Iron Empire

Nine: Foreseeable Future

Warm sunlight filtered through the dome overhead, flooding the platform with golden beams of light.

The briefing was long over and the Firmament was filled with the sounds of pilots preparing for battle. However, no matter the noise, nothing was as loud as Taewi Park.

"You think she isn't telling us something?" Taewi exclaimed, loud enough for a few pilots to turn their heads.

Dan glared at him.

"I don't know what I think," I hissed, "but I know that you need to keep your voice down!"

"Why," Taewi laughed, "afraid Hurricane Mallet will give you more demotions?"

Dan, Lucas, Taewi and I weaved through scores of pilots and technicians all hurriedly preparing for battle. I'd informed them of my concerns surrounding Mallet shortly after the briefing had concluded.

"Okay," Dan sighed, "Lucas and I are going to go get ready. I'll warm up the dropship for you."

He clapped me on the shoulder and the two of them left, Lucas chuckling quietly about Taewi's hurricane comment.

I stopped walking and leaned against the railing overlooking the Firmament's cavernous interior. We were supposed to meet Commander Telbus here, to be given our orders before we departed for Moscow. I had never met the man, as squadron seven had served under a different commander when I had first joined. However, with only thirty other mech pilots, I expected I would recognize his face.

I could see a maintenance pit a few levels down, shadowed by the platforms above it. Several ant-sized workers hurriedly repaired a pirated Valkyrie for combat. Sparks flew off the German mech's angular hull as a harnessed worker sanded the armour from above, suspended above the platform by a long cord.

Taewi stood beside me, surprisingly sombre for once in his life.

"You really think Mallet isn't telling us something?" he asked.

"I hope not," I sighed, "for all our sakes."

We stood in silence for a moment, watching sparks fall from the belt sander below. Bright flakes of sunshine hissed as they fell from the Valkyrie's blue armour and were extinguished against the cold metal platform.

"Well isn't this a cheerful gathering!" a voice thundered. I turned towards the voice to find two approaching pilots, a dark-skinned man and a pale woman, each clad in red jumpsuits like my own.

Despite their confident strides, I doubted either was the commander of squadron seven.

"Kitt! Alyx!" Taewi beamed. "Ready to smash some Legions?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "I've been itching to take on some heavy mechs since simulator training."

He turned towards me with a warm smile and extended an arm for a handshake.

"So you're the new addition! My name is Kedrick Jordan, but my friends call me Kitt. Welcome to squadron seven!"

I blinked, taken aback by his instant friendliness, then shook his hand.

Kitt was a man with warm blue eyes and a shock of dark hair. With his confident stride and friendly smile, it was hard to believe he was a new recruit.

"Kitt, Alyx, meet Jackson Quinn," Taewi interjected. "He used to run sabotage missions."

"Here for discipline, then?" the pale woman, Alyx, piped up. "Same here."

I raised an eyebrow. I knew reassignment to squadron seven was a common form of discipline, but I recognized Alyx's pale complexion, intelligent green eyes and crimson hair. She wasn't a new recruit, for sure, but I had heard nothing about anyone else being disciplined lately.