Inglorious

                                        

                                              
* I have decided to change Aeryn's physical description quite a bit. It is not an arbitrary decision and eventually I will go back and adjust the rest of the 온라인카지노게임 thus far to coincide with this new description. I have chosen Cynthia Addai-Robinson to 'play' her but will not list it in Casting so as to keep the gender reveal a surprise to new readers.
                              
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While the two Pantharni slept across the hall and Uncle Tavir slept in a ball, Aeryn sat staring in bemused wonder at the brand new appendage the young human had woken up with. The scavenger's skin colour was pasty despite it's darker hue, a gift that only complete lack of sun could give, and the tail reflected that colouration the closer to the trunk of Aeryn's body. The sunless tone morphed into a nearly burgundy colour at the tip, a gorgeous purpling that Aeryn didn't recognize as the natural undertones her own skin revealed in the few moments it was ever bared. Like the Pantharni, Aeryn's new tail had a layer of body hair that was just shy of being actual fur.
                              
"I have a tail, and it's actually kind of pretty." Aeryn mumbled, used to talking softly out loud to give the illusion of not being alone.
                              
The process of adapting to said tail wasn't as difficult as Aeryn kept expecting it to be, and the scavenger wasn't sure if this was due to lingering shock, a side effect of the nanite virus that had caused the tail in the first place, or her own ability to adapt. When not paying attention to the tail or where it connected to back and spine, Aeryn couldn't identify it as unnatural, anymore than legs or arms were. But when a little mental focus on it occurred, the burgundy tip thrashed erratically in the air.
                              
"If I don't think about it, it swishes around like waving away a fart; I think about it and suddenly it has seizures. Yeah this'll be inconspicuous." How was Aeryn supposed to keep this new appendage from being discovered? She new just exactly would happen if any of Daniel's cronies discovered it, Aeryn would get dragged in front of him and stripped. Life after that would be short, brutal, painful and degeneration.
                              
So Aeryn took the pretty tail in one hand an set the edge of the strange obsidian coloured blade against the base of it. There was no way on this dead rock that this wasn't going to hurt beyond all measure but Aeryn was going to have to cut it off. Netter now when recovery from that can be explained away by the beating Aeryn had already received and before anyone could catch a hint of it. And yet Aeryn still hesitated with the serrated edge against the base, an awkward hold since it involved contorting to set knife against spine. Would the Pantharni understand Aeryn's sudden self mutilation? Or would they be offended that Aeryn hadn't readily accepted this 'gift' in the same away as the Listener imbedded in Aeryn's ear? Damned if she did or didn't, Aeryn was locked in indecision. The bare facts were that having the tail put her at risk while staying here but even without the damn thing waving like a flag above Aeryn's ass, staying in Daniel's compound was not a long term option. For some reason it was getting harder and harder for Aeryn to stay invisible to the volatile leader. But Aeryn wasn't leaving until the Pantharni got their odd living ship back up and running. Sampson had smuggled Aeryn and Tavir books and manuals, so Aeryn knew about the electronics, mechanics and technology that used to make this world run. What the Pantharni used was so much more complex than that though. It was truly alien.
                              
From Aeryn's best guess and limited understanding, the Pantharni technology either utilized an independent sentience or tapped into a host's subconscious mind in a symbiotic relationship. And they had no clue why it wasn't working now, so how was a human with no understanding of this biotech supposed to help? "Too stupid, too impulsive, too convinced I can figure it out. Just cut it off." Aeryn didn't even realize she'd muttered out loud. But the tail in hand responded to Aeryn's voice. It wrapped around the wrist holding the blade, gently pulling the weapon away before Aeryn could give in and cut it away. "Of course, I'm infected with nanites that defend themselves from attack. Wonderful."
                              
Providence was not a force Aeryn believed in, though Sampson was known for prayer despite all evidence showing that no god cared, but the idea suddenly hit. What if they could trick the ship into waking up, by forcing it to defend itself. Aeryn had seen no signs of life stirring when the Aeyaey had attacked the Pantharni, but logically the ship hadn't been directly threatened. So Aeryn silently pulled on all the usual gear, spending far too long trying to figure out how to tuck a tail in, and then headed out to try and figure out how exactly to threaten a space ship.
                              
Aeryn could always tell who was patrolling the levels based solely off the noises they were making, so sneaking out only ever required that Aeryn figure out who, then work around their habits. The ploddingly slow, slightly scuffled steps warned that Mitas was walking the lower halls. He was one of the few men Aeryn didn't hate or fear, mainly because he was guileless. There's been a tunnel collapse several years back that he'd survived physically, but his mind had never woken up again. Sampson said he was like a six year old with the body of a fifty year old; Aeryn only knew that he was nice unless told by Daniel to be mean. There was still no point in risking confrontation though, so Aeryn snuck down the hallway behind him, a shadown that the large man was oblivious to. It would be best if no one knew  that Aeryn was up and about; the less anyone saw, the less likely anyone would notice something off. It wasn't just the strange shape the tail made inside clothes that would clue people in; no, now Aeryn's body and brain had been received to accommodate a tail for balance. With the thrashing beast temporarily contained though, Aeryn would suddenly over compensate for it NOT moving and stagger around. It would be one hell of a handicap once outside the walls, but Aeryn couldn't risk letting it out. There were other scavengers from Daniel's compound likely to be skulking about, no doubt looking for the ship the Pantharni crashed on. Aeryn wasn't too worried though, because no one else ventured out as far as the youngest scavenger was willing to go. Since Aeryn would risk going into more dangerous areas, more vaulble items often came back too and helped buy Aeryn forgiveness and some breathing room from Daniel. One time she'd brought back the contents of a liquor store and Daniel had even let Aeryn have a bit of technology. For a whole month Aeryn and Tavir had enjoyed an air filtration system until Daniel had taken it  back when Aeryn had disagreed with a sycophant.
                              
Just to help ensure that no one followed Aeryn out to the ship it was necessary to take the very long way around to it. This put Aeryn near the Hunter nest grounds, but with the bright orb hazy through the toxic ash, the monsters were asleep. They'd smell the human's trail but hours after it'd already gone cold. It felt good for Aeryn to be out alone, no one around and expecting things or making demands. Even though literally everything around Aeryn wanted to make the human dead; even the air was murderous. And yet it felt far more free and safe than the compound. Especially now, something had changed with the arrival of the Pantharni. They were a reminder that the compound was NOT ALONE. Daniel had kept power and control through rigid isolation techniques and Aeryn's new friends proved that he was not in absolute control. The Pantharni were like a symbol of hope to those few who wanted out of Daniel's world. Sure Daniel and the vast majority of the men who were loyal to him wanted to stay, but Aeryn still felt the sour edge of guilt over the fact that none of the women wanted to. But the ship would only carry so many. That was why Uncle Tavir always cautioned Aeryn to stay a coward. No one else would look out for Aeryn, so Aeryn had to be her own saviour. And right now htat meant getting the ship active, hidden and then getting out with Tavir and Sampson and the Pantharni.
                              
If Daniel thought he could use the ship, or more likely destroy it; to keep control he would. So chances were that Tavir and Sampson will soon be under direct supervision to keep Aeryn from doing exactly what the young human had in mind; escaping.
                              
When Aeryn almost walked right into the acidic webbing of a Titanotarantula, she shook off the distraction of thinking. Right now all of Aeryn's focus should be on the environment, nothing was safe and day dreaming was suicide. Besides, Aeryn had arrived at the ship and it was time to try and wake the sleeping beauty.