by Eden Blue
Evan nodded, “I’m good.”
Nyn stood up and walked over, her skin turning a dim red, “You don’t have to dismiss me. I know my race comes off unfeeling, but we feel very much.”
Evan turned his head to the Lyress. She stood, her face a blank slate, but her skin glowed with a deepening red. The Lyress often unsettled the other races, most of the time you couldn’t read them for their lack of facial or body expression. Their skin was the only thing that changed to indicate their mood or intent. Most Lyress can control it, often only having their natural light blue skin. Evan never met one that changed colors as much as Nyn did.
The engineer turned with his hands open, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. I figured you were only here to check on us and that’s it.”
The red shade across Nyn’s skin slowly bled away, “I didn’t come here to simply check on you. I came to see what you were working on.”
The Lyress stepped to the open shell of the exo-suit, “It is impressive work.”
Evan smiled, trying to lighten the mood, “Thank you. If we pick up some more supplies and equipment, I could build you one as well.”
Nyn turned to the engineer, her skin turning pink, “I would like that.”
Evan shuffled his feet as he stared at Nyn. Shades of pinks, reds, and light blue’s slid across her visible skin like patches of light. The player had only met a few Lyress up close and wasn’t sure the way she was behaving was normal.
“Is there something you wish to ask me?” Nyn asked as she turned her dead gaze to the player.
Heat crawled up Evan’s neck, “Do you have any family or friends we can contact to let them know your safe?”
Nyn turned back to the incomplete power suit, “No. I have no family outside of Nova Sky. Industrial accident claimed them years ago.”
Evan tilted his head forward, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Nyn stared on, “Don’t be. It happened when I was young. I can barely remember them.”
“Family or friends in Nova Sky?” Evan tried to stay upbeat and was failing.
Nyn shook her head slightly, “No.”
Evan stood, unsure what to say next. He was going to go back to work when Nyn turned to him, her mouth opening.
“I wasn’t at Azure station because of the guild meeting. I was there because I was being reassigned. My last Captain didn’t want to work with me anymore so I was waiting for an available ship.”
Evan watched as her exposed skin turned black as pitch, her eyes giving him a haunting stare.
“I was relieved of my station due to poor impulse control. I thought I should tell you so you’re not surprised when it happens.” Nyn said with no emotion.
Evan tried to keep the creepy vibe at bay and repressed a shudder. Normally he was very open to people’s weirdness, but Nyn’s unsettling demeanor was dialed to eleven. The player tried to get back to work when Nyn moved in closer, purple eyes staring into the engineer’s soul.
“We should sit and talk about a design. I would like that,” Nyn said, her mouth the only thing moving.
Evan simply nodded with wide eyes, his lips nothing more than a thin line. Nyn pulled back, turned and walked out of the exo-suit bay, her skin turning back to its natural light blue.
Pris looked over at Evan, “Are you alright?”
Evan slowly nodded as he turned back to the power suit and began working again. Lydia stirred from her reclined chair, arms and legs stretching out. Mouth opening into a yawn, she sat up and swung her legs over the side. She stood up and looked to Evan and Pris working on the suit, her fingers scratching at her hair.
“Did I miss anything?” the Cyborg asked.
***
“I don’t understand why I have to wait out here. I saw most of the work you did,” Lydia said with crossed arms and a furled brow.
“It’s a sense of occasion,” Evan smiled with his arm around her shoulders. “I remember how you loved surprises.”
“Maybe when I was eight,” Lydia grumbled.
“Pris just needs to cover it and then we can do the grand unveiling,” Evan said with a wide grin.
The Exo-Suit bay doors opened. Evan kept his arm around Lydia’s shoulders as they stepped in. In the middle of the room something stood, covered in a thick tarp. It stood at fifteen feet with two points holding up the trap. Pris stood at its side, her eyes drinking in the Engineer and Cyborg as they stepped in.
“Pris,” Evan smiled.
A recorded drum roll played over the speakers for a few moments before it died. The android reached up and pulled the tarp with one swift move of her arm. Lydia’s eyes widened as her smile bloomed.
A tall power suit stood with metal feathered wings. Its head was similar to a knight’s helmet except for the carved wings pointed up from the sides. The main body was that of a feminine knight. A sword hung from one hip while a long plasma rifle was clamped to the other. The body was a silver-ish gray with golden lines running along the edges.
“You talked about warrior women and Valkyries came to mind. I thought a suit that looked similar to them might be right up your alley,” Evan smiled as he let go of her shoulder and walked closer to the power suit.
“The sword at its side is a Plasma Edge weapon. When it activates, liquid plasma will run along the edge grooves of the blade. The emitters along the grooves keep the plasma in place so you can cut through almost anything. The plasma rifle on your left thigh detaches for long range combat. I installed a small complement of missile racks in the shoulders, six missiles per shoulder. The thruster pack is top of the line, allowing you to be quick in aerial combat. The arms and legs are not as heavily armored so you have a bit more dexterity than your standard exo-suit. The wings help with atmosphere flight control and can be used as a last line shield defense. You have the standard life support and shield emitters. The back of the wings is coated with nano-shield silver similar to Bruiser’s armor, so they have a chance to deflect glancing plasma bolts, but not a direct hit.”
Evan stepped back to Lydia’s side, “What do you think?”
Lydia stepped closer, looking up in awe, “She’s beautiful.”
“You will need to name her, but she is ready for a test flight when we get to Rekkus Spire.”
Lydia turned around and launched herself at Evan. Strong arms wrapped around the Engineer and he gasped.
“Thank you so much for this! It would have been ages before I could afford something like this.”
Evan hugged her back, “It’s nothing. I used some of the extra parts so I can’t build another suit until we refill our equipment banks. The doctor is going to have to wait on his suit.”
Lydia pulled away, giving her cousin an adoring gaze before turning from him and looking to her power suit. The speakers chimed to life and Venna’s voice came through.
“Evan, your work on the engine did shave off some time. We’re approaching the Gwyndolin system. Everyone to the Bridge,”
The two players and android looked to one another before turning and walking out of the exo-suit bay. Within two minutes, they stepped onto the Bridge. Venna sat in her chair while Nyn piloted the ship. Doctor Vickers sat in another chair, spinning around with his head tilted back. Looking to the main screen, the purple warp tunnel flashed past them. A crack appeared in the distance and began to widen as Evan, Lydia, and Pris stepped in and to Venna’s side.
“We will be leaving the warp tunnel in a few minutes,” Nyn said out loud.
“It is best that we come up with a plan once we exit the warp tunnel,” Venna said while turning to the crew.
Evan nodded, “Before we exit, you should know about the sentries in the walls.”
Venna gave the Engineer a knowing smirk, “The doctor has informed me of our mysterious soldiers. I already accessed a sentry data core while you were working on the exo-suit. I didn’t want to interrupt your work.
“I couldn’t get past several coded sections but their purpose is mainly defense in case the shi
p is boarded. For right now, they seem to be our guardians. I would rather focus on our more immediate concerns. Rekkus Spire is a big city and simply walking around won’t do us much good. Once we exit the warp tunnel, we will scan the system and land on one of the city’s docking ports.”
Venna shifted in her chair, turning her eyes to Evan, “With the Crimson Blades and bounties on our heads, moving through the city will be difficult. Facial recognition will spot you in a heartbeat. The city is under Krekken control so if the bounty hunters and enemy guilds don’t find you first, the Krekken will.”
Evan eyed the Captain, “It sounds like I’m leading this expedition.”
Venna nodded, “Shri-Ka and Krekken don’t get along, so I will be a prime target for their scans, but three Terrans will blend in. Once we arrive, I will do my best to find fellow ex-guild members and maybe get a lead on where Ryan is. Once I have a contact, you will meet them and gather any information you can.”
Venna’s black eyes narrowed, “Do not use your coms while in the city. Interceptors will steal the information first chance they can. Gather the information and bring it back. We can decide our next course of action once you return.”
Pris looked to the Captain, “I should accompany them for added security.”
Venna shook her scaly head, “You must stay here. Your connection to the ship could tip an interceptor. You, Bruiser, and the new exo-suit will be deployed should Evan and his team require it.”
The Shri-Ka turned to Lydia and smiled, “Does she have a name?”
“Hera. I always liked that name when I learned Greek mythology,” Lydia said with a small smile.
Venna returned the smile with her own and a slight bow of her head.
“What about the facial recognition? Should we wear masks or paint our faces?” Evan asked.
Doctor Vickers lifted his head and stood up, “This is where I come in.”
The large doctor walked over to Evan and pressed a large hand to the side of his face. Evan flinched a little as something crawled over his skin. The Doctor gave Evan a wide smile before moving to Lydia and doing the same. The Engineer had to fight the urge to claw at his face, but a moment later the strange crawling faded away. Lydia looked to the doctor with big eyes, and Evan guessed she felt the same sensation.
Doctor Vickers stepped back and eyed them, “You have nano-drones embedded in your skin. They will emit false information to any recognition scans, changing the way you look in their data banks, making it impossible to identify you. It won’t work if someone actually sees you, but the scans will be fooled for about eight hours. But, not to worry, I will be with you to help disguise us as we go.”
Venna turned back to main screen as the end of the warp tunnel yawned before them, “I had Pris prepare outfits for your little outing. Change into them after we finish scanning the system.”
“What do we do in the worst-case scenario?” Evan asked.
“Return to the ship and we take off. I’d rather not explore that option unless we have too. The last thing we need is to get into a firefight with Krekken ships. The Gorgon could hold its own, but I’m not sure how well the Shield Maiden will handle battleships.”
“Exiting warp tunnel,” Nyn said indifferently.
All eyes turned to the main screen. The warp tunnel slipped past as planets, stars, and sunlight appeared. Nyn began scanning and the crew looked on. Information scrolled down the main screen and each player’s visual displays. Seven planets filled the system and hundreds of moons. Two large gas giants appeared, one blue and one yellow, their names Varian and Sunarr. Past them floated the water world Serdren, a green and blue moon floating before it, named Tuvorr.
The Tempest drive disengaged and power pumped into the engines. Streaking across the stars, the Shield Maiden moved just below the speed of light. The blue gas giant Varian slipped past on their left while the yellow gas giant Sunarr loomed on their right, the sheer size of it imposing on their collective eyes as it passed by. Various yellowish bands swirled along the giant as the Shield Maiden cruised past.
Nyn turned the nose of the ship toward the giant water world of Serdren. It was three times the size of Earth, blue water covering every mile of it and thin streams of white clouds encircling it. Before it was Tuvorr, a moon nearly the size of earth. Evan took in its beauty as it shone like an emerald and sapphire gem floating over the giant water world.
Alerts appeared and outlines of battleships flashed on screen. Venna tapped at her controls and the images were magnified as they maintained course. Evan checked his own eye HUD and could see the outline matched Krekken battle cruisers. Seeing a battlecruiser in orbit of a planet was not unheard of. Actually, it was standard practice among most inhabited worlds. It was the sheer number of them that caused the crew to look on with wide eyes.
Twenty-Two Krekken Battle Cruisers were dotted around the green blue moon, their long, craggy hulls visible against the light from the systems sun. They stationed themselves around the planet like a protective swarm, not moving and contrasted against the giant water world.
Doctor Vickers whistled, “That’s a lot of cruisers,”
Venna tapped away at the controls, “That is too many for a rim system.”
“Does this change the plan?” Evan asked.
Venna shook her head, “I don’t think so. Even with that many cruisers, they can’t inspect every ship that comes through. They may hail us, in which case, I cannot be sitting here if they do.”
Lydia looked to the Captain, “I don’t understand the rift between your people?”
Venna looked to the Cyborg with understanding eyes, “The Krekken are always hungry. They eat their dead and just about anything else they can ingest. The Shri-Ka value and honor our dead. When the Krekken began relations with my people, they asked for a trade of food and our dead as part of the negotiations. When my people refused to part with our dead, they saw it as an insult. We never went to war over it, but they still hold it against us. When the Krekken and Terrans opened relations much later, they seemed to understand that asking for another race’s dead could be perceived as an insult and took it off their negotiation tactics. It still never lessened the impact from my races first meeting.”
“They need many worlds to farm and feed their people. They are omnivores and require regular ships of organic material. They outnumber all the other races. They don’t teach you that in school because it colors them in a scary light. If they wanted, they could conquer all of the other races,” Evan chimed in.
Lydia tried to hide the shock in her eyes, but failed, “That really is scary.”
“Try to not let it bother you too much. They are civilized and are willing to work with other races. They may have the numbers, but Shri-Ka and Terran ships are slightly stronger than theirs. If it came to war, they would lose a lot before we were wiped out… or eaten,” Evan smiled and winked.
Lydia scowled before punching the Engineer in the arm. Evan laughed as he lost two hit points and nearly fell backwards.
Doctor Vickers moved to Venna’s side, “I could take over the chair until we get past the cruisers?”
Venna looked to the Doctor and nodded. Rearing up, she moved from the chair and slithered to one of the consoles off to the side. The Shield Maiden continued on course to the moon when a hailing signal appeared on screen. Doctor Vickers sat down in the chair and held his hand over the controls.
“Time for some fast talking,” the doctor smiled and tapped the Open Channel command.
Everyone looked to the screen as a humanoid with green skin looked back. Blue eyes looked on as strong features lay bare. Green tentacles writhed slightly as they poured from the top of his head and down the back to give the appearance of dreadlocks. Transparent fins lay against the side of his head where his ears should be. A thin collar encircled the strong neck as the Krekken stared, a small smile on his dark green lips. Around him, instead of air, water filled the view screen and squid like creatures floated at controls in the bac
kground.
“I am Commander Spirro. State your reason for visiting Rekkus Spire?”
Doctor Vickers smiled, “Supply and recreation before we travel beyond the rim.”
The commander nodded. Lydia stared at the commander, waiting for something to happen. She had seen too many movies where a misplaced word or a strange look could tip off the enemy and they would attack. Fingers digging into her thighs, she waited with bated breath.
The commander nodded, “Please land at pad 214 and enjoy your visit.”
The screen blinked and the planet Tuvorr filled the screen. The doctor stood up and stepped aside while Venna slithered over and retook her seat. Lydia looked around, her expression a giant question mark.
“What just happened? I thought for sure they would want to board us or ask more questions?”
Venna smiled as Evan turned to the cyborg.
“They see dozens of ships a day. I doubt they want to waste time talking to us. Our transponder will give them our ship name and information. They don’t need anything else unless we cause trouble.”
Lydia smiled, feeling like a goof, “So we’re in the clear?”
Evan nodded, “We are.”
Lydia looked back to the screen, “I thought the ruling species of the Krekken were the Quellyr. The commander looked like a Ludrenn.”
“The squid like Quellyr and the humanoid Ludrenn are the ruling species. It’s the Dumon that are the bulk of their race,” Evan smiled.
Lydia shook her head, “They left so much out in school.”
Venna looked to Lydia, “We all go through the confusion when we start playing. I think they did that so we wouldn’t have all the answers and have to discover it on our own.”
Evan smiled, “Like I said, you’ll get it down. It will just take a little time.”
“Nyn, land on pad 214,” Venna commanded. “The rest of you, gear up while I make some calls.”
Seven
Lydia spun slowly around, taking in the majesty of towering buildings. Bridges connected each one into a spanning web of intricate design. Sunlight bathed the tops in brilliant light as shadows deepened and darkened to street level. Drinking in the architecture, the Cyborg looked on as the buildings grew taller the closer they got to the center of the city. In the middle stood a tall spire, higher than the drifting clouds, the needle appearing to nearly touch space.