~You
We held on to anything we could as we soared to Elpis before we all got thrown to the back together as we crashed onto the moon's surface. We all groaned as we slowly got up except for Claptrap who was stuck on his back.
Arix: "Everyone still alive...?"
Athena: "For the most part."
Timothy: "Sorta..."
Wilhelm: "Second crash I've gone through today... I'm ready for another!"
Claptrap: "Little help guys? Guys?"
Ignoring him, I looked out the window to get a feel on where we were only for a quick thought to enter my head.
Arix: "Uh, guys? How are we suppose to breath?"
At that point we all looked at each other either mentally or physically facepalm.
Claptrap: "Looks like you guys are screwed but me on the other hand will be perfectly fine! I'll remember you all fondly, now can someone help me up?"
Luckily someone was tapping into our Echoes who sounded friendly enough.
???: "You okay? Well, I can answer that: You're not okay. The second you open this door all the oxygen is gonna vent and you're gonna suffocate. It'll hurt a lot and your eyes will pop like grapes when the pressure differential gets too harsh. So, here's my plan when ready, open the door and follow me to my oxygen bubble. Sound good?" I was about ot answer but, " Don't answer, conserve your oxygen."
Arix: "Right... Deep breath everyone."
After we all took a deep breathe I pushed the button getting sucked out of it to see our so-called savior.
Janey: "Over here!" We quickly run with her trying our best to keep air in our lungs but it wasn't too long before we found the oxygen bubble where we all gasps for air, "Nearly there! It'd be embarrassing if you died now!"
Arix: "Easy for you to say!"
Claptrap: "Times like these I'm glad to be so awesome that I don't need air."
Arix: "Because you're a robot."
Claptrap: "Which supports my fact of being awesome!"
I give up on that argument quickly and run with our new ally to her base which was cozy enough to stay at.
Janey: "Everybody good? Nice to meet ya, I'm Janey Springs, junk dealer. Who're you?"
Arix: "Arix, Hyperion Engineer, this is Wilhelm, Claptrap, Aurelia, Ti- Jack, Nisha, and Athena."
I introduced everyone and although she was listening her attention drew to Athena once I mentioned her.
Janey: "Well hello~ Pleasure is mine~"
Athena: "Uh... Yeah..."
Arix: "Uh... So um... Thank you for helping us."
Janey: "Ah, right, it was no problem, so what's a gang of mercenaries doing off their fancy little space station?"
Arix: "We're tracking down a jamming signal messing with our systems back on Helios, know anything about it?"
Janey: "Jamming signal? Haven't noticed anything like that, you might wanna get to Concordia. Little city run by a fella called 'The Merrif'. Gotta be somebody there who can help you."
Arix: "Great, one problem though, we can't breath outside!"
Janey: "Which is why you'll need an O2 kit -- 'Oz kits' we call them -- to survive the journey though. I've got some broken ones stashed nearby but I can repair 'em for you, even if you ain't the breathing type like Clap you'll be glad you got an Oz kit, head to these coordinates and clear the place out."
Wilhelm: "And we're expected to get there all in one breathe?"
Janey: "Relax, there's craters in the ground releasing enough oxygen to make a trip, just stand above one, take a whiff, and keep going. You'll make it trust me.
Timothy: "Do we all have to go, can't be dangerous, sure I saw a few... Lava skag things but I don't think its that dangerous."
Janey: "Well if you want I do have another job that needs doing, just something personal. It involves collecting some of my lost story Echo logs."
Wilhelm: "Nope."
Janey: "Which are in an area full of Kraggon that I'd also like to be eradicated."
Wilhelm: "I'm in! Let's go copycat!"
Timothy: "W-Wait what? Me? But I- Ah!"
Wilhelm pushed him out the base as Janey sent them coordinates.
Janey: "They'll be fine, there's craters and another bubble for air"
Athena shook her head and looked at the rest of us.
Athena: "I'm going for the Oz kits, anyone coming?"
Aurelia: "Oh I would but I don't wanna risk looking poor scrounging around in a ruined building."
Nisha: "If there ain't enough targets to shoot, count me out."
Claptrap: "Don't worry Athena, I'll be happy to assist you!"
Arix: "I'll come with too."
Athena: "Thank god... Come on then."
Grabbing the Dahl smg I picked up back on Helios I followed her out with Claptrap. A few Kraggon got in our way but nothing too serious to stop us.
Arix: "So the Ex-Lance assassin, what made you want to take this job?"
Athena: "Food ain't cheap and most people don't really trust me with the whole Atlas get up so I barely got any job offers. What about you, engineer?"
Arix: "Kinda in a similar situation as Tim, I lived on Prometha but my parents sent me to Eden-5 with my grandfather to get a proper education and use my expertise on tech witch worked out until my grandfather passed and and I needed to get into the University. Unfortunately, he left most of his inheritance to my uncle who's a greedy dirtbag who'll probably gamble it all away and I hate with a burning passion... Anyway, I found a job offer as an engineer for Hyperion that paid a lot and the rest is history."
Claptrap: "Wow! You two are really depressing to hang around but its alright! My life isn't any better!"
Arix: "I can imagine."
We walked up to a half sunken building with a control panel broken so we had to break our way in. Finding them were easy as there were only two openable chests and brought them to Janey. Wilhelm and Tim got back fine, possibly a little traumatized but fine nonetheless. Point is Janey fixed up the Oz kits.
Janey: "There you are, now to repay me for saving your life you're gonna end someone else's. His name's Deadlift, he's nearby and he's an asshole. He's also got something I'll need to get us into Concordia!"
Wilhelm: "Let's do this!"
Nisha: "Now that's a job I'm in for."
Janey: "Oh and while you do that, you mind if a few of you do another small favor for me? Deadlift paid for a couple inspirational posters and I ran out, mind if a couple of you pose, deliver, and set them up? I'll pay!~"
Aurelia: "Have my face plastered around this disgusting heap of a rock? Count me in, there has to be at least some beauty to this place."
Claptrap: "I'll be happy to help! Where exactly am I sending them?"
Athena: "I guess I'll help hang them up, you four take Deadlift out, we'll be waiting back here."
Tim: "Alright! Go Team Handsome!"
Wilhelm: "No team names, come on!"
Arix: "Geez this guy is eager to kill..."
We all ran out and hurried to the Scav camp nearby, halfway there our Echoes turned on to give us a message from Zarpedon herself.
Zarpedon (Echo): "Vault Hunters, this is Colonel Zardedon." We all snickered at her name, "You must leave Elpis, things are about to get much worse, I don't WANT to kill you if I don't have to."
Nisha: "That's too bad, cause I bet I'll really enjoy killing you."
Arix: "Plus we need to save Jack, we wanna get paid."
Wilhelm: "Amen to that!"
Zarpedon (Echo): "Fine, do what you want. Deadlift, this is Colonel Zarpedon, I need you to kill the Vault Hunters heading for you."
Deadlift (Echo): "Get bent, Zap! I ain't taking orders from teh chick who threw me in prison!"
Zardepdon (Echo): "They said your jump pads are stupid."
Deadlift (Echo): "I WILL ANNIHILATE THEM!"
Arix: "Oh that's just great..."
Fighting soldiers, easier than you think, they're predictable and too cautious... BUT THESE GUYS DON'T GIVE A FLIP!
Scav: "I'll mount your head to the wall!"
Arix: "Get off me! Ahhh!"
I ran around as a small scav was trying to gouge out my eyes after we had to reboot the main jump pad while the other two were fighting for their life. After a bit Nisha got tired of my screaming and shot the bugger off me.
Nisha: "Pick up that gun and start shooting!"
Arix: "T-This one?" I point to a large Scav assault rifle with a drum mag, "I don't really think I can handle-"
Wilhelm: "It's not that hard, just pick it up and pull the trigger."
Arix: "I don't--"
Wilhelm: "PICK IT UP!"
Arix: "Yes sir!"
I picked up the gun and took aim but as I pulled the trigger it started going wild going every direction. Now you maybe wondering why I didn't let go of the trigger, simple, I'm an idiot. I kept spraying the entire camp and its residents until I ran out of bullets for the damn thing and tossed it away.
Arix: "Uh... Who's alive?"
Scav: "I am--" thud
Nisha shot him as she got out of cover with Wilhelm and Timothy.
Wilhelm: "See? Told ya."
Timothy: "Holy crap that was scary, and impressive, but mostly scary."
I just laugh it off and take out the Dahl smg I picked up on Helios deciding its best to not to risk any friendly fire. We made it to the breaker to the jump pad to see the fuse got busted.
Arix: "Hm, could work if one of us stand in the middle and act as a fuse, any volentee-"
Nisha: "Not it!"
Wilhelm: "Not it!"
Timothy: "Not it!"
Arix: "Great... Okay, here we go."
I slowly step in the breaker and take a deep breath holding my hands to it.
Arix: "Hey you know this isn't so baAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The jump pad lit up as I fall to the ground with my hair all frizzled. Wilhelm helped me up and laughed.
Wilhelm: "Nice going, now let's kill the dick!"
I weakly nod and follow them to the entrances jumping over the gap thanks to the pad as we entered the main base where Deadlift introduced himself to us.
The fight was intense as we had to be careful not to stay on a certain floor for too long. He kept eating our shields with his gun that became a pain in the ass, even more so when he called in more of his men in to assist safe to say this wasn't like anything I've had to deal with before and I just started to shoot a gun only a few hours ago. I was running low on ammo and as I went to yell for Nisha or Tim for some extra I saw Deadlift messing with the generator on her floor without her noticing as she was fending off of couple of his lackeys.
Arix: "Nisha, Timothy, get on a jump pad!"
Timothy: "Please call me JaaaAAAHH!"
Nisha: "What? Why- AHH!"
[Nisha is down!]
[Timothy is down!]
Wilhelm just finished off a couple scavs before noticing Nisha's condition. He pulled out his Hyperion shotgun and charged full speed at Deadlift only to get caught by the neck slamming him into the generator.
[Wilhelm is down!]
Deadlift: "For the crime of making fun of my jump pads, I sentence you to death, mercenaries!"
He rose his gun to finish them off. Everything just slowed down for me, what was I suppose to do? Scream and run? No, I couldn't leave them... Is this it... Beep boop! What?
[Download Complete. Digistruct Element: Fire!]
I look at my gloves now glowing red as a smile forms on my face, I use my Proto-Eye to lock on to Deadlift and shoot streams of fire his way getting him off Wilhelm and run around on fire as I ran to Nisha.
Arix: "You're not out of the fight yet."
[Reviving Nisha]
Nisha: "Heh, thanks killer."
I nod letting her revive Tim as I went over to do the same with Wilhelm. Once up he gave me a thumbs up before running into battle again. I picked up my smg again and stood by Wilhelm's side with Nisha and Timothy as we took aim at the burning astronaut.
Nisha: "Ready when you are!"
Wilhelm: "Let's smoke 'em!"
Arix: "Fire!"
We unloaded our entire clip at him, giving him no chance to recharge or call for backup, his screams finally quieted down once his dead body fell from an upper floor onto a jump pad lifting him up in the air.
Timothy: "That kill was sponsored by Hyperion!"
Arix: "Huh, guess he lives up to his name."
Wilhelm: "Boo!"
Rolling my eyes and ignoring him we went to Deadlift's room to find the digistruct key in a toilet... I don't wanna know why its in there I'll just have to remember to wash my hands later. After we returned to Janey's place I couldn't help but notice her and Athena talking by themselves while the others just waited around. I approached them causing Athena to look away acting like she didn't stop her bad attitude.
Janey: "Oh, you got the key! Wonderful, just install it on Moon Zoomy and you'll have instant transportation, oh and take this Orbatron. Trust me, you'll need it if you wanna get in Concordia."
Arix: "Thanks, you coming with?"
Janey: "In a bit, just need to pack a few things before going back to the city, don't wait for me though, go on now!"
Pocketing the Orbatron I thank her one last time before returning to the group.
Arix: "Alright, everything is set. Who's ready to get in Concordia?"
Claptrap: "Oh, Me! Me!"
Aurelia: "About time, its extremely rude to make a lady wait you know, especially one as rich as myself."
Nisha: "Oh cut us some slack, we would've died if it wasn't for this guy."
Wilhelm: "Yeah, you may have some competition ice witch, if it wasn't for his digi-fire we would've been toast... Or zapped... I guess toast goes for both elements... I want toast now."
Aurelia: "Hm, well some 'friendly' competition would be suffice to keep me entertained. Very well, let us go, I'm tired of smelling rubber."
Arix: "Wait I never agreed to be competi-- she doesn't care, does she?"
Timothy: "Uh... no, doesn't look like it."
Arix: "Great..."
I walk over to the Moon Zoomy installing the key getting up some pretty sweet wheels. I rode out of Janey's garage into the moon's wasteland following the lights to Concordia. I have no idea what else waits for us out here that's aching to kill us but I have a feeling we'll be alright, still wouldn't call myself a Vault Hunter but I'm just glad to be riding with the best.