The summons had been unmistakable. Yoda had been in the middle of cleaning his Koi tank when the house computer flashed all screens and pinged the sound speaker system. Torn from the chore he had chosen as his own personal piece of tranquillity, he sighed and accepted the signal. It was simple, a line of text that merely said "meet me in docking bay B at your convenience". Yoda grinned at the message and dropped the cleaning utensil into the bucket he had used for the detritus in the pond, wiped his hands on his pants and walked out of the door headed for the docking bay. He didn't meet anyone on the way, not that he expected to at this hour. Someone would be manning the tactical operations cell; he actually smiled as he remembered that he had put Physhi on that task for the next couple of weeks, and someone would be flying security but the rest of CLM would be lying in their hammocks.... or would be blind drunk, which was always an option.
He entered the floodlit docking bay and immediately spotted his summoner near a very battered Marauder that looked like it was something like a year overdue on a paint job. If he didn't already know by now, the flaming red hair, stumped blouse and second-skin tight pants were all dead give-aways. She was bent slightly over a crate, rummaging around the insides looking for something.
"Red, been a while."
She righted herself and turned towards him; a flash of pearly white and a rush of pheromones assaulted him and he grinned despite of himself.
"Sure has greenie. You missed me."
"It doesn't work on me, you know that. But I did actually."
Mystic blinked once and the pheromones stopped assaulting him.
"So, as far as I can figure, we have a new pact with someone called KAOS, some group named APIG has sued us for, lemme see, ah, six crates of Verasi Champagne along with damages to a ship and we are down one pilot? Or are there other things that I missed?"
Yoda nodded in the direction of the smashed Axia Wraith in TGFT green colours and obscene graffiti that was lying on a significant pile of coolant crates. The armour plates had been torn halfway off and all chainglass windows had holes in them from different types of handguns. A crude drawing of something that resembled a giant rocket with a person sitting across it almost looked like someone Mystic knew. She twisted her neck and blushed when she realised what the drawing was off and with whom.
"Oh my; that is almost art. Sharingan?"
Yoda nodded and pointed at the shark teeth equipped porcupine inserted where normally stuff was supposed to exit.
"Although that was Retractile's idea."
"And he was on the APIG deal and the missing pilot as well?"
"Well Red, technically Azumi is not missing. She is just absent without leave. Said something about cleaning some stuff back in Tani-land. I'm expecting her back any time soon. But yeah, he was sorta."
"I really should promote him I reckon. That will put some restraints on him. I trust you will clean the mess up and we'll return to normal now I am back?"
"I'll expect it to happen pretty automatically when the crew hears that you are back Red."
Mystic grabbed the synth-leather bag she had been rummaging for, hefted it onto her back and started walking into the station, yoda joining her.
"I am sure you are right greenie. And when you have the time for it I would like to hear some more about why Azumi felt she had to leave.”
Yoda nodded again to the not-quite suggestion. It was not up for discussion whether or not he wanted to tell and they both knew that.
“Now, lets talk about this new thing I mmmmh, acquired in Nyrius from a slightly inebriated member of a not-named trade guild...
###
The pale green walls of the emergency ward were just the perfect shade of bile, which didn't really help to lift Cat's mood. The three cracked knuckles of her left hand slowly healed in the bone-welder while the male nurse chatted incessantly about some apparently hot gossip that had hit the station like a firestorm. Cat really couldn't care less, she was much too angry with herself for forgetting to disengage the battle-mode of her brainpal while she trained close quarter battle and then smashing her own hand while she couldn't feel the pain. A summons arrived in her brainpal and she noted the headline without engaging the main functions. Meeting in thirty minutes; just about enough time for her knuckles to heal and if she hurried, a quick shower and a change of uniform. If only the nurse would get a brain haemorrhage or something that would make him shut up and allow her to concentrate.
Six seconds to the time she had been summoned for, she entered the briefing room in a crisp violet uniform with gold trimmings and KAOS written in gold letters on the left chest. Apparently she was the only one that had either received the standard issue uniform or the others had just chosen to ignore it completely. She killed her comment and ignored the assorted more or less dirty flight suits, uniforms, dinner dresses, pre-wormhole bomber jackets and even a toga. Silia smiled at Cat and started the presentation.
"We have two items we need to cover today. First and most important, we have just received a mission from Ahriman that will take all of our time and resources for the next couple of months at least. A detailed plan has been uploaded to your private assistants and those files will be released to you when we are finished here."
Cat checked and found two files from Silia in her brainpal. One locked and one named READ ME, URGENT. She opened the second one and absorbed the information without reading it.
"Now, I expect you all to fulfil your individual missions to the letter. It is extremely important that you report back if you cannot reach your goals or the entire plan will fail. The second matter is a welcome of our newest member of KAOS. Again, you have each been sent a file that I expect you to have understood but since it can mess everything up spectacularly I'll just cover the basics. The new member is called William Cutting, a former Itani elite pilot. He has suffered some psychological damage and is now being treated by Ahriman. Do not under any circumstances ask him about his past, understood?"
The pilots all nodded assent. Silia beamed a smile at them and seated herself on the table's edge.
"Good, I'll release your separate files now. If you have any questions, I'll remain here and we can take it in the adjacent secure room. If your plans don't make sense on a personal level, be assured that Ahriman is perfectly aware of your capabilities and as such has given you the task that he expects you to fulfil to the maximum."
Cat accessed the now available file and frowned. She was going to deliver 15000 crates of coolant to an account in Pyronis, 15000 crates of consumer robotics to Helios and 15000 crates of textiles to Betheshee. She looked at the other pilots who were likewise puzzled at the orders and then at Silia who was smiling.
"Any questions regarding the missions? Anyone that cannot fulfil it?"
None came forth.
"Good, I'll then introduce William Cutting to you all."
A broad-shouldered man entered the room, slightly dragging his feet and hands immobile against his sides. He had a drawn haggard look about him and eyes that gazed out towards something that only he could see but the underlying strength and power was unmistakable. Cat was about to smile at the man when he spoke.
"Greeetings pilots. I am looking forward to killing with you."
A chill ran down her spine as she recognised the voice, the voice that haunted her dreams and that she had almost allowed herself to forget. She couldn't quite couple the voice to the man and opened the file she had received earlier. The information and the implicit consequences of it made her almost physically sick and she longed to get away from the briefing room and out to her ship, get away from the voice. Thankfully Silia closed the meeting and Cat ran to the solitude of her ship.
