“ You a robot?”

“ No...”

“ Because you sound like a robot.”

“ I am not a robot.”

“ Are you sure? I mean...”

“ Do not make me give you a beatdown your Sergeant will undoubtedly agree you are working up to deserve. Then I shall spend an hour getting out of this suit just so I can t-bag your unconscious face with my hairy and very sweaty nuts. And then when you wake up you can explain to your NCO why the operation was delayed for over two hours, because you wanted to annoy me enough to know I am not a fucking robot.”

This made the other soldiers laugh and the young man to blush in embarrassment.

“ So what’s your story? Secret military?”

David laughed sharply at that.

“ Three fuck up fanboys of space marines. With one having more money than whit. Which is me by the way.”

This caused the group to cuss and pull out a silver coin each to give to the ‘are you a robot’ private.

“ So your armor is fake then?”

David turned to the Sergeant of the squad.

“ Fuck no this ain’t fake. This was a fully functioning power suit before the change happened. Mind you it was not as cool before. No built-in temperature regulators. No energy shields. And a twenty minute run time before you are stuck in a steel coffin. Hell, I just got a new ammo feed attachment configuration so I can reattach it without power tools yesterday.”

This caused the ‘robot’ private to look at the sergeant.

“ I did say cosplayer.”

The sergeant shook his head.

“ Ain’t no cosplay if it is the real thing rookie. Even if it was for play.”

This caused the rookie to hand over the silver coins he just got to the sergeant. Which caused the rest of the soldiers to laugh a little.

“ So what were the rest of your guesses?”

This caused the rest of them to explain their choices and the logic. The only one to not guess was their driver, who was watching the halo presentation live and recognized David from it. With a few more minutes of bullshit passing, the sergeant deemed the ice broken.

“ All right people. Here is the deal. Scouts have found what looks like a storage base an hour out. Command wants our armored friend here to lead the incursion into the building and tank whatever is coming. Parker and Smith, you two are with the walking barricade. The rest of us will sweep and clear for hostels. Then the next team will sweep for traps and the third team will loot.”

David turned back to the sergeant a little annoyed.

“ I know the reason for the choice, but I am letting you know I do not like it. I am of better use letting things wanting to die coming to me than being used as a minesweeper and bullet shield.”

“ Duly noted, now we are about fifteen minutes out. Care to explain a little about your build?”

David turns and pats the M-134 in the seat beside him.

“ This beast is a downgraded version of the real thing. Fires twenty rounds a second. Because it was a prop before with a laser pointer inside it, it now can use real ammo as well as a ten-second duration of attack that uses energy rounds.”

David then pulls out his revolver.

“ This monster here is called the Smith and Weston .500 Stargazer. A gun I specially commissioned the company to make for me. Virtually impossible to use before the change unless you had power armor. I guess some muscle-headed genius could risk breaking their arms, but you need strength and vitality at least twelve.” David then flipped the gun around from having it in his grip to the barrel in his hand in one swift motion. The first trick David learned to perform in the power armor in hopes he could use it and train his dexterity in the suit. The Private ‘robot’ Parker took it and was surprised by the weight.

“ This thing must weigh ten pounds.”

“ Nine and a half, loaded as it is.”

The private then whistled seeing its stats.

“ Two fifty damage with armor-piercing, this thing is a fucking legendary. A fucking Abraham tank only has 150.”

That caused a few whistles from the others as the PFC beside him took the gun away.

“ Give me that thing Parker before you make a mess on it... God damn, this thing has some heft to it.”

David may have thought Private ‘robot’ was just a kid, but this guy proved he was a complete dumbass as he hefted the gun toward David and that got an immediate response from the others.

“ Relax, the gun is soulbound, only he can use it.”

That did not stop David from leaning forward slightly and putting his right hand behind his back while his left was raised into a ready position for him to lunge.

“ Baker, get that fucking gun out of his face before I let him kill your dumbass. And that means paperwork for me and you know how I hate that.”

PFC Baker blinked seeing David about to fuck his shit up and laughed nervously as he passed the gun along. This caused David to relax and lean back again and rest his hands on his legs. Fortunately, the next three were not as big of idiots and inspected it as Private Parker did.

The last to take the gun was the sergeant, who not only inspected it but popped the cylinder finding it fully loaded with newly minted .500 rounds. After examining it further he noticed there was no exhaust for the gasses around the cylinder. This means the gun was a lot harder to control than David admitted it to be. After his inspection, he passed it back down the line to David, who inspected it himself before returning it to his hip.

“ Nice quote by the way. Who said it?”

David inspected his revolver and focused on the quote.

[“ But you made a serious mistake. Before you a {Dreadnaught Stand}s.” Quote from the first Dreadnaught of the Order of Free Wardens in his first duel.]

David chuckled at that.

“ Oh that, '' I said that when some Lieutenant of the Cartel challenged me to a fight. Probably had enough stats to wield Stargaze. He even managed to pull it off my hip and aim it for my head.”

Peter and the others looked enthralled by the story and leaned in closer. The private is the one to break the pause David left for effect.

“ Then what happened?”

David smiled in his helmet as he slowly leaned forward and pulled the large Ka-Bar from his back.

“ I put this in his chest.”