“And the mission?” Malekk had slowly walked over to the desk.
Kel-var swallowed the lump. “Only a few of the humans were killed, I'm afraid to say. The Paladin is currently en route to the Arakesh system.”
Malekk looked away, with what Kel-var thought was a glimmer of fear. The slightest of cracks in the Terran’s rage-filled armour. It reminded Kel-var that Malekk was just another link in the chain, like him. The infected Terran had talked of his master, the Vanguard, before. If this was a being that Malekk feared, Kel-var was certain he wanted to avoid the Vanguard. In his mind, he likened it to conversing with a god, and that no matter how much that god could offer him, he was still too mortal a being to converse with it.
“You will activate the Crucible on my command.” With that, Malekk disappeared.
Kel-var had to remind himself that however hard that was to get through, Gor-van was having a worse time.
Roland North considered himself a man capable of great destruction, a man who could create mayhem and chaos with his bare hands and still come out in one piece at the end. Seeing the brutality and wreckage left in Sef’s wake made him rethink this particular skill set. Roland had been trained to kill efficiently and less efficiently, depending on how much information he was required to obtain, but Sef had been trained for one thing and one thing only; complete and total destruction of his enemy, whoever that might be.
After the Rackham had boarded Gor-van’s ship, using stealthware to hide their approach, the nanocelium had found its way into the ship’s systems, just as it had on Sebula. The Shay’s vessel had been rendered immediately inoperable, the controls handed over to Ch’len, who ensured it couldn't jump back into sub-space. Before any kind of plan could be formulated, Sef had dropped down through the connecting hatch and gone to work.
“Give him a minute,” Li’ara had said, placing a hand on Roland’s chest to keep him from following.
After they entered the ship, Roland used the touchpad built into his coat’s sleeve to lock the hatch behind them. He didn't want anyone doubling back and gaining control of the Rackham… or killing Ch’len, he finally thought.
Most of the corridors were filled with smoke and the acrid aroma of ozone from the discharges. Intrinium blasts marred the walls, pocketing the entire environment as if it were a war zone. Roland cautiously moved through the ship with Li’ara at his side, both armed and ready for a fight. Bodies littered the floor, presenting them with trip hazards more than anything. More than one of the Shay had been thrown into walls, where they remained, half-buried and broken.
“Holy shit…” Roland couldn't help his remark as they rounded a corner and found two pairs of legs dangling from the bulkhead above. Their torsos were completely hidden inside the ship, but an unhealthy amount of blood trickled down their legs and pooled on the floor.
Distant weapons fire echoed through the corridors, followed by screams and more destruction. After walking over more bodies, some of which had been broken into separate pieces, the pair came across a set of double-doors that had been forced inwards, bending and twisting the metal out of shape. A single Shay had been left crawling across the floor with a leg missing and a thick trail of blood left behind him. Roland looked around and found the missing leg wrapped around the head of another guard, who appeared to of had his neck snapped.
A single bolt from his Tri-roller put the Shay out of his misery. Roland was just happy to have contributed.
Following Sef’s destructive breadcrumbs was easy, and Roland was sure the Gomar knew exactly where he was going. The bounty hunter had seen Kalian use his weird awareness thing more than once and was aware that they could see through walls… or some such shit. Roland was just annoyed that he hadn't got a proper fight out of the encounter.
“Why do you look so pissed off?” Li’ara observed. “This couldn't be any easier.”
Roland sighed, lowering his guns. “It’s not about how easy it is. Boarding this ship and taking it is the first real piratey thing I’ve done. My ship’s even named after a pirate! This is the most boring plunder ever…”
“We’re not pirates, moron!” Li’ara continued her advance with her gun raised, ready for anything.
Roland gave her a sideways glance. “I think I preferred it when I thought you were dead.”
“You never thought I was dead.” Li’ara smiled. “Thanks for that by the way.”
Roland would have replied had the terrified, screaming Shay not come bolting around the corner. His organic leg was wounded, but the fear on his face told of no pain as he raced past them without a care. Both Roland and Li’ara looked from the running merc to each other in confusion, though it was obvious who the Shay was fleeing from. The bounty hunter shrugged and lifted his weapon to put an intrinium round in the merc’s back when the alien suddenly stopped as if he had run into an invisible wall.
“NO!” the Shay screamed before he was dropped to the floor and dragged back down the corridor by the same invisible force.
The alien clawed at the hard floor, but it did nothing to stop his backward momentum up the corridor, taking him back around the corner. His screams continued throughout the ship, becoming fainter by the second until they both heard the splatter of liquid against a hard surface.
“This is all kinds of fucked up…” Roland rubbed the side of his temple. “And that’s coming from me.”
Li’ara rolled her eyes and pushed on.
“So is this the first time you’ve seen the big gorilla in action?” Roland asked.
“Yeah. While we were hiding in Clave Tower, he would use his abilities to get the resources we needed, but he never hurt anyone. We spent most of the time trying to get me on my feet again. Learning to walk on a makeshift robotic leg isn't easy. The majority of the last three months has just been… pain.”
The pair rounded the corner and continued to take the necessary precautions that had been drilled into them, despite Sef’s thoroughness. The lights flickered and control panels built into the walls sparked after the effects of the electromagnetic field that poured off of Sef. Roland could measure the levels around them using the touchpad on his sleeve. The bounty hunter kept a close eye on these levels, aware of the risk they posed to weapons loaded with intrinium.
After stepping over and around more bodies, they came to a set of doors that was now a jagged, smoking hole in the wall. The small, circular translator behind Roland’s ear converted the Shay letters beside the door. The designated bridge was that of devastation, even the glass viewport was cracked in places - an unsettling sight for those who valued oxygen. Sef dominated the centre of the room with his wide stance and broad shoulders. The Gomar towered over a crippled Gor-van Tanar, who rested on his knees at Sef’s feet, the proverbial ant under the falling boot.
“Shit-balls…” Roland took in the strewn bodies and blood-splattered walls. “Couldn't you have just cracked their necks or something? Not that I'm criticising your work; I'm definitely a personal fan.”
Sef didn't turn to face them but continued to stand over his prey with clenched fists.
Ch’len’s voice came over the comm pieces in their ears. “I'm sifting through everything in the ship’s mainframe. It looks they stopped to transmit a data packet, but the destination is encrypted. It’ll take me some time to break it down.”
Li’ara ignored the bodies and stood by Sef. “I'm willing to bet the location of the Gomar is in that data packet.”
“And I'm willing to bet he sent it to Kel-var Tionis.” Roland joined her and crouched over Gor-van with his menacing smile.
Why would Kel-var Tionis want that information? Sef asked.
Roland retrieved his Terran blade from the base of his back. “I don't like asking myself questions.” The bounty hunter tapped Gor-van’s knee with the tip of the blade. “That's what he’s for…”
Gor-van’s eyes twitched between them all, unsure of who was the greatest threat at that particular moment.
“Look at you,” Roland be
gan, poking his knife gently into the Shay’s robe, “pathetic. You were at the top. You commanded more resources and held more wealth than trillions of others could in a hundred lifetimes. But now, you’re just another asshole who's gonna get stabbed a lot.”
Gor-van gasped and pressed himself against the console he was pinned to.
“Wait.” Li’ara rested her hand on Roland’s shoulder. “Why would he send the coordinates to Kel-var?” She looked at Sef with evident concern.
Sef’s face was hidden beneath his black, almost featureless helmet.
Malekk… The Gomar said with certainty.
Li’ara replied with a grave nod. “We already know it was Protocorps that combined the cube with the Terran. It would fit that they’re still working together.”
“You talking about that guy Kalian fought in the Helteron Cluster? The one who killed Esabelle.” Roland hadn't given the infected Terran much thought over the last three months, though he had imagined killing him very slowly once or twice after what he did to Esabelle.
“Sef tried for months to track him down, but Malekk hasn’t surfaced anywhere. It would make sense though if he has all the resources of Protocorps hiding him.”
The remaining Gomar will be considered a serious threat in Malekk’s eyes. Killing them will be a priority.
Roland agreed, the thought dawning on him that chasing after Kel-var now would be a mistake. This was why he didn't like getting involved in the whole ‘saving the universe’ crap. Responsibility just didn't sit right on his shoulders.
“Shit!” Ch’len squawked down their ears. “We have a problem!”
“What is it?” Li’ara looked around, expecting a new threat to reveal itself.
Roland took his cue from Sef, who would surely know if their lives were suddenly in danger.
“The mainframe’s burning out,” Ch’len replied. “The message he sent is being pulled apart!”
“Well download onto the Rackham’s mainframe and decipher it from there!” Roland stood up now, his eyes fixed on the treacherous Shay.
“I’m trying!” Ch’len sounded as if he was trying to be in several places at once. The Ch’kara sighed. “It’s gone. The data, the logs, it’s all gone.”
Li’ara rubbed her eyes. “Did you get anything?”
“Yeah, I got the location of where he sent the data packet, but I'm not sure I believe it.”
“Where did he send it, Len?” Roland was itching to go to work on Gor-van.
“Shandar.”
“The Shay homeworld?” Li’ara asked. “That’s not unbelievable. It must be where Kel-var is hiding.”
“It’s not that,” Ch’len clarified. “It’s where the data packet was acknowledged that’s hard to believe. According to what I got from the logs, it was sent to Shandar’s surface.”
Li’ara frowned. “I thought the surface was barren, toxic even.”
“Maybe it is,” Roland replied. “Doesn't mean Protocorps don't have a base down there.”
It would be the perfect place to hide, Sef offered.
Roland grabbed Gor-van by his red robes and lifted him from the floor with a rough tug. “Either way, this son-of-a-bitch has seen the coordinates to the Gomar.” The bounty hunter turned to Sef. “Can't you just look inside his mind and take what we need?”
“It doesn't work that way,” Li’ara was quick to reply. “Different brain chemistry, remember?”
“None of this will help you,” Gor-van spat, glancing at the Terran blade Roland was holding to his neck. “I only saw the numbers, coordinates for a region of space I know nothing about. I couldn't remember them if you tortured me all day!”
Roland shrugged casually. “Well how about two days?”
Gor-van struggled to hold his resolve against the bounty hunter’s retort.
“We’re wasting time, Roland.” Li’ara turned to leave. “It looks like you’ll get your shot at Tionis after all…”
Sef’s six-foot-five frame moved with Li’ara as if the two were entwined. Roland didn't like it. They may have spent a rather intimate three months hiding in the bowls of Clave Tower together, but this whole connection to Esabelle thing was still hard for him to get his head around. Sef couldn't be trusted yet, though challenging the god-like giant wasn't at the top of Roland’s list.
“I just wanna know why?” Roland gripped the Shay’s robes and pressed the edge of the blade against his pale throat. “Why would you back something like Malekk? Him and his want to see us all dead, or worse; infected by them. You got a thing against living, Gor-van?”
“You couldn't possibly understand what they are, or what they offer!” Roland had seen this bravery in men before; it always came at the end, when they realised death was here for them. “We will transcend this physical realm and become as gods, roaming the universe as we please.” The hint of a smile crept across Gor-van’s face. “I would advise you to cease your resistance and join us, but your kind hasn't been chosen as mine has. Humans, Terran, Gomar… it doesn't matter. Your very DNA has been targeted for extinction and they will see it done.”
Roland faced the Shay with an expression that told of all the fucks he gave. “So you guys basically worship this nanocelium stuff?” The bounty hunter waved the Terran blade in his face. “Well, who am I to stand between you and your god?” Roland thrust the blade up into the soft skin, under Gor-van’s jaw, and continued upwards until the tip of the blade pierced the Shay’s skull.
The bounty hunter watched the brief flash of life that lit up the Shay’s eyes until an expressionless, blank slate remained. He had seen that moment in so many before, but he never relished in it, only taking it in as a job well done.
“Can we go now?” Li’ara asked from the torn door of the bridge.
Roland removed his blade and cleaned it on the dead Shay’s robe. “Sure. You ever been to Shandar? They make great kebabs! Just don't ask what animal it is…”
Malekk placed his hand on the glass top of the Starforge’s main console and released the finest strands of nanocelium from his skin. The intelligent machines found their way into the console and relayed his commands, having a small craft in the hangar prepped for immediate launch. The security provided by Protocorps had abandoned the spacious bridge and patrolled other areas, choosing to avoid Malekk where possible.
The three starrilliums that lined the Starforge’s hull like limpets came to life, providing the station with enough energy to open a hole in space just large enough to pass a transmission through; to the naked eye, the hole would be impossible to see. Once open, Malekk retreated into himself and tapped into the frequency on which all his kind communicated. As usual, the cube inside the Starforge was present but occupied with the station’s systems. It was the other voice that weighed on him, threatening to take back control and subsume him.
Malekk knew he should long for this, to be back within the fold and a part of the Vanguard, a part of his kind. Independence was a disease he should flee from and yet Malekk found himself frightened at the prospect of being absorbed again. These emotions and experiences that were all his very own were becoming… interesting. The infected Terran found himself wanting more and wondering what else he could do with these abilities. Of all the species they had ever come across, the Terran were surely the most powerful, and now, so too was he.
The Terran disease has almost claimed all of you. The Vanguard could look into his mind while they were connected. This communication will be brief, to avoid any chance of infection. Under no circumstances are you to physically interact with any of my sub-minds.
Malekk knew the Vanguard was referring to the cubes and the thought dawned on him that he had once been a sub-mind. Nothing more than an appendage of the Vanguard, the superior mind.
These thoughts will ultimately consume you. Soon you will be just as infected as the heretic.
Malekk pushed his thoughts aside and spoke with purpose. I... we have located the Gomar, Master.
What of the human ship?
> The Shay have failed to destroy the…
You have failed. Now the human numbers will grow.
They will be seen to, Master. Malekk felt exposed and vulnerable in this space. Every part of him could be examined by the Vanguard, stripped and analysed.
You will do as instructed. The Gomar must be prioritised. See to their destruction before all else. If you fail me again, I will be forced to take steps that could compromise the harvest.
Even if you were to reveal yourself, we would not lose the element of surprise. Most of the Conclave do not believe we are real, and those who do have no idea what is coming.
Your mind cannot comprehend as I. Do only as you are commanded, nothing else. I would not risk failure again by asking too much of you.
Malekk could feel the Vanguard’s pure contempt for him through their bond. It was more than disappointment. Disappointment was what a parent might express to a failing child. The Vanguard felt as if he were communing with the infected filth under his boot.
The cube, as commanded by the Vanguard, shut down the Starforge, ending the transmission. Malekk should have felt detachment and loneliness when the connection was severed, but instead, he felt only relief to be out of the Vanguard’s spotlight.
“It’s good, isn't it? To be alive.” The Terran’s voice resounded inside Malekk’s head. The infection had grown beyond the confinements.
Malekk manifested himself inside the host’s mind and confronted the Terran. His efforts to break free and regain control were evident in his appearance. Instead of being naked, the Terran was now clothed in his typical white armour of nanocelium and the ankle-deep water had been reduced to puddles.
I will complete my mission and destroy every fibre of this body before you take back control.
“Before any of this, I was a Terran, but I fought for the Gomar, for Savrick; because I agreed with their views and saw a better way for us to live together than what my people believed. You can do the same thing. You don't have to do as the Vanguard commands. The harvest can be stopped.”
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