A Soldier For All Seasons Ch. 04

"I haven't had much success with that." Isabelle noted dryly.

Into the starport, and a hum of noise hit him, along with the smells. The sulphuric scent of fuselarium mixed with the sweet smell of baked pastries from the various food stands.

Seen one starport, seen them all, Nate thought with a twitch of his lips. There was a line of shops on one end, disembarking and embarking bays on the other, with a mass of cheap red plastic seating in the middle. It was busy. Too busy, he mused, considering it was the middle of the afternoon on...what day was it?

*Monday. Candy and smokes shop to your right.*

Nate made a beeline for it. Fuck, he'd kill for a cigar. He eyed the line of fine Parovian cigars behind the Lunari attendant eagerly.

"You don't take Federation military sticks, do you?"

"No," The teenager chewed on Parovian herb, his upper lip bulging as he ran it across his teeth. "We take uni-sticks or Lunari Standard."

Nate grimaced. He had three uni-sticks with about 100 creds on each, but most of his money was in his Federation account, and if they didn't take Federation sticks, it was useless. And he still needed to get Ana some clothes.

"Do you sell any uh, battleball caps?"

The teen raised his brow. "What team do you support?"

"Um, does it matter?"

"Well, we have the Rohomian Redtigers, the Pando Particle-Blasters or the New String Unicasters."

"Unicasters?" Nate had never even heard of them.

"Yeah, got bought out by the guitar company. It's a shame."

"Uh, I'll take all of your Redtiger caps."

"All of 'em?" The boy said in disbelief, chewing his herb.

"What can I say? I'm a big fan."

He snorted. "Nobody's a big fan of the Redtigers, but you got it." He disappeared into the back and came out with ten caps, all of which looked a little dusty. "That's 100 creds."

Nate tossed him a stick and stuck a cap on. The logo was a cool tiger, how could nobody support this team?

Back in the terminal, he scanned the seats, not sure what he was looking for.

*Hello, Mommy. Row four, seat twelve.* Isabelle highlighted the man for him in his vision.

He was uncomfortable, wearing a civilian jacket with far too many bulges.

*I wish you'd stop saying that.*

*Row nine, seat five. And I can't stop. It's my thing. Everyone has a thing.*

A woman with the biggest shades she'd ever seen. Not playing on her arm-guard, no bags, no friends, just watching.

*Row two, two of them in the center.*

Two of the most jacked people he'd ever seen - they were ostensibly playing some sort of battleball game between them on the armguards, but neither of them looked like they were paying much attention to it.

*Fuck, thanks Isabelle.*

*You're welcome.*

He doubled back to the surly teen in the candy shop. "Hey, can I get these sticks out in cash. It's only 200 creds."

The teen breathed a long sigh. "Fine man, sure, whatever."

Armed with his cash, Nate stood at the entrance to the terminal with his Redtiger caps. Every time he saw a woman with Ana's shade of hair, and roughly her type of figure, he'd approach them and pay them 20 or 30 creds to wear the cap for an hour. Half of them ignored him or told him to beat it, but the other half took the cap and the creds.

"Weird fucking advertising, Redtiger marketing guy, but I'll take it." The final one said, taking his last but one hat.

"What can I say? Go tigers!"

One mission accomplished. Now he just needed to get her some clothes. No clothes shops and no money — what starport didn't sell any clothes? Ana would have to settle for something less fashionable. He strode into the toilets, straight into the employee's only janitor closet.

Only to find it empty of all except bleach. No overalls. Not even a stained workshirt.

Really?

"Hey man, you shouldn't be here."

He turned to see a chubby man wearing blue overalls, shoulder straps like a women's dress, his stomach-pocket jingling with the sound of keys and screwdrivers.

"I'm so sorry." Nate said automatically.

"You should be—oof!"

Nate winced as the man dropped, holding his fist as the pain shot through it.

*You shouldn't tuck your thumb into your fist, you'll break it.* Isabelle noted.

"I know, I know." Nate hissed, rubbing his fingers. "I panicked."

*You fight bugs on the regular and you panicked at the janitor?*

"He got the jump on me!" He defended himself as he stripped the man of his clothes. "I'm sorry, man." He mumbled. "It's for your Princess — I hope you're a monarchy man."

His final mission accomplished, Nate went back out to meet a fidgeting Ana.

"Sorry for taking so long." He thought she'd be worried.

"It's fine. I could feel you were fine."

He raised his brow. He'd never taken her for the spiritual vibe-feeling girl before.

"I know how it sounds." She held her hands up. "I just had a feeling, that's all. How is it in there?"

"There's some shady looking people. Here, wear this." He tossed her a cap.

"Redtigers? Nobody supports the Redtigers." Ana protested. "I liked the Unicasters before they got bought."

"Today, we're all Redtigers fans. Here, put this on." He gave her the overalls.

"Really?" She looked at him skeptically, holding the oversized overalls against herself. "Couldn't get anything in my size?"

"Not many janitors that look like you, sweetheart." He said, reflexively looking away as she dressed.

*Now you're acting like a gentleman?* Isabelle jabbed.

Ana looked more than a little silly in the overalls — they looked like a couture fashion piece made for the catwalks, her whole side and sideboob practically falling out of the loose-fitting garb.

She pouted at him.

"It'll do." He told himself as much as he did her. "Now, they'll be looking for you, I've made some ringers in the terminal so they have a hard time. Walk fast, keep your head down, follow me."

"Ringers?" Ana said cluelessly.

"Impersonators." Isabelle translated. "Nate, their advertising holo-network is unsecured. I'll do my best to cause additional distractions."

"Thanks. Any idea where I'm going?"

"Speculation: Bay nine, based on the size of the bay, and the layout of the building."

"Got it." Nate tugged Ana along, taking a deep breath as they entered the bright terminal. He stared straight ahead as he marched.

One step became ten, ten became twenty.

The two muscled units stood up sharply, staring straight at them.

*You've been clocked - run!*

"Move!" Nate growled.

In slow motion, the two hostiles reached inside their jackets, pulling out blasters. Nate tugged Ana down. Somewhere, someone screamed. The holo-boards lit up, changing from an advert for a mining job to a red-capped display of Ana. A blast sailed over their head, sizzling through the air, the loud recoil crashing through the terminal.

The crowd panicked, screaming and yells. Two hundred people stood up at once, and Nate was relieved to see his ringers sitting amongst them. He had to hope they wouldn't get hurt.

Another shot but Holo-Ana took the hit while Nate and Ana crouched forward, keeping the seats and the crowd between them and their assailants.

Distantly, Nate realised every single holo-ad showed Ana, crouching along. Laser-blasts and bulletfire tagged them uselessly. The terminal for bay nine was getting closer.

The row nine woman stepped out, head whirling. Nate charged through her, tackling her to the ground. Ana stepped on her face as they passed.

*Changing tactic.* Isabelle told him.

The holo-ads changed. WARNING: TERRORISTS, they shouted, displaying images of the shady characters they'd spotted in the crowd. The starport security rushed out.

"Stand down!" Nate heard one of them yell, but he was already moving, tugging Ana along with him. Through the bay nine entrance, down a corridor, to the main door. He tried turning the handle.

Locked.

"Fuck."

"Nate!" Ana warned, staring behind him. Nate snapped a shot off down the corridor, catching one of the traitors, and then turned his next shot on the door handle. His shot sizzled through the metal, allowing him to kick the door through.

The bay's roof was opening, sunlight pouring down to illuminate a sleek small fighter ship, the type that in twenty years would be used by smugglers and adventurers, but for now it was brand new, expensive enough that it was only used by politicians and the rich on their weekend getaways to resorts and casinos. The ship was matte black with luminescent mauve lines along its angles, outlining its cockpit and weapons. The boomerang design of the wing was actually two foldable wings with trifold joints. In the centre of the boomerang, the main body was long and thick, and if it didn't taper down towards the cockpit, it would have looked a little phallic. On each side of the body, ruining the slender design, sat long engines, looking like torpedoes.

The door had unfolded on the side of the ship, leaving a ramp for an easy walk way.

Boxy fuselarium tanks were dotted around the hangar, almost empty, their refueling job almost complete.

"Ana, come on!" Nate pushed her forth. It was too quiet.

"Drop the gun!" A voice boomed from behind him. Fuck, he thought, turning slowly, with hands raised.

Five grunts, five guns. Leading them was one skin-headed Lunari, one of his ears clipped. He wore a leather jacket over a white shirt, A Lunari mithril blue necklace. A cigarette in his mouth, hanging loosely. Slender and tall, cocky and smirking, Nate sized him up immediately.

"Don't you want to hear my offer? We have plenty of money." Nate lied.

"No, you fuckin' don't. You have the Royal bitch, she's the money. Send her over, nobody needs to get hurt."

"You'll hand her to your boss, who'll hand her over to the bugs, who will use her as leverage while they destroy the Lunari worlds. Use your brain, son." Nate snapped.

"Who said anything about bugs? The bitch is worth far more in the safety of our hands. You're thinking small-time, old man." He spat his cigarette out and raised his gun high. "Now hand her over or I'll melt your fuckin' face."

Ana trembled behind, one hand on his back. "Let me go, Nate."

"Fuck no." Nate growled. Any ideas, he thought to Isabelle.

*Well, the fuselarium tanks beside them will explode them to pieces.*

*But...*

*But, even if you escaped the initial blast, it would bring the roof down above you, crushing you to death.*

*Nothing for it.*

"Okay," Nate crouched down, holding his gun gingerly. "I'm putting my gun down."

*Can't miss this, Nate.*

He crouched as far as he could go, eyes trained on those blue tanks. The gun felt heavy in his hands. Fuck, he couldn't afford to miss. He wouldn't miss.

Just before he dropped the gun, he tilted his hand, taking aim and firing in one smooth motion.

BOOM! The barrels exploded in a glorious blue boom, the shockwave shoving them to the ground. The heat singed his eyebrows. The grunts melted. The building shook, dust and debris crashing to the ground. His ears were ringing.

Nate picked himself up and felt himself tugged back just as a huge chunk of rebar landed in front of him. He stared at it for a second, an inch from death.

"Thanks," He muttered, a little shell-shocked. Ana tugged him again, on board the ship, dodging the falling roof. Inside, stood a captain in Lunari military fatigues.

"Princess!" He said eagerly. "I'm Captain Monagorn of the Pilotfall Program. I've been tasked with flying you wherever you need to go-"

Ana growled, turning back to Nate to pull his blaster from his stunned hands and simply shooting the Captain straight in the chest.

The Captain collapsed back, a hole in his heart, his wide with shock.

"Your badges are on the wrong side of your jacket, you fool." She said scornfully. "And the last badge is a Vashayna Pearl. Nobody gets a Vashayna Pearl outside of holofilms."

"He was a fake Captain?" Nate muttered, still catching up.

"Yes."

Nate shook his head. He plugged his arm-guard into the captain's console and collapsed into the black comfy chair. Outside, the thumps and crashes onto the ship's shell showed they were still in danger, the roof collapsing.

"Isabelle?"

"Connecting to ship's computer, taking control, booting up ship's engine. Ship's shields at eighty percent." Isabelle's voice spoke from the console.

"Take us up, honey."

"Ooh, a term of affection. I like it."

The ship rumbled, vibrating with force as the engines kicked into gear. It felt like they were in heavy hail, the constant fall of rocks on their frame.

"Up we go." They rose straight up just as more hostiles ran into the room, their gunfire splashing uselessly against the ship's shield. As they rose into the sky, leaving the starport behind, Ana collapsed into his lap with a sigh of relief. She cuddled into him, arms wrapping around him. He couldn't help but smile -- his little cuddle-monster.

"I didn't think we were going to make it." Ana admitted.

Neither did I, Nate didn't say.

"Don't worry, we've got this. We're almost safe."

The ship rumbled and shook as they exited the atmosphere, burning through it, Ana's embrace cutting off his blood circulation as it tightened.

"Isabelle?" Nate growled - the ship was squealing, and he could hear the strain on the metal.

"Don't panic. A new ship needs to be beaten in a little to be spaceworthy."

"Wait, it isn't spaceworthy?" Ana squeaked.

"I'm sure it is. After all, they must have flown it here, right?"

The rumbling stopped and they exited out into the cold, silent clutch of space, and all its sparkling stars. Only it wasn't just the stars that sparkled...

"Almost safe, huh?" Ana quipped.

Huge streaks of green and red flashed through the blackness of space, the hulking ship behemoths fighting each other. The Lunari had arrived, but the bugs were fighting back. Carriers hung back, warships exchanged crashing blows, while swarms of fighters and mekas swam in and out as they fought to out-maneuver each other. Blackened debris drifted in the middle between them - it looked like both the Lunari and the bugs had lost a warship each.

More pressingly, fighters and mekas were firing on the Lunari ships rising from the planet below - military fighters trying to help, civilians trying to escape, cargo ships - they weren't taking the chance that the Princess was among them. They'd rather her dead than let her escape.

Nate scanned the war in front of him, feeling hope drain from him. One of the carriers looked markedly different from the others, familiar.

"Is that...is that my cruiser? Is that the Destiny?" Nate felt disbelieving laughter out from within.

"Hmm, that's correct. They were the closest Federation cruiser, the Lunari must have requested assistance."

"But that means—" Nate clapped his hand to his forehead. "Isabelle, can you patch me into my squad? My armguard should still have their encrypted comm protocols."

"Hold on - yes - the line is open."

"B Company? Boys?"

"Oh, shit, it's Cap!"

Nate couldn't help the grin that spread out on his face. "Bring 'em on the screen, Isabelle."

Pelridge's wide eyes appeared on the big screen, before he pulled his arm back to reveal his whole team in the hangar. They whooped and hollered as they saw him.

"Alright, boys. Settle down, you savages." Nate laughed.

Pelridge waved his boys down. "Cap'n, heard you've been off saving princesses. Did she have a good set of knockers? Did she give you a little spit to make your armor even more shiny?"

Off screen, Ana frowned at him, making Nate's lips twitch. "I certainly did save the Princess, and she saved me too. In fact, she's right here, and she's not best pleased with you, Pelridge."

Ana stepped into view, crossing her arms.

Pelridge gulped. Nate coughed to stop himself laughing. "Err, sorry, your Majesty. Didn't mean nuffin' by it." His face paled, the boys behind him stared on with wide eyes.

"Thank you. Pelridge, is it?" Ana said primly. "I'll let you off this time, but as I'm sure you know, Nate's armor is as shiny as it gets, without my help."

Pelridge grinned, his own forehead shiny with sweat.

"Listen, Pelridge." Nate got serious. "How do you feel about taking the fight to the bugs?"

A broad smile split the Lieutenant's face. "Cap, I thought you'd never ask."