Hate And Heresy

"Good morning, sleepy head," Moya greeted Meek as the tired blonde sat at the dining table. "Rough night?"

"You could say that," Meek replied. "How about you?"

Moya turned around and squinted a happy gaze. The mask obscured the obvious smile that Meek knew she was being given.

"I feel great!" Moya said. "So refreshed and alive!"

"That's good," Meek said with a chuckle. "Thank you, for breakfast."

"Giving thanks? Goodness, you must be losing your mind!" Moya teased. "Anyhow, why was there a bloody broken cup in the sink? I had to wipe the table down as well. Are you all right?"

Meek wasn't sure how to answer. Adella must have returned to the sisters early enough to avoid Moya. It was an obvious thing, that Adella would have to go back to her sisters after her visit, but Meek had not thought of it.

"I'm fine," Meek finally said. "Just a little accident."

"What's the plan for today?" Moya asked. "Is today one of those days where the crew goes to work your ship?"

"Yeah, today is focused on making her ready to leave the planet," Meek replied. "It'll be a lot of systems testing and routine maintenance. Honestly, it's insane to know they only need a single day to get it all done. The crew that will handle it isn't that big, compared to the crew required to keep the ship running during a battle."

"So, we have two days to do whatever, then we'll take off and find a new life?" Moya asked. "Have a target system in mind? Did I ask that yesterday?"

Meek didn't want to start thinking too deeply without caffeine. Thankfully, there was already a fresh pot waiting for her.

"I was thinking of a couple," Meek explained, making herself a creamy mug of coffee. "Both aren't too heavily policed. Kinda wild and country, like this planet. I don't think I'd be comfortable on a big metro planet."

"I like this simple place too," Moya replied, setting two plates of hot breakfast on the table. "Is Adella coming?"

Meek had only just lifted her mug when Moya asked. The surprise caused her to shake out some of her drink onto the counter.

"Why were you keeping her a secret?" Moya asked, wiping the coffee spill with a paper towel. "Think I'd get jealous?"

"No, nothing like that," Meek replied, trying to exhale her scare away. "I guess I just wanted to explain it myself when I could get my head together. I don't fully trust her."

"She seems trustworthy to me," Moya said. "If a bit tilted in the head. We can use all the help we can get, right? Although, she made it sound more like her and I were rivals in love, rather than partners looking after a master."

"Goodness."

With a laugh Moya sat down at the table and removed her mask to eat.

"Oh, yes," she said, smirking. "She said that the best woman would win."

"Well, this is news to me," Meek replied, sitting down to eat. "Here I was thinking you two were my property, but I guess you're both playing me for a fool."

Their morning meal was friendly and enjoyable. Meek and Moya teased each other and laughed, acting much more like friends than they ever had previously. One would scarcely believe both women had hated each other in recent weeks. Unfortunately for the few scraps left of their breakfast, someone was intent on ruining the morning.

Ripping through glass and curtains, a storm of bullets assaulted the shop from somewhere in the rear field. Meek and Moya threw themselves to the floor immediately and kept themselves flat as the incoming fire tore through their furniture and made shreds of the kitchen.

"What the f.u.c.k!" Meek yelled. "Panic mode! Stupid f.u.c.k.i.n.g building!"

Released from hiding, giant metal plates quickly rose from the floor to press against the ceiling and block the assault. The tall armor completely covered the back wall of the shop and the front windows of the kitchen received similar metal defenses that slid into place from hidden chambers in the wall. The panic system was supposed to have recognized such an assault and activated on its own, but apparently was not so sophisticated.

"Wow, how long has this been a part of the home?" Moya questioned, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"Always," Meek replied, leaving to retrieve her glove from upstairs.

"Are we going to bring this fight to Hennessey?" Moya asked. "That's who this is, right?"

"Probably!" Meek replied from the upper floor. "Special warriors of the Ordan don't use guns! Firearms are for the general army!"

Moya made her way over to the ruined kitchen and frowned big before putting her mask back on. She had only just gotten the hang of cooking and their enemies had stomped all over the accomplishment. Once armed with her Ordan glove, Meek went to the phone screen by the door. Thankfully, it had not been damaged by the barrage.

With a few taps of the touchscreen, Meek brought up a collection of cameras that displayed areas outside the shop. The camera feed she made larger was the view of the field out back, but nothing was immediately apparent. The shooter couldn't be seen.

"Couldn't we just wait for the police to arrive?" Moya questioned. "I'm sure the neighbors heard that."

"I don't want the risk of Hennessey firing upon simple country cops," Meek replied. "If there's anyone he's going to shoot at, I'll make sure it's me."

"Think Adella is watching?"

"Probably, but she won't do anything to give herself away to her sisters yet. Hopefully."

Laying in the grass just out of the field camera's view, a gunman in a black suit watched the armored building through a magnifying scope. The metal of his long machine-gun popped and smoked as it recovered from the sustained fire. Without cause to assume his targets had been slain, the gunman continued to eyeball the building diligently. Grasping his attention, the metal armor that had risen to block his assault began to lower. Keeping an eye out for any bodies moving, the gunman looked through his scope with intent to kill. Associates close to the building would intercept any activity the gunman couldn't see.

"Field, checking in," the gunman said into his radio earpiece. "No visible targets."

"Okay, cool," a woman's voice answered into the man's ear.

Instinctively, the suited man rolled away from his gun just as a bullet struck and ruined the barrel. The twang from the bullet hitting metal briefly covered the noise of Meek charging forward through the grass. The angry blonde tried to bring her sword down upon the gunman but he was up and taking quick steps backward before the hot blade could land. It was obvious to Meek that her enemy was no ordinary man. Her enemy's movements were incredibly rapid and Hennessey was known to have cyborgs in the company ranks.

Meek kept up the attack, swinging her burning sword with quick precision, but she could not land a blow on the suited man. Such a disadvantage would have been easily exploitable by the cyborg, but the intense heat from Meek's weapon was burning the man's clothing simply by passing by it. Hoping for a quick stab, the suited man tried to take advantage of a successful dodge, but had given himself up.

As the cyborg stepped forward, he tried to press a dagger into the assaulting woman and instead found himself consumed by fire. The instant Meek caught sight of the man coming forward she made the flames from her sword swell. A ball of flame exploded from the blade and destroyed everything close by. The ground was scorched, the cyborg's flesh was charred and left lifeless, and Meek had left herself without any clothing.

"Oh, that's embarrassing," Moya said, watching her master through the scope of a rifle as she lay prone on the roof.

Moya had been the one that took the shot at the gunman. While lowering their building's defenses as a distraction, Meek quickly circled their home after bursting from the front door. The two other men that had come to ensure their deaths were too slow to notice her coming at them and died quietly. They had not been mechanically enhanced.

"F.u.c.k," Meek cursed, looking down at her n.a.k.e.d front.

The Ordan armor of Meek's previous life would have emerged from the flames without even a hint of heat, but the outfit was long gone. Her ordinary clothing had been obliterated. Moya watched as Meek began to walk back to the ruined shop. Her master looked as angry and annoyed as ever, but something else caught her attention; Meek looked quite tired. After only a few steps, the blonde stopped to catch her breath.

"Dorothy, I need your strength," Meek said rolling her neck and breathing deep. "Don't fight with me. I'm sure they're coming, after that stupid move."

A flash of light gave Meek all the information she needed. Turning around in a violent swing, the burning sword came to rest upon a circular shield of white and gold. In the center of the metal was the image of a cracked skull with roses surrounding it. It was a shield Meek knew too well. Holding against the red knight was Cain, a Ordan woman of the Imperial Guard dressed in brilliant armor matching her armaments.

"For f.u.c.k sake," Meek said, holding her sword firmly against the shield.

"So nice to see you again, Koi," Cain said, shaking a lock of red hair out of her face. "Time to come home."