by Adair Hart
Dr. Snowden noted that the entryway was large like the main bridge concourse. He scanned what he could of the room. The floor was about twenty feet down, resembling a deep pit, with walkways above it, connecting the entrance they were at with others. The walkways all had guardrails and converged into a center platform, which had a circular structure with consoles ringing it. There were small ramps between each walkway and the platform area. The pit below the walkways and center platform had a brown surface that spanned the whole room. The smell was different here. It was musky with the strong scent of feces.
Evaran motioned for them to enter the room. “The worms are below. Do not worry about them.”
They scurried across the raised walkway to the center platform. Evaran motioned for them to keep going straight. They crossed over to the other walkway, which ended with a light-blue shielded door with a physical door behind it that was not fully closed.
“Wait here,” said Evaran. He motioned at the krall, which turned to face the way they had come in from. She shook her head and deployed her frontal shield. He walked back to the central platform and placed his UIC on one of the consoles. The UIC emitted a stable light after a few moments. Jerzan and his mercenaries burst into the room. Evaran interacted with his ARI, and the walkways detached from the central platform and receded roughly ten feet. Dr. Snowden, Jay, and Emily went to work trying to open the physical door after the light-blue shield disappeared. Evaran jumped back onto the walkway and turned to face Jerzan, who had walked to the edge of the receded walkway on his side.
“So, the great Evaran,” said Jerzan. He glanced back at his mercenaries while pointing at Evaran. “This is what Galkett was scared of.”
The mercenaries laughed.
“You’re quite the pain in the ass,” said Jerzan. He pointed at Evaran. “I saw your handiwork with Simas and Rondall.”
“That was not me. That was a cepharus,” said Evaran.
Jerzan laughed. “Right … and I suppose Hulldar and Galkett were killed by that slime thing we found.”
“Hulldar was killed by it. Galkett left with Hosk on your ship,” said Evaran.
Jerzan’s smile wound down. He tapped at a device on his jacket. “Hosk? Report.”
After a few moments of silence passed, Jerzan tried again, but no response. He turned to one of the mercenaries and waved for him to move. “Jahl, go.” Jahl took off out of the room. Jerzan turned back to Evaran. “Now why’d he do that?”
“We made a deal,” said Evaran.
Jerzan licked his lips and exhaled sharply through his nose. “Enough of this! You’re outgunned here, and you know it. Why don’t you reattach these walkways and come quietly. Otherwise we’ll just shoot and stun everyone.”
“Why don’t we just shoot this asshole already?” said one of the mercenaries.
Jerzan turned halfway around and raised a hand. “Shut up!” He turned back around.
“You can try, however you will not be able to get over here, much less carry anyone across the gaps,” said Evaran.
“Well then, seems like we have a Bilaxian standoff. We noticed the ship changed course, guessing more of your handiwork. We can wait here as long as it takes. You can end this now.”
“As can you. I would normally suggest you leave on your ship. Since it is gone, I would ask you to stay close to mine so I can deal with you after getting my friends to it.”
“Damn, you’re a cocky son of a bitch,” said one of the mercenaries.
“Not cocky. Experienced,” said Evaran.
“I don’t get it,” said Jerzan. He crooked his thumb at two of the mercenaries behind him. “While I could take you down, I’m standing in front of you with Goran and Doran, the toughest Bilaxian enforcers around. They could take you down by themselves. You’re acting like you have a chance of getting out of this. We have you pinned, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Dr. Snowden paused from trying to open the door to look at the mercenaries. Goran and Doran had blue skin and towered over Jerzan. Their bald heads and the black patterns on half their faces made them look fierce. Doran had a big weapon on his back that looked like it was attached to a metal belt on his hip. These guys looked like they were serious damage dealers. He shuddered thinking about what they would do if they captured him.
“I am familiar with the Rybox brothers,” said Evaran.
Jerzan crooked his thumb at the other mercenary who had been talking earlier. “If that’s not enough, I have—”
“Gaellus,” said Evaran. “Master marksman and butcher of Neoparene.”
Gaellus laughed. “Ha! I guess my reputation does precede me.”
Evaran’s eyes narrowed. “You and Hulldar killed over fifty women and children there. You are beyond my mercy.”
“So, you know of Neoparene,” said Jerzan.
“Yes, they were my friends. More importantly, you caused a timeline change. I will try to correct it when this is done.”
“Shit … this is some of that crap Galkett was talking about,” said Gaellus.
“You should have listened to Galkett. You have issues in your own house to deal with anyway.”
“What the hell you talking about?” said Jerzan.
Evaran half grinned. “Capture, not kill, correct? Seems Simas and Rondall did not listen to you. Perhaps because they did not respect you enough as a leader.”
“They paid the price, now didn’t they?” said Jerzan.
“You failed to see that you had two undercover Zattari Cartel members in your crew. Galkett informed you of my presence. You failed again by not assessing the threat correctly. You should have sent out four-man teams instead of two-man teams.”
“You’re hardly a four-man threat.”
“Maybe, but this ship would say otherwise. You have lost six people already. A four-man team would have had a higher chance of survival.”
Jerzan threw his hands into the air and snorted. “Anything else you wish to critique?”
“No. We are done here,” said Evaran as he turned to walk back to the krall and the others.
Jerzan pointed at Evaran. “I’m not done talking to you, asshole! Get back here!”
“Why are we still talking to this shit bag!” said Gaellus. He stepped to the side and fired an orange beam at Evaran. Zzzt! Evaran turned and raised his shield, but was knocked back.
Gaellus fired again. Zzzt! Evaran deflected the shot. Jay was trying to push the door open when the deflected shot went just over the krall’s shield and hit his arm, cleanly separating it from him. Jay screamed as he fell to the ground and then passed out. The krall moved in front of Jay lying on the ground. Dr. Snowden and Emily rushed over to him to try to stop the bleeding.
“Evaran!” said Emily as her head whipped around.
Evaran tossed a device to Dr. Snowden. “Use this on the wound, now!”
Dr. Snowden caught the device. It looked like something you slid your fingers into, like a four-finger ring. He slipped his fingers into it and used his thumb to press the button on the side. A beam shot up out of it. He realized he had it on backward. He pulled it off and put it back on the right way.
Emily grimaced as she cradled Jay’s head in her lap, holding up what was left of his shoulder. Dr. Snowden bent down and applied the beam to the wound. A skin-like texture began to appear over the bloody stump. He realized it was similar to what Evaran had done to his wounds, but this was a lot more severe. Maybe that is why he was using a different device and not Evaran’s ring.
Evaran turned back toward the mercenaries and ran to the center platform. He jumped onto it while extending his utility handle into a baton. He pressed a button on it and aimed it at the mercenaries. Boom! The baton bellowed as white concentric circles emanated from it. Jerzan, Goran, and Doran sprawled backward. Gaellus held on to the guardrail and only caught the periphery of the blast.
Evaran jumped onto the walkway with the mercenaries and rushed toward Gaellus. He swept his baton at an angle, knocking the we
apon out of Gaellus’s hands and over the railing. Evaran then turned his baton toward Jerzan, Doran, and Goran, who were struggling to get back up. Boom! Evaran repulsed them again with his baton, sending them sliding out of the room.
He interacted with his ARI. The door Jerzan, Doran, and Goran were pushed out of was now shielded. The walkways reconnected back to the center platform. He clenched his jaw as Gaellus rushed him with a knife that had an orange glow to it. Evaran sidestepped Gaellus’s thrust and kicked him across the chest. Gaellus rag-dolled to the other side of the walkway. Evaran walked over and stared at Gaellus on the ground. He shook his head. “To the people of Neoparene, I give justice.”
He raised his hand at a ninety-degree angle. His palm faced Jerzan, Doran, and Goran, who had gotten back up and were now staring in through the shielded door. He looked at Gaellus, then bore a gaze through Jerzan and balled his hand into a fist. He then turned and walked back toward where Jay was being attended to.
Gaellus stood up and walked over to his knife on the ground. His eyes widened as the krall rounded the center platform and bore down on him. She knocked him to the ground, sending his knife flying again. She roared.
Dr. Snowden jumped up at the roar. He saw Evaran rushing over to them. He looked over at the krall and Gaellus. She was standing over Gaellus, with her monstrous teeth on display just a few inches away from his face. Dr. Snowden flinched as she popped Gaellus’s head in one quick motion, like popping a balloon.
She roared and then snapped at Jerzan and the other mercenaries behind the shielded door, causing them to jump back. She then strutted back over to Evaran.
Dr. Snowden gave back the healing device to Evaran.
Evaran put the device on his belt and scanned the wound with his ring. “The wound is now stable short-term, but we need some medical supplies. There is a research lab nearby that should have a gel that will cover it.” He ripped off several strips Jay’s shirt and wrapped the wound. He stood up and walked to the busted door. He retracted his baton and put the utility handle between the door and the wall. He then extended it into a staff, which pushed the door back. With the door open enough for them to go through, he bent over and dragged Jay to the opening. “We need to move. Jerzan and crew will head to docking bay three since they know we must go through there.” He pulled Jay out, with Dr. Snowden, Emily, and the krall in tow.
Evaran carried Jay as they followed V through various hallways and rooms. After twenty minutes, they came upon the main research hub entrance.
“This is one of their main research hubs. There is a lab I wanted to check out, so we can do that and get medical supplies. V, scout mode,” said Evaran, motioning with his head down the hall.
“Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged,” said V. V flew down the hallway, scanning.
“Is Jay going to be okay?” asked Dr. Snowden, out of breath.
“He will be fine. The nanobots are repairing the severed area now, but it is a stopgap measure. According to the Krotovore data, they have a gel and some device that allows for regeneration of lost body parts. This research lab should have quite a bit of it.”
“Do the Krotovore have a problem with lost limbs or something?” said Dr. Snowden.
“This is a research area.”
Dr. Snowden’s mouth went dry. He wondered how many specimens went under the knife in the name of research. “Well, at least he’s alive.”
Evaran nodded. “Jerzan and crew will get back to docking bay three before we do, as they have a shorter path and do not need to stop. We will need to devise a plan after Jay is patched up. We still have plenty of time to get to my ship,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden wrinkled his eyebrows and flattened his lips as he nodded at Evaran. He glanced at the krall walking alongside them and noticed the blood stains that stuck out against her silver fur. Evaran had allowed her to kill Gaellus. Apparently Hulldar and Gaellus learned the hard way of what happens when they cross Evaran’s line.
V returned and projected several feet off the ground a holographic display of a high-level research labs map. One of the labs had a red glow to it.
“Twenty-four labs. One inaccessible. No life-forms detected. Unknown energy source detected at inaccessible lab.”
Evaran stepped into the hallway entrance and put his UIC on the door console. He motioned for them to step in. After they were inside the hallway, he interacted with his ARI, and a shield went up. He pulled his UIC off the wall. “This is the only way in here, so we should not have any surprises. Now, on to that inaccessible lab.”
They walked for another ten minutes. Dr. Snowden looked into the open rooms as they passed them. Some had dead creatures on slabs similar to the ones Emily and he had lain on. He noticed the mist was faint in these areas, and the lighting was better. These creatures did not have on specimen robes. He shuddered at the thought that maybe there were no robes because they would have gotten in the way of being sliced up. Some rooms had tables with unusual objects on them. He could not imagine what those objects were for, to have garnered the attention of the Krotovore.
When they reached the inaccessible lab, he noticed the shielded door also had a physical door behind it, like the worm pits. The krall growling at the door caught his attention.
Evaran glanced at the krall and then perused his ARI. “She senses what I am sensing. Be alert.”
Evaran laid Jay down and then walked up to the door console and placed his UIC on it. The UIC emitted a blue light after a few moments.
Dr. Snowden noted that it sometimes connected very quickly, like it did on regular doors, and sometimes slowly, like on the bridge and at the worm pits. Maybe it was due to the complexity of the system it was interfacing with. Evaran interacted with his ARI. The shields dissipated, and the door to the research lab slid up into the wall.
Evaran stepped back and stretched out his right arm with a horizontal flat hand toward Emily. The krall looked at Evaran and then walked to Emily’s side while gazing intently at the door.
“Dr. Snowden, Emily, get behind me,” said Evaran as he pulled out his utility handle. He extended it into a staff. Evaran stood in a defensive stance and motioned to V, then pointed to the room. “V, scout mode.”
“Acknowledged. Scout mode engaged.”
V flew into the opening doors and scanned the room. After a few moments, V flew back out toward Evaran. “No life signs detected. One inactive life-form detected. Power is minimal. Illumination required.”
Evaran relaxed and then used his thumb on the utility handle, causing the two poles to retract. He placed it back on his belt and pulled two orbs off the right side of the utility belt. He pulled one of the orbs apart a bit, then twisted it until a soft beeping sound played. Pressing it back together caused a snapping sound, and it began glowing. He did the same to the other one and tossed them into the room. The glowing orbs took off, illuminating as they went. He picked up Jay and walked into the room, with Dr. Snowden, Emily, and the krall in tow.
The glowing orbs were hovering above at opposite ends of the room, illuminating the inside of the research lab. There were several slabs, but the one in the middle of the room was the first thing Dr. Snowden saw. On it was a decayed Krotovore with wires injected all over its body. The strange black mist surrounding the body seemed to obscure it somewhat, but he was still able to get a good look at it. The eyes looked like they had been sewn shut, and it had restraints on its legs and one over its body. The dead Krotovore was missing two of its arms.
“What in the world … ,” said Dr. Snowden. He wrinkled his nose at the strong ammonia scent coming off the Krotovore.
Evaran laid Jay down on an adjoining slab. He walked over to the decayed Krotovore in silence. He placed the UIC on one of the side consoles as he walked by them. It began to glow. When he reached the base of the slab with the Krotovore, he swept his hand in an arc over it. A yellow beam emanated from his ring onto the slab. The yellow beam cut through the black mist, revealing the Krotovore underneath it in more deta
il. Dr. Snowden glanced at Emily and the krall, who were both staring intently at the dead body. The krall’s skin had turned a slight tinge of red. She really seemed to dislike the dead Krotovore.
“Very interesting. I know what it is now. It is a Daedrould,” said Evaran. He interacted with his ARI and looked at Dr. Snowden. “To clarify, because I know you will ask, they are beings that have a specific energy signature. They also commonly have unique abilities. This one could seek out other unique energy signatures, including rifts. I have never seen one so powerful, though, that can do it over the distances this one could. The Krotovore outfitted this Daedrould with a biomechanical interface to translate the rifts it found into coordinates,” said Evaran.
“What do you mean by a specific energy signature? Like an aura?” asked Emily.
Evaran nodded and raised a finger. “Yes. Everything in the universe gives off an aura of sorts. I can read them via a scan, like a spectroscope can read light.”
“It looks like a Krotovore, though. I don’t see any aura or anything,” said Dr. Snowden.
“You would not, as you do not have the ability or technology. It is a Krotovore, however, with a Daedrould energy signature. Imagine if the Krotovore had a pure-green aura, but it also had blue streaks in it. If the blue streaks represented the presence of Daedrould energy, you would know it is a Daedrould. I have come to learn that specific signatures correlate to specific abilities. There are humans with Daedrould signatures,” said Evaran as he walked over to the console. The UIC was glowing blue, and Evaran interacted with his ARI. The room’s power came back on, and the consoles lit up.
“How would, say, me and Emily ever know if a human was a Daedrould if we can’t see their energy signature?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“Since you have nanobots inside you now, you will be able to tell nonhumans from humans by the way they move and smell. Without knowing its energy signature, you would not be able to distinguish what type of nonhuman they are,” said Evaran with a stern look on his face.
Dr. Snowden shook his head. He wanted to believe and thought Evaran was probably being honest, but this sounded too fantastic to him.