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With a colony as vast as Halcyon, it was practically common sense to expect the unexpected. Whether it would be the MSI working together with the Iconoclasts, a stranger running into a Board laboratory to steal some chemicals and shooting their way out of Byzantium, or even the murder of Halcyon Helen, citizens of Halcyon knew that the crazier something was, the more likely it was to happen.
That didn't mean that they reacted to these events the same way they would to any minor inconvenience. As these unusual happenings continued, the colony grew more and more uneasy. People were nervous that all of these events were leading to something bigger, something that could threaten the colony itself.
Some people thought of these events as things that simply happened; they were just random circumstances that had no connections. Others took them as a sign of criminals finally moving on to bigger things, maybe even setting their sites on the entire colony itself. Others still thought of them as a cry of resistance against the Board and their evil ways.
It was that last statistic, that little spark of rebellion, that was closest to the truth.
It hadn't started that way for the crew of the Unreliable--they were freelancers, simply drifting from planet to planet, solving problems and shooting bad guys. But as more and more problems presented themselves, the crew realized that a lot of these problems tied back to the Board's own negligent, corrupted and downright tyrannical hold on the colony. Additionally, due to the nature of their main job--and the nature of Captain Cora's awakening--the crew came into frequent conflict with the Board and its army workforce.
Due to this, the group had seen their fair share of, for lack of a better term, fucked up shit. They'd also done a lot of fucked up shit, most of which was brutal murder and violence. And while Cora did try to reason with most people, combat was practically a predetermined outcome in most situations.
Not that she minded. Freelancing was, after all, a rather stressful job. Getting to scratch her trigger finger every now and then was just what she needed.
Cora had to admit, though, that it wasn't all fun and blood. There was a lot of blood throughout the colony, sure, but not all of it was fun or exciting. The second thing Cora had seen after waking up in Halcyon was her preceder, having been crushed by her very own pod. The irony wasn’t lost on her.
It wasn’t just that, either. Friends and family turned against each other due to the sorry state of the colony. The Board planning to force people into being frozen in a grim attempt to ‘save’ Halcyon. Then, there was the Hope.
Law, the Hope.
When Cora had first gotten onto the Hope, she didn’t know many of the other people on the ship. Maybe by name, but she had no friends on board. She didn’t mind, of course–she boarded the ship for a fresh start, so the less people who knew her, the better.
Despite this, after learning of the situation the Hope was in, Cora felt an odd connection to the frozen passengers. She felt sorry that they’d all been stuck like that for 70 years. The feeling was made worse by the fact that she was here, living what she could only call the perfect life while they were all still stuck in there, cold and alone.
Perhaps that was why Cora was so willing to help Phineas get them out of there. She wanted them to live as she is–free, happy, fixing the colony the only way she knows how. She wanted to make something of the life she’d been given, so that the sacrifices of the twelve before her didn’t go to waste. She wanted to get revenge on the Hope’s crew, who valued their own lives and survival over those of the frozen.
If she could, she would go back and time and shoot them before the lunatics even thought of opening any of those pods.
Cora and her crew faced so many horrors created from the minds of their fellow humans. But they always bounced back, optimistic as they waltzed into the next planet to make some poor sap’s day (and take their money). It was the only way that they could inspire hope in the colony’s people. If the freelancers of the Unreliable weren’t hopeful, then no one else would be.
Unfortunately for them, everything has a breaking point.
And Captain Cora’s was Gorgon.
<>
To everyone’s surprise, it was ADA who suggested the vacation. After seeing a decrease in satisfaction after a particularly bloody mission and an increase in both alcohol consumption and longer, colder showers, she realized that the crew of the Unreliable was slowly beginning to live up to their name.
Following a careful analysis, ADA realized that the crew was, in fact, depressed.
Ellie was probably the least affected, as she wasn't with the group when they infiltrated the lab to acquire Olivia's journal. She wasn't there to witness the horrifying sights of Project Gorgon. Captain claimed that firepower would be better for getting through the area. That much was true, evident after looking at just how much ammo she, Felix and Nyoka used on the planet.
It wasn't until a while after they returned from the lab when Ellie heard what they'd seen. Felix, of all people, broke down, ranting about the horrors of the establishment and how he 'wouldn't stand for the evils of corporations' any longer. He wanted to head straight to Spacer's Choice headquarters and go in guns blazing. He wanted to expose them for unleashing the marauders onto the colony. He wanted them to pay for what they did.
Nyoka, for once, agreed with everything Felix said. She didn't seem as traumatized as she was angry, and damn, was she angry. Ellie could see the rage in her eyes as they continued on with their lives, unloading just as much anger and hatred into enemies and bad guys as she did bullets.
Ellie was more scared of them than she'd ever been before.
So, when Cora asked Ellie to set a course for Monarch to make a quick supply run, ADA noted the doctor's slight distress at seeing her crewmate so beaten up.
"Doctor, you seem 'put off' today. Is there something wrong? Did you run out of hot water too quickly again earlier?"
Ellie almost didn't comment, not wanting to let the robotic voice get to her. But after the past week, she needed someone to vent to.
"You've seen the crew, ADA. These people are more depressed than Helen's fans were after her 'death'. I mean, sure, what they saw on Gorgon probably was way worse than they described, but I've never seen them this bent out of shape." Ellie thought back to her interactions with Cora the past week. "Even the Captain is super depressed. And she's always been the one to bounce back."
It wasn't helping that the Captain was barely giving herself a break. If they weren't on a job, then they were searching for one. If they were on a job, then Cora went about it the long way, making sure she could stay distracted. And if she wasn't distracted, then she spent most of her time in her quarters. She was keeping the door closed far more than she ever did.
ADA was quiet for a few seconds before she responded. "Seeing as we are landing in Stellar Bay next, perhaps you and the crew should take a vacation. Stellar Bay has sufficient friendly faces, alcohol, and attractions that it may relieve some of the stress you all are going through."
Ellie was going to give an automatic dismissal before she stopped herself. ADA had a point. Throughout the colony, Stellar Bay was probably the closest place the crew had to a rest stop. They only ever stopped at the Groundbreaker for rarer supplies or for jobs, and Eridanos was too much of a tourist attraction for the crew to really rest at.
Stellar Bay, on the other hand, was friendly, calm, and even relaxing. If they were going to take a vacation anywhere, it'd be there. As they began the docking process, Ellie proposed ADA's idea to the Captain.
"Sure, that's fine," Cora said, typing away at her terminal, "I'll take care of our supplies. You guys have some fun down there."
It wasn't quite what Ellie had hoped for. She knew that Captain wouldn't be opposed to the rest of them taking a few days off--she was pretty lenient when it came to things like this--but she also wanted Cora to use this time to work her thoughts and problems out.
It seemed that the crew always came first, as far as Cora was concerned.
Ah, well. Ellie wasn't one to push other people to do things they didn't want to, so she left Captain to her own devices and took Nyoka and Felix into town. While Felix went to Left Field Tossball to talk tossball with Nell, Nyoka and Ellie went to the bar for a few drinks.
It was nice, to really be able to relax. To just cut loose, and let the alcohol drift any thoughts of horrific drugs and tests away from their brains. They laughed, threw some darts, drank a lot, and overall had a good time.
From what Ellie saw, Nyoka was happier than she'd been in a while. She hadn't seen her smile this much since they cleared the parasites from Eridanos.
And that had been while she was firing her gun at anything that moved. Imagine what she’d look like now, drunk off her ass, mowing dawn canids, primals and marauders…
Maybe not the marauders.
The pair had been there for maybe an hour when, of all people, Sanjar Nandi came into the bar. “It’s nice to see you all back here once again,” he said, “where is your esteemed Captain? Zora and I were hoping to speak to her regarding some upcoming plans.”
Ellie looked through the window up towards the Unreliable, seeing her Captain sitting at the navigation computer. Cora seemed deep in thought, though Ellie couldn’t be sure what she was thinking about.
“She’s still on the ship, it looks like,” she said, “I’ll go grab her for ya.”
When Ellie stepped inside the Unreliable for the first time since they landed, it felt colder than usual. Normally, ADA kept the ship at a reasonably warm temperature. The Captain must’ve asked her to lower it when the crew stepped off to head into town.
Cora didn’t seem to notice Ellie coming back in. She didn’t look up when the door opened, and barely reacted when Ellie cleared her throat. “Captain?”
That finally got her attention. Cora jumped slightly, then turned around to face Ellie. “Hey, there, Ellie. You startled me. What’s up?”
At this point, Ellie got a good look at the Captain's appearance. The bags under her eyes were much more prevalent than they usually were. Her eyes were almost bloodshot, likely from a lack of sleep. Her hair was messy. Overall, she looked awful.
Ellie blinked, returning her attention to the matter at hand."Um, Sanjar was looking for you. He said that he and Zora had some stuff to ask you about."
Cora nodded. "Alright, let's hear it. ADA, patch them through."
Before ADA could call the two leading figures of Stellar Bay, Ellie piped up. "Actually, uh, Captain, he said that they wanted to talk to you in person. They have some stuff to show you, and it would be easier face to face."
The Captain blinked. "Okay," she said, almost like she didn't realize what Ellie had just said. Then, she sat up straighter in her chair. "Oh. Gotcha. Right. Okay. Um. Yeah. I'll, uh, head out now, I guess."
From that response, Ellie could only guess that 'heading out' was the last thing Cora wanted to do. She stepped to the side so Cora could go make herself a bit more presentable for this meeting. When she came back down from her quarters five minutes later, she somehow looked both better and worse than before. "ADA, make sure you save my notes from earlier," she said, while adjusting her armor.
"Do you want me to come with you, Captain?" Ellie's question was tentative. She knew that the Captain never really needed backup at a meeting--she could hold her own with both guns and words just fine, but given the state she was currently in, Ellie wasn't sure if Cora was suited to do anything relatively important.
But the Captain shook her head. "I'll be fine, thank you." She smiled at Ellie. "You're the one who suggested a vacation, right? Go enjoy yourself."
And Cora exited the Unreliable, leaving Ellie to ponder over the most forced smile she'd ever seen.
<>
Ellie didn't see her Captain again until a couple of hours later. As the party inside the bar began to die down, Ellie picked at the remains of her meal while looking out the window. Nyoka was passed out, much like many of the other patrons, while Felix and a few others were drinking and crying over the tossball game.
Ellie had to admit, she was definitely feeling a bit better after today. It seemed that ADA was right; the crew really just needed a day to themselves in order to realize that the colony wasn't all meat cubes and evil scientists. While Project Gorgon might have been disgusting and horrifying, there was so much more to the universe than that. And part of the beauty and good was because of them. That was an odd feeling to Ellie, but not an unwelcome one.
Ellie looked out to what parts of the city she could see, admiring the sunset. She hadn't been on Monarch often, but the times she was, she was always impressed by the view she could get.
Not much later, though, she noticed the Captain walking across her view. Instead of heading back to the Unreliable, however, she simply left the walls of Stellar Bay, exiting through the gate. On an admittedly somewhat drunken whim, Ellie decided to follow.
Ellie followed the Captain for quite some time, finally stopping when Cora arrived at a short cliff, overlooking the vast sea of Monarch. Ellie's blood briefly ran cold, until she saw the Captain strip off her armor, leaving herself in just some leggings and a tank top. Cora then sat down, simply staring out into the horizon. Ellie took a few tentative steps forward, unsure of how to proceed. However, the Captain soon spoke up.
"I told Sanjar and Zora about Gorgon," she admitted distantly. "They were discussing some actions they wanted to take against the Board, so I figured it'd be something Sanjar could use in his mission to reform the Board from the inside out." Cora drew her knees up and rested her arms on them. "At this point, though, I think it might be better to dismantle the Board completely. Zora agreed."
Ellie hadn't expected that. She doubted that the Captain told them about how much it affected her and her crew, but the fact that she came so forward with the events surprised Ellie.
Cora patted the grass beside her. Ellie hesitated, but ultimately sat down, staring out into the same nothingness the Captain was looking at. She kept a solid six inches between them, not wanting to be too close. A few seconds passed before Cora spooke up again. "Did I ever tell you about Edgewater?"
Ellie pondered that. She'd heard some rumors about what happened at Edgewater not too long ago, but didn't realize those rumors were a result of the Captain's actions. "No, I don't think you have."
Cora nodded. "It was the first town I saw after waking up. When I arrived there, that was when I finally realized 'hey, this is my chance for a fresh start.'"
Cora paused, but Ellie didn't say anything. She realized that this was likely the only chance she'd get for Cora to actually let her feelings out, and she didn't want to ruin it with her natural sarcasm.
"You see, back on Earth, I was a criminal. A pretty big one, at that. I was wanted everywhere. It kept getting harder to find a place to sleep, to hold up, or to call home. I decided that I needed to get off Earth entirely. So I made a fake ID and boarded the Hope, headed to Halcyon. No one knew me here, so it was really my only chance.
"I'd always kept it in my head--'here, my life will be different'. I didn't want to have to struggle just to stay alive, or sleep in any more garbage cans. So I wanted to be better than what I was on Earth. I had to be.
"At Edgewater, I met a girl named Parvati. She helped me while I was there, and looked at me like I was some badass warrior, full of wisdom and stories. When we had to decide whether to divert power to Edgewater or to the deserters, she said I should do Edgewater. I trusted her judgement, since she lived there, and spoke with the deserters. They said that they wouldn't return to Edgewater as long as Reed Tobson was still in power, so I went to talk to him. He wouldn't step down, though. After that, I didn't see any other real option, so I just shot him."
Ellie noticed Cora's trigger finger twitch slightly. She wondered if that was the first life Cora had taken after waking up.
"At the time, I didn't think much of it. Even now, I still don't. The guy was just another slave to the Board." Cora paused. "But then I turned, and saw the way Parvati was looking at me. All I could see in her face was horror, disgust, maybe even fear. And I felt something I wasn't very familiar with: regret. I didn't regret killing Reed. The feeling came from the fact that I'd already let someone down. That I disappointed them. That I'd failed to change, like I wanted to."
Cora sniffled. She didn't seem like she was going to cry, and Ellie prayed that she didn't. Ellie wasn't cut out for stuff like this--bringing comfort to a person and helping them through their deepest demons. It only created attachments, and those were the worst thing a person in Halcyon could have.
But seeing her Captain--Captain Cora of the Unreliable, the most confident person Ellie's ever met, the fastest sharpshooter around, and the most oddly optimistic person Ellie's known for a long time--seeing her this doubtful of herself, this vulnerable, sparked a feeling Ellie wasn't very experienced with. One she didn't like, but also didn't mind. She didn't want to see her Captain like this ever again, but also appreciated that Cora was showing this side to her.
Ellie still didn't think she could trust her own words at this point, so instead of speaking, Ellie scooched closer to the Captain and wrapped one arm around Cora's shoulders. She hoped that this would get the message across and tell the Captain what she wanted to say.
Cora didn't say anything, either. She simply nudged herself further into Ellie's half hug and rested her head on Ellie's shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing. She seemed oddly at peace, like all that she had just said was festering ever since they left Gorgon.
Ellie pondered what it was about Gorgon that made all those feelings place themselves in the Captain's head. Maybe it reminded her of her life back on Earth, without morals and without questions. She wondered if Cora still would have chosen to end Project Gorgon once and for all if she wasn't dead set on changing herself and becoming someone better than who she was on Earth.
Ellie shook the questions from her mind and decided to simply enjoy this peaceful moment of respite in the crew's hectic lives. With the Captain finally admitting that something was wrong, she figured at this point, things would only get better for the Unreliable.