[Istanbul]

Istanbul: Not Just a City


Chapter 1: Out of Hyperial

Istanbul- Out of Hyperial Pt.1

Once upon a time... That's how fairy tales start. Well, my life isn't a fairy tale. Now I'm sure your expecting me to say that my life is some kind of horror story. Well, it isn't that either. Coming from war-torn Hyperial, you might find that hard to believe, but the people and the planet have been recovering, so it's getting to be pretty nice place to live again (though we do have our percentage of lunatics, just like any other planet).

Well, my whole life I dreamed of going to space. Not to escape anything, but for the sole reason that space fascinates me. The beauty of space fills me with awe. I finally decided to join TRI when I was 16, but I didn't enlist then. Instead, I finished prep school and went on to college, majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a History minor. I went this route to have a solid technical background and an understanding of the reasons behind events. I finished my Masters just a few months ago and enlisted in TRI.

Since Hyperial currently does not have an extensive space program any longer, I did what Hyperials who want to fly for TRI have to do... I enlisted for another faction. I chose Octavious.


To be continued…

Out of Hyperial- pt 2.

After enlistment, the recovery from the surgery, and basic training (very basic), I was taken to Oct Core. After disembarking from the transport, I received a private comm from a pilot named Regan, welcoming me to TRI. She offered to mentor me and answer any questions I had and gave me some pointers. Upon her advice I took a transport mission to the Great-Pillars station. I acquired an Apteryx from the TRI fleet hanger and launched.

The first mission was quick and uneventful. I was promoted, no longer just a recruit. I took another mission and, after launching, noticed Jellyfish creatures heading towards me. Needless to say, I boogied for the gate. When I got back to Oct-Core, I saw another pack of Jellies. They started firing on me as I was docking. The docking computer barely got me in station before my hull went critical.

After talking with some maintenance workers in the station, apparently the conflux have some way of finding out that there is a new recruit on their way to a station and Jellyfish are sent to scout the new pilot. All I have to say is, that if Conflux use guns to scout, they need to be scouted back to the hole from which they came.

to be continued...

Out of Hyperial- Pt. 3

After the first encounter with the Conflux, I continued running transport missions. The Jellyfish seemed to follow me around outside of the stations, always in groups. Several times they flew in close and attacked and I tried to escape. One time they managed to frag my ship, just as I was reaching the docking bay. Between the Conflux scouts and my own inexperience, I totaled several shuttles. Regan was always in contact, though, encouraging me after my mistakes, congratulating me when I had even small accomplishments. She urged me to join her squadron whose main purpose, she said, was to train new pilots. This fit in extremely well with what I had in mind, so I joined.

At the time, it was still a small squad, about six members. With the help of Regan and Mels (who is currently on sabbatical, apparently meditating the purpose of life in the Shintobi Nebula), I improved dramatically in skill. After achieving rank 5, I happened across another new pilot, who was having the same problem I had had, Jellyfish. In assisting that pilot, I killed my first Conflux. Around this time I started experimenting with missiles and took my first stab at mining. With all the other things I had done combined, I achieved my first skill star and was promoted to level 9.

End of Chapter

[Istanbul]

An Ode to the Light Fighter
In Modified Hyperial Standard Form 
 
The Light Fighter is a joy to fly. 
     The graduation gift, 
     it's a perfect fit. 
 
The Raven glides like silk through deepspace skies. 
     Maneuverable, 
     I feel its strong pull. 
 
It is a beauty to my eyes. 
I will fly it through crimson skies. 
 
-Istanbul

Editor's Note: If anyone duplicates this, please indent the 2nd and 3rd lines of the first 2 stanzas to fulfill the MHSF.

How do I do that code thing without it saying code and all that?

Now that we've covered the beginnings of my TRI career, the format will become less chronological. In fact, it will become somewhat random (i.e. things such as "An Ode to the Light Fighter").

Anyways, once I was promoted to rank 9 and allowed to buy a light fighter, my career started in earnest...

[Istanbul]

Chapter 2: A Combat Mission

A Combat Mission- Pt. 1

I was in the pilot's lounge at Octavius-Core, on the comm chatting with Regan about nothing in particular. I was sitting in a dirty orange EZ-Chair. It's tucked away in a dark corner of the lounge. There’s much better looking chairs, but this on is the most comfortable. There were a couple of OMC pilots over at the other end of the lounge playing one of the rec games.

An Octavian TRI officer walked in and scanned the room. He looked to be in his late twenties with a neatly trimmed goatee. He spotted me and started walking towards me. I told Regan I'd talk to her again in a few minutes.

As he approached, I rose and saluted him. He was about an inch shorter than my 6' 0".

"You are pilot Istanbul, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"Have a seat," he said as he pulled up a chair from a nearby table. "We have a mission for you."

I sat back down, but didn't lean back this time.

The officer said, "First off, I'm Senior Lancer Kabul in the Octavian TRI Conflux Defense Division. We've had an increase in the number of Conflux incidents over the last few days. A few miners and freighters have even taken some heavy damage before escaping through their jumpgate. We've seen that you've been working hard and your skills have been improving..." He paused.

"Thank you, Sir," I said.

"To make this simple, let me say that we have a mission for you to thin out the Conflux overpopulation in Octavian space. Will you accept?"

"Yes, Sir, of course!" I replied.

"We chose to give you a chance to prove yourself worthy of our sponsorship," he said with a hard stare. Then he smiled and handed me a datachip. "Good luck pilot. This contains the full details of the mission. Contact me at Conflux Defense Headquarters if you have any questions."

"Yes, Sir." I got up and gave him a salute, which he returned before leaving the lounge.

To be continued...

A Combat Mission, Pt. 2

I went to my quarters and loaded up the sector map for Octavian space on my computer. I picked a route that circled through Oct space through the most heavily traveled sectors. Then I sent my flight plan to traffic control and settled in my bed for a time of contemplative introspection.

Then my comm chirped.

It was Regan.

"Hi Hun," She said. (She calls everyone hun.) "You didn't call back yet, what happened?"

"I got a combat mission," I replied and explained the details.

"12 conflux? You can do that!" She said.

I talked to her for a few more minutes then settled back down to think about the meaning of life.

Then there was a knock on the door.

I opened it. It was Sr. Lancer Kabul. I hurriedly saluted him and knocked off my baseball cap in the proccess.

"At ease First Lancer Istanbul. Traffic Control forwarded your flight plan to us. Very good. We would like you to make a slight modification, however, and detour through these two sectors," he said, pointing on the small chart he was holding. "We need those beacons tuned, as well as a couple others that are already on your route."

"Yes, Sir," I said.

"Thank you pilot," he said. Then, before he walked away, he toed my cap with his boot. "Brewers. Egh. Okay team, but the Octavian Core Yankees are better." He was gone down the corridor.

"Evil Empire," I muttered under my breath and shut my door.

It was now time to get ready to fly, so I donned my flight suit and grabbed the data pad that I had loaded my mission information and flight plan on. Then I headed towards the hangar.

To be continued...


A Combat Mission, Pt. 3

The ****pit of a Raven is somewhat snug, but it feels like a luxury cruise liner compared to the shuttle ****pit. I ran through the power-up checklist; everything read clean. I signaled Flight Control that I was ready to launch. Once launched, I throttled up, speeding towards the Imperial Gates jump. Blue glowing vortexes surrounded by stabilizing pylons, Jumpgates make a unique appearance in space. What's fun is going through a jumpgate. Existing in two places at once is wild!

In Imperial Gates, I cycled through the targets and found the beacon. I pushed up the throttle and wheeled around to head towards it. About five klicks from the beacon, I saw two pink blips on my radar. Two C1 squids about fifteen were klicks away. I had time to align the beacon before engaging. I closed the distance and cut throttle. After reversing my heading I applied full thrust and light tap on my braking jets to come to a snappy stop, before turning and going through.

A quick check of the radar showed that the flux had closed to about 7k behind me. Another about-face and liberal afterburner had us on top of each other in seconds. I opened fire with my Calefactors and scored a hit on the lead squid. I flipped around and burned after it to stay on it's tail. We exchanged shots but my Calefactors quickly over-powered it. While I was dispatching the first squid, the second had snuck in behind me and was kicking my tail. Of course, that's why they invented shields. So I yanked my ship around to the other squid, burned for a second to throw off its aim and then I started punishing it. It quickly followed its companion and my shields were none the worse for wear. I wouldn't need a new paint job yet.

To be continued...

[Istanbul]

A Combat Mission, Pt 4

I docked at Octavius Core after completing the first leg of my patrol. The service crew raced out at amazing speed refueling and patching my ship. This was surprising as the crews are usually a bit more languid with someone of my rank. I climbed out of my ****pit to see what was going on, when I saw Sr. Lancer Kabul come running up.

“Istanbul, we have an emergency!” he told me quickly. “We have a tow loaded with iridium and gold inbound from SDS. There’s a pair of C6 Manta’s in pursuit of him in Orrus Major. They’ll be on him in two minutes. GET GOING!”

Well, when an Oct tells you to get going, even if he’s a skinny officer, you better get going. I was launched and headed to Orrus Major in less than a minute. I didn’t stop to think about the enemy I was about to face.

I got in sector just as the first manta caught up to the unlucky tow. I targeted it, then it hit me… “Oh God, not mantas!” I exclaimed.

“Mayday, Mayday, I’m under attack! Please send assistance,” I heard the tow pilot’s plea for help. It galvanized me into action.

“I might get blown up, but I just might be able to buy him enough time to get out of here,” I thought. Afterburners streaked yellow behind my tiny Raven. I let fly with the burning green light of my Calefactors. I scored a hit luckily and kept going, changing my vector to intercept the other manta. I caught it with a burst of fire as it hammered on the sluggish tow.

“They’re off of you; I’m going to drag them away. Get going!” I yelled.

“Thanks Pilot. I’m moving out as fast as I can.” I heard the reply distantly as I focused on the situation at hand.

I kept going, gaining some distance and cycled through my targets. A snail had joined in the fray when I jumped in. I bore left to take it out, so that it couldn’t pound on me while I fought the mantas. I flew in at a slight angle, throwing off its aim and opened fire at 1.4k. The snail’s shields were going critical as I swung around, keeping on the attack. My lasers melted its body and the unstable gasses exploded.

I turned my attention back to the mantas, which were 3 and 4k ahead of me and closing fast. I dove just under them and opened fire. A couple of hits distracted the first and I blew past it. Then I turned on the second as it did the same to me. We slugged it out for a few moments, with my lasers accuracy giving me the advantage. Having chewed down its shields, I disengaged as its wingman rejoined the fight. My shields had taken a hit, but I pressed on, whirling back on the first like a dervish. A few hits again addled its brain. Back to the second, I continued the pounding I had started earlier. After a few seconds I had finished off its recharging shields and started wounding it. My lasers were ripping through its thick skin and it bled pink liquid out the numerous gashes. My shields were failing, but I pounded home my advantage. *Djew!* *Djew!* *Sizzle…* It fell to pieces. I engaged a flashfire and ran.

“I’m jumping now. Thanks again for the help Istanbul.”

I caught a glimpse of his tag as he jumped out: Big Mac.

Considering my self lucky to have executed the strategy so well and knowing that discretion is the better part of valor, I followed him out of sector and docked back at Core.

To be continued…

[Istanbul]

A Combat Mission, Pt. 5

As my ship rose up the elevator and came level with the operations deck, I saw a crowd of people around Big Mac’s tow. A large number of them were maintenance workers repairing damage to the ship. The rest were TRI officials as ell as a few Military Police. There was a lot of excited conversation.

At the edge of the crowd stood a burly man, with a busy beard and a trace of a paunch from greasy tow stop restaurants. I could tell it was Big Mac. His face was a bit pale, like he’d had more of a shock than once would think a conflux attack would give a seasoned pilot. He was frowning as he listened to the Station Administrator and a senior Security officer.

Senior Lancer Kabul saw my ship arrive and separated from the crowd. “Congratulations on your promotion, Lancer Istanbul,” he said, reaching out his hand for a handshake. “I don’t think many people noticed the announcement with all this commotion.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Taking a breath, I chanced a question, “What’s all this about? Is Big Mac alright, Sir?”

Kabul was gazing at the scene and caught himself. “Hmm? Oh, well, I must say he’s had quite a shock, though he’s recovering well. If you have no objection, we do have a mission that we’d like for you to take on.”

“Ahhh… sure, I think,” I replied, still confused.

“Meet me in Meeting Room C, in the ops center in an hour.”

“Ok Sir, but, what happened to Big Mac?”

Sr. Lancer Kabul looked me in the eye, “Someone tried to kill him. Permanently.”

End of chapter.

[Istanbul]

Humanity
In Hyperial Descriptive Form
 
Black as the great sea.
 Full of deceit.
  Vanity swells.
   Brooding hurtfulness.
Humanity.
-Istanbul

Editor’s Note: Hyperial Descriptive Form is four lines of description, each one indented one more space, followed by the object being described. Often times they are used as guessing games, where a person will say his four descriptive lines, while another will attempt to guess the answer.



Sure there’s a lot of great people out there, and you’ve met some of them already in this story. But, as a whole, nothing has as great a capacity for hatred and terror. Yet, there is the potential in any individual to press through this and carry on to a shining hope. Now, on with the story!


-Istanbul


P.S. I figured, with the way I finished up the first chapter, I’d better go ahead and do the poem and little blurb deal again.

P.P.S. I sure wish there was a better way to do those indents than that darn code tag.

[Istanbul]

Chapter 3: Hide...

Hide..., Pt. 1

I strode quickly down the corridor to the meeting. In front of the door stood a tall, lethal-looking woman in the black uniform of Octavian Station Security. She was quite effectively barring the door.

Nervously, I approached, “Uh, excuse me… OOOMPH!”

I hadn’t even gotten the words out of my mouth when the tiger lady had me pinned on the ground with her knee in my back.

“This is a restricted area! State your callsign!” she stated fiercely.

“Argh!” I gargled in reply.

Luckily, the door opened behind us at that moment.

“What’s going on out there?” I heard a loud voice yell.

Tiger Lady got off of me and I scrambled to my feet.

“This suspicious person was wandering the hallway, Sir.” She stated to the commander who had come to the door while glowering at me.

“Corporal, this is Master Lancer Istanbul, as you can see quite clearly on his flight jacket. A loyal worker in service to Octavia and TRI,” said Kabul who had come to the door when he saw me.

She continued pleading her case to the captain, ignoring Sr. Lancer Kabul’s defense. “I say he’s a spy sir! Why, he doesn’t even look like an Oct.”

The captain broke in, “Enough of this! Keep up with your insubordination and I’ll have you on KP… to BOTH of our regrets. Now get back to your duty. PROPERLY!”

Sr. Lancer Kabul ushered me into the meeting room, pointing me to an empty seat between him and… REGAN! What was she doing here, I wondered. Sitting across from me was Big Mac. To his left was a civilian woman; to his right, the captain. At the head of the table was a white haired man, a general. To my left, next to Kabul, at the foot of the table was a man who looked to be from Quantar.

“Thank you all for coming,” said the general. “We have a serious issue here. Commander Lucius, if you’d explain.”

The commander stood. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with his brown hair buzzed short. His steely eyes were framed by thick eyebrows. Really thick.

“Big Mac was flying a mixed load of commodities, including a high percentage of iridium from Octavian SDS. Sometime, while he was docked there, his escape pod and anti-flux were sabotaged. The security service on site is going through the records, looking for any suspicious activity. As things are, if not for the timely flying by Master Lancer Istanbul, Big Mac would be dead.”

“I owe you one kid, “said the large man across from me, reaching his hand over the table. I shook it.

“Investigator Triska has gone over Big Mac’s travels and has pinpointed an event that we think is part of the explanation for the attack.”

The woman sitting next to Big Mac spoke next. “Yes. Big Mac was set upon by a pirate in the Hook of Roh last week. With a liberal dose of missiles, he was able to send the pirate home in a pod. This pirate has been loosely connected to a criminal organization that we’ve only recently caught wind of. In fact, we really don’t know much of anything about them, but it seems they put a revenge hit out for Big Mac.”

Lucius said, “We’ve got to get Big Mac out of sight. He’s our first real lead of any kind with this case. Regan has volunteered her POS as a safe haven. Visionary Sweet, have your superiors given you authorization for cooperation in this investigation?”

“Quantar has little use for despicable criminals such as these. We will at least find the pirate and attempt to follow that trail while it is still warm,” said the Quantar man softly.

“Thank you,” replied the general. “Master Lancer Istanbul, we know you have not been with us long, but we would prefer not to bring in any more people than absolutely necessary.”

I nodded.

“You are being given a Hawk, a fast transport, retrofitted with two escape pods in the cargo bay should something occur. You’ll be taking Big Mac and Investigator Triska to Regan’s Station in Ring View, along with their gear.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Well, I’d better go get my station all ready,” Regan said. “Good luck Isty, see you soon.” She patted me on the shoulder as she walked by out of the room.

“You fly in one hour Istanbul. May the Fo… erm,” he coughed, “Fly safe.”

Kabul leaned over to me and whispered, “Don’t mind General Dodonna. He’s always making weird statements and saying, ‘Along time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,’ and stuff like that.”

“Dismissed,” said General Dodonna.

To be continued...

[Istanbul]

Hide..., Pt. 2

I tabbed the intercom on and informed the passengers in the hold, “We’re jumping from Core now.” Then I flipped a switch in the ****pit, shutting off the ambient music and loaded in some good stuff. Joe Satriani to be precise. I glanced behind me where Tiger Lady was scrunched between my seat and the bulkhead. She was looking thoroughly unhappy.

Regan had left the meeting room first, followed by Big Mac and Triska. I left the room with Sr. Lancer Kabul, following the Quant and the General. Commander Lucius was close behind. As I walked out the door, Tiger Lady burst.

“Commander! Look at him! He’s gotta be from Hyp-“

Sr. Lancer Kabul sprang into action, slapping his hand over her mouth, stifling her words. “Congratulations, Corporal. You just bought yourself and extended stay in a lovely vacation spot,” he hissed at her. “Apparently discretion and discipline weren’t a part of your training.”

Commander Lucius at that point dragged the two of them back into the meeting room. “Go pack whatever you need for this trip Istanbul. We’ll handle this.”

Somewhat bewildered, I turned to head down the corridor. As I turned, I saw the Quantar representative looking with narrowed eyes in our direction. He swiftly turned as the General paused, waiting for him. Across the several meters I barely heard his comment, “…troops seem to be lacking in disci…” They passed out of my hearing.

A half hour later, carrying a suitcase, a duffel bag and my guitar strapped to my back, I boarded my new Hawk Fast Transport. Upon entering the ****pit to store my gear, I was stunned to see none other than the Tiger Lady sitting sullenly in my flight throne.

My intelligence broke through the haze.

“Uhh…” I said.

“I’m sorry,” she growled. I wasn’t so sure about her sincerity, but didn’t say that to her!

“Umm… No problem.”

“They assigned me to be the bodyguard for this expedition.”

”Oh.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Look. I’m not very happy about this situation, but… I guess my big mouth got me in trouble again.”

“Hey, it’s ok. A bodyguard is probably a good idea,” I said, putting out my hand. She reluctantly shook it.

“I still don’t think I like you,” she said. “But, for now, I’ve got to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m watching you though. Be warned.”

She spun the chair around and stared out the ****pit window at the hangar. I placed my gear in the storage compartments and looked over at the Corporal. The dim red light of the hangar glowed in eerily around her face. I tapped her on the shoulder. She snapped out of her reverie and glared at me.

“Yes?” she questioned sharply.

“I need my seat now,” I said, grinning. “Why don’t you check on the passengers.”

She rose and shouldered her way past me back to the hold. I shrugged and went about my checklist. After running through the preflight, I went back and checked on everyone as well.

“They’re all set Master Lancer,” said the Corporal.

Big Mac was lounging in the modified hold in an acceleration seat. Investigator Triska was making notes on her datapad.

“We’re about ready to launch folks, so get strapped in.” I looked around the hold. Two pods. Two acceleration seats. Three passengers…

“Corporal, I just realized something. They apparently weren’t counting you…”

Enlightenment dawned on her face.

That’s how she ended up stuck between my throne and the bulkhead. As blue light engulfed the ship, I pressed the jump button, activating the jump drive. The split second of feeling as if my body was collapsing on itself while floating on the updraft of a storm system abated.

“Ugh,” grumbled the Tiger Lady.

Now in Imperial Causeway sector, I targeted the next waypoint, Verselus’ Hook jumpgate, and throttled up.

“So… what’s your name?” I asked.

“Jezra.”

“Jezra. Much better than calling you Tiger Lady.”

She kicked my leg under the seat causing my foot to bump the rudder pedal. The ship veered off to the side for a second. I heard a thump as she slid across the floor to the other side of the ****pit.

“Hey, watch it!” I said, struggling to contain my laughter. I corrected course and continued on the way to Verselus’ Hook.

To be continued…

[Istanbul]

Hide…, Pt. 3

We made our way through Verselus’ Hook and The Gurge without incident and jumped into Ring View, which is the Quant sector bordering Oct space (The Gurge is the Oct border sector). Regan’s Station, our destination, is 30k off of the Sensor Array Beacon. Sadly, the Hawk has only a 35k radar, so I couldn’t target the station immediately and just fly to it.

“Why didn’t they install a Rotacol on this ship?” I asked.

“Because you didn’t ask for one, let alone know how to use one probably,” grumbled Jezra behind me.

“It was a rhetorical question.”

“And you’re retardical.”

I shut up (shocking I know) and targeted the beacon. I throttled up and flew towards it while flipping the radar to ‘All’.

Suddenly, a warning light started flashing on the tactical display. I looked at the screen.

WAR: OMC HAS DISPUTED THE CLAIM IN RING VIEW.

“What the…”

Jezra peered over my shoulder. “Someone in your squad claimed this sector earlier. That’s just great.” She said angrily.

I cycled through the targets, trying to find the aggressor. Over the local comm channel, the pilot spoke, “Where do you think you’re going, terrorist?!” It was a wild, excited voice. It sounded like a young Octavian. I found him in the targets, 15k away and closing rapidly.

“What? I’m no terrorist!” I exclaimed through my mic.

“Don’t even try to wiggle your way out of your pod ride to prison, Hyperial scum!” The computer identified him as EZ-Gunz.

I looked back at Jezra, shocked. “How is everyone knowing where I’m from? It’s supposed to be a secret!”

“Well, someone sold us out,” she replied. “…It wasn’t me!” she yelled defensively, as I was still looking at her.

I opened up the intercom. “Guys, buckle down in your pods. We’re in for some business.”

“He’s only 10k away. We’ll never get to a gate in time. He’s in a Raven.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to fight then. Get down and hold on.”

She dropped and clung to my seat as I wheeled the ship around. The range dropped swiftly as we charged at each other on afterburners. We both opened fire at about 2k, somewhat ineffectively. We both turned, trying to get a shot at the other, exchanging bursts of laser fire. I kept the AB on, trying to push myself past the more maneuverable fighter.

It was a mistake. The added thrust pushed my turn out wider, letting him slip behind me. I cut throttle all the way and yanked my ship back facing his, just as one of EZ-Gunz’ bursts pierced my shields. Jezra screamed.

I ignored her and focused on the target. His shields were at 20% from the first circle. I pounded at him. My shots must have thrown him off his stride, since he started missing me just a bit. I jockeyed the throttle and the stick, keeping him in my crosshairs. His shots came back on target as I got into his armor. Now we were both exchanging body blows straight to the other’s hull. Armor melted away on both ships, sloughing into space. With one more circle, his armor was down to 10%. 5%.. 1%... Then his pod shot out as his ship exploded.

I let my ship drift for several seconds as my hands shook violently.

Silence hung in the ****pit.

Jezra stirred. My chair shifted as she relaxed her death grip on it. Footsteps echoed beyond the bulkhead. The door cracked open. I looked back and saw Jezra’s eyes snap open. They were dark, jungle green.

Big Mac stuck his head through the partially open door, “Hey, you got a bucket in this bucket? Triska’s losing something in her pod back here.”

“I have no idea,” I said shrugging.

“I’ll go look,” said Jezra as she got up.

After they left the ****pit, I went back to finding the POS (Pilot Operated Station). I found it at the edge of my radar range and headed in that direction. I closed the distance in just a couple of minutes and eased my battered ship through the docking procedures.

As the lift brought us up to the main bay, I unbuckled and headed aft. Jezra was steadying Investigator Triska as she emerged shakily from her pod. Big Mac was carrying several bags, all three of theirs from the looks of it, and was waiting by the hatch.

“Good flying kid,” he said as I stepped up to the control panel and opened the hatch. There was a hiss as the ramp lowered.

“Thanks.”

“Next time leave a bit more than 5% of your armor to spare, though,” he advised.

There was a thud behind us… Triska had fainted.

End of chapter.