The tank now looked more like a ramshackle base after the boys had welded and pieced together several other vehicles to it, including two hover cars, three hover tanks like the one original, a single space fighter, and also a multitude of other spare parts.

But as Sapphire watched them all clap each other on one another backs, she slowly walked to her new home as she had some tears forming in her eyes before she looked at Stalker, the leader of the group in his Mandalorian armor, as she said to him, "Thank you.. thank you so much.."

"Its nothing... now, you have to uphold your end of the bargain and help us take down this organization that saying its for the Rebels.. If you can do that, we'll help you out and stay with you to protect you." said Stalker as he looked at her.

She nodded before she said, "I don't know exactly where they are but if we ask... well.. maybe force one of the other gangs to tell, we'll find out where they are..."

"So you were lying to us?" asked Retz.

Her tails went behind her back when Theodosius intervened and said, "Hey, she had her reasons. She's in a shady part of the city, is by herself, and is surrounded by some pretty bad people.. Its a good thing we came along at all because who knows what may have happened to her if hadn't at all.."

"He's right." said Ray as he looked at the others. "Besides... she's a Huntress and we could always use another member to help us in a tough spot.."

She watched as Stalker then walk inside and as the other boys did too, she followed them as she looked at the interior finally. Although it wasn't that huge, it had a three more stories that had a ladder going up and down in and as she looked up that way, she saw the beds in them as then she looked around her. She saw there was her stove that now looked like it could do a lot more than just cook Insta-bread and there was some water collectors with some water filters around and as she looked at the front entrance they had come through, Verde closed the modified tank hatch and sealed it before he said, "Well, this should keep anyone from trying to get in for sure."

"But what shall we do when morning comes up?" asked Retz. Currently it was night time in Vacuo and here in the dark Underworld, the only lights made were made by whatever fires were around or the compounds both the scum gangs and Imperials used.

"First, we do what any merc does in a new place. Find out who's boss in the area and teach 'em who the new boss is." said Stalker.

"Wait, is that true?" asked Sapphire as she looked around.

"Eh... well, not always but in this case if we want to get to this scum gang we probably need to take out a lot of gangs or take them over..." said Ray as he twirled his Weskars in his hands.

"So.. that mean's I'm gonna have to kill others?" asked Sapphire. She had never had to even think of such a thing, merely stay as far away from them as she can.

"Yeah... here." Theo took his clone blaster pistol and its few remaining energy packs and then tossed them to her, which Sapphire caught easily. "This will help you when you can't get close enough to use that spear of yours."

She looked at the pistol as she powered it up and as she looked at them all, she said to them, "Are we planning on killing all of them?"

"Only shooting a few would make them come after us... sometimes, there is no alternative..." said Verde as then he went up the ladder before saying, "Alright, time to get some sleep while we still can.."

"Yeah.. First shift goes up... and who's first?" asked Stalker.

"I gotcha." said Ray as he then took a nearby container and set it up like a chair and as he sat before the hatch-way door, he kept his Weskar pistols in his lap as he waited for some idiot to try it.

Sapphire looked around when suddenly Ray looked at her and pointed to another doorway and said, "That's your room..."

She looked at the hatch and as she opened it with her other hand, since her right hand had the blaster pistol at the moment and as it groaned open from its rusted hinges, she looked inside and saw a much better bed had been made somehow and as she looked around, she also saw a roughly made armor stand for her stuff and as she looked around, she sat down in her bed as she smiled.

"People... aren't so bad I guess... even as Mercenaries.." she said before she went to sleep in her new bed.

The sun soon came flooding through some random blaster holes that had been punched through the old vehicles armor and as Sapphire heard voices outside her door, she tried to block them out by putting a hand over her ears but it seemed to be no use and so she slowly sat up and yawned as she looked towards her closed doors and as she sat up, she looked around as she realized she had slept with her weapons and armor and sighed as she then managed to get up and walk slowly to the door.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw the boys all were going over their equipment and weapons as Ray was making breakfast, which seemed like some Insta meals like she normally got and as she watched him complete another bread loaf, she saw him put it with several others on a plate that apparently they had made from a scrap plate as well as another platter with Vita-wafers as the green, partial hexagons were sitting in a huge pile.

But then she saw something else nearby and as she looked at the Rations, she looked at them all she asked them, "What are these?"

"The somewhat better version to your Food portions. Rations have some meat and other more needed parts that the Insta-bread and Vita-wafers the Food portions give... Of course.." Stalker said as he looked at Theodosius.

"What?" Theodosius asked.

"These may be years too old for us to eat safely.." said Stalker as Ray finished another Food portion's Insta-bread as he put it on the platter and as he looked at everyone else, he said to them all, "Alright... time to eat.."

Everyone seemed to rush the bread but as Stalker took his helmet off, Sapphire was a little intimidated by his mask as he looked at her and he then took some loaves of bread and Vita-wafers as well as a ration as he then motioned for her to come over and as she did so, he said to her, "Give me the blaster and take the bread.."

She slowly gave her new blaster over and as she took the bread, he motioned for her to sit and she did so and as he got on his knees, he took out a holster and began to strap it to her left leg as she began to eat. The bread was as bland as ever, as was the Vita-wafers, but then when she went tot he ration, she took the spoon as the container opened up by itself and she looked at the blue goo as Stalker finished and said, "Yeah, I know... but it's probably better tasting compared to what you've tasted before."

She looked at it and as she took the spoon and took a small spoonful, she sniffed it and smelled something she hadn't smelled before and then she took it and put it into her mouth. The taste of blueberries was new to her but as she tasted it, she couldn't help but like it and as she began to shovel it down, she then heard Ray said, "You know.. we're lucky the Imperials are so close to us at the moment... otherwise, from what I heard, we will be having every type of weapon possible against us."

"Great... just great..." said Verde nearby.

"Still, we got more experience in firefights than most of the Gangers.." said Stalker as he then brought his Stalker's Hunter out and as he switched it to its blaster mode and then he said, " Alright, lets get to it now..."

"Its time to teach some low-lifes about real power."

The path was lined by made rails that were suppose to keep the refuse and trash from spilling onto the pathway and as the whole group kept together, Sapphire kept herself close to Ray as he was apparently the closest one who seemed like he could handle himself.

Actually, it was just because he was the closest since they were in the middle of the whole group as they walked along. Theodosius, with his blaster gatling cannon, was taking the lead as on his right was Retz and then on his left Verde and then in the way back was Stalker and not because he wanted to. He had the somewhat heaviest hitter of weapons in the group with his heavy, Anti-tank blaster and as he looked around, he also had his sword still too that he hoped to not use here.

Flames + volatile materials mixed in with the refuse and trash = a really, really, bad thing. He'll let the readers decided what that meant.

As they neared what looked like a four-way intersection, they looked around as they found themselves at the first of many Imperials checkpoints and as the group neared, Theodosius looked over the entire defenses. It wasn't very promising.

There was, first off, three dozen Stormtroopers and Imperial Army troopers with three Imperil officers as above them were three AT-DP's. Four mounted, heavy blaster cannons were set up behind barriers of plast-steel while more barriers were set up in several half-circles around the area.

Finally, beside several shielded generators that were connected to several floodlights, there was a few laser barriers that had been set up and as the group came towards the checkpoint, one of the officers said, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Mercenaries trying to take out some Rebel Sympathizers... the girls with us so don't mess with her or else." said Stalker as he began to walk past like nothing happened.

As the group walked past, the troopers and officers said and did nothing as they watched the group go by and as they stopped in the middle, Ray looked at Sapphire holding onto him as he asked her, " Okay, sweeatheart, which way now?"

"Don't call me that.... we go left." said Sapphire.

"Then let go and walk on your own." said Ray as he managed to shake her off lightly and as the group began to walk that way, Sapphire slowly found herself drifting to Stalker, who said, "Yeah, its okay... he's not bad.. its just how he is sometimes.."

"Also.. being called a sweetheart isn't that bad." said Stalker as he looked at her from behind his helmets visor.

She gave him a look as she said, "I just wasn't expecting that... or wanting it.."

"Same goes for the Spanish Inquisition..." said Stalker as he shrugged.

"But did you expect us?" came a voice and as the whole group stopped and looked around, they watched as two dozen faunus appeared from all over with several blasters of all types.

As the mixture of figures with horns, tusks, ears, and tails all came slowly towards the group from the trash piles and refuse with blasters up, Theodosius looked at the mercenaries behind him and asked, "Ever been here before?"

"Don't remind me of my Nar Shadda flashbacks... almost as bad as the flashbacks from the world Vietnamom." said Ray.

"Don't bring those memories up!" said Stalker as they all then circled up and as Sapphire took her blaster pistol out and aimed it around, one of the figures chuckled and said, "Oh... are you going to hurt us with that?"

"No..." said Stalker with a shrug. "We're here to obliterate you."