Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode Seven – Long Live the Queen

Belle Starr, Confessions of an Ark Hunter: Episode Seven – Long Live the Queen

On the way to Defiance, Belle sat on top of the troop carrier, her feet dangling into the open manhole on its roof. She kept her eyes tightly closed as she rode, listening to the steady roar of the Carrier’s powerful engine that somehow relaxed her. Her team mate warned her that she was a great target for snipers and razor rain sitting up there, but she poo-pooed him. Belle relied on Alfred, her EGO unit, to warn her if any danger might exist. Furthermore, she had changed back into her Liberty Trooper armor, complete with her excellent 7th Legion shield, and that gave her a great deal of protection. Belle enjoyed the wind blowing on her freckled face and through her honey blond hair, and it gave her some time with her thoughts. She had heard that Joshua Nolan was once again the law keeper in Defiance. Belle had a checkered past with Nolan, as he liked to be called, and she was nervous about possibly seeing him again.

Belle had first met Nolan as a nineteen year old novice ark hunter when he befriended her on the ERS New Freedom. He had invited her to eat meals with him and his daughter, Irisa, on the long trip from New York to the Bay Area. In the beginning, she thought she might become best friends with Irisa, since Belle thought they were about the same age, although it's hard to tell the age of aliens. Whenever Belle attempted to girl talk with her, Irisa merely started fingering the tip of her throwing knife, so Belle quickly gave up on the BFF idea. However, she always enjoyed talking with Nolan, because he always treated her as an equal, never laughing at her ideas and aspirations, despite her immaturity. He even led her and his daughter Irisa to the relative safety of the ejection chairs when the flying ship went down over the Bay Area, although they got separated when her chair malfunctioned and didn’t immediately eject.

The second time Belle met Nolan, she was a seasoned ark hunter of six months, already patrolling and clearing dangers like raiders and hell bugs off the highways of Paradise, but sometimes taking jobs from Varus Soleptor, the local crime lord, to finance those patrols. She had already created her carefully structured public image of a red, white, and blue armored hero of the people, but privately she still had a school girl crush on the much older real war hero Nolan. Belle fairly jumped at the chance to team up with Nolan when Varus hired them both to retrieve an alien jewel. Quite naturally they ended up making love several times during the venture, and a bit of a surprise to her considering she had not long ago been sexually assaulted by three villainous ark hunters. He was her first real love, and as a tender and sensitive lover, helped her get over the brutality of her first sexual encounter. Unfortunately, he also stole the jewel after pretending to give it to her to give to Varus, thus making her look foolish and angering Varus immensely.

Belle smiled as she joked to herself, Yep, Nolan screwed me both literally and figuratively.

The third time she met Nolan was quite recently. Belle had heard that he had again become the law keeper in Defiance, but he was looking for his missing daughter, and followed her trail to the Bay Area. Through local Law Keeper Cooper, he arranged a meet with her to ask for her help in the search. First thing she did when she saw him was to knee him in the groin, knocking him to the ground. Nolan probably thought it was because he had stolen Varus’ jewel from her, but it was in truth because he didn’t just come out front and ask for help. She didn’t give a jekk about Varus’ jewel, but was hurt that he didn’t know her well enough to know that she would always help a friend in need. They mended their fences, and landed up in bed several times until his search for his daughter led him out of the Bay Area.

Belle assumed Nolan had found Irisa when she heard he was again the law keeper in Defiance. Belle knew he wouldn’t abandon the search for any other reason, even as she knew that he did not feel the same intensity of love for her as she did for him. He is Nolan. She had no doubt that if she was in trouble, and he could help, he would, but he would never be a one-woman man.

Never, ever! Thought Belle sadly.

When Belle and her team rolled into Defiance, they checked into the local hotel. Belle had never been to Defiance before, and was looking forward to clothes shopping there, but first Belle needed to see Nolan! Belle wanted him to see her in full warrior-maiden form! She had polished her armor until it shined as bright as her pearly whites, so that when she smiled at him and struck a heroic pose, he wouldn’t be able to resist her.

Shoot, if things go right, I might not need a new outfit, Belle thought, and then giggled, I might not need any clothes at all!

Not at all the proper thought of a proper young lady, admonished Alfred, her EGO device.

Belle retorted, I want you to mind your own beeswax Alfred, and I want you to also turn a blind eye if I do get… lucky! Belle smiled at the thought

I know the drill Belle, replied Alfred, but quickly added, But I do not approve!

Belle got direction to the law keeper’s office from people on the street, and after getting lost only twice, she entered the small building with a small sign painted with the words “Law Keeper” next to the door.

Belle pushed open the door with such vigor that it bounced off the wall as it opened, then struck a pose with her hands on her shapely hips and a smile on her rose petal lips.

“Who the hell are you?” asked the young brunette woman in the E-Rep officer’s uniform with “Rainier” over the pocket, sitting behind what was obviously the law keeper’s desk and her intense dark eyes looking at her with disdain.

“I’m Belle Starr. From Paradise. I’m a… friend of Nolan’s. Where is he? I came…” Belle would have rattled on, but the look in the young E-Rep officer’s eyes softened in sympathy, and Belle knew something was fatally wrong.

Not another one, Belle could feel her spirits plummet and her heart literally breaking in her chest.

“I’m sorry. There was an accident in the mines over a week ago,” slowly began the young woman “He and his daughter were both underground when everything collapsed. We looked for them, but they were buried deep. But there is no doubt that they…”

“Please, Just tell me where these mines are,” Belle asked through her clenched jaws.

After getting directions to the mines, Belle went shopping but not for pretty dresses. Instead she paid cash for a used ATV, a flash light, rope, climbing equipment, pick, shovel, and mining explosives. The only weapons she had on her was her holstered Wolfhound pistol and her Thorn Liro charge blade. As she drove her old ATV to the site of the collapsed mines, one phrase kept repeating itself, over and over in her mind! Not another one!

The site of the mining disaster was a huge crater, and she began her search shouting over and over again, “Nolan! Irisa!” She heard nothing but the wind and the occasional scamper of a skittering. Once in a while, one would come up hoping for an easy meal; whereupon Belle would activate her charge blade and cut them in two with a single swing. Suddenly five hell bugs decided to attack at once, and in four swings of her charge blade there were ten halves of hell bugs. From then on, the hell bugs kept a healthy distance, but watched to see if she would tire and weaken, although larger warrior hell bugs had begun to gather as well.

Alfred sent a message to the team member’s EGO units of Belle’s location and situation, and added, I fear for Belle’s safety and sanity! Please help her!

If a team member did find her, they would find her wild-eyed and disheveled, on her knees digging in the dirt, calling over and over again with a hoarse voice, “Nolan! Irisa!”

Belle, you have to get up, implored Alfred, Belle’s EGO device. No one is coming to your rescue.

Belle looked startled, than asked incredulously, “Why not?”

Because my message to your teammates’ EGOs could not get through, Replied Alfred. It might be all the gulanite around here, or more likely, there is some strange alien ark tech buried near here, but if so, it must be powerful. Or both. It doesn’t matter, we are on our own. They are attacking Belle – now!

Belle leaped up, pulling her Wolfhound Pistol from its holster as she rose and firing at the closest hell bug warrior, the powerful slugs tearing through the tough exoskeleton protecting its vital organs. Beyond him, though, there were so many, the ground writhing with hell bugs of all sizes. Furthermore, there were at least five hell bug archers flying above the masses, spitting fire at Belle. She rolled and weaved, shooting down each of the Archers one by one, for her brain automatically processed that they were the greatest danger, at least until he arrived – the huge monarch of the hell bug nest.

The monarch rose up, but as he rose up to pounce, Belle fired the Wolfhound as fast as she could into his soft underbelly, stopping his attack. She activated her cloak and ducked to the side just as the monarch went into a roll, charging where she had been. As the monarch finished its rolling attack, Belle moved to its rear, knowing from experience that the hell bug Monarch always flexes the tail plates of its exoskeleton at the end of a roll, making it vulnerable. She emptied the clip of the Wolfhound into the Monarchs rear end, but also revealing her position as she fired. The huge hell bug turned towards her as she yet again rolled to the side, reloading the gun as she landed on her feet. Her cloak’s charge ran out just as the giant Monarch prepared to pounce, again revealing its weak underside. This time Belle stood her ground, firing repeatedly into her target until the Monarch virtually exploded, its legs and pieces of its exoskeleton falling around her as green ichors splashed everywhere.

The other hell bugs appeared to pause briefly at the Monarch’s demise, but then renewed their attacks with greater intensity a moment later. One apex warrior got lucky and set Belle on fire, but she took no notice for she was an automaton of action, a killing machine. She merely rolled, putting the fire out and then shot the offending warrior who followed his Monarch to the hereafter. Belle fired again and again, a skittering dying for each shot until her reserve clip was also empty.

Belle holstered the pistol with one hand and powered her Thorn Liro charge blade with her other in a single graceful move. She became a ballerina of death, slicing through jumping skitterings with ease, jumping over warriors’ backs and then plunging into their vulnerable rears. Soon the ground was slippery with the green blood and guts of hellbugs, but Belle used even that to her advantage, incorporating slides in her deadly dance. Every move Belle made was governed by instinct as the logical part of her brain had turned off the minute the first warrior attacked. She sliced and cut and killed without thinking of consequence, just enjoying the adrenaline of the moment. Belle’s face lost all hint of humanity as with an ugly snarl she plunged her charge blade through the toothy mouth of the last warrior.

A lone fatally wounded skittering jumped from the stacked bodies of its brethren directly at Belle’s blond tousled head, but before she could react, a single shot exploded it away from her. Belle turned toward the source of the shot, only to see the black bereted female officer she had seen in the law keeper’s office holding a smoking E-Rep standard issue pistol and surrounded by a squad of heavily armed E-Rep soldiers. Belle’s blue eyes narrowed as her brain turned back on to evaluate this possible new threat.

“The E-rep is always ready to help, not that you needed it”, stated Berlin Rainier with a hint of sarcasm. “Viceroy Mercado requests that you join him for dinner.”

*I know Belle’s third encounter doesn’t quite mesh with the video in the game, but I took a picture at the exact moment that she hits Nolan in the stomach, but it did NOT look like that was where she hit him in the picture – LOL! If you want to read more about this adventure, join Belle on the on-going RP shared story thread entitled Into the Forbidden from which these are edited excerpts, on the official Defiance Forums.

Visit Stories & Lore section on the Defiance Forums