Gonzalez grabbed Bronson by the collar of his uniform, screaming over the shrieks of battle. Thorne danced and spun, his sword blazing with ethereal power, each blow place against the mother of darkness’s hide lit the corridor like striking lightning, the monster screamed, her voice both beast and humanoid, in a thousand languages. The ancient fighter didn’t appear to be centuries old anymore, he looked no older than thirty, his body hardened with the life of a warrior, forged in the fires of battle and tempered by the noble heart beating in his chest. The creature was fast but could not match him as he moved with muscle memory, anticipating each of her countering moves, forcing her backwards towards the waiting hole.
“Knock her in!!” Ayana cried.
Selene lashed out, swinging her deadly claws. Thorne brought his blade up in a powerful stroke, removing her right hand. She roared ferociously, raking him across his back as he spun with her remaining claws.
“Get down!” Gonzalez cried.
She aimed and fired, the round hit the monster in the chest as Thorne fell flat onto his stomach, sending her falling back into the darkness of the shit fridge. Ayana ran to secure the seal on the lid, Selene was up the ladder and pounding against the hole cover in seconds. Gonzalez slid its lock in place fearing it might break at any minute.
“It won’t hold her long.” She said.
The voice of The Maiden echoed through the ship, leaving them confused.
“Emergency launch in ten, nine, eight…”
***
Sheila suited up and pulled a helmet over her head, it smelled like Ming. She hurried into the pilot seat of the mini-pod. She knew in her heart she had to succeed, her self-doubt still overshadowed by the memory of Dozer, and of Ming. She reconciled with the fact that she might die in the process but she didn’t want to live knowing she didn’t kill the bitch who ruined her life. She belted herself in and made ready to launch out into the black, to be suspended from the ship by a single line like a metallic umbilical cord to her mother, The Maiden. Sheila was startled by the sudden announcement of the launch but she thought it was her captain’s doing, preparing for Sheila to get to work detaching the shit fridge. Internally she sought the memories of Dozer, it filled her with much needed serenity.
***
Gonzalez laid over the captain, he was white in the face and losing consciousness. She unlatched her uniform belt and quickly tightened it around the stump of his arm as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. The Maiden’s countdown drew towards zero as Thorne came to sit beside of her, unaware of what would happen next. At once they felt the force of gravity forcing them down, their stomachs leapt into their throats, it was the only thing that kept the beast from breaking free. It lasted only moments but it shook the ancient warrior who was not accustomed to such things. Once Ayana recovered she cursed.
“Goddamnit!”
“Did you order Lewis to launch?” she asked.
“No. I was going to initiate it.” Bronson answered.
“Sheila is going out in the pod, she’s going to dump the tank…I’m blasting it into a million pieces.” He explained.
“Cambridge!” Gonzalez spat. “He’s the only one left alive up there.”
“Not for long.” Bronson said.
“Gonzalez, keep that thing in the fridge no matter what. Don’t let her breach the lid!” Bronson said. “I’m taking the old man out!”
“I’m going with you.” Thorne said.
Bronson opened his mouth to protest but Ayana interrupted. “Take him, you’re going to bleed to death!”
***
The ship evened out and Sheila rushed to release the pod, The Maiden spit her out into the black, floating there in space. She always likened it to being in a submarine in the deepest trenches of the sea…both still equally unexplored after centuries of blossoming technology. She powered on the small boosters that pushed the tiny vessel forward, it had two mechanical arms that could extend from its nose. She tested the controls, she was never fully comfortable with them, Ming was always much better at maneuvering it…though Bronson liked to tease him. She jerked forward, she released the control and drifted a bit, it reminded her of learning to drive an automobile on the planet of Cielo, an older model from the year 2112. The silence of the black to many was oppressive, like a smothering blanket but to Sheila she found it welcoming, it eased her racing mind and she concentrated on her task.
“Report, Cap. Are we ready to dump the bitch?”
She received no answer so she waited, the lights inside of the pod dimmed and blinked out. The boosters that kept her on track lost power and she began to drift, tethered to The Maiden as it too went dark.
***
Thorne walked with Bronson’s good arm over his shoulder, the Captain cursed over the fact that he didn’t have a free hand to wield his pistol. The lights dimmed around them, leaving The Maiden’s corridors black.
“The emergency jump drained her power, it could take a while for the back-up system to engage.” Bronson spoke as Thorne froze in the darkness. “This is why I kept the bottom deck in energy conservation mode when we ventured far from the colonies, that juice might save our skin.”
Thorne shuttered to think of the vessel becoming derelict in the encompassing vault of space, he had witnessed ships drift ashore with entire crews dead from starvation and lack of water, those left alive confessing shamefully to resorting to cannibalism to stay alive.
They took the stairs, a slow painful climb but Bronson was stubborn and refused to slow down. Thorne didn’t argue, there was no time to waste, the beast could free herself at any moment. They ascended to the top deck, as Bronson drew near his target he pushed himself to keep moving, fueled by anger and the need to see his vengeance fulfilled. The control room door was laying battered in the hallway, there was no way for Cambridge to lock himself inside. Thorne released Bronson and he drew his pistol.
Cambridge didn’t bother to make up any excuses, lies would only fall on deaf ears, it was obvious that he was a traitor.
“Step away from the control panel.” Bronson demanded.
“She will kill you. Do what she demands and save yourselves as I have!” He answered, raising his fists, prepared to fight. “Once the back-up systems provide enough power we are heading for the colonies.”
“Not on my life.” The captain said.
“Looks like I don’t have long to wait.” Cambridge scoffed looking to Bronson’s mangled arm.
“I’ll kill you before I die.” Bronson promised, his lips drew back into a determined grin.
Thorne entered, his sword ready.
“Stay back!” Cambridge cried. “She’ll come for you! She’ll kill you if you touch me!”
“Don’t be so delusional. She’s just saving you for fresh meat when she gets hungry!” Bronson said.
The captain, staggered forward, his aim wavered.
“You’ll miss and destroy your only way to navigate home.” Cambridge said.
“You’ll have bled to death but where would that leave your crew…those who are left?” The old man added.
The back-up systems restored, the lights came on dim yet enough to truly show how terrible Bronson’s condition really was.
“You’re a walking dead man. Selene will feast on your corpse while we make ready for her arrival to her new home.”
A flash like white fire blazed, Thorne moved with such speed and ferocity that Cambridge stood upright and blinking for the span of a few heart beats before his body fell out from under his severed head. The ancient blade had cu his head free from his shoulders in a single clean stroke. The energy storm rolled from Cambridge, finding the thirsty steel, Thorne reached out and grabbed the bloody stump of Bronson’s arm as it passed over him. The captain fell to his knees as the feeling of an intense fire swept through his body. He fell to the floor; his injury gave off a wisp of smoke.
“I grew tired of his threats.” The warrior spoke.
***
The lights came back on, power
was restored and a familiar voice filled her helmet.
“Commence operation blast the bitch.” Bronson said through the intercom from the control panel.
She nearly wept at the sound of his voice.
“Operation shit fridge casket engage.” She answered.
The controls of the mini-pod were touchy but she made her way around to the bottom back side of The Maiden to a place the captain often referred to as the asshole of the ship. The waste tank had a small manhole port on the outside that could be opened to empty it of its stinking load and also large hoses could be stuck into it to spray ultra-grade disinfectants down its walls. That was not what Lewis was seeking, but instead there were a series of levers, longer than a grown man’s arm that could be pulled to detach the tank all together when a newer model was bought to replace it. She wouldn’t have the arm strength to ever disengage the shit fridge on land but the mini-pod had the power to crush steel within its clamps at the end of each robotic arm sheathed within its nose.
“Get movin’ grandma.” Bronson urged her through the intercom.
“I got this. Stop yelling in my ear and let me concentrate!”
Sheila powered her way towards the first one, the robotic arms stretched out at the press of a button. The hard part would be getting into position in a timely manner. She missed, the clamp scraped the side of the tank but didn’t grab the lever flush with the side of The Maiden. She needed to guide the robotic hand into a small indention so it could grab ahold of the detachment handle. Her frustration began to grow as she missed a second time.
“GODDAMNIT!!!! I wish Ming were here!”
“He is. He is all around us. You can do it!” Bronson spoke.
Sheila went in for a third attempt and this time the clamp slid over the handle’ she pressed a button and it tightened. She tested its grip by drawing the robotic arm away slowly, it was firm. Sheila then upped the strength of the arms pull and it popped the lever out.
“I got one!!” She said in excitement.
“Good, Get the rest of them.”
Sheila went to the next lever a little lower than the first and fished the clamp into the indention, gripped the handle and pulled the lever open with a great metallic screech. The last were a little farther down towards the very tail-end of the vessel, she pushed the pod to move quickly to reach them.
***
Ayana stood over the manhole to the shit fridge, her pistol ready. The lights coming back on were definitely a relief, it felt like an eternity that she stood in the black corridor, just listening to the sound of claws on steel. The creature continued to try to break free but the door held, not by any miracle but by the simple fact that it was triple reinforced to hold the scent of two thousand gallons of shit at bay. Everything went silent for a moment, a sign that the intelligent beast was plotting something. Ayana was scared out of her mind but would not back down, if it came to it she would fight the bitch fist to fist.
***
Selene fed on the soiled bodies of the dead in an attempt to bolster her strength. A loud scraping sound echoed through the tank, something from the outside…in the black. Her species were accustomed to space travel, she was crunching on the bones of one of the men, her body trembled with a surge of power. Quickly she forced pieces of the corpse down her gullet, readying herself for an escape through the thin wall of the waste tank. She knew the black was unforgiving and would crush her in seconds but being of a resilient breed she decided to take her chances.
***
Ayana could hear the impact down below and she knew what the creature was attempting. If Selene managed to bust out of the tank she would be loose in the black, Gonzalez hadn’t a clue how long the creature could withstand the grip of open space but just by it attempting that escape told her it was either confident or insane.
“Come on!” she said to herself.
The tank rang out with the sounds of the beast going wild, doing everything it could to break free of its entrapment.
***
Sheila was working on the final lever; the tank already began to depart from the ship when she saw a hairy fist punch through the thin wall of the shit fridge.
“Damn it! She’s bustin’ out of the tank!” She reported though the intercom.
“Concentrate. Let her swim in the black if she wants.” Bronson answered.
“Just get that tank free.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” She answered.
Nervous sweat built on her brow though the pod was cold, she was so close to ending the nightmare. She maneuvered the clamp hand, gripped the lever handle and used the control handle to yank it. It didn’t come free, like the first it felt jammed. The pod shook as she fought with the controls, trying to force the lever loose. Sheila screamed at the sight of a monstrous face peering through a hole it was opening in the shit fridge; filthy waste came out dancing in putrid orbs as the beast struggled to pull its body out of the opening. Sheila yanked the control, felt the whole pod shaking as she jostled the lever. At last it came free, she reversed the thrusters and went sailing backwards as the creature stuck its hairy arm out, reaching for the window of the pod, its claws scraping along the side of it. Sheila was screaming, her terror at its apex. The waste container began to drift away from the side of The Maiden.
“Shit fridge is free!” She yelled into her helmet mic.
The pod hit the end of its tether and she guided it shakily back into the port of its holding bay. The steel door sealed slid shut behind her after she got the pod back in its rightful spot and soon The Maiden announced that the pilot could now exit safely. Second in command Lewis climbed out of the cockpit and fell to her knees, her heart felt as if it might seize up completely. She removed her helmet and wept.
***
Bronson was frantic, listening to Lewis screaming. He ran his hand through his hair, in frustration. Screaming, there was only screaming until at last she announced the shit fridge was free. He glanced at the monitor, waiting until she exited the pod hold before announcing his next move.
“All hands, hold onto your asses, we’re going into the final stage of operation shit fridge…the blasting.”
Sheila ran for the control room, his eyes caught sight of Gonzalez celebrating before she sat against the wall of the bottom deck, waiting for the ride to get bumpy and recovering mentally from the nightmare they had just been through. Lewis came to sit beside of the captain as he swung The Maiden around, the waste tank hung out in the black before them drifting as if it were caught in a black tide, beyond it was the grey orb of a planet that was once home to the entire human race. A black silhouette stood out against the sad face of the earth.
“Readying my lady to fire.”
“I hope this works.” Sheila whispered.
“This is for Dozer and Ming!” Bronson said.
He pressed a button his finger had passed over a thousand times, never before did he have a reason to use it, it felt foreign and righteous all in the same breath. A trail blazed through the open space between them and impacted the shit fridge, it exploded sending waste and pieces of the monster named Selene burning into the black like shooting stars, signaling victory for captain Bronson and his crew.
Sheila jumped to her feet, screaming triumphantly.
“We did it!”
Thorne watched the beast’s demise and waited for eternity to take him. Each beat of his heart felt as if it would be his last yet death never claimed him.
“Did she survive?” He asked, puzzled.
Bronson looked to the warrior from a time that no man alive would remember. His eyes saddened by not finding the rest he sought.
“Your oath bound you to kill her, and all of her kind. There must be more out there beyond the reach of our technology.” The captain answered solemnly.
Thorne nodded. “I am a stranger here, in this new world. How will I ever achieve that?”
“With the help of me and my crew.” Bronson answered.
Gonzalez came jogging into the contro
l room, carrying Lulu, Ming’s orphaned pet. They were celebrating the victory yet heartbroken at those lost.
Galactic - Ten Book Space Opera Sci-Fi Boxset Page 155