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The movie planned the previous night turned into a short marathon. So when Gabriel blearily opened his eyes because his pcu beeped, it was almost noon. He yawned, sat up, and rubbed at his face before grabbing the pcu.
Madeline stirred and stretched beside him. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Late,” Gabriel said. “Hour and a half until lunch.”
“We’ve been in bed for over 14 hours then,” Madeline said with a sleepy smile.
“Time well spent,” Gabriel pointed out and read the message. “Oh, it’s from Krihana. We can take a look at the ship today.”
“What time?”
“Working hours,” Gabriel stood and stretched his back. Slouching in bed watching movies was nice, but his back had some complaints. Or maybe that was from the training and improv self-defense course yesterday.
“Send a message and ask if we can see it after lunch, but now, I need a shower,” Madeline said and sat up as well.
“Same, want to save water and take one together?” Gabriel asked as he typed out the message.
“Like saving water is why,” Madeline teased and headed for the bathroom. “You coming?”
Gabriel stopped a pun from escaping his lips, “I’ll have you know I care for the environment,” He said and followed happily along.
They spent some time relaxing, letting Madeline’s fur dry before heading out and collecting some lunch to go on the way. It was a bit after lunch by the time they walked through the park, many citizens were hurrying back to their jobs. By the time they reached the second park rain began to fall again. Luckily this time they had umbrellas and the rain was light as usual so they didn’t have much trouble and managed to get to the Union tower with dry socks. Not that Madeline wore socks but Gabriel considered it a win.
Inside they received the same treatment as before. The receptionist recognized them and they were sent to wait. This time, however, they were guided by an attendant to the security section. Inside, Zura and Rik’Tensel waited for them.
“Hey, any reason we’re in security?” Gabriel said to the two Justicars.
“Not really, there’s just no landing pad on the tower,” Zura said.
“And we have more pull over security so it’s easier to free up a slot,” Rik’Tensel said and led them to an elevator. It was a quick ride to the top where a shuttle waited. It looked about the same as the one Gabriel had already ridden on but this one was slightly larger and had markings that showed it belonged to Union security. Everyone got in and they took off, heading towards the docks.
“Excited?” Madeline asked and grabbed Gabriel’s hand. He only then realized he had been fidgeting.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a spaceship. I might have flown in a few already but still,” He said.
Madeline chirped and nodded. “I know how you feel, It’s different to see them flying around and going inside.” She turned to Zura and Rik’Tensel, “But I suppose you get used to it?”
“If you work as a crewmember I guess you do. But most only take a trip or two a year so it’s somewhat of a special occasion for most,” Zura said and nodded to Rik’Tensel. “We have of course been on more trips than that, but I have never worked onboard.”
Rik’Tensel nodded, “And I have. I worked on a ship for just over a year, about the same size class as the one we will go see.”
“What position?” Gabriel asked.
“Classified,” Rik’Tensel said.
“I see,” Gabriel said. “What was that about size class?”
“It’s a general measure of size,” Rik’Tensel said and launched into an explanation. “A class 1 ship is a one-manned fighter or personal racing vessel or similar. A class 2 would be what your pilot friend has, Cani was it?” Gabriel nodded. “A ship with one pilot but with space for two or three passengers and some storage or with a very small cargo bay. A class 3 is usually crewed by two or three and can haul cargo or at times passengers.”
Gabriel turned to Madeline, “Like Captain Scarrask's ship?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she said. “Two crewmembers, pulling large modular containers?” she asked Rik’Tensel.
“Precisely. A size 4 ship is a smaller leisure ship or passenger transport. Typically five to eight ship crew but that can vary depending on its purpose. It’s the largest ship that is still too small for an FTL drive. A size 5 is what we will be looking at and travel in. This particular one has 14 crewmembers and six additional security personnel. It has two cargo bays and seven passengers cabins with double beds.” Rik’Tensel said and brought up his pcu. “I can send you the floorplan, a simplified version that is.”
“Yes, please,” Gabriel said and they exchanged numbers. A minute later his pcu beeped and he brought up a picture of a large ship with numbered rooms. He had trouble reading the descriptions though as he was less than proficient in Station standard still. “And the rest of the sizes?” Gabriel asked Rik’Tensel.
“Here, I’ll translate,” Madeline said and they got to work changing the numbered list on the side.
“Right, size 5 ships have 10 to about 20 crew, again depending on the purpose. A Cargo hauler has less and a cruise ship more. Size 6 is up to twice the size of the one we are looking at and the largest that can easily land on planets. We have specialized landing strips for class 7 as well.”
“And they are much larger?”
“Yes, I think Mr. Nionis ship is a class 6, though on the smaller side. A class 7 is twice that size. They often have their own docks for small ships and few are built to land, most stay in orbit.”
“Would a large mining ship be a class 7?” Gabriel asked.
“If you are referencing a certain rebuild mining ship then no, that one was class 8,” Rik’Tensel said.
“And finally class 9. Very few exist, and they are more or less mobile space stations. Some were actually built into stations back in the day.”
“And how large are they, compared to a size 5?” Gabriel asked now that he had the floorplans.
“Very much depends, a size 8—as you have seen—can be more than twenty times larger than a size 5. Size 9 are maybe five to ten times larger than them.”
“Oh, so at least a hundred times larger?”
“Very much depends, if you see one, you won't have to guess what size class it is.”
Gabriel nodded and turned his attention back to his pcu. “This is quite a big ship,” Gabriel said, looking over the floorplan. “And the blue lines are doors I imagine. Can the corridors close?”
“Yes in case of an emergency. And regarding the size, I would have opted for one without such large cargo bays but this is what was available,” Zura said and leaned over so she could point at the plans. “This is your room, the largest one on the upper floor. The captain's room is the one opposite. We will take rooms meant for guests if you don’t mind,” she said and leaned back.
“Not at all,” Gabriel said and shrugged. “Not like I have that many guests.”
“One of your two doctor friends might have to take one as well, this layout only has one doctor in mind,” Rik’Tensel said. “Honestly it’s a bit messy, this ship has had its insides refitted a few times.”
“As long as it flies I’m happy,” Gabriel said.
“I’m told it will,” Rik’Tensel said and glanced over his shoulder as he was facing the back. “After we pass this building you should be able to see it.”
Gabriel craned his neck and looked out the window. The ship that came into view was—like the floorplan suggested—arrow-shaped. It had a large engine in the back, two wings on the lower third with two additional pivoting engines in the middle. The upper two-thirds tapered into a blunted tip with two more engines on each side.
“It looked front-heavy,” he remarked.
“Yes, but the front had a few thrusters underneath to balance it out. And the heavy stuff is in the back. Water supply, generator, and cargo bays. You can see the doors where the wings meet.” Zura pointed and Gabriel saw a large closed door.
As they moved over to the left side of the ship to land, Gabriel saw that the other door was open, a ramp stretching down to the ground. In the front, a door was open and a ramp stretched down from near the bridge.
Gabriel took one last look at the floorplan before they landed. “There are three unmarked rooms, what are they for?”
“The one opposite the airlock is for spacesuit storage, the two above are not finished but I think one will be used for environmental, the other might remain empty,” Rik’Tensel said.
They finally landed and Gabriel got out to get a proper look at the ship. It was big, his best estimate was close to 100 meters but it was hard to see from down here.
“This feels like a very big ship, almost too big,” Gabriel said.
“It is on the larger side, but considering we are going after the syndicate, I wouldn’t mind an even larger one. Still, an Ambassador can get away with something like this,” Zura said and led them towards the ship. “Usually though, you would travel with a handful or more personnel from your government.”
“That will be difficult to arrange,” Gabriel said, looking up at the ship as they approached. “Only two stories though, it looks like it can handle three.”
“There are maintenance tunnels under the floor,” Zura explained. “I think the water and fuel tanks are down there as well.”
“Right,” Gabriel said. It had somehow slipped his mind that that needed a large spot.
Zura walked in front and guided them over to the airlock in the front, over by the bridge. “Let’s get this tour underway,” she said and walked up the extendable stairs that were extending from the hull.
Despite having spent more time in spaceships than outside, or maybe it was beginning to switch, he had honestly lost count of the days. Regardless, he was still excited to see the insides. The roof was quite low, but not to the point that he or Rik’Tensel had to duck, though the tall Igris did bob his head when going through doorways. First, they checked out the bridge. It had two seats with controls and screens located right ahead once they crossed the threshold. To the left were stairs going up to a balcony of sorts. To the right were two more stations and stairs down to a seating area of all things.
“Remains from when this was a pleasure craft,” Zura explained and swept a hand around the room. “The owner and his guests would sit and drink while looking out the windows.”
“I see,” Gabriel said and looked the bridge over. “And the stations?”
“Pilot, Captain, Communications, and FTL.”
“And the rest of the crew is backup?” Gabriel guessed.
“That’s right, shipmaster, copilot, second communications officer—which I will fulfill the role of—and second FTL officer,” Zura explained. “And of course someone has to cook and take care of the ship, two mess officers and two each engineering and environmental.”
“Why do you need someone on FTL if the trip takes days or weeks?”
“They do more, it’s called FTL because that’s their main task. Jumping unanchored to FTL gates takes a lot of work and planning. But they also are in charge of delivering information about the ship to the rest of the crew. Engine status, hull breaches, and that kind of stuff,” Zura said.
“Alright,” Gabriel said and nodded.
“Let’s move on,” Zura said and gestured toward the back of the ship. They first passed the crew quarters, galley, and medbay, then they passed the two cargo holds that were mostly empty. Some boxes, parts, and other various equipment laid about but Zura said that most would be gone in a few days and be replaced by food, spare parts, and other necessities needed on the trip.
After a brief peek into a crowded engineering section they took the elevators up a level. The gym was not yet stocked with machines and more than half was empty, the leisure area next to it had a large screen for movies and even a wall bar, though that was empty as well. It was half movie theatre and half pub. Gabriel approved of whoever designed it.
Toward the front were the guest rooms and another galley, this was unnecessarily big. The entire crew could easily fit inside. Two meeting rooms were attached, one with a table and chairs and the other with couches and screens on the walls. And finally beyond that was the ambassador suite and captain’s quarters.
“It’s a very nice ship, though like you said, the interior is a little strange,” Gabriel said and gestured to the galley.
“I believe it was the only one when the ship was built,” Rik’Tensel said, looking back at the galley. “The lower one was added later and this one remained unchanged.”
“With the room at the back, this ship could serve a crew of like five times this size,” Madeline mused.
“Yes, I think that was the idea, I cannot remember who built the seating area in the bridge but he often threw parties on the ship from what I recall,” Rik’Tensel said.
“I see,” Gabriel said. “In that case, I suppose it makes more sense. And we can’t make any changes to—” Gabriel began before his pcu began ringing. He picked it up but only got a number he didn’t recognize on the display. “Hello?”
“Gabriel? This is Sen’Chakar,” He heard from the other end.
“Hey! how are you?”
“Well, considering, I am at the station where Deana is jailed, she wants to talk to you.”
“Alright, sure,” Gabriel said. He heard some rustling as the pcu was shifted around.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Deana, how are you?” He asked.
“Well, but confused.” Deana paused for a second. “I was planning to spend a few years in prison for… you know… but I was offered a very strange deal...”
“Alright,” Gabriel said as Deana paused.
“Yeah, I can work as an indentured servant for a time equal to the same amount of my original sentence, but without any possibility of getting released early.”
“And what does that mean in detail?”
“It means that I work for as little as possible while still affording food, clothes, and stuff… you know, more or less for free, but as long as I work, I’m more or less free. Well bound to my workplace but you know, the next best thing. I think it sounds great... There’s only one issue”
“Which is?”
“... I need to be hired by someone high ranking in the Union, the woman who contacted me suggested a factory owner, franchise owner of… maybe an emissary of some kind,” Deana finished sheepishly.
“You’re hired,” Gabriel said.
“I can clean the floors and… what?”
“You’re hired,” Gabriel said. “Oh, and if Cani is there, tell her that she has a job as copilot waiting if she wants it. And we can hire Sen’Chakar as well if he wants to go.”
“Wha… really?”
“Yes, really,” Gabriel said grinning into the phone. “I don’t exactly know what the future might hold but I’ll hire you as long as I’m able to.”
“I… thank you, Gabriel. That means a lot that you trust me this much.”
“I’ll contact the owner and see about getting you onto the ship, can you contact Cani?” Gabriel asked, still smiling.
“Yes, she’s here,” Deana said.
“Great, give me a call and I’ll set it up,” Gabriel and Deana said goodbye and he hung up before explaining the situation to Madeline.
“So that’s what Krihana meant about changing the sentence,” Madeline said.
“I guess so,” Gabriel said and called Krihana to explain the situation.
“I assumed as much,” Krihana said after he was finished, “You pilot friend will have to act as third pilot, however, but we can certainly use a security officer with some knowledge about the syndicate, Sen’Chakar was it?”
“Yes,” Gabriel confirmed.
“I’ll make the arrangements if they sign on, miss Deana will join you the day you leave.”
“Thank you for fixing this,” Gabriel said.
“No problem, now, was there anything else?”
“No, I don’t think so. Thank you again, bye.” Gabriel hung up. “Well, that was fortunate.”
“I agree,” Madeline said and grabbed his arm, “So, what now?”
“I don’t know.” Gabriel turned to Zura and Rik’Tensel, “Anything else to show us?”
“No, you can walk around if you want, but I think you have seen it all. The only thing left for you to do is name the ship.”
“...I get to name the ship?” Gabriel said, a smile beginning to spread on his face.
“Yes, Krihana thought it a good idea,” Rik’Tensel said. “Though she might object if you call it anything tasteless.”
Gabriel nodded slowly, racking his brain for a good name. “This will require some serious thinking. Not my strong suit I might add.”
“You have three days if you want it painted on the hull,” Zura said as Madeline tried to keep from chirping in laughter.
“Let’s go, Madeline. I’m giving you a crash course in human sci-fi,” Gabriel grinned and began pulling Madeline along towards the docks.
A/N:
Ship floor plan (a bit messy :D)
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submitted by Cover ||
First Previously O-O-O
Author's Note: This chapter deals with some heavier than usual themes (suicidal ideation and severe depression in the wake of tragedy) that some readers may wish to skim. I've tagged the heaviest section with "(this section)" after the section break. Stay safe y'all.
O-O-O
0930, 18 December 2252, Clarke Hotel, Von Braun, Luna Matt clipped the parts of the model off the runners, shaving the nubs away before clicking each part together. The inner frame of his mech stood before him in miniature. It was mostly pre-molded, made of only about a dozen parts. Despite this, the frame’s components slid over each other in synchronized motion when he bent the limbs. The engineering was remarkable...and completely wrong. It was obvious the model was only accurate on the outside.
A hollow cavity made most of the upper chest, where the orange cockpit pod would go later. Matt squeezed two parts together, forming the heel of one foot, then slotted it into the frame. Sam would be disappointed in how inaccurate this model was. The thought brought a wry grin to his face.
“H-hey, Matt. Good m-morning.” Lian waved his hand slightly as he walked into the common room. The dark snow leopard sat on the other side of the room in a plush chair. “Sorry...about yesterday.”
Matt put down the model knife and stretched his arms. “If you want to apologize, I’m not who you should apologize to.”
Lian looked at the floor and fidgeted with his hands. “She’s s-scary though.” Matt held back a laugh as his eyes watered. Lian’s ears snapped towards him as the shorter snow leopard asked, “What?”
He raised his hand defensively “You’re right, she is scary. Besides...probably not a good idea for you to talk with her right now.”
“Is she o-okay? I didn’t hurt her, right?”
“You didn’t hurt her.” Matt sighed. “She’ll be okay.” He added internally,
I hope. “G-good.”
Matt cleared his throat and asked, “So what was it you were going to tell us yesterday?”
“W-well, I found where I might be able to get more data on the...situation with the PFS. I intercepted communications talking about their ‘quiet customers’ and I’m pretty sure that’s the PFS....”
“How’d you read the messages? Aren’t they supposed to be unbreakable encrypted?”
Lian chuckled before saying, “It’s not unbreakable...but I didn’t have to break it. The communications were unsecured.”
“What like...entirely open?”
Lian shook his head, “Well no, but their encryption was out of date. A vulnerability that got patched a few months ago was still gaping wide open.”
Matt felt his skin crawl. “Well that’s...uh...terrifying.” He gulped and asked, “Is this room safe?”
“S-should be. There’s nothing listening here.”
Sean knocked at the edge of the common room, causing Lian to jump. “Am I...interrupting something?” he asked.
Matt chuckled at the absurdity of the situation before quipping, “Oh, not much, just Lian hacking into official Gold Horizon comms.”
As Lian nearly fell off the couch in shock, Sean asked, incredulously, “He
what?!” Lian sat back in his seat and looked down to the side. “It’s not that impressive, Matt, and I d-did that yesterday.”
Sean sat down, face paler than usual. He asked, voice wavering, “So...find anything juicy?”
“Not m-much, but I know where we c-can find more.”
Matt stroked his chin and asked, “What do you think we’ll find? Think we might find why PFS had ROMEO mechs?”
“P-probably not. M-maybe.” The shorter snow leopard sighed. “We should find
s-something a-at least.”
Sean looked between Matt and Lian and then asked, “Well, where do we have to go?”
“Corporate comms are handled through the data cores in the facility up north, amongst others.”
“That’s where ROMEO-4-1...well, soon to be 4-2 is, right?”
“Yeah.”
Sean grinned wryly. “Now we have a cover.” He stood and then walked back towards his room, a vaguely nervous grin across his face. “I need to get changed.”
O-O-O
0940, 18 December 2252, Residential District 12, Von Braun, Luna Sam walked up a small street in a residential district, the past weighing heavily on her mind. This neighborhood was still familiar, but enough had changed for it to feel strange. The thin plants along the side of the street were taller, a bit different in color. It had been nearly five years.
Sam took a shuddering breath as she ran a hand down the trunk of an ash tree. This was where it happened. She couldn’t even tell, there was no trace left of any of the marks it had left on the exterior of the quaint cottage. She shook her head. She needed a break. Tearing her eyes away from her former house, she walked up the street to the park she knew was still there.
O-O-O
0945, 18 December 2252, Clarke Hotel, Von Braun, Luna Matt pressed his palm to his forehead, shaking his head in disappointment. “No.” Sitting in the corner, Lian suppressed a laugh.
Sean crossed his arms and huffed. “What’s wrong with this?”
Matt looked up and down the man. Tight fitting black pants and a black turtleneck enclosed his body. “You look like a bad spy from a trashy movie.”
Sean grinned, “So?”
“If you
look like a spy, you’re doing it wrong.”
Sean shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose you’re right.” He shed the turtleneck, revealing a blue shirt beneath it. “Anyway, we will need to ditch our nannies before we get on the maglev.”
Matt nodded in agreement, “The security detail would get suspicious of us.”
Sean exhaled, while drumming his fingers on a wall. “Ideas?”
Matt said, “We need to make sure they’re not on our train, once we’re on a train without them, we’re good.”
“W-what if they think we’re getting on a different train?”
“Great thinking.” Lian beamed at the attention. “Are there any trains that would leave at the same time?”
“I’ll c-check.” Lian raised his AR goggles to his face and began gesturing at thin air. After a few moments, he spoke back up. “There’s a t-train to Armstrong at 1025, and a train to the facility at 1030.”
Sean grinned. “Sweet. You got your hacking gear ready?”
Lian sighed, shrank in on himself, and stuttered, “D-don’t call it that. It’s just my tech.” Lian disappeared into his room for a few minutes before returning with a heavy satchel slung over his shoulder.
Matt shot Sean a glare as he picked up, then put back down a detective’s cap. Matt asked incredulously, “Where do you
find this shit?”
“Spoilsport.”
Matt shook his head and glided down the hallway with long flowing strides. “Let’s go.” Sean and Lian fell in behind him as he descended down the stairwell.
O-O-O
0950, 18 December 2252, Residential District 12, Von Braun, Luna Sam looked out over the park as her paw bounced on the ground. Small birds twittered between the gaunt trees as some children played on a tiny dome of plastic bars. The trees were beginning to shed their leaves, and this dome was actually a bit colder than the others, imitating winter.
The past still haunted her. A cub’s cry to her left caused her tufted ears to jerk to the side and her head followed. A reddish-brown lynx cub had fallen off a swing set and their mother pulled them off the ground. Sam’s stomach churned as she lidded her eyes. She opened her eyes and stood up, then picked up her jacket from the back of the bench.
She turned her back on the park and walked back towards the subway station, losing herself into memory. A warm embrace in the entryway. Chaos in the living room as toys were tossed through the low gravity. Encrusted food blasted off dishes by an ultrasonic cleaner. Laughing at a vidscreen. It was funny what stuck with a person.
Sam blinked and looked around. She was back at her old house again. This wasn’t where she intended to end up. Sam felt waves of memory wash over her as she remembered walking up that stairway countless times, her family waiting for her. Sam shivered, and flipped the collar of her jacket up. “I’m so sorry.” Sam bowed her head and placed one of her hands over her chest as tears beaded down her face as she walked back to the subway station.
O-O-O
1015, 18 December 2252, Northern Maglev Terminal, Von Braun, Luna Sean asked somewhat louder than normal, “Excited to see Armstrong, guys?”
Matt nodded, disguising how nervous he felt. “Yeah, the descent stage is still in pretty good condition from what I’ve heard. So are the first footsteps.”
Lian fidgeted with his satchel bag. “A-awesome.”
Matt looked over his shoulder, making sure their detail was following them. He looked ahead at the platform. A rubber seal pressed against a white set of train cars. They weren’t streamlined–there was no need in the hard vacuum surface of Luna. The paint was bleached where the sunlight had discolored the train cars. A group of people pressed into the train, while their group held back.
Sean walked forward, taking the lead. “Let’s board. I’ll get a window seat.” Matt boarded the train, stepping over the seal and looking down the aisle of the vehicle. Seats packed the interior of the carriage and overhead compartments constricted headroom. Sean shuffled over and sat down, Matt sitting in the middle and then Lian taking the aisle seat. Sean mumbled quietly, “Alright, they’re all on.”
Matt looked over and nodded. “Ready.” Lian just nodded.
A computerized voice called out, “Doors closing in 1 minute. Train to Armstrong departing soon.”
Sean mumbled, “Move, now.” All three of them shot up, then ran down the aisle towards the exit. Lian stumbled before Matt pushed him back to vertical.
Matt exclaimed, “Wrong train!” as he leapt out the door. A few seconds later, Sean stepped onto the platform. Moments later, the doors slid shut and the seal retracted from the maglev. Matt let out a breath and looked up and down the platform. “Looks like we’re clear.”
Sean sighed in relief. “Yep.” He chuckled. “Can’t believe that actually worked.”
“L-let’s go. B-before something happens.” Lian pointed nervously in the direction of the private terminal. “T-this could go w-wrong if we don’t keep moving.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” They walked towards the Gold Horizon platform. Matt took in the terminal as they stepped through the faux wood doors. Everything was a clean white, with soft curves preventing it from looking harsh. The maglev cars were visible through curved glass. In contrast to the public terminal, the train cars were well maintained and the color was not at all faded.
“Please scan your Gold Horizon ID.” Matt’s interface glasses buzzed before he pulled them on. A projection with a conductor outfit waved them to a scanner. Matt shrugged and waved his ID beneath the scanner, before walking through the opening double layer doors.
As the rest of the group filed into the car, Sean whistled. “That’s
plush.” Matt looked around the inside of the car with a slightly slack jaw. The seats were plush synthetic leather and the entire car was lit with soft strips of light, with large windows showing the terminal. Sean stretched, before sinking into the seat “Well, let's go see how your mech is doing...”
O-O-O (this section)
1035, 18 December 2252, Clarke Hotel, Von Braun, Luna Sam sighed. She hated Luna. Every single thing here reminded her of that day. She couldn’t withhold the memories of the scorched facade anymore. Her mind jumped back the years to the day she came home to the end of her life as she knew it. The stinging smell of charred structures and fire retardant still lingered in her mind, and probably would forever.
The days after were only in her mind as a blur. Sympathy of her friends as she couch-surfed and took sick days from her job. Anger at whatever had caught the structure on fire, anger that fire drones hadn’t been faster, and especially anger at the “safety locks” that had sealed the room to prevent the fire from spreading. Her family had burnt to death because the room had
trapped them.
Sam felt her distant body curl into a ball. She could barely make out her hotel room. She shook with shame as she remembered what almost happened.
Her trembling paw hovering over the airlock purge control. The sting of tears in her eyes as she looked away from the control. Raw pain as she slammed her hand into the metal panel of the airlock and fell slowly to the floor. The cool metal floor pressed against her fur as she sobbed. Sam broke down as she tried to push her past further away.
O-O-O
1105, 18 December 2252, Maglev Terminal, Gold Horizon Lunar Facility, Luna Matt stepped into the facility and was greeted by another projection on his glasses. The projection spoke in a slightly stilted manner, “What is the purpose of your visit—Lieutenant Vasquez?”
His palms sweated as he lied, “I’m here to check up on my mech.” He took a moment to look around this area. Much like headquarters, back in L4, it was mostly white walls with gold accents, and soft lighting from above. Occasionally on the walls, there were large vidscreens displaying pictures from the history of Gold Horizon, dating back to the founding just after the turn of the millennium.
“Very well. Follow the uploaded map. Have a nice day.”
Matt took his glasses off and waved Lian and Sean over. “Alright, I’ve got the location of the hangar.” Matt waved his hand and said, “Follow me.” The hallways were eerily quiet, since most personnel were on break. He shivered. This felt too easy. The hangar took a while to reach, but the building was easy to navigate. He sucked in his breath as they passed a guard, but the masked man didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
Matt gestured grandly to the door into the hangar. “Let’s see how my machine looks.” Sean and then Lian walked into the hangar, and both cringed as they got a look at the towering mecha. Matt heard them and asked, “What’s wro—oh.” The mech had no armor on it anymore, but the left leg was a slightly different color of metal. It was shiny, and clearly brand new. The old frame was scarred deeply. The new head was sitting on the floor, in a kevlar cradle, with armor panels around it. “You know...I’m kind glad Sam doesn’t have to fix this.”
Sean looked up at the damage to the cockpit. “I...did not realize how close you were to...fuck.”
Lian shuffled over to Matt. “I’m glad y-you’re okay. I d-didn’t know how b-bad it was.”
“Thanks guys.” Matt blew out a breath of air. “Ana took the worst of it, but I think she’s getting better.”
“T-that’s good.” Lian pulled out his goggles and began typing on thin air. He plugged his mobile terminal into wall power. After a few moments, the doors clunked shut and Lian flashed a thumbs up. “The room is s-secure. There’s a l-loop of us acting normal. We can t-talk freely.”
Sean grinned and asked the snow leopard, “So how do your hacking superpowers work?”
Lian huffed. “They’re
not superpowers. I have a c-collection of exploits in Gold Horizon’s system and a powerful t-terminal.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Okay, stop teasing him, Sean.” Matt looked away from the mech. “What do you need to do?”
“I’m going to copy a-as much useful d-data from the cores as possible. I’ve got a few dozen petabytes of storage in my bag.”
Sean looked at Lian and drew out his request, “Soooo....”
“You’ll be w-waiting for a w-while.”
“....Great.”
O-O-O
1150, 18 December 2252, Clarke Hotel, Von Braun, Luna Sam’s thoughts were infested with the distant past. Her son’s laughter at this time of year, the embrace of her husband, the scent of artificial fir trees. She flipped through a collection of photos and remembered why she didn’t hit the button.
Her memories of the past fell between crystal clarity and shimmering half-remembered conversations. A fuzzy memory bubbled to the surface. “You’ve gotta be strong for our family, remember?” She felt a ghostly sensation of her husband rubbing her slightly rounded stomach.
Another faint memory, this time from a friend from work, “I know I can’t make it better, but time will make this more manageable.” She’d snapped at him. She hadn’t believed him, but it did seem like he was right. It hadn’t even been a week since they landed and she was almost functional again.
Her first mech assignment as a junior engineer...it seemed so long ago, but they had welcomed her in as part of their family. The conviction that assignment had given her burst through. Keeping the team together.
That was what kept her going. She took in a deep breath as she successfully brought herself back to the present.
Sam stumbled out of her hotel room with a blanket over her shoulders and into the floor kitchen. She rubbed her eyes to try and make them look a bit less like she had been crying. “Hey Ana. Are you doing okay?” The snow leopard narrowed her eyes and glared.
“What do you think? What about this makes you think I am?” Sam nodded sympathetically. The snow leopard did look quite disheveled, though she probably wasn’t much better. Sam’s eyes were bleary and her fur was a mess.
Sam looked up and down Ana’s body. Her pants were wrinkled and her shirt was stained, not to mention her tangled hair. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I....” Ana’s eyes defocused as she shrank into herself. “It helped before. I guess I will....” Ana trembled as she brought painful things to the surface.
Sam asked gently, “What’s on your mind?”
Ana walked to one of the chairs and sank into it like she was a marionette and her strings had been cut. “My sister.” Her shoulders shook as she took a ragged breath.
Sam sat down next to the grieving snow leopard and placed a hand on her shaking shoulder, “She was your first Gunner, right?”
The Ranger sighed and tried to strengthen herself. “You’ve known that for a while.” By her slightly annoyed tone, it was obvious it wasn’t a question.
“Sorry.” Sam swallowed and felt a bit ashamed at violating her privacy. “It just took a bit of looking in the right spot. When I got assigned to you, I wanted to know what I was dealing with.”
Ana laughed softly before asking, “Is that why you put up with my bullshit?”
Sam felt her chest warm slightly with a bit of parental instinct. “Something like that. I knew you were hurt and lashing out.” Ana nodded slowly as the tip of her tail twitched. Sam added, “I didn’t tell any of the others. You deserve to tell them when you’re ready.”
Ana’s eyes began to water. “Thank you....” Her head dropped into her hands as she went silent for a while. “I haven’t...I haven’t spoken with my family in so long.”
Sam tilted her head and asked, “Why not?”
Ana shivered and scratched at her hair. She whispered, “I can’t face them anymore....” She steeled herself before whispering, “I might as well have killed Ani myself.” Her shoulders continued to shake.
Sam took a moment to compose her thoughts. She could easily make this worse if she misspoke. “How did you come to that idea?”
“She was...she was my responsibility. I did something stupid and then she...died because of the dumb stunt I pulled.”
“What happened?”
“We bailed out and...fuck....” Ana began to cry and look away from Sam. “The pod got hit. She was g-gone before I even saw what happened.”
Sam felt her chest tighten as she whispered, “That’s awful.”
“Y-yeah.” Ana brought her legs up onto the couch and said, “I talked with Matt about it...I can’t believe he’s so nice to me.” Sam draped a blanket around the snow leopard and tugged it tight. “He really shouldn’t be considering....”
Sam wrapped an arm and Ana and squeezed her shoulders. “He’s a kind man.”
The snow leopard looked away again and murmured, “I should probably apologize for...all that.” Ana coughed and then swallowed.
Sam laughed weakly. “He hated you in the beginning.”
“I...I’m glad he didn’t quit.”
“So am I. I like him.” Ana made eye contact with her for the first time in the conversation. Her pupils rapidly dilated and she asked, “Wait. Forget me, what’s wrong with you?”
Sam blinked slowly and shook her head. “It’s nothing, this isn’t about me.”
Ana’s voice hardened as she looked into Sam’s eyes again. “Oh no you don’t. I spilled, now you do too. What’s wrong?”
Sam took a shuddering breath. “Memories of the past...I used to live here.”
Ana nodded with recognition, suddenly understanding Sam’s behavior. “You lost someone close.”
Sam shook her head slightly. “Two people actually. My husband...and my son.” Sam rested on Ana’s shoulder and sighed.
“The world kind of sucks, doesn’t it?” Ana growled half-heartedly.
Sam felt a tear roll down her face as Ana awkwardly patted her back. “No,” Sam whispered, “No, it doesn’t.”
Ana’s shoulders shuddered. “It takes people from us before their time. That fucking sucks.” Her gasping breath was hot on the back of Sam’s head.
Sam sighed. “It does, but we’ve got something pretty good here, don’t we?”
“Yeah...I guess we kinda do.”
Sam picked herself up off Ana and smiled. “You all keep me going.”
O-O-O
1155, 18 December 2252, Repair Bay, Gold Horizon Lunar Facility, Luna “Damnit!” Lian’s frustrated shout echoed off the metal walls of the repair bay.
“What’s wrong?” Matt knelt down next to the snow leopard.
Lian sighed as he flipped up his AR visor. “We’re going to need a shorter hard line to the data core.”
Matt looked quizzically at Lian. “Meaning...?”
Lian packed his devices into his satchel and then explained slowly, like he was talking to a child, “We’re going to need to be in the same room as the servers. That way I can connect to the server d-directly.”
Sean’s eyes went big as he asked excitedly, “Are there laser security grids? Guardbots?
Vats of acid?!” “W-what?” Lian stood up. “Of course there aren’t. That’s s-stupid.”
“Aw.”
“The a-actual systems are motion sensors, and a few locked doors, with computer locks. There’s also logging systems in place to register who accesses the room.”
Sean stretched and said, “That sounds...less exciting, but kinda difficult.”
“It shouldn’t be too b-bad. Just need to make sure the s-systems can’t log us.”
Sean’s grin widened. “Are you going to upload a
virus?” Lian sighed before murmuring, “Yes. It’ll s-scrub us out of the footage and sensor logs. We should be invisible to any of the security sensors until the next system p-purge.”
“Fuck yeah. That sounds
awesome.” “The system purge is in...two hours.” He laced his fingers in front of him and stretched. “It’s down a few levels into the b-bedrock. The elevator is this way.” Lian stood up and walked towards the large mech sized doors.
Matt cleared his throat and asked, “Uhhh...Lian?” The snow leopard stopped as his tail went straight as an arrow.
Lian looked down and twitched his ears. He muttered quietly, “The map was upside d-down.” He walked past the skeletal mech and through a door at the back of the hangar. “Turn off your terminal’s n-network connections, don’t touch anything you d-don’t have to, and avoid the guards. They can still see us...obviously. We can’t get c-caught.” As they exited the hangar, Sean began humming a jazzy spy tune. Matt cleared his throat and held a finger to his lips.
Sean exhaled and muttered, “Fine,” before resuming the melody, but quieter. Sean’s head swung from side to side as they walked down the pleasantly lit hallway.
Matt’s heart began to race as Lian stopped at a corner. He turned around and shooed them back, with frantic motions. “Go,” he whispered, “Fast!” As Matt ran away from the corner, Lian caught up and whispered, “We’re clear.”
Matt shakily asked, “What was that?” Matt looked at Sean, whose face was even paler than usual.
“We almost walked out in front of a guard.” Matt felt his stomach drop through the floor. They would
not be treated kindly if they were caught.
“Is there anything you can do to make sure we don’t do that again?”
“I should be able to put their locations on a map...one m-moment.” Matt’s heartbeat thumped, drowning out the noise of the circulation fans. Lian pumped his fist and muttered, “Okay. Let’s go.”
Lian led them through a circuitous route before finally reaching a service elevator. Lian bumped the call button and said, “The elevator motion will get logged, but that’s fine.”
Matt stepped across the thin gap and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. As the doors closed, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Lian bumped his terminal against the elevator and made a few motions in front of his face. The elevator hummed to life as it dropped through layers of bedrock..
As the elevator descended below the surface, the dull hum of machinery grew louder. “A-alright, so I should be able to get the relevant data and then b-bring us back up.” He checked something on his visor and then said, “No one is down at this l-level. Once we’re done, we’ll need to g-go back to the hangar, then I’ll disable the...virus.”
Matt chuckled nervously, “No remarks Sean?”
Sean slid down to the floor of the elevator and rested his head in his hands. “Heheh...I’m beginning to think it’s not as easy as the movies make it seem.”
Matt crouched and asked, “You okay?”
Sean exhaled shakily. “The insanity of what we’re doing just kinda hit me all at once.”
Matt paused for a moment before remarking, “Could be worse. You could be some crazy son of a bitch piloting a mech in hard vacuum while shooting at people....”
Sean rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Well when you put it
that way, this is no big deal.” Matt offered his hand to Sean and pulled him up. Sean stood up and clapped Matt on the back. He whispered into Matt’s ear, “Thanks man.”
The elevator chimed as the doors slid open. This floor was much less impressive looking than the publicly accessible ones. Tubes of coolant ran along the bare walls, the floor was mesh grating, and it was lit with cheap, harsh LEDs. The whole place was just ugly and unpleasant.
Lian pointed down a nondescript hallway, “It’s t-this way. I’ll need a few minutes to crack the door.”
“We’ll keep watch for you.”
They rounded a corner and Lian pointed to a heavily armored blast door. “Y-yeah that’s the one.” Lian pressed his terminal to the card reader as Matt took the position looking the way they came. The snow leopard muttered as he flicked his hands. “Need to trick it to accept a dummy car—” With a scrape of metal, the multi layered door began to slide open. The programmer incredulously asked, “The shit?” Lian laughed as he leaned against the wall.
“What? How did you crack it so fast?”
Lian gasped for breath and said, “I started looking for a card code that had permission to get in here...and the fucking-
hah-default worked!”
Sean leaned over and asked, “What, like...0000?”
“Not exactly, but...yeah, more or less?”
Sean grinned nervously, “Alright, let’s commit some light corporate espionage.” The only answer was the thrum of machinery, as Lian and Matt entered the server room. “Sorry, not really the right time, is it?”
Matt said “Hurry up,” over his shoulder as he surveyed the cavernous room. Dozens of rows of jet black server racks formed aisles down the long room. The walls and ceiling were made of melted and recooled Lunar rock and the floor was a continuation of the wire mesh of outside. The blast door slid shut, isolating them from the outside. The clack of relays was now audible over the muffled hum of machinery from outside. A faint scent of ozone pervaded the air.
Lian almost skipped to the base of a tower. “Hehehe...cool.” He began plugging cables into the server before sliding down his visor and gesturing at the air. When Matt focused on the space between the towers he could see shimmering hot air rise into a cooling duct. Blinking status lights twinkled as Matt leaned against a cool rock wall. Lian’s muttering was barely understandable. “Trick it...need an admin...no. Perfect...almost...damnit.” He bounced his paw as he struggled to break into the system. “Just need a...ugh.”
O-O-O
1250, 18 December 2252, Sam’s Room, Clarke Hotel, Von Braun, Luna Sam pulled a brush through Ana’s unruly hair as the snow leopard growled slightly.
“You asked for this.”
“Sorry.” Ana’s tail twitched. “You won’t tell the others, right?”
As Sam untangled another few strands of hair, she said, “Of course not, it’s none of their business.”
“And neither is the....”
The lynx nodded. “What you said to me is only to me. I won’t tell another soul.”
Sam felt Ana shake a bit. “Thank you.”
“Anything that is that personal is just that. Personal.” Ana’s chest rumbled like she was growling, but it was somehow softer. It wasn’t quite a purr, Sam knew that was impossible, but it was close.
Ana sighed contentedly. “Ani and I used to brush each other’s hair before she cut hers short.”
“Want to watch something?”
“Sure. I think there might be some college Zeeball on.”
O-O-O
As the game finished with the cheering of the crowd, Sam quietly said, “You should consider reaching out to your family again. You should do it while you still
can.” Ana sighed before shaking her head. “I don’t think I can face them yet.” She shuddered slightly. “I will eventually.”
“Alright.” Sam stretched from the couch and asked, “Have you seen Sean, Lian or Matt today?”
Ana arched her back as she stood up. “No. I think they went out.”
“I wonder when they’re coming back?”
Ana shrugged. “Could send them a message.”
Sam pulled out her terminal and typed a quick message to Matt.
Recipient not on network.Message queued. She frowned and sent the same message to Sean.
Recipient not on network.Message queued. Her stomach sank as she sent a short message to Lian.
Recipient not on network.Message queued. Sam’s teeth gritted as her mind filled with worst case scenarios. “None of them are on the network right now.”
“That’s not good.”
Sam’s mood soured as she said, “I’ll try them again.”
O-O-O
1345, 18 December 2252, Data Core, Gold Horizon Lunar Facility, Luna Matt looked nervously at the time displayed on his glasses. “Lian...we’re getting close to that purge thing.”
“I
know!” Lian unplugged a drive and linked a new one to the cable. “I’ve got a lot of stuff, but not as much as I want.”
Matt asked, “Is anything readable yet?”
“Let me run a s-search for—” He went silent as his eyes darted around. After a few moments he exclaimed, “Oh
SHIT!” Matt felt strength drain out of his body. “What is it? Are they on to us?” His heart began to race again. “Are we in trouble?”
His voice wavered. “No, not immediately, but this is
big. We d-don’t have time to talk about this right now.”
Sean got up and said, “We need to go
now.” Lian rose to his feet slowly and shakily. “Wiping my traces.” With shivering hands, he pulled the cables out of the server. “They won’t know we were here.”
Sean looked at the door and asked, “Are you done?”
Lian nodded quickly. “Yeah.”
“Let’s fuckin move.” The blast door slid open as Sean ran towards the service elevator. Matt made sure Lian followed before taking up the rear. His lungs burned as he sprinted to the elevator. The doors slid open just as Lian and Matt arrived.
As the doors closed behind them, Lian panted heavily before informing them, “I’ve scheduled a full c-clean of the room in two days. That should wipe a-any physical t-traces.”
“How long do we have to get back?”
“Err...four minutes once the elevator r-reaches the ground floor.” Sean breathed deeply and quickly. “Follow me.” Lian moved to the front and got ready for the doors to open. The elevator dinged as Lian launched himself through the opening doors. He whipped his tail to the side as he turned the first corner, Matt sticking close behind him. A few more turns and long hallways lead them back to the hangar.
Lian sat on a bench and chuckled. “Hehe...a minute to spare.” He motioned towards Matt and Sean and added, “Once the system purges, it’ll see and hear us again, so act normal.” Lian counted down on his fingers before standing up.
“Say M-Matt, that idea for the n-new color scheme is pretty great, I wonder what she’ll think of it.”
“Yeah...I wonder.”
Sean asked, “Time to go back to Von Braun?”
Matt nodded. “Yes.”
Nervously, they went back to the terminal, walking quickly. Without paying any attention to the fake conductor, they got back on the train. Matt sank into a plush seat as he felt his stomach churn. His innards felt like they were twisted into a knot that was getting worse every second. He barely noticed the maglev beginning to accelerate.
They were alone on this maglev too. Matt pulled out his terminal and switched its network capabilities on. He could get some reading done. As soon as it connected to the train’s internal network it buzzed repeatedly. Half a dozen messages from Sam, more and more frantic as time passed. He wrote a quick message to her:
We’re fine. We were up at the Gold Horizon facility, but we’re headed back now. Have Ana ready to meet us when we get back, you’ll all want to hear this. A few moments later, she responded:
Alright. See you soon. Stay safe. O-O-O
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