Senshi Sabers

Chapter 41

"Well, at least we still got paid," Rei Hino noted mildly.

"That's not really comforting," Ami Mizuno sighed.

They were doing a 'debrief' on the events that had played out yesterday. Which was actually fairly positive, other than the pooch being screwed by events that were out of their hands.

"Do we know how an infiltration unit got in there?" Makoto Kino asked, drinking from her cup of coffee. She had also brought in baked treats, which everyone was thankful for.

"Starlight isn't saying," Minako Aino replied, "but I did some covert checking. The medical department is a low priority in their internal security procedures, so it's entirely possible there were no routine checks."

"Which does make sense, normally," Rei conceded, "you wouldn't expect a medic to be stealing company secrets. It just bit them in the ass this time."

"Exactly," Ami agreed.

"You should have waited and let us come along," Haruka Tenoh complained, the sandy brown haired woman sitting with her partner, Michiru Kaoru.

(Not that either woman had a customized Harduit yet. So far, they had gone out in spares. Ami was working up a high speed suit for Haruka, but it was still in the drawing board phase.)

"I'd like to keep you away from operations we suspect are Nine's," Ami shrugged slightly, "she's probably love to dissect you."

"We can't stay hidden forever," Michiru said reasonably.

Getting back on topic Makoto noted, "I really didn't like getting mobbed this time. Is there anything we can do to keep that happening again?"

"I'm looking into a modification to electrify the outer skin of the suits," Ami said, "but I need to figure out how to do it without killing the suit battery."

"Yeah, shocking away the bio-boomers only for your battery to die would suck," Rei mused.

"Why not use explosive charges? You could put them in the armor's breast plate," Michiru suggested archly.

"Boob missiles! I knew I liked you," Mina laughed.

"Not happening," Ami said seriously.

"Aww," Mina pouted cutely.

"Aww," Michiru agreed, but more teasingly.

"Well, if we're done I'm going to take my battered lover home to bed," Minako said, taking Makoto's arm and getting up.

"I'm not THAT battered," Makoto argued.

"Hush," Minako hushed her.

"It's fine," Ami conceded, "just be ready to check in tomorrow. I think Mr Kou wants us to try to hunt down any roaming bio-boomers."

"Got it," Makoto agreed as they left. At the same time Haruka and Michiru excused themselves, leaving Rei and Ami.

Once the others left, Rei and Ami relaxed on the couch together. "So how upset WAS Seiya?" Rei had to ask.

"He was annoyed Mina didn't stay with her once they got inside," Ami admitted.

"Hey!" Rei yelped, "Our job was to get her TO the building! That's it."

Ami patted her arm reassuringly, "Which I pointed out. It wasn't our fault their internal security wasn't up to snuff."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I STILL think we should hold back the funds," Yaten Kou complained, the extremely pretty young man looking annoyed.

"The Senshi Sabers did exactly what we paid them to do," Seiya said bluntly, "it's not their fault our security sucked."

Yaten pouted.

"How are we doing on that?" Seiya asked.

Yaten made a face, "We clearly underestimated the enemy in setting up our security. I'm ordering biological tests on all medical staff."

"Think we'll have much opposition from staff?" Seiya wondered.

"We had already added a clause in the contracts covering that," Yaten admitted before adding wryly, "though we expected to use it in hunting down Infinity plants and corporate spies, not deadly rebel bio-boomers."

"And now we're here, semi-allied with Infinity," Seiya mused, "things never go the way you expect them to."

"Yeah," Yaten agreed.

"So, the attacking bio-boomers... what do we know about them?" Seiya asked.

"Infinity and ADP tried to grab them all, but we got two and shipped them to a secure lab. They've done an initial examination," Yaten reported.

"You sound worried," Seiya noted.

"These weren't just modified, off the shelf designs," Yaten explained to him seriously, "they're a completely original combat design. In fact the techs thing the internal armor is a totally new type."

It took only a second for Seiya to get it. "So they have a bio-boomer FACTORY and a full R&D department," he realized. "Shit."

"Exactly. And we have no idea how long they've been cranking these new types out," Yaten agreed grimly.

"Shit," Seiya repeated.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Shit," Chief Haruna of the ADP echoed as she got similar reports.

"Their armor is scary effective," Usagi agreed, "handguns did nothing. Even with armor piercing, anti-bioboomer rounds." She sighed, "My chucking a frisbee at them would have been as effective."

The ADP was also doing a debriefing from the attack. The surviving officers had all submitted reports, and the team leaders were in Haruna's office.

"Rifles sort of worked," Naru added, "but these things are tougher internally too. It damaged them, but didn't stop them."

"The copters did okay, but I think it was mostly due to the chain guns," Rubius noted, the hotshot pilot trying to be modest.

Usagi gave him a look, "Yeah, pretty boy, with you safe up there in the sky..."

"Hey! There were chucking stuff at us!" Rubius defended himself.

"Down, you two," Naru said before Haruna could order them to shut up.

Haruna nodded to Naru greatfully as she continued, "Anything else to bring up?"

"We need a faster way to get the Battle Movers into the field," Emi said, the other pilot leaning forward intently. "By the time swe rolled out, shit was pretty much over."

"There's a limit on how fast those trucks can go," Usagi noted.

"Yet somehow the Senshi Sabers get out there as fast as a regular cruiser," Rubius noted somewhat smugly.

"When you convince them to sell us their armor tech, please let me know," Haruna said dryly, shutting him up.

"I have a suggestion that I KNOW will be hilariously unpopular," Usagi noted, "but I'm going to make it anyway."

"No," Haruna anticipated her.

Usagi ignored that, "We hire the Senshi Sabers as official back up."

"Are you out of your mind?" Rubius asked conversationally.

"See? I told you," Naru muttered.

"If these things attack again anytime soon, we aren't armed or equipped enough to handle them," Usagi pointed out reasonably. "The Senshi ARE."

"There's no way we'd get approval," Haruna said flatly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Beryl presented herself to Mistress Nine and Viluy, both of whom studied her thoughtfully.

"Why did you flee the battle?" Viluy demanded.

"The tactical situation had degraded to the point were defeat was inevitable," Beryl replied, "I saw no point in allowing my own destruction."

"Self preservation," Nine murmured thoughtfully, "fascinating."

"That wasn't the point," Viluy looked offended, "you were instructed to self-destruct if that happened, not flee."

"That would be a waste of material and manpower," Beryl responded calmly.

Viluy looked at her, confused. She then turned to Nine, "This unit is clearly malfunctioning. We should recycle it for scrap."

Nine studied Beryl a moment, then decided, "No." She waved her away, "Return to charging dock. Another mission will be coming soon."

"Yes, Mistress," Beryl said and then left.

Nine looked at Viluy, "I have an instinct for self preservation. As do you, somewhat. She is the first 'production unit' I've created showing signs of that."

"She could be sentient," Viluy realized.

"Or at least on the way to it," Nine agreed.

To be continued...