[story] Saber Chase

[Dartz]

And Jet is just not that good at doing it.

And also more.

Grunthal on the other hand, seemed centuries old and hewn from solid rock. It had an ageless quality to it, with a certainty in the iron air that it would be there for centuries more hence. There were flagstones on the floor that echoed off of steel walls.

In a ‘verse where revolution came every two weeks there was something reassuring in it’s monastic nature. A quiescence that wasn’t often found anywhere in Fenspace. There was none of the frenetic energy of Kandor or the Crystal Cities.

“It’s like the temple back home,” she told her headset, allowing herself to remember her training in full for a few seconds, before pushing it right back out of her mind. “For a place full of warriors, it certainly is wonderfully peaceful.”

And horribly intimidating to know that some of the people who smiled and said hello would be easily capable of pulling her arms off. By accident. She shuddered and did her best to put that out of her mind, besides, here was the door.the door she was looking for.

Lenneth Lucian. Krieger. Engel Gruppe.

Maico pushed the door-chime.

“One moment,” a woman’s voice crackled through an old speaker.

Maico waited an age-long minute before the door unlatched. Lenneth was waiting for her with a blue- painted body, platinum hair and a slightly embarrassed smile that suggested she’d been interrupted doing something, but what Maico couldn’t tell.

“Ah Maico,” she smiled at her, pushing herself up from the desk which creaked under her weight.

“Krieger Lucian,” Maico tried, right before her hand was gripped in a cold metal vice of a handshake that she felt was being very careful not to crush her hand into mincemeat.

“Lenneth, please,” she begged. “Take a seat. I’ve had a look at the video you sent me,”

“Thank you,” Maico said.

For a couch, it was horribly stiff and uncomfortable. Until she realised it had to support three to four times her mass, easily. She took a glance round, adjusting her own headset to make sure it recorded properly. She caught a glimpse of Lenneth’s awards from the Boskone war, and was amazed at how ancient they seemed. They sat beside pictures of people Maico couldn’t recognise, and a collection of Lovecraft books.... actual, faux-leather bound tomes of mythos fiction.

“Well, first thing’s first,” Lenneth began.”I can tell you it wasn’t us here who trained Saber White,”

“But she does use Panzer Kunst?”

“Exactly,” Lenneth grinned at her. “But, we don’t teach these techniques to power-armour wearers on commercial contracts.”

“Oh?”

“The Herza Haon she uses to attack that battlesuit; that’s only taught to those above Lehrling level, once they’ve decided to join the Gruppe proper.”

“But of course. So whoever trained them was a previous member of the Gruppe?”

“Not previous, there’s no such thing as a previous Kunstler, but you’re right.”

Maico forced a smile. “And you can tell me who it is so?”

“She doesn’t keep it a secret.” said Lenneth, “Jet Jaguar trained Saber White, I’m certain of it.”

“How certain?” Maico pushed.

Lenneth stared at her, with hard grey eyes. “I’d bet my right arm and leg on it. Jet’s the only Kunstler to establish her own independent school so far, so it’s the only other place in Fenspace they could’ve learned.”

“But of course...”

“And,” Lenneth continued, “Jet trained with me, used to spar with me, and Saber White moves in the exact same way. “ she explained. “In fact, I’d swear it was Jet Jaguar herself fighting, only Saber White here moves much slower in action.”

Maico thought for a moment.

“Is it possible it could be Jet Jaguar herself? Deliberately slowing herself down, sandbagging to keep herself hidden?”

Lenneth slowly shook her head. “Jet’s big schtick is speed. She wouldn’t go this slow all by herself. Jet trained them, and being a Crisis Fen herself would probably know who they are, and most likely won’t tell you,”

She gave Maico the smallest grin, chased by a mischievous wink.

“I’d still like to ask her myself,”

Lenneth gave her a gallic shrug. “It’s your time if you want to waste,”

Maico allowed herself a soft, satisfied smile, “And I shall. Now, is there anything else you can tell me about Saber White?”

Lenneth nodded once, “Sure. I can tell you that whomever Sabre White is, she has at the very least a direct neural interace with her armour, because the level of actuator control required to generate a Herza Haon just isn’t possible unless the actuators are a physical part of of the body,”

“Oh my...”

“Yup. Whoever she is, she’s either a cyber like me in there, or a cybernetic intelligence.”

A lightbulb flicked on inside Maico’s mind, a sudden inspiration.

“They could all be AI’s, so. Would Jet be capable of building four AI’s like that?”

“Capable?” She stopped, thinking, exhaling a completely artificial and superfluous sigh. Her brow furrowed. “Maybe, but not by herself. Jet doesn’t build AI’s, but hardware like the hardsuits? She began the Stingray project,”

“Hmmm.”... Yes, this fit together perfectly. “Thank you, Lenneth. This helps me a lot,”

“Glad to,”

Maico left Grunthal certain she’d figured this out.

-----

The camera was recording.

“A.C. told me she wasn’t Saber White, but she never said she wasn’t involved with them. If they’re AI, she could have awoken them. And supertech like that hardsuit forcefield, and discretion...”

The camera didn’t nod. It did nothing but stare.

“Benjamin knows the Sabers. Benjamin might even be friends with them... or their backer.... if his reaction was anything to go by. They’re someone he knows and cares about. ”

Maico took it’s continued silence for agreement.

“And Jet Jaguar is a Bubblegum Crisis Fen, and a known associate of both. Jet likely trained the Sabers, and began the Stingray project where their armour designs come from.”

A little red light showed the camera was still listening.

“Sylia Stingray is an associate of Jets. And she’s damned suspicious.... but I can’t figure out what she brings to the table.”

Her finger tapped on the table, timing out her own heartbeat. The camera lens offered it’s usual silent advice.

“Money!” she yelped “Sylia runs a reasonably successful business, outside of Fenspace so she can hide the money for the Sabers to operate. She’s the money launderer,”

The lens stared.

Maico deflated. “I’m getting ahead of myself. A shared fandom isn’t evidence. Being a little bit weird isn’t evidence. And Sylia is strange,”

She made herself dinner, boiling up a bag of cheap noodles and adding something that claimed to be chicken flavouring. Not from where I’m from it isn’t, thought Maico with a rueful grin. Well, it was hot food at any rate.

A quick glance at the stats from her advertiser told her she wouldn’t be getting hot food for very long. With her mouth full, she fired of an email.

“Ryan, tell me you’ve got something. If I don’t find more Saber stuff soon I’m going to starve! I need something big,”

No answer. Well, not starve.... she’d have to put up with unflavoured tofu and cold noodles for a while. She got back to work. There’re were stories other than the Sabers that needed followups. There were some video’s in need of a voiceover, and there were rumours that the Queen was about to declare the first official Planetary Senshi.

“Ah yes, that time of year again,” she mused out loud. “That one always comes out in the runnup to the annual honours list.” Still, it’d be nice to spend some time on Crystal Tokyo again. She glanced at the speculation. “Nothing original, the usual suspects. Except for Jupiter....”

She booked her shuttle now, while she could still afford it. It never ceased to be a relief to have the payment go through. Her headset chirruped as it received a new mail. Confirmation of booking, she thought.

Then she saw the sender.

And pounced on it like it was a bag of Meg’s cookies.

“Maico

Been meaning to get back. Sorry. Got hooked on Forza RR. Racing with Melchizedek with my trollface on beating n00bs who think that the Space Shuttle was included for completness only and no real gamer would play with it.

Anyways. Sylia Stingray.

She’s a real ghost. I had a hell of a time tracking information on her down, beyond the obvious.

First, what you already know about her. She bought Stingray Motor Engineering from Jet Jaguar and expanded it into an operating business down daneside. By all accounts, their motorbikes using Mazda rotary engines are popular, if a little pricy. There’s a news report of her giving an interview to a mundane news crew about Job creation, how government openness is good for Fenspace and the local economy together.... the usual bullshit.

Second. She moved in to Marsbase Sara a month before the sale, in early 2016. She registered her identity there, and is considered a resident. She registered with no previous identity papers, nothing at all from her previous history. Nothing unusual in that mind you, some people don’t want their identity following them up for their own reasons.

Third. It’s almost impossible to find appearances of her in Fenspace. She went to Convention in 2016 and ‘18, with SME having their own trade stand. Now here’s where it gets interesting. Her only appearance between then was at an auction.

When the New Birmingham asteroid mine went belly up, everything in it was sold off. Sylia Stingray attended, and bought some CNC machinery. But, guess who else was there?

Jet Jaguar. Jet bought Frigga itself.

Here’s where it goes beyond coincidence. A Foglio spark named VanVeen had his eye on Frigga to build his own personal Spark Castle. Sylia Stingray sat beside him, and actively discouraged him from bidding against Jet. Three hours later, he spots Sylia, and Jet and Jet’s partner Ford talking together. Needless to say, he was ‘annoyed’. I’ve linked the blog post below so you can follow him up yourself.

At the very least, that makes Sylia ‘friends’ with Jet.

Sylia herself. You said she had her hand on your back guiding you out. Take a review of the footage. She’s a very touchy-feely person. She always has her hand on something. She’s always rubbing them together, or brushing herself. That’s a classic sign of a standalone-AI using a puppet body they aren’t used to....enjoying. And I timed her blinking.... it’s regular to the millisecond.

I’d bet Sylia’s an AI puppet. And if she’s an AI puppet, the intelligence behind her could be anywhere in Fenspace.

I can’t say who built her, but if you want to find out more about her I suggest you hit up 77 Frigga.

Oh, and in the style of the late master, one more thing. Sylia Stingray lied to you. Sylia Stingray is Saber White. I pulled a 3d model from your footage. Her body-shape matches the hardsuit exactly.

-Ryan”

Maico sent as much rep as she could his way. That was dynamite. That was Kaboomite. That was it. Bang. Boom!. There’s your lead right there.

Right in touching distance.

------

It seemed silly for him not to pull the same stunt.... so know Maico knows the identity of one of the Sabers. And knows Jet knows Sylia well.... and knows Jet trained the Sabers. She's getting other things wrong.... natch.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?