Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm

In the only female bathroom in the outpost, Athena stood in front of a large mirror. With the help of a set of equipment in the armory, she was able to finally remove the suit of Guardian-class power armor that had been on her ever since she found herself in this new body. She had to admit that it was good to finally be free. The armor was good at keeping her alive, but comfort? There was a reason the power armors of high-ranking officers like colonels were almost never touched. Comfort was the least the engineers had in mind when designing the armor.

The first place she headed to was the bathroom. Her body was covered in sweat, a feeling she absolutely hated. Of course, given the lack of resources on a planet like Morgo IV, the only individuals who had access to quick showers were Captain Hanson and maybe a few members of the Imperial Security Corps combat squad. Common soldiers like Athena had to handle their hygiene with wet towels.

After cleaning herself to the best of her abilities, Athena stood in front of one of the large mirrors and examined her body. She was never really into working out or sports when she was back on Earth, which was why she was a little amazed by her new athletic body. Like all female soldiers who lasted more than a year in the Imperial Army, the old Athena was as tough as any of the men in the units. She might not be the prettiest girl out there, but she was a damn good fighter.

At the same time, this body came with its fair share of scars and injuries. Athena’s finger landed on a scar on her abdomen and immediately recalled she received the scar around a year ago. It was the result of a piece of grenade shrapnel that went through her armor and almost caused her to bleed out. Apparently, the medic later informed Athena that she might not be able to have children in the future. The old Athena didn't really mind this at all. It was a small price to pay for the Imperium and the Leviathan.

A part of Athena felt sorry for her predecessor. So many years of service. So many injuries. And what did she get? Six years in, she was still a simple private with no chance of achieving anything more in life. Corporal Huo was right in this one thing. The Imperium she suffered for didn't give a damn about her, yet she was still so content with beings its slave.

Her hands gently touched her face as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was quite an odd feeling to look into the mirror and see a face different from the one you expected to see looking back. It almost made her feel that none of this was real. A dangerous thought.

“Athena Dane?”

A female voice called to Athena from behind, and Athena turned around to find herself facing a young woman in a black bodysuit worn by almost all Imperial troops outside of their power armors. There was the symbol of a sword on the uniform's chest that represented the Imperial Army. Similar to Athena, the young woman had her red hair tied into a ponytail. She looked at Athena’s naked body and let out a small smile.

“Yes?” Athena answered quietly as she walked to the closet on the side and started putting on her own black uniform. The redhead watched her and only continued when she finished dressing.

“My name is Adrianna. Adrianna Crowley.” The young woman said. “Sergeant Louis wants me to let you know you have been moved to the 2nd squad under Corporal David. We will be working together for the foreseeable future.” She grinned. “It’s nice to have another girl in the squad. Most girls don’t join the Imperial Army.”

Athena nodded as her mind quickly went into overdrive. Was this young woman a member of the Guard sent to assassinate her or get close to her? An assassination would be unlikely as it would draw too much attention, but even so, she should be careful. Perhaps she wanted to get close to her and find out what she knew?

“Of course.” She answered quietly and did her best to act innocent.

“Follow me.” Adrianna turned. “I will show you around.”

Athena watched in silence for a second as Adrianna walked out of the bathroom. She soon followed, but not before preparing herself for any attack. As long as she was careful, she should be able to survive long enough to summon Zerg units to defend her. Things would get messy if she had to do that, but if the Guard wanted her dead now, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

Luckily for her, no such ambush arrived. It seemed like Adrianna was only trying to help Athena get used to her new squad. The transfer process was over rather quickly. As someone who was in the Army for six years and had watched countless of her comrades fall, Athena was hardly new to changing her squad. Honestly, very little was different now that she was in a different squad under a different corporal. Sure, she had a different room and she had to learn the names of her new comrades, but that was about it.

After half an hour, Athena sat down on her new bed. She had a PEI in her hand, a Personal Electronic Interface. It was similar to a phone from back on Earth, except PEIs have incorporated a number of technological advancements in the last 1,700 years.

Imperial soldiers like Athena were allowed to carry their own PEIs to the worlds they were deployed in. For soldiers who were on garrison missions, their duties often only took a small portion of their days. To maintain morale, they were permitted to use these devices as entertainment and distraction during their downtime.

The old Athena stored her PEI in her locker room. Athena retrieved the device after she returned, but before turning the device on, Athena turned and glanced at the young woman sitting in the bed beside her. Adrianna.

“Is there anything else?” She asked politely.

“Oh yeah. Just one more thing.” Adrianna said before reaching into a bag she had next to her bed. Athena’s entire body tensed up as she gently rested the PEI on her bead. Under her nervous gaze, Adrianna’s hand pulled out of her bag, and it was holding…a bottle of alcohol.

Athena: “...”

The redhead held the bottle to Athena, who hesitantly received it. Her eyes landed on the piece of paper on the bottle. Imperator Brewery. A state-owned brand that allegedly had stores all across the Imperium. Athena had to admit she was a little surprised by the offer, but her memories quickly told her this was quite normal.

In the same way that cigarettes were frequently given to soldiers during World War 2 to keep the men calm and entertained, the Imperial Army also looked for ways to keep their troops happy as they were marched to die on bloody battlefields. The PEIs was one such way. Alcohol was another. All troubles would go away after emptying a bottle.

Of course, drinking on duty was always severely punished, but no army could remain vigilant at all times, and the troops could do whatever they wished when off duty. Once again, this helped the troops keep their morale up.

Athena frowned a little and gently set the bottle on the counter next to the bed. Even if she was a drinker, which she wasn't, she wouldn’t risk getting drunk here and now. Not with all the secrets she had in her head. A drunk person would spill everything when asked. This was something both Athenas had witnessed in the past. Perhaps this was why Adrianna was going through this trouble.

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“I’m good.” She declined, fully expecting the redhead to keep insisting.

Much to her surprise, Adrianna simply shrugged and took the bottle back. “More for myself then.” She opened the bottle, sat down on her own bed, and started drinking.

Athena glanced at her, somewhat confused. This was not what she would expect from an undercover Guard member. She had secrets she couldn’t risk spilling. So did they.

Still laying on her bed, she turned her attention back to the PEI in her hand. She quickly scrolled through the various folders as memories popped up in her head about what was in those folders. Like all veteran soldiers who knew how boring life could be, the old Athena had downloaded a number of images, videos, and text to her PEI. Some were male and female models who had a little too few clothes on. Others were documentaries about how the Imperium rose to its current power, including stories about the heroic deeds of the various Leviathans. Deeds that might or might not be fictional. There were also news reports and published stories on various matters.

In one of the folders, Athena found pictures and videos of the old Athena’s late parents. It seemed like, despite the stoic appearance of the old Athena, she still loved and missed her parents.

Another folder contained articles, images, and videos of Princess Laura. It was a familiar name. Princess Laura. Daughter to the Leviathan and the 4th Princess of the Venya Imperium. Nicknamed the Rose of Balleran, the princess was a young woman in her twenties who often wore a suit of elegant silver armor when she led her own fleet, Battlefleet Crimson Rose, to war. She was a renowned commander and an even more famous womanizer. The old Athena, like countless men and women across the galaxy, was a huge fan of hers.

Athena switched to holographic projection mode and set the PEI down on the bed. As an image of the princess popped up in front of her in 3D, Athena shrugged and admitted the princess was pretty. Then again, given the current technology, anyone with the amount of wealth and influence the princess had could only be ugly if they wanted to be.

With the flick of a finger, Athena turned off the PEI. She turned to Adrianna and, much to her own surprise, realized the young woman had fallen asleep already. She stood up, walked to Adrianna’s bed, and picked up the half-empty bottle she was still holding onto. A quick smell made her realize the drink was indeed alcohol.

Only a third of the bottle was left. How long had it been since she started drinking? Athena suspected there was a decent chance Adrianna would die from liver disease or cancer before she was killed on the battlefield even with the casualty rate of the Imperial Army.

“Ok…wow.” Athena raised her eyebrows, set the bottle back down on the table, and returned to her own bed. Once again, she really doubted Adrianna was a member of the Guard. If she was, she was incredibly stupid. How many people have let slip secrets when they were drunk? Of course, Athena would still keep the proper guard up. In her situation, a single mistake could get her killed. Given the Starcraft units she had under her command and their potential, it would be a really tragic death.

With that in mind, Athena returned to her bed. This time, instead of looking at her PEI, she entered the game. She produced and selected a Terran SCV. There, in the building tab, three buildings were lit up.

There was the command center, which had always been unlocked. And then there was the supply depot and the barracks.

On the top right corner, the Terran supply was 1/80.

Athena unlocked the supply depot when she first stepped into the research outpost. The notification for the barracks hit her when she was in the armory. It seemed like all the infantry weapons in the armory were enough to unlock the barracks, much to her excitement and surprise.

The Terran barracks allowed Athena to produce Terran marines. Protected by CMC armors, Terran marines carried C-14 impaler gauss rifles in one hand and M98 ballistic alloy combat shields in the other. They were light infantry units who often served as the backbone of any Terran army, supplementing heavier armored and artillery units with the firepower of their own gauss rifles.

Terran marines were the basic unit of the Terrans similar to how the zerglings were the basic unit of the Zerg. Each marine cost 50 resources and 1 supply.

For a while, Athena toyed with the idea of producing marines to take part in the battle that would go down soon, but in the end, she abandoned the idea. The presence of roaches could still be somewhat explained, given the number of alien lifeforms on the planet. Human soldiers that randomly show up within the base would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

Plus, it would just be unnecessary. This was an environment where the heavily armored roaches would perform better.

Suddenly, Athena’s personal PEI buzzed as a notification popped up. She picked it up and looked at the message she received. It came directly from the base’s command center.

“Private Dane. Please make your way to Room 21 as soon as possible. Your presence is required there.”

“Copy that. I am on my way.”

Athena replied to the message. As she did, a small smirk climbed onto her face. Room 21 was the office of Instigator Kendrick of the Imperial Security Corps. It seemed like the story she told Captain Hanson had achieved its purpose and secured her an audience with the only person who could vouch for her loyalty when the time came.

Now, all she had to do was put up a good act.

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