The Mars Incident: After Death
18 May 2013
The call from Sterga was nothing less than a shock. She has always refused my help, despite needing it. I suppose this was different as she was critically injured. How she still lived, I doubt I will ever know. She was in no condition to explain, barely conscious, passing out shortly after my arrival. Even her suit was heavily damaged, now useless. More the surprise, she not once protested the medical attention I sought for her; a specialist in treating augmented humans who knows the value of silence.
She is still unconscious after several days. I hope she wakes soon.
20 May 2013
As I feared, there is something wrong with Sterga beyond the physical injuries. She woke yesterday, but has been devoid of her usual charm. Never would I have thought to miss it, but that is the case. Sadly, there is little to be done other than hope her mind can heal. My aura was not strong enough to heal her physical injuries without aid, but I hope it can mend her mind. It feels like our time in the desert.
She insists on helping me with my mission as well. Whether this turns out to be a blessing or curse will only be answered by time. Despite that she is supposed to listen to my commands, she stubbornly refuses to rest at the apartment while I am out. But she also makes no effort to hide the fact that she is shadowing me. At least if I agree, I can keep watch on her. And it shames me to admit that I do need help in my work.
Even though she is a flawed human, Sterga is a formidable opponent. I have seen what she has done to people who threaten her well-being. We will need to update her old armor from when we worked together in the Mojave. Not surprising, she still has the blade she created. In fact, she strongly rejected the idea of using one of my weapons. It gives me hope that the Sterga I know is still inside. Sometime, she seems to struggle with herself to break the programming that makes her such a machine.
I convinced her to rest for a few more days before working with me.
26 May 2013
It seems as if our link has weakened. Sterga does not gain increased healing from my aura nor does she seem to be able to add my flame to her sword. It may be only temporary, but with how brutal she is, not unwelcome. We have also started training again. Her combat abilities are very poor, almost a detriment. I doubt she has fully healed physically, despite her claim otherwise.
Each time we patrol, Sterga is injured, but she will not take time to rest. I suspect something else is wrong; she has never been so aggressive. It is as if she desperately needs to be in constant combat. I can feel that it is the only thing on her mind most times. Something must have been damaged in her systems. It would not surprise me with the condition of her suit.
With Sterga living with me once more, I suspect our link will repair in time. The healing ability should manifest first, not that she appears to need it. The most recent upgrades are quite impressive in terms of physical repairs. She never mastered using my flame to augment her sword, so I must prepare for the serious injuries she will likely sustain. Fortunately, her off-hand writing is in need of little improvement to be legible.
I have tried to ask about her immune system upgrades, but she always looks at me as if confused. Sterga does not seem to remember much of her life at present. I suspect she may only trust me due to our link, weak as it is. Sadly, she does remember the more troubling parts and has frequent nightmares once more.
01 June 2013
Our training has been successful in refreshing Sterga’s combat abilities. It is still lacking, but she can hold her own at my side. The blood lust she has while in combat is still hard for me to control. Because our link has strengthened, it also has a small effect on me. Keeping us both level headed in combat is a challenge.
Sterga remains unable to utilize my flame. It manifested once, but quickly flickered out. Soon, she will be able to summon it, which worries me. Her powerful emotions are something that has never affected me before. I do not think I am prepared for an increase in her deadliness.
She has started gaining the increased benefit from my healing aura. We ended up in a precarious situation, heavily out matched. Sterga took a blow that should have crippled, if not killed her. I had thought her dead, as I could not sense her presence for a moment. Instead, she regained her stance, fully healed. After the fight, I was drained, barely capable of walking. She can tap into my power, drawing great strength if in need. Another new effect. We have been together for many years and new abilities are coming through our link. I had not anticipated this. We will need more experience working together. Fortunately, Westside has no shortage of weaker criminals posing minimal threat.
