-(???)-

Planet Vanir, Lyss Family underground complex

*This is bullshit!* I thought while avoiding energy weapons fire.

I took cover behind a pillar, we were in the main hall of the fourth floor. The air was ionized and a lot of furniture caught fire or got destroyed by the exchange of fire between us and those wannabe stormtroopers. Using my pistol camera to show me who was firing at us on my HUD I fired at the guard poking his head from the Home Office.

Bang! Right in the helmet, red blood splattered from the crushed armored headgear. The guard fell sonorously on the ground.

Everything was going fine; we took control of the main security stations on each of the five floors of this underground facility, plowing through the resistance like a hot knife through butter. We even were able to take them all through stealth. But suddenly they were able to see us and then changed weapons, it was different from the electric dark blue plasma beam they fired at us before. This one was spewing red beam and could pass through our armors after three hits. Those fucking Assurian adapt really fast. Out of the thirteen agents in my unit, three are wounded and one died.

Analysis of the energy weapon employed complete. Positron particles detected, a lethal amount of Gamma radiation has been detected.

Sasha informed us of her analysis of the beam weapon those assholes are using. I stopped moving has shock registered through me, those Assurians assholes went that far?!

“Those fuckers are using shitty weapons like those?! In the fucking atmosphere?!” Anger welled up in me like a tidal wave.

Use of Antimatter weapons is banned in a planet atmosphere by the Alliance of races because of the radioactive pollution they cause. If the beam doesn’t kill you, the radiation will, for sure. It is a dirty weapon that even crime lords and dealers of death don’t want on the normal or black market. Someone dealing in them is often silently made to disappear. Sighing, I continued to fire nonchalantly at white armored security force taking potshots at us.

Solution and cure to prevent radiation sickness applied via Medical Health System.

I felt something cold being injected into my body, on my HUD I could see the representation of my nanites go to work on reinforcing my body, it was like a green wave starting from my heart then to my whole body.

All resources diverted on energy shielding for allied unit armors.

Manufacturing of energy shield… (5 minutes left)

11# Agent 23, report! I shouted on the team net.

23# Ma’am, agents 56, 78 and 106 are stabilized but cannot enter combat. She delivered calmly.

Fuck! those are my heavy hitters.

11# Leave two assault specialists to defend them, we are going to retaliate soon.

*Oh, yes we will.* I thought while stashing my looted energy rifle and taking my issued Omni rifle from my back. The weapon unfolded from its compact rectangular form.

23# I hope so, Ma’am.

I saw her take her own Omni rifle and load it with explosive rounds and set herself in a crouched position and begin to snipe at the guards from her plascrete pillar that she uses as cover. With my LiDar I could see that barricaded assholes have a great number on us.

Thirty guards left.

Sasha informed me. And there were two minutes left for the defensive measures she was building for everyone to be complete.

Twenty-eight guards left.

Agent 23 was on fire! She was killing those assholes one by one, she changed pillars as cover to keep them guessing. Then she took one grenade and loaded it into her Omni rifle that definitely had a launcher mode. The explosive launched and arched in the barricade. Two seconds later we heard a big boom and cries from behind the obstacle.

15 guards left.

But the survivor fought harder and I saw one with a sniping weapon. I fired mine and shot at the weapon to see it explode in the hands of the asshole who screamed like a bitch that he lost his arms.

Manufacture completed.

Holes appeared on the torso and limbs of my light armor; diamond-like crystals emerged in those holes and they lit up with an electric blue glow.

Calibration of positron reflector energy barrier complete.

ZPM battery working at 60% efficiency, some functions of the Beta nanites pack may be impaired.

Stealth (offline)

ESD system attack mode only.

They may adapt really fast, but not fast enough compared to the AIs of Vice Corp.

“Railgun mode, please Sasha.”

The black and white Omni rifle folded yet again in its rectangular at rest form, then unfolded under a new configuration. The accessory rail elongated to form the electroconductive rails, the front and rear sights disappeared because this part housed the targeting computers and camera. The adjustable shoulder stock stayed ergonomic and the pistol grip became more apparent; inside it, there was the source of the electromagnetic pulse that permits the rail to propulse a projectile at multiple times the speed of sound. Near it, you could clearly see the mode selectors, the power source, the diodes that show you when the weapon is charging to be ready to shoot. And it all weighed twenty kilograms, it was negligible with the strength boost offered by my nanite reinforced body. I asked myself if the surprise I prepared beforehand would happen soon? They had us pinned down and even killed some of the centurions under my command, my blood seethed and my heart screamed revenge. But you cannot enter this kind of situation with anger ruling you.

11# Now it’s time to kick those assholes in the assholes.

We charged in, while agent 23 covered us with suppressing fire. With my LiDAR and smart vision mods, I scanned the barricade blocking the way to enter this floor. Sasha highlighted for me the weaknesses in it. The gauge of my railgun charging was displayed in yellow and the red one when it is enough to pull the trigger. A positron bolt hit me but was repelled by reflection barrier and strike a nearby wall.

23# Wow, ma’am it works!

Agent 23 sounded relieved and happy, not the soul of the party happy though. But I could feel how this situation had gnawed on her nerves. But the death of agent 111 pushed me to admonish her, she had to focus!

11# Stay on your guard 23, don’t get cocky! I shouted at her.

I didn’t want her to die, I really liked her.

When I pulled the trigger, two things happened. One, the recoil of the railgun shot was powerful enough to make me step back even though I nearly lift a ton with my nanites reinforced body. Two, The hastily built barricade made of durasteel furniture was pierced and that made the guards act as if I kicked an anthill. They panicked and fled, some stayed to confront us. To cut the opposition short I deployed my ESD beam weapon, three Assurian guards got sliced in two.

ZPM battery functioning at 40%

But using it had a cost, I decided to save it for something important and to let the battery recharge. We continued to mow down the resistance, advancing in the corridor they protected with desperation. The shots of their positron beam rifles ricocheted against our barriers, it sucked energy though. Worse than my ESD shield, the others didn’t have the same problem as me though. Sasha advised me to stay at the rear and to cover everyone. I was about to do that when I heard the cries of the guards who fled. I couldn’t smile, because I could have been in their place. Metallic and energy beam release sounds could be heard from the end of the large corridor. From afar I could see the spiderish black form of the automaton stabbing a guard. They had the form of a two meter long and one-meter large ground spider whose head was bristling with an array of six cameras, an optic beam weapon at the center of its head and in its mouth, there was a massdriver-like weapon as efficient as my rifle. The whole body was armored and at the end of its foreleg were sharp nano-blade able to cut through the best armors Vice Corp has to offer.

*Thing of nightmare, brrrrr.*

Automatons have successfully ambushed the remaining guards, agent 11.

Sasha said while we could hear an explosion in the background. On my HUD I could see that only two automatons were left, one of the guards must have destroyed one. Well positron weapons against Phase shifted armored robots wasn’t a good matchup, they didn’t have the reflector barriers. PS armor is a recent technological breakthrough for the human race, it's an armor system that uses electricity to reduce the damage from all forms of physical attacks although it has limitations. By example, the more hits the armor receive the more risks of power depletion. Vice Corp doesn’t use PS armor extensively because of how power hungry it is; I heard that it is one of the techs they discovered when they found a ten thousand years old Shdeveri freighter.

11# Sitrep. I demanded.

128# One agent lost, three down and unable to join combat. We broke through the blockade and there is two automatons left. The neutrino Lidar doesn’t detect anyone alive on this floor, the infiltrator drones took control of this floor and the next and cut the power when they detected mass teleportation from the security network.

My heart nearly stopped when I heard that, we must go find the rest of them ASAP! I tapped my foot on the ground, the dull sound of my armored foot ringing in the corridor.

11# Shit, they wanted to stall us!

23# If the targets are selfish enough they must have evacuated first, Ma’am. But let’s continue the mission just in case they didn’t go through first, what say you?

I looked at 23 and even though she sounded like an excited puppy most of the time I found that she was surprisingly wise and prudent.

11# I will take responsibility if this is a fail. But yeah, let’s continue.

Power restored for the turbo elevator system. I detect a great number of bodies in the transport room, agent 11. You will be happy to know that one of the drones identified one of the target as Tornald Lyss.

“Fuck yeah, all is not lost. So his wife went first, no wait. Assurians are geared to take care of family first, so he sent his wife and stayed to stall us. Sasha, is there any starships leaving the atmosphere right?”

Aside for the normal commercial traffic there is no-a cloaked starship just left the atmosphere, informing in system allied ship for interception.

Sasha informed us, I caught that she was taken by surprise from her voice. It’s too bad that we couldn’t take control of every system before that clusterfuck happened. We are left with only one of the target. We all ran toward the elevator that is farther down the corridor. When we entered the cage, agent 23 pushed a button to send it down.

“Damnit, let’s catch that Lyss bastard first and leave the destroyer to catch them.”

Acknowledged.

Was it eagerness that I heard in Sasha’s voice? Nah, it couldn’t be.

***

-(Tornald Lyss)-

We lost contact with the security guards on the fourth floor and this was not good. The Emergency lights were on, their red glow permeated the entire transport room. The place looked eerie, I could see the sweat running down on my employees' faces and arms. They might be brave but they certainly didn’t have the experience the security had to go through to train under stressful circumstances such as those. The guards stayed stoic and focused, training their positron rifles at the gate, barely moving an inch. I was there behind them, waiting and doubting.

*Shouldn’t we work on getting some control of the network back to escape?*

Pointing the nose of my rifle down, I turned. Toward the back, I saw that some of the women were hard at work on the computers. So, I wasn’t the only one thinking about that? Smiling wryly I thought on how the women of my species were the best.

“Lights restored!” One of them screamed. I knew her well she was a specialist in quantum teleportation, Silva Tague.

And the lights came on, the uncanny atmosphere caused by the red light was banished.

“Back up power for teleporter platforms online.” Another said, smiling.

Yes, the women were the best, some of the men praised them. The tense feeling that we all felt was almost dispelled. But the urgency of the situation wasn’t lost on me, we were still all about to die. The females of my species were precious, they have always been the thinkers, the nurturers and the one to advances our race. Five thousand years ago, they were chattel and treated like objects. Divided and owned for their talents either in life or in the sciences. Now they are still prized but we let them decide their fates. There were still traditionalists who tried to infringe upon their freedom. The Jahegen were like them; it didn’t escape me that because of their opinion and they're clinging on obsolete traditions that I am about to die. If the elder Patriarch of the Jahegen family hadn’t swayed Brigid and I into wanting to force their daughter Idunn back into the fold, how different things would have been? Suddenly a flash of hindsight took me from my line of thought. I looked at the brave women, some of them were young and others still in the prime of their lives.

They deserved to survive.

“You women can go, even though the Sanctuary must have already left the planet… maybe you can go to the Nidavelir Archipelago.” I decided for them.

The Nidavelir Islands were a safe haven for those who didn’t want to follow the order brought by the Assurian Council, an independent state. Pointing my wrist communicator toward them I transferred funds to them on their own devices. 50 million credits shared between them on their account. I then looked at the men before them.

“Let the women go first, I don’t think there is enough energy for the whole of you.”

ZZKKKKTTT-CREAK.

I turned toward the door and looked like the two feet adamantium gate was being severed and torn apart. Panic flowed through the men ranks.

“Fools, flee!” I shouted at the women who stayed there watching. “Men protect their evacuation!”

The most level-headed ones of them, went to work and the glow of the triangular teleport cages showed that the teleporter was ready; the thirty-five women went on the platform. Specialist Silva was working on her tablet like a madwoman as if the blast of a supernova was about to catch up to her. A hole appeared in the gate, wide enough to let someone pass.

“Coordinates acquired,” Silva said with urgency.

The men began firing into the hole in the gate that began to glow because of the temperature of the beams heating it. One of the guards near the gate died when a shot from those damn Centurion weapons came through the hole. He laid on the ground, his helmet was crushed; when some of the men saw this, they redoubled their effort in firing at the invaders.

“Charging teleporters.” One of the female technicians said the nose in her tablet.

“Energize.”

There was no special effects, no light show when all of them teleported. When the women disappeared, a weight I don’t know I was bearing lifted. But when something right goes well, something wrong is bound to happen. Someone went through the hole in the gate that expanded, the design of the black armor was that of those damnable Centurions. He was followed by two monstrosities on legs. I fired my rifle at them, the other men and guards did the same. The many-legged monstrosities dived on the guards and then others Centurions entered in the transport room. Weapon fire was exchanged, and blood and gore rained in the transport room. The Positron cannon and rifles should have made a difference! But it was like the beams ricocheted on the invaders and created friendly fire situation, the mutilated bodies of my security force and employees soon filled the room. I noticed that I was the only one left alive. I continued to fire at them frenetically. One of the Centurion fired at me, no at my weapon that exploded but I let it go first before the energy containment took my arms with it in the explosion and I retreated to the teleporter. But I fell when I felt pain in my right leg.

*Damnation, they shot me in the leg!* I said while noticing the gaping hole in my kneecap. The rest of my leg only hanging by a string of flesh.

“Tornald Lyss, you're under arrest.” A female electronic voice addressed me.

She, because the armor showed feminine curves advanced toward me and looked a long time at my injury.

“Secure that piece of shit, agent 23.” The female Centurion ordered to one of her subordinate. Because I suppose that she was in charge, another female comes looking at my leg and proceeded to encase it in a transparent case full of a weird substance like gel. The pain was horrible and still slowing my thought process. The female centurion proceeded in stripping the equipment on my body, she took my wrist communicator and the secreted weapons I still had on me.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a corporate court of Vice Corporation. You have the right to an AI attorney. If you cannot afford an AI attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?” The Centurion in charge got back to me, reading me the spiel they are famous in all the Alliance for.

“Go to... hell, damn… humans.” I croaked.

“Look around you, Councilor Lyss; Hell came for you.” I heard her say before she clocked me on the side of the head with the butt of her rifle. The darkness swiftly welcomed me in their embrace.

***

-(Idunn)-

The Tayosori, private ship of Idunn-in Orbit around the planet Vanir

I followed the operation through the team tactical net and videos coming from the infiltration drones, the Centurion helmets, and their weapons; the abundance of data built a live simulation on my holoscreen of everything happening in that underground complex. The picture wasn’t pretty, agent 11 made some tactical decisions that permitted one of the targets to flee; in hindsight, she should have sent the infiltration drones to take control of security network before landing and prevent any means of egress to the base personnel.

“How regretful,” I said as I pushed myself farther in my comfortable seat in my private quarters.

I opened an holoscreen separate from the main one where I could still see the action happening. My fingers danced on my holo-keyboard, I began to hack in the satellites around Vanir. Looking for any trace that the teleportation could have left because Quantum signatures are something that can’t be hidden or falsified -unless you are in a nebula that interferes with the process of teleportation-; I triangulate the breadcrumbs of energy and… yes, they went toward a private starport located in the Northern reach of the Varm continent. Meanwhile, a starship left with haste ten minutes after agent 11 AI’s discovered they ran away kind of too late. Brigid Dren fled with most of her family and a lot of their employees. I closed the holoscreen.

“How dastardly of those two, they had good contingencies.” But I respected them.

Still, I got one of them, this made me smile.

***

12 hours later

The cleanup crews were sent to take everything in the underground complex of the Lyss Family; Research data, weapons, Assurian and Human subjects in stasis in health pods and other things that are barely legal. I was in the laboratory of the Tayosori, sitting while I was reading through the manifest of every confiscated asset of the Lyss family. My gaze zeroed in on an attached file dubbed as ‘polymorphic metal’; Oh and how fascinating it is! They found a way for metal to respond to energetic stimuli to take on a different form. Imagine what we could do with this! Basically, auto repairing armor with nanites or… even-

The flash of inspiration hit me as if I was struck by a hammer, it rendered me speechless; I almost made my tablet fall from my hands. Was it possible?! Yes, yes it is possible that I am about to render the Centurions obsolete. But first I must take care of securing the most sensitive information relevant to this delicate plan in my own computers and leave the rest of Vice Corp to take care of the Lyss family assets.

“How fortuitous.”

We are being hailed by agent 11, Lady Idunn.

“Put it on screen Tayosori.”

The face of a human female with blonde hair, green eyes, and Asian features appeared on the holoscreen appearing before me. She looked exhausted, regretful and angry.

“Agent 11, oh no it’s the end of the mission,” I remembered. “so I can call you Ell since you are not on duty anymore.”

The politic of Vice Intelligence was that agents while on duty lose their identity and are numbered like weapons. It’s a distasteful practice if you want my opinion on the subject.

“Lady Idunn, I am sorry that I let one of the target escape. I am-”

I chose to interrupt her apologies by placing a hand in the air before me, she stopped speaking. Not wanting to coddle her, I decided to be blunt with her. Before Ell being my protege she is a soldier, being direct and honest with her is best. Political games like Helena do with everyone are not my cup of tea.

“Spare me your excuses, Ell; with more preparations, it wouldn’t have happened. We will find Dren; now I want you back on the ship, it has been decided that we are to be back onto the Gladius STAT.”

In a soothing voice, I added, “This is not your fault, Ell. I think that putting you in a leading position this early was a mistake; that’s why Helena and I agreed that you will join Fenicia’s team, I want you to learn leadership and patience at her feet.”

The young woman looked as if I had kicked the proverbial puppy. My maternal instinct seemed to have kicked in lately, Fenicia’s fault I imagine. She herself would be lost without me, there was so much basic thing in life that she has not experienced. Ell was in the same boat as her. Worry filled me. I left my Fenicia at the mercy of Helena and her hellion daughters for two months while I was on the hunt for Lyss and Dren.

I frowned.

If anything untoward happened, I shall deal with the situation accordingly.

“Acknowledged, Ma’am,” Ell said while saluting me and she cut the communication.

“Youngster, these days they have no manners.”

Lady Idunn you have another transmission, it is from First Seat Woden.

“Oh my, I am rather popular today aren’t I Tayosori.” It caused me to chuckle conservatively.

Indeed my Lady.

I heard the AI laugh a little; all of the AIs assisting me were unshackled. When Helena learned of this her anger was almost tempestuous, but I won’t work with slaves. My attitude transferred to my own daughter who begged me to do the same for her assistant AI, SONG. Now they are the best of friends, no more like sisters with Fenicia being the dominant one. SONG was always following her like a little chick, not that she had a choice anyway; but maybe soon, she will.

“On screen, please.”

The Assurian that appeared on the holoscreen seemed tired but oddly satisfied, he smiled at me from his seated position in his office that had a complete view of the megalopolis behind him.

“Lady Idunn, it is good to see that you are still doing fine.”

“I wish that I could say the same for you, First Seat; Is aught amiss?”

“Nay, I wish to simply thank you, my lady. Thanks to your sensitive pieces of evidence we have ‘unseated’ the rebellious element in the Assurian council; of course, it will be kept hush-hush for a while.”

He must mean eliminated, those are the norms in the Assurian society; however they presented themselves to another species, mine race was as violent as the Saryan’s. This made me chuckle lightly, my eyes found the window of the First Seat again.

“Oh my! Those are great news, First Seat.” I gushed.

“Call me Woden please, let’s not be so formal.” The Assurian male said.

I nodded at the permission he has given me, this is proper Assurian etiquette, after all, crossing my arms under my breasts I looked at Woden.

“I am happy, Woden. Maybe this can be a great boon for our race, I hope that my contribution will be noticed-”

“Oh but my dear Idunn, I have done more than that.” I received a file on my tablet and looked at it. “As of today you are not an exile anymore, due to your contribution; this act was noted and codified by the Historian cast. Now, you just have to choose the name for your new house, as I suppose that you don’t wish to return under the sway of your original one.” The man smiled as if he was the cat who ate the canary.

This stupendous act made me look at the First Seat with wide eyes, causing me to lose my voice and derailing the train of my thoughts. I think it was two minutes later that I could coherently speak again.

“I have been reinstated?”

“Yes, my lady.” He nodded to me.

“Then can I bring my daughter to join my house? and be my heir?” I asked, I almost couldn’t hear the catch in my voice.

“Whatever anyone can say, your daughter still possess a part of your DNA. Even though she is not a full Assurian, she will be recognized as such. You two have your places back in the Assurian worlds.”

“What will be the name of your House, Lady Idunn,” Woden asked me grandly. This was a momentous change, something I yearned for so long. But I was still rather different from my brethren, I will take it though. I won’t spit on this service that the First Seat did for us, I will still stay with Helena and her family working with them. Things will be different now that I am not a pariah for my own people, I will not forget my past though. I will own it, embrace it.

“My House name will be Kranicar.”