A3 - Chapter 133 – Infiltrations and Frustrations (Patreon)

USD: 1 Day after Cadre-S Graduation

Location: Van Biesbroeck’s star, Meltisar, MIL-1A, Transit Hub, Restroom

Agent Fallon’s datapad let out a beep, drawing his attention from his uniform. A frown creased his face as he read the message from Thea.

‘Red Level tech violations found, data for priority forwarding follows. Mission still in progress; rogue NAI now secondary objective, attempting cessation/rescue of NAI hostile device.’

Tech level violations weren’t that unheard of or uncommon, but Red Level mean that they posed a serious threat to NAIs and warranted extraordinary intervention and cooperation between all nations. There was no further explanation on the nature of the violation, whether it was biological, chemical, or digital.

Fallon bit back a curse and activated a comm link to their escape shuttle which had a hard laser connection to the embassy on the main civilian hub to route the message. Setting it to the highest priority on all outbound courier, he checked the time for outbounds.

His shoulders relaxed as he saw the next ship departing was only fifteen minutes. As long as that ship made it out of the system it would relay its contents forward, inevitably reaching the CSMHQ or Moneta herself as it moved through the spiderweb of couriers.

A ship going directly to CS space was a little longer at an hour, but as long as the message got out, it would eventually arrive, even if delayed.

Theoretically, he should have forwarded the data to the Imperium, Republic, and Federation as well, and they should all work together to address the Red Level, but in reality, that was a decision to be made by Moneta herself.

His datapad beeped again, this time indicating it was time to begin his part of the operation. Fallon paused, considering scrapping the plan altogether. There was no guarantee that Thea would be ready in time to do her part, and he wasn’t sure it was worth the risk any longer, considering.

Looking in the restroom mirror, he straightened his Meltisar Navy Uniform’s collar. Deciding to continue, he headed to the tram station. Passing several security personnel along the way, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.

The line for the Navy Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Center had a quick schedule, so he only had to wait for a few minutes. Staring out the window, he ran through a mental checklist of all the information of his cover identity. The best disguises were those with a hint of truth to them, and he had incorporated as much as possible.

While he didn’t have extensive medical training, he had worked as a medic before, and his first-aid training was up-to-date. It was partly the reason he was on the mission instead of someone else. He was the only agent present in Meltisar with that background.

Arriving at his destination, the security checkpoint barely paid any attention to him at all as his ID scanned normally and the detectors didn’t report any banned items. That was because he wasn’t carrying any. Getting his weapon past security would have been a nightmare.

He didn’t need to stop at the floor map. He had studied the layout for hours already. Resident Annex A5 was nestled deep inside the facility, and he needed to report in for his first day of duty as a floor nurse.

***

USD: 1 Day after Cadre-S Graduation

Location: Van Biesbroeck’s star, Meltisar, MIL-1A, Navy Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Center, Resident Annex A5, Room F

The moon below was cast in orange hues under the light reflecting off its parent. Sunrise was due any minute, and Elis had been waiting for it before going to find breakfast. Her memory told her the moon wasn’t even habitable decades ago, but she didn’t feel certain. She’d have to check on the System Net later.

Despite having just woke up, she already felt tired. Just getting out of bed had been an ordeal.

The sun, finally poking out from behind the gas giant, looked nice. Her stomach grumbled, and Elis decided it hadn’t been worth it. Reaching down, she unlocked the brake on her wheelchair and backed up and turned around to leave her room.

Her right hand worked much better than her left, but weeks of working at it had finally allowed her to utilize both at the same time, and the newfound freedom of being able to wheel herself around had been a needed morale boost.

There had been the option of a motorized chair, but doctor Pierce had warned her that going down that route might hinder the progress of her recovery. He had explained the concept of neuroplasticity, and the longer it took, the more difficult it would be.

He was impressed she had recovered as much as she did considering the type of hypoxia injury she had suffered. He did hint that they had medicine that would help maintain a malleable state. There was also mention of experimental nanite treatments if her progress plateaued or stopped.

That had led to her dwelling on her missing sister. She had a very blurry memory of Alex telling her she would be going to basic training. How and why Alex had joined Meltisar’s armed forces, she had no clue.

At first, she thought it was to trade Alex’s service for medical treatment for her, which left Elis feeling conflicted. The thought of Alex losing her freedom so she could receive medical treatment in the military’s medical center made her feel guilty.

But an officer had visited her after she was finally recovering and lucid to explain that her veteran status had been granted because of Meltisar recognizing her service with the Federation as standard procedure.

There were a lot of questions she had for Alex. The nurse accidentally messing up the date for Alex to return hadn’t been fun. Someone had forgotten it took an entire day to ride up the space elevator.

The cafeteria for the floor wasn’t that far, and she almost made it out of the residential annex before a nurse spotted her.

“Elis! Elis, wait!”

Her hands moved faster as she tried to outrun the person, but they caught up and took the hand holds on her chair and acted as a brake.

“Elis, where are you going? You know you can’t leave the annex.”

Elis stared at the woman as she came around to face her while talking. This was a new nurse she didn’t recognize, but that was normal. The nursing staff changed shifts twice a day, and while it was common for her to get the same nurse a few times a week, but there was always a rolling group of unfamiliar faces.

“If you are hungry, I can call the room service for you.”

Taking a deep breath, Elis steeled herself then tried to speak.

‘I want to eat in the cafeteria.’

Her traitorous brain failed her once again. “Je Wu Gua Et Couf.” A jumble of nonsense came out of her lips.

The nurse smiled politely and shook her head slowly, a gesture Elis learned to hate as she wasn’t understood. Elis didn’t give up, though.

“Couf. Couftareia. Couftareia.”

“If you want to eat, I can take you back to your room and call it for you.”

Elis shook her head in refusal. “Couftaria.”

“We don’t have anyone that can go with you, and I have other patients that need help, too. Please, just come back to your room.”

Elis took a deep breath, understanding she was causing the woman trouble, but not finding it in herself to compromise. After several more minutes of pleading, Elis was done arguing and moved to go around the nurse.

The woman side stepped back into her way and Elis’s lips tightened. Ignoring the woman’s words, Elis pulled out her datapad and flipped to a page she had already prepared days ago.

The text-to-speech application even put some emotion into the sound, although it still sounded robotic.

“I understand that you are trying to keep me here for my safety, but I am a competent adult and I have the right to leave if I choose to do so. I am not a danger to myself or others, and I do not consent to being restrained. Please allow me to leave or provide a legal and ethical justification for keeping me here against my will.”

The nurse stared at her like a deer caught in headlights and then Elis went around her and continued on her way to the cafeteria. Frustration filled her, and she almost collided with a person as she entered an elevator. A garbled attempt at an apology escaped her lips, but she avoided looking at them.

She could hear and feel the cluster of people in the cafeteria as the elevator doors finally opened at her destination. She was given space as she wheeled herself around. After looking through the food court for a few minutes, she went to the one place that advertised kebabs.

Fetching a tray and then proceeding to join the line revealed an issue: she couldn’t stand up and see what was being served. She could smell it, though. Deciding to just pick the first thing on the list on the blackboard over the counter. She Pre-recorded her selection on her datapad as she waited.

“Hello. I would like the meat-and-vegetable kebab plate, thank you.”

The cafeteria worker had a confused expression at first. He was forced to reach over the counter so she could hand over her tray, but he quickly sorted it out and returned it to her. Thankful that she didn’t cause a scene or hold up the line, she grabbed a chocolate dessert from the cold bar and then headed to find a table to eat at.

The payment line was much simpler as the sensors scanned her tray and choices while remotely reading her ID card and charging payment. She wasn’t sure when or who had gotten her the card, or even what her money balance was since the card just reported ‘all services covered’ when she tried to read it herself.

Elis decided to not worry about it, expecting it was Alex’s doing or part of her agreement with the military.

Homing in on a corner table with a good view, she wasn’t sure if the windows were real crystal and it was an exterior view or some type of fancy display fed from a camera. She slid her tray onto the table and then dragged a chair out of the way so she could roll up to it.

The small annoyances were… irritating.

Alex was scheduled to return later in the day, and the prospect was the only thing keeping her afloat. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if the staff had been wrong a second time about Alex’s return date. If she had to wait another day, she was going to cry.

The mood ruined her enjoyment of breakfast, and she ate the meal mechanically while watching the glitters of space traffic leaving and arriving at the station.

Her thoughts once again moved onto wondering why Alex had stayed here, but that was something to ask her and she began wondering about the technology. It was far beyond what she had expected to be present from what she had seen in 92 Pegasi, a strange mix of being less advanced and more advanced at the same time.

They were using human servers and personnel for dozens of things she would have expected a simple machine could handle. Meanwhile, things like the displays, the medical equipment, and just reading about how many people lived on the moon hinted at advancements that went beyond what the Federation had been capable of.

It was an eclectic mix that she didn’t understand fully, but was very noticeable, nonetheless.

Just as she took the last bite of her meal, her datapad beeped.

“Hey, Elis! I’m free and got my datapad back! We are halfway up the elevator now, so I’ll see you in twelve hours! Hang in there!”