The mercs not involved with the discussion tensed. Annie\u2019s features hardened whilst Thad and Parkinson began to mutter quietly to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat ain\u2019t New Dawn\u2019s way of doin\u2019 things and you know it!\u201d the Texan butted in, \u201cthey go after folks they deem evil and they show their working. If it were New Dawn doin\u2019 this then they\u2019d have filmed a full confession and shown it to everyone on the planet by now! There\u2019s no way Salmanic would\u2019ve been able to sweep it under the carpet as well as they have!\u201d she had cleared the gap between herself and Harper, preparing to square off against the scouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy Stone, I had no idea you knew about the inner workings and motivations of terrorist movements! So glad you\u2019re here to set me straight!\u201d Harper sarcastically replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh ain\u2019t an expert, ah just pay attention to the news rather than just assuming the first straw ah grasped will be the answer!\u201d Annie shot back, clearly losing her temper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh you little bi-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOI! We\u2019re supposed to be professionals, right? Let\u2019s act like it!\u201d Doug interrupted, \u201cI don\u2019t know much about New Dawn but I know enough to think Annie\u2019s right about the way they work. The news feeds would\u2019ve been full of images of exploding pipelines if they were the ones behind these attacks,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019re some kinda New Dawn sympathiser, Doug,\u201d Harper\u2019s nose wrinkled as she surveyed the bloke before her. Doug shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNew Dawn\u2019s all political and I don\u2019t follow the stuff. Seems to me it all boils down to two different sides of a room yellin\u2019 insults at each other and I haven\u2019t got time for that \u2013 not without some beers and the promise that I\u2019ll get to throw a punch at someone at some point. All I know is that I heard a Dark Worlder insult on that video and that makes me think the people we\u2019re after are doing this \u2018cus they\u2019re sympathetic to the people the planet\u2019s at war with rather than this being a bunch of local terrorists blowing shit up because they want \u2013 what? Less privatisation and more health care? Blowing up the power lines ain\u2019t a step in that direction,\u201d reasoned Doug. Blaise coughed awkwardly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe could just watch the rest of the video. See if the cyborg got a good look at his assailants?\u201d she suggested. Everyone turned to the Salmanic employee who was still holding his digibook. He glanced down at the video and started to rewind back to where they had stopped watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe has a point, there\u2019s another ten minutes of footage here,\u201d he admitted. The mercs began to crowd around the tiny screen, Gratin being the only one to hang back. He had taken to observing Blaise throughout the previous exchange. She had renewed her interest in Doug the moment New Dawn had been mentioned, examining his reactions meticulously. His thoughts on the organisation had been of great interest to her, a detail Gratin had found very curious indeed. He stored this titbit away for later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cyborg had indeed survived when his assailants opened fire. His friend hadn\u2019t, another name disappearing from the chat log shortly after the bullets began to fly. The Cyborg had hit the dirt and had taken cover behind a rock. A compartment opened up in his artificial hip to reveal a sizeable pistol which the Cyborg snatched up. He took a deep breath and popped up from his cover, preparing to open fire on his attackers. He hadn\u2019t been expecting one of them to be waiting on the other side of the rock for him.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"That](\"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cyborg-memory.png\")
<\/a>\u201cPause it there!\u201d Thad demanded, Mickey the Salmanic employee doing as he was told. The video froze on the image of the attacker\u2019s head grinning at the startled Cyborg. It was humanoid in shape but there was something distinctly alien about it, as if a sculptor had attempted to replicate a human head but had been fuzzy on what scale the features were supposed to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eyes and ears were too large. The eyes dominated the top half of the face and were easily twice the size of a humans\u2019. Annie and Tupper both glanced towards Gratin, clearly wondering if his eyes were the same size. His mask\u2019s glass eyes were overly large but they had assumed that it was a stylistic choice. Now they were wondering if that was actually the size of his natural eyes. Gratin grunted and turned away, resuming his inspection of their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, that doesn\u2019t look like a member of New Dawn,\u201d Doug summarised as he puffed away on his cigarette, \u201cNot that I\u2019ve ever met anyone from New Dawn mind you but I\u2019m pretty sure that they don\u2019t recruit Dark Worlders and that\u2019s definitely a Dark Worlder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harper grunted and muttered something inaudible under her breath. Annie grinned and put an arm around the scouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be too upset sugah, ah\u2019m sure at some point we\u2019ll find you a genuine New Dawner for you to fight and we\u2019ll all have a laugh. Just \u2019cus you were dead wrong don\u2019t mean ya\u2019ll have to sulk about it!\u201d Harper surveyed the blonde for a moment and then broke into a grin of her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh I\u2019m sure that\u2019ll be a hoot. I can hardly wait. Dark Worlders are meant to be tough bastards though, right? Who\u2019s to say we\u2019re all going to come out of this in one piece?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh didn\u2019t take you for the pessimistic sort, Harp,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not. I\u2019m just worried that a delicate lady like you won\u2019t be able to keep up with the rest of us, luv,\u201d Harper grinned wickedly at the blonde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh\u2019d worry less about lil\u2019 old me and more about yerself, sugah,\u201d Annie grinned back just as wickedly, \u201cif you\u2019re this slow on the uptake then ah\u2019d hate to see you struggling with something really dangerous,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tension in the atmosphere was heightened as the two women leered at each other, the two looking for an excuse to deck the other. Thad coughed, drawing their attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs good as it is to see you ladies getting along, I think it\u2019s time to make a plan. I\u2019d say it\u2019s best we learn as much as we can about these Dark Worlders. Annabelle, sweetheart, perhaps you could go through the footage again and see if there is anything in there that may shed some light on how these bastards fight?\u201d He suggested. Annie nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSure thing, sweetie-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll help,\u201d Harper cut in, \u201ctwo eyes are better than one and all that. I might spot something you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy you-\u201d Annie began only to spot the stern expression on her other half\u2019s face. She took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at Harper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy thank you Jess, your help will be mightily appreciated,\u201d her voice sounded strained but Harper ignored it and took the tablet from the technician, resetting the footage to an earlier part in the fight and making herself comfortable on a rock to watch it. Annie grudgingly joined her. Thad nodded and turned to Doug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMcCracken, you better give me a history lesson on your previous skirmishes with the Dark Worlders during your stint in the PSF. Any info on the tactics they generally used, abilities and so on will be helpful. We\u2019ll need as much of an edge as we can get,\u201d he said. Doug thought of this and nodded. The fact that Thad had designated himself as leader of their rag-tag little group irked him, but Doug could see sense in what he was saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSure thing. I gotta lot of stories to tell,\u201d he agreed. Thad found a place to sit next to the women but paused when he noticed the expression of disapproval on Blaise\u2019s face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI take it there won\u2019t be no objections to my chattin\u2019 with your pals?\u201d Thad\u2019s voice oozed with sarcasm. Blaise was aware that everyone\u2019s attention was gravitating to her now, a knot forming in her stomach as she considered arguing her point and what Doug\u2019s inevitable reaction would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo what you want. I\u2019m going to help Gratin look around,\u201d she eventually said, feigning disinterest and walking off to find Gratin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll join you,\u201d Parkinson piped up, following her, \u201cI doubt I\u2019m going to be all that useful around here anyway,\u201d Blaise merely shrugged at him and allowed him to fall into step beside her as they approached the mage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gentleman waited for Doug to make himself comfortable, lighting up a cigarette and offering the pack to the soldier in an effort to be friendly. Doug eyed the packet, shrugged and accepted one of the offered little black sticks, using the dying stub he had been previously smoking to light the new one. Thad let out an amused chuckle as he observed Doug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s an odd habit ya got there, pal. Don\u2019t you have a lighter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, but I tend to just use it for emergencies. It\u2019s a habit I picked up from Galvison,\u201d explained Doug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou mentioned that name earlier. Close friends, were you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was like a big brother to me. We met in the PSF, took me under his wing. Taught me damn near everything I know,\u201d he was staring at the end of his smoking cigarette with a distant look in his eye, the stick resting between his index and middle fingers as he considered Thad\u2019s question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe musta been somethin\u2019 special, from what I\u2019ve seen and heard of you. What did you do for the PSF anyway? Grunt work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis and that. We got moved around a lot so we did a bit of everything to be honest. Piloting, infiltration, even a bit of trench warfare at one point,\u201d the soldier shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd that was all against the Dark Worlders?\u201d Thaddeus inquired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMostly, they were the priority after all, but every so often we\u2019d be sent off for something a bit more special. The PSF earns its money by renting out the troops and the war with the Dark Worlders is just a freebie,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot including donations from big business here on Lusinia, of course,\u201d Thad pointed out casually, examining Doug closely as he took a long drag from his own cigarette. Doug once again shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t know much about that side of it to be honest. The accountants and marketing guys are a whole separate beast, the Commander being the only one who dealt with them directly. They just send down the client\u2019s orders and we get to work,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou and your squad? Or do you all just work as one big army?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDepends on the job usually. Eventually me and Galvi got to pick a squad to work with permanently on special operations. There was us, Elvito and Wiggins, plus a few guys that got transferred in or out of the squad depending on what was needed for whatever mission we were about to be sent off on,\u201d Doug smiled to himself, reminiscing over times long passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cElvito was the heart and soul of the group. Gentle giant bear of a man, was always mothering us. Loved big guns and gave them all cute nick-names but my gods was he terrifying when he got angry. Wiggins was a tiny bloke who was good at scout work. Really nippy and had sticky fingers. He once blew up an entire enemy platoon with their own explosives without them even realising he had ever been there. Regularly drank all of us under the table. One hell of a guy,\u201d he laughed. Thad couldn\u2019t help but notice there was a hint of sadness behind Doug\u2019s words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou must miss\u2019em,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMmm. But you didn\u2019t wanna hear about my old mates, did you? You wanna know about our fights with the Dark Worlders,\u201d Doug straightened himself up, leaning forward on his perch on the rocky outcrop and inserting the cigarette into his mouth to take a drag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, we probably should stay on topic. What can you tell me?\u201d agreed the Gentleman, steepling his fingers over his cane and resting his chin on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a few things you should know. They\u2019re big on honour, believing that there should be rules in combat. You know, gentlemen\u2019s rules. That kinda thing. They get real pissed off if you try an\u2019 fight dirty,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNoted, what else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMagic\u2019s a pretty big deal for them. Their whole society is built on the stuff. Sure, they have some tech but the stuff they use is modified or I guess you could say enchanted so it doesn\u2019t work the same as our stuff. Me and Galvi once tried to hijack one of their spacecraft just to find out you need an Air Mage to pilot the damn thing. There wasn\u2019t a steering column, just a sorta pod where the mage could integrate themselves with the ship\u2019s systems,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we should expect some form of sorcery? Besides the shielding spells?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPretty much. Most of the grunts we fought just had the occasional magic weapon; blades that could cut through damn near anything, bullets that could cast spells on impact, that sorta thing. If they could put a rune on it, they would and it\u2019d give them some kinda edge. They even put \u2018em on people to keep the soldiers fighting just that little longer than an unmarked guy would. Runes that dull pain, add stamina, that sorta thing. The higher up you get on the chain of command though, the more likely you are to find a real mage. Power and prestige is linked on the Dark Planet. A fully realised mage of grade six or higher usually wind up being generals or admirals,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo power buys power?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot exactly. It all comes down to the mage religion, Elementisim, doesn\u2019t it? Typically speaking, you gotta work to be good at magic and schools of magic tend to be linked to personalities and careers. If you\u2019re good at magic then you\u2019ll be good at the careers tied to it,\u201d Doug attempted to explain, selecting his words carefully as he tried to think of the best way to express his meaning, \u201cI\u2019m not an Elementist so I don\u2019t know the specifics \u2013 you\u2019d have to talk to Archie about that \u2013 but I think the main gist of it is all about balance and lots of little parts coming together to make one big one,\u201d he leant forward and began to draw in the sand with his index finger. What was known as an Element Wheel began to take form; a circle split into four inside another circle that was split into two. In each segment he wrote a letter; L, F, A on one side of the circles and D, W, E on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a>
He then pointed to the outer section labelled L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLight mages are closely linked with war and justice and all that so they make good soldiers,\u201d he then moved to point at the inner segment labelled F, \u201cFire mages are supposed to be passionate people that are good with cooking and metal work and the like so they wind up in careers linked to those skills,\u201d he then indicated the circles as a whole, \u201cThe other elements all got their own thing going on as well but all of them then come together to make life run smoothly. That\u2019s the Elementist creed as I understand it,\u201d Thad nodded in thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI gotta say, your fire mage pal doesn’t exactly strike me as the passionate sort,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, well Archie\u2019s kinda an oddball. I know a few people we\u2019ve met in the past assumed he was a water mage \u2018cus of his demeanour and were surprised when they learnt the truth. I know he studied with the fire mages at their monastery though, even worked for \u2018em for a spell, but we don\u2019t know much about him outside of that. He\u2019s damn good at fire magic though so maybe he\u2019s just got one hell of a poker face?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe. You\u2019ve given me a lot to think about anyway…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, well now it\u2019s my turn to ask you a question,\u201d Doug took another drag from his cigarette, smoke rising in front of his face and obscuring it as he breathed it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh yeah?\u201d Thad asked, off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019ve you got on Blaise?\u201d there was a stern expression set into Doug\u2019s features as he stared Thaddeus in the eye. The Gentleman stared blankly back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat makes ya ask that, pal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen the way she\u2019s acting around you. I\u2019m not a total idiot, mate. There\u2019s more to this whole situation then you\u2019re lettin\u2019 on,\u201d Doug took a drag from his cigarette, \u201cso I\u2019ll ask again; what are you holding over Blaise\u2019s head that\u2019s got her so worked up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs that really any of your business? What\u2019s it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my friend. We look out for each other. She\u2019d do the same thing if some asshat was tryin\u2019 to extort me. No offence,\u201d the soldier grinned at The Gentleman, teeth bared and brow low giving him an intimidating air. He was like a wolf stalking his prey, The Gentleman in his sights. Thad chewed on the end of his own cigarette thoughtfully as he reclined back on his rock, unperturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s real sweet. I gotta admit, she\u2019s been going a long way to try an\u2019 protect you. I get the feelin\u2019 she\u2019d do just about anythin\u2019 to keep you safe, Loverboy. Not too sure you\u2019re worth it myself. How much of your chequered past have you shared with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe knows all about me. I ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven all the stuff from your PSF days? I\u2019ll level with you, McCracken, I read up on you before approaching our mutual red-headed pal. Can\u2019t help but notice a lot of your career\u2019s been redacted. Especially your last mission on Jehoth IV. Makes me think you weren\u2019t just a soldier-\u201d Thad was cut off by Doug suddenly jumping to his feet in one deceptively fast motion. The next thing Thad knew, Doug\u2019s bionically-enhanced hand was wrapped around his throat. It occurred to The Gentleman that if Doug was so inclined, he could pop off his head like a champagne cork\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n