Cedric cleared his throat before lighting another cigarette, his sturdy mask unhinging easily to accommodate the nicotine-delivering device. Killer clinged comfortably to his arm, her new favorite position to be in while following his every move. He waited patiently for a few moments to allow the cargo door behind him to close, and tool a deep drag. He had Killer and Tesla now, that's two of the five he needed for his own squad. He still needed to find five more for Grey's squad. If his memory was correct, he had six days left to do so. After that, he had a week to train them. That's was hardly enough time to teach them anything! It was the only opportunity he had, so he needed to make the most of it.

Cedric looked down to his side with the clinging bat.

"Killer, you happen to know anyone else I can talk to?"

She shook her head somewhat solemnly, almost as if she was punishing herself mentally for failing to provide any more leads.

"I'm sorry darling, but I don't. I've done a few jobs for Tesla, that's the only reason I know about her."

"Damn it. Any suggestions?"

Killer lifted a claw to her muzzle for a few moments before deciding to reply.

"I suppose you could ask around the crew quarters?"

"Hm, may be a good place to start."

Cedric looked around to see if he could possibly spot anyone that may be willing to accept his offer. He always predominantly relied on his intuition rather than his intelligence, and so far the energy from the random anima strolling about the main corridor didn't give him any reliable tells. In his search, he spotted a large door that appeared to lead to a cargo cell - however there was no label. Curious, he walked over to the door as it was only a few feet away from him, next to another engineering entrance. Cedric stood close to the tan door for a few moments, Killer's head cocked to the side as it opened. Inside, he spotted none other than Grey wearing a black sports bra and tight workout pants, drilling a few greenhorns in basic self-defense. So this is what she got up to all day. He winced as he witnessed her cybernetic arm clicking and whirling about with her motions.

Cedric remained patient as Grey finished her last drill, her face lighting up as she turned her head and realized who was at the door.

"Whoa, hey! Scourge! Shouldn't you be resting?"

Grey quickly approached him, opening up a large metallic thermos of water with an integrated straw. She stopped close to him, imbibing the glorious clear fluid necessary for all life. Dribbles of the water patterned her fur, slowly sliding down between her breasts. Cedric gulped, cleansing his mind of the growing lust. He cleared his throat.

"I have no time to rest. I didn't realize this is what you did on the ship."

Grey took a few breaths to relax before replying.

"Yup, four times a week. Fuck Fridays, I don't work on that day or the weekend. What brings you to my little slice of the Ravager?"

"Looking for recruits. I met with Tesla."

"That crazy scientist? She'll do anything to further her research. You sure that's a smart choice? Another female too - you trying to build a harem? That's a joke, but if I was serious I would tell you to remind them that I'm the alpha bitch here."

Cedric managed a small chuckle through his mask, it was nice to see Grey excited and in her element. Granted, he hadn't seen her in the field yet - perhaps she enjoyed that more.

"I think it is. We've reached an agreement. Seems I'm her 'Director' now. She'll be a useful asset."

"Director huh?" Grey took another swig of her water. "Not bad. Referring to her as an asset though that seems kinda... Rude?"

Cedric shook his head, "I don't think so. It's the truth, she's an asset right now. I need everything I can get."

Grey cocked her head, "Ced- Scourge, are you alright?"

Before he could reply, Killer spoke for him.

"My darling is in perfectly right mind!"

"I wasn't asking you!" Grey barked.

Before the two could say anything else, Cedric spoke quickly.

"I'm fine. We're considering asking around the crew quarters areas, perhaps we could find more to join us there."

"I wouldn't recommend that."

Grey stretched back and forth with a few basic stretches, before returning to her comfortable standing position.

"You ever been to the crew quarters proper? It's a safe space, the crew don't like to be bothered with anything other than recreation. You wouldn't know, because you're too big to fit on the bunks there. Luxury of your own room."

Cedric hummed thoughtfully.

"What about the mess hall during meal times?"

Grey shrugged, her well-worked muscles clearly visible even through her fur. "Could be a viable place to start, if you actually went. You got Killer delivering you meals or something while you work on these teams you're putting together?"

Cedric shook his head, "No. Just haven't been hungry."

Grey playfully poked at his belly, but her face turned to more of a grimace. "Careful, you need to maintain a healthy body fat percentage. If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to perform in the field. Scourge of all people not wanting to eat - are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine!" He snapped, immediately feeling guilty afterwards.

"Right... Well, the mess hall is open a bit early for dinner today. Want to go together? I'll just shower and change after. Gotta let this heat escape somehow."

"That seems fine. I'm still not hungry, but perhaps I can find some willing young males to join us. Especially you."

"Why especially me, exactly?" Grey asked, almost offended as she collected her belongings within a nearby duffle bag sitting on a bench. The training room was plain in a dojo sort of way. Dark soft training mats lay quietly on the floor, while a few benches made of faux wood and metal rested against the well kept metallic tan walls of the room. Extra space in the back of the large coverted storage cell was used for some kind of secure storage, evidenced by the locked metal grated double door allowing entry.

"Taking a look at my home away from home huh? As you've probably already guessed, this is a converted storage cell. One of many. That area in the back is one of the armories. There's this one here, in the back of the ship - and another towards the front. You probably haven't noticed it because it's unmarked, just like this storage cell is. Stigman-88s and body armor - good ballistic weaponry and protective armores hashed together by Kipper's team."

"Kipper has a whole magitech team?"

"Yup." Grey scooped up her belongings and quickly made her way back to Cedric, placing a kiss on his cheek and stealing what little was left of his bacco stick - finishing it off.

"That sex-crazed otter is always full of surprises." He mused.

Grey shrugged, in her traditional way. "She wasn't always like that, believe it or not. As far as I understand, she got dropped hard by her mate and just... Gave up."

"Interesting, a coping mechanism then maybe. I wonder if that could be exploited..."

A sharp punt to his arm snapped his attention to Grey's concerned muzzle.

"Exploited? Seriously? That's fucked up, even for you - Ced" She looked back an forth between Cedric and Killer, who seemed blissfully unaware of her mistake.

"Scourge..."

"Sorry." He apologized, though it was half-hearted. He was already attempting to come up with plans to exploit Kipper's weakness if need be.

"I'm just focused on the task of hand."

"Yeah well, let's not exploit the emotional vulnerabilities of our crewmates to accomplish that task, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Cedric had no intention of caring for anyone's emotional vulnerabilities. If need be, he would do it. Nothing would sway him from his goal.

Cedric passed through the door to the cell once more, catching a glimpse at the armory one more time as he left - noting it for later. Perhaps Killer would be skilled enough to break into it, if needed be. Ideally, he would be trusted with the keycode eventually. Cedric sniffed and lit up another cigarette, staring pensively into the void as they made their way to the familiar mess hall, he even almost tripped on a smaller ferret like Korellei while walking steadily - the click of his jackboots on the floor gave him a sort of comfort, a sense of progress. Killer had finally retired from his arm, still jealous towards his and Grey's current relationship. Her membrane cloak rested comfortably on her shoulders, obscuring her lithe and agile black form.

Shortly after, they were at the mess hall. The old charm it had before escaped Cedric this time, he had no time to appreciate it. He immediately scanned the large hall, looking for hints at finding possible team members. There were quite a few younger male Korellei, but they were distributed in their own groups and cliques. He may have to invade one to get what he needed. He felt a pull on his arm - Grey.

"You going to stand there looking around like you've never been here before, or are you going to eat something?"

He shook his head, "I'm not hungry. I'll grab a coffee before I leave."

"Really? Well, I want my recovery protein so I guess I'll go myself. What about you Killer?"

She shook her head as well, "I think I'll indulge in my darling later for food."

Cedric could barely see Grey's brow twitch in response.

"Alright then, you do you." She said finally, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Have you found a target yet, Darling?" Killer asked from his side. He peered into the crowds, garnering a few looks. A small group of three male ferrets appeared to be antagonizing a female canine. Golden Retriever he guessed.

"I think I might've. Three little assholes and a golden... Viable targets. Let's have a little chat with those bullies, shall we?"

Killer nodded eagerly, feeling his light hope.

"If I play this right, we may get four for one."

He slowly approached the ferrets nitpicking at the canine, poking her cheeks and pulling at her ears while laughing in entertainment.

"Males picking on a female, not a smart move. The Korellei favor a matriarchal structure, if they think it's safe to do that - they're screwed. If it was anything other than a canis familiaris, they wouldn't have it so easy." He mused mostly to himself, but it seemed that Killer was paying rapt attention to his observation.

"I'd kill them for that, personally." She said nonchalantly.

"That reasoning is exactly why I like having you at my side. However, I have been explicitly instructed not to harm the crew - only disable. That goes for you as well."

"Hm, that's a stupid order. How is anyone going to be taught a lesson from just disabling someone."

Cedric chuckled slightly, "Seemed to teach Bengal a lesson when I destroyed him."

"Oh, that's true!"

The rest of the walk was in silence as they carefully approached. Killer's footpaws made no sound as they did so. He was close to them now, and the canine appeared to trying her best to ignore the pests that poked and prodded her. He spotted a book on the table she sat at, a Beginner's Guide to First Aid Procedure. Valuable. Cedric finally stopped, and cleared his throat loudly. The ferrets turned around with brisk agility, suddenly appearing quite small as they realized who was now standing before them.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oh uh, Scourge... What uh, what's up? Heh..."

The middle ferret was the one who spoke, his grey fur had the markings of a blaze ferret that seemed to have a blue hue to it. On his right, another slightly larger ferret elbowed him in the side. Several horizontal stripes covered him from head to toe, with the first stripe being the traditional ferret band nicely crossing his dark brown eyes. The third male did not speak nor react, he was a solid light grey all about - a pewter ferret.

"You want to explain to me why you're picking on this canis familiaris?"

Cedric adopted an overbearing demeanor, his intent was to scare what was clearly young Korellei into submission. His low, growling tone accentuated by his stature and the static of the mask was doing an excellent job so far, if the first ferret's response was anything to go by. He smoked long and slow, ensuring to blow some of its smoke towards the trio.

"We uh, we were having fun."

The larger ferret elbowed him again.

"S-sorry. It won't happen again." He said.

Cedric imitated pensivesness for a few moments, ensuring that this trio was held on the edge of whether or not their apology was actually valid.

"What are your names?"

"S-stripes... Sir..." Said the larger, striped ferret. He should have guessed, given that he had a unique appearance.

"And the other two?" Cedric asked sternly, like an upset father.

"Blue and Tool."

"Blue and tool..." He repeated carefully.

Cedric turned his head to face the golden retriever, who was attempting to ignore the confrontation via reading through her book.

"What's your name?"

She did not respond.

"What's your name, don't fucking ignore me!" Cedric felt somewhat guilty for demanding her attention so harshly, but it was necessary.

The young Korellei female jolted in response, accidentally slamming her book closed as she turned to him quickly, large round spectacles finding purchase on her muzzle. He looked towards her and the trio, sizing them up.

The female wore a rather plain floral pattern summer dress. Off-white color mingles with the pinks and yellows of the dress, reminding him of an older woman's dress sense. He had to remember that the Ravager was a pirate vessel, but even then the figures he found here were wildly diverse. He considered that perhaps she was taken in as an orphan or similar, interestingly enough she didn't appear to have fallen to the same grunge style as the rest of the crew. An oddity.

The ferret boys wore incredibly plain oversized shirts that covered all the way down their legs, like one would wear for comfort. Their skinny collarbone shone through the shirt, as if to advertise just how too big they were on them. All three matched in a strange way, wearing graphic tees with nonsensical messages on them. They reminded him of Chill's attire - all they were missing were pairs of comfortable jeans. Other than their attire and coats, there really wasn't anything else unusual about them as far as he could tell. Young, healthy, perfect potential soldiers with a combat medic to boot. They would be perfect for Grey's team, who garnered more sympathy and empathy than he did. In fact, she probably wouldn't be able to handle the eccentricities of Tesla or Killer even if she tried.

"It's uhm... They call me-"

"Speak up!" Cedric demanded.

"Shy..."

"I see... Tell me Shy, what are you studying? And why are you letting these three bully you? You are a female, you command higher respect than they do."

Shy waved her paw back and forth dismissively.

"They were just playing around! Its uh, fine. I'm uh, studying first aid. I just thought it was interesting is all..."

Cedric narrowed his eyes as she defensively procured backpack from the back of her chair he didn't notice before, it appeared to be at least halfway filled. Probably with more books or other study material, though it was strange to him that the book she was reading appeared to made of paper, or at the least a paper-like material. Why wasn't she using a holopad? From what he had seen, they have the same function as a more utility-focused phone. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen anything akin to a phone since he was defrosted a few years ago. Perhaps the holopads replaced them?

Cedric was about to respond, but witnessed Tool attempting to slink away in his peripheral as his attention was focused on Shy. The other two seemed almost motionless.

"I didn't give you permission to leave."

Tool looked to Cedric and grinned, "What, you have the authority to do that? Piss off."

Cedric narrowed his eyes, and slapped him - for harder than he meant to as he was sent tumbling to the ground. He held back his fear as he witnessed blood begin to seep from the wound, it appeared to be near his eye.

"Ah! Fuck me! What the hell!"

The other two attempted to move to aid him, but Cedric stopped them with a glare. He could use this accident to his advantage, but he was already garnering looks from other crewmembers who wanted to get a first hand look at what not doubt would be the latest source of gossip for the ship. He turned his gaze to Shy, and pointed down to the writhing body of Tool currently holding onto his bleeding eye in pain.

"Fix him."

"I... What?"

"You're learning first aid are you not? Fix him! Now!"

"I-uh-I don't... Yes sir..." She stuttered obediently.

A smile crept across Cedric's face, mostly hidden by the mask. It was only open just enough to allow him to smoke.

With surprise, he witnessed Shy reach into her personal bag and pull a few medical supplies from it. He recognized a hypospray bottle and a small circular dome just large enough and fitted for eye sockets. With genuine interest, he watched her work.

Shy aided Tool to his buttocks, and before he could protest placed the head of the hypospray onto his shoulder. A satisfying hiss erupted from the device as it delivered a dose of its payload, almost instantly - Tool was no longer grumbling in pain.

"This is an Occular Repairer, it will protect and heal your eye. Don't take it off for at least three solar days. When you do, turn it in to Tender, okay?"

Tool nodded as she placed the dome on his injured eye, now clouded red with blood. After placing it, it slightly formed on its own to better accommodate his biology. Cedric witnessed a small blue glow emanating from the end of the dome that was covering his eye. It flashed a few times, and he noticed that blood was no longer flowing freely from the wound. Shy looked up to Cedric expectantly. The other two Korellei boys simply gazed at him in silence.

Cedric took another draw from his cigarette, before speaking with them again.

"Now then. At some point, you three will be on a boarding team. Clearly, Shy here is a talented medical prospect thanks to her studies - so let me ask you all a question. If one of you sustained a lethal injury during a boarding action, and another Korellei you don't know also sustained a lethal injury - which anima do you think miss Shy here would prioritize first? The assholes that bullied her, or the random crew member she didn't know?"

The lesson hung in the air for a few moments, casting a shroud of realization upon the three young ferrets. Stripes was the one who answered.

"She would prioritize the other, sir..."

"Interesting how that works, isn't it?"

From his left side, Cedric could see a concerned Grey rapidly approaching his position with a brisk walking pace - easily slipping between the other tables and chairs that were in her way. He was speaking with a higher volume than normal, in hopes that the eavesdroppers would realize he was teaching a lesson - even if he did injure one of the crew more than he intended to.

"Your turn Shy. Tell me, was it not satisfying to finally apply the skills you've been studying?"

Shy brushed a few golden locks out of her eye, and Cedric could see the excitement deep within her golden brown orbs.

"Y-yes! But... I don't think the injury was necessary..."

"As you all grow up, life will not get easier onboard the Ravager. I have an opportunity for you, an offer."

Shy appeared duely confused, Stripes and Blue looked back and forth between themselves and Tool, who as already fiddling with his eye patch. Shy slapped his hand.

"Stop messing with it, it won't heal properly if you do!"

"An offer? What kind of offer?" Stripes asked hesitantly.

"I'm forming two teams, and I want all four of you in one of them."

Stripes and Blue lowered their voices, talking back and forth with each other. Stripes, who seemed to be the established leader of the trio, spoke up again.

"That's so sudden... I think we need time to-"

"Take it or leave it. Now or never. Make a decision."

Shy was the next to speak, some if her excited high began to wear off - but there was enough to propel her voice higher than she had used thus far.

"I-I don't know. I was hoping to apprentice under Tender in the next few months..."

He pointed to her direction with his cigarette hand, emphasizing his urgency.

"Do you honestly think Tender of all anima are going to allow you to apprentice when you don't even have any real experience? He's a proper doctor. What are you, a student? You're a Korellei woman, make a decision."

Shy frantically looked back and forth between the ferrets and Cedric, clearly distressed.

"I-no, I guess not... I guess he wouldn't really care about someone who has no real experience. Fine, I'll do it!"

Cedric nodded pleasingly, just a few more to go...

"Fuck that, I'm out."

Tool was already walking around, Stripes and Blue pleaded with him to stay - but he would have none of it.

"Come on man, a team with Scourge of all people? He's literally the Scourge of the Ravager, that's badass."

Tool shook his head.

"No dude, this is stupid."

Cedric inhaled a deep breath from his cigarette. Grey was upon him now, but she stood quietly by his side - observing the exchange. It was a good thing he considered raising his voice, else she may not have acted so patiently to the misunderstanding.

"Very well then Tool, a fitting name given what I've seen so far. You three will be under Grey, here."

Tool's ears perked up - and stopped his movement. Cedric craned his head to the side, gauging Grey's reaction. Surprisingly, she seemed excited. He anticipated her having something to say against his methods, but rather it seemed she was willing to follow his lead - at least, for now. Again to his surprise, she spoke up.

"Three fresh recruits huh? A smart girl and a couple of strong boys, bit of an opposite expectation but I could make use of you."

Grey picked up the two ferret boys, squishing them towards her breasts. She was still wearing her workout gear - how conniving! Cedric was impressed, and clearly it showed - as Grey shot him a wink.

"I changed my mind!" Tool said quickly, swiveling around as Grey sat the two ferrets both down steadily on their feet.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"If you're expecting a hug Tool, it's too late for that now. Shoulda accepted the offer initially instead of being a coward and scurrying off."

"Damn it..." Tool whispered under his breath.

"You four will meet me at the training area tomorrow at oh-eight hundred." Grey barked.

"Don't be late. Now go on, find a place to sit together and get used to it - you'll be watching each other's backs from now on. That's your first lesson. Always cover each other's asses."

Before they could respond, Cedric added an addendum to her orders.

"Additinally, from now on, you will address me as Sir and you will address Grey as Sergeant, understood?"

The four of them replied in unison with mixed acknowledgements. Sir, Sergeant, and 'fine' collided together in an ignorant cacophony that only fresh recruits could manage. Shy gathered her belongings, and idly followed the three boys as they left the area to get in line for the day's dinner.

Once they were a decent distance away, Grey swiped Cedric's cigarette and inhaled it herself - not giving it back.

"Well played, but are you sure this is a good idea? I can't argue with getting four members added to my squad right off the bat, but they're still young."

Cedric rested his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath from his mask introspectively.

"Maybe, but would you not agree that training them sooner than later would be ultimately beneficial for them? You saw Shy, if she was on an Imperial ship she'd be eaten alive. Hell, the Imperials would probably still eat her alive if they somehow boarded the Ravager. With your training, and their young age, we can train them to be soldiers capable of defending themselves and their squad early. At some point, as they grow older, they will inevitably be in the service of the ship one way or another."

Grey took a thoughtful drag off her bacco stick.

"I suppse you're right. That's four for me, so I need one more. You need three more, right?"

Cedric nodded.

Grey sighed, "Look... Cedric..." She whispered, placing her cybernetic arm on his shoulder and caressing it gently.

"I know this is really important to you, and I want to help you reach your goals. But just... Don't lose yourself to it, alright? I love you, and that means that if you start going off the rails, I'm going to step in to get you back on track."

Cedric nodded, worried about Grey's admittance that she may become an obstacle in the future. He prayed to whatever god cared that it wouldn't come to that. The signs though... They were beginning to show.

"I understand. Would you happen to have any other potential recruits in mind?"

Grey released her comforting grip, and finished the cigarette - holding onto it to dispose of it proper later.

"I know one boy, just hit twelve. Another orphan taken in by the crew, a feline. He keeps to himself but he's been learning my lessons almost flawlessly. He doesn't have much else to do, if I can give some purpose - maybe he'll come out of his shell. His name is Quickclaw"

"Quickclaw? So he's faster than usual?"

"Much." Grey nodded. "He's a talented kid, just needs better guidance from a figure of authority rather than the random advice from the crew. As you can expect, the crew uh - aren't great as advisors. Not normally, anyways. Just anima doing things their way, and trying to convince others to do the same."

"I see. Perfect fit for your squad. What about mine?"

Grey thought for a moment, guiding Cedric along to follow her.

"I have a couple in mind actually, but I'm not going to tell you unless you get something from the mess hall - even if it is just a coffee."

Cedric rubbed his forehead - why couldn't she just tell him?

"Fine, I'll bite. I'll get a coffee."

"That's my man."

She kissed him on the cheek, and lead him to the bar where dinner was being served. It didn't take long for them to go through, Grey choose a large platter of synthmeat with some rice on the side to serve as filler. One of the crew on duty was slightly confused, but did not take long to arrive with a large mug of fresh black coffee. Of the many items to survive through time, it pleased Cedric that coffee was still just good old fashioned coffee. He remembered when Faring had bought him a white chocolate mocha, or at least the Korellei equivalent of one. The memory warmed him, as the hot coffee in his position now warmed his hands. He took a gentle sip - quite hot, but not enough to burn his tongue. He followed Grey to a table of her choice, gingerly sipping his hot liquid as she began to dig into her platter.

"That's better. Now, there's a couple more... Weird prospects. Given how you're building your squad so far, I assume that's fine?"

Cedric took another careful sip before replying, "I'm surprised you don't have anything to say about Killer or Tesla."

Grey shook her head, disagreeing with his observation. "Hardly, it's more like I trust you a lot more than I trust them. If anyone can keep them under control, I'm sure you're one of them. I don't like it, but I will respect your decision. I've already told you my stance on this... Goal of yours."

Cedric nodded, "Fair enough. Now then who are these prospects?"

Grey kindly swallowed her latest chunk of meat before replying, "Gunnar and Chem."

"A weapon specialist and a chemist?"

"Something like that..." Grey wolfed down another chunk of meat before continuing

"Gunnar is a rough and tumble ursine , he has a thick Rozkavyncha accent, but at least he's understandable. He likes big guns, and likes showing off his strength. Captain Garerra would still mop the floor with him though, easy. Chem is an alchemist of sorts yes - if that alchemy involves chemical warfare. He's a mephitis, constantly wears a gas mask. Old tech. He doesn't talk much, but he sure as hell knows his gasses and poisons."

"So you're telling me that I can add what sounds like a Russian bear and a skunk that specializes in chemical warfare to my squad?"

Grey gave him a stern look, "Is using disrespectful terms like that really necessary? Also, I don't know what you mean by Russian. Other than that, yes. Also, I understand that it does sound a bit..."

"Stereotyped?"

Grey shrugged, "I guess - stereotypes have to come from somewhere, after all. Gunnar isn't exactly easy to get along with, and Chem doesn't really care who gets affected by his poisons - aside from the crew, of course. There's also Ronin, but she's currently a member of Captain Garerra's personal squadron."

"Hmm, I don't recall seeing Ronin before - let alone the other two." He noted.

Grey shrugged yet again, "It's a big ship, even if it doesn't seem like it. Hell you probably passed by them in the main corridor and just didn't realize it - except for Chem, you can identify him a mile a way. Only seem him on occasion during raids - I'm... More humane than the rest of the crew, but I really don't give a shit about Imperials. So if you want effectiveness, Chem can clear rooms easy and Gunnar can bring a shit ton of firepower - if you can convince them."

"Hmm..."

Cedric leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. He could feel the bars of the chair bend slightly as they dug into his back, protected by his trench coat. These were good prospects. He wasn't sure how he would convince them, but they were two excellent leads regardless - so he had to try, at the very least.

"Alright then. Let's have a chat with Gunnar and Chem, shall we?"