COM - T.E.S.S.I.E.

Anonymous commission, and the small fiction that goes with it (written by the customer, NOT me)

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"Ker-chunk.

The rusted lid finally came off the iron container, revealing its gleaming cargo to the scavenger holding the crowbar, and breathing somewhat heavily from the effort. But it was worth it – at least forty gold ingots were now available for the taking.

It’s a hard existence for a scavenger in these seas - most times, you can only go underwater so far as your lungs will take you. This particular woman was crafty enough to put together a makeshift scuba set out of an old army gas mask, a gas tank that was once used for welding, a backpack, and an especially hard-to-get firefighter’s SCBA regulator. It may not be the kind of kit the wealthy wear on the way to their undersea luxury hotels, but it keeps her alive on her submerged hunts for things to pawn back on land.

Eyes wide at the sight of all that precious metal in one place, she simply floated there for a while before remembering what she came to this sunken shipwreck to do. She grabbed her netted bag and began to stuff as many ingots into it as the twine could hold. She was one bar away from leaving before she heard something behind her.

“FREEZE!”

She wheeled around in shock to see who else was there. It wasn’t another diver looking to take her plunder – it was a secret service agent, weapon raised, materializing right in front of her eyes. The scavenger had stumbled on a government hiding spot for its reserves.

The female agent was equipped with the latest in personal protection – the Totally Enclosing Self-sustaining Suit, Intended for Espionage, known simply as T.E.S.S.I.E. Her wrist-mounted computer let her know that this scavenger was near the shipwreck. Her personal cloaking device ensured that she would not be seen. Her silenced regulator ensured that she would not be heard. And her “Urchin” compressed-air dart gun ensured that she would not be resisted.

“ut down the gold, and swim away from the container,” the agent said, surprisingly clearly through her mask and the water. The scavenger complied, and tried to explain that she had no idea the government was the owner of the wreck and its cargo, but without a proper voicemitter on her own mask, all that the agent heard was a panicked muffle.

The agent replied, “our surveillance cameras caught you checking this place out yesterday, so I staged a stakeout to make sure that our possessions are intact.” The answer to a question no one asked. “Now listen carefully; you have the potential to be locked away for a very long time if you don’t answer truthfully to my questions and do exactly as I say. Am I making myself clear?” The scavenger attempted to speak again, but realized that an emphatic nod of her head would have to suffice.

“Good. Were you aware that this is a government holding?” The scavenger shook her head so hard, her mask came slightly loose and let some water in.

“Have you told anyone else of its whereabouts?” Another strong shake of the head, this time with her hands securing the mask.

“Well, that at least means we can relocate the reserves without any problems. But you’re still in trouble, miss. Breaking and entering is a stern fine, especially for a government location.” The scavenger’s stomach sank – she barely had enough money to eat and keep refilling her air tank every month, let alone any additional expenses. The agent noticed the slumping posture of the scavenger, and the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “...but given the circumstances, and the lack of any material losses, I’m willing to let this one slide. Don’t talk to anyone about this encounter, and do NOT return to this location. If you do, you WILL go to jail. Understood?”

The scavenger nodded so hard her neck began to cramp. The agent holstered her weapon, and swam away from the wreck’s door to let the scavenger exit. “Now get out of here and topside before your air runs out.” The scavenger attempted a “thank you” and left, catching one last glimpse of the agent disappearing from sight.

Once above water, the scavenger removed her backpack and mask, shut off the airflow, and flopped on her back onto the sandy beach. And began to laugh. Rolling over to her equipment, she opened the hidden compartment on the bottom of her air tank, and pulled out one single gold bar. It was enough for a ticket to leave this godforsaken archipelago, with enough money left over to start a new life for herself. A new life where she could dive for pleasure, and not for survival.

And with that, she re-hid the gold bar, gathered her equipment, and made for the trading post as fast as her still-shaky legs could carry her."

END

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Pretty much all of the suits are made up from a variety of sources, there's few actual design on my part in there, except perhaps the "Urchin" needler/dart gun.

The Urchin's primary uses are short-range combat, and disabling enemies instead of outright killing them (though it can prove deadly at point blank range and hitting a vital spot).

It shoots 4-inches long needles, either single shot or in "burst" mode, expelling all remaining needles in the magazine at once. Reloading is easily done by replacing the entire barrel at once.

It works by drawing the compressed air directly from the diver's tank, so extra attention must be given to air tank capacity in heavy combat zones.