by Alex Guerra
"What's happening to him?" Kayton shouted.
"The serum contains nanoscopic autonomous carriers designed to begin creating nodes all over his body. These will act as the new paths, synchronizing with his mind once the knowledge is administered," explained Dotty.
"You couldn't give him anything for the pain?" asked Ellar, worriedly.
"Impossible. Unfortunately, he needs to remain awake for the carriers to successfully plot the nodes and complete their task as they make changes to his current neuro pathways. He is actively receiving memories. Years’ worth of intense training and combat experience is programming directly into his brain," Dotty clarified.
I clenched my fist and my teeth as I tried to fight off the most intense brain freeze I ever experienced. Luckily, the pain was beginning to subside, or perhaps it was so intense, that my body was numbing it to only the sensation of pins and needles. Dotty was right though. Had I not had the restraints, I would probably be tearing my own ears off.
Taking a few more deep breaths, I powered through the home stretch as the pain drained from me finally, leaving me flushed with a migraine and damp with sweat.
"Scans show the carriers completed their task. How are you feeling, Arthur?" Dotty asked calmly.
"Just great...thanks..." I said, grateful that the ordeal was over.
"You are welcome, Arthur," it said, the restraints coming free and retracting back into the seat.
The seat slowly moved into its original seated position as Kayton and Ellar gathered around me.
"Do you feel any different?" asked Ellar.
"I'm not sure…not really," I said.
"Would you like to head down to the training room for a demonstration?" Dotty asked.
"A demonstration? Sure, I guess," I said, the two helping me get out of the chair.
"This was quite a procedure, although not something I would want to have any of my patients go through, should I have the choice," Ellar admitted.
"Dotty, don't stop with our mission. Begin scanning for Seya's signature as soon as you can. You can still monitor my progress remotely," I ordered.
"Understood, Arthur. I will begin the first scan shortly," said the A.I.
Let's see what this body can do now, I thought, excitedly—and anxiously.
*****
In the training room, the team gathered to see what all the fuss was about. Great, I can't even get my first few attempts alone. Oh well, if the procedure is as good as Dotty claims, then I will be able to get everything correct on the first try, right? I thought.
"Arthur, before you is a standard issue conglomerate assault rifle. Past disassembly and reassembly times recorded have averaged one minute, six seconds time. Please attempt the drill as fast as you can, whenever you are ready," Dotty proctored over the room's comms.
Okay, easy enough, I thought. I've done this plenty of times.
I carefully looked over the rifle one last time before placing it back down, my hands resting on the table. I started at a maddening pace. I knew the entire order by heart already, but it seemed even more clear now, my hands steadier than usual when manipulating the smaller parts. There weren't too many, as the design of the rifle was simple enough for most species of the conglomerate to get their grips all over it, whatever it was. Before I knew it, I had the rifle disassembled. I backtracked and began putting all the parts back together until I was done.
"Thirty-four seconds," Dotty called out. The group watching let out some whistles and cheers, although some were not so convinced.
"Okay, so he can put a weapon he knows back together faster. Yes, that is quite the upgrade," mocked Bon, the marksman. "You ever seen one of these before?" he asked, showing off his rifle.
I shook my head slowly.
"Go ahead and give it a once-over. It’s a custom build, but nothing too outlandish. I'll show you how to strip it and put it all back together, then you give it a try. Loser buys the whole team drinks," he gloated.
"Sure, let's do this," I said, up for the challenge.
"Dotty, was it? Please time my progress," he said, confidently, placing the large weapon on the table between us.
"Ready when you are, Bon," came Dotty's voice.
A strange familiarity about the weapon arose as soon as I got a good look at it. I had never seen anything like it before, yet it seemed so familiar to me. I watched closely as he blazed through all the steps in an attempt to trip me up. He must be really thirsty. Either way, he'd still have to wait and survive.
"Done," he said, placing the prized weapon gently in its final resting place.
"Forty-nine seconds is the time to beat, Arthur," said Dotty.
The team watched in anticipation. A lot of them were confident that I would not be able to beat his score. Hell, I wasn't sure if I could either, but I'd give it a go.
I carefully spun the rifle around to face me in the same starting position. My hands moved quickly across the foreign weapon and finished the disassembly fast enough. Piecing the weapon back together, my hands instinctively moved differently than Bon did. I handled two of the parts together in my right hand, sliding them into the receiver together as opposed to Bon's individual assembly. A few more of those combined moves and I was done, gently placing the rifle down.
"Forty-two seconds. Arthur wins," said Dotty.
The team erupted in cheers. Kayton was laughing at Bon, who turned red from his normal bright yellow. Even Habi had been chuckling to herself.
Oh man, that's embarrassing, I thought.
"Haha, Bon. So much for talking trash," Garvo said in his craggy voice, giving the marksman a slap on the back. "I'll be expecting that drink when we get back, too."
Bon picked up his rifle, sighing deeply. After giving me the stink eye, he took the high road and manned up. We shook hands and he quietly slinked back into the group.
"How about shooting drills now, Arthur?" Dotty suggested.
Looking back over to Bon, to see if he was up to the challenge, the marksman waved his hand at me in forfeit, he couldn't risk me beating him twice. I wasn't sure what the conglomerate paid a trooper, but his pride couldn’t afford another hit.
Walking over to the wall, I picked up a training blaster. All the weapons were perfect practice tools that weighed and reacted the same exact way as the real deal. It was the perfect balance, had the same weight, and the same pounds of pressure needed to squeeze the trigger. This was just as good as the real thing, and you had infinite ammo with a variety of targets to practice on.
I walked over to the front of the range with confidence. This was something I did extensively with Seya while we were traveling around solar systems. Dotty presented my accuracy from the last time I’d used the blaster—seventy percent accuracy in nine seconds; not bad, but not great either.
Orienting the weapon facing downrange, I waited for the signal to begin. The test consisted of ten shots on the target, followed by a tactical reload, then another ten shots on the target. I palmed the extra cylinder in my left hand, snatching the blaster up as soon as I received the signal. Snapping off the first volley in quick succession, I ejected the spent cylinder and reloaded the weapon before the first cylinder even hit the ground. I shot the other ten rounds and placed the weapon down with the safety on in one fluid movement.
"One hundred percent accuracy in seven seconds," said Dotty.
That was stupid fast, I thought.
I looked closely, noticing one of the rounds had barely landed on the line, winging an enemy at best. Even without it, ninety-five percent was accurate.
"As you can see, weapons handling improved significantly. Other skills include hand-to-hand combat, melee weapon proficiency, as well as field tactics—one of particular note would be stealth. I suggest trying hand-to-hand combat with a sparring partner, but you may accidentally hurt someone in the process," informed Dotty.
"Fair enough,” I said with a shrug. “Guess I'll save it for the enemy." My sudden progress exhilarated me. Yeah, it was cheating,
I possessed downloaded skills I could use with a body I never worked to get, but this wasn't really a competition. If there was a secret or a device that would help give me the edge and keep my ass alive, then I was going to use and abuse it.
"I think I can take him," Garvo spoke up, suddenly. The guy was over seven feet tall and made out of rock. I wasn't sure I could come close to taking him.
"Arthur, you don't have to do this," Kayton advised. "The empire doesn't have many soldiers his size."
"Hear that? That means if you can beat me, then you can beat an imperial every time," he said, stepping out of the huddle.
"I may not be quick with small weapons, but I can fight,” said Garvo, cracking his knuckles “Tell you what, you can throw as hard of punches as you like, and I'll hold back since you're a softy. I uh—mean that in a very literal sense, you know—made of traditional meat?"
"I gotcha. Try not to put me into a coma before the mission, will ya?" I said, motioning him to a spot across from me in the sparring area.
"Deal," he smirked, walking over to the designated spot.
Seya continually whooped me when we sparred. I learned how to take a hit but could never quite beat her. This guy was much taller and probably five times my weight if I had to guess. I wondered if I was really ready for this with my newfound abilities, or if he was about to mop the floor with me.
“Begin,” marked Dotty.
Garvo didn’t hesitate, he threw some wild punches, his basketball-sized fists screaming just past my head, capable of pulverizing me if one of those connected. He had a pattern to his attack, which I quickly noted. The next punch I dodged allowed me to grab his arm. Quickly moving my hip into his, I flung the massive trooper with a hip-toss. He wailed as he somersaulted over me, landing with a flat whumph onto the floor. I simulated a follow-up attack with a few punches to the neck, stopping just short of connecting.
The team whooped and cheered at the feat. I was practically beaming myself, as Garvo's small eyes struggled to focus after having the air knocked out of him.
"Had enough, big guy?" I asked, offering him a hand. He hacked a few times before he brought himself up.
"Alright then, so it's like that. Once more," he said, getting into a ready position.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but got ready anyway, accepting the challenge. This time I would try to throw some jabs in if I could.
When he threw a roundhouse kick at me, I blocked it with my arm—and subsequently with my entire body. It was like I was hit by a tree trunk.
Can't afford many of those, I thought, powering through the recovery.
After a few more swings, I managed to duck underneath the last one, this time seizing the offensive, landing three quick strikes to his midsection. It was malleable, but it was like hitting a punching bag covered in rocks.
No point in risking it, I thought. If it were up to me, I wouldn't bother trying to duke it out with an opponent like this. As soon as I'd down them, I would run away or find a weapon.
I saw his legs shift, assuming a familiar posture—a kick was coming.
Sure enough, he lobbed a huge kick at me, which I caught this time. I stepped back with the leg in hand, making him go into an uncomfortable split. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, clutching his crotch.
"Gah—my stones!" he cried out.
I released the massive leg, letting it fall. I felt bad for doing that, but I only did what came naturally to me. These upgraded combat abilities were based upon someone’s real-life experiences and clearly focused on efficiency. There was no need to waste time when facing an opponent who was obviously so much stronger than yourself.
"Are you alright?" I asked, feeling guilty.
He moved into the fetal position for a moment, nodding his head weakly and I let him rest where he was a moment longer. The team felt bad for their downed teammate, although, they were visibly astonished at how easily I had dispatched him, as was I.
"I think that's enough for now," I said and received a few timid agreements in response. We helped the giant back up to his feet, who made some wincing breaths before he recovered.
“Now, I could really…use that drink, Bon,” strained Garvo to the marksman, who instantly wiped the smirk from his face.
NINETEEN
Wake up, Arthur.
The A.I. kicked on my room's lights. I had a wet spot of drool on the pillow that stuck to my face. Wiping my mouth, I waited for the grogginess to wear off.
"What is it? How long was I asleep?" I asked through a yawn, trying to shake the sleep off. My back felt good, but I probably should have taken only a half a dose of whatever Ellar gave me.
I have successfully located Seya's signal upon my third attempt. We were correct in assuming that she is still in the Vallus system, although, I cannot say for how much longer that will be. You have also been asleep for one hour and thirty-two minutes.
This woke me up quickly enough. Throwing on my bodyglove and boots, I went back out into the common room. Kayton was asleep on the couch, while Bon laid in a deformed pile on an adjacent chair. Garvo was sitting, playing some game with Del, while the two pilots seemed to be in some sort of meditation.
"Guys, Dotty traced Seya's signal," I said loud enough for everyone to hear, stirring the two sleeping troopers. "Where's Ellar?"
"Mm…over here," he said, appearing around the corner, eating something out of a bowl.
"Everyone to the bridge," I said, shaking Kayton gently to get her moving. "Come on."
On the bridge, I had Dotty put all its info up on the screens for us to see.
"I was able to locate Seya's signal,” informed Dotty. “As you can see, there are many different areas where imperial fleets have gathered. It was in our favor that she did not leave the system yet. The area is among these three ships here."
The large screen in front of us displayed a map of the system with a marker placed around the orbit of the next planet out from Vallus. Known as Fon 1, it was a small and rocky planet of little strategic value to the conglomerate—or the empire, for that matter.
"Do you know which of the three ships she's inside?" I asked.
"She is most likely to be in the larger ship, but we can confirm once we get closer with Dagger," the A.I. answered.
"What about the layout once we get inside?" asked Kayton.
"I have updated my libraries with conglomerate information on imperial ships. Of these ships, I marked two as attack frigates, and the larger one, as a carrier. I have layouts of the two ship classes; however, it will not account for any variations made within," said Dotty.
"Good enough. So, we go over there and trace Seya’s signal in tandem with the map and get her out of there," I said.
"It will not be that easy, however. We should expect heavy resistance once inside. Unfortunately, stealth will not be an option after we enter the ship," said the A.I.
"What about security locking us out?" asked Kayton. "I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a narrow corridor without a way out."
"I am working on a solution to counteract the ship’s security systems that should at least grant you temporary access into any room you may come across," said Dotty.
"For everything else, we have explosives," grinned Del.
"Or the armor suits," Nadu chimed in.
"Alright, that should take care of everything then, right?" I asked.
"Not quite," said Dotty. "During the empire’s video feed of Seya, she was undergoing surgery just hours ago. She will most likely be incapable of moving about easily. I have developed an extraction device for you all to use, via the ships fabricator."
"What if we find any other troopers they took along with Seya?" asked Kayton. "I will get my troops out of there should we come across them,"
I felt guilty that I hadn't thought about any others that we may run into while aboard the ship. "How many more can we be expecting, tops?"
"At least three others," said Kayton, "assuming they all survived. They would all most likely
have extensive injuries—meaning we would have to have another three of those extraction devices ready to go."
This operation was revealing more factors, the more we discussed its details.
"I have taken this into account with the device's design," Dotty interjected. "Similar to your bodyglove, Arthur, the majority of the device is a a pocket made out of the same material. This will allow you to easily place any individual inside. The only rigid piece you would need to carry would be the helmet, as you can roll the pocket portion up, placing it inside the helmet cavity. You can carry them by hand or store them away in the armor suit’s compartments."
The design was remarkably simple: a helmet attached to the top of a "body bag", essentially. We were going to have to float through space, as we couldn't park Dagger inside one of the ship’s hangars. I knew firsthand that the bodyglove regulated temperatures easily enough, and its use was only for a brief period during the transport phase.
"Is there anything else we need to consider before we begin?" I asked everyone.
There were a few shaking heads and some shifting among the team, but no one bothered to add anything else, so I instructed Dotty to begin making our way towards the ships. With the cloak activated, Dotty informed us that we would need to approach at a slow pace to avoid detection from a spiked energy signature. We would use this time to prepare to move out the moment we were in range.
*****
We sat aboard Dagger, as Dotty moved us into position. We were now close enough to pick up Seya's signature on my HUD. The A.I.'s estimate of the signature originating from the carrier was correct. The dropship slipped away from the hangar bay of The Pillar, and we coasted near our target. The dropship, like The Pillar, also used its cloak to mask our approach. The bay door closed behind us and sat idly behind the unsuspecting imperial vessels.
The imperial ships were massive. Although the frigates were slightly larger than The Pillar, the carrier, on the other hand, was nearly twice as long and two and a half times as wide at its centermost point. The carrier was white in appearance, while the frigates had a darker shade of gray nearing a matte black, with an abstract shape to them, similar to a jagged assault rifle floating out in space. The carrier—in stark contrast—looked like a bloated whale, rounded and smooth in appearance.