The Universe, 3031

[Curie Franklin]

All Peoples' Clinic
Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

"Steve, wake up," I leaned down and whispered to Sergeant Jenkins. The BattleMech pilot groaned and slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the room's dim light. "You're going to be all right. Can you hear me?"

Steve groaned again, but this time with less intensity.

"He's probably still hazy from the sedation," Dani observed, walking over to stand beside me, jamming her hands into her lab coat pockets. "You dosed him real good."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well, it was either that or risk him starting a shootout. I felt like a long nap was better than a bullet to the head."

A sudden movement caught my attention, and I turned to see Steve's eyes fluttering open. "Easy now," I said, placing a hand on his forearm. "How do you feel?"

Steve suddenly screamed, a look of mortal terror momentarily crossing his youthful appearance. Dani and I both jumped reflexively, startled by the outburst. I quickly checked his vitals and confirmed that nothing was outside of the normal range.

"Oh my god, you guys!" Jenkins exclaimed, sitting bolt-upright, his expression transitioning from fear to bewilderment. "I just had the weirdest dream. Also, do I have a tumor?"

Dani and I exchanged confused glances, unsure how the sergeant could have known about the mass we'd discovered on his spinal column while he was unconscious. I put a hand on his chest, gently pressing him back down. "Easy there, Sergeant. You've been through a lot."

"Where am I? What happened?" Steve asked, his voice hoarse from the sedation. Dani passed him a cup of water, which he sipped carefully, wincing as he swallowed. "Where am I?"

I smiled reassuringly at Steve as he looked around the room, seeming to take in his surroundings for the first time. "Well, you're in Mosbyville's clinic. You had a sudden episode of psychosis after we had a run in with some local criminals. You attacked a bulletin board. I sedated you to calm you down and bring you here."

Steve nodded slowly, his eyes darting around the room as if trying to piece together his memories. "Right, right. I remember now. The board…it was like it was talking to me. And then, everything went black."

Dani put her hands on her hips and looked intently at the sergeant, grinning wryly. "So, you want to tell me what you were juiced on when that happened? Or should we wait for my tox screen to complete?"

I watched as Steve's face turned red and his eyes focused on mine, his expression a mixture of fear and indignation. I decided to intervene before things got heated, placing a hand on his shoulder and sitting on the edge of the bed as I did so.

"Hey, we're not here to judge," I explained. "I don't know how you knew about what we found, but you're right. We discovered a mass in your back that's bulldozing straight through your spinal cord. Motor, sensory, and autonomic signals are being disrupted, which could have caused your episode. But we need to know if there were any exacerbating circumstances so we can best treat you moving forward."

Steve nodded, seeming to relax slightly. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry. I did some Brace and Spazz before we launched, and I had my usual breakfast beers, but that's it. I swear. I didn't take anything else."

Dani raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Breakfast beers and combat drugs, huh? That's quite the regimen."

Steve shrugged, his embarrassment slowly fading away. "It's a Kuzuu tradition. It helps me get fully meditated before a mission."

I nodded understandingly, deciding not to press the issue for now. Instead, I gave him a small smile. "Alright, well, as of now, we need to dry you out. Hallucinogens and alcohol can seriously disrupt your nervous system, and if you've got a tumor wreaking havoc in there as well, it's imperative that we limit any additional interference. At a minimum, we need to understand how much of your episode was caused by your substance use versus the tumor. We're going to wean you off of everything and keep an eye on your symptoms."

I watched as Jenkins rubbed his face, staring at the ceiling like he was trying to recall something important. After a long silence, he looked back at me and sighed. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Of course," I replied gently. 

"Am I going to have to stop mercenarying?" he asked. "Working for Captain Maxwell is the longest job I've ever had, and I don't know what else I'd do. Plus, I have UNBELIEVABLE amounts of debt."

I was taken aback by Steve's frankness, but I admired his willingness to confront his situation head-on. "I can't say for sure until we know more about the extent of your condition," I answered carefully, "but I understand how important this mission is. So, until we can show definitive cause, I'd be willing to provisionally return you to light duty so you can finish this mission."

Jenkins looked confused. "Provisionally?"

I nodded. "Yes, provisionally. We need to make sure that you're not endangering yourself or the rest of your team. But I understand the importance of your work, and I want to help you continue it, if possible, while we're figuring out what this thing is doing to you and how to treat it. We'll neutralize the drugs and alcohol and evaluate you for 24 hours. If you're not showing any concerning symptoms at the end of that period, I'll clear you for light duty. That means no driving vehicles and no BattleMech piloting. And it also means that we can pull you from duty at a moment's notice if necessary."

Steve's face lit up with relief and gratitude.

"Thank you, Nurse Franklin. After this mission is over, I'll take you on a hot date in my 3019 Corvega. It's got the animal hair interior and everything! It even smells like a car wash."

I smiled at Jenkins and suppressed a chuckle. "Let's focus on getting you better first."

As Dani wheeled a tray filled with various anti-intoxicants and psychoactive drug reversers over to Steve's bedside, I heard Captain Maxwell's voice out in the lobby. It sounded like whatever discussions were transpiring with the locals, they were ending on a positive note, a welcome shift in direction from the initial reception we'd received.

"I'm going to check in with Command," I advised, looking toward Dani. "Are you good?

Dani nodded. "I've got this, go do your thing."

I left the room, reflecting on Jenkins' predicament. I couldn't help but feel for the guy. Taking away everything he had worked for would be a punishment far worse than any medical condition. But was I putting his life and the lives of his fellow mercenaries in danger by giving him a chance at continuing to work? 

As I entered the foyer, I found Captain Maxwell and Commander Jaeger shaking hands with a group of men that included Marshal Evers. As the entourage departed, Maxwell turned toward me, noticing my arrival.

"What's the word, Doc?" Charles asked.

[Charles Maxwell]

All Peoples' Clinic
Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

"What's the word, Doc?" I quipped, noticing Nurse Franklin's arrival. Kathryn cast me a small, uncomfortable smile, slipping her hands into her pockets as she did so.

"Unfortunately, I haven't been awarded an M.D. in the last hour...unless there's something you're not telling me," she chuckled nervously as the entourage from Mosbyville filed out of the clinic, followed by Commander Jaeger.

I shrugged, a grin spreading across my face. "Look, it doesn't matter what some fancy piece of paper says; what matters is that you're looking after my crew. Mallory's not a licensed physician either, but he's the best damn medic this side of the Inner Sphere. And you," I continued, gesturing towards Franklin, "you're easily the most competent nurse I've ever come across." 

Kathryn's cheeks flushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Captain, but I'm really not one to appropriate titles that I haven't earned."

"Fair enough," I replied. "If we're dispensing with titles, what should we call you?"

The nurse paused for a moment before answering. "Well, the old-timers I looked after liked to call me 'Kate,' but if I'm being honest, that made me feel almost as old as they were."

I couldn't help but smile at Franklin's self-deprecating humor. "Fair enough. What about...'Kat?' That's hip and trendy, right? Any baggage there?"

"None yet," she replied, "but the day is still young."

"Fair enough. 'Kat' it is, then," I nodded with a smile, gesturing toward the front door.

As we stepped out onto the clinic's wraparound porch, I was again struck by the impoverished colony's resemblance to frontier towns I'd seen in ancient Earth history books. Situated in the shadow of the towering forests that surrounded it, the cluster of shanty homes and makeshift shops looked almost quaint, if not for the tattered clothes and kitbashed equipment that the locals wore and carried; reminders of the Terran Alliance settlement program that had abandoned this planet generations ago, leaving its inhabitants to fend for themselves.

"So. What's on your mind, Captain?" Kat asked, her blue eyes looking up to meet mine with a sense of genuine curiosity.

I hesitated for a moment before answering, my eyes tracing along the length of dusty road that ran before the clinic, observing Commander Jaeger's lively conversation with Mayor Clampett and Marshal Evers as they discussed the finer points of the trade we'd negotiated. At length, I withdrew a cigar from my pocket humidor and flicked its ignition patch before answering. "Sergeant Jenkins. What'd you find?"

Franklin's expression became serious, her brows furrowing in thought for a moment before she replied. "Well, we didn't find anything conclusive, but after running a full-body MRI, we discovered a significant tumorous growth on his spine that, in all likelihood, is interfering with his central nervous system. There's a good chance that it can be removed, but that will have to wait until you're near a more well-resourced medical center."

I took a long drag on the cigar, its citrus-like smoke twirling around my head like a halo of decay. Despite the itch in my throat, I held the vapors in my lungs for a moment before exhaling, a deep sense of resignation spreading in my chest.

"Shit," I muttered, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. "And that's what caused the freakout earlier?"

Kat's expression became even more somber. "It's hard to say. Dani ran a tox screen and also found alcohol, along with several combat drugs, in his system."

"That's nothing new," I answered. "We're aware of his recreational activities. They've never seriously interfered with a mission before."

Kat looked puzzled. "Well, given what we found today, they can't be helping. He's awake and stable, and I've ordered an immediate 24-hour detox so we can perform a baseline evaluation without interference from mind-altering substances. He's agreed to cooperate."

I nodded, puffing on the cigar again before looking back at Kat. "In exchange for what?"

"You're very perceptive, Captain," she answered, nodding her head in approval. "He's requested that he be provisionally allowed to continue his role in this operation. Although I was initially opposed to it, he made an impassioned plea that changed my mind."

"That must have been some plea," I replied, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "What did he say?"

Kat paused for a moment as if considering her words carefully. "He said that he didn't know what he'd do if he couldn't continue to work for you. That it's the longest job he's ever held."

I rested my elbows on the clinic's porch rail, taking in the nurse's words. I'd always suspected that Steve's larger-than-life tales had been mostly a smokescreen to cover for his insecurities. And now, hearing Kat's report, the truth hit me square in the chest. Steve wasn't just a guy who liked to party and cause a ruckus. He was a lost soul desperately looking for a sense of purpose.

I took another pull on the cigar, letting the smoke swirl around in my mouth before exhaling and looking over at Franklin, who'd joined me at the porch rail. "Alright, Kat. What are the provisions?"

Kat collected her thoughts before replying. "As I told him, we'll neutralize the drugs and alcohol, and monitor him for 24 hours. If he's not showing any concerning symptoms at the end of that period, I'll clear him for light duty. At least, until we can show cause that the medical condition is actually interfering with his cognitive abilities. 'Light duty,' in this case, means no driving vehicles and no BattleMech piloting. And it also means that we can pull him out of action at a moment's notice if necessary."

As I listened to Nurse Franklin's proposed arrangement for Steve, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. I knew we'd allowed him to get away with a lot, but he'd always come through in the end, sometimes in unexpected and heroic ways. Steve had always been a source of levity, a light in the darkness during some tough times. But now, he was facing a condition that could be career-altering.

"Alright," I replied, standing up and turning to face Kat. "I'll sign off on that. But I need you to monitor him closely. At the first sign of trouble, I want him evaluated. The sooner we know what we're dealing with, the better."

"Captain," Franklin continued, an expression of caution crossing her face, "There is one other thing I wanted to discuss with you. Separate from the current situation, I want you to consider whether or not this is really the best long-term career for Sergeant Jenkins."

"Oh?" I responded innocently. I knew where this conversation was going.

"Yes. I'm actually surprised that your CMO hasn't pulled Steve from active duty up to this point. His own notes indicate that it's not uncommon for Jenkins to end up in...altered...states of mind...entirely by his own hand."

"Occasionally," I acknowledged defensively, exhaling a cloud of smoke. As it spiraled out into the daylight, Kat leaned forward slightly. 

"And you don't think that's odd?"

"I just assumed it was a cultural thing," I replied with a shrug.

Kat nodded slowly. I could tell that she was unconvinced. "Cultural?"

"He's quite traditional," I quipped. "He's never done anything that ended up causing us problems."

Franklin's brow furrowed again, her eyes narrowing in concern. "At what point do you draw the line, Captain?"

"When it starts causing problems," I replied, gazing down the street at a cattleman herding an eclectic group of animals toward us.

"I'm interested in your definition of 'problem' if the laundry list of self-injurious incidents that Mallory documented doesn't qualify," Kat pressed, her voice rising slightly. 

I leaned against the clapboard exterior of the clinic, letting out a long sigh. "Problems. People problems."

"People problems?"

"People problems. The kind of problems where people don't wanna pay us for the work we do," I remarked, flicking the cigar away and crushing it beneath my boot.

Kat looked incredulous. "I can't tell if you're legitimately that indifferent or if you feel as bad for him as I do."

"I am a mystery," I replied with a smirk. "But seriously, Kat, I appreciate your concern for my team. Trust me, I know where to draw the line." 

She nodded, seemingly calmed a bit at my reassurance, though the sullen, silent gaze that met my words made it clear that she was still bothered by Steve's questionable behavior. I didn't blame her, of course. She was a medical practitioner who had taken an oath to help people, and the idea of someone intentionally engaging in self-destructive behavior was probably a hard pill to swallow. But the topic of Sergeant Jenkins' long-term career prospects wasn't something we had time to dwell on right now.

"Hey, look," I continued, gesturing toward the menagerie of animals and equipment that Commander Jaeger had begun to wrangle during our conversation. "Our rides have arrived."

With a smile, I gestured for Kat to follow me as I made my way down the porch stairs and into the middle of the street, where Mayor Clampett, Marshal Evers, Orlex, and the cattleman were still gathered. Kat fell into step beside me as we navigated through the crowded street, dodging past the throngs of people and animals.

"Rides? What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion.

"We're not getting through those trees with conventional means," I explained as we drew up alongside Jaeger. "So, we'll be unconventional for the next two days."

Kat shook her head as Nick and Levi joined the group, carrying saddles and other gear on their shoulders.

"Unconventional certainly seems to be your specialty," she replied. "I'm afraid I'm not an equestrian, especially when it comes to...whatever those things are," she added with a faint chuckle, gesturing toward one of the strange, lizard-like creatures that Idris was already beginning to mount.

"Don't worry," I smiled. "You can ride shotgun with me."

[Idris Nasir]

Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

I stood on a dusty road in Mosbyville, a stretch of frontier town in the wilds of the forest moon. The sun was now high in the sky, warming the surface of my armor and making my hair stick to my face. The locals provided us with a unique set of animals for our trip.

“Levi,” I called. "The animals. I'll check them for problems and see if they're up to the task."

Levi laughed. "Idris, I don't think there are any parts of the horses that need to be checked or repaired or whatever." Then he pointed to the huge cattle and the Bluebacks that looked like a horse and a crocodile had offspring.

"But we're a supply department, so I have to make sure the supplies are okay, right?" I asked.

"If it makes you feel better, then go on," Levi nodded, searching through the available horses to make his choice. While the rest of the team did the same, I approached the animals one by one, calming them down as I approached. I checked their hooves, saddles and bridles and made sure everything was in order. Bluebacks fascinated me with their sleek reptilian design. The mules and draft horse were strong and able to withstand uneven terrain. The strange cow, with its flat back and unique equipment, this animal seemed capable of carrying the heavy load we would need.

As I carefully examined the animals, checked their equipment, and checked their readiness for the upcoming mission, Commander Orlex approached me with a questioning expression on his face.

“Idris, why are you so meticulous with these creatures? “We have a busy schedule,” Orlex asked.

I paused and lowered my voice as I replied, "Commander, I work for the Quartermaster." My duties include ensuring that all equipment provided to all personnel in Aegis Division is in is in good condition, including the animals. They are our lifeline. in this mission. I have to make sure they are in great condition."

Jaeger nodded in understanding, but I couldn't help but continue and express my doubts in a calm tone: "Also, sir, with all due respect, we met these townspeople not long ago. They were generous in their dealings, but we cannot know for sure whether their motives were entirely pure."

Orlex raised an eyebrow. "I know what you mean, Idris, but let's hope you're wrong."

As Orlex left to complete his duties, I focused on my preparations. I systematically checked and organized the equipment I would be taking with me. This was a commando and boarding operation, and our lives depended on the equipment we carried.

I double-checked my battle armor, making sure every piece was secured and ready. On my belt were grenades, a Martial Eagle machine gun and a combat knife. I checked the charging status of my technical tools and made sure that my communication unit was working properly. I also looked at the mission-specific information tablet before putting it in my backpack. My bag contained medical supplies, equipment, and things I would normally need if I was stranded somewhere, but instead  on this mission they will be of use while camping.

As I worked, I noticed that Nick Schuster seemed confused and hesitant as he inspected the animals. I could tell he wasn't used to dealing with such creatures, and the unfamiliar choice seemed to surprise him. I walked towards him, my tall figure casting a shadow on him.

"Nick, you need help with this, right?" I asked, patting him on the shoulder to calm him down.

He nodded with relief and I led him to one of the riding horses. “This one, Nick. It is strong and easy to handle. He already knows the forest. Take care of him".

“Thank you, Idris,” he said. "I will think about it."

As I returned to my equipment I saw Steve Jenkins leaving the clinic on the arm of one of the local doctors. As he walked down the porch steps, he seemed in a good mood but also tired. I also saw that he was in full gear and I felt my eyes narrow in suspicion. Just an hour or two ago he had been delirious and attacking traffic signs, and now he seemed to be going back to his duties.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as I watched him walk towards us. This was a delicate operation that required all of us to be at our best, and if Steve wasn't prepared, it could jeopardize the entire mission.

“Welcome back, Sergeant Jenkins,” I heard Captain Maxwell announce. I looked back and saw that the captain was already on one of the Bluebacks, with his arm around Kathryn Franklin's waist and helping her onto the big animal's back. She seemed apprehensive about the animals but wasn't surprised when Steve returned. I suspected that Maxwell and Franklin must have felt good enough about Steve's ability to allowed him to return to duty, but I still had my doubts.

I continued working on the equipment and tried to push my worries about Steve to the back of my mind. A few moments later I heard him shout, "Wow, dinosaur!" I looked back and saw him trying to stroke a Blueback's face, but the animal wasn't having any of it. I quickly grabbed his arm before the Blueback could react and throw him off balance.

“Easy, sergeant. Bluebacks may look friendly, but they can be quite temperamental. You don’t want to end up on the ground with a two-ton dinosaur on your head.”

Steve laughed too loudly and I led him to the mules. “These mules are more the speed for you,” I explained. "They may not be as interesting as dinosaurs, but they are easier to handle, especially when you're not feeling well." Steve grinned and followed me to the mules, where I passed him to Levi with a warning look.

“You may want to keep an eye on him,” I said to Levi, who nodded in response.

I turned back to the horses, trying to decide what kind of mount I wanted, especially given my build and equipment. In the end I chose one of the regular horses myself as I decided the mission already had enough random chances and didn't want to add any. After mounting the animal, I became familiar with the horse's reins, stirrups, and character, and felt the familiar weight of my tools and equipment beside me. Then I waved him forward and stopped next to Orlex, who was standing in the street, looking first at the draft horse and then at the other animals.

“Ready to roll out, sir,” I reported. I was ready to serve, but I still had doubts.

“You look worried,” the commander said. For a moment I felt ashamed that I had allowed my feelings to be worn on my sleeve. "Speak freely."

I took some time to think about my words.

"Are you sure its wise, sir? Return Jenkins to duty as if nothing had happened?" asked quietly, trying not to make my voice louder than necessary for Orlex to hear from my horse.

Commander's face remained expressionless, but I could tell he was thinking about my words. "I understand your worries, Technician Nasir. But we're in tight spot. We need all capable hands we can get if we may have a chance to succeed at this mission."

I nodded. "I understand, sir. But in Free Worlds League, if a man were to have such an episode, he would be immediately grounded unless it was a situation of the most critical urgency."

"This IS a situation of the most critical urgency, Nasir," Orlex admonished firmly. "Or have you lost sight of the multiple diplomats abducted and sitting in an enemy DropShip waiting our rescue?"

I shook my head, I was chastened. "No, sir, I'll do everything I can to help accomplish our mission."

Orlex nodded. "See that you do, Nasir, lives may depend on it, among them your own."

Before I can say anything else, he gave me a curt nod and turned toward the rest of the team. We were soon to move out, we had a lot of ground to cover before we reach the camp site and time was of the essence.

[Steve Jenkins]

MEANWHILE.....

I Went out into the street from inside the clinic, the sun was really bright in my eyes on account of it was getting close to Noon and also I think the detox medicine I had been gave inside the clinic was starting to have side effects, I looked around and we were still in the old western down, except it wasn't the old west, it was just a really poor Future town that looked like you probably could be a cowboy in a shootout against a guy with a laser gun. I looked around again and then I saw the Team in the middle of the dirt road messing with a bunch of Riding animals for some reason.

"Wait how come CPT Maxwell and CDR Jaeger are messing with 12 horses, well not 12 horses, its more like some horses and donkeys and HOLY FUCK ARE THOSE DINOSAURS" I yelled, then the nurse that was walking with me looked at me and Said "Be careful Steve, youre going to blow out your rectums if you yell too loud, its a side effect of the Sobrigon we gave you after you went Crazy and got sedated"

"HEY, DON'T worry about my rectums!!" I said, then I put my hands in my butt pockets and I tried to hold my butts together without anyone seeing, then I said "I need some Shades, I can't see shit in this sun." Then the nurse gave me some wraparound sunglasses, I put them on and0 I could see better but I still didnt know what the hell was going on, I went down the porch and over to CPT Maxwell but he was busy doing dead lifts with the other Nurse while he was sitting on top of one of the dinosaurs. I would of thought I was Hallucinating but I wasnt Juicing right now and the smell of the animal Dook was too real to ignore.

“Welcome back, Sergeant Jenkins" CPT Maxwell intoned, "Hey boss what the hell is going on here?" I asked, then CPT Maxwell grunted as he did more Lifts, "We're prepping for the mission Jenkins, we're going to ride these Beasts into the woods and ASSAULT the drop ship with them, you need to pick your War animal now on account of we're getting ready to ride out!"

Then CPT Maxwell put the Nurse on the back seat of his dinosaur horse and he pointed over at a bunch of other Creatures that Idris was doing inventory Things with, I went over and I said "Wow dinosaur!!" Then I tried to pet one of the giant lizard horses so I could calm its Mind before I got onto it but the beast was not in the Mood, it bellowed the most awful roar and all kinds of drool and smells went blowing out of its mouth and EXPLODED all over my shades, then Idris came over and he said

“Easy, sergeant. Bluebacks may look friendly, but they can be quite temperamental. You don’t want to end up on the ground with a 2 ton dinosaur on your head.”

That was really funny for some reason, maybe it was the Drugs but I laughed too loud and I felt my rectums try to Deplode, I got Lucky and grabbed my butts in time though and

Idris looked at me Confused and then he said "ARE YOU GOOD JENKINS??" then I nodded and I tried to catch my breath, After that Idris took me over to a bunch of Donkeys and he said

“These mules are more the speed for you,They may not be as interesting as dinosaurs, but they are easier to handle, especially when you're not feeling well."

"OK no problem!!" I hollered while Idris went over to say something to Levi, meanwhile I went up to the mule and I told it who I was, then the mule made a bunch of donkeying noises at me and I felt Intimidated, so before I was going to try to Mount it I went around behind it, when I did that I saw that the donkey had its back leg tangled up in a rope. "Uh oh better fix this!" I said and then I grabbed the hoof and tried too Move it, I guess the mule wasn't into that on account of the next thing I knew the mule hauled off and kicked me RIGHT in the junk!

I fell/tripped/tumbled back, gasping for AIR Doing a pain scream but everyone was too busy. After like 5 minutes of groining I checked my pants for Blood and got up and called the donkey an asshole, The mule looked at me with its Crazed eyes and kept doing Donkey noise things. I had to get on it or else I would miss the mission,I took a deep Breath ignored the junk pain and I was going to try again. I did a running Zen yell and I JUMPED into the air and landed HARD on the mule, I felt my rectums deplode and ruin my pants and the donkey was making all kinds of donkeying noises/moves to try to get me off, but I was going to show it who's Boss. Then I used a bunch of Fart Spray and then I Thought I should check in with my battle buddies

"THIS IS DONKEY 1"I Hollered in my radio "LETS ROLL"

[Nicholas Schuster]

Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

The daylight beat down on us as I stared in complete loss at the herd of animals the locals considered "steeds." The air had taken on a heavy, foreboding scent you get right before a mission. 

"So, Nick, you ready for this rodeo in the morning?" Levi asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Rodeo? Shit, you do remember that I have a bad track record with I've never been good with animals, right?" I replied, frowning at the line of horses, mules, and those weird reptilian-like steeds they called Bluebacks.

Levi chuckled, "Yeah, I know. But you'll be fine. Just pick something sturdy and stubborn, like you."

I rolled my eyes, scanning the animal lineup. "Stubborn, huh? Well, that narrows it down to... all of them."

Levi laughed and pointed at the arrangement of mules standing there, looking as bored as I was.

"What about them? They're as stubborn as they come and as good a choice as any." he asked. I followed his gaze just in time to see Steve Jenkins apparently get kicked in the balls by one of them. With a scream, Steve collapsed to the ground, holding his crotch, but fortunately still awake and lucid. I shook my head and turned back toward Levi.

"I'm not sure the mules would warn up to me very quickly. I put all of my skill points into electronics, and unless these animals have flight controls I just can't see..." I replied 

"These animals are really easy to please." Levi explained, leading me to one specific mule and handing me a small bag. "Here's some oats. Give him a little treat. It might make him like you a bit more."

After giving the mule an initial olive branch of food treats, I patted its flank and said, "Alright, buddy, we're in this together. Hope you don't mind an unqualified moron on your back."

The mule didn't respond, but it hadn't tried to kick my balls off yet like Steve's had.

"Nice work, Nick." Levi congratulated me. "I'd say you at least broke the ice with this one and haven't shit your pants while trying to do it."

"What? Pants-shitting?" I looked over at Steve and saw he'd managed to develop an enormous brown spot on the seat of his trousers. "Oh. That's fucking gross. Speaking of, you made sure I got all the tech I need for this mission, right?"

Levi nodded and handed me a saddle with familiar looking gear attached to it: my modified Sunbeam laser pistol, a collapsible armored shield, and a valise containing a small cutting torch, my noteputer for breaching security systems, several replacement batteries for my laser, and my thermal binoculars. 

"Everything's there, Nick. I sorted it out while you were browsing earlier. Don't worry, I've got your back. Your rucksack with your personal stuff, your helmet, and your MechWarrior combat armor are over there, waiting to be loaded onto the cow thingy for our little jaunt up to the base campsite. "

I smiled. "Yeah, I know you do, Levi. I'm just nervous about what's ahead. Especially the part where I actually have to get onto this animal."

"I have faith in you. And, I'll spot you while you get saddled up, OK?" 

I nodded. "That would be awesome." 

We shared a quick, determined kiss, and then, we worked together to kit the mule out without either of us getting brained or racked in the nads by its jackhammer feet. Then, I cautiously mounted the mule, easing into) onto the saddle with a sigh. The animal made some angry noises but didn't fight me.

"Well, partner, let's hope you're more reliable in the woods than some clumsy BattleMech." I joked, patting the animal on its head. "Levi, now that I'm on, how do I make this thing go?"

[The Bridgeburners]

MCRN Tachi , Retrograde Low Orbit
Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

"So how do you think the Red Shirts are doing?" asked Lazarus nonchalantly, the nickname was an ongoing jab at the new auxiliaries the Bridgeburners had been tasked with training, though the original reference was lost to history it was still known to have referred to 'expendable assets' in some form or another to this day.

"I still don't get why you insist on calling them that, I mean yeah sure they have lots of red on their patch but so does Crash, or even you for that matter," quipped Monk with a shake of his head.

"You're too young to get the reference," replied Lazarus dismissively.

"Too young? You're barely 6 years my senior Laz," chuckled Monk with mock indignation, this little back forth had almost become routine for them after the two of them had been assigned to training duties together.

After the events in the Telos system, and the recovery and refurbishing/repair of the new dropship, Aegis Division had decided to hire a group of auxiliaries to help facilitate some of the more mundane security needs of their growing mercenary company. The need for a regularly staffed security department became evident and Aegis hired a moderate contingent of security personnel that were now called STARSEC, or Special Tactical Assault, Recon, and Security Command. Sounded fancy but in reality these were just general, run of the mill infantry, that happened to have some semblance of experience in garrison duty and base security. Most of the individuals were hired on retainer contract and were actually vetted by Lazarus and Frosty before the short list ever even made it to Captain Maxwell for his final approval, so there weren't any dead weights in the ranks, at least not currently, but they were still just generic infantry and lacked some of the more advanced skills that would be needed for what Aegis Division wanted.

Most of the STARSEC unit was meant for base security at Site 187, Aegis Division's main base of operations, with the next largest component being designated as providing for security needs at any FOB, Forward Operating Bases, that Aegis required through the various mercenary contracts. The smallest, but also most specialized, teams were meant to act as general security aboard Aegis Division's two dropships, the MV Tana, a small Leopard-class aerodyne and their newest addition, the considerably larger Trojan-class spheroid ship currently called the MCRN Tachi. These individuals were cross-trained in a number of disciplines, including very basic level starship engineering/operations skills and more readily general bay personnel skills so that they could perform basic duties aboard each vessel when active security personnel were not required. In addition, and more importantly to their intended roles, the members of STARSEC that would be serving aboard the dropships were receiving dedicated training from the Bridgeburners in both Zero-G operations and boarding/repelling activities.

This training was meant to bring the individuals up from a generic grunt to something closer, but still not on par, with actual marines, providing added security while still leaving the Bridgeburners as Aegis Division's specialist infantry unit. Through their new training the members of STARSEC had started to form a fairly close-knit group as opposed to the random collection of individual soldiers they had started out as, and as such they had gone on to create for themselves a unit patch and even a motto. The patch was an orange and blue circle with a red shield and a yellow starburst at its center, the letters 'SS' stylized over the shield in blue while the unit name and motto were written around the circumference of the orange outer circle. The motto, 'Ex Pluribus, Nunc Unum' was Latin, because that dead language was somehow still used for this stuff nearly 3000 years later, and was meant to translate to 'Formed of Many, Now as One' but apparently the literal translation was 'Out of Many, Now One', but close enough.



"As for the Plebs," continued Monk with a gentle shrug, "honestly, better than I thought they would. Most of them can actually maneuver in zero-G with something close to what I'd call aptitude, and they all understand now why laser weapons are preferred for their lack of recoil in such environments. Are they ready for action and capable of boarding an enemy vessel in space should the need arise? Not by a long shot, but they might be able to slow down an enemy boarding action long enough to make a difference now. Put them on the ground though, and they're a decent security force, they'd hold their own against any comparable force I'd wager."

"That's my assessment too, they are improving, at a respectable rate even, but not enough to be left on their own yet. Probably won't be for another couple months yet which means they'll be someone else's problem soon enough," replied Lazarus as he leaned against the bulkhead with his arms crossed.

"You mean Eagle and Rook, they're next on the training rotation Frosty gave us," offered Monk as he looked down the corridor where the distant sound of shuffling people and chatter could just be heard slowly growing louder.

"They're someone else aren't they?" grumbled Lazarus, not really in a bad mood but just being his obstinate self.

Monk just shrugged, giving Lazarus the point, while still looking down the hall at the growing noise, as 8 individuals rounded the far end of the corridor he turned back towards Lazarus, "Here come your Red Shirts now Lazarus."

"Probably best not to let them hear you call them that, it ain't meant to be a nice nickname," chuckled Lazarus as he pushed himself off the bulkhead and moved to stand beside Monk, the noise from the corridor drowning out their voices long before the approaching STARSEC personnel would be able to hear them.

The 8 security personnel filed into one of the common lounges on Deck 5 of the Tachi, usually their training regimes took place on Deck 4 in the rec room or on the ship's running track, or that one time down in Deck 8 when Lazarus made the entire team crawl through every duct and access panel in engineering in full gear for 3 hours, and they were excited to see what they were doing on the comparatively nicer 'passenger deck'.

"Alright Plebs, fall in," ordered Monk, his use of Plebs both referring to them being quote/unquote 'common' infantry/security grunts and also a common nickname the Bridgeburners had been using to refer to the STARSEC personnel since they were first hired and began their training.

The STARSEC personnel quickly quieted down and lined themselves up in a ordered line in front of the two Bridgeburners, each one of them standing at attention and focused straight ahead.

"I know you're all excited to see what new hell we've got cooked up for you today," began Monk after they had lined up, which had only taken mere seconds, "Lance Corporal Lazarus and I have decided that today we aren't going to make you run laps until you puke or drag yourself through shoulder-width conduit trenches within spitting distance of an active fusion reactor, no today you get to do something a little more practical. Today, you get to learn how to clear rooms on a dropship."

Brief mumblings resonated amongst the 8 individuals as they pondered just what exactly that entailed, they all knew how to clear rooms already that was part of their basic security training, so they were curious as to what the twist was going to be.

"On this deck, situated somewhere in the passenger rooms and/or lounges there are 5 dummies that need to be rescued/recovered, along with an unknown number of potential enemies and/or non-combatants. You will work in two teams and will compete for the best clear time, whichever team gets the fastest successful clear time will get preferential duties tomorrow. You will be operating in full gear, with training rifles set to a low enough level you won't inadvertently kill anyone or blow up something on the ship. Penalties will apply for each non-combatant injured or killed as well as each VIP left unsecured, a bonus is available if you clear all the enemies but time is of the essence in this drill," explained Monk, walking slowly back and forth in front of the STARSEC guards, "Any questions?"

A couple token questions were asked, mostly clarifying the 'rules' and trying to determine what the actual twist was, one individual asked about gear and if they were allowed magnetic boots or not. Monk explained again that they would have their full security kit, including the ablative and ablative/flak hybrid armour suit, essentially an ablative armour suit modified with an ablative/flak armour vest for added protection, their standard laser rifles and pistols, tuned down for training purposes, and whatever other gear they deemed necessary, including magnetic combat boots, in a defensive boarding action scenario. The teams were assigned and informed that all of their gear had already been brought to this room and setup to act as an ad-hoc armoury for the purposes of the exercise.

Finally Lazarus stepped forward and cleared his throat, everyone fell silent as they waited nervously to see what the grizzled veteran was going to throw their way this time, "As you all know, these types of scenarios are rarely so cut and dry in real life, so for an added sense of realism there are some live weapons on the field today. No, not any of yours, but the enemies you might come across may pack more of a punch than you'd otherwise expect."

As confusion and concern erupted across the security trainee's faces Lazarus allowed a certifiably creepy grin to spread across his own before adding, "Oh, and the power's out."

On cue, the power to the entire deck was suddenly cut off, not even emergency lights were on and the cadre was plunged into complete darkness. One of the STARSEC guards swore before Lazarus' powerful voice spoke out once more, "Tick Tock, your clock's running Plebs."

The sound of people shuffling and bumping into each other in zero-G filtered through the abyss that was now the lounge as the STARSEC trainees rushed to pull out whatever light source they had on them, noteputers, penlights, watches, comm devices, and even a couple actual flashlights, and then find their way to wherever their gear had been stored in the room. Both teams struggling to get geared up as quick as possible and start clearing the deck, the fact that they were both trying to accomplish the same goal at the same time despite earlier being told they would do it separately and compete for the best time being momentarily forgotten.

Edited October 20, 2023 by The Bridgeburners

[Orlex Jaeger]

Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

I sat astride the reptilian "horse" the locals referred to as Bluebacks and surveyed our small convoy of people and pack animals as we idly waited near the edge of Mosbyville trying not to completely block the sole road into or out of this side of the frontier town, not that there was any traffic to speak of. The saddle was fairly comfortable, at least thus far, as the creature's back seemed to be slightly narrower than a normal horse's and while we hadn't done any real riding yet it seemed reasonably padded. The surprisingly powerful animal, despite its lithe appearance, seemed to barely even notice me sitting on it and gave even less indication that it cared about the twin saddlebags full of gear hanging from the rear of the saddle itself. I had originally thought I'd simply wear my standard field kit in the backpack I usually did, it contained everything I would need for this type of mission including a sleeping bag, canteen, lantern, knife, electronic compass, flares, and emergency rations among other items. However, I was quickly disenchanted with the idea as I realized how much the bag would bounce around on my back as a result of the creature's movements, instead I opted to redistribute most of my gear into the spacious saddlebags and small cargo mount on the rear of the saddle while some of the heavier gear joined the conglomeration of everyone's excess gear and our camping supplies aboard the bovine creature's ample storage space. On my person I opted to retain my armour and weapons, consisting of a ballistic plate vest with a basic black t-shirt underneath, ablative/flak armoured cargo pants, combat boots, advanced combat helmet and the concealed ablative/flak leather duster; while I brought the DWS L5, configured in its standard laser rifle format, as my primary armament, currently stowed in a rifle holster incorporated into the saddle, along with my typical Serrek 7875D Auto-pistol, stored in my right prosthetic leg's internal cargo space, and a new AWA Wiliby MK4 laser pistol as sidearms. Of course I also had the power packs for my integrated laser in my enhanced prosthetic left arm which also acted as yet another sidearm, and utility tool when needed.

The MK4 laser pistol is a heavy laser pistol, both in terms of power output and actual weight, with impressive reliability and durability, easily living up to the Fed Suns manufacturer's claims of it being able to "survive anything thrown at it". Rumoured to even be an effective melee weapon in a pinch this model of weapon had quite the reputation surrounding it when we purchased a small bulk order on Sheratan back when we hired the auxiliaries now calling themselves STARSEC, along with a crate of Wolf-Barron Sunraker laser rifles, to provide a standardized armament to the security team members that was a step above the generic "laser rifle" that was so ubiquitous throughout the Inner Sphere.

In the past couple hours we had made our way back to the Staryacht small craft, both to retrieve our gear as well as the supplies we were trading with Mosbyville to acquire the pack animals we now sat on, and then trekked back to the frontier town and got ourselves situated to head out in our search for the downed enemy dropship, the Gambit. The Fury-class dropship was nearly 50km to the northwest of us, through heavy forest, and we needed to get moving if we wanted to get anywhere close to the ship before we had to make camp in time for nightfall. The forest wasn't especially dangerous at night or anything, but it was too treacherous for us to try riding, or even walking through the unknown terrain in near total darkness. The forest canopy was too thick in most places for the natural light of Epsilon Eridani to reach us, what little would be reflected from Epsilon Eridani VII or its various moons that may be in the sky, and the rest of the stars, while highly visible on a world with no light pollution, would provide no assistance for navigating the uneven forest floor.

Our current plan was to push our animals as much as we could initially, not enough to overtax them but enough to maintain a brisk pace, while the sun was still relatively high in the moon's sky. Then as it dipped behind the trees and washed the alien forest into a long twilight we'd slow down and try to find an open area of ground large enough to set up camp, utilizing the variety of canvas tents provided by Mosbyville as well as the singular large "Bubble Tent" we brought from the Staryacht to provide shelter for the night. The Tachi meanwhile would provide us with regular updates on our progress, their retrograde low orbit around the moon allowing them to traverse the moon fairly quickly and giving us hourly updates on their scans while still appearing to be searching for the "lost" Gambit in case they were still tracking the Tachi itself in orbit.

Shifting in the saddle I took note of our convoy's makeup, Captain Maxwell sat up front doubled up with Nurse Franklin on one of the Bluebacks, behind him sat an overly energetic Jenkins on his mule, behind him came Nick on another mule along with Levi on his mount, following those two was the draft horse which was hooked up to lead the Bovine creature carrying all our extra gear and supplies as well as the extra mounts, a pair of Bluebacks and another horse. Idris followed next on his riding horse bringing up the rear, his large frame sitting surprisingly comfortably in the saddle, in fact he looked like he might be the most comfortable rider in our group aside from Levi. Once on the move I would fall in next to him and it would be our job to help ensure that the extra mounts stayed the course as we navigated through the woods, as long as Levi and his mount kept the reins of the draft horse attached or in hand we didn't anticipate any issues with them. Even in the event of something happening to Levi's lead, the draft horse was big enough that none of the other creatures would be able to move it if it didn't want to be, of course that also had the potential problem of trying to stop the draft horse should something manage to spook it.

With a final glance around I made my way towards the head of the column to inform Charles of our status, my relatively brief time in the saddle thus far making me feel rather stiff and ungainly but I was quickly growing accustomed to it, just as the Blueback seemed to be getting more comfortable with me and my gear on its back, "Captain, looks like everyone is mounted up and ready to go. All our gear is stowed and the spare mounts are all tethered together, I think we're ready to roll out whenever you give the order."

"Thanks Commander, guess it's about time we get this show on the road," turning to face down our column Charles gave a loud shout and we were off.

... 3 hours later ...

The Blueback picked its way through the narrow trail carefully, the creature skillfully avoiding upturned roots and divots or pits in the ground as if it had a natural knowledge of the terrain. The wide, hoofed feet providing stable footing as the Blueback nimbly danced its way up a steep hillside, heedless of my extra weight on it. The forest itself was absolutely gorgeous, tall coniferous trees, somewhat reminiscent of ancient sequoia trees, sometimes called Redwoods, that I had read about way back in my school years in the Outworlds Alliance. The trees in this forest ranged anywhere from 0.5m (1.6') diameter "saplings" that were over 15m (49') tall, and likely decades old already, to truly massive 10m (33') diameter giants that were easily 92m (301') tall and supposedly could be over 2000 years old according to one of the locals back in Mosbyville. The forest floor, while covered in detritus and small, low-lying shrubs, was surprisingly clear in many places and there were often means to avoid some of the more densely overgrown areas as we travelled. Riding on a mount helped immensely though as many of the shrubs and undergrowth would still be waist high at least had we been on foot.

The sounds of nature surrounded us everywhere, even beyond the noises of the pack animals within our caravan, and it was surprisingly peaceful to simply be riding through this natural world of wonders. Everyone shared some small conversations here and there but mostly we just took in the sights and sounds, barring the usual exclamations from Jenkins as he spotted some exotically coloured avian creature or something scurrying off the path ahead of us. Time both seemed to slow down and speed up on our journey as we took the time to notice the little details on our ride and yet the hours seemed to simply slip by and before we knew it the forest took on a slowly growing gloom that heralded the false twilight as the star of Epsilon Eridani sunk low enough that the heavy tree cover blocked the majority of its light, although it was still some time before it would truly sink below the horizon itself. The growing twilight put an extra sense of urgency on us as we began to search for a suitable area to set up camp, everyone starting to realize just how dark it actually would get once the sun had truly set. We had plenty of means of light should we need it, but nobody seemed too keen on stumbling around in the dark trying to setup tents and gear that most of us didn't have a whole lot of experience with.

Eventually, within an hour or so, we managed to find a suitable location and Captain Maxwell called a halt to our travels for the day. As we set out to make camp Charles began assigning jobs to people to try and keep things organized and flowing smoothly, Schuster, Jenkins, and I were assigned the task of collecting firewood while others began unpacking the tents and laying them out in a rough semi-circle as still others cleared away underbrush to make room for our little company and all its gear, animals, and comforts, such as they were.

[MercNet Chronicler]

Elsewhere...

Valhalla - Crayven Corporation Headquarters
22nd floor (Research & Development)
Meredith, New Earth (Tau Ceti IV)
Federated Commonwealth
February 1, 3031 - 1704 hours (local time)
______________________________________________

The evening sun bathed the city of Meredith in dramatic hues of orange and purple, transforming its towering skyscrapers into glistening monoliths that cast long shadows across the sprawling landscape. Amidst the forest of towers, the angular glass latticework of the Crayven Corporation's Atrium Building stood out as a futuristic symbol of prosperity and progress amidst the city's more traditional architecture.

On its 22nd floor, Doctor Catherine Halsey stood before her office window, watching the steady stream of commuters making their exodus to the suburbs. It was a changing of the guard; a moment of transition where the day's burdens were set aside for the night's activities. Halsey felt a sudden pang of envy for those able to have such a demarcation; to escape the confines of their corporate purgatories and return to the world of the living. For her, there was no such escape. Her work consumed her entirely, and even outside office hours, her mind continued to churn through problems and solutions. At this moment, it was reeling.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her silent reverie. Halsey turned to see Doctor Natalya Kucera, her fellow researcher and close friend, peek her head in with a concerned expression.

"You wanted to see me?" Kucera asked, stepping fully into the spartan workspace and closing the door behind her.

Halsey nodded, motioning for Kucera to take a seat across from her desk.

"I just had a meeting with General Kauffman," Halsey started, her voice low and hesitant.

"And?" Kucera prompted, sensing the unease in Halsey's demeanor.

"He's suspending all smart AI research, effective immediately, until the issue of emergent behavior - which he's now calling 'rampancy'- is resolved," Halsey replied, not attempting to conceal her frustration and disappointment.

Kucera's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? Are you serious? He just spent the last three years ignoring every safety protocol, cost control, and ethical concern to try to beat the competition to market, and now he's slamming on the brakes?"

Halsey nodded gravely, sighing and leaning back in her chair.  "Yes, he is. Apparently, recent developments have made him reconsider his stance on the matter. Specifically, Eclipse hijacking a Marauder from the proving grounds, and now, Curie clandestinely taking neural snapshots of human brains and secreting them away for who knows what purpose."

Kucera threw her hands up in disbelief. "Unbelievable. I'm sure this will go over well with the shareholders."

Halsey shrugged, her eyes fixed on the wall behind Kucera's head. "He's worried about the potential repercussions of rampancy and what that could mean for the company's image and future. As of now, we're restricted to dumb AI and basic automation research."

Kucera leaned forward, her expression softening. "I'm sorry, Catherine. I know how much this means to you."

Halsey shook her head, rising from her chair and absent-mindedly smoothing the creases in her lab coat as she turned toward the window, her gaze distant. Outside, a commuter helicopter thumped past. The doctor's eyes followed the aircraft as it wove through the towering skyscrapers, a sense of restlessness gnawing at her core.

"There's more, Natalya," Halsey continued, her tone dark. "Kauffman wants to repurpose the team as a support unit for Project Spellbind."

Kucera's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? That's a complete 180 from what we've been working on. Machine learning in medical implants? How is that conducive to cracking the secrets of thinking AI?"

Halsey turned back to Kucera, her expression one of grim determination. "It's really not. But apparently, Kauffman believes that the medical industry has easier markets to disrupt. So, that's what we're going to do."

Kucera shook her head and sighed, dismayed by the news. "

"I know," Halsey sighed, walking back to her chair. "For what it's worth, he did order that Curie and her hardware be recalled for vitrification, effective immediately. I didn't even need to bring it up."

Kucera nodded cautiously. "Well, at least there's one area where you two agree," she replied reassuringly. "Even if his motives differ."

"He wants me to handle it personally," Halsey added.

"Ouch. I guess that means you've got a difficult call to make."

Halsey nodded gravely. The Crayven Corporation's recent relationship with Aegis Division had been strained, and providing the AI to them on a long-term loan in exchange for its field test data had been a way to maintain some semblance of goodwill. But now, it seemed that even that tenuous bond was to be severed. After a moment's pause, Halsey reached for the comm unit on her desk.

"We might as well get it over with now," she said, dialing the HPG number with a steady hand. There was no point in putting it off.

Edited October 21, 2023 by MercNet Chronicler

[MercNet Chronicler]

Elsewhere...

Site 187
Outskirts of Gellen's Heights, Sheratan III
Sheratan System - Tikonov Free Republic
55 light-years from New Earth
February 1, 3031 - 0838 hours (local time)
______________________________________________

At the same time the sun was setting on New Earth, 55 light-years away, the binary stars of the Sheratan system cast their warm glow over the rolling farmlands bordering the Gellen's Heights metropolis. The sheen of a light frost glistened across the surface of the finely manicured lawns surrounding Site 187, an ancient, repurposed missile silo now serving as Aegis Division's headquarters. Although the agrarian world was perpetually temperate enough to support farming year-round, its hottest regions rarely exceeded 31 degrees Celsius, so the march of the seasons could still be felt as the planet moved through its yearly cycles.

Within the compound, Lieutenants Marius Lennox and Alexander Blackwood sat in the command office, a joint working space normally occupied by Captain Charles Maxwell and First Lieutenant Orlex Jaeger. When the senior staff were abruptly required to give chase to the people responsible for the abductions at Sheratan's political summit, the responsibility had fallen to Lennox and Blackwood to remain behind and manage the cleanup. Although Site 187 had survived its attack relatively unscathed, the base and its assets still required some rehabilitation. There was also the grim task of arranging an appropriate interment ceremony for Dexter Friedman, who'd been a ComStar Adept in his previous life and had no apparent next of kin.

As Blackwood fiddled with a damaged neurohelmet, Lennox rubbed his eyes, trying to push the exhaustion out of his system, taking a long sip of coffee before staring at the pile of datapads scattered across the desk. The logistics of cleaning up after the attack were daunting, to say the least, but taking on their commanding officers' responsibilities in their absence was an added burden.

"I don't know how Alyssa stays on top of all of this," Lennox muttered, his eyes scanning the mountains of to-do items laid out before him. "It's a miracle she doesn't drown in paperwork."

Blackwood chuckled, his attention still fixed on the neurohelmet. "Well, when you're in charge, you have to learn to delegate. Or die trying."

Lennox snorted. "Yeah, well, I don't think dying is an option for me. Not when we've got so much left to do. How's the repair coming along?"

"Slowly," Alexander grumbled. "I hate having to send the gimbal out for service. Someone else's techs touching my stuff makes me feel like I'm not in control."

The office's comm system suddenly beeped, interrupting their conversation. Marius groaned, reaching over and hitting the answer button. "Lennox here," he said, trying to sound as professional as possible despite his weariness.

"Sir, I have a caller on the line asking to speak to the command staff. Doctor Halsey from the Crayven Corporation," the voice on the other end of the line explained crisply. Lennox felt a bolt of adrenaline spike through him, making him sit up straighter in his chair.

"Park it for me," he ordered, motioning for Blackwood to pause. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck," Lennox swore, rolling his chair over to the office's wall-mounted video conferencing unit. "You wanna take this one, Alex?"

"Nooooo thank you," Blackwood retorted, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Last time I opened that can of crazy, we ended up with two DropShips on our lawn and people getting neurohacked in Nick's workshop. I'm GOOD."

"I beg your pardon?" a voice crackled from the comm unit. Both men stared at the speaker in abject horror.

"Doctor Halsey," Lennox replied, mortified. "I didn't realize you could hear us."

"Yes. Well. As much as I'd like to unpack those thoughts, I'm afraid we have more pressing business to discuss." Doctor Halsey's voice was laced with irritation. Alexander cast a worried glance at Marius, who was struggling to regain his composure. 

"It must be pressing if you're calling us in real-time. What can we do for you?" Marius asked smoothly as he transferred the call to the video unit, hoping to salvage the situation. Catherine Halsey's distinctive features appeared on the screen, her crisp white lab coat contrasting sharply with the hues of the sunset visible through the sweeping office windows in the background. Marius couldn't help but notice the fatigue etched on her face,

"Lieutenant Lennox, as you're aware, we loaned your unit a medical AI prototype named Curie some time ago for field testing," Halsey began. "We greatly appreciate your participation in the pilot program. However, as the field phase is now concluded, we need you to take Curie offline and return her server and Reimann matrix to us immediately. The assets are required for the next phase of research and development."

Marius nodded, his face masking his surprise at the sudden urgency in Halsey's voice. Alexander, meanwhile, watched with a growing sense of unease, his own suspicions about the situation brewing. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Halsey's request than met the eye.

"'Immediately' may be a kind of difficult deadline to meet, doctor," the lieutenant replied at length, absent-mindedly scratching at the stubble on his chin. "The Tachi's been off-world on an urgent deployment since the last week of January. It'll be a bit before it's back home again."

Doctor Halsey looked confused. "That ship's name keeps turning up like a bad penny. It's been a perpetual thorn in my side."

The doctor paused, allowing the unspoken implication of Lennox's reply to sink in.

"No. Please. Don't tell me Curie is on the Tachi, Lieutenant," she continued sharply. "The prototype was to be kept on Sheratan for the duration of the field trials."

Marius exchanged a nervous glance with Alexander, who gave him a subtle nod of encouragement. "Well, to be honest, Doc, we had enough critical care patients here at home that Mallory had to stay behind. Curie's such a good backstop that Schuster pulled her server blade and sent her in Mal's place."

Halsey's expression darkened. "You were not authorized to take Curie offworld, Lieutenant. This is a blatant violation of our testing arrangement." Her tone was clipped and controlled, but her eyes flashed with anger.

Marius raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey, take it easy. I'm sure it was an oversight. Things fall through the cracks in a crunch. On the plus side, when they get back, you'll have authentic data about how your construct handled its intended tasks in a real-world scenario. That's got to be worth something, right?"

Halsey's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'll take that under advisement, but it doesn't change the fact that Curie needs to be returned immediately."

Alexander broke his silence, unable to stand by and watch his colleague take the brunt of Halsey's frustration. "We understand the urgency, Doctor, but as Marius mentioned, the Tachi is in the middle of a high-stakes mission. We can't just drop everything and send Curie back to you on a whim."

Halsey's eyes flickered between the two men before landing on Alexander. "This is hardly a 'whim,' Lieutenant Blackwood. The Crayven Corporation has spent millions of C-Bills on the sensitive programming and data contained in that AI. It must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. I expect your unit to take this seriously and prioritize the safe return of the prototype."

Alexander didn't back down. "Understood, Doctor. We'll do what we can. But it's not as simple as just pressing a button."

The doctor leaned forward in her chair, the screen reflecting a determined set to her jaw.

"Then I expect you to start pressing however many buttons it takes. Immediately. Halsey out."

Edited October 21, 2023 by MercNet Chronicler

[Levi Wright]

Someplace in the woods
Mosbyville, Eleos - 16th moon of Epsilon Eridani VII
Epsilon Eridani System - Tikonov Free Republic
February 1, 3031 (Tuesday)
______________________________________________

Idris had started unpacking gear right away when we stopped to camp, so I got the saddle off my mule and put it on a fallen tree since there wasn't a fence or anything to hang it on. Then I took the saddle off Nick's mule, and then all the other critters that had riding gear on, making sure not to come up from behind them so that they wouldn't kick me. It was kind of like dealing with knife guys or the pirate police on Oberon, you move real slow and stay where they can see you, and they probably won't kick you so hard you go flying over the barn and into the dung heap.

After that I got a hook wrench from the tool kit and picked the rocks and gunk out of some of the animals' hooves. The cow wouldn't pick its' feet up, one of the mules would only let me do the front feet, and the bluebacks' feet didn't look anything like a horse hoof, so I didn't know which part was the part that'd flash red if you touched it and make you lose Horsie Hearts. Idris seemed to actually know what he was doing with the animals, so I'd ask him what to do about the bluebacks and the uncooperative mule when he wasn't busy.

You're supposed to take the bridle off and switch to a halter when you're done riding. We didn't have any halters or anything else to tie the horses up by, but I was pretty sure a halter was just a bridle with the rope attached to one spot instead of two, and also halters didn't have a bit. So I just had to get the bits out of the animals' mouths without taking the whole bridle off, so that they couldn't wander off.

I walked up to the mule I'd been riding, from the side like you're supposed to, and she stared at me suspiciously. The bridle had a shitton of buckles on it, and also some loops that didn't have buckles, and one of the buckle-less loops went through the bit, just to make life difficult. So I started undoing the buckles that did exist, and really quick re-doing them because parts of the bridle kept almost falling off and I was scared the mule was going to leave. She was stomping her foot, which is usually the warning that you're doing it wrong and going to get kicked over the barn and into the dung heap. I tried tugging on the metal loop at the side of the bit, to try to see what it connected to, and the mule gnashed her teeth at me and they were massive, like a huge pair of toenail clippers that could clip all the fingers right off your hand. I wanted to run but this creature was definitely the knife guy of the animal kingdom so I let go of the bit really fast and then backed away really, really slowly.

"Hey Levi, is your mule okay?"

I looked and saw Nick going by with a bulky gear bag - it looked like one of the storage bags from the mech repair bay, but maybe it'd been repurposed for camping stuff?

"So, um, I need to be honest with you," I said. "They didn't cover taking the bridle apart in Misty Brook Stables 3D."

"You learned to ride from a video game?"

"Yeah, other than the pony ride at the Smuggler's League carnival this was my first time. I just really didn't want you to worry, and then everybody was acting like I was supposed to know what I was doing and I didn't want to let anyone down, so..."

"Don't worry about it," Nick said, "none of us were planning on any of this when we woke up this morning. And it's actually kind of impressive that you figured out so much just from a game."

"Oh, thanks," I said. The panic was subsiding but the mule was still giving me a warning look.

"What were you trying to do?" Nick asked, setting his bag down.

"You're supposed to take the bridle off when you're done riding, only we don't have a fence or any other way to tie them up, so I thought I'd just take the bit out so it won't hurt their mouth from being in too long or anything. Only I can't find any buckle for getting the bit out, and now she's mad at me."

Nick looked thoughtful "Can you trace it, like looking for damage on a wire?"

"Huh?"

"Well it's technically not a wire, but there's a buckle way farther up on the same strap that connects to the bit -" Nick gestured to the mule and took a step closer, but I really didn't want him to get bit by her finger chopping teeth, so I walked right up to her myself.

"This one?" I asked. The mule glared at me. Nick nodded, so I really carefully undid it, and the mule spat her bit right out. "Wow... thanks, Nick!"