Erinyes

Sector KHOUZX3MM

Sonia Bompastor was not a happy woman. Everyone else got to set up shop planetside, with open skies and running water and real food, but not her.

No. Sonia got to go straight back into space.

---

"You understand why it's got to be you, don't you?"

"Yes, Operative. Because we can't risk you on meeting someone in person."

A thin, bloodless smile. "No, Sonia. Not only that. It's because you're the only one I fully trust."

---

Well, this is it. The shuttle, pirated from the Illium-Shanxi route, was a far cry from the sort of ships she was used to flying, but at least it was simple enough to operate on her own. No sign of any Alliance patrols, nothing on the threat boards... For a moment, part of her was tempted to just turn around and head back. No sign of any survivors, &c.

But no. Sonia had never been a marine, not like most of Cerberus' ground troops (before integration, anyway), but the motto had been the same back in the gangs of Earth - leave nobody behind.

She sent the signal - a routine bit of trash data, on the pre-arranged frequency - and settled in for a long wait.

Time to see if this Antenor's still out there.

A bored tech who was half awake was the first to notice the incoming signal. Behind him Elizabeth paced back on forth nervously.

"Alright, we've got contact ma'am. Want me to respond with the approach info?"

"Go ahead." She said, semi scurrying out of the small command center they had set up.

"Data sent."

Around her there was little activity except the bored frustration of the security detail. She passed them, only getting ocassional glares as she moved briskly to the blast doors.

Okay, you can do this. Hemmings trusts you, and Deputy-Director Boatwright's put this in your hands. C'mon Franklin you can do this. Be confident, patient. Work with them. Just get their trust.

She started hopping in place, an old habit from when she was nervous before any competition she was in.

"You might as well be panicky. Coming out strong won't help anything at this point." The man who said those words was sitting on a nearby ammo crate, slowly taking a knife against a piece of wood. Half of his face was a mish-mash of flesh, facial hair, and implants. His gear generally looked worn out, and underneath the frayed poncho he wore one could just make out the stump of his Cybernetic leg.

"I'll keep that in mind Dano. Are your people green?"

"Greener that a sick Salarian." He replied, examining his knife before sliding it back into a sheathe on his waist.


Elizabeth ran her hands through her brown hair. She exhaled and wrapped her jacket around her more.

Don't mess up. Don't mess up.


--
Outside, the small door sat amidst the permafrost covered woods at the edge of the mountains. A landing pad was waiting.

Light lag was a bitch. It was a good couple of minutes before the shuttle changed course and started moving planetwards.

Though this tub's pathetic sensors don't help matters much.

Anyone listening (or scanning, I guess. 'Sthat the right word?) would pick up a routine message from Sonia's shuttle - nothing exciting, just advising of a quick fly-past to discharge it's accumulated static.

---

It took even longer for the shuttle to land - Sonia might not have been military before joining Cerberus, but she was thorough. Anyone watching from "Antenor's" base would see the blip circling over the entire continent before settling down to land.

Not that the engines powered down, for that matter. No, the shuttle perched on the icy landing pad like a pond skater, the heat from its engines nibbling away at the permafrost as the exterior speakers came online.

"Antenor? This is Lights." Her voice was thickly accented - French, tinged with something from the Maghreb. South of France or Algiers, maybe. "I'm coming in now, OK? Just me and two drones." There was silence as the engines switched off, steaming in the arctic air.

"I've got food, Operative. Food and help." As she stepped down from the door - flanked by two hovering drones - it was clear she was, indeed, alone. A duffel bag hung over her hardsuited left shoulder while her right hand held a Talon pistol, barrel pointing skywards.

"Cerberus looks after its' own, Antenor."

The blast doors of the facility gave a loud creak as the slowly opened, dislodging itself from the most recent round of ice formed. It stopped just wide enough for a person to enter or exit, as "Antenor" walked out towards Lights. She quietly looked at the other woman and the drones.

"I apologies for the weather. Just last week this was all quite green."

She extended a hand and a half broken smile toward her. From behind the man walked out, Mattock at a low ready.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet someone else who made it." Antenor said quietly.

"The pleasure's all mine, Antenor." Sonia cautiously returned the handshake, switching the gun to her other hand. "I'm not the Operative you spoke to, just so's you know. My name's Bompastor. Never made it to Operative, but I'm Sixteen Red Twenty Five's second in command."

Despite her build - and the hardsuit - Sonia shivered under the arctic winds. Frost was already beginning to form on her duffel.

"What's the situation like inside, Operative? How many made it with you?"

She was talking to Rachel, but both the drones had locked onto her escort. Nothing threatening (yet), but Mirice had told her to take no chances.

"Would you mind if I came inside? Protein bars and medigel, after all."

"No, in fact I'd be rude not to. Follow me." She spun around with the familiarity of walking on the permafrost before returning through the small gap. The man just stood there patiently, waiting for Bompastor to follow.

Inside there were a half dozen shuttles in various states of repair, with a small group of technicians tending to them. Cargo boxes were stacked around the edges, some of which had been obviously turned into makeshift homes. One could hear the sounds of individual conversations throughout.

Antenor stopped just in the opening and opened her arms in a sort of "voila" pose before dropping her arms.

"I'll apologize by saying that I went ahead and had most of the non-essential staff sent to a secondary facility on this world for safe keeping. It's just a security measure. We number around forty five total, but what's here is the meat and potatoes of our group, if you can pardon the expression." She said with a bit of a sigh.

"To be honest? I think the best way to describe our situation is incapable. Most of my people were support staff: engineers, scientists, and anyone else who were found to not need the procedures. On top of that we have some of their families or newly created ones, which has pushed our the already substandard emergency supplies even lower. What we do have ... however ..." She keyed a few buttons on her omni-tool, bringing the lights on in an adjacent room. One could look out and see almost dozens, hundreds of cases.

"This base was being used as a resource storage facility, from where they got so much I honestly don't have a single clue. Iridium, Platinum, Palladium, Helium-3, Eezo ... it's all here in secure storage. We thought we could sell it, unless you had somewhere to actually use any of this." Antenor finished her by shoving her hands back inside her jacket, slumping a bit in the shoulders.

"I can't believe we've found someone else. It's been so ... desolate since command went down."