Part 5: Neo Sapiens       "They were here all right, and not too long ago by the look of it." Sean kicked the ashes of what had been a campfire. Sean and his squad had been tailing the escaped Neo band for a few days. This was the closest they had gotten to them yet. They had lead them on a merry little chase all over the mountain ranges of the Midwest. The mostly untamed wilderness offered numerous places for them to hide, but it was a finite area. Therefore it was only a matter of time until they caught up with them. "I got something!" called out Tanaka, "Four miles away, northeast of our position. Multiple heat signatures. Too many to be a coincidence." Sean hopped into his Police Enforcer E-Frame, "We've got them now! Lets move people!" * * *       Nara found herself sitting on her bed again, holding floppy, again. She was gazing out the window lost in thought when there was a knock at the door. She put the bunny under the bed before responding, "Come in." The door opened and in stepped Kaz Takagi, "Sorry to bother you Lieutenant, but I need to talk to you." Nara motioned to a chair, "Of course, sit down. How are you holding up?" "As well as can be expected" replied Kaz. "How are you?" Nara shrugged her shoulders, "They didn't find anything with all those tests, at least not anything that I didn't already know. Right now their just trying to figure out what Ketzer injected me with." "It was a retrovirus, you knew that." noted Kaz. "Yeah, I know. But, I don't know what that retrovirus was made from. That is what they are trying to figure out." pointed out Nara. "Oh, still it must be nice to be immortal. Knowing that nothing can kill you, it must take the edge off going into battle." said Kaz. Nara suddenly looked troubled, "I - I can't believe that. I won't believe that. Everyone dies, Kaz, I guess I'm just a bit harder to kill than most. I mean, I'm sure that if my e-frame went up that would be the end of me, just as it is for everyone else. But we're not here to talk about me, are we?" Kaz nodded in affirmation, "I want to leave the squad, Lieutenant." Nara kept her expression and face neutral, "You're a good pilot, Kaz. I would rather not loose you. Is there a reason you want out?" Kaz again nodded his head, "I want to go back to the academy and finish what I started." Nara thought over the request for a moment before answering, "Look if this is about what happened to Ellen..." Kaz interrupted her with a wave of his hand, "Its not about Ellen. I'm doing this for myself. Its time I stopped acting like some punk kid and learned to handle some responsibility. Ellen helped me realize that when she was with me. I realize that my timing isn't the best. But I know now that there will never be a right time for this, there is only now." Nara had never seen Kaz so serious, so determined, so...mature. She stood and extended her hand, "Good Luck, Cadet." * * *       The former members of Delta squad gathered around a small bulletin board in hanger 7. Their training was complete and squad assignments had finally been posted. Worthington, Remes, and Erikson stood in the back of the crowd, awaiting their turn to see the list. Sterling got to the hanger a bit late. As he entered, a number of his former squad mates brought their two forefingers to their temple in a mock salute. They had started doing that after the asteroid belt adventure. Since he wasn't really an officer, they weren't supposed to salute him. Out of respect for his actions in the asteroid belt, they had adopted the two-fingered salute. Sterling didn't really want the attention, but it would be improper to spur their token of respect. So he returned the salute with a simple nod of the head. As he reached the back of the line, his three friends gave him the usual salute. "So where are all of you going?" he asked. "Still waiting to find out." replied Erikson. They spoke for a bit more, mostly about nothing, until the line cleared. "I do believe you can find out now" said Sterling as he pointed to the list. "I can't believe how nervous I am." commented Worthington. "Its only a squad assignment. It not like we're going into a battle." quipped Erikson. He strode boldly over to the list, pretending not to care where he was assigned. He found his name and read the squad name beside it. He returned to the group with a big smile on his face. "I'm a member of Able Squad! You know the guys that brought down Phaeton!" he said excitedly. "Um, good for you" said Sterling dryly. "Haven't you ever heard of them, Sterling?" asked Remes. "I can't say that I have." replied Sterling. "Its probably better that way. You won't look like a hero worshiping idiot when you meet them." noted Worthington. Unable to contain her curiosity, she and Remes made their way over to the list. As they walked away, Sterling asked that they look up his assignment for him. They returned a moment later. "Guess we're all stuck together" said Worthington. "Why do you say that?" asked Sterling. "We're all going to Able Squad!" * * *       "Tanaka, Madison, Marsala, check the group to the North. Hanley, you're with me. We're going to check out the group to the East." ordered Sean. "Are you sure that is wise, Mr. Napier?" asked Marsala. "Its a small group. If it is the rogue Neos, we shouldn't have any problems holding them off until you get there. And for God's sake Marsala, would it kill you to call me Sean?" "Sorry, old habits die hard." responded Marsala. Eve and Sean broke to the right and headed for the mountain range there. Marsala and the others continued to their destination. Sean had to admit, it was weird how the Neos seemed to split into two groups as they got closer. However, they were on the run, that made them desperate and breaking up into smaller groups did increase the chance that at least some of them got away. Eve pulled along side of Sean, "I hope this is it. I've already had enough of this." "Miss quality time with Wolf?" inquired Sean. Bronski had come to earth to recuperate from his recent injuries. He wanted to use the opportunity to spend time with Eve. So he asked if he could stay with her. But as soon as he had moved in, she was called away for the mission. "Is that so wrong? You know people do spend time with those they care about. Hell, some of us even talk without arguing." Eve's aerial assault frame was a little out in front of Sean, so he couldn't look her in the eye. A fortunate happenstance for Eve, since the look on his face could have killed a Neo Lord at 20 paces. "Are you trying to say something, Eve?" "Its been a while since the war ended, maybe you should give her a call. You know, try and see if you can come to an understanding?" ventured Eve. "Amanda and I have nothing to say to each other." said Sean dryly. "How can you say that when you haven't spoken to her since the war ended? I know you think about her, why else do you keep her picture on your desk?" asked Eve. "It makes a lovely conversation piece." said Sean sarcastically. "You can pretend not to care but that won't make the feelings go away. You've changed since the war. What makes you think she didn't?" persisted Eve. "She's stubborn that way." remarked Sean. "Did you know she spent the last half of the war in a Neo prison camp?" Sean's eyes widened. He didn't know that. The thought of her at the hands of some Neo prison guard was a bit much for him to think about at the moment. He hit his boosters and rocketed ahead of Hanley. "Lets just focus on the mission, Okay?" "Whatever you say, Sean" responded Eve. As they approached the target site, Sean checked his sensors. Nothing was moving. That's odd they must have seen us coming. Why aren't they running for it? They brought their frames along side the valley wall, eying what was transpiring below. "Eve, does this strike you as odd? Eve!!!" Sean looked to her left as a Neo Lord dropped onto the back of her frame. Sean turned to shoot him off only to have one drop on his frame as well. "Its a trap! Call for help!" Sean screamed. It was too late. He heard his antenna get ripped from its base and saw Hanley's meet a similar fate. The one on Hanley planted a bomb under her wing and flew off her. She tried to swat it off, but it was too late. The explosion blew the wing off and damaged one of her engines. Her frame went down in flames, finally impacting the valley floor. "Eve!!!!!!" Sean screamed. "Better to worry about yourself human" a voice said. Suddenly a clawed hand punched its way into his cockpit. It grabbed him by the throat and began to squeeze. Sean was already finding it difficult to breath. He started to spin the frame around in an attempt to throw the Neo Lord off. The Neo Lord lost his balance and was thrown forward onto the canopy. Sean eyed the wall visible behind behind the Neo, If I'm going to go, I'm taking you with me! He hit the boosters and smashed his frame into the valley wall. The Neo Lord was pressed into the cockpit and against Sean. It howled in pain as pieces of the canopy embedded itself into his chest. The impact knocked Sean unconscious. Without a pilot, the frame's thrusters shut down. It fell down the valley wall tumbling and scrapping as it went. The Neo Lord was ripped from the cockpit, his left arm severed at the shoulder, and he continued his own descent alone. He was dead long before he hit bottom. Sean's frame continued to fall all the way until it hit the valley floor. It landed canopy up on a rock formation but did not explode. * * *       "Are you sure this is wise?" asked Sterling. "Relax" assured Erikson "This is how exofleet personnel celebrate their new assignments." "By getting drunk?" said Sterling with a cock of the eyebrow. "Loosen up! Its tradition!" said Worthington, giving him a tap of the elbow. "I just want to be sure that you realize we are on the pirate home world getting drunk. I have heard they get quite agitated when they drink." explained Sterling. "Hey, it was the closest bar." said Remes with a smile. Sterling looked at the establishment he found himself in. It was a good sized bar with a few tables and a dancing floor. A single music machine played what was obviously ancient terran music from the corner opposite the bar. It was crowded, mostly with pirates, but with some exofleet personnel as well. Some people were dancing while others just drank and carried on. "What is this music called again?" asked Sterling. "The bartender said he got it years ago off from a customer that raided an antiques freighter. The style of music is called 'Heavy Metal', though others later referred to as 'Industrial'. I think the band is called Nine Inch Nails." explained Mack. "Talk about your weird names" commented Susan. "I like it!" said Stan. "You would." commented Mack. "It does have a beat" noted Susan. "Let's see if you can dance to it, hmmm?" Stan extended his hand. Sue gave a lopsided grin and took it. They headed for the dance floor.       "Come on, Nara, loosen up!" said Rita as she clapped her on the shoulder. "We came here to blow off steam, remember?" "Yes, I remember." said Nara as she sipped her ice water. "At least order a real drink." pleaded Rita. "I don't drink, Rita. Besides I'm having fun." answered Nara. "Yeah, careful there or you might actually smile." taunted Rita. Rita turned to survey the crowd, "Maybe if you found someone to talk to, of the masculine persuasion perhaps?" hinted Rita. Nara didn't say anything, just looked blankly at the crowd. Rita was worried about her. That was the point of coming to the surface of Chaos. To give her a chance to have some fun. Ever since the patrols out of Chaos had spotted the last Alien ship fleeing into deep space, all front line terran forces had been stationed there. That meant Able Squad was there, or what was left of it. Kaz left for the academy. Thrax preferred to stay on the ship. J.T. was off somewhere with Colleen. Alec was maintaining his usual vigil over Maggie. That left just her and Nara with nothing to do. So here they were, drinking the night away at a table in some sleazy bar on Chaos. Rita's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed Nara staring at someone at the bar. She leaned over to get a better look. He was about six feet tall with brown hair. He was wearing a blue jacket and was very well built. "He's cute. Why don't you go talk to him?" offered Rita. Nara blushed a little, "No, I couldn't do that!" "Why not? You lead one of the most decorated exosquads in the whole exofleet. You saved your squad from certain death by the hands of Barca. Hell, you fired the shot that stopped Phaeton's clock! If you can do all that, why can't you go over there and talk to him?" reasoned Rita. "I just...don't want to. That's all." Nara took another sip of water. Rita spotted Jared Mathison over near the bar, "Okay fine, do what you want. But try to have some fun, alright?" Nara nodded her head, "Don't worry about me. Where are you going?" Rita smiled, "To see a friend." Nara watched her walk over to Jared. He greeted her warmly. They talked and laughed. They truly seemed to enjoy each other's company. Maybe I should have talked to him. thought Nara. "Hey pretty, wanna play?" A large bearded pirate sat next to Nara and put an arm around her. He smelled of booze, was overweight, and just generally repulsive. "Not with you." she said dryly. She grabbed his hand and gave it a hearty squeeze. The pirate yelped in pain and removed his arm. "I won't be treated like that by a woman!" he said as he stood and readied to attack her. That's when someone intervened, "Can't we talk about this?"       "You can't be serious." said Sterling. "I'm telling you, that blond over there was checking you out. She's interested." insisted Mack. "Interested in what?" asked Sterling. "Are you human?" Sterling's eyes widened and he suddenly got very nervous. "She's attracted to you, wants to get to know you. Get the idea?" Mack finished off his drink and ordered another. Sterling, in the meantime, calmed down. He glanced at the table Mack had mentioned. There was a blond haired woman sitting at it. That was for sure. He entertained the idea of speaking to her but dismissed it almost immediately. Not a good idea. he thought. Mack gave him a nudge and pointed to her, "Looks like she's having a little trouble." A drunk pirate sat next to her and was harassing her. "I'm sure she can handle it." Sterling finished his ice water and put down the glass. "Well if you're not going to take the opportunity, then I will." He walked over to the table. Sterling followed him discretely. Sterling managed to pick up some of the conversation. "Can't we talk about this?" asked Mack. "There's nothin' to talk 'bout," mumbled the pirate, "this 'ere wench has dishonored me." "Well I'm sure she had some reasons. Why don't I buy you a drink and we'll call it even, huh?" Mack stood with his hands open stretched out in front of him. In other words, the perfect target for a shot to the jaw. The pirate cocked his arm to deliver the blow, but Sterling caught his elbow from behind. "He's not worth it. The young lady does not want your company. I suggest you leave." Sterling eyed him and let go of his arm. The pirate did what came natural. He took a swing at Sterling. Sterling didn't bother to move. He took the punch, full force. It turned his head sideways and a number of onlookers stopped to see what would happen next. Sterling lazily brought his head forward, half smiled at the pirate, and asked, "Is that all you've got?" To the surprise of Nara and Mack, the pirate burst out laughing. "I guess 'ere's some real men in exofleet after all!" He gave Sterling a hearty clap on the shoulder and moved on, laughing all the way. Mack looked at him, "So is saving me just a hobby, or part of the job for you?" "Are you all right?" asked Nara. Sterling looked down at her, "Perfectly fine. Thank you for asking." Sterling turned to talk to Mack, but found him already gone. Now where did he go? "Why don't you have a seat?" asked Nara as she pushed out a chair with her foot. Oh, why not? thought Sterling and he sat down:       "My name is Nara. You got a name or should I call you 'iron jaw'?"       "Sterling is my name."       "I meant a first name."       "No one ever asked about my first name."       "Then I'm happy to be the first."       "If you say so."       "So what is it?"       "What is what?"       "What is your first name?"       Sterling smiled, "My name is Sterling." Nara smiled back, "Well that was a complete waste of time. So, Sterling, thanks for your help. I really appreciated it." A waiter came over to the table and placed a drink in front of each of them. "These are from the guy at the bar over there, he said you'd understand." Sterling and Nara looked over to see their pirate 'friend' toasting them. "I guess we should show our gratitude." offered Sterling. "But I don't - Ah, the hell with it - Bottom's up!" She swallowed the drink down, as did Sterling. Both made some odd faces for a bit. "I think I liked that" said Sterling. Nara nodded in agreement "Me too, let's have another." * * *       Tanaka brought his samurai e-frame in for a landing. Marsala, J.J., and Jinx were already through scouting the area. Tanaka got out of his frame, "Aerial circle showed me nothing. It's like they just vanished." "It was all an elaborate trap" announced Marsala. "But what for?" asked J.J., "They send us on a wild goose chase, only to come up with a bunch of holo-decoys the Neos weren't even supposed to have. In the meantime, Sean and Eve are attacked and, well..." "They are not dead." noted Marsala. "That's good that you think that way Marsala, but we've got two wreaked e-frames that argue otherwise." noted Madison. "We have two e-frames, not two bodies." countered Marsala, "Phaeton most likely had numerous weapon bunkers made during the war. It is possible that they found one of those bunkers and are exploiting its contents." "That would explain the projectors." said J.J. "Such a bunker would also make an effective base of operations." continued Marsala. Tanaka broke in, "Wait! Let me guess. Phaeton lacks imagination, so they would use the bunker as a base, right?" Marsala looked puzzled, "Well, yes, but how did you know..." "That you were going to say that?" finished Tanaka, "You begin almost every sentence you say about Phaeton that way." "I never realized. I'll try to avoid that in the future. Anyway, as I was saying, since we have no definite proof Sean and Eve are dead, we must assume that they are still alive." stated Marsala. "Yeah, but where are they?" asked Jinx. "That I do not know. But if we return to base, we can search the Neo computer banks for a clue, and gather a division of jumptroops." said Marsala. "That could take weeks," moaned Peter, "that database is huge." "I am aware of that. But if I know Sean, he will find a way to point us in the right direction." On to Part 6