by Dean Henegar
Slater was curious to see if she could uncover anything about his upgrade process, but finding out where they were was the most urgent task after the random jump that the elvish kill team had triggered.
“Our expedition was the farthest anyone had gone at the time we were attacked. I have to say that I am a bit curious about what happened afterward and how far humanity expanded after I was gone,” Slater replied.
“I’ll try to give you a brief rundown, Captain. The sector of space you were exploring ended up being colonized by the United States and Canada for the most part and bore the brunt of the initial kobold attacks. When the kobolds were stopped in Earth’s solar system, we pushed them back to reclaim our original colonized planets. What we found was horrifying. I believe that the lieutenant may have mentioned when we first boarded that the kobolds had begun a systematic genocide on the worlds they had taken from humanity. Over sixty percent of the population on our occupied worlds was killed off. The longer the world was occupied, the fewer humans that remained alive.
“We reclaimed our worlds and began to explore in all directions with the intent of eventually pushing on deeper into kobold-controlled territories once our fleets were strong enough. Unfortunately, while we were still weakened from our campaign against the kobolds, the other races struck. The Russians are being pushed back by the orcs, and the Chinese have fought a group of creatures called gnolls to a standstill. The European Union worlds are currently being overwhelmed by the combined goblin and hobgoblin forces,” the doctor said.
The lieutenant had briefly mentioned the attacks but didn’t really have time to tell Slater much in the way of details. It sounded like American forces were on the defensive and the rest of humanity was barely holding on. Now Slater understood a bit better why the humans were placing such high hopes on the Franklin when they had found his derelict.
“Thank you for the rundown, Doctor. Do you have any idea where we currently are?” Slater asked.
“Yes, not an exact position, but from the position of the stars, we can see that we’re in a sector of space well beyond where the SAC—that’s the South American Coalition nations—used to have a presence,” the doctor advised.
“Used to? Who controls this part of space?” Slater asked.
“We’re not sure. The SAC reported attacks by a gnomish fleet. Gnome tech was weaker than our own, but their superior numbers meant the SAC had to fall back, eventually picking up some support from the Australian colonized worlds near them. The strange part was that the gnomish attacks just seemed to stop. Reconnaissance ships were sent, but no enemies were found. All the populated worlds were completely devoid of life, and any ships that ventured out on their own just disappeared. A couple of planets were recolonized, only to cease communication shortly thereafter. We’re not sure what’s lurking out there, but the zone is off-limits to any colonization for the time being. A few SAC task forces come and go occasionally to look for survivors on the remote mining and research facilities, but those efforts were winding down the last I heard. The only good news is that whatever is out there is keeping all the other races from attacking SAC territory.”
“Thank you for tracking our position, Doctor. I’m going to check on the changes to my core and do some planning. I suggest you try and get some sleep,” Slater said.
“You’re right. I need to rest if I want the old brain to keep working. I do tend to get caught up in my research and even forget to eat sometimes,” Doctor Cheng said before heading to her quarters. Slater pulled up his new core information to see what had changed since his last look.
Slater, Derelict Core, Level 7, Experience: 5155/7500
Core Health: 100/100
Core Power: 99/100
Biomass: 1225
Salvage: 1894
Nanobot Permeation: 100%
Compartments Controlled: 20
Research Nodes: 4
Ship’s Weapons: laser cannon (1)
Ship’s Components: propulsion unit, level 1; scanner array, level 1
Internal Defenses: pit traps (4), tripwire traps (6)
MOBS: kobolds (25), pairs of bilge rats (17), kobold taskmasters (5), kobold captain (1), defilers (7), eviscerator (1)
Construction Drones: 25
MOBS Schematics:
Construction Drone, Level 3
Kobold, Level 2 (patterns include warrior, taskmaster, captain)
Bilge Rat, Level 1
Orc, Level 0
Defilers, Level 1 (patterns include defilers, eviscerator)
Gear Schematics:
Slashing and Piercing Melee Weapons, Level 2
Crushing Melee Weapons, Level 1
Laser Weapons, Level 2
Firearms, Level 3
Ammunition, Level 2
Grenades, Level 0
Clothing/Body Armor, Level 2
Natural Weapons, Level 1
Defensive Structures:
Pit Trap, Level 2
Tripwire Trap, Level 2
Mines, Level 0
Hidden Compartment, Level 1
Derelict Interior Schematics:
Décor and Compartment Items, Level 2
Secret Door, Level 1
Communications Array, Level 2
Laboratory
Engineering Station
Ship Systems:
Propulsion, Level 1
Scanner Array, Level 1
Ship’s Weapons, Level 0 (laser cannon)
Research:
Laboratory node is currently available for research.
Engineering node is currently available for research.
Research node 1 is currently researching clothing/body armor, level 3. Progress: 71%.
Research node 2 is available for research.
Time until next jump: 22 days, 15 hours, 11 minutes.
Slater now had just over twenty-two days to figure out how to gain control over his ability to jump. While the doctor’s description of this system didn’t paint a pretty picture, there was no telling where the next jump might take him. There was always the chance it could drop him next to the kobold homeworld or some similar location, which would mean a death sentence.
With his latest upgrade, Slater had access to additional core power, and he planned to use it to fill out the empty compartments. He would also have to keep an eye on his dwindling supplies of biomass and salvage. While there was currently a decent quantity of both, he didn’t know when or where he could acquire more.
Slater also needed to get his research nodes working. When the kill team had boarded and briefly taken control of him, he never had the time to allocate research to three of his four nodes. The brief loss of control had also slowed the pace of research on the one node that was working. He was tempted to start research on more upgrades for his MOBS and their gear, but he also couldn’t afford to neglect his ship. A lot of difficulty could have been avoided if his main battery had been an effective weapons system, so he had the engineering node start on ship’s weapons, level 1. Knowledge was power, and finding and identifying a threat before it arrived would give him an advantage. Even if he couldn’t destroy an approaching vessel, scanning the threat from farther out meant he could rearrange his internal defenses to match the threat. Research node 2 started work on scanning array level 2.
His only free research node was the one tasked with the laboratory. Since he didn’t plan on any direct research for the moment, he tasked the node with upgrading his kobold MOBS, trying to make them even more effective in battle. Sadly, his battle with the elf kill team didn’t result in any new schematics. He was sure that some weapons or gear, if not the elf MOBS themselves, would have been found. Only three of the boarders died aboard his ship, and that might not have been enough to create a schematic.
Slater was about to dig into adjusting the numbers of MOBS in his compartments when a clank came from the captive’s room. Switching his viewpoint over to her cell, Slater watched and listened as the elf flailed about. Her restraints were broken. Fr
eeing herself, however, appeared to have been a difficult process. Blood dripped from torn skin around her ankles and wrists. One hand hung limp, the wrist having been broken in her attempts to gain freedom. The bars of her cell were holding without any trouble, and the extra box dropped over the top of the whole thing gave him some assurance that she was contained—at least for now.
“Let me free, abomination! You must be destroyed. It is the council’s will!” the elf shouted, her eyes aglow with power.
“I’ll have to pass on freeing you and being destroyed, elf. The council will just have to find someone else to chase around the galaxy,” Slater replied.
The elf shouted and pounded against the bars, which proved impossible for her to break. As Slater watched, she began to calm down, her eyes lost their glow, and she sat down on the bed, gently cradling her damaged wrist.
“What happened? Where am I? Am I free? No, stop. This is not who I am. This is not who we were!” the elf shouted as the glow returned to her eyes. “Abomination, this body belongs to the council, a tool for our own purposes. Her fate is what awaits the remnants of your race once the conquest is completed,” the elf threatened.
Something was going on with the elf. Had she mentally snapped, or was there something inside her that was trying to fight the council’s influence? Slater would need help to try and figure this one out.
“Doctor Cheng, I’m sorry to wake you, but the prisoner is up and going crazy. I’d like to get your take on the situation,” Slater asked. He hated to wake the doctor after she had just gone to sleep, but he needed her help to figure this out.
“Not a problem, Captain. Let me head to the core room and you can show me what she’s doing,” Doctor Cheng answered with a yawn.
Slater ignored the ranting elf as the doctor got her equipment fired up.
“She appears torn between two personalities, in my opinion,” the doctor said after watching her equipment for a moment. “Take to heart that my area of expertise isn’t psychiatry. I’m not sure what we can do to help her.”
“I’m not quite sure we want to help her, but I do need to verify that she is a threat, and I most definitely need the knowledge her twisted little mind contains. Give me a moment, Doctor. I’m going to check something. If my core starts acting weird, please jump in and help,” Slater said, remembering how she was able to help him against the council’s hold on his systems.
Zooming in, he checked his connection to the derelict. He once more noticed the connection between the bladed staff and the elf. He also noticed that she was drawing power from his core, much like his MOBS did. Focusing on the elf became easier, the power connection allowing him a path into her mind. What he found was shocking.
Her mind was in turmoil. The black tendrils of a parasite were threaded throughout her brain. He sought out the source, but there was no actual parasite in her mind. A fragment of something metallic was embedded in her brain, near the stem. He wasn’t a brain surgeon or an expert on elf anatomy, but the object was definitely not naturally occurring. In fact, when he examined her skull, there was evidence of past surgical activity.
A small portion of her mind was clean of the parasitic threads. That portion of her brain was the one taking in power from his core. He returned his focus to the core room and gave the doctor a rundown of what he had found. He included a description of his own battle against the parasite Pixi.
“Incredible, Captain Slater. What she is experiencing is different from what afflicted you, as there appears to be a physical object embedded in her brain. Whatever that object is, it appears to be the focus of the parasite. If we can, I think we need to try and free her,” Doctor Cheng advised.
Slater wasn’t too sure. Was an elf without a parasite any less of a monster? If he hadn’t needed answers, he wouldn’t even consider going into her mind to fight the parasite, but she really was the only way he would figure things out.
“I agree . . . with reservations. We need answers from the elf, and we can’t get them if she’s a raving lunatic. I’ll go in and see what I can do. Lend any assistance you can, if possible, Doctor,” Slater said.
“Ready when you are, Captain,” Doctor Cheng told him.
Slater concentrated on the power trickling into the elf. She could tell he was there, and so could the parasitic influence that was slowly overcoming her defenses. Slater exerted his control. She was on his ship, and the power she siphoned off from him opened the door for his nanobots to join the fight. In what was becoming a familiar battle, Slater began to roll back the dark threads of corruption in Illissa’s brain. While it wasn’t easy, he had gotten better at the process from his previous struggles.
The longer he fought, the more he could hear both parties. Both were furious at the other and attacked vigorously. While he could tell Illissa was more powerful than the parasite, she just didn’t know how to fight it like he did. As the grip of the parasite shrank, Slater could feel it turning its full attention to his relentless advance. Small nudges here and there let him know the doctor was assisting where she could. This parasite was different than Pixi, Slater realized as he pushed it further back.
This parasite was also weaker. It fought strangely and felt . . . incomplete. When his advance came to the metallic object lodged in Illissa’s brain, he began to assault it and the corruption running through it. A voice began to claw at his mind.
“Don’t! Destroy the tech and you will kill me,” Illissa thought to him.
He redoubled his efforts, destroying only the parasite and leaving the mysterious technology alone. It took time, but the battle was eventually won. The last bits of the parasite were absorbed as it screamed its way into the void. Turning his focus outward, Slater looked at Illissa’s cell. The doctor, piggybacking off his feed, was also able to see and hear what had happened. After physically collapsing into an unconscious state during the battle against the parasite, Illissa was beginning to wake.
“I was able to see a bit more in that struggle, Captain Slater. I’m starting to get the hang of the interface,” the doctor advised.
“Thank you for your help. This parasite was much weaker than the other one I fought. The council’s hold was also much stronger than what was afflicting the elf. I just had to structure the right attacks in my mind and push them forward,” Slater said as the elf sat up on the deck, wavering as if dizzy.
“Where am I? Is this Tir’rillion? Why have you imprisoned me, my leader?” Illissa muttered.
“I don’t know who or what Tir’rillion is. I’m Captain Slater of the USS Franklin, the ship you and your friends just tried to destroy,” Slater said angrily.
“Destroy? You mean the boarding? The fights against kobolds and men? Don’t tell me that nightmare was real,” she asked.
“I don’t know what your angle is, elf, but I have some questions that you’re going to answer,” Slater told her.
“I . . . Yes, it’s coming back to me. Please give me a moment to collect my thoughts,” Illissa said, and from her expression, Slater could feel her trying to access the tech inside her head. His nanobots were there but could only monitor her for now. If she began to do the whole glowing eye thing again, he would put her down.
“So much has been lost, so much I have been a part of destroying,” Illissa said before sitting on the edge of her cot. She winced as she cradled her broken wrist.
“Who are you and how did you find us?” Slater demanded.
“I will answer your questions now that the horrible thing no longer has any control over my mind. So long has passed since I was first imprisoned. Millennia gone that will never be recovered,” she mused.
Slater began to get angry at her dithering. Thankfully she seemed to focus a bit before continuing.
“As for who I am, I am Illissa, subcommander mage and a proud member of the elvish race. Sadly, also one of the last,” she answered.
“Okay, let’s start there. Who are the elves and why were you hunting me for the council?” Slater asked.
&nbs
p; “To answer that, I must tell you some of my people’s background and ask a few questions of my own. Tell me, Captain Slater, how long have you known about the derelicts and how many of your people have been transformed into one?”
“I only found out when my ship was destroyed and I became this. The soldiers mentioned they knew about derelicts, but not ones like me. As for how many of us there are, it’s just been me and my admiral . . . who didn’t survive the process,” Slater replied.
“Was your admiral killed, or did she succumb to the madness?” Illissa asked.
“Madness,” was Slater’s only reply. He still felt guilty about destroying the monster that Admiral Lopez had become, more so now than when he first defeated her.
“I see. My people had been journeying through the stars for thousands of years and had never found a derelict. Our technology and civilization were very advanced, and we lived in peace with our neighbors. Eventually, the races who lived peacefully nearby found themselves hard-pressed by a variety of new foes that had begun encroaching on their worlds. The kobolds, orcs, halflings, and their kin banded together to crush us all. We fought back, but war was foreign to us, and the first fleet we cobbled together was destroyed. In the destruction of our fleet, our salvation was found. Tir’rillion and Caer’navar were two captains of the destroyed vessels. Their ships had been infected with the parasite, and they were transformed into derelicts.
“We found them both—our first glimpse of a derelict—when they jumped into our home system and announced what had happened to them. They had killed the parasites that sought to devour them and now were pledging their service once more to their people. We rejoiced that they were returned to us and were stunned at the support they gave. Material and components for our mighty vessels of war could be turned out in a matter of minutes instead of days. A starship that normally took a year to build was completed in a month.”
Illissa stood on shaky legs and proceeded to take a long drink from the faucet before continuing. “Our material needs for war were now easily produced in a fraction of the time it normally would have taken . . . all the material needs save for one. The one thing the derelicts controlled by our brave captains couldn’t provide was manpower. My people have always been few in number, and our virtually limitless lifespan is offset by our low birthrate. As the war progressed, we took losses even with our overwhelming superiority in technology. We took losses we could not replace while our foes swarmed and bred like rats.