Tempest

Christine Stevenson was dead; of that fact there was no question. She was known to have been in her mansion at the time of the fire, and neither she nor Dr. James Boston had escaped when the flames consumed the building. Three days later, funerals were held for the two of them on the grounds of her estate.

When her lawyers went to execute her will, many people were stunned at how freely she had distributed her wealth. Having no known heir, she had given large sums of money and property in a seemingly random manner to individual citizens of Megatokyo. None of these beneficiaries had any apparent ties to Miss Stevenson, and the only clear pattern in the gifts was that none were passed on to employees of GENOM.

Among those benefitting from the heiress's generosity was a young officer of the AD Police by the name of Nene Romanova. She was surprised when she received an envelope from Miss Stevenson's lawyers, and would be even more surprised later when she opened it. The contents included some legal documents and a short letter.

Miss Romanova,

I am truly sorry for the pain that I have caused you. If you have received this, it is likely that I will never be able to convey my apology in person, so please accept this means as the best which I may offer. I realize that this is a small compensation for your pain, but it is the best that I can give. With your signature, the enclosed documents will transfer fifty-one percent of the Stevenson, Incorporated stock to your name. I hope that you will find it useful.

Admittedly, I have an ulterior motive in bestowing upon you this particular gift. I feel confident that you will not allow it to fall into the hands of GENOM; this is a fate which I would not wish to befall the corporation my father built. I trust that you will not grant our mutual enemy such a boon.
Again, I truly and deeply regret the day that I harmed you, and while I doubt that you will ever forgive me, I hope that you may at least find some comfort in this gift.

Sincerely,
Christine Ann Stevenson
(a.k.a. Starblade)

Upon reading this note, Nene nearly dropped the envelope. Once she had recovered her composure, she immediately called Sylia, who was there shortly to help her decipher the paperwork.

The very next day, Sylia found an advertisement of interest in her morning newspaper. As so many others had been, it was encoded, but the code was relatively simple. Sitting down at her computer, she had deciphered it within a few minutes. The message was as simple as the code.

To the Knight Sabers,
I wish to speak with you. I may be found at my new home, which is not far from my old, anytime after midnight. The matter is urgent.
S

As the clock struck one, Starblade found her gaze drawn to the tombstone beside her. It was an odd feeling to gaze at one's own grave, she reflected, but she considered it appropriate. Indeed, everything that had been Christine Stevenson had died in that explosion, her life slowly bleeding from the wounds of the only friend she had ever known.

Looking down at her scarred armor, the only thing she had salvaged from her home, she realized that it was truly all she had left. Here, she would gamble even that on the possibility of more... of starting anew.

The minutes passed slowly, seeming as hours, until the chimes sounded again at one fifteen. It was then that her scanner registered the approach of her former enemies. After another tense moment, she could see them approach. Once they stood before her, she extended her arms in a gesture of non-aggression and popped the seals on her suit.

As soon as she was free of the armor, she stood and faced the silver-suited one that she knew to be their leader.

"So," Sylia addressed her softly, "you do yet live."

"If you can call this a life," was her embittered reply.

"Why did you call for us?"

"I wish to join you."

The silence spoke more than any words could. Only Sylia was not shocked by the request - indeed, she had expected it - and she was not given to rash speech. After a moment, she responded, "We will have to discuss this matter among ourselves, you understand."

"I understand," Starblade responded, her voice taking on a somber tone. "Please, though, decide quickly. I will wait here each night until you return with your answer."

"Absolutely not!" Nene screamed. "Surely you do not trust this... this... BITCH not to betray us!"

"Calm yourself, Nene," Sylia interrupted firmly, her voice as ice.

"Why do you assume that she would turn on us, Nene?" Priss shot back. "You just don't like her!"

Nene rolled her eyes, "She already tried to kill us all once!"
"Yes, and she was hired to do that--"

"--by GENOM!" Nene cut her off, her voice rising further. "Who then proceeded to stab her in the back. She bears as strong a grudge against them as any of us. She also saved our lives, if you don't remember."

"Priss, it goes double for you," Sylia chastised, her own voice taking on a more aggressive timber. "Both of you, calm down! I can see both of your positions on the issue... there is no need to shout. What do you think, Linna?"

"It is difficult to say. My personal feelings say no, but if I am objective I think I have to say yes."

Sylia nodded. "She brings many valuable things to us as a team, should we choose to admit her. She is a competent fighter, her understanding of powered armor and the relevant technology is superb, if my research is correct, and she gives us access to new weapons and armor improvements which could potentially be incorporated into our own designs.

"Exactly," Priss cut in. "I think Nene's just pissed to find out she's still alive."

"Priss!" Sylia glared at her.

"I am NOT!" Nene insisted, screaming now, but a quiet voice in her mind asked, "Am I? Do I hate her that much?"

"And I thought I was the angry one here," Priss sighed. At that, Nene almost exploded again, but managed to restrain herself when she realized that she would only prove Priss right. Instead, she just sat there and turned a deeper shade of red than she already was.

For a moment, a tense silence hung heavily in the room. Finally, Linna spoke up softly. "Nene, I understand how you feel... well, actually, I don't. But I can see why you feel the way you do. On the other hand, we have to make the decision that is best for the team."

Feeling her anger crumbling under the weight of the truth, Nene only nodded. "Not being terribly objective, are we?" the voice inside her prodded--not taunting, not mocking, just incriminating.
"Nene, if we do allow her to join, she will be closely observed," Sylia tried to reassure her.

"Very well," Nene sighed, resigning herself to the facts. "My vote is still no."

Sylia nodded. "Priss?"

"I say yes," she responded, and the note of triumph in her voice brought another glare from Sylia.

"Linna?"

"I say..." she looked indecisive, glancing at Nene, then Sylia, then back at Nene. With the thought, "Forgive me, Nene," she whispered, "yes."

"And I must say yes as well. I am sorry, Nene, but that is the choice I am compelled to make."

Nene nodded again, ever so slightly. She accepted the facts, but she could not help but feel a little betrayed.

Roughly twenty hours later, Sylia was introducing Starblade to the Knight Sabers' main headquarters. The decision had been made not to show her the alternate complex at Raven's Garage until she had proven her loyalty.

"This," Sylia explained, opening a door, "is the design system. The computers here are where all of our equipment is designed, to be constructed in the next rooms. You and I will be spending a good deal of time here, creating a hardsuit design for you and incorporating some of your technology into the existing suits and motoslaves.

"Very good," Starblade allowed herself a slight smile as she looked around the maze of electronics which occupied the chamber. "Very advanced system you have here."

Sylia smiled slightly. "No more advanced than your own, I am sure."

"No, not more advanced... but certainly its equal."

"Did you design your armor alone?" Sylia inquired.

"No, I had help..." her voice faltered, then she recovered, "but he was taken from me."

"I am sorry," Sylia apologized. "I am... not unfamiliar with loss."

"I know," Starblade smiled wryly. "I had a rather detailed file on you... or more correctly, on your family. I probably should have guessed your role here, but it never occurred to me."

Sylia smiled slightly. "To my knowledge, only one person had discovered it."

Opening another door, she continued. "This is the construction chamber. As the name implies, much of our equipment is built here..."

The design of a hardsuit for Starblade proved to be a challenge indeed. She was bent on retaining the energy web and razor disc systems from her old armor, and fitting them into a hardsuit shell was not an easy task. Eventually, however, they were able to work the components in. The size of the disc magazine was reduced f rom thirty to fifteen, but otherwise the weapons remained unchanged. Also, she was able to accept some of the communications duties from Nene, creating space for a standard-power laser in that hardsuit.

In terms of style, Starblade's hardsuit was closest to Sylia's. It was moderately armored, and thus sacrificed only a small amount of mobility. Starblade was amazed by the sheer freedom of movement which the suit allowed, and while it was less armored than her old battlesuit, she quickly became quite comfortable with it. The largest adjustment was the loss of the full flight capabilities, but this would be solved when she received her motorslave.

Starblade's major contribution to the Knight Sabers would prove to be her own design for a power reactor. Although slightly larger than the one they currently used, it was readily downsized and, even n its modified form, produced a significantly higher extended power curve. The peak output was roughly the same, but as the system had been designed with a flight rig in mind it was capable of maintaining maximum output for remarkable durations. While not as impressive as the GENOM prototype reactor, it was usable and a significant improvement.

As all this work was being done, Starblade found herself admiring the Knight Sabers more. Sylia, with her fantastic intelligence and professional bearing, reminded her of her lost friend, and the two began to grow close quickly. Priss, while distant, seemed the most willing to trust her; perhaps this was because they were so much alike. Linna was a true artist on the field of battle, and Starblade respected her skill deeply. Finally, Nene, who was so young, possessed a genius with electronics like none she had ever encountered. She was strong at heart, too; Starblade knew that Nene did not welcome her, yet she could also see that she accepted her presence in a most professional manner.

Starblade desperately wished that she could find a way to ease Nene's pain, but she knew that there was little she could do. She was the cause of that pain, and it seemed that her very presence would only serve to irritate the wound. Never before had Starblade really sought to be forgiven for anything she had ever done, but she coveted Nene's forgiveness, and lamented that she might never have it.

Starblade had been faced with another problem as well. Christine Stevenson was dead, with all her property distributed to others. It would have been simple to reclaim it, but she would rather that GENOM believe her to be gone. Since her hostilities with the megacorporation had begun, she had feared that the conflict would be extended to her own financial empire, and she would just as soon not see her father's company harmed. Also, once she had given all her possessions away, she did not have the ruthlessness to reclaim them.

Sylia, sensing this difficulty, offered her a place to stay. Starblade did not wish to accept any more charity than necessary, but Sylia had insisted, calling it payment for the use of her designs. Once that was agreed upon, she rarely left the base of operations.

Each night, her sleep was tormented by nightmares, visions of death repeated time and time again. When she could sleep no more, she would simply lie in bed, wondering why she had to relive the worst moment of her life each night. "Was not once torture enough?" she would whisper, crying herself back into the tortured slumber.

Eventually, her weeping was heard by another soul. Sylia, who was awake late that night, knocked on her door.

"Yes," she managed.

"Is there anything that I can do for you?" Sylia asked quietly.

Starblade didn't answer, so Sylia quietly opened the door.

"Christine?" she asked softly, using her given name for the first time.

"Christine is dead!" was the angry reply. "I am only Starblade now."

"Perhaps," Sylia answered, her voice soothing. "Perhaps you only wish it were so. I know the feeling well."

"Do you?" the bitterness in Christine's voice cut deeply, but Sylia persisted.

"Very well, Christine," she answered, making no effort to hide the pain in her words. "Many times I have been tempted to lose myself in the armor... to bury my identity in the coldness of duty. We all have our dark hours."

"And I have caused many... including my own."

"You are not responsible for his death, Christine."

"I am! He died because he stayed with me... because he loved me."

"You did not force him. From the way you have spoken of him, I doubt that you could have driven him away. He knew the risks."

"But he died for my love..."

"Then at least his death had meaning... he undoubtedly died a happy man."

Christine nodded, still weeping. The only thing James had ever desired, to her knowledge, was her love, and in the end she had given it to him. "But... he didn't have to die."

"All things end. My father's death was pointless, his life's work stolen and twisted by a power-hungry madman. His dreams were never fulfilled."

"I don't know how to go on without him."

"Day by day. You will find new life. Perhaps you will find it here, as did I."

There was her answer. All her sorrow, her agony, was over her own loss. The knowledge did not lessen the pain, nor dull its impact, but it eased her afflicted conscience. There was still one more issue, though.

"And Nene?"

"...will be fine, in time," Sylia assured. "She, too has lost something dear, but loss is a part of life."

Christine nodded. "Thank you. I think I feel better now."

Sylia smiled and rose. "You are welcome, Christine."

As she left the room, Sylia realized something. Finally, she had faced her own pain, and beaten it, by helping another with hers. Each of her Knight Sabers--and they really were "hers"--needed her, and she was determined to be there for them. That was the new life she had made for herself.

"So, is this a field test for the new hardsuits or are we actually after something here?" Priss asked.

"You might call this a scouting mission," Sylia answered. "The objective is to sneak in close enough to the facility for Nene to record some data on the production of the 34-CX boomer." Pausing for a moment, she added, "PREFERABLY without being detected."

Priss scowled. "And here I was hoping for a combat test on the new shells." Another of Starblade's improvements to the basic design was in the area of explosion-protection. While not as effective on the thinner hardsuit shells as on Christine's heavier armor, this was the same design feature that had enabled her to shrug off the blast effect of Linna's Knuckle Bomber. She predicted that it would also cushion impacts from explosive projectiles, assuming the projectile did not penetrate the hardsuit shell before detonating. Priss, ever reluctant to trust an innovation, had been anxious to find out.

"I'd just as soon get this information without that sort of distraction," Nene commented dryly.

"No questions?" Sylia waited a few moments. "All right, let's get suited up and go."

"There's the target," Nene said, pointing to the secluded installation through the trees.

"Excellent. Be careful, the security is probably very tight here," Sylia warned.

"I don't know why GENOM started building these production plants out in the middle of nowhere... this would have been impossible in the city," Priss interjected. "It's hard to be stealthy in combat armor on the street."

"Because in the city, we could just pull up across the street and record data from the truck?" Nene shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm. "We need to get closer, Sylia."

"All right... move in." The five figures slipped between the trees, approaching the electronic frontier which surrounded the facility. A few feet from the laser fence, Nene said, "I have a signal... establishing a link now."

"Very good. Priss, Starblade, fan out to the east and west and watch for sentries."

"Got a link..." Nene informed. "This is going to take time, Sylia."

"As quick as you can, Nene."

Ten tense minutes later, Starblade's voice broke through the silence. "There's a patrol headed this way. Looks like it's just human guards, but you never can tell."

"How many?" Sylia inquired.

"Four."

"Can you remain concealed?"

"Not if they're boomers."

"All right. Nene, can you scan them?"

Nene looked up, pushing her visor back to reveal a scowl. "You want me to keep the stealth on this link?"

"How much longer, Nene?" Christine interrupted.

"Three minutes."

"You don't have that long. I can web them down, but if they have commlinks, they'll just call for backup."

"Do it," Sylia ordered.

Using her jump unit to get up in the trees, Starblade scrambled to get directly above them. Aiming for the center of the group, she fired her energy web down.

"Got them," she smiled, looking at the tangled mess of GENOM guards struggling to free themselves. "They're calling for help, but it will take a minute for any to arrive."

"All right, you and Priss pull back in," Sylia ordered. "Get ready to move out." Nene?"

"Working on it," she answered, the frustration showing in her voice. "I can only do this so fast."

"Here comes trouble!" Christine called as she dropped to the ground. "I see six Bu-12's coming out the front door!"

Sylia cursed softly, displaying an uncharacteristic nervousness. "All right... try to hold them off as long as you can." She had been hoping to avoid combat, but it seemed that fortune did not smile upon them so.

"I'm coming in from the other side," Priss informed. "Maybe we can catch them in a crossfire."

"Right," Picking out the nearest of the approaching boomers, Starblade fired off another web. Invisible until it made contact, the net opened directly in the cyberdroid's path, ensnaring it and causing it to fall. The next of the boomers opened fire with his machine gun, spraying the ground around her, and instinctively she took to the air.

It was a mistake. Accustomed to a full flight system, she found herself coming back to the ground much more quickly than she had anticipated. The boomer quickly closed the range, bringing its heavier gun to bear. Frantically, she began to fire her disc launcher over and over, emptying half the magazine, but her aim was wild and only one of the shots hit. Bracing herself for the inevitable, she saw the brilliant flash of the boomer firing just before Priss destroyed it..

The shot struck her full in the chest, detonating against her armor and slamming her backward into the trees. "Unnhh..." she groaned, shaking herself off and very pleased to be alive. The hardsuit was heavily damaged, but not destroyed, and she had to smile slightly at that. The new shell worked.

"You ok?" Priss asked.

"I'm fine... mad, though," she responded as she picked out the nearest boomer and fired. Two of the micro-serrated blades neatly sliced through the target's head, and it fell on its face, shut down.

At that point, Linna entered the fray. At a dead sprint, she charged the nearest boomer. It turned to fire on her, but she neatly dropped forward into a roll. It fired, missing high, and she came up shooting. Laser fire scored the boomer's armor as it attempted to bring its weapon down to her, and it suddenly exploded as the shots burst through to its power cell.

"That's it!" Nene called triumphantly as the last file came through, "Let's go!"

"Move out!" Sylia ordered, turning to face one of the two that had gotten past Christine, Linna, and Priss. Deploying her sword, she lunged straight at the metal monstrosity, only to have it dodge. Stepping in the opposite direction to avoid its counterstrike, she brought the weapon across in a backhanded slash, striking the boomer in the center of its back. Sparks flew from the point of impact, and she leaned into the weapon, driving it deeper until it punched cleanly through the boomer's front armor. Withdrawing it, she watched with satisfaction as her adversary collapsed.

Retracting her data-probe, Nene rose to confront the last of the boomers. There was nobody to protect her, she knew, and instinctively she took a step back. Immediately it opened fire, splintering trees and throwing up clouds of dirt around her, but she leapt quickly out of the line of fire. "Calm down, Nene," she reminded herself. "You can handle this." A mental command activated the electronic warfare system, and suddenly the boomer found its scanners clouded with static. Pivoting to relocate its quarry, it faced her right as she began firing. Burst fire from her newly-boosted laser staggered it as it tried to bring its own weapon to bear, and she watched with surprised satisfaction as it exploded.

Just as it fell, the other three members of the team joined Sylia and Nene, and they disappeared into the trees.

"Well done, all of you," Sylia said. "Nene, the data you recovered will prove most useful."

Nene smiled at that. Of late, she felt she had really come into her own as a member of the team. The electronic systems in her hardsuit were improved with almost every job now, and they had finally reached the point of providing a challenge.

"Christine," Sylia continued, "Your improvements to the hardsuits were very helpful. Your presence in battle is also helpful, and will be only more so as you become accustomed to the hardsuit. We would have had difficulty completing this mission without you."

"Thank you," she smiled slightly, thankful that Sylia had not mentioned her error.

"If any of you need me," Sylia concluded, "I will be in the databank room analyzing this information." That said, she turned and left. Once she was gone, Christine turned to Priss and said, "Thanks... if that boomer had gotten another shot, I'd have been dead."

"That's what we do," Priss responded, almost dismissively. "We all look out for each other."

Christine smiled, "I appreciate it, anyway." Looking around, she noticed that Nene had vanished. "Does Nene hate me as much as I think she does?"

Priss nodded slightly. "She'll be all right, eventually. She's never had to deal with real anger before."

Christine frowned. "I've been there... I hope she comes out if it better."

Outside the Silky Doll, Nene thought, "Well, she seems to have worked her way in easily enough." Jealousy began to surge through Nene's thoughts. Why had Priss taken to Christine so quickly? And why was Sylia so insistent that she was good for the team? The familiar anger began to build within her again, and she found it almost comforting.

"Nene!" Linna's voice cut through her jumbled thoughts. "Wait for me!"

Turning, she saw Linna running toward her. "I thought you might need someone to talk to."

"Yeah, maybe," Nene replied, uncertain.

"Come on," Linna tugged on her arm. "Let's go for a walk."

A few seconds of nervous silence passed, then she spoke up again. "I know how you feel, Nene. It can't be easy for you to see us accept her so quickly, after the pain she caused you."

A sudden fire erupted in Nene's eyes. "You would think that she and Priss were best of friends or something!" she exploded, the pent-up anger releasing in a flood.

"They're a lot alike, Nene. They understand each other."

"I suppose..."

"And she's not trying to supersede you, Nene. She would like nothing better than to be your friend. I heard her telling Priss that, but she doesn't think that it's possible."

"It isn't.... at least, not now."

Linna nodded. "That's why she's leaving you alone. She doesn't want to hurt you any more than she already has."

"Then why did she come here?" Nene burst out angrily, a tear forming in her eye, "Just... seeing her is a reminder."

"Because she had no choice. Think about it... GENOM was just going to keep hounding her until they killed her, as long as they knew she was alive. At least this way she can fight back."

"I... when I heard she was dead, I thought this was over. I thought I could just move on. Now... it's not that easy anymore. I don't want to hate her... I don't want to hate anybody! I didn't even know what hate really was before... and now it's a part of me."

"I know. She knows. Nene, she trusted you with the most precious thing she had."

Nene stopped. "That's true, isn't it?" she asked herself out loud. Suddenly, a realization dawned on her. "She gave me... before she "died"... she KNEW?"

Linna nodded. "She found out, anyway. She hasn't said it, but I think knowing hurt her. She's not as heartless as you think."

"Maybe," Nene said, her mind racing. "I... need some time to think about this."

Linna said, "I understand. Take care of yourself, Nene."

"I will. I've gotten a lot better at that lately."