How things work:
-” Dialogues, things spoken aloud. “
-’ Thoughts of the MC. ‘
*Quotes*
* * *
I leaned on a recliner and connected to Arcology’s Net. My AR, augmented reality, implants began displaying troves of information on my retina. I brought up info on a Verberus, a backwater Imperial planet, to which Lark brought us today.
-” A recently claimed world, currently undergoing structural and environmental development… “ Lector’s impassive voice glossed out the details of this hellhole.
-’ Yhea, right. ‘ I thought to myself. -’ What a nice way to say that this desert world was barely habitable, as ninety percent of it was covered by scorched earth, while the rest was claimed by a neat, Imperial arcologies. ‘
I grabbed a soycaffee to get the bitter aftertaste out of my mouth. -’ Imperial’s are not the only ones who fight poison with poison... ‘ I skimmed over the recent history. -’ Natives have a tough luck. First, Imperial outlaws and pirates made a base here and now the mighty Empire came to grab the resources, hiring the very same pirates and outlaws to resolve the *native problem*. Unofficially of course. ‘
I shook my head and concentrated on the work.
I brought up schematics and specifications of a Bullfire CM-40 rifle. -’ Hmm, it seems like they resolved the chambering problem from a CM-30 model… ‘ I took a sip of a soycaffee. -’ Question remains if they have adapted it to desert environment. The previous Bullfire was notoriously bad with dirt and sand… ‘
-” Shyael! “ A deep voice resounded from behind the curtain. -” Get your shapely elven butt over here, we don’t have all day! Skorfus, leave that freaking crate, we can leave the clean up for later. “
I sighed at the orc’s usual nagging, still, nice or not, he was my manager. -” Coming. You don’t need to be such a hardbass Lark. “ I put the soycaffee on the ground and left coolness of the tent.
Outside, I was welcomed by a blindingly white sky and an expanse of parched earth that stretched to the horizon. Skorfus was still hauling a grand metal crate while ignoring Lark’s venomous looks. The troll’s eight feet tall frame was clad in a desert khaki combat uniform, making a strikingly plain counterpoint to his neon orange mohawk. Two sleek, black horns curled to the sides of his face, there could be no doubt that they were artificial replacements, extensively fitted with cyberware.
-” Am I mute or something? It’s almost time for the broadcast and you are still hauling that damn crate. Throw it away! “ Lark nagged.
-” As you wish… “ The troll responded blankly and thrown down the crate. Objects inside made loud rumbling sounds. -” ...it’s not like there’s over fifty types of grenades inside, I do wonder if one could have gotten armed... “
-” Yieks! “ The orc yelped and retreated briskly. -” ...and just get here asap, we start in five and I don’t take late for an answer! “ He yelled in a vain effort to maintain control.
-” Pfgh. “ The troll spat on the ground. -” Amateour, he doesn’t know jack squat about arms and thinks he can order us around. Damn. “
-” Still, he is right, we need to hurry. “ I summoned my accessory drone and sighed at the image that was transmitted to me from the drone’s camera. -” Damned desert. I need a new make-up. “
-” Hmm… “ Skorfus bent down and looked critically at my face. -” That you do. Hold right there. “ The troll quickly took out a cleaner and other accessories from the drone and started to redo my make-up. Despite the time that I had spent with him I was still amazed by the precise movement of his hands, as well as his artistic sense.
Mere moments later I examined my face. I have a heart shaped face, accented by small and pouty lips. My sharp cheekbones create a perfect harmony with my straight nose and sharply angled eyebrows. Like all elves, I have almond shaped eyes, though mine have an unusual grey color that actually has a metallic hue.
I inspected my appearance and sighed. I had a glistening pink lipstick that matched my long hair and numerous small, tattoos grafted into my skin. The tattoos were elegantly disributed around my whole body depicting interconnected, circuit themed patterns shining with neon pink light. I kept them despite Lark’s nagging to have them removed, as they were *not fitting the image*.
-” Are you two flirting, or what? “ Lark’s nagging voice could be heard again. -” We start in thirty seconds! For dregs sake! “
-” Thanks Skor, let’s get this show going. “ We smiled at eachother and headed to the nearby plasteel tables. Military grade equipment was laid in neat rows on the tables and camera drones were already hard at work, filming.
I took a deep breath, as I hated that part, and leaned against a table. I connected to feeds from camera drones and focused on the one that came from the drone floating in front of me. I made sure that my cleavage was *appropriately* depicted, I didn’t have to check to know that Lark was paying his undivided attention to that feed as well.
-” Hey, boys. “ I smiled profusely. -” Shy and Skor are here for you. " I stretched provocatively. -" Today we bring you up to speed on the combat essentials from Verberuss’ steaming hot deserts. “ I fanned myself with a hand.
-” Yo, bast’ads! “ Skorfus’s rumbling voice, distorted by slang, could be heard clearly even from several meters away. -” I hope ya ready for somme buttkickin’, cos I have some real heavy equip for ya. “ He casually adjusted his crotch.
-” While Skor is busy with his heavy equipment I have something much more manageable for you. “ I grabbed some metal pieces from the table and started to assemble them. -” What we’ve got here, boys, is the Bullfire CM-40; just like its predecessor it’s a blast. “ I smiled while I connected the barrel to the stock and then slid in the action into place.
-” Assembly is dead easy, even most retarded punk should do it. Five seconds isn’t bad at all. “ With one quick movement I secured the parts and inserted a cartridge, then I aimed at some distant targets prepared beforehand. -” Do you still remember CM-30? Well that one was a boner with a silver lining, though it had its problems. Anyway, apart from the chambering, I see no difference between the two. “
I started shooting. -” Same bullet velocity, penetration and rate of fire, and if you forgot, you can look it up on the screen right now. " I transmitted the specifications to the feed. -” As before, they are not bad at all. “
-” Though is it any good in a desert, you ask? “ I said between the shots. -” Whooops! “ Suddenly, i theatrically fumbled with the weapon, which spun out of my grip into the air while still shooting bullets. I made sure that the gun didn’t hit anything important, though, accidentally, Lark had to hug the ground. I smiled vindictively. -” Such a grave accident, I wonder if it’s still working… “ I conspicuously looked at the weapon that was on the ground, pretending to be amazed and clueless by what just happened. I began to pick up the weapon, fumbling in every way possible. I hated the comedy act of trying to look like a clueless hussy... Anyway, I made sure to get dirt in every crevice of the weapon.
-” Khem, while Shy is playin’ dirty let’s get da look at tis’ big boy. “ Skor lifted an ATM Blaster Cannon, which was designed as a mounted weapon. -” Ya can install it on anythin’, be it a speeder or da troll... “ He smiled profusely while he rested the weapon on his shoulder. -” ...and then bam. “ Loud zapping sound was accompanied by an explosion, which disintegrated a nearby stone pillar. -” Just like that you take care of business. “
I lifted the gun and the show continued. For the next hour we covered surveillance equipment, tanks, implants and other stuff that was released recently.
-” ...and that’s all in today’s Shy’s and Skor’s Burnout Essentials. See ya next time. “ The moment the feed was cut I fell back on the table and looked at the milky white sky above me. -” I. Hate. Deserts. “ I said firmly. After an hour of frolicking in forty something degrees I felt sweaty and dirty, for both I blamed Lark. At least Verberuss’ surface wasn’t in direct sunlight, which was blocked by the dust in the higher parts of the atmosphere. -” Could you tell me why we couldn’t just rent a studio and do this in Virtual Reality? “
-” Our princess' so delicate that she can’t get a bit hot and dirty? “ Lark’s snide comment was the last straw for me. I liked my comforts and I was taking the pains of looking like half brained hussy to enjoy them to the fullest. I was not going to take dreg from a punk like Lark.
Wordlessly I reached to the side and grabbed a BloodSilver Flechette Caster pistol from the table. -” Give me one good reason not to decorate your face with silver confetti… “ I threatened as I aimed at his face. From ten meters away silver cloud would disintegrate his head.
-” Wait. “ Suddenly pale, he put his hands up. -” I was joking, just joking! You don’t need to be so serious about this…”
-” I am still waiting for an explanation… “ I cocked off the safety and he gulped visibly, his gaze locked on the muzzle of my gun.
-” It’s an Imperial contract. “ He looked at me nervously. -” They paid us, real’ well, for doing a special here. “
I pulled the trigger and a barrage of silver shrapnel whized over his head. -’ Seventeen shots, automatic, almost no recoil, silent… that one’s a keeper. ‘ I thought absentmindedly.
I looked back at Lark, who was sprawled on the ground. -” I really hope, for your sake, that this trip is worth it. “
-” Totally. “ He nodded fervently. -” This is a steal, we come in, do a special and we are out. Eeezjob. “
I looked at him inquisitively trying to find out whether he was just trying to get off a hook. He didn’t look trustworthy at all. -’ Well, that’s what you get if you try to look like a demon or something. ‘ He had a red skin, which was not his natural color for sure, prominent fangs and glowing yellow eyes with slit pupils. Considering his muscular frame and the face, which must have undergone some major surgeries, he didn’t look half bad, especially for an orc.
I remembered that I had no chance of catching him on a bluff, his poker face was just that good. -” That better be true. “ I rose and jumped from the table. -” Anyhow, I know who’s doing the cleanup today. “ I silenced Lark’s protests by waving the gun that I was still holding. -” Dust’s bad for my skin. “
I moved inside our armored lorry, lured by its cool interior and comfortable chairs. I cleaned all of my exposed skin with a lotion and applied a cream, all for the sake of preserving my flawless skin. Vigilance was much better than a skin regeneration treatment, which required a week of stay in a Gene Vat.
I sighed at the memory of past days when, as a simple mercenary, I didn’t have to keep my appearance in mind at all times. One look through a window, at a sweaty Lark who was hauling a stack of folded plasteel tables, immediately reminded me about the downs of my previous occupation. -’ I just like my comforts too much. ‘ I purred and stretched on a recliner chair.
* * *
It took them almost two hours to pack all of our stuff onto the lorry. I was rosed from my comfortable nap by a sudden burst of hot air and the smell of a sweating troll. Skorfus sat in the driver's seat, which was next to the one I was using. His gaze wandered casually over my body that was sprawled on the recliner.
-” It’s a wonder that scumbag haven’t thought about selling that look out. “ He said as he turned away and started the engine.
-” Oh, I am sure that he did, but his survival instinct must still be working. “ I patted my new gun suggestively.
Skorfus gave out a noncommittal grunt and floored the pedal. I snickered at the thud and the curses that came from the back. Looks like someone wasn’t ready for a sudden acceleration.
I turned on the music in my headphones and began watching the scenery. I quickly found out that there wasn’t much to look at. Just an expanse of desolate terrain and milky white sky, which dispersed the sunlight so much that you couldn’t tell where the sun was. At least I didn’t have to worry about sunburn. I sneaked a look at Skorfus who was still driving manually despite the fact that he could easily leave it to an autopilot.
Listening to the music and watching the empty horizon bored me to death quickly, so I turned on the AR overlay and started fiddling with our Netpage, which would later be transmitted to the Galactic Net. -’ BloodSilver definitely gets the featured item award. ‘ I thought and made necessary alterations. I continued working on the Netpage, then I browsed through newest military catalogs and then I idly listened to the music.
At some point I was ready to bang my head on the floor in boredom. I figured out why Skorfus decided to drive and I thought, briefly, about some alone time with my hoverbike, which was packed in the back. One look at dust outside and on a thermosensor made me drop the idea.
I was disheartened by the prospect of traveling through this dull world. -’ Argh, how much longer… ‘ Struck by a sudden thought I opened the connection and checked.
I felt despair swelling in my chest as the unchanging terrain before me began to grow and grow in my mind. The planet was huge and all of it was covered with nothing distinct. I wondered briefly if there was something green somewhere. -’ Surely the oxygen must be coming from somewhere… ‘ As it turned out, the oxygen was indeed coming from somewhere. Unfortunately, that somewhere was the dust in the atmosphere that made some strange things with carbon, oxygen, ozone and sunlight to make the planet breathable.
One thing that I loved and hated about my life was constant travel. Currently, I hated the part of getting stranded in some boring, dreg forgotten place. -” I am going to sleep it out, wake me when we are... somewhere. “ I hesitated and finished in disheartened voice.
I looked at the back of the room and Lark looked like he wanted to say something, probably something about a sleeping beauty, but under my gaze he quickly broke eye contact. -’ Must have remembered about the beast. ‘ I snickered and set the chair into a sleeping position.
* * *
Exactly four hours later I woke up, fully awake, and I groaned in frustration. My body was heavily altered by top of the line genetic alterations, collectively called *cosmetic calibration*, which was not readily available to anyone. Only politicians, nobles and celebrities could get one, and my silly show was actually popular enough to get me on that exclusive list.
Anyway, what that meant was that my more *problematic* bodily functions were almost non existent or heavily controlled. My sweat was, supposedly, turned into a natural deodorant with weak but nice aroma, though it was tuned in a way that I couldn’t smell it. More importantly, I could and needed to sleep for only four hours every two days, no more no less, which made me really unhappy at the moment, especially when I considered how much of the ground we still had to cover. There were many more improvements, but that was unimportant at the moment.
-' All for a price sufficient to supply a full mercenary company for a month of heavy fighting... And they would still have sapre supplies to last another half a month. ‘ I sighed, my try at distracting myself failing miserably. All of that didn’t change the fact that we didn’t have a bath in our truck, and that I felt sweaty and caked in dirt.
I stood up and looked around. Skorfus was sleeping and autopilot was driving the truck. Lark was laying on a recliner, I could tell that he was playing some VR game due to the cables that were hanging from behind his ear.
-’ I could practice some. ‘ I thought and moved to a door in the back of the room. The door led to a trailer where most of our stuff was stored, weapons included. The trailer was fully loaded with racks and crates, and what little space was left was taken up by the hoverbike and by what I deemed my holy place, as I called it, and I solemnly swore an oath to break both arms of anyone who touched them. So far it worked well in keeping Skorfus and Lark away.
I had gotten out of the formfitting bodysuit, that I had to wear during the shoot, and then I provisionally cleaned myself by spraying a special chemical cleaner over my body, it wasn’t a bath but it had to suffice. -’ Why all of that bastard ideas are either lewd or make me an idiot or both. I swear that he’s doing it on purpose. ‘ I vexed over the outfit and things that I had to do during the show.
I went to my locker and gotten myself into boots, camo patterned pants and hoodie combat jacket, all of them in white. I secured the belts, that were affixed to the gear, and I closed the locker. I was again struck by a thought on why I just couldn’t buy a regular stuff and had to have a designer one.
I went to my holy space and activated AR overlay. Suddenly a vision of infinite, white space replaced my sight.
-” Sensei. “ I said respectfully and bowed.
An aged and pale, slit eyed individual, clad in a karate gi, appeared in front of me.
-” Konichiwa, Shyael-san. Are you ready to begin your training? “
-” Yes, Sensei. “ I bowed again and started my practice. I found using my body refreshing and I wanted to keep my reflexes honed. -’ A decade of not being a merc and I still have my old habits. ‘ I smiled and followed increasingly difficult katas that were assigned and graded by the program. I set it out to ninety percent accuracy long ago and I would have to redo any part that didn’t reach the quota.
I was happy with the Augmented Reality because I could move my physical body. Somehow, despite claimed ninety nine point nine percent accuracy, I just couldn’t feel the same when I used the Virtual Reality, I always felt like I was missing something when I was using it.
I continued my training for many hours, finally graduating to a free training, that had phantom opponents. All within the confines of my, two meter big, holy square.
* * *
I was laying on my chair, with my eyes closed, and listened to the deafening music on my headphones, when I felt somebody’s hand on my shoulder.
-” What? “ I said without deigning to remove the headphones.
Lark came into my field of view and said something. -” … “ But it was nowhere near loud enough to be heard over the music.
I tilted my head and raised my eyebrow questioningly.
He raised a hand to press behind his ear, annoyance evident on his face. -” We are almost at the town. “ He sent his message over a communication channel, then added patiently. -” What kind of soycaffee do you want? “
-” Fast, just like my music. “ I said with a smile and toned down the headphones.
Lark thrown me my soycaffee and went to the back. I looked at the view before me and I could see small buildings slowly appearing on the horizon.
-” Let me guess Lark, you’ve got another outfit prepared. “ I said in a resigned tone.
-” No, what you have should suffice. “ He said calmly and I almost fell from the chair.
-” What did he have when I wasn’t watching? “ I asked Skorfus in shock. -” I want some too. “
-” Ha. Ha. Very funny. “ Lark responded in a deadpan voice. -” Now, get ready to go outside. We are going to rest some before the shoot… and then I will have a new outfit for you. “ He added with a nasty smile.
-” Jackbass, get dregt. “ I flipped him one, annoyed by his and Skorfus’s chuckle. I stood up and opened a small locker hidden in the wall. I strapped a holster with the BloodSilver on the small of my back and removed a CGR-43 Manhunter pistol from the stash. It was big, black and loud as nine hells… and my bet was that it was designed to kill with a heart attack, because it sure as hell couldn’t hit a barn. I strapped it to my upper thigh, that way it was very visible. I carried it solely for its fear factor after all.
I looked at the dilapidated buildings that were getting closer with every passing moment and I added a fingerless pair of combat gloves, they had Newtonian liquid inside which hardened under the impact. I was really fond of them for all of the slappy goodness that they offered. It was the access to all of the cool stuff that made me love my job.
Skrofus drove our truck near the entrance to the main street. The town barely deserved its title as it didn’t have anything more than that one street.
I slid open the door and jumped down, onto the packed earth. I was soon followed by Lark and Skorfus. Quick look around was enough to encompass the whole situation - a saloon like building, a group of punks on their bikes, and a recently deceased someone. Pale faced inhabitants that looked from behind windows made me assume that the recently deceased was the city's lawman.
Leather clad punk with a green mohawk came closer and spoke with such a heavy accent that I barely understood him. -”Wacha’ wanna wi’h o’r city. Yer ge’tim geld? “ Though considering the content of his speech he might as well been speaking in universal.
I rolled my eyes and sent a message to Skorfus. -” He’s got a mohawk, your chummer? “
Skorfus scowled in response and exposed a stash of grenades that hung inside his jacket. -” Your mouth better not be writing checks that your ass ain’t gonna cover, chum. “ He reached for a particularly big grenade. -” Wanna one? “
Pale faced punk shook his head and backed away to discuss something intensely with his companions. -’ Well, it’s their problem. ‘ I thought and put the punks out of my mind.
We headed for the saloon and entered the building like there was nothing undue taking place outside. Lark went straight to the counter that was manned by a fat, moustached guy.
The orc smiled widely and it made him look like a devil that just came to offer a particularly good deal. -” Greetings, you seem like an owner of this fine establishment and I would like to discuss a golden business opportunity with you… “
-” I will keep the punks outside from making too much trouble. “ Without a word Skorfus understood Lark’s angle and went back outside.
I headed for the counter, where the owner was already prepared to lick Lark’s shoes on command. -” Hardest liquor you have and a bath... The. Bath. “ I added firmly seeing his blank expression. -” The gentleman over there will explain and cover the bill. “ Lark started to protest, so I added. -” Consider it a price to pay for getting me into that outfit of yours… Terms and conditions apply. “ I added as I wanted to make sure that I won’t have to perform buttnaked.
Lark scowled, but in the end, I had my bath and a brandy, which actually wasn’t half bad.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
* * *
I relaxed into a tub and purred in satisfaction. -” Warm bath, brandy and music… “ I purred to myself and turned on my headphones, setting them to something soft and classical. -” ...best super powers of all - money and influence. “
I lounged in water, humming to the tune and taking a sip of brandy from time to time, then some insistent noises become loud enough for me to hear them over the soft music. With a thought command, I turned off the sound dampening of my headphones.
-” Tis’ dude doin’ som’ slick dancin’. “ Some loud punk’s voice came from an alley below the window of my room. -” Comon’, oldman. Dancin’ ain’t over. “ Sound of gunshots followed the nasty laughter of the punks.
-” Dude’s da man’. “ Other punk chimed in. -” Ya thinkin’ he can be movin’ da two? “ Another gun joined the shootout and punks laughed even louder.
-” What’s tis’, sum’ trash. “ I barely heard a distant punk’s voice, which was followed by sounds of breaking glass and falling furniture.
-” Man’, tis’ dude’s cool. Are ya’ thinkin’ whacham’ thinkin’? “ Yet another punk, which seemed stoned, had an idea.
All of the commotion was slowly wearing my patience thin and I couldn’t just turn off the sound when there was a bunch of unpredictable, gun wielding punks outside.
Punks seemed like they had gotten some retarded idea.
-” Oldman, yer lucked out. “ Stoned one’s voice was met with approval of his companions. -” Try dencin’ dat off! “
-” Ya da man.”
-” Wickin’ slick! “
I looked at a ceiling in annoyance and decided that I would better check what those retards had in mind. I set my hardware to a combat mode, then I stood up and grabbed the BloodSilver, which I placed next to the tub earlier.
As I was getting close to the window, my augmented hearing picked up a sound of a safety being cocked of. Moments later a submachine gunfire resounded from the alley, followed by the cheering of punks.
-” Lookcha’! I knew’ his da man’ “
-” Dregs yhea! Slickin’ cool man. “
I looked through the window to confirm my expectations. The group of leathered punks surrounded some old, white bearded guy in a brown, leather trench coat. One of the punks had D&K NF-7 submachine gun, which to those guys was just an uzi. -’ All of the sub automatic's are just an uzi to the punks like them. ‘ I scowled at the thought.
-” Uyeeeaa. Camon’. “ Stoned punk was really agitated and was shooting at the ground below old man’s feet, making him jump around to avoid the bullets.
I had to admit that the punks were right. Old man was really something. An augmented something. -” Was he a merc in his previous life. “ I wondered.
The party suddenly came to a close due to NF running out of bullets. Winded up old man stopped moving and grabbed a nearby wooden pillar to support himself. Punks started jeering while the stoned one tried to reload.
-” Lookcha’! A poochi! “ The other punk, one that was looting the old man’s house, spoke out; if not for my enhancements I wouldn't be able to hear him. -” Come to dadi’. “
-” Woof. “ A friendly bark answered the punk.
I noticed old man’s hand clamping on the wooden pillar and actually crushing into the wood. Though none of the punks paid any attention to the sound of straining wood.
-” Come pooch. Come. “ Punk cooed. -” Here yi’ are! “ Suddenly there was a gunshot and a whimper.
-” You can break a man’s home… “ Old man’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.
-” Wha’? “ Stoned punk looked up with dumbfounded expression.
-” You can take a man’s possessions… “ Old man's silhouette seemed to shake.
-” He snappin’ or yappin’ or wha’? “ Loud punk scratched his head, confused by the ineligible monologue.
-” But!... “ Old man’s voice suddenly become loud and punks looked at him in surprise. -” You can’t kill a man’s dog! “ He exclaimed loudly.
Old man flexed his muscles and yanked on the pillar, breaking it in half. Stoned punk was fast, he already had his NF-7 going up, but not fast enough. Old man was already swinging his club and before the punk had a chance to fire, his weapon was already knocked out of his grasp. Old man rushed past the disarmed punk and pushed the splintered tip of his improvised club into loud punk's face.
Third punk raised his gun and shot at the old man, but the man’s reflexes were wired[1]. He suddenly accelerated and moved like a blur to get out of the shot's way. Before the punk had a chance to press the trigger again he was already sent flying by the man’s swing.
It turns out that stoned punk was also wired and he already was grabbing the NF-7 from the ground, using his good hand as the other one was broken. Old man noticed it too and rolled to the side, with a hailstorm of bullets following his every move. Stoned punk was already smiling victoriously when a three foot long piece of wood smashed into his face.
I had to admit, the old man had some slick moves, but they weren’t enough because the punk from the house was already at the door, aiming his gun. Out in the open, with nowhere to run, the man was as good as dead.
I never was much of a watching sort. Without breaking the glass a cloud of glistening, razor sharp triangles easily glided through the window and soon met the thugs hand. Just like magic, the hand vanished in a spectacle true to the gun's name.
When the old man looked up, I motioned with a finger in front of the neat hole in the glass, I was sure that he will get the message. Then I went to get dressed, leaving the cleanup to the old man.
-’ Why a girl just can’t have a relaxing bath… ‘ I complained silently.
* * *
We sat at a saloon’s table and I raised the hood of my jacket to dodge the looks of the locals, who kept ogling my face. -’ Well, I bet it’s the first time they had seen someone like me away from a TV screen. ‘ I smiled to myself.
-” We are talking here. Could you, please, pay attention for once? “ Lark chastised me in an annoyed tone.
-” I heard you. We are to do a glamorous special on the Imperial Peacekeeper equipment. “ I yawned suggestively. -” Anyway, why do I care? “
-” Argh. “ Lark clamped his teeth in exasperation. -” Because they pay us handsomely… “
-” Wait. “ I interrupted Lark. -” If they think that I am going to do a positive review if they pay us off, then they are in for a big surprise. I do not do a dreg job. “
-” Ok, ok. “ Lark put his hands up. -” They are aware of that and what they want is the stuff to look Nova hot for the ads. Imperials know the Imperial quality, as you well know. “
I already knew where this was going and I didn’t like it one bit. Nova hot, in Lark’s mouth, always felt like it came from a devil that came to collect the dues.
-” Can’t we just do an extensive combat testing… “ I pleaded.
-” Stop your whining, you know full well that it ain’t gonna cut it. “ Lark dashed my hopes for any semblance of a decent appearance during the show.
I looked around and saw the old man entering the room. I waved the man in, ignoring Lark’s furrowing eyebrows. The man had ruffled grey hair and a beard. I took a closer look at his face, but a square jaw, a wide nose and deep blue eyes didn’t fit anyone that I knew. -’ Nothing out of the ordinary in the big, wide galaxy. ‘
-” Hey. “ I made a welcoming gesture and pointed him to an empty chair. -” This is Skor and Lark. “ I pointed at my companions.
-” Greetings, Shy. “ He gave me a respectful nod. -” Thank you for your help back there. “ He turned to my companions before sitting down. -” Gentlemen. “
-” Yo. “ Skor waved the man off.
-” What have you gotten yourself into already… “ Lark’s gave me a blaming look.
-” That’s entirely my fault. “ The man interrupted. -” I am Callum Burton. Cal for short. “ He nodded in my direction. -” And that fine lady had helped me during a spat with local punks. “
-” You just had to get involved… “ Lark wasn’t someone who got over things easily and he kept his venomous look on me. Finally, he sighed heavily and turned to Cal. -” Ok, where we stand? You look like someone who knows his way around. “
-” The punks belong to a guy called Loco, and he is rumored to be quite mad. He runs his gang around and Imperials subsidize him. “ Cal’s seemed awfully calm considering the situation.
-” Something doesn’t add up. “ Lark interrupted. -” Why would our, oh so efficient, Empire be doing something as inefficient and stupid as outfitting some gang. This doesn’t make any sense. “
-” It makes perfect sense to me. “ Skor suddenly joined the conversation. -” If you consider the natives that is. “
-” What do they have to do with the whole picture? “ Lark was understandably surprised.
-” I think I know. “ I said smugly. -” Imperial Inquisition. “
-” Ok, now I know that both of you are just making that stuff up. “ Lark shook his head in annoyance.
-” Think about this. “ Skor continued. -” This is an Imperial colony, so they had to gain it somehow and you know how much of the red tape the Empire is using. “ Skor made an all encompassing gesture. -” This whole world was just annexed to the Empire, as is, and they called the Inquisition because natives seemed really spiritual and magical at the time. “
Lark’s face contorted in concentration and then a look of astonishment appeared on his face. -” The Dark Ones came, found no traces of magic and went away, leaving Imperial bureaucracy with a world filled with unwanted citizens, that have actual rights. “ Lark laughed. -” Now they can’t just kill them off, so they are grasping at straws, using the status of an underdeveloped world as a cover to finance the outlaws to do the killing for them. How stupid and inefficient, I bet the governor is sweating buckets daily. “ Lark continued to laugh in a very nasty manner, quickly becoming the centre of locals attention. Suddenly he turned to me and my heart skipped a beat. I really, really didn’t like the predatory look that appeared on his face. -” If you don't want to do a Nova hot special, I can make you a deal… “
-” That’s what I am afraid of. “ I shook my head firmly. -” So, thank you, but no! “
-” Very well, no problem. “ He smiled and nodded with the look of an understanding. -” Let me just get the costume for today’s special. “ He turned to Skorfus. -” Do you remember where the costume that we used for the shoot on Yeunides is stored? “
-” But it was a paradise world, with beaches, sand and ocean! “ I interrupted.
-” Yes, it was really nice. “ Lark smiled a winning smile. -” Both of them were. “
-” Wait, wait, wait. “ I looked for an escape route, but he had me good. -” Let’s hear your offer first! “
* * *
I stood under the white sky and wondered if I made a good choice. I had a Peacekeeper combat suit, a HKM-300 assault rifle, an Imperial GlassReiter pistol and a Pacifier shock lance, but I still wondered if the Yeunides option wasn’t the lesser evil. -” That’s what you get for dealing with the devil. “ I murmured to myself.
-” What did you say? “ Lark’s voice came via the radio.
-” I asked how long until they get here. “ I said to the microphone. -” I don’t fancy sweating in the combat uniform. “
-” You know, you can do this in the costume. We can always do the armor testing separately and the viewership would also get better... “ Lark’s mocking voice annoyed the hell out of me.
-” Go dreg yourself. “ I said and shut the connection.
I looked around, gazing over the locals that were outfitted in random parts of the Peacekeeper equipment as well. Skorfus just finished the preparations on his end, a neat circle of barely discolored earth marked the places where our guarantees has been planted.
Finally I noticed a great cloud of dust in the distance. Guests of today’s special were arriving in droves. Bikes, speeders, cars and trucks soon become visible on the horizon. My augmented vision allowed me to examine even the minute details from far away without use of binoculars.
The motorcade was led by a single individual. He was riding on a Thunderbolt OVR-9000 three wheeled motorbike that had the grand speaker columns affixed above rear wheels. I could see that the columns were shaking with a wickedly loud music. Whole bike was heavily altered with skulls and flames casted straight out of metal.
I still liked my customized Nemesis ANTRAX hoverbike more, but I had to hand some thumbs up to a guy that rode such an awesome vehicle.
I looked back to the driver. He was dark skinned and creased, with a wave of long black hair swinging behind his head. He wore a studded, black leather outfit and at least seven knives underneath it, if my indications were any good.
He was tall and rather on a slim side, but he more than made up for it with his stern and mean expression.
While I was taking in the sights, the motorcade stopped some distance from us and my quick overview confirmed my suspicion that punks from earlier were just that, punks. Most of the gang before us consisted of seasoned criminals.
One of them, a big and bulky one, that was clad in a leather vest adorned by chains, came closer. His condescending gaze traveled over me and locals to finally stop on Skrofus, who noncommittally was leaning against the building behind me. -” You runnin’ this show? “ He asked the troll, disregarding my presence before himself.
Before he had a chance to react I had drawn the GlassReiter and kneecapped him. In the very same moment I sheathed the gun back into the holster. -” I run the show, punk. “ I said in conversational tone to his surprised face. He still did not understand why he was suddenly falling down.
It was mean, but I had learned long ago that men just couldn't take a girl seriously and it just wouldn’t work if I was doing the intimidating without mean. Sometimes I wished for Skorfus’s physique, but then I remembered how I looked in a mirror and I always arrived at a conclusion that kneecapping someone to get the attention wasn’t actually that bad of an option.
-” Aargh! “ The guy finally hit the ground while grabbing his knee and screemed in pain. -” Bi… “ He collected himself surprisingly fast and started cursing me, but suddenly stopped when our looks met. He froze and I slowly shook my head, with equal slowness he nodded.
Satisfied I raised my gaze and focused on the leader. His taxing gaze was focused on me and I was happy that he was taking me seriously. If he wasn’t, after me showing him a bit of my ability, I would need to reclassify him as a mere thug.
-” We need to talk. “ I said casually.
-” That we do. “ He affirmed in the same manner. -” I heard you downed some of my boys. “
-” They were in a way and there wasn’t much to them anyway. “ I stated and ignored a group of punks that started a ruckus near a truck.
-” You know that I can’t let it slide and I know that you have a proposition. I am listening. “ Despite his looks he seemed like a really reasonable guy.
-” I propose a duel. No shooting until the coin hits the ground. “ I showed him my open hands.
-” Why should I accept? I have plenty enough to off you and this bunch. “ He took out a knife and made a wide gesture, that encompassed us and the locals.
In that moment Skorfus must have pressed the activation button as several OTX Mk III Ghosthunter turrets sprang from the ground. Their spherical heads whirred idly, ready to unleash a hail of precision fire on the targets in front of them. The punks yelled in surprise, while their seasoned companions paled and went completely still. The turrets were designed to react to sudden movements and everyone must have seen my show from Xatruna, where the very same turrets decimated plenty of vicious wildlife.
-” I pack my toys and leave you to duke it out with the locals, or are you scared of getting owned by a girl on a camera? “ I smiled coldly. -” Otherwise, I have plenty enough to off this bunch. “ I pointed at the surprised ruffians.
-” No strings attached? Even if you get hurt? “ He said and looked at me questioningly.
-” None whatsoever. Just you and me, as long as there’s no shooting before the coin hits the ground. “ I affirmed. -’ This is definitely better than the Nova hot special… ' I thought in satisfaction.
-” Very well. Call off your stuff. “ He nodded. -” And get your prayers straight. “ He rose from the bike, exposing knives, guns and machetes that he had on him. Meanwhile, the turrets retracted, reacting to Skorfus's signal.
-’ ...or not. ‘ Suddenly the duel wasn’t as promising as it was before. From his movements I could tell that he was augmented, but until he stood up I couldn’t tell how heavily. My estimation was at least at alpha grade level, if not better. He didn’t seem like a former black ops commando, but his ware said otherwise. -' Maybe he's undercover? ' I mused.
He casually adjusted his jacket and checked the knives. -” Who’s throwing? The troll? “
I nodded, suddenly not trusting my parched throat.
Meanwhile Skrofus walked to a spot between us and readied the coin. -” You sure about this? He’s not your regular joe. Maybe you should pass just this once? “ He sent me a message.
I felt my heart beating hard. -” No way in hell I am going to pass this one up. “ I responded and gave him a predatory smile. Despite the danger I appreciated the challenge, it set my blood boiling, also I already knew that I wouldn't like Lark's idea of today's Nova hot special.
Skorfus shook his head and let out a sigh, probably inwardly commenting about my supidity. Neverthless, he obediently thrown the coin upwards.
Suddenly I felt all of my anxiety draining away, giving way to a familiar thrill of combat. I looked at the coin which had barely left Skor’s hand and the time seemed to slow down to a crawl. I felt like I was flexing a nonexistent muscle that was slowing down the time, or more accurately, my bio alterations were kicking in, elevating my nervous structure onto new level of speeds. Where merest blink was akin to a blackout.
I casually stepped to the left, letting an incoming knife past my face. With a move that felt like skidding through a molasse I reached up and grabbed the knife that moved at a crawl. With a flip of a wrist I sent it back whence it came, but faster. But not fast enough, my opponent easily spun on a ball of his feet, letting the knife pass him harmlessly.
He was three steps away from me, so I reached to my side and retrieved the handle of the shock lance. Two steps away and I pressed the activator. At one step’s distance metal, telescopic parts shot from both sides of the handle, creating a five feet long pole.
Barely in time to parry his machete, though that was only the beginning as successive blow from his other machete came immediately after and I had to give ground in order to let it past me. I spun the pole, blowing back both of the machetes. Using the moment, I activated the shocker.
When his machetes came back I was ready and intercepted them on purpose, but unfortunately they were isolated and did not shock him. Not fazed by that I spun to the left, barely avoiding his kick, using the opening to grazed his chest with the pole.
Sudden discharge of electricity thrown him back, but before I had a chance for a follow up the AR overlay highlighted a monofilament thread cast from the guy’s weapon. I ducked to avoid the cutting wire, simultaneously swinging the pole parallel to the ground, aiming at his feet. Unfortunately he didn’t try jumping over it, giving me thus the opportunity to finish him off in mid air, instead he gave ground and thrown a machete at me.
That one had the monofilament wire attached to it and I had to cartwheel out of it’s way, if I didn't, I risked being sliced apart by the unpredictable thread. He used that moment to close the distance and to swing at me. I was already prepared for that and stabbed the pole into his hand. Explosion of electrically thrown the weapon out of his grasp, but that didn’t stop him from trying to kick me in the mid air.
I abandoned my weapon and twisted my body to suddenly change my position in the air. My muscles were highly augmented for flexibility and agility, which he didn’t expect, he also didn’t expect that I would be able to grasp his feet from the position I was in and that I would attempt to twist his ankle using the momentum of my body. The move has forced him to jump and twist in the air in a desperate try to avoid the critical, in this situation, fracture.
I released him and jumped back, using the moment to draw HKM-300 from the holster on my back. It proved to be a good idea as a parting grenade, released by my opponent, suddenly appeared in the air between us.
Two things happened simultaneously. The coin hit the ground and the grenade exploded, spreading deadly shrapnel around. I withstood the shockwave while easily finding a safe spot between the projectiles, I trusted my armor to withstand few smaller pieces that were too problematic to dodge, and started shooting into a dust roused by the explosion.
Soon the opponent returned the favour and I had to execute a frantic roll in order to avoid a hail of gunfire released by his automatic pistols. As I dodged, I zeroed on the twin blazes released by his guns and responded with a short burst fire.
Suddenly the hail of gunfire stopped. I looked intensely into thinning mist and saw my opponent's body sprawled on the ground, gaping wounds evident on his chest. I kept my guard, pointing the rifle at him. He lifted an empty hand into the air, but then his strength waned and it hit the ground. -” Your win. “ He croaked and coughed up blood.
For a moment I stood in shock, same as everyone else, then a sudden explosion covered everything with heavy smoke. I remembered that it was Skor’s diversion to allow me to escape, because the thugs weren’t going to just pass over their leader’s loss. Sound of gunfire blazed from everywhere and I ducked to the ground as I wasn’t too fond of the stray bullets.
The battle between the locals and bandits erupted, but we weren’t going to participate. -’ We gave them a fighting chance, without enemy leader and with that equip… ‘ I patted the HKM-300. -' They should manage… ' I thought in satisfaction as I crawled out of the battlefield.
Skor already waited to pick me up at the edge of the smoke, he lifted me into our truck and we left the city behind us.
I sighed, suddenly exhausted and I fell on my chair. Using my full capabilities was taxing and I could feel pains slowly appearing all over my overstressed body. -” Tell me what I want to hear. “ I said into the air.
-” We got our special and the money's already on our account. “ Lark responded with a satisfied voice.
-” Not that. “ I mumbled in exasperation.
-” How about this then: with all the information we inadvertently collected the governor is going down. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Peacekeepers were already storming his mansion. “ He spoke like some goody two shoes.
-” … “ I remained silent, scowlig.
-” We are getting out of this hellhole.” Skorfeus said and I smiled in satisfaction.
-” I hate deserts. “ I stated passionatelly and expectantly looked over the desolate terrain that I was soon going to leave behind...
* * * THE END? * * *
1 - [augmented with cyberware enhancements/replacements]