by J Porteous
Hawke looked back to the empty cot where Daria and Elpis has been. A deep sigh passed his lips. Is there a day that goes by that I haven't thought of this? Don't I deserve this, after everything that has happened? He had built the Space Bastards up from nothing and into one of the most feared mercenary units in the known universe, but it had been built on the back of necessity, on a lie. He had done it to protect Daria, and unbeknownst to him, Elpis too. He looked back to the creature. 'How do I know what you say is true?'
You are experiencing it right now, aren't you? It felt real, looked real, and smelt real because it is real. We have pulled you from that body, and now you are ours to direct where we will. We have channelled you to this place.
He kept to the facts that he knew. The talk of the multiverse, and the space between, baffled him. Hawke ran his hand through his beard. It was true that it all felt so real, he could not claim it otherwise. 'Why are you offering this to me?'
Because you can help us. You can ensure our work is complete. You have nothing to lose.
'I have Daria,' he said. He extended his arm towards the empty cot. 'And now I have Elpis. They are still real, still breathing.'
No, the voice thundered back. No. They only breathe as you have not returned home. Your return to Sol will be their death. In the instance of your life that you know they will perish.
Hawke frowned. 'You don't know this. How could you know this?'
The creature raised its large hand, the claw like silhouette dancing in the doorway. The moment we bonded we knew. We know all about you. Right down to your soul. The creature lowered its hand, extending it towards the cot. Do not be so harsh on yourself. You pay penance for a sin that is not yours. You do deserve this life back.
Hawke glanced back to the cot. I do deserve this. Doesn't every man deserve to have some peace? He turned back and eyed the hulking creature. He took a deep breath and made a decision. 'What do you want from me?'
Chapter Seven
Carl
The groan of strained metal echoed through the War Goddess as the ship roughly touched down onto the surface of the trash planet. The ship held firm, although if Carl had pushed the vessel any further than the Junker's domain it would have buckled and crushed itself in the silent vacuum of space.
Carl breathed a sigh of relief and rose from his seat. He pulled on his combat armour, pulling it firm as he wandered through the tight corridors, making his way to the drop bay. He passed the crew quarters, a deathly silence greeting him rather than the usual bustle and noise. He passed his own quarters, followed by Justinia's and Watts', and soon it was Hawke's door that approached.
Carl ducked in through the low doorway to see him. The ageing captain led motionless on his bunk, with only the slight rise and fall of his chest giving any clue that life was present. The Synth stood over him, sweeping a biometric scanner over his body.
'How is he?'
The Synth did not look away from its task. 'Current vital signs are steady, however deterioration will commence if left untreated.'
A slight movement caught Carl's eye, and Watts emerged from his seat in the shadows of the room. He nodded a grim acknowledgement at Carl. 'How long do we have?' Carl asked.
The Synth placed the scanner on the battered metal table next to the bed. 'My apologies. This wound is not within my database. I would not be able to give an accurate assessment.'
A knock came from the doorway. Justinia crouched her head through. 'We don't have any time to lose. Watts, get your Synth to lock the ship down. No one gets on board apart from us, understand?'
Watts signalled the Synth. 'You heard her.'
The Synth turned its bright eyes to Justinia. 'I will fulfil these duties to the best of my abilities.'
Justinia nodded. 'Good. Any problems with Hawke, call us.'
The Synth turned back to Hawke, watching over him like a sentinel. 'Of course, Lieutenant.'
The boarding ramp crunched down onto the surface of the planet, metal squealing as the ramp crushed whatever wreckage had been under the War Goddess as it landed. Steam sprayed from the pneumatics as they strained to find footing on the dark surface.
'Watch your step out here,' Watts said. 'The entire planet is scrap metal and parts pulled together by Junkers. Not designed for human feet.' He reached up and gave a quick tap to his helmet, his bright head-lamp breaking the darkness. 'Keep your head-lamps on, we don't want anyone getting impaled on any stray shards.'
Carl nodded in response as he stumbled off the ship. The head-lamp only forced the darkness back by two meters, the bleakness of the surroundings matching the sombre mood that swallowed the crew. Anything beyond the bright beam was nothingness.
Blades of misshapen metal protruded from the tarnished surface, rusted relics of the past reaching up and threatening to drag him down into the depths of the planet. Carl pulled out the intercom Rix had given him. Blank. There was no way a ship would be close enough to pick up the emergency broadcast pulse. He hastily shoved it back into his pocket. 'So what are we looking for out here? Giant cockroaches?'
'Kind of,' Watts said, treading steadily forwards. 'Specific types of giant cockroaches. First we have to find a Junker. Find a Junker and we find their colony. Find the colony and we find their Speaker.'
'Speaker?'
'Really, Rookie?' Justinia said. She turned to look at Carl with an arched eyebrow. 'Junkers are a hive species. Each of them has some degree of individuality but each of them report to their Speaker. Speakers call the shots, so the Speaker is who we need to see.'
Watts held a hand out behind himself as he crouched behind a sheet of browned steel. 'Hold up. Movement.'
Carl joined Watts behind the metal sheet. Out in the darkness, just touching the reach of his head-lamp, a writhing mass appeared. Its features appeared to swim, its movements flowing together when barely illuminated in the low light. A high pitched clicking slowly approached.
'Sounds like a Junker to me,' Justinia said, standing up from behind the steel sheet. She walked out towards the creature in the darkness. 'Junker? Junker?'
Carl watched as Justinia moved slowly forward, her hands in the air. As she closed in, he could make out more of the creature. They had been right about the size. A large chitinous exoskeleton scurried out of the darkness towards Justinia with alarming speed, stopping mere inches from her. Carl found himself subconsciously reaching for his rifle as he watched, his finger nervously toying with the safety mechanism. The creature reared up, its body long like a snake, standing as tall as Justinia.
She cocked her head to one side, studying its clicking mandibles. 'We need to see your Speaker.'
The Junker stayed where it was, blade-like teeth clicking against each other.
'Your speaker. Take us to them,' she repeated, this time with stronger emphasis.
A quick hiss escaped through the creatures mess of teeth. It turned and moved away, looking back occasionally to make sure Justinia followed.
She turned back and passed a glance between Carl and Watts. 'Come on, let's go see what this Speaker can do for us.'
The War Goddess was now out of sight, the landing lights long disappeared behind the mounds of metallic debris. Claustrophobia clawed inside of Carl's mind. The logical part of his brain knew he was outside, but the absolute darkness that surrounded him created the feeling of being encased by invisible walls. Even the thousands of stars which sparkled above him gave no reprieve.
Countless planets and stations, all of them safe havens, were looking down upon him from afar. He wanted to scream at that great oblivion above, to vainly call out to someone, anyone, to save them. The futility of it hit him solidly in the very pit of his stomach. A bleak realisation dawned on him. No one would come to save them here, they could only save themselves.
He kept a wary eye on the Junker as it scuttled ahead of them. Occasionally it disappeared from sight, with only the sound of its clicking mandibles to be heard. The way it moved set Carl's skin crawling. 'How do we know th
is isn't some kind of trap?'
Justinia answered him over her shoulder. 'Junkers aren't carnivores. Nothing to worry about. Unless your a Synthetic, Rookie?'
'She's right,' Watts said. 'Junkers live off the minerals within the metal itself. Still, I wouldn't want to get on the business end of a Xeno that eats and digests scrap star-ships.'
The Junker stopped abruptly. The crew marched forward, their helmet-mounted torches revealing a gaping maw within the wall of steel ahead of them.
Justinia nodded towards the hole. 'Looks like we've found the colony.' She shot a sharp look at the Junker. 'You going to take us further, or are we going to have to find your Speaker ourselves?'
The Junker chattered at her then scurried inside. The crew followed after it, descending deeper and deeper under the crust of the planet. The entrance was tight, almost making them crouch as they weaved their way through the maze of tunnels. Other Junkers appeared down adjacent tunnels, clicking to each other as their visitors passed through.
'They don't tend to see other species very often,' Watts said. 'It's not often anyone has a need to come down here.'
Carl ducked underneath a girder that revealed itself at head height. 'People really come down here just to pick up old tech?'
'Not really,' Watts said. 'Research usually. They will trade with the Speakers for Junkers to experiment on. It makes them cheap lab monkeys when all they want is to be paid in scrap.'
The walls of the tunnel eventually gave way, opening up into an atrium of steel. The metal down here was different. Instead of being rusted and tarnished, it was beautifully polished and gleaming.
Carl looked around open mouthed, as the light from his head-lamp reflected all around the room, creating a low silver glow. The cavern stretched out before them, and not far ahead a path of metal led up to the long stalk of a creature enthroned with thick sheets of hull grade armour.
'That must be the Speaker,' Carl said, his voice as slack as his jaw.
Justinia shook his shoulder. 'Let's go, Rookie. Hawke doesn't have time for you to stand around gawking.'
As Carl stepped cautiously towards the Speaker, he noticed Junkers arriving from the multitude of tunnels which surrounded the cavern. They spilled forward and gathered in a writhing carpet around the edge of the walkway that led towards the fleshy stalk. The clicking sound of the Junkers rose in volume as more of them arrived, echoing around the chamber in a shrill, monotonous tone. Carl's head throbbed and, judging by the other two squinting through the pain, he was not the only one feeling it.
The Junker that had led them into the caverns now crawled up the path towards the Speaker. It stopped just before the fleshy base that crept over the throne of polished metal. The drone of clicks quickly fell silent. The stalk began to glow, soft and low at first, then increasing to bathe the entire cavern in soft, warm light.
Carl found himself gawking again. The Speaker was unlike anything he had ever seen. 'What the-'
Justinia held a hand up to quieten him. She stepped forward slowly, following the final windings of the path that led to the Speaker. 'Speaker. We seek to trade-'
'I know what you want.'
The voice was deep, emanating from inside the base of Carl's skull. He could see Watts shaking his head. He must have felt it too.
'You come here, to our sanctuary. You come to take more of our kin. No more.'
The clicks from the crowd of Junkers grew again before being silenced by a bright pulse of light from the Speaker.
'No,' Justinia said, waving her hands in front of herself. 'No, that is not why we are here.'
The stalk contracted, slithering down towards Justinia until it was an inch from her face. Thick slime dripped onto her boots. 'No? Then tell me, child of humanity, why do you come here?'
'Our ship is badly damaged and one of our crew is injured. We need parts and repairs.'
The Speaker hung in front of her for what felt like an age before answering. 'If your ship is needed, then what will you trade for these repairs?'
Justinia looked at Watts sheepishly.
'No, no, no,' Watts said. 'The Synth is not going with them. Besides, she won't be enough to trade. Not even close.'
'Then you have nothing that interests us,' the Speaker said.
The clicks from around the room rose again. Carl clutched his throbbing head, trying his best not to let his guard down as he had on Beledar Four. He slowly wrapped a hand around his rifle, his finger resting gently on the trigger guard.
The Speaker moved around the room, stretching out over the crowd of Junkers. It paused, then came back down to Justinia. 'My kin inform me of a problem which we cannot deal with. Perhaps you will be of use yet.'
Justinia did not reply, simply staring at the Speaker as it slowly drifted over the now crowded room.
'My kin inform me of something deep below. Something towards the depths of the planet core.'
Watts shuffled uncomfortably, leaning towards to Carl. 'How come I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?'
'My kin require access to this area that we have lost,' the Speaker continued. 'This area is blocked by an intruder. You will remove this intruder. We must have the minerals trapped within.'
Confusion touched Justinia's face. 'How did an intruder get inside the planet core?'
The Speaker stretched out, reaching high into the ceiling of the cavern. 'Your kind used another colony. Altered their Speaker. This Speaker now lives below, taking our most precious metals. If the altered Speaker continues, this Speaker will die, and with it, its kin.'
Justinia narrowed her eyes. 'Our kind? Humans have hardly touched this sector, surely you mean the Harathdans?'
'My kin would recognise your soft flesh anywhere, child of humanity. They speak truth.'
Justinia took a deep breath and turned towards Carl and Watts. 'Do we really have a choice here?'
Watts shook his head. 'Hawke or not, we stay here, we die. Simple decision really.'
Justinia glanced at Carl. 'Rookie?'
Carl opened his mouth, taken aback. The military academy had trained him to follow orders, not question them, and never was he asked for an input. He shuffled uncomfortably in his armour. 'You're right,' he said, finding his voice. 'No choice really. Definitely die or probably die.'
'Now you're thinking like a Space Bastard, Goban.' Watts said, slapping his armoured glove firmly on Carl's shoulder.
'It's decided then,' Justinia said. She turned and faced the Speaker. 'Show us the way to the planet core, Speaker.'
The Junker that the crew had followed to the Speaker now led them towards the depths of the planet core. Before long they entered a small sub-cavern, tall enough for them to stand comfortably again. The Junker paused hesitantly, shrinking low to the ground. It quietened its chattering at the entrance to a tunnel on the other side of the sub-cavern.
'This the way?' Justinia said.
The Junker chattered a little, turning itself towards the new tunnel then back towards her.
She arched an eyebrow. 'Not taking us any further I take it?'
The creature clicked its mandibles and shrunk back against the wall. It quickly turned and retreated back up towards the Speaker's cavern.
'Looks like we're on our own,' Justinia said bitterly, as she watched the creature disappear back into the oppressive darkness. She pulled up her communication unit. 'Any update on Hawke?'
A weak crackle came through. 'Apologies, Lieutenant, but Captain Sparov is still unconscious. He is currently in a stable condition.'
Watts rapped his knuckles against the wall of the new tunnel. A dull thud answered. 'We are getting too deep and the density of the walls is getting too thick. Any further and our comms will be unable to penetrate through.'
Justinia nodded an acknowledgement. 'Synth, the radio is going to be silent until we return to the surface. Signal is about to drop.'
They stood silently in the darkness, staring at each other shortly before a reply came through.
&nbs
p; 'Acknowledged. I will tend to Captain Sparov should he wake.'
Carl watched her reaction. Justinia was not good at hiding her feelings at the best of times. He could easily see the distress that she kept locked behind her stern stare.
'Right,' she said, shifting nervously in her armour. 'Looks like we are on our own from here. Clips?'
'Three here,' Watts said. He tapped a bag that hung from his belt. 'One thermal charge.'
'Two,' Carl said, holding them up in front of the light of his head-lamp.
She looked down into her own pouches. 'Three here.' She paused for a second before her calm and composed stance returned. 'Then that will have to do. Push forward, or die in the dark.'
Carl's knuckles whitened as he clutched onto his rifle and followed Justinia and Watts into the new darkness of the tunnel. The darkness down here seemed thicker, more like a smothering blanket than simple darkness. The bleached surface of Beledar Four seemed little more than a distant memory now.
Fighting against humans armed with stones and spears was one thing, taking on armoured carapaces with teeth designed to cut through ship hulls was another. A thought of his parents flashed through his mind. They were so proud when they learned that their son was to become a pilot. They probably thought of him right now, imagining him at the helm of a great star-ship. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and concentrated on the task ahead.
He sniffed at the air and recoiled. A stench grew as they passed further and deeper into the planet interior. He held back the urge to gag as it filled his nostrils.
Watts raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose. 'That's rot for sure,' he said, voice muffled. 'Something's dead down here.'
The ground underneath them changed. Tarnished metal gave way to something spongier, something fleshier. Carl found his feet sinking into the surface as he stepped forward, pausing after each step to rip his boots free of the new material. He turned his head-lamp towards the wall and cocked his head at what he saw. Is this some kind of organic matter?