by Cheree Alsop
“Hello, Gage,” Hen Fethif said. She walked forward, the great wings attached to her arms trailing through the cloud at her feathered feet and making swirls rise.
Gage crossed to meet her. “Hello, Hen Fethif. I’m glad to see you well,” he replied, his voice muffled slightly within his close-fitting helmet.
She took his gloved hand in her dainty, red feathered one. “You also,” she told him. “Heartrow’s grown very demanding.”
“So I’ve heard,” Gage replied. He pulled the money pouch from inside his suit and handed it to her. “This should help.”
Hen Fethif opened the envelope. Relief lit her features.
“You’ve saved us, Gage,” the leader of the Skaw Avian clan said with tears in her voice. She thumbed through the notes. “This is over three years of rent! How can we ever repay you?”
Gage smiled at her. “Just remember the look on Heartrow’s face when you pay your debt and then describe it for me the next time we meet.”
Her blue beak opened and closed in the clicks that meant laughter.
“Farewell, Hen Fethif. May your brood grow in peace,” he told her.
“And may your flight be one of safety,” she replied.
She gave him a regal bow. Gage bowed in return before he made his way back to the Gull. Relief filled him at the ease of the drop. He willed his tense muscles to relax as he followed the others back inside.
“Did you just give him that entire pouch?” Sienna asked the moment he set foot inside the space-to-land ship.
Gage took a seat and waited for the others to join him. As soon as the door closed, he put his hands to his helmet, turned it a click to the right, and lifted it off. He ran a hand through his brown hair. It was getting longer than he usually wore it. He made a mental note to get it cut the next time they were near the Andromeda Galaxy. Pura was the only person he allowed around his head with potential weapons. The Crustacite was a master with her claws.
“I thought you said you needed that money because pirating was costly,” Sienna said, refusing to drop the subject.
“It is costly,” Gage replied. He motioned toward the planet they were leaving. “See?”
“But you just gave it away!” she exclaimed.
Gage saw members of his crew exchange glances and smiles.
“It’s not always fighting and pillaging,” Ruck said. “Sometimes we get to do the fun stuff, too. That’s my favorite part. Fighting gets boring.”
Another of the land crew chuckled. “Now you’re just bragging.”
Ruck folded her arms. “I can’t help that I’m a dead shot. It’s a curse, really.”
Yukan snorted. “Yeah, but you could really use some practice with your hand-to-hand.”
“Rude!” Ruck replied.
The conversation was an age-old battle between the pair. Yukan was excellent in knife combat thanks to his Zamarian background, and Ruck was one of the best shots Gage had ever seen. Gage had once made the mistake of suggesting the two train each other in their skillsets, and the battle for mastery had begun.
Gage moved past them to the co-pilot seat and buckled in to the sound of their continued argument. The white and green atmosphere of the gas planet flowed past the treated glass.
“The way I see it,” Manax said as he steered the ship toward the waiting Kratos, “We can make it to Tanus more easily if we use the AB to the Glyph Nebula and then alter our direction to— Cap’n, look!”
Gage stared out the window. Metal machines circled the Kratos. Members of the crew were firing from the sides of the ship and the open cargo bay.
“Why didn’t they call for help?” Gage demanded.
“We must have lost them in the atmosphere,” Manax replied, his voice tight as he stared at the machines attempting to rip apart the Kratos.
“’tain Gage, Manax…anyone?” Hyra’s voice called through static over the intercom.
“We’re here,” Manax answered. “We see them.”
“Oh thank goodness!” Hyra replied. “I’ve been trying to reach you!”
“We’re sending help,” Manax told her.
“Are those Ketulans?” Sienna asked in horror.
Gage glanced back to see the rest of the small Gull’s crew crowding to the front.
He nodded. “Living machines. They’ll tear the Kratos apart and then use the pieces to build more of themselves. We’ve got to help. Vinian?”
“Got them.” The short, square-built Darfian held out two assault rifles from the Gull’s small weapons’ rack.
Gage crossed to the back and took one of the guns. He leaned it against the door and slid his helmet on.
“What should I do?” Sienna asked, her eyes showing her fright.
Gage knew the feeling. When he learned about Ketulans at the Corian School of Interplanetary Education, the imagine he had pictured was nothing like the ravaging, grating, humming boxes intent on destroying anything in their path with their steel-cutting claws.
“Stay here with Manax and keep a lookout in case they head for the Gull.” Gage checked the others to ensure they were geared up. “Yukan, Vinian, we’ll use the Grebes. Ruck and Suye, take up sniping positions at the front of the Gull.”
“Will do,” Suye, the three-armed Artidus replied. She grabbed one of the Gull’s sniper rifles and handed the other to Ruck.
Gage could see their tense expressions as his crew carried out their orders.
“Turn your communicators on,” he told them. “Listen to Manax. He’ll call out the shots.” He paused, then said, “And please try not to shoot our ship.”
Yukan chuckled; Suye punched him in the shoulder.
“It was an accident,” she said. “There was a Ketulan in front of it.”
The Darfian laughed out loud. “I know, but Rin wasn’t thrilled about putting a new window in the holding bay. Treated glass isn’t cheap.”
Suye rolled her eyes and followed him to the door.
Chapter Eight
Gage was about to put his hand to the panel when he glanced back to see Sienna watching them from her seat behind the pilot. “Uh, Sienna, you might want to put your helmet on,” he suggested.
Her eyes widened and she grabbed for it. When Gage heard the click, he put his hand to the panel and pushed the pressurization release. A warning light flashed. Gage pressed it again. The door slid open. A tap of his foot released the magnetic hold his boots had on the floor of the Gull.
“Stay close to the ship,” he told Ruck and Suye. “If they come this way, take cover.”
“Will do,” Ruck replied.
The pair eased out the door and clipped tethers to the side of the Gull.
“Here, Cap’n,” Yukan said.
Gage took the clip the Zamarian held out. He worked his way along the outside of the ship to the belly where the Grebes were kept. A quick twist of the locking mechanism opened up the first one. Inside gravity conditions, the little trajectory guidance crafts weighed hundreds of pounds and were a pain to deal with. In the vast void of space, however, the objects were easy to manipulate. Yukan grabbed the handles with his gloves, aimed it toward the Kratos, and hit the starter.
Gage quickly followed with his own Grebe. He watched the Ketulans through the glass shield; fortunately, even though the living machines had adapted over time, they had yet to learn how to shoot back. Their claws were deadly if one got close enough, but Gage had fought them off enough times to know if he kept his distance, clearing them from the Kratos should be short, efficient work.
He aimed down the sights of his gun and fired. A Ketulan jerked back from the ship. He shot a metal claw off another Ketulan. He fired three more times. The sound of his crew in combat resounded from the headset of his helmet.
“Captain!” Yukan shouted.
Gage’s head jerked up in time to see Rin be stabbed by one of the Ketulans. The Human’s scream of pain resounded in Gage’s helmet. The rest of the Kratos crew tethered to the outside of the ship tried to reach him, but other Ket
ulans crowded close. Silent shots were fired. Rin stumbled backwards. His tether tightened. The Ketulan in front of him clipped the length of nylon with one claw. Rin tumbled into space, his arms flailing and a cry of terror sounding as the Ketulan launched after him.
“I’ve got Rin,” Gage told them. “Clear the ship.”
He slid the assault rifle into a sheath on the Grebe and drew his gun from his belt instead. He kept it aimed at the Ketulan as he maneuvered the Grebe around the Kratos. He wanted to shoot, but the Ketulan kept directly in front of Rin. If he missed, he could risk taking down his Chief Engineering Officer instead of the machine.
A claw flashed in the light from the Kratos’ hull. Rin let out another yell.
“He’s being sliced apart!” Hyra shouted from the bridge. “Captain, do something!”
Gage was nearly there, but the Ketulan seemed to know that because the machine kept just ahead of the Grebe. Gage levered the gun with his gloved hand. He aimed carefully at the back of the Ketulan. If the machine moved, the bullet would hit Rin for sure. When the officer let out another yell, Gage knew he had no choice. He was about to pull the trigger when a thought occurred to him. If the machine was predicting his moves, he needed to compensate. He moved the gun to the right and pulled, then immediately shifted it left and pulled again.
The Ketulan jerked to the left when the first bullet sped past. If Gage had shot squarely, the bullet would have hit Rin. Instead, the machine’s action put it directly in line of the second bullet. It went into the Ketulan’s back right where Gage had meant it to, in the little space right behind the processor where the battery was hidden. He had lost count of how many times he had dissected Ketulans during Specialist Training with the Unified Militia. At least the training paid off. The Ketulan’s claws stilled and it drifted away from Rin.
“I’ve got you,” Gage said.
He grabbed the officer below the arms and hauled him between the Grebe’s handles. A glance showed Rin’s eyes rolling back.
“Stay with me,” Gage told him. He shook the officer. “Don’t you dare go to sleep.”
“S-sorry,” Rin replied. When he spoke, blood showed on his lips behind his shield. “It h-hurts.”
“I know,” Gage replied as he angled the Grebe toward the Kratos. A glance up showed several lifeless Ketulans floating alongside it. He could still hear the commotion of other shots being fired. “We need to get you patched up. Looks like your suit’s holding.”
A green substance showed where the atmosphere suit had closed the holes in its lining caused by the Ketulan’s attack. Gage was grateful that at least depressurizing in the vacuum of space wasn’t a worry as he steered the Grebe back.
“Hyra, tell Cisco to have the Medical Bay ready; Rin’s in bad shape,” Gage ordered.
“Yes, Captain,” she replied.
Gage turned his attention to the ship in front of him. Holes showed in the metalwork, but from the outward appearance, the machines hadn’t gotten through, at least on that side. “Klellen, report on the status of the battle.”
“Most of the Ketulans have been eliminated, Captain,” Klellen answered. “They’re just floating out there.”
“Good,” Gage replied. “The sooner we can get out of here, the better. Manax, land the Gull as soon as it’s clear.”
“Yes, Cap’n,” the Amphibite replied.
Gage’s path took him close to one of the floating machines. He eyed it as they steered past. Rin gave a moan of pain. Gage grabbed the man’s hand.
“Stay with me. You know I can’t fly this old boat without you.”
Rin gave a weak, pained chuckle. “You’re right, Cap,” he said, clutching his stomach. “She’d fall apart around you.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Gage replied. He spoke casually, but kept his attention on the Ketulan next to them. Something about the machine didn’t seem right. Nobody knew the science behind the Ketulans. The fact that they existed didn’t make sense, beings that created themselves from scrap metal, living on power supplies and tearing apart anything within reach. They had batteries inside that gave them energy, batteries they could replace if they had any power left. That was what the snipers had shot. It was the only way—
One of the Ketulan’s claws moved. Gage angled the Grebe past it.
“Rin, keep still. I think we’re in trouble,” Gage whispered.
“Why?” Hyra demanded from the bridge. “What’s going on?”
The Ketulan’s claw moved again. It spun slowly. Gage’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. He forced his breathing to remain calm.
“I’m going to do something stupid,” he told Rin.
“You came after me,” Rin whispered back, his voice pained as his eyes followed the Ketulan. “That…was stupid enough.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t save you just to let one of these heaping piles of puola dung rip you apart even more,” Gage replied, his voice low. “Yukan, you’re going to have to catch Rin near the holding bay.”
“What are you doing, Captain?” Klellen asked from the bridge of the ship.
“This Ketulan’s not dead, I’m out of bullets, and I can’t fight and steer this Grebe at the same time,” Gage replied. “I’m sending Rin your way. Yukan, you ready?”
“I’ll be there, Cap, and I’ll be back to get you before you go floating off into space,” Yukan replied, his voice deep over the communicator.
“I appreciate that,” Gage said.
He unclipped his tether and reached for the thruster. Rin grabbed his hand. The engineer’s fingers shook. “It’s a death sentence,” he said, his voice pleading. “Don’t do it for me.”
“What are you talking about?” Gage asked, keeping his tone light. “I’m doing it for the adventure.”
“Captain—”
“Hold on,” Gage told him. He spun the thruster and let go before the Grebe could throw him off course. As soon as Rin was clear, Gage glanced back. He realized two things the second his eyes locked on the Ketulan. The machine was indeed alive and he had no way to propel himself either toward or away from it.
Gage looked around quickly, but of course nothing was there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rin advancing toward the Kratos. With any luck, Yukan would be there to save him, the Gull could land inside the holding bay, and the crew would be safe. Gage let out a slow breath and swung his arm. The momentum turned him slowly to face the Ketulan.
“Gage, get out of there!” Sienna shouted over the intercom.
“He’s got nothing to move with,” Klellen pointed out. “The Ketulan’s going to tear him apart!”
Other Ketulans drifting around them began to stir.
“How is that possible?” he heard Yukan ask in a horrified voice. “We shot them all.”
“Evolution,” Gage replied. He realized the truth of it as soon as he said it. At the Corian School of Interplanetary Education, he had one professor named Doctor Phelix who had drilled home over and over again the fact that species needed to evolve in order to survive. Ketulans had come from somewhere, they had survived against the hostile nothingness of space, and now they had learned to evolve against attacks from their greatest enemy— mortalkind.
“Ketulans have to have a power source,” Gage said as small thrusters propelled the machine toward him.
He couldn’t take his gaze away from the claws that opened and closed in anticipation of ripping him to shreds. He had seen enough living creatures die at the hands of Ketulans to know that somewhere deep inside their mechanisms, they relished the destruction of life.
“Yes, exactly,” Klellen said. Gage could hear him racing through the Kratos to keep him in sight. “There has to be a source of energy. They can’t survive without it. It used to be the battery, but they must have figured out something else.”
Gage drew the knife from his belt. He held the two-toned blade and watched the machine close the distance between them. He had never felt so helpless. A reminder of being held and tortured by Donovan brushed against
his thoughts, but he shoved it away and corrected himself. He had never felt so helpless floating in the middle of space with nothing but a knife to protect him against a creature with claws strong enough to snap his bones like twigs.
“Any ideas?” he called out.
“There’s a Ketulan out here who hasn’t come back alive,” Ruck said. “I’m going to search it and see if I can find out why.”
The Ketulan hit Gage with the force of a battering ram. Gage grabbed its claws and struggled to hold them away from his body. Without slowing its momentum, the machine slammed him against the side of the Kratos. Gage gasped at the impact.
The thought of his parents being told about his death hit Gage hard. He had promised Mattie he would return for her birthday. If he did so in a body bag, it would devastate her. He refused to let that happen, to let Donovan win, to give up in the face of a maniacal machine.
One of the Ketulan’s claws slipped free and sliced across his chest. Gage felt the freezing grasp of space sneak across his skin before the atmosphere suit closed the gap. The Ketulan’s claw raked across the shield of his helmet. Gage struggled to push it back.
“It’s got to have an energy source,” Klellen said.
“I’m searching for it,” Ruck replied. “Look at this.”
“I need answers fast,” Gage told them, his voice tight as he struggled against the machine. His grip on his knife was slipping. He jabbed at the Ketulan as much to better his hold on the blade as to find a place to stick it. The knife rebounded off the thick metal body.
“Look at this,” Ruck said.
“That’s it!” Klellen exclaimed. “Gage, they’re using microreactors to generate electricity. You either need to overwhelm it with a greater surge of electricity, or to disable it.”
“I don’t have electricity,” Gage said. “How do I disable it?”
“You need to reach its core,” Klellen told him.
“I can’t get through,” Gage replied.
“Use your regulator,” Sienna called out.
“What’s she talking about?” Hyra asked.
“Actually, that might work,” Klellen said, talking fast. “The liquid oxygen in the regulator is incased in liquid nitrogen which is extremely cold. If you can disconnect the cryogenic line, you could spray it on the Ketulan’s metal shielding. It might shatter and allow you to reach the machine’s insides. But you’d have to be careful not to spray yourself.”