CHAPTER FAE*DRA AND LESS
Fae*Dra had entered the large aircraft maintenance complex and was calmly walking to the connected hanger.
Lester ran to approach her and yelled "Androsynth! Stop what you are doing. That vault cube is mine!"
"TacEng go away", she replied without breaking her stride.
"I know what you are doing.... I will use all force if I have to"
No reply.
Lester fixated on the cube... his obsession watered down his judgement. "Well, if that's how it is, send Alexander my regards".
BOOM! In a flash a triangular blade instantly appeared in front of Lester's face.
It must have traveled at an undetectable speed. Lester could still feel strong air current pushing back his cheeks as the blade settled in thin air, vertical in orientation bisecting his face down his ventral line.
"Care what you say TacEng." ... the blade pushed closer with the tip pinching Lester's nose... "Else there will be two TacEng... one that falls to the left and one that falls to the right."
With that point made very clear to Lester he backed off of his plan to detonate explosives above her. He and his team were no match for this androsynth. The cube was lost to him.
He sat on the ground in despair...
"Why does he want it anyway? Why does my brother want with.--" with those words Fae*Dra stopped, turned and looked at Lester for the first time... her eyes seemed to be making some computer analysis.
"You are Lester Mann... half brother to Alexander Holmes. You are the best TacEng in the Ronin fleet but lazy and disengaged." She was reading from a script because she wasn't talking like herself.
"Alexander sent you to help with mission?" She asked.
"I dunno... why don't you ask him?"
Emotion welled up... "Alexander is dead. I am to take biological sample IM-RY3 to reflex point."
Lester stood back up and softened his demeanor. Alexander was dead. His brother was dead.... and maybe he was trying to save the cube all along.....more emotion welled up.
"Let me help you."
Fae*Dra repeated: "Lazy and unmotivated" like it was a rejection letter for a resume.
"The best tactical engineer in the Ronnin fleet. Alexander wrote that. He knew I could do this. And he also knew the ONLY thing I care about in this universe is in that cube. Take me and my companions and with your strength and my strategies we will complete the mission for sure."
A moment passed as Fae*Dra thought
"Accepted"