It took over a day for Xanthiana to travel to the recovery point the Ereps had set up outside of the crashed carrier. It had been slow going, there was a lot of foot traffic of the mutants and apparently hellbugs were in season, she had seen more than a few of the little bastards, attacking the mutants. Sometimes the mutants won, sometimes the bugs; all times Xanthiana wanted nothing to do with either of them.
The "camp" the ereps had set up was more a triage tent for a multitude of wounded and dying than any kind of established position. There was hardly a perimeter when Xanthiana approached, just a couple bored looking men in beat up uniforms holding their guns at half mast not even bothering to check people coming or going. She couldn't fault them, from her short time observing; people were running in and running out with varying states of urgency and purpose. The men were not guarding so much as making pretending that there was some order to the chaos. The main hub of the camp was a cobbled together group of com terminals inside a particulary more solid part of the destroyed carrier. Xanthiana could see techs still trying to get com signals or really any kind of signals, while other techs were working hard to set up more terminals and keep the ones they had running. Pacing between them was the former Captain of the ship, a man named Grant, he had a half smoldered cigar clamped between his teeth as he moved from operator to operator hoping one of them had gotten through.
"Reporting for duty Captain Grant." Xanthiana or any of the ark hunters for that matter were never directly underneath erep command, but at this time with Von Bach missing and the operation in shambles reporting to the only command structure she could seemed like the best idea.
"Great another stripper, as if Ducar was not enough, honey if you're looking to turn tricks my men don't have the scrip nor the time to deal with you, if you're one of Von Bach's asshole ark hunters see Sergent Cobb, otherwise I got more important shit to deal with than you." Grant turned back around to yell at a technician and Xanthiana stepped out of the makeshift communications area.
"That was entirely rude." The EGO unit materialized if only to voice her disapproval.
"Grant's a busy guy and Von Bach and by an extension Ark Hunters put him into this position, I'm sure we're not his favorite people." It was still weird think talking to her ego device, but Xanthiana had gotten the hang of it, even if she probably looked strange standing out in the open while other people moved around here talking to themselves
"Still no reason to call you a whore." Xanthiana looked over her just drying tank top and shorts and could see where the confusion came from, she looked like a stripper. It was her own fault really she had dressed in comfort clothes that would be easy to put body armor over, but the ship got hit too fast for her to even get any body armor or even a standard uniform to put on.
"No, but I can't blame him, I really could do with a uniform change." Just then someone snapped in front of her eyes, it appeared Sgt. Cobb had been summoned from whatever duty he had been assigned. Cobb was in the usual blue army camo of the Ereps, but instead of their blue helmet, he had on a cowboy hat. He was also smoking, which was also probably not regulation.
"Do all you Ark Hunters just drift off into space like that?" His voice was a bit of a drawl that denoted he was from the south at some point or liked to pretend he was, there wasn't much of a south anymore in the new world.
"Sorry Sergent I was communicating with my ego device, I was told to see you about finding Mr. Von bach."
"Sure you are, just like all the rest of you, but seeing as the last group of you assholes that blew through here took some atv's, some supplies and we're supposed to help us with a group of snipers and never did, command ain't really looking to help you until you help us." Cobb snatched up a discarded sniper rifle and handed it toward Xanthiana.
"I've got no use for that."
"Well you better learn fast if you want to take out that nest." He pointed to an encampment that overlooked part of the carrier wreckage, "Near as we can tell there are five to six of those mutant assholes up there just picking off our boys."
"And you want me to take care of it?"
"That's correct." He smiled and offered her the rifle again, she shook her head and started to leave camp.
"Have some supplies waiting for me when I get back down, and a damn uniform of some kind I'm a size 6!" Xanthiana started to make her way towards the sniper's nest, it seemed she had to walk before she could drive.
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