Strat-4 Chpt-44

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==Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!) - Part 4 - Chapter 44 - Showtime and Showdown Part 2==
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===Pains of survival===
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The human body…
…has limits it rarely has to actually meet. <God this hurts, Desmond.> Her broken fingers worked with her undamaged hand, stuffing her insides back inside. <How am I staying conscious again?>
<Traumas, and me,> the Patchwork Soldier explained. <I'm going to have to change the bag of blood supplement, and we're going to add some stimulants and fortifiers to the IV pack.>
"Probably should've kept some of them alive," Amanda muttered. "To help with this?"
<Too risky.>
“Self applying first aid is a bitch.”
<Hopefully after today, we won’t have to keep self-applying first aid.>
"Guffney's deposed his queen…" Amanda distracted her conscious mind while Desmond ran her body through the patch-job. "...there's got to be an angle we can use, right?"
<She has a Desmond unit.> 
"Yeah, you showed me. The numbers don't make sense, you told me 191 was in Stone's group and from Jocasta's reign."
<The numbering is non-sequential after my creation. 194 was one of the last ones made, it has all the safety features the development team came up with after I went… rogue, but a better processor. Helena's AI, Simon, is one step older-fewer safety interlocks, more processing power free to use. But it also leans more heavily on the organic. Breathe out.>
"The first duty of a prisoner…<is to escape>...so which way out of this maze… we should've kept one of them alive, Desmond."
<A small inconvenience, made necessary by the conditions.>
"Yeah… great. I bet they didn't even leave me an elevator." She stopped long enough to steal some clothes from the recently departed. She had to forego underwear, but the utility fatigues came with a belt that she could cinch until the waist actually held, and aside from blood stains, the shirts and tunic were mostly intact enough.
Shoes, however, were not going to be possible. "This is going to suck." She pulled her fingers straight. "This is going to HURT."
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===Unexpected Captives===
The next defended point…
…on the way down, was held by a squad of men in Standard Infantry kit. Seron alone could burn through them with his rifle… and he did.
The chamber they were guarding revealed something else.
"Markov, Schwartz! Check them over!!"
The boys were young, and frightened. The oldest, a ten year old, held up a laser pistol in shaking hands, eyes wide.
"Either shoot, boy or lay it down." Seron commanded.
The boy knelt down, and laid the pistol on the deck, revealing it to be little more than a target sportsman's toy, not even dangerous to an unarmored man. A 'weapon-like-device' made to make neat holes in paper targets for the training of youth, or the amusement of elders.
"What's your name, boy?" he asked.
"S-Si-simon-n-n Ca-Ca-Ca-Cameron!", young boy stuttered
"You're the oldest?" Seron knelt to bring his armored face to the boy's eye level.
"Y-ye-yes!"
"Well, you are also the smartest, Simon." Seron reached into his mission compartment, and pulled out something he hadn't carried on a mission since… for a long time. "Right wrist, Simon…" he said. "This… is so you're kept safe. You're a bondsman of Clan Snow Raven now, Simon." He turned to glance behind them. "Where's your mother?"
"Th-th-the-they w-w-wo-won't t-t-tell m-m-m-me!!" the boy stammered.
"Well, we'll try to take her alive then. Markov, take these boys to the shuttle. Phipps and Stringer, go with the Corpsman and the children. See that nothing happens to them."
"Aye, sir!!"
"Search this level, the children were hostage here, someone knows something." Seron ordered.
Someone always knows something.
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===Reminder be ready for the Prom===
"Get them moved to…
…the Sparks. It's the most secure location we can keep those kids!" David Foster ordered. "I guarantee none of Murakami's people is going to have a grudge or want them as leverage, and Morgan has space aboard for visitors."
"You're not trusting your own people?"
"I trust them… to a point. It's good politics to give one of Murakami's ships an important and prestigious assignment… And if anyone biological shows up who is not one of those kids, Johnny can do something about it faster than we can afford to." Foster explained. "No false positives, see?"
“So it is.” Billie nodded.
"Can you contact Helena's team yet?" he asked.
“Relay is online. Patching you through.” Billie answered.
"Hi Helena, this is going to be short. We have recovered three royal sons of Katrin. I have had them forwarded to the SLS Sparks for safekeeping. If you bump into their mum, you can let her know."
<<“Good. I’m almost to their command bunker. Their systems are so wide open I’ve got her location but it looks to be a secure holding area to me, so she’s staying put until after I meet with my date.”>>
"Just remember to wear protection, Helena. You never know what kind of crap a date like that has or wants to give you." Dave said sardonically. "I recommend full body, just in case you were wondering."
<<“Something tells me I’m going to lose the deposit on my dress.”>> Helena chuckled.
"Just don't let him step on your shoes, and watch the punchbowl. I am told Proms in this neighborhood get a bit wild. Stay safe."
<<“You too, Foster. We got an entire bar to shut down when this is done. You, me, Amanda, and all the crews.”>>
"Rajah dat. Foster out." 
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===Going down the hardway===
The elevator shaft…
…opened going up, but not down. Amanda started climbing. The wobble and hobble of the blood-bags wrapped in pressure sleeve and held on by rigging tape was irritating. Almost as much as trying to favor two broken fingers on the rungs of the service ladder.
She didn't know or notice the movement in the other shaft, as a car descended.
<Rest at the next doorway, you're running out of adrenaline,> Desmond told her. <I can only overdrive you so far.>
"Right," she huffed. "What's on that level?"
<Command and control stations, and a brig area.>
"Oh fun…" she steeled herself and kept climbing, leaving wet, bloody footprints and handprints in her wake.
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===Introductions and consequences===
The relay dropped…
…a few seconds before the lift doors opened. Helena stepped out into an immaculate, and largely empty, corridor. <Simon, this isn't what this area should look like.>
<I know. Where’s the guard force? Administrative personnel?>
“Hello? I’d like to register a complaint about the service at this establishment. Where’s your manager?” Helena tried the suit speaker.
<Automatic tracking, looks like millimeter wave radar… and I turned it off.,> Simon told her. <There are five heat signatures the system identifies… and hello, Flynn!>
An elevator door opened jerkily, and…
"Amanda!!" Helena yelled
"Oh hey, I thought I'd have to walk home and… I'm really very tired." The girl tumbled to the floor, breaking a blood-bag and making a mess on the polished marble.
“Hold on.” Helena dashed over to Amanda as fast as she could.
<She's in bad shape, Simon. My host is in BAD shape… watch out behind you!> Desmond warned
A man in SLDF General Officer's uniform, but with too much gold braiding and a chest full of medals stepped out with a Mauser 960. "That's far enough!! I'm General of the Army Felix Montgomery Edward Guffney, you're with the Colonist forces? Because if you are, I’ve got a prisoner you want in here!"
Amanda moved. "He's not really surrendering." she said, her unbroken left hand snaking out, putting a single hole through the man's forehead, before collapsing. The laser pistol falling to the floor. ******."
“I knew. You could have let me handle him. You need to stop exerting yourself. I better start doing what I can while Simon gets our relay back.” Helena started frantically working to buy Seron and his team precious moments.
She was silent, unconscious.
<Desmond? DESMOND!!!> Simon's tone was frantic.
"What's wrong?" 
<She's out and so is her Desmond unit!!> Simon seemed astonished. <That’s not supposed to HAPPEN!!>
“Then focus on getting that relay up. There’s only so much I can do without a proper medbay.” Helena refused to stop.
<Right. Getting the relay back.>
The snap of the relay coming back online was welcome as Helena was quickly approaching the limits of what she could do.
“Mister Seron, I’ve found our girl. She’s in a bad way. Sending you routing information. Get here on the double.” Helena kept the panic from her voice as best she could.
((”On my way!”)) came the response.
Helena looked at Amanda. She didn’t want to leave her but everything she could do with the supplies on hand had been done.
Helena wasn’t sure if she could call what Amanda was right now stable, let alone alive. But there was now another presence that demanded her attention.
“You. You’re not a Colonist are you? At least not a typical one. Who are you?” came a feminine voice.
“Me? To some I’m the Eternal Princess. Others the Ageless Spacer. To you, I am Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Auntie Helena Cameron, Seventh First Lord of the Star League.” Helena stood and faced the new arrival, noting a mangled left hand on the tall blonde woman.
“You really are aren’t you? Somehow despite how ridiculous as your claims sound, they are true. We both have the same enhancement, and mine confirms you are who you say you are just by your voice.”
“Katrin is it? Your children are safe. We’re doing everything we can to keep that true.”
“Leverage. You intend to keep them hostage. Smart.”
“Let’s just cut to the chase then. You’ll give the stand down order. I know it won’t stop all the fighting, but it’ll help. Then as the leader of your nation, you’ll have to stand trial for the crimes of your nation. It will be as fair of a trial as can be arranged. If it were up to just me, I’d put you on the path of redemption of being a simple farmer raising her sons. Letting you disappear into anonymity.”
“But it isn’t up to just you, is it?” Katrin looked at the floor.
“No. Here’s the good news. No one wants your nation to implode from this. There’s a lot of vested interest in making sure it doesn’t become another series of petty bandit kingdoms. Towards that end, Elizabeth is coming back to take over for a while. Don’t worry, she doesn’t intend to stay in charge any longer than she has to, and she knows she has to do things differently this time.”
“I don’t have a lot of room for negotiation do I? At least there will be a Cameron at the end of the puppet strings.”
“The Raven Alliance will be nothing more than trading partners and a stabilizing element. Ghost Bear, Jade Falcon, and Wolf will be going home with lots of notes and experience in conducting large scale wars far from home. Maybe a few interesting trinkets and some other tribute for their war efforts, but they have no interest in ruling over a region of space so far from their holdings. Sea Fox will likely make my sister some deals she can’t refuse, to pay back war support. But no, no one will be her master. Your nation will recover. It will be a long and difficult path, and there will likely be setbacks. But it will recover. No one wants to do this again in a generation, maybe two.”
“You are a naive, idealistic fool, but I have little choice but to accept all that you are saying. For the sake of my nation, its people, and most importantly my sons, I make myself your prisoner.”
“Maybe I am.” Helena told her many times removed niece
“Human nature will never change, Helena Cameron.”, Katria said
“Perhaps not, but if we don’t try, we’ll never know.”
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===Warm Greeting===
The order…
…went out. There were still those who held out, and would likely continue to do so for a long time to come, but the war was over.
Helena had now changed from Battle Armor to her favorite formal dress.
Vicky came up to her, turned her around and kissed her passionately.
“Don’t do that to me again.” Vicky said as she finally broke the kiss.
“Vicky…”, Helena began
“I know. You’ll never feel about me like I feel about you. Your heart belongs to Leon and I’m happy for you.”
“You’ve been keeping that repressed for a long time haven’t you?” Helena looked the AI remote in the eyes.
“Yes. I’ll understand if this makes things too awkward between us and you wish to travel on another vessel.”
“Vicky, if I’m honest with myself I think I’ve always known. But I like guys, and well, you’re like a sister to me after everything we’ve been through together. Maybe that’s why I trust no one more to keep me safe. So you, me, Leon, and my kids are just going to have to figure this out. Now I have to fix my makeup and get to a peace conference.”
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