Decided to play again, just because.
The SPIDR begins to walk forwards after that, unsteady at first but quickly finding its footing. It seems not to pay you heed, instead marching onwards towards the mine and leaving you to your own devices.
“Rhodion says we’re good to go. The SPIDR won’t consider you an enemy, I’ve sent the friendly ids they sent to your machine so your FCS doesn’t get confused. If it goes haywire or they try to pull a fast one let me know, and I’ll let you go weapons free on the thing. Mission is in your hands now, godspeed.”
#I hang back from the SPIDR, covering it from the rear. Two separated targets are harder to pick off, and this way we won’t get in each other’s way.
Course of action decided on, you take a moment to asses your weaponry, checking your linkages and making sure you’re ready for a fight. While you missile launcher isn’t the ideal weapon for set-back covering fire, it will force any mobile assailants to deal with a heavier volume of missile fire coming their way, allowing the SPIDR to do it’s job better. Your pile-driver will be able to punch out anything that gets close enough to you, if things get that dire.
You watch the creature advance, crossing the blasted plains of Venus at a brisk pace. It’s not sprinting, you aren’t sure if it can, but it crawls at speed. You follow from a distance behind, moving from rock to rock for cover. Suddenly, a burst of heavy turret fire blasts out from the mine entrance, causing the SPIDR to skitter to the side. Its missile pod fires off, sending a salvo careening through the air and into the right turret. The ground rumbles, and a tarp that must have been disguising the mine from above blows away.
“Hey Merc!” A woman’s voice comes through your radio on the public channel, rough and gravelly. “I don’t know how much Rhodion is paying you to babysit that thing, but you’ll get half the profit we get offloading our shit if you put a hole through it right now!”
Considering the matter, you realize you’d probably make at least as much as you are off this mission from Rhodion, assuming the miners have had a good haul. They’d be mad of course but there’s a chance at greater wealth. You suppose, belatedly, that you’d be sparing the miners a grisly fate as well.
#Fine, I’ll take their deal.
“Good to hear merc!” The woman yells. “Name’s Maria! Blow that thing to hell and back and we’ll talk more!”
Of course, there is a downside to speaking over an open channel. Other people can hear it. As soon as you affirm your deal with Maria the SPIDR starts moving erratically, attempting to dodge both you and the remaining turret. You could stay here and try for a shot if you wanted, but you might not be able to land a hit with the way it skitters. Perhaps trying to close in before it can deal with the turret is a safer option.
#No, I’m standing my ground. I can drop this thing from here.
“HAHA! THAT’S WHAT YOU FUCKING GET CORPOS!” Maria yells into your radio as you approach the corpse of the SPIDR. You can see David’s transport begining to descend, closer to the mine now. “You did good merc, you did fucking good. I don’t recognize the paint job, who the hell are you?”
“Lancelot.” You reply simply, unsure of what else she could want. “I’m new on the scene.”
“Fair enough. You’re good in my books Lancelot.” Maria assures. "Look us up in Port Juno when you get the chance, I’m a lady of my word. You’ll get your due, half of whatever this load fetches us. Thank you, we’d probably be dead right now if it wasn’t for you. "
