[u][b]Indianapolis International Airport - Operations Room[/b][/u]

“This is Legate Aurelius,” a familiar voice from the headset said, “What is the situation?”

"We believe a counter-attack is imminent", Wilson replied, getting right to the point, "We've got reliable intel that the Cult forces in the city abandoned the Raiders to their fate and have rallied in the sewers to wait for the lines to cross over them and attack our troops in the rear. I've taken the liberty of informing your staff, and ordered the implementation of the plans for securing the pre-war sewer system...but we're out of position to deal with what the scurry-bots flush out, and it looks like they may be making their move sooner than we would like. 

"Sir!", a ground controller held his hand up, "Fourth Brigade is reporting multiple contacts across Downtown!" He then hurriedly added, "19th Battalion HQ in the Indiana State Library is reporting it is under attack from below!"

"It looks like it's beginning", Wilson said calmly, "Lancer-Sergeant Kyle will take you where you wish to go, I am vectoring in another Vertibird with a squad of Knights to provide your Praetorians cover...I can also patch you through to your Headquarters if you wish."

[u][b]19th Battalion 4th Infantry Brigade Field HQ- Indiana State Library[/b][/u]

"Shit!", the machine gunner exclaimed as the chambered round in his LMG cooked off and fired due to the dully red-hot barrel, forcing him to open the feed tray and pull the belt out. "Change!" he hissed at his assistant, who was already pulling open the barrel latch to change it out. 

A sudden squealing and skittering in the dark below turned his guts to water, he suspected his worst fears had come to pass and they had noticed. "Faster, goddamn it!", he hissed again at his assistant, who had plucked out the red-hot barrel and was just beginning to slide the replacement into place when a deep bassy voice shouted [b]"PH´NGLUI SOTH!"[/b] and a wave of hideously deformed creatures emerged from the dark and swarmed up the stairs. Instinctively realizing they would never get the LMG back into action in time, he snatched up the laser pistol sitting on a sandbag next to him and joined his comrades firing into the swarm, claiming two of them before the swarm reached his MG nest and swarmed over the defenders, the hungry creatures making short work of them, but not before the word had been passed on the radio that the East Stairs had fallen.  Behind the bizarrely mutated mole rats came Cult warriors, charging up the stairs to secure the precarious bridgehead their creatures had won for them. There had been more of the Enemy at this place than they had expected, but it mattered not.

The heavy footsteps of men in power armor was quickly heard, and a Knight strode into view, the barrels of the Gatling laser in his hands already spinning up, sending a torrent of laser beams tearing into the creatures feasting on the slain defenders of the position, then began to sweep the other way, cutting down two of the Cultists before a third was able to twirl a improvised MFC limpet mine up to speed and hurled it at the Knight. Spotting the threat just in time, the Knight raised up his Gatling Laser in an attempt to deflect it. The charge stuck to the Gatling Laser and exploded a mere four inches from his chestplate with a loud bang. The Knight staggered back, still holding the shattered Gatling laser, his chestplate and helmet wrecked and emitting sparks, until he tripped over some rubble and fell on his back. 

Smelling blood, the Cultists sprang towards the downed Knight, intent on finishing him before he could get back to his feet, but they never made it. Three more armored shapes loomed up out of the dust, and the Cultists barely had time to realize that one of them had a flamer before the stream of liquid, burning death engulfed them.  

[u][b]Moments later[/b][/u]

The Knights stepped over the charred corpses, the leader peering cautiously down the stairs, LMG at the ready, as another used a cryo grenade to deal with the fire the flamer had started, and a third helped their injured comrade out of his wrecked suit. Satisfied the Enemy had had enough for the moment, the leader spoke into his radio.

"East Stairwell re-captured", he reported, "The squad stationed here was wiped out, and I have one wounded. Requesting reinforcements ASAP."

"I'm sending two squads down to you", the Major, in the CP upstairs, replied, "Be advised, the scurry bots are en route, ETA five minutes. Once we have them we need to clear the basement ASAP, the Legion unit holding the Historical Society is under heavy pressure, they're holding but we need to get shit sorted here so I can send Charlie Company to help them out."

[u][b]House of the Rising Sun - New Orleans[/b][/u]

"You look confused, Brian", Amanda said teasingly, then dainty lifted the china teacup from the saucer she held in front of her and took a sip. "Not what you expected?"

"He's watched too many movies", Charlotte, his new partner, stopped blowing on her own cup of tea to say, "In the movies, they always make it like Brahmin auction, just lewder with weeping women paraded nude on the block before being auctioned off to slavering perverts." She shrugged, and added, "Now in Raider country that would be putting it lightly, but N'awlins is civilized, we do things like civilized people."

"Guilty as charged", Brian said self-deprecatingly as he looked around. Amanda's sitting room was, like the rest of the Pre-War mansion turned brothel, immaculately maintained, and furnished and decorated in the archaic Victorian style....something he had only seen in period piece movies. Both women were impeccably dressed in tailor made dresses in the same style, like upper class women in the late 1800s. Not that they would have passed as that, with Amanda, in a black dress, being a ghoul though Charlotte, in a burgundy red dress, could stand a bit more scrutiny by wearing gloves to cover the tattoos on her hands that went down her fingers to the first knuckle.  The style of this place, one of the most popular brothels in New Orleans...which is saying something in a city with the decadent reputation New Orleans has enjoyed for centuries...was incredibly archaic, the infamous Bourbon Street district was probably the only place in the Post-War world where such a style would fit in. "I expected a slave auction to be.....seedier."

"The auction isn't here, darling", Amanda replied with a chuckle, "That's at the Auction House at three o'clock. What we're doing here is choosing your instructor. You'll literally be living with your decision, so pick carefully. Questions, modeling clothes, showing the goods, or even a tryout if you're up for it. Everything is on the table, so don't be shy...any chemistry the two of you can create will make this a lot easier for you."

"Before we start", Brian said, "I have a question. I thought Sault had brought Abolition to her lands, yet here we are. Could you explain?"

"The Consul has not abolished slavery entirely", Amanda explained, "But her changes to the Slave Code go a long way towards Abolition over time. New contracts for 'slaves for life' can only be imposed by a Judge as a sentence for a Felony conviction, which also means children of slaves are born free. You can be enslaved for debt, or basically put yourself up as collateral for a loan...but such contracts are for a fixed term not exceeding seven years. The cover story for your instructor is that she sold herself to a broker as collateral for a loan. By purchasing the note from them, you get possession of the collateral."

"Whoever you pick, this won't be her first rodeo", Amanda continued, "Her cover will be that's she's your housekeeper...with benefits. Such arrangements are common here, Sault's reforms haven't changed that. While her emphasis will be on breaking down your inhibitions regarding women like me, she's also available for seducing others if the mission requires it. In the circles you'll be running in, they offer up women to guests and clients the way you'd offer a visitor a Nuka-Cola back in Omaha. Between your housekeeper and Charlotte...Raider girls are the in-fetish this year...you'll have all bases covered. She'll play the role in public and private...but one thing you need to remember is that she's not a slave, she's your comrade, and a nearly irreplaceable asset. Abuse will not be tolerated. And if things go wrong, maintaining her cover is higher priority than yours."

"In short", Charlotte interjected, "If you become a threat to your instructor's safety or cover....[i]you[/i] will become the mission." She then arched her eyebrows and added, "I've been to that particular rodeo before...didn't like it...I'd rather not go through that again, especially with a cute one like you."

[u][b]A couple hours later[/b][/u]

"I must say", Amanda said as she watched Brian eat, "your process for choosing has been quite a suprise to me."

"How so?", Brian asked between bites of a breakfast sausage on the end of his fork, "The others weren't leg men? Even with her condition, Jennifer has some mighty fine legs."

"Not that", Amanda answered patiently, "Being a Knight before she changed, she was far more fit than the average woman and fitness helps a lot when it comes to keeping a figure in our situation. What I mean was having the girls cook for you."

"Going 512 isn't going to be easy, that was explained to me at length when I volunteered", Brian said, popping the last of his sausage into his mouth and eating it. "Nobody said I had to put up with bad cooking at the same time."

"Men!", Charlotte said, rolling her eyes.

"I think you'll fit in nicely", Amanda said, chuckling, as she pulled a packet out of a drawer of a cabinet and handed it to him. "Take Charlotte to lunch, if you still have room, and be at the auction house at 3. Jen will be lot 32, I've made arrangements, her auction will be competing with the bail bondsmen default auctions...with the auctioneer in my pocket and some shill bidders that I'll have planted, you should be able to pick her up for $2500 or so without any trouble. Don't forget you meet with the lawyers at seven to start the process of transferring the ownership of Pan-American Import/Exports to you. It's best to get that done before the Avondale Shipyard deal goes public...Saults is not going to be happy when she learns she was outbid. She'll make a killing on the shares she holds, but that might not be consolation enough. And we have to wrap up these last few deals before the Texans make their move."  

"When will that be?", Brian asked. "I didn't get briefed on that."

"Not long", Amanda replied, "My friends in Austin tell me the Authorization passed handily, I expect the troop movements to begin in a matter of days."

"Meanwhile, we do what we've been doing", Charlotte said, "Help Bartholomew from behind the scenes...not that he'd thank us if he knew where most of his intel on doings here was coming from."