Stray Cat Strut Chapter Four - How to Stall the End of the World

Chapter Four - How to Stall the End of the World

Words like Caucasian or African Arican beca far too loaded and controversial, not to ntion inaccurate as ti progressed. So, in order to alleviate so of the issues that ca from the use of these words, a system was created that properly categorised a person based on ethnicity, origin, and appearance.

It worked similar to the dewey-decimal system that categorised books, with multiple sets of numbers aning different things. The system could accurately convey a persons history and ethnicity in a single string of letters and numbers.

This was widely viewed as a terrible idea and was quickly discontinued.

--Professor Adams, lecture on the Sociological Impact of Titles in the Information Age, 2029

***

Major Hunt pointed to a seat near the middle of the table. There was a little hovering placard in front of it that had my na on it. Well, it said Stray Cat which was sort of my na, at least in present company. Thats your seat, she said.

I guess so. Where are you sitting? I asked.

Backroom. Theres a feed of this eting room. Its where all the less-important people are sitting and listening in, she said.

A Major doesnt rank high enough to participate? I asked.

Not here, no, she said. She smacked on the shoulder before moving past. Good luck, samurai. And rember, the first priority is making those xeno burn.

Yeah, yeah, I said. I watched her go for a bit, then moved over to my designated seat. It happened to not be too far from Gomorrahs, so I was able to see her mask and nod as I sat. We were just far enough that conversation aloud would be awkward though.

Gomorrah nodded back, then turned to Franny. Want to go hang out in the back? Im sure theyll make room for you.

Better back there than up here, Franny said. She patted Gomorrah on the shoulder. Ill see if they have anything worth eating around here. Im feeling peckish.

Gomorrah whispered sothing back, but I chose not to listen in, that was until she turned back towards . Did you handle everything that needed handling?

Not even half of it, I said. You get your own stuff in order?

Gomorrah took a deep breath, then let it out as a long suffering sigh. No. Not everyone took the news as well as I would have liked. Then again, I could hardly expect them to. The nuns are already run ragged taking care of the people we saved from the sewers. Were going to end up with a lot more people that need saving in the next few weeks.

They do a lot of post-incursion stuff, right?

Gomorrah nodded. Theyre still sending so sisters out to deliver blankets and supplies to people from the last incursion. The timing here is kind of terrible.

Huh, yeah, I guess. Anything I can do to help?

Kill the aliens fast?

I chuckled, and a mont later, Gomorrah joined in. Should have seen that answer coming, I said. Hey, change of topic. You know any of the other samurai here?

Gomorrah gestured to the end of the table. Cause Player was there. His armour had changed. It was still green, though a darker chase, and it looked a lot more streamlined and angular than last ti. A bit more scuffed too. The number 117 was stenciled onto his right breastplate, and he seed to be talking to a bluish hologram hovering over his hand.

Right, I said. Havent seen him since Black Bear.

Itll be nice to have him around, Gomorrah said. Hes versatile, and I think we might need that.

I nodded along. There were a few others in the room. One in the corner, lurking in the shadows. He, or at least I figured it was a he from the shoulders and stance, had form-fitting black armour on, with lots of belts and straps across his torso. He had a long polearm hanging over his shoulder too, so high-tech thing that I couldnt guess the function of.

I dont know him, Gomorrah said as she followed my gaze. The woman on the ceiling is Grasshopper.

Ceiling? I looked up, and blinked.

There was indeed soone squatting upside down on the ceiling. She wore light brown and beige armour, covered in little spikes. Her helt had two large black spheres on the front. They looked like comically oversized eyes from below. She turned her head, almost chanically, and faced .

Grasshopper raised... lowered a hand, and waved.

I waved back.

Shes a ranged specialist, Gomorrah said. Been around for a couple of years.

Neat, I said. Not a celebrity sort?

Gomorrah shook her head. Shes known, but she doesnt run after attention. Mid twenty-thousands on the leaderboards.

That still placed her way higher than I was on the popularity charts.

Whos he? I asked, pointing to soone not too far away. I wasnt entirely sure if he was a samurai at all. He had armour made of white plates on, decorated by thin black lines that seed to almost be painted on. They ford an intricate, almost tribal pattern across the armour. His helt was on the table, leaving his long brown hair free.

He turned my way and grinned, showing off perfect teeth. Im Sam-o-Ray, he said. You can ask, I dont bite.

Uh, hey, I said. Im Stray Cat.

Pleasure to et you, little sister! he said. His voice was the kind that couldnt be contained, and it bood out of him with genuine geniality.

And Im Gomorrah, Gomorrah replied. She nodded to him and he smiled right back, unaffected by the frowning mask she wore.

Ah, I am eting so many companions today. Its a good day, despite all the news, isnt it?

Uh, yeah, sure, I said. I didnt quite know how to deal with soone so optimistic and happy. Well, no, Lucy could be that way, but I wasnt going to deal with this guy the way I dealt with her. So, those patterns on your armour, is that for like, a shield or sothing?

He blinked, then tilted his head back and laughed. No! No no, little Stray Cat. These are my tatau. I have them printed onto my armour as they are on my skin. I would much prefer to be without the armour, but my pride wont stop a bite, and besides, its cold around here.

Huh, thats neat, I said.

Sam-o-Ray nodded. I thought so too.

I was going to ask him a few more questions, just shit to pass the ti, when soone cleared their throat. A man was standing at the front of the table, gesturing to others to find their seats. He was a tall fellow, with a well-tailored suit and a crown sitting atop his head.

Hello everyone, he said. His voice was transmitted across the room to a few speakers tucked away in the corners. My na is Jolly Monarch. Ill be the one directing this eting.

Another samurai? He did have a few interesting scars on his face, but his darker skin hid them well. I guessed that the crown was sothing of a give away.

We dont have all that much ti, nor do I want this to go on for too long. As of right now, every hour we have has to be used to its utmost, and that ans wasting as few as possible. For that reason, we wont be going over introductions and will begin right away. Were a few minutes ahead of schedule, but everyone that will be here is here already.

Jolly Monarch gestured, and a hologram flicked to life above the table. Earth, floating in empty space while rotating in a slow circle. Red dots started to appear on the surface, mostly around that big space that I vaguely recognized as Russia, then spreading out in every direction like a ripple. The last place to be covered in little dots was South Arica.

Soti in the next seventy-two hours, we expect to get hit by approximately three thousand stealth incursions.

Fuck, soone lower down the table said.

Judging by the murmurs from the non-samurai around us, they hadnt all gotten the mo. I glanced around, taking in a lot of people in suits and more in military-like uniforms. There had to be reps from half a dozen PMCs in the room.

Our focus, Jolly Monarch said. Will be this area.

The holomap changed to a view of New Montreal from above, as well as a big circle around the city. It extended out maybe a hundred kilotres in diater.

The New Montreal area is, in terms of sheer space, minuscule. But it also represents the location where nearly a hundred million people live. Our task is to set up a defensive periter around the city to keep it safe while also preparing strike groups that will head out and destroy any hives in this area.

A second circle appeared, maybe twice the size of the first. As the hologram panned out, it overlapped with so other circles next to other cities to the south, east and west.

Now that were all on the sa page, Jolly Monarch said. It was pretty damned clear that we werent, but he seed eager to plough past that. Lets figure out exactly how we can stall the end of the world. Shall we?

***