1:3:7 Inspection (Part 2)

The overground section of the facility was nearly three kilometres long and two wide; surrounded entirely by a thick wire mesh. There were bright yellow signs spread every three metres warning English speakers that the fence was charged with high voltage; some of the signs had handwritten warnings in Rexian with tally like marks under a depiction of a Rexian skull. Pipes and exhausts ran all around the circumference of the facility, occasionally breaching the fence to vent exhaust into the atmosphere. There wasn’t much to the facility, it was mostly just exhaust pipes and piled rubble but there was a small complex towards the front of the gated area, housing offices and quarters for the various Protectorate staff. Every so often, despite not being a military installation, guard towers loomed overhead; each staffed with at least three armed officers, despite the footprint of the complex, they seemed more focussed on watching over the rubble piles or the exhaust piping than anything critical. They passed through the first set of gates, so far, what Destiny had said was looking to be true. The inner fence and checkpoint were heavily guarded by scarily well-armed troops. That was when they hit their first hurdle. It wasn’t the numbers, it wasn’t the weaponry, it wasn’t their car, if anything that helped, but the guards were all stood proud in black and gold armour.
“Change, quick!” Destiny cursed. She wound down the window slightly to get a better look. “Looks like Yellow three twenty seven but it could be a custom job. Go with that and set material to metal… four I think?”
Curve span her colour wheel as quickly as she could, her armour trim transitioning just as quickly. She confirmed her settings before making them the default for the group. Armour changed, Destiny could get a closer look. It wasn’t quite perfect but to human eyes, it should suffice.
“This area is out of bounds. You’re going to need to turn around.” One of the soldiers at the checkpoint shouted before approaching the car. Seeing that they weren’t attempting to leave, she mimed winding the window down with one hand while readying her pistol with the other.
“Afternoon soldier.” Midpoint checked the car’s chronometer. “It is afternoon? Can never tell on this bloody gas heap.”
“You’re telling me. Stinks too. Mask does nothing.” Midpoint nodded along with her. “State your business.”
“I’m Leftenant Mid…era of the Inspection group. I’ve been instructed to deliver my boss to this location and assist in the inspection of the facility.”
Even through her gas mask, Midpoint could tell that she was taken aback by his tone and candour. “This site isn’t due an inspection and I haven’t been informed of your coming.” She stepped away holding up a finger. She took her hand off of her pistol and took a communicator off of her armour. “Sir, we’ve got a situation developing at the gate. Apparently we’ve got an inspection.”
Midpoint couldn’t quite make out what the person she was talking to was saying but he hoped they would at least be curious. He wasn’t liking all the attention their car was attracting. A generous handful of black and red armoured units joined the three golden troops, each armed to their teeth. The guard reattached her communicator then nodded at the guns trained on the car. They withdrew immediately. “Is your commanding officer with you?”
“She’s in the back.” Midpoint gestured towards the driver’s side, rear window.
Destiny lowered the window and looked the soldier up and down. “Afternoon.”
“Afternoon. I’m going to need to see some ID.” She held out her hand ready.
Destiny didn’t flinch. She reached into her jacket’s breast pocket and removed a thin polymer card. She handed it over. It designated her as Commander Desdemona Anthonies of the Thirty second order’s inspection unit. “Hope you don’t mind I was sent instead of your usual group. We’re crossing over to ensure quality control.”
The soldier took a torch like device from her belt and scanned the card. The light flashed green twice. She returned the card and waved them through. “They’re good.”
Destiny nodded back and wound up her window as the car properly entered the facility.

The view from outside was completely different to what they saw as they crossed the threshold. The smog was cleared and whole cooling exhausts appeared from seemingly nowhere. While the facility grew, the occupying force’s numerical advantage struggled to do so. Destiny was counting as Midpoint found a place to park. There was also something else that seemed off; apart from the three on the door, there was only one other guard in black and golden armour, the rest were still wearing the traditional black and red. The gold armoured troops numbers didn’t grow further but the red armoured units didn’t seem to have gotten the notification. The soldiers eventually brought the car to a halt but at this time, the red units outnumbered the clones by nearly ten to one. Destiny waited in the back of the car until Midpoint opened the door for her. She took a deep breath in, her lungs analysed the composition of the air.
“Surprisingly effective.” Destiny nodded. “You’ll all be fine without those.” She pointed to the clone’s masks.
Curve stashed her mask in her belt. She scrunched her face up. “Stinks.” She kept her complaint simple.
“I love the smell of ionised carbon.” Magpie chuckled, also scrunching his face up as he took a jovial deep breath. He and Midpoint started towards the mine.
“Don’t be rude.” Ace called at them. “Sir.” They quickly looked back at Destiny.
“Come on back boys, protocol states we’re all to greet whoever’s in charge. We split up from there.” Destiny nodded at three armed soldiers. “They’re making sure we follow it.”

The drive hadn’t been too long but the walk back, with the escort just out of sight, was brutal. Destiny and Ace were keeping a track of the growing number of soldiers walking conspicuously in the same direction as them. They were at nearly two soldiers each by the time they returned to the pedestrian entrance to the facility. Once the first golden armoured soldier appeared, their escort disappeared. They were presented with a choice before they could enter: stairs or ramp? Destiny sent the majority of the clones up the stairs, leaving the ramp for her and Curve. The choice made little difference but it did allow Destiny to distance herself and Curve from the other team. She hoped it would make things less awkward going forward.
“Welcome Commander.” A woman in similar shining gold and black held out her hand. Her hair was reminiscent of Lore’s, short on the sides and lopped over her right ear but titanium white rather than muted copper. Ruby red lips shone like a lighthouse light upon her flawless porcelain skin; as Destiny came closer, she realised the true height of her opponent; the mysterious woman stood just as tall as she did, perhaps slightly taller even and everything about her was almost too perfect, especially for her surroundings. She was built well too, muscular but deceptively so, and despite Destiny’s relative indestructability, she found herself inexplicably intimidated. Destiny moved in closer to accept the woman’s greetings.. The inexplicable was quickly explained as Destiny reached for the woman’s hand.
“Inquisitor.” Destiny shook her hand. “I’m afraid they didn’t tell me you’d be here, or your name.”
The woman smiled. “Good. It’s Reid.”
Destiny was surprised to finally put a face to the name. “Well, Inquisitor Reid, by order of The Protectorate’s Guild of Inspectors, I am hereby authorised to initiate a full and in depth investigation into this facility. You are henceforth ordered to oblige with any and all requests I make in the process of this apart from those you deem to be unlawful or otherwise treasonous to the people of The Protectorate or The Protectorate as an institution.” Destiny tried not to sound bored as she rattled off the legal babble. “As you are an Inquisitor, you may, at any point, be invited to assist in this investigation, however, should I believe there to be a conflict of interests resulting from your inclusion, I have the exclusive power to remove you from said investigation and place you under temporary arrest until the investigation is concluded. For legal reasons I have to ask you if you agree to comply with these conditions but I must add that if you don’t, I will have to use every tool at my disposal to arrest or otherwise remove your influence from my investigation including but not limited to: permanent damage to the bones in the arms and or knees, paralysis from the waist or neck down and death.” Destiny sighed. “Sorry about that, bit dark.” Both parties gave a half shrug as if this sort of clause was standard. “Do you agree to the established terms.”
Reid smiled. “I, Reid of The Protectorate’s Twenty-Sixth Inquisitoriam, agree to the established terms and will assist in any way necessary during this investigation.”
Curve positions herself beside Destiny. “Sir, I’m receiving a transmission. It’s not coming through properly. I’ll need to step away for a moment.” Destiny nods.
“Service here’s atrocious though it’s better on the south side.” Reid gestured to the entrance. “How do you want to proceed?”
“I would like to discuss this facility with you, one on one. Is there anywhere we could do this?” Destiny gave a subtle gesture with her fingers for Ace to begin their part of the mission.
Before they could move. “And what will your other officers be doing?” Reid narrowed her eyes at them.
“I have instructed them to begin the investigation of the shaft. I don’t think either of us want to be here longer than we have to.” Destiny fumbled into an acceptable save. Reid appeared to accept it.
“We’ve been on this planet for less than a day and one of my ships was destroyed. Whatever did it was powerful.” Reid gave a knowing look but Destiny didn’t share in it. “Almost completely gone along with three of my personal guard.”
“Once we’ve finished here, I’ll be sure to send my officers; we’ll get to the bottom of it.” Destiny’s character work, playing the Commander, was flawless. Reid’s smile faltered. “If it’s all the same with you, I’d like to wait for my XO.”
“Of course. Before we begin, you wouldn’t happen to have the time? I make it to be Ten fifty.”
Destiny looked at her wrist. She had forgotten that she had put on the Breacher Brian had given Lore. She looked at it suspiciously then quickly caught on. She scoured her data bases for the correct countersign. “Sorry but my watch stopped half an hour ago.”
Reid seemed taken aback by her response. “Oh…” She tapped at her own Breacher, beginning a recording.

“Anyone… We’ve… Problem… Crait is… Rexel… They know… Mines.” There wasn’t much left of Char’s transmission but it was enough to get the message across. Curve played it through over and over again, making sure that she hadn’t missed anything but the interference was too much. New information in hand, she briskly marched back to Destiny. A sudden thought stopped her in her tracks.
“Cock. Reid.” She exclaimed in a shouting whisper. Her brisk march became an angry waddle as she sped toward Destiny. She decided to take the stairs this time, bounding up them three, sometimes four at a time. “Sir. It’s for you. Urgent from command.”
“Let’s hear it then.” Destiny made sure Reid thought they had nothing to hide.
“I wouldn’t advise that.” Curve nudged Destiny, her eyes wide.
“Later it is then. Our mission takes president.” She gestured for Reid to lead the way. Destiny grabbed at Curve’s wrist, her composite computers interfacing with Curve’s armour to download the message. She let it play in her head as she walked. “Ah.”
“Ah.” Curve echoed.
“Everything alright Commander?” Reid stopped.
Destiny faked a smile. “Of course.”
It wasn’t much further to the site manager’s office where Reid had made her base of operations. It was no bigger than a shoebox but still, they had managed to cram a desk, a terminal, three chairs and a water cooler. For a moment, Reid vanished but she promptly reappeared behind the desk in the chair. Curve wondered how the office’s original occupant skirted around the issue, obviously lacking the technology. They sat, the door unable to close due to the combined bulk of the chair, Curve and her armour. It was almost as if the smog was back, the tension in the room was nearly visible and stung all present. Two of the golden units made themselves at home in the corridor.
“Shall we begin?” Destiny pulled up a holographic screen and pressed record.
“I think we had better.” Reid played along.
“What can you tell me about the operation of this facility?” Destiny began her inquisition. She had a handful of prepared questions that she thought a safety investigator would ask and enough improv material to stretch them out for at least an hour. She’d needn’t prepared. After about half an hour, Reid had had enough. It started with her screwing her face up every time Destiny threw a cheesy pun or bad joke in but progressed into knee bobbing and finally full body jostling. She looked as though someone had filled her armour with insects as she writhed, Destiny’s continuing dialogue wounding her.
“Won’t you shut the hel up!” Reid roared. Destiny and Curve just stared at her in wide eyed disbelief.
“I’m sorry Inquisitor?” Destiny still hadn’t blinked. It had been a worrying amount of time but Reid’s outburst had seemingly broken her stealth protocols.
“Oh, you know, I know. Let’s… just cut to the chase.” Reid snarled. Destiny’s unblinking face seemed appropriate. Curve joined her. “You waltz in here in a car that I know for a fact you rented round the corner, spending Fifty Second’s funds; you’re falsely wearing the gold of the true Thirty Second, who’s Inquisitorial squadron only has four members, including the Inquisitor, you idiots; and, on the topic of the gold, only two Orders even have gold units at the moment and the Thirty Second isn’t one of them; you didn’t arrive by ship because ours were the only Protectorate ships in the system and you gave me the correct counter, for a Fifty Second – Twenty Sixth callsign.” Reid had to take a breath and a pause for a drink. “What’s the point in continuing to patronise me? By the God’s, you’re wearing their Breacher… You’ve rubbed some mud into it but it’s definitely one of theirs.”
Destiny’s look of fear immediately stiffened into one of conviction. “I guess we’re rumbled.” Destiny was still hoping they could make their way out of this with minimal bloodshed. But then she realised that the guards that were sat behind them were gone.
“I bet they even gave you a script because no one can talk that much utter rubbish without wanting to either end themselves or request more pay from the director. This is one of the most transparent attempts they’ve made and I’ve seen how they hazed Terrence.”
Hazed? Destiny thought. “I’m sorry.” Perhaps she was safer than she thought.
“Just stop it. I know they sent you and I know that the whole inspection’s a joke. Look, tell Crait that you got me good and I believed everything and piss off.”
“Of course.” She wasn’t going to pass up such a golden opportunity. She stood up. “Thank you for your assistance in our investigation.” Destiny gave Reid a wink. Both she and Reid ended their recordings before they shook hands. As their flesh pressed, the office was shook as a massive explosion rumbled from the mineshaft.