Chapter 91

　　Sergeant Warner of the Imperial Guard tapped his foot impatiently against the concrete surface of the landing pad. Rather than his full uniform, he only wore a black t-shirt and camo pants in the Martian heat, the sun warming him pleasantly.

　　He could see the transport slowly descending toward him through his sunglass shades.

　　Stationed in Fort Argyle in the Martian Southern Highlands, it was an isolated region of the planet that was more remote than most of the other bases.

　　Primarily used as a waypoint for the Imperial Guard Rangers for survival training and complex terrain traversal, the base only held a maximum of five hundred people at any given time. They were currently in between training groups, leaving the Fort with only half staff and a handful of Mechs.

　　Warner had just been in the middle of leading a training group at headquarters when he had been pulled away by a superior, informed that he would be meeting a pair of VIPs and sent to Fort Argyle with a small bag and unanswered questions.

　　If he had a choice, he would have declined this task. He would rather be anywhere else than here, babysitting VIPs for the Emperor knew how long. He had only been told that he was to cater to them for as long as they wanted.

　　While he was waiting and wondering who he had offended to be stuck with this thankless job, the transport settled gently onto the Martian surface. Extending its walkway from its opening bay doors, Warner was startled to see the pair walking down the ramp.

　　Seeing them, Warner sighed heavily. Both were much taller than him and attractive. They were dressed like they were out for a walk, wearing stylish sunglasses and immaculate outfits. The man wore black pants, boots and a white collared shirt, while his female companion sported khaki pants and a navy sweater.

　　Nobles.` He thought, already dreading the time he would be spending here. He usually didn`t interact with them often. His time in the guard was spent training recruits or travelling by Starship to distant parts of the galaxy that needed the Imperial Guard to enforce the law.

　　Nobles had their own House Guard, and although the Guard looked down on them, they were often competent enough to handle their own affairs without the Guard`s interference.

　　Seeing them stop and focus their attention on him, he strode forward. If he was going to do a task, he would make the Guard proud, even if he hated waiting on entitled Nobles out on a sightseeing lark.

　　"Good morning, I`m Sergeant Warner of the Guard. I`ve been tasked with escorting you here in Fort Argyle." Warner called out, stopping just before them and craning his neck to match their eyes.

　　Emperor forfend! He forgot how tall Nobles could be.

　　Guard soldiers were genetically enhanced, but only after they were recruited. Combined with a strict diet, exercise, and medical procedures, they were amongst the fittest people in the galaxy. But a Noble could outclass them easily with their generational enhancements.

　　Warner was over six feet tall, but the pair in front of him rose head and shoulders above him, and didn`t seem awkwardly proportioned despite the height.

　　"Good morning. We`re here to train on Medium Class Mechs. Have your superiors briefed you?" The woman asked, brushing her hair out of her face and shielding her eyes from the sunlight with her hand despite the large set of sunglasses she was wearing.

　　Warner was at a loss for words for a moment, not wanting to lie but unwilling to admit that he had no idea what they were talking about.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　"They haven`t. Perhaps you should start from the beginning, Mare." The man offered, accurately discerning through Warner`s reaction that he hadn`t been provided with any information.

　　At the statement, the woman Mare` removed the sunglasses that had been obscuring her face, revealing it to the Sergeant for the first time.

　　"Princess Marella!" Warner exclaimed. How could he not recognize the favourite granddaughter of the Emperor himself? He may not have been in her presence before, but anyone in the Guard would know her.

　　"Please, be at ease Sergeant. Allow me to explain why we are here." Mare said, trying to reassure him.

　　"As I said, Kal and I are here to train on Medium Class Mechs. We`ve been granted full access to the Fort and permission to retain you as our trainer. Have rooms been prepared for us?" Mare asked, her tone businesslike.

　　Kal.` Warner thought to himself before he recognized the young man next to her.

　　Baron Kalen Caledon, son of the Traitor. The Imperial Herald had notified everyone in the Guard to treat the Baron with the respect his station deserved, which was fresh in Warner`s memory.

　　"Of course, Milady. Although," Warner paused awkwardly before continuing after seeing the Princess` encouraging nod. "The accommodations are sparse, Milady. We`re on the Martian Frontier, and Fort Argyle is remote. It`s more of a waystation or resupply point than a fully stocked garrison." Warner admitted.

　　"That will be fine, Sergeant. Neither of us expects anything extravagant as long as the Mechs are in a suitable condition. We want to be treated the same as you would any other recruits." Mare said, but even Kal could recognize that there was no way the Guard would treat an Imperial Princess as a regular recruit.

　　Kal caught the Sergeant`s eyes, giving him a slight nod.

　　"Very well, Milady. Right this way." Warner replied, gesturing to the few buildings behind them. Constructed of sturdy concrete capable of withstanding the intense Martin storms, the buildings themselves were small and tidy.

　　Showing them their quarters, nothing more than a tiny room with a bed, wardrobe, and desk, he gave them a tour of the facilities after they had dropped their bags off in their rooms.

　　"The mess hall is right over here, although we would be more than happy to serve you in your room as well, Milady. The bathroom and showers are in that wing, administration offices are below ground, and the Mech repair facilities are in the bunker toward the rear of the complex. Things are slow here for the next month or so. We`re between training groups. Otherwise, there would be people stopping by for repairs and resupply until they reach the next stop on the trip." Warner explained, leading them through the hallways and buildings of Fort Argyle.

　　Kal was surprised at how Mare reacted, readily accepting the accommodations and the environment. He knew she wasn`t a spoiled or soft person, but he thought there would be some discomfort. Unlike him, she had a loving family that cared for her well-being. Kal was impressed by her.

　　"What exactly is Fort Argyle used for, Sergeant?" Kal asked, not familiar with Mars.

　　"Resupply and repair for Rangers during their survival training. Exosuits, Mechs, even without a suit or equipment. The length and challenge changes, but generally, it`s a trek across the breadth of the Southern Highlands."

　　"Sounds incredibly challenging, even with a Mech," Kal replied. They had seen the rough terrain on the descent.

　　"It takes anywhere from a month to a year, depending on how you`re outfitted. Mountaineering, survival training, navigation, it tests you in every way imaginable. We`ve even added ambushes and firefights to some of the more advanced groups." Warner explained.

　　"And you`ve done this as well?" Mare asked. The Sergeant nodded in response.

　　"Exosuit and Light Class. I`m training a group for the Bare` challenge. Three months straight through Hellas Basin, with no stops along the way. Should be fun." Warner bragged.

　　Kal and Mare shared a look, both shaking their head slightly. They couldn`t imagine trekking through the Martian Wilderness for months on end without a Mech or Exosuit and calling it fun.`

　　"When I arranged things with Commander Brand, she assured me Fort Argyle would be perfect for our needs. I trust her judgement, but what about your stock of Mechs?" Mare asked.

　　"They have a few stored as replacements for the trainees. I assessed them myself before you arrived, They`re functional but they are older models. I suspect several served in the Rebellion." Warner stated before looking at Kal and wincing.

　　"Apologies, Milord." It was easy to forget that the young man next to him was over five hundred years old, thanks to his famous stint in stasis. Warner recalled too late that Kalen Caledon was present during the Rebellion, and his family would have been fighting against the Guard`s Mechs in the conflict.

　　Kal smiled, shaking his head at the apology.

　　"There`s no need to apologize. If they were in the Rebellion, I`ve seen them in action. They`ll be fine for what we need."