The mission was simple: Retake the ship.
Indigo Diaz looked around the arsenal as he mounted Construct. The other pilots of his team were acting alike: Linseed was already closing their cockpit, and Burns was double checking his hardsuit. The new guy, Turner, waved at him, and Indigo smiled at him with a little bit of wist. He'd have to find some way to keep him from going to the next mission. Clarity had been in her cockpit almost since they took off. Indigo wondered what her deal was as he closed the cockpit.
He began the startup sequence. Reactor, check. Computers, check. ACS, check. Cooling, check. Targeting, check. Sensors, check. A familiar tunnel vision as he established the neural link with Construct. Indigo had always been old fashioned, and never installed any COMP/CON AI or NHP in his frame. Instead, he simply held the controls and waited for the operator's voice, dismissing excess information, closing his email, and initializing combat mode. There was a mission to handle.
"Hello, team Romeo-One-Two. This is Wallflower. I will be your operator for this mission."
Indigo took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. His heartrate always spiked before a mission. So did every pilot's.
"Your mission, as you already know, is to retake the ship. This is an upscale freighter, which is why you are here in your upscale machines. Do not underestimate the pirates here; they were skilled enough to take out the security force and they may have obtained IPS-N licenses. That means they could pilot the cargo."
Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Indigo watched the reflections of Construct's lights gleam on the rivets of the armory.
"Your roles: Clarity, you'll bring up the vanguard. You'll relay enemy positions as you see them, as you'll be the first to. Burns, as a gunner you'll cover Clarity's three and nine when she can't. Turner, you're taking support. Do whatever you can to help your teammates. Nightjar, you're the rearguard." Indigo looked at the door, confused. He was expecting to take a support role, and was equipped appropriately. Turner was supposed to take the rear. But Indigo could adapt.
"Romeo-One-Two, prepare for launch. We'll be dropping you at the fighter hangar, which will have an in for you. Advance team Echo-Seven took out all the fighters, but the enemy will be on high alert. I will be looking out for you when possible. Standby for countdown."
Inhale-five count-exhale seven. Indigo only got one cycle before Wallflower's voice rang in his ear again. "Launching in T-minus seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Good luck."
The arsenal's door opened, and the team boosted through the void between the dropship and the carrier. Indigo hoped that the carrier would have an artificial gravity generator.
"Lookout down," intoned Clarity after disappearing into the door. "Artificial gravity system. This should be easy."
"I've accessed the ship's security cams, Romeo-One-Two. There's a team of small mechs coming your way. Watch your six and make your way to the bridge."
As they continued, Indigo heard Wallflower's voice again. "Nightjar, I've set up a private link. Only you can hear me. You know the reason for this."
He did not know the reason for this, but he could speculate. It could be to reduce distractions for the rest of the team, optimizing their infiltration. It could be on account of some internal company matter. Or it could be the emails that MSMC had been sending Indigo with an offer he couldn't resist.
"They're coming around the corner. Turn around."
Indigo pivoted Construct, quickly taking inventory of his surroundings. Mostly just a large corridor, with some simple life support systems scattered around the walls. "Thanks for the heads up."
Two pirates in light frames entered view, and Indigo fired on one while locking onto another. As Construct's armor deflected gunfire, he initialized a boost towards them. With a strike of a nanocarbon sword, his first enemy fell, and the second with another volley of shots. Another enemy rounded a corner, and Indigo initialized a scan.
An HA Sunzi, capable of dragging you through blinkspace, ripping through the very fabric of reality. Its reality carver was fully charged. Indigo's heartrate picked up. "What can we do about this Sunzi?"
His teammates didn't reply. Indigo called again, "Turner, help me with this Sunzi." No reply. "What the hell is happening, Wallflower?"
"Something's wrong, Nightjar. I'll do what I can."
Something's wrong? Indigo silently cursed. Worthless operator can't even keep their comms operational.
His stomach dropped as he dropped through blinkspace. Nauseating, every time. Construct stumbled with a punch to the chest. As Indigo prepared a melee strike, he heard Wallflower's voice again. "Wait, Nightjar. I'm in control."
"Then stand there while I kill this fucking machine, Wallflower, and patch me through to the team!" He took a quick look behind him. They had already turned the next corner.
"I can't do that, Nightjar. I'm sorry." The frame raised its arm and an artillery shot rang out before Construct dropped into blinkspace again.
Indigo saw the world in slow motion as he rematerialized. An explosion behind him, and the hull of the ship crumpled outwards.
So it was the emails after all.
The world was silent as air drained from the ship. Only the sounds of the cockpit remained. Indigo desperately fired several shots at the ship in hopes of something, anything, happening, before his vision went dark.
"Nightjar is down, all peripheral systems unavailable. He took a stand and won at the cost of his life. Continue fighting, Romeo-One-Two."
"My name is Indigo. Fuck!"
"I know. I'm sorry, Indigo. I truly am."
Indigo sat in the darkness of his cockpit in shock. He was a living corpse now, he knew, left alive only by the cruel mercy of the operator. Finally, he spoke. "You killed me, Wallflower. You killed a man named Indigo Diaz today, a man whose life you were supposed to protect. Deactivate my life support systems. It's over."
He could hear the waver in her voice. "I know, Indigo. I'm sorry. It's... It's a job. I wish..." A moment of quiet. "Cutting oxygen. It won't be painful."
Indigo Diaz died in silence.