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A battlefield can be many things, but silent is never one of them. The sound of gunfire and explosions resounds for miles out from a battlefield, loud enough to rattle the teeth of even the most experienced pilot.
As E4-148 arrives at the Old Velvet Spaceport, the first thing he notices is the quiet. There’s no arcing missiles or shrieking metal or shouting comms, nothing E4 would expect of a fight underway. It’s eerie, a stillness reserved only for the grave.
E4 isn’t the only one who notices the silence. Artyn laughs in their head, though E4 can hear the note of nerves in the sound.
‘Don’t tell me Scard gave us the wrong ‘port,’ Artyn says.
“POE and ConVex forces should be here by now,” Handler Valther says, “Get closer. See if you can find what happened.”
The sky over the Old Spaceport is a violent orange. It casts striking shadows across the area, stark shapes reaching through the landing zone and leading E4 toward the scene of a mechanical massacre. The glowing sky matches the bright flames licking the damaged machinery strewn about, ACs and ships alike broken and mangled across the ground. Flickering fire is the only sound now, interrupted by the occasional groan of shifting machinery.
E4 may have the right place, but the battle is already over. POE and ConVex have already fought. But if they both lost, who won?
E4 scans the wreckage for an answer. There’s nothing in the broken ships, but E4 follows the trail of destruction until he sees a figure standing above the smoke.
“If that’s the person who destroyed all the ships, then they’re a serious threat. Be careful with your approach,” Handler Valther says.
Atop one of the destroyed ships is an AC that E4 has seen before, deep red and tan, standing tall above the wreckage. Unlike the other ships, and unlike the last time E4 saw it, this AC is undamaged and active, facing the smoldering sun.
The AC turns around as E4 approaches. The mercenary once known as Slab, or the ghost of her, stares E4 down.
“I’ve identified the target, Slab,” comes a voice over the comms—Jaszmine, says the title accompanying it. She uses E4’s callsign, but she isn’t talking to him. “That’s the mercenary who took your name. Let’s see how far he can tread… on borrowed stone.”
Slab doesn’t respond in words. E4 has a second to process before Slab fires a barrage of missiles, jumping aside just to watch the spot where they used to be standing go up in smoke.
“We’re not here to take the callsign back,” says Jaszmine, “But if you’re gonna call yourself Slab, you’d better earn it!”
Slab fires again as her handler talks, gunfire cutting through her voice. E4 ducks behind a damaged ConVex ship, disappearing into the ship’s heavy smoke.
The cover is fleeting at best. A loud mechanical whirr approaches E4’s hiding spot, the only warning E4 has to ready his own needle pistol.
“Stay cool, 148. Don’t rise to the bait,” Handler Valther says. Jazsmine’s laugh floods the comms, loud and crackling with static.
“Bait?” she asks, “Oh, I see. You’re a hound, aren’t you?”
Slab lands a few paces away from E4. His pistol is already blazing off the first shot, though Slab returns fire just as quickly. She’s a fast shooter—it’s no wonder she took out so many ships before E4 could even arrive.
“Slab, your drones,” Jaszmine says.
“Used them all against POE and ConVex,” Slab says. The comms denote her as “Slab” Strudel, though E4 isn’t particularly invested in the information, on account of all the gunfire. He is, however, invested in the missile launcher over her left shoulder, especially as the barrel flashes with light. E4 ducks as the missiles shoot right over him, but any satisfaction is short-lived as Slab shoots forward. Slab bashes him with her pilebunker, E4 bounding back to avoid having his AC shattered. It’s a heavy weapon—a direct hit from that thing would be devastating. E4 can’t afford to risk it.
“What’re you running away for?” Jaszmine taunts, almost singing over the sound of gunfire. E4 covers his retreat in a burst of bullets, though Slab has no issue meeting him blast for blast. “How can you call yourself Slab when all you do is run away? You’re supposed to be sturdier than that!”
‘If the callsign meant so much to her, maybe she should have taken better care of it,’ Artyn says. E4 ignores him. Slab fires on them again, another round of missiles from her left shoulder. When E4 dodges, it crashes into a ship just behind him. Something in the cargo explodes, pushing E4 forward.
“Careful, 148,” Handler Valther says. E4 tries to put ground between them, but every inch he backs away is an inch Slab takes. She dogs him closely, trying to close the distance for another swipe with her pilebunker.
There isn’t much room left between the ruined ships, but E4 and Slab circle the space, Slab shooting behind or ahead of E4 to draw him closer and closer to herself, all under the cover of E4’s return fire.
“What are you fighting for?” Jaszmine demands, “Just because you were told to? What motivates you, thief?”
“Right now, it’s not getting shot, mostly,” E4 says.
“Stay focused,” Handler Valther warns.
“What, scared he’ll actually think about it?” Jaszmine asks.
Slab charges E4 again, though the second hit also misses, if barely. E4 dodges, jumping as high as he can as he readies his laser and fires. Slab tries to boost out of the range, but the sound of metal screaming betrays her. Her AC’s leg is billowing black smoke, metal scraping with every movement.
“Strudel, do you read me?” Jaszmine asks.
“Loud and clear, Jaszmine,” Strudel replies, heavy static on her mic.
“Now that looks more familiar,” E4 comments. Jaszmine scoffs.
“You— oh, you’re so going down!” Jaszmine shouts, but Slab’s next movement is more jerky. A little damage isn’t enough to stop her, though—E4’s moment of rest is interrupted by another blinding shot, and it’s again off to the races as he dodges her attack.
Slab’s assault only heightens with the damage, a relentless, winding pursuit through the broken machinery strewn across the landing zone. Ships which could be cover turn to a minefield of shrapnel anytime E4 tries to put something between them, and any pause to breathe becomes an opening for Slab’s destructive pilebunker. There seems to be no stopping her, nor any claiming enough ground to make a shot.
“Slab, ConVex reinforcements are on the way,” Jaszmine says, “You need to finish this.”
E4 sees his opening. He stops, spinning on his heel to face Slab. She lunges at him, but as she makes her swing, E4 springs up. He points his bazooka down and blasts it. His target isn’t Slab’s core, though—E4 aims for her arm, detonating her most powerful weapon.
With her AC’s damaged leg, Slab can’t recover in time to move. The blast hits her head on, and Slab’s shocked scream becomes static on the mic.
“Slab?!” Jaszmine shouts, “Slab, do you read me?”
E4 watches the smoke billow off the AC. For a moment, he thinks Slab may be down, but her AC groans to life. Slab sits up in her AC, though the powerful pilebunker doesn’t come with her. The heavy arm collapses into a heap of metal beside her, shoulder sparking with exposed wires.
Strudel stares at E4, the machine’s eyes meeting his own.
“Good move,” she says, “You win this one, Slab.”
E4 doesn’t answer her. He braces as she stands, but she doesn’t attack again.
“ConVex is close. Get out of there,” Jaszmine says; Strudel hums an acknowledgment before boosting away, making a quick escape.
“Sorry I couldn’t be there to support you. ConVex needed me at another spaceport,” Scard’s voice comes in over the comms, cheerful as ever, “Not that you needed me! You handled that fight like a pro! I caught some of the tail end of it, you were all like boom! and pow! and the fight was over!”
E4 doesn’t say anything, but by the shifting noise he can hear over Scard’s mic, he thinks the man may be reenacting the battle with more than just his sound effects.
“Those two were pretty determined, huh? But they were no match for you,” Scard says, delighted. “The true Slab, you are!”
‘The true Slab…’ Artyn repeats, ‘Y’know, Slab, that callsign of yours is pretty special. I can see why Strudel wanted it back so badly.’
E4 tilts his head, a silent confirmation he’s listening.
‘It’s got a long history, passed down from mercenary to mercenary, just like how you got it from Strudel.’ Artyn explains, ‘Generations of independent mercenaries, all known for fighting for what they believe in.’
“And me,” E4 says. Martyn laughs at that.
‘What, you don’t have a grand fight in you?’ Artyn asks.
“What was that?” Scard asks, almost on top of Artyn, cutting in before E4 can even think of an answer.
“Nothing, nothing,” E4 says.
Scard chuckles, “If you say so.”
When E4 doesn’t respond to that, Scard sighs.
“Well, I need to go. Someone has to tell ConVex about your win! As well as all those ships…” Scard says. He disconnects from the comm, leaving E4 with a cheerful “buh-bye!”
Elsewhere, in his own ship, Scard’s cheerful smile wavers, smoothing into something a little off. He opens another channel, still grinning wide.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Scard says, “There’s a lot more to my buddy than meets the eye.”