by Aer-ki Jyr
“What’s a Bsidd?”
“Something that can’t be explained in words.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“You’ll understand when you see one. They look more like a bush than a Human.”
“Plants?”
“No. More like insects.”
“Insects that look like plants?”
Rammak laughed. “As crazy as that sounds, yes. And you still won’t be able to guess what they look like. And they made up the largest faction within Star Force, population wise.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned them before?”
“There’s a lot I haven’t mentioned.”
“Ok. Anything else weird I should know about?”
“Protovic hatch from fleshy eggs.”
“Eww,” Esna said, trying to imagine that as they got further and further away from the ambushers. “What did he do back there, exactly?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think he used that one as a decoy. Focusing their attention on him so much they didn’t notice anything else.”
“Can people really have that much power over others?”
“The universe isn’t an even playing field. Yes they can, and some are even more powerful. Both good and bad.”
“And he can’t do anything to me with my helmet on?”
“He can’t control yours even with it off, but mine he could. That’s why he had to touch you. He can also do some stuff without the countermeasures on to both of us.”
“Like what?”
“The Mavericks are said to have some of the powers of the Archons, but it’s not public knowledge as to which. We don’t even know for sure what the Archons have except what we’ve seen in battle or asked them about. They don’t technically hide their abilities, but there’s nowhere they’re publically identified. They have one I know of called Fornax that interferes with your body’s control signals. They throw a wave of invisible energy at you and suddenly you can’t control your own body. If you’re standing you’ll fall twitching until it wears off a moment or two later. Your helmet won’t protect against that unless the countermeasures are on.”
“It stuns you?”
“No. It doesn’t knock you unconscious. It’s kind of like getting really dizzy.”
“Does it work on the Zen’zat, or do they have countermeasures too?”
“I don’t know. I only know what weapons I can use do to them.”
“And do you have any of those?”
“Not the really effective ones, but what I have can get through their shields eventually. Though they won’t give us that much time before they kill us.”
“But they can be killed?”
“They can be killed.”
“Good to know,” she said, turning around and looking behind them. The lights from the encampment were barely visible now, giving her the feeling that they were actually safe, but then her gaze drifted up to the stars and she remembered what Rammak had said about eyes in the sky looking for them.
She hoped they weren’t looking here right now.
Two days later they were stopped and resting next to one of the rocky mounts that had been smoothed into nearly vertical walls thanks to erosion, and Rammak had managed to find one with a bit of an overhang to park the speeder under. Esna had been sleeping for a few hours and had gotten up to relieve her bladder thanks to the oversized gulps she’d taken along with her food cubes, then when she was walking back over to where Rammak was laying Javvin suddenly popped into view beside her.
“Baju!” she cursed, jumping a meter to the left as he startled her.
Rammak woke immediately, jumping to his feet at the sound of her voice. He came up a bit wobbly with his arms curled into punching position until he saw the Maverick, then he relaxed and walked over to Esna.
“Your mic is on again.”
“I didn’t know he was going to pop up in front of me,” she complained, knowing she’d made the same mistake again, but what would be the harm of him doing that a little farther away and just walking up into view like a normal person?
“If you have a tendency to yell unexpectedly, keep it off and only use comm channels,” the Protovic advised. “I’m not sensing any minds nearby, but that shout will carry far in this calm air.”
“Sorry,” Esna said, looking at this black and red faceplate in lieu of the glowing face that it hid. “Where have you been?”
“Making sure you weren’t seen and that no one was following.”
She glanced around. “Where’s your speeder?”
“What speeder?”
“How did you catch up with us?”
“I used the power augments in my armor,” he explained while glancing at Rammak. “Does she know nothing?”
“Very little, but she needed the armor to survive. I have been teaching her as we go while restricting some functions.”
“You’re worried about surveillance?”
“I wanted to make sure we could move underground without being tracked from above.”
“I’m not sure what they’re using, but I’ve seen only one ship. I doubt that’s all they have in play though. Your caution was wise, even if she doesn’t deserve to wear that.”
“You want me to take it off?” Esna asked a bit snarkily.
“No, I want you to learn how to use it properly,” Javvin replied in kind. “Now set your comm to minimal range so it won’t give you away, and lock out your mic. Select open cast to me and Rammak, then you can talk to us just the same without anyone else being able to hear you. Can you do that without his help?”
“Yeah, I can do it. Give me a sec.”
“You can have as many as you like. You’re on a rest period?” he asked the Commando.
“We were going stay another hour and a half before moving on. What do you wish us to do?”
“For now, stay here. I’ve been running nonstop and need a nap. After that we have to get you to our ship without tipping off its location. Without stealth armor that’s going to be difficult. I’ve signaled for my partner to catch up to us at your camp, so we’ll continue heading there and wait for him to arrive. Then we’ll see if they’re following us or not.”
“We set an automated comm at a previous camp to signal you 28 days from now.”
“Oh?”
“We didn’t want to be anywhere nearby when it went off, but we didn’t want you to think we weren’t here.”
“No chance of that happening. The Zen’zat are after something, so unless they gave up we wouldn’t. Plus we saw you in the memories of the people in the town you were attacked in. We were never going to leave without you.”
“I had hoped with knowledge of who I was you could have devised another message to coordinate a rendezvous without the V’kit’no’sat understanding.”
“I wish you’d set it sooner, because we could use the distraction. We’re not going to be waiting 28 days for them to jump us.”
“Are they concealed?”
“Not visually, but don’t expect your battlemap to pick them up save for extreme close range. They’re not hiding, but they’re here to hunt. The question is how many.”
“Where is their ship currently at?”
“600 miles southeast,” he said, pointing back at an angle from the way they’d come. “I don’t expect they’re there. A distraction of their own, but they can recall it easy enough if they spot you.”
“Can you call your ship?” Esna asked, this time over the comm channel.
“Yes, but we don’t want to have to fight their ship. If we took even a little damage we’d lose because they could track us.”
“Is it bigger?”
“No, it’s a little smaller. But it does has a level 2 Dre’mo’don cannon. Ours has a pair of level 1s. Do you know what a Dre’mo’don is?”
“It’s not one of the weapons he showed me, so no.”
“It’s more power hungry than the plasma weapons we have made an art out of building,” he said, holding up his right
arm sideways. The thick material on it suddenly shifted around as if it was alive and a nub formed just above his wrist. “This is a Dre’mo’don, variable yield, and allows me to deliver far more damage than plasma ever would.”
“Why don’t Commandos use those?”
“We do,” Rammak added, “in our bigger weapons.”
“These are meant for dueling,” Javvin explained. “I don’t have the luxury of putting a lot of shots into an opponent. I have to strike quickly and deliver a massive blow, because the capacitors will take a while to recharge if I overtap them. The plasma weapons are much more efficient, but they get their kill power from stream damage that you have to hold on target for a split second. Dre’mo’dons deliver a single orb allowing for more precision shots.”
Esna frowned and pulled her pistol off her pack, but Rammak grabbed her wrist in the process.
“I’m not going to shoot it,” she said, then he let go. “When I practiced with this it didn’t stream. Just one quick zap.”
“Quick to you because you’re a newb. That means a rookie.”
“He taught me that already.”
“To my eyes it’s a stream and would require me to stand still while firing. If I’m going to use a streamer, I’m going to get something more powerful than plasma. But the power requirements would make it a heavier weapon, and I have to move fast in stealth armor. Hence I have tiny Dre’mo’dons.”
“Makes sense…sort of. You can see faster than me?”
“Training holds many mysteries for the uninitiated.”
“He’s already started me training. Lots and lots of running, mostly.”
“Good,” Javvin said. “Show me.”
“What?”
Rammak took a step back and Javvin shifted to the side to face her squarely.
“Hit me. Or at least try.”
“Now?”
“I’ll sleep soon, but first I want to know how slow you really are.”
“Are you going to hit back?”
“No. If I touch you it’ll be a deflection only. You can’t beat me, so there’s no point in my hitting back. I want to see what you can do. Take your pack off first.”
“Alright,” Esna said, releasing it and her weapons rack and laying them down on the ground before stretching herself out a bit. “Can I lose the cloak?”
“Yes, though in your armor you should barely feel it.”
“What if someone is watching from the sky?”
“Then they saw you arrive here already. The armor will dampen long range scans, even if the white coloration clashes with the rocks. Now try and hit me.”
Esna blew out a breath and punched her palms, right first then left.
“Here goes,” she said, lunging forward and moving as quick as she could, hoping to catch him a little off guard.
Her fist went straight to his chest…and hit nothing but air.
She staggered forward, seeing him standing beside her but not having seen him move.
“What was that?”
“You have slow eyes. Try again.”
Esna spun back and tried an Archon punch, but her elbow never got close as he spun around and out of her strike zone. She twisted back and threw a straight knuckle punch for range sake, but had her wrist slapped away by his hand. Two more punches missed as he stayed put and dipped to the side leaving nothing but air for her to hit, then she tried to kick him in the leg, forcing him to step back at least.
“That’s the first smart thing you’ve done. A point for that. Keep going, don’t take breaks, and see if you can get lucky.”
Esna moaned angrily and swung at him again, expecting to miss and cutting it short so she didn’t off balance herself, then she threw several more rapid fire that he continued to dodge, but she didn’t let him stand still and mock her.
“Footwork,” Rammak reminded her.
As soon as he said it her movement improved. Short steps, the more the better and constantly adjusting for improved balance and readiness…but it still wasn’t enough.
Esna stopped and just looked at the dark armor of the Protovic, then she lunged again, this time much faster, and Javvin barely dodged, slapping her on the back of the head and tossing her off balance to the ground.
“Where did that come from?” he asked as she rolled to her feet, unhurt by the rocks thanks to her armor.
“I turned my armor on full.”
“You’ve been holding it down for training?” he asked as she attacked again.
“We have,” Rammak answered as Esna tore after him, whiffing with every attempt but putting a good effort into it until the Protovic jumped back several steps and got out of range, then held up his hand.
“Enough. You’re pathetic, but not completely helpless. You might stand a chance against the inhabitants of this planet on your own, but unfortunately they’re not the real threat hunting you.”
Esna stood still, breathing heavily, which both of the Star Forcers could hear over the comm though her outward appearance didn’t betray any fatigue.
“It takes time,” Javvin said, a bit more empathetic. “Time that you’ve not had. Focus on improving and leave the fighting to us if it happens.”
“What do you want me to do? Stand still and watch?”
“Do what we tell you the instant we tell you to do it. If we tell you to shoot, don’t hesitate. If we tell you to run, duck, or anything else you do it. Don’t think about why, just obey…or you’ll weaken us as we try to protect you.”
“Are they going to catch us before we get to your ship?”
“There’s no way of knowing what all they’ve got in play, and vice versa. If it happens, it will happen fast. Prepare your mind now so you can react then without having to think it through. Now, Rammak, if you don’t mind standing watch, I’ll borrow your cloak and get some air while I sleep.”
“How long do you need to sleep?” he asked, pulling the mass of cloth off his orange armor.
“Six hours will do, then I’ll ride with you assuming your speeder can handle the weight.”
“I’ve had time to assemble the best junk this planet has to offer,” Rammak said sarcastically. “It’ll hold the three of us and our supplies.”
“About that,” Javvin said as he walked over a ways and knelt down, then suddenly his pack revealed itself on the ground where he’d laid it before showing himself. He brought it back over and opened it up, pulling out a box that looked magically smooth to Esna’s eyes, inside of which was what she recognized as food cubes but a bit different than what she and Rammak had been eating. “How long has it been since you had real food?”
“I make my own with Star Force bioharvest equipment I’ve salvaged.”
“Good to hear, though you’re welcome to a few of these. I’ve got more than enough to last me until we get back to the ship. They’re density level 9.”
Rammak picked up one very blue cube in one hand while he took off his helmet with another, then he gently put the cube in his mouth and chewed slowly, over and over again, and Esna could tell he liked it.
“Better?”
“Yes,” Rammak said in between chomps. “Thank you.”
“What is it?” Esna asked.
“Warrior food,” the Protovic explained. “If you eat it you might get sick.”
“Why?”
“It’s very intense. If your stomach isn’t used to it…by the way,” Javvin said, turning back to Rammak. “How long has it been since you had any ambrosia?”
“Too long.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any Calavari with me.”
“I’ve learned to do without.”
“Lesson time?” Esna asked him, but it was Javvin that responded as Rammak continued chewing.
“It’s a special liquid that gives you a boost of energy in addition to a lot of other complicated things. I take a Protovic version and it makes me stronger and faster than normal, and your body gets used to it. So much so that if you stop taking it you have some trouble adjusting
. Think of it as super food.”
“You drink it?”
“It’s very intense.”
“Like the food cubes? What’s so special about intense food? Is it some measuring stick for how much pain you can tolerate?”
“No,” Rammak answered. “Not intense like that. It is compact in order to save space. Very dense with no unwanted material. Extremely potent. Ambrosia is even more so, and if someone overdoses it could possibly kill them.”
“Or make you wish you were dead,” Javvin added. “Over time your body adjusts and you can take more of it, so everyone is on their own doses. Those with low levels don’t drink it, they eat food with it in it because the liquid drop would be so small that it would be hard to measure,” he said, pulling out a small vial from his pack. “This is mine.”
Esna looked at it, but it was just a clear flask the size of her middle finger. Inside of it was a light red liquid that seemed to fight the light trying to pass through it.
“The color tells you which race it’s meant for. Light red is for Protovic. Deep red is for Humans and orange is for Calavari.”
“What about Bsidd?”
“Deep purple. Have you seen any on this world?”
“No. He just told me stories. I’ve never seen one.”
“One last lesson then,” Javvin said, producing a hologram in his palm of a bizarre alien that had no body. It looked like a bundle of sticks twisting into one another, part plant and part insect like Rammak had said…and he was right. She never would have guessed this based on his description.
“That’s a person?”
“They can kick your ass easily. Don’t underestimate what they can do with all those mandibles,” he said, making the image disappear a moment before his armor suddenly cracked apart all along his body and Javvin stepped out of it, casting a bright blue light on her, Rammak, and the shadows under the overhang. He wore a sleeveless shirt and pants that came down to just below his knees, both of which were colored black/red similar to his armor, but the rest of his body glowed save for some ornate patches of pure black that looked rough to the touch.
But the smell was as glaring as the light, which quickly diminished as Rammak gave him his robe and Javvin pulled it around himself, leaving only his face exposed. The scent was pleasant and offensive at the same time, and she realized it was the stench of alien sweat. Not like Calavari or anything else she’d encountered on this planet, but something new to her nose. He must have been inside that armor for a long time, hence the ‘air’ that he’d referenced getting.