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The first time Jack encounters Blisk again, he’d been blown off a cliff on some wild planet mid Titan battery insertion, and landed in a waterfall. Said waterfall proceeded to carry him down stream, away from his team, and further into the forest. The water wasn’t too cold, but it was rough, and flowed quickly. Over the radio, he could hear command and teammates calling out for him, but it was starting the crackle and fuzz. Only so much water liquid-resistant tech could take. His only saving grace was that his pilot helmet Lastimosa insisted he wear was watertight, and enabled him to call out information as fast as he could. Admittedly, it was interrupted by every hard rock he slammed into. Man that was going to bruise. He managed to flail over to the side of the river bed, and when he was pulled under, he was ready. He hit the bottom with both feet, and with the current, pushed himself with all his strength off the river bed. He skyrocketed forward, broke the surface, and threw himself onto the river bank. Dirt loosened under his mad scramble to find a hold on anything, legs kicking frantically, but he could feel the current trying to suck him back in. It yanked on his gear, and Jack wished he’d taken the opportunity earlier to unhook the few spare Titan batteries weighing him down. He tried to activate his flight suit, but remembered with panic, that he wasn’t here on this planet as a Pilot, just as an ordinary rifleman. ‘Lastimosa is going to kill me’ thought Jack darkly, briefly thinking of the uproar the older man would be causing back at HQ. Jack was surprised Lastimosa hadn’t hacked into his radio yet, and started chewing him out. He’d probably make Jack run the gauntlet when he got back. Groaning, Jack renewed his efforts to get out of the river.“Well well well, what have we got here ey?”Jack yelled out as the back of his kit was pinched, and he was bodily yanked into the air. “What’s a Militia grunt doing all the way out here” carried on the voice, ignoring Jack’s struggles as he whipped around. It was a Titan. A Titan had lifted him out of the water, which meant the voice was it’s Pilot, and it wasn’t one of their Pilots, so that meant-Jack’s thoughts came to a halt, staring at the Titan. Now that he’d stopped flailing about, he took note of the type; a Legion, with that terrible dark mustard colour. And that voice, a familiar thick accent… “Blisk!” he shouted, kicking his legs out. His comms lit up, voices shouting at him urgently, but all he could focus on was the hatch of the Legion popping open. Kuben Blisk squinted out at him from inside, head tilted and brows lowered. “Know me do ya?” he said, standing to peer closer at Jack, “So who the fuck are-”. Abruptly, Blisk cut himself off, and leaned forward more out of his Titan’s cockpit. In response, his Titan brought Jack closer, until they were half a meter away. Jack continued his struggle, caught between wanting to grab his knife, and yanking on his collar so he wouldn’t be choked on his own shirt. “Ah!” Blisk suddenly exclaimed, grinning sharply. He reached out, and snagged Jack by a strap, yanking him even closer, “Knew I recognised that helmet. What brings you all the way out here hm Hero?” His helmet was slapped, and the voices in his comms cut off with a sharp snap. Jack yelped as Blisk’s Legion swung them around, and started crashing back into the forest. “Stupid question. I could hear you all fighting from miles away. Couldn’t get any decent shut eye” continued Blisk, seeming more than happy to let his Titan go where it pleased. Instead, he kept his gaze firmly on Jack, who was trying to get his pistol out. It wasn’t going so well, what with Blisk very firmly waving his own firearm. It wasn’t done threateningly, but it got the message across. Blisk was in a way better position to shoot than Jack was. “Relax Hero” said Blisk, leaning back and resting his cheek on a closed fist “I ain’t gonna kill you. Need you alive if I want you to take up my offer”. Jack swallowed, remembering the calling card Blisk had left. Lost in the last minute of struggling, but Jack sometimes had flashes of that red and white skull in his nightmares. “Sorry” he croaked out, because he was an ass who didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, “Still pretty happy with my current job”. Screw the gauntlet, Lastimosa was just going to straight up shoot him if he got out of this. Thankfully, Blisk only seemed amused by his words. “Good environment?” he asked, voice teasing. “Hazardous on the best days”“Ha!” Blisk, slapping a knee. Jack was a little surprised, having honestly expected a bullet the moment he realised it was Blisk. Turns out, outside of a contract, Blisk was more lax in his ways. That didn’t mean Jack was going to relax himself. Oh no. Not after this man had nearly killed Lastimosa, placed a bounty on Jack’s head, and then proceeded to threatened to shoot Jack. “Insurance?” asked the other man.Jack snorted. “Insurance” he repeated, and shook his head, “You need to work on your persuasion skills”.Blisk barked out a laugh, the tone of this one raising the hair on the back of Jack’s neck. Blisk deftly flicked his own knife, leaning forward. The light hit his face harshly, casting his face in dark shadows that didn’t hide a flash of white canines, and suddenly hard, dark eyes, “No one’s complained before” he said lowly, making Jack swallow “Offering yourself up as practice are you Hero? I’d hate to disappoint”. The Legion stopped, and Jack kicked about as he was swung side to side at the motion. They were on the edge of a narrow gorge , and Jack worried for a moment that Blisk was going to drop him. Instead, he was brought closer to Blisk, who stood up. Jack brought his legs in close, bent at the knee, tensed, and not willing to go down without a fight. Blisk laughed, shedding his threatening aura without a thought, and grabbed Jack by the side of his helmet. “I told you I wasn’t going to kill you Hero” he repeated, shaking Jack’s head roughly “Currently, you’re worth more to me alive than dead”. He was frisked down. Blisk taking a few things from his person. Emergency rations, a few on hand medical supplies, and ammo pouches. Finally, he was relieved off his two remaining Titan batteries. One was handed off to his Titan’s free hand, and the other one stored. There was a hiss, and the Legion suddenly stood up straighter, lights flickering and systems booting into gear. A deep, monotone voice called out, “Power at 100%”. “Yea yea” said Blisk, leaning forward again. He grinned at Jack, waving a familiar calling card around that he slipped into one of Jack’s front pockets “Call me sometime Hero”. Blisk winked, and Jack resisted the urge to groan. Blisk did a short two finger salute, sitting back, and his Titan closed up with a quiet hiss. Jack was abruptly dropped, letting out a loud yelp as he hit the ground, and he swore he heard the big Titan chuff softly.Jack rolled onto his side just as he saw Blisk’s Titan leap off the edge, crashing into the other side of the gorge, sliding a few metres before leaping off again. Soon, all that was left of Blisk was some falling dirt, and the echo of crashes. Jack was frozen for a few seconds, before scrambling into action. He swiped at his helmet, fingers finding the little device that Blisk had thumped on him, and tore it of. At once, his ears were filled with frantic chatter. “Cooper to Command” he shouted, cutting into the noise. The voices quieted, then surged again. Above all, he could hear Lastimosa ordering him to stay put, and that one of the 6-4 was on route. Jack gave a sigh of relief, confirmed his position, and flopped back onto the ground. He stared up at the sky, grey and dark, then grabbed for one of his front pockets. Eventually he found what he was looking for, and held Blisk’s calling card above him. Still red, white, and menacing. He sighed again, and crushed the card in his grip, letting his arm fall back on the ground. He had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he saw Blisk.
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The second time Jack bumped into Blisk, it was in an even more unlikely place. It’d been Jack’s first time back on a human inhabited planet in a couple of months. A relatively short distance from Harmony, it was one of the few places around that was still similar to how the Frontier was before the IMC returned. It was a mish mash of people, much like Jack’s home world. Civilians, adventurers, mercenaries, and now, soldiers. Not everyone liked each other, but they were civil enough. The war had only pushed them all closer together, and the IMC had quickly learnt, that while the planet wasn’t a war ground, it didn’t mean they were welcome on it. Jack nimbly stepped back, just in time to avoid an angry stampede of mercenaries. In the distance, a skinny legged adventurer took off, screeching for people to move. ‘Mostly civil’ thought Jack, munching on his stick of…. some local meat. The markets on this planet were famed for their diversity, and spanned many acres of land. It was permanent bustling point in this section of the Frontier, and drew in large flocks of people. The Militia didn’t have a base near it, but they did frequent it. It was a favourite place for soldiers and pilots to take time off, and a hotspot for recruiting people into the Militia ranks. But with such a large congregation of different people from different chosen career paths, there were bound to be clashes. While there were laws, most accepted that it was simple as no murder, no stealing (or don’t get caught), and talk shit, get hit. Jack had been with a group of old squadmates to begin with, but they’d bunkered down at the first stall selling alcohol. Jack, not quite ready to park his rear, had wandered off. Not too far. Just enough to stretch his legs and get a good look around. Maybe buy a couple of knit-knacks. Naturally, they’d teased him a bit, leaving him flustered as he firmly told them that, yes he had his wallet thank you. They really needed to let that go. The area he was in was filled with little babbles and bobs. Nothing he was into himself, though he did briefly think about finding Lastimosa and BT something. He double checked to see if he really did have his wallet, patting his pockets down until it was found, and sighed. He waved off a merchant, who’d smiled invitingly and held up some delicate piece of twisted glass. The merchant shrugged, looking mock offended, and turned his sights on someone else when he realised Jack couldn’t be swayed. Jack’s ears itched when that someone else laughed, unable to help hunching a shoulder to scratch said ear. Familiar. Maybe it was someone he’d worked with once? Probably. You met a lot of different people in the Militia. He instead focused on the ruckus coming down the path. The adventurer was back, looking none the worse for wear, if sweaty. The group of mercenaries chasing had dwindled down to a mere couple, who thankfully didn’t look murderous, so much as annoyed/amused. They didn’t look tired at all. Jack laughed to himself, stepping out of the way once again. The man next to him didn’t, too busy waving off the persistent merchant. The man had taken a step back, as if turning to leave, and putting himself more in the way of the incoming trio. Jack blinked and, before he knew what he was doing, reached out. He firmly grabbed a handful of the man’s gear, and tugged towards himself. The man grunted, taking a step in Jack’s direction, and narrowly missed being mowed over by the inattentive adventurer. “Sorry!” shouted the adventurer over his shoulder, not slowing down. Jack watched him take the next gap in the stalls, and his pursuers follow. He blatantly realised he still had a grip on the other man, and let go with a start. “Sorry about that, I-” Jack looked up with a sheepish smile, froze, and snapped his mouth shut. Blisk stared back at him, brows lowered in a frown that was very similar to the one he’d given him when Jack had been captured by him. Jack swallowed, leaning away. “Uh…..” he said blankly, feeling a sweat break out as Blisk narrowed his eyes further, looking Jack up and down. “Thanks” grunted Blisk, standing up straight and shaking out his shoulders. Jack hadn’t realised before, but Blisk was actually quite tall. Almost as tall as Lastimosa, and his mentor had a good half a head on Jack. Jack gave himself a mental shake, giving an awkward smile to the other. “No problem” he muttered, doing a little wave. Blisk’s gaze followed his hand, tilting his head in a movement Jack recognised as his ‘thinking’ motion. Blisk’s eyes snapped back to Jack’s, who jerked away, unnerved. He fiddled, pretending to go back to looking at the shop wares, and not letting go of his breath until Blisk also turned away. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to have his comms with him now. Surely one of the boys would come get him. Jack snorted, shaking his head. Come get him. What was he? 12? He didn’t need his hand held to escape the Merc. It’s not like Blisk recognised him anyway, having never actually met Jack with his helmet off. Jack took a deep breath, nodding to himself. He gave the merchant a firm nod, turned heel, and continued on down the lane. His heart pace picked up when he heard Blisk give his farewells to the merchant also, and subtly picked up the pace. He changed course, heading off down another lane that was far more crowded. Jack squeezed into the pocket of people, taking advantage of his smaller size to hopefully lose Blisk, if he indeed was following Jack, which was highly unlikely. ‘Better safe than sorry’ Jack told himself, planning to come out the other end, take the next intersection back past his last lane, and hopefully get back to his squadmates. It was a little trickier to get through the crowd than Jack had hoped. More often than not, he found himself stumbling into people, and chanting ‘sorry!’ as he squeezed between bodies. It was when he had nearly got to the end, that he felt it. He’d just finished apologising to some amused locals, when he was bumped into very firmly twice. His head whipped around, eyes scanning the crowd, and hand went to his pants. Fuck. Wallet was gone. He groaned, muttering out a curse. God not again. The boys weren’t going to let this go. Not really knowing where he was going, Jack dove straight back in, rushing through the crowd in hopes of spotting anything. He felt a little uneasy, hoping he wouldn’t have to call Finances and tell them to cancel his card for a second time. They always gave him such nasty looks, even when he was just playing as delivery boy and dropping stuff off. He picked up the pace, coming back out where he’d started off. Nothing. Jack grabbed his head, spinning around on the spot. Everywhere he looked, people went about their business. “Fuck” he repeated out loud, biting his lip, “Fucking shit!”. “Language Hero”Jack squawked when he was yanked by the back of his shirt and hauled off. He loudly protested against such treatment, tripping over his own feet, until he was pushed into a small space between two large stalls. He caught himself on a couple of empty containers, and spun on the spot. Blisk stood between him and escape, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. “Blisk” said Jack, standing up straighter. His eyes darted around, but Blisk left no openings, and Jack didn’t really want to start something with so many people about. “Huh. So it really is you” replied Blisk, relaxing. That threw Jack off, scrunching up his face as he tried to find something to say. “What does that mean?” he demanded, finally getting his brains in order. Blisk shrugged, “Haven’t seen your face before. Wasn’t 100% sure it was you” he said, uncrossing his arms and striding forward, “Until I saw this”. He yanked on Jack’s arm, bringing Jack’s forearm up between them. Jack groaned, looking up the sky. “My tattoo” he said glumly. “Your tattoo” repeated Blisk, looking amused, “Between this, your voice, and the Militia ship parked in the landing strip, I figured my chances were pretty good”. “Of course you did”. Jack took his arm back, scowling at his forearm and the tattoo that gave him away. Lastimosa would get a kick out of that. “Bit surprised though” carried on Blisk, startling Jack by reaching out and grasping the smaller man by the ear. Jack lashed out, catching Blisk in the ribs. It was obviously padded, and Jack’s blow wasn’t as hard as usual, so Blisk merely grunted from the impact. “Behave yourself” growled Blisk, using his grip on the side of Jack’s head to shake him a bit. Jack glared back, wondering if this was going to become a thing with Blisk, the head shaking. Blisk snorted, going back to tilting Jack’s head side to side, this time slow enough for Blisk to observe him. Jack observed Blisk in turn. The man was looking a little rough around the edges, needing a shave and a change of clothes. There were bags under his eyes, and in the light, Jack could see the shocking red of his hair. Despite this, Jack still knew that the man wasn’t any less dangerous. Blisk must have concluded his observations, because he let out a thoughtful ‘Hmm’ and let go of Jack. Jack rubbed at his ear, annoyed to have been treated like some scruffy, young punk. “Wasn’t expecting such a babyface under that helmet” said Blisk, smirking at the look Jack shot him. “And your persuasion skills still suck. Is this part of your masterful plan to recruit me?” Jack replied, “because so far it isn’t working”. “Don’t worry about my plans” said Blisk, waving a hand dismissively, but there was a glint in his eyes that made Jack worried. “Some things are won with time and patience, not blood and guns”. Jack shifted uncomfortably, gaze sliding past Blisk. The words sounded too well learned. Sounding too similar to something Lastimosa would say. Jack opened his mouth to reply, until something caught his eye in the crowd, and he froze.Blisk noticed his change in body language instantly, tensing up himself. “What is it?” he grunted, turning his head to the side slightly, looking behind himself. Jack felt his pulse race, feeling equally happy and horrified. He watched his mentor, Captain Lastimosa of the SRS, stand less than 50 meters away from where he and Blisk stood. “Captain” responded Jack, a grin spreading over his face.As if summoned, Lastimosa’s head turned their way. He locked eyes with Jack first, looking surprised. Then his gaze slid to Blisk, and a tendril of cold slithered down Jack’s chest at the look of raw fury that covered Lastimosa’s face. “Captain?” asked Blisk, eyes also locked on Lastimosa, who’d started striding over. “My mentor, Captain Lastimosa” explained Jack, stepping around Blisk, shaking off the hand that followed him. He didn’t like that look in his Captain’s eyes, feeling like if he didn’t intervene, something too nasty for public would go down. Lastimosa reached them, not slowing down. His eyes were still firmly on Blisk, face getting stonier with every step. Jack reached out for him.“Sir-”“Stand down Pilot”Jack locked up at the barked ordered, standing aside to let Lastimosa pass him. His head whipped around, watching Lastimosa advance on Blisk. “Sir, don’t-!”The punch came out of nowhere, surprising Jack. Blisk staggered backwards, clutching his nose, and spitting out a slew of curses. Lastimosa loomed over him, fists still clenched, but making no movement to suggest he would continue with his attack. Jack gaped, looking between the back of Lastimosa’s head, and Blisk’s scowling face. There was blood starting to escape between the fingers Blisk had clamped over his face. “Come near him again” Jack heard Lastimosa say, voice steadier and colder than Jack had ever heard it, “and I’ll put a bullet in your skull”. Without waiting for a reply, Lastimosa spun on the spot. He snagged Jack by the shoulder, and started marching them both away. Jack stumbled to keep up, unable to help looking back. Blisk was staring after them, though Jack noticed that he didn’t look half as mad as Jack had expected him too. His eyes stared after Lastimosa, brows lowered. Then, ever so slowly, his head tilted. Jack gut clenched when Blisk looked at him next. With half his face covered, it was hard to discern what Blisk was thinking, but Jack got the gist of it when Blisk winked at him. Jack lost sight of him when a crowd of people walked between them. “Are you okay Cooper?” Jack’s head jerked up. Lastimosa was still staring straight ahead, lips pressed tightly together. Jack swallowed a couple of times before replying, “Yes Sir”. Lastimosa nodded. “Good” he said, and smacked Jack across the back of the head.Jack yelped, ducking away, but couldn’t dodge a second smack. “What the fuck did you think you were doing kid?” growled Lastimosa, tightening his grip on Jack’s shoulder, “Where is the unit you were suppose to be with?”.“Blisk found me okay. I just left to look around!” defended Jack, wincing a bit, “I’m allowed to do that!”.“Not when you have a high profile IMC mercenary after your hide” shot back Lastimosa, giving Jack a small shake. Jack felt a little guilty, watching Lastimosa run a hand over his tired face. Times like this, Jack remembered his mentor was in his early 50’s. Humans lived so much longer these days, but a Pilot’s life was hard on the body. Another reason Lastimosa had relinquished BT to Jack’s care. “I’m sorry Sir” said Jack, looking down, letting Lastimosa continue to lead them.“Don’t be” replied Lastimosa, “I know you can’t help it. Just be more careful in the future”. Jack nodded, squawking when Lastimosa jabbed his side. “What was that?”“Yes Sir!”Lastimosa snickered, finally letting go of Jack’s shoulder to slap him on the back. “Good” said Lastimosa, sounding like the mentor Jack knew, “Now, come on. You can tell me all about your little adventure over a beer. Your buy of course”. Jack nodded his enthusiastically, before remembering. “Ah Sir?” he said, deflating and patting his pockets again, “About that…..”.Jack abruptly stopped, bringing Lastimosa to a halt too. “Cooper?” asked Lastimosa cautiously. Jack gave him a wild eyed look, slowly reaching into one of his pockets, and pulled out his wallet. “I-” said Jack, mouth opening and closing. Finally, he turned back in the direction they’d come, despite knowing he wouldn’t spot Blisk. He looked back at Lastimosa, who was giving him a concerned look. Jack blinked at him, then looked down at his wallet, flipping it open just to check. His Militia ID stared back him, along with photos of his family and home. His credit card was there too, and Jack huffed, feeling a little off kilter. He noticed a peak of white and red on the next slip. A part of the wallet usually left blank, because Jack didn’t find any use in keeping anything but the essentials. He flipped it over, paused to take it in, and finally laughed. “What is it?” asked Lastimosa, relaxing and looking curious. Jack grinned, and showed him. Nestled in his wallet was a familiar red and white calling card. Underneath it, were half a dozen credit cards that Jack had no doubt were loaded with a sizeable amount of currency. “I don’t think he’s going to take your warning seriously Sir” he teased, watching Lastimosa face scrunch up. Brows lowered in a scowl, yet mouth twitching as if struggling not to laugh. “I don’t think so either” Lastimosa finally said, huffing and shaking his head. They started walking again, Jack grinning madly despite himself, and found himself pulling out Blisk’s card. The skull emblem gleamed in the light when Jack tilted the card, giving off the impression of it winking like it’s master. The dread still bubbled in Jack’s gut, but something else tugged too. Lastimosa had said once that being in battle breed a certain adrenaline addiction in Pilots. A thirst for danger.This definitely wouldn’t be the last time he saw Blisk.