Chapter Six: Midnight Rendezvous
February 25, 2017. BAINE Headquarters.
After a few days of monitoring Polaris Industries activity, Gina had finally reached a conclusion. And with that conclusion came a plan of action. She had called the rest of Fireteam Victor together to explain what she had learned, and what they would do next. "Alright, thank you all for coming," she said, as everyone was seated in the darkened conference room.
"Like I'd miss a chance to strike back against BAINE's next enemy," said Vargas. He, Daniel, Lucas, James, Ichigo, and Hester were all positioned around a table as Gina turned on the monitor. "So, who's our target?"
"Love that enthusiasm! Alright, let's get right into it." She clicked a button to show the first slide, the Polaris worker's drawing of the Rhinestone. "This, as I'm sure you're aware by now, is an eyewitness' rendering of what is known as a Rhinestone, which our sources say is a kind of semi-autonomous Gem-like robonoid. Given what we know, it appears that they are responsible for the recent attacks on Polaris shipments."
Everyone took in the picture. "I'm not too worried," said Hester. "This wouldn't be the first time we did battle with robots. But when you say they're 'Gem-like'..."
"I mean exactly that." Gina went to the next slide, showing a picture of an injector from the Prime Kindergarten. "So, I won't bore you with the details, but they're basically made using oil instead of minerals–so basically, they're made of plastic. This is good for us, because it tells us that wherever they're being made, it's somewhere rich in fossil fuels. But we'll deal with that later–right now, we need to focus on finding out exactly why they're after Gem tech."
Ichigo raised his hand. "So, they are automated, right? Since the ship they were on was shot down, could it be that they're trying to repair it?"
"I haven't ruled that out," continued Gina, pointing at him, "but we'll need more info to verify that. And in order to verify that, I'll need a sample in the form of a relatively intact Rhinestone. That's where the field team, i.e. you guys, come in."
"Bringing in a live specimen–I can get behind that," said James. "But seeing as we haven't even seen one before, how do we find one? Wait–I'm sure you have that covered already."
Gina grinned. "Right you are, buddy!" She went to the next picture: a satellite image of Polaris convoy routes. "This one took me a while to get, but my prior experience from tracking the Xevellans made it a piece of cake in the long run! Long story short, I came up with a rough estimate of where these Rhinestones are planning on going for their next heist, emphasis on 'rough.' There's not as much of a pattern this time around, but I worked with what I had. All you'll need to do is intercept them while they're trying to intercept the convoy."
"Intercept the interceptors!" declared Ichigo.
As he contemplated this plan, which seemed exceedingly simple to him, something crossed Daniel's mind. "Do we know if Polaris has acquired a specimen yet? Considering how often they've encountered these things, they have to know more than we do currently."
"I thought the same thing," Gina replied, "but unfortunately, we don't really have any way to know for sure. The only reason we made it this far was because James stumbled onto an employee who was actually willing to speak with us. Anything St. Augustine has found out has been covered up, if it's anything at all. As for what these things are capable of, we're going in blind."
"Ah, how tough could they be?" Vargas said. "The Crystal Gems abandoned the project 'cause they couldn't hack it against Homeworld. Shouldn't be that much of a problem for us."
"I don't think 'not a problem' for Homeworld translates as 'not a problem' for us…" Hester pointed out.
Daniel stood up. "Well then, if you're finished, I think we should start preparing. I'll get some other Fireteams together, and we'll be ready when and where these Rhinestones strike next. As for the rest of you, head out and rest up, but be ready to move at a moment's notice."
The meeting apparently over, the rest of the team filed out of the room. "Uh, Captain?" Gina said before Daniel left. "Before you go, could I have a quick word?" He stayed behind as everyone else left.
"Sure. What's the matter?" he asked.
Gina took a moment to come up with the best way to phrase the question. "Well, I've been thinking, and…it's about Vargas." Daniel sat back down, suspecting this was going to get heavy. "Are we sure it's still a good idea to keep him along for the ride? I know he's a member of the team, but he could still be involved with the Children of Homeworld! And even if he's not, he still kept it secret for way longer than he should have. I don't want to come across as overly paranoid, it's just that…y'know."
"I think I know," he responded. "Honestly, I've been considering how to handle him for a long time now. Nothing he's done warrants disciplinary action outright, and yet…I still can't shake the feeling there's something more to him. And if he's willing to keep a secret like that from us, what else don't we know about him?"
"My thoughts exactly." Daniel got back up. "For now, all we can do is keep a close eye on him. He can stick around for as long as he continues to play by the rules, but if he shows he's untrustworthy… Send me the time and place of the next raid. We'll be there."
Before Daniel made his way out of the room, Vargas, his ear pressed to the door, made a quick exit. He watched as his commander walked out of the room and down the hall, with no idea he was there. His eyes narrowed angrily as he turned around and headed back to his bunk.
March 5, 2017. Polaris Supply Route through Connecticut National Forest.
"All units, be advised, convoy has been sighted passing the third checkpoint," a voice came in over the radio. "Approaching probable attack zone, over."
"We read you," said Hester. Positioned atop a tall tree beside the road, she gazed through her night vision scope for any sign of movement. So far, no other vehicles had come down this way, nor had she seen any hint of the Rhinestones. Just her and the rest of Fireteam Victor, camouflaged among the foliage.
Luke and James waited further down by a bend, hidden behind some trees. "Here's hoping something actually comes of it this time," the former said.
"Well, third time's the charm," replied the latter. "I'm not surprised we haven't had much luck so far. We're basically just going on field trips around the country, hoping we'll run into one of these raids in the process. Not exactly the smoothest method."
Luke shrugged. "Maybe, but with any luck, we'll…uh, get lucky." After a brief pause, he picked up his radio. "Hey, Cap'n, how's things on your end?"
Lying on his stomach in a bush, an irritated Daniel responded. "I thought I told you to keep this line clear," he muttered. "...But no, I haven't seen anything, if that's what you're asking. I'll keep you informed. Over and out."
"Sheesh. Something's bugging him," said Luke. "Probably doesn't help that we're out here at…" He checked his watch. "...three-thirty in the morning, and there's been no sign of anyone or anything." He reclined against one of the trees, keeping an ear out for anything unusual.
For a forest at night, it was eerily silent. One would expect there to be the ambient sounds of wildlife, but there was nothing but the wind. Not even any crickets chirping. James kept his mind off it by staring down the road, waiting for the moment he could hear the cars' engines, or their headlights came into view.
Meanwhile, Daniel did the same, his head down on the ground to listen for the vibrations of approaching vehicles. However, his meditative scouting was interrupted by another crackle from the radio. "Uh, hey, this is Davis checking in. Has anybody heard from Fireteam Kilo? They're not responding."
Confused, but not yet worried, Daniel reached for his radio. "All of them? Have you tried their personal lines?"
"All channels–nothing," said Davis. "It's probably just a glitch or something, but I don't wanna risk breaking rank to go and look for 'em. Don't suppose you could spare one of your guys?"
"They're fine," Daniel replied. "Once the convoy comes in, they'll hear it and move into position. If anything comes up, we're barely a quarter-mile away." Content that the issue would resolve itself, Daniel was about to put his radio away, but decided it was better to be cautious. "Vargas, you there?"
"Right here, Captain," came his voice.
"Something's up with Fireteam Kilo. Could you go and investigate?"
"Roger that." Readying his energy gun, Vargas trudged off in the direction of the next checkpoint. Unlike everybody else, he made little effort to stay stealthy, as not only did his Quartzbreaker armor stand out amongst the greenery, but also because there was nobody to hide from.
It was only a moment later that he heard something moving through the foliage. He readied his weapon, just in case, but saw that it was only several BAINE troops. Fireteam Kilo.
Vargas lowered his gun. "There you are. What's up? Something wrong with your radio or something?"
One of the troopers tapped on the side of his helmet. Vargas took this to mean that communications were down. As they moved on, he radioed Daniel again. "Yeah, found 'em. Something's going on with their communicators, but they're fine. Moving to another vantage point, it looks like."
" Looks like?" said Daniel. "Vargas, did you actually ask them what was wrong?"
"Kinda hard to do that when communicators are down," Vargas said. Still, Daniel had a point. But before he could follow them, he heard the telltale sound of several vehicles approaching in the distance. "No time for that–gotta get in position!" He hurried back to the road.
The convoy's headlights could be seen as they neared the spot where the teams had hunkered down. "Heads on a swivel, everyone," said Daniel. "We don't know what direction these things are attacking from." The teams held their collective breath, ready for anything.
The first truck came into view. As it rumbled down the road, James, like everyone else, kept his eyes open for any signs of an ambush. But rather than any Rhinestones, he instead noticed one of the BAINE troopers walking out into the street. "What the…?" Who was that, and what were they trying to do? He went for his radio. "Whoever that is, get out of the road!" The person either didn't hear him or didn't care, continuing to head for the approaching convoy.
He was far from the only person to notice. "Uh, guys? That's one of the Kilo people," said Davis. "Somebody get him out of there!" But before anybody could move, the rogue soldier revealed that their plans were much more than simply standing in the way.
If the truck saw the trooper, it didn't immediately slow down. This didn't bother them in the slightest–in fact, it seemed to be part of their plan. They raised their weapon, unleashing a stream of bullets into the vehicle.
"What are you doing!?" yelled Daniel, rushing out into the open towards the offender. As the truck swerved to try and avoid the shots, the soldier turned towards Daniel and opened fire. Some of the bullets glanced off of his armor, but he slid down underneath most of the fire. He drew his sidearm, firing back at what he assumed was a traitor.
As the convoy came to a stop, the sounds of more gunfire filled the forest. It seemed that all of Fireteam Kilo had suddenly turned on BAINE. Ichigo ducked behind a tree to avoid the bullets heading his way. "Uh, Hester, we've got a situation down here! We could use some tactical assistance!"
From her vantage point, Hester watched as the firefight broke out. She took aim at the soldier besieging Ichigo, landing a shot directly through their helmet. "You're clear. Some of the troops from Fireteam Lima are wounded to your left, move to assist." As Ichigo moved to aid them, she saw the soldier she had felled rise to its feet. "How in…?" Before she could shoot them again, she heard movement in the trees behind her–in the treetops.
Meanwhile, Daniel continued to trade shots with the soldier who had kicked off this skirmish. None of his bullets seemed to do any lasting damage, which shouldn't have been the case even factoring in the armor. He rushed to the truck to take cover, but the driver had other plans. Having already been shot at, the driver floored it, sending the vehicle barreling down the road and over the soldier. Its grille slammed into them, sending them to the ground where the tires further cracked their already-broken armor.
As the truck sped off, Daniel assumed that was it. However, he was greeted by the sight of the soldier getting up from what should have been a crippling, if not fatal injury. Their helmet had fallen off from the crash, revealing not a human, but a perfectly-spherical green orb, with a pair of glowing lights that stared back at him.
Daniel immediately recognized what this was. However, there was no time to ponder this discovery, as the robot raised its weapon to open fire. Fortunately, its rifle had also been damaged in the crash, giving Daniel enough time to close the distance and unload a slug into its head at point-blank range. The robotic mimic fell once more, fluid spilling to the ground as its head was cracked like an egg.
This victory was short-lived, as he heard a sudden shout to his side. He turned in time to see Hester thrown from her perch, landing hard on her back. He raised his gun to the source, and was greeted by a ghostly-white form, with a single eye glaring back at him. A Rhinestone.
As was his instinct, he opened fire yet again, but the thing was agile enough to avoid his shots, leaping from tree to tree. The way it moved was incredibly eerie–too smoothly to be entirely robotic, but too jerky to be organic, almost like an insect. It sort of reminded him of the Koh'i'Noor in that way.
But it was not alone. Many more Rhinestones appeared from the trees, descending upon the halted convoy. Most of them formed a defensive perimeter, shooting bolts of white-hot plasma at anyone nearby, while the rest tore into the trucks to get at the technology within. There was also still the matter of the robotic duplicates to deal with, who seemed to be working in tandem with the Rhinestones.
Vargas was in his element, lighting up any Rhinestones who dared to try and stop him. Their shots, as well as the regular bullets, barely slowed the Quartzbreaker down as he made quick work of them. However, they soon grew wise to the threat he posed, and figured the smarter option was just to avoid him. "Hey, were we supposed to bring one of these things back alive? 'Cause I don't think that's happening today."
"We have bigger things to worry about now," said Daniel. He made his way over to Hester, who was struggling to get up. "Hester, are you alright? Can you stand?"
With no small amount of effort, she got to her feet. "Wouldn't be the worst spill I've ever taken," she said, picking up her weapon. "What are those things wearing BAINE armor?"
The two of them hit the deck as one of the robots in question fired on them. Daniel took aim with his shotgun, the blast throwing its helmet off. Before it could retaliate, Hester blew its spherical head apart with her rifle, splattering viscous fluid everywhere.
"I have an idea, but we should wait until we're in the clear," Daniel said. "Pick as many of them off as you can–I'll provide covering fire. Everyone else, get those things off the trucks!"
Many of the drivers, clearly panicking, had floored it, barrelling down the road. But many had been unable to, their vehicles having been commandeered by the Rhinestones. They continued pulling out tech from the backs, disappearing back into the woods with whatever they could carry. Luke went from tree to tree, firing short bursts at them and hiding before their shots could hit him. "Not to be a downer, Captain, but we're a bit outnumbered here!"
"We're always outnumbered!" said James, also making his way closer to the convoy. "Just clear the way for the trucks to leave. They'll thin out when the supply does the same." He shot one of the Rhinestones off one of the truck's windshield, and another trying to tear off its tire. Getting the controls back, the driver sped off.
Seeing the threat Fireteam Victor posed to their mission, the Rhinestones went on the offensive. While this meant that they left most of the trucks unguarded, it also meant they started to flank the troopers, making it hard to hide from their blasts. Ichigo managed to shoot one out of a tree before it could fire, with it falling to the ground and disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Anyone else get the feeling we came here underprepared?" he asked.
"Not long now, just keep going!" said Daniel. "They can't waste all their numbers on a single op!" Seeing how many Rhinestones there were, and how many they felled without the others retreating, it seemed like maybe they actually could. Still, everyone fought on, although they showed no signs of stopping.
On the upside, their efforts meant that more of the trucks managed to make an escape. Before long, the entire convoy had left the woods, the Rhinestones too focused on their enemies to complete their mission. Once they realized their targets had left, their numbers gradually began to thin, but they refused to leave BAINE outright. The forest was still filled with the sounds of battle.
Things only began to sway in BAINE's favor when the other Fireteams arrived at the scene. With the increased firepower and flanking positions, only now did the troops finally begin to push back the Rhinestones. "About time you got here!" said Vargas, cutting one last Rhinestone in two with his energy sword. At long last, the forest was quiet once again, the last of their enemies having fled.
"See?" said Daniel, as Fireteam Victor converged. "Like I said: we just had to hold out a little bit longer. Nothin' to it!"
Hester limped over, supporting her weight with her rifle. "I wouldn't say it took 'nothing,' but at least we got here," she murmured.
With the battle over, so began the process of cleaning up the battlefield. Ichigo picked up a few broken bits of clear plastic, all that was left of a Rhinestone's gem. "Anybody find a full one o' these? All the ones I've found are broken."
"Nothing," said James, facing similar luck. "The least we can do is collect all the shards. I'm sure our science team can work something out with what we've got."
"Personally, I'm more worried about these things." Luke stood above one of the fallen robots, having pried off most of its BAINE armor. Below its spherical head, its body and limbs were extremely thin, likely enabling it to fit into any disguise. "Looks like Gem tech, too. What exactly were these things doing here?"
Hester examined the robot. "Impersonating Fireteam Kilo," she said. "Someone should really go check on them. If these things were able to take their equipment, I'm worried they might've finished the job."
Now that he had time to confirm his suspicions, Daniel crouched down beside the imposter to get a better look at it. "I thought so…I've seen these before," he said grimly.
"Wait, you have?" said Ichigo. "And where exactly…oh." He realized that he had seen them as well.
"Exactly. SEEN and the Children of Homeworld both used them in their campaign against us. But only one person I know ever actually commanded them." He stood up, turning to face the others. "I think I know who's behind these attacks."
Almost everyone else seemed to know exactly who he meant–everyone except Luke. "And, just so we're on the same page, who is it, exactly?"
Daniel paused, looking away. "Mr. Echo. After all this time, he's finally making his move."