by L. S. Mercer
“That was close.” Whispered Alloy, eyes wide.
Damon nodded at him. Just as he was about to speak the ship was rocked with a pulse missile, reminding them of the danger that was still following very closely behind. Alloy took the controls once again and Damon and Copper ran back to their battlestations. The ships narrow walls were just a whirl of electronics and buttons as Damon ran over to the turret bay. Once inside, he flipped all the cameras on again to see where Val’Drago and his henchmen were.
One of the conquerors immediately began to fire at his turret, but was agressively fired upon from up above. Damon looked up in surprise to see a few Alliance fighters flying down to assist him in his escape. Without hesitation, Val’s fighter dived downwards and activated its stealth field, allowing him to escape from the battle. The other three were caught in the crosshairs, each easily being destroyed by the sneaky Alliance.
“Thank god.” Muttered Damon to himself.
“Whooo!” Screamed Copper into the communicator as the debris floated around all sides of the ship.
Damon had to smile at his silly crewmates, how funny they could be no matter what dangers they were facing. It also made him think of how bad he’d feel if something were to actually happen to them. The thought tore him apart, just knowing how close the poor Eyres were to death just because of something that Damon had signed them up for. Granted, Drago would probably have come across them at one point either way, but in the moment that wasn’t what he was thinking about.
As the first rates battled it out, the duster floated along the outskirts of the battle, too damaged to survive another shot. It was killing them to just sit out in the open, all sharing the feeling of sitting ducks. The Alliance was winning, since they were in their own territory, reinforcements had arrived. The Kharan fleet finally gave up after they had gathered their remaining fighters, flying out in a whirl of thrusters and distant stars as if they hadn’t even been there to begin with.
Damon, relieved that the Kharan had fled, pushed the ship toward the outpost, ready to give his crew and the ship itself a much needed break. As the ship inched closer to the outpost, he realized how much damage had actually been done to the moonbase, an entire chunk that he’d remembered back from when he used to co-command the base was completely missing.
The ship slowly came into one of the base’s hangars. As the usual plopping sound of the auto-landing magnetic strips clicked into place, Damon felt a wave of relief wash over him. The sound reminded him of home on Ostillion, where they used the same tech as the Alliance did.
“Food?” Asked Alloy, tugging on Damon’s jacket.
“Huh?” He asked, snapping out of his dreamworld.
Alloy rubbed his stomach, making a gurgling sound with his mouth.
“Ah.” Said Damon.
A voice came over the communicator indicating that they were clear to depart from the ship, which Damon had never actually waited for in the past. As they opened the hatch, they were all surprised by Princess Aela awaiting them at the ramp.
“Well hello.” Greeted Damon, putting on his smooth, smoldering voice.
“Pilot.” She replied, giving him a subtle grin.
“You know, between our calls, I was starting to wonder if you were even a real person.” He said, shooting her his famous smile. “Prettier than I thought.”
“Video calls, if I do recall.” Interjected Commander Striker, spoiling the fun.
Damon turned to shoot him a look of disapproval, only to realize he was already receiving the same exact look from Striker.
“Edited.” Replied Damon with a grin.
“A pleasure.” Said Aela, turning to walk away. “Meet me in the palace when you two are done.”
“Wait!” Shouted Damon.
The princess stopped, turning back around to look at Damon.
“About my pay?” He asked, holding out his hand.
“Smugglers.” She muttered. “Take the man to the treasury.”
Aela waved her hand to dismiss them all and began walking back to the palace, as she called it.
The palace was really just the center of communications for the entire Galactic Alliance, it was also Aela’s home away from Ostillion, where she was actually from. Although rarely utilized, the palace was also known by its more famous name, Osh’Motari or in simple words, The Desolator, a first rate battlecruiser unlike any ever built.
Damon stared at the magnificence of the ship and the princess walking towards it, both rivalling each other in beauty.
“Damon!” Growled Striker, punching the side of his arm.
“Ow!” He shouted. “What was that for.”
“Staring.” Replied Striker as he stomped on Damon’s foot.
Damon hissed in agony.
“And that?” He moaned.
“That one was because I caught you.” Said Striker, glaring at him. “Now, let’s get you paid, shall we?”
Damon nodded.
15 Stinger- A small, nimble fighter ship, normally outfitted with Class-4 lasers and small pulse missiles. Weak against battlecruisers but strong against other fighters.
16 Trits- Tracer chips, the currency of the galaxy. Created by various items scavenged within the Tech Sea.
Chapter 5
“It’s nearly impossible!” Shouted Sebastian, who’d adopted a semi-permanent pace back and forth.
“What, do you, mean?” Asked Adrian, panting between words.
He stood up for the first time, which was weird to him since he couldn’t feel anything. He knew that he’d told his brain to do so, but not being able to feel it happen was going to take some time.
“I mean you, you’re impossible!” Sebastian shouted again, waving his hands up and down Adrian’s body.
Elias stared in between the two, taking in the entire conversation from both sides. He didn’t want to interrupt, but he also didn’t seem to understand why Sebastian was so frustrated.
Adrian remained silent, he found no value in arguing probabilities with a scientist who was only going to repeat the same word every time. In all truth, he really didn’t know himself exactly how he was operating without a power source, but he also didn’t care much for questioning the reasons that he survived, as long as he did so.
“It does us, no good to argue.” Said Adrian, finally getting used to speech within the suit.
“You’re correct, but still, how?” Asked Sebastian.
“I believe I know the answer.” Interrupted Elias, putting his hand up to keep Adrian from speaking.
“Go ahead.” Said Adrian.
“The pulse generator’s power must have fused with your brain cells, effectively energizing them and allowing them to produce their own power source.” He said, almost sounding excited.
Adrian turned to look at Sebastian. He tried to raise an eyebrow, but realized he didn’t have any, so instead he just awkwardly stared at the doctor in silence.
“That could be possible, I guess.” Muttered Sebastian. “But still, it would probably never happen.”
“The impossible Dr. Carter, happens on a daily basis.” Said Adrian.
Sebastian stared at him for the longest time, sizing him up and probably wondering where his cellmate had actually gone.
“This conversation will have to wait.” Said Sebastian, looking around at their surroundings. “I’d forgotten that we are probably fugitives.”
“Now, we have some fun.” Said Adrian, producing a low, robotic chuckle.
“By my calculations, the chances of us enjoying ourselves during our trip to the space docks is roughly zero to one percent.” Replied Elias, producing a sarcastic ding from the top of his head.
Adrian turned to Sebastian once again. He wanted so badly to rip apart the sarcastic robot, but the doctor shook his head at him, as if reading his mind. Turning back to Elias, he produced a low grumble and then walked over to the exit of the execution chamber to get a look at the damage he’d caused. As soon as he entered the control room, a locker of carbines h
ad caught his eye. Filled with relief he walked over and shook the door.
“It’s locked.” Replied Sebastian, walking into the room with a bag of medical supplies in his hand.
“Not for long.” Replied Adrian.
He put his hands onto the door and shook them violently. Nothing happened.
“Come on.” He whispered.
Shaking his hands again, he made another attempt with the same result.
“Dammit!” He roared, punching the locker with his fist.
“Adrian.” Said Sebastian. “Are you okay?”
“Open!” He screamed, a rage filling his voice unlike anything that Sebastian had ever seen.
Adrian smashed his fist into the locker, this time a wave of heat whirled around his fist, melting the metal in which his hand was touching. A loud popping sound filled the room as Adrian removed his buried fist. The good news was that the locker was now accessible, the bad news, the carbines had been damaged by his aggressive move.
“Argh!” He yelled, smacking the side of the locker, causing it to fall over on its side.
“Very strong.” Whispered Elias.
Sebastian nodded, eyes wide with surprise.
“Let’s go.” Growled Adrian, stomping off towards the elevator.
As they all stepped into the elevator, Adrian hit the main level button. Both Elias and Sebastian stood on both sides of Adrian, staring up at the hulking battlesuit that housed him. It was much bigger than Adrian had been in person, even though they’d tried to make it as close fitting as possible, it was almost like the suit had expanded itself after powering up. It was eerie how silent he was, since before he’d been very talkative. The difference was he’d been comfortable in his own body, now it was like being a brain inside someone else.
“So what’s the plan?” Asked Adrian.
“Just walk casually to the space docks and hope nobody sees us.” Replied Sebastian.
“By my calculations, the odds of-” Started Elias, he stopped when he realized that Adrian was staring down at him, sending him a very violent vibe. “Nevermind.”
Adrian gave him a slow nod and then turned his head back to the door.
“And once we are at the space docks doctor?” He asked.
“We catch a transport off of Voore, simple, I think.” Sebastian replied, unsure of whether his response was good enough.
Adrian didn’t respond, he wasn’t feeling very good. Not in the sense that he was about to throw up, since that was literally impossible, but something about himself just felt off to him, and he didn’t like it one bit. Ever since waking up, there was this rage within him that seemed to be burning out of control, as if the energy from the generator was still melting the inside of him, which was also impossible.
The elevator door opened, revealing a sight that Adrian had thought he’d never see again. The surface of Voore. Filled with a variety of different species, Voore was known for its marketplaces filled with many different cultural artifacts and foods. This also meant it would be pretty easy for Adrian to blend in, not so much for the other two, who were both very well known on Voore, but for Adrian, nobody would know who he was.
“This is going to be, interesting.” Said Adrian, releasing a slow, somewhat sarcastic sounding chuckle.
* * *
The market was crowded, causing Adrian to feel a little anxious as he towered above almost everyone there. The three escapees had thrown voorian headcloths over their heads to conceal themselves as best as they possibly could. Adrian had gone with a patterned blue one to match his new face, or mask depending on who you asked.
“So far so good.” Whispered Sebastian to Elias, who was walking almost attached to the doctors body.
“As the humans say, don’t jinx it.” Replied Elias.
Just as Elias had said those words, Adrian bumped into a Kharan, who immediately swirled around in a rage.
“Watch it pal!” He roared, sending the back of his hand towards Adrian’s face.
Everything slowed down in that moment, it was like Adrian was controlling time itself. He quickly reached out and grabbed the slow motion Kharan’s arm before it could reach him. Time went back to normal in that moment.
“Ow!” Screamed the Kharan, his arm bending like butter within Adrian’s grasp.
“Don’t, ever, hit me.” Seethed Adrian, his robotic voice sounding as evil and malicious as a voice could.
The entire crowd stopped at the sound of Adrian’s voice, they all had adopted stares of pure terror.
“Okay, okay, let me go!” Whined the Kharan.
Adrian’s hand began to burn hot like before, the Kharan screamed in agony as the energy pulsing from Adrian’s hand burned into his skin. Noticing what was happening, he pulled away, surprised at the effectiveness of his new secret power.
The crowd continued to give Adrian space in fear that they’d be next.
“Come on Adr-I mean.” Said Sebastian, looking around for the perfect name.
There it was, Draxis, the voorien word for death, not the best name, but it would do.
“Draxis.” Said Sebastian.
The name caught Adrian off guard. He turned to his friend, thinking he was giving him a confused expression.
“Come.” He begged.
“Fine.” He hissed, giving the Kharan one last evil grunt before walking away.
Adrian was starting to truly enjoy his new body, he’d never felt this powerful in his life. The ability to use pure energy as a weapon? Who wouldn’t want it? His mind shifted to how out of control the power could become, or probably even was at the time. He hadn’t meant to burn that Kharan’s arm, but it happened, and he was still okay with that.
“What were you thinking?” Asked Sebastian in a panic.
“I don’t know.” Muttered Adrian.
“We could have been noticed!” He whispered, trying not to sound too aggressive with his friend.
“But we weren’t.” He replied, staring at Sebastian. “Now let’s shut up and get into the docks.
Sebastian stared at Adrian like he was some sort of stranger to him, a mix of concern for his own safety and a little bit of irritation for his friend’s lack of restraint.
“If I may?” Asked Elias.
“You may not.” Grumbled Adrian, shutting Elias up before he could say anything annoying.
“Yes sir.” Replied Elias.
* * *
The space docks were a beautiful place on pretty much every planet except Voore. Poorly maintained and filled with grungy, suspicious smugglers from all across the galaxy. Adrian had always liked the shady types more than the stuck up nobles that he’d always been forced to suffer as a commander in the fleet. Being at the Voore docks was like heaven to him. As he walked through with his small party, he was reminded of all the good times he’d had back in the day, before he was deemed a traitor and all that.
“Disgusting.” Mumbled Sebastian, wiping some sort of slime off of his coat.
“What’s the matter Doc?” Asked Adrian, chuckling to himself. “Never been to the docks?”
“Definitely not I’m afraid.” He replied. “Not my idea of a hotspot.”
“Missing out.” Said Adrian.
An officer from the voorian fleet came running up to them.
“Tickets?” He asked.
Adrian looked down at the puny human, just staring at him in silence. It seemed to make the officer very nervous.
“Tickets?” He asked again, trying to sound tougher.
Adrian now leaned in to speak.
“No tickets, I need a shuttle.” He said, low and smooth.
“Sorry sir, no tickets means no-”
Before the officer could finish, Adrian grabbed him by the throat, putting all focus into the energy like he’d done at the execution room. The officer’s throat began to sizzle slightly as Adrian’s hand burned him, much less than the Kharan incident. He let go of the officer, who began to gasp for air immediately.
“I need, a shuttle!” Adria
n growled.
“Y-y-yes sir.” Stuttered the terrified officer, waving them along. “Just that way.”
Elias walked alongside Adrian, while Sebastian stayed behind a bit to pretend like he wasn’t with anyone.
“So, Master Blackwing.” Said Elias.
“Draxis for now.” Adrian interrupted.
“Sir Draxis.” Elias corrected himself. “Why are you emitting such, rage?”
Adrian let out a loud, boisterous laugh.
“I guess I’m just an angry man.” He replied.
“Well, according to Dr. Carter, you were not very angry before.” Said Elias.
“Hmm.” He replied, now trying to ignore the robot.
“I could maybe alter something to help-”
“I don’t need fixed!” Grumbled Adrian, putting a hand against the robot’s head and pushing him away.
Adrian remained silent for the rest of the walk to the shuttle. He was beginning to wonder if having these two along would just be a burden, even though they’d saved his life, they didn’t have the same views as he did. How anyone working for the Voore could be kind hearted and weak was completely beyond his ability to understand. The shuttle to the Kharan Dynasty was just arriving, which meant that was exactly where the trio were going to be headed.
Adrian gestured for them to follow him as he walked towards the onramp to the shuttle. When Sebastian realized which one they were boarding he froze.
“We can’t go there.” He protested.
Adrian stopped walking and quickly turned to face the doctor.
“We don’t have the time to be picky Doctor.” He said.
“No I mean, they don’t like humans.” Explained Sebastian.
Adrian stepped towards him until he was right in front of Sebastian’s face.
“Look at me.” He said in a violent sounding whisper. “I, am not, human.”
“That’s becoming quite obvious to me.” He replied, now terrified.
Adrian turned around again and began walking back up the ramp, letting the doctor decide for himself where he would be going. Elias followed closely behind Adrian, and after a moment, Sebastian followed.