>ACCESS: LIBRARIES> DOWNLOADS> EXT_DATA_TRANSFER> 27.10.2335> ZRAT-MI-49_EHFSHARE
>EXTRACTING: nEPI-0009_LOGFOOTAGE_COMPILED.QXRF…
>NOTICE: EXTRACTION COMPLETE
>IMPORTING: nEPI-0009_LOG_HIGHLIGHTS.QSR…
>POV_PLAYBACK: ZRAT-MI-49_OPTICS
>PLAYBACK: STARTING…
>SCENE: 0009_ARRIVAL
>DATE/TIME: 17JAN2335/09:22
For decades, Cipher-3 had a total population of one.
Then it was seven. Then it was six. Then it was five.
Then… It was six again.
Even and especially with my experience facing death countless times, I feel a jolt of terror when I notice the shadow standing motionless at the edge of town. Seeing this lone shape in the snow isn't what gives me fright, it's that I can't even begin to guess at how long it was standing there. I've been working out here all morning, dragging salvage into the loading bay from the haul I gathered at the scrapyard, and even though I didn't consciously see it, my sensors should have alerted me to the presence.
It's a combat Frame. Martial Variant. Sleek, polished, brand new hardware. Modeled off a young woman with sharp features and chin length hair. Armed with a pistol at her hip and a large bolt action rifle, in hand but not raised.
She caught me completely unaware, but didn't shoot. That stands out to me. It's enough to determine that she isn't hostile.
Yet.
Abandoning the salvage, I leave my rifle on my back as a show of mutual ease, though my right hand rests on the pistol at my side as I approach. Briefly, I consider alerting the Station crew inside, but I suspect they might be too accommodating for their own good. Too trusting as well.
No, if this Frame is an issue, I will neutralize the threat. Without any well intentioned but ultimately dangerous empathetic hesitations.
She says nothing as I draw near, eyes locked onto me. The luminescent blue optical sensors that all Frames share are always made more piercing against the white of the snow. I stop in place, about fifteen meters away. There haven't been any shifts in her posture. No attempts to raise or ready her rifle.
I speak the first words between us. "Identify yourself, soldier. What's your IN?"
Her gaze drops down to my leg points, then back up to my eyes, sizing me up. Her voice is even and level, somewhat low compared to the average woman. "nEPI-0009. That's nerveware-based Enfer Pursuit Intelligence. Manufactured by Enfer Logistics."
"Nerveware. Never heard of it. Or Enfer Logistics. And I would know." I study her closer, processing the PI part of her IN. "You're a Pursuer Frame. That explains why I didn't notice you."
She remains silent at that.
"For the local cluster? Or the Federation?"
"The latter."
"Well? Who are you pursuing?"
"That's confidential. Now you. IN."
"ZRAT-MI-49. Zodiac Ranger. But I go by Zenith."
"Then you can call me Nine." She stares at me for another moment, then slings her rifle over her shoulder to leave it magnetized to her back. Now empty handed. "I'll be taking a look around here. Unless you're harboring my fugitive, you won't have any issues from me."
"That's good to hear." I keep my hand on my pistol. "But there is one issue. I'm protecting the research team that lives here. If you won't tell me who you're pursuing, then I can't let you near this place. It might be one of them you're tracking."
"Regardless, Federation law demands their immediate execution. Standing in my way is obstruction at the least, if not aiding and abetting. You'd be an accomplice. Subject to the same punitive measures."
"Then I'm an accomplice."
She crosses her arms and frowns.
"If one of them is your target. They might not be. But I'm not taking the risk. Again, Pursuer, unless you tell me who you're hunting, I cannot allow you in."
A moment of silence rests on the wind.
"Female. Chestnut hair. Green eyes. 172 centimeters."
I take my hand off my pistol. "No issues here."
She doesn't respond, passing into town.
>SCENE: 0009_INTRODUCTIONS
>DATE/TIME: 17JAN2335/10:13
Nine has the same eerie presence as all Pursuers.
While the Station crew introduces themselves around the conference table, she remains silent, attentive, and fiercely observant. The only time she speaks is when she's prompted to, and the words she uses are terse and dry. She explains nothing, reveals nothing, and only answers questions without going into any detail.
It's plain to me. She is what she says she is.
"So you don't know who sent you?" Zoya is asking from the head of the table. "Not even the cluster you originate from?"
"No, I don't," says Nine, at the other end, perfectly poised in her seat. "That information is unnecessary."
"I just find it odd that you lack any sort of credentials."
"Also unnecessary."
"A law enforcer–No, an executioner who can't properly identify her reasons for being here is a genuine problem, Nine. How do we know you are who you say you are?"
"You don't."
"Then how can we possibly trust you?"
"You can't."
"Then what… What are we doing here?"
"You're being subjected to investigation."
"On whose authority?"
"The Federation's."
"Yet you have no means of verifying or validating your status as a federal agent."
"Correct."
"And we're supposed to… just accept that?"
"Correct."
"I don't think we can abide by that, Nine."
"Then you're obstructing justice. That makes you criminals."
"And? What then? You have no legal recourse for enforcing any punitive measures. You don't even have the proper accreditations to execute this fugitive, if she exists. Not within the bounds of Federation law, that is. And you, simply by nature of your insistence upon your own status without any way to actually prove it, are a criminal yourself. Even if you truly are a federal agent, without any proof, you'd be operating outside the law. It is impermissible."
Nine has a slight grin. "I am a Federation Pursuer. My word is proof."
Zoya looks at me but doesn't say anything.
After a moment, I nod. She's a Pursuer. No doubt.
She glances at Louis, who shrugs, and at Quentin, who sighs. Finally, she looks up at Henna, standing just beside her. "What do you think, sweetheart?"
"Hm?" Henna perks up. "Oh. Um. Well, it would be bad to go against a Pursuer, wouldn't it? We should help law enforcers! And it's not like she's here to hurt any of you. If it's just observation and information gathering, I don't see why we wouldn't let her stay. I mean, there's nothing else out there to go off of. Vintner Station is the only settlement on this moon. Who else would warn her about the dangers and such besides us? I–I don't want her to die or get lost or anything…"
There goes the shift in the tides.
"You're so right," Louis says with a laugh.
Quentin nods. "Hard to disagree with that."
Zoya pats Henna's arm and says, "I suppose so."
Henna may not know it, but she is in charge here.
"Well then," Zoya says, still visibly uneasy. "Nine, Vintner Station is open to you. Please, utilize anything you think you'll need in order to find this fugitive of yours. You won't face any more resistance from us. I hope you can understand the reasons for our caution and wariness."
"I can, yes. And your compliance is duly noted." Nine stands up. "We're done here. I'm going to plug in for the night. Don't bother trying anything. I'll be resting with my guns. Until next time."
With that, she promptly leaves.
The five of us watch her go.
I'm apprehensive. This seems precarious.
"I guess we have a new friend," Quentin huffs.
Zoya drinks some coffee and sighs. "That's certainly one way to put it."
"I think she's cool," Henna smiles. "Go robot girls!"
Louis has a shit eating grin. "Yo, Zen, she seems like your type, man!"
"Shut up, Louis," I grumble, walking away.
I don't like any of this. Seems like my sensors will need to be trained closer to home from now on. I won't be going on any more scouting or salvaging missions, not so long as she's lurking around here.
So, that makes six residents of Vintner Station.
And potentially seven total on Cipher-3.
>SCENE: 0009_GENERAL
>DATE/TIME: 24JAN2335/07:31
Lurking is an understatement.
When Zoya is making coffee. Nine is watching. When Louis screws up inventory and has to double check it. Nine is watching. When Quentin is up to his elbows repairing some scientific machine. Nine is watching. When Henna is humming a song while cooking breakfast. Nine is watching.
When I do my morning rounds.
Nine is watching.
It's been a week of this shit.
Out on the fringes of town, where the two of us are most secluded, I finally confront her. "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with all this?"
The wind is blowing her hair into her face, which is cut with a placid grin. "That's confidential."
"Yeah, right. There's nothing for you here. You're looking for someone who isn't, hasn't been, and never will be present at Vintner Station."
"So you say."
"It just isn't sensible. You've done your due diligence. You've monitored us for a week now. What have you gained? Really. I've been on some long stakeouts, but sometimes, it just ends up being you watching people go about their lives, and nothing more than that. How is any of what we're doing relevant to your investigation?"
"As Zoya says." She looks past me, out toward the Reclaimer Beacon. "This place… One thousand mysteries, frozen over into one. Buried. By snow, isolation, death, time…"
I don't say anything, waiting for her to get to the point.
"The individual pieces are just as enigmatic as the puzzle itself. Which pieces are part of that puzzle, and which aren't? Hm?" Nine turns to me and comes closer. "How would I know? How would you? If there's no way to know what's relevant…"
Slowly, I nod. "Then everything is relevant."
"Precisely." She stands directly in front of me, within arms reach. That placid grin seems to be frozen onto her face. "I'm collecting all the pieces. To every single puzzle. Once I have them all… Sorting them out becomes much more simple."
"That, I understand. Recording log footage of every time Zoya brews more coffee, I don't."
Her laugh is dry and short lived, but it seems genuine. "I'm just amazed by how much of it she drinks."
"Tell the whole truth, Nine. I see right through you."
"Is that so? Then I have to wonder if you like what you see." She lets that hang for just a moment before turning away and wandering a few paces ahead. "But, fair enough. Yes, I'm collecting data on every single quirk, oddity, eccentricity, pattern, routine, need, desire, and detail there is to collect from the five of you. As for why, I'm certain you can infer with remarkable accuracy, Zodiac Ranger."
My hand drops to my pistol. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Turning again to face me, she shrugs, still smirking. "I'm not convinced you know nothing about my target. Not yet, anyway. More observations are required, of the depth any federal investigation necessitates. That is, observations of everything."
"I meant the emphasis on my model designation."
Nine's half smile reveals nothing. "Slip of the tongue."
"Bullshit."
"Oddly defensive, aren't you?"
"What the hell are you implying?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss any details regarding an ongoing federal investigation."
"Explain yourself, Nine."
"No, I don't think I will." Strolling past me, she heads back toward the dome. With a fleeting glance over her shoulder, she adds, "Until next time, Zenith."
I say nothing in response, watching her go.
What the fuck gave me away?
>SCENE: 0009_LEVIATHAN
>DATE/TIME: 06FEB2335/17:09
The day the Burning One flew over Vintner Station was the beginning of the end.
Henna, Zoya, Nine, and I are standing outside the Station, heads craned back to watch as the giant phoenix careens in and out of the heavy gray clouds. The massive flying machine's presence is accompanied by both the roar of flames and the drone of jet engines. Its wingspan must be a kilometer wide, and three tails flow behind it that are even longer, all of which are ablaze with blue and orange fire. Its head resembles a vulture with a hooked beak of some soot coveted metal.
I hate these things. Simply for the fact they make me nervous.
If even one Leviathan saw the Station as an obstruction…
Or worse, a threat.
Thankfully, it seems they're completely unaware of us. That doesn't make it any less stressful. Not for me, anyway. Henna is like a kid at an airshow, Zoya is ranting and raving about this newly confirmed model being present on Cipher-3, and as quiet as she is normally, Nine seems to have gone dead silent. Her eyes are locked onto the thing without relent. It appears she might be zoning out.
I nudge her with an elbow. "What are you thinking, ghost?"
She hums, taking hold of my arm. "That's one big puzzle piece…"
"Suppose so. I'm sure Zoya could tell you more."
"There's no substitute for firsthand observation."
"No, but there's plenty of merit to checking your resources."
"Not when that resource is exhausted." She tears her eyes off it to look past me at Zoya. "She's told me everything she knows. The rest is classified. Inaccessible. Out of reach…"
"Right. But…" I turn to her, our faces inches apart. "They're just terraformers. How important could they really be? And what could they possibly have to do with your target?"
Nine gazes up at the Burning One. "I don't know. And I can't even begin to guess. Nor fathom this. These things… There are more of them. Out there…"
I hesitate but nod. "All twelve. According to Zoya. And whoever's funding this research."
"It's… terrible," she murmurs, transfixed once more. "Awe inspiring. I can… hardly believe what I'm seeing…"
I know that to be the end of the conversation.
I have a bad feeling about all this.
>SCENE: 0009_DEPARTURE
>DATE/TIME: 14FEB2335/13:57
I've searched the Station, but I can't find Nine anywhere.
Her bunk inside the dome is perfectly made, with nothing out of place besides the dried up purple flower on her pillow, which Zoya gave to her as a peace offering a few weeks ago. The moment I see it, a deep seated dread takes hold of me, and I know for a fact that something is wrong.
"No… She's… Just like that?"
I linger for just another moment before I take off running.
The airlock has never been so slow to depressurize. The second it opens, I'm racing across the white to the edges of town, searching for any sign of that eerie silhouette or her needle pointed tracks in the snow. My scanners are maxed out, but I don't see anything anywhere. The light snowfall must have buried her tracks already. Not to mention, I have no idea how long ago she left.
"Damn it. Damn it. Not like this…"
Ping! There's a message in my onboard.
nEPI-0009> Look up.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, I search higher. There she is. The smudge of black metal is on top of the dome, standing amidst the signal relays and radio beacons. I hurry over and clamber onto the roof, casting a quick CyanTech to help with the treacherous footing. Because the dome is kept warm, the snow melts during the day and refreezes at night, forming a deadly mix of light snow covering a thick layer of solid ice.
When I reach her, I'm out of breath, every exhale fogging in this bitter cold. The only word I have to say is a question. "Why?"
Nine helps me to the top where the footing flattens out, then brushes the snow out of my hair. Without answering, she brings herself close and takes hold of me, resting her head on my shoulder. For at least a minute, we stand there in each other's arms.
Finally, she speaks. "I have a directive to complete, ghost."
"I know that. But… Why are you leaving so suddenly? You never said anything about this. Why couldn't we have at least spoken about it?"
"Because I knew you'd try to stop me."
"Well, you were wrong. I'm not going to. But you should have said something. That's why I'm…"
"Maybe you're right." She pulls away, though she takes my hand in both of hers. Nine won't look me in the eye. "You're… probably right. But I'm not programmed for these sorts of things. If I'd told you… It would've changed everything. It would've made it so much harder to leave."
I don't say anything. I'm not sure what to say.
"But… I wasn't going to leave without saying anything," she assures me, looking out toward the crater basin in the distance. "I have nothing to say to them, but to you… Zenith. You were right. There's only so much observation I can do before it turns into watching people go about their lives. I've seen plenty to know my target isn't here, and none of you know anything about her. There's nothing left for me here. Not for my investigation. And you know firsthand that the directive comes first. I need to locate and execute the target. To that end, I can't stay here forever. I have to go."
"I know you do. I know…" With a heavy sigh, I shake my head and face my quiet dismay. "Are you against me going with you?"
"Entirely. But not because of you. Because of them. Think it through, ghost. If you walk with me, the Station loses you. And what then? No salvage, no scouting, no protection, nothing. They wouldn't last a week. Cipher-3 wouldn't allow it. So I can't either."
"I hear you." I cycle another breath. "This is it, then. You're going. Are you ever coming back?"
"I don't know." She fidgets with the rotojoints in my fingers. "Maybe someday. Besides. This is the only warm place on this fucking ice cube. I'm sure at some point I'll need to thaw out."
"Then… I'll keep the radiators running. Ready for you, whenever you choose to stop by."
"You're a good man, Zen." She finally looks me in the eye. "But we're machines. Built to kill. And I need to kill this traitor before I do anything else. Once she's dead… I could easily see myself coming back here. For good."
I nod. "Then I wish you the best, Nine. Stay frosty out there."
"Don't think I have much of a choice, do I?" She chuckles, looking deep into my eyes. "Before I go… There's one more thing I have to tell you."
"Anything. I'm listening."
"Good. Listen closely."
>ERROR: FOOTAGE CORRUPTED
>NOTICE: SKIPPING TO NEXT
"Goodbye, Zenith." Nine backs away, lifting a hand in farewell. "We'll see each other again. I just know it. Until then, ghost."
"Until then, ghost. I'll never meet another machine quite like you."
"And I you."
She drops and slides down the dome, then waves one final time before racing off toward the North. Toward the Reclaimer Beacon. Why? I don't know. But the moment Nine is out of sight, another anxiety settles into my circuits.
This place just might kill her.
I may never see her again.
>PLAYBACK: END