Rika Rising - Cyborg Queens and Fallen Empires (Aeon 14: The Genevian Queen) by M. D. Cooper

Author:M. D. Cooper
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: The Wooden Pen Press
Published: 2019-04-20T22:00:00+00:00

MAGNUS

STELLAR DATE: 05.26.8950 (Adjusted Years)

LOCATION: Fury Lance, Belgium

REGION: Genevia System, New Genevian Alliance

“OK, David, what do you have for me?” Rika asked as she strode into the conference room where the P-Cog waited.

The man was seated at the far side of the table, the cooling fins atop his head glinting in the light. He rose and saluted before responding.

“Not just me, ma’am. Niki and Piper were huge helps. It was a team effort.”

<Don’t listen to him,> Piper chimed in. <For a man with such a tiny brain, he can ferret out details that even I omit.>

Rika chuckled at the AI’s comment. It was well known in the Marauders that David’s brain was a formidable weapon. He’d been instrumental in both avoiding and winning a number of conflicts.

Like the mechs, he’d been modified by the former Genevian military during the war. In his case, they’d identified his impressive mental capabilities, and enhanced them with a variety of augmentations that required additional cooling—hence what people referred to as the ‘shark fins’ on his head.

When the ISF had upgraded the mechs to Mark 4 models, they’d offered to improve the conditions for David and the other Marauders who had been heavily modded during the war.

While P-Cogs like David had taken upgrades related to function and comfort, they’d all retained their cranial cooling fins. They didn’t really need them anymore, but the general consensus was that if the mechs still had bolt-on limbs, P-Cogs and other support personnel could show support with their hardware.

Rika sat, and David followed suit before activating the holodisplay.

“Of course, the issue we’ve been dealing with is who owns what in the battalion. The arrangement you worked out with General Mill stipulated that all mechs own themselves, free and clear. I’ve put together a mountain of documentation to back this up, and there’s no way anyone could claim that the Marauders organization has any claim to the mechs or any hardware that is a part of your standard loadouts.”

“I feel a ‘but’ coming,” Rika muttered.

<There are a lot of buts,> Niki added.

“A sea of buts.” David gave a rueful laugh. “OK, so here’s where it’s tricky. Not everyone’s contract was done up at the same time, or by the same teams. A ‘standard loadout’ varies a lot, and the Mark 4 upgrades the ISF gave you—as part of a contract with the Marauders—muddy that further. We’ve found a fair bit of verbiage that makes it flexible, and I’ve crafted a document that states that ‘standard’ is any loadout used in multiple engagements—on a mech-by-mech basis.”

“OK.” Rika nodded, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Seems reasonable.”

“Yeah, so far, so good,” the P-Cog replied. “The AIs are all free and clear as well, of course. They own themselves and all their hardware. It’s the ships and the employment contracts that are the sticking points. I’ve looked for loopholes in this, but it’s iron-clad. The ships are all the property of the Marauder organization. Hull, engines, and hab. Not only that, but

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