Chapter Five: Thought You Should Know
Executive Conference Room
Omni-Pol HQ, Northern Hemisphere
Omni-Prime, 29468.
"...Sol Banking Retreats. Constanople named as Omni-Tek's Primary planetary offensive weapon." Newly promoted Omni-Pol Director Mikkelsen dropped the holopad down on the table. "Thanks goes to the Omni-Comm spin doctors for wrangling that one," he looked down the table at Admiral Cookson, "What the hell did you expect to happen when you fired on a planet with a core as weak as that?!"
Admiral Cookson went to open his mouth, but was duly interrupted by Mikkelsen "Don't tell me, you were there to quell the rebel threat? Because of that cocky manoeuvre we've lost seven hundred billion credits and share prices have dropped 0.2%. How I'm going to explain this to the CEO I don't know." He pushed the holopad down the table towards the Admiral. "The good news is, that the press are seeing it as an iron fist against rebellion, because believe me, if it weren't, I'd have your guts n nuts on this table as a trophy to your failure." Mikkelsen was known for his harsher stance when it came to failure, and his unwavering uncaring attitude when it came to success, as long as he got richer and more powerful that was all that mattered.
"Another thing, you're being put on transport assignment for the next year. Hollai-Septai Six has some parts that we require for a project." Mikkelsen waved another small holopad. "We need some parts for a new experimental soldier that we're working on in conjunction with Omni-R&D."
Cookson caught the pad after watching Mikkelsen slide it down the table. "You're kidding me, you want us to transport the complete unit to Rubi-Ka once it's constructed? That's going to take years."
"Quite, at your maximum capable speed, ten years." Mikkelsen smiled "The Constanople is to remain in the area as well, the uprising there is getting more and more out of hand. Phillip Ross may require some additional firepower beyond the standard soldiers."
"Beyond standard soldiers? The specifications on this unit are more advanced than the Constanop-....The Ares project?!" Cookson almost dropped the pad, "that worked?"
Mikkelsen nodded solemnly, "First in a thousand tries, but yes. We managed to integrate it into this single unit."
Cookson chuckled, "Nice Acronym. Biologically Assisted Hydraulic-Integrated Robotic Aggressive Entity. Bahir-...She's the soldier?!"
"Quite, impressive isn't she? The first successful and almost un-noticeable cyborg."
Cookson shook his head slightly, "I still can't believe you managed to get the Ares project to work on such a small scale, you couldn't even upload that AI into the Constanople's Mainframe and yet you managed to do it in something so...hot."
Director Mikkelsen moved around the table towards the Admiral, "the thing is with the Ares Project, like the Old Earth Greek god, she has every battle ever fought and recorded in her head like it was her own experience. The ultimate soldier and we only require one."
"If you could mass produce these..."
"We've tried" Mikkelsen interrupted, "We've yet to find a subject as resilient as the one we first tested it on. She has a burning hatred for all those who oppose her, and that's what keeps her alive. Above all else we need her on Rubi-Ka, the...resistance there is forming a government called 'The Council of Truth' lead by some upstart denizen called Radiman, the more organisation they get, the higher chance they have of getting notum exportations going and that planet is rightfully ours."
Admiral Cookson nodded, "Permission to brief the senior staff on the Ares Project and what we're transporting?"
"Denied, Bahirae once fully operational is to be seen as a normal soldier of Omni-Pol, nothing more." Mikkelsen pursed his lips for a moment, "You're dismissed when you're ready to leave Admiral."
Meanwhile...
Omni-Pol HQ, Research and Development.
Southern Hemisphere.
"Kaleb Chase, Progress log on the Bahirae Unit...repairs have almost been completed from the electrostatic damage, I've successfully managed to integrate a nanite poly-composite armour to the sub dermal layer which means she's extra resilient when it comes to projectile and fragmentation damage, while slightly painful it means the skin is less likely to be perforated, torn or broken because of the underpinnings. Still no progress on consciousness and self-awareness, I have however sent an order for some parts from one of the outlying systems for a dynamic power core, hopefully enough to support the uni-" Kaleb paused the log as the door went. Turning on his heels quickly.
Kaleb looked around to the closing door, no one in sight. "Sorry!" Came the apology, "Dropped my walking stick" Sierra rose up off the floor and into view.
"Sorry Sir, but you're not permitted to be in here, if you want to stay I'm going to have to see some ID." Kaleb moved across the room to him,
"Sure, I have nothing to hide," He reached into his pockets, "Actually, can you hold that while I find it?" Thrusting the cane forward.
Cocking his head slightly, Kaleb shrugged and took it. "Need a clearance level of at least eight to be in here Mr Watson. Last time I checked, you don't come under that list of twelve people."
"Do you mind me just saying hello to her? She still is a great friend of mine." Sierra pulled out his ID badge and sure enough, it had an access level of four, insufficient for the room. Kaleb sighed, "Go on then, just a few minutes, no more."
Sierra snatched his cane back, thanked him and moved over to the bed. He ran a slow hand over her head; the hair seemed almost fake, like old earth nylon. "What have you done to her hair? The crescent thing is...a bad touch."
"It's a transmitter dish, allows her to interface with technology around her. Be it anything from a supercomputer to a standard firearm or a communications device." Kaleb moved back to his console and began typing his log instead of speaking through it.
"Any idea when she's going to be back up and running?" Sierra asked, getting a simple shrug from Kaleb "No idea, we've ordered parts for her, but they've got a while before they come, and that's if they even work."
"I still can't believe she's a...well..." Sierra spoke, but was cut off by Kaleb.
"...more advanced version of what we did with you?" Kaleb looked up, smiling, "She's still like you Sierra, we haven't managed to perfect an entire body layer of skin, but we have managed to integrate more successful armours. From the head up, like you, she seems human but we all know skin deep what you're made of"
"Do you think they'd ever allow an all out match between me and her, to see who's the best?" Sierra put his hand on Bahirae's arm.
"Chalk and Cheese Sierra, you're two different styles of combatants, it wouldn't work." Kaleb looked up, pausing the log entry once more. "Plus you're far too valuable to just start bashing into each other, you're designed so that the average bullet or sword can't kill you, but if you tried, you could certainly do a lot of damage to each other."
Sierra chuckled, "Couldn't we just..." he said, looking over the unconscious body of Bahirae. "Couldn't we just."