Terra-33 Ep. 04

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Terra-33

Episode 0.4

"We're here," Trix said, pushing Remi out of the cab. "Come on!"

He paid the driver, including a 50 credit tip. Trix was unlocking a street-level door a few yards away and then rushed inside. Remi shrugged at Ida's questioning glance and followed after the girl. She hadn't told him where they were going, and they were actually fairly deep into the shopping district. Despite there being a few apartments scattered around, he didn't know anyone who could afford the high prices. Being right in the middle of a bunch of shops wasn't his idea of a good time, but it looked like Trix didn't mind. When Remi reached the top of the steps, Trix had disappeared and he took in the carpeted living room. There were a couple of expensive looking couches, on which a wide variety of homemade-looking stuffed animals were arrayed. The walls were mostly bare except a large flat screen console, but she had some nice lamps, a few little tables and shelves scattered around.

"Wow, she wasn't joking," a voice said.

Remi's head scanned around again, finally locking down on a pudgy girl who was near-buried in a mass of the stuffed animals on the couch across from them. She had looked up from a tablet, staring at Ida, who had joined him at the top of the stairs. Remi realized that the reason he had missed her on the first scan was the fact that she was wearing a stuffed animal on her head. It looked like a little puffy monster with big green eyes, and appeared to actually be attached to the top of a hat. Trix popped back into the room, pausing as she looked back and forth between both parties.

"Mary, meet Remi and Ida," she said hastily.

"Hi," the girl said, shyly ducking her head again.

"Mary has your credentials ready. She even stopped by the office today to print a physical ID card. We'll need to do a credit transfer, whenever you're ready, Remi."

"Let's see what we bought first, plus, did you even tell me the price?"

"20,000 creds," Mary said, looking up again.

"That's a lot of stuffed animals..."

"This is primo-official stuff here. I even created a bio and backstory, she arrived last week on the most recent colony ship. She is originally from Ohio, went to school at Ohio State, came up to the colony right when she graduated. I've got a file and a print version."

"Ok, I believe you," Remi said, holding up his hands.

"Remi, you do not have to worry. I have obtained the necessary funds," Ida touched his shoulder, bringing his confused gaze around to her.

"How?" Trix and Remi said in unison.

"Last night I accessed your accounts and created a shell firm to sponsor a helot contract opportunity and also a foresting operation. I just learned that the helot mission was a success, yielding thirty cubic tons, which has been extracted this evening. My investment portion was paid out, netting 100,000 credits," she paused, looking at their incredulous faces. "The foresting crew has yet to report..."

"You earned 100,000 creds in one night, on an investment!" Trix near-shouted, the words in the form of a question but issued more like an accusation.

"There are a lot of good investment opportunities available if you've studied the trends and have some seed capital," the construct began, trailing off again as Remi smiled.

"Great job," he said, happy that Ida had pulled one over on Trix.

Ida inclined her head and smiled broadly, watching Trix pace up and down the living room, mumbling to herself. Mary was typing on her tablet, not paying attention to the interaction. Trix kept looking between Ida and Remi, then eventually, joined them in staring at Mary. The girl kept tapping away on the virtual keyboard until Trix cleared her throat theatrically. With a slow motion, Mary's head came up and Remi saw her realize that she had been keeping them waiting.

"Ready?" Trix asked impatiently.

"Oh, yeah. Whenever you X over those creds, that is."

"What's your account number?" Remi asked, pulling out his smartphone.

Mary rattled it off then paused as Remi input it into his SoftBank app. She gave him the public passcode when prompted and Remi sent the money to her, causing a little chime to ding on the tablet in her lap. She smiled happily, looking a little self-conscious but also pleased. To Remi, Mary didn't look much like a gamer, probably a desk jockey somewhere, most likely working for the local gov if she could come up with fake credentials in a day. This was probably a pretty hefty little paycheck for her. Unless you were a gamer or a criminal, getting unscheduled paydays like this wasn't so common. He was temporarily distracted from his train of thought by the swirling ocean patterns on the huge flatscreen affixed to the largest unbroken section of wall in the room. So random, but everything with Trix is pretty random so far, he thought.

Ida approached Mary when the girl motioned her over. She stared up at the construct in awe until eventually snapping out of it and standing. She removed a little sheaf of plas papers and an ID from her pocket, handing them to Ida almost reverently. Even with her altered appearance, the chubby girl seemed awestruck by her. Remi wasn't really sure why, he thought it might be the fact that she was self-aware, he didn't get a lesbian vibe from Mary. Ida was beautiful though, so it could simply be that. Now that he thought about it, he had been pretty shocked at the idea that she was not just a programmed AI now, but had emotions and sentience just like him. In his case, he hadn't had a lot of time to process it before being punched out and having to modify the truth ten times over the course of a few hours. That situation had allowed him to get used to the concept a little more and he was surprisingly adjusted to the idea of Ida being a real person.

"Let's go shopping," Trix said, "We don't have a lot of time before they start a dragnet for us, even if it won't be that banging. Not enough Burg cops for anything too crazy. We need to get Ida geared up if we're going to do what we're going to do."

"Ok, we can hit a few places I know right around here actually." Remi was unspecific, taking the hint that Trix didn't want to inform her roommate of their ultimate intentions.

"I am ready," Ida said, looking up from her new documents.

---

Later in the afternoon, Remi was programming a trans-mat cube for Ida's new gear. They had shopped for a long time, driving Remi to distraction multiple times. He wasn't a huge fan of shopping really, preferring to go for specific items quickly, researching first then buying as efficiently as possible. Trix, on the other hand, was a browser and a chatter, talking up the sales reps for inordinately long periods of time about minor features of a gun or piece of armor. They had finally settled on a preconstructed Sarinn-X suit, dubbed an XO Skeleton which both Trix and Ida thought was quite humorous. Remi had groaned at the cliche-cute name but honestly been impressed with the specs and price. Trix was investing in Ida with him, and they had plenty of credits to use. Plus, with Ida's knack for analytic research and aptitude with the contract investment market, he thought that they should be just fine on liquid assets.

Thankfully, Ida had opted to take his advice on weapons, and Remi was glad to share his knowledge of firearms, recommending the best rifle and sidearm for a novice. She would be using a semi-auto Garr .44, a reliable weapon with a common ammunition type. With no experience using heavy guns, the lightweight design should also help her stamina if they were forced into a prolonged firefight. He selected a blaster-type sidearm though, knowing that if it came to it, she would probably be best served with a panic weapon. The term mini-SMG was a bit of an oxymoron, but had become a widely adopted category for small arms. It chambered small, Hornet-B ammo and could blast through a thirty-round magazine in three seconds. Trix had been happy with this choice, endorsing the delights of fully-automatic weapons of all sizes.

Now, he was loading the gear into a cube with a trans-matter and getting the device ready to ship to a receiver unit. The cubes were standard sizes and any bird should have the ability to grab it up from a reasonable distance. He assumed that the Trajectory^Up team would have a few birds for a mission like this, and that they wouldn't need to hump their equipment over to the jumping-off point. He stowed a new shotgun that he had picked up for himself, hoping to supplement his little arsenal to cover any possible scenarios. Since the drop, he hadn't been involved in any high-risk situations and he was scared.

Not even as scared for myself as I should be, he thought wryly. These two new friends, and love interests, if he were honest with himself, meant far more to him than he would have expected. He had jumped in headfirst with both of them, which spoke a bit to his recent desperation. Remi had resolved to not let them see that side of him if possible, and tried to mask his feelings a bit. Trix was uncannily perceptive though and he sensed that she knew he was hiding something. Ida was constantly observing and drawing conclusions too, so the act was probably in vain, but it made him feel better. As he pin-locked the cube, he wondered if they could crash-course Ida in time for it to count. She was a machine though, in actuality in a sense, but also in the more common usage of the word. She was efficient, smart and highly capable, and Remi thought if anyone could pick up the art of modern combat quickly, it would be her.

He set off to his rendezvous point with the girls, right outside of the recruitment center for the contract. The streets were pretty clear for late afternoon, but the gamers were in force inside the bubble. He could see the heavy crowds through the partition, darting to longues and their own rendezvous with lovers or friends. Remi was growing a bit paranoid with his picture being out on the net and he frequently scanned the people on the street with him. So far, none appeared to give him more than a passing interest. A few women had looked him up and down, and he thought maybe a man too, but none had tried to talk to him. He kept his pace brisk and after about ten minutes, he was rounding the corner they had designated with their smartphone locators. The colony didn't have their positioning satellites setup yet, but the mapping companies kept things very current thanks to a healthy competition. When he saw the girls, he stopped, frowning at the burly man who was leaning his arm against the side of the building they were lounging against.

Remi approached cautiously, gauging the situation. It appeared that the man was just flirting with them from his vantage, but he wanted to be ready to go into action if it was something more sinister. There were no other males in sight though, and Remi felt confident in handling the one, despite his size advantage. He stepped up quietly, sliding into place beside Ida and staring at the man. Mid-thirties, gym-bulky arms and big beard, his bald head highlighted by the mass of knotty black hair on his chin. It was braided intricately, something Remi had seen before back on Earth, usually among heavy metal fans. The man finally looked away from Trix and noticed him, his predatory gaze sizing Remi up. His eyes narrowed and Remi knew that he had been recognized. It was common for gamers and high-risk gunners alike to recognize him, and part of the reason he stayed at home and in the game when possible. At least there, he wasn't a living legend.

"Mr. Eriksson," he began slowly. "I'm Thor. It is an honor, sir."

"Thor... Shouldn't you be blonde?" Remi joked.

The big man frowned for a second, then laughed a little self-consciously. "My daddy was a big fan of the old Norse myths, even though we came over from Greece. My last name is Panagopoulos."

"Nice to meet you, Thor. You've certainly got the right beard for the name!"

"My pride and joy, sir," Thor laughed, stroking the heavy strands lovingly.

"Thor is with 'T-Up' as he calls it," Ida interjected.

"Yep, I've been mercing on Terra-2 and Earth before that. These girls didn't tell me that a Founder was going to be part of their crew," Thor said the word almost reverently.

"Yeah, we're looking to make some credits and from what I've heard, the new site has a lot of fossil fuels and minerals to tap. Plus, I've had some experience with high-risk combat."

"I'll say, I read the reports and watched the vids from the second drop constructs. You guys were ragged but you gave way worse than you got," Thor said admiringly.

"We did. We lost a lot of good people, friends. What really pissed me off is that the slumpers never even tried to communicate. Our emissaries and political types were squawking at them for days before they were in position to attack, but they didn't even slow down."

"Data suggests the native aliens might be a hive-type species, swarming up because the scouts trespassed on their territory. Like an ant hill, they saw a target and pursued it until, in this case, they were forced to retreat," Ida finished, a little scholarly in her delivery. Remi made a mental note to talk to her about her inflection.

"That makes sense," Trix added.

When she spoke, Thor seemed to remember her, and his hand still pressed into the wall above her shoulder. Remi didn't like the look he gave the energetic girl, who was uncharacteristically sedate. He thought something more was going on beneath the surface, maybe Trix already knew Thor, or maybe it was something else that he couldn't recognize. The man shoved away from the wall and hooked his thumbs in his belt, leaning back to take them all in. He seemed confident but also a little brash, like maybe some of it was bravado.

"So, you ready to sign on?"

"You the recruiter?" Remi asked, a little surprised.

"Mmhmm," Thor said with a smile. "Let's walk over to my console so I can pull up your profiles. Not that I need much convincing."

"How many have signed up so far?" Trix asked.

"Plenty," Thor responded ambiguously. "We can talk details soon."

Remi frowned at the clear display of suspicion. This was supposed to be a highly visible operation with a lot of funding. He was a little concerned at Thor's antics and resolved to keep a close eye on the man. They followed across the street, taking in the little warehouse and prefab poppers surrounded by a bunch of militarized vehicles. Quite a few hard-looking people, men and women both, were leaning up against various things, polishing guns, eating, smoking. Remi had figured this was going to be a tough bunch, hardcore gamers and apparently even some experienced mercenaries from Earth and the other colonies. He recognized a few faces from fireteams and browsing public profiles, and knew that he had been recognized by more than a few as well. Thor stepped up to a command vehicle with its suite fully deployed and began typing at a console without turning.

"Ok, tags?"

"Trix, with an X."

"R-E-M-I," Remi spelled out, not sure if the mercenary would know the spelling.

"I-D, underscore, A-A-A, no spaces." Trix giggled at that.

"You got no mil-profile?"

"She's new to the Burg, as you can see. I'll vouch for her skill," Remi said, pointing to the screen where Ida's arrival date was listed.

"Ok, ok, no big deal to me. Trix though, you got a shitload of flags on your profile. What's that about?" Thor asked as he scrolled quickly though a bunch of public forum entries.

"Meh, just some jelly gamers, disagreements, you know!"

"This guy says you blasted his construct and only gave him ten percent of a haul."

"That's weird, I'm pretty sure I sent him twelve," Trix said with a smile.

Remi snorted a laugh as Thor turned slowly, raising an eyebrow, but his skepticism was quickly betrayed by an involuntary grin. He shrugged and turned back to the screen.

"I don't care if you iced some flesh-sacks for a little extra pull, as long as you don't try that shit here. This is high-risk, real deal."

"That's in the past, Remi, my boyfriend, has helped me become a better person," she replied sweetly. Thor was quiet for a while after she said that, making Remi think that it wasn't what he had been hoping to hear about their relationship. The man's thick fingers were popping his keyboard, entering something into an official looking database with Trajectory^Up's logo in the corner.

"You all got gear? I don't care if it's custom shit, long as you don't mind if we camo it."

"Yeah we're loaded, got a few cubes. 500 rounds each weapon, like the ad said," Remi replied. "We taking our birds?"

"Nah, using all company gear for transports. But you'll each have a dedicated slot and we'll program the mat-trans like a normal bird. Plus we got Med-eVac and a couple bonesaws who'll stay up in the bird. Anyone gets hurt, their fireteam can send 'em into the hotdog with a couple quick button presses."

"That's solid, I've read some really good stuff about Med-eVac," Remi said, relieved that the company was at least providing them state-of-the-art equipment and personnel. "What's 'the hotdog'?"

"That's what the boys call the tubes you wind up in. Look like huge pink hotdogs with a bunch of buttons and knobs and shit for the medics to play with. Quaranteened environment with internal bio-scans and all that so they can patch you up without getting the plague or something." Thor waved it off, turning to them. "Not sure how all that stuff works, but we used it on Terra-2 and it saved a lot of lives. I've been in the hotdog a few times, no big deal, usually they blast you with seds so fast that you don't even realize you've been hit."

"Sounds fun," Ida deadpanned.

"Alright," Thor said, dismissing Ida's potentially sarcastic comment. "You're logged and the advance money will hit your accounts in 12 hours or less. Lucky for you, we're leaving tomorrow morning, so you've got about an hour with the creds. You three will make up a fireteam. I've set Remi as the leader, pending an update. We're working in teams of three, each reporting to a squad leader who will report to me. Basically, we won't micromanage you under fire, you're all professionals and should know what to do. But if we tell you that your team is needed to reinforce somewhere, you better book it there."

He paused for a moment, meeting their eyes individually before continuing. "HUD software will be provided by T-Up, I'll get you a datastick to swap around. We'll provide a command overview, highlighting targets and friendlies. Oh, and we need your triggers, got an automatic friendly-fire safety. Won't fuck with your trigger pull but won't let you engage with one of us in the way."

Remi began to protest, but it looked like Thor anticipated it and with a long-suffered look, he put up his hands. "I know what you're gonna say, and I don't care if you personally inspect every weapon. It's all linked up to your HUD and totally for your safety. Everybody else, including me, has gotten the auto-lock installed."

"What if our visor is damaged? Or the HUD software is bugged for some reason?"

"There's a manual override, but it alarms the command systems when you flick it. If your HUD gets disabled, the plan is to eVac you for repairs," Thor reasoned.