Chapter 11

Talha Sun tugged at the collar of her uniform. The brand-new clothing was uncomfortable and stiff. Black, red and in a formal cut, the high-collared jackets were styled in the custom of the Caledon House Guard.

The mercenaries had to accept attire as part of their new contract. The Baron wanted it known to onlookers who they were aligned with when the fighting began.

This new uniform was jarring to her. She was accustomed to dressing in coveralls and well-worn, comfortable Pilot Suits. Looking around at the hold, she could see that many of the younger crew felt the same. The veterans who had served in the Duke’s Guard wore them with ease, their faces proud and heads held high.

The storage hold of their Starship was packed with the crew. Talha had never seen so many people on the ship before. Tamara sent out a call to former members of the Marauders, those that retired or been forced to look for work elsewhere as their equipment and contracts dwindled.

They had come in droves, pushing the Starship to its capacity limit. Tamara Sun now had enough Pilots to operate an entire company of Mechs, along with the support staff and mechanics to repair them.

Tamara had also recruited thousands of soldiers to aid the Baron with securing the surface. They would require weapons and Combat Exosuits, but Kal had promised to give them whatever they needed.

The crew stood patiently in rows, wearing their new uniforms while waiting for her Grandparents to return from Caledon with the Baron.

They had arrived above the planet a few hours ago. Tamara and Elric immediately took a shuttle down to the surface to meet with the Baron alone. Kal had requested the pickup. He would be taking them to a location off-planet where he had hidden their Mech components and weapons.

“Nervous?” A man’s voice spoke in Talha’s ear. Turning, she saw the handsome face of Gareth Quade. He had been with the Marauders a few years ago until he left to become a Freelancer, a pilot for hire.

Talented and cocky, she hadn’t expected him to return, but the promise of steady pay, and a reasonably easy contract that provided a Mech, had been too much of a temptation to deny.

“Irritated. Bad enough that I have to wear this stupid outfit, but now I’m standing next to you.” Talha retorted, causing Gareth to burst out laughing. He seemed at ease in the uniform, the black and red suiting his tanned skin and long, black hair.

“It’s not so bad. Not every day do you get to attend to Nobility. It makes a good story to tell at the bar.” Gareth responded, shrugging his shoulder.

“Is that why you came back? For a good story?” Talha asked, genuinely curious. Gareth had left them when their good fortunes began to turn for the worse. The last she had heard, he worked for one of the large corporations. It had been a surprise when he showed up, answering her grandmother’s call for pilots.

“Partially,” Gareth said, chuckling. “Mostly, it was for the steady pay. I took a nasty hit on my last contract. I had to go into debt for the regen. Lost my arm, half my face.” He finished, holding out his left arm and showing her. If Gareth hadn’t said anything, she would never have known it was regrown. It was good work.

Talha winced at the thought of needing the procedure. Regenerating limbs was expensive, and his debts were likely outrageous.

“Who were you working for?” Talha asked, surprised that the client wouldn’t offer to pay for the treatment. Some of the smaller clients couldn’t, but usually, they built it into the contract’s cost.

“Aesir Corp. They offered the treatment, but I’d have to extend the contract. Didn’t seem worth it.” Gareth said, shrugging his shoulders at the comment. Talha could understand some of the longer-term commissions could be a life sentence, better a debt than slavery.

“But this seems lovelier. Easy gig, has good pay, and Mechs are provided. Still, they look worse for wear. Have you been slacking, Talha?” Gareth joked, eying the heavily damaged and outdated Mechs lining the walls. From his experienced eye, only a couple dozen worked. The rest were stripped bare.

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‘The Baron must be desperate if he hired this lot.’ Gareth thought, not aware of the connection between Tamara and Kal.

“Shut it. I work with what we’ve got. We’ll have the full compliment up and running in no time. The Baron is providing components.” Talha responded.

“Where is he getting them? Mech parts are getting scarce. The bigger organizations have been hoarding them because of the recent rumours.” Gareth lowered his voice, barely a whisper over the din.

“What rumours?” Talha asked. She hadn’t heard anything, but she had been busy the last few months. Gareth leaned forward so she could listen to him.

“Word is going around the Net that the Emperor’s health is declining. The Princes are cutting deals with the Nobility, gathering support. They're each eyeing the Throne.” He finished, straightening his back and looking around to see if anyone heard. Seeing that they were isolated, he sighed in relief.

“Is that why you’re here? Too worried that Aesir Corp would get you caught in the middle of it?” Talha reasoned, eying him out of the corner of her eye. Gareth grinned, giving her a wink.

“You know me too well. There are credits to be made, that’s for sure, but what good is money if you aren’t alive to spend it?” Gareth joked, turning away and looking at the aft section, where the bay doors were opening. Shielded, they allowed transport vessels to enter and exit without exposing the interior to the vacuum of space.

Talha didn’t notice. She was too engrossed in thinking about what Gareth had said. If the Emperor dies, his children will likely fight for the throne, plunging the Empire into chaos unless it’s resolved peacefully. It hadn’t been much of a concern in the past. The Emperor was over 1500 years old!

She shook it from her thoughts. It was a problem for someone else. What she needed to focus on was the now. Caledon was far away from Terra, a backwater planet too poor and powerless to affect more significant events in the Empire.

Her grandparents' transport vessel was large enough to hold a few dozen people and a couple of Mechs. It was empty now, just Tamara and Elric, with the Captain piloting. She hadn’t wanted anyone else coming along, ruining the reunion.

The long, squarish ship extended leg-like landing gears, the weight causing them to sink, absorbing the force of the landing. Cutting fuel to its thrusters, the vessel silenced before a door opened on the side, a set of stairs extending to the floor of the storage hold.

Tamara Sun led the way forward, impeccably dressed in a black and red uniform. She added a pin of a yellow sun with a red fist in the center on her lapel. Reaching the deck, she turned, observing as a woman exited.

Middle-aged, her hair brown with traces of grey, Governor Sylla was wearing a dark blue jacket with a matching skirt. Carefully walking down the steps, she stood beside Tamara, curiously watching the crew. Her eyes drifted to the Mechs, a frown appearing as she saw their current state.

Next down was Elric. The large man was laughing, an unfamiliar look on his typically frowning face. He was looking behind him, saying something too low for Talha to hear, before walking down the steps and joining his wife.

Last was Kalen Caledon, the Baron and their current employer. Tall and handsome, he was wearing a plain black and red uniform, the same as the crew, but his clothing seemed to fit him perfectly. He was smiling broadly, still chuckling from his conversation with Elric. As he saw the crowd waiting in rows, he gave a small wave before walking down the steps.

Talha’s first impression of the Baron was one of amazement. She had never seen a more handsome man or one so tall. Even though he towered over the others, he didn’t appear disproportionate. He seemed casual and at ease like he was amongst friends instead of strange soldiers that would soon be fighting for his planet.

“Emperor above, is he even real? I heard Nobles came from a different stock than the rest of us, but….” Gareth added beside her, his voice a whisper as he shook his head at the sight of the Baron. Talha jabbed him in the ribs, cutting him off before he could draw attention to them.

The Baron made his rounds, greeting the Veterans he was familiar with again, shaking their hands and calling them by name. Talha grew bored after only a few minutes. She looked away from the spectacle in front of her, and towards the Scout Mech she had been repairing.

She must have lost track of time. Her thoughts wandered toward the repair of the machine when the Baron was in front of her. She could see his lips move, but she was so distracted that her mind took a moment to catch up.

“-again, Miss Sun.”

“What?” Talha asked, looking at Kal dumbly, not catching what he had said. Kal smiled, amused at her lack of etiquette. Behind him, Talha could see her grandmother frowning, promising a long talk with her after this was over.

“I said, it is nice to see you again, Miss Sun.” Kal repeated, his eyes filled with laughter at this unexpected source of entertainment.

“You too. Are you going to give us our parts now? I want to get back to work.” Talha blurted out before she could catch herself. Tamara’s frown became even more severe, while next to her, Gareth was stifling a laugh.

Damn her mouth! She couldn’t seem to keep her foot out of it.

“I wouldn’t dream of keeping you waiting. We can take the transport if you’re ready?” Kal asked, looking to Tamara for permission. The Captain nodded, forcefully tearing her gaze away from Talha and looking at the Baron.

“We can. I’ll need to get a pilot. We need to discuss things on the way, and I would prefer not to do both.” Tamara said.

“I can pilot if you’d like, Milord.” Gareth offered, stepping forward and giving the Baron a salute, a clenched fist to his chest, over his heart. Kal waited for Tamara to confirm before nodding.

“Let’s go.”