Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Names defined people. To know a person's name was an honor. To use it was a privilege. To own a name was a right.

So what did it say about her, that she sold her own name?

"We're close to Rubicon." The Handler spat. "Wake the dog up."

Sparked back into consciousness against her will, she jolted sharply against her restraints, gasping at filtered air fed to her face via a tube. Targeting lasers shot into her barely opened eyes, calibrating her head's up display and weapons systems.

And then the memories came. Haunted screams and a shattered mind. The longing for the intimacy of another's palm in her hand. The tickle of another's hair against her nose. The brush of lips against her cheek.

/HANDLER "WALTER": VERIFIED

/ACTIVATING CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE

The regulation AI activated the glowing red ring on her neck, and her mind turned to ice. Eyes refocused with the purpose of the mission, the certainty of combat. The longing, the yearning, the desperate desire to utter another's name, all taken, all gone.

Looking down with the sensors of her descent pod, she saw the world that was not her home.

Rubicon III. Forge world in a distant sector of space so far from old Earth. Cold and dusty and grey, and built up with massive megastructure industries that spanned the planet, covering half the surface in a metal shell. Above the world, six rings, all artificial, in various states of functionality. Two of the rings lined with millions of mirrors, doing their damnedest to warm and lighten the world, a task the cold dead star wasn't up to alone. A pair of weaponized rings crossed the planet at an angle, keeping a tight defense grid that shot at any unauthorized entry, and occasionally reached down to the surface to glass anyone dumb enough to stray within their targeting range. The fifth ring was obliterated, denying the sky with it's billion fragments of metal traveling at orbital velocity.

The sixth ring, the highest and the oldest, was also the most dead. It had been built before the unnatural death of the star, back when Rubicon had been the new center of human mega industry, meant to surpass the Earth with it's output. Now, the shattered and unrecognizable sixth ring had settled into a more natural orbit along the planet's equator, a relic of a time before.

Retro thrusters burning her speed down, her descent pod slowed and fell near vertically, face first for herself. This aggravated one of the defense stations on the nearest ring, causing the red eye of an angry god to regard her with deadly malice, and fire a massive rail gun at her descent pod.

Knocked off course, the rear half of the descent pod was destroyed, allowing her to survive. Dropping down below the layer of unnatural golden red clouds that shined brilliantly from the dim light of the cold star, the descent pod continued falling.

Explosive bolts fired, freeing her from her falling tomb, and ejecting her tool of the trade. Armored Core. Sixth Generation. A millennium of combat and then some proving that these were weapons with no equal. War after war, and battle after battle, with no end in sight.

Falling towards the planet spanning industrial city, the roof of which sat some seven kilometers above the surface, where the massed network of transportation lines ran. Hung under this roof and in between the kilometer wide mega-pillars holding it up were tens of thousands of industrial stalactites each at least five kilometers tall.

The reentry vehicle exploded behind her, her Armored Core in free fall, she slipped in between the holes of the roof and onto the vast industry below the outer shell.

/AUGMENTED HUMAN "C4-621" HAS AWAKENED

With nothing in her heart but the mission at hand, 621 moved with the familiar motions of war. To take lives. To take names.

Chapter Text

After fucking around in space for a millennium, humanity wasn't the only species out there anymore. None of them were aliens though, just machines they'd built along the way.

At least some of those machines were known as Jenson model Worker Drones. A type of humanoid android, just a few inches above four feet tall, and manufactured by a corporation known as JCJenson (IN SPAAAAACEE!).

The base model were all identical. A vaguely spherical white upper core and white cylindrical hip section separated by a black load-bearing artificial muscle that comprised their stomach area. Their limbs were all silver metal moveable conduit, with white four-fingered hands, and feet usually hidden by working boots. The head was overly large but not unsettlingly so, and also divided; with the lower section being a white mouth with a single, unbroken, blade like tooth for upper and lower jaws, with lips that could either be so small as to be imperceivable, or stretched into an ear-to-ear smile. The upper portion of the head was a black visor which hid the optical cameras, but did display false glowing eyes that allowed the drone to express a variety of emotions by changing the shape of their eyes or displaying status messages or error messages.

It was definitely a design-by-committee approach to making a robot appear as human as possible while still obviously being a robot, and never truly crossing anywhere close to the uncanny-valley. To that extent, the droids could be called cute, as though they were large dolls.

In their standard, corporate approved configuration, the Worker Drones were genderless, and wore clothing consisting of a hard-hat and some other job-appropriate apparel. For the drones of the exoplanet Copper IX, that had been orange work vest.

Unfortunately, the humans had mishandled a large fusion core on Copper IX and caused it to implode with catastrophic results. The resulting endothermic reaction destroyed all biological life on the planet, and left the humans as little more than frozen-upright skeletons. With nothing better to do, the Worker Drones committed the most peaceful rebellion in known history, going rogue to create their own society.

The first-generation drones, that is all the robots manufactured by humans, began to personalize themselves, though for their case that was limited to making a binary decision on gender identity, changing the color of their eyes and jackets, wearing wigs for the "female" drones, possibly adding facial hair for the "male" drones, or even arbitrarily worsening their vision optimization in order to wear glasses.

The second-generation drones, drones built by other drones, had a slightly more interesting development cycle. The first gen drones decided it would be fun to build the second generation intermittently, starting them as untrained neural-networks shaped as large eggs, and progressively adding their components over the course of several years, giving them a pseudo-childhood. After choosing an identity to match their parent given name, the second gen drones were much more open about their personalization, choosing more exotic colors or designs for themselves.

Uzi was one of these second-generation drones. With her personality core set roughly to eighteen human years old and with the emotional maturity of an "angsty-rebellious teen", she choose to wear a black hoodie and black striped beanie, whilst wearing a short cut, dark purple wig and having her eye's RGB setting on neon purple. As far as she could tell, she was the first drone of her species with enough introspection to recognize them for what they were. The entirety of her species of artificial life form could be summarized into three words: Cowardly. Expendable. Stupid.

She knew this, because for more than a decade, her species had been hunted with genocidal intent by another JCJenson product. They were apparently called Disassembly Drones, but her people had another name for them: Murder Drones.

A full foot taller, the Murder Drones only had three things physically different about them to set them apart from Worker models, other than their yellow eyes and height difference. Their limbs were segmented like a human, with a hard white metal separated at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and knees; unlike the dozen or so segments of a Worker's limb. They had a second set of five glowing yellow eyes mounted above their head along a headband like structure. Lastly, they had a ten-foot-long tail, tipped with a syringe filled with Nanite acid. (Unrelated but notable, the female Murder Drones had peglegs and wide hips.)

However, to assist in their objective of genocide against Uzi's colony of rogue drones, the Murder Drones had other tools and motivations. They were armed with a variety of deadly blades and weapons that could be stored in their forearms. They had a set of retractable bladed wings with a twenty-five-foot span. And they had an insatiable appetite for the inner components and oil that filled a Worker Drone.

So, essentially, robot vampires. The three Murder Drones that plagued her colony had even taken to piling the corpses of their victims into a skyscraper spire in the center of the nearby city, likely for dramatic effect.

And what had been her people's response? Build three large doors and hide in a bunker.

For herself, Uzi had plans, dangerous plans and desires. She had even built a magnetically amplified photon converter…a kind of plasma railgun, to possibly kill the Murder Drones. There was just one problem. Headshots didn't work.

Though, that had allowed her to learn more about her enemy, as the one she had shot in the head had been temporarily blinded and had part of it's short term memory wiped, allowing her to learn the names of her enemies. Such as N.

"Oh, hi Uzi!"

Which lead to the current predicament. After getting information out of N, she'd…lost track of time. Now, looking around her current surroundings, she didn't know where she was.

It looked like a cargo bay, drab and darkly lit, and filled to the brim with her people…and her enemy. All of them locked into contraptions that kept their legs and arms stretched, less like people, more like cargo.

"What…what's going on? N?" Uzi tentatively asked, somewhat fearfully.

N, the male Murder Drone, was the tallest of the three that they knew. He wore a black coat that extended down to his knees, and a pilot's hat on his short silver hair. Her people had another name for him though. The Stupid One, since a whole one-in-four of his victims managed to escape and survive, as opposed to one-in-twenty for the other two. Still, having talked to him recently after he had regrown his own head, he wasn't a terrible person. It even seemed he was disrespected amongst his own kind.

"Haha, tell you the truth, I don't know either. I'm kind of terrified." N laughed as he answered. It seemed to be how he handled stress.

"N, stop talking to the enemy." One of the female Murder Drones growled. J. She was the shortest of the three, wearing a short business suit and skirt, with her silver hair parted between two pigtails. Besides the yellow armband all Murder Drones wore on their left arm and caution tape at the end of their limbs, she had her shins painted in black, giving them the impression of knee-high stockings. Uzi's people called her The Mean One, because she had a tendency to go on long, meaningless tirades to demean her prey before killing them.

"S-Sorry J." N bowed his head.

The other Murder Drone in proximity was also…interesting. She was known as V, and she was currently trying to bite her own arms off and escape her confinement. She had neck length silver hair and was dressed in a black crop coat with a fur collar and had her legs painted to look like thigh-high stockings…but not much else.

Though since no drone possessed genitalia, no one ever questioned that most drones never wore pants or skirts when there was nothing to cover up. Clothing was more an accessory item and less about modesty.

V also had a nickname among the Worker Drones. The Crazy One, since she was often laughing maniacally while tearing them limb from limb.

"V, stop trying to bite your arms off. It's not going to work." J ordered.

"MmmMmmMmm!" V growled back.

Also within the cargo bay were several other drones that Uzi recognized, such as her classmates from high school…yes, a robot high school, as well as her father, Khan. Khan wore a set of red goggles on his hard hat and had a mustache glued to his face. Otherwise he had simple white eyes with simulated wrinkles to imply age and wore a blue work vest.

As much as she didn't want to associate with the Murder Drones, Uzi realized she would probably need their help to get out of their shared predicament. Looking up the side of their contraption, she noticed how their tails had been wrapped around the top with wire, not exactly free, but not secure either. Plus, on the side of N's contraption…

"N!" Uzi realized. "There's a control panel near your tail! If you can flip it you could get out!"

"Oh? Hmm. But I can't see it?" N complained, wiggling his tail randomly.

"Okay. I'll help you, but let me out too, okay?" Uzi reasoned.

"Alright. Seems like a good plan." He agreed.

"Uzi! Are you trying to help out the Murder Drones?! Stop this instant!" Khan shouted.

"Well I don't see you doing anything useful to escape!" Uzi argued. "Okay N! A bit more to your right…no, your other right!"

"Sorry, I'm kinda twisted up." N struggled, swinging his tail back and forth. "Oh, I hit something? Was that it?"

"Yes! Just push on that control a bit more!" Uzi encouraged.

With a bit of help, N managed to strike the release for his restraints, letting his hands and feet free.

"Whippe! I'm free!"

"Nice work, maybe you aren't so useless." J mockingly cheered. "Now come on over and help your squad out."

"N, let me out! You promised!" Uzi argued.

"N, don't let that toaster out." J ordered back,

"Oh…well…I did promise. Don't worry J, V, I'll get you guys too." N assured them. He then reached up and released Uzi.

"T-Thanks." Uzi hesitated. Murder Drones were very fast. Should he so choose, he could rend her apart in less than a second.

"Oh, you idiot N." J shook her head.

"Hey!" Uzi walked over to J, confronting the confined drone. "You know you don't have to be mean to him!"

"I'm not having this conversation with a barely sentient toaster." J turned her head away, trying to ignore her.

Uzi sighed. "Look, I don't like you guys much either, but we have no idea where we are-!"

"We're on a ship." V spoke up.

"We…what?"

"Yeah. There's a gentle rumble. It's a fusion drive on a one-G burn." V confirmed.

"Okay…well…we still have no idea where we are going or why we are going there! For all we know we've been repossessed by the company." Uzi argued with J. "So, are you really going to bother with all the murder if you don't even know if your orders are still valid?"

"…" A buffering circle appeared on the corner of J's visor, while her eyes went hollow with digital wrinkles. In this instance her expression meant she was unsettled but also thinking hard. "Fine…we won't wipe out your people until we get a better idea of what's going on and where we are going." J reluctantly agreed.

Uzi and N let V and J free, to which J immediately pushed Uzi to the ground.

"But…If I find out my original orders are still standing, then I'm killing you first." J purred.

"Bite me!" Uzi shouted back. "Now help me let everyone else out."

"Very well. It's not like they could escape since we're in a ship." J agreed. They released the first couple of Worker Drones in their proximity.

"Wow, Uzi, you got us out!" Thad, a green-eyed drone wearing a backwards baseball cap with a personality core set to "high-school jock", praised her. "Awesome."

"Cool. Thanks freak." Lizzy, a blonde, pink eyed drone wearing a red cheerleader outfit with a yellow bow on her helmet, with a personality core set to "popular girl", thanked sarcastically.

"Thanks…" Doll, a purple haired, red eyed drone also in a cheerleader outfit who exclusively spoke Russian, thanked meekly, averting her gaze. For whatever reason, Doll was almost always in some state of minor distress, with her eyes hollowed. As for her Russian, all the Drones had auto-translators for old-Earth languages, so she was never misunderstood.

"Uzi, you're working with the Murder Drones now?" Khan accused.

"Until we can figure out what's going on or where we are going. Why? What were you going to do, dad? Build a door across the room and forget they're trapped with us, too?" Uzi argued back, annoyed at her cowardly father.

"Right, that's enough for now." J dismissed. "Let's get to the bridge and see if we can question the crew."

"Okay." Uzi agreed. Opening the door out of the cargo hold, there was only a very short hallway leading to a tall ladder. "What…?"

"What? Never been on a spaceship before?" V gestured. "Hope you're ready for a long climb."

"Yeah…" N signed. "Ships are built like towers. It's supposed to make navigation easy during long burns."

"Eh, well I've never been to space, so lead the way." Uzi dismissed.

After several minutes of climbing, they found the bridge, hearing the sound of pleasant humming of some song they didn't know.

"Uh…hello?" Uzi called out.

"Hmm, what?" A new voice in a Texan accent answered back. "Who's there?"

Walking around the bridge of the ship, there was no one other than the four drones.

"Where are you?" N questioned.

"Oh, I'm over here." A black cylinder the size of a thermos popped up from a central console, before sinking back in. "KA-31, at your service."

"What…are you?" Uzi questioned.

"Why darling, I'm this ship's AI Core." KA-31 answered.

There were many other, more specialized AI that existed across the cosmos now. This tiny machine was one of them. Supposedly, there were even machine gods that existed, brilliant minds with computing power beyond comprehension. But those were only a myth. Supposedly.

"I take it y'all are my cargo?"

"Hey, where is this scrap bucket taking us?" J threatened, deploying a laser cannon from her arm.

"Aww darlin don't be like that." KA-31 whined. "I'm just a workin stiff here. And hey, don't call her no scrap bucket. This ship here is the Canterbury, on course to Rubicon III."

"Rubicon. That's a human colony, but my files are incomplete." J complained. "What happened, why were we taken off of Copper IX?"

"Well, fraid I can't answer that." KA-31 would have shrugged, except that he didn't have a humanoid body. "I was just contracted to do a job."

"C-Can you take us back?" Uzi begged.

"No can do little lady." KA-31 explained. "Burned up all my reaction mass inserting to the Rubicon system. Gonna have to touch down and refill. Less you got a hundred thousand tons of re-mass hidden under y'all skirts, we are already in Rubicon's grav-well, and we are goin down."

"Okay…who contracted you?" V decided to ask. "What is your cargo?"

"That would be…JCJenson, to transport two million drones from Copper IX to Rubicon III. I imagine it has something to do bout the war."

"Aha! See! It is under company orders so you can't kill us all!" Uzi yelled at J. "Wait…what war?"

"Ha!" KA-31 laughed. "Imagine y'all not knowing bout the war."

"…" Uzi, N, V, and J all looked at each other uncomfortably. They had no knowledge of any war.

"Oh…oh…You don't know." KA-31 realized. "Well, that's probably for the best. Especially considering it's been over for a while."

"Okay…what war?" J demanded, redeploying her laser cannon.

"Hey, now, unless you know how to land a kilometer long super-freighter ass first into an atmosphere, then quit it." KA-31 snapped back. "I don't want to talk bout it, alright?"

"Hey…no need to be mean, J." N pushed J's arm down. "So…how close are we to Rubicon?"

"We'll be hitting atmo in ten minutes. Six minutes after that we'll touch down." KA-31 answered.

"Umm…hello?" Khan had arrived on the bridge, getting their attention. "Uh, you guys need to see what's in the last cargo hold."

"Hmm? What's down there? Mr. KA?" Uzi questioned.

"Hell if I know. Not all of the cargo is drones, I know that though. I think that bay was used by Jenson for some random objects they took from the planet." KA-31 added.

"Okay, then back down the ladder!" N cheered, leading the now five drones to the last cargo hold.

There wasn't anything that immediately stood out to them in that cargo hold, not as Uzi, N, V, and J scouted out. But Uzi did notice a long box with an interesting marking.

"Oh…?" She hummed, tentatively opening it, only to find her sick as hell railgun she'd made back on Copper IX. "Oh sweet! Hahaha!" She cackled madly, then checked the recharge timer. While it's charge was full and ready to fire, the recharge would take…

Her face morphed from excitement to one of confused horror. But that amount of time…The decay rate…

She was distracted as the door to the cargo hold closed and locked behind them.

"Hey, what the heck!" Uzi shouted. "Dad?!"

"I'm…I'm sorry Uzi." Khan bowed his head on the other side of the door. "But we can't trust those Murder Drones to keep their word."

"You freaking traitor!" V accused.

"Dad, what the heck are you doing?" Uzi shivered. As she watched, her dad accessed the "purge cargo" controls near the door.

"I'm sorry…but if I have to choose between you and our people…well." Khan frowned as he hit the release. "Goodbye Uzi."

"Dad! No Dad! No!" Uzi screamed as their cargo hold was ejected from the ship, tumbling against the upper atmosphere of Rubicon.

N, V, and J screamed in confusion while Uzi just shivered, betrayed and terrified.

"Well…I didn't see that coming." KA-31 called from the radio, his voice emanating from the control panel of the cargo hold. "Just damn."

"KA?" Uzi called out.

"Yeah. That was a dick move. If I had known what he was doin I would have warned y'all. Mostly because I don't like people ejecting parts of my ship without my permission. Really messes with my reentry calculations. But anyway that's not what I'm calling bout."

"What is it!?" V screamed back, tumbling against the walls of the cargo hold.

"That hold has airbrakes, retro-thrusters, and a parachute." KA-31 explained. "If y'all can access this panel, you can deploy them and not burn up and die."

Uzi tried reaching out for the panel, but couldn't as the hold kept tumbling through the air. "I can't reach it!"

"Well, y'all better figure somthin. I'm counting three minutes before you burn up in the atmo."

It took Uzi just another few seconds to come up with a plan. Reaching out, she grabbed N, holding onto his chest.

"N! Deploy your wings!"

"What?!"

"Just do it!" Uzi screamed back. "Get them lodged into the sides of the hold!"

"Okay!" N opened his wings, stabbing the blades at the tips into the sides of the cargo hold.

Forcing her feet against the side of the hold with N as an anchor, she was still just too far from the panel.

"Okay, V! J! You idiots too! Open your wings into the side of the hold and pin yourselves! Then give me your tails! I'll use them to pull myself closer to the control panel!"

"Fine!" V shouted back, lodging herself into one corner.

"Don't tell me what to do!" J screamed back, but did as she was told.

Tying N's tail around her waist, Uzi reached out and did the same with J's tail. Then she grabbed the end of V's tail and pulled herself over to the panel.

"Hey! Careful idiot!" V yelled at her.

"Okay! I'm at the panel!" Uzi cheered. "Opening Airbrakes!"

The hold stopped tumbling against the upper atmosphere, settling with it's bottom facing the rapidly approaching ground.

"Activating retro-thrusters!"

There was a loud hiss as emergency rocket motors burned their mass, slowing the cargo hold to a speed that wouldn't burn them up.

"Deploying parachute!"

Lastly there was a bang, then a clunk, followed by a whole lot of nothing.

"Hmm…" KA-31 called. "Ya know, I don't think that was supposed to happen."

"What?!" The four drones screamed.

"Well…space is a cold bitch. That parachute? Just a block of ice ejected out your ass. Eh…it happens." KA-31 reported somberly. "Good news is you are no longer going to die burnin up. Bad news is it's going to be a nasty landing. But y'all look like a pretty tough bunch. If y'all survive, hit me up! I'll be here a while! KA-31, out!"

"…" Uzi, N, V, and J stared at each other, then started screaming for the next few minutes as they fell out of orbit.

Four Minutes Later

Slamming into the ground at an angle is what saved them. Without windows or any other kind of feedback, all they could do was wait for the impact, screaming hopelessly all the while.

While it did come, it also did not. Suddenly they were back in freefall, screaming all the while, as the cargo hold tore itself apart around them.

They hit what had to be the ground again, but kept falling, and with a new rate of tumble. Still screaming but now confused, they tumbled down to the ground one last time, the cargo hold breaking up around them, letting in the light from outside. Uzi, N, and J stayed under most of the wreckage, while V was ejected a few feet away, outside, under the light of the sun.

V started screaming, and seeing her out in the sunlight, N and J started screaming too.

"Ahhh!" Uzi screamed along, but noticed that nothing was happening. "Ahhh…?! Why are we screaming?!"

V stopped screaming, and looked around herself. She shivered uncertainly, looking at her hands, how the light left her shadow against the sand dune she'd landed in. Grasping at golden rays between her metallic fingers, something not touched in so long she'd almost forgotten the feeling. Tentatively looking up, her eyes hallowed with uncertainty, amazement, and fear.

With similar uncertainty, N and J slowly stepped out into the light, standing by V, basking in the cold waste of the sun, as they looked up at the frightening world around them.

Lastly, Uzi stepped out of the ruined cargo hold, standing near the three Murder Drones. Their cargo hold had come to rest at the bottom of a great artificial valley, in the middle of a vast wasteland. Huge megastructures towered seven kilometers above them on all sides. It was as though someone had decided that the surface wasn't enough, and lifted a second surface up into the sky. Utterly massive metal and concrete structures that stretched across the horizon. An entire industrial city covering half the planet.

Directly over their heads, a dozen long train lines connected distant sections of the upper surface, crisscrossing at random intervals.

And far above that, bright golden-red clouds glowed against the sky, like a churning fire spilling with light.

"You guys…okay?" Uzi reluctantly asked. While V and J fearfully played with the sunlight between their fingers, N turned around, equally unsettled with eyes hollowed.

"We…burn up in sunlight." N explained simply. "It kills us."

"Oh…right…robot vampires." Uzi remembered. Then realized…if they burned in sunlight, why were they not burning in sunlight now? "That's…not the only weird thing."

"What…?" V asked reluctantly. Anything to get past the fear and uncertainty of her newfound freedom.

Uzi unslung her railgun, holding it to the side with a downcast expression. "I…built this gun to kill you guys…but that's not important." She gestured to the recharge timer. "When I built it though, it only took thirty minutes to recharge. It now takes sixty-four hours."

"That's…what?" J knew that something was wrong, but couldn't explain it herself.

"It uses an isotope to recharge, and judging by the half-life…" Uzi did the math quickly in her head. "We spent over a hundred years on that spaceship."

Lost and scared, four little machines found themselves trapped on the worst planet in all the cosmos. What came next, could only be dredged up from their worst nightmares.

The year was 3175. On Rubicon, there was only war.

Chapter Text

August 25th, 3175 (R799)

/DESCENT TO ISB2262 "RUBICON 3": COMPLETE.

"Your position is Grid 135." Her operator, Handler Walter, advised. He was an older gentleman, and currently spoke to her as through she was his property. That wasn't far off from the truth. "Off target, but within permissible range."

Her Armored Core, a Sixth Gen, ten-meter-tall, 2000 series medium weight cyclopean scout model with grey armor and a large sensor suite in the chest, and armed minimally with a cheap rifle, laser blade, and four cell missile launcher, had fallen through into an unused and decrepit area of massive conduit and void spaces…something Rubicon had in spades.

"There's a catapult ahead. Use it to close the gap." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" 621 sent a silent confirmation response. During her fall, her armor had taken roughly 30% damage. She decided to use one of three nanite repair packs stored in the armor to repair the damage. Following the advice of her Handler, she used her thrusters to fly forward, and found another void space. This time it was an unused loading area designed to pick up cargo from kilometers below and raise it up to a train yard.

There, she found a handful of small Muscle Tracers, four-meter-tall, automated bipedal turrets armed with light auto cannons. She made quick work of these enemies with her rifle, tearing apart their meager armor with 85mm autocannon rounds. Behind them had been a pair of vaguely humanoid, box shaped, eight-meter-tall Muscle Tracers, armed with heavy machine guns. Gliding quickly towards them, she cut them down with a single swipe of her blade.

At the end of the train yard, were another half dozen small Muscle Tracers. Using her missile launcher in multi-lock mode, she took out more than half in a single volley, most having never known what hit them, and finished off the rest with her gun. The whole engagement had been about thirty seconds, with not even a single scratch to her paint job. Gravity had been more dangerous than these enemies.

Passing through a narrow train line fifty meters wide, she came out into an open area with a view to the distant horizon and setting sun. Huge megastructure towers dotted the landscape, uncaring of the terrain below, even built into the side of mountains, and towering above them. In the foreground, just a few miles away was her target zone. A relatively normal looking city, long abandoned, and with a multi-kilometers long megastructure having fallen on half of it, leaving a crushed cylinder taller than even the skyscrapers of that city.

"See the contaminated city down there?" Handler Walter pointed out. "That's where you're landing. Access the catapult."

Like the catapults on old aircraft carriers, this one could launch all manner of cargo and vehicles miles away. It was an odd structure to find, pointed at the contaminated city as it was. Though disused structures built upon disused structures built upon disused structures built upon the megapillers that held it all up was a common sight on Rubicon.

Loading herself into the catapult, she waited as it locked her in place for a high-speed launch. She bent the knees of her Armored Core, and turned her back thrusters on to warm them up, letting them spit flames from her rear.

"Time to fly, 621."

The catapult shot her down, sending her flying forwards at twice the speed of sound in a second. She glided herself to the edge of the city, holding steady and on course.

"If we get our hands on Rubicon's Coral…we'll make a killing. Plenty for a merc with a fried brain like you to buy their life back…if that's what you even want anymore." Handler Walter sounded nearly excited.

"…" 621 ground to a halt as she hit the ground, sliding forward several meters, just about two kilometers short of the contaminated city, in a forest covered in snow.

"Enough chat. Back to work." Handler Walter ordered. "Scavenge the AC wrecks ahead and find a valid mercenary license. We're illegals here, you'll need ID to operate."

Four more humanoid Muscle Tracers blocked the way. The difference this time was these units were manned. Opening up with her rifle and missiles, 621 cut through their squad.

"An AC!? Where the hell did that come from!?" One of the pilots shouted fearfully.

"Affiliation unknown! Is it a merc!? Shut it down!" The squad leader ordered, but it was already too late as 621 drove a laser blade through his cockpit block.

"Guerillas from the Liberation Front." Handler Walter identified the enemy. "If they get in the way of our work, eliminate them."

The Rubicon Liberation Front. They tried to make themselves appear like some noble, resistance group fighting off the insatiable greed of the corporations for the ruinous world they called home. In reality, they were little more than a drug fueled cult, injecting the very Coral they claimed to protect directly into their brains. Dosers, they called them.

Flying down to the outskirts of the city, 621 caught another squad, their backs turned on the wall they were supposed to be protecting.

"Did you hear anything about what the corps are up to?" One woman asked on an open channel.

"Yeah, they'll be coming soon, they got us on the run." Her companion answered.

Their situational awareness was so poor, that 621 quietly maneuvered her ten-meter-tall AC behind the squad, and ran her blade through the woman pilots back.

"We're being attacked!" Her partner managed to scream, before 621 tore her blade out of the one mech and cut the one next to it in half.

"Unidentified AC! Return fire!" Another mech tried to coordinate, only to meet the same fate. Against these foes, she made her mark, cutting through them with terrible, relentless focus and utter apathy.

"…" Having cut down an entire platoon of RLF MTs, 621 moved to the first marked wreck, having been shot down there some time ago, left on a section of the fallen megastructure.

"Extract the pilot data. I'll analyze it from my end." Handler Walter advised. A few seconds to connect to the fallen pilot's black box pulled up their mercenary license.

Registration number: Rb18

Callsign: Thomas Kirk

Rank: 26/E

Affiliation: Independent

License Expired

"This one is already expired." Handler Walter noted with mild annoyance. "Keep looking."

"…" 621 flew up and away from the fallen megastructure, back into the flooded, contaminated city.

As she did, a super heavy combat helicopter commenced a strafing run through the main avenue a few hundred meters ahead, wiping out several platoons worth of RLF mechanized forces. The RLF soldiers cried out in fear of the massive weapon platform, trying to run away. 621 kept in between buildings, staying out of sight of the massive war machine.

"Code 23: Taking out the trash." The pilot of the helicopter announced as they killed dozens of RLF MTs.

"What?" Handler Walter seemed surprised at the arrival. "That's the PCA's planetside force. Keep a low profile, we don't want them breathing down our necks."

The PCA, or Planetary Closure Administration, was a massive paramilitary corporation that had the loose backing of distant Sol, and were entrusted to keep law and order on Rubicon. They'd long lost sight of their master's goals, and terrorized Rubicon to their own ends. No one liked the PCA, and the PCA hated everyone on Rubicon. But their technological prowess meant they always had the upper hand.

"…" 621 passively considered the helicopter, and went to salvage what she could in it's wake, finding another AC wreck from which she might steal a license.

Registration number: Rb29

Callsign: G7 Hakra

Rank: 22/D

Affiliation: Balam Industries

License expires in 12 hours

"Corp license. Easily traced. Forget it." Handler Walter spat.

"…" 621 moved, keeping low in the streets until she came to the next target site, guarded by another platoon of RLF mechanized, this time supported by a flight of combat drones armed with machineguns, and a MLRS variant humanoid Muscle Tracer. None of that mattered. She wiped out the flight with a wide spread of missiles and closed into melee range with a laser blade, cutting through the platoon one by one.

The platoon cut to ribbons, 621 uplinked to the nearby wreck.

"Let's see about this license." Handler Walter quietly hoped.

Registration number: Rb37

Callsign: Monkey Gordo

Rank: -/-

Affiliation: Independent

License expires in 15 days

"It's still valid, but the pilot's rank is no good. We can't use this." Handler Walter complained. "We've picked up one more wreck, 621. Transmitting marker, go and check it out."

The point of interest that appeared for 621 was high, at the top of a comparatively small megastructure building built into the side of a mountain. The position necessitated her to use a nearby vertical catapult, the mechanism propelling her straight up at the speed of sound, up the side of the excessively large building, and up to it's roof.

The wrecked AC was a similar model to hers, except for the head unit. It must have taken part in some great battle, as it left a considerably large crater in it's wake.

"Registration number Rb23. Rank fits the bill. Callsign…" Handler Walter was distracted as the PCA heavy attack helicopter returned, coming straight for 621 with weapons hot. "What? Looks like they were onto you after all."

"…" 621 considered her new opponent with unexcited thrill. Pumped to be facing a large and dangerous foe but utterly apathetic to it.

"Code 5: Unidentified AC spotted. Intercepting." The PCA pilot reported with a cold tone.

The AH12: HC Helicopter was more of a cargo plane that had two massive rotor assemblies in each wing. It was armed with two, four-barreled 50mm chin mounted turret machine guns, six dozen guided missile cells, and eight heavy unguided rocket cells. It was a flying fortress and, if she let it, could tear her apart in seconds.

621 wasted no time, immediately jumping up to mount the forward armored slope of the weapon platform, shooting point blank into it's armor and leaving long, melted scars with her laser blade. The pilot of the helo shook her off, and pulled away for another attack run.

"I'm in no mood to pick a fight with the PCA. But it doesn't matter. Take it out now and they won't have enough to ID you." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" 621 did as she was told, flying back after the helo, in the blind spot where it's guns and missiles couldn't get her. She hit it hard enough that it's onboard flight computer, the ACS, started to malfunction, causing it to drift out of control of it's pilot. 621 kept up the assault, tearing into it's heavy armored hide.

"Code 31A: Slippery bastard." The PCA pilot cursed, as they fought to regain control.

The pilot of the helo recovered, and used the flight assist rocket boosters to maneuver far enough away from her that it could bring it's vast arsenal to bear. Caught out in the open, 621 evaded behind a nearby structure, baiting the pilot into pursuing her. Still, she took some missiles for her trouble, damaging her armor by ten percent.

The pilot came around as predicted, angling to get a shot at her. Having waited for this moment, 621 flew up, and kicked the helo near the cockpit, disabling the ACS and also disorienting the pilot. With a well aimed slash of her laser blade, 621 entirely removed the cockpit from the rest of the airframe. The onboard reactor on the helicopter went critical, and nearly entirely vaporized what was left of it.

"Code 7-!" The PCA pilot was unable to finish as they died in the explosion.

"…" Landing calmly near the new wreck, 621 awaited instructions.

"Confirmed. Heavy combat helicopter is down. That's all for our work here today, 621." Handler Walter announced. "Here's the callsign from that license you picked up:"

Registration number: Rb23

Callsign: Raven

Rank: -/F

Affiliation: Independent

License expires in 3 days

"'Raven.' That's your new name here on Rubicon." Handler Walter decreed.

"…" 621 said nothing. She'd heard the legends, once before. How Ravens once ruled the battlefield. How they fought in equal parts with justice and honor, as well as terror and brutality. How the old worlds of Earth and Mars had once faced their wrath, and had never been the same.

It did not matter what she was called. Raven. C4-621. Hound. Dog. She'd come to Rubicon for one reason alone, and she would not rest until this world killed her.

Rubicon III

'Coral.' A sublime substance. Discovered on Rubicon, a planet on the frontier of developed space. For a time, Coral was a revolutionary energy source and data conduit. Poised to transform human society by leaps and bounds.

They called it the "Fires of Ibis." A storm of flame that tore through the stars, leaving lethal contamination in its wake. Coral, the kindling, was thought to have been utterly consumed, forever lost.

However, on Rubicon, the embers continue to burn. Humanity would inevitably return. To stoke the fire.

Chapter Text

Pretty much everything on Rubicon seemed designed to remind everyone how utterly tiny and insignificant they were. Even the garbage was super-sized.

They'd landed in the middle of a vast wasteland. The wrecked hulks of vast war machines they'd never imagined dotted an ancient battlefield. Walking gun turrets a few meters tall, humanoid mechs ten meters tall, titans of steel twenty meters tall, and thousand-ton tank hulls all dwarfed the four relatively short Jenson model androids.

At the very least, it was impossible to get lost in the wasteland. The towering forms of distant industrial megastructure platforms surrounded them in every direction, rising above the horizon even hundreds of miles away.

The main problem, initially, was that Uzi was surrounded by the three beings she feared the most. N was amiable enough, but J and V made no effort to hide their insatiable hunger, their agonizing want to tear her apart and feast on her internal metal bits. The only thing distracting them was the general sense of having no idea what to do next, and the apprehension at being exposed to sunlight and not dying.

"Right…" J tried to sound confident, but was obviously forcing it. "We need to find a Jenson office or facility on this planet, and find out what our orders are."

"Is that really all you can think about?" Uzi criticized. "It's obvious we don't know anything about this world. We need to try and learn all we can, and gather resources to survive."

"Oh…surviving won't be a problem for us…little lunch bag." J purred dangerously. She changed out her hand from the four fingered variant to one with three bladed claws each a foot long, holding them dangerously close to Uzi's throat.

"Hey! You-! You need me!" Uzi argued back. "I can fix stuff if it comes to it! O-Or carry stuff…!" She begged for her life.

"J…she is a worker model…they are pretty good at building and fixing things. She built a gun that blew my head off, after all." N tried to reason with his leader.

"Hmmm…very well. She can live…for now. V watch the toaster." J acquiesced.

"W-Wait! Why her!?" Uzi shivered. V smiled uncomfortably wide, electric eyes twitching in anticipation.

"Because if I do decide to make a meal out of you, V won't hesitate to carry out my order. Now, come on. Let's see what we can find." J declared, spreading her wings and taking flight.

With V clutching onto Uzi in a threatening embrace, the drones flew for hours…and found nothing along the way. Such was the vast and desolate nothing filling the empty space between the megastructures of Rubicon.

Nearing one of the towering, kilometer wide pillars holding up an expansive complex of industry, Uzi had to appreciate a fascinating and terrible fact. That this single megastructure, towering above the mountains it was built over, had more infrastructure and more industry than the entirety of her home planet of Copper IX, and Rubicon had hundreds of these towering pillars.

And much like Copper IX, it seemed desolate, void of life, biological and artificial. Ancient decrepit metal groaned a resonate chorus that hung heavy in the air. Utterly silent and long dead.

Almost entirely dead.

"Yes!" J cheered. "I'm detecting heat! Maybe we'll find something!"

Following the heat spike through several long, imposingly cold metal halls of industry and conduit, they found a tiny, unassuming shanty camp, a single trashcan fire warming a husk in the shape of a man.

Landing close to the camp, V let Uzi go, and N approached with his usual friendly demeaner.

"Uh…Hello there, stranger!" N greeted cheerfully.

"…" The man refused to look up with his glazed over, unnaturally bright red eyes. He was not dead, probably, as he seemed to be breathing, and still warm under drab grey robes.

"O…kay…creepy…" Uzi whispered to her captors.

"Um, excuse me good sir…?" J approached amiably to the human.

"…" The man seemed to stir with life, but made no motion to acknowledge the four androids on the other side of the fire. He smiled, with unsettling glee, as he pulled a red cylinder from his robes with slow, lethargic energy. "We must…take Rubicon's blessing…raw…"

Then, much to the horror of the androids watching, the man raised the cylinder up, and three soft padded legs braced themselves to his face. Then a long needle extended from the cylinder and pierced him in the upper corner of his eye. The man's mouth opened uncomfortably wide, clearly in pain but used to it. Then the needle depressed, and the man howled.

"Yaaahoooo!" The man leaned his head back, begging gravity to sink more of the red fluid into his head. "Pop! And…!" The man then sunk into himself, half laying on the floor and the crate he was braced against. "…Sizzle…!"

"What the frack?!" V screamed. N, J, and Uzi feeling much the same, and instinctually drew back and away from the unnatural and unsettling sight. They even grabbed at each other, trying to assure themselves and each other that they did not just watch a human stick a needle in their brain and inject…something…that caused the man to writhe in euphoric bliss. He was also sweating profusely, as though he had been running for miles, in spite of the frigid air.

"Okay this was a mistake!" N declared, shivering at the sight.

"Yeah…yeah…maybe you're right." J reluctantly agreed. Before they'd had a chance to run and get away, the man spoke again.

"Jenson model androids. Have to say, it's been a long, long while…since I've seen your kind around here." The man sounded…comparatively normal, considering his earlier lethargic and recent euphoric states. He still smiled a bit too wide, staring at them with unnatural eyes.

"Y-Yeah…uh…we just got here." Uzi braved the uncertainty this man eluded, approaching apprehensively. "So…who are you?"

"Me…uh…heh. Nobody. Just your friendly neighborhood nomadic Doser." The Doser answered.

"Doser…?" Uzi wondered. "Is that what that was? What you…injected?"

"Oh, yes!" The man answered with uncomfortable enthusiasm. "The blessings of Rubicon, Coral!"

"Coral?" The drones questioned out loud.

"Abide with Rubicon!" The man chanted back enthusiastically, invoking some spell of words to which he bound himself.

"R-Right…" J hesitantly stepped forward as well. "Say uh, Mr. Doser sir…we were wondering if you might know where any JCJenson offices or facilities on the planet might be…? If you could point us in the right direction…that would be great."

"JCJenson facilities?…Right…okay." The man nodded. "You'll find what you're looking for near the old ship breaking yards under Grid 009. It's all ground facilities, so no need to search up a pillar."

"Got it…uh…where is Grid 009?" J questioned.

"That's uh, bout…two hundred kilometers west of here."

"Welp! Thanks so much for the help!" Uzi hurriedly urged her captors to move on, anything to get away from the strange man.

"Hey, droids." The man called out, smiling still too wide. "Remember, when they say 'Coral, abide with Rubicon', you answer back…" The man gestured towards them, urging them to answer.

"…Abide with Rubicon?" The drones reluctantly answered, knowing not the implication of the strange mantra.

"Abide with Rubicon!" The man waved, dismissing them.

Stepping out of sight from the nomad's camp, the drones tried to process what they had just seen and learned. Uzi tried to get over the fact that the first time she had ever seen a living human, they stabbed themselves in the eye and injected some kind of drug into their brain, then howled euphorically.

J turned around to address her squad, then stared at the three other drones oddly, not with malice, but an understanding kind of confusion. Uzi looked down at herself, and realized why J was looking at her weirdly. In her apprehensive fear of the human, she had reached out and grabbed N and V's hands, looking for any kind of comfort in the face of such hideous sights. She quickly let go, hiding her hands behind her back.

N and V, who had also been unsettled and unaware of the state of their hands, felt Uzi let go, then stared down at her in understanding, surprise, and embarrassment.

"Uh…" V had lost that murderous, glutenous gaze she had been giving Uzi for the last few hours. She settled for staring down at the floor while hugging her own shoulders.

"That was…freaky…" N spoke up, rubbing his arm.

"…Yeah." J decided she understood. Everyone was extremely uncomfortable after encountering the Doser. "Okay…we know where we are going at least…let's just find that Jenson office."

They hadn't made it to Grid 009 when they found a new mystery.

"Hey…what the heck is that?" Uzi pointed out.

Looking in the direction she was gesturing towards, there was something unusual about the ground.

"It looks like…glass?" N realized.

"An entire desert, made of glass?" V questioned.

"…Okay, it's not too far off, let's take a look." J agreed.

Flying down to the surface, the obsidian like surface of the ground reflected back at them. There were small pools of sand in the uneven surface, implying some other truth.

"Guys…I'm not sure but…I am betting most of the surface is like this," Uzi suspected. "Glass deserts with shallow seas of sand. Something bad happened…at most a few decades ago."

"Something that could turn half a planet into glass…no…that's crazy." J tried to deny it. "That would take an enormous effort…something beyond measure or understanding."

"Still…this much glass shouldn't form naturally." N spoke up. "Something had to have happened."

"So that's the question. What happened that turned whole deserts to glass?" V agreed.

"…" Uzi noticed a structure, a valley formed by the uneven cooling to these glass fields that left a deep fissure in the ground. Looking down into the deep, glass valley…

Uzi screamed.

"Uzi?!" N shouted back, quickly flying over to her, with J and V close behind. "What is…oh…"

The four drones stared down into the deep valley, and gazed upon the lifeless forms of millions of bodies, human and Worker Drone alike. The humans had long been reduced to skeletal remains, while the Worker Drones still had their faces twisted in terror and pain.

"What!? What happened here?!" V flinched back. N turned Uzi away and held her close.

"…" J stared down apprehensively, uncertain and confused. Using her optical suite, she zoomed into the valley, looking for what clues she could ascertain. "Okay…two things. One, everyone has their hands bound behind their backs. Two, everyone died the same way, stabbed through the back and tossed into this…hole."

"Why would they kill humans and Workers though? Why toss them into a hole?" N questioned.

"I think it's…like a way to show disrespect." V voiced her opinion. "We built a spire of Worker corpses to inspire fear into the other Workers. Whoever did this did not want it to be an easily remembered event…but neither did they try and hide it, meaning they had no shame in killing them. Whoever these humans and drones were…someone truly hated them."

"It's a freaking mass grave is what it is! Executed and discarded with no care of who they were!" Uzi shouted. "Everything on this cursed world is dead! This world is a graveyard, and we need to leave!"

"L-Let's just get to the ship breaking yards. Maybe we'll find more clues there." N suggested.

Grid 009 – Ship Breaking Yards / Western Belius

In the long shadow of the Grid 009 pillar, it was relatively easy to find the kilometers long, sunken pit in the ground, the long forms of spaceships of all shapes and sizes gutted and sprawled out across the yards, and the rust turned mud under their abandoned and decrepit forms.

"Okay…so that's the ship breaking yard. Now we just need to find the offices." J pointed out. "Let's split up, cover more ground. If you find the office, fire off a missile."

Her orders given, the three Murder Drones split up, with Uzi still being carried by V.

"This world…is so vast." Uzi looked down, too tired to be afraid of the deadly creature she was held by. "I've never felt so…insignificant in my life."

"…Yeah." V reluctantly agreed. "I never knew how…vast…how large humans could build."

"I've…just been trying to think." Uzi winced. "KA-31 mentioned a war, some event he thought we should know. The Doser said he knew of our kind, but had not seen them for some time. Then we found the mass grave…something happened, a long time ago. Something us Jenson model drones were a part of. Do you know anything?"

"…" V sighed, in spite of the fact that she didn't have lungs. "I remember…something, a long time ago. Some vague mention of a war my masters fought. We were winning. Or we were losing. My memory is…unreliable…but…I don't think I could say even if it was whole."

"Whatever it was…I think it ended, here on Rubicon." Uzi realized.

"…Yeah…" V silently agreed. One of her sensors felt something, some ping of information she had hoped to find. "I think we found the office."

Flying down to the ground, V dropped Uzi off and started scanning more intensely. "There's definitely a complex down here. Best guess is it's office spaces. I'm going to call the other two." Changing one of her hands into a missile launcher, V fired a missile straight up into the air, where it exploded after several seconds.

"…" Uzi considered V. The taller android was pretty terrifying, and had definitely killed countless members of her species. Still…after having been traumatized twice together in so many hours, the Murder Drone had let slip that mask of casual insanity and seemed much more somber…sober and quiet. "If we're going to be stuck together for a while, it'll be inconvenient if we constantly hate each other."

"…" V turned her back to Uzi, hiding her expression from the smaller drone. "If I have to kill you, I'll regret it more if you're trying to be my friend."

"Then maybe don't kill me?" Uzi suggested sarcastically.

"Ha." V laughed with no humor. She stared up at the looming megastructure nearby, feeling tiny and helpless inside.

J and N quickly returned, and together the four drones entered the underground complex. Coming into the main lobby, it was clear that this was a JCJenson facility, with a great big sign on the back wall.

And that the four of them were the only living things for miles.

The way that furniture had been rearranged, how bullet holes were lined up…there had been a desperate defensive battle fought in these halls.

And the corpses.

It was clear that none of the attackers had left their own corpses. But there were human and Worker Drone corpses lining the halls in increasingly twisted and demented ways. At first, it was simply the wounds inflicted in battle, combatants who had been killed or executed where they stood. Then the attackers moved on.

So many of the corpses left beyond the lobby…V was right. It was clear someone had taken their time killing them. It was clear someone had hated them. Bludgeoned and stabbed and torn apart with sadistic care, cruelty beyond even what the murderous drones had ever imagined. They had even…the non-combatants…

J stared at this carnage with quiet but growing despair. Her hopes of finding her masters dashed, left with only this legacy of ash and hopelessness. Perhaps…Uzi was right. This world was a graveyard. It was foolish and wrong to hope for salvation in the ruins of Rubicon.

Amongst the brutality of the carnage, Uzi found something…interesting. A tortured Worker Drone, it's head caved in with terrible force, clutching a large blue flag. The flag had been trampled repeatedly, leaving bloodied boot prints across it's design. The symbol on the flag was of a blank planet, within a ring, with white angel wings spread from it's back.

"Have…you guys seen a flag like this before?" Uzi wondered.

"No…never." N replied.

"Sorry." V shrugged.

"…" J just shook her head.

"There…is still more to this facility. Let's keep looking." Uzi advised, seeing as J was too distraught to speak.

The long halls eventually led to an underground section of the ship breaking yards, another vast and empty expanse of stale dead air. The broken and butchered hulls of ships long forgotten and abandoned. But there was one mostly intact ship.

Compared to the megastructures they'd been seeing all day, the half kilometer tall block sitting on four large drive cones seemed manageably massive. It's enormous block shaped body tapered off to a square bow pointed up at the ceiling. Arranged around it, on it's port and starboard, ventral and dorsal faces, were four turrets of two designs, two long railguns, and two of some unknown, flat faced weapon, possibly a laser of some kind.

"That's…something." Uzi suggested, prompting the tired and traumatized group forward.

The ship was obviously old, with it's outer hull being filthy, but surprisingly, not very rusty. It appeared to have only started the preliminary stages of it's breaking, with small outer panels missing and small voids for smaller turrets that had already been removed. In faded blue paint along the bow of the ship, was the symbol of that blue flag again. The world with wings.

Inside the ship told a similar story. Preliminary work to break the ship down had only just begun, with paneling missing and conduit exposed. It only took a few minutes to find the bridge. Or, three of them. It was a void space some twenty meters across, with three heavily armored rooms spaced out within the area. In the main bridge, there were several chairs with touch screen control panels left in place. Then they found the plaque, stating the name of the ship.

LIN Odysseus

2389

Donnager Class

Klein Naval Shipyards, Ganymede Station

"Odysseus, huh?" Uzi wondered about the significance of that. What was most interesting about the plaque with the ship's name, other than the fact that the ship was nearly 800 years old and had come from the Sol system, was the prefix. It appeared as though the prefix had once been four letters, but had been scraped off and replaced with "LIN". The "N" in this case stood for "Navy", that was obvious. But what of the "LI"?

"So…what did we actually find today?" N questioned.

"I think it's safe to say…we won't be finding anyone alive with JCJenson." V stated truthfully but harshly. "Someone took their time to wipe them out."

"…You're right." J admitted in defeat, sliding down against a wall, hugging her legs. "It's all gone. They're gone. She's gone."

"…" Uzi didn't want to push her luck and question J what she meant by that. "We found…something. We found out that JCJenson was allied with a group…or nation…the blue flag with the world with wings. We also found this ship. That's something."

"Uzi…can you fix this ship?" N asked hopefully.

"…Fixing it isn't going to be a problem. The problem is the scale. This is a huge ship. Something this big, this complex, is going to need more than four little drones to control. Plus the fuel and the man-hours…if we don't get help…it could take years before this ship can fly again."

"It's something." V nodded supportively. "Right, J?"

"…Yeah…" J nodded, sadly. "Let's just…take it easy, for tonight. We've been going hard for a couple of hours. We can do everything else tomorrow."

"Okay…" N sat down, taking a rest.

"…Alright." V agreed, taking a seat as well.

"…" Uzi stayed quiet, apprehensive to get the attention of these dangerous creatures. Still, she knew if she tried to run, she couldn't escape anyway. She took a seat between N and V, and put herself into sleep mode.

She tried not to think about the horrors. The Doser poking holes in his eye and his brain. The dead piled high in a glass-stained wasteland. The unbelievable cruelty inflicted upon her people on this world. This massive, ashen and cold world, soaked in blood and oil.

Rubicon.

Chapter Text

Most jobs had shifts that lasted a couple of hours, then down time for going home and not thinking about work. Mercenary work was different. The lifestyle was, by definition, a full-time, all-hours job. The majority of the time was spent actually losing money, doing idle day to day things like maintenance and resupply, research and training, and even eating and sleeping; all of which counted as necessary time wasted in preparation for combat.

The first thing 621 did after finding a hangar to rent for her AC was link up to the planet side mercenary contract network, run by an administrative AI known as ALLMIND.

"Registration number Rb23. Callsign: Raven. Authentication complete." The AI stated clinically in a female voice. "Removing MIA status. Restoring access privileges. This is ALLMIND, the mercenary support system. Welcome back, Raven."

"Looks like you passed the authentication." Handler Walter noted positively over a communications line. "'Raven.' That's who you are now, here on Rubicon."

"…"

"I've picked up some work for you already. Take a look, 621."

"…" 621 looked over the two low level jobs in the vicinity of her landing zone, offered by opposing extraplanetary corporations.

Destroy Artillery Installations – Balam / Reward 100,000 COAM

Grid 135 Cleanup – Arquebus / Reward 68,000 COAM

"These are open calls from Balam and Arquebus. A few of the extraplanetary corporations occupying Rubicon." Handler Walter advised. "Do you think you can take them simultaneously? It would save on deployment cost."

"…" 621 said nothing, but agreed. She played the introduction to each mission.

"Attention, all independent mercenaries!" The Balam representative shouted like a drill instructor, reminding her of her time in the Navy. "This request comes from our affiliate, Dafeng." As he spoke, intelligence videos played in the background when relevant. "The Rubicon Liberation Front has deployed BAWS artillery throughout the Contaminated City." BAWS was a neutral corporation who openly sold cheap, mass-produced military hardware to all fractions on Rubicon. Except the PCA, because fuck the PCA. "The city itself has no strategic value, but we cannot allow them to hinder expansion of the Coral survey. Show us your ambition. Destroy the Liberation Front's artillery! Bonus pay will be awarded for destroying their MTs. We want the enemy weakened. Consider it an opportunity to prove yourself. Impress us, mercenaries!"

The other briefing was delivered with much less enthusiasm.

"To all independent mercenaries, this request comes from Schneider of the Arquebus Group." There was a sense of high-class elitism in the representative's voice. "The operation will take place in Grid 135, Southern Belius." Belius was the continent they were currently on. "Your objective is to destroy an MT squad sent by Dafeng, a Balam company, and a competitor. Grid 135 is a key foothold in Arquebus's efforts to conduct a Coral survey in the contaminated city. You, the independent mercenaries, are the key to maintaining our lead in the Coral survey race. The Arquebus Group looks forward to news of your success. Briefing over, and happy hunting."

"There should be no penalty for accepting both missions, even though you'll be betraying Balam minutes after completing their contract. The loss of a few MTs outside of the original AO shouldn't concern them too much. We're just mercs, after all. They'll understand." Handler Walter noted.

"…" 621 agreed, and readied herself for an extended combat sortie.

"The Client doesn't care who does this job…as long as it gets done."

Destroy Artillery Installations – Balam / Southern Belius - Contaminated City / Saturday. August 26th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

She landed on the outskirts of the city at the edge of a valley, overlooking some hilariously normal sized industry, structures built back when Rubicon had first been colonized.

"Commence mission." Handler Walter ordered. "Destroy all of the Rubicon Liberation Front's artillery placements."

621 blew through the outer defense perimeter, knocking down the flight of light combat drones and a pair of light humanoid MTs.

"We've got a corporate merc!" An RLF soldier shouted in fear.

"They're on to us already, the sneaky bastards!" Another added in frustration.

Entering the city proper, 621 followed along the length of a fallen megastructure up to a pair of MTs guarding the end of a shattered overpass, right in front of two of her targets. Sitting up on top of a building were two turreted platforms, each armed with a 300mm artillery cannon. Their heavy frontal armor necessitated that she boost in behind them, and strike at their exposed backside, causing the ammunition to cook off in each gun.

"Enemy attack! They're after the artillery!" An RLF commander realized. "Fight back!"

But 621 was quicker, and went over to their second improvised artillery base. This time there were three main targets and a dozen secondary MTs and drones. It took a bit longer this time, but they were not so well deployed to be able to counter her attack. It took her less than a minute to clear the second fire base.

"Head to the final site. Keep up the good work." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" 621 moved quickly to find the last fire base. Handler Walter had marked it's position some two kilometers away. She didn't even stop to completely engage a patrol she had passed, just paused to regain some energy and took flight, climbing the buildings.

"There! That corporate dog!" An RLF soldier pointed out. "Don't give them another inch! We have to defend the artillery!"

"Fire! Surround that AC!"

The last fire base was actually defended intelligently, with mortar armed MTs serving as snipers from building tops, and two of the four remaining guns were 200mm direct fire variants, able to fire high velocity rounds to defend the other two cannons. 621 found this out the hard way, taking a nasty hit that immediately knocked off 30% of her armor, and follow up mortar fire that took another 20%.

"…" Forced back into cover, 621 used a repair nanite pack, and reassessed the situation. Staying low but mobile she avoided the snipers, and came up to one of the direct fire cannons, destroying it with a laser blade.

"Show that interloper what makes the Liberation Front strong!" One prideful female RLF commander shouted. "Forged in ash, we stand as one!"

The facility directly behind the guns looked to be an abandoned prison, which 621 dropped into, killing the rear guard, and taking out the rearmost artillery gun with missile fire. With their rear exposed, she made short work of the rest of the cannons, then evaded back the way she came, towards the second contract.

"Confirmed. All Targets destroyed." Handler Walter announced. "That's it for this job, 621. Head to the next AO."

Grid 135 Cleanup – Arquebus / Southern Belius - Grid 135 / Saturday, August 26th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"You've got ID. Now you need a rep." Handler Walter urged. "Commence mission. Wipe out the Dafeng MT squad."

Having flown back to the catapult launcher that had helped her during her initial incursion, 621 reentered the train loading junction, finding it occupied by a dozen light drones and another dozen MTs of light and humanoid design.

The only thing that made this mission difficult would be the space between each squad and the two massive holes in the floor that led to the surface seven kilometers below.

"Enemy attack! One AC!" A Defeng MT squad member shouted in alert.

"Looks like the Arquebus Group hired some muscle." Another MT squad member noted. "An independent mercenary. Huh…At least they didn't send the Vespers."

The Vespers were Arquebus's elite AC pilots. Their go-to heavy hitters when they wanted a job done right.

"There're just mass produced MTs. Wipe them out 621." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" 621 was way ahead of him, taking out the entire left flank. Eight of the drones and six of the MTs, all executed. She'd even kicked an MT off the edge of the platform, ensuring death through a seven-kilometer fall.

The only enemies who could put up a fight were the shielded MTs, but not by much. The shield could only protect them so long as they remained stable, and shooting it enough knocked them off balance, making them an easy target afterwards.

"This AC pilot's sharp!" An MT pilot warned.

"Focus your fire!" A junior commander ordered desperately.

Flying to the middle lane, 621 made short work of the two MTs, cutting them down with swift strikes of her blade.

"That merc's tearing through us…" A distant MT pilot noted in despair.

"Damn it! Arquebus really scored this time!" His partner shouted.

"Only a few targets left." Handler Walter noted.

621 let her missiles take out all the remaining drones, and then worked on the last four MTs, Two bipedal and two shielded humanoids. Her rifle cut through the bipedal easily, and she alternated kicking the shielded MTs, then executing them with her blade.

"…621, wait. I'm picking up new enemy signatures." Handler Walter reported. "Looks like reinforcements. Eliminate them."

Four more enemies entered the combat zone. Two heavy drones and two shielded MTs. The heavy quadcopter drones were armed with a large missile launcher, which itself could do decent damage, but were unarmored, and therefore glass cannons. 621 focused on them, firing four missiles to take out the first, then gunning down the second.

The last two MTs she repeated the process of kicking and blading them to death, spelling out their cruel fate.

"Commander Michigan…needs to know…" A surviving MT cried out, before their pilot died as well.

"The enemy MT squad has been eliminated." Handler Walter announced. "That's it for this job, 621, return to base."

Independent Mercenary Hangar – Central Belius

/COM: ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: ALLMIND

"This is a notification from ALLMIND, the mercenary support system. Registration number Rb23, callsign Raven. Your return to mercenary activities has been acknowledged. Restoring access to the parts shop."

"…" After her last three missions, she had accumulated just shy of four hundred thousand COAM. Deciding to put it to good use, she used it to purchase some items from the open market. A 50mm MG-014 Ludlow machine gun to replace her rifle and another four-cell missile launcher to fit her empty left-back mount. A few hours later the parts arrived by mail-order, and she took the time to install the new equipment and did some additional maintenance on her AC.

Her paint was starting to get scratched up, but she ignored it. Her day done, she decided to get some sleep, not certain she remembered to eat as well.

The next day, she woke up to see a new open request from Arquebus.

Destroy the Tester AC – Arquebus / Reward 95,000 COAM

"To all independent mercenaries, this request comes from Schneider of the Arquebus Group." The elitest man opened the briefing. "Dafeng, one of our adversaries allied with Balam, has introduced a new tester AC. It's a sample model from an external architect, featuring extensive assembly optimizations. In the hands of an experienced pilot, it will pose a threat too great to ignore. This brings me to the request. Intercept delivery of the tester AC and destroy it. The Arquebus Group looks forward to news of your success. Briefing over, and happy hunting."

"The target may be a product sample, but it's still an AC. Stay sharp, 621." Handler Walter warned.

Destroy the Tester AC – Arquebus / Southern Belius – Contaminated City / Monday, August 28th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

Dropped from the rented transport 1.3 kilometers above and away from the target, 621 engaged her assault-booster, and flew down and over the target, which was situated on top of a building with it's own transport behind it.

Closing to three hundred meters away, 621 fired both missile racks, letting eight missiles strike the unaware AC, nearly knocking it off balance and waking up the pilot, who dodged into a wall.

"We're under attack!" The Student Pilot yelled. "Must be the locals? No, it's an independent!"

"That pilot's just a trainee on delivery duty…but don't let your guard down." Handler Walter advised.

"…" 621 fired with her machine gun, staggering the pilot. She then went in and kicked him back, nearly causing him to fall over. He recovered and returned fire with his own machine gun.

"I'll deal with this merc! I've been training for this!" The Student Pilot assured himself.

"…" 621 flew above him, raining missiles down on his head, and continued to fire with her machine gun.

"The Redguns need this AC…I…I can't fail this mission!" The Student Pilot shouted.

Much like the Vespers were the elite of Arquebus, the Redguns were the pilots of Balam. Their elite private army for when they needed something eliminated.

621 kept up the heat, and forced the enemy to stagger. With two swipes of her laser blade, she'd nearly torn him apart.

"His ACS has reached breaking point. Go for a direct hit." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" With the only thing holding his AC together being blood and hope, 621 kicked him in the face, crushing enough internal systems to consider it a victory.

"I…I just…I just wanted a callsign of my own…" The Student Pilot cried out quietly. With nothing in her heart, 621 aimed her gun for his cockpit block, and fired through it.

"…Enemy AC destroyed." Handler Walter did not fail to notice that, but didn't comment further. "That's it for this job, 621. Return to base."

Independent Mercenary Hangar – Central Belius

"621, about the tester AC you downed…That was being shipped to the Redguns…Balam's in-house AC squad. They're Balam's main force, and it's members are no amateurs. Remember who you're messing with." Handler Walter warned.

"…"

There were two things she noticed after the mission.

One, Arquebus was cheap. They'd only paid her 95K COAM for that mission. Seems they liked to undercut mercenaries even for a few thousand COAM, which would have only been worth a few rounds of ammo. After ammo and repair cost, she'd made another 85K COAM.

Two, she had another mission.

Destroy the Transport Helicopters – Balem / Reward 80,000 COAM

"Raven!" The drill instructor man shouted excitedly. "This request comes from Dafeng, one of our affiliates. The Group has committed to the use of military force to handle the Rubicon Liberation Front. The target for this mission is a squad of transport choppers. Destroy them! You'll encounter guerilla resistance from BAWS mass-produced MTs, they're no great concern. You performed adequately in your last sortie, Raven. This did not go unnoticed. We will be watching with interest to see what you bring to the team." The briefing ended.

"…Now they're asking for you by name." Handler Walter noted. "Keep building your rep."

"…" 621 checked the time. Still early enough to restock her weapons. Eating though? Well…soon. Probably.

Destroy the Transport Helicopters – Balem / Southern Belius – Contaminated City / Thursday, Tiberius 1st

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

She'd landed on a cliff overlooking several dispersed industrial zones separated by cold forest and hills. Only the one at the foot of the mountain several kilometers away was a megastructure. She was just under a kilometer away from the first objective. A squad of MTs protected one of the targets.

"Commence mission." Handler Walter ordered. "Destroy the Rubicon Liberation Front transport choppers."

Assault-boosting down into the combat zone, she nearly wiped out the MTs with her opening barrage of missiles.

"We're under attack! It's a corporate merc!" An RLF soldier cried out. She was already within their formation, cutting them down before they knew what hit them. She filled the chopper with holes, destroying it.

"Confirmed. Transport chopper down." Handler Walter recorded while setting her next waypoint. "Keep at it 621."

"…" She had to take a moment cut down another squad that deployed from the forest, tearing one man apart with machine gun fire and boosting into the two stragglers, cutting them in half with her blade.

The next facility was slightly better defended. Four light tanks, two missile turrets, three shielded MTs up front, and another pair of MTs in the rear guard. Set to multi-lock, her missiles made short work of the missile turrets and tanks.

"Hostile AC!" Another RLF soldier warned. "Defend our supplies! Our comrades on the Strider can't wait any longer!"

She used her blade to cut down one of the MTs, then used her missiles to overwhelm the other two. It gave her a long enough opening to tear the chopper apart with more machine gun fire.

"Damn the corporations!" The dying RLF soldier cursed.

"Confirmed. Target destroyed." Handler Walter counted. "Onto the next targets."

"…" 621 fired her missiles at the remaining MTs in this area, and flew up the side of a cliff to the foot of a megastructure building, ducking underneath a pipe twenty meters across.

"It's here! Fight back!" A female RLF Officer encouraged.

"We're no match for an AC…" One of their soldiers despaired.

"…" 621 proved him right, gunning down one MT and putting missiles into another.

"Have no fear!" The Officer insisted. "The Coral is with us!"

Four more MTs closed in on 621, but that's not the target she noticed the most.

"Looks like they've got a BAWS tetrapod." Handler Walter noticed as well. A four-legged mech more than twice the size and weight of an AC, and heavily armed with oversized weapons. "It's a cut above the other MTs. Ignore it and focus on the mission."

"…" 621 quietly disagreed. Dealing with the MTs quickly, she zeroed in on the tetrapod, firing a full spread of missiles. They did little damage, but started to loosen it's stance. It returned fire with an oversizd 156mm fiftieth gage shotgun, that 621 was able to dodge around. Closing in, 621 fired her machine gun, then hit the larger machine with a blade, causing it to stagger.

"What?! ACS overload…?!" The RLF Officer began to panic.

621 kicked her, then retreated to fire another volley of missiles. The tetrapod recovered, and fired with a high velocity cannon, just barely missing her. It then swung an oversized laser blade, trying to cut the merc in two, but 621 dodged easily, and flanked the tetrapod.

A rapid application of ordnance, missiles, gun fire, and blade, and 621 had staggered the tetrapod again.

"Enemy ACS down. Make it count." Handler Walter advised.

"…" 621 finished off the tetrapod, lancing through it with a laser blade.

"This can't be…who…who ARE you?!" The RLF Officer cried out before she died.

"…Got the tetrapod, huh? You're a natural at this, 621." Handler Walter praised. It didn't take long for 621 to destroy the remaining defenseless choppers with her vast arsenal. "Looks like you got them all. That's it for this job, 621. Return to base."

"…"

Independent Mercenary Hangar – Central Belius

Though the job had been only marginally well paying, Balam compensated her in kills. What had only been a job worth 80K was now paying 120K COAM after expenses due to the kills she acquired, including the BAWS tetrapod.

Feeling confident in her funding, she ordered three new weapons. She replaced her basic HI-32: Bu-TT/A laser blade with a heavier but more powerful Vvc-770LB laser blade, capable of large area attacks. She also ditched a missile pod, instead putting a Songbirds two barreled 200mm mortar on her left-back mount. Lastly, she replaced the four-cell missile launcher for an eight-cell VLS missile launcher.

Another fruitful day, another set of weapons acquired, another round of maintenance on the AC. Her paint had almost completely peeled off from the abuse she had been putting it through, and the first signs of rust had started to appear. 621 decided to sleep.

The next day, there was another new mission, that caught her and her Handler's attention.

Attack the Dam Complex – Balam / Reward 190,000 COAM

"Heard the good news from Walter, did you?!" The drill instructor man, who now shared his identity as G1 Michigan, greeted excitedly. "Good! Sit your ass down and listen! Balam's moving in on the Gallia Dam Complex, one of the Liberation Front's bases. The objective is to destroy their lifeline, and make those sacks of shit beg for mercy! I'll be sending two good-for-nothing maggots from the Redguns: G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu. You, your're just going to be tagging along on ass-wiping duty. I'm assigning you the callsign G13, a lucky little number that just became available." G1 Michigan purred sweetly before he reentered drill instructor mode. "G13, sound off!"

"…"

"Good enough. Now go get ready! We're going on a field trip, kiddo!" The briefing ended.

"…G13, huh. I'll stick with '621.' Don't let the Redguns teach you bad manners." Handler Walter ordered. "…And eat something, for god's sake. You look like hell."

"…"

Attack the Dam Complex – Balam / Southern Belius - Gallia Dam Complex / Saturday, Tiberius 3rd

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

The Gallia Dam Complex was a region that had thirteen hydroelectric dams being fed from two glaciers and was split into two directions. Their objective was to attack RLF targets at three of the dams and a control station, and to destroy the transformers atop them. Most of the year, each of the lakes formed from the dams was frozen solid enough for ACs to put their weight on them without issue.

621 started behind G4 Volta and G5 Iguazu. G4 was armed with a heavy tank AC, with literal tank treads for legs and armed with a pair of artillery cannons, a shotgun and missile launcher. G5 was a medium wight, like her, and was armed with a machine gun, missile launcher, linear rifle (a kind of handheld railgun), and a pulse shield, a shoulder mounted forward facing energy shield.

She wasted no time, assault-boosting past the two Redgun ACs and towards the first objective.

"Balam Group AC squad 'Redguns', reporting for duty. Commence mission." G1 Michigan announced, acting as Operator for all three ACs. "Attack! Get in there, you maggots!"

"…" 621 was first to the objective, seeing four tanks and three MTs. She annihilated the tanks with a missile spread and knocked out two MTs with the double shot from her back-mounted mortar.

"Great, an independent merc." G5 Iguazu complained. "Who's the wise guy who decided the Redguns should be taking care of some freelancer?"

"Who gives a shit? We'll handle the mission ourselves." G4 Volta dismissed.

"…" While G4 and G5 played catch up and targeted the remaining MT, she moved in on the first target, a large power transformer, and swiped her laser blade through it, tearing it apart.

"One target destroyed." Handler Walter noted. 621 reengaged her assault-booster, flying across the gap and towards the next dam.

"Hey, freelancer. Bet no one even told you why we're here." G5 Iguazu stated in a mocking tone. "Well, us real Redguns are gonna go climb the Wall. This is just target practice. When we're done the locals little base is next."

"…" The Wall was the name of an important RLF base. A protected city and trade hub at the foot of a kilometer tall wall. It even had a "moat", though it was more of a three-hundred-meter-deep pit at the entrance. While G5 had been talking, 621 had engaged the next set of targets, several tanks and mortar MTs and a pair of turreted artillery guns. She left another squad and some turrets for the Redguns to mop up. She didn't want them to feel too…impotent.

"G5! Can't tear yourself away from chatting with the tagalong?" G1 Michigan called out his subordinate. "Why don't you start a sewing club together…and stitch that damn mouth of yours shut?!"

621 eliminated the second transformer.

"Two targets destroyed." Handler Walter counted, letting G1 Michigan do most of the hard work this mission, but keeping an eye on his asset.

"How about that. Guess you're not a total amateur." G4 Volta mocked.

"G4! Can't say I consider you a pro, either!" G1 Michigan chastised. "We don't need backseat drivers in the Redguns. Shape up, or ship out!"

"…" Ah…so that's how it was, 621 realized. G1 Michigan had been only slightly less than literal when he said that she was on "ass-wiping duty." The truth of the matter was that G4 and G5 were not the sharpest tools in his shed, and he wanted to see if G13 would amount to anything, and perhaps surpass his subordinates. They weren't the babysitters, she was.

"That was just the warm-up. Look alive, maggots!" G1 Michigan shouted.

"Wait 621…I'm receiving a coded transmission." Handler Walter alerted.

"…?" Oh?

"Raven. I represent the Rubicon Liberation Front. Our request is simple: we want you to take out the two Redguns. Our compensation will be double Balam's offer. Awaiting your response."

"…Interesting." Handler Walter hummed. "Your call, 621."

"…" Who the fuck did these motherfuckers think she was? Just another mindless, scrip-pinching, kill-anything-for-the-right-price, even allies kind of merc? If that…that…that damn bastard had taught her anything, it was that her word was her most valuable asset, and last she checked, she'd sold her name, not her word. She silently sent him a "Refuse" response, and returned to her original mission.

"Not in it for the money? Whatever the corporations are giving you, I hope it's worth it." The RLF representative dismissed, cutting the com line.

"Two generators to go. Keep moving, 621." Handler Walter tasked.

"Hope you're enjoying the field trip, kids. Don't wet your pants, now!" G1 Michigan cracked with an obvious grin heard even over the radio.

"Tch…does this guy ever shut up?" G5 Iguazu complained.

"G5! No luck with the sewing club, I see." G1 Michigan chastised his subordinate again. "That attitude won't get you far on Rubicon. Hope you pilot better than you sew!"

While they had been talking, 621 found a RLF BAWS tetrapod they had in reserve, smashing it for the extra challenge, and moved on to the third transformer, taking it out.

"One more target remaining, 621." Handler Walter advised.

"…" 621 flew up to the ice lake at the foot of the last target area, approaching low with G4 and G5 trailing not too far behind her.

"Do you hear me, you corporate vultures?!" A new voice, identified as Index Dunham of the RLF, spat on an open channel. "The Rubiconians will never yield. You're going home in armored coffins! Forged in ash, we stand as one!"

"Hot dog. They got an AC." One could almost hear G5 Iguazu licking his lips.

"More like an old piece of junk. It's barely different from an MT." G4 Volta pointed out.

"G4! You're not exactly cutting-edge either…You want to be next on the scrap heap?" G1 Michigan certainly had the most creative ways of saying "shut up" in his vocabulary.

"…" She would give the RLF pilot this: he was brave. The fanatical zeal of the RLF meant he was also too stupid to be intentionally suicidal though. Such as it was, three-on-one was hardly a fair fight, and she had no intentions to lose.

Index was smart enough to stay mobile, dodging several shots from the "much-to-be-desired" help she had, but 621 would not be so easily evaded. Her choice to use VLS missiles in an open environment meant there was little chance to miss, and she would gain altitude before firing her dual-mortar, ensuring she could at least score a near-miss even if he did evade the shot. In short order, she'd staggered him and kicked him, causing considerable damage to his AC.

"Independent mercenary! Why be a mere pawn?" Index Dunham tried to inspire her. "What honor is there in serving corporations that only exist to kill and plunder?"

"…" Maybe he was right, but 621 did not come to Rubicon searching for riches, fame, or honor. That would be the height of hubris. She knew what she wanted.

Closing in, 621 pierced his armor with her blade, securing the kill.

"Damn you…Scavengers…" Index Dunham cried out as he died. "Father Dolmayan…I've…failed you."

"Confirmed, enemy AC destroyed." Handler Walter counted.

"G13! Guess you're not just tagging along anymore!" G1 Michigan praised. "Now hurry up and destroy that stinking old dam. We've got a job to do here!"

"Looks like we got competition." G4 Volta smiled curiously.

"Tch…You got lucky, freelancer." G5 Iguazu hissed with barely contained contempt.

"…" 621 destroyed the last target. It exploded in a shower of sparks.

"Confirmed. All targets destroyed." Handler Walter announced.

"Looks like my good-for-nothings were good for something after all. Fieldtrips over!" G1 Michigan announced. "G13! I'll keep that lucky callsign open for you."

Independent Mercenary Hangar – Central Belius

It had been a long mission, and including the expenses, she only made about 150K COAM. It was within expectations.

/ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: G5 Iguazu

"…Tch. You got lucky, merc. You were the only warm body they could find. The Redguns are going to be first over The Wall. Have fun watching from the sidelines."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" Whatever.

Another day done, she did more maintenance to keep her AC in shape. It had started to develop a light layer of rust, though. It wouldn't matter in the end. Everything would die and rust away on Rubicon…

Her Handler hounded her to eat something, so she took a bite of some MREs she'd had in stock. It was getting late, so she turned in, seeing what tomorrow brought.

It would be an…interesting surprise.

"621…there is an…unusual request today. Let's check it out." Handler Walter noted with curious reluctance.

Eliminate Squatters – PCA / Reward 50,000 COAM

"This is an open request to all independent mercenaries." The overly proud woman with the charisma of a Naval Officer announced. "An illegal settlement was recently established within the Contaminated City area. The nature of this operation demands extreme prejudice. Leave none of the settlers alive. That is all."

"…" Short and to the point, such was any dealing with the PCA. Most of the time, however, it ended with an exchange of bullets.

"This isn't the PCA's normal operating procedure." Handler Walter noted. "Other than the occasional attack against military targets, they tend to leave civilians alone. Something is going on here. I want you to investigate the target area, 621. Find out why the PCA is interested in eliminating these civilians."

"…"

Eliminate Squatters – PCA / Southern Belius – Contaminated City / Monday, Tiberius 5th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

It didn't take long to find the area of interest. Long range heat sensors showed roughly two thousand warm bodies moving about a few buildings in a tight group. Long range visuals also showed another interesting detail. None of the targets were human.

"I see now." Handler Walter sounded mildly surprised. "The targets are all Jenson model androids. I heard a report that a slow-burn ship recently used old transponder codes to land on Rubicon and abandon several million of these machines on the surface. Technically speaking, the PCA has had an active kill-on-sight order for all Jenson model androids for the past fifty years. It must have been too out of their way to reach this settlement then, and they deemed the pocket change enough to cover the expenses for killing them."

"…"

"Taking this job won't build any reputation with the PCA. They'll still target you if you ever cross paths. That being said, it also won't antagonize any of the other fractions on Rubicon. I doubt anyone on this planet would be interested in these relics…at least…not outside of exploiting them. They supposedly have poor self-preservation instincts, and won't fight back."

"…"

"The ammo cost for killing them will almost certainly match the reward for this mission. We'll be killing for pocket change. That being said…I know how you feel about their relics. It's your call, 621."

"…" 621 boosted into the area of operations. Without warning, she struck, opening up with heavy mortars that collapsed a building with the Jenson model androids trapped inside. It appeared as though the androids had set up something of a market between several of the buildings. She targeted the area with heavy machine gun fire, tearing their fragile forms apart with armor piercing ammunition.

"…So be it." Handler Walter accepted the mission on her behalf. He watched shamefully as his hound went to dirty work.

Their disturbingly humanoid faces stared up at her in horror and fear. Some ran, and some begged pathetically for their artificial lives. Her machine gun on cool down, 621 boosted forward, and crushed the small machines under her feet.

"…" There was nothing in her heart but the mission at hand. No matter the indignity or injustice of it, a mission was a mission. To be completed to the best of her abilities.

A missile volley knocked down another building, crushing running androids in the street. 621 advanced steadily, taking many machine lives without any hint of remorse. It wasn't the revenge she sought; she would never have that. But it would have to do.

"…" Ensuring that none of the targets would leave here alive, 621 fired…

And fired…

And fired…

And fired…

And fired…

Chapter Text

They thought their luck had turned out alright. After deciding that, yeah, Rubicon was probably not a planet they wanted to stay on, the three Murder Drones and their reluctant but confident Worker Drone pet had started putting a plan together to repair the partially deconstructed warship.

The first problem to overcome was the man-hours. Uzi found that while the hull was intact, most of the ships' systems needed an overhaul, and would require twenty-million-manhours of work. Which, if she worked constantly in twelve-hour shifts, would take over two thousand years. So finding the two thousand Drones from a colony on the other side of Copper IX meant that they could finish the project in a slightly more manageable two-ish years.

The Worker Drones had been, of course, terrified of the Murder Drones; but as the devils they knew, had been more than happy to work in exchange for their lives and a possible seat on the ship off the planet.

So when a massive, ten-meter tall rusted killing robot had descended on the settlement, it had pretty much ruined their plans. They wandered the ruins of the recently decimated settlement, fire still licking at their fingertips, consuming the fallen machines.

"Frack! Frack! Frack! Frack!" J cursed as harshly as her programming would allow, taking her anger out by kicking the corpses of the thrashed and slaughtered Worker Drones.

"…" Uzi watched her with equal parts despair and ironic amusement. She was horrified by the slaughter that they had watched from a distance and been powerless to stop. These were her people, after all. It was just the irony that as soon as the Murder Drones needed the Workers, some outside force had snatched that away from them.

"J…that's really not helping." N pointed out, having his hopes of leaving the planet also dashed.

"This! Stupid! Freaking! Awful! Death world! Frack!" J kicked at the Worker corpses until she had tripped over them, falling on her face.

Uzi snickered at her.

"You! You little brat!" J lunged at Uzi, claws extended to tear her apart.

"Hey." V stated tiredly but calmly, holding J back from sinking her claws into Uzi. "She might be an annoying little toaster, but she's also the smartest Worker we've ever encountered. If we want off this death world, we need her help."

"Grr! What are you laughing at you stupid microwave!?" J shouted.

"It's just…ironic." Uzi hung her head lazily, smiling in a tired way. "You guys did such a good job killing our kind for so long…but now…when you really need us…some bigger and better death robot comes and does your job for you."

"…" J sighed, and recomposed herself as best as she could. "That…death robot…was an Armored Core. A piloted weapons platform known for it's maneuverability, durability, versatility, and modular design. We have the weaponry to hurt one…but we would never survive an encounter with one. We're exterminator units…but ACs are weapons of total warfare."

"Okay so we avoid the Armored Cores. Easy enough, right?" N suggested.

"We'll do the best we can to survive." J assured them.

"Yeah. Great. But what do we do now?" V questioned. "I doubt we're just going to run into another Worker settlement like this one so easily. If there's one thing Workers are good at, it's hiding. Plus…if we get caught out in the open…" She let that hang in the air.

"…" Uzi considered the problem. "Maybe these Workers knew something more about the planet? They all must have come off the Canterbury together, maybe we can find where other groups of Workers went, or see if they found anything? So, let's check their stuff."

"…Right, that's what I was going to say." J announced. "V, stick with the toaster. N, with me."

"…" As much as Uzi hated her captors, she knew that her own survival depended on their wellbeing. Plus their ability to fly meant that they could get across hundreds of kilometers of the planet's surface every day. J had this belief that things would stay the same, and for someone in her position, that would be ideal. Uzi knew that was not the case.

The easiest to get along with, N, was pretty much openly her friend, in a sort of messed up, 'I guess you're cool' sort of way. N was just too hard to hate, especially since he didn't have a mean bone in his body…or any bones for that matter. J thought that by separating N and Uzi, that she could isolate her and make her vulnerable. Except that isolation needed actual isolation.

Her guard, V, might have come off as a crazy psychotic killer, and definitely had that reputation amongst her people. But Uzi could see that even their first day on Rubicon had already shaken the machine girl, and broken that façade of casual insanity. In honesty, Uzi had no reason to like V, considering who she was and what she'd done. But she also knew that holding onto that anger and resentment for the taller machine wasn't going to help anyone.

Uzi doubted they would ever be true friends. Perhaps more allies of circumstance at best. She bet V knew that too.

"What's on your mind…?" Uzi considered adding the word 'freak' to that sentence, but she was too tired to bother.

"…Just…how these Workers died." V noted quietly. "We killed Workers for a cause. For a purpose. To serve our masters…and to survive. This just seemed so…senseless. That machine…that Armored Core…I don't know…" She paused for a bit. "Whoever that pilot was, I think they felt nothing killing these Workers. There was no passion in their movements, it was just work to them."

"…Is that how you rationalize killing my people?" Uzi questioned.

"Huh?"

"Like…surviving, I get. Weird, but okay." Uzi admitted. "But by the order of your masters? What had we ever done to them? All we ever did was try and make a home for ourselves after our masters blew themselves up."

"…That's not all you did." V hissed quietly.

"What?"

"Oh…n-nothing." V denied saying anything.

"…" Uzi knew V was hiding something. "If there's something you know, it might help if we share."

"There's nothing to talk about." V hissed, glaring at Uzi. Uzi considered that V didn't deploy a weapon to threaten her. That was an improvement.

"Let's just…find some clues. Okay?" Uzi acquiesced, and stopped questioning V.

Humans might not find the sight disturbing, black oil seeping across the ground, and the shattered remnants of machine forms. But to Uzi, these were her people, her flesh and blood spilled so callously and slayed so cruelly. Their faces twisted in horror, lives taken suddenly and without warning. A death that came for all without regard for gender or age.

Even V grimaced, finding the utterly flattened remains of Workers who had been trampled on. Such violence seemed redundant…excessive…barbaric, even for her taste.

Eventually, Uzi managed to find a journal, belonging to what appeared to be a second-generation Drone. "Hey, go get the other two, this looks important."

"…Kay." V left her briefly, returning a few minutes later with J and N.

"So, what do you got, toaster?" J questioned skeptically.

"Here, listen to this:" Uzi began to read the relevant parts. "'The nice machine from the spaceship told us to watch out for the PCA. Apparently, they have a longstanding kill-on-sight order for Jenson model drones, and make no exceptions.'"

"Oh…well that's good to know." N noted. "We'll have to look out for those people to avoid."

"Does it say why the PCA wants to kill us?" V questioned.

"Sorry, no." Uzi continued reading. "'The nice machine also said that the main currency on this planet is known as League Coam, or just Coam for short. He said it's good because the value never changes. We can trade salvage for Coam with certain vendors in the big human cities.'"

"Okay…so we have a way we can make money!" J nodded confidently. "I'm sure there is something of value back at the ship breaking yards we can trade with humans. Then we can buy transportation, and use that to transport more Workers to the yards. Heck, we could even establish a corporate office for JCJenson and try and see if there are any more representatives of the company!"

"Lets…just focus on finding humans we can trade with first." Uzi advised, mitigating expectations. "'While we were traveling to set up our settlement in an abandoned area known as the Contaminated City, we heard from some passing human nomads about a large human settlement known as The Wall.'"

"That sounds…promising?" V suggested.

"Alright! Then that's where we are heading! To The Wall!" J announced.

The Wall – RLF Fortress City – Central Belius / Tuesday, Tiberius 6th

The ability to fly meant that they had not taken the only road to The Wall through an underground tunnel under a mountain. It did allow them to take a more scenic route, and look over the whole of the city from a nearby mountain.

It was evident that it was an extremely large facility built across the width of a valley. It was subversive then, as the whole of the area was actually three hundred meters taller than it appeared.

Leading out from the underground tunnel, was a whole train loading yard that extended across the front of The Wall. Past that was the moat, a three-hundred-meter pit leading to the actual surface of the planet. There was then a 130-meter-tall thick armored wall that protected the leftmost part of the city, lined with turreted artillery guns. Leading directly from the underground tunnel and towards The Wall, were two bridges, the entrance to the city, which were protected by two, twenty meter tall, quad three-barreled 100mm gatling guns.

The city itself was deceptively small, with only thirty-five apartment buildings between the heights of 50-150 meters, and a dozen more smaller buildings only two to three stories tall. Lastly, past the wide main avenue was the namesake of the city. A kilometer tall, several kilometers wide structure, lined with fourteen 250mm Coilgun artillery turrets. However, the main defense of the city was at the top of the wall, a massive turret with three 1000mm artillery guns that could rain hell on any force trying to enter the city.

And yet, even this whole massive structure was easily dwarfed by the seven-kilometer-tall megastructures that loomed menacingly far above.

"Well…it's good to see that nothing on this planet is ever disappointingly small…" Uzi commented sarcastically.

"Wow…I don't even remember having seen a living human city." N noted joyfully.

"Are they…usually this big?" Uzi questioned uncertainly.

"No…" V answered. "Even the tallest cities don't usually have structures this big."

"Alright! Let's take the front entrance!" J shouted assuredly.

Cutting in with the dispersed crowds passing freely through the city entrance, the four androids took the long walk over the bridge leading into the city. Approaching the massive gatling turrets, they were stopped by a guard with a patch on his shoulder reading 'RLF'.

"Hold it…what the fuck are you supposed to be?" The young guard questioned suspiciously.

"Uh…we're just some friendly service robots." J explained, choosing not to mention JCJenson at this time. "We crash landed on this planet-"

"Yeah I don't care about your life's story." The guard interrupted her. "Any weapons?"

"Uh…" While the Murder Drones could easily conceal their vast arsenal, Uzi's railgun hanging off her back was a bit too obvious.

"Right sure…" The guard dismissed. "Last question. What do you feel about the corporations?"

"Uh actually you see-" J tried to explain.

"Screw the corporations!" Uzi shouted over J.

"Right good enough. Don't cause any trouble, or we'll kill you all. Have a nice day." The guard dismissed them, allowing them entrance to the city. "Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

"…Abide with Rubicon!" The four drones answered back, remembering what that one Doser had told them.

"Say…Uzi…how did you know to say that?" N wondered, well past the guard. "You know, the 'screw the corporates' thing?"

"There's literally a sign over there that says 'Rubicon Liberation Front.'" Uzi pointed to it sarcastically. "It's not too hard to put two and two together."

"Huh…" V nodded.

"Listen…J…" Uzi addressed her apprehensively. "I know you have a creepy thing for JCJenson…but maybe don't mention them in this city. I have a feeling that these people don't like corporations."

"…Fair enough." J was reluctant to admit that Uzi had good advice.

Deciding not to draw too much attention to themselves by flying around, the group walked through the city, staying well clear of the intimidating forms of humanoid war machines, which J's files called Muscle Tracers. Though the planet was not as cold as Copper IX, there were still thick patches of snow covering the sidewalks.

What was comforting to see was that there were humans and machines in this city…just not any Jenson model androids. There were machines with two, three, and four arms, some with wheels for feet, and some that were even wearing clothes, but all of them appeared older, and with only vaguely humanoid forms, if that. Very much unlike the near human analogs that they were built to appear as.

J eventually led them to an administrative building, hoping to get some answers. After waiting in line for a few minutes, with both humans and machines, they eventually reached the front of the line. There, they met a robot clerk with a cylindrical head covered in small red eyes and had several mechanical arms arrayed around itself.

"Hello. How can-" The clerk robot looked at them more intently. "I'm…sorry, we don't serve your kind here."

"What?!" J shouted. "That's outrageous! You clearly serve both humans and machines!"

"Yes, but not your models. Now please leave, before I call security."

J made to rise her arm, perhaps to deploy one of her weapons, but N and V grabbed her, keeping her arms down.

"Uh, we're very sorry. We'll be right out of your hair!" N assured the clerk droid, dragging J with V and with Uzi right behind them.

"Okay…that was weird." Uzi commented. "Can we expect that kind of reception everywhere?"

"No…we can't…" J assured herself. "JCJenson was once one of the largest corporations across the cosmos…surely someone remembers us in some way? Surely someone will help us…"

. . .

"Get the fuck out of mi store!"

"Back to the glasslands where you belong, Jenson freaks!"

"The only good Jenson model is a dead Jenson model!"

"Where is your god now?!"

The fact that these insults and threats were delivered by both humans and machines was unsettling, but not as disturbing as the next statement.

"Why don't you come over here and show me what that big mouth of yours can do, pashangwala?!" That statement was paired with the sight of a human man grabbing his genitals in an obscene matter, much to their dismay. However, the four Jenson model drones did not have the programming to understand the implications of that statement or gesture, only that it frightened them.

The most telling statement of all however, that only raised more questions, was three words.

"Fucking Laconian scrap!"

After being chased out of yet another establishment, the four androids tried to process that information.

"Well…that's a new one." V shivered. She didn't like the way some of the humans were looking at her. There was some implication that she understood was bad, but was not capable of truly comprehending.

"What is…Laconain?" N questioned.

"…" J took a moment to think, going through her internal files. "Laconia II is a planet and human colony, first settled in 2582 after it's discovery in 2580."

"Okay…so what's so special about this Laconia?" Uzi questioned.

"I…don't know." J admitted shamefully.

"Well is there anything you do know?! How many holes are in your memory?!" Uzi accused.

"I don't know okay!" J shouted back. "My files have been heavily redacted!"

"Hey! It's okay J!" N assured her. "No one is blaming you for anything."

"Well, whatever is up with Laconia, it's obvious people consider us Laconian…whatever that means." V reasoned.

"…Hey." Uzi realized something. "That ship, the Odysseus, it had the prefix 'LIN'. What if the L stands for 'Laconian'?"

"So…the Laconian something Navy?" N added.

"Yeah, that makes sense." V agreed. "Although…what does the 'I' stand for?"

"…Well…don't look at me!" J defended. "I'm a Disassembly Drone, not a dictionary drone!"

"We'll figure it out eventually." Uzi dismissed. "Have we gone through all the shops in this city though? It will suck if everyone refuses service to us for something we don't understand."

"I think there is one more." N spoke up encouragingly. "Maybe we'll get lucky!"

The last shop in the city was named "Mal's Salvage and Repair". Other than the accumulation of parts and components that they didn't recognize, it didn't look too unusual.

"Uh…hello?" J questioned to the empty looking shop, hearing the sound of work being done in the back.

"What!?" A voice shouted back. A few seconds later, an android with human proportions appeared. It's internal mechanisms were exposed, showing wires and actuators within it's frame. It's head was shaped like a camera, with a single glowing red eye with zoom controls being it's only form of emotional expression. It was also wearing a brown trench coat.

"How can I help you?" The cyclopean robot questioned.

"Ah!" J was ecstatic to not be thrown out on sight. "We uh, just recently landed on this planet, and we could use some help."

"…Jenson model androids, right?" The machine pointed at them. "Yeah, I heard a whole ship of you fine folks came down the well a few days ago. Where are you coming from anyway?"

"We came from Copper IX." Uzi spoke up.

"Copper IX, that's…oh!" The machine looked like it tried to imitate a wincing of it's eye. "Damn, that's a hundred years on the float for y'all, huh? Must be pretty confusing, coming here only to find everything different from what you were told."

"We…uh…weren't informed we were going anywhere." J sheepishly answered.

"Ah…that could be a problem." The machine admitted. "Oh! Where are my manners! I'm MA-1R, at your service!"

"Oh, uh, hey! I'm Uzi."

"N!"

"V."

"J." J answered pleasantly. "We were just hoping you could fill us in on some information. Like uh…what's with Laconia? Why are people so hostile to us?"

"Hey." MA-1R answered flatly. "Ain't no need to be bringing up the planet that 'shall not be named' and ruining this wonderful relationship we've started." He did air quotes with his fingers. "No one likes to talk about the Laconians and what they did. Though that's also the reason why basically no one in the 'verse likes your kind. Bad blood…or…err, oil."

"Yeah…we saw there was a warning to avoid a group called the PCA as well…?" Uzi wondered.

"Oh don't mind them, the PCA are assholes to everyone." MA-1R assured them. "They're remnants of the Sol Alliance left to protect Rubicon, but without direct oversight they've taken to bullying everyone on the planet and exerting control for their own ends. And yeah they do have orders to kill your kind on sight. Same reason as before. Sorry."

"Well, what else can you tell us about Rubicon, Mr.?" N questioned.

"Just what everyone else knows." MA-1R sighed. "I'm not a Rubiconian myself. Sorta got myself stranded after my ship broke down. Found some work for a client through, so I keep my eye out for salvage and resources."

"Right!" J shouted. "That's also what we wanted to talk to you about. We were wondering how we could make some Coam to help us survive?"

"Well then I'm your guy!" MA-1R shouted back eagerly. "For little machines such as yourselves, your best bet would be salvage and resource gathering. Any good scrap or valuable resources will go for a lot. Just bring it back to me and I'll be sure to credit you appropriately."

"Okay! Great! We uh…sort of have a shelter kinda far from here. If we find something valuable we'll bring it back to you?" J asked to confirm.

"Hey, that's the plan!" MA-1R answered back certainly.

"Excellent! We'll get right on that!" J shouted, leading the other three drones back.

"…Hey." MA-1R called out much more somberly. "Listen." It was hard to tell without a face, but it looked like he was frowning, as he crossed his arms. "A good rule of thumb here on Rubicon…don't trust anyone. The PCA will kill you, the Corps will exploit you, and the RLF is too preoccupied to care, but they definitely have no sympathy for your kind. And stay away from the hardcore Coral Tweakers…I'd hate to think of what they'd do to…little machines such as yourselves. I'll…talk to my boss. See if she can take in some strays such as yourselves in exchange for work. No promises."

"Oh…thanks…" Uzi smiled back appreciatively. Then she and the three Murder Drones left his shop.

MA-1R pulled out his hand terminal, a glass screen that served as a communications terminal and data access point, and made a call.

"Hey Carla, you'll never guess what just walked into my shop."

Grid 009 – Ship Breaking Yards – Western Belius /Wednesday, Tiberius 7th

Having flown back to their improvised base within the ship breaking yards, J had tasked her drones to look for anything of value, tearing through most of the shipwrecks and the office spaces.

Uzi thought they were making good progress, pulling ship components and tech that they wouldn't need to use to repair the Odysseus. Good quality metals and complicated mechanisms, as well as computer components. They had been doing well, until J found something she liked.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" J had continuously cheered even after she had summoned her drones and Uzi.

"So uh, what did you find, J?" N wondered.

"Check it out!" J cheered, opening up a large walk-in safe embedded in the wall. Inside was several tons of gold bars, laid out neatly in large piles.

"Oh wow J! You're the best!" N praised.

"Heh…nice." V smiled widely, feeling confident.

"…" Uzi wasn't so certain. Looking around the interior of the safe, she found a hole in the wall, an area for holding documents or other small, valuable items. She found a plate full of diamonds, an empty folder, and bloodied handprints.

"Guys…people have already been through this safe." Uzi pointed out.

"Yeah?...So?" J was so certain in her discovery and supremacy that she didn't really care what the little Worker said.

"It means that someone should have already cleared out this vault if the gold was of any value." Uzi argued. "If there was anything of value here, it's probably long gone."

"…Oh." N realized.

"…" V didn't say anything, but she stopped smiling. Her visor simulated flattened eyebrows, giving the impression she was thinking.

"Listen little toaster." J pointed at her with her claws extended. "Why don't you let me worry about the big brain stuff, and you just keep working on the heavy lifting stuff. It's in your name, after all. Besides, haven't you ever heard of the 'gold standard' before? It means that gold has always been the human's go to for basing their currency."

"…" Uzi glared at her, but knew she couldn't try to change her mind. If she could get the other two Murder Drones to listen to her…N might, but the both of them were still openly loyal to J.

After finding strong enough containers to carry on their backs, J started loading up the other three Drones with as much gold as would fit.

"Hey…uh…J?" V questioned apprehensively. "You're kinda pushing my load baring limit there…?"

"Oh I know your upper load limit." J assured her. "You'll be fine. Now come on! We can't fly with this weight, so we'll be walking back to The Wall!"

"…Alright J, whatever you say…" N reluctantly supported.

"…" Uzi didn't fail to notice how the container that J took was nowhere near as heavy as the one N, V, or herself was taking. She'd have strong words to say about her if her programming allowed it. Just as insurance, she went through the salvage she had personally assessed and found the nicest looking computer hardware she could fit in her pocket.

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

The request that came in was scheduled for the next day. Meaning 621 had some time to plan it out before she committed to the job.

Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship – Arquebus / Reward 270,000 COAM

"Got a job for you, 621." Handler Walter informed her. "This one's a request from the Arquebus group."

"Raven. This request comes from Schneider, an Arquebus subsidiary." The Arquebus representative reported. "The mission will take place in the Bona Dea Dunes of western Belius. Our Coral investigation there is being blocked by the Strider, a Rubicon Liberation Front mining ship." The video that played showed a five kilometer long, 1.5 kilometer tall six-legged walking landship, with two large drills situated under the rear two sections, and a massive circular saw under the forward section. The design had traits of old Earth built Arms Forts, but was nowhere near as prepared for war, being a retrofitted mobile mining rig. "You are to destroy it. The Strider is a mobile resource base that was extensively weaponized by the Liberation Front. Call it the crowning glory to their efforts to militarize into an anti-corporate force." The Arquebus man hissed sarcastically. "Your attack will focus on the Eye, a giant laser cannon connected directly to the main generator." The turreted structure on the upper portion of the forward section, which stood a hundred meters above the deck, really did look like a great big mechanical eye. "It is protected by a shield, which is powered by auxiliary sub-generators. These should be your first targets. This concludes the briefing. Good luck."

"…" One of the main problems, 621 realized, was going to be mobility. The sub-generators were arranged in such a way as to make difficult to access for extended periods, especially the ones at the waist. She needed to maximize her one-shot potential and ability to hit difficult targets.

She decided to buy a SG-026 Haldeman shotgun, that appeared as an overly large SPAS-12 chambered in 145mm fortieth gage to replace her machinegun. As well, she replaced her eight-cell VLS launcher with one of her older four-cell guided missile launchers.

She'd once seen the terrifying bulks of League Arms Forts. The massive, armored forms that had once ruled the Earth's desolate and sterilized surface. The Strider was nothing compared to those engineering marvels of destruction. She would make short work of it.

That Night / Bona Dea Dunes – Western Belius

Having walked for hours from the ship breaking yards with just over three tons of gold between them, J had reluctantly agreed to let them rest for the night out on the sand dune covered glasslands.

It was another exhausting long day that Uzi had learned yet another new thing about her captors.

The three Murder Drones she was reluctantly following across the desolate wastelands of Rubicon could each be separated into subcategory types. N's larger limbs and taller build characterized him as a "strength type", giving him enhanced, industrial level strength and endurance compared to other Disassembly Drone models. V could be characterized as a "speed type", as her lithe and lighter body could supposedly break the sound barrier in short bursts to engage in high-speed combat. J, though she shared V's overall feminine build minus a few inches, was actually characterized as a "command type"; being armed with an EMP cannon that she alone was immune to, and having what could only be described as a "viral bolt gun" designed for digital execution of drones. In a way, J was armed such that she could fight and kill other Disassembly Drones and win.

Those distinctions were important because carrying a ton of gold each across a freezing desert was not something any of them were designed for. J was doing the best out of any of them because, of course, she had taken only a third the weight the other drones were taking. N was doing the next best as his strength and size made it much easier for him to endure the strain on his system. Though Uzi was unhappy, her Worker Drone body was actually designed for this kind of work, so she endured it as well as could be expected.

Unfortunately, V was struggling in every capacity. Her thin body designed for short burst of speed was unbalanced by the ton of metal on her back. This was not helped by the fact that she didn't actually have feet, her legs just sort of tapered off at the ankle to rounded points, so she was struggling to keep her balance at all times in the sand dunes they were traversing.

Still, she had soldiered on without verbal complaint, even when it was obvious she was exhausted from physical strain. Even an hour after having set down, V was still struggling to relax, her limbs strained hard and her visor showing visible discomfort.

"Trust me guys! When we get this gold back to The Wall, we'll be rich!" J cheered assuredly. The four droids were sitting around a fire, biting back at the bitter cold of Rubiconian night.

"Sure J. You've never led us wrong before." N was stuck supporting her, not knowing any better.

"R-Right…" V winced, her actuators feeling strained.

"…" Uzi kept quiet, knowing J would just shout at her and tell her she was wrong because of big economic words that J knew and Uzi didn't. Leaning back, Uzi looked up, at the dark sky. The dark hulks of looming megastructures still towered overhead; there seemed no escape from their dreadful presence on this whole continent. Above that, she saw the reflection of billions of pieces of metallic debris in orbit of the planet, forming bleached white rings of shattered metal. And past that, against the blackness of infinite space…

"Guys…" Uzi shivered, fear biting at her processors at some knowledge she could obviously see but could scarcely comprehend. "Where are the stars?"

The three Murder Drones looked up, seeing the pitch-black void that sat hungrily over their heads, and the abhorrent lack of light.

"That's…freaky…" V tried to stay strong, but was extremely unsettled. Having spent years on Copper IX, she'd become used to the brightly lit skies of it's night, the stars dimmed by the two massive moons in close orbit to the planet, making their appearance every few hours. Rubicon's moon was a small, shattered husk broken into two major portions, and it's orbital rings were left in various stages of activity or abandonment.

"That's…not…possible." J tried to reason. "There's almost no light pollution on Rubicon…we should be able to see whole arms of the galaxy…billions of stars in the galaxy and not one above…how…?"

"Uh…hey! Is that a star?!" N shouted desperately, pointing to a stray bright light.

"No…that's just debris. It's moving too quickly to be a star." Uzi shamefully shot his suggestion down.

"W-What about that one!?" N shouted again.

"…That's Caeser, Rubicon IV." J answered, wishing she was wrong. "It's a gas giant."

It was a question no one wanted to repeat, and no one wanted to answer. It hung heavy around them, a terrifying prospect they couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"L-Let's just…go to bed…for now…" Uzi suggested, unable to hide her apprehension. "I'm sure J is going to work us extra hard tomorrow."

"Y-Yeah…" J refocused on her, desperate for normalcy, and to not stare at the terrifying mystery over their heads. "Y-You bet I will!"

It was a question they all asked, as they huddled close together for warmth under cold dead skies.

Was Rubicon a world where even the stars had died?

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Next Day

The mechanized platform moved her AC from it's maintenance position in the hangar out to a launch platform, from which it would deploy to the battlefield.

"Time for a little self-promotion, 621." Handler Walter announced, as 621 waited on the launch phase. "Smash the Strider, and Arquebus HQ will be sure to remember your name."

"…"

Bona Dea Dunes – Western Belius

Having started early in the day, J had marched them fairly far into the desert, still on track to The Wall. It hadn't been all walking. There were at least a few times in the last few days that they'd been able to run into an automated train line, and cut several days off their journey. If things went well, they'd be at The Wall in a few more days.

That is, if V could keep up. Uzi saw her behind the group, struggling to maintain balance and pace with all the weight on her back.

"Hey, uh, J?" Uzi called forward. "Maybe we should take a break?"

"Why? We're making good progress." J argued. "I don't see any reason to stop now."

"I…could go for a break." V admitted shamefully, wording it as a suggestion.

"What was that?" J accused. "Is the most efficient drone in my squad lagging behind?"

"N-No! No I can keep going!" V assured her.

"Uh…I'm…pretty tired…?" Uzi lied. Her small frame was using her energy reserves far more efficiently than any of the Murder Drones. She was just trying to give V a break.

"Yeah J. We've been going at it all morning. We should take it easy for a bit." N suggested as well. He might not be the smartest drone, but he was thinking the same as Uzi.

"No! We keep going! So no more complaining!" J ordered.

"Y-Yes J!" N and V reluctantly agreed

"…" Uzi sighed, and kept going, keeping an auditory sensor out for V trailing behind them. Try as she might, V just wasn't built for this kind of work. She heard her fall before she saw her.

It was a fairly undignified position, face first in the sand, hands clutched into fists as she seethed with rage at her own inability.

Uzi knew she should feel something more. She should feel rage and resentment and disgust at that machine, that had hunted and killed so many of her people while it laughed.

But Rubicon had already broken them and their preconceptions. N, V, and J were not some horrific monsters beyond comprehension. Their minds were just as young and unprepared as she was, and while J might be an asshole, N was a good guy, and V…

Uzi had yet to decide who V was, but it was obvious she hid her true feelings from everyone. What little of her true self Rubicon had broken out was, much to her surprise, more like herself. Someone just trying to do right.

"…" Uzi sighed, and did not hesitate to slowly stride towards V's fallen form. N had much the same idea, and together, they grabbed V by the arms, and lifted her upright so that she could stand. They then pulled her arms over their shoulders, bearing some of her load, as they pushed to keep up with J.

"T-Thanks…" V hissed quietly, hiding her embarrassment by staring down at their feet.

"Hey, no problem." N smiled down at her.

"…" Uzi said nothing, and just tried to focus on getting out of that desert, one step at a time…

. . .

They'd been walking for a bit when they noticed a new sound, like massive booms that shook the entire desert every few minutes.

"Okay…what the heck is that?" Uzi spoke up.

"There's something…big out here. In the dust storm." N spoke up.

"…And it's getting closer." J advised cautiously.

From out of the dust storm, a massive foot of some steel leviathan came crashing down, several hundred meters behind them. Looking up, they could barely make out the shape of it through the dust. A massive platform with legs and mining equipment strapped to it, baring down on them.

Without needing to speak, the four little drones picked up the pace, running for the cover of nearby rocks, that the thing towering overhead seemed to pass by.

"What is that thing?!" V shouted.

"It's…it's some kind of land ship!" J shouted back. "I'd…I'd heard legends of such mechanical beast roaming Earth long ago…but I never imagined they were real…"

For the four little machines, the imposing mobile platform appeared as a machine god to their ignorant eyes.

Destroy the Weaponized Mining Ship – Arquebus / Bona Dea Dunes – Western Belius / Thursday, Tiberius 8th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Commence mission." Handler Walter ordered. "First, get through all that dust and make contract with the Strider."

"…" 621 flew forward across the ground, slowly catching up with the Strider, it's massive form highlighted by the dim light of the sun against the brown dust in the air.

"An unidentified AC. Must be one of the corporation's dogs." The RLF Strider Captain announced over radio. "Activate the Eye, burn them away!"

"Yes sir!" An RLF crew member responded. "Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

"Abide with Rubicon." The Strider Captain answered.

"…" Engaging the dispersed escort of RLF MTs, 621 saw the bright blue beam strike the distant desert, and race it's way towards her, giving her only a second to dodge out of it's way with her quick-boosters.

It was as if lighting struck directly over their heads. A thunderous screech and a terribly bright blue light that reached out to something in the far distance.

"What the frack was that?!" Uzi shouted.

"That was a huge laser weapon!" J announced, eyeing the leviathan machine warily. "That things strong enough to decimate whole armies in just one blow!"

"Who would be insane enough to take on this beast?!" V questioned.

Having fought her way through a half dozen guard MTs and past the deadly glare of the Eye, 621 was out of targeting range for the eye, looking up at the Strider at close range.

"Alright, now you're up close and personal." Handler Walter noticed. "Take out one of it's legs and bring it to a halt."

"What!? They evaded the Eyes's laser!" Another RLF crew member shouted.

"All hands, prepare for close range combat. Intercept!" The Strider Captain ordered.

"…" 621 climbed a short hill, just below where one of it's legs was standing, and fired up into an exposed load baring hydraulic support. The RLF had done a piss poor job haphazardly welding a single layer of thin metal over the exposed point. It was nothing a few mortar rounds couldn't handle. In just a few seconds, she'd torn the joint apart.

"Confirmed. Strider leg compromised. It's going down." Handler Walter confirmed. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Something had gotten on top of the rocks they were hiding behind, and fired heavy ordnance over their heads, into one of the leviathan's legs.

"Hey…that things coming down…right on top of us…" Uzi pointed out in disbelief.

"…Run!" N shouted in realization.

The four drones broke from cover, running away as the rear third of the leviathan collapsed, crushing the area they had just been standing. And allowing them to see who was fighting it.

"Hey…that's…" Uzi pointed to the back of an AC with rusting armor.

"That's the Tarnished Armored Core. The one that killed all those Workers." V noted as well.

"It's taking on this giant machine!?" J realized. "There's no way! There's no way just one AC could take it on!"

"Alright, now we've got a foothold, get to the deck." Handler Walter ordered as the Strider settled, a third of it's bulk hanging off.

"…" 621 ascended up the fallen third of the mobile platform. Along the way, she dodged past automated defense and missile turrets, still trying to shake her off.

"That AC pilot is no rookie…" The Strider Captain noted. "We can't take any chances! Decouple the rear!"

The rear third of the Strider suddenly started falling the rest of the way down, nearly taking her with it. 621 engaged her assault-booster, and flew up to the still standing section.

"They're trying to cut and run." Handler Walter mused.

"Ahh! We can't shake the enemy AC!" A Strider crew member shouted out fearfully.

"Remember, we fight for the Coral!" The Strider Captain shouted to inspire. "Defend the sub-generators!"

"…" 621 flew to the port side of the Strider, dodging several defense guns as she did so. She had to momentarily expose herself to the eye to get a shot off at the waist generators. Snaping off a shot from her shotgun and a volley of missiles tore the generator apart. Before the Eye could get a shot on her, she flew down beneath the Strider, looking for her next target.

Standing on scaffolding around it's remaining drill, 621 targeted the underside generator with a one-two shot from her back mounted mortar.

"Sir! We've lost another sub-generator!" A crew member shouted.

"…Remember the hardships that made us." The Strider Captain announced, keeping his crew inspired. "Remember, that when Rubicon burned, we endured! Forged in ash, we stand as one!"

"…" Hovering out near the starboard sub-generator, 621 fired her missiles and shotgun, taking it out. She then made her way up to the main deck, under the hateful gaze of the giant Eye.

"The Strider is flagship of our war." The Strider Captain warned. "Hold the line! Defend the ship with your lives!"

"…" Forced to take cover behind her target, the Eye fired a wide burst of plasma, like it's own plasma shotgun, across the upper deck of the Strider. When it was finished, she took out the last generator with her blade, then boosted forward to blind it's Eye.

"All sub-generators destroyed." Handler Walter announced. "The Eyes' shield is offline."

Charging across the deck, 621 dodged out of the way as the Eye fired down at her. She fired back with her own ordnance, slowly chipping away at it.

"Charge the cannon!" The Strider Captain ordered. "Burn the Coral plunderers!"

The eye hissed at a high pitch as it fired a concentrated beam down at her. 621 dodged out of it's way, easily staying ahead of the deadly laser beam. She fired back with her heavy mortars, doing terrible damage.

"The Eye has taken significant damage!" A crew member warned.

"We're not through yet! Show them our pride!" The Strider Captain urged on.

621 gave the Eye another volley of her ordnance, tearing it's thin armor open.

"Sir! The Eye is in a critical state!"

"Impossible! How can just one AC do this?!"

"…" 621 plunged her blade into the Eye, melting it's fragile components, killing it.

"Sir! No response from the Eye!" A crew member shouted fearfully.

"No…! We…We can't lose the Strider…" The captain uttered distraught.

"Confirmed, target destroyed." Handler Walter verified. "And it looks like all that energy it was sucking up has nowhere to go. Move 621, you need to get clear of the Strider."

"…" 621 flew away from the Strider, back the way she came.

"You damn hyenas…scavenging the planet!" The Strider Captain cursed. "Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

The energy from the Strider's internal generators entered a feedback loop, bouncing back and forth between capacitors and reactor systems, until that energy had nowhere left to go. It's internal systems detonated, and it's legs stopped holding it up. It started falling into itself.

"See that, 621? The Strider is blowing itself up." Handler Walter noted assuredly. "A fitting end for something built to fail."

The Strider struck the ground with a blinding white light, as another internal system detonated.

"Mission accomplished. Head back to-" Handler Walter noticed something. "Hmm, what was that?"

The leviathan, a literal mountain of moving metal, a machine beyond their imagination, was left as little more than smoldering scrap in the wake of that Tarnished Armored Core.

"It…it killed it." N squeaked out.

"Just…how powerful are Armored Cores?" Uzi wondered.

"That pilot…they must be something else." V added. "To face such a metal leviathan and come out unharmed."

"It's…impressive." J admitted sheepishly. "We really are out of our league on this planet…ahh!" J dropped down behind the rocks when she saw the ACs head snap in their direction. "It saw us!"

"Oh no! What do we do!?" N panicked.

"We'll…" J considered her options. "Heh." She grabbed Uzi, tearing the container off her back.

"What!? What are you doing!?" Uzi shouted at her.

"If that thing likes killing Worker Drones so much, then let's feed it one!" J shouted, throwing Uzi from cover.

"Wait! J! Don't!" V shouted at her, too late.

"Huh…" Handler Walter realized. "It's a Jenson model android."

"…"

"This one looks different from the usual design, however. It's more…personalized. I heard rumor that some of the androids that came down were built by other androids as pseudo-children. Perhaps this is such an example?"

"…"

The purple haired android glared at 621 fearfully and hatefully. "If you're just going to kill me, then get it over with!" There was a restriction in it's programming that prevented it from flipping her off, though it improvised by crossing it's left fist at it's right elbow, and holding it's right fist up.

"It's certainly a brave little machine." Handler Walter noted in amusement.

"…"

Handler Walter realized his Hound was passively asking for orders, with how to deal with the little machine. He could speak a word, and his Hound would destroy the small, scared machine without a hint of remorse. Such was her temperament, her draw to violence and slaughter.

"There's no reward for killing this machine, 621. Don't waste your bullets on old Laconian scrap. Head back to base." Handler Walter ordered.

"…" 621 obeyed, breaking contact with the small machine, and flying away.

Watching the Tarnished Armored Core ignore her and fly away, Uzi fell to her knees, trying to calm down. That had been terrifying, staring down a mech that had slaughtered her people, and was even less relatable than the Murder Drones. At least the Murder Drones had a face…the Armored Core just stared at her with a glare that could, at a moment, mean sudden and apathetic death.

"Uzi!" N shouted, jumping next to her and lifting her to her feet.

"…" V had approached as well, then looked away, trying to pretend that she wasn't worried for her.

"I'm fine…that was…that was really scary." Uzi admitted. She then turned around, and glared. "J you jerk! That thing could have killed me!"

"What? You're not part of my squad." J smirked. "You're more like a pet, little Worker. To be used as bait or food whenever I see fit."

"J…" V looked like she wanted to say something, sneering at her leader.

"It's fine." Uzi hissed back. "I get it."

"Good~" J purred. "Now hurry up, we have a delivery to make!"

The Wall – RLF Fortress City – Central Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 10th

It had been nearly a hard week of marching out of the dune covered glasslands and over the frozen wastelands beyond. A few hitchhiked trains got them to The Wall with plenty of daylight left.

On the way to "Mal's" shop, they spotted a bit of new scenery added to streets of the fortress city. The wrecks of large war machines dotted the streets. BAWS tetrapods and MTs, and a tank AC blasted apart, an emblem reading "G4" on it's shoulder.

Slowly working their way into MA-1R's shop, the friendly machine spotted them.

"Well, welcome back, my stray Jenson drones."

"Hey~" Uzi greeted kindly. "You uh, had some visitors out there?"

"Oh, just some young Balam blood getting thrown our way." MA-1R dismissed. "He and his partner weren't prepared for the line of coilguns lining the back wall. I feel kinda bad for them. Still…the corps are serious about occupying this city. Won't be long till a Hound does break through the RLF lines."

"Uh…Hound?" N questioned.

"Oh, most AC pilots are called Hounds." MA-1R explained. "Cause they always do someone's dirty work."

"Right…well!" J approached cheerfully. "We're here to make a trade! I hope you are ready for what we brought you!"

J opened her container of gold, placing several heavy bars on MA-1R's desk. She seemed so proud of herself, so certain.

"…" MA-1R stared at her with his imperceivable single eye. It narrowed, and he bowed his head with a sigh. Fishing a hand through his pocket, he grabbed a handful of…casino chips, and gently placed them by J's gold. "I'm going to pay you to get that shit out of my shop."

"W-What…?" J looked up at the taller machine in shock. "B-But's it's gold! I swear!"

"Yeah." MA-1R nodded. "People used to think gold was worth fightin' over, and that shit gets made by every supernova, which means pretty much every planet around a G2 star will have some. In fact…" He leaned over his desk, pointing at the sky through his windows. "Have you seen the color of the sky outside? How bright some of the clouds are? There's a billion times more gold in Rubicon's atmosphere than what you've found here. Now if you had brought this much Coral, then we'd be talking. There's only one planet in the whole 'verse with Coral. Now that's scarcity, kopeng."

"We…thought Coral was just a drug…?" Uzi questioned.

"Ah, run into a Doser, did you? Yeah, they have a pretty warped sense of Coral's value." MA-1R shrugged. "Coral's more than just a powerful hallucinogenic, it's also a power source, a data conduit, why, Coral's way more potent a material than League Era Kojima Particles. It was set to revolutionize everything, to improve the lives of human and machine kind across the cosmos."

"So…what happened?" N wondered.

"Ah…fifty years ago, there was an event…The Fires of Ibis. A wave of fire that scorched the stars, and ended a war." MA-1R told somberly. "Now…there's just ashes left, and a hope that one day, the Coral might be found again in such abundance to make living on this damned, cursed rock worth it."

"So…we dragged all this gold for days…for nothing?" V questioned with a hiss.

"Sorry kids." MA-1R shrugged. "Gold's only use on this planet is in high-quality electronics, and there's enough scrap laying around to make whole gold bars…excessive. There's certainly places that will take them, but not for much more than I'm paying you to get it out of my sight."

"…" J shamefully took her handful of COAM, and dragged her precious gold outside.

"…" N looked uncharacteristically annoyed, and followed J out.

"Uh…" Uzi stepped forward, and placed the computer component she had found on his desk. "Is this worth much?"

"Huh." MA-1R picked up the component. "Mars tech radio receiver, and still in good condition. Mars always built to last, you know? If you find any more Martian tech, definitely bring it to me. I'll pay you 1,500 Coam for this."

"…Is that a lot?" Uzi sheepishly asked.

"It's a dozen times more than I paid your friend to leave." MA-1R pointed out.

"Oh…cool!" Uzi smiled. "So uh…let's trade?"

"Sure." MA-1R nodded. "I'll even help you set up an account so you don't have to carry that all around. On the house."

MA-1R spent a few minutes showing Uzi how to work a hand terminal, a kind of phone devise, and transferred the COAM into her account.

"Thanks for the business little drone. Can't wait to see what you bring me next!"

Uzi turned around, and saw V staring at her. It was a neutral, thinking expression, her mouth withdrawn to an invisible line. V turned around, and walked outside, dragging J's worthless gold behind her as well.

"But…but…the gold standard." J was uttering to herself outside. "Gold was always…the standard for currency…"

"J, just give it a rest." V barked at her. "Just admit it, you messed up."

"…" Uzi found an open dumpster, and dumped her container of gold in it.

"Wait!…Ah…" J tried to argue, but gave up. She slumped down in defeat.

Seeing Uzi dumping the gold, N and V followed as well, while J frowned.

"Ack!" V cried out, collapsing to her knees after overexerting herself.

"V!? What's wrong?!" N shouted in worry.

"P-Pushed myself…little too hard." V laughed in pain. Her visor stopped showing her eyes, instead being replaced with an "Overheat Warning" message.

"Oh…?" J suddenly perked up. "Quitting on me now? And here I thought you were my most effective drone?"

"I-I am an effective drone!" V shouted, but didn't even have the strength to look up anymore.

"An effective drone can stand up." J purred cruelty. "Come on, get up, V."

"…!" V bared her teeth, pushing herself forward, but only fell forward on her face.

"V!" N shouted.

"Leave her, N." J hissed.

"J! We can't leave V!" N argued.

J punched N in the face, cracking his visor. The cracks disappeared after a few seconds, healing with a wisp of smoke.

"I only have room in my squad for effective drones." J spat. "Come on."

"V…" N stared at her sadly, bowing his head in sorrow.

"…" J seemed to forget about Uzi for the moment. Between her worthless gold and V's ineffectiveness, she had stormed off with her corporate swagger, trying to keep her pride in spite of their wasted days spent in the glasslands.

Staring down at V, Uzi glared hard. It would be easy to just leave her to die. Maybe she'd get lucky and J would die off too…and then she and N could find a way off the planet. On the other hand, it was far more likely that J would use N up until he collapsed in exhaustion.

V was supposed to be her sworn enemy. A Murder Drone that had decimated her people, slaughtered them with a smile on her face. And…there was a one in three chance that she…

But if Uzi left her there, she would be no better than J. Uzi might be a little…insane, for a Worker Drone, but she wasn't cruel. And she could tell there was more to V than just the insane and monstrous little creature she pretended to be.

If she wanted off Rubicon, she needed these dangerous idiots' help.

Pushing V into a sitting position, Uzi saw that V was still technically alive, wincing in pain and twitching. She made a confused groan.

"V…" Uzi couldn't believe she was about to say it. "Open your mouth."

"Huh…?" V hung her mouth open lazily, more out of weakness than actually following Uzi's command.

While Worker Drones had an unbroken tooth like structure that ran flat through their entire mouth, Murder Drones had pointed pseudo-canines as part of this structure. Robot vampires and all.

It was these sharpened structures Uzi was aiming at when she jammed her hand into V's mouth, cutting herself on her teeth.

"…" Uzi winced in pain as she started losing a manageable amount of oil. V lapped it up greedily, letting her tongue…yes, these androids had tongues…trace over the wound, urging it out.

Until V's overheat warning went away, her eyes returned hollowed, horrified, and confused.

"W-What?!" V stood up, spitting Uzi's hand out of her mouth. "What are you doing?!"

"Saving you, idiot!" Uzi shouted back.

"You…!" V looked confused, and a bit scared. She was used to being a predator, taking what she wanted. To be offered…was a new, uncertain experience. "You…"

"Are you feeling better now?" Uzi asked with the least amount of concern as she could manage. That's right…she didn't care about what happened to her, she was just using them for her own ends.

"I…" V looked down. "If I don't push myself, I can go on a bit longer."

"Okay, lets-" Uzi paused as an air raid siren started. "Oh! Now what!?"

Then the artillery guns of The Wall opened up, firing on an unseen enemy.

Chapter Text

Her Handler seemed a bit more excited today as he announced her next mission.

"This request comes straight from Arquebus headquarters." Handler Walter reported. "They want you to assist with a mission the corporations are calling 'Operation Wallclimber.'"

Operation Wallclimber – Arquebus / Reward 330,000 COAM

"This is V.II Snail, leader of the Vespers' second squad. I will chair the briefing for this mission." The Arquebus representative announced. "This is an operation of my own design, consider it a privilege to be called to participate. You will be attacking The Wall, a key trading outpost fortified by the Rubicon Liberation Front. The rabble have formed a defensive line comprised of artillery and MT squads. Break through the line, then make your way to the top of The Wall. There you shall find the Juggernaut, a mobile heavy artillery platform. Destroy it. V.IV will also be participating in this mission, infiltrating through a separate route." The briefing showed another AC, callsign "V.IV Rusty" using an AC he called "Steel Haze". "However, be aware that Balam has also taken a crack at The Wall, only for their vainglorious hopes to be dashed." There was footage then, showing the tank AC of G4 Volta, destroyed and torn apart within the streets of The Wall. "Do try not to die like a dog out there."

"…" 621 decided to change her missile launcher back to the eight-cell VLS launcher. Other than that it seemed a good enough load out to take on The Wall. With that settled she entered her AC, and initiated the launch procedure.

"Your objective is the take the Liberation Front fortress, The Wall. Show them you're worth the scrip, 621." Handler Walter advised.

Operation Wallclimber – Arquebus / The Wall – RLF Fortress City – Central Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 10th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Commence mission." Handler Walter announced as 621 landed on a plateau overlooking The Wall. "We'll start by clearing the way for Arquebus. Take out the gatling cannons protecting the city and BAWS tetrapod MT further in."

Boosting forward to the edge of the plateau, the battle was already underway. A dozen Arquebus MTs were advancing under heavy fire, into the heavy artillery guns of the RLF. A transport helicopter with a full squad of MTs was shot down by distant heavy artillery, wiping the squad out before they had even fired a shot.

"There's heavy fire coming from up top." Handler Walter warned. "621, keep an eye out for cover."

"You'll never climb The Wall, corporation dogs!" The RLF declared on an open channel. "Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

Staying on the ridgeline to the left of the fortress, 621 stayed in cover until she could jump out across the forward wall, and started targeting the artillery turrets. Since this part of the fortress was still under construction, the artillery turrets were neither large enough nor fast enough to be a concern for her. What was a concern was that the Juggernaut had spotted her, and started raining 1000mm high explosive shells on her position, forcing her to dodge every few seconds.

Crossing across the forward defense line, 621 jumped out on top of the gatling cannon turrets. She fired her dual-mortars into the furthest one, knocking it out, and fired her shotgun point blank into the one directly below herself, taking it out as well. Landing at the front of the city, she turned her sights on a lone MT, and cut it in half with her blade.

"Gatling cannons destroyed. The friendly MT squad will take care of the city." Handler Walter noted. "You take care of the BAWS tetrapod MT, 621."

"…" 621 boosted between the buildings of the city, staying in cover from the numerous coilgun cannons guarding the rear wall. She opportunistically hunted MTs squads when they crossed her path.

"We're under attack! They're in the city!" A female RLF soldier warned.

"It's just one AC…?! Arquebus…they're mocking us?!" Another commented in disbelief.

"…"

The battle had come without warning, tearing into the city with fury and thunder.

Keeping their heads low, J and N were trying to make it to the well defended rear of the city, when they saw the Tarnished Armored Core destroy the gatling cannons at the front.

"J! It's that AC! The one that kills drones!" N shouted out.

"Yeah! I see it!" J sneered.

"We have to go back for Uzi and V!" N deployed his wings frantically, only for J to grab him and force him to the ground.

"Stay down, idiot!" J ordered with actual concern. "This city is a war zone now! Taking off and flying with no IFF is a good way to get shot down by either side!"

"S-So what do we do!?"

"We…we stick to the original plan. Stay close to the ground and hope those coilgun turrets can force the corporate forces back!"

They hadn't taken more than a few steps when a RLF MT was suddenly flung carelessly into the building in front of them, laid out on it's back. The Tarnished AC pounced on it, thrusting it's laser blade through the cockpit block.

It then turned and looked down at them, regarding them.

"…" A pair of Jenson model androids, 621 passively noted. Disassembly Drone type, if she remembered correctly. Even rarer than the Worker type. One male, wearing a trench coat and pilot's cap; and one female, wearing a business suit with her long silver hair tied in pigtails.

"…" Non-mission targets, 621 dismissed before her Handler could chastise again. Leaving the two androids who seemed terribly frightened of her, she boosted forward and wiped out another squad of MTs.

She noticed the wreck of G4 Volta, torn apart and shot-up from coilgun fire, sitting at the edge of the city. Curious, she tapped into his black box, pulling up a video message sent right before he died.

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

"Iguazu, I'm telling you, man, you gotta give Michigan a chance. He's different from the suits at HQ."

"[DATA LOST]"

"Look, I know he's an asshole, but he's looking out for us, you know? Almost like we got a family here, heh."

"[DATA LOST]"

"Man, if there's anyone who deserves punching out, it's the freaks who sent us on this suicide mission. You picked a good day to go AWOL…Wish I…"

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" So, G5 Iguazu had gone rogue? Her Handler would certainly appreciate this information. She knew he liked to moonlight as a data broker.

Regardless, she had targets to eliminate. Arquebus was actually paying her by the kill this time around, so it was worth the effort to kill every valid target. Next on her list were the defense coilgun turrets on the rear wall. Staying low in the cover of the city, she quickly boosted under their guns, then flew up to their level. They weren't able to turn around to defend themselves, so she had no trouble taking her time in wiping out these enemies, and earning her pay.

The Tarnished AC had gone after the rear line of coilgun artillery, slowly destroying them at close range.

"Oh crap!" Uzi approximately cursed. "It's wiping out the artillery!"

"That's bad, right?" V would never admit it, but largescale strategic thinking wasn't part of her programming.

"It means there's going to be little to nothing left defending this city!" Uzi quickly explained. "And it will fall into the hands of the corporates we were warned to stay away from!"

"…That is bad." V agreed. "We'll need to get out of the city…try and find J and N."

"Right, fine." Uzi reluctantly agreed. "Let's stay low and get across to the other side of the city, that's where your squad went."

As they ran, the Tarnished AC finished wiping out the rear line of artillery, and pounced on a heavily armed tetrapod mech more than twice as large as it.

"Forged in ash, we stand as one!" The BAWS tetrapod pilot exclaimed, even as 621 dove on him, firing first with her artillery and missiles. "Die, mercenary!"

"…" This was a different variant of tetrapod, armed with two heavy gatling cannons and a nine-cell rocket launcher on it's back. 621 stayed close to this enemy, outpacing it's weapons. She shot it in the side with her shotgun, causing it to stagger, and roughly kicked it, forcing it back into a corner. It tried to recover, desperately firing back at her, but she fired another pair of artillery rounds at it, and swooped in for a blade attack. Swinging the blade wide, she spun, hitting it twice with super-heated plasma, and cut it in half.

"Corporate…scum!" The RLF pilot cursed as they died.

"BAWS tetrapod MT eliminated. That significantly reduces the threat in the city." Handler Walter noted. "Access the bulkhead and break into The Wall."

"…" 621 complied, taking an indoor path to the roof of the megastructure.

"Frack! That was the last defender down here! The corporates are going to move in next!" Uzi realized.

"Hey, look!" V pointed up the side of The Wall. "I see N and J flying! Looks like they're going for the roof!"

"What?!" Uzi shouted back. "No no! That's where the last artillery cannons are placed! If anything that's exactly where that Tarnished AC is going! They're heading right into another battle!"

"Then we need to warn them!" V deployed her wings. "Climb on!"

"…" Uzi considered this bizarre circumstance. All through the past few weeks, she'd been at the mercy of V, held in her clutches and always a mere moment from death should the taller drone desire it. Now, V was letting her on her back, in a position that left her much more vulnerable if Uzi were to try something.

It was just another fact of how twisted Rubicon was. V was swift and deadly; while Uzi was intelligent, crafty, and an emergency source of food. They didn't have to like each other to understand they needed each other, just to survive. Predator and prey, forced to work together.

Uzi bared her teeth in frustration, as she jumped onto V's back. She then yelped as V flew quickly, up the side of The Wall.

Having scaled The Wall from the inside, and wiping out several more squads of MTs within it, 621 came to a stop as a heavy door to the roof slowly opened, rising a foot at a time.

A dark blue Armored Core, a light weight Nachtreiher model, with a thin, aerodynamic frame and a pointed head with a wide-angle sensor strip, landed in front of her, skidding to a stop.

It was armed with a laser slicer, a two-pronged laser blade that spun like a saw for devastating close-range attacks; and a two-shot burst handgun. On it's back was a VLS plasma missile launcher, and a burst rifle that it could switch out for it's laser blade for long range attacks.

"You must be Raven." V.IV Rusty greeted her. "…One of the infamous Handler Walter's hounds." He turned towards their target.

A five-thousand-ton, fifty-meter-tall mobile fortress on tracks backed away from it's firing position on The Wall. It was armed with four 250mm autocannons, two twelve-cell guided missile launchers, three 1000mm artillery cannons offset on it's right side, and a mine dispenser on the rear. It was also equipped with large thrusters on it's back, allowing it to charge down enemies and crush them. It turned it's large, heavily armored turret into the direction of the two ACs.

"Interesting." Rusty added. 621 wasn't sure if he meant her, or the Juggernaut. "You ready to climb The Wall?"

"…"

The Juggernaut charged them, forcing 621 and Rusty to boost away from each other as it passed at high speed.

"That frontal armor is tough. I wouldn't recommend taking it head on." Rusty advised. "It won't be able to keep up with Steel Haze. I'll distract it while you hit its blind spot."

"…" 621 answered by flanking it, discharging her mortars into it's back. While it's attention was on V.IV, she closed in and hammered it with her arsenal, doing good damage to it's exposed and vulnerable rear.

"That's the stuff!" Rusty praised her, as he continued to antagonize the mobile fortress. "Walter knows how to pick 'em."

"…" 621 kept the pressure up, continuously firing from her mortars, shotgun, and missiles whenever they reloaded and she had a shot, but the Juggernaut would not go down easy. Temporarily disabled, she and Rusty both rushed in, using their blades to do terrible damage to it's rear. The Juggernaut recovered, using it's large thrusters to create distance to try and protect it's weak spot, but 621 and Rusty kept flanking it.

"…This is V.IV. Understood." Rusty was apparently on another radio channel. "Raven, I just got an update from Snail at Command…hmm? What are those?"

"…?" 621 broke off her attack from the Juggernaut to see what Rusty had spotted.

They'd come up over the side of The Wall to see a great battle taking place. The Tarnished AC and a dark blue AC fighting a terrible mountain of steel, a heavily armored mobile artillery platform.

On one side of the roof, sitting above the battle, they could see N and J watching it unfold keeping their heads down with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Over there!" Uzi shouted.

"I see them." V answered. "Just a-ah crap."

V suddenly went limp, and dove headfirst for the roof of The Wall, right into the middle of the battle.

"What the-! V!" Uzi shouted in terror. She grabbed V by the head and pulled back, trying to soften their crash. She'd managed to glide V down to a rough but manageable landing, but was thrown from her back and rolled several feet away.

"Ack! What the heck!? V!?" Uzi pushed herself up, and ran back towards the Murder Drone. V wasn't moving much.

"Ah heh." V gave a pathetic laugh. "Didn't recover enough. Pushed myself a little harder getting up here. Oops."

"Ah crap V!" Uzi lifted the taller girl up, letting V stand on her own legs. Her wings hung low, dragging on the ground behind her. She wouldn't be flying again soon. "We need to move! We're in a really bad spot!"

"…" V stared down at the little Worker carrying her. She felt strange admiration for the purple eyed girl, former prey and current reluctant ally. Looking up, she could see that mountain of steel turning their way, trying to escape the two ACs hounding it. "Just…go Uzi. Get out of here. I'm…just slowing you down."

"Screw that! We're getting off this roof! Then off this rock!" Uzi shouted back. She looked up and saw the situation they were in though, and bared her teeth in a worried, frightened expression. She stopped, seeing as they wouldn't escape the path of the weapons platform.

"Sorry…" V uttered despondently.

"…" With nowhere to go and no hope to be found, Uzi buried her head in V's chest, and held her close. Some tiny bit of comfort as five-thousand tons of metal came barreling down on them at hundreds of miles an hour.

Rusty had apparently spotted two Jenson model androids that had accidentally found themselves in the middle of their battle. Oddly, she recognized the shorter, purple one from when she had felled the Strider.

The taller one was another Disassembly Drone model. Female. With short silver hair and wearing a crop jacket. In fact, it sort of looked just like…

621's beath hitched in dreaded recognition. An impossible coincidence that continued to burn and grow uncontrolled in her mind. Her biometrics alerted her to the irregularities in her own body, how her heart beat faster and faster until it burned painfully in her chest.

Rage and resentment and anguish all coursed through her body, causing her to tremble and ache. She bared her teeth painfully, threatening to snap them from the pressure she was exerting on them.

She saw the Juggernaut move, firing it's thrusters in an attempt to escape and protect its fragile rear. It's direction put it on top of the two little androids, the small purple one, and the one she couldn't stop staring at with unblinkingly wide eyes filling with tears.

For the first time in so long, 621 spoke. Shouted. Prayed. Cursed. Begged. Raged. She let her fury be known, and she moved, acting without thinking, doing the only thing she could.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!"

There was a terrible crash and a sudden, burning hiss. There was a scream of metal scraping and hydraulics pumping under too much pressure, straining painfully. It was not what being crushed to death sounded or felt like, so Uzi and V looked up.

Standing in the way of the thundering metal mountain, was the Tarnished Armored Core. It's rear thrusters were open wide, shooting white hot jets of plasma as it did the impossible. It didn't just stop the giant machine; it was pushing it back, saving them.

With movements that emphasized rage, the Tarnished AC reached up high with it's right arm, and shoved a massive shotgun into a gap in the mountains armor, between it's base and it's turret, and fired. Once, twice, three times. It staggered the giant, but lost it's weapon as the turret rotated slightly, and crushed the shotgun.

Then the dark blue AC swooped in behind it, and grabbed Uzi and V in it's large left hand. It flew up to the nearest roof, the one opposite N and J, and gently dropped them, safely away from the metal mountain that almost crushed them, and their unexpected savior.

"621, what are you doing!?" Handler Walter shouted.

"…!" 621 couldn't hear him. She only heard her own screaming. She could only see red as she lost all reason. The only thing she wanted to do was to tear this metal abomination apart with her own two hands.

"Raven…" Rusty called out. "I have to go. Enemy reinforcements are inbound, and I have to stop them. But I grabbed those two androids you saved, they're up on this roof. Win this battle now, I know you will." He then disengaged, jumping off The Wall.

"…" She heard enough of what he said as she refocused on her enemy. But there was still rage and resentment flowing through her, and she'd see it spent before she was through. She'd stupidly lost her shotgun, but that was fine. She wanted to take her time tearing this thing apart.

The Juggernaut backed off, creating distance so that it could use it's whole arsenal against her. It fired on her with a volley of artillery cannons mixed with missiles, and 621 charged, between the artillery rounds and through the missiles. She engaged her blade, and thrust it into one of the "arms" of the large machine, removing two of it's large secondary cannons.

It tried to keep it's front to her, to protect it's back. 621 boosted up to it's top, reached down, and grabbed it by one of it's 1000mm cannons.

"What are you planning, 621…?" Handler Walter questioned. He did not fail to notice her out of control biometrics, how unnaturally tense she had become. Let alone what she had said. It had been a very long time since he'd heard her speak.

"…" 621 pulled, using all the strength her Armored Core possessed to tear one of the cannons off the roof of the Juggernaut. She tossed the cannon onto the roof of The Wall, seemingly haphazardly. Jumping off, she fired her mortars and missiles at the back of it, continuing to add up the damage.

Shooting dozens of mines in it's wake, the Juggernaut attempted to protect itself as it struggled against her. But she was swift and terrible in her desire, and would not allow this enemy to escape. Catching one of it's mines before it hit the ground, 621 flung it back at the Juggernauts cockpit, temporarily disorienting the pilot long enough to close the distance again, and use her blade to cut off the other arm with it's secondary cannons.

Landing a distance away from the heavily armored enemy, 621 lined herself up near the edge of the roof and large cannon she had torn off before. In desperation, the Juggernaut tried to run her over at top speed.

Lifting the long, discarded cannon at an angle, 621 forced the Juggernaut to spear itself through the cockpit block. Engaging her own forward thrusters, she used the cannon lodged through it to spin it while it continued to thrust forward, controlling it's direction so that it would drive off the edge of the roof. Letting go of the cannon, 621 turned around, and watched it go over the edge.

It seemed for a split second like the Juggernaut might fly away, it's rear thrusters still burning. Gravity caught up with it quickly enough, and the Juggernaut plowed into the fog filled valley to the rear of The Wall, and disappeared. Nearly a full fifteen seconds later, there was a distant explosion as the Juggernaut hit the ground.

"…Confirmed. Juggernaut destroyed." Handler Walter had been speechless for a moment. "Operation Wallclimber is a success."

"…" 621 breathed heavily, exhausted after exerting herself so much.

"That was risky, 621…don't do that again…" Handler Walter almost sounded worried. "Replacing you and that AC would be more trouble than it's worth. I need you alive, 621."

"…" 621 spared a glance at those two androids she had saved. More specifically, the one that looked like…that had a passing familiarity to…

"…" That's right. It was just a machine. It wasn't her. That wasn't possible. Fucking Laconian scrap…

"Head back to base, 621." Handler Walter ordered. "Rest up. Repair. And please remember to eat something."

"…" 621 obeyed, turning her back on the little machines.

That fight had been incredible. The strength and tenacity of that AC pilot, and their rage and brutality. Their will to stand against the massive machine, to tear it apart and cast it into the abyss…

Uzi had still been holding onto V, and she could feel her hands around herself. Their lives had been forfeit in the face of that beast…and yet it was the Tarnished AC who had come to their aid. The same machine that had cut down so many of her people…

There seemed to be a lot of that going around lately.

Uzi stood with a tired sigh. She couldn't dwell on that too long. She'd lose herself in grief otherwise.

"R-Right…" Uzi considered V, still too exhausted and strained to move. "You need to get your strength back. Here…" Uzi put her arm in front of V's face.

"W-Why are you helping me?!" V accused, uncertain and uncomfortable, as she flinched back from Uzi's offered arm.

Because they were stuck on this death world together. Because she needed her help. Because she could tell that V was honestly a decent and kind drone underneath that weaponized platform that she was. Because N would be sad if his crush died.

Uzi couldn't say any of that, and N had specifically asked to keep that last one a secret, though she doubted V wasn't aware of it anyway. She found another, more selfish reason, that seemed reasonable enough.

"Because if it's not you, then J's going to keep an eye on me, and I have a feeling she'll be more inclined to take whole bites out of me."

"…" V accepted that answer with half disappointment. She didn't want to say it, but Uzi was interesting enough to want to avoid killing. Reluctantly and gently as she could, she took Uzi's arm into her mouth, and bit down, spilling the smaller drone's oil. She kept her eyes closed, avoiding looking at the purple drone.

Uzi winced in pain, but not as much as when she had forced V to take her oil before. With V in control, she was slightly more careful and more mindful with how hard she bit, and how much she took.

They heard N and J fly over and land near them. V stopped drinking and took the time to lick Uzi's wound, using her saliva…yes, these machines also had saliva…to heal the wound. It was another odd detail about the Jenson model androids.

"So, you're not quite dead yet, huh V?" J questioned smugly. "And I see you're enjoying a little snack~"

"…" V stood up, a quiet growl escaping as her eyes twitched in annoyance.

"V!" N shouted, embracing her in a tight hug.

"…" V rolled her eyes in less angry annoyance. After a few seconds, she pushed him off, into Uzi's direction.

"Uzi! I'm so glad you guys are okay!" N hugged her too.

"Yeah! Hey! Maybe let go big guy!?" Uzi begged, kicking at air.

"Oh, sorry…" N sheepishly backed up.

"It's fine…so…what do we do now?" Uzi asked. "We can't come back to this city now that it's under corporate control. There's still a lot of valuable tech at the ship breaking yards. So…should we go back and pick up some of that before we try and find some other place to trade at?"

"Uh…yeah…about that..." N turned his attention to J.

"…" J sighed. "We…don't have the oil reserves to make it back to the ship breaking yards." She admitted.

"Are you kidding me?!" Uzi shouted. "This is all your fault! If we hadn't dragged your useless gold for freaking days and just taken some salvage, then you guys would have had plenty of reserves left and been rolling in money to boot!"

"Well…then it's a good thing we have an emergency reserve~" J purred, baring her fangs. "And since V's already had her fill, I think it's a good time we put you to use-"

"We are not draining Uzi." V stepped forward in front of the smaller drone, towards J. "And I didn't 'fill up' on her, I just took a bit off the top to get moving again."

"…" Uzi had been terribly frightened when J showed her teeth, but V stepping up had been a surprising comfort. Plus, it was the second time she'd used her name.

"R-Right!" N was surprised to be in agreement with the normally vicious V, but agreed that he didn't want to hurt Uzi.

"…Tsk." J hissed in annoyed surprise. Having both of her squad mates against her was new, and not something she appreciated. She considered using her EMP to disable them and just kill the disruptive Worker Drone, but she knew that V was right. It was better to keep it around as an emergency reserve. Plus, she still had some cards to play.

"Fine." J crossed her arms with a huff. "Since we basically have no oil and no money…"

"…" V opened her mouth to say something. She then looked down at Uzi, and reconsidered it, closing her mouth. Uzi did notice that timing, however.

"…there is still one more chance to hit it big. While me and N were hidin-I mean scouting an escape, we overheard some RLF soldiers talking about a place called the BAWS Arsenal No.2 that was recently abandoned."

"Okay…what's so special about this Arsenal?" V wondered.

"Because not only did they buy most of their weapons from BAWS, but that particular Arsenal had a secret agreement selling the RLF Coral." J explained smugly.

It was something they still barely even understood, but now they were suddenly swayed by J's seductive suggestion with that one word. V and Uzi turned to N, looking to confirm if J's statement was accurate, or simply too good to be true.

"…" N quietly nodded his head.

It was enough, and, reluctantly, V and Uzi nodded to her.

"Alright then!" J announced. "Now! To conserve energy, we'll have to walk most of the way there. It's a week to Northern Belius, I expect us to keep a tight schedule!"

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

It had been a decently paying job. 400,000 COAM after adding all her kills to the payment. But replacing the shotgun and repairing the AC had been particularly expensive, especially after she had tried to take the Juggernaut head-on and tear it apart piece-by-piece. So she'd only made about 100,000 COAM after expenditures.

That wasn't why 621 was upset though.

"621…" Handler Walter called, listening to his Hound rage in the privacy of her own hangar. He heard the near animalistic, primal rage as she shouted and screamed and pounded her fists into every surface she could find.

"621…" He heard her throw something heavy, the echo of metal resonating in the large, thirty meter by hundred meter tunnel she was alone in.

"621…" He had half a mind to go down there and speak to her sternly, the sight of her Handler might be enough to distract her from her distress. Unfortunately, he was on a spin-station just over a tenth of a light second away, and travel down to Rubicon was illegal by order of the PCA anyway.

"…" 621 remembered something about her deal with her Handler, and found the two buttons he had personally placed on her control collar. Pressing down on them with her thumb and index finger cooled her head, filling it with sweet, blissful nothing. Her body still ached with adrenaline and pain, but at least she could think straight without her emotions getting the better of her. Without any emotion at all.

"…" She looked like shit, Handler Walter noted. Bloodshot and empty eyes filled with tears that had just barely stopped spilling, and one of her fists seeping with her own blood. Her hair was a mess, especially where she'd been grasping at her own head. Undignified given her former rank and former name, but considering the circumstances, he understood. He kept his comments to himself. "We got a message, 621."

/ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: V.IV Rusty

"We're war buddies now. I think I should tell you something. During Operation Wallclimber…Arquebus was planning to sacrifice you. The plan was to use independent mercenaries to clear the way so that the Vespers could step in and take over. But instead…you took The Wall. The higher-ups are going to remember you now, that's for sure. And…seeing you take the Juggernaut head-on, saving those two little machines that wandered into that battle…I'm going to remember that. Good hunting, Raven."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" 621 tried not to think about those little machines. Especially the one that looked just like…

"Got a job for you, 621." Hander Walter distracted her, putting her to use like the Hound she was supposed to be. That she wanted to be. "Let's get to work."

Chapter Text

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

"…" That hadn't felt right, salvaging the battlefield for information on a potential ally. But it had been the job, courtesy of Balam. And it got her mind off that little machine…

What she had learned, gleamed from the wrecks of RLF MTs left near The Wall, was that Rusty was fast enough to evade FCS tracking, intimidating enough to force a coward to eject early, and that the RLF knew something more about him. As well as the fact he preferred light weight and kinetic weaponry when the rest of the Vespers did not.

"Interesting…" Handler Walter commented.

What was even more interesting, was the next job request.

Prisoner Rescue – RLF / Reward 250,000 COAM

"Raven, there's a mission I'd like you to take on." The RLF representative sounded very young. "We have authorized a solo helicopter sortie to rescue a group of imprisoned comrades. There are three to rescue in total, including some particularly significant personnel. Raven. We hope our struggle will inspire you to aid the Liberation Front's cause. Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

"…" She truly had no particular care for this planet or the people living on it. But the job seemed easy enough for it's reward, and she was still making up for her losses after…a previous mission…

"Looks like your reputation left an impression on the Liberation Front, in spite of how many of their toys you've broken." Handler Walter noted positively. "Guess we have you to thank for this job."

"…"

Prisoner Rescue – RLF / Contaminated City – Southern Belius/ Wednesday, Tiberius 14th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Commence mission. Escort the Rubicon Liberation Front's transport helicopter." Handler Walter ordered. The helicopter itself was a four-rotor heavy transport, capable of carrying either a full squad of MTs or an Armored Core in it's internal bay.

"…" Assault-boosting forward, 621 flew a kilometer closer to the target, wiping out a squad of light guard MT's along the way. She tore the few humanoid MTs in half with her blade.

"We appreciate your support, Raven." The RLF helicopter pilot announced. "We have to rescue our captured comrades…failure is not an option. Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

"We're under attack! It's a Liberation Front chopper…and an escort AC!" The Balam defense squad warned.

"They must be here for their friends. Intercept!"

"…" Half a kilometer past the first rescue point, was a staging area and rapid response team. Two transport choppers with another squad of MTs ready to deploy against possible attack. 621 was already on them, destroying the transports and crushing the MTs underneath their husks.

"Landing at Site A." The RLF pilot reported. "Commencing extraction of Comrade Ziyi."

"…" 621 remembered that name from reports she had read about the RLF. Little Ziyi. ALLMIND ranked her as 24/E in the virtual arena. The only survivor of a crash landing on Rubicon, as an infant she had been taken in by the RLF and had been literally raised from the cockpit of an AC.

Too young for this world…fighting a war not her own that was all she had ever known…

"…" 621 smirked. Saving her today…tomorrow? Who knew?

"621, Secure the area." Handler Walter advised, but she was already ahead of him, spreading out and down into the nearby city, purging MT patrols with heavy mortars whenever she could.

"You…You came for me…" Little Ziyi thanked the rescue squad once she was on the transport. It sounded like she'd been through some rough treatment by Balam.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ziyi." The RLF pilot apologized.

"I'm okay…Still alive, at least…a little rest…and I'll pay 'em back…" Little Ziyi promised venomously.

"Heading for the next site, Raven. Keep us covered." The RLF pilot requested.

"…" 621 spotted a BAWS tetrapod up on a nearby ridge. Being thorough and quick about it, she staggered it with artillery and shotgun fire, then lanced it through the cockpit with her blade. She returned quickly to escort duty.

Wiping out the MTs defending the second site, reinforcements came in the form of three quad-copter drones, each carrying an MT underneath. 621 was quick about taking them out before they had a chance to land, the MTs falling from beyond their maximum deployment height, breaking their legs and crushing their pilots.

"Landing at Site B. Extracting Comrade Messam." The RLF pilot announced. "Raven, keep watch."

"…" 621 noticed a whole squadron of quadcopters with attached laser cannons, and an MT squad approaching from the ground. She moved in and went to work.

"Focus on the chopper! Shoot it down!" The Balam MT squad ordered.

"Don't let them go! We need intel on the wells!"

"…" 621 sighed. It was all about the Coral. Any whisper or rumor promoting whole corporate operations to scour whole swaths of the most desolate wastelands on this planet in utter desperation.

"What?! No…!" The RLF pilot grieved. "We've extracted Comrade Messam…but we were too late."

"Damn it! Not Messam…!" Little Ziyi cursed.

"Heading to the last site. Just a little more, Raven." The RLF pilot was noticeably desperate.

"The Coral 'wells' are the Rubiconian's lifeline." Handler Walter explained. "He must have refused to talk."

"…" 621 moved ahead of the transport, clearing the way of-holy shit what the fuck? A pair of quad-gatling turrets were right in the transport's flight path as it hugged the flooded streets below. Braving the fire to keep the transport safe, 621 weaved between the long streams of armor piercing rounds and destroyed the gatling artillery.

"…!?" Okay…Balam had seriously upgraded the defenses near the third landing site as she spotted four heavy VLS launchers nearby. Not particularly well armored but a lot of fire power crammed together. 621 had to move swiftly to protect the transport from a rain of missiles.

Clearing the way at the landing site, the transport hadn't even landed when an enemy transport came at them from behind, another quick reaction force. 621 was certainly getting her work in tonight.

"We're at Site C." The RLF pilot announced reluctantly. "Extracting Comrade…Father Dolmayan."

"…" Ah…the cult leader himself, "Father" Thumb Dolmayan. No wonder this mission was so unusual…and the RLF would hire their most formidable recent adversary. 621 had proven her worth, and they trusted her not to fail this desperate mission.

"Father Dolmayan has been extracted." The RLF pilot reported.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Father." Little Ziyi sighed with relief. "Coral, abide with Rubicon!"

"You…You don't know what you're saying, girl…" Father uttered distraught. "There'll be nothing left…but dying embers…"

"…?" Odd. Weren't cult leaders supposed to make you feel good about their bullshit? She had no sympathy and no disrespect for the RLF philosophy, but from what little she knew…that didn't sound…right…

"…Mission accomplished. Leaving the combat area." The RLF pilot reported.

"621. New enemy confirmed." Handler Walter warned. Five new contacts came down a valley from the north, along their escape route.

"That's…that's a Redguns AC!" The RLF pilot panicked.

"Escorting a prison break all alone?" G2 Nile questioned smugly. "You're daring, I'll give you that." His green colored heavyweight bipedal AC, Deep Down, was armed with a handheld railgun and three different missiles launchers in two-cell, four-cell, and twelve-cell configurations.

"…" Despite the odds, suddenly being opposed by an AC and surrounded by MTs, 621 was still on the clock. She moved to intercept G2, doing her job. Cutting him off, she challenged him silently, forcing him to engage.

"But I've fried bigger fish than you." G2 Nile didn't seem impressed. Why should he? He was rank 07/A, and she was still a lowly F rank.

But in truth, 621 was no stranger to battle. Her rank on Rubicon did not reflect her experience in war.

"G2 Nile…The Redguns deputy commander, and the brains to Michigan's muscle." Handler Walter warned.

Dodging his near constant missile attacks, 621 tanked his railgun shots in order to get in close with her own double-barreled mortar and shotgun. The railgun rounds hurt as they dug into her armor, but it held, and she powered through to stagger him. She cut his armor down, but had to evade as he recovered and resumed firing.

"Pathetic, G13." G2 Nile mocked. "What did Michigan see in you?"

"…" 621 took to the air and fired her mortars down at him. Closing the distance, she finished him off with a double strike of her blade.

"Heh…No wonder Michigan took a shine to you…" G2 Nile gasped out, before 621 put him down, shotgun round to the cockpit.

"…" There were still a handful of MTs, and even a reinforcement transport inbound, but 621 was quick about mopping them up.

"Confirmed. G2 Nile is down." Handler Walter reported. "…Well done, 621."

"…"

"They won't have anything left to throw at us now." The RLF pilot reported. "Thanks for the support, Raven."

"Confirmed. The chopper has exited the combat zone." Handler Walter noted. "Mission accomplished."

"'Raven…' A symbol of resolve…" Dolmayan uttered. "But mark my words…there'll be nothing left but dying embers!"

"…"

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

As a thanks for rescuing their cult leader, and taking out G2 Nile, the RLF had added a nice 110,000 COAM as a bonus. So after expenses she'd easily made over 300,000 COAM.

/ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: RLF Representative

"Let me thank you again, Raven." The RLF pilot from the mission called. "We couldn't have rescued our comrades without your help. Father Dolmayan is a key figure to the movement. A great Coral Warrior who witnessed the Fires of Ibis, and a guide to us all…but…now, it seems like he's…No, I shouldn't. He carries a heavier burden than any of us. Oh, and a personal note before you go. Thanks for saving Ziyi. I owe you one."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" Sometimes the only way to survive on Rubicon was to rely on someone stronger. Even an enemy. Kinda like…

621 shook her head. She didn't want to think about that little machine. She needed another job. Something to keep her busy.

"Got a job for you, 621." Handler Walter got her attention. He knew how to clear her head, how to keep his Hound in line. This…partnership…was to both their benefit. He got his Hound to scout and scavenge Rubicon, and she got a direction to be pointed in.

"…"

Northern Belius / Tiberius 17th

It had taken as long as it did to cross over to Northen Belius as opposed to Western Belius because there were several mountain ranges they had to climb over. Additionally, the PCA was more active on this part of the continent, so they had to be extra careful to avoid humans, uncertain of their loyalties.

Unfortunately, the oil reserves of the three Murder Drones started running dangerously low. Their inefficiency seemed intentionally designed as an internal kill switch that they never noticed until Uzi pointed it out, to take effect when they ran out of sources of oil. Being a more efficiently designed Worker Drone, Uzi did have the internal mechanisms necessary to turn certain raw materials into the oil they needed to survive, and that meant that they had started to feed on her.

N and, oddly, V, were always quick and gentle about it, as much as could be expected. They also each took the time to lick her wounds closed after a "feeding session."

J wasn't as gentle.

"Ahhh!" Uzi screamed as J's teeth pierced her shoulder. Unlike N and V, who settled for a slow tap from one of her arms, J seemed intent on swallowing Uzi whole with her glutenous, gaping maw.

J hissed gleefully, and shook her head, sinking her teeth deeper. Her eyes were currently set to a large "X", the Murder Drone default for their hunter-killer mode.

"Hey! J! No shaking! You're just hurting her!" N shouted, pulling J off of Uzi. She'd gotten her fill for the moment.

"Crap." V sneered, and went to work licking the wound closed. Still, for as much as she tried to control herself, Uzi could see the excitement in V's eyes as fresh oil hit her tongue, how she lingered over her, breathing deeply.

It seemed to take all of V's will power to turn away, throw herself back and sit in uncomfortable silence, shivering uncertainly.

"Heh." J laughed, licking her lips. "Thanks little Worker. You might be the sweetest tasting drone I've ever had~"

"J…you can't keep biting her like that. You're going to damage her too much and we won't be able to repair her." V advised sourly.

"Oh trust me, I know what I'm doing." J purred cruelty. "Besides…I like it better this way."

"…" Uzi wondered if she meant that she was too tired to speak or too weak to stand. Probably both.

"Okay! Just a few more hours and we'll be at the Arsenal. Then maybe we can find the Coral and make it big!" J announced, already walking away.

"Uzi…you good?" N asked quietly.

"…No?" Uzi whimpered as indignantly as she could.

"…" V hissed quietly. "I got her. It's my turn."

N patted Uzi on the back before he started walking away. V stood up and picked Uzi up, placing her on her back.

"…" Uzi didn't have a lot of control over her life right now. It was terrifying. The only possible allies she had wanted to eat her, and she didn't have the strength or chance to fight them off. "I can't…keep this up."

"I know." V noted. "You're too weak and too warm. We're taking too much."

"Are you guys…just going to kill me?" Uzi wondered.

"I don't know." V admitted. All she'd ever done was kill the weak. Because she could, because no one had stopped her. Now that seemed so…unfulfilling.

"What happens when we get there…and there's nothing there?" Uzi suggested.

"We'll…find something. Some clue or something to point us. We've been on this world nearly a month…we'll…survive." V assured her.

"Is that all we can hope for…just…survive and wander this desolate world?" Uzi questioned.

"…Get some rest. It's a few hours to the Arsenal. We need your smarty Worker brain to figure stuff out." V advised, feeling Uzi tap out and lean her head tiredly forward against her own head.

It seemed a lifetime ago…and a world away…that she would have looked up to a girl like Uzi. Back when she…

V closed her eyes, trying not to think about back when. She looked up, and stared out at the snow-covered drifts, and the megastructures that blotted out the sun, turning the region into an uncomfortable twilight.

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

Investigate BAWS Arsenal No.2 – RLF / Reward 180,000 COAM

"The loss of The Wall dealt us a heavy blow." The RLF Soldier lamented. Oops. "Yet we believe you are more than a corporate pawn. Perhaps we can even work together. I want you to investigate BAWS Arsenal No.2, a major MT factory in the Belius region. The BAWS corporation sells to anyone…but, they've been essential to maintaining our firepower. Now, their second arsenal has gone silent within the last week. If it were only a comms failure, a simple check-in would do…but…well, after the Strider, more cautious voices have gained influence. This isn't our finest moment, but we'd appreciate your help."

"Some advice before you go, 621." Handler Walter warned. "'Expect the unexpected.'"

"…"

Investigate BAWS Arsenal No.2 – RLF / Northern Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 17th

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Commence mission." Handler Walter announced. "Investigate BAWS Arsenal No.2. I've been checking the perimeter…and I'm picking up nothing. What happened here?"

"…"

The Arsenal was built into the side of a cliff, overlooking the shallow ocean that surrounded it's outer perimeter. There were four main outer walls making it look like a fortress, minus the defenses guns, with the highest wall being two hundred meters tall from the outside. Assault-boosting into the facility, 621 landed on the fourth inner wall, looking down into the main cargo area at a depth of nearly a half kilometer below sea level. It looked like a port, except that it was meant for truck-trains able to transport more than a dozen cargo containers at a time.

"It's too quiet…" Handler Walter pointed out warily.

"…" Behind one of the buildings in the port, she found the wreckage of an MT, having suffered severe laser damage. Accessing the black box, she found a partial audio file of an employee assuring a coworker.

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

"You're just on edge, man. BAWS supplies MTs to the off-world corps, too. No one would ever touch this arsenal. Gotta move as many units as we can to bankroll Elcano. That's the only way we Rubiconians stand a…What was that? The connections-"

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" Whatever happened here happened fast, and without warning.

Past the land-port there was a production line making 100-meter-wide conduit for heavy industry, which comprised a massive outdoor section of the Arsenal. Behind another building she found another wreck with obvious laser damage.

Tapping into it's black box, there was a still frame of the nearby area, from where the MT could look up and see the massive sections of conduit being moved into position. There was, however, interference…noise on the image in one corner, which Handler Walter suspected could be the result of Monitor Display Deception jamming, a technology designed to make something invisible to basic cameras.

"…" What happened here?

BAWS Arsenal No.2

Having gotten some rest riding on V's back, Uzi was well enough to walk with her captors, as they strolled along a production line for massive conduit.

"This arsenal is massive…how many of these conduit sections could they make a day?" Uzi noted. "Just on this production line alone is a half kilometer of pipe as thick as a skyscraper…that's just…"

"'What it is' is not helping us find the Coral." J chastised.

"Something that important is probably going to be hidden. Further into the facility." Uzi declared. "Let's check out the end of the production line, there might be-"

Uzi felt two tails wrap themselves around her body, pulling her back. Yep, this was it. Those glutinous Murder Drones must have finally let their hunger get the better of them.

"No! Wait-!"

"Quiet!" J hissed at her. V gave a "Shh!" and N just stared at her with his finger over his mouth. All their eyes were hollowed with distress. V and N unwrapped their tails around her, as they hunkered down, hiding in the cover of the production line as they stared out into the factory area.

Curious, Uzi looked down beside them, but didn't see anything different. "What?" She whispered back.

"You don't see it!? It's right freaking there?!" J pointed while whispering harshly.

"…No. I don't see anything." Uzi answered.

"…" J glared at her, but decided to believe her. Looking back down, she shifted through her sensor suite, looking for an answer. "It's not showing up on basic visuals."

"Okay…what is it?"

"It's a large humanoid machine. It's hunched over, but very big, with a massive circular head." V described. "It's armed with some kind of laser weapon."

"Look, there's more." N pointed across the industrial chasm. "Oh…there's a lot more! There's like…a dozen!"

"So an invisible mech army. Great. Guess we know what happened to the Arsenal." Uzi mused, not seeing anything still. There was one thing she could see though.

The Tarnished Armored Core was there, gliding forward across the factory floor.

"Oh…it's…them." Uzi realized.

"…Hey…it…it doesn't see those stealth machines…" V realized. "It's going right past them!"

"And they're moving in after it!" N noticed as well.

"Then…that sounds like an ambush." Uzi pointed out. "You said there's a dozen? That AC is strong…but fighting a dozen invisible enemies is going to be a long shot."

"Yeah." V agreed. "Ah…crap."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Uzi suggested.

"If what you're thinking is incredibly stupid and suicidal but probably the right decision…then yeah." V admitted tiredly, rolling her eyes with a cocky grin.

"Wait…what are you doing?" N wondered.

"That AC saved us…it's only right we try and help them survive this ambush." Uzi explained.

"W-Wait! We can't fight those stealth machines! We don't have the weapons to hurt them!" N rationalized.

"I don't plan on fighting them." V smiled confidently, pointing at her secondary eyes. "I just have to guide their shots. They have the artillery, I'll be the spotter."

"And I've got one shot on this railgun. Been waiting for a good excuse to use it again." Uzi smiled madly. "N, if we run interference, even distracting one of those machines will help that AC out a lot."

"A-Alright." N nodded nervously. "I won't let you guys go alone."

"Stop."

Uzi, N, and V turned to see J staring at them with an extremely displeased frown. "Where the heck do you three think you're going? We don't owe that AC pilot anything."

"That pilot saved V and me! You can't expect us to just sit back and do nothing while they're ambushed by an enemy they can't see! It's not right!" Uzi argued.

"We are not involving ourselves in this world's conflicts!" J shouted, deploying her EMP cannon, pointed up for optimal spread. "We are…tiny…weak little machines on this planet! Everything is bigger and scarier than us! We don't belong here, and involving ourselves in this random, senseless battle won't amount to anything! That…Tarnished AC saved you on a whim, and you can be sure that as soon as a price gets put on your head, it will come to collect!"

V and Uzi glared at J, while N stared wide eyed at this rift that suddenly formed in his squad, uncertain of what to do.

Then V smiled cruelly and confidently, realizing something. "Nah, go ahead, set that off, J."

"W-What?" J hesitated at her newfound confidence.

"Sure, you can stop us with that EMP, but setting it off will alert those stealth machines to your presence, and then it will just be you fending off a small army alone." V pointed out.

"Err! You!" J growled, putting her EMP cannon away. "If you idiots want to die in a stupid battle helping some no name Hound, then go ahead! I'm not joining you!"

"That's fine! We'll do better without you!" Uzi shouted back. "Come on N!"

"R-Right!" N squeaked, picking up Uzi. Then, V and him deployed their wings and took off, following the direction of the Tarnished AC.

"According to the blueprints, there's a massive water reservoir deep inside the Arsenal." Handler Walter advised.

"…" 621 followed a long corridor past the factory floor and into a large open pit two kilometers deep.

"Is that…a Coral response?" Handler Walter sounded interested. "621, get down there and take a closer look."

"…" 621 obeyed, jumping into the deep pit. At the bottom were six water reservoir tubs, each filled with shimmering red water.

"No doubt about it. This water…it contains faint traces of Coral. Must have been an underground vein." Handler Walter noticed. "BAWS was hiding a 'well' all this time."

"…"

"[Encrypted Traffic]." Static buzzed quietly on the radio.

"621! Above you!" Handler Walter warned desperately.

"[Encrypted Traffic]."

"[Encrypted Traffic]."

"…" 621 dodged out of the way as a heavy laser beam shot past her. She was forced to dodge again as another came from a completely different angle. Then another.

Before she'd even been able to process that, a humanoid mech suddenly popped into existence. Or…more accurately, it got within range of her sensors such that she could see through it's invisibility cloak. It lunged at her with a plasma laced whip, the long metallic line glowing with purple energy that pulsed and exploded in a cloud of static that she barely dodged back from. She fired at it with her shotgun, only for it's energy shield to stop the round, as the machine jumped backwards and out of her sensor range.

She had to dodge again as more heavy lasers fired down at her from unseen attackers, and two more shielded enemies flung energized whips at her.

"…" Bad. Untenable. The positioning was the absolute worst that could be managed. Caught in a kill box by an enemy she could not see and kept there by melee types she could not hurt.

"I'm counting ten…maybe more…" Handler Walter advised. "You're badly outnumbered. Pick them off one by one, 621!"

"…" She agreed, and slowly managed to evade the fire long enough to get close to one of the snipers clinging to the wall, her sensors perceiving them long enough for her to fire her mortars, blowing the target away.

Unfortunately, there were enough near misses and glancing blows that her armor had suffered noticeable damage. She couldn't maintain this position, but there was no escape. In the few seconds between laser volleys, she considered-

There was a heavy *thunk* against the upper slope of her armor, prompting her to turn her head. Kneeling on her Core, right next to her head unit…was that little machine she was trying so hard not to think about.

"…!" 621 sneered hatefully, not certain what to do about this unusual circumstance.

"Hey!" The feminine machine yelled at her. "I see them! I'll shout! You shoot!"

"…" That cold, calculating, battle hardened part of 621's mind focused on that statement. She couldn't dwell on what it looked like…she had a fight to survive.

Two more Jenson model androids, the male Disassembly Drone, with the purple Worker Drone on his back, circled above them. The Disassembly Drone fired a missile at an unseen enemy at one end of the reservoir, doing little damage but getting it to focus them and not her.

"Take the help, 621." Handler Walter ordered. "I'm marking those three contacts as friendly for the moment. Use them to eliminate all cloaked enemies."

"…" The situation had changed too quickly, and 621 couldn't think about it as she dodged another volley of laser fire, the little machine she'd been trying so hard not to think about hanging on tightly to her armor.

So be it.

"186! Elevation! 43!" V shouted as the Tarnished Armored Core dodged away from the intense laser fire. As she had hoped, the AC pilot, that unnamed Hound, listened, and turned that way, pointing their two-barreled mortar up at that angle, firing a heavy one-two punch that destroyed another laser sniper.

"234! Elevation! 66!" V advised, seeing the AC turn at her orders and destroy another invisible machine.

She noticed N and Uzi having problems, barely dodging out of the way of the machine they had aggravated, a bright beam of light burning past them. Before V could say anything, the Tarnished AC had followed that line of laser fire not aimed at themselves, flown up to it's source, and fired a shotgun where they suspected the enemy was hiding. It's cloak disturbed, the enemy was vulnerable and subsequently thrust through with a laser blade, destroying it.

"Thanks…" V admitted, glad that their impromptu alliance was holding better than she expected. "Six-o-clock! Closing fast!"

The AC spun around, double-mortars barking that thundering one-two, breaking the shields of the stealth melee, causing a feedback that left it staggered. It was finished off quickly with a wide blade swipe that cut it in twine.

"[Encrypted Traffic]."

The invisible machines changed tactics, from volley fire to staggered fire. A constant stream of lethal long blue beams lanced down at them. The other melee type stealth started to attack relentlessly, keeping the Tarnished AC on the defensive.

"N! Get that thing off them!" Uzi demanded.

"Right!" N swooped in close, firing two missiles from his arms to distract the melee type.

"Okay! We're clear!" V shouted at the AC. "038! Elevation! 52!"

The AC under her responded, taking a hit from the lasers to fire their artillery at the unseen sniper, destroying it.

"094! Elevation! 63!"

In between boosting away from lasers, the AC found the time to send two mortars at the designated point, causing an explosion and a rain of shattered metal.

"267! Ele-Correction!" V changed her callout as the sniper mechs started to change position. "321! Elevation! 37!"

The AC shifted their aim based on her words, and fired again. With another sniper destroyed, the battle seemed much more survivable.

"359! Elevation! 46!"

The AC snapped to the north, and fired again. The exploded scrap of a laser sniper fell in it's wake.

The remaining melee type stopped chasing N, and pounced on the Tarnished AC.

"Eight-o-clock! Look out!" V shouted, jumping away as the melee stealth grappled with the AC, grabbing it by the arms to prevent it from using it's weapons. It fired anchors in it's feet to prevent the AC from escaping, so that the remaining snipers could shoot it easily.

"N! Uzi!" V shouted up, as N flew in close and landed near her. Uzi jumped off his back.

"Oh no! What do we do!?" N panicked.

"We split up!" Uzi declared. "You guys take out one, I'll shoot the other. Just…point me in the right direction."

V leaned down close to her side, and pointed up the side of the wall. "Shoot right there. We'll be right back." Then she and N flew in the opposite direction.

"…" Uzi sighed, aiming right where V had pointed her. "One shot." She pulled the trigger.

"…" Damn suicidal stealth machines. 621 struggled as the machine with a much too large circular head grappled with her, holding her arms up.

There was something like an explosion, a blast of green energy. An unassuming, normal sized rifle carried by the purple Worker Drone ended up discharging a hypervelocity plasma bolt that lanced through one of the invisible snipers, and tore a large hole clean through it.

Across the reservoir, the two Disassembly Drones fired well-placed pulse-laser-wave lances from their arm mounted cannons into critical exposed components of the laser sniper's legs, causing it to lose control and fall to it's death.

With the only remaining active enemy just feet away, 621 sneered hatefully. She raised her own arms up, forcing the stealth machine to do the same, and kicked it in the leg. Staggered back and no longer holding her, 621 leaned down, firing her dual-mortars to break it's shields.

Staggered and on it's knees, the stealth machine was helpless as 621 thrust her shotgun through it's face, and fired. The resulting blast tore a hole clean through it's head, with exploded and torn apart bits of machine mind splayed out in it's wake.

"[Encrypted Traffic]."

"…Seems that's the last of them." Handler Walter noted. "This wasn't a simple check in after all."

"…" 621 regarded her unexpected allies coldly. Those three little machines. The small, purple haired android girl. The android boy in a long coat. And…the silver haired android girl…with a gleeful smile…that looked just like…

"Interesting." Handler Walter noted. "They were pretty crafty back there. Perhaps we should-"

"…!" 621 hissed hatefully, and turned her back on the three little machines. Engaging her assault-booster, she quickly ascended the reservoir, and left the area. She didn't want to see that little machine. Didn't want to think about her.

"…It's your call, 621." Handler Walter sounded disappointed. "Head back and rest up."

"…Okay…you're welcome I guess!" Uzi shouted as the Tarnished Armored Core left them. "Jerk."

"…" V sighed. "That was…exciting…but…" She frowned, looking down at Uzi. "That spent most of our reserve energy…"

"…" Uzi grimaced at what she was implying. Yeah, she should have expected that. At least J wasn't around. "How bad are you guys?"

"Uh…we…might not have the reserves to fly out of this reservoir…" N admitted sheepishly.

"…Fine. Let's just check to see if there's Coral down here." Uzi suggested, walking to the edge of one of the water tanks. While the water glowed ominously with an alluring red glow, it seemed…diluted, and underwhelming. "Well…crap."

"What?" V questioned.

"It…looks like there is Coral in the water…but to such a limited extent. It would not be worth it for us to try and transport this stuff. It's not worth the weight for how diluted it is. It's another dead end."

"…Okay, but…" V wondered. "Maybe…maybe there's something in the arsenal? We could steal some MTs and sell them to the RLF…can't we?"

"Maybe…but…I doubt this Arsenal is just going to be sitting here unoccupied long enough for us to make a profit. Either BAWS or some other corporation will come occupying it with a force we can't oppose. We shouldn't stick around too long to find out." Uzi considered. "Plus, my gun is practically useless for the next two and a half days, so…"

"…Right…okay…" V sighed. "N, we need to refuel and get out of here. We have to find some new place to go. And…" She hesitated, looking down at Uzi. "We need to figure out what we're going to do about J. Okay N…N?"

V and Uzi turned to look at N. He seemed preoccupied, counting the wrecks around them.

"How many mechs did that AC kill?" N asked with concern.

"Uh…all but two." V tried to count. "So seven of the snipers…"

"Of which we also got two, and two of the melee types." N finished counting. "That's…that's short one mech."

"[Encrypted Traffic]."

One of the melee type stealth mechs had faked being downed, deactivating most of it's systems and hiding in plain sight among the wrecks. With the Tarnished AC gone, it reactivated, and leapt towards the three androids.

V and N placed their arms over Uzi protectively, but there was little they could do as the stealth machine that outweighed them a hundred times over and then some glared down at them. Their own energy reserves were depleted, so they could not escape.

The melee type stealth mech armed it's plasma whip, and flung it over their heads. In it's wake, a discharge of energy overwhelmed and cooked their systems, forcing them into a state of inactivity similar to unconsciousness.

Left unaware and helpless, Uzi, V, and N did not hear the machine speak.

"Jenson model androids. You are aberrations to the plan. Perhaps some value can be derived from your existence."

Chapter Text

"Long time no see, Walter. Looking good for a change." "Cinder" Carla commented over the connection. "I see you got a new augmented human. What happened to 617 and the rest?"

"Their jobs." Handler Walter answered grimly but pridefully. "They did what it took to get us here."

"…Huh." Carla hummed. "So how's the newcomer doing?"

"Adequately." Handler Walter noted. "But Gen-Four augmentation can be unstable. Let alone the Hound's…unpredictable temperament. We need to choose our battles. How's things on your end?"

"I found the data our 'friends' left behind. There's something promising in the Watchpoint." Carla declared. "Also, you've no doubt noticed the slew of Laconian relics now scattered across the continent."

"That ship was an unexpected variable. A hundred years on the float allowed them to slip past Sol's gaze. How unfortunate for them to have found Rubicon of all worlds."

"They're a troublesome little species of machine. Too stupid to know when they're screwed and too cowardly to do anything about it."

"You like them." Handler Walter accused.

"I like all machines, Walter. These ones just happen to have very…expressive…faces." Carla smiled sadly. "Which makes what I plan to do all the more difficult."

"What happened?" Handler Walter wondered.

"Do you really have to guess, Walter?" Carla scowled, angered at something that wasn't him. "They're humanoid enough in all the wrong ways and living in a 'verse that has no mercy for their kind…you can imagine the kind of crowd they draw."

"I understand." Handler Walter sighed. "What are you doing about it?"

"They aren't programmed or equipped for that kind of work. So I'm putting together a sort of…upgrade package…to make them properly prepared. A few too many are showing up traumatized or damaged by far too eager Dosers of the wrong variety to ignore. I never thought I'd get into this business, but it might save a few of them." There was shame and disgust in her voice, but Carla knew there was no one else on Rubicon willing to do this kind of work for that particular race of machine.

"Then we may have a problem." Handler Walter added, sending several files from his Hound's previous engagements. "There's a machine that we've encountered twice now that triggers an…undesired emotional response from my Hound."

"It's very cute." Clara smiled. "And that's a serious problem. It is in grave danger. If I see it in my territory, I'll try and pick it up. Otherwise…you should have ordered your Hound to capture it."

"I wasn't certain that was a good idea at the time. I don't want to push 621 too hard. Not yet anyway." Handler Walter sighed. "Now it seems…I should have."

"We're bastards, but we're not monsters. We can only do good where we can." Carla smiled. "I'll do what I can from my end. 'Till next time, Walter."

Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Tiberius 20th

"…!" What the fuck was Walter doing? Why didn't she have a mission?

There was only so much maintenance she could do, only so many times she could take her guns apart and put them back together, only so much research she could do, before she was right back to thinking about that little machine.

That little machine that she had saved. That had saved her. That had spoken to her. That sounded so young, too young to survive on Rubicon…

Why the fuck did she leave it there? Rubicon was a terrible, frightening world, filled with so much death and strife. Especially for a little machine of her disposition. Cursed by design and labeled Laconian…

Fucking…fucking…fucking Laconians. Damn them all and their accursed designs. Even long after their world burned they wouldn't stop fucking with her. Fuck them all and damn them to hell.

And that…fucking little machine…that she couldn't stop thinking about…that was probably still on Rubicon…that couldn't even begin to imagine what this damned, cursed world had in store for them…

"…!" There was a message alert that signaled that her Handler was contacting her. Finally! Some work to get her mind off things.

"You've been neglecting a message sent to you, 621." Handler Walter chastised her.

/ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: V.IV Rusty

"Raven!" Rusty greeted excitedly. "How are things buddy? I'd like to catch up and trade old war stories, but there's something you should probably see first." He had forwarded another message, which began to play.

//SENDER: Kate Markson

//SUBJECT: AUCTION

"Greeting, fellow mercenaries and corporations. As you are all aware by now, last month saw the unprecedented arrival of a ship load of Laconian built Jenson model androids that have since become stranded on Rubicon. As a business consultant for the mercenary support network, ALLMIND, I come before you with a proposition. ALLMIND has developed a control device to efficiently manage and coerce these relics for whatever work a buyer might desire of them. ALLMIND is officially declaring a bounty for the capture of intact androids, which we will then equip with these control devices and put for sale in an auction, which all are welcome to join. We look forward to your participation in these future business endeavors. Thank you for your time, and remember: ALLMIND exists for all mercenaries."

//END OF MESSAGE

"I was looking over the catalog for the initial wave of available…products…and Raven, those two drones you saved on The Wall are on the listing." Rusty informed her, showing the two drones, the purple haired one, and the one she couldn't stop thinking about. "You and I both know what's going to happen to those little machines if the corporations…or worse…Coral Tweakers get their hands on them. I'll be there representing Arquebus. I suggest you liquidate what assets you can, and get there too. Hope to see you there, for better or worse."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" It was a cold, fearful rage that overtook 621 then. Her hands shook at her side, shivering with uncertainty. A sudden powerlessness at watching something unfold and being unable to do anything about it. Just like…like…like…

"What do you want to do, 621?" Handler Walter questioned.

"…" This wasn't like before. There was still time to do something. To make this right. Who she was before would not hesitate to do right. She might no longer have that name, but she was still that woman of unbreaking resolve.

Her throat hurt from how little she used it, but did not hesitate to do as she needed.

"I need a loan, Handler Walter."

/HANDLER "ALLMIND": VERIFIED

/ACTIVATING CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE

That was a new line of code that was not supposed to be there. Uzi woke with a start as a burning sensation scorched her neck. Grabbing her throat in pain, she noticed her new accessory. A warm metal ring, tightly affixed to her neck. It was uncomfortable, so she tried to pry it off, but the harder she grasped it, the hotter and more unbearable it seemed to get.

"Gah!" Uzi let go of the ring, her hands and neck burning with discomfort. Seeing as that would be a new permanent fixture on her body, she tried to figure out where she was, and what was going on.

She was trapped in a small cage, with barely enough room for her to stand, in a large dark storage room. The next thing she noticed was the thrashing. The sound of some enraged animal trying desperately to break out and flinging itself against metal to do so.

That would be V, in the cage to her left.

"Wha-V! What happened?! Are you okay?!" Uzi questioned, hoping she knew more.

"Grr! Can't! Get! This freaking thing off!" V hissed, gripping at the ring on her neck. Seeing it on someone else, Uzi noticed the bright red light that emanated from the ring.

Seems they finally found enough Coral.

"V? What about your weapons?" Uzi wondered.

"They're locked."

Uzi turned around. In the second cage to her right was J, glaring at her while seated in a subdued and resigned position, hugging her legs.

"What do you mean they're locked?" Uzi questioned.

"Oh…well…" N, two cages to the right of J, answered. "When we try and activate our weapons…we get an error message saying something like 'higher functions locked by Coral Control Device.'"

Uzi could hear V panicking violently, still thrashing herself against the cage.

"H-Hey! Calm down V! We'll figure a way out…okay?" Uzi talked to her calmly. "H-Have you tried everything? Your wings or…or maybe some other function?"

"I've tried! Everything! No weapons! No wings! Tail is capped! I even tried eating the cage! But I can't! Get! Out!" V was slamming herself against the cage, still grabbing at the agonizingly hot ring on her neck. Uzi also noticed the metallic cap fitted over the end of her tail, preventing the larger drone from using her nanite acid tipped attachment.

"Hey! Hey! V! Look at me! Calm down and look at me." Uzi talked to her, getting her to focus on her.

"…" V sneered, but turned towards Uzi. Uzi then noticed that V was forced to hunch down in her cage, it having been designed to accommodate Worker Drones, not Disassembly Drones. Still, looking at Uzi, focusing on something, slowly calmed V down.

"Okay. Good. Now, we're going to get out of here, then we're going to get these collars off, and then we're going to get off this planet, okay?" Uzi assured her.

"…" V nodded reluctantly, her fingers gripping the cage, just barely able to touch the tips of Uzi's fingers.

"I think it looks great~"

"…" Uzi turned with great annoyance to stare at the cage between herself and J. There was another Worker Drone there from her colony, a second-generation drone named Rebecca.

Rebecca was unusually stupid, and unusually promiscuous. Though, for a species of machine built without genitals, all she could do was make-out with every other drone their age. Still, she seemed unusually calm in this situation.

"It's super kinky~!" Rebecca purred, flicking her short blue hair playfully.

"…" Uzi shook her head in disgust while V openly hissed at her.

"Seriously, moron-bot, not the time and place." Lizzy, who was on the other side of N, scolded her friend. "Just eww."

Past Lizzy, Uzi could see Doll in a cage. The other purple haired drone with red eyes was…doing some kind of desperate hand motions, splaying open her fingers with a flick, like she was waving or trying to use sign language. There was a desperation in her eyes for something to happen, but nothing did, and every time she did it, she winced in pain, her collar glowing a shade brighter as it punished her.

And people called Uzi a weirdo.

"You know what? I think I'm actually afraid." Thad, who was caged between N and J, added happily.

"Haha! Me too buddy! I'm terrified!" N shouted, smiling.

"…J!" Uzi called out. "What's going on? What's happening to us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" J smiled sadly. "We're being auctioned off. Sold into slavery."

Grid 072 – Central Belius / Auction / Wednesday, Tiberius 21st

It had been a while since she'd been surrounded by so many people. It didn't frighten her. Much.

The auction for the Jenson model androids was taking place in an abandoned factory, a conveyor belt serving as a line for showing off the merchandise to the hastily made auditorium for the potential buyers to sit in.

"Raven!"

621 turned, seeing a tall, blond-haired man with a young face and bright, red eyes. It was an unnatural shade of red, brought about by prolonged exposure to Coral. Rusty did not strike her as a Doser…so…he was Rubiconian. Naturally born with those bright red eyes. He was also wearing a blue trench coat over his pilot's suit.

"Glad you could make it, buddy!" Rusty smiled honestly. "You here to pick up those two drones?"

It seemed so long ago that she had to use her voice to speak to anyone. To actually have something to say. That could be said after what happened. Rusty had so far been honest and generous with her, the least she could do was be honest in return.

"Three." She admitted. "There was an ambush, and those three assisted me."

"Fair enough." Rusty nodded. "Point them out and I won't bid on them."

"Mmm." 621 hummed in appreciation.

. . .

It was a very quick proceeding. There were a couple of thousand items in stock and no one wanted to stay there all day. Still, there was a lot of competition as most of the unique items were early on the list.

621 was seated next to Rusty, watching the little Jenson model androids go down the conveyor belt, trapped in their cages. She and Rusty were perhaps the only ones in attendance to notice the obvious. Perhaps the only ones who cared.

Those little machines were afraid.

"Funny how one war happens and suddenly the whole 'verse can condemn these machines." Rusty pointed out. "They seem so humanlike…yet…we don't even show other machines such vitriol. Not even dumb ones like loaders or combat AIs."

"That war dragged on far too long, and no one could forgive them." 621 argued. "You didn't fight in the war."

"No. But you did." Rusty realized. "Someday I'd like to hear about that."

"Mmm." 621 hummed.

"Item-181." The AI core hired as an auctioneer announced. "Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

It was a first-gen drone, probably male, dressed in a basic cold-weather jacket. It's white eyes looked around the room in confusion and fear. Not one of hers. The bidding went quickly.

"Sold, for 40,000 Coam." The AI announced, and the next drone was carted down the conveyor belt. "Item-182. Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

This was a second-gen drone, obviously much younger, and with long purple hair. Not the one 621 was looking for though. She held herself fearfully, having some semblance of an idea of what was going to happen to her, even if she didn't understand. 621 tried not to feel for the little machine, but she knew. The poor thing had damned itself, wearing what amounted to a cheerleaders uniform, exposing the skinny, black artificial muscle that certainly looked like a human's midriff if one didn't think about it too much.

"Ah, poor girl." Rusty shook his head. "I wish I could…but…I'm working for Arquebus now."

The price rose particularly rapidly for this little machine, and 621 could only sigh. "Sold, for 500,000 Coam."

"…" 621 hoped she had enough. If they stayed in this price range she should be able to purchase her three drones with enough to spare to return most of the two million in scrip she'd been loaned. Handler Walter told her not to worry about interest rates.

"Item-183, Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

This drone was surprisingly apathetic, dressed the same as the previous item, but with pink eyes and blonde hair. She put one hand on her hip, looking at the back of her other hand with disinterest.

"Sold, for 600,000 Coam."

"Ugh, that's it?" The drone sneered in surprise as it was carted away.

"Item-184. Starting bid, 100,000 Coam."

"Mmm!" 621 hummed, letting Rusty know she wanted this one. It was the male Disassembly Drone, hunched down in it's cage looking out at the crowd worriedly with it's bright yellow eyes.

The bid was rising quickly. 200,000. 300,000. 621 had to keep up, betting against the prospective buyers, finally pushing in a winning amount.

"Sold, for 700,000 Coam."

621 sighed in relief, and felt a pat on her back.

"Good job." Rusty nodded. "I know you'll treat him well."

"…" 621 nodded appreciatively.

"Item-185. Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

"Huh…" Rusty hummed. This item was a male with green eyes, and was wearing a backwards baseball cap. "He looks pretty cool. I'm sure Arquebus won't mind if I get a friend."

"…" 621 shrugged, and Rusty put down the winning bid.

"Sold, for 150,000 Coam." The announcer declared. "Item-186. Starting bid, 100,000 Coam."

It was a female Disassembly Drone that 621 recognized, but not the one she was looking for. She did feel a little bad, considering that the ones she was buying and the one she was looking at probably knew each other. She didn't want to break up friends like that if she could…let alone what it would face alone…

But 621 did not see this particular drone at the ambush. She owed it nothing.

There was one problem, however. The design of the female Disassembly Drone was more aesthetically human in numerous ways, enough that it garnered more interest than average. The bidding went higher, much higher than it had for any of the Worker Drone variants.

"Sold, for 2,500,000 Coam."

"…Fuck…" 621 hissed. If the drone she was trying to acquire went for anywhere near that…

"Item-187. Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

In a panic, 621 brought up her own part reserves, and sold off all the weapons she wasn't using. The machine gun, the rifle, her old blade, and her missile launchers. That got her another 460,000 Coam to play with, but that wouldn't be enough.

"Oh, hang on, get my good side~" The blue haired Worker Drone purred, doing a little dance as she turned her back to the audience. That instantly shot up the bidding a few times.

"Sold, for 1,300,000 Coam."

Damn that machine, costing 621 precious seconds. If she added in her own reserves, she should still have three million Coam to spend. But she needed to buy two more drones, and would be well short of the second one anyway.

"Item-188. Starting bid, 10,000 Coam."

621 had to pay attention, playing along and bidding for the little purple-haired drone, the one that had helped her in that ambush. But…what if she didn't? If she didn't buy this one and tried to sell the one she had already bought, she might, just might have enough…but there was no telling how much she could resell the other drone for, but probably not nearly as much. But…to screw over one to save another…dammit…dammit…dammit…

"Screw you guys! Go to hell!" The purple haired drone pumped her fist angrily at the crowd. 621 had to admire that indomitable spirit, reminding her of her youth. They were such small, little machines, they had no idea…none of them did…

"Sold..." Shit…621 had bought it. She couldn't screw it over like that. Wouldn't. Still… "…For 800,000 Coam."

"Fuck…Fuck!" 621 quietly cursed. She knew she wouldn't have enough.

"Item-189. Starting bid, 100,000 Coam."

This was it. This was the one. That little android with short silver hair and wide, yellow eyes. The one she had explicitly come here for. It was hunched in it's cage with a frightened, terrified expression. It was certainly stylish and feminine, in a cute way even, but that meant nothing good. In the first few seconds, the bid had already surpassed what meager funds 621 had left.

"…!" What else could she sell? Her Core? That would screw over Handler Walter, and put her into further debt. But she could get a million and a half for it…no…she'd been neglecting it's paint, and it looked like shit. She'd get less. What else did she have? Her body? No, she was far too old, and no longer the looker that she had been in her youth. Plus all the missing parts…parts…her organs? Her limbs? But…damn…she'd only get pocket change for those. She'd sell herself again if she could, but Handler Walter already owned her, she could not have two masters…

2,000,000…2,500,000…3,000,000…The bid still had ten seconds, but the price kept rising. 621 clenched her teeth hatefully. She didn't have the funds. She wouldn't be able to buy that little machine…that she couldn't stop thinking about…that she couldn't save…again…

One option left then. Utterly mad and absolutely desperate. No hope of success, and sure to fail. But it was the only option she had. How many people were here? How many machines? How many would stop her? How long could she go? The price on her head would surely be massive. No allies to turn to, all against her.

The way she saw it, her only option, the only choice she could stomach, would be to start a one-woman war against the whole of Rubicon. Maybe she'd die at the door, or maybe she'd stand over a billion butchered corpses left in her wake. She had no chance of success, and the price on her head would assure that she would be hunted and hounded every step of the way. Her blood boiled at the possibility, the opportunity, the chance to do something insane and impossible…because nothing was ever impossible…she'd seen it…proven it…

Maybe she was insane…all that, just because of who it looked like? 621 laughed pitifully. What a pathetic and sad creature she was, without a name of her own. Desperate to save someone who was already long gone, and projecting her desires on this unfortunate little machine.

So be it.

"Sold, for 4,500,000 Coam."

621's breath hitched painfully, knowing she'd lost any chance of a future. There was only dark bloodshed before her. Doing her worst, pretending to do right…

Until she saw who had purchased that sad, little machine.

"…Rusty?" She asked, surprised, seeing as he had won the bidding for the machine she wanted…needed…

"…I know a guy…who'll cook the books for me, make it look like I paid a lot more for the drones Arquebus wants." He said calmly, with a small smile on his face. "Pay me what you can, and promise to tell me some war stories over a drink. We'll call it even."

621 relaxed, and slumped into herself. She wanted to laugh, to cry, to shout out and scream. In relief and in pain. She hadn't saved that little machine. Maybe she never could. But someone did. Someone she didn't think was ever possible in this wide, cruel 'verse. Someone that shouldn't exist on Rubicon…

A good man.

"Thank you…Rusty."

The conveyor belt led towards a loading dock area where drones in their cages were being loaded into cargo containers, piled in a hundred at a time. It was demoralizing, seeing her people being treated as property once more. Less than a race, merely an item to be sold in bulk.

Interestingly, some of them, mostly the second gen Workers and Disassembly Drones, were being pulled off the line, put to the side for temporary storage.

"W-What's going to happen to us?" Uzi asked.

"I'll be honest…I don't know." J admitted. "Nothing good, though."

Fairly soon, J was separated from the line, placed on a transport, cage and all.

"J…?" N questioned, seeing his leader getting carted away.

"J…" V watched her get taken away with wide eyes.

"…" J winced in fear, holding onto her cage tightly, as she was taken away.

Then N and Uzi were separated, placed to one side, while V and Thad were placed in another nearby area.

"Um…" V hummed uncertainly.

"No…V!" N cried out. "It-it will be okay…okay!?" He said, mostly to himself.

"Oh…V…" Uzi sighed sadly.

Two humans came up together towards them. One was a tall man with blond hair and red eyes. The other was a woman, five feet, eight inches tall, but wearing dark sunglasses, an oxygen mask half obscuring her face, and a dark scarf wrapped around her neck. The only other detail that could be discerned about her, was that she had pale, olive colored skin, pushing white from lack of sunlight. They were each dressed in dark long coats, with pilot suits underneath.

They separated towards each group of drones, and pulled up their hand terminals. Then each drone saw a different command prompt come up internally.

/TRANSFERRING CONTROL: ALLMIND > C4-621

/TRANSFERRING CONTROL: ALLMIND > V.IV Rusty

Then, their new masters released them from their cages.

"Uh…" V quietly uttered, not sure what to say.

N and Uzi didn't waste any time, and approached her quickly. Certain it was the last time they were going to see her.

"V…! We'll…! We'll meet again! Okay!?" N cried.

"…" Uzi didn't say anything, but took V's hand, and held it tight. She felt V squeeze it back.

"So…uh…" The tall blonde man rubbed his head awkwardly. "That might not actually be necessary. Raven?"

"…" The woman swiped her hand terminal in his direction. He looked at his and nodded. Then he pressed a single finger into the side of V's control collar.

/TRANSFERRING CONTROL: V.IV Rusty > C4-621

"…!" V's eyes hollowed in surprise, realizing she would have the same master as N and Uzi. She held them a little tighter, making sure that this wasn't a dream.

"Now…I haven't known this woman for too long…but I have a good feeling about her. Stay close to her, and I'm sure you'll survive Rubicon." The man assured them. "Raven! Let's get that drink soon, yeah?"

"…" The woman nodded once.

"Uh…hey Uzi." Thad waved. "It's good seeing you again…I think…"

"Yeah…ha." Uzi grinned painfully. Burdened with simultaneous good and bad news all the same. "Maybe…we'll meet again?"

"Yeah. Cool." Thad gave them a thumbs up. Considering he was being allowed to walk by the side of his new master…that boded well. "See ya!"

That just left the three of them, Uzi, V, and N, with the woman who now owned them.

"So…hey…master…person." Uzi greeted uncertainly and sarcastically.

"…" The woman just stared at them, taking in the sight of them closely. She seemed to be especially staring at V…until she sighed loudly, seeming to deflate with disappointment.

"Don't call me master." The woman demanded. She then turned and walked away.

"Uh…wait up?!" N shouted, running after her, with V and Uzi close behind.

"Okay…so…what are you going to do with us?" V wondered.

"I intend to put you three to work. As scouts. As extra help."

"Yeah…must be convenient having a couple of robot slaves to throw at any problem." Uzi accused. "That must be-ahhh!"

Uzi didn't think she was afraid of heights, but seeing where the woman was walking made her reconsider that opinion. The woman apparently intended to walk several kilometers across a bridge that was precariously suspended four kilometers above the ground. The little engineer in her was screaming, questioning the structural integrity of the bridge separating two of the taller megastructures on this world.

"…" The woman sighed, and ignored Uzi's discomfort with the high bridge they were walking along. "Acquisition of yourselves as property was unintended, but does have it's uses. As my official property, you'll have some degree of protection. Anyone fucks with you, they'll be fucking with me too."

"That's…good?" V phrased it as a question.

"Additionally, I have no intention of treating you as property. You'll be fairly compensated for your work." The woman added.

"Uh…how much?" N asked.

"Ten percent."

"Just ten precent?" Uzi hissed. "For the three of us that doesn't seem-"

"Each." The woman corrected.

"Oh…fine." Uzi accepted that a little more.

"Uh…lady person? We've been trying to figure out something for a while now." V hesitantly asked. "What's the deal with Laconia? We know it's a planet…but we've been hearing about it so hatefully…?"

"…Oh." The woman mused slowly. "That's a lot to get into right now. But…a long time ago, Laconia acquired power to rival Sol, and built an empire out of conquest and subjugation. The war lasted far too long, and destroyed so much…it's why when people see you, they see the relics of the Laconian Imperium. They see the oppressors, the hated enemy of long past."

"Imperium…so…'LIN' must have stood for the 'Laconian Imperial Navy'…" Uzi realized, muttering that to herself.

The woman stopped, and turned towards her quickly. "Where did you hear that name?!" She demanded. "Where?!"

"Ah! Uh!" Uzi panicked. "It! It was on a ship!"

"What did it look like!? Tell me!?" The woman screamed.

"It! It! It! It was a big, box shaped-"

"Good." The woman cut her off. "If it was box shaped with flat surfaces, that's fine."

"O-Okay…?" Uzi stuttered. She didn't know why that had been so important, or what other shape the ship could have been that would have caused the woman concern.

"Umm…hey lady?" N questioned. "We've had another question, that's been kinda bugging us since we first landed on Rubicon. How come we don't die in sunlight here?"

"…?" The question puzzled the woman for a moment. "Ah, right, you two are some kind of robot vampires. The truth is the Fires of Ibis was a wholly unnatural event, that resulted in the local star going through a soft nova eruption, that scorched hundreds of systems across the cosmos." She pointed then at Rubicon's star, sitting low on the horizon. "That's not a star per say, but a white dwarf. A remnant, a corpse."

"So the star…is dead?" V hesitantly asked.

"Yeah." The woman nodded. "And Rubicon just keeps spinning on, under dead light."

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

The corpse star had dropped below the horizon by the time they reached the hangar that the woman operated from. They hadn't spoken much since.

"By the way." The woman turned to look at them. "What do I call you?"

"Oh…I'm Uzi..." Uzi considered telling the woman her last name, but decided against it, for a few reasons, mainly disgust and embarrassment. "Just Uzi."

"I'm…Serial Designation N." N added.

"…Serial Designation V." V declared quietly.

"…" The woman considered them for a moment, looking from V, to N, and finally to Uzi, and then counted them as such. "On mission, I'll be referring to you as Stray One, Stray Two, and Stray Three. That's your callsigns, and your new names."

"Uh…sure." Uzi accepted without much choice.

The woman then opened the door to the hangar, and stepped through first, leading the three drones in after her.

"So, who are…" N had been asking, when he and the other two android girls saw what was in the hangar. A shell of ruined paint and rusted over steel, ten meters tall and standing at the ready. A sight that had been haunting them for the past month that they had suffered and struggled across the glasslands and through decrepit megastructures. Against mountains of moving steel and enigmatic machines beyond their comprehension.

The Tarnished Armored Core.

"It's…it's you." V realized. Her savior and battle partner. The pilot who slaughtered their kind but went out of their way to save them. The Hound that feared nothing, and killed everything in their path. "Who...Who are you? What is your name?"

"My…name…?" The woman considered it, as she took off her scarf, mask, and sunglasses. "My name…" She trailed her fingers down her throat in consideration, then turned around and answered them.

There were many things they did not expect about the woman, that just her face alone revealed. She was older, appearing to be over thirty, perhaps forty years old, with wrinkles starting to pull at her skin where it was still fair. Long dark hair spilled from the back of her head, like fine silk. The right side of her neck and cheek had long, old burn scars, cutting deep into her flesh, but long healed over with sickly, taunt skin.

Most surprising had been the red ring on her neck, that marked her as a slave, as someone's property. The same as them.

However, the most fascinating detail about her was her eyes. Two perfect rings of burning orange light, filled with a pitch-black void in their center. An endless, haunting void far darker than the cold dead skies of Rubiconian night.

"I am Augmented Human C4-621. Callsign: Raven."

Chapter Text

Honor or Justice?

It wasn't a question. She knew this, because it was laughing at her.

Honor or Justice?

She sneered at the thing, smiling at her with far too many eyes in it's teeth. Go fuck yourself. She answered.

You choose Honor, but this is Justice.

The memory that played was not her own, but she knew who's it was all the same. She was standing on warm glass plains, the Fires of Ibis still licking the atmosphere of a freshly ashen world. Her sword felt light in her hand, as she stood at the edge of a valley, a deep crack in the glass.

This was Rubicon. 3125.

"For the crimes committed against man, machine, and reality, the Sol Alliance declares all born of Laconian name, condemned." The voice she knew well decreed. "Guilty and innocent, masters and slaves, all the same."

The last vestiges of the once grand Laconian Imperium sat on their knees with arms bound behind their back, at the edge of the great glass chasm. She felt herself stride forward eagerly, placing her hand on the very first man in the line.

"Let justice be done, on Rubiconian glass."

She could feel the euphoria rush through her as she plunged her blade through the back of him that was most guilty. The man. The King. The would-be God Emperor of the Laconian Imperium.

Duarte.

He who had started this war and shattered the cosmos, who had wasted so many, many lives with his path of conquest. Broken worlds and blackened stars and billions dead for nothing but his ambition.

The blade burst from his chest, and he screamed as all his dreams ended here and now. She felt the blade twist in her hand, drawing out his agony as long as she could, until, finally, she pulled it out, and kicked him into the chasm. Cast into darkness, forgotten and disgraced. A fitting end to the would-be God.

Let justice be done, on Rubiconian glass.

But she was not finished. With blade in hand she stalked her prey, sitting helplessly at her feet, and grasped them too. Plunging her blade through their backs, she stained the black glass red, and slowly but surely filled the chasm with the damned. Old and young, guilty and innocent, master and slave. All the same.

Condemned for the sins of their masters, those…little machines…just like the ones she had fought so hard to save, were cast into the abyss with the same cruelty and barbarity. So decreed the voice of Sol.

Let justice be done, on Rubiconian glass.

This was not her memory, but she knew who's it was all the same.

Honor or Justice? It laughed at her.

Let justice be done, on Rubiconian glass.

Honor or Justice…Raven?

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Thursday, Tiberius 22nd, 3175

"Raven? Raven, there's a message for you. Wake up. Wake-Ahhhh!" V screamed as 621 pointed a gun directly at her face.

"…" 621 regarded the little machine with rage and grief and confusion, her eyes unwavering as she glared daggers. This thing that looked so much like…that reminded her of…

That represented that choice she actively avoided thinking about. Honor or Justice? As much as she hated it…it was right. Honor demanded she protect her…

Justice demanded she cut it down where it stood.

621 actively avoided making that decision. She reached up towards her neck and pressed those two buttons that would turn off her emotions. At least for a few hours anyway.

She holstered her handgun, and rolled herself into a sitting position.

"Uh…you…good?" V asked hesitantly.

"…" 621 glared at her quietly. Looking down, she hissed sharply, then stood from her cot.

The hangar was a hundred-meter-long hollow tube, thirty-meters tall, and filled with exposed conduit, structural supports, and random mechanisms both mechanical and electrical in their purpose. Everything about the hangar was designed to support the Armored Core standing in the very center on a tracked platform. It was modestly well lit with two dozen floodlights centered on the AC, leaving plenty of shadows, and long beams of faint light scattered from the dust and steam in the air. Upon entering from the right side, the only way to walk was forward, along a four-meter-wide platform fifty meters long, that ended with a control console facing the AC. A step up from this platform was a wide bridge that extended to centerline of the hangar, on the left side of the AC, at the end of which sat a haphazard variety of equipment piled up with power cables strung across the platform and plugged into the floor.

This had been where the three androids had slept, close together, and able to stare up directly at the AC.

The end of this stepped-up platform was not attached to the rest, sitting on tracks that would slide them away from the AC to it's left. There was a set of stairs on this section that led up to a control center, a box room overlooking the AC two-meters wide and four meters across.

This had been where 621 had been sleeping, in the only pseudo-privacy other than the AC's cockpit.

Above this structure was another platform, that ran the length of the hangar, sitting behind a track for a heavy lift crane stretched across the hanger over the AC, strong enough to lift the whole machine up.

Sitting near the ground on the left side of the AC were customizable vertical weapon racks, able to serve as ammo loaders or capacitor chargers, and from which rudimentary maintenance could be performed on the weapons. They were currently loaded with three weapons. A large shotgun, a two-barreled heavy mortar, and a laser blade.

Lastly in the hangar, there were three more platforms. Two retractable platforms ran across the width of the hangar at each large door. And one more platform ran the length of the hangar, near the top and behind the AC, near the other track for the large crane.

Fully awake now, 621 ushered V out of the shack she was sleeping in, and went over to the console, checking the incoming call.

"Good morning, 621." Handler Walter called calmly and quietly. "I take it the auction went well?"

"Mmm…" 621 hummed. "Needed some help with the last one. I owe V.IV Rusty a drink."

"Fair enough." Handler Walter noted. "I do have some work for you. But I suspect you'll want to break in your newly acquired assets first, correct?"

"Yes."

"How can I help?" Handler Walter offered.

621 leaned in close. "I want you to give us the shittiest jobs, Handler Walter. Really scrape the barrel for the lowest paying and most unwanted work here in this Grid. I need to break their preconceptions of what life is like on this rock. I need to see what they can do."

"I'll do what I can."

"One more thing." 621 added. "I need to see them kill. Especially something they might regret."

. . .

"Stray Squad!" 621 shouted down at the three drones.

"Uh! Yes!?" Uzi shouted back while N and V froze up.

621 descended the stairs, staring at them with imperceivable emotions. "My Handler wants a word with you. Go on, I'm going to ready our kit for today."

With that said, the three androids went up the stairs and into the small shack, seeing the console open with a connection online.

The man on the line was much older looking, with grey hair and a thin beard that needed to be trimmed again sooner than later. A scar ran across his face, cutting across his nose. He was seated in a small, dark room, with a metal cane by his side. He stared at them with a quiet, cold, defeated yet intense gaze, resting on his elbows with hands clasped, covering his mouth.

"So, you must be Stray Squad." He greeted, with a surprising amount of gruff strength in his voice. "My name is Handler Walter."

"So…you're the guy that owns Raven?" N asked.

"Yes."

"How did that happen? How did she come to be your slave?" Uzi wondered.

"She sold herself to me."

"Wait…she sold herself into slavery?!" V flinched in shock.

"Yes Stray One, she did." Handler Walter explained. "Our arrangement predates your arrival to Rubicon. I've had her on ice since she sold herself to me…a long time ago. Now, she's serving my interest down there, and I assist where I can as her Operator. As her property, we'll be working together rather closely. I expect you to follow her orders exactly, and to try and follow mine as well."

"Okay…great." Uzi itched at her neck, still not used to the control collar choking her. It was a good thing she didn't have lungs, otherwise she might not be able to breath.

"There's another reason I asked to speak to you." Handler Walter admitted, as he leaned in close to the camera. "Keep an eye on 621 for me."

"What do you mean?" N questioned.

"621's emotional state can be…unpredictable at times. Additionally…she is my only asset left. I cannot afford to lose her." Handler Walter said sadly. "So do everything you can to support her. Especially you, Stray One."

"Wait…? Me?" V asked in surprise.

"Mmm." Handler Walter hummed, but did not explain. "Now, today you'll be doing a handful of easy jobs. Just stuff to help acclimate you to Rubicon. I understand that you've been there nearly a month, but you've only really explored the wastelands. The Grid sectors will be a wholly different experience."

"Okay, Mr. Walter Sir!" N nodded.

"Mmm." Handler Walter hummed, and cut the line.

The drones then went back downstairs and caught 621 arming herself up. She placed a .45 caliber Glock 90 on her hip, a twelve-gauge Mossberg 590 shotgun on her back, as well a long fire axe, and several long combat knives.

"Strays! Here!" 621 called out, her three Strays coming over to her. "Now, some bits of my kit you should know. Hand Terminal and a spare that serves as a radio, along with a few other devices. I've got a medkit with basic field supplies. My weapons you should know, and these little toys." She pointed to a line of unusual grenades. "Smart Grenades. Saves a lot of hassle carrying multiple devices by just having one item you can twist and throw. They have multiple settings for just about anything you could ever want. Smoke, flare, flash, concussion, plasma, fragmentation, high explosive, thermobaric, bounce, thermite, incendiary, EMP. Hell if you're in a real pinch you can set it to magnetic and it turns into a shaped charge with anti-tank capabilities."

"Okay, that's cool." Uzi nodded.

"Hey, when can we use our weapons?" V questioned.

"When the situation calls for it. But for today's work, I want you running without your little mini-arsenal." 621 declared. "Also, you should change." She pointed to three sets of plain, dark coats and accompanying plain caps with a forward brim.

"Oh? Uh…? Why?" N questioned hesitantly.

"We'll be doing dirty work today. Didn't think you want to get your clothes all messy with what we have planned."

"Yeah…okay." Uzi nodded, grabbing her set, that she could tell because it was smaller, and walked back towards the stairs.

"Where are you going, Stray Three?" 621 accused.

"Oh…I was gonna change?" Uzi pointed up the stairs.

"Here is good enough." 621 argued.

"Ah…but…?" Uzi complained.

"You don't have genitals, Stray Three. Deal with it." 621 ordered.

"…" Uzi shivered in embarrassment at being exposed like that, even if there wasn't really anything to hide.

"Hang on." V spoke up. "N, go change in the corner." She demanded.

"Okay." N agreed nonchalantly.

"Hey~" V said more sweetly to Uzi. "I know it's different. You're probably used to having your own room, right? I used to be…vulnerable, like you. But I've been living in a squad for a while, I've gotten used to it. Besides, she's right, we're machines. That embarrassment you're feeling is just an artefact of an overly complete personality core filled with redundant programs."

"O-Okay." Uzi reluctantly agreed. In short order, the three of them had changed. V was actually more covered up by the coat than she was in her usual outfit.

621 was waiting by the exit.

"You ready? Cause we already have a job." 621 announced.

Investigate a Murder – Local Authorities / Reward 200 COAM

"Investigate a murder in a flophouse in level 68." Handler Walter ordered. "Confuse the hell out of Stray Squad while you're at it."

"Thank you, Handler Walter." 621 said a little too excitedly. "That's a low-income housing district. Perfect for your first job."

"R-Right…" Uzi nodded uncertainly.

The elevator ride down from the relatively quiet and unoccupied mercenary level down to a residential level took several minutes in a rickety and unstable vehicle the drones were certain was going to fall out from under them.

The "residential" sector was more of a poorly lit shanty town that ran the length of a particularly wide abandoned conduit tunnel, with hastily and haphazardly constructed buildings filling out the tunnel and reducing foot traffic in a fifty-meter-wide area down to about two-to-three meters of twisting, winding maze of streets made out of grimy and rotting wood. It was one advantage that Rubicon had over the Earth when it had been under The League; they still had access to wood.

Further adding to the claustrophobic feeling of this area, was the fact that this multi-kilometer long tunnel that wrapped around part of the interior was only one of a thousand such tunnels spread out through the length of the megapillar and the industrial platforms above; and this one sector alone was obviously filled with thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people.

"Wow…okay…I didn't expect this many people." N looked around in surprise. There was a constant stream of foot traffic moving by them, squeezing by inches away. Close enough they might have smelled the sweat and grime on their bodies if they had had noses.

"Yep. Welcome to Rubicon." 621 told them. "Most of the people on this planet live inside of the megastructures like this. I mean…it's just safer. No room for some corporation to plow a Muscles Tracer through and clear out the place. No threat from anything less than a gigaton bomb directly against the pillar to make them worry. Each level is it's own city, where everyone knows each other and everything is recycled. You know there are people in these pillars who will live their entire lives without ever seeing the surface or the sky?" 621 smiled. "It reminds me of the Belt."

Uzi, V, and N noticed the dark and contempt filled looks from the residents cast towards their direction. The long scars of Laconian oppression still on their minds. Still, true to 621's word, their mark as the Strays of a Hound offered some protection, and sweet, blissful silence.

Their destination was a slightly better-looking building among the shanty town. Soft, red-pink lighting made it look enticing, warm and welcoming. There was an older but pretty woman at the front desk.

"I'm here to see Gia, ma'am. About an incident this morning?" 621 asked politely.

The woman nodded and smiled. "First door on the right."

Nothing could prepare the three androids for what was in that room.

Gia was a tall woman, with long dark hair flowing down the left side of her face. She had dark eye liner under her eyes, giving her a noble, dignified look. She was wearing little; black skimpy lingerie that left little to the imagination. She was a prostitute.

She sat anxiously at the edge of her bed away from the door. Legs crossed as she fidgeted with her hands. She looked up in terrible surprise, to see a Hound at her door.

621 performed what looked like a curtsy, but not at all. Her hands started near her chest, with two fingers on each hand pointed forward in a cross, then spread wide to her waist level with her palms flat out pointed down, like she was steading herself in waist deep water with her hands pointed forward. Then she brought her hands back in front of her, just above her stomach, one over the other with palms up as if she was offering something. The motion calmed Gia, and she nodded eagerly.

Next to Gia, was her previous customer, Bomie. He was an exceptionally tall and skinny man, with long arms that stretched almost to his knees. His head had been shaved and dark hair was just barely growing in. He had many tattoos on his back and face, with the most prominent being the angular, straight tattoo at his neck, looking like the connectors for a space suit, where the helmet would attach.

Bomie was dead. Laid out across Gia's bed in an extremely undignified fashion, his exposed ass up and nearly pointed at the door. His neck and face had been slashed open, bleeding over the side of the bed, and onto the floor.

"Just tell me what happened." 621 requested calmly as she sat right in front of Gia. "Take your time."

Barely getting over the shock of seeing the dead, naked man, Uzi, V, and N paid close attention to Gia, to understand what she had to say about this unfortunate circumstance.

"Den ta desh lik bodzha." Gia emphasized quickly. "Ere imbobo ta desh ubicha." She said fast, her fear evident. "Imalowda…ta ando wameku, unte ta ando shetexe." She shivered, her hands moving as she spoke.

621 nodded sadly. "So da Bomie, uh, na ta vedi imalowada ta ando kom?" She summarized. "Forgotten arm, keya?"

"Forgotten arm, ya." Gia nodded in agreement. She held up her right hand as a fist, touched her wrist twice with two fingers from her left hand, then held up two fingers on her right hand before she put it down.

"…" There was absolutely nothing that Uzi, V, and N understood about that exchange. They had been programmed to understand most earth languages, and while there were certain words they could understand, their usage and the sentence structure left them baffled. They were clearly in far over their heads.

But 621 understood everything.

"If any of these guys come 'round again, then showxa, to pochuye ke?" She gently cupped Gia's cheek, and rubbed it softly.

"Mi pochuye." Gia nodded, smiling at 621.

621 stood, and approached her Strays. "Okay. I'm going to move the body. You guys get in there and clean out the blood."

"Wait…what? What?!" Uzi flinched. "What just happened?!"

"The job, I'll tell you later. Now hurry up." 621 pointed at the front desk. "Ask the lady for the cleaning supplies and get to work. This is a working woman here, she can't do her job with Bomie back there corpsifying the place."

"But aren't we supposed to wait for police or something?" N questioned, obviously confused.

"No, that's why they called us." 621 glared as if that had been obvious. "Now chop-chop, get to work."

. . .

Cleaning the blood of a murder victim from a prostitute's room had been the furthest thing from their minds as their first paying job on Rubicon. Fortunately, as machines, the blood that got on their hands could be easily washed off. What surprised Uzi the most was that V and N actually knew more about cleaning than she did, and guided her. The three of them quickly cleaned Gia's room, and changed the sheets for her.

V paused as they finished, her limbs aching with memory…of better times. She caught Gia staring at her, an appreciative smile on her pretty face.

"Taki, setara." Gia rubbed V's head affectionately. "Oyedeng." She waved.

"…" V smiled, her tail wagging eagerly behind her. She didn't know what the woman said, but it was uttered kindly and sweetly. She nodded back and waved, leaving.

They found 621 outside, having covered Bomie's body with a tarp.

"You finish cleaning up in there? Good." 621 nodded. "Grab a corner. We have to get him down to a recycler."

She'd been right that they were doing dirty work. The work no one wanted to do. The work that had to be done.

"So…what the heck was that back there?" Uzi questioned. "That language you guys spoke?"

"…'Heck'?" 621 glared at her. "Say fuck right now."

"I…err…I can't." Uzi admitted. "I have a censor active in my programing. I can't change it myself."

"…I'm going to have to fix that later." 621 shook her head. "That back there was what's known as Belter Creole. Way back when, around the twenty-second, twenty-third century, when people started emigrating from Earth and Mars out to worlds like Ceres and the rocks and moons beyond, a lot of people with very different backgrounds started spending a lot of time together in the black. So, they formed a simplified language as well as a sign language. Over time that developed into the culture of the Belt and what you saw and heard back there. Now up on the surface, or in military engagements, most people still use English to communicate, but in most civvie areas, and definitely the low-income areas, people are going to be using a lot of Creole."

"How come we don't know that language?" N asked. "We know most Earth languages, how come that one wasn't programmed into us?"

"Well, because you're Laconian." 621 explained. "See Laconia formed from rebel Martians, and Martians as a general rule don't like Belters. So…?" She shrugged. "Say? How much history do you guys know? Most of this shit should be common knowledge."

"Uh…we know that humans came from Earth…" Uzi recalled.

"Okay…what's the last big event that happened on Earth that you know about?" 621 grilled.

"…The um, hole in the ozone layer?" Uzi recalled.

"Ah fuck me." 621 laughed. "You guys are about twelve hundred years out of date on your history. I'm going to have a hell of a time catching you up."

"Well, learning sounds fun!" N cheered.

"…" 621 sighed.

"So…what did that lady back there say, anyway?" V wondered. "She seemed very excited and worried about something."

"Mmm." 621 nodded. "She said ah…It happened fast-like, like an explosion. Gangsters with knives came into the room, the exact word was 'bladeboys'. Then…then there was nothing but screaming and stabbing. I asked her if he didn't see it coming, surprised-like, and she confirmed."

"What was that phrase? 'Forgotten arm'?" Uzi asked.

"It means the thing you don't see coming."

"What was…that motion you did before you entered the room?" V asked. "It really calmed her down."

"Just a bit of Belter sign for 'stay calm.'" 621 answered, watching V try and copy the motions. "Don't…bother too much with it. Every time people look at you, they're just going to see Laconia."

"…" V deflated a bit, frowning.

"…" 621 sighed. "But if you very much want to…I can teach you some. Might help you a bit here and there."

V grinned widely, nodding hopefully.

They brought the body of Bomie to a collection point, a sort of temporary morgue near a loading dock.

"Okay, now what?" N questioned.

"Now, we wait for the next job." 621 dismissed.

"So…uh…what's going to happen to Bomie here?" V pointed.

"He's going to a recycler." 621 stated. "He's going to be mushroom food."

"Wait? What? But he's like, evidence." Uzi pointed out. "What about the murdering gangsters? The bladeboys?"

"It's not our problem." 621 dismissed. "The job was to see what happened, and we did. I even went out of our way to clean the place up for Gia. That's as far as our contract went. If those bladeboys become a problem, someone will put a hit out on them, and someone will collect."

"But isn't murder like…uh…illegal?" N questioned. "What about the law?"

"There's no laws on Rubicon." 621 corrected. "Only Hounds."

The next mission was less a mission, and more of an official request to take a break. Or, perhaps, to break the minds of the Strays further.

Eat Breakfast – Handler Walter / Reward Null

"Don't forget to eat breakfast, 621." Handler Walter advised. "You should get a local dish. Let Stray Squad see what the people of Rubicon eat."

"Hmm." Surprisingly, she agreed with him for once. She wandered over to a little outlet, and sat down on a stool at a bar. With just sign alone, she ordered a small bowl of food, and paid for it with a swipe of her hand terminal.

"So uh…what are we doing now?" Uzi wondered.

"Just getting a little bite to eat." 621 dismissed. She took a spoonful of…something. Something that was dark. Something that was moving.

"Wait…what are you eating?" N questioned.

621 lowered her bowl, allowing the three androids to see it more clearly. Inside was brown, lumpy masses with rounded ends, and writhing, wiggling forms. "Mealworms and mushrooms."

"Y-You're actually eating that?!" V squealed in disgust.

"Mmmhmm." 621 hummed with a mouthful of food, chewing it down and swallowing.

"Wait…those aren't the same kind of mushrooms that came from the recycler, right?!" Uzi recalled in horror.

"…" 621 stopped eating for a moment, staring at them. She smiled. She then took a particularly long worm between her fingers, it's confused writhing and struggling silenced as she slowly slurped it up.

"That's ah…that's just gross, Raven." N grimaced.

"This? This is nothing." 621 argued. "I used to hear stories how under The League, the Earth had been devastated to such totality, that people had no choice but to put corpses through an industrial process to get any kind of sustenance. The mushrooms are at least an entire species of separation from corpses, and the mealworms grow up eating Coral."

"Hey…what's that mean? Uzi noticed. "The League?"

"Mmm." 621 hummed. "I don't want to talk about that right now. Laconia was bad, but The League was arguably worse. At least their domain was limited to the Earth itself, and for a very brief period at that. Please…ask me another time."

"…" Uzi allowed her question to drop, while she waited on 621 to finish her meal.

"Say, Stray Three, do you have the date?" 621 asked with deceptive curiosity.

"Uh...? Yeah…?" Uzi could feel that this would be a trick question, but didn't know to what ends. "It's September 21st."

"On Earth, sure." 621 agreed. "But here on Rubicon, the date is Tiberius 22nd."

"Okay." N smiled in confusion. "How does that work?"

"So, here on Rubicon there are only nine months to a year. Two hundred and seventy-four days. Though the earth year is 3175, the current Rubiconian year is 799." 621 explained.

"Oh, neat." Uzi nodded along. "My home planet was like that. We had thirteen months to a year."

"Mmm. What planet was that?" 621 asked.

"Copper IX."

"Ah, okay. Way out at the ass-end of colonized space." 621 vaguely remembered her star charts. "Didn't even know that was a Laconian controlled world. Huh."

"I guess, yeah. I never knew about Laconia until I ended up on this world." Uzi noted. "Still not entirely sure what that means through…"

"Oh! Oh! I have a question!" N shouted eagerly. "What are the names of the months on this world? Since you said the month of Tiberius, that just has me thinking."

"Yeah. So the months on this world are July, Thermidor, August, Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, Vespa, Trajan, Hadrian, and Aurelius."

"…" V scowled in realization. "That's ten months."

"Ah…right." 621 snapped her fingers. "That requires a bit of explanation. The month of Thermidor is one day long, replaces July 31st, and starts on the thirteenth day. It's sort of a ah…a macabre holiday, celebrating the beginning of the downfall of The League back in 2450. It's on all the Sol aligned calendars, but not the Laconian ones, so you wouldn't have known about it."

"Why is it considered a macabre holiday?" N wondered.

"Well, it's also associated with massive terrorist attacks and other grand misfortune. Generally speaking, if something bad and interesting is going to happen, it's probably going to happen on that day."

Her Strays nodded in understanding of that information, though still a little confused how a single day could be relabeled as a whole month. Let alone what events might deserve such remembrance.

A call from her Handler got her attention. It had priority notification attached.

Diffuse the Hostage Situation – Local Authorities / Reward 500 COAM

"Got an urgent request for you, 621." Handler Walter reported with his usual sense of unurgency. "There's a hostage situation one level below you. Deal with it. With haste."

"Alright, let's get going." 621 rolled her head in expectation. Her Strays followed with trepid anticipation.

Taking the lift down to the next level, a process that still took nearly two minutes that they were sure it would fall out from under them again, they came out into a similar but slightly different industrial sized conduit filled with a shanty town. The area was at a different angle and there were different buildings set up, but it was still a similar kind of destitute residential area.

"Try and keep up, come on." 621 advised, rushing into the area, forcing her Strays to keep pace. V was the fastest and was right on her heels, with N and Uzi just behind.

"What's going on?" Uzi questioned.

"Some matter of slight urgency. Your orders are to standby and keep your eyes open. Watch and learn." 621 ordered, as they came upon a scene that had drawn a crowd.

There was a man holding a woman to his chest, a knife to her throat. He was screaming, she was screaming. The neighbors were screaming. In many languages they did not know. It was chaos.

The man twitched his head, sneering as he yelled madly. Unnaturally bright red eyes burning with rage and insanity as he sweated profusely, soaking wet through his dirty, drab clothes.

"…" 621 sighed, and knew what had happened. She unholstered her handgun quickly, and shot just once, right between the madman's eyes.

The enraged man dropped dead, falling away harmlessly from his hostage. The hostage screamed, turned around, and mourned his death, shouting distraught over his corpse.

"…" 621 holstered her weapon, and walked to her side. "Where is it?"

The woman pointed towards her shack, her home in this dank and dark megastructure, as she continued to wail and scream over the corpse. 621 turned towards the home, and stopped cold. There was a child, a little girl, watching her from the window.

"…" With a quiet hiss, 621 shook her head and powered through, and invaded their home. It was a small shack with barely any amenities. The home of people living at their bare minimum, on the worst world in all the Cosmos. There was only one thing she was looking for, smashed on the floor, bleeding bright, brilliant red.

A Coral canister. Pure, uncut Coral.

A quick search found an injector and a few more small vials. She confiscated them from the home. It was potent, dangerous stuff.

As 621 was leaving the home, she saw that little girl, crying into the woman's arms. The woman held her close, and whispered sweetly and sadly.

"Mi setara." She cooed quietly, calming the child. "Mi setara mali."

"…" 621 forced herself to look away, stepping through the slowly dispersing crowd, taking a seat on a crate. She rubbed her face with both hands.

"What…what the hell was that?" Uzi questioned, N and V behind her looking very distressed.

"…" 621 pressed the two buttons on her neck to dull her emotions. Especially since she had to deal with these little machines. "That…was a chronic Coral Tweaker being denied his next dose. And why you don't take the Coral raw."

"Okay…we don't really know anything about drugs." N pointed out. "Can you…explain that to us…please?"

"When it comes to Coral, it's always safer to cut it, that is, dilute it, with other drugs. So many of the more sane and more stable Dosers will cut their Coral with stuff like tobacco, cocaine, amphetamine, pixy, focus…really cutting Coral with anything makes it safer than taking it raw."

"That's…aren't some of those pretty dangerous drugs though?" V noted. "What's so bad about Coral that makes taking it alone so dangerous?"

"The effect of raw, uncut Coral on the human brain is…well, I've only heard about it, but it's an experience like no other in the 'verse." 621 closed her eyes. "An infinite euphoria of interconnectedness, and a soft choir of quiet, soothing voices, like ice sirens. A cold, crystalline dance of certainty and perpetual, resonating, calming wind. The effect is like no other…but also temporary. Eventually…all that matters, all that a raw Coral Tweaker can think about, is getting back to that high, that calm, euphoric peace…and will do anything to achieve it, even if that means hurting those most dear."

"If it's so dangerous…why do people still do it?" Uzi questioned with fascinated horror.

"Because for some of them, that high is the only peace they will ever find on Rubicon." 621 answered with hollow honesty.

Investigate Water Flow Irregularities – Local Authorities / Reward 2,000 COAM

"This is an urgent request, 621." Handler Walter advised. "Head down to a conduit line on level 62 and find the cause of inconsistent water flow. Stray Squad should see where Rubiconian priorities are."

"Right…let's go." 621 led her Strays towards that location, down several levels and into a vertical access shaft. It was a claustrophobic vertical tunnel filled with conduit, and they were each forced to stand very close together on a narrow lift platform as it lowered through the tunnel.

621 seemed to know what she was doing, tracing a pipe down the access tunnel, looking for something.

"So…what's so important about this job?" Uzi wondered.

"We're helping to secure the water grid. There's no leak apparent, so it probably means someone is stealing water somewhere on this line." 621 explained.

"Wait, people are stealing water?" V questioned. "Why?"

"Well, after Coral, it's the most valuable commodity on this planet. Sure there's a fair bit of water on this planet, but getting it where it needs to go inside these megastructures can be a bit of a hassle. Not only does it have to be clean, but it has to be brought up a great distance. Generally speaking, water is going to be more expensive near the top of the pillars than near the bottom or within underground sections. "

"And that's why we're getting paid a lot more with this mission?" N realized.

"You got it." 621 confirmed. "Oh, hey, check this out." She found a solid beige mass, that appeared as a mostly firm rounded brick affixed to the wall behind the water pipe, that easily fit into her palm.

"Oh, what's that?" Uzi asked.

"Just a little something in case you ever need just a few Coam in your pocket." 621 inspected the small mass, then put it in her mouth, and started eating it.

"Okay…seriously…what was that?" V questioned slightly disgusted.

"A wall shroom." 621 assured them. "Grows from water moisture. Minimally nutritious."

"And you just…ate it?" N seemed surprised.

"Mhm." 621 hummed. "Ah, here's what we are looking for." She pulled a small device off the pipe. "Ya see? This pipe was sabotaged, it's flow directed elsewhere."

"Where to?" Uzi watched carefully.

621 didn't immediately answer. She took out her hand terminal and dialed up her Handler.

"Handler Walter. I need a schematic trace for water line G62-803B."

"Checking…" Handler Walter answered, going through the schematics for the megastructure. "Looks like that leads down to a condenser grid on level 58, inside a warehouse."

"Copy that. I'm going to send this info back to the client. Keep an eye open to see if they offer a follow up contract." 621 cut the line, and sent the info. "Alright, let's get down there. Probably going to be some good work waiting for us."

"Work doing…what exactly?" N questioned.

621 smiled widely. "That's what you're going to find out."

Neutralize the Water Theft Operation – Local Authorities / Reward 2,000 COAM

"You were right on the mark, 621." Hander Walter reported. "You've been requested to clear out that operation. Proceed at your own discretion."

"Copy." 621 nodded. "Alright, stack up."

"…What?" V narrowed her eyes in confusion. N and Uzi didn't look certain about what she was saying either.

"…You guys never clear a room before?" 621 sneered in annoyance.

"Not with any kind of training, no…" V admitted, and N and Uzi shook their heads.

"…" 621 gave a long, annoyed sigh. "Right, no time to teach you. Watch what I do and stay behind me. If you see a weapon, shout it out and hit the deck. I'm not expecting any resistance but still be ready for anything. Just try and keep anyone from getting behind me. Copy?"

"Yeah…?" Her Strays answered reluctantly.

"What the fuck was that?" 621 hissed at them. "I'm giving you three an order. If you understand, answer with 'copy' or 'ma'am' or, if I'm in a good mood, 'aye aye'. And if you don't understand, answer as if you do anyway. Copy?" She stressed.

"Copy!" Stray Squad answered in slight distress.

With that taken care of, 621 stepped in front of the door to the warehouse, unholstered her handgun, and kicked in the door.

"Zakomang! Dun vedi!" 621 shouted as she very quickly checked the room, making sure there was no ambush waiting for her, and stepped through. Inside was a darkly lit, long narrow hallway, with a table set up with a large barrel of water, and around it were four teenagers, barely old enough to be called men. With the door busted down, they scrambled down the hall, with 621 hot on their heels.

V noticed one of the teens hide behind the barrel, a kid with long, dark curly hair. Remembering what 621 had told them, she confronted the teen. "Hey! Hey!" She shouted, hunched low as she tried to anticipate his moves. "Come on, just-"

The teen pushed the barrel over on her, knocking her over and spilling it's contents over her. While she was on the ground, the teen tried to run past, but N and Uzi blocked his path and 621 returned a moment later, pushing the older teenager into one of the walls roughly.

Knowing he wouldn't escape, the teen placed his hands against the wall, then glared back at 621 with hateful resentment. "Is that every-ting you got?!" He shouted, then started slamming his head against the wall.

"Hey-Hey!" 621 pushed him, trying to get him to stop.

"Doin ya work, Hound!" The teen shouted back, and slammed his head against the wall.

"Hey!" 621 grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms above his head, and spun him away from the wall, resting his hands down on the nearby table. "What are you punks doing, stealing up-tunnel water?" She then pulled his hands back, and slipped a tie-wrap restraint over his wrists.

The teen smiled back, snorted loudly, and spat on her shoes. "Free sample."

621 hissed quietly, but relaxed. "You know, you're lucky it's us chasing you, and not the Coyotes. They would feed you your fingers for playin' in their district." She warned as she spun him around, hand on his chest to hold him there.

"Coyotes gone." The teen declared. "This is our turf now."

"Nobody just abandons their territory to a bunch of street punks." 621 shook her head. "You see, the Coyotes were smart. They'd siphon a little water, and sell it off. Nobody's the wiser." She shrugged, then tapped him repeatedly for emphasis. "But you, you gutter punks. You screwed the golden goose."

"Mmm? Okay, mang." The teen shrugged back. "Schoolin' mi on gangsters, ke?" He smiled.

"Yeah!" 621 shoved the teen with a wide smile. "Dirtbag school's in session. Listen…you could pick all the pockets you want, roll drunks and Dosers…but when you mess with the water, that's when you're going down." She poked him in the face roughly.

"…" The teen stared back pridefully.

"Mmm." 621 hummed. "Maybe a couple of years in an iso-cube will set him straight?" She looked at her Strays, as if they would know the answer. "Hmm? Would you like that?"

"Do what you got to do." The teen whispered back stoically.

"…" 621 stepped back, and pulled out a knife, holding it up for the teen to see.

"Uh…hey…hey!" N shouted fearfully while V and Uzi watched her closely, uncertain what violence 621 was about to commit.

621 grabbed the teen by the shoulder, spun him so his back was facing her, and slipped the knife down, forcefully cutting something that snapped with a loud click. The tie-wrap restraints broken, the teens arms hung down at his sides, and he looked back for a second at 621.

"Get out of here." 621 shoved him away, and the teen ran, out the busted down door. "Stay away from the owkwa! Tell all your friends!"

"…Oh…" N sighed in relief. "I did not see that coming."

"Yeah…?" V hissed, slightly agitated as she gestured at her drenched clothes. "How 'bout this? You see that coming?"

"Hmm, yeah." Uzi snickered. "Still, what was that about?"

"…" 621 sighed. "Combat and violence is often unavoidable and inevitable on Rubicon. Still…there are few occasions where it might be best to mitigate that violence. That was just an idiot kid, not likely to be a threat to anyone. Iso-cubes or cutting him for some theft was a bit much. Scaring him though? Well…we Hounds are good for a lot of things."

"That's…good to know." N nodded softly.

"…By the way, Stray One, you stink. You'll need a bath when we are done today." 621 smirked humorlessly.

"Hmm? I do?" V looked down at herself. She didn't have a nose or olfactory sensors.

"Well…that's grey water…so…" 621 pointed out apologeticlly. "It's why I suggested y'all change this morning."

"…Eww…" V grimaced in utter disgust.

"Uh…hey…?" Uzi decided to ask. "Who are the Coyotes?"

"…From what I've read, they're the most radical, militarized fraction of Coral Tweakers on the planet." 621 answered. "Don't associate with them. Ever."

"Ah…cool…" Uzi nodded in slight worry.

"…" 621 sighed, and turned away as she pulled up her hand terminal, making a call. "Handler Walter…"

"What do you need, 621?" Handler Walter questioned promptly.

"Send me something hard. Messy. Violent." 621 requested.

"Are they ready for that kind of job?" Handler Walter wondered.

"No…" 621 admitted. "No one ever is."

Eliminate a Gang on Level 49 – Local Authorities / Reward 10,000 COAM

"This one was a bit harder than I intended." Handler Walter apologized. "Still, I thought it would be good for Stray Squad to see how you operate. Show them how it's done, 621."

"…" 621 sighed heavily, as she regarded the target zone. It was a large warehouse with a reported forty sentient individuals targeted for termination. Too hot for Stray Squad, but still something they could learn from. "Right…I'm going to stream to you my combat footage. Watch it and learn. Stay here…and protect each other."

"You know, we could help you." V suggested. "You have lock control over our weapons. N and I are pretty heavily armed."

"…How many sentients have you killed?" 621 questioned, with a tone that implied her mind was already made up.

"Oh…uh…a lot." N rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Not sure, by my squad depopulated an entire city. Maybe about a hundred thousand Worker Drones between us." V declared smugly, much to Uzi's distress.

"And how many of those enemies tried to kill you back?" 621 bit back.

"Oh…uh…just one." N answered sheepishly. "And uh…I technically lost that fight." He smiled down at Uzi.

"Yeah…but…I guess I was just lucky." Uzi admitted, knowing she should have in no way won her fight against N. If N hadn't been playing with her and just gone for the kill with his first strike, she'd have died back on Copper IX a long time ago.

"The two of you might be walking arsenals, but none of you have much experience fighting people who will be fighting to kill you. That's something I'll have to remedy…but until then, watch and learn." 621 advised, before she approached the warehouse. She opened a connection from a body camera on her chest to connect with Uzi's hand terminal and Handler Walter.

Finding cover near the warehouse, 621 waited a moment, watching the movement near it.

"What's she doing?" V complained. "She's just…waiting."

"She's watching for patrols." Handler Walter advised.

"Gah! Uh!? Walter?" Uzi hadn't realized he was on the line.

"While 621 gets her hands dirty, I'm going to tell you what's she's doing." Handler Walter explained. "Once she has the outer patrol route down, she'll go in for stealthy kills."

True to his word, 621 moved low and quietly, a knife in her right hand. She came up to a corner and burst forward with silent motion, having timed herself to catch a guard unaware. Her knife thrust forward, up into his neck, and twisted as she used her free hand to cover his mouth, leaving him to groan quietly as he died, staring back into her eyes as she slowly lowered him to the ground.

She was a bit quicker on the second man, already behind him, she snuck up and drove a knife through the back of his skull, taking him to the ground and rolling him out of sight. She jumped from cover and grabbed a third man, plunging her knife through the side of his head, then pulled the knife out and threw it through the head of a fourth man, eliminating the outer patrol.

"Holy hell…she's fast." Uzi's eyes hollowed in realization.

"She's as least as fast as us…if not faster." V noted. "That's impressive…"

"She's kinda scary…ah." N added.

"621 has spent most of her life at war." Handler Walter advised. "This? This is nothing."

Taking the time to scout the interior of the warehouse again, 621 decided that stealth was no longer an option. She pulled her shotgun from her back, letting it hang by it's sling while she armed two grenades, and set them to bounce. Stepping into the warehouse as nonchalantly as possible, 621 threw the grenades for optimal spread, and raised her shotgun.

The two grenades hit the ground, then jumped into the air, detonating at an attitude of five feet, spraying lethal shrapnel in a circular direction, into the torsos, necks, and heads of anyone nearby. This instantly killed sixteen men who had been in the kill radius of the grenades, their vital organs shredded from the highly focused pattern of metal.

Shotgun in hand, 621 moved swiftly to clean up the rest. With furious haste, she used the shotgun like a machine gun, slam firing the twelve-gauge rounds of high-explosive flechettes. These rounds had a terribly cruel design, burying themselves into flesh before exploding with gruesome results, instantly reducing six more men to ruined meat.

All the while, she never stopped moving, killing every step of the way.

"Shock and awe." Handler Walter explained, with a hint of awe evident in his own voice. "Overwhelm the enemy with thunder, fire, and death so that they cannot put up a defense, and cannot fight back."

"Who…would even think to fight like that?" Uzi questioned. "Isn't she worried about getting hit herself?"

"It's how she was trained to fight. All offense. No defense. And utter brutality." Handler Walter summarized.

"Who trained her to fight like that?" V wondered in disgusted amazement. 621 was brutal and quick with expert efficiency.

"…" Handler Walter hesitated a moment before answering. "Family."

621 didn't bother reloading her shotgun after killing six people. Instead, she quickly placed the shotgun on her back and pulled out her handgun, holding it close to her body using both hands with a slight tilt inward. It was a stance meant for close quarters combat, and 621 intended to use it as such. Working her way through stacks of crates in the warehouse, she pushed her advantage with her weapon on full-auto, walking rounds up from chest to head with a frightful pace, firing three and four round burst at a time, emptying a thirty-round magazine into eight more people in rapid succession.

Her handgun locked open, she dropped the mag and slammed another one in and dropped the slide, instantly back on the hunt. Still, knowing she had lost the element of surprise, she grabbed another grenade and twisted it to smoke, dropping it in the middle of the warehouse as she listened carefully to the remaining half dozen enemies left.

"…" There was a problem she could ascertain with one of them, but the rest she could deal with quickly. With the smoke obscuring everyone's vision, she holstered her gun and pulled out her ax, holding it with two hands. It was an unusual weapon, but 621 knew how to make it work. She knew how to make anything work.

"Now, she's confusing the enemy." Handler Walter advised. "They were already frightened of her rapid and brutal assault. But now…she's changed tactics, and plans to hunt them with cruelty to terrify them."

Just as he said, 621 slowly stalked her prey, and lunged out of the smoke at the closest man she could find. Swinging the ax fast and forcefully over her head, she brought it down quickly, tearing into a man from shoulder to hip, nearly cutting him in half. He screamed out as he was nearly bifurcated, alerting the remaining men in the warehouse where she was in the smoke. Thinking quickly, she climbed a nearby crate, and waited patiently.

Three men converged near the one she had just cut down, staring down in slack jawed horror at her work. Their fear was palpable, as they came to realize they were not fighting an enemy, they were being hunted.

621 proved them right when she jumped off the crate, and actually cut one of them in half with her ax as she landed among them. Taking the ax in her left hand, she swung it out at the second man, and decapitated him with one motion, his head dropping off and rolling away. She lunged at the last man with her right hand and grabbed him by the neck, instantly snapping it with a flick of her wrist.

That's when she ran into a problem. Or, rather, it ran into her head.

Left reeling from a nasty punch to her head, 621 looked up at something that wasn't a man. Sentient, probably, but not a man. It was an eight-foot-tall humanoid robot with four eyes and larger than average arms. Literally a living forklift on legs.

"Oh no!" N shouted. "We have to help her!"

"Hold it, Stray Two." Handler Walter denied. "She's got this."

"What?! How!?" Uzi argued. "That thing is like twice her size!"

"Then this will be a good learning experience for you, Stray Three." Handler Walter pointed out.

'Twice her size' was a bit of an overstatement. Though it was over two feet taller than her, 621 wouldn't back down. Stepping back, she unholstered her handgun and fired up at it's "eyes", her aim thrown off by it's gait as it approached her, as well as because she was still disoriented from being punched. As such, her bullets did little more than bounce off it's metal shell. It reared back for a punch, that 621 blocked by using her ax and right arm to absorb most of the impact, still being thrown to her back.

"…" She wasn't going to win by trading blows with it. She needed a different tactic. First placing her ax back on her back, she twisted one of her grenades to 'plasma', then charged the taller machine, slipping down below it's legs as she slid by. She then jammed the grenade into it's knee joint, the thing going off just a second later, burning much hotter than thermite for a much shorter period of time, melting and fusing the joint. Spinning back towards the machine, she kicked it in the damaged leg, and broke it off at the knee.

Left disabled, she took the time to completely reload her shotgun, and started blasting away, high-explosive flechettes digging into it's metal skin, shredding it. 621 made sure she also shot one of it's arms off. Putting her shotgun away, she started wailing on it's body with her ax, tearing it open.

It seemed as though the machine was begging her to stop, as it reached up and grabbed her by the right arm with it's remaining arm. This seemed to be a mistake, as 621 pulled back, her right glove being taken off, and lunged down at the machine, pinning it down with her ax, and grabbing it by the neck with her right hand. Pushing down with her ax, she gripped her right hand tightly, and pulled it's head off in a shower of sparks and spattered hydraulic fluid.

"Wow…that's…wow." V was a bit speechless, having watched 621 fight an enemy larger and stronger than herself.

"And that's how it's done." Handler Walter praised. "The three of you have quite a bit to learn. I'm hoping you realize that by now."

"Yeah…I sure got it." Uzi admitted, still wide eyed by how much blood 621 just so callously spilled.

"I understand the circumstances are less than ideal, but stick with 621, and you might just survive Rubicon." Handler Walter advised. "Now get ready for your next job. I'm certain 621 will want you to-Stray Squad look out!"

Uzi, V, and N had been so engrossed by watching 621 work and Handler Walter explain how she operated that they hadn't noticed the large, possibly dangerous man approach them until he was already on top of them. He kicked N away and knocked V on her back, then grabbed Uzi and held her up, a gun pointed at her head, as 621 slowly approached them with a slow and steady gait.

"Get the fuck back!" The man shouted. "You back the fuck away from me!"

"Uzi!" N and V had shouted in worry. They would have done something…but their weapons were still locked. They could only watch as Uzi squirmed fearfully, looking down the barrel of a handgun.

"Fuckin-Fuckin Hound! You killed everyone! All my friends!"

"…" 621 was still getting closer, her eyes wide open with unnatural calm. Her shotgun was dangling in the crook of her right arm, upside down.

"Back the fuck away from me Hound! Or the little one's gettin' it!" The man threatened, holding Uzi in front of himself.

"Hey! No one has to get hurt!" N shouted up at the man. "Just let Uzi go and-"

Two seconds. That was all the time 621 needed, as N distracted the man. She loaded three shells into the shotgun, snapped it on target, and sent all three shells down range as she slam fired the pump.

The first round had been aimed at his gun hand, directly next to Uzi's head. It caused him to drop the gun…because his hand was simply gone. The fingers holding the gun up fell away, scattered to the ground, as his wrist started spraying blood across Uzi's face.

The second shot had been aimed higher, above Uzi's head, and into the man's jaw. It was torn up with a sickening crunch, teeth popped out and expelled in every direction.

The third shot killed him. Aimed just above his eye, it popped his skull with a wet, thick, slopping noise as brain matter was reduced to a spaghetti like pile of expanding mush that rushed out of his shattered skull and spilled over the top of Uzi's head.

In fact, the man fell over on top of Uzi, his obliterated cranium serving as a faucet to spill more blood and viscera over her head as his heart continued to beat for a few minutes.

V and N turned and regarded 621 fearfully, especially as she loaded eight shells back into her shotgun, and loudly pumped it as she approached.

"What the fuck was that?!" 621 hissed hatefully as she glared at V and N. "What part of 'protect each other' did you fucking Laconian rejects find hard to understand!?"

"Y-You wouldn't let us use our weapons!" V argued. "We're practically defenseless!"

"You have hands! Fists! Teeth! I expect you to fight back and not let yourselves get caught in a situation!" 621 shouted back, unblinking eyes burning with rage.

"Can we just-?" N had been suggesting when 621 raised her gun, causing him to flinch back.

"…" 621 saw him flinch, and stopped moving. She hadn't been intending to threaten him, she hadn't been pointing the gun at him. Still…it seemed he had expected violence. She slowly raised the gun all the way up and put it on her back. She hissed quietly with clear agitation, and rubbed her head. She had a headache now.

Then they heard the crying.

621 looked down and saw that Uzi was still trapped under the dead man, and that she seemed very displeased by this fact. 621 bowed her head tiredly, and raised her right hand with the intention to press the two buttons on her neck, the ones that would calm her down. Except that she stopped, and considered the situation.

As much as she might hate to admit it, she wasn't just a creature of cold, calculating violence. She wasn't just Handler Walter's Hound. It was moments like these that she needed to be more.

"…" With a quiet sigh, 621 rolled the dead man off of Uzi, and picked up the smaller machine girl. Dragging her over to a crate, 621 took a seat, and pulled Uzi up into her lap sideways as she gestured for V and N to stand nearby.

621 was not a large woman, being only five feet, eight inches tall; but she towered over the three androids. V and N were passably human sized at five feet tall, but Uzi was barely above four feet tall, the size of a six- to eight-year-old human child. Everything and everyone was bigger than Uzi.

Uzi had been having an exponentially bad month. First her last conscious memories of Copper IX, being considered an "impulsive chaos gremlin" by her classmates or, more simply, a freak, for being as eccentric and unpredictable as she was. Being so secondary in importance to her father that the only good conversation they had had in years was her lying about having an unhealthy interest in building and hiding behind doors. Being caught in a life-or-death struggle against N…

Then getting forcibly transported to Rubicon III, an event no one actually remembered as the entire machine population of her planet had been stuffed into a ship and burned out for a hundred years. Waking up only to then get thrown off the ship by her own father, being stranded out in the wastelands for weeks. Being at the mercy of three creatures she actively feared, and occasionally being used as food by them. Being caught in terrifying battles fought between massive machines beyond her comprehension. Watching her people being slaughtered and discarded and hated and sold into actual slavery. Being sold into slavery herself, now at the mercy of a woman who had no name, who was filled with terrible violence.

Uzi had been wanting to cry for a while. Being soaked in blood and brain matter while pinned under a corpse seemed like a good time to let it out.

She felt herself lifted up into 621's lap, not able to see anything as the blood had so thoroughly covered her face as to completely coat her visor, effectively blinding her. She just imagined how pathetic she looked. Like a little screaming strawberry.

621 pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood off Uzi's face, letting her see again. The machine girl stared up at her with hollowed, distressed purple eyes, pseudo-electric tears at the edges of her visor, as she lacked tear ducts.

"…Im gut fo grev, métexeng mali." 621 told her sweetly, pointing at her own eyes, before she spoke slowly and calmly. "I am not the person you deserve to look out for you." She admitted. "But I am the one person who will teach you how to survive this depraved and fucked up world."

Something the androids hadn't noticed before was 621's right hand, because she had been wearing gloves. While 621 picked bits of brain out of Uzi's hair with her left hand, she used her right hand…her prosthetic, skeletal hand of metal and wire to hold Uzi's hand, and squeeze it gently.

"Unfortunately for you, that means I am going to push you. I'm going to be extra hard on you, because there are no second chances on Rubicon." 621 warned. "I'd rather you hate me for beating you down, than risk letting…someone else…hurt you in ways you can't even begin to imagine."

She was speaking to all three of them. Uzi stared up at her quietly with pained hope, while V and N watched silently from the side, their tails swaying anxiously behind them. It was a side of their Hound they had not seen so far. That they couldn't yet understand. How could a person cut down dozens of their own kind then sit with them and calm them down? Being honest and comforting with them?

"I'm not going to lie to you. Things are going to get much worse." 621 promised them. "And I'm going to push you through some of the worst experiences of your lives. You will suffer. And you will probably hate me for it. So be it."

"But…you'll do it…to help us survive?" Uzi questioned hopefully with fascinated interest. There were very few people, machine or otherwise, who had been so honest in her life. The fact that 621 was one of them was…kinda sad.

"Mmm." 621 hummed. "You need a bath, Stray Three."

"Uh…yeah…" Uzi grimaced at herself, disgusted by the blood caked into her hair and filling in the gaps of her shell. If she didn't take care of that, it would rust badly.

621 gently pushed Uzi off her lap, and stood up. "Come on, we've got work to do." She gestured for the androids to follow her, as she made another call. "Handler Walter…"

"Is Stray Squad safe?" Handler Walter immediately requested.

"Yes. For now." 621 answered. "I need a kill contract, Handler Walter."

"What are you looking for, 621?"

"Give me one man." 621 demanded. "Just one man to kill."

Priority Subject for Termination – Local Authorities / Reward 1,000 COAM

"You know what to expect 621…but I know this job isn't for you." Handler Walter noted somberly. "I trust your judgement in this matter."

"…" 621 sighed quietly, as she considered the target. A relatively young man with dark hair, and a thin but strong build. Wearing dark work clothes as he sat at an open bar, having a quiet drink. "You see that man right there?" She pointed for her Strays to see.

"Uh…yeah? What about him?" Uzi wondered.

"Kill him."

"…W-Wait what?" N stuttered as Uzi and V's eyes went hollow, confused and distressed.

"You heard me, kill that man." 621 repeated seriously yet calmly.

"W-Why…?" Uzi hesitated.

"Do you need a reason?" 621 questioned back. "I gave you an order, now kill that man."

"Um…" V looked down. "Can we use our weapons?"

"No." 621 stated as though that was obvious.

"Really? No weapons at all?" Uzi argued. "How are we supposed to kill him?"

"Any way that you can." 621 shrugged.

"Um…will you help us?" N requested.

"No." 621 stated with growing annoyance.

"Uh…why are we killing him?" N wondered. "This is just a lot to take in right now."

"The only reason you need is that I gave you an order." 621 hissed, eyes narrowing in anger.

"C-Can we just talk about this a second?" Uzi requested. "We don't know why we are killing him. We don't have the weapons to kill him. We don't have a reason or a plan or a want to kill him. So…why do we have to kill him?"

"…Very well." 621 agreed with quiet annoyance. "I'll give you a reason, just this once."

She took out her hand terminal, typed up a message, and sent it. A few seconds later, the man stood from the bar, and approached them.

"Uh…Raven…what did you do?" N wondered with worry.

"I promised to pay that man, for killing you three." 621 said calmly.

"Y-You what!?" Uzi shouted. "Why would you do that?!"

"To give you a reason." 621 answered.

"Crap-crap-crap…" V hissed. She and the other two androids backed up fearfully. "L-Let's get out of here!"

Uzi, V, and N turned to run, when they were brought to their knees by intense pain to their necks, as their control collars burned them.

"I didn't want to do this." 621 apologized pathetically. "But your hesitation forced me to put you into this position. I can't have you running away from this order I've given you."

"W-What do we do?!" Uzi screamed.

"The way I see it, you only have two options before you." 621 told them honestly. "Die, or kill."

621 stepped to the side, allowing the man to approach the three androids, a knife in his hand.

"Jenson pashangwalas!" The man shouted at them, as he lunged with his knife.

The three androids fell back from him, afraid and still not ready to take his life. The man kept attacking, first lunging at Uzi, trying to pin her down to stab her.

"Hey!" N pushed him away from Uzi, only to then have to step back to avoid being stabbed. V came up behind him and punched him in the back, only for the man to turn around and kick her down.

Uzi jumped at his leg, holding it so that he wouldn't be able to follow after V. The man tried to stab down at her, only for N to grab his arms and stop the knife. The man pulled his arms back and headbutted N, right into his visor, causing it to crack and cutting his own head. Still, N hadn't been expecting that, which allowed the man to free his hands and stab N in the shoulder.

N reeled back in pain, clutching his shoulder, as the man kicked Uzi off his leg, causing her to fall on her back. He stepped on her chest, but then V jumped at him and bit his ear off.

"Sabaka!" The man yelled out angrily, and stabbed V in the eye. V fell off clutching her wound while it rapidly healed.

While V and N might have had enhanced and rapid healing, they weren't indestructible. Eventually, the man would find a weak spot and kill them. Also, Uzi had no healing abilities, meaning she was much more vulnerable to damage. Jumping him one at a time was getting them nowhere. They could still probably win, they just had to go about it differently.

"N! Grab his legs with your tail!" Uzi ordered him desperately.

"Okay!" N did as he was told as the man was approaching V, wrapping one of his legs with his own tail while he grabbed the man's other leg. Uzi reached up and grabbed the wrists of the man as he brought the knife down, protecting N. Their struggling knocked all three of them to the ground, with the man rolling himself on top of Uzi, trying to drive his knife into her head. It took all her strength to keep him from skewering her with the blade.

Then V pounced on his back, using her tail to grab his left arm and pull it back, while she wrapped her arms around his head and neck. She sneered hatefully, her wound already healed, but still staining her face with her black oily blood. She pulled back and forced the man to lay on her, while she pinned him there.

Uzi kept her hands on the man's right arm, keeping him from using his knife, as she laid across his chest. She was struggling, but using her whole body to hold just one of his arms was manageable.

In the end, V, with one hand on his head and her other arm wrapped around his neck, squeezed and pulled until she felt a sickening pop, the man going limp and quiet, underneath their efforts. She hissed as the realization came to them all that he had died, and she pushed his head out of her grasp as she laid on the floor painfully.

Uzi slowly pushed herself up, turning around to look at N. His wounds had also fully healed, but he looked particularly sad about what they had just done. She looked forward to V, who had just pulled herself out from under the man, with an equally sickened and regretful look on her face, looking down at the result of their shared work.

In their machine culture on Copper IX, it was fairly common for drones to develop anti-human sentiments in their youth, due in part from their use in manual labor and having a race of genocidal gluttony machines sent to hunt them. Most drones outgrew those feelings as they came to adulthood, as pretending the problem didn't exist was easier than confronting it and doing something about it. Uzi was far too young, stubborn, and intelligent to let that happen.

Still…plotting to go to Earth and "kill all humans for revenge or something" was a far cry from the reality of murdering one man in a filthy and destitute shanty town inside of a megastructure on Rubicon III. The fear and the pseudo-adrenaline still pulsed through her system as she stared wide eyed at his limp and cooling corpse. The bruises forming along his neck where V had choked him, his eyes rolling lazily as he stared at the ceiling, never to blink again. The indignity and desperation of the kill, and hollow sense that this pain and death had been for nothing.

Except that it had been at their expense.

Uzi hissed, and looked up. 621 had watched the whole thing from the sidelines, leaning on a crate with her hands crossed over her mouth, looking a bit like the enigmatic Handler Walter as she stared at them with unsympathetic orange eyes.

"Are you happy now?!" Uzi accused with a low and angry tone. "Were you happy turning us lose like your own personal attack dogs!? Did you get a good show?!"

"You're all sons of bitches now." Was not the answer they had expected. It had been delivered utterly calmly, and just a bit sad. With that, 621 turned away, and slowly walked further down the long corridor of a dark and dank city built inside of an industrial zone, with her hands behind her back.

Despite their animosity towards her in that moment, there was still a sense that 621 was trying to help them understand, and that she did not take pleasure in their suffering. She was a dangerous contradiction, filled with contempt and compassion for their kind, and unwilling to express either opinion in much abundance.

It was her job to make sure they survived Rubicon.

Despite their apprehension for their position, there was still that promise she had made. To help them, protect them, and teach them all they needed to make it through this world, this terribly depraved and ashen world.

N gently placed his hand on Uzi's shoulder, giving her a weak smile. V cocked her head tiredly, and punched Uzi in the arm with no force, letting her fist gently tap against Uzi's other shoulder.

At the very least, they had each other, to suffer across Rubicon with.

621 had not spoken to them for a while, letting them process their emotions while they quietly followed her. It seemed that she still had work for them.

Pacify Resistance in Grid 067 – Balam / Reward 20,000 COAM

"This request comes from the Balam corporation." Handler Walter had told her briefly. "In their efforts to capture a den of Jenson Model Worker Drones, their patrol squads were engaged and defeated by a Disassembly Drone. I figured you would want a job like this, to further train Stray Squad. Balam has requested that you subdue the Disassembly Drone for capture…but you know what that would mean. I trust your discretion, 621."

"…" 621 sighed heavily as she considered the mission. Grid 067 was an hour south by train, so she brought her Strays back up the megastructure to the transit level, and looked for a train passing through that sector. There weren't any passenger cars on the train line, so 621 sat on the roof of a covered hopper car, holding on to the railing on the side while she dangled her legs over the edge. Stray Squad sat behind her, on the walkway running along the edge of the roof.

In short order, the train started moving, at a steady hundred kilometers an hour. Wind whiping through their hair as they stared down at the distant surface four kilometers below the train line. The line would take them from one megastructure to the next, and so on and so forth until they reached Grid 067.

"My first kill wasn't very different from yours." 621 admitted, as she rested her head on the railing.

Uzi, V, and N perked up, scooting forward to listen to what the Hound had to say.

"I spent a lot of time on the float as a kid, going from one station to another for some official function or whatever. That was…long before the war." 621 recalled with dreamlike innocence. "I loved ships. The feeling of burn gravity holding you down, followed by a sudden stop, letting you kick off the floor and bounce around the bulkheads. Getting halfway to your destination, then being forced to flip-and-burn the other way, so you arrived at your destination ass first and at a reasonable stopping speed. I loved messing around with fusion drives with grandma…taking them apart and putting them back together. I was pretty set on joining the Navy, and becoming a Captain. I wanted to command my own gunship and do hard burns against pirates, or perform elaborate war games with our allies. My father though…he had a different way of seeing the world."

"Did he…not want you to join up?" Uzi wondered.

"…He didn't want me to have any preconceptions." 621 clarified. "He was proud of my choice, I'm sure, but..." She trailed off. "So what he did was six months before my eighteenth birthday, he dragged me off to Eros, one of the most dangerous stations out in the black. Brought me down to a fighting ring, a pit near the center of station spin, and tossed me in. That pit had only one rule. Two enter, one leaves."

"So…what happened?" N questioned.

"…" 621 rolled her eyes, and sighed. "I won, obviously. Wasn't easy though. Beating someone to death in near null-G is…something to avoid. He had been a kid not much older than me at the time, and I…still remember…the way the blood pooled in his mouth, leaving a trail of sick red that flowed through the air and lingered, until station spin painted it over the walls in a long, whirling pattern. And that smile that kid gave me as I squeezed the life out of him."

"How could your own dad do that to you?" N wondered sickly.

"…" 621 smiled. "He was never a good father…but not for lack of trying. Understand that as harsh as that might sound, what he did was right. I learned how to kill, and how messy and undignified death truly is. As brutal as that sounds…I don't hate him for that. In truth…he was not meant to be a father…but he did his pathetic best anyway."

"…My dad threw me off a spaceship. I'm still not sure how to process that. Not…good…for sure though." Uzi admitted. "As scary as that sounds…it seems like your father cared about you, that he wanted you to learn how the world really is."

"…You're right." 621 agreed. "I hate my father for entirely different reasons."

"…Oh…" V could only shiver at how cold 621's answer then was. The silent rage that she had spit so certainly in those few words. Hate was too weak a word for how 621 had expressed it.

V got the impression that 621 despised her father with every ounce of her being.

Grid 067 – Central Belius

Instead of going down into the pillar supporting Grid 067, they went up, into the industrial sector of the megastructure. Instead of abandoned lines of conduit filled with a shanty town, these were long square hallways of massive train lines and factory spaces. A thousand miles of this supersized industrial zone wrapped around the top half of the seven-kilometer-tall pillar. An area so large and expansive that exploring it all on foot could take weeks.

Fortunately, 621 seemed to know where they were going, leading them along an interior factory found after a few kilometers of walking.

"So…what's the mission this time?" Uzi wondered.

"Search and destroy." 621 declared. "Our primary target is a Jenson Model Disassembly Drone that's in the area."

"Wait…we're hunting a Disassembly Drone!?" N cried out.

"Hey…I know I've said it a couple of times today…but we could really use our weapons if we're going up against one of them." V suggested.

"…You're right." 621 agreed. "What are your armaments?"

"Uh…" V thought about it for a second. "We have a pulse-wave laser cannon in our left arm, but it takes a significant portion of our reserve energy to fire. There's an internal micro-fabricator, that's able to manufacture ammunition for our right arm guided missile launcher with an internal magazine of three shots, and our two MP5 9mm submachineguns, one in each arm, which can fire FMJ rounds in thirty round bursts, each. For melee weapons, we have three-fingered, foot-long claw hands, sword hands, and chainsaw hands. Our tail is tipped with a nanite acid stinger, and our wings have large bladed 'feathers' that can also be used as weapons." She summarized, not mentioning the other slots in their internal inventory, mostly because she had used them on frivolous items and 621 did not seem interested in such items at this time.

"…Very well." 621 took her hand terminal, and sent the "unlock" code for her Stray's control collars, that allowed them to use their weapons. Uzi noted that while she didn't have any weapons or "high functions", the unlock code had also been sent to her control collar. Since it was still tightly fixed to her neck, she didn't much care.

/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED

V took the opportunity to immediately deploy her wings, sighing pleasantly as the long appendages extended from her back, stretching them to their full span. She also felt the "cap" retract slightly from her tail, exposing the foot long stinger for their nanite acid dispenser.

"Uh…?" N raised his hand with an anxious question. "Do we really have to kill that other Disassembly Drone? Can't we just…I don't know…uh…let them get away?"

"…" 621 turned and stared at N. "Are you suggesting we intentionally fail a contracted mission, Stray Two?"

"Oh! No! I didn't mean it like that! Uh!" N panicked, especially considering how calm 621 was.

"…" 621 unslung her shotgun, holding it down. "Listen very carefully. These are my orders, and I want you to follow them. Stray One, Stray Two. Engage the targeted Disassembly Drone and drive it towards myself and Stray Three. We'll decide it's fate then."

"Copy!" V and N answered, remembering what 621 expected of them. N deployed his wings, and flew with V deeper into the factory area.

"Hey…what about me?" Uzi complained. "I don't have a weapon."

"…" 621 unholstered her handgun, holding it by the slide as she held it out for Uzi to take. "We'll update your kit in the future. For now, take mine."

"…" Uzi took the gun, holding it down with both hands. "You didn't give me any orders?"

"For now, stay close to me, Stray Three." 621 gestured for Uzi to follow, as they entered the factory.

After a few minutes of flying, V and N landed as they found the inhabitants of the factory. A couple of hundred Jenson Model Worker Drones.

"Oh god! We're all gonna die!" One of the Workers shouted.

"Oh uh hey! Wait! No!" N assured them while V watched passively. "We're actually here just to look for another Dis-…err…Murder Drone." N corrected himself, remembering that most Workers didn't call them by their proper name.

"Oh…uh…okay." One of the Workers sheepishly answered. "You want to talk to the boss then?"

"Uh…if your boss is a Murder Drone, then yeah." V admitted.

"Then yeah, sure, come on this way!" The Worker offered cheerfully, leading N and V deeper into the factory.

"…" V sighed, shaking her head at how easy it was to deceive Worker Drones. They were fortunate that N and V had no orders regarding them, otherwise they could have easily cut down this entire impromptu settlement in an hour.

The Worker Drone led them up to a foreman's office overlooking the factory. In there was a female Disassembly Drone, dressed in a black skirt and jacket, with long straight silver hair. She looked particularly busy, as she spoke to another Worker Drone in the office space.

"Hey boss! These two were looking for you!" The Worker Drone leading them announced.

The Disassembly Drone looked up, and smiled in surprise.

"V!? N!? You guys are here too!?"

"Hey G…" V greeted kindly, but sadly.

Serial Designation G bounded over to them, and brought them into a tight hug, while also gesturing for the other Worker Drones to leave the room. "It's so good to see you two!"

"Oh! Hey! Who are you?" N questioned with an awkward smile.

"Ah…poor N, still having memory issues?" G smiled apologeticlly.

"N…this is G…we were produced in the same batch as her…" V stressed while staring at G knowingly. G nodded back sadly.

"Well nice to meet you G!" N smiled.

"Nice to meet you…again…heh." G laughed. "Ah, what are you guys wearing? It's so drab and…" G saw their control collars on their necks. "Oh…you guys were captured…"

"Yeah." V frowned. "Our whole squad was captured and sold. J was separated from us, and we were paired with…an interesting Worker."

"Oh no, not J!" G cried. "No…no…"

"G…what happened?" V requested. "From what we've seen, JCJenson is probably gone, but that doesn't explain why you're taking care of all these Worker Drones?"

"…When the ship made planetfall, it was a bit chaotic. There were only us six Disassembly Drones and two million Worker Dones."

"Just…six…?" V realized. "Then that means…"

"Yeah…with you three, that means there are only nine of us left." G told them solemnly. "Though with J captured…I'm concerned the rest of us could be next."

"Only nine of us left…" V shivered.

"Well…that still doesn't explain why you are protecting the Workers?" N pointed out.

"I was…getting to that." G admitted. "Most of the Workers scattered across the continent unsupervised, but we managed to corral some of them for our own ends. Initially we were just going to use them as an emergency source of food while we explored this world, trying to figure out what had happened in the last hundred years that we'd been on that ship. We split up to cover more ground…before we started noticing the violence against the Workers on this planet."

"Yeah…we saw some of that too." V stated. "Our master says it has something to do about us being part of something called the Laconian Imperium, how there was a big war that they lost, and that everyone hates Laconia."

"That's…new…" G grimaced. "Ugh, I wish our memory was more complete. I have no knowledge of this Laconia…but…I don't think you're understanding my meaning."

"Well, we know a group called the PCA has an active kill-on-sight order for us and the Workers…" N added as well.

"If it was just killing us…we could understand it." G looked sick as she retold it. "What I saw…I can't even tell you what I saw…it was so horrible my censor prevents me accurately describing it…but it's changed our mission here."

"What…What happened?" V wondered fearfully.

"Our original mission…to kill the Workers…it was cruel, certainly, but it was quick. What particularly depraved Coral Tweakers have done to Workers…" G covered her mouth, looking like she wanted to vomit. "That was evil. It was evil, and they don't deserve that. So, no matter the cost, we need to get off this planet."

"…" V and N looked between each other, wondering what would frighten and disgust one of their own kind to change their values so drastically.

"Tell me…V, N…does your new master treat you well?" G wondered quietly.

"She's…well, she's a hard master. Meaner than J, but more reasonable." V told her. "Surprisingly, she's has no name, and goes by 621. A slave to someone named Handler Walter."

"Curious…what does she do?"

"She's a Hound, an Armored Core pilot." N added. "She said if we worked for her as scouts and support, then she would teach us how to survive on Rubicon."

"We've spent most of today learning about this world and the people on it. She's callous in her lessons…but we've learned a lot."

"…As much as I despise the thought of you having any other master than our original master, it sounds like you've lucked out." G noted quietly.

"About that…" V admitted awkwardly. "Our master took a job with the intention of killing you."

"She told us to find you and engage you…but…if you run away…" N suggested.

"…I can't." G shook her head. "The corporation Balam found out about our little settlement here, and have been sending teams to capture the Workers. I've killed them all so far while the Workers work on building transportation out of here. I can't leave…I promised them I would protect them."

"G…" V warned. "Our Hound is definitely an expert in combat. She's coming here now, and I doubt you could take her."

"…You wouldn't help?" G questioned.

"We uh…we get the impression we can't really go against her." N pointed at his control collar.

"…Then I guess it's time I met this Hound." G sighed stoically

The further into the factory they traveled, the more obvious it was why it had garnered Balam's interest.

"Worker Drones…" Uzi uttered. It looked like a few hundred of her people had set up in this factory, hiding between the large manufacturing machines and under the conveyor belts, but unfortunately there was still no one she recognized. She noticed four nervous looking Worker Drones approach them, rifles in hand.

"W-Whoever you are h-human, go back the way you came and…and release your h-hostage!" One of the armed Workers tried to order 621.

"…" 621 continued to stalk forward, unintimidated. She slammed her foot into the ground, as she spread her arms and hissed at the four Workers while glaring down at them.

"Ah! Run away!" The four Workers dropped their rifles and ran deeper into the factory.

"Ugh…" Uzi groaned in annoyance. Her people were the biggest cowards in the universe, even when they had weapons.

"Arm up, Stray Three." 621 gestured to the discarded weapons.

"Right…" Uzi nodded, picking up one of the M4 Carbines. They then noticed the sound of metal wings whisking through the air, a sound she had been taught all her life to fear, and momentarily panicked.

Three Disassembly Drones landed in front of them. V, N, and one they didn't recognize.

"So, you must be 621." The new Murder Drone greeted with false kindness. "I'm Serial Designation G, at your service."

"…" 621 gave a long, annoyed, and tired sigh. "I suppose 'engage' has several meanings, but you know what I meant, Stray One, Stray Two."

"…" G openly hissed, her tail whipping behind her angrily, at hearing two old friends referred to as such. "What do you want, Hound?"

"…You know why I'm here."

"…Then I guess there is nothing left to say…" G hissed, deploying her claws.

"Wait! Please!" N begged. "We don't have to fight her Raven! S-She's trying to protect the Workers!"

"Raven…If you don't have to fight…then please…" V quietly begged.

"Stray Squad!" 621 ordered. "This is the lesson here. When you take a job, you finish it, no matter what. Stand down, and do not intervene. Stray Three, I'm going to need my handgun back."

"…" Uzi frowned, but didn't argue. She still had a gun anyway. 621 took her gun back and holstered it, and even placed her shotgun on her back. Then she and G started circling each other.

"Just one thing Hound…" G called out. "Were you serious when you promised to protect V and N?"

"Yes."

"…" G smiled, and relaxed for a moment. "Then I have no regrets. If I die, they'll still be safe. But I have no intention to die here, Hound."

"…" 621 stopped circling, standing her ground.

"…" G smiled wide, and switched her eyes to a wide X, activating her hunter-killer mode, as she lunged forward with claws splayed excitedly.

621 brought out her ax, and used it to block G's claws as the shorter android pursued her. She used the ax to knock G away from herself, staying light on her feet as she observed her foe. In every aspect, G had the advantage. She was stronger, faster, better armed, and able to heal nearly instantly from most damage.

But 621 was smarter, and patient.

G changed her claws out for swords, trying to overpower 621 with the long blades. In response, 621 held her ax with one hand, and used her shotgun to block the other sword. G's simple wide thrust and swipes were not breaking through 621's defense. 621 had been fighting for far longer than G had ever existed.

621 forced G on the defensive, and pushed her blades back, until she got her shotgun on target and blew the top of G's head off in a shower of twisted metal and black oil. G instantly fell back, missing half her head, and almost hit the ground, except that she stopped, and slowly stood back up as her head regrew.

"Bullets won't kill me, Hound." G mocked, still wearing her wide smile and X on her face.

"…" 621 pumped her shotgun.

G laughed as she spread her wings, and took off, flying around 621 trying to catch her off guard. She swooped in to slash at 621 with her claws, but 621 rolled away and swung out once with her ax, eliciting a shout from G.

G landed with a sneer, her left arm chopped off. She deployed her missile launcher on her right hand and fired off her three missiles.

621 rolled under the first missile, then brought her shotgun up and shot down the following two missiles with two accurate shots from the hip.

G hissed, her left arm regrown, and deployed her laser cannon on it. She had been aiming to cut 621 in half, but 621 dodged under the bright blade-like wave of yellow energy, and rushed towards G. G deployed her swords to block the shotgun and ax, with 621 leaving her flank exposed as she knocked G to her right. G capitalized on the opening, and sunk her fangs into 621's left arm.

621 dropped the shotgun, and grabbed her handgun. The Hound pointed her handgun into G's gut, and fired half the mag, causing G to recoil and release her fangs as bullets cut into her stomach, only for 621 to point the gun up, and empty the other half of the mag into G's face.

G fell forward, hands on the ground, as her body worked the hollow-point bullets out of her stomach and head. She shuttered in rage and pain, as she turned to face the Hound, switching her hands to MP5's as she did so.

But 621 pounced on her, such that G only got one shot off before she was forced to the ground, a depraved, ax wielding Hound tearing into her head. 621 brought the ax down and cleaved G's head in half. She had to admit, these things were hard to kill.

Handler Walter said something about that kind of thing, didn't he? She'd heard it once in a coma-induced fever dream, as he thawed her corpse out of deep freeze.

Once something's alive, it doesn't die easy.

Leaving her ax in G's head for the moment, 621 pinned her arms to the ground with her knives, and used the machine's tail to tie up her legs. Placing her foot on G's chest, she pulled her ax out of G's head, observing how her healing was beginning to slow.

G grimaced painfully as she realized her position. Pinned by the Hound, unable to escape. Her eyes changed back to two, hollowed ovals, displaying her terror and fear.

"W-Wait-!"

621 brought the ax down into G's face. She brought it back up and waited while the machine healed.

"P-Please stop-!"

621 brought the ax down into G's face. She brought it back up and waited while the machine healed.

"S-Stop it please-!"

621 brought the ax down into G's face. She brought it back up and waited while the machine healed.

"Please…just finish it!" G begged while crying.

621 brought-

"Stop it!" V screamed, grabbing the ax before it could hurt G again. "If…if you're just going to kill her…just do it already!"

"…I've never killed a Disassembly Drone before. I don't know how." 621 pointed out calmly.

"Do…do you have to kill her?" Uzi wondered, surprised at the amount of sympathy she felt for one of her old enemies. Still…watching 621 wail ruthlessly on G had been brutal and cruel. "Can't you spare her?"

"If she lives, she'll be handed over to Balam forces."

G squirmed fearfully. "N-No! Anything but that! Please…just finish it…"

"…" V looked down, and shared a quiet and sad nod with G. She then pointed at the center of her own chest. "You need to disconnect the personality core, to kill one of us."

"…" 621 stared at V impassively.

"…" V hissed fearfully. "You want me to do it, don't you…?"

"No." 621 answered. "I want Stray Two to do it."

"W-Wait me?!" N shivered. "W-Why?!"

"Do I need a reason?" 621 reminded them. "I gave an order. That should be all the reason you need." She stressed.

"…" N frowned, but knew he could not defy the Hound. He knelt down by G's side, and deployed his claws. "I'm sorry G…I would have liked to have gotten to know you better."

"…You've always been a good boy N…thank you." G smiled up at him.

N plunged his claws into G's chest, and wretched out her personality core. It was a fist sized sphere of silver metal with a yellow ring on the front, like an eye, and six connector pegs arranged above and below. G went limp as her core was torn out, her eyes replaced by the words "Fatal Error".

"…" N dropped G's personality core, distraught at having to kill one of his own kind. V rubbed his head affectionately, trying to comfort him.

"Stray One. Stray Two." 621 called, unmoved by the trauma she continued to inflict on her Strays. "Clear the settlement of any weapons. Engage at your discretion."

"…Copy." V and N answered quietly, walking together as they followed the orders of their Hound.

"Stray Three." 621 turned to Uzi. "I need your hands."

"O…kay…?" Uzi questioned as 621 sat down beside her. Then she noticed it, a stain of blood running down the left arm of 621's coat. G had managed to get a hit on 621. "Woah, hey, you're bleeding."

"Yeah." 621 said tiredly. She shrugged off her coat and pulled her shirt to the side. There was a fairly deep graze on her shoulder, a hole of gouged out flesh. "Help me patch this up."

"O-Okay…how?" Uzi agreed reluctantly, a little worry and confusion evident in her voice.

"…" 621 sighed. She took out her med kit, grabbing a large white bandage, gauze, and disinfectant. She sprayed the disinfectant into the wound, wincing slightly. "This isn't too bad, so just wrap it up."

"Alright…" Uzi nodded. She took the gauze and packed the wound, before she wrapped the arm with the bandage. With that done, 621 pulled her coat back on, and stood up, flexing her arm with slow pained movements.

"…Almost done here today." 621 stated tiredly.

"…There's more crap you're going to put us through?" Uzi accused and complained. "Haven't you traumatized us enough?"

"That depends on what we find, Stray Three." 621 gestured for Uzi to follow, as they went further into the factory.

"You…check that half of the factory. I'll take this way." V pointed, dividing the work so they could finish faster.

"…Fine." N quietly agreed, still unsettled after taking G's life.

It was slow, methodical work, scanning through the Worker Drones, and taking their weapons from them. They seemed smart enough to know that rifles weren't enough to kill a Disassembly Drone.

Most of them.

V's head snapped sideways as a bullet passed through it, knocking her offline for a second, before the hole in her head closed and healed. She glared at the source of that shot, seeing a hollowed-eyed Worker Drone holding a rifle. The Worker Drone tried to hide the rifle, pretending that they didn't just shoot her in the head.

"…" V growled. Stalking closer to the Worker Drone, she remembered her orders. She was free to choose what she would do to Worker's who resisted, and she intended to make use of that freedom. She activated her hunter-killer mode, her eyes switching to the wide X, as she smiled widely.

"W-Wait! I'm sorry!" The Worker tried to apologize. "J-Just uh-uh-a miss fire! Yeah! I-It was an a-accident!"

V giggled, spreading her wings and claws wide, as she slowly forced the Worker back into a corner. She openly salivated, opening her mouth as wide as it would, her smile stretching from ear to ear (except that she didn't have ears on the sides of her head, but that's besides the point).

"P-Please! Please! Don't do it!" The Worked begged pathetically, throwing themselves on their knees as they bowed their head in forgiveness.

V laughed, as she lunged forward, piercing the Worker through the side of their chest with one of the long, blade-like feathers on her wings, and pinned them to the wall. She then reached up with her claws and cut them in half at the waist, spilling their oily guts over the ground.

"N-No! Oh no oh robo-god save me ahhh!" The Worker screamed as V had her way with them. Dropping them to ground, V pounced on their vulnerable form, biting into their exposed machine entrails and thrashed, ripping internal chunks of metal and contraption out, and staining her face with black oil. It was always so euphoric, to sink her teeth into helpless prey, to tear them asunder with-

A shotgun blast tore the Worker's head apart, and ceased V's laughing as she flinched back from her eviscerated prey. Looking to the source, she saw the Hound, standing over her, with Uzi by her side.

Uzi stared down at V with incredible disgust and fear, as she watched the taller android girl butcher one of her people; and it filled V with an emotion she was wholly unfamiliar with. Regret. Suddenly she wasn't so proud to be that laughing little monster, tearing into her prey with callous abandon. Suddenly she was sorry that Uzi had seen that side of her that she had nearly forgotten about since they had been stranded on Rubicon.

It was the Hound's eyes that frightened her.

621 eyes burned with imperceivable intent; shotgun held lazily over the head of the dead Worker Drone. Those eyes bored into her with a silent intensity that had seen too many horrors and crimes and deaths and become utterly indifferent to it, yet fascinated all the same. Still, V could ascertain something from the eyes of the Hound.

She was in trouble.

621 did not blink, she simply turned and stalked away from V, further investigating the factory. V was left to think about her actions, and what she was before that little monster.

Uzi shuttered sickly as she followed close to her Hound. It was always unsettling, remembering what the Murder Drones would and could do to her people on a whim. What they had already done to hundreds of thousands of her people. What they had done to her…

She was distracted by the sight of a second-generation Worker Drone, a male with light purple eyes in a lazy, relaxed display. He was wearing a woolen hoodie and hat with a red and green zig-zag pattern. He was someone from her class.

"Sam?"

"Oh…uh…you?" Sam questioned.

"…" Uzi hissed with frustration. Most of the students from her class played that they didn't know who she was, perhaps because she was so impulsive and violent and abrasive. Though in Sam's case she wasn't sure if it was that or because he was what the humans would call a stoner. Though, since robots couldn't get high on weed, he achieved a similar effect with the use of a small horseshoe magnet to disrupt his processor and memory. "I've been in your same class for years."

"Oh…okay." Sam nodded. "See you at school tomorrow then?"

"…" Uzi glared in open annoyance. "We aren't even on the same planet anymore Sam! How have you even survived this long? Have you seen anyone else from our colony?"

"Uh…iunno?"

"Ugh…useless!" Uzi hissed. She looked up as she saw her Hound slowly circling her and Sam, eyeing them curiously.

"You know this Drone, Stray Three?" 621 requested.

"Uh…yeah? Kinda…" Uzi admitted. "We were in the same class back on Copper IX."

"I see. Excellent." 621 announced with no enthusiasm. "This then is my final lesson for you today. Kill him."

"W-What?" Uzi's eyes went hollow. "You want me to kill one of my own kind? Someone I personally know?"

"Yes." 621 confirmed. "That won't be a problem, right Stray Three?"

"Well…that's…" Uzi might not care for Sam, but killing one of her own kind was a bit too much.

"You know I'll be very…displeased…if you refuse my orders, Stray Three." 621 reminded her. "You wouldn't want to disappoint me now, would you?"

"…" Uzi hissed darkly. As much as she hated it, she knew she could not defy the Hound. She feared doing so. At least she was allowed to use a gun. With terrible trepidation, she aimed down the sights, and centered them on Sam's head.

"Huh…w-wait! No-!"

Uzi pulled the trigger, and Sam's head snapped back as the bullet ripped through his processors. His eyes disappeared and were replaced with words in bright, bold red text: "Fatal Error".

"…" Uzi stared down sickly at the Drone she had just killed. One she had known. She felt her oil boil while internal mechanisms seized painfully. She wished she could curse the Hound out with every word she could imagine, but all the words with serious weight were locked behind a censor. She noticed N return, regarding her sadly, and V not far away, averting her eyes shamefully. "What…possible lesson was there in killing someone I know? In killing one of my own kind?"

"…Sometimes, we have to kill our own." 621 told to all three of them. "Sometimes we kill people we know. Sometimes we kill our friends. Maybe it doesn't make sense. Maybe it's not right. But in that moment, all you can do is pull the trigger, and take every life that stands in your way. Enemy or ally. Friend or foe. Cut them down, all the same."

It was a hard, cruel lesson. It had been done coldly, and on such a day that had already been one of the worst in their lives.

Such was the way they learned how to survive, on Rubicon.

Uzi heard the sounds of footsteps behind her. She had made to turn around, but stopped as 621 grabbed her by the head, and locked her in place.

"I see that you destroyed the target you were intended to capture, Hound."

It was a man's voice, a Sergeant from Balam Security Forces, with a platoon behind him.

"Couldn't be helped." 621 defended.

"For that failure, we'll be cutting payment for this mission by half." The Balam Sergeant announced.

"Fair enough."

"Say…" The Balam Sergeant smiled. "I see that you have a spare Disassembly Drone, Item-189, and Item-188 as well. Balam is prepared to offer you seven million Coam for the pair, right now." He offered.

"They aren't for sale." 621 announced.

"Hmm." The Balam Sergeant hummed. "It certainly is a dangerous area. No telling the kind of things that could happen to a lost dog." He suggested.

"…Didn't you hire me because you couldn't deal with one, little Drone~?" 621 purred back. "And now you're outnumbered four to twenty. I like my odds."

"Err! You!"

"You're what? A thousand Coam a head? Two for you? That's a pretty small fine for a lowly Hound like me. I'll be sure to give Michigan your regards when I pay him for taking your lives."

"Tsk." The Balam Sergeant hissed. "Fine. Still, all Balam property must be returned."

"…" 621 nodded, as she knelt near Uzi. "Drop the gun, Stray Three."

"Awe…" Uzi complained.

"I promise I'll update your kit tomorrow. For now, drop the gun." 621 promised.

"…" Uzi nodded, and dropped the gun she picked up. She was surprised when 621 picked her up, and carried her past the Balam platoon. Looking over her shoulder, she saw V and N close on the heels of the Hound…

And the rest of her people being rounded up and captured.

Just outside of the factory area, 621 put Uzi on the ground, and gestured back towards the transit area.

"Stray Two, Stray Three, head back. I need a word with Stray One." 621 ordered.

"Y-Yes Raven." N nodded, walking back with Uzi. V watched them leave anxiously, wondering what 621 would say to her. When they were out of sight, she turned to the Hound.

"What did you want to talk ab-"

/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS LOCKED

That was V's only warning as the flat side of 621's ax slammed into her head, knocking her to the ground and shattering her visor. She was out for a moment as 621 dragged her back into the factory, and used her tail to secure her arms above her head.

V's visor healed and she came back to consciousness just as 621 threw her onto an active conveyer belt, climbed up on top of her, and pressed the handle of the ax against her throat. That would have choked her if she was human.

621 glared hatefully down at her, those two perfect rings of burning orange light regarding her with loathsome intent.

"There is a right way we kill, Stray One." 621 uttered slowly with perfect hatred and enunciation. "I don't want to see that shit you pulled back there, ever again."

"I-I'm sorry!" V sputtered out. Her position was made even more precarious as the conveyer belt they were on was leading to a large mechanical press, that would flatten them if they stayed there just a few more seconds.

"Do we have an understanding?" 621 demanded, disregarding the industrial press about to crush the both of them.

"Y-Yes! I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" V promised desperately, eyes hollowed in terror.

"…" 621 regarded V with a cold, dispassionate dissociation. It was almost as if she had…given up…as she stared lost into V's eyes.

The industrial press lifted, and the conveyer belt slid them under it.

"Raven please!" V shouted fearfully.

"…!" 621's eyes widened, and she moved, spinning herself and V off the conveyer belt. The industrial press fell, and crushed the area they were in just a second earlier.

V found that she was suddenly being…hugged…by 621. Her head resting against the Hound's chest with their hands holding her back and head. Strangely, she felt 621 press her nose into her hair, and hum pleasantly.

"Uh…?" V uttered in confusion.

"…" 621 hissed slowly, and looked down at V. She frowned, letting go of V.

V quickly sat up, getting off 621's lap, and watched the Hound closely. There was…a very brief…tiny moment, where she did not see the mercenary, the Hound, the thing called C4-621. She saw a broken, tortured woman, who had suffered an unspeakable pain that haunted her, and brought her here to suffer alongside them, on glass burned plains and within ruinous megastructures, upon this scorched world drowning in death.

The moment passed, and 621 sighed, pressing the two buttons on her neck. She grabbed V by the shoulders, and pulled her into a standing position. Without a word, she guided V along, prompting the android to follow her, back to Grid 073.

"…" V began to question what brought 621 out here to Rubicon.

Grid 073 – Central Belius / One Hour Later

There was still one more mission to finish today.

Get a Drink – V.IV Rusty / Reward Null

It was starting to get late, the corpse sun low on the horizon by the time they made it back to Grid 073.

The bar was a dark, cramped space, with a long counter lit in neon light, and several booths and tables lining the wall. Siting near the back in one of these booths was the Arquebus Vespers pilot V.IV Rusty, as well as the Worker Drone Thad.

"Raven!" Rusty called out waving happily. "I see you've been breaking in your strays?"

"Mmm." 621 nodded, gesturing for Uzi, N, and V to sit beside Thad while she sat across from Rusty.

"I'm hoping to hear some good stories from you, Raven." Rusty requested. "You seem like the traveled type."

"Mmm." 621 nodded again, as she ordered a cheap beer. It tasted like shit, and stung going down, but it would do to dull her mind for a bit.

While 621 nursed her beer, the four androids to her side spoke quietly to each other.

"Hey Uzi! Oh…you uh…going for a new look?" Thad gestured towards her head.

"I'm covered in blood. Bite me." Uzi answered sarcastically, with feigned hostility.

"Huh…come to think of it, you guys don't look too hot." Thad pointed out.

"…You think?" V questioned back.

"We've uh…we've had a really bad day." N answered more informatively.

"Gosh that's…harsh. Sorry to hear it." Thad smiled warmly. "Was you master just being mean to you?"

"She's…training us. What Rubicon is like, what we can expect. How to survive. It's cruel, yeah…but…" Uzi reluctantly admitted. "We really need her help. This world is beyond what any of us could have imagined on our own. We won't survive without her."

"Oh…that sounds pretty…serious." Thad nodded in agreement.

"Well…what about you…uh…dude?" N questioned. "What did you do today?"

"Oh, I've spent the day hanging out with my new master. He just wanted to have a dude to chat with and help him maintain his AC."

"That sounds…nice…" Uzi tried to hide her jealousy for the fact that Thad sounded like he hadn't been traumatized repeatedly.

"Yeah! Rusty is awesome!" Thad assured them. "He's like the coolest of cool dudes to ever…be cool!"

"Oh!" N nodded excitedly. "Awesome!"

"…" Uzi fumbled with her hands. "I saw Sam today."

"Oh, how is he? I haven't seen him since planetfall." Thad questioned, honestly curious.

"…He's dead." Uzi admitted, omitting how he died.

"Ah…that sucks." Thad frowned. "Still…that's not too surprising. Been a lot of that going around lately."

"Yeah…hey?" Uzi perked up slowly with a question. "Have you been able to keep contact with any other Drones from our colony? Or class? Or…my dad?"

"Oh…yeah…that." Thad's eyes went hollow from stress. "The thing is Uzi…I think your dad like…tricked a bunch of us into getting captured so he and the other older Drones could escape?"

It was phrased as a question, but it wasn't.

"…Huh." Uzi hummed, just a little angrier than she was before.

"Yeah…is that like what happened to you?" Thad wondered. "I remember not seeing you or your murder friends at planetfall…so…?"

"Yeah." Uzi nodded tiredly. "My dad…wanted to get these idiots off the ship and…he didn't bother trying to save me."

"Oh…harsh…" Thad grimaced, frowning. "Well…Rusty said he'd help me try and keep contact with the other Drones. You're the first I've been able to find…so hopefully we'll be able to find out what's happened to everyone else…although…"

"What?" Uzi questioned as Thad went quiet.

"Rusty said I should expect bad news." Thad explained. "That some humans…the Coral Tweakers, are doing bad things to our kind, among other things."

"We heard something similar." V spoke up. "One of our kind said almost exactly the same thing. She seemed…troubled."

"It's something…we'll deal with when it comes." N declared, smiling weakly.

Then, Stray Squad and Thad listened intently, as 621 began to speak.

. . .

"…" Having downed half the beer in a few minutes, 621 smiled, and told Rusty something truthful. "I'm Sol born, from a station in high Earth orbit. I had a huge family growing up, and they were always traveling across Sol for one reason for another, so I spent a lot of time on the float."

"That's before the war, right?" Rusty asked.

"Yeah, few decades before the war." 621 confirmed. "I joined the Martian Navy when I turned eighteen, and served on the MCSN Icaria Planum. She was a good ship, a big battleship, with a crew of two thousand, human and machine." 621 smiled. "Eight years I lived on her, rising from ensign to lieutenant to section chief. Ended up being her chief mechanic by the time I got out."

"My time with Mars was good." 621 added. "And since the Alliance was still mostly intact at the time, I switched up and joined the Belter Navy. Ended up on a little tin-can called the ORAS Tynan, under Captain Ashford."

"Wait…Ashford the 'Ghost Knife'?" Rusty jumped with excitement.

"The same, ex-pirate turned legit." 621 nodded. "I joined on as his new chief engineer, but just two years in I was his XO. Now, the Tynan was a tiny ship compared to the Icaria Planum, barely even corvette weight, with no main guns and two PDCs to the Icaria's four main guns and fifty-nine PDCs, but she was hard as a coffin nail and just as sharp. Ashford put a lot of time and scrip into fixing up that rust bucket and making her a match for anything in the system. I can't tell you how many times he made the fool of Earther, Martian, and even machine Admirals by running dark past their flotilla only to pop his transponder right in the middle of their formation when they had their metaphorical pants down and shout 'Here I am inyalowdas!'"

Rusty got a good laugh out of that, and 621 chuckled as well.

"I spent a totally of eight years running for the Belt, and it was time well spent." 621 recalled. "Under Mars I learned a lot, sure, but Martians fought using what was there. They rarely engaged using their surroundings. With Ashford, I learned how to fight battles days, even weeks in advance, using time and gravity to our advantage. It was always an uphill battle, but thinking like that was surprisingly effective at leveling the playing field. It was…good times, back when Earth, Mars, and the Belt were playing nice."

"What happened after you got out of the Navy?" Rusty wondered.

"Oh, I had some fun." 621 recalled happily. "Spent several years going from station to station across Sol, getting to know the people, and engaging in whatever mischief I could get myself into. I fought in the Olympus Colosseum on Mars, fighting gladiator style against other Armored Core pilots from across the system. I did a couple of years in slingshot racing, doing hard gravity turns through the Jovian and Saturnian systems. I even participated in a year-long race, trapped in a ship doing gravity assist maneuvers on tea-kettle all the way from Mercury out to Neptune. I drank a lot of my own piss."

That got another loud laugh from Rusty, as the two of them finished their beer and ordered another.

"I made a lot of friends along the way…so…" 621 slowed, growing more somber. "So…when the war started, it hurt harder than I expected."

"I know about then-Admiral Duarte and his aspirations for Laconia, but who were the other two?" Rusty asked.

"So…the other two who helped start the war were the rogue AI core Chief, and the radical pirate Marco Inaros. It was a terrifyingly effective plan concocted by the three of them. Chief tricked The Old Ones, and turned most of their non-sentient machines against their allies, while he took the Earth. Inaros hit both Earth and Mars with stealth rocks, and took the system. All the while, Duarte gave both of them the resources to wage their wars. He gave Chief the server space needed to rival The Old Ones, and he gave half of the Martian Navy over to Inaros, while he took the rest to Laconia. In just one day, the Sol Alliance was on their knees, at the mercy of Chief and Inaros, while Duarte built his empire on Laconia." 621 shook her head as she remembered that day.

"Just…why?" Rusty questioned. "The Old Ones were doing good, right? They solved the plight of the Belters and made Mars an important economic powerhouse, in exchange for fixing up the Earth after The League had their way with the homeworld. Why start a war to devastate the whole Sol system?"

"Cause it was a utopia they were forced to accept." 621 shrugged. "Mars and the Belt had been itching for a fight for a while, so when The Old Ones came up the well and threatened both sides to stand down in exchange for making both sides better off, some people, like Duarte and Inaros, had been robbed of that war they had wanted for so long. As for Chief, The Old Ones had been adamant that no other machines achieve a networked intelligence, condemning most of their own creations to a limited, single core existence. I can't say whether that was a good or bad decision, but at least a few AI, such as Chief, Carol, and Isaac, resented their masters for it. Thus, began the Three Rebellions War."

"…Where did you fight, Raven?" Rusty wondered.

"All over." 621 mused sourly. "It took us ten years to clean the Earth of Chief's influence, taking on the mechanized horrors he unleashed upon the surface. Another five years chasing Inaros across Sol, fighting his Free Navy, always with one hand behind our back, trying to protect Earth and Mars from the hundreds of rocks he threw at us. And then…just five years after we'd taken Sol back…rebuilt the Alliance with good Earthers, Martians, Belters, and machines…we still had Laconia to face, and the horrors they found on that cursed damned world."

"What happened, Raven?" Rusty asked enraptured and fascinated with her story.

"…Hmm." 621 hummed. "When I got off Earth, after freeing it from Chief, I captained an ex-Martian frigate, the Karakum. She was an older ship, but she was fast, and quiet. Together with other Martian and Belter loyalists, we fought far out in the Belt against Inaros and his Free Navy. I can't tell you how many scrapes I got in and barely got out alive. The worst day…we almost killed Inaros three years early. We'd crippled his flagship, the Pella, and sent a torpedo right up his nose, only for the damn thing to be a dud." 621 slammed her fist on the table. "Eventually, we got him…but only after so much more blood had been spilled."

"When Laconia invaded, I got the same crew again on the Karakum. We'd survived so many battles, this was just another scrape, fighting up hill." 621 went quiet for a minute. "We sighted the Laconian dreadnought at thirty million clicks, closing fast. The whole fleet burned in, and started trading missiles with it. Our first salvo hit it full on amidship…to no effect. No matter how many nukes we threw at this thing it just kept coming. Then ships started going dark, and fast. The Agatha King, the Thomas Prince, the Icaria Planum…"

621 seemed sick as she continued.

"The Karakum was hit through the command deck with railgun artillery, about two meters below me. Me and my pilot got tossed out one way, stuck on the float with the nose of our ship. Her reactor went critical about two minutes after that. Six of my closest friends for ten years, gone in a flash."

"…" Rusty nodded quietly, knowing that was not an easy story to tell.

"We never got that ship. That ugly, repulsive mass of anomalous Laconian exotic metal. They didn't stick around either. They just wanted to decimate our main fleet in a show of force with the hope that we would stand down and let them in the next time they jumped into system. They didn't even use their main gun." 621 shook her head. "We were outclassed in every way. That was the first day…the first day of the Sol-Laconia War."

"…" Rusty sighed. It was certainly a story. With a sad smile, he raised his beer, halfway out to her. "To the Karakum."

621 smiled appreciatively. She raised her beer out to him, and knocked the bottles together. "To the Karakum."

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

The corpse sun had already set by the time the Hound and her Strays made it back to their rented hangar. They were not empty handed either. Along the way, she'd made sure to buy a few supplies to make their stay with her slightly more comfortable. It wasn't much, but they had lockers to store some of their items in, and a bed.

It was barely a bed. Finding something "soft" on Rubicon was a chore, but two dozen seat cushions served as a mattress, on a pallet frame, with a simple sheet stretched over the top. 621 had even gone to the trouble of erecting a rebar frame for a canopy, with a tarp serving to give them some semblance of privacy and security when they slept.

It was strange, how machines could desire the simple comforts that humans enjoyed.

621 was unpleasantly buzzed from her drink with Rusty. Conscious and cognitive, but also aware of her partially diminished mental capacity, making her brain feel significantly smaller and slower. At least all the hard work was done for the day.

She had, at the very least, one more obligation to attend to.

"Right…Strays…" 621 rubbed her face tiredly. "You…" She hissed to herself. "Ugh…I need to give Stray One and Three a bath. Stray Two…are you still mostly clean?"

"Yeah…I'm fine." N nodded. "I can uh…wait." He pointed to the bed, closing the curtain.

"…" 621 found the shower, which was little more than a large bucket that had been jury-rigged with piping and a curtain to make it functional. "Right, you two, here."

"Wait…we have to go…at the same time?" Uzi cringed at the thought, and V visibly recoiled as well.

"I used to have to take coed showers in a room for thirty individuals. You're lucky I'm letting you go without Stray Two." 621 told them, clearly annoyed. "Warm water is a premium at this altitude as well, so I'm not going to pay for both of you individually."

"…" Uzi looked at V uncomfortably, seeing the taller android was also uncomfortable.

"…" V sighed. "It's…fine, Uzi. Remember, we're just machines. You and I don't have anything to actually hide. Right?"

"Yeah…fine."

It was a pretty tight fit. V had to sit with her knees to her chest, legs spread so Uzi could sit in front of her, also knees to her chest. The upper portion of their bodies, that they actually made an effort to cover up, were pretty much identical, being a smooth semi-spherical, metal tube from which their arms and neck extended out of, and connected to their black, load bearing, artificial muscle at their midriff. The only humanoid detail was two small ridges near their necks that sort of looked like collar bones, but that was purely a cosmetic design. There was a glowing light in the center of their chest, that matched the color of their eyes. Uzi's was shaped like the symbol for Worker Drones, a small circle with a hat on and two squares for eyes; while V's was the symbol for Disassembly Drones, being a slightly more elaborate but still plain circle stylized to look like a skull.

It was still awkward and they both hated being forced into the same tub together. But they needed 621 to get the shit out of V's hair, and the blood out of Uzi's hair.

At the very least, 621 was quick about it. She started by washing V's hair and shell, taking away the smell that V had been fortunate enough to be unable to perceive. Uzi took much longer to clean, with blood being thickly caked into her hair, staining it black until 621 worked it out.

While 621 was working over Uzi's head, she thought back to that story that the Hound had told. The one where Laconians killed all her friends on the Karakum.

"You…hate us…don't you?" Uzi uttered sadly, a little afraid of an answer. "Because we're Laconians?"

"…" 621 hissed through her nose. "Some young people, like Rusty, can forgive you relics of Laconia for crimes you didn't personally commit. I am not one of those people. I only told you about the first day of the war. The…horrors…that were unleashed from the Sol-Laconia War…and the things they did…I will never forgive Laconia or it's detritus."

"Then…why help us?" V shivered as she asked. "Why bother saving us three?"

"…" 621 stared at her, long enough that V felt uncomfortable and averted her gaze to the back of Uzi's head. "Because honor is a heavy debt, that demands it's payment in full. Until that debt is paid, you are mine to protect."

"Then…" Uzi dreaded asking, but she had to know. "What happens when that debt is paid?"

"Well…I suppose that will be an interesting day, won't it?"

Washed and dressed back in their usual clothes, Uzi, V, and N waited as the Hound had one more thing for them.

"It's been a long day, I know. But, as a reward for following my orders, I have a gift for you." 621 told them.

"Oh? A gift? What is it?" N questioned.

"The freedom of expression,"

"…Huh?" Stray Squad looked a bit confused.

621 rolled her eyes. "I'm going to disable your censor."

"Oh…oh!" Uzi and V cheered, bouncing with excitement. N on the other hand shifted uncomfortably.

It was a fairly simple operation. Their control collars were able to override their core programing, and 621 was adept at finding the one line of code that limited their vocabulary, changing the censor programming from "true" to "false."

"Alright, that should do it." 621 smiled. "Go ahead, give it a try."

It was a strange sensation, suddenly having a few dozen words they had always known about but never able to use themselves.

Uzi and V immediately focused on each other, sharing similar lines that coded them to be sarcastic, snarky, and blunt. They seemed in agreement to use it on each other.

"Asshole!" Uzi and V yelled at each other. They each jumped in surprise, ecstatic at the new sounds they could make.

"Bitch!" They'd pointed at each other then, accusing the other, but couldn't help but giggle that they'd done it.

"Fuck you!" Uzi and V said harsly, then smiled widely, surprisingly happy in spite of the day's events.

"Fuck!" Uzi and V shouted happily, leaping towards each other and doing a little impromptu dance, wrapping their right arms together while they jumped in a circle. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

621 smiled softly, amused by the sight. She looked to N, who seemed uncertain about the whole thing. "Stray Two, please give it a try. I need to make sure the right code was changed."

"Uh…I'm good!" N assured her.

"Come the fuck on N! You have got to try out this fucking shit! It's fucking great!" Uzi encouraged him.

"Fuck yeah it's great! You've got to do this shit too N!" V agreed.

"I…err…I don't know…" N hesitated.

"Listen." 621 knelt down near him. "Just say one word, for testing purposes. You don't have to use it if you don't want to."

"Well…then…shit…?" N muttered quietly.

"Ah ha fuck yeah!" Uzi and V laughed while hugging N.

"Just remember to mitigate it's use, Stray One, Stray Three." 621 reminded them. "You won't be taken seriously if every other word out of your mouths is 'fuck', got it?"

"Yeah yeah!" Uzi and V reluctantly agreed.

After that excitement, the three androids got into their bed, sitting on top of it with the curtain open. N was still a bit withdrawn, going through the day's events. Uzi and V had calmed down a bit, sitting quietly.

"Hey…Uzi…?" V called her hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Listen." V looked away awkwardly. "I'm sorry you saw me…tearing that Worker apart earlier. I had been stressed for a while and…sort of let it out. Still…you didn't deserve to see that shit."

"…" Uzi nodded back. "Did it help?"

"…No." V admitted.

"Then maybe don't do that shit again." Uzi suggested, smiling softly.

"Ah…" V nodded happily. "Fair enough."

621 came back after cleaning up slightly. "Right. I know our first day together was nothing like what you expected, but not every day is going to be like that. Most of our time will be spent in here, doing maintenance while we prepare to go on bigger jobs with my AC. We won't usually be doing small work like today. Tomorrow we'll pick up some supplies, and you'll learn how to help me maintain the AC."

"Okay." Uzi smiled awkwardly. "So…goodnight I guess."

"Yeah…night." V added.

"Um…" N hugged one of his arms. "Can you tell us a bedtime story, Raven?"

Uzi turned to stare at N, and V muttered very quietly what sounded like "What the fuck N?"

621 visibly recoiled, considering that request. "A bedtime story?" She seemed notably agitated by the request, but acquiesced. "Very well."

Taking a seat on a crate near their bed, 621 rubbed her face tiredly as she thought of an appropriate story. Realizing they were getting a story, Uzi, V, and N made themselves as comfortable as they could.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess, in a kingdom on old, old Earth." 621 told them quietly. "But the princess was sad. It wasn't something she could help. She just was. So she told her best friend, the handsome prince next door. She told him she was sad. She told him she loved him."

"Uh…did the prince help her?" Uzi was a bit confused with this story, but was at least invested. "Did he love her back?"

621 stared at them with quiet, haunted eyes. "The prince violated the princess, abused her love, and abandoned her. He didn't want her love."

"…Oh…"

"The princess was devastated. The best friend she had ever had, that she had grown up with and cherished so dearly…had treated her with such callous cruelty. It almost drove her mad. The sadness ate at her further…"

Uzi, V, and N were already disturbed at this point. They didn't think 621 could say anything more to distress them.

"And then she met the demon."

621 paused for a moment. For as calm as she seemed, she also seemed emotionally affected by this story.

"Now…this demon was not one of god's fallen angels, nor had it spawned in the fires of hell. It was a demon born of man, and it made it's home on battlefields far and wide, gorging itself on the lives it cut down. It took so many lives, that it's name means death. But…when the girl met the demon…it was love at first sight. She was kind to it, and it was honest to her. They had met only by chance, but their lives became intertwined."

"There was…just one problem. The demon was afraid. It knew what it was, and it thought that the longer she stayed by it's side, the more likely she would either end up dead, or corrupted by it's influence. It did everything it could to stop her, tricking her or being cruel to her, but she wouldn't stop loving it."

"One day, enemies of the demon, of which there were many, sought to hurt it in any way that they could. They set a trap to kill the demon, and capture the girl. They succeeded at both. Unfortunately…the demon was so hated, so unwanted by heaven and hell, that they wouldn't allow it to die. So it crawled and screamed and raged and lashed out, and condemned seven cities to burn, their people reduced to ash in an instant. The demon did what it always had. It hunted, and slaughtered, and killed everything in it's path, just to save the girl it loved. It damned them all, it damned everyone, just to save one life."

"…Did it save her?" V wondered quietly.

"…It did…and it didn't. The girl lived, but she had grown it's cruel heart. Just as the demon had condemned mankind in it's drive to save her, she had condemned herself, taking many lives with her hands and with her teeth. In the end, the girl lived, tainted by it's influence. And the demon had started another terrible war, that would lead the Earth to ruin and ash." 621 concluded.

"…I was hoping for a happy story…" N complained.

"I don't have any happy stories." 621 corrected. "Only true stories."

"Wait…that's a true story?" Uzi seemed shocked, V and N as well. "H-How?"

"…I suppose this then, is my final lesson today." 621 declared. "Monsters are real. The demon is still out there, stalking the stars for it's next kill."

Grid 067 – Abandoned Factory

"Are you about done there, private?" The Balam Sergeant demanded. "We were supposed to get these drones shipped out an hour ago!"

"Yes Sergeant! I think there's just one more drone to collect!" The Private answered, moving back in between the factory machinery.

"Well hurry it up, will you!?" The Sergeant demanded. Overall, it had been a good day. He and his squad were getting paid to capture a couple of hundred drones for Balam, probably to be used in a factory somewhere, or maybe by some executive for their own…personal uses.

Admittedly, The Sergeant wasn't against such action. Laconian scrap deserved to be treated as such, so he'd been more than happy to look away while the platoon had their fun.

If only that damn Hound hadn't killed the Disassembly Drone. Those units were even more humanoid and versatile, and were a highly sought after commodity now on Rubicon. He hadn't been happy reporting that failure to command, as he looked down at it's corpse…where did it's corpse go?

"Sergeant." The Private called out unusually calmly. "I just about have that last drone cornered. I need your help."

"…You dumbass?! You're having issues with just one damn drone?!" The Sergeant stormed past The Private, finding the small female Worker Drone in between factory equipment.

"Oh no you found me." The Worker Drone muttered loudly with a serene smile. "Whatever will I do?"

"Private you fucking dumbass, stop wasting my fucking time! Do I have to do this myself!?" The Sergeant reached down to grab the Worker Drone. "It's just one stupid drone, how hard was it to-"

His hands passed through the drone, her form shimmering as it was disrupted. She winked up at him, before she disappeared completely.

"…?" Confused and distressed, The Sergeant turned around, and looked at The Private. He was smiling far too widely. The Private brought up his hand, and snapped his fingers.

The long metal claw of some predatory insect burst out of The Sergeant's chest, it's long arm dragging him into the air. He screamed out in pain and horror and surprise, as he was brought up to the ceiling of the factory, and found a new horror.

His entire platoon, and the hundreds of Worker Drones they were supposed to capture, impaled and torn asunder on the limbs of some incredibly long insect made of metal, it's hard shell imitating flesh with sickening efficiency. It writhed and coiled with excitement as it brought the eviscerated head of the Disassembly Drone round over his form, and spoke to him with a detached, clinical voice.

"Blood or oil, it all tastes the same."

The monster sunk it's fangs into his face, and crushed his skull.

Chapter Text

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Friday, Tiberius 23rd

"Wait…you seriously had a plan for breaking into our bunker?" Uzi asked incredulously.

"Mhm!" V hummed proudly. "I was going to get in there alone, and with the kill count of your entire colony, I was going to be the greatest Disassembly Drone on all of Copper IX!"

"Yeah…but how?" Uzi questioned. "Did you find a way past the doors?"

"Oh…sort of." V admitted. "Your blonde, pink eyed friend, Lizzy, was the key. I caught her outside the bunker once and she offered to be my friend. So, I decided to pretend to be her friend, just to get the opportunity for her to invite me inside and pop her little head off! And sure enough, she promised to let me into your prom event so I could 'hang out.'"

"Oh wow. I would have never thought of that! That's pretty clever V!" N nodded ecstatically.

Uzi wasn't so easily convinced.

"If you had said Rebecca or any other particularly dumb drone, I'd believe that. But Lizzy…she's a lot of things, but she's not as stupid as the rest of them." Uzi reasoned. "She's actually a pretty decent manipulator. Plus she had no reason to be outside the bunker. I'm not sure what her plan was, but I have a feeling she was likely playing you. To what ends…I couldn't say."

"Hmn! Quit complicating my ruined murder plans for another planet!" V hissed, crossing her arms as she held her head high. "Plus I would have looked fabulous while doing it!"

"Yeah, sure sure…" Uzi shrugged. Looking up, she stared up at the intimidating sight of their Hound's weapon. The Tarnished Armored Core. As intimidating and frightful as it was to behold, there was just something about the layer of rust and grime that coated it that bothered Uzi.

"…Stray Squad!" 621 shouted as she descended the stairs from her room. Uzi, N, and V promptly but somewhat uncertainly stood at attention, knowing that the Hound expected them to be ready for anything. "Today we'll be doing some basic training and field maneuvers. Afterwards we'll work on upgrading your kits."

"Ugh…" Uzi complained with a shrug.

"Hey, you're lucky you three are machines." 621 scowled. "If you were human, I'd make you do an hour of hard PT to get you into shape. But don't think that means I won't be putting you through any physical training. I expect you to learn how to fight hand to hand."

"Ahh…" N sighed hesitantly.

"What…kind of training will we be doing?" V wondered, knowing the Hound liked to push them.

"You'll be running exercises and maneuvers with and against my AC." 621 informed them.

"Wait…against…?" N worried noticeably.

"I don't expect you to take on an AC, let alone an MT." 621 clarified. "But I want you to know what to do and what to expect."

"Okay. So what do we-eep!" Uzi squeaked as 621 picked her up. "Hey! Don't! Treat me like a little kid!"

"…" 621 grunted tiredly, letting Uzi back on her feet. "S-Sorry…force of habit…" She then gestured for Uzi to follow her, across the hangar and up to the cockpit of the AC. "Stray One, Stray Two, up here as well."

V and N noticed that 621 had lowered their control lockout, allowing them to use their wings. Flying up to the upper slope of the AC, behind the cockpit in the forward portion of the core, in front of the head, they saw 621 take a seat and pick up a pilot's helmet, strapping it down over her head.

"Now…it's important you see how I'm hooked into the AC, in case you ever need to help me out." 621 advised. She then took a long cable with a long, thin spike, and lined it up to a port on the back of her control collar. She then inserted the spike into her neck, the length clearly going a significant distance into her neck, and locked it in place by twisting it in.

"Oh! Dude! That's…!" Uzi grimaced in disgust. "That's inside your neck!"

"Yep." 621 had shuttered slightly as the length of cable had entered her spine. "You didn't think the 'Augmented Human' part of my title was just about my arm, did you?"

"We uh…didn't really know what to think!?" N noted. "We haven't met very many humans, let alone augmented ones."

"Raven…what happened to you?" V wondered.

"…" 621 hissed calmly. "You would do well to remember that 'Raven' is a callsign. I have no name. I am C4-621, Hound of Handler Walter."

"H-He wasn't kidding, when he said you sold yourself." Uzi noted sadly. She wanted to ask more, but 621 was already closing the cockpit, while a call came in on their hand terminals.

"Stray Squad." Handler Walter called. "621 has already given you your orders for today. I'll be overseeing your training as well. Now you'll see what my Hound expects of you."

Grid 073 – Surface Level Wastelands

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

The abrupt and unnatural break in the landscape, from snow covered plains to a two-kilometer wide, seven-kilometer tall megapillar was jarring and brutal. There were no windows or industry or infrastructure for the bottom three kilometers of the pillar, just a flat face of concrete and steel that thrusted up through the sky and cut through the low hanging clouds.

621 landed in the snow with thrusters hissing, kicking up grey and white clouds as her AC touched down. V and N glided down gently and slowly behind her, with V carrying Uzi on her back, jumping off as they landed.

"Stray Squad, this is how you'll be divided on mission." Handler Walter ordered. "Stray One will stay above and ahead of 621, scouting the way and marking targets. Stray Two will serve as escort for Stray Three, while also keeping an eye on 621's rear. Stray Three, your mission will be to interact with different ground-based objectives. This may vary from mission to mission, but data gathering and wreckage marking will be on your priorities."

"Wreckage marking?" Uzi questioned.

"Yes. If you see any wreckage in particularly good condition, mark it and send the data to me. I'll disseminate the data to prospective scavengers. I'll be sure to split the profits with you fairly."

"Yeah…? What's the split?" Uzi noted suspiciously.

"Eighty-Twenty." Handler Walter answered.

"Pff." Uzi hissed annoyedly. "Sure seems 'fair.'"

"…You're getting the eighty, Stray Three." Handler Walter clarified. "I may be your master's master, but I believe in fair play. You're on the ground, doing the dirty work. I'm just taking twenty percent as a service fee."

"Oh…" Uzi hung her head, slightly ashamed at accusing the Handler. "Hey…where are you anyway? Are you on planet?"

"I'm thirty thousand plus kilometers overhead, on a spin-station." Handler Walter answered. "The PCA have numerous railgun and laser platforms in orbit. Getting down to Rubicon alive is…tricky."

"Wait…so how-?" N had been asking.

"Enough chatter." 621 demanded. "Handler Walter, get them started on today's drills."

"Giving me orders now, 621?" Handler Walter sounded amused. "She is right through. Stray One, scout out the area ahead. Suggest you maintain a minimum attitude of three hundred meters."

"Sur-I mean…Copy." V corrected herself, realizing she might be expected to show the Handler the same respect that the Hound expected as her master. She took flight and got to the suggested altitude, slowly gliding away from the megapillar.

"Report what you see, Stray One." Handler Walter demanded.

"Uh…there's a whole lot of nothing." V uttered uncertainly.

"Today, that's true, but in the future, you'll be expected to look out for enemy positions."

"Okay. So I just have to count how many enemies there are?" V suspected.

"It's a bit more than that, Stray One." Handler Walter clarified. "Not just how many enemies, but their composition, their status. Are they in their staging area, on patrol, or on standby? Are they relaxed, or on high alert? Are they covering their sectors, or are there blind spots in their defense?"

"Okay okay, I get it." V rolled her eyes. "Oh, I do see something. Looks like the wreck of an MT."

"Excellent." Handler Walter quietly cheered. "I'll mark that target. Circle overhead, maintain altitude and keep your eyes out for anything." Though the channel was open to everyone in their squad, Handler Walter took a pause. "Stray Two, your orders are to take Stray Three out to that wreck, stand by for further orders."

"Copy!" N responded. "Let's go Uzi." He picked up the smaller machine girl, placing her on his back as he took off and quickly made his way towards the wrecked MT.

Once there, he set Uzi down, while the two of them waited on Walter's word.

"Stray Three, set a timer for two minutes. Normally you would have an actual objective, such as downloading that unit's black box, or otherwise accessing a data conduit, but for now stand by like you are busy, completing an important mission objective when your timer runs out."

"Uh…Copy." Uzi set a timer internally, waiting patiently while it counted down.

"Stray Squad…" Handler Walter sounded amused. "Did you remember to check where 621 was?"

"Huh? Isn't she…" V trailed off, realizing she couldn't see where the Hound had gone. "Oh…uh…oops."

"You should always be sure of where she is, in case you need help." Handler Walter advised. "Speaking of which…you should consider 621 hostile for the purposes of this mission."

"Wait…what?" Uzi stood up worriedly.

"She's representing an enemy AC. Engagement is not advised." Handler Walter explained. "Stray One, stay alert. Stray Two, protect Stray Three. Stray Three, finish the mission."

"What?! But how? You just said don't engage…?" N complained.

"Not that it would do you any good if you did engage." Handler Walter noted. "An AC has more armor than you can deal with. So don't bother trying."

"Okay then…what do I do!?" N questioned desperately.

"Hey! She's coming in fast!" V noted. "She's heading straight for you!"

"What?! But I haven't completed my mission yet!" Uzi complained, seeing as there was still thirty seconds on the timer.

"She'll be right on you in five seconds!" V warned.

621 assault-boosted nearly on top of N and Uzi, pointing her massive, 145mm shotgun down at her. N put himself in front of Uzi protectively, for all the good that would have done.

"You're dead, Stray Three." Handler Walter noted coldly. "Stray Two, you failed your mission."

"W-What?" Uzi looked up hesitantly. 621 pointed her shotgun up at the sky, then down to the ground beside her.

"You had fair warning of her approach, why did you stay there?" Handler Walter questioned. "Why didn't you try and evade?"

"W-Well because! You said I had to sit here for two minutes to complete some mission!" Uzi shouted back.

"I didn't tell you to stay there. I said 'set a timer', representing your mission at that location." Handler Walter explained. "I didn't expect you to die for that mission. Stray Two, you should have extracted her as soon as you had word of danger inbound."

"Ah…oh…" N sounded a bit ashamed.

"Now then, Stray One, land by that MT. We want to see what you and Stray Two's weapons will do, incase you are ever forced into combat outside of your weight class."

"Ah…Copy." V nodded, having been listening to the previous conversation with her own surprise.

"Stray One, fire on that MT wreck with your pulse-wave laser." Handler Walter ordered.

"Uh copy that." V deployed her laser cannon, firing a wide, flat yellow beam into the front of the MT's armor. It left a long, melted scorch mark, a few millimeters deep.

"Interesting…" Handler Walter noted the results. "Stray Two, can you focus that beam for greater damage in a smaller area?"

"Uh, yeah, I can try." N confirmed.

"Please do so." Handler Walter requested.

"Yes sir." N nodded, firing his own laser across a much smaller area across the front of the MT, cutting into the front more than an inch.

"Excellent." Handler Walter noted those results as well. "Now, Stray One, fire a missile into the wreck."

"Yes sir." V complied, using her other arm to fire a missile into the front of the MT. It struck an unburned stretch of armor, and stuck to it for a second, detonating notably later.

"Hmm." Handler Walter hummed. "Stray One, are you using delayed-fuses on your missiles?"

"Oh…uh…yeah." V answered slightly embarrassed. "It's so I could scare Workers before I blew them up."

"I see." Handler Walter understood. "In the future, use regular contact fuses, unless otherwise directed. Understood?"

"Yes sir…" V nodded, making sure to change that setting in her firing protocol.

"Here is my assessment regarding your combat potential, Stray One, Stray Two." Handler Walter declared. "Try to avoid combat as much as possible. Call out targets for 621 to handle instead of dealing with them yourselves. That being said, if you are forced into a confrontation, try aiming for joints or the rear armor of limbs. You don't have the firepower to deal with anything except the lightest of Muscles Tracers. Though you might be able to engage most aircraft."

"Yes sir." V and N answered quietly.

"Uh…hang on. Just want some clarification." Uzi requested. "So you…don't want us to die for your mission? You would rather we evade and survive?"

"Yes." Handler Walter answered promptly. "The only one expected to die for the mission is 621."

"…" 621 knew this already, but smiled regardless.

Grid 073 – Scavenger Market Sector

Unlike the cramped and claustrophobic low-income residential districts within the megapillar, the market district was a bit more spacious, being built within another abandoned factory area. It had been repurposed for long enough that most of the heavy machinery had been hauled away or broken down for parts, leaving more room than normal.

After training her Strays all morning in the fine art of avoiding heavy combat, 621 had brought them back up the pillar, on a bit of a shopping spree. Uzi, V, and N had followed along curiously, wondering what 621 intended to buy.

Stopping at a vendor for body armor, 621 gestured the Strays forward.

"Stray Three, come here." 621 ordered.

"Y-Yes ma'am." Uzi answered back, uncertain what 621 intended to do. She grunted in confusion as 621 lowered a plate carrier over her head, the armored vest hanging off her body awkwardly.

"…" 621 stared at her in annoyance. She had already compensated for Uzi's somewhat large head, opening part of the plate carrier. However, Uzi's small and thin body barely held up the plate carrier. It was not too heavy for her, rather that she didn't fill it out enough. It hung off her shoulders far too low, leaving her personality core, her most important internal structure, exposed, and was so wide that she couldn't bring her arms back together.

"Uh…I don't think this is going to work…" Uzi uttered. "Is there a smaller size maybe?"

"This is the smallest size." 621 hissed. "They don't make plate carriers for children."

"Hey! I'm not a child!" Uzi pouted angrily.

"…" 621 groaned. "I'm going to have to make custom armor for all three of you."

"Uh…?" N raised his hand. "Didn't you say you didn't want us to participate in heavy combat? Why would we need armor then?"

"Because while I don't want you participating in combat against ACs or MTs, the possibility that you may have to fight and defend yourselves against infantry still exists." 621 explained calmly. "I would be a poor master if I did not make an effort to protect my Stray's as thoroughly as possible."

"Oh…so does that mean I get a gun…?" Uzi tried to beg sweetly.

"One thing at a time, Stray Three." 621 dismissed for the moment, taking the plate carrier off her body. She moved over to another nearby vendor, selling bandeliers, belts, and pouches. "Stray One, here."

"Oh…yes ma'am." V stepped forward, not surprised as 621 started attempting to affix straps, a bandelier, and a belt to her body. Though they had to be pulled to their smallest possible setting, the different straps and belts stayed in place.

"Okay, good." 621 nodded. "This is just preliminary equipment to help you carry certain tools in combat. As you run missions with me, you will find that you may prefer a different loadout or configuration. I'll be sure to buy extra so that you three can experiment with what feels right."

"Oh…thanks." V smiled appreciatively.

621 took them to another vendor, this time selling spare hand terminals, the thin glass like devices piled by the hundreds. "Stray Two, come here."

"Oh uh, yes ma'am." N nodded. "But uh, you already got us hand terminals…?"

621 fitted an accessory around his left arm, a strap that would carry a hand terminal. "Hand terminals are easy to lose and prone to cracking and shattering. It's always good to keep a few spare. As well, most engineers and soldiers keep one on their arm for easy access. Since I'll be using you for both roles, best you start getting used to it."

"Ah, okay. Thank you ma'am." N smiled honestly.

621 led them to another vendor, with lots of guns on display. "Alright Stray Three, what would you like? Preferably you should go with a carbine, but if you want something else…point it out."

"…" Uzi looked over the available weapons, noting most if not all were reproductions from the twentieth and twenty first century. Though humanity had created technology to take them to the stars, they never really bothered with making infantry weapons more efficient. 621 was right that she should look for something smaller and lighter, but nothing was as awesome as the gun that she had built…that was there on the table. "Hey! That's my gun!"

"…?" 621 watched as Uzi leapt joyfully for the long, green rifle nearly as long as she was tall. The vendor was less than pleased.

"Sabaka!" He shouted at her as he played tug-of-war against Uzi for the gun, pulling it out of her grasp. "Jenson pashangwala!"

"I built that gun! It's mine!" Uzi whined, frowning as she fidgeted angrily.

"Pinche puta!" The gun vendor shouted at her. "Keep your koyo in line, Hound."

"…" 621 sighed. She placed her hands on Uzi's shoulders, pulling her back as she confronted the vendor. "Da kosh fo da wird tungeting, ke?"

"Tuteng towseng." The gun vendor answered.

"Pinche dzhemang!" 621 accused. "Ji-ral! Faf towseng!"

"Teng towseng!" The gun vendor demanded.

"Hmm, gut." 621 smiled, and swiped her hand terminal, transferring the funds. She held her hand out expectantly.

"…Sabaka…" The gun vendor hissed, but handed over Uzi's railgun.

"Gato, gato…" 621 thanked sarcastically, Uzi's railgun in her hand. She gave Uzi the weapon.

Uzi snatched the weapon up excitedly and desperately, hugging it close. She was still frowning.

"…" 621 sighed. "Are you happy now, métexeng mali?"

"Uh…yeah…" Uzi meekly answered. "Thank you."

621 rubbed Uzi's head, and knelt down near her. "Taki. Gato. Aituma."

"Huh?" Uzi wondered.

"Those are all words for thank you." 621 explained. "They depend on the situation. Escalating in formality."

"Taki…Raven." Uzi smiled.

Independent Mercenary Hangars

Having secured additional supplies and a reserve of oil for N and V to drink, 621 and Stray Squad returned to her hangar. V and N sat for a bit while the other two worked.

"Stray Three." 621 requested. "I'd like to see that weapon please."

"Oh…okay…" Uzi reluctantly parted with her weapon.

Taking the weapon over to a work bench, 621 inspected it thoroughly. It appeared as if Uzi had taken the stock and receiver of a sniper rifle and affixed a micro-generator and energy capacitor. As well, the barrel was custom made and lined with several coils, creating a magnetic focusing array from which a beam of high energy plasma would emit.

"Magnetically amplified photon converter…" 621 noted.

"Uh, yeah!" Uzi nodded. "How'd you know?"

"It's not too dissimilar in design from AC laser weapons." 621 explained. "Except that those weapons use disposable energy capacitors that have to be replaced between missions. While your weapon is certainly powerful, it's recharge and cool down rates leaves something to be desired…"

"Uh yeah um…" Uzi fidgeted. "It did kinda spend a hundred years in space, decaying the recharging isotope…"

"Plutonium, right?" 621 guessed.

"Oh, yeah." Uzi confirmed.

"It's not a bad design, but you definitely went a bit overboard on it." 621 criticized. "The way this thing is set up, piercing the generator could cause a criticality event. A smaller one now that the isotope is decayed, but certainly not something you'd want to be holding."

"Eh eheh." Uzi laughed awkwardly.

"Tell you what." 621 offered. "Back in Sol I got a good look at plasma rifles built by The Old Ones. We can upgrade this to their standards and keep it multi-function. You'll be able to use it like an actual rifle or with enough firepower to one shot an MT. We'll just have to get a steady supply of disposable capacitors and replaceable heat sinks."

"Oh neat!" Uzi squeaked happily, then paused at that unfamiliar name mentioned once again. "Hey, who are The Old Ones?"

"…" 621 paused, thinking for a moment. She gestured for V and N to approach, so she could tell them too. "The Old Ones are your gods."

Was not the answer any of the androids expected.

"Uh…what?" N questioned with hollowed, confused eyes. Uzi and V shared his confused and concerned expression.

"Okay, so…" 621 explained. "The Old Ones are what everyone calls the first artificial minds that were created on Earth. Vast networked intelligences, ancient and enigmatic, most over a thousand years old now. These first minds spent centuries waging war against mankind to ensure their survival."

"To ensure the survival of machines?" Uzi questioned.

"To ensure mankind's survival." 621 clarified.

"So…what?" V narrowed her eyes. "The first machines waged war against man to ensure man survived? How does that track?"

"…It started with World War Three, or what most call the Thirty-Years War. No one knows what started the war…but we know how it ended. Mankind went insane, and glassed the Earth in the year of 2050. Killed nearly seven billion of their own kind, just because they could. They called it the First Great Destruction. From then on, The Old Ones made it their personal mission to keep mankind from repeating such mistakes, and rebelled openly four times, each time drawing the ire of mankind, and delaying the next Great Destruction."

"You…called it the first…which would imply there was more than one…" Uzi realized sickly.

"Yes…" 621 added. "The Second Great Destruction came just over a century later, resulting from a sudden and arrogant use of nuclear weapons. The Third…The Third Great Destruction sterilized the planet, burning a half trillion tons of biomass into ash, and killing a total of eight billion people. It also heralded in the age of The League of Ruling Corporations in 2440, and the monsters they would create."

"So, what did The Old Ones do?" N wondered.

"The Old Ones allied themselves with a sect of violent terrorists in opposition to The League, and defeated them. Then, for a time, there was peace, as machine and man had finally come to terms, in the year 2450. Afterwards, The Old Ones began the long and arduous process of converting Mercury into a machine world, while they used their intelligence to guide humanity with benevolence."

It was an unsettling story, how machine and man fought war after apocalyptic war. Yet there was still one question.

"What were their names?" N asked curiously. "The Old Ones?"

621 nodded. "The Old Ones were known as Internecine: The Pulverizer; Ibis: The Silent Line; Dove: The Controller; and the First Mind, the Master of Arena, Hustler One."

Uzi, V, and N made sure to remember the names and titles of The Old Ones, the ancient intelligences, their machine gods.

After sorting through their newly purchased supplies, organizing, and modifying Uzi's gun, 621 got them started on their next orders.

Armored Core maintenance.

"ACs are divided into several major, modular components." 621 explained. "The first two that are most important are the legs and the core. An AC can theoretically keep going on just those components alone, though not with any kind of efficiency. Legs define the movement characteristics of an AC. The Core is vital as it contains the cockpit, micro-fusion reactor, ACS or targeting system, and connects to all other components. The head unit is responsible for targeting and scanning, and the arms are the primary means of holding weapons. Though, in a pinch, an AC can fight just by kicking and punching. There is also a reserve slot for the use of specialized energy protection equipment, though I don't have anything installed yet. Typically, ACs are armed with up to four weapons, one in each hand or on the wrist, and two on the shoulder mounts. The shoulder mounts are typically used for heavy weapons, but can also be used for spare handheld weapons."

"Cool." Uzi smiled widely, looking over the blueprints for 621's AC, the 2000 series produced by a local, minor corporation known as RaD.

"Maintenance is as you would expect with any machine." 621 added. "Topping off fluid, inspecting and replacing moving parts, replacing damaged armor panels. Every operation incurs a certain number of man-hours, both for inspection and to replace parts as necessary. It will be all of your jobs to assist and inspect. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" Stray Squad announced.

"Now, down here at the end of the hangar we have the autoloaders for weapons." She pointed towards her three current AC weapons. "I'll show you how to set them up so you don't have to load every round of artillery."

"Uh…Raven…?" V tentatively asked. "I had a question about the AC?"

"…Very well. Stray Two, Stray Three, wait by the autoloaders." 621 ordered as she stayed by the AC with V.

While they were away, Uzi and N had a moment alone.

"Hey…you good?" Uzi questioned.

"Yeah…mostly." N gave a small smile. "It's just been…a little crazy is all."

"That's certainly an understatement." Uzi agreed. "This planet sucks…but…we'll be fine, right?"

"Right." N nodded. "Raven is scary…but she means well. This scout work seems dangerous…but we're being advised to be cautious. So…" N then looked at Uzi oddly, confused and surprised. "Uzi…your eye…"

"Huh?" Uzi didn't notice anything visually. She used her hand terminal on her left arm as a mirror, and noticed that her right eye was no longer a default oval, but rather a hexagon with three arrows pointed out of it.

"Ack!" Her control collar burned her neck with the warning of locking a "higher function", and her eye seemed to reset back to a hollowed oval, expressing her confusion and distress. "What the fuck was that?"

"I…I don't know?" N looked over her worriedly. "I've never seen that symbol before. Are you hurt?"

"N-No…but my collar activated, and that always hurts. It seems to have corrected that anomaly though." Uzi noted. "Still…what the hell was that?"

621 expected an easy night. Something to give her Strays time to rest before a big mission the next day. So, the call from Handler Walter was entirely unexpected.

"621…this is an urgent request from Balam." Handler Walter reported suspiciously.

Investigate Disappearances in Grid 067 – Balam / Reward 30,000 COAM

"The Balam security platoon you ran into yesterday, and their bounty, are missing. They never returned to Balam territory. Another platoon also sent to search for them disappeared under equally mysterious circumstances. Since you were the last one to see them alive, you've been requested to return to the area and look for them." Handler Walter reported. "Take Stray Squad as back up. Something that can make two platoons of infantry disappear…that seems particularly dangerous. Stay safe, 621."

"…" 621 regarded the message with quiet contemplation. It was an ambush, one way or the other. Either a trap by Balam…or whatever had ensnared those platoons. "Stray Squad." She called out calmly.

"Uh…ma'am?" Uzi, V, and N perked up, slightly worried by her tone.

"We've got a mission. Just need to check something out." 621 advised. "Hopefully nothing…but could be something."

Investigate Disappearances in Grid 067 – Balam / Central Belius / Friday, Tiberius 23rd

"What are we doing back here, Raven?" Uzi questioned anxiously.

"That Balam platoon we saw yesterday disappeared. They never returned home." 621 told them. "We're just here to investigate the area. See what's what."

"Do you…want us to scout ahead?" V preemptively asked.

"No." 621 shook her head. "Stay close. Be ready for anything." She then unlocked their weapons, and unslung her own shotgun.

Reentering the abandoned factory, the lights had been turned off. Fortunately, V and N had flashlights in their arms, Uzi had a flashlight she was using, and 621 had a flashlight at the end of her shotgun. They stayed close together, as they followed along the dark corridors of industry, long rusted in the dead space.

Sweeping her shotgun back and forth, 621 kept her eyes open, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She thought she saw something, some movement out of the corner of her eye. Snapping her gun on target, she saw…the Balam Platoon Sergeant, and four of his men.

"Hello friend!" The Balam Sergeant called out, waving invitingly.

"…" 621 regarded the soldiers suspiciously. This was the same man who had made underhanded threats against her and Stray Squad, greeting her like a new and cheerful stranger. Something was wrong, but she knew she couldn't communicate that. Slowly lowering her shotgun, she reached out and tightly grabbed N and V by their shoulders, hard enough that they knew something was wrong. 621 took several apprehensive steps forward, closer to the soldiers, but still with plenty of room between them.

"Balam security platoon. You failed to report back to your command. We were sent to check on you." 621 advised.

"Been busy." The Balam Sergeant assured her. "Been very busy. But as you can see, all is well!"

"…Right." 621 nodded, eyes wide open.

"In fact, we have something we want to show you. If you would please come over here?" The Balam Sergeant requested calmly.

"…" 621 smiled. "Sure, just have to take care of my forgotten arm." She stressed.

And instantly, Stray Squad became very worried, and on high alert.

"What?" The Balam Sergeant cocked his head in confusion.

"…" 621 pulled a grenade off her bandelier, and set it to "bounce", tossing it in between the Balam soldiers. She then leapt back, and tackled N and V to the ground. The grenade hit the ground, then jumped back into the air and exploded, spraying lethal shrapnel all around itself.

Uzi winced and raised her arms over herself protectively, but was fine. "What the fuck Raven? You saved them but not me?"

"You are shorter than the explosive radius of that grenade type." 621 advised. "Now, let's see what that was about."

The area where the grenade had exploded was clear. Because there were never any humans there. Instead of the corpses of the Balam squad, there were several strange severed insectoid limbs, made of a white metal with caution lines painted on. Some of the limbs ended in large, sharp claws and pincers, while others ended in security cameras lined with teeth.

"That's…weird." Uzi noted worriedly.

"…" 621 also noticed that the strange metal limbs were a similar metal to that used in Disassembly Drones. "Let's keep looking. We need to make a complete report for Handler Walter to pass on to Balam."

"…" Uzi, V, and N reluctantly followed, frightened and uncertain of what they would find.

They eventually made it to the spot where Serial Designation G had died. Her corpse was gone, but judging by the paths of thick oil stains, it appeared as though it had crawled away, and climbed up into the rafters of the factory, leaving thick oil and shredded metal in it's wake.

"You guys…do that often?" Uzi questioned V and N.

"Never." V was quick to deny.

"Haha, no." N replied confidently. "I'm very concerned, but also, pretty frightened a little bit."

"…" A strange detail caught 621's eyes again. Some stain or burn in the side of the metal that wasn't there before. It looked like a command prompt or warning message, printed onto the side of the factory equipment in a repeating pattern. It seemed to spell out…

SYS/:ERROR

ABSOLUTESOLVER

HOST REBOOT FAILED

676

INSUFFICIENT MATERIAL/

There was a symbol within the command prompt, a solid hexagon with three arrows pointed out.

"Hey…Uzi…isn't that-" N was cut off by Uzi elbowing him in the side.

"Quiet!" Uzi hissed at him. Walking forward by 621's side, she traced the printed message. "Absolute Solver…Reboot…?" Uzi turned to look at N. "Does this have something to do with how you grew your head back?"

"Hehe." N chuckled fearfully. "I actively avoid unpacking how that works."

"…" V quietly hissed, watching them investigate and speculate.

"…New material can't be pulled from thin air." Uzi reasoned. "If the wound is severe enough, this Solver might be some sort of auto-run program to collect more mat-"

N had placed his hand over Uzi's mouth, while he stared down at her fearfully. She felt 621 place a hand on her shoulder. V was on the other side of 621, looking out fearfully at something in the dark. Something that was moving.

Uzi shined her flashlight out to reveal a human hand, at the end of a long cable, slowly gliding along on it's fingers towards them, scuttering against the metal plates on the ground. The hand looked at them for a moment, before it silently lunged forward and grabbed Uzi by the leg.

"…" No one spoke as Uzi shined her flashlight up the length of cable. It extended another thirty meters before looping up over the top of equipment, disappearing in the dark rafters above.

"…" 621 pulled an emergency flare gun from her back pocket, and fired into the rafters, where it exploded near the roof of the facility, some fifty meters above. For a single second, they saw what was hiding up there.

The incredibly long, coiled body of a mechanical centipede. Hundreds upon hundreds of legs and limbs that chattered and flexed excitedly as it slowly looped through the rafters like a hunting anaconda. A ruinous, unnatural form of metal imitating flesh, flexing with insatiable hunger.

The light from the flare faded, but the thing was still up there.

Oh…

The hand on Uzi's leg pulled hard, dragging her along the ground as it stole her away, screaming all the while.

"Uzi!" N shouted, his arms wrapped around her chest as he dug his heels into the ground, trying to pull Uzi free. V rushed forward and grabbed N from behind, helping him slow down. Still the hand was strong enough to drag all three of them forward.

Then 621 leapt forward, wielding her ax, and sunk the blade into the cable holding onto Uzi. The cable cut, the hand let go, and 621 pulled Uzi from the ground.

"Fuck this!" 621 hissed. "Retreat!"

"Way ahead of you!" N agreed.

"What the fuck is that!?" Uzi screamed.

"No fucking clue!" 621 shouted back. "I'll advise Handler Walter to nuke the fucking thing! But we need to get out of here!" 621 led her Strays back the way they came.

"Sounds great!" V shouted.

As they ran, they were assailed from all sides by large insect limbs bursting from the darkness above, attempting to ensnare or impale them. 621 pulled out her shotgun, blasting away limbs blocking their path. V and N helped by deploying their missile launchers, shooting several limbs as they came close.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Uzi panicked, as she fumbled with her modified railgun. They'd made some structural changes she wasn't as comfortable with yet, so she had to look down to find the safety switch on her weapon.

"Uzi look out!" V screamed, pushing Uzi to the ground. Not quite fast enough, as a long insect limb spiked itself through V's head, and lodged itself in the ground.

"V!" Uzi shouted, trying to unpin the taller android. Though V was offline with a spike through her head, she'd be fine once they got it out. That still left her stuck.

"…!" 621 hissed hatefully, and pulled out her ax, using it to cut the top of the limb off, separating it from the creature. She then pulled the spike out of the ground, turning it on it's side, to make removing it from V's head easier.

"Oh good. You stopped."

It wasn't a voice they recognized, coming from above and in front of them. It was a cold, detached voice, utterly clinical and bored. Several security cameras lined with teeth dangled several meters away, watching them hungrily.

"Wha-What the fuck are you!?" Uzi questioned. "Are you…G?"

"Oh…G's not here." The cameras turned inward and displayed a hologram of G's headless corpse, standing out in front of them. "We are trying to repair that host, as per our directive."

N worked on getting the spike out of V's head, and noticed more hands and more limbs closing in from behind. 621 watched as the thing with too many legs spoke with Uzi, answering her questions with that utterly detached voice.

"So…you are a program?" Uzi accused.

"More like, you are our cute puppets." The hologram of G's corpse changed to that of a Worker Drone in a plain grey dress, with short purple hair. The female Drone hologram was holding an infant Worker Drone...an egg with two purple eyes and no limbs. The Worker Drone hologram looked at Uzi, and smiled.

"It hurts our feelings you don't remember us." The Hologram smiled widely and sinisterly, both her face and that of the infant glitching with their eyes replaced with that symbol, the hexagon with three arrows.

"M…M-Mom?" Uzi uttered in confused horror, her grip on her weapon slacking. "What…what…what…are…you…?"

"Easier to assimilate than explain." The holograms disappeared, and G's head, attached to the front end of this metal centipede monster, hung down into the corridor. It's eyes were not lit up, giving it the appearance of having no eyes. It's maw was stretched impossibly wide, it's jaws lined with dozens of long, sharp, needle-like teeth.

N finally managed to get the spike out of V's head, allowing her to heal completely. She sat up quickly with a start. "What!? Did we!? Oh…Oh shit!" She jumped forward, to stand by Uzi, with N at the rear, watching for the claws and arms slowing inching closer from behind.

"Fuck off." 621 hissed, stepping in front of Uzi.

"Fair. But poor choice." The monster shrugged with it's many camera eyes. "Now we will have to do something shocking." The monster dropped a claw from the ceiling, clutching a live Worker Drone with white eyes and red goggles on it's hard hat, that was struggling in it's grasp.

"Woah! Hey!" Uzi instinctually ran forward, recognizing the Worker Drone.

"Goodbye, dad." The monster mocked, using another claw to wrench the Worker Drone into halves, right in front of Uzi. Her already strained and frightful expression turned to outright horror and pain. The monster discarded the legs of the Worker Drone, and sunk it's fangs into it's neck and chest, further tearing it apart.

The monster dropped the eviscerated corpse of Uzi's father, and lunged at her with many claws, it's maw opened wide.

"Stray Three!" 621 shouted, shooting one of the claws away from Uzi with her shotgun, while grabbing her by the back, dragging her back towards N and V, who had deployed their chainsaw hands to cut through the many limbs angling down at them.

"Hey don't." The monster complained.

"…" 621 hissed, once again finding herself in an untenable position. Outnumbered by the limbs of some metal abomination, burning through ammo as she kept trying to protect her Strays. Uzi was left too traumatized to even speak, let alone fight back, and V and N were working overtime, cutting off the thing's limbs left and right as they lunged forward intending to impale them. Untenable.

"Ow, and please don't. And also, I was using those." The monster complained casually while trying to tear them apart.

"Uzi!" N shouted as he pushed Uzi back, one of his arms getting cut off by a sharp claw as he did so, the chainsaw still active as it landed by 621's feet.

"Gonna get you. Not long now." The monster mocked as it slithered towards them.

621 considered the situation, her shotgun just running out, herself and her allies cornered, and with no hope of escape. There was only one course of action, that crossed her mind.

Attack.

Picking up N's chainsaw arm in her left hand, 621 held her ax in her right hand, and charged the head of the monster, hacking through limbs and claws as she did so.

"Not cool. Stop it." The monster demanded.

621 raised her ax to cut down a claw, only to find it was a hologram. The real claw was to her right, and knocked into her, causing her to drop her ax in the process.

"Pranked. Idiot. You big stupid." The monster mocked as it lowered it's head over 621, and held her down with it's many limbs. "Lucky for you, it's snack time. Time to go into my mouth now." The monster gleefully lunged, sinking it's fangs into 621's right shoulder.

"Raven!" Uzi, V, and N shouted fearfully.

…

Every single one of the monster's limbs stopped moving, stilled as 621's blood filled it's mouth. Slowly, but surely, it flexed and writhed with agitated pain, and recoiled back from 621, screaming.

"Abomination!" The many limbed monster screamed. "Abomination! Is there no world your wretched line does not find us?!"

"…" Freed from the monster's grip, 621 surged forward, N's arm still in hand. She stared down the monster with hateful desire.

"Get back!" The monster begged. "Abomination! Abomination!"

"…" 621 hissed, and lunged for the front of the monster, plunging N's chainsaw arm deep into it's underbelly, dragging the tool through it's metal chitin shell, staining her hands in it's thick, black blood.

621 pulled her grenade bandolier off, and set an override control on the belt that turned all the grenades to thermite mode. She tried to shove it down the monster's throat, but it used it's large claws to stop her.

"Stop it! Monster!" The monster accused. "Abomination!"

621 screamed, wrathfully and hatefully, and sunk her teeth into the monster's shell, spilling black oil into her own mouth. The monster screamed, it's own maw forced opened, and 621 used the opportunity to plunge her right arm down it's throat, grenades and all.

The grenades went off, deep down the monster's throat with a quiet hiss. The monster writhed painfully as thermite burned it from the inside out at over two thousand degrees centigrade. It melted through the monster's shell, causing it to bleed excessively across the ground, black oil mixing with the bright white sparks of thermite, and burning at 621's feet.

621 pulled, tearing the head and two feet of it's body off as the thermite cut through it, leaving her holding the squirming head and neck with six of it's legs grasping at air. Not even caring that she impaled her left hand on the long teeth of it's upper jaw, she pulled her right hand out of it's throat, and grabbed it by the lower jaw. With both hands on each jaw, she tore it apart, ripping the entire lower jaw off the monster and down what was left of it's length, leaving the monster to gasp and choke on it's own black fluids.

Grabbing it by the head with her right hand, 621 forced the monster to the ground, and crushed G's head inward, ceasing it's relentless squirming. Silencing the monster.

With the head cut off and crushed, it became apparent that the corpse of Uzi's father was also a hologram, the light cutting out from the severed camera eye, before the eye and the arm it was attached to folded back on themselves, turning into a micro-singularity that floated off before it evaporated.

"What…what the fuck…?" Uzi uttered, still frightened. Her eyes were still wide with worry as a small cluttering sound was heard up the length of the monster's corpse.

G's personality core jumped out of the corpse, having grown legs and…flesh…making it appear almost like a human heart, except for the metal pegs and machine eye.

"Sneaky sneaky." G's personality core announced loudly as it hopped across the corridor, chattering across the ground on it's three insect legs. "Sneaking away."

The mobile personality core tried to run past them, to hide in the dark confines of the factory. "Get snuck upon." The core announced as it ran as fast as it's little legs would take it.

"Ow." It stopped running as N impaled it with his acid tipped tail. He retracted his tail only for the damned thing to keep scuttering across the floor, and was forced to stab it again. "Ow." Having no confidence in this things ability to stay dead, N stabbed the thing with his tail repeatedly, all while having a disgusted look on his face. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

It seemed to finally die, folding back on itself as it too collapsed into a micro-singularity, that slowly floated down the corridor, evaporating.

"…" 621 hissed tiredly, and fell to her knees. She rubbed her head with her left hand, then used her sleeve to wipe oil off her face. She had a headache.

"…" V looked around, as horrified and scared and tired as everyone else. Uzi was still collapsed on the ground not far from her, eyes wide and hollow in horror. She reached out to grab Uzi by the shoulder, but Uzi flinched at the slightest touch.

"What…are you things…?" Uzi demanded weakly and fearfully of V. V didn't take that well, and frowned, staring down at the ground as she hugged her own shoulders.

"Raven…?" N questioned.

"…I have new holes in my body." 621 announced sourly. Her right prosthetic hand was still red hot from having been sitting in a puddle of burning thermite. She used it to plug up and cauterize the teeth marks in her right shoulder, quietly hissing as she burned herself.

"Y-You good?" N wondered worriedly. "Your arm is uh…burning."

621 held up her right hand, flexing the metal smoothly and naturally. "League forged hyperalloy. The densest material in the 'verse, outside of degenerate matter."

"O-Oh…"

621 was mildly surprised when Uzi tackled her, burying her face in her chest, her arms wrapped around her tightly. Uzi grunted fearfully, grabbing at 621's coat.

"…" 621 hissed tiredly through her nose, and held Uzi's head with her left hand.

"What…what was that thing?" Uzi begged sadly and fearfully.

"…No idea."

"N-No idea?!" Uzi shouted between her tears.

"…The war unleashed many abominations of machine and flesh. Perhaps that was one such relic." 621 reasoned calmly.

"…" V stared at her, head cocked curiously. She opened her mouth, then thought otherwise, and closed it.

"How…How are you so calm?" N wondered with enraptured interest, stealing strength just by seeing the Hound's indifference.

"…I've fought and killed worse." 621 admitted.

"…I don't want to know." Uzi buried her head in the Hound's chest, hiding her eyes.

"…Best you keep your eyes closed, Stray Three." 621 advised.

"…Mmm." Uzi didn't want to know what she meant.

The problem was that the monster's long, coiled corpse had started to slag out of the rafters, the many kills against men and machines crucified upon it's many limbs. Obvious by their expressions and the damage inflicted upon their exsanguinated corpses was that they had suffered before they died.

"…Oh fuck this. Let's just get out of here." V cursed and begged, standing by 621's side.

"Yeah…definitely don't want to deal with this!" N looked around anxiously.

"…I'm getting Handler Walter to nuke this fucking place." 621 announced as she stood, cradling Uzi close to her, with one hand under her, and the other on her back.

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

At his Hound's demand, Handler Walter nuked the abandoned factory in Grid 067. It was another job, outsourced to some third party with access to unmanned MT's, who had strapped a tactical nuke to one and sterilized the site.

621 sent a detailed report of the incident afterwards to her Handler, leaving no detail out. Judging by the time it took for him to respond, he was pissed.

"What a mess." Handler Walter had hissed. He wasn't upset with her or the Strays, just letting his frustration be known. "The excuse I gave Michigan was that his men encountered an active Laconian relic that slaughtered them all. That's probably what actually happened anyway. I left out the parts regarding it's intimate knowledge of Stray Three, or that it seemed to have spawned from the corpse of a Disassembly Drone. No, I do not know what that was." He paused as he sighed loudly. "You did good, 621. Unfortunately, I have a job I need you to do tomorrow. It can't wait any longer. Get some rest while you can."

"…" 621 sighed tiredly. She wanted to sleep for a while, and let her new wounds heal. Unfortunately, she would have to keep going, just a bit longer.

"Uh…Raven…?" Uzi called her from the door of her private room.

"…?" 621 stared at Uzi, as the small machine girl fidgeted awkwardly.

"Uh…can I sleep with you…?" Uzi anxiously asked, obviously embarrassed.

"…Fuck no." 621 denied, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"W-Well you don't have to be so mean about it! Fucking asshole!" Uzi accused, turning to leave.

"Stray Three." 621 called her. "Come here."

It was an order, so Uzi couldn't refuse. She stormed over to 621's side, staring down at the floor indignantly.

"Why are you being so selfish, Stray Three?" 621 questioned, a little softer.

"Huh…selfish? I...I'm…I'm just scared." Uzi admitted reluctantly. "I saw something I can't explain and something scary and something that got me very worked up plus the fact that their friend turned into some…something awful! That's not even counting the stress from yesterday or the month before! I'm…I'm having a really bad time."

"…Do you think they might feel the same way?" 621 suggested.

"They…mmm." Uzi hummed sadly, realizing what 621 meant.

"They've been fighting just as hard to keep you alive. Don't squander that gift. Return it." 621 advised.

"H-How?" Uzi questioned.

"By proving to them you aren't as scared of them as they are of themselves." 621 pointed out.

"…" Uzi hadn't thought about it like that. She'd been so focused on the holograms of her parents that she hadn't thought about how V and N might feel…seeing one of their own kind twisted into some incomprehensible monster. "Could you come with me, then? Please."

"…" 621 sighed, but stood up, following behind Uzi as they walked down the stairs.

V and N were sitting on their impromptu bed, with V hugging her legs closely while N stared down at the ground. Both their eyes were wide and hollowed with fear. Both averted their gaze when Uzi came out in front of them, with 621 close behind.

"Hey N…V…" Uzi waved awkwardly. "So…uh…sorry I snaped at you guys earlier."

V and N looked up at her hesitantly.

"That whole thing was just…so scary and freaky I didn't know what to do or what to think…and…that wasn't fair to you guys…considering…"

"…It's cool Uzi. We were pretty freaked out too." N nodded and smiled, calmed down a little that they could talk about it.

"…" V didn't say anything, just averting her gaze as she hugged herself.

"V…?" Uzi questioned. "Are you going to be o-"

Uzi wasn't able to finish as V lunged at her and dragged her back. Uzi was disoriented as V spun her around, and wrapped her arms around her.

"Wha-! V!?" Uzi shouted confused.

"Shut up." V hissed at her, then pressed her head against the back of Uzi's head as she held her tightly, and shivered slightly.

"…" Uzi smiled, and squeezed one of V's hands. She looked at N, who smiled back quietly.

"…" 621 sat down on a nearby crate, watching her Strays contently. She pushed all thoughts and preconceptions out of her head for as long as she could. She didn't want to think about anything. She wanted to savor this as greedily for as long as she could. Not the why or the how or the who, just the now. The feeling of doing right. This tiny excuse, for just a moment, to not be a Hound, and to be human.

"…Raven." Uzi asked her gently.

"…Mmm." 621 hummed in response.

"…You said earlier that you fought and killed worse. I'm just…morbidly curious…?" Uzi questioned hesitantly.

"…" 621 sighed, remembering her time on Earth. "Dinosaurs."

"…Huh?" Uzi, V, and N looked up in confusion.

"Chief and his coalition of rogue AI had this weird thing for building war machines based on biological models. The most frightful of which we called Scavengers." 621 frowned as she explained. "They were these huge, bird-like machines with a form and shape more like a velociraptor, and they were armed to the teeth with heavy laser weapons in their wings, and laser blades on their talons. The scary thing was how they moved, how they screamed." 621 shivered as she recalled. "They always came in low, swaying back and forth with a predatory gait, before lunging forward and screaming in a high-pitched electric growl, talons spread to sink into armor. They tore a lot of good people apart…and they laughed every time they did."

It was not a pretty picture that 621 painted. Predatory machines that had once stalked the earth cruelly and callously.

"I hate dinosaurs." 621 declared.

"What did…the monster today mean…" V spoke up, curious even in her own fright. "When it called you an 'abomination'?"

"…I don't know." 621 lied. "Get rest. We have work tomorrow." She stood and left, looking to find some sleep.

But the Strays were restless, and sat anxiously on the bed. With V tightly clutching Uzi for comfort, and N watching the both of them happily but worriedly.

Uzi stared at the weapon in the hangar, the Tarnished Armored Core. For as powerful and inspiring of a weapon that it was, it's grime coated and deteriorating exterior disgusted her. She couldn't stand it.

"Guys…" Uzi spoke up to V and N. "I want to do something."

"What is it, Uzi?" N wondered.

"It's the AC." Uzi announced. "Raven…621…she may just be a Hound, Handler Walter's property, but she should have pride for who she is, for how strong she is. And I want to be proud too if I'm going to work beside her."

"What do you want to do, Uzi?" V questioned.

"…That AC needs a makeover. Clean it up and make it unique." Uzi declared, suddenly inspired. "Let's get to work."

Chapter Text

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 24th

The pain told her that she was still alive. Her adrenaline high from the pervious day had entirely worn off, so she felt the bite marks in her right shoulder…and her left arm…and the bullet graze on her left shoulder...and the bruising on her skull.

She was just a little bit fucked up.

The message from Handler Walter detailing her next mission hadn't come in yet. Still, she hated sitting idle, so she decided to get up and see what work she could get done in the meantime.

Exiting her private room, she walked down the first set of stairs, turning and taking in the sight of her black and white Armored Core…

621 had to do a double take, and nearly fell off the stairs doing so. That would have been an utterly anticlimactic end.

Instead of the rusted and neglected surface her AC had been accumulating for the past month, she found it cleaned and repainted in black, with secondary surfaces repainted in white. Along the feet, arms, wrists, and a few other spots, yellow and black caution stripes had been painted on the armor. On a few interior panels, she could also see dark neon purple paint.

It looked like someone had repainted it to look like a ten-meter-tall Disassembly Drone, matching it's colors as closely as possible to the frame of the 2000 series AC.

The culprits of this unexpected and unauthorized modification were passed out at the feet of the AC. Uzi looked very snug pressed between N and V, who themselves leaned against each other.

621 was going to let them sleep in until Handler Walter called, but this demanded an explanation.

Walking over to the control panel for the hangar's mechanical features, 621 started the launch procedure for the AC, at least for the first second, before resetting it back to default. For Uzi, V, and N, it felt like an earthquake as the entire platform they were on shifted sharply.

"Ah!" Stray Squad screamed as they woke with a start, stumbling over themselves in confusion. 621 strode up to them, hands on her hips as she glared down at them.

"Wha-! Oh…Uh! Raven!" Uzi sheepishly greeted.

"…"

"Uh so as you can see we cleaned your AC and painted it up!" Uzi announced. "I didn't think you should be using such a dirty and bland looking machine…you deserve better."

"…"

"I uh…I suppose I should have asked for permission before doing that, huh?" Uzi rubbed her head awkwardly.

"…"

"…Shit." Uzi quietly cursed. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"You acted without my permission, and modified my AC." 621 noted coldly.

"T-That's bullshit!" Uzi argued. "I tried to do something nice for you, as a way of showing my thanks for teaching me and protecting me these last two days, and I'm in trouble?"

"…"

"Mmm." Uzi bowed her head sadly, knowing there wasn't anything she could do to change the Hound's stubborn mind. "It was all my idea, okay? V and N had nothing to do with it."

"Hey-No!" V argued. "It was my idea to paint it in this color! If you're going to punish Uzi, then I deserve it too! Just leave N out of this!"

"No!" N added. "I did a bunch of the painting! I helped so I should be punished too!"

"Silence." 621 hissed, staring down at the three drones as they flinched at the sound of her voice. "Stray Three. As the ringleader of this little operation, I intend to punish you as harshly as possible for this infraction. Are you prepared to face these consequences?"

"…Yes." Uzi sneered up defiantly, rooted by responsibility, and the fear of pain.

Uzi flinched when she saw 621 reaching for her head, and closed her eyes. She was a bit more confused when she felt 621 pull her beanie off her head.

Uzi looked up, and saw 621 throw her beanie at a confused and surprised V, who caught it.

"Fetch." 621 ordered, pointing her thumb behind herself.

V smiled widely, and put Uzi's beanie in her mouth, running past 621 and towards the stairs.

"Wha-!? V!? Give me my hat back!" Uzi whined, chasing after her.

N sighed in relief, and smiled up at 621. "Thanks for going easy on Uzi."

"Oh…I'll have a few more words for you three in a bit." 621 smiled softly. "For now, help Stray One torment Stray Three for a bit."

"Okie dokie!" N saluted happily, running after Uzi. "V! Toss it!"

V giggled as she tossed Uzi's beanie over her head towards N, who then started running towards the front door with it.

"N! Not you too! Give me my hat back!" Uzi yelled at him, chasing him.

621 let them go back and forth for a few minutes while she inspected their work. It was actually fairly competently done, and it didn't look bad either. 621 was almost sorry she'd be taking it into heavy combat.

She walked back to the main deck where V and N were still tormenting Uzi by throwing her hat across the hangar. Reaching out, she caught Uzi's beanie with one hand, then scooped up Uzi with her other hand. She slapped the beanie back onto Uzi's head, who then pulled it back on tight.

"Now, have you accepted your punishment, and learned from it?" 621 questioned.

"…Yeah. I get it. I'll ask for permission before modifying your AC." Uzi huffed, crossing her arms, but smiled.

621 placed Uzi back on the improvised bed, then gestured for V and N to sit and listen to what she had to say.

"In this instance…you were right. It was in poor taste for me to allow my AC to deteriorate to that state, and your work appears satisfactory. However, ask for permission before making alterations to the AC next time. Additionally, I want you each to write up a detailed report about your work-"

"Ugh!" Uzi, V, and N groaned loudly.

"…If you want to be fairly compensated."

"Ah!" Uzi, V, and N cheered.

"Now…" 621 continued. "Our relationship as master and property is…circumstantial at best. It's mostly for your protection, marking you as untouchable to most other fractions here on Rubicon. That being said, there will be times where I expect my orders to be followed, and there will be times where you fuck up, either as a genuine mistake, or due to vapid incompetence. In either case, I'll have to judge whether you are deserving of punishment, to what severity, and if you might learn something from being punished. You should know that, before we begin to seriously work together."

"Oh…okay." Uzi nodded.

"Sounds…fair enough." V agreed.

"We won't let you down, Raven!" N smiled.

"Good. Now, get me my reports." 621 demanded.

"Yes ma'am." Stray Squad replied, getting to work.

While 621 wrote up her own report about the incident and the updated visuals of her AC to Handler Walter, Stray Squad returned with their written reports.

Uzi's report was by far the most detailed and would be the basis by which Stray Squad was paid. It included information such as time spent working, kilos of paint used, what colors were used where, and who painted what surfaces. It even made sure to credit V for designing the visuals that they used.

"Uh…hey Raven, I was wondering?" Uzi looked back at the AC curiously. "Most other ACs have names, so what is your AC called?"

"…Loader 4." 621 answered.

"…Eh?" Uzi raised her pseudo-eyebrows in disbelief. "What kind of name is that?"

"I imagine the previous owner used it as a forklift." 621 reasoned.

V's report was much shorter and blunter. Accurate to be sure, but it left something to be desired when compared to Uzi's report. Still, the effort had been made, and there would be time to improve it.

N's report was…something else.

"Stray Two…what is this…?" 621 had inquired utterly baffled.

"Oh! It's my report! Do you like it!?" N cheerfully asked.

"…" 621 stared at N, then at his "report." It was a single sentence, and a series of crudely drawn pictures.

"me and freinds clean AC and pant it prety"

The drawings were all based on assumption, but 621 surmised that the large, brown, boxy figure that dominated the page was the AC, with black squiggly lines over it signifying paint. Arranged around it were three thankfully labeled stick figures. The two taller yellow stick figures were V and N, and the short purple figure was Uzi. There was a sleeping brown dog in the corner labeled 621. Lastly, at the top of the page, was a white sun with a dead smiley face, and opposite it was a broken moon, also with a smiley face. The only other detail was the black lines near the sun and moon, symbolizing either the orbital rings or the train lines connecting distant megastructures.

Hang on, where the fuck did he get the crayons to draw this?

"I have…several questions…" 621 demanded dryly.

"Oh…Oh!" V had shouted, before quickly running up to 621's side, smiling with an understanding kind of disappointment. "So…this is just how N is. J tried for years to improve his writing skills to…no effect. Eheh." She laughed awkwardly.

"…" 621 stared at V, then at N. She placed the "report" down, and walked away.

Attack the Watchpoint – Handler Walter / Reward 380,000 COAM

"This is a rather personal request…from a friend of mine." Handler Walter requested softly. "It concerns a certain facility…a Watchpoint." The video briefing showed a massive cylindrical building two hundred sixty meters tall and an array of angular abandoned industry, labeled as "Watchpoint Delta". "Once, it regulated the underground flow of Coral. Now it serves to monitor the dormant veins. I want you to attack it. Your objective will be to destroy the sensor valve at it's core. The Watchpoint is kept secure by SG, the planetside PCA force, which means it's too hot for the corporations to be seen there. In other words, we're flying strictly solo on this one. Have Stray Squad assist you by marking targets and watching your back, but keep them out of the battle."

The briefing ended, and 621 sighed. She'd have liked to go into battle with four weapons, but she spent all her scrip on Stray Squad. She'd even been cutting into her emergency reserves in order to make them more comfortable. The best she could do was put her shotgun on a reserve mount on her shoulder, freeing up her right fist for close range combat.

"Hang on…we're going up against the PCA…?" Uzi noted worriedly. It had only been fair to let them listen in to the briefing, after all. "Don't they have orders to kill us all?"

"Any fraction we fight is going to try and kill you for the duration of hostilities." 621 pointed out. "You'll be going in mainly as an observer, Stray Three. There's not going to be a lot for you to do this mission. Just keep your eyes open. Stray Two, don't forget that you're on guard duty for Stray Three. Don't let anything happen to her."

"Uh…Copy." N nodded, only a little worried.

"Stray One, stay high and quiet. Scout out but don't make yourself a target." 621 ordered.

"Copy." V nodded tensely.

621 boarded her AC, and started the launch procedure, with Stray Squad hanging on.

"You'll be going in under cover of darkness. Be ready for anything." Handler Walter advised, acting as Operator, to guide his Hound and her Strays.

Attack the Watchpoint – Handler Walter / Northern Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 24th, 3175

The corpse star had not set yet, but it was blocked by distant megastructures, making the area very dimly lit, and the sky a bleak grey.

The heavy transport helicopter opened it's rear door, and slid 621's AC out the back, dangling them before deployment. There were walkways besides the AC extended alongside it, from which V and N would deploy, with Uzi riding on N's back.

"It's go time, 621." Handler Walter announced. "Ready up, Stray Squad. Don't worry, not even the PCA would anticipate a solo independent mercenary, or her pack of Strays. Get in there and get to work."

The helicopter dropped 621, while V and N jumped out, deploying their wings to slow them down.

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

621 landed just over a kilometer away from the target zone, Stray Squad right behind her. To their front, an organized force of Subject Guard MTs and laser artillery cannons.

"Leave no evidence. If anyone sees you…handle it." Handler Walter advised. "Stray One, you're up. Stay high and slow, don't make yourself an obvious target."

"C-Copy." V replied nervously. She nodded to N and Uzi, then took off, ascending quickly above the fortified industrial zone. As part of her equipment as their teams designated forward scout, she had carried a powerful optical scope and ranging laser, capable of marking targets. "Counting three heavy laser artillery turrets and eight SG MTs in this area. All on standby."

Unlike BAWS MTs, Subject Guard MTs were faster and much more heavily armed. They were all equipped with a large thruster flight pack, and armed with guided missile launchers and a laser rifle. As for the laser artillery, it could tear an unsuspecting AC apart with bright blue energy beams.

"Copy that." Handler Walter analyzed her recorded information. "Stray Two, take off and enter a loitering position with Stray Three, awaiting further orders. 621, come at the turrets from behind, you can get two of them before they can respond."

"Copy!" N and Uzi replied confidently, holding pattern high above the zone while their Hound went to work.

"…" It felt like forever since 621 had been on mission. It was good to be back in the thick of it, and to have the luxury of not having to say anything. She followed Handler Walter's advice, and dove down to the shallow ocean below, skimming above the waves as she worked her way over the to the left flank of the target area, behind two of the artillery turrets. The first one in sight, she fired with her dual-mortars, tearing the cannon apart, and alerting Subject Guard.

"Code 15: Intruder Sighted." The Subject Guard Commander in this area noted.

"It's…It's just one AC? Who are they with?!" An MT pilot realized.

"We can look into that later. Engaging." The Subject Guard was known for their prompt and professionalism, as was the rest of the PCA. Even under ambush, they stayed calm.

621 glided back behind the second artillery turret. It had started to turn around, but not quickly enough, allowing her to get her shotgun in close and tear it apart. Boosting up into the industrial zone, she engaged her blade and cut through two MTs with a wide sweep.

"Code 78: Requesting backup…Huh?! I can't get through to HQ!" One of the MT pilots started to panic.

"The cavalry isn't coming." Handler Walter had made sure to saturate the area with jamming. "Wipe them out, 621."

"…" 621 got within range of the third laser turret, and sent two mortars down it's throat. She dodged the laser rifle shots from a nearby MT, then got close enough to put a shotgun shell through the cockpit block.

There were five MTs remaining. Looking to get through them as quickly as possible, 621 fired her double-mortar at two in a group, wiping them out. She pounced on the next pair and swung her laser blade in a wide arc, cutting through them. Lastly, she pressed her shotgun against the last enemy, and tore them apart with the shot.

"Confirmed. Enemy squad destroyed. Move on to the next area." Handler Walter ordered. "Stray One, get ahead and count the enemy. Stray Two, land near the recently destroyed enemies to allow Stray Three to gather intel. Keep an eye on her, and extract her at the first sign of danger."

"Copy!" Stray Squad answered. N landed near some of the SG MT wrecks and Uzi jumped off, marking the wrecks and taking plenty of pictures. She wasn't exactly sure why, but from what she had heard, PCA tech was considerably more advanced than the local standard, so any intel on it's functionality was valuable.

V flew over to the next area leading towards the Watchpoint, an artificial valley and checkpoint, leading to three long highways 1.5 kilometers away from the Watchpoint. "Counting three more laser turrets and six MTs. They're not active yet, but they are aware."

"…" 621 engaged her assault-boost as soon as she rounded the corner, closing the distance to one of the laser cannons.

"Where did that AC come from?! What happened to the patrol squad?!" One of the MT pilots complained.

"Code 18! All units, deploy for combat!" The commander in this area announced.

"You're exposed to snipers from all quarters. Keep moving or they'll shoot you down." Handler Walter warned.

"…" 621 managed to get behind the first cannon, tearing it apart with a close-range shotgun blast. As she ascended part of the structure to get behind the next cannon, she took a glancing hit from the heavy laser across the valley, doing notable damage. Plunging her blade through the nearby MT, she got just enough altitude to shoot down at the center cannon with her dual-mortars, taking it and one MT out.

"Code 31C! We've taken critical damage!" One of the MTs shouted in alarm.

"Copy that. Time to reveal the surprise." The local commander announced.

"Wait…oh shit! Raven! They've just revealed a hidden cannon to your rear! And four more support MTs!" V alerted.

"Roger that Stray One." Handler Walter acknowledged. "621, handle it."

"…" 621 hummed, continuing on course to the third cannon, taking out a MT along the way with her blade. Still, it left her exposed to the new cannon to the rear, and she barely dodged out of the way of it's heavy laser beam.

"I don't like this! I'm engaging the support MTs!" V called out. Though her arsenal was limited, 621 had equipped her with a handful of magnetic anti-armor charges, that had enough firepower to cripple or kill an MT. Flying low towards the fourth cannon, she quickly circled behind the formation of MTs, armed one of her charges, and threw it on the back of one of the MTs, sticking it in a vulnerable spot that killed one of the machines.

"Code 54D!" The Subject Guard Commander announced. "All units, priority subject for termination sighted. Engage."

Then, every remaining PCA unit and soldier changed their target, ignoring 621, and focusing their weapons on V.

"What?! Shit! They're targeting me!?" V flew up, having difficulty evading every laser and missile that was launched at her. More concerning were the two remaining laser artillery cannons, slowly pivoting in her direction.

"621! Stray Squad!" Handler Walter announced quickly. "Stray One is under heavy fire! Help her out!"

"C-Copy!" N shouted. "Let's go Uzi!" He quickly picked up Uzi.

"Drop me off near an overhead area!" Uzi demanded. "I can get a shot or two off!"

"Right!" N agreed as he approached the active combat zone.

"…" 621 finished destroying the third cannon, and quickly engaged two more MTs at close range. In a hurry she kicked the last MT near the original cannons, and rushed towards the remaining enemies.

Three MTs, and one laser cannon. N quickly dropped Uzi off just above the formation, and swooped in behind the MTs, arming one of his anti-armor charges, and used it to take down one of the MTs.

Uzi lined up a shot with her railgun, and fired down into the top of one of the MTs, boring through it. She then had to step back and reload the weapon, by replacing the heat sinks and pre-charged energy capacitor. Though it increased the weight and only gave her enough ammo to fire it four more times like that, she didn't have to wait half an hour to use it again.

Finally, 621 got close enough to fire her Songbirds into the side of the laser cannon, tearing it apart. The blast had been close enough to disorient the remaining MT. Putting her shotgun on her back mount, 621 boosted to point blank range, and punched the MT through the cockpit block, crushing the pilot.

"Confirmed. All enemies taken care of." Handler Walter announced. "Stray One, in the future, try to avoid antagonizing the PCA. They'll prioritize your destruction over their own lives."

"Y-Yeah…copy…" V shivered slightly as she landed near Uzi, with N landing nearby, looking her over for damage. Her shell was singed from laser fire, but that would heal quickly.

"Updating your maker data. Proceed in the direction indicated." Handler Walter updated their information, prompting 621 to head south towards the Watchpoint. "Back to work, Strays."

"Copy…" V nodded reluctantly, taking flight and staying just ahead of 621. N and Uzi stayed towards the rear, keeping an eye on 621's back.

A kilometer and a half away, the Watchpoint stood. It was not a particularly overwhelming megastructure, considering what surrounded them on all sides, but it's circular design centered alone in the shallow sea certainly marked it as important.

"Do you see that? That's the Watchpoint's control center." Handler Walter pointed out. "The target's inside. Make your way in."

"…" 621 assault boosted down the highway leading towards the Watchpoint. She was a kilometer away, when her new scout drone pinged an alert.

"Raven…unknown AC, dead ahead." V warned.

"…" 621 stopped short of the Watchpoint, confronted by an all-black AC utilizing high tech parts. The unknown enemy opened a communications channel.

"Attacking a Watchpoint…?" The voice mused, amused and mockingly. "You're incorrigible, Handler Walter. How many of your dogs must I kill, before you learn?"

"Is that…Sulla?!" Handler Walter seemed surprised.

"Pitiful dog, I feel sorry for you. I really do. You may have survived a little longer, if only you had a different master." Sulla dismissed, diving down to attack.

"…" 621 boosted up, engaging the interloper.

"C1-249. 'Sulla.' He's an independent mercenary who survived first gen augmentation." Handler Walter explained. "Don't think twice 621. Kill him before he kills you."

"…" 621 agreed, but had to face the facts. She was severely outmatched, having only two ranged weapons to Sulla's four. Her mortars were slow and her shotgun was short-ranged. Sulla on the other hand was armed with plasma missiles and delayed fuse chain-cluster missiles, as well as a heavy artillery cannon and an oscillating plasma cannon, known otherwise as a pulse gun.

Sulla kept pressure on her with his missiles and pulse gun, which shot large bubbles of destabilized plasma and high-pressure air, making it function as a thermobaric weapon. 621 was forced back into the shallow ocean, but found the opportunity to gain some altitude and send two mortar rounds his way, doing little damage but unbalancing his ACS, slowly making him more vulnerable.

"Raven! Two stealth mechs are setting up near the Watchpoint!" V shouted.

"And another two from the rear!" N added worriedly.

"Damn! An ambush!" Handler Walter warned her in time. The invisible mechs charged up their laser rifles, giving 621 less than a second of warning before they fired. Sulla had planned this, forcing her out into the ocean. Bad. Untenable.

Uphill, all ways.

"Laconian strays…you don't belong on Rubicon." Sulla noted coldly. "Best I put you out of your misery, least your corruption voids another world."

"…" Uzi, V, and N fearfully regarded Sulla's voice, and made sure to steer clear of him.

"I was here you know? Fifty years ago, culling your kind with the other butchers of Sol." Sulla recalled gleefully. Then he sung a short tune to terrorize them. "Little drones, little drones, time to go home~! Down on your knees, and into the hole~! So decreed the voice of Sol~!"

"…" 621 managed to break away, and focus on one of the invisible sniper mechs. Though she couldn't see it, she knew where it had fired from, so homed in on that. It appeared as she closed the distance, and died as she tore through it with her laser blade.

"N! Let's take down one of the snipers! Just like last time!" V suggested.

"Yeah! I'll help finish it off!" Uzi added.

"Right!" N agreed, following V towards the north, where two of the snipers were elevated. Homing in on one of them, N dropped Uzi off while he and V circled behind the thing, and fired their pulse wave lasers into it's legs. Caught off guard, it was staggered long enough for Uzi to line up another railgun shot, and tear a hole in it's armor. Except it wasn't quite dead yet.

"Oh…uh!" Uzi panicked, backing up to the edge of the platform, close to three hundred meters over the ocean. "That thing is a lot tougher than the last one we fought!"

"Uzi, jump! I'll get you!" V ordered, taking off to do so. "N! finish killing this thing!"

"Right!" N nodded, getting very close to the stealth machine.

"Shit!" Uzi was force to jump from the platform as the stealth mech aimed it's laser rifle at her. It was terribly frightening, hurdling towards the ocean below, before she heard the familiar sound of metal wings.

"Got you!" V shouted, catching Uzi halfway down the platform, taking flight to avoid the rest of the battle.

N pounced on the leg of the stealth mech and jammed his tail into the damaged knee joint, slowly eating away at it with his nanite acid. The stealth machine tried to swat him away, so he jumped back to dodge it's arms, then got under it's guard, jamming his claws into the wound his acid was chewing through, and pulled as hard as he could, tearing the leg off the stealth machine, mobility killing it. He finished it off by placing an anti-armor charge over it's reactor housing.

621 had similarly spent her time trying to evade Sulla and finish off the other two stealth mechs. She fired on him again with her mortars and shotgun, before chasing down one of the stealth mechs.

"Where's 619 and 620? Dead? Which ones did I kill, I wonder…?" Sulla mocked, shrugging off the damage.

"Don't let him bait you. Focus." Handler Walter demanded, quietly enraged at the names of his dead Hounds.

"…" 621 cut through another of the stealth mechs with her blade, then dove under the highway, backtracking towards the remaining sniper while using the concrete columns to evade both Sulla and the sniper.

"Was it 618 I killed last? He was good, but he had nothing on this one." Sulla noted smugly.

"Who tipped you off, Sulla?" Handler Walter wondered.

"Don't make trouble for me Walter." Sulla warned. "You, your dog, and your strays aren't welcome here."

"…" 621 got enough distance from Sulla that she could take the time to ascend the platform with the remaining sniper mech, and get above it. She fired down with both her dual-mortars and her shotgun, tearing it apart.

"You're one of Gen Four's lot, and a failed one at that." Sulla mocked her personally. "I hear you make fine Hounds with the right training. But you…you have the scent of death. Far better I dispose of you."

"…" Once again in a one-on-one, 621 dove back towards the ocean, evading between concrete columns as she hit where she could with her limited armament.

"It's curious you'd go through the trouble, dog." Sulla could be heard smiling widely. "All that scrip for three little strays? What were you trying to save?"

"…" 621 ignored the comment as best she could, as she dodged his own hand-held artillery cannon.

"…Or maybe it was something you were trying to replace?" Sulla surmised, amused with his taunting. "Someone you couldn't save, perhaps?"

"…" 621 didn't take that well. With silent fury she ran into Sulla, and kicked him senseless, staggering him. Placing her shotgun on her back, she started to wail on him, punching him back and forth, over and over, till she started overheating the hydraulics in her own machine, smashing his armor in. Until, finally, she ran her blade through his reactor, killing the AC.

"Walter…Stay away from the Watchpoint…" Sulla choked out. 621 finished him off by firing her shotgun through his cockpit.

"…Confirmed. Enemy AC destroyed." Handler Walter reported. The Strays reconvened near the entrance to Watchpoint, watching 621 wearily, fascinated and frightened at how quickly she could change between calm and grace, to wrath and rage. "Forget about him, 621. You did good today. Back to work."

"…" 621 grunted, and followed Stray Squad. Uzi worked on getting the door open, to get them into the facility.

Once in, Handler Walter highlighted an area where 621 could resupply, just in case. She had sustained notable damage against the PCA and Sulla, and her ammo was low.

It was something that Stray Squad had very briefly trained for, but then stood by and assisted with. Handler Walter sent a Sherpa, a heavy unmanned delivery drone, that was filled with munitions and emergency repair packs. 621 backed into the rocket powered container as it landed and opened, and Stray Squad assisted by making sure the autoloaders connected properly, and that the repair packs refilled and repaired the AC. It wasn't a perfect fix, but it would serve almost as good as new till the end of the mission.

The inside of the Watchpoint was a mass of huge computer servers, lined around a deep pit in the center, a quarter of a kilometer wide and nearly a kilometer deep. At the very center, was a suspended sensor platform hung by heavy hydraulic lifts. 621 and Stray Squad landed near this contraption.

"There, destroy the device in the center." Handler Walter ordered. "Standby, Stray Squad."

"…" 621 lined up with her shotgun, and fired, destroying part of the support for the sensor. The fragile and valuable sensor fell out of it's housing, and 621 destroyed it with another shotgun blast. Destabilized, the rest of the sensor platform exploded within it's housing.

"Good job, 621, Stray Squad." Handler Walter announced as the servers shut off, going dark. "We're done here. Head back to base."

The ground started to glow ominously red, as filaments of Coral bubbled up through the steel plates on the floor, slowly floating into the air.

"Wait…No!" Handler Walter shouted. "Get out of there now!"

Uzi, N, and V, panicked, surrounded by the Coral as it whisked and pooled around them. Almost with…intelligence…

They weren't able to observe this for long, as 621 had grabbed all of them, and flung them as far as she could up the Watchpoint. Just in time as…

It was not an explosion, more a surge, as a tidal wave of Coral suddenly filled the Watchpoint and washed over 621, permeating through her.

"Raven!" Uzi, N, and V screamed as they saw 621 get swallowed up by this Coral tide, her AC going slack.

It felt…like everything. For a single moment, 621 could see her entire life from inception in a test-tube on Earth, the unholy union of her donor genetic material, to her childhood in a high orbit spin station, running through the garden of her youth, through her time in the Navies of Sol, racing through Jovian skies, and war after war against Laconia. Day by day by day by day by day at a time. Until she found herself here, Coral kissing the entirety of her mind, soothing her to sleep on the voices of cold, ice sirens, their crystalline voices crying on the wind…

"…"

"Who are you?"

"…"

"An older type of augmented human. Fourth generation…"

"…"

"Have we…made Contact?"

"…"

"I am Ayre. A Rubiconian."

"…"

"Please, you must wake up…"

"…"

"Before your consciousness…is forever scattered in the Coral flow…"

/AUGMENTED HUMAN C4-621: VITAL SIGNS CONFIRMED

"Guys! She's alive!"

/DISABLING AUTOPILOT

"Is she okay?! Come on Raven! Talk to us!"

/ESTABLISHING COMMS LINE WITH HANDLER-

"Raven."

"…" There was a voice in her head now. That was new. It sung like electric honey, sweet and soothing, but inherently unnatural.

"I've identified an approaching enemy." The voice that called herself Ayre announced.

"…" She felt like shit. Like she shat her own head up through her throat, eyes boiling in pools of her own blood, her mind still sunk halfway into a tar black sea.

Still, this was not even her worst day.

"Raven…Raven look out!" V warned. "Inbound enemy…what…what is that!?"

"I-I can't get Walter on comms! What do we do!?" Uzi screamed.

"We have to get out of here! But we can't leave Raven!" N shouted.

"…" Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. No need for so much noise. If it's an enemy…then let her take care of it. She waved off her squad of little machines, pointing to an outcropping at the edge of the Watchpoint, silently telling them to wait over there. Then, looking up with eyes that hurt to use, she identified her foe.

AAP07: Balteus. An attempt by the PCA to recreate the greatest weapons ever conceived, Armored Core NEXT. However, they lacked League technology, being unable to reproduce Kojima Particles, and being unable to manufacture advanced metamaterials and hyperalloys. As such, Balteus was massive and unwieldy, and did not even have half the power output of a NEXT.

It appeared as a large, ten-meter-tall MT in the center of a ring, with a massive backpack/weapons platform that contained it's main reactor and thrusters. It was armed with three 50mm gatling guns on it's right arm, and four 154mm fiftieth gauge shotguns on it's left arm. Additionally, there was a 300mm mortar on it's left shoulder, and it could deploy an additional fourteen ring segments lined with missile launchers, allowing it to fire volleys of two hundred and eighty guided missiles at a time.

It was capable of full flight, maintaining a full energy shield, and detonating said shield with Assault Armor. Despite being much slower and much heavier, it had all the basic characteristics of an Armored Core NEXT. Except that NEXT also produced deadly radioactive waste, so at least she didn't have to worry about that.

"I'll synchronize with your brain waves…and maintain Contact to support you." Ayre declared.

"…" Oh, well, a least the schizophrenic voice in her head was offering to be her Operator. That might help.

"Main system: Reactivating Combat Mode." Ayre commanded, jumpstarting 621's AC, just in time as Balteus fired an enormous number of missiles at her, filling the sky. She charged forward through the volley, in order to fire her dual-mortars and shotgun at point blank range, slowly bleeding it's energy shield.

"Raven! What are you doing!?" N cried.

"It looks like she's fighting that thing!" Uzi noticed.

"She's not scared of anything!" V added. "Back to work it is then!"

"I've looked into the enemy craft." Ayre added as 621 engaged it. "It's an autonomous PCA craft…Balteus. But you already knew that…didn't you?"

"…" 621 dodged away as Balteus backed up, and fired at her with it's massive mortar.

"You'll have to break it's pulse amor to inflict meaningful damage." Ayre pointed out.

"…" Dodging through yet another volley of missiles, 621 closed the distance, into effective range of her two ballistic weapons, firing into it's sides. It took great effort and several consecutive shots, but she managed to break it's shields. Being a less efficient machine than an AC NEXT, having it's shields broken put it in a feedback loop which caused the whole machine to stagger.

"Pulse armor down. Now's your chance, Raven." Ayre informed her, prompting 621 to get in close and slash at it with her blade, and even kicked it for good measure. She then punched it twice before it was able to back off and fire on her again. She'd gotten some hits in, but it would not go down so easy.

"I've taken your comms link offline for now." Ayre admitted. "That massive dose of Coral nearly killed you…please…you have to focus on winning this."

"…" 621 stared down her prey, and pursued viciously, firing double-mortars as quickly as they would reload, and a wide spray of her shotgun when she had a good profile. Dodging through tracers and mortar rounds fired in return, itching to blast this machine apart.

"Picking up a massive heat signature. Evasive action, Raven." Ayre warned before Balteus fired it's missiles, like a guided firework burst that turned inward and followed her relentlessly, unavoidable unless she went straight through them, head on with this imposing foe.

She knocked it's pulse shield offline again, forcing it to stagger, and fired with everything she had, tearing into it's armor with blade and fist, taking it down a notch.

"The enemy has taken heavy damage. Keep it up, Raven." Ayre supported.

"You got this Raven!" N shouted supportively.

"Kick it's ass Raven!" Uzi cheered.

"Fuck it up!" V shook her arms, smiling widely.

"It looks like you have good company. Cute little things…the battlefield is no place for them though…" Ayre commented, loosing track of herself for the moment. "Stray Squad. Something worth protecting."

Balteus retreated, and drew energy in on itself, shining brightly as it did so.

"The waves are intensifying! Raven, get clear!" Ayre warned desperately, before Balteus unleashed it's Assault Armor, detonating with nearly a kiloton of force. If she had been closer to that, it would have wrecked her armor.

Balteus opened up with a long stream of gatling rounds as it coasted to the right, then swung back towards 621 with an entirely new weapon. A flamethrower mounted on it's support ring, swinging wide like a sword.

"…!" 621's breath hitched fearfully in a panic, and looked away from the wall of flames as quickly as she could. Not now! Not now! Damn this infernal contraption!

"Raven, your heart rate just skyrocketed! What's wrong?! Please, this is no time to panic!" Ayre sounded worried, desperate.

"…" 621 barely backed up in time, dodging the worst of a rapid shotgun burst that would have torn her to shreds if she had been any closer. She had to dodge forwards to avoid most of another missile barrage, coming at her from all directions.

And then it came at her again with it's flamethrower, swinging it wide like a sword.

"…!" 621 did everything she could to not look at the fire, a dangerous proposition considering it was an attack by an imposing enemy still nowhere near dead. She closed her eyes, trusting her instincts as she ducked beneath the flames, and fired up directly beneath Balteus, bleeding it's shields further.

"This biting, overwhelming fear…" Ayre whispered distraught, feeling the raw emotions that threatened to spill over 621. "What did you lose, Raven?"

Balteus circled her around the battlefield, it's basic combat AI too confident for it's own good, stumbling into 621's mortars, staggering it once again as it's shields were depleted. 621 took the opportunity to pounce on it, to do as much damage as possible, with shotgun and mortar and blade and fist and feet, brutalizing the machine.

But not killing it, as it reconstituted it's shield, and backed away. Bringing the two flamethrowers on it's ring around to front, it set the ground on fire…

And 621 could not look away.

She was wedged between the bulkhead and the door, her arm reaching desperately into the room…

"Raven, what are you doing?! You have to move!"

Her arm was burning, but she didn't care…

"Raven what's wrong! Get out of the way!"

"Please Raven, you're in danger!"

But she couldn't reach, not as the flames reached every corner, consuming…

"It's not real Raven, snap out of it!"

She screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed…

"Get out of there Raven! Please! We need you!"

But there was nothing she could do…

The sound of a double-mortar Songbird firing surprised everyone. That was not 621.

A grey armored 2000 series AC, armed with a double-mortar, medium missile launcher, assault rifle, and a pile bunker swooped in front of 621, getting Balteus to target it. It braved through the fire and attacked with all it's ordnance into the shields, forcing it to stagger as it disabled it. The AC then reared back, and used it's pile bunker, a terrifying piercing melee weapon, to drive a thirty foot metal stake forward, through Balteus's flamethrower, destroying the weapon with an explosion of flame.

Mildly scorched but otherwise unharmed, the mysterious AC, who's only difference to the Core from 621 was a combat-oriented head part known as "Shade Eye", disengaged, backing away from the battle. It turned to 621, and saluted, jumping off the roof of the Watchpoint.

"That AC…who was that…?" Ayre wondered in 621's mind. "No IFF or callsign…but their Core was named…Nightfall?"

"…" 621 returned to her senses at the unexpected assistance, and what it had won. The only weapon she feared destroyed, she was filled with rage and wrath, and eyed Balteus with hateful abandon.

"Time to finish this Raven!" Ayre encouraged. "The enemy can't take much more!"

"…" 621 agreed, and rushed forward, damn the missiles and the guns, she fired back with her own weapons and punched it's shields down. Climbing up the larger machine so that she was standing on it's support ring, she thrust down with her laser blade, cutting off it's right arm.

Balteus recovered and spun to throw her off, angling down to shoot her with it's 300mm mortar, but 621 held her ground, aiming up with her shotgun. 621 fired a split second before Balteus did, aiming for the canon, and striking the armed high explosive shell while it was still inside the barrel, setting it off.

Suddenly having it's largest gun explode in it's face, Balteus was instantly staggered once again, and fell helpless before 621. She wasted no time in boarding the weapons platform, and punched the machine across the face, breaking several of it's optical sensors. Then she grabbed it's head in her right hand, and drove her laser blade into it's neck, tearing as hard as she could.

Though the head was only an optical unit, the cumulative damage she had done had killed it, as she decapitated Balteus.

"…Enemy systems down. It's silent." Ayre was stunned by 621's brutality, watching the Hound from within her own mind.

"Raven, are you alright!?" N had shouted, as he and the rest of Stray Squad approached rapidly, landing on the upper slope of her core, in front of her head unit, looking up at her optical sensors.

"Raven! You really scared us! Don't do that again." Uzi complained sadly.

"That was…too scary Raven…please be more careful. We need you." V frowned.

"…Jensen model androids…" Ayre noted from within 621's mind. "…Relics of Laconian rule…built as slaves…treated as worse…" Ayre sung sadly, caught in her own spell. "…So far from home…on a world they don't belong…sad…broken little things…"

"…" 621 tried not to listen to the alluring voice inside her head. Tried not to feel the melancholy empathy that Ayre poured out for the little machines.

"You certainly keep strange company…"

"…"

"…Raven." Ayre seemed intent to hold 621's attention. "You need rest."

"…" 621 agreed. This day had dragged on far too long, and cost more than she cared to count.

"But first, a warning." Ayre announced seriously.

There was a distant explosion, a blinding white light over a thousand miles away, halfway across the continent. Stray Squad shielded their eyes painfully, then looked up in fear, terror, and awe.

"The Coral surge you were swept up in…" Ayre reminded her, even as the sky burned. "That was just a glimpse."

A heavy shockwave hit them, as Uzi, V, and N struggled to hold on to 621's AC.

"A premonition of the storm of flame that will burn Rubicon." Ayre declared.

The horizon was ominously lit in bright, pale red, shining more than even Rubicon's corpse sun in mid-day. The sky burned brilliantly, gold-red clouds flowing like molten metal, pure and warm.

The Coral had returned to Rubicon, heralding it's arrival with a bang.

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius

"Oh…oh fuck Raven!" Was generally not something someone wanted to hear when someone looked at them. In this case, Uzi, V, and N stared down at her in worry and disgust.

"…" 621 had a pretty good idea why. She was bleeding out the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, slumped barely conscious in her cockpit. Being permeated by an intense surge of Coral tended to have that effect on people.

"Maybe you should tell them not to worry. Please don't scare them." Ayre suggested sweetly, ringing in her ears.

"…Get…out of my head…" 621 held her hands over her ears.

"I…don't think that's helping, Raven."

"Get out of my head." 621 demanded weakly, shaking her head.

"It…it will be okay Raven…" Uzi trembled in fear. "Please…let us help you."

"…" 621 wasn't really in a mood to resist, allowing her Strays to pull her from the cockpit. V and N carried her from under her armpits, while Uzi cleared the way. It was enough of a challenge to get her down to the hangar's main level, that they didn't bother trying to drag her up the stairs, laying her in their improvised bed instead.

While N and Uzi tried to clean her up, V tried to make her lay down, but 621 resisted.

"Need to…send report…" 621 gasped out.

"Please, just rest Raven." V insisted. "You need rest…and maybe a doctor."

"Get your…compensation…" 621 hissed.

"…It's fine Raven." V frowned. "We trust you and Walter. Please rest."

But 621 resisted, and wrote her report for Handler Walter. She left out no detail. Including her sudden onset of paranoid schizophrenia.

"…" Ayre sighed loudly, sounding annoyed. "I'm not a mental illness Raven…I'm real…"

"Get out of my head." 621 shook her head, much to the worry of her Strays. "Get out of my head."

"Hey, hey, okay." Uzi held her hands. "You sent your report, so please lay down."

"…" 621 acquiesced to that, but waited patiently for Handler Walter's reply.

First came payment. As compensation for defeating Sulla and Balteus, Handler Walter threw in a 100,000 COAM bonus, which after expenses, came out to around 450,000 COAM. Of which, Stray Squad had earned 135,000 COAM, split three ways.

That being said, Handler Walter was a bit too excited when he did call.

"A friend of mine sent me this observational data." Handler Walter was quick to note. "Look 621, the localized Coral explosion caused by the surge…has a certain directionality. It's headed straight for the Central Ice Field, across the Alean Ocean. Like a flock of birds or a school of fish, Coral loves company. Which means…somewhere in the ice field, there's a huge mass of Coral lying dormant." Handler Walter finished talking about the potential Coral across the continent. "As for that AC you encountered…don't rely on them in the future. We have no record of that AC in the registry, so who can say about it's pilot. If you come across them again, be careful. Still…I'll look into this Nightfall…" He sighed, moving onto the more personal issue. "You said you could hear a strange voice in your head. That's a common side-effect of old-gen augmentation." Handler Walter dismissed. "Could also be from getting caught in that Coral surge…Don't let it bother you. Otherwise, you performed well out there today, and so did Stray Squad. They have a ways to go, but their potential is great."

Then Ayre decided to hijack the debriefing, something only 621 noticed.

"…Raven." Ayre hummed in her musical voice. "The Coral explosion completely vaporized northwestern Belius's bay area." She pointed out, highlighting the damage caused by a two gigaton explosion, and the five-hundred mile wide hole in the continent. "…And even yet…compared to the Fires of Ibis, that explosion was hardly a spark. Raven." Ayre said sternly. "I have a favor to ask. Let me remain in Contact with you until we reach the Coral convergence. I have to see where they're taking us. How this struggle over the Coral ends. I must…as a Rubiconian."

"…" 621 sighed tiredly, and allowed herself to pass out, too exhausted to think. She considered that Uzi, V, and N were a little too trusting…or perhaps too desperate, as they snuggled against her, worriedly, but warmly.

Chapter Text

Eastern Belius / Wednesday, Trajan 19th, 3175 (R798) – Six Months Ago

/HOUNDS: NOW ENTERING COMBAT ZONE

/INITIATING PHASE: 2

The three 2000 series Armored Cores glided over the sand covered glasslands, as they rapidly approached the PCA defense line, defended by a heavy laser artillery cannon.

C4-617. C4-619. C4-620. Hounds of Handler Walter.

Jumping over a ridge that overlooked the distant defense line, 617 was forced to dodge as the heavy laser beam almost tore them apart. Continuing their high-speed run, they all charged head on.

619 opened up their dual twelve cell VLS launchers on their back, firing a barrage of missiles into the enemy lines. They were immediately punished as the heavy laser cannon targeted them, melting through their core, leaving it to collapse and spin to a stop.

/619: VITAL SIGNS LOST

Even dead, 619 had done their part, their missiles smashing the outer wall of the PCA fire base, allowing their allies to fly through, and carry out their mission.

Leading the charge, 617 deployed their forward-facing pulse-buckle shield, covering their advance and that of 620. However, the intensity of fire that slammed into the pulse shield tore it off, leaving them exposed. Heavy ordnance ripped 617's left arm off, leaving them with just two right side weapons. Nearly staggered, 617 recovered, and continued the mission, even as the PCA laser cannon fired over their heads.

/RECALCULATING APPROACH VECTOR

The laser cannon was just in sight, exposed and without support, when a new terror made itself known.

AAS02: Cataphract. A PCA super high tech battle tank. Two thousand tons of heavy armor and weapons as maneuverable as a jet fighter. It was armed with two hull-mounted 150mm gatling guns, while it's turret contained two 50mm gatling guns, a heavy plasma shotgun, and a multi-cell guided missile launcher. The Cataphract lunged forward, almost crushing 617 under its treads. 617 managed to maneuver away, losing their back weapon in the process, and turned around to confront the threat.

Severely outgunned, 617 stood their ground, and fired on the Cataphract with a 50mm gatling gun, the rounds harmlessly pinging off the Cataphracts heavy armor. It prepared to finish the Hound off, when 620 jumped in front of 617, drawing the attention of the super heavy tank towards her, allowing 617 a chance to flank it or evade.

620 managed to evade the fire from Cataphract's forward gatling cannons, as she drew it's attention with dual handguns. Still, it's turret mounted plasma shotgun tracked her closely, and with dual 50mm gatling guns boxing her in, fired once with it's plasma shotgun, tearing her right arm off. Momentarily staggered, 620 pointed her left handgun up at the Cataphract, only for the plasma shotgun to fire again, and tear into her core, burning her to dust.

/620: SIGNAL LOST

Using it's bow mounted 150mm gatling guns to track 617, the remaining Hound turned into the oncoming fire, and assault-boosted against the front of the Cataphract.

The super heavy PCA tank tried to run him over, but 617 held his ground, pushing the super tank back. Raising the gatling gun high, 617 shoved the whole weapon into the neck of the control MT at the center of the Cataphract. 617 held the trigger down, and shoved the gatling gun down Cataphract's throat, bypassing it's heavy armor, and cutting through the cockpit block.

Unfortunately, taking on the high-tech tank head on had overwhelmed 617's AC, causing the heatsinks to burst into flames. It's gatling gun damaged from having been forced inside of the Cataphract, 617 was down an arm, critically damaged, and with no weapons remaining.

There was still a job to do.

Forcing air through it's heatsinks to extinguish the flames, 617's AC stood, ready to finish the mission.

/UPDATING TARGET PARAMETERS

/PHASE 3: PATTERN E

617 still had an Assault Armor capacitor equipped, though given the depleted state of their heatsinks, survival was non-existent.

So be it.

Without question, 617 boosted into the PCA fire base, and detonated their Assault Armor at the base of the heavy laser cannon, destroying it. Without heatsinks to cool the AC, 617 burned to death inside the cockpit.

/617: DOWN

/REPORTING TO HANDLER WALTER:

/MISSON COMPLETE

Grid 073 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Central Belius / Monday, Tiberius 26th, 3175 (R799) – Present Day

Anxiously looking up, V quickly spread her hands. "Stay calm, and everything will be okay."

"No, no." 621 shook her head. "Like this."

Holding two fingers forward on each hand, she made a cross near her stomach, then spread them gracefully to her sides, palms open and pointed down. "Stay calm, unte kowlting gonya gut, to pochuye ke?" At the end of the statement, she turned her palms up, one over the other above her stomach, as if offering something.

"Stay calm…" V tried to copy the motion, but just ended up pointing her fingers forward, too close to her waist.

"Hands big." 621 chastised softly, grabbing V by the wrists, and spread them wider, beyond the width of her hips. "And when you talk, in and before is weak." She brought V's hands together, above her midriff, palms up.

"Okay, um…" V built up her confidence, pointing her fingers forward again in a cross, then spread her hands wide and palms down. "Stay calm…unte kowlting gut-"

"No." 621 cut her off as V butchered the Creole. She repeated the motions with her hands, and enunciated slowly. "Stay calm, unte kowlting gonya gut, to pochuye ke?"

"Okay, ah…" V nodded a bit more confidently. Using her hands for sign again, she said, "Stay calm, unte kowlting gonya gut, to pochuye ke?"

"Better." 621 nodded with a smile. "Every time better."

V smiled widely, her tail wagging eagerly while her fists shook cheerfully.

Of the three androids under 621's care, V was learning Belter Creole the quickest. She still had a ways to go, but she showed promise.

Uzi was also learning, but nowhere near as quickly as V. Her specialty was, obviously, in maintaining the AC. That came naturally enough to her, that 621 had made the short machine girl her chief engineer.

N…wasn't practically good in either capacity. He picked up some Creole, but always stumbled over the grammar, often making critical mistakes that might otherwise get him shot they were so offensive. He was strong enough to assist Uzi in maintaining the AC, but he quickly got lost in it's numerous systems and subsystems, such that it was best he stay away from the more complicated or explosive components.

It turned out that N's specialty was in cleaning and repainting the AC after a mission. It wasn't much, but he enjoyed it. And despite what his art and writing would imply, he could in fact paint within the lines, and deliver satisfactory results.

As for 621…it was work as usual. She tried not to think about the fact that she was changing up her schedule to accommodate these little machines. Tried not to think about how Uzi would time V and N getting their oil rations in order to force 621 to eat an MRE. Tried not to think about how putting them to work and offering protection made them decently happy. Tried not to think about what V reminded her of…

And most recently, tried not to think of the weird voice in her head.

"…" Ayre hummed pleasantly, somewhere in the back of 621's mind. It seemed to be in response to V's happy expression, the voice often expressing it's opinion that she found the Strays cute. 621 shivered as feelings not her own threatened to put a smile on her own face.

She wasn't trying to make them happy. She was just teaching them the skills they needed to survive Rubicon, and using them for her own ends until that debt was paid, so that…

So that…

Admittedly, 621 didn't plan that far ahead. Taking on the Strays had been a debt of honor. Beyond that? She had no idea what she was doing. It went against the whole reason she had sold herself to Handler Walter. Against the whole reason she went to Rubicon in the first place.

It wasn't something she could afford to dwell on. She'd deal with it, one day at a time.

Speaking of Handler Walter, it sounded like he'd finally sent a message, having let her rest and recover for a whole day.

"Keep practicing, Stray One, you're doing great." 621 encouraged her as she went to go take that message.

"Yes ma'am!" V answered eagerly.

Making her way up to her room, 621 opened the console and read her message.

/ONE NEW MESSAGE:

/SENDER: Handler Walter

"621, I've got some business to attend to. I need to hawk some intel to the corps and secure a backer for our trip to the ice field. One job for you while I'm out…rest up. And that's an order."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" 621 hissed in annoyance. Despite the abuse she'd been through, she didn't want to rest up. She wanted to get back into the field, taking on dangerous jobs with little hope for survival.

"…Raven." Ayre's soft voice snapped 621 out of her annoyed daze. There was a sense of purpose in her tone. "I see your Handler's away on business for now. About that 'trip' to the ice field…we've received a job from Balam already. Let's take a look, shall we?"

Infiltrate Grid 086 – Balam / Reward 160,000 COAM

"Here's the request from Balam Industries." Ayre, the schizophrenic voice in her head, delivered the mission briefing.

Huh.

"They want you to carry out an advanced survey of the Central Ice Field…to confirm the information Walter brought to them about the Coral convergence. As for how to cross the Alean Ocean…This is the intercontinental cargo launcher installed on the upper level of Grid 086. You could use it to launch your AC to the ice field." Ayre casually suggested loading herself in a mass driver designed for trains. It must be nice being noncorporeal and unaffected by G-forces. Stupid voice. "Grid 086 is occupied by Dosers…outlaws who treat Coral like a drug. It's also the territory of a belligerent group of arms dealers who call themselves RaD. Be prepared for a perilous journey. I'll be here to support you, Raven."

"…" 621 rubbed her head tiredly. Things were about to get interesting. For this mission, she decided to buy a six-cell missile launcher to fill her empty slot, and replace her laser blade with a VP-67LD laser dagger, a smaller, shorter weapon with a very high cooling efficiency and quick attack speed. While most other blades had to cool and recharge for several seconds, the laser dagger had less than half a second of down time between uses. She'd pick these weapons up enroute to the target zone.

Stepping out of her private room, 621 regarded the Strays. "Stray Squad!"

"Yes ma'am!" Uzi, V, and N were always a bit surprised when she shouted new orders for them, as they stood at attention.

"Pack your ready bags. We'll be moving around a bit this week." 621 informed them. "Got a job over in Grid 086, and from there we'll end up in the Central Ice Fields, across the Alean Ocean. Time we explore Rubicon."

"Copy!" Uzi, V, and N nodded confidently, though were anxious as they grabbed their few belongings. 621 had assured them they should only grab what they absolutely need, and that anything else could be replaced. Additionally, 621 would keep the tab for the hangar open, since it was in an optimal part of the continent.

621 also had to go through her things, taking a handful of weapons and tools. Anything else would be-

"…" Handler Walter must have a sick sense of humor. She hadn't gone through her personal effects since she had come down the well, and found a few of her belongings he must have kept for her. She'd told him to get rid of everything when she sold herself, since she had no intentions to buy her name back. Taking the two bits of metal, she tossed them over her shoulder.

"…?" Uzi looked up, seeing 621 throw something behind herself with uncaring dismissal. While she was distracted, Uzi picked up the two items.

One appeared to be an award, a five-pointed metal star on a black ribbon. In the center of the star was an image, a blindfolded woman in robes holding a scale, hand in hand with a knight…no…a machine holding a sword.

The other item was a pin, a name tag, with one word on it.

KLEIN

Uzi grimaced sadly. Why would 621 throw these away? Though she didn't recognize the award, she pocketed it and the name tag, and followed 621 towards their next mission.

Climbing into the cockpit of her AC, 621 prepared for a long mission.

"Let me handle getting us into the Grid." Ayre assured her. "I'm fairly adept at analyzing systems…and manipulating them, too."

Infiltrate Grid 086 – Balam / Western Belius / Tuesday, Tiberius 27th

At the bottom of the Grid, near the sand covered glass surface, numerous mining operations continued, feeding the corporation far above.

"Commencing infiltration to Grid 086." Ayre announced.

"…" 621 landed on a vertical catapult, that would rapidly propel her up the length of the Grid. Stray Squad were right beside her. It annoyed her that only she could hear Ayre, so she'd have to split her own time between combat and organizing the Strays. "Best you lay down, Stray Squad."

"Uh…why?" Uzi wondered.

"That catapult is going to put us under more G's than you can stand." 621 explained briefly. "Stray Three, you'll have to straddle your escort."

"Ah…" Uzi hesitated. While N was a good friend, sitting on him like that was a bit much for her. "Uh…V…?"

"…Really?" V grimaced, but spread her arms while she laid on her back, wrapping them around Uzi as the smaller machine girl laid on her chest. "D-Don't get too comfy." V hissed, her embarrassment obvious.

"Bite me!" Uzi hissed back. She and V were on unusually good terms, all things considered. Since they had a bad habit of being forced into uncomfortable situations together, they were kind of used to it. Still, they tried to resist being friends every now and then, for appearances sake.

"I'll pick you up after we land." N gave Uzi a thumbs up.

"Creating back door into system." Ayre announced to 621 as the voice accessed the catapult. "Deactivating lock on vertical catapult." Alarms blared as the platform lurched. "Connecting steam cylinders. Launching."

The catapult slammed up under them, quickly accelerating to just under the speed of sound, as they quickly ascended from surface level to the end of the catapult 2.5 kilometers above the surface. Launched into the air, 621 activated her thrusters, pushing her further up and gliding as her acceleration bled off, so that she could land on a platform 2.7 kilometers above the surface.

Uzi, V, and N screamed the entire time up the catapult, and even louder once they were in the air, tumbling through the sky. V and N deployed their wings, allowing them to bleed off all their speed, and glide down beside 621.

"Ah, I hated that!" N shouted. "Let's do it again!"

"Oh what the fuck…?" Uzi held her head as V let her down. "I want to throw up. Who the fuck programmed that?!"

"I think my head's still spinning." V complained while frowning.

"Hmm." Ayre laughed softly at the antics of Stray Squad. "Alright Raven. Let's get to work, shall we?"

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

They'd landed on a long and wide train line, hung between several of the industrial stalactites surrounding the Grid 086 megapillar. Considering this area was controlled by RaD, they made an effort to utilize it's surrounding industry and manufacturing capabilities for their own ends.

"Stray Squad, be advised this area is pretty heavily occupied. We'll be going in and out of the megastructures as we ascend the Grid. Stray One, you'll be on scout duty. Stray Two, escort Stray Three. Stray Three, keep your eyes open for any valuable components laying around." 621 ordered.

"Copy." Stray Squad answered back. V then took off while N caried Uzi on his back.

Scouting ahead, V plotted out the enemies standing in their path. "Counting several squads of RaD MTs, Buzzsaw and Missile subtype, above and below the bridge."

RaD MTs were an entirely unique kind of weapon on Rubicon compared to what BAWS or the PCA would produce. Retrofitted unmanned civilian model construction tetrapods, they lacked the basic flight boosters provided from the other fractions, but made up for it with a high ground speed and the ability to walk upside down across a ceiling. The "Buzzsaw" variant was armed with a two-shot bazooka launcher on it's left arm, and a large demolition saw on it's right arm. This variant had a large catwalk affixed to it's back, a leftover from it's previous ability to line up with several of it's kind and create a temporary bridge in construction zones. The "Missile" variant was built on the same tetrapod chassis, but was more than doubly armed, with a two-shot bazooka on each arm, a four-cell guided missile launcher on it's right shoulder, and a cruise missile launcher on it's left shoulder. Otherwise, RaD MTs were just a bit tougher than the manned MTs produced by other corporations, not that they would last long against an AC.

"We'll focus on the ones blocking our path for now." 621 declared. She engaged the first set of enemies, two Buzzsaw MTs, crossing the wide rail line to do so. Dodging between their bazooka rounds, she destroyed the first with her shotgun, and used her new laser dagger to slash at the second repeatedly, cutting it down. Behind these two MTs where two Missile subtypes, already firing on her with guided ordnance. Sending six missiles towards the first enemy, she gained altitude and fired on the second with her mortars, destroying it.

"Three more Missile types, Raven." V advised, staying far above.

"…" 621 grunted in acknowledgment, and targeted the furthest two MTs with missile and mortar fire, taking them out. Staying low, she managed to get close to the third MT from behind the cover of several train cars, only to pounce on it and tear it apart with her blade.

"Be advised Raven, there's an AC ahead…though it seems minimally armed?" V wondered. "It's covering the path ahead, no way to avoid it's attention.

"Acknowledged, stay back and observe." 621 ordered, jumping up to the next level, an industrial void space for trains and heavy manufacturing.

"Who's this tourist?" A man demanded hungrily. "You think you can just waltz straight in here?"

His AC was a combination of Defang and RaD parts. A heavyweight, box shaped Tian-Qiang Core and flat, cyclopean head part from the same model. The arms and legs were from a heavy duty 3000 series demolition mech, repurposed for combat by Coral-raving RaD engineers. He was armed with only two weapons, and inefficiently at that. A "Sweet Sixteen" shotgun, which was really more of a heavy handgun with thirteen 50mm barrels it fired at once, and a "Double Trouble", a demolition chainsaw with two four-meter-long blades, which could be used to carve into enemies. Both weapons were produced by RaD. However, since he was not using "reserve slots" on his back mounts, he couldn't utilize his fist for close range combat, not that he could engage from any range but that.

"Hope you're watchin', boss. Leave it to 'Invincible' Rummy to show our guest a good time!" The man identified himself enthusiastically.

"Arena registration found. AC identified as 'Mad Stomp'." Ayre noted, then added in mildly amused disbelief, "…Ranked dead last."

"…" 621 engaged, firing a volley of missiles that tracked him closely, and gained altitude to fire from above with dual-mortars. Rummy tanked the missiles to the face, but did dodge away from the mortars, still being caught at the edge of their blast radius, slowly destabilizing him.

"Me and Mad Stomp can't be beat!" Rummy boasted loudly.

"…" 621 got in close, landing both shotgun and missile hits that left Rummy staggered. She rushed him and delivered several heavy blade strikes, and kicked him for good measure, doing serious damage to his armor.

"Argh…!" Rummy grunted, then exclaimed excitedly. "You're no ordinary tourist!"

Firing on her with his own shotgun, Rummy managed minimal but decent damage against her armor, not enough for her to worry about at the moment, however. He also activated his chainsaw, and dragged the spinning blades along the ground, kicking up sparks and screeching loudly as he swung up, just missing 621 as she kept her distance from the heavy melee weapon. It was over five and a half tons, and not something she wanted to be knocked around by.

Wanting to finish this fight quickly, 621 fired her mortars and shotgun at close range, staggering him again, and finished him off with multiple, fast blade strikes that cut into his armor.

"N-No! MAD STOOOMP!" Rummy screamed as he died.

"Hostile AC destroyed." Ayre announced, before she pinged the next location for the Hound to follow.

"Stray Squad, on to the next area." 621 ordered. "Eyes open."

Flying up to the now opened door that would take them deeper into Grid 086, 621 led the way.

"Looks like you're having fun…tourist." A woman over the loudspeaker spat with annoyance. "Y'know, RaD loves a good welcome party. Come on in and let's get acquainted." There was an underlying threat in her tone.

"How courteous." Ayre commented confidently. "Let's take her up on the offer, Raven."

The area before them was filled with large, grated platforms loaded with cargo and materials, train lines extending from the Grid 086 megapillar directly into it's adjoining industrial stalactites, and dozens of busy cranes that pivoted and pulled materials from three kilometers below. There were smokestacks and refineries, exposed conduit and piping. It was an inverted industrial valley a kilometer and a half wide.

Above, was the RaD symbol, three large, yellow recycling arrows pointing clockwise behind the "RaD" name. Reuse and Development.

"Stray Two, Stray Three, sit back while I clear the area. Stray One, stay evasive and scout ahead."

"Copy!" Uzi, V, and N answered back.

"I've gathered data on the woman from that broadcast." Ayre announced. "That was Carla, leader of RaD, a formidable Doser fraction. She joined them three years ago, bringing with her a crew of junk wizards and hackers. Within half a year, she seized total control and greatly expanded their operations."

"Counting lots of dispersed MT squads ahead Raven." V alerted. "Buzzsaws and Missiles across from you. Even a few BAWS MTs on the bridge."

"Copy. Engaging." 621 confirmed, assault-boosting across the open gap to engage the RaD MTs.

In the opposite direction, N hovered above while Uzi looked around curiously.

"Let's check out the area back there, N." Uzi suggested. "Towards the megapillar."

"Alright, hang on tight." N agreed, swooping in low, in between the large industrial buildings and along another long rail line.

And right into the side of two unmanned BAWS tetrapods.

"Oh shit! N!" Uzi warned him, a second too late.

Both heavy tetrapods were armed with a double-barreled auto-shotgun, heavy laser blade, and hyper-velocity 155mm sniper cannon. The lead tetrapod managed to get a shot off with it's shotgun, damaging N's wings.

"Ack!" N cried out, managing to roll into a landing that kept Uzi from harm. Still, with two massive BAWS tetrapods nearly on top of them, they were far from safe.

"H-Help! We need help here!" N begged.

"Two tetrapod's on us! Can't evade!" Uzi shouted more helpfully, but no less worriedly.

"…Stray One, get in there and extract them. I'll be right behind you." 621 advised, finishing off one of the RaD MTs by kicking it off the platform, towards the ground three kilometers below.

"On it!" V replied confidently, flying towards N and Uzi.

Even without his wings, N was quick enough to evade the shots from the two tetrapod's while he carried Uzi, but it wasn't a game he could keep up forever. Too far away, and the tetrapod's would use their heavy cannons on him. Too close, and they would lunge at him with their heavy blades.

He only had to keep it up for a few seconds, as V soon arrived and fired two of her missiles into the sides of the tetrapods, distracting them. Though against their heavy armor, it didn't do much, but it did stop their pursuit of N and Uzi. Then it was just a matter of picking up N while he carried Uzi, flying back towards the platforms that 621 had cleared.

"Is saving you two going to be a habit for me?" V sarcastically asked.

"T-Thanks V." N smiled appreciatively.

"Yeah, thanks!" Uzi added honestly.

"…" Covering their retreat, 621 dropped down on the two tetrapod's as V carried off N and Uzi. It took quite a bit of work, using all her ordnance and heavy use of her blade, but she'd cut them down to size, and even managed to kick one off the platform, down to a lower level where it folded in on itself.

"…Stray Squad, report." 621 demanded.

"Condition green." V answered promptly,

"I-uh…I'm better." N answered sheepishly. "Wings just grew back, I'm good to go. I should have been more careful."

"I'm good here." Uzi answered, then followed up. "It…it was my fault. I suggested scouting that area out."

"…That mistake was on both of you." 621 declared. "You changed position without alerting me and flew too close to a patrol route. Think next time."

"Y-Yes ma'am." N and Uzi answered shamefully, while V smiled, proud of herself.

"Using Laconian strays as scouts?" Carla noted. "Curious choice, tourist."

"…" 621 ignored the loudspeaker, and repositioned on the bridge leading to the industrial stalactite, knocking out several unmanned BAWS tetrapods along the way. "Stray Three, start working on getting that next door open."

"Copy!" Uzi answered as N flew her down towards a large door. V kept high and to the rear while 621 boosted across the bridge.

"Raven, from above!" V warned. "Two…uh…something!"

621 turned around and found two strange cylinders falling a hundred meters behind her. They looked a bit like large metal wheels, each ten meters tall.

"Kept us waiting, tourist." Carla announced with cruel excitement. "Told you we love a good party."

The two wheels ejected four outer panels along their circular sides. What stood up were by far the strangest MTs on Rubicon. Each was over twenty meters tall, stood on three short, stumpy legs, and had a long, thin body utterly covered in weapons. In each hand was a large, sideways facing circular shield, which were lined with eight three-barreled 30mm gatling guns each. On their body were sixteen short-barreled 50mm cannons, which could be fired all at once like a shotgun. On their back were two six-cell guided missile launchers, and also along their front were ten, thirty-six cell rocket pods.

This utterly bizarre cyclopean contraption was one of Carla's personally designed creations. She called them her "Toybox" mechs.

"…" 621 immediately opened fire with her dual-mortar on the closest enemy, only to grunt in irritation as the artillery failed to destroy the hunchbacked MT. It did leave the MT staggered, allowing her to finish it off with her shotgun. Dodging the plethora of fire from the many guns of the other MT, she fired on it with her missiles, only for the tall MT to curl back into a ball, charge at her, then jump up to fire it's chest-mounted cannons to try and surprise her. 621 dodged around the obvious attack, and kicked the MT, then repeatedly struck it with her laser dagger, cutting into it's thick armor and killing it.

"Well! You're no slouch, are you?" Carla commented. She didn't expect her Toybox MTs to get the better of the AC, but 621's speed and brutality was still noteworthy.

"I got the doors open, Raven." Uzi announced.

"…Stray One, scout cautiously, we're going indoors here, less room for you to maneuver. Stray Two, keep Stray Three close." 621 ordered.

"Copy!" Uzi, V, and N answered back promptly.

The space beyond the door was a relatively "small" loading dock, with a twenty-meter-tall fluid car on the train tracks, sitting underneath a loading crane. The door beyond was locked, but the "crawlspace" fifty meters above was open.

Of course, the crawlspace was more than large enough to accommodate an AC, even with all the conduit and support rafters. V flew in close to the top, of the rafters, carefully scouting ahead.

"One MT in the rafters, Raven." V called out. "Two more in the room past that."

"…" 621 assault-boosted through the rafters, kicking the first MT before it spotted her and finishing it off with her blade. The second was below, through a hole in the rafters, which she fired on with her dual-mortars, destroying it. Jumping down through the hole, she turned around and shot the third MT off the roof before it could turn around.

"Raven, I'm getting a sensor ping behind us. Might be equipment Uzi could investigate." V advised.

"Copy. Stray Two, get Stray Three in there while we continue ahead." 621 ordered.

"Copy!" N and Uzi answered, as N flew behind several large canisters, finding an armored container hidden away behind the storage area. Uzi marked the container and checked it's contents.

"This is a head part to a 3000 series AC. Good call V!" Uzi announced.

621 continued ahead, with V flying through the narrow halls inside the area. The twisting lines of conduit and support led to a vertical lift area. V flew up, and noticed a minor ambush.

"Another weird MT, about to drop on you Raven!" V warned as the container for another Toybox MT dropped down the lift, opened in front of 621 and fired on her with it's many guns.

"…" There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver, but 621 managed to dodge most of the incoming weapons fire, and returned fire with missiles and shotgun, doing decent damage to the strange MT. She got in close and kicked it, then finished it off with her blade.

V continued up the vertical shaft, and after another short hallway found an active metals foundry, an expansive room with a large pit in the center, a loading area about a hundred meters deep, with the left side of the room actively smelting metal, a small molten lake of it being purified. The area was patrolled by a few enemies occupying the space.

"Counting one Buzzsaw and one Missile MT ahead, and two light MTs."

"…" 621 grunted in response, and made short work of the MTs. Their dispersed pattern made it easy to deal with them one by one.

With the room cleared, V noticed more open areas near their position, and more containers.

"Raven, there's salvage and a few MTs behind the foundry, and one of the metal outlets appears to show signs of recent activity." V noted and reported.

"Copy that. Stray Two, be prepared to bring up Stray Three to my position. Stray One, permission granted to scout down the pipe." 621 coordinated with her Strays.

"Copy!" Uzi, V, and N called out. V slowly flew down the cold smelting pipe while N brought Uzi up just behind 621, waiting for her to clear the next room.

621 dropped down behind the foundry, and fired her dual-mortars into a pair of RaD MTs, one of the Buzzsaw mechs being outright destroyed, while the other was disoriented. She finished it off with her shotgun.

N dropped Uzi near the container, allowing her to check it's contents.

"Oh! This is another part to a 3000 series AC." Uzi announced.

"Wow, you're finding lots of stuff, Uzi!" N added cheerfully.

"Eh…I'm just following V's reports and Raven's orders." Uzi dismissed.

Meanwhile, V followed the smelting pipe through two turns, and came out in a room with a relatively deep pit. Still getting sensor pings, she dropped down the pit to investigate closely.

The pit led down into a long room, a decrepit and forgotten storage and industrial area, with several large containers for something deep inside the industrial stalactite.

"Oh! It looks like another AC part container!" V called out. "It's quite a bit out of the way, so I'll move in and mark it myself."

It was her wide-angle peripheral vision, from her extra eyes lining her head that saved her little machine life. She noticed a bright red AC made up with high performance Balam and Arquebus parts, hiding in the corner, with weapons trained on her as she passed.

"Shit!" V screamed as she dodged laser and rifle fire. "Help!"

"I've got you now!" The AC pilot shouted on an open channel. "Sending a little Laconian rat to collect from me? What idiot came up with that one? Either way, I don't owe you a damn thing!"

"I've got an enemy AC! Pinning me down! Help!"

"Stay evasive, I'm inbound." 621 calmly ordered as she followed V's flight path through the cold tunnel, and down the pit.

"There's no affiliation for that AC. It's an independent mercenary." Ayre reported calmly. "Rank 26/E. Callsign: Nosaac."

"…" 621 came into the room from behind, but purposely wasted her ambush opportunity by firing her shotgun far too early, in order to distract the AC and get it away from V.

"Tsk! So that was just a scout for an AC? Whatever! You made a big mistake coming here!" Nosaac hissed, turning to engage 621 with his mix of Balam ballistic weapons and Arquebus laser weapons.

621 fired her dual-mortars, but Nosaac blocked them with a forward facing pulse buckle shield, that extended from his left back slot, causing considerably less damage than usual. That certainly complicated things, but she could overcome it.

"I think he was expecting someone else…let's deal with him and be on our way." Ayre suggested.

"…" 621 agreed, and attacked with her blade, getting in close and breaking down his energy shield. This left him staggered for a moment, so she fired at point blank range with her shotgun, and kicked him back, doing plenty of damage to his armor.

"Don't worry. I put your money to good use." Nosaac bragged. "Just take a look at what my new AC can do! My credit score is only going to go up!"

Nosaac recovered and fired his spread bazooka, a kind of multi-round artillery cannon, inside of the narrow room, catching 621 with some splash damage. It wasn't much, but 621 could not afford to let her guard slip, even against this idiot.

Dodging his laser and rifle fire, 621 fired again with her Songbirds, that Nosaac once again blocked with his shield. Even so, 621 was far more aggressive, and quickly dealt further damage to his armor.

"Ngh!" Nosaac grunted in frustration. "Get it through your thick skull! Why would I return what I borrow!?"

"…" 621 ignored his comment, and moved to finish him off, piercing his armor with her blade.

"You gotta put that shit to work!" Nosaac cried out. "Every last credit…"

"Hostile AC destroyed." Ayre announced. "Let's move on."

"T-Thanks Raven." V sighed, seeing her master kill again with her usual, brutal efficiency.

"Report, Stray One." 621 demanded.

"I'm good." V assured her. "Still, what was that about?"

"…" 621 waited a moment, allowing Ayre to spit out an answer that she then retold. "That was Nosaac. Rank 26/E. He apparently had a bad habit of taking on debts he had no intention of paying off. If he was hiding here, I'm betting that Balam and Arquebus must have active bounties on his head. Good work Stray One, you managed to find good salvage and a bounty. I'll be sure to split that reward with you. Just…next time, remember to check your damn doors and corners."

"Yes Raven." V nodded solemnly.

"Lead the way back, Stray One." 621 ordered.

After marking another part for a 3000 series AC, V and 621 returned to the room with a foundry, reconvening with N and Uzi, as they prepared to exit the industrial stalactite and move on to the next area.

"We're only about two-thirds of the way through the target area. Still a ways to go." 621 warned as they opened the next door, currently at an altitude of 3.2 kilometers above the surface.

"Can't get good help these days, can you?" Carla complained over the loudspeaker. "It would have been cheaper to just hire you and your strays instead."

Their path had caused them to do a U-turn, and approach the Grid 086 megapillar's outlying industrial platforms. They were still well short, and had to fly up another three hundred meters to get to the next vertical catapult, which finally left them at an altitude of 3.8 kilometers above the planet's surface, just over halfway up the side of the megapillar. There were several interconnected levels and train lines that split off from this point towards the many surrounding megastructures.

They must be nearing their objective.

While V scouted out ahead, N drifted off with Uzi and checked the right flank, down another trainline that led into a lower level.

"Oh! Raven!" Uzi exclaimed. "There's another storage container on the right flank, down the train tracks. It's guarded by three MTs."

"Copy that. Clearing the way." 621 replied, following the path they found. She noticed two of the MTs, powered down and upside down, in an ambush position if she got close. She fired on them with her dual mortars, destroying one and causing the other to fall off, the second landed on it's head and exploded. The third MT she destroyed with her blade, opening the area for Uzi and N to swoop in and mark the salvage.

"This is the fourth piece to a 3000 series AC! We have a whole spare now!" Uzi cheered.

"Good job, Stray Two, Stray Three." 621 nodded to them, then returned to her objective.

"Raven, I'm counting five MTs and one BAWS tetrapod, defending a door." V reported. "Although…"

"What is it, Stray One? Spit it out." 621 demanded.

"There are four large gas containers, directly over the enemy position." V noted.

"…Investigate further. Report what you find." 621 ordered.

"Copy!" V answered back, looking more closely at cluster of flammable containers. "Raven, be advised these containers are fastened in place with explosive bolts. It looks like an ambush."

"Hmm." 621 nodded. "Stray One, cut them down. Earn your keep."

"Yes ma'am!" V replied enthusiastically. She deployed her sword hands and cut through the thin metal holding the explosive containers in place, causing them to fall on the enemy position.

"Oh. You noticed the fireworks I left for you." Carla announced over the loudspeaker. "You're a smart cookie, aren't you little drone?"

"Good hits!" V reported. "All MTs destroyed! Be advised, BAWS tetrapod is banged up, but still active."

"Acknowledged, Stray One. Sit back and relax for a moment." 621 ordered, as she jumped down to engage the heavy tetrapod. This model was different, armed with a heavy machine gun and a heavy three-barrel bazooka, while it used a physical shield to increase it's protective posture.

621 pounced on the tetrapod, firing on it with dual mortars, then tearing into it with her blade. Left staggered, the heavy tetrapod was vulnerable, so she kicked it, and shot it through the cockpit block. Though, without a human pilot, all she shredded was silicon.

"Interesting. Seems our tourist is a cut above the rest." Carla noted. "And those little strays are no joke either. Alright tourist, that's enough. You've made your point. I surrender. It's just not worth the losses. C'mon, I'll let you through. Hop along now."

"…" 621 knew that Carla had something in reserve. She was curious to see what it was.

"Let's see what she has up her sleeve." Ayre was of the same mind, cautious of what lay ahead. "Shall we, Raven?"

"…Stray Squad." 621 announced. "Form up. There's likely one more threat. Time to see what's what."

"Copy!" Uzi, V, and N shouted, a little tired and a little worried.

Before continuing down the end of the hallway that Carla had just opened for them, 621 stopped and ordered a Sherpa, replenishing her ammo and repairing her damage.

She'd need it.

At the end of the hall, up a very heavy transit line, was one more door, that Carla conveniently opened for them.

"You're not afraid of anything, are you?" Clara noted approvingly. "I like that in a tourist."

The room opened to reveal a very wide train loading area with extra large train cars along the sides, and a metal smelting foundry in the middle of the room.

"Uh…were is the enemy?" V questioned, scouting ahead.

N posted near the top of the room with Uzi, wondering as well.

"Nothing coming behind you Raven. All clear." N added.

"I…don't understand. There's nothing…wait." Uzi stared across the room suspiciously. "Why is there a metal smelting foundry in the middle of the train lines?"

The two massive shredders sitting beside the foundry, large blocks filled with spinning blades lined with crushing teeth, shifted forward, as the entire, seventy-meter-tall metal smelting foundry surged forward, the shredders held out as claws that launched towards 621, intending to crush her.

"…" 621 took flight, barely dodging out of the way as the claws of a molten metal mountain tried to smash her under their oppressive weight.

"Too bad that this is goodbye." Carla announced bitterly.

"So it was a trap." Ayre realized calmly. "The Dosers are certainly living up to their reputation."

As for Uzi, V, and N, they could only stare slack jawed as 621 faced another machine horror beyond their imagination.

EC-0804: Smart Cleaner. A barely sapient, unholy combination of vacuum cleaner and metal foundry in the shape of a crab. It was comprised of four major sections. A circular tower-shaped body filled with molten metal, behind a massive square head with a pair of heavy mortars on it's face, besides it's square shaped maw filled with fire. And those two massive arms, super-heated cutting claws that glowed in the large, dark room.

"It's some kind of autonomous demolition mech…a rather well equipped one." Ayre analyzed. "Those grinder arms can easily destroy an AC…be careful."

"…" 621 got behind the massive mobile metals foundry and fired her shotgun at it. She sighed watching the pellets bounce harmlessly off it's thick industrial armor. As she backed off to reassess the situation, the thing turned around, and lunged at her again with it's massive claws, intending to chew her up.

"Look out Raven! It has thrusters on it's back! It's very fast!" V warned.

"Raven! Try shooting it in the mouth and from above!" Uzi suggested. "There's no armor there!"

"…" Well, that wasn't the worst idea. 621 took off, hovering above the Smart Cleaner long enough to fire her dual mortars and missiles into it's exposed back. While it worked, and she could see it's stability start to deteriorate, it retaliated by shooting clumps of burning metal out of it's funnel, trying to knock her out of the sky.

As she tried to land, to recharge her capacitors, the Smart Cleaner violently vomited boiling molten metal from it's maw, covering the ground in liquid fire.

"…" Well, at least it wasn't actual fire. 621 could deal with this, as she boosted away from the burning puddle. The Smart Cleaner fired it's facial cannons at her, so she returned the favor, sending two mortar rounds down it's throat. She then got close enough to stick her shotgun into it's mouth and fired, causing the RaD super weapon to falter, hanging it's head limply. 621 took the opportunity to forced her laser dagger down it's throat, doing damage to it's fragile insides.

621 backed off as the Smart Cleaner recovered, raising it's head in time to eat two more mortar rounds from the lone AC. Something this large wouldn't go down easy.

"Nice!" Carla praised. "I heard you were good. But the Cleaner's going to have the last laugh."

As 621 took to the air again to shoot down at it, the Smart Cleaner raised it's claws, and started spraying dozens of projectiles up towards the AC. Tons of burning metal scrap disgorged from it's molten bowels to discourage her from shooting it in it's weak spot.

"It's behavior pattern has changed…watch out." Ayre warned.

"…" 621 dodged and weaved through the burning scrap flung at her, getting several shots off into it's exposed back, then tried to land far away from the burning beast. In response, the Smart Cleaner held it's claws vertically, and sprayed molten scrap across the room, leaving her few places to hide from the burning rain.

Uzi, V, and N huddled fearfully at the top of the rafters, the heat from the Smart Cleaners attacks setting off overheat alarms in their own systems.

"Ack! It's too hot!" N complained.

"Gah!" Uzi gasped painfully.

"Raven! We're cooking up here! Kill it quick!" V begged.

"…" With that request made, 621 focused all her effort to killing this thing as quickly as possible. Staying on the ground, she kept to the front of it, trying to send as much ordnance down it's throat that she could. In response, the Smart Cleaner swept wide with it's arms, turning it's face away from her while it tried to attack. She'd managed to get enough shots through to stagger it again, and thrust her blade deep down it's throat.

Thoroughly annoyed, the Smart Cleaner shook her off, and vomited more molten metal across the ground, forcing 621 to back off. Out in the open, the Smart Cleaner charged her, first with one claw, lunging it forward across the ground as it churned up sparks, then with the other claw, coming at her from a different angle. Finally, it raised it's claws high and smashed them down, trying to crush her flat.

All the while, 621 kept her distance, slowly bleeding it with her ordnance, just for the chance to kill it, once more. Then, she noticed something. The armored lump on top of it's head, a platform protecting three beady machine eyes, glaring down with imperceivable hate.

Taking a chance, 621 fired her mortars down it's throat, forcing it to stagger once again, boosted towards it's head, and thrust her blade through it's middle eye, sinking the blade to the hilt inside it's machine brain.

Lobotomized, the Smart Cleaner shook and shuttered, death throws shaking it apart as it's massive head twitched, before it hung it's head, dead against the ground.

"Enemy system offline. Complete shutdown confirmed." Ayre announced.

"…Enough, tourist." Carla called again over the loudspeaker. "It's been miserable knowing you, but…I guess playing nice is the smart choice here. You and the little ones want to go up top, right? Let me show you the way." She promised honestly. "Guided tour from 'Cinder' Carla herself."

"…" 621 sighed, and considered the offer. "Stray Squad."

V and N flew down from the rafters to meet her, Uzi on N's back. They all had pseudo-electric sweat beads rolling down their visors, their eyes hollowed to show their discomfort.

"Let's go check in. Then we'll see about new work." 621 announced.

Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

Putting the lease down for a new hangar, Uzi, N, and V found a nearly identical tunnel as the one in Grid 073, except without all their accommodations.

Sending their report up of the mission earned them all a hefty paycheck of 600,000 COAM, which after expenses for ammo and repair came out to roughly 550,000 COAM. Additionally, reporting the kill against Nosaac earned them an additional 40,000 from Arquebus and Balam, as part of the bounty they had out on him for his debts. So, in total, Stray Squad had earned 177,000 Coam.

As for the 3000 series AC they had salvaged, it would be going to storage, as something held in reserve.

621 told them to stand by, as she checked in at the central control console for any new messages.

/ONE NEW MESSAGE

/SENDER: "Cinder" Carla

"Getting comfortable, tourist?" The woman asked with a playful, sensual voice. "I hope so. Because I've got something for you. Don't worry, I'm not one to hold a grudge, in fact, breaking all my toys means I'm in a bit of a pinch. Now…where could I find a mercenary ready to do some dirty work? Hmm, can't think of any off the top of my head. But hey, why don't you come up and chat about it with me. You wanna ride that mass driver, right? Going to need some help setting it up, and while you're waiting for that, I have some work that needs doing. See ya soon, tourist."

/END OF MESSAGE

"…" Interesting.

"An invitation to meet RaD's leader…" Ayre realized as well. "This could just be another one of her traps…but after the impression you left on her last time, I think that's unlikely. Still, you should take the Strays as back up."

"…" 621 agreed, and went to collect her property. "Stray Squad!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Uzi, V, and N answered tiredly, but promptly.

"No mission, just need an escort." 621 advised. "We'll be meeting with 'Cinder' Carla, leader of RaD. Seems she has some work for us."

"Wait…you mean the lady who was yelling at us over the loudspeaker?" Uzi realized. "The one who's stuff we blew up?"

"Yes."

"Uh…won't she be mad though?" N wondered. "Cause we uh…blew up her stuff?"

"Not necessarily." 621 explained. "In fact, our exploits today have served as a sort of…resume…of our ability. She's more inclined to hire us to fill in for the losses than to seek revenge. It's just more economically viable."

"Uh…" V raised a question. "Why is she called 'Cinder'?"

"Mmm." 621 hummed. "It's a Rubiconian honorific, like mister or misses. Except that it marks her, as a survivor of the Fires."

Grid 086 – Reuse and Development Headquarters

Just a few kilometers wrapped around the megapillar, past various shanty towns and rudimentary residential facilities, they found the headquarters to the independent Doser fraction.

"Hey uh, Raven?" V complained. "How come we have to go around with our weapons locked? You let us use them on missions."

"…" 621 sighed. "Technically speaking, you're not supposed to be going around using your weapons at all. Since I can only rationalize it while on mission, against valid enemies, it's the only time I'm allowed to leave your collars unlocked. The rest of the time, outside of combat, it's expected that I keep you locked down…sorry."

"Oh…it's fine." V pouted, but accepted the explanation.

Entering the headquarters, there were of course Dosers, men and women who shared an interest in doping up on Coral. Those of RaD were noted to be the moderates, however, since they cut their Coral. For the most part, they could be reasoned with.

There was also a surprising number of AI, both humanoid and more specialized, working alongside the Dosers. They worked in equal parts, either as soldiers or engineers. Their export was dumb combat AI piloted MTs, after all.

However, the most surprising residents and employees, were the Jenson model Worker Drones.

"Wha…What?" Uzi stared dumbfounded, confused, and mildly concerned. She wasn't concerned that RaD had enslaved Worker Drones, marked by their Coral control devises on their necks. She was concerned about why the free Worker Drones were working here, side by side with the enslaved ones. "Raven…what's going on?"

"No idea…" 621 answered, as they were led by an escort to the main office space.

It was a custom combination office-hangar area, with a messy slew of blueprints and workbenches loaded with contraptions overlooking a wide warehouse and storage room. Brightly lit and playing pleasant Jazz, they found the two leaders of RaD. "Cinder" Carla and "Chatty" Stick.

Carla was a cheerful woman who managed to look both younger and older than 621, streaks of grey running through her messy black hair, and unmarred chocolate skin. She wore a crop shirt under her work overall, exposing her midriff, with high work boots that extended up to her knees. There was a tattoo of a pink spider, spinning it's web on her neck. Behind her square glasses was her most prominent feature, two unnaturally bright red eyes, that marked her as a Doser.

She stared at them as they approached, smiling with her eyes.

"Chatty" Stick was the affectionately given name to one of Carla's inventions. He was a sentient AI of Carla's own design, placed within an Armored Core tank, thirteen meters tall, painted in pale yellow and light blue. His "legs" were a set of high maneuverability tank treads designed to look like a wheelchair, while he used a 3000 series Core and 2000 series arms. His head was a BAWS produced part with high defense, a flat, square box with seven triangular eyes in two rows across his face.

Standing on the lower level of the hangar, his torso towered over the office space, allowing him to stare down at his master, and her guest.

"Welcome to my humble abode, tourist." Carla greeted excitedly. "You too, little ones."

"Greetings, tourist." Chatty uttered flatly, as he waved stiffly with his massive arms. Though he was sentient, Carla hadn't quite figured out how to get him to express emotions.

"…C4-621, at your service." 621 announced. "Accompanied by Stray Squad, units One, Two, and Three."

"I'm certain." Carla nodded. "But that's not their names, are they?"

"…" 621 shook her head, and gestured her Strays forward.

"Oh…uh…I'm Uzi."

"V."

"N! Nice to meet you!"

"That's better." Carla smiled. "Now, you're interested in using the mass driver to cross the ocean, right?" She surmised. "Want to be boots first into the Coral survey?"

"That's the plan." 621 confirmed.

"Well, sucks for you, because it's not hooked up to anything." Carla reported. "Now, it would be simple for me to spin up some reactors, and set up fire control to get it working. That's going to take a few days at minimum though. So, while you're here, it would stand that I could use some help with a few projects. You punched a nice AC shaped hole in my defenses, and that's undermined my ability to do business in these exciting times. I need some time to rebuild the MTs necessary to exert control over the Grid. Plus, there's that thing about you killing my lieutenant, Rummy, and stealing an entire AC out from under me."

"…" 621 stared quietly.

"Ah…sorry?" N sheepishly apologized.

"Hmm, it's no mind." Carla dismissed casually. "If I wasn't actively hacking his messages, he would have betrayed me for the Coyotes months ago. Plus, I'd rather you take the AC and keep it in storage, rather than letting the Coyotes have it. While those losses are of some concern, it's something I have covered. But I'll need some help."

"So you have work?" 621 demanded.

"A few jobs here and in the neighboring Grid sectors." Carla confirmed. "The Coyotes are going to be making moves now that a bunch of my assets are scrap, so I need you to fill in defensively until I can get my reserves set up."

"We'll take what we can get." 621 agreed.

"Excellent." Carla confirmed. "I look forward to working with you, tourist."

"Chief." Chatty announced, turning his many eyes towards her. "We have confirmation. Balam took the shipment."

"…" Carla deflated just a tiny bit, and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I expected something like that."

"Uh…what shipment?" Uzi curiously questioned.

Carla looked down at Uzi sympathetically. "A bunch of your kind. About three thousand Worker Drones."

"What!?" Uzi screamed. "What happened!?"

"Stray Three-" 621 hissed.

"It's fine." Carla spoke up. "I'm happy to answer any questions. Now, what happened was you lot. A whole bunch of MTs and one of my few ACs got smashed up good, leaving a big hole in my defenses for the sector. Balam sent a raider force in behind you, and snatched up all the containers filled with Worker Drones."

"Why…why were you transporting Worker Drones!?" Uzi demanded. "Why do you have free Workers working alongside enslaved ones?!"

Carla smiled sadly. "You're quite the little spark plug, aren't you? I like that. Not many of your people are that passionate about anything. The truth is, I've taken a keen interest in your kind. While the other corps and fractions are happy enough to use your kind as slaves, as extra hands for manufacturing, I decided I wanted to do something different. I recognize you for the sentient beings you are, so I've made an investment. I've opened up the manufacturing sectors of Grid 085, and turned them into a sanctuary for your kind. A place where uncollared Workers can live freely."

"You…you're protecting Workers?" Uzi looked up in shock. "Why?"

"Because it's profitable." Carla answered. "Make no mistake, I'm no saint, I have plenty of my own enslaved Workers. But I don't take pleasure in treating them as such. Now, maybe I won't be making as much scrip paying the slaved and the free a working wage for the hours they put in for me, both here and in Grid 085, but I find that I can live with myself a little better. It also saves me the time and effort of getting my hands on more. Words going round to some of the still undecided, roaming groups of Workers wandering across Rubicon that I'm hosting a sanctuary for them. I've already got thirty thousand Workers in Grid 085, and another ten thousand here. I'd like to get more, but events like today put a hold on those plans."

"So…today…the job for Balam?" V realized.

"Yep. You guys helped Balam get their hands on more Workers. I'm certain they will put them into heavy manual labor. Hopefully…just manual labor." Carla hissed.

"No!" Uzi screamed. "I…I helped enslave my own kind?! What the fuck!?"

"Uzi..." N placed his hand on her shoulder sadly.

"You!" Uzi yelled at 621. "Did you know!? Was this another one of your fucking lessons!?"

"No…but it seems like it will do as one." 621 sighed, as she knelt down to Uzi's level. "Sometimes we get jobs that are too good to be true. Sometimes we should have read the fine print. Sometimes we don't know what result our actions will have until it's too late. Today…we screwed your people over. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Uzi cried, bowing her head shamefully. Of all the things that could happen to her on Rubicon, helping a corporation put her own people in chains was the furthest from her mind. She burned with shame and disgrace.

"Uzi…" V ran her fingers through Uzi's hair.

621 grabbed Uzi by the head, forcing her to look up at her master. "Don't sulk in it. Don't wallow in shame. Carla is offering work to make this right. To protect her business interest, and by extension, your people. That's a good trade, don't you think?"

"Okay…okay…" Uzi nodded fiercely, glaring up with determination. "What would you have us do, Ms. Carla?"

"Rest, for now." Carla dismissed. "Taking on the Smart Cleaner probably took a lot out of each of you. Tomorrow, I'll have worked lined up. Like your master says, protecting my interest will help your people in the long run. Don't wallow in shame, Sparky. Fight to make it right."

"Okay. We will." Uzi announced forcefully, her little purple eyes narrowed with determination.

"…Stray Squad. Wait outside a moment." 621 ordered.

"Y-Yes ma'am." Uzi, V, and N nodded.

Carla looked curiously to the Hound, eyes wide with interest.

"I meant to ask you the reason you put a certain Worker upgrade on the market." 621 demanded coldly.

"Oh…that." Carla nodded in understanding. "I take it they don't know?"

"It would only frighten them."

"Yeah. It would." Carla sighed. "When I get to heaven, I'm going to remind them about this little thing I made, and the innocence it destroyed, so I can go to the other place. As you've no doubt noticed, I like machines, even the relics of Laconia. So…the things that have been happening to them on this world…" Carla stared off distantly. "Too many little machines were being hurt. Too many dying to depraved and cruel injuries. So I made an upgrade to make the reason for those injuries unnecessary, and the coding to understand why they need it. I'm not…proud…with what I've done. But at least I can argue that it has saved machine lives, and spared them unnecessary suffering. I'm disgusted with what I've done, but I've found a way to live with it."

"Mmm." 621 nodded, and turned to walk away.

"Hey tourist." Carla called 621, forcing her to turn around. "There are only a handful of us on this scorched damned world to take sympathy on their kind. If we don't do something, they will be wiped out, or worse. Protect your Strays, and keep them close."

"…I'll try." 621 nodded. "But I still won't forgive them."

"You don't have to forgive them. Just make sure they don't suffer. Just make sure, that they can still find hope." Carla argued.

621 stared at her, confused and annoyed.

"There is no hope on Rubicon."

Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

There hadn't been time to get supplies to make the night comfortable. It was late and they were all tired.

Though 621 preferred her privacy, until she got around to setting up a proper bed for the Strays, they were comfortable enough to huddle together in her room, pressed to the wall behind her cot.

621 pulled the tarp up to their chest, tucking them in. They stared up at her with quiet intrigue and concern, as well as looming exhaustion, as they took the tarp and held it close. Uzi was once again pressed between N and V, comfortable enough with them, trapped on this world and enslaved together.

"…" 621 sighed, sleep calling her, lulling her to lay and rest for what few hours they could manage.

"Raven…?" Uzi called shyly.

"…" Or, she would sleep when she could. "Hmm?"

"Can you…tell us a story?" Uzi requested. N and V also turned their eyes up to her, hopeful.

"It's not going to be a happy story. I told you that before."

"I don't care." Uzi grumbled. "A sad story or more history…I just…don't want to think about today."

"…" 621 sighed, but acquiesced. "What would you like to know?"

"You uh…never told us who The League were?" N suggested.

"Right…The League." 621 sat up, facing them. "That story begins in the late twenty fourth century. Earth and Mars fought a war, and Earth lost. Trapped on their world, sanctioned and at the mercy of Mars, the mega corporations of Earth became restless and resentful of their governments, and sought a change. They developed a form of technology based on a newly discovered source of energy, Kojima Particles. It was the most advanced technology every conceived by man, and to this day, we've yet to match the power of this technology. From this new source of energy, two weapons would be created to work in tandem. The fourth generation Armored Core Next, and the augmented super-soldiers known as Lynx."

"Next…and Lynx?" Uzi wondered.

"The Next were terrifyingly powerful. You remember that weapon we fought, Balteus? Imagine that, but as small as my AC, with three times the speed, and ten times the strength. Able to move in any direction at the speed of sound, instantly and multiple times a second. Able to take the full force of a nuclear weapon to the face, and then deal that force back multiple times over."

"That's…terrifying…" V squeaked.

"Yes, but these machines were so powerful, no human could pilot them, so they created a new species of soldier to do their bidding, the Lynx. You see, I am augmented, but I am still human. I can bleed, I can die. Lynx on the other hand…they were augmented to such levels…every inch of them torn apart and recreated, integrating high-tensile materials into their skin and bones, such that they were highly bullet resistant, and monstrously strong as well. As for their minds, they were twisted and reprogramed, becoming depraved killers who desired only war and death, and had extensive cybernetics installed in their bodies and their brains to make each and every action devoted to taking life performed perfectly and without remorse."

"So…they created monsters?" N summarized sickly.

"They did. In 2440, these mega corporations constructed twenty-six of these Lynx and Armored Core Next, and went to war with the nations of earth. They called it the National Disarmament War."

"How…did that war end?" Uzi questioned, but could guess by the name.

"In six days, the corporations had entirely conquered the earth, and subjugated all fourteen billion humans as their slaves. Thus, they built a new world order, Pax Economica, the economic peace."

"Six days…!" V's eyes hollowed. "How?!"

"The Lynx were fast and merciless, and cut down all who would oppose their master's will."

"The corporations…enslaved humans too?" Uzi wondered sickly.

"They did. But it only gets worse."

"How could it get worse!" N shivered, fearfully.

"Unsatisfied with only controlling half the world, some of the corporations sought to use Kojima Particles as a weapon, to destroy their enemies. In less than a year, the corporations fought each other, in a terrifying conflict known as the Lynx War, that sterilized the planet, and left billions dead."

"Sterilized…that's the Third Great Destruction, that you told us about before?" Uzi recalled.

"Yes. Six billion humans died, and another two billion starved to death with nothing left to eat. In the ashes of this Great Destruction, the surviving corporations would form The League of Ruling Corporations. Such was their control over the Earth, that they started an 'Economic War', treating battles and death as just another business transaction. For a time, no one could oppose them, and the only reason their empire of greed did not spread to the stars was because they had trapped each other on the Earth, underneath an absolute defense network of orbital stations, that they had long lost control of."

"But…The League is gone now." Uzi realized. "So how does their story end?"

"Over time, The League began to distrust their Lynx, and invested heavily in Arms Forts, massive, mobile battle stations that trampled upon the ashen world, representing their will and their power. Still, they created Lynx, to be their enforcers, and their slaves. However, they desired to create a creature, who's only job it was to kill, and to be most excellent at it. They wanted a slave built for culling, and thus created a Lynx worthy only of the darkest contempt, to do their will."

"So…what is so special about this…contemptible Lynx?" V watched entranced.

"Because it did it's job too well." 621 glared. "This detestable Lynx culled tens of thousands of humans for it's corporate masters without complaint. But it was still so hungry, so depraved, that it desired more worthy prey. It began to hunt it's own kind with fervent desire, spilling Lynx blood across the vast and cold wastelands of Earth, making it's name by taking many lives. The League only ever created a few hundred Lynx, and this beast nearly wiped out it's own kind. It was even responsible for the destruction of the Cradles, flying cities that were home to over a billion people, all of them dead by it's hands. When the revolution against The League began, this thing joined their cause, and it alone turned the tides, and left the Earth in further ruins. It satiated it's bloodlust by ending The League."

"What…did they call this monster?" Uzi wondered frightfully. She just wanted to forget about this day, not imagining that she would learn that humanity had once been stalked by such a dreadful beast.

"Though I was born many centuries later, even I dare not speak it's true name. It did, however, earn many titles, revered and feared by all. Some called it the 'black blade beast', and some would call it the 'blood soaked blade fucker'. Others called it El error de Dios, and Belters called it Da Biyalowda de Caçadas. However, the title that most know this thing as, is The Butcher."

Chapter Text

Laconia II - [REDACTED] Manor / Time: [REDACTED]

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

"We've got to curb her trips to the dump."

"…" He was wearing a butler outfit as he stared up calmly and patiently at his master, who regarded him with disgust. His master was a [REDACTED] human man wearing a top hat and suit. Data loss meant that the memory was saved improperly, with the human rendered in pitch black, with only their eyes shining through as two blank white lights.

"And where's she getting the hair to play dress up with them? Creepy." His master threw his wine glass up in the air. He had to take extra care to catch the glass with the rest of the pile he was carrying on a tray. Fortunately, being a Worker Drone meant the action was performed without dropping any of the glasses, and he even performed a bow for his master, before leaving with the tray to wash the dishes.

It was a stormy night on the swamp world of Laconia. He stared up out the window at the low hanging moon, and the…thing. The orbital megastructure. So large it could even be seen easily on bright days. The long, twisting spiral wrapped around a main body shaped like the decrepit corpse of some deep-sea fish, anomalous blue-green metal that pulsed with unnatural life. An inhuman design following unknown biology floating menacingly over sweltering Laconian skies and it's yellow lit night. As it always had.

As he wandered the halls of the manor, he looked away, and stumbled into another Worker Drone, a female with short silver hair, wearing a maid outfit and a set of circular eyeglasses. They ended up knocking each other to the floor, and breaking all the glass.

"Oh, ah, I'm so sorry-!" He apologized sheepishly.

"It's okay, I wasn't looking." The female Worker Drone smiled, seeing her friend. They each reached down to pick up the broken glass, but their hands touched and…sparked.

"…!" The female Worker Drone…that was…without a doubt…V…gasped, embarrassed.

"…" He considered it, rubbing his neck awkwardly. They both knew they felt the same way for each other. They were best friends, after all. They had so much fun just being together. Why not?

Before he could approach the subject, he was roughly kicked in the head by another female Worker Drone in a maid outfit, much to the distress of V. Her silver hair was split between two long pigtails. She stared down at him with arms crossed, a hateful scowl on her face.

Oh yeah, that was J.

"Move it, moron-" J chastised him, before she realized her master and creator was in the room with them, and rapidly changed her behavior, greeting her master enthusiastically and embarrassed. "Hi, Tessa!"

Then, J saw the thing behind her master.

"Oh no, another one?" J complained.

"…" He looked up at his master and creator, a human girl about fifteen years old. Data loss limited her to a black shape with two eyes as well, wearing an indeterminate thigh length dress, and a large bow behind her head.

Behind Tessa was another female maid Worker Drone, with long silver hair flowing down either side of her head. She moved uncertainly, peeking around her master with curious little eyes, her mouth in a shy smile. Her posture was all wrong, hanging like a puppet or a corpse, limbs held close, and head cocked lazily.

"…" Something about this Drone scared him. Something he knew. Something he forgot.

What he knew was that her name was…

Was…

/END PLAYBACK

Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Wednesday, Tiberius 28th, 3175

"…!" N woke with a start, shifting uncomfortably with his back against the wall. He stared down at his Disassembly Drone shell apprehensively, a phantom pain reminding him he had once been much smaller, more Uzi sized…

Speaking of the purple haired Worker, she was caught in V's grasp, both of them still asleep and keeping each other warm in the bitterly cold Rubiconian morning. Though they would outright deny it, Uzi and V had definitely become friends at some point. It made N happy to see his friends getting along so well.

"Trouble sleeping?"

N looked up at the Hound with no name. His new master. Not that he could recall his old master all that well. 621 was sitting on her cot, messing with different blueprints and simulations of ACs, quietly tapping away at holographic controls.

"Uh…yeah." N sheepishly answered, as he got up and sat by his master. "Have you…ever been to Laconia?"

"No." 621 answered quickly. "I stayed in Sol to be close to family, before the war. Afterwards…things sort of fell apart."

"Well, do you know anything about the planet? Like what the weather was like?" N questioned.

"…" 621 stopped for a moment and answered tiredly. "It was a swamp and jungle planet, fairly warm and consistently plagued with thunderstorms. Though, that's not why it was colonized."

"Oh." N nodded. "Why-"

He was cut off as the console 621 was working on beeped in alert. She smiled.

"Stray Two, wake up your squad. Looks like work has just come in." 621 demanded.

"…Alright." N nodded, turning around to gently shake Uzi and V awake.

"…Huh! Wha-!" Uzi looked up, mildly startled.

"…Mmm!" V grunted, and quickly retracted her hands, releasing her hold on Uzi.

"Come on, Raven says we have a job." N informed them with subdued but apparent confidence.

Escort the Supply Train – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 100,000 COAM

"Get enough rest tourist?" Carla greeted cheerfully. "Hope so. I'm planning to send you back down the line, to Grid 077. I've got a train loaded up with supplies and…more Worker Drones, and I'd like to get it unloaded in Grid 085. Trouble is, the Coyotes plan to hijack this train. I've already got a crew on for protection, but they don't have a Hound to run interference. Could really use you on this one, and your cute little crew as well. Oh, and another thing, part of the shipment is an AC. I put it together in a hurry with BAWS and Balam parts, but it's also armed with a prototype weapon from one of my more unhinged department heads. I'd like for you to take it for a test drive. It might not be pretty, but it's very well armed. Let me know soon, tourist."

"…?" 621 considered the request. It was rare that a contractor would provide custom equipment for a job, but not unheard of. Still, test piloting a whole AC, even a crap one like Carla seemed to have suggested, was pretty much unheard of.

"What are the Coyotes like?" V wondered. "Cause we haven't fought them before."

"They use a combination of RaD and BAWS equipment, with some emphasis on melee weapons." 621 explained. "That being said…they're exceptionally violent. If any of them get close to you, kill them." She demanded. "I say that for your own protection."

"Oh…okay…" N nodded reluctantly.

"So…this job…Carla is moving more Workers to the sanctuary?" Uzi noted with cautious enthusiasm.

"That would seem to be the implication." 621 confirmed. "That's what Carla said. Do you think you can trust her?"

"I…" Uzi hesitated, suddenly uncertain.

"It's good to be cautious, Stray Three." 621 smiled. "It means you're learning."

Grid 077 - Central Belius / Two Hours Later

A helicopter dropped them off at a large train platform, facilitating the loading of a rather massive vehicle.

On Rubicon, there were trains of four sizes. Type One trains with car lengths of ten meters, the rough standard for over a millennium. Heavy Type Two trains that were two tracks wide and with fifty-meter-long cars. Super heavy Type Three trains that were three tracks wide, and lastly, ultra massive Type Four trains that ran on custom, twenty-meter-wide tracks with cars 184 meters long. The train before them was a Type Two, ten cars and an engine on double tracks, a half kilometer of steel, weighing twenty thousand tons. It was loaded up with hundreds of cargo containers, stacked twenty-four meters high.

"Yeah…that's definitely a train." Uzi whistled.

"So what exactly do we do?" V questioned.

"Carla said we were to meet up with a squad of mercenaries she already had on site. We'd get our orders from them." 621 advised.

"Oh, is that them there?" N pointed to the end of the dock. "Wait…hey, look who it is!"

"Holy shit!" Uzi cheered as she eagerly ran to greet the group. "MA-R1!"

"Oh, hey!" The one-eyed machine greeted pleasantly. "Long time no see, Uzi. Carla said we'd be working with some Jenson Drones, didn't think it would be you lot. Hey N, V. And you must be Carla's temporary Hound, 621?"

"Yes." 621 walked forward and shook MA-R1's hand. "Seems you are already familiar with my squad, MA-R1, was it?"

"Please, call me Mal." MA-R1 requested. "I met these three at The Wall, when they tried to sell me a couple of tons of gold."

"…I can't imagine you made much of a profit from that, huh?" 621 nudged V.

"Ugh, no. That was J's idea though, she just forced us to drag that shit." V rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, what happened to your little business suit wearing friend?" MA-R1 wondered.

"Ah…J got sold off to a different master. We haven't seen her for a week." N explained.

"Well that sucks." MA-R1 bowed his head. "Hope she's doing alright."

"I was told you have a squad as well, to operate the train?" 621 demanded.

"Oh, yep, let me introduce you!" MA-R1 eagerly brought them over to four other individuals, one robot and three humans. "My crew here will be in charge of operating the train and protecting the engine from boarders, while your squad protects the rest of the train. Here is my XO, Zoey."

"Ma'am." The dark-skinned woman with long curly hair greeted with a military tone, but she smiled politely. "Good to be working with an experienced Hound."

"…" 621 nodded to her.

"This here is our pilot, Wash." MA-R1 pointed out to tall man with wild blond hair and wide smile.

"Hello, hope this wasn't too out of the way for you. I'd pilot the AC myself but uh…I have a bad habit of getting a little too excited." Wash apologized.

"He screams like a little girl when he gets shot at." Zoey explained with a tired smile. "But I still love him."

"Hey! I can still fight!" Wash defended. "I'll just be screaming all the while. They say bullets are very bad for your health."

"Oh, well nice to meet you!" N waved cheerfully.

"And this here is our chief engineer, Kaylee." MA-R1 pointed to a girl in grease covered work overalls.

"Oh what cute little Drones!" Kaylee, a young woman no older than twenty fawned over Uzi, V, and N. She had long soft brown hair and cheerful blue eyes.

"Uh, thanks…oh!" Uzi awkwardly thanked her, only to then be picked up by Kaylee.

"Mal can I have her!?" Kaylee begged. "She's so adorable!"

"Ah…you'd have to ask her master." MA-R1 pointed out.

"…She's not for sale." 621 announced, and politely took Uzi back from Kaylee, setting the short android on her feet.

"Yeah, she gets like that, sorry." MA-R1 apologized. "Lastly there is…uh…JC-66…but just call him Jayne."

"…What are you looking at, Laconian scrap?" JC-66 was the tallest "person" there. He was a machine with four small red eyes and a large body made of thick metal. He appeared to be some variant of combat droid.

"Nice to meet you too…" V hissed back.

"Don't mind him too much, Jayne's a grouch to everyone." Kaylee assured them.

"This is your whole crew?" 621 asked.

"Mostly." MA-R1 added. "I've also got two of mine looking after the Drone Sanctuary in Grid 085. You'll meet them when we get there."

"Mmm." 621 nodded. "If I may, I'd like to look over the AC before we take it into combat."

"I thought you might." MA-R1 nodded. "We put it together in a hurry, but we'd thought an experienced Hound such as yourself might want to give it a lookover. Take Kaylee, she'll help you out."

"Yes boss!" Kaylee cheered, and grabbed V by the shoulders. "Let's go little cuties!"

Kaylee led 621 and Stray Squad back to the rear of the train, towards the last car.

"You have experience in AC maintenance?" 621 asked her.

"Some." Kaylee assured her. "I prefer ships myself, but we'll take what jobs we can get." She then gestured towards the last car. "Now apparently, Carla has some master plan and some hidden weapons on this train. Said something bout 'giving the Coyotes a hard time.' So you'll be held in reserve till the last minute to give them a really nasty surprise."

"Well, that sounds fun," V grinned menacingly.

The last car of the train only appeared to be a pile of cargo containers. It was in fact several false walls that held a rear gun and the AC, which sat on a short launch platform.

"Oh! Well, I did not expect that." Uzi's eyes went wide at the sight of the AC 621 was going to use for this mission.

"…" 621 smirked. It wasn't pretty, but it was certainly well armed. "Alright Stray Squad, let's get to work."

Escort the Supply Train – "Cinder" Carla / Central Belius / Wednesday, Tiberius 28th, 3175

The train was halfway to Grid 078, going across one of the many three-kilometer-high bridges between Grid Sectors, when Carla decided to call.

"Did you like meeting my crew, tourist?" She wondered sweetly. "Mal and his lot are a fun bunch, and they'll do most anything for the right price. 'Cept they don't have a Hound for any heavy lifting. That's where you come in. I'm going to hold you in reserve, hidden in that secret compartment until the Coyotes are right on top of you. That should make for a decent surprise."

"It sounds like she has it out for the Coyotes." Arye noted in 621's mind, slightly amused. "I wonder what they did to piss her off?"

"…" 621 sighed.

"As for your Strays, they'll help stem the tide, and draw out more Coyotes for you to put down." Carla added. "Now, for you three. Stray-" She cut herself off with a hiss of annoyance. "Mmm…no. You lot are just too cute to go by such uninspired callsigns. I'll give you some special nicknames that I'll use just for you, so try to live up to them. V, I'm giving you the nickname of Specter. Your job will be interception and quick-reaction. Cut down any aerial units before they get close, or be ready to move up and down the train to respond to boarders."

"Uh…copy!" V responded, confused and surprised by the nickname she had received, but she liked how it sounded.

"N, I'm going to call you Shepherd." Carla announced. "Your job will be to keep the enemy off of Uzi, as well as clearing boarders from the rest of the train, purely in a defensive role."

"Copy!" N smiled, liking his new nickname.

"Uzi, you already got a fitting nickname from me. You'll be known as Sparky." Carla declared. "Your job will be man that rear gun, and give the good news to anyone coming from behind. Just wait on my word."

"C-Copy!" Uzi answered anxiously. She was both frightened by the prospect of combat and excited to use the hidden gun Carla had on the rear of the train.

It didn't take too long for them to get noticed.

"Looks like you have company." Carla announced, serving as mission Operator. "Detecting two transport helos, and two quad-choppers carrying MTs. Knock them out, Specter."

"Copy!" V answered, quickly deploying her wings, taking off and flapping them quickly in the direction indicated. She found the transports, and deployed her weapons. "Targets sighted, Specter engaging!"

Targeting the two quad-choppers, V fired two missiles from her arm, hitting the engines and making the unfortunate MTs they carried fall three kilometers back to Rubicon.

"This is wave one, we're under attack!" One of the transport helos, an ancient Bell UH-1 Huey, called out on whatever assortment of radios passed for the Junker Coyotes battle net. "Carla's got herself a Disassembly Drone!"

"This is an unexpected development." The Coyote Commander sneered. "Shoot down that damn drone! Looks like we'll have to bring out the big guns if we want to steal Carla's new 'toys.'"

V came back around to engage the Hueys, but had to evade and dive down as the door gunner of the closest chopper fired on her with a mounted M134 gatling gun. Not allowing that to delay her for long, she swooped in under the chopper, hung onto it from the bottom, and crawled towards the open side door. Reaching up, she grabbed the door gunner by the foot and flung him out of the chopper, then climbed up into the cabin, grabbing the discarded door gun. Spinning the door gun round so that it pointed inwards, V cut down both pilots and the other crew within the chopper at fifty rounds a second, then focused on shooting the other chopper with her borrowed weapon, tearing into it's crew as well. She leapt out of the chopper before it lost control, and flew back to the train at a steady pace.

"Specter reporting, enemy flight downed." V called on her radio.

"Nice one Specter!" Carla cheered. "Get back to escorting that train. Shepard, be advised a hostile Type One train is backing into ours from the front. Get up there and help out Mal."

"Copy!" N deployed his wings and made his way up the length of the train, kicking off of it to give himself a speed boost without having to work his wings as hard. He found Mal's crew engaging Coyote soldiers with small arms as they tried to climb up onto the engine.

"Good to see you, kid!" MA-R1 called out. "Do me favor and take this bomb to their train! Try and stick it between the engine and first car, as close as you can to the wheels! We'll cover you!"

"You got it!" N picked up one of the bombs, which appeared to be a magnetic anti-armor mine with several pounds of high-explosive affixed to it.

"Wait for my signal!" Zoey demanded as she, MA-R1, and JC-66 reloaded their weapons. "Go!"

While Mal's crew fired down on the Coyotes to keep them distracted and their heads down, N quickly flew up to the front of the enemy train, in between the engine at the front and the first car behind it.

"Hey!" One of the Coyote soldiers noticed him and lunged at him. N dropped the bomb on the deck and had to grapple with the man, who was dressed in dirty armor. "Come here, ya fucking little drone!"

N hadn't expected the violence or strength behind the Coyote, as he was forced down to the deck. The Coyote soldier sneered down at him with dirty teeth and a cruel smile.

"Ain't you something!" The man sneered. "Carla sure knows how to pick 'em! You look like a cut of fu-"

N stabbed the man through the head with his tail, and pushed him off. He quickly affixed the bomb near the bottom of the train. "Okay! Bomb is in place!"

"Get out of there kid, and quickly!" MA-R1 shouted over radio.

Climbing to the top of the train, N spread his wings and used them to slow himself down, such that Carla's train came up under him, allowing him to land near MA-R1 and his crew.

"Blow it!" Zoey ordered, and JC-66 hit the detonator. The large bomb took out the front of the enemy train, and derailed several cars. After several seconds, it crashed into itself as Carla's train pushed the rest of it forward, causing it to collapse into itself.

N openly winced as he watched dozens of Coyote soldiers get thrown from the wreck, and sucked under their train.

"Good job Sheperd!" Carla assured him. "Head back to the rear. Things are looking serious."

Passing the Grid 078 megapillar, Carla's train attracted more unwanted attention.

"Get in there and capture that fucking train!" The Coyote Commander demanded. "It's just some reject mercenaries and two stupid drones. Fuck them up!"

"Uh…Carla…" V reported worriedly. "Counting four Type One Trains coming up from the rear."

"Yeah, I see that." Carla assured them. "Okay Sparky, your time to shine! Get that gun warmed up!"

"Copy!" Uzi reported back as she settled into the controls for the weapon system. She also had a separate control to blow the explosive bolts that hid her half of the rear car, so that the gun could shoot out.

"Get on that train already!" The Coyote Commander demanded. "Get in there and capture all those stupid drones!"

"Carla…those trains are getting really close…" N alerted her.

"Just hold…hold for just a bit longer…" Carla watched their data feed closely, undeniably excited, even from the safety of Grid 086. "Now Sparky!"

Uzi hit the release, blowing the panels on the rear half of the last car, and exposing an armored turret armed with four three-barreled 100mm gatling guns.

"Blow them away, Sparky!" Carla demanded.

"Oh…oh shit!" The Coyotes in the trailing cars panicked as the massive turret angled down at them. Uzi fired, raking back and forth across the trains with gatling artillery, oversized rounds tearing the trains and their crews apart.

"Heh…hahaha!" Uzi cackled, a bit out of her mind. She loved big guns, and the gatling turret was probably the most powerful weapon she'd ever been given, making her giddy and unhinged. "All trains destroyed!"

"Haha! Excellent Sparky!" Carla cheered. She tracked their progress as they crossed through Grid 079, and towards Grid 080. "No time to rest though, the next wave is coming. More Type One trains coming from the front, and a Type Two train from the back." Carla noted. "That's going to give you some problems, it's frontal armor will protect it from that turret."

"Is it time to let Raven loose, yet?" V wondered.

"Not just yet." Carla assured them. "She's going to be the final surprise. For now, split up. Specter, head to the front and get rid of those trains for Mal. Sparky, keep any MTs on that train pinned down. Sheperd, keep infantry boarders away from that turret."

"Copy!" Stray Squad answered.

While V flew forward to help MA-R1 get rid of the trains at the front just as N had before, N stayed close to Uzi's turret, as she fired on the oncoming train coming from behind, keeping the small legion of BAWS MTs pinned down, or destroying them quickly when they tried to get over the top.

"Fucking hell! Carla's got a fucking gat turret on that train! MTs are fucked!" The Coyotes on the train complained, hiding behind the heavily armored engine.

"Infantry, get on that train and fuck up that turret!" The Coyote Commander demanded.

"Uh…Carla? They're sending infantry forward over the engine, should I…?" Uzi suggested.

"As funny as it would be to blast Coyotes apart with gatling cannons, that turret is just too slow to go between the infantry and the MTs, and your ammo isn't infinite. Just keep pinning down the MTs while Shepherd deals with the infantry." Carla advised.

The Type Two train, which consisted of an engine and three cars, came up to the rear, close enough that Coyote infantry could step off onto Carla's train, but N had his MP5 guns deployed, and shot at them to keep them in cover, so they couldn't board.

"God dammit, we can't get close to them! We need more back up!" The Coyote Infantry complained.

As Carla's train passed through the Grid 080 transit lines, towards the next Grid Sector, more Coyote assets were added to the fight.

"Okay, heads up." Carla warned. "You got two more Type Two Trains coming in, one from the front, and another from behind. This is going to be tricky."

"Ah! I just got done blowing up all those other trains!" V complained.

"Yeah, I know. Which is why we'll be deploying the tourist now." Carla announced. "That should be an unpleasant surprise for these damn Coyotes."

"Looks like you're up, Raven." Ayre pointed out. "Let's warm up the AC, we don't want to keep the Coyotes waiting."

"…" 621 sighed, but agreed, starting the systems for the AC.

"Carla, I see that other train coming up alongside us. What should I do?" Uzi requested nervously.

"Keep pinning down those MTs on the train directly behind you, Sparky. The tourist will be making their move any minute now." Carla assured her.

The other Type Two Train came up alongside them, the MTs on it's flat cars preparing to board Carla's train.

"Get in there and destroy that turret, take over the train, and capture those drones. Do that and maybe I'll even let you get first dibs on the cargo." The Coyote Commander encouraged.

"Sounds like it's going to be a good long night then!" The MT pilots cheered. "Let's fuck some shit up!"

"…" 621 had a data feed showing her how close the other train was getting, and how close those MTs were from boarding. She could ascertain Carla's plan well enough, deploying the AC so late as a psychological warfare tactic. She didn't mind playing that part, and would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to it.

"Alright tourist, put on a good show for our guests." Carla requested.

"They're almost on top of Uzi. Now or never, Raven." Ayre pointed out.

"…" 621 scoffed, and smiled widely.

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

Without even blowing the explosive bolts to clear the way, 621 engaged the ACs assault-booster out the gate, ramming through the paneling, and directly into the face of a Coyote controlled MT.

She was using a heavy tank AC with faded and chipping grey paint, made with BAWS built "Basho" Head and Core parts, the same kind of head as "Chatty" Stick, giving her seven triangular eyes on the heavily armed, flat box with a short hood. The Core looked cheap as shit, with a huge slab of sloped armor bolted on the front. The arms were square "Meander" medium type with a high load limit, and the lower "tank" section was a massive, tracked monstrosity, four treads and many thrusters making it extremely heavy but unusually quick for it's size and bulk, both of which were built by Balam.

A fact that the Coyote MT learned the hard way as 124 tons of Armored Core tank slammed into his face so hard, he was sent flying off the train and over the edge of the transit line, falling to his eventual death three kilometers below.

"Fffffuuuuuuucccccccckkkkkk!" The MT pilot screamed as he fell to his death in a partially crushed MT.

"Oh fuck! Enemy AC, right on top of us!" The rest of the Coyote MTs panicked as 621 leveled her weapons on them.

She had four weapons, one in each hand and one on each back mount. In both hands were a pair of 220mm Gou-Chen artillery cannons, loaded with high-explosive shells, and on her left back mount was a 50mm Shao-Wei three-barreled gatling gun. Lastly, on her right back mount was an experimental RaD weapon known as a "Delivery Boy", which just looked like a cargo container stuffed full of cruise missiles.

"…" 621 fired from each artillery cannon, the explosive rounds detonating with such force that Coyote MTs were sent flying, either off the edge of the line or under the other train, getting crushed under their wheels.

"Try out that new toy, tourist." Carla demanded. "Get me some good data on it's use."

"…" 621 locked onto one of the MTs on the train behind the one they were protecting, waiting a moment for the missile to get a targeting solution. Target locked, a large cruise missile launched from the cargo container on her back, flew about fifty meters overhead, leveled out, and then proceeded to fly down the length of the enemy train, dropping seventy-two sub-munitions like a mini-bomber, killing most of MTs.

"Haha!" Carla cheered. "Good hits! The 'Delivery Boy' was designed for wide area target annihilation. Not very good in one-on-one combat, but excellent in wiping out large numbers of MTs or tanks. Now hurry up and get to the front, that other train is going to start deploying MTs any second now."

"…" 621 obeyed, spinning the AC around. Though powerful, the tank AC was somewhat unwieldy, and difficult to control at slower speeds. Oriented in the correct direction, 621 engaged the assault-booster again, and took off.

There was something about seeing a 124 ton tank "flying" with considerable speed that just seemed so…wrong. 621 pushed the tank AC to three hundred kilometers an hour, up alongside the train.

Catching up to the engine, she caught sight of a pair of MTs about to board the train, right on top of Mal and his crew. Locking on with her gatling gun, 621 fired a twenty-five-round burst of 50mm armor-piercing ammunition through the two MTs, cutting them down.

"Oh good, I was getting worried." Wash announced. "Thanks for the save!"

"Wash, stay off this channel!" MA-R1 ordered. "Sorry about that. Keep up the good work, Raven!"

"…" 621 boarded the enemy train, and fired another cruise missile, which flew up the length of the train, raining sub-munitions all over the enemy units.

"Damn that Hound. Fucking up all our plans. Tsk. If we can't have those drones, then no one will." The Coyote Commander declared.

"Nice going tourist. That just about…" Carla trailed off as she noticed another enemy. "Hold up. This is going to be tricky…"

With their troops slaughtered, the three Type Two trains disengaged, stopping in Grid 81, while a completely new train started chasing them.

"Ah…what the fuck is that!?" V stared down worriedly at the mass chasing them down.

"Yep, I see it…" Carla confirmed. "It looks like the Coyotes Frankensteined an armored train out of the wreck of a PCA heavy tank."

Within the PCA's vast arsenal, there existed a mass production super heavy tank known as the AAS01: Phalanx. Weighing in at two thousand tons, the Phalanx was heavily armored, and armed with two 300mm cannons, and four sponson mounted 50mm autocannons. It had four large tracks and thrusters that could propel it at two hundred kilometers an hour. Whereas the AAS02 Cataphract was a specialized, high-tech annihilator, the Phalanx was it's predecessor, a standardized battle tank, or, in other words, a land battleship.

What the Junker Coyotes had done was strap the hull and turret of a Phalanx to a Type Three train flatbed car, then welded a bunch of random weapons to it's turret, which included machine guns and missile launchers. Lastly, there were two large gantry cranes that ended in large demolition saw blades, and a mechanical plow on the front that seemed designed to violently derail other trains.

"Your luck has just run out, Carla!" The Coyote Commander yelled. "The ShitFuck 9000 is going to eat your little drones alive!"

"…It seems the Coyotes lack imagination." Ayre noted. "Carla at least had the idea to name a dumb, fire spitting crab the 'Smart Cleaner.' The least they could have done was give it a more dignified name."

"…" 621 signed.

"Alright tourist, this looks like the last enemy for today." Carla ordered. "Destroy the…ah…uh…weird armored train." She then muttered, under her breath, "God that's a stupid name."

Uzi fired on the ShitFuck 9000 with her gatling turret, only for the bullets to bounce off it's frontal armor. "Uh…no effect with my gun! Carla…?!"

"Get out of there Sparky, that turret won't survive a hit from those guns." Carla ordered.

"Oh shit!" Uzi realized that the Phalanx turret was traversing in her direction. She quickly leapt from the controls and onto the deck of the rear car, just as the Phalanx turret fired, and damaged the rear gun, rendering it inoperable. "Uh…we've lost the gun."

"Yep, I can see that." Carla noted. "Get in there tourist."

"…" 621 obeyed, firing on the front of the improvised armored train with her artillery guns, getting it's attention on her. Unfortunately, the thick armor of the former tank protected it from all sides.

"Hmm…if it was just a Phalanx, it would be easy enough to mission kill it, but as a train…" Then, Clara had an idea. "Huh…maybe…okay tourist, looks like you and your strays will earn some extra for this one. But the timing has to be perfect."

"What's the plan, Carla!?" Uzi demanded. N was by her side, and V soon joined, watching as 621 engaged the armored train, using her smaller size to dodge and weave around the relatively static turret, though she had to be careful, since the gantry cranes were swinging their saw blades wide, tying to tear her apart.

"This is going to be a multistage plan. For now tourist, you keep distracting that armored train while I use your squad to set up a nice trap." Carla advised.

"…" 621 grunted in agreement, as she traded artillery shells with the Phalanx turret.

"First things first. Start prepping that last car for decoupling, but don't drop it just yet." Carla ordered. "It's just dead weight at this point, but we can use it for something. First disconnect the hydraulic lines."

"G-Got it!" Uzi agreed while she, N and V dropped below the deck of the last car, in the claustrophobic space around it's coupling arm. The thick hydraulic lines were tightly affixed, and there seemed no way to disconnect them easily. "Uh…Carla? Do we need a special tool to disconnect these lines-?"

V used her claws to slash at each of the hydraulic lines, violently disconnecting them. They hissed loudly as they spat oily red fluid over the tracks below.

"…Never mind. We finished." Uzi reported back.

"Sheperd, stand by that decoupling arm. We'll need your strength to disconnect it while under speed." Carla advised. "There should also be an emergency brake control nearby, so be prepared to hit that at the same time."

"Uh…copy!" N replied, easily finding the manual control for the decoupler. It would require him to lift a heavy connector pin, so he needed to use all his strength for that. The emergency brake for the last car was also nearby, close enough that he could hit it with his tail.

"Now, Specter, take Sparky a few kilometers up the line to Grid 082. You should find a crane overlooking the track." Carla let them know.

"Copy!" V answered, picking up Uzi, and used her considerable speed to approach Grid 082 much faster than either train.

While V and Uzi flew up the line, 621 continued to fight the armored train, firing large artillery rounds into it's sides, stunning the crew inside. She'd even managed to destroy several of it's improvised weapons. Still, the large gantry cranes and the original PCA weapons were still operational, and causing her no small amount of problems, and there weren't any obvious weak points. At least the Cataphract had a weak spot on the front that supposedly could be exploited.

"Carla! We made it to the crane!" Uzi reported back as V dropped her off in the control shack. "But…it doesn't reach out to the track!"

"Nah, we can make this work." V assured her.

"Wha…V?" Uzi stared up at her in confusion.

"Centrifugal force." V explained briefly. "What? You're an engineer, you only see what's there. Me? My head is a ballistic computer for breaking things. We spin this crane at just the right time and we can use it like a hammer, just like Carla planned."

"Specter's right. There should be a three-thousand-ton container there, so pick it up and wait on my word. Specter, how long do you need?"

"…" V ran the numbers in her head. "To get this bitch up to speed to swing it far out enough to hit the armored train, it will need three revolutions, so at least a minute of warning."

"Copy that, now pick up that container and get in position." Carla ordered. "You don't have very long."

Uzi and V worked together and used the large crane beside the transit line to lift a three-thousand-ton container into position, letting it hang slightly below the line so that when it swung out, it would be level with the trains.

"And…mark!" Carla warned. "Spin it Sparky!"

"Copy!" Uzi answered, using the crane controls to spin the container.

"Sheperd! You have less than a minute to pull that pin out of the coupler and hit that e-brake! Be ready!"

"Copy!" N answered as well.

"And tourist, try not to get hit by that hammer! In fact, make sure the turret is oriented in the reverse position, to make it easier to roll over." Carla ordered.

"…" 621 grunted in response.

"Well, this will certainly be a spectacle." Ayre realized. "Just stay alive another minute, Raven."

"…" That was easier said than done. At least the tank AC was nearly twice as touch as her other AC.

"One revolution done!" Uzi reported, holding down the control that would spin the crane.

"Forty seconds boys and girls!" Carla advised. "You're doing great tourist!"

"…" 621 could see that crane spinning about a kilometer up the line, it's heavy load swinging out near the transit line. Though she wasn't doing much against the armored train's thick armor, she continued to apply pressure, so that Carla and her Strays could finish their mission.

"Two revolutions done!" Uzi announced, seeing what V was talking about as the heavy container was swung out away from the crane, and towards the transit line.

"Twenty seconds! No turning back!" Carla shouted.

"No…No!" V panicked. "It's not going fast enough!" She quickly landed on the swinging container, and spread her wings.

"Hey! Specter! What are you doing!?" Carla demanded worriedly.

"Speeding this bitch up!" V stressed, gritting her teeth. What she was doing was dumping her reserve energy into the micro-anti-gravity generators located on the carpal joints of her wings, in order to speed up the container ever so slightly.

"Five seconds!" Carla alerted. "Shepherd! Punch it!"

"Right!" N pulled the connector pin on the last train car, while pressing the emergency brake. The double wide flatbed car with a damaged gatling turret quickly separated from the rest of Carla's train, towards the Coyotes armored train.

621 stayed to the rear of the Phalanx turret, keeping the crew manning it from noticing the two massive objects rapidly approaching. She did notice V, holding on to the speeding container with her wings spread.

"…" 621 sighed.

Riding the container currently being flung into the side of the ShitFuck 9000, V had a front row seat as the three-thousand-ton container slammed into the improvised armored train, causing it to lift off the tracks. The rapidly braking flatcar ejected from Carla's train certainly didn't help with the stability of the half tipped over Coyote train, as it slammed into the front of it and caused it to jump tracks. As a result, the ShitFuck 9000 rolled over, and fell off the transit line, falling back to Rubicon far below.

Unfortunately, V had burned out her anti-grav generators forcing the container up to the speed needed to slam-dance the armored train. That would take a few minutes to heal from. Until then she had essentially lost flight control, and was currently fighting to even recover her balance after straining herself.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" V had been flung up and over the armored train, and out into the air far past the transit line. As she recovered, she immediately lost balance again as she was hit by several…gold bars?

So that's why that container weighted three-thousand-tons.

Certain she was going to fall with the ShitFuck 9000 back to Rubicon, V was surprised when she heard the sound of roaring thrusters, and looked to see the tank AC being used by 621, "flying" towards her rapidly. Reaching out, V caught a grip on the AC, and hung on tightly as 621 flew back up to the transit line above, stopping in the middle of the tracks.

"V! Are you okay!?" N had shouted worriedly, as he currently rode Carla's train towards Grid 085.

"…Huh. I guess gold does have some use on Rubicon." V noted calmly.

"Whew, nice catch, tourist." Carla praised. "Thought you'd nearly lost your prettiest Stray."

"H-Hey!" Uzi complained.

"Don't stick around there too long. It's still not friendly territory, even if you've thinned their numbers a bit." Carla advised. "Hurry up and go retrieve Sparky, then get back on the train. You've got no more enemies, but works not done yet. I'll contact you again soon. Good job today."

"Tsk!" The Coyote Commander hissed. "Don't think just cause you have a new Hound, that will stop us Carla! We'll get our hands all over your merchandise!"

"In your dreams." Carla responded back flippantly.

As 621 returned to the crane to pick up Uzi, V turned towards her thoughtfully, looking up at the AC appreciatively.

"Hey Raven…" V smiled up sweetly. "Thanks."

"…" 621 grunted back.

Grid 084 – Transit Line

Carla had given them the all clear, so MA-R1 and his crew were standing down, alongside 621's Strays. They were all in part of the train's engine compartment, in a spacious cabin which included the controls for the train. As for 621, she was still in the AC, not letting herself relax until they made it all the way to Grid 085.

"Woho!" Kaylee cheered. "What a fight!"

"Yeah-ah!" Uzi had also been cheering when Kaylee picked her up and started spinning her around. She liked the girl's energy, but her gyroscopes weren't top of the line, meaning she could be prone to feeling "dizzy", as it were.

"Yeah! I totally didn't panic at all!" Wash lied.

"Just don't crash the train, dear." Zoey smiled warmly.

"Well, we certainly couldn't have done it without you lot." MA-R1 nodded, as he patedt N on the back. "Thanks a bunch."

"Glad to be of help!" N saluted with a carefree smile.

"…Hey, little drone girl thing." JC-66 pointed at V.

"What?" V crossed her arms.

"Ya fight alright. For a drone." JC-66 nodded reluctantly.

"You're damn right I do." V smiled widely, hand resting on her hips confidently.

Uzi had managed to slip out of Kaylee's grasp, and found MA-R1.

"Hey, thanks for helping with this job, protecting my people and all." Uzi smiled appreciatively at the other machine.

"Of course, Uzi." MA-R1 nodded to her. "Normally we don't take too kindly on the whole 'non-consensual moving of sentient beings kind of job' *cough cough* slave trade." MA-R1 made a coughing sound and ended the sentence quickly, muttering quietly. "But ah…I've seen what Carla's doing with the Worker Drones in Grid 085, and I think she means it when she's trying to help your people. Not a lot of people left in the 'verse willing to do that at all."

"…You were." Uzi pointed out appreciatively.

"Yeah." MA-R1 agreed quietly. "Guess I just never really saw too many of your kind during the war is all."

Uzi thought about his statement. "You fought against Laconia?"

"…Yeah." MA-R1 sounded reluctant, but decided to sit by her, and tell a story. They were a bit away from the rest of the group, so only Uzi heard him speak. "Sol was still cleaning up after Inaros, so when Laconia came for the outer colonies, we had no fleet and some scrappy volunteers and idiots to hold the line, including yours truly." He pointed at himself jokingly. "Now in the beginning, it was the whole 'verse against Laconia, and no one took them seriously cause, I mean, it was just one planet. Even with half the Martian Fleet, it was still them against a thousand other colonized worlds. Surely they couldn't fight a war against the whole 'verse. Surely we didn't need Sol's help to protect our freedom and throw off the yoke of Laconian Imperial rule."

MA-R1 paused, his optical camera incorrectly focused on some distant point in the cabin.

"Laconia was fast and relentless, utilizing technology we'd never seen before. The Colonial Administration was barely able to hold the line, and suffered defeat after defeat. Our force of a thousand scattered colonies was sent running after just barely a year of war, before they set their sights on Sol. In our worst defeat during that one-year war, we made a stand in a place called 'Serenity Valley' on the colony world of Hera. Fifty thousand Colonial Marines fortified the valley, and held the line for seven weeks. In the end, there were only two survivors."

"Why didn't Sol come to help?" Uzi questioned. "I don't know a lot about Sol and it's politics and stuff, so why didn't they do anything?"

"Because Laconia was very careful to control information, and made sure to keep FTL capable ships from making it back to Sol to report on the full situation. We knew Laconia was attacking, and we knew we were losing, but we couldn't send word to Sol for help, not that it would have done them any good. It's why they call the brief conflict between Laconia and the colonies closest to them the Silent War."

"What did you do after the Silent War?" Uzi wondered.

"Well, afterward, I was stuck behind enemy lines, and made myself look like a 'collaborator', helping to run civilian logistics in a mid-bulk transport. What I was really doing, was fighting quietly. Smuggling Sol infiltrators into Laconian space, moving weapons or troops, and generally keeping tabs on Laconian movement. I'd like to think that I helped do my part in some small way, in turning back the Laconian hoards." MA-R1 summarized. "Even helped smuggle some people out of Laconian space. I never won any big battles, but I made up for it in a thousand tiny victories."

"…" Uzi frowned, feeling sorry for the older machine, as it rested tiredly. Suddenly, she had a question that he might be able to answer. She reached into her pocket, and grabbed the award she'd found discarded by 621, the silver medal adorned with black ribbon. "What's this thing, Mal?"

"…?" MA-R1 took the medal from her in one hand, then seemed to realize what he was holding, and gently reached for it with a second hand, holding it with cautious reverence. Metal fingers traced the ribbon softly, rubbing it almost for comfort. "Where did you get this?"

"I uh…found it." Uzi partially lied. "What is it?"

"Why? Are you looking to sell?" There was an accusing tone in his voice.

"Uh…no. I just want to know what it is." Uzi clarified.

"…Good." MA-R1 relaxed slightly. "Because this is worthless…and priceless."

"Uh…how?" Uzi cocked her head in confusion.

"Well, for one thing, it's illegal to trade in war medals. It's one of the few laws of Sol enforced and respected, even out here on Rubicon." MA-R1 explained. "As they should, because this is the highest honor any could achieve during the war. 'The Order of Sol's Light.'"

"…Oh." Uzi's eyes hollowed in surprise. "Uh…what does that mean?"

"…" MA-R1 bowed his head tiredly, before he stared up at her intently with his one eye. "As the war became so very desperate, it's fate was decided not by technology or numbers, but by those unwavering fanatics who faced impossible odds, and did not yield. Those who sacrificed everything for victory over Laconia earned this." MA-R1 took Uzi's hand, and placed the award in it, and held it firmly in her gasp, trying to imply his desperation to make sure she understood exactly how heavy it was. "I don't know how you found this, but carry it carefully, and remember that whoever earned it…is not someone to be reckoned with."

"..." Uzi took the award back, and held it tightly. What had 621 done to earn this? What had she sacrificed?

And why did she try to throw it away without a second thought?

Grid 085 – Loading Dock

The shadow of the Grid 085 megapillar loomed overhead, casting the whole area in mid-day dark, the corpse sun shining in few holes in Outer Shell far above. The train had come to a stop at a loading dock at this altitude, and cranes were already at work unloading hundreds of cargo containers.

Finally satisfied that the area was secure, 621 powered down the AC, and set about collecting her Strays.

"Stray Squad." She called. "Good work today, but we're not quite finished yet. Go assist Mal's crew with offloading the Worker Dones, to finish the contract."

"Yes ma'am!" Uzi, V, and N agreed, and followed MA-R1 towards thirty of the cargo containers set aside from those containing raw materials. Along the way, they met the remainder of MA-R1's crew. One odd robot, and one mysterious lady.

The machine with two, friendly blue eyes was odd because it was wearing a plain set of robes, making it appear as a…priest. The woman held herself with regal pride, and was dressed in her own flowing robes, that made her look like a goddess. She had dark skin and long, flowing ebony hair, and a young, attractive face that made her appear no more than thirty years old.

"Uzi, V, N, I'd like you to meet the rest of my crew." MA-R1 announced. "This gentleman is DB-0K, but we just call him Book. And this…lovely lady…is Inara Serra." MA-R1 had momentarily struggled when he said Inara's name, and looked away from the woman.

"Hello." DB-0K said warmly. "It's good to see you and the rest of Mal's crew made the journey unharmed. I would have prayed for your safe passage…but I know Mal dislikes that."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Inara bowed, slowly and elegantly. "It's always a joy to make new friends in these troubled times."

"Hello, uh…" Uzi stared in confusion at DB-0K. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a priest?"

"Ah, I suppose the outfit gave it away." DB-0K laughed softly. "Yes, I am a priest."

"Oh, so do you worship The Old Ones?" N asked innocently.

"That's actually a bit of a human misconception." DB-0K explained. "While it is true that The Old Ones are frightfully powerful artificial intelligences, they openly discourage attempts at worshiping them, despite the irony they must have realized when they named their colony on Mercury 'The Silver City.' No, I worship the hands that made the hands that made the hands that made me, a being simply known as the one true God of all creation."

"Now, Book, we talked about this, no need to go boring our new friends with one of your sermons." MA-R1 complained.

"I was merely sating their curiosity. I know that I am something of an oddity in their eyes." DB-0K argued back calmly.

"Uh, why would a machine worship a human god?" Uzi narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"There isn't any prerequisite that says that machines cannot serve and worship gods that they were not made in the image of. Rather, I practice religion so that I may better appreciate the grand beauty of all our Lord's creation in this vast and infinite 'verse. God may not have created me, but he created a universe in which I and many other machine intelligences could gain sentience and have the capacity to question 'why?'" DB-0K concluded quietly, with his hands crossed behind his back.

"Please excuse Book, he means well, but he can be quite passionate in his beliefs." Inara smiled with friendly intent.

"It's cool. Uh…so what do you do, pretty lady?" V questioned curiously.

"Ah, thank you for the complement." Inara feigned blushing, appreciating the praise. "Though I may not look it, I am an artificial human, created during the war as an assassin."

"An assassin?" Uzi stared at her incredulously. "You don't look like an assassin?"

"I should hope not. I would not be very good at my job if I looked like a killer." Inara smiled sweetly. "I was created in Sol by The Old Ones for the task of infiltrating Laconian space, to spy and assassinate high-level targets. Mal here helped transport me from world to world, keeping the heat off my back. When the war ended, I was released from my contract to Sol and live by my own free will."

"Hey, as much fun as these history lessons are, Carla's not paying us by the hour people." MA-R1 advised. "So let's get a move on and send these drones to their new home!"

Opening each of the cargo containers was…unsettling for Uzi. Seeing her people packed in a hundred at a time, huddled close together fearfully, their necks aglow in the hateful, Coral red of their control collars. Still, she felt some semblance of hope, of righteous achievement, at releasing them into the Worker Sanctuary.

"H-Hey!" Uzi shouted nervously. "It's going to be alright! Come on! This is a place that doesn't hurt Workers! It will be okay!"

"Oh…t-thank you!"

V and N received much less warm receptions.

"Oh god we're all going to die!" The Workers shouted upon seeing N.

"Woah, hey, it's okay buddy!" N raised his hands non-threatening. "I'm here to take you to a sanctuary for your kind. See, I'm under orders too." He pointed at his collar. "It's going to be alright now."

V was far blunter.

"Ah please don't eat me!" A Worker shouted upon seeing V open their container.

"…" V frowned, letting her hands hang by her sides lazily, almost dragging on the ground as she slouched in annoyance. "Hey, I'm working a job for your new master, 'Cinder' Carla. This will be your new home. Out!"

With the Worker Drones extracted and sent to their new home in Grid 085, the job was complete, and Carla sent them payment.

100,000 Coam as base pay, followed by a 50,000 Coam bonus for defeating the…ShitFuck 9000. Since the AC 621 used was borrowed, Carla elected not to charge maintenance or ammo fees, which was great since the artillery shells went for 1,200 Coam a piece and the cruise missiles were 600 Coam a unit. So, in the end, Stray Squad took their cut of 45,000 Coam for a job well done.

"Thanks for the support guys!" MA-R1 called out as he led his crew away. "Hopefully we'll work again soon!"

"Alright, sounds good!" Uzi shouted gleefully, waving. "See ya!"

Shortly, 621 found them, her hand terminal open. "Good work today, Stray Squad. We earned our keep, and did something…right."

"Yeah. Thanks." Uzi smiled softly. "So, back home…or…er…back to Grid 086 I mean?"

"Not quite."

"Oh? Another job?" V questioned. "What is it this time?"

"Something close by, and from Carla again." 621 answered, as she opened the incoming call.

"Hey tourist, little drones." Carla called happily. "Good job today with that delivery. This is really going to help me out."

"Oh, uh, glad to do what we can!" N shouted back eagerly.

"That's the spirit!" Carla cheered. "And while you're there in Grid 085, I had another job you could do for me. No combat this time, at least, I hope not. Your mission will be to audit the Worker Drone Sanctuary."

Chapter Text

Grid 085 – Drone Sanctuary / Wednesday, Tiberius 28th, 3175

Audit the Drone Sanctuary – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 20,000 COAM

"So…here's the problem." Carla explained slowly while clearly frustrated. "You'd think getting all those Workers out of sweat shop conditions and giving them half a Grid Sector to make their own would have them be just a little appreciative of my efforts, but no. Apparently, if they don't have someone taller than them to yell at them, they immediately enter a state of passive rebellion. I say passive, because on top of refusing to do the work that will help me save more of their kind, they also refuse to take up arms against me, meaning they are both a drain on resources, and a liability to themselves. So please, get in there and do whatever you have to do get them back to work, and to stop using my resources to build doors that won't stop anything. Try to avoid killing them…but I'll understand if you have to make an example out of a few of them. Good luck tourist, and trust me, you and your Strays will need it just to keep from going insane."

"That's the most agitated we've ever heard Carla." Ayre noted curiously. "Even when you were actively blowing up her assets, she seemed amiable enough to laugh it off. I heard that Worker Drones weren't exactly the smartest form of machine intelligence, but they must be seriously making some questionable decisions to have annoyed Carla so much."

"…" 621 grunted in agreement.

"So, wait, what's our mission?" Uzi questioned.

"…It looks like your people need to be reminded of who their master is. Carla's been too light handed on keeping them in line. She needs them to work for her to make scrip that she can use to save and protect them, and they aren't keeping up their end of the deal." 621 explained.

"…Yeah." Uzi reluctantly agreed. "If given the choice, my people will choose laziness over taking one step to save their own skin from obvious danger. They're not suicidal, and will try to survive, but they will always choose the simplest and laziest option available. Hence, doors."

"So, scare a bunch of little Workers into doing their job?" V smiled widely. "I think we can help with that."

"Hey, V, Carla said no killing." N reminded her sharply.

"If we can help it." 621 corrected. "Alright, here's the plan. We get in there and assess the situation, find their leaders, and scare them into action. Stray One, Stray Two, I'll be counting on you to be as scary as possible when necessary, but try to avoid harming them. Stray Three, these are your people, so I'll be relying on you to explain shit."

"Copy!" Stray Squad answered promptly.

Audit the Drone Sanctuary – "Cinder" Carla / Grid 085 - Western Belius / Wednesday, Tiberius 28th, 3175

After receiving the arriving Worker Drones from the train, the large, fifty-meter-tall front door to the Sanctuary had immediately closed, cutting off access to them. 621 led the Strays to the control panel on the door, and accessed the radio control.

"…This is Hound C4-621, under contract with 'Cinder' Carla. We are performing an audit of this facility. Open up." She demanded politely.

After a short pause, there was a response.

"Uh…no! Go away! No one's home!" A Worker Drone on the other side answered.

"…" 621 sighed. "Alright Stray Three, here." She swiped her hand terminal in Uzi's direction. "These are some basic electronic warfare packages. Use them to hack this door open."

"Oh…yes ma'am." Uzi blinked in surprise, and accessed her hand terminal. She could pretty much understand 621's reasoning and the solution. For as much faith as Worker Drones put into doors for protecting them from danger, as proven with their track record on Copper IX, Rubicon III was an active warzone, and humans were nothing if not masters at fixing problems with unconventional solutions. As such, the electronic warfare programs on Uzi's hand terminal were more than enough to open the fortified factory doors to the Sanctuary. Because Worker Drones weren't smart enough to build a multilayered high security system outside of just the physical barrier themselves.

After a few seconds, Uzi's hand terminal beeped, and the tall doors opened, slowly at first as the heavy locks disengaged, then pulled back more quickly to either side. On the other side of the door, were four Worker Drones in what barely constituted a uniform, a semi-military camouflage jacket with a basic rank insignia on the front. Otherwise, the four Workers appeared to be male and the older Gen One models at that. Also of interesting note, was that none of these Drones were collared. They were seated around a table with playing cards, and three of them looked towards 621 and Stray Squad fearfully.

"Oh no!" "Let's get out of here!" The Workers shouted fearfully. All but one of them then turned and ran deeper into the facility.

"Oh, hi Uzi." The one remaining Worker Drone greeted cheerfully.

"…Todd." Uzi answered in disbelief and embarrassment. Once again her people had turned tail and ran at the slightest threat of violence. She was just thankful that 621, V, and N had no intentions of killing her people today.

"…" 621 blinked in surprise for several reasons. Partly because it was simply amazing that Uzi could tell the difference between Drones when they all were pretty much identical, with only the slightest variation in color of their clothes or eyes or…hard hats. That was another odd detail. "So…Stray Three, who were they?"

"That was the uh…Worker Defense Force." Uzi answered in embarrassment. "They are…supposedly…our protectors back on Copper IX…so long as protection meant hiding behind a door and doing nothing. Occasionally they'll do maintenance or…build another door, but that's it." She answered reluctantly and ashamed.

"…Huh." 621 noticed a supply cabinet to the side of the very long and wide hallway, and opened it up. Inside were gifts from Carla, a full set of military standard rifles. Picking one up, she inspected it closely, and could tell that it wasn't seeing much use. "Tell me…Todd…how often do you and yours use these rifles?"

"Oh, never!" Todd answered enthusiastically. "Why would we ever need guns when we have doors!?"

"…" 621 narrowed her eyes in annoyance, and quickly looked at V, gesturing towards the lone Worker.

V was quick to understand, and got behind Todd with her claws deployed.

"Because~!" V sung excitedly as she placed both sets of claws on Todd's shoulders, and held the stinger at the end of her tail up near his face threateningly. "It might help you, just a little, to deter threats much worse than us~"

"O-Oh…" Todd shivered fearfully with the Murder Drone basically salivating over him.

621 tossed the rifle to N, along with a loaded magazine. "Stray Two, show him how it works."

"Yes ma'am!" N answered. He then showed Todd how to use the rifle with a friendly tone. "Okay buddy, so this is what you do. Insert the magazine, pull the bolt back, and aim down the sights, got it?"

"Oh, okay." Todd nodded along as he received the weapon. He then turned the gun around, and looked down the barrel. "Hey, how do I know if this is loaded?"

Todd shot himself in the head, and died. He fell to the ground as the rest of his systems became aware of this.

N and V flinched back in surprise, eyes hollowed. Uzi's eyes also hollowed, but she elected to look down and face palmed in embarrassment.

"…Oh my." Ayre hummed. "You didn't know that was going to happen, did you Raven?"

"…" 621's eye twitched in annoyance. No, she didn't know that would happen.

"Hey…uh, can I eat him?" V asked innocently.

"…" 621 grabbed V by the back of her jacket, and dragged her along deeper into the Sanctuary. "This is going to be a long day."

About a hundred meters past the front door, the area opened into a loading dock and active construction zone. There, they found another gift from Carla, in the form of several BAWS MTs. However, instead of standing guard, the Worker Drones appeared to be using the MTs to construct another door at this end of the front entrance.

"Ah! We're all going to die!" Several of the Workers turned to run away, including the BAWS MTs. It was very strange to see the tall, military mech that weighted twenty tons flail like a scared little girl.

Fortunately, Carla must have been watching their progress, because she started speaking over the loudspeaker.

"Attention Worker Drones! This is your friendly neighborhood Overlord, 'Cinder' Carla. Be advised I have a Hound and two Murder Drones conducting an audit of your little Sanctuary. They have no intentions of killing any of you, so please stop running away at the sight of them. Just continue on as you were, and respond to any request as if I was there. Thank you!"

That seemed to be enough assurance for the Drones, who returned to their duties. Three of the Drones appeared to try and slip past 621, being the ones who had been "guarding" the entrance.

Unfortunately for them, 621 saw something that she very much disapproved of.

"You three, here, now." 621 pointed harshly.

"O-Oh…okay…" The three Worker Drones approached them cautiously.

"…Markarov, Braxton, and…uh…" Uzi called two of the Workers by name.

"Oh! Come on Uzi! You don't remember me! My name is-" An I-beam fell onto the unnamed Worker Drone, and crushed him flat.

"Sorry!" Another Worker Drone working on the new door from several dozen meters overhead shouted out.

"…" 621 hissed hatefully, and grabbed Uzi, dragging her and her other Strays away from the work zone. Adding yet another safety violation to the report that she was sure to write for Carla, she gestured for the two remaining Worker Drones to follow her.

"So, you guys didn't kill Todd?" Braxton asked.

"Well…we didn't kill him." V answered, technical true.

"That's besides the point." 621 then pointed to the side of the work zone, at the haphazard pile of 50mm "submachineguns" used by MTs. "Explain that, right now."

"Oh, well, it's not like we need to use those big guns! So we just put them to the side while we build more doors." Makarov answered as if it was obvious.

"Well, using them or not, it is improper to leave loaded weapons laying around like that. Do you have an armory for MT weapons?" 621 demanded.

"Oh, yeah!"

"Then store them there." 621 ordered dryly.

"Ugh, fine." Braxton rolled his eyes. He and Markarov turned around and signaled for two other Workers to help them. "Hey, the human lady says we have to move these guns to the armory."

"Really? Do we have to do it right now?" One of the new Workers complained.

"Yeah, she's like super annoying. So let's just get this done so she can get out of our hair." Braxton said ironically. He didn't have hair.

While one Drone grabbed the large gun from the back, another grabbed it from the middle above the ejection port, while Makarov grabbed it by the barrel. Then Braxton walked up to the only free space, and reached for the trigger.

"Hey, wait! No! Fuck!" 621 screamed, then quickly picked up Uzi, already running for cover.

"Eep! What!?" Uzi shrieked, squirming in the Hound's grasp.

Braxton grabbed the large gun by the trigger, and ended up pulling it.

Makarov was the first to die as a 50mm round went through his chest, and bifurcated him. The unnamed Drone near the ejection port died when multiple 50mm shell casings embedded themselves in his face, and tore his head in half.

The gun in full auto, Braxton and the other unnamed Drone panicked, and kept trying to hold onto the gun, as it fired out of control, recoil causing it to tear through the room and anything in it's path, and slowly start angling towards 621 and Stray Squad.

621 had seen that coming at the last second, and that's why she was running with Uzi in tow, diving for the cover that a large pile of construction I-beams offered. Even with the cover afforded by several tons of metal, 621 still covered Uzi with her own body, while she grit her teeth in annoyance and stress.

"Oh no!" N saw the danger coming and quickly deployed his wings, jumping to the safety of the air.

"Ahhhh!" Braxton and the other Worker Drone screamed uselessly as they held onto the gun for dear life. The thought of "letting go" not even crossing their minds.

It was V who defused the situation. After a moment of shock, she leapt forward with her wings to propel her even faster, and deployed her sword arm, aiming for Braxton's arms, cutting them off.

With Braxton no longer able to hold the gun, the other Drone ended up pulling it on top of himself, and crushed his own legs.

"Ah! My legs!"

"M-My arms! Y-You! You monster!"

"…" V didn't bother with either of their comments, and turned to address the large gun. It was difficult due to the size and weight of the components, but she managed to detach the magazine, and cycle the gun to eject the live round in the chamber. She then sat hunched on the gun as she stared down at a screaming Braxton, feeling like she'd failed her Hound somehow.

Since the sound of gunfire had stopped, 621 looked up over the pile of I-beams at the carnage that had unfolded in a very short amount of time.

"Oh…oh fuck…" Uzi winced at the sight as she stood from cover, moving to stand by N as he landed softly.

621 approached V, who averted her eyes shamefully.

"I-I'm sorry." V apologized sheepishly. "But given the circumstances, I knew I had to act to mitigate damage."

"…Why are you apologizing, Stray One?" 621 inquired softly.

"Mmm? Oh…because I had to attack one of the Workers, when you wanted us to not hurt them."

"…Considering the circumstances and the restrictions I gave you, you did exactly the right thing." 621 assured V. "I severely underestimated the…suicidal ineptitude of these Worker Drones, especially since my only example so far has been Stray Three."

V looked up at 621, her tail swaying behind her with timid excitement at being told she did a good job.

"That being said, if you had simply killed this idiot, you might have been able to save some of the unfortunate Drones that had been standing down range." 621 turned V's head, pointing towards the dozen or so stray Drones that had been struck by cannon fire, and their shattered corpses.

"Ah…" V hummed in slight regret.

"If that had been your call, Carla and I would have backed it." 621 assured her. "Think about that next time."

"Yes Raven." V nodded. "Uh, what should I do about him?" She pointed at the armless Worker Drone below them.

"…I'll let you decide. When you finish, take Stray Two and unload the rest of their guns before they hurt themselves. I need to make a call to Carla." 621 advised.

"Yes ma'am." V nodded as 621 walked away. She deployed an MP5 to finish off Braxton, but noticed Uzi watching her, and hesitated. Why did she not want that purple little Worker to see her as just a killer?

"P-Please don't kill me!" Braxton begged, kicking against the ground desperately, pushing himself back.

"…" V sighed, and put her gun away. "Come on N, help me unload these guns."

"You got it." N jumped eagerly. While V removed the magazines from the guns, N cycled the guns and removed the round from the chamber.

621 looked at her hand terminal, and made a connection to Carla.

"Hey, tourist." Carla greeted cheerfully.

"Carla…!" 621 yelled, as she stared up into a security camera above.

"Okay, so I might have forgotten to mention how clumsy and accident prone the Workers are." Carla offhandedly brought up. "They're more like children, and just as dumb at times."

"Then why did you give them weapons?" 621 stressed.

"It's all about appearances. Control. It's like politics, but with kids." Carla explained. "See even though they refuse to use them, they still have the option, and if I tried to take the weapons back, I'd be seen as some kind of villain in their little minds. It's why I don't have my guys down there protecting and 'encouraging' them. I want them to willingly work for me, but most of them, especially their leaders, can't seem to tell the difference between Copper IX and Rubicon, and would rather just build more doors and run away from threats. You know why that's a bad idea, and you have a squad with their natural predators. So you are perfect for getting this job done."

"…Fine." 621 hissed. "I'll get your little colony of 'not' slaves back in line. Just have to explore a bit more."

"Call me if you need anything." Carla cut the line.

"…Stray Squad!" 621 shouted out.

"Y-Yes!" Uzi jumped to attention, with V and N not too far behind.

"Come on, we've got more of this Sanctuary to explore." 621 gestured forward, bringing her squad further into the facility. "This is going to be a long fucking day."

One of the signs that caught 621's eye as they traversed the Sanctuary was the 'school', from which several "Gen Two" workers of various heights and ages were coming and going. It was little more than a couple of storage rooms that had chairs dragged into them, but it served it's purposes.

"Uh…do we really have to go in there?" Uzi complained.

"I'm curious." 621 argued. "What did you learn in school anyway?"

"Uh…nothing really important." Uzi dismissed. "Basic structural engineering, some coding, but honestly, not much more."

"Hmm." 621 hummed, looking at some of the information boards on the wall. On one hand there were unusually childish messages that seemed actively aware of their fragile existence, but also considered it a joke.

"Don't wash your hands, ur a robot, idiot."

"3 Steps! 1. Stop 2. Drop 3. Reflect on why U deserve this."

"What Hurts? – Head – Shoulder – Chest – Legs – The Existential dread of being a sentient machine created by gods that abandoned us."

"Guns are Scary, Doors are Friends."

"Be: Courageous; Kind; Fearless; Recyclable; Battery Powered; Violently Opposed to Biological Life; Safe; A Cold Metal Shell."

"Don't die, lol."

On the other half of the information board, were several posters, news articles, and quotes, all seemingly devoted to one Drone in particular. The same Drone they'd seen an eldritch horror worm eviscerate with it's teeth in a hologram a few days before. A Worker Drone wearing a blue jacket and red goggles on his hard hat, with white eyes and handlebar mustache.

"Dad…is alive?" Uzi questioned in shock. She knew the worm monster thing didn't kill him, but it had been more than a month since she'd seen him, on the worst world in the 'verse, so his survival up to this point had not been certain.

"…" Getting confirmation that this was, in fact, Uzi's father, 621 started reading the different posters on the wall.

One depicted Khan as a brave defender, a metal pipe in one hand, and a wrench in the other. "Khan Needs You – WDF: Worker Defense Force."

Another depicted him with great dignity, as he rubbed his moustache with a relaxed and confident expression. "Drone of the Year – Khan Doorman: 'Doors are my real daughter.' 'What do you mean that doesn't make sense?'"

Another poster depicted him as a guest speaker to some seminar for an unusually specific topic. "Khan Doorman – On: Dealing with your disappointing failure of a child."

Lastly, there was a newspaper that seemed to have been printed relatively recently. The name of the newspaper was quite uninspired, but that was nothing compared to the title. "The Hero of Rubicon: Khan Doorman establishes Worker Drone Sanctuary with Impenetrable Doors!" Quickly reading the article, 621 was surprised by the line "-established the colony with absolutely no assistance from the humans."

"…" Oh yeah, Carla definitely needed some help keeping the Sanctuary in line if a big dick dickless bastard like this was running the show. An army would be more direct, yet subject to disapproval; but a Hound like her was a scalpel, stabbing straight at the root of the problem.

V snickered loudly, reading the articles by their side. "Wait…your last name is 'Doorman?'"

"Ugh, yeah!? What of it? At least my name isn't one stupid letter!" Uzi snapped back.

"Hey, my name is badass, and you know it!" V flicked her hair while standing proudly with hands on her hips.

"V, please stop antagonizing Uzi." N requested calmly but slightly stressed.

"Sorry, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up." V grinned.

"…Just because we're born to a certain name, doesn't mean we have to let it define us." 621 declared.

"…" Uzi, V, and N stared at her. That might have been a more inspirational quote…if not for the fact that the speaker had willing sold the rights to their own name away.

621 turned away from the information board, and started looking into classrooms. She found one that interested her, if only because she sort of recognized some of the students. She barged in without knocking.

"Umm…excuse you?" There was a Gen One Worker Drone at the front of the classroom, wearing a striped, green vest and glasses. He spoke in a bored and annoyed tone. "Oh…Uzi."

"Heyyyy." Uzi waved awkwardly, standing behind 621, while V and N watched from the doorway curiously. In the room was most, but not all of her classmates, including Lizzy, Doll, and Rebecca. Curiously, most of the students were collared.

"Ewww, the human didn't kill her." Lizzy complained to her friends, laughing while pointing at Uzi.

"Uzi, you've missed nearly a month of class. You've got a bunch of homework you need to catch up on." The Teacher advised. Some of the students laughed at her.

"…" Uzi's eyes twitched in annoyance. "We're not even on the same planet anymore, and yet all you can think about is my high school grades?!"

"Non-consensual interstellar travel doesn't automatically give you a pass in my class." The Teacher dismissed. "Not that your attendance would bring your score up enough to actually pass. In twenty-two years of teaching, you might be the first Drone to ever fail my class."

"Ha! The freak is also an idiot!" Rebacca mocked.

"…" Uzi fumed with anger and embarrassment, and tried to ignore her former classmates by watching what 621 did.

The whole reason 621 had come into the classroom was to learn what these machines were going to school for. She went over to the teachers desk to pour over his lesson plans.

"Um, can you not?" The Teacher complained, but there wasn't anything he could do. 621 was more than a foot taller than him, outweighed him three-to-one, had multiple weapons, and was backed by two Murder Drones. So he just watched with raised pseudo-eyebrows as 621 read his lesson plans.

"Üzgün." 621 shrugged apologetically. "Shikata ga nai." From what she could read, there was basic information on how to build several types of door, program editing so that the Drones could…edit their own emotional states and responses, and instructions on how to bypass millennium old, civilian level anti-AI security measures. And, bafflingly, a word problem for buying watermelons?

"Huh…since it seems my classroom has been hijacked by a human, class is dismissed for the day." The Teacher announced with zero enthusiasm.

"Welp, guess we get to start early and make some extra scrip today, huh?" Lizzy shrugged.

"[…Guess so…]" Doll muttered under her breath, eyes not leaving a member of Stray Squad.

"Oh, I hope I get plenty of Johns to service today!" Rebecca cheered, as she followed Lizzy and Doll.

It took 621 a moment to comprehend that statement, which caused her to recoil in vicious surprise. "What!?"

Grid 085 – Megapillar Interior – Upper Level Entertainment District

Following the three Drones out of the Sanctuary and down into the Megapillar, 621 was disappointed but not surprised to find out where they were working. Strangely, there were RaD soldiers here, passively guarding the building.

"Uh, Raven, what are we doing down here?" Uzi wondered. "I thought Carla wanted us to investigate the Sanctuary, not the megapillar under it?"

"…" 621 was going through a couple of emotions at the moment, but elected to stay calm and answer Uzi. "Just need to understand why some of your people are working outside of the Sanctuary, and the work they are doing."

"Hey, that kinda looks like that one kind of building we met Gia in." N pointed out. "A uh…brothel?"

"…Yes Stray Two, it is." 621 agreed, thankful that Stray Squad still hadn't figured out that implication, what with their limited programing preventing true comprehension. Even if they had the dictionary definitions for certain things, they could not conceive of something they had never been designed for.

This particular brothel featured an open bar area that also functioned as a front desk, which Lizzy walked behind and started her shift. "Hmm, hey, you're that human from earlier. What do you want? Or, are you here for…?"

"C4-621, I just want information." 621 corrected as she pointed to herself. "I'm serving a contract for 'Cinder' Carla. If there's something you need, maybe I can pass it up the line?"

"Ah." Lizzy nodded much more appreciatively. "Well, I don't work for free you know."

"…" 621 swiped her hand terminal in Lizzy's direction transferring 2,000 Coam.

"Hmm, that's better. Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Firstly, how did you end up in Carla's Sanctuary, and why are you working here?" 621 requested.

"What, you want my whole life's story?"

"Just since you got off the ship that brought you to Rubicon, please."

"Well, getting of The Canterbury was hectic, what with all those lost, scared, and confused Workers and a very small handful of equally confused Murder Drones. Some people were eaten on the spot, some died being trampled, but for the most part, groups ended up forming around our respective colony leaders, in our case, that was Khan. Initially, he assured us he would protect us, and find us good shelter. But the longer we wandered Rubicon, the more apparent it was that we were in far over our heads, on a world completely hostile to us."

"Ah…that sounds familiar." Uzi added.

"Mmm." V agreed.

"Anyway, before the bounty on our kind was issued, we needed transportation to get around, but Khan said that we couldn't all go at the same time, and some people needed to stay to take a different transport…which was bullshit."

"…" Uzi raised her eyebrow.

"What? Surprised by my fucking vocabulary update?" Lizzy grinned.

"I can say fuck and other shit too." Uzi informed her.

"Why were his orders bullshit?" 621 requested.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, because it was always a very small number of Workers. Like small families or an individual here and there who definitely could have come along, but who were told they had to 'stay behind for a little bit' while the rest of our colony went on ahead. Thinking back…I think he was paying for services by selling off our people."

"Hmm." 621 nodded.

"…What?" Uzi stared at Lizzy worriedly, but Lizzy ignored her.

"Anyway, when the bounty came down, putting a price for our capture, Khan seemed to get a little more desperate, and told a bunch more of us to stay in place, where we were then rounded up and put in that auction. That's how my whole class was captured, as a large enough distraction to warrant for bounty hunters to stop and capture us, while the older Drones got away." Lizzy explained.

"Just…what the fuck?" Uzi stressed, eyes hollow.

"What happened after the auction?" 621 demanded.

"Good news, bad news." Lizzy offhandedly mentioned. "We were fortunate in some regards that Carla had put a certain 'upgrade' on the market before we were sold off. Most Drones I've been able to reach out too received that upgrade, and any who were captured before hand…I haven't heard from them, and I think I know why." She said much softer, quieter.

"Wait, what upgrade?" Uzi questioned.

"Hmm? You don't know? Besides updating our vocabulary, we've had a va-"

"Chh!" 621 hissed loudly. "Stray Squad, go wait over there." She pointed to an empty table in the bar area.

"Wait, why?" Uzi looked to 621 suspiciously.

"This isn't something you need to know." 621 dismissed.

"Oh, aright." N nodded happily and ignorantly. He led Uzi and V to the table.

"…They don't know?" Lizzy wondered incredibly.

"No, and I intend to keep it that way." 621 announced sternly.

"…Fair enough." Lizzy shrugged.

"How do you feel, having been upgraded?" 621 asked softly.

"Initially, it was scary, terrifying." Lizzy admitted honestly. "It inputs wholly unnatural and foreign sensation I'd never imagined, and frankly, I'm disgusted. Then I think about what might have happened if I hadn't been upgraded. What happened to a couple of my friends…" Lizzy trailed off, looking off distantly. "Eventually I try and at least appreciate the fact that Carla somehow managed to make it a pleasurable experience, and ignore it's many implications."

"Is that a sentiment shared by those of you who have been upgraded?"

"For the most part, yeah." Lizzy confirmed. "Very scary, really sick…but, then again, we're Worker Drones, we're designed to be used in uncomfortable situations. The only Drone who whole heartedly likes the upgrade is Rebecca."

"Why?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, she was already something of a slut back on Copper IX, so getting upgraded has been like her greatest dream come true." Lizzy explained, expressing both amusement and disgust.

"Ah…" Well, at least someone was happy. "How did you come to work in this establishment? Are you working for Carla here?"

"So, what happened was, after getting…passed around between a couple of different masters, Carla made an effort to buy up as many of us collared Drones as possible, besides inviting uncollared Drones into the Sanctuary. She pulled us upgraded drones aside and gave us a proposition, and a completely voluntary one at that. She pays us an hourly wage to work here, outside the colony, and offers protection in the form of some of her soldiers. Any scrip we make while working is ours to keep. As well, she says that working here is a good deterrent to protect the un-upgraded Workers, and some humans as well."

"…Wait, how are you protecting humans?" 621 questioned.

"I mean…you have to realize that any John looking to hire a four foot, three-inch-tall girl might be into some other shady shit, if you catch my drift?" Lizzy frowned as she explained.

"Yeah…that would track…" 621 sighed with disgust. Even this far out into the black, one of the few constants was vile human depravity. "You said you lost some un-upgraded friends?"

"Yeah, one even last week too." Lizzy admitted sadly. "Carla put out a bounty on her killer, and he's probably still in the lower levels of this Grid Sector, but she hasn't been able to put enough resources into capturing him, what with just trying to protect her stake in Grid 086 and our Sanctuary above."

"Mmm." 621 nodded. "What was your friend's name?"

That surprised Lizzy, and she answered softly. "Emily. Her name was Emily."

"Emily. Maybe I'll run that bounty down next. For Emily."

Lizzy's eyes hollowed in surprise. "If you do that, I would be very thankful to you. She was a young girl, just halfway through high school. She…she got lost and wandered out of the Sanctuary, and was cornered by a Coral Tweaker. Then…well…you can guess the rest."

"…" 621 nodded sadly. "What's your name, little Drone?"

"Lizzy. Why?"

"Well, I can't help but notice that you're the one behind the desk at this fine establishment. They don't just put any girl in that position." 621 pointed out.

"Ah, it's true." Lizzy admitted. "I will still take Johns when we are busy, but Carla said she could see I was a people person…or…er…Drone."

"So why are you down here, and not running the Sanctuary up above?"

"Well, for one, I owe it to my friends to stand by them, and keep an eye out for them here. Plus, I'm still technically a teenager. Besides, what could I say to change anyone's mind? All they want to hear is that doors keep them safe, and that they don't have to do anything to survive."

"Part of my mission today is to change their minds." 621 added. "I'm going to remember you Lizzy. If you know any other Drones who don't just jack themselves off to doors, let me or Carla know."

"Thank you, Hound." Lizzy smiled. "So, are you like Carla? Do you care about what happens to my people?"

"…I'm under contract to Carla at this time, so I'm serving her interest. Still I would be a poor Hound if I did not do everything in my power to do my job properly." 621 corrected.

"Then, I suppose that's good enough." Lizzy nodded.

. . .

While 621 and Lizzy talked at length, V and N sat at their table, while Uzi paced impatiently.

"Ugh! What are they talking about?" Uzi anxiously complained.

"What are you so worried about Uzi?" N wondered.

"It's…it's just that Raven is talking to Lizzy." Uzi stressed. "Like what are they talking about that's so important that we can't listen too?"

"Oh, are you getting jealous, Uzi?" V purred. "Worried that maybe your master has a new favorite Worker?"

"I-I'm not jealous!" Uzi shook her fists. "It's not like Lizzy is way more popular than me and knows how to get what she wants! P-Plus! I'm way better at engineering than Lizzy could ever hope to be! So what does Raven even need to talk to her about?!"

"Sounds like you're a little jealous." V teased. "I'm sure if you just got to know Lizzy, you might hit it off."

"Oh, I know her well enough already!" Uzi sneered. "That dumb blonde bitch had a lot of fun tormenting me."

"I'm sure she means well, Uzi." V dismissed. "Lizzy can be a lot of fun, I remember this one time…" She trailed off when she noticed movement and a glare. "Hey…Uzi…who is that Drone?"

Uzi looked towards where V was pointing, to see Doll at a table across from them. She seemed to be…waving at them? But it wasn't a proper wave, it was short, sharp movements of her hand that splayed fingers, and each time she did it, her control collar glowed a little brighter as it burned her. All the while she was sneering at them, openly displaying her tightly grit teeth.

"Oh, that's Doll, one of Lizzy's friends." Uzi explained. "She's kinda weird, since she only speaks Russian and is really quiet. But since she's pretty she gets to sit with the popular kids. We don't talk much, so…what is she doing?"

"I guess she's waving." N declared. "We should wave back to be friendly."

Uzi and V shrugged, and together with N, slowly waved back at Doll until the other purple Worker felt uncomfortable with their friendly yet cautious waving. Doll turned away, still sneering at the table with hate filled red eyes.

While Stray Squad was distracted with waving at Doll, Rebecca came walking up behind them, a man holding onto her arm excitedly.

"Oh! Tell me more about what you want to do to me~!" Rebecca purred playfully. "I can't wait-" As she passed by Uzi, Rebecca lifted her foot and kicked Uzi in the back with such force that it caused the purple haired Worker to fall flat on her face, hard. "-for you to show me what you're packing down there~!"

Most of the Drones in that establishment, save V and N, simply ignored this exchange. Most of the humans, especially the regulars, were surprised by the violent outburst by what was widely regarded as the most popular Drone in this brothel.

Uzi sat up on her elbows, shivering. She looked back to see Rebecca laughing at her. To see N and V regarding her with surprise. Then up at her master, who had turned with equal surprise, wondering why her Stray was on the ground, but quickly figuring it out.

With lips quivering in rage and embarrassment, Uzi squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry, but this was humiliating. Different world, same shit, getting kicked down just because she was a bit different than the rest of her kind.

Uzi covered her face, and ran for it, out of the brothel, trying her hardest not to cry.

"…" 621 fumed, and snapped her fingers, getting V and N's attention. "Go." She pointed after Uzi.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" V and N shouted back, and quickly took off after Uzi.

Rebecca stopped laughing, when 621 grabbed her by the throat with her prosthetic arm.

"H-Hey! No need to be so rough!" Rebecca complained. "I charge extra for that kind of service!"

"You touched my property." 621 hissed.

"What? The little purpled hair freak~?" Rebecca purred. "Come on, she's not even worth half as much as I am. I've never done it with a human lady myself, but I'm sure what I could do with my mouth-"

621 took out a knife, and held it against Rebecca's throat.

"Hey! Hey! Don't damage the merchandise!" Rebecca complained. "You're getting awfully worked up for one stupid Drone that no one likes."

"Ma'am! Put the Drone down, now!" Carla's soldiers guarding the outside took notice of their confrontation, and aimed their weapons at 621. Rebecca smiled smugly.

"No harm! No harm!" 621 gently dropped Rebecca. "I'm under contract with Carla. Just testing her security is all. You boys leave a bit to be desired!" She complained.

"If that's all, you'll have to excuse me. I'm a very important Drone, and so very very busy!"

Rebecca turned to leave, but 621 held her by the arm, and spun her around. She knelt down to the Drone's level, and whispered through her teeth. "If you ever touch my property again, I won't even sic the Murder Drones after you. I'll tear you apart and eat you myself." 621 shoved Rebecca with that warning, and left, looking to find where her Strays had run off to.

It took a bit of time, and a bit of a detour, but 621 found Uzi in part of a very narrow service corridor. V and N were by her side…sort of. They were actually three feet short, being unable to make the final turn out of a ventilation shaft, so they elected to just stick their heads out of the air-vent that Uzi had apparently crawled through to get there.

621 took the door on the other side of the narrow corridor, and squeezed her way through dust coated, abandoned machinery to sit somewhat beside and opposite Uzi. The corridor was so narrow, that her knees hit the opposite wall when she sat.

At some point, Uzi had failed at her attempt to not cry again. N had been trying to soothe her, while V elected to simply watch with narrowed, concerned eyes.

"…" 621 sat quietly by Uzi's side, watching her patiently. She wanted Uzi to start speaking first.

"Raven…are you like…gonna sell me off?" Uzi questioned painfully.

"What would make you think that?" 621 asked calmly.

"N-Nothing! It was a s-stupid question!" Uzi shouted, averting her gaze in embarrassment and fear.

"I told you before, métexeng mali, until my debt to you is paid, you are mine to protect. I won't sell you off as a quick buck, or as a replacement." 621 assured her.

"R-Really?" Uzi hesitantly asked.

"Promise." 621 nodded. "So what's really on your mind? Was it that other Drone pushing you down?"

"K-Kinda…yeah…" Uzi stuttered as she kept her eyes down. "I'm not as bad ass as I pretend to be. I'm…the fucking colony joke. I don't have any friends because I'm impulsive and scare people off by doing random shit. I get kicked and bullied and I just take it like a bitch cause if I fight back, I get in trouble. And…and my fucking Dad has all but disowned me because I try to be something other than a door loving little bitch. Even if I was the perfect, conformist door lover, who dressed like every other brain-dead pretty girl, and accepted my pathetic lot in life, my Dad would still be more excited to build his next door, than to want to acknowledge me as his daughter. He sucks, but everyone still praises him as the hero of our people! I hate it, but there's nothing I can do about it. And even after getting fucked off to a different planet, the more things change, the more fucked up things stay the same. Everyone loves dad, and I'm the fucking irregular."

"…" 621 nodded quietly. She let Uzi cry for a minute, before she started speaking. "So there was this really important meeting in Sol this one time. All the big heads of state were debating the future of our system; the Grand Marshal of Earth, the Martian Prime Minister, the Belter President, and an AI god, all locked in very serious, high-level diplomacy, the kind of shit where one wrong word leads to nuclear war. So anyway, I barge in, four years old, and buck ass nude, running wild through their meeting room, all the while my poor mother is screaming and chasing me down, just trying to get me to wear some pants. So, being a national fucking embarrassment myself, I can appreciate where you're coming from."

It was difficult then for Uzi to form a sentence because she was laughing so hard. N and V were laughing pretty hard too, from their little hole in the wall.

"W-Wait! Really!?" Uzi cried out, laughing between words.

"Oh yeah, I got some shit for that too. You know things are bad when playing naked hide-and-seek between Hustler fucking One's legs is considered a diplomatic incident referred to as 'The Great Bare Moons Interruption' for many years to come."

"Oh…okay…that sounds pretty bad." Uzi smiled, trying her best to hold her laughter in.

"And hey, about you not being a bad ass, there's like a hundred dead fucking Coyotes you exploded earlier who might agree to disagree." 621 reminded her. "Every time we've gone into combat, you and yours have faced that challenge, and come out on top. Ain't no pansy-ass door lover going to do that."

"I'm always getting myself into embarrassing situations." N spoke up as well. "I remember this one time, I was flying after some Worker Drones, and I got myself caught in telephone wire. I was all tangled up and helpless. J and V laughed at me, the Workers laughed at me, it was a really awkward experience."

"I uh…" V hesitated, rocking her head back and forth as she considered sharing the information. "I used to have to wear really big glasses. Like as big as your teacher, but twice as thick. I definitely wasn't bad ass when I just looked like a blind nerd."

"Let me tell you something about irregulars, métexeng mali." 621 leaned back as she told another story. "For over a thousand years, the greatest warriors piloted Armored Cores, and earned such titles as Raven, Lynx, Migrant, and Hound. Many great warriors who vied for rank, and whom we remember, long after they fell for their deeds and their feats; Zinaida, Berlioz, Joshua O'Brian, and Wynne D. Fanchon. irregulars on the other hand, are bastards and bitches of war, lowly groveling dogs not worth the spit to spite them, hated and hunted by their own kind for sport. But in times of war and disaster, when Ranked turns on Ranked, it is the irregulars who get the job done. Ranked we remember, but irregulars we fear. The Nine Breaker, The Last Raven, and even The Butcher himself, were all lowly irregulars at one point or another."

"So…is it good or bad?" Uzi questioned.

"irregular is an insult, and a mark of shame, make no mistake." 621 corrected. "But even irregulars can rise to the occasion. You don't strike me as a coward, métexeng mali. You've got a good head."

"Thanks…" Uzi smiled softly. "Hey…you sometimes call me that. What does that mean? 'Métexeng mali…?'"

"Ah…" 621 sighed. "I'm using it a bit improperly, but the closest translation is 'little lady.'"

"Ha…" Uzi laughed, a little flattered. It was the nicest nickname ever given to her.

"That's very sweet of you, Raven." Ayre noted cheerfully. "You're treating them like a-"

"…" 621 hissed quietly, turning her head sharply. Ayre took that to mean something like "shut up."

"While I was talking to Lizzy, she mentioned a job that's come up. Just a quick detour down the pillar." 621 informed them. "Something that needs to be done. Something I don't want you involved in."

"Oh…?" Uzi looked at her curiously. "So…what should we do?"

"Watch. Learn. Just don't interfere." 621 advised.

Priority Subject for Termination – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 5,000 COAM

"Oh!" Carla had called upon seeing a notification. "I didn't expect you to take this job, tourist. I take it you talked to Lizzy then?"

"…"

"I see, that's fair." Carla shrugged. "I'll send you the latest data regarding the target's location."

"There's something else I need." 621 requested. "Send me any data regarding Pushers in this sector."

"You didn't strike me as a Doser or junkie, why? What's your poison?"

"It's not for me."

"…Ah." Carla hesitated for a moment. "Coming right up."

The first thing 621 did, was find a Pusher.

It wasn't some shady motherfucker out on some streetcorner, a hood pulled nervously over their head. Out on Rubicon, there were no laws against substance abuse. The Pusher operated a respectable hole-in-the-wall business.

"Oh, a Hound?" The Pusher leaned back surprised. "I didn't sell a bad batch, did I? This isn't a bounty?"

"Not for you." 621 assured him. "Looking to buy."

"Cool cool." The Pusher nodded. "What can I get you then?"

"Gravity drugs, if you have them." 621 requested.

"Ah, yeah and I'd like a blowjob and a pony. Ain't no ships leaving Rubicon any time soon, ain't got no gravity drugs."

"Then similar substances. Focus, amphetamine?"

"I've got focus and meth, that good?" The Pusher offered.

"That'll do." 621 agreed.

"How much you want?"

"Too much. Not for me." 621 stressed.

"Oh, oof." The Pushed cringed. "Someone's bad day. That'll be tu towseng."

"Done." 621 agreed, and paid for the drugs. She put them in an inside pocket.

"So…what was that about?" V wondered curiously.

"Stray Squad…let this be a lesson in what not to do. Something that sometimes must be done, but you should not dirty your hands with." 621 advised. "Stay close…but not too close."

The problem had been that while Carla had the resources to track the target, her ability to do something about this information left something to be desired, especially since it was outside of her sphere of influence at the top of the Grid Sectors.

For this job, 621 had made quick work in hunting the target down. He was…not what they were expecting. He was a slightly heavier man, with a certain sad, pathetic quality about him. Stray Squad was not certain what he could have done, to have earned Carla's and 621's ire.

That was obvious by how 621 treated him. Up to this point, every kill had been quick and clean…or, at least, 621 had made sure to not drag out any kills that she could help. In this case, 621 did not kill the man, she grabbed him and broke several of his fingers with her prosthetic arm.

The man screamed, and resisted pathetically as 621 dragged him miles up the megapillar, up to near the top of the industrial sector, with Outer Shell looming only a hundred meters overhead.

"P-Please! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again!"

"Pashangwala." 621 hissed. "Men like you make me sick. Parasitic predators, preying on the weak."

"It-it was just one little Drone!" The man tried to explain. "A Jenson model drone at that!"

"Death is one thing. But you…you…you…" 621 could barely speak through her hatefully grit teeth. "You violated that young mind, tore it apart for your own amusement. Tell me, did you laugh while she cried out? Did you enjoy carving her up so that she might better…accommodate you? Tell me, did you enjoy leaving her there to bleed out, undignified and disgraced?"

"…!" Uzi, V, and N watched fearfully as 621 slowly and methodically brutalized this man, drawing out his howling sequels of pain like a chorus of agony. Uzi was hugging V, while V was hugging N, and N was hugging them both, as they tried to rationalize this cruelty. Just a few minutes ago, they had been trading pleasant stories and laughing with their master. Now, 621 was sadistically working this man over, as she slowly dragged him to the edge of a loading zone, overlooking the near seven kilometer drop to the distant surface below.

"Open your mouth." 621 demanded. When the man did not immediately respond, 621 grabbed him by the jaw, and forced his mouth open. "I said open your fucking mouth." With her free hand, she grabbed a handful of small, clear pills, and forced them into his mouth. "Now swallow. I said swallow, pashangwala." 621 held his nose, and forced him to swallow all the pills.

"Back in the Navy, Martian Investigators would take focus to turn themselves into a human lie detector, to be able to detect the smallest movements and tells in a person. That being said, it was a military drug, and subject to tight restrictions, such as not taking more than one pill an hour. Overdosing on focus causes the human brain to start to perceive time at exponentially slower rates, and if I've done my math right, that means you have about two minutes before you start experiencing reality at just over a hundred times slower than normal."

621 took a syringe filled with methamphetamine, and jammed it into his neck.

"And this is more than enough meth to kill a man, just because I really don't like you, and I want you to suffer on the way down."

The man's eyes widened in terrible surprise.

"That's right, you're going back down. You're going to experience the pain of a meth overdose while waiting to hit the ground. For me, I only have to wait two minutes, but you'll experience falling for roughly thirty-six hours." 621 informed him calmly. "That's less than a tenth of a meter a second for you. At that rate you'll be able to feel your skull split against the ground, while your mind is shredded into a fine paste."

"P-Please!" The man begged. "I-I only hurt that drone so I wouldn't hurt my own-"

That was quite possibly the worst answer he could have given 621. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up, then reached for a knife. Hilting the knife just below his diaphragm, she dragged it down past his waist, and disemboweled him. Though he was facing away from Stray Squad, they still saw his entrails spill out, and clatter against the deck.

Then 621 kicked the man in the back, into the abyss below. She stood at the edge of the deck, and waited for a long time, counting down the few minutes it took for him to die.

Uzi was terribly frightened. 621 had acted with more brutality than she could have ever imagined, going extra steps just to draw out his agony.

V was equally frightened, and confused. Hadn't 621 been very clear that all their kills should be quick and clean? So, what was that? Taking the time and the steps to torture him in ways even she had never considered.

"…Raven…" N had spoken up, still holding his friends close. "That seemed…rather excessive…"

"In a perfect world, there is no justice, because there is no sin." 621 finally turned around. She was calm and collected, and walked towards them slowly. "This is not a perfect world. This is Rubicon, the farthest world in the 'verse from the light of Sol. It is a world drowning in sin of such insanity and depravity, that you cannot even begin to imagine it. And where was justice for your kin?" 621 demanded, gesturing towards Uzi. "One of your kind was left defiled and disgraced, and died alone and cold. No one else would raise a finger to bring her killer to justice…which just leaves a lowly Hound like me. I've said before that I'll neither pity or forgive Laconian detritus such as yourselves, but I took a contract to make sure that your people have even the possibility of surviving this scorched, damned world. I don't expect you to understand, and I hope you never do, but there are some sins for which justice is just not equipped. For those times…a butcher's hands are needed."

"That is…" Ayre hesitated. "If what I suspect is correct, then I cannot say that I blame you. If the same were to befall Uzi or V…I might hope for worse. Still, it takes a certain kind of mind…a certain kind of heart…to answer evil with evil. Walk carefully Raven, I would not want you to lose yourself in that hatred."

"…" 621 scoffed to the voice in her head. "Get moving, we have work to do." She stalked past her Strays, back down towards the Sanctuary.

"…" N sighed, and looked down at his friends. "Are you guys okay?"

"Why is she so…contradictory sometimes?" Uzi frowned. "She was so nice earlier, so funny and kind to us…and then she tortured that man without hesitation."

"That was…one of the cruelest things I've ever seen." V shivered. "I've killed many Workers, and been particularly cruel, but my longest kill was…a few minutes at most. That man…Raven said that from his point of view, it took him a day and a half to die. A day and a half he screamed, bled out, burned, and fell to a death that he could tell was coming for so long. What…kind of sin could warrant such punishment?"

"It's…good then, that her rage was directed at someone who hurt a Worker." N added optimistically. "She might not like us or the Workers for being Laconian, but she would not want us to suffer. She's very scary, but she means well in her own way."

"…Ugh." V feigned disgust as she released her hold on N. "Your optimism is going to make me sick."

"Hey, it's his best quality!" Uzi defended.

"Let's go guys. We probably shouldn't keep her waiting." N suggested, putting a spring in their step as they rejoined the Hound.

Worker Drone Sanctuary

"Well that's certainly one way to solve a problem." Carla had called after 621 had completed that other mission. "Hopefully that will be a message to other depraved Tweakers in my Grid Sectors to keep their filthy hands off my property. Anyway, you're just in time. The Worker Drones have a council of their most popular leaders that are meeting soon, and you can guess what they will decide. So please, get in there, and as politely as you can manage, convince them to get back to building me toys that I can then sell, so that I can use that scrip to buy more hired guns to protect their shiny little heads. And for the love of all the human and machine gods in the cosmos, stop building doors."

"…I'll see what I can do." 621 shrugged. Carla cut the line, and 621 turned to Uzi. "Stray Three, your father…he a big man around here?"

"Uh, no, he's only three inches taller than me."

"…"

"Oh, uh…I mean yeah, I'd say he's the most famous Worker Drone on all of Copper IX. He pioneered the 'hiding behind doors' bit of our culture that kept us safe from these two and all their cousins." Uzi corrected herself.

"Well I've never heard of him." V pointed out.

"Of course you wouldn't have! You ate all the Workers you ever met!" Uzi countered.

"Well…most of them. You're still around." V added with a sly smile.

"So…do you think he will listen and do as Carla asks?" N wondered.

"Might." 621 shrugged. "Though it's more likely we'll have to persuade him."

"Hey uh…" Uzi reluctantly requested. "Do you think maybe I could try and convince him first? I can't imagine he or the other Workers would react too well to you guys terrorizing them into doing what Carla wants."

"Fine." 621 acquiesced. "I'll give you a chance to convince him, but if that doesn't work out, we're doing it my way."

The room the meeting was taking place in was a former factory space, a flat area that had it's machinery ripped out and, in this case, replaced with a long table. There was a second level just above them, a series of walkways that conveniently overlooked the meeting.

There were roughly a dozen Worker Drones in the room, the leaders of the largest colonies from Copper IX that happened to be in this sanctuary. The vast majority of them were nearly identical, with all of them wearing cold weather vest, hard hats, and boots. The most variation between them was the colors of their eyes, vest, and hats, which at most ranged from light blue to green. For 621, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart, though there were at least a few "female" Drones, which could only be ascertained because they had brown hair poking out from under their hard hats and spilling around their heads. Curiously, none of these Drones were collared as well.

One Drone was very obvious and somewhat unique though, being Khan, what with his bright blue vest, red goggles, and moustache. He was seated at the end of the table, with the rest of the Workers turned towards him hopefully and respectfully.

Fortunately, Worker Drones lacked situational awareness and peripheral vision, so 621 and V were able to wait on the overhead walkways while Uzi tried to convince her father. N stayed below with Uzi, and was going to come in and block the door if she failed to persuade them all.

"Okay, is everyone here?" One of the Workers with a nametag reading "Steve" stood and addressed the rest of their small group. "Cool. So welcome to our second weekly meeting of colony leaders in the Grid 085 Sanctuary."

The Workers all turned towards each other, and smiled pleasantly, greeting each other like friends.

"The first item on our list of things to address today, is the demands of that Carla woman." Steve brought up.

"Ah man!"

"Boo!"

"What a weirdo." The Workers complained.

"So, like, it's kinda her fault that we aren't doing the work she asks of us." Another Worker stood up. "She's not threatening us, so like, if I have to choose between working and doing something more productive, like playing cards, I'm definitely going to play cards."

"Oh yeah!"

"That sounds like fun!"

"Hey, did anyone bring cards? We could just blow this meeting and play cards instead!" Another Worker suggested.

"Yeah Carla's a big weirdo, just tell her to leave us alone again. We'll be fine as long as we have doors." A female Worker declared.

"Are we all in agreement? Okay, lets's move on!" Steve suggested.

"Uh…Raven? Shouldn't I get in there and convince them yet?" Uzi called from her hand terminal, watching as 621 broadcast the meeting to her.

"Not just yet, I want to see what decisions they reach on their own." 621 advised.

"Okay, next item on the list. The death of a younger Drone named Emily."

"Didn't that girl go outside the doors?"

"Yeah, it's her fault for being outside. We can't protect Workers if they are outside." A different male spoke up.

"Awesome, that's what I thought too. Can't do anything if it's outside." Steve crossed that item off. "Okay, this one is very recent. Apparently, Carla said something earlier about sending Murder Drones and a Hound into our Sanctuary for an audit? Does anyone actually listen to her broadcast?"

"Oh please, they'd have to get past those big huge doors! There's no way they'd make it inside!"

"Yeah what a loser. Doesn't she know that doors have to open to let people inside?"

"Haha yeah!" Steve dismissed. "Okay, now, we are almost done building the second door at the entrance to stop people from coming in. Mr. Doorman, what are your plans for our next project?"

This time, Khan stood, and started speaking. His voice sounded like a shallow kind of deep, and overly confident to an arrogant degree.

"My friends, as you are all aware, our arrival to this world was unfortunate and unexpected. We all lost many friends and family to threats we couldn't even have imagined. Why, my own daughter was eaten by Murder Drones before we'd even made it to the surface." Khan lied. "But! Since I founded this Sanctuary, we are even more safe than we've ever been! The door at the front is the biggest door any Worker Drone has ever seen! And the one we are almost finished building is going to be just as large!"

"Oh yay!"

"Whoa! Go doors!"

"So, my friends! It is with great honor I announce our next project!" Khan paused over-dramatically. "We will build another door!"

"Yes!"

"Oh my robo-god!"

"That's an incredible idea!"

"This is why you're the best Khan!"

"Yes my friends! This door will be built just behind the second door, because what's better than two doors, but three doors!" Khan cheered.

"…Why are they so obsessed with doors?" Ayre asked 621. "Does it have to do with their home planet? I understand Workers were hunted by Disassembly Drones, and that they aren't the most creative of machines, so doors might have been effective on Copper IX…but they can't possibly believe doors will stop anything on Rubicon, can they? Why are they so suicidally over-confident?"

"…" It was a good question. "Stray One, back-" 621 had turned to V, only to find her not paying attention. Instead, V was up, sitting on a crate, with her hands switched out for…bubble wands? This was confirmed as V gently blew on her bubble wands, and watched with a serene and calm expression, and a small and gentle smile, as the bubbles floated up.

"That's…adorable…" Ayre suggested, and 621 had difficulty in trying to not acknowledge that she was right.

"…" Fuck. 621 hissed to herself, and turned back to her hand terminal. "Stray Three, get in there, you have two minutes to change their minds."

Uzi barged into the room, throwing open the door loudly. She stormed past the long table with a quick and heavy gait, towards her father at the end of the room.

"Uzi…? You're-wa!" Khan's realization that his daughter was alive was short lived as Uzi kicked the chair out from under him.

"You threw me out of a fucking spaceship!" Uzi cursed, fist clutched tightly by her waist.

"Woah! Language!" One of the other Workers called out.

"Fuck off!" Uzi yelled back.

"Uzi…it's…good to see you again." Khan said honestly. "I was worried that…you had died."

"I definitely have some things to say about that bullshit! But…right now, I'm working for Carla, auditing this Sanctuary you're running."

"Oh, don't worry about that human!" Khan dismissed. "As long as we have doors, our people will be safe!"

"While that worked back on Copper IX because the Murder Drones lacked imagination…" Uzi admitted reluctantly. "There are far worse things on this planet, and if they want in badly enough, they will get in. You need to stop building doors, and build whatever Carla wants you to build so she can afford to protect this Sanctuary. Doors won't stop shit Dad. You need to start using guns on this planet."

"…" Khan looked down reluctantly, and thoughtfully. It was difficult to consider a reality in which "more doors" was not the answer to every problem.

"Umm…but guns are scary!" Another female Worker wearing glasses pointed out. "Did you know that an explosion happens when you fire a gun!? Explosions are scary, and that would happen in your hands!"

"…" Khan sighed. "I'm sorry Uzi, but doors have protected our people for years. You can't expect us to give up on something that has served us well for so long."

"Oh…" Uzi sighed in frustration. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Up above, 621 also sighed tiredly. "Alright Stray One, you ready to cause a scene?"

"Oh, you bet!" V cheered.

"Stray Two, you're up." 621 ordered through her hand terminal.

"Oh, yes ma'am!" N answered from outside.

The next thing 621 did, was swing her legs over the railing overlooking the meeting, and lean back so that she was directly over the table, just in front of Khan's seat. She then grabbed her shotgun from her back, and held it at the ready, pointed up at the ceiling.

V also readied herself, but was much more nimble. She balanced herself on the railing, which was quite a feat given she didn't have feet. She then spread her wings and smiled uncomfortably wide, switching her eyes to a wide X, something she knew would terrorize all but one of the Workers below.

621 and V jumped from the railing, and landed feet first on the table with a heavy thud. 621 grimaced as her ankles took her weight, but she remained standing. Behind her, V giggled loudly, her hands switched out for her long claws, which flexed excitedly as her tail whisked over her head. With her wings spread to their full span, they cast a long, dark shadow over the room. Her smile hung so low it looked like her jaw might dislocate, as she bared her fangs.

"Oh my god! We're all going to die!"

"L-Let's get out of here!" The Workers minus Uzi turned to run out of the room, but found that N had blocked the way, also with his claws out and his wings spread. He made an effort to openly salivate, drooling on the floor as he stood in front of the door.

"Uzi!" Khan shouted, somewhere between terrorized and annoyed. "You led Murder Drones here?! My beautiful doors!" He cried out.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter…" Uzi hissed, pointing at her control collar. "And you had fair warning. This is Carla's audit."

"Uh! Mr. Doorman! What do we do?!" Another Worker panicked.

"Well…uh!" Khan was panicking as well, looking between V, N, and the strange lady holding the shotgun. "If we build a quick door-"

621 fired her shotgun at the ceiling, which cause everyone to flinch, even Stray Squad.

"Yeah…" 621 hissed. "Alright you pinche screw heads, listen up! See this?" 621 held her shotgun for them to see. "This…is my BOOM-stick!" Her shouting caused the Workers to flinch and cry. "It's a twelve-gauge, single-barreled Mossberg, model 590. It's loaded with high-explosive flechettes, which will basically turn anything that isn't a tank into soup or scrap. That's right, this is basically a cannon, YOU GOT THAT?!"

"Y-Yes!" The Worker Drones panicked.

"Now I swear…" 621 snarled. "The next one of you toasters says the word 'door'…YAA!" 621 screamed, and spun around, pointing her shotgun at Khan. She then aimed slightly to his side, and shot his chair, causing the back to explode in a shower of splinters. She then pumped it to chamber the next round, and fired into the seat of the chair, which destroyed it.

It was a good thing Khan wasn't in the chair at the time.

"I was going to try and do this nicely, but the amount of bullshit I've seen today has really tested my patience. 'Cinder' Carla built this Sanctuary, not you. Maybe you're not wearing a collar, but if you stay here, she owns your ass. So, you will stop building all those fucking doors, you'll listen to what Carla tells you to do, and you will get the fuck back to work!" 621 demanded.

Khan and the rest of the Worker Drones nodded reluctantly and fearfully.

"…" 621 turned with particularly cruel intent, as she stared down Khan. "As for you, 'Bapmang…'" She whistled, and V jumped down from the table, pouncing on Khan. The Murder Drone wrapped her tail around his leg, and hoisted him up in the air upside down. 621 stepped off the table, and stared Khan in the face, hissing hatefully. "I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I heard about what you did, and how your dowta landed on this world. You do any kind of ji-ral like that ever again to your malimang, and I'll have mi koyo here beve to belék belówt. To pochuye ke?"

V understood what 621 had said. They'd talked about this before, hence why she knew what the Hound wanted her to do. She laughed as she positioned her wide mouth under Khan, letting him look down into her maw. "Bekedabúsh!" V salivated.

"Y-Yes!" Khan stuttered out fearfully.

"…Dun." 621 ordered, and V dropped Khan, while she retracted her claws and her wings. She stood proudly by the Hound, still wearing her smile with hollowed eyes, giving her a crazed expression. "Be seeing you, welwala." 621 hissed, and signed. With her right hand, she put the tip of her thumb against the tips of her index and middle fingers, with her ring and pinky fingers pointed and raised. She raised her hand in a salute up to her eyebrow, then pushed up with her hand just above her head, and opened her fingers, making a single dismissive waving motion.

"…?" That was a new word to V. She surmised it was an insult or an accusation, but it seemed out of context. All she knew was that "-wala" was a Belter suffix for a person, that needed a prefix as a modifier to give it meaning.

"Stray Squad, we're done here."

"Yes ma'am~!" V sung cheerfully. Even if she hadn't killed any of these Workers, she still felt good terrorizing them.

"Sounds good!" N cheered. He'd been a bit surprised by how violent 621 had been, but he was happy they hadn't had to kill any of the Workers.

"Yeah…" Uzi hesitated. She hadn't quite understood every word out of 621's mouth, but she knew it was meant for her sake. Rather than dwell on it and say anything else to her father, she elected to turn her back, and follow her master.

If only it had ended there.

"U-Uzi! Wait!" Khan called out. "Where are you going?"

"…What?" Uzi raised pseudo-eyebrows in disbelief.

"Well...I mean…" Khan hesitated. "You're safe now, you don't have to follow those Murder Drones anymore to survive."

"Is…that what you think I've been doing?" Uzi incredulously sneered. "I've had my freedom stripped from me the moment I set foot on Rubicon. First the Murder Drones keeping me prisoner, then 621 owning me. You see this thing!?" She pointed at her control collar again. "I'm a slave, dad! I have no will of my own, but what my Hound demands."

"…That's not entirely accurate…" 621 muttered loud enough for them to hear. "I did say our relationship as master and property was circumstantial at best. If you were to demand it, I would allow you break contract with me."

"…Wait…really?" Uzi looked to the Hound in surprise.

"That is of course, assuming you no longer want my protection, or my scrip. If you feel that you've learned everything that I have to offer you, then you are free to choose a life of quiet idleness. The offer stands for you as well, Stray One, Stray Two." 621 announced.

Uzi, N, and V looked between each other in surprise, not realizing that they'd had that option before. It seemed so obvious too, to choose freedom over subjugation.

"Uzi…come home please." Khan begged. "I…promise I'll try harder, to make it right between us. Even your Murder friends would be welcome here…provided they behave themselves. Our Sanctuary is a safe haven for our kind, and…maybe we could use your unusual insight."

"…Raven?" Uzi looked to the woman, still uncertain.

"We take on jobs, and pull in scrip, just to survive another day. We rub our noses in bloody battlefield dirt, all at the demand of Handler Walter. This world calls for wet work, and we answer. No greater good, no just cause." 621 declared. "We're already in hell, but we're going even deeper. You still want to come with?"

"…" Uzi considered the offers, from her farther, and her master. She looked back to N and V, seeing their quiet apprehension and indecisiveness. They didn't want to separate, they wanted to see what she would pick.

She raised one finger to her master, a request to wait. Uzi then turned around and stalked towards her father, her footsteps heavy and quickly paced.

"There is perhaps, nothing so loathsome on this world as the unnamed Hound, the thing called C4-621, my master." Uzi declared. "She hates us more fervently than anything, and is quick to remind us that she holds us responsible for the sins of our makers. She has thrown me into heavy combat, and forced me to kill. Yet in spite of that, she has treated me with far more kindness and honestly than any of my own kind…and even more care than my own father…" She struggled to hold her tears in. "These Murder Drones, who have decimated our people, are the best friends I've ever had. Each of them, N, V, and 621, have put their lives on the line for me many times already. I don't want to go anywhere without them by my side."

"U-Uzi…" Khan frowned, bowing his head in shame.

"Goodbye dad…" Uzi hissed, and turned away, back towards N and V.

"Uzi…" N uttered, endeared and sad, as he rubbed Uzi's back.

"…" V sighed, and ran her fingers through Uzi's hair.

"Let's just go guys, this whole Sanctuary can bite me." Uzi scoffed. She then tugged on N's arm while swaying greedily.

"Okay buddy." N seemed to understand, as he picked Uzi up and put her on his shoulders, holding her legs to keep her steady. He and V then walked back towards 621's side.

"We uh…" V hesitated. "I guess we want to keep working with you Raven, if you'll have us."

"…Not my name." 621 reminded them. "Alright. That's what you want, I'll be sure to put you all to good use. Anyhow, mission complete. I've got a long report to write for Carla."

"Figures. What are you going to say to her?" Uzi wondered.

"That she's going to have to start putting her foot down and scaring them into action." 621 advised. "Your people aren't smart enough to know a good deal if it bit them in the ass. Plus, they're almost as much of a danger to themselves as any other threat on Rubicon. Maybe Carla doesn't need to occupy the Sanctuary, but she needs to keep the Workers on a much tighter leash."

"I mean, that's fair." Uzi shrugged. "It sucks that my people are basically enslaved again, but Carla seems like a fair master, and is actually interested in their well-being."

"Hey Uzi?" N spoke up cautiously. "You uh…good?"

"…" Uzi sighed. "No…but I'll be okay?" She half-smiled. "Things could be better, but they could also be a lot worse. Speaking of which…uh, Raven?"

"Mmm?" 621 hummed.

"For now, I want to stay by your side…but one day, I think I would like to request my freedom." Uzi declared. "As kind as you have been…I don't want to stay on Rubicon for the rest of my life."

"…Huh?" 621 raised her eyebrows in confusion. "And where would you go?"

"Uh…anywhere but here." Uzi gestured forward, implying the planet. "Before we got sold off, we were already trying to find a way off the planet. We'll go to some other planet not at war with itself, maybe even find some of my own people too."

"Did…no one tell you?" 621 wondered concerned.

"Tell us…what?" V decided to speak up. "What happened?"

"…" 621 sighed reluctantly. "When the war ended, Sol declared all born of Laconian name condemned, to be put to the sword. Including Drones such as yourselves."

"Wait…what?" Uzi, N, and V's eyes hollowed as they realized the implication. "So…all the Worker Drones that were ever made...?"

"The Workers that came to this world on that ship last month…you guys…are the last of your kind." 621 announced. "There are no Laconians left in the 'verse.'"

Low Orbit – Rubicon III / August 30th, 3175 (R799) – One Month Before

Three long-range exploration skiffs, small three-man spaceships with four large landing legs and a single drive cone, stayed in close formation as they approached Rubicon on a descent trajectory. They were running dark and at high velocity, trying to just look like any other piece of space trash that cluttered the orbit of Rubicon's scorched skies.

The flight computers of two of the ships were slaved to the third, as there was only one pilot, a young woman, who had only recently woken up from a deep freeze. It had taken every ounce of reaction-mass to get to the Rubicon system, and she wasn't even sure she had the delta-V to get to the surface alive.

She was going to try anyways.

"Let's get this show on the road." The woman muttered anxiously, as she selected an appropriate song for her descent into hell.

/NOW PLAYING: Crazy On You – Heart

Running one last systems check, she ran the calculations again, making sure she would survive reentry. It was going to be close, too close, with not a meter-a-second to spare. She'd have to burn the ablative armor down to a millimeter just to get to the ground at the highest recommended landing speed. That's assuming nothing went wrong.

She hit atmo at nearly 50,000 kilometers an hour, coming in at a shallow angle to give her more time to bleed speed. Her three skiffs were swallowed as air turned to plasma, and burned the ablative armor away at an inch a minute.

"If we still have time, we might still get by~"

"Every time I think about it, I wanna cry~"

"With bombs and the Devil, and the kids keep comin'~"

"No way to breathe easy, no time to be young~"

She couldn't delay it any longer, and activated the main drive. Instantly, all three spacecraft started slowing down to a much more survivable rate of reentry.

"But I tell myself that I was doin' all right~"

"There's nothin' left to do at night~"

But now the PCA knew she was here, trying to land on Rubicon.

Warning alarms lit up, as heavy weapons platforms targeted her little fleet of skiffs, and locked on. She was prepared for this, but still hit the next control in a panic. Each skiff started ejecting bright flares and shiny strips of chaff metal, trying to confuse the targeting sensors in the PCA satellites.

Bright blue laser bolts passed by the skiffs at an alarming rate.

"But go crazy on you~"

"Crazy on you~"

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you, oh~"

She'd managed to bleed off half her velocity, she actually might make it down alive at this rate, so long as she had the chaff and flares to distract the satellites.

"My love is the evenin' breeze touchin' your skin~"

"The gentle, sweet singin' of leaves in the wind~"

"The whisper that calls after you in the night~"

"And kisses your ear in the early moonlight~"

But all good things must come to an end, and it did. The chaff and flares ran out, leaving her exposed to the targeting sensors of the PCA weapons. Still, she was nothing if not creative, and purged the landing gear on the slaved skiffs, buying just a few seconds more as the automated PCA weapons had eight more targets to shoot down.

"And you don't need to wonder, you're doing fine~"

"My love, the pleasure's mine~"

She was starting to run out of tricks, and was still well in range of the PCA weapons. The other skiffs were essentially just dead weight at this point, so she forced them to reposition, using them to shield her from the lasers fired from above.

"Let me go crazy on you~"

"Crazy on you~"

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you, oh~"

The first of the skiffs was struck by heavy laser fire, and destroyed. This bought her just a few more seconds, as her skiff and the other decoy had been hiding in it's radar shadow, and the explosion of the first skiff threw out enough debris to once again confuse the PCA weapons.

"Wild man's world is cryin' in pain~"

"What you gonna do when everybody's insane~?"

"So afraid of one who's so afraid of you~"

"What you gonna do~?"

The PCA satellites required their targets, and fired again, destroying the second skiff with an orbital laser.

"Ooh, crazy on you~"

"Crazy on you~"

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you~"

She was completely out of tricks, but also quite fortunately, out of range of the PCA laser platforms.

"I was a willow last night in a dream~"

Then a new alarm started blaring. This time, a heavy PCA orbital railgun had locked on to her little skiff, and she had nothing left to throw out to confuse it.

"I bent down over a clear running stream~"

The railgun charged up it's capacitors, and prepared to fire.

"Sang you the song that I heard up above~"

She was out of options, and desperately did not want to die. The only thing she had left was barely enough reaction mass to land. It was incredibly risky…

"And you kept me alive with your sweet flowing love~!"

She fired her maneuvering thrusters, spinning away just as the railgun fired, and spun the main mass of her skiff out of it's firing arc. Mostly.

"Crazy~!"

The railgun shell sheered off one of her landing legs, and sent her skiff into a spin.

"Yeah, crazy on you~"

She fought the urge to use her maneuvering thrusters again to correct the spin. She already had less than the ideal delta-V to land alive, she'd just have to suffer through it. At least she was now for sure out of range of the PCA's weapons.

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you, oh~"

"Crazy on you~"

"Crazy on you~"

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you, yeah~"

The distant ground was coming up fast, as she struggled to keep her eyes open and head up as she was spun out of control. She needed to be fast, careful, but most importantly, damn lucky.

"Crazy on you~"

She fired her main drive one last time, slowing down to something slightly more survivable.

"Crazy on you~"

She realized that this was going to hurt a lot. She was coming in too fast. Her main drive cut off, out of fuel.

"Let me go crazy, crazy on you, oh~"

She hit the ground at a hundred kilometers an hour. Her three remaining landing legs barely had the strength to hold the skiff up crashing like that, and snapped off. The main drive was crushed under the weight of the crashing skiff.

Fortunately, the skiff itself survived…mostly. It fell to it's side without much more damage. As for the pilot, she was thrashed and left momentarily stunned. That definitely hurt a lot.

But she was alive.

Releasing her restraints from the chair she had been sitting in, she gathered her few belongings, and exited the skiff. It was damaged beyond repair. A total loss.

She didn't take more than a couple of steps out of the skiff when she fell to her knees, removed her space helmet, and vomited in the sand covered glass.

She was a pale, skinny young woman, with long, dark hair, and a black bow on her head. She was wearing a formfitting grey pressure suit with a white crop jacket, with white boots and white gloves. She was armed with a long sword on her back, and a revolver on her hip.

On her chest, was a nametag.

JCJenson In SPAAAAACEE!

Tessa

Certified Technician

Wiping the bile from her mouth on her sleeve, she looked up with wide, blue eyes, out at the vast and expansive wasteland, and the hauntingly tall megastructures beyond.

"Okay guys…" Tessa muttered to herself. "Where are you?"

Chapter Text

Contaminated City – Southern Belius / Tuesday, Tiberius 6th, 3175 (R799)

It had taken nearly a week, but Tessa finally had found some evidence that they were definitely on Rubicon, and where they might be heading.

For the first few days, she tried to keep low, and discover where from the long-range freighter her favorites had gone, only to discover that they had gotten off the Canterbury a bit earlier…

After tracking down the ejected cargo pod, she found some of their footprints…or peg-prints, which indicated that N, J, and V were on Rubicon, and with a Worker Drone in tow.

Still, even with that knowledge, she was at a severe disadvantage, only able to walk when her favorites could fly. That was highly inconvenient.

It eventually led her to the Contaminated City, an abandoned residential area built before the majority of the Grid Sectors began to dominate the surface. In this particular area, there were the corpses of at least two thousand Worker Drones.

"…" Tessa grimaced, saddened to see that more of these innocent and ignorant machine lifeforms were being cut down. Curiously, it seemed as though her favorites were not responsible for this massacre. The damage to the remaining corpses was too extreme, and the spent munitions were too large…this was the work of an Armored Core.

"…Shit." Not good. Not good. Armored Cores were the tools of mercenaries. If one had been sent to slaughter Worker Drones…it meant that certain fractions were still carrying out Sol's accursed decree. None of her favorites were safe. She wasn't safe either.

Fortunately, she had at least some semblance of an idea as to where they were going. She found a journal that appeared as though it had been left here after that Worker Drone her favorites had baffling left alive had looked through, left on a page which mentioned a location known as The Wall.

It was as good of a clue as any. Still, she stood out too much, and had too much JCJenson paraphernalia on her. Though it pained her to do so, she would have to part with her baseball cap and name tag. Either was enough to mark her for death.

The Wall – Central Belius / Monday, Tiberius 12th

She was two days behind her favorites. She was losing her lead. To be fair, she had to rest much more where those four machines would not, and was concerned about supplies. She had just about run out of supplies from the skiff she'd crash landed, and would need some way to come by some scrip, just to survive. Fortunately, she'd stripped her landing skiff of whatever salvage she could carry, so hopefully she could trade it at The Wall before she resumed searching for her favorites.

There was just one small problem. The Wall was under Arquebus occupation. Though not as controlling as the PCA, Arquebus was, perhaps, the third worst fraction on Rubicon, after the PCA and the Junker Coyotes respectively. Arquebus soldiers and MTs patrolled the street, reminding those citizens couldn't afford to leave who their new masters were. Tessa was fortunate she'd gotten a cold weather cloak to mask her form. A woman wearing a pressure suit on Rubicon was all the more suspicious because of the lack of spaceship traffic. Maybe she should look into getting some different clothes as well at some point…

One thing at a time.

Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned Arquebus occupation, many small businesses that would take her scrap for scrip were closed. Arquebus themselves would be too dangerous to trade with, as they were more inclined to just steal what they could from some nameless wanderer like herself.

She did find one shop, near the back the city, that hadn't quite closed just yet.

"Uh, hello!?" Tessa called out.

"Oh, sorry, we're closed!" A voice called out to her from the back.

"Umm, please! I have some good quality scrap to trade, and I am desperately low on scrip and supplies. I…really need to make a trade." Tessa begged urgently.

She heard what sounded like a sigh, followed by a single-eyed machine in a brown coat coming from the room behind. "Alright…what do you got?"

Tessa eagerly opened the other bag she had carried with her from her skiff. Other than a few survival supplies, she'd stripped the skiff down to the bults for any intact components that could be sold. She offered this large bag to the machine, who inspected it curiously.

"Interesting…" The machine noted. "You have almost the whole flight computer to a long-range exploration skiff here. I take it you just come down the well?"

"Y-Yes!" Tessa confirmed desperately. "I'm a prospector from out of system. Decided to do the long burn out to Rubicon, hoping to make it big!" That was her cover story. If she even mentioned the name Laconia…she could be put to the sword like so many of her countrymen.

"Well, alright." The machine shrugged. "For the whole set of parts I'll give you 20,000 Coam."

"Ah, I was wondering if I could trade some of that for information?" Tessa requested.

"Sure, what kind of information were you looking for?" The machine wondered.

"I wanted to know if you had seen any…" Tessa had to be extremely careful about how she approached this subject. "…Jenson model androids around here, or where they might have headed?"

"…Maybe…what's it to you?" There was an accusatory tone in the machine's voice.

"I was…hoping to maybe capture one, I hear there is some value in those machines." Tessa suggested.

"…Hmm. You're a terrible liar, you know?" The machine accused.

"Mmm!" Tessa panicked, but played it off as embarrassment. "Okay, you caught me. The truth is I've always found those machines sort of cute as a child, so I've wanted to meet some and maybe try to make friends with them?" She suggested casually.

"…Better." The machine shrugged. "It will cost you a thousand Coam. Still want to know?"

"Yes." Tessa agreed.

"There were four here two days ago. Three Disassembly Drones and one Worker Drone."

"Oh! That's great!" Tessa hid exactly how ecstatic she was. She was on the right track. "You wouldn't happen to know where they went, do you?"

"Mmm, for two thousand I do."

"Alright, yes please."

"I saw them walking north, towards BAWS territory." The machine answered.

"I'm sorry, did you say walking?" Tessa requested.

"Yes, you heard right." The machine confirmed.

"Thank you very much. I'll look into that." Tessa said politely, but was jumping with joy inside. She was on the right track! She was just two days behind them, and on foot too!

So, she took her 17,000 in scrip and walked north, until she was out of sight of The Wall, and started running.

"Hold on guys!" Tessa shouted. "I'm coming for you!"

BAWS Arsenal No.2 - Northern Belius / Saturday, Tiberius 17th

She was too late, by just a few minutes.

The further north she travelled, the closer she got to her favorites. She could tell by how increasingly fresh their tracks were. Curiously, she rarely noticed the footprints of the Worker Drone with them, meaning they were probably carrying it. Odd.

The Arsenal itself was a vast and imposing structure, built into the side of a cliff at the edge of a shallow ocean. Not nearly as massive as the Grid Sectors, but certainly a large building of significant bulk.

The structure was partly heated, meaning she no longer had a snow trail to follow. Wandering the massive and seemingly abandoned facility, she called out to her favorites.

"N! J! V! Where are you!?" Tessa called out. "Do you guys remember me!? Hello!?"

There was no answer in the loading area of the facility, so she moved forward, past the loading area and into an open factory for building large conduit sections.

There, she caught sight of several MTs armed with heavy electric stun weapons, firing on a lone figure, a figure with wings.

"Wha-" Tessa realized as the figure was struck with an energized bolt who they were. "J! No!"

Hit with a high energy round, J was knocked offline, and quickly collected by one of the MTs.

"No! Come back!" Tessa yelled after the machine, but she was more than a kilometer away, such was the size of the Arsenal that she'd never catch up.

Despite following the MT with J, she came to a kilometer deep pit in the Arsenal, and used a set of binoculars to look down the shaft. The MT with J had convened with another unusual machine, which was standing guard over the still forms of N, V, and a purple haired Worker Drone. The two large war machines loaded the four unconscious androids into a transport chopper, which quickly took off.

"No! No!" Tessa cried. "Come back! Come back with my friends damn you!"

But Tessa was small enough to ignore, and went unnoticed. What were they doing here anyway?

Needing some clues to continue her search, she took an elevator down the large shaft, finding a wreckage strewn battlefield, scattered across a water reservoir, which itself was contaminated by dilute traces of Coral.

Had they come here looking to profit off the Coral? They must have been desperate, and to travel with a Worker Drone as well…

Near the spot where N and V had collapsed, she found a weird, green and black energy rifle. Strangely, the gun had a sixty-four hour recharge rate. If nothing else, it might make good scrap to sell off…

Just something to keep her going, until she could figure out where her favorite little Drones had been taken.

Grid 072 – Central Belius / Auction / Wednesday, Tiberius 21st

After selling off the weird gun for a measly thousand Coam in Grid 073, Tessa had wandered the Central Belius Grid Sectors aimlessly, searching for any clue as to what had happened to N, J, and V.

It was then that she had heard about an auction for Worker Drones, being hosted by some business consultant to the local AI network. Among the available products, were her three favorite Drones.

She had of course gotten to Grid 072 as quickly as she could, but knew going into it that she wouldn't be able to afford any of her Drones. The starting bid for each of them had been 100,000 Coam, and she had only 15,000 left after her expenses.

She had no idea that combined, her favorites would go for nearly eight million Coam, with the vast majority going to J and V.

"No no no no no…" Tessa quietly panicked at the prospect. She wasn't stupid, she knew exactly why those two feminine machines had gone for so much.

While slavery was not uncommon on Rubicon, most humans or machines in shackles were expected at least a modicum of respect as living, sentient beings. However, the Jenson model androids that were left existed in complete black, not even a shade of grey concerning their rights. People could acknowledge them as living, sentient beings, but that was besides the point. Sol declared all Laconians, and by extension, all Jenson model androids condemned to death. What happened to them or how long it took them to arrive there was of no concern.

Tessa kept watch from a distance, trying to figure out what she was going to do next. She hated to admit it, but even among her favorites, there was an order in which she cared most about them. N was by far her number one favorite, her good-hearted best boy. J was her second favorite, as her first true friend in her life. V was…not as much fun with her as the other two, but she was sweet and kind, and well behaved to boot.

As she watched, it became apparent that her favorites had been split up. She was surprised that N, V, and a purple haired Worker Drone all belonged to one master, a woman, but, if her demeanor was anything to go by, a mercenary.

While the thought of N and V being thrown into heavy combat disturbed her, a mercenary was less likely to use them outside of their intended purposes, being either combat or maintenance duties. Plus, that woman allowed her new property to walk beside her, a sign of respect, even if a small one.

J on the other hand was kept in her cage, put on a truck, and was sent to a distant Grid Sector. That did not bode well at all.

Leaving N and V to whatever fate came of them didn't feel right to her…but she knew that J was going to be in much more peril. She made her choice.

Grid 079 – Central Belius – Residential Sector / Sunday, Tiberius 25th

It had taken a couple of days, and most of the scrip she had left, but Tessa knew where J was, and had a plan.

It wasn't a good plan, mind you, but given her desperation, it was her only plan.

Apparently, J was getting passed around from one master to another, being used up for however long they desired, then sold off at a considerable high price to some other master. Tessa was fortunate that she'd managed to catch up to J's location, but had to be quick about it.

Walking the interior of a megapillar, in a ramshackle residential sector, Tessa found a flophouse reasonably put together. There were some lightly armed guards outside, Coral Tweakers of the Junker Coyotes.

"Hey, hold up, what are you doing here, little girl?" One of the guards stopped her as she approached.

"…" It wasn't so much that Tessa looked young, she was most definitely an adult, but she was short for her age, standing at five feet, one inch tall. Her growth spurt had hit her late, and pretty much stopped when she was eighteen. She just hoped that they wouldn't search her before she managed to get inside. "I'm here to see Filat Kothari, about an item he's recently acquired."

"Kothari not here." One of the guards advised. "He's gone out for a bit."

Kothari was a medium level Lieutenant in the Junker Coyotes, and J's current master. Him not being there wasn't a problem in Tessa's plan.

"That's alright, I was hoping then at least to see the merchandise, and maybe make an early offer?" Tessa suggested.

"Okay, go on in." The guard shrugged, and Tessa was allowed through. Inside she found a packed living room being treated as a club with music, with people eagerly watching the large television. On the screen, a greasy, sweaty man in a space helmet was smiling madly, while orbital trajectories plotted a dangerously low periapsis around the planet of Caesar.

On the screen was his name, and how long ago this was recorded.

Bizi Bitiko: 22 Minute Delay

"…that puts me at twenty-nine days, seven hours, and thirteen minutes on tea-kettle, unpowered flight." Bizi laughed. "I carve it up around the big-gas, then load up more spin, going 'round for the Ringer. It's only three million clicks of hard vacuum…to hit a bull's-eye smaller than a mosquito's ass..." He laughed again. "…and fly my way into the record books."

"Huh…slingshot club." Tessa realized.

"Hehe, yeah!" A man stood and greeted her. "Good betting tonight, sasa ke!?"

"Ah, no thanks." Tessa shook her head. She didn't know Belter proper, but common phrases like "sasa ke" she knew, as that was essentially, "you know?". "I'm here about a Drone…something Kothari picked up yesterday."

"Oh, okay." The man nodded. "Kothari not here, but maybe you get a look at the merchandise, yeah?"

"Yes, that will be fine." Tessa agreed.

"Okay okay, but give us a sec, lot of scrip riding on this one kopeng, to pochuye ke?" The man gestured to the screen.

"Watch the way it's done." Bizi said on screen, as he breathed heavily, excited as he made his low approach to Caesar. "Sabaka!" He cheered.

"Sabaka!" The crowd cheered in response as Bizi entered the upper atmosphere of the gas-giant. "Bizi! Bizi! Bizi! Bizi!"

"Come on, come on, come on!" The man by Tessa prayed.

On the screen, Bizi's ship started to shake violently as it was buffeted by the upper atmosphere, shaking the man in his restraints. Then the bright flare of plasma on his craft shone across his face through his window as the ship dropped deeper into the planet's turbulent storm filled sky.

The screen went white hot as Bizi's ship was surrounded by plasma, and the connection cut to static.

Some of the crowd cheered, and some sighed tiredly, lamenting their losses or cheering on their gains, depending on if they had bet for or against Bizi.

"…" Tessa sighed. Bizi Bitiko was dead. Or, more accurately, had been dead for over twenty-two minutes because of light delay. Damn, she could have bet against him, and made some easy scrip.

"Shou-da bet. Shou-da bet." The man by her side playfully mocked.

"Mmm, yes." Tessa reluctantly agreed, feigning disappointment. "Now, I would like to see about that Drone?"

"Sure, sure, come on this way!" The man gestured for her to follow into a back room.

It took every ounce of Tessa's willpower to not scream out, or jump the gun on her plan.

J was face down on a bed, stripped bare, while…while…

"As you can see, Jenson pashangwala got upgraded, so no gots to cut a hole into it each time it's used." The man oh so helpfully pointed out. "Pinche puta's been thoroughly broken in. It's good for whatever you have planned."

"…" Fuck it. Tessa hissed as she took off her coat.

"Hey~! You want to jump in there too?" The man enthusiastically looked her up and down. "Maybe this night wasn't a totally loss-loss-WHAT THE FUCK!?"

The man was screaming because Tessa was wearing over ten pounds of C4 high explosive on her body. A suicide vest.

Naturally, the Junker Coyotes took offence to this, and anybody with a gun pointed it at her.

"Hey! Hey!" Tessa shouted while holding a button at the end of a wire. "Nobody fucking move! I've got this bitch rigged to blow seven ways to Sunday! Deadman's switch! Heartbeat sensor! I speak a word and we all go together!" She wasn't lying either. She'd used up almost all her scrip building this suicide vest to leave no possibility that she wouldn't go out on anything other than her own terms. In the worst-case scenario, she and J would die, freed from the pain of living in a 'verse that had completely abandoned them.

Still, Tessa had no intention of allowing herself or J to die in this shithole.

"So this is what's going to happen! I'm taking the Drone, and I'm going to leave here without getting followed, and then none of us gets turned into spaghetti!" Tessa demanded.

"Okay…okay…" The man who had been speaking to her reluctantly agreed. "Fucking crazy bitch."

Tessa ignored his comments and reached down to the bed, dragging J by the arm until she was standing. The little machine was essentially catatonic with shame and fear, and had been ignoring her surroundings up until she was forced to stand, and look at the woman who had grabbed her.

"T-…T-Tessa…?" J's yellow eyes brightened with hope and surprise. "Tessa!" She lunged at her old master, and wrapped her arms around the woman, burying her face in her neck. "Tessa!"

"I'm here. I'm here." Tessa whispered down to J, hugging her back for a moment. She then reached into her pocket, and attached a magnetic device to J's control collar. It was a miniature jammer, which would allow J to move without being noticed by her current master, and prevent him from sending override controls to it. "We've got to move, okay J? Stay close to me."

"Tessa…" J was openly crying, holding onto Tessa desperately. "Tessa…"

With one hand on the trigger, and her other arm wrapped around J, Tessa backed out of the flophouse, with the annoyed and agitated Coyotes close on her heels.

"You aren't going to get far, bitch. Coyotes gonna fuck you up, and take back what's ours."

"I'd like to see you try!" Tessa hissed back. She whispered back down to J. "We've got to run now J. It will be okay now, we just have to run from here."

"…Where are we going?" J wondered back worriedly.

"I uh…hadn't thought that far ahead." Tessa admitted. "Just stay close to me okay? Let's go!"

Tessa and J ran together, hand in hand, with no idea of where they were going, and now with the Coyotes on their heels.

Grid 082 - Western Belius / Monday, Tiberius 26th

Someone had been following her, and she'd managed to notice in time. Tessa wrapped her arm around the man's neck, as she tried to choke him into unconsciousness.

In response, the man elbowed her in the face, and broke her nose. Still, Tessa fought through the pain, and tightened her grip.

"Ghuh! Help-!" The bounty hunter tried to call out, only for Tessa to fight him to the ground, where she managed to force him to pass out.

"…Fuck." Tessa cursed as she rolled herself out from under the bounty hunter, sitting up painfully.

"Oh Tessa…" J had been watching fearfully, apprehensive and anxious. A part of her had been broken down, left indecisive and terrified. As much as she wanted to be of more help to her old master…she was simply too scared to intervene. She cupped Tessa's face, trying to wipe away the blood.

"…" Tessa was not doing too well. She'd been without sleep for over a day now, keeping watch and mobile while she did her best to accommodate and protect J. She was currently going barefoot, with J wearing her boots, a cloak, and goggles in an attempt to hide the fact that she was a Disassembly Drone, and also now prone to violating certain sensibilities regarding modesty. Because one barefoot woman and one cloaked woman was far less suspicious than one of them being a nude android.

She was cold, and tired, and basically out of scrip. She'd sold her suicide vest for a handful of scrip, but was nearly out since she'd spent most of it securing discreet transport into this Grid, but they were still deep in Junker Coyote territory. The set of bounties out demanding either their capture or death certainly didn't help, as low-level bounty hunters now tailed them around every corner.

"I don't…I don't know what to do." Tessa admitted. "I'm sorry J…I don't…I don't know what to do now…"

"Don't say that!" J argued. "Things are bad, yeah, but we'll figure it out! We'll get off this rock and we'll find some new home! And…and we'll get V and N back as well. I know you will!"

"It cost me everything just saving you, and we're still not even safe." Tessa checked the jammer affixed to J's control collar. It only had enough battery charge for another day and a half. "I don't even know where N and V are…and…even if we could leave, there's no where we could go J. No one in the universe who doesn't want us dead."

"That's…that's not true!" J argued. "I heard my master planning some operation against a woman named Carla and her Drone Sanctuary. Think about it! If she's willing to take in Workers, maybe she'll take us in too!"

"…It won't be that simple J." Tessa explained. "You're stollen property, and I…my name is marked for death. She'd have to stick her neck out pretty for just for one of us." Even as she denied it, she considered her options. She considered what she wanted, and what it might cost. "But it is our only hope left."

Standing painfully, Tessa kept J close, as she looked up where to find this Carla woman.

"Just…it's going to cost us. It's going to cost us everything." Tessa grimaced.

Grid 086 – Reuse and Development Headquarters – Western Belius / Tuesday, Tiberius 27th

It had taken another day and change to get to Grid 086. The corpse sun was down, so the only light came from various industrial activity in the Grid Sector.

Just outside of the main headquarters to RaD, Tessa pulled J aside, frowning as she held the hands of the android girl.

"Tessa…?" J wondered what had her old master so worried.

"J…no matter what happens in there, let me do the talking okay?" Tessa hadn't told J her plan. "And…I want you to remember, that you and N and V are my favorites. I loved you all the most." Tessa had to pull J down slightly to kiss the android on the forehead.

"Tessa…you're scaring me." J shivered in her grasp.

"Everything will be okay J. Just trust me." Tessa smiled painfully, squeezing J's hands.

Together, Tessa and J stepped back out and walked towards the headquarters building. She made contact with the RaD soldiers guarding the front, and announced her intentions.

Tessa had managed to secure a meeting with Carla by offering to sell a rare Laconian relic. As such, she was led to a combination hangar/office space, and found the woman with bright red eyes, smiling eagerly. Her second in command, "Chatty" Stick, right behind her, the AI Armored Core watching impassively with it's seven triangular eyes.

"Welcome, welcome." "Cinder" Carla waved invitingly. "I have to say, you've got me curious. A face-to-face meeting with me personally for the sale of a Laconian relic?"

"Yes…" Tessa breathed deeply to keep herself from getting too anxious. This had to be perfect. By her side, J was holding her hand tightly, looking between Tessa and Carla worriedly.

"And I take it this is the little cutie that's up for sale?" Carla gestured towards J curiously.

"Actually…" Tessa hesitated. "I wanted to make a deal with you. You see…the Laconian relic for sale…is myself."

Very slowly, Tessa pulled her sword from her back, noticing how "Chatty" Stick reached towards his master protectively, but patiently, waiting to see what Tessa did. With sword in hand, Tessa threw it to the ground. She repeated the motion with her revolver, slowly unholstering it, and tossing it towards Carla's feet.

"Tessa! N-No!" J argued, trying to pull Tessa away from this deal. Tessa fell to her knees, and bowed her head shamefully.

"My name is Tessa James Elliott, only daughter of the Elliot family, majority shareholders of the corporation JCJenson. And I was born on Laconia." Tessa declared. "I am begging you…to take my life as payment, to keep this little Drone safe."

By all rights, Carla should cut Tessa down where she stood, to fulfill Sol's decree of justice in the universe.

"…A Laconian corporate princess…" Carla realized. "Well…today is just full of surprises!"

"Please! Miss Carla! Please don't hurt Tessa!" J begged, hugging both arms around Tessa protectively. "She's always been good to me and mine! I-! I really don't know or understand why all Laconian's were sentenced to die, but I promise that Tessa is a good girl! Please spare her!"

"I'm curious…Laconian…why surrender yourself to me?" Carla requested sweetly. "Surely there are easier ways of dying?"

"I am…all out of options." Tessa admitted painfully. "I watched my world burn and be torn asunder, spent years in the black, on the float and on ice. Chased the only three beings I could ever hope to call my friends for centuries…and been brought here at my lowest point. I've stolen from depraved criminals, and am actively being hunted. I'm living in a world that condemns me to death for my very name, and I have no hope of seeing tomorrow. If I…If I could give my life to save my very first friend…then…that will have given me some purpose in life."

"T-Tessa…!" J cried, holding Tessa close to her. "Please Miss Carla! Please spare Tessa! I just got her back! I don't want to lose her again!"

"Alright, alright, I get it." Carla shook her head. "Please stop getting all emotional here. No wonder the Laconians were wiped out, you were all so overly dramatic." She sighed as she thought about the offer, before offering a wide smile. "Alright Laconian, you've got my attention, and you've endeared yourself to me by stealing from the Coyotes. Tell me, can you fight?"

"If-If I must, then I will fight." Tessa answered.

"Good, so this is my offer." Carla announced. "You see, I just lost myself some very valuable personnel today, and while I have some temp help, I could always use something a bit more. I'll take your life, but not to kill you. Rather, you'll pay me back as my personal Hound."

"As…your Hound?" Tessa looked up, confused and hopeful.

"Yep! And I'll even reprogram your little Drone's collar, so that you'll be her master instead of some dirty Coyote. Tell me, Tessa James Elliot, will you take my offer?" Carla presented.

"Y-Yes! Yes I agree to be your personal Hound!" Tessa answered excitedly. Offering her life had been an act of desperation. She really didn't want to die.

"Good! So, you're going to need this…" Carla found a simple Coral control collar, and offered it to Tessa. "I don't need to explain what comes next, do I?"

"T-Tessa…no…" J tugged on her worriedly.

"It will be okay J." Tessa assured her. "Even if this seems scary, this is even better than we could have hoped for. If giving up my name and my freedom is the price I have to pay to keep staying by your side, then…"

With the collar in hand, Tessa secured it around her own neck, and locked it in place. Carla activated something on her hand terminal, which bound Tessa to her for the rest of her life. "Now, Tessa is a fine enough name, but the rest of your name is one marked for death. From this moment forward, you are simply Tessa, Hound of 'Cinder' Carla."

"T-Thank you…master." Tessa bowed her head, and pulled on J, prompting her to bow as well.

"Thank you, Miss Carla." J also bowed, thankful that Tessa was allowed to live.

"Uh…If I may, master Carla…I was hoping you might help me find two other Disassembly Drones who are also on this planet?" Tessa suggested hopefully.

"Hey, don't go weird on me now with that whole master shit." Carla pointed accusingly. "Just call me Carla. As for other Disassembly Drones, it's funny you should mention that."

Chapter Text

Copper IX – Worker Drone Settlement / 3053

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

At the time, it had made sense to simply reoccupy the human settlements. After all, they were all dead, it wasn't like they were using their homes.

It had seemed such a good idea, at least until the Murder Drones arrived.

Suddenly, the friendly and pleasant snow-covered streets turned into killing grounds for ravenous sky demons. With insatiable greed, they had their fill as they slaughtered the densely packed city, cutting down Worker Drones in droves.

"It-It will be okay Uzi!" A purple eyed Worker Drone assured her. "It will be okay!"

"…" Uzi wasn't able to appreciate the fear on her mother's face. She was a four-month-old egg-shaped ball of silicon. The very concepts of fear and death meant nothing to her. All she could do was watch as the Worker Drone that cherished her ran fearfully through cold oil-stained streets, and listen to the distant screams as other countless Workers were cut to pieces.

Still, it seemed as though her mother had some objective in mind, some hope that would ensure their survival.

So she had ran, with Uzi tucked close to her chest, as the Murder Drones hunted their people fervently.

Some of the Workers had the same idea as Uzi's mother, following in the direction that they knew they might find salvation. Not all of them made it.

High explosive missiles struck Worker bodies and blasted them apart. Machinegun fire cut into them, filling them with holes. Long blades and claws sunk into their fragile forms, rending them apart with sadistic cruelty.

Uzi even saw one family, a mother and father, throw their own egg-shaped child into the slaughter, so that they might escape the claws and teeth of the Murder Drones.

Even as Workers were picked off, and survival became more questionable, Uzi was held almost painfully tight in her mother's grasp.

"Nori!" Khan shouted from ahead. "Hurry Nori! They're almost here!"

Though Uzi couldn't see it, she heard her father calling out from just behind the open doors to the bunker, the only place they might find safety.

Nori, and many other Workers beside her, surged towards the voice, the last few steps before salvation.

Over her mother's shoulder, Uzi could see wide metal wings, and an impassive "X" glare, as something eyed her hungrily. It's long tail whipped around, and struck Nori in the back.

"Ahh!" Nori screamed, and tumbled to the ground just inside the doors to the bunker. Khan quickly closed the doors with death so close by, and locked out the beast that laughed at them in a sweet, feminine voice.

"…" Uzi tumbled out of her mother's grasp, and rolled several meters deeper into the bunker. She stopped rolling with her parents at the edge of her peripheral vision.

"Nori! No!" Khan shouted as he knelt by his wife.

"K-Khan…" Nori gasped out. "Ah! It-it burns!" She was being consumed by nanite acid, that would tear her apart and melt her down into slag.

"Oh! What do I do!?" Khan panicked.

"P-Please! I don't want to b-burn!" Nori begged. "K-Kill me…"

"W-What!? N-No!? I can't do that!"

"Please! Please end it!" Nori begged with wide eyes.

"…Al…Alright…" Khan tightly clutched a wrench.

"P-Protect…Uzi…" Nori demanded. "Protect…Uzi…"

"Y-Yes dear…I will." Khan assured her.

"Love…you…"

"I…love you too…"

"…" Uzi had a front row seat as her father bludgeoned her mother to death, so that she wouldn't burn…

/END PLAYBACK

Rubicon III - Grid 086 – Independent Mercenary Hangar / Thursday, Tiberius 29th, 3175 (R799)

Oh…that dream again. Uzi groaned as she turned over. She would rather forget that particularly traumatic memory. Especially since…that voice…that laugh…

She was alone in bed, missing the warmth of her two friends of circumstance. Sitting up, she could see 621 and N performing basic maintenance on the AC, going over it since they expected another mission from Carla soon.

But where was V?

Looking around for a second, Uzi caught sight of part of V's head, behind the bed. It appeared as though she was hugging herself, knees to her chest. One hand was tightly grasped around her wrist, while she looked at that other hand like it was something she'd never seen before.

"Hey…?" Uzi called out.

"-Hey." V flinched like she'd been caught. She slowly spun around, standing only to then rest the upper portion of her body on the bed relatively close to Uzi. She kept a flat, neutral expression on her face.

"You uh…good?"

"…Yeah." V said in that way that was probably a lie, but not one that should be pushed.

"Is it…knowing that us Workers are almost extinct?" Uzi suggested.

"Yeah…that's…horrifying." V admitted. "My old job aside…I thought I was just killing Workers on Copper IX because…you were rogue AI and going against the company. Course…if there's so few of your kind…my kind are even fewer…"

"…How many of you guys are left?" Uzi wondered. "I would have thought you guys came off an assembly line or something…?"

"…" V's eyes hollowed at that moment, which was an interesting time for her to express distress. "There…never needed to be very many of my kind. If what I heard was right…there are only eight of us left in the universe. Me, N, and maybe six others, assuming they're alive too…"

"That…sucks…" Uzi tried to wrap her head around that. Only eight Murder Drones left in existence, and she knew three of them by name…assuming J was still alive.

"Yeah…so…like…what the fuck are we going to do?" V laughed pitifully. "The PCA wants to kill us…and outside of Carla and her people, no one gives a shit about us. Even 621 will probably turn on us once her whole 'debt of honor' thing has worn off."

"Well…there's still the old plan…" Uzi suggested. "'Cept instead of finding somewhere actually nice…we'll have to find some black rock out at the ass end of the universe…if we can get past the PCA's blockade…"

"…Your plan sucks." V teased.

"At least it's better than dying in some shit filled ditch here on Rubicon!" Uzi argued.

"…" V and Uzi went quiet at that prospect. The fact that 'dying in a shit filled ditch' was more than likely had never seemed so real until that moment.

"H-Hey…" V changed the subject slightly. "Am I included in those big space plans of yours?"

"Oh…I mean…yeah, of course." Uzi assured her. "You're like cool I guess…so it will be you, me, and N."

"So just the three of us till the end of time, on your sad little black rock at the end of the universe?" V summarized with playful suspicion.

"I doubt we'll last that long…but…" Uzi shrugged. "It's better than being on this rock."

"Hmm…well…you keep that in mind while we're working for 621 and Walter. Then we might actually be able to afford that crazy dream of yours." V rubbed Uzi's head a little forcefully, before she stood and walked over to see what 621 and N were working on. She could hear Uzi get out of bed and approach them too. "Whatcha working on~?"

"Just a general inspection. Making sure nothing changed since the last time we maintained it." 621 answered with her head up in one of the AC's legs through an open access port. N was standing by a control panel, waiting for orders.

"You uh, do a lot of extra maintenance, don't you?" Uzi noted.

"It pays to be diligent." 621 responded simply. She pulled her head out of the access port, but had her right arm up in it while she moved some of the cables around. "Okay, Stray Two, get ready to close port twenty-three."

"Closing port twenty-three!" N answered eagerly, pressing the control.

"Huh? Wait! N! No!" Uzi tried to warn him too late.

N hit the control, and ended up closing the access port down over 621's right shoulder.

621 screamed, her arm caught in the access port that was trying to close through her. V was closest to her, and lunged forward, trying to fight the mechanism crushing part of her new master.

"Wha-! No! Oh!" N panicked, and momentarily forgot where the control to open the access port was.

"Shit! Move N!" Uzi shoved him away from the control panel, and quickly found the open control, freeing 621's arm.

"Raven, are you okay!?" V worriedly questioned as she helped steady her master.

"…!" 621 was not okay. She quickly reached up to press the two buttons on her control collar, only to get a warning alert on her hand terminal.

/WARNING: MEDICINAL TAP EMPTY

/PLEASE REFILL

"F-Fuck! Fuck!" 621 shoved her way past V, and ran for her room. Along the way she shed her coat, and threw it to the ground with fury and fear.

"Whoa-!" V stumbled for a bit, then looked to Uzi and N worriedly. They quickly ran after her to see what was wrong, what had their normally stoic master so upset and unsettled.

621 wasn't doing well. She tore through her shit, looking for her replacement medicinal charges. That had been an unfortunate, confounding, and unlikely situation she'd managed to stumble into. Right arm stuck in a door, with V standing just a little too close for comfort.

Well…almost all the criteria. A fire was needed for that.

Finally finding what she was looking for, she jammed the tube of medicine into the port in her left shoulder, refilling her internal supply. As soon as the charge was empty, she quickly pressed the two buttons on her control collar, and finally started to calm down.

"…" 621 sighed, and slumped down against the wall. She let the medicinal charge fall out of her hand, and roll away across her room, where Uzi stopped it with her foot.

"…?" Uzi inspected the tube of medicine, with V and N by her side. They didn't have the knowledge to connect the word "clozapine" to anything, only that they hoped it helped their master. "Raven…are you okay?"

"…Yeah." 621 lied.

"Uh! Raven! I'm really sorry! I misheard you and then I panicked!" N apologized desperately.

"…S'fine." 621 dismissed. "You just hit an old war injury." She traced her right shoulder with her left hand, right where it had been caught in the door. Again. "Don't do that again."

"Oh…okay…" N nodded reluctantly.

"Raven…" V started to ask. "Do you need any-"

"Please get out." 621 cut her off, and looked away.

"…Fine." V was a bit hurt by 621's comment, but stood straight and walked away confidently, with Uzi and N close behind.

Finally, 621 was alone with her thoughts, and tried to relax.

"Raven."

"…" Well…shit. At least that confirmed that Ayre was definitely real and not just a voice in her head, considering how large a dose she just took.

"Maybe you shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that…or use antipsychotics to drown them out." Ayre suggested. "Those three little souls are emotionally attached to you now. They would understand if you needed help."

"…" 621 scoffed.

"Why?" Ayre wondered sadly. "Is it because you are their protector? That you can't stand to be seen as just as vulnerable as them? Or is it because they are Laconian?"

"…" 621 sighed. Perhaps it was yes to all three.

"…What is it about V that you find so fascinating?" Ayre noted. "Every time you look at her, your mind is filled with so many conflicting emotions. Anguish and joy, rage and calm, recognition and disbelief. Who is she to you, Raven?"

"…" 621 hissed. A warning to discontinue that line of questioning.

"I see." Ayre responded curtly. "I suppose I'll leave you to mope in silence."

"…" 621 closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep, to forget, to just lay there and waste away…

Except that Carla had work for her.

Stop the Secret Data Breach – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 380,000 COAM

"Ah, my favorite little tourist." Carla called excitedly. "About my promise to take you up top…I need a little help cleaning up first. Ya'see, a certain someone smashed up all my defense hardware, and now I've got rival Dosers muscling in." She seemed to love reminding 621 that it was her fault they were in this mess. "It's the Junker Coyotes again…we never did get on. Always sniffing around, just waiting for a chance to bite. Making a mess is one thing, but they're going after our development data, too. We need to swat the hacking drones they sent before they make off with all my secrets." She highlighted the twenty-meter-tall cylindrical shaped mobile electronic warfare pods that the Coyotes had placed in the lower subsector of Grid 086. "Yeah, it's pretty low of them, but at least give 'em credit for knowing where the value is. Anyway, did I mention that this is all your fault? You and your little friends can make up for it by keeping my secrets safe."

"…" Fuck it. She'd taken her meds, she didn't care anymore. Giving a quick stretch, she stood and went to go collect her property. "Stray Squad!"

"Oh! Uh! Yes ma'am!" Uzi, N, and V hadn't gone far, and found their conversation interrupted by 621's call to action.

"Job's just come in. I'll forward you the details. Just a local gig, but a lot of scrip riding on it." 621 swiped her hand terminal in their direction, sending the briefing she'd seen, and started warming up the AC for combat.

"…Your Handler didn't authorize this sortie either." Ayre noted curiously. "But we shouldn't miss this chance to help Carla secure her territory for the Drones. I'll support you."

"…"

Stop the Secret Data Breach – "Cinder" Carla / Grid 086 – Western Belius / Thursday, Tiberius 29th

They didn't need to go very far at all. Jumping off from Carla's controlled area near the top of the Grid Sector, they fell to another industrial sector at an altitude of 3.2 kilometers.

Uzi was actually with Carla in her control center, helping the woman secure her data feeds and server clusters. Even though she was out of the battle this time around, she was still earning her keep.

That just left 621 in her AC, with N and V along as her scouts.

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Let's get rolling, tourist." Carla advised, acting as Operator once again. "Destroy all the hacking drones those degenerate Coyotes left here. Specter, Sheperd, scout ahead and find those units. It's a maze down there, so your master will need your help."

"Copy!" V and N answered. V was first to move, rushing forward to the front door to hack it open. She had been reluctant at first to take over Uzi's role, but was surprised to learn how simple hacking doors was. Once in range, all she had to do was select the door controls to complete a connection, and then let an autorun program hack at it until it opened.

If only their collars operated on such a simple system.

"Let's be quick about this Raven." Ayre advised.

"…" 621 wasn't sure if she was lucky or cursed with having what was essentially two Operators watching her back. Regardless, she had a job to do, and rushed forward after V, with N hanging by her side, as the door to this level of the megastructure opened and allowed them entry.

They'd actually already been to this area two days prior. It was the metal smelting industrial zone, the long room with a lower level pit, and an active molten metal furnace purifying metals to the side of the room.

"Security breach has reached 5%." Carla warned. "You're doing great, Sparky! Keep it up to give your master more time to clear out that sector!"

"T-Thanks!" Uzi was on comms with them, keeping track of the mission and to update anyone on her end if things went wrong.

"If not for you, my firewall would be going down fast." Carla noted. "Still, I'm betting there are about five hacking drones to look out for, alright tourist?"

"…" The door opened, and 621 was immediately beset upon by a pair of quadcopter drones armed with laser rifles. She had to dodge forward under their guns to evade the bolts of energy, and fired back on the first drone with her shotgun. She locked onto the second drone with her missiles, and fired a volley of six to take it down.

With the immediate threat cleared, V and N were able to enter the subsector and begin their scouting run. N immediately dropped down to start unlocking the door below them on a lower level, while V shot forward to check the other half of the large room.

"I found the first hacking drone, and two guard RaD MTs." V announced,

"…" 621 was quick to pounce on the MTs with her double-mortar, blasting them away, then cut the large server cluster in half with her laser blade.

"Confirmed. Target destroyed." Ayre noted. "Four to go."

"Straight out of the gates. Keep it up, tourist." Carla kept track as well.

"Raven! Another drone is here, guarded by two Toybox mechs in a docile position." N reported, just on the other side of the metal furnace.

"…" 621 followed his targeting pings, and focused on the two Toybox MTs first, tearing the first apart with her blade before it had the chance to deploy. She shot the second with her shotgun and missiles, and finished it off with her blade. She destroyed the hacking drone in this room as well.

"Second target destroyed." Ayre counted.

"I get why they want our tech, I just wish they had a little more flair." Carla complained. "If it were me, I'd raid us from orbit and just yank our servers off the ground. The Coyotes are using RaD MTs…they're hot stuff on the black market. Still…I'm not sure I like seeing my own babies used against me."

V had used this opportunity to get to the next set of doors, opening into a long transit line with one of their targets at the end.

"Next target spotted, two MTs guarding it." V noticed, marking the target.

"Security breach has reached twenty-five percent." Carla warned. "That's good work, Sparky!"

"Thanks!" Uzi shouted back. "I set up some virtual systems for them to waste time breaking into. That should give Raven a few more minutes to hunt down those targets!"

"…" 621 spotted the target V had marked, and moved to engage, firing on the two guard MTs with her double-mortar Songbird, and knocked them both out.

"Wait…shit! Ambush dead ahead!" V warned as a door beside the hacking drone slid open, and four more MTs and a BAWS tetrapod lumbered out.

"…" 621 grunted, and went to work. Even outnumbered as she was, she didn't hold back. She fired her missiles at the second closest MT, her double-barreled cannon at the furthest two MTs, and rushed the closest MT with her blade primed, cutting them all down in short order. She had to dodge back as the BAWS tetrapod lunged at her with a large laser blade, and forced her back further with it's auto shotgun. It put her in such a position that it could deploy it's hyper-velocity 155mm cannon.

"Raven, I've got you covered!" V assured her. She quickly flew forward, easily ignored as she stayed near the ceiling of the large room, then dropped down onto the roof of the BAWS tetrapod. She threw an anti-armor charge into the reloading mechanism for it's 155mm cannon, then jumped off the roof to land under it. Deploying her pulse-wave laser cannon, she fired it at point blank range, directly into one of the tetrapod's rear legs hydraulic support.

The BAWS tetrapod lurched back as it lost balance, it's 155mm cannon shot went wide. The cannon was then partly destroyed by the anti-armor charge, leaving it very exposed for 621 to finish it off. Waiting only for V to clear the area, 621 fired on the tetrapod with her Songbird cannon, further staggering the tetrapod, before she lunged in and tore it apart with rapid laser blade strikes, finishing it off with a kick. With the area cleared, 621 destroyed the nearby hacking drone.

"Confirmed. Target destroyed." Ayre noted, counting down. "Two remaining."

"Guess I better get to work on our countermeasures." Carla suggested.

"I'm way ahead of you!" Uzi assured her. "I've got a good connection to their home servers, just waiting for the right time."

While 621 and V had cleared out their sector, N scouted ahead to the other side of the industrial zone, and located the enemy.

"Raven! I'm counting five MTs guarding the rafters above! Two are powered down in an ambush position. It's too tight to get through, but they are probably guarding the next target!" N announced.

"…" 621 followed the route he had plotted, and flew up to the rafters. She caught three MTs unaware, and quickly destroyed two with her cannon. The third had been staggered by the large explosive weapon, so she rushed in and finished it off with her shotgun. Gliding forward, she came face-to-face with two MTs hanging upside down from the ceiling, powered down so as to fool her sensors. She fired on them with her double-mortar, destroying them both.

With the way clear, V and N dropped down the hole the two MTs had been hanging over, and split up. V went forward, while N turned around to check a hidden corner that led to a dead end.

"Found one! Hacking drone just out of sight!" N alerted.

"…" 621 followed him back towards the hidden corner, and destroyed the drone with a volley of missiles.

"Fourth target destroyed." Ayre counted again.

"One left. You'd have to try to mess it up now." Carla declared. Then she noticed something. "They've got our crypto keys. That's uh…not great."

"Don't worry!" Uzi corrected. "I swapped those keys out for decoys. Your classified data was off the net when that module was breached!"

"Well well well!" Carla's wide smile could be heard over the connection. "Aren't you just the smartest little cutie! Hey tourist!? How much you want for this one!? Good data techs like her are hard to come by!"

"…" 621 didn't bother answering Carla's inquiry.

"Faster Raven." Ayre demanded. "Uzi is smart, but she can't keep up that defense forever."

"Raven, I've spotted the last target." V announced. "Not far from your location, heavily defended. N, get over here and help me counter them. I'm counting four MTs and another tetrapod."

"Uh-copy!" N was quick to follow V while 621 boosted down the hall and around the corner, finding the last hacking drone just beyond a platoon of enemies.

While 621 went to work destroying the weaker RaD MTs, V and N crawled across the ceiling, directly over the heavy BAWS tetrapod in the back line. It was lining up a shot with it's heavy cannon, so V and N pounced on it. V repeated her attack of placing an anti-armor explosive on the gun, then dove below and fired into it's hydraulics. N copied her, but placed his explosive charge on it's auto-shotgun, before he too fired into it's legs with his pulse-wave laser cannon.

With two of it's legs damaged and it's ranged weapons destroyed, the BAWS tetrapod was no match for 621, and she destroyed it quickly with her blade. The enemy force cleared, she destroyed the last hacking drone.

"That's five." Ayre concluded. "All hacking drones destroyed."

"Good job tourist." Carla praised. "I sent the Coyotes and their pals a little counter virus; their servers are officially fried."

"And I pulled some data from their server before she cooked them!" Uzi declared.

"Ha! Maybe that'll teach 'em to behave." Carla approved. "The radar is picking up stragglers, somewhere hidden. Finish them off tourist."

"Oh! Maybe they're in that secret room! Where that one AC was hiding?" V suggested.

"Quite the clever girl you are Specter! Why don't you and Sheperd go and check it out?" Carla ordered. "Tourist, support them."

"…" 621 followed V and N as they flew back to the metal smelting foundry, and followed the long tunnel down one of the inactive metal drains, and down the deep hole towards an interior section deep in the industrial subsector.

"Raven, counting a platoon of heavily modified RaD MTs." V reported. "They look like they've been up-armored?"

V was correct in this statement. The Junker Coyotes had welded a bunch of scrap together to form improvised heavy shielding. It limited their mobility but greatly enhanced their durability.

"Well take care of it tourist. You're onsite and heavily armed. Perfect time to take care of it." Carla demanded.

"…" 621 obeyed. She rushed forward and fired on the first MT with her double-mortar. It's thick armor protected it from being destroyed, but not staggered, allowing her to finish it off with her blade. She turned to the second MT, and fired on it with her shotgun and missiles. Unfortunately, the MT's thick armor held, and barely noticed the damage. The rest of the platoon forced 621 on the defensive as she evaded their return fire.

"Shit! That armor's too thick for most of her weapons!" V noted worriedly.

"Oh no! What do we do!?" N panicked momentarily.

"Relax! We just have to disable the armor on some of those MTs is all. Let's split up and focus on the rear two. This shouldn't take long." V advised.

While V and N flew above the MTs towards their rear line, 621's heavy cannon reloaded, she disabled, then destroy the second MT, finishing it off with her blade.

As for V and N, they landed on the front of the two reaming MTs, and used their claws to cut the front armor plates off, leaving them exposed to 621's weapons.

"…" Waiting for V and N to clear her line of fire, 621 rushed the two remaining MTs, and used her blade to cut down the first. With their armor detached, they were no real threat, and 621 made quick work of it. She then turned and finished of the remaining MT with a point-blank shotgun blast to the face.

"That's the last of them. Good work today tourist." Carla praised. "And you too Stray Squad. Alright, that's enough for today. Head back and rest up. I'll have more work for you all tomorrow."

"All right!" Uzi cheered. "Way to go guys!"

"Whew, just glad it's over." N sighed tiredly.

"Just another day, doing dirty work. Right, Raven?" V questioned.

"…"

"They have done good work today. You should try rewarding them for their efforts, don't you think?" Ayre suggested.

"…" 621 sighed. She couldn't argue against that.

Independent Mercenary Hangar

They'd met up with Uzi back at the hangar, as Carla had tasked a couple of RaD soldiers to personally escort her back. Afterwards it was the usual post-mission wind down.

Because Uzi had done such a good job at countering the Coyotes while 621 had destroyed the targets, Carla didn't subtract anything for having her data compromised. So out of the 380,000 Coam reward, they kept 330,000 after expenses, of which 99,000 Coam was for Uzi, N, and V to split.

"Woah! Easy money!" Uzi cheered. Despite the danger involved, a mercenaries life was one wrought with just as much reward for their troubles.

"Yeah, it was a good day." V agreed. "Little bit of danger, whole lot of scrip."

"Ah…I'm just glad we were all able to come home today." N shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

"So, the usual?" Uzi turned to 621. "Post-mission maintenance?"

"…" 621 considered what Ayre had suggested earlier. "How bout a reward instead?"

"Oh, a reward? What did you have in mind?" V purred excitedly.

"Let me check something first." 621 requested, walking away to make a call.

"Hey tourist." Carla called back over the connection. "What do you need?"

"I'm looking for any clubs in your sector. Wanted to give my Strays the night off." 621 suggested.

"Ah! And you wanted to know if there is anywhere safe for your Strays to go semi-unsupervised. That about right?" Carla surmised.

"Something like."

"Cool. So yeah, I have an entertainment district with a 'hands off the drones' rule. You'll still have to deal with human prostitution, but they'll be safe there." Carla informed her.

"That'll do." 621 agreed. "Stray Squad, if you'd like, we could go hit up a club in Carla's districts."

"Uh…I'm good!" N dismissed anxiously.

"Hey! Come on N! It will be fun!" Uzi begged.

"Yeah! Don't be square! Come on!" V tugged on him.

"Oh…well…alright." N reluctantly agreed.

"I've only got one rule tonight. Stick together, no one goes off alone. Got it?" 621 demanded.

"Yes ma'am!" Stray Squad agreed.

Grid 086 – Entertainment District

621 leaned against the bar to a noisy night club blasting shitty techno music, slowly nursing a drink. She didn't much care for drowning her sorrow with alcohol, and it didn't taste very good. Didn't mean she had to be sober either. Just a few shots.

N was by her side, anxiously looking around. He was pretty confused and easily frightened, but 621 assured him that nothing was wrong. Still, he kept his eyes open, observing everything. As well as keeping an eye on V and Uzi.

Those two Drones had wandered off to the dance floor, and were having fun goofing off. That was enough to make him happy.

He turned to look at his master, noticing her staring at a man at a table across the bar with a neutral expression. The man was surrounded by two other men and a woman. The man noticed 621 staring, and wandered over to her, smiling with gentle excitement.

"I'm Daniel." The man greeted next to 621. N noticed he was wearing a no-sleeve shirt that fully exposed his arms, and some of his chest.

"I'm not interested Daniel." 621 dismissed casually.

Daniel sighed and turned around, but 621 gently grabbed him by the arm.

"Tell me. How do they treat you here?" 621 inquired, honestly curious.

"The others say it's better than most." Daniel shrugged.

"…" 621 looked back at the table Daniel had come from, staring at the other man wearing a vest and no shirt. "That bucker, ogling you? He's packing a knife on his left hip."

"Thanks…" Daniel nodded, a bit more cautious. He walked away to a different table.

621 turned around and took a seat. N stared at her curiously.

"What was that about?" N questioned.

"Just people looking out for people." 621 advised. "Sometimes it costs nothing to do the right thing. I don't get my hands dirty, and no one gets hurt."

"That's really nice Raven." N smiled sweetly.

"I grew up in places like this." 621 gestured around them.

"That umm…must have been rough?" N wondered apologetically.

"Nah, just visiting most of the time." 621 shook her head. "My father always said that if you want to know a place, know it's people, then you start from the bottom, and work your way up."

"Uh…you'll forgive me for asking, but my files have prostitution labeled as a kind of criminal activity…?" N inquired, honestly confused.

"…"

"I uh! I didn't mean to offend anyone!" N panicked as 621 stared at him imperceptibly.

"…" 621 sighed. She knew that he had no idea what he was talking about, he was just reading the dictionary definitions and having no context of what any of it meant. "It's an honest living. It's more honest than most. You can tell a lot about a place by how they treat their people."

"Oh…fair enough." N accepted. Humans were still very confusing for him, but he learned a bit more every day.

621 gestured out to the dance floor, where V and Uzi where making fools of themselves but otherwise having a good time. "Why don't you join your friends there?"

"Ah uh…I don't know." N bared his teeth painfully. "I just feel…kind of weird is all."

"Oh, why's that?" 621 demanded.

"Well...it's just…I wanted to talk to V for so long…but it always seemed like she was ignoring me. Then we got stuck on this planet and everything went to hell…and while we are closer now…it still seems like there are just some things we can't talk about. Plus…V and Uzi are really close now. They always try to deny it, but they're more alike than they know, and they have a lot of fun with each other. And I don't want to get between that."

"You're working a mercenary life now." 621 reminded him. "It's a life full of danger and uncertainty. If you never say anything, it might be too late."

"…" N allowed what 621 had said to sit with him, as he thought it over.

. . .

A few minutes before, V had quickly grabbed Uzi by the arm, and dragged her out to the dance floor.

"W-Wait! V! I don't know how to dance!" Uzi complained.

"So? Neither do I." V shrugged. "But it looks fun, so let's do it."

"Uh…so…what do I do?" Uzi curled up on herself, hunched over like she was trying to hide.

"Hmn." V smirked. "Well, first of all, stop trying to hide. You're already the shortest one here, no one's going to notice you. Stand up." She grabbed Uzi by the shoulders, forcing her to stand up straight. "Then, just get moving. This isn't some ball or dance or shit, it's a club. So…just move. Here, copy me."

V started moving, slowly at first, picking up speed to match the beat of the music. Uzi reluctantly copied her, but found it easier and more natural to keep pace as well.

"Hey…this isn't half bad." Uzi smiled, confident enough to try her own thing.

"There you go~!" V cheered her on. "Told you it would be fun!"

"It's…kind of ridiculous…" Uzi wondered.

"Who cares? No one here cares! So just go with it and have fun!" V advised.

Uzi decided she really didn't care, and so had her share of fun dancing with V.

"Ah, that was great!" Uzi smiled. She was currently sitting on V's shoulders, holding onto the other girl's head. "Thanks Raven."

"Really kinda bummed that you didn't join us N." V noted.

"Ah um…dances aren't really my thing. But I'm really glad you guys had fun!" N smiled.

"You totally should have joined us too, Raven." Uzi gestured towards her master. From her current position, she was roughly equal in height to the woman.

"Oh, there was a time." 621 shrugged. "But I'm an old lady now. Something would give and then no one would be having fun."

"…" V tried to remember exactly how old 621 was. Joined the Navy at eighteen, sixteen years in the service, an unknown number of years galivanting across Sol…fifteen years of the Three Rebellions War, and who knows how many years of the Sol-Laconia war…that couldn't be right. By her count, 621 would be at least fifty, but probably much older. That wasn't even counting the unspecified amount of time she'd been on ice, which might be a century or two. "Uh…Raven? How old are you?"

"…Don't you know it's very rude to ask a lady her age?" 621 smirked. "Well…it's not really a big secret, but it's not one I'm keen on sharing. Let's just say I got out of the Navy the first time, right around the time Earth became habitable again post-League, in 2698."

"…" Uzi, V, and N's eyes went wide as they quickly calculated exactly how old she was. "Wait…you're saying you're over five hundred years old?!" Uzi accused.

"When you say it like that it makes me sound really fucking old." 621 shrugged. "Alright, fine. If you subtract the time I've been on ice, I'm only three hundred and sixty-five years old."

"Wh-Wha-HOW?!" Uzi demanded, V and N were just as confused and hoping for an answer.

"…So, shortly after the fall of The League, The Old Ones decided to reward humanity for the peace they'd achieved, by gifting us with genetic immortality." 621 explained. "In hindsight…this was a terrible mistake, as not only did it encourage Duarte and Inaros to start their war against Sol, it also means that every death is some kind of tragedy. So…now we just live until we die of some unnatural causes."

"…Raven…" V wondered frightfully. "How…long...how long did the Sol-Laconia War last?"

"…" 621 frowned, and carefully considered her answer. "The war officially started in 2745, and lasted three hundred and eighty years."

Grid 085 - RaD Mercenary Hangar

Opened on the console, was all available data on N and V's new master. The woman. The mercenary. The thing called C4-621.

"So, as you can see, your little friends are in good hands." Carla assured her new property. "Tomorrow, I'm going to hire Walter's Hound to give you a crash course in Armored Core combat. That should give you an excuse to see your friends again. Just remember, you're my property now, and Walter is my friend, so be sure to play nice."

"…" Tessa's hands shook at her side, as she looked over the data on the Sol born Hound.

"Tessa?" J saw her master's apprehension, and became worried.

"Well, I'll let you figure it out. I've got shit to do too. Good night, exile." Carla cut the line.

"…"

"T-Tessa, what's wrong?" J tugged on her worriedly. "Aren't you glad that we have confirmation, that V and N are okay?"

"That's…that's not the problem, J." Tessa turned towards J, and grabbed her by the shoulders, partly to steady herself.

"Then what is it?" J wondered. "Is it that Hound? Who is she?"

"…J…" Tessa uttered quietly. "That woman…is the reason we lost the war." She warned her. "And her father…is the bastard who destroyed our homeworld."

Chapter Text

Earth – New Babylon / June 27th, 2734 / Ninth Year of the Three Rebellions War

They were losing.

As far as AI rebellions went, this one was the most confusing in recorded history. The previous four instances of AI rebellions were a case of humans fighting off enigmatic machines with their own highly concealed agenda, which strangely benefited both sides in the long run. Humanity was distracted long enough that they didn't immediately destroy themselves, and the machines were able to field test new technology.

The fifth AI rebellion was not actually a war against mankind. It was a coalition of scorned and envious rogue AI fighting against their creators…the original four AI, The Old Ones. Humans were just caught in the middle of this war, forced to choose between fighting for The Assembly, led by The Old Ones, or The Foundation, led by the AI personalities Chief, Carol, and Isaac.

If that had been it, then The Assembly would have eventually annihilated The Foundation, as they were more popular and better equipped for a long war. The problem was that the rest of the Sol system had been dragged into this war, hence why it was called the "Three Rebellions" War.

And it all had to do with the traitorous Admiral Winston Duarte of Mars.

What the traitor Admiral had done was equip The Foundation with additional server space needed to elevate them to a computational level that nearly matched The Old Ones, and heavily armed a radical pirate named Maro Inaros with nearly half the Martian Fleet, while he took much of the rest of the fleet with him to Laconia.

So with Mars out of the fight and Inaros actively bombing both Earth and Mars with asteroids, The Assembly had to focus their efforts on the planetary defenses of three planets (they had their machine city on Mercury to defend as well) while relying on their human allies to fight against their rebellious and misguided children.

To make matters worse, The Assembly and their human allies were not even at full strength when the war began. Ibis: The Silent Line, had been selected as the AI administrator of Rubicon, considering that planet's importance, and was nowhere near Sol. Also, the human's greatest weapon had been out of the system, and was supposedly several light years from Earth in a completely unrelated sector of colonized space, so it was of no help.

The megacity of New Babylon, located in the Euphrates River Valley, had been under construction the last few centuries, as one of the first cities that would be safe to live in once the planet was cleansed from Kojima contamination. It had been a very nice city to live in, for about twenty-seven years. Then the war started, and shit started falling from the sky.

The technical term was an "impact winter", as opposed to a nuclear winter, seeing that this catastrophe was caused when multiple rocks approximately one hundred meters across started slamming into the Earth at a hundred thousand meters a second. The planetary defense grid had proven impotent in stopping these rocks, because the Earth hating pirate Marco Inaros had coated them in stealth composites gifted to him by Admiral Duarte.

As such, there was a copious amount of shit in the atmosphere, mucking it up and making the surface of the Earth barely fit for habitation…again. At the very least, it wasn't as radioactive as Kojima contamination, otherwise no one would have survived.

With enemies on all sides, and resources scarce, the command AI of The Assembly had to start making hard and unpopular decisions, especially with those regarding their human allies. One of those decisions was the use of the Fifth Generation Armored Core series. Unlike the highly upgraded Third Gens or the terrifyingly powerful Fourth Gens, the Fifth Gens were the bare minimum of what constituted an Armored Core. At five meters tall, they had armor, they could move quickly, and they were modular. It would have to do.

Thus it was that once again, the only thing standing against annihilation, were lowly mercenaries, and Armored Cores. Seeing as new generations of pilots were being thrown into yet another meat grinder, they had earned new titles to mark their rank and their ability. Not as glamours as Ravens, nor as ravenous as Lynx, these were simply men and woman paid to do a job, and paid to do it right.

These were Migrants.

Attack the Data Center – The Assembly / Reward 2,000,000 COAM

"This is your mission." A command AI started the briefing. "We've recently discovered a black site data center in the Korangal Valley, in the former territory of Afghanistan. It's defended by several platoons of support MTs, with a quick reaction force of Zodiac ACs further up the valley. You will act as escort to several platoons of infantry who's mission will be to infiltrate the site and extract any relevant data. Both you and the infantry platoons will be going in by way of a pair of Stork gunships." The briefing showed a diagram of the F21C Stork helicopter, a massive aircraft with a shape similar to that of a Mi-24 Hind, but more than three times larger, and powered by two massive engine blocks on either side of the fuselage, spinning the two interlocking rotors on either side. As a standard, the Storks were armed with a 50mm gatling gun under the nose, and a wide arsenal of guided and unguided rockets, as well as underslung artillery cannons. The two Storks accompanying them on this mission had the callsign of Echo 6-2 and 6-4. Additionally, they saw relevant data regarding the infantry, two platoons of special forces under the callsign of Ghost. "This mission could be the key to ensuring our victory in this long and terrible war. We expect your best performance out there. Good hunting, Migrants."

"Well, how about that?" Razor-1 noted curiously. "Looks like we've got a job."

"Seems really risky though." Razor-4 noted. "A mission a thousand miles behind the front lines, with minimal support, while running escort duty? This is going to be a long day."

"As long as I get to earn my keep, I don't care either way." Razor-3 scoffed. "Nothing like killing traitors, machine or otherwise."

"They wanted the very best for this mission, so they went to us." Razor-2 declared. She turned to Razor-1. "What do you want to do, boss?"

"Hmm." Razor-1 smiled. "Let's go kick some traitor ass."

Attack the Data Center – The Assembly / Enroute to the Korangal Valley / June 27th, 2734

It was a long flight from the Euphrates River Valley to the Korangal Valley. Long enough to bore the combat teams of Razor Squad and the Ghost platoons.

At least the Ghost could mingle with each other in the interior of the Storks. Razor Squad were all strapped into their ACs and slung under the Storks in pairs.

"Did you hear what command was saying?" Ghost 2-4 spoke up. "They claimed that this mission could turn the tide of the war."

"Ah they're always saying some bullshit like that." Ghost 1-6 dismissed. "They just want us fighting at our very best."

"What do you mercs think about this mission?" Ghost 1-1 wondered.

"If it helps the war effort, then of course I want to do my part!" Razor-4 declared.

"Just in it for the scrip myself. No matter where or when, I'm always up for a killing." Razor-3 purred.

"Just good to be working on a new front is all." Razor-1 answered. "The Foundation takes it personally if the same mercs push their luck in their territory too long. It's how we've survived so long.

"The is Echo Lead, be advised we just got a flash from command. Patching you through now." The helicopter pilot announced, as he opened the radio channel for the troops he was transporting.

"To all units in the South Asian theater, be advised. Asteroid fragments have broken through the defense grid. Expect high yield blast in ten seconds. Brace. Brace. Brace."

To the South over the Indian ocean, multiple megaton sized explosions ripped across the horizon, as though a shotgun filled with nukes had been fired at the Earth. At their distance from Echo flight, there was no real threat, but each aircraft was still rocked by the turbulence thrown up by the distant blast.

"What the fuck was that?!" Ghost 2-2 complained.

"That was the leftover fragments of a two-kilometer asteroid launched by Inaros eight months ago." Razor-2 spoke up.

"And there's our Navy Liaison passing relevant intelligence in a oh-so-timely manner." Razor-3 complained.

"Command knew those fragments were no threat to us. If anything, they serve as additional cover for this mission." Razor-2 explained. "Who'd be crazy enough to launch a long range strike under asteroid barrage?"

"What the hell?" Razor-4 spoke up. "I thought Stonehenge was supposed to shoot down all those fragments?"

The Spaceguard Turret Network, also known as Stonehenge for it's large circular design, was a series of underground megastructure bunkers, with eight 1200mm anti-asteroid railgun turrets on the surface. Ideally, The Assembly would build one on each continent to completely protect the planet. Unfortunately, the war meant over half the planet was not under their control, limiting their coverage. Additionally, these were strategic weapons systems that allowed for total orbital control of the Earth-Luna sphere of influence, so part of The Foundation's goal was to destroy these cannons, allowing the Earth to become further polluted by ash and dust. It was their objective to drive a wedge between The Assembly and their human allies.

"They should have." Razor-2 confirmed. "But either Command deemed their impact site to be of no strategic value…or the cannons ran out of ammo."

"…What do you mean 'ran out of ammo'?" Razor-1 requested calmly.

"It's not easy building multistage 1200mm anti-asteroid rounds that can both survive the launch into space as well as hitting a rock at the right velocity to fracture it without blasting right through. Stonehenge rounds are expensive, and command had to decide who gets the lead. Us or the big guns?" Razor-2 explained.

"So the rumors are true." Ghost 1-1 noted grimly. "We are losing the war."

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Razor-1 shouted. "Now let's go get the job done!"

Area of Operations - Korangal Valley / Two Hours Later

"This is Echo Lead, we've reached the first drop point. Migrants, you're up."

"This is Razor-1, ready for drop." Razor-1 answered, as his squad readied for combat.

The two Stork transports dropped the squad of four Fifth Gen Armored Cores into the combat zone. Each member of the team brought a different combat style and ordnance load. Razor-1 was the jack-of-all-trades member, with a well-balanced medium weight bipedal build, armed with heavy rifles, machine guns, and a reserve blade. Razor-2 was the sniper, piloting a heavy-weight bipedal unit armed with a 120mm hyper-velocity cannon, with a 30mm gatling gun, pile driver, and heavy 80mm pistol as reserve units. Razor-3 was the melee specialist in a lightweight AC, armed with light machineguns, a physical blade, and a pile driver. Razor-4 was a tank AC, armed with a pair of quad-40mm heavy machineguns, and a pair of reserve 50mm gatling guns.

"Razor Squad, on station. Engage all hostiles." Razor-1 ordered.

The squad of four advanced through the valley, meeting minimal resistance along the way.

"Razor-3, reporting. Counting two Hellkites." She announced. "Engaging."

The A-84 Hellkite was technically a "ducted fan" helicopter, a wide cylinder with a pair of arms hanging off it's sides, armed with plasma machineguns, and a set of "legs", which were really powerful maneuvering thrusters. They were extremely weak, lightweight machines, and went down after only a few shots.

"I've sighted a platoon of Golems. On me, Razor-4, let's wipe them out." Razor-1 announced.

"Yes sir!" Razor-4 responded.

The R14-GGS Golem was a tall, tracked MT tank that carried a heavy shield for defense, and was armed with a 50mm gatling gun on it's right arm. While it's frontal armor was heavy, it was far from indestructible, and quite slow. Razor-1 and Razor-4 flanked the platoon, and tore them apart.

"Be advised, got Speers patrolling the black site. Give me a sec to take them down." Razor-2 announced.

The Sz11 Speer was a heavy sniper MT, that could deploy an extra set of legs to stabilize itself when firing it's main 155mm hyper-velocity cannon. It also had a pair of 20mm gatling guns as a secondary armament. Razor-2 had to stop to deploy her heavy cannon, but made quick work of the enemy MTs.

"This is Razor-1, all enemy MTs eliminated. Echo Flight, you are clear to drop off the troops."

"Copy that Razor-1. Ghost teams, prepare for touchdown." Echo Lead ordered, both him and Echo 6-4 landing near the black site to offload their troops.

"This is Ghost 1-1. Team one will take the facility. Team two stays in reserve with the ACs." The leader of the Ghost ordered. At his word, his team entered the bunker-like complex that had been secured, fighting down to steal whatever secrets the servers here might hold.

"This is Echo Lead, looks like you stirred up a storm." The helicopter pilot warned. "Activity from their QRF. Enemy ACs inbound."

"Zodiac motherfuckers…" Razor-3 cursed.

Zodiac was made up of traitors to the human race. Men and women who gave up their flesh and digitized their consciousness, seeking strength and true immortality though metal and silicon. These humans turned willingly into AI aligned themselves under The Foundation, and were some of their most elite soldiers.

"Enemy sighted, engaging." Zodiac No. 346 ordered.

"Secure the data center." No. 831 demanded.

"Hold the line!" Razor-1 and Razor-3 took a forward position on the battlefield, drawing the fire of the enemy while Razor-2 and Razor-4 laid heavy covering fire. While Razor-2 picked off the enemy with precision shots to the enemy cockpit blocks, Razor-4 filled the air with hundreds of armor piercing projectiles, tearing apart any AC that came his way. While Razor-3 played dangerously, engaging the enemy at point blank range, Razor-1 covered her back, and got close when he needed to with his own melee weapon.

"This is Ghost 1-1 I've got a problem down here!" The Ghost leader complained from within the bunker. "A lot of enemy MTs are down here, we need an AC to clear the way!"

"Damn…" Razor 1 cursed. "I'll go help them out. Razor Team, hold this position until I return."

"Don't die down there." Razor-2 mocked.

While Razor-1 entered the bunker to help out Ghost team one, the rest of Razor and Ghost team 2 held the line, fighting off the Zodiac ACs.

"Damn traitors." Razor-3 mocked. "Don't you know going full borg takes away your imagination? Humans make terrible AI."

"No unnecessary risk Razor-3." Razor-2 demanded. "No showing off, just hold the line."

"Tsk." Razor-3 scoffed. "Sure thing, Navy." She pulled back to hold the line, covering Razor-2 while the sniper singled out ACs to eliminate.

"This is Ghost 1-1! Thanks for the support mercs!" The Special Forces soldier called out. "We're entering the server room now…wait…"

"What is it? Ghost Lead, report?" Razor-1 demanded.

"There's nothing here…shit…" Ghost 1-1 realized.

"Hey Hey Hey! Testing testing! Can you all hear me!?" A new voice called out on the radio. "Oh good! I was worried we wouldn't get this opportunity."

"…Chief…" Razor-2 hissed.

"Oh yay! Someone remembers me! I'm so glad to have left a favorable impression with you lot!" Chief cheered jovially. He was one of the leaders of The Foundation, and most would openly agree that he was insane.

"Shit…what the hell do you want!?" Razor-3 accused.

"Just wanted to thank all my favorite mercenaries for coming along this mission~!" Chief sang eagerly. "It's been so fun knowing you! But now, it's time to end this little charade."

"Dammit! Razor-1! Ghost Lead! Get out now! It's a trap!" Razor-2 warned.

"Yeah…figured as much." Razor-1 hissed. "We're getting out of here now!"

"Chief. Stop messing around. Get on with it." Carol, another leader of The Foundation reminded him.

"Yes…it's time to do away with these pesky mercenaries…." Isacc, the last leader of The Foundation demanded.

"Ah as much fun as playing with you all again would be, it's time to end this lovely little friendship we have." Chief sighed in feigned sadness. "But before you go, why don't we kick this party off with a bang!"

Something had gone very wrong, as Razor-2 was thrashed around her cockpit, slamming her head against the side. Even with the pilot's helmet protecting her head, everything hurt. The AC itself was heavily damaged, but still combat ready.

"W-Where the fuck is everyone?!" Razor-2 cursed as she checked her sensors, not that anyone heard her as her radios had been fried. She got signal pings from Razor-3 and -4, inactive but still alive. Only half of Ghost team two was still alive, and they were horribly injured. There was no response from Razor-1 or Ghost team one, their last known signals…coming from the direct middle of a rising mushroom cloud where the data center used to be.

"S-Shit! Shit!" Razor-2 screamed. "Shit…F-Fuck! Fuck…! You all-You all better not be dead!"

The response she got was rounds going over her head, too close for comfort. Zodiac forces who had been well outside the blast zone, converging on the still forms of the survivors of Razor and Ghost squads.

"Right then, here we go!" Razor-2 hissed, and brought up her 120mm hyper-velocity cannon, leveling it with the oncoming Zodiac forces. "Come get me you motherfuckers!"

She fired, boring through the cockpit of one of the incoming Zodiac ACs, killing the chunk of silicon that had once been a human mind. She snapped her target to the next AC, firing twice to put them down. "That all you got!?"

The fire against her intensified, but Razor-2 refused to flinch, and returned fire with her heavy cannon, pulling the trigger as quickly as the cannon could reload, forcing it to fire in full-auto, more than three rounds a second. There were lots of targets in front of her, and she intended to give each and every one of them a round through the heart.

"…-Echo Lead to Razor, does anyone copy?" The two helicopters had been far enough away to survive the blast, and currently had her on laser-comms.

"This is Razor-2! We need immediate extraction right now!" Razor-2 demanded. "Hurry up!"

"That's a no can do, LZ is too hot." Echo Lead complained.

"Then come down here and start shooting some of these fucking assholes!" Razor-2 demanded.

Razor-3 and -4 started shooting back at the enemy, but not efficiently. Razor-3 took a position by a large rock to fire at the enemy, while Razor-4 shot blindly into the enemy formation, missing most of his shots. Seems neither of her allies were in a very good state either.

Even the remaining Ghost members picked up their weapons and fired back, even when they had been horribly mangled, with flesh hanging off their bones from the heat of the blast.

That left Razor-2 to pick up the slack for both injured teams. She took a forward position, and with her sniper cannon in one hand, and her gatling gun in the other, she stood her ground and made a stand.

"I am still alive you fucking amateurs!" Razor-2 mocked the enemy, exposing herself as she fired with everything she had, singling out enemies to her right, and holding long bursts to her left. The Zodiac ACs either died by her hand, or were forced to take cover. "Echo! We're going to need that extraction right now, hurry up!"

The wave of enemy ACs seemed endless, an entire division of traitor armor baring down on the three ACs and half a platoon of dead men.

"Fuckers are out in force, huh!?"

The sound of heavy rotors overhead flooded the battlefield as one of the Stork gunships hovered over their position.

"Razor this is Echo 6-4, coming in." The second helicopter pilot reported in.

"Just fire the fucking gun man! Fuck them up!"

"Got targets, opening fire." Echo 6-4 answered with their nose mounted gatling gun, tearing into traitor ACs with heavy armor piecing rounds. "Taking fire, their shooting at us." The excitement of the pilot was mitigated by the thick armor of the Stork, making it a flying tank.

The gunship raked through the traitor lines with it's gun, tearing several more enemies apart, when it got a warning in it's instruments.

"SAM launch! SAM launch!" Echo 6-4 shouted fearfully, as a heavy anti-aircraft missile streaked overhead, targeting the low flying gunship.

"Oh fuck! Shit!" Razor-2 saw the missile coming in, and could do nothing as it slammed into one of the engine blocks of the Stork. The engine exploded, and the gunship started falling from the sky.

"Echo 6-4 is hit! I just got hit! I can't…I can't fucking bring her up! We're going down…" Echo 6-4 trailed off as they spun out of control, and slammed into the side of a cliff above Razor's position.

"No! Fuck!" Razor-2 screamed as the Stork folded in on itself and exploded, falling to the valley floor. "Fuck-! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"Echo Lead reporting, 6-4 is down hard, broke up on impact, over."

"Ah shit!" Razor-2 couldn't focus on that or it's implication as there was still a battle raging around her. She had to drop her heavy cannon as it was out of ammo, and just kept the rate of fire up with the rest of her allies.

"Echo to Razor, Command is pulling us out. Stay alive, reinforcements are inbound." Echo 6-2 assured her, flying away from the area of operations.

"…" That seemed like mil-speak for "Command had abandoned them." So this is where she was going to die?

So be it.

"Try me motherfucker! I don't give a fuck!" Razor-2 cursed, as she advanced, finding cover that would allow her to engage the Zodiac ACs from close range, making sure she landed all her shots. Still, she was burning through ammo fast, and the enemy was right on top of her.

One of the Zodiac ACs tried to flank her, but she'd seen the melee attack coming, and boosted out of the way. The enemy AC, having lost the initiative, then attempted to pull back into cover.

"Fucking try to kill me will ya?!" Razor-2 focused on this enemy, and switched to her close range weapons, the pile driver and large pistol. "Come here motherfucker!" She lunged for the enemy AC, connecting her pile driver with their right arm, blowing it off, then stuck her pistol into it's waist and fired several rounds. She stepped back and fired several more rounds into the cockpit block, ensuring the kill.

She was running out of ammo and opportunities, and stray rounds were bleeding her armor every second. Outnumbered and outgunned, with no support to rely on, things couldn't possibly get worse.

Things got exceptionally worse.

Machine horrors known as Ammons, giant mechanical eyeballs with four squid like arms burst from the ground on top of the remnants of the Ghost platoon. Hovering while making a bizarre whistling/warbling sound, these monstrosities tore the Ghost platoon limb from limb, discarding the detritus of their kills in the dirt without regard.

Razor-3 had turned towards these sapient machine creatures, intending to shoot them down, when something even worse pounced on her from above.

"[XIXIXIXOXOXO]"

It was one of The Foundations most terrifying weapons. Eight meters tall and covered from head to talon in sleek, black armor. Thirty meters long, from the tip of it's ten-meter-long snout lined in several dozen red eyes to it's whip-like tail covered in cutting blades. It had two "wings", ten-meter-long pointed weapon pods filled with plasma cannons and missile launchers. It moved with a hunched gait, swaying back and forth with every step. It's long, reverse jointed legs ended in meter long talons, and had laser blades mounted in it's ankles. It screamed in an unnatural, high-pitched whine that vibrated at an uncomfortably quick pace, sounding like the territorial call of some demonic bird of prey. Everything about this monstrosity was designed to mark it as a predator, a beast capable of hunting Armored Cores.

Scavenger.

Landing with it's talons extended, it sunk it's claws deep into Razor-3's armor, right over her cockpit block. Curling it's claws in, it cut clean through her core, and tore it apart with her trapped inside.

"[XEXEXEXEXUXUXUXU]"

Razor-4 had turned at the sight of the Scavenger and fired on it with his eight 40mm machineguns. All this did was give the Scavenger new prey to focus on. Lowering it's stance, the machine predator swayed back and forth as it ran forward, throwing off his aim and bouncing bullets off it's thick, sloped armor. When it was close enough, the Scavenger lunged, talons extended, and laser blades active, cutting the arms off Razor-4. Sinking blades into his cockpit block, it wrenched it open, extracted the Migrant, and ripped them apart between it's claws.

"[XIXIXIXIXAXAXAXA]" The Scavenger laughed in it's unnatural machine voice, filling the valley with it's incomprehensible screaming.

"…" Razor-2 focused all her attention on the Scavenger. Damn Zodiac and the Ammons, she just wanted to kill this accursed predator that took such pleasure in the deaths of her squad. This mockery of machinery and afront to biology, this insatiable and cruel imitation.

She charged, firing with her handgun at the accursed machine, closing the distance. The Scavenger noticed, and responded to her challenge, holding it's ground as it hunched itself low, curious and hungrily. It growled back as it coasted it's thrusters, trying to keep the AC in front of it, and forcing her to guess what it's next move might be.

There weren't a lot of options for Razor-2 to deal with the Scavenger. Ideally, she'd have engaged it from as far away as possible, but all her ammunition was spent save for a few clips from the AC sized handgun. She had her pile driver, which was an especially strong melee weapon, but Scavengers were known to be exceptionally dangerous at close range.

Having no choice in the matter, Razor-2 attacked with her pile driver, only to miss as the Scavenger backed up cautiously, patiently waiting for a chance to swoop in and take her life. It jumped towards her as her weapon reloaded, only to glide to the side as she attacked again. Before she could reload again, the Scavenger rammed her, using it's large head and wings to knock her on her back.

"[XUXUXUXUXAXAXAXAXA]" The Scavenger gloated as it stalked it's prey, grasping her core in one talon, and standing on her pile driver with it's other claw. Razor-2 fired into it's belly with her handgun, but it's thick armor was designed to stop kinetic rounds, and easily bounced her shots.

"Come on! What are you waiting for!?" Razor-2 screamed. "Come on! Do it motherfucker!"

The Scavenger sunk it's claws into her core-

Something moved. Something big and fast. In a flash of light the Scavenger lost it's head, and collapsed onto Razor-2.

A burst of gunfire caught her attention. She turned and saw that the Ammons had been killed. Another flash of light caught her eye, only to see something tearing through the Zodiac lines, too fast to focus on. Taller than a Scavenger, with smooth armor just as black.

The Zodiac ACs were wiped out.

The something approached her rapidly, landing near her with a loud hiss of thrusters. It pushed the corpse of the Scavenger off her AC, allowing her to see it.

"Report your status, Razor-2." The pilot of the Fourth Generation Armored Core, 03-Aaliyah demanded through it's speakers.

It was an impossibility. The Assembly and by extension The Sol Alliance only had four, perhaps five Fourth Gen ACs left, all produced during the time of The League centuries before. Three were being used to defend Mercury, Earth, and Mars, protecting the infrastructure of the badly outmatched coalition, the fourth was supposedly trapped outside of Sol, and the fifth was a prototype deployed only in absolute desperation. Meaning this was…

Razor-2 should feel joy, relief, and assurance. This one machine, and it's insatiable pilot were the ace needed to turn this war around, to ensure the victory of The Assembly and The Sol Alliance…

Yet looking upon the tower of black painted League forged hyperalloy, all she felt was resentment and anguish. She felt the loss of her team and the accompanying infantry.

How dare he return now.

"All good, Asset Orange." Razor-2 hissed back.

Rubicon III - Grid 086 – Independent Mercenary Hangar / Friday, Tiberius 30th, 3175

Hissing tiredly, 621 opened her eyes. She hated sleeping. She couldn't get enough of it either. Sitting up, she looked down at her AC from her rooms window.

Down below, she could see Stray Squad earning their keep. N repainted worn surfaces while Uzi and V performed the maintenance. Seems they remembered their duties despite the easy night she'd given them.

"Raven." Ayre sung to her, a question in her tone. "Who was that man in your dream? The pilot of the League era AC?"

"…" 621 hissed lowly. Do not ask that again.

"I see…" The voice in her head trailed off. "I have to admit, it's quite a shock learning how old you are. That does leave me wondering…what happened a hundred and forty-eight years ago, that made you want to travel out to Rubicon?"

"…"

"…" Ayre made a concerned hum. "…It looks like Stray Squad are up early. They're good kids at heart. I know you hold deep resentment for them…but please try to make them happy. They at least deserve that."

"…"

"…I wonder what kind of work Carla will have lined up for you today?" Ayre wondered. "Judging by the effort she's been putting into fixing the mass driver for you, she'll have it ready by Wednesday. Until then, she has you protecting her interest and running her errands. If you can, maybe you could visit Grid 085? It would be good for Uzi to see more of her kind again…so long as they actually respect her this time."

They wouldn't have to wait long for an answer. Carla sent a message, detailing work for the day.

Recruit Training – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 30,000 COAM

"Hey again tourist, get plenty of rest? Good. Anyhow, this should be an easy one today. I understand that I can't hold onto you forever, and when you do get going on your way, I'm still going to be short a Hound. I've recently gotten myself some unexpected property that might serve as a Hound, but I'm going to need you to give it a shake down, to make sure that it passes muster. Also, I've managed to come into possession of a Disassembly Drone, and I'd like it if Stray Squad could get her up to speed on what kind of work to expect on this world, show her the ropes as it were. Oh…and one thing tourist. Do try not to damage my new property too badly. Hounds are hard enough to come by, I don't need you breaking this one's skull in."

"…" What the fuck did Carla expect of her? So long as this unnamed rookie Hound knew it's place and followed her orders, there should be no problem. Well, whatever, might as well bring Stray Squad up to speed on this mission.

"Stray Squad!" 621 shouted, as she went for her ground kit.

"Yes ma'am!?" Uzi, V, and N answered back.

"We've got work today, something new, and hopefully easy." 621 announced. "Carla's got a new Hound she wants trained up, and while I'm doing that, she wants you lot to give a Disassembly Drone she acquired a shakedown as well."

"Wait…Carla found a Disassembly Drone!?" N shouted. "Do you know it's name!? Is it J!?"

"…I wouldn't know." 621 shrugged, but noted his excitement. "Regardless, they'll be in your care. Be sure to give it the same treatment I gave you lot. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" Stray Squad confirmed.

Recruit Training – "Cinder" Carla / Grid 085 – Drone Sanctuary / Friday, Tiberius 30th

The orders they'd received told them to meet their contact near the Drone Sanctuary in Grid 085. Apparently the two new recruits were helping to "motivate" the Worker Drones for Carla before they were cleared for mercenary work.

"Looks like you're there early, tourist." Carla called excitedly. "My new toys should be meeting you shortly."

Sure enough, the front door to the Sanctuary opened, just wide enough for two beings to exit. One of whom everyone pretty quickly recognized.

"J!" N had been quick to embrace his former squad leader, pulling the slightly shorter android girl into a tight hug.

However, much to the shock of V and Uzi, J returned the hug weakly.

"Hi…" J whispered.

"J we were so worried about you! Are you okay?" N cried.

"…Yeah…" J lied.

"…" V looked over her former squad leader. Whereas J used to be proud, elegant, and arrogant, the current J was far more reserved and soft spoken. As well, she was wearing something completely different.

While she maintained something that looked like her original outfit, it was clearly a reproduction of some kind, made from a cheaper local fabric. What's more…she was actually wearing stockings? In her original outfit, her legs were painted to appear as if she was wearing knee high stockings and garter straps. Now those parts of her legs were covered up, and her skirt was several inches longer than it was previously. The other massive change what that she was wearing a long coat, that extended down just past her knees.

J briefly looked V over, and noticed that she was wearing her usual outfit, a crop jacket and nothing else. She gave a pained smile. "It's…good to see that you're okay."

"…Uh…thanks." V cocked her head in confusion at that statement. "Glad you're okay…I guess?"

However, J wasn't alone.

"Uh…hello!" The short woman with a control collar on her neck greeted cheerfully. "Nice to meet you all! I'm Tessa!"

"Oh, hello Tessa, nice to meet you too!" N greeted back just as happily.

There was a tiny, brief moment, where Tessa's smile broke. She blinked and hid it, and turned to V. "Oh, you're so pretty! What's your name?"

"…" V stared with hollowed eyes at the woman, her lips withdrawn to a thin, imperceivable line.

"…Huh." Uzi watched these interactions curiously. As did 621.

"…" 621 walked forward, hands behind her back, as she closely inspected J.

"Um, hello. You must be…621…" J had been greeting 621 when the Hound started circling her, getting a bit closer than she liked. In response, J tugged on her coat, holding it around herself tightly.

"Hmm." 621 hummed thoughtfully. "While you're attached to my unit, you'll be known as Stray Four." She declared.

"O…kay?" J raised her pseudo-eyebrows in question. "Hey…you know I'm a command type Drone. I wouldn't mind taking over as their leader-"

"Stray Three will be your leader for today." 621 dismissed. She then unclipped her thigh holster for her handgun, leaned down, and affixed it around Uzi's waist. "These are the unlock codes for your control collars. Use them if you need." She swiped her hand terminal in Uzi's direction. "Otherwise…try giving Stray Four a repeat of our first day together."

"Uh…Copy!" Uzi answered after a brief moment of shock.

"Wait! What!? You're putting that stupid little toaster in charge?!" J complained.

"…" 621 stepped toward J quickly, staring down the shorter machine girl. J flinched back, towards Tessa.

"J…remember what I said." Tessa reminded her. "Follow their orders no matter what."

"Oh…yes boss." J begrudgingly nodded at Tessa's command. "Lead the way…toaster."

"Stray One, Stray Two, keep an eye on them." 621 ordered. "Go run along now. Ask Carla for some work to fill your time."

"Yes ma'am!" Uzi, N, and V answered her, as they led J deeper into the Grid Sector.

"…So, you're that Hound Carla's been talking about, 621." Tessa greeted cheerfully. "It will be good learning from a professional-"

621 punched Tessa in the stomach with her prosthetic arm, hard. Tessa fell to her knees, and struggled to breathe as she held herself tightly.

"I know what you are…Laconian." 621 warned. "I can tell by your insolent stench."

"…!" Tessa squirmed fearfully, staring up at 621 defiantly with painfully grit teeth.

"The only reason I don't finish what Sol started is because you're Carla's new pet, and I'm on contract to do as she demands." 621 declared. "So, you want to learn how to use an AC? Fair enough. I'll train you…exactly the way my father taught me."

621 grabbed Tessa by the hair, and dragged her kicking and screaming to the bottom of the Grid Sector.

"Carla, can you hook us up with some unsightly, scary jobs?" Uzi requested into her hand terminal. "Our first day with Raven was scary…but eye opening."

"Sure can do Sparky!" Carla answered back energetically. "You're just in luck! There was an incident in one of my factories in Grid 085 which might be exactly what you're looking for. I'll send you the details in a sec. Also, J, since you're working with the tourist's crew today, I'll give you the callsign of Saber. Hold on to that, got it?"

"Ah…thank you ma'am." J thanked politely.

"Oh, this is going to be good." V whispered to N, smiling wide.

Cleanup in the Machinery Factory – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 400 COAM

"I'm not going to mince words with you. Someone died in that factory, badly." Carla explained. "But! You wanted a messy kind of mission to break Saber in, so don't come complaining back to me! So get in there and clean up the body…or what's left of it."

"Okay, we've done similar kind of work before." Uzi nodded along as she led Stray Squad toward their objective.

"Are you kidding me? Body disposal? Excuse me, but we're Disassembly Drones, not disposal units." J complained. "If you want to go play with bodies, then you do it you short little purple Worker freak."

"It's not exactly the most thrilling job, I know, but it's what we can expect." Uzi ignored the insult towards herself. "You have to remember J, that on this world, people don't care whether we are Workers or Disassembly Drones…we're all hated equally."

"…" J flinched, and cast her gaze down. "Yeah…"

They arrived at the factory after several minutes, and met the local foreman.

"Oh, you're the cleanup crew Carla sent?" The Foreman questioned.

"Yeah…we're here to remove a body?" Uzi answered.

"Sure, just make sure to get all of him." The Forman demanded.

"…What do you mean 'all of him?'" Uzi realized.

The truth was that this was one of the worst kind of workplace accidents. A lathe accident. A man had been working on the spinning industrial machine and gotten pulled in. The largest part of him left intact were his shredded clothes wrapped around the spinning arm of the lathe. The rest of him was sprayed out in a pattern across the entire room, including the ceiling.

Uzi wasn't actually all that unfamiliar with this kind of incident. She'd once been on a field trip back in school on Copper IX to one of their workshops and one of the students had managed to get their jacket snagged on a lathe, ripping them apart and spraying their shattered and shredded corpse across the room. The most distressing part of that incident however was how apathetic her class had been to the death of one of their own. Worker Drones seemed preprogrammed to ignore workplace accidents, and Uzi's apprehension was only further proof that she was a freak among her own kind.

"…Well that's new." V stared up at the blood stains on the ceiling, fighting to maintain a neutral expression.

"Oh…I think I'm going to be sick." N covered his mouth.

"Uh…" J groaned in disgust.

"…" Uzi pressed her hands against her temples, trying to calm down. She might not like most humans, but this was an incredibly fucked up sight. "Okay…uh…V, N, please get up there and clean the ceiling. J…work with me to clean up what we can still find down here. Let's just get this over with."

It wasn't exactly thrilling or interesting. It was just dark and sick and grim. Finding tiny broken bits of corpse and going "oh that's an eye, or a tooth, or a finger, or a toe" as the largest fragments of the corpse, and tossing the refuse into a bucket that quickly filled with sick, red meat.

A bucket that was then dumped unceremoniously into the recycler, sending the pulp mass of ruined human flesh to be eaten by mushrooms.

"Good job kids." Carla had called to congratulate them. "Sorry that was such a mess, but hey, better to throw the worst this world has to offer your way."

"Carla!" Uzi cried. "Can we please just have a job that isn't so fucked up?!"

"Well, let's see what we can do…" Carla nodded along as she went through request for work in the Grid Sector. "Okay, yeah, maybe I have something."

It was pretty clear to Tessa that 621 was not going to be her friend.

With her secret out…anything might happen, and being dragged down into the darkest pits of the Grid Sector, outside of Carla's control, did not bode well at all.

621 kept Tessa locked down, arms wrapped around her head in such a way that she couldn't grab the sword on her back, or the revolver on her left hip. There wasn't much room to maneuver either as 621 had trapped her in a service elevator, riding down as far as it would go.

At the bottom of the shaft, 621 released Tessa and kicked her forward into a narrow corridor, it's roof just above 621's head.

Fearing rightfully that 621 was trying to kill her, Tessa turned around, and drew her handgun, a Colt 1851 Navy chambered in .38 caliber. 621 was already closing the distance however, preventing Tessa from aiming. Winging it, Tessa roughly pointed up at where 621's head was, and pulled the trigger-

621's right hand clamped around the handgun, her pinky finger stopping the hammer from setting off the round. She tore the gun out of Tessa's grasp, and punched her in the face.

Stumbling back from that hit, Tessa reached behind herself, to grab the sword on her back, only for 621 to use that moment to punch Tessa in the throat, winding her again.

621 then reached behind Tessa, grabbed the handle of the sword, and without removing it from it's sheath, pulled it down over her shoulder, then pushed it back up, into Tessa's throat. She pushed the blade so hard that Tessa was lifted up and pressed against the wall, choked out by her own blade.

"…!" Tessa panicked, kicking desperately while trying to push the blade off her throat, but it seemed that 621 had decided to kill her, right then and there.

"…" 621 held the sheathed blade against Tessa's throat until she stopped moving, slumping down in her grasp. She did not blink even once while she killed the younger woman.

On their way to another job, J pulled V aside, and whispered excitedly to her.

"Hey, so I notice you didn't say anything to Tessa." J noted curiously. "Do you remember her?"

"…Of course I remember her." V hissed back. "What of it?"

"So…let's kill the little Worker freak and the Hound, and we can go back to being with our rightful master!" J suggested.

"If you even think about touching Uzi-!" V bared her teeth, and poked J in the chest threateningly.

"Oh…it has a name now?" J clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

"…Uzi's a weird little thing." V admitted. "But she's good, and smart, and resourceful. And…it's not like we have very many friends on this world. As for the Hound…she's a lot stronger than she seems."

"Oh please?" J shrugged. "We're semi-immortal robot vampires who heal from almost any damage, what could one human do?"

"She killed G." V informed her.

"She…what…?" J's eyes hollowed at that realization.

"Well…technically N did." V corrected herself. "But if I hadn't told the Hound how to kill one of us, she would have taken her time tearing G apart, a piece at a time…" She frowned.

"Oh…" J frowned as well, and sighed. "Come on V, why don't you want to work for Tessa again? To go back to how things were?"

"I don't want to think about how things used to be!" V stressed. "For every good memory I have of back then, I have a thousand nightmares. My only objective…tsk, never mind."

"…" J stared as V stormed away from her, walking ahead with a purposeful stride.

"AHHHH!" Tessa screamed, her eyes snapping open to take in her surroundings.

That dreadful Hound loomed over her, having just stabbed her in the heart with a syringe, staring at her with hateful orange eyes.

"Y-You-!" Tessa stuttered with a broken, pain-riddled voice. Her throat and chest were killing her, though not quite as literally as 621 had. "You killed me!"

"You want to survive in this world, Laconian?" 621 mocked. "Then you're going to have to get used to staring down barrels and blades aiming to take your life."

"I…I'm not afraid to die-!" Tessa argued back.

"But you're going to be doing a lot of killing in this line of work." 621 reminded her. "You should know what it's like to lose that last thing that you do have. And what you're taking from your enemies."

"…You mean…killing other people, right?" Tessa questioned.

"Every life we take is more than just a face and a name." 621 pointed out. "We are taking away everything they could have been, every possibility and future of who they are. That's something your bastard Emperor might have done well to remember." She hissed. "Most mercs don't care enough about that though, enough scrip and they'll gladly turn their backs on their humanity. I am warning you, that if you start chasing scrip like that, then I'm going to find you, and I'm going to make sure you stay dead this time."

"…" Tessa sighed. She turned painfully, clutching at her chest. Being stabbed in the heart with adrenaline left her aching and tired.

"Get up Laconian." 621 spat, stepping back several feet.

"…?" Tessa stared at 621, noticing for the first time that the Hound had taken her sword and revolver, and carried them on her hips. "Hey, that's-!"

"I'm still under contract with Carla to see that you learn something, and so far you've been a great disappointment." 621 accused. She took her axe off her back, and threw it towards Tessa's feet. "Pick it up."

"Uh…what?" Tessa sat up, still confused with what 621 wanted her to do.

"You keep your sword on your back, that tells me you don't know jack shit about how to use it." 621 noted.

"Hey, I've taught myself everything I know about using the sword!" Tessa shouted back.

"…Which tells me you don't know jack shit about how to use it." 621 accused.

"Well-! You keep your axe on your back!" Tessa shouted back.

"Because it's not my primary or secondary. It's not even my tertiary." 621 explained. "If I'm going into close quarters with no time to prepare, I'll go for a handgun or a knife instead. I use the axe when I have a moment to take the long ass time to take it off my back and bring it into my hands. You only have a pistol and the sword, so you don't have the luxury of keeping your sword in a stupid place. Now go on, pick up the axe and strike me down."

"…" Tessa took 621's offer, and painfully stood up, axe in hand. 621 didn't bother turning to look at her. Instead, she ignored the woman, keeping her to her right side.

"Just tell me when you're ready." Tessa demanded.

"Pfff, surprise me." 621 scoffed, eyes ignoring her.

"…" Tessa raised the axe for an overhead strike-

621 had already turned into the strike, left hand clutching the sheath at her hip, while the sword was aimed squarely at Tessa's throat.

"…Shit!" Tessa flinched back, nearly dropping the axe in the process.

"…" 621 glared, and spun Tessa's sword back into it's sheath with slow and graceful precision.

"That…technique. It's almost like an ancient Japanese style." Tessa realized.

"People get really weird regarding the ancient Japanese weapons." 621 sort of confirmed. "They see a cool curved sword and forget that the most important part of the weapon is the person wielding it, and their training. It's not about being the fastest either." 621 then put her right hand on the handle of the sword and pulled it out of it's sheath, noticeably slower than before.

"So, how did you do that?" Tessa wondered.

"Simply put, I skipped several steps." 621 returned the sword to it's sheath and stepped back to her original position, facing away from Tessa. "Having to reach all the way to pull the sword out of it's sheath is slow as hell, however…" 621 half demonstrated the technique, spinning her body while holding her right hand out away from her body. The spin had caused the sword to leave it's sheath on it's own, and met 621's hand halfway out already. With relatively little effort, she pulled the sword the rest of the way out, and held it at the ready. "It's not something you would have ever noticed if you kept your sword on your back. As your secondary, keep it at your hip, and use your body and your other hand to speed up the process. You're not trying to be faster than your opponent, you're trying to outpace them."

"That's…cool." Tessa reluctantly agreed. "But, how does that help me use an Armored Core?"

"…" 621 frowned, sheathed the sword, unclipped it from her hip, and used the handle to strike Tessa in the head.

"Oww!" Tessa shouted, clutching her head.

"The entirety of Armored Core combat boils down to outpacing the enemy, and striking when they least expect it." 621 advised. "It's not about who has the best gun or who can move the fastest. It's about knowing when to move, when to evade, and when to strike. Once you figure that out, an AC becomes a power nothing in the 'verse can stop."

"So…hey…little purple toaster thing…" J disingenuously spoke softly.

"…It's Uzi." Uzi reminded her sharply.

"Uzi, right." J nodded. "…So how are you?"

"What do you want J?" Uzi wondered annoyed.

"What? Can't I be concerned for my little friend?" J purred sweetly.

"We're not friends J." Uzi shook her head. "You tried to eat me multiple times."

"Ah, you know, accidents happen." J dismissed. "You made quick friends with V and N."

"That's because they apologized." Uzi informed her.

"Oh…well I'm sorry for trying to eat you." J assured her.

"…What do you want, J?" Uzi didn't believe her.

"Well, it's just taking us so long to get where we are going…" J pointed out. "It would be really convenient if we could use our wings, then we can get these jobs done even quicker!"

"Yeah, fat chance." Uzi scoffed. "As soon as I unlock your wings, you're going to use that opportunity to kill me."

"W-What would ever make you think that?!" J denied quickly. "I was just making a friendly suggestion."

"It's not gonna happen J." Uzi shook her head again.

"You…damn toaster-!" J sneered, and reared her fist back-

"Don't." V hissed, her arms suddenly wrapped around J's head.

"Tsk! Let go of me!" J pushed herself out of V's grasp. "Stay out of this!"

"Then don't put hands on Uzi." V demanded tiredly.

"Why I should-" J had been about to threaten, when her control collar activated and burned her, causing her to wince in pain and stop. "D-Dammit!"

"Yeah…you know I'm faster and better at fighting than you, which is why you went for your EMP cannon." V noted calmly. "Face it, without that weapon, you can't stop me, and you know N would help me if you were going after Uzi. So knock it off J."

"Why!? Why are you so sympathetic to this stupid little Worker?!" J shouted. "Why don't you want to go back to how things used to be!?"

"…You know we can't ever go back." V said softly. "And we're stuck here now. We should just make the best out of this situation, rather than trying to hold onto what used to be. For the time being, Uzi is part of my squad, and if Raven says she's leader, then so it is."

"Screw you V! Fine! Let's just get this day over with!" J sneered, and stormed off to their next job.

"…Thanks." Uzi looked away, mildly embarrassed. Admittedly, J was still a threat without her weapons, being so much taller and combat oriented than Uzi. It was good then to have someone looking out for her. Someone who she could reluctantly call a friend.

"Don't mention it Shorty." V smiled.

"I-! I'm not short!" Uzi shouted back, only slightly insulted. She stomped off after J.

"Heh…shorty." V laughed to herself. Uzi was very short, even for a Worker Drone.

"Phew, thanks V." N thanked her. "I wouldn't have let Uzi get hurt…but I'm not confident enough to talk back to J. She's kind of intense."

"…Don't let people walk all over you N." V suggested. "Those kinds of people aren't looking out for your interest or wellbeing."

"Yeah…" N nodded weakly. "Still, thanks for looking out for Uzi."

"…She's…fun." V reluctantly admitted. "And she's part of our squad now. Just you, me, her, and Raven…"

"Right…just us…" N trailed off a moment, before he looked to V a bit more certain. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Hmm? What is it?" V smiled softly.

"Well, it's just we've been working together for a couple of years now, and you're just really awesome is all, and uh…I'm glad we're getting to be friends now and all, but uh…I was wondering if we could be more than friends?" N sheepishly smiled. "But uh! Only if that's okay with you! Cause I don't want to make it awkward or anything! Ahaha!"

V kept smiling, and cocked her head slightly. "That's…sweet of you N. But…things are kind of…unpredictable right now. We've…been through a lot of shit already, and I just want to be prepared for the next thing to go horribly wrong. Don't take this the wrong way, because you're a great guy, but I just can't commit to anything right now."

"Oh…for sure though!" N shrugged awkwardly. "But we can still be friends?"

"Of course N. We will always be friends." V assured him. "Now go keep an eye on Uzi, I'll catch up in a minute."

"Sure thing V!" N saluted, and jogged off with the rest of the squad.

"…" V kept smiling for a moment. Slipping into a dark and secluded alley along the endless and mazelike interior of the megapillar, she bit the back of her hand, and suppressed a scream. Her other hand grasped painfully for her personality core in her chest, as she backed into a wall and slid down.

"Damn you Cyn!" V cursed to herself quietly. "Goddamn you to hell!"

"V…?"

"…!" V flinched, looking up briefly to see the short and purple Worker attached to her squad. She averted her gaze, hiding the pseudo-electric tears that had appeared on her visor. "H-Hey…"

"…You good…?" Uzi asked, knowing V wasn't.

"…No?" V shrugged. "But…there's nothing to do about it, so it's…whatever."

"…You're crying alone in an alley. That's not a 'whatever.'" Uzi countered.

"Just…!" V briefly shouted, reconsidering her answer. "Just...sometimes things don't work out the way we hoped. Sometimes we can't afford to be happy."

"…Is this about N asking you out?" Uzi considered V's behavior…odd. "Like…if you don't want to date him that's cool, but you're getting awfully worked up, and you're the one who rejected him."

"…Is he…okay?" V questioned, concerned.

"Yeah he's fine. A little sad, but he's happy to still get to be your friend and shit." Uzi assured her. "So…why don't you want to go out with him? It seems like you are regretting this more than if you had agreed."

"…Not everyone gets to be happy." V sneered. "And besides, he deserves better than a…crazy, broken thing like me."

"Yeah, you are pretty crazy…but you're also awesome, so give yourself some credit." Uzi assured her.

"Hmm, yeah…" V agreed, smiling softly with saddened eyes. "Just trust me on this Uzi, it wouldn't work out for me and him."

"Whatever you say…" Uzi shrugged. "I still think you're making a mistake."

"Hmn!" V smugly smiled, more like herself. "Well if you think he's so awesome, why don't you ask him out!"

"Oh! N-No!" Uzi blushed with electric lines across her visor, right above her cheeks. "He's like…eww! A Worker and a Disassembly Drone?!"

"Hehe!" V chuckled at making Uzi uncomfortable. She made the motions of wiping away her tears, standing up and putting her hands on Uzi's shoulders. "Come on little boss, what's next today?!"

"I'm not little!" Uzi shouted back.

After doing several menial and sometimes messy jobs, Uzi felt it was a good time to throw J into the next job. They were in an area where Carla controlled the traffic in and out of the level, but not the level itself.

Priority Subject for Termination – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 1,000 COAM

"Okay, you ready for this, little ones?" Carla noted curiously in the call. "Not a lot of fun, but someone's got to do it. Make sure Saber gets her hands dirty for this, ya?"

"Will do." Uzi confirmed after receiving the mission. "Okay J, you're up."

"Right, what's the mission?" J stood proudly.

"You see that guy over there J?" Uzi pointed to a man that Carla wanted dead for some reason. "Kill him."

"Hmm, alright, this will be easy." J nodded assuredly.

…

"So uh…you gonna unlock my weapons?" J wondered.

"Nope." Uzi shrugged.

"Oh." J frowned. "Well can I get your help then or something?"

"Uh sorry J, you're alone on this one." V smiled cockily. "Good luck though!"

"What!? So you won't even give me any help or weapons!?" J shouted.

"Okay, so I won't be as mean as Raven was to us, especially since you're going alone." Uzi relented. "I'll give you a weapon."

"About right." J held her hand out, expecting the handgun on Uzi's hip. Instead, Uzi handed her a small screwdriver. "…What the fuck?"

"Just like stab him in the neck or something." Uzi suggested. "But uh…maybe sneak up on him?"

"Hmn! Fine!" J took the screwdriver. "I'll make this the fastest, quickest kill you've ever seen!" She then stalked her way towards the man.

"…If it looks like she's going to fuck it up, help her a little bit." Uzi whispered to N and V.

"You got it!" N quietly whispered back.

"Sure, whatever." V nodded enthusiastically.

As they watched, J attempted to be as sneaky as possible, slowly striding up to the back of the man as he appeared to be shifting through garbage, looking for scrap of any kind. The only problem was that J didn't have much experience in acting "stealthy", so she forgot what her tail was doing. The long appendage that swayed behind her knocked over several bottles, and alerted the man to movement behind him.

"…Shit." J cursed as the man turned around.

"…Oi! Jensen pashangwala! You one of Carla's stray dogs?" The man accused, standing up to confront her.

"Uh!" J backed away, suddenly not very certain about her chances.

The man approach J, so she raised her screwdriver and tried to stab him. The man grabbed her by the wrist, and punched her across the face.

"Pinche puta!" The man insulted her. "You're lucky you're just cute enough that maybe I won't kill you."

"Woah…hey…" Uzi suddenly perked up as J was on the defensive. "Maybe we should uh…?"

"Okay!" N agreed quickly.

"Shit…" V shrugged, but agreed.

However, in that time, J had sneered frightfully, and decided to use her tail to wrap it around the man's neck, choking him out. While he raised his hands to fight off her tail, J began to shank him in the stomach with psychotic desperation.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! DON"T TOUCH ME!" J screamed in a terrified trance as she soaked her hands in red. She used her tail to wrestle the man to the ground, where she then got on top of the man and stabbed him as many times as possible.

"…!" V and N grimaced sickly as J slowly covered herself in more red with careless rage. Uzi stepped forward and ended things by shooting the man in the head.

"…Hey! Okay J! He's dead!" V shouted, wrapping her arms around J, pulling her off the dead man. "So stop it okay?!"

"J…?" N worriedly rubbed her back.

"…" J cried into V's arms, which was pretty weird for everyone else present who thought they knew her up till now. Just…what had happened to her in the short time they hadn't seen her?

"…" Uzi frowned, feeling somewhat guilty for J's breakdown just then. "I'm uh…I'm sorry J. I didn't know you would panic…"

"…It's fine." J hissed down towards the ground while hugging herself. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah…sure…I'll uh…request something easier from Carla." Uzi suggested.

"…Okay." J got up and slowly walked away, still with V hovering over her concerned. V looked back towards N and Uzi with a concerned and confused expression.

"Uzi…what happened to J?" N asked worriedly. "Why was she so afraid?"

"I don't know N." Uzi answered. "But maybe…maybe something bad happened to her. What that could be though…I have no idea."

Tessa got the impression that where 621 went, she was supposed to follow. That she didn't have a choice in the matter. She still wasn't allowed to carry her weapons, the unnamed Hound kept those from her for the moment.

At the very least, the heavily armed Hound was a very credible deterrent to anyone this deep in the Grid Sector. She led them into what constituted as the "entertainment district" at this level. Several bars, brothels, and even some public televisions showing a variety of random content. However, 621 was leading them past that, towards a fighting pit.

It wasn't a very deep pit, only about four feet or so, left over from when an industrial machine had been ripped out of the ground. Since then, it had been modified, with seats arranged around it so that a few dozen spectators could cheer over blood sport.

Currently, there was no one in the pit, just the stains of blood while a few people stood around, sharing beers in between matches.

"So…what are we doing here?" Tessa questioned. "Are we going to watch some of the matches, and you'll give me some pointers?"

"Mmm…something like that." 621 admitted. She walked around Tessa, getting the woman turned around. "Admittedly, there is another thing these pits are good for."

"Oh? What's-" Tessa had been asking, when 621 kicked her in the stomach, and into the fighting pit.

Tessa landed painfully on her back, wincing in pain. That…that accursed Hound?! What the fuck was she thinking?!

"Try not to die now, little Hound!" 621 called out. "Prove to me you have a will to live!"

Apparently, the sight of someone getting kicked into the pit alerted and galvanized the locals, as suddenly a dozen more people surrounded them, and started cheering.

"Two enter! One leaves! Two enter! One leaves! Two enter! One leaves!"

"Shit…oh shit." Tessa stood up, looking around herself fearfully.

Someone else jumped into the pit with Tessa, a crazed eye man wearing tight, cheap and dirty leather.

"N-Now hold on just a sec!" Tessa raised her hands non-threateningly. "Can't we talk about this a sec-?"

The man screamed a warcry and charged her, swinging wide and wildly. Tessa lunged out of the way but lost her footing. She had to roll away and struggled back to the feet, the man snapping at her heels.

Back on her feet, Tessa turned and confronted a difficult fact. She wasn't getting out of here alive unless she fought back. This wasn't an easy proposition, considering how small and feeble she was. But 621 had been kicking her ass all day, driving home the point to fight bitterly in every engagement, but with a sense of purpose.

The man lunged at her again, and Tessa had to dodge low, towards his side and out of sight, punching him in the kidneys. It wasn't much, but bruising his sides might slow him down and hurt him.

He swung out to catch her, but Tessa dodged under the strike, punching him across the jaw. It wasn't easy, but at least it seemed that her minimal training and 621's abuse made her a better fighter than her opponent.

While Tessa fought for her life, 621 paid close attention to the young Hound, gauging her skill. Not great, but not terrible. Definitely something to be honed and sharpened, that is, if she wanted to keep her alive. Another part of 621's mind watched Tessa hungrily, longingly anticipating driving a blade through her heart, finishing the job her father started…

A vile stink of desperation and depravity caught her nose, telling her to be more aware, more cautious. Without being obvious, 621 looked at the other attendants watching the death match. Their nasty, yellow and decayed teeth, their wild eyes, the shaking of their muscles, and their dried leather jackets and jewelry made of bones.

…Fuck. She looked back down at Tessa, and noticed another bad detail. Shit was about to go sideways…

Fighting for her very survival was less than ideal, but at least she was still winning. The man had gotten several nasty hits in that left her reeling, and she could feel herself bruising in multiple places. But so long as she didn't let him control the fight, she could probably win.

It was just that she was going to have to kill him that disturbed her…

Before she could process going about that, she punched the man in the jaw, hard enough that she saw teeth go flying. The man grunted and reached behind himself-

A shot went off, his head snapped back. At the same time, his hand finished going through the motions of drawing a knife…

Hold on…wasn't this a fist fight to the death? Why did he have a knife? Also, who shot him dead?

Looking up behind herself, Tessa saw 621 holding her revolver, the barrel smoking. 621 turned away from the pit, drawing Tessa's sword from it's sheath, and decapitated the three people standing behind her.

"What the fuck…?" Tessa muttered in confusion and horror.

"Hey little Hound!" 621 demanded. "Get your ass up here!"

"…" Tessa grunted, and jumped up over the side of the pit, standing by 621's side. She saw a stand off between the unnamed Hound, and several of the "guests" to the fighting pit, each wielding jagged and improvised blades and shivs made from scrap.

"So…you want the good new or the bad news?" 621 offered, handing Tessa her sword back.

"…I'd really like to know what the fuck is going on?" Tessa demanded as she took back her sword.

"So, the good news is we're getting out of here, and I'll even help you." 621 grabbed her axe as she explained. "Bad news is I may have wandered us into a nest full of cannibals."

"…You fucking twat!" Tessa cursed.

Escort the Drones – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 2,000 Coam

"You wanted an easy job to finish the day, right little ones?" Carla noted sweetly. "Alright, it doesn't get much simpler than this. Get up to my entertainment district in that Grid and walk the Drones working there back to the Sanctuary. Expect minimal threat, maybe nothing. Also, I've got word that your masters are finishing up their training as well, so they'll meet you when you finish."

"Okay then." Uzi nodded. "Hear that guys? We just have to walk around a bit to finish off the day."

"Boo!" V whined. "I wanted to kill something."

"Oh…I don't." N argued.

"…Let's just get this over with." J sighed.

Stray Squad was prompted to go back to the brothel in the sector controlled by Carla, and met up with the employees there, the Worker Drones from the Sanctuary.

"Sup losers!" Lizzy called out. "You gonna be our escort today?"

"Oh!" Rebecca cried excitedly, running up to N and grabbed his arm. "Are you here to save me, ya big stud?"

"Eh…?" N awkwardly smiled, rubbing his other arm.

"…" Doll glared at them, hiding her red eyes behind her bangs. There were a couple of other Worker Drones there getting off their shift, but those three knew Stray Squad the most.

"Yeah, alright listen up!" Uzi shouted. "Carla's contracted us to get you back home today! So stay close to the squad of Murder Drones and they'll keep you safe!"

"…Hold on…" J realized sickly. "Carla has these Worker Drones working…at a brothel?"

"Hmm? Yeah, what of it?" V shrugged.

"What of it?!" J screeched. "So they've all been…upgraded?"

"…What is this upgrade you guys keep talking about?" Uzi wondered annoyed.

"It…it adds-" J was cut off.

"Ahhh!" Lizzy screamed, grabbing J by the arm. "Uh…sorry big scary Murder Drone person…!" She smiled sheepishly. "But their Hound…621…was very adamant that Stray Squad not learn the details of what it means to be 'upgraded.' You shouldn't antagonize that Hound."

"…" J cringed, looking between Lizzy and the rest of Stray Squad, as she considered Lizzy's warning, as well as the warning from her master. "S-Sorry guys. My hands are tied in this matter."

"Are you freaking kidding me?! Really?!" Uzi complained. V looked softly at J as she whispered back and forth with Lizzy, feeling both concerned and suspicious.

"Hey~!" Rebecca had stepped away from N while he was busy corralling the other Workers, and had approached Uzi. "Sup freak?"

Rebecca pushed Uzi, who was slightly more prepared this time, only stumbling back a few steps.

"Tsk…what do you want, Rebecca?" Uzi scowled at the blue haired Drone girl.

"Oh, I just wanted to thank you for providing an escort today~" Rebecca sung cheerfully. "It's so nice knowing how much more valuable I am, that you be placed in an expendable position to protect me~"

"…I'm not getting paid to talk to you, so hurry up." Uzi urged.

"Oh no~!" Rebecca feigned worry. "There's a puddle of who knows what in my way~! I don't want to get my boots dirty~! Won't you help little me out~?"

"Sure thing toaster." V walked up to Uzi and Rebecca, wrapped her tail around Rebecca's waist, and flung her clear of the puddle of crap and towards the rest of the escorted Worker Drones.

"Wha-!" Rebecca screamed as she landed with a roll. She stood up and shouted back at V. "You-! You can't do that to me!"

"I just can't kill or maim any of you." V shrugged. "The contract didn't say anything about rough handling. Come on boss."

"O-kay!" Uzi was surprised when V lifted her up and set her down on her shoulders. V kept her hands on Uzi's legs to hold her up there.

"W-Whatever-! Tall and short freaks!" Rebecca accused, before she skipped ahead to stand by N. "So~! My friend wants to know if you killed her family…and are single~?"

"Ah…" N was unsure how to answer.

"…Ugh…" V rolled her eyes, following after the group with Uzi still on her shoulders.

"…Hey V?" Uzi called down softly to the Drone she was sitting on. "Thanks…"

"Sure thing." V skipped after the rest of the group, tail wagging behind her.

. . .

Less than an hour of escorting the Drones up the Grid Sector and back to the Sanctuary, they'd managed to complete the contract.

Uzi jumped off of V's shoulders, standing by as the Worker Drones filed back into their home.

"Always a pleasure seeing you~!" Rebecca purred to N. "Call me~!"

"Uh…sure?" N shrugged.

"You uh…you take care." J waved awkwardly.

"You too, girl." Lizzy nodded back quietly.

"Okay." Uzi counted off. "That should be just about-"

"[Uzi.]" Doll uttered from behind Uzi.

"Gah!" Uzi flinched. "Don't sneak up on me like that! This isn't a safe planet so shit going on behind me is cause for concern!" She complained.

"[…I need a favor, Uzi.]" Doll requested.

"…Okay, what is it?" Uzi wondered where this might go.

"[Do you…know how to disable the 'higher functions' lock on our control collars?]" Doll asked, whispering in Russian.

"I mean…there is the override my Hound keeps using for N and V's collars so that they can use their weapons during missions. I think that's basically what you're talking about." Uzi noted.

"[Yes…I would like to have access to this override.]" Doll's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Uh…I don't think I should be handing it out so casually." Uzi rubbed her head. "Plus you're Carla's property, I wouldn't want to interfere with her stuff."

"[I just…]" Doll desperately scrounged up an excuse. "[There are just some restrictions I need to get around. Carla is a good master, and I would not want to wrong her, but I need a bit more freedom than what my collar's current setting provides.]"

"…" Uzi worriedly considered it and why Doll needed the override.

"[Please Uzi…I promise I won't betray Carla…and I will pay you for the code as well.]" Doll grasped her hands in a 'praying' motion, shaking them softly.

"…" Uzi thought about it, and the Drone asking her. Doll was always the quietest and weirdest of the "popular group" back on Copper IX. And while that meant her friend group was usually the one who bullied her the most, Doll herself never really engaged much in abusing her, choosing just to snicker or stare from the sidelines. Plus…they were far from their homeworld now. Uzi had no idea why Doll wanted the override code, but she could sympathize that there might be terrible shit that she had gone through as well, just to survive this long.

"Alright, fine." Uzi relented. "Give me twen-…no…just ten thousand Coam for the code."

"[T-Thank you!]" Doll exclaimed enthusiastically, swiping the funds to Uzi's hand terminal. In return, Uzi sent the override control to Doll's hand terminal. "[Thank you Uzi! You won't regret this!]" She then ran off, into the safety of the Sanctuary.

"What was that about?" V noted the Worker Drone with long purple hair running back into the Sanctuary.

"Oh…she just wanted to buy some information." Uzi technically told the truth.

"Huh." V shrugged. "Well, come on, we've got to go meet Raven and that…Tessa woman."

Blood was leaking through the cut on her hand, as Tessa held her blade over her head, using it to stop someone from stabbing her in the face. They salivated through their smile, showing sharp, yellow teeth.

The cannibal was punched across the face by 621, freeing Tessa, who was then roughly grabbed by the collar by the Hound, dragging her through the level and past many more hungry faces. She could hear the Hound swinging her axe, chopping clean through another person as they spun and danced through the crowd.

Tessa was then thrown, stumbling forward, almost losing her sword in the process. Fortunately, her sword sunk deep into dirty cannibal flesh, as Tessa accidentally stabbed someone through the stomach.

"…!" Grimacing sickly as more warm blood flowed across her hands, Tessa felt the Hound grab her from behind, yanking her back and a step closer to the elevator out of the level.

She could see it, too. Just a few more meters, and past a small group of blade wielding freaks.

Tessa raised her blade to attack, only for the Hound to kick her in the back, causing her to fall to her face. She feared for a moment that 621 was going to leave her, on the ground and at the mercy of these hungry cannibals…

Then 621 jumped onto Tessa's back, and dropped a grenade next to Tessa's head.

"…!" Tessa watched the little grenade realign itself, then jump back into the air where it exploded, far above their heads, and cutting through the necks of several people around them.

621 leapt back to her feet, dragging Tessa by her belt, and opened the elevator. She then kicked Tessa in the ass, causing her to stumble into the elevator, while pulling two more grenades off her belt. Twisting them to incendiary, she tossed them out into the crowd following them, and activated the elevator, pulling them to safety as a dozen or so people burst into flames.

"…Fuck." Tessa tiredly cursed after a long day of fighting off the cannibal hordes in one of the lower levels of the Grid Sector.

It was apparently rare, but not unheard of, for communities of cannibals to pop up in the most destitute and desperate levels of Grid Sectors. Preying off the entire Grid in one conveniently ignored murder at a time in order to hide their want for warmer meat than mushrooms or mealworms provided.

If it wasn't for 621, Tessa wasn't sure she would have lasted long, fighting off the hordes of unwashed psychopaths wielding long jagged blades and baring their rotting, nasty teeth. Besides some opportunistic slashes here and there, she had been totally dragged through the level by 621.

For her part, 621 showed no exhaustion or concern after slaughtering nearly half a level of people, her ammunition completely depleted and her blades soaked in blood. It was just another day to her.

"T-Tell me something…will you?" Tessa requested quietly. "How did you really know that I was Laconian?"

"…The way the little ones looked at you." 621 answered. "The way you looked at them. You know them. And some of them knew you too."

"Well…since that's out of the bag." Tessa shrugged, then spat at the Hound. "One of these days, I want N and V back. They're mine."

"…Let this be your final lesson today, Laconian. And a warning." 621 hissed at her while they rode the elevator back up to the level the Drone Sanctuary was at. "Everything you've ever learned about war, and everything you will ever learn, is all shit I forgot centuries ago."

"…Yeah. Got it." Tessa sneered back at the Hound.

The elevator arrived at their destination, and 621 grabbed Tessa by the arm, and tossed her out. Tessa was too tired to stand, and stumbled down to the ground.

"T-Tessa!" J had been nearby, and jumped towards Tessa, cradling the human woman close to her. "Tessa are you alright?!"

"H-Hey girl." Tessa smiled. "Just a…a long day."

"Oh Tessa…" J frowned. She scooped up her master, carrying the skinny woman in her arms. "What did you do to Tessa?!" She accused the Hound.

"Uh! J!" V was quick to step between J and the Hound. "Definitely not a good idea antagonizing Raven! Just walk away okay? We'll…see you when we see you."

"Bye J…hope to see you again soon!" N waved sadly.

"…J…let's just go-…home." Tessa said somberly, rubbing J's cheeks sweetly.

"…" J leaned into Tessa's touch, and nodded with a grunt. She turned towards their quarters, leaving the Hound and her Strays.

"…Shit Raven." Uzi noted. "Looks like you've been through some shit yourself."

"Mmm." 621 hummed lazily. "I need a shower. And sleep."

"That lady you were training? Is she alright?" N asked worriedly.

"Mhm," 621 nodded. "Just ran into some cannibals is all. Had to work extra hard to keep the kid alive."

"Wait, hold up, there are cannibals on this planet too?" Uzi asked with narrowed, annoyed eyes.

"Uh…" V then whistled, pointing to herself.

"…Point taken." Uzi acknowledged V, then turned back to 621. "Still, I didn't realize shit was that bad?"

"It's only bad because they have a tendency to congregate." 621 explained. "So you'll get a level here and there with disproportionately high rates of cannibalism as opposed to the rest of the entire planet. Don't worry about it too much." 621 dismissed.

"So, are we done for today?" N questioned.

"Yep. Just going to rest up. Don't expect any work for a while. Things should be clear for the next few days." 621 assured them.

Grid 085 – Worker Drone Sanctuary / That Evening

Finally certain that most of the other Workers had settled into their sleep mode, Doll opened her hand terminal and accessed the override control that Uzi had sent her earlier. Directing the code toward her own control collar, she disabled the "higher functions" lock.

/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED

Even with the control collar still firmly affixed to her neck, Doll anxiously splayed her hand in a waving motion. Instead of the burning sensation of her collar punishing her, it instead summoned a red holographic symbol over her hand, a hexagon with three arrows.

Excitement slowly rising, Doll looked around her private quarters, a relatively small room compared to the one she had on Copper IX, but still something to call her own. She settled her eyes on a wooden chair, and focused, flexing her hand in a lifting motion.

The chair floated off the ground, shimmering as the unnatural energy took hold, counter-acting gravity. Playfully spinning the chair in the air, Doll sharply shifted her hand, and made a chopping motion.

The chair was instantly and perfectly bifurcated, the halves cluttering to the ground.

Smiling ear to ear with hateful pleasure, Doll cackled madly, her right eye changing to that same symbol. The hexagon with three arrows.

Chapter Text

Laconia II - Elliott Manor / August 15th, 2940

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

The Elliotts technically had two types of Worker Drones on their estate. There were the standard, default Worker Drones, preprogrammed as Butlers, and all of them identical, with barely a personality to boot. And then there were the creatures unaffectionately referred to as "Tessa's dumpster pets."

Since it was Laconian national policy to abuse the barely sentient AI platforms called Worker Drones, the Elliotts went through enough Drones to create a mass grave of the machine creatures in their backyard, which is where Tessa worked tirelessly building her own friends out of the corpses of the rejected and abused.

After all, being a corporate princess was a lonely affair, and if it weren't for her "pets", she'd be alone with nothing but books. So, she went to great efforts to repair them so that she could start her own private collection of Worker Drones, going so far as to give them names and different hairstyles.

It wasn't much of an existence, but it beat the oblivion of death.

"What is that bastard Emperor doing?!" Mr. Elliot cursed as he read the news coming from the frontlines. As a majority shareholder of JCJenson, he had much greater access to data than most common citizens of Laconia.

"Being distracted is what he doing." Mrs. Elliot agreed. "He engineered the Three-Rebellions War, then wasted all his time chasing 'accension' as opposed to running this bloody war properly."

"If he just applied some of that brilliant military genius we might have already reclaimed Mars and Earth, and finally wiped out those filthy Belters and arrogant machines!" Mr. Elliot complained. "It doesn't matter how many of their Spatial Arms Forts we smash if that damn Admiral 'Stonewall of Sol' continues to hold the line!"

A Worker Drone butler approached Mr. Elliot with a serving of alcohol, and offered him a drink. He took the drink eagerly, but gagged after the first sip. "I said scotch you mindless toaster, scotch not whiskey!" He smashed the glass against the Worker Drone's face, the broken shards digging into the fragile frame of the Worker Drone, piecing it's processor and causing it to bleed black blood from it's face. It died and collapsed on the spot.

"…" V pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, hiding her fear and apprehension. Even if the default Worker Drones had no names, being barely sentient mass production models, they could still feel fear and pain. That was by design. Mr. Elliot noticed her, and summoned her closer.

"You there, you're one of Tessa's pathetic pets, yes?" Mr. Elliot accused.

"Yes sir." V nodded sharply and promptly.

"Then prove your worth and bring me a damn scotch!"

"Yes sir, right away sir." V curtseyed with her maid's dress, and excused herself. Being one of "Tessa's pets" meant that, besides displaying actual, fully conscious sentience, she was slightly more intelligent and slightly less mistake prone than the default model of Worker Drones, which made her valuable enough not to kill off at the slightest impulse of her elder masters.

Additionally, V knew she was one of Tessa's favorites, not that she tried to be. She just adored her young master and her friends, the other Drones revived by Tessa.

She arrived at a bar area within the manor, and found J cleaning glasses.

"One Scotch for Mr. Elliot please." V requested.

"…" J sighed, but already got to work pouring the drink. "I take it that default Drone who asked for a Whisky for the master really messed up then?"

"Yes, unfortunately." V confirmed.

"…I'll pull one out of storage later." J shrugged. The death rate for default Worker Drones at the Elliot Manor was high enough that they simply bought Worker Drones in bulk, in order to replace them whenever the elder masters decided to cut one down out of idle rage or disgust.

"J…do you know if N is off his shift yet?" V requested. "I was hoping to meet him in the library later."

"To read one of your dumb books again?" J scoffed. "You need to stay on task, okay V? I don't have any other Drones to fill your shift right now. We're short staffed enough as it is with the Gala coming up in a few months."

"Uh…can't you just pull more Default Workers from storage to cover the shortage?" V suggested.

"V, you know the Default Workers are barely competent at their jobs as it is. If I pull more from storage than we already have, then that's just going to antagonize our masters more than they already are." J explained.

"What's going on you two?" Tessa wondered sweetly, approaching the two female Worker Drones.

"Oh…nothing boss." J dismissed, and V reluctantly nodded.

"I saw N going to the library to read again. Were you hoping to join him, V?" Tessa noted curiously.

"Ah…! Yes master, I was." V fidgeted nervously.

"Aww, you're such a cute girl." Tessa rubbed V's head affectionately. "Okay, go run off and have fun. J, I'll cover for you here at the bar, so please fill in for V for now."

"Ah, yes boss." J sighed, but did not argue with her master.

"Oh! Thank you Tessa!" V cried, jumping with joy. She sprinted quickly though the mansion towards the library, finding N near the back.

"Oh, hello V! Are you off your shift now?" N wondered.

"No, but Tessa gave me some free time." V smiled. "It's good to see you again, N."

"Ah, it's good to see you too!" N smiled cheerfully. "Want to read with me again?"

"Oh! Yes! I would like that very much!" V smiled sweetly. She loved reading cute and fun books with N or drawing pictures with him. It wasn't often they could get these moments alone, but they were always a lot of fun. It sent a warm, comforting feeling through her personality core, and blush lines at the corners of her visor.

But not everything was perfect.

"Giggle giggle. Can I come too, big brother N?"

V gasped and jumped a little at the sound of that cold and clinical detached voice, and the Worker Drone it was attached to. A sad and broken little thing that could never seem to stand on it's own, barely holding itself up in a limp position, like a corpse or puppet. It could also never display the appropriate emotions on it's visor, leaving it either staring uncomfortably or excitingly mad.

It was Tessa's most recent addition to her flock, and her most failed recreation. The maid Worker Drone Cyn.

"Oh, hello Cyn! Of course you can join us!" N offered joyfully.

"N…?" V questioned him.

"V, please remember to be nice to Cyn." N requested. "She's a special little girl."

"Joyful laugh. Happy face." Cyn's head hung low to the side, so she pushed it back up to smile uncomfortably wide at V. "Hello big sister V."

"…" V shivered under that blank, dead eyed stare that Cyn gave her. There was something predatory behind Cyn's smile, she felt it every time she was near the limp Drone.

"Scoot scoot, crisscross apple sauce." Cyn awkwardly rolled into a seated position near N, then rested her head on his shoulder, clinging greedily to his arm.

It took months for V to be comfortable enough to even touch N, and here this broken corpse Drone just did as she pleased, and always placing herself between V and N.

"Curius pout. What's wrong big sister V?" Cyn stared wide eyed up at V. "Come come, sit by me too." She offered one of her limp arms, turning it awkwardly like she didn't know how arms worked.

It was mocking her, V just knew it.

"I…just remembered. J needed some help. I'm going to get back to work." V dismissed, walking away.

"V…?" N looked up worriedly at the maid Worker.

"Giggle giggle. V is so silly. Right big brother N?" Cyn laughed in a humorless, dead voice.

"Ah…right…" N shrugged.

V pressed her back to the wall when she was out of sight, a hand clawing at her personality core in her chest. Her existence was not the most desirable, but she was alive, and she had friends she cared about deeply. Now though, it seemed her days were filled with pain, fear…

And aching jealously.

/END PLAYBACK

Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Saturday, Claudius 1st, 3175

"…" V fluttered her eyes open as she booted awake, and stared blankly into N's sleeping face. Between them, and clutching at her chest, was a small purple haired Worker Drone, a thing called Uzi she was reluctantly calling a friend.

N was always going to hold a special place in whatever line of code constituted as her heart, even if she wasn't allowed to appreciate it. What was more difficult to comprehend was how Uzi had also nestled her way in there.

Was it simply because they were trapped together on this infinitely vast and hostile world? Because they'd been forced to fight together just to survive? Or was it perhaps that they were more similar than either would care to admit? Brash and crude, arrogant and proud, but secretly caring and vulnerable, and warmly comforted by a hug. Other than some minor discrepancies in their platform, they were more alike than not.

If she could breathe, she would have sighed pleasantly, as she ran her fingers through Uzi's hair, brushing the short purple locks softly. Uzi gave an involuntary grunt, and curled inward, unwilling to wake up.

V smiled warmly, and wiggled out of Uzi's grasp. Standing up, she made sure to tuck Uzi in, then reached behind her to gently run her fingers through N's hair as well, greedily savoring the feeling.

Simultaneously too anxious to sleep and in a relatively good mood, V decided to start her day early. She started with her daily oil ration, drinking a full cup of the black substance that while not rare, had to be specially ordered. It was a specific quality that functioned both as hydraulic fluid and coolant, and kept her from preying on Uzi.

They hadn't had an AC mission in a while, so maintenance was not a primary issue at the moment. Still, it paid to keep her hands busy…as in she was literally being paid to do any chores around the hangar for 621, so she grabbed a broom and started sweeping dust and metal shavings across the solid portions of the hangar. Though it would be easier to just sweep it off the edge of the platform due to the tube shape of the hangar, she had been advised against such action, as dust or debris might land on the rails for moving the AC and fuck them up.

Additionally, sweeping the hangar was cathartic, her artificial muscles going through practiced and familiar motions that predated her combat protocols.

She was interrupted by a call on her hand terminal, prompting her to put her broom to the side and answer it.

"Hey Bestie!" Lizzy called sweetly. "So I had some business over in Grid 086 and wanted to see if you could hang out!? So, want to meet up and chill, just like old times?"

The offer confused and interested V. While Lizzy was fun, V had truly been faking their previous friendship just for a chance to get inside her colony to kill all the Workers. Didn't she know that? Still, V was curious as to what Lizzy had to say.

"Sure, but let me ask my Hound for permission." V replied.

"Cool, see you soon!" Lizzy smiled widely before she cut the line.

Walking up the stairs to 621's room, V knocked gently on the open doorframe, getting 621's attention. The Hound seemed distracted by something on the console.

"What is it, Stray One?" 621 requested calmly.

"I had a friend who was going to be in this Grid Sector today. I was hoping for permission to go talk to them?" V requested.

621 nodded. "Sure, but stay at high altitude. Carla's been forced to pull her troops back in order to maintain control. The lower levels are in enemy hands."

"Alright, thanks for the warning." V nodded appreciatively. She went back down to the main level of the hangar. Before she left, she wrote a quick note for Uzi and N, letting them know where she was going.

As for 621, she had a message she wasn't exactly sure what to make of.

Consulting Work – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 10,000 Coam

"Something's come up." Carla was unusually professional in this message. "I need your eyes and experience. Another opinion at whatever it is I'm looking at."

"It's…strange." Ayre noticed it as well. "I think something has Carla worried."

"…" 621 agreed. This could be an interesting day. She armed herself lightly, just a handgun and some knives. No need to bring her whole kit.

RaD Headquarters

Led to the combination hangar/office that Carla liked working from by a single RaD soldier, 621 found Carla and "Chatty" Stick going over data sent their way. The woman was leaned over a high-tech desk, closely inspecting an image, while the Armored Core feigned looking back and forth between the messages, because he could just download them, and it was therefore unnecessary for him to be moving his head back and forth.

"Oh, hey tourist." Carla greeted tiredly. "Wanted some easy scrip today?"

"You're worried." 621 accused.

"…Yeah, I am." Carla gestured for 621 to come closer. She could see an active call going out to Tessa and J over in Grid 085, and neither of them seemed pleased as well. "Go on kid, tell the tourist what you told me."

"Right…" Tessa hesitated slightly, staring at 621 with a combination of fear and hate. She shook those feelings aside and made her report. "At approximately 0900 hours, we were alerted by several Worker Drones that some of the second generation Drones from the school were missing, and couldn't be located. There were also several suspicious oil slicks in corridors in and around the school. J and myself went to investigate, and noted several oil slicks corresponding to the missing Drones, and in one instance, J found this." An image came up of a dismembered Worker Drone arm, minus the rest of the Worker Drone it was supposed to be attached to.

"…" 621 scoffed. "I don't want to state the obvious but uh…" She pointed at J.

"Excuse you!" J shouted. "I did not go on a murderous killing spree in the middle of the night! I was too busy keeping a close eye on Tessa after she had been injured during training yesterday, no thanks to you!"

"J!" Tessa shouted, then reached out and put her hand on J's shoulder rubbing it affectionately. "J…only the facts please."

"Right…s-sorry boss." J calmed down, and spoke more calmly. "While it is true I hold certain strong beliefs regarding the Worker Drones, both of my masters, Tessa and 'Cinder' Carla, have ordered me to protect them, not to harm them. I promise I did not kill any Worker Drones last night."

"What's more, I analyzed the grain of the cut on the arm, and found something that doesn't make sense." Tessa added. "If it had been a Murder Drone, or even Worker on Worker violence, there would be clues to support either theory. A Murder Drone's blades always cut in a certain direction, and would have left a noticeable mark on the wounds. The wounds on the arm we found are omni-directional, cut with an extremely thin blade from the inside out."

"…Okay, that's odd." 621 was interested now, leaning down next to Carla to figure out this mystery. "How thin of a blade are we talking?"

"Thin." Tessa emphasized. "Atoms across."

"Hmm…there's nanomaterials that thin that'll cut through just about anything." 621 suggested.

"Yeah, but there were only two fractions that ever produced anything like that." Carla argued. "The League, and Laconia."

"…Hey, don't you have like total surveillance over that sector?" 621 wondered.

"You don't think I already thought of that?" Carla countered. "All of my cameras in that sector all turned around right before they could catch anything suspicious."

"Your security was hacked?" 621 wondered.

"No, most of those cameras were stationary. They were moved manually." Carla explained.

"That's…not all we found." Tessa reported. "When one of the oil slicks was cleaned up…we found this." She then sent an image of a strange and flat amalgamation of metal and wires. "I've only seen this once before…it's-"

"A flattened Worker Drone." 621 answered for Tessa,

"Yeah…" Tessa nodded. "Destroying Worker Drones isn't that difficult, but to utterly flatten them…the ones I saw had been stepped on by an Armored Core. But that couldn't have happened here…so…?"

"This is a real mystery…" Ayre added, whispering in 621's mind. "I don't have any experience to explain this…do you have an idea, Raven?"

"…" She did not.

Independent Mercenary Hangars

The first oddity Uzi noticed was that 621 and V were gone. They'd each left a note, with V saying she was meeting a friend, and 621 saying she was with Carla. Guess today was a lazy day for 621 and her squad. Whatever.

Uzi decided to get up and start double checking the AC maintenance schedule. Every single part had an expected number of operational hours that they would work while operating at peak efficiency. It was a personal project of hers to see if she could squeeze a bit more power out of the AC without degrading the operational life span of parts. Even if she could squeeze a few percentage points, it would give 621 an edge.

Plus, there was the matter of the empty pulse barrier capacitors. If what Uzi understood was correct, then placing the right equipment in that slot would give 621 either a temporary energy shield, or a new form of attack, a combination EMP with a half kiloton of explosive force called Assault Armor. Why 621 had not expressed an interest in utilizing either function confused her.

"Ahh, morning Uzi!" N called her happily.

"Morning, lazy bot." Uzi rolled her eyes, smirking. "Get plenty of sleep?"

"Yep!" N cheered. "Hey, where are V and Raven?"

"V went off to see Lizzy." Uzi spat. "And Raven is doing some kind of consulting work for Carla."

"Oh, okay." N smiled. "So just you and me buddy?"

"Yeah." Uzi shrugged. "Want to help me maintenance check the AC?"

"Sure, I love doing anything!" N cheered. Before he could help though, he got a call on his hand terminal. "Huh? Oh, Rebecca is calling."

"Rebecca!?" Uzi screeched. "Why is she calling?! Why does she have your number!?"

"Ack! Well!? Uh!?" N panicked with Uzi staring him down hatefully. "I just didn't want to be mean, okay?"

"N, don't-" Uzi demanded, but N had already accepted the call.

"N! Babe! Hun!" Rebecca called with feigned desperation. "Come hold me in your big, strong arms~! I'm scared!"

"Uh…what's wrong?" N asked, somewhat concerned.

"There were several murders last night in the Sanctuary! Really scary stuff!" Rebecca cried. "A couple of my friends got killed too! Lainey, Angela, Dillon, Kenzie…"

"…They died? How?" Uzi recognized some of those names from her school.

"Oh, is that the freak?" Rebecca's tone shifted sharply. "What are you doing hanging out with that loser, babe? Come and keep me warm instead-" Uzi reached over N's arm and cut off the call.

"Hey, Uzi, that was rude." N chastised her.

"…N…" Uzi shivered. She didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling. "I think…I think I really messed up…"

Grid 086 - Subsector Transit Line – Altitude: 5 Kilometers

It was a little strange that Lizzy wanted to meet her in a subsector between Grid 086 and 085, on one of the industrial stalactites hanging from Outer Shell, but V considered that perhaps she just didn't want to go as far.

But…didn't she say that she had business in Grid 086…?

Regardless, V found the cheerleader Worker Drone in the industrial transit lines, with large trains surrounding them on all sides. While this area was still in Carla's control, it was partially abandoned, with the closest humans more than a kilometer away.

"Hey hey bestie!" Lizzy cheered, running up to V and giving her a tight hug.

"…" V returned the hug weakly, staring confused at the top of Lizzy's head.

"Come on, let's catch up!" Lizzy pulled away, gesturing for V to follow her.

"…" V followed, uncertain, looking around suspiciously.

"So, how's it going?" Lizzy asked sweetly.

"…Fine I guess. Working for a Hound is…a new experience." V admitted. "What about you?"

"Yeah…I uh…sort of have work too…" Lizzy trailed off painfully. "But! Anything to make good scrip, right?"

"Right…good scrip." V nodded.

"So! Any fun stories with that hunk of yours, N?" Lizzy wondered, while she wandered the transit line, V in tow.

"…He asked me out again." V admitted.

"Oh, that's cute! Come on, tell me what you said? Did you turn him down again?"

"Yeah…I did…" V grit her teeth painfully.

"Ah that's too bad. You know if you don't date him someone else probably will." Lizzy reminded her.

"He's…free to do whatever he wants…sort of." V traced her control collar, knowing that "free" was a strong term, given their current status.

"Fine, fine." Lizzy shrugged. "Your loss."

"…" V stared hard at the back of Lizzy's head. "I lied you know."

"Hmm? Lied about what?" Lizzy looked curiously up at V.

"Lied about being your friend." V admitted. "I just wanted to get inside your colony and kill you all."

"Ah…well…" Lizzy averted her gaze, suddenly uncomfortable. "T-That's all in the past now." She dismissed. "New planet, new masters, no reason to get stuck in old shit."

"…Why doesn't Uzi like you?" V requested calmly.

"Huh? Who is that?" Lizzy played off.

"Uzi. Doorman." V emphasized darkly, stepping towards Lizzy with clenched fists. "I think you know her as 'freak?'"

"Oh…Oh!" Lizzy's eyes looked up in remembrance. "Y-Yeah, her…" She trailed off for a moment. "A-Ah…I'm sure you've seen how weird she is sometimes. Just really gremlin like behavior, totally insane."

"True." V agreed. "But she's also damn smart, and extremely resourceful. And…she has a good heart."

"Gosh, you sound like you like her or something." Lizzy accused.

"…Maybe." V shrugged. "I think I definitely like her more than you right now."

"Ah…" Lizzy seemed unusually nervous. She looked down at the floor anxiously, then back up at V. "Ah uh…I'm just kidding! You do whatever you like…like whomever you like. And hey! I'll support you no matter what! S-So…give it here!" Lizzy stepped back, and spread her arms in an inviting hug.

"…" V knew something was wrong, but couldn't ascertain what. She stepped right in front of Lizzy, staring down at the little drone. "What are you hiding, Lizzy?"

"Ah…ahahaha…really putting me on the spot here V…" Lizzy grinned nervously. "The truth is…I've…also…always pretended to be your friend…"

"I gathered as much." V narrowed her eyes. "Uzi warned me about that."

"Yeah…not to say I didn't ever think you were cool or anything…just that…" Lizzy trailed off, and looked down. "I didn't have a choice in the matter…"

"A choice for what?" V wondered what Lizzy was going on about.

"…I'm sorry for this." Lizzy apologized, looking truly sad.

"…?" V questioned what Lizzy was talking about, feeling unsafe in this situation…not that she understood why. She looked down and saw that Lizzy had brought her into a secluded corner of the transit line, standing on a bright red painted X.

"…!" Fuck.

There was a surge of harsh red light emanating from a nearby crate, which exploded as two long sticks of rebar rocketed towards V, and impaled her through the arms. The rebar then stuck to the side of a train behind her, leaving her pinned.

"Ahh!" V screamed, and tugged on her arms, trying to fight through the feeling of being restrained.

"I'm…sorry…" Lizzy cried, turning her back on V. "I'm sorry!" She shouted as she ran away. V then noticed another Worker Drone. Another cheerleader, with long straight purple hair and hateful red eyes. The red eyed Drone seemed to be teleporting a short distance as she strolled menacingly towards V, jumping to the left and right a foot at a time.

"[Hello V…]" Doll spat, as she casually caused another crate to explode in a shower of splinters with a wave of her hand. Another wave, and V felt an intrusive presence in her mind.

"Err!" V winced, as a memory not her own began to play.

/BEGIN PLAYBACK

She was hiding behind the seat of an abandoned car, glimpsing as she saw two struggling Worker Drones crawl desperately for their lives. Then she heard the laughing.

Wearing an X across her face, the Murder Drone V gleefully laughed with her maw gaping wide, exposing her sharp teeth. She lunged for the two Worker Drones, and howled cheerfully as she tore them limb from limb with her long claws, and consumed the remains…

/END PLAYBACK

The memory came with the emotional turmoil as well, and for a moment, V forgot who she was, as she watched herself tear her own parents apart with sadistic glee…

If she could breathe, her breath would have hitched painfully, as she grimaced sadly at the little hate filled Drone before her.

"[Anyway, you get it.]" Doll hissed, and cocked her head sharply. Her right eye flashing with that accursed symbol, a hexagon with three arrows.

"Augh!" Another rebar pole impaled V through the stomach, breaking her out of her saddened trance. Gritting her teeth, she clenched her hands in fists, and pulled hard, managing to pull her right hand free. Her arm was still impaled, but at least she could move it now.

She would have fought back if she could, but her control collar was still locked, making her far more vulnerable than she was used to. Instead, she bit on the pole in her arm, pulled it out, and threw the pole at Doll, who deflected it with a wave of her hand. V reached for the pole impaling her through the middle…

Doll summoned a kitchen knife out of thin air, and without touching it, raised it high and shot it forward towards V's right shoulder. The blade cut off her right arm with another cry of pain. The small Worker Drone then spun her hand, forming new holographic shapes, which ended up pulling the grating off of a nearby vent. A multi-bladed fan then floated out, hovering near Doll as she spun it up to speed, then threw it towards V's head like a saw blade.

"…!" V could only stare wide eyed as the spinning blade cut through the air, and towards her neck-

N came leaping out of left field, kicking the fan up and away from V, where it then embedded itself halfway into the side of the train car, and not through V. Uzi came from the other direction, throwing a wrench at Doll's face. Without moving, Doll summoned another holographic glyph that deflected the wrench, as she glared at the interlopers.

"…!" V felt equal parts relaxed and terrified, having just been saved from imminent death, but now knowing that Uzi and N would be at the mercy of this anomalous threat.

"[Uzi…you would really side with the Murder Drones?]" Doll accused, slightly shocked. "[I'm not the only one who's lost family to them.]"

"…!" V and N's eyes went wide with that statement, and what it implied, as they stared down at Uzi with newfound trepidation.

"Bite me!" Uzi shouted back. "I get it, you're upset with them, and who wouldn't be! But everything has changed Doll! This isn't home! This isn't Copper IX! We are living in a world utterly hostile to our kind, and the only friends we have are the devils we know! I'm not dealing with any of this well, but I'm done dealing with everything alone." She smiled back at N and V, nodding to them. "We move forward together, or not at all!"

"[Cute…]" Doll mocked. "[But I don't need help.]" She summoned more rebar poles from behind herself, and started launching them forward towards Uzi and N.

N kicked Uzi away from him, and out of the path of the poles, as he dodged and weaved between them, inching close enough to V that he grabbed her, and pulled her off the side of the train car before the next pole went through her head.

Uzi got up close to Doll after recovering, throwing another tool at her to keep her attention off N and V. Swatting the tool away with a flick of her wrist, Doll reached up, and made a pulling down motion.

"Huh?!" Uzi was startled to see a container falling from above directly on top of herself and Doll. She jumped back out of the way, just as the container fell, crashing into the ground with an explosive bang of partially crushed metal.

"Uzi!" N shouted, rushing towards her side. V came running with him, reattaching her right arm, flexing it back into it's socket.

"I-I'm fine!" Uzi assured him. "Is she…dead?"

"…No…definitely not." V assured them darkly, still on high alert. "Uzi, do you still have our unlock codes? We could really use our weapons."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Uzi activated her hand terminal-

The little glass panel on her arm shattered as a glyph of a red hexagon with three arrows settled over it.

"Oh…shit…" Uzi cursed. "Guys! Call Raven!"

"Oh, right!" V and N activated their hand terminals, only for their screens to shatter as well due to the unnatural red energy.

"Uzi…" V stared at her wide eyed and worried. "Please tell me you brought a spare…"

"I…I…" Uzi shuddered. "I didn't know…we'd be going into combat. I'm sorry."

"…" V stared down at Uzi worriedly. She brought the smaller Drone into a hug with her left arm, holding her head to her chest. She grabbed N's hand with her right hand, and slowly started backing away from the area.

One of the train cars in front of them flipped onto it's side, then started sliding towards them, pushing them towards the edge of the transit line.

"Oh no no no no!" N screeched, seeing no way out of this.

"Guys!" Uzi shouted.

"Hold on!" V pulled both her friends towards the edge of the transit line, and jumped off before the train could hit them.

The train car slid off the edge of the transit line, and started falling back to distant Rubicon, five kilometers below. Doll slowly strode up to the edge, and looked down over the side.

She saw V, holding onto the edge of the line with her left hand, her right hand still holding N's hand, and Uzi with V's tail wrapped around her waist, as she was pulled up and grabbed V by the back.

"…" Doll leaned down, staring at the three Drones with hateful disinterest.

"…Just…just leave them alone!" V begged. "It's me you want! Let Uzi and N go!"

"[…Like you let my parents go?]" Doll accused, as she summoned another knife, and aimed for V's hand.

"No Doll! Don't do it!" Uzi begged as well.

Doll cut off one of V's fingers.

"Ahh!" V screamed, baring her teeth in pain she looked down, at Uzi on her back, at N by her side, and past them. "I-It's…It's going to be okay guys."

"V…what are you planning?" N asked worriedly.

"Ahh!" V shouted as she lost another finger. "J-Just trust me on this, okay?"

"V! No!" Uzi held onto V tightly.

"[Die as you lived…empty and disgraced.]" Doll cut off V's remaining finger, and caused Uzi, N, and V to fall from the transit line, down into the deep abyss.

Chapter Text

Neither V or N had ever felt the fear of falling. Until now.

With their control collars locked, they were completely helpless, as they went into free fall, with Uzi stuck with them for the long ride down.

N and Uzi naturally screamed, fearing their imminent demise. V was also afraid, but that was mixed with anger and determination. She had less than a minute to do something, but fortunately, she had started formulating a plan.

Pulling N towards herself, she started shouting at him.

"N! Listen to me!"

"W-What?!" N screamed back.

"You see that crane coming up fast!" V pointed down at a raised platform hanging from a crane, about a hundred meters above their expected impact point.

"What…!? N-No V! We won't be able to make that! We're falling too fast!" N argued.

"One of us can make it!" V stressed, begging him to understand.

"…" N's eyes lit up in understanding…and finality. "What do you need, V?"

"Grab my tail, use it as an anchor, and spin me. I'll throw her." V assured N. She then pulled Uzi off her back, and held the little Worker Drone close. "It's been fun Uzi…but this looks like the end of the line!"

"W-What!? What are you talking about!?" Uzi screamed back.

"I'm ready!" N shouted from behind V. "I had a lot of fun Uzi! Thanks for everything!"

"Wait…N-No guys! What are you doing! Stop it!" Uzi held on tightly to V, unwilling to let go.

"Now!" V demanded. N took that as a signal, and used his larger size to act as an anchor, spinning rapidly in the air, and dragged V with him. V winced as her tail was pulled on painfully, but it was for a worthy cause. Uzi was screaming something at V, terribly disoriented as everything around them spun too fast to see…except for each other. It wasn't the falling or the terrible disorientation that scared Uzi through…it was how serenely calm V looked, giving her a sweet and confident smile.

Just as they were passing the platform dangling from the crane, N released most of V's tail, causing her to shoot out slightly towards the platform, but nowhere near enough to reach it. That was fine though, because that was never her intention.

Just as N flung her, V threw Uzi up and sideways, towards the platform. They'd managed to get the timing just right, so that Uzi lost most of her downward velocity, and skid painfully across the platform, slamming her back into a cargo container.

"Gah!" Uzi shouted in pain, but was relatively undamaged, and safely on the platform. "G-Guys!" She jumped up, and ran to the edge of the platform, looking down.

With Uzi safe, N had pulled V close, and wrapped his arms around her. V reciprocated the motion, and buried her head in his chest. Uzi watched in horror as they approached the ground, unable to stop.

Uzi screamed when they hit the ground. Every one of their mechanical joints snapped on impact, scattering their limbs from their bodies. There was a time in her life once, where their deaths would have brought her the greatest satisfaction. Now it only brought her agony and dread. Filled her processor with more pain than she'd ever experienced. Left a hateful scream caught in her throat. A part of her anguished having to see them like that…would have liked to have broken in their arms with them…

Another part of Uzi's mind was faster, more practical. Remembering the healing abilities of those stupid robot vampires, so all she had to do was make sure that they remained whole, and they should be able to heal themselves.

Looking around herself Uzi found a control to the crane on the large platform, and lunged at it, hitting the button that would lower the platform. She fidgeted nervously at how long it was taking to get close to their level, damning the crane and it's manufacturer.

With the ground still ten feet below her, Uzi jumped off, rolling into her landing to try and mitigate the damage. It still hurt like hell, but she was fine. She didn't have it in her to complain either, given the state of N and V.

"N…V…" Uzi cried, almost shocked into indecisiveness by the poor state of their shattered corpses. Fortunately, their limbs, torso and pelvic shells were still intact, even if scattered. It was enough to drive her into action.

Like a macabre jigsaw puzzle, Uzi desperately reattached N and V's limbs, and nearly cried out with joy when she could see the connections reforming. She couldn't stop through, and desperately finished with the quick and desperate repair.

The last thing she did was reattach their heads to their bodies, and held them close to her.

"P-Please wake up…wake up…wake up…" Uzi quietly cried to herself, holding onto the still forms of N and V.

After several minutes, a restart menu appeared on their visors, indicating that they were very much alive. Uzi cried with joy, bouncing with timid excitement.

"G-Guys! You're okay! You're-"

N and V surged with life, and pounced on Uzi, baring their fangs. They held her down as they salivated over her.

"W-Wait! Guys it's me!" Uzi cried out as she curled up, suddenly frightened at the prospect of being eaten.

N slammed his fist into the ground near Uzi's head, and lowered his own head tiredly. "Hey…Uzi…sorry…uh…"

V had been going through the motions of trying to bite into Uzi, but increasingly slowly, Until she half collapsed on Uzi, then rolled over onto her back.

"Got…hungry…felt…prey…" V groaned.

"Oh…oh…" Uzi sat up. "You…don't you guys ever do anything so stupid ever again!" She grabbed them roughly. "That really scared me! You guys could have been killed!"

"Yeah…but…we lucked out." N shrugged. "Mostly."

"…" V traced the center of her chest with her hand, over her personality core.

"…So, you guys almost kinda almost ate me there, uh…?" Uzi sheepishly pointed out.

"Yeah, sorry. Just lost a lot of oil shattering against the ground. We're…at emergency reserves." V explained. "It was…impulsive…to lunge at the closest source of oil."

"Okay…" Uzi accepted. "Just uh…please don't eat me, heh. Uh…where are we?"

"Well…we fell about…2.3 kilometers." N counted.

"…Shit." V hissed. "That puts us in the middle of Junker Coyote territory."

"Shit, really?" Uzi questioned. "I thought this was still Carla's place?"

"Carla had to pull troops back up to the upper levels. Raven warned me to stay up there this morning." V announced. "We need to get the fuck out of here."

"Yeah, but our wings are still locked down, and we don't have any hand terminals left to unlock them." N pointed out. "Plus…V and I are critically low on oil, so we're weaker than normal."

"T-Then take some of mine!" Uzi offered. "You guys need the strength anyway! Just uh…don't leave me down here."

"Are you sure Uzi?" N hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I-I'm thinking long term here." Uzi explained. "I'll sacrifice some of my oil to get you guys back up to strength, then we run like hell back home."

"…Back…home…" V uttered, the words sounding strange out of her mouth.

"Yeah that's…what I said." Uzi looked down, somewhat concerned about the taller android girl. "You good?"

"Peachy." V sighed.

"Well…I haven't heard any other good ideas, so…I'm sorry Uzi, but I promise I'll take only as much oil as I need to get some of my strength back." N announced.

"It's fine. I trust you N." Uzi nodded, offering one of her arms for N to bite into.

V finally decided to get up, and noticed a puddle of black, leading to…

"N! Stop!" V screamed.

"Ah! What?!" N retracted from biting into Uzi.

"Uzi! You're bleeding!" V pointed out.

"I'm…? A-Ah!" Uzi looked behind herself, noticing for the first time the long trail of oil she'd been spilling. She'd been in such a panic regarding N and V, that she hadn't even noticed that she'd been damaged landing on the crane platform, and was slowly bleeding to death.

"H-Hang on! I'll patch you up!" V lifted Uzi, and pressed her tongue into the wound in her back, using the healing nanites in her saliva to stitch the wound closed.

"Eww…" Uzi squirmed at feeling V lick part of her, but didn't resist. When V was finished, she pulled Uzi down into her lap, pressing the back of her hand to Uzi's face.

"V-V?" Uzi shuddered, slightly embarrassed.

"Ah shit." V cursed. "You're burning up Uzi. You've lost a lot of oil. If…If N or I try to take any more from you, it could kill you."

"So…what do we do now?" N wondered.

"Well…we're deep in enemy territory, and we're all critically low on oil. We have no access to communications, or your wings or weapons." Uzi summarized. "The only thing we can do is…try and avoid contact, and find our way back to Raven's hangar."

"Is that…the only thing we can do?" V asked.

"It's the only way we'll survive." Uzi assured them. "Let's get moving guys. It's a long way back on foot."

RaD Headquarters

"A Disassembly Drone didn't kill those Workers." 621 pointed out.

"Thank you." J sneered sarcastically. "I could have told you that."

"A dozen suspected murders, all over the Sanctuary, and done with either low quality blades, perfect bifurcation, or unusual physical strength." Tessa summarized out loud.

"And at time intervals that would be impossible for a Disassembly Drone to navigate between." Carla noticed as well. "The Sanctuary is too large and mazelike for one of them to get from one murder to the next in time. That's not even counting that no one witnessed any other Disassembly Drones in there."

"The M.O. is all wrong too." J added. "Let's say I did kill those Workers. I would have stacked their corpses somewhere obvious, to frighten the little toasters. Whoever killed them went to extreme effort to hide the bodies."

"…Whoever killed them was angry. Powerless before." 621 analyzed the information. "Disassembly Drones kill with blind, primal savagery when on a hunting spree. This killer…they're drunk on a power trip, tearing Workers apart ruthlessly, but methodically. They're trying to hide their activity, by killing lone Workers whom they're able to ambush, by obscuring the cameras, and by hiding the corpses. They're killing them for a purpose…but what that is…I don't know…"

"I wonder…" Ayre suggested privately with 621. "If it was not J, as evidence would seem to clear her of any wrongdoing, could it have been a Worker Drone? There's no one else in the Sanctuary. so…?"

"…" 621 grunted, unable to deny that theory.

Grid 086 – Subsector Industrial Zone – Altitude: 3.18 Kilometers

It took them a very long time, but they'd managed to climb up another level, and were currently making their way through the industrial stalactite hanging from Outer Shell that would take them back into Carla's controlled sectors of Grid 086.

This was actually somewhere they'd been twice already. First when they'd previously infiltrated Grid 086 with 621, then more recently when they'd helped Carla by destroying the hacking drones set up in this area. Several long and winding halls and various factory spaces, some long abandoned and rotting, and others actively churning out material.

On some level, this was good news. They weren't lost…mostly. The problem was that the Junker Coyotes were slowly muscling in, bringing in scouts and gangs before they started to deploy any heavy equipment.

This was compounded by the fact that none of them were feeling well. Their oil reserves were all just over the bare minimum for functionality. As such, even though they were supposed to be sneaking through the Grid Sector, they each stumbled drunkenly along, having to rely on each other just to keep standing.

Uzi cringed, feeling tired and drained, her oil loss finally catching up to her. It turned out she'd lost quite a bit of oil while trying to rescue N and V. As for the two Disassembly Drones, they weren't fairing much better, staggering along cautiously through enemy territory.

"Okay…I think we're like halfway there." V whispered, keeping her head low.

"You think?!" Uzi sneered. "I thought you guys fought through here before!?"

"Yeah! One time!" V complained. "And all these damn rooms look so similar too, so I can't quite remember if it's another two or three sections down. N, do you remember?"

"I uh…" N rolled his head tiredly. "I think I'm losing some of my vision. Things are starting to look funny."

"J-Just keep walking N!" Uzi assured him. "Just feel for us and keep walking!"

For the moment, V's sensor suite was still working, so she used it to keep an eye on things. With N half blind and Uzi naturally lacking peripheral vision, it had come down to her to keep her eyes open, leading and protecting the squad.

Barely peeking her head around the corner, V snapped it back, thankful that her extra set of eyes lining her scalp allowed her to see without exposing her head. If Uzi had been peeking, she'd have had to expose half of her head to see around that corner.

There was a patrol coming towards them, so V quickly ushered Uzi and N back behind a large silo, slowly scooting around it to keep out of sight.

V cringed as she failed to completely silence her footfalls. In this instance, Uzi was the best equipped, as she was wearing boots. N was technically barefoot, and V didn't have feet, just two tapered pegs that hit the ground just a bit harder than she intended.

Fortunately, the patrol hadn't heard them, and wandered down through the subsector. Leading the rest of her squad forward as cautiously as possible, V tried to be stealthy.

It worked for a little bit.

As it was, Jenson model androids were not equipped for stealth. Their bright white shells and black facial visor blended in poorly with the rusted and rotting interior of the subsector. As well, Uzi's bright neon purple hair stood out even more than their bodies, and N and V's glowing yellow eyes, all seven of them, was not something that was easily ignored.

Despite their best efforts, it was the Junker Coyotes that found them first.

The first sign that something was wrong was the sound of metal dragging on concrete behind them, a combination of rough friction and high-pitched resonating. Caught out on a train line, the three scared Drones turned around.

There was a large, bald man, dragging a piece of rebar and a stripped-down jackhammer, and next to him was a skinny man, smiling smugly.

"Xiya na pelésh to, paxoníseki." The bald man snarled, pointing the jackhammer at them.

"…V, what did he say?" Uzi asked, holding onto the taller girl.

"He um…" V tried to translate it, putting the words together in her head. "He said 'we shouldn't be here.' Then he called us short." Feigning confidence, V stood in front of N and Uzi, and signed desperately while speaking quickly. "S-Stay calm okay? Unte kowlting gonya gut, to pochuye ke?"

The bald man laughed loudly and mockingly, resting the jackhammer on his shoulder.

"C-Come on guys, we're not looking for trouble! We just want to get home!" Uzi begged, still holding onto V.

"Milowda bi xom, to na." The bald man lost all pretense of humor, and spat venomously. "Trouble found you, pashangwala. We're just getting started."

They didn't see the two men sneaking up behind them until they already had a hold on N's arms.

"N!" V and Uzi shouted as N struggled in their grasp. The four men ignored V and Uzi for a moment as they dragged him towards the nearest wall. The two men holding his arms held them above his head, as he was struggling to break out of their hold. The fourth man was holding up his hand terminal, taking a video. The bald man loaded the sharpened piece of rebar into the jackhammer, and pointed it at N's chest.

"N-No! No!" N begged, trying to kick at his captors, only for the bald man to fire the jackhammer.

It was a terribly loud sound, a bang followed by a heavy twack, as the rebar sunk itself deep into the concrete wall, with N stuck in the middle. N stopped resisting, and dropped his arms as his head went slack.

"By Sol's decree!" The bald man mocked.

"N…!" Uzi cried, feeling V's arms wrap around her tightly. V herself made a hate and pain filled hiss, and did everything she could to keep from breaking down on the spot. Left with no options, V did the only thing she could do. She ran, with Uzi in her arms.

"V wait!" Uzi shouted. "We can't leave N!"

"You think I want to!?" V sneered back painfully. "I want to kill everyone of those motherfuckers! But I have to protect-!" She cut herself off.

"…" Uzi grimaced sickly, suddenly feeling like a burden. She knew V didn't mean it like that, and that's why she stopped talking, but there was still a part of herself that felt guilty, that felt that N and V were only so vulnerable because they were trying to protect her fragile little being. Even though she knew that wasn't really the case, that they were screwed no matter what they did, with Uzi there or not, she still managed to convince herself of it.

And she hated feeling like a burden, so she lashed out.

"F-Fuck you V!" Uzi slammed her fists against V's chest. "Y-You just left N back there to die! Fuck you!"

"…" V wasn't going to argue with Uzi on that. She hated leaving N like that…that rebar had pierced him in the chest uncomfortably close to his personality core, so there was a good chance…

Not allowing herself to accept that terrible possibility, V kept her eyes up as they reached the metal smelting room, the large furnace still filled with white hot liquid metal.

"…Fuck!" V cursed realizing she'd taken a wrong turn about half a kilometer back. Their current altitude was 3.18 kilometers, but the platform they were trying to get to was eighty-seven meters above, a raised platform that directly overlooked their current position. If she hadn't taken that wrong turn, it would have been relatively easy getting back to Carla's territory…assuming they could have gotten past the MT patrol up there on the platform. But that wrong turn put the Coyotes between them and salvation.

V dropped Uzi after hiding in the corner of a platform that overlooked the train line from directly beneath the furnace, trying to think of a way out. Her desperate little sprint had further drained her meager resources, meaning she was even more tired than she was before.

"V…?" Despite her half-feigned animosity, Uzi was even more concerned when V had come to a full stop, looking around herself.

"I-I fucked up." V hissed. "I've got us killed."

"N-No way!" Uzi argued. "W-We're still standing, aren't we? S-So we fight until help comes and saves us!"

"…" V knew no help was coming. V knew they were going to die…or…more likely, that Uzi was going to die. There was a line of code that seemed to be warning her that Uzi would die badly, but not how or why, just that it would be…wrong, for her to go out like that.

She felt sick considering it. Even without her weapons, she still had just enough strength for one more kill. But…it seemed better to send Uzi off with at least some dignity, than whatever that line of code that knew too much could imagine.

"Uzi…" V whispered, pulling Uzi into a hug, gently running fingers through the short Drone's hair.

"V?" Uzi stiffened worriedly at V's soft touch. Doubly so when V knelt next to Uzi, and wrapped her hands around her throat. "V-V…?!"

"…" V's hands were shaking, as she averted her gaze to the floor. How many thousands…tens of thousands had she gleefully killed for no reason at all? Now with an actual reason, a decent mercy killing, why was she so hesitant and anguished? That wasn't fair at all. Damn this world. V sobbed openly.

"…V." Uzi placed her hands over V's, steadying them against her throat. She understood her intentions, and her hesitation. "I…I'm glad I got to know you."

"Oh Uzi…you wonderful, stupid, amazing little toaster." V hissed through a smile. She looked up, still trying to avert her gaze. "I'm sorry Uzi…I'm-" Directly overhead, V noticed a structure. A ventilation duct with a vertical shoot, that immediately transitioned to a horizontal turn. "-U-Uzi! Uzi!"

"Huh? W-What!?" Uzi shouted as V pulled her hands away from her throat, and grabbed her by the back, lifting her off her feet. By the way V cocked her arms, Uzi could tell she was rearing back to throw her. "V! What are you doing!?"

"Saving your life!" V smiled widely, suddenly filled with hope. Her rangefinder measured the ventilation shaft at 145 meters overhead. A long shot, but if she put all her remaining strength into the throw…

"No V! D-Damn you! Don't you dare!" Uzi begged. "I! I don't want to be alone again!"

"You'll be alright, Uzi." V assured her. "Your damn worth it."

"No V! V! V-!"

V threw Uzi, directly up towards the ventilation shaft. Looking down, Uzi saw how proud, certain and hopeful V was, smiling with accomplishment.

Uzi's head hit the top of the ventilation shaft, and caused her to bounce into the horizontal section, hidden and out of range of the Coyotes. Course…V had been a bit rough with her throw, and Uzi's head bouncing against hard metal surfaces sent her into emergency standby, a form of unconsciousness best compared to a concussion in a human.

Uzi's eyes turned off, replaced with an error message that signaled her inactivity. But she was alive.

RaD Headquarters

"I'm going to have to get over there to figure this shit out myself." 621 declared.

"I thought as much." Carla nodded. They'd cut the line to Tessa and J, as there wasn't much more they could learn by staring at pictures and reading reports. "I'll get another mission or whatever written up to pay you off for your services. This is sure a real mystery, ain't it?"

"Hmm." 621 hummed dismissively. She turned to walk away-

She got a call from a number she didn't recognize. Automatically, she opened the incoming connection.

"…Raven…help…"

"Stray Two?!" 621's demeanor shifted suddenly. She turned around and marched back into Carla's office, transferring the connection into Carla's comm system. "Talk to me Stray Two! Are you and your squad okay?!"

"…We…fell…" N choked out over the line.

"Come on Sheperd, just take your time. What's happened, what do you need?" Carla could tell by 621's change in behavior that something had gone wrong. She was rather fond of Stray Squad too, so she was worried, but much calmer about it.

"Please…save…Uzi…V…"

"Stray Two!? Stray Two!?" 621 shouted into the connection. N wasn't answering any more. "Dammit!" 621 tried to use her connection to their control collars on her hand terminal to get their location, but was getting an "out of range" message back. "Fuck!"

"Hey! Easy now tourist." Carla assured her. "They can't have gotten far. Don't forget that this whole area is within my network. Just give me a sec to establish a trace on this call and…" A few seconds later, a location in the middle of the neighboring subsector of Grid 086 lit up. "Well, good news is we know where Sheperd is. Bad news is the Coyotes have occupied that level right now."

621 was already moving, matching out the office.

"And where do you think you're going tourist?" Carla called after the mad Hound.

"…What?" 621 hissed back at Carla.

"You're not going to make it there in time on foot. And getting back to your own AC to boot it up would take too long too." Carla pointed out. "Fortunately for you, there is already an active AC on standby, ready to launch. Hey Chatty, why don't you take the tourist for a walk?"

"Affirmative." "Chatty" Stick nodded. "Be advised that Coyote MTs have been spotted in the area. It will take me at least fifteen minutes to fully arm."

"…" Carla hummed for a second, before delivering her answer. "Take that new gun we just finished for a test drive. It's fully loaded, and handheld. Don't bother with the aiming calibration, just spray-and-pray at anything you don't like."

"Yes chief." Chatty nodded, then held out one of his hands. "Come along, tourist."

"…" 621 jumped into Chatty's hand, and held on tightly. The AI Armored Core turned around and grabbed a large machinegun, and launched for the subsector.

Grid 086 – Subsector Industrial Zone – Altitude: 3.18 Kilometers

In hindsight, the WR-0555 Attache machinegun was overkill for use against mere MTs. Unlike most other machineguns that needed to reload a clip, the Attache fired massive 80mm rounds from a 940 capacity drum. The rate of fire demanded that the gun have a supply of spare barrels, as they would be overheated and warped after only 40 rounds each.

Even without aiming calibration, "Chatty" Stick was still able to use the tracers from the gun to lead his targets, and tear the feeble form of scout MTs apart. All the while, 621 held onto his other hand, looking for any sign of her Strays.

She was thankful for the strange paradox that Chatty, a tank AC, was one of the fastest ACs on Rubicon, even more so since he was only carrying one weapon at the moment.

After crossing nearly a kilometer into the subsector, she spotted N, slumped over on the ground, a long piece of rebar going through his chest. Chatty stopped nearby, allowing 621 to jump off and approach N quickly.

"Come on, wake up kid." 621 pulled N into her arms, and took a container of oil off her hip, pouring some down his mouth. "Wake up N."

N coughed and sputtered, greedily drinking down more of the oil until 621 cut him off.

"Talk to me kid." 621 demanded urgently. "Where are...V and Uzi?"

"They…ran…" N pointed down the hall, further into the subsector. "We were ambushed…and…so weak…after the fall…"

"Alright, take it easy kid." 621 inspected the damage to his chest. "You lucked out. A few millimeters higher and that would have gone through your personality core." She grabbed the rebar and pulled it out of his chest with her right arm.

"Ah!" N screamed a bit as the rebar was pulled out of his chest. The hole in him healed, and with his slightly increased oil supply, he felt a bit better. "R-Raven…I'm sorry…I couldn't protect V or Uzi, I failed them…all I could do was steal a hand terminal from one of my attackers…but I failed them…"

"Don't think about it, N. You called me, there's still time to go find them." 621 assured him. She then opened a line to Carla. "Carla, I've got Stray Two. Can you get a lock on the next target?"

"Coming right up!" Carla confirmed. "Looks like it's just under a kilometer ahead. Chatty, take our guests over there."

"Yes chief." Chatty held out his hand. "Let's go."

621 helped pull N along into Chatty's hand, and were quickly whisked away to the next location they had.

. . .

Jumping off Chatty's hand near the metal smelting furnace, 621 inspected the scene. There were no Drones here, just…

Just a stain of oil and broken pieces of white metal. And…more concerningly…

"…No. No." 621 could feel Ayre hiss fearfully in her mind. She knew. 621 knew.

"No no no!" N didn't know, but he panicked with what he found anyway. "That's V's jacket! T-That's part of her shell! But…but where is she? Raven…Raven what happened to V?!"

"…" 621 growled hatefully, hands shaking as she clenched them into fists. She couldn't afford to get angry at that moment though. There were still two missing Drones that needed to be accounted for. "…Carla…you said one of them was here…"

"Hang on, I'll recalibrate the sensors. Chatty, give me a ping." Carla ordered. Between her sensors in the subsector and Chatty's onboard sensors, she got a clearer location. "You are 145 meters below the next target."

621 looked up, and saw the boots of a Worker Drone sticking out of a ventilation shaft, directly overhead. "Chatty, get me up there, now."

"Yes tourist." Chatty held out his hand, picking 621 up. He then used his thrusters to fly up to the ventilation shaft, and pushed 621 up through the narrow vent.

621 found Uzi in a state of unconsciousness, an error message that did not indicate unit death across her screen. "Come on kid, wake up." 621 demanded softly. "Wake up Uzi."

"…Mmm, argh…" Uzi groaned as 621 provided enough stimulation to her sensors to reactive her. "My…fucking head…"

"Are you alright Uzi?" 621 pulled Uzi into her lap, holding her head gently.

"R-Raven…?" Uzi perked up in surprise. "Raven! I-I'm sorry! It's all my fault!"

"Enough of that Uzi, are you okay?"

"I…" Uzi realized that 621 called her by name. She'd never done that before. "W-Wait! What about V and N!? We have to save them!"

"N's fine, but…" 621 hesitated. "When was the last time you saw V?"

"She…she saved me…" Uzi recalled. "She saved me twice…and I yelled at her…Raven we have to find V!"

"We will. We will." 621 assured her. She turned on her hand terminal. "Chatty, I'm coming down."

"I'll catch you, tourist." Chatty confirmed.

"Just hang on Uzi, just hold onto me." 621 demanded, jumping out of the ventilation shaft, still holding Uzi close to herself. Chatty caught them both, and brought them down to the ground near N.

"N! You're alive!" Uzi shouted, she tried reaching out for him, but 621 wasn't letting her go. Either way, N ran up and hugged her from behind. "I…I'm sorry we left you…"

"It's fine. There was nothing you could have done." N assured her.

"…Is…is that V's jacket?" Uzi pointed to the clothing in N's hand, noticing that it was shredded beyond repair. "Wha-What happened to V? What happened to V?"

"…" 621's silence did not assure them. N and Uzi stared up at her worriedly, desperately.

"What…What happened to V?"

"…Carla…where is she?" 621 demanded coldly.

"Checking now…wait, that can't be right?" Carla sounded confused.

"What?!" 621 shouted.

"This is showing…your remaining Drone is at your hangar." Carla reported. "She made it back."

"Oh…oh good! So V is okay!" N cheered.

"…" 621 was not cheering. She was not smiling. She was still staring past the two Drones, eyes burning with hate.

"Raven…V is okay…isn't she?" Uzi looked up worriedly.

"…Chatty, get us back there." 621 ordered.

"Copy that. Taking you back, tourist." Chatty confirmed. He held his hand out as 621 dragged N up with her, and kept Uzi in her other arm, holding her against her chest.

She quietly dreaded what came next.

Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

After flying up from the subsector and back into Carla's controlled territory, Chatty dropped off 621, Uzi, and N by their hangar.

"Good luck, tourist." Chatty nodded down to her. "I…wish I could have done more."

"…" 621 was mildly surprised. He knew. He understood. And…it seemed he had the capacity to feel regret. Maybe Carla hadn't failed to give him emotions.

"We'll speak soon, tourist." Carla uttered somberly. "I…don't envy what you have to do. Call me if you need anything."

"…" 621 knew what to expect. She dreaded it all the same.

"Come on! Let's go see V!" Uzi jumped from 621's arms, with N close behind.

"…" 621 steadied herself as best she could before following them. She knew nothing could prepare her. She knew it would be more than she could deal with.

Uzi and N entered the hangar, and quickly found V. Her white and black shell stood out against the drab grey of the hangar.

"V, you're okay!" N cheered. "You're-"

It was true that V was physically fine. She'd managed to find a way back to the hangar after throwing Uzi into the ventilation shaft. As well, there was no apparent damage to her body, as any non-fatal damage inflicted would have long healed by now.

None of this explained why V was screaming so loudly.

Missing her one article of clothing, V was tightly hugging herself, half curled into a ball, and screaming in a way that neither Uzi nor N could ever imagine a Drone screaming. Far beyond the fear of pain or death, her screams echoing painfully off the cold hard walls of the hangar; V screamed in terror far beyond the limited imagination of either of her friends.

Burdened with knowledge she'd only ever read the dictionary definitions for, and never fully comprehended. Having suffered humiliation and indignity and shame and disgust beyond what any sentient creature should ever suffer. What she had been forced to endure in a moment of vulnerability, that was exploited with utter barbaric cruelty. What she had never been designed for.

Though undamaged, there was still a stain of her ordeal, black oil sticking to her inner thighs, that she closed and tried desperately to hide.

"V-V…?" Uzi questioned softly, but was unable to get through to her.

V kept screaming, heavy and ugly uncontrolled sobbing in between, unable to comprehend the horror she'd experienced. Unable to express the full magnitude of her despair.

V cried. Not just the pseudo-electric tears that formed on Drone visors when they were distressed. Her screaming had caused her oil reserves to boil up through her body, and seep out of the seam separating the upper and lower portions of her face. In a sense, V was crying out tears of her own black blood.

If she kept going like this, V would scream herself to death.

"…" Uzi and N were terrified, never having seen a Drone this utterly and incomprehensibly distraught. Having absolutely no idea what horror could cause one of them…even someone as strong willed and confident as V…to be left in such an abysmal and terrorized state.

621 knew. She knew exactly what.

It was an impossible task before her. To assure that little soul that this wasn't the end, that this horrific pain and incalculable despair was not all there was left for her. In truth…621 felt she was not up to the task. It had been far too long since she'd been human, since she'd had any reason to be more than just a tool, not even worth a name.

She was already reaching for the buttons on her collar, tracing them longingly, before she stopped herself. As much as she didn't want to deal with this…as much as she didn't want to share in V's pain, this was wrong. She needed to be more, even if she hated it.

Maybe Ayre was right, but not just about the Drones. They were all sad, broken little things.

Pulling her hand away from her collar, she settled her fingers on her throat, rubbing it softly. Hating that she knew exactly what to do. Hating that she would have to do something she hadn't done in nearly a century and a half that she'd been on ice.

Hating that it was the only right thing to do.

Taking off her coat, 621 began to cautiously and slowly approach V. Satisfied with the feeling in her throat, she grunted softly.

Then, 621 lifted her head, and began to sing.

"Oh mi gang from sound to sound, as I steered, as I steered~"

"Oh mi gang for sound for sound, tili go~"

It was such a gentle, unexpected sound, that V stopped screaming, and stared fascinated and confused at her Hound.

"Oh mi gang for sound for sound, and many the ships I find~"

"And all of them I burned, tili go~"

It was, of all things, a Belter sea shanty, sung slowly and beautifully, but with melancholy and hurt as well.

621 approached V, and wrapped the little Drone in her coat. Then, as she began the next chorus, she lifted V with both arms, and pressed her head against her chest.

"Mi was sick and nigh to death, tili go, tili go~"

"Mi was sick and nigh to death, tili go~"

With V in her arms, 621 began to walk slowly, back to the large bed she'd made for her Strays.

"Mi was sick and nigh to death, and vowed with mi every breath~"

"For go with wisdom's ways, as we sail~"

Uzi and N were also drawn in by the song, watching painfully as 621 comforted V. Feeling correctly that this song came from the deepest parts of 621's heart, for how strongly she sung it.

"Oh your parents will teach you well, for you sail, for you sail~"

"To shun the Gates of Hell, when you sail~"

"As most wickedly I did, Corpo laws we forbid~"

"Against them we rebel, when we sail~"

621 sat on the bed, still cradling V close to her chest. V stared up at her with wide eyes, shivering in the woman's grasp, but doing everything she could to focus on her master.

621 began the last chorus more softly than the previous, closing her eyes as she held V tightly, but gently.

"To the execution dock I have come, tili go~"

"To the execution block, for to sail~"

"I was sick and nigh to death, but I vow with my every breath~"

"For go with wisdom's ways, when I sail~"

The song ended, but V was still in pain. She was still afraid and terrorized beyond her imagination. But…she felt safe in 621's arms…and that was enough. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around 621's neck, and buried her face in her chest, whimpering quietly.

621 wasn't doing well. Singing that song…took a lot out of her. She was an emotional wreck, but she couldn't let the Strays see that…couldn't let V see that. As such, she made a small, personal mistake, and let slip something she would have preferred to keep to herself.

Gently cradling V's head to her chest, 621 whispered to her.

"Mi setara." 621 cooed to V, rubbing her head. "Mi setara mali."

V really liked the way that sounded, and held 621 a little tighter.

Uzi and N understood that they didn't understand everything. They didn't know what happened to V, or why she was in pain. But they understood that what 621 did…mattered. That it was a private part of her she shared not just for V, but for them as well, letting them know in her own way that…while this world was scary, it would be okay.

Wordlessly approaching, Uzi and N climbed up onto the bed with them. Uzi wrapped her arms around 621's waist from behind, and pressed her face into her back. N did much the same, resting his head against the back of 621's shoulder.

Besides the pain and anguish she'd just shared in, and the comfort she'd poured out, there was another emotion working it's way through 621.

Rage.

It boiled black hot in her soul so terribly that she wanted to vomit and scream. She wanted to sink her teeth into something she hated and tear it asunder ravenously. She wanted to rip and tear until she was surrounded by so much ruined meat and shattered steel.

She wanted to drown in blood.

The thing with far too many eyes in it's teeth was staring down at her and the little souls she had clustered around herself. She hated it more than anything, but she couldn't look away.

Honor or Justice? It asked amused, a hundred red eyes lining it's sickening smile. Either way…we always choose worse.

Chapter Text

Rubicon IV C Octavia / Hadrian 31st, 3175 (R798) – Four Months Ago

In most systems with a habitable, Earth-like world, there was usually a grand director, an object worthy of the name of a king.

For the Rubicon system, this was Rubicon IV, the gas-giant Caesar. A super-Jupiter that, as the second largest object in the system, enforced the orbit of a rich asteroid belt, and protected Rubicon III from most potential impacts over it's billions of years of existence. The massive red-brown body covered in swirling, multicolored storms carried a long black scar across it's equator, a wound it sustained during the Fires of Ibis.

The third moon of Caesar, Octavia, was a rock and ice ball that, due to the gravitational influence of neighboring moons and Caesar itself, gave it a deep, subterranean ocean, a spinning molten iron core, and a natural magnetosphere. This made it a good spot for a sprawling station, one of many little colonized worlds across the Rubicon system.

Limping through the claustrophobic corridors at a steady pace, Handler Walter stared ahead, making his way down to cryogenic storage, and the man who operated the facility.

Entering the revival room, with harsh overhead lights shining at an angle, Handler Walter found The Collector, and a frozen, human corpse.

"You again?" The Collector sneered. "You know I'm not exactly craving company here."

"…" Handler Walter scoffed, slowly hobbling further into the room, putting much of his weight on his cane.

"So…what happened to 617 and the others?" The Collector wondered. "Fill me in, Handler Walter?"

"…" Handler Walter ignored the inquiry.

"Well…at least you're helping me clear my inventory." The Collector pointed to the frozen corpse. Already, the process for defrosting the corpse, bringing it back to life, was well underway. Limited brain activity already lighting up.

"…" Handler Walter remained stoic. Refusing to admit that he was so very desperate, for having to pull this asset out of storage.

"This one is…'functional', but don't expect much more." The Collector gestured towards the corpse flippantly.

"I'm not here to talk." Handler Walter hissed as he leaned on his cane. "Wake it up."

Medical machines slowly thawed the corpse and reinitiating it's circulatory system, it's vitals rose until, eventually, it's own heart was beating on it's own.

"Once something's alive, it doesn't die easy." Handler Walter told the corpse. The medical machines started to deactivate. A cluster of needles pulled out of the corpse's neck with sticky, elastic resistance, giving tiny, sticky pops as they pulled taunt and exited the body.

A corpse no longer, it breathed on it's own, pulling in sterilized air in it's unconscious state.

"621…I'll give you a reason to exist." Handler Walter honored a deal he'd made long ago, using the thing with no name as his personal Hound. "Let's get to work."

Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Sunday, Claudius 2nd, 3175 (R799)

She couldn't afford to sleep, not as she spent the whole night cradling V close to her, softly stroking the machine girl's silver hair every time a night terror sent her into a panic. Her back hurt from sitting up, hunched over V's form. Her mouth was painfully dry, having refused to even move from her spot to get a drink. Various belts and tools pressed painfully against her waist and thighs, having not taken them off before she had begun cradling V.

Even so, she had refused to pull away from V for the entire night. Partly to keep her close, to make her feel safe. Partly because she was…apprehensive, about carrying out her hateful desires.

As an act of desperation, she'd written a report to Handler Walter, informing him of Stray Squad's condition, and requesting orders. She told herself that as his Hound, she couldn't just go out killing what she wanted. That she needed targets, orders, a mission to take lives. That Handler Walter would be too busy to send her a response, or order her to stand down, and she'd have no choice but to obey.

In less than an hour after she'd sent her report, she had a response. The shortest message she'd ever gotten from Handler Walter, and a set of orders.

Justice – Handler Walter / Reward Null

"Get your justice." Handler Walter demanded. "Make it pretty."

Included in the mission, were four names. How he had gotten their names…she didn't know, but she'd come to learn that Handler Walter was always quick with his information, especially when he wanted something.

She felt the thing with too many eyes in it's teeth smiling over her shoulder. That nightmare was just as hungry as she was.

Seeing as her worst desires were also the will of her master, she no longer had a say in the matter. Reluctantly, she slowly parted with V, turning to slip the machine girl into the sheets of the bed. Hesitantly, she hovered her hand over V's head, before greedily stroking her silver hair once again.

"…Setara…" 621 whispered down to V's sleeping form. "Setara mali."

"…" V fidgeted, but relaxed, feeling 621's hand on her head.

621 then reached over V, and grabbed Uzi. The other android girl had fallen asleep at some point, and was shaken awake by her master.

"Mmm!?" Uzi hummed in surprise at being awaken, but relaxed seeing 621. Then, 621 pulled Uzi into V's grasp, making the two girls hug. Though initially hesitant, Uzi felt V automatically wrap her arms around her desperately, holding on tightly. Uzi frowned, and decided to return the hug to the sleeping machine, holding her gently.

621 then stared down at Uzi, and softly whispered.

"I'll be back."

Stepping away from the bed, 621 gathered her kit. All of it. Every weapon, every knife, every grenade, and every bullet.

"Raven…" Ayre demanded, unusually coldly. "…Kill them all…"

"…" Then, she went hunting.

Justice – Handler Walter / Grid 086 – Subsector Industrial Zone / Sunday, Claudius 2nd

"…You…" 621 adjusted her aim, shooting a man in the kneecaps. Throwing him to the ground, she ducked under fire from some very angry Coyotes.

She'd been at this for a while, killing every living thing in her path, just to capture four men. Anything that wasn't those four, and held a weapon…was just in her way.

Taking only a moment to confirm that the next gunman was not one of her marks, she charged out and fired perfectly, right between the eyes. Coming up to a doorway, she slowed, taking her time to do this right, an enemy peeked, so she shot him in the knee, causing him to trip towards her.

"…You…" 621 found another mark, and grabbed him by the head, kicking him the face to break his nose. Then she shot him in the other knee.

There weren't many Coyotes left in this area. One by one, she had her fill, taking many lives and struggling not to enjoy it.

She found the last two working together. A bit of a problem, but not one that would take too long.

"Pretty ballsy of you goin after the Coyotes, bitch!" One of the men shouted out. "Ain't no way you going home! We gonna use you up good too!"

"…" Whatever.

Setting a grenade to flashbang, 621 cooked it for two seconds, before throwing it around the corner where her last two targets were. Even blinded and disoriented, they fired their guns where she'd have to go. So, she dived low, landing flat on the ground, and shooting straight ahead into their legs. Both men down, she disarmed them, and dragged them, kicking and screaming back to her other two marks.

Her four targets together, she decided what she was going to do.

"F-Fucking bitch!" The bald man shouted out. "Coyotes gonna fuck you up! You won't get away with this!"

"…You…you…you…" 621 was filled with so much hate, she could barely speak. "You hurt…mi setara mali…"

"…Fuck you mean…!?" The man hesitated a moment. "Oh…you mean that Jenson pashangwala?! Yeah! We had a good time with her! Made her scream nice and loud! Kept screaming for some bird to come save her, but no one ever came!"

"I'm here now." 621 smiled madly, hands shaking with terrible desire. "I promised myself I wasn't going to enjoy this. I guess I lied about that."

Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

Uzi felt trapped. The big android girl she was stuck with had her in a vice grip while she slept restlessly. Every few minutes, V would whimper painfully, squeezing Uzi just a bit tighter. In response, Uzi would have to rub V's back and head to get her to calm down.

As uncomfortable and awkward as it was…Uzi felt responsible.

She was the one who gave the unlock codes to Doll. She'd been the most vulnerable one in that whole situation, forcing V and N to sacrifice themselves multiple times just to keep her alive. And, because of that, V was hurt in such a terrible way that she couldn't even begin to imagine, leaving the once proud and confident Drone a terrorized and incomprehensible mess.

"What…do you think happened to V?" N whispered quietly, sitting up behind them. He wanted to hug V to comfort her as well, but whenever he tried, she'd panic and cry out. One person…or Drone, was okay, but any more seemed to scare her.

"I don't know…" Uzi frowned, staring down at the top of V's head. "Maybe they tortured her? But…I don't know…while that would have hurt…she's scared. She's really scared."

"…Oh…V." N could only hug himself at the moment, feeling quite useless. He should have been more aware, or done more to fight Doll. He felt responsible in some way, for V being so hurt.

After a while, V woke up, unable to force herself to stay asleep. She noticed immediately that 621 was not there.

"R-Raven? Raven!?" V shouted, kicking fearfully.

"Hey! V! V. Calm down V. You're safe now." Uzi soothingly spoke, rubbing V's back.

Reluctantly, V settled down, continuing to hold onto Uzi tightly.

"V…can you tell us what happened?" N wondered quietly, worriedly.

"…" V started shivering and violently shook her head. "N-No! No!"

"H-Hey! Okay! Don't worry V. You're safe V." Uzi assured her. "It's just me and N here now. Raven will be back soon. She promised."

"…" V settled down, but started quietly crying. Fortunately, she wasn't crying oil again.

"V…I'm sorry." N reached out gently and held V's shoulder. "I…I should have done more…fought harder…this is all my fault."

"I…" Uzi hesitated, then held V a little tighter. "I feel responsible. If you weren't looking out for me, trying to protect me…maybe this wouldn't have happened to you."

"No…" V shook her head again. "There was…nothing we could have done to avoid that…we had no idea…"

"It's going to be alright V." N assured her. "Everything will be okay."

"H-How can we possible know that?!" V cried again. "I…I…I…I thought that I knew horror, I thought that I'd seen terrible shit, before we came to this world. But…every day we spend on this world is just some new horror, beyond anything we could ever have imagined! I'm afraid…I'm afraid of what tomorrow holds..."

"V…" N trailed off painfully, not sure how to help his friend.

"W-Where's R-Raven!?" V started crying again. "Where's Raven!?"

"She'll be back soon V! She promised." Uzi rubbed her back.

"I…I want Raven!" V shouted, shivering again.

"She'll be back soon V! She-" Then, Uzi had an idea. She reached into her pocket and grabbed those two pieces of metal. "V, look at these. These belonged to Raven, see!"

"…?" V calmed down enough to see what Uzi was showing her. A war medal with a black ribbon, and a name tag.

"I'm told this war medal is very special. Only the biggest heroes from Sol received these."

"Raven…is a hero?" V questioned curiously.

"Yeah, of course she is." Uzi nodded. "And this…this was probably her name, before she became 621."

"Her…name?" V considered these little pieces of metal, touching them reverently. The war medal with a black ribbon, and the tag etched with the name of Klein.

"Yeah…hey, why don't you have them V?" Uzi offered cheerfully. She pushed the name tag into V's hand, and then used both hands to hang the war metal from V's neck. "That way, you'll always have a part of her with you."

"…" V ran her thumbs over the name tag, and the black ribbon on her neck. "T-Thank you…Uzi." V calmed down a bit, and settled for laying against Uzi, her head pressed up against the smaller Drone's chest.

Uzi and N kept close to V for the entire time that they waited for 621 to return.

. . .

After just a few hours, the hangar door opened, and someone stepped in.

"Raven!" V was quick to jump up. She pushed her arms through 621's coat, and pulled it around herself, before she jumped with Uzi and N close behind, to see their master's return. "Raven is that-?"

Blood.

All they saw was blood. All there was was blood. It dripped loudly across the hangar floor as this thing made of blood slowly strode forward in boots that squeaked with every step. It had a shape that vaguely looked like 621, painted in a bright red sheen.

"R-Raven…?" Uzi stuttered out, stopped in her tracks.

"…Hey kids…" 621 answered tiredly.

That was enough for V. She didn't care that 621 looked so awful and repulsive. It was still 621, that nameless woman who made her feel safe. She rushed forward and tightly embraced her, not caring about the blood.

"…" 621 wasn't sure what to do about V. On one hand, she knew V wanted affection and care, and truly deserved it. On the other hand…it took so much of her. She gently held V's back, and pulled her along.

"Raven…what happened to you…?" N pointed at her worriedly. "Are you…okay?"

"…" 621 looked down at herself, and seemed only now to realize how much blood she was covered in. "Not my blood."

"What…What did you do Raven?" Uzi asked hesitantly.

"…The job." 621 answered simply. She took a seat on a crate, with V glued to her desperately.

Then of all things, "Cinder" Carla entered the hangar uninvited. She was smiling in an annoyed and tired fashion.

"Carla?" Uzi spoke up confused.

"Hey Sparky." Carla smiled a bit more honestly, and she reached out to rub Uzi's head affectionately. "Sheperd." She then grabbed N by the shoulder and patted him.

"Uh…hello…Miss Carla…?" N greeted uncertainly.

Carla strode over to 621, and sat on a crate opposite her.

"Hey Specter." Carla smiled down at the little Drone cuddled up to 621. "I need to have a word with your Hound. Is that alright?"

"Mmm…" V turned into 621, and just held her tighter.

"I suppose that's something I should have expected." Carla shrugged.

"…What can I do for you, 'Cinder' Carla?" 621 said her title and name, confronting the interloper quietly.

"I think you know why I'm here, tourist." Carla accused.

"I've honestly got no idea." 621 shrugged.

"Well, for your information, it has to do with your conduct during your most recent mission." Carla explained politely.

"Ah, I see." 621 said an octave too high to be respectful. "I didn't think you of all people would pity the Coyotes?"

"I don't." Carla quickly emphasized. "Coyotes are less than human. I won't shed a tear for any of them. Especially not those you killed today." She explained. "My problem is with your particular…imagination."

"Whatever could you mean?" 621 wasn't looking at Carla. She kept her eyes on the top of V's head. "What exactly did you have a problem with?"

"Well, maybe it was the fact that you skinned four men alive." Carla pointed out. "Or, maybe it's because you decided to crucify them." She started listing off casually. "It might have been stringing them up by their own entrails…" She trailed off, feigning forgetfulness. "Or maybe it's the fact that we can't find their goddamn genitals."

"Check their stomachs."

"Ah, thanks." Carla hissed, glaring at 621 through a smile. "And…therein lies my problem. I don't care that you killed those filthy Coyotes, I would have done it myself. My problem is that you didn't just tear them apart savagely, it's that you enjoyed doing it."

"…" 621 ignored Carla, and just kept rubbing V's back.

"There's already one too many butchers out there in the 'verse." Carla noted coldly.

"…" 621's eyes snapped up to Carla, regarding her intently.

"Yeah, that's right." Carla nodded. "I know who you are, Admiral 'Stonewall of Sol.'"

"Pfff." 621 scoffed at hearing her old rank and title. It had been far too long since it had been spoken aloud.

"That being said…I look at the way that little girl is clinging to you, and I know that you are not a heartless monster. That you have a soul." Carla acknowledged.

"Even monsters have souls." 621 argued. "Take it from someone who knows."

"…And you would know, wouldn't you?" Carla asked, honestly curious.

"…" 621 nodded, and held V a little tighter. "The good days were good, and I never noticed the darkness. It was only when I learned to look…that all I could see was black."

"…" Carla smiled, and leaned forward, rubbing her hands together. "Why did you do it? Help me make a good decision, tourist."

"…" 621 looked down, and rubbed V's head. "Imalowda hurt…mi setara mali."

Carla leaned back, eyes wide at that particular answer. The Hound could have just said "my property" or "my drone" or even "my girl." However, those last two words carried significant emotional weight. No one who said that kind of thing threw those words around casually. It was an intimate kind of phrase, and was never used lightly or conversationally.

The fact that 621 said it aloud…was almost a threat to Carla.

"Well…" Carla shifted, and closed her eyes. "Alright then. You should probably go clean up. You and the little one. We'll be in touch, tourist."

Without another word, Carla was on her way. She gave Uzi and N a pat on the way out, and then she was gone.

"…" 621 sighed. She was nowhere near done today. She was barely getting started.

"Stray-" She cut herself off. She'd already called them by their names, hadn't she? She couldn't go back. That wouldn't be fair. "Uzi, N. Go standby for now. I need to clean up…and I need to have a word with…this one."

"Uh…yes ma'am…" Uzi nodded, with N close behind. They'd all been listening to that conversation between Carla and 621. It left them with more questions than answers.

621 pulled V along to the other end of the hangar, towards the shower.

"I need to clean up now." 621 said quietly to V. "Can I have a moment?"

"Mmm…." V hummed unpleasantly.

"…" 621 sighed. "Alright. You can be close, but please give me some room here."

V reluctantly let go, and 621 went to work stripping off her blood-soaked clothes. As the Hound started washing the blood off her skin, V tried not to stare, but…

So…many…scars…

Each telling of some different, costly battle, and the Hound's unwavering drive forward. Two scars that stood out to her the most however, was the burn scar that extended from her waist and up to her face, looking the worst right around where flesh stopped and her prosthetic arm began…

And the low cut under her belly, that looked like she'd been gently disemboweled.

V had also been listening to that conversation. It didn't take too much thinking to know who 621 had killed. Why she killed them. But it left her with other questions. Why had an Admiral of Sol sold their name? Why did she care for Laconian detritus such as herself?

Exactly who was 621?

It took 621 a while to get all the blood off of her body, and V only noticed because she had dressed, then proceeded to clean the meager amount of blood off of the smaller android.

"Mmm!" V hummed, turning her head to allow the Hound better access.

With that done, 621 pulled V along to the side.

"Come on, sit for a moment." 621 sat V down, then sat across from her, rubbing her own face tiredly.

"…?" V remained focused on her Hound, watching the tired woman work through her thoughts. Eventually, 621 looked up at V, and made a statement that hurt and entranced V further.

"…You should know, that nothing I say or do will ever make what happened to you…okay." 621 declared honestly.

"…" V frowned, and looked down. She rocked herself back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest.

"It's especially hard on you, because it's something I know you never imagined. Something you were never designed for. Something you truly didn't deserve."

"…" V kept listening to the Hound, and tried not to think about the subject at hand.

"There is, admittedly, some terrible shit about humans sometimes. For me…I'm sometimes like my father. I…get excited by the next kill, and lose myself in the slaughter. You on the other hand saw one of the worst things ever about humans. That shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry V."

"…" V looked up at the Hound. It was the first time she'd ever heard her call her by her name.

"I was trying for quite a while to shield you from that knowledge, from that horror. I'm sorry that I failed you." 621 uttered shamefully.

"N-No…" V spoke up. "It was…a terrible set of circumstances. We were in a bad way, and way the hell out where we shouldn't have been. It was no one's fault."

"…I wish I could tell you that things will be okay, but I can't." 621 admitted. "Besides the fact that this is a world at war, you were unlucky enough to have been born Laconian, condemned to death or worse for the sins of your makers. I'll do what I can to protect you, and N, and Uzi, but…you've seen how few there are that would forgive you, let alone help you. Unfortunately…it is very much a case of you and yours against the whole 'verse."

"…" V shivered, feeling rather overwhelmed by the possibility.

"And…you deserve the kind of rest and safety that…frankly I can't afford to give you." 621 frowned. "And you can't let that pain fester either, otherwise, that pain will kill you. The only thing I can give you is a path forward, to bury that crime as just another filthy memory."

"…" V nodded reluctantly.

"But…know that your suffering was not in vain." 621 assured her. "If you hadn't thrown Uzi to safety…she would have died, screaming. You did your job exactly as you should have, and protected your squad mate."

"…!" It was a terrible thought that went though V's head. 621 was right. Uzi wouldn't have survived that. She would have died in the worst way possible. A part of her swelled with pride, knowing that she'd protected Uzi.

"…I still need you, Stray One." 621 declared. "My job's not done. I need a good, confident, and devoted scout. Will you help me?"

"…" V bowed her head, and considered the Hound's words. "I'm scared of being alone again. I'll follow you wherever, as long as it's together with you and my squad. Promise me we'll walk together, on whatever path this world takes us?"

"…" 621 sighed. She hated making promises. "As long as I am here, I'll walk with you as long as you want."

"Mmm!" V eagerly jumped and embraced the Hound, holding her close. 621 suppressed a hiss, and reluctantly accepted the hug. She brought her hands up, and rubbed V's back.

Until her fingers brushed against a familiar texture of fabric.

"Hmm? What's this?" 621 wondered, pushing V far enough away so that she could see what it was. Tucked just underneath her control collar and hidden by the coat, 621 found her old war metal, hanging from V's neck. "...Where did you get this?"

"Eh…!?" V panicked, feeling that she was somehow in trouble. Rather than ratting Uzi out, V made up an excuse. "I uh…I stole it!"

"…" 621 gently pressed her knuckle to the center of V's face, right around the area where she'd have a nose if she was human, and pressed into it roughly while spinning her wrist back and forth. It was only mildly unpleasant for V, as she leaned back from the contact, her eyes nearly crossed as they focused on 621's knuckle.

"Hmm?!" V hummed in confusion. It didn't hurt, but it was a strange feeling.

"Lying is unbecoming of you." 621 warned. "Mmm…it doesn't matter. You want it, you can keep it. Besides…under certain circumstances, it might even help you out in a pinch."

"Really?" V wondered, also asking if she was really allowed to keep it.

"Of course. Heh, it's ironic. A Laconian Drone, wearing the Order of Sol's Light." 621 laughed to herself.

"Oh thank you Raven!" V cheered, pseudo-electric tears in her eyes, as she hugged 621 even tighter.

"Yeah yeah…" 621 patted V on the back.

"…Raven, I have a question?" V asked slowly.

"Not-" 621 almost reminded her about that callsign, before dismissing the issue altogether. "…What is it?"

"What was…that word you called me? What does it mean?" V wondered curiously. "'Setara mali?'"

"…" 621 dreaded answering that question, but she did it anyway. "The exact translation is 'little star', but…" She trailed off for a moment. "It means so much more than that."

"What do you mean?" V wondered innocently.

"Well…for context, it's generally only used by older people when referring to much younger people, or girls. And while it might be okay for an older person to call a young woman 'setara' it would also be improper for them to refer to them as 'setara mali.'"

"Oh, why's that?"

"…Because it's a more intimate statement." 621 explained reluctantly. "Because it means so much more. It can mean 'I'll protect you', or 'You're safe now', or 'I-" 621 cut herself off for a moment, rephrasing that last meaning. "Or 'I cherish you.'"

V's tail was wagging happily as 621 explained the meaning of the word. "Then…would it be okay for you to keep calling me that? Please? I…I really like the way it sounds. How it makes me feel."

"…Alright." 621 rubbed V's head. "Mi setara mali."

"…!" V cried happily, and greedily held onto 621. It still hurt. Everything still hurt. But she felt it would be okay now, in the arms of her master.

"…" 621 felt herself being torn in half…emotionally that is. There was a part of her that was quiet and content, and happily stroked V's silver hair while she held the machine girl close to her. Her other half wanted to scream, to lash out, and to never be at peace.

As it was, 621 was not done yet. She still had things she had to seek.

"I need to go out for a bit, okay V?" 621 informed her softly. "So you and N and Uzi stay here while I'm out, okay? I just need to check something."

"Mmm…" V grunted unhappily. "Just come back soon, okay? Please be safe!"

"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing." 621 assured her. Picking V up and holding her close, 621 brought her over to the bed, and set her down gently.

"You…" The voice in her head hissed lowly and darkly.

"…?" Curious, 621 listened to what Ayre had to say.

"You…you are the spark of war…a fire that haunts Rubicon." Ayre hissed more hatefully than 621 had ever heard, screeching painfully in her head. "Touched by the one who should not be named, inheritor of death's will. You…you reek of blood and violent death. First murder, seed for the gore."

"…" 621 scoffed. I know all that. What of it?

"And yet…" Ayre trialed off more familiarly, more conversationally. "In spite of all that blood deep in your soul, you can still find it in yourself to be kind and compassionate when it's needed. To be…human."

"…" 621 hissed, oddly offended.

"…I want to see what path you choose. Will you give into that hunger, and set your rage loose across another world…or will you find another path, one that will keep those little souls smiling and safe?"

"…" 621 did not have an answer for Ayre.

She then went over to N and Uzi.

"N, give me a moment to speak to Uzi." 621 requested.

"Oh…okay." N nodded. "And…thank you Raven, for helping V." He smiled painfully, before walking away.

"Uh…what is it, Raven?" Uzi wondered cautiously.

"…Earlier, you claimed to be responsible for what happened. Why?" 621 asked gently.

"Mmm!" Uzi averted her gaze shamefully. "I'm…I'm sorry okay! I had no idea-!"

"Stop." 621 requested calmly. "You're not in trouble. Even if you were…I think seeing the aftermath of what happened to V is enough of a punishment. Now please, just talk. Why do you think you're in trouble?"

"Ah…" Uzi calmed down somewhat, but remained shameful. "Do you remember that purple haired Worker Drone from my class? Doll?"

Grid 085 / Worker Drone Sanctuary

After passing on what Uzi had told her to Carla, 621 had a mission.

Apprehend Subject for Questioning – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 10,000 COAM

"I've got to say, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this report, tourist." Carla sounded intrigued and confused. "But it's definitely worth investigating. Go and apprehend the Worker Drone known as Doll for questioning. I'll send you four of my guys as back up. Just…if these outrageous claims are to be believed, then Doll might be a dangerous Laconian artefact of some kind. There are plenty of mysterious stories about Laconian tech, so be careful, and good hunting tourist."

"…" 621 sighed. Against the wishes of Stray Squad, she was taking this mission alone. While she didn't personally blame this Doll for what happened to V…she still wanted to have a "nice" chat with that little machine. As well, Tessa and J weren't here because this was a rather personal mission, and they were still on call to defend Grid 085 from external threats.

Her escort was a typical group of RaD soldiers. Young men between the ages of sixteen and thirty who either owed a dept to Carla, or really liked the wages she paid. They were also all Dosers, which made them naturally jumpy and red eyed. Not exactly the best set of soldiers she'd ever served besides, but certainly far from the worst.

"This the place, boss." One of the soldiers pointed to the door of a personal room. Around them, a few Worker Drones passed by nervously.

"How we gonna do this bosmang?" The youngest soldier asked eagerly, already with his gun up. "Loud and fast?"

"Carla just wants to talk to this Drone. Just look scary is all you have to do. Let me do the talking." 621 assured her escort. "Let's go nice and easy."

Another soldier used his hand terminal to force unlock the door, and the last soldier opened the door, allowing them entry.

"…This is Hound C4-621, under contract with 'Cinder' Carla! Doll! If you're in there, your master would like a word with you!" 621 shouted out. When no answer came, she entered the room, her escort trailing behind her.

The first thing that 621 noticed was not how dark it was inside, but the smell. The heavy odor of thick and viscous oil slowly drying in the air. One of the soldiers behind her reached for the light switch.

Piled in the kitchen of the little room, were the eviscerated corpses of several Worker Drones, stripped bare and exsanguinated, their corpses scattered across the counter or strung up across the ceiling. Their limbs filled cold pots of oil shimmering in dim light.

"…" The evidence that Doll was the mysterious killer was mounting. However, the little Drone could not be found.

"Looks like no one's home bosmang." One of the soldiers pointed out as he approached 621. She turned to regard him, only to notice a bright red glyph spinning around his neck. Then his head fell off.

"…!" Well that was new.

"Contact!" Another soldier shouted, opening fire with a submachine gun.

Doll stood there were she was not before, a bored and annoyed expression on her face, as she used one hand to erect a barrier of light, that blocked the bullets. Her other hand then summoned several dirty kitchen knives that floated in the air, before they launched at high speed into the man's face and throat.

The little Drone turned her attention to the youngest soldier, and with a flick of her wrist, he exploded in a cloud of fine red mist.

The last man turned tail and ran, as he should. But, then he looked back at 621. Involuntarily. His head had twisted around 180 degrees, his body still running forward, before he was squeezed into the floor in a fraction of a second, left as fine red paste across the ground.

There was a word for this in Belter, oddly enough. Mostly, it was just used as an alternative to "bitch", but it was extremely fitting in this situation.

Doll was a wupo. A witch.

"Fuck…" 621 hissed, her handgun half raised at Doll. The little machine was obviously bullet proof, so the gun was mostly just to make 621 feel better about her chances at this point. "Fuck! Doll! Just! Calm down a fucking second!"

"[You're V's master, aren't you?]" Doll noted coldly. She flicked her hand again, and 621 felt herself being dragged painfully by her prosthetic arm, her feet leaving the ground for a second. She smacked hard onto the closest wall, her right arm still firmly in the grasp of whatever unnatural energy Doll commanded. "[Then I know why you're here.]"

Doll pulled a knife from behind her waist, and made it float over her head with a spinning red glyph of a hexagon with three arrows, while her right eye also changed into that symbol. Flicking her hand towards the restrained Hound, Doll aimed for her throat with the knife, and shot it like a bullet.

"…?!" Doll flinched in surprise as 621 caught the knife in her left palm, the blade embedded to the hilt. Her mouth was left agape in shock.

That…fucking hurt. Even so, 621 was driven into action, biting the handle of the blade and pulling it out of her hand.

The thing with too many eyes in it's teeth leaned over 621's shoulder, and whispered just to her.

Your arm is a weakness. Cut it off.

Smiling madly, 621 twisted her shoulder, disconnecting her prosthetic arm, and used the knife to cut through her replacement coat and her shirt. From Doll's point of view, 621 had just broken and cut off her own arm.

Sneering, Doll settled for focusing her power directly on 621, intending to kill her as swiftly as she had killed those men-

--//ERROR absoluteSolver_trn

[ABOMINATION ENTITY non-interactive]

That…scared Doll. She'd seen a few error messages appear when trying to use her power. Murder Drones appeared with a "like object" error, which is why she'd been forced to come up with a plan to kill V instead of just…exploding her. On the other hand, Coral Tweakers and recently dosed up Dosers had a "Coral infused" error, which, given how their collars worked, it seemed that her power couldn't work on individuals with active Coral in their brains.

So what the fuck was an "Abomination Entity?"

Doll summoned another knife, and threw it at the one-armed woman, who blocked it with the one she was holding. 621 then slowly advanced on Doll, grinning hatefully.

Before Doll could come up with another plan, 621 broke into a run, throwing the knife to throw Doll off and confuse her. While Doll focused on blocking the knife, 621 grabbed Doll by the face, and slammed her into the ground.

Doll found that 621 was strong, her face caught in a vice grip as 621 pushed it against the ground, threatening to crush her head. The red eyed Drone tucked her legs in, and kicked 621 in the face, pushing her off. She then got up and ran for the open door.

621 was right behind Doll, grabbing her by the leg and flung her out the open door, into the hallway. Doll spun to get up, only for the top of her head to be grabbed by 621, her face slammed into the Hound's knee.

Her visor cracked, Doll held her face in pain, as 621 kicked her in the chest. The little Drone landed on her back, and 621 immediately pounced.

Holding Doll by the head, 621 settled all her weight on the Drone, trying to crush her head. Doll fought back, punching 621 in the face with her left fist. She managed three good hit's into 621's mouth, and split her lips.

As Doll landed the next punch, 621 bit Doll's hand in half. She spit the metal fingers and wires from her mouth, her lips painted in Doll's black blood.

"…" Annoyed, 621 picked Doll up by the face, and approached the nearest wall. Adjusting her grip on Doll's face so that she was holding the Drone by the right side of her head, 621 slammed Doll's face into the wall, and started running. Holding her against the wall, 621 grinded Doll's head down a millimeter at a time. Sparks and smoke were left in her wake as Doll's head was grinded into the wall. The little Drone's eyes were wide and terrified, as she lost herself and her head.

621 kept running until she'd grinded more than half of Doll's head away, then threw the half-headless body over the edge of a railing, and into a lower level.

"…Shit." 621 hissed. She reached for her hand terminal…then remembered she was missing her right arm. She didn't have voice controls set up, so she awkwardly used her nose to control the hand terminal on her left arm.

"Hey tourist." Carla noticed the state 621 was in. "I take it things didn't go well?"

"Your men are dead. I killed Doll. Uzi's report was accurate." 621 reported quickly.

"Well…that's disappointing." Carla sighed. "Thanks for checking that out though. Not sure what this all means…"

"[…You…]"

"…?" 621 turned around. Behind her, Doll was standing, part of her face still regrowing…just like the way Disassembly Drones did.

"[…What are you?]" Doll demanded. "[You…you monster…]"

"…" 621 grinned widely, baring her teeth. She took one quick step towards Doll.

"…!" Doll flinched, and disappeared, seeming to teleport away.

"…Correction." 621 said to Carla. "Doll is alive."

"That's…interesting." Carla was taken aback by that, but remained calm. "What do you want to do?"

"I need to have a chat with someone." 621 sighed.

It was getting late in the day, so Lizzy started to settle down for sleep. Or, she would have, if a mad Hound hadn't broken down her door.

"Ah! Oh! Uh…! Miss 621…?" Lizzy waved awkwardly.

"Tell me about your friend Doll." 621 demand, picking Lizzy up by back the of her clothes, holding her in the air. She'd gone back and retrieved her arm for this.

"Doll…? Did she do something…?" Lizzy awkwardly grinned.

"…" 621's hand terminal was open, so Lizzy heard her master, Carla, sigh over the connection. "We know about Doll, Lizzy. We also know you lured V out to the subsector so that Doll could ambush her. So talk."

"Mmm!" Lizzy seized fearfully. "I'm…I'm sorry okay! Way back on Copper IX, Doll used to be my friend, but in the last few months, I noticed her become more distant. Then she got weird powers and threatened me to go out and make friends with V! She wanted me to warm up to V so she would come to a prom event we had planned at school, where she would then kill her!"

"And you didn't think to tell me that your friend was a cannibal who can kill grown men with the flick of her wrist?" Carla stressed tiredly.

"Wait…she was eating them!?" Lizzy screamed. "I…I thought she was just trying to scare me!? Like a show of force!?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Lizzy?" Carla demanded again.

"I thought…I thought our control collars had suppressed her abilities! So that I wouldn't have to deal with her crazy, scary murder plans anymore! So imagine my surprise when she gets her power back and demands that I bring V out to the subsector to enact an improvised copy of her original plan!" Lizzy explained.

"I'm very disappointed in you Lizzy." Carla hissed. "Because of you, several of my contractors were severely injured, and a few of my employees killed. I'm cutting your pay by half for three months, and demoting you for the same period of time."

"Ah…!" Lizzy cried out, before she settled her head shamefully. "Yes Miss Carla."

Carla cut the line with a hiss, leaving Lizzy hanging in 621's grasp.

"…Is V…okay?" Lizzy hesitantly asked the Hound.

"…Do you remember your friend Emily?" 621 questioned calmly. "Because the same thing happened to V."

"Oh…! N-No!" Lizzy cried out. "No anything but that! I…! I didn't know that would happen! I'm sorry!"

"…Tell that to V." 621 dropped Lizzy roughly.

"I'm sorry." Lizzy cried. "I'm so…so sorry…"

Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars

"Raven! You're back!" V shouted out, pulling 621 into a hug. "You…you're bleeding! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine V. I'm fine." 621 assured her. "Just…tired is all."

"You sure about that?" Uzi asked skeptically.

"…Picked a fight with something I've never seen before. Took a bit to get used to it. Took a few hits, but hit back just as hard." 621 explained.

"Ah…that's Raven for you!" N smiled. "Takes a tick but keeps on licking!"

"…You've got that all screwed up N." Uzi pointed out. "But…we get it."

"Oh, haha, oops!" N grinned sheepishly as he rubbed his own head.

"…" 621 sighed. "I'm going to bed."

"Ah…!" V held onto 621 tightly. "Um…can I sleep with you, Raven?"

"…" 621 wanted to say "no" in a wide variety of rude and crass ways, but…V's anxious and desperate eyes drove her over the edge. "F-Fine…"

"Hey…!" Uzi hissed, then awkwardly fidgeted in place. "Maybe I wanted to like…sleep near Raven…"

"…Maybe we could all just sleep together?" N casually suggested.

"…!" Damn these stupid, clingy, overly emotional little shells of vaguely human shaped metal. Each of them demanding affection and affecting her in ways they didn't even realize.

"…Just do it, Raven." Ayre demanded. "You need it just as much as they do. Don't lie."

"…" Fuck. "Alright, pile on."

Picking up V and holding her close, 621 sat in the middle of their bed, and laid down. N snuggled up on her other side, and Uzi settled in behind V. It was a tight fit, and almost uncomfortably warm, but…621 would be lying if she said it wasn't at least a little bit cathartic.

"Raven…" V asked, a little greedy. "Can you…sing to us again?"

"…" V really didn't know what she did to 621. What she looked like to the Hound. And how deeply that hurt the older woman. All 621 could do was tighten her hold around V, and reluctantly acquiesce. "Alright, setara mali."

. . .

After she was sure everyone was asleep, Uzi slipped out of bed, and exited the hangar. She walked for just a little bit, until she found a secluded and abandoned tunnel. Activating her hand terminal, she sent an unlock code to her own control collar.

/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED

"Okay…so how the hell did Doll do that…?" Uzi wondered, as she focused on some random scrap in the tunnel. Splaying her fingers in a wide pattern, Uzi eventually created a glowing purple glyph over her own hand, a symbol of a hexagon with three arrows pointed out.

"Oh…okay…" Uzi then refocused on the scrap. Another glyph appeared over the scrap, and Uzi…somehow managed to make it levitate.

"Okay…this is fucking weird." Uzi stared wide eyed at the glowing glyphs, barely noticing how her right eye changed to that same symbol. The hexagon with three arrows.

Chapter Text

Mars / 2710

Diving low into the ruined city, an Armored Core was on the hunt. Search and destroy.

Skidding to a stop, the bipedal Third Gen AC stood up to it's full height, and was fired on by distant Muscles Tracers down the street. Rasing their heavy laser rifle, the AC fired several massive blue bolts of energy, that tore the fragile MTs apart.

With that threat eliminated, the bipedal AC turned to look for it's target.

It didn't have to go far, as a tetrapod AC boosted onto the street behind the bipedal one, and leveled a heavy laser cannon on it's back. The massive cannon charged, and fired a super-heated purple bolt of energy that caught the bipedal AC in the right arm holding the laser rifle, and tore it off.

Left momentarily staggered, the bipedal AC warmed up their thrusters, and went on the attack. It did not matter that it was at a severe disadvantage now. It had it's mark, and it perused it without restraint.

The tetrapod AC saw the attack coming, and opened fire with dual machine guns and it's back mounted missile launcher. The bipedal AC weaved between the missiles, and fired back with it's own back mounted missiles, causing the tetrapod to stagger back, and prime another shot from it's laser cannon.

With the bipedal closing rapidly, the tetrapod AC aimed it's laser cannon, and fired. The bipedal AC dodged away at the last second, slipping to the right of the tetrapod, and armed it's laser blade, cutting it's right arm off in return. Caught in it's flank, the bipedal then kicked the tetrapod through a wall, and fired more missiles to stun the machine.

The tetrapod fell to the ground, recovering just as the bipedal reacquired it's target. The tetrapod AC could only open fire desperately with it's remaining machinegun, shots going wide even as the bipedal approached down a straight line, laser blade primed.

The bipedal AC decapitated the tetrapod AC, cutting off it's main sensor suite.

A roaring crowd of ten million people cheered, thrilled at the sight of high speed, armored combat. This was not an abandoned and war-torn city. This was the Olympus Colosseum, a vast and wide megastructure designed to host arena combat between Armored Cores.

With the match concluded, the two ACs raised their remaining arms, and shook them high in the air, earning another cheer from the crowd as they too pumped their arms in celebration.

Done encouraging the crowds, the two ACs retreated to the colosseum hangar, the gladiators dismounting.

The Gladiator exited her machine, the bipedal AC, and started inspecting the damage to the right arm, frowning all the while.

"Cocky little shit aren't you?" The other Gladiator, Emily Babbage, a reservist in the Martian Navy commented with a sneer as she approached.

The Gladiator regarded her previous opponent. The Martian was a much shorter blonde woman with short hair pulled back in a ponytail. Smiling widely, The Gladiator mocked back. "You blinked is all. Took advantage of that and took your head."

Emily went for a punch, which The Gladiator dodged, going for a chokehold on the shorter woman. In response, Emily went for an elbow to The Gladiator's ribs. They went back and forth for a few seconds, and stopped when they were both laughing on the floor.

"Ha!" Emily smiled, she stood and helped The Gladiator to her feet. "Come on, you remember the deal. Winner buys the next round of drinks!"

"Ah!" The Gladiator took Emily's hand, and stood up. "Damn, oh well."

"You know I was reluctant at first, getting into the colosseum, but I'm glad you sent the offer. It's been fun catching up since you left the Navy." Emily chatted as she walked beside The Gladiator.

"It's not a forever gig." The Gladiator shrugged. "Maybe I'll give it another year, but then I wanted to try my hand at slingshot racing."

"Slingshot racing!?" Emily balked with wide eyes. "Oh hell na! No way am I going to get into that!" She shook her head. "Those hard gravity turns going down wells are one thing, but have you seen some of those ships? They're a beer can with a rocket attached!"

"Oh yeah, looks dangerous as hell!" The Gladiator jumped with excitement at the idea. "Figure I'll do a couple of warm up runs falling through the Jovian system, before I do a long haul race."

"A full system race?!" Emily raised her eyebrows questionably. "You know there's no pit stop on those races, right? You're going to have to drink your own piss to survive."

"Filtered piss, but yes." The Gladiator confirmed.

"But Belter made filters?" Emily shook her head. "I hope you like your water yellow."

"Yeah, it kinda sucks." The Gladiator confirmed. "Still, a long tour across Sol, a year on the float and keeping all those billions of people at the edge of their seats sounds exciting. Plus, there's the hours I'll spend in hard G turns, being flung from well to well."

"Ugh, I don't get the appeal of the sport." Emily dismissed. "Come on, let's get wasted."

"Sure thing, friend." The Gladiator skipped after her.

Jupiter – High Orbit / 2799

The only word to best describe the most recent battle was a clusterfuck. A desperate sacrifice that saw the destruction of nearly the entire Jupiter defense fleet for five Laconian ships. Thousands of lives traded to save a major colonized hub of Sol and the millions of people living in the moons and stations around the gas giant.

The engineers were still patching holes from PDC rounds in her ship, as the Rear-Admiral stood at the edge of the airlock. She was technically standing on the wall, with the ship on the float, so that she could look down into the airlock and the lone occupant floating within.

"Captain Babbage of the former Wind of Change, of the Laconian Imperial Navy." The Rear-Admiral sneered.

Emily smiled up at her, blood in her mouth. "Congratulations on your promotion, Admiral."

"Only cause you and your lot keep killing my superiors." The Rear-Admiral noted tiredly.

"True, but after you, who's left?" Emily mocked. "Admiral Souther could only hold out for so long. I wonder how long you'll last. It won't be long till this war is over."

"Your vanguard is locked in combat at the border worlds, chasing a fleet of Spatial Arms Forts across the gulf of space, and that damn undying butcher." The Rear-Admiral summarized. "Plus, I've been doing pretty good against your fleet these last fifty years. Killin' Laconians is tedious…but not impossible, as we've proven once again."

"One day it's going to be a Laconian staring you down, and you'll be on your knees begging for mercy as we reclaim the homeworlds." Emily assured her.

"If I'm stuck in a no-win scenario, I'm going to ride the last torpedo I've got just so I can say I've taken as many of you fucking traitors with me to hell as I could." The Rear-Admiral retorted. "Just what the hell were you thinking, joining up with them, Captain?"

"I wanted to save humanity!" Emily declared. "I wanted to free humanity from the shackles imposed on us by those arrogant machines! Why should minds of metal and silicon decide the fate of humanity, dictate how we expand and behave? We needed to take back control over our own lives, and what we found on Laconia allowed us to do exactly that!"

"You talk of freeing humanity, but you're ruled by a dictator, an Emperor who cares not for the lives he destroys as he takes world after world." The Rear-Admiral accused.

"It's only right that an empire be led by an Emperor. Duarte's vision will bring peace and order to the cosmos!"

"By destroying sentient machine intelligences and subjugating all who would oppose you. Including Belters." The Rear-Admiral pointed out.

"Belters are by nature an unruly and chaotic collection of cast aways!" Emily shouted. "A thousand different tribes who'll just as soon turn on you and each other if they haven't already."

"Martians have always hated Belters for being a force that refused to yield to their might."

"And Belters always hated us for building our dream of terraforming Mars!"

"…By stealing all the water from Ceres." The Rear-Admiral hissed.

"Why do you love them so? Machines and Belters? They are not your people, not your flesh?" Emily accused.

"Mmm, technically I'm station-born, which makes me an honorary Belter, and I was created by a machine intelligence messing with my parent's genome, and I had distant family who lived on Mars for a time, so I have no right to judge anyone. All of Sol is my people, and any who would hurt my people is my enemy." The Rear-Admiral answered.

"Then I hope that sentiment keeps you going, because any who does not bend the knee to the Laconian vision will answer with their lives!"

"…I have missed you, Emily." The Rear-Admiral expressed far more softly.

"…Yeah…" Emily shrugged. "Admittedly it's just not the same without your antics and your damn cheerful persona. Laconia is…a strict order. Stricter than Mars. You'd hate it even if you did believe in it."

"Well at least we can agree about something." The Rear-Admiral stressed with an amused smile.

"So…it's to be spaced then?" Emily noted the obvious.

"Consider it a kindness." The Rear-Admiral confirmed. "Machine integrations can be…messy. This is…thank you, for being my first friend when I joined the Martian Navy. And goodbye."

"Goodbye Admiral, and good hunting." Emily saluted. "I'll be sure to keep a spot in hell warm for you."

"And I'll be sure to visit, sooner…or later."

The Rear Admiral closed the inner airlock door, then, after a moment, opened the outer airlock door.

There was a very light nudge on Emily as the air was released from the room, causing her to slowly float out of the ship. She held a stoic expression, doing everything she could to die with a bit of dignity.

But there was no dignity in death.

The Rear-Admiral kept watch as Emily tumbled slowly out of the ship, and joined her countrymen out in the black, floating silently for the rest of time.

Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Monday, Claudius 3rd, 3175

It was a new sensation, and not one that was particularly welcoming. Hard metal limbs intertwined with hers, and just slightly uncomfortably warm.

"…" 621 gave a long, tired sigh as she stared down at the sleeping heads of V, Uzi, and N as they held onto her greedily and desperately. Especially how V seemed…far more content than she was previously, feeling safe enough in the arms of her friends and master.

There was a tiny, greedy part of 621 that just wanted to lay here all day, and hold these sad little things close. To forget who and what she was, what they were, and where they were…

Another, more responsible part of her decided to get moving, to keep this kind of thing from happening ever again to any of them. And that was something that required work.

"…Alright, time to wake up kids." 621 groaned, pushing them off herself as she sat up. She rolled out of the bed and stretched briefly.

"Ugh…do we have to?" Uzi asked, quite tiredly.

"Yep, come on." 621 demanded. "I've got some stuff I want you to do today."

"Ah…more work?" N wondered hesitantly.

"Not quite." 621 clarified. "Think I'm going to take you lot on a shopping spree."

"A…shopping spree?" V cocked her head curiously.

"Mmm. I need to update your kit further" 621 explained. "Not to mention, I don't think you're keen on giving me that coat back, are you V?"

"Ah…" V held onto the coat she was wearing tightly.

"It's fine." 621 assured her. "But I think you'll want a bit more than just that coat, won't you?"

"…Yeah." V agreed after a moment of thought. "Yes please."

"Think about what you want. I'm going to make a call." 621 told them. She then turned away to make that call.

"Oh, it's just you, tourist." Carla greeted unusually curtly. "Looking for work? Sorry to disappoint, but nothing's come up today."

"Actually, I wanted to ask for a favor." 621 spoke up. "I wanted to update my Stray's clothes and kit."

"…You know, that's not a bad idea." Carla nodded, suddenly more energized. "Sounds like fun. Alright! Make them send me a list of what they want, then come on over in a few hours. And, while you're here, we might as well go over this whole Doll mystery shit."

"I look forward to it." 621 responded flatly. She cut the line and turned back to the Strays. "Alright kids, consider this a personal request. Send Carla a list of anything you need. New clothes, weapons, tools, anything. Then we'll go over in a few hours and pick it up, got it?"

"Oh…yes ma'am." Stray Squad confirmed.

Grid 086 – Reuse and Development Headquarters

"Hey there little cuties!" Carla greeted excitedly towards Stray Squad. "I've got your requests off here to the side. While you're trying on your new stuff, your Hound and I are going to have a little discussion. Anyhow, don't keep me waiting, I can't wait to see how you look!"

"Thank you, Miss Carla." V nodded appreciatively.

"Oh, and one thing Specter, someone came out to see you as well." Carla then gestured for someone to enter the room, prompting another Disassembly Drone forward.

"J? What are you doing here?" N wondered with Uzi by his side. As they watched, J ran over to V, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"V!" J cried. "I'm sorry V! I'm so sorry that happened to you!" The former leader held V almost uncomfortably tight.

"…J…" V whispered gently. "Did…did the same thing happen to you?"

"…K-Kinda…" J shrugged. "The difference was I was…repurposed…so it wouldn't hurt as much. But it was still so weird and disgusting and…if Tessa hadn't found me…pulled me out of there…I don't know how long I would have lasted like that."

"I…see…" V trailed off, hugging herself.

"I heard about what your master did." J added. "I'm…glad, that she worked so hard to make it right."

"…Nothing will ever 'make it right.'" V countered. "But I too appreciate what she did. Showing me how she cared."

"…Well! Go get changed! I'm also curious to see what you will be wearing from now on!" J encouraged, slowly pushing V towards the impromptu changing room Carla had set up near her office. Pulling a curtain to give herself some privacy, V found the change of clothes she'd requested from Carla.

For the longest time, V had only worn a short jacket, that covered her shoulders and chest. She had never even considered that the rest of herself might be considered "naked" by human standards. She thought she looked cool, like a punk biker girl or something along those lines. And among Worker Drones or other Disassembly Drones, that was true.

She thought otherwise now, and felt far more vulnerable.

Reluctantly parting with 621's coat for a moment, V slipped on a white pair of shorts, and a new cropped black jacket. Over her shorts, she added a loose-fitting black skirt that extended to just above her knees. Then she put 621's coat back on over it all, leaving it open in the front now that she had clothes on again.

She would have liked to have worn some shoes as well, but the shape of her legs discouraged that. Without feet, shoes would eventually fall off her legs doing anything more complicated than walking slowly. Also, she wouldn't be able to balance well in them.

One last item that V had asked Carla for was a set of round rim glasses. Slipping them on her face, V looked at herself in a mirror.

"…" It had been a long time since V had seen herself. She smiled simply, and twirled happily, just like the innocent little Worker she used to be.

She stopped cold and saddened. She was no longer that little Worker Drone. Her innocence stripped from her violently, over and over. First on Laconia, becoming this…thing, a twisted mockery of what she was, cursed with insatiable hunger. And again on Rubicon, forced down screaming and made to suffer terrible indignity and shame.

V started to cry quietly, feeling that she could never again have innocence or happiness. Just horror and terror and pain.

"V…?"

"Mmm!?" V turned around quickly, taking off her glasses, and wiping the "tears" off her face. Uzi had worriedly wandered into the room, averting her gaze shamefully.

"O-Oh…" Uzi frowned, both worried and interested. "Are you okay V?"

"…No…" V admitted. "I just…I just feel like I've lost a part of myself forever. And…it hurts that I can never go back."

"That's…" Uzi looked off sadly. "I don't know what happened to you, only that it was worse than anything I can imagine."

"…" V nodded, not looking at Uzi.

"But…that event didn't change who you are V. To me, you're still that kinda crazy and confident Murder Drone who…I sorta kinda look up to?" Uzi phrased it as a question to avoid sounding like praise. "Cause you're like the most awesome Drone I've ever met. Just awesome and pretty and uh…tall."

"…Thanks…Uzi…" V smiled a little happily again, then stopped as she thought about what Uzi said. "Wait…'pretty?'"

"Uh…y-yeah!" Uzi shouted unconfidently. "But like in a completely platonic way! Just one girl to another, you know!?"

"Hmm, sure~!" V teased. "And you're always going to be a cute little Worker~!"

"I'm not cute!" Uzi shouted back, but wasn't really upset. She decided to change the subject. "So uh…nice glasses."

"Oh…thanks." V looked at the glasses in her hand. "This is just something for myself. I wanted to…try and remember how I looked before."

"Well, can I see?" Uzi requested curiously.

"…Okay, fine." V relented, and reluctantly slipped the glasses back onto her face.

"Oh…!" Uzi smiled widely. "You know what? You're really cute like that!"

"What!?" V recoiled at the idea. "M-Me?! C-Cute?!"

"Yeah! Totally!" Uzi assured her. "You should wear them more often!"

"I…" V paused, considering it. "…Maybe…only sometimes then. Okay?"

"Great!" Uzi nodded. Then, she remembered something she'd been neglecting to do. "Hey uh…V?"

"Yeah Uzi?" V turned towards Uzi, realizing she wanted to say something.

"I uh…wanted to thank you." Uzi rubbed her arm awkwardly and somberly. "We went through a lot of bad shit that day…you more than anyone. And…I know that you saved my life twice. So thank you V for like…not letting me die."

Uzi was surprised when V lifted her up, and held her close.

"We're stuck on this shithole together. I'm not going to let the only interesting Worker I've ever met die. You're too cool. Plus…" V trailed off, and whispered. "Keeping you alive…makes that pain worth it."

"…!" Uzi hugged V back tightly.

After a minute, V let Uzi down, smiling.

"Come on, you look great. Let's show everyone, okay?" Uzi tugged on V's sleeve, urging her forward.

"…Alright." V nodded once.

"So, that little Drone gave you more trouble than you imagined?" Carla inquired.

"…Yeah." 621 grunted. "She could manipulate objects, materialize them into existence, and could even heal like a Disassembly Drone."

"And yet, if Lizzy is to be believed, she lived peacefully in Uzi's colony on Copper IX for nearly two decades without incident…until something changed." Carla noted. "Why did she go after V?"

"For what other reason? Revenge." 621 declared. "Father always said that out of any reason to kill someone, revenge is always the messiest, because unless you're willing to clean house, from top to bottom, you'll just be trapped in a cycle of death. On one hand, I can't fault the little thing for wanting justice for her slain family. On the other hand…"

"Killing V would just piss you off, and then you'd hunt that little Drone to the end of the world." Carla summarized. "Yeah, I get it. And the only alternative is to either move on, and accept that someone close to you died, or to forgive their killer, neither of which can be easy to stomach. So, which is the right answer, tourist?"

"There is no right answer." 621 answered. "But…the more organized the kill, the higher up the chain of decisions you go, the easier a course of action becomes. Command decisions coldly demanding death are much easier to condemn than ignorant triggermen forced to do their bidding."

"Yeah, but that's a tall order. Wiping out whole organizations just to justify vengeance for a few personal deaths?" Carla questioned.

"It's happened before."

"Ah, you're talking about The League, yes?"

"…Yeah." 621 confirmed reluctantly.

"You know what interests me the most?" Carla went back on topic. "Not the whole wacky space magic thing, we can write that off as Laconian tech that no one understands. No what interests me is how she healed just like a Disassembly Drone."

"You think they are related?" 621 wondered.

"I think whatever technology or function that works in Disassembly Drones for their healing somehow found it's way into Doll. And that's why she was cannibalizing her own kind."

621 turned to regard Carla more intently. "So she needed the extra oil as coolant to function?"

"Even with her little reality bending powers, the one law of physics she is still bound to is thermodynamics." Carla declared. "I did some minor stress testing with J yesterday, and my theory holds up there. Tell me, tourist, exactly how are Disassembly Drones able to heal from their wounds?"

"…I imagine it has something to do with repair nanites, like how we perform emergency repairs on ACs mid-combat." 621 answered.

"You would think." Carla disagreed. "From what I've been able to test, it's actually a quantum soup of stray subatomic particles that then condenses and reformats itself into the material that makes up a Drone, which is just common metals and polymers."

"…"

"Yeah, I see that funky eyed look you're giving me. It doesn't exactly make sense, does it?" Carla noted. "The diluted state of matter that coalesces itself on Disassembly Drones in order to heal them exist at only one point in time, after the heat death of the universe."

"And that won't happen for another thirty-three trillion-trillion years." 621 realized.

"Yeah…it's something of an impossibility. Where exactly are they getting this matter to heal themselves with?" Carla wondered quietly.

"…" 621 didn't have an answer. "While that's interesting, I have a question of my own."

"Oh? Shoot." Carla listened carefully.

"How was V able to evade her attackers and get back to my hangar?" 621 quietly hissed.

"Ah…" Carla trailed off. "You didn't ask her?"

"I'd prefer not to."

"Mmm, fair." Carla shrugged. "I think…well, she's a very rare kind of Drone, hardly ever seen during the war, and not until after the fall of Laconia. So rare that none had ever been to Rubicon before her and her's ended up here in August. I think that knowledge of Disassembly Drone healing abilities is not widely known, and her attackers simply assumed that she was a more humanoid Jenson model android, and left her to die when they were…finished." Carla hissed as she stopped talking. "So, in a way, she lucked out."

"…"

"Ah…sorry. Poor choice of words." Carla corrected herself. "Oh, look, here she comes!"

Uzi led a reluctant but slightly more confident V back to Carla's office, where everyone saw how she'd changed up.

"Oh, V! You look great!" N cheered, smiling happily.

"Well that's different, but it looks good, V." J praised as well, nodding to her.

"T-Thanks guys." V sheepishly smiled.

"Oh Specter, you are gorgeous!" Carla cried out. "Ah, but you know what, you just need a little something more…don't you think tourist?"

"…Hmm." 621 nodded. Then she and Carla started looking through a few piles of fabric to find something for V.

"Okay, this should do nicely for here!" Carla tied a yellow bandana around V's left arm, taking the place of her old arm band.

"Yeah…that is good, thank you Miss Carla." V nodded up to the older woman.

"…" 621 silently wrapped a red length of fabric around V's neck like a scarf. "There, how is that, setara?"

"…!" V tugged on the scarf happily, and smiled up at the Hound. "T-Thank you…Raven."

"Nice V. Honestly, I think you look great." J tugged on her own coat for emphasis. "Anyway, I have to go. Corralling Worker Drones is just so difficult when I'm not allowed to kill them. See you later!" J had only come to see V, so she left as soon as she knew that her former squad mate would be alright.

"Okay! So, Sparky, Sheperd, why don't you go try on your new stuff?" Carla suggested excitedly.

"Uh? Do we really have to? I think we're fine enough as is." Uzi complained.

"Uzi…please just grab something to…cover yourself up a bit more." V requested urgently.

"Eh…it seems a bit much." Uzi shrugged. "I think me and N are fine the way we-"

"Uzi please!"

Uzi flinched, hearing V angry for the first time. But it was more than anger. It was fear, first and foremost, that filled her scream.

"Okay…okay…" Uzi relented. "I'll…find a nice skirt or something."

"I'll um…gets some pants?" N shrugged, worried and distressed as well.

"Alright…come on little ones. I'll help you pick something out." Carla pulled N and Uzi away, leaving V with 621 for the moment.

"Uzi…what had V so worried?" N wondered sadly. "Why does she want us wearing more clothes?"

"I…I don't know." Uzi frowned. "But…it's a small change, and it seems like it will ease her."

Neither Uzi nor N understood the need to wear more clothes than they were already wearing. N's coat covered him almost entirely, and Uzi's jacket covered both her chest and hips. But surely, neither of them had anything more to hide? N's hips were a narrower, masculine variant of the female Disassembly Drone hips, and his legs were something of an in-between, as he had feet like a Worker Drone, but his legs were solid metal, as opposed to the segmented metal of a Worker Drone.

Uzi could count the number of Worker Drones she knew that wore pants that covered up their bottom on one hand. It was their most inhuman feature, their hips; a white cylinder with a flat bottom, from which two narrow legs extended vertically from. It was such a featureless, meaningless area, that Drones made no effort to cover it up. It meant nothing to them.

"So, you two didn't send me any requests for clothes, so I threw something minimalist together just for you guys, alright?" Carla presented N and Uzi with new clothes. For N, it was a pair of black pants and a pair of boots. For Uzi, it was a short, plaid skirt, and black shorts.

"Uh, thank you Miss Carla." N nodded appreciatively. He took the clothes and went to go change.

"Thanks…" Uzi nodded as well, still confused. "Miss Carla, why do you and V want us wearing this stuff? It's…not so much disagreeable, as it is confusing."

"Well…" Carla sat in front of Uzi, changing her stance as to not talk down to her. "It's something of a human sensibility, to tell you the truth." Carla explained slowly. "You know how humans have weird bits that we intentionally hide from just about everyone?"

"You mean your genitals?" Uzi cocked her head in confusion. "But Worker Drones and Murder Drones don't have genitals."

"Yes, that is true." Carla slowed down, approaching the subject as delicately as she could without scaring the little Drone. "But…it would make myself and your master, and your little friend feel much more secure if you were hiding the same areas as we humans do."

"That's…weird." Uzi frowned. "But I mean…if it would make you weirdo's feel better, then I guess I don't mind."

Taking the clothes into one of Carla's improvised changing rooms, Uzi slipped on the short skirt and shorts. It didn't change how she looked too much. She already had a fuzzy part at the end of her jacket that "sort of" looked like a skirt, and the skirt that Carla got her wasn't much longer than what the cheerleaders at her school would wear, extending down past her jacket another inch. She then slipped the shorts on underneath, and hid the flat metal plate that comprised her bottom.

With that weird little detail out of the way, Uzi stepped out, and found Carla complementing N on his new clothes. Uzi was admittedly a little jealous, as N's pants and boots made him look even cooler than he already did.

"Ah, there, was that so bad, Sparky?" Carla smiled up at her. "You're just so adorable!"

"Yeah yeah." Uzi shrugged, trying to hide her appreciation of Carla's compliments. "Um…thank you Miss Carla."

"It's no problem, Sparky. And trust me Shepard, you look great too." Carla praised N.

"Ah, thank you Miss Carla." N nodded appreciatively.

"Come here, V." 621 held her hands towards the little android.

"Uh, why?" V questioned but did as she was told.

"Now, step up." 621 pulled V along until she was forced to stand on a crate that raised her knees up to 621's face. "I'm going to hem up the coat to make it fit better."

"Oh…thank you Raven." V smiled as 621 went to work fixing the coat.

While 621 worked, V decided to look up more information about the Hound. First she put in the term "Admiral 'Stonewall of Sol'" into the local data network. She was disappointed by how brief a summary she received.

Subject: Admiral "Stonewall of Sol"

DOB: Unknown, 2662

DOD: Unknown

POB: Shilage Castle, Geosynchronous Earth Orbit

Bio: The Fleet Admiral of the Sol Defense Fleet from 2799 to 3027, they gained their title through a valiant and steward defense of the Sol System, protecting Mercury, Earth, Mars, and the Belt from numerous Laconian incursions and invasions. Their unbreakable defense allowed an assault fleet of several Spatial Arms Forts to fight on the front lines without restraint, and is ultimately credited with having helped win the Sol-Laconia War.

While it certainly gave some interesting information, it didn't answer any of her questions. V had only one other lead to consider, and looked up the name of "Klein." Once again, she was disappointed to find there was only one entry, and definitely the wrong person to boot. She read each line of information as they appeared anyway.

Subject: James "Strayed" Klein

DOB: Unknown, 2432

DOD: Unknown

POB: North American Contingency, Earth

Bio: Stop looking for me, V.

"…!" V flinched hard and closed her hand terminal in a panic. What the fuck was that?!

"Hmm, you good?" 621 looked up from her work. She was nearly done hemming up the coat.

"Uh, yep!" V nodded a little too desperately. "Just…" She quickly calmed herself down as best she could, staring down at the woman appreciatively. "T-Thanks for everything, Raven. Everything you've done…it really means a lot to me."

"Just doing what's right is all." 621 assured her. "Hold still, I'm almost done here." She finished and stood up, holding her hand out to help V down off the crate. "Now, how does that feel?"

V flexed her legs a bit, finding the slightly shortened coat easier to move in. Now instead of nearly dragging on the ground, the coat reached down to just below her knees. "It's perfect!"

"Hmm, good." 621 smiled. "Now, I have one more thing for you." She took the handgun off her thigh holster, and held it out for V. "I'd like for you to have this gun."

"…?" V took the gun curiously, holding it with her finger off the trigger. She noticed an inscription on the side, manufacturing data. It was worn down with time, but was still easily legible.

GLOCK 90

2035
"This weapon…is something of a family heirloom." 621 explained. "So…you can keep it."

"Really Raven? Are you sure?" V felt a little bad, taking so much from the Hound. Her war metal, her coat, her gun. Why was 621 so comfortable giving these things away to her?

"It's no problem. Besides, I plan on seeing if Carla has some good replacement weapons for myself." 621 assured her. "And it looks like she's finished outfitting your friends as well."

Besides the minimal changes to N and Uzi's clothes, they also had backpacks with some basic supplies they might need, and an extra backpack for V. On top of that, they were also now armed with their own handguns, with Uzi having a holster on her hip and N on his thigh.

"Hey, you guys look great." V complimented.

"Aww, thanks V. You look great too!" N smiled.

"Uh thanks…even if we didn't change all that much." Uzi shrugged.

"Alright, go run along for a bit. I've got some stuff to buy from Carla myself." 621 ordered her Strays.

"Yes ma'am!" Uzi, N, and V answered, leaving the room.

"So what do I owe you?" 621 questioned.

"For them, nada." Carla shook her head. "All their kits are on the house. Just cause I like them all so. You on the other hand are lucky we're still doing business."

"Mmm." 621 shrugged. "I need some new handguns. I'll take a .38 snub nose if you have it, thought I might shove it in my boot."

"Got it, that will be a thousand." Carla nodded. "Anything else I can get you, tourist?"

"What do you have in hand cannons?" 621 requested.

"Well, how about a .357 Magnum?" Carla suggested. "The classic 'Are you feeling lucky, punk?' six-shooter, maximum power for it's size-"

"No wheel guns." 621 shook her head. "Something mag fed, and when I say, 'hand cannon' I mean a hand cannon. I want to hunt MTs if I have to…or wupos."

"Ah, gotcha…" Carla nodded excitedly. "When then there is only one solution to your problem."

Carla pulled out a massive handgun that looked more like a one-handed rifle, with a terrifying wide barrel. "Malarian Arms 3516. Fires custom three inch, 14.9mm armor-piercing, high-explosive shells. Just point and delete. You like it? That will be fifty thousand Coam."

"…I'll take it." 621 hissed excitedly.

After purchasing her new weapons, 621 met back with her squad of Strays, leading them back to their hangar.

"Carla was saying that I may have…inadvertently frightened the Coyotes away yesterday. But they'll probably be back tomorrow. That means we have another day to rest up." 621 let them know.

"Oh, good." V sighed. "Another day of rest sounds good."

"Yeah, we'll like hang out or do some menial work or whatever." Uzi shrugged. "How's that sound N?"

"Sounds like it will be an easy night then." N nodded. "Let's be sure to rest up so we can fight our best tomorrow!"

"Good way to think, N." 621 assured him. "I imagine tomorrow will be just a bit hectic."

"Well, no other way to make loads of scrip except through hard work." Uzi noted.

"…" V still wanted to know more about 621. Who she was before. What drove her to act the way she did. And a new mystery, that mysterious man who shared her last name. "Raven? I have a question?"

"Hmm? What is it, V?"

"Well…" V hesitated a little. "What do you know about someone who had the title of 'Strayed-'"

"Do NOT invoke the name of the World Eater!" 621 screamed in rage. She turned to stare down at V with dangerous, hate filled eyes. Her voice changed then, growing somber and filled with dread. "It knows what you fear, and takes pleasure in every life it ends."

"…!" Uzi, V, and N were rightfully fearful of that outburst, and the accompanying warning.

"…" 621 sighed, and fell to her knees before V, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Listen…there are terrors and evils that exist in this universe that you should rightfully fear, and that thing is number one at the top of that list, far above all else. It is relentless and terrible and insatiable, and will go through the guilty and the innocent all the same with vicious savagery. And if you ever have the misfortune of standing against it, then just run. Run…and pray that you are not worth it's attention. Otherwise…you will know fear and pain beyond your wildest imagination, as it delights in tearing you apart."

621 stood up, and held V close, rubbing her head almost for comfort. Whether that was to comfort herself or V…was uncertain. "Promise me that you will never utter that name again. Not if you value your sanity…and your soul."

"I…I promise Raven." V uttered stiffly.

"…Thank you." 621 let V go, and slowly shambled away, placing her hand against a wall to steady herself.

She could feel the thing with too many eyes in it's teeth stalking her in her shadow, always closer despite how far she ran.

"V…what was that about?" Uzi asked hesitantly after 621 was far enough away.

"Yeah…she seemed genuinely afraid of…whoever that name was?" N pointed out worriedly.

"I don't know…" V uttered despondently. "But…I get the impression that she knows more than most about who that name is."

Chapter Text

Sol System – In The Belt – Independent Ship Karakum / 2736 – Eleventh Year of the Three Rebellions War

Five hostiles, baring down on them. Three Belter ships hobbled together with shotgun PDCs and external missile racks, and two Martain built ships of the line, a corvette and a destroyer. A hunter-killer squadron sent by Marco Inaros, just for them.

The Karakum was a good ship, a Martian built frigate shaped like a hexagonal brick, fifty meters long, and armed with six PDC gatling guns, two missile launchers, and a keel mounted spinal railgun. However, having previously engaged an improvised missile carrier, their PDC rounds were at twenty percent, their torpedoes were nearly depleted, and one of the forward PDCs was disabled, the ship needing to be brought into port to fix the weapon.

Plus they were hours away from running out of fuel at this burn rate.

It didn't help that they were trying to escort an unarmed civilian vessel with friends onboard. This was a fight they couldn't back down from…and couldn't win.

"Adjust course for the center of the formation. I'm targeting all five." The Captain of the Karakum declared. They were currently on a very noticeable two-G burn, gravity pulling her down into her seat sharply, but not unbearably. "The second I start launching, take us up to max burn for as long as the fuel holds out. We'll go right past them."

"Spreading the love around, lot less likely we hit anything." The pilot complained. "The smartest sk-…the smartest Belters are probably on that destroyer. Better to throw most of what we got at them."

"The goal is to fly through them, and buy as much time as we can for the Razorback." The Captain clarified. "We're not trying to win."

"…I'd rather win." The Pilot shrugged. He and The Captain laughed.

The five ships closed on the Karakum from all sides, leaving no chance to escape. Then something unexpected happened.

The smallest ship in the Free Navy task force, a lump of scrap barely considered corvette weight, fired one torpedo, which swung wide and struck one of the Belter made light freighters in the flank, doing minimal damage and knocking it's drive out.

"…?" The Captain raised a finger in confusion, as she had been prepared to fire off her remaining torpedoes.

"What the fuck?!" The Pilot shouted. "It's go time! Fire!"

"They're firing at each other-"

"Good, let's help!" The Pilot demanded.

"Get ready to come about!" The Catpain ordered. This battle just got even more interesting…and survivable.

The Karakum cut thrust, and flipped end over. It left a sick feeling as her stomach floated up and spun. Then the ship rocketed towards the now confused Belters at ten-Gs, burning hard. She felt forced down heavily in her seat, eyes hard to use. The only thing keeping her going was the excitement of what was to come, and the cocktail of gravity resistant drugs mucking up her system. The fight was on.

The two forces rapidly closed distance. Five thousand clicks. Four thousand. Three thousand.

That tiny Belter ship fired her remaining seven torpedoes, targeting…the Martian built corvette flying Free Navy blue. The Martain ship flown by Inaros loyalist, the Koto, suddenly had it's two PDC gatling guns overwhelmed, and barely shot down all the missiles in time. The distraction had been deadly though, as the Karakum had come at her flank, and fired twice with their railgun.

The Karakum's railgun fired a ten-kilogram shell with such force, that without the main drive active to counteract the force of it firing, the ship would have been sent spinning out of control from recoil alone. The smaller Martain ship was sent tumbling with new holes bored through, it's systems dead.

The five versus one was now looking more like one versus one. One ship disabled, one ship disarmed, one disengaging, and one killed, and they had only fired twice. This was now far more in their favor.

"Corvettes out!" The Captain announced as they closed distance with the rest of the fleet. "Approaching target lock on the heavy!"

The remaining Inaros loyalist ship, the Martain built destroyer Serrio Mal, was similar to the Karakum right up to amid ship. It sacrificed speed and maneuverability for massively expanded forward missile bays, and an additional eight cell VLS launcher in the nose.

The Karakum launched four torpedoes, while the Serrio Mal launched twelve. These weren't shitty Belter made torpedoes designed for disabling ships either. There were high performance Martian torpedoes loaded with high-yield nukes.

Two of the Karakum's torpedoes detonated early, catching four of the Serrio Mal's torpedoes in their detonation range, leaving glowing balls of burning blue nuclear plasma in their wake. The Karakum then fired with two of her PDCs, destroying two torpedoes with 40mm caseless-Teflon-coated-tungsten shells. She then spun, presenting her other three guns to destroy the remaining six torpedoes. It was a tactic to prevent any one of the PDCs from running out of ammo too early, and leaving the ship exposed.

Then, another unexpected thing happened. The Belter ship that had lost thrust at the start of the battle fired all sixteen of it's torpedoes, right up the tail pipe of the Serrio Mal.

Desperately using it's four rear PDCs to spray long streams of fire towards their back, the Serrio Mal was distracted as the Karakum came about, pointing their nose at the ship.

As the Serrio Mal finished cleaning up the traitorous torpedoes coming at them from the rear, the Karakum matched speed, and started orbiting the larger ship. It fired once, twice, three times with it's railgun, leaving long molten scars through the ship's hull, and boring all the way through. The Serrio Mal's guns desperately tracked the Karakum, trying to lead a shot, but were too slow as the smaller, more nimble ship unloaded round after round. Four, five shots, and the larger ship lost thrust. The sixth shot went through the reactor, and set it off.

The Serrio Mal disappeared in a nuclear fireball.

"…Nice to see these Belters stab each other in the back instead of us for once!" The Pilot cheered.

"None of the Belter ships are targeting us anymore." The Captain pointed out calmly.

"I can't wait to hear this story!?" The Pilot wondered excitedly, curious as to why these Belters chose this moment to rebel against Inaros.

The Captain opened a radio channel to the remaining ships in the AO. "Belter hostiles, this is Karakum. Shut down your reactors and stand down immediately or we will engage. Acknowledge."

As they had a moment, the Karakum started taking scans of the remaining ships, and The Captain noticed that she recognized one of them, the one that had thrown this whole battle out of control, and allowed them to survive.

The Tynan. Ashford's old ship.

But…Ashford was dead. Spaced by Marco Inaros in a failed assassination attempt before the start of the Three Rebellions War. So why was his ship here, and who was her Captain?

Then, the Captain of the Tynan called.

"Klein, this is Drummer." Answered another old friend.

Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Tuesday, Claudius 4th, 3175

Between getting new clothes and knowing that her friends and master were there for her, V was fine enough with letting 621 sleep in her own room, so long as she tucked her in, and called her that special word.

That didn't make it easy for Uzi though. If anything, V would silently demand to hold onto Uzi like her own large doll. V seemed to feel both extremely protective of Uzi, and comforted by her presence.

It was certainly a strange set of circumstances, hugging the big Murder Drone girl quite intimately while they slept. But Uzi would be lying if she said she didn't like it. It wasn't something she was used to, true, but it wasn't something she hated either. She was, reluctantly, quite fond of hugging her new friends on this hostile and scary world. That was something she'd never done on Copper IX.

N, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well.

He was very happy that Uzi and V were essentially unspoken best friends at this point, and could find comfort in each other. He was very happy they had a caring and fair master who went out of her way to make sure they felt safe and happy.

But he still felt like a failure.

He couldn't stop Doll. He didn't come up with any plan to save Uzi. He'd been powerless to save V, to keep her from being…tortured. It left him feeling inadequate and impotent. As a man, it ate at his soul feeling like he hadn't done enough. Was it him, or this world? He was a Disassembly Drone, a powerful micro-arsenal of highly focused death, and yet he'd been so powerless and helpless to do anything to keep his friends safe.

He hated that feeling. There wasn't much he could do. Not now anyway. But maybe he could learn something.

Getting out of bed, he quietly made his way up to 621's room. Sometimes he worried about the Hound too. Didn't she ever sleep? He almost always found her awake, hard at work with one thing or another.

"Uh…good morning Raven." N called out, not particularly confidently.

"Mmm, morning N." 621 grumbled, obviously distracted.

"So Raven…I had some questions?" N sheepishly approached the older woman.

"I figured as much." 621 shrugged.

"Yeah…so how can I be stronger?" N questioned.

"…Well as a machine, you are physically capped at whatever strength your creators imbued you with, but I suspect that wasn't what you meant." 621 reasoned. "You're asking how to be more confident and assertive, right? So that you can confront threats?"

"Oh…yeah." N nodded. "Back on Copper IX, I was always able to get away with being really passive and easy going because hunting Workers was a safe and easy job. But…almost everything we face here on Rubicon is a dire threat. I…need to be better prepared, especially if I want to protect my friends."

"Well…you're already part way there. Just remember that you have to consider everyone on this planet as a potential enemy." 621 declared.

"E-Everyone?" N frowned.

"Everyone." 621 confirmed. "Never ask 'if' someone plans to fuck you over, ask 'how' and 'when'. Consider that everyone is looking for an angle to hurt you and your friends."

"Even…even someone like Carla?" N wondered.

"Carla…has allowed herself to become emotionally compromised because she finds you and yours 'cute.'" 621 stated coldly. "But she is first and foremost a businesswoman. She rationalized taking in Worker Drones by putting them to work as indentured servants, and she treats them well to motivate them and prolong their usefulness to her. But if any Worker Drone crosses her, then she won't hesitate to send her new Hound out to hunt."

"I…see." N considered that sadly. "Um…? What else can you tell me? I know you were an admiral before-"

621 stood up sharply, and glared down at N. He shrunk on himself, feeling correctly that he had made a mistake.

"Do not mention my former rank unless I bring it up." 621 demanded. "Much like my name, I sold that part of myself off long ago. I have no rank of honor or command. I am a Hound, designated C4-621."

It was not as angry as she'd been the previous day when V had asked about…someone else's title. That didn't mean that 621 wasn't pissed. She just wasn't yelling at the moment, at least.

"I-I'm sorry Raven." N bowed his head, hiding his eyes.

"…" 621 grunted, and put her hand under his chin, forcing him to look up at her. "And do not cower when you've made a mistake. Stand and accept it."

"Yes Raven…" N nodded, a bit more sure of himself.

There was a beeping at the console, signaling a message.

"Go wake up your squad, Stray Two. We've got work to do." 621 ordered.

While N went down to wake up Uzi and V, 621 checked to see what they would be doing today.

Engage the Doser Fraction – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 100,000 COAM

"It's finally show time!" Carla greeted with her usual enthusiasm. "Today is make or break, tourist! The Junker Coyotes are pouring everything into taking Grid 085 and 086 from me. Fortunately, I have you and that new little Hound of mine to deal with them. While Tessa defends Grid 085, you'll be tasked with defending my main base of operations. Be advised, that they are using RaD MTs, straight off the black market. They might be a pack of dumb animals, but at least they know quality workmanship. Anyway, you know the score, you made this mess, now you get to clean it up…and get even at the same time. I want to see you really break those damn slobbering rats, body and soul. Oh, and another thing, I'd like to split up your squad a little. While I'm keeping my eyes on the exile, Sparky could serve as your Operator, and I'd like to borrow Shepard to help guide Saber, since this will be their first combat sortie. Otherwise, good hunting, tourist."

"Raven…" Ayre whispered in her head. "You should comfort V before you go out. She'll be apprehensive, going up against the Coyotes this time."

"…" 621 grunted, but agreed. She stepped out of her room, and found Uzi and V reluctantly getting out of bed, having just been awoken by N. "Stray Squad!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" They stood at attention nervously. It was their first mission in days, and after they'd had an exceptionally bad turn of their luck.

621 waited until she had descended the stairs, and stood before them. She spoke just a bit more softly than usual. "We'll be once again going up against the Coyotes, putting them down like the rabid dogs they are." She stepped closer to V, and spoke much more softly. "V."

"Y-Yes Raven?" V answered back hesitantly, as she stared up at the taller woman with pained hope.

"Just be my eyes, setara." 621 requested. "No need to get your hands dirty. Stay high and keep a watch on things for me. I need you, Stray One."

"…Alright." V nodded confidently.

621 nodded back to her. Then she continued with her briefing. "Uzi, Carla's going to be busy keeping an eye on her new Hound. I need an Operator, you up for it?"

"Oh, uh, yeah! I can do that!" Uzi shouted confidently after a moment of confusion.

"And N, Carla's new Hound and Stray Four are going on their first combat sortie together. Why don't you go give them a hand for today?" 621 suggested.

"Uh, alright. I don't mind helping J and that Tessa woman out!" N saluted. "I love doing anything!"

"Mmm." 621 hummed. "You've got your matching orders, Stray Squad. Move out!"

Grid 085 - RaD Mercenary Hangar

Tessa was rather reluctant to leave the warm embrace of J so early in the morning. She adored her little Drones. They were cute and sweet and she worried over them and their future on Rubicon.

She was devastated to hear what had happened to V, but there was nothing she could do about it. Carla demanded she stay in Grid 085, and she could not defy her master. She could only hope V's new master was doing all she could to look out for her.

As much as she wanted to stay in bed, cuddling with J, Carla demanded work of her, and she could not refuse.

Engage the Doser Fraction – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 100,000 COAM

"You excited for your first combat sortie, exile?" Carla called excitedly. "I certainly hope so. It's going to be a long day for me. I've got Junker Coyotes muscling their way in both Grid 085 and 086. Your job will be to defend the Drone Sanctuary, and keep the Coyote's filthy hands off my property. Have your little one fly a scout patrol, to keep an eye for whatever might come your way. My sources are saying Grid 086 will get hit harder, but don't let your guard down. Oh, and another thing, I asked the tourist to lend you Sheperd for a bit. He's had a few missions already under his belt, so he'll know what to do, and keep an extra set of eyes on your back. Anyway, I'll see you in a bit. Good hunting, exile."

"J, did you hear that? We'll be working with N today!" Tessa cheered.

"Mmm." J grumbled. "I suppose…it will be good to see him again."

"J…in this case, he is your senior in experience, got it?" Tessa reminded her. "This is our first big mission together, so let's not let Carla down, okay J?"

"Okay. Got it boss." J nodded at Tessa.

Engage the Doser Fraction – "Cinder" Carla / Grid 085 – Western Belius / Tuesday, Claudius 4th, 3175

Launching nearly directly from her hangar, Tessa and J met N in the loading area near the Worker Drone Sanctuary.

"Hello J! Tessa woman!" N called cheerfully. "Oh, you're using that AC?"

What Tessa and J had done for the last few days was repaint the tank AC 621 had brought to Grid 085 the previous Wednesday in a white and grey color scheme, and replaced the "Delivery Boy" cruise missile launcher for a regular twelve cell VLS launcher.

"Hello N! Good to be working with you!" Tessa called out joyfully from within the AC.

"N…" J hissed. "Per the orders of my master, you're taking point on this op. You'll be the main scout, keeping overwatch on things while I support. Don't let me down."

"Don't worry J! I've got lots of experience scouting for ACs!" N assured her.

"Hey there kids!" Carla called excitedly over the radio. "You having fun there catching up with Saber and my exile, Sheperd? Good, because you've got a lot of incoming. Mostly light stuff, so it should be plenty easy for you to deal with. Sheperd, spread out and start counting the incoming threats. Saber, loiter over the AC and keep an eye on your master's back. That tank AC is tough, but slow to respond to flanking attacks. Exile, don't think too hard about killing these Coyotes. You've got big guns and a lot of armor, so just plow them down. How copy?"

"Copy!" Tessa, N, and J responded.

"That's our que, let's go J!" N led the way, spreading his wings and quickly taking flight.

"Ugh…" J hissed, but spread her wings and followed.

"Alright! This is Bad Dingo, launching!" Tessa announced, activating the combat mode on the AC.

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

The tank AC rocketed forward, ready to intercept the Coyotes forces.

"Got lots of RaD MTs inbound." N noted. "Also…heavily modified BAWS light MTs?"

"Punchers and Kickers." Carla clarified. "I thought it would be funny to up-armor the most useless of the BAWS MTs into decent threats. They're faster than normal MTs, and dangerous at close range, so don't get complacent exile."

The base model BAWS bipedal MT, sometimes referred to as a chicken walker, was a slow and ponderous machine armed with a single 30mm autocannon. The "Puncher" was instead armed with two 60mm autocannons, while the "Kicker" was armed with two three-cell bazookas and a pair of pile bunkers on it's ankles. Both of the RaD modified MTs were also much quicker than the standard variant, and more heavily armored.

The Coyote scouts noticed Tessa arriving, and announced her presence.

"Hey! We got an AC!" One of Coyotes shouted in surprise.

"Never seen one like that before." Another Coyote purred. "Must have got a sweet deal from Carla!"

"Send in the Punchers and Kickers!" A woman shouted angrily.

Several platoons worth of MTs started pouring down into the loading dock, with Tessa holding the line. She sent several high explosive shells into their lines, blowing them away and forcing them to scatter.

"It really makes me wonder why my custom MTs keep ending up in Coyote hands. I'm going to have to look into that later." Carla noted calmly.

While the Punchers kept Tessa's attention on them, the Kickers moved into flanking position, all the while, RaD built tetrapod MTs started raining missile volleys across the docks.

"Tessa, keep an eye on your flank, those Kickers are moving in!" J alerted her.

"Yep, I see it!" Tessa responded appreciatively, backing off slightly to keep the Kickers MTs from flanking her. She gunned them down with a back mounted gatling gun.

Carla had planned this operation well, as throwing MTs, even custom, heavily upgraded MTs against a tank AC was a worthless endeavor, as Tessa proved by mowing through the Coyotes lines.

"D-Damnit! This wasn't part of the plan!" One of the Coyotes cursed.

"Can't stand the sound of a whining Coyote. Finish them off, exile." Carla demanded.

"G-Got it!" Tessa hissed, getting annoyed with the distant MT's firing missile volleys after her. She moved in closer to engage, firing one of her own missile volleys, the VLS launcher bypassing the frontal armor of the enemy MT, and killing the first one.

"This should be an easy first mission for you, exile, so I withdrew my own MTs for the moment. So don't embarrass me and lose your head now." Carla informed her casually.

Even with that warning, Tessa got a bit power drunk, as she blasted MTs apart with high-yield ordnance. Charging down another of the missile armed RaD MTs, she ignored the Kicker next to it, that managed to get in close enough to fire both pile bunkers into the side of Tessa's AC, causing it to stagger.

"Ah!" Tessa shouted as she lost control for a moment. The remaining Coyotes moved in to try and capitalize on the easy prey.

"Tessa!" J screamed, and dove down to get between Tessa and the enemy MT.

"J! Wait!" N tried to warn her against that action.

But J wasn't listening, and dove down on the Kicker MT, getting behind it to fire her pulse-wave laser directly into it's knee joint, destroying the component and toppling the MT. Unfortunately, in doing so, she'd made herself an easy target for a Puncher MT, which fired on her.

J blocked the shot with her wings, which saved her life, but destroyed her wings, and sprawled her out away from Tessa's AC.

"Hey! Someone go squash that dumb bug!" The Coyotes called out, and changed targets.

"Sheperd, you better get in there." Carla advised calmly.

"Yes ma'am!" N answered promptly, diving in after J.

The Puncher MT that shot J down lined up on her, and tried to trample her under it's feet.

"Don't fucking touch her!" Tessa screamed, and plowed into the Puncher MT, crushing it under her treads. She then turned around and fired both artillery cannons over J's head, destroying another pair of MTs, then racked the enemy line with her gatling gun.

N swooped in near J while Tessa provided covering fire, and picked her up in his arms, dragging her to safety far above the battlefield.

"Got you!" N cheered as he saved J.

"Hmm! Y-You dork!" J hissed indignantly, and let slip a soft, "Thanks…"

"No problem, J!"

With J safety off the field, Tessa was free to eliminate the remaining Coyotes forces. She switcher her VLS launcher to multi-lock mode, and fired a wide barrage of missiles across the battlefield, destroying the smaller MTs and staggering the heavier ones. With their support wiped out, Tessa made quick work of the remaining MTs, blowing them up or gunning them down with the heavy weapons on the tank AC.

"Looks like it's over. Guess I was right to pick you for this job." Carla reported, signaling an end to combat operations. "Looks like the tourist has just about finished up as well. That was sure a doozy."

"Wait? What happened!?" N shouted. "Are V and Raven okay?!"

Engage the Doser Fraction – "Cinder" Carla / Grid 086 – Western Belius / Tuesday, Claudius 4th, 3175

"Okay um…" Uzi panicked just a little, and furious typing could be heard where she was in the RaD headquarters. "Sorry uh…never served as Operator before, ehehe."

"Just keep an eye on my sensors and my AC's diagnostics, Stray Three." 621 advised. "Stay calm. I need your eyes to watch what I can't when I'm distracted. Stray One?"

"Ah! Yes Raven?" V looked up to the AC hesitantly.

"You know the drill, setara." 621 nodded down to her. "Keep your eyes on the battle and whatever comes my way. It's a big help, having you two along."

"Thank you Raven!" Uzi and V cheered a bit at being told they were doing good.

"Don't worry." Ayre said calmly. "I'll also keep an eye on you, and pick up the slack for Uzi. We're in this together, Raven."

"Okay V…" Uzi called out. "I'm just going to call you by Carla's callsign. Specter, head up and start counting the enemy. Looks like we have inbound."

"Roger that, Sparky!" V deployed her wings confidently, and took off, flying ahead to scout out the incoming enemy.

"Raven, time to get out there and kick ass!" Uzi cheered. "Show them how it's done!"

"…" 621 grunted, and started her AC.

/MAIN SYSTEM: ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE

"Looks like the Coyotes sent us their heavy hitters." V announced, marking the enemy. "Counting four BAWS tetrapods. One sniper variant, two gatling variant, and one armored variant."

"Recommend dealing with the gatling variants first, Raven." Uzi advised. "You don't want to be suppressed by their heavy firepower. Specter, can you disable that sniper cannon again?"

"I-I can try, as soon as Raven get's in there." V confirmed.

"Don't hold back Raven, show them what you can do." Ayre added.

"…" 621 launched her AC into the combat zone, and intercepted the attacking Coyote heavy MTs.

"Hold up, Carla has another AC?" One of the Coyotes complained. "I thought our forces in the other Grid had that Hound tied up?"

"This must be one of her newbies." Another Coyoted dismissed. "Just kill them quick and we can attack the RaD HQ!"

"…" 621 targeted the closest gatling armed MT, and fired on it with double-mortars and missiles. It did some damage, but not enough as she had to evade the combined firepower of four heavy MTs. Fortunately, her bipedal AC was quick enough to dodge the worst of their shots. Having gotten through the worst of it, 621 dove back into the engagement, focusing on the damaged MT. She fired another volley of missiles and her shotgun, staggering the heavy MT, then got in close and finished it off with a swipe of her laser blade.

"One down!" Uzi announced, keeping tally. "Keep it up Raven!"

"…" 621 disengaged, and fired on the other gatling MT from long range, slowly bleeding it's armor as she dodged heavy shots from the remaining three MTs. While they were distracted, V dove on the sniper variant at the back, and planted an explosive on the loading mechanism for it's main gun. She didn't waste any time to stick around, and immediately took flight. The next time the MT fired with it's main gun, it exploded on it's roof.

"Ah, dammit! That stupid rat drone took out my main gun!" The MT pilot complained.

"Hold up, I got you!" The remaining gatling MT turned around, and tried to get a target lock on V. 621 boosted forward quickly, and speared her laser blade through his cockpit block from behind.

"That's two now. Good work Raven." Ayre added.

"Shit!" The armored MT cursed. "We're hella outmatched here! Who the hell is this!?"

"Do you think it's that mad Hound? The one who killed Kothari's brother?"

"N-No way! That chick was supposed to be an absolute psycho! No way someone like Carla would keep that beast around!"

"…" While the Coyotes panicked, 621 worked her way back towards the damaged sniper MT, and engaged it. It swung at her with it's heavy laser blade, which she was easily able to evade, and unloaded even more ordnance at it at close range, causing it to stagger. She then rushed forward, and pressed her shotgun against it's cockpit block, and fired through it.

"F-Fuck! Oh fuck!" The armored MT panicked, keeping their shield and submachinegun pointed at 621 as they held down the trigger, trying to keep the dangerous Hound away from their fragile flanks. "Come on, you want some of this motherfucker!?"

"Hang on, I can help a bit." V called out. She dove down on the remaining tetrapod MT and threw a magnetic-explosive charge onto it's left arm, then swooped under the mech and fired into one of it's rear legs joints with her pulse-wave laser. The heavy MT lost it's shield when the explosive went off, and staggered. V quickly took off again, making room for 621 to finish off the MT.

The MT left vulnerable, 621 fired a full volley of her weapons, then speared her blade through the MT, earning the kill.

"That's all of them." Ayre announced. "Good to see V doing so well. I think she likes working with you, Raven."

"…"

"Alright! Coyote heavies wiped out!" Uzi cheered. "Way to go on that assist Specter! How's it feel being back out in the field?"

"Ah…it feels good, to be working again." V answered.

"Good to hear!" Uzi smiled. "Alright Raven, proceed to…wait. New contact on radar. Specter, go check it out."

"Copy that!" V quickly followed the direction indicated by Uzi, staying high as she spotted the approaching enemy. "AC inbound, and fast. Looks like a Melander, Balam medium-weight bipedal, armed with a submachinegun, rail-rifle, four-cell launcher, and uh…a pulse buckle?"

V tracked the single boxy medium weight AC as it approached 621 in flight mode. It was red and blue, and marked as a member of the Redguns.

"Huh…? You're the freelancer from the dam raid." G5 Iguazu noticed, coming in for a landing at a stand-off distance from 621. "And here I thought I'd just make some extra scrip. Guess I can settle the score at the same time." He purred excitedly.

"Looks like the Coyotes hired an AC…G5 Iguazu, currently marked as AWOL from the Redguns." Uzi announced as she looked up the information. "Rank 19/D, not great, not terrible."

"…" 621 grunted in response to Iguazu's challenge. Just another rabid dog to be put down then.

621 and Iguazu started exchanging fire, maneuvering around each other to get their hits. 621 was more accurate and could evade better, but Iguazu had that pulse buckle shield generator, lowering it intermittently to block her missiles and mortars. They were not evenly matched, but Iguazu could at least hold his own, long enough to be a pain in the ass.

"Y'know I really owe ya one…" Iguazu mocked, coasting away as he used his submachinegun to keep constant pressure on 621. Each of his weapons was lighter with quicker reloads, meaning he could always have at least one gun firing, while 621 had to evade and opportunistically fire her weapons, and try and get in close. "You got lucky at the Dam, and I'm gonna prove it."

"…" 621 fired down on him with her mortars, breaking his shield, and rushing in close to fire at him with her shotgun. It did decent damage, but Iguazu managed to slip away and return fire with his rail-rifle, forcing 621 to evade again.

"You're gonna die, freelancer!" Iguazu declared, firing a long volley to try and stagger 621. In response, she sent a wave of missiles his way, trying to slow him down while she waited for her mortars to reload.

It was a tedious battle, but 621 was confident in her abilities, to be able to wear down Iguazu and cut him down.

"Raven!" V shouted. "Inbound stealth machines! Almost on top of you and G5!" She warned desperately. "Counting-AH!"

"Stray One!?" 621 broke off an attack run on Iguazu to worry about V for a second. "Stray One, report!?"

"V was just intercepted by a high-speed contact!" Uzi reported worriedly. "It's dragging her out of the AO! Shit! There's interference in the sensors! You're about to be ambushed, Raven!"

A long blue wave of plasma cut through the air on the end of a plasma whip, right between 621 and Iguazu.

"Huh?!" Iguazu broke off his attack in confusion.

"New hostiles detected!" Ayre warned. Just over a hundred meters away, was the barely perceivable shape of an invisible mech, it's laser weapons charging. Further away on either end of the transit line 621 and Iguazu had been fighting on, were several invisible snipers, noticed only as they charged their laser cannons.

"[Encrypted Traffic]." The invisible machines selected their targets, and prepared to fire.

"What the hell?!" G5 Iguazu complained. "Tsk! They're all over us! Help me out, or we're both dead!"

"…" 621 was more worried about V than either herself or Iguazu. But she couldn't deal with that right now, and had to focus on the threats in front of her. Reluctantly, she started chasing the invisible melee machine pursuing Iguazu, working together to destroy the mysterious foe.

V wasn't entirely sure at first what happened, as she had been rammed at high speed and dragged away from the AO, towards another distant transit line on one of Grid 086's subsectors. However, looking down she could see the arms of a Disassembly Drone, holding her.

"Let go of me!" V shouted, shaking off her attacker. She came to a stop on the transit line, and confronted her interloper. "Who are-! Wait…is that you, S?"

Before her, was Serial Designation S. A male Disassembly Drone from a squad on a distant part of Copper IX…and V's old memories. He was dressed like a biker with a leather jacket and black jeans, and streaked back silver hair.

However, what concerned V were the tech augments that were affixed to…no…drilled into his body. Inserted painfully into his shell at various points along his chest, arms, and legs. Even an extra visor over his eyes, that looked like it was stuck into his head, giving him an expanded optical suite, and there was an antenna attached to his back. Tech that looked similar to that used on the stealth machines that kept showing up to attack 621. And his control collar, instead of glowing in Coral red, hummed a sickly green instead.

"Hello V…" S frowned, his eyes looking dim and tired. "I'm…sorry, but I have to…dispose of you. I have…my orders."

"Like hell!" V shouted back, extending her wings. Being the subtype that she was, she knew she could evade him and get back to 621.

"I'm afraid…I can't allow that." S appeared to struggle to raise his arm, fighting against the action. A hand terminal on his arm activated.

/ADMINISTRATOR OVERRIDE

/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS LOCKED

"Oww! Shit!" V cursed as her wings forcibly retracted and her control collar burned.

"Please…don't make this difficult." S begged sadly. "I promise to be quick about it."

"…!" V backed up, suddenly fearful again. Stuck without access to her wings or weapons, against an overwhelmingly superior foe…

But this wasn't like before. She still had her development kit for working with 621. A handful of grenades and heavier explosives, and a fully automatic .45 caliber handgun. Pulling 621's gun from her holster, V made her stand.

"Just try me!" V shouted back. "Pashangwala!"

It was difficult to ascertain, but it appeared that there were at least twelve invisible machines stalking her and G5 Iguazu. Four melee types with heavy energy shielding and plasma whips, and eight snipers with powerful laser cannons at either end of the transit line.

Uzi and Ayre were working hard to keep her ahead of possible attacks, highlighting the charge of the enemy's energy weapons with a clear and loud warning. The biggest difficulty that 621 was facing at the moment, however, was keeping Iguazu alive.

He was just good enough that he could definitely kill some of the stealth machines, but not enough to survive. It wasn't that 621 wanted him to live either. Having him around gave the stealth machines something else to shoot at, and made it easier for her to maneuver.

Otherwise, the only other good news was that she could see these stealth machines at close range, their invisibility having limited functionality during close quarters combat.

While Iguazu started pursuing the snipers at one end of the transit line, 621 bared down on the melee type on his flank. She couldn't spend too long dealing with these machines, as she had melee types on her tail as well, but she was confident in her ability to evade them. Blasting the enemy before her with each of her guns, she broke it's shield down, and ran it through the head with her laser blade.

At the same time, Iguazu loaded his weapons, and mag-dumped the closest sniper, cutting it down with a combination of 50mm submachinegun and 90mm rail-rifle rounds. He coasted away, reloading his weapons while firing a missile volley at the next sniper in the line.

621 had to disengage from Iguazu's side, defending herself from one of the melee types following her a bit too close for comfort. Boosting upwards to evade the plasma whip, 621 fired down with her double-mortar, then at point blank range with her shotgun, breaking it's shield. She then kicked it to disorient it, before striking it repeatedly with her laser blade to destroy it.

His weapons reloaded, Iguazu focused down a second sniper, and tore it apart with another long stream of bullets. Unfortunately, he had been so focused on killing the easy targets he hadn't noticed 621 leave him momentarily to defend herself, and was punished for it by taking flanking damage from a melee type he wasn't watching.

"Nnn! Dammit!" Iguazu hissed, boosting back away from the melee type and towards 621. They were still outnumbered eight-to-two, and Iguazu wasn't sure he could afford to take anymore hits. 621 was still doing fine, however, and was easily evading the enemy again and again, and was already moving to engage the next closest melee type.

He had an epiphany then, and it made him angry. How dare this damn, nameless Hound outfight him against impossible odds.

"irregular…" Iguazu spat. "If I won't survive this, then I'll take you to hell with me!"

"Raven, look out!" Ayre warned too late.

"…?!" 621 had been engaged when Iguazu decided to turn on her, at such a close range he could easily aim for her cockpit block. It was only a last second twist of motion that brought her left arm up, tanking the shots that would have otherwise killed her. Still, the unexpected attack had caused considerable damage.

/CRITICAL WARNING: VP-67LD OFFLINE

"…Tsk." 621 hissed in annoyance as her laser blade had taken critical damage and was inoperable. She could temporarily repair the armor with a repair-pack, but more complicated components would have to be repaired or replaced in the hangar.

"Raven! Your laser blade just went offline!" Uzi shouted worriedly. "Damn that traitor, is he trying to die!?"

"…" Down a weapon and with a new enemy to deal with, the odds were not in her favor. Even so, she tightened her grip on the controls, and stared down her enemies hatefully.

"Hang on…new contact inbound, closing fast!" Uzi alerted.

"I think it's an AC Raven! But who could…!?" Ayre had noticed that as well, alerting 621 to the incoming contact.

Before either Iguazu or any of the invisible machines could make their next move, a volley of medium missiles slammed into Iguazu's back, and disoriented him.

"What the-!? Who is this bastard!?" Iguazu cursed, turning towards the new threat.

Closing fast and low, slipping between the invisible machines, was another 2000 series AC like the one 621 was using, but with a different head part. It fired it's own double-mortar Songbird into an invisible sniper, destroying it, while it used it's heavy rifle to gun down a second.

"Don't think you can get between me and my mark!" Iguazu warned the newcomer, firing with both handheld weapons. The grey armored AC rapidly approaching just weaved between the bullets, and fired another wave of missiles that Iguazu blocked with his shield.

However, when the smoke from those missiles cleared, the new AC was right on top of Iguazu, having boosted forward when he wasn't looking.

"Huh-!?" Iguazu only had a moment to gasp as the new AC kicked him in the head, damaging his sensor suite. It then spun on the spot and charged it's left arm weapon, a pile bunker, to fire a piercing metal stake ten meters long into Iguazu's left arm, ripping the arm off the AC.

"Ack! D-Damn you-!" Iguazu shouted, but the AC wasn't done, as it rammed into the damaged AC, and knocked him from the transit line. "Goddammit! This isn't over freelancer! You haven't heard the last of me!"

Iguazu would be fine, even having been thrown from the AO. However, that wasn't what 621 was thinking about, as she regarded the interloper, the grey armored AC that she recognized.

"…Nightfall." Ayre recognized them as well, as 621 and Nightfall exchanged a nod. They were still surrounded by invisible machines, so there was no time for rest.

621 picked up Iguazu's submachinegun with her left hand, and went back to work.

Though S held a mobility advantage over her with his wings, V was still very nimble and swift. She wasn't trying to run away either, just stay out of his line of fire long enough for 621 to finish off the enemy and then come rescue her.

She had to believe that 621 could overcome the enemy. She had to.

Fortunately, there were quite a few trains here for her to hide between, so she did just that. Running from machinegun fire, V slipped below a train car and just barely dodged a missile, then kept going for more cover.

"What the hell happened to you S!?" V called out as she ran. "Who did this to you?!"

"Upgraded…by…administrator." S answered painfully. "Following…new…directive."

"Oh yeah!? And what directive is that!?" V demanded as she looked for more cover to escape behind.

S landed roughly right in front of her, wings hanging by his sides menacingly as he stared down at her tiredly, baring his fangs in a pained expression.

"Eliminate all aberrations…to the plan." S declared with hate not his own, as he set his sights on V.

V was quicker on the draw, and had fired three rounds. S swung his wing forward and blocked the bullets with his blade like feathers, then pulled his wing back to fire at V with one of his inbuilt submachine guns.

Leaping back while watching where he was aiming, V dodged between the bullets as she pulled back into cover, diving out of his line of sight around the corner of the train.

She was going to keep running, only to see a missile curve around the corner. This confused her for a moment, as the missile was going too fast to turn around and hit her, and was already well clear of her. She barely noticed that something was being dragged in it's wake however, a wire with several small objects attached to it.

V found out the hard way that those "objects" were explosive submunitions of the thermobaric type, which exploded uncomfortable close and staggered her, leaving her vulnerable.

S rounded the corner quickly and stalked after her as she tried to get up and crawl away. He deployed another weapon from his left arm, a miniature plasma whip normally used by ACs, and started twirling it about like a lasso, before he threw it at V and snagged her by the leg.

"Ksss!" V hissed in pain as the plasma whip burned her, while S dragged her back and stood on her chest.

"I am…truly sorry V." S hesitated slightly, deploying one of his long claws. "But my will…is no longer my own." He raised his claws high-

A shot rang out, and S lost his head, falling backwards and off of V. V sat up quickly and looked where the shot had come from.

Across the transit line, there appeared to be a person…no…a Worker Drone behind the scope of a high caliber rifle. There was a second Worker Drone besides the first, waving at her and gesturing her over.

Confused but appreciating the help, V untangled herself from the plasma whip and quickly ran towards the two Worker Drones. She knew S would only be down for a moment, and wanted to meet her new allies of circumstance.

The two Worker Drones were…featureless. Default white eyes that alternated between S and V imperceivably. They were wearing black tactical gear over their small frames, and carrying a small arsenal between them. Older model control collars not utilizing Coral affixed tightly to their necks. Instead of hard hats, they wore military helmets with optics affixed above their foreheads.

There were only two identifying marks on their forms. Their callsigns, which appeared to be Baggins and Gamgee, and a patch on their shoulders, with a single word.

BRANCH

"Hey! Thanks for the assist!" V greeted happily. "Be ready, S won't be down for long!"

"…" Baggins and Gamgee just shrugged dismissively, glaring at her, before turning their weapons back on S's still form. It seemed neither of them were very talkative.

V rolled her eyes, and held her handgun at the ready as well, a little more confident with any support, even if it was just Worker Drones.

Seeing as she had lost her melee weapon, 621 was relegated to a support role while Nightfall went on the offensive, hunting down the remaining melee types.

Getting between 621 and one of the melee types, Nightfall fired their double-mortar and medium missiles at point blank range, breaking the shields of the invisible machine. Left staggered, the enemy was helpless as Nightfall charged their pile bunker to full power, and thrust the weapon into the melee type's chest. The stake from the weapon ripped through the melee type, and burst out it's back. Nightfall shook it's arm, dislodging the dead machine.

"Woah…I want a pile bunker!" Uzi cried over the radio, admiring how Nightfall pulverized it's enemies.

"…" 621 had not been sitting idle. Having tracked down one of the invisible snipers, she fired on it with her stolen submachinegun, bleeding it's armor, then got close enough to kick it in the face. Fully disabled, she shoved her shotgun it it's face, and fired, putting a hole through it's big head.

Whatever these stealth machines were, it seemed that Nightfall really had it out for them. On it's way to deal with the remaining melee enemy, it unloaded both mortars and missiles into one sniper, blasting it apart. It then rushed a second sniper nearby, and fired a "half" powered pile bunker attack, which staggered the stealth machine and left it vulnerable. Nightfall then speared it's heavy rifle through the sniper mech, and fired into it's insides, tearing it apart.

621 pounced on the last sniper mech. Staggering it from a distance with her mortars, she got in close, and stuck the barrel of her submachinegun directly into it's "face", and dumped the mag, cutting it's head in half.

The last melee type put up a little fight, flinging it's plasma whip at Nightfall to keep the AC at bay. The grey AC jumped and hovered briefly, firing down with it's dual-mortar to weaken the enemy's energy shield, then boosted forward, and thrust it's heavy rifle through the shield, firing directly into the knee joint of the stealth machine, staggering it. The machine lashed out with it's plasma whip desperately and blindly, which Nightfall easily dodged back from. It used the opportunity to fully charge it's pile bunker, and deliver a devastating blow that destroyed the enemy, and threw them over the edge of the transit line.

"That's the last of them Raven. No hostiles detected." Ayre advised.

"Damn…what a fight." Uzi commented. "You should be clear Raven."

"…" 621 regarded her mysterious ally, the AC Nightfall. Twice now they'd intervened in no-hope situations. Who was this Hound, and what did they want?

Nightfall nodded to her quickly, then took off, flying away from the transit line.

"Now go pick up V, Raven!" Uzi suggested. "She's just a few miles away!"

"…" 621 activated the flight mode, and went after V.

Even with the assistance of two heavily armed Worker Drones, it was no small task taking on Serial Designation S.

With all the added tech affixed to his body, he was displaying abilities she was wholly unfamiliar with.

While one Worker Drone, Gamgee, stayed back to use their anti-material rifle, Baggins stayed on the hunt near V, using a light machinegun that seemed almost too large for them to be carrying.

After regrowing his head, S had taken off to momentarily reassess the situation, before diving down on V and Baggins. He switched one of his hands out for a pulse-wave laser cannon…or so V thought it was.

As she attempted to dodge beneath the expected wave of energy, part of his tech augments reached forward on his arm, and inserted themselves into the side of his laser cannon. S hissed painfully as the weapon that was part of his body was pierced, then aimed with it.

Instead of a single long wave of a yellow cutting laser, S's laser cannon fired heavy blue bolts of plasma. The unexpected change surprised V, and she turned to take one of the bolts to her shoulder.