*Sorry about the long wait guys! Thanks to those who are sticking it out! I had a hard time figuring how who the *bad* guys were going to be in this chapter! Or they aren't necessarily bad, just desperate. The chapter may move a little slower, but I promise to let Red open up his abilities at some point. I want to see him kick ass again! And maybe not land on his face next time! Let me know what you think?* ~Red_Leasia

Tidy.

That's all Red could think when he saw the camp. The settlement had been reduced to almost the stone age place. There were tents everywhere, hidden up vast trees brought in originally to terraform the surface. The inhabitants down to the children had weathered faces. The place was clean despite the rags the settlers wore.

Everyone stopped to look at them. It was a bitter sense of irony that even in the prison uniform, Red found himself so desperate to get rid of, they were still better clothed than these people.

Eoghan led them to the biggest tent and motioned the rest of their *guard* to remain outside. 

Upon entering they found themselves in the presence of a single woman.  She gazed at them thoughtfully from crystal clear blue eyes, graying hair pinched into a tight bun behind her head. she sat ramrod straight as she regarded them.  Authority leaked from her. There was no question here as to who was in charge. 

Eoghan made a respectful salute. "Investigated and found these people, madam."

She raised a hand indicating they should sit in front of her. Even as they placed themselves on the floor on comfortable cushions she was still slightly elevated above the rest. "Who are you?" Her voice had a rich timbre, she didn't have to raise it for people to listen. While Eoghan made him nervous with his talk of terms, this woman had a calm manner that did much to settle Red. He suspected that's why she was the leader and probably a good one at that. 

Red glanced between Dag and Ember who sat on either side of him. Both of them had turned to him. What am I supposed to say here? "This is Dag, I'm Red, She's Ember."

She waited but when Red said nothing else, she exchanged a glance with Eoghan.

"Have you no rank among you, or last names?" The woman stared at him, her tone challenging even as she tried to read him. 

Red caught the briefest fleck of nervousness. A small twitch of her pointer finger, her eyes narrowing slightly, barely noticeable, a slight flare of the nostril... His augments registered all of this, marked it as non-threatening. But he couldn't relax, distrust was second nature to him now. 

"None," Red answered. "We're all..." He paused wondering how much to tell. His eyes flickered to Dag this time, Dag nodded at him. The truth would be easiest. "We're all escapees from Helion 7."

"Augs then. Purge survivors?" The woman raised her hand and Eoghan stepped forward. "Bring us whatever beverage Vi has cooked up this week." She looked at each of them. "My name is Andrea Bustamonte. I was Governor of our little settlement until it was... Destroyed."

"How do you know about the purge if you've been here all this time? Like this?" Ember spoke up for the first time. Andrea's eyes flickered over her a moment, frowning, considering.

Red wished she hadn't spoken. Her lilted accent was unmistakable. 

"We had a radio until last year. You can always receive signals, and believe me, Neo-Tokyo still bombards its domain with its messages of power, purity, and perfection. It's when you send them back that they realize you are still out there. We've sent nothing, they've not bothered to come out to this little rock."

Red's gaze flicked over to Ember just in time to see her face pale as she swallowed. 

Andrea's gaze had fallen on Ember as well, she looked satisfied as she clasped her wrinkled hands together in her lap. Red didn't like it, there was something else going on in the background, something he was missing.

Andrea opened her mouth to speak again, her gaze focused on Ember but Red interrupted her.

"What do you need us for?" 

Andrea's mouth closed as she refocused back on Red. "Why else? We want to leave this place. Some of us has families we haven't seen in years." Her gaze was thoughtful.

"And we're aren't going to be leaving without you." 

"No." She smiled. She liked men of a few words, especially when they picked up the point quickly.

"What are your terms then..." Red tried to keep her focus on him. If he could have shifted in front of Ember he would have. He didn't dare glance over at Dag, he only hoped that Dag had picked up on his tension.

"There is a place out there." A faraway look came over her eyes., "we've pick up its broadcasts on occasion. They are few and far between. Some of my people are augs. And believe me when I say, augs are still human. I don't care what the latest Neo-Tokyo edict is. We're going there."

"New Elysium," Ember whispered. Again Andrea's eyes flickered over Ember. Whatever she saw there caused her to frown.

Ember, shut up.

Red could feel both Ember and Dag's eyes on him. "What a coincidence." He muttered. "That's where we are going." For some reason, it brought up the memory of Lars again, and all of his talk of a higher power and fate. What is man that you are mindful of him? And the son of man that you visit him? What do you think that means Captain?  Lars's voice called out to him from his past.  Just a coincidence, a big fucking coincidence that they need to get to New Elysium. He pushed the memory away and concentrated on the problem at hand.

"Now," Andrea snapped suddenly all business, as Eoghan brought in four glasses of something hot. "This is the terms part. Who will be in charge?"

"It's my ship--" Ember started, at the same time, Red said, "—We are."

Andrea stared between the two amused. Dag on the other side of Red only shook his head. The big man was relaxed now. It seemed like the dangerous part had passed.

Red and Ember stared at each other, neither saying a word. Andrea interrupted their silent argument. "I would like to think that I was in charge."

"It's our ship," Red countered. Andrea's attention, however, was focused on Ember.

"What's your augment?" Her voice had lost its calm timbre, instead, the command was sharp and suspicious.

Ember glanced at Red, his face was screwed up with worry as he tensed. Even Dag was sitting up again his muscles bunched under his shirt.

Eoghan had appeared behind Ember like a shadow. It wasn't like they hadn't noticed. The only thing that had kept him rooted to the floor was the fact that Ember had slammed her hand down on his arm.

Andrea stared at her, her hands twitching in her lap again. "Are you what I think you are?"

"I don't think it has any bear--" Andrea raised her hand and Dag fell silent. 

Red's gaze flicked between the two women. 

It was the first time Red had ever seen Ember look ashamed. Even when she argued with him back on Helion 7. "Yes." She whispered, eyes downcast. Her hand on his arm shook slightly. "Don't do anything, Red," she whispered.

"Why would--" Red started.

Eoghan yanked her off the floor. "A Vesper? Put her in the pit." There was venom in the man's voice, a hatred that hadn't been there earlier.

Red was on his feet in an instant, they were suddenly surrounded by many people with high caliber guns. The guns had to have been at least 7 years old or more but Red was perfectly aware that they would fire. 

"Red, don't." Ember's eyes still stared at the floor as she allowed herself to be jerked around.

"I fully know what you are capable of young lady," Andrea stated coldly. "As capable as you are, you can't move faster than these guns can fire."

"Ember," Red's voice held a warning. 

"This is a mistake." Dag's fists were clenched.

"Stop." Andrea pushed herself to her feet. Ember's gaze lifted but she looked to Red and Dag shaking her head at both of them. 

Red didn't understand, but he heard Dag whisper behind him. "She was her for it. The bombing of New Caledonia."

Andrea regally moved forward and looked Ember in the eye. "Show me, the implants. I want to be sure..."

"Madam," Eoghan started. 

Slowly Ember reached up and drew her messy hair away from her neck, exposing the topmost implant into her spine. Andrea glanced at it and nodded. She was a taller woman, towering over Ember. 

Why doesn't she defend herself? 

 Again, Red was seeing her on the table, getting kicked repeatedly so they had a chance at escape.  But this... His fists tightened at the thought of witnessing that again, he felt his breath turn shallow and fast as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that she was just allowing herself to be taken. What Dag said registered suddenly in his mind. She was here for the bombing because she was one of the bombers.  She'd participated in putting down the insurrection here, the insurrection that may or may not have been.

"Red," she stared at him, this time her gaze was pleading. "Please..."

Eoghan moved Ember out of the tent. He found himself rooted to the spot in shock, even as he watched her disappear. He felt a moment of panic at how wrong it felt. Everything went away, he heard nothing, as he stared at the opening like a loyal dog waiting in vain for his master to appear. They're taking her, his mind screamed at him. Something he'd just now gotten back. He couldn't comprehend his own reactions, only that his mind was only capable of focusing on the simple fact that Ember was gone and he couldn't deal with that.

"Red!" Dag's voice snapped him back to reality. He gazed at Dag, a red haze clearing from his vision. He inhaled, sucking in air, a man who'd forgotten how to breathe. 

His mind cleared as he took in the guns trained on them again. Andrea was back on her seat, but she looked disturbed. 

"I'm sorry about your friend," Andrea said. "I truly am."

"She's not my friend," Red snapped in response and then closed his mouth. What was she?  Damn it, Ember, Red thought. IF they got out of this, he was going to have to teach her to not be so self-sacrificing. She could be a little more selfish, it wouldn't hurt.

He turned to Andrea. "She's an aug, I thought you said augs were human."

"Neo-Tokyans are not human." Andrea's voice was cold. "Believe me I know, I've dealt with plenty of them."

Red was taken back by how much she sounded like him. Only a week ago, he'd said something similar. "I get it, but I'm not losing another member of my crew." Red met Andrea's gaze pointedly. "You don't know her."

"I know a guilty face when I see one." Andrea sighed. "She participated... We've waited a long time. I know you understand, living in Helion 7. We lost so many..." Her voice hitched, her eyes grew shiny.  If Ember's life hadn't been on the line he might have felt sorry for her. He found himself not caring about this woman's past pain, or who she might have lost. The only person who that mattered to was being dragged to who-fucking-knew where for who-fucking-knew what. 

Red's fists clenched. He pointed a finger at her which only brought the guns closer. "Look, lady, I. am. Not. Losing. Another. Member. Of. My. Crew." He paused taking a deep breath. "It's my ship, it's a vesper ship. We need her."

"Any pilot can fly it." Andrea dismissed the thought. "It can be rewired, we could do it if need be. We don't need you either."

"We've already got the Neo-Tokyo Navy looking for us," Red countered. "We need her. You'll need her to evade them. Let her atone that way. And then when we get there you can put her on trial."

"Vespers destroyed this place." Andrea whispered. "I'm sorry about your friend, but someone must answer for that."

"Red." Dag's voice broke in. "Calm down." Red's breathing had picked up again, his defenses were up. His mind calculated subconsciously the best way to attack with the least harm to himself.

Enough of this shit. "You talking terms? Here are your terms," Red spat out. "Ember goes with us, or none of us go. Oh, and it's our ship."

"Look, Red..." Andrea tried her calm voice again but to Red, it felt like nails on a chalkboard, a chalkboard he was barely restraining himself from destroying.

This time he held up a hand to silence her. His voice had grown cold. 

"Basically, she's still remotely connected to the Ember," Red continued. "And has already sent it up to orbit. You want it, she lives. If she dies, we'll all go down on this rock." His gaze met Andrea's and he had the satisfaction of seeing the former governor shudder. "And trust me, I will outlive the lot of you."

She hadn't...not really. Red wished he would have thought of mentioning it to Ember to fire up the engines and be ready for something like this, even as he pinned Andrea down with a steely gaze. The woman was afraid, not that he felt good about it.

He really hoped Andrea wasn't going to call his bluff.