A Cobra's Tale... Part 1: The Restless Warrior

Part 13: Decisions...

City Centre, Port Racice, Tukayyid, FRR, December 6th 3066 Lazarus stood and stared at the burning car - a mixture of emotions coursing through him. He was angered at the attack by Sakamoto and his thugs. He was also saddened by Anatoliy’s death, although not anguished as Yasmine was. He understood the concept of friendship, but had never fully appreciated it. During his time in the freeborn sibko on Brim, he had experienced the usual camaraderie common in such groups, but there had always been a competitive element to it – certainly nothing like the relationships that were common among his former comrades in Shadow Company. During the year he had spent in the unit, he’d observed closely the interaction between the other mechwarriors, but had always maintained a distance between himself and others, for reasons he’d never been able to explain. He looked down at Yasmine. She was still sat on the damp grass, staring at the flaming wreckage. Tears streamed down her face and her hands covered her mouth. Laz knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Yasmine, we must…” he began. That was as far as he got however, as Yasmine threw her arms around him and, pressing her face against his neck, began sobbing. He held her, feeling rather awkward, until her tears subsided. He tried again. “Yasmine, we must get away from here…the emergency services will show up soon”. Yasmine raised her head from his shoulder and regarded him with wet, red-rimmed eyes. “I’m going to make that bastard pay for what he put me through!” she said, real venom in her words. “For what he did to my father…and Anatoliy”, she continued, a steely edge to her trembling voice. “What can you hope to do against the Yakuza? You cannot fight them alone”, said Laz, guessing she had a plan but with no idea what it might be. Yasmine stood quickly and with surprising grace, given what she’d just been through. “If you want to find out – come with me”, she said abruptly, before turning, crossing the road and heading briskly down the broad avenue. Laz stared after her for a few moments, before jogging after her.

Part 14: Intentions Revealed...

City Centre, Port Racice, Tukayyid, FRR, December 6th 3066 “So…where are we going?” asked Laz, panting slightly as he jogged to catch up with Yasmine. From the direction they were heading, he could see they were going back to the industrial sector, but beyond that he had no clue. “Red Dragon House – the headquarters of Nomura Industries…its just a few blocks from here. My passcard will let me go anywhere and I intend to pick up some gear from the R&D labs my father’s engineers have been working on”. “What exactly is it you plan to do?” “Like I said – I’m going to avenge my father’s death…and end the Yakuza stranglehold on his company. Sakamoto took me to their base of operations on several occasions – to show me off to his cronies I suspect. I intend to pay them one final visit…” her voice trembled with emotion on the last sentence. Laz sensed there would be no dissuading her from whatever course of action she had decided on. “Have you any idea what we will be up against…how many men…what kind of weapons they will have?” he asked, wondering if she had any idea of what she was getting into. Yasmine stopped dead and turned to face him, “We…? There is no need for you to come…this is not your fight”. “You forget, they attacked me too – and they killed Anatoliy. This is as much my fight as it is yours”. She gave him an odd smile. “Your help is much appreciated…thank you. And as for your question, I'm not sure how many of them there are, but if I find what I'm looking for, they will have no weapons that will trouble us”. She turned and resumed her brisk walk. Laz fell into step beside her. He wanted to question her further but decided against it. In her current state of mind, it might be best to leave her alone for the time being. They walked the rest of the way in silence…the sound of sirens unusually loud in the otherwise peaceful early morning.