The early morning sun fills the apartment in a radiant orange glow, as several empty bottles and glasses refract the light of the sunrise, casting a range of colours onto the table which Corvus and Valion surround. Several detailed construction maps and timetables are displayed across several digital screens as Valion inspects them while his arms are crossed and his digitally distorted voice addresses Corvus.

  "This is starting to look pretty solid but lets go over the plan one last time." Corvus silently nods before his feathers grip the top of his beak between the bags under his eyes before exhaling a small exhausted sigh and standing up straight.

  "Alright. We're going to smuggle you off of this planet, but we have to do it very carefully, and very slowly. The explosion at your home was made public, as well as the passing of your father. The U.S.N is forced to hold a commemorative ceremony in honour of him."

  The thought of the celebration brings a pained smile onto his visor accompanied by a scoff. Corvus tilts his head toward him, offering a dismissive glare as if staring down a disobedient child, to which Valion holds up an apologetic paw before gesturing for him to continue.

  "As i was saying, this ceremony is being held in a couple of days. They've probably figured out by now that you weren't caught in the explosion, and they will be fearing an attack during the ceremony. They are going to pull the majority of their security to the event, which gives us some breathing room." A curled metal claw taps at the chin of his visor in reflection before he inserts his own comment. "Right, but what about their air defences?" Corvus clicks his tongue while nodding in agreement.

  "I'm getting there. They are more concerned with you attacking them on the ground rather than escaping because of their confidence in their automated anti-aircraft turrets. I mean ordinarily who would be convinced to smuggle you around here? They are sure that even if you were to attempt an escape with a commandeered vehicle, you would shot down immediately." Corvus starts to pace around the table of holograms as his ear twitches attentively.

  "But you have a contact that CAN smuggle me out?" The crow lowers his head before nodding it downwards as another sigh escapes his beak.

  "Well, that's what I'm going to arrange today in preparation for the event. They will stow you amongst the cargo that's being listed as hazardous nuclear waste. Your particular crate will appear normal on the outside but the crate itself will be completely protected from the harmful effects of the actual waste contained crates around you. You'll get shipped off planet, and 'bunny-hop' between smuggling ships until you reach a safe planet. I will arrive some days after but you will have to survive until i get there. That's the plan."

  They both take a seat as the fatigue of planning through the night finally catches up to them both, as their arms sink below them like a deflating balloons. After a round of sighs fill the silence of the apartment, Valion leans forward placing his elbows on his knees as he interlocks his metallic claws in front of him.

  "So what happens in the mean time? I just slink around your suite, sticking to the shadows for a couple of days?" Corvus lets the silence sit between them as his muscles relax for a moment, before lifting himself out of his seat, and stretching his back in an extended lean.

  "As a worst case scenario, sure, but I thought of a way to make use of your spare time. You and i are going to the outskirts of this planet. Amongst the slums, we're going to find the crime boss. You however, are going to find a Doctor Stannis Bremucubro. He's the lead scientist on the experiments involving your mask, amongst other studies. He survived the explosion of the bunker, but they've ordered him to stay put in his safe house which they hid in the slums. Ill ask for information on our man, and we'll part ways then. I'll sort out the smuggling arrangements while you do."

  Valion comes to his feet as he swings his arms in large rotations to stretch out his own muscles while nodding determinedly. "Alright, lets do it."

  After a couple of hours have passed, the rays of the morning sun have slid down the side of the building, as it illuminates the streets and other buildings like a sea of gold. A Grav-ship zips along the air, casting its own shadows on the city below as it slowly decreases its speed at the landing deck of Corvus's apartment, lowering itself gracefully like a large metallic bird reaching for a place to rest its wings. The roar of it's engines die down as the purple hue amongst the motors in its wings are dissipated, and the ship lies still.

  The doors to the seats of the ship swing open, and two pilots disembark quickly, before lining up into a straight line at the back of the ship, as Corvus pushes a large wooden box on a trolley towards them. The box is hastily nailed together, with bent nails sticking out of the box in places to show as evidence. Corvus's grunts spur the two pilots to quickly assist, as they gently take Corvus's place before hastily loading it onto the ship.

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  Corvus raises a wing toward them in appreciation before calling out to them. "Thanks boys! I won't forget your help today! i can always count on you!" The two soldiers grunt in unison as they lightly lay the box onto the cargo space on the ship before standing back into a straight line at the back of the ship once more, while saluting toward Corvus.

  "Of course Sir! Once again, it was you that kept us in Flight School when they were trying to expel us, so we owe you everything! but uh..." Corvus's eyebrow raises at his hesitation before addressing it vocally. "Go on soldier, speak your mind!"

  The pilots shoot glances between one another as an elbow shove from his co-pilot forces out the rest of his thoughts. "Well sir, are you sure you are capable to pilot this gravity-craft alone?" Corvus's caw-like laugh follows his statement and fills the space between them as he places a large wing on his abdomen before straightening himself and quickly walking toward the pilot to lay a wing on his shoulder.

  "I think I've been flying long enough to know how to work this thing out, now I'm ordering you two gentleman to mind my suite while i go and pick up this sensitive material, and you wouldn't want to disobey a direct order, now would you?" Their helmeted heads turn toward each other slowly, then back toward Corvus as if on a tight swivel, as Corvus's beak spreads a sly smile. "That's what i thought. There's plenty of food and drink in the pantry boys!"

  His almost cheerful dismissal lowers their guard as they sheepishly turn toward his elegant suite while the roaring of the engines brings the ship to life. Corvus expertly flips several switches and pulls on levers as the ship itself rises slowly into the air like a steel bird, before quickly soaring toward the horizon. After a few minutes of the ship in flight, Corvus turns over his shoulder as he yells into the back of the ship.

  "Hey! You're all clear!" A repetitive loud thumping follows his call, as the nails are slowly forced out of position before the lid of the crate falls to the floor of the metallic cargo bay with a loud THUNK.

  Valion disgruntledly staggers his way to the co-pilot's seat before slumping into its chair, as his voice crackles to life. "Did the crate have to be so air tight? it was getting stuffy in there." Corvus's deep sigh is the only response he gives to his statement before flipping other switches in a short succession.

  "Listen, you probably don't need to hide once we're down in the undercity. There's plenty of animals with cybernetics down there so you won't look out of place." Valions ear twitches in the middle of his sentence like a radar picking something up as he questions him while scanning the area in front of the gravity-craft.

  "Probably? what do you mean probably?" Corvus's expression becomes more steeled as he responds. "Just because they have cybernetics doesn't mean they wont try to kill you for some more. There isn't much over here in the way of law enforcement." His answer causes Valion to turn toward him, his own expression filling with caution and slight involuntary bloodlust before refocusing his gaze toward the landscape below as it transforms from the bustling, tightly packed city into a wide field of farmland, and uninhabitable mountains and hills.

  The farmland dominates the surface below for a long stretch of the journey before it finally darkens from the pollution of the approaching slums. The few unarmed civilians amongst the streets scatter to the shadows at the roar of the engines as they pass overhead, while all the others look toward the ship with a devilish grin like a peasant would stare at an unnoticed coin.

  A large shipyard housing many ships that are far devolved from Corvus and Osiris's stretches several kilometres as shipyard workers are dotted around the yard, while shipyard guards patrol between the neat lines of ships. Their own ship lowers itself toward an available space, as a smartly dressed badger strolls toward them, accompanied by two armed hound guards. The roar of the ships engine give way to the sounds of the slums as a chaotic orchestra of crunching metal and angered voices overwhelm the quit hum of the engine.

  The rear door lowers to the ground, sending a puff of dust toward the badger and his guards as Corvus and Valion disembark their ship and stand across from him. "Corvus. Been a while. I thought we agreed you'd only be aloud to store your grav-crafts here if they were... inconspicuous."

  They both turn toward the ship as a large shiny U.S.N emblem reflects the sunlight into their eyes causing them to both groan in unison as Corvus steps toward him, causing the badger to shift his weight nervously and clutch his digital clipboard to his chest.

  "I'd normally agree with you, but this is urgent. I think it would be within BOTH our interests to just... let this time be the exception." The badger locks his gaze onto Corvus's beady black eyes before turning away from him in a lazy single motion. "Fine!" his large weighted steps kick up the dust around him with each step as he raises a finger above his shoulder, with his voice following shortly after. "But there's a fine line between favours and extortion you know!"

  They both shrink toward the horizon as he addresses other workers on his lot while Corvus turns toward Valion and gestures toward the chain-link gate at the end of the lot. They both stride toward it as the tone of the city begins to engulf their senses, before finally stepping out into the slums streets. Corvus leads them down the winding maze-like streets, accompanied with dangerous looks as the denizens of the slums attempt to gauge their combat capabilities, but all of them deciding with a huff that they weren't able to fight them both, or weren't going to risk their lives to find out.

  After traversing the long tightly packed corridors of buildings along with the echoing of weapon fire, they finally hear the heavy bass beat of a club, as its neon glow precedes its appearance. A large bustling crowd blocks the entrance as several buff bouncers line the outer walls of the club. Avoiding the gaze of the patrons, they slink toward the rear of the club, sticking to its shadows before approaching the armed bouncer guarding a large heavy steel mechanical door. Their night was about to get more interesting, as the winds around them shifted. Their fates had been sealed.