by Greg Sorber
The newly commissioned officer was silent. TH3R’s offer threw him off guard. The man wanted a confrontation. TH3R wouldn’t comply.
“I’ll take that one right there.” Lieutenant Treyvin pointed at Tala’s Windirian Sour. His finger dipped into it, contaminating it beyond drinkability.
TH3R turned to the bartender. “Can I get another Windirian Sour?”
The bartender nodded and started preparing the drink. TH3R set the contaminated drink on the counter and slid it to Treyvin.
“I’d also like this one.” Lieutenant Treyvin dipped his finger into Sigrid’s Old Fashioned.
TH3R looked at the bartender who started preparing another Old Fashioned. TH3R slid the second drink to the Lieutenant and said, “Lieutenant Treyvin, I’m happy to buy your drinks, but these are for my friends. We are celebrating, just as you are. I’ll open a tab with the bartender and you and your party can order whatever you like for the rest of the night, courtesy of General Dirksen.”
“Aha!” Lieutenant Treyvin shouted. “That's why you think you’re important enough to pin lieutenant bars on a human. You belong to General Dirksen. In that case, I’d like this drink too.”
Lieutenant Treyvin pointed at TH3R’s vodka tonic, but before he could dip his finger into it, TH3R moved away and the officer, who was more drunk than TH3R thought, stumbled forward. Treyvin caught himself before he fell on his face. He stood up straight, if not a bit wobbly, then pointed at TH3R and said, “Listen here, mechanai, you’ll apologize for your rudeness and for acting above your station. You’ve got no right to be here socializing with us or taking part in our ceremonies.”
TH3R had dealt with bigotry before. On Frangellan-7 and most military facilities he’d served, they accepted mechs and appreciated their hard work and dedication. Yet there were still pockets of humanity where mechs weren’t as welcome, especially mechs like TH3R, that looked and acted more like humans than the larger, more specialized construction or combat mechs. Somehow this bigot got through officer candidate screening. Too bad for him. His career was going to go down in a raging ball of fire. TH3R wouldn’t even need to say anything. There were several witnesses in the fool’s chain-of-command watching what was happening.
“I’m talking to you!” Lieutenant Treyvin yelled. He thrust a finger at TH3R’s chest. TH3R stepped back just enough, so the finger didn’t connect. The lieutenant posed no danger to TH3R, but he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. TH3R could subdue him with little effort for the MPs to round up. The man was obviously drunk, and violating numerous regulations. However, the optics of an attaché mech taking down a human officer wouldn’t look good for General Dirksen. On top of that, there would be the hours of paperwork and investigations. On the other hand, the amount of paperwork might be worth it if…
Before Lieutenant Treyvin could poke a digit at TH3R again, Tala slipped in-between her friend and the officer. She batted the thrusting finger down and away, and then she placed her hands up, acting like she was going to help prop up the stumbling officer. It was almost comical, Tala’s diminutive figure leaping to the aid of TH3R, stepping in front of the even larger officer.
“Treyvin, I believe you’ve had too much to drink. Return to your table and leave my friend alone.”
“Well, if it isn’t Princess Tala Matapang, the anointed one,” Treyvin slurred. He looked down at Tala, and said, “here to save the General’s pet mechanai?”
“TH3R, have a seat. I’ve got this. He’s not worth the paperwork,” Tala said.
The lieutenant laughed. “Oh, I’m not worthy? Is that a proclamation from the princess or the anointed one?”
“Where do you get off calling me a princess or anointed one? I’m from Quandar-3. We don’t have any royalty there. As for being anointed — I’ve worked my ass off since I got here.”
“Oh? You’re not a princess? You could have fooled me, the way you’ve been acting since the first day, like you were better than everyone else, showing everyone up in all the training exercises and tests. They always gave you better treatment because of your connections.”
“Jason, you’ve got it all wrong. I work hard so I can be better, not to put anyone down.”
“You don’t even see what you do. You’re blind to it. I guess it’s no surprise since you’re from Quandar-3.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tala asked.
Treyvin laughed hard and spat. “Oh my lord, that proves it then, doesn’t it? They say that people from Quandar-3 are as dumb as the dirt they eat!”
Tala pulled her hand back and made a fist. Before she could let it fly, Sigrid streaked in and decked Lieutenant Treyvin. Her fist connected with his jaw and knocked him off his feet. That was quite an accomplishment, since the lieutenant was far larger than her. By the sound made when her fist connected with his face, she’d broken his jaw as well. He wouldn’t be spewing any of his hate for a while.
She turned to Tala and TH3R, and said, “Neither of you have time to deal with this jerk or the paperwork he’ll cause you. On the other hand, nobody here knows me. We’ve got work to do. Now, let’s go.”
Chapter Four
Tala, TH3R, and Sigrid rode through the city in an automated hover taxi. There’d been a flurry of excitement and conversation when they’d first hopped in, recalling Lieutenant Treyvin’s behavior and Sigrid’s resolution of the conflict. But the excitement of the day’s events had worn off and everyone sat contemplating their own thoughts as they zoomed through the capital city of Ramor.
Sigrid offered to use her apartment as a staging area for their operation, which they’d conduct the following day. They stopped at TH3R’s hotel room and picked up the nano-particle canisters and other equipment he’d brought with him. Tala was on leave, so she didn’t need to check-in with anyone on the base regarding her whereabouts.
“Miss Sigrid, do you have a last name?” Tala asked.
“Yes, I do.”
Tala waited a moment for Sigrid to finish, but she didn’t. Tala made a circling motion with her hand, urging the woman to continue. “Well, what is it?”
“It’s my last name. I don’t share it.”
“Why not?”
“Last names complicate things.”
Before Tala could ask another question, TH3R said, “In Miss Sigrid’s line of work it’s best to keep one’s familial connections private, just in case someone wants to seek retribution.”
“So, just what is your line of work? Are you SPEC OPS? Or an Intelligence operative?”
“She’s not in the military.” TH3R assured Tala.
That sparked Tala’s curiosity. “Oh. If you’re not in the military, then what are you?”
“If you need a job title, you can call me a mercenary,” Sigrid said.
“A mercenary? Wow. So you work for the highest bidder?”
Sigrid shook her head. “No. I only take jobs I think worthy of my talents, or my honor.”
Tala turned to TH3R. “I didn’t think General Dirksen used mercenaries. No offense, Sigrid.”
“None taken. General Dirksen knows how to get things done.”
“Sometimes it’s better for fewer people in our chain of command to know what’s going on. Particularly when we are trying to surprise a SPDR mech,” TH3R said.
“And if anything goes wrong,” Sigrid said, “I’ve got the skill to get you out of trouble. And if I can’t, well then, I get the blame.”
“You’re fine with that?” Tala asked.
“I like the challenge,” Sigrid said, “and the payday.”
Sigrid’s apartment wasn’t in the nicest part of the city, nor was it in the worst. It was in a working-class neighborhood that was full of activity. Even though it was getting late, some residents were just returning from their work shifts, while others were heading out for a night on the town. Everyone was worried about their own lives and business, and had no time to wonder about three strangers in their neighborhood.
The automated taxi dropped them off in the designated loa
ding zone and gave them a chance to unload the gear they’d picked up from TH3R’s hotel before it sped away to pick up its next fare. Tala and TH3R carried the gear while Sigrid led the way through the maze-like apartment complex. When they arrived on the correct floor and at Sigrid’s apartment, she entered a code into a keypad next to the door. A moment later, a positive tone played. An indicator light lit up green, and the door opened.
Sigrid motioned for TH3R and Tala to place their gear on a table near the entrance. The apartment was small, with only one bedroom, a living area, and a kitchen/dining area. What it lacked in size, the apartment made up for it in terms of quality. It was well-appointed, with top of the line appliances and furniture. Sigrid hadn’t spared any expense.
“Did you get this apartment just for this job?” Tala asked.
“No, I keep apartments on many planets,” Sigrid said. “They help facilitate my work.”
“That must get pretty expensive.”
Sigrid shrugged. “It’s all relative. It brings me peace of mind knowing I have a secure place to sleep at night almost anywhere I go.”
“Speaking of sleep,” TH3R said, “we should review our plans in more detail one last time before the two of you get some sleep. Sigrid, I hope you don’t mind if I use one of your outlets to recharge.”
“Go ahead,” Sigrid said. “The last thing we need is for you to run out of power in the middle of the operation.”
“Agreed.” TH3R and Tala turned toward each other and nodded.
They spent the next two hours reviewing the details of the operation. They discussed their approach to the building, the route they’d need to take to get to the environmental control system to install the nano-particle canisters, and how to install and deploy them. After reviewing the plan, answering questions from both Tala and Sigrid, TH3R suggested they sleep on it, then spend some time reviewing it the following morning just in case someone thought of something they’d missed.
Tala awoke to the smells of sausage, eggs, toast, and brewing tea. She rolled off the couch where she’d spent the night and wrapped a blanket around her. Since they hadn’t returned to the base to pick up any of her clothing, Sigrid had loaned her a nightshirt to sleep in. Sigrid was much bigger than Tala, so the nightshirt was way too big for her, but it sufficed for the night. It was only TH3R and Sigrid, so Tala wasn’t sure why she felt the need to cover up. TH3R had no interest in her form, clothed or unclothed, and Sigrid was, well, magnificent.
Sigrid stumbled into the kitchen area, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She wore tight athletic shorts and an equally tight top, looking like the fierce warrior she was. Tala noted that, like herself, Sigrid had plenty of healed up scars. More than Tala had, in fact. But compared to Tala, Sigrid’s well-defined, muscular frame and well-formed female attributes made her look more formidable. Tala was fit. She had to be in order to get through all of her training. Yet, she wanted to look strong, like Sigrid.
“Good morning, Miss Sigrid. I hope you don’t mind,” TH3R said, “but I noticed you had a well-stocked refrigerator, so I took it upon myself to prepare breakfast.”
“I don’t mind. I had the food restocked just before I got here, and it will just go to waste if we don’t eat it,” Sigrid said, then asked, “I thought mechs didn’t enjoy cooking.”
TH3R nodded. “That is correct. Most attaché mechs like myself find doing any menial task a bot could do beneath us. I, however, have developed a fondness for cooking.”
“TH3R is a superb cook.” Tala sipped from the steaming tea TH3R had handed her. “In fact, the first time we met was when General Dirksen was trying to teach him how to brew a cup of tea.”
“Indeed, that was right before —” TH3R paused, then looked at Tala.
Tala finished for TH3R. “That was right before the bombing on Frangellan-7 started.”
“So you were both there that day?” Sigrid asked.
Tala and TH3R nodded.
“That explains a lot. The two of you were the ones that helped General Dirksen escape.”
They nodded again.
“And Sergeant Rotelli,” Tala added, “but he didn’t make it.”
“And about a dozen TexaNovan marines,” TH3R said, “though only two of them survived.”
Sigrid nodded. “War is a bitch. Just like karma. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of either.” Sigrid took a bite of eggs and a sip of tea. “Well then, let’s eat and drink in honor of those that can’t and make sure we do a good job today to make them proud, wherever their spirits may be.”
TH3R and Tala lifted their cups of tea in salute to their fallen comrades and sipped.
After breakfast, they waited a few more hours before gearing up. TH3R unpacked the cases of gear and distributed it to the others. First was a full bodysuit undergarment made of puncture-resistant material. It could stop kinetic rounds as well as disperse blasts from energy weapons. More importantly, it wouldn’t tear or puncture from SPDR mech claws. Getting struck by any of those weapons would hurt, but it wouldn’t take them out of the fight.
They wore the body suits under standard worker coveralls, complete with the environmental company’s logo and fake names embroidered on the front. They had matching equipment bags, where they stored their weapons and equipment underneath standard equipment, just in case anyone took a peak into their bags.
Sigrid looked at all of their equipment. “Everyone put their weapons on the table,” she said. “Let me see what we’re working with.”
Tala produced her Defender Series 7 and placed it on the table, along with her two stun batons. TH3R did the same.
“That’s it?” Sigrid asked.
“We’re supposed to get in and get out,” TH3R said, “just follow the SPDR mech and take it out at a later time.”
“What happens if you run into one during the mission?” Sigrid asked.
“You don’t think we can take one out with four stun batons and two Defender pistols?” Tala asked in return.
“The Defender is a great personal defense weapon. But you two have seen how SPDR mechs fight. You don’t want to give those things a chance. You need to confront them with overwhelming firepower.”
“We can’t just to go to the local quartermaster and requisition heavy weapons,” Tala said. “There would be too many questions, even with TH3R and my connections to General Dirksen.”
“Which may be why General Dirksen wanted me along for this mission.” Sigrid walked to her bedroom door and waved for the others to follow. “Come on, let’s see what I can loan you two.”
Tala and TH3R followed Sigrid into her bedroom. The first thing they noticed was that there was no bed in the room. Sigrid entered a code into a panel on the wall. Two panels slid open from the wall and a bed lowered into place. When it stopped, Sigrid entered another code and then the mattress itself lifted open to reveal a comprehensive collection of weapons. Sigrid squatted down and examined the weapons before handing them to Tala and TH3R.
First, she handed Tala a pair of combat knives. “Careful with those. They might even slice through your special suits. You can be sure that if we have to use these, things will have gone to shit, but it never hurts to have some knives on you.”
Tala handed more knives to TH3R, who set them in the equipment bags.
“You two have your Defender Series-7s for your personal sidearms. I’ll be taking a Foundation Arms Fury Z5.” Sigrid tossed the weapon and holster to TH3R.
“That takes care of personal defense. Now we need something just in case things get messy.” Sigrid stood up and scanned her choices. “You two are familiar with the Fenris compact assault rifles?”
Tala nodded, as did TH3R. They weren’t in wide use in the military except for security details. Since both of them worked with General Dirksen, they’d trained with them.
“Good,” Sigrid said, “anything bigger and louder than that and we are going to draw attention to ourselves.” Sigrid looked at her sniper rifle lying among the weapons. She sighed. This
mission would be too tight to use that one. Another time, perhaps.
Sigrid reached down and pulled out a belt of disruptor grenades. “I’d rather not use fragmentation or incendiary grenades in the city, but these should help against a SPDR mech.
“Don’t you think all this is a bit much for taking out a SPDR mech?” Tala asked.
“I don’t know about you,” Sigrid said, “but I’d rather have these weapons and not need them, then need them and not have them.”
“She has a point,” TH3R said.
Sigrid then made sure they had enough ammunition for each of the weapons before they left for their target.
Chapter Five
Since the Battle of Frangellan-7, one of the AOIS’s top military priorities was capturing a functioning SPDR mech. To date, no one had accomplished that goal. Tala hoped that she, TH3R, and Sigrid would be the first.
Ramor was a communication hub for the Alliance of Independent Systems. The Ramoran Broadcast Corporation had a contract with the AOIS military to collect and relay encrypted transmissions from the AOIS Intelligence network. Their target was the facility where that data was collected and beamed to other parts of the network. The SPDR mech had infiltrated the building and had access to the raw data feeds. The Imperium had discovered how to decrypt the data, otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered stationing a SPDR mech there permanently. Their job wasn’t to worry about what data was being stolen, or how to stop it. Their job was to install the nano-particles, so they could identify, track, and capture the SPDR mech.
They arrived at their location in a utility vehicle painted with the logo of their fictitious environmental systems maintenance company. AOIS intelligence specialist and TH3R created enough background on the company and its employees to satisfy cursory record checks. Anyone doing a thorough search would come to dead ends. But as long as Tala, TH3R, and Sigrid looked and acted the part, no one would bother checking any further.
