Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Headhunter ❯ The eighth passenger ( Chapter 10 )

AN: Apparently I’ve pissed you off somehow since you play mute. Crap, all is lost, all is lost, argh. Now at least I’m of the pressure to beat other authors, now that it’s sure it’ll never happen.

By the way, I fucked up few times during this fic. Yeah, you probably think “So, what’s new?” right now.

First thing is name; actually ship’s name is CONASTAGA cruiser, not Costanoga as I misspelled it. I had suspected that Costanoga sounds something what you order in fancy restaurant, when you want to impress chicks (Meatballs with costanoga, please), but my alarm bells didn’t rang. Conestoga was also mentioned few times with it, so if somebody could say which one of those two is it, I’d appreciate it.

Another is that USCM is actually United States Colonial Marines, but as told this is partly an alternate universe fic, and I explained all ready in the last two chapters that marines have been turned into an international task force. This is because I couldn’t just think a proper way how to explain so many different nationalities under stars and stripes. In this fic names have changed but doctrines are pretty much same, only little upgraded.

By the way I just goy my Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual in PDF. Would’ve saved hell of a lot of trouble if I had read it trough before I started scribbling. It seemed that Colonial Marines originally were organized to three operative arms, which one was American in charge of core systems, one American and Chinese, and last was Anglo-Japanese arm. This whole stuff about world order I’ve done would’ve been uneeded, if I have had that manual little early.

As I said it isn’t the first time I fuck up in writing. And won’t be the last time either.

And if isn’t yet clear, I only own my diesel Mercedes from year -85. Applaud from standing, as this once again new chapter of:


Headhunter

Chapter 9

The eighth passenger.

After Shinji had gone and Rei had heard some “words of wisdom”, like she herself would’ve interpret it, her mood stayed rueful never the less. Though Kaji had been right that she should keep trying, right now situation had began to develop to a direction what she hadn’t even thought of.

Rei pushed all the ‘advices’ and ‘virtues’ of her mentor to side what incessantly returned to pester her mind. She remembered all those instructions what Director Ikari had slugged to her head from beginning of her childhood. Especially “Clip the bird’s wings, so that it won’t fly away from you.” that had been Director's motto to manipulate situations with audacity, and to say, that too much freedom is for the worst.

This time it didn’t work. ‘Director didn’t ever warn me that this could happen…’ Rei thought. Effects of his motto had been just the opposite. Trying to make sure that that Shinji couldn’t get himself killed had ended to shed of new animosity between them, as well with Katsuragi and him.

‘I should have monitored the situation…’ Rei mentally berated herself for now making that decision to tell the major first what she had done. This one she had planned according other advice “Hardships combine.” That one was again as squeezing water from a stone. She didn’t then know full animosity what betrayal can arouse, but now she did. Katsuragi had used to opportunity as a weapon rather than think that Rei was the enemy.

Though Rei didn’t want Major to her enemy, (especially this morning’s obscenities made her blush still) she could live and know that major hated her. And that was enough. Difficult part came when she felt that she had just deepened the rift between the old friends, and not bringing them closer.

Rei stopped to think over for what she should do next. “Apparently director’s advices don’t fit when dealing with people…” she had already made a distinction with her way and his way. “Director is director, I am myself.” She repeated out loud, if whispering voice of hers is counted as loud.
Director made these kinds of decisions just to gain commercial advantage, or to maintain that advantage. “I do this for my own reasons, not cause of greed or survival.” She repeated.

As like something in her wanted to question her causes, she wondered quietly ‘isn’t own advantage same as commercial gain?’

“This isn’t just my advantage…it is for the lieutenant’s best also.” She reassured herself. “It is for common good.” She continued.

‘There is no common good.’ She heard again how words of tycoon wisdom set against her every attempt to justify herself… to herself. Small incredulous smile tinged on her face. “I’m debating with myself…and I’m losing.” She remembered how her expensive private teachers of human psychology (Gendo Ikari wanted not only to train her as his third arm, but also as a cunning negotiator.) told that people who spoke to themselves were unsure, and wanted someone to listen to them, and agree with them.

And that was what Rei wanted too, but now listener wouldn’t be so easy to find. All though there were two people now who knew the truth, she felt that they wouldn’t do. Kaji had already given her everything what he could “Keep trying.” Rei repeated the words.

What came to Ritsuko Rei didn’t feel like she would want to take this up to her. Both Kaji and Ritsuko had promised to keep the secret as she had managed to convince that the truth wouldn’t do any good to anyone right now. Or at least Kaji had been convinced, he thought pretty much same of some things.
Rei guessed that he had his own experience where to rely on.

‘Doctor Akagi’s area of expertise is remarkable, but it doesn’t just extend to this field.’ Rei remembered that Ritsuko didn’t even understand at first why it would need to be such a great secret anyway. After she had promised to keep it as her own knowledge, she wanted Rei to do one little errand in return. It wasn’t actually blackmailing, as she had just said that she wanted to be there where Shinji and Rei were. She hadn’t use any kind of coercing to force her way, and Rei saw it as a small thing, what would cause harm to anyone.

Now she wondered was it that wise decision to let her here. Rei had seen that gaze from her eyes, and sullen shadow went over her face as she remembered it. She banished it away from her mind, but then her stoic face again bent in to a faint smile when she recognized what the grim feeling was that had visited her out of the blue.

‘Jealousy…how many times I will surprise myself today?’ she wondered and sighed. Psychologies had described it to her, but she had rarely felt it in practice…on her infancy she remembered feeling a twinge of frustration when director’s attention was at somewhere/someone else beside of her. It had lessened when she had grown in years, but she hadn’t forgotten it. Her teachers actually encouraged her to feel it, as it was people’s desire to take what belonged to them.

Rei shook her head lightly, again feeling that every bit of her actions was in attire of corporate culture. She frowned as she thought again that her very person and upbringing had brought her to use these methods. She hated to stay on the road what she had chosen, and she feared what truth might cause. But she could accept it, yet still hoping that there would be another way.

Suddenly she heard sounds coming up ahead the corridor. She had returned the she way where she had come first, currently she was heading to the deck where Katsuragi would join later... She also made a last effort of fix the damage done, by calling Shinji to command deck to give tactical support, but all what she got was morose muttering as an acknowledgement. She was in fear what kind of conflict it would be when Katsuragi and Ikari once again were supposed to pull together. But now she concentrated to the present.

Sounds what she heard like no one else could hear were at first mumbling trough the walls, she could hear it echoing trough metal, these walls carried sounds well. Rei guessed it was speech, since no machine made that kind of harmonic running noise. When they came closer to her she could separate it better, not of course what voices were saying, but that there were two people and other was a woman. Rei separated that one was lower and the other almost shrilling, so she thought that at least the other was upset about something.

“…should’ve guessed that!” Woman’s voice fumed. Rei smiled a bit as the speaker was the one who she had guessed it to be. Her smile disappeared and she perked her ears to hear well.

“It really wasn’t like that…” Other voice replied almost dozily. Male voice’s owner didn’t seem to be aware of the others irritation. Rei wasn’t sure was it just this time, but Suzahara seemed to be sometimes ‘two steps behind her’ like she remembered one saying go.

Rei knew that it wasn’t part of good manners but she remained not giving out her presence. She didn’t think was it some kind of corporate antic what engulfed her, she just acted. Or didn’t act.

“Well, it wasn’t that long that from two of you were squeezing each other!” Hikari spit accusation out.

“Look, it was just one sided…” Toji retorted tentatively. Rei could picture the big mans face when he tried to gather some kind of explanation together.

“Yep.” Hikari grunted. “I could see how you put up a fight.” She snarled.

Rei didn’t hear any kind of response, and only one word came to her mind. ‘Busted’. It fit this little too well. That’s another word what she didn’t think she’d ever use.

“How…” Toji sounded now to be truly off the track.

“I was watching you two. In case that she made you forgot, I flew that ship.” Hikari said calmly, almost coldly. Rei had heard her angry but this tone was new to her.

“I’m not gonna take back what I said.” Toji said suddenly.

Rei heard how Hikari gasped for air. Rei didn’t see the point in Toji’s words-If he had done wrong he should show regret, not defiance, Rei thought. ‘Ill-advised move, private Suzahara.’

“I am glad that she’s here, and that’s stays.” Toji stated. “We need her around here. She’s though bitch and that is what it takes to get this shit together and done.”

This time Hikari was the one who fell silent. Rei could feel the tension and upheaval trough the walls.
“I’m not worried that she wouldn’t, I just fear what else she might get done meanwhile…” Hikari sprouted maintain the border of her self control.

“That’s your understanding of trust? That you keep watching me over your shoulder for every minute?” Toji said incredulously. “Things used to be better…”

“Yeah, they used.” Hikari dropped the weight over the last word.

“And don’t you say that you want me to stop seeing her.” Toji said. “Let’s not go to that.”

“Is it so much to ask?” Hikari sighed, and Rei could sense hidden despair on her request. “Or can’t that hero mom stand on her own feet when you aren’t there to her side?” She said sourly.

“You always take this to personal level…” Toji said with sound of defeat on his tone.

“Your graceful leader really doesn’t collect points for mother of the year award.” She snorted. “Who would’ve thought, she had T-junkie for a hubby. And now she’s a single parent, I feel sorry for the kid all ready!”

Rei heard Toji sighing heavily and could almost imagine him rolling his eyes.

“Seriously.” Hikari continued. “If she for a mother doesn’t make that kid an old lady kicking rat bastard, then nothing will. Best thing what could happen is that she ends up to a pile bug shit, and that kid ends up to taken custody and boarding school.” Last part of Hikari’s mocking sentence felt somewhat sincere.

“So that they could train him into a what?” Toji asked coldly. “Diplomat? Or perhaps an engineer? That’s certainly better people’s job, right?”

Rei foresaw that Suzahara was soon to sing chant in his own funerals. Equality was one thing that’s important to Hikari, Rei had felt it personally when she had been left alone with Hikari on few days ago.

Rei’s heart shivered when she heard Hikari whimper at Toji’s implying and harsh words. As Hikari’s family was on upper class of so called well fare pyramid, this gashed her deep. ‘Why?’ Rei thought. Why did Toji defend that woman, and why Hikari felt such disgust towards her? Rei had her guesses who they were talking, but this sounded deeper than haphazard jealousy.

Toji had sawn that he had been struck too deep, since his tone thaw a lot from than seconds ago
“It just isn’t possible that I stop see her, we are both stationed in this ship.” he said sounding bit embarrassed.

“You and I are also in the same ship too but you don’t have time for me.” Hikari replied tone her voice cracking.

“But…you are always on work or onto something…” Toji stuttered trying to find a way how convince her.

“Are you then laying on the beach your ass upwards the sun?” Hikari mouthed her voice cracking more.

“But I do get off duty sometimes…” Toji continued regret from earlier on his tone. “You must keep yourself always available…”

Hikari fell silent, and Rei heard her shoes to squeak against the metal floor. “Are you saying it’s my fault?” Hikari asked her voice now lowering menacingly.

There was no answer at first as Toji squirmed on his place. Perhaps he didn’t understand the question but had an inkle that Hikari to be more pissed than before and he went silent. “Always when it comes to spending time together, you always take it up to my duties, to my job. There is never even one word about yours.” Hikari cleared. “Is it just up to me?”

“I’m just saying you should give it more trying and…” Toji started neutral

“Try!” Hikari hissed. “There hasn’t been nothing but trying! Trying to understand you and your stuff, trying to forgive and forget! When I always manage to get free time, I have to let you go out with your buddies to have fun, and wait that perhaps you remember me too.” She mouthed. “You could ‘try’ for a once too, feel what it’s like.”

“You make it sound like it’s some kind of slave labor…” Toji muttered.

“Feels like it, when I’m the only one trying to drag this stone ledge.” Hikari said exasperatedly.

“Do I have to say it over again?” Toji replied agonized. “It just doesn’t work that way.”

“In what way?” Hikari pressed. “Am I asking a star from space?”

“Pretty much.” Toji muttered morosely. “This isn’t a garrison service. This is some serious shit, what I’m on to now- ‘Semper Fi, do or die.’ to the letter. I can’t get out it ‘cause my woman wants to have relationship stuff…”

“Oh, very nice bravado line, my man. No wonder it gets to your head and turns everything to ‘stuff’.”
Hikari had a bit habit to spot those kinds of things and even in angry she didn’t make an exception.

“You’re welcome.” Toji said sneeringly. “Perhaps this crushes some big ass boulders on our ‘stone sledge.’” Toji in return didn’t very much like some terms what Hikari threw around.

“You wish.” She snorted back with equal tone.

“Honestly we’ve talked about this crap for hundreds of times, I thought that’s that.” Toji said.

“That’s the thing. Just you thought.” Hikari replied letting the weight again drop.

“If it’s that what really gets.” Toji doubted. “What we…” Toji imitated Hikari’s word weight. “…agreed was that we won’t open old graves.”

Hikari didn’t answer and Rei sensed her to be troubled, and she could inkle that Hikari had tried to mask this from him.

“Unless that grave is open.” Toji stated and Rei could separate some confusion to evaporate from his words, like he had realized something what he should’ve understood from beginning. “It’s not Maria alone what has gotten you so pissed.” Toji said and Rei got a hunch that he sounded…disappointed.

“Oh, that’s her first. Not sergeant Sandoval anymore.” Hikari said in sharp tone.

‘Right.’ Just as Rei had thought it was from the first moments since she had started her eavesdropping. Even though Rei understood that this was a matter of jealousy, a strong feeling what she’d been feeling only rarely, Hikari’s loathe and anger felt over measured.

“You still haven’t forgiven me.” Toji said quietly, Rei could feel from his tone an odd feeling what she could describe. Poetical sentence ‘something what sense told to forget but heart told to remember.’ came to her mind.

Hikari got bit of track and suddenly much of anger disappeared from her. “I…I…have… I think…” she sputtered.

“No, you haven’t, not all the way.” Toji sighed and waited Hikari wanted to backtalk. Rei felt herself getting blushed but right now curiosity took won from shame, and she continued to listen.

Hikari had been dumbstruck as she was the one she was ‘busted’ now, as Rei guessed from growing silence.

“That does it.” Toji said. “Now for the last time: I can’t do this better. We’re all ready now on borrowed time. I can’t stop seeing…her, unless you dig my eyeballs out. And before you start again I must be around her for obvious reasons. You still want me to stop doing what I do the best, hm?”

Hikari didn’t answer and Rei felt pressure arising around them.

“Do you?” Toji asked more demanding tone than before.

Rei had a pretty good hunch what Hikari would answer. Surely she’d do what needs to be done…

“No.” Hikari said quietly and her voice was almost submissive.

…or not. Rei suffocated cry out of surprise. All though her acting was stoic in general, this even made her to startle a bit since she understood that Hikari made this strongly against her will.

“Good.” Toji said, apparently he didn’t understood or just didn’t care. “This better to be settled this time. I can’t even bare to think what this paranoia crap could do if the word gets out.”

“WHAT?!?” Hikari boomed out and rei startled by sudden explosion

“Uuh…” Toji mumbled out as he surely couldn’t believe that he had said that out loud.

“That’s--“ Hikari snarled angrily. “That’s your biggest worry? What your buddies think?” Her voice began to falter, words getting stuck to her mouth. “Do you…do you even care about…” rest of it never came out her lips.

“I-I didn’t mean…” Toji sounded now almost verge of panic. Rei had all ready some taste, that angry Hikari was really discouraging sight, but at this decree she must’ve looked ferocious. “I wasn’t serious!” Toji rushed to take his words back.

“That we’ve seen.” Hikari replied venomously. “Don’t” She hissed her voice near crumbling. Rei heard small slap and swoosh so she guessed Toji had tried to take a hold on her, and Hikari had just rejected her.

‘This must come to an end.’ Rei regret now that she hadn’t intervened there before. She stomped her leg to floor so the noise of it could be clearly heard by them. “Is someone there?” She asked much audible than her normal speech.

Rei didn’t get an answer, but she heard they moved whispering each other something, few words but other sounds covered them, so she couldn’t hear them.

She moved as silent as she could, so that they wouldn’t suspect anything. She waited few seconds before walking behind the corner so that it would seem like that she had surprised them on the last minute. She had wished during her eavesdropping many times that she hadn’t caught them like this. But when she stepped to see them she thought ‘It was good that I appeared after all.’

Hikari had turned her back against Toji. In dark blue overalls with a name patch and pilot wings, what replaced colonial marines own pilot suit. Her eyes was bit welled, but she forced it back. Toji was now literally two steps behind her. He stared formally forward over Rei’s shoulder but his eyes told out the struggle what went on just seconds ago.

On her eye corner Rei noticed that Toji had painted new text to his armor. A small arrow beneath the flaming basket ball, pointing directly to his crotch. ‘(big) balls of fire’ it said.

When Rei thought episode what went on he had a sudden image how pair of fire balls was suffocating in cold breeze. Had it been her character, and had this been another time and/or place she might’ve considered saying it out loud.

“Are you still here?” Rei trusted her undecipherable demeanor to cover her; she also calculated that they were eager to keep it down about what happened.

“Err…yes, ma’am.” Toji cleared his troth. “We got a little…” He searched for words.

“Stuck.” Hikari ended. Her face was still emotionless, and she had blinked rising tears of rage from her eyes, when Rei’s gaze had been distracted by bravado line in Toji’s armor.

“The team will be ready soon. Your briefing will be given once you touch down at the mission site.”
Rei stated.

“Isn’t bit late to brief anyone when our asses are on the trenches?” Toji had like every reasonable soldier left most of the formalities out. He had heard that Snowhite, all though talked and seemed like tight ass (Both in metaphor and physically) she wasn’t too precise about titles.

“The plan is simple, carrying it out is not.” Rei responded. “Only few men are needed to carry out this operation.”

“If I end up in hero platform, can I’ve that necrology please? It sounds so…” Toji thought for a while.
“…eastphilosophical. Wrestles down that ‘from ashes to ashes, from dust to dust.’ line any day of the week.”

“This operation will only require a small platoon. You will have the best gear and detailed maps of surrounding at your disposal.” Rei assured. “Odds are to our favor.”

“That actually was just a black humor to scarce off the reaper man.” Toji again had wake up call that Rei possessed rarely one sided sense of humor, and his ‘clever’ marks were in its wrong side.

After unable to determine which one of the Toji’s answers was to be taken seriously, Rei threw asking glance towards Hikari, who had often be her translator in these situations. “That means he wasn’t serious about losing.” Hikari turned again her eyes away from Rei’s gaze before adding. “Or anything.”

Toji didn’t miss that remark, and again surprising Rei, he acted completely against his character by not making any kind of counter remark or witty back talk. He fell just silent, looking the mechanic in head bandage who had turned her back towards him. If she hadn’t she might’ve seen that he wasn’t proud of himself right now.

Rei often had seen images and acting performances ciphering these kinds of events. Even in Spartan conditions of geo-front platform had she could avoid running into such… nonsense, as her mentor claimed it when he was in good mood. Rest of the male workers who found any kind of material, brought in by mainly female workers, called it crap-which one was right that she didn’t know.

“Private Suzahara.” Rei spoke.

“Yes, ma’am?” Toji’s whole being changed quickly. All of the marks of regret and longing evaporated, and were replaced by impassive look, with a slight frown in them, staring the blue haired corporate, being once again big figured soldier with a killer look.

“You are dismissed. I need to elaborate some final details with your dropship pilot. Inform that to your squad mates.”

“Right away.” Toji shrugged, glancing last time Hikari as a sort of wordless farewell before marching slightly faster than usual away the same corridor that Rei had used moment earlier. Since he had diverted from his path to see Hikari, he would be last to arrive. Others had been moving Terium containers from cargo holds to hangar as they would be soon moved away from Solarus.

Hikari lifted her head and she in turn had a view from Toji’s back as it…backed away from them.
She looked after him pensively. “Little chilly, eh?” she spoke after Toji had gone from her view.

“Pardon?” Rei wondered again Rei wondered a new metaphor what she had few times called people to throw around.

“I just meant that I and Toji had like a… a quarrel.” Hikari shrugged. “Was like a cold breeze, you know?”

“I do now.” Rei felt more that Hikari actually got hot instead of cold, but realized that either wasn’t good. “Everything all right, then?”

“Hm?” Hikari mumbled looking confused.

“That quarrel.” Rei said. “Was it serious?”

“No, no, no.” Hikari spurted out quickly shooing her head, slightly blushing. “It… it was just… err… just normal struggle… love and war…um” Hikari tried her speech cutting.

“Are you sure?” Rei inquired

“Yeah.” Hikari replied sounding that just and just could get herself convinced. “We’ll get around it, its not that big.”

“Really?” Rei had this time doubt in her voice.

“Not a big deal at all.” Hikari let the answer come out mechanically. She looked at Rei but representative saw that her gaze was empty. Mechanic/pilot kept drifting back and forth in her thoughts before her eyes lit realizing something “You had something?”

This time blue haired corporate was in due to be awoken from her thoughts, and ironically she was just thinking what Hikari was thinking. Whole picture was messy and she had to spend few seconds searching words to say. “Yes, about the mission and the flight plan.”

“Shoot.” Rei replied. “I mean that let it out.”

“I do know that.” Rei cleared.

“Oh.” Hikari mumbled.

“First off, I want to say that I did everything I could to withdraw you and private Suzahara out of this mission.”

“Is that your way to say you don’t trust us?” Hikari retorted half-serious.

“No.” Rei said shortly.

“That was a stupid question.” Hikari muttered to herself, if Rei wouldn’t trust them she’d just say it out loud.

“This mission is dangerous.”

“No shit.” Hikari said pretending to be surprised.

“Exceptionally…” Rei started considering what she could say not making her to ask wrong questions, searching more serious tone if it was even possible what came to her.”…dangerous. You will find out that in the exact minute as you commence your landing, or only minutes after it. Do you know how to utilize dropship armaments?”

Hikari once again wondered technicality in young woman’s choice of words. ”Yeah…. that wasn’t covered in civilian side, I had to learn out that part myself. Just don’t expect me to say ‘bravo eight, fox 8t8’ or ‘target down’ or something. ‘here comes the good shit’ and ‘dead’ must do the job.”

“I take this as an acknowledgement.” Rei replied. “You might need to provide cover or make bombardments on terrain.”

“No problem. I can fix stuff, so I’m qualified and able blow it up too.” She said cheerily than she actually was. “How big area are we talking about?”

“You will have two of my corporation’s dropships assisting you, and the other marine dropship if it’s needed, even if the pilot is with out any formal experience.” Rei answered.

“That big?” Hikari astonished. “Why don’t you just nuke it from the orbit? Or bombard them from ship’s guns. Both of them are probably not more expensive than big ass load of normal bombs.”

“Environmental agencies have expressed often their dislike if render habitable planets with abounded biosphere and eco systems to inhabitable.” Rei explained. She had in her knowledge few incidents that had gotten officials from colonial administration on their back feet. “First we do small sweep inside the outpost with a small squad, after that we bring bigger to sweep the surroundings, and if we still have no sightings we will seriously consider what our next resolution will be.” Rei finished.

“I’d be a complete idiot if I still think that this would be a rescue operation. That much I understand that I know seek & destroy op when it kicks door.” Hikari noted.

“It is that.” Rei admitted. “I don’t expect that any survivors will be found at this point. You are already familiar to the situation?“

“The word is that all of the sudden a corporate outpost went dead after sending a distress call to Weyland-Yutani. I normally don’t go on bashing colonists like marines do, but you’ve to be pretty fucking stupid to message to them, and not just broadcasting it every channel what in ether.” Hikari shooed her head. Then she saw sudden change on Rei’s face, like shadow would’ve swept over her, but only lasted a minute.

“Your ‘word’ is most of the part true.” Rei answered hoping that she hadn’t give out too much. “At this time I don’t expect survivors will be found.”

“So, in program today is plenty of collateral damage, like in last mission.” Hikari remembered vividly vacuum frozen bodies crushing against the dropship’s fuselage. She tried not to look but she had estimated that over ten bodies were orbiting the transport and frigate. ‘Flush down’ was probably the most favored part criminals get rid of the body, especially if they’ve been given the little speed from the air lock, bodies could litter anywhere and never be found.

“It’s unlikely. In this scenario it hardly possible that any of workers bodies would have survived intact…” Rei began and saw a bit of frown in the mechanics face and she rephrased. “Yes.” She admitted little awkward for her assumption. “I had no chance to ask your well-fare after the last operation.” Out of sudden Rei had almost warm tone, and look in her face had turned from normal impassive to compassionate

“Hey, good side being in space is that they can’t splatter all over your windshield, right? Heh heh?” Hikari tried to fake to be hilarious.

Rei looked doubting and said after a while see authenticity on her joke before saying. “Trying to find out the branch where devil sits?” Rei had first somewhat sly smile on her face, like she had said something funny.

“What branch…?” Hikari tried to say after her and oddness of the sentence made her bit amused.
“That’s aged. Is it some kind of a proverb or something? Sure isn’t from apan”

“The whole proverb says: you never know what branch the devil sits on.” Rei replied.

“Doesn’t that mean, like, you never know anything for 100% sure?” Hikari wondered. “Not that humor brings on?”

Rei thought it for a while and she again smiled tentatively. “I applied it a little.”

“Wasn’t really a good one…” Hikari said carefully, not knowing for sure what Rei would take it.

“Neither was yours.” Rei stated with out mock on her tone.

“At least you say it out frank, if it isn’t really subtle.” Hikari muttered.

“When it’s taken out of its context, it was brave…from you. That answered my question though you didn’t.” Rei replied.

“Uhum.” Hikari nodded. “It’s more Toji’s line. He’s the killer; I’m just there to get him to the scene.” She blinked away all sings that could tell her that she had something on her heart.” I sure would’ve let that one of my show.” As a space ship mechanic she had first hand knowledge what vacuum does to body. She had little comfort thinking that their death was quick. She had grown bit raw in years, starting from a incident on space station.

“That’s understandable.” Rei agreed.

“Anything more?” Hikari inquired.

“This is a very small zone where the drop is to be made.” Rei elaborated. “Further more site is next to small mountain barrier.”

“That’s why you wanted me?” Hikari pointed her palms to herself.

“Yes. All the marine pilots are only formally qualified to make combat drops, and this is one of the most difficult maneuvering attempts, and as you managed to make a good impression…”

“At least something goes like a cakewalk.” Hikari muttered.

“I would very much desire to use someone else…” Rei said.

“You really have the way of encouraging someone.” Hikari spoke again when Rei tried to open her mouth. “I know. It’s not that.” Unimogs had been voided in the predator attack and bishop was not in condition to fly. “I better start get going so that boys can get to kill something.”

“The operation is hands of Sergeant Barnes.” Rei said out of the blue.

“Huh?” Glanced at her dumbly.

“I just thought you might want to know.” Rei noticed Hikari to hide the fact that she looked both confused and relieved at the same time.

*

Ritsuko flapped her white rubber glows what were tarnished with blood as was her “Apron” as she called it. Few splatter here and there, just the usual amount what comes from cracking someone’s chest open. There might’ve been less blood, if bodies would have been just stayed frozen and not warmed like living bodies from cryo sleep, but it didn’t matter to her, she had used to do this one time to time.

Xenotific division almost all were used to gore and blood, as both of species left only bodies behind them, analyzing their left overs was close of analyzing them.

Ritsuko put her bloody apron aside and dig her pockets for the item what was needed for aftermath.
“Were it is…?” She dug deeper and finally found what she needed.

Short stick shape object came out of her deep pockets. Ritsuko never had used to WY-uniforms deep pockets were things get easier lost than found. “My left hand for doctor’s jacket.” she thought out loud remembering the simple white coats, where things were easy to find. Stick like object was Interstellar Audio Gatherer- in shortened IAG. It was used as recorder, or diary like the name says: all over known parts of known sectors for keeping (b)logs.

She raised the sticks microphone end, what nearly reminded singer’s mic just little smaller, few inches from mouth and pressed the button side of silver colored object. “This is Ritsuko Akagi, director of Weyland-yutani’s Xenotific division, starting dictating. Autopsy report of crewmembers of commercial freighter Helen, and pirates of frigate Firefly.”

She breathed deep the sterile air of the morgue. This remind her from early days while she was in training to do first autopsy and wondering how melted bodies didn’t even smell, her teacher told that they were just experimenting new chemical what was supposedly to storage dead subjects and stop them from deteriorating. She was equally excited as she was now. In whole year this was the only Predator case where she had gotten first! Now one could have greater glee or dedication than her, but yet she was promoted to a head of division, though she had more desire to be on the field.

“Please note that this NOT a tactical description about behavior of the Predator species, and thus does NOT meant to use as military reference. My findings are without military expertise and are open to debate. Findings in this dictate are purely scientific.” She thought that someone had better to take care this report doesn’t end up to TheirSpace.com in network what is internets successor. It was hard enough just try to keep it from military, if this would end up there….

“Victims include our employees and former employees. Afore mentioned are crew of freighter ‘Helen’. Others are from…” Ritsuko thought for a second and decided to keep her remarks for the end.”…crew of pirate vessel ‘Firefly’, and members of bandits called as ‘Flaming Daggers’” Ritsuko thought that anyone who had thought that was really poor imagination. ‘Daggers? Why not flaming windmills.’ she shooed her head and grinned mentally.

“The targeted ship has been completely swept from survivors. There is no sings of defense on them, most of them are either shot from behind or shot in the head as execution. Being in 23rd century isn’t seen on their imagination. Few of the pirates have acted trough their psychotic impulses and began crush their victims bones with gun butts. In this case I feel that pirate arsenal was consisting from old, yet working rifles of AK-100 series. Other acts of brutality include shooting trough palms and shins. These victims have probably passed out from loss of blood, and only then executed by either head shot, how originate, or in a flush down’ where extreme coldness have consumed their bodies. They have been threw out from the air lock in one by one, some were alive, some were not. I guess they thought that way the fun lasts longer.”

Ritsuko swallowed and prepared to a long monologue. She though that she hadn’t just kept her ardor in checked when she belittled the pirate’s victims, but what could she do to herself? This was her first interesting field case for years!

“Pirate crew has been slain with a way that borders a work of an artist.” She spoke fast, and filled with new kind of spirit, what in comparison made initial seems like she was dictating raw materials for ordinary soup. “If we exclude overkills with brute force, and all the plasma shots, all kills are absolutely beautiful. Predators? Please.” She snorted to a term what she hated, it was just plain belittling.

“Something more than a man, I’d say. Word predator doesn’t do it justice. The bodies indicate that most usual method has been following: strong blow directed to arms, followed then by a lethal strike. Between bone fracture and killing strike there has been a time window of few seconds, perhaps even less. But the speed is just the foreplay.” Ritsuko elaborated licking her lips as the exiting part began to go deeper.

“All of the cuts and stab wounds are almost exactly in the same place, they’ve penetrated heart, liver, spine, spleen you name it, in area that is half of my palm. Inner organs what have been taken those strikes are completely been devastated by such force, and longest interval between life and death have presumably been from few seconds to three minutes...what compared to crew of Helen is short, but I doubt guy whose liver have been pierced had kept 3 minutes as short one, time is relative after all. It’s one thing to kill this amount of people, who are armed to the teeth, with out guns, but to slice them open with almost exactly same way, is another. I think that most targets have been surprised one by one, since almost all who had inch wide wounds were found in groups of 3 to 5.”

Ritsuko thought that now, though she was no expert, could be good time to elaborate about weapons used. “Most of the injuries are stab wounds what have been caused by two distinctive weapons. Other is some kind of knife, but there is something strange about it. It seems like a one edged, which has saw like fangs on the sharp side. Judging by the wound, it’s curved and since the deep of stabs is variable the length of this weapon is undetermined, I guess it could be as much 12 inches. There seems to be two entry wounds right next to each other, so it might be forked. This weapon has in some cases gone trough victims back, breaking any ribs on its way and then punctured the lungs. I’m pretty sure same weapon has also slit some throats open by typical clockwork style of predators: just tips of blades have touched the throat. Another repeating pattern is a direct hit to chest, where forked knife have cut through their heart.”

“The other used close combat weapon seems to be a spear, what tip is some kind of giant needle. Entry wounds are smooth, so it doesn’t have any kind of hooks or fangs on it. It seems like a heavy build: at its thickest it’s about one and a half inch. I came up with this evaluation because it seems that one case has ended to predator throwing the spear, which penetrated the victim and even sunk to wall behind him. The exit wound is smaller than the entry wound, same repeats in other victims. Narrow exit wound and wider entry wound suggests that the spear itself might be telescopic, but this is of course speculation.”

“Most of the crew has been Identified their faces have been left intact, we found one pirate that had taken plasma shot from close quarters. Extreme heat blew victims head to bits. Because of almost complete vaporization there is nothing much to left to ID. Identification by dental records is not possible, since only lower jaw remains and only few partly melted teeth were recovered. Recovery team tells that brains tissue scattered to walls had actually burned into it. It supposedly looked like a fried meat: fact what I haven’t verified. I think it was just some lousy corporate attempt be funny. Other body liquids had been vaporized almost instantly; even blood has dried in few minutes after hitting the wall.”

Ritsuko was mentally rubbing her palms together and could almost feel how excited her subordinates would be when this report has been faxed back to them. “There is one victim, that is extraordinary than the most. The captain of the pirate ship.” Ritsuko failed to cover excitement in her voice.

“Captains dead wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary…” Ritsuko though how to rephrase. “Well, not at least this ship. Aforementioned spear has penetrated him below the rib cage, missing his spleen reaching the spine shattering it by disk and striking two of his vertebrae out of their place. I reckon that the predator noticed spinal column being damaged, and left it alone. Instead predator removed captain’s head. Brains have not been removed trough nose, but under the cranium after head had been severed from the spinal cord. Brains seemed to be just scratched out, this after eyes were first popped out and nerves to them cut.” Ritsuko described this part inanimate since she was a little disappointed. She hadn’t expected to see such a crude way to dealt with.

Her eyes lit up again when she got to the part what hadn’t let her down. “Despite the crude way of removing the brains, captain’s face is in excellent condition. It’s been cut like a fabric mask and then pulled off. The facial muscles have also been peeled accurately. If I had some time and ballistic jelly, I might jus be able to reconstruct captains face again…with out eyes and tongue of course. Removal of the face and its muscles is nearly surgically made…”

*Knock… knock*

Ritsuko lifted her head from the recording IAG-stick and turned to face the window behind her back. The other side of the window Misato was leaning it, her hands pressed to glass. Ritsuko didn’t know how much had she heard, or were the windows sound proofed anyway. She hoped how ever that the part about her dictation were she compared predator being more than a man had gone by Misato’s ears. She guessed that this was just a sing that everyone else was waiting. She had, against her habits, promised to be there when marines were about to conduct and search operation of the lockdown outpost. She wasn’t interested about the operation but the possibility of getting praetorian to her clutches.

”Further analysis will continue in writing. “ She moved her thumb to stop button but then got an idea remembering where this tape was to be sent. “Since this probably goes to teaching material of the Xenotific division, and from there who knows where, some one with out much of imagination will probably crack a joke like ‘sounds like she want to fuck it’.” Ritsuko sneered. “Yeah, I really might. I’d rent my dear mothers ass to it, if it comes to getting closer look from these creatures. If she’d saw same as I, she’d understand.” She told content turning of the IAG stick, nodding towards Misato to come in now.

She hadn’t bothered to clean up after she had left Ritsuko to her work. She still looked scruffy after uneasy night, rough waking and scuffling with more than a one opponent. She looked bit more awakened than before so she might’ve just taken her morning shot about same stuff she had last night helping her to get sleep. She squint her eyes as she stepped from dim light to bright lighting of the morgue. Ritsuko knew that she might just feel a little fatigued, but at least her head didn’t ache. ‘She had so thick head after all.’ Ritsuko thought.

Misato stopped after walking few steps from the door. She looked bit amazed. “Is that…” She started to point Ritsuko’s face.

“What?” Ritsuko wondered.

“Yeah. It’s drool.” Misato said monotone. “I didn’t know this was that good shit.”

Ritsuko swiped the right corner of her mouth. She did this for few times again and after seeing something what resembled a smile on Major’s face she stopped. “Veeery funny.” She said inanimate.

“It’s on the other side.” Misato noted.

Ritsuko swept her left side with back of her hand and felt moist on it. “Oh.”

“Good thing that I stopped by, before you help yourself with the bodies.”

“Makes it kinda difficult when corpse’s joystick is as cold as rest of them.” She replied. “Actually I don’t know can woman be a necrophile.” Misato and she had often discussed this, under intoxicated most of time. This subject rarely came to open they both sober…and now only Misato was the one who slightly drunk.

“I heard it gets up after a guy has been dead for an hour or two.” Misato said, and she actually sounded to be serious.

“No, it’s the arm that MIGHT rise up after being dead for a while. Not the third foot.” Ritsuko corrected.

“Doesn’t it get affected by death stiffness?” Misato kept going. Ritsuko waited if Misato wanted to answer this question herself and have laugh. Apparently her exhaustion was only on the surface. after sec or two Ritsuko understood that she really wanted her to answer it.

“Not unless you count these pirates as giant dicks themselves.” Ritsuko replied. “Giant cold dicks.” Ritsuko cleared. “Little guy and it two best buddies have shrunk really small when their bloodstream stopped.” Ritsuko elaborated.

“Good that you told. I was going to ask that next.” Misato was very generosity woman, who too much of details are more a hindrance than advantage. She had with help of Ripley managed to hold too accurate questions at her own. “These guys’ balls had shrunken before though.” She had heard that most of the survived pirates were still afraid when they put to cryo sleep. “Not that they were very big to begin with.” the thing that all the civilians had been killed, made her feel useless.

“Hm” Ritsuko scowled as she remembered few smelly surprises during the examination. “You did seem to follow my request to the letter. ‘Bring them here with way they are.’” She repeated her own request.

“I was just thinking about you.” Misato said teasingly.

“No doubt.” Ritsuko replied. “Good thing that most of these guys guts have held or I’d need a mask.”

“Most of the living just have been beaten the shit out. They threw their guns and tried to run. If XD’s profiles are right that saved their lives.” Misato remarked.

“Can’t guarantee, but so it seems.” Ritsuko noted. ”Only one lucky SOB got its full attention.”

“Captain stabbing is out for the count and I doubt that any of his remaining fuckers try this again.” Misato had arrived just as Misato had been stopping her dictate and saw tip of captain’s tongue sticking under the sheet what Ritsuko had drew to cover his body. “If they ever get a change to try again.”

Out of courtesy and worry Ritsuko decided to tried keep up some kind of conversation. “So how the rest of the op was? I heard your troops are pretty green.”

“First time you show some interest to my troops.” Misato seemed to know what she was after but never the less she decided to play along. “Easy pickings. Three of the living ones went to a shooting spree, firing about everything what moved. Most of my men were in danger to be laughed to death when they saw how hard ass pirates turn to whimpering bitches when light goes out.”

“Hm. All that talk and no acts to back it up.” Ritsuko stated.

“Stories of their lives.” Misato sneered.

“How were you guys after the op, then?” Ritsuko pried.

“Man, isn’t anything enough for you? You all ready read the after action report.” Misato grunted.

Ritsuko noticed that Misato got on defensive when it was getting near the fact that she wasn’t in command anymore. “It’s my job to ask, Y’know.” Ritsuko defended. “If that too much to you, I could always go pestering Ayanami.”

“Go ahead. It’s not my job to answer question.” Misato said grimly, referring the situation.

“It kinda is. If you can’t recall those stripes on your collar…” Ritsuko pointed the major’s tags what were still on Misato’s jacket. “…mean that you should know something. Or then know someone who does know something.”

Misato shrugged. “You can be such sassy bitch sometimes.”

“How do you think I’m where I am if I wouldn’t be?” Risuko wondered. “I Just would replace that sassy with stubborn, workaholic bitch. But thanks that you said only ‘sometimes’.” Ritsuko smiled “That’ll give me lot of new hope.”

“Guess that does describe you better then.” Misato muttered. “Bodies did have effect. Though raiders had pretty big fantasies themselves, and it was funny to see them disappear, people got nervous when they found bodies that were sliced and impaled. Those plasma shots were pretty messy too.” Misato didn’t like to describe others fear to outsiders. She had tried to scarce her own fear for years and though she understood that there was reason to be afraid she didn’t like it anymore.

“What about herr kapiten?” Ritsuko wondered.

“He’s the one who made even our toughest guys to have shrills and glance over their shoulders. Shinji’s group was the ones who found him.” Misato lowered her voice. “They first thought that grenade had gone off and blow his face to hell, and one of them had a troth shit.”

“Troth shit?” Ritsuko seemed amused a bit.

“Puked. Kensuke was the lucky bastard. Somebody had to give in and this time it was him.” Misato said feeling no sympathy.

“What did you do to those pirates who surrendered?” Ritsuko had personal interest to prisoners as some of the commanders wouldn’t risk taking them with them for a deep space mission.

“After rounding them up we marched to holding cells waiting for interrogation. 2nd platoon leader Hendrickson and 3rd platoon leader Park handled the so called interrogation.” Misato shrugged “It was one of the easiest questioning they’ve ever had. All confessed.”

“No way.” Ritsuko mumbled unbelieving.

“Yeah.” Misato confirmed. “Of course nobody didn’t admit anything about the flush down. And anyone wasn’t ready to raise a hand when we began to ask about the rapes. It might be unspoken rule to blame the dead. Since we aren’t here to play crook and cop shit, we’ll just take the confessions leave the investigation to colonial administration. Most of the confessions are about beatings, manslaughter and piracy.”

“So, what about the trial?” Ritsuko asked “I assume those confessions are just formality.”

“You know it all too well. Corporation has bust trough colonial administration some offspring’s of those anti-terror laws what have been hiding in the drawer for 200 years. If you don’t remember don’t worry I’ll remind: private sector has the right to determine and carry out the conviction before hand with confession. Now only thing what’s needed is some CA judge’s signature, though the time those papers reach his honors office those Son of bitches are other side of known space.” Misato told.

“And if that’s the case, why you marines did the questioning?” Ritsuko pointed out.

“Neutrality.” Misato grunted. “You see somebody might think that corporation might coerce them to sing confessions. Now when our names are on the piece of paper it looks much, much better.”

“Ayanami then played the whole quartet.” Ritsuko guessed.

“She was the Judge, the jury, and the prosecution without executioner.” Misato replied. “3-5 year of convict labor. Unless WY has expanded their customers in some desperate housewives need of man whores, it’s most likely heavy work in some almost-but-not-quite-ready shithole to bust their ass ‘till they drop or when their conviction ends. It might be more if we can prove who did what.”

“That’s” Ritsuko said. “I took a look about those recordings what your MaryCam…”

“Do you have to say that too?” Misato cried out. “I’ve heard enough of that shit for lifetime.”

“Sooorrry.” Ritsuko said pretending to be sincere. “Your soldier live action recording device….is that better?” Ritsuko got only mumbling as an answer. “Any way recordings seem to tell that they’ve moved almost all alive, dead and almost dead to air lock. Vacuum has probably done awesome job to ruin the evidence. I think that they’ve shot after they’ve died just to fuck around, but I didn’t pay much attention. to it.”

“Figures.” Misato snorted and glanced around the room and about several little doors what’s behind the other bodies were. She had a thought that Ritsuko probably had more ‘Interesting’ matter on her rubber coated hands than civilian casualties. She had overlooked Ritsuko’s way to separate people like objects, as she know that military did the same, except they called prioritizing. Colonial Marines were no exception. They had prioritized these people to be more important than the ones in planet Enron. All though this was done by ‘suggestion’ of Ayanami Misato thought that she’d done the same. “Anyway, we send the crime scene to CA and their investigators can do the ballistics and…”

“That’s the other thing.” Ritsuko interrupted. “Looks like guys have done something to their rifles. Again I did only glancing but it looks like they all have exact the same riffling. Handguns are like else but AK-103’s barrels are all alike.”

Misato took little time to understand but after awhile her dazed look turned to a frown. “Son of a bitch.” she hissed, remembering that almost all carried old 103’s and now that marks on the bullets and cartridges are the same, it was impossible to separate who shot who. “Where those mother fuckers pulled that one?” she asked agonized.

“Probably one or two of them whose brains aren’t yet to turn pile soft pudding by Terium, watched CSI: Spaceport and did some equating.” Ritsuko thought

“It might be that, or then it might be some kind of corporate trick. Most of those fuckers are deserted T-platoon members.” Misato shooed her head when subject came to them. “Good riddance.”

“Those people have always been use & lose division.”

“The whole thing about bunch of narcs doing job of soldiers is just about the king of the hill what comes to the history of fucked up ideas. I know this thing about everybody recycling their own crap, but that’s just extreme. You never can trust to predator…” Misato lowered her voice. “Only thing it can do is biting and it doesn’t care whose ass will be next.”

Ritsuko ignored Misato’s hint about Predators but she agreed with her. ”I hear ya. We’ve been cleaning these bastards from everywhere.” Terium, or ‘Good shit’ like people called it, had gotten so much of people under thumb. Gendo Ikari’s predecessor had thought that binding people with necessity was the key to most efficient result. It would’ve in succeeding decreased Weyland-Yutani’s dependency of rented personnel (what formed their ‘own’ soldiers which only few had actual military training), mercenary squads and from people that in WY’s inner circle were called security consultants. “Most of them are still drifting somewhere.” WY’s new soldier program was well on the way, and soon T-platoon would be only a bad memory. “You don’t seem to believe power of redemption that strongly, so you?”

“If you keep giving the guys changes after another you’re almost begging to get bitten.” Misato replied. “They’ll wear your sorry ass like a hat sooner than you’d think.”

“Was Ellen the same batch, then?” Ritsuko asked sensing some double morals in the air. “of people thought about her the same way you do about them.”

“Oh C’mon, You aren’t really buying that, are you?” Misato asked with out changing her countenance.
“Waving a carrot in that situation where she was, that’s really a bitch, but with that ‘all-is-forgiven’ pudding it came with, corporation really exceeded themselves.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Ritsuko knew that Misato’s guess was good as any. Not far from truth as hidden appendixes and summaries told. The great and mighty CEO had washed his hand in the first change he got, claiming that he only gave the order to acquire specimen, but let the representatives to figure themselves how to Execute the order. Ritsuko hadn’t gotten any further before Ikari closed investigations. But everything pointed the way where Misato had kept telling for all these years. Ritsuko was how ever much more pragmatic than Misato and she had no real desire to dig any deeper. Situation had evolved in such state that it wasn’t worth to throwing away. Was the truth one or another, it wouldn’t matter to Ellen, whatever Misato might think. “What about you?” Ritsuko thought how ever that this conversation might be better just to steer to another track.

“I don’t need mercy bits. I can carry on my own.” Misato claimed, but her face look sullen, as if she was thinking what was about to come.

“You all ready figured out how to explain your big shots how their precious toy got broken?” Ritsuko inquired.

“We take care of our own.” Misato said calmly.

Ritsuko might have let out a gale of laughter if this had been somebody else and not someone who was close to her. Misato’s naïve belief that her army would be THAT different than Ritsuko’s corporation felt to her just simple stupid. “If you look at it from corporation’s point of view, you’re very good for the business: WY is more than a thrilled to make these ships the same pace the army keeps wrecking them.”

“You guys should make these boats to actually last something. “ Misato stated.” “What kind of ship goes out of the game by one shot, anyway?”

“That kind of what is made by human.” Ritsuko countered. “See, this is a reason why admiral’s general mission statement has that part: do not provoke the predator species. We don’t know enough about them.”

“I do.” Misato said grimly.

“Care to say then, how it got away and almost killed you?” Ritsuko spoke in cool tone, trying to restraint herself not to say anything too sharply that it could open old wounds.

Misato could know that she was far from winning this debate. Her face fell blank and suddenly there was only little traces left in her person as a disciplined military woman who had been whole day acted in final frenzy due to the fact that these were her last days as some kind of authority. “How close was it?” she asked now not trying to seem confident.

“I’d say that it would’ve needed only to more and now this ship would be in two pieces.” Ritsuko spoke softer than before. “Not only that ship would’ve been beyond repairing, decompression would’ve killed lot of people.”

“Ah…it felt like it too.” Misato sighed. “Whole ship just crumbled.”

“What I can say about it based on your description…um…I can’t say anything at all actually. Nothing of the weapon itself remains.” Ritsuko was frustrated about this kind of opportunity slipping trough her fingers. “All of it was consumed.”

“It sunk deep all right.” Misato muttered. “Next time it’ll be worse.” Now she seemed admitting for first time that she hadn’t thought her move to the end.

“That’s the reason why command didn’t want fight with them.” Ritsuko said. “They probably even tighten it so far that USCM ships can only return fire.” Up to this long firing at them was allowed f it looked like it was going to attack.

“That SOB almost blew us apart.” Misato said wearied. “They just can’t to hope that we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us-thing works.”

“Wait before the brass finds that you fired it about a half of minute, when it was retreating. Even Buddha’s self control would be on test.” Ritsuko talk back.

“They can’t still babble about neutrality. What the hell they crave for? Declaration of war in six languages?” she sounded like someone who was defeated and grabbed to this fantasy about her enemy going down soon after her, like it would be her last joy in the world. “Now they just have to…”

“…Speak even louder for holding fire. Now that they know what they are up against, they don’t want to take changes trying to last a concentrated invasion by that species.” Ritsuko ended her sentence in unpleasant truth, but it was about time to bring it out to the open.

“I thought were supposed to risk our lives to stop these threats.” Misato said somewhat calmly, but some bravado echoed from her voice if not so strong than before. “Not to sit on our asses and watch the problem get bigger.”

“The difference is when its not is rational to risk your life or other you’re not suppose to do it.” Ritsuko had always been thinking about tomorrow, unlike Misato who lived in strongly in this moment.

“Still thinking that this ship or army could be lead like corporation or project?” Long shot planning wasn’t her strong suits, and that she made about quick thinking under pressure. She didn’t share Ritsuko’s view of getting ready but she thought it time to time.

“Look.” Ritsuko sighed like someone who has big job in their hands. “Let’s not pretend that we know anything about each others job. I’ve done my share of difficult situation, and though some could just gloat the shit what you’ve gotten yourself into, I might be able and willing to help you: so how about it? Would you give my way a change?”

Misato looked at her bit suspiciously but she had gone over her mental images of her telling the same to the tribunal what she had told to anyone here, and she didn’t buy it either. “So go on? What you have in your mind?” she suffocated all sarcastic notes what she had sprouted out minutes before, since she really wanted to hear what Ritsuko could do about this.

“You’ve said about thousand of times that you fired upon when it was dodging. What did it do before it began to dodge?” Ritsuko questioned.

“It was…” Misato mumbled unsure what it would help. “…Coming right at us. It was just a sort of interference what our scanners barely found…”

“So, it was stealth?” Ritsuko pouted her lips while going trough her own suggestion.

“More than that.” Misato said. “It was like them.” Her mind began to draw a picture of figure that seamlessly blended into the darkness, which only barely audible sound gave out. “Had we had some less careful operators we might’ve just miss it. Huyga was always the kind that rather cries wolf than lets it be.”

“You said that you saw its fuselage?” Ritsuko pointed out.

“It had some kind of malfunction. All of a sudden it’s plasma signs began to be detectable, once we had gotten about saying ‘Predator’ in unison, next thing it turned back to what it was.” Misato corrected.

“How close it came to you?” Ritsuko kept asking.

“I guess it was only half of click away when it turned away….what is this going to…”

“Did you detect it to do anything? Like sending out something?” Ritsuko ignored her friend’s question.
“I thought it had scanned us. Afterwards the ships computer told that it picked up some kind radiation what it sent out for about ten seconds. When it came visible it just added little speed and after it started that transmission.” Misato elaborated.

“Right…” Ritsuko fell silent for few seconds. She leaned back to the autopsy table where under the sheet resided the pirate ship captain. Ritsuko’s whole body suit let out a stretching sound when the fabrics met. She began to rub her chin as she stared concentrate to the row of hatches in front of her.

“Take your time.” Misato said after her now short haired and grey coated doctor had silently resided from standing there keeping her eyes to the compartments where other bodies were on final rest.

“I think I got something.” Ritsuko said after she had heard all the facts-what she hadn’t hear Misato gone trough in her self defense speech.

“Like what?” Misato replied.

“That thing about self defense wouldn’t sink to anyone. You practically shot predator to back, so you obviously don’t gather much of support with that.” Ritsuko said.

“I even thought that I’d come clean and tell them honestly why I shot it.” Misato said straightening herself. “At least somebody would know why.”

“They all ready suspect it. There isn’t probably any sir or ma’am left in the command chain who hasn’t heard about you or your past. No need to confirm their suspicions. Besides you seem unstable you present that trauma of yours dictates you this far.” Ritsuko said cool objective.

Misato let it be and nodded to Ritsuko continue-she didn’t saw it that way but she wasn’t going to argue it now.

“Crowd loves sacrifices.” Ritsuko said out of sudden but didn’t go any further, like that would’ve explained itself.

“Shouldn’t I then be greeted by clamoring crowds when I arrive to HQ?” Misato said dryly.

“No, you see you endangered your crew’s lives for in vain.” Misato was about to protest but Ritsuko calmed her. “That’s how they see it. What you need to do is make it look like had to do what you did, and you did for greater good.”

“And that is?” Misato tensed what she had to in her reserve to blow this mess away.

“What if you change your story a bit?” Ritsuko suggested. “You said it scanned you. What if you tell in hearing that you were trying stop it reaching it tribe mates with a complete scan of the ship, just to retain your…your…” Ritsuko fumbled back of her brain for the words.

“Element of surprise.” Misato said feeling little satisfaction that Ritsuko had some places wasn’t so strong.

“That’s it. You say just that you’re trying to do pre-emptive strike or something.” Ritsuko finished.

“But in that range no scanner can make an accurate scan…” Misato objected.

“A-a.” Ritsuko lifted her finger to as pointing to the scruffy purple head. “No human scanners can. We’re talking about highly sophisticated stuff there. Even if predators can’t make that scan…it can’t be proven. Brass don’t know that, and you didn’t know that.” Ritsuko said.

Misato stayed quiet thinking the whole picture once more again.

“You just look like a woman who tried to carry out her duty to the last breath.” Ritsuko sounded like she was scoffing at the upcoming war marshal tribunal, because she was certain from her idea. “You seem like a type A-example to all soldiers world wide. Not to mention you giving out the message that you’ve equally big balls as any men does.”

“Let me think…” Misato muttered and took few steps turning her back to body lockers.

“I know it’s different from you ideas.” Ritsuko said compassionately. “It has sense, what probably is new thing to you. But it’s more likely to work than that bitter war hero crap you see in the movies.”

“You know, that’s the same reason I told to the operators and Shinji before I gave the order, but I never thought it that way.” Misato replied. She saw deflection of Ritsuko from the observation glass twitching and guessed she was holding something real funny (At Ritsuko’s POV) inside her.

‘Surprise.’ Ritsuko suffocated it from her lips since she thought the reason former major hadn’t even thought it as an excuse as she wanted to believe in it. “You don’t need to come up different explanations to different people, just choose one and stick with it.”

“There’s still little thing as witnesses. There were three other in there beside me. After they’re called to hearing they can ruin this little show completely.” Misato said replied glancing to direction of her friend.

“Don’t you soldier have some kind of wall of silence, or something?” Ritsuko wondered.

Misato sighed heavily when another stereotype what Ritsuko seemed to have about her job came. “Wall of silence has been long gone. It’s called mutual loyalty now days.”

“What’s the difference?” Ritsuko wondered.

“That wall thing was based chewing people asses to shreds if they didn’t stay on the line. Nobody ever dared to speak up, if they did their life in the army was made as bitchy as it was possible, or they were discharged in whatever reasons they could get.” Misato snorted. “Mutual loyalty is about respect, seeing trough few…creative stunts and shit.”

“So what’s this about then? Weren’t you everyone’s head turner?” Ritsuko pointed her.

“Aoba might be pissed since it’s kinda of my bad, that Huyga’s right ear rings like death knells. But it’s
Shinji whose about to fuck my career real good.” Misato blinked her eyes remembering what went on this morning.

“Wasn’t he the one who were enchanted by you years back?” Ritsuko brought it up.

“I thought your hair was fucked up, but now it’s your sight and hear also what’s gone wrong.” Misato snarled. “Didn’t you pay any attention what went on today, doctor? I didn’t expect you to keep tabs on Shinji anyway.”

“I did.” Ritsuko admitted, not about how mistaken Misato was on her last remark. “Compared to blood feud what you two have started, you were almost happy when Kaji turned to the scene.”

“He better enjoy it while it lasts.” Misato shrugged. “When did he sing up club O.C?” Misato had a hunch that pony tailed spy might’ve considered moving to corporate espionage, but Kaji was old fashioned. He never much cared of hefty sums, but excitement was his weak spot.

“The day CA fired him.” Ritsuko blurted like it would’ve been a common fact.

“Huh…?!” Misato mumbled her eyes suddenly lit up, as they fought trough her tiredness.
“Yeah.” Ritsuko replied. “Publicity buried him. Galaxy week had really time of its life doing the whole show. They first wanted to do small interview of him to page twenty. Things got complicated and it turned to Galaxy Week’s special issue about cover operations. Obviously his value as an agent weakened due the heavy media bombardment and CA dismissed him. He was on nothing for almost five months when we enlisted him.”

“The job was more important to him than all the changes to get laid in his life time together. How the hell he did fuck up that?” Misato sounded amazed than being malicious.

“It was about fucking.” Ritsuko said seriously. “He didn’t want this to be out on public, but apparently Galaxy Week send a reporter vixen to pump up some information from him.” Tint of amusement veiled from her voice.

“Out here news travel a light year behind the civilization.” Misato hadn’t got the change to check on her Ex’s situation what had been point of interest to her, she hadn’t been on leave for a while and didn’t order any news clips from head quarters.

“They managed to fill ten pages of the magazine so that reporter did really all the days work.” Ritsuko noted.

“Seems like Kaji’s manhood hasn’t got weaker over the years.” Misato looked like she was dreaming again her old good times. And Ritsuko determined that they were good since she seemed more eased and her face seemed to soften as well.

“He was bit broken up before I came and show him the ticket to better life.” Ritsuko noticed this new change on Misato’s demeanor. “I think he had treated his wounds same way you twice your, few bottles of Johnny walker.”

“Are you trying to say Kaji was depressed?” Misato shooed her head looking incredulous. “Kaji would face killer asteroid with ethereal mind, smile on his face and Marlboro between his lips.”

“You said it, but Kaji doesn’t let so petty things as apocalypse bother him. But there he was, sullen and hair sleazy and everything. I think I saw puke on there somewhere.” Ritsuko told.

“You are just shitting me.” Misato said it resolutely one word at the time. “You really have your own way to dispel thoughts from bad shit.”

“Next time I take a picture of man’s fall of the grace. You know I’ve seen him only that rueful just once before…” Ritsuko mouthed ‘you know when’ soundlessly.

“As if.” Misato replied. “Do you have any useful ideas how to avoid that nasty part in court martial were I’m painted as bad leader?”

“Don’t go to court martial.” Ritsuko stated.

“Gee, why I haven’t thought about that?” Misato slapped her forehead in acting theatrical.

“No seriously.” Ritsuko said. “Only thing you can avoid full hearing is not to go there at all, and that I mean that we try not to let this reach it, by a word from a friend on high places could probably be the answer.”

“Look, no matter how much your corporation does money in a year, that still doesn’t mean they could tell them what to do. You can’t just buy stocks and obligation of an army.” Misato calmed having inkling that perhaps Ritsuko was again getting some preliminary symptoms of god complex.

“That’s true.” Ritsuko admitted. “Army is only a branch of government, and since we’re the one who keep the economy running, we sort of finance them. Not to talk about all the toys they get from us.” Ritsuko stomped her foot to floor as remainder. “We get our word to them, and they listen. But they don’t have to take orders from us.”

Misato had to admit that with this logic Corporation truly something to say about it. “Still ordinary pen pusher probably won’t get much of attention.”

“No.” Ritsuko had someone else in mind. “But there is one person on this ship whose word has much of weight as yours. This being representative in monitoring the action here.”

Whatever hope Misato had gotten from Ritsuko’s advice began to vaporize like ash to the wind after Ritsuko had gotten end of her plan. “Oh.” purple major mouthed and she seemed to be hiding something.

Ritsuko gave her a piercing leer. “Misato.” She said over friendly. “You haven’t done something what would really make my work of rescuing being a bitch, have you?” She kept her friendly tone and sharp glare concentrated to Misato.

Misato did her best to give out some kind of smile before her friend inquisitiveness. “I…”

Ritsuko approached her. “You have.” She stated bringing her face almost next to Misato who could just about then to smell her breath-what, like Ritsuko herself, was almost sterilely odorless. “When?”

Ritsuko’s breath had smell of nicotine rising from her mouth, but not other smells of cigarette in it. She was the one who had out of them three smoked the most. Apparently unlike Shinji she couldn’t stop it right away but had to rely on gum or other mean.

Misato felt suddenly too warm when under pressurizing by her doctor friend. It didn’t take long that Misato’s desire to get out of this mess overcame her fear that Ritsuko would scold her. “I did…bark at her just after she removed me from command.”

Ritsuko kept her face stern. “That’s understandable…if yet still stupid.” She kept searching for other marks from Misato’s nervous appearance. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“Yes there is.” Misato said between her tightly pursed lips. She decided to follow basic ‘if you do it quickly it doesn’t hurt–that much.’ “What I didn’t tell her then, I finished this morning.” She said quickly.

Ritsuko’s expression stayed the same. “In the elevator?” She asked and then when her purple major nodded she continued. “I would’ve guessed it soon. How badly it sunk to her?”

“You saw it.” Misato shrugged. “I think it was somewhere between ‘fucked up controlfreak’ and ‘full size latex cunt’ where she began to talk back.”

Ritsuko shooed her head. Apparently subject A still managed to act controlled, but Ritsuko read the situation right it wasn’t far before it would’ve gone from words to acts. She looked her purple haired friend and tried to picture wound and bruises all over from her body. Maybe Misato wouldn’t be even conscious. Shadow went by her face as she thought her friend being mangled like that or even worse.

Misato interpret this as sing of disappointment. “It could be worse…” She muttered “If I’d been sober I might’ve said something what had gotten her really enraged.”

Ritsuko scratched her short cut hair. “When do you stop getting yourself in this shit…”

“So long as there’s a best friend around, to drag me out of firing line.” Misato said cheerily.

“Well I’m not around all the time. Perhaps you get that someday.”

*

“Is it true what they say?”

Yu heard the question what was part of the conversation that had started when they’ve taken board of drop ship. After usual tumbling down trough the planet enron’s atmosphere, what was less rough than they all expected, they had flew in atmosphere about half an hour, and it was steady. All the marines had attached themselves to drop ships wall harnesses as neither this time there wasn’t possibility to drive with APC. Heavy weapons had been secured in large supply crates what were attached between the cargo hold end right opposite to the ramp.

The one who asked was the marine who claimed to be from . In battle gear everyone looked almost the same, including women what where in this group were only one. Lea, also known scavenger-Lea had volunteered when she had heard that probability of finding survivors were null.
She had gotten her name because she was packrat and always looking new bodies to scavenge. From last mission she had ended up almost blowing the cover of her team, since she had taken so much loot with her that wrist watch and other stuff began to make her cling while she moved.

Lea’s biggest worry wasn’t death; it was that she couldn’t take all the stuff what she had looted with her to the soldier’s grave. That’s why other soldiers wanted to keep close to her, to ensure her ‘last will’ can be done. She also refused to be a smart gunner, since its harness even with out the extraordinary gun itself was clumsy.

Honor of would’ve be fallen to Toji, who was the team’s first smart gunner, but sergeant Barnes had assigned that to be Kensuke, who was eager to prove himself after the firefly, where he had throw up seeing mutilated captains remains. Reason to it was practically that Kensuke lacked accuracy but to cover that up he had more than enough enthusiasm, and since the M56 smart gun had IR tracker in it making it supernatural accurate it was weapon created to Kensuke. Only job of soldier besides moving, and taking cover was to pull the firing handle in the back or depressing fire button on forward switch.

The second smart gunner was Hank what had pestered Yu with questions all the way. “Yes, lady boys do look like real women. Some of them actually look better than real women, go figure.” Yu himself thought that actually lady boys were more usual in than but decided not to make it a number.

“I don’t buy that.” Hank said with his broad southern brawl. “You know, I’m sort of expert in it.”

“What? With chicks with dicks?” Came answer next to Yu. Talker was Jim who was assigned to Yu’s buddy, what meant the buddy battle formation where marines worked with pairs. Usual layout was that one soldier had smart gun, another carried pulse rifle. They both had left their rifles to up, since they were assigned to use heavy weapons and cover teams back. Hank’s buddy was scavenger-Lea and Toji’s “lucky shot”-Aida.

“No, with women.” Hank chuckled himself being amused about Jim’s remark. Unusual camaraderie, Yu thought as he hadn’t expected that those two would get along. Every time when Yu heard about USA’s southern states being mentioned, it wasn’t the southern hospitality what came to his mind the first thing.

“From first look, that’s hard to believe.” Scavenger-Lea mentioned from the background, smiling as she was thinking about upcoming looting, but also being cheery from the comeback.

“Once we stop by the Promised Land space station, I’ll show you.” Hank elated. “I’m gonna have so much women around me that you’ll drop your eyes out of their sockets.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz they’re so butt-ugly.” Jim pretended to be sneering.

“Hey girl.” Sergeant spoke to his mic. “Ladies here are getting too comfortable, are you seeing anything what’ll fuck their day real good?”

“Well, ‘boy’…” Hikari’s voice came out from the speaker little sounding bit sassy. “…I flew over the landing pad an’ took some pics. Looks like there’s big, black body in right ahead of my LZ.”

“Somebody iced brother on the pad?” Jim asked as their all mics got the transmission, and they heard.

“No, it’s bugs corpse, but its way too big….” Hikari said wondering herself. “….some poor bastard has died next to the door, though.”

“But nothing living?” Barnes asked.

“Not as far as this ships sensor say. Nothing is on the rocks or anywhere else.” Hikari answered.

“Take this bird to the ground, and let’s check it out.” Barnes ordered.

Hikari had experience of flying with big ships, not as exactly like UD-4 Cheyenne, but close.
This dropship was model H, and unlike corporate dropships what were model C, it was much efficient with upgraded avionics and cargo space. Though it’s steering was still difficult Hikari noticed than it was surprisingly easily to get to fit landing pad.

Marines begun to unhook themselves from wall harnesses, and assemble their gear. The heavy weapons crates included it all: all from anti-armor rockets to new miniguns. To himself Yu had chosen grenade launcher, while Jim had taken to his own a Weyland-Yutani’s “sniper” rifle.

With calliper of 24 millimetres, or 95 tenth of inch it hardly was meant for sniping infantry. In comparison the old .50 anti-vehicle rifles seemed small. Guns machinery was odd in comparison to marines infantry’s weapons: like them it used electronic pulse action to fire, but caseless cartridges were fed in to the chamber trough revolving cylinder. There was no traditional scope either but a big electronic binocular like system beside the cheek rest

All though some marines usually didn’t trust to equipment made by WY, this heavy weapon had made it’s own fans to marines, and was a first step to break prejudices between them. Marine’s code of duty
deviated much of WY’s basics but marines had to admit that anyone who makes guns what have that big balls can’t be entirely evil.

“What does it look like?” Barnes asked while watching Kensuke and Hank attaching M56 smart guns to their harnesses.

“I only speak this by my behalf but I think the bug’s dead.” Hikari replied. “Its arm and head are gone, so I don’t think it rises from there. But you guys are the professionals, so I leave it to you. Sensors don’t show any movement.”

“Right. Open the ramp lets get this show on the road. Everybody knows what to do.” Barnes took his own pulse rifle and his backpack from next to the heavy weapons.

The plan, what lieutenant had briefed before the landing, was simple. Because the outpost was relatively small, there was only need for one group. It had turned from search and rescue to seek and destroy since so much time had passed before they had gotten here. Two confirmed hostiles, species internevicus raptus or bugs. First team would enter the outpost and search it setting sentry guns to secured areas. If odds would get worse the team would retreat to landing pad and threat would be eliminated there with heavy weapons.

It was ideal odds, since the base had only one exit. If there was bug inside, it could only approach from one way. This of course meant that Marines had only one way also where to get out. That was where the sentry guns came in.

With them securing their flank they could either retreat safely or then drive the creature inside to outside being killed by dropship gatling, and Yu’s and Jim’s heavy weapons. Either way the bug would be dead sooner or later. Originally it was that Barnes and the lieutenant would be the ones installing sentry guns, but lieutenant Ikari had some kind of differences with the commanding officer, and that Major Katsuragi had pulled something off and managed to keep Ikari out of this mission. Yu thought that he had rather been hearing Ikari being a coward, than there was bad blood between officers in charge: grudges would eventually to be everyone’s loss.

They all had secured their weapons when dropship cargo ramp opened. They hadn’t yet fully gotten the fact that there was a dead alien waiting for them, as most of them were checking their equipment. All of them pointed their guns forward to the sight what was before them.

It was black carcass like those what had been shown to them in pictures, but it was big…too big to be ordinary bug. Its hind legs were massive and tubes on its back had been turned in to spikes. In middle of the four spikes there was hole, like something had gone trough it.

As big and strong its hind legs were, it arms had been fearsome. Instead of having lean arms like its smaller cousins, its arms were burly: strong muscles in the remaining arm and hand that ended in four claws were big enough so that could’ve cover grown mans head.

Marines didn’t know what had killed it, all they saw was half melt corpse of giant alien and red blood. They didn’t stop asking questions like where the one who had bled all the blood was, they were just feeling lucky that it wasn’t one of them.

“Christ fuck…” Barnes hissed and fidget trough his pocket for cigar. When he found one he bit it’s head off and spit it to ramp. When he lighted it he noticed that others were still pointing their guns to the black mutilated corpse. “At ease, ladies.” Barnes commanded and took good breath from his cigar. “It’s dead motherfucker now.”

Platoon members did as told and Barnes stared at the corpse and the passage way. He noticed that there was blood drops all the way beginning from the corpse to the outpost door and out of there to the landing pad. He took a look of the surroundings. Solarus orbital camera had shown him the basics of the area. It was smooth rock what rise about 1600 feet from ground. Even the most experienced climber couldn’t have escape from solarus’s camera or dropship sensors. Rocks grew from bottom of woods, probably a valley what was thick with trees and underbrush. If the Praetorian had escaped it was now in the woods, or further away, and impossible to track.

If the door to the installation would’ve been open, there was no doubt that the Praetorian had escaped to surface, but it was closed so most likely the beast was hiding inside, or trapped to there.

“One down, one to go…” Yu muttered to himself.

“Somebody just made our job 50% easier.” Hank elated lowering his smart gun. “Atta boy!”

“Hikari.” Barnes spoke to his microphone. “Relay this to upstairs. One lion has been iced, another one is probably inside.” Barnes heard Hikari to gasp when she got trough the word lion. Now Hikari understood why Rei would’ve wanted to keep her and Toji out of this. “And tell the rep that she doesn’t yet burry all the hopes of survivors. At least the one who iced this fucker has lived long enough to get inside and out of there, well check logs inside, and see has anyone been here before us. I’ll make few changes to the game plan, but we’ll carry on.” They just now had to go inside, there wasn’t really a choice to back down.

Barnes walked all the way down to the ramp and turned to his platoon looking serious. “Aw right listen up. Hank here said our thing is half done, but I say our job turned to bitchy. These bastards are lot stronger than those little ones you were scared back in the misery, or where you’re were for basic training. Smart guns and pulse rifles don’t go trough this guy’s skin, you’re just tickling it. Jim and Yu are the ones who can ice it, we can just hope that when it sees us It’ll laugh itself to death when it sees our little pop guns. Aida, Hank, put you smart guns fuse to delay. That might sting it for a bit.”

“Roger.” Hank replied. He and Kensuke changed their ammunitions fuse to delay from the forward firing switch. Smart guns bullets could be fused while loaded: when set to ‘Super’ what made the shell to explode when it hit to target, or then to ‘Delay’ which made the shell exploding after it had penetrated the targets armor. This worked perfectly to man made armors, but it hadn’t yet used on aliens.

“Scavenger and Suzahara, keep your rifles grenade launchers ready. If you don’t shoot any closer than 10 meters away, we all might make it. If and when the bastard comes to at us in the corridors, we’ll fall back to here so that Yu and Jim can give at a new asshole.” He bit his cigar and pointed to Yu who held his grenade launcher firmly next to him. “You just make sure that we are out of the way before you began to shoot around. And tell the pilot when she gets off the phone that she better keep her tiny hand around the joystick when that SOB comes out to play. We might need the gatling gun. And don’t take rocket launchers or PIG from boxes. We want to kill that critter, not to blow this whole mountain to hell, at least when we are on it.”

“Sure thing, sarge.” Jim acknowledged.

Yu also know the risks, and if rocket launcher would make the pad fall down, but something M-78 PIG could very well to make whole installation to cave in.

Yu took a look of each one of them before they moved out to inside, the team what he now reluctantly called in his mind the bait team. ‘Lucky shot’ Aida had in his namesake printed his whole armor full of bullet holes so that it seemed he had been shot to bits. Toji’s armor had new print on his armor, flaming basket ball under it a text ‘big balls of fire’ and arrow pointing to crotch. Hank had his usual faded revolver waving topple woman on his, and last the scavenger-Lea had printed detailed picture to her armor of open grave where figure was rising carrying a back on his shoulder. Barnes fist size picture of heart on left side of his chest with a crosshair drawn over it and a text saying “Aim here.”

The team what advanced the walkway briskly and grouped with stopped when they reached the door what was closed. Yu saw that kensuke was saying something to his buddy Toji, who took out something out of Aida’s belt. Next Toji turned to doors panel and began to do something. After door opened it was clear that Toji had run a bypass behalf of Kensuke who was now operating the smart gun. They vanished to black door way and door closed only half way up, leaving a meter sized breach were somebody could’ve crouched in…or out.

Minutes went by and nothing seemed to happen. To lighten up he tried to initiate a conversation, knowing that there was no possibility of anyone getting trough the door with out them knowing about it. “Did you see how lucky shot looked the PIG while we geared up?”

“I did” Jim replied. “Pretty spooky, huh?”

“He was lookin’ and touchin’ it like it would’ve been his girl.” Yu shrugged “Some of us have cheap funs.”

“Don’t know if tendering thirty pounds of hand held anti-tank cannon is that cheap, but he got that idea about loving your gun right.” Jim answered. “Damn I hate that movie.”

“You mean FMJ?” Yu had thought how long it would take “the classic” to march out of the woods.

“It’s just that you hear about it everywhere. Don’t know about you, but I’ve heard enough of that ‘nigger behind the trigger’ line. It’s not that I personally give a shit, but people should put little more effort being different, even if we are trained not to, y’know.” Jim glance the door what still seemed to be where it was last time.

Second what Yu had thought for a long time, was the drop ships insignia what presented a 1950’s pin up girl leaning to old six barrelled minigun with letter combination PPBA under it. He hadn’t heard yet what it meant.

“That’s probably short for ‘Penetration Power for Bitches of Anykind.’ It’s too long and not really something what you remember, but I didn’t paint that on it, it was from those guys over Linna 436. They’ve never been blessed with much of imagination but they did lot of weapons drop to hot LZ’s. That PPBA is ref for their cargo; you know what I’m saying?”

Yu nodded. He himself had seen much more striking insignia in dropships, his own favorite was ‘Ricki’s Raiders' with the line "plowshares into swords" and cavalry soldier with unsheathed sword in line riding a dropship.

They both had turned away from the door when it suddenly squeaked. Less than half of a second they both had turned to their weapons ready and their bodies every muscle tensed. They waited more and with their eyes narrowed looking their eyes lines of black figure but nothing ever came.

Jim said in sing language to Yu to keep guard. Yu nodded and Jim put his 24mm sniper rifle away and run towards cargo hold of dropship while Yu kept his grenade launcher pointed to door hole. Jim came back carrying a box with a pointy end. He kept it pointed to door hold and Yu could hear the clicks what motion detector let out. They carried this on for a minute with out hearing high beeping sound what had given out by a moving target.

“Nothing.” Jim said and lowered the motion detector to pad floor.

“What you grunts are up to?” Hikari’s voice cracked trough comlink.

“That fucking door just gave us a good scare.” Yu said shrugging. “No movement, though.”

“Silent as grave. I put my money to that the fucker has gotten off the rocks down to the forest.” Jim said.

“Me too.” Hikari said hopefully. She had gotten shaky after she had thought Toji’s and her last conversation, what ended so badly. She thought that he better come out there alive. She wouldn’t bare if those would be their last words.

Perhaps Jim had thought had gotten the hang of it, as he tried to steer conversation to somewhere else.
“Say, you’re pretty good flying drop ship- I hardly felt a thing when we came down.” Jim struck his eye to Yu to get on this conversation.

“Few you kind of pilot in the force, and we all might have kept our ass virginity. “ Yu said completely inherently. “You just need to clang dropship to every turn it’s possible and turn it to repair condition about twice a week, and you’re one of us.”

Hikari smiled and let Toji to be for a moment and turn her attention to her new friends. “Well, I had once this dream about flying and stuff…but it was another life. I even thought about joining your guys support crew…but that never happened.”

“Why? You’d been hell of a pilot even if you’d chosen support your place and not operative arm.” Surprisingly lot of marines were support forces. 58 % of all marines in the old days were in operative forces and though some things had changed since the old days, Yu thought that non fighting part of marines was still around 40%.

Hikari fell silent for second. “Well…there was this thing…happened six years ago….”

“You heard that?” Hikari didn’t get any further when Jim interrupted her. “Sounds like rocks rolling of the hill.” Jim had put up two of his fingers showing everyone to shut up and listen.

After that remark motion detector let out a high beep. Again in less than half of second both men turned towards the door, aiming at it as tensed as before yet not as sharp as minutes ago as they both had a feeling what was the cause this time.

Hikari jumped on her pilot seat and placed her finger around the firing switch in drop ships joystick, holding her breath. “What was it?” She whispered keeping her eyes on the door front of them.

Door what they three aimed at twitched for a little and came few inches down. Motion detector what had put down to point at the door let out beep when it picked signal from the door.

“It’s just that goddamn door.” Jim said dulled and lowered 95. sniper rifle. “Does the action ever start?” he snorted.

Just behind of them the answer was waiting.

Out of the blue, behind the guards and dropship, two big, vigorous looking hands struck their claws to the metallic landing pads edge. Silently broad, slimy, eyeless pitch black head reached to peek from edge of the landing pad it’s teeth divulged. Deceivingly silent it began to gather it strength to last exertion what would bring its huge body to behind the temporarily unsuspecting marines, where it could start it’s slaughtering in impunity.

Later on when years had passed from this incident, drill officers used it a warning example. Thousands of rookies even so far as shores of misery (Marine’s remotest garrison station orbiting myssa 340) would hear about operation what had ended up to tens of casualties.

Praetorian had managed to surprise them, and it had happened by deceivingly ease.

*

An: Another chapter wrapped up. Oh, yeah I didn’t mention that we supposed to expand this to stage of fan art.

I’ve been longing for a little visualization, fan art for this. A friend of a friend tried to hook drawer up in deviant-art, but as you can see from the review counts, majority won’t give a rat’s ass about this.

We had a promising manga drawer in reserve who practices han mon doo martial art. I figured that she would know how to picture Asuka as a hunter, with out making her look like one of those DDR “women” Olympic team members. Otherwise talented fan artist how ever proved to be in front of a real challenge when it came making Asuka older, more seasoned and have dexterity with new looks, including Rasta-hair and mechanic devices.

No need to say that the challenge was too much for her. It would make insanely talented for someone drawer to do fan art about Headhunter. Most of fan artists don’t draw their own characters, and if this was to be complete success it would take two drawers: one who can draw normal style, non-manga and mechanic devices; guns and such and one who can draw manga detailed enough to make tribal insignia and scars. Then these two persons should make together one drawing, where two different drawing techniques would combine to one.

Ain’t that megalomanic, eh? And damn impossible. Still it would’ve been fun to see Alien and Asuka pitted each other with a text “The bitch is back!” and small arrow pointing either of them.

Thanks for reading, and please forgive me for despising my readers with out caring about their wishes, and I’m apologizing that whining about the reviews, like one or two of them would grow my member for an inch. Not that I really am THAT sorry, I probably do it soon again.

I got to do something to my honesty. It fucks up my changes to get reviews AND readers.


Knight 2's addition: Well, here it is, and seems that K1 got something out of that Colonial Marines Technical Manual I provided to him...

It has taken a while, but things are gathering up the speed now. Hope you people will enjoy the story. And please... if you read, review also.

We try to fix stuff like spelling, but it's not that easy as we ain't speaking english as primary language.


Next chapter's the name says it all: Chapter 10 - “Fuck, it’s just an animal!!”