Shadow Strike: A Cyberpunk LitRPG (Marionette Task Force Book 2), page 4
“Can we get some help with this, sir? This seems like a big undertaking.”
“We’re stretched thin, and it sounds like Kopac wants to meet with Novak ASAP.”
“As a matter of fact, he does,” Kai said. “Apparently Kopac’s superiors aren’t even aware of why he ordered that I be spared.”
“Then let’s not keep him waiting,” Thorpe said. “He might cancel the deal and put you back on the kill list.”
“Hmm . . .” Now Kai was lost in thought. “That doesn’t leave much time to fix our ship though.”
“Sadly, no,” Thorpe said, shaking his head. “I’ve got dozens of maintenance marionettes doing what they can for the Starslayer, but ultimately you’ll have to make do with what repairs and upgrades we put in her by the time you leave.”
“Does running water count as one of those upgrades?” he asked.
“Yes, along with food, medical supplies, and a sanitation cleanup.” The general reclined. “We have a deal then?”
“Well, maybe,” Kai gave the general a scheming smirk. “Ilona still wants a marionette body to transfer into. Are there any units here you can spare? Preferably female ones.”
“No.”
“Of course . . .”
“Because of the war, we don’t have much to spare. And at the rate things are going, we’re going to have to ask Vivid and Twin Suns to produce military-grade marionette units. And if things worsen, we might have to request civilian marionettes to volunteer for service.”
Kai cringed at that thought. “I see . . .”
“If you are looking to add another marionette to your team, you’ll have to find someone to offer you enough parts to build one or offer a unit to you, and it won’t be us.”
“Very well, I’ll keep my eye out for that,” Kai said. “You got my pay for the last job?”
Thorpe grinned and typed on his desk’s touchscreen display. “Give me your banking details.”
Kai provided Thorpe with his bank account’s direct deposit information. Thorpe faced him after working on his computer and making a few calls, still holding that grin. “It’s done. The money should be entering your account now.”
“Then yes.” Kai extended his hand forward for a shake. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
They shook on it.
“Oh, one last thing,” Amber said while the two men shook hands.
“What is it, Adams?” Thorpe said to her.
Amber sat forward. “One of the hunter-killers that boarded us turned into . . . Ugh. I don’t know what to describe it as.”
“Pretty much a mechanical monster,” Kai revealed.
Amber nodded in agreement. “It transformed before our eyes, sir. I ain’t seen nothing like it. And . . . it was made entirely of xenoium.”
“The whole thing?” Thorpe’s time-worn face contorted with confusion. “That’s impossible. The Coalition’s reserves of that metal should be depleted.”
“That’s what we figured as well,” Kai said. “You can’t mine xenoium in Sol, and I can’t imagine any corporations out here selling it to the Coalition.”
Thorpe maintained his facial expression. “I know the corporations are run by some greedy sons of bitches, but they aren’t stupid. There’s no way they’d supply the Coalition with xenoium.”
“Either the Coalition’s been operating here in secret for a while,” Kai said, “or a corporation struck a deal with them and is getting something out of the deal other than a lot of money . . .”
“That’s what has me worried, sir. We barely killed the monster.”
Thorpe observed the pair with a curious gaze. “How did you take it down?”
“One of our marionettes has a CES that gave her the power to do it,” Kai said. “Here, let me show it to you. I took a screenshot of its tooltip.”
Kai found the screenshot in question in his implant’s memory storage and sent a copy to Thorpe, whose eyes narrowed upon receiving the file. His implant displayed the tooltips of Acceleration Drive and Overload in his vision.
“Not even our marionettes have CESs like that . . .”
“Ilona gave it to her,” Kai said. “One of her gifts to worthy marionettes.”
“Care to share these CESs with us?”
“You’d have to ask Ilona nicely and recruit Vivid Corporation-made marionettes,” Kai said. “Those CESs are only compatible with Vivid tech.”
“And make sure the marionettes are worthy based on unknown parameters set by Ilona’s dead creator,” Amber added.
Thorpe grunted. “So that’s a no.”
Kai shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”
4
LET ME SHOW YOU AROUND!
The Starslayer was down for maintenance. Marionettes wearing orange coveralls passed through the airlock and into the Starslayer’s interior with toolboxes and scanners seeking areas needing repairs or cleaning. The station’s marionettes addressed issues Amber couldn’t fix, performed inspections, resupplied, and refueled the salvaged yacht, among other things.
Having friends in Eden’s military was already paying off. Since there were lots of loud noises from power tools and marionette worker bots roaming around, Kai, Cerise, Yukina, Amber, and Ilona were given access to a hotel suite on the station’s lower levels to lodge in until it was time to depart.
They didn’t spend much time there. The girls had gone shopping and dragged Kai by the arm with them.
Kai explored the station’s central plaza with Cerise and Yukina to his left and right, Amber and Ilona moving behind. The five walked past uniformed personnel, some going to duty, others returning to their families living in Atlas Station’s residential zones. The central plaza was more crowded than usual, according to Amber. Half the people there were evacuated personnel from the surface or orbiting platforms that had come under enemy attack. Injured men and women sat on the floors and waited for doctors in the medical wards.
The shopping ward captivated Cerise’s attention when the five wandered into it. The ward was a multistory compartment within the station, built to resemble some high-end shopping mall, complete with long escalators taking people to and from the various floors. Elevators constructed of transparent material moved up or down, giving people access to the levels beyond the shopping ward. Neon signs drew the fascinated eyes of Yukina to stores and restaurants inside the walls with holographic posters advertising specials and their hours of operation.
Amber shook her head disapprovingly at a trio of girls no older than nineteen. They wore shorts that hugged the roundness of their asses and shirts that did very little to cover their mid torso and shoulders. He figured they were daughters of the military personnel posted to the station. As the five walked past, Kai lost count of the number of talking advertisements and buzzing neon signs in store windows. It almost felt like they were on the surface in a city, not a station. Atlas Station was more than a space station. It was a space habitat, all alone and rotating in the endless night of space.
With a girlish giggle, Cerise grabbed Yukina’s newly constructed hand and trotted forward. “Okay, sis, you and I have some work to do!”
“What sort of task is required of us?” Yukina asked as Cerise rushed ahead, pulling her along.
“Spending all the money we got paid!”
Ilona drifted ahead of Kai, the drone spinning around to look at him. “Oh boy, here we go again.”
Kai watched as Cerise and Yukina moved farther and farther out of sight, vanishing behind crowds of shoppers. “Keep an eye on them for me, Ilona.”
“What?” Ilona flew into his face. “Why me?”
“Because I did it last time.” Kai walked away from the drone. “Just call me when it comes time to pay.”
Amber joined Kai, leaving Ilona floating there, watching them.
“Don’t worry,” Amber said, walking backward to face Ilona. “I’ll keep the commander company.”
“Seems I’m not the only one calling Kai that now,” Ilona said.
Amber shrugged. “The general is calling him that since we’re officially a recognized mercenary team. Commander Novak has a nice ring to it, don’t you think, Kai?”
“Oh boy.” He laughed. “Not you too, Amber.”
Ilona floated away from Kai and Amber, flying to join Cerise and Yukina wherever the hell they had run to. It left Kai and Amber alone with each other. She wandered ahead, hands behind her back, and twirled to face him.
“Since this is your first time here, Kai, let me show you around!”
Amber escorted Kai on a quick tour of the shopping ward and its surrounding corridors and zones. It took them over an hour to explore the various passageways while Amber pointed out places of interest and the many social gathering spots. Atlas was definitely a city in space, more so than a military space station. It even had schools for kids of military households. Dentists, doctor’s offices, grocery stores, bars, restaurants, and other leisure spots.
“I didn’t know this place was so big,” he said partway into their tour.
“You’re from Earth,” Amber said. “It’s not like you grew up hearing about it like I did, like all of us Edeners.”
“Yeah, but I’ve lived on Eden for eight years. Heard people talk about it, saw it on TV shows that mentioned it . . . but to actually be here and see it.” He glanced to the left. “That a ramen shop?”
Amber observed the moderately populated establishment inside the wall. It was a dimly lit place brightened by decorative neon Japanese kanji. She turned her head away from the ramen joint, smiling at him. “Probably. You hungry like I am?”
“You have no idea . . .”
The spicy aromas of various ramen bowls, consumed by six occupants seated at the bar, filled the air. Kai felt at home already. He and Amber sat together, giving their tired bodies some rest.
Kai studied the menu briefly. “Anything you want?” he asked her.
“As in, you’re payin’?”
“My treat,” he said. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without your help.”
“Awe shucks. You’re makin’ me blush.” She picked up the menu with her chromed prosthetic hand, focusing her baby-blue eyes on it. “Truth be told, I never really had ramen before. I’m more of a pizza gal, you know?”
“Ah.”
“So, surprise me, Commander.” She chuckled and lowered the menu to peer at him. “Look into my eyes, read my thoughts, and predict what I’d want.”
He gazed deeply into her eyes, searching for any hint of her thoughts. Maybe a little too long. But who could blame him for doing that? Amber didn’t avoid eye contact when their gazes met, and her grin certainly didn’t fade. She liked it.
Eye-gawking time was over. Kai turned away from her then called out to capture the attention of the man behind the bar while speaking in Japanese. The man ambled toward Kai and Amber seated together. He wore a bandana with the red circle of Japan’s flag around his forehead and a surprised look on his aged face.
Speaking fluently in Japanese, Kai ordered a spicy chicken bowl and a wonton chicken bowl. The man nodded and replied in Japanese, mentioning that Kai spoke the language well. Kai explained that his mother was Japanese and taught him how to speak the language. The man was taken aback by Kai’s revelation. Kai continued talking to him in Japanese, explaining that he was close to his mother’s side of the family and lived in Tokyo at one point, making Japanese the only language he spoke for a while.
The man raised his brow, shocked to learn that Kai lived in Tokyo for a short while and surprised that Kai was from Earth. Kai reaffirmed that he wasn’t affiliated with or in support of the Solar Coalition. Kai was a refugee who escaped Earth after the Coalition conquered it. Concern grew on the man’s face, and he asked Kai if he was upset that the Coalition attacked Eden. Kai looked to the side, holding back a frown. He escaped Earth and Coalition rule, just for them to follow him to Eden and force him to flee from their military again.
The man behind the bar moved away to prepare their requested meals. Amber nudged Kai with her elbow as he did that, drawing his attention to her.
“Okay, your Japanese is really good,” she said. “Didn’t know you spoke it so well.”
“How did you know we were speaking Japanese?”
She tapped her head. “My implant translated it on the spot and overlayed subtitles in my eyesight. It’s not accurate, especially if the person speaks fast or is mumbling, but I got the gist of what you two were talking about. Tokyo, huh? I always wanted to go there when I was younger, back before the war on Earth. The anime and manga that gets produced out in these parts just ain’t as good as the stuff from Earth.”
Two steaming bowls of ramen slid toward Kai and Amber moments later, accompanied by a pair of chopsticks and a soup spoon.
“And here we are.” Kai retrieved his chopsticks and gestured to Amber’s bowl. “That there is a spicy chicken ramen. Figured someone like you would want to start with that.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Your accent.”
Kai guided his chopsticks down and into the bowl, pulling up long lines of ramen noodles. Amber had held her chopsticks incorrectly, trying and failing to grab the chicken floating in the broth. She stabbed the meat with the end of the stick and angled it to her opened mouth. Kai cringed at that.
“Ah . . . the struggle is real!”
Kai continued eating, swallowed what he brought into his mouth, then said, “You’ll get the hang of it, Amber.”
Except she didn’t.
“I’ll use a spoon . . .”
“Here.” He placed his chopsticks on the side and reached for her hands. “I’ll show you how.”
Kai gave Amber a quick rundown on how to handle chopsticks correctly, but she just couldn’t do it right after five minutes of teaching her. In the end, she had to make do with the soup spoon. After emptying their ramen bowls of their tasty goodness, the two ordered a glass of beer each. The cold, frothy, and golden beverage made Kai and Amber exhale in relief.
He paid for their meals and drinks using the newly transferred funds to his bank, and the two stood to make their departure. Amber continued her station tour before leaning against the railing of a raised bridge hanging over a busy commerce walkway. He joined Amber on the left and observed the endless void of space through an enormous window. It almost felt like the wall itself was the window.
“Man, I still can’t believe you lived in Tokyo for a bit,” Amber said, eyes peering into the black and star-dotted vacuum.
“Wish I was.”
“I’d bet.” She tilted her gaze down and viewed the crowds of people walking on the levels below the bridge. “Before the Coalition, wasn’t it like one of the most affordable and cleanest cities on Earth?”
“Yeah, though that’s not why I wished I was there.”
“Oh? Why’s that?” She faced him, leaning against the railing. “Got a girl waiting for you?”
“If I was living in Tokyo, then it meant the Coalition hadn’t completely conquered Earth.”
“Oh, yeah.” Amber’s glare shifted back to the view of space. “Fair point.” A sigh left her lips.
“What about you?” Kai looked at the blonde cyborg standing by the railing with him. “You were clearly a weeb when you were younger. Got any cringey stories to tell?”
“Not really. My life wasn’t too complicated. I went to school, graduated, then enlisted in the Army when I turned eighteen.” Her expression turned uneasy as she averted her eyes. It was as if the subject was difficult to discuss. “Though . . . I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Why?”
“My cybernetic augmentations weren’t free. Let’s keep it as that.”
“You were a cyborg before enlisting?”
“Eh.”
She still seemed uneasy about the subject. It was time to change it.
Kai studied the view of space outside the window again, closely eyeing the stars and pondering which star Tau Ceti was. “I wonder what I should do when I arrive at Tau Ceti.”
“Ah, yes, your future.” Amber’s tone became more pleasant, her face slowly shifting to glare at him again. “I take it you’ve been giving it a lot of thought?”
“Been thinking about it more, especially after chatting with the general,” Kai said. “Finish this job, get paid, then haul ass to Tau Ceti.”
“And leave my ass behind, eh?”
He chuckled and smiled at her, their eyes meeting once again. “You’re free to join us, Amber.”
“I’d be leaving my post. Besides, how do you plan on getting there in the Starslayer? There are plenty of hazards out there, more now with the war.”
“That’s one of the reasons why I’m taking this job. Hoping to score a lot of cash then use it to upgrade the Starslayer’s defenses, pick up some guns, and level up my tactical skills. That should make it possible to cross the void and leave the system alive. If pirates attack, I’ll make them regret it. If the Coalition chases, they’ll regret that too—”
A message interrupted Kai, his implant pinging him with its notification.
“Commander.”
“Go ahead, Ilona.”
“Cerise and Yukina are ready to pay for their purchases,” Ilona transmitted to his neural implant. “I hope you’ve got deep pockets because they grabbed a lot of stuff.”
“We’re on our way.” Kai ended the call and pushed away from the raised walkway railing. “Let’s meet up with them, Amber. We’ll chat more at our hotel.”
Kai and Amber returned to the shopping ward and entered a clothing store that Ilona directed him to. Slender marionette mannequins were inside the shop, wearing the store’s latest trendy and eye-catching attire. The elaborate two-piece gowns the marionette mannequins wore had oval-shaped cleavage windows offering an irresistible glimpse of the valley between their high breasts. Their matching short skirts left lots of their smooth thighs exposed. Kai winced. He didn’t need to look at the price tags to know that the stuff Cerise was purchasing cost way too much.
It wasn’t hard to locate Cerise. She was the only girl with wavy pink hair standing in the checkout queue alongside a petite girl with silver-white hair, Yukina. Ilona floated alongside them. Cerise waved at him with a handful of clothes she wanted to buy and a smile so bright he could see her teeth. Kai grouped up with the girls, activated the checkout’s payment scanner, and purchased the goods for them. The total cost after tax was a high-end four-figure number.
