Deeper inside the resort turned military base, Laine and Ed milled around in the dining area of one of the cafes. Lighting in the hall proper was limited, opting instead for the reflected glow of the caldera; that in a show of Necker Group's wealth had had its bottom repced with a thick yer of heat-resistant gss over the magma chamber below. Ed had stepped behind the cafe’s marble counter and Laine sat bathed in orange light.

  “All things considered, Ed, we've got a pretty nice deployment,” said Laine as she leaned back, a hand pulling her ponytail undone and letting her long brown hair hang. “We’re not on the frontlines and the beds are great.”

  “I guess, but our new squadmates aren't exactly my favorite.” Ed flicked the actual light on in the kitchen, flooding it in harsh fluorescent white. “You want a coffee or tea or something?”

  “Coffee. No, wait,” Laine raised her hand, “is the espresso machine working back there?”

  “Yeah the light's on at least,” said Ed, going to grab some coffee to grind.

  “Then an espresso, yeah.” Laine pulled the zipper on her pilot suit down from the top where it rested under her chin to just above the colrbone. “So, back to our new squadmates. I understand having an issue with Rico, the kid’s an asshole. But what have you got against Ben? Dude's a machine.”

  Ed twisted the portafilter onto the espresso machine and set it to brew. “That's just it. He's a machine.” He grunted as he hopped up onto the counter, legs dangling as he drummed his fingers on it. “Does the job, and then when we're back here he just goes straight to his room. We've talked with him outside an einherjar maybe twice in as many weeks?”

  “Yeah, but at least he's helpful. Though I guess the mask thing is a bit creepy.” Laine mimed having a full face mask. “Just really weird. You think it's just some kind of fashion thing, or is it more like my eyes?”

  “I’m not sure, honestly.” Ed watched the flow of espresso slow. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s here because of medical debt like you.”

  Laine groaned, slumping forward. “Don’t remind me about my debt…”

  “Ah, sorry.” Ed set the cup of espresso aside and packed another shot for himself. “You want any cream in yours?”

  “I’m fine with it straight.” Laine stood up and walked to the counter. “They’ve got the good stuff here, unless you took from the crap they sent down with us.”

  Ed pced the espresso on the counter. “They only sent down the instant stuff, I don’t think you could pull a shot from it if you tried.”

  “Thanks for the drink, Ed.” Laine grabbed and held the fancy little gss up, the light above the bar just barely able to get through the liquid. “We know how much longer we’re gonna be down here?”

  “Not sure.” Ed grabbed his own shot and poured it into a rger cup before pulling out a chrome fsk from a pocket on his calf. “At the very least, we’re gonna need to seize the spaceport up north.”

  “Yeah, the weather here’s too fucked for a space elevator isn’t it?” groaned Laine.

  “Definitely, even if they had built one it would probably be compromised by now. Those things take a small city to keep running even in optimal conditions,” added Ed, pouring a bit of clear spirit into his espresso. “Hope we have time and the chance to pick over what we seized today. No offense to the engineers here, but Mobius tech is just better made most of the time.”

  “You’ll get your shot, Ed. We haven’t gotten new marching orders yet and it takes command a while to get anything rolling,” said Laine before she took a sip of her espresso.

  “Hope so, I think I saw some stuff that’d be great for my machine.” Ed swirled his drink. “Bet there’s something you could use too.”

  “I’m not a gearhead like you, Ed. I’m just here to pay my bills and then retire,” said Laine, leaning against the counter.

  Ed set his drink down firmly. “Ever the optimist, eh?”

  “Well, I don’t intend on dying,” said Laine

  “I’m pretty sure most don’t intend on it, that don’t stop it from happening.” He exhaled. “But I'd hate to die before getting a chance to try out some treads on an einherjar.”

  “What.”

  “What?” Ed picked up his drink and took a sip. “I tend to do long range support roles, and I’d get to store more ammo and field rger weapons.” He set his cup down. “Wouldn’t have to cling to a rock just to fire some missiles either.”

  Laine shook her head. “But, like, an einherjar already feels a little weird… Wouldn't a set of treads be even weirder?”

  Ed finished his drink and smirked back at her. “I'll just have’ta get used to it.”

  ______

  Rico sat on the edge of his bed, towel wrapped around his torso and held there by his arms. The shower helped a bit, letting him work out some of the dull ache from depressurization after so long in the tube. Notifications blinked in a corner of his vision, probably from the engineering team. He closed his eyes and leaned back. It wasn’t like he could do anything about now, so he dismissed the notifications with a flick of his finger. Another notification came and each time he grumbled and dismissed it until a channel opened up.

  “Rico,” said a woman's voice.

  He groaned and sat back up. “What is it? You calling to give me shit too, Chanel?”

  “I hadn’t intended to,” she said with a sigh.

  Rico twisted on his bed, stretching. “Well, don’t. I already heard it from the engineering team.”

  “I was calling to check on you. The Mk.3 can put a lot of stress on the body and mind.” Chanel’s visual feed flicked on in his vision, her brown eyes were sunken with her straight bck hair framing her face. “Rico, have you noticed anything odd?”

  “No, not really? I’m feeling fine, and…” He paused. “Wait, do you mean just odd in general? Cause what’s the deal with Ben?”

  Chanel sighed and tapped on the screen near the camera, the light of it pying over her features. “He was a worker on an engineering team before getting picked up for active service. There’s a note that he has a personal handler off-world for… Mental health.”

  “Okay, fine.” Rico waved a hand then let it fall onto his bed. “That doesn’t expin the freaky mask, though.”

  “He gets results, so as long as that continues the higher ups seem to have no issues with his peculiarities.” Chanel flicked to another window, this one illuminating her face in red. “Came close today, I see.”

  Rico grit his teeth, exhaling through them. “My team didn’t carry their weight. The fuck is on that screen?”

  Chanel switched the feed from her face to the image on the screen in front of her. “It’s the diagnostics for the Asura. Multiple damaged ptes, shocks are compromised too.” Rico growled to himself as she continued. “Your shotgun was irreparably damaged as well; it’s a good thing we have spares in storage.” Chanel’s voice softened. “Damage to cockpit shielding.”

  Both of their eyes were fixed on the photos of the cockpit’s defensive sheath, directly on the gash that glimmered with exposed metal. He knew it was close, but it had come off with retive ease once he was back in the hangar so he’d been trying to put it out of his mind. Notes appeared on the photo, likely as the engineering team was going over it. A single inch of the pting remained intact, all that was really between him and, if not death, a catastrophic cockpit failure.

  Rico shuddered. “I’m sorry.” He stood up and walked over to his nightstand, towel clutched against his sternum. “Ms. Roth…”

  “Yes, Rico?” she asked.

  “Can I?”

  “It has been a long day and you did, ultimately, succeed.” Chanel switched the feed back to her own face, she smiled softly at Rico. “Go ahead, get some rest.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Roth.” He grabbed a bottle of pills from atop his nightstand.

  “Only one! You know it’s a powerful depressant.”

  “Yeah, I do know.” Rico took one of the pills and coughed.

  “Water too, get a drink or it’ll get caught in your throat.”

  Rico staggered over to the bathroom again, condensation from his shower still lingering on the mirror. He grabbed a gss and let the water run before taking a drink, getting the pill down into his stomach. He looked past Chanel’s feed and the notifications from his augmented reality chip and into the hazy view of his own reflection then shook his head.

  He set the gss down. “Good night.” Rico’s thumb flicked open the water-tight cap on a slot just above the top of his right ear. “Talk to you in the morning, Chanel.”

  “Good night, Rico,” replied Chanel as she cut the transmission.

  The amount of times he’d had to slot in new ARCs growing up made the series of pinches required to fully release it from the slot in the side of his head simple to perform even as he walked back to his bed. After a third set of opposed tches were opened the ARC dispyed a disconnection message and slid out just enough to grasp. He pulled it out, set it inside of a small case on his nightstand and flopped onto his bed to wait for the pill to do its work.

  ______

  Ben stepped into their room, the door automatically closing and locking behind them as they tugged on the zipper of their pilot suit. It was uncomfortable, tight in far too many pces, and just not what they’d wear given the choice. They paused as the zipper reached their colrbone to take their light brown hair out of the suit. It was just past the top of their shoulders and kept in a low ponytail. They looked from their bed over to the windows that peered out over the caldera and the metal sts of the blinds turned upward, but not fully closed.

  “The door's locked and no one can see inside. Can I take it off now?” they asked in a soft tone.

  After a moment their hand slid up the left edge of the glossy bck mask over their face and the top of their head, then pressed a barely perceptible section inward. The mask whirred, and they winced. Its front section pushed away from their face and they pulled it off. They turned it around in their hands so they could see their reflection on its surface. Their face was rounder in a lot of pces, and the thin facial hair they'd once had was gone. The most notable change was their eyes; they had been pin brown, but the irises were now ringed by dully glowing crimson.

  They stared into their own eyes. “A lot's changed.” They felt a hand cup the curve of their cheek, warm and soft, yet tinged with a touch of static in their nerves. They set the mask down on their bed and leaned their head into the caress. “I miss our home.”

  “I know, Emrys.”

  Emrys looked up, gaze passing over her bck dress, past her colrbone and then face before locking with her eyes. Her fathomless scarlet eyes. The edges of her form frayed slightly when she moved. After all, her body was a projection inside Emrys’ mind. But, she was physical enough for them. They could feel the sensation of her touch on their skin as her hand traveled from their cheek to the side of their neck.

  “I miss the Myrddin too. Don't like the Vajra frame,” mumbled Emrys.

  “The Myrddin's still on the mend, but it'll be whole soon. And besides, you've gotten pretty good with the Vajra.”

  “It's not the same, it feels wrong.” Emrys looked away. “Are we leaving when it’s fully healed, Viv?”

  “No, not yet.” Vivien paused to let her pilot whine. “But you've been very good at pying your role here, girl.” Emrys looked back up into her eyes. “You’ve almost earned a very special reward.”

  Emrys grinned wide, feeling her pulse rising. “Really?”

  Vivien smiled at her. “You are so very close. Now, let's get you all the way out of that suit.” Her hand grabbed Emrys’ wrist and guided her hand to the suit's zipper. “Go on.”

  Emrys tugged the zipper down all the way to where it ended just above her groin. Vivien moved Emrys’ other hand to pull one of the sleeves off, revealing not only her arm, but that side of her torso.

  “Looks like you're coming along nicely. How does it feel?”

  “You… You know already from the other times you’ve…” Emrys pulled the other sleeve off, letting the top hang down from her waist. “Do I have to say it?”

  Vivien hesitated. “I suppose not… At least, not right now.” She got close, letting her spectral body press against Emry’s physical one. “Though when it’s time for your reward I’ll expect you to be more vocal.”

  Vivien’s fingers interced with Emrys’ and she exerted as much force as she could safely through her senses, pushing her pilot back onto her bed. Were it not for the cameras she’d seized control of in the room and Emrys’ own perception she wouldn’t be able to look at her as she did. Like her form, looking through where her eyes appeared to Emrys was hazy, missing the authenticity a pair of ocurs in that spot would offer her. She would need to get a hold of a hamr from Penrose’s stock.

  She loomed over her pilot, hands moving Emrys’ own above her head. “Hold your wrist with your other hand. You can do that for me, right?”

  Emrys panted, eyes fixed on Vivien’s. “Yeah,” she closed her fingers around her wrist and held on firmly, smiling up at the phantom woman above her, “I can do that, Viv.”

  Vivien leaned down and kissed Emrys, who accepted her simuted tongue readily. She caressed her pilot’s cheek, the desire to truly touch becoming ever more intense. Her other hand hovered near one of Emrys’ breasts, her knee pulled up between the other woman’s legs. She wanted so desperately to devour her, swallow this delicate human up and make her a part of her again.The woman beneath her writhed, fingers digging into her own wrist. Her Emrys was still fresh, however; if she gorged herself now she might scare the poor thing.

  She pulled back, leaving Emrys panting with her lips parted. “You’re truly becoming something beautiful.”

  Emrys tried to clear her head, blinking her eyes as shallow breaths passed by her still tingling lips. She looked up at Vivien. Why did she stop? She had her on her back, the order to hold her own wrists practically… Practically as good as shackles. Vivien had to know that Emrys would be good for her, would do as she was told. She wanted to reach up and pull her down against her, to be swallowed again like the first time. Emrys had followed the firm, commanding words of Vivien back then. And, when she was finally there before her, nude and terrified, the Myrddin had opened up, its torso blossoming like a steel-toothed flower before it swallowed her whole. Restrained her. Penetrated her. She cried out, remembering how it felt. It wasn’t a cry of pain.

  “Emrys?” Vivien’s expression was soft, worry pying over her slightly hazy features. “Are you okay?”

  Emrys wasn’t sure. The feeling was as intense as it had been back then, but time and all the occasions she ran through the memory had sweetened it, sharpened it into an irresistible edge against her mind. “I’m okay, Viv,” she managed to say breathlessly, her cheeks burning.

  Vivien smiled softly. “I’m gd.”

  Her gaze trailed back down Emrys’ body, noting just how much she had developed in just a few months, trying to get herself to think about anything else but what she really wanted to do. She ran through all the dosing and predicted developments for Emrys’ body, and when that only made it worse she briefly retreated into reviewing her pns for hunting the hated Draugr. That would require the Myrddin; the Vajra and even the Asura paled in comparison to it as tools of war. And to pilot the Myrddin, she would have to consume her pilot again.

  Vivien’s projection warped slightly, her smile wide, eyes bright and depthless. The teeth in her mouth seemed to multiply and lengthen to fill the slightly too wide gap between her lips. It made Emrys squirm, her blush becoming physically painful as she noticed the wetness flowing from her and getting on her inner thighs inside her pilot suit.

  “Vivien, I uh,” mumbled Emrys as she tried to get herself to settle down.

  “Oh, yes, what?” Vivien asked, fully pulling her mind back to the physical space her projection occupied. “I didn’t scare you did I?” Her visible self was smoothed over, returning to its usual shape.

  “No! No, you didn’t scare me. But, I…” Emrys clipped her sentence, she couldn’t just say it.

  Vivien leaned back in, noting all the signs of heightened arousal in Emrys. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

  Emrys couldn’t find the words, much less the will to answer.

  Vivien’s hand slid up from the side of Emrys’ torso, over the fingers still firmly holding her wrist and up to her unoccupied hand, her spectral fingers intercing with hers. “I’ll give you a preview.” She bit down on the side of Emrys’ neck, right at the curve where it connected to her shoulder. “You’ll get the full thing ter, when you’ve really earned your reward.”

  “I’ll be good, I promise.”

  “Good girl.”