Some Experience Necessary
1.12
The pilot of the Redhorn was watching all of this quite glumly. This was supposed to be her solo mission, and someone had taken all her foes. Said foes were now kicking the daylights out of some helpless Zabrefang pilot in the sinkhole field with two weird new zoids helping out – well, trying to help. Binoculars at the ready, the young woman chewed her lip anxiously and reached down to the dashboard to check the radio again, fingers rolling back and forth over the dials. Her cockpit was open, and the breeze brought forth the smell of gunpowder and core-fluid. She was close enough to watch, but not for stray shot – not here. But still, caution was important.
She sunk down, found the frequency she was looking for and dialled in. "This is Private Marley Lexan, anyone out there on the training grounds?" A pause. "I'm here for retraining as a heavy zoid pilot – any students out there who can tell me what the hell is going on?"
It took a second for them to come back. Students all over. Since when? This reserve was supposed to be deserted over the weekend!
Then a voice she recognised. Her hand hovered over the dial, jaw dropping as she tuned in. "Private? Would you mind explaining the broadcast? Aren't you on a mission here?"
"Sir, uh, everyone else is out here. I'm just here to train on sleepers. But all the sleepers seem to be preoccupied."
"Like half the cadets on base- will you pipe down the lot of you-" A click as he went to broad range. "All students out of the area immediately. Meet at mission point 3A for military escort by…your name, again, Private?"
"Private Marley Lexan, sir." She breathed, cheeks flushed. "Sir? What's happening?"
He clicked back to a private channel. "A rumour was started on base that there was an organoid out here." He sounded exhausted. "So we have a few entrepreneurs out here." A distant thump. "Who have disobeyed orders to remain in Orion until further notice. The mission was a breaking-in run for a bunch of new cadets, but the school was so poorly organised – or this happened so fast – the target was never placed."
Shock made her lips move without thinking. "You're leaving the target yourself?"
"I don't have much of a choice, seeing as the instructors decided to disappear for the weekend. But that's not the problem. The information about this fake organoid is out on the airwaves. The Sleepers programmed for that mission knew who they were looking for. The rest of them have automatically responded to the rumour because organoid is something they recognize to seek and protect – to destroy anyone without the proper Imperial codes."
"Oh no. You mean they're now all focused on that one mission?"
"Correct. We might even have some Guysacks in there we…ah, found…somewhere in the ruins. I can't deactivate them from the base, I need to get to the source station…" There was the sound of a scuffle and then a quiet groan. "Does anyone here listen to authority or are you all horrible little upstarts? Get back in your zoid, Martin, before I tell your father the words you just said. Private? Are you still there?"
"Yes sir. I…" She paused, still fixing the carapace down and scooting her bottom back into the driver's seat again. The Horn twisted around and began a lumbering run to the rendezvous spot.
"Easy, Private. It's alright. No formality here. Just get yourself back here now." The Minister of Defence's voice was strained. "If it were just the Sleepers then it wouldn't be much of a problem. But I need you to have two zoids up front with depth-scanners to check for mines." Lexan gasped. "The rumour got as far as the border. We have a small infestation of Republicans I just ran afoul of, and they're quite happy to take out your legs from beneath you. Go slow and go careful. I'll retrieve the kids."
Then it clicked. She knew who the Fang pilot was. Her gaze softened at the screen and she managed a salute. "Yes sir. My ETA is 30 minutes."
"Excellent. Over and out."
- To be continued
