Eddie

A clear sky loomed over the field. Across a distance of a few hundred meters, the man-at-arms stood, spear in hand and decorated in dull armor bearing green and red. Eddie peered closely within his binoculars. Daisy was laying down next to him, trading her machine gun for a rifle peering down the scope, impatiently tapping her foot as she awaited the signal.

"Come on, boss," She growled. "Let's get this over with."

"Just a moment. We can't waste this shot."

"I don't miss." Daisy said.

Eddie elected not to respond and simply patted her back to get her attention.

"Target 500 meters, armed man."

Daisy sighed. "Confirmed, man armed. Hostile?"

"Hostile," Eddie affirmed. "Take the shot."

"Done."

Daisy took a breath and squeezed the trigger. The rifle let out the quiet hum as its magnets spun to life and then barked as the round accelerated forward, a sharp crack echoed through the silent air as it broke the sound barrier. Then it was immediately followed by a loud metallic clang of steel impacting steel as the helmet went flying into the air carrying the straw bundle head with it.

"Kill confirmed," Eddie said. "Cease fire."

"Roger."

As Daisy began rendering her weapon safe, there was a sound from the crowd as they began clapping and murmuring among themselves. A screen displayed the results of the impact since the dummy was so far away. Eddie felt like he was back in the military assisting in training locals during one of his duller assignments. He was hesitant about doing demonstrations like this, ammo wasn't unlimited, and it was not what they were here for. But King Renly has insisted on seeing an example of IU technology, and Eddie figured he might as well show the King's grungy retinue of old knights and lords why they weren't to be messed with.

"Remarkable," said a man. "That was 600 yards. Beyond crossbow range!"

Eddie couldn't help but allow himself a cocky grin. Six hundred yards by his estimate was roughly near five hundred and fifty meters that was not even close to the maximum range of most Linear Rifles especially with a proper sharpshooter aided by combat aim assist. Eddie stood joined by Daisy who cradled the rifle gently as she stood next to him taking note of the crowd. Many of them were awed, though some looked Stoic and even angry as they stood silently.

"What Daisy just demonstrated, ladies and gentlemen," Eddie said. "Is the Steiner & Trotsky LR-1 Modular Service Rifle. The LR stands for Linear Rifle, much like how your crossbows use ropes to accelerate their bolt the Linear Rifle does the same."

Eddie reached into his pocket and produced a bullet.

"This is the modern projectile," he said. "The form is like a bolt but far smaller, this small metal tip is attached to the base which is accelerated via a line of magnets. Magnets use electricity and magnetic force to pull steel. When lined up they can accelerate the bullet to faster than the speed of sound, the result is death, plain and simple."

It was part military demonstration and part science lesson, in a world where running water was a foreign concept, Eddie found himself having to stop and explain himself constantly. Though he had to give the Westerosi credit whenever he explained something they took to new ideas fairly quickly and their scholars, Maestars he recalled Lady Stark saying were particularly eager to record everything. Every now something would be met with skepticism and even doubt but as long as he kept things to strict military matters they seemed eager to listen quietly.

"The LR-1 is an example of what we call small arms," Eddie said. "Small arms are personal weapons carried by infantry, footmen like me and Daisy here. There are larger weapons far more powerful than this."

"And might you have an example of these 'more powerful' weapons?"

The stern voice was one Eddie was growing familiar with as his eyes were drawn to Randyll Tarly. A stern looking man, aging and bald but formidably built. They all went by the title of 'Lord', but Tarly was one of King Renly's military leaders, which was clear by his disposition and manner of carrying himself. Eddie had seen the type many a time, lifetime military, old dogs who were born and bred to do one thing. Anything new or unfamiliar arose little more than anger or suspicion.

"As the Karlsefni was a civilian vessel, I'm afraid not," Eddie said. "My team and I have the minimal equipment needed to defend our vessel."

"Nonetheless, your weapons are remarkable," King Renly spoke up. "Were you willing to part with some, I would make you quite wealthy, Ser Martinez."

"I am afraid I'll have to refuse your grace," Eddie said. "Our equipment would be useless for your army, I'm afraid they require extensive training to use properly and are out of place with your warfare. If you're interested in arms sales, you'll have to talk to the government when they arrive."

"I await discussions with your Interstellar Union," Renly said. "Once I secure King's Landing, I will gladly welcome your diplomats into the Red Keep. I shall be the King to lead Westeros into the stars!"

A cheer rose up from the excited crowd, though Eddie spotted Lady Stark merely maintaining a polite look. It had been a moment since they talked, but he could guess that her negotiations with King Renly were not going particularly well. King Renly was charismatic, ambitious and perhaps most importantly strong. According to a rough estimate from Chatty their army was eighty thousand men counting just armed personnel. Eighty thousand men was nothing to scoff at, a field corps worth of manpower. Eddie was no medieval warfare expert, but it was enough to keep him on his toes around King Renly.

So far, King Renly has proved to be an affable host. Eddie had given him the same song and dance that he gave King Robb and much like the young King in the North, King Renly vowed that any Karlsefni crew in the realm would be safely hosted and even revealed that a few crewmen had been recovered. They were spending time in his camp because a few had been summoned to Bitterbridge, so Eddie could assess their wellbeing, which gave Lady Stark time to negotiate.

The demonstration came to an end as the crowd slowly filtered away to join a feast being held by the King. Eddie was about to sneak away with Daisy when a voice cut in.

"Ser Martinez!"

Eddie turned and was faced by the tall woman-knight, Brienne of Tarth. She had won a tournament being held not long after they arrived, where she defeated a group of men single-handedly. The crowd seemed shocked by her presence, but they had likewise been shocked by Daisy, woman warriors apparently weren't the norm on this planet.

"Miss Brienne," Eddie said. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"The King has invited you to join the feast as his guest," Brienne said. "He wishes to speak with you further."

"Joy…" Eddie said. "Well, you see, I was kind of tired…"

"The King insisted you join him; Lady Stark also requested your presence."

Eddie sighed. "Not getting out of this one, huh? Alright I'm coming."

"Don't look so sad, boss," Daisy said. "You get to eat fancy food with the bigwigs."

"Fancy food made by people without a food safety administration," Eddie said. "I'm going to need a new stomach when we get back to Earth."

Daisy laughed and nodded toward Brienne. "Don't worry, he just likes bitching, take care of him for me."

Brienne looked confused but bowed slightly. "Of course… Lady Daisy."

Eddie burst out laughing, which only confused Brienne further as Daisy walked away. Eddie felt bad for the woman knight and simply motioned for her to lead the way as they moved through the busy camp.

The feast was being held in King Renly's pavilion, a great gaudy tent that could fit scores of people under its roof. Entertainers were dancing, tumbling and playing music as men talked loudly and feasted. Eddie slowly ate at his plate of meats, veggies and soups trying not to think about the cleanliness when he noticed that eyes were on him. Some of the Lords and knights sitting alongside King Renly were looking toward him with keen interest.

"Ser Martinez, correct?"

Eddie looked up to see one such man looking at him. He recalled his name was Loras Tyrell, Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard, King Renly's personal escorts. A handsome youth with brown curls and sharp eyes.

"Lord-Commander," Eddie said. "Something I can do for you?"

"Lady Stark's company tell me that you were a soldier before you were a mercenary and that you have served in war."

Eddie nodded. "Correct."

"Surely you must have good stories," Loras said. "Tell us how the warriors of the stars fight their wars with their small arms and flying ships."

"Oh, I'm not much of a storyteller," Eddie sighed. "Nothing exciting. I was just a soldier."

"Just a soldier," Randyll Tarly snorted. "Any man of worth would have stories to tell, unless you spent the war cowering."

"Cowering…" Eddie said. "I did my job, Lord Tarly."

Randyll Tarly straightened up slightly, but King Renly raised a hand.

"That will be enough," he said. "Ser Martinez is an honored guest who has come in peace. He is not of our lands and not bound by the ways of chivalry, we would be poor hosts in we continued these insults."

Loras looked down. "Forgive me, Ser Martinez. I did not mean to be discourteous."

"You're good kid," Eddie said. "I was a young buck once."

"Once?" Loras said. "Ser Martinez, you hardly look older than five and twenty."

Eddie blinked. "You kidding? I'm forty-seven."

"Is that a joke?"

Eddie looked confused until he slapped his forehead. "Right, medieval planet. No anti-aging treatments, look uh you probably think I'm full of shit but its another bit of technology."

The table was quiet for a moment as their eyes inspected Eddie. Even Lady Stark seemed to be peering to see if he was making another joke, but Eddie managed to look sincere enough.

"How delightful this technology," Queen Margaery said. "I pray his grace the King can bring these wonders to Westeros."

Renly nodded. "I shall strive too."

As they continued their dinner, a messenger hurriedly approached King Renly. The man leaned in whispering something as Renly nodded before he passed a letter his brow furrowing.

"Ser Martinez," he said. "I am afraid I have a message for you."

"Message?"

"A raven has arrived from King's Landing," Renly said. "It was sent by those loyal to the bastard pretender Joffrey Baratheon, but it is addressed to the crew of the Karlsefni. I assure you this injustice will be rectified. The front is in common tongue, but I assume the back is your language."

The letter was passed down to Eddie, who took it and began reading. He was surprised to see familiar English as he began skimming the contents.

"Son of a bitch," Eddie growled. "The motherfuckers. Just what I needed."

Lady Stark looked up. "Ser Martinez?"

"King's Landing," Eddie said. "They have my Captain in the Red Keep as a 'guest' and they've been gathering survivors and storing them in some castle called Harrenhal. They're pissed about the mercenaries we killed and are threatening the captain and those they have as hostages."

"That is grim news," Catelyn said. "Ser Martinez, I am sorry to hear. My daughter Sansa is also a hostage, you must move carefully."

"Carefully…yeah," Eddie said. "Thanks, Lady Stark. Should inform my team, if you all will excuse me."

"Of course," Renly said. "Know that if you require aid, the true King stands with you."

Eddie stood and quickly left the pavilion, as he stepped out another messenger was racing inside looking nervous. Eddie might have been interested, but now he was focused on the letter. It was frustrating news, but the idiots had played their cards wrong. They were keeping hostages and told him exactly where they were. That was plenty to work with.