'But Sir, we are the bandits,' Slin said cheekily.
Raeson's first instinct was to reprimand him, but given the circumstance with Tek, decided the humor was fitting and couldn't help but grin. He watched as the glow from Nash's engines faded into the distance.
*
Nash throttled her Widowmaker fighter forward and tried to close the gap between her and the old man. The two craft slipped through the darkness away from the primary group.
'Slow down, you fool!' yelled Nash over the coms. 'I know you have enabled your communications.'
She never had much tolerance for the crazy old man, and she was sure he was drinking again.
Tek just laughed, 'What's the matter, can't the little Elis girl keep up? I thought you were good.'
'Keep talking like that old man and I swear I'm going to ram one of these missiles up your tail.'
Nash activated her targeting reticule and centered the hologram over the other fighter. The color tone shifted to red briefly before resetting to the original shade of teal, confirming she had lost the lock-on to the other ship.
'Now that's not nice. I doubt you would be able to even get a sight on me, in fact let's find out,' Tek teased.
He slowed his fighter, rolled and flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, completing a full twist on the spot to face Nash, his pursuer. Tek then pushed forward on the throttle, accelerated, armed his weapons and headed on a collision course.
'What are you doing!?!' Nash yelled as she felt her heart rate spike.
Two laser shots streaked past Nash's canopy, causing her to take evasive action. She jinked her craft to the side and narrowly missed the oncoming madman. The craft rolled and circled each other, both attempted to gain a firing sequence on the other.
'You're not as bad as I thought, young one,' Tek teased again.
'I'll show you exactly how good I am, you miserable Rid,' Nash replied, her anger now clouding her judgment.
Although neither pilot was in the winning position, Tek was getting what he wanted; a rise from the young pilot.
'Now little Elis, no need to be insulting.'
Nash screamed with rage and violently yanked her flight stick back. Her fighter broke out of the entwined battle formation and moved away. She spun back into her previous position, hoping that Tek had shifted away so she could get behind him. Tek, however, reversed his trajectory and rolled to the side. Nash flew past, her velocity too fast to change course and Tek roll back in behind the woman.
'Tough break,' Tek laughed. 'Lucky I don't have your rage or I might just blow you out of the void.'
'If the Rids' don't kill you,' Nash said, 'I will, and that's a promise.'
'That's big talk from you, girl. Maybe one day we'll see you fulfill it.' Tek broke off from his pursuit and slowed his fighter.
'Count on it,' Nash spat in disgust.
*
'This is Reaper, we have you in visual,' Raeson said over the coms. He watched his two subordinates dueling below and felt relieved they hadn't killed each other. He took pause and wondered why such a feeling had crossed him as the idea of worrying for another individual was such an alien concept.
'Copy that, Reaper,' Tek replied as he headed towards the incoming fighters. Nash trailed slowly behind, defeated, as they formed back into formation.
'The co-ordinates are just ahead, we should be able to see the Suns End soon.' Raeson said. His patience was growing thin and obviously transferring into his voice. 'You are to report to me after the mission, Tek. That's if you are still alive.'
Tek remained silent.
'I have visual on the Suns End, Sir,' Slin interrupted. 'I'm sending you its position now, set your optical zoom to two-thousand.'
'Confirmed, Slin, I see it,' replied Raeson. He checked the display on his console and noticed one of his wingman hanging back. The pilot hadn't been under his command for very long, and Xain hadn't the chance to investigate what kind of man he was. 'You've been quiet, Napier, something troubling you?'
'No, Sir, just following orders,' the dark voice replied with a crackling of static over the coms.
'I see,' Xain said skeptically. 'Well, we have some time before we reach the corvette and you never told me who transferred you here or from what unit. Care to enlighten me, pilot?'
'This is my first unit, Sir. You have nothing to worry about though I can shoot straight.'
You had to have transferred from somewhere, Raeson thought. You fly with far too much experience, maybe another for the airlock soon, if he turns out to be another deceiver that is.
Raeson had kept watch on the man from the beginning. It was common practice to delve into any pilot's background assigned to his wing. Napier Stark however had a redacted file with limited information.
Reaper Wing sped towards the large vessel in the distance; their engines flared and pulsed, creating trails of glowing plasma like luminous scars across a skyline of darkness.
'Your first unit?' continued the Flight Commander, 'hard to believe, Stark. You fly like you've seen battle before, have you always been with the pirates?'
'Born and bred, Sir,' replied Stark.
'Then what action have you seen?' asked Xain, feeling frustrated by the lack of response which he felt was intentional.
'I've only seen combat within Reaper Wing,' Stark said defensively. 'I partook in flight drills, in the practice simulators.'
'Your name has never appeared on any of the practice logs and I have used the simulators for a decade,' Slin interrupted.
'I've used many aliases, I guess,' Stark closed the connection abruptly.
Slin opened a private channel; his face appeared as a small hologram inside Raeson's cockpit.
'He isn't being truthful, Commander,' Slin said. 'This guy stinks of internal intelligence.'
'I guessed that,' the Flight Commander replied sarcastically. 'Let me handle it, but keep a watch on him just the same.'
The holographic image of Slin flicked, and electrical interference caused his face to shimmer.
'What did Stark's file say? I'd imagine you have investigated all our backgrounds before accepting our transfers?' asked Slin.
'It's not your business to pry about other members of the squad, you just leave it to me but stay vigilant.'
'Copy that,' Slin replied before his holographic image faded from Raeson's cockpit.
The Suns End appeared in focus, a long vessel of gray and burnt orange. Fins protruded along the length of the corvette class ship, streaks of radioactive gas trailed behind from sharp-edged propulsion. The fighter wing, Reaper squadron, positioned their craft alongside the vessel and prepared for external docking. Capital ships always impressed Raeson. The immense bulk of the godlike vessels were such a remarkable sight and to comprehend their existence impossible.
He touched his control stick gently and maneuvered his fighter underneath an extended docking clamp, a long mechanical arm with a claw at its end. Green lights flashed across his console and his ship connected, the claw closed with a large clamping sound of metal clashing. A voice spoke into Raeson's coms to notify of a successful docking as the top half of his fighter enclosed with a docking collar from the corvette.
I wonder if they will ever find that corpse? Xain thought as his mind drifted.
*
Further down the length of the Suns End and sitting in the darkness of his cockpit, Napier Stark read the text that moments ago appeared on his display. The bright blue glow of the words stood out against the black background, the text repeating the conversation between Raeson and Slin only a few minutes ago.
Stark smiled to himself.
*
Demons screamed and clawed at the soldier's face.
The sight before him was gruesome; red with light and crimson with blood. The flashing of claws and teeth surrounded him. He could feel the creatures biting into his flesh and tearing away at his muscle. The screaming grew louder as Draethus realized he was not the only victim. He struggled to turn his head as a
creature clamped its fangs into his skull, but in doing so saw two other humans being torn apart, the same as he. There could be no evil greater than this death, this consumption, and he was losing himself to it.
He woke up cold.
I have not had that sleepless vision for a long time, Draethus thought.
The room was dark. His head was still spinning from the explosions earlier and he felt his body floating, rotating. His memory returned; the white light, the battle and the machine that immobilized him. He regained his vision and realized he was not alone in the room. Something was silently watching him from the corner.
Draethus was floating, and someone had removed his armor.
'What manner of force is this?' he asked the stranger.
'It's called anti-gravity, my friend,' the man replied. 'I'm impressed you have learned our language so fast.'
The stranger wore pale blue armor with strange crests embossed into his shoulders and he spoke smoothly, educated.
'What is your purpose, stranger?' Draethus asked as he tried to break free, unsuccessfully, of his invisible restraints.
The stranger laughed, unable to hide his surprise, 'You won't be able to break free of those bonds, my friend. Or should I not be calling you that?'
'Where is my armor?' Draethus questioned and then said, 'How dare you dishonor me. If you let me out of this contraption, now, I may show you some lenience.'
Amused, the stranger said calmly, 'we have a lot of questions for you, warrior. If you co-operate, we may just give your armor back. If we discover you're an ally, then I apologize for dishonoring you by removing it and I will return everything to you. For now, my suggestion is that you answer the Specters' questions with as much honesty as you can tolerate. If you turn out to be an enemy, then I may keep this armor for myself.'
Before Draethus could respond, the stranger smiled abruptly and then turned and quickly left the room.
The soldier looked around his enclosure, hoping to find a way out. The walls were smooth and curved; it was a cylindrical interrogation room. His body slowly rotated uncontrollably, tumbling him inverted at one point, then again rotating him in random directions.
I was facing a horde of Heridians in one moment and then I'm surrounded by a city in the next; he thought to himself. Is this really Echelon?
The illumination from above shut off unexpectedly. All was silent except for a faint humming noise, making the soldier feel nauseous. The lights returned and Draethus was face to face with a ghost, a Specter that flinched backward as if surprised by what it saw. It Circled the captive and studied him. The creature was tall and broad, floated a few feet off the ground and covered in a ragged dark cloak which hid its face and body.
'What abomination are you?' Draethus asked.
His reaction to the sight of the Specter made the creature pause, as if offended. From its hunched position, it arced back, then glided closer to the restrained warrior. On closer inspection, Draethus could see a plain, glossy white mask covering its face. It was smooth and oval shaped, showing no signs it had a face at all. The only visible mark was a straight vertical black line that ran from the top of the mask to the bottom.
'What are you, creature?' Draethus asked again, holding back his anger at the alien. A massive electrical shock blasted through the soldier and he screamed in immense pain as his body went into a spasm.
'You will answer but not ask,' the Specter replied with a voice of cold and whisper.
Draethus regained his strength as the shock in his muscles wore off.
'I have nothing to hide, freak. I am a Soldier of the Void and protector of Echelon.'
'What is your purpose here?' it said again and pointed its arm to the side as if to signal a hidden observer to activate the next electrical wave of torture.
Draethus noticed and decided that some information would be acceptable to release. 'To kill all who threaten our world, to kill Heridians!'
The Specter seemed to skim over his answers by asking the next question before Draethus finished. The soldier wondered if the alien wanted information or just pleasure of his torture.
'How did you arrive on Echelon?' it asked.
'This is Echelon? I am still on my home-world?'
Draethus screamed again, the electric shock more intense. He could feel his skin smoking and even smell the scent of his burning flesh in the air.
The alien repeated the question, 'How did you arrive on Echelon?'
'I don't know,' the soldier screamed. 'Some device transported me here.'
'What device?' the Specter asked calmly, though the volume of whisper grew.
It raised its arm once more, but the captive interrupted.
'Something the Rids were digging up, buried under the surface.'
The creature circled Draethus once more and then filled his view with only its face mask.
'What are Heridians?' it asked.
'Heridians are the scum of the universe!' Draethus replied in gasps, catching his breath. 'They invaded Echelon, and we have been at war with them for decades.'
'We?' asked the whisper.
'We are SOV, an army of men and women dedicated to protecting others. We settled on Echelon centuries ago after completing a long voyage from the other side of the stars.'
The Specter continued to drift around the room swiftly and changed its position with each question. Its long dark cloak floated behind like a ghost in an old children's story. The creature moved closer, its position and distance from Draethus relative to the seriousness and intensity of the question.
'How many more are you?' the Specter asked.
'We number in the thousands.'
'Here and now?'
'Now, I believe I am alone,' the soldier replied.
The ghostly Specter darted forwards, 'What is your motive?'
A tingling sensation raced through the chest of the soldier.
'My motive?' Draethus asked. 'I need to find my way home, kill the Rids and anyone who gets in my way.' He paused and motioned towards the Specter before saying, 'and anything that gets in my way.'
The Specter drifted back, paused and stared at its captive before saying, 'Destiny entwines you with others.'
The lights flickered, and the ethereal interrogator vanished.
'Coward!?!' Draethus yelled, agony still running through his veins.
'I would not tempt fate, soldier,' the stranger said as he walked back into the chamber. 'If it sensed you were a threat, it would still be here. Be thankful you are alive.'
'What was that apparition?'
'We are not really certain ourselves. They appeared when we first arrived,' replied the stranger. 'Maybe they're just the local inhabitants, who can know?'
The man walked up to Draethus and inspected his burns, then smiled. 'They make great interrogators though, which is their primary purpose here. But let's not talk about them, let's talk about you.'
Draethus tried to struggle free of the invisible restraints, 'How about you let me down from here and we shall see about talking.'
The other man laughed, 'Soon my friend, but first I have some questions of my own to ask you. There will be no electrocution this time, honestly.'
'Why not just let the Specter extract the information?'
'They get a little, shall we say, carried away? I can see that you hate these Heridians, as you call them, as much as we do now. That makes you a great ally from my perspective. Would you agree?' the stranger smiled, a flash of sincerity crossed his face.
'You want my cooperation as well, then? I told that abomination the truth and I will carry out my word.'
'All on your own?'
'If need be, yes, by myself,' Draethus replied.
'I didn't take you for a fool, soldier. However, I will have your armor brought to you and we shall talk as equals, and hopefully, allies. Will you agree to hold off any hostilities until we have spoken as free men? I will even see that the medical staff fix your wounds.'
Draethus was skeptical bu
t really had no other choice. 'You have my word, we shall talk. Now bring my armor and get me down from this contraption!'
The other man laughed, 'Very well, warrior.'
The stranger looked up and nodded his head, a signal that the captive was ready to release. Another door opened and a small lizard ran unsteadily into the chamber, holding Draethus' dark gray armor in his small claws. The creature was approximately three feet tall, covered in green scales that reflected the light, turning shades of purple and orange. It fumbled with the items and at one point almost dropped it. Draethus cringed at the idea of another in contact with his apparel.
'I've seen these before,' said Draethus as the anti-gravity field lowered him to the floor.
'This is my servant,' the stranger announced with pride in his voice. 'His name is Livant. I rescued him from the jungles far from here.'
'Rescued?'
'Yes, I found him in a hunter's trap. Was quite amusing, watching him swing from a tree with his foot caught in some rope, I think he was having fun.'
'He would have been dinner for a hunter.'
'You are quite right, warrior. Now if you wouldn't mind adorning your armor, I have some things I would like to show you.'
'I suggest that if that creature doesn't want to be my dinner that he keeps his distance,' Draethus said, looking over his shoulder at the now cowering small lizard.
*
Above in the observation room above, two figures stood peering at Draethus. The taller of the two wore long green robes that flowed from his shoulders; he broke the silence with a murmur.
'Sorry, Sir, did you speak?' said the other man, listening closely to any word the other spoke.
'I wonder if this soldier brought the enemy here intentionally,' said the robed man.
'If so, Sir, I think the Specter would have extracted the information.'
The robed man touched the one sided viewing glass with his palm, 'Maybe so, but then again, the Specter looked surprised when he saw who the captive was. I would not think it would keep anything from us.'
A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1) Page 3