Exile of the Faithful - Chapter Eight
Larsha
Capellan Confederation
10 September, 3052
Why do I always get stuck on jungle planets? It was ironic, considering that Cat disliked the heat and humidity. Partly it was due to having been raised in relatively cold conditions, but there was also the fact that it just felt dirty, offending her sense of order.
You went where the objective took you, though, and that brought her to the hot, humid, dank jungles of Larsha. At the moment, at least, the small makeshift camp smelled less of the normal jungle stink, and more of the scent of a recent battle.
The sun had recently set, and the camp was getting settled. The lance sized unit of the 5th Confederation Reserve Cavalry had been running down a band of pirates that had somehow slipped into the system and were probing for a weak spot. On a backwater like this, with a second line garrison unit, it had been a simple matter for Cat to figure out where the person she was looking for, and slip in as a tech. Security was beyond lax, but she wasn't about to complain.
She would have preferred if her quarry had been in the barracks when she arrived, thus saving her all the leg work, but circumstances couldn't be helped. She had to wait for the right moment to approach, and that had meant performing some of the duties of the tech disguise that she had adopted. It had been a few years since she found herself patching together components, especially ones as old as the Succession Wars-era Vindicator she had just patched up.
She strode nonchalantly across the camp, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her coveralls, doing her best to blend in and not attract too much attention as she made her way toward the lance commander's tent. She was about to poke her head in the tent when she spotted a figure a short way off on the edge of the treeline, smoking a cigarette and peering down at a noteputer.
He was the one she was here to see. She made her way towards him, casually making as much noise as possible so as not to surprise him. The man was engrossed in whatever he was reading, however, and seemed not to notice her arrival until she was right on top of him.
"Whatever it is, just set it on the rock over there, I'll look at it later," he said without looking up.
She smiled wryly. "That piece of shit Vindicator is up and running. Though I have to admit, I had not figured to find you piloting such a piece of junk."
Ace Kaller put down the noteputer and looked up. "I'd recognize that voice and condescending tone anywhere. What the hell are you doing here, Cat? You decide to take up being a tech here at the ass-end of nowhere?" He motioned for her to take a seat on the fallen tree beside him.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone would come to this terrible of a planet voluntarily. No, I came here tracking you down."
He took a long drag on the cigarette he was smoking before answering. "Yeah, the Confederation doesn't take too kindly to helping fugitives escape. Glad to see you made it out. Faith come with you?"
"No, she is back on Solaris, most likely raising some hell, money, and support at the moment. I thought this was a mission better suited to going alone." As she spoke, she noticed he looked more tired, and more gritty than she had remembered him.
"For the better, I guess." He let the statement linger in the air like a question. She knew him too well, recognizing it as an in.
"She will be back...eventually. She just wishes to return on her own terms. And part of that is tying up loose ends."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that she needs to be able to act freely, without anything on her mind to worry about. That is why I came looking for you. I am looking for Acadia."
He stared at the ground for a moment before responding. "Yeah, the Confederation also doesn't think that it's a good idea to leave kids with people who help fugitives escape. Not that I could have handled her on my own anyway, but still. She's back on Sian, placed in foster care, no doubt with a suitable eye kept on her. I don't know if they think Faith would make a move to get her back or not, but I'd bet on them being careful."
"I highly doubt they bet on me getting her out. Which I will. I may not be one for children, but I understand what they mean to their parents. She deserves to be raised somewhere other than some Confederation nursery."
"Just be careful. I know you think you're some kind of indestructible, but this is dangerous. And I don't know your story, but I know this isn't your home turf. It won't be easy."
She smiled wryly. "I have gotten this far, have I not? I have won a few away games in my time. And I intend to win this one."
Why do I always get stuck on jungle planets? It was ironic, considering that Cat disliked the heat and humidity. Partly it was due to having been raised in relatively cold conditions, but there was also the fact that it just felt dirty, offending her sense of order.
You went where the objective took you, though, and that brought her to the hot, humid, dank jungles of Larsha. At the moment, at least, the small makeshift camp smelled less of the normal jungle stink, and more of the scent of a recent battle.
The sun had recently set, and the camp was getting settled. The lance sized unit of the 5th Confederation Reserve Cavalry had been running down a band of pirates that had somehow slipped into the system and were probing for a weak spot. On a backwater like this, with a second line garrison unit, it had been a simple matter for Cat to figure out where the person she was looking for, and slip in as a tech. Security was beyond lax, but she wasn't about to complain.
She would have preferred if her quarry had been in the barracks when she arrived, thus saving her all the leg work, but circumstances couldn't be helped. She had to wait for the right moment to approach, and that had meant performing some of the duties of the tech disguise that she had adopted. It had been a few years since she found herself patching together components, especially ones as old as the Succession Wars-era Vindicator she had just patched up.
She strode nonchalantly across the camp, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her coveralls, doing her best to blend in and not attract too much attention as she made her way toward the lance commander's tent. She was about to poke her head in the tent when she spotted a figure a short way off on the edge of the treeline, smoking a cigarette and peering down at a noteputer.
He was the one she was here to see. She made her way towards him, casually making as much noise as possible so as not to surprise him. The man was engrossed in whatever he was reading, however, and seemed not to notice her arrival until she was right on top of him.
"Whatever it is, just set it on the rock over there, I'll look at it later," he said without looking up.
She smiled wryly. "That piece of shit Vindicator is up and running. Though I have to admit, I had not figured to find you piloting such a piece of junk."
Ace Kaller put down the noteputer and looked up. "I'd recognize that voice and condescending tone anywhere. What the hell are you doing here, Cat? You decide to take up being a tech here at the ass-end of nowhere?" He motioned for her to take a seat on the fallen tree beside him.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone would come to this terrible of a planet voluntarily. No, I came here tracking you down."
He took a long drag on the cigarette he was smoking before answering. "Yeah, the Confederation doesn't take too kindly to helping fugitives escape. Glad to see you made it out. Faith come with you?"
"No, she is back on Solaris, most likely raising some hell, money, and support at the moment. I thought this was a mission better suited to going alone." As she spoke, she noticed he looked more tired, and more gritty than she had remembered him.
"For the better, I guess." He let the statement linger in the air like a question. She knew him too well, recognizing it as an in.
"She will be back...eventually. She just wishes to return on her own terms. And part of that is tying up loose ends."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that she needs to be able to act freely, without anything on her mind to worry about. That is why I came looking for you. I am looking for Acadia."
He stared at the ground for a moment before responding. "Yeah, the Confederation also doesn't think that it's a good idea to leave kids with people who help fugitives escape. Not that I could have handled her on my own anyway, but still. She's back on Sian, placed in foster care, no doubt with a suitable eye kept on her. I don't know if they think Faith would make a move to get her back or not, but I'd bet on them being careful."
"I highly doubt they bet on me getting her out. Which I will. I may not be one for children, but I understand what they mean to their parents. She deserves to be raised somewhere other than some Confederation nursery."
"Just be careful. I know you think you're some kind of indestructible, but this is dangerous. And I don't know your story, but I know this isn't your home turf. It won't be easy."
She smiled wryly. "I have gotten this far, have I not? I have won a few away games in my time. And I intend to win this one."
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