Chapter Text
The Fenris Rangers were not the police.
But occasionally they were called upon to intervene in extraordinary matters.
The day before, on Freecloud, a Ferengi was run through with what looked like a rapier.
And Théodred Gamling was the closest one in range, as usual.
He walked into the Starship Casino, where the attack occurred. Not his first time, walking into the gaudy main hall, with its retro-styled carpet and gilded columns. With the victim getting patched up, and looking to recover, Théo decided to wait to talk to him.
Something told him that his testimony was going to be slanted anyway.
The proprietor, Ruka Vinata, a mechanical genius who once was a criminal who went by the name Hardware, greeted him.
He was the one who called it in.
“Glad you could see me, Ranger,” Ruka said. “Don’t trust the locals on this one. Something about this one just told me you were the one to call.”
Théo nodded, and gestured to a nearby bar, off to the side of the main hall of the casino. with the dimly lit space, Ruka and Théo was lit from below by the illuminated bar.
“The Ferengi, Brax, was a mid-level dealer,” Ruka explained. “He runs numbers and bids from two parties; he doesn’t actually make or close deals himself. He decided to stop by and bother my guests, and he chose the wrong one.”
“How did they get a rapier into your casino?” Théo asked. “I thought you had rules.”
“She snuck in, somehow,” Ruka sighed. “Rapier and all.”
“And snuck out?” Théo asked, incredulous.
“Nobody’s getting in the way of a teenage girl with a sword,” Ruka protested.
“Okay…bring up the footage.”
No audio in the quick footage that Ruka brought up on his data stick. It saw Brax walk up to a girl, possibly still a teenager, from behind. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked to be speaking to her.
“Enhance her face,” Théo said.
Ruka complied. The enhancement revealed a young, round humanoid face, possibly human, with large, wide-set eyes, and bow lips, in a thin smile. her hair was brown and not particularly styled, simply swept back off her face.
Whatever the Ferengi said to her, she didn’t like it.
She struck quickly, slashing Brax across his face, before driving her sword into his side. Having done the deed, she ran.
“Where did this occur?” Théo asked.
“Western gaming floor,” Ruka replied. “The footage was taken from one of the nearby TRaViS units your mother gave me.”
Théo didn’t comment. “The sword. Let’s have a look.
Ruka zoomed in and enhanced the hilt of the sword.
It was, indeed thin, but clearly sharpened to perfection, and treated with care, though Théo could tell the tells of wear and use pervaded the bronze hilt, and oval pommel.
“It’s not a rapier,” he told Ruka. “It’s a smallsword. Similar use, but slightly different form. The design—It’s Westerosi.”
“Never heard of them,” Ruka said, flatly.
“No reason why you should. The planet is pre-industrial, by and large. This girl either took this from a planet still in its medieval period—“
“Or she was from there, and taken away,” Ruka finished.
“We think that Westeros was part of the Numenorean Empire, millennia ago,” Théo said. “But, unlike Arda, never had an ancient starship rise from the waters, as far as we know.”
“So how did she get here?” Ruka asked. “And how do we find her?”
“That’s going to be the tricky part,” Théo said. “She’s already committed an act of violence in self-defense, she’s going to lay low, and run again. whether she can leave Freecloud or not, I don’t know.”
Théo turned to leave, but first told Ruka, “Thank you for coming to me for this.”
Ruka shrugged. “You know how the authorities are here. It’s hit-or-miss, and frankly, I didn’t feel bad for that Ferengi.”
Théo nodded.
So how was Théo going to find the girl?
By whatever she left behind of herself.
Théo walked through the casino, still closed to the public (Ruka’s rules; 24 hours after a violent crime at least) until he found the mech which recorded the footage. He walked up to it, and placed his hand on the panel which had its model name printed.
[Handprint identify,] the mech’s even artificial voice spoke. [Hello, Théo.]
Mom’s little easter egg access. She always did make the best robots.
“Access,” Théo said, and TRaViS’ cockpit located in its chest flipped up, revealing a pilot seat and controls and a head-up display.
Théo climbed in.
“You recorded a violent incident at the Casino,” Theo said. “I need all sensory data recorded.”
The video playback resumed, and Theo scrubbed back before the inciting incident.
The girl was looking at TRaViS with awe.
She really did have some striking eyes, Theo thought.
“Do you talk?” she’d asked.
[This unit is capable of audible communication with users if needed,] the robot had said. [Do you need assistance?]
The girl had put her hand on the robot. “I can’t go on talking to walking suits of armor. I’m sticking out badly enough as it is.”
[I can direct you to an attendant if you require assistance,] TRaViS had offered.
“No!” she’d said, then winced. “No, don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
Théo stopped the playback. He’d gotten what he needed.
He took a scanning bean from his belt and put it over the space where the girl had placed her hand.
Now he’d gotten a solid DNA trace.
He walked out onto the street. With several people complaining around him that the Casino was closed.
“Fucking Fenris Rangers ruin everything,” one grumbled.
Théo shrugged, and opened up his data stick.
“Scan for correlating findings of this DNA trace,” he said.
Searching appeared in the holo-display, flashing in blue.
Nothing left to do but wait.