodboard 003. )

                                              i’m   𝓈 𝓉 𝒶 𝓎 𝒾 𝓃 𝑔   u p                                                i  don’t   𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖆   come                                               𝔻𝕆𝕎ℕ from  your  love                                               we’ll get 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 together                                              ｌｅ���   me   ｆｌｏｗ

[syxjaewon]

                                             |  yang jaewon  |

                 sky-high and lost in the middle of sihnon’s capital city for the new years celebration

[syharper]

in the name of being honest

@octaviasy​

admittedly after running into both the captain and her little baby consequently, harper is in higher spirits than she was right after completing her mission, and so as she makes her way over to perhaps one of her most favourite people in the verse, it almost seems like she’s gliding through the crowds. octavia is not that hard to track down, considering some people around still know her from her early days on sihnon, so harper soon finds her in the midst of all the crowds, and heads straight for her.

arms slipping around the other woman’s middle, harper easily leans in to leave a tender kiss on the back of her neck before even deciding to speak. she easily rests her chin on octavia’s shoulder, glancing at what it is the woman is doing exactly before tilting her head ever so slightly so they can temporarily make eye contact. a smile blooms easily on her features at that very same act, and she happily nuzzles the woman’s cheek too.

“there you are, my butterfly,” she drawls, chuckling happily right after and allowing her amusement to settle on her features as well. she slowly lets go of the other woman then, straightening up so she can properly move to stand next to octavia instead. “tell me what i have missed when i couldn’t be within your presence. and please don’t say that you have already had your fill of food because i found the most beautiful cupcakes a little end from here and you need to try one.”

she beams another bright smile at the woman, easily reaching out to take hold of octavia’s hand, lacing their fingers together and allowing herself to melt into her friend’s side as if it’s no big deal to do so in the middle of a crowd of people like the one surrounding them. “there’s pink ones with hearts,” she pipes up right after, as if that is going to be the convincing factor.

[hanaxsy-blog]

I hear the firecrackers cackling; hear the laughter of love

                                                                  FEEL the caress of your fingertips.

                              I wonder why you chose not to save me

                                                             leaving me to DROWN in this BOTTOMLESS abyss.

| H A N A . K I M | F L O W E R S  NEVER SMELLED SO SWEET

[syxnine-blog]

.rocket lantern

Perhaps it would be a weird sight to see a man digging the ground under a moonlit night. Yet, Nine was doing exactly that, exposing a shallowly buried box under the ground. Opening the box revealed a pair of rocket propelled grenades. 

They were part of an elaborate setup of weapons hidden close to the main streets of Sihnon, especially the main escape route from the festival back to the Serenity. After all, many forbade Nine from bringing much larger weapons, hence he left the ship earlier to hide them all. 

Nine had learned that the quicker his lantern rose, there was a much better chance of it coming true. Maybe some kind of spectral space god might read his wish first. While the flames within the lantern would prove a fuel efficient method of lift, it did little for speed.

Attaching the rpg onto the lantern should help compensate for speed, Nine surmised. He paused, a knee on the ground, just before removing one of the explosive weapon. “Should you not be enjoying the festival?” Nine tilted his head, blinking at the approaching female. 

@syxjiyong

[syxjaewon]

‘burn to ashes’

@hanaxsy

he sits in the hallway, various compartments and wall panels ripped from their seats in serenity, the wiring and pipelines exposed ugly, fearless, alarming, and jaewon’s countenance is dark, dark and immutable, his hair tumbling against the fringes of him, eyebrows shading over fierce golden eyes, his attention wholly on his work. his search for signs of a tracker in this part of the ship have so far amounted to nothing, which only serves to frustrate him more, but he’s got one of his hackers and his engineer scratching away at other points on the ship, as best they can do with her still in flight towards the skyplex, and he knows he’ll have to land her somewhere quickly to do a full, proper sweep, locate wherever the hell their little bug is.

it’s frustrating to say the least, but his mood only blackens the more members of his crew bother him by walking past or breathing too loudly down the hall, their nervous energy upending his equilibrium, capsizing his tenuous hold on his temper as it is, and by the time hana’s honey-suckle scent wafts near enough to him, he’s already clenching his teeth tightly, his face coiled in a scowl darker than all the space surrounding serenity. his eyes used to be black, deep and dimensional, a wormhole through the sharpened, shattered knife blades of his personality, even his friends back in the alleyways of valluria had told him they were strangely somber, his natural-born tilt, the drive of his presence, the force of his stride making them seem all the more pointed, but now… now they only blaze, only burn, only ignite and feed off everything the light touches, scorching and heavy and unnerving.

she approaches him and he ignores her, no time in his schedule for her questions or observations, her sly lips or deceptively calm demeanor, he has work to do, he has a tracker to root out, fingers that beg to bleed, bullets that beg to be fired.

[syxjaewon]

‘we are the jack-o-lanterns in july’

@syharper

it takes quite a while for the captain to simmer down into a quieter sort of fury, the edges of him still burning and singeing everything he touches, the searing heat of his atmosphere felt from across rooms and hallways as he passes them, but he’s no longer burning holes in his ship with his eyes, no longer snarling answers to questions asked in innocence, his voice curling into a more control state of frustration. five hours is a long fucking time to wear on his nerves even as they scorch across sihnon’s sky at top speed levels, the stress and anger boiling to hatred seething uncomfortably through his ship and through his blood, his marrow, his nerve-endings, and he’s already fought with enough people in his crew already, that he’s beginning to carve in on himself, etching the responsibility into his chest along with the craters already imprinted there.

it’s the helplessness that scratches at him the worst, tugs on his shadow, at the ends of his hair, at the corners of his mind, this seething inability to do anything to help the ship fly faster, to ensure a victory, to ensure his crew’s safety-- all of his crew, even the passengers this argent asshole seems to think jaewon should care less about, the tracker apparently not very intuitive in gauging jaewon’s motivations apparently. which reminds him, once this is all over, they’ll need to perform a sweep of the ship, dock it on some moon somewhere so that everyone can fucking check over everything, find whatever tracker this boat has been infected with.

he already starts in on that a little bit, pulling out the operational panels along the walls of the main hallway, exposing the wires and circuits and buttons that help hold serenity together, having already instructed lynx and his engineers to get to work on other pieces of the ship as well. he’s not as knowledgeable as henry is and thinking about it, it would sure help a lot if henry were here to help fix this, but he’s not a total backbirth either and he’s lived on this ship for much, much longer than anyone else currently alive; if anyone would be able to spot something foreign or out of place, it would be her captain.

he’s halfway through the main hard-wiring when harper comes into the sphere of his hearing, her footfalls heavier than usual with what he hopes and assumes are guns and knives she intends on using to expense on their new mutual enemies. jaewon does intend on gearing up as much as possible himself, the plan to take out as many of these bastards as possible already branding its way over his thoughts, but they’re still a few hours out and despite pushing dex to fly faster, he doesn’t think they’ll be hitting any momentum surprises anytime soon. “you don’t happen to have any grenades on you, do you?” they’ll be landing on a skyplex, grenades might make for a good distraction.

[syharper]

slightly red dress

@syjaewon​

it takes her very little time to complete her mission, considering all the obstacles involved. but she makes it in and out of that particular place with little to no effort, leaving in her wake the ruination of whatever grand scheme the woman she has stripped down to nothing but skin and blood had been on the verge of accomplishing. she doesn’t linger on thoughts like that very long, having decided a long time ago that the consequences of her missions are not her burden to bear.

and so she calmly makes her way back to the festivities.

her hair has come undone ever so slightly since she left serenity behind, a few strands framing her face now, but not so much that it can’t be written up to her having been in the midst of enjoying herself at the festivities. still, it’s not necessarily her goal to try and blend in, she just wants to make her way back to the ship and forget she even left it at all today. with the luck that no one but octavia would realise she had ever been anywhere other than her quarters for the entire night.

but luck seems to be suspiciously far from her side when it comes to avoiding acquaintances, because as she attempts to join a group of people near the edges of the hustle and bustle, an all too familiar face suddenly pops up near her and for a split second she almost loses her control, wishing she could heave a deep sigh and roll her eyes. rather than doing that, however, she folds her features into a perfect expression of happy surprise, grinning brightly at the captain the very next second.

“fancy meeting you here, yang,” she tells him, her words and tone of voice much like she always speaks, standing in direct contrast with the way she’s currently dressed up for the occasion. “don’t tell me the captain is actually out to enjoy himself tonight?” and as she allows a chuckle to follow those words, her expression already shifts into the to him by now more than familiar flirty one. “please do tell me i’m not too late to get my hands on you while you’re in such exuberant spirits.”

she descends on him like it was always her plan to find him, like she has been a part of these festivities all night, rather than having been off on some unholy mission. like she didn’t just come from the side where nothing’s going on, rather than having been here all along. her hand automatically comes to a rest on his lower arm, those simple touches a part of the way she always puts herself closer to him than she really is.

[syharper]

cinderella of the night

@octaviasy

sihnon is only a vaguely familiar planet, since harper hasn’t been there often, but her maps and directions are clear enough for her to make her way through it with ease. she’s dressed appropriately for the occasion, a more traditional chinese sort of black dress with red accents falls around her limbs, her hair and make up adapted to the currently reigning culture as well. and despite her origins lying on a smog-filled planet, it’s nothing new to her. her parents held their culture in high regards, after all, and harper has celebrated many a new year with them in just this same kind of clothing and setting.

which is exactly why her original plan after hearing of the celebrations on sihnon had been to stay in her quarters and not to roam among the many reminders of happier times long gone.

but of course duty calls at times when she wishes it would leave her alone the most, and so the second they landed somewhere near to wherever kamora’s supposed to get her check-up, harper’s communicator chimed with a new incoming message. a very particular chime reserved for her bosses, indicating there’s a new mission for her to run. they don’t care that she’s still working her other job aboard serenity, of course, making use of her skill whenever they can.

which means every single damn time that serenity goes planetside, basically.

but she’s gotten used to it by now; being called upon at the strangest moments, getting a name or a face, some information, an objective. so she goes along the movements almost automatically, dressing up, painting her face, doing her nails. the mercenary turns into a lady with practised ease, until nothing is left to suggest that harper does not usually walk around in pretty high heels and long dresses, but more so with weapons strapped to her body like armour.

not that there’s no weapons strapped to her right now, they’re just in all the inconspicuous places where no one will find them before it’s too late. and harper leaves her quarters quite a bit after the others do, so she does not have to worry about running into someone wondering why the hell she got all dolled up so elaborately.

a hope that only lasts until she sets foot onto the actual soil of sihnon’s surface and almost instantly spots an all too familiar face. on the one hand it’s a relief, that it’s just octavia, someone who already knows enough for harper to be able to wave her off without too much questioning, on the other hand it’s a bit of a curse, because she knows octavia will be all too delighted to find her dressed up as she is and it will be all the harder to get away. still, she pretends like she didn’t just plan on walking away from the festivities rather than towards it, and heads to where octavia is already moving in her direction.

“hello darling,” she says with a smile when they come across each other, reaching out with a hand to take hold of octavia’s fingers, gently playing with them.

[syxjaewon]

‘i double dog dare you’

@syxmina

jaewon is off to the side of his ship, the cortex connector pad in hand as he checks over the electrical systems, using his time in port in what he deems to be a wiser choice than most of the rest of his crew, running off to lose themselves in the bright and fantastical lights and glamour of the capital city. personally, jaewon thinks it’s much too cold for a celebration like this, gentle sihnonian breezes tugging at the long sleeves of his shirt, but while everyone else is riling up to go have fun, he’s decided to stay with serenity and clean her up a bit while she sleeps in port, so at least something productive will be happening while they’re here. this and, well, one other errand he’ll be getting to tomorrow.

he pushes that thought away with a frown, shaking his head a bit while golden irises sharpen against the coils and wiring, the fuses threatening to knot soon, but for now they’re suitable-- a constant state serenity seems to be in. something bright and blonde catches his eye suddenly, from the corner, and he peeks up to spot mina, almost surprised to think she’s heading out into sihnon until he recognizes the look on her features; she’s not happy. she doesn’t frown exactly, the ex-soldier abhorrent of giving away any such obvious details about herself, an iron mask plated over her lips, her cheeks, her tongue, a will as pitiless as bronze, but to mechanically enhanced senses like his, she’s an open book. most eyes don’t pick up the subtleties of mina’s character shimmering through her countenance, but jaewon can’t remember a time when he couldn’t, the vague atmosphere of her discontent something he’s quite familiar with by now.

“what’s wrong, mina?” he asks, barely raising his voice to meet her from a few paces away, knowing he doesn’t need to; she could probably hear him from the other side of the ship. he re-administers his attentions to the electrics, even as an eyebrow lifts. “don’t try to tell me you don’t like festivals now…”

[syharper]

shadows play on idle hands

sihnon, a skyplex hovering its atmosphere

there is chaos.

harper has already been in situations like this a million times before, unperturbed by the noise, the movements, the many people shooting in all directions. she knows places like this can have bullets flying in the wrong direction, people taken by friendly fire. she knows situations like this get out of hand.

and she knows everyone will do anything they can to save their own skin or take out the others.

so, from the second they step aboard the skyplex, her eyes are focused on the one they’re so-called trading out. she notes his position and make sure she keeps aware of where exactly he is in regards to her own position, so that she can keep making sure he is well. she doesn’t know the situation, doesn’t know the story, but she knows the looks she’s seen on the faces of the people currently around them.

slowly stepping forward, harper takes note of their enemies. of how many are in sight, of how many and which guns they’re packing. she takes note of the faces, the expressions, the badly veiled smugness plenty of these men sport. there’s a little hint of smugness in her own mind when she thinks of how easily men feel empowered when having to fight women. always underestimating the female mercenaries. always counting them out.

funnily enough plenty of these men will die by the knives and bullets of the women aboard serenity. plenty of these men will know their ends at the hands of the women they thought would never be able to stand up to them.

in the quiet between the two groups, the silence before the storm, she straightens her shoulders and relaxes her muscles, enabling herself to respond the second the war begins.

and of course jaewon does not disappoint, firing the first shot.

all hell breaks loose. the contained space around them erupts in shouting and the sound of guns being fired. the first machine gun holder is down due to jaewon’s shot, but there are plenty of guns left to do the shooting. harper fires a few rounds instantly, more time in between the shots than with most of the others, but each of hers fells an enemy near to kafka and the two hostages. luckily none of them are idiots either and they’re not just standing in the midst of all the shooting.

not even the sharp sting of bullets grazing her skin or tearing through flesh manages to shatter her focus, her goal not one she will so easily abandon, as is proven by the way knives fly through the air next, not always killing but piercing hands and taking away some of the people’s ability to hold a gun.

and as always everything moves too fast, time flashes by in impressions more so than actual seconds, or that’s what it feels like. until suddenly there is a pause. a moment stretched out in time not because everything slows down, but because harper’s suddenly hyper focused. she spots the gun aimed at kafka’s back as it is still being raised and it’s only instinct that tells her where it will aim, giving her just enough time to step in between.

and in that single heartbeat, a million thoughts flash through her head and she finds herself quite rationally considering and deciding which body part she could do without should she end up losing it. the gun flips around in her hand until she holds it by the barrel, her entire body moving fluidly as she moves into the way and holds the gun just so that it will hopefully catch the bullet before smashing into her.

the clunk of metal on metal tells her she’s successful in her attempt, the gun smashing into her shoulder heavily, but at least that doesn’t pierce skin. it’s the second bullet - rapidly fired after the first - that does, however. digging into her other shoulder just below the collar bone. she can almost feel the bullet burn its way out again, gritting her teeth as her left hand automatically launches another dagger.

she watches the hilt hit home with a satisfying thud - one she can almost imagine she can hear from the way the guy spasms as it hits - and spins around instantly. the new gun she’s taken hold of with her right hand is already aimed, and yet another gun is pulled out with her left, shooting anything of the opposing faction that moves as she follows everyone out on the retreat back to serenity.

from the corner of her eyes she sees jaewon, gun raised, shot fired. she glances over only long enough to see argent’s throat ripped open, blood spraying out along with the bullet. then a blast hits the captain and he goes down as well. she looks away, fires another few shots, then looks back long enough to see mina is headed over to the captain.

without missing a beat, harper follows the others back onto serenity. staying right at her doors, she keeps up a steady cover fire, making sure every single one of their crew is back on board and then slipping in right before the doors close on her. the ship instantly sets itself in motion again and harper finds herself sagging against the heavy doors for a split second, breathing heavy while her gaze wanders over the people with them.

as far as she can tell they haven’t lost anyone permanently, although plenty of them are wounded. pushing herself up from against the doors, she hisses at the sudden pain that pierces her side. looking down only to find her clothes covered in blood. heaving a deep sigh, harper slowly makes her way over to her own quarters, so she can tend to her wounds and do a quick check of how many weapons she still got left.