by M. D. Cooper
A bright light flashed against the operation center’s windows, and several people within the room screamed.
“Triangulate that,” Chase said. “You’ll see where it came from. We control all but a handful of ships within half a light second, and the Sepans have changed sides. You’re done. This will be a Marauder system by the end of the day.”
“Marauders take systems now, do they?” Fels growled, having recovered from the shock of beamfire playing against the control center’s windows.
Chase shrugged. “It’s becoming a habit, I know. Now, order all your troops on the station to stand down immediately and move to the docking bays to surrender.”
“And if I don’t?” Admiral Fels growled.
Brilliant light once again played against the windows of the operations center. Chase saw the plas begin to crack, and several people ran to the doors only to find them sealed.
“Last chance,” Chase said, praying that Fels wouldn’t suspect he was bluffing. He hadn’t the stomach to murder a whole room of defenseless people.
Fels drew in a deep breath, ready to lash out with a harsh rebuttal, but then the man appeared to deflate, the fight gone out of him. His shoulders drooped, and he nodded. “OK, you win, you…I’m sending the message.”
“Good.” Chase nodded, not even trying to stop the predatory smile that spread across his lips. “You all stay put.”
Chase felt a moment of dizziness wash over him, and he put a hand on a console to steady himself.
“Stars…we did it.”
VICTORY
STELLAR DATE: 09.21.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Fury Lance
REGION: Ursa Station, Sepe System (Independent)
“Stars,” Rika muttered. “It feels like someone parked the I2 inside my skull. What happened?”
“So we lived?” Rika whispered as she opened her eyes to see that she was laying on her bed in her quarters aboard the Fury Lance.
Rika tried to sit up, but the pounding in her head intensified, and she fell back onto her pillow—which also hurt more than she thought it would.
“Normal?” Rika whispered. “What the hell does that even mean? What did they do to me?”
Rika closed her eyes, wishing away that vision. “Stars, Niki, that’s disgusting.”
“You’re not exactly ‘nestled in with them’.”
“Rika?” a voice asked from the foot of her bed, and Rika opened her eyes again to see Chase approaching.
“Oh, good, you didn’t die,” Rika whispered.
“Die?” Chase asked, looking wounded as he sat on a chair next to the bed. “I had too much work to do after you went poof to die.”
“Poof? Is that what happened to me? Feels like more than ‘poof’.”
Chase took her hand, his touch gentle, and Rika realized she was still wearing her human limbs. Chase wasn’t, though, and the hard edges of his mech hand felt good against her palm.
“Well, I got scared shitless when you disappeared, but then Niki was still around, so I knew you were OK.”
“That’s the weirdest—and weakest—metaphor I’ve ever heard,” Rika muttered. “So, what happened?”
Chase chuckled and shook his head before replying. “Well, I threatened to kill everyone in the station ops center if they didn’t get all the Niets to stand down. Fels put up a bit of a fight, but in all honesty, he was done. Worn down to a nub. He surrendered, and we were able to rescue you.”
“Awww…” Rika laughed—then wished she hadn’t. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them once more and continuing. “Threatening the safety of an entire station just to save me. You’re such a romantic, Chase.”
“Are you sure you should be awake and talking?” he asked, his brows knitting with worry. “Niki?”
“Yeah,” Rika said with a wan smile on her lips. “I need to rest easy. What about the Seppies?”
Chase’s worried expression turned into a winning smile. “Your little ruse worked. The Niets turned on the Sepan Space Force, and the leaked message turned the Seppies against the Niets and their General Saz. Funny thing, though…when it all came out in the wash, Saz was in cahoots with Fels. Their local government has imprisoned him. While that was going on, just about every single Nietzschean ship in the system ended up surrendering. There are two currently trying to escape, but the Asora and Capital are hot on their tails.”
Rika grinned as she imagined the consternation this would cause the Nietzscheans. “Another mysterious defeat that Constantine will only get sketchy details on.”
“All in a day’s work for Rika’s Marauders,” Chase replied. “Oh, shoot. I need to have a conversation with Alice before we have a chat with the new five-star in charge of the Seppie fleets.”
“Alice…” Rika whispered. “I’d almost forgotten about her. How did she do?”
Chase shook his head. “She’s been fine since I got back, but Heather had a pretty big blowout with her. Alice threatened to file charges against Heather, but I’ve smoothed it over—Borden helped, too. For now she seems back to her old self. Which Heather thinks is a ruse. Shoot, sorry; you didn’t need that right now. Don’t worry, it’s all under control.”
Rika patted Chase’s hand. “Good, because I’m about to pass out, here. Wake me if you need me.”
“You got it.” Chase leant over and brushed his lips against her forehead. “I love you, Rika. You’re amazing in every way.”
A lump formed in Rika’s throat, and she nodded silently before replying. “I love you too, Chase. Now get out there and take care of everything so I can just kick back and relax—once my brain shrinks back down to the size of my skull again.”
Chase stood, a soft laugh escaping his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
He stood gazing at her for a moment longer before she shooed him off.
“I’m serious. Go. Solve all the problems. Oh, and I want cake and fresh coffee and tarts when I wake. Strawberry tarts, a dozen at least.”
Chase stopped at the door and shook his head, a happy grin on his lips. “You got it, Colonel Rika.”
“Good,” she whispered, and closed her eyes once more.
Rika sighed.
Her thoughts began to drift, making increasingly less sense, a precursor to blessed sleep, when she suddenly heard Tanis’s voice. It was saying something…something about the mission.
Tanis?
[Rika.]
Rika realized that the words were being sent into her mind, not as Tanis’s voice, but as written text, as though she were reading a console’s display.
[Tanis? What is this?] Rika asked.
[Remembe
r QuanComm? You have one inside you.]
Rika struggled to remember the details of the QuanComm system. It was what had allowed the ISF to coordinate their jump into the Albany System four weeks ago. Real-time, instantaneous communication across any distance. Quantum entangled rubidium atoms kept within a third of a degree of absolute zero.
[There’s a QuanComm blade in me?] Rika asked, both amazed that such a thing was possible, and annoyed that Tanis had put it inside her without Rika knowing.
Maybe more than annoyed, maybe angry.
[Why?] she demanded.
[A pod, not a blade, can’t use it much. Sorry, I should have told you. Thought you might say no.]
[Why *in* me?]
[Tech too dangerous. Trust you to keep safe out there.]
Tanis’s explanation didn’t do much to assuage Rika’s disgruntlement, but she also knew that Tanis wasn’t the sort to do things without good reason.
[Well, I was nearly captured by the Nietzscheans, so it may have been a risk after all,] Rika countered.
[Smaller words,] Tanis replied. [Finite use.]
Rika sighed, remembering Finaeus discussing the system with Carson at one point. If the rubidium atoms warmed to three degrees kelvin, they would disentangle.
[OK.]
[Success in Sepe?]
It didn’t feel like success at the moment, but her objectives were met. [Yes. No Niets escaped.]
[Good. I have your next mission. Listen carefully.]
THE END
* * * * *
With the Sepe System saved from the Nietzscheans, Rika’s Marauders are ready for their next targets: military outposts at the edge of the Nietzschean Empire.
But Rika has changed. The mission has triggered an evolution of her mind that has changed her future in more ways than she could ever have imagined.
Things are about to heat up in the next book, Rika Infiltrator.
Read on for details about the different types of mechs, and the members of Rika’s Marauders.
MECH TYPES AND ARMAMENTS
While these are the standard builds and configurations documented by the Genevian Armed Forces (GAF), many mechs reached the field in mismatched configuration, or were altered after deployment.
Sometimes these alterations were upgrades, sometimes downgrades, as repairs were often made with whatever spare components were available at the time.
The mechs in the Marauders generally align with the stated configurations, though many have altered themselves over the years.
NOTE: The K2R and all 4th generation models were made by Finaeus Tomlinson, in concert with Rika’s Repair and Maintenance team, specifically Lieutenant Carson and Corporal Stripes.
K1R (Kill Ranger – Generation 1)
This mech is more of a two-legged tank than a mech. The K1R sports a central ‘pod’ where the human is situated. None of the limbs utilize human material.
K1Rs often had mental issues due to feeling as though they had lost all sense of humanity. When the Nietzscheans won the war, they did not release any K1Rs from their internment camps. It is not known if they kept them, or killed them all.
Until the discovery of the mechs in the Politica, there was only a single K1R in the Marauders (who had been under General Mill’s command at the end of the war). That mech has joined Rika’s company to assist the four K1Rs Rika freed from the Politica in re-integration.
K1R mechs have a variety of heavy armament, including massive chainguns, railguns, missiles (with and without tactical nuke warheads), electron beams, and proton beams. They also sport a variety of suppression devices, from pulse, to sonic, to portable grav shields.
K1R mechs were not made later in the war, due to their cost and mental instability.
There were rumors that a limited run of K2R mechs were made, but no credible reports exist.
Sub-Models:
All K1R models could be outfitted with interchangeable armament, excepting the base model, which could not carry the tactical nukes.
K1R – The base K1R model was made in the early years of the war, and lacked the coordination and reactive armor of the later models.
K1R-M – The ‘M’ K1R added in the reactive armor, and included upgraded railguns with more advanced scan and target tracking systems. These mechs carried two missiles in launcher pots in their backs. They could be (and often were) upgraded to support the tactical nuke warheads on the missiles.
K1R-T – The ‘T’ model was a similar configuration to the ‘M’, but came standard with tactical nuclear warheads. Instead of the pair of launchers the K1R-M sported, the ‘T’ model carried as many as twelve missiles.
K2R-MBM – Based on designs Corporal Stripes had stolen from at the end of the war, the K2R-MBM took the idea of tank mech and raised the bar.
The Genevian military never had the energy to power their plans for the K2R mechs, but with miniaturized critical energy modules and ISF-grade SC batteries, the dreams of the GAF came into being under Finaeus’s guidance.
The K2R-MBM is piloted by two AM-4 mechs (leveraging a part of the AM-T spec), one which who manages movement and main-arm weapons, and another who controls the secondary arms, defensive systems, and secondary weapons systems.
On top of existing armament, the K2R-MBM brings to bear variable density proton beams, nanonet missiles, electron lashes, mortars (both thermite and HE), rapid-fire DPU cannons, as well as ground-hugger missiles.
The mech also functions as a rearmament center for its squad, and attack drone deployment system.
AM (Assault Mech)
The AM mechs represented the bulk of the GAF’s mechanized infantry program. It is estimated that over ten million AMs were created during the war, and over one hundred thousand are known to have survived. Many joined mercenary outfits or the militaries of other nations.
AM model mechs were a ‘torso only’ design, where none of the human’s arms and legs were retained. The original idea was to make their cores swappable with K1R models, but it turned out that the mechanized infantry design of the AM models was generally more effective than the ‘walking tank’ design of the K1R models.
AM models were versatile mechs which had swappable loadouts. The improvements over time were mostly centered around human-mech integration, armor, and power systems.
AM mechs were often outfitted with chainguns, shoulder-mounted railguns, and electron beams.
Without known exception, AM mechs were always male.
Sub-Models
AM-1 – The original model of AM. Fewer than 100,000 AM-1 mechs were made, and none were known to have survived the war.
AM-2 – The AM-2 mechs quickly superseded the AM-1s, with better armor, more efficient power systems, and superior human-mech integrations.
AM-3 – The third generation of AM mech had upgraded power supply systems, and an artificial epidermis to remove the need for periodic removal and cleaning. Some AM-3s were also AI capable.
AM-T – Design specs for AM-T mechs exist, but it is not known if any were made by the Genevians. The AM-T design utilized two AM-3 mechs working together in one larger body, controlling more limbs and separating motion and combat functions.
AM-4 – Designed by Finaeus Tomlinson, the AM-4 mechs are a step closer to humanity for the mechanized warriors. With stub limbs (like RR-3 and SMI models). The AM-4 mechs also utilize the MK-99 chameleon armor epidermis.
AM-4s now support fully-swappable limbs with all other models, though they still possess the heaviest frames, and are capable of carrying heavier weapons, more ammunitions, and heavier armor than any other mech type.
The 4th generation model now possess internal, torso mounted a-grav units for added mobility and stabilization.
RR (Recon/Ranger)
The RR model of mech was the precursor to the SMI model. RR’s were based on both male and female humans, though smaller humans were used for RR models than AM and FR mechs.
These mechs were similar to AM models, except they were physically smaller and
lighter. This allowed RRs to handle light aircraft/drop deployments.
As a compromise, they had smaller power sources, and could only operate for 2-3 days in the field.
Their loadouts were swappable with AM models, but they rarely utilized the chainguns.
Sub-Models
RR-1 – This model of mech began to appear on the battlefield around the same time as the AM-2 mechs. They utilized the power upgrade of the AM-2 mechs to have smaller power systems, but they also had a smaller power capacity. In theory, the new batteries of the AM-2 line should have worked, but they had overheating issues in the field, and more than one RR-1 had battery detonation when utilizing multiple firing systems.
RR-2 – The RR-2 mechs were rolled out around the same time as the AM-3s, and had few significant changes other than improved armor, and marginally longer-lasting power that no longer suffered from overload issues.
Second gen RR-2 mechs were also skinless, like AM-3 and SMI mechs.
RR-3 – The RR-3 mechs reached the field shortly before the end of the war, and were different in that they had partial legs, like SMI mechs. This was done as a cost/component-saving measure.
RR-4 – These mechs moved a step closer to the SMI spec, gaining the MK-99 chameleon armor epidermis, and becoming lighter—even with their new stub limbs—thanks to advanced materials provided by the ISF.
The RR-4s use the same swappable weapons mounts as all mechs, but have high-output a-grav units in their thighs. These units allow them to fly at low altitudes (up to three hundred meters) and provide additional zero-g maneuvering options without using armor-based systems.
Seven of the RR-4s took the option for an additional set of arms and the brain modifications required to control the extra limbs.
FR (Force Recon)
Force Recon mechs were mechs that had the lighter drop capabilities of the RR mechs, with the additional power and armor of AM-3 models. All FR mechs were skinless.
Sub-Models
FR-1 – The first generation of FR mechs were limited run, and had both weight and power load distribution issues.