CHAPTER 6: THE REDRUM CLUB
“FUCK YOU MOTHER FUCKER!” Warfish stood up on the table in the FU bar commons. FU had a great entertainment section of their space station where all their members could go for a drink or gambol precious resources they found while killing covenant.
“I’ll bet you 1 MILLION crystal, that I have a better hand that you do!” La-Bilasse looked at his cards then around the table. His face let a small tell that he held a winning hand but Warfish used outrageous gestures to intimidate the rest of the group to have a shot at winning.
“I will meet your 1 million and raise you a round of shots for the guys!” La-Bilasse said in a calm composed manner unmoved and unaffected by Warfish. She jumped off the table and looked at Reikhardt and Evo.
They turned to each other and placed their cards down. Fold.
“Looks like its just you and me Warfish” La-Bilasses small smile, grew a littler wider.
Warfish began walking to the bar as she threw her cards back over her shoulder. “Well fuck, you already knew you would win…” She proceeded to pick up a round of shots then brought them to the table.
Ender walked into the room as they were about to take one.
“I suggest you put those down if you want to be coherent at the meeting with the $IN merge.” Ender was a very articulate and intelligent officer. He was poised and maintained a very level head that helped keep meetings productive.
All but Warfish put their shots down. She frowned and swung hers back. She was about to follow them to the meeting when she saw Blazing11 and Darkdavil sitting at a table in the corner. She brought the unfinished shots and said, “Do you want to join the redrum club?” She took out a small dropper with a gaseous substance which see referred to as redrum. Redrum was a unique substance that the FU alliance usually took before they would go to war. It was a substance that elevated heart levels and increased excitement and aggression. It was a unique euphoria. She squeezed 3 droplets into each shot which made the glass look like blood.
They had just a finished a long day of covenant killing. Their tired faces suddenly grew with excitement. They took the shot out of her hands and all clinked glasses, tapped the table then drank. She turned around and ran to the loading dock. Both followed running after her as they all slammed on the walls of the station. Once they got to the loading dock, she pulled out a special paint and placed a redline down her face and proceeded to place a red line down their forehead. They held hands in a circle. She whispered a mantra in a foreign language and they all got in their ships.
They got on comms and began to navigate their fleets. They had a unique legion system in which they flew in formation. FU was known for their incredible tactics. Warfish asked DareDavil and Blazing11 if they saw anyone out in the open. Blazing11 linked a location to their tracking system.
“Spotted an enemy target over here” Blazing11 said with an undeniable excitement.
Daredavil, Blazing11 and Warfish flew into one entry spot. They spoke over comms with a game plan and decided to attack a few different locations. Each player tactfully used a unique fleet boosting technique that allowed to quickly move through enemy territory at will. Daredavil flew in at a speed so fast that it caught Warfish by surprise.
“Daredavil DAYMMMNN, you’re going to burn space moving like that!”
Blazing11 sent a location with a solid contender to attack.
“There’s one problem! MAXIMILLION is killing covenant locally near this location Fish! It might be dangerous”. Blazing11 could not hide his excitement. It was bursting through his veins.
“I’m entering the space in less than 1 minute Fish!” Daredavil realized he had flown a little faster than the team.
“Blazing11 we are going to come in hot on this one. Fuck it, we’re going to take our chances. If MAXIMILLION drops on us, we are all going to pull out without hesitation. Everyone clear?”
“You got it Fish!” Blazing11 hollered.
“I’m almost there, a few seconds! What’s your ETA guys! I need back up!” Daredavil was seconds within reach of the fleet that had been sitting amidst a giant gaseous planet.
“I’m there in 3, 2, 1!” Warfish and Blazing11 sped their ships in right aside Daredavil and without another second passing by, Warfish began the assault.
“Blazing11 keep an eye on MAXIMILLIAN!!” Warfish exclaimed while her fleets pummeled out thousands of kinetic shots.
Daredavil triggered a missile launcher which set the enemy in flames. A giant explosion forced them all slightly backwards.
“Whats our take on MAX Blazing11?? Any threat?” Fish was starting to grow weary. She knew it would only be a matter of time before someone had seen the massive blast. The gas planet could only offer so much covered.
“WARFISH! HE’S RETREATING!” Blazing11 was taught to call out any signs of unusual activity as it was a common practice for experienced players to recall any working fleets to resize, and refit to destroy.
Warfish started to fly in a formation upwards and then into a zigzag so that her fleets would rejoin Daredavils and Blazing11s in unison.
“I want you guys to fly next to me. Be my fucking shadow right now. Stay on guard. And you both know what to do if you see that flash of fleet next to you, right boys!!” Warfish began to fly to another target. Her redrum was strong and she could feel it coursing in her veins. The excitement and the desire to get one more hit overweighed the possible danger that lurked just yonder with MAXIMILLIAN potentially aiming a full fledge strike against them.
“I’m FUCKING TANKING!!!!!!!” Blazing11 said as he yelled while all 3 fleets flew in perfect formation into another idle fleet halfway across the system. Warfish wasn’t sure if MAXIMILLIAN had known prior to their attack what would be happening but she didn’t want to let her guard down. Blazing11’s fleet caught a lock with the target and an array of missiles began to shoot out in one wave blowing the enemy to smithereens.
“Holy fucking shit!!! You have to be kidding me! That was so epic! Warfish, whose next!” Blazing11 was thrilled.
“Fish, I have a bad feeling that we are going to have some unwelcome guests coming in”. Daredavil might have sped into fights – but he also knew when to speed out.
“Blazing11, we save our vigor and vim for the next fight! Quick, use the covenant trick I taught you!” Warfish too, sensed an imminent danger encroaching on their fleets.
A 2 flashes in the sky let the 3 know that they needed to retreat as quickly as they could.
“Blazing11, hit that pirate closest to you! Daredavil, I will see you on the other side!” Warfish lingered her fleets a little longer until she could visibly see that Blazing11 made it. Once he hit the covenant, they had a unique trick which forced their fleets back to their home base. She started to move her fleets forward and could feel the rush as her hand shook. It was do or die. And die was not an option. 3 fleets began to close in on her. She saw the nearest covenant, she flew down under a meteor then through a mineral field. She spiraled her fleets into a covenant with her finger on retreat. The fleets were gaining on her. Each dip, dive and dodge she made, was countered by a clever response. She was not used to BU being so responsive. But she began to laugh.
She pressed 2 buttons. One to send a message to the 50 ft radius of her fleet and 1 to hit retreat. She wasn’t sure if the message would reach, but she was impressed by this member of BU. And when Warfish was impressed, she made it her mission to meet whoever caught her attention. She simultaneously sent her transmission hoping it would reach the contender and pressed retreat as she made contact with the nearby covenant. Her fleet vanished from the enemy eye, but back to the loading dock where Daredavil and Blazing11 impatiently awaited her return.
She flew in and hopped out of her fleets and they all started to chant in unison.
“We are Redrum! We are Redrum! See our fleets across the sky! We are Redrum! We are Redrum! Watch us as the lonesome die!”
Warfish smiled and brought her forehead to both of theirs and told them in a whisper.
“Welcome to the Redrum club”.