Not Very Routine

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red nodded. He noticed the look she gave him. Yeah, he understood what she wanted him to do. She wanted him to go easy on her. And that was something Red couldn't promise.

Red knelt to the ground and took out a scanner. He activated it and started slowly running it over the girl's body. After a brief moment of scanning, the scanner finished, and it showed that she truly had nothing. No weapons, nothing.

"All clear." Red reported. He then turned his attention to the girl. His helmet was still on, so she couldn't see his face.

The Major started talking to the girl, and Red just sat their silently.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

Red did not seem all to happy about her decision to keep this thing smooth and gentle. She could understand that. From this patrol Red had revealed more than enough to let her knew how he worked, something that could take weeks for another human to show. She atleast appreciated his, litteraly bloody honesty.

"I... I keep in the background, if you need me Red."

Or if the girl needed her. She were more concerned about that, but felt that she could give Red some room to work with. He were a soldier that followed orders, even if he behaved quite challenging to them sometimes. With that, she took her carbine, stood up and gave him that room.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red nodded to Kathryn and turned to the girl. He took off his helmet and placed it onto the ground next to him.

"Hello, I'm Agent Red. Now, I want to know a couple of things, but how we do it depends on your cooperation. We can do this with or without your cooperation. It will be a lot easier if you cooperate. If you don't, I have many ways of breaking you. If I have to force you to give me the answers I want to know, I'll have to break you, or threaten you. If I have to break you, there's a very strong chance you'll be reduced to nothing but a shivering, hallucinating, insane, and mindless vegetable incapable of intelligent thought. Do you understand me?" Red asked. It wasn't the nicest of starting statements, but it was pretty laid back for Red.

Then, because some of the other pirates were speaking in Huttese, he repeated it in Huttese.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

Kathy didn't wander off too far, minding the earlier situation that had appeared in the blink of an eye. She pushed the carbine to her back and could not help but wander back and forth behind them, hands on her hips while contemplating their next step in all of this all but routine patrol. Her eyes widened some and she had to realy fight to hold herself back, when hearing Red's lenghty and very clear statement of what would happen to the girl if she did not cooperate. She were just a girl! They didn't know if she had been forced to this, or wanted to kill others freely and for her own enjoyment. The latter was highly unlikely! Gentle was it, right?!

It looked like the girl understood whom she laid in front of, as she nodded and her face was even more frightened now than before. Kathy prayed that she would not try anything against Red, and that the short questioning before departing would be quick and smooth.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red nodded. "Good. Now, onto my questions, Who are you, where do you come from, do you understand Basic? I want your full name, and the name of the planet and city or town or village you come from." Red told her, instantly pilling on the questions.

He didn't care if she was just a young girl or not, she was the enemy, and the enemy rarely deserved any mercy. Red was only holding back because the Major had subtlety told him to. Well, only time would tell if Red couldn't be anything close to gentle or if he would go all out on her.

Red slightly turned to Kathryn, and he made a small motion. It was a small, typing motion, like he was typing on a datapad. Red wanted her to take notes on what the girl said, so they could send it to the investigation teams if Red didn't kill the girl.

Red then slightly turned his head back to the girl.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

With a look of slight scepticism, Kathy looked at Red again as he motioned for her to bring up the datapad and take notes. She brought it up from an inner pocket and joined them again, kneeling down gently beside Red. So far, he continued to follow orders and sounded a bit more satisfying to her. That initial threat to the girl was apparently important for him. Yes, he was no human but it was irritating none the less.

''I...'' the girl begun to say something and glanced from Kathryn, seemingly searching for strenght and sympathy, then onto Red.

''I'm Nya... I-I'm not from any planet... We came here by ship... You'd call us pirates...'' she said on a slightly shaky voice but showed strenght enough to tell them the story.

''I-I'm sorry I tried to hurt you... Th-they told me you were bounty hunters...!'' she continued and looked back at Kathy, who nodded silently while trying to value her story.

After a moment, exchanging glances with Red, Kathy spoke up to the girl.

''We believe you, Nya... But we're not bounty hunters. We're with the Confederacy, and we're not gonna hurt you...'' she said, as the superior officer taking the liberty to speak for Red to. After all, Nya would not forget Red's earlier statement.

''Red?'' she said and looked at him with a serious face. ''I want you to carry her if she can't walk. And yeah, it's an order...'' she finished with a lowered voice, trying to keep the situation as calm as possible.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red listened to the girl's story. Kathryn appeared to believe it. She was too trusting, that made her naive and weak. Red didn't believe the girl's story even for a moment. He wasn't really the trusting type, unlike Kathryn. Red shook his head at Kathryn's statement to the girl and her order to him.

"No, Major. That's an order I won't take. I don't believe her story for one minute." Red told her.

Then, in an instant, he grabbed Nya by the throat with his right hand and he stood up. Then, he stood on the edge of the bluff, the drop-off right in front of him. Then, he held the girl out over the drop-off, still by her throat. In Red's left hand, he held a blaster pistol, pointed at Nya's face. The blades built into his armor were still hidden in his gauntlets.

"I don't believe you. You only provided me with your first name, and I don't believe that you don't come from any planet. Where you were born? What's your first name? Also, you said that they told you we were bounty hunters, and that's the only reason you tried to shoot us. So, do you have a bounty on your head? Are you a criminal? I might turn you in myself to whoever wants you for the money if you have a bounty on you, or over to law enforcement officials if you are a criminal. Start talking! Unless you want to experience the cold release off death. Don't listen to my partner, she doesn't speak for me. I will hurt you, and I do some bounty hunting on the side for law enforcement officials looking for criminals! So start talking!" Red growled.

They weren't just empty threats, they were real threats. Red rarely ever made empty threats, only as jokes to people he likes. And he rarely ever liked the enemy.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

Kathryn looked at Red with a shocked face, as he rejected the order. All of a sudden, he shot up from his crouched position and took the girl with him to the edge of the ravine. Everything happened awfully fast and Kathy didn't have the time to react before he held her dangling over the cliff.

''RED!! What the hell are you doin'?!'' she shouted angrily at him, and by reflex grabbed the carbine from her back and held it in ready position.

''You back away from the edge, private! That's an ORDER!'' she commanded in a sharp tone.

''You think you're gonna get any answers if you drop her?! She's already scared to death of you!''

Her mood were considerably different than before, her usually generous blue eyes were fixed upon Red. He might have thought that he would never get to see that side of her, but she stood her ground.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red stood there, unfazed. He still held the girl by the throat, and his pistol still aimed at her, unwavering. "I'm getting answers, Major. That's what I'm doing. And I don't take orders from weak, enemy-loving idiots who are a danger to themselves and others."

Red then turned his head so that he could see Kathryn. He noticed her holding her blaster carbine. "Are you going to do it, Major?" Red asked. "Are you going to shoot me?" Red's voice was calm, even though he could get shot. To be honest, he kind of wanted her to shoot him, to see if she would do whatever it took.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

''Choose... your... words, private.'' she said firmly and met his gaze head on.

No, she didn't want to shoot him! Even if he had proven to be the most difficult one, he was a colleague. Not to mention her life debt to him. Those facts combined with her morale, and gut feeling that the girl told them the truth, left her torn in two.

Suddenly, Nya tried to spoke despite the grip around her throat.

''It... It's... true! Please...! I've never known... my last name! My only life... have been on a pirate ship!'' she said, coughing and fighting through the panic of being held over the edge.

''You saved my life, Red... I know I got nothing to ask from you, but please... You don't need to take hers.''

Kathryn changed tactics for this outrageous negotiation between them two. The insults he spat at her had to be ignored, for now.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red shook his head. Her answer was... disappointing. She wasn't willing to go to the extremes to do what was necessary. She had proved Red right. She was weak.

"Wrong answer, Major. If you want me to stop, you'll take the shot. If you value this girl's life, you'll do it. Do it, Major. Take it. Take the shot. Shoot me, Major! Take the shot, Kathryn! Take the shot!" Red shouted at her.

He wanted her to shoot him. He wanted to see if she could do it. Right now, she was failing the test. Red would let the girl go, on any other circumstance, but this was a special case. He had to make the Major strong and resilient, if she was to survive.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

She fought against Red's ridiculous exhortations to take aim and pull the trigger on him. Not only that she would shot a fellow CIS colleague and her earlier savior, but he would also risk to drop the girl to a certain death. Ultimately, it would be her fault. Red could simply not put himself in her situation and feel what she felt. She most definately wanted to throw a hard punch in his face, for his supidity and disobedience.

''No!! If I shot you, you'll drop her!'' she shouted, stating the other fact that she simply could not shoot him.

''Think about all the intel that we could get, when we take her back to base! If we only stop this pointless fight between us!'' she pleaded sharply and kept her gaze upon Red. ''You think she even can tell you much when you're choking her and keep her off the edge of a cliff?! THINK!''

If he wanted to test her strenght, it was certainly the wrong way to do it with a feeling human. What would killing or injuring them both prove? If she went for a non-lethal shot, he would most probably drop the girl anyway and have room to blame her for it. No. He called her dangerous and weak, but trying to save the girls life and holding herself from the temptation to shoot him and risk that situation was something else to her as a human.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red shook his head. "Nah, I won't drop her. I'll hold onto her. Just do it! Shoot me! Or I will drop her right now! You have five seconds!"

Now, there was a time limit. He had to see if Kathryn would act quick under pressure. If not, she would have to learn what those consequences could be if she didn't.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

Now, he realy forced her into a tight corner. If she did take the shot and Red was lying, she would risk the girls life. If she did not take the shot, she feared the deadly seriousness in his words and that he would actually drop her. With a close-bitten face, Kathryn hoped for it all to be just a dream. Unfortunately, it was not. Anger. Rage. Disappointment. The feeling of being helpless. All sorts of feelings boiled inside her. She had to choose something.

He wanted more answers and intels from the pirate girl, who were too terrified to reflect over them twos uncomprehending and harsh arguing. That much seemed clear. Adding his serious threat to it, she quickly switched to stun mode and fired a shot at one of his legs.

The bolt looked like it went down its trajectory in slow-motion.

Silence.

The outer world were shut out and she took a prolonged blink, not wanting to see what the shot would to the situation.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red dropped to one knee. He blinked. He felt no pain, which confused Red. Also, his armor wasn't reporting damage, which was also strange. Red looked at his leg. It was only a stun round. Great, she didn't even go for lethal. At least she stuck to her way of mind, which Red found admirable. Despite everything that was happening, she stuck to her code and didn't go for lethal.

"Well, it wasn't meant to be lethal, and it was only a stun round, but I'm a man of my word." Red said.

Then, he stood up. He brought the girl back over onto solid ground, and released his grip on her throat. He gently set her on the ground. He spun the pistol in his right hand, and holstered it.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

As Kathy opened her eyes again, she could take a deep sigh of pure wonderful relief. Her arms fell relaxed down with the carbine to her waist, stressed from the situation that was finally over and Red had kept his word. Why he put her through this was still a mystery to be solved, but later. She saw the girl fall to the ground as Red put her down. The girl coughed and gasped for air.

Kathy tried to gather herself for a moment, letting all the different strong feelings subside.

''You're... You're...'' she looked at Red, still agitated and shaken. ''Ah, forget it... I'll help her walk if you won't do it.'' she stated firmly and felt a tear coming, but held it back.

She put the carbine on her back again, rubbed her face once and approached the girl.

''You can call me an enemy-loving idiot all you want... I don't care.'' she said sourly and helped the girl up onto her feet.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

​"Well, Major. Perhaps we all need a change of perspective. Possibly I need to feel more remorse. Maybe I'm too cold. Maybe I need to open up a bit. Maybe I need to try to see the good in people. And maybe you need to see less good in people. Maybe you need to not be so trusting. Maybe you need to watch your back more. But then again, maybe I'm wrong. Who knows. I'm just the one that's been stared down by the future, and the truth in this galaxy. And, if I'm being honest, it scared me. I was scared by what I saw in the face of everything. People may say I'm intense, possibly insane, Major, but perhaps I'm trying to teach something, Major. Have you thought about that? Perhaps I'm trying to teach you something. But then again, what do I know? I'm just a lowly experiment." Red told her.

He was trying to teach her something, but she just hadn't picked up on it yet. Red was an expert in the mind and it's psychology. He could plant things into people's minds, and he could even teach them without them knowing, but they would have to be strong enough and intelligent enough to learn it and know that they learned something.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

It might have laid some truth in what Red said. Their worlds were way apart and different, with Red not even being a proper biological human like she were, no wonder the did not understand each others behaviour. This patrol had been all but just a routine. Instead, it had been like an insane roller coaster of emotions, moral dilemmas and hard choices. It was like he had got into her head, but for what reason she did not know. She could agree with Red being intense, possibly even the insane part, but he also intrigued her. Maybe not so much right now, but in what short moments they had of normal conversation.

''I hear what you say... But let's just return to base now and report in. Please?'' she said exhausted. Enough would be enough.

Kathryn helped Nya up and but her arm around her neck, letting the girl brace herself against her. She were quiet. Her gaze was lowered to the ground and she seemed sad. No wonder after Red's treatment, but it also seemed that she were used to such treatment. It was highly possible, as a girl running with a pack of hardened pirates. She would be taken care of as a prisoner when they came back to base, possibly she could give them more intel if the system were attracting pirates yet again. A swift thought that she could perhaps be turned left Kathryn as they begun to walk back to Golbah City.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Kathryn Foster"]

Red shook his head. "With all due respect, ma'am. We should eliminate these enemy forces. I can put in a call for reinforcements, but we need to stop this problem before it gets any worse." Red tells her.

It was true. They needed to stop this problem at it's roots, before it spread. Red was willing to do it whether or not Kathryn agreed to. She could walk across this barren wasteland for all he cared, he knew what he had to do.

"We need to make our move now. We can distract them so that they can't escape, until reinforcements arrive, but we need to at least slow them down." Red continues.

 

[Kathryn Foster]

Red's intentions was good and to the point, she could not deny that. But at the same time they were two just two with one injured POW to take care of. Red would definately not hesitate to execute the girl on spot, but that was something she simply could not allow.

''Again, I hear you, Red... But they doesn't pose a threat right now! We've got their location and could send a strike team out later, when we get back to base. You're coming, or are you goin' to disobey my orders once again?'' she stated and made for a halt, looking back over the girls arm and back to Red.

[member="Subject 73 Red"]