An Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object (By Sly and Pepper)

Alarms started blaring, the ship was now on high alert. Guards in the prison section believe that Kelce is trying to signal an infiltration team with his rhythmic clapping while singing. The clapping continued for five more minutes before it ceased, the ship remained on high alert for hours after that. Kelce started singing and clapping again, this time with codebreakers trying to decipher the code that Kelce was relaying. A report was handed to Thatcher stating that there had been no breakthrough. The ship had not been attacked so Thatcher decided to see what Kelce was up to himself. As Thatcher neared the prison section, a beautiful voice rang out. “The stars at night are big and bright” *Clap Clap Clap Clap* “Deep in the heart of Texas!” Thatcher smirked as he heard the tune and turned to the guard that had raised the alert across the ship, “You put the ship on high alert…. FOR A FOLK SONG? ARE YOU FUCKIN’ DAFT?” Thatcher then tells the guard to put Kelce into a clean room and keep him on house arrest. The guard seems a bit confused on the order but doesn’t question it. After a few minutes, Kelce is placed into a room, much better than the pig-stye he’d been sitting in the past few days.


After a few hours, Thatcher enters the room flanked by two Venir troops. They looked different, more professional than the usual mercs in the Venir. Flynt walks up with two beers in hand and places them on a nearby table and sits in a chair. As he sits, he looks up to Kelce and invites him to join. Kelce bumps into the table and knocks over the beer, “Whoops, clumsy ole me.” Kelce remains standing, looking down on Thatcher. Flynt didn’t seem too phased by this, remaining seated as he speaks ‘It’s been too long, Kelce.”


“I’m sad that we had to meet again like this, I had hoped it would be like the old days.” Thatcher sits up and continues, “How’s your family doing? They been doing well?” “I’m not here to be your friend, Thatcher.” Kelce sneered. “And I’m not here to be your enemy, despite what you think of me, I’m doing what must be done. I’m actually hoping that you’ll see the truth and join me.” Kelce brings his hand up to his chin and wraps his thumb and index finger around it, “Tell me, Thatcher. What must be done?” Thatcher stands and meets Kelce’s eyes “What I must do is make sure the wrongs of the Reaper War is finally undone. Too long the scar left behind by the Reapers has been here, looming over our lives. What I aim to do is simply undo it all.” Kelce removes his hand from his chin, “How will you undo it all, Thatcher? And what part does knocking off your own daughter play in that?” Thatcher stands and meets Kelce’s eyes “Do you really think I’d kill my own daughter? I already lost one of my daughters and I refuse to lose another. What I did was send someone in to take her away and bring her here. I was keeping her safe!” Thatcher’s face would get a little red before he begins to calm back down. He would then sigh, “I wanted to keep my last daughter safe, I would never harm her.” Kelce mocks Thatcher’s voice “Oh, let me drug and kidnap my own daughter. Surely that’s a better option than just talking to her.” Kelce returns to his normal voice, “Truth be told, you probably would’ve won her over if you just reached out to her. You really screwed the pooch on that one.”


“If it hasn’t dawned on you yet, I’ve been quite busy building this whole organization. It’s taken a long time and it takes all of my time up.” Thatcher looks to his two mercs in the room, they give him a quick look and Thatcher looks back to Kelce, “Anyways, I would rather have you join me than be my enemy. With you at my back, this can all be so much easier.” Kelce looks to Thatcher, “If you want me to join you, you have to tell exactly what the Hell you’re doing.” Thatcher returns his gaze to the two Venir troops at the doorway and he signals one to come over to him. The trooper, a small woman, walks up to the two and stands there. Thatcher then looks to Kelce and says “Kelce, while I was missing, I ran into an old friend of ours. I’d like you to meet her again.” He then looks back the the merc and orders her to remove her helmet. She responds and says “Yes, sir.” The voice sounds familiar to Kelce. She then removes her helmet, her blonde hair falling to her shoulders as her blue eyes lock onto Kelce’s. Kelce looks at her and after a few moments comes to realize fully who she is and what Thatcher is doing. Thatcher has a wide smile across his face, looking happy and says “Kelce, I believe you've already met Eleanor Lambert.”