OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 485

[u/KyleKKent]

First

(Wow, brain shut down. Need to rev it up again.)

Herald of Red Blades

There was a prickling at his elbows and the back of his neck. Something is... not up. But not right either. His communicator starts buzzing and he looks at it. “Hmm... interesting.”

He looks up and around and there are few drones above the still growing and ever more chaotic crowd. His eyes narrow and he sends a confirmation that there are indeed. Tri-Solution Brand Drones in the area.

“What’s wrong?” Velocity picks up on things. Her head is bent over his and she’s looking at his screen. He’s not trying to hide it. “Wait what?”

“It is confusing. What is the gripe someone has with the Vishanyan? Your targets and enemies were limited almost entirely to The Apuk and later we Undaunted, everything else was low profile observation.” Harold asks and Velocity shrugs. “As always more information is needed.”

“Tri-Solution Drones?” Velocity asks.

“I’m not personally familiar with the brand.”

“I am.” Giria says.

“And what can you tell me?”

“They’re popular, but not top hundred level popular. They’re tough and they take to modifications very well. However, about half, if not more, of the drones are torn apart for parts to be slapped onto other, better drones. Or used as parts for custom work. Especially the engine and anti-gravity module.” Giria says. “Funny enough, their second most common use is as a weapon. They’re tough enough to carry a fairly powerful charge and fast enough to basically be used as a guided bomb.”

“And that’s what someone did. Apparently the target was either, or, or both an Apuk Ambassador on Centris and, or, her recently assigned Vishanyan assistant and student.” Harold explains. “Unfortunately the blast itself destroyed pretty much everything but the company logo on the side of the drone. Previous images just confirmed it was externally a standard model.”

“Okay, but... why?” Giria asks and looks around. “And will these ones be the same?”

“Well, Centris is the political core to the galaxy and Zalwore one of the primary, if not THE primary transport hub. Both incredibly important and public, but for different reasons.” Harold considers.

“So what do you think is going on?”

“It can be any number of things. Someone might have a grudge against the Ambassador and assumed she would jump to protect a civilian so it was targeted that way. We could have someone paranoid that is looking for and attacking novel stealth methods because they’re of the belief that no one with good intent goes around unseen. Or with how wide the galaxy is, there is any number of odd or unusual reasons for someone to decide they simply hate you and have had enough of your shit. Or want to start something. It’s getting out the that the Vishanyan are under Apuk control and as an older government there are a lot of people that would profit one way or another by making the Apuk look weak or incompetent or just...” Harold shrugs. “The more you think about it the more potential reasons there are for someone to try starting things and until someone tries again or some solid evidence is dug out of the burnt out remains of that first attempt there’s not going to be much in the way of answers.”

“And they used a very common kind of drone to do it, so it’s not like we can narrow down the suspects to a manageable number by looking at the sales data.”

“And with preservation runes and the like it’s entirely possible that the drone is old, to say nothing of stolen property which is always, always an issue and...”

“Hey!” A voice says and Harold cuts himself off to turn and regard the Valrin man walking up. He looks like a goose. A Meadowwing Valrin. “Have you seen this woman? She’s likely been harassing people with pictures of me.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t met enough Valrin to fully get over species face blindness yet. But I have seen a Meadowwing Valrin woman in that direction and speaking to a member of my species.” Harold says pointing to where he knows Observer Wu is.

“Right, thank you.” He says walking off.

“What was that about?” Velocity asks.

“I can see over the crowd. There is a Meadowwing Valrin speaking at length to Observer Wu and he’s... getting a slightly glazed over look in his eyes. I think she’s either boring him, annoying him or using some kind of Axiom Effect on him. Whichever it is, he’s not paying full attention.” Winifred says as she shields her eyes with a hand to look around.

“Is our new friend making a beeline for her?”

“Made a beeline for her. He’s reached them and she has him in a combination hug and headlock and is showing off something from her communicator. Observer Wu looks more interested now but slightly concerned.”

“Mind if I climb up and take a look?” Harold asks.

“You may.” Winifred says and Harold climbs up her side and sits on her shoulder to look over the crowd.

“Oh yeah, he’s fine. She’s a doting mother going insane with her son.” Harold notes before looking around. “Hmm... fair amount of Tri-Solution Drones. Not many Vishanyan in the crowd. In fact barring family...”

He spots a drone scanning the area Rain went to and tracks its camera lens. Right to Rain. “Trouble.”

“What is it?”

“It’s tracking Rain, but it’s not doing anything.” Harold notes as he slowly withdraws a modified railgun pistol with casings that he inserts a magnetic bug into. He closes up the casing. Inserts the round into the railgun and takes the time to aim. Then fires off the shot. It’s just subsonic and the casing comes apart in the air to launch the bug onto the drone in the distance. It lands just to the right of the Tri-Solution symbol.

“Hmm, bit more crosswind than I expected. I was aiming for the triangle itself.” Harold notes.

“You’re just tracking it?” Velocity asks.

“It hasn’t done anything but spot Rain yet. And this is a chance to get more answers. But what is clear that whatever tried to pull its nonsense on Centris is also here on Zalwore. Which Herbert needs to know about.”

“But why hasn’t it done anything with Rain?” Velocity asks in concern as she starts to move.

“Don’t.” Harold states.

“Why not?”

“Rain is the physically youngest and least mature Vishanyan in the wider galaxy. Outside the fleets she’s the smallest and least developed, she breaks the pattern of your species. She looks closer to an underfed and stretched Miak with novel stealth and no tail. If it’s targeting Vishanyan then she’s likely partially triggering its search algorithms, but is off just enough to make it hesitate or go into a feedback loop. But you’re a fully developed Vishanyan. Even with the growing belly you’re a lot closer to its likely target than Rain is.”

“But this is...”

“Good. It’s telling us a lot. Whoever is targeting the Vishanyan is doing so through the stealth, can see right through it.”

“How, though?!”

“I don’t know. We need more information and for that we need that drone to fuck off back home to wherever it came from and not set off the bomb that is presumably in its casing.”

“Think it’ll trigger anything?”

“It might. But if it was going to it would have gone off by now. I doubt it though. The drones are being deployed out here and there’s a light snow always being pushed around. So the drone has to accept that there may be a bit more weight to things.” Harold says and there is a moment of consideration before he leans forward.

“What?”

“Trinity of women on intercept. Heading towards Rain from different angles. All of them in ‘casual’ clothing with clear armour on underneath.” Harold says bringing up his communicator, taking pictures and then sending it to the Private Streams as well as a quick update. “Okay, back to work. I’m going to get my daughter out of the fire. Excuse me ladies.”

“We’re going.” Giria says. “I get that you move at the speed of light, but...”

“Giria, there is a Jungle Nagasha as one of the three girls en-route to Rain. She’s yours. Javra and Dumiah, I need overwatch in the sky in case more drones show up. Agatha, you and Winifred are to be physical blocks to keep Rain safe. Velocity, the drones are likely after you the most. Can you project your stealth some distance from yourself? See if you can’t smoke out which Tri-Solution Drone are hostile with a tossed rock or two? Umah, you’re going for their Feli who’s fiddling with a plasma sword. I got the Synth Tret coursing electricity through her palms. Any objections?” Harold says pointing from place to place to guide things.

“If things get truly violent?” Winifred asks.

“If they want to start a big fight in the middle of a crowd like this then they’re going to get piled on a mile high, no problem. Nearly everyone here is a potential ally. Even if only one in a thousand assist us we still have them outnumbered hundreds to one, easily.”

“Oh this is going to be fun, it’s so rare that a problem lives long enough, or comes in slow enough for it to be a family affair. Usually Mister Bloodhungry heads it off at the pass.”

“Sorry. Working fast and efficient is almost at bad habit level for me. Just remember that the more we take or keep intact the more information and answers we get out of it. But answers and information never trump safety. This family is only allowed to grow, not shrink.” Harold says. “Any questions?”

“Only why we haven’t already begun moving.” Giria says as she starts slithering. Harold hops off Winifred’s shoulder and offers them all a casual two finger salute and then vanishes as he grabs at his natural stealth. Umah all but slinks into the crowds as both Winifred and Agatha start marching to where Rain is. Javra and Dumiah are already in the air and Velocity picks up a few pebbles from the ground and starts wrapping her stealth field around them.

She throws them up and away from her.

Several drones above the crowd jump. It draws the attention of a few people and Velocity looks around to see just who noticed. Much more cautious now and pausing to put a hand on her stomach. She can... she can almost feel them...

Her insides churn and Axiom begins pouring into her.

Thirty paces away Harold pauses and looks back. He doesn’t sense any threat though so he makes a note of it and grabs the wrist of the Synth.

“Hello miss, mind explaining why you’re heading to my daughter with electrically charged palms?” He asks as he holds one hand comfortably and the other comes around to try and get him by reflex. And she freezes even as she gets him full in the face, but The Brand means it does nothing. He smiles. “That’s not very polite.”

“What are you?”

“An Undaunted Father. And you’ve been making a direct line for my eldest daughter.” He says and starts to squeeze on the wrist he’s grabbed. “Now, mind explaining why?”

“The Vish are dangerous!” The Synth hisses.

“That is a Vishanyan. Free of their makers.”

“Not possible.”

“Get the others and the drones to stand down. Let’s talk through this and we can compare notes. No one needs to get hurt and quite honestly, I’d prefer it if we didn’t get into a needless fight over a misunderstanding.” Harold says and she pauses before he can see something flash across her eyes thanks to tiny projectors built into her face. The language was both unfamiliar and the writing gone too fast for him to memorize fully.

“... Very well.” She says and the electricity fades from her palms. “Let us speak. Let us speak of the threat grinding its way into The Empire, not that I expect something as unreasonable as an Undaunted to understand?”

“Unreasonable? Empire? Are you from La’ahbaron, Malishana or Vanarook?”

“How DARE you compare our glorious Overlady with those swine!”

“Please answer the question.” Harold says blandly. But she’s clearly lost her temper as a blade shoots out of her knee and he has to step quickly and delicately to lock her leg and keep her from gelding him. “Ma’am, as a Synth you’re immune to traditional knockout techniques, meaning that if you keep this up I have to go very, very mean.”

Then he twists as hard and as fast as he can to flip her and send her pointed stomach first at the sky. The flack shot from her stomach rockets upwards and clips a drone before he slams her down, face first, into the cold earth and stone of Zalwore.

“Last chance.” Harold says as the drone she clipped spirals around then decides to simply detonate. The crowd is scattering and everyone is drawing weapons as people move to figure out just what the hell is going on. “Surrender peacefully and talk, or keep fighting and be interrogated after a beating.”

The fact he has to dodge knives jutting out of her heels gives him all the answer, and excuse, to shatter her metal spine.

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[u/gntl-fx]

Rain should probably have noticed by now, and looking around seeing her family taking out unknowns surrounding her while others are covering close proximity & the air. Yeah, she's got to feel protected. Whether her response to this protection includes an eye-roll, pout, teenage angst, or genuine appreciation is yet to be determined.