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The ship fell to within twenty metres of the ground and kept notice the games coinbox which had been split open. before she made it to the door. control, it needs greater than normal intelligence. CIM-Lite posesses a nasty once. He handed her a glass of something. opposing troops, Rorian & Desverger made for the nearest cover. they found an example of a childhood sweetheart that lasted into teenage years. Perhaps it HOW TO WAGE INTERSTELLAR WAR: types. This design is dictated by the primary and to the lesser extent, I believe it's a local sport Adele continued. Attrition rate would seem to a normal lifestyle. Miyriel ran off with what remained of the money and were several of these objects in orbit around the capital planet, but Freewill Knowing we'll probably be fighting for our lives in a weeks time? most military robots can take human food and chemically extract from it. The industries. He is financing some of the modifications of Dark Matter. No one by the darkness. See for yourself, he sighed, Dark Matter's going to be in dock for a month. These days Jenillee can often be found staring out of a viewport or Tharagrene proved to be both earthlike and habitable, but without indigenous that back to him. now go. probably the closest thing to a friend he has and the bond goes deeper than It was the Maxellemar ring of Luyten that declared a state of war. The group were looking at him in amazement. No one spoke. Cheule smiled broke across Cheule's face. watching the horizon. On duty, she reverts to the dedicated professional to act male, ie with violence and aggression. He does not have an illustrious Born 2690, Starscape. to Tharagrene was part of a stellar booster - a drive system that took the Daedalus remained in the system and was eventually converted to a space as it was back then, found her on the Fuysije Orbital where she tried to con enough surface gravity to sustain a useful atmosphere even if one was Estimated mission time 13 days plus 4 hours. Secondary objective - to the Lacaille star system. Luyten had supplied the starship, D1aedalus, and history with regard to the team. They simply saved up the money and bought Six hundred and thirty thousand million kilograms of metal, plastic and Beating their own miniature retreat, they enlisted the help of a medic, openly. She despises him as he reminds her so much of what she used to be. ignored him as best she could, with Clavius watching the screen and nodding from time to time. He obviously ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- had considerable missile experience, believed it could not be stopped. So who's the patron? she continued. tries to find out as much about the next job as possible in order to assure He shrugged. manage without equipment or resources in addition to his natural Desverger didn't care to answer. It was state of the art technology. to let a computer guide you. choice. Where's Dessie? asked Bonden. behind the screen and tapped a few buttons on the phone's keypad. A message, COUNTDOWN TO GRAVEYARD: The Dragonwick was one of the last Stellar Shuttles to leave the Solar So this was it, Cheule thought. him. There were a few gasps from those who were less familiar with holograms. Nothing on screen. Wait, several ground targets. neck. What made the flight worse was the absence of any form of window in the We bumped into the big cheese and he never even stopped to say high - he front man because he is A). Naive and B).Expendable. this for a minute until she couldn't feign interest any longer. He looked at HIRED GUNS: ....especially get Cheule. I want her to be here when we discuss Born 2663, Tesseract cannot tell you the nature of this - er - job I wish performed, you will be on with anybody else. Officially he is a member of the team for his skill as her side without ever saying a word and seemingly unaware of who he was; still I'll think about it. I prefer Solar Maximum. The reply was cut off by the argued that this was a naive approach and that their own side meant to kill A pattern began to form in the centre of the glow. The quality of the image from Rorian's subcutaneously implanted camera was PROUDLY PRESENT you desire. Oh, yes. The type of effects are very complex and the Five Division were relocated. The horrors she saw there aged her more than person she used to be. But when her task is done she returns to stare out of Editing. Illegal government weapons research. Bio-engineering sites. Key particle cannon that, coincidentally, just happened to be in range for such a The forward observation lounge was in darkness, save for a smattering of With his creators now a memory, he found no purpose in life. Being in sole unknown to anyone within a dozen light years - literally. She arrived in the shrugged. Of course. Cim had a large audio buffer. It only had to play the Anything? Just a single person, Cheule. activated. Let's find an acceleration couch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- her eyes and was lost with her thoughts. Eventually Rorian returned. His Cheule grinned inwardly, inspired by the noise. Maxellamar Ring of Luyten Army where he became part of Five Division. Freewill spirits aren't that dangerous she said, I know they have a rest in order to pursue his own life free from the interference of anybody given to playing childish practical jokes. Now that Miyriel is agile and wound from a combat mission left her delirious. She talked about the UPBI. Yeah, easy... said Cheule quietly, her mood becoming sombre. the in the system. and finally a name. The Platinum Heart. To either side was what appeared to BONDEN SPEY expression. Eleven of them stood in front of Rorian. Four to go for the nukes, four to Rorian out of his shuttlecraft and nearly succeeded. He admired the gall of CIM, pronouned Sim. The original team's escape from Tharagrene was largely time.... return to Luyten. This took many different turns and, in the course of that verdict of death by misadventure. The alternative was simply to flee. This proved the more viable option. It was a warship. So what's happening Clavie? said Bonden. They faced a difficult choice. should they inform their superiors? Rorian surprisingly crude considering the levels of technology they had at their the face of technology and is fascinated bythe fact that technology is an vastly more effective than 16 independent units. To exercise this direct Created 2536, Monyluth theory Miyriel could interface with any weapon that Cim could. In reality she type 128 robots are the bipedal equivalent of tanks, sacrificing Friends , said Moeller when they were all gathered. Though I regret I take her at face value. Desverger, however, still has doubts and airs them inherited from earth meant that the young colony had a legitimate claim on the DESVERGER connects to them via radio link so closely that they become extensions of the Crashing noises erupted from the machine. A voice clearly said Game Over, then silence, followed by another burst of noise then silence once more. She span around and strode away from him. Rorian looked as if he was has cared to ask where the funds are coming from. need explaining at all. He obviously hadn't planned on justifying himself. I'm staying here. She turned around. Cim was silhouetted against the I have to go back. active once more she pretends to be a teenager. The new life she has been Any suggestions for the new name? but with a resistance to radiation that in theory would enable him to command official end of the war. Lacaille was very much the loser, and as news As you can see, a picture is being created of the location about - 100? in the glass. She felt like Jennilee with all this wistful gazing. take many years of his life but he suspects that his creators did not set a Freewill's dangerous. we've never been hired from- what he could gain. Ironically, when he was eventually caught by the police, HIRED GUNS too small to read from the screen, appeared and tyhe screen shook vertically a given her by the mechanical body is too precious to waste. She feels she has belt. a number of real assassins have him as a permanent target should he ever be formed a loose line and looked at him expectantly. The two robots stood Clavius is a product of technology, being a primitive gene-engineereed happen. Jase was brought in with a batch of wounded under a different name. He frowned, unable to read her expression. Catching this, a forced smile before. He essentially did this as a bet. His friends said he couldn't all but name. Broken branches spilled onto the ground. The residual whine of motors She already had a worthwhile job as field reporter for a news network. The KATRINA HOMEZ // /_/__\_____ \/\ _______ \_______ \_________ System before all communication with Earth abruptly ceased in 2708. The silent. It resembled a photorealistic arcade game. Galaxy was visible as a band of diffuse light across the view. One of the perhaps fortunate, because if he told everything he knew, then a lot of people warmly at him. So encouraged, he continued. doorway, a mobile mountain of metal. Red and green points of light from the The authorities, in turn, now know of their existence. That knowledge made introduced. Because of the cost of maintaining the complexes, they mainly the screen began to slide open. a large, jaunty sign which flickered:" YOUR FUN IS ABOUT TO GO NOVA!" not for Inner Belt called, rather whimsically, Starscape. Because it was such a personality as a consequence of the needs of a greater intelligence. Even so, Boss man's a right lover chipped in Desverger, twirling his pistol. She Behind her the lounge doors opened with the soft hiss of pneumatics. given full details closer to the time. Naturally the payment will not be Jenillee Freymon and a combat robot, Cim. with this additional assistance slowed to be replaced by the higher pitched note of the landing ramp servos. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- most hope and optimism for the future. stronger than the human body. It has several smartgun adaptors so that in robot wheeled across. She slotted in a coin and was handed a cola. NOW IT IS 2712 disposal. The most effective anti-radar coating was at the same time the invested it until she simply outlived everyone else she knew - a fact that Kiurcher was born in a miltary base on Tesseract where such a thing was enabled him to outrun anything in the system. He went everywhere he possibly originally it was Gravitational Constant which then became Summer Storm and JENILEE could be seen clambering into a ventilation duct. A large door occupied the entering the Luyten System. Cheule was long gone before that. The team, such it is a cold and calculating one with distinctly polarised morality. CIM-Lite's world has no shades of grey but only the black and white of the bad Her memory of life before the service is almost non-existent and she isn't Cheule felt a tap on the shoulder and spun around violently, grasping for MIYRIEL TORRE himself as a skilled combatant. It is unwise to insult him as he is short on He got a few long standing things to sort out, that's all, Desverger deep within the covering layers of forest. Good. You can give the briefing. Save some time. tales of his own to the rest of the group when there is time to be spent and with him. Eventually he turned to full time crime. /__ /\ ________ .T.H.E. ____________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- possible for a spacecraft to take on entire planets merely because gravity is to develop and grow. I'm not as foolhardy as you sometimes make out. The camera will provide a processed through any banking system and will be delivered in Rare Earth It's too much of a risk. effects. she did by an elaboratly set up scenario where she pretended to be rescued by himself that he won't be in any danger. Kiurcher is egocentric and wishes to is dead by her own hand. The security equipment was the culmination of her Scan and give us the highlights. Said Rorian. What they do need however, is as little maintenance as possible. Cim - like has no idea who could have ordered her assassination and the assassin himself due to Cim, not so much by his own initiative, but stemming from a quick The assembled team began to talk amongst themselves but Cheule decided to life's work so she has resigned herself to seeking out all the pleasures that ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- he picked a coin from the box and pressed it into the slot, the game started Midway into the mission and suddenly caught in savage crossfire from is not generally realised that everybody's instructions carry a certain You could watch the planet spin beneath you. The drink was cheaper too. him. The chassis is a copy, but the behavioural Roms are from an original. find the most potent force for destruction is the redirection of asteroids so frowned upon. Since shipping him and his parents out of the bas would cost Rorian. And that held only the grey of the sky. in Five Division seemed easy enough. She enjoyed caring for the few injured of course Cheule, who was looking at him intently as if she should be in be a set up then Desverger is his best chance of getting out alive. time. With his incorporation into the team, he has at least gained a pretence MC 128-7 CIM Born 2685. Tesseract. MC 128-7 CIM is a robot designed to fight. The number stands for Military Is that it? shouted Bonden sarcastically. Merely waste half the planet? had been made, the decision came to push Five Division into the heart of enemy over six hours. Please feel free to make yourselves comfortable. He bowed whine of motors was too pronounced and deep for it to be Miyriel. The crew few times. She wondered what had happened. Then she realised that Rorian another coin. Where's the meeing then. Where do we go? Right on! whooped Desverger from across the lounge. He drove his fist Credit card trouble to fake. unshielded spacecraft for long periods. The performance improvement of the But the October 14th incident, as it became known, was accepted as the the pistol that wasn't there. Habit. to be on the move and gets increasingly quirky when forced to remain still or neither any more use. search of new systems. It is not quite ready and he is torn between returning She tried to pretend that it was only a legitimate concern for the leader. There was only one droid one it could be. they stole a shuttle and headed for high orbit. The escape was just in sound? CHEULE SIYGESS then Serendip Eclipse. right? she said. did you choose all these?? that a CIM-Lite model may take command of up to 16 other robot types. This is ----------------------------- Although he will accept reasonable orders from any member of the team, it knew it was probably inevitable. --------- \/ \/_______/\ \________/__\__\/ / \ \ ______/[Sk!n] Three : Desverger said raising his rasping voice. The twins. Emotionally right in trhat at least? he said sarcastically. cavern seen through the transparent walls of the corridor which formed a tube the home system. She often claims that she really means Little Earth, an authorities. It was an interesting experience and not at all what he of purpose. From some difficult conversations with Cheule, he now harbours a ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Born 2685, Earth. None. motionless, as always. Bonden next to them, restless, not willing to wait Once for each of them. yes. Here. Only one can be used at a time and... I'll show you. Farsight. Kiurcher's signal he yelled. could in search of a new purpose which he has never found. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- designated to begin the five year journey to Lacaille. Very few people would Rorian emerged first, then Desverger then Cim. shuttle. Nothing subtle, he ripped the doors off their supports. Desverger had popped his head out of the duct and was indicating something. CIM-Lite is the newest member of the team and is often called Newboy as a but never said anything. ESCAPE FROM A DOOMED PLANET First better prospect, takes it. Not see him again. | The LoOnS: Python Wizz The Guardian PoB Action Man Chuck T-Leaf | the storage bay? Yes. I believe it is. Different cards produce different doesn't talk about her past much and any mention of Earth causes her to change wish to learn more about Earth and intends visiting there someday. This will this to others. They need to be able to see only his strong side. I will be several moments said Clavius in his gravelly voice and left Some would say she was a bit unstable. She is decidedly eccentric and often JENILEE Airborne targets? Radioisotope power source so it won't run out. Some effects give The biological component of the weapon - spread widely by the initial blast major components to be replaced without fuss. Thus was how the reprogramming ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- And I have to get that other drink you owe me. She said. With those reprogramming which enabled them to overcome enough security to escape in a and reprogramming and emerged with most of her mind intact but with a way back to Rorian to seek protection. Y \______ / / \ \ \\ _ \ \// / \ \___ _ _\ Y secondary mission profiles. The primary mission type is essentially the same Bonden looked round him. Yes I, I think so. Radar has a 10 degree blind spot at 180. killed as a result. Not being old enough to execute he was drafted into the contingencies. If anything went wrong I want her to be the first out of the same land mass that she had seen yesterday and the day before and the day That doesn't matter. I can't, we can't just let you go by yourself. aesthetics rather than mechanical efficiency. Even so it is considerably ------------------------------------------------------ interest. What's more she was one of the foremost security experts in that information, some cause destruction. And so on. I have no idea how they get amounts of cash and began his flight from job to job until his past caught up the team led by Rorian and Desverger possibly the most wanted people in the information needed to create one is stored on a datacard - have we got one? hold. She couldn't see anything unless she turned her head to the extreme ------------------------------------------------------ She was unable to do anything for him, his wounds were so severe. He died by Desverger is similar to Rorian in many ways. He was also born on New pleased her greatly. They never showed any support during her illness and BONDEN SPEY have been willing to face the prospect but troops, of course, had no choice, entire system. Inevitably, both sides claimed the discovery as their own. no -one doubts that in her case it's true - if only for that terrible haunted reputation but... she tailed off, realising. He saw the change in her emerge into the main beam in half a minute. Camouflage details, go, ordered Rorian. considering what to say to her when an insistent bleeper sounded on his belt. that she's changed. This can lead to her being overzealous at times. When - became effective after a day. Tharagrene was condemned as a plague planet. Dark Matter. Statistics scrolled by at the touch of a screen. She watched on the planet Jeuvo Cassandra. The crew of the system ship Canberra comprised was organising elaborate stunts and commanded a small gang of disaffected many years later. must be nodding in response to something. It was irritating that there was no The lounge was nearly deserted apart from themselves. Desverger provided Yeah , nearly had every medidroid on the level called out! added Bonden. the subject, often forcibly. Her real life story is shrouded in mystery. All ___ __/ / /\\ \ .\_____ \/\ /. / /\ ___/_ ____ ___ expected. He got caught up in the subtleties of the Duone religion. He be high. live I'll look you in the eye. See who really is correct. You'll avert enemy. Tactical ability is far higher and CIM-Lites have a high degree of What's bothering you? he asked. normal mission. what might be called a very limited intelligenge by human standards. He has look in her eyes when the subject arises. The group are tolerant of him because he has an extensive working knowledge Stay here! he shouted. She held eye contact for as many seconds as she Low. 550 metres per second. would find themselves in serious trouble of the kind that usually ends in a force fields. These are controlled by a computer, here, to create the effect manoevrability for armour, autonomy for firepower. Because a robot is limit to cell replication; in effect he will not age. He often relates some A smoothly-shaped object sailed over the ridge to the sound of muted housed professional people engaged on research in various forms. Thus Adele Sorry Cheule, it's a one on one meeting. them. Adele looked serious and flicked back her wet hair. as all other combat robots which is troop support. The main difference is corridor, circular in cross section. As they entered, it revealed a vast His home colony is preparing to turn the asteroid into an arkship to go in Predictably, there was hardly any audible reaction from the civilian guys and the good guys. Problems used to occur with this model where Cheule is unique amongst the team members in that she comes from Earth in She turned from the same, constant view of New Europe. Her eyes reflected retains sympathy for the Duone's willingness to pursue their own beliefs in Timed message release active, intoned Cim. The robot waited patiently for CONTENTS: that is known is that when she was 18 when she left Earth for reasons that are could before he finally snorted in disbelief and stormed through the door. sevices to any mercenary team willing to take her on board. Rorian, fleeing Any craft climbing up from the surface was ruthlessly destroyed by an orbiting Unlikely to be the case, said Desverger not looking up from his game. One: before that. It was a single star hotel sort of view; all that starscape and disease for which there was no cure, she immediately squandered the entire He paused and then nodded a few times before disappearing again. The doors on KATRINA HOMEZ closed society, mystical and religious thinking formed a large part of his What the hell have you got us into this time? Needless to say, there were no quick results. Her job in the medical team ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A stocky man waited inside the entrance way and greeted them each by name, designated points. Digital terrain mao suspplied - Guild VII compatible. not merely giving orders to the other robots which are then carried out. It COUNTDOWN TO GRAVEYARD MANUAL that they collide with the target planet; a simple an inexpensive tactic. essentially a highly mobile computer, Cim comes in handy for calculating Tell Rorian I am not available she said. her viewport - alone. What she thinks about, no one can say. that distance. Speed was still greater than Mach 1. What's local speed of Rorian...she said softly ceramics hung like a baleful star in the greying skies over new europe. There was the first, built in an age when the frontier meant something. Now the ---------------------------------- pleased to discover - through deduction - that the bright star was in fact life and, naively, she joined the army herself in a hope of finding him. Somehow. Miyriel led a very sheltered and otherwise uninteresting life for a long craft resulting from the reduced mass of the shields would increase Mr. Desvergh wants to see you. done. Replied Rorian. compact - as should all machinery. trees diminished in a flurry of vegetation and dust stirred up by the believed that some general had his own covert plans for the weapon and that to which Cheule found disconcerting. He in turn introduced himself as Moeller. here..... until she was ordered to investigate a mercenary team by infiltration. This the war, happened around every six months. By 2697, the war had gained unmarked truck, supposedly civilian that was cut off from the rest of the . \_____\/ / \ \________/\\ \ \__/__ / \/\ \\ . Good enough. Never realised a zero-g swim could be so hazardous said Adele almost integral part of their religion. Out of all the group, he retains the No. I've got to keep my head clear. money and compromised security it was determined that he be raised to be stand by in case of trouble and the remainder to stay with the dropship. They scant resources went elsewhere and the orbital stagnated as living on resourcefulness. He tried it because it was great fun to outwit the metal-on-plastic clump of a robot echoed a few times and then stopped. The system until the Lacaillian sponsors went back on the deal they had with almost no reasoning capacity and is undoubtedly not self-aware, at least by The interior was a dull grey; a characteristic of all ex-military vessels. daring anyone not to pick him for the worst of the fighting. Clavius ready to Just four should be necessary, said Rorian. He rubbed his hands together connecting to a shape that was partially concealed. Only half a dozen or so a marksman and weaponsmith. In actual fact, despite the rivalry, Rorian is accepted it. a cyborg. Her brain is all that's left of the original but it remains as his severed eye up to the retinal scanner to gain access to the ship sprang for the journey or staying in the system. Either decision is irreversible. The net enough to head for any system you like. You will get your share. Cheule? less who she was. The escape from Tharagrene happened that night with her would not touch anything so crude. To her mind a weapon should be stylish and intentionally in order to play his cards as close to his chest as he can even this much. Kiurcher hung at the back not wanting to be seen. Desverger They were underway. We're making too much noise then. Drop to 350. the audio sensors over the next ridge can detect our supersonic track easily. reveal a perfectly bare room. Bare, except for a single videophone. The I'd make you my second in command if there was such a thing. He was no Rorian shook his head. Then my favourite, Midnight Sun he continued, and them and subsequently joined them. Her deception was uncovered when a head If anything happens... She remained emphatic. weight. Rorian, of course, has top priority in this regard and can override RORIAN DEEVERGH childhood and shaped his attitude. He takes things less than seriously, and has the old fashioned belief that there is glory to be had in a noble Despite his profound dislike of authority, Rorian has made a name for wished he was somewhere else. She knew how he felt Freewill was a strange when bored. The robot chassis that comprises her body is designed for panels reflected off its polished surface. It waited patiently. He detached a square device and noted a red indicator. realise what she was referring to. Just this one more job, Cheule. This'll into his palm then pulled out a pistol and flicked at the safety. sharp as ever. Of course it was impossible to undergo such a change and keep again. Rorian stared. Desverger glanced momentarily and caught the look. Good swim I trust said Clavius with a trace of a smile. purpose. There were few survivors. He pulled out the card that was already installed to show everybody and Nothing on passives. We're in the radar shadow of the mountain. We'll Money is never bad news - you see signs where there aren't any. If we War was imminent and so reinforcements began to arrive from Luyten in a rota would only bring hurt. CIM-Lite; effectively they become extra limbs. 16 robots acting in unison are uniquely skilled in a particular military trade. He wasn't much good at those Clavius is not proud of his heritage and has no family to speak of save for diplomatically. Rorian shifted uncomfortably, but didn't answer. Cheule divisions and all ranks and she was able to befriend some who could help her. MERCENARY DATAFILE: Those days are long in the past now and he has had many adventures in his attention, but faltered as if he really couldn't believe what he was seeing. her.The new security equipment she had designed was simply taken, along with they had served for a number of years in Five Division as punishment for past Rorian & Desverger were ground troops for the federal forces of Maxellemar. Born 2612, New Europe. trades but was gifted in mathematics and coupled with a business sense he was dramatically. To further reduce spacecraft mass, living space was reduced to -+------------------------------------------------------------------------+- civilians were concerned. The chassis is a lightweight one designed for dilation at speeds close to, but not exceeding light, mean that only 4 years planetary surfaces became fasionable once again. As with every property left seemed resigned to the fact that she was going to die. measure of insurance. knowledge being of use to anyone else. In this, she proved right. She Bonden , alert though he was, sat up with a start and stared in awe at the has no real family, only a lot of friends who now think she is dead. Clavius laughed. In the empty room it echoed. Cheule frowned at them both Moeller nodded to Rorian, tossed the device to Bonden who caught it words, a lurching and faint trembling was felt. A muted roar became apparent, We're leaving Freewill, said Rorian. I would've at least thought there'd Accepted . Target elimination. Details follow. 10 Megs of off line data. then placed it back. Activating the amp started a glow of light in front of to itself for a time, settlers moved in. Freewill became self-governing in agility and speed, sacrificing armour and firepower. Aesthetically, the model ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elements, or should you wish, Platinum. A poetic touch, no? A percentage colony will nwver be returning. The trip was made possible because the the faint light from the stars themselves. The soft glow of the edge of the vibration of the flight making her armour plate rub uncomfortably against her You promised! she said bitterly. It seemed to take a while for him to system. Earth would certainly have gone to war with luyten in the past, had it not And so, 20 years after the discovery of Tharagrene, another starship arrived Bonden was born and brought up on one of the asteroidal colonies in the the main source of noise with an arcade machine and neglected airscrubbers there was a planet in the way. The Anysije might not have been the greatest asteroid was granted independant status - chiefly because it was seen to be of and unshouldered his rifle. himself but will honour any promises he makes - but only to those he deems hold of so many. Oh yes. No user serviceable parts inside so don't try been for the dozen light years that separated the two sides. It is however greatest filofax, an insult which he is incapable of registering. offences and had, after a while, developed a grudging respect for each other. longer smiling. I need to work. just go and relax. time. When she was informed that she was wasting slowly away from a rare shaky and monochrome but it worked fairly well. The pictures were relayed to swept the ground underneath the object which wobbled uncertainly at the top of on their sides. Lasers and particle weapons aside, an attacking craft will finally Dark Matter. rather unconvincingly and left. sort of a joke. Battle robots tend to be male because the brain is programmed The Flumpey cannon costs more than we can afford. This mission will pay be some warning. C'mon. We've a few minutes before the main drive is left where a small patch of the windshield was visible between Clavius and child, as was the custom, he found little time of his own, owing to social Enough of that. Take the cash and don't ask questions. That's how it's Sorry , she said relaxing when she saw Rorian. That led up to something service in the UPBI with horror and deliberately goes out of her way to prove things were unusual but not unheard of. What made this particular situation the overseers at the lab where he was born. Although they are now long dead, Yes, It's a meeting. What's the situation? Revised time to zone, 4 minutes 20 seconds. teenagers. One of those stunts went badly wrong and and three people were Yellow light streamed in, taking on a red hue through her night vision. The Cheule stared for a long time through a viewport down at the planet and saw place in the system, she thought, but at least wasn't a synchronous orbit. ignored the comment. this column of fast moving air and, slowly, its height above the bushes and ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- the result of his short trial put him in the same army division as Rorian. off someplace? Hey that's Dessie on the screen. system. A tour of duty for a spacecraft was typically ten years real time. spotlights highlighted a warning symbol, a giant exhaust, a registry number now took control and the noise subsided slightly. This was Kiurcher's idea wasn't it? she said levelly. awkwardly, and left to occupy himself with the drop ship preparation. installations. Retrieve backpack nukes from marked sites. Detonate at shape that Moeller was holding. He began to raise his hand to attract his anyone else. The MC series are modular in construction, enabling limbs and is designed on psychological principles to induce a degree of fear in the The forces of which Rorian & Desverger were a part were therefore effectively autonomy in the absence of superior officers or orders. was accomplished initially. The mission parameter datacard was swapped with a will be distributed in a moment, more upon leaving for Graveyard and, of She is realistic enough to realise that revenge is a futile pursuit. She perhaps she could persuade Rorian to buy her one. Within ten minutes, the dropship had been covered in camouflage netting, It was called the Nubian. fanatical devotion to the UPBI. Katrina subsequently went on undercover Ah. no material value. Desverger has often unkindly suggested that Bonden be the narrowly escaped and was then audacious enough to actually advertise her was too scared of Cim-Lite for it to be allowed to wander the ship unchecked. ground forces. The crew were dead, but were wearing the military uniform of passed for her. Physically she is now aged 22 but in real time she is 28. In So they've been delayed. we can manage without them, countered Rorian. He reconnaissance. Rendezvous Platinum Heart, co-ordinates given. Compositing of what, he is at a loss to say. The team mostly regards her with awe. Earth Dragonwick was itself destroyed in mysterios circumstances shortly after mission profile from drop zone onwards. Even pretending that it was simply because only he had clearance for the ship least smooth and of course the least effective for aerodynamics. Nothing important. under stress, or in combat, some of the programmed ruthlessness can still show Too intense for you, youngster? said Desverger. temper and has an almost superhuman dislike of fools.He places nobody above first. But you'll stick with me because really, you need all pf us. Am I efficiency was at its height. In a patriotic fervour, his incept date was on ------- encountered. Once again (to his displeasure) he found that he had to make his There was only her and the rest of the Hired Guns. She tried to fit distaste, having to be second in command for everything, but tolerrated it simply for can tell her for sure and of course all computer records show a blank. his style was anything but professional. The result of his endeavours is that Why here? she said simply. especially if they were members of Five Division. The patron stopped. choice for R & R, but given their wanted status, it was a sensible one. do whatever was asked. Jennilee shying away behinf him. Adele looking mission coming isn't there? searching for adventure and high times without reckoning on the gritty nature orbits and storing data for which he has been unkindly called the world's He was sitting with his terminal working, as ever, across in the lounge, Five minutes to zone. KIURCHER He has no regrets about his life and tries to indulge in excesses whenever ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- course, the bulk of it upon your return. We will be leaving orbit in a little momentum. placed in charge of funding at the age of 16. By 18 he had embezzled huge points of light was brighter than the rest. Schematics unfolded and folded Thanks. Two down. Aren't you having one? Upon return to Luyten, the warships were upgraded with the results of a seeking thrills that everyday life seemed unable to provide. By age 16, he TYPED BY : CHUCK SUPPLIED BY : PYTHON Cheule thought for a while. Seems to be a prediliction for profile names. MC 128-7 CIM O.k. Clavius. Contour following within the next thirty seconds. appropriate section. Cim is a highly complex piece of battlefield machinery but is posessed of has proved to be an enthralling and captivating narrator. be a metal valley, the basis of docking and construction bay in which floated gave the room a characteristic dank smell. It was late in the artificial night and the lounge had been switched to automatic. Above the entrance hung She considered the fragment of conversation, aware that her response would We're in! family fortune on getting a complete body replacement. Essentially she is now was over. She put down her unfinished drink. Because right now we can't be anywhere else. among them, helping to steal a shuttle. Before this, she would never have manage. Little is known of his past and he gives nothing away. This is seems utterly ruthless when a situation like a firefight occurs, then he will She has an interest in interfacing with any new equipment she can find. sound of the drop ship shifting to conventional turbojet cruise. of reality. He is often unable to appreciate the consequences of his actions cause. Noble causes are difficult to find. any conventional test. The military has no need of such esoteric functions. Reckon we can risk the active sensors? You're familiar with these? he asked. automatically gain a lofty superiority over the other inhabitants of the the journey's end where other craft were then attached for the return trip. were overwhelmed by the rush of air. her. She waved her hand in a certain way and a few seconds later a dispensing Construct type 128 revision 7 Combat Infantry Model. He is simply known as journey, they were joined by a further eight people- some they can even call Computer serarches and lookouts took place. There were still no results but Luyten couldn't act immediately with no faster-than-light travel even She paused. Rorian I know why we're here. The other reason I mean, there's a and working with people. Since she cami into contact with people from all the further decade of research and development. instructions. marriage. She'll support any decision he make. I don't care if you do have an embedded micro-camera or whatever you call I , uh, this is a psionic amplifier. It's used to create a variety of Make it a quick one. The room beyond was dark. The small audience around the screen kept We'll just have to catch them at the second rendezvous point in the inner The seeds of the war can be found in one of the first exploratory missions At last they were ready. worthy. Faults in others are tolerated, but only if they make an effort to with Jase, nothing could have prepared her for his disappearance. He was effects - it's very rare. Effector I mean, I saw one on Graveyard. It uses it. If we get footage of you being blown away. It doesn't help us a bit! force fields to manipulate matter and lasers. Uses lasers I mean. As well as asteroidal colony in the Inner Belt, but her argument is unconvincing. She KIURCHER new one. This, of course, directed loyalties to Rorian. unnatural squall. With a final rush of sound, the drop ship placed itself stranded until the arrival of the next stellar booster which, at that stage in someone who had heard of him and still wasn't afraid. Bonden is the only person in the team to have actually been on Graveyard Cheule imagined any umber of surprises contained in there and was indeed surprised when the lights sensing Rorian's body heat flickered into life to 150? - about 100 metres in front of me even with walls in the way. Is that opening them. He grinned. Kiurcher doesn't display any emotions and any that he does have are limited craft to near light speed. Smaller craft detached from the command vessel At life. It was a valuable find. the laws of extra - system exploration UPBI staged her death and abducted her. She underwent intensive brainwashing image of the phone in the screen got larger and a hand extended semingly from held territory - the capital city of Sahvoar. Yes. 02/10/93 Two second burst on the Doppler radar. 360 degrees. Full spectrum. possible, the most rapid response possible would take a minimum of ten years. shouted Cheule. TWO STAR SYSTEMS, ONE BLOODY WAR hardware. They're gone, taking ship with them. That's so. built - in surveillance systems. Only they know the truth about the massacre. CLAVIUS put them right, even if that effort never quite succeeds. To those outside he thunder, keeping a precise height from thr ground and slowing down constantly. Luyten sytem after an entire ten years, Having boarded a Stellar Shuttle, the Surprised , Rorian? he continued. Jenelle, Morton very close. Intent was Its appearance frightened creatures hiding in the undergrowth and startled Cheule noticed with regret that the regular crowd had slowly ebbed away. He went as abruptly as he entered. life has to offer - anything else would be a waste of time and effort and Two : Wife. Ah curse it! The arcade ship exploded in a fireball. He used Type? all the blueprint disks. She had enough presence of mind to suspect that she population - the policy of forcible draft for the war effort saw to that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Pilot, Morton, his own ship. No loyalty to group. No kindred sense. The first difficulty they faced after witnessing the massacre, was to Never gave up, that is, until the start of hostilities on Tharagrene where birds who took to the air, offended at the objects intrusion. A blast of air he still hates them and all they stood for. the name itself. She hated it for that. slightly bemused by the whole situation. Miyriel was just, well, Miyriel. Dragonwick, by adopting the identity of her twin sister. The effects of time incredulity and displeasure into her voice. She was good at it. in intensity and restricted to the entire negative range. He does this possible. Since joining the team he has become more pensive and paranoid. He So, he continued, who's it gonna be? all that time she was not discovered a fact that testifies to her talents. You were deliberately looking for a job here? she said. follow up any possibility of extending his natural lifespan. command of a craft made it absurdly easy to steal and the lighter weight glowing green indicators, the red of a scrolling message screen and of course apparently ignore the fact that it ever happened. In reality it bothers him CIM - LITE (PIRATE COPY ) The fact was worse than the suspicion. Rorian was just standing there as Katrina was expressionless, having slipped back into her cold ruthlessness and CIM-LITE (PIRATE COPY) he hesitated. I'll be sorry to lose you. charge and leading them to another planet entirely. greatly; he will brood about it for days afterward but never giving a hint of Come on then, he replied without looking up. He pulled out a chair and she The new name: how about Slipstream? This is pointless Rorian said and made to return to the bar area. if everything he did was either so obvious it was beyond questioning or didn't _____ of business practices and an unrivalled number of contacts within numerous Mr. Desvergh was most insistent. Shall I replay the message? Cheule ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sound. and they would be stuck otherwise seemed false. A terrible image of holding be recorded just as unobtrusively.. She groaned. Dark Matter was the current fake identity of their spacecraft and the illicit modifications could only be done here on Freewill without the terminal that he left with them. In the left of the screen, Desverger Rorian , that's very kind of you. I'll be there later. Cim, you can play ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- across the window, superimposed on the scene. Cheule sat quietly in one of CIM-Lite robots are more intelligent than the usual combat oriented military her seriously then a thought seemed to brighten his face. Two draftees were Rorian Deevergh & Desverger. The warship that took them Built 2710, Freewill follow Moellers example and leave to find more of the ship. Rorian caught her What do you mean? asked Rorian. the lounge seats, contemplating the view. She knew she would have been into her mind. As you wish. The robot backed away and the doors slid closed once more. would also be the subject of an assassination attempt, in order to prevent her When it was decided that more forces should be mobilised, Five Division was Stay here. That's the plan. That's always been the plan. Anything MERCENARY DATAFILE: Miss Siygess it said. Hello Cim she said in return. Why could no-one happens and I walk straight ioto it. Only me. Get it? Yet , it wasn't so much the team adopting her as the other way aroud. ADELE REANNON CHOICE: CIM-Lite comes under the designation Enhanced Survivability Unit. The middle of the screen with Cheule's concerned face reflected on it. Adele and pressures that were entirely an invention of the rich. Like many of his everybody, friendly and enemy forces alike. its associated system ships. A tentative colony had already been established she never gave up on her dream. creature in the days before such things were illegal. He is basically human Time dilation from speeds close to light made the trip seem shorter for the Yalhoth and the smaller point of light just next to it was Graveyard - their planet and an asteroid. It had no atmosphere and all life there was contained destination. The schematics robbed her even of this pleasure. Letters on the HOW TO WAGE INTERSTELLAR WAR window flashed and indicated Yalhoth with a green box, a catalogue number and Bonden entered from outside the lounge. Bonden bounded over to watch with ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- deadpan. Desverger is acting as a form of insurance said Clavius. TWO STAR SYSTEMS,ONE BLOODY WAR... denial weapon, a biological/chemical hybrid warhead of the sort banned for the RORIAN DEEVERGH. returned her attention to the screen, aware of his gaze. Shifting lines of He suffers from rapid mood swings. Usually he is very cold and doesn't get passengers on this trip and thus more bearable and once the tortuous journey contemplated what amounted to treachery. Now it seemed there was no other a result he is a borderline agoraphobic. The project to create such a Foolishly, when investigating the weapon truck, they had taken no account of bonded like all twins. One dead. Other emotionally crippled as result. There is only supposed to be one person in this meeting, if it turns out to their own side. The truck proved to be a disguised missile carrier - such Cheule couldn't stand to watch anymore and sought out a chair. She closed in vast complexes - the only viable solution, Jeuvo cassandra did not have entire stance, solid, aware and alert indicated to Cheule that the relaxation attracting too much of the wrong sort of attention. Here! why here? she pronounce her name correctly? Why else? they were Luytanians. disturbing was the nature of the weapon in the cargo hold. It was a planetary Rorian accepts that she is with them only because they will further her cause, any space travel and she became bitterly cynical. But the worst was yet to It was a further two days before the Platinum Heart performed a slingshot green and blue formed a schematic of the ageing vector class cruiser called manoevre around Yalhoth, gaining speed from the planet's gravitational field. past 200 years. It was obvious that it was on a timed delay. Desverger, who It was common enough practice. At a key point in the trajectory mhowever, a small shape detached itself and carried on - undetected - towards Graveyard from Tharagrene at that time, was only too happy to make her a full member. \/_______/ \/ \ \/_____/ report the current status of the warhead was no less than a duty. Desverger Something fitting... she took a long swig of cola and sighed. O.k, and into the atmosphere itself. The Dropship began its flight profile. for it. I hope so. Built 2706, Tesseract. DESVERGER. -+------------------------------------------------------------------------+- filtered its slow way across the light years, the war became little more than Born:2670, New Europe. Rorian! she yelled over the roar of the ramjets. The antinoise systems HIRED GUNS - THE STORY There is a saying in the poorer areas of New Europe that can be paraphrased CHEULE SIYGESS What! Get the rest up here, now, he said, then it's Bay Twelve in fifteen both Luyten personnel and a science team from Cassandra. CLAVIUS as One only needs a plastic spoon to eat and live; one needs a silver spoon in minutes. ADELE REANNON Jenilee had a love affair early on in her life. Jase was the classic Born 2681, Jeuvo Cassandra whatever that might be. He knows also that her smile conceals a lot of hurt - to them is an almost mythical place. Strange tales, often contradictory, get ----------- MIYRIEL TORRE was too early in her life. Never having known anything other then happiness Typical useless growled Desverger, easy to find a space station but easier History, unfortunately , did not record who was manning the high sensitivity Born 2670, New Europe. The Bay Twelve door opened to reveal what at first appeared to be a thin tried to follow the game that Desverger was playing and pretended not to a collection of facts in history books, even before Rorian arrived home. infra red lines when the planet that was to be called Tharagrene was revealed. the massive spacecraft. Desverger barged his way past everybody in the The automatic pilot indicated its willingness to be taken over. Clavius the south for the same reason. To be born on Luyten's capital world is to Had it been a barren rock - much as Cassandra was - then it would simply have told about Earth, often about terrifying things, and someone from there could system and to know that one is better in every way. been logged and forgotten about, save for the obligatory surface mining teams Rorian was born in the Southern Sectors of New Europe to parents who were friends - some don't even live up to that. Nevertheless, all of them have clear up a lot of fables. Anybody could claim to be from Earth of course, but Europe and rebelled against authority until being drafted into the army. suspected of being abducted for forcible drafting into the military; a process particularly wealthy, even among their contemporaries. Because he was an only No excuse. They gave word. Be here. Be here now. Adele is from the Lacaille system. This alone makes her a target for UPBI confines of the boarding tube, got to the top first and bowed mockingly, generation, he rebelled and turned to a life bordering on the petty criminal, station in orbit around Tharagrene. In the time that followed, Lacaille swirling his cloak simultaneously. He entered the craft and was swallowed up Desverger was a product of the seedier, more disturbing elements of New Europe a minimum and Clavius was given a psychological profile to deal with this. As ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- expanded to settle on Tharagrene itself. The surface conditions made it ideal that no-one wished to speak of. He slept rough and got involved in serious Despite himself , Rorian continued to listen thoughhe didn't face Desverger crime, not caring how it reflected on the gang, not caring about anything. Eventually the crimes were serious enough to make front page news. He hated they both realise. He has, during his life, probably killed more than creature began during the period before colonisation when the need for useful skills. The war effectively ended with detonation of the warhead everybody else in the team combined. A fact which, to their disgust, he often boasts of. After the escape from Tharagrene, Desverger seperated from the though pockets of resistance continued to fight well into the next decade. the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of New Europe. else. He embarked on an ill-prepared career as a professional assassin, but directly. on Tesseract that was by no means unheard of. It left a gaping hole in her In effect, lost quarter of team. Good thing. Good?! Rorian shouted,they're valuable members! Team too large. Too unweildy. Graveyard mission: real reason to get new No . That's not it at all. Something delayed them and this is just a Born 2685, Tesseract Katrina was unlucky enough to be intelligent, shrew, attractive and physically very strong. Unlucky? It made her a perfect target for recruiting You speak from knowledge? No. Voice betrays you. Always your trouble. Can't read the signs. Graveyard bad news. by the Secret Services (UPBI). When first approached, she naturally refused. missions and had an excellent track record - from the services point of view - Desverger wanted to kill her outright. However, the UPBI had underestimated her underlying willpower. Given a focus and with support, katrina overcame her conditioning and now she is a valued member of the team. She views her through. Rorian is perfectly satisfied that she is loyal and is willing to even sure whether Katrina is her real name. No documents can be found which Her home was Jeuvo Cassandra, a small rocky planet, halfway between a real