Orimi muffled through the metal brace covering her mouth while nodding her head from side to side. She then glanced over to the sesnir, whose eyes began to water before releasing a river of tears. Orimi then shimmied over to the sesnir and laid her head onto theirs before closing her eyes in an attempt to comfort her. The sesnir’s heaving breaths slowed down along with her squirms as she snuggled closer into Orimi’s neck.

“Aw, that’s cute.” V903 glanced over at them while tinkering with the terminal’s inner components with one arm and the escape pod panel with the other. “They’re consoling eachother.”

Saradona poked at a bare wire, causing it to spark and make her flinch before letting out a sigh. She then looked back at the brawny cyborg, continuing to approach Miya with a tilt of her head.

“And you’re sure Vael doesn’t need your assistance? I don’t doubt either of yours’ experience when it comes to combat… But its just a bit odd that, that officer was confident enough to come by herself. Maybe you could use your numbers to-“

—SHING

In the blink of an eye, one of V903’s hands sharpened into a long alloy needle with its tip grazing Saradona’s neck.

“You misunderstand, meatbag, the inferiority that you organic lifeforms have in the face of true evolution. Our exoskeletons are purely combat-based, not like the mecha-suits used to mimic our undeniable strength. We were once soldiers with decades of battle intelligence, now manifested in bodies that have limitless potential in all that we excelled at. Though cyber-links are incredibly taxing and rarely pulled off, those that walk away with their minds manifested into fully optimized machines are leagues above what a normal being can do.”

Saradona gulped as V903 pulled her needled hand away from her throat then dug into one of the metal panels on the wall.

“Just sit and watch, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the cargo.”

Saradona nodded several times before bending down and continuing to work.

Vael took another step in the center of the room, their long and bulky shadow covering the entirety of Miya’s body as she gazed up at their eight-foot stature.

“From that uniform and badge you’re apparently an officer of Gala Fol. The Federation is supposedly one the highest security defenses and federal agencies in the quadrant but yet you got invaded by some cyber-psycho on your home turf. Guess you guys are all talk.”

A nefarious grin spread across Miya’s face as she placed her hands on her hips. “And I guess you’re bringing this up because you know I’m the one who put his ass down.”

“Ha!” Vael bent down to barely match Miya’s height. “Yeah, I heard some officer killed Murdgo, but they said they used a VOC-class pistol that seamlessly changed it’s appearance. I’ve never heard of that technology, but even if it was slightly true, you don’t seem to have a shooter on you.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Miya tilted to the side, taking note of the nova-blue blade protruding from the wall several feet away from them.

“Well enough for that matter, sputra nokkerem.” Vael sighed with a cloud of smoke shooting out of her mask. She clenched her hand close to her side, her fingers clicking as she balled her hand into a fist.

In an instant, her fist sliced through the air and collided with Miya’s cheek, causing her head to whip past her shoulder with an unnerving crack.

Saradona shivered as the noise echoed around the room with clenched eyes. Orimi and the sesnir, with eyes, widened in appall, also lowered their gaze with unease.

Both of Miya’s arms fell limp to her sides as her body twitched as if she was a dying animal performing a last death throe.

V903 shook their head while still attending to the wall’s wiring. “They never stood a-“

Their head glanced back at Vael, with several white holographic indicators racing across their glass holo mask.

“Their vital signs… How is she still…?”

Vael tilted her head, having several indicators that raced past their eyes. Miya’s neck performed several cracks as it slowly moved back into place. She stepped forward before plummeting her fist into Vael’s face, sending the android flying back head first. Vael arched their back and caught themselves on one hand, then flipped back onto their feet.

“Huh, interesting.” Vael mumbled as their face bubbled back into shape from the dent they received. “I guess the Federation has some strijdens they keep hidden.”

Miya rolled her neck as it gave off a final crack. “I’m not familiar with the term.”

Vael lowered their head, their lavender pupils hidden behind their cat-like eyelids. “Well wouldn’t you like to-“

—Fwoosh

Left with a blur and a gust of wind, Vael pivoted just in time to see Miya dart past them.

“S-She’s fast,” Vael exclaimed. “V903! Saradona! Watch it!”

V903 jumped to their feet and raised their mechanical arm as it morphed into a slender silver cannon. Their entire body convulsed as she fired cyan energy projectiles from her hand. The blasts were only met with the cold steel of the ground as Miya dashed side to side, swiftly like a fleeing gazelle.

Miya slid across the ground, covering the rest of the distance to the wall, and jerked the blade from the panel. The chassis between the blade and the handle revved like an engine in response to her touch, along with its insides bubbling with swirling, energized blue lines.

She then swished the blade into the air then pointed the sable tip at V903, holding her hand cannon the same distance from her face.

Miya smirked while raising her blade to eye level, reflecting her burnishing maroon eyes. “Any reason why you haven’t shot yet? I don’t think you care much about ‘meatbags’ to leave me alive when you have a clear shot.”

V903’s shifted their head to the side. Miya’s left eye swiveled to the corner of her socket, noticing Saradona behind her, stunned with widened eyes.

“Ah, I see.” Miya then focused back on V903, her smirk widening. “For a cyber, you’re very… Sentimental.”

Her blade revved once more. The thruster on its end released a slight spark as Miya tilted it upward, making Saradona take a hesitant step back. With a loud snap, the thruster released a burst of azure flames that coated her backside.

“Saradona!” V903 shouted, running to catch her as she was blown back from the impact.

Miya then exploded forward from the propulsion, grabbing Orimi and the sesnir from the floor and twirling several feet away. She then set them both down and raised her blade in front of her toward Vael.

Vael’s eyes twitched as they looked over to Saradona’s body covered in burnt scars. They then turned to Miya with a puff of smoke releasing from their mouth.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”