Freedom's Apparently All I Need [Semi-Open, Bendytimed to End of Shore Leave]

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

He's got his passport.

He's also got a fake birth certificate, a fake ID card, a fake driver's license and insurance card, and hopes for a brand new life. And he has the same for Orc. That and a suitcase for each of them.

He has to leave the cats. That is, he thinks, the only downfall to the planet. You can't import live things, and he doesn't know how to smuggle them in, so he's going to entrust them to Cedric. Between that and the food stash, the knowledge that he's leaving things behind, things that he'll never get back, hangs heavy on his mind.

He's leaving people behind too. He can't forget that. He wanders through the streets of Agrestic with his new papers and his suitcase looking for the people he wants to say goodbye to before he and Orc escape this war forever. He's not even thinking about what he's going to say to them, hoping that somehow the magic words will appear on his tongue. But he has to say goodbye before he goes.

Away from the Daligig. Away from Stacy. Away from missions and more importantly, away from the threat of the FAYZ. Scared and sad as he is, there is a little skip in his step.

[OOC: he's looking for his closer CR, so new people may approach him but he'll probably brush them off. If your character hasn't met Howard and would like to thread with me drop me a line and I'll set up something new!]

Comments

[paidinbeer]

Orc blinks dully, well acquainted with Howard's "Oh god oh god we're all gonna die" face. With a grunt he forces himself to his feet with the effort his weight demands so he can face the threat. And for good measure he grabs another beer.

"Old life doesn't wanna let go?" He guessed.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Let's just move fast and hope they're not here looking for us." Not like it's easy to hide Orc, but Howard grabs his wrist and starts walking back towards the buildings and busy street. Howard's quite the believer in running away rather than standing and fighting.

[paidinbeer]

Orc trundled along behind Howard at his own steady pace trying to move faster without falling on Howard. That would be the quickest way to really ruin whatever progress Orc had made i the past few weeks.

Of course he wouldn't let go of the beer.

[meat_mooks]

The shuttle lands on the field in front of the tree, less than a hundred feet away from them. Three Kessek walk out of the shuttle, fully armed, and move towards them at a casual run.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard decides that this is an amazing time to let go of Orc and bolt, making a break for the crowds maybe three hundred yards away. As much as he doesn't want to leave Orc behind, out of the two of them, only one has a chance of doing anything against the Kessek, and it's not Howard.

He chances a glance back. The Kessek are gaining, even at a slow run for them they're moving faster than a human can run.

He's moving in a blind panic towards safety when he hits the ground facefirst, a Kessek foot on his back. His teeth dig into his lip and blood spurts from his nose. He thrashes but the weight of the Kessek keeps him trapped, not crushing, not hurting him more than the original fall, but completely helpless.

The other two Kessek make a move for Orc, looking to grab his wrists and cuff him.

The crowds a few hundred yards away stop and stare.

"Orc, help! Help!"

[paidinbeer]

Today was not a good day to be Orc. He heard Howard's cry and was quickly losing ground between him and the aliens.

When he looked back at this moment he'd wonder what the hell he'd beenn thinking. If he'd been thinking at all.

He shook the beer hard and with a gentle...for him...pinch of his fingers exploded the sticky beverage in their faces. Hardly an issue, but he was hoping it would blind and distract them long enough to take a swing at one's face, and try to throw the other at the one attacking Howard.

Try being the operative word. He had no idea if he could.

[meat_mooks]

The first Kessek neatly side-steps Orc's blow, but the second is caught by Orc's hands and goes flying into her comrade. For a moment, they're both on the ground, and Howard uses this as a chance to get up and escape. But they're both back on their feet with superhuman speed and grab his arms. They don't seem injured.

The first Kessek grab Orc's wrist and blocks his other arm with their arm guard. "Surrender now and we will not leave you with permanent injury."

[paidinbeer]

Surrender. Ha! What a silly idea.

With a roar that rattled windows Orc tried to pull the Kessek in so he could smash his stone face into the more reptilian one. He hated the things he'd done, and he hated how good it felt to fight.

But most of all? He hated being told what to do by anyone but Howard.

[meat_mooks]

The Kessek's face collides with Orc's with a sickening squish. Its neck cracks backwards.

But it doesn't let go of Orc's arms, and it only shakes its head as it comes back to stare at him with a look bordering on respect. It understands what it means to not surrender in the face of power. It admires that.

But it still has a job to do.

Orc may be heavier, but when it comes to sheer strength the Kessek is pure muscle and highly-trained, and the Kessek has the height advantage. It leans forward, pressing all its weight down on Orc, pushing him down to the earth. The other Kessek, the one Orc through, comes up from behind and puts her foot to the back of Orc's legs, forcing him to his knees.

"Cuff them both. We'll return them to the ship for their Punishment."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard squirms and kicks, but against an alien who can subdue Orc, his own thrashing doesn't register as even a nuisance. The Kessek still with his pulls him to his feet and binds his arms in a nanite coil.

"Punishment?"

And it's at that point that Howard starts crying, not even out of sorrow for the new life they got so close to and were cheated out of, but out of pure terror.

[paidinbeer]

Orc has alot of pent up rage to get off his chest so where Howard is crying, Orc is screaming. Not even words. Beastlike roars as he strains his muscles to try and burst free. He can't feel it through his anger, but he's straining so hard on a body that has fallen so out of condition that the stones that make up his body begin to crack. a pain he will suffer through when the fury settles.