Chapter 326 – In Other News, GLOOM AND DOOM!

December 11th, 2499

14:50 Standard Confederate Time (SCT)

Mar Sara Spaceport

"Welcome to Mar Sara, Magistrate. I'm Deputy Arnold Diaz, and I will be your militia liaison for the time being." The tall man wearing even taller power armour said. Aqua had to crane her neck all the way back to even see his face, making her feel like a small child in front of him. 

Well, this is going to be annoying. Wait, military? Did my cover get blown already?

"Diaz, you say? Well, thank you for the greeting, but you were not who I was expecting."

"The situation in the system has changed since you departed, Magistrate. Please, follow me. I'll bring you to your lodgings so you can drop off your bags before taking you to the command centre for a briefing."

"Of course. Is there anything you can tell me now?"

He glanced around with an uncomfortable expression, then knelt in front of her and whispered. "I can't say much here, but there have been reports that Chau Sara is under attack by the Protoss. Alpha Squadron, commanded by Colonel Edmund Duke, is en route to Mar Sara as a precaution. We are still trying to ascertain the truth of all of this, but we are just a militia; we can do little more than send messages and await responses for anything off world."

Aqua blinked a couple of times. It felt like she'd stumbled into something with far-reaching implications beyond a fringe-world rebellion that she was supposed to help instigate. 

"Well then, Diaz, lead on. I guess I better change out of these clothes before the meeting anyway."

"Probably a good idea, Ma'am. You look even fancier than the governor's wife when she wears her Sunday best."

"Really? This... this is just a normal business suit."

"We are mainly miners here, Ma'am. T-Shirts, coveralls, and steel-toed boots. Ain't too many people walking around like that, no matter what bits god blessed ya with."

"Well, good thing I came prepared." She said as the pair walked toward a nearby military truck, her suitcases floating behind her on a hover pad. "Now, I thought I was supposed to meet the Governor and the Marshall when I arrived."

"Huh? Johnny? Well, he is out of town right now. We had some problems with the wildlife attacking some of our outer facilities and killing two colonists, so he is investigating. I didn't see him at muster this morning, but that isn't out of the ordinary; he is always working himself to death. As for the Governor, he is in the hospital right now. He took a fall this morning and is recovering.”

"I see. Well, it can't be helped." She said, looking back towards the shuttle they had arrived in. She saw a faint psionic shimmer moving back up the ramp, indicating a cloaked Sarah was boarding the vessel.

Did you get everything?

{Yeah, this changes things. I'll contact Mengsk and get back to you as soon as I can. If Confederate regular forces and the Protoss are in system, the plan might be a bust. For now, keep your head down and go along with whatever they ask. I will contact you as soon as I can through the usual channels. Stay safe, okay?}

Yes, Mom. You be careful, too.

As they drove away from the starport, Aqua let out a sigh, finally safe in her thoughts. 

Trying to not think about something is way harder than I thought! So, John is probably the Marshal in charge of the militia here. That would make sense with what he told me. These memories tell me Alpha Squadron is a fairly large military unit, and that the Protoss are the other sentient race here in this sector of space. They'd had some minor interactions with them in the past, but as far as I know, they've had almost no direct meetings with that species in the past two hundred years. 

She drummed her fingers on her thigh as she looked out the window and viewed the town. The colony was mostly grey prefab buildings, easily assembled with local resources by someone driving a Space Construction Vehicle, a type of industrial power armour. The metal they were made of was created by processing something called Crystal-Minerals into usable materials for almost everything around them: vehicles, combat armour, buildings, and infrastructure. They even used it in starship hull plating.

Most outer worlds were like this one: once-temporary settlements on barely habitable worlds became permanent as people moved in from the core worlds, bringing their families with them as they sought a better life with less Confederate bureaucracy. There were other human peoples who didn't fall under Confederate rule, like the Umojans, but most have been absorbed already, either through warfare or economic pressure. 

In times of peace, a governor ran a world like this, essentially the people's elected mayor, but in times of war, the Magistrate took charge, taking orders directly from the Confederacy. That sent shivers down her spine.

I was getting in over my head just being in charge of that village! What am I going to do if I have to run a whole planet?!? 

"You okay, Ma'am?" Diaz asked.

"Yes. Just thinking about the future. I have a feeling things are about to change, and not necessarily for the better."

"Don't go searching for trouble. If it's meant to find us, it will without your help." He said, and gave her a small laugh. "At least that's what me nan used to say."

"She sounds like she was a wise woman," Aqua replied, then returned to her thoughts.

Though with the Protoss in system, I can't help but think trouble already has.

Janine's Dinner

17:13 SCT

Mar Sara

"Johnny! Heaven's, what happened with ya?" A husky voice full of concern said to John as he stepped into the diner across from the militia barracks. 

"Huh? What do you mean, Janine?" He said, looking over at the woman standing in front of him. She was close to six feet tall, and nearly as broad. Her greying brown hair was tied up in a bun, and her normally pleasant, motherly face was stern, her dark green eyes drilling a hole into his head.  

This is one of the few people this body considers a friend, though it seems more like she was Liddy's friend than his.

"What do I mean? Your chair sat cold last night, and again this morning. No one had heard from ya, not one peep. Now ya walk in here with blood on yer face... and your boots! Is that your blood? Do you need a doctor?"

"What? No, it definitely isn't mine. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Was a long night and a longer day dealing with some wild animals; all I could think about was getting some food in me."

"Well then... if you're sure you're okay... head to the back and get cleaned up. I won't make ya walk all the way home just to get cleaned without having a full belly first. Just be careful with the sonic showerhead; it's been a bit finicky recently, but Marvin has been too damn lazy to look at it."

"I AIN'T LAZY, WOMAN! I'M TOO DAMN TIRED SINCE I'VE BEEN WORKING DOUBLE SHIFTS EVER SINCE YA FIRED FRANCINEE!" A shout came from the kitchen. His memories told him Marvin was Janine's husband and the other cook here. "Get me another cook, and I'll actually have time to fix the darn thing! Or you could, you know, spend a few credits and call a repairman."

"WHAT GOOD IS GETTING MARRIED TO A MAN IF HE CAN'T FIX A FEW SIMPLE THINGS AROUND THE PLACE! NOW GET ANOTHER SPECIAL READY FOR JOHNNY. AND IF YOU GIVE ME MORE LIP I'LL COME BACK THERE WITH MY SPOON AND WHOOP YER ASS!" She shouted back, a smile replacing the concern on her face. The pair of them would yell at each other often, making a huge spectacle for the customers, but they had been together for nearly thirty years now and always put on some sort of show. It was just one of the charms of this little diner out on the edge of human space.

"So... Shower?" He asked.

"Of course, Hon. Just through the doors and on the right. And before you ask, I didn't fire Fran. She is just visiting family on Chau Sara for a few weeks. You know, she is single now, and has mentioned you a few times."

"I'm good. No need to try to set me up with anyone else. Too busy with work these days to worry about that." He replied, digging through his memories to figure out who she was talking about, but he drew a blank. 

"I'm just worried about you, hon. You haven't been the same for a long time... well, don't mind my nagging. I'll have a glass of whiskey waiting for ya when yer done. Make sure there is no blood on those boots! The dust and dirt are bad enough when people stomp in here; I don't need some animal entrails making it worse."

"Hah, yes, Ma'am. No blood in your place."

He walked across the 50s-style diner and through the normally closed door leading to their residence. The bathroom was similar to a modern one, though instead of a shower, it had a sonic shower: a corner of the room with floor-to-ceiling bars that emitted sound waves to knock dust and dirt off a person. It was a very common device used on worlds like this one so they wouldn't waste precious water for cleaning.

Before he stripped down, he pulled the Sonic Screwdriver from his jacket pocket and ran it over the whole assembly before taking a shower. He had already repaired the many gouges in his armour, the device melting and reforging the plates as easily as it had repaired the leather and fabric that held his scale together.

Stripping down, he looked in the mirror for the first time since he came to this world. It was him again, the face of an older human man with the body of some herculean bodybuilder from the neck down. His beard did indeed have blood in it, among other liquids that had splashed through his visor. His shoulder was unblemished where a Zergling had managed to slide one of its weird arm spears under the plate and stab the claw through the fabric beneath into his flesh.

It had hurt, but he ripped its body in half afterwards, then continued his rampage through the nest as his healing magic fixed the wound. The battle was intense, and he quickly had to fall back on basics. He discarded the rifle after running out of ammo and gave up on the sword, which was little more than a large combat knife in his ogre form. Instead, he used his hands and feet, relying on his monstrous stats and Rumi's training to get through the canyon. 

He had no idea exactly how many he had killed; he stopped counting after a hundred, but he knew he wasn't immune to the little bastards. They came at him in smaller groups, where his speed and power let him dominate them, but if they came as an unending swarm, he would have had to retreat or be overwhelmed. 

He hopped in the shower and leaned against the wall while it cycled. He could feel a layer of skin being shed as it passed over his body, even 'buffing' Little John, who was standing proudly at attention. He was horny as hell from all the Ki usage, but he was far more interested in a good meal than having sex right now, which was a big change from Re: Monster.

Hmm, I wonder if Aqua is finally willing to come out of my eye. I wish I could talk to her while she was in there. If she came out, we could have a quickie, then maybe find a way to get her into the restaurant so we can have a meal together before we leave. 

He paused, then laughed at himself. He was about to suggest they have sex in the shower at his friend's place, when on the other side of the wall was a restaurant half full of people; people who had watched their interaction and knew he was back here.  

"Yeah. That can wait. Aqua, if you can hear me, either come out now so we can talk and eat, or wait until I'm home later." He said quietly. He waited a couple of minutes but got no response, so he assumed she'd wait until later.  

With a shrug, he turned off the shower and got dressed. His stomach was trying to eat his spine, and the smells from the kitchen were calling to him.

"In other news, the new Colonial Magistrate arrived today to little fanfare as the militia kept reporters back from the starport until she had departed. With the ongoing comms issue in the system, and reports of unrest in the outlying regions, this censorship of the press does not bode well for her first day on the job." A female news reporter said on the television behind John. He wasn't really paying attention because Janine had just set a plate of food in front of him: a delicious-looking rack of ribs and something that looked like mashed potatoes. Between that and the cheap whiskey in the glass beside him, he was in heaven.

"You're looking better now. Hell, ya even have a smile on your face."

"Can't help it, the food smells too good." He replied, then stuffed a forkful of potatoes into his mouth. It was similar to potatoes, with a garlicy taste, but if Marvin had peeled spuds out back to make this, he would eat his shirt.

It's probably some dehydrated thing brought in from off world. Fresh veggies are not really common on a desert world like this.  

"Well, you can have as much as ya want, hon. Just keep smiling." She said, wiping down the bar in front of him. "Oh, she is beautiful!"

"Hmm? Who?" John said, taking his fork and breaking up the ribs. The meat was so tender it fell right off the bones, so he dug into them next.

"That new Magistrate. She is so beautiful that she is almost glowing. Wait? Isn't she your new boss now that Myles passed?"

He paused for a moment, processing what she said before stuffing the meat into his mouth. It was a delicious, smoky pork flavour he wished he could've made with his makeshift smoker back in Re: Monster. "Yeah, I suppose she is. I was supposed to meet with her today, but when I was on my way back to town, I got reports of another attack, so I went to investigate that instead."

"I'll never understand you, Johnny. I just told you there is a beautiful woman on the tube, that she is your new boss, and you didn't look; You barely even batted an eye."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? Besides, I have a wonderful meal in front of me. Why would I worry about some woman I've never met?" He said, raising a fork with the meat and non-potato mixed together, and gestured at her. "Besides, even if she is beautiful, she is probably just another Confederate paper pusher. She will be here for a few years, then return to the core worlds with a promotion and a fat raise, leaving the little guys like us behind."

"Myles wasn't that way."

"No, he wasn't, but he didn't get the job the normal way either," John replied, thankful these memories had a bit of this character's backstory. It wasn't as bad as when he took that prince's life over, but it was pretty detailed, and he had his parallel minds sifting through everything and feeding him what he needed while he enjoyed the meal. 

Damn, this is a super powerful ability. Hell, the quest rewards have all been incredible so far. Maybe... maybe I should find some way to get the third quest reward. No... that is too much to think about right now. Besides, what in the hell is Aura anyway? I already have Devotion Aura from Warcraft that increases the toughness of others around me? Is it just something like that?

"Still, you should start putting yourself out there again. Ain't any good for a good man like you to die alone. Liddy wouldn't have wanted that."

A spike of anger shot through him at that comment, but he clamped down on it immediately. This body might have been alone, but he wasn't. Far from it. "Hah, she sure wouldn't have. Fine, you win. I'm not going to look for something, but if something comes up, I'll consider pursuing it, okay?"

"That's all I'm asking, Hon. Maybe when Fran gets back from Chau Sara, I can set you up on a date?" She said, grinning at him. Oddly, it reminded him of a cat that was toying with its prey.

"Why not." He replied, grabbing his whiskey. He hoped Aqua came out of hiding before then so he could introduce her to the imposing woman as his girlfriend and nip this matchmaking in the bud before it got out of hand. 

"This just in... wait... are you sure? Is this confirmed? Really? Ahem... Breaking News. The colony world of Chau Sara was just reported as having been destroyed." The reporter on the Holovid said.

John spun around and finally looked at the screen. An attractive brunette reporter was on the side of the screen, looking shocked as she read from some papers in her hands. Behind her was an image of a golden ship that looked more like a flying saucer than any spaceship he remembered from this world or from Infinite Frontiers. It emitted a massive blast of blue energy from its underside, striking the planet below.

"We are still waiting for more information, but it... it appears the Protoss have returned." The reporter continued.

John dropped his fork.