Instead of reporting to Pictor the same night, they were ordered to be in the intel hub in the morning. The reprieve gave Zhang and Kronos time to edit the video from the encounter before sending everything they had to the analysts. They knew that learning algorithms would be sifting through the data and picking up the rest of the ravens throughout the station. They retired to their berthings with the feeling of a job well done. Kronos was confident that if he did well, the IID would give him access to talk to his family. He couldn’t help the giddiness that accompanied the thought as he fell asleep.

The next morning Kronos received a message to his HUD that woke him up. He scanned the message and then laid in bed in stunned silence. Pictor had approved them to use Mk-IV Frumentarii Armor. Once he got over his shock, he leapt from his cot and snagged his PCD from the bedside table. He strapped it on and padded his way to the wall panel that hid the small armory where the advanced armor and weaponry had been sitting since he arrived. With a touch on his PCD the panel sunk a few centimeters into the wall and then slid aside to reveal its contents.

Kronos studied the armor with glee. He had used an early iteration of the armor during his virtual training and he had been impressed with the amount of technology that went into the suit. He started picking up some of the pieces and laid them out on the bed.

The dark gray metal was begging to be donned, but first he had to get ready. First he slipped on his CCUs and replaced his PCD over them. When he flipped a switch on his control device, his biosuit altered itself until it covered his hands in skintight gloves. He could still feel everything through them like his skin was still bare. After that, the biosuit extended up his neck and face until it covered his head like a balaclava. The only thing exposed to the air, were a small opening for his eyes. Finally, the suit covering his feet, turned to their sock-like configuration and shrank until they were tight against his skin.

Next he donned his CCUs. They were in their uniform configuration which looked like a loose flowing tunic and trousers. Another command on his PCD and they tightened as well. The tunic weaved itself into the trousers until he looked like he was wearing a one-piece jumpsuit. The gray color began to turn black like ink flowing into water. In matter of seconds, it was just as dark as his biosuit.

One the color change was complete, it started to tighten at the same time as it generated a centimeter thick layer of hydrostatic gel underneath the fabric. The hydrogel was a perfect insulator. It allowed him to survive extreme temperatures and give space for the biosuit underneath to regulate his internal temperature. It also allowed him to survive the G-forces generated by the armor he was about to wear. Over all, he could take a missile to the chest and barely feel a rattle.

Once it completed the initial changes, it looked like he was wearing a blue water diving suit. After that, small blue lines of circuitry opened up on the surface of the CCU. They covered his body like an electronic representation of his circulatory system. From his training, Kronos recognized it as the superconductor layer that would allow the rest of the armor to work. It allowed his tech link to interface the armor directly into his nervous system. Instead of feeling bulky and unwieldy, the heavy plates would feel like another part of his body.

He grinned as it was time to finally put on the armor itself. He picked up the two-piece cuirass and slipped it over his head like a vest. The two pieces attached magnetically to the superconductor layer but otherwise didn’t do anything. Kronos knew it was a matter of time before they changed as well, so he went about attaching the rest of the pieces.

Next, he attached an armored cod piece that would keep him from getting shot in the groin. After that he attached the front and back panels of the cuisses that protected his upper thighs. They connected but remained inert like the cuiress.

He focused on his lower legs following his thighs. A piece of armor covered each kneecap, and they seemed to melt as they conformed to the structure of his knees.

To finish off his legs, he slipped on the armored boots. They hung loose for a moment but then the greaves and sabatons conformed to his body just like the knees.

With his lower body protected, he moved on to his arms. Form-fitting pauldrons went on his shoulders, rerebraces on his upper arms, armored pieces for each elbow, a vambrace for the arm opposite his PCD, and it was finished with squarish plates that covered the backs of his hands.

With all the pieces attached, he was ready for the big reveal. He pressed a button on his PCD and he felt as the armor shift and moved to accommodate his body. Each piece started to product a nibocene layer that covered his whole body and connected each of the pieces together.

He felt a small vibration over his body as the power core in the chest piece charged the coal black nibocene layer. Once charged, the layer morphed until it resembled a perfect replica of his own musculature. These artificial muscles would increase his strength by multiple times while increased his speed to the same degree. It allowed him to transition from a man, to a war machine.

The armor still wasn’t done. Now that the nibocene layer was ready, the armor itself moved. All of the pieces that had been separated like the back and chest began to mold together. Pieces of armor slid underneath his armpits until the the cuirass was fully integrated. After that, panels of armor slid from the back and curved around the space between his ribs and pelvis until they connected with the tops of each cuisse.

Next, panels descended from the center of his chest until the fused with the cod piece and newly attached pieces on the side. Small servos extended from his rerbraces and connected with his vambrace and PCD respectively. Similar servos connected the bottom of his cuisses with his armored boots.

Finally he was ready. He only had one last piece to don. He picked up the titanium alloy helmet from his bed and studied it before putting it on. It was all one piece without a visor to speak of. Any kind of visor was a structural weakness and instead, the helmet had been packed with a staggering amount of sensors. When he placed it on his his, he felt the aerogel lining shift. It thickened in some places and thinned in others so that it fit perfectly.

It was completely dark as the armor booted up. It cycled through its various configurations. First, a personal shield created a thin layer over his entire body. It flashed blue before becoming invisible. It would only appear if he were taking fire. After that, nanites swarmed over the armor and created a regenerating ablative coating. If something penetrated his shields, the nanites provided an extra layer of protection before the armor was even dinged. It took time to recharge, so it was a perfect defense.

After that, the shield deactivated and the armor went through it’s active camouflage test. One weakness of the armor was that active camouflage and shielding couldn’t be activated at the same time. She shield would interfere with the technology necessary to become effectively invisible.

It cycled through every color in the rainbow before using the sensors embedded in the armor to copy his surrounding exactly. If he moved, there would be a blur in the air as the camouflage adapted to the new position. However, if he stood still he would be nearly impossible to see. After the test, it returned to its normal gray-blue coloring that was suitable for most environments.

Once it was done, his vision lit up with a three hundred and sixty degree view of his surrounding. At first, it was a little discombobulating to be able to see everything in every direction. Soon, his advanced cognition and tech link made it the new sensation feel natural. Startup finished, he activated his shield once more and he was ready to go.

He walked toward the armory and he heard his own heavy footfalls echo throughout the room. The armor weighed about two hundred and fifty kilos on top of his own one hundred and fifteen kilos but he didn’t feel any of it. He felt light and agile as if he were walking around in the nude.

He reached into the armory and plucked out two pistols. He maglocked them to each thigh and then picked up the remaining Mk IV Praetorian rifle. It was a slim piece of technology that could cycle through various types of projectiles. It’s primary use was as a miniature railgun. Conductive rails within the barrel accelerated a projectile until it reached obscene speeds.

The ammunition itself was designed as a shield buster. The explosive ammunition created enough heat that shields wouldn’t be able to re-radiate the heat to stop the projectile itself from punching through. He only had thirty of them located in a magazine that jutted from the bottom of the rifle.

It was a lethal weapon, but wasn’t suitable for use on a station. Although the targeting interface in his helmet would limit and accidents, one wrong calculation could punch a hole in the station and expose the entire section to the vacuum. It wouldn’t affect Kronos in his armor, but the unintended casualties would skyrocket.

With a tap of his finger, it switched open to the less powerful directed energy weapon. It focused and fired energy bursts that were common to most weapons in the empire. Unlike it’s pistol counterpart, it wouldn’t run out of power after twenty shots. It didn’t require the battery packs that substitutes a magazine in a pistol because it was powered directly by the miniature fusion reactor in his chest.

He mag locked the rifle onto his back and gave himself a final look.

This is awesome, he crowed.

Geared up and ready for trouble, Kronos left his bathing and found a shorter clone of himself waiting outside.

“Took you long enough”, Zhang sent over the TACNET.

“I wanted to make sure I looked pretty for our date,” Kronos replied before chuckling.

Zhang went to tap his partner on the shoulder, but their shields sparked when they came into contact.

“Oops,” he said.

Kronos laughed. “Let’s go report to Pictor.”

On their way to Pictor’s office, citizens of the Station went far out of their way to create space for the two operatives. Even members of the Guard gave them a wide berth and looked at them in a measure of awe.

Kronos understood the reaction from the civilians, but the Guard’s response to their armor made him curious.

“Why are they looking at us like that?” He asked Zhang.

Zhang shrugged and the movement looked off in full armor. “The only time you see powered armor is on the Marines and the Pale Guard. In either case, that usually means Bad Things are about to go down. Intel guys are usually seen as non-combatives. Very few people realize that the IID has operatives that are almost as well equipped as the Pale Guards themselves. For many of these people, this is the first time ever seeing it.”

“So we’re really lucky we get to wear it right now?”

Kronos could hear the humor in Zhang’s voice. “Abso-fucking-lutely. This tech is amazing. I didn’t think we’d get to use it until we were far deeper into our training. I don’t even care that Pictor is inept if he thought it appropriate to give two trainees the baddest weapons in the intel arsenal.”

Kronos privately echoed the sentiment.

They arrived at intel headquarters in short order. Unlike last time, when the analysts ignored their presence, as soon as they entered all action ceased. They gawped at the newcomers in their armor, and both of the trainees tried to play it cool. They walked through the room and made their way to Pictor’s office. When they got close, the door opened and they were back in the lion’s den.

Well, if the lion were old, fat, and completely useless, Kronos thought disparagingly.

Pictor looked up at the pair when they entered and even he couldn’t hide the mix of awe and fear. It was likely he had never seen the armor up close, much less used it.

“About time you two got here,” he said gruffly to hide his reaction.

“Reporting as ordered.” Kronos replied. His voice came out of the external speakers of his armor rather than over the TACNET.

“Good,” Pictor replied before making a gesture. Kronos HUD pinged with an incoming data transfer and he accepted it.

“Welcome to hopefully the first and only stage of the raven pacification. The boys and girls outside have named it Operation Eagle Talon.”

Kronos nodded, but the gesture was muted through his armor. He replied out loud instead with a quick “Roger, what’s our orders?”

Pictor laid his hands on his desk before speaking. “As of this morning, the Ravens have taken over one of the main hubs of the station. From what we can tell before they disabled the security, is that the Guards in the section have been locked into their berthings and the Imperial administration in the upper levels have been taken hostage.” He took a breath before continuing.

“Any of the Guard that were on patrol are assumed captured, or killed. Your mission is to infiltrate the hub and secure the hostages. After that, you’ll send the signal, and the Guard will break into the hub and put down the rest of the Ravens. So long as the hostages are safe, you are cleared to help with the clean up. You orders are to kill, not capture.”

Neither of the duo responded, but Kronos knew that his friend would be looking over the station schematics and finding the best way to get in. He glanced over at Zhang and the other man nodded in his direction. Kronos turned back to Pictor.

“Don’t worry, chief. We think we have a plan. We’ll send you a live feed and take care of this bird problem for you.”

“Good,” Pictor replied. “Don’t fuck this up. If the hostages are killed, I won’t be recommending you for further training.”

Kronos wanted to scoff at the man’s threat. Pictor hadn’t done a modicum of training. They’d busted this case wide open themselves and now he wanted to threaten their progression. It was completely absurd. Instead of replying, Kronos simply turned and left the office with Zhang in tow.

“So, how are are we going to get in?” Kronos asked his partner once they left the chief’s office.

Instead of saying something right away, Zhang shared a part of the station schematics. Kronos pulled them up on his HUD, but he didn’t have the context to know what he was looking at.

“Oh-kay,” he said slowly.

Zhang laughed. “We’re going to link up with the Observer and make our way in from the outside. There are a few access panels that aren’t linked with the hubs security system. We’ll get in and make our way through the access tunnels to the admin levels.”

They started making their way to the dock where the Observer was staying. Kronos checked his HUD to make sure they were actually there and got a confirmation. He only found one flaw in Zhang’s plan.

Kronos nodded. “If we do that, we’re going to have to get in through one of the airlocks that leads to the interior to the station. That’s probably going to set off some of their security.”

“Yeah,” Zhang admitted. “I think I can disable any alarms and that’ll allow us access.”

“We going in shielded or stealthed?” Kronos clarified.

“Stealthed. The miners don’t have anything that’ll put a dint in our ablative armor.” Zhang answered. “We should be able to go in quiet and accomplish the mission without them even knowing we’re there. We’ll secure the hostages and then call in the calvary.”

Kronos punched a fist into his palm. “Sounds good to me, and then we get to put a hurt on the bastards that shot at us in the maintenance bay.”

When they got to the docks, Astra was waiting for them.

“Hello boys, I heard you two needed a ride on the rebel express,” she cooed.

Kronos grinned behind his helmet but of course she couldn’t see it. “Astra, long time no see. We need an ace pilot, have you gotten rusty babysitting my bird?”

“Your bird? Just like a man, cowboy. You get one time behind the sticks and all of sudden you think you own her. That’s my bird your referring to,” she said playfully.

They laughed before entering the Observer together. Once inside, Kronos and Zhang took seats in the two chairs that were designed with their increased bulk in mind, while the rest of ships crew gathered around them.

“So, what’s the plan?” Astra asked once they were all gathered.

Kronos gestured toward Zhang and he gave them the barebones plan.

Astra frowned as she studied the data he sent over.

“This ship isn’t really designed for that,” she said at last. “Marine transports have the ability for EVA ops, but not intel ones.”

She tapped a finger to her lush lips as she thought. “We’ll have to send you from the ramp.” She mused.

“We can strap everything down in the cabin and seal the cockpit. The crew will need to get on some atmo suits and then we can vent the atmosphere in the cabin. That will allow us to drop the ramp without every being voided to space.”

Zhang nodded. “I’ve heard of it being done before, so we should be just fine. After that it’s a short drop to the station, and then we’ll be in.”

Kronos wondered where Zhang could’ve heard of an intel ship doing that sort of maneuver but dismissed it. Zhang had always seemed to know more about everything than he let on. He had been a valuable resource in addition to being a true friend.

“Alright it’s settled then,” Astra sounded confident. She looked around at the rest of the crew. “Suit up, we’re going to be floating in five.”

The rest of the crew hurried to obey while the two pilots sealed themselves in the cockpit. True to her word, they were floating in space toward their destination in less than five minutes. Kronos was impressed despite himself.