ShipCore [Stub]

USD:  Three days after Arrival Groundside
Location: Meltisar, Capital City, Thea’s Safehouse Warehouse

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A dense fog shrouded the ground, casting an ethereal glow on the flickering neon signs while muffling the sound of air traffic overhead. Elis approached a side door and pressed her hand against its biometric sensor.

The tall towers around her pierced the sky, leaving the city streets below in perpetual shade. Morning had broken, but it would be hours before sunlight reached the cold asphalt.

With a beep, the sensor flashed green, and a heavy clunk indicated that the steel bars had released. As she entered, another clunk resounded as the door shut behind her, sealing her inside.

A short corridor led to an expansive space within the tower, sandwiched between a solid concrete floor and ceiling. Massive five-meter-thick pillars coated in metallic sheeting punctuated the area.

A dozen sleek, expensive looking aircars were parked nearby, but most of what filled Elis’s view was bare concrete and steel. She turned left toward what had become her personal armory corner. There stood two imposing MK-IV-C power armor suits and a third one she had been servicing hung from two large hooks.

The suit was almost complete per her specifications; Nameless had done an excellent job recreating it from schematics, requiring only minor adjustments for her comfort preferences. Her fingers traced along the cool metal exterior of the suit’s thigh as she lowered it back onto solid ground.

A subtle thrill coursed through her at the thought of these state-of-the-art power armor suits belonging to her. Though she never considered herself materialistic, Federation-spec power armor simply didn’t exist anymore from what she had researched.

She wasn’t sure how Nameless had rebuilt them, but she wasn’t going to question it either.

A chime in Elis’ ear comm announced Thea’s voice. “I’m coming in.”

Elis glanced toward the vehicle bay as the large steel hangar door creaked noisily, lifting into the ceiling. “Yeah, it’s clear.”

Seconds later, a massive vehicle slid down the ramp and entered the open area opposite the warehouse. It dwarfed the fancy aircars with its heavy metal plating covering both chassis and turret.

“Why do you have a hover tank?” Elis questioned flatly.

“A girl’s got to have her toys. Besides, you’ve got an entire set of Imperial Janissary suits,” Thea shot back. The vehicle lowered itself until hovering just inches above the concrete floor, its fusion reactor humming like a contained beast. It quietly swiveled to point back towards the exit.

“They’re not Janissary suits; they’re Federation MKIVC Power Armored Exoskeletons,” Elis corrected.

The hatch on top of the new vehicle opened, and Thea popped out to face her. “Girl, those things are twice as big as a person. They’re Janissary suits! Sounds like you’re compensating for something,” she shouted toward Elis.

Elis bristled. “You’re one to talk—with your dozen luxury aircars and now this tank! Who’s compensating here?”

Thea laughed and jumped down from the vehicle, landing lightly before approaching the armory. “Are your toys ready for our operation?” she asked.

Elis nodded confidently. “They’re good to go.”

“Great.” Thea continued, “Just make sure you stand behind me during all this action. I don’t want Big Blue railing at me because I got her sister killed.”

Elis froze and stared at Thea intently.

Thea raised an eyebrow, her expression challenging. “Problem?”

“You should be the one standing behind me,” Elis retorted, her voice firm. “You’re just a tiny little thing, and I’ve dealt with plenty like you before.”

Thea met her gaze, unyielding. “Are you picking a fight?”

“Yes,” Elis declared without hesitation.

A grin spread across Thea’s face as her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Excellent! Let’s do it.”

Elis turned and activated her suit, stepping inside. As she settled in, impact gel filled the interior, conforming to her body’s shape while micro A-Grav plates worked to mitigate the effects of inertia on her frame.

The HUD display lit up within the suit—a crystal-clear display that encompassed her entire peripheral vision and offered a simulated 360-degree view with a simple head turn. Readouts confirmed everything was functional; the hydraulic systems hummed to life, sending subtle vibrations through the surrounding structure.

Elis stood tall and followed Thea to an empty space between four of the tower’s structural pillars. “It’ll be a good test of the new hardware,” she commented nonchalantly.

“Mine’s working just fine,” Thea replied confidently. “But it will be nice to let loose and trash one of your toys.”

“What are the rules?” Elis asked thoughtfully, trying to set some boundaries. “I assume no headshots—I don’t want your MainComputer sending a hit after me for breaking you.”

Thea turned and looked at her with amusement. “Like you’d have a chance. But fine, that makes sense. I can fix your fleshy bits as long as your brain isn’t fried—assuming you can afford a new body.”

“Didn’t you rob the military along with my sister? And she gave you free taxes for life?” Elis pointed out.

“Touche.” Thea conceded. “Good point. Sure, I’ll fix you for free if needed.”

“I’m not the one who’s going to need fixing,” Elis said in a serious tone, her eyes locking onto Thea’s.

Gazing intently at Elis, Thea commented, “Gosh, your eyes remind me of an uppity Imperium bitch. I might accidentally hurt you.”

Elis pressed her suit’s heavy power-armored fist into her palm. “Sorry, they’re all natural.” Her helmet folded forward to encase her completely, sealing her along with her glowing HUD inside the metallic carapace.

Thea began to circle around Elis. “There’s nothing natural about surrounding yourself in a suit of metal.”

“Pfft,” Elis shot back, “There’s nothing natural about having a million-trillion tiny robots for a brain.”

Thea initiated the sparring session by darting forward. Elis caught her incoming fist with ease, the sound of metal striking metal resounding throughout the warehouse. “Not bad,” Elis taunted, her voice smug.

A snarl appeared on Thea’s face, and she wasted no time. Her other hand flashed into a small vibroblade that stabbed toward Elis’s forearm.

Elis reacted in a split-second. A swift, hard pivot sent Thea hurtling toward a nearby pillar. The NAI cartwheeled through the air; her form a blur of movement, before landing feet-first against the concrete and metal structure. The collision was jarring, the shrill shriek and crunch of yielding material echoing in the still air.

“You’re gonna need to do better than that, sweetheart!” Elis called out, a wild grin playing on her lips, unseen behind her helmet.

Unfazed, Thea launched herself straight back toward Elis for another attack. “Don’t get cocky,” she shot back, her voice cool.

A wave of blue nanites erupted from the disintegrating column, surging forward ahead of Thea like a spear. They swirled into a whirlwind as they slammed into Elis’ outstretched gauntlet, the force of the impact sending her skidding backward, scattering nanites in every direction.

Thea closed in for another attack, her movements fluid and precise. But Elis was ready. She sidestepped and landed a powerful punch to Thea’s side, sending her flying yet again. As Thea soared through the air, a cluster of writhing nanites clung to Elis’ suit, their blue glow pulsing ominously.

“Think your toys can save you?” Thea taunted as she latched onto a nearby pillar with one hand and brought herself to a controlled landing with a smooth roll. An evil grin spread across her face as she faced Elis. “Now you’ll fall apart.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Elis shot back. Unfazed by the nanites coating her suit, she reached into the crumbling column and ripped out a thick steel bar with a heavy chunk of concrete attached.

Her suit emitted a low hum, causing the blue nanites to flicker and spark before turning an inert gray. She taunted Thea, “You do realize that the MKIV was designed with Avatars in mind? You don’t have anything like that anymore, right?”

Thea cursed under her breath and darted to the nearest pillar. As she slapped her hand against it, a stream of nanites flowed onto her vibroblade, lengthening it before spreading across her body to form a thin layer of armor over her skinsuit.

Elis grinned, waiting for Thea’s next move. When Thea charged at her once more, Elis hurled the heavy rebar club straight at her.

Thea ducked beneath the flying debris skillfully, sliding toward Elis with vibro sword pointed forward. Yet, she skidded to a halt as Elis opened her palm in response.

Five barrels protruded from Elis’ gauntlet, unleashing a flurry of yellow energy bursts aimed at Thea’s torso and lower body. Thinking fast, Thea pulled nanites off the concrete floor to create a makeshift shield against the projectiles. Impact after impact sent toasted nanites spraying outward like blood spatters.

A second shotgun blast from Elis tore through more of the cloud, sending debris to slash Thea’s cheek and leaving a bloody line that rapidly healed.

“Bitch!” Thea snarled between clenched teeth.

Elis couldn’t help but laugh in response.

A third shotgun salvo roared through the warehouse, echoing as shrapnel pinged off the walls and sent Thea scrambling for cover behind a pillar. Elis advanced, but Thea darted out from the other side.

Blinding light filled the room, and Elis grunted in pain as her left arm twisted within the suit. A railgun sabot tore through her suit’s left shoulder joint, spewing parts and fluids in its wake.

“A fucking RAILGUN?” Elis bellowed as she charged toward Thea, her suit whining in protest as it struggled to keep up with her intended input.

As a second railgun blast erupted alongside an energy blast from Elis’ shotgun, both combatants danced around the pillar to dodge each other’s attacks. Just as Elis reached the concrete support, she snatched at a visible arm, her power-armored gauntlet crunching down on it.

Screaming in unison, anger fueling their battle, Elis hoisted Thea up and slammed her against a metal-sheathed concrete pillar. In retaliation, an explosion of nanites crashed into Elis’ side while Thea twisted midair to wrap her legs around a suit joint.

The struggle intensified as NAI strained against crushing power of mechanical hydraulics. Suddenly, a bearing gave way, followed by a failing servo that sent a sharp pain shooting up Elis’ elbow when her arm bent backward unnaturally.

Ignoring the agonizing noise from her damaged shoulder joint, Elis swung her other fist into Thea’s midsection. The impact launched Thea into the concrete floor with enough force to bounce back into the air—straight into another devastating punch.

Elis’ third punch slammed into the concrete as Thea evaded, rolling out of reach. “Get back here!” Elis spat, charging after her agile opponent. Thea nimbly darted out of sight behind a pillar, disappearing from view.

Suddenly, an explosion of nanites filled the air, obscuring Elis’ vision. Her HUD rapidly switched between modes before settling on a wireframe view that offered limited information. “Quit running away!” she yelled.

Following the faint footfall sounds her suit recorded, Elis pursued the elusive target. Her suit lit up with a possible location—but too late, Elis realized that the nanites had mimicked the sound to deceive her.

As her gauntlet slammed into a pillar, Thea deftly dropped down and wrapped her legs around Elis’ suit’s neck from behind. With a firm grip on Elis’ waist, she strained to snap the suit’s spine backward. “Can your stupid toy handle this?” Thea taunted.

Metal groaned and shrieked as rivets began to shear loose under the pressure—but Elis didn’t give Thea any more time to continue her assault. She swiveled around and launched herself backward, slamming Thea into metal-encased concrete with enough force to dislodge debris from the ceiling above them.

But Thea refused to let go.

Determined to dislodge the other woman, Elis repeated her attack—once more and then a third time. Finally, something snapped within her suit’s torso rotation joint; cursing in frustration and pain, she reached over her shoulder and grabbed hold of Thea’s ankle.

A piercing scream echoed through the warehouse as Elis unleashed a shotgun blast point-blank onto Thea’s ankle.

The noise flooded Elis’ comms, making her wince. A sudden stabbing pain shot through her leg as Thea’s railgun punctured her knee joint. Both of them collapsed in a tangled heap on the floor.

Despite her damaged shoulder joint threatening to break free, Elis rolled over and pinned Thea to the ground. Her shotgun gauntlet aimed at Thea’s face just as Thea’s railgun pressed against Elis’ breastplate, angling for her head. Both fighters heaved and panted, worn out by pain and exhaustion.

“I guess this is a tie,” Elis admitted reluctantly.

Thea hesitated before agreeing. “A tie.”

As they lay there in their stalemate, blue nanites gradually reassembled around Thea’s injuries.

Elis rolled off of her opponent and laid flat on her back, triggering a helmet command that caused the suit’s breastplate to loosen with a hiss of gas. Her HUD filled with red warning lights, informing her that it wouldn’t detach on its own. “Urgh.”

Suddenly, a video feed sprung to life for both of them. Tia materialized on screen, her angered glare practically burning through the display.

“What the fuck are you two doing!?” Tia shouted, her anger palpable. “You asked me to give you both as much privacy as possible, and now you’re setting off emergency alarms inside my head!”

Elis began to recover as her suit administered more painkiller cocktails directly to her shattered knee and elbow. “We were just sparring,” she grunted. “No problems here.”

“It says your suit is totally flatlined!” Tia hissed in disbelief.

“I think the sensor is busted; my heart’s still beating,” Elis offered reassuringly as a pleasant sort of sensation fell over her. It felt like she was floating on a comfortable cloud.

A drone flew into the space, and its camera swiveled to point at Thea. Tia’s glare took on an even more pointed edge. “Where is your foot!?”

Thea waved her away nonchalantly while her nanites worked on creating something for her to stand on. “Somewhere toward the corner, I think.”

“There was no need for both of you to go on this mission!” Tia protested. “Elis just got out of physical therapy! You cannot murder each other!”

“Relax, I’m about to give her first aid,” Thea replied dismissively.

“First aid!? You blew out her kneecap, and her right elbow is bent backward!” Tia objected, outrage clear in her voice.

Elis glanced down at her arm and saw that it was indeed bent the wrong way. Thankfully, the suit’s medical suite was designed to keep someone alive and in operation until the mission was completed. “I’m fine.”

“You’re high on whatever cocktail your suit is pumping into you, and your suit is totally busted!” Tia shouted.

“I have two more.” Elis smiled back at her. As Thea knelt beside her suit, the woman shook her head at her.

“Wow, this thing really is busted good. I’m going to need a can opener.” Thea remarked.

Elis giggled. “You are not getting in my pants.”

Thea glanced at Tia’s drone. “Oh yeah, she’s out of it.”

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Next time... Chapter 171 – Ghosts in the Machine

See you, Space core