Helena relaxed for the first time in years, being swept up in the embrace of the love of her life. The scene stood in stark contrast to all those nights with the colonel. There had been no love, only brutal desire and cold rape. Keeping the colonel at bay emotionally had kept him interested, however, and she had avoided the fate most of his girls suffered; being handed out to his loyal bodyguards for their amusement.
"Cormac...", Helena whispered as he held her tightly. "I am in trouble. I... I killed the colonel a few days ago, but the pilot and the rest of the Gambit doesn't know that". She looked deeply into his eyes, he had been gone so many years. Who was he now? Did he still love her like she loved him?
Helena was introduced to Kiph and Riv then. and shaking of the hands of the pyromaniac she felt cold to the core of her soul. There was something terrifying about this man, a coldness to his eyes.
He wouldn't hesitate for a second before murdering me. It would be like eating breakfast for this man... A casual thing
Then she looked at Kiph again. There was something vaguely familiar about him. She had seen his face somewhere before, of that she was sure.
"Kiph, I am intrigued. Have we met before? You look so familiar, but I have been living in a Gambit enclave all my life. Are you Gambit as well?"
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Jhedai Arongo was one of the finest pilots in the Last Gambit, and a natural first option for piloting the hovercraft. He hit the vertical thrusters and the hovercraft silently cushioned its way upwards, but the cargo ramp wouldn't close. "d**n", he swore. There was an altitude lock on the craft. When in flight he could open the cargo doors, and did so at times to drop goods or special operations Gambit paratroopers, but during takeoff he couldn't go more than two meters into the air. It was a safety feature built into the navigation systems by the Gambit Engineers.
*************************************
Riv rested on the couch, a glass of whiskey comfortably in his palm when a voice spoke over the intercom.
"Major, we have a problem. The cargo ramp is malfunctioning, I can't seem to close it. Could you or one of your companions go out and see if you can unjam it?"
Then the craft rocked violently sideways, throwing Helena to the floor.
"d**n, Major, we seem to have collided into... something, and we are stuck. The shuttle won't respond to my instructions. I need you out there now!... Sir"
And with that Helena pushed a button beside the door to the cargo room. Part of the wall slided silently open, revealing three assault rifles in a steel gun rack.
"Okay... Cormac, I don't want to lose you again. Who knows what just happened, with this town I ain't taking any chances. I just found you, I don't want to lose you again... Stay here, take a shower. Kiph, Riv, grab an assault rifle and help me outside!"
She moved to open the door to the cargo room.