MISSION COMPLETED MESSAGE

SOMETHING HERE

“Well done,” Bob the armourer smiled as he took delivery of the squink ink. “Wasn’t sure you’d pull that off.” His nose wrinkled as the stench of the pipe reached his nose.

“There were times we didn’t think we would either,” Mai replied. She appreciated his politeness. All she wanted to do was get back to the base and have a shower. Although she wasn’t sure whether she’d ever be free of the stench again.

“I’ll add the materials together and make these clothes for you. How many do you want?”

“We’ll take everything you can make,” Mai shook his hand, ignoring the way that he wiped his palm on his trousers. “Send a message when they’re done, and we’ll come and get them.”

Saying their goodbyes, they left and walked slowly up to the base, their aches and pains making them look like a group of people old before their time. The slow pace didn’t match Mai’s whirling mind, however.

Over and over she played the words of the guard in her mind. What did she mean by people like her? Or was it people like all of them? If it was her specifically, what was so different about her? If it was them specifically, the same question applied.

She knew that the guard wasn’t a local. So all she had to do was track down another like them and ask what was different about her.

I’m applying the logic that if one knows, they all know, but it’s all I’ve got to go on, she was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t realise they’d reached base until Dakota patted her arm to get her attention.

“Good job people. Go get cleaned up, get something to eat and have a rest, you’ve earned it.

“Everything okay?” asked Dakota, eyes narrowing.

“Fine, just a bit tired. Annoyed that I let that last guard get the drop on me,” she didn’t like lying to her friend, but until she had something definite, there wasn’t anything else she could really say anyway.

“Cool. If you want to talk later, come and see me.”

Mai smiled and thanked her friend, then headed off to get cleaned up, mind continuing to race.

*

Sipping at a cup of rice wine, Mai scanned the crowd walking through the shopping district under the control of The Talismans. It was in much better condition than the one near the rebel base, and the locals seemed to be relatively happy.

All of the shops offered a far wider range of goods, and even the food was better. The lighting was on far more than it was off, with barely a flicker, and ganger guards roamed the streets making sure everyone toed the line.

As with the gangers in her barracks, there were two types. Dakota’s type, and the others. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but the others seemed to be freer somehow. They were the loud ones, the ones which seemed to act more randomly, capriciously even. They were also the ones who seemed to be carrying out all of the missions.

In the last thirty minutes she’d been sitting at her table,she'd counted at least half a dozen gangers coming and going with deliveries, speaking to shop keepers or locals, and then heading off to complete whatever task they’d been set.

The other gangers, those like Dakota however, barely interacted with the people around them. Sometimes they would follow the other gangers when ordered, but mostly they seemed to be content to patrol, or sit at the tables of the various eateries.

Finishing off her rice wine, she watched as a young-looking ganger approached a shopkeeper. They spoke for a few seconds, then the ganger stabbed the air with a finger, clearly accepting whatever task she had been given.

This is the one, thought Mai. The other gangers had looked as though they would be too difficult to take on quietly. All she wanted to do was talk, but knowing the way that gangers viewed those not in their own particular gang, there was always the risk that they would choose to fight rather than talk.

Watching as the ganger headed away on their task, Mai stood and started to follow. The ganger wasn’t moving particularly quickly, so Mai was able to let the distance between them lengthen to the point that if the ganger turned, Mai would be lost in the crowd.

Not that they’ve got any reason to think they’re being followed, Mai thought as she weaved through the other pedestrians.

After a few minutes they left the district, entering a part of the city which was in far worse shape. There were also fewer people on the streets, and those that were, walked with their heads down and as quickly as they could without actually running.

Mai activated STREET SMARTS, URBAN CAMOUFLAGE, and STEALTH, using the shadows on the poorly lit street to move as closely as possible.

All I need to do is get them pinned, then ask them a question, she thought as she closed in on her prey.

“Bring it!” without warning the ganger turned, arm spouting a pistol. Diving to one side, Mai barely avoided a burst of flechettes.

She formed her own weapon, a suppressed pistol, and returned fire, trying to force the ganger into cover.

“I just want to talk!” she called out as the ganger sent more flechettes in her direction, the projectiles making a shrieking noise as they zipped past.

“Funny way of asking!” shouted the ganger. They charged towards Mai, an almost continuous stream of flechettes pouring out of their weapon.

DAMAGE! 5%

BLEED @3% PER SECOND

Dammit! Mai activated her FREE RUNNING, threw herself out of her cover, tucked into a roll and came to her feet shooting.

HEADSHOT!

INSTA KILL!

As the ganger’s body toppled backwards, Mai stamped her feet in frustration. Absorbing her weapon, she headed back to the shopping district to find another ganger to speak to.

*

“Stop fighting!” Mai ducked under a vicious cut from a sword, spinning away from the edge of a shield as her opponent tried to drive it into her face. “I just want to talk!”

Raising her shield, she barely stopped the ganger from booting her in the gut, the force still drove her backwards.

DAMAGE! 1%

STAGGERED

“Fuck no!” pressing home their attack, the ganger grinned as they activated a skill, a TORNADO glyph appearing above their head.

Shit, Mai gritted her teeth as the ganger went into a frenzied sword attack, blade blurring they moved so quickly.

DAMAGE! 5%

BLEED @5% PER SECOND

DAMAGE! 10%

INTIMIDATED!

Fucking notifications, Mai hated being told what she already knew, already felt. Blood ran down her thigh from where the ganger had cut her. Activating HEAL LIGHT WOUNDS, she gave up all pretence of trying to take the ganger alive.

“Not fair…” the bullet blew out the back of the ganger’s head, brains and yellow shards of skull painting the wall behind them.

“Dammit!” Raged Mai as she slid to the ground and let her nanites stitch her skin back together. This was the fourth ganger to refuse to speak to her. All seemed to be both scared and excited to meet her. This last one had breathed ‘finally’, as she’d approached, leaping straight into the attack.

“Finally what, arsehole?” Mai kicked the ganger’s corpse. “Finally what?”

Throwing her hands up in frustration, she started to make her way back to base.