“And that’s everything,” Jane said, snapping Tenzin out of his reverie. “Any questions?”
Dammit…I wasn’t paying attention. Tenzin broke horse stance and began stretching out his arms. Better cover my tracks or she’ll bother me about it all day. “Just display the important details on my wall screen. I’ll read it while I dress.”
Jane’s face on the display broke into a wide smile. “Daydreaming already? Why have me explain it all if you aren’t even going to pay attention?”
Tenzin smiled, accepting Jane’s win. “Alright, Jane, you caught me. Fill me in on the important details one more time.”
Tenzin stepped up to the simplified mu ren zhuang he’d built and began a brief exercise routine, practicing the forms he’d learned as a child. His inattention earned a “Humph” from Jane, which Tenzin counted as a point.
“As I was saying,” Jane continued, “Oculus received a distress call this morning from the headman of Arkjut requesting an engineering team from Glaucus to come repair their damaged solar farms. There have been some reports of bandit sightings in the area, so Oculus recommended a field team accompany the engineers.”
Tenzin stopped his routine and walked over to his bunk. “Arkjut? That sounds familiar.” He rummaged through his cupboards for a moment, without success. “Didn’t we clear some raiders out of there a couple years back? And have you seen my suit?”
“You can remember missions from two years ago but not where you put your clothes?” Jane mocked. “It’s under your bed.”
“Thanks, Jane.” Tenzin got down on his knees and grabbed his jumpsuit, shaking it roughly as he stood up to clean the dust off. “I still don’t understand why they need us to go with. Glaucus teams are equipped with enough firepower to handle some measly bandits.”
Jane shrugged her shoulders on the screen. “Beats me. HQ is going with Oculus’ intel on this one.”
“More likely they’ve just decided that Glaucus’ engineers are more important to ‘the Cause’ then some armored grunts,” Tenzin said as he pulled his jumpsuit on. “Bunch of technocratic elitists.”
“You do realize that you have one of the most advanced artificial intelligences in existence at your beck and call?” Jane teased. “If that isn’t a sign of being technologically elite, I don’t know what his.”
Tenzin zipped up his jumpsuit and laughed. “You at my beck and call? Hardly. I’m lucky if you don’t lie to me about the weather just to see me carrying an umbrella on a sunny day.”
Jane giggled evilly. “That’s a good one!”
Tenzin shuddered internally. “Don’t even think about it, Jane.” He changed the topic abruptly before Jane got any other ideas. “Have you woken up the rest of the Keleres yet?”
“They’re heading to the cafeteria as we speak.”
Tenzin’s stomach growled, but he ignored it for the moment. “Ask Viktor to grab me something, will you? And patch the mission info into the suit. I’m heading to the barracks.”
Tenzin pulled his door open and stepped out into the hallway without waiting to hear Jane’s response. They teased each other constantly, but he knew he could count on her more than almost anyone else.
It made Tenzin wonder, as he jogged through the empty corridor, how close he’d grown to Jane. He’d been reticent enough at first when Glaucus had recruited him into Project Oracle. If the Commander hadn’t threatened to demote him he never would have gotten involved in the first place. At the time, Tenzin couldn’t see what use a digital personal assistant with an organic matrix, complex personality subroutines and more memory and processing power than a supercomputer would be besides a way for the higher-ups to micromanage him even more.
When they activated his “Oracle” and it asked him in its genderless, robotic voice to specify its “designation, personality and gender,” Tenzin nearly lost it. After a few choice words he told it that if it couldn’t make up its own mind then he certainly didn’t give a damn. Apparently the Glaucs in charge of the project had programmed the Oracle to deal with belligerent captains because it cursed right back at him.
Tenzin smiled at the memory. That certainly set the tone for our relationship. Jane had quickly decided on her own name and personality after her “absolute favorite fictional character.” That had surprised Tenzin at the time, who certainly hadn’t expected such attitude or conversation from a computer program.
Tenzin was very glad with how Jane had turned out though. Her complete lack of awe for Tenzin’s accomplishments and her ability to humble him verbally at any given moment actually allowed him to feel closer to her than he did to basically any of his men.
Tenzin slowed to a walk as he approached the Keleres’ barracks. The jog had accomplished what his hurried morning routine couldn’t; he finally felt alert and ready for the day. Stepping inside, Tenzin nearly bumped in to the Keleres’ mechanic and technician.
“Woah! Sorry there…” For the life of him, Tenzin could not remember the man’s name. Robert? Riley?
“Good morning, Captain Dorje!” the mechanic said enthusiastically. “Right this way.”
Tenzin followed the man silently to his armor station, his good mood quickly evaporating. Tenzin felt so awkward forgetting his name that he couldn’t say anything as he let his mechanic begin to attach the under-armor to his jumpsuit. Tenzin turned on the holo-display by the station and immersed himself in the mission file to escape the awkward silence.
Pulling up a map of the area, Tenzin began to plan for contingencies. Jane and Viktor both teased him about his tendency to over plan, but Tenzin didn’t want to lose anyone else by being unprepared.
The west and south are protected by the river and the mountain peaks, so any attack would likely come from the north, across the farmland. That gives us plenty of visibility. Jorge’s snipers could take position there or there and hold any approaching infantry.
Tenzin moved obediently as his mechanic (Nick?) directed him to, hooking up and activating the artificial muscles that would support his armor plating.
If they bring any armored vehicles they’ll have to follow the road. Viktor’s pentad could block them while Cowboy and his men strike from behind. It’s unlikely that there will be any aerial assault, but HQ can get a couple of gunnies out there in just a couple of minutes. We’d just have to take refuge in the town bunker and wait.
“How’s the armor feel, sir?” the mechanic suddenly asked. “I lined the suit with some padding I developed and installed a new cooling system liked you asked.”
Tenzin felt horrible. He couldn’t ignore him now, not when he had such a hopeful expression on his face. “Hmm? Oh, right. Thanks, Randy.”
The poor man’s face visibly drooped at Tenzin’s words and he mumbled something incoherent. Well it’s obviously not Randy. Dammit. Tenzin turned away, feeling worse at his inability to remember the man’s name when he’d so obviously been trying to be friendly.
Fortunately, at that moment Viktor arrived. “Ho, Tenzin!” he called out in his thick Slavic accent. “Worrying yourself to death over another easy mission I see?”
Viktor walked over, already suited up, with a tray of rolls in his hand. His armor wasn’t as advanced as what Tenzin, as Captain had, but at least it didn’t require someone else to help him get into it. “Your digital mistress commanded me to make sure you eat something. Have a roll.”
Tenzin smiled. Viktor he could always talk to. “Thanks Viktor, I owe you one.”
Sorry this is up late. There was a lot to write in this section beyond what you see in the comic pages