Gabatrix: The Warrior of Silence

"Yes......and......get me some ammo for the AKT-1 and some spare magazines."

"Magazines I got, but Itrean ammo is a little hard to come by at the moment. I do have one case of a hundred, though."

"That will be it on the shopping then, assuming that Ioren is satisfied with her vest."

Tarone smiled. "You do know how to make a storeowner happy now, don't you?"

Ioren returned as she walked back into the room. There was a slight hint of her now wearing the new vest. Her demeanor was different. Her clothing showed the hint of black spandex underneath her neck. It did little to nothing in impeding her movements, just as the vest was designed to do. The holster fit snuggly on her waist. Compared to what she looked like minutes ago, the Itrean woman looked like a detective or police officer ready for duty. Her tilon was still open as she gave a series of quick nods to Stone.

"How does it feel?" Tarone asked.

"It is comfortable," Ioren typed on her tilon. "Will this chafe my breasts?" The marine noticed that she had one of her clawed hands pressed to her right breast momentarily.

"It shouldn't," Tarone answered. "The vest is rated for Oshun's temperatures as well. Of course, your skin should be able to get the right amount of air circulation as well, but I wouldn't be running around in hot deserts with them either."

"Then I am satisfied with this. Thank you."

"Alright then," Tarone commented as he tapped his left arm. Revealed to be an augmented arm, a projection screen appeared as the store owner began to calculate the total purchases made. Stone went and grabbed the ammunition boxes for their guns and placed them on the counter.

Ioren was impressed. Her clawed hands felt the material press against her scaly skin. It was perfectly elastic and reminded her of the wrap armor that she used. Even the belt and holster were simple but effective. She found that the marine was looking at her as she was swinging her tail. She was testing a little bit to feel for any possible resistance with the belt and armor. She put her hands to her hip with a sense of readiness.

"I have it billed to the Oshun UHN treasury," Tarone explained. "Clicking send. I have the receipt sent to them and your computer tablet."

"Good," Stone said as the severity in his tone picked up. "Then that leaves for the final matter of the day." The marine went and fished out of his pocket the card that he considered to be important. "I might wonder if you happen to know anything about this?"

He placed the card that still had the dried drop of blood on the counter. Tarone turned off the projection of his augmented arm as his eyes squinted, looking at the drawn image. Ioren was curious about it as she looked at it as well. As Stone was observing the store owner, he could see a drastic amount of apprehension pick up. Ioren was confused as to what it was, but it was apparent that Tarone might.

"Ummm......mon.....that," Tarone replied as he shook his head. "I don't know much about it, but bad news. It is a rumor.....but I honestly don't know."

"Do you or do you not know it?" Stone pressed his questioning.

"It is something that I heard. Some......" he whispered to him. "Criminal syndicate....please.....I don't know any more than that."

"Who told you that? Is it who I think it is?"

"Yes.....my cousin said something about......military guns being sold, but I don't know."

Stone gave a single nod. "Happen to know where he is right now?"

"Same place that he always hangs out," Tarone said with some regret. "He never changes, mon. Even after he was released from prison."

"I will go and talk to him," he remarked as he began to head out of the door with his ammunition in hand. Ioren gave a wave to him as she closed up her tilon and prepared to grab her ammunition case and spare magazines.

"And Stone....." Tarone tried to tell him. The marine paused in his walk.

"You can do whatever you want to him, but don't kill him. It would break his mama's heart."

"No promises," Stone continued with a stern look.

"Please..... 'Avalanche' Stone."

"That nickname doesn't hold any more meaning....." he said, scowling as his eyes narrowed. The marine left the store. Ioren gave a surprised look upon hearing it as she hurried out the door to keep up with the marine.

Chapter 4: The Rimbastar Jewelry Heist

"I hate the fucking paperwork....." Stone said as he drove his car. He maintained a steady pace with his car as his one hand gripped the steering wheel. The look of disgust and anguish was obvious.

It had been later on that afternoon. The introductory tedium of arriving at the police station was met with having to sit behind a computer and waiting for hours. Meanwhile, the marine had to type in all the data pertaining to Ioren's transfer and the status of the previous day's encounter.

Ioren was busy loading the last of the two spare magazines for her pistol while the vehicle was moving forward. She was gently placing the small rounds over the other as each one made a satisfying clicking sound. When the last one was put in its place, she closed the case and stuck it with her belongings. She placed the magazine in the spare pouch of her newly acquired belt. By now, she was getting used to the nuanced outbursts that the marine was making. She was careful making any gestures that would anger him further and instead tried to diffuse it partly. She pulled out her tilon, started to type, and let the device continue translating her words out loud.

"The people at the police station seem friendly. I like the police chief."

"Ugh....." Stone grumbled. Ioren decided to change the topic.

"Thank you for everything today."

"Hmph....." was his only response.

She paused as she seemed hesitant in writing it, but it was needed as she could see the Oshunian sun was just past afternoon. Finally, she had to bring it up as she resumed her typing.

"I need to have a room to sleep in."

"So? It's not my problem."

She sighed as she briefly closed her eyes. "Please. Can you help me find a place to sleep?"

"Why are you asking me? You expect me to give you some luxury apartment?"

She hissed a little bit as her clawed fingers typed. "Not this again. I need to find...."

"I know goddamn it," he snapped at her. "What? Don't you have any friends that can let you sleep with them? No family or spouse?"

"No friends. No family here. No mate. I have nothing here but what I had in the submarine."

"You can't find anybody to help you?"

She shook her head. "Nobody will help me here."

Stone gripped the steering wheel hard. He gave an agitated scowl at the thought of having to help some alien find a room and board. The idea of having to assist his partner simply bore into his mind. He turned his head to see that Ioren's feathers were drooped low. She gripped her hands and claws to her sides for a short while. She was not sad, but he could clearly see that she looked rejected.

They had been driving for thirty minutes since they left the precinct. The traffic was much less since it was past lunchtime. The marine observed the environment as they were closer to the mountain ranges while still in the center of the great metropolis. There were no skyscrapers in this location, instead consisting of low-rise apartments and stores. Ioren herself was observing the place. The streets showed signs of wear and tear like they were poorly maintained. Walls of back alleys had graffiti painted on the sides with no signs of an effort to clean them. There were individuals making deals in the back alleys that she could see.

There were no Itreans in this area at all, with the exception of one or two Shal'rein here and there. Ioren even noticed that the humans here had unusual augmented ligaments. The typical person might have had a mechanical-looking arm or leg. Occasionally, a few of them might have had an augmented nose, eyes, ears, to even a mechanical-looking throat. It was a staunch comparison to those that lived near the coastline or any other human being seen so far that had augmented ligaments but easily blended in with their own bodies.

"Why do these humans not have normal augments?" Ioren asked on her tilon.

"Price," Stone answered. "It costs more to have the augments that a majority uses. These people either have no jobs or are poorly paid. The cheaper augments tend to show more easily."

"One person only has one arm and a leg," she remarked.

Stone turned his eyes to see the person she was talking about. This person was limping on one actual leg and only had one real arm. It was as if his body had been gutted out with just enough for him to walk. He didn't look like he was in the best condition as he moved with crutches.

"That person violated the 10% rule," Stone answered.

It dawned on Ioren of some of the human rules and laws. The man they drove past was a person who clearly violated that rule. Human beings who decided to have more than 10% of their bodies augmented without special permission or some catastrophic accident could have their bodies stripped of them. In this case, the man was literally walking on one leg and had one arm.

"It is a harsh rule," Ioren typed.

"No, it is necessary and none of our business to say so," Stone explained. "If people were allowed to continually augment their bodies, they will overpower and outdo the people that don't have them or don't want them. It is our responsibility to watch for it. For us, we don't hold the position to enforce it, but I can report it to other police units that will go and apprehend the people that do."

"Understood," Ioren replied from her tilon. "Where are we?"

"It had two names. It was originally called L'Accra when the city was made, but everyone now calls it L'Kibera."

"The people seem to have less here than what I saw earlier."

"Yes. L'Kibera is a fitting name. I think it was called that because there was a slum that existed back on former Earth with a similar title. This is a poverty-stricken region, one of the poorest in Oshun."

"This place...." Ioren stopped typing as she looked at the place some more. Finally, she shook her head and resumed typing. "Do the people choose to live like this?"

"The tourist industry ensures that the poverty stays away from anything that can taint their precious image. The government promises to help these people but only keep them here and give them scraps to survive."

"War distracts it too."

Stone looked at her momentarily, but it seemed his eyes were transfixed to the alleyways. "Yes," he simply replied.

"It is disgusting," Ioren typed. "I would prefer to be away from here."

"Is that the spoiled, snobbish side of you trying to come through?" Stone snapped at her.

She responded by giving him a dirty look.

"Don't try to lie to me," Stone continued. "Better get the fuck over it. Our job reaches this precinct. Two powerful gangs rule this area, and it is prone to urban warfare that gets out of control. Media would cover this spot more often, but it would hurt the tourist industry even more. When it comes to violence, this is one of the deadlier locations on Oshun."

There was no sense of fear in Ioren's inflections. If anything, she kept track of Stone and his thoughts on the area. Despite the mess of the location, it could have been far worse, but it was evident that the people were living in impoverished conditions. The buildings could use improvement. People had fewer smiles on their faces as if they were forced to live here. Even the fact that there were so few Itreans amongst the many humans here seemed to show where everyone wanted to go, which was away from here. If things got out of hand, though, the Shal'rein were strong enough to handle themselves against a lawless human.

"Where is that piece of shit?" Stone said as he continued to look. "I don't see him!"

Ioren hesitated in asking it when she typed on her tilon. "Who is he?"

"A person who breaks the law, but one that I know clearly breaks the law. He has information, one that pertains directly to us." He shook his head as he smacked his hand against the steering wheel. "He isn't at his usual spot. Coward thinks he can hide?"

His augmented eye scanned every person, clearly looking for the exact facial features that matched his intended target, but it was clear that the person was not here. The idea of driving this far not to find him only seemed to agitate the marine. Even Ioren folded up her arms almost as a sign of boredom.

Finally, after what seemed like a minute, a beeping sound was given off in the car's interior. The marine's eyes narrowed as he knew what the audio queue was.

"What the fuck now?" he said as he tapped the button by the steering wheel.

An audio-only channel had been established between Stone's car and the police precinct headquarters. The speaker sounded off as a male, most likely one of the receptionists that was near the chief's office. His voice gave a slight sense of urgency in it.

"Master Sergeant Stone, do you read?" the caller said.

"What is it? I'm fucking busy," he replied. Ioren's attention peaked, looking at the source of the audio and the marine.

"We have received a code 10-65, location at the Rimbastar Jewelry Store."

Stone's hand seemed to crush the handles of his steering wheel. "It begins....," he said. "An armed robbery in progress."

"Yes, our teams are responding, but they could use your help."

"Like yesterday? They can't handle the shit?"

"We have twelve armed suspects and hostage situation in progress. Please respond."

Stone looked over to Ioren. Even she knew the urgency of the situation. An armed conflict was coming down the tubes, and they were about to be put directly into it. The supposed criminal event that her partner told her might be the beginning series of a new crime wave. A jewelry heist was in progress.

"Damn it," Stone said. "Copy that precinct. En route to Rimbastar Jewelry store, ETA fifteen minutes."

"Copy that, Sarge." The voice on the other side ended as the channel closed. Ioren kept her hand on her tilon as she began to type readily.

The marine slammed on the breaks and did a complete u-turn. The inertia could be felt as the car police alarm was turned on. Nevertheless, Stone was determined to get to his destination as fast as he could. The electric car was quick and responsive as the quiet hum of the engine revved up.

"Do you know this place?" Ioren typed.

"Rimbastar Jewelry is the largest jewelry store in the area," Stone explained. "It imports much of the rare gems mined from Batrice and other areas. It has been hit once before. Looks like we will be testing out how good your new body armor is going to be."

"I'm ready."

"Better be."

*******

The great Rimbastar Jewelry store was located amongst the endless blocks of buildings of the great metropolis. It had a slight rectangular appearance with the great words of "Rimbastar Jewelry" highlighted in neon black, yellow, and purple lights. This area would be rather interesting to behold at night, but it was still in mid-afternoon with clear blue and slight purple skies.

Despite the appearance of such a place, the location had blocked off traffic. Alarms from police were being echoed throughout the entire region. Pedestrians and excess vehicles had vacated the scene except for two blue electric-powered vans parked next to the store. Four police vehicles had created a perimeter that surrounded the main front entrance of the store. Police officers and armed teams were located in various areas to keep anyone from coming or going. Much as it was the previous day, the only difference was that more police were present. This was more than just a single gunman that had become deranged. This was a significantly larger event.

Stone's vehicle would become the fifth as it pulled in to join the perimeter. There was plenty of room for the car to come to a stop. The marine quickly powered down the vehicle. The doors on both sides opened up as the marine got out. Ioren had less knowledge of the area but could see the towering human walking up to the set of officers. Her eyes tried to evaluate the place the best that she could.

By now, most of the police officers had seen the lone Itrean that walked amongst them earlier in the day. Her unique facial features simply made her more distinguishable and recognizable, not to be ignored. The few who hadn't seen her yet could see that she was not far from the marine working with them. However, most of their attention was not towards her but the closed-off store they kept secured.

Ioren noted that the jewelry store had a series of sizeable clear panel windows. This would allow the browsers from outside to clearly see the contents of fine apparel, rare metal, and hard-to-find gems that humans found so beautiful. Unfortunately, she could not see the inside interior as the windows had been sealed shut. An array of heavy-duty blast-resistant panels had overlapped these windows to secure everything that was inside. It was like a fortress consisting of highly dense materials that would require the most sophisticated or powerful equipment and weapons to punch into. There were back alleys on both sides of the building structure, with tall apartment rises that littered the background beyond it.

"Stone!" Gero called out to him. "Catch!"

One of the police officers tossed a Mclevar bulletproof vest to the marine. Stone caught the vest and gave a stern nod to him as he started to put it on.

"Does she need one?" Gero asked, pointing at her.

"No, she has body armor on," Stone responded. The severity of the situation was apparent, and the threat was genuine. But, unfortunately, it also meant talking to somebody that the marine was not in good relations with.

Lekan's attention was directed to a set of other police officers. His tablet was perched on the hood of his car as it showed a digital three-dimensional layout of the area. Everyone was decked out in combat gear, ready for war. The police lieutenant was briefing the others until he heard Stone's voice called out. There was a slight grumble in the man's face as he turned around to look up at the pale-faced marine.

"Damn it, not you again," Lekan said to Stone as he towered over him. The marine, however, didn't care about the comment.

"What is going on? Another shit show, I suppose," Stone remarked with agitation. Lekan's face of annoyance only seemed to deflate a little bit as he saw the apparent Itrean newcomer that followed Stone.

"Alright, here is a quick briefing of the scene of events," Lekan explained as he pointed at the projection. "At 1347 today, we received a call that the Rimbastar Jewelry was being robbed. Two vehicles," in which the lead officer pointed at, "pulled in unison and disembarked twelve armed suspects. Camera footage transmitted from the store revealed them to be armed with body armor, guns, and other stowing gear."

"Uniformity...." Stone considered. "They had been training and preparing to do this."

"Precisely. It is believed that one of the workers might be one of the suspects and was marking out the entire scene for the future robbery now in progress." The layout projected from the tablet changed as it showed a diagram of the interior of the store. "The suspects went straight into the front entrance. Gunshots were heard from the inside from outside pedestrians."

"I see two entrances to this place," Ioren's tilon stated. Lekan's attention was diverted to look down at her.

"Yes," Lekan continued. "The moment that the robbery took place, one of the workers hit the panic button. It caused the blast-resistant shutters to activate and seal everyone on the inside. There is the left side entrance for employees and the main front entrance for customers to enter. These entrances have shutters as well, but it isn't as strong. Our first goal was to secure these entrances in case they tried to escape, but so far.....nothing." Two orange dots appeared near the layout diagram. "We have two recon drones flying overhead that are pointing out anything of the unusual. I have Leredi on the roof on point for sniper position."