Jessica the Liberated

Jessica Brynley, after departing from Blacksteel HQ for personal reasons, chose to go to the frontier to become a sheriff. Currently, she provides assistance to Rhodes Island as a partnered operator in the local branch office.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%
Operator Jessica shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.19 u/L
Jessica's BOCD has increased from before, but is still in the safe range. However, she has been out on the frontier for quite some time, and is often exposed to Originium products without proper protective measures, so we need to pay close attention to her.

'I'm actually more worried about her old injuries than about her getting infected.'
––Medical Operator from the Frontier Branch Office

We don't know precisely why Jessica set aside her mercenary career, and Blacksteel isn't particularly forthcoming about it. Whenever we bring it up, the person in charge always seems say something evasive before quickly changing the subject. However, it is true that Jessica has long been dissatisfied with Blacksteel's tough, uncompromising way of doing things, which the operators familiar with her had all noticed to some extent. On several occasions she has returned to Rhodes Island from a Blacksteel mission without outwardly displaying any negative emotions, but would instead lock herself in her room and not communicate with anyone for days at a time.
Afterwards, when we found out that she had been disciplined for disobeying her superiors, we realized that her differences with the PMC would be difficult to reconcile. This clash came to a head during a mission in the forested belt of Eastern Columbia, resulting in Jessica walking away from Blacksteel and her career, turning her back on both Fort Barron and the Brynley family to start over in a brand new land.
Fortunately, our partnership with her does not end simply because she severed ties with Blacksteel. The burdenbeast station she established on the frontier works together with our branch office to deliver medicine to remote areas that cannot otherwise be reached by vehicle, ensuring that sick pioneers can still get medication in a timely manner, while Jessica also needed funding to establish a frontier camp.
We are extremely pleased to be working together with her once again. While she may appear soft and shy on the surface, deep down she is actually tough and resilient. She also has a lot of empathy and is keenly aware of the emotions of others. These rare qualities allow her to comfort those who've suffered from various traumas, but also make her more susceptible to their emotions. It often takes her a long time to escape from that pain and sadness. Even more unfortunate is the fact that she stubbornly chooses to face everything alone. Despite everything she's witnessed and endured as a mercenary, Jessica has always been reluctant to share her experiences—not that it's our place to pry. But just by closely observing her behavior, we do believe that she's doing much better now.
At least, she now rarely isolates herself in the shooting range after returning to the landship from the frontier.

'Before officially participating in Blacksteel's field missions, Jessica had been working as a weapons tester in the Equipment and Applied Technology Department. There, she was exposed to a wide array of cutting-edge weaponry, and got to know many veterans retired from the Armed Personnel Dispatch Department. They were all experienced and could provide constructive advice during the weapons development process, and it's clear that Jessica has been heavily influenced by them, on top of her other experiences. Not only is she accustomed to using various weapons, but she's also proficient at modifying and improving them.'
'Uh huh.'
'In terms of weapon selection, Jessica prefers to carry a Blacksteel Model 1094 pneumatic handgun, a high-performance weapon representing the pinnacle of Blacksteel's sophisticated weapons R&D. As soon as it launched, it became the most popular gun of the year, beloved by mercenaries. But when faced with more complex situations, she will turn to a self-modified assault rifle, which is extremely accurate, powerful, and easy to assemble and disassemble quickly.'
'Uh huh.'
'Aside from those two commonly-used firearms, the presence of ships and armored vehicles in some extreme combat environments can pose serious difficulties. That's when she turns to a Raythean heavy-duty anti-armor/anti-ship cannon. And the accompanying tactical shield also takes mobility into account and can be used as a gun mount in addition to its basic protective function. Plus, the space inside the shield can be used to store additional small arms, ammunition, and other military equipment.'
'Uh huh.'
'But as you know, the battlefield is constantly shifting and requires thorough preparation each and every time, so Jessica tends to bring her entire arsenal with her, which greatly tests her load-bearing capabilities and arm strength. Now that she's out on the frontier, where the outdoor combat can be harsh and fierce bandits show up in convoys to rob supplies, she needs to carry not only her gear, but also extra supplies and—'
'Uh huh... So you're saying that's why you lost to her in 47 arm-wrestling contests in a row, even though you claim you can bench press 200 kilos. Gotcha.'
'......'
'Uh huh...?'
'Graaah––!'
––Excerpts from an everyday conversation between HR Operators

'Bernie Brynley and his wife already had a son and two daughters when they went on to have a third daughter in Jessica. As the family's youngest, everyone doted on her; not only were her parents extremely loving, but her brother and sisters were very close to her as well. There are reports that several of her promotions at Blacksteel were due to her family's support.
'While we don't know what sort of crime Jessica Brynley committed to get sent out to the frontier, it makes sense for a pampered rich girl who never learned right from wrong to be capable of just about anything. Yesterday, when confronted by doubtful reporters, Bernie Brynley still tried to defend his daughter, throwing his dignity to the wayside and screaming at them.'
'Bank robbery?! Where the hell did you hear that nonsense? Utterly ridiculous. Are you implying that there's a bank robber in MY family?'
'You'd best watch your mouth, sir. That's my daughter you're trying to slander!'
––Excerpts from the morning news of a Columbian TV station

'Their coverage of me was so one-sided.'
Turning off the TV, the girl looked back and addressed the operator behind her.
'Yeah, I agree. You're not like that at all, Jessica. Everyone here knows that.'
'No, that's not what I meant. They didn't even mention my grandfather, even though he was the one closest to me.'
'Huh? THAT'S what's bothering you?'
'Yeah. When he was with me, he didn't act like an elder at all, more like a playmate. When I was little, my favorite thing to do was sit in his arms and listen to him brag about his adventures out on the frontier, back when he was a soldier.
'Whenever he was done, he'd find his tie smeared with puree and cream. But that's just how it was. I was really little at the time. I was always eating, and would also crawl around all over the place... He really was the best grandfather ever.'
'What happened afterward?'
'Well... I grew up, and went off to secondary school in Victoria. Then he suddenly fell ill, and by the time I made it back home, he had already passed. I only had time to lay a bouquet of flowers in front of his tombstone.'
'I... I'm so sorry...'
'Don't apologize, I'm the one who brought it up. I'd never blame you for that.
'It's just nice having someone I can talk to about him...'
––Excerpts from a conversation between two operators while watching the morning news.

Everyone was shocked when they met Jessica out on the frontier. The girl in front of them was wearing coarse trousers and a plaid shirt, and behind her followed a neighing herd of burdenbeasts. She was riding barefoot on the lead beast, her skin flushed by the sun. If not for that familiar gun at her waist, nobody would've recognized that she was the same operator who used to work with us aboard the landship. After learning that we'd pass through the camp she was living in on our way to our destination, she offered to give us a ride. Quite fortunate for us, actually, since we were worried about damaging our vehicle at the time.
Atop the burdenbeasts, we headed up the river into a woodland. There, we discovered what life was like for her after leaving Blacksteel: in the middle of the night, several insects got through the tent's damage fabric. Be it the noisy buzzing of their wings or the itchy bumps from their bites, everyone was so fed up that they were swatting them one-by-one. But Jessica didn't seem to mind at all. She was simply curled up in a makeshift cot of two chairs pushed together, sleeping soundly. When an insect landed on her eyelid and left a huge bump behind, she simply rubbed it unconsciously before falling back into a deep slumber.
This one night was but a sliver of Jessica's hard-knock life. Not only did she need to deal with complex issues around the camp on a daily basis, she also had to deal with bandits and beasts periodically coming to harass her. Fortunately, she doesn't have to endure these things alone, as there are many people supporting her: the Elafia cook responsible for the camp's meals has exceptional skills, and even the most unpalatable ingredients are delicious in her hands; the old man tending the campfire has dexterous hands, and repaired our vehicle for us; there is also a girl there who is good with numbers, and is in charge of all the camp's finances; in addition, there's a Sankta hunter who's as good at herding livestock as he is ill-mannered, and he and Jessica take turns ensuring the security of the camp. Through everyone's mutual support, the newly-established camp quickly got on track and invited other pioneers to join.
Before we left, Jessica pointed to a forest in the distance and said this:
'We plan to buy a nice pine forest. On the frontier, logging is a relative secure industry, and good-quality white pine can be sold in a nomadic city for two hundred certs per cubic yard. That'll give us enough funds to build a small logging plate. Once we have a nomadic plate, everyone's lives will be that much better.'
As she spoke, her eyes let out a soft shine before becoming placid and calm again. During this whole exchange, her gaze remained fixed on that forest, not wavering for a moment.

'That's correct, Doctor. I participated in an armed robbery on the Davistown bank. That's just a fact, and I have nothing to dispute.'
The girl looks at you and rubs her hands together anxiously.
'However, I'm not on the frontier to serve out a sentence. I wasn't charged with any crime.
'Not because I was motivated by wanting to help the locals being extorted by the bank, but rather because... I'm not allowed to be guilty. Because Blacksteel operators cannot be guilty. Because members of the Brynley family cannot be guilty...'
The girl holds up a teapot in her hands and gives the tea leaves floating on the surface a blow, but accidentally cuts her lip on the container's broken rim.
'...You want to know if I plan to stay out here forever?
'Umm... I think I do. Because here, every choice I make belongs not to Jessica of Blacksteel, or to Jessica of the Brynley family.'
Wiping the streaks of blood from the corner of her lips with her fingers, the girl smiles shyly at you.
'They belong to me alone.'