Fracture - Book One of the Glass Galaxy Trilogy

Chapter 25: Infiltration

May 12th
2:18 AM

I adjusted uncomfortably in my new Assault Armor, the cramped space in the oversized torso leaving little room for comfort. My arms were tucked tightly against my sides, and I could barely move to control the armour's mechanical arms. Walking with my legs wrapped in so much armour was also challenging, and overall I found that I was more than a little dissatisfied with the experience of wearing the armour.

But I had to admit that it was more than a little functional. The sensor array in the spot that my head would normally be had nearly a dozen different sensors, showing me everything from pressure and air composition to seeing thermal signatures, and with Viliana's ship AI routed through my suit I could even see the vital signs of everybody in the room with me.

Elevated heart rate was ubiquitous. I checked over my carbine, feeling very under-armed for the armour I was wearing, and turned to Aria. "You're gonna have a heart attack if you don't calm down," I said to her, trying to break the room's tension.

It didn't work at all.

Aria fiddled with her rail rifle nervously, and I put my armour's metal hand on her shoulder, hoping that I was being gentle. "Seriously, Aria, I need you to calm down. My heart is going to explode at this rate."

She gave me small consolation smile, and did her best to stop vibrating like a nervous bumblebee. "This is so dangerous," she said quietly. "My mom taught me how dangerous the Federation is."

I waved a robotic arm at Viliana's ship around us, "It doesn't matter how dangerous they are if they don't even know that we're there."

"What if they catch us? We can't fight all of them; they'll kill us."

"If we trigger the alarm then we will evacuate as fast as possible. We can blow a hole in the side of their station to do so if need be."

She frowned. "And what about the people working there that don't know that they're doing anything wrong? We shouldn't kill them."

I nodded, forgetting to do so with the armour so she could see, "We won't. Any non-combatants we come across we will disable, and then you can tie them up with your webbing."

She pondered my answer for a moment. "And we're going to try to limit the amount of fighting we do?"

I nodded again, this time remembering to mimic the motion with my armour's robotic head. "We're not here to take over the station, or to kill the people working on it. We're here to rescue Kaeya, and the less fighting we get into doing so the better. I want everyone safely returning to Dushel Station to meet her."

She gave me a firm nod and smiled lightly, "I can't wait to meet her."

I looked over at Reaper and Abaddon, who were sitting on top of a large white crate together, holding hands and whispering to each other. "I can't wait either," I responded to Aria. "I can't wait."

The ship lurched slightly, and I felt my armour automatically stabilizing me so I didn't fall over. "We're here," Viliana said into my earpiece. "Security doesn't look particularly tight... Oh, there are anti-orbital batteries planet-side, so if I get spotted I can't hang around."

"You're our ride out," I said into my earpiece, "so you need to protect yourself. Once we've disembarked hold two kilometres off and wait for our signal."

"Roger that. Want me to run scans on the station while you're all inside?"

I thought about it for a moment, "Limited ones. I don't want you giving away your presence."

"Sure thing," she confirmed. "You all ready?"

Reaper and Abaddon hopped down from their crate and checked their gear and armour one last time, Aria and I doing the same.