The last thing David sees before the lance takes him full in the chest is the glint in his opponent's eyes behind the visor. He should have been concentrating on
his own lance-tip, guiding it onto its target in the split second before the riders pass. But he has always been more interested in the techniques of the joust than
in its outcome. What makes a participant successful? Quick reactions? Absence of fear? An unusual ability to concentrate?
A few seconds later, Samuel was already standing over him, grinning.
"You're not getting any better," he said. "That's eight in a row."
"Good on you!" David said hoarsely, shaking his head. He felt in mild shock, and in pain from psychosomatic bruising. He pulled himself up, brushing aside the
headpiece and inhales his mystical powder..
"Why do you think that is?" he asked.
"Easy," Samuel replied. "You're half-hearted - or scared, if you don't mind my saying so."
"And you're not scared?" said David.
"Why should I be?" Samuel answered. "It's only a simulation."
And that, thought David, was part of the problem. How could one really understand the subtleties of jousting - or of real combat, if it came to that - when those
taking part knew there was absolutely no danger of their being hurt or killed? You needed a vessel - which completely removed awareness of their being small
and helpless.
David's work as a combat instructor had led him to the same conclusion on several occasions. David had put out feelers to various factions, "Outcasts"
included, in the hope that one of them would have made a helpful breakthrough in countering what he had come to think of as the "awareness problem". None
had. Indeed he was given to understand that even Cardamine conflicted with established ethical standards: entirely removing the ability to tell what was real
risked creating lasting psychoses. After a number of futile runs with various unsatisfactory products, David was ready to abandon the whole approach.
As far as I'm concerned," David said, "I want a clear distinction between real fear and fear of being minor"
After taking his usual beer pong game with Samuel, a woman suddenly apporached them. She was stocky, dark-haired with flattish features, but not
unattractive, and with a surprisingly firm handshake.
She was the technical assistant of Livadia's production facilities, "Kelly" was her name. She gave David one of her curious, lop-sided smiles, peeping sideways
through long, dark hair from her station across the aisle. A quiet woman, perhaps in her early thirties, she had come to them from a small but expanding
BorderWorld company based in Bering. She claimed to have met David, though he couldn't remember it, at a conference run by the "Zoner Corps "Interaction
and Cooperation between Combat and Sciences". Apparently he had made an impression.
Her Security card had revealed extensive experience as an econometric modeller both on academic projects and for governmental bodies. Why she had
decided to leave this high-profile field for the relative backwater of Livadia was not clear. She was obviously brilliant. Perhaps she had hit a glass ceiling.
Perhaps she had felt too old in a field teeming with teenage geniuses, or fools?
According to Samuel - who did not get on particularly well with the older woman - beneath her shy exterior Kelly was seething with frustrated ambition, feminist
resentment or lust, or perhaps all three. He doubted her ideas could amount to much. Anyway, he too, was working on a new approach.
"I am Kelly" she said with an accent David couldn't quite place. "We understand what you look for...A ship that delievers fear and horror
David nodded.
"You look to become stronger and more secure than before, Yes?"
David nodded again.
"But is dangerous to do such things around here, And I don't expect the local administration to welcome any un-scheduled production, but then again rules
were meant to be broken and what comes from the underground;stays there"
David realised he was, in principle, interested.
"How?" he asked.
"Answer is pre-con-dit-ion-ingg," Kelly answered, each syllable of the word stressed as if she were spelling it out. "You get me the blueprints and I will provide
you with an advanced technology never seen before"
If that were really so, David thought, This could be "it".
Despite some excitement, David told himself to proceed with caution. It could all be untested theory, or even some kind of scam
Two more questions," he said, looking straight at Kelly. "Where exactly are your facilities? And how much will it cost? You probably know my budget is limited.
"Right here" Kelly replied. "The lower decks of livadia belong to me and it has plenty of space and equipment to get the job done".
"We charge only very small percentage of your budget. Main cost, in fact, is the engine".
David was only mildly surprised.
"Well, fortunately I don't have much of a team," said David. "In fact I'm probably the only one that needs this. All the preliminary work can be done here."
"I know this" Kelly replied, So.. do we have an understanding?"
"Yes," he echoed, "I think we do have deal…a deal - subject, what subject? of course, to tender documents, estimates, contract and so on... and.. what?. How
do you want to proceed?"
Kelly rose from the table and held out her hand.
"I need you to send your ship requirements and blueprints, including documents tomorrow, Me and my staff will begin working on it as soon as it arrives. Thank
you. Is nice to meet you."
And following another firm handshake, and without turning back, Kelly left.
Next morning, David woke up all swetting as if someone beat him all night and struggled him, he had a weird sensation, as if someone touched him during the night. He quickly rushed out from the bed and called his personal assistant to ready the designs. "But what should it look like" he thougth".. he then casualiy looks over the ceilling and theres an ancient painting of an eagle. This could work, so he imagined.
Two months have since passed and the engineers were still behind schedule, David was optimistic but to a fault, He wondered if "Kelly" is still "Interested".
Though uneasy at the implications, David reassured himself with the thought that his project involved nothing that could possibly have technical implications. The contract with "Kelly" was good;
"It's time for dinner" One of the Officers said
..
..
..
..
At a suitable moment, following an excellent meal – David was called on to introduce his project. It appeared that everyone in the team were present, though few said anything apart from brief questions on matters of fact. No doubt they had already received a full background briefing.
David slowly moved closer to the projector, He then opened the hatch and inserted the disc;
Arguably, David had planned that the next step would be to inform Kelly to begin contruction of the vessel.
4 Months later, Kelly requests David's presence at Livadia, David quickly replies " I will be there in 20 minutes".
The lobby of Livadia, when he reached it, was entirely deserted. He would, he realised, have had no difficulty getting back. Looking out of the main entrance, through which he now expected he would be taken to see Kelly, he noticed that the guards normally stationed on either side were now absent. Indeed, the building felt curiously empty: there were no sounds of swing doors opening and shutting, no voices coming from the small room behind the reception desk, no distant shouts or tool noises from outside.
When, unexpectedly, Kelly showed up, She led David to the aboratories, he was surprised to find that it, too, was deserted. Normally - admittedly in his only short experience - there would have been at least one or two technicians or lab assistants coming or going to the entrance lobby or one of the storage or rest rooms off the corridor. As the two moved towards the lab entrance at the far end, he noticed that a set of electronic doors half way down were those he had come through a short while earlier. He then realised that he is no longer at Livadia.
Suddenly diving to one side, he hurled himself at the doors, Yellin' at Kelly
"Where Am I!?" While pushing her away
Immediately, however, he pulled himself together. This was no time to have doubts. It was important now to plan carefully what he would do once Kelly reveals her secret. He could perhaps enter the entrance through another door in the white coveralls, slip her off where he could not be seen, and see what it is.
For some minutes, David stayed exactly where he was. Then he decided that he must find out more. He walked quietly to one of the grilled doors off the corridor and looked in. It was a bridge. combat fatigues looking bridge, with the same build and features as the Nephilim
As new thoughts began to suggest a completely different plan of action, his optimism about Kelly's ability to build it so quickly was justified. When his objective became clear, Kelly smiled, nodded, and beckoned David to follow. After first retreating into the corridor, On the far side was a small hut – presumably a memo– Saying.. "Your new home".
When David came to, he was already framing in his mind the angry demands for information he would put to the Zoner technician. He began to investigate the nearby control panels… He put his hands out trying to operate them; but, instead of smooth composite steel, he found his hands sinking into a yielding, slightly damp surface. At the same time, there was a strong scent of vegetable-decay, leaf-mould…with a shock,.
He looked round to see Kelly urgently beckoning. She pointed to a side door, and he followed her through it into a passageway. On either side were several doors with terminals. Kelly again beckoned for him to come closer, then whispered:
"Now, You shall die!."
David could not stop himself from shivering, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped below zero. The deserted corridors.. the staff…the panels..Ofcourse.. She's infected..!, Without thinking twice, He quickly pulled his side-arm and shot her in the face.
David could not stop thinking, how on gaia did she manage to infilitrate Livadia's security guards and how didnt they detect the incubus earlier. Concentrating breathing, or the sensation of it ; he could not stop thinking why Kelly waited for so longr, she must have had some reason to keep him
convinced or occupied. The dramatically altered situation has already provided David with some insights as to why it only happend now. He quickly realized that she was not infested until this meeting but any clues of finding out how she was contaminated were anyone's guess.
Something smells wrong, David realises. Was this deliberate or through admittedly improbable accident. Thankful that he is still alive, had the foresight to ensure this type of situation would never happend, David taps on his distress belt, and begins to move toward the centre of the hall. David suddenly felt a wave of cold panic. Could it actually be true that this was all real? He saw only too clearly how it might have been his last breath, His mind couldn't stop casting himself back to that corridor with Kelly, while at the same time he was looking for lights or navigation signs on his whereabouts. He points his eyes and looks up. Sunlight is filtering through the ceeiling. Much closer, two figures in dirty combat fatigues are looking down at him: one a slightly chubby man with short, reddish hair, and wearing glasses; the other a taller, slim girl with long blonde hair tied back tightly from a high-cheek-boned face. Both, he guesses, are in in their late teens or early twenties, and both are smiling. We heard your call Cmd David, she said with a cute but terrified accent, It was not easy to get down here so we should be probably leaving. David smiled for a moment, a second of relief, but he could not abandon this place that quickly, Surely we can make some use of this. David orders the officers to bring his technichian teams and a bottle of wine, I could use a drink down here.
After one breakfast, David went out to replenish his cigarette supply and buy a paper. Livadiawas a hive of activity. He felt a little disorientated and tried to focus on getting to the dealer and back as quickly as possible. But on the way there he bumped into one of the local IMG Officers
Of all the damn people, David muttered as the officer approached. The officer immediately started on about some job going down at the hangers. Who the hell is that? I hope it's no bloody Nomad again' he thought. He wasn't expecting anyone. It couldn't be IMG because he only recently contacted them.
In the doorway, there was a small frail looking man in his fifties. He was carrying an oversized holdall that made him look even smaller. At first, David just stood there and stared at him. Finally, he said, 'Yes? What do you want?'
The man put his holdall down and reached into his jacket pocket. David pulled back slightly, expecting the worst
" I was sent here by a request" he said, slightly confused as he sees David's expression, David was not sure how did he manage to get here that quickly, he was still effected by kelly's "unpleasent" reaction and he soon developed a small paranoia.
Not long , two unrecognized faces appeared next to the gentleman, it appears the IMG were infact present, or so he was convinced. Looking at the two men, David realised he was quite unable to tell which had been the engineer, and which had been the scientist. Neither, of course, had glasses or was in any way marked . David was nevertheless surprised at his inability to distinguish between them. He led them to what he considered the "engine" room despite not knowing exactly if it was the right place. David tapped on one of the person's shoulder and said " its time to get busy" - and the man reluctantly agreed.
Not long after, David was optimistic that the engine can atleast give him mobility until he can find an alternative weapon system, but it appeared the IMG did not have the exact eqiupment to re-essemble it. He then was suggested to transfer the craft to one of their shipyards, in the hopes of finishing it. While David did not have much connections in the zoner community, he did had a good friend in the Zoner Alliance movement, who had the capability to hyperjump the ship to a distant location without actually moving. David angrily tore off goggles and headphones, and rolled to his feet, ready to demand an immediate meeting with the project team. Pain shot up his legs, he felt exhausted, He was forced to grip the side of the couch while looking round for the technician.
The techician was ordered to make the right perperations for the jump while David contacted the local movement to return a favour.
Closing his laptop after sketching out a few key questions for the technician to come, David went to the wide triple-glazed window and looked out. Twenty minutes later, The Alliance fleet arrived and predictably so did the Nomads, They appeared shocked but for whatever reason they disbanded and faded away to the north east of the system.
The jump lasted three minutes, roughly three hours that it took for the tow crafts to move the ship to the shipyard, but it was such a huge success that the local crew members celebrated. David however, was not in particular intrested and he did not have the mood for it, He then raised his hand and shouted loudly " Everybody stop", sure enough there was a complete silence, followed by another announcment " Were not finished yet, get back to work".
The IMG had proven dedication and complexity before, and while things were moving slowly David was confident that the engine will be ready within the next few hours. His next task is to arrange the de-comission of the Jinkusu, possibly donating it to the Alliance for millitary purposes.
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