Chapter Sixteen - Spectre

People who had cores could call themselves whatever they damned well pleased. Still, there were certain conventions. The Warclowns and Warmimes of the Lunatics were a good example. They had a cultural identity freely given to their own core-wielders.

Outside of that context, civilians with cores often tried to avoid any specific labels, while soldiers with cores tended to have their own categorization.

On Mars, they called the core-wielders of the military Valkyries.

A Valkyrie was the reaping angel of Mars. Not just a soldier with superhuman abilities. They were the best. They kicked ass, took names, chewed bubble gum, and they never, ever, lost.

At least, that's how the propaganda went.

The truth was that each Valkyrie was hand-picked from the most talented individuals in the Martian military apparatus, then given training that would make an Olympic athlete look like a lazy underachiever.

This produced the best possible candidates to receive a core and become part of the army's backbone of hyper-elite combatants. They were few in number, but that didn't matter when they were just better.

Sonic Spectre must, therefore, have been pretty damned good. B-classers were uncommon enough already. There were probably only a few dozen in the Martian navy.

Ivil was keeping that in mind as she pinned the helpless Valkyrie to her room's door. Sonic Spectre was utterly outclassed, sure, but she was also not even trying to fight back. Her powers, those shifts in reality that had made her look so jittery, would have been perfect to escape this situation... for about a fraction of a second before Ivil caught her again. But Sonic wasn't trying anything of the sort.

The emotionless doll mask shifted slightly to meet Ivil's gaze. "I'm following orders from High Command," she said.

"The brass sent you?" Ivil asked.

There was a slight shift, a nod. "They're concerned about your actions. Though... to be perfectly honest, I volunteered for the position. It was me or a deep-cover MINT operative, and I thought that I would be a better option."

Ivil loosened the hold, very slightly. She didn't quite let go, however. "You might compromise my mission."

"I aim to do the opposite," Sonic replied. "I'm here to assist you. This mission came with two parameters. To ensure your safety, and to assist you in your task."

"High Command has no idea what the task is, do they?" Ivil asked.

Sonic shrugged faintly. "They don't. But it's... you?"

Ivil supposed that that much did make sense. She had a... well-cultivated reputation for doing what she thought was best, and often she was right about it. Certainly, her idea of what was the best action to take was sometimes politically unpopular, or caused a significant increase in casualties, but it also often led to success.

With a sigh, Ivil pulled back. "You might as well leave," she said. "This mission won't be helped by your presence."

"Ma'am?" Sonic asked. "I'm aware. You are without a doubt the most powerful person in the system. But if you would be so kind as to tolerate me, I'll be certain to not stand in your way as you... do whatever your mission is."

"Are you so certain? You still don't know what that mission is."

Sonic shrugged. "Theories range from you preventing a fourth inter-system war, to you causing the next, to you wanting a vacation."

"Hmm, all wrong," Ivil dismissed. "Besides, you might give me away with that disguise of yours."

"I'm actually a practising member of the Adeptus Ancillia," Sonic replied. "Though I have placed my military service ahead of my religious beliefs, as befits a Martian Valkyrie. I know enough of the rites and beliefs of the Tech-Maids that I can certainly pass myself for one."

Ivil hummed. The options here were simple enough. Kick the woman off the ship, or keep her here. "If you will stay, then you'll be changing command chains," Ivil said.

"Pardon?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, I think that's a fantastic idea," Ivil said with a nod to herself. "If you want to stay, then you'll be working for me."

"I... can do that, yes. If it would assist you."

"Good. Your first task is to write a letter of resignation to the admiralty. I won't have you splitting loyalties, and if you resign, then none of their orders will be able to supersede my own."

It was a hard ultimatum. Valkyries might have been powerful and even well-loved members of the Martian elite, but their service and training didn't come freely. One of the larger costs was a life-time of indoctrination and a hard loyalty to the brass. They were not-so-secretly terrified of another Ivil rising through the ranks. Of course, that sometimes meant that loyalty was prized more than competence.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

It was a fault Ivil was aware of, but it didn't make the military suffer so much that she cared to fix it.

Sonic took a long, long moment to think things through, then she nodded. "I will," she said. "If that's what's required of me, then I will."

Ivil was, reluctantly, impressed.

Obviously the brass would overlook such a thing. It would be a black mark on Sonic's record, but there was probably a fresh medal or commendation that would come with it as soon as she 'rejoined' the military after this incident. It was still a hard move for Sonic to take, and spoke well of her character.

Loyal to the point of being disloyal if that was the best option. It wasn't entirely contradictory, but it did take some thinking to see it.

"Fine then," Ivil said, finally letting Sonic free as she stepped back.

Sonic adjusted her dress, then bowed her head a little to Ivil. "I'm at your service, ma'am. What would you have me do?"

"Are you gay?"

Sonic froze. "Um. No?"

"Are you certain?" Ivil asked. "Bisexual, maybe?"

"I'm... not that either, ma'am," Sonic replied. "I, uh, am not currently in a relationship, but I'm mostly attracted to men."

"Are you certain?" Ivil asked. That mostly might have been carrying a lot of weight.

"I'm entirely certain. May I ask how this is relevant?"

"No."

"Very well," Sonic said.

Ivil eyed Sonic up and down, then shrugged mostly to herself. "This mission is classified," she said.

"I understand, ma'am. My clearance rating is blue," Sonic replied.

"This is classified Ultra Cosmic," Ivil said.

Sonic stared. "I... wasn't aware that the classification system extended beyond a colour range, ma'am."

"Obviously because you don't have a clearance level high enough," Ivil said. "If you violate this level of secrecy you will cease to exist. Mars will put all of its efforts into removing every trace that you ever existed. Your parents won't remember you. Every friend, lover, colleague, business partner, the person at your favourite restaurant that remembers your order. Everyone will completely fail to remember you. Any impact you had on society, positive or otherwise, will be reversed. You will cease to matter on a level that most cannot comprehend."

Sonic likely lacked the biology to swallow, but Ivil still had the impression that the Valkyrie had done just that.

"And then, while your existence is being erased, you will be made to suffer unimaginably. Obviously, the goal of the torture will be purely academic at that point, but it's a principle that matters."

"Of course, ma'am," Sonic replied. She was doing a good job of not sounding faint.

Ivil crossed her arms. "Good. The goal of this mission is for me to find love."

Sonic stared. "As in... sexual gratification?"

"If I wanted to fuck I'd hire a whore," Ivil dismissed. "Or accept one of the many offers I've received for an interesting night. I'm not so unattractive that no one flirts with me. I mean love-love. Romantic love. I'm here to find my soulmate."

"Is that what the oracle was for?"

"Yes. I asked her where I could start. This ship was her answer," Ivil said.

"You... commandeered an Imperial fleet, to fly to the far end of the system, to ask an oracle... about your love life?"

"Is that judgement I hear?" Ivil asked.

"Permission to be honest?"

"No."

"No judgement, ma'am."

Ivil raised an eyebrow. "I would hope not, especially not with your new duties."

Sonic straightened. "Ma'am? You have orders for me?"

"Yes. Congratulations, you've been promoted from... what was your rank?"

"Captain."

"From captain to wing-woman," Ivil said. "I hope you can serve me well in that position, Wing-Woman Sonic Spectre."

Sonic almost saluted. Her arm started to raise before it stuttered to a stop as years of navy training ran into the realities of her current situation. "I'll do my utmost, ma'am," Sonic said. "On that note, are you aware of who the, ah, target is?"

"No, actually. I have a short-list of suspects onboard the Held Together. I suspect the first part of this operation will mostly involve discovering who the primary target is. Hopefully you will be able to assist me with that as well."

"I'll do my best," Sonic said. She did salute this time.

***