126: Mecha Combat – Nine
Now that they knew the quality of the food they'd be getting, the crew of the Pelekys had a lighter breakfast on this, their second day of the Elstree Docklands Tournament. While the repair teams were busy getting the victorious mechs back in working order for the matches tomorrow, today the pilots and their crews would be left to their own devices, and encouraged to spend the entire day in the activity centre, so that their necupole guards could keep an eye on them.
For the sake of all the proprietary secrets being developed on Trowsorab, of course. No other reason.
Pushing her plate aside, Pryseia caught Elytra's attention and asked, "We never got the chance to go over it last night, but what did you observe from the other competitors in this tournament?"
Hastily swallowing, Elytra leaned forward excitedly. "None of the others are bad pilots, but some are one hundred percent better than others. Gelimp's real good - xe knows how to us the battlefield to xir advantage, when to attack and when to defend. Seeing xir in action, I'm not surprised that xe's the three time champion. None of the others have a hope against xir. Bulle, on the other hand... they're a wildcard. I'd say they're on Gelimp's level, or better, because they were holding themselves back the same way you were."
"Were they now?" Pryseia said, sounding thrilled by the prospect, "Luck willing, I'll get the chance to face them tomorrow. But, speaking of that auspicious day, how go the preparations for the upcoming heist?"
Looking far more bright eyed and alert than she had been yesterday, Malakh pointed her spoon at Pryseia and said, "Everything's all set. Since we're not going to have the kind of inside intel on all the security measures within the Dariyaschlde Institute as we did on that museum back on Ritroser, I've got full cloaking devices for the three of us. Well, I drafted the blueprints, but Vi finished them up for me."
From where her avatar was spinning excitedly on the nearby console, Viatrix chirped, "So cool fun fact, I can control more than one drone at a time! I spent most of yesterday in the fabrication room using them to put the finishing touches on the stuff we're gonna need. I even found out that the Hyttan drone will fully integrate any upgrades we install in it."
"Well that's good to know," Rhea said, though when she caught V'tala's curious expression, she explained, "Generally, thanks to the self healing properties of the material, modifications to anything Hyttan-made don't stick. If it wasn't part of the initial design, it gets shoved out. It behaves more like a biological than a mechanical construct in that way, like a body rejecting a transplanted organ."
V'tala let out a thoughtful hum at that, turning to Viatrix's console as she said, "Maybe because your own programming has been altered to be more Hyttan, the Hyttan technology registers anything you add on as being a... compatible transplantation?"
Malakh perked up at that, and they could all but hear the gears turning in her mind as she muttered, "Yeah, that might very well be the case... this might be a loophole we can exploit."
"You'll have to postpone whatever experiment you're concocting in there," Nevara tapped Malakh on the forehead, startling the other woman out of her thoughts, "We're essentially on shore leave today, surveilled at that, forbidden from returning to the ship until we retire for the night."
Her tail lashing in agitation at that inconvenience, Malakh grumbled, "Shit. Well, we're still dipping out early so that it won't be suspicious when we do so for the heist tomorrow, so I'll test my hypothesis then. Ugh, but waiting around all day doing nothing is going to be so wretched!"
"I'm sure we'll be able to find something to keep you occupied until tonight," Elytra told her, before turning to Viatrix's console and saying, "I'm just sorry we can't do the same for you. I know it's for the sake of the mission and everything, but I really don't like having to pretend that you're just our onboard VI."
"Well I'm not a fan of how the necupole talk about the rest of you," Viatrix replied, anger threading through her voice, "I've been keeping tabs on everyone and everything in the area to make sure they don't try to pull any funny business on the ship, keeping my ears peeled to all their radio chatter and security feeds. They talk about you and the mercs like you're all pests that need to be exterminated, just slur after slur! I've honestly been this fucking close to just shorting out their systems, but that would cause problems for us that we don't have the time to deal with, so I haven't done anything. Yet."
Rhea let out a low, menacing laugh at that. "You have a surprise in mind for when we leave, I take it?"
"Sure do," Viatrix confirmed, her own laugh just as menacing, "Gonna sneak in a bit of code to the software running in all these guards' power armour so that they'll completely lock up for one of their minutes every time they drop a slur! I was inspired by what Pryseia said the other day, about that little bit of stray code in the mech operating system that was responsible for lag, so I went poking around in the OS running in these armour suits and found a nice little pocket of coding that no one's bothered to touch for a long time. I can slip a lil' somethin' somethin' in there, and no one will be any the wiser!"
"It would be a fitting bit of symmetry," Pryseia told her with a grin, "We are going to be making off with at least one bit of code that the Necupole have in their possession, so it's only fair that we leave something behind for them in return."
"Oh, I plan on taking more than just a bit of code," Viatrix voice was all deviousness, "I'm going to be absolutely trawling that place with my scanners. I'm making copies of everything I can get my proverbial hands on!"
"We have been slacking on the whole pirate aspect of our Kith job description." Rhea pointed out with a smirk.
Her avatar momentarily flickering, Viatrix exclaimed, "Oh! That reminds me, I have an idea for a short to film while I'm stuck inside today. I wanted to run my idea by you before I committed anything to film."
"I'd love to hear it," Rhea said, leaning forward, "We haven't had much of a chance to get anything done on that front."
Breakfast in the activity centre was the same as it was yesterday, and after a brief broadcast from Tolla and Kassi to announce the competitor's standings (Revco in first place with MGJX and FHN tied for second - the companies, of course, not the pilots who secured these victories), they were left to themselves.
Several of the mercs cleared space for a smaller dance floor, continuing the party their curfew had cut short the previous night, while others settled in to the consoles to get down to some serious gaming. Elytra and V'tala roped Malakh into the latter activity, pulling her into the game they'd started last night, the three of them getting way too into it to respond to the others with more than monosyllabic grunts.
Data pad in hand, Nevara had retired to their suite, intent on catching up on some reading, while Rhea had followed after her, already bringing up a writing program on her own data pad, thrumming with inspiration from her brainstorming session with Viatrix before they'd had to leave the ship for the day. Pryseia was about to see if Elytra and the others had room for one more when a voice over the speakers announced, "Incoming call for Killzar Pryseia, please return to your suite. Once again, incoming call for Killzar Pryseia, please return to your suite."
Some of the mercs shot her a curious look at that, but Pryseia could only shrug in return. She had no more idea who was summoning her than they did.
When she entered the suite, Rhea had her hands propped against the couch like she was about to push herself off as she asked, "Want to take this privately?"
"No need," Pryseia waved her down, going over to a console on the far wall, blinking with the incoming signal, "I'd tell you what it was about, regardless of whether you were here or not."
As Rhea settled back, Nevara stepped out of the private room she'd squirreled herself away in, leaning against the doorframe to see what this call was all about. Pryseia gave her a nod of recognition before she turned to the console, and accepted the call.
It was Erkanschlde on the other end, wearing what looked to be a suit composed of blocky, polygonal shapes, the same desaturated oranges and obsidian violet of her company's branding, her short hair styled into an artful swoop to one side, the dusty orange of her makeup throwing her features into stark, gaunt relief. She was sat at a desk before a window overlooking the arena outside, and a genuine smile broke out on her face as she said, "Oh, your fight yesterday was a marvel! Seeing you in action in person, rather than a broadcast, was a genuine pleasure. You truly are a gifted pilot."
"I appreciate the recognition." Pryseia replied with a slight nod, and Erkanschlde returned it with a sympathetic frown.
"Especially given that the bulk of my peers haven't even acknowledged the existence of you or the mercenaries in their service," she said sadly, anger tugging at her eyebrows, "They'd all be more keen to pay attention to you if you had the capital to actually pose a threat to their businesses."
"Which is more than can be said of the other Enlightened," Pryseia pointed out, "Even if my people possessed the stronger economy, neither the Zymeth nor the Thalatte would deign to acknowledge us as equals. Money, at least, is the great equalizer among your own kind. However, I doubt it was your intent to call me to complain of the shortcomings of your people in regards to my own, so what has prompted this summons?"
Giving her an apologetic nod, Erkanschlde said, "My wish to congratulate you on your victory yesterday was sincere - I didn't want to interrupt your celebrations the night before. But, I called to share a concern I have."
"Do you suspect foul play from someone involved in the tournament?" Pryseia asked, her mind immediately going to worse case scenarios.
"Potentially," Erkanschlde hedged, "What did you make of the pilot for FHN Systems?"
Shrugging, Pryseia told her, "They didn't seem duplicitous, from what I saw of them. Victorious in their own bout, one of my crew assures me that she believes them to have been holding back in the fight, so I'd wager that they're a better pilot than many of the rest."
"Better than you?" Erkanschlde had to ask.
With all the confidence of a lifetime's worth of experience, Pryseia answered, "No."
Erkanschlde breathed out a quiet laugh at that, her expression darkening as she said, "The CEOs of the companies participating watched the fights in a joint box. I've known these people for years, and while I wouldn't exactly trust them to pour my drinks, I do trust that they won't pull anything to interfere with the tournament. Pihka Geislischlde, on the other hand… I'm not sure what to make of her."
"Were her actions suspicious?" Pryseia asked.
"Her actions were odd," Erkanschlde clarified, "She barely spoke to anyone, sat as far from us all as possible, and fled the moment she was able to. She didn't seem to register when her pilot brought her mech to victory. And she kept… glaring at me. I've a feeling she knows that you are going to be the pilot her own will face off against - or, rather, that it is my mech her own will have to best if she wants to claim victory - but I'm not sure just how far she's willing to go to secure herself a win."
Frowning at that, Pryseia questioned, "Do you think she's going to do something to sabotage the tournament?"
Erkanschlde shrugged helplessly. "I can't say for certain. I was worried that perhaps her chosen pilot would be instigating trouble on her behalf, but you say they're doing nothing of the sort?"
"Not as far as I have seen," Pryseia returned the shrug, "They were sociable enough while we were sequestered in the arena's waiting room, and did nothing to arouse my own suspicions. This could, however, have been a ploy on their part, so I will remain vigilant while in their presence."
"Good, I suppose that all you really can do, until they prove to be a troublemaker, at the very least," Erkanschlde said, still looking worried, "I will try to see what I can about Pihka on my end of things. In some of the earlier tournaments, pilots were poisoned - some died. It's why the food is all handled remotely, to prevent anyone from slipping anything in to interfere with the pilots. I'm really hoping that she isn't planning something of the sort."
"I appreciate the warning. I will inform Rhea of your concerns, as she'll doubtlessly have the medical skills to counteract anything that should befall myself or one of the other pilots while in this place."
"Please do," Erkanschlde looked far more relieved at that, "As I said, I will keep an eye on Pihka, and step in should she try anything. Be safe, and I wish you luck in your next match."
And with that and a parting smile, Erkanschlde ended the call.
"Poison. Well that's rude." Rhea said from her spot on the couch, out of sight from Erkanschlde the entire time, "I'll be able to whip up an antidote using any food replicator, but that's not going to matter if I don't know what kind of poison I'm working with. Can't do anything about that now, but I'm bringing my emergency medical kit with me tomorrow."
"If Necupole building codes are anything like the Thalatte, then there should be some type of first aid kit available within this facility," Nevara said, arms crosse and frowning deeply, "But given how the guards here treat us, this place is just as likely to not have one."
"Then let us hope that there will be no medical emergency that would require the use of one tonight," Pryseia told them, "As I doubt our hosts will be swift to provide the likes of us with aid."
Lunch came and went without event, and so too did dinner. The party that the mercs had started in the morning continued on for the entirety of the day, and yet somehow, despite this, it picked up steam once their dinner plates were cleared away. Malakh (who had spent most of the day gaming) and Nevara (who had instead spent most of it reading) left the activity centre the moment they were able to, and in light of the suspicions Erkanschlde had shared, the others followed along with them.
They stepped aboard the Pelekys, the guards once again reminding them that they weren't to leave it under any circumstance until they came to retrieve them in the morning, and the moment the personnel ramp retracted and the doors to the ship locked tight, Viatrix's avatar popped up on the nearest console and she told them, "So I was eavesdropping on the call Erkanschlde made to you earlier, and I've been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious from Geislischlde and her people, but Erkanschlde was the only person to call anyone in that activity centre today. If Geislischlde's got some sneaky plan in the works, then either everyone involved knows what they're doing enough to not need babysitting from her, or she's gonna contact someone on the inside at a later date."
"I'd hoped you'd caught that," Pryseia grinned, "The others and I had likewise been mindful of the actions of the others, especially those among Tyeku's crew, but we saw nothing that led us to believe they have anything underhanded planned."
"That, or they're keeping it to themselves for the moment," Malakh frowned, "They won't be able to get at us in here, so that's something. Well, unless they've got some kind of orbital cannon in place, or a bomb planted under the landing pad, but anything like that will take out more than just us. But, then again, maybe going full scorched earth on the place-"
"Hey, no spiralling into worst case scenarios!" Rhea cut her off with a grounding hand against her spine, "We can't account for every possibility here. Besides, didn't you have experiments to try?"
Blowing out a breath and leaning appreciatively into the hand at her back, Malakh said, "You're right. What's that human saying… we've got bigger fish to flay?"
"Fry," Rhea corrected with a fond smile, "But flay also works."
Returning the smile, Malakh said, "Alright, I'll be in the fabrication room if anyone needs me. Please drag me away if I don't come to bed at a reasonable hour. We can't afford me to be too tired for the heist tomorrow."
"Don't worry," Viatrix chirped, "I'll haul you out of there myself if I have to. That Hyttan drone can certainly carry your weight!"
"You think so, huh?" Malakh challenged, stepping away from the others with a wave, "Guess that's just another hypothesis we can test then."
Following after her, Nevara said, "I shall turn in for an early night myself. We're set to have a busy day tomorrow."
"And I'm gonna restock my emergency bag with more triage appropriate gear," Rhea added as she peeled off for the medbay, "I want to be prepared to counter any kind of harm."
Turning to V'tala and Elytra, Pryseia said, "I shall take my rest now, then, as well. Do not feel that either of you need to do the same."
Grinning at that, Elytra said, "Oh we won't. We had to leave right before a boss fight, so we're going to take that baddie down right now."
"Thankfully the Pelekys links to the local network," V'tala told Pryseia, her own grin a subtle thing, "I'd hate to have to wait until the morning to finish this off."