by Z H Brown
All thoughts of exhaustion and pain gone from her mind, Ansaria sat up quickly, earning her a stab of pain from her bruise.
“Roger that, Tread. I’ll call the others and we’ll all meet in your room.”
“I do hope there’s enough room for everyone. The last thing I need is Slog busting a valuable piece of tech because he needed a place to sit.”
Ansaria ignored the last comment and contacted the rest of her squad.
“Tread’s finished unlocking the drive, so everyone meet in his room for a briefing on the double. I catch anyone hobbling in after me, and they’ll be doing laps in the desert for a month.”
With that said, Ansaria once more gingerly made her way toward Tread’s room. Slog, Critter on his shoulder, was just entering the room as she made her way down the hallway. When she arrived, her squad was assembled, and all of them seemed to be just as anxious as she was to solve the mystery before them.
Tread’s walls had several screens on them, and each displayed different, rapidly shifting information. On the wall furthest from the door was a large central screen that displayed work from his primary console.
“All right Tread, enlighten us.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Slog, “don’t we want to get a betting pool open first? I’m betting good money that this thing has info on one of the Emperor’s illegitimate kids.”
Critter, who was resting on Slog’s shoulder, chattered to his companion. “Fifty creds,” replied Slog.
Another burst of chatter.
“All right, first taker! Anyone else?
“Private, if you are quite finished, I would like to find why someone crashed a ship in my desert, why there was a homicidal killbot on board, and why it tried to terminate us almost on sight.”
“Besides,” said Alvara, “the Emperor’s already got like sixteen heirs as it is. I doubt one more is really going to shake up the political landscape.”
“Just tell us what you found out, Tread.”
“Firstly, let me say congratulations to Slog, for his uncharacteristic display of forward thinking in grabbing the victims TIG. Once I recovered the data from that, it made cracking the drive much simpler. Still extremely difficult, mind you, but also simpler.”
“Cheap shot coming from the toaster who fried himself on a bet,” jabbed back Slog with a snicker.
“Anyway,” continued Tread, “the drive and TIG belonged to Imperial Security Agent Jandor Rall, six year veteran of the ISA. Agent Rall was assigned a case involving strangely scrambled transmissions throughout the Empire that coincided with a rash of accidents and disappearances. Apparently, someone noticed a pattern in the incidents, and concluded that this may be an act of sabotage, likely by the Starlite Empire.”
“However, given the small number of occurrences, as well as the fact that no major damage had been done to the Empire, most of the ISA came to conclude that the idea of sabotage was…alarmist. The notion was dropped until a few weeks ago, when the ISA higher up, Rinz Lamu, just disappeared one day. That apparently got the rest of the agency’s attention, and they assigned Rall the case.” As Tread spoke, images of the agent flashed before the screen.
“Using evidence gathered by Lamu, as well as the full facilities of the ISA, Rall was able to determine that the corrupted messages had been intercepted, altered, and then re-transmitted to their intended recipient. With this knowledge, Rall was able to back-track the messages, and discovered that they had been intercepted and resent from a remote corner in the galactic northeast of the Empire. Rall obtained a ship, and traveled to the region, investigating the worlds there. It’s on one of these worlds, Milalthrus, that Rall was first attacked by the droid that attacked us: Reno.”
“Reno?” inquired Ansaria, studying his image on the screen.
“Yes ma’am, and there’s a full report on it as well, though I haven’t inspected it yet. As I was saying, Rall was attacked by Reno, but not before he was able to narrow down his search to a nearby asteroid field. Rall found a planetoid within the field where all the messages were being rerouted from…and it was here that Rall intercepted a message bound for the fleet: The Golden Emperor has once again surfaced, and the Emperor is sure to head straight for the frontline to confront him.”
“So Rall believed that the intercepted message precipitated an act of sabotage, or was setting a trap for the Emperor, likely by an agent of the Golden Emperor?” asked Alvara in surprise.
“That appears to be the case,” affirmed Tread. “Unfortunately, before Rall could investigate further, he was attacked by Reno and forced to flee. He spent a standard week aboard a space station, waiting for re-supply before he could set out for the Throneship and hopefully catch it before His Majesty reached the front.”
“Wait, he was gonna hand deliver this stuff to the Emperor himself? Why not forward it to Xenlong, or better yet, the big man himself?”
“Haven’t you been listening, Slog? That golden bastard has infiltrated the Imperial network. There’s no way to ensure that the messages would reach the Emperor, without being altered or straight up deleted,” replied Ansaria.
Slog was silent for a few moments.
“Do you think that’s why he said not to trust anyone?” “Did he say that?” asked Ansaria.
“Yeah, right before he said to ‘save the Empire.’ I thought he was delusional, but now…” he trailed off.
Ansaria’s thoughts were racing. Sabotage threatening the Empire, possible collusion with the Starlite Empire, a dead Imperial agent on her doorstep…she knew she had wanted some excitement, but this? This might be too much for her.
“So,” she began. “We have information vital to the survival of the Emperor, if not the entire Empire, and the only way to ensure it reaches him, is to deliver it personally.”
“Sergeant, surely you are not suggesting that we--” began Tread. “What else can we do?”
“Wait,” said Slog, who was looking from his sergeant to the android and back again. “What are you two talking about? What are we doing?”
“We have to take this information to the Throneship ourselves, Slog. It’s the only way to ensure it gets to the Emperor un-intercepted.”
“Whoa there, isn’t this a little above our pay grade? I’m itchin’ for some action as much as the rest of you, but we’re not secret agents. Shouldn’t we call somebody first, find out what they have to say?”
“And this is why my compliment was wrapped in barbs.” said Tread disdainfully, shaking his head.
“Slog, the network’s been compromised. We can’t send any messages without knowing that they’re being intercepted. The only way we can get this information to the Emperor safely is to do it ourselves,” said Ansaria.
The room was silent for a few moments. “So, when do we leave?” asked Alvara. This elicited a smile from Ansaria.
“Cool your jets, M. We’ve still got a few things to do before we hop the next rocket off this rock.”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you turn down the opportunity to rocket out of here,” teased Alvara.
“Sergeant, if I may interject,” interrupted Tread suddenly, “this drive also contains information on Reno, and given its propensity for trying to kill anyone connected to this information, perhaps we should investigate this as well in the event that it is not working alone.”
“All right, Tread, pull up the info,” instructed Ansaria.
The large central screen suddenly revealed a document. An x-ray model of Reno was displayed, showing its various workings, though the model displayed looked to be half the size as the machine they fought.
“Looks like someone’s had some work done,” quipped Alvara.
Tread began reading the info to the rest of the squad. “Developed by Siladon Industries, the Reactionary Evolution Nano-Organism, or RENO, was created to be the first in the next generation of autonomous combat androids. Designed to be the ultimate soldier, RENO is able to fulfill any combat needs from patrol and protection, to infiltration and assa
ssination. Aside from its advanced combat capabilities, the RENO’s primary feature is…”
Ansaria was confused by the machine’s sudden silence. “Tread? What’s wrong?”
Tread slowly continued.
“…is the advanced nanomite delivery system, which allows the RENO units to recover from even the most grievous of wounds that would send lesser machines to the scrap heap. These advanced nanomites also upgrade the damaged RENO unit while they repair it, ensuring it can eliminate whatever took it down as soon as it’s back on its feet.”
Silence filled the room once more.
“Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means,” gulped Slog, eyes widening and looking to his superior.
As if in answer to his question, the sound of crashing metal filled the base, coming from the garage…from the pieces of the previously-thought deactivated machine.
Once again, Reno reactivated. Its shattered form had been reconstructed and the battle damage repaired, leaving it as flawless as the day it was manufactured. The nanites had also upgraded its form again, turning it into a hulking, heavily armored form.
Scanning the room, Reno detected no threats or targets. It was unsure where it had been brought though, based on its surroundings, it appeared to be a garage. Really, its location was irrelevant: it would find whoever had the data, and it would eliminate them.
COMMAND: Eliminate target and destroy data.
COMMAND: Preserve the silence.
COMMAND: Ensure the arrival.
Reno made its way toward the door of the garage, its newly enlarged form knocking over tools, workstations and whatever else was in its way. The android assassin reached the door and raised a fist, but before it could smash the door down, the thing opened, revealing the Xenlongian female who had attacked it with the sword.
The soldier reacted immediately, summoning a telekinetic shove that blasted the machine back a dozen feet. The blow left Reno still on its feet, but before it could make for the door again, it was hit by two small, round objects; a quick examination revealed them to be grenades. Reno made for the door again, but did not reach it, as the whole room suddenly exploded.
The squad had assembled outside the base when they heard the blast of the grenades, followed by another, larger explosion as the combustible materials in the garage went up. Thick black smoke billowed into the air as flames filled what was left of the structure. Already the fire was inching towards the rest of the base.
“Where’s Sarge?” asked Alvara, the concern evident in her voice.
Her question was answered when Ansaria came running out of the entrance toward her troops, one arm holding her injured side.
“We need to get out of here, NOW!”
“Sarge, what’s going on? Is it that robot?” asked Slog.
“Yes, and if we don’t get out of here ASAP, soldier, then I’ll leave you here as a distraction to slow it down! Now move!”
“But Sarge, where are we going?” asked Alvara.
“To the spaceport. We have to get off this planet and get this information to the Throneship. If we don’t, then who knows how many people are going to die because of this conspiracy.”
The squad looked at each other uncertainly.
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do, sergeant?” asked Tread. This brought a strained laugh from the woman.
“This is all above my pay grade, Tread, but someone has to do it, and it looks like it’s gotta be us.”
The squad was silent.
“Well…I never particularly liked the desert anyway,” grumbled Slog with a shrug. Critter chattered an agreement.
“Speak for yourself, dust ball. Some of us aren’t built to handle the cold,” said Alvara fondly to the small creature.
“Are you in Tread?” asked Ansaria.
The mechanical soldier was quiet for a moment or two, watching the smoke billow from the base before answering.
“Well, it does all sound rather exciting. However, I feel the danger here has not yet been-”
Tread’s words were cut off as beams of energy suddenly lanced through the roof.
“It survived?!” said Slog.
“It’s upgraded itself. If it’s even bigger than before, it’ll be like a tank now,” yelled Ansaria over the sound of Reno’s weapons firing, beckoning her squad to follow her and beginning a sprint away from the burning building. “Head toward the spaceport! We have to get this information out of here!”
The squad hurried after their sergeant, Critter clinging to Slog’s hood from atop his shoulder. Behind them, it was impossible to tell if the sounds they were hearing were coming from the collapsing building, the rampaging war machine, or both.
Suddenly, Tread skidded to a stop.
“I believe I may be able to slow down Reno, sergeant,” Tread called ahead, and the squad stopped and turned to look at him.
“And just how are you going to do that?” Ansaria called back.
Tread reached over his shoulder and slid his arm into the backpack that contained his various attachable weapons. There was a series of whirrs and clicks before Tread moved his arm back to his front, his six-barreled rocket launcher now replaced with a single, large missile launcher.
“This should be sufficient for blowing the armory, sergeant. The resulting blast should stun our pursuer, at the very least.”
Ansaria considered the proposal. “Think you can make that shot?”
Tread nodded.
“I have detailed files on the layout of the base. I can steer the missile into a structural weak point and set off the ammunition.”
“Then do it and let’s get out of here!”
Tread faced the building and raised his missile-launching arm into firing position, steadying his aim with his free hand. After a few moments of calculations, the missile launched from his arm, streaking toward the building.
“Get down!” shouted the sergeant.
The squad, minus the android, dropped to the ground as the missile struck the building outside the armory. The explosion that had destroyed the garage paled in comparison to the fireball that erupted from the ignited weapons and ammo. The building was ripped apart by the explosion and the resulting boom echoed across the desert. Tread was thrown back by the force of the blast, flying over his comrades and landing in the sand with a heavy thud. Debris rained down around them, broken, jagged, and mostly on fire.
After a few moments, Ansaria peeked up from the sand she had thrown herself into. The base that they had called home for the last sixteen months was now a crater filled with fire, only a handful of sturdy foundation still remaining intact. The rest of her squad slowly rose from the ground as well.
“Slog, you and Critter check on Tread. If he can walk, get him to his feet. If the first blast didn’t alert the town, this one will,” said Ansaria, gingerly holding her side. She felt like that mad machine had punched her again.
As soon as Tread was up, the squad moved away from the crumbling remains of their base, unaware of the figure still moving inside.
The squad took refuge inside a rocky outcropping some distance into the sands. Black smoke could be seen still billowing up above the sand dunes, and the shriek of sirens could be faintly heard. They huddled together for an impromptu sit-rep.
“Alright everyone, here are the facts,” stated Ansaria while Alvara wrapped a fresh bandage around her abdomen.
“We are currently in possession of evidence indicating high level infiltration in the Empire by enemy forces unknown. The Emperor is currently headed into what is most likely a trap, and the ICN has been compromised, meaning we can’t risk sending a message back to our forces. We are also being hunted by a seemingly indestructible android that is bent on collecting this information and killing anyone that gets in its way. In summation, we have to find some way off this planet ASAP. Did I miss anything?”
“Not unless you also want us to cure that Amalgabeast plague while we’re at it, Sarge,” grumbled Slog, wiping sand off his s
caly brow.
Critter spoke up.
“We don’t have the authorization to leave the planet, Critter. Nor can we contact anyone, or risk someone else sending a message about us. Unfortunately… it seems our best hope is to let our allies think us dead. We have to do this completely under the radar, which probably means we’ll have to steal a ship.”
The others looked uncomfortable.
“I don’t know, Sarge; stealing ships, faking our deaths, this seems like its liable to get us thrown in the brig for the rest of our lives,” said Slog, breaking the heavy silence.
“Or, you know, executed,” Alvara added bitterly.
“I’m not happy about the situation either, but if we don’t do this, who will?” Tread was the first to speak up.
“I believe the sergeant is correct. Like it or not, the security of our government is at risk, and as soldiers of the Empire, we are obliged to act.”
“Thank you, Tread. Anyone else have a better idea?” When no one else spoke up, Ansaria continued.
“All right, then. Let’s get started.”
The first thing they did was take inventory. Everyone still had their weapons with them from when they went out to investigate the crash, and everyone had a decent supply of ammo. Critter’s drone had been left behind, so Slog was responsible for keeping the tiny teammate safe.
“Tread, do you have like a storage compartment, or an interior safe where you could keep the drive?” asked Ansaria.
“I beg your pardon, sergeant?”
“Does your chest open up with an empty space inside for storing things? Maybe one that’s bigger on the inside?”
“I am afraid that I am not equipped with such a feature, sergeant.”
“I guess I’ll hold onto it, then,” said Ansaria, slipping the drive into a belt pocket.
The next order of business was escaping the planet. “M, we’ll need to plan our route.”
Alvara toyed with her TIG for a moment before projecting above her arm a map of the local area. The squad gathered round her, awaiting their sergeant’s instruction.
“Our best bet is to keep to the south, skirting the town and sneaking into the port from the desert side,” instructed Ansaria, tracing her finger along the map as she spoke.
