"So ebon, why are you here instead of joining SLA?" Rachael had propped herself up in the bunk now that they where finally moving again after 2 days of hiding in the carpark and feeling much better for not having been jolted to pieces by the APC’s rough suspension. Felix wanted to be riding in the first APC with Gary and listen to his stories rather than be stuck here and be turned inside out by the uncaring tongue of Rachael. At least the lieutenant was here so he’d stop her if she got too nasty and Buzz was in the other APC as well, which he didn't fancy sharing the back with.
"I didn't want to end up like my father, he was an operative, for awhile."
"He died as a result?"
"He may as well have."
"Spit it out child, did he die or not? Theres no use in mixing words with me, explain it in black and white. Not maybes."
"He was a medic for a successful squad until he got to SCL 5 and then he became a necanthrope, killed my family and I ran away before he could catch me. That was a long time ago, when I was 10."
"Good thats better," Rachael saw the tears start to line the pretty green eyes and knew she was finally getting somewhere with this one. "They will ask you these questions and more when we get back. Some you wont like answering. So can you read and write?"
Felix suddenly felt more alone than he had in a long time and wondered if this was the right thing he was doing. Running away from the gang to join a band of misfits on the run being chased by the largest and most powerful force in the universe. It had a certain romantic appeal to it, which he liked but the reality would be a lot tougher than he was used to.
"I can read and write quite well thankyou, I studied a lot of my fathers medical books too."
"So you’ll be a medic, doctor or something rather than a soldier or part of a foldship crew?"
"Yes, I’d like to be a doctor. Its something Im good at and Im not much of a shot with a gun or Blast."
"Thats nice to know. Get my computer, radio and clothes, I want to get up for awhile and stretch."
"Are you sure you’re ok to be moving about?"
"Now." The glare shot back was enough to convince him that she was either well enough or it would be her own damn fault if she wasnt and Felix scuttled off in the cramped APC immediately.
Cray was happy with the distance they where making, though the 16 hour long days where starting to cramp up his back muscles and make jelly out of his spine. Across from him was the battle taxi with Gary and Buzz emerging to take into account their latest position, from the looks of the corporal he wasnt in much better shape than he was. As they had driven east the sprawling tenement blocks and industrial facilities had finally given way to a shattered and blasted landscape of ruins, long since abandoned and not much more than shells that the howling wind and rain sought to pummel into the mud. Behind them the muddy tracks quickly filled with mud and water, he’d never seen rain like this, never this hard and furious the wind even rocked the vehicles as it buffeted the armoured sides and made the suspension creak and groan. "They picked an arsehole of a place to get to sir, real no mans land out this way. You wouldn't want to get lost, anyway theres only about another 4 hours to where we’re supposed to get to. Should we do it tomorrow morning?"
"Damn straight, you’d have to tie me back in there to make me go any further tonight. How’s the wicked witch this fine evening?" The ebon boy looked up from his ration pack wide eyed at being included in the discussion, without anyone chewing him out about his past life.
"She’s, back to some of her former strength," he managed to come up with something reasonably diplomatic and as inoffensive as possible.
"Good," Cray grinned with his red rimmed eyes, "finish your dinner and tell the good lady that you’ll be on watch with her tonight while we rest up." Felix left them after the quick meal to rest up in the battle taxi and made his way back to the other APC, stalking along behind him was the manchine. Slinking along on perfectly silent pistons and servos, it was unnerving to see the robot move that quietly considering its weight and size. The manchine came in closer to the point where Felix could see the sensor arrays blinking blood red in the head array and wondered if the robot was here to kill him, as it had probably done to hundreds, if not thousands of others since it had been created. There would be no point in running, trying to read a glyph in the dark to fold out the way, "come out of the rain you idiot!" Rachael yelled from the partially open door of the APC with her computer in hand and Felix didn't waste any more time looking at the manchine poised barely 6 feet way, coiled up and ready to kill him.
"Thank god! It was about to kill me!"
"Take off your boots before you come in. I’ll not have you tracking mud everywhere." She looked down at him on the hard metal floor shivering, with something of an element of disdain creeping in on her features before closing the hatch.
"Buzz want going to kill you. He was there to make sure you didn't get lost in the dark." Felix watched her pick her way through the mess of the red-lit APC in those funny little rubber socks uptown ladies wore to keep their toes dry. He still wasnt convinced that Buzz was here to help, 17 years of seeing machines like that killing people on the TV could do that he mused, mind you, they where usually killing SLA ops so there had to be a good side to them.
"You two dont leave the APC, dont touch anything and dont do nothing"
"Can I have a real gun?"
"No!"
Cray would have just about given his left nut for another 4 seasoned troops right now and there was no way he was going to let Rachael and her pet ebon go running around with anything bigger than a pistol between them. The Darknight guys in their power armour didn't seem to relax any more after seeing the Thresher armour clamber out of the APC’s and a few visibly cringed back behind cover. There wasnt any markings on the armour so for now he had to assume they where probably just local converts, amateurs and he didn't like dealing with amateurs, they where unpredictable and did stupid things.
It wasnt every day that 2 SLA APC’s just came rolling up to the doors of their little shanty town out here in the rust belt and some of the locals peeked out from their corrugated iron shelters for a look. A suit of battered, black Crackshot armour made its way through the dozen or so Darknight guards and came out to meet Cray and Gary who was wondering if they would have to do this the hard way yet.
"Ah, its Mr X. Prompt as always. I see you’ve finally come out in your natural colours, had us guessing for some time as to who you worked for." Mary-Lee raised the visor and started talking to Gary in the larger suit of Oneway armour believing it to be Cray and not recognising the subtle differences in rank markings on the shoulder. For awhile he was going to let her make a fool of herself but decided he didn't need her pissed off at him in front of her goons, "over here Mary, thats my corporal." She hopped about nervously as if stung and looked over at the smaller suit of armour with its visor lifted slightly, "sorry about that Mr X, guess we can’t come down to first names yet after all these months?"
The goons wandered off into the rain with their submachineguns and left them there to talk it out alone, Mary-Lee looked slightly uncomfortable about the whole fact that they where doing so. "I guess most people call me Cray ma’am, can we come out of the rain an’ talk? It’s been a long trip."
"Its a bit unpatriotic to be wearing the Crackshot isn't it Mary?"
"Same could be said for running around in bright green body toilet paper Mr Cray, but both tend to attract less in the way of bullets now dont they?"
For their trouble of getting this far she’d arranged for them to have a rusty tin shed shared with a Darknight helicopter crew patching up their little black machine that had collected more than its fair share of groundfire. She wasnt exactly enthused about the manchine that crept out of the APC either so Cray made Rachael shut Buzz down for the time being, he was reluctant to part with the battle taxi that had been their sanctuary for so long. But there was only room for one on the shuttle that was supposed to be carrying them out of here and if the Darknight chose to welch on the deal then he could always just cut Buzz loose and that would be that.
Cray did his best to keep Mary-Lee’s nose out of the Hammer APC but eventually Rachael and Felix emerged to have a look around, he sighed in silent frustration at them. Especially Rachael who was wearing the suit of Endeavour like a new recruit and hadn't done up the environmental sealing properly on the legs. Gary knew enough not to let on enough to Mary-Lee, who watched with bemusement as Cray went over and began chewing them both out quietly and fiddling with the armour.
"I’d make sure that the pretty little girl and the ebon dont stray too far Mr Cray."
"Why is that?" Rachael spat back venomously and did her best to avoid Cray tampering with the armour.
"We share this little spot with some others who would quite happily make a good profit from pretty young people. Unless of course Mr Cray is looking to sell you, whereby I can arrange a meeting," Mary-Lee added in her own serious manner, that had Rachael blanch slightly and the ebon looked even more nervous.
"Dont tempt me ma’am," Cray grumbled and finished doing up the armour and wondered if he should just take it offline and bundle her and the ebon back inside the APC.
"Well, we share with a few Skin traders that want to move produce off planet. Not that I agree with the practice but they pay a lot of money and bring a bit more firepower along to help protect the base. Like your money is as good as theirs and usually comes with less strings attached. Dont cause any problems with them, we’ve all got SLA gunning for us and dont need extra bother."
"So, what are they worth?" Gary asked with an evil smirk on his face.
Mary-Lee picked up on the game quick enough and replied without breaking a pause, "The ebon, he’s worth a fair amount, maybe 50 to 80 Kay to a mercenary group somewhere as a medic. Of course a real pervert with a predilection for ebons could pay much more."
"Hey, we picked him up for about half that, want to turn a profit boss?" Cray mumbled a "no" and led Felix over to the fireplace where the pair where having their dinner. Reluctantly he sat down near the woman and tried to avoid staring at the armour and her scars.
"Now, the little girl. Well, she’s not exactly a girl anymore are you dear? Good looking face, nice boobs, long legs, good health and provided she hasn’t been around the block too many times could be worth about as much as 50 Kay."
"Sold," grumbled Cray and he helped himself to the pot of coffee.
"And just how much are we worth to you selling us out to SLA Mary?" Rachael saw fit to throw a damper on the joke now that she’d been made fun of and slightly insulted.
"More trouble than it’s worth, that you can be sure of."
Cray started to feel bad about their earlier joke on the younger members, in between Gary’s snoring in the gun turret he could hear them whispering down in the bunk about it. Trying to hatch plans about busting out the children from the slavers, Rachael wanted to pool their money and see if they could buy some out of bondage, neither had more than a couple of thousand uni’s to throw anywhere near what they would need. The more adventurous ebon just wanted to blast them to pieces, with a swift jerk Cray pulled away the silver sleeping bag exposing the two conspirators underneath who cowered back in fear.
"You dont try anything not here, not ever without my permission. We’re leaving in 3 hours and Im not having either of you stuff it up, understand?"
"Not even if we did it real quiet like?" Felix ventured a suggestion, his eagerness faded as Cray shook his head slowly.
"No, the slaves will just have to find their own way out of their problem."
"They dont have a chance in hell of getting out, you know that Lieutenant. It would be the right thing to do", Rachael decided to try and change his mind which took him slightly by surprise. He’d always taken her to be completely unsympathetic to anyone she didn't need and here she was lecturing to him about justice, while consoling a miserable ebon no less.
"No. Theres no room for them and we cant cut them loose out here in the badlands, they’d just die anyway."
Cray really hated it when people made him feel guilty, but he hated being on this miserable planet even more.