I was in a grey metallic meeting room with the people I came to know as Doctor Kal'tsit, the de facto leader or Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals. Amiya, a young bunny girl who was her apprentice at that time. Doctor Warfarin, a pale vampire girl who from what I could guess was the Chief of Operations Officer. And a man in a tactical outfit who called himself Ace. Who at first seemed like a regular human being until I noticed his thin scaly tail.
-''So, I heard you were forthcoming with Kal'tsit. So we will be inclined to cut you some of the proverbial slack.'' Said Warfarin.
Indeed, I could well regard that I was being given some measure of slack since the seat prepared for me was somewhat comfortable than what I had expected. And what was more important was that I wasn't tied to it. I also had a little table besides me with a serving of some strange aromatic berry tea, which I found quite to my liking I could say. With no drugs in it either from what my gift could detect.
-''First thing's first. I would like you to corroborate the apparent reports we have of your person from our operator's sightings.'' Said Amiya the bunny girl.
-''Very well.'' I replied.
-Well. We first had reports from our extracted team from Mirny that a seemingly unknown person provided covering fire for them in the form of very accurate sniper shots from a nearby building. While our forces were being heavily pursued by Reunion forces.
-We also have a report that at least one unknown person of possible Reunion affiliation had escaped the building that the supposed sniper was in.
-''What can you tell us of these reports from your point of view?'' Asked Amiya.
-I was the one who provided the cover fire for your team until I've spent my last bullet. As for the Reunion escapee. I was the same, one and only, who evaded your Red assassin.
-''But why did you help us, and why were you there in the first place?'' Asked Kal'tsit.
-I was hoping to use the conflict as a cover to slip through and continue my journey south. I was about to head off from the top of that building to the next when I decided against it.
-''And why have you decided against it?'' Asked Kal'tsit further.
-Your people were protecting wounded and civilian looking folk. I decided I would help since the man I killed this robe from gave me enough insight into his organisation to know it was driven with... hate and revenge in mind.
A shadow came over me. Memories of when I was the same kind of bitter and vengeful seeking man way back. Nobody could stop me or my mentor then, and the world ended.
-''You saved the lives of everyone in that team and the Ursus civilians we were evacuating. I personally thank you for your intrusion into our problem. It would have ended very badly without your help.'' Said Ace.
-''I guess you're welcome.'' I said simply with no real interest.
-I see this checks up with our own reports then operator Ace?
-It does doctor Kal'tsit.
-Thank you. You are dismissed from the meeting.
Ace rose up and left the room with no further word.
-''You escaped afterwards but almost blew the entire building down with you. That could have ended a lot of lives that were nearby, though fortunately all were spared. Was that really necessary?'' Asked Amiya.
-The whole building filled with cold-blooded Reunion killers were screaming in desperate fear as your Red operator was systematically butchering her way up the block.
-While I was there wearing a Reunion uniform. And she was so quickly and thoroughly finished with the opposition that she was soon close on my heels hunting me. So yes, I took a calculated decision to blow the way behind me. Before I was gruesomely torn apart.
-''Fair point, I will back down on this subject. I have finished my main inquiry.'' Said Amiya.
-''Why Rhodes Island though?'' Asked Warfarin.
-Excuse me?
-What made you choose to come find Rhodes Island out of all places?
-I didn't know of any other places.
-''Not a good answer to impress us.'' Warfarin said casually, almost as a joke.
-''I'm not here to impress.'' I said.
-''You certainly made an impression at our door steps.'' The vampire girl retorted.
I said nothing. Warfarin then looking whimsically at doctor Kal'tsit.
-''Are you going to tell us your name?'' Asked Amiya.
-I'm sorry, but I won't. It's not that you'll find anything I don't want by it. I just chose to leave it behind.
-''You will answer my question better. Where do you come from?'' Asked doctor Kal'tsit.
-I'm not sure I can even say where it is or what it even was to you.
They all looked at me with strange expressions except for doctor Kal'tsit though I could still notice some sense of curiosity in her eyes.
-''Explain.'' She demanded further.
-My nation is gone. My world is no more. And even my race now belongs into the grave of the long forgotten past. I came from far in the frozen north, from a place where it is better left undisturbed least an unimaginable danger be released on this world.
-''What was the downfall of your people?'' Doctor Kal'tsit asked further.
-A war happened, and the human race became extinct.
-''What about the other races?'' Asked Amiya.
-There was only one race in my homeland then, my own.
That answer seemed to give pause to the meeting before it continued again. Doctor Kal'tsit I could notice was eyeing me differently now. As if slowly piecing or coming up with a hypothesis. I had to be careful especially against her. They couldn't know the entire, complete truth.
-''Tell us in short what happened during this war.'' Spoke Kal'tsit.
-My kind was of a divided and decadent society. We had our own feuds which raptured our unity. When the different races of Terra came upon us, we were unprepared. And our leaders unleashed weapons of great calamity. Destroying our homelands and our future. They most likely all died, for I know of no other like me to have escaped that fate.
They started looking at me very strangely now.
-''Do you hate us?'' Asked Amiya a bit worried and sad at the same time.
-I don't. Humanity shot itself in the foot and deserved all the credit for it.
-''And where were you all that time?'' Asked Kal'tsit.
-On the main battlefield.
-You were a soldier?
-Yes.
-''You are not forthcoming.'' Kal'tsit said with an implied threat.
-Would you be forthcoming with the depths of your own history?
-''Hah! And I thought you had no sense of humour!'' Barged in Warfarin before I decided to continue further.
-I was a soldier fighting for ten long years. I lost all the people I knew while I've lived to see and slay the worst that your races had to offer. And even my own kind. I hid for a long time in a place deep beneath the earth and I ended here instead of dying. That is the gist of it.
-I'm sure you would want a whole report if not an entire bibliographical history written at your discretion. But if I ever decide to take the time to write it down I'll probably do it my way and sell the book myself to your world for the cash.
-''Hah! I like the way he thinks, I'd do the same!'' Said Warfarin.
-''So your nation was far up to the north?'' Amiya asked.
-It was once larger than that but yes.
-''Very well, we'll leave that for now. The next matter is your own person and abilities.'' Continued Kal'tsit. And with it, I surely noted a sense that she wanted herself to avoid this line of discussion any further.
-Your body is different. We have figured that out from our medical examinations. But most important of all is your apparent immunity to oripathy.
-You recalled in your travel report here that you touched black crystals, several times. And that you even cut yourself in one.
-Yes.
-''By your own reports you were in close contact with raw originum stones. You should have been infected with oripathy but all your tests results come back unnaturally clean one after another.'' Said doctor Kal'tsit, putting down a tablet as if to make a point of it.
-Even the most healthy people on Terra have some minuscule amount of originum in their blood stream. You don't.
-You may not know the magnitude of what that represents. Oripathy is a worldwide disease that affects millions. There is no cure. And everyone is more or less exposed to it their whole lives as originum is a vital, integrated component in our technologies.
-Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals leads the effort in discovering new therapies against oripathy and a possible cure. At this moment our breakthroughs have lead us as far as treatments to only halt the spread of an already existing infection.
-''Of course. I understand it would be something that you'd want.'' I said.
-We won't keep you a prisoner here. We respect all people from every walk of life as long as they don't endanger others. We would like to negotiate on a contract to study your immunity with no harm to you.
-I understand you would want that. But I came here with the intention of looking for a job, not to be a guinea pig.
Kal'tsit raised an eyebrow as a sign of question.
-I mean experiment subject.
-''That can be arranged, and you won't be experimented upon I can promise you that.'' Said doctor Kal'tsit reassuringly enough.
-''Well then, what would be your abilities and qualifications?'' Asked Warfarin.
-I am a veteran sniper. I know how to use and maintain weapons expertly. I am also good at guard duty and keeping VIP's safe. And I have ten years of combat experience. I guess I am good with a sword too if the enemy manages to get close enough.
-''I think you are downplaying your abilities.'' Said Kal'tsit.
-''I am not downplaying nor up playing anything.'' I responded.
-''Well, aren't you quite tight-lipped and to the point.'' Nudged in Warfarin.
-''If you are hired you will need an operator codename. Your old name doesn't come into account with this. You may think of one, or we can give you a list to choose from. What do you say?'' Asked Kal'tsit.
I held my chin and thought for a minute.
-''Tacet.'' I finally uttered.
-''Does it have any significance?'' Asked Kal'tsit.
-It is from a dead language. It means one who is silent or says very little.
-Very well. That will be your new codename if we come to an agreement. The preliminary offer is that you will be hired as an operator for Rhodes Island while undergoing voluntary and temporary research into your immunity.
-''Which I will get a small percentage of the profit shares should your research bear fruit with a cure.'' I added.
-Very well, as long as it's not a preposterous amount.
-I said a small percentage doctor. But I will tell you of something more important. Do not get any of your hopes up. My ability, my gift, it was meant to be given only once and to be received only once.
-I do not believe you will elucidate my immunity enough find a cure, though I wish you could.
-''Thank you for your honesty.'' Said Amiya.
-''Any other demands you would like to include in your terms?'' Asked Kal'tsit.
-Access to most of your low level security facilities such as libraries, work shops or tech shops. Though I believe they would probably come naturally as perks of employment here.
-Oh, and one of your better dorms.
-''Why those in particular?'' Asked Amiya.
-I wish to learn of the rest of the world. And maybe I want to see if I can experiment with creating a few trinkets for myself.
-''That wouldn't be a problem at all.'' Acknowledged Kal'tsit.
-''We will review today's session and I will contact you in the near future to inform you of our decision. You are free to go now.'' Said doctor Kal'tsit, ending the meeting.
I raised myself respectfully and walked out the door to my temporary dorm. The meeting went as good as I imagined it would go. All that was left to do was to relax and wait for the answer. Yet before that decision would come I would have a most unexpected visitor in the dead of the night.
I woke up surprised at the soft sound of an artificial bell being rung in my little dorm room. Someone was outside the entrance, announcing me of its presence. I clothed myself swiftly and went to the door. Opening it I was surprised to see doctor Kal'tsit, alone.
-Can I help you doctor Kal'tsit?
-''May I enter?'' She asked simply, with no inflections in her tone to give away her possible purpose.
-''As long as your intent lays only in a discussion of a civilized manner and nothing more beyond that scale.'' I replied somewhat more eloquently for no reason. And she barely just perked her head up, as if not expecting such a long answer from a mostly silent man.
All in all it was just a very fancier way of saying ''We can talk, no sex please''. And really I didn't want to get myself involved with the leader and CEO of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals itself. No matter how beneficial in might have been. I simply knew that the deeper you got involved with the higher ups the more her enemies and jealous lovers in higher positions would become yours too.
She gave no answer, but her silence was an obvious tacit acceptance at my simple terms. I beckoned her inside my small temporary dorm.
-Would you care for a cup of tea or cappuccino? I dare not offer coffee so openly at this hour for you might consider it a jest. But I will nevertheless offer it should you find it a more convenient option.
She looked at my with her usual serious demeanour, as if studying me. No. Weighing my words and their amount of truth. In the end she relented with almost some ease I thought.
-''Some tea would do just fine. One for both of us.'' She implied it as if I may need it more than her.
She sat on the only chair in my room near the vertical rectangular window. Outside the moons I were complete in the sky and radiating brightly. As I brought the cups I noticed how the doctor couldn't help but wince lightly with one of her eyes before she reasserted herself.
-''Doctor Kal'tsit. Without the desire to appear queer, I could switch off the lights if they are bothersome and instead just leave on the desk lamp.'' I offered.
It might have been me overthinking it, but I had the impression. If not the deduction that she was possibly suffering from fatigue. As well as a suspicion that her eyesight might have been strained from a long working program of staring into monitors.
-''It would be more tolerable if you did so.'' She amazingly agreed to my proposal and I did so.
My room was now gloomily lit only by a lamp with its head bowed down low toward its desk. The beam itself actually lighting very little by its own that way. Kal'tsit on the other hand I could distinguish very well as the light reflected by the full moons were generously giving by the window which she stood by.
-''If I didn't know better one could have assumed you were trying to influence me with your mindfulness.'' She spoke without emotion as I was becoming accustomed to while I handed her a cup.
-''You're welcome.'' I responded simply.
-Pardon me. It was not my intention to discredit your true reason.
-''It is quite alright doctor Kal'tsit. After all I am an unknown to you.'' I said as I leaned upon the table and sipped my own cup of tea.
-Indeed I don't. But seldom I find people so self-aware and conscious of their surroundings.
-One has to be if he wishes for a well functioning and peaceful life. Or if the simplest mistake would had meant your or someone's death.
I snapped out of the clutches that my darker memories were dragging me into and instead changed the subject.
-With what occasion have you come on this midnight visit doctor?
-It is obvious to both of us why. I am here for you to tell me the truth which you hid during your interview. I then spared you further inquiries from both me and my colleagues as I realised the magnitude of your origins. But you shall tell me now. Consider it the continuation of the interview.
-And what was the magnitude of your realisation of me doctor?
-How about I give you a snippet of it. You awoke from a Sarcophagus.
She knew more than she let go I realised. And a silence was ushering as the seconds flowed.
-This room is both sound and bug proof. Whatever you will impart with me this night will remain in secrecy between us two.
-Very well doctor. What do you wish to know?
-Amiya's initial question still remains valid now. Where do you come from?
-It's more of a ''when'' kind of question. And my answer also remains valid. From the northern reaches of Terra. There lies a derelict facility and a contaminated surface around a treacherous artefact from my time. It is beyond perilous to go near it. So much that even I wouldn't venture there.
-And as an answer to the purest meaning of your question I come with another inquiry. Does my place of birth really matter now? It is a long gone place, a speckle among a long-lost people that are now dust upon your Barrenlands.
-Your race was singular at that point in time?
-Yes, though my kind tried to create more. They failed disastrously. Their efforts created different species of abominations from the very animals that lived among us. Imbued with a grotesque semblance of our form, and more damningly, our intelligence.
-We were fighting between ourselves then. When they grew in number under the shadow of our ignorance we couldn't stop them anymore. The fall of our dominion as a species soon followed.
-You mentioned a war. What can you tell me of it?
-It was the End Wars, followed by the End Times for us. Terra's greatest arsenal of unimaginable weapons of mass destruction was unleashed. It brought my kind's extinction. Apparently not yours for some reason. Though even that is a different conundrum on many levels for myself as well.
-How does our existence today tumults you exactly?
-You were never created, though kind on Terra wished greatly to make people like you are now. Different races in the image of Humanity. But all their efforts could ever produce were aberrants. And now you somehow exist when we failed and perished in the first place. You can imagine my consternation.
-You said you were soldier during your time.
-I was, exactly how I remarked earlier the day which just passed.
-Is it?
-''It is.'' I declared with a decisiveness.
-Normal soldiers wouldn't have access to a sarcophagus, nor the expertise to use it properly.
-Surviving through ten years you can imagine that I grew in rank. Then I was a valued operator. But at the heart of it I was the same as I ever was. A soldier, who was given orders and had to execute them.
-And you executed them well to have achieved such a privilege?
-I do not wish to talk of my exploits then. I don't take pleasure in delving into the horrors of that war nor the people I have lost. As for that ''privilege'' I couldn't have cared less at the time. But it was there, and I decided to make use of it.
-... you didn't really believe you would come back from it?
-I never really cared at that point.
-And what about now?
-''What could I possibly say? This is an utterly strange world to me now doctor. I don't know what to make of it but then again I know still too little to come to any conclusions. With what I've seen so far it is a brutal world as bad as the worst parts of my war.'' I said, thinking back on all that I have seen so far of this new age of Terra.
-''Perhaps you will find those conclusions, along with a new purpose with us.'' She said while setting her cup down, now empty.
I turned to look closely at her as she said that. But she just rose up, preparing to leave.
-''You have gained a fair amount of insight tonight, doctor Kal'tsit.'' I said after she passed by me and I came near her empty seat, looking outside the moon-lit window.
-''I thank you for the tea, it had just the right amount of honey in it.'' She replied with a small pause until she spoke again.
-I bid you a restful morning, operator Tacet.
Later that day at noon I would be summoned again to a meeting. It was in doctor Kal'tsit's office. To my surprise the Red operator as she was known was there as well. I didn't flinch or show discomfort though. I went through enough horrors and near-death experiences in my life to steel my nerves and ease my system before it pumped adrenaline through my veins. The doctor was sitting at her desk while Red was standing on her left side.
-I see you are punctual, that is well appreciated. Operator Tacet, I am glad to announce that you are now officially part of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals.
I simply nodded at her news.
-Here is the contract pertaining to your responsibilities and compensations. Please read it carefully before you sign it.
I've read it and found it suitable. For some time I would just be on stand-by as an operator while they kept me under a sort of watch and semi-quarantine within the landship. All while they researched my blood, and it's properties. Meanwhile, I would get my own dorm with the specifications I wanted and access to most facilities as expected. Compensation was decent and prone to bonuses depending on my efficiency. A written clause was also present which specified I would be granted one percent of the profits should a cure ever be found from my gift.
-''Everything seems in good order.'' I spoke as I raised my head slightly.
-I am glad to hear so. Here is an envelope with your badge and access card.
-The official start of the research will begin tomorrow and I will be the chief researcher in this project. You answer directly to me. If you have any problems or needs of importance you will announce me first.
I simply nodded at her input.
-You are entitled to an outfit of your choosing. You can decide and send the specifications to the clothing department. Meanwhile, you will find basic suitable outfits already prepared.
-Do you have any questions?
-''None at the moment.'' I answered.
-One more thing. Normally operator files have different levels of clearance in order to be accessed and read by other Rhodes Island personnel of a certain rank. Your file will be classified. Only people with the highest clearance will have complete access to read it all.
-You are not bound to it speech wise. However, I would suggest you keep as much to yourself if people come with inquiries about your person. Also, I need not mention but nevertheless I will just so things are clear between us. What has been spoken confidentially between us will remain off any record.
-I don't think I ever gave the impression of a blabbermouth.
-You didn't. Also, as per your request you will be given instructors to teach you of certain fields and of Arts. Instructor Dobermann will also be waiting for you at the Hazard Course in five days due.
-Do you have any other input before we end the meeting?
-I do not.
-Very well. I also want to sincerely apologise for your first experience with us right at our doorstep. I hope that can be mended in time.
-Again, welcome to Rhodes Island. It will not be easy working with us sometimes.
-Do not worry doctor Kal'tsit, I am no stranger to adversity.
After I rose up operator Red started approaching me. I stood there, waiting. Composed and curious at what this might be about. She stopped right in front of me at an arm's length.
-''I am sorry, it was rash of me to have wanted to put you down without an order.'' Said the red clad lupo.
-''I hold no grudge against you Red.'' I spoke sincerely.
We both stood there impassive and serious for a moment after before Kal'tsit broke in.
-Well, that went better than I expected. You are dismissed Tacet, Red.
I turned around. Leaving the office and the lupo in front of me before it became too noticeable that I was admiring her countenance. Red remained in Kal'tsit's office after I exited it I noticed. Leaving those office premises I checked the envelope I acquired. There I followed the directions to my new dorm and put my ID in my pocket.
The new residence I was issued with was quite a pleasant apartment. It was more generously spacious that I expected. It had a nice bathroom with both a separate shower and a large bath tub, a dormitory, a living room, and a toilet room separate from the bathroom and an outdoor balcony. All separated into four rooms. Both the living room and the dormitory having wide views of the outside.
From the comparisons I would later make I judged it was one of the best apartments available on the landship. Usually designated for veteran operators or VIP's. The door was of a thicker sheet of metal with a door handle but only card activated. The card also had a nifty flippable key that I could slot in a special keyhole just in case power was out. All in all a lousy security system for my standards of privacy but it would do. The bed was a large queen size, the furnishings were modern and comfortable. The large fridge was empty though.
I had a personal terminal through which I could make my research on Rhodes Island's intranet. There I found out I had a level two overall clearance, the highest being five. In the envelope I also found what seemed to be a debit card. Checking my account I found I already had a month's salary deposited. At least I could buy groceries and a drink. A process I found easier by the Rapid Rhodes courier service which delivered anything one wanted at your doorstep. I stepped outside on the balcony and looked at the view it had to offer. I was high up a few levels above the mid-height of the landship. The view it offered was incredible. I could see far and wide as the landship was slowly crawling away.
''I am here, finally.'' I thought.
I woke up, managing to stay my hand from killing myself. Instead, finding the will to have crawled out of that hole in the ground. And I reached the objective I proposed myself. All of my past was a terrible amalgamation of events that I could slowly leave behind while learning from it.
Life was unpredictable and full of woes. One must wring every moment dry and drink the experience it would offer me, good or bad. As predicted I was not much involved in the research into my immunity besides giving blood samples and the occasional tissue sample. A few physical tests here and there and monitoring of my body. I was allowed to remain in the special research department reserved only for my study and special cases as much as I wished. As long as I didn't disturb anybody. One such day I was in the same laboratory with doctor Kal'tsit reviewing some DNA tests on myself when she prompted a question.
-There is something strange in your blood which seems evasive to study. As if it has a mind of its own. Can you not reveal any clue to me regarding their properties?
I thought about it and decided to tell her thus.
-Nanomachines. Machines whose components are at the scale of a nanometre. It was a batch that was specifically designed for me. It was the peak of technology on Terra during my time.
-You had to be quite up in someone's favour or in rank to be granted such a gift.
I realized I possibly said too much. But I decided to give an answer nevertheless.
-Yes.
-''I didn't intend to prod.'' She retorted after my silence.
-''I was.'' I responded anyway.
-Did it make a difference?
-I guess it kept me alive during the great sleep when the sarcophagus failed. Kept me alive to discover this world long after mine was gone.
-''And perhaps to save our own kind now.'' Kal'tsit had said.
-Oh doctor...
She stopped what she was doing and raised her head. Looking at me with a sense of curiosity from my last sentence.
-I didn't come back to save anyone. I am here just for myself doctor.
-And even if we find a cure for oripathy that won't solve the world's problems. They will just find another reason to sustain their agendas and divisiveness. Conflicts and war will continue as before. They will find another group to antagonise.
-''But at least one horrible problem in this world would be solved.'' Kal'tsit replied.
-''Yes, I agree with that.'' I said before I thought of something and then continued.
-Doctor Kal'tsit. I would like to respectfully prod you about something.
-Depends if it is in good reason.
-What can you tell me of operator Red? I haven't checked her file. Yet. I would like to know about her from your own honest words as much or as little as you decide to reveal.
-Projekt Red. She is a specialist operator under my direct command for the most urgent or dire of situations. I can trust her to get a job done whatever that may be. That should be enough for your knowledge.
-Thank you doctor.
She remained at pause for a bit. Not resuming her activity but standing as if thinking, before turning to me again.
-She is a unique lupo. Tacet, please be mindful of her and overlook some of her reactions. This is not an order, it is only a request.
-Very well doctor.
-Thank you.
For many days like that we continued to make small and long discussions though doctor Kal'tsit did like to prolong what she had to say. Not that I minded though, I actually enjoyed good, long and proper intellectual conversations. As rare as I had these kinds of talks in the past I guess they were a passion for me as long as I found the right subject and the right person to talk with.
We eventually grew to know each other just a bit better. Though we were both usually saying little regarding a number of certain subjects that we both had reasons to keep hidden still. Even so we found many a common ground and I enjoyed listening to her as she spoke sometimes in beautiful long verses of the current state of many things.
The world, the company, their successes and losses. Many philosophical matters of old, present and future. It was as if both of us had long-lived pasts which we were unwilling to accidentally reveal anything more about. And true I began to have my own suspicions about the longevity of this curious but strong and collected cat girl. At some point we had built a stable pillar of mutual self-respect for each other.
I accessed the library directly through the terminal in my room, and there I drank from the well of information. I learned of this changed world which somehow retained its original name but little else of itss former self. Itss land maps were almost unrecognisable from what I knew of the world before.
So much that I realized it was probably at least more than a few millennia that I was asleep. The time span was astounding. I learned of its nations, of its people, of all its myriad races. It's technology and progress so far. I learned of the nature of Catastrophes and the need for mobile cities. Of the strangely different but similar developing technologies of these people as well as their unfathomable Arts.
It was fascinating, inspiring and... depressing. They seemed to repeat the same old mistakes of the past. War never changed, even if humanity died. The great circle of peace and war, of strength and weakness were repeating very well and undisturbed in this age too. I found the horrors of the past repeated now again. Genocides, war, unethical experiments, greed, ill agendas by corrupt people and corrupt circles. Even an entire nation named Gaul was driven to destruction not long ago in recent times in the War of the Four Emperors.
I remembered some of doctor Kal'tsit's words and came to recognise a feeling in them. A feeling that I felt now. Sorrow? Pity? Disappointment? Maybe all combined but also, hope. I had a tingling theory that wouldn't quite form in my mind. But I started to recognise Kal'tsit as a force that struggled for this world's stability.
My weapons were now useless to me. The old reliable M40A1 sniper rifle looked about ready to argue with me about retirement. The cartridges for it long ran out, and the girl stopped a flaming sword from chopping me in half. It was beyond banged and a miracle it still held true to work and aim when I used it on that rooftop. My HK45 pistol was in better shape, but I had few bullets left for it. And there was none where I could acquire ammunition for it in this world. Nor was I inclined to invent it myself for I quickly realised what the possible consequences could be. Guns in this world required Arts and other prerequisites, using spells to pressurise the projectiles to hit long distance targets. While I possessed good shooting skills I lacked even the knowledge of how basic Originum Arts talents worked.
Apparently a certain mobile nation had a near monopoly over production and mastery of firearms. That being the nation of Laterano, inhabited by mostly angel like people and liberi. I made a decision to inter my weapons permanently into storage. Disassembling them completely and basking them in grease before locking the cases. These weapons had no place in this new world.
Should their mechanism of function be discovered it would plunge all the nations into an arms race and very possibly even a new world war. By the perks of my status I have put in a request for Arts training in weapons and for access to the official weapons market. To my surprise I was granted both, with the cost of my first weapon of choice to be covered entirely by Rhodes Island. But anything more after that I would have to buy myself. After a week of careful researching I chose to procure a fine and rather expensive sniper rifle from the official Laterano Arms Market. Probably to the ire of some Rhodes Island accountants.
The training for the Arts flabbergasted me. It was nonsensical this new and mysterious way of function. Yet after an entire month and a half under the instruction of operator Scout I started to get the hang of it and operate my rifle correctly. It was a fine weapon, similar in appearance to my old one. It was made of a sort of highly durable fibre carbon polymer and a highly durable metal. It was light and reliable. Its designation was that of LA0102 model.
If the guns were difficult to operate then trying to activate arts on my sword was a nightmare. That feat took more than two months to achieve and even then I only managed to achieve a basic mastery of sword Arts before I could slowly develop further. My mastery with the sword was a decent one as I had used swords and machetes in the past war as well. But I knew that Arts would give me a much-needed edge in a tight pinch. And I had the feeling that many such occasions were to come in the future.
---Weapons target practice hall 02---
Upper left. *Bam* Hit. Lower deck. *Bam* Foot hit. Behind the children. *Bam* Abductor head shotted. *Bam* Hand eviscerated, enemy's weapon dropped. Three armoured targets. *Three consecutive shots fired* Target one disabled, Target two eliminated through the eyehole, target three's weapon obliterated.
-''Impressive. I can see that the Arts were the only problem you had to surpass. You are a natural at this.'' Spoke Ace behind me at the fire test that day.
-Thanks for the teaching. I can finally be useful in the future.
-We should have a firing contest together with my squad sometimes. We might even gather a bigger crowd than this one.
Looking back I could see that there indeed were quite a few operators behind at the viewing stage and the observation balcony. All watching the fire test that day. Including four distinct lupo girls.
-We should. I like competition just for the sake of a good sport.
We shook hands and smiled as if from a friend to another.
-Well, I have nothing more to teach you Tacet. Maybe we'll see about some R&R at the firing range next week while I'm still free.
-I look forward to it. Expecting to go out any time soon?
-There may be a situation brewing on the horizon. But I have at least a week left before I'm back on roster.
-''Then we better make the time for it while we can.'' I said with an honest smile.
And indeed it was a blast. Next weekend a number of five operators besides me and Ace gathered at an improvised shooting range outside the landship between two hills. I quite enjoyed having a drink and shooting some guns with someone who I could almost call buddy.
It was... reminiscent of the good old times I had with a certain four that I could call friends and comrades. Rest in peace all of you good bastards. All this time I had spent little out of my apartment. Except for the medical department which periodically required me for testing and for the training I had in special sections. All other needs were covered by the delivery service and by the connection to the intranet.
Though occasionally I would spend my time taking strolls above the landship or on some more deserted corridors once cabin fever started to set in. But always in parts of the landship that were seldom frequented and always on times which I knew most operators were busy elsewhere.
On one such occasion I was walking atop the landship when it started to pour. Prompting me to turn back inside. The corridor was only half lit as it was undergoing some maintenance or power saving function. And there at the end of the corridor I saw Projekt Red. Suddenly stopping at a junction to look at me.
She seemed impassive, yet she stared at me. Who could say what was in her mind. I stopped before the junction not out of hesitation but with some expectancy that she would say something. Though her deathly aura was radiating far more than any operator I would meet I remained resolute and unflinching. She said nothing, and soon she resumed her pace forward. I took a turn, deviating to the left path where she walked from.
''Strange.'' I thought simply, and then I gave it no more thought.
A day after that I felt in a strange mood, eventually deciding to go see what pub or café I could visit awhile. I put on a pair of grey trousers, a black shirt and a distinct short-sleeved coat of Rhodes Island. I decided on the Little Lungmen's Retreat. A café and restaurant all in one, which reviews I've read were quite positive even though it was much frequented.
I decided to go in the hours of the least visits. And indeed it was a choice I found to my taste. The bar had a distinct Asian aesthetic that was pleasant and not overbearing. I sat down at one of the reserved tables in the alcoves that gave a view outside the landship on the right side. I ordered an amber beer, and I was pleasantly surprised by the unique pleasant flavour it had.
The place was mostly empty, it's caprinae bartender and its few patrons minded only of their own affairs. I drank down two more beers, enjoying the view while occasionally looking up further material of study on my tablet device. Soon though the bar steadily filled up with patrons. That was unexpected. I thought I read the roster for most activities today. Must have been an early working day for some department.
A couple stopped at my table and looked lightly surprised to find me in my spot before moving along to find other table. It was a red haired girl with an angel halo and a blond girl with lupo features that were not quite fitting to my senses for some strange reason. I gulped down the last of my beer. About to rise and leave before another figure stopped besides my table. A white haired lupo that unlike Red, radiated madness besides danger.
-Ah. Look what we have here. I thought you were gone by how little you showed around. You made quite an impression with your arrival and everybody's gossiping.
-''What is it to you?'' I asked impassively.
-Nothing. I just expected to find somebody else here. This is an old friend's spot that she likes.
-Well, you can take this seat and wait for your friend, I am about to leave.
-Oh? Don't fancy sharing a drink with me mio collega?
-No. Oggi devo rifiutare. (No. I have to refuse you today.) I've already had my fill. And I'm not gonna leave myself drunken and vulnerable to a lupo such as you.
-You know Siracusan! How pleasant to hear my native tongue. Though is your last sentence meant as an insult or as a compliment, mi chiedo? (I wonder?)
-''Compliment.'' I said before leaving to pay my tab, ending the conversation that way.
''Why did I answer her that way before I left?'' I wondered as I was walking down a hallway. That lupo was different. I could see a glimmer of the raw madness that a beast of the past had. However, she wasn't unpleasant even though I could very well sense many red flags.
And yes, to my surprise most lupos in this world came from their own nation named Siracusa. Which somehow adopted the Italian language and some similarities to its culture. It was to my advantage that my old buddy Lorenzo back in my time was a Vennetiani himself, and I caught learning much Italian that way from him. Refreshing what I had learned in my youth from my father.
That was all that I needed, I thought sarcastically. Bewitching lupos that spoke one of the most beautiful languages of the old world. I walked away, clearing my mind and headed to the logistics department. I went to a certain hall where packages were sorted and prepared to either be shipped outside or inside the landship.
There I met a single lupo girl, seemingly about to end her shift. It was Texas of the Penguin Logistics operating on Rhodes Island. I had already met her previously when I first picked up the sniper rifle I ordered from Laterano.
-Hello Texas.
-Hey Tacet, making a habit of coming to pick your stuff?
-I like to personally retrieve what's mine.
-Not many think like you, just a moment.
And she went to shuffle on a nearby stack of sealed boxes.
-''Staying over your shift?'' I asked as she came back, laying a box on the table.
-The shift may be over, but somebody has to finish the assigned chores. Even if others slacked.
-Kal'tsit should commend you. Your friends are probably waiting for you at Little Lungmen's.
I realized I had no idea why I was stretching this conversation more than I had to.
-They must be already there then. Hmm, was anyone else expecting me?
-Possibly.
-''A white haired lupo?'' Texas asked.
-In a jet black jacket. Yes. She probably was on the lookout for you.
-Tsk! What a bother. Thank you for telling me this. I will avoid a great headache now.
-You're welcome.
-''I'll be seeing you around then.'' She said with a mildly friendly tone, ending the conversation.
We nodded to each other, then turning around to our respective chores. There was now one last stop before retiring to my dorm. The Acquisition Quarters run by operator Closure. Rhodes Island chief engineer and quite a cut-throat haggling salesman if I ever met one.
-Good day Closure.
-Are you always so proper Tacet?
-Perhaps not on the battlefield. There are usually few words exchanged then.
-Alright smart ass. Oh, I have the tools you wanted. Paying with cash or credit?
-Credit.
-You know, there could be a different, more convenient way of paying. If you let me taste your blood I'd give these to you for free.
I instantly knew then that doctor Warfarin must have tasted my blood samples. And possibly found them absolutely delicious, or else Closure would have never suggested such a thing out of the blue. Kal'tsit had informed me that it was a habit of hers. Though I am quick to assess every possible opportunity for myself I still had my dignity and my limits.
-Denied.
-Oh come on, let me make you an offer you can't refuse. Maybe you have eyes for something fancy and beyond your purchasing power in my shop? We can make a deal.
-Not at the moment.
-Then I could offer myself to you wholly, for one night. She pulled her jacket off revealing a bit more of her skin.
-I am flattered but I must refuse you.
-Fine, If you do let me taste your blood I'll owe you a favour. Anything you need, I'll do all I can in my power to help you acquire it.
-I'll think about it.
-Oh no, no, no~. You have to give me your answer now.
-I'm afraid I will not. If I ever need a favour though I'll make sure to come to you. And I'll exchange a measure of my blood for two favours. Take it or leave it, that is what I will offer.
-God damn, you know how to haggle! Fine. Please come back soon. I'll be indebted willingly any time for your sweet nectar!
-I'll keep that in mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make like a honeybee and fly away.
I took my leave and left for my apartment. There I unpacked my boxes. First was a package from Laterano. It was a fine and reliable arts pistol. It was a good choice I thought decidedly as I inspected it more closely than the cursory check in the logistics with Texas. Compact but still hard hitting, similar to my HK45. It would serve well in a close encounter as a reserve weapon. I would have to test it the following days and make sure it was calibrated.
Next box contained an amalgamation of wires, spare electronics and a universal electronic read&decrypt medium device. With these I hoped to tamper and succeed in accessing a hidden USB flash drive I had on me all this time. I still had something of the old world with me. On it there were four terabytes worth of mostly music, audiobooks and movies. Probably the last authentic artistic vestiges of my time and before. And thus the days passed while I continued to grow and rebuild myself as a person. While avoiding mingling and socializing for the most part. Becoming almost as a myth in Rhodes Island's halls.
It was during this time when I was still under the examination and research period for the cure that the events of Chernobog happened. I had volunteered to join Amiya, the now new leader of Rhodes, with her mysterious retrieval expedition to that beleaguered city.
But I was refused on both her and Kal'tsit's account. I was just too important for the origin of a possible cure to be under the chance of being lost so early. Of course, I realized that. Shortly before that It would be the last time I would see operators Ace and Scout. They would die in that city. At least I had a heart-to-heart beer with them before they departed.
Losses... They reminded me of the losses of my original friends. These new operators were not as close to me as the first ones. Yet men that get along do eventually establish a connection between themselves. A bond of brotherhood and camaraderie. I felt their loss. And soon after that the rest of the teams led by Amiya, Instructor Dobermann and the Nearl knight returned with a surprising guest.
The masked and mysterious Doctor.
Yet he was not unknown to many of the operators. Indeed, quite the opposite, he was quite known and there were many mixed to hateful emotions towards his return. That I could deduce through my sharp ears which caught fragments about him being spoken in shushed voices.
And from the body language of many operators that interacted with him. It was an interaction where they clearly knew the person but acted to suppress that information, all except doctor Kal'tsit and Amiya. I was there with Kal'tsit in Lungmen as part of her escort when Amiya and the newfound Doctor arrived to help the situation brewing on that even greater landship.
I couldn't have said much about him from my point a view. He was an unknown element which I only had scarce information of.
Soon I would see for myself why there was so much hope placed upon this concealed man.