Asteroid Blues

Amidst the mass of rock, dust and ice and the smattering of humanity that made up the human edge it was easy to become lost or to lose something either accidentally, or in this case deliberately.
Strapped in to quarter's desk chair Hu-Wen reviewed the notes on the subject as well as the relevant intel that had been complied by his L.O.S.T. While the small transport made the final maneuvers on the way to a dark spot and the facility there in.

Interrogations were an unpleasant business, especially when they went to the extremes that he had to resort to in recent years. Such measures were widely accepted pointless by ISS officials. People would say anything they thought you wanted to hear if pain was the motivation. Best to target abstract or social fears, desires and confusion. Hu-Wen sighed, “simpler times.” It was aliens he dealt with now. Beyond the basics, It had taken years to even know what their fears and wants even are, let alone how to manipulate them. They were still at a stage where how they sang under duress could teach them something.

The subject he was on his way to take charge of was one of the worst, a speculo killer by its Battlefield name. What it called itself was yet to be known. Unlike the Morats who were malleable due to their tendency towards anger and aggression, the Shavastti were full of cunning and deception that ran far deeper than their transforming epidermis.
She (or it he should say. Assuming it only presented itself as female to fuck with him) was captured on a Nomad vessel that was being seized in for smuggling affluent individuals who were unwilling to wait for clearance and protocol off Paradiso shortly after the Flammia incident.
The ship suddenly sent Gs through his body as deceleration started. The small poorly painted model of a shishi slid forward on the desk, a gift from a distinct daughter. Pushing aside a pang of regret over time lost away from her, he refocused on the job at had. He was not ready to see her again.
Apparently, the first attempt to question this one had led it shutting down in to a state catatonia. I had to be noted that this did not happen before a failed escape attempt that saw the death of 4 personnel just before the ship jumped out of the Paradiso system.
The Speculo had remained that way for the years since, until 17 days ago when it started to reactivate. Being the most experienced intelligence agent within a reasonable distance he had been asked if he would once again detour from a stint in the home territories and immediately redeploy to the edge. Who needs to see their family anyway when you could enjoy the wonders of the endless shit hole that was the human edge.
In the daydream he had picked up the shishi without realizing. He held onto it and felt the contours of its form and thought of the small hands that had made it. The memories were comforting yet painful in a way only a parent knows. as the ship landed and he slipped it into a pocket as he left for the airlock. Who knew when he would be back on the ship.

By the airlock he met his team. Two capable young Zhanying agents who in conflict acted as his support, a Celestial guard with a team of Kuang-Shi and a Ruishi. The last member of the team should have landed a few hours ago and via a tiny personal craft launched about half a day or so back. They were a small group, but he had seen all of them excel in their Battlefield rolls, even the Kuang-Shi.
It was an unnecessary percussion to travel so well guarded when travelling a short distance within ones own territory, but when one has attained the rank of Hsien it is important to maintain the expected standards. Plus the years spent in small ships or bare bones facilities deep in the void had made him sloppy with maintaining the aloofness he once relied on to take charge of a situation in an instant.
The ships airlock clanged and creaked as it made contact with that of the Jiyuang mining station and finally hissed as the pressures were equalized. The doors opened into a plush V.I.P lounge about the size of an average dinning/kitchen room. Where the few onsite personal knew of his arrival greeted them. It felt good to be in a wide open space again. This was the time in months he was in room that took more than 3 paces to cross.
The joy of walking was so uplifting that Hu-Wen made a snap decision. He turned down the transport vehicle offered and to some surprise said his team would walk the 4 or so KM across the asteroids surface to the habitat the dark site was hidden in. They all had Zero-G gear after all.
The area on the Daylight side of the Celestial body and the service was braved in a low light from the distinct star of the system. The walk was uneventful but exhilarating when the sun disappeared behind other objects in the belt and plunging the area into a darkness deeper than any eclipse on earth.
When they arrived at the bio dome it took a few minutes to activate the entirety gates. the final member of the team made contact on a low frequency band that only Hu-Wen's helmet was tuned for. “sir, somethings not right. I have been trying for hours but there is no response from the base”
Signalling to his team to take positions and more with caution, he responded, “what's your six. Have you detected any movement in the dome?”
“I am just approaching the entrance to the facility, with the intention of jacking into the security systems. When I no response after you entered I dropped back to blackout protocol and headed to ... “Wait” Hu-wen interrupted, we just arrived.” He could feel the adrenaline in his gut. something was going down. The reply confirmed it, "I assumed from your estimated arrival time that it was you who opened the gates 37 minu.... Shit. Greeks... Going dark."

Greeks? What the fuck were Aleph doing here.

The joy of using his legs was forgotten as he led his team slowly and methodically through the empty habitat dome. Creepy shit. 17 months and 26 days since he last saw gun play. Only idiots fired guns on the ships he had ever boarded. Idiots and the desperate.
The entrance to the dark site was at the base of a statue of Wang Yaping. She had been the leader of the first Yu-Jing colonies in the edge. When the Neo-colonial wars broke out she lead a gorilla campaign so effective it kept the Yu-Jing presence alive in the sector. Pride of the edge. Once. Now just a guardian of a dirty secret and an empty bag of air.

Hu-Wen had just caught sight of the feet when movement to the left caught his eye.

“alpha, Get the sparrows in to position, lay smoke and send in REM. You got Greeks coming in on your position, looks like they are going for security consoles.”
A small image popped up in the upper right hand corner of his visor, the Ninja's helm cam showed the profile of a myrmidon hackers face illuminated by the blue glow of the console to the right.
“Alpha, get that fucking REM eyes on the Greeks we got to make sure we lock down the con” (green. the Myrmidon's face flicked green.) “sole.
“THEIR IN!”

A second screen popped up. This time from the Ruishi.
It advanced as smoke from the Celestial Guard leading Aleph spread across its path.
The targeting systems identified the possibility threats and then the guns went to work ripping three members of a Thorakitai team to shreds and forcing one survivor back.

The feeling of success was short lived however as the Ruishi was able to confirm the team had control of the second security console.

The Ninja’s head followed as the Myrmidon hacker made for a building by the statue -clearly in preparation for an ambush- and then round to see three more Greeks heading for the now open facility.
Then a target was in Hu-Wen's sights for real. From the cover of a ground floor window he opened fire on the Myrmidons spitfire with his HMG and seeing sparks as two shots made contact.
Both must have failed to penetrate the construct as a hail of bullets peppered his chest and he hit the ground before the pain in his upper chest kicked in. Punctured lung was his educated guess.
Barking the next order to keep the pressure up made Something else lower down throb in protest.

This was bad, he would never make it back to Jiyuang if they were forced back.

His head span, unable to focus of the floor,
muffled voices.
(“get the bleeding under control”)
the Ruishi taking out the spitfire Myrmidon,
(“Sir, sir the Ruishi has been hacked!” sir...)
The Ninja’s eyes on a Thorakitai entering the dark site
“I have visual on Ajax! Shit this is..”

The pain was making it hard to think, he remembered to give the voice commands to transfer command to one of the Zhanying and tried to stay conscious.

The Aleph took advantage of the Yu-Jing command failure to set up a perimeter with the remainder of their forces.

Hu-Wen could only watch as his second in command rushed off to the east towards the Ninja’s location. It was a desperate move but it was all they had left.
The agent burst round a corner and fired his Combi at a Myrmidon point blank but the Greek dashed forward in an instant pushing his gun to the side and drawing his weapon. Now out of site the Ninja took advantage of the situation to plant an arrowhead in the hackers back before jumping into the fight saving the out matched Zhanying.

panting, the Zhanying commanded the Ninja to enter the base while he positioned himself to fire on Ajax. Waiting till the Ninja had snuck in, he opened up, landing three bursts of fire into the back of his massive form, but nothing seemed to effect the brute who spun round and returned fire.

A storm of bullets flew in both directions, chipping away at concrete and nanofibers but nothing met flesh.

As the Zhanying dropped back with head flush with the bus stop he could feel the exhilaration of combat being replaced with fear. Changing the combi clip by touch and muscle memory he took a moment to bring his breathing back under control. In, out, in out, hold. Then he dropped and span, gun in hand past the edge of the cover and unloaded on target.
When the bullets and impact sparks stopped all looked lost as Ajax readied for a charge, smile visible on his sadistic face, the Agent's combi seemed useless and seeing that hammer made the urge to flee cross the his mind. Just as Ajax shifted his weight forward, a form flew out and into the beast of a man. With fluid motions it took Ajax’s knife while dodging powerful limbs, before landing a strike to Ajax’s calf as it got behind him and made for domes exterior. Ajax fried at it but missed as it vanished in the darkness.
Ajax seemed to forget the Zhanying as new Aleph arrived and pinned Alpha team and the agents down while Ajax limped back, barking orders as he went.

After a while the Aleph cover fire started to peel off.
It must have been the Speculo they were after, and it had to be the Speculo that escaped. There was no way it was a coincidence that Aleph learnt of the site just as she awoke. It was both comforting to know that Aleph could be played, and disconcerting to see the EI do it.
The Agent dashed back to where Hu-wen had gone down. His fellow agent had cracked open a madtrap to use the glue to block the wounds and stop him from bleeding out, but I would do nothing for internal bleeding. Between the two of them they carried the Hsien in to the facility while Alpha team swept the complex.

The facility was in chaos. The dead Thorakitai was the first body. Then 5 guards were dead or dying a from multiple lacerations to the back of their heads or torsos. Clearly the Speculo's work. Further in a few living were found locked in a lab and were quick to assist in stabilizing Hu-Wen and anyone else that was still breathing.
Seemed the whole thing had been planned. The only thing the Speculo had been waiting for was for someone other than the guards to open the doors. That fact led to some unsettling questions that would need addressing, but for now there was only one place the Speculo was going to be able to escape to and that was the Jiyuang facilities. Until she paused to remove the tracker that was embedded in her, they would be able to follow.
Myongsun, leader of Alpha team took charge and headed out in pursuit with some of the security forces that were still able and with a back up team to join them on its way from the secret I.S.S base at Jingyang.