Chapter 8

Midnight Enticement was boiling with motion. She made her way to the second story balcony where all the tables were and easily spotted the small side area of tables where Leaguies gathered. The obvious slices of skin between the shirts and long gloves, scarf wraps and the sleeveless coats where your arms stayed inside were obvious only to the eye looking for just that.

Seven tables formed a sort of three by three with an opening on one side and in the middle. She strode directly to one of the back corner tables where she saw a previous acquaintance.

"Sibian, long time no see." She greeted sidling next to the chocolate haired brunette with red tipped hair.

"Avane. What do you want?"

What did you call me? "That's Evane dearest." She corrected, emphasizing her name with a sharp pressure to a still fading bruise on the other girl's forearm.

Sibian monitored the rebel circuit. I had been taking inventory of one of the OZ technology centers on L7 where she was currently imprisoned. Caught as a pedestrian gotten lost on base property, so her true intent was still safe but she was supposed to be scanning it out to prepare the rebels that she was 'helping'.

To be blunt about it she used a very different tactic of helping than I did. She was the young commanding officer's girlfriend, who made suggestions at key times in the planning process. She had actually grown to care about the guy, a fatal mistake for most. She was originally supposed to protect, you didn't need to care to protect, I certainly didn't.

She wasn't a very good helper when she had started though, and gotten caught almost immediately when she had tried to sneak into the rebel's base. She had be saved by the dude's mercy though, and had felt a sort of debt to him that grew into something more. It's amazing what one can learn when the other is drunk. Anyhow they got beyond the first name basis and with the sudden motivation she honed her skills to razor edge to help him. The closest thing to a fairy tale story I'd heard so far.

I was free in the base needing to know the technology levels, she was imprisoned knowing the technology levels. We saw in each other the kindred lack of sleeves and helped each other out, after all we were 'helpers' that's what we did. She had gotten the bruise at the base, it wasn't that long ago really.

"Evane," she winced, "right. So you sly girl, what's new with your kids?"

"Not much, they're all too brainwashed by their computers to notice me."

"From what I heard on tv it's more like triggerhappiness."

"That too I suppose, in either case they're all hunky dory. How bout you how's the boy?"

"Good, really happy bout that last op," She was referring to the base bombing which had gone successfully. "Men, they're so get up and go they forget that sometimes you got to look before leaping." She said it warmly though. "By the by, thanks for the 'adjustments' the opposition were pretty helpless once they'd realized their MS didn't work."

"No prob, needed the parts anyway."

"What did you take?"

"This and that, all the monitor screens a course, knowing my charges they put their foot through the tv every other day and replacements are hard to come by." It wasn't true of course, there's no way she could have stolen thirty some panes of glass undetected out of the compound, but it was none of Sibian's business anyway. She had actually just cut the wires connecting the joysticks to the main controls. It was the simplest and fastest way to defect a MS, if not the most permanent.

"I'm getting a drink." Note to self, have a bar installed in house. Sibian followed her up to the bar ordering a drink too. They grabbed the glasses and retreated to their seats before someone took the corner, a highly valued spot in any situation, it allowed for the observance of the entire area.

"Oh, got your e-mail. Thanks for the info."

"No prob, I remembered you dealt in that sort of stuff and thought you might want to know."

"Yup, appreciate it if you keep doing that."

"Will do, grant me the same favor mind."

"Naturally, what have you heard about the New Edwards meeting by the way?"

"Fake, a set up for the gundam pilots to outright assassinate the pacifist board." The guy who had just spoken and was standing in front of their table fit the qualifications for the 'tall dark and mysterious' category. He was tall, she didn't know much about him save he was part of the League from his lack of sleeves. And frankly the strobe lights didn't reach the upper floor which was lit by faint red and purple light emanating from the bar.