《Desolate Stars》


 1 - All Alone

    ¡°Kik, hide. We believe in you.¡± Those were the last words his father told him that day.


    As he hid in his bed in the ventilation system, not daring to move, his father, Garet, bled out on the deck beneath him.


    Garet had been shot several times with a small-calibre high-velocity slug thrower, blasting out holes in his suit and allowing blood to leak onto the ship¡¯s grating. The pistol he had been holding for self-defence had been taken by the invaders with his other personal effects, and along with it any chance of Kik getting revenge on the armed attackers.


    The pirates that had shot his father had already moved past the body blocking the intersection. They were now either crowding into the small one-person bridge where his mother, Hala, had been piloting just a few minutes ago, or were out in the void, ferrying crates full of cargo back to their ship. Kik blotted out the muffled cries from outside his suit¡¯s helmet and tried to think about how the pirates could have found them, simply to distract himself from the horror before his eyes and ears.


    Their ship, a refitted nebula traveller, had been refuelling from ambient gases for their next system jump when the pirates had jumped on them. Kik had been asleep until weapon impacts had jolted him awake and his parents had yelled at him to stay there, so he didn¡¯t know what kind of ship they had or where they had come from. However, to have been found in a deserted system in a nebula was less than a billion to one, especially since they had already been refuelling for a few hours without incident. No, the pirates had known where they were going to be.


    Their middleman was trustworthy, an old friend of his mother¡¯s. In that case, the information leak had to have been on their client¡¯s side. Kik knew his name was Erstine, but he had never met him before as his parents always left Kik behind for dealings with him.


    The deal this time was simple. They were to cross six star systems, then ¡®accidentally¡¯ leave their cargo, twelve mysterious crates, in a specific berth in the spaceport, which was to have been kept clear for them.


    More importantly, their route had been pre-planned. Nebula travellers were unlike other ships since they were designed to be able to travel without stopping, able to refuel by taking in hydrogen and dark matter from nebulae and cosmic radiation from stars. This made them perfect for long-distance, off-the-books deliveries. However, it also meant that they could easily go missing along the way and they would be very hard to recover, as if they were sent adrift in an unknown system they could be lost nearly forever.


    This meant that somebody who had access to their route had betrayed them. Obviously their travel records at ports were falsified. The betrayal had to have come from Erstine, or someone close to him.


    Kik was thrust from his reverie by three pirates walking past him towards the back of the ship. They were all wearing black void suits, painted with markings of red and white, images of bestial skulls marking their suits and helmets. More sinister were the faint splatters of blood staining the black, some old and some new. One of them directed a kick at Garet as they walked by, eliciting another small spill of blood on the floor.


    Unfortunately, Kik couldn¡¯t hear their conversation as their suits were sealed on the off chance of decompression. However, they were obviously communicating with each other, as he could see them gesturing. The three pirates split up here. One made his way along the branch to the port of the ship, while the two others went to starboard.


    Kik could hear clanging and gunshots from the aft, when suddenly the lights flickered momentarily. It seemed that the pirates were enjoying destroying the ship¡¯s delicate machinery. However, he didn¡¯t dare move from his sleeping space until all of the pirates had left the ship. He didn¡¯t make a sound in case there were still more pirates in the bridge.


    A few minutes later and a fourth black-suited pirate walked back from the direction of the bridge, proving his fears correct. She seemed to glance at Kik¡¯s hiding place as he passed, but didn¡¯t break stride as she walked down the starboard-heading corridor back to the airlock. A few minutes later, the gunshots and clanging from aft came to a halt and the ship shook as the pirates disengaged their ship, having finished what they came for.


    Kik pulled aside the grating and jumped down to the deck. He barely felt the impact due to the low gravity he was acting in. He rushed over to his father and quickly checked his condition.


    The four shots in his body were scattered. One was in his left arm, another in his right shoulder, and the final two were in the centre of his belly. Some dark fluid other than blood was leaking out of the holes in his suit, so it must have hit something vital. Kik tried to pinch the holes shut, but they were too wide and he achieved nothing but covering his gloves in blood.


    His father was unconscious, probably from combined shock and blood loss. Kik couldn¡¯t do anything more to stop the bleeding without some sort of tool. He couldn¡¯t even take the suit off properly right now without making it worse. He lay Garet in a resting position and dashed off to check on his mother.


    Hala was lying across the pilot chair and controls on the bridge. There was some blood splashed on the viewscreen, which showed the red gas of the nebula scattered with a few stars. The pirate ship wasn¡¯t visible against the backdrop. Kik pulled her off the chair and lay her on her back in the corridor outside the bridge.


    She had taken two stab wounds, one each to the chest and midriff. The bleeding was pooling inside her suit, so the severity was hard to tell. She also had a bleeding mark on her head. She seemed to be unconscious, perhaps from the head trauma.


    Her spacesuit had been slashed along with the bodysuit beneath it. The holes revealed patches of paler than usual skin traced with faint trails of blood. It seemed the pirates had enjoyed cutting her suit apart. She would survive barely a minute in decompression.


    Kik pulled apart the remaining scraps of suit to reveal her wounds. The first stab was above her right breast and had probably punctured her lungs, as there was traces of bloody froth on her lips beneath her helmet. The other stab was just beneath the bottom of her ribcage. It was bleeding but the flow wasn¡¯t pulsing, so it must have missed her heart.


    Kik¡¯s head swam from shock and adrenaline. He stumbled away from his mother and opened his own helmet before throwing up on the floor. However, he couldn¡¯t allow himself any more time to rest. He needed to find a medical kit and seal their wounds, as quickly as possible.


    Wracking his brains, he realised there must be one in the storage room. Running back to the intersection beneath his sleeping spot, he skirted his father¡¯s body. He went down the corridor to starboard, where the storage room was located.


    He was not in luck.


    Inside the room, the originally untidy junk was in shambles. The piles of batteries, equipment and spare parts were scattered across the floor. Some had been crushed beneath boots, others had been shot, while others seemed to have been set alight. It would take far too long to find anything in this mess, but he tried anyway.


    Half a minute later he looked near the door and froze. Laying against the doorframe were three things. First was a set of ration packs that he could feed to spacesuits. Second was some kind of pistol. Third was a black box with a red cross on the top.


    He didn¡¯t believe that this was coincidence. These had been specifically placed there for him to find. In fact, they seemed so obvious that the pirates must have seen them. However, Kik didn¡¯t have the luxury of choice. He grabbed all three items and ran back along the corridor, hugging them to his chest.


    He went to his father first. His injuries were the most severe. Dropping everything on the ground, he snapped open the clasps of the black box and looked inside. On the top was a small instruction set which he ignored for the moment.


    Inside was a roll of bandages, some fine surgical tools such as a scalpel and tweezers, and several needles containing fluid marked with different symbols.


    He compared the symbols with the lid to find out the contents.


    Adrenaline: 4 syringes


    Antibiotics: 2 syringes


    General Antivenom: 1 syringe


    Painkiller: 3 syringes


    Medical Nanomachines: 3 syringes


    The nanomachines gave him a shock. This box definitely wasn¡¯t from their ship. There was no way their medical kits contained nanomachines. This made him more suspicious, but he treated Garet anyway. Worrying about faulty equipment wouldn¡¯t help him. He opened a patch of his suit and gave him an injection of adrenaline in his leg to prevent cardiac arrest. He followed this up with the nanobots. He rolled his father onto his belly then placed the needle in his back, near the damaged area, to try and heal it as fast as possible. Garet¡¯s muscles seemed to flex slightly after the adrenaline shot, but he didn¡¯t wake up.


    Kik then pulled out the bandages, but going by the blood flow they wouldn¡¯t help enough. Instead he picked up the pistol, which seemed to be a laser. On the side there was a power setting. He set it to minimal and tested it by firing it at the floor. He couldn¡¯t see anything coming from the barrel, but after about five seconds the metal floor started to glow red.


    Satisfied, he aimed it carefully at the surface of the wounds and fired. They quickly turned black and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but the bleeding slowed to a trickle. Repeating this on each of the entry and exit wounds, he was satisfied that he he had done what he could with his father.


    Moving on to his mother, Kik tried the same thing. He injected adrenaline first, moving onto nanomachines, then cauterizing the wounds with the laser pistol. She seemed to breathe a little easier, although the froth hadn¡¯t disappeared from her mouth. Kik sunk to the floor, relieved that his parents seemed to be out of imminent danger, and felt the first taste of tears in his mouth. They could get out of this safely.


    Now that he had a moment to himself, Kip finally tried to comprehend the situation. His parents were alive, but he knew that they needed more intense medical attention. He didn¡¯t have the supplies or the medical knowledge to heal them properly.


    Their current position would take them one jump to reach a planet. However, they would likely be denied landing permission unless they had a travel itinerary. He didn¡¯t know how to fake one either. Planetary law was strict to unplanned approaching ships due to the potential of infections. The planet they were travelling to, Lanos, was instead two jumps away. They should have obtained enough fuel for one jump in an hour or so, maybe the second jump after a day of collecting. That was, of course, as long as nothing had happened to the collecting array or its associated equipment.


    The engine room where the fuel converter was held was in the back of the ship. Earlier, it had sounded as if the pirates were breaking things inside it. He would need to check whether faster than light travel was viable. Leaving the medkit behind alongside his mother, he took the laser pistol and rations, sliding them into pockets on his suit.


    Walking down the ship¡¯s central, bow-to-aft corridor was slightly less cramped than the port and starboard corridors. Two people could fit abreast in this one, if they were willing to squeeze. Ignoring the side corridor leading off the the airlocks and other parts of the ship, Kik pulled apart the doors to the engine room. After pulling for a second, they took over under their own power.


    Inside the room was a mass of technology. Wires, entangled like mating snakes, covered the walls and some of the floor. The twin lights in the roof still lit the room, but shadows were cast across it like an unsolvable maze on the floor. The air softly hummed from moving parts and electricity. Looking around, Kik could see the dark shape of the murky hydroponics tank in the corner, as well as various boxy silhouettes containing masses of wiring and piping that made up the ship¡¯s computers, engine status display and what he was looking for, the gas-fuel converter.


    Running up, he opened a panel on the side, revealing a small trickle of liquid flowing through a clear tube. The amount was slow, maybe ten drops a second or so. However, this indicated that the collector array and converter were both working properly. Due to the sparsity of gas, even in a nebula, these few drops indicated a great collecting power. It seemed neither of the two were even damaged.


    After being turned to liquid, the gas, mostly hydrogen, would be held in tanks on the ship¡¯s exterior and bombarded with cosmic radiation. It would be kept there until the hydrogen turned into the isotope septeurium, which was the fuel for most FTL drives. This was mixed with small quantities of dark matter if present, as it often was in nebulae in the arms of spiral galaxies.


    This part of collection, however, was safe from the pirates, as it took place outside the ship in various sections. Rupturing a small external tank or two wouldn¡¯t be enough to prevent the conversion of hydrogen. The dark matter was also stored in a series of tanks in the belly of the ship.


    This left the engines themselves. Stepping over the wires to the status display, Kik tapped it. It lit up with a soft blue light, each of the indicators on it blinking green. Fuel supply, cooling, thrusters, all had no problems. This seemed almost too suspicious. Had they wanted to, the pirates could have crippled the ship more than this.


    Looking around, Kik noticed something out of place. Among the boxes bolted to the floor, nested in the wires sat one which wasn¡¯t fastened down. It was hidden deep in a corner behind some overhanging piping. Looking at it, it seemed to be a supply crate.


    What could a supply crate be doing here? As far as Kik knew, everything in the hold had been removed by the pirates. Unless this was another mysterious ¡°gift¡±? This eased his mind somewhat, thinking that somebody was helping him. He went over to the crate and opened it.


    Inside was stacked to the brim with brown packages which Kik didn¡¯t recognise. He picked one up and unwrapped it, revealing a clear, airtight tube full of cloudy liquid. ¡°Fuel?¡± he asked himself, reminded of the blue-tinted condensed gas in the fuel converter. This theory was supported when he noted the ¡°flammable¡± tag on the side. However, from reading the tag his suspicions were confirmed.


    LE-14 (AC). The first part that meant something to him was the LE, which stood for Liquid Explosive. The second was AC, which meant Air Combustible. These types of weapons were otherwise known as LEACh bombs or Leak Canisters. He very gently rewrapped the canister in its padding and replaced it in the crate.


    Suddenly he had a horrible thought. He leaned as far over the crate as he could. Looking between the rows of stacked explosive, he spotted a red light blinking at the far bottom. Working quickly but deliberately, Kik started pulling out capsules of explosive and resting them on the ground. He placed them in spaces between wires, where they wouldn¡¯t be knocked.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Finally Kik pulled out the last explosive and placed it down next to the crate. He took a look at the bottom. Sitting in the middle of the bottom was another explosive, of different make to the others. It was a circular black device with four arms stretching off of it. Each one was bolted to the bottom of the crate. There was also a green display on this explosive, unlike the others which were just canisters of liquid. This one was timed and the counter was ticking down, currently at two minutes and ten seconds.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kik yelled, and grabbed the crate and carried it out of the room away from the LEAChes. If he had missed spotting the crate, or hadn¡¯t opened the package, the entire ship would have soon been in pieces. The situation now wasn¡¯t much better now though, even though he was probably safe from setting off the bombs.


    Kik had no idea how powerful the explosive might be and no intention of finding out. Dragging the crate out of the tech room and down the corridor, he considered how he could dispose of it. Thinking about the facilities on the ship. Bridge. Supply room. Nothing in there that could help with his skills. Living quarters. Weapons bays. Airlocks.


    Having found the answer, he strained and heaved the large metal crate along the corridor. When he reached the turn-off for the airlock, he looked inside and saw that there was only a minute and twenty three seconds left. A quick decision was required. Port or starboard? He chose starboard as the pirates had left from there. They probably would have left it functioning so they could leave.


    Tipping the crate onto a corner, he reached underneath, strained and managed to lift it in front of him. He ran for a few seconds down the corridor before striking the wall at the end. He dropped the crate and shoved it to the right, the airlock coming into sight above the rim of the crate.


    He reached the airlock with just over a minute to spare. Currently both doors were closed, but the inside door opened automatically at his approach. He shoved the crate inside and collapsed by the door, gasping, beads of sweat forming which were sucked up by his suit. As quickly as he could he closed the doors. He then pressed the button to drain the air out.


    A few long seconds let the pumps empty the room. Kik double pressed the last button, to open the outer doors, and let the crate slip out.


    It didn¡¯t. The edges of the artificial gravity still held it to the ship, and there was no force to overcome its inertia. Kik cursed again and refilled the airlock, but this time he stepped inside once the inner doors were open. Closing the door behind himself with unknown seconds remaining, he overrode the pumps and opened the door. He let the oxygen flood out this time, holding onto the handrail to remain still.


    Once again the crate was unmoved. But this time Kik was in the airlock with it. He shoved the crate out and free of the low gravity, and it drifted into space. It tumbled end over end and faded into the distance, another spark of reflected light among the red of the nebula. He swiftly reclosed the door and waited for the air to refill. The filtered air burned his lungs as he panted from exertion and released tension.


    As the inner door back to the ship opened, a light shone in from the window. It lasted a second before fading. Glancing out the single palm-sized window in the airlock, he saw nothing. Nothing where there had previously been a thick metal box. Either it had been knocked far off trajectory or it had been torn to pieces. Perhaps both.


    The ship may be safe for the time being but Kik still couldn¡¯t afford to rest. He had placed all the explosives across the engine room and they could still be triggered. He went looking for a box or boxes to keep them in. In his search, he entered his parent¡¯s quarters which he hadn¡¯t entered since the pirate attack.


    Clothes were strewn across the floor. Vacuum-sealed while in space, their holding crates had been torn open and scattered around. The chests beneath the single bed they took turns sleeping in had been overturned and scattered across the sheets.


    Kik spotted a few of what must have been their personal effects, all mixed together. He saw a carved bone trinket which looked like the one his father had used to wear. He also spotted some pieces of metal which might have been the latest toys his mother had been making for him. She would always make little mechanical animals, teaching him the name of the creatures he never got to see.


    Suppressing the tears that threatened to form, Kik grabbed a handful of clothes from the bed and placed them inside one of the emptied crates. He carried the whole lot to the engine room. Once there, he padded the outside of the box with the clothes and loaded the explosives in one at a time. Once he had done this twice with both boxes, he had managed to pack away all the packages with a little space to spare. He made sure to fill this with more soft clothing. He left both of these crates in the corner of the engine room, as he didn¡¯t feel like dragging them anywhere else.


    Now that the potential of imminent death had been taken care of, Kik considered his next move. First, he moved his parents into their quarters. He kept their movement to a minimum by dragging them along the corridors on the sections of grating they were each lying on. After around six minutes of screeching and grating of metal on metal, they were laying on the floor of their room.


    Both seemed to be doing better, although the smell of blood still hung around them. His father seemed a little pale and was breathing a little rapidly, but he was no longer the deathly pale that he had been a half hour ago. It seemed the nanobots were doing their job. His mother was breathing slowly and evenly. She could almost pass for asleep rather than stabbed if it wasn¡¯t for her bloody clothes. Kik checked the places he had shot to close her wounds. The spots weren¡¯t bleeding anymore. Perhaps the nanobots were even replacing the damaged skin, as the burns seemed to have gotten much better than they should have in the short time that passed. It was a shame he had no access to cold water for the burns, but he was on a spaceship.


    At last, Kik smiled slightly. For the last forty minutes, since the pirates had boarded, he had been in a heightened state of tension and alertness. Now he allowed himself to calm down for a short time and rejoice that his parents could quite well live.


    Feeling like he¡¯d treat himself, he went and picked up two things from his parents¡¯ bed. First was the bone amulet which he had noted was similar to his father¡¯s. Second was one of his mother¡¯s toys. He chose a creature with eight curly legs and no discernible eyes or other features. He slipped them into his suit along with the pistol and the rations.


    Then he pulled off his parents¡¯ ruined suits. He started with his mother. He pulled off her helmet, and her shoulder-length black hair fell out of it. Her green eyes were closed in rest and her mouth was slightly open. Kik picked up the first piece of cloth he came across, part of a trodden-on dress shirt, and used it to wipe the residue of blood off of her mouth before discarding it.


    Next came the suit. Leaving on scraps of her undersuit to preserve her decency somewhat, Kik used the scalpel from the medical kit to cut the suit into strips which he pulled out one by one. The gloves and boots he kept, as they could be separated from the main suit and reused. Beneath the suit, her pale body was heavily bruised. Besides her head, it seemed she had been beaten all over.


    Kik didn¡¯t even notice his fists clenched on the scraps of suit. He ground his teeth and wished the pirates would warp into a black hole. But if some cosmic entity heard him, they didn¡¯t deign to reply. After checking for broken bones, which he didn¡¯t find, Kik replaced her torn undersuit with a spare one from her clothes on the ground. Both she and her father carried around three such. Once he put it on, the absorbent material started to clean the blood from her body.


    Satisfied that his mother was healthy and clean, Kik moved to his father. His blue eyes were also closed, and his brown hair tousled. His condition had been significantly worse, but the problem had mainly been the wounds. Once the nanobots fix that, he should recover quickly. He followed the same procedure, but as he was cutting the suit off he noticed that his father wasn¡¯t fully as healthy as he had first believed.


    His wounds were closed, certainly, but his skin was particularly pale, and his breathing was rapid. In addition, sweat was gathering on his skin. When Kik touched his forehead beneath his hairline, it felt hot the touch.


    Looking him over, Kik couldn¡¯t see any obvious problems besides the fever symptoms. The only thought he had was poison on the pirates¡¯ bullets, although why they would poison their bullets and not blades was beyond him. He pulled out an anti venom shot from the medical kit and injected it into his father¡¯s arm.


    He covered his father in clothes and the blanket from the bed, nestling his mother in as well. That way they should stay warm and maybe help his fever to break. He stayed by his parents for nearly two hours, resting his own body alongside theirs.


    His head span with conflicting thoughts and reassurances. Were they going to be alright? Of course they were, he had done everything he could. He had done everything that he could but what if it wasn¡¯t enough? If something happened to them, what would he do?


    He spiralled further and further into concern and worry before wrenching his mind forcefully away. If there was one thing that he learnt growing up, doing nothing but worry will only give you more things to worry about. He needed to take action before he lost the chance to.


    Watching over his parents wasn¡¯t going to improve their condition. He had to move. If he stopped for any longer he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep going.


    From there, he dropped the bloody spacesuits in a recycler to suck out the moisture and chemicals for reuse. He then moved to the bridge to try and fix the controls, which he would need to get out of here.


    The bridge controls, now that he looked at them again, were awful. The panels were cracked and smashed. The manual thruster and steering controls had been torn free, leaving torn wires in their place. The blood across the viewport had mostly evaporated in the dry, filtered air, leaving behind a crimson residue that tinted patches of the glass.


    For the good news, though, the navigation controls in the slide-out drawer beneath the main controls was still working. The pirates had probably missed it completely.


    The navigation system was a computer-assisted piloting method intended for lining up for long-distance jumps. It was mostly ignored in regular piloting, especially during hazardous areas, as it was rather inflexible to turning. However, in the middle of a nebula, on the edge of a new sun¡¯s orbit, there were few large particles that could pose a threat to the ship. They would be detected far ahead of time and displayed on the bank of warning lights on the navigational array. Once the targeting computers achieved a lock they could be easily broken up by the shipboard defence weapons, or simply avoided.


    Seeing that the navigational computer was working without problems, Kik connected the other sections of the controls to it. His parents, mostly his mother, had set up numerous bypasses in case something like this happened. All he needed to do was select a command in the interface and it would finish the job by itself.


    When the program had finished running, the display was considerably more packed with prompts. The bypass would connect all of the controls to the navigational computer, not copy the functions of the others. Because of this only certain notifications were displayed, and the screen wasn¡¯t filled completely. But there were still many system complaints that required his attention.


    He flicked through them, ticking them off one by one. Weapon systems damage. Minor fuel leakage, already plugged. Temporary sensor overload from nearby energy discharge. They were ordered by the most long-standing first, caused by the pirates¡¯ initial attacks against the ship. Then he reached the last one, the one which had been most recently updated. Hydroponics tank leakage, life support unstable. Air contains high carbon dioxide concentration - approximately thirty minutes before dangerous, at current rate of consumption.


    It was good that he had replaced the grating in the corridors, or else he may well have fallen on his hurried way to the engine room.


    Back in the engine room, he looked at the small hole smashed in the bottom of the tank. The majority of the tank was standing, but it was empty. The shadows cast by the wires surrounding it and the stubborn plant life still clinging to and staining the sides of the tank were the only reasons why he had thought it was full. The plant life and water had already all leaked through the floor grating into the space beneath the floor, where the heat from the engines and machinery had dried them out and killed the damp-loving mould.


    If he couldn¡¯t fix the hydroponics tanks, he¡¯d have to get the air from somewhere. The ship had enough tanks of pressurized breathable air, but he couldn¡¯t just open them and hope. That would just increase the pressure, not get rid of the carbon dioxide. He needed to find spacesuits, and both of his parents¡¯ had been cut up.


    He went into the storage room and sorted through the piles. After two minutes of digging for the white of the suits, all that he found there had been completely slashed. The pirates had specifically targeted the chest pieces on each. All he could find was one which had been punctured in the back, which he combined with one of the others for a complete suit. That took him a full ten minutes. He was swiftly running out of time.


    If he had a breathing mask, and his parents were conscious, he might try getting them to share it. However, they didn¡¯t even have one, let alone two, as usually vacuum was the worry rather than running out of oxygen. A breathing mask wouldn¡¯t help with depressurization and the cold of space. A suit was his only option here.


    He found one other suit on the ship, but it was his own backup in his sleeping area. Not only that, it was his old suit from two years ago that he had already nearly outgrown. There was no way that it or the suit he was wearing now would fit his parents. As if recognising his rising panic, his own suit switched from filtered air to tank, recognising a lack of breathable air for it to filter.


    Eventually, with only three minutes of air left after dashing back and forth around the ship repeatedly, he had to face reality. He only had one suit for the two other people on the ship.

 2 - One May Live

    Back in his parents¡¯ quarters, Kik held the single void suit that could fit them. Two bodies lay before him, and one suit. He had to make his toughest decision up until now, and possibly for the rest of his life.


    His mother, who smiled at him and taught him, who nursed him when he was hurt. His father, who he had laughed with many times, who would show him games and songs.


    Only one could live. He knew that there was no way around this fact.


    If he hesitated, both would die. The oxygen would run out and they would choke in their sleep.


    He knew he had to act. If he didn¡¯t, everything would be lost.


    His attention was drawn by his father¡¯s shivering, and then his decision was made. The emotional part of his brain withdrew, and cold logic took over in its place. Survival of the fittest.


    His mother would survive if he gave her the suit. Her wounds were light, and her condition was stable. His father, on the other hand, was weak and could die easily even if he was given the suit. His condition hadn¡¯t improved in the two hours since he had been given the antivenom. In fact, it had gotten worse. Perhaps he might be saved with time and medical treatment, but neither was available.


    Already both his parents were breathing more heavily. He had to hurry.


    His resolution set, Kik pulled his mother out of the bundle of clothes and started to put on the void suit. He slid the one-piece main garment over her arms and legs, sealing it along the back like a ziploc bag. He then slid on the gloves and boots from her old suit, and reattached the helmet. The last step was attaching a compressed air bottle, which he had brought from the storage room along with the suit. The bottle would nominally last for eight hours, but a little extra was added for safety. It mirrored the one on his own back.


    Finally, once the last part was locked, the suit deflated as it expelled the impure air inside and aligned naturally to his mother¡¯s body, accentuating her curves slightly. Her visor fogged from her breath for a second, which disappeared as her lungs rediscovered their natural rhythm. Her suit was sealed; she would survive.


    His father, on the other hand, was suffocating. His breath accelerated, fluctuating wildly in speed as he was unable to get enough air from the carbon dioxide filled atmosphere. Gradually, over the course of almost twenty minutes, his breaths slowed and eventually ceased. The whole time, Kik held his father¡¯s hand, trying to grip it as tightly as possible, telling even his father¡¯s unconscious mind that somebody was with him. He had torn apart the clothes wrapping him, to see him at the close.


    In the end, minutes after his father had stopped breathing, Kik looked up, holding back tears. His father¡¯s deep blue eyes were open, possibly by chance, or maybe he came to in his final moments. Perhaps it was just Kik¡¯s imagination, but his mouth seemed to be curved slightly into a smile. Kik didn¡¯t even notice his own blurred vision or the tears on his face.


    Kik lay on his father¡¯s chest, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything. Not the usual warmth, not the sound of his breathing, not even a heartbeat. ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± he said to himself. ¡°There must be something wrong. My spacesuit. I have to take it off. I can¡¯t feel his warmth because the helmet is in the way. I can¡¯t hear him calling me because the microphone is off. If I take it off I¡¯ll hear him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s calling for me now, waiting for me. He has to be¡­¡±


    He started reaching up to the buckles on his helmet. One, two, three. All of them were undone, all that was left was the flimsy seal. He gripped the sides of his helmet but stopped before he pulled. He was pierced by his father¡¯s eyes. Blue as the ocean he couldn¡¯t remember. Blue as the sky on the surface. Blue as the lands which were waiting for him. But also somehow blue as the night sky, as the limitless darkness between the limitless stars.


    They were open, unblinking, slightly unfocused. Their usual direction and fire were gone. He slowly closed the buckles holding the base of his helmet shut, as the salty taste of his tears helped him focus again, find his grounding in reality.


    His father was dead. He could mourn later. For now, he needed to figure out what to do with the body. He tried to pick Garet¡¯s body up, but even in the low gravity he couldn¡¯t be moved. Kik walked outside and pulled out a piece of the grating, like he had done before when moving his parents to the quarters. Bringing it inside, it barely fit through the doorway. He rolled his father onto it before lifting up one end and dragging it out.


    Once in the corridor, he looked left and right. The recycler caught his eye, but he rejected it without a second thought. That was no burial.


    Instead, he carried Garet in the opposite direction towards the starboard aft weapons bay.


    Moving his father¡¯s body into the room, he managed to heave him onto the chair before the targeting controls. The controls themselves had been smashed by the pirates, but the viewport was still open and the chair was undamaged. Kik rested the body¡¯s head so that the eyes gazed out into the field of stars outside. He reclined the seat back slightly then rested his father¡¯s arms on the armrests and his chin on his chest. He stepped back and paid his respects to his father, who could now almost be resting. He left the eyes open, though, to gaze at the stars which had ever fascinated him. ¡°Rest in peace, Dad. I¡¯m sorry your faith wasn¡¯t enough. You believed in me, and I couldn¡¯t...¡±


    His words choked in his throat. He gripped his hands into fists and stood there trembling, until he couldn¡¯t bear to look at the body any longer.


    After dragging the floor panel out behind him, Kik closed the door on his father¡¯s resting place. He replaced the floor panel and moved on, a heavy, dragging feeling in the bottom of his chest that felt as if it was hard to move and breathe. He pressed on, however, searching through the ship for oxygen bottles, unused or empty. The unused ones would be used to store the air he breathed out to remove the oxygen and be run through again. This way, far more than the eight hours of air could be kept up with just two bottles and an air purification system.


    He brought back nine bottles, six full and three empty, in addition to the two he was wearing and the one on his mother, to which he soon attached a second. He also put a spare in each suit in case something went wrong with the first. This left six bottles on the floor between them, enough to completely refill both suits. The suits held three slots for oxygen for just this purpose - failsafes on top of failsafes. There was no room for error in space, as Kik had just been reminded.


    Now their safety for the next sixteen hours was possible, and their suit would give them warning in case something went wrong. There were at least six hours, probably more, until the ship was done with the collection of fuel for the remaining two jumps.


    It hadn¡¯t been four hours since he had woken up, but Kik was too tired, too exhausted to do anything. He put his arms around his comatose mother and drifted off to sleep, hoping he wouldn¡¯t dream.


    Later, he woke with a start, shaking his head to clear it. He wondered what time it was, then realised that he had broken his suit¡¯s watch a few days ago. He¡¯d have to ask his mother to fix it. Looking around, he realised he was in his parents¡¯ room. He hadn¡¯t been here for years, not since his father kicked him out and made a separate room for him while mumbling something about siblings. He had never gotten any though. His father¡­


    An image of his father unmoving and bloody, and another one of his unfocused blue eyes flashed across his mind. With them came a wave of mental pain that made him want to curl into a ball and become a rock. But his mother was lying wounded in front of him and needed his attention. He was walking on a tightrope. If he stopped he would fall, and he would not fall alone.


    Shoving all his concerns aside, he moved in a grey autopilot state, thinking only as much as he needed to to get his next task completed.


    He walked back to the bridge, noting the bloodstains and scrapes from the chaos a few hours ago. He pulled out the navigation console and blinked away the notification about the hazardous carbon dioxide content. Beneath it, the console read, ¡°Appropriate heading achieved. Ready for jump. Please confirm.¡± Before he jumped, he closed the collection arms, as FTL travel could tear fragile parts off of ships. Then he tapped this screen, and the ¡°Yes¡± option when prompted. A countdown began on the screen as the ship accelerated, and when it reached zero the void cannon mounted on the prow fired.


    It shot out a projectile made of a mix of septeurium and dark matter. The mixture shot out in front of the ship, but as the ship accelerated it began to reach the speed of the projectile, and soon it was gaining behind it. A few seconds before the prow touched the bullet, the space around it changed. The radioactive septeurium caused something similar to a nuclear reaction in the dark matter, sucking in the surrounding dark energy and temporarily upsetting its balance across the universe. This dark energy then spread out again to retake its former place, but dragged sections of space with it, creating a small wormhole. When the bow of the ship touched this disturbance, it was dragged through by the fluctuation as logic asserted itself again and plugged the holes in the universe with true matter.


    The intense changes in energy and gravity around the ship made Kik feel as if he was throwing up through his anus, but that was nothing compared to entering the wormhole itself. The chair felt as if it was growing spikes against his back, and moving his hands through the air felt like swimming in jelly. The inside of his spacesuit momentarily smelled spicy. This sensual orchestra quickly receded to be replaced by an absence of sensation as all colours greyed out and sounds faded, until his mind wandered from lack of stimulation.


    Several warp drives had been introduced over the past several millennia of galactic exploration, but the void cannon was the most commonly used. All the previous examples had major flaws. Matter teleportation was instant and still sometimes used, but required vast amounts of energy and was easily affected by gravity. That meant you would often end up inside a sun, depending on where you were going. Speed-of-light destruction/recreation, where a ship was analysed down to its component molecules and destroyed, then recreated at another gate years later, was, needless to say, far too long and controversial, not to mention processor-intensive. These problems were in fact benefits of the void cannon.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Hydrogen was essentially the most common normal element in the universe, and dark matter, although hard to acquire, was even more common in space. Septeurium was difficult to produce, but the difficulty was waived in space with few large celestial bodies around, or alternatively close to suns in areas high in cosmic radiation. This abundance of fuel led to the creation of vessels such as the nebula travellers, like Kik¡¯s ship. These ships could almost live off of the universe itself, when provided with enough internal equipment and the people to fix them.


    This led to a resurgence in generation ships, this time faster than light, being built to colonize the vast reaches of the galaxy. However, these had a fatal flaw. Their size meant they required immense amounts of fuel. Enough that a month harvesting at a nebula might be too slow.


    In the end, most of these were scrapped. Nebula travellers were mostly dropped too, as more efficient but larger processors meant most septeurium production was completed on ocean planets rather than in space. Ships just carried more fuel instead of the heavy, outdated and expensive fuel production equipment. They were still used casually, sometimes in sporting contests, but on the whole not widely.


    When this happened, many nebula travellers were repurposed. Others were kept by collectors. Yet others were trashed and dropped in junkyards all over the galaxy.


    This was what had happened to the ship Kik was in now. His mother had found it when she was younger and fixed it up to be her own. It had stuck with the family ever since.


    Kik slowly woke up as the ship emerged on the other side of the wormhole. He opened his eyes to a black backdrop dotted with white stars. It wasn¡¯t the inside of a red nebula that he had last seen before it was overtaken by the twisting and writhing¡­


    Jumps always upset Kik¡¯s stomach. Narrowly avoiding vomiting down the front of his suit, he took a drink of water from his internal supply. The flow of liquid down his dry throat reminded him of how hungry and thirsty he was, and he pulled out a ration pack from his pocket.


    It was marked ¡°meat flavoured¡±. He grimaced at the likelihood and specificness of that statement, but dropped one in the suit processor in his arm anyway. It was mixed with water and fed to him as a sort of disgusting, not meaty at all slurry that again almost made his efforts not to throw up useless. Taking another sip of his meal, he reopened the ship¡¯s fuel collection array and looked around at the system he had found himself in.


    There was a single star of indeterminate nature, probably a white dwarf, surrounded by no planets he could see. There may have been others in the shadow of the sun, but without anything to bounce a signal off they would take time to discover. An utterly empty and boring existence compared to the rest of the galaxy, despite its history stretching back hundreds of billions of years. There were a few small asteroid fields, but they weren¡¯t large enough to be given credit as proper asteroid belts; they were more asteroid clouds.


    The only interesting feature in the system was a large comet, several million kilometres from the ship. As the autopilot made its wide adjustments for the next jump, he admired the kilometres-long tail of glittering dust and ice shards, even if it was just a dot at this distance. After a few minutes, though, that lost its appeal too, and he walked off to fiddle with the weapons systems.


    The weapons on this ship were mainly low-energy lasers with short range. They were currently set to slag any debris that, based on trajectory, would strike the ship, and this was their primary function. The manual controls inside each weapons bay had been smashed but the automated controls and weapons still worked for the most part.


    There were four weapons bays on the ship, one on each corner. Leaving aside the one his father lay in, Kik prioritised the two at the bow. These ones seemed to not have been broken as badly. Still, the mass of smashed panels, wiring and mechanical components defied his comprehension. Port, then starboard, he decided to leave them alone since they were working as they were.


    He also made sure the airlock was working properly. The starboard one he had tested earlier, but he had no idea about the port side. When he reached it, he checked for proper operation of the pumps and the doors on both sides, and it seemed to work without problems. With this, the only things broken on the ship were the delicate controls and the hydroponics tank, which shouldn¡¯t take too long to fix planetside.


    Kik returned to the cockpit for the second FTL jump, which would take him somewhere outside the orbit of Lanos. The computer had almost completed its hour-long course change to face towards its destination system. He closed the collection arms and waited for a few minutes for the ¡°ready to jump¡± prompt to appear, and once again prompted the system to jump towards Lanos.


    This jump was similar to any other jump, in that no experience happened twice. Inside the wormhole, his brain mimicked random sensory effects to alleviate the stress of not sensing anything. This time, he heard faint bubbly music, smelt cinnamon and saw patches of bright colour flash before his face. But after a short time, his vision greyed out once again.


    When he emerged on the other side, he registered a brown and dusty blue planet filling the left part of the viewport. It had a banded sea near the equator and another towards each of the poles. There were two supercontinents divided by these wide seas, running parallel to the equator.


    There were several large stations in orbit, some linked to the planet with tethers many thousands of kilometres long. At the base of each of these tethers the brown of the planet turned to the grey and steel of inhabitation, with light flowing from the cities in their night cycle. These harsh grey mats stood out against the otherwise muted tones of the world¡¯s surface.


    Kik looked down after he had taken in the destination and gazed at the controls. He had never piloted a ship on planetary approach before, he realised. He had rarely used the navigational controls either, only for setting long easy jumps which his parents were too unmotivated to do. Now that the other controls were broken, he had quite a problem on his hands.


    He had arrived too close to the planet for his abilities. His speed couldn¡¯t be slowly brought down like he might have otherwise attempted. He was angered for a second by his own lack of foresight, but forced himself to breathe slowly and calm down.


    All he had to do was make a loop around and he would reach his destination a few hours later than planned. He selected a change in course, moving the destination to a point far clear of the planet that he could slingshot around and reach easily. The ship responded, firing thrusters and then its main engine to bring him into the correct orbit. The acceleration pushed him back into his seat. The shipboard gravity weakened as it counteracted inertia. He continued onwards, unaware of the consternation his actions were causing.


    Halfway through the orbital maneuver and everything was going smoothly. He had almost reached the north pole, close to opposite the point he had arrived at. His speed had picked up significantly, and the light upper atmosphere was forming a slight cone of fire over the nose of the ship.


    Suddenly, the hull vibrated and the ship started to lose speed and change direction. The computer automatically fired the opposite thrusters to compensate, but the change in course continued. The ship groaned from the exerting forces upon it, a vibration that Kik felt through his seat and the soles of his boots. Wondering whether they had struck some debris that the weapons had missed, he checked the sensors.


    According the the display, there were three other ships clamped to the outside of his ship, attempting to direct them off their course. Kik was confused for a second, but figured they were tugs that came to slow him down, and deactivated the AI pilot system. The engines and thrusters shut off, and the pull exerted by the three other ships became more evident. They pulled him off course away from the planet. Watching the screens, Kik could see that he was being redirected slowly but surely towards a ship in high orbit that the computer had registered on arrival.


    Kik wanted to get to the planet as soon as possible for his parents, but comforted himself that this was saving him time from his long slingshot. Perhaps there would be a medic on board. As they were brought closer he could see that the ship that he was approaching was a large one, perhaps half a kilometre long.


    A bay opened along the side, a section of the plating folding out from the ship. The tugs directed his ship towards it then disengaged. The ship was grabbed by a mechanical arm and pulled into the hangar, and then, at last, it stopped.


    Kik jumped out of the pilot seat and ran to the airlock, to be greeted by the barrels of three rifles. A trio of silver combat armoured, weapon bearing shock troopers stormed aboard, followed by groups of other soldiers.


    When the mysterious ship had arrived in system, it had immediately been hailed by the planet¡¯s traffic control guiding it onto a flight path. However, the ship hadn¡¯t responded to any kind of hail, as Kik¡¯s communications had been destroyed by the pirates without his knowledge. It had instead sped up, crossing several already established approach paths and causing outbreaks of swearing in the air traffic control staff.


    Furthermore, as the ship had slingshotted around the planet, the other thing unbeknownst to Kik and the ship¡¯s computer was an obstruction that had lain on their path. Initially hidden by the curvature of the planet, another space station was floating above the oceans covering the North Pole. The slingshotting path of the mysterious ship that had recently arrived in orbit would have taken it within a few short kilometres of the installation, and the defence forces had taken action.

 3 - Locked Away

    Kik woke slowly. His eyelids felt heavier than a set of weights, but he managed to open them. A flat grey ceiling came into view above him. This definitely was not aboard his ship, where the ceilings were strewn with wiring and access panels.


    He could feel something rough against his back but he couldn¡¯t move his head. The most external movement he could manage was to twitch his fingers, blink and move his lips slightly. He lay still with his eyes closed and waited for the paralysis to pass, pretending to be asleep.


    Five minutes or so later, but he was only guessing as he didn¡¯t have a timepiece, he tried and found he could sit up. He pulled his upper body upright and leaned against a wall as pins and needles shot through his muscles. He was in a grey room with a single door, the bed he had been lying on, a toilet and no other furniture. The entire room was at most three metres by two metres, and the bed took up more than a quarter of it.


    Looking over towards the door, it was made out of thick metal and vacuum-sealed to the wall. There were two slots in it, one at adult human eye level and another flat space close to the ground, probably for sliding food in. A timeless prison door. The toilet and bed were similarly unfurnished, with the only thing on the bed besides Kik being a scratchy grey blanket.


    Kik had seemingly been stripped of his suit and was now only in his near-skintight white undergarments. He looked around the room but couldn¡¯t see the rest of his equipment anywhere. He felt somewhat naked without it.


    Kik¡¯s mind took his course. Against his wishes, he was forced to remind himself of everything that had happened in the past few days. Drawn back to memories of his father, Kik finally let a wave of emotion overcome him. He screamed and cried at the empty room for what seemed like hours before sobbing himself into near silence. Why couldn¡¯t he have found two suits? Why did he have to cut his father¡¯s suit off when he could have left it on and patched it? Why hadn¡¯t he noticed the oxygen leak earlier? If he had he could have jumped to another system and there would have been plenty of air. Why was he so useless? He had let his father die from his own negligence.


    After he had calmed down again, more from tiredness than actual relief, he remembered being knocked down and pinned by the boarders and then having something sharp jabbed in his arm. It was probably a needle. After that, he had felt weak and collapsed, before waking up on the bed.


    Thinking he may be a bit stronger, he sat up again and tried to stand up, but a sudden wave of dizziness came over him and he fall back onto the bed and into blackness.


    When Kik came to again, he was being shaken awake. Some instrument shone light into his eyes and he blinked and moved his head. ¡°He¡¯s up¡±, he heard someone say before him, and the light moved out of his eyes.


    Once he could see again, he lifted his head and saw one white-jacketed man alongside two armed soldiers. The soldiers had pistols and short blades at their waist. They were dressed in utilitarian two-piece uniforms with multiple pockets, decorated in shades of grey. The other person, perhaps a doctor, was wearing similar grey clothes but with an unbuttoned white jacket over it. You could almost think that they weren¡¯t in space with their lack of care for decompression.


    ¡°It seems the drug was a little strong,¡± the doctor continued to himself. ¡°The dosage would have been for an adult. They should have known better than to use it on a child. The effects may stick around for a day or so. Still, it¡¯s lucky he¡¯s still breathing.¡±


    Indeed, Kik didn¡¯t feel much better after collapsing onto the bed. He could move, but he wasn¡¯t confident standing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t worry about it, surge,¡± the taller of the two soldiers said. ¡°If he¡¯s awake and can speak, that¡¯s fine for now. We can carry him to where he needs to go.¡±


    The doctor backed down, waving his hands. ¡°Whatever, his life isn¡¯t in danger anyway. I¡¯ll just go back to helping with the other patient we were brought.¡±


    The soldiers grabbed Kik by his armpits and dragged him out of the door and down the hallway. Compared to the barely metre-wide corridors on Kik¡¯s ship, these were wide thoroughfares that up to five people could walk down abreast. Kik wasn¡¯t really walking, more being dragged, but he did manage to lift his head and look around him.


    The feeling he got was essentially quiet discipline. People, usually lightly armed, were walking unhurriedly but purposefully everywhere. On any thirty-metre stretch of corridor, there would be at least three and up to about twelve people. Kik estimated that based on size and population density, there should be between a thousand people and twice that number on this ship.


    He got a few chances to peer into rooms, but not many. He saw rooms full of sensors, a few weapons batteries, ammunition and gear storage. There was also occasional sleeping quarters and off-duty rooms, with soldiers sleeping, eating and playing cards.


    Kik was dragged about a hundred metres of winding corridors and taken up a level on a personnel ascender platform. He was then taken into a windowless room and sat at the only chair at the table. The entire space was either unpainted metal or clean white and sterile, except for one mirrored wall. The soldiers then walked out and left him to look around, closing the only door behind them.


    Kik wasn¡¯t tied to the chair, but neither was he capable of walking around without support. He pulled himself up by holding onto the back of the chair and pushing off the table. He came upright and checked the room for surveillance gear. He couldn¡¯t see any obvious cameras, but there very well may be smaller hidden ones. Technology was good enough to make flat cameras that could be stuck to walls and camouflaged.


    However, while looking around he froze, having spotted his reflection.


    Out of the mirrored wall stared a boy, a void dweller judging by his pale skin, in dirty white clothes. He was holding himself up on trembling arms. He was slightly above average height for his age, just over a metre and a half, perhaps exaggerated because of a lack of gravity throughout his life. However, his back was bent which reduced this amount by at least ten centimetres.


    More noticeable was his face. He had hair coloured the grey of dark slate tiles, and skin slightly paler than his off-white clothing. His blue eyes were slightly darker than the iris which surrounded them. His expression was weary and tired, and his eyes were red-rimmed, from crying, physical or mental exhaustion, or all three.


    He attempted to smile, but the reflection came out as more of a grimace. He was just making himself more depressed, so he let himself sink back down, turned his head away from the mirror and rested until he heard the door open again.


    Alexander Stenoff was having a bad week. He had just arrived in-system yesterday on a routine patrol and the governor had been ¡°too busy¡± to meet him before he left system. Even worse, now some kid piloting a small ship had almost run into one of the single most expensive structures on the planet. This would require at least one extra report on his return.


    To cap it all off, the planet he was in orbit of was Lanos. It was a den of villainy at a level rarely seen. If it was illegal, the chances were it was found in some obscure building in Lanos. If it had been up to him, and if he wouldn¡¯t be held responsible, Stenoff would have let the ship crash into the orbital ladder and sent a few volleys of his ship¡¯s weapons after it. Almost more than having had to write paperwork, it irked him that he had to help a planet like this.


    Now he was walking back and down from the bridge towards the room where the ship¡¯s young pilot was about to be interrogated.


    If it was up to him, he honestly wouldn¡¯t want the kid questioned, but protocol was another matter. He had been in command of a ship which threatened the assets of a planet in the Interstellar Conglomerate, the galaxy¡¯s overarching government. According to law, he was working against galactic will, however unwittingly.


    Stenoff and his sub-captain, Coby, came up to the room next to Kik¡¯s. They walked through and observed him lying on the table through the one-way mirror in the wall. The head of security, Drett Rufus, was already inside waiting for them at a large table. They greeted each other familiarly, as they had been working together for many years, and sat down.


    ¡°Has he moved?¡± Alex asked Drett once the pleasantries were over.


    ¡°Yes, he has, but he seems to still be weak and finds it difficult. He¡¯s probably partially paralysed. It also might not help that the ship is larger than his, so gravity is stronger.¡± Alex nodded at this. ¡°My men will be here soon to interrogate him. Just relax, captain, we¡¯ll find out what he knows without harming him.¡±


    Alex continued nodding and they all lapsed into silence. None of them really wanted to discuss what they were doing but they all knew they had no choice. The only way that the child was getting off this ship was if they knew he posed no threat.


    Their reflection was broken by the door in the other room opening and three men bringing in a large, boxy device. It was almost as tall as they were, far larger than the child, and was covered in wires, screens and sealed sections. The child attempted to lift his head to look at them and Stenoff was shocked by how hard it seemed to be for him to move.


    The three men were unlike the other personnel of the ship, as their faces were covered. It was standard practice in interrogations, as it protected the interrogator¡¯s identity and added another psychological effect. The masks they were wearing were steel over the top of their head, with a slit for their eyes and mesh over the lower head and mouth.


    Two of the men dragged over the machine towards the seated boy, while the other carried a chair in from outside and sat down on it. The two by the machine pulled a few wires off of it and attached them to his forehead, then turned on a few switches and adjusted some dials. One went over and stood just inside the boy¡¯s peripheral vision, while the other stood next to the machine and concentrated on the screens. The boy had to turn his head quickly to keep an eye on all of them, a feat which he was currently incapable of.


    ¡°What are your men doing?¡± Stenoff asked his security head, rising out of his seat. ¡°He¡¯s a boy, not a convicted criminal! There can¡¯t be any reason why you need such heavy-handed tactics.¡±


    ¡°There is very much a need, Captain,¡± Drett replied hurriedly. ¡°There were enough explosives aboard his ship to blow us all outside the galaxy if they were to go off. While I agree with you about using these methods on children, these are hardly normal times.¡±


    He sat back down, only half-convinced, but neither was he sure enough to stop them. Meanwhile, the questions in the other room began.


    ¡°This is a truth machine,¡± the man sitting at the table told the small figure opposite. ¡°If you lie, my colleague over there will know and will let me know. So I¡¯m going to start by asking a few simple questions. What is your name?¡±


    The child replied quickly but not calmly. ¡°Kik.¡±


    Behind his back, the man at the screen nodded. The questions continued.


    ¡°What¡¯s your last name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one? What are those?¡±


    The man at the screen shrugged but nodded again.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Eleven¡­ no, twelve.¡±


    ¡°Where were you born?¡±


    ¡°In space, on my parents¡¯ ship.¡±


    ¡°And where are your parents now?¡±


    ¡®Kik¡¯ choked up a bit for that, and took a minute to answer. The men, sensing the reason, didn¡¯t press him.


    ¡°They were aboard the ship with me.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the ship?¡±


    ¡°Pirates attacked us, damaged it and left us for dead. I was hiding in the ventilation system.¡±


    The questions continued for more than ten minutes. The main consternation came about when Kik spoke about the things the pirates had left. The men were curious about the pistol, medical kit and rations, but even more so after learning that the pirates had left the explosives.


    The two men just out of Kik¡¯s view shifted and coughed to distract and pressure him, but he seemed to be able to take it. In some ways, he seemed almost relieved to tell the story to someone, even if the people were three faceless men who were questioning him. Stenoff was pretty sure this wasn¡¯t how questionings usually went. In all likelihood, the men were taking it easy on the child who had just been through so much.


    Eventually, the questions dried up. The men took off the contacts from Kik¡¯s forehead and rolled the machine out. The pair of men waiting outside were the same ones that had carried him in, and they walked over and took him out. Left behind were the three observers behind the glass, speaking on what they had seen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s lying about the pirates leaving behind the supplies for him,¡± Coby told the other two. ¡°They¡¯re military issue, so they were probably stolen goods. Can¡¯t say it really matters, though, in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know whether he was picked up as lying,¡± Alex said. ¡°Maybe it was the truth. By the way, Drett, how come you used such a big truth machine? I¡¯m sure you have something smaller available.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that wasn¡¯t a truth machine,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That was just for intimidation, and to keep military secrets. It was an old diagnostic machine we borrowed from the medical bay. The real lie detector was the AI watching from inside the machine and out here.¡± He gestured to a camera on the wall behind them, pointing at the other room but invisible from inside it. ¡°A mind is far more effective than a machine. Seriously, you¡¯d think the captain would pay some attention to what¡¯s going on aboard his own ship.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t question your job if you don¡¯t question mine.¡±


    Rufus patted his back. ¡°That¡¯s the Alex I know.¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Kik was brought back to his room by the pair of soldiers. He didn¡¯t remember much of the interview. Whether due to tiredness from the drugs or from his emotional state, all he could recall was that he answered the questions truthfully, and the coldness of the sensors and the seat against his suit. When he was brought back into the room, he lay on the bed for a few minutes before drifting off.


    He woke up hours later. He couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed except from how much the drug had worn off. He was able to freely move his arms, and he could stand unassisted, albeit shakily.


    Another hour later and he was able to walk around the room. He tried exercising to remove the drug from his system earlier and soon realised that he couldn¡¯t move around as freely as normal, despite no longer being constrained by a full suit, even accounting for his wearing off paralysis.


    He tried jumping up and down before he realised the gravity on this ship was heavier. After running around the room and testing his limits, he realised that he could adjust, but he still felt heavy and sluggish. The amount was only about an extra twenty percent gravity, for a total of close to half a standard G, but it was fairly noticeable.


    He thought about this and realised there must be two reasons, the ship¡¯s size and its larger fuel tanks. The gravity systems worked off of passing electricity through dark matter held in the bottom of the hull. Then, a ship such as the nebula traveller, which made its own fuel, would never hold quite as much dark matter as a ship like this, and the gravity wouldn¡¯t be as strong. Also, a larger ship would have more accumulated space and requirements for fuel, and would hence have larger gravity.


    This also made him think about living on planets. If he was ever to land on a planet with more than twice a standard G, it was doubtful whether he would be able to move. He would have to train his body to adjust to higher gravity. He seemed to remember that Garet had been born on a high gravity world. Perhaps he would ask for some advice on training, he thought to himself. Then he realised that he couldn¡¯t and again depression set upon him. He curled up under the thin sheet, trying to be alone with his own warmth.


    He was broken from his concentration when the door opened. The doctor from before walked in, again accompanied. This time there was only one guard and he was unarmed. The doctor walked over to him and poked a few joints, ignoring Kik¡¯s questions and attempts to slap him away. Instead, he observed his movements closely.


    ¡°Good, it seems you¡¯ll be able to move around by yourself now. Command has determined it safe to let you outside, so I¡¯m letting you see my other patient.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Kik asked the doctor, who seemed disinterested in him after finding out that the effects had worn off.


    ¡°The woman who was aboard the ship with you. I believe she is your mother?¡±


    Kik, excited at the prospect of seeing her again, nodded gladly. ¡°Is she awake?¡±


    ¡°Well, best you see for yourself.¡±


    Kik was led through the ship, this time walking by himself, by the doctor. After taking several corridors to a spot near the very middle of the ship, they walked into the medical bay. It was mostly empty, with a few doctors overseeing some minor injuries, mostly cuts, sprains and a few electrical burns. In a corner, though, was his mother.


    Kik ran over to the edge of the bed. Hala¡¯s face, pale and eyes closed, lay above the pillow, her black hair lying across the white covers. She had an oxygen mask on her face, and the bed was conforming to her body, keeping her in place.


    He looked towards the doctor. ¡°Is she going to live?¡± His voice choked slightly.


    The doctor nodded, but hesitated before replying. ¡°Her life isn¡¯t in danger. That¡¯s the good thing. She was treated in time to prevent lasting damage.¡±


    Kik nodded and grasped her hand by the bed, but the doctor wasn¡¯t finished.


    ¡°But she took a blow to the head. We don¡¯t know when or even if she¡¯s going to wake up. Another question is the condition she¡¯ll be in if it happens.¡±


    Kik looked at the doctor, who honestly seemed apologetic. In fact, it was the most emotional Kik had seen him so far.


    ¡°I understand that it¡¯s hard, but you can¡¯t give up,¡± the man continued. ¡°The only way you¡¯ll speak with her again is if you stay alive for as long as it takes.¡±


    Kik nodded slowly, hearing the words but not fully understanding them yet.


    ¡°Can I stay here for a bit? I don¡¯t think I can leave just yet.¡±


    A few hours later, Kik finally let himself be pulled away from the bed by the escort and they made their way back to the room he had woken up in. He curled up into a foetal position onto the bed and once again let out his emotions at the uncaring room.


    Stenoff was sitting on his bridge, reading the reports from his men about the planet. The ships arriving were heavily-armed and their escorts more so. His crew had destroyed a pirate ship or two which had tried to resupply, but soon the news had spread and the scum had stopped arriving. It wouldn¡¯t make any difference in the long run, but they were at least presenting a semblance of interstellar law.


    He had run this patrol several times in the past as a bridge hand, and the planet hadn¡¯t gotten any better since his first time. Now that he was running his own ship it was many times worse. He had to deal with all the very obviously criminal captains who he had to release simply because he had no time or capability to punish them.


    He looked up as a sensor hand read a ship entering the system from his monitor, but before he could order his crew to close in they received a transmission from the planet.


    ¡°Calling Aurora Cruiser, Flammenmeer. Calling Flammenmeer. This is council headquarters, pl*zz* come in.¡±


    ¡°Council headquarters, this is Captain Alexander Stenoff of the Flammenmeer. Has my meeting with the councillor been approved?¡± This day was finally starting to look up. Maybe he could properly fulfil the purpose for his visit by the time they finished refueling tomorrow.


    ¡°Negative, Captain, we received word that you had *zz* a prisoner. He is wanted for attempted assault on planetary assets. We will take custody.¡±


    Stenoff leaned forward in his seat, a vein beginning to bulge on his forehead. ¡°Please repeat. You mean to say that you think yourselves more qualified to question a prisoner who the navy captured? And you ask us to simply hand him over?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before the comm crackled on again. ¡°Aff*zz*tive. Escort prisoner with other hostages, confiscated equipment and belongings to Low Orbit 3. We will handle *z* from there.¡±


    Stenoff was actually too shocked to reply, before he brought the speaker back to his lips. ¡°I am already reluctant to hand over the person in question. What could possibly make you think that I will give you his parent, his ship, his belongings and the weapons aboard it? What would you do with enough explosives to blow up Low Orbit 3, which we¡¯d be sending it through? I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    This time the pause on the other end was longer. ¡°Confirming ord*zz* correct. Send prisoners along with all personal effects and confiscated items to *zzz* 3. Will be received at the bottom.¡±


    Stenoff almost dropped the microphone. ¡°I just told you, and I will repeat it as much as it takes. I. Won¡¯t. Do. It.¡±


    ¡°Wait for *zzz*. Redirecting to a higher authority.¡±


    Stenoff tried to call them again, but they were already gone. He had no choice but to wait, his annoyance growing. The thought that this was the other party¡¯s intention crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. Finally, a bored but obviously cultured voice came over the channel. The connection with this one was much clearer, perhaps from better instruments.


    ¡°I¡¯m told you have been requesting a meeting with me, Captain. It has indeed been a few years, but I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d be so desperate to meet me that you¡¯d hold my subordinates¡¯ personnel hostage.¡±


    He vaguely recognized the voice, but realised who it was from the contents. Alex spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°It¡¯s good to finally speak with you, Councilman Veris. Who would have thought you would find time in your busy schedule for me.¡±


    Veris laughed. ¡°Oh, we both know that¡¯s not true. Of course I could meet you, I¡¯ve just been ignoring you until you leave the system. I mean, why should I waste time on you when you¡¯ll protect us either way?¡±


    This person was half the reason why Alex hated Lanos. ¡°I¡¯m glad to know our protection is so valuable to you. Now could you explain what you mean by your men¡¯s personnel?¡±


    ¡°Why, certainly. You see, one of my men hired the parents and that boy you¡¯re holding hostage. It¡¯s hardly their fault they were attacked by pirates, so you can just hand the two of them over to us and we¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s taken care of. We have to pay our worker¡¯s compensation, after all.¡±


    ¡°And if I refuse you like I did your men?¡±


    ¡°Then let me make this very clear. You are in my planet¡¯s space, so you follow its laws. That means you obey my orders, for so many reasons I gave up counting in the triple digits. Now, you can do what I tell you to and avoid an interstellar incident marking your career. Or you could make a stand over some boy, his parents and his equipment, and I will make sure you are demoted to ranking serving aboard a ship cleaning up scrapped satellites. Those are your orders, and if you don¡¯t like them go warp them up your ass.¡±


    Stenoff sat back in his seat. He hated this planet. ¡°Very¡­ well. Orders are orders.¡±


    The councilman laughed again. ¡°Glad you understand. In that case, we¡¯ll be expecting him and his mother in four hours. It should just be dawn when they arrive.¡±


    Stenoff nodded to nobody, grunting in acceptance. ¡°Alright. But one question, why Low Orbit 3? Aren¡¯t you and all your government beneath Low Orbit 2, on the other side of the planet?¡±


    Stenoff could almost imagine Veris laughing from the tone of his voice. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because the primary owner of Aurora Station, which he was going to hit, lives there. He¡¯s also the employer I mentioned. We¡¯re giving them to the person most involved in the incident. Well, until the next time we chat. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    The line cut off. Goby looked at his captain. ¡°Are we really doing this to that kid?¡±


    Alexander Stenoff sat back in his seat and rested his head backwards, against the top. He looked at the metal ceiling above him. He very much hated himself and his job right now. Mostly his job. ¡°Orders are orders.¡±


    When Kik woke up, nobody would talk to him. He was given back his void suit alongside a plethora of apologetic stares. He was then taken into the cramped storage room of a small passenger ship by a pair of escorts who he hadn¡¯t seen before. They were dressed in light combat armour but their shaven heads were uncovered, only their mouths hidden by a breathing mask. The armour was made up of bands of overlapping, semi-rigid material. Beneath this was thick bulletproof clothing, finished with thick combat boots and heavy padding over the elbows, knees and wrists. Their back was also built up slightly for some storage space, including a holster for a rifle which Kik couldn¡¯t see except for its triangular stock resting above their backs.


    Neither of them talked to him when he tried to speak, so he stayed silent until his mother was rolled into the ship on a bed. One of the people bringing her in locked the wheels on her bed while the other took pity on Kik and told him what was happening.


    ¡°You two are being handed over to people on the planet. They¡¯ll meet you on the ground. Your ship will follow later along with the rest of your equipment.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re just leaving us? Interrogating me then letting us walk free like it never happened?¡±


    The attendant shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s out of our hands. Word is some bigshot wants you planetside.¡±


    Having shared this information he walked off with the other man.


    A half hour of awkward silence passed with Kip staring at the wall and the two escorts shifting around. Eventually, the younger one got sick of it and asked Kip just before they launched, ¡°Where are your parents? How¡¯d you end up here by yourself?¡±


    Kik gave a meaning-filled glance to the woman lying unconscious in the stretcher, then looked back at the man. The rest of the flight passed in silence.


    The place they landed, Dock 46 on Low Orbit 3, was fairly clean, but not as much as the near-sterile environment aboard the naval ship. The floor held evidence of many people¡¯s boots, but currently the space was deserted except for a few guards to make sure that nobody blew up anything.


    The dock was circular, and was more aptly described as one of the hundred floors of the station. It held twelve different ports for large ships around the edge, of a size perhaps twice the size of Kik¡¯s.


    The older escort wheeled his mother¡¯s trolley away to a large doorway while Kik was taken to a smaller doorway by the younger man. He questioned this, and was told that they were going down the express elevator, while his mother was taking the relatively slower one which took over three days.


    This made him question his situation. ¡°So how long are we going to take?¡±


    ¡°Slightly over fourteen hours. By the way, did you know our predecessors considered what we¡¯re about to do a sport?¡±


    ¡°Um, really? What was it called?¡± Kik asked as they walked into a circular room with a radius of three metres. Twelve tanks lined the walls, although the two of them were the only people inside. Kik¡¯s companion locked him into one of the tanks before doing the same to himself.


    ¡°Orbit diving, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Orbit wh¡­¡± he managed to get out before his head was covered in a deluge of green, transparent slime, sealing his helmet speakers and whatever else he was going to say.


    The ground suddenly fell out from under him. He screamed into his helmet terror as he accelerated to speeds faster than he could perceive, overcoming the gravity of the station to press his back against the ceiling of the pod through the gel.

 4 - Planetfall

    The unmoderated acceleration carried Kik and his escort awkwardly pressed into the gel for about five hours until it slowed down slightly and the zero-G of orbit resumed as their acceleration matched up with the gravity. About two minutes in, Kik had vomited into his helmet, which was good because he had nothing left to throw up later in the journey. His suit had slowly absorbed and recycled it as they descended, but there were still bits encrusting his face where it wasn¡¯t touching his undersuit.


    Once the forces had cancelled out, the white lighting turned green and the pods popped open. Kik spiralled out among clumps of floating green goo, tearing off his helmet as fast as humanly possible. His guide emerged at a more relaxed pace.


    ¡°I think I got vomit up my nose,¡± Kik said. ¡°From the outside.¡± He took off a glove and wiped his face with his sleeve, the absorbent material going to work and draining off much of the organics there.


    His guide nodded in sympathy and offered him a meal pack from a belt pouch. ¡°You should eat. We only have an hour or so before the acceleration stops and gravity kicks in. Enjoy the freedom and view while you can.¡±


    Kik nodded, feeding the meal pack into his arm, where it mixed with the other biological material his suit had recently stored¡­


    ¡°On second thought, I don¡¯t feel like eating right now. Give it a few minutes until I¡¯ve forgotten about all this and I¡¯ll have a go.¡±


    The guide shrugged. ¡°Your choice. I¡¯m Kev, by the way.¡± He took a sip from his meal.


    ¡°Kik¡±.


    ¡°So what do you know about Lanos?¡±


    ¡°Never been there.¡±


    The conversation lapsed into silence as Kik floated near the ceiling, batting around balls of goo. Eventually Kev spoke up again. ¡°This view is really something. I¡¯ve always dreamed of seeing something like this, that¡¯s why I enlisted. Was there any reason why you or your parents came to space?¡±


    Kik grimaced behind his helmet. ¡°No. It¡¯s just what we always did.¡±


    Kev noticed the past tense. ¡°Sorry.¡± He fell into silence.


    After an hour, the green lights started to flash red. Kev quickly strapped both of them into the cylinders before they began to decelerate rapidly. They were both pressed into the floor by the deceleration adding to the already-above-standard gravity. Kik could feel his organs being pressed to the inside of his ribs. His whole body was flat against the floor. His head was held against the floor, facing towards the center of the space tether. He swore he could see sparks around the outside edge of the lift as the supports struggled to compensate.


    This continued on for hours on end. Eventually, the red flare of reentry started around the edges of the viewport as the airbraking kicked in. They were pressed even harder against the floor for a few agonizing minutes before they finally came to a sliding halt. Kik took off his helmet, now that they were in atmosphere. He looked the other way, outside the window, and realised he must have missed a beautiful view off the planet as they fell. He hadn¡¯t really had much time to enjoy it, though. He also realised that he wasn¡¯t going to be seeing much now they were under the cover of the smog over the city.


    The grey cloud was everywhere. It filled the skies and the streets. It was breathed out by the buildings and in by the people. Faint lights flickered through it as traffic passed through the streets and skies, but the furthest that could be seen throught it was at best two hundred metres. It was all the more shocking to one who had grown up in a spacecraft where all the air you breathed was thoroughly cleaned and mostly inside your suit.


    The elevator¡¯s final destination was an arrivals centre at the base of the tether. There was a barred-off area erected and manned by a group of law enforcement soldiers, shown by the watching eye on their shoulders and breast pockets. Beyond it was a curious and bored crowd, queuing for the elevator. Salesmen, cargo porters, ship crew on shore leave, all were waiting to get back into space and about their business.


    Inside this walled area were two transport vehicles and five men. Four of the men were standing around one of the vehicles. They were exuding the confidence that only armed people are capable of, the knowledge that they can take lives with ease. The final man gave off a different feeling, a sense of self belief and contentedness. He alone was standing by the front car.


    The men were all dressed almost identically, in two piece dark blue clothing. These were covered by a multi-pocketed jacket, in black or again blue. The fifth man, however, wore a white buttoned shirt and black pants. He was overly formal, in the plaza surrounded by armed soldiers and greasy-handed market stallholders. Most other people simply wore coveralls with jackets, or other simple clothing.


    The vehicles they stood in front of were large, dark, armoured affairs. They sat low to the ground, with no seeming wheels. There were four bladed protrusions, though, two on each side, which Kik couldn¡¯t figure out. They were curved slightly backwards, and the best equivalent that he could find would be the fins of a fish. The one with four men next to it had two doors on each side and one on the front, while the other had only a single door on each side and the front.


    When the doors to the lift opened, though, Kik forgot about who the people were or what the outside looked like. The senses that he barely used were assailed by sensations. First was the hearing. The clamoring of the crowd. Machinery off in the distance. Footsteps as people ran up and down the street.


    The problem wasn¡¯t the volume, he had experienced that before, such as in the elevator just then. The problem was the variety. He had trouble filtering it all in. It struck him as a wall of noise, and he could barely make out individual sounds against the background roar.


    The second sensation came a second later as it flooded in with the air from outside. The smell. He could taste the smog in the air, smell the sweat of the people outside. He could smell numerous other things that he couldn¡¯t identify, and they all combined together and flooded towards him.


    He backed up slightly, but the escort put a hand on his shoulder and looked down at him. The touch helped him focus once again, and he brought himself back to reality in time to hear the last of what the escort was saying.


    ¡°to the outskirts of the city. It shouldn¡¯t be so bad out there. Mainly because it¡¯s where the rich like to live. Well, I¡¯ll be leaving you and waiting here until the main elevator comes down.¡± Before he could reply, the man stepped out into the space before the crowd, gesturing that Kik should follow him.


    Kik moved forwards, noticing the drag upon his body due to the strong gravity. It was over twice that of his ship, perhaps one and a half of a standard G. He also noticed the unfamiliar sensation of material crunching underneath his feet as he moved. He looked down and realised he was walking upon jagged pieces of rock mixed with coarse sand. There was an unfamiliar sensation of the ground moving as he walked.


    After a brief moment, he had his feet under control again, and looked up, which scared him again. There was a ridiculous number of people here, something in the magnitude of seventy to eighty. He didn¡¯t realise that was comparatively a small number, having spoken with at most ten people at a time in his life. Even then, he had been wearing his helmet. He froze up, realising that quite a few were looking at him. He was unused to the stares of others.


    Once again, a tap on his shoulder woke him up. He thanked the soldier quickly, embarrassed at his own inability to handle the situation. The two of them walked forward to greet the man standing by himself at the car.


    ¡°Greetings. My name is Walston. I¡¯ll be taking you to the estate today.¡±


    The man in front politely introduced himself, and Kik nodded back, still a little out of it. Walston opened the back door for him and waited. As he was about to climb in, his escort tapped him on the shoulder to say something, but whatever it was was drowned out by the roar of engines and blast of air as the second vehicle lifted off the ground. It was lifted by the four jets beneath each corner. It rose into the air and circled, waiting.


    Kik wanted to ask what he had said now that the noise had gone down somewhat, but the car was waiting and Kev was already walking back to the lifts. He got in the back seat and Walston returned to the front where climbed across and got into the driver¡¯s seat, which took up the whole front of the vehicle.


    Inside was a lot more comfortable than any vehicle Kik had been in before, but he didn¡¯t have time to enjoy it as the vehicle took off. Flying in gravity was something he wasn¡¯t quite used to. While he had flown to planets before with his parents, most of their trips were to the tops of space tethers like he had just descended, or space stations. Their ship, like most, wasn¡¯t built with atmospheric entry in mind, although it could manage it quite well.


    The sensation was unique. It was like being shaken around in a tank of liquid with weights on your belt. You would move around the tank, but in the end you¡¯d always end up at the bottom. For Kik, who was trained to either strap in, or follow the flow and just bounce off the walls in zero-g, he felt as if his legs were tied to the floor.


    Once the takeoff was finished and their movement had settled to forward, though, he found it a lot easier to concentrate on other things. He first looked around the space. The windows were blackened and he could barely see out, and not much light got in, either. That made it somewhat hard to see around the space, but Kik was accustomed to dim lighting. He made out one other human-shaped figure sitting silently in the corner.


    He was surprised for a second, but then realised that it was still and hadn¡¯t moved since he had noticed it. He looked closer, expecting the person to be asleep. Instead he found it had never been alive in the first place.


    The creature was robotic. Kik thought he had heard of some sort of robotic life-form, but he doubted this was one. The ones he had heard of were far older than human civilization. This one seemed to be made by normal construction techniques, but he was more confused as to its function.


    The Interstellar Conglomerate permitted building of robots, but most were made in a non-human model and devoid of intelligence. In fact, many advanced starships could be considered to be giant robots, as they were governed by weak AI even if they were directed by humans. Most of the reason was technological difficulty. While the technology existed to make humanoid robots, and the technology existed to make AI with human-level intelligence or greater, even if this was limited, it was next to impossible to fit the massive computers required inside a human-sized robot.


    So what was this one? It seemed to be off, so he decided to leave it. If he got bored enough, he might try turning it on or taking it apart, but for now he¡¯d look out the window, what he could see at least. He didn¡¯t feel quite up to doing anything else.


    A minute later and a minute closer to their destination, Kik wondered when they would arrive. Before he could continue that train of thought, though, he realised the robot was on and speaking.


    ¡°Good to meet you, Kik. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from your parents.¡± Its voice was male and lightly accented, seemingly from a blend of languages.


    A startled ¡°Huh?¡± escaped his lips. He didn¡¯t believe the robot was intelligent, but it seemed that way. It continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we had to meet in this way, but we¡¯ll get a proper introduction later. In the meantime, we can talk about what happened to you in space if you want.¡±


    Kik was utterly confused. ¡°Wait, did you say you know my parents? They never mentioned a robot.¡±


    The machine was silent for a second, as if deliberating. ¡°I¡¯m not a robot.¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Kik said. ¡°I can see the microphone your voice is coming from. Or are you an android or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean this body. No, I¡¯m full human. Actually, I¡¯m the one who hired you. I¡¯m just controlling this remotely and hearing your reply on my end.¡±


    Kik thought about the final statement and was annoyed he hadn¡¯t considered it. He realised he¡¯d have to ask his mother about it later. Then he realised what he just thought. While he was occupied with his own depression, the man continued speaking through the machine.


    ¡°I was sorry to hear about your parents. They had worked for me before, and they did good jobs. I wish I could say I knew more about them but I didn¡¯t really.¡±


    Kik couldn¡¯t tell the man¡¯s sincerity from his tone of voice. Then the first part of the statement sunk in, and he realised the man was Erstine.


    ¡°Well, I would have come to meet you myself, but I won¡¯t be back at the estate until after you arrive. I had some other important business to take care of, and I¡¯d prefer speaking to you before we meet in person.¡±


    He shook of his depression for the moment and replied to Erstine. ¡°So what do you want to speak about right now?¡±


    ¡°Well, mostly it¡¯s about your run-in with the pirates. Tell me as much as you can remember.¡±


    Kik spoke for half an hour and mostly Erstine listened. The only indication that he was paying attention was his asking the occasional question, such as the calibre of the pirates¡¯ weapons, which Kik didn¡¯t know, and the number and type of supplies in the medical kit. Kik tried not to answer the questions about his parents¡¯ ship as much as possible. Searching his brains for the answers, Kik felt better about telling another person what had happened to him. However, the talk gave off a similar pressure to the interrogation on the ship, so he wasn¡¯t too relieved.


    When it was over, Erstine was silent for a few minutes, perhaps talking to someone on his end. The silence was broken when he finally spoke. ¡°It sounds like an inside job. I¡¯ll have to look through the information trail on my end later. In the meantime, my men will see you to a room at the estate where you can unwind for an hour or so before I arrive. Wander if you want, but don¡¯t touch anything, stay away from the guards and stay out of sight of visitors. It would raise too many questions.¡±


    Kik nodded, even though he probably couldn¡¯t be seen, and the line cut off. The robot went back to ¡®sleep¡¯ and wouldn¡¯t respond regardless of what Kik said to it.


    Another ten minutes later, three quarters of an hour into the journey, Kik noticed the outside was getting brighter. He looked through the window and noticed that he could see somewhat further; the smog was clearing and beneath him the landscape was changing from industrial reds and greys to dark brown and yellowish sands with streaks of coloured minerals, blue, green and red. Walston¡¯s voice came from a speaker towards the front of the room. ¡°We¡¯re approaching the landing zone, it will be getting bumpy again as we approach.¡± Kik groaned and held on to the edge of the seat as he experienced the now unhappily familiar feeling of taking off and landing in full gravity.


    The estate, over two hundred kilometres out from the space tether, was free from the pollution of the central city. The skies were clear and heat burned down. At the equator near the large seas, this was probably the wettest the planet got, and it was still hellishly dry. The pair of airborne vehicles landed in a large cave, one of several, built into a hill, which was good, because the paint on them probably would have melted had they landed outside. Kik¡¯s suit was temperature-regulated and still it felt hot.


    Kik followed Walston and was followed by his four guards through a doorway at the back of the cave. On the other side were stately hallways carpeted in white, lined with columns. There was an occasional painting or picture, of verdant landscapes, mountains and the occasional view of space.


    Thirty metres in, the four men behind turned a corner as Walston went straight. Kik asked why he was being left with no guards, and received a confusing reply.


    ¡°There are plenty of guards that you just haven¡¯t spotted. And besides, I¡¯m not too worried about what you could do with me here.¡±


    Despite this incident, they proceeded through the large hallways. Most were empty, but there was an occasional maid cleaning, constantly cleaning. The section of the house they were in seemed to be endless corridors, perhaps with some guest rooms and storage closets. Kik was taken to one of the former, where there were some clothes laid out on the bed. There were also a pair of boots by the nightstand, and the rest of the room was bare.


    The clothes were semi-formal, similar to what Walston was wearing. They seemed more adapted for movement, however, and the pants were slightly more baggy with a brown-dotted pattern. The shirt had longer sleeves and seemed to be made of some heat-adapted cloth.


    ¡°Take off your void suit and leave it here,¡± Walston told him. ¡°Wear these for now. At the master¡¯s permission, you can move around the house, but stay away from servants and stay out of trouble. This is for your own safety, so make sure you obey.¡±


    Kik nodded and started to unbuckle his gloves and boots, leaving his helmet on the nightstand and backpack next to it. Walston walked out to give him privacy.


    Once he had unzipped and taken off the main part of his void suit, Kik stripped off the undersuit, revealing his long, untanned limbs. His muscles were weak, and he was already tired from walking around with the heavy pack on. It was designed to maintain his centre of gravity and allow easy movement in low to no gravity, but unfortunately it sacrificed light weight to achieve this. After putting on the undergarments, he slipped into the pants and pulled the shirt over the top. There were many things he found unfamiliar about the clothes, but at least he recognized which way the front was. After he buttoned the shirt back up and put the boots on, he called Walston back in.


    When he returned, Walston clicked his tongue at the dressing attempt and ordered Kik to hold out his arms. He tied some small buttons on the ends of the sleeves, and did up the clasps on the boots. He also pulled out a comb from somewhere on his person, but thought against it, looking at the unsurmountable tangles in Kik¡¯s grey hair.


    Finally granting permission for Kik to leave, he nevertheless called a guard, who had seemingly been standing outside, to watch over the ¡°guest¡±. Kik was then given reign to walk around the house.


    The first place Kik ran was out of Walston¡¯s sight. He felt he wouldn¡¯t escape all eyes here, but at least that one pair would be away from him. His first destination would be the room where his mother would be kept when she arrived, as he presumed she would. He wanted to make sure that she would be taken care of properly.


    The thought dampened his exploratory mood, but he pulled himself back together. Surviving came first. This might seem a less dangerous place than space at first glance, but he had no doubt that there were just as many ways to die here as in a pirate¡¯s lair.


    He wasted ten of his sixty minutes walking around aimlessly, not finding anything. He tried talking to the guard following him, but he was nowhere to be seen, despite being ordered to protect him. Finally he stumbled across a pair of people with white clothes and small red addition signs on their shoulders, the symbol for a medic. He followed them, not particularly trying to hide, and they almost immediately walked through a glass door which closed and locked behind them.


    Walking up to the door and peering through, Kik could see several beds across the room from him. Of the three in view, one was curtained off, one was empty and the last had a man in it with his arm missing and the stump wrapped in bandages and wound gel. Walking up and down the corridor in either direction, Kik could see other medical rooms, including surgeries, rooms filled with scanning machines, and what might have been a cryogenics bay for human bodies, either alive or dead.


    Unable to enter any of the rooms, he was satisfied that the facilities were good enough. They seemed better than every medical bay or hospital wing he had seen or been in, which was quite a few; he had been injured many times as a child in space, some more seriously than others.


    The next place Kik went was looking for food. This one was easier; he followed his nose. He walked to a stairwell and breathed in the air, smelling something heavily scented from below. Going down the stairs to the very bottom, he found a large plant garden, long and wide, with arid soil and bright light. The light seemed to be reflected from large holes around the edges of the room and cast by floodlights in the ceiling. The smell came from a large plot of flowers along the side of the room.


    Kik was hungry, but not enough to eat dirty produce, assuming he even could find any. He looked elsewhere. After twenty minutes of searching, with more than half his time used up, he found a room with many controlled fires. What seemed to be giant gooey ration blocks were placed inside, then taken out again after they had increased in size and browned.


    Three people dressed in white were putting in and taking out these blocks from the fires and placing them on a table near the door. A smell completely different to packaged rations filled the air. Kik thought he had tasted something similar during a warp once, a long time ago.


    One of the men inside the room noticed Kik at the doorway when he put the next block down. He looked at the other two behind him, and gestured that he should take one. He also put a finger to his lips and waved him quickly.


    Kik nodded in thanks and grabbed one before he could change his mind. He ran down the corridor away from possible retribution from the other two. Sitting in a corner made by a pillar, he tore chunks off and stuffed them into his mouth with his hands.


    He pulled off a quarter and left it in a pocket for later, but ate the rest. It had a slightly springy texture, but it almost melted in his mouth. It was brown, but the inside was a smooth, pale colour. When he broke pieces off, a soft crunching sound filled his ears.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Overjoyed, he thought how he had to share this with¡­


    Once again depressed by his reality, he put the second remaining quarter block in another pocket. He didn¡¯t really feel like eating anymore. It didn¡¯t taste quite the same, and he had already eaten half. His needs were satisfied.


    Wandering around the mostly empty hallways, Kik found a balcony shaded by palm trees. This one was actually outside; it seemed he had come to one of the sides of the hill the estate was inside. He found a bench and sat down, watching the patterns of shade shift and change across the rolling hills of sand.


    He must have fallen asleep, because the guard outside the door shook him awake. His grip was surprisingly powerful, or at least it seemed that way to Kik.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go. The leader will be back soon, you have to get ready to meet him.¡±


    Kik nodded and stretched. His head was still fuzzy, but he could keep it under control and stop himself slipping back into darkness.


    He walked off to meet Erstine.


    The guard dropped him off in another empty room and had him sit at a table. The feeling was almost identical to the military interrogation chamber. He sat for a very short time, less than a minute, until a pair of burly men walked in. They wore dark jackets, shorts, and some kind of white, unsleeved shirts. They walked in silently and didn¡¯t move. Another minute later and a door at the other end of the room opened.


    Kik wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, so of course he was surprised. The man who walked in was not very tall, only just taller than Kik, so perhaps a hundred and sixty centimetres. He was also slightly plump. Obviously, though, he wasn¡¯t just a normal person. He wore a blue tail-coat and matching blue trousers over a gold-buttoned shirt. Small golden patches decorated his shoulders. But more intriguing was the mask on his face. It was a full face, gold, Venetian style mask. It was decorated by waves, small patterns and with engraved plates attached to some sections. Kik was stunned into silence, half by his style and half by how ridiculous he looked.


    The masked man, evidently Erstine or someone close to him, came up to the centre of the room and stood there. Kik waited for him to speak first, taking in his appearance. It was a little difficult because of the lack of lighting, but he looked over all the strange clothing. His main thought was that it didn¡¯t seem very practical.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to speak with you again, mister Kik,¡± the man said. ¡°Sorry I took so long, I was caught up in a meeting, I didn¡¯t even have time to change.¡± The man spoke deeply, heavily and gutturally, strongly pronouncing his consonants, especially grating the w¡¯s.


    Even while trying not to think about what kind of meeting the man had been at, Kik shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever spoken before.¡±


    The man reached up to his throat and tapped something there, letting the blend of accents from the Erstine he knew flow through again.


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple matter to change your voice. I can speak like this if you prefer. Telling you whether it¡¯s my original accent is a different matter.¡±


    ¡°So why did you bring me here?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Ah, down to business straight away. Well, put simply, you had some of my cargo on board, however small an amount it was. I pulled some strings to get it picked up, and you came too to make it seem less suspicious.¡±


    ¡°What cargo are you talking about? The pirates took it all.¡±


    ¡°Most of it, certainly, but there was at least one crate left aboard your ship.¡±


    Thinking about it, there was only one thing left one their ship. The LEACh bombs. ¡°So that¡¯s what we were carrying. No wonder we weren¡¯t told.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, not knowing helped you get through the questioning by the navy. They may have been playing nice, but had they known you had been carrying that by design, there¡¯s no way I could have gotten you out of there.¡±


    Kik thought about it and it made sense, but there was no way he¡¯d trust Erstine that easily. Not telling them protected him more than them. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t tell me why I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose. Did you know how useful your ship was, by the way? One of the reasons why I agreed to so favourable terms when your parents took it.¡±


    That was a story he¡¯d have to ask about sometime, Kik noted to himself.


    ¡°Anyway, now that your parents are dead or incapacitated, I need a new pilot, but almost nobody knows how to pilot a ship like yours these days. It really makes me wonder how those two learnt. So that¡¯s where you come in.¡±


    ¡°You want me to be your smuggler?¡±


    ¡°Ding ding. Yes. And before you argue about how young you are, you got those two people¡­ or one¡­ here safely. That¡¯s something. I¡¯ll just stick an older person with you who can pretend to be captain and speak with the authorities. You¡¯re the one with the skills.¡±


    Losing his neutral expression at Erstine¡¯s obvious cover up, Kik nevertheless considered his options. ¡°Why?¡±


    Erstine sighed, which came out as a burst of static from his voice box. ¡°That¡¯s always the question, isn¡¯t it. Ideally, you¡¯d do it out of the goodness of your heart and love of the galaxy.¡± He glanced at Kik¡¯s expression. ¡°Or more likely, you¡¯d do it for money.¡±


    Kik shook his head, but Erstine held up his hand again. ¡°No, not just wealth. The ship, one of the things that your parents owe me for. At the moment, of the three shareholders, one is dead and one is incapacitated. That means as the third shareholder, I own it for now. So if you want to keep it, you need to make me owe you.¡±


    Kik¡¯s frown deepened, but he was still not fully convinced. Erstine sighed and leaned forward, keeping his eyes perfectly on Kik. His voice suddenly lost all accent, enunciating every word clearly.


    ¡°Well, there are other reasons. I didn¡¯t want to use these methods on a child, but that¡¯s fine. You¡¯re pushing me. Your mother will require intensive medical treatment until she wakes up. If she doesn¡¯t get it, she may survive. She may not. Who can say? Who can tell if this house will have a blackout someday?¡±


    Kik¡¯s eyes widened, but he hadn¡¯t given up, even if his voice choked slightly. ¡°But if she¡­ died... you wouldn¡¯t have any power left over me. I could just leave. That¡¯s not what you would do if there¡¯s a chance of getting me back.¡±


    Erstine might have been smiling beneath the mask. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaking something. If you die, I lose next to nothing. I get a few less pawns to play with until I find another smuggler. You have nothing I can¡¯t find anywhere else. And besides, she doesn¡¯t have to die straight away. There are a lot of things she could live without. Hands are one. Her frontal lobe is another, and it may prove difficult to prove that it was me who did that. Hmm, it¡¯s a shame that problem hasn¡¯t been found till now. She must have been hit harder by those pirates than we imagined.¡±


    If Kik hadn¡¯t been sitting down, he would have collapsed already. Slowly and shakingly, he nodded. ¡°All¡­ right. I¡¯ll work.¡±


    Erstine laughed and his voice turned to normal. ¡°Good, glad to see you with a goal. I¡¯ll send you off to one of my men and he¡¯ll set you up.¡± He tapped something, seemingly empty air, in the centre of the room and walked back out, nodding to the two silent men. The light illuminated dark blonde hair just before he passed out of sight.


    Kik sagged in his chair and pulled his knees to his chest. He felt like crying. One of the men spoke to him, but all he heard was noise. His shoulder was tapped a few times, and when he didn¡¯t respond he was picked up and carried out of the room.


    The man carrying him was massive, not much over a metre eighty but very heavily built. He was carrying Kik like a baby over his shoulder, despite only a thirty centimetre height difference between them. Kik let himself be carried and his body relaxed, deadened by fear. The fear that once again, that which he fought so hard to save would be taken away and he could only sit and watch.


    Eventually he was taken into another room and sat in a chair before a desk, on the other side of which was a revolving chair. The man on it clicked an old-fashioned ink pen as he decided Kik¡¯s fate.


    The man had dark business-like clothes, dressed similarly to Walston from earlier, but with his black jacket hung over his chair instead of wearing it. Despite the availability of vision correction surgery, he was wearing a pair of square-rimmed glasses. He scrunched the paper he was holding up and threw it behind him, where it passed through a large hole in the wall and fell. His disinterested gaze aimed towards the two large men, and he nodded to the door. They complied, so he turned and observed Kik.


    ¡°Name¡­ Kik. Just Kik? Well, it¡¯ll do for now. Parents deceased and in a coma, now agreed to work, legal age is¡­ and the ownership status on the ship is¡­¡± He flicked through a few documents and nodded. His voice was clear and precise, embellishing the unnecessary words. ¡°The first major issue is your parents. Your father is dead and your mother is unconscious, so you need a new guardian.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kik asked. He had expected some sort of gang member, and he got legal advice?


    ¡°Well, that can be arranged, that can be arranged. Next problem in this situation is¡­ possessions. Your guardians¡¯ possessions would usually pass to you, but since one isn¡¯t actually dead, you¡¯d usually be taken care of by the government until they wakes up or are pronounced brain-dead. That¡¯s two years from the date the injury is registered, which was yesterday, by the navy. Hmmm¡­


    ¡°The ship you¡¯ll have no problems with, as well as what¡¯s on board, since it had other owners. Anything else, however, will be held until that time.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the reply was. He didn¡¯t have anything but his ship for two years or until his parents woke up. Didn¡¯t that sound bad?


    ¡°Furthermore, extensive damage has been found. Given the age of the ship¡¯s parts and its obscurity, repairs should take at least a month and a half. Only half is covered by insurance, as piracy is considered a moderate risk, and the extra wasn¡¯t paid for the full coverage.¡± He made a note on another sheet on the table.


    ¡°Finally, we get to the work contract.¡± He pulled a many-paged document from beneath the table. ¡°Three signatures are required, please, here, here and here. I hear you don¡¯t have much choice but to sign, so you may as well hurry up about it.¡±


    Kik had reluctantly picked up the pen before realising he didn¡¯t know what he was meant to do. He drew a tick-like mark with a small scribble beneath the tail in each of the indicated spaces.


    ¡°The document will be provided for your own perusal at a later date. It is recommended you come to read and understand all the terms and agreements, as they are legally binding, especially in the event that you wish to terminate this contract before the two-year date has passed. Well then, that¡¯s business taken care of.¡± His voice finally slowed down on the last sentence.


    ¡°Now that the official talk is out of the way, I have three things to talk to you about. The first is your abilities.¡±


    Kik nodded and listened halfheartedly.


    ¡°So, as you have realised, you¡¯re far too weak to do anything on a decently-sized planet,¡± he continued.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help that. That¡¯s just how I¡¯ve grown.¡±


    ¡°The question, Mister Kik, is not what you can do, it¡¯s what we can do. It wouldn¡¯t be too hard to grow your bones and muscles for a month or so under our supervision.¡±


    Kik looked up at that. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be useless? How would I adjust to the added muscle?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯d train, of course, which brings me to the second point. I know somebody who used to know Garet, who¡¯d probably be willing to train you. It would also take close to a month for him to arrive.¡±


    Kik was fully attentive now. ¡°Who is he? How did he know my father?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a story that you¡¯ll have to ask him, if he¡¯ll tell you. Which also reminds me of the third point. I have something Garet used to own, although I¡¯ll have to find it for you. It may take a little while.¡±


    Kik smiled slightly in anticipation before going back to his previous inattentive state. ¡°Is that all?¡± His voice was a little warmer than before.


    ¡°Yes, that should be everything. Oh, and by the way, my name is Thenfor,¡± the seated man said, reaching out to shake Kik¡¯s hand. ¡°I was an¡­ acquaintance of Garet¡¯s at one time. Perhaps I¡¯ll tell you more about him one day. Perhaps.¡±


    Kik smiled bitterly. ¡°Perhaps someday I¡¯ll be ready to listen.¡±


    The next few hours for Kik were a whirlwind of medical checks and chattering scientists calling out obscure terms. They ended with him lying on a bed in just thin underclothes, covered in needles. He could even feel them spiking into his back from below. As one scientist had explained amid the hustle, ¡°They¡¯ll force your muscles to move constantly, tear and heal. There¡¯ll be some pain over time, but they¡¯ll grow as if you¡¯re exercising constantly.¡±


    He also had some kind of bone supplement injected into various parts of his body. At least he had been put out before the three hundred and something needles were shoved into his arms, chest, legs and back. Even his bottom wasn¡¯t spared.


    Eventually, he was left alone with nothing to do but sit and stare at the ceiling, waiting for the first dose of painkillers to wear off. Apparently, they had been ordered to forgo the second dose onwards to prepare him to take pain, so he was ready for hell. His head was held straight by a brace, while his arms, legs and chest were bound to the table. Some of the needles passed through the bindings into his body, making them even more secure.


    He lay there for hours, counting the cracks on the ceiling and trying to twitch his fingers as the pain slowly began to flow back. He wished he had somebody to talk to, at least. Eventually, Thenfor turned up, but before Kik could speak he had a pair of dark glasses placed over his eyes. These weren¡¯t sunglasses, they barely let any light through at all; they were more a glasses-shaped blindfold. Even so, Kik could see Thenfor grinning down at him.


    ¡°I knew I had it around somewhere! The glasses I was told to give to you by Erstine, but one of the memory chips inside was what i was looking for. It has some songs Garet used to listen to all the time. He lost his parents young too, you know. You might learn something from him. Anyway, I have to get back to my job. Figure out how to use them by yourself. Enjoy your month.¡±


    Over the first day, with nothing else to do, Kik figured out how to turn on and use the glasses. He tried blinking at certain portions of the screen, blinking hard, even crossing his eyes. In the end, he figured out that if he squinted, he could see a small lightning indicator in the corner. If he blinked twice at this, the device would turn on and coloured text would appear before his eyes. Once on, the glass cleared out and let him see beyond.


    When he first did this, he was overjoyed, but the large amounts of tiny, close text made him nauseous when he moved his eyes, so he turned it off almost straight away. Over the next few tries, he attempted different methods, taking breaks when he felt sick, until he realised that if he focussed his eyes on the background and kept them still he didn¡¯t feel sick. After sitting like that for a while and slowly adjusting, he eventually became used to this, and started concentrating on text. After another few hours, he was able to focus enough to see the words properly.


    Moving his eyes quickly gave him a headache, but if he concentrated on one word at a time, he could read. He browsed through the menu, seeing four connected data ports. He opened the first one; it was full of technical manuals for various gadgets, from weapons to spaceships to elevators. The second contained galactic history and details of particular worlds of interest. It also included a section on galactic government. The third one was the one he was looking for, but he checked the fourth one briefly anyway. It consisted of briefings on the various criminal organizations across the galaxy and their methods. Kik sighed, knowing he would have to learn much of this soon, and moved back to the third folder.


    Inside it were three things. The first was a picture of his mother and father in some kind of scrapyard. She was laughing and hugging his side while he was carrying a long metal pipe or bar over his back, drenched in sweat and grinning. They both looked much younger, in their mid twenties. Choking back tears, he moved to the second. It was a picture of Garet with two other men standing in a desert. All three were in camouflaged combat fatigues.


    His father was bare-chested, while the other men were fully clothed. One of them was old and grizzled, with a scar across his chin. The second was young and pale-skinned, maybe seventeen, giving off youthful confidence and innocence. Of the three, Garet was between them, at perhaps his early thirties, and he seemed a little bit more worn than the younger person. The younger man¡¯s hair was the same brown as Garet, while the older one¡¯s hair was white.


    Kik hurriedly closed the picture. He¡¯d come back and look at both later, but for now it brought back too many bad thoughts. He opened the third object in the mostly-empty memory, a group of files. These were songs. The alphabet was the same as he knew, but he didn¡¯t recognise any of the titles or the words in them. One was marked simply with a 1. He went to this one first. He lay back, half-asleep, and let the music soak over him. There was a light instrumental accompaniment, mostly background. More importantly, he didn¡¯t know what language the singer was singing in, but he recognised the meaning behind the words, as if he had heard them long ago.


    All the stars you see in the sky,


    They shine beautifully, but that is fake,


    For behind them lies unending darkness,


    And an end that comes for you.


    And whenever the stars seem to shine,


    Know that the end is slipping closer.


    But we do not sit and wait,


    We do not accept our death.


    We do not let our light burn out


    Until it has shone brighter than the stars.


    So when death comes for you,


    We scream and cry, ¡°This is not my day¡±.


    We will not give in, even at the end,


    So while the stars hold nothing but death,


    We shout to that death, ¡°This is not my day.¡±


    *One Month Later*


    Four hours before he was due to be released, Erstine visited Kik. He assumed it was Erstine anyway, he didn¡¯t see the speaker, but the voice certainly sounded the same. ¡°So how well have you spent this month, mister Kik? I hope you have read much of what has been left for you.¡±


    ¡°About half,¡± Kik replied. ¡°At least of the history and criminal parts.¡± His voice was hoarse from misuse, as he had only spoken two or three times a day to the doctors asking him his condition.


    ¡°And the technical knowledge? Not half of that?¡±


    ¡°Almost all of that. I knew most of it already.¡±


    Kik could imagine Erstine raising his eyebrows behind his mask, if he was wearing it. ¡°Impressive. I didn¡¯t expect quite so much. Want some water?¡± A hand appeared in Kik¡¯s vision holding a glass.


    Kik was about to accept, but he decided against it. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really thirsty. Maybe later.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Erstine asked. ¡°You seem quite thirsty. I can hear your throat catching.¡±


    Kik was put off by his sincerity. ¡°No, it¡¯s quite alright, I¡¯ll get my own later. The thirst distracts me from the needles.¡± He began to be more on his guard, despite not being able to do much in this position.


    ¡°Very well, suit yourself,¡± Erstine said. ¡°If you find it hard to trust me, that¡¯s fine too. It means you¡¯re a little more intelligent than some. As you may have guessed, I was testing you. Although whether you passed or failed is up to you to decide.¡± He walked out, and Kik could hear the splash as the contents of the glass was poured out, perhaps into the sink. He sighed at the thought of water on his dry throat.


    When he was finally released Kik stood up out of the bed where he had lain for a month. He had slept, defecated and lived in the needle-strewn lair. The greatest feeling he felt now was relief, relief that he could finally stretch his muscles, move his neck around and scratch the itch he had gotten around day seventeen. The main reason he had stayed sane was because of all the reading material and music he had on hand. He cupped his hands beneath the sink for washing tools and drank long and deeply, splashing his face, letting the fluid soothe his aches and bring life to him again.


    The next place he went was to his room to get a proper night¡¯s sleep at last.


    In the morning, he was woken up by a maid. Last night, he had slipped the clothes he had first worn back on, put his new glasses into his pocket, then fallen onto the bed and passed out. He had dreamed of needles and woken up in the middle of the night, but slept deeply afterwards.


    ¡°There are people waiting for you outside,¡± she told him, not showing the deference he had heard them give the scientists and doctors whenever one came into the facility. Perhaps it was because he was a child. He thanked her anyway and followed.


    Outside the building, in the blistering heat, three people were waiting. The first was Thenfor. The second was a small girl, who Kik didn¡¯t recognise and seemed to be slightly younger than him. The third, who was arguing animatedly with Thenfor, was the eldest of the three men in his father¡¯s picture.


    One event perhaps worth noting also occurred in the facility where Kik had been treated, a few hours after he had left. One of the maids doing cleaning found one of the potted plants dead in the corner next to the sink, despite having been fine the previous day. She told one of the biologists who took care of it. After taking samples, she realised there were poisonous chemicals inside the soil. She blamed it on one of another scientist spilling or playing around with chemicals, although he insisted his innocence.

 5 - Desert

    This side of the estate was in shade from the great hill behind them, but it was still hard to look further into the desert because of all the reflected glare. Two men and a young girl were standing together, talking. The edge of the hill overhung this space, held up by steel and concrete roof plating and numerous stone pillars and arches.


    The light shone brightly in Kik¡¯s eyes after so long spent inside wearing dark glasses. Thenfor saw him standing in the doorway and called him over.


    ¡°Come on Kik, don¡¯t just stand there. Come and meet Vist, and his¡­ niece? Well, this is Vist and Pellie.¡±


    Pellie was a young girl, aged between eight and ten. She had dark skin, brown eyes, and long black hair, tied in a single ponytail which hung down her back from the base of her neck. Her clothes were mostly pale orange and red cloths wrapped over and around each other, its shape masking her human outline and its colour blending into the desert sand.


    The other person, a tall, white-haired, bearded man, turned towards Kik. His nose looked like it had been squashed many times. His eyes were small and squinting, set into his face. His skin, although mostly covered by cloth similar to Pellie¡¯s loosely draped over his body, was once light but now heavily tanned. He looked like he had a fair bit of weight on him.


    ¡°Good to meet you at last,¡± he said. His voice was rocky as a mountain valley. ¡°I knew your father a long time ago, but let¡¯s not talk about that now. I hear you need training.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I have no choice but to survive alone now, so I need to get stronger. Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to move onwards.¡±


    Thenfor looked at him, surprised. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve gained confidence,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps a month of reflection was exactly what you needed.¡±


    Kik smiled wistfully. ¡°I¡¯m not well, but I¡¯m better. I have a reason to survive. I haven¡¯t lost everything yet.¡±


    Vist nodded. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve got determination, but don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± He turned to the small girl. She was holding a small box to her chest and watching him in silence. ¡°Pel, stay with Thenfor. I¡¯m going to see what he can do.¡±


    The pair walked off behind one of the pillars holding up the hill, Vist in the lead. There was a strange patchwork vehicle parked there, but Kik couldn¡¯t get a good look as it was mostly obscured. Vist opened up a hatch in the bottom and pulled out a pair of wooden staves. They were staves, although they might have been closer to the size of a cane for Vist, since they weren¡¯t as tall as Kik was.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± he said, walking among the pillars to a point out of the view of Thenfor and Pellie.


    Thenfor tossed over one of the two rods, which was caught, then took up a ready stance, holding his staff like a spear. Kik wondered why they were using rods of equal length despite their height difference. His opponent was slouching, so it was hard to make an accurate estimate, but Kik estimated that Vist was almost ten centimetres over two metres tall.


    He also took up a ready position, holding the staff diagonally across his body, keeping his left side towards Vist. He wasn¡¯t sure how he was meant to hold the staff, but he kept one end near his right shoulder and prepared to strike downwards with it.


    Suddenly, Vist explosively dashed forwards, raising his own staff above his head as he dove at Kik¡¯s chest. The panicked counterblow was blocked with ease, and although he tried to dodge, Kik was sent flying backwards from a push with the staff and a knee to the midriff. He fell hard, but managed to keep the grip on the staff.


    He got up, ready for another strike incoming, but Vist had once again taken up his ready position. Kik was now aware of his opponent¡¯s potential, and knew he was outclassed. This time he copied his opponent, noting how the hands were placed evenly and towards the ends of the staff. He instantly had better control over his staff¡¯s movements, although his hands couldn¡¯t reach as far towards each end as Vist.


    This time Vist approached slowly, shuffling his feet. Kik copied him, and the two ended up circling each other. Eventually, Vist stepped in with a thrust, once again demonstrating his bursts of speed. Kik managed to redirect the first strike with a sideways sweep from his staff, but the opening was instantly checked before he could seize the opportunity. The next one was directed lower, which Kik blocked as well, sweeping his staff downwards and sideways across his body.


    However, the block overextended Kik. Vist swept the knocked-away pole sideways at Kik¡¯s legs and Kik, unable to gather any force from his over extended arms, had his legs knocked out from under him. He fell heavily to the ground, but once again kept his grip on the staff.


    This time, Vist didn¡¯t stop when he was on the ground. He brought one end of his staff up and smashed it into the ground, which Kik narrowly managed to roll away from. He then swung his staff down in a large arc towards Kik¡¯s body. This time Kik rolled in, towards Vist¡¯s legs, and the staff stopped on the ground before it hit Kik.


    Pulling the staff away from his body, Kik thrusted the tip towards Vist¡¯s face. Vist instinctively dropped his own staff to grab the end of Kik¡¯s before it hit his eyes. Kik then let go of the staff and twisted himself around so his legs were facing Vist. He brought up one boot between his opponent¡¯s legs.


    Expecting a soft impact and the other party to collapse in pain, Kik was surprised. His boot didn¡¯t have much power behind it, given he had brought it up from a resting position, but it should still have done damage. Instead, his foot just bounced off and fell back down.


    Seeing his distraught expression that his best chance had failed, Vist reached down and helped him up. ¡°Something I learnt in the military, is to always wear a groin guard. Far too many people tried what you just did. Perhaps it¡¯s why I¡¯ve never had any children, but at least I learn fast enough to still be alive.¡±


    Kik frowned as he accepted the helping hand. ¡°Why would being kicked between the legs mean you can¡¯t have children?¡±


    Vist stared at him for a moment. ¡°Oh, why am I surprised? I should have expected as much from Garet¡¯s son. No doubt your father told you nothing, he never did like awkward conversations. It did make him popular with some sorts, ladies like a bit of innocence in a man nowadays. Your father aside, It seems you have a lot to learn, in more ways than one. Come on. Here¡¯s your staff, you¡¯re going to need it from now on.¡±


    They walked back to the two who were standing. Thenfor was a bit awkward. Perhaps he had done something to embarrass himself in front of Pellie. Looking closer at the box she was holding, it was made of dark metal, with a twist-lock lid on the top. The entire inside seemed like it should slide upwards out of the casing. He had no idea what was inside, but she seemed to be holding it reverently. Noticing his gaze, she stared at him. Her eyes were a dark brown like chocolate.


    Vist slapped him on the back, breaking their eye contact as he stumbled forward. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a look at his technique, and there¡¯s not much to say. He¡¯s got guts, though, can take a hit, and learns quickly. I can teach him. How long do I have?¡±


    ¡°A month and a half,¡± Thenfor replied. ¡°Bring him back here after that. That¡¯s how long until his ship is fixed.¡± He turned to Kik. ¡°Do your best and don¡¯t die. But then again, I don¡¯t need to tell you that, do I? After all, you¡¯ve listened to his song.¡±


    Smiling, he spun about on his heel and walked back through the large doorway into the myriad corridors of the house.


    Vist sighed heavily. ¡°He¡¯s an idiot,¡± he said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t know a thing about desert survival. Oi, kid! We¡¯re leaving this evening. We march overnight. I¡¯ll get you some better desert marching equipment and after that you¡¯ll need to rest. I know you¡¯re not tired and you¡¯re going to want to run around, but if you do it now you¡¯re just going to fall asleep tonight as we walk.¡±


    Kik followed him over to the wagon where he was given a pile of equipment. First were two watches, one local time and one galactic. He was also given a compass, a ridiculously large backpack and belt of pouches, a temperature regulated sleeping bag, a coil of tough rope, some pitons and an auto rappeler harness, a satellite position locator, a moisture condenser, a pair of binoculars with night-vision settings, a spray can of insect and animal repellent, a flashlight, a motion detector with attached alarm, a data chip containing a map and a guidebook to local flora and fauna, a set of emergency signals, ranging from a flare to a whistle, and many, many spare batteries. Vist then threw in a few pairs of spare clothes and some fist-sized rocks.


    ¡°Why do I need those?¡± Kik asked.


    Vist looked at him as if he was stupid. ¡°Do you know anything? When you¡¯re in the desert, suck on a pebble. The movement of liquid through your body means you¡¯re less thirsty and don¡¯t need as much water.¡±


    Kik had no idea how he was meant to suck on a ¡®pebble¡¯ that size, but he didn¡¯t ask again, because he was sure he¡¯d be treated like an idiot.


    Strapping the watches to his wrists and placing most of the rest of the equipment in various compartments in the backpack and belt pouches, he was also given various pieces of cloth, which Vist showed him how to wrap around his body. This covered most of the exposed skin and sealed the gaps in his clothes.


    Vist then called over Pellie and climbed into the vehicle through the roof, yawning. ¡°We¡¯ve been up all night on our way here, so we¡¯re going to get our sleep now while we can. When we wake up, we¡¯ll set off. I recommend you grab as much sleep as you can, because the more rest you get now, the more prepared you¡¯re going to be later.¡±


    Now that Kik got a closer look at the vehicle, it wasn¡¯t as primitive as it seemed at first glance. The chassis was made with hundreds of small metal and plastic plates bolted to each other, giving it a haphazard look. Underneath that, however, it was quite a sturdy vehicle, with a well-built frame. It was supported by multiple maglev plates, which were currently off. If they were activated, Kik hypothesized it could probably carry five people with ease. However, it seemed to have no means of propulsion.


    Giving up on the vehicle, Kik looked around before choosing a shady corner to lie in. Placing the new data chip in his goggles, he scanned through the few entries on flora and fauna before reading the area map. He eventually fell asleep, despite his previous alertness, listening to his father¡¯s music.


    Kik was shaken awake by Vist in the evening, and sat up quickly.. ¡°What is it? The oxygen?¡± he asked, before realising he wasn¡¯t in space. He blinked tiredly. ¡°Oh, seems I fell asleep. Are we leaving now?¡±


    Vist nodded. ¡°The sun will be down in half an hour or so. We¡¯re marching with the setting sun at our backs. It will be very low, and we¡¯ll be in the shade so it won¡¯t be too hot. I want to get going before it cools too much overnight.¡±


    Kik nodded and sprang to his feet, pulling off the video glasses. The shadows had deepened since he had fallen asleep. The ridges off in the light were highlighted, while the gullies were deeply shadowed. Pel was waiting by the vehicle, which was floating above the ground. There was a faint hum from the electromagnets holding it in the air.


    Vist turned the vehicle in midair so its slightly more streamlined nose was facing forward. This was compared to the rest of it, of course. In reality the vehicle was as streamlined and aerodynamic as a bent brick. ¡°Get in the hover-sled,¡± Vist told him. ¡°I¡¯m pushing for an hour. I want to move quickly until a little after sunset. After that the predators come out, human and otherwise, and I want to be in the middle of nowhere by then.¡±


    Kik nodded, climbing aboard. He nearly had to jump to reach the upper rim of the vehicle, so he had difficulty climbing in. Straight away, Vist set his hands against the top and gave it a good push. It floated smoothly forward. He started running behind it, pushing up the speed.


    The wind tousled Kik¡¯s hair as the scenery passed by. Inside the top there was a small cavity, but most of it was filled with equipment. Pel sat in the opposite corner to Kik, clutching the box to her body and glaring at him if he looked at it too closely.


    Eventually Kik was overcome by boredom, and he decided to speak with her. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Pel. My name is Kik.¡± He held out his hand to shake, but dropped it after she didn¡¯t say anything. Still, he persisted. ¡°Where did you grow up? Where are your parents?¡±


    A whisper came from her still lips. ¡°Huh?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My parents are at the same place as your father,¡± she repeated, annoyed that he was still bothering her. Her voice sounded scratchy but melodic.


    Kik waited a few minutes before asking another question. ¡°What¡¯s in your box?¡±


    ¡°A friend,¡± was the brief response.


    ¡°Can you open it so I can see?¡± Kik asked gently.


    She shook her head violently and held it closer. ¡°I can¡¯t take her out. She¡¯ll die. Is that why you¡¯re being friendly? You want her to die? I¡¯m going to protect her!¡±


    Kik shook his head. It seemed she had the wrong idea about him, but anything he said was likely to make the situation worse. He stayed in silence for a little while.


    Eventually, Vist climbed into the back of the small vehicle, and they glided on momentum alone. The boat rocked significantly as he clambered aboard, but it adjusted itself once he was on, albeit lower to the ground. ¡°Wind¡¯s picking up from behind us,¡± he remarked, licking a finger and holding it up in the air. ¡°Move to the side,¡± he told Kip, as he pulled a pair of poles and bundle of cloth up from the floor.


    Kik scrambled out of the way as he lifted the pole up vertically and extended it before slotting it into a slot in the floor. At its full telescoped height, it reached over four metres tall, slightly longer than the length of the vehicle. Four ropes around the side of the ship were tied to this halfway up, forming a pyramid shape of ropes.


    He slotted the other pole into a rod protruding from about a quarter of the way up, forming a sideways T shape. This pole was much smaller, only about half the length. He then unrolled the cloth, revealing a triangular-shaped sail. He tied three ropes into slots on the sail. Two had already been tied onto the long and short poles. The last was locked into the deck through a pulley, with one end hanging free to be let in or out. His deft work indicated many hours of repetitive practice. Kik and Pel watched him work.


    The cloth rose up the central pole, flapping wildly. It seemed the horizontal pole would swing to one side, but the rope attached to the bottom of the sail held it firm. Once it reached the top, Vist let out the rope locked to the floor, and the horizontal beam swung around facing off to the left side of the vehicle, until Vist locked the rope to the floor again. Straight away, the cloth bulged into a swollen shape as it was filled with wind and the vehicle shot forward. This was several times faster than Vist¡¯s top speed. ¡°The sunset winds are reasonable tonight,¡± Vist remarked.


    ¡°What¡¯s this setup?¡± Kik asked him.


    Vist grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. It took a long time to find out how to do this. Hardly anybody gets around on wind power anymore. This is how single-sailed craft used to be set up, back when people travelled using the wind more.¡±


    Kik inspected the setup. ¡°So what¡¯s everything called?¡±


    Vist pointed at the triangular cloth, the vertical pole, and the horizontal pole in turn. ¡°These are the sail, the mast and the boom. You might recognise the terms, they¡¯re still used in some spaceships. Land, water and sky ships are where the names came from. Same as the terms prow, aft, port and starboard. She might not look it, but this Ars is as proud a ship as any of those beauties in space.¡± He laughed aloud.


    Kik nodded. ¡°So why is the boom called the boom? Is it onomatopoeic?¡±


    Vist grinned, giving him a bad feeling. ¡°I¡¯ll show you why it¡¯s called that. Hard a port!¡± He gestured for Kik to duck and did so himself.


    He manipulated the controls on the back of the boat, dropping the port side of the lower hull. The boat tilted sideways and swung around. The sail hung for a second, but the air seemed to fall out of it, despite the strong breeze coming from behind. Then it swung violently around to the other side of the mast, creating a dull metallic ¡°boom¡± sound as it took its spot at the other side, pulling the rope against the deck.


    Once they were underway, Vist left the sail in place and walked over to Kik. ¡°Alright, now it¡¯s time to work on your balance and coordination,¡± he said. ¡°Come with me to the prow.¡± Walking the few steps to the front, they stopped before the low rail that prevented the cargo from rolling overboard.


    Vist bent over the side, reaching far out over the edge, his head vertical over the side. One of his hands was holding one of the four ropes holding up the mast, but if he let go it would be a painful fall onto the quickly passing sand beneath them. The other hand opened and rummaged around a storage compartment in the side of the vessel.


    Eventually he came back up, holding a flat metal disk. One side was plain, beaten, scratched metal. The other side was a maglev plate similar to those holding up the ship. The disk had two holes, directly opposite each other, with thin rope tied through them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll use this,¡± Vist said. ¡°I knew I had it around somewhere.¡± While Kik looked on quizzically, he tied the two ropes to points on the very front of the ship, leaving around a metre of slack on each. This left the disk lying in the middle of the ship before the mast. He checked the back, tapped a few components and banged once or twice, until the magnet turned on and floated above the metal. It rose straight up above the ship and floated there, creating a flat metal platform around seventy centimetres in diameter floating in space.


    Before Kik could ask any questions, Vist picked him up by the neck of his clothes and dropped him on top of the disk. It shook as he landed on it, and he ended up in a peculiar position, kneeling on the platform with his feet over the edge while leaning backwards, until it finally stabilised and he was able to bring his body upright. ¡°Now stand still for five minutes and try not to fall too far forward,¡± he said, as he tossed Kik the staff they had trained with.


    Kik managed to grab the staff that was thrown at him, but had to regain his balance again. By the time he was stable, Vist was at the back of the ship, resting. He somehow managed to stand upright, using the staff against the ground as a support, but every time he tried to push off the ground he would end up needing to balance against the staff again. He could hear muffled chuckles from the back as his efforts were mocked.


    Finally, he managed to stand upright, purely by coincidence. One time, after pushing off the ground but just before he lost his balance, he brought the staff horizontal across his chest Suddenly, it became far easier to keep himself stable. He still fell that time, but the next time he got the hang of it, and stood upright with the staff held out horizontally across his waist.


    Once he had the hang of it, it was easy, but he eventually had to deal with cramping muscles rather than balance issues. He fell several times and had to climb on again, but eventually, after a full three quarters of an hour, he had managed to stand upright for five minutes in a row.


    At this point, Vist came up behind him. ¡°Looks like you can complete the first exercise,¡± he told Kik. ¡°Now do it without the pole. You can use it to stand up, but once you¡¯re upright, drop it and balance without it.¡±


    He walked back to his rest spot. Resolving himself, Kik breathed in and out and bent his knees before dropping the pole. Instantly, he could feel the rocking of the disk increase. Straight away, he fell off.


    While he was getting the hang of balancing, he was forced to look off at the horizon to keep his eyes on a fixed point. The sky was fully dark now, but the single moon in the sky was particularly large and bright, meaning that he could actually see all the way to the horizon in the night. The dunes rolled away from the wind, flat and featureless, and the ship drifted into and out of their gullies. It felt like cresting rows and rows of waves, although this terrain was about as far from ocean as it was possible to get.


    It took Kik an hour and a half to get the hang of standing on the disk, partly because of the ship changing direction slightly whenever he managed to stand up for any decent length of time. When this happened, both his fixed viewpoint was no longer fixed and his board tilted along with the ship, pulled downwards by the rope. Vist seemed to be taking pleasure in turning just before Kik finished. But finally, he made it through five minutes of cramping muscles and rigid poses. As soon as Vist told him he was finished, he fell off.


    ¡°Alright, I guess that¡¯s enough balancing for now. The wind¡¯s dying out, so somebody needs to get out and push. Guess who¡¯s up for the job?¡± He grinned widely at the groaning Kik.


    Of course he didn¡¯t just have to push the ship with his muscles aching after the long balancing session, he also had to wear his backpack as he did it.


    ¡°You should be happy,¡± he was told. ¡°It means the ship¡¯s lighter and you don¡¯t have to push as much. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Ignoring the misleading truth, Kik got out and resolutely pushed their vehicle for kilometre after kilometre after Vist disassembled the sail again. He grew tired of staring at exactly the same section of patchwork metal, hour after hour. He got sick of pushing the vehicle up each dune and chasing it down the other side, no matter how light work the maglev plates made it. He grew bored of the sensation of his foot sinking into the soft but surprisingly gravelly sand. And most of all, he was driven crazy by the unrelieved pain of using the same muscles repetitively, of holding his hands and arms in exactly the same positions. After the third hour, his feet and hands grew blisters, no matter how well they were protected by socks or cloth wrappings.


    Finally, after about six hours, he got back into the car and Vist replaced him. He scoffed down some food, realising just how tired, thirsty and hungry he was. He also drank some water to get a bit of the all-pervasive sand out of his mouth. He was used to getting continual nutrition through his suit in small quantities, so wasn¡¯t accustomed to going six hours without a snack. It was freezing cold in the wind now that he wasn¡¯t moving, so he got out the warm sleeping bag and climbed in. As he fell asleep almost straight away, his muscles finally relaxing, he noticed Pellie still in the same corner of the ship, fiddling with a puzzle made of rings.


    When Kik finally awoke, tired from his irregular resting, Vist was inside the boat and the sail was back up. This time, the wind was coming from the front, coming with the slowly rising sun on the horizon. Kik couldn¡¯t see the sun directly, however, as his view was overshadowed by the large solitary mountain they were approaching.


    Vist pulled the ship into the shadow of one of the larger caves at the base of the mountains. There, he powered down the maglev plates and let the ship sink to the ground. The three of them disembarked, and Vist quickly ran a sweep of the cave to make sure there were no animals dwelling inside. He set up motion detectors at the entrance to the cave and the rear to make sure nothing approached while they were making camp. He also sprayed some animal repellent around to make sure nothing came for their food. It sat in the air, smelling vaguely like the paint stripper his father used after his mother remodelled their room once.


    Walking back to this ship, he called out to Kik. ¡°Come with me, for a little today we¡¯ll try some different training,¡± he told him. He opened up another storage section on the underside of the ship and pulled out two short sticks, tossing one to Kik. These were about half the length of the staves they had used earlier.


    ¡°I know a little about what you¡¯re going to be doing from now on, so I¡¯ll train you for that. If you¡¯re in space a lot, fighting in enclosed spaces is something you¡¯re going to have to do. That¡¯s one of the reasons we¡¯re here.¡± He led Kik to a small side-tunnel in the cave, that went into the rock about twenty metres before stopping. It was not quite high enough for Kik to stand up straight, let alone Vist, and less wide than it was tall.


    ¡°You go in first,¡± Vist said. ¡°I¡¯ll come in a short way and block the entrance. If you get past me to the entrance, you win. If I force you back so far that you touch the opposite wall, you win. We¡¯ll play ten rounds to begin with, and you can start in the middle, by that rock,¡± he said, pointing to a bluish outcrop on the wall.


    Kik took up his position. The first thing that he noticed was the darkness. Vist hunched over took up most of the entrance and not much light was allowed through. The second thing was connected to this. Vist left barely any space between his side and the wall. To move him out of the way would have to mean knocking him sideways and squeezing through the gap, or forcing him back the whole length of the corridor. The second was out of the question, with their size and strength difference. He couldn¡¯t go through, so he had to go around.


    The outcome of the first round was predictable. Kik ran up and all it took was one well-placed strike or shove from Vist to send him backwards a few metres. All of Kik¡¯s blows hit the walls or were knocked aside until he felt the end of the tunnel at his back, rocks poking into his skin. ¡°One point,¡± Vist said quietly.


    The second round passed nearly as quickly as the first. The only difference was that Kik adjusted his attacks from swings to stabs, realizing that there wasn¡¯t enough vertical or horizontal space to move properly. He still lost, though. ¡°Two points.¡±


    ¡°Three points.¡± ¡°Four points.¡± ¡°Five points.¡±The third through sixth rounds saw little improvement. Over time, Kik was getting battered and his nerves deadened, losing his quick reactions, so sometimes he lost easier. His breath was coming faster and he had lost most of his stamina. He was getting frustrated at Vist¡¯s constant count of how much he was losing, which was perhaps his enemy¡¯s aim. ¡°Six points.¡±


    On the seventh round, Kik fought as before, but he forced himself to calm down and look around. His body was a mess of bruises and scrapes from the blows and falls; he couldn¡¯t fight face-to-face any longer. While retreating, he looked for shadows, anything he could use to his advantage. He thought he found one, and began considering a plan. ¡°Seven points.¡±


    At the start of the eighth round, Kik ran backwards quickly into the darkness. He would use his starting position to his advantage. Compared to Vist, who had to walk back to the front of the cave every time, he stayed in the dark, so his night vision was undamaged. The other thing he took advantage of was a slight kink in the tunnel. It wasn¡¯t major, but it prevented people more than six metres away from seeing each other. This way, his opponent had two choices: come around the corner anyway, or give him time to think and prepare.


    Vist chose the quick route, so Kik used his environment. He threw a rock.


    However he managed to know it was coming, Vist somehow dodged smoothly in the enclosed space, and it sailed through the air above him. He dashed forward, surprising Kik who expected at least some hesitation, and shoved Kik backwards into the wall. ¡°Eight points.¡±


    When the ninth round came around, Kik dashed backwards again, but this time he stood directly around the corner, holding another rock. He would throw it and rush quickly around the corridor as soon as Vist appeared. If he caught him off balance he would have a chance. He pressed his body as close to the wall as possible, willing himself to become one with the rock. Once again, Vist came around the corner quickly, and Kik threw the rock as soon as he saw movement.


    This time, however, he had rolled into sight, expecting an attack, and it sailed fully over him, even with the lower arc that Kik had tossed it at. He charged forward, and managed to get almost level with Vist before he stood up. However, Vist beat him to it, and closed off the path before he could reach it. After a frantic clash of sticks, it was over again. ¡°Nine points.¡±


    The tenth battle was Kik¡¯s final chance to break his losing streak. Once again, he dashed backwards, but this time he waited somewhere slightly different.


    As Vist came around the corner, he once again rolled, but this time no rock sailed towards him. He frowned, surprised, and focused on the prepared Kik.


    He wasn¡¯t there.


    Looking around, he panicked for a second, before a stick swung down held by Kik, his legs pressed against the walls, lying against the ceiling. Vist blocked, but finally he was put off balance, stumbling backwards. He pressed one hand against the top of the tunnel both to regain his balance and to make sure he wasn¡¯t jumped over.


    Kik dropped to the ground as Vist stumbled backwards, dashing for the only other gap besides to the sides. If he couldn¡¯t go to the left or right, he would go under! He squeezed through his foe¡¯s legs, relishing thoughts of the annoyed expression he would see when he finally got past. ¡°One po¡­¡±


    An iron grip closed on his leg and he fell forwards, his leg wrenched out from under him. His jaw smashed into the ground and he tasted blood as he bit his own tongue.


    ¡°What was that, little worm?¡± Vist said, as he lifted Kik¡¯s bottom half up by one ankle. ¡°I was sure you just said something about points.¡± His smile was evident in his voice.


    ¡°I said¡­ ten points,¡± Kik stuttered from his bleeding mouth.


    Vist laughed out loud. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said, picking Kik up like a butler¡¯s cloth and carrying him to the wall. ¡°Ten points.¡± He dropped him. ¡°Glad you understand. No matter how good you are, you can¡¯t celebrate your victory before you¡¯ve won. Oh, and little worm, next time you lay an ambush around a corner, don¡¯t breathe so loudly.¡±


    Kik groaned at his newfound nickname. Perhaps trying to crawl through Vist¡¯s legs held more side effects than he could have foreseen.


    When the two of them had left the tunnel, they returned to the camp. It was now properly daytime, and despite the cool in the caves, heat was flowing in from the desert outside. Their ship was parked a fair way into the caves, so they were fine there, but walking towards the outside would be a hot experience.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to rest here for today and tonight,¡± Vist told Kik. Pel was nowhere to be seen, perhaps asleep somewhere. ¡°Tomorrow there¡¯s something I¡¯m going to have you do in these caves. I¡¯ll tell you more about it tonight, so sleep again for now. I¡¯ll rest while keeping watch. Once again, I understand if you can¡¯t sleep, given that your sleeping pattern has been thrown out of balance, but don¡¯t run around causing problems. You¡¯ll need to save your strength.¡±


    Kik nodded and he walked off towards the hot entrance. Kik pulled his sleeping bag out, got in and lay against the wall. He put on his sunglasses, once again listening to his father¡¯s music.


    When he woke again, the sun was shining from the entrance deep into the cave. Kik estimated it was around three hours to sunset. The cave had heated up significantly, and the sleeping bag was now cooling instead of heating. The battery had almost run low, however. He would need to change it soon.


    Vist was sitting close to the entrance of the cave, staring outside. He was holding a long-barreled bolt-action rifle, seemingly made of a patchwork of different types of weapon parts. Its rusted barrel sat over his shoulder as the stock rested against the floor. Climbing out of the sleeping bag, Kik walked over to Vist. On the way, he spotted Pel sleeping in the ship, clutching her box as close now as ever.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep? Here to question me on my training methods?¡± Vist didn¡¯t look up as Kik approached.


    ¡°Yes to the first. As for the second, have I complained about you yet?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Behind my back, sure.¡± Vist grinned.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not true. And besides, what I said when we first met was the truth. I need to get stronger, and you¡¯re the best person to help me. I may hate what you make me do, and I may want to take a break or ignore what you tell me, but I know it¡¯s all for my sake. Even those insults.¡±


    Vist laughed louder than he had so far. ¡°You have a lot to learn about people. I just called you little worm because you looked ridiculous trying to squeeze past me. If you want to think I was toughening you up, you¡¯re welcome to, but the truth is far from it.¡±


    Kik frowned. ¡°Oh. Well, I guess it¡¯s not a bad name. It reminds me to not tackle my problems straight on, but to wriggle around them.¡±


    Vist sighed. ¡°You know, that sounded really terrible. Are you trying to grow up to be a slacker?¡±


    ¡°Are you teasing me?¡±


    ¡°So you understand sarcasm! Well, that¡¯s a start at least.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, until Kik broke it. ¡°When did you meet my father?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a story I tell lightly. It was a pretty horrible place and time. Ask me again later, little worm.¡±


    ¡°So then, what sort of person was my father like?¡±


    Vist thought for a moment before answering. ¡°An idiot?¡±


    Kik coughed. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Whenever he was in trouble he¡¯d always run out like an idiot and beat the enemy out of his way. The sad thing was, it worked for so long he thought it always would. Then the one and only time it didn¡¯t work, his helper died.¡±


    ¡°His helper?¡±


    ¡°Another story I¡¯m not going to tell for a little while. Maybe in a week or two. Anyway, he was hurt badly, both in body and mind. He was too badly injured to keep on fighting the war. So I never saw him again. All Thenfor would tell me when I asked him was he took off and got married.¡±


    ¡°To my mother?¡±


    ¡°Evidently so. He met her before me and I didn¡¯t hear about him getting married more than once. Anyways, this was not quite twenty years ago. Ancient history, long before you were born.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know much more than that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do, I just can¡¯t tell you anything else. Look, take this. I¡¯m going to sleep, I¡¯ve been up all day.¡±


    He passed Kik the rifle and half-ran back to the ship to grab a few hours rest before the sun set again. Kik was left sitting at the entrance to the cave holding a weapon which he didn¡¯t know how to fire. He sat in the shade near the entrance and watched the sun roll down the distant mountains, and the dunes shift with the evening wind blowing into the cave. He pulled the cloth across his face to keep a bit more of the wind out.


    When Vist woke up again, an hour after sunset, he scolded Kik for eating too much of the food, before eating just as much himself. His argument when protested against was ¡°I¡¯m bigger.¡± It seemed to be his argument for many things.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said after finishing. ¡°We¡¯re going out for today. There¡¯s a creature which I want to hunt with the two of you. Mostly you, little worm. Pel, they¡¯re the same one as last time we were here.¡± Pellie nodded.


    The three of them left on the ship, tacking against the evening wind. It seemed the wind blew from the direction the sun rose or set on this planet. Two hours later, they arrived at a patch of sand that seemed no different to any other patch of sand around, except for a larger number of sizeable rocks. Vist checked the screen of his handheld device, compared it against a GPS locator, and nodded. ¡°The map says this is the area we¡¯re looking for. There¡¯s a large rock formation underground here.¡±


    ¡°And why do we need that?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Because the creature we¡¯re looking for is a tunneler,¡± Vist told him. ¡°It will keep us from being attacked from directly below. Now hurry, get out your binoculars. Look for a cloud of dust above a dune somewhere.¡±


    Kik complied, clambering to the prow of the ship and scanning the horizon with night-vision binoculars. Vist watched the rear, and Pel even left her box by the mast to scan to port and starboard with her own pair. At first he scanned enthusiastically, but as the minutes and then hours dragged by, he grew tired of staring at the unchanging horizon.


    Eventually, Vist called out. ¡°Alright, I think¡­ yes, I¡¯ve spotted one. Come over here and take a look at this.¡±


    He held the binoculars stable at Kik¡¯s head height in the direction he had seen the dust cloud. Looking through, Kik could see a haze of sand above a dune, slowly falling like abrasive spray from a wave. Stepping away from them and peering with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t see the haze from this distance, and he doubted he¡¯d be able to even in the day.


    ¡°So that¡¯s one of the things we¡¯re after?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No doubt about it,¡± Vist replied as he brought the binoculars back to his eyes again. ¡°It just happened again. It happens when they tunnel close to the surface to listen for prey and the gullies between dunes are deeper than they expect, usually late at night after a lot of wind. They break through the surface and spray sand everywhere above them.¡±


    Kik thought. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any mention of them in that book of wildlife you gave me.¡±


    ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t have. They¡¯re rare enough that most people haven¡¯t heard of them, even biologists, and this area is underpopulated enough that they aren¡¯t easily found. It¡¯s unlikely they¡¯d be in a book of local animals.¡±


    ¡°So what are they called?¡±


    ¡°These creatures? Uh, this breed are just called burrowers, I guess.¡±


    They waited a while as the burrower got closer, but once Vist determined that they would be passed he sprang into action. Jumping off the side of the ship onto the sand and rock, he began jumping up and down crazily.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Attracting it,¡± he said. ¡°It feels or hears vibrations. If I keep doing this, it¡¯ll probably come over this way.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bad idea?¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯ll be stuck in the shallow sand once it comes here and we can fight it. It¡¯s a similar idea to beaching fish, get them in the shallows first.¡± He grabbed the rifle from its resting point against the rail and peered out again with his binoculars. ¡°It¡¯s coming closer. Looks like a big one. Probably male, as it¡¯s hunting.¡±


    Peering out into the night, Kik couldn¡¯t see or hear anything yet besides the rustle of wind-blown sand and Vist still jumping up and down. He picked up his staff, gripping it tightly in his hands. He knew there was something big out there, and he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that they were the ones being hunted.


    Keeping an eye on the intermittent clouds of sand with binoculars from the rear of the ship, Kik could appreciate the speed which the burrower was moving at. When they had first spotted it, it had been close to the horizon, while now it was swiftly closing.


    When it got to the point when its approach could be heard, a dull, scuffling sound, Vist stopped jumping off the ground intermittently. He readied the rifle and waited, and so did Kik.


    Kik was scanning the horizon for other approaching burrowers when the first struck. The shaking became louder for a few seconds until a large creature burst from the ground, spraying sand into the air. The tunnel it had dug out of collapsed as its whole weight lifted above the ground.


    It was six metres long, covered in a segmented brown carapace. Sand flew from the gaps in the carapace as if sprayed from a hose. On its tail were three blade-like attachments, which spun and flexed as the tail twisted.


    The other end, its head, had a central mouth surrounded by multiple whiskers. It had no eyes, ears, nose or other obvious sensory appendages. The mouth was open as it flew through the air, revealing a single row of clockwise-angled teeth, and the whiskers were spread out, forming a ring around its head.


    The giant armoured worm-like creature, the burrower, jumped at where Vist had been standing. Had been, because by the time it had left the ground, he had rolled underneath it, pointing his rifle at the point where its whiskers met its armour.


    He fired, and a thick ¡°boom¡± filled the air, despite the small and haphazard shape of his rifle. One of the whiskers was severed, a thick green liquid erupting briefly from where it used to lie. The burrower, which must have been intending to grab its prey and dig back into the ground straight away, landed at a poor angle and sprawled out above the ground. It writhed around, and took the second shot to its throat as Vist quickly ejected the previous round and fired again. Before he could fire a third time, it burrowed into the sand and mostly disappeared, the last trace of it being its bladed tail cutting through the sand.


    ¡°It¡¯s already dead,¡± Vist called to the two waiting on the ship. ¡°Those bullets had a bit of poison which should have sprayed out once they hit something solid. Taking one of those to the throat, I¡¯m honestly surprised it managed to burrow away. Stay alert anyway, it or its friends could still come for us.¡±


    A few minutes later, the now slow moving burrower came back. Dragging itself along aboveground with the movement of its segmented armour, it tried to grab onto Vist with its whiskers or bite him. Of course, in its weakened state with its speed, it couldn¡¯t so much as touch him, and he put a third slug in its mouth to finish it off.


    Walking up to the corpse, it slowly vented sand from between the plates as it breathed its last. Over the next couple minutes, he pulled apart and cut off the useful bits of the body while telling Kik how they worked and what they did.


    ¡°These blades at the back are made from the same material as the carapace. They weaken and collapse the tunnel behind the burrower as they dig.¡±


    ¡°The whiskers help it feel and hear. They¡¯re incredibly sensible to vibration in whatever medium they¡¯re touching, whether that be the ground or the air, to a lesser extent.¡±


    ¡°These armoured plates help the creature move, by pushing against the walls of the tunnels. They are also its method of breathing out and expelling sand. As it digs, it chews up the sand in its mouth and spits it out backwards to get rid of it and propel itself forward.¡±


    ¡°Its head is the most sensitive part. The armour starts just around the whiskers, so it¡¯s mostly unprotected. That being said, it¡¯s also the part you have to be most wary of, except perhaps the tail.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so much about them if they¡¯re so rare? Why are you telling me all this?¡±


    ¡°Well, for the first part, I¡¯m not going to tell you. For the second, that¡¯s because you¡¯re going to need it tomorrow. After all, you¡¯re going to have to go grab one of their eggs from their nest.¡±

 6 - Tunnel Worm

    The cave system beneath the mountain was dark, dry and cramped. The sun shone outside, but in here it didn¡¯t reach. Unlike some elaborate cave systems with stalagmites and stalactites, underground rivers and crystal formations, this particular cave was bare, jagged rock. Formed by shifts in the mountain rather than the flow of any liquid, it consisted of deep, narrow clefts in the rock and many, many collapsed dead ends.


    At least the surrounding ground was all rock, and so the burrowers couldn¡¯t get around easily. Kik thought back to Vist¡¯s instructions from that morning as he climbed down a section of rock, holding on with the strength in his fingers and toes. The beam of the torch clipped to his belt danced and waved. The oxygen mask over his face chafed, but he needed it to prevent suffocation in the stale air. He repeated his task under his breath.


    ¡°Make your way in and out as quickly as possible. Head downwards, towards the warm breezes, that¡¯s the gas coming out of the lava flow. This entire mountain is a thousand-year-dormant volcano, which has been a nest for the burrowers for over a hundred years. They use the warmth to incubate their eggs. Get out long before nightfall because they¡¯re going to be angry when they come up from their rest beneath the ground. Grab the reddest egg you see. Keep on your oxygen mask, or you¡¯ll suffocate. Stay away from the sandy ground so they can¡¯t dig and chase you. Go quickly, don¡¯t die, and most of all, don¡¯t make noise.¡±


    Reaching the bottom of the large, angled rock, he looked around the bottom. There were three cracks in the ground, leading further into the depths. Walking up to each in turn, he felt the air. The left and central one had a thick, warm breeze blowing from the depths. He chose the central path.


    A few minutes later, he returned to the three paths and went down the left. The central one had been partially collapsed many years ago. Air was still flowing up from below, but there was only a few gaps, not nearly enough for him to squeeze through to the tunnel beyond. He trekked his way back up, walking, climbing and squeezing, before moving down the left-hand path.


    This path almost straight away changed to a tiny, breezy gap which he had to turn sideways to pass by, and some of the coil of rope on his chest was caught and had to be unsnagged before it ripped on the rocks. Getting past the narrow roadblock, however, the way immediately widened out to the side, and he was almost able to walk without bending over. Soon, though, the path flattened so that he had to lie flat and squeeze through. If this path wasn¡¯t pressuring him one way, it was making him struggle in another.


    Coming to the source of the breeze, a deep, black hole retreated down into the darkness. Shining his light downwards, the beam travelled perhaps thirty metres before it was cut off by the twisting of the hole. It was about two metres wide at its widest, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to climb down by pressing against the sides. He¡¯d have to use the rope.


    Pulling off the heavy coil from over his shoulder, he also grabbed one of three pitons from his belt. Choosing a section of rock which looked as if it would bear his weight, he placed the piton against it and pressed the button on the top, jerking his hand back as it went to work.


    The point of the piton drilled into the floor, telescoping out from its casing. Small hooks also swung out from the sides and held it in position relative to the floor. Hanging the already looped end of the rope around the piton and pulling it tight, Kik tested his weight against it, cast the end of the rope into the darkness, and began the long abseil down into the dark.


    Heading through the dark with his small arc of light pointing always downwards, the air started to get heavier and warmer around Kik. The oxygen mask was struggling to filter usable air from the surroundings and was relying more and more on the oxygen reserve. He bounced off and hung beneath ledges and overhangs in his descent. As he reached the bottom of the hole, a warm light greeted his eyes.


    Stepping lightly off the rope, which had about ten metres of its hundred metre length hanging loose, Kik looked around himself. To one side was a thick wall of rock, with mineral veins dotting its length. To the other side was a large cavern.


    The roof was five metres high, perhaps the highest Kik had seen since he had in this place. The other dimensions of the room were twenty metres by twenty-five metres, slightly ovoid. The floor was sloped slightly upwards away from him, and several sections of rock were emitting a light red glow. It was very light, only visible if he switched off his torch or pointed it elsewhere, but it was just enough to see by.


    Kik was standing on a small ledge above the lower side of the room. The space he was standing in was actually a separate cavern, much smaller than the other one, just there was a large gap which connected the two in one of the walls of his cavern. It opened up near the roof of the other, and he could easily climb up or down using the rocks piled against the wall.


    Dotted around the edges of the room, stuck to the walls and parts of the floor, were many eggs, ranging in colour from near-black to ruby through maroon. There were maybe a hundred in total, but most were red in some form. There were also multiple tunnels leading deeper into the earth, probably where burrowers came up from the depths.


    Looking at the eggs nearby, Kik resolved to get a good egg as quickly as possible and return. There were no burrowers here at the moment, but the eggs everywhere proved that this place wasn¡¯t inaccessible to them. One could come at any time.


    Climbing carefully down, avoiding the few hard, black eggs he saw near him, his foot crunched through the outside of one of the rocks at the bottom. Inspecting it closely, he realised that it wasn¡¯t actually a rock, but a section of carapace. He resisted the urge to jump back and looked around, assuaging his worry of being attacked out of nowhere. Looking around, he could see that a few of the ¡°rocks¡± around the room were actually dried-out carapaces of ancient burrowers. Either their owners shed them here or they died here, he didn¡¯t know enough about their biology to guess.


    Once he was down here, he felt much hotter. Sweat was streaming down his back. He stuck to the edges of the room, away from the glowing spots which were giving off heat. He presumed these were lava pools or flows moving just beneath the rock, heating up their surroundings.


    Walking around the edge to the left of the entrance, he didn¡¯t see a single egg which caught his eye. None of them felt like they were one that he wanted. All of them were more brown than red, Even so, he¡¯d have to choose soon. There was both the chance of being found and the risk of fainting from heat stroke if he stayed here too long, which would be certain death with his limited oxygen.


    Stepping around the edge by the side opposite his entry, he noticed a breeze blowing from a stack of rocks and dead carapaces against a wall. Stepping closer, he ran his hands up and down it, realising there was another space beyond. Pulling down pieces of the obstruction, placing them as carefully down as time allowed, he eventually revealed the hidden chamber.


    A blast of hot air struck him in the face when he got his first view of the area. A river of lava ran through the opposite end of a small room, with three eggs inside close to the entrance. They were shielded from the direct heat by the surprisingly well preserved corpse of a large burrower. Its form was eight metres long, a third of the length again than the one Vist had killed in the desert outside, and much thicker. Its whiskers drooped protectively over a large, scarlet egg slightly larger than Kik¡¯s head. It was the biggest and brightest of the three in the room, the brightest of all he had seen so far.


    Moving quickly towards the egg, struggling through the heat, Kik brushed off the tendrils over it and grabbed it. Immediately, his hands seared with pain as they burned from the fiery heat. Evidently, the warmth of an egg that had been sitting in the same room as a lava stream for this long wasn¡¯t to be taken lightly.


    Kik pulled out his water bottle, palms burning the whole time, and poured a quarter of it over both of his hands in turn. The water was lukewarm from the ambient heat, but it was better than nothing. It gave temporary relief, but without anything better, his palms would definitely scar. The half a bottle of spilled water on the ground soaked into the dirt and quickly dried.


    The next time he tried to pick it up, he used a cloth to protect his hands. He had been burned through his semi-gloves last time, so this time he pulled off the cloth over his head and wrapped it around the bottom of the egg three times. With four layers of cloth protecting him, he managed to pick up the egg safely. He turned around to leave.


    As he struggled to carry it through the entrance into the slightly cooler outer room, he was surprised by a slight shuffling sound. He instantly froze his feet and looked around the room.


    Off to his left, a burrower, five metres long but quite thick, squeezed its way out of one of the tunnels dotting the edges of the room. Its shell was dark and faded, crusty, incomparable to the sleek, shiny, brown carapace of the burrower they had fought the previous night. It was moving slowly, its body contracting and expanding as it inched forwards.


    It was sluggish and awkward outside of the sand. It crawled along the floor, rolling sideways and making not much headway. However, there was an undeniable power in its body, since it could even move around despite its great size.


    Kik stood unmoving as it crawled across the floor. He didn¡¯t dare to move, afraid that it would even hear his heartbeat. Fortunately, it seemed to be distracted, perhaps dying. Little bits of shell were cracking off, falling to the ground and revealing black flesh beneath.


    It crawled the whole way across the center of the room, seemingly unaffected by or uncaring of the heated rocks. Crawling up to the wall, it began writhing around, rubbing against the rocks and breaking sections of flesh off. The broken off chunks of flesh stuck to the walls and rocks.


    Looking closer at the discarded pieces of meat, Kik realised they were freshly laid eggs, ovoid and black. It seemed this burrower was laying eggs which had been held under... her? Its outer carapace.


    The creature seemed distracted, so Kik took his chance. Standing in front of the furnace-like room wasn¡¯t good for his body temperature. Lying on his back to minimise his concentrated weight, he wriggled along like a snake, attempting to make as few vibrations as possible. He had no idea if it was helping, but he seemed to be ignored for now, so perhaps it was.


    Kik reached the other end of the room after a few agonising minutes. At least once he was away from the open lava it cooled down somewhat, but it was still hellishly hot. The air was cooler lower down, but in exchange the rock was hotter. There was a trail of sweat leading along the rocks like the path of an oversized slug, at least for the few seconds before it evaporated.


    Now that he had come this far, however, he was presented with a dilemma. The path out was through a cleft in the ceiling. He could reach it without too much trouble by climbing up the pile of rocks, but he would definitely make noise. He had to make as little as possible and hope his distance and the creature¡¯s distraction would help him escape.


    Standing slowly upright, he kept his eyes on the creature. Now, after throwing out almost forty eggs, it was much smaller and its carapace was shredded to pieces. Green liquid leaked from where its skin was torn in its struggle to lay its eggs. Another inner, lighter carapace was exposed beneath its bleeding flesh, perhaps something equivalent to a human skeleton. It almost looked like another burrower was breaking out from the skin of the first. Even if it was without its thicker outer shell, he was still no match for it without weapons. Its teeth, whiskers and bladed tail were very much threats.


    Glancing behind himself, Kik stepped deliberately backwards onto the lowest rock in the pile. He had marked out a path of actual rocks, not carapace fragments, along one path to the exit. Backing slowly up these rocks, he kept one eye on the path and the other on the now unmoving burrower. It looked dead, but he wasn¡¯t prepared to believe it.


    As he was halfway up the pile and ready to think of himself as escaped, he slipped. A medium-sized rock wasn¡¯t sitting flat on its fellows. It rolled underneath his foot, bouncing down the pile. Kik sprawled to the ground backwards awkwardly, keeping his grip on the egg but bruising his butt and banging the bag of spare pitons on his belt against the rocks. Pain shot up his foot.


    Straight away, the worm brought its head upright. As the rock rolled to a stop at the bottom of the pile, it began to wind and jerk its way towards Kik¡¯s position. It wasn¡¯t graceful but it was still covering ground.


    He stood upright before collapsing again, causing the burrower to begin to advance a little faster as it heard him. He had twisted his ankle as the rock rolled out from under his foot. He clawed his way up another boulder as the worm got ever closer, holding the egg in one hand.


    Kik reached the top of the pile as the burrower came to the bottom. He stood up on one leg and hopped along carefully as the creature reared up on the end of its tail, lifting its head in the air.


    As he reached the rope, the creature coiled up behind him. Almost crouching down, it wound into a spring shape before shooting forward with all of its muscles. It flew through the air to the top of the pile.


    Glancing back, Kik saw it grab onto the edge and wrap its head around a rock at the top. He attached the ascender on his belt to the rope one-handed, snapping the clasp shut around the fibres. He turned on the motor to maximum, getting lifted up by his belt along the rope. He loosely ran his hand over the rope above him with his free hand, steadying his ascent. He ignored the pain in his burnt palms.


    Once it caught on the rope, the motor pulled him upwards quickly, at a rate of about two metres a second. Even so, the worm almost caught him as it lunged from the edge of the space. Instead, it hit the rope, causing him to rock and sway. His back rubbed against the rock for a second, scraping it, before he bounced away and travelled up again.


    Beneath him, the worm struggled back upright. It lunged at him, before realising that he would soon be too far away to reach. It uncoiled and began to inch off sideways.


    Retreating upwards away from the creature, Kik gave a sigh of relief. He was away from the immediate danger. Suddenly, a giant banging and thudding sound came from below. Shortly afterwards, it ceased. Perhaps the worm was letting out anger.


    Reaching the top of the hole, Kik tried to relax. He eventually managed to climb out onto flat ground without putting weight on his injured ankle. His heart was beating quickly and his breath was coming rapidly.


    It was much cooler now that he was a hundred odd metres away from the lava, so he took the liberty of loosening his restrictive clothing to help him cool down. Putting down the egg, nestled between some rocks, he pulled the rope up from the hole beneath him. Despite being almost a hundred metres long, he managed to pull it up with relative ease, testament to its light weight despite its strength.


    Once it was fully up, he pulled it off the end of the piton planted in the ground and fiddled with it, trying to figure out how to take it out of the rock. He couldn¡¯t remember exactly, trying to pull the sections that were embedded into the rock back out.


    Eventually he pulled the four side arms out of the rock and back into the body. Once they started moving they unscrewed automatically. From there it was only a matter of unscrewing the central part of the piton from the rock, revealing a rather strange five-pointed drill mark in the ground.


    Sliding it all back into the compact cylinder it had started in, he replaced it in the pouch with the other pitons. Coiling the rope up again and placing it over his shoulder, he stood up again and hopped over to the egg lying on the ground.


    He felt another tremor.


    Looking around, he could see nothing else alive except himself and the red egg. The shaking continued though, so he picked it up and moved towards the exit.


    However, before he reached it, the trembling grew louder and the ceiling broke in. Chunks of stone, rock and dust fell from the ceiling and cracks spread across both it and the floor. Kik fell backwards away from the rising cloud of sand and dust, blinking as it got in his eyes. Luckily, his mouth was protected by his oxygen mask, so none went in his throat.


    The floor of the room was solid rock besides the one hole, so the burrower had tunneled around and through the ceiling.


    It now lay in the middle of the fallen rocks as a few pebbled trickled down from the hole in the ceiling. It directed its eyeless glare towards Kik. Slowly, it inched forwards.


    Glancing down at the egg, Kik saw that it was unscratched. However, the worm was approaching him, so he soon wouldn¡¯t be able to say the same about himself.


    Pulling out things from his pockets, he came across a whistle and the set of pitons. Holding the egg in his left hand, a piton in his right, and the whistle in his mouth, he awaited the burrower¡¯s approach.


    Once it was right in front of him, almost within his reach, it stopped, seemingly curious about why he wasn¡¯t moving. It reared up and prepared to bring itself down, while he jumped forward off his good leg, blowing the whistle as hard as he could.


    Surprised by the sudden movement, the burrower crouched back down, straight into the path of his leap. He collided with its mouth, and it recoiled further, surprised, but he lay across its neck as it pulled away and held on.


    As it shook around, it was all he could do to not drop the egg. Honestly, he was surprised it hadn¡¯t broken yet. Perhaps its slightly flexible shell was the reason, absorbing impacts while being slightly harder than it seemed. He was blasted with hot sand from gaps in the armour, rubbing raw the patches of skin he had foolishly uncovered a minute before.


    When the worm¡¯s movements paused for a moment between swings, he pressed the button on the piton. Five prongs burrowed into the worm¡¯s flesh, eliciting an increase in the speed of the worm¡¯s writhing. Even now, its absolute silence was frightening. All he could hear was the echoes of his own struggle, the hiss of sand escaping its body and the sound of its tail banging against the ground and walls.


    Kik was thrown off by a particularly strong shake, flying through the air and landing on his back. He lost his grip on the egg while in the air, but it was going to land near him, so he reached out a hand and caught it with the tips of his fingers.


    Lifting his head, he saw the burrower¡¯s movements slowly easing, as it calmed down and realised the pest was no longer on his back. Feeling around on the floor, it started moving slowly in his direction. It had apparently lost his exact location, but it wouldn¡¯t buy him much time. Its questing tendrils were feeling out the floor and would soon reach him. He was between the burrower and the door, but he wasn¡¯t going to reach it in time, especially if he made noise.


    Looking through the other items of his pockets, his hand closed upon a gun-like shape from the same pocket as the whistle had come from. He was too frantic to think about exactly what it was. He pointed it towards the burrower¡¯s gaping, seeking mouth and pulled the trigger.


    Everything turned bright, then dark. Kik couldn¡¯t see anything at all. He could hear something burning, and he could hear the burrower before him thrashing around, striking the walls and ceiling.


    Crawling backwards, he lowered his head to pass under the low ceiling. Slithering backwards on his backside, he held the egg cradled in his arm. He could hear rocks falling again in front of him and to his sides, then silence. Eventually, he was able to lift his head straight, and was confident that the burrower could no longer squeeze through the space.


    Minutes later, when his eyes finally came back to normal, he looked in front of him. The ceiling in the cavern where he had just been attacked had completely collapsed, and most likely the burrower had been crushed too. Sections of the crawling space between it and where he was now had also collapsed.


    Looking down at his hand, he realised he was holding the flare gun from the emergency kit. It was honestly a surprise that he hadn¡¯t been blinded for longer. Perhaps he had closed his eyes as soon as he first saw the brightness.


    Well, it had certainly been effective. The burning heat had angered it enough for it to lose its sense of reason. The already destabilized ceiling had then been collapsed by the thrashing of the burrower. Looking around, he was lucky he hadn¡¯t been crushed himself, not even seeing the rock that brought his demise.


    Putting away the whistle and used flare gun, he stood up unsteadily on his one good leg. He walked slowly away from the rock fall, climbing back awkwardly towards the light.


    The path which had taken him half an hour on the way in took him nearly three on the way out. His sprained ankle and the difficulty of climbing up with one hand rather than down with two caused him to take a fair bit longer. Most of the time, he kept the egg in a sling across his chest to free up his hands for climbing, but on some occasions he had to climb with only one good arm and leg as the egg would have fallen out otherwise.


    His stored air ran out just before he reached the surface and started running solely off filtered air. As he stepped out of the final tunnel, hopping along the wall, he once again saw light. He took off his mask at last and drained his water bottle, wetting his throat.


    Outside, Vist and Pel were waiting for him in the shade of the ship. Vist came forward and grabbed him under the shoulders, helping him limp out of the cave. He saw the egg before Kik¡¯s chest.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good catch,¡± he told Kik. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen many that pure and close to hatching. It must¡¯ve been in the perfect conditions. I¡¯d estimate it¡¯ll take a few days at most. We got here just in time.¡±


    Kik nodded tiredly. ¡°Glad to hear that it¡¯s still alive. Both of us have been through hell and back. With extra lava.¡±


    ¡°Get another drink and those injuries treated. I¡¯ll sort out the egg. You certainly took a nasty tumble or two down there, little worm. Must¡¯ve been some very dangerous rocks.¡±


    Looking over himself, he took stock of his injuries. The palms of his hands were burnt. His ankle was sprained. Parts of his arm and neck were rubbed raw from the burrower¡¯s blasts of sand. All of his back, chest, arms and legs were scraped and bruised in many places from multiple tumbles and falls, as well as crawling across the stone floor. He started walking towards the ship to clean up.


    He woke up much later with sand in his mouth. The sky was dark. Pel was standing over him, and the world was swaying softly. When he opened his eyes, she called out, ¡°He¡¯s awake.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re up, huh?¡± Vist asked as he walked over. ¡°You passed out from heatstroke. You finished your water bottle too. Must have been really hot out there. We just kept you in the breeze and shade on the ship until you woke up. Here, have a drink.¡±


    He passed Kik another bottle. Taking it, Kik realised his hands had been bandaged. They felt numb, and perhaps a little unresponsive. His leg had also been elevated slightly. He took a swig and spat out the sand in his mouth, before drinking a little more deeply.


    After he had finished the bottle, Vist also offered him a side of meat. Biting deeply, he didn¡¯t recognise the flavour, not that he had really eaten meat much before. It had a very chewy texture, and a smoky taste.


    ¡°What creature¡¯s meat is this?¡± he asked, his throat still a little raw.


    ¡°Burrower.¡±


    Kik almost spat out, but managed to keep eating. ¡°That¡¯s surprising¡­ I didn¡¯t think it would be edible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. It¡¯s poisonous.¡± Kik really spat it out, before Vist shouted at him to stop. ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking! Don¡¯t waste food! Seriously, you can¡¯t take a joke. Just eat it, it¡¯s pretty good. They try and eat us, so as humans, we have to eat them in revenge.¡±


    Kik took another bite and chewed it. It was true, it did taste pretty good. Although thinking about it, he wasn¡¯t sure he had the right to claim self-defence, considering he had been the one which had invaded the burrower nest. However, he wasn¡¯t too against eating an already dead carnivorous creature, especially one which bred both proliferously and profusely.


    Vist placed a metal box next to him. It took a moment before he realised what it was.


    ¡°Why are you giving me the box with Pel¡¯s friend inside? I thought she didn¡¯t want to separate from it? Unless you need me to watch it for a little while?¡±


    Lifting up his head and looking around the boat, he realised that Pel was still holding her box. So then¡­


    ¡°This one¡¯s yours. The egg you brought back is inside, being kept warm. Make sure it doesn¡¯t get opened until it hatches, especially at night. If it cools down too far, it¡¯ll die. Its temperature when you brought it back was already dangerously low.¡±


    Kik nodded and touched the corner of the box with the back of his arm. It gave off an ambient heat like an overworked piece of machinery.


    ¡°What exactly am I supposed to do with a burrower egg?¡± Kik asked Vist, but he was already gone.


    The next day and night passed restfully. Kik was forced to lie in the shade the whole time, getting up only to relieve himself or occasionally to stretch his muscles. Vist seemed slightly nervous for some reason the first night, but after that he calmed down. The next day he just slept, snoring raucously, putting aside Kik¡¯s premonitions of trouble.


    On the next night, however, he became alert again. Looking at the sand beneath the vehicle as they sped onwards, he walked over to Kik with the rifle.


    ¡°Sit up and take this. We¡¯re probably going to be ambushed by some wild animals soon, and I¡¯d rather somebody keep an eye out in case I miss something. Watch out for Pel for me.¡± He quickly explained the gun¡¯s quirks and reloading.


    Next he pulled a half-meter metal rod from his waist and stretched it out. It telescoped out to a similar size to the staves him and Kik had fought with when they met each other. The center was slightly thicker than the ends, and the whole staff shone dully in the moonlight.


    Moving to the front of the ship, Vist looked out at the dunes before them, reading invisible signals only he could see. From behind, Kik pulled his injured leg off of the block it had been resting on and sat up against the edge of the ship, looking around. The ground looked peaceful to him, with nothing to indicate a threat.


    The attack came a few minutes later, when a dune along their path ahead erupted in sand. From within it sprung a fur-covered creature running on all fours, with a long, brush-tipped tail behind it. Another one followed it, and another two came from the opposite dune. The four of them ran to intercept the ship.


    Vist ran backwards to the controls and quickly turned the ship, adjusting the sail. It billowed and swung out wide. The ship lost a bit of speed as it moved away from the optimal wind angle, but they were no longer on a collision course with the furred creatures, and they were no longer in a position to surround the ship.


    Even so, they gave chase, and they were clearly faster than the ship was. The four of them were moving to cut off their path again.


    Vist turned the ship straight towards them as they got close to the bow, threatening to run them down. They were forced to slide to a halt, clouds of sand rising from their feet. They stood up on their hind legs as the ship glided past, balancing on their feet and tails.


    ¡°Watch for other attackers,¡± Vist called to Kik as he turned off the maglev plates and jumped off the ship.


    With the maglev no longer working, the sail pulled the ship a little further but it still crashed to the sand. Kik would have been thrown off his feet by the sudden jolt if he wasn¡¯t already sitting down. Instead, he managed to catch himself on the edge of the ship with one hand, tearing the bandages slightly.


    His incubation box slid away slightly, but he paid it little attention. He looked around to make sure nothing was coming closer, then looked at Vist¡¯s fight.


    In the few seconds it had taken for Kik to steady, one of the creatures had already been knocked to the floor, its head an unrecognisable pulp. Its red blood wet the sandy ground. The other three were slowly circling Vist, one on its hind legs and the others on all fours.


    Their fur was reddish brown, a similar colour to the sand. Their front paws were facing outwards, attached to stubby limbs, perhaps useful for digging. Their back legs were large and powerful, and those limbs were far longer, probably for jumping and the rapid running they had just been doing. This led to their back sloping downwards as they walked around, their head very close to the ground.


    Their heads were a rodent-like shape, with a squashed snout and large nose on the end, like a tasmanian devil. They had no discernible ears, but large whiskers. Unlike the burrowers¡¯ whiskers, these ones were actually long hairs, positioned on each side of their snout. However, their mouths were closer to that of a lizard, with many small teeth of similar shape and size along the outside of their jaw.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    They had a row of spines leading down their back to the base of their tail, facing backwards but laying fairly flat along their backs. The one in the middle, which was standing up, had his standing straight up from his neck and back. They also had a tail which was about the same length as the rest of their body, tipped with a large bulb of brown fur, a different colour to the rest of their body.


    One of the two crouching animals leaped towards Vist while his back was turned. It moved at incredible speeds, but he was prepared. As the creature jumped for his back, the butt of his staff was already interposed between them. The creature¡¯s speed combined with his own shove backwards drove it firmly into the creature¡¯s chest. On impact, a deep thrum reverberated through the air.


    The most immediate effect was on the creature struck. Its chest shook in ripples from the impact, a bloody hole tearing open where it had just been struck. It flew backwards to the sand, its chest bending and writhing into strange shapes and patterns as the vibrations passed through it. It didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Kik breathed, before finally remembering that he was supposed to be looking around for approaching creatures. Quickly scanning the horizon for moving shapes, he could see nothing moving except for dunes and a few wind-blown clouds of sand.


    Looking around again, the remaining two creatures were running away in fear, respectful of Vist¡¯s strength. He collapsed the staff into its smaller shape again and stowed it. Two bodies were left lying there as he strode back to the ship.


    ¡°Anything approaching?¡±


    Kik shook his head. ¡°No more of the creatures. The land is clear.¡±


    Vist frowned. ¡°What about underneath it? It¡¯s certain that any hunting burrowers heard that just now. Did you make sure there were none of them near the surface?¡±


    Kik shook his head and looked around quickly, scanning for clouds of sand nearby. ¡°I can¡¯t see any, and I can¡¯t feel any trembling. But should we leave?¡±


    Vist nodded. ¡°That would be wise.¡±


    Climbing back aboard, he reactivated the maglev plates. The sail, which had been struggling to pull the ship along the whole time they were aground, kicked in again and they started moving.


    Glancing back at the scene of the fight as they drifted away, Kik saw a burrower rise up and grab the pair of corpses in its gaping jaw. He aimed the rifle at it, but it didn¡¯t turn towards them, instead burrowing back into the ground and heading after the two fleeing creatures. It seemed they were safe for now.


    After another day¡¯s rest and the beginning of the next night¡¯s travel, Kik was able to stand up without serious pain and unravel the bandages around his hand, revealing shiny pink scars on parts of his palm. He still was told to rest for fear of injuring himself further. He was thankful, as he didn¡¯t have to push the ship. That job was mostly left to Vist. He also had a splint placed inside his boot, to keep his leg straight.


    That evening they came to a town, three days¡¯ sail from the mountain where they had spent their time. Compared to the metal and stone capital, this establishment of perhaps a thousand and a half houses was mostly made of mud-brick and piled rock. It had much more of a frontier feel, although there were definite signs of industry around.


    The most obvious were large automated collectors crawling around the settlement, sucking up the sand on the ground into large tanks. Normal-sized people about half the height of the collectors were directing their movements. Others behind them were cutting sections from the exposed stone beneath. Other than that, there were also signs of smoke above several roofs. Some manufacturing and production was going on in this town.


    There was also a reasonably sized airfield, for the size of the town at least, off to the side opposite where the automatons were digging. Three small atmospheric craft were parked there, one a transport, one a civilian carrier, and one a personal craft.


    Vist lowered the sail and took apart the mast as the town came in sight. ¡°We¡¯ll walk from here,¡± he said. ¡°Take your bags and a little more besides, the craft is going to get sluggish. Most of the magnetic minerals will be gone from the soil up ahead due to mining. Our maglev plates can¡¯t carry us all and the ship and all our gear.¡±


    Sure enough, the closer they got to the town, the lower the craft sank. It was barely twenty centimetres off the ground by the time they reached the settlement, at which point all three of them were gasping from the long push. As its lift decreased, the craft¡¯s maneuverability rapidly slowed, until it felt like they were pushing the ship through deep water.


    ¡°OK, this will do,¡± Vist told them as they reached the end of the road into town. ¡°We¡¯ll put it down here. If it¡¯s this close to town, nobody¡¯s going to go to the effort of stealing a ship like this. It¡¯s never been taken in the past.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s because it¡¯s a piece of junk,¡± Kik remarked.


    Vist glared at him while Pel chuckled quietly. ¡°It¡¯s called camouflage, civilian. And you¡¯d do well to remember it, little worm.¡± Emphasizing the last word in each sentence, he covered part of the boat with the sail, tying down the ends, then walked off, muttering.


    Quickly catching up, Kik began to question him about what was going on. ¡°So why are we here? Weren¡¯t we meant to be training in the desert? And how come there are aliens here?¡± With the last question, he nodded at a scaled man across the road. ¡°I thought they stayed away from human worlds on the whole.¡±


    ¡°This place is a bit less¡­ restrictive with its laws and so on. Hence some aliens live here. Quite a few of them are less savoury individuals, though, so you should stay away from them if at all possible. Other than that, I honestly didn¡¯t know this town existed until I saw the smoke on the horizon. It¡¯s probably only about a month old. But since we¡¯re here now, I figured there¡¯s a few things that you can¡¯t learn out in the desert which would be useful for you to figure out here.¡±


    Kik nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That makes sense, I guess. So where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°An inn.¡±


    Finding one of the few two-story buildings in the outskirts of town, the three walked into the building. Outside hung a sign of a red, scrap metal blade.


    Walking in, the tables were occupied by a varied crowd. There were a few workers sharing a drink after or maybe before their shift, a man asleep in a corner over a spilt glass, and a few strange customers in hoods or desert cloths sitting around. The crowd was noticeably all male. The three with their large packs and incubator boxes drew some strange looks, but a glance from Vist silenced them.


    ¡°Welcome to the rusty cleaver,¡± the barkeep called. ¡°You from out of town? New arrivals? A hunter, by the look of it. If you have any materials to sell or tools to buy, I can direct you to the right place.¡±


    ¡°Not for the moment,¡± Vist growled in an uncharacteristically deep voice. ¡°Just a room for three for a few nights. Secure, three separate beds, properly locked door. Got one?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can give you a room for four. Otherwise, I can get you a single room and a double?¡±


    Vist thought for a second. ¡°Actually, just a double. The boy can sleep on the floor.¡±


    Sensing a more favourable deal slipping away, the bartender tried to negotiate. ¡°Will you want meals here? We¡¯re locally famous for our meat. I¡¯d recommend you try it at least once.¡±


    Looking around at the definite lack of meat being served, Vist shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. We prefer to have our meals at our own schedule.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Any other added charges? Bathing? A larger water ration? No? Fine, that will be¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Vist slid three metal objects across the table from a pouch in his overcoat. The bartender scooped them up, then frowned. ¡°The cost is thirty-five, not thirty. I can¡¯t go below that.¡±


    Vist slid over another two smaller ones. ¡°That¡¯s more than a fair price. Three under a ripoff is still a ripoff.¡±


    The barkeep swiped those off the counter too, then smiled lightly. ¡°Glad to do business with you. Here¡¯s your key card, don¡¯t lose it, I¡¯m sure you know that. Your room is upstairs, number eight. There are no particular rules except they¡¯re cleaned at midday. You¡¯ve paid for five days so far, any more beyond that are subject to a renewal fee unless paid for three days in advance. Have a nice day.¡±


    Vist grabbed the metallic plastic card off the table and walked upstairs, grumbling.


    Putting down their backpacks in the room, the three observed it. There was more space on the ship. It had two single beds, metal bunks unfolding from the wall with a bit of a mattress, a tiny couch and a few amenities, such as a tap and some lights. There wasn¡¯t even a toilet.


    Dropping to the couch straight away and stretching out on it, Vist groaned in relief. ¡°Ah, the sweet taste of luxury.¡±


    ¡°How come you paid him in coins?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Don¡¯t people normally use electronic fund transfers? That¡¯s what I¡¯ve seen so far, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Not if you¡¯re a wanted criminal you don¡¯t,¡± Vist told him. ¡°Then you can¡¯t go within ten metres of an ID device in case it checks who you are and sends the data to planetary security, however that useless it would be on this world. And here, some of the gang leaders get together and communicate a bit. They made exchange tokens one time, which they support the use and guarantee the value of. Outside of capital cities and offworld traders, most people use solid money instead of electronic.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    Vist thought. ¡°Well, first we can sell some of that first burrower¡¯s materials. The blades and its carapace will make for good sales. We¡¯ll just have to claim that we didn¡¯t find it near this town. I don¡¯t want their nest being discovered yet, it¡¯s still useful. So on that note, go speak to the barkeeper and tell him we have some samples we want to sell. Arrange a meeting for an hour or so, ideally. I want to get some rest.¡±


    Walking downstairs, Kik was stared at with considerably more curiosity this time now that Vist wasn¡¯t beside him. Ignoring the gazes of the four-odd people as well as he could, he walked over to the bartender, who was resting against a wall while keeping an eye on the drinking area.


    Leaning towards the bar, he spoke. ¡°My guardian says we have some products to sell. Can we arrange a meeting for that?¡±


    The bartender looked at him, bored. ¡°What kind of products?¡±


    ¡°Rare materials. Natural blades and armour taken from a burrowing creature. Interested?¡±


    The bartender leaned forward a bit. ¡°I know someone who might be. Are these metal?¡±


    ¡°No, some kind of natural fibre. They¡¯re strong and the blades can cut well.¡±


    He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°When do you want to meet a potential buyer?¡±


    ¡°Half an hour.¡±


    His eyes widened for a second. ¡°Impossible. I¡¯ll need three at least to secure a meeting spot. You have to give me more than that.¡±


    ¡°Then you can have one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I just can¡¯t do it. I need more time. Two at least¡±


    Kik hesitated. He had been copying his parents and Vist to get this far in the deal, but he had no idea what to do when his ideal time was rejected. Sensing weakness, the bartender pushed further.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t secure the right place and time, you probably won¡¯t get to meet with the best buyer. Then you¡¯ll get a lower price. Also, if I rush the preparations for the meeting, your safety won¡¯t be guaranteed. There could be people lying in wait for either party to meet with someone so they can steal the goods.¡±


    Kik struggled to find a good reason to protest his case. ¡°Well¡­ maybe an hour and a half¡­¡±


    The barkeep dealt the finishing blow. ¡°Look, I understand your needs too. If you need to purchase food and supplies straight away so have to sell your earnings off now, that¡¯s fine. I understand if you¡¯re hard on coin. I¡¯ll give you a ten token deposit in good faith, if you give me two hours to work with. Then you can buy what you need and I¡¯ll be able to set off the best possible deal. Just pay me back *with a bit of interest* when the deal is done. I¡¯ll take the rent for your room as security.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t hope for anything better.¡± He was passed two medium-sized coins marked with the number ¡°5¡± and walked back upstairs as the bartender got out a handheld comms unit and started speaking into it quietly.


    Back at the room, Vist opened an eye as he walked in, holding the coins in one hand. ¡°Should¡¯ve started bargaining at fifteen minutes,¡± he said. ¡°So how much extra do you have to wait?¡±


    ¡°How¡­ oh, never mind. I¡¯m meeting them in two hours.¡±


    ¡°Two hours. Hmm. I expected you¡¯d get between that and an hour and a half, so you were on the upper range of my predictions. It only takes him fifteen minutes to arrange the meeting, by the way, the rest is just to make it feel important to the seller. You¡¯ve got two hours, and¡­ ten coins, so go get us some stuff.¡± He tossed a paper starship at Kik, which floated over on folded wings. ¡°Everything we need is on there. If you do well, you can get at least half of it with the money you have. I¡¯d personally be surprised if you get two items. You¡¯ll find the markets at¡­¡±


    Before he reached the markets, Kik unfolded the piece of paper. On it was written eight things. A spare water storage tube for a moisture condenser. A carbon thread rope, two metres long, for the ship. Twenty-four meals¡¯ worth of packaged, dried rations. A spare emergency signal pack to replace the one he had used. Seven needles and enough general antibiotics to fill them all. An automatic gear. As many spare batteries as he could find, of any size, as well as chargers. And finally, another pair of binoculars, again with night vision options.


    Upon reaching the markets, he realised he wasn¡¯t actually at the markets at all. Thinking about it, why had he followed Vist¡¯s directions, when Vist himself had never been to this town before? He considered calling the barkeep using the comm he had been thrown as he left, but he decided against it. Instead, he followed his nose, the smell of freshly baked and fried produce leading him.


    The market was crowded, at least fifty people moving around buying and another twenty behind stalls and indoors behind shop counters.


    First he walked around and noted which shops stocked each of the products. He couldn¡¯t spot an automatic gear around for the life of him, but he could find the rest of the products. Knocking the easiest objectives off first, he snagged a bag of thirty dried rations. He also ordered the rope, signal pack and the binoculars, getting a discount for his bulk order. The whole thing cost six tokens.


    The next place he went was a little away from the main market. A shop was spitting out smoke from the roof and the sound of whirring, clicking machinery. The sign above the door said ¡°Sal¡¯s Mechatronics.¡±


    Walking in, a bell rang and a large woman walked up to the counter. ¡°Welcome, customer, to¡­¡± She caught sight of Kik¡¯s small hooded stature. ¡°Are you human? I only serve humans here. Show your face or leave.¡±


    Kik pulled aside the cloths on his face. ¡°I¡¯m a human.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t serve children either. I sell some dangerous equipment, I don¡¯t want dead children on my conscience.¡±


    ¡°What about a storage tube for a water condenser?¡± He puckered up his face in what he hoped was a cute expression. She seemed to feel responsible for children, and he wanted to capitalize on that. ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, and if I don¡¯t get a spare I could die. Then that will be on your conscience.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Well, I guess if it¡¯s just that¡­ I don¡¯t have any in stock at the moment, but I can have some custom made in a half an hour.¡±


    Kik pointed to some clear bulbs in the shape of a blown glass sphere behind her. ¡°Aren¡¯t those storage tubes? Isn¡¯t the real reason you don¡¯t serve children because you feel bad for ripping them off?¡±


    She laughed aloud. ¡°Guess I should¡¯ve hid them before I tried that, but it was worth a shot. You¡¯ve got a good eye. If you were a few years older I might hire you.¡±


    ¡°All I want is what I came for. I might have started bargaining higher before you tried to rip me off, but now I¡¯m going for one token at most.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°One and a half.¡±


    ¡°Sold.¡±


    Walking out of the shop with his backpack a little fuller, Kik looked for the next thing to buy. He had already far surpassed Vist¡¯s predictions, and he was pretty happy with himself. He treated himself to a skewer of artificial meat and walked off eating it. Unfortunately, the burrower meat tasted far better. It was soft and flavourless, with most of the taste coming from its spicy sauce.


    The next place he looked was for antibiotics, but he didn¡¯t trust any needles sold by most of the nearby shops. Leaving the batteries till later, he wandered around to look for a better supplier or something else to do in his remaining hour and a quarter before the meeting.


    Walking through the streets, ignoring the women lounging in doorways and the conversations coming from open windows and the people around him, Kik heard shouts coming from nearby. Coming around a corner, he observed the scene.


    Seven boys aged between eight and fourteen were standing around another boy lying on the ground, holding his chin. A little bit of blood was leaking from his mouth where he had bitten his tongue and his gum was bleeding. Above him, two of the other boys were arguing whose fault it was.


    ¡°...He ran straight into me. I was just defending myself from his headbutt. It¡¯s his fault, so it¡¯s our penalty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy. You hit him while he ran past you. You weren¡¯t even going to collide with him. We should get the penalty.¡±


    A third boy spoke up. ¡°Well, more importantly, we¡¯ve only got seven players now. Someone on the other team has to sit out.¡±


    One of the kids to the side noticed Kik standing by the wall. ¡°Get him to play,¡± he said, pointing over. The group¡¯s attention immediately shifted over.


    Kik blushed at the stares, glad he was wearing cloths over his face. ¡°Uh, no, I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t know the rules¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, most of us didn¡¯t until recently.¡±


    Kik grudgingly accepted and soon the eight of them were running around and playing while the injured boy left for treatment. The game was something like capture the flag, with two teams guarding and attacking ¡°bases¡±. Kik¡¯s base was the lamppost on their side of the street, while the other team¡¯s was an upside-down plastic crate across the road. They darted past each other, tagged each other and played dozens of rounds. After a few, the boy who had left came back with a friend and joined in again.


    While they were playing, Kik listened to them talking. There were a range of discussions across the age groups. The three eldest were sharing ¡®romantic¡¯ stories about some girls, while the younger ones were mostly talking about the food they had eaten or places they had explored. They seemed to live a peaceful life.


    When they took a break to rest, Kik shared his six extra ration packs with his playmates. Thanking him, they included him a little more in their discussion, and with a few directed questions he got to hear some talk about the situation in town.


    The town had been built around a mining outpost that had struck precious metals used in hologram devices. The mineral deposit and production was at a small scale, but there was money to be had so people had come crowding. Most of their parents were shopkeepers who had come to sell to the miners and other shopkeepers, while some of the older ones were orphans who had come for employment and to learn a trade.


    He also heard that the underworld in town was controlled by the Red Breath, an offworld gang who mostly dealt in debt collection, unstable loans and drug trafficking. That was part of the reason why there were any aliens at all in such a small town. Apparently, the inn that he was staying in was managed by their group.


    Before he could get any more details, though, his comm buzzed. The message on the small screen read, ¡°The meeting has been arranged. Go to the warehouse two blocks east of the market with red on the doors.¡±


    ¡°It seems I have to go,¡± Kik told the others. ¡°I might be back soon. Sorry to leave you with uneven numbers. Have fun, John, Rark, Til¡­¡±


    ¡°See you later.¡±


    Finding the warehouse with a large red cross painted on the doors, Kik looked around. He couldn¡¯t see anyone around. Thinking about whether he should try and finish his shopping first, he checked his coin pocket to find the two remaining tokens were gone.


    ¡°Void consume it!¡±


    Figuring he had no chance of getting them back, and it wouldn¡¯t help to go around accusing his playmates, he headed inside.


    The inside of the warehouse was dark and empty. The building was dark inside, with only a few slit windows for light. The walls were red mud-brick, held up by roughly shaped stone pillars. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that the building was empty. He sat down and fought back his tiredness as he realised that he had been awake for over sixteen hours, even if he had been resting for most of it. His recent hour of play had taken its toll.


    A few minutes later, another man walked in. He was hooded and cloaked despite the heat, and kept his body obscured. He had a bit of weight on him, his cloak bulging out between his shoulders and his waist.


    ¡°Have you got the goods?¡± His voice was raspy. Kik nodded and held out the bag, pulling the blade and small section of carapace from it.


    ¡°That¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. They seem to be of reasonable quality.¡± He ran a small scanner over it. He wore green gloves, so Kik couldn¡¯t even see the colour of his skin. ¡°Weapons detectors don¡¯t pick them up at all. A natural blade and armour like this are useful finds. The only question is whether the carapace can be manufactured. The blade will definitely be useful¡­¡±


    Wondering whether the person knew how to bargain, since he was sparing no effort to praise the products, Kik asked him, ¡°So you¡¯ll take it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, certainly. Are these all the stock you have?¡±


    ¡°With me, yes.¡± As soon as he said it, Kik realised that could be misinterpreted as him not having any others in the town, not with him at the moment, but the person didn¡¯t seem put off, so he probably understood.


    ¡°Will you be bringing more to town later?¡±


    ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll be coming back, at least not for a while. Why?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The man tucked the blade and segment under his arm. ¡°Well then, one more question before we discuss payment. Do you know anyone in the Red Breath?¡±


    ¡°Well, not the Red Breath, but if you ask Erstine, maybe you can¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Erstine? Well, anyway, sounds like you don¡¯t. In that case, my payment will be an important lesson for you. Don¡¯t bring all your cards to the deal. I¡¯ll tell you this in recognition of your youth. Don¡¯t trust the other party. Especially in a situation like this. Although if you keep making mistakes, maybe one day you¡¯ll be as good as me. Or maybe you¡¯ll be dead. Kids shouldn¡¯t play with something they don¡¯t understand, after all.¡± He chuckled hoarsely and turned to leave, carrying the burrower parts.


    Kik was rooted to the spot, then angry. Even if he had stood there as Vist butchered the burrower, even if he hadn¡¯t helped kill it, no, especially so, he wasn¡¯t going to stand there and let their prize be taken away without resisting. He ran towards the door.


    After shaking off his sudden blindness from the light, he looked around. The cloaked man was jogging down a side alley. Following after him, he saw the end of his cloak disappear around another corner.


    Wondering what he would do when he caught up, he ran after him regardless. He was unarmed, with nothing but some tools on his belt and the items he had bought. If he had the automatic gear, whatever that was, maybe it might have been useful, but he hadn¡¯t been able to find it.


    Coming around another corner, he ran into the front of the man he was tailing and fell backwards. Beneath the hood close up, his face looked strangely shaped. ¡°So you want to tail me. Are you prepared for what happens when you catch up?¡± Kik scrambled backwards on his hands and legs. ¡°So you weren¡¯t. Disappointing. My opinion of you is going very quickly from unprepared to foolish.¡±


    ¡°If you take those materials, you won¡¯t get any of the rest we have,¡± he shouted desperately. ¡°We¡¯ve got three more blades and many larger sections of carapace.¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯d believe that. You said to my face a little while ago that you didn¡¯t have any other goods. Do you think¡­¡±


    Before he finished talking, Kik dove towards him, swinging his fists in an attempt to catch him off guard. Each was grabbed in an iron grip by the man¡¯s cold hands, then something swung up from below and rammed Kik in the chest, hard.


    Swinging behind the man¡¯s back was a thick, green tail. The green on his hands that Kik had thought were gloves were also scaly skin. Lifting his hood back, he revealed a raptorian head with a stubby snout and large breathing holes near the neck.


    ¡°Humans are so easy to fight,¡± he said. ¡°They die in the heat and they only have four limbs. I wonder how it feels to be so disadvantaged.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re a¡­¡± Kik gasped for breath on the floor.


    ¡°A Raffarian, human, yes. Don¡¯t follow me any further. If you come at me from here onwards, I¡¯ll kill you, and you¡¯ll deserve it.¡±


    He left Kik choking and groaning in the dirt, holding the stolen prizes.


    Kik took a walk around town before returning to the inn to abate his anger. It didn¡¯t help. Stumbling back through the doorway, Kik glared at the bartender, who had the audacity to look innocent. ¡°You set me up.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I set up a meeting place for you and ensured that no outside parties would interfere with the discussion. Any harm you come to is not my responsibility. Can I have the comms unit back?¡±


    ¡°I broke it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll add its cost to your tab.¡±


    Kik threw over the communicator and stormed upstairs. Vist was still waiting for him, resting on the couch. ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. I¡¯m sure you knew exactly how it was going to go as soon as I walked out the door.¡±


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ oh, forget about it. Yes, that bad. Some of my money was stolen, the goods were stolen, I got beaten up by¡­ are you listening to me?¡±


    Vist stopped snoring. ¡°Yeah, I was, just pretending. Don¡¯t worry about the goods, we have more. So, what did you buy?¡±


    ¡°I got everything but the batteries, the antibiotics and the automatic gear. I couldn¡¯t find any people who stocked one, and I¡¯ve never heard of one before. What are they? Wait, why are you laughing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Vist said, holding back a smile. ¡°Still, you don¡¯t know what an automatic gear is? I¡¯m surprised. There should be an entry in those glasses of yours. Take a look.¡±


    Kik dropped the bag of equipment. ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t there. I¡¯ve never heard of one before.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t get the antibiotics?¡± Vist asked. ¡°Shame. Pel! Here¡¯s three coins. Actually, make that four. Go out and get the batteries and the antibiotics. Don¡¯t worry about the automatic gear, that doesn¡¯t seem to be in stock. Get yourself something afterwards if you have any money left. Kik treated himself, you may as well too.¡±


    ¡°How did you know¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s sauce on your mouth.¡±


    After Pel had left with the money, leaving her incubator box here, Kik started unpacking the bag. Taking out each of the items he had bought, he laid them out on one of the beds, which he unfolded from the wall.


    From behind him, he could hear Vist finally getting up and coming over. ¡°I think I did well,¡± he called out behind him. ¡°I got five of the eight things you asked for. You said you¡¯d be surprised if I got four.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d get that much. By all rights, you should have been able to get everything. The only reason I told you an amount was to see whether you would aim beyond it.¡±


    ¡°So I failed, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. But not many can pass my tests first time, especially at your age. If you can do it the second time, you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    Suddenly, something was shoved over Kik¡¯s mouth from behind. He sucked in a breath to speak, but some gas other than air rushed into his lungs. He felt woozy and couldn¡¯t speak, and on his next breath he collapsed sideways. Vist caught him and lowered him to the floor.


    ¡°Sorry about this, but if I took the time to explain and calm you down, the burrower would have hatched. It¡¯s already going to break free in a few minutes. It¡¯s really lucky you came back when you did.¡±


    Kik couldn¡¯t speak, he just stared at Vist and the anaesthetic mask he was holding. It had already emptied its contents, and he was fast succumbing to their effects. Black spots were appearing in his vision and he lost control of his muscles. Things seemed less important now.


    ¡°Well, just so you know, the burrowers have two forms. The first is a predator, like the ones you saw. That happens when the first meat they eat is their dead parent. The second form is a symbiote. That happens when their first meal is still living.¡± He lifted the incubator box and opened it, revealing the almost glowing red egg and a dark shape within. ¡°The symbiote form can be pretty useful. I didn¡¯t want you to freak out about being chewed on, though, so I decided to put you to sleep.¡±


    The last words before Kik fell asleep were, ¡°See you when you wake up.¡±

 7 - Helper

    His mind floated in darkness and nothingness. It felt like he was partway through a warp, when all sensation had faded and he was left sitting in darkness. The space wasn¡¯t empty, though. He could feel something large and warm surrounding him. Concentrating on that sensation, he could feel a pulse thrumming through the space nearby. He could feel crackles and shifting in the dark around him. Somehow, he knew there was a source of energy, of life ahead. He reached out to grab it.


    Kik woke to his name being called. Opening his eyes, he was lying on one of the fold-out beds in their room. The ceiling above him was spiderwebbed with cracks in the paint, and the lights were on. Pel was sitting next to his bed. When she noticed his eyes were open, she pulled away a cloth from his forehead.


    ¡°So you¡¯re awake? You were out for a while. Feel any different?¡±


    Kik reached out to touch his forehead, and realised it felt really hot. ¡°I¡¯m burning up¡­¡± His voice was barely a croak.


    ¡°Are you? It doesn¡¯t feel like it to me. Rather, it¡¯s rather cool.¡± She put her hand on it. Certainly, her hand felt warm, and he could feel all the little whorls and faint callouses. Did that mean his body temperature had lowered, if his head was cooler than her hand?


    Trying to sit up slightly, he could feel his clothes shifting and rustling against his skin. His skin was sensitive for some reason, and he could even feel the breezes shifting against his neck once he had lifted it off the pillow. He could also feel something slightly cold sitting behind his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get Vist,¡± Pel said, and stood up from the bed. She walked out of Kik¡¯s view.


    Sitting fully up, the light blanket fell of Kik and he realised the garments on his upper body were gone. Looking around the room, he could see them lain out on the couch. Pulling on the shirt he had received from Erstine¡¯s men, he realised it caught at something just below his neck. Pulling it over, he ran his hand over the spot and felt something smooth and hard, similar to a scab or callus. He couldn¡¯t see a mirror or reflective surface in the room, and he couldn¡¯t turn his head far enough to see it.


    Vist walked in with Pel before he could put on any other clothing. His breath smelled vaguely of beer. ¡°You¡¯re up? Looks like you¡¯re more lively than I expected. It seems like you¡¯ve taken well to your new best friend.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t caught on yet? Remember what I said before you were out? You¡¯ve got a little symbiotic alien now.¡±


    Thinking back to the last thing he remembered, Kik felt a little queasy. ¡°So there¡¯s a baby burrower somewhere inside my body?¡±


    ¡°Well, part of one, anyway. Most of it fell off when it burrowed in.¡± He opened a pouch on his belt and pulled out a few carapace segments attached to a quad-bladed tail. ¡°The good news is, it¡¯s only the useful parts that stayed. It should be messing with your spine right about now, adjusting your nervous system and motor control. You were jerking around like crazy in your sleep while it figured out what everything is supposed to do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s taken over my spine? It¡¯s not going to do anything bad to my body?¡± Kik¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly intelligent enough for that. It¡¯s just an instinctual little beast, but it¡¯s somehow quite good at boosting the signals in your nerves. Essentially, it¡¯ll increase your sense of touch. But there are also a few downsides. Hold out your hand.¡±


    Kik stretched out his arm towards Vist, who grabbed it and pulled it forward. His hand was heavily textured and scarred, and Kik could feel a few tiny cuts in his skin. Suddenly, an agonising pain shot up Kik¡¯s arm from his hand and he collapsed, twitching and screaming silently.


    Vist let go of the arm, pulling his bloody fingernail from the cut. ¡°It amplifies pain too,¡± he said as Kik gasped on the floor, the sensation in his arm slowly returning. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d be careful of what you do for a while. Eventually, it¡¯ll get better at managing sudden sensations, and pain won¡¯t be as big a problem as it is now. But until then, you¡¯ll want to stay out of trouble.¡±


    Kik nodded and struggled to his feet. His arm was throbbing, but the painful sensation was fading. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Will it do anything other than affect my sense of touch?¡±


    ¡°Well, it will help speed up your natural healing to an incredible level, but¡­¡±


    Kik looked down at his hand. Indeed, the tiny bloody mark that Vist had made was already disappearing. ¡°I can already see it working.¡±


    ¡°But it shouldn¡¯t do that for a month at least. Wait, really?¡±


    Kik nodded and showed his hand to Vist, who looked at it and nodded. ¡°I guess yours has already grown a fair bit. Maybe it has something to do with how advanced it grew in its burrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty amazing ability, though. Why don¡¯t more people have them?¡±


    ¡°Because they don¡¯t know about it. Information is powerful, little worm. There¡¯s not many of those creatures around, too. Besides this colony here, we only know of about thirty other nests across all the worlds we¡¯ve been to, and most of those are ones we¡¯ve created.¡±


    ¡°So they can travel between planets? How?¡±


    ¡°Rather than them travelling, it¡¯s more likely that they were placed there. Or perhaps they¡¯re all different species which are too close for us to tell apart. Stranger things happen.¡± He thought for a second. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t distract me. What I really need to tell you now is that you are still human. If you get shot in the wrong place, you die, same as usual. Healing quickly won¡¯t help you if your brain is missing. Nor will it help you get blood back, although it can help close off the source of the bleeding. And it won¡¯t help with a couple other things, like poison or most diseases. Basically, you¡¯re not invincible.¡±


    Kik nodded.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re up, I¡¯ll give you a quick check-over, and we¡¯ll get on the road again. We¡¯ve spent too long in this town, given the attention we¡¯ll be getting.¡±


    It was dark outside. Apparently, night had already set in as Kik had slept. Dragging all their gear outside, Vist spoke to the innkeeper, who relaxed when he realised Vist didn¡¯t want a refund. He even went so far as to wave to them as they left, happy to have a few less mouths to feed.


    Back at the ship, just as Vist had said, nobody had bothered to touch it. Its patchwork hull was the same as ever, and there were no signs of the storage spaces being tampered with, empty or full.


    Vist also loaded back in the four blades and the carapace segments they had taken. Apparently he hadn¡¯t managed to sell the rest of the burrower parts after some had been stolen from Kik.


    After loading all their gear, they set off again into the night. With sails set, a stiff breeze from behind them pushed them out of town. Kik was losing his sense of direction, which way they had come from, but he could still see the orbital elevator on the horizon showing him the way to the city. The top of its upper reaches still reflected sunlight from around the other side of the planet.


    After sailing for four hours, Vist slowed down the pace a little bit before suggesting a new activity to pass the time. Kik¡¯s first warning was another staff dropping on his shoulder. It was barely a tap, yet it felt like a blow to his shoulder. Picking it up, he groaned, expecting a new set of bruises.


    ¡°Wear your glasses this time,¡± Vist said. ¡°I¡¯ll wear my headset too. We can have a study session.¡±


    Pulling out the screen-displaying glasses, Kik wondered what he was intending to do. ¡°These, you mean? The ones you can read information from?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll each read something during our duel. Afterwards, I¡¯ll quiz you about what you learnt. Wrong answers will mean running.¡± He gestured meaningfully to the pack lying behind Kik. ¡°Your lesson today will be on¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ we¡¯ll go with something easy. Pass me your glasses.¡±


    Receiving the glasses from Kik, he put them on, barely managing to fit the arms around the sides of his head. They twisted alarmingly. He put a data chip in a socket and his eyes moved rapidly, commanding the glasses to move the data around. ¡°Hey, you have some interesting stuff on here. Mind if I copy some of it? I¡¯ve been meaning to do some light reading.¡±


    Kik nodded assent and his eyes twitched and rapidly blinked again before he took the glasses off and handed it back to Kik. ¡°The file is with your manuals. It should be labelled DIS3.5. Once it¡¯s open, read the title aloud and we¡¯ll start our fight.¡± He walked over to the edge and reached out to grab his own pair. His were large and bulky, sitting across his face like a visor. The construct was rectangular and reinforced, with thick safety glass for the lenses. It looked like it could take more damage than its wearer¡¯s skull.


    Meanwhile, Kik opened the file Kik had given him. It came up with a sixty-page document on something called a ¡°disruptor staff¡±. It was the same weapon Vist had used against the burrowing rodent-like creatures that had attacked them the other day. Before he could read any more, though, Vist struck at him with the staff. ¡°Here I come!¡±


    He blocked desperately, but was knocked a step backwards. Luckily, Vist didn¡¯t press his advantage. His hands hurt from the slight grazes to them, and his view was chaotic as his head shook while the glasses stayed still. There was no way he was going to be able to read anything like this. He did notice that Vist didn¡¯t press his advantage. He was being given a handicap, perhaps because of his newly increased sense of pain.


    This, however, gave him an idea. Trying to ignore the distracting text before his face, he dove forward, making his own swing. Vist blocked and stepped back, and Kik stepped back as well, taking the chance to read a line of text.


    ¡°The disruptor staff is a weapon which uses noise to¡­¡±


    Kik jumped backward as Vist brought his staff down again, having spotted the motion out of the corner of his eyes. Striking back quickly, he bought himself another moment of time, which he used to keep reading. ¡°cause vibrations in the targets it strike. Depending on the surface struck, the effect can vary from light shaking to a devast...¡±


    Ducking away from another of Vist¡¯s blows, he backed away slowly while he kept reading. ¡°devastating impact. The weapon is effective to some degree against both soft and armoured targets. However, there are a number of disadvantages, such as only being usable at close quarters and¡­¡±


    This time it wasn¡¯t Vist that stopped him, but his own feet. Not paying attention to his surroundings, Kik¡¯s foot caught on one of his bag¡¯s buckles and he fell backwards on his bum. Crying out in pain, he clutched it until the feeling subsided slightly. Vist took the chance to read from his own glasses.


    Kik grabbed his staff and got back to his feet. ¡°creating a large sound when used, alerting nearby foes.¡±


    Twenty minutes into the spar, Kik had barely read the first three pages of the manual. He learned how to activate and deactivate the weapon and how to extend or collapse it. He hadn¡¯t learned much else, however, like how it was powered, how it produced the sound. or how to disassemble it. Even more worrying, almost a half hour of fighting, regardless of how much he was trying to avoid blows or how easy his opponent was going, was tiring him out.


    Meanwhile, Vist had stepped up his assault in the last few minutes, landing a few blows. Each of those had put Kik to the ground, thinking he had broken a bone. He was slowly adjusting to understanding to the meaning of the level of pain, so he was beginning to able to differentiate between a bruise and a fracture. Even so, it overcame his pain threshold every time. He was also getting queasy from the contrast between the text filling his screen and the view beyond it, as well as switching his attention between the two.


    Finally, Vist knocked the staff from his tired hands. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for now. Time to find out what you learned.¡±


    Kik fell to the ground and crawled to the side of the ship before retching, his head spinning from motion sickness. Acidic liquid stuck to his throat and came out through his nose, leaving an acrid smell and taste. He pulled out his water bottle and rinsed out his mouth, blowing what he could out of his nose.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a shame,¡± Vist said, looking at the retreating patch of vomit-covered sand. ¡°We could have extracted the water from that before throwing it away. Besides, acid is always useful. If you¡¯re ever stuck in prison, remember to throw up on the bars. It¡¯ll burn through them. At least, as long as they¡¯re not plastic.¡±


    Once again, Kik couldn¡¯t tell whether he was being serious or not. There was often a fair bit of nonsense mixed into Vist¡¯s sound teaching advice. Compared to many of his suggestions, this one sounded plausible, but that was often misleading.


    Sitting up, he took off the glasses which had disoriented him. ¡°So, what do you want to ask me?¡±


    ¡°How far did you get?¡± Vist asked, completely ignoring his question. ¡°What page?¡±


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    ¡°Three. A bird can count further than that on one foot. That¡¯s just embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°So how far did you get?¡±


    ¡°I read an analysis of the average imports/exports for an agricultural planet and the designs for a warp drive. I always wanted to know how one of those worked, but I never got the chance to find out.¡±


    Kik stood there in silence. ¡°No way¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, I lied. I didn¡¯t read the first document, it was too boring. I only got through the warp drive schematics.¡±


    ¡°That hardly makes me feel better.¡±


    Vist laughed. ¡°Well, now it¡¯s time to test your knowledge. Here, turn this on. And if you break it, you¡¯re going to need that fast healing, because not much else is going to save you.¡±


    He dropped his disruptor staff in front of Kik, who picked it up nervously. ¡°Just turn it on?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And try not to kill yourself, I have to bring you back in a few weeks.¡±


    Kik nodded and extended the staff before reaching for the on switch. He pressed it, and nothing happened. Looking around for something to hit, he pulled a rock from his bag and struck it with the butt of the staff. No sound, no vibrations.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem here? Are you turning it on yet?¡±


    ¡°Is the power source in it?¡±


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s a spare I have. Try that if you think that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    Kik grabbed the power source and took a look at it. It was long and cylindrical, fully sealed. It had a contact at either end, perhaps for power output. One side had two parallel raised bars, while the other had a single raised bar down the centre. Looking along the length of the staff, he saw a rectangular section with a hairline crack running around the outside. Getting his fingernails under the edge, he eventually cracked it open, revealing another identical cylinder inside. Taking it out, he noted which way the raised sections on that one were aligned, and placed the new one in instead.


    Pressing the button once again did nothing, nor did striking the rock.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the problem now?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ maybe¡­ it¡¯s broken?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better run if it is! Pass it here! I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Kik handed the staff over to Vist, who stuck the cover back over the power source, then tapped a few places before turning it on. A low humming filled the air. ¡°Hah, I still have the magic touch! Look and learn, boy!¡±


    Kik¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡±


    Vist turned off the staff and handed it back. ¡°The battery was probably misaligned. Try it now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the problem. What kind of battery is that, though?¡± He pressed the button on the staff. Nothing happened. ¡°What¡­¡±


    Vist laughed. ¡°Ah, that expression was great! The buttons on this one are fingerprint-coded, by the way, so only I can turn it on. It was working from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°So how was I supposed to¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you had actually read the rest of the manual, you would have known to question me. But you didn¡¯t, so I got my joke.¡± He glanced meaningfully at the backpack which Kik had left open. ¡°I¡¯ll make you take that stroll later tonight. You can rest for a little bit for the moment. Grab a pair of binoculars and relieve Pel on watch.¡±


    Looking around, Pel was indeed looking out at the dunes surrounding them. Taking the binoculars from his pack, he tapped Pel on the shoulder and pointed back to Vist, before scanning the horizon with his own binoculars.


    Twenty minutes later, he was getting bored. His mouth still tasted of gastric acid, no matter how many times he washed it out. His bruises from the fight hadn¡¯t disappeared either, but they no longer hurt at all. ¡°Why do I have to keep lookout anyway?¡± He called to Vist. ¡°Even if anything¡¯s out there, I¡¯m never going to see it among all that sand.¡±


    ¡°Just keep looking,¡± Vist called back. ¡°It¡¯s a monotonous task, but if you don¡¯t do it properly we all suffer, yourself included. And there¡¯s more to see out there than you think, you¡¯re just not looking in the right places at the right time.¡±


    Grumbling, Kik returned to his watching. Another ten minutes had passed, and he was almost ready to get off the ship and run just to avoid sitting there doing nothing for any longer. Suddenly, he spied a dust cloud on the horizon. ¡°Wait, I think I see something¡­¡±


    ¡°What and how far?¡±


    ¡°A cloud of dust. I can¡¯t see what¡¯s causing it, it¡¯s beneath the dunes at the moment. It seems like it¡¯s about two kilometres away. It¡¯s directly behind us.¡±


    Vist grabbed the binoculars from Kik and looked himself. ¡°Hmmm. It¡¯s probably seen us, no use in hiding. No doubt they¡¯ve come across your vomit, boy. You must have given us away.¡± He glared accusingly over.


    ¡°So what is it? A burrower?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure now. I¡¯ll wait until it¡¯s closer. But no doubt we¡¯ve been followed from town. And there¡¯s no way it¡¯s a burrower. We¡¯re way too far from their nest.¡±


    As the thing behind them inched closer, Vist finally clicked his tongue in recognition. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what they are. No doubt they¡¯ve come after our trade goods.¡±


    ¡°What are they? And are you sure it¡¯s a they?¡±


    ¡°Hunters. Some are honest, but these ones should basically be pirates.¡±


    The ships behind them were a pair of hoverspeeders. They were staying slow to keep track of the slight wake left in the sand by the ship¡¯s passing, but once they saw the top of the sail, they accelerated, readying weapons.


    Meanwhile, Vist was sitting down, relaxed, with his wooden staff and rifle, while Kik was sitting in shock. More people were coming to take away everything from him. As soon as he had tried to get back on his feet, he would¡­


    A hand fell on his shoulder. ¡°Calm down,¡± Vist told him. ¡°I¡¯m not a pushover. You know that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll still die if you¡¯re shot¡­¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯d let them hit me. Well, little worm, I guess that¡¯s about the limits of your imagination. Just watch and learn, then, how a man can overcome superior weaponry and superior numbers.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Through tricks.¡±


    It was a good day indeed, Delos thought. His crew and Galav¡¯s had joined forces. Well, normally that would be a bad thing. He couldn¡¯t stand Galav, that son of a bitch liked torturing his prey far too much. The good thing was, he had been paid enough to willingly join forces with Galav. Even after paying his boys enough for a usual job, more than half the load was left, with the promise of more if they returned with their target. The Raffarians really were profitable to work with.


    Delos had no idea what these people had done to get on the Breath¡¯s bad side, but now that they had, he couldn¡¯t afford to show any mercy. Not if they were to get paid like this again.


    Bato on the controls swung their craft around the strange ship¡¯s port. Now that he looked at it, it really was made of junk. The entire hull was plated with patchwork metal, and instead of tilted maglevs, or fan propulsion like Galav¡¯s, they had some cloth sheet to catch the wind. No wonder their two ships were able to catch up even while leaving multiple hours after their quarry.


    The sheet fell from the central pole and the ship lost speed. The targets must have wanted to talk it out, or some such nonsense.


    On deck were two shapes, an older man and a young boy. The man was holding the rifle, but he hadn¡¯t fired it yet. Perhaps he was saving ammunition until they were closer. Delos had heard that there had been a young girl with them as well, but she might be hiding beneath the railing or in a storage compartment. It wouldn¡¯t save her, though, once the two males were finished. She could at least hope that he found her before Galav.


    Speaking of Galav, he was keeping pretty quiet. His craft wasn¡¯t approaching rapidly, instead they were circling the stopped vehicle like a shark. It seemed it was up to Delos¡¯ crew to make the first move. It was a smart decision, since Galav¡¯s crew were the better marksmen, but that didn¡¯t mean Delos had to like it.


    Hefting his short-ranged but deadly spraygun, he checked its magazine and flipped the safety. Next to him, his men did the same thing. ¡°Wait until we¡¯re close. I want this over in one volley,¡± he whispered to them. ¡°In the meantime act friendly. If he starts shooting that rifle, he could take out a few of us before we get him. Let¡¯s do this efficiently.¡± He received a chorus of brief nods in return.


    As the craft pulled alongside each other, Delos called across to the other armed party. ¡°Put down the guns, nice and easy-like. I don¡¯t want any bloodshed on either side, but I won¡¯t be pushed. If you force my hand, people are going to die.¡±


    The man nodded and pushed his gun away from him. Delos sighed out and relaxed his grip on the spraygun. The hard part was over with too. ¡°Now if you put away the staff, we can come aboard.¡±


    As the man acquiesced, Delos led two of his three men on board, leaving only Bato aboard to keep the hoverspeeder prepared for departure. ¡°That¡¯s good. If you tell us where the animal parts you¡¯re selling are, there¡¯s no need for unnecessary pain.¡±


    The bearded man pointed to the prow of the ship and stepped aside, motioning for them to move towards the ship¡¯s prow. Delos motioned one of his two men, Tymis, to follow the man¡¯s instructions, while he stayed at the back with his final man, Rymol. Tymis stepped forward and held his spraygun in one hand, moving around things with the other.


    ¡°So where are these parts?¡± he asked. ¡°Under some cloth? Or do you have some compartment beneath the floor?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re in compartments around the edge. Here, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    As Tymis walked towards the front of the front of the ship, Delos watched the man while Rymol kept his eye on the boy. They were confident that neither would try anything while unarmed, which was why Delos was so surprised when his mark nodded to something behind them, then pulled out a small rod from his belt, flicked it out to the size of a sword and planted it in Tymis¡¯ throat.


    As Delos was turning to look behind him, the air thrummed, and Tymis¡¯ neck popped. Little bits of red goo sprayed the two others. A vertebra struck Rymol in the forehead, knocking him back slightly and leaving a slight smear of blood across his headcloth.


    Before the body collapsed, before Delos could even react, the man dropped his rod and stepped behind Tymis¡¯ body. He grabbed the spraygun from his limp hand, pulling the strap from his shoulder at the same time. Blood pulsed from the corpse¡¯s neck at the pace of a heartbeat, covering the deck and the fallen, severed head.


    Delos got off a shot from his own weapon. A spray of flechettes shot out towards the man, but he used the corpse as a shield. Poor Tymis¡¯ body was hit by a series of small darts. Some of them bounced off of his toughened jacket, but the rest stuck, delivering their load of poison into the corpse. The real target was completely unharmed.


    He dropped the corpse, holding his own spraygun one-handedly as Delos started to pump the slide and chamber the next shot. Pointing it between the two enemies aboard the ship, he fired. The spray of darts mostly passed straight between them, but enough stuck in the exposed parts of each to deliver a fast-acting and most likely lethal dose. Both of them dropped to the ground, paralyzed.


    Running over to his rifle, he dropped the spraygun, aiming his new weapon and taking a single shot at Bato, who had attempted to draw his own weapon. He dropped with a slug in his throat.


    Delos thought about how badly he had screwed up, then tried to chuckle. Nothing came from between his lips except a slightly louder than normal rasp. Even if he had failed, Galav would succeed. Then this man would suffer for what he had been put through. All three of them would suffer.


    A loud explosion filled the air. Kik and Vist looked around at the other hoverspeeder to the back of their ship. Its engine, a large fan at the back of the craft, had blown up, a large cloud of smoke trailing behind it. One of its blades had flown straight into the driver¡¯s back, killing him. The other four people in the ship were knocked from their feet, smaller pieces of shrapnel mildly injuring all of them.


    Vist switched his gun again to the only unfired spraygun on the ship, the one carried by the man who had been watching Kik. It had a few sprays of blood on one side, but it was still in working condition. ¡°Cover me,¡± he told Kik, passing him the rifle. Kik nodded shakily and didn¡¯t respond.


    Jumping out of their ship, he quickly approached the adrift hoverspeeder. Its maglev plates were still working, but with no propulsion, it was simply drifting along by its momentum. One person popped his head over the railing and tried to bring his gun to bear on Vist, but a gunshot back from Vist¡¯s ship made him think twice about exposing himself.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± Vist muttered to himself. ¡°So he doesn¡¯t freeze up when it counts.¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Easily making it to the slowly drifting speeder thanks to his fire support, Vist popped his gun over the side and fired a shot blindly. Repeating this three more times from various points around the hull. Finally looking over the side, he put one more shot for good measure into the only person who was moving. His movement stopped. Now everything was taken care of.


    When Vist got back to the ship, Kik stared at him. Everything around them was completely covered in blood. The rolled-up sails, their backpacks, the deck plating, even the sand around their ship was bloody. Kik looked around with a shocked expression. ¡°What¡­ what¡­¡±


    Vist patted him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just let it out. Nobody¡¯s going to call you squeamish for being shocked by dead people.¡±


    Kik vomited again. It was a wonder he still had anything left in his stomach. This time it mostly landed on Vist¡¯s knee.


    ¡°OK, let¡¯s get this straight. I said I wouldn¡¯t call you squeamish. I never said I wouldn¡¯t call you disgusting.¡±


    Kik calmed down a number of hours later, once most of the blood had been cleaned up and they had left the scene of the killings far behind. Vist had taken what he needed from the bodies and vehicles, including extra maglev plates and whatever money they had on them. The bodies were left for scavengers.


    Looking around at the other two people in the ship, both of them had seemed awfully calm. Now that he thought about it, he was a bit embarrassed to be so scared when they barely showed any fear. Even Pel, once she had come out from under the ship, was a little shocked at first, but had accepted it within minutes. It left Kik wondering which reaction was more normal of the two of theirs.


    They went to sleep that morning, not speaking much to each other.


    The next evening, Kik awoke on the sand to find the other two gone. His pack was lying there, next to his wooden staff and a note to him. ¡°We¡¯ve gone on ahead. I still haven¡¯t forgotten about that march you promised me. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t get too far away. We¡¯ll probably see you around morning. Keep your GPS in a pocket and the orbital ladder to your left. Oh, and we may grow tired of moving slowly by nightfall, so you may want to jog a bit if you want to catch up by then.¡±


    Grinding his teeth as he imagined Vist¡¯s voice saying those words, Kik found three instant meal kits and two water bottles in his bag. Rolling up his bedroll, he poured some water into one of the meals and started eating it as he walked off, carrying his backpack.


    The solitude of his march gave him some time to think, at first at least. He thought about what he had achieved yesterday. While he hadn¡¯t frozen completely, he was completely unable to keep a cool head. The idea of fighting people wasn¡¯t what he was scared of. If that was it, he would have frozen up the first time he had faced Vist. It was the idea that people were going to die in the fight.


    He had known from shortly after he could talk that he would see death at some point. But it always seemed to come far too suddenly. Twice it had happened, and each time he had been taken unprepared, both physically and mentally.


    He wasn¡¯t sure he could really change anything anytime soon, but eventually, he thought that he would be able to face the possibility of death if it ever came for him or those around him.


    Over the course of his march, Kik didn¡¯t run into a single wild animal. It was surprising, really, considering that he was covered in dried blood. Perhaps they were taught to fear people with staves after seeing Vist. Or perhaps the blood on him was the reason why none of them wanted to get close, because they recognised him as a creature who bathes in the blood of his own kind, as true or false as that assumption may be.


    Finally, Kik made it back to the pair of his companions. They were sitting on the boat on the peak of a dune. He could see the mast of the ship for kilometres in any direction.


    As he approached, gasping for breath and almost finished with his water bottle, Vist waved at him. ¡°You made it before dawn. Maybe we can cover another hour or so of travel before sunup.¡±


    ¡°Just give me¡­ some time to catch my breath,¡± Kik managed. ¡°It¡¯s not easy running with a... heavy pack, in sand, on a high gravity world. This is some¡­ harsh training. And I had to¡­ pee in a hole!¡±


    ¡°All the more fun then! You got the authentic hiking experience!¡± Vist beamed. ¡°Just sweat it out, little worm. It only gets better from here. Maybe next time I¡¯ll make you run all day as well as all night. You can probably try that at least once.¡±


    Kik groaned. He almost certainly wasn¡¯t joking, this time.


    ***Over a month later***


    ¡°So that¡¯s Erstine¡¯s estate. We¡¯re finally back here. It looks a little smaller than I remember. It¡¯s been...¡± He checked both his watches. ¡°Forty-five galactic days, and twenty-eight local. About a month and a half.¡±


    It was a few hours before sunrise, close to the edge of the desert. A month and a half later, and everything was back where it had begun. The place where he had spent a month lying on a metal bed. The place where even now, his mother was sleeping. A vague hope that she had woken up by now flashed across Kik¡¯s mind, but he quelled it. False hope would only lead to disappointment.


    The three of them were still on the same ship as the last time they had been here. A few extra patches had been added to the hull, the cargo holds were carrying slightly different equipment, and there were a few extra scrapes in the paint than when they had left, but largely it was the same.


    Pel sat on the railing towards the middle of the ship and Vist steered and adjusted the sail at the back. Kik stood near the prow, having learnt multiple times that wandering around near the boom is a bad idea.


    After Vist had taken down the sail and they had drifted into the lee of the hill, the three of them got out and pushed. Slowly sliding closer, they eventually reached the rows of pillars that marked the boundary of the building. Thenfor was waiting for them.


    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go? Oh, you look more muscular. I guess the old man¡¯s training will do that to you, huh?¡± He ignored Vist¡¯s glare at the ¡®old man¡¯ and continued. ¡°Well, your ship is about done being patched up. I¡¯ve got your next job for the moment, so you can say your goodbyes to these two and then follow me. I¡¯ll see you around, Vist.¡± He turned and walked back inside.


    Kik turned to Vist, but before he could say anything, he was greeted with another glare. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare get yourself killed before I see you again.¡±


    Kik grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cared.¡±


    ¡°Care? You called my ship a piece of junk, threw up on my leg and almost broke my staff in training on three occasions. Of course I care. Nobody else is going to steal my revenge.¡±


    Kik laughed. ¡°Well, at the moment, you¡¯re first in line for a fight against me. If I ever see you again, I¡¯ll be sure to settle things.¡±


    ¡°Glad we¡¯re clear.¡± Vist walked back to the ship and pulled off Kik¡¯s bags.


    Kik turned to Pel. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m meeting Vist later, I suppose I¡¯ll see you later too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My helper will hatch soon too, so I¡¯ll have to deal with that. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll see you sometime after everything is sorted out.¡±


    Kik nodded back to her. ¡°Well, goodbye for now.¡±


    Receiving his backpack from Vist, he looked inside and saw that his wooden staff was missing, but there was a small box there instead. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Open it later. It should be useful. Consider it a present.¡±


    Kik smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright. See you later!¡± He followed Thenfor inside the building, leaving the sand behind. The two people he left behind waved as he went out of sight.


    Thenfor watched Kik as he walked inside. He had changed since he had last been in this estate.


    He was far more muscular than before, due to his frequent training as well as growth surgery. His skin wasn¡¯t much more tanned, swathed in its coverings as it was, but he habitually squinted his eyes a little more than before, protection against windblown sand. It gave him a slightly tired or sceptical appearance, depending on the circumstances.


    In front of his eyes, though, he wore the glasses. He was now fully used to wearing them while moving around for extended periods of time. On his palms beneath their wrappings were two now healed burn scars. He gave off a more determined and prepared air than before he had departed.


    The only thing that looked a bit less impressive may have been his height. Perhaps because he was suddenly exposed to such strong gravity, it seemed like he may have shrunk by as much as three centimetres.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± he told Kik. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wear glasses in here. Actually, you can take off most of that excess clothing. It makes you look a bit too uncouth.¡±


    Kik nodded and deftly unwrapped the cloth from over his clothes. Beneath he was wearing the same dusty and stained clothes he had been wearing a month ago.


    ¡°Have you washed those since you left?¡±


    ¡°Washed them with what? I was in the desert, remember? And the seas here are nitric acid. They¡¯d melt my clothes faster than wash them. Well, I did clean the blood off them at one point, but that was using¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know. I¡¯ll get you a bath and have your things washed before you meet anyone else.¡± Thenfor tried very hard not to smell anything.


    After Kik was slightly cleaner, Thenfor led him into another room elsewhere in the estate. After a few twists and turns, Kik was lost, and they still kept going. Eventually, they came to a single door which he was shown through. Inside was a small room with a table, four chairs, a light hanging from the ceiling and a door at either end. Inside was an average-height man dressed in a dark coat over a casual shirt and pants. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and his skin was slightly dirt-stained.


    ¡°So this is him?¡± the man asked Thenfor, then turned to Kik. ¡°Good, me and the rest of my group need your help with a¡­¡±


    ¡°The rest of my group and I,¡± Thenfor said.


    The man grunted, rubbing his hands together . ¡°Whatever. We¡¯ll need your help getting to another planet and making a quick exit. Ever done something like that?¡±


    Kik nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve been involved in similar operations, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    ¡°Good. The planet¡¯s security will be pretty tight, so if you or our benefactor could arrange a cover story for us?¡± he asked Thenfor, then turned back to Kik. ¡°My name¡¯s Edmon Forge. If you let me know where your ship is, we can all can meet there.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Uh, Thenfor, where¡¯s my ship now after it was fixed?¡±


    ¡°It should be on Low Orbit Three still, just out of the shipyards.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Edmon said. ¡°What¡¯s the ship¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Benefactor,¡± Kik told him. ¡°It¡¯s a nebula traveller. Its size is corvette class. You should be able to find it knowing that, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Edmon replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be off now. I need to let the rest of my team know. We¡¯ll see you at the top.¡±


    He went out through the other door, leaving Kik and Thenfor.


    ¡°So, am I meeting Erstine before I leave?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s far too busy to meet you. He¡¯s got other things to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Any hints on what¡¯s going to happen?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you too much. Just watch yourself. Life around here is always dangerous.¡±


    Kik was taken to the spaceport-like cave where he had first arrived on the ship. Another suited driver, this time not Walston, showed him into a similar vehicle and then drove them off above the estate. This time he made sure that there was no talking robot in his cabin.


    ¡°We¡¯ll arrive in just around an hour,¡± the driver¡¯s voice came over the internal speakers. ¡°The tailwind you had on your previous trip is now a headwind, so it might be a little bumpier than last


    time. Make sure you¡¯re buckled up.¡±


    Kik sighed and strapped himself in. His pack was on the seat next to him, and he sorted through it to see what he¡¯d need.


    He took off the watch set to local time and left it at the bottom of his pack with the GPS. He wouldn¡¯t have any need for them off-planet. Seeing the rocks still lying at the bottom of his pack, he chuckled at Vist¡¯s nerve and tried to throw them out the window, before he realised that it didn¡¯t open. He left them on the floor to be emptied out by the next person to use the craft. He also put the moisture condenser at the bottom of the pack. The one on his ship was better, assuming it was working again. The rest of his pack went in his pouches and backpack as usual. They were the items which would still be useful offworld.


    Eventually, he was left with just the box that Vist had left for him. Opening it, he found two things inside as well as another letter. The item that he recognised was a disruptor staff. The other, which he didn¡¯t, was a small, clear, faceted gem in a glass case. It looked valuable.


    Picking up the letter from Vist, he read it.


    ¡°Enjoy your new stuff. If you can get the staff to turn on, it¡¯s yours. Don¡¯t sell the diamond, and don¡¯t let it get stolen. Its value is greater than its physical worth. You¡¯ll need some tools to use it properly, though. There should be some people who know what it is on high-tech planets. If you run out of ideas, the light will show you the way. If you can use it, you¡¯ll grow to be much stronger than you are now.¡±


    Placing the useless, cryptic message in his breast pocket, Kik thought of where to put the diamond. Eventually, he just put the case in a pouch as well. It wouldn¡¯t fall out without him noticing, and he had no idea where else would be more secure.


    Looking at the disruptor staff, he snapped it out to its full length. He pressed the button. Nothing happened. ¡°Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that easy¡­¡±


    Trying to peel open the battery chamber, he almost broke his nails before it finally popped out.


    ¡°And there¡¯s no battery. Great. Where am I supposed to get one of those batteries from?¡±


    Shortly after, the shaking began in force, and he spent the rest of the trip wondering about his dubious gifts and trying not to throw up again from motion sickness. He couldn¡¯t even read from his glasses in case it made him feel worse.


    Arriving at the base of the orbital ladder, Kik got out, carrying his heavy backpack. In the end, he had taken the rocks too. If nothing else, they had nostalgic value, although he wasn¡¯t sure why they should.


    The driver pulled a large box from the cockpit and handed it to him. ¡°Your spacesuit is in here. Changing rooms are over there. You should put it on before you go up, it¡¯ll be hard to change when you¡¯re up there. Your ship¡¯s berthed on Dock 17, in the shipyards on the lower side of the station.¡±


    Kik thanked him for the suit, information and the largely unnecessary warning, then walked off to put his suit on. The driver nodded to him and got back in the vehicle, driving back to the estate.


    Coming out of the changing room, Kik kept his helmet off. He was carrying two backpacks at the same time, his survival pack containing most of his gear and his suit¡¯s storage space. He had moved a few items, such as the pitons, glasses, rope, and diamond to his suit, but most were still in the backpack. The laser pistol and medkit he had first received were also in the suit¡¯s storage. It felt good to have an artificial skin on again, and to not have to worry about when he would next be able to use the toilet.


    Walking up to the crowd before the elevator¡¯s doors, he joined the throng of vacuum-suited pilots and staff, as well as a few people daring enough to not wear safety gear, probably running quick errands or who forgot their suits. The doors opened and another crowd of similar composition disembarked, before the waiting people flocked in. He held in his hand the sheet of paper he had found in the suit pocket, detailing his ownership of the ship.


    Pressed between several backpacks and pressing several others with his own, Kik was jostled the whole three-day ride up on the elevator. It was much more controlled compared to his first ride down the express elevator, even with facilities such as beds, showers and food, but he found himself wishing for the peace and quiet. At least on that elevator there were views to enjoy.


    Several times during the ascent other cars passed on some of the other tethers, either express climbers racing ahead of them or other climbers descending. Each time there was no more warning than a rattle for a few seconds, rapidly building before it faded into the distance beneath.


    The overcrowding didn¡¯t get much better when the gravity slowly dropped, but at least Kik had magnetic boots and could ignore all the people floating around at the top of the quarters as they decelerated. Kik put his helmet on in the last few minutes before the doors opened.


    A voice flooded the elevator as the doors opened. Its pronunciation was strange, mechanical, emphasizing the starts of words. It was as if it was just reading a bunch of words tacked together without understanding the meaning. There were awkward pauses interspersed through the speech. ¡°Dock 1, going up. These are the, Administration layers, for those, Registering ships, Or, With complaints or queries. Disembark here for docks one through five, The, Administration layers.¡±


    The next time the doors opened was Kik¡¯s turn. ¡°Dock 6, going up. These are the, Factory layers, for those, Constructing ships, Ordering, Or, Picking up an order. Disembark here for docks six through twenty, The, Factory layers.¡±


    Kik joined the flood of people walking off the ship, mostly orange-suited and wearing tool belts and reinforced suits. The space outside the elevator was comparatively small, with no views of the outside, just two doors opposite and a few people standing outside of each. There was just about enough space for the crowd from the elevators to fit. The orange group turned to the left and moved towards a gateway in that direction, while the rest of the people moved to the right.


    When he reached the front of the queue, Kik opened his visor and held out the piece of paper. ¡°I have a repair job on the corvette Benefactor that should be completed?¡±


    The woman at the gate read it and nodded him through. ¡°Alright, head in and to the elevator with your floor number above it. It¡¯ll move off once all this crowd is taken care of.¡±


    When he finally reached floor 17, the view of space was the first thing which greeted him. The other two men in the elevator brushed past him and walked off without sparing him a backwards glance. He didn¡¯t care, he was just entranced by the stars outside the window. He could see them from the desert at night, but it was never quite the same thing as seeing them from space. They stretched out as far as the eye could see, in every direction but straight down.


    The second thing that attracted his attention was his parents¡¯... no, his ship, docked with the station just outside. A makeshift seal had been stretched between the starboard airlock on his ship and the station¡¯s airlock. Other than that, it looked as good as new, even with a fresh coat of dark radiation-resistant paint to cover all the burn scars from weapons and new plating.


    Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t seen his ship from outside for a while. It kind of reminded him of a bug, some kind of fly, with its cockpit being the large, bulbous eyes at the front, the collection arms being the currently folded wings. He would call the four gun turrets the legs, but they were far too stubby. So perhaps a partially amputated fly then. He smiled to himself beneath his visor at the thought.


    Going around to the airlock he could see from the window, Kik ran into an orange-suited worker. Before he could open his visor and speak, the man held up a hand and passed him a two-way audio jack, with one side in his own helmet. Plugging the other into his suit, Kik could hear the man¡¯s voice clearly inside his helmet. It was deep and gravelly, although it was rendered slightly tinny from the microphone removing background noise.


    ¡°Sorry about this. Our radio network is a little flooded right now. There¡¯s some incident on level 13. Are you the ship¡¯s owner, huh?¡± He nodded when he was given the papers. ¡°So. Yeah, we¡¯re done. We finished repairs in a month and a half, testing took another month. This ship now has an official seal of approval. It was pretty beaten up, but it¡¯s now in perfect repair.¡±


    ¡°Did you restore everything? The hydroponics tank? Weapons controls? And how did it perform in testing? The warp cannon worked fine?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all fine. We ran as many scans over it as we could think of, put it through as many tests as we could. I understand if you want to go over it yourself, but I can assure you there are no problems.¡±


    Disconnecting from the man¡¯s cable after thanking him, Kik went inside to inspect the craft, deactivating his magnetic boots and drifting between the airlocks.


    Inside was far cleaner and more sterile than he remembered. Many of the destroyed pieces of equipment had been completely torn out and replaced. It was honestly surprising that they had managed to find parts for such a rare craft. Perhaps it was lucky that none of the more esoteric parts had been destroyed. Missing plates exposing wiring on the corridor walls had also been replaced with fresh metal ones. Broken and dim lights had been fixed. Unmarked paint had been applied to many surfaces, leaving only faint indentations where previously there had been deep scratches.


    It felt like all the character had been sucked out of the ship without him realising it. He left his land backpack strapped to the wall in the storage room and drifted onwards.


    Climbing up into the ventilation shaft above the intersection behind the bridge, he found a small plastic box. Opening it, his bedroll and his personal effects were inside. ¡°Well, at least this is still here,¡± he muttered to himself.


    Looking around the ship, though, the repair crews had done a good job. Plates could be rescratched, paint could be scraped off again. Those were the superficial issues which would fix themselves with time. All the damage he could think about had been fixed, whether caused by the pirates or whether it had been a problem for a while. The slightly wobbly display on the gunnery controls had been fixed. The door to the port airlock which sometimes stuck had been fixed. Even if they added character, they were still problems.


    His and his parents¡¯ personal effects were still around the ship. Theirs had been packed into boxes and placed inside the storage room. The ship had also been thoroughly cleaned. Kik¡¯s parents never really cleaned the surfaces, they just pumped some harmful gases through the atmosphere occasionally and let that clear out the microorganisms.


    While he was sorting out where to put all his things, four people embarked via the port airlock that he had come through. Three were male and the last was female, judging by their silhouettes.


    Coming around a corner and running into four suited people standing by the airlock, Kik was surprised for a second, before opening his visor. The people in front of him opened their visors too.


    The person in the lead was a man, wearing a dark red void suit and carrying two large metal cases over his shoulders. His face was full, with slightly flushed, red cheeks, brown hair and thick eyebrows. His lips were particularly thick too. He looked like he¡¯d be at home anywhere you could find plentiful food.


    The person behind him to his right was the woman. Behind her visor lay thick, short-trimmed black hair, green eyes and delicate features. She wore a grey suit. She was carrying a pouch, with something like a toolbox or tackle box inside, and she had an extended backpack as well. She was the most heavily armed of them, with the silhouette of a pistol at her belt.


    The third person, to the left of the group, was wearing a traditional white space suit. He was bald, missing both hair and eyebrows. A faint sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead. His eyes were a deep blue, and his face was gaunt. He had a small knife strapped to his leg.


    The final person, completing the diamond, was the man Kik had met before, Edmon. He had a long, skinny leather bag strapped across his back. His suit was also white.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Kik,¡± the man at the front opened.


    ¡°It seems you know me, but I don¡¯t know you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lucas DeVell. This is Nemel Bolis and Ivan Tost,¡± he gestured to the woman and man in turn, ¡°and hiding at the back there is Edmon, who you¡¯ve already met, I believe. He¡¯s mentioned your name.¡±


    ¡°Alright. So you¡¯re my passengers for this journey. Where are we headed?¡±


    ¡°The sector capital, Elaris.¡±


    Once his four passengers were settled, which involved taking out a few spare bedrolls, Kik gave them the ship¡¯s radio frequency, which they would use to communicate in the void. His suit was already keyed into it from the last time he had worn it.


    Once his pre-departure checks, which confirmed that all systems had no problems, fuel tanks were full and their route was valid, Kik received permission to leave dock from the system¡¯s traffic control.


    ¡°It seems the trouble on level 13 or wherever has died down,¡± he told his passengers over the comms. ¡°It¡¯ll be about a three-day trip galactic time before we arrive. Settle down, enjoy yourselves, and don¡¯t go for a swim outside without your helmet.¡±


    He disconnected the moorings and slowly rose from orbit on his allotted path. Open space beckoned him, and he welcomed the feeling in the hour or so before they reached safe jump distance.


    The sickening sensation of the jump overtook Kik as he bid the desert farewell.

 8 - Hidden Hunters

    Time and space gradually asserted itself and when Kik opened his eyes again, he was greeted not with seizure-inducing colours, but instead with the normal star-dotted blackness of space. The planet of Elaris-I hung in the viewscreen, its orbital paths studded with tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of floating stations. Its colour was a pale green and brown, spotted with bluish steel webs of inhabitation.


    Behind it hung the moon, Elaris-I-I. Although partly in shade, its green was far lusher and the blue of oceans covered a fair portion of its surface.


    Kik was cut off from his observation by a message on the command console. ¡°Approach path received. Accept? Yes/No¡±. The same message that he had missed when entering an approach to Lanos.


    Pressing ¡°Yes¡± on the touchpad, planetside computers took remote control of the ship, guiding them onto a safe path towards their assigned landing site on the surface of the planet¡¯s northern hemisphere. There was no space elevator here as their destination was too far away from the equator for it to stand upright.


    Kik buckled himself in as the fires of reentry scorched across the cockpit, radioing a warning to his passengers to do the same. The shock of air braking was not a kind one. As the atmosphere thickened and the ship¡¯s velocity slowed, it switched from standard engines to its backup turbojets. Wings unfolded from the side of the ship, doubling its width.


    The spaceport they were guided to was on the planet, near the capital, El City. Once the viewport was clear, he could see that the entire structure was built into the side of a solitary mountain. Rows upon rows of small hangars crisscrossed one half of the mountainside like seats at a playing field. The other half was completely dug out, rows upon rows of heavy landers, space planes and other craft stretched across it, visible at even this distance.


    Beneath the mountain stretched a city. Further than they eye could see in every direction, glittering towers of dark silver metal and glass or crystal wove around and through the natural topography.


    To the north, the towers surrounded a large lake, dotted with floating platforms. To the south, pipes spewed out smoke into the cloud-strewn sky. To the west, the buildings grew shorter and the space between them greener. All through the city, small flying vehicles dotted the sky, directed by flashing lights attached to thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of floating buoys.


    To the east lay the spaceport they were approaching. They were guided to the section given over to Corvette-class vessels, before control was returned to Kik for the final landing sequence. He was directed by a mechanical voice to land at Hangar W-17, written in large letters on the floor of their berthing space.


    The hangar was a simple affair, a large open space set into the mountainside, roofed and walled so it could be quickly covered by a simple sliding door. It was currently deserted as the crew waited safely behind sealed doors, away from the burning engines outside.


    Kik eased the ship to a halt and slowly rolled up the wings, relying on the jets for lift. Before they quite touched the ground the ship was grabbed by a set of robotic arms and brought to a halt. Kik killed the engines. A final groan sounded through the metalwork of the ship before it settled.


    Shutting down the ship sensors and control screens, Kik dismissed the landing confirmations and local tourist brochures popping up. He left the cockpit to find his passengers.


    The four of them were unclamping themselves from the wall. It seems Edmon hadn¡¯t been as diligent about keeping hold of his bag, though, as Lucas was holding on to it with a red bump on his chin. Edmon was frantically apologising.


    ¡°So where to?¡± Kik asked them, breaking up their argument. ¡°Change out of your spacesuits, I¡¯ll let some fresh air in. Let me know what you want me to bring as well so I can prepare.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ivan replied. ¡°There¡¯s a room in the business district that we¡¯ll be heading to, northwest of the spaceport. We¡¯ll quickly fly there and set up our base of operations. I¡¯ll let you know what to bring in a minute.¡±


    Kik nodded and left the room as they all started opening their bags and pulling clothes out. Nemel pulled down a screen in the corner of the room for privacy.


    Kik went to the port airlock and opened both doors, the sensors not interfering after detecting atmosphere outside. Opening up his helmet visor, he enjoyed the hint of a cool mountain breeze on his face for a moment before opening up the other airlock.


    Kik pulled out clothes from the storage room and tried them on. Many no longer fit, but he found a green shirt with long black sleeves and long, multi-pocketed pants in a dark-grey colour. He changed into them, emptying out a few screwdrivers and old ration packs from the pockets. Pulling on a pair of boots, he joined the other four as they, finished changing, pulled together three of their bags into the centre of the room. Edmon¡¯s was left behind.


    The four of them were in several different styles, alternating between tight and baggy for the most part. Their colours were obvious but muted, brick reds and dark purples mixed with midnight blues. Alongside Kik, they looked like a colourful family, if perhaps with a few too many adults.


    ¡°So what do you need me to bring?¡± Kik asked the group.


    ¡°No weapons,¡± Lucas instructed. ¡°A few tools could be useful, it¡¯s up to you. All you really need is a few changes of clothes, toiletries. Anything else you can come back here to retrieve.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I can get that together in a few minutes. They should be setting up a way out via one of the airlocks. Head over there and I¡¯ll join you soon.¡± He dashed out of the room as Lucas nodded.


    They met by the port airlock, where the ground crew had wheeled over a ladder. Ivan climbed down first, and the others followed, Kik last in line. Ivan held a brief conversation with the foreman before handing over his ID card for a funds transfer. The two shook hands and Ivan returned as the foreman went back to work.


    ¡°I handled the berthing and inspection fees, as well as our fuel. Check-in is outside in the larger hangar area, but Lucas needs to pass a bag to someone before that.¡± Lucas nodded the affirmative. ¡°He¡¯ll handle that while we go ahead and find a taxi.¡±


    Passing through a tunnel deeper into the mountains, they entered a large open space. Small groups of people, exiting from different tunnels, were talking and stretching as they headed towards a large set of open metal gates arbitrarily set in the opposite wall.


    At this point, Lucas slipped off through the dim lighting, and Kik lost sight of him as a group of tall void dwellers walked past. They were still in their vacuum suits marked with repeated diagonal crosses. Once they had passed, he could see him walking towards some slot, presumably parcel delivery, on the side wall of the room.


    Ignoring Lucas and pressing onwards towards the doorways, the area became slightly congested as they approached. However, the flow of traffic joining the lines was only a trickle, and the line was moving quickly, so evidently they arrived on the tail end of one or more large groups.


    As they considered which line to take, Lucas returned. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s move on,¡± he told them. ¡°I¡¯m done here. Let¡¯s head outside and catch a ride.¡±


    They passed through the leftmost gate, the one with the least traffic. Making their way through, it turned out the inside of the gate was actually more of a metal-lined tunnel four metres long, with dark stripes lining the walls and ceiling every half metre. It was wide enough for the four adults to all walk abreast.


    On the other side, they were stopped by a security guard in a very pale grey uniform with a pistol at his belt. He pulled the group of them to the side and spoke quietly to Lucas, gesturing to him and Kik. Edmon, Nemel and Ivan frowned, while Kik watched suspiciously. As the conversation dragged on and got more heated, Kik began to worry.


    Trying not to get flustered, Kik inspected the guard¡¯s equipment. Besides the obvious holstered pistol, on the front of his belt he was carrying a stun baton and several small sealed capsules. He also had a radio at his belt connected to an earpiece. His head was shaved beneath a cloth cap.


    They spoke for two minutes, with the few passersby giving the group some odd glances. Kik was growing more nervous as time passed. Eventually, Lucas pulled back the hair from behind his ear and twisted his neck around, showing a patch of skin to the security guard. He nodded and waved them on, turning back to his post, a chair by the exit to the tunnel.


    Lucas glanced at Kik, then back to the group. ¡°No big deal. We can talk properly when we¡¯re at the room.¡±


    ¡°So what did¡­¡± Kik began.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time,¡± Ivan cut him off.


    They moved a little further into the mountain before finally reaching a bank of about ten elevators operating between this floor and the base of the mountain.


    As their air taxi shot out of one of the exits dotting the mountainside, their route was dictated by a line of beacons with a pattern of yellow and green stripes, weaving between the triangular towers. To each side, and presumably above and below, other vehicles were following a different path and a set of markings of their own.


    Peering out the side of the vehicle, Kik could see below that all of the buildings were triangular. The city was divided into square blocks of varying sizes, which were each divided along the diagonals into four triangles.


    Further out to the west, Kik could see a huge building, one of the few rectangular constructs in the city. It was dotted with greenery, both gardens and climbing plants, so it hadn¡¯t been visible from above, but now it dominated the skyline in that direction.


    ¡°What building is that?¡± he asked Edmon, as the three others chatted about the flight to Elaris. He pointed to the west.


    ¡°Have you never been to Elaris before? That¡¯s the council chambers, the reason why this planet is the sector capital,¡± Edmon replied, peering through the window in the direction of the pointing finger. ¡°One of thirteen in human space, it¡¯s where dignitaries and councillors from across the sector meet and discuss sector policy.¡±


    Kik nodded, staring at the building until a row of skyscrapers blocked his view.


    Soon enough, the taxi descended to a spot along a street where automated ground cars slid by on rails or wheels. Getting out and carrying their luggage, they paid their fare before the taxi picked up a passenger waiting at the stop and took off again.


    The people around wore a mix of vivacious colours in alternately baggy and close-fitting items of clothing. Some wore baggy tops with tight pants, others wore baggy shorts or skirts past their knees which flowed out behind them alongside skin tight singlets. Glancing around casually, Kik could also see a pair of grey uniformed policemen walking by. Groups of people parted before them as they strolled, but they didn¡¯t give anyone a second glance.


    Ignoring the people nearby and walking around the block, they came to a small concrete building of five or six stories. Walking up to the front door, Ivan pulled out a key and opened it. They all filed through, locking the door behind them.


    They made their way up the central staircase to an apartment on the fifth floor. Opening that door and making their way inside, they all dropped their bags by the wall before surveying their room.


    The apartment had a small sink and electric stove, lights, three bunk beds, a toilet and shower, a compartmentalised fridge and a scarce few more amenities. It was enough to live in but not too much more. Kik quickly chucked his small bag on the top shelf of the bunk closest to the door.


    With his place claimed, he looked around and realised that one wall actually contained several blacked-out windows. Pressing a button to turn one transparent, he looked outside, seeing several other buildings and not much else. He did have a decent view of the footpath on the other side of the street, but there weren¡¯t many details to pick out there. He cleared out the rest of the windows to let light in.


    ¡°Close those,¡± Lucas told him. ¡°The fewer people can see in here, the better. We¡¯ll have to use artificial light in here.¡±


    Kik nodded and blacked them out again. ¡°Is it that bad? You can¡¯t see in from the street.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the street that¡¯s the problem,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Police flights and satellites could scan us at any time. This house is old enough to be free of bugs on the inside, but on the other hand that means they¡¯ll pay extra attention to us if they find anything wrong. Security is serious in this sector, especially on this planet¡¯s moon, Elaris-I-I.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°But then wouldn¡¯t it be better to just stay in a monitored house and hide among the crowd?¡±


    ¡°Uh. That would be true, but the minute we unwittingly speak any forbidden words their surveillance will be all over us. It might happen before then too, considering we came from off-planet. This place is run by Erstine, so it¡¯s less likely for the police to do anything overt here. And this way it¡¯s less likely for them to find out who we are afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound completely logical, but whatever. So why is it so important that they don¡¯t see in? What was going on at the airport? And am I helping with whatever you¡¯re doing, because if I do then I need to know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Ivan stepped forward. ¡°Elaris is heavily police controlled. As you may have guessed from our association with Erstine, we¡¯re not aligned towards strictly following the law. We prefer to operate in grey areas.¡±


    ¡°More like completely black,¡± Edmon said.


    ¡°Black as your mother. Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡± Kik raised his eyebrows at the pair while Lucas and Nemel smiled. ¡°Now, we¡¯re more or less here to¡­¡±


    ¡°What does my mother have to do with this?¡± Edmon had a frown fixed to his face.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lucas said, stepping in before Ivan could reply. ¡°This is going nowhere. I¡¯ll answer your questions. What are we doing here? We¡¯re not sure of the exact details, we¡¯ll get the full plan later. More or less we have to kill a man. He¡¯s someone pretty important, by the name of Benedict Odell. He¡¯s a close aide to the sector governor here on Elaris. If that was his only feature, though, then we wouldn¡¯t care less about him. What we¡¯re concerned about is that he¡¯s got his hands in a few too many pockets, and a few too many people¡¯s money in his own pockets.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s corrupt?¡± Kik asked.


    Edmon stepped in. ¡°Corrupt, actively corrupts others, has his hands in the underworld¡­ He¡¯s not a good person. But who is?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lucas continued. ¡°With that sorted, now we need to talk about that incident at the airport.¡± He pulled back the hair behind his ear and pointed to a metal disc embedded there. ¡°Now, this implant here is an audio receiver. Put bluntly, it vibrates inside your ear directly, letting you hear things in a vacuum or without any external sound.¡±


    Kik nodded, but Lucas still had one major point. ¡°However, it¡¯s mostly used alongside concealed transmission equipment or the sound systems of augmented reality, most commonly found in powered armour or military targeting systems.¡±


    ¡°So what does this have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act stupid. You didn¡¯t tell us you had them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kik was honestly surprised. Feeling behind his ear, there definitely was a circular metallic object where there should be smooth skin. ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°You could have gotten us all killed. I had to make up some story about you being deaf to explain them.¡±


    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know that I had one. I never¡­¡±


    ¡°The process of implanting one of these takes several hours in an above average medical laboratory, and then a week of rest before you can stand without dizziness as your vestibular system heals. I should know, I went through it. So when could you have had one stuck in your head?¡±


    Thinking back, Kik stroked his chin. ¡°Oh. It was Erstine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°When he was growing my muscles and bone structure. It was probably then.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You¡­ Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you let¡­ ah, forget it. I suppose I can¡¯t blame you for not knowing. I just want to know what you would use an implanted audio receiver for.¡±


    ¡°You said augmented reality, right? Probably for my glasses, then,¡± Kik said as he pulled them out of his bag and passed them to Lucas.


    ¡°Yeah, these would use it alright,¡± Lucas inspected them. ¡°But did it never bother you that they are glasses, and you could play sounds from them? It¡¯s not like they have speakers.¡±


    ¡°Hey, enough talk, I found our orders over here,¡± Nemel interrupted. ¡°Finish later.¡±


    Walking over to Nemel at the door, she was holding a sheaf of paper taken from an envelope strapped to the back of the door.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t paper a bit old-fashioned?¡± Kik asked, looking at it.


    ¡°Paper can¡¯t be hacked into,¡± Nemel replied. ¡°So, from this¡­ more or less¡­ that part¡¯s for me to¡­ alright. We¡¯re using two-part poison. I have no idea what we¡¯re doing with the second part, but the first part we have to insert into his house¡¯s water supply. He¡¯ll be at home for a day three days from now, so we have to make sure that we do it then.¡±


    ¡°Who does what?¡± Edmon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure out the poison. You get me schematics of the water system. Lucas can scout out the target¡¯s home and watch our backs, I think you had a few chores to run too. And Ivan, once the target arrives on the second day I¡¯ll want you to keep an eye on him.¡±


    Matters were moving too quickly for Kik to follow, but he blocked out stray thoughts. As long as he focussed on the job at hand, he would be fine.


    He spoke up. ¡°What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°No idea. You¡¯re a kid and our getaway driver, we can¡¯t put you in much danger. We need you alive.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°At least I¡¯m only waiting for a few days. Do you care if I bug you when you¡¯re working on the poison?¡±


    Nemel rolled her eyes.


    The worst part about the wait was knowing what was coming after. The idea of killing someone was hard enough, even if he wasn¡¯t directly doing it. But what was worse was the premeditation, and the self-doubt and the anxiety that came with it. In the end, he was pacing the room and reading specks of information from his glasses, not really taking anything in.


    He was looking for any distraction, which was why, during the second day, he was happy when Lucas asked for somebody to accompany him out. By his local time watch, it was currently late morning, four hours after sunrise and seven to sunset.


    ¡°Hey, Kik, I have two packages to collect. Want to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± was the extent of their conversation.


    Walking out the front door and locking it behind them, Lucas turned left and Kik followed. He attempted to break the awkward silence between them. ¡°So what is in these packages?¡±


    ¡°We can discuss that when we arrive or get back to the apartment. Now isn¡¯t a good time.¡±


    ¡°So. Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get there.¡±


    ¡°So. How far is it?¡±


    Lucas turned his head away and kept walking. A ground car drove past, masking a sound he made. It could have been a groan, a chuckle, or perhaps just a cough.


    A few minutes later, once Kik had gotten bored of staring at the traffic, human and otherwise, he decided to ask another question. ¡°What have you been doing so far?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been walking around the city. Acting like a tourist, chatting to a few people that I know. Visiting the exchange to get a few credits transferred to a local account. Setting the groundwork up in case something unexpected happens. I also had a look at the Odell estate, walked past yesterday.¡±


    ¡°How did that go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty underwhelming, for El City at least. It¡¯s a plot about half the size of many of his contemporaries, which is still needlessly large, and surprisingly not excessively tall. Rumour is, though, he¡¯s dug into the ground beneath his house. Nobody knows exactly what he¡¯s doing down there.¡±


    ¡°I doubt anybody really wants to find out.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Well, despite its size, it is only his surface dwelling. He has another private estate on the moon, like many rich Elarians.¡±


    ¡°He certainly sounds like he wants to flaunt his wealth.¡±


    ¡°You get like that if you spend too much time with rich people. I should know.¡±


    Lucas led them through a maze of streets, left, right, left, straight, straight, diagonal right, diagonal left, straight, right. Eventually, about half an hour later, he turned into a small gap between buildings. Facing the entrance side-on, he squeezed his somewhat overweight frame through the narrow alleyway.


    Kik walked straight after him with the nimbleness of a void dweller. Nobody paid him any attention as he vanished off the main street. Inside was dark and overshadowed by skyscrapers above. Machinery hummed in the walls and a fan sucked air through a vent overhead. It was almost like being on a spaceship, except for the crowd murmuring in the street behind him.


    Squeezed into two different alcoves as they passed were a homeless man and woman, both sitting against the metal wall, covered in multicoloured patchwork blankets. Lucas nodded to them and they nodded back. Passing on through the claustrophobic space, the two emerged into a more open area with a little bit of light coming from above. It was a little early to shine down on them, but it shone on the windows above.


    Before them was a single door. Unusually, it was made of wood, with a brass knocker set into the middle and no other handle or knob. It also had a single sliding panel set into the centre, at around Kik¡¯s eye level. Lucas stopped at the door and rapped once with the knocker.


    ¡°Last time I was here, it was ¡®Men in Tights¡¯, if I recall correctly,¡± he called out to nobody in particular. The panel in the door opened and a pair of eyes shone from the darkness inside.


    ¡°Lucas, so it is you,¡± a voice whispered. ¡°I have your package. You should have come around earlier if you were on planet. Unfriendly, your behaviour is.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be associated with you,¡± he replied casually. ¡°Do I need any more reason?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know, if you don¡¯t have anything nice to say... Come in, come in.¡± The door opened, revealing a well-lit corridor panelled with wood and carpeted in black. Stepping inside, the door closed again and Kik realised the darkness on the other side of the vision slit came from a black box hung over the back of the door. Pulling his head out from under it was an old man with a large bald patch on his head. He was wearing an archaic red butler outfit.


    ¡°Good to see you, Belwin,¡± Lucas told the man, hitting him on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you don¡¯t leave Elaris any more.¡±


    ¡°I would if I could, Lucas. Money¡¯s been a bit tight for a while.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What is the password nowadays, by the way?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still Men in Tights. We haven¡¯t changed it in a year. We tried to once but nobody could remember the new one.¡±


    Walking down the hallway, the three of them entered another room through a doorway cut off by a curtain of beads. This room was filled with small tables garnished with flowers. The lighting inside was dimmer than the hallway, with electric chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Scattered among the tables were a variety of people sitting, talking quietly and drinking from ornate ceramic cups, stylized with various floral patterns.


    ¡°Through this way,¡± Belwin told them, leading them through yet another closed door. This one opened onto a spiral staircase leading both up and down. He pulled a torch out of his pocket and led them down the stairs. Kik took out one of his own and followed.


    At the bottom, Belwin turned off his torch and turned on the light switch. It was a bare room with a few pieces of plain metal furniture stacked along one wall, with the other wall covered by a set of lockers. The walls, floor and ceiling were plain concrete, with lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. Pulling out a table and some chairs, he turned to them.


    ¡°So, before I give you your packages, tell me what you¡¯re doing on Elaris this time, and who this boy is.¡±


    ---


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Belwin commented, resting his hands on the table and leaning back in his chair. Lucas had briefly informed him on the target of their mission and their reason, and how Kik was their transport out. ¡°You¡¯re further into the radzone without a suit than I imagined. I¡¯m honestly not too happy to hear things turned out this way, but you¡¯re obviously set on your path, Lucas.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do something like this without sufficient resolve. You know how bad it¡¯s become and I¡¯m sure that you want everything back as much as anyone. Edmon is with me, he¡¯s of the same opinion about this.¡±


    Kik looked on, not really understanding what they were saying, while Belwin continued talking. ¡°While I understand how much you lost, there are more important things you have to think about. What about your father and Sol?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re who I think about the most as I do this. You think I¡¯d go through all this just for my own sake? We all have things we¡¯d be willing to lay our lives down for. I found those things.¡±


    Kik cleared his throat. ¡°So what did we come here for in the end?¡±


    The two started, remembering there was a third person in the room. Belwin stood up and brushed imaginary dust off of his outfit. ¡°Alright, just wait a moment. I¡¯ll bring them out for you.¡± He pulled a key card out of his pocket and walked over to the wall of lockers, running a finger down the line as he searched for the right one.


    ¡°So, what was that about? Looks like you two are old friends?¡± Kik asked Lucas as they waited.


    Lucas just shook his head and didn¡¯t reply. After a moment, Belwin spoke up. ¡°Found it!¡± He swiped his card on a locker and pulled a pair of cases out. One was the metal case that Lucas dropped off at the spaceport, matching the one he had carried through normally. The other was an opaque white plastic bag, with the shape of several rectangular boxes poking out from the inside.


    Lucas quickly took and opened his case, but did so against his chest, out of Kik¡¯s view. He hefted it as if it was considerably heavy, but he only took out a pair of wristbands and a pen from inside. Closing the case up again, he slipped on the wristbands next to his watches and put the pen in his right pocket.


    He opened the bag and pulled out three translucent boxes, similar to tackle boxes, full of different wood and plastic parts.


    ¡°I had to get that specially fabricated for you,¡± Belwin told him. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good craftsman willing to work without asking questions? I really earnt my pay on this one.¡±


    Lucas opened up a few of the boxes and took a look inside. He pulled out a trigger piece, a scope and a piece of thread, before replacing them. ¡°Alright, this seems functional. Be aware that Edmon will be coming for you if he has problems. He¡¯s got a bit of a temper.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the same as always, then. It doesn¡¯t seem like I need to worry about that fool. The slightest hint of danger and he¡¯s always out of there. You, however¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed,¡± Lucas protested. ¡°Edmon has too. I¡¯ve been considered an adult for more than half of my life now. I¡¯m not the boy that you taught when¡­¡± he fell silent, conscious of his surroundings.


    Belwin chuckled. ¡°Sounds like seeing an old face has gotten you remembering. It¡¯s not good to forget. Even if much of the memories are painful, there were certainly good parts too.¡±


    ¡°Ah forget it. The dust in this basement is making my eyes water. I¡¯ll come have a cup of tea with you and tell you some stories, old man, so stop bothering me before I change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Don¡¯t die before I see you next.¡±


    Returning up the stairs, Belwin beckoned Lucas up the stairs beyond the exit and motioned for Kik to wait there. Lucas passed him the bags and the pair ascended, leaving Kik in the dark as the torch¡¯s light faded away.


    ¡°We should talk about that boy,¡± Belwin said to Lucas after they reached his small office and turned on the lights. He picked a pair of magnetic balls off the table and started to fiddle with them. ¡°If he follows you around, he or somebody else is going to get killed. Either he¡¯s going to die or somebody is going to die protecting him. For all your sakes, send him home.¡±


    ¡°This is his home now, Belwin,¡± Lucas told the old man. ¡°I know how you feel about children in danger, you were like that to me before too. As a teacher, it¡¯s admirable. But you¡¯re not a teacher anymore. And if you think that just being a child, he¡¯s not going to last, I think you¡¯d be wrong there too. I feel like he¡¯s tough. He¡¯s been to Lanos.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the eyes,¡± Belwin continued. ¡°People like you can have a few kinds of eyes. Bored or disinterested is one type. Determined or resolved is another. His eyes are too hopeful. I¡¯m afraid that when his hope shatters, so will he - and then his eyes will be dead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, he survived Lanos. I¡¯m not about to send him into combat, but I don¡¯t think sending him home is right either. If he has a home at all, that is.¡±


    ¡°Lanos doesn¡¯t mean anything. Sure, there are more criminals there than honest folk, but the small ones mostly behave themselves and he wouldn¡¯t have drawn the notice of the big ones. A rat is perfectly safe in a corpara¡¯s den, because anything big enough to eat it would never come near.¡±


    Lucas strode over to the wall and looked at Belwin¡¯s shelves of curios. He picked up a double bell-shaped glass half-full of sand and tipped it around, inspecting it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to him, but he has his own reason for fighting. I don¡¯t know how old he is, but he¡¯s mature. Something or many things have happened to toughen him up. Now he¡¯s not just going to keel over that easily. He¡¯ll push back first.¡±


    Belwin sighed. ¡°As flawed as your arguments are, I have to agree that my sense for people is probably inferior to many. I did hold you back too much when you were young. You became who you are today in no small part because of that.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.¡°Are you saying you¡¯re disappointed with me? Although if it finally gets you to admit your mistake, after all these years, I suppose I can take half an insult.¡± He laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about old times for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you get back to that boy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I suppose.¡±


    The pair returned to the room at the same time as Edmon. As they dragged their bags to the top of the final flight of stairs, he dashed up behind them, taking the stairs two at a time.


    ¡°Come inside, I¡¯ve got some information,¡± he told them.


    ¡°Before that, you can carry this now,¡± Lucas told Edmon, passing him the bag of boxes. ¡°Put that away somewhere. You can look it over later.¡±


    Spotting the group entering, Nemel closed up the Petri dishes on her workspace and slid them into an incubator. ¡°Lucas, you¡¯re back. You too, Edmon. Have any news?¡±


    ¡°I have one or two things to tell you. I managed to get a look at the water system¡¯s surface facilities.¡±


    ¡°Good. Have you got the complete plans?¡± Nemel asked.


    ¡°Not plans, no, just a few locations. I have figured out a few things though.¡±


    She stared at him quizzically. ¡°Well hurry up and get those. We don¡¯t have forever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have them for you tomorrow. I¡¯ve already found a guy who knows a guy.¡±


    Pulling up a map of the city on his datapad, Edmon placed it upright on the table and projected the image across the surface with the light. Pulling out a stylus from the datapad casing, he tapped a few buttons in the corner of the projection, overlaying a set of red lines interspersed by occasional blue dots.


    ¡°These are the streets of this city,¡± he said, ¡°and these are the entrances to the water system,¡± pointing to the red lines and blue dots respectively. ¡°The area¡¯s water storage and production are in these places,¡± overlaying a set of black shapes in several blocks. ¡°Our target¡¯s house is here,¡± overlaying a single spot with a white square.


    ¡°Now, the water has to get from these places to this house, and the plumbing will pass underneath the various access points. So, since they want to pump water as short a distance as possible, the water pipes will follow something like this route.¡± He drew an almost straight line between the white square and the closest of the black shape, passing through three of the blue circles. ¡°This would be the connection between the water supply and the Odell household. One of these three entrances are our way to the water supply. Unfortunately, these two are on main roads, so our only choice is the one in the middle - in an alley.¡±


    Lucas nodded. ¡°That sounds fair. Someone will have to go check the area out tomorrow. Ivan is out right now, but he should be able to take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Kik, can you go meet him there?¡± Nemel asked. ¡°We need you to come back after and tell us everything you find. Don¡¯t try and go beneath street level this time. You just need to take a look at the surroundings and tell us if it¡¯s feasible.¡±


    ¡°That should be fine. Just mark the spot on my map and I can find it, no problem.¡±


    The location was an hour jog from their lodgings. Kik managed it quickly, accustomed to long treks from his vast amounts of experience training with Vist. Running on paved or tiled paths was more familiar to him and far easier to tread than the shifting sand dunes he had grown accustomed to.


    Even near midday, the sun didn¡¯t shine into the back alleys of the city. The illumination all came from reflections off the tops of the glass, iron and crystal buildings far above. These alleys ran diagonal to the normal streets, through each block, with only pedestrian access along them. Surveillance cameras peered down from here and there.


    In stark defiance of these cameras, graffiti was lightly sprinkled across the walls of the alley. ¡°Callum File, a good man, for Minister¡±, ¡°The Silent King is always watching¡±. Down near ground level, nearly hidden by a packaging crate, was written, ¡°All the lights in the sky are police landing craft¡±.


    Looking around the alley, there was nobody else here but a few people hurrying past, some eating a rushed meal before they returned to work. It seemed that people stuck to the main roads unless they were late.


    The flow of people around dwindled as the midday meal came to an end. Kik kneeled by a wall and pretended to tie his bootlace.


    After three minutes, Kik noticed Ivan walk up. They nodded to each other and stepped down the road in unison.


    Ivan spoke first. ¡°The access hatch is over there. We¡¯ll walk past, try and get as good a look as you can. Don¡¯t stare for more than about three seconds, it might draw attention. I¡¯m not sure what to look out for but there will be some writing or something.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I read quickly.¡±


    Ivan talked quietly about some nonsense planet he had once visited on holidays. Kik stared at his feet, glancing at the circular plate from the corner of his eyes.


    The cover was a no-nonsense metal block, with a few words stencilled onto the top in paint. ¡°W-Access 215N-017E. Sector 001403.¡±


    ¡°I got it, although we should write down the inscription,¡± Kik said to Ivan after they had passed the cover. ¡°It¡¯s a sequence of numbers and letters.¡±


    Pulling out a datapad, Ivan handed it over. ¡°Record it on that.¡±


    Kik transcribed the number to the best of his memory. ¡°There might be a small mistake or two, I¡¯m not perfect.¡± He handed the datapad back.


    ¡°Keep it,¡± Ivan said. ¡°Hand that over to Lucas or Nemel and tell I¡¯ve approved the area. They¡¯ll understand. And check with Edmon that the access hatch has the correct identifier. We wouldn¡¯t want to end up with the wrong location.¡±


    Back at the room, Kik passed the pad to Lucas and related Ivan¡¯s message.


    ¡°Good. I have no idea what the markings mean, I trust Ivan¡¯s judgement on the area. This pipe looks like our best bet. We¡¯ll just wait on Edmon¡¯s contact before we make our actual move. We¡¯ll need to get in and out quickly, as it¡¯s quite possible that we¡¯ll be discovered straightaway. I¡¯m not sure how strong the alarm system on the water supply is.¡±


    Lucas pondered. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try and acquire us some transport for the rest of the time we¡¯re here. I think a groundcar would be the best idea, as it will blend in easier. I¡¯ve hesitated about getting one until now, but soon we¡¯re actually going to need it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hurry up and finish my part,¡± Nemel said. ¡°The bacteria are almost done cultivating the first part. I¡¯ll be bottling it within a few hours.¡±


    ¡°So what do I do?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°You get some sleep or something. We don¡¯t have anything for you to do for now.¡±


    Kik sighed and went back to reading and pacing.


    Four hours later into the afternoon, hours of walking aimlessly, sitting down and getting up again and occasionally helping Nemel set up equipment, she finally held up a test tube containing perhaps fifty millilitres of a pale yellowish liquid. ¡°Part one is complete,¡± she called out to nobody in particular, before sealing it, placing it in a case and spraying its surroundings with shock-absorbent foam. She started to clean up the fractional distillation setup, petri dishes and various other containers and implements. Kik went over to help.


    ¡°No, not those,¡± Nemel said, directing him away from the incubation cube. ¡°I¡¯ll need that for part two. I need to grow the next set of cells. Grab those instead.¡±


    Kik dumped the layers of mold-encrusted petri dishes she pointed to into the sink and scrubbed them out. Meanwhile she pulled out her datapad and began to search through it.


    ¡°So how is that small amount of liquid going to affect an entire household if it¡¯s that diluted by the time it¡¯s drunk?¡± Kik called over. ¡°We¡¯re putting it in the water pipes almost three blocks away from his house, you know.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to try and drop a drone in to carry it closer. Either way, less than a drop actually needs to be drunk. This half is just the hormones needed to activate the second half. Once you get a few of those cells going, the rest start too.¡±


    Kik scratched his cheek. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Nemel looked over. ¡°You should really learn more about this. The endocrine system is quite¡­¡±


    ¡°No thank you! I¡¯ll stick to my machines, and you can mess with your¡­ cells. They¡¯re too icky for my taste.¡±


    Nemel shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re free to think that way.¡±


    Late in the evening, Kik was woken up by footsteps on the stairs. Raising his head from his spot on the floor to peer at the opening door, he realised it was only Edmon. Nemel was back at her spot, working on the next batch. Neither Lucas nor Ivan were back yet.


    ¡°Stop making noise and let me sleep. A ramjet¡¯s got nothing on you.¡±


    ¡°Get up. I¡¯ve got a bit of¡­ bad news.¡±


    Kik instantly rose to his feet. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I could have made a mistake with my assumptions earlier.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    -----


    ¡°So the water pipes run north-south, and the purification chemicals run east-west. The pipes don¡¯t actually follow the shortest route like you suggested earlier.¡± Kik¡¯s teeth ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And since Benedict¡¯s house is south of the lake, which holds much of the city¡¯s water¡­¡±


    ¡°The water flows from there. Yes.¡±


    ¡°So our reconnaissance was meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although you were hasty to act on a hunch of mine. You should have awaited confirmation.¡±


    Kik sighed as another person knocked on the door. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Lucas called. ¡°I got us a car for¡­ what are you all doing in here?¡±


    After the explanation, Lucas laughed out loud at Edmon¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t be so disappointed. We¡¯ll just have to do recon again.¡±


    Edmon sighed. ¡°Yes, but we were meant to conduct the op tomorrow. It¡¯s not a good idea to recon on the same day.¡±


    Nemel wandered over. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. You¡¯ll just have to head over and take a look now.¡±


    Edmon brightened up. ¡°Yes, that would work. Nemel, do you want to come with me? You should get outside.¡±


    Nemel yawned. ¡°No thanks. I need to finish up for tonight then get to bed. Take Kik with you instead.¡±


    Kik groaned. ¡°I always have to go. Can¡¯t I get some sleep? I just got woken up.¡±


    Lucas shook his head. ¡°You just need to go there, look around, and come back. It¡¯ll be good for you to get some night air before bed. Besides, it¡¯s less suspicious if there¡¯s a child than one or two adults.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Nemel and Edmon would be fine. They can just pretend they¡¯re married.¡±


    Edmon turned a deep scarlet. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Nemel finished. ¡°Kik, you¡¯re going out with him.¡± She returned to her table.


    Ignoring Kik¡¯s protests, Edmon pulled him outside. ¡°Let¡¯s head off.¡±


    Peering into Edmon¡¯s face as they walked down the stairs, Kik came up with an answer. ¡°You like her.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ well, I¡­ yes.¡± He turned an even darker crimson. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Nemel. Or Lucas. I¡¯ll seriously kill you.¡±


    After a minute of silence, they reached the outside. ¡°So I kind of understand Nemel, but why shouldn¡¯t I tell Lucas?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t. Alright, look, I used to work for him. So did Nemel. Even worse, I think he likes her. It makes sense too. It¡¯s close to a sausage-fest with our group, and she¡¯s the only woman he¡¯s been around for a long time. She¡­ well, I¡¯m not sure how she feels, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to me like she even thinks anything of him or you.¡±


    ¡°When you say it that way, it really stings, you know that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m twelve. Of course I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That seems fair enough.¡±


    They lapsed into silence again before Edmon broke it. ¡°So, as I was saying, Lucas used to pay for her research.¡±


    ¡°He was her sponsor.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. His family was, at least. He was responsible until something happened on his side and he got the boot. Whether it was his replacement¡¯s fault or not, she ended up getting framed and had to stop researching.¡± He rubbed at his ear, looking away. ¡°That was a pretty big hit for her. I can say for sure, most of Lucas¡¯ family¡¯s a lot worse than him.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°The usual for nobles. Heir issues. A few people died and eventually it got worked out. His mother was one of the few that took a hard hit. Something happened to his father too, although he¡¯s still alive. When he decided to make some noise about his parents they felt like sending a message to the other complainers, so they kicked him out and forced his wife to divorce him. He just about lost everything except for his son.¡±


    ¡°So where do you come into this?¡±


    Edmon didn¡¯t talk for a little while, until Kik had almost thought the conversation was over.


    ¡°I just lived on his land. We rented a small room in a building he owned, me and my family. Both of them just turned up at our doorstep one day.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad for you.¡± Kik tilted his head.


    Edmon murmured so softly that he almost couldn¡¯t be heard. ¡°It was fine until Lucas¡¯ family decided we were giving too much support to an outcast. They sent us a ¡®message¡¯ too. Ours was a little bloodier.¡±


    Kik decided to give Edmon his privacy.


    The lake was a mere fifteen-minute walk from of their house, as centrally located as they were. Reaching its southern bank, they realised how vast it was. Little seating platforms and their connecting pathways stretched kilometres around the edges of the lake, forming a grid of hexagonal pools separated by supporting columns. A few larger structures sat towards the centre, reachable only by boat. Railings stretched around the edge except for the gates onto the platforms. Darkness hung in the air, and lit skyscrapers seemed to grow out of the horizon on the other side. Little craft zipped overhead, and Kik wondered how many of them really did belong to the police.


    ¡°Wait, where are the stars?¡± Kik asked. ¡°We¡¯re in the planet¡¯s night cycle right now, so shouldn¡¯t there be lights in the sky other than man-made ones? Or is it different to space?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a lack of stars normal on a populated planet? Right, you¡¯ve been spending your time on Lanos. It¡¯s mostly desert there, isn¡¯t it? The lights of the city cancel out most of the stars here, and the atmosphere gets the rest. At night we¡¯re practically inside our own cloud with an artificial sun. Most people in this city will never see the stars in their lifetimes. It¡¯s one reason why homes on the moon are so popular. You can see the night sky in full up there.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little sad, having such scenery there and never being able to see it?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if there weren¡¯t factories maybe the skies would be clear enough to see the stars. But if there weren¡¯t all these factories around building stuff we¡¯d never be able to visit the other stars in the first place. You lose one thing, but gain another.¡±


    As they walked to the edge of the lake, Edmon pulled out his datapad from his jacket. ¡°Now, the entrance we¡¯re looking for is about one and a half kilometers along the shore. We¡¯ll walk there by the platforms, that way we can keep an eye on the depth of the lake and so on.¡±


    They moved onto the wood and plastic platforms over the water, which rocked slightly as they moved past. This was the most natural building material that Kik had seen in one place so far in this city.


    The water was clear and gave off a cold breeze. Looking at the bottom, the depth was mostly uniform at around four metres, at least at around thirty metres from land. Once they passed onto a branch further out into the lake at sixty metres from shore, it deepened to five.


    Continuing along these hexagonal pathways in as straight a line as possible, eventually Edmon called Kik to a halt.


    ¡°Somewhere on the bottom should be the water pipe. Keep your eyes on the left. I¡¯ll watch the right. There¡¯s nobody around right now, so don¡¯t worry about being seen. Just make sure you find it.¡±


    Looking over the edge, Kik could see nothing resembling the end of a pipe. A few tiny aquatic creatures darted around the bottom of some of the poles, but there were no man-made protrusions in the water. ¡°If we don¡¯t spot it should we go take a look along the bank?¡± he asked Edmon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just found it. Come over here. Look, the support column with the wider base.¡±


    Indeed, one of the columns holding up the platform they were standing on had a cylindrical base which extended back into the mud at the bottom. ¡°That would be what we¡¯re looking for,¡± Edmon said. ¡°It will be sealed off, but our probe can probably cut through whatever barricade is over the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Then is that all we came for? I want to get back to sleep.¡± Kik yawned, glad that the fuss for tonight was over.


    ¡°Sure, sure. Just let me get the position marked down.¡± He tapped the centre of his datapad screen, then a few other points. ¡°Fine, we¡¯re done here. It¡¯s good this trip was fairly uneventful. It¡¯ll be a busy day tomorrow.¡±


    Kik smiled in tired relief.


    On the morrow, everyone but Ivan piled into the small car which Lucas had obtained, capable of carrying four passengers in the back and one driver in the front. The seats around the back were arranged along the walls of the vehicle, facing inwards. Lucas drove and the remaining three sat in the back, using the spare seat as storage.


    Nemel had two cases open by her, one containing the serum, the other the drone. The drone had apparently been held in the case that Lucas had carried through the spaceport. The probe was a small metal object with a similar size and shape to a slightly shrunk, oblong football, where the top overhung the bottom slightly. Four spiked foldout legs were set into its top and bottom, eight in total, allowing it to hold itself in place inside enclosed spaces. There was a shut aperture at both the front and back, whichever was which.


    She poured the contents of her test tube down one end of the probe, probably the back, cleaning out the tube with a spray of water which she also poured down. Wasting none, she sealed the drone before setting it by the case and pulling out a datapad attachment, which she handed across Edwin.


    Kik peered at Edwin next to him as the device was plugged in. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the controller. It sends commands on the right frequency and gets back camera footage. The drone is remote-controlled, not autonomous. It¡¯s not that expensive.¡±


    Opening some program on his datapad, the screen turned to black with the images of a pair of joysticks, each with a red button on top, at the bottom. ¡°Wakey wakey,¡± he muttered, tapping on the screen. The drone¡¯s legs folded out and the aperture at the end away from Nemel opened, showing a camera in the space.


    ¡°Looks like it all works,¡± Edmon told them. Looking over at the screen, Kik could see an image of the wall of the car, and as Edmon manipulated the joysticks the view shifted with the drone, showing the two of them sitting at a chair, Kik looking into the screen. Kik stretched over and picked up the drone, staring it into the datapad, and an endless array of windows popped up, each showing nothing but the edges of Edmon¡¯s hands and another window within.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough playing around,¡± Nemel told the chuckling Kik, taking the drone back. ¡°It¡¯s a precise instrument, not a toy.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What do the buttons do?¡± Kik asked, reaching over to press one.


    ¡°DON¡¯T! What did she just say?¡± Edmon slapped Kik¡¯s hand away.


    Kik jabbed him in the side of the ribs with the other elbow. ¡°Her knight in shining armour, are we?¡± Edmon blushed slightly and glanced across the car, but Nemel wasn¡¯t listening. She was putting the drone away in the case. He breathed out in relief.


    ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll tell you, just don¡¯t press them. This really isn¡¯t a toy. This button,¡± pointing to the right, ¡°is a cutting laser. Simple but dangerous. The other button opens the storage container, which would currently spill the serum vital to the operation.¡±


    Kik withdrew his hands. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not a toy. I bet it¡¯s fun to play with though.¡±


    Edmon grinned. ¡°Is it ever. Maybe we should have it crawl into the front and annoy Lucas.¡±


    Lucas slid a small vision slit between the driver¡¯s seat and the passengers open. ¡°I can hear you, you know. Luckily for me, and perhaps you, the time for games is over. We¡¯re there.¡±


    Kik leaned forward. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan? How are we going to get the drone into the lake without anyone seeing? There should be a fair few people around now.¡±


    Edmon and Lucas looked at each other through the driver¡¯s seat and spoke in a dissonant chorus.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, Lucas?¡±


    ¡°So what do we do now, Edmon?¡±


    Staring at each other they realised how much planning had been put into the operation so far.


    ¡°Dictator¡¯s computerised asshole.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡±


    Nemel glared at them. ¡°So I have to do all the work and now the planning too? Why is Ivan not here?¡±


    After a few minutes, Lucas drove the groundcar down the street. There was a wide road around the outside of the lake and a small park. Nemel directed him from the backseat. ¡°Look for a spot with bushes across most of the park. Proximity to the actual inflow doesn¡¯t matter. Once it¡¯s inside it can move there underwater. Over there should do.¡±


    Edmon nodded. ¡°Proxymi¡­ what she said. Yes, that¡¯s what I would have done too.¡±


    ¡°You be quiet,¡± Nemel told him.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Once they had stopped the groundcar by the edge of the road, Nemel spoke to Edmon. ¡°Alright. Kik and I are going to get out and walk around for a few minutes. Get the probe into the bushes ASAP. After that move slowly through, try not to shake the bushes. Cross the path only when we can confirm nobody is looking.¡±


    Edmon nodded. Next she turned to Lucas. ¡°Once we shut the doors drive along a little further and park there. Keep an eye on where people are in the area.¡± Lucas nodded.


    ¡°Alright, Kik. Let¡¯s move out.¡±


    Popping the back doors open, Nemel got out and stretched, Kik following. The drone scampered down onto ground level and into the shrubbery, rustling it slightly but quickly vanishing beneath the plants. Kik looked around to see if anyone had spotted them but they hadn¡¯t attracted any looks in particular. Nemel grabbed him by the arm and gently pulled him forwards. ¡°Walk,¡± she hissed at him.


    Wandering around, the crowd here seemed to be mostly elderly folk or children and their parents. It obviously wasn¡¯t this planet¡¯s rest day, and it was too late for work traffic and too early for the lunch break so most of the workers were still inside.


    Nobody really gave them a second glance, even if Kik was around three times the age of the youngest child there. Nemel walked confidently and purposefully, and Kik was pulled into her pace, walking without really thinking about where he was going. Ten minutes later Nemel moved them onto the lakeside paths and they returned to the groundcar. Fifteen minutes later and they were back. Kik opened the rear doors and they both climbed in.


    Edmon was hunched over the controls, tapping at the joysticks and buttons. Looking in at the screen as Nemel shut the doors behind them, he saw a view of the concrete pipe from close up and above.


    ¡°This void-consumed cover won¡¯t come off,¡± he said to Kik.


    ¡°How¡¯s it held on?¡±


    ¡°The mesh cover is worked into the scaffolding. I¡¯d have to melt the entire outside if I wanted in. I¡¯m not sure we¡¯d have enough power in the fuel cell for that.¡±


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t you just cut a hole in the centre and go through there?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Right. That would work.¡± Directing the drone over the edge he aimed the camera just above the centre of the mesh and pressed the left red button. The screen exploded in a swarm of floating dots.


    ¡°Balls. I can¡¯t see anything with all these bubbles in the way.¡±


    Nemel sighed in frustration and leaned over. ¡°Did you really just fire a cutting laser from there? Move the drone in as close as possible before you shoot anything underwater.¡±


    Edmon did as she said and the visibility drastically improved. A small circle on the mesh glowed cherry-red before deforming. The filter layer behind it tore from the heat of the laser. A tiny flow of bubbles came out of the gap before slowing down. Edmon shifted the screen over and started to cut the next section.


    Repeating this fire-and-move, Edmon slowly cut a circle through the interwoven mesh. Finally, as he was down to the last few strands, the middle section deformed and was pushed back. A flow of water pinned the drones against the hole, held back only by its extended legs.


    ¡°Quickly, retract the legs before they break,¡± Nemel said to Edmon, tapping open a control panel with eight switches on it and pressing them all to off. The view from the camera in the background swiftly changed to a plastic pipe, the probe shooting down from the water pressure behind it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad?¡± Kik asked. ¡°With this water pressure, somebody is sure to notice.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll notice after we¡¯re done here, right?¡± Edmon smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the sort of attitude you should be taking. This is serious. You should try and reseal that mesh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± Nemel said. ¡°True, it could be a problem, but trying to push the barrier back into place will only damage the drone, drain its battery, and is more likely to break the damaged part off completely. As soon as it was bent it couldn¡¯t be put back into place properly. Even worse, if we attempt to somehow seal it with the laser cutter the connection will just be broken again while it¡¯s weak.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ what she said.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Edmon.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    All of them watched as the drone whizzed down the chute. Suddenly the tunnel curved up and it was sucked that way and then level again until it almost hit another obstruction. Luckily, the water before them had backed up before it, and they slowed down before the blockage. This time, as Edmon pointed the camera forwards again, was a filter, encrusted with mud and dirt.


    ¡°Alright, time to cut through again,¡± he said, redeploying the legs. Nemel, however, stopped his hand.


    ¡°Wait a moment. There¡¯s enough water pressure to break through. It¡¯ll give way in a second.¡±


    The flimsy paper-like material was indeed bending and straining, and mere seconds later it tore. The water flooded through, slightly dragging forward the probe which was currently pinned against the floor and ceiling of the pipe.


    ¡°Before you let it go again, where is the drone currently sitting?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hundred metres inland. It¡¯s probably sitting in a pipe just beneath some manhole. Obviously it¡¯s below the lake¡¯s water level or there would be no water pressure in the pipe.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the range of the signal?¡±


    This time Edmon replied. ¡°About two kilometres, maybe a bit less, when the target is underground like this.¡±


    ¡°And how far away is Benedict¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°About twelve kilometres.¡±


    ¡°So which of you see the problem?¡±


    Lucas stuck his head into the back. ¡°I do. Lookout¡¯s uneventful, by the way, thanks for asking. I¡¯ll start moving us towards the house. You two, get the probe to move, but don¡¯t let it get too far ahead. Track its distance from us. No more than half a kilometre, you hear me, Edmon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I hear you.¡±


    Working their way through the city, the probe and the car leapfrogged each other as they passed through the water system. Once they were past the first filter, every few dozen metres along the pipe was an offshoot tube above, angled forwards with a similar filter over it. They also passed one or two unfiltered pipes angled the opposite direction, possibly for delivering chemicals into the water system.


    Finally they reached the space just before the O¡¯Dell household. Almost half an hour had passed of opening and closing the drone¡¯s legs, waiting by the side of the road for it to catch up to their vehicle, and bypassing normal traffic the whole way. They deployed the legs and stopped before they reached the end, then slowed down to a more normal pace.


    Looking at the screen, the three in the back breathed in relief.


    ¡°Alright, Edmon, turn this probe around and line it up,¡± Nemel said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to remove the filter. The solution should be fine enough to get through.¡±


    Edmon nodded and leaned towards the screen. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± First placing the camera right up against the blockage, he turned the probe 180, filling their vision with a closeup of the base of the pipe.


    ¡°Inserting serum in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± Pressing the button on the left, the whole carriage sat there tensely for a second, before they all let out a breath.


    ¡°Was that all there was to it?¡± Kik asked.


    Nemel grinned. ¡°If every job was this easy, we could go into retirement in a month. Edmon, we¡¯ll send you off to pick up the drone at the end of the pipe. Close all the apertures and turn it off, it¡¯ll just be a metal box floating through the pipes.¡±


    Edmon nodded, fiddling with his datapad. Lucas moved over a hand to slide closed the open partition between the cabins. ¡°Get yourselves seated and I¡¯ll get us home.¡±


    The four of them walked up the stairs triumphant, the car left in the garage beneath the building. ¡°We can take this,¡± Kik said to the others. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to be so bad after all.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lucas said. ¡°I can¡¯t shake a nagging feeling that it¡¯s been going too well so far. I¡¯ll bet you that what comes next won¡¯t be as easy.¡±


    Pushing open the door to the apartment, Ivan was sitting on the couch reading a piece of paper.


    ¡°Mission 1 complete!¡± Kik posed with one hand pointing to the ceiling in the centre of the doorway, blocking the others from entering. Eventually Lucas pushed him aside and they moved in.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good,¡± Ivan muttered, turning over the paper. ¡°Next orders are here. That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡±


    ¡°Well, we have to sneak into somebody¡¯s house before a meeting there and plant the second part of the poison into Benedict Odell¡¯s wine before he drinks it. Then, during the meeting we have to shoot somebody else so Odell¡¯s death is blamed on a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°No, really,¡± Kik said, a half-smile fixed to his face as the others stood there with grave faces. ¡°That¡¯s a poor joke. What are the real orders?¡±

 9 - Preparations

    Ivan wiped imaginary sweat from his bald head. ¡°Those are the real orders. Well, more specifically, we are to somehow get into the wine cellar of this house where the meeting is to be held. We must poison the top bottle of ¡¯724 Colaron, as that¡¯s his favourite drink. We can¡¯t be caught in the cellar, and the bottle has to be resealed after we¡¯re done and replaced on the shelf. We also have a file on another person we have to try and shoot, by the name of Harron Egil. He¡¯s just some minor criminal. We don¡¯t even need to kill him, the important thing is that they think the target is him. The time of the meeting is an hour after sunset, two and a half days from now.¡±


    Lucas, Edmon and Kik stood silent while Nemel sighed. ¡°I have to hope one of you actually thinks this through this time, or we¡¯re going to be in real trouble. I¡¯ll get back to work on making the second part of the poison.¡±


    Lucas was shaken from his paralysis. He walked over to a bed and sat down. ¡°Alright, action time. Forget about the minor criminal, whatever his name was. We can worry about him and the sniping location after we figure out the poison.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Erstine¡¯s sent us the details of where to take the shot from,¡± Ivan said, pulling a sheet of paper from the back. ¡°He¡¯s even got the house plans of the target building and our vantage point. Edmon, you¡¯ll be shooting from atop a scaffold on a skyscraper nearby.¡±


    ¡°Then that leaves only the poison,¡± Lucas rubbed his chin. ¡°Edmon, can you get one of the workers for his house drunk? You might get an opportunity or some knowledge that way.¡±


    ¡°I heard of the hosting noble while I was listening around town,¡± Ivan said while Edmon hastily nodded. ¡°His name is Clement Rostell. It¡¯s rumoured that he has deep interests in the local syndicates, legal and otherwise. No doubt our man Odell is sucking up to him for some reason or another. He¡¯s a fairly well-known figure among the nobility and he keeps himself in the public eye. I heard he named a new academy building after himself the other week.¡±


    Kik started to calm down as he realised that the two of them were seriously thinking things through. ¡°Edmon, do you still have to go pick up the drone we used?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Uh, I¡¯ll go do that now. Nemel, you¡¯re still working. Ivan, Kik and Lucas¡­ do you want to head over to the target¡¯s house and take a look at the sniping spot? Let me know what you can see there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got one or two things to take care of around here. I should have a read through our instructions myself, and I have to do the washing,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Ivan and Kik, you can go.¡±


    Ivan nodded. ¡°As long as we can take the groundcar. It¡¯s a fair trip to Rostell¡¯s home.¡±


    Lucas clapped his hands. ¡°Sounds like a plan. Let¡¯s move, everyone.¡±


    Towards the southeast of their residence, on the side of the noble district closer to the large, block-spanning government buildings, there were a multitude of scenic parks and ponds. Scattered through the streets were a collection of metallic statues, ranging from soldiers to politicians frozen in oration to pieces that can be described only as ¡®abstract¡¯.


    The home of the politician known as Clement Rostell lay within this area. A surprisingly magnificent three-story building in a city dominated by skyscrapers, it was as much a statement of his stubbornness as his taste that he lived in such a tiny estate when his land was obviously worth so much more.


    Painted a muted yellow, compared to the white and grey reflective buildings around it it very much stood out. As for its shape, Victorian windows protruded in triples from its walls, forming mini balconies. The tiles were removed from half of the upper level and replaced by a greenhouse, housing hundreds of different plants. The small but still respectable grounds were well-maintained and security cameras vigilantly watched the surroundings.


    On the two blocks to the south and southeast of the Rostell household lay a pair of skyscrapers, on the north and east quarters of the blocks respectively. The southeast one was slightly shorter. The eighteenth floor of the shorter skyscraper had recently been closed for renovations, although no work had started yet. On this floor, the scaffolding used to clean the windows had been left hanging next to an open window.


    Peering his head through the window, Ivan looked across the street to the northwest.


    ¡°I can see the target¡¯s house fully from this vantage,¡± he said. ¡°We have an assurance that the meeting is in the greenhouse, so Edmon¡¯s shot shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡±


    Meanwhile Kik was looking around the barren level. All of the furniture had been removed, leaving only the interior walls, a few support columns and the elevators. Kicking a few rocks across the floor, he turned to Ivan. ¡°How do you reckon we¡¯re going to get in there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to cut a hole in the window. Once it¡¯s time to get onto the scaffold¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the house across the street, not that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, please.¡± He blinked in thought. ¡°Fine. Edmon will most likely be figuring that out soon. We have far too little time to find a path in on our own, so we need to get one from the inside. Edmon¡¯s going to go looking for an employee of the Rostells who can hopefully provide us with a way in.¡±


    ¡°And how is he going to do that?¡±


    ¡°Edmon¡¯s fairly good at that sort of thing.¡±


    At that moment, Edmon was approaching the outflow of the water system, holding the metal case that stored the drone and its controller. Humming a meaningless tune, he strolled down a street with the box slung over his shoulder. Other people constantly walked past or beside him, but none gave him a second look.


    The water system in the city pumped unused drinking water back into another tank to place back into circulation. The probe should be sitting in a pool of water buried beneath a nearby park. He needed to activate the drone and from then he could direct it towards the surface.


    Finding an empty bench he sat down and pulled out the controller attachment and his datapad. The park was mostly quiet except for a few workers sealing up an access hatch to the space below. Whistling, he booted up the controller program and connected to the drone. His whistling stopped.


    The drone wasn¡¯t in range. Switching from the controller program to the map, he looked through it, confirming his location was where the drone should end up. He wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Where are you,¡± he muttered to himself, scrolling through the map. There were a few waterways that the drone might have passed through, but they continued no more than a kilometre to the next tank. It should still be in range if it had gone through one of those.


    A chill came across him and he looked around himself nervously. There was nobody paying any more attention to him than usual. Calming down slightly, he thought to himself about his options.


    ¡°I could keep walking towards the next tank on the off chance the signal is being blocked somehow. There¡¯s a chance that the drone got sucked past that one too, or maybe there¡¯s too much stuff between us. If it¡¯s not that I¡¯ll have to consider the drone lost, which would piss me off. What could have happened to it other than being carried too far by the pressure?¡±


    Thinking back to what they had done with the drone, he considered the destruction that had been caused to get the probe through the pipes. ¡°Could they be on to us¡­¡±


    Looking up, he spotted the pair of workers closing up the plating. Checking his map, he realised they were right above where the water tank sat.


    Standing up abruptly, he started walking away. He tossed the communicator attachment into a bin by the park, carrying only the case and his datapad with him.


    He had passed three blocks before he was confident he hadn¡¯t been followed.


    Back at the room, everyone met up again to report their findings. Lucas was the only absentee. He was out refilling the car¡¯s tank. Kik stood by the front windows, while Ivan and Edmon sat on their beds towards the rear of the room. Nemel was working by the wall as usual, but she turned one ear towards their conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame we lost it,¡± Edmon said. ¡°It was a Stanwright too. Their drones are top quality.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that you aren¡¯t just overreacting?¡± Kik asked him. ¡°It¡¯s your drone, not mine, but it would have been worth the risk if you had retrieved it.¡±


    ¡°IF I got the drone back. It had no connection at all, it can¡¯t have been anywhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°Unless you just forgot to turn the power off when you were supposed to. It could have been out of fuel.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. The fuel cells last for a few days. Well, it could happen with the amount of time we used the laser for, but there would still be some power to the transmitter. I was getting no signal at all. Either it was out of range or the transmitter was manually turned off.¡±


    ¡°Edmon made the right decision,¡± Ivan said. ¡°If he had continued on and something had happened, it would have gone badly for all of us. He was right to cut losses when he did.¡±


    ¡°That is, until they find the drone in the water system. Then they¡¯ll know somebody was messing with something. They¡¯re certain to find it too, since you¡¯ve given up.¡± Kik didn¡¯t ease the criticism.


    Ivan winced but rebutted. ¡°It would be more suspicious if the problem occurred and they found nothing. Then they¡¯d know for sure it was planned. This way the problem could be mistaken for a prank or simple mistake and delay their questioning.¡±


    Kik considered that for a second. ¡°You may be right. Do you intend to go and claim the drone from whoever picked it up claiming that¡¯s the case? Actually, you might get away with it with a bribe or two.¡±


    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s a moot point,¡± Ivan said. ¡°Edmon can¡¯t visit the water companies, we don¡¯t have enough time. We have to proceed to the next part of our plan.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°We checked out your spot, Edmon. It¡¯s pretty nice, although it could get breezy, being on the eighteenth floor.¡±


    Edmon thought about it. ¡°Ain¡¯t too bad. How far away is the target from the vantage point?¡±


    Ivan spoke up. ¡°Horizontally, 75 metres, give or take about ten metres. Vertically, you¡¯re looking at a fifteen level height advantage.¡±


    ¡°That should be plenty close for me.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± Nemel called over to them, ¡°Lucas read through the house plans and scanned them into a datapad file. He marked all the rooms too so you might want to take a look if you¡¯re done.¡±


    The target house had a ground floor, first and second story, as well as a basement and a wine cellar beneath that. Contrasting to its relatively small frontage, it was stretched back quite a way into its plot. The first level was living quarters, including dining rooms, living spaces and bathing facilities. The second level was the meeting chambers, long-distance communications rooms and the greenhouse.


    The ground floor was a bit more interesting. It held an entryway, cloak room and doorman¡¯s station, as well as guard quarters, a kitchen and facilities for the servants, including a game room and other relaxation areas. No living quarters were provided for the servants.


    In the basement there was, of all things, a ballroom, accessible from the entryway. There was also a large pantry and food storage area, connecting the ballroom beside it, the kitchens above, and the wine cellar below. That was buried deep beneath the rest of the facilities, two stories or more below street level.


    All the connections between floors were stairways, except for a small food elevator connecting the pantry, just outside the kitchen and the upper floors.


    ¡°Lucas estimated between ten and thirty staff will be in the building at all times of the day, on both a day and night shift,¡± Nemel said.


    ¡°Well this is a bitch of a job,¡± Edmon commented.


    On the next day, Nemel finally stood up and stretched. ¡°This bit is done,¡± she said to Kik, Lucas and Ivan. Edmon was out watching the facilities from his vantage point, trying to spot someone to get information from. ¡°The sample is complete. It¡¯s up to you to figure out what to do with it.¡±


    ¡°So how does this one work?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Does he just need to drink a few drops this time?¡¯


    ¡°Not really,¡± Nemel said. ¡°The bacteria in here collects and produces fat molecules around the heart. It will basically cause cardiac arrest if enough gets there, the more the better. If this is diluted in a full bottle of wine, he should need to drink one and a half glasses of it and wait five minutes before the effects show themselves. Assume each glass beyond that will decrease the time by one minute. That¡¯s particularly important for you, Edmon, since you need to time your shot to coincide with his heart attack. Oh, Edmon¡¯s not here, right. I¡¯ll tell him later.¡±


    Edmon sneezed and shivered slightly as he watched the entrance to the target building. A light drizzle had set in late in the morning, ending their almost week of perfect weather. He had been forced to move from out on the scaffold to inside the furniture-free floor by the inclement weather. Unfortunately, he had already pulled out the circle of glass that Ivan had cut before to get onto the scaffolding, and a cold breeze spattered with raindrops blew in from the west.


    He had sat there for a few hours already, with nothing but an already-finished rations pack and a light jacket to distract him from the cold. Now, finally, as the sun sank towards the horizon just over a day before the meeting, the targets of his observation were emerging: the workers on Clement Rostell¡¯s estate.


    As the night shift arrived, the day shift began to trickle out. Maids and guards, groundskeepers and servants, the trickle of people slowed after brief seconds, about twenty emerging. Looking through the crowd, Edmon couldn¡¯t pick out any targets in particular.


    Eventually he spotted a woman in the dark grey uniform of the security guards say goodbye to another woman in the same uniform, who drove off in the groundcar waiting to pick her up. The woman left behind was slightly chubby, with uniformly neck-length black hair. She was far from the most attractive woman he had seen, although it was a bit hard to tell from his distance.


    The woman turned left and began walking off slowly with her hands in her pockets. She looked like the kind of person who wasn¡¯t happy with their lot, and he hadn¡¯t spotted any other likely candidates.


    Descending the elevator, he followed her from the other side of the street, staying beneath the shelter of the awnings that had folded out above the paths once the rain started. After a few minutes, she stopped suddenly and looked around. Edmon made sure to be looking in the other direction. She then pulled on a red jacket and ducked into a store. Music blared for a second before she closed the door.


    Walking up to the front, Edmon saw that it was a bar, the ¡°Fair Chance¡±. He smiled to himself and walked inside.


    He was greeted by a loud beat, some sort of synthesised board playing in repeated riffs. It sounded like something he was born fifteen years too early to appreciate. The bar was fairly full, but most of the clientele were focussed on one of the walls, which was actually a screen depicting a race between some four-legged reptilian creatures. They carried human passengers behind them atop a wheeled vehicle. The passengers spurred them on from with electric shocks from long whips. The inhabitants of the bar were casting bets all over the place, cheering, clapping and occasionally booing.


    Other than the screen to the left, the rear wall of the had all the drinks laid out across it, with the bartender standing behind the counter. He wore an all-black suit and had skin dark as a desert tribesman, contrasting to the white wall behind him. The rest of the area was covered in tables, many knocked towards the right by the frenzied betters.


    In the corner by the right of the counter sat the woman Edmon had come to find, facing towards the right wall. She already had a partially finished drink in front of her, with a second one lined up after it.


    Edmon approached the counter and sat down on a stool near the woman¡¯s table, knocking once on the counter to signal the bartender and pointing at the wall. He was well trained, as a mug of frothing liquid slid towards him across the counter almost as soon as he had ordered. He took a swig of the bitter stuff as he passed over his card to be scanned as payment for the night.


    Ten minutes later, and the woman had just about finished her third glass. Edmon, taking it slowly, was not quite through with his first.


    As she drained her third mug, she sighed. Sensing an opportunity, he swiveled his chair around. ¡°You seem like you have something going on.¡±


    She glanced at him, taking a moment to register that he was talking to her. ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡±


    ¡°True enough. You seem like you have it worse than many though.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You want to take a guess?¡±


    Edmon peered at her. ¡°You work long hours and feel very little satisfaction from your job.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly special.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done. You have a home but you don¡¯t want to go there, not even long enough to change your clothes before going out. You¡¯d prefer to come here and drink. You¡¯re not afraid of the quiet at home, but the opposite. There¡¯s someone you don¡¯t want to meet there. Someone who hurts you, in body and mind, whenever you meet them.¡±


    She stared back. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Makeup can hide bruises. It doesn¡¯t remove them.¡±


    She grabbed at her neck. ¡°I got that at work today. It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Tell yourself that all you want, but I think I can help get you out of your situation.¡±


    She backed away. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in help. I can manage on my own.¡± She started heading towards the door.


    ¡°If you change your mind, I¡¯ll be here for the next two hours,¡± he called to her retreating back. She paid him no notice.


    The bartender came over to speak to Edmon. ¡°Sir, if all you¡¯re going to do is scare off our customers, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Edmon told him. ¡°She¡¯ll be back.¡± He drowned the rest of his glass. ¡°Can I have another?¡±


    Twenty minutes later and Edmon was rethinking his confidence. He had no guarantee that his guesses were right, and even if they were there was no guarantee that they would motivate the woman. He had gone through a total of three glasses of light beer as he worried about his prospects for the next day. If he didn¡¯t convince anyone in the day shift, he would have to find someone from the night shift. It would mean staying up most of the night the day before an operation, and he would need to find someone with access to the wine cellar¡­ there were too many factors. He would need to be incredibly lucky if they weren¡¯t going to brute-force the preparations.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Somebody tapped his shoulder. Turning his head, the woman was standing behind him, embarrassed. ¡°You said something about being able to help me?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down.¡± They found one of the many empty tables and sat opposite each other. Edmon focussed on the other party, who mostly kept her head down. After a few moments, he started the conversation. They talked in lowered voices, although they probably couldn¡¯t be heard over the crowd and music anyway.


    ¡°What you need is a fresh start. I know someone who can get you off planet. We¡¯ll send you to somewhere far away.¡±


    ¡°But all my family¡¯s buried here. We¡¯ve lived and died here for hundreds of years. I can¡¯t just throw that away.¡±


    ¡°What your family would want is for you to be happy.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep your voice down. I don¡¯t want to be overheard. Taking citizens offworld is usually illegal, right?¡±


    She tilted her head to the side. ¡°Then why are you helping me? You¡¯re putting yourself at risk, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°For money, of course. Why else?¡±


    She leaned back in her chair, frowning but somehow more trusting. Everybody understood the pull of money, although the influence of alcohol might have something to do with it. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can make a choice for a while. It¡¯s a big decision.¡±


    ¡°I get it. Is there anywhere we can talk more sometime? Obviously not your house, and I wouldn¡¯t like to give away too much either.¡±


    She looked around, thinking. ¡°Back here?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not a great idea. It was fine today because of all the noise, but if we meet in one place too often people will get suspicious. Especially since you¡¯re married.¡±


    She looked at the ring on the hand which she had just let go of her glass with. ¡°That¡¯s true. How about at my work? I can take visitors during my lunch break.¡±


    Edmon laughed out loud inside. ¡°That would work. If you want I can head over tomorrow, once I¡¯ve spoken to a friend about how I could get you out. Where is it?¡±


    She grinned and laid her head on the table. ¡°Sure. Sure. It¡¯s just five minutes east of here, the little yellow building. You can¡¯t miss it. Come at midday tomorrow and I¡¯ll greet you out the front.¡± She entered the meeting into her datapad. ¡°Alright, I should get going now before the alcohol sets in. I never had a huge tolerance. See you tomorrow, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Adrian. See you tomorrow.¡± He gave her his false identity for the planet.


    ¡°Sure. My name¡¯s Cecilia.¡± He smiled at her back as she walked out.


    Edmon yawned as he climbed in a taxi. ¡°Busy day tomorrow. Need to get back and ask Lucas about those Honesty people, then I can get some sleep.¡± Even so, it took a lot of willpower to prevent himself from smiling from cheek to cheek in relief that he had actually secured a route into the building.


    ¡°Alright, remember, your name is Ossel, and mine is Adrian,¡± Edmon told Kik as they approached the building on midday of the final day. The two of them walked down the drying streets together, the rain having abated in the morning after a thunderstorm overnight. ¡°It¡¯s the false identity that Erstine provided you. If anyone asks who you are, say you¡¯re my son, except to the woman we¡¯re meeting you¡¯re my nephew.¡±


    Kik¡¯s eyes almost rolled back in his head. ¡°One thing at a time, please. Why are we doing any of this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting with a married woman at her workplace. It will be less suspicious if they see that I have a child too.¡± Edmon wiggled his hand, showing a silver band on his fourth finger. ¡°We¡¯ll try to find somewhere to talk, so you find your way into the cellar and get the bottle. Do you have your equipment?¡±


    Kik nodded, pulling out a small case with a needle and some sealant inside. He also had the poison held tightly in one pocket, and his glasses sitting in another. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I¡¯ve got the map on my glasses too. I should be able to navigate around the mansion without too much difficulty, especially if it¡¯s the lunch break. So, for the trick of me being your nephew, the fact that she thinks she¡¯s in on the lie makes her less likely to suspect something else going on?¡±


    Edmon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Arriving at the front gate just a few minutes short of midday, Edmon rang the bell. A screen popped up over the front gate, showing a person in the grey uniform of the estate security. His hair was greying and balding, and his face was wrinkled, but his eyes were sharp and scrutinous. ¡°Hello, do you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Adrian. We¡¯re here to meet with a Cecilia?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let her know. If she¡¯s expecting you she¡¯ll be out in a minute or two.¡±


    Shortly, Cecilia walked out the front door, pondering at first but then curious when she saw two people waiting for her. ¡°Who is this?¡± she asked Edmon, pointing at Kik.


    ¡°This is my nephew, Ossel.¡± Kik shook her hand. ¡°I brought him with me because I thought it would be inappropriate for you to meet an unmarried man during your lunch break. He¡¯s pretending to be my son.¡±


    Cecilia nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll pass as your son, but it doesn¡¯t matter at this point. Here, take these.¡± She strapped a band to Kik¡¯s and Edmon¡¯s wrists, identical to one she herself was wearing. ¡°Wear these and the guard dogs will leave you alone. They¡¯ll attack you if you take them off on the grounds, though, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any guard dogs,¡± Kik said.


    ¡°They¡¯re not kept where people can see them. Forget about that. Come in.¡±


    Cecilia led the way to an interior, windowless room on the ground floor. She nodded to the doorman as they passed his station, the same elderly person that had spoken to them from the surveillance camera. The centre was dominated by a pool table and the inside was lit by strips of lighting on the ceiling. There were also a pair of computer terminals set into the wall. Kik remembered from the house map that this was the game room. It was currently empty.


    Cecilia gestured Edmon to his chair. ¡°Have a seat, uh¡­ Adrian. We need to talk about the plans.¡±


    Edmon sat down and leaned forwards. ¡°Yes. I spoke to my friend who knows a bit about getting people off planet, and¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking last night. I was probably drunk. I¡¯m perfectly happy with my lot here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you were saying last night.¡±


    Before they could get any further into their conversation, two men in servants¡¯ clothing walked in., chattering. The pair at the table looked over at them then back. ¡°We should continue this elsewhere,¡± Cecilia whispered to Edmon, and the two of them began to walk out.


    ¡°Stay here for a few minutes, Ossell¡± Edmon said to Kik, holding up four fingers. Kik nodded. He had four minutes before they would be back.


    The two men stared curiously at Kik as he sat there twiddling his thumbs. One of them broke the silence. ¡°Hey, kid. Do you know who that person meeting with Cecilia was?¡±


    ¡°That was my uncle Adrian. Well, I¡¯m supposed to say I¡¯m his son. He says it¡¯s better if people don¡¯t realise that Miss Cecilia is meeting with an unmarried man at work.¡±


    The two men glanced at each other and one of them winked. ¡°Yeah, we understand. We won¡¯t let anyone know.¡±


    Kik smiled in gratitude. ¡°That¡¯s good. Do either of you know where the toilet is, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s near the entrance to the kitchen, out that door there and to your right. Look for the big white door on the left before the end of the hall.¡±


    The two started gossiping as soon as he was out of the room. He felt a bit sorry for the woman, but she would get over a little chatter. It was better for the men to think they had figured out what was going on than for them to speculate.


    Thanking the men and walking through the door they pointed to, Kik hurried down the hallway, pulling on his glasses to quickly check the floor plans. He knew the closest bathroom was right before the stairs down to the pantry, just one level above the wine cellar.


    Peering around the corner, there were a pair of men struggling to lift a giant hunk of meat half their size around the halfway corner of the stairwell. He couldn¡¯t get down that way and time was ticking. Quickly stepping past the top of the stairs, he sniffed the air. The aroma of cooking food came from the door directly in front of him, as well as the sounds of many voices. It seemed like most of the staff were waiting for lunch.


    On his left was his way down, a food elevator. It was around fifty centimetres wide by a metre tall, but it widened up sideways slightly once he was inside. Crouching down and squeezing his left side in first, he managed to wedge himself inside with no parts sticking out. Reaching out with his right hand, he pressed the button for the bottom floor.


    The journey was slow, cramped and dark. Halfway down the carriage was lit up again by another opening to his right, showing him the empty pantry. It was walled in stone and covered by six-metre shelves groaning with food. There would be enough in this room to feed a district for a day.


    Only a small portion of the food was actually open to the air, the rest was inside boxes and crates of nearly infinite variety. The only ones that were clear seemed to actually be cages for live animals of many different kinds, the largest cage taking up the space of an entire shelf. That one had opaque walls so Kik couldn¡¯t see the insides.


    He travelled past this bright area into darkness once again. When he emerged for the second time he was alone in the wine cellar.


    The three-metre-high space was stacked floor-to-ceiling with wine bottles and casks. It was a place exclusively of wood and glass, with stone and metal used only in the walls and the pillars to hold up the ceiling. Dark liquid and Kik¡¯s distorted reflection looked around him as he peered around. ¡°Where are you, Colaron liquor¡­¡±


    Wandering through to the back, he read the labels of the glasses as he passed them. He found many bottles of Colaron, the being a popular source of wine, but all of them were from far more recently, in the early ¡¯800s. Walking back, the wine gradually got older and older, until he reached the mid ¡¯700¡¯s. After a few more steps, he found the rack of ¡¯724 Colaron. There was quite a stash of them, despite having been made over a hundred years ago.


    Pulling out the needle and the serum, he sucked up most of the contents of the test tube before piercing the cork and injecting the serum. Pulling out the needle, he sealed up the tiny hole with an unnoticeable dab of glue and breathed a sigh of relief.


    A second later, the adrenaline wore off slightly and he realised the effects of what he had just done. His heartbeat accelerated. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he forced himself to breathe slowly and calm down, before focussing on the task at hand again.


    So far, he had taken about two and a half minutes. Replacing the bottle sideways on the shelf with a shake to disperse the serum through it, he scampered back towards the entrance to the cellar.


    The pantry was deserted, as were the stairs leading up to the kitchen layer above. Breathing out thanks to the warp for his good luck, he recalled the cargo elevator to this level and stepped into the toilet. Quickly relieving himself, he washed and dried his hands loudly and returned to the room he had left.


    Cecilia and Edmon were waiting for him inside. ¡°What were you doing, Ossel?¡± Edmon asked.


    ¡°I just had to go to the toilet. The workers who were over there told me the way.¡± Kik pointed to where the two men had been sitting, but they weren¡¯t in the room any longer.


    Edmon shrugged. ¡°Alright. We¡¯re done with our talk.¡± He scowled slightly.


    Cecilia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see you out.¡± She walked them to the front gate, taking their wristbands and sending them off.


    Kik rested his hands behind his head.


    ¡°That went well,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re finally set up for the main event.¡±


    From the second floor of the house, a pair of men watched their departure. One was seated by the window, the curtains drawn back just enough to give a glimpse of his angular, hawk-like face and dark, straight hair, parted at the centre. The other stood beside his chair, looking through the window down at the road.


    ¡°So which one of the rats was doing the sneaking, Ferris?¡± the seated man asked.


    ¡°The small one, sir. He managed to squeeze into the dumbwaiter and gain access to the wine cellar.¡±


    ¡°Did you catch what he did on camera?¡±


    ¡°Hardly, sir. You told us not to place cameras down there, saying it would, I quote, ¡®ruin the air flow¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I may have at one point. Put the word out to watch for the two of them and discretely speak to a few of the staff. I want to know what they¡¯re trying to do in my house without my permission. Also, sweep the wine cellar for listening devices and make sure every bottle is tested before it is poured.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Sir Rostell.¡±


    Back at the house, everyone was waiting, Lucas pacing around the room and Ivan and Nemel were messing with their datapads. Kik skipped in, grinning. ¡°I did it. Nobody saw me.¡±


    Edmon followed behind more sedately. ¡°Mission complete.¡±


    Lucas sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s a load off our shoulders. Alright, we¡¯ll proceed as normal. Does anyone have anything to mention?¡±


    Ivan nodded. ¡°Benedict never showed up at the council chambers today. He sent a message in and confirmed that he was just busy, but it¡¯s strange that he would miss out on a discussion of home privacy when it¡¯s one of the issues that he¡¯s most passionate about.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Well, his most basic political slogan is ¡®privacy is a right¡¯. Today¡¯s debate focusses around increased security measures, giving police the ability to raid any house with minimal evidence. Since he¡¯s missing, his compatriots are having a hard time.¡±


    He passed around his datapad, which was currently displaying local news. Two lines of men in white bathrobes were standing out of their cushioned seats in a formal room, shouting at each other. The caption read, ¡°New goals for the security party¡±.


    ¡°None of his side can make any headway. He¡¯s losing much-needed votes because the opposition is swaying many of the neutral councilmen.¡±


    He held up the datapad again, just as the news story changed from the debate to a picture of a line of policemen in armor with shields clashing with an angry mob. The caption read, ¡°Riots continue in the industrial district¡±.


    ¡°Oh, the story¡¯s over. Either way, you get the point. Something strange is going on here.¡±


    Lucas nodded. ¡°Anyone else have anything they want taken into account? No? Alright. Everybody, get ready to move out. We¡¯re in your hands, Edmon. Bring everything with you, because there¡¯s a high chance we won¡¯t be coming back here.¡±


    Packing all his various pieces of gear into his pockets, Kik considered what they were about to do. Sure, his part was already over, but he had arguably played the biggest part of all. He hadn¡¯t made the poison, nor had he forced the man to drink it, but he was the one who had put it there. If the killing instrument was a gun, he would have been the one to pull the trigger.


    Although if he didn¡¯t pull the trigger, his mother could lose everything. Was the one to blame really him, or Erstine sitting smugly back on Lanos, not knowing whether the bullet had been fired or not?


    Realising he had stopped moving, he jumped back into motion and soon everyone was ready for the final groundcar ride.


    After a few hours of eternal torment, Kik felt ready to explode, the same as everybody else. Before he ran down the stairs and started screaming at pedestrians outside, Lucas checked the window and gave them the all-clear. ¡°Sunset. Let¡¯s move.¡±


    The car trip was quiet and awkward. Ivan drove, and Lucas, Kik, Edmon and Nemel sat in the back. Even Edmon wasn¡¯t able to crack a smile from being seated next to Nemel. All of them were carrying several bags, with a few extra lying in the middle of the floor.


    When they were a few blocks away, Ivan opened the slot to the front seat and spoke through it. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Lucas and Edmon, I¡¯ll drop you two nearby, then I¡¯ll circle around and park a block to the east. We¡¯ll be waiting for your message, so let us know when and where you need extraction.¡±


    Edmon nodded, shouldering the bag of boxes Lucas had taken from Belwin and dropping the other. Lucas did the same, keeping the metal case which he had received from Belwin. He took a small-calibre pistol out of it and handed it to Nemel. ¡°Just in case.¡± The rest of the case was filled with flat plates of varying sizes, as far as Kik could see before it was closed again.


    Edmon was dropped off on the outside of the skyscraper with Lucas. Making his way inside as quickly as possible, he headed back out to the eighteenth floor. Stepping out onto the scaffold carefully, he looked around at the already fully dark sky. Fliers zipped around and the flow of people below slowly trickled off, the rhythm of the city continuing as normal. Calmed by the sensation, he pulled out binoculars and a dark, non-reflective cloak from his bag. He started to piece together his high-powered crossbow as he memorised his target¡¯s face from the datapad. At least today it wasn¡¯t raining.


    Lucas walked the whole way along the block, completely passing the target¡¯s house and entering the alley to its southwest, across the road and at the opposite end of the block. He kept the hood of his jacket low over his face and watched the floor. Stopping by the wall, he opened up the case he was carrying.


    Looking inside, hidden by the lid of the case, he inspected an assault rifle, ensuring it was assembled and loaded. Just in case they needed a distraction. Putting it away, he closed the case again, ignoring the rest of its contents for now.


    Ivan lay back in the driver¡¯s seat of the car and rested his cap over his eyes, although he was alert as ever. From the backseat, Kik and Nemel took turns watching the front of the Rostell household. Everybody was set up, and all that was left was to wait the ten minutes it would take for the guests to begin to arrive.

 10 - Interrupted Meeting

    The wind gusted in the night as cars began to arrive at the Rostell household. Long, black, silent vehicles, escorted by motorcycles with roaring motors, pulled up in front of the house.


    Processions of thick boots stepped onto the pavement as the motorcycle riders disembarked. Groups of leather-jacketed men strolled across the path with a swaggering step. They had scars adorning their face, buzzcuts and mohawks for hair. Sprayguns, shotguns, rifles, grenades, even a sword or two, they flourished their weapons at those nearby. Nearly forty such people were present.


    Once they had scared off the few nearby pedestrians on the block, the next wave of people disembarked. The thugs by the pavement respectfully opened the car doors for them, house staff rolling a carpet from the front door to the gate. This time the main attire was an array of crisp suits, clipped to military precision. Blacks and blues were the chief colours, one solitary man in red. Ten such people emerged from their cars.


    These ten men entered the house, followed by most of their attendant ruffians. Five stayed outside to watch the road. The cars drove away to park elsewhere, leaving a line of motorcycles sitting at the side of the road like leashed tigers.


    The night settled into silence once more.


    ¡°Benedict¡¯s late,¡± Ivan said to Kik and Nemel from his seat in the front of his van. His hat concealed the movement of his mouth. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°Were any of those cars his?¡± Nemel asked. ¡°He might have sent someone in his place.¡±


    ¡°No, they weren¡¯t. I got a look at them while I was checking out his house. His car¡¯s definitely white.¡±


    Kik radioed Edmon. ¡°What can you see from up there?¡±


    ¡°Not much. All the cars have driven off. I spotted one of the two unlucky guys, Mr Egil. He¡¯s inside the house now. Do you have eyes on the target?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t arrived,¡± Ivan said.


    Lucas¡¯ voice came through the handheld radio in the car. ¡°Do you think we have to call off the op?¡±


    Ivan thought. ¡°Wait for a few minutes. He might show up.¡±


    ¡°Wait, they¡¯re in the garden upstairs now,¡± Edmon said, peering through his binoculars. ¡°They haven¡¯t started the meeting though. They might be waiting for him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you heard,¡± Lucas said. ¡°We wait for a while too. Be prepared to retreat, everyone. You never know when something might go wrong.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to remind us,¡± Nemel said. ¡°We¡¯re anxious enough already.¡±


    Time dragged onwards. Lucas stomped his feet and walked around. Edmon stretched in his post to keep his muscles from cramping. The three in the car relaxed as much as they could. An advertisement balloon slowly drifted closer, high in the sky, blaring some message or news story across the city.


    Finally, Edmon spoke up. ¡°Someone just arrived.¡±


    Peering out of the corner of his eye, Ivan spotted a white car rolling slowly down the street. He breathed out and sunk into his chair. ¡°He must just have wanted to be fashionably late.¡±


    Up on his vantage point, Edmon pulled his cloak and crossbow tighter


    The other side of the street also moved into action. The five men outside stood up and moved over to the car. A few faces peered out from the misted glass of the greenhouse before pulling back.


    As the five approached the vehicle, one hurried out in front to open the door. The other four started to line up, two on either side of the path. As the two furthest from the road stepped into position, they seemed to stumble.


    The first deaths that night.


    The pair collapsed almost in tandem, lying unmoving on the ground. The two lined up next to them looked down at the fallen bodies before they too fell. A faint spray of blood from their heads tainted the ground red. One collapsed on his side, the other dropping heavily to his knees before keeling over.


    The final member of the welcoming committee looked around as he opened the door. He immediately realised his companions were all downed and motionless. He pulled his rifle from his back, scanning the buildings around him for the shooter as he reached for the communication device at his throat.


    Before his hand could get there, it was grabbed by an armoured gauntlet. Stepping out of the car, a soldier in heavy black armour with a long cloak stood to his full height, a foot and a half above the thug. His fist closed over the man¡¯s hand like the distended jaws of a python.


    From the suit¡¯s armoured left gauntlet, the soldier flicked out a serrated blade. He stepped in and forced the man¡¯s torso towards the ground, his powered suit whirring as it overpowered human muscle. He plunged the knife into the back of the man¡¯s neck, sawing through his spinal cord in a spray of gore. The team of five was finished in as many seconds.


    Kik and his companions across the street stood there speechless as a second armoured soldier, equally huge, emerged from the vehicle. This one wasn¡¯t wearing a cloak, but he was carrying an oversized assault rifle. Lucas, who couldn¡¯t see the house from his post, spoke out. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? Anyone?¡±


    Edmon recovered first. ¡°It looks like a police raid. We have a pair in heavy combat armour, and at least two snipers nearby. The snipers are armed with laser rifles, going by the lack of blood. The main two are just strolling towards the front gate. They¡¯ve already taken out five men.¡±


    ¡°We have what? Was this whole meeting a setup? For who?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and watch what happens,¡± Nemel said, but there was someone who wasn¡¯t listening.


    ¡°Viverne Komanda,¡± Ivan whispered under his breath, sitting out of his seat.


    ¡°What? Wyvern Squad?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Hey! Lie back down! We¡¯ll be seen!¡±


    Ivan ignored him, starting to get to his feet and muttering under his breath. ¡°Burning snow, petrol on the air, shrapnel explosions...¡±


    Kik squeezed his arm through the partition and slapped Ivan. ¡°Shut up and stop moving! You¡¯re going to get us all killed.¡±


    Ivan shook his head and , although he was still panting. He lay back on his seat and replaced the cap. ¡°Sorry¡­ this is just¡­¡±


    ¡°What were you muttering just then?¡± Kik lowered his arm.


    ¡°The Wyvern Squad? Weren¡¯t they that unit from the Second Evenoff War?¡± Nemel asked.


    ¡°These can¡¯t be the real ones,¡± Ivan said incredulously, ¡°but they wear the symbol of the wyvern.¡±


    Kik glanced at the armoured figures strolling to the front door of the estate. As Ivan said, there was a large tattoo-like drawing of a scaled creature with wings on the back of the one without a cloak. ¡°Tell us the story later. For now, concentrate. Revenge can wait.¡±


    Ivan breathed in and out. ¡°I understand.¡±


    The armoured pair sauntered down the path to the front door. Their bootprints stained the blue carpet red. Neither of them were holding weapons out, but the one without a cloak was bouncing a small orb on his palm. Walking up to the door, the one with the cloak opened it with a surprisingly gentle touch. He ducked down and peered through the doorway.


    His voice, enhanced by the speakers, boomed out across the still, cool air. His baritone carried to the other side of the road. It must have been deafening inside the entryway. ¡°Oi, chimps. We¡¯re here for Clement Rostell. Go get him.¡±


    A moment of stunned silence preceded a roar of indignation rose from the house as those in the front hall realised what was happening. Pulling his cloak aside, the armoured man swiftly unslung a vehicle-grade heavy machine gun. Pointing its barrel in the general direction of the thugs pulling out their weapons, he held down the trigger. He moved his aim across the room as whatever he pointed at was reduced to rubble.


    Stepping back out of the doorway as the first few return shots began to pink off his chestplate, he made way for the next armoured figure, who tossed the grenade he had been holding through the door. Windows shattered as shards of shrapnel blasted outwards, followed by a cloud of obscuring smoke. Switching their vision to infrared, the two started wading inside, gunning down those who stood in their way.


    Explosions.


    The sound of breaking glass.


    Loud noises came from the rear of the house.


    Other more lightly armoured police teams hurried from the rear of the grounds and made their entries through walls and windows. Hurried firefights erupted at doorways and corridors throughout the house. They ended soon, as confused guards and ruffians ran into trained and well-prepared assault units.


    Edmon watched proceedings from the scaffold, the only one able to provide any commentary.


    ¡°It seems the gunbattle has mostly died down below the third level. The remaining guards and a few gangers have the stairs barricaded and they¡¯re holding the line for now. There¡¯s no escape from up there, though. The outside of the building is under watch, and those snipers are still around.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they just send those shock troops up?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Are you joking?¡± Lucas said. ¡°That¡¯s heavy combat armour, h-e-a-v-y. They¡¯d break the stairs. I can¡¯t believe they managed to fit in the car. Anyway, what¡¯s our plan now? Our target¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°Quiet! Something¡¯s happening!¡± Edmon said. This time those in the car could see the action too.


    The troops on the lawn locked shoulder-mounted grenade launchers to their armour. They fired them into the greenhouse, glass fracturing once again as the cylinders fell through the walls, trailing smoke. The space inside was completely obscured by billowing clouds, wisps trailing through the holes in the glass. A few gunshots sounded from inside as people fired at random, blasting out the occasional panel but doing little to clear out the smoke.


    As the room was filled, black shapes began to land on the roof from above. The figures were abseiling down from a rope stretched into the darkness above. Kik pressed his face against the glass, blocking Nemel¡¯s vision, but he still couldn¡¯t see where the rope came from.


    He quickly radioed Edmon. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where are they coming from? I can¡¯t see that far up.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re abseiling down from an advertisement balloon,¡± Edmon said. ¡°They¡¯re not leaving a single approach unused.¡±


    Several of the troops standing on the roof swiftly cut and smashed a hole into the roof of the garden. Flipping helmet visors down, they jumped down into the cloud, armed with sub machine guns. All their positions were lost from view.


    A minute or two later, as the seconds ticked by, a hole was smashed in one of the windows. As the gas poured out, more holes were smashed, and the room began to clear.


    Edmon was first to speak once again. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± he said. ¡°The police crushed them.¡± From his perch, he could see a dirtied garden. Dead men lay in pools of their own blood, their throat slit from behind before they knew there was someone behind them. Potted plants were knocked over, their soil drinking the blood that stained the ground. Among the corpses lay a solitary attacker, taken out by a stray shot in the confusion.


    ¡°What happens now?¡± Lucas asked again over the radio. ¡°There¡¯s no target for us to kill. Could Benedict have started this? The police did come using his car.¡±


    ¡°Before you make any assumptions,¡± Edmon said, ¡°look at the car out the front.¡±


    Gazing over at Benedict¡¯s car, Kik saw a man escorted out with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was wearing a torn and bloodied robe with the sleeves ripped off. He had a line of dried blood streaking his face and his exposed arms were bruised, a few burn marks marring his skin in vivid red.


    The black-armoured policeman who dragged him out of the car began to pull him towards the building. At the same time, several other suited men in various states of consciousness were pulled out of the front door.


    ¡°Pass me some binoculars,¡± Ivan said to Kik and Nemel. Kik gave the ones he had been using to Ivan through the slot, leaving the night vision on.


    Bringing the binoculars up to his eyes, Ivan peered through them at the front garden. ¡°That¡¯s our man,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s hurt pretty badly but I can recognize him.¡±


    Nemel radioed Lucas and Edmon while Kik took his binoculars back. ¡°That¡¯s our target.¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± Lucas said.


    They all sat there in relief until Edmon spoke. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. At this rate he¡¯s just going to be driven away and not drink the poison.¡±


    ¡°That makes it hard for us,¡± Kik said. ¡°Should we just let the police take him? He¡¯ll be out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to explain that to Erstine?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°No. But neither do I want to be killed.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I say we watch and wait for now,¡± Lucas told them. ¡°Prepare to leave at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    On the lawn, police officers held down Clement Rostell as he coughed and spluttered. Six of the meeting¡¯s attendees had been killed inside. Now he, the other four visitors, and Benedict, had been led outside like livestock. They lay and sat there, bathed in the bright lights emitted by the policemen¡¯s helmets.


    A policeman walked up to his prone form, a wyvern engraved on his breast. He had the badge of a Captain on his shoulderpad. The policeman crouched down and lifted Clement¡¯s face up, grinning from beneath his half face helmet.


    ¡°Ah, how the mighty fall,¡± he said. ¡°You thought yourself untouchable, didn¡¯t you. But you ran out of time and you never realised. The gangs don¡¯t rule Elaris anymore, they haven¡¯t for the past thirty years. That¡¯s our job now.¡±


    Clement spat on his narrow visor. ¡°Don¡¯t belittle me, you fake Wyvern. How does it feel to live while hiding behind a name that isn¡¯t yours? At least what I have...¡±


    The policeman headbutted Clement, leaving behind a bloody nose and a pair of red lines across Clement¡¯s face where the edge of the vision slit had struck. ¡°Try to keep civil, if you can. We¡¯ll get answers out of you just like we did your friend.¡± He gestured towards Benedict, who lay nearby. He wasn¡¯t moving at all except for the rise and fall of his chest. He couldn¡¯t be unconscious either as his eyes were open.


    ¡°You broke him.¡±


    ¡°Everyone breaks in the end.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a first.¡± Clement¡¯s voice was proud but his eyes flickered away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Other soldiers dragged the four other survivors of the assault into Clement¡¯s view. The only fully conscious one was Preston, who was manhandled over in his red suit. They forced him to his knees and the person behind him held the barrel of a pistol to his head.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± His questioner¡¯s voice was a whisper, slipping from between his teeth like the tongue of a snake.


    ¡°I¡¯m not answering anything until I see my lawyer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a little hard to speak if your brain is leaking through your mouth,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°Go ahead, send me on. I¡¯ll be fancy in red at the gates of judgement.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time you want to act cool, wear brown pants with your suit,¡± the guard said as he pulled the trigger. ¡°You¡¯ll avoid stains better that way.¡± The stench of refuse filled the air as Preston¡¯s bowels emptied in death.


    The process was repeated once more, with Harron, the next most conscious. Clement just tuned it out. He was already resigned to his own death the moment he was surrounded, his men killed. Everything else was just prolonging the end. After Harron was finished off, the captain called for them to stop.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with the others. He¡¯s not responding, for the moment. Instead, bring the dogs from the shed.¡±


    As the men walked off, Clement turned pale. ¡°How did you hear about that?¡±


    ¡°I told you, Mr Rostell. Everybody breaks. Once they do they tell us every little thing they know. Keep your secrets close in future.¡±


    Rostell turned and glared at Benedict¡¯s still figure. He swore to kill the man, assuming he got the chance.


    The men returned with Clement¡¯s pride and joy. Julius, Nereid, Elephas, Shine and Raptor. They had cost him as much as all his houses combined, but it had been worth it. They were unique. Intelligent. Alive. His children. As the five mechanical hounds were laid in front of him, Clement cried out.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t touch them! I¡¯ll tell you anything! Anything! Just leave them be!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, Mr Rostell. How could we trust you so easily? How about this. Let¡¯s have a test. I¡¯ll ask you a question. You answer. If you answer right, nothing happens. If you try to mislead us, a puppy breaks. You get to choose.¡± The captain gestured to one of the snipers who had just emerged from the base of the skyscraper opposite. He set his laser rifle to cutting mode and levelled it with Raptor¡¯s back.


    ¡°Now, first question. Let¡¯s start nice and easy. What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Clement Arthur Donis Rostell.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. How many men do you have working for you?¡±


    ¡°I have fifty men and women who work around my house.¡±


    The captain gestured at the sniper to fire his rifle.


    ¡°Wait! Wait. I don¡¯t know the exact number of others, but you can find out. There are detailed documents in a safe on the third level, beneath the sprinkler system in the garden. Ferris used to look after it. The passcode is 252221.¡±


    ¡°Who is Ferris?¡±


    ¡°My steward. He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll see how truthful you¡¯ve been.¡± The captain nodded to one of his men who rushed upstairs to confirm Clement¡¯s story.


    He soon returned with a case full of data wafers. ¡°He told the truth about the safe, sir. I¡¯ll take a squad and get this data back to someone who can make sense of it.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, sergeant,¡± the captain said, then turned to the sniper. ¡°Alright, cut through that beast¡¯s head.¡±


    Clement screamed until he was hoarse. ¡°What did I do wrong? Why? Why?¡±


    ¡°You told us where the data was. But you didn¡¯t tell us that it would be in data wafers. You withheld information.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯ll tell you! I¡¯ll do it right!¡± He dragged himself across the floor and clutched at the captain¡¯s legs.


    The captain kicked him away, his eyes turned down in judgement. ¡°Tut-tut. You made the mistake so you pay the price. You¡¯ll tell us everything next time, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Holding down on his trigger, the sniper slowly burnt his way through the metal of the hound¡¯s neck. The hardened carapace was burned through first, then the delicate electronics, motors and wiring inside. The hound¡¯s jaw spasmed and its eyes lit up and died again as wires were connected and severed in unintended combinations. Power erratically ran throughout, burning out diodes and causing catastrophic damage. Finally, a glowing hole was bored through the bottom as the laser reached all the way through. Clement didn¡¯t notice the tears on his face as the life of one of his companions faded away.


    As the soldier began to widen the hole, Clement realised that his other four children were right in front of him. They had been deactivated but if he could remember the voice command to turn them on¡­


    Suddenly Clement smiled. The captain, looking down at him, was puzzled for a second, before turning to some soldiers. ¡°Somebody grab him,¡± he said. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    As the soldiers hoisted Clement up, he laughed out to the sky and cried out a word.


    ¡°Something¡¯s happening,¡± Edmon radioed in as the man on the lawn was pulled to his feet by the soldiers. ¡°Maybe the interrogation is ending.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going through their heads, showing this to everyone in the buildings nearby,¡± Nemel said. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d be making a statement,¡± Edmon said. ¡°They want people to know what they¡¯re capable of.¡± He zoomed his binoculars in. ¡°What is going on down there¡­¡±


    The four guard dogs sprang to life. Besides the damaged Raptor, who spasmed and jerked, its motor controls cut and redirected, they rushed in on their targets. Nereid sprang on the sniper, who had stopped cutting through Raptor long enough to look around in puzzlement. Its mechanical jaws tore through his throat, rotating blades in its mouth going to work.


    Julius and Shine jumped at one of the two heavy armoured shock troopers, the one with the rifle. He held off Julius¡¯ assault with the bulk of his rifle while Shine attempted to tear through the joints in his armour. He kicked backwards at the machine, but it evaded his angered attempts.


    Elephas freed itself from the small crowd around the captain and disappeared into the darkness. It started to chase down soldiers around the fringes of the house. A few spotted its reflective body and fired at it, but their bullets only left small dents in its armoured carapace.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    From up on the scaffolding, Edmon watched the chaos and spinning lights down below with glee.


    ¡°I have my chance. I¡¯m taking the shot,¡± he said. Peering down the scope of his crossbow, he found their target lying still on the ground. Muttering calculations in his head, he loaded a plain bolt into his bow and adjusted its elevation. The first shot would be for ranging, the second one would be for the kill.


    Firing his crossbow, he peered down into the darkness with his binoculars. Gazing over the lawn between him and his target, he spotted the bolt embedded in the grass just a few metres short.


    Flipping a switch on the back, the crossbow whirred as it cranked itself back again. He loaded a second bolt in and took aim, lifting the crossbow just a few degrees up.


    The bolt sunk into Benedict¡¯s leg. It pierced through his thigh, the head pushing at the skin on his other side. The pain roused him, and he cried out, clutching the wound. Few people paid him any attention though, given the other noise in the garden. Weapons discharges and the cries of the injured rose from across the grounds. The hounds had disabled or killed five policemen already and were starting to engage other soldiers as they emerged from the house.


    Edmon folded up the crossbow and climbed back inside the building. He gazed out the window at the lawn as he replaced his gear into his bag. Once he was done he radioed the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need a lift as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Get him?¡± Ivan asked him, sitting up and starting up the van.


    ¡°In a second. The explosive bolt is about to go off.¡±


    An small spray of blood rose up from the lawn as Benedict Odell¡¯s lower torso disintegrated. The captain noticed the explosion, pointing his pistol at the buildings around in an attempt to spot the sniper. He was interrupted by one of the dogs knocking him over with a bite to his leg. The jaws didn¡¯t pierce the armour but they deformed it, pushing broken shards of rigid, bulletproof material into his legs.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Edmon said. ¡°The target¡¯s dead now.¡±


    ¡°Mission complete, or as close as it¡¯s going to get,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Ivan, pick everyone up. We need to get out of here before that assault team get their situation sorted. I¡¯ll meet you on the southwest corner of my block.¡± He put his assault rifle back in the case and began to jog down the alleyway towards the rendezvous.


    They picked Edmon up in the alley beneath the building, managing to squeeze the car through. He dropped his equipment on the floor before slamming the doors shut behind him. ¡°One of them almost spotted me. We got lucky. Let¡¯s get out of here, quickly.¡±


    Driving over to Lucas, he was much more composed. He hadn¡¯t actually seen any of the action, which was probably the reason for his calmness. He climbed in the back and threw his case on the top of the bags. Edmon hurried to shut the door behind him.


    They were at last sealed into the van and drove away from the scene. They all breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Is this how it usually is?¡± Kik asked as they sped away from the site. ¡°It feels like that was all dumb luck that saved us.¡±


    The four self-proclaimed assassins looked at each other. Lucas turned to Kik. ¡°No. Sometimes we get really lucky.¡±


    Ivan drove them south in an attempt to distract pursuit. He turned east once they were on the edge of the industrial zone. The road here was double the usual width, a main route through the city. They were around two hours¡¯ drive away from the spaceport, but the detour added an extra twenty minutes onto that. Traffic was neither light nor heavy, with all but the most dedicated workers out of work already but many already off the roads and home.


    They  passed beneath a series of hanging bridges connecting two block-sized skyscrapers. Looking out the side window, Ivan swore in annoyance.


    ¡°Tear my entrails out and nail them to an oak tree!¡±


    He turned right as soon as he had an opportunity. They were still over an hour away from the spaceport.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lucas asked, leaning forward from the back seat.


    ¡°We were spotted leaving the scene,¡± Ivan said. ¡°Someone must have taken a picture from the balloon. The photo of our vehicle is out on the police announcement.¡±


    ¡°We need to get rid of this groundcar as soon as possible,¡± Nemel said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m moving into the industrial zone. It should be empty at this time of night. We can ditch it there.¡±


    Just a few blocks south and the area was deserted. Lights shone from buildings around but nobody was on the road or the streets.


    ¡°See, this is perfect,¡± Ivan said. ¡°Now we just need somewhere where nobody will spot it for a day and we¡¯ll be long gone before it¡¯s found.¡±


    Driving for a short distance, Ivan spotted an underground carpark just off the street. Pulling in, he paid for two days of parking. They left the car in the shade of a pillar towards the back. Everyone climbed out and they walked through the pedestrian entrance.


    Lucas checked the map on his datapad. ¡°We should head north. If we can get back onto the main road, we can get an air taxi to bring us to the spaceport.¡±


    Edmon smiled and stretched. ¡°We got away. There¡¯s no way they can find us now.¡±


    Ivan was a bit more concerned. ¡°We got away, but did we complete the mission properly? They know we targeted Benedict, after all.¡±


    ¡°But nobody knows who we are,¡± Lucas said. ¡°This can¡¯t be traced back to Erstine, just as he wanted.¡±


    After fifteen minutes of walking, Lucas was breathing hard.


    ¡°Come on, hurry up,¡± Kik said. ¡°This isn¡¯t even a hill and we¡¯re just walking. What were you like on Lanos?¡±


    Ivan grinned. ¡°He just sat around all day complaining that he wasn¡¯t built for the heat. He tried to get us to strap an exoskeleton on him.¡±


    They chuckled at the image. Kik relaxed and realised that he had been tensed up for all of the past day. ¡°Let¡¯s just get off this planet. I want to feel a ship around me again.¡±


    As they neared the road they had turned off before, sirens blared as a squadron of ten heavily armoured transport vehicles turned the road towards them. Six-wheeled, multiple access points, and with the edge of the doors at almost head-height, they were built to take a beating and keep driving.


    The first nine raced past, while the last one slowed to a stop as it parked beside them. A side door opened and two policemen in riot gear, with batons and shields, came to the exit. Kik flinched, but somehow the others managed to remain calm.


    ¡°You there!¡± the leading trooper called as he jumped out and walked over. The other let down a ladder and climbed down more sedately.


    ¡°What are you doing in a curfew zone at this time of the night?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, officer. We were just leaving the district.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that. But what were you doing here in the first place?¡±


    Nemel stepped in. ¡°You see, we had just reached the main road, trying to catch an air taxi. Then Ossel here,¡± she gestured towards Kik, ¡°dropped his heirloom and it was blown away. We had to run over here to get it.¡±


    ¡°What heirloom is this?¡±


    Kik started for a second before pulling out his father¡¯s bone trinket. He slipped the loop from around his neck and handed it to the riot trooper.


    Looking at it quickly, the trooper returned the charm and frowned. ¡°Who did you say you were? Can I see your papers?¡±


    Lucas nodded and handed over their identification. The first policeman was about to take them before his companion interceded and quickly looked through them.


    ¡°These are all in order,¡± he said. ¡°I advise you get out of the area as quickly as possible. You don¡¯t want to be caught out on the streets during curfew.¡± He grinned and winked. ¡°It would be a shame to get arrested less than a block away from the edge of the district.¡±


    As the second trooper dragged the first back to the van, a growl sounded in his face. ¡°Take this seriously, Johnson. This is a curfewed zone¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sergeant. They had a kid with them, and look at all that baggage they¡¯re carrying. They¡¯re clearly just a group trying to get away from the riots. Remember, we have bigger things to deal with today.¡±


    The five breathed a sigh of relief as the door to the armoured vehicle slid shut and it began to roll away. ¡°That was a close one,¡± Edmon remarked. ¡°If he had looked through our bags¡­¡± He glanced at the crossbow he was carrying and the case in Lucas¡¯ arms.


    ¡°Just be glad that he didn¡¯t,¡± Lucas said, hoisting the case onto his shoulder again.


    The air taxi ride to the spaceport was a calm one. The air sat still over the city. Silence reigned inside the cabin, as everyone digested the events of the day.


    Looking out the window to the south, Kik saw a flickering red glow on the horizon. ¡°Is something going on over there?¡± he asked the group. ¡°It¡¯s all lit up.¡± He pulled out his handheld binoculars to get a closer look.


    Ivan was the only other person able to look that way from a window. Peering in the same direction, he shaded his eyes against the bright lights of the cabin. ¡°That¡¯s one big fire.¡±


    Bringing the binoculars up to his eyes, Kik saw flames dancing above the rooftops in the distance. Rising and falling, they spread rapidly, covering entire blocks with ferocious heat. However the flames were being fought, it wasn¡¯t helping, because they spread to cover a larger area with every passing minute.


    With nothing he could do from his seat but watch, the fires spread and consumed much of the south of the city. They were still burning strongly as the taxi landed at the airport.


    The trip through the airport was quick and easy. They got back to the ship with no fuss at all. It had been moved to a completely different hangar. Kik wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that, although the paintwork was no more damaged than it had been when they landed. It was a standard grey, blackened in some spots from the reentry.


    As they climbed the ladder back into the ship, Kik turned to the others. ¡°How come they didn¡¯t check us as we were leaving? I mean, they checked us when we were arriving. And this time we¡¯re carrying weapons aboard the ship with us. Did you bribe someone?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about what we take off planet,¡± Edmon said. ¡°Why would they care if we¡¯re not near them when we use it? Shouldn¡¯t you know this? You¡¯ve been around the sector, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Kik scratched his head. ¡°I mostly stayed aboard the ship on lawful worlds like this one. My father told me they were too boring to worry about.¡± A cloud passed across his face at the mention of his father but it didn¡¯t stay for long.


    They all changed back into their spacesuits, Kik getting comfortable once again. He moved all his gear around, keeping the essentials with him. Feeling a lump in one of the pockets, he decide to ask Nemel about something.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Kik tossed the faceted gem from his pocket to Nemel. She caught it, fumbling slightly with the unfamiliar gloves. Holding it up to the light, she peered through it.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a biologist, not a geologist, but it looks like a diamond to me.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea what might make it valuable?¡±


    ¡°Well, if it really is a diamond¡­¡± she held up her thumb, comparing the size of its tip to the stone. ¡°With this size, it should be at least a hundred thousand credits.¡± She looked again. ¡°Actually, it could be less. Do you have any information about diamonds in your glasses?¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll bring it up.¡±


    ¡°Look for information about impurities. It¡¯s tinted yellow, that might mean it¡¯s not a perfect diamond.¡±


    Opening his glasses, Kik read the file, quickly summarising.


    ¡°Impurities can have varying effects on the price of a diamond. Perfect diamonds are clear. Yellow diamonds are less valuable, rare colorations such as pink and red are more cherished.¡± He nodded. ¡°So it¡¯s not worth as much as you first thought. Any idea of what might raise the price beyond the expected?¡±


    Nemel shrugged. ¡°I think it comes down to any personal value it has. If it represents something to somebody they might pay handsomely for it.¡±


    Kik smiled in gratitude. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get¡­ No, never mind. It¡¯s not my business.¡± Nemel watched his pocket curiously as he stowed the diamond and sealed it again, heading to the bridge for the final launch.


    Their ship was moved to the end of a long tunnel by the mechanical arms holding it in place. A series of clicks surrounded around them and the ship lurched slightly as they were lowered into position.


    A soothing mechanical voice came across the ship comms. It was much smoother than the grating, unjointed tones of the public address system on Lanos. ¡°It is the captain¡¯s responsibility to ensure all crew and passengers are strapped in for launch. Launch shall begin in one minute after auxiliary boosters are attached. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Elaris.¡±


    ¡°Alright, time to buckle up,¡± Kik said over the ship comms. ¡°We¡¯re heading home. Sit down, strap in and prepare for a rough ride. Fold out the bench in the wall of your room, it¡¯s approved for liftoff.¡± Thinking about it, he realised he didn¡¯t get motion sick when on spaceships, only smaller planes. He grinned, wondering how they were going to get into orbit this time.


    Clunks sounded on the bottom of the ship as engines and fuel tanks were connected. The navigation computers were fed a trajectory from launch control, prompting Kik to accept.


    Once he had chosen their route and finished buckling in, the ship accelerated forwards, slamming Kik back into his seat. It was propelled by some sort of electromagnetic force to great speeds, shooting out of the top of the tunnel. They climbed swiftly away from the mountain spaceport, their first stage rockets firing and leaving a trail of smoke behind them.


    As their initial fuel levels started to run low, a second fuel canister was fired up to them by railgun. Their engine picked up the package in mid-flight. It ejected the previous canister and let it drift slowly downwards via parachute. The second-stage rockets carried them further into space, towards the path of a giant orbital station. It was marked with the twin leaves of the Conglomerate navy.


    A tether hung down from the base of the station. As they rose and the station drew close overhead, it trailed down from above and locked to the hull of the ship. The engine stopped firing and fell away towards the ground below, a parachute blossoming as it descended.


    As the station passed by at an incredible speed, the tether pulled the ship in its wake. Swinging in a wide arc upwards, the ship was dragged to orbital velocity. Once they were secure in the wake of the station, the tether fell away and control of the ship returned to Kik.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said over the comms. ¡°We¡¯ve achieved orbit. It¡¯s time to get out of the system.¡±


    Walking to the back of the ship as the autopilot calculated a course out of the system, Kik found all the others holding back vomit. ¡°Why were we going up and backwards¡­¡± Lucas managed to get out. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be normal for¡­¡±


    Kik clapped his hands. ¡°Since we have a little time, Ivan, how about you tell us a story? You owe us a tale about a certain Wyvern squad.¡±


    Ivan nodded shakily. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s not a pretty one, but it¡¯s what happens.¡±


    Everyone sat down, concentrating on something to help them deal with their nausea.


    ¡°So,¡± Ivan began from his spot, crouched on the floor. ¡°First of all you should know that I grew up on Evenoff. I was the son of a moderately rich landowner. Our territory specialised in furs. We imported and grew creatures in the hundreds for their skin.¡±


    He rubbed the corners of his eyes. ¡°Back then our only neighbour within three jumps was a planet called Trant-I. Their planet¡¯s primary export was technology. They were a research world, far more developed than us. But one day they ran into a problem. They were low on manpower. Educated families have fewer children. So they decided to take ours.¡±


    ¡°What happened there?¡± Nemel asked, leaning forward in her seat.


    ¡°It started out harmless at first. Trant companies would come recruiting on our planet, asking for volunteers. Quite a few people accepted. Work was scarce sometimes. We had heard tales of prosperity. Then we found it was all a lie.¡±


    He gazed into each person¡¯s eyes in turn, ensuring he saw the right emotions there. Satisfied, he continued. ¡°The people taken away to work on Trant were basically slaves. They were given no rights as citizens. Our government protested, locked down borders and attempted to retrieve our stolen citizens, by force if necessary.¡±


    ¡°I bet that didn¡¯t turn out well,¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°No. The Trantians decided that if they were to have our manpower all they needed to do was conquer us. They invaded shortly, but at the start of the conflict their high command neglected to specify they wanted prisoners. It was a slaughter. Our cities were bombed from orbit. They deployed combat drones against us. Combat drones. We did what we could, but it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°So what about after that?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°What could we do? We fought back however we could think of. Our soldiers hid among the people they were trying to enslave. They snuck aboard enemy ships and brought the fight to their world. My father was one of the main ringleaders.¡± He hung his head. ¡°What a mistake that was. It made us a target. Wyvern squad was dispatched one day to bait him out. They already had a name for brutality. They proved it justified. Our family house was mostly untouched by the war so far, isolated and in the mountains as we were. Within three days everybody living there was dead. Our lands were a barren ruin.¡±


    ¡°That sort of thing would be...¡± Lucas¡¯ face was downcast. ¡°What happened then?¡±


    ¡°Interplanetary forces came in and stopped the whole thing. They deemed it ¡®unproductive¡¯. Ended the war where it was and left the survivors to pick up the pieces. My father and a few other leaders on each side were tried for war crimes. All were found guilty. He¡¯s still serving a life sentence aboard some terraforming colony in the middle of nowhere.¡±


    They sat still for a second. ¡°Well, that explains why you hate Wyvern Squad,¡± Kik said. ¡°But how come so many people have heard of them? I mean, Nemel, you knew who they were.¡±


    Ivan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°They made a children¡¯s show about them. ¡®Wyvern Squad, the Heroes of Justice. Fly in on wings of fire to save the day.¡¯ They forgot to mention the genocide.¡±


    Lucas tilted his head. ¡°Usually history is that way. The winners write the history texts. In this case, it certainly sounds like Trant won.¡±


    Ivan sat down and leaned back, resting his palms on the floor. ¡°That they did. As much as I may hate them, I have to admit that we lost. With the increased military presence in the aftermath of the war, nothing should happen for the next  hundred years, but maybe next time we¡¯ll be the victors. I just hope I¡¯ll be around to see it happen.¡±


    They sat for a few minutes on the floor before Kik was called back to the bridge by the navigational computer. Their heading had been achieved, their bow pointing towards Lanos, many light years away. Checking that all their fuel gauges and the ship status was secure, Kik began the launch sequence. The ship accelerated and the void cannon fired, opening a wormhole that the ship dove through.


    As the pins and needles and faint droning music of the jump overtook him, Kik had a thought.


    ¡°We just killed a man. It feels like... emptiness.¡±


    He didn¡¯t consider the potential consequences of Benedict¡¯s death.


    The abandoned rental car was discovered in a garage a few days later. The police connected the dots and with a bit of digging found the man who it had been hired to. His name was discovered to be a false identity, but they did find the craft he had recently left the system on.


    Unable to pursue criminals outside their jurisdiction, all they could do was mark down names and wait for a chance.

 11 - Meet the Middleman

    The transition back into realspace was abrupt, Kik sitting up in his pilot seat as feeling returned. He calmed himself as he remembered where he was and the phantom sensations of a warp faded away.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, safe and sound,¡± Kik said to his passengers and lay back in the swivelling chair again. Staring down on the sandy orb that was Lanos, he sighed. ¡°Back here again.¡±


    The occasional glint of light from an arriving or departing ship dotted the blackness of space. The sun shone from behind the Benefactor, streaming past to bathe the surface of the planet in daylight. Kik requested an approach path to Low Orbit 3.


    As the ship¡¯s ion thrusters propelled them towards the dock, Kik received a transmission from flight control.


    ¡°Contacting Benefactor, re docking on Low Orbit 3. Approach path denied. Te*z*r 3 undergoing repairs. Rerouted to Low Orbit 2.¡±


    Acknowledging their new heading, Kik accepted the notification from the navigational computer. The others groaned when they learned of the delay required but accepted it in the end. The computer performed several complex manoeuvres, spinning the ship around at various times, slowing down and speeding up as they spun over the surface of the planet. Their elliptical orbit aligned with the station about two hours later.


    Gliding up towards the gravity-defying tether, they approached the multileveled station just below geostationary orbit. They decelerated just before they reached, easing into their docking bay as electromagnets clamped to the ship.


    An umbilical cord stretched across from the station, locking to the starboard airlock. The dull thrumming of the engine died away. Clanks rang from throughout the hull as the connection finished docking procedures. A message from the planet popped up on the computer terminal, Kik browsing it before leaving to join the others.


    The party of four were waiting by the airlock as it opened. Stretching as they walked out into the more open docks of Low Orbit Two, the noise from outside hit them.


    Beyond the immediate disembarkation zone and the gates to the exit were a crowd of people. All were wearing space suits and arguing with each other and security personnel. Apparently their group was not the only one to be struck by the delays.


    Closing their helmets as soon as they had opened them, the noise died out somewhat as they changed back to ship comms.


    ¡°What do we want to do from here?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to find transport a quarter of the way around the planet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just contact them from here about our next job,¡± Ivan said.


    Walking up behind, Kik interrupted their discussion. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hard to find a ride off-planet from here with all these pilots hanging around. Most of them will decide sooner or later that it¡¯s not worth the time waiting and just leave their cargo to be delivered.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but what will you do?¡± Lucas asked. Edmon wandered off to try and find someone to arrange a lift for their group.


    ¡°I just got a message as we docked. My cargo will be arriving soon and I¡¯ll be heading off once I¡¯ve refueled.¡±


    They exchanged a few brief goodbyes before the three scurried off to send their messages and find Edmon. Kik watched their departing backs and smiled, but his eyes were downcast. He had enjoyed poking fun at Edmon and speaking with their group, even if the subjects they had been discussing were rather serious. It was like being in a family again, a group that cared and looked out for each other.


    As he waited by the exit of the docking bay, his introspection was interrupted by an announcement. This one was spoken by a human, a deep male voice. ¡°For those travelling to Elaris-I, please be aware of recent events. In the wake of a series of fires caused by rioters, the council is imposing entry and exit conditions on the planet, details available on request. Police searches of personal property can be requested at any time and cannot be refused. A curfew after sundown for all unauthorised pedestrians and vehicles will be in effect across all cities. These measures will be retracted once they are deemed unnecessary. Thank you for your attention.¡±


    Kik sighed and half-grinned. At least he wouldn¡¯t be going back to Elaris for a while, or so he hoped. The good thing about owning, or in this case leasing, your own ship was the freedom it earned you.


    Looking around, he sat against a wall and waited for his cargo to arrive.


    The one who came with the delivery was normal. A person in a white spacesuit poked their head around the corner to the crowded main space and saw Kik sitting on the ground. Waving to him, he stepped around and opened up his helmet. Inside was a plain face with straight teeth, blond hair and a few too many freckles for a void-dweller. He moved well enough in the low gravity though, and his spacesuit was well-fitted, clean and maintained.


    Kik opened his helmet too, standing up. The noise from around the corner droned as usual, but he managed to concentrate enough to hear what the other man was saying.


    ¡°You¡¯re the delivery boy? I have a message for you, and the cargo should be loaded onto your ship as we speak. There¡¯s a Fringe convoy about to head out, join them until you reach the Rymez system. Reem Tolcaz should be waiting for the cargo there. He¡¯ll have your next orders too.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°Anything else I need to know?¡±


    The man shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s all I was told to tell you. Anything more should be included in here.¡± He passed Kik a small plastic storage container.


    ¡°Who told you what to tell me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to know. Ah, all this tiered information is annoying. I wish I could get a job in the navy or something, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about all this. I¡¯m James, by the way. James Deccard.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I¡¯m Kik. Um, I might forget your name.¡±


    James waved the concern away. ¡°Eh, no big deal. So how¡¯d you get ahold of a ship at your age?¡±


    ¡°This and that, you know how it is. Connections help.¡± Kik managed a non-answer which didn¡¯t dredge up horrible memories.


    ¡°Sure. Well, keep an eye out on your journey. It¡¯s not that far but you¡¯re travelling into pirated space.¡±


    He turned to go. ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± Kik said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around. James.¡±


    James nodded as he closed his helmet and continued on his way.


    Closing his own helmet, Kik opened the container he head been given. Inside was a data chip and a physical card marked with his name. Heading back into the ship, he loaded it up on the terminal, stretching as it was read.


    The data chip contained one file, a message with Erstine¡¯s signature at the bottom. Kik scanned through it.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    Dearest Kik Nameless,


    I write to you to commend you on your first mission completed with great success, as I hope it would be if you are reading this and not begging my forgiveness in person. From now on correspondence with me will be through Reem Tolcaz, the same agent that your parents worked with. It would perhaps be better if you mentioned to nobody that you have met me in person.


    Now that our fates are tied together by the string of criminal deeds, I can say that as long as you follow your orders to the best of your ability and do not work against me, no harm shall come to your mother. I apologise for my earlier threats, they were meant to motivate you and there was no ill intent behind them.


    Enclosed with this letter should be a card. If you scan this with a datapad it should register itself for your personal use as a payment and identification method. It carries two identities, your own and a false one by the name of Reed Hurst. You shouldn¡¯t have to worry about your true name being discovered if you use the second as your identity, but beware too close scrutiny when using it, especially by those that know you personally.


    When you depart, connect your communications with the Sudden Flight. They should be awaiting your call. Accompany them to Supply Station Alpha, in the Rymez system. Reem will be expecting your arrival there.


    Warmest regards,


    Erstine


    P.S. Your parents¡¯ suffering was not without purpose. I may explain myself should we meet again sometime. I doubt we will unless extraordinary circumstances occur.


    P.P.S. Be careful who you take as friends.


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Deleting the sickly sweet letter, Kik picked up the card and inspected it. It was plain metal with a crosshatched pattern of wavy white and dark lines on the back. Dropping it in a suit pocket, he considered where to get a datapad from.


    He tossed aside the idea of going through his parents¡¯ belongings for one. Going through the ship stores, he didn¡¯t find any datapads but he did pick up a few exchange slips, emergency paper currency. These totalled almost two hundred credits.


    Stepping out into the press, he squeezed his way through the packed crowd to a pair of security guards by the edge of the room. Popping his helmet open, he gasped for breath before he could speak.


    ¡°Do you know where I could buy a datapad?¡±


    One of them looked at him. ¡°There¡¯s a shop down two floors. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to get down there though. The elevator¡¯s a bit full at the moment.¡±


    Kik sighed and looked back at the press concentrated around the lift. Passing through sideways he had a chance of getting through, but there was no way he could move with the throng.


    A man tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve got datapads,¡± he said. ¡°Want to buy one? I¡¯m not selling my stock up here. It helps you out too, since you¡¯d be paying at least two hundred credits at the store.¡±


    ¡°It beats trying to get down there. Sure. How much are you selling for?¡±


    ¡°A hundred and twenty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hundred.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± The man held out his hand with a datapad scanner in it.


    Kik winced from the immediate acceptance and pulled out the exchange slips. ¡°I don¡¯t have a datapad to pay with yet. I¡¯ll pay with these.¡±


    ¡°A hundred and forty then, if you¡¯re paying physically.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t do that.¡± Kik glanced around at the guards. ¡°Isn¡¯t all currency supposed to be the same value?¡± They turned their backs on the deal and whistled to themselves.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll find it as hard to spend those credits as you are now. Be lucky I accept exchange slips at all.¡±


    Kik sighed and handed over the money. ¡°Fine. Where¡¯s the datapad?¡±


    The merchant pulled out a wrapped-up silver device from his bag and handed it over. ¡°I assume you know how to use it?¡±


    Kik glanced at him, hefting it in his hand. He could just wrap his fingers from one side to the other. ¡°I¡¯m a kid, not a barbarian.¡±


    The man chuckled a bit. ¡°Certainly. Enjoy the only product I¡¯m going to sell today.¡±


    Kik thanked him and returned to the ship.


    Paying the refuelling fee with his new datapad, Kik was surprised to learn that there were already a hundred thousand credits, a year¡¯s wages for many, stored under his name. He assumed it was a loan from Erstine.


    Kik hurried his departure as much as he could, not wanting to stay on the overcrowded station much longer. He was fast tracked with the other departing ships, another arrival taking his place as he left the port. Groups of other ships held position around the station, annoyed by the delay as they waited for a chance to dock.


    Scanning through the list of identifiers, Kik found the Sudden Flight on the list. Opening the communications channel, a loud voice rang out, startling him.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how I got married the third time! She was a real pig though, so I dropped her for the fourth.¡± A bout of laughter rang from the comms before the voice returned. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this calling?¡±


    ¡°This is the corvette class, Benefactor, requesting a position in the convoy,¡± Kik said.


    ¡°Ah, welcome to the Fringe Merchants¡¯ Association¡¯s lucky 13th convoy route. You¡¯re the thirteenth ship to join too, so double the luck to you. We¡¯re waiting for one more then we¡¯ll be off. I¡¯ll send our position to you. We¡¯ll see you in an hour or so.¡±


    When the coordinates arrived, Kik scowled. Their orbit was high, another three hundred kilometres above the usual unobstructed warp-out location. He¡¯d have to hitch a lift or it would take him an hour, and a fair bit of fuel.


    Contacting the station, he requested use of the upper elevator and provided payment details. Receiving an acknowledgement, he hooked his ship into an open-topped elevator platform. Unlike the elevators beneath the station, ferrying goods to and from the surface, this one was designed to raise smaller spaceships and other cargo into a higher orbit.


    Clamping in, the elevator groaned upwards on its own power for a few minutes before the planet¡¯s rotation kicked in and it started to accelerate on its own. The elevator would continue on for days, getting close to the counterweight at the top of the tether before stopping, but Kik only needed a short boost. He sent the signal to unlatch the ship, the elevator braking to a halt beneath. His engines fired and carried them towards their destination.


    Reaching orbit at the level of the other twelve merchant ships, Kik contacted the Sudden Flight again.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m up to your height. I¡¯ll have reached your position in another twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. All at your own pace.¡±


    Rolling his eyes behind his helmet at the merchant captain¡¯s relaxed attitude, Kik guided the Benefactor the final tens of kilometres across orbits. He aligned the prow with the spine of the ship kilometres in front of him. After he compensated for the final overcorrection, he signed and relaxed. Along the orbit in front of him he picked up thirteen ships, and two coming into position behind him.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there were going to be fourteen of us?¡± he asked the Flight. ¡°I count sixteen, assuming the frigates at either end are part of the convoy. They outclass all us corvettes just a bit.¡±


    ¡°Fourteen merchants. I didn¡¯t count the escorts. Now quiet, we¡¯re about to prepare for departure.¡±


    An announcement came from the leading ship, this time to the entire convoy. A few voices were raised on the other ships but after the call from the convoy head they were soon silenced.


    ¡°Alright lads, listen up. Welcome to the 13th Fringe Convoy Route. Our first port of call is Rymez, then all stations to Rasant, then wherever we feel like going from there. For those of you who don¡¯t know me, I¡¯m your captain and veteran magician, Sal Par. I like to think it stands for Salazar, for the added rhyme and all, but every wife I¡¯ve ever had tells me it means Salaryless.¡±


    A few chuckles came over the comms, along with a snort of dismissal or two.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving on our first jump in six hours, another quarter of the way around or orbit. Once you¡¯ve linked your nav computers, feel free to get back to eating, sex, or whatever else it is you do in your spare time. I only seem to get the first nowadays though, and I can¡¯t say it¡¯s helping with the second. This wife¡¯s a real shrew.¡±


    Kik raised his eyebrows and shut off the comms as a few laughs started to emerge. A notification popped up, and he accepted the request to share navigation control through the convoy. Stretching back on his chair and yawning, he realised how long it had been since he last slept. Void jumps always messed with your sleeping habits, but this time he had been awake for a long time beforehand. It would be around midday back on Elaris, taking into account the orbital manoeuvres and the distance of the jump. Time was always a little hard to calculate across jumps though. Clocks often turned at the wrong speed during a jump, even though hours passed.


    Setting an alarm for five hours¡¯ time, he jumped up into his space in the ventilation shaft. He didn¡¯t even bother to check on his cargo before falling asleep.


    Kik woke up four hours later, not a hundred per cent refreshed but much more awake. Opening his helmet to rub the sleep out of his eyes, he managed to wriggle out of the crawlspace. Dropping to the deck with a thud, he looked around. Perhaps he should get some food.


    Making his way to the bridge while sucking up a meal pack, Kik thought about his next move. He finally had some time to himself, responsible to nobody. Or so it would seem. He had his ties to Erstine, of course - he couldn¡¯t just abandon Hala. But he couldn¡¯t trust Erstine completely, he knew that much for sure. He needed some way of freeing his mother without waiting until Erstine decided she wasn¡¯t needed anymore. He couldn¡¯t just wait for her to wake up and hope for the best.


    Sinking into the now-familiar pilot seat once again, Kik checked the orbital calculations the ship was making. Finding the gravity well of a sun light-years away was hard, to say the least. Getting multiple ships to lock onto almost the same spot in the well was next to impossible. Yet with the combined power of sixteen shipboard computers and a few hours to process the information, it was possible. Even so, much of the fine-tuning was completed during the jump. That was the hard part, computing using the rules of a theorised other dimension.


    Not sure what the computer was doing but satisfied that it seemed to be going well, Kik read through the mechanic checkup and other records, spotting no problems. Finally he checked his cargo manifest and stopped, his finger hovering over the ¡®next item¡¯ button.


    Container of Amarest, 10.


    Amarest, also known as ¡°liquid life¡±, was an artificial deager. Those who drank it would return to youth, although they would still die even if they drank it forever. It only increased lifespan to around two hundred, but the quality of life enjoyed by its partakers was far greater.


    The caveat was that it led to dependence. A drug which reversed aging would only have larger effects in the reverse direction if it was taken in too small quantities. Over time more and more was required just to survive. This was how most Amarest users died. They would consume more and more to keep themselves youthful, blowing fortunes large enough to buy planets. In the end they would perish amidst the ruin of their wealth from a simple overdose, their body unable to handle the changes wrought upon them.


    And this was what Kik was carrying. Erstine never seemed to keep his cargoes simple. Kik was more worried that Erstine had the money to buy ten containers, and was willing to pass them off to someone like him for delivery.


    Scrolling through the rest of the inventory, there were a few crates of weapons that were without doubt illegal on most planets. The list even included a set of shoulder mounted missiles. Most were projectile weapons. There was also a crate labelled ¡°Assorted Cosmetics, Sealed¡±. That no doubt meant he wasn¡¯t supposed to look inside.


    Looking around, Kik realised he had about half an hour left until the jump. Looking at the blinking comms button, he signed and opened communications.


    ¡°Hey second-last captain! What are you up to back there, ignoring us in our merry banter?¡±


    Kik sighed and rubbed his temples. ¡°I was asleep. Hello to you too, Sal. So what have you been talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you want to hear about my eleventh wife too, do you? Be careful though, she¡¯s a nasty one.¡±


    Kik sighed. He felt like going back to sleep, but there wasn¡¯t enough time before the jump. He settled down for a rather boring half an hour.


    The jump half an hour later started with comms cutting off. The front ship fired its void cannon, starting the warp. As it fired, it accelerated, all the ships behind following behind. As they reached the same point, they fired their own void cannons, causing a series of wormholes to be opened and closed in the same position in space. The ships were dragged through, one at a time, jumping off to systems unknown.


    As the Benefactor was dragged through its own wormhole in turn, the distasteful sensation of throwing up through his anus rushed through Kik¡¯s body. It was soon replaced by wisps of cloud skirting across his vision and obscuring his helmet. He smelled red and tasted violet, although if asked to describe what that meant he would have no idea. Eventually this faded away into silence as the unfeeling, unmoving emptiness of the jump overcame all.


    The convoy was dragged out into realspace in the vicinity of an unnamed, uninhabited star. An unspectacular young sun on its own, it was accompanied by a magnificent backdrop - the Maron Nebula. The star sat in the viewport to the left and the nebula filled the right, a hand of red tendrils pin pricked with stars. Wisps of it even covered above and below the sun. The sun most likely lay on the edge of the nebula, but the gas nearby was much thinner. Most would have been sucked into the sun during its initial formation. Any lingering gas acted the same as an atmospheric cloud, far too scarce to be visible from close distances.


    Their navigational computers corrected the ten kilometres of displacement that had occurred over the jump. The craft drifted back into formation. A call came from Sal.


    ¡°Glad we all made it. Stay close and stay alert. All the initial sensor sweeps are clear but there could be ships hidden.¡±


    A chorus of acknowledgement rang out from the other captains.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be warping out for another day, so get your sleep, whatever you need. Our escorts will keep an eye out.¡±


    Kik deployed the ship¡¯s collection arrays. There was no sense in wasting an opportunity to gather some fuel, even if he wouldn¡¯t need it straight away. This caused consternation aboard the ships behind and in front of him, who could see the four kilometre-long webs shaped like the wings of a dragonfly spreading out from his craft. Light glinted across their red surface and more faintly off the nets stretched between the support strands. He ignored the questions, shutting off comms.


    Now that he had bought himself some quiet, Kik switched on his glasses and looked up the Rymez system. He had studied the more populated worlds during his month of rest on Lanos, but he had never heard of the Rymez system.


    As it turned out, he hadn¡¯t read about it for a reason. The only feature of note in this Rymez system was Supply Station Alpha - a small refuelling station built on the edge of an asteroid belt. With a population of perhaps twelve thousand, it was a mere blip in space. The only reason anything was built here was as a trade hub for any wishing to head further into fringe space, or for those refuelling on the way to the nearby Rasant or Borgeal.


    Wondering why anyone would choose to live there, Kik shrugged to himself. Reem was an odd one, from the way his parents spoke about him, but at least he was trustworthy. Or so he had been led to believe.


    A message popped up on the display from the Sudden Flight, this one text as he had turned off voice communications.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to lower your sails when we reach the asteroid. We¡¯ll be slingshotting to get to our heading correct. Just stow them three hours before we jump and there should be no problems.¡±


    With nothing in particular to do, Kik made his usual rounds, checking the onboard machinery was working without problems.


    Sixteen hours into the trip, Kik was awoken from his doze on the pilot¡¯s chair by an urgent communication. Tapping the panel and swiping away the flashing notification, the blinking stopped but the message remained. ¡°Unknown ships spotted. One cruiser class, three destroyer class, two corvette class seen so far. Targets just warped into the system.¡±


    Kik frowned and checked his ship¡¯s scanners. The targets were there but they lay over two hundred million kilometres away, above where the planetary disc would be while their convoy lay below. They had warped in twelve minutes ago and the speed-of-light signal had only arrived now.


    Kik opened the comms and listened to the conversation. Most of the conversation was speculation, but there was some fear. A cruiser could annihilate their escort frigates, assuming that it was a militarised vessel. The other ships would be more than capable of mopping up the merchants.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just military craft,¡± Kik said. ¡°They¡¯d find it hard to reach us here either way.¡± Quite a few people calmed down at that.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no way pirates could get a cruiser.¡± The tension dissolved and people returned to other matters, but Kik kept an eye on the scanners. He kept watching even after a burst of gravitational energy and otherwise empty scanners showed the ships had warped away four hours later.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Their jump out was uneventful. The slingshot around the large asteroid, not quite a dwarf planet, went without problems. Their course was lined up and their ships proceeded to jump towards their destination in the Rymez system.


    As feeling came back and the Benefactor emerged into realspace, shining red light flooded the cockpit from the right window. The cameras displaying information to the viewports lowered their light acceptance straight away. His helmet darkened too in an attempt to lower the light level. Bright spots still danced across Kik¡¯s vision from the sudden exposure to sunlight.


    Rymez was a red giant, a supermassive star which emitted red light many times brighter than most smaller stars. This emanating red shine bounced off the ships ahead, more tiny suns in the sky. With the light from the red dwarf, and his darkened helmet and viewports, he found it hard to make out other stars among the blackness. A line floated into his head.


    ¡°For behind them lies unending darkness,


    And an end that comes for you.¡±


    As his helmet visor lightened once more, the stars faded into view again, breaking up the dark sky.


    Sal popped up over the comms with a disturbing message. ¡°Where¡¯s the Pride of Zalas? Has anyone picked up her location?¡±


    Checking the scanners, Kik realised that only fourteen other ships had emerged from the jump. The ship behind him in the convoy was missing.


    The escort captain at the back was apologetic, but he assured Sal that the jump had gone well. As the last ship in line, he was also the last to jump out. The Pride ahead of him hadn¡¯t missed a single step of the warp, so he had started his own jump. When the scanner data had been pulled out and checked, the ship¡¯s wormhole had without doubt been opened. The escort shared the data with the entire convoy, and they all agreed.


    The eventual conclusion was that the Pride¡¯s jump had been miscalculated. A one-in-a-billion chance had sent her off course, perhaps a surge in radiation. She would have ended up at a nearby star or other large object, or maybe in the same system as she had jumped from. There was nothing they could do from here. Either the ship would turn up again, or she wouldn¡¯t. They could only hope the crew didn¡¯t find themselves orbiting a black hole - less impossible than one might think, as warp drives locked onto gravitational wells.


    The convoy continued on, more subdued, to Supply Station Alpha.


    The station was little more than a collection of a few thousand hollowed-out asteroids, bound together by tens of thousands of flexible tethers and connecting bridges. Despite the barren surroundings there was activity covering the base. Asteroids spun in its vicinity. Small drones scurried over the surface of the main asteroid or bounced between rocks, collecting valuable materials from the surroundings. A comet was just visible, hanging out on the edge of space several hundred kilometres away. A slight gassy tail flared out behind it like the flame of a jet engine.


    Most of the activity was centred around a large asteroid about three kilometres across. The sun fell into shadow behind it as their convoy closed in, dwarfed by its bulk. Built into the side of the rock was a series of hangar doors, varying in size. The smallest was a few metres and the largest was a central bay almost a kilometre wide. The side they approached with the hangars was kept free of floating debris.


    Not every rock could be cleared away. As each ship was directed towards a hangar entrance, small defence weapons fired on each of the ships, redirecting small but high-velocity asteroids away from the ships with lasers, ions or other projectiles. A few rocks were bounced between the weapons of different ships before they were reduced to molten slag or sent spinning into space.


    The convoy was separated, each ship heading to a different hangar. The Benefactor was directed towards a thirty metre by twelve metre slot in the rock. Squeezing the ship in with perhaps a metre of space above, the space widened on the inside to fifty by twenty metres. Magnets descended from the ceiling and hooked onto the craft as Kik countered the acceleration, grabbing the hull from above.


    As the engines and onboard gravity turned off, Kik started to float, held back by the seat strap. It would seem that the station did not have any gravity generators.


    Once the hangar doors were closed behind his craft, atmosphere flooded back in. Doors opened up around the edges and ten workers emerged. Kik unbuckled himself and floated towards the port airlock to greet them.


    The approaching people slowed themselves with small bursts of air, landing on the deck and clamping their boots down. As he opened the airlock, Kik noticed they all carried sidearms. Their hands rested over the holsters, but when they saw that there was only a single child emerging they relaxed somewhat. Kik pushed himself down to ground level and opened his helmet, the leading woman doing the same.


    ¡°Welcome to Supply Station Alpha,¡± she said. She had a clear voice and fiery orange hair. ¡°How many do you have aboard the ship and how long will you be staying? The same as the rest of your convoy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just me aboard,¡± Kik said. She raised an eyebrow at that, but he continued. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ll be staying, that depends on the person I¡¯m meeting. Do you know if Reem Tolcaz lives here?¡±


    ¡°That Tolcaz guy? Yeah, he¡¯s off on one of the outer asteroids. Well, rocks the same rest in a vein, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just a saying. So, you got any cargo here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everything in the cargo hold is for Reem.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Payment for the stay?¡±


    Kik handed the woman his new datapad. She scanned it and nodded to the people standing behind her. Two floated towards the ship and started checking over it, while the rest waited for Kik to open the cargo bay.


    Tapping in the passcode to the door, the hold pressurised again and all the containers unlocked from their storage spaces against the walls and floor. They were still held in place by their inertia in the absence of gravity. The door opened and seven people flooded into the five by four by two space, hauling out crates and bumping into each other.


    ¡°Be careful with those,¡± called Kik. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of them broken.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. But why so protective?¡± the woman asked him.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not my place to say. Ask Reem if you want to know what¡¯s in them.¡±


    She shrugged and the work continued.


    Once the thirty odd packages were out of the hold and taken away to be retrieved later, Kik grabbed his usual possessions, sealed up the ship and spoke to the woman again.


    ¡°So where exactly am I going to find Reem?¡±


    She pointed at a door in the roof. ¡°Take that and head onwards. That should lead you in the general direction of Reem, and you should find a terminal somewhere for more detailed directions. Good luck, it¡¯s quite a trek.¡±


    Nodding his thanks, Kik pushed off towards the ceiling.


    Travelling through the station, Kik¡¯s main mental image was a pile of junk. A pile of junk in zero gravity. Mechanical parts, hull plating and repair tools floated across the passageway as he drifted upwards¡­ forwards¡­ along it. Surprisingly, the clutter cleared out when he passed an area with less people. It seemed that the station crew would just drop their equipment while working, knowing they could find it again if it floated off.


    Finding a terminal in a wall, Kik loaded up a station map and searched for possessions under Reem¡¯s name. He found a few entries, but only one was a living space. The rest were storage spaces and computer rooms. His target found, Kik headed to the living space as directly as possible.


    The worst part of the journey was travelling through the connecting bridges between asteroids. Each was only a few metres long, but swayed, contracted and expanded as the asteroids moved. While moving across he was afraid that a collision would push the asteroids together and crush the bridge flat with him inside. The one or two sealed off bridges that he had to detour around did nothing to convince him that the others were safe.


    In the end he reached what he thought was Reem¡¯s room. He opened his helmet and called out.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    He received no reply, but the door opened at his tap.


    Kik stepped inside the dark room and clamped his feet to the floor. Light flooded in from the bright corridor for a moment, cutting out as it detected no movement outside.


    Kik stood there for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It wasn¡¯t all black, as the light strips in the room were set to low, not switched off. In the meantime the warm, moist air from the room played across his face.


    Among the shadows he could make out some large blocky objects against the walls. He could also see other outlines scattered across the room. These had a main shaft with many small tendrils protruding off them. Brushing against one with his glove, Kik didn¡¯t notice any resistance.


    More importantly, there was no sign of a human around. Kik turned to go before he was interrupted by a loud snore from above. He jumped in surprise and his kick off the ground turned into a spin, head over heels. He managed to stop himself upside down with his hands against the floor, legs in the air. His momentum halted, he breathed out, relieved, but when he pushed off to stand against the roof his feet ran into something soft. There was a man who had been sleeping against the ceiling. With a pair of magnetic boots in his stomach, he wasn¡¯t sleeping any more.


    Reem relaxed once he had turned the lights on, shouted for a minute about doing somersaults in a crowded space, and lay against the wall. He was upright this time.


    The tall and thin outlines turned out to be a type of fern, which was the reason the air was kept so damp. The boxes around the edges of the room were either storage for Reem¡¯s personal effects or air conditioning units to maintain the temperature and humidity.


    Kik got a look at the man as he lounged against the metal wall. Reem seemed like his growth outwards had stopped at about age eight, and that mass was stretched upwards over time. The helmet of his suit was off floating in the corner, giving Kik a view of his face. His hair was a dark gray but his wrinkles were sparse. Penetrating green eyes peeked out from under a low-lidded glare. His mouth was curved up at the edges, but there was no way of telling whether his amusement was sadistic or genuine.


    Kik spotted an insignia of a red eagle head on his shoulder pad, but before he could get a good look he realised Reem was talking.


    ¡°So what can I do for you?¡± he repeated, seeing that Kik hadn¡¯t heard. ¡°You walked into my room uninvited and kicked me in the stomach. I hope you at least have something you want and aren¡¯t just sneaking around.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m here for a reason,¡± Kik said, but Reem wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°Where did you even come from? You don¡¯t live in any of the rooms around here. Are you from the other side of the station? Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not from this station at all. I just came in on a merchant convoy.¡±


    ¡°An outsider then. Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°I got a message.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°A mutual friend.¡± Kik nodded his head towards the open door, and Reem took the hint. Once it was closed Kik continued. ¡°Erstine.¡±


    Reem rested his chin on his hand for a few moments. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Then what will make you believe me? I can¡¯t show you the letter, I deleted it already.¡±


    ¡°Good little watchdog, aren¡¯t we. More importantly, I don¡¯t believe someone of your age would be trusted.¡±


    Kik played his final cards. ¡°Decide that by yourself. I believe you knew my parents?¡±


    Reem leaned away from the wall, bending towards Kik. He inspected his eyes and face and Kik did his best to look back, although he was forced to break eye contact after a few seconds. Reem¡¯s intense gaze was even worse from up close.


    Eventually he pulled away and nodded. ¡°Hala and Garet¡¯s son,¡± he said. ¡°Kikiss, I believe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just Kik.¡±


    ¡°Sure. So now that¡¯s out of the way, what do you mean, knew them? What happened¡±


    Kik looked down. ¡°Garet¡¯s dead. Hala¡¯s in a coma.¡±


    Reem¡¯s gaze softened and he frowned. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked¡±


    Kik smiled in thanks, but he didn¡¯t - couldn¡¯t - speak.


    After some time passed, Reem decided Kik needed a prod. ¡°Want something to eat? I can tell you some stories of when I knew your mother. I can talk about your father a bit too, but I didn¡¯t know him as well.¡±


    Kik smiled. ¡°Not right now, thanks. I¡¯ll ask you again sometime before I leave.¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re sure. Shall we get down to business?¡¯


    Kik nodded.


    ¡°So, I am expecting a delivery and I¡¯ve got your next orders, but since we know each other I want to try something first. You won¡¯t be leaving for at least a week anyway so you have quite some time. The first task is to make yourself useful.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Get out there and do some work. Get your hands dirty. See how it really is in space. Figure out zero gravity. That last one¡¯s important. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve trained to move in it, but you haven¡¯t lived in it. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    Reem frowned. ¡°Why would I tell you what comes afterwards when you haven¡¯t even finished the first task yet?¡±


    Kik cursed his luck. He always got the teachers with an attitude.


    Drifting around corridors without a purpose, Kik had no idea what Reem meant by living in zero g. He had spent time in it before. Whenever his parents were working on the external hull, they would cut the power to the gravity generators. He had practice from there. Why did he need more experience? While he wasn¡¯t perfect at zero gravity movement, he wouldn¡¯t improve much over a week, and this seemed to only be the first stage of the training.


    Eventually he decided that if he was going to live in zero gravity, he needed someplace to live at least. He floated over to one of the station¡¯s denizens. This one was absorbed in replacing a lightbulb, with a series of screws, screwdrivers and parts floating around him. Kik stood beneath him as he floated near the ceiling, just above head height.


    The man noticed Kik and turned around, sweeping his floating tools up in one hand. His helmet was already open. ¡°Am I in your way?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just a question. I¡¯ll be living here for about a week. What do I need to do to get a place to sleep?¡±


    The man gestured around. ¡°All of these outer rocks are new development. Most of the rooms in them are unoccupied. Check the panels beside doors. Purple means the room is unclaimed. Just fix one of those up and it¡¯ll be yours until you leave.¡±


    Kik thanked him and moved on.


    Looking around, there was a single red, green and blue light dot besides each door. Most of the doors had only the red and blue turned on, merging together into purple light. Kik chose one of these at random and opened the door.


    The inside was as dark as Reem¡¯s room, although some light glinted off the back wall a few metres away. This time Kik remembered to pull out a torch, shining it around the room. It revealed that the shining objects at the back of the room were wet patches on the plain rock wall.


    Straight away Kik could see what the man meant by fixing the room up. The corridors and the door were completed. Most of this room was not. There were a few panels laid over the bare rock, around the door and where more complex features were to be installed - notably the electricity and lights. The majority of the room, however, was pure asteroid and concrete. Three odd pipes stuck from some of the installed wall panels. A trickle of water floated from one such pipe on the ceiling, collecting in small bubbles throughout the room. These bubbles splashed and collected against the other walls, for the most part the floor.


    The torchlight revealed a set of boxes set down beside the door. They contained the missing plating, extra piping, and the missing electronics for the room. Looking around, the first thing to fix was the leaking pipe. Kik sprang into work.


    He soon understood why the workers kept their tools where they did. When fixing something on the ceiling, he could just float there, clamping down with his boots if he needed to. He couldn¡¯t clamp his tools down with him, though. If he just let them float around him, though, he could reach out and grab one whenever he needed it. It required some spatial awareness but he picked up the trick soon enough. He left his torch floating behind him to illuminate his work.


    Once he had tightened the seal on the leaking pipe, he floated around the room a few times collecting as much of the water as he could in a container. He sealed it up and left it to be processed. Water was a valuable resource. He hoped the rest would evaporate and get filtered back through the processing system. A few times he mixed up which way was up or down, but a glance towards the pipe on the ceiling would return his bearings.


    The next order of business was to lay doon floor panels. This was a rather quick job, as each panel already had a spot on the floor to be laid down upon and holes drilled for the nails. All he needed to do was place each panel down, put the nails in place and press a button on them. The nails would branch out, drilling in like tree roots, and secure themselves in the rock.


    The panelling took him a few minutes until he was left with the final two tasks. First were the pipes, containing wires for electricity and fresh water. The electricity needed a wall socket plugged into the ceiling. Pulling up the plans for a socket on his glasses, the model was different. It took less than a minute for him to figure out which wire went where, though. Plugging them in, he left the socket hanging wired but not sealed to the wall. He would get back to that later.


    The water pipes were even more simple. He didn¡¯t believe he¡¯d have a need of flowing water while he was here, so Kik just left it blocked.


    Finally he moved onto lights and the communications unit. Placing the light into position was an easy task. The internal structure was running without problems, so he plugged it into the ceiling and nailed it down like the panels. Contact points at the back supplied it with electricity, but it didn¡¯t turn on yet. The comms units took a similar amount of time.


    Both should be hooked up to an already installed control panel by the door. He strung wire between the control panel and the switches for both devices. Another wire connected the control panel to the main power supply. Switching the power on, the room lit up in a faint bluish glow. The comms unit started up, printing some unrecognisable text on its screen. He¡¯d have to go through that later and see if there was anything wrong with it.


    Kik took a moment to float, spinning backwards. He could finish off the wiring any time, but what would he do after that? He needed to live in zero gravity, but he didn¡¯t know what that meant. Did he have to go out into space? He would rather not, given they were in the middle of an asteroid field. Going outside without an armoured suit could mean death.


    Moving on, Kik sealed the power socket in. The few dangling wires were easy to tuck away. A set of sticky bands was all it took to press them against the edges of the room. Stepping back into the corridor to admire his handiwork, Kik smiled. The light outside was green, indicating it was occupied. ¡°Another home.¡± His voice overcame the sound of his breath for a moment before fading away once more into the depth of his suit.


    Kik yawned and realised he had gone through another jump. After that it had taken him several hours to get into the station. Once he added that to unloading, finding Reem and then fixing his room, he could use another nap. Moving back inside and looking around, he realised there was no bed. Remembering how Reem had slept, he locked his boots to the wall and floated there.


    It wasn¡¯t working. The position was comfortable enough, but Kik kept stretching and twisting. Every movement shifted him further and further off balance. The movement started to push his ankles to an angle they shouldn¡¯t be at, so he pushed back. That push sent him in the other direction until he was bent backwards at the knees, lying against the wall.


    Even worse, the asteroid wasn¡¯t still either. Slight movements travelled through the structure as small rocks collided with the station, moving around the occupants. Small amounts of gravity also moved him around. Under normal conditions it wasn¡¯t enough to notice, but as hours ticked by small movements added up.


    Unsticking his boots, Kik looked around for something else to do. He considered wedging himself against a corner but that wouldn¡¯t work. It might stop him from moving but he couldn¡¯t get comfortable. He couldn¡¯t go back to his ship and turn on the gravity either. That would bypass the point of the exercise.


    He went through the boxes at the front, looking for something, anything, to help him sleep. He threw aside pipe, wiring, and other materials, before he struck gold. He picked up the case that the piping had been held in.


    Made of soft canvas and sealed with a zipper, it wasn¡¯t so much a case as a bag. Pulling at the ends, he peeled off the covers from a pair of sticky contact points. Kik stuck one to the wall and one to the ceiling at the back of the room.


    The middle stretched out into a sleeping bag shape, hanging suspended like a cocoon. Sliding the zipper open from bottom to top, Kik floated in and tried to close it up again.


    Once he had closed the zipper over his helmet, Kik realised he had put the sleeping bag in upside down. Not wanting to put the effort in to flip it around, and unsure if it would stick again if pulled away from the wall now, Kik turned himself around and got back in the proper way.


    The inside wrapped him in like a mother¡¯s embrace. Although he couldn¡¯t feel the warmth through his suit, he could feel his entire body surrounded by an ambient pressure from the fabric. It bound him in place with care, protecting him from the empty space outside.


    Kik darkened his visor as he slipped into unconsciousness.


    Kik woke at his own pace, leaving the visor dark until he felt ready to move. Once he was prepared he unzipped the container in one go, spilling out into empty space. He stepped down onto the floor outside, the room lit up from beneath. Jumping over to the door, he took a look at the comms panel. He mumbled to himself, still half asleep. ¡°I hadda to fix that, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Peering at it now, he could see nothing wrong with it. It displayed its message without errors on the screen - ¡°type in a channel to connect to¡±. The keypad next to the screen was lit from behind, awaiting attention.


    ¡°Thas funny, isn¡¯t it...¡±


    Realising he wasn¡¯t ready to process anything in his state, Kik rapped his helmet with both sets of knuckles. The sound and flares of pain from his hand helped him focus and he shook his head, concentrating. ¡°So it¡¯s working now? What happened last time, then?¡±


    Looking around the room, Kik saw the light beneath his feet, and realised. He had just emerged from the upside-down sleeping bag. He had been standing on the ceiling.


    He moved to float down to the floor, but stopped. This may have been the key he was looking for. What, in the end, was the difference between the walls and the ceiling? It was all a question of orientation.


    He rushed off to find Reem¡¯s room.


    Reem was sitting against a wall, tinkering with a piece of machinery the size of his head. He looked up as the door opened for Kik. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I think I figured out zero gravity.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Up for you depends on where you are facing.¡±


    Reem stood up. ¡°Not the best way to put it. But that¡¯ll have do for now. Follow me.¡±


    Reem led him through dozens of passageways. Kik had no idea where they were going, but based on the distance they had travelled they had to be moving towards the core. The number of bridges between asteroids that they passed decreased over time, supporting this theory. The asteroids they were moving through would have grown larger and larger. Eventually they stopped reaching bridges through open space at all. Kik theorised they were inside the central asteroid at this point.


    After seeing straight passages and curving passages, Kik ran into Reem¡¯s back when he stopped. He pushed Reem forward, his slight figure pushed by Kik¡¯s heavier frame. Kik was surprised, though, when Reem pushed back with surprising tenacity and shoved Kik away.


    Granting Kik a glare, Reem opened the door they had stopped besides. Inside was a small hangar, less than half the size of the space Kik had landed his ship in. Inside were three small vehicles, too small to carry a human for any period of time. They each had the segmented body of a maggot, with eight legs positioned near the front and a ninth near the tail for balance. Kik inspected the closest.


    Where the head would be was a manoeuvrable drill. Around the head was an array of small arms to collect scraps from the drilling. Seeing them reminded Kik of a certain creature, and he rubbed the back of his neck in recollection.


    Covering the rear of the craft were a dozen thrusters, all pointing in different locations. These converged around a central engine, facing backwards from the main body.


    Kik turned to Reem. ¡°So what do I do this time?¡±


    ¡°The far drone is broken. Fix it.¡±


    ¡°So what happens if I do?¡±


    ¡°You move on to the next job and I give you a gift.¡±


    Kik glanced at him sideways. ¡°What kind of gift?¡±


    ¡°The greatest power in the universe. Knowledge. I¡¯ll tell you some stories about your mother. There¡¯s also one other matter in particular that I want to speak to you about.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re known as the Order of Honesty. To put it bluntly, they¡¯re terrorists.¡±

 12 - Tasks and Trials

    Reem left Kik alone to do the work, so he got down to business.


    He stared at the nose of the mining drone. Its cameras stared back from above, below and to each side of its head. Moving around the sides of the vehicle, he inspected the exterior for signs of damage. Micrometeoroid impacts dotted the hardened exterior but none went deep enough to disrupt the craft¡¯s function.


    Inspecting the collection array, the central drill spun as he pushed it. There were no problems with motion there, but he¡¯d have to look at the electronics later. The arms around the drill had no problems either, as far as he could see.


    Moving down the length of the craft, he reached the engines just less than halfway back and spotted the first problem. Three of the attitude thrusters were missing. Kik made a mental note to search for replacements later and continued onwards.


    The main engine was busted. A fuel line had been cut, emptying the tank out into space. The casing was dented and battered, and some of the parts inside would need replacing. When he opened the maintenance panel to get a look one of the fragile parts broke off with a crack.


    Sliding under the vehicle he ran his eyes over the lower hull. This part was less beaten, but there was a rock wedged deep between two segments of the body. He would need tools to pull it out. He wasn¡¯t going to stick his hand in there.


    Kik took a moment to float up towards the ceiling. Stopping himself in midair with a burst of compressed air from his suit, he slowly pirouetted in empty space. Scanning across the room, he scoped out each of the crates in turn. His first order of business would be to get tools.


    Drifting over to a magnetised tools chest, he pulled off an x-ray scanner attachment for his datapad and a magnetic screwdriver. Turning back to the machine, he snapped one hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to it.¡±


    The engine proved difficult to find the problems in. The x-ray attachment helped, but it would only display the top layer of objects inside the cover in any detail. Beyond that would be blocked by the thickening metal.


    Once he had removed the cover the pieces became easier to distinguish, but the problems with them remained elusive. Knowing how something worked didn¡¯t help much in finding whether it would work as it should. He managed through comparison of the broken engine to working ones on the other craft. Over time broken pieces were removed and photographed so he could find the replacements later.


    Once the engine was a bare hunk with only working pieces remaining, Kik beat the casing back into place. A few taps with a hammer and a spray of sealant was enough to fix any holes in the material. Any missing pieces of ceramic were held back in place by the sealant.


    Kik held a sheet of composite ceramic and metal engine casing up to the light. He wondered what had caused the damage. It seemed that most of it had come from blunt force to the motor, but it would have had to strike with great force to damage the motor inside. More impressive was that the ship returned even with its motor broken and fuel lines cut. Perhaps it crawled back on auxiliary thrusters alone. Or perhaps it had been damaged sitting in this very dock.


    Finding parts for the engine and replacing them in position took most of a day. When he checked his watch it was already evening. Not that the sun was setting, as there was no such thing as a sunset in space, but the work shift was over. He took another hour to replace the fuel piping before finishing. He hadn¡¯t received permission to leave but he didn¡¯t think he would need any.


    He found his way back to his room with the map, making sure to note down the location of the hangar for the next day.


    While resting in his cocoon, Kik considered what this ¡®training¡¯ was supposed to help him with. Learning how much of hi technical information he had was actually of any use? The skills required to live on a space station? That may be what he was learning but he didn¡¯t feel like that was what the end result would be. It was the same with the balance training with Vist. It improved his balance, that was the result. But the true purpose behind the exercise had been to teach him to fight.


    Kik fell asleep thinking of mechanical parts and robotics.


    The next day was more hard work. Pulling the rock wedged between the segments was fine. Replacing the missing thrusters was fast too, but checking the other mechanical parts took time - particularly the drill and its surroundings. In the end they all checked out. The fuel tank was refilled, the cracks in the covering were sealed and a fresh coat of radiation resistant paint was applied.


    Dusting his hands off and replacing the tools, Kik got a call from Reem. ¡°The merchant convoy is leaving. If you want you can head over and say your goodbyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Do you have any way of testing the craft? I¡¯m more or less certain that it won¡¯t blow up if it¡¯s turned on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring a test controller down shortly. In the meantime get yourself to that hangar.¡± The transmission cut off.


    The only merchant Kik wanted to farewell was Sal. He had spoken briefly to the other captains but he didn¡¯t know any of them, by name or by personality. Salazar was almost the opposite - he could remember him too well.


    Stepping into the hangar, Kik was greeted with his first view of Sal¡¯s ship - and it was as opulent as he might have guessed. Rather than the standard grey it was painted a bright red. Yellow teeth and eyes were stencilled across the uplifted prow and bridge.


    The silhouette of the ship was a kite, with the narrow end pointed towards the back. It was held to the ground by sturdy landing gear - no rooftop electromagnets there. All loading happened from a door beneath, ramp gaping open like a mouth. With the bridge poking out the top for the eyes and the engines extended behind like a tail, it reminded Kik of a¡­


    ¡°Stingray,¡± he said to himself.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± a familiar voice came from behind. ¡°That¡¯s her model. Those in the know call her the Sudden Flight though. And who might you be?¡±


    Kik turned around and found himself face-to-chest with a heavy example of a man. He wasn¡¯t tall, but he was gifted in¡­ other proportions. Rotund would be an understatement. His brilliant yellow spacesuit did what it could to contain him, but somewhere along the line Sal had decided that it wasn¡¯t enough and wrapped an additional belt around his midriff. Flesh bulged out on either side but at least the widest point was contained. His face behind the half-open visor was a dark shade of brown.


    Stepping back and looking up at Sal, Kik nodded to him. ¡°Nice to meet you in person. I¡¯m Kik, temporary captain of the Benefactor.¡± He neglected to shake Sal¡¯s hand but the person in question didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Ha! Captain at your age, temporary as it may be? I you don¡¯t have any plans I¡¯ll hire you once your contract¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I¡¯d prefer to stay with the Benefactor.¡±


    Sal stepped forward and punched Kik in the gut. Kik doubled over, gasping and dry-retching. ¡°Your loss. You¡¯ll never hear that offer again. I¡¯d stay, but the solar winds aren¡¯t as patient as me. You¡¯ll have to hear about my seventh wife another time.¡± He paused. ¡°What¡¯s that you say?¡±


    Wheezing, Kik looked up. ¡°Shame.¡± His head fell towards the floor again.


    ¡°Well then, my little captain, have a safe trip! Bon voyage!¡±


    Kik nodded, standing straight as Sal reached the bottom of the ramp. A small silhouette in a matching yellow spacesuit awaited him at the top of the ramp. Sal threw himself to the floor before it, bending over awkwardly in the low gravity and kissing the steel. Finally he arose and they headed into the ship together.


    An announcement came through the system. ¡°All clear of the hangar, doors opening in two minutes.¡± Kik took that as his cue to leave.


    Returning to the craft he was working on, Kik found a handheld controller. Its display flashed a message. ¡°Good luck!¡± It was complete with a pixelated smiley-face icon. He snorted and swiped the screen clear before starting.


    The controller did nothing. It turned on and transmitted a signal, but it didn¡¯t reach the craft. The transmitted signal was without doubt on the right bandwidth with the right code. The problem had to lie with the drone.


    That particular problem was a killer. This time the fault wasn¡¯t with a mechanical part - that could be traced - but with a transmitter or receiver.


    The fault turned out to be a burnt out motherboard near the antenna. He cut the wires and pulled it out. Once he had printed out a new circuit board and wired it back in the drone started without problems. Running through the range of motions it was capable of, the auxiliary motors turned freely and the central motor heated up on command. He had the common sense to not live test the motors inside a closed hangar.


    Once everything had checked off Kik called Reem down. He arrived yawning, having only just finished his own sleep cycle.


    ¡°So are you done?¡±


    ¡°It was a pain figuring out how everything went together.¡±


    ¡°You know, if you had looked through the station computers, you would have found the plans on there.¡±


    Kik looked dejected. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It hardly matters now. So where¡¯s the controller? Let me put the bird through its paces.¡±


    Flicking through the controls one after another, Reem nodded in satisfaction. ¡°It all checks out. Thrusters two and eight are a bit sluggish on their turns, but they¡¯re opposite each other so it will cancel out. It won¡¯t be hard to compensate for.¡±


    ¡°Now what?¡±


    Reem turned to Kik and stared at him, his eyes slitting to their customary glare. ¡°Now I suppose I owe you some information.¡±


    Reem took a moment to collect his thoughts, clearing his throat and patting his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the heavy stuff. So tell me, how much do you know about the organization that calls themselves the Order of Honesty?¡±


    Kik shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard of them.¡±


    ¡°Then they probably haven¡¯t introduced themselves as such. They¡¯re a group of terrorists that style themselves as a mercenary company with a purpose. That¡¯s just who they are though, not what they do. They tend to run around the sector, swaying the power balance in warzones. They most commonly intervene in internal power struggles. They also have well spread underground connections.¡±


    ¡°So where does the terrorist part come from?¡±


    ¡°Planets their forces visit never truly settle down. Even after they leave there are uprisings and unrest. Nothing can be proven, of course, but the incidents always start shortly after their forces leave. They always happen too. It¡¯s given them a curse-like reputation, but rather than magic it¡¯s more likely that they¡¯re the ones causing it.¡±


    Kik scratched his cheek. ¡°That sounds bad if it¡¯s actually them doing it. But then again you say that they only visit warzones. Wouldn¡¯t the government be the most unstable after they¡¯ve just fought a war?¡±


    ¡°Not if they won convincingly. Victory will keep the people happy for a few years as they savor peace and rebuild. After that perhaps they will look less kindly upon their rulers, but for a time the land must regrow. Their conquests break this rule - leaders are assassinated days after they proclaim victory.¡±


    ¡°Fine. So what¡¯s their motive for doing this, then?¡±


    ¡°I was just getting to that.¡± Reem held up a small piece of machinery in his hand. ¡°Recognize this?¡± It was a battery for a disruptor staff. It was identical to the one missing from Vist¡¯s gift to him.


    Kik¡¯s eyebrows shut up. He brought them back down quickly but Reem had already noted the reaction, so there was no point lying. ¡°I¡¯ve seen one before. It¡¯s a battery.¡±


    ¡°Correct, but there¡¯s more to it than that. This technology wasn¡¯t made by human hands.¡±


    He paused for a reaction. Kik didn¡¯t give him the satisfaction of a response.


    ¡°Keeping silent? It¡¯s an alien product. It¡¯s created by the Grasu Alliance. If you don¡¯t believe me I can provide you with evidence of their weapons using them.¡± He brought up a diagram of a rifle on his datapad.


    ¡°No, I believe you. But what does that mean?¡±


    Reem frowned at Kik¡¯s lack of reaction. ¡°Possibly nothing. Perhaps something. At least it means that the Order trusts alien technology more than their own race¡¯s. And they have to have a supply route coming in somehow. That means they have trade. Trade means connections. And connections mean influence.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get what you¡¯re saying. So the Order of Honesty is funded by the Grasu to spread dissent around the sector? I assume there¡¯s some sort of benefit they gain from our inner turmoil.¡±


    Reem nodded. ¡°Have you heard of the Grasu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re a polymorphic race of aliens based around three core bioforms¡­¡±


    ¡°Not what they are, their political position.¡±


    ¡°Right. They occupy the sector coreward of us where they struggle against humanity for a majority vote.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And if they won the struggle other human sectors would move in and push them back. Humanity tends to band together against outside threats after all. So their only option is to make sure those sectors have enough trouble of their own and then win the sector in one push.¡±


    Kik thought this through. ¡°That seems fair. Thanks for the warning. But what does this have to do with me? I¡¯m hardly going to go out and associate with terrorist groups.¡±


    ¡°You may not knowingly do so but you can still get caught up with them. Many of their contacts in the underworld are closely tied to Erstine. I would imagine that you¡¯ve met a few already. And there¡¯s one more person you should be aware of. Your father was a member of the Order. This was before you were born, but he would still be in contact with people from it.¡±


    Kik nodded slowly. ¡°I never knew.¡± His voice took on a wistful tone.


    ¡°Anyway. On to your mother. How much do you know about her past?¡±


    ¡°I know she grew up in space after leaving her home planet. She worked as a merchant or some such before meeting my father and for a short time after. Eventually they got married and found their own ship. That¡¯s about all the major details about her I can remember.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know. She used to be a pilot and engineer in the Conglomerate navy. She was a damn good one too. The two of us were in the same flight for a year, before she finished her time and left the military.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a pilot too? And then how come she never mentioned it to us?¡±


    ¡°I doubt she saw it as important. She never cared for medals or credit. She preferred to choose the target of the spotlight than sit in it herself. It may have been one of the reasons she ran away home, because her family tried to make her stand out too much.¡±


    ¡°Wait, she ran away? She told me she was allowed to go.¡±


    Reem sighed. ¡°I suppose she never got over that. Perhaps she did love her parents, although I¡¯m certain the feeling was hardly mutual. Yes, she ran away. She stole a long-range scout from her family and flew off to who knows where. They just disowned her and let her go.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°I see. But enough about the details, you promised me stories. Pay up.¡±


    Reem chuckled. ¡°Nothing gets past you. Fine. I do have a few war stories for you. Let me tell you about the time our carrier, the Judgement of Ryxonis, ran into a lost Raffarian transport ship¡­¡±


    Kik lay back in empty space and let the words wash over him. Reem was a good storyteller - animated and descriptive, although at times he would lapse into silence as he reflected within himself. Kik had to cough once or twice to regain his attention.


    By the end of the tale Kik reached up to his face and realised he was crying. Reem gave him time to calm down before asking him anything.


    ¡°So how was the story?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just fine. Do you have another?¡±


    Reem sighed. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re not going to get anything else done this shift. Alright then, let me tell you about the time¡­¡±


    Kik lowered his head again and listened, tears streaming down his cheeks. The taste of brine filled his mouth as the stories drew to their inevitable conclusion.


    ¡°So, what happens tomorrow?¡± Kik asked, as the pair returned to their rooms. ¡°More stories?¡±


    Reem¡¯s mouth curved further up. ¡°Not quite. You haven¡¯t freed yourself from my clutches yet. This is only the end of day three. There¡¯s still more than half a week left. I¡¯ll be sure to push you hard in the remaining time.¡±


    A grumble escaped Kik¡¯s lips. He had forgotten about the rest of the training. ¡°So what are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to learn how to fly.¡±


    Kik¡¯s head shot upright. ¡°Training by an ex-military pilot? Count me in.¡±


    Reem shrugged. ¡°Something like that. It might not be as interesting as you think.¡±


    Kik turned up early at Reem¡¯s door the next day. The door was locked, so he swam laps in the zero gravity, floating between doorways and turning around at each end.


    Reem slid open the door. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m not going to get any peace with you moving around out here anyway.¡±


    Kik stuck close to Reem in the journey through the station. They didn¡¯t run into more than one person on their trip so he had plenty of time to ask him questions. ¡°How big¡¯s the craft I¡¯m going to fly? Is it a fighter? What¡¯s its tonnage?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be flying anything yet. I don¡¯t trust your first lesson with valuable equipment, especially not in treacherous space like this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say I was going to be flying?¡±


    ¡°I said you were going to learn. You don¡¯t have to do something to learn it.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you learn better by doing the actual thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we have simulations.¡± Reem stepped into another room, this one marked with a blue light for storage space.


    The room lit up to reveal three icosahedrons - twenty-sided shapes. They were suspended in space by a set of wires attached to the floor, walls and ceiling. Five of the faces, the ones pointing towards the entrance, were kept clear of the wires.


    ¡°Get in,¡± Reem said. ¡°And strap yourself down. The lesson starts now.¡± He pressed a button on the side of the middle object. The five faces without wires opened away from the whole. A single seat inside was revealed, surrounded by wiring and controls.


    Climbing in, Kik finished asking his questions. ¡°So what am I going to fly?¡±


    ¡°A mining drone.¡±


    Kik stopped. ¡°A drone? Not a fighter?¡±


    ¡°Why, is a drone too easy for you?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­ it¡¯s not cool.¡±


    Reem brushed an imaginary speck of dust off his spacesuit. ¡°And who¡¯s going to see you pilot this anyway? Why does it matter if you look cool if your only audience is me and the simulator? Stop worrying about whether you look stupid and start thinking about whether you have any piloting skills at all. Although I admit, the fireball you¡¯d make when ramming a fighter into an asteroid would be cooler than if you used a mining drone. Expensive but cool.¡±


    ¡°Point taken.¡± Kik finished buckling himself down.


    Reem closed the lid when Kik was ready and the lights inside flickered on. The container was bathed in a yellow glow, with a single red light flashing above the terminal.


    Looking around himself, there was a keyboard to his right but it was locked against the wall. Kik assumed he didn¡¯t need it. For controls he had a joystick for direction, throttle for thrust and an array of unmarked levers. Sealed inside the virtual cabin, he took off his helmet and placed it on the ground beside him. A faint breeze played across his face from the ventilation.


    Reem¡¯s voice came in over a speaker. ¡°I¡¯m starting the simulation now. Your fuel will be unlimited to start with so just play around as much as you like and get used to the controls. I¡¯ll be watching from out here so try not to embarrass yourself too much.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Kik tensed up and grabbed the joystick and throttle, prepared for anything.


    The light up on top switched to a steady green shine. The screen lit up to the black of space and a white dot appeared on its centre. A line of text beneath it read ¡®3,000¡¯. His controls flickered on in orange.


    ¡°That circle in the centre of your screen is your destination. The first task is to stop inside it, but get used to the controls first. Try accelerating.¡±


    Pushing forward on the throttle, a slight tug of acceleration pressed Kik back into his seat. An orange line through space appeared. It travelled from behind him through a spot beneath his feet to directly ahead. A number beside it appeared and increased. Kik counted as it rose. ¡°20¡­ 120¡­ 250¡­ What does that arrow and those numbers show?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your current velocity relative to your target point, in kilometres per hour.¡±


    Kik eased back on the throttle. The pull on his body receded and the number settled down to 325.


    ¡°How come I feel weight when I accelerate? I¡¯m just sitting still in a machine after all.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a small gravitational field generator in the machine. It can only reach about a fiftieth of a gravity unit when you¡¯re in contact with it, but it¡¯s enough to let you feel a pull.¡±


    Kik eyed the machine with newfound respect. Running gravity generators outside a vacuum wasn¡¯t cheap - particularly the dark matter storage.


    ¡°How about you try turning the craft? You¡¯re not going to learn anything if you laze around all day.¡±


    Kik twisted the joystick to the left and returned it to rest. The craft¡¯s forward motion turned into a spin. The yellow line flashed in and out of view, the number beside it unchanged, but the craft itself lost all sense of a solid heading. Kik was pressed against the straps to the side of the module.


    Pushing forward on the throttle as they turned, the craft went into an out of control loop the loop, spinning around the same central position relative to its path.


    Letting the thruster out again, Kik slowly reduced the craft¡¯s spin. Moving the joystick in the opposite direction to the craft¡¯s turn, he brought down the speed until he had to stop or he would overcompensate.


    Testing out the vertical spin by pushing the joystick forwards or backwards, Kik pointed the nose at the destination and cracked his knuckles. Time to do this.


    Accelerating forwards, Kik checked how far he had left to go - 2,991 km. He would accelerate until the 1,400 km mark, turn around and accelerate back.


    Most of the drift was a boring wait. Kik¡¯s only job was to compensate for slight errors in the craft¡¯s heading.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Once he reached the turning point, Kik eased the throttle and spun the craft around. Checking his speed, he was up to almost six thousand kilometres an hour.


    The second half was similar, but he had to look over his shoulder to see his heading compared to the target. Most of the time was spent sitting there tapping his fingers on the joystick.


    Kik undershot and then overshot the kilometre-wide target zone twice. It took him five minutes to get inside and another three to reach a point the simulation considered unmoving. Finally he passed it and the inside faded to black again, except for the blinking red light.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard,¡± Kik said to Reem outside. ¡°It was a bit boring if anything. I know at least that much piloting from flying larger ships.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be challenged soon. We¡¯re changing up the rules a little bit. You still have to stop on top of the destination but this time there are objects you have to avoid. Think of them as micrometeoroids. I your cushy ships with their defence batteries you don¡¯t have to worry about them, but this is an unarmed and unarmoured drone. One hit from a micrometeoroid and you¡¯d be badly damaged, if not crippled.¡±


    The screen faded back in again, the layout the same as the last simulation. But this time there were yellow lines dotted across the screen. Each of these lines were in fact rays, indicating the direction of motion of a moving point. The lines darkened to red as they drew closer to the actual object itself, hurtling through space at interplanetary speeds.


    Kik piloted his way along with the same method, but this time he had to change his heading every so often as it crossed on of the lines. He finished this stage without trouble too.


    The training progressed as fast a snail in high gravity, with Kik flying for an hour each time Reem set a new parameter on the training. Larger elements were added, from larger asteroids with their own microgravity to a planet Kik had to traverse around. The arrow showing his momentum bent around objects with gravity - so rather than momentum it would be more appropriate to say it predicted his path.


    When the micrometeoroids were added back in alongside the larger asteroids, the processors were unable to keep up and the machine started lagging. Kik had to restart once or twice as he was hit from below or above by a micrometeoroid that had popped into view a few seconds ago from behind an asteroid.


    Kik didn¡¯t reach the final level till that evening. In it he had to traverse the outer orbit of a black hole. On top of the multitudes of micrometeoroids and asteroids slowly drifting past him towards it, there were also gravity fluctuations and radiation bursts that stretched out from the hole in massive sheets. Wandering into these for too long would, over time, shake the craft to pieces or destroy its electronics.


    In exchange, the target was placed a mere two hundred kilometres away. It was still a struggle reaching the target zone with the repeated emissions. They would disappear almost as soon as they arrived and pop up in another location.


    Finally he was able to clear the level by noticing a pattern in the disturbances. When they appeared in a certain spot, they wouldn¡¯t appear there again for a brief period. Once they appeared on one side of his vision, they would soon appear on the other. There was some sort of rotation going in in the singularity which was affecting the outside. He couldn¡¯t figure out the complete picture with his limited sensor range but he could guess what was going to happen next in the area he could detect.


    Once he had stopped in the final target zone, Kik called out to Reem. ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got for me?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. We¡¯re done for today though. Get back to your room and get some rest.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°Fine. I was starting to enjoy this though. It was actually a challenge at the end.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there will be plenty more for you to worry about later on. Meet me here again tomorrow morning and you¡¯ll see what I mean.¡± Reem stayed behind and typed on the keyboard inside the simulator as Kik left.


    Kik turned up before Reem again and waited. As the person in question drifted down the corridor, a few minutes late, Kik pestered him with questions. ¡°So can I pilot a fighter today? I want to shoot something. And when will we get to the real thing?¡±


    ¡°Relax, relax. No, you¡¯ll be using the same craft as last time. It¡¯s back in the middle simulator once again. There are a few more challenges waiting for you before you move onto something a bit more complex.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    Reem gestured to the open capsule. ¡°Why not jump in and find out?¡±


    Clambering into the capsule again, it sealed and turned on. As the screen lit up Kik noticed a new bar on the top of the screen, just above head height. It was currently full.


    ¡°What¡¯s that indicator at the top?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your fuel level. If it¡¯s depleted before you stop in the area, you lose. Well, it¡¯s half the fuel the craft can carry, but in reality you need the other half to get back to wherever you launched from.¡±


    The screen flickered into life with a black screen and a series of yellow lines across it. Kik looked for a red dot, indicating an object with gravity, but he didn¡¯t find any.


    ¡°Did you start me off back at the start again?¡±


    ¡°No, you skipped the first level. But before you complain, try it out. It¡¯s harder to complete than it looks.¡±


    Kik ran out of fuel just over halfway the first time. He used half on accelerating then more on dodging asteroids, and by the time he turned around and started to decelerate he was out.


    Trying again, Kik completed the level, but the slower speed took him much longer - almost two hours.


    As he progressed through the levels, Kik struggled to find a balance between speed and fuel consumption. Faster speed meant less dodging was required, but dodging and deceleration took up more fuel. Slower speed meant more evasive movement was needed over the same distance but less fuel was used on those and stopping again.


    The end of that day finished with Kik stuck on the final level - this one was a problem, as his previous tactic called for some complete stops to avoid bursts from the black hole.


    The next day was Kik¡¯s sixth day aboard the station. In the morning he managed to luck out and finish the final level, pushing through and dodging the danger zones almost by accident.


    Kik let out a small cheer as he glided to a halt in the target zone. ¡°Did you see that?¡±


    Reem provided a voice of wisdom. ¡°I did, but don¡¯t get overconfident. There¡¯s still a challenge or two left.¡±


    ¡°Well what is there? I completed all the missions already.¡±


    ¡°But do you know how to take off and land? That¡¯s the hardest part of piloting.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well it can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡±


    Reem didn¡¯t reply, letting Kik experience the next stage for himself. The screen lit up again, except this time instead of a complete black the ship was surrounded on five sides by metal walls. Only ahead was the blackness of space.


    Kik kept the joystick steady and pushed the throttle forward. The drone rocketed from the hangar. Turning around and looking behind him, Kik could see a box containing nothing other than the hangar he had emerged from. It receded in the distance as the craft accelerated forwards.


    Reaching the target after an hour and a half, the white target zone switched off after he drew within ten kilometres of the area. Instead an irregular chunk of rock sat in the area, spinning on the spot. It was just over a hundred metres in diameter.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re going to land on,¡± Reem told Kik. ¡°You¡¯ll need the keyboard for this one. I should have left it unlocked for you. Touch up against it when you¡¯re ready. First type ¡®low¡¯ in. That will reduce your maximum engine power and give you more control over your speed.¡±


    Kik did so and the drop on his fuel gauge decreased. He had about three percent left in the meter, which should be enough to cover the last few kilometers and make a landing.


    Kik drifted in under his previous momentum, giving occasional bursts of the engine to speed up or slow down and avoid incoming micrometeoroids.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Reem said as the ship drew ever closer to the asteroid. ¡°Align your base to the rock then type in ¡®control¡¯. That will lock your heading in place and let you steer with only your attitude thrusters. Keep an eye on your remaining fuel, too. You have under a percent remaining.¡±


    Kik did as he said and then moved around. Nothing changed about the controls except that turning used up no fuel and the thrusters were more ineffective.


    ¡°You¡¯re going too fast,¡± Reem said. ¡°Ease up there.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m only going at five kilometres an hour,¡± said Kik, turning his head around to see an approaching wall of rock.


    A red damage display flashed on the screen as the craft¡¯s momentum switched direction - he had bounced off the asteroid. His landing gear was wrecked and his lower attitude thrusters were damaged.


    ¡°We¡¯re still going? I¡¯m supposed to land with this damage?¡± Kik asked. He throttled towards the rock for another try, but before he could reach it the screen turned black.


    ¡°You used all your fuel,¡± Reem told him.


    After another failed try, Reem gave up. ¡°Alright, get out of the seat. I¡¯ll change around the length of the level to give you more practice. I¡¯m falling asleep from the time you take to get from a to b. You need more practice with the ending or all that effort will be worthless. Let me guess, when you pilot a spacecraft you let the autopilot control the landing sequence?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m hardly about to gamble with a multi million credit piece of equipment.¡±


    ¡°Boring attitude. You don¡¯t learn anything that way. You¡¯re young. Make some mistakes. Live a little.¡±


    Reem replaced Kik in the chair and typed his way through a series of commands before getting out again. ¡°Alright, that should be set up for you to practice landing. You¡¯ll only have to travel thirty kilometres to get to your destination now.¡±


    Trying out the altered settings, Kik managed to land on his twelfth try. All he had to do once he was against the rock was type ¡®connect¡¯ and the craft would lock to it, its segmented body twisting to align with the texture. He kept going on the practice map though, wanting to get his technique up to a reliable standard.


    He made one try at the full-length simulation but got impatient and was hit by a micrometeoroid before he could reach the end. A broken line spilled out his remaining fuel and he ran out far before reaching the end.


    The next day Kik prepared himself for progress and wasn¡¯t disappointed. He breezed through the exercises until the final, the last simulation. Before he could start, however, Reem powered off the machine.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll turn it on again in a second. But before you start, just hear me out. You don¡¯t have to finish this level if you don¡¯t want to. You¡¯ve already passed the test. Just accumulate as much practice as you can and we¡¯ll leave once you¡¯re ready to try out a real craft.¡±


    Kik breathed out. He had logged far over thirty hours in the simulator in the past three days, but was he ready for the real thing? ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you know when I feel prepared to try my hand.¡±


    The final level was as hard as expected. Kik took his time on the landings and even then he failed many times. The worst part was the tidal effect of the gravity. It wasn¡¯t noticeable when he was moving at high speeds, but it actually caused a slight movement in the craft. When he was only moving at a walking pace in the final landing, a gravity fluctuation would easily knock him off course. It was also rare for him to even get close to the target due to his fuel running out.


    As he failed time and again, Kik grew more frustrated. Why couldn¡¯t it go right? He knew what he had to do so why wasn¡¯t he doing it correctly? As his frustration built and caused mistakes, those mistakes themselves caused more frustration. His annoyance built over the day until he realised his problem.


    Taking a few rounds to relax himself, he deliberately crashed into micrometeoroids. After a few tries of this, he regained his sense of calm and feeling for the controls.


    Before he took off, though, he considered his next move. Was he gaining anything here attempting something he probably wasn¡¯t able to do? Or would he be better off applying his efforts somewhere else?


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to move on,¡± he said to Reem.


    ¡°What? Oh, you¡¯re done huh. Tired of breaking a bunch of virtual dots to bits? Want to try it with a real drone?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not going to learn anything on this exercise with the time I have left.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Unfortunately, I¡¯m going to have to postpone the flight until tomorrow. It¡¯s almost time to finish the shift. I¡¯ll have a final check over the craft early tomorrow so we¡¯re ready. You¡¯ll be leaving the day after tomorrow too, so you¡¯ll only have one shot. Come down here tomorrow and run the simulator through yourself, get some final practice before we start.¡±


    Climbing out, Kik jerked the cramps out of his legs before floating down to the floor. ¡°That sounds good to me.¡±


    Kik tossed and turned that night but finally got to sleep when his tired mind shut down.


    The practice the next day was standard and easy. Kik didn¡¯t know how to change levels, so it was stuck on what Reem had last changed it to. It was a long-distance trek with celestial bodies both large and small. He powered through two of them before Reem showed up to take him to the site.


    Following his mentor through the corridors, Kik noticed that they began to be more populated. He also noticed that people were giving Reem strange looks.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, I usually don¡¯t show my face around the station so there are more rumours known about me than facts. They¡¯re probably just confused about why I¡¯d turn up in the middle of the station with an unfamiliar twelve year old. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be saying that you¡¯re my illegitimate child by the end of the day. It¡¯s not that far from the truth, actually.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am your godfather.¡±


    Kik stopped for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s a godfather?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an old tradition, it doesn¡¯t have any legal meaning now though. It used to mean that if something happened to your parents I would take care of you. It¡¯s not quite that simple now though.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the conglomerate cracks down on laws caused by religion. As you might guess from the name, the origin is religious. So in the eyes of the law, you and me have no connection. I could adopt you I suppose, but it won¡¯t have much meaning since you¡¯re already in a contract with Erstine. That, unfortunately, is legally binding.¡±


    Kik sealed his visor and thought this through in silence, but Reem interrupted him with a tap to his temple. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Opening the door to the drone control room, Reem waved to a man by the door and continued inside. At least here it seemed he was recognized. Perhaps the man was just too busy with the terminal to notice.


    The space was more than triple the size of the simulation room, in two of the dimensions at least. Compared to the three isohedrons in the simulation room, this one contained eighteen. They were arranged in a six by three grid across the floor space.


    Kik stopped near the door as Reem continued inside. ¡°Why did we bother coming here? These are exactly the same as the simulators back in the other room.¡±


    Reem shook his head. ¡°These ones are connected to the network of small craft. They don¡¯t have any capability for simulation, but instead they control and read events in the real world.¡±


    Kik buckled into a capsule as Reem sealed it behind him. ¡°Good luck out there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kik managed as the capsule sealed with a hiss.


    The screen lit up, pixelated but more than understandable. Looking around, Kik realised the view was from the hangar he had fixed the craft in. Looking around he could even spot the spaces the bins of tools and parts had previously sat. They were gone now, sealed away in preparation for decompression.


    The hangar doors before him cracked open and split to the floor and ceiling. The air inside the hangar rushed through the widening crack, although Kik of course noticed no difference.


    The black of space opened up ahead through the widening jaws of the station. Sunlight glinted off rocks hanging in orbit, shining through the asteroids to the edges of the system and beyond.


    After taking a moment to enjoy the view, Kik got moving. He started easy on the throttle, as his destination wasn¡¯t dead ahead for once. Once clear of the station he swung around to face the comet on the edge of the asteroids and throttled forward.


    His flight was a short one this time, a mere eight hundred kilometres of void travel. He should make it to the target within twenty minutes. The asteroid field was thick but the station¡¯s position near the edge of the swarm meant he could escape through lower density paths to clear space.


    Traversing the asteroid field posed no challenge, but problems set in when he turned around to decelerate. He was out of the shadow of the station so the sun filled his view. Sections of it were blocked by asteroids but not enough to clear his screen.


    The screen darkened and took what pressure it could off of him, but the ship¡¯s sensors were played around with by the bright light.


    ¡°How am I supposed to deal with the sun?¡± Kik asked Reem. ¡°I can¡¯t pilot like this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± was the reply. ¡°Just watch behind you. Your instruments there should be enough. On the way back your sensors should have accumulated enough data over time to figure out exactly what is coming from where.¡±


    Taking Reem¡¯s word for it, Kik continued on to a slow drift above the surface of the comet. Its tail blew away from the sun in a stream of gas and vapour, disappearing into nothingness in the space between the stars.


    Starting the landing sequence, Kik inched towards the icy surface. Switching to auxiliary thrusters, he settled down the craft, its landing gear sinking into the ice at the point of contact. Clouds of material were kicked up by the impact. Kik had the peculiar sensation of seeing the dusty film appear but not the object that caused the disturbance, the landing gear edited out of the image by the display software.


    Aligning the craft¡¯s body to the comet¡¯s surface, Kik spoke to Reem. ¡°So I¡¯ve landed. What do I do now?¡±


    ¡°Start collecting. Just type in ¡®deploy¡¯ and the collector will do its own thing. Once it has enough ice and water it will stop and you can return.¡±


    Giving the command, a progress bar flashed up on the screen. It jumped up in chunks whenever a new segment of ice was cut off and stored. Looking around while bored, Kik could see many spots on the comet where the surface had been scarred by drilling or cutting. His was far from the first craft to harvest the comet for water.


    Reem contacted Kik again once the progress bar was complete. ¡°To get off the rock, just reverse your landing sequence. Type in ¡®end¡¯ before the action to cancel it. So to disconnect from the rock type ¡®end connect¡¯, then for the next stage ¡®end control¡¯, and finally to get up to orbital speeds type ¡®end low¡¯. From there it should be a quick flight back to the hangar. Takeoff is considerably easier than landing.¡±


    Doing as Reem suggested, Kik managed the launch with no problems. He reached almost halfway back before running into a problem.


    A tiny rock struck the craft in one of its cameras. It was next to invisible as it came almost directly from the sun. It didn¡¯t break anything permanently, but the grass cracked and most of the right side of Kik¡¯s display turned a broken mess of cracks. The camera was shaken loose by the impact and as the craft accelerated the right side of his view wobbled. A red damage message popped up on the screen.


    Kik managed to reach the halfway point and turn around, but he still couldn¡¯t see anything to his right. He could see in that direction if he stopped decelerating to turn his screen, but then he wouldn¡¯t stop before hitting the station.


    In the end he had to trust the return trip to luck and hope that there were no more micrometeoroids in his way. He kept an eye over his shoulder, specifically on the right side, and couldn¡¯t see anything approaching. But there was always a chance one would appear from a blind spot behind an asteroid.


    At last he reached the hangar, having taken a single glancing hit which did nothing more than dent the plating. Slowing himself down and backing into the hangar, Kik let out a sigh of relief as he stopped moving. The hangar doors closed shut behind him and atmosphere filled the hangar again. A repair crew emerged to look over the craft as the screens faded to black.


    Kik clambered out of the cockpit and met Reem¡¯s handshake.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Reem said with a grin. ¡°You pass. You have the level of piloting skill that I would expect from an older fighter pilot trainee.¡±


    ¡°Just a trainee?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. There are more kinds of people than there are stars in the galaxy. Countless numbers of them are amazing pilots. Maybe you¡¯ll get there one day, but you still have a long way to go. Count yourself lucky, though, that you have so long to get there.¡±


    ¡°So basically I¡¯m bad but I could be better with practice?¡±


    Reem shrugged. ¡°Only you can say that. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯d go in a real dogfight. If you manage to keep a cool head - and that¡¯s just an if - you might do rather well.¡±


    Kik unsealed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow. ¡°So what happens now? Can I fly a real fighter? Finally?¡±


    Reem laughed. ¡°Still going on about that? I would like to. Unfortunately starfighters don¡¯t come cheap. If you can get yourself one and let me have a spin with it, I¡¯d be more than happy to teach you to fly it. Until then, though, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much chance.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°It was worth a try. So what comes next? More simulations?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. You¡¯ve already had your eight days aboard the station. It¡¯s time to move on.¡±


    ¡°Already? Fine. Where to next?¡±


    ¡°I hear there¡¯s an interesting jungle which needs attention for some rescue mission or other. A passenger is awaiting your departure.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it could be fun.¡± Kik buckled on his helmet and followed Reem to his next job.

 13 - Unearthed Secrets

    The flashing red light above the door changed to green and it opened. The pair, former master and student, waiting outside made their way through. Beyond was yet another hangar, all that there seemed to be on this part of the rocky station. Air hissed from the vents around the sides of the room as atmosphere flooded back, repressurizing the previous vacuum.


    Secured to the floor was a destroyer-class vessel, a sleek high-end transport ship. Painted in a gunmetal grey, it was silent in its berth but closed weapon arrays arounds its sides hinted at its more deadly capabilities. Its weaponry consisted of far more than mere defence lasers.


    A group of people strode down the ramp, astronauts in their white suits eager to stretch their limbs. Ten such people disembarked, a few less than the average crew size for such a vessel. No doubt the rest were cleaning up on board or preparing for customs checks.


    After the station crew gave the new arrivals the standard questioning and shakedown, they drifted off in groups to spend their limited time on whatever they felt like. Most would go and get drunk somewhere in the station, regardless of the cost of alcohol in the middle of nowhere.


    After the initial group had disappeared, a few others made their way down the ramp. These were a little more uncomfortable in the lack of gravity, bouncing their way along and pushing themselves back towards the floor with little bursts of air. They were given a kinder treatment than the void sailors, the station crew unwilling to offend a figure of potential power. Not just anyone was able to secure a spot on a destroyer-class.


    One such person descended who caught Kik¡¯s eye, not just because he responded to Reem¡¯s wave. He wasn¡¯t wearing a spacesuit, not even a breathing mask. His unshaven head poked out from above a black half-cloak. It covered a set of armour, plates and bands of a grey metal, which extended down to his waist. Beneath that was a white trenchcoat which went down to his knees at the back but was cut higher at the front.


    What also surprised Kik was that he moved comfortable in the microgravity, using no thrusters - only magnetic boots. How was it possible to have a person who understood living in space yet didn¡¯t follow its rules?


    Once the man was past the security check, he beelined to Reem and, by extension, to Kik.


    ¡°Good to see you again!¡± he said, shaking Reem¡¯s hand. ¡°Have you found me a way to Icros?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Cormen,¡± Reem replied. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll be ready to leave within the hour. Are you off on another rescue?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not an animal this time. Some archaeologist dug something up and he really wants me to take a look at it. But what are we standing around here for? Talk while we walk.¡±


    The group moved through the station parallel to open space. He didn¡¯t have his bearings very well, but Kik assumed that they were moving towards another hangar. The man, Cormen, seemed to notice that there was a third person with them as they travelled through the tunnels. Perhaps he felt Kik¡¯s gaze on his neck.


    ¡°And who might you be? I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve had the pleasure of meeting me.¡±


    Reem turned around and floated along backwards, facing them. ¡°This is Kik. Kik, meet Cormen Dietrid. Cormen¡¯s your next passenger.¡±


    Cormen spoke out. ¡°Passenger? So you¡¯re a captain are you? I see.¡±


    Kik raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met to not be surprised about that.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve certainly met stranger folk. The galaxy is vast and full of unknowns. If we worry about the little ones, how will we ever spot the true questions?¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°So you¡¯re an answerer of those questions?¡±


    ¡°Not so much. More a gatherer of those answers. I like to think of myself as a librarian of sorts.¡±


    Kik took a moment to reply. ¡°Well I look forwards to working with you, Mr Librarian.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, assuming you know what you¡¯re doing. Does he know what he¡¯s doing, Reem?¡±


    ¡°Well enough. He¡¯ll get you where you need to go.¡±


    Kik took the opportunity for a segue. ¡°So where is it you¡¯re heading to? I heard a jungle world mentioned, but nothing more than that.¡±


    Cormen smiled. ¡°Ah little child, the land of Icros is a vast and wild place full of terrors known and unknown...¡±


    Cormen continued to elaborate on the numerous and mysterious dangers of the jungle, but Kik tuned him out and tried to remember what he had read. If he recalled correctly, the planet Icros had frequent volcanic activity. It was hot and humid there as a result, and the skies were darkened with ash. The jungles there were without doubt special, but he couldn¡¯t remember what made them such. It was something to do with the ash.


    ¡°...which has brought many a man and beast to their knees. Its mere presence...¡±


    Reem coughed and both of them startled in guilt, for different reasons. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Opening the door before them, Kik was granted a view of the Benefactor.


    Going through the pre-departure checks, Kik settled Cormen into his parents¡¯ former room. He sent Reem off to collect his personal effects, having left a few items in his room that morning. They were mostly tools but he didn¡¯t want to leave anything behind.


    Everything checked out green. The navigational computer went to work calculating departure routes. All that was left was to retrieve his belongings from Reem and the final takeoff sequence.


    Kik met Reem by the ramp. He was slightly out of breath, having rushed from one end of the station to the other fast enough to satisfy Cormen¡¯s schedule.


    ¡°Here are your things,¡± Reem said, passing over the few items that Kik had left behind. A torch, his reading glasses, a used flare gun. A few other odds and ends.


    ¡°So this is goodbye?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Only for now. You¡¯re to come straight back here after you finish. This station is supposed to be some sort of base of operations for you. You¡¯ll have your room secured unless you disappear for a few months. I can keep it open for at least the next two shipments of workers, before the place starts getting a bit more crowded. There shouldn¡¯t be any need for the space until then.¡±


    Kik grinned. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you later then. I¡¯ll be back before the next orbit.¡±


    Reem snorted. ¡°Since the orbital time around the sun is approximately fifty years, I would certainly hope so. I¡¯ll see you next time, and don¡¯t forget to find me a fighter to pilot.¡±


    He floated off, unhurried.


    Kik stopped to check on Cormen before departure, but the person in question was recording a spoken diary entry. His voice echoed out through the airtight door as he described a struggle to find an ancient artifact, the hunt stretching across multiple worlds. Kik moved on. He would be fine. Fools, after all, were immortal.


    Strapping himself into the cockpit, Kik broadcast a departure warning across the ship. He wondered if he had ruined Cormen¡¯s recording. It didn¡¯t matter if he had, though. There would be plenty of time in the trip to waste.


    Blasting his way free of the opened hangar doors, Kik set his heading towards the first jump point on the way to Icros.


    All up, the trip took a week. The Icros system was three jumps away from Rymez. Kik took a little extra time, despite Cormen¡¯s impatience, to harvest fuel along the way. That way he didn¡¯t need to detour via Lanos or another world to maintain his emergency reserves.


    Along the way he had a little while to research Icros. It turned out the special thing about the jungle was that none of the plants could photosynthesize. In fact, none of the plants were really plants at all. Normal plants wouldn¡¯t be able to survive the eternal night beneath the clouds of ash on the surface. Instead the jungle was made of colonies of fungus, who fed on heat from the lava, radiation and ultraviolet light piercing through the clouds. It seemed the volcanic activity unearthed more than just magma. It also brought up all sorts of radioactive isotopes to the surface.


    On the journey, Kik got a single quick chance to talk to Cormen, when he poked his head out to ask for meals for the trip. Other than that he stayed inside the room with the door shut.


    After giving him the meal pouches, Cormen was about to disappear back into his quarters before Kik managed to call out.


    ¡°How come you don¡¯t wear a void suit when you¡¯re in space?¡±


    Cormen turned, considering his answer. ¡°I suppose I would rather not have to rely on a final line of defence. I mean, you don¡¯t intend to decompress the ship, do you?¡±


    ¡°No, but if accidents happen then you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°But if the main system can fail so can the backups. You¡¯ll be more cautious of a potential accident if you don¡¯t have a backup system set up.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a dangerous philosophy. Especially when you¡¯re in space.¡±


    ¡°That depends on the way you apply it.¡± He disappeared back into his quarters and shut the door behind him.


    Luckily for Cormen, his risky behaviour was not put to the test on the final two jumps. Travelling through deserted systems, they encountered no pirates, solar flares, roaming asteroids or other hazards.


    Finally they reached the orbit of Icros. Its surface was blanketed in a light grey by the thick clouds of ash. The occasional peak of a supervolcano stretched their way through the clouds like the head of a giant, spewing their igneous breath around them. The light from their near-continuous eruptions stained the skies a deep ruby.


    The Benefactor was guided towards a solitary orbiting station at Cormen¡¯s urging. Once they had docked Kik was given a short break to collect some basic equipment - some food, water and other survival gear and weapons. Not a minute after they had arrived, Cormen decided Kik had taken too long and barged into the storage room.


    ¡°Alright, get out. We¡¯re heading down.¡±


    ¡°Wait, at least let me get a change of clothes! I¡¯m still in my spacesuit!¡±


    ¡°Do that once we get planetside. You can¡¯t wear your normal clothes there anyway. Just get moving and we¡¯ll speak on the way down.¡±


    Cormen hurried Kik off the ship to pay the boarding fees. He then dragged him down a few levels.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Kik asked. ¡°I hope you know your way around here because I certainly don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, I do,¡± Cormen told him. ¡°The dock is just ahead.¡±


    The pair emerged into an open bay with two giant grey planes inside. The size of Kik¡¯s corvette, engines and fuel tanks composed much of their mass. They seemed to be built for surface to orbit passenger and cargo transport. Black scarring across the front of the craft indicated some sort of burning heat had marked its nose and wings.


    ¡°Aboard the left one,¡± Cormen said, purchasing two return tickets from a machine by the entrance. ¡°Departure is in five minutes. We need to get through security, get on board and get buckled down.¡±


    The pair managed to find a pair of empty seats in the crowded passenger compartment. Looking around, Kik spotted all sorts of people with all kinds of baggage. From families seeking a new home to refugees, to merchants to sailors just looking for a day off, the plane was crammed with those from all walks of life. Cormen without his void suit drew all sorts of attention. Although then again if the craft depressurised on reentry a void suit wouldn¡¯t protect anyone from the fire outside.


    As they lifted off, Kik spoke to Cormen. ¡°So the screens say we¡¯re headed to some place called Mox. Are we meeting anyone there?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My team are there. They¡¯ve been waiting for a few days now. That¡¯s one of the main reasons why I¡¯m in such a hurry, because I¡¯m already running late.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So what is this team of yours? Arere they librarians too?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re more like hired help.¡±


    The plane shuddered as it entered the first layers of atmosphere. Kik kind of wished he had a window or viewscreen. Reentry always gave a nice view.


    ¡°So anyway,¡± Cormen asked Kik, in part to distract himself from the sickening shuddering. ¡°How long have you had your own ship for?¡±


    ¡°Just over a month now. I¡¯m new to living on my own, but I think I¡¯m handling it well.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be. Have you run into any real problems yet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing a combitool and some hull sealant can¡¯t fix.¡±


    Cormen paused for a bit. ¡°It seems you¡¯re getting along on your own then, but you might want to be a bit careful. What would you do if your warp cannon was damaged?¡±


    Kik scowled. ¡°Would it make a difference if I had another person with me? It¡¯s not like we could fix it with the tools on my ship. If anything, they¡¯d just use up the oxygen faster. And I don¡¯t really want a lecture on safety from Mr. ¡®I don¡¯t need spacesuits in space¡¯.¡±


    Cormen shrugged. ¡°I was just trying to offer some friendly advice. If you don¡¯t want any then that¡¯s not my problem.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Looking back on the conversation later on, Kik thought he had been a bit harsh - Cormen seemed like he was genuine in his desire to help. However, there wasn¡¯t a good chance for him to apologise as the noise of reentry rose to a shrieking howl. He held on to the sentiment for later.


    The landing of the spaceplane was abrupt and without warning. One moment they were flying, as flat as ever and with no way to look out the window, and the next the cabin was shaking and the bottom of the plane was screaming from friction with the ground.


    When the plane ground to a halt Kik started to rise from his seat, but Cormen held him down. ¡°We¡¯re not finished yet. They won¡¯t let us out until the plane is decontaminated. If any spores take root in the city it could be catastrophic.¡±


    Kik nodded and sat down again. A few other people who had tried to get up returned to their seats when they realised that the doors wouldn¡¯t open yet.


    A few boring minutes passed before they were cleared. The doors hissed open, moist air flooding the compartment. The faint white tint of a chemical mist floated in. Kik sealed his helmet just in case but Cormen walked through, unaffected.


    ¡°It¡¯s not poisonous, not anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just relax stretch a bit. You won¡¯t have much opportunity to let your hair down on the rest of our journey.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re going to be cramped? Inside a vehicle or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, most of our trip will be through hot zones. Make your own assumptions.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°I was hoping to get a chance to walk around. I¡¯m fine if I¡¯m on my own, but being stuck in a can with a bunch of sweaty, complaining strangers isn¡¯t my idea of a fun trip.¡±


    Cormen shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do about that.¡±


    Sergeant Olaf Rinkor read through his annual report and sighed. His squad of six hadn¡¯t done so well this year.


    The Dark Horse mercenary company were not the most well-known, or the most respected. They were not the best equipped, nor were they the best trained. They were far from the most numerous - they had a grand total of a dozen members. But they cost an affordable amount to hire, and they got the job done as long as it was within their abilities.


    The problem was, just getting the job done wasn¡¯t enough anymore. With border growth long over and nobody left for the military to fight except pirates, more and more people were going freelance. With all the trained ex-military units turning up on the market, a small group like his didn¡¯t have much to make them stand out. That didn¡¯t do wonders for their bottom line.


    They needed a reputation, but they couldn¡¯t get one if they didn¡¯t have any work. Which was why he found himself on Icros, and even giving discounts for ¡®old time¡¯s sake¡¯. He just needed the work, regardless of how little he would gain from it. Odd jobs like this could pass the time, but they wouldn¡¯t make much - unless their client was late and had to pay them for their time spent waiting. And there was nothing Olaf liked more, at least at this point, than money for no effort.


    This dream of free money, however, was set adrift as Olaf realised that the person who had just come through the door was their client. And he had some kid in a void suit with him.


    The city was quiet, without the buzz of machinery that Kik was used to hearing. The dome around it blocked out the breeze from outside. The clouds above combined with the tinted glass dome to plunge the outside into total darkness. Inside was brighter, mostly due to the thousands of small lights dotting the dome. A few were broken, creating islands of dimness where the dark outside seeped through the restraining walls.


    The weather inside was calm, if a little too balmy for Kik¡¯s liking. The heat seeped through his open helmet and covered his entire body in moisture. If he wasn¡¯t wearing an absorbent bodysuit, he no doubt would have drowned in his own perspiration. A hot breeze blew from vents leading down below, deep into the earth. It didn¡¯t help with lowering the temperature.


    Following Cormen into an unremarkable grey building, Kik looked around the small and dank room. Its temperature was a stark contrast to the warmth outside, but the moisture content remained at the same unpleasant level. Small globes around the walls provided scant illumination for the meetings inside.


    A few small groups of people were collected in groups, discussing something or other. Many of the conversations were amicable, but there were a few gathered in quiet hissing matches. The participants were applying as much emotion as possible without being overheard. These were soon settled by swift exchanges of money and a disgruntled handshake or two.


    Cormen headed off towards some man sitting by the wall. Kik supposed he was large, but he somehow didn¡¯t give that impression - he was hunched and distracted, browsing through a dataslate. His dirty blonde hair hung over his eyes and his black shirt and shorts were rumpled.


    ¡°Olaf!¡± Cormen called out. ¡°Are you not going to greet us?¡±


    The man sighed and put the slate down. ¡°Cormen. Glad you¡¯ve arrived, finally. Are we going to head off now?¡±


    ¡°Once we¡¯ve gathered all the equipment, yes. Have you got the suits and transportation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we got some for all six of us, and for you. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going to do about the kid though. Is he coming?¡±


    ¡°He is. You¡¯d better hurry up with finding him an envo suit because we¡¯re leaving in a few hours.¡±


    Olaf shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a miracle worker, Cormen,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can scrounge up but I can¡¯t guarantee anything. It takes time to fit a suit.¡±


    Kik interjected. ¡°Can I say that the ¡®kid¡¯ is right here? And couldn¡¯t we just buy a ready-made suit? I¡¯m not an uncommon size. Or we can get an imperfect one and have it altered. That shouldn¡¯t take as long as making one from scratch.¡±


    Olaf shrugged. ¡°Ideally the suit would cover your body and be loose enough for you to move around. You might be able to get away with it, though. We¡¯ll try buying one first. Otherwise I¡¯ll speak to my dwarf, he might have a spare suit in your size.¡±


    Kik nodded and turned to Cormen. ¡°So are you going to wear the suit this time?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m reckless, not stupid. Don¡¯t confuse the two, please. Of course I¡¯m wearing a suit, while we¡¯re outside a sealed environment at least.¡±


    The group moved to a small store stocked with survival gear. Kik had a short conversation with Olaf as his measurements were being taken, exchanging pleasantries. The man was nice enough but even Kik could tell how much he focussed on work. He was making conversation but he didn¡¯t mean it. He was scoping out a potential future customer, not making friends.


    The shop¡¯s owner, an old man who was less noticeable than the glasses he wore, brought out two small environmental suits. They were coloured a brilliant yellow, black exclamation marks patterning the front and back. The vision panels were small and square, granting little in the way of peripheral vision.


    ¡°Try this on¡±, the shopkeeper said to Kik. ¡°These should fit better than anything else I can put together in a day.¡±


    One suit was too tight and the other too loose, but that was what Kik was going to be stuck with. Rolling them up over his arm, Cormen paid and the group left to prepare for their departure. Kik stayed behind for a minute to purchase one or two survival essentials - a replacement flare gun, some tablets to help with radiation and some insect repellent. The latter came in a bottle almost the size of his arm.


    ¡°Thanks for your business,¡± the old man told Kik. ¡°Try not to die out there.¡±


    The group met up near the edge of the dome, Kik, Cormen and Olaf arriving together. The other five members of the ¡®hired help¡¯ met them there, standing around three vehicles. One was a large truck, with tracks as tall as Kik. It had a boarding ramp at the back, with the rear set aside for decontamination. The front was capped with a massive ram, more for ploughing than battering. The outside was marked with hand-sized windows and the antennae of a sensor array poked out the top.


    The other two were two-man, four-wheeled bikes. They were open-topped contraptions of simple but effective design. Each packed an underslung, forward mounted light machine gun.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of firepower,¡± Kik remarked, before he spotted the five people who would accompany them - three women and two men. His opinions changed.


    All five wore environmental suits similar to his own, obscuring their entire bodies. Theirs, however, was painted a camouflaged black, blue and grey. Plates of armour, metallic or otherwise, were liberally strapped across their bodies. Their protection had a thrown-together feel to it. It wouldn¡¯t have been out of place for one of them to be carrying a rusted manhole as a shield.


    Their weapons were not quite as ragtag. They were five rifles, emblazoned with the mark of Suerado Industries - probably some military issue. A few nonstandard attachments dotted them - an optical scope here, an underslung grenade launcher there, an infrared scope there. Three of the rifles were loaded with solid shot and the last two with batteries for lasers. One of the members carried a second rifle over her shoulder, this one as tall as her. Its split barrel of white material connected onto a black stock and trigger system. A magazine the size of an outstretched palm slotted into the top of the rifle, next to a high-magnification scope.


    One of them waved to Olaf, who had changed into his own suit while he had waited for Kik. Based on their gestures they were speaking, but whatever the subject was, Kik couldn¡¯t hear any of it.


    While the group was talking he changed into his own suit. It was loose and uncomfortable but it would keep him alive. Going over its functionality from the control panel on his wrist, he realised it was quite similar to his spacesuit. It was more durable, but it regulated the temperature less. It was also missing a few features like compressed air thrusters and helmet lights. He also couldn¡¯t open up his visor to talk. He would be relying on radio and hand signals the entire time he was in the suit.


    Walking over to the group, Cormen grabbed his arm and typed on his control panel. Once Kik was connected to the group radio he let go. ¡°Can you hear me know?¡±


    Kik gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Good. Everyone, we¡¯re leaving. I¡¯m going to rethink paying you boys by the hour if you keep dawdling like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being paid by the hour?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Not you, the others. I have no idea how you¡¯re paid. I thought that would have been worked out already.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°It¡¯ll get taken care of, I suppose. Nobody ever seems to know what I get paid, myself included.¡±


    Olaf chuckled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cormen continued. ¡°This will be a three-day trip. It shouldn¡¯t be too big a deal, as long as we don¡¯t piss off a hive.¡±


    ¡°So the insects collect in hives?¡± one of the women asked. Kik hadn¡¯t heard any of their names, and wasn¡¯t even sure which one was talking.


    ¡°That they do,¡± Olaf said before Cormen could start waxing on. ¡°But as long as we stay at ground level we won¡¯t have a problem. The nests are below ground or at the top of the canopy.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Anything else we need to know?¡± one of the women, probably the same one, asked Cormen.


    ¡°How about what we¡¯re actually looking for?¡± Olaf asked.


    ¡°Nothing now. I won¡¯t tell you that until a day or so before we arrive. But if it¡¯s what I think it is, it will be worth our time. I can¡¯t wait to get my hands on it.¡±


    The group set out right away, Cormen not wanting to delay any longer. Four of the mercenaries stayed outside on the bikes, a pair driving and another pair acting as spotters and gunners on the back. The female mercenary with the heavy weapon and Olaf stayed inside the larger vehicle with Kik and Cormen. Olaf parked himself on the sensors while the other mercenary drove.


    The small convoy drove out onto a ramp to the surface as the doors to the city shut behind them. Once he was outside, Kik could see that the blackness of the glass wasn¡¯t all tinting. Black patterning irregularly covered the dome, growths of fungus from spores attracted to the light. It wasn¡¯t visible from inside, but from outside the patchiness of the light emitted from the dome was obvious.


    The tracks and wheels of their vehicles churned up the ashy and rocky ground as they reached ground level. The surface of the planet was a hellscape. The only colour around was black, every organism unwilling to cede any light that struck it to its peers. Red and orange light from volcanoes and lava tinted the rocks, bouncing off the clouds of ash and giving the feeling of a permanent sunset.


    Then there was the fungus. Its structures were everywhere. Beneath and on top of the rocks. Climbing the sides of the mountains and volcanoes. Floating through the air in spores. Climbing towards the sky in massive constructs, heedless of the lava that burnt at their bases in their search for life-giving energy.


    The only place they did not rest were the lava flows themselves. These stretched across the landscape, carving tunnels of volcanic rock through the otherwise soft and pliable ash composing the ground.


    There was also evidence of living creatures, as rare as it was. Collapsed fungus towers were chewed out, consumed by the hungry creatures of the land. Tunnels were dug beneath the ground, emerging in massive holes dotting the landscape. Flying creatures swooped through the skies, visible only as glints of reflected light against the greater darkness.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The first day passed with little incident or trouble, although Kik was informed that this wasn¡¯t a ¡®hot¡¯ zone yet. The real fungus infestation would begin when they emerged into an area with more radiation. This area was just starting to heat up volcanically, with most of the radioisotopes sealed far below the surface. Fungus was stronger elsewhere, and so was the rest of the ecosystem with it.


    That night the two quad bikes were pulled inside the main vehicle. The rear contained a small airlock where the bikes and their four passengers were disinfected and the bikes were later stored. Half of the group still sparkling clean from their chemical bath, the eight people gathered on the floor to sleep.


    That night they were awoken by trembling. Debating on whether to move or not, the noise slowly grew closer until it was all around them. The floor shook and metallic objects around the vehicle trembled. A glow of light shone in from outside the windows. Compared to the previous darkness out there it felt as if day had dawned.


    Getting up and looking out the window, Kik expected to see a flow of lava bearing down on them, or something equally catastrophic. Instead he could see thousands upon thousands of bodies rushing their way past. Each of them had a small light emerging from their mouths, granting him a view of a field of lights to rival any galaxy.


    The bodies rushing past were the size of cats, although they had multiple legs and were able to climb sideways along vertical surfaces like this truck. This had to be one of the insect species native to Icros.


    The group held their silence and kept as still as possible, even if they couldn¡¯t be heard from outside. None of them wanted the creatures out there to realise there was flesh behind the metal shield. The vehicle might not be broken by their attacks but it could easily be damaged - especially the exposed sensors. And none of them wanted to test a species honed by survival on a world of fire like this.


    Eventually the trembling faded into the distance, and the ominous glow was sucked in by the surrounding dark. Peace returned to the world, for now at least.


    Everyone in the vehicle let out their held breath and relaxed - everyone except for one person. The shortest of the mercenary crew had never woken. His snoring inside his suit had drowned out the noise and trembling from outside. With a few shakes of their head and silent laughs, the crew returned to their rest. All were relieved that one person, at least, was unconcerned enough to sleep through an insect stampede.


    Olaf, Kik and Cormen met on the next day to discuss the march of the insects. Olaf was for the most part paying attention to his sensors, listing in and giving the occasional thought.


    ¡°Something¡¯s set them off,¡± Cormen said. ¡°There¡¯s no way they¡¯d swarm out of season like this.¡±


    ¡°What were they, anyway?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Firestrider ants. They looked like a well-developed swarm, too. What we saw was their hunters, leaving the nest as a single pack.¡±


    ¡°Unusual behaviour.¡±


    ¡°Yup. Normally they¡¯re ambush predators, drawing their prey in with the light on their head. When they get close enough to strike, snip with the mandibles.¡±


    ¡°Any idea what could have caused it?¡±


    Cormen shook his head. ¡°It would have to be some pretty big thing. It¡¯s possible that seismic activity destroyed their nest. Did you see any bugs without the lights, mixed into the swarm? If so then it was a migration. They would have been in the middle, protected by the hunters.¡±


    ¡°No. I might have been looking in the wrong direction, though.¡±


    ¡°Shame. That would have helped a lot in determining the cause.¡±


    They lapsed into silence for a minute, before they were interrupted by a call from outside.


    ¡°One of you, take a look out the right windows. There¡¯s something going on in that direction.¡±


    Peering out, Kik and Cormen spotted a cloud of smoke rising. Unlike the dark grey ash kicked out by the volcanoes, this was a dark yellow, reflecting the light of the lava perfectly. Kik pulled out a compass and tried to figure what direction it was in, but despite being placed on a nearly flat surface, the needle span without direction.


    ¡°Which compass point is that smoke coming from? My compass isn¡¯t working properly. We must be near a concentration of iron or something like that.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any compass points here,¡± Olaf told him. ¡°This planet doesn¡¯t have a magnetic field. That¡¯s why there¡¯s so much solar radiation.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Any other way of finding out which way it is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the direction of the sunrise, that¡¯s all you need to know. If you arbitrarily take that as East, as charts tend to, then it would be east-nor-east.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°Do you have any of those charts? I want to figure out what¡¯s in that direction.¡±


    Olaf passed him a datachip. ¡°There are some on there but they aren¡¯t the newest. Topography tends to change fairly quickly around here. You can trust the mountains to stay, but not much else. And even those disappear sometimes.¡±


    Thanking him, Kik slotted the chip into his datapad and opened it. Looking over the terrain in the location indicated, there seemed to be dense fungus forests in that direction.


    ¡°Somebody¡¯s doing some backburning,¡± Cormen joked.


    ¡°That might be more accurate than you think,¡± Olaf said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to analyse the smoke, but it¡¯s hard with so little ambient light. All I¡¯ve been able to get out is large amounts of carbon. It¡¯s no doubt due to some sort of burning fungus, and chemicals from those could no doubt cause the colouration.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the sort of think that would happen everyday in a place like this. Look at all this lava around, for the void¡¯s sake.¡±


    Kik consulted the graph again. ¡°There aren¡¯t any marked active volcanoes in that area. How old did you say this map was, Olaf?¡±


    ¡°About three months. It could be a newly emerged volcano. Or more likely there are settlers trying to clear out a space to put down some buildings. There are crazier people out there. So they burn some stuff, make a little too much smoke, and you have some angry ants running away.¡±


    One of the outriders cut into the conversation. ¡°You got that resolved now? I wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if you get this hung up over it. It¡¯s kilometres away from us and it¡¯s not likely to matter to us at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just let us¡­¡±


    Whatever Olaf was about to say was cut of by a tremor in the ground. A larger cloud of smoke rose, from close to where the first had emerged. This time it was the dark grey of ash.


    ¡°Yeah, looks like that¡¯s a volcano,¡± Cormen said to nobody in particular. ¡°It even has the earthquakes to match.¡±


    The vehicles had to slow down for a short time. The tremors died out straight away, but creatures emerged from their burrows and streamed past the convoy. Insects ranging from fingernail size to the size of one of the quad bikes barrelled across the landscape, away from the source of the destruction. The most valuable survival instinct in this place was to not get too close to the places where the ground trembles.


    The bikers watched the passing insects with drawn and readied weapons, keeping an eye out for trouble. Their concern was meaningless though, as none of the passersby so much as glanced at them. They had only one instinct ruling their minds - stay away from eruptions.


    Once the land had settled again, or as much as it could after the seismic disturbance, the group proceeded.


    The remaining day and a quarter passed in a blur. As the fungus jungle grew thicker, the truck was forced to take the lead, bludgeoning the black formations aside. They gave way like dust before the steel plough, their tops collapsing to the sides away from the vehicle¡¯s path. The trail of destruction they left behind made Kik feel a little uncomfortable, but it was far better than walking.


    As they closed upon their destination, the land grew clearer of the fungus. It was present but it climbed towards the sky rather than hugging the ground. Pathways opened up through it, more than wide enough for their vehicle.


    As they wound their way closer and closer, the land took on less of a twisted shape. The fungus colonies grew straighter, but they were shorter.


    ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s less radiation around,¡± Olaf told Kik when he asked why that was. ¡°As simple as the fungus genome is, it¡¯s not immune to radiation. That mutation often causes them to grow in odd directions - at least that¡¯s the most obvious mutation that appears. As the ambient radiation decreases, the radiation will fuel less fungus but in exchange they aren¡¯t destroyed as quickly by their own source of food. Be glad you weren¡¯t born as a fungus. It¡¯s not a nice life.¡±


    Just a few minutes¡¯ drive away from reaching their destination, they ran into a problem. A deep ravine stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. Untouched rock along its walls, only just starting to be covered in fungus, showed it was a new addition to the landscape.


    The problem was solved quickly and efficiently. A metal plate was extended to cross the gap, biting into rock on either side. The quad bikes drove across with no difficulty.


    The truck, however, had a bit of a problem. It was too wide to fit on top of the bridge - obvious, really, since the bridge had to be thinner than the truck to be stored inside it.


    ¡°All right, guess we¡¯re walking,¡± Cormen said.


    ¡°It would be better to take the truck around the long way,¡± Olaf told him.


    Cormen¡¯s eye took on a manic gleam. ¡°I have waited this long. I am not going to wait another hour while we circumnavigate this ravine. Get our stuff out of the car and loaded onto the quads. We. Are. Walking.¡±


    Nobody able to argue with the agitated Cormen, their equipment was stacked on top of the bikes in the passenger seat and tied down. The rest was carried by the other six people, Kik included. He groaned under the bulk of the tent, but at least he wasn¡¯t the truck driver, who had to carry both of her weapons alongside a cooking stove. To her credit, she bore it stoically after initial complaints about Cormen¡¯s lack of baggage.


    The man in person was driving one of the two bikes, racing ahead to the landing site with the short mercenary on the other. He was unable to contain his excitement about what he was going to see - so much so that he had neglected to tell the others about what it was. From the hints he had annoyingly dropped through the day, though, Kik had an idea that it was old - very old - and had something to do with weapons or starships.


    The second group of walkers trudged behind, burdened down by their loads. Their feet sunk into the soft floor, part ash and part fungus. The path was flat, which was good, because they probably wouldn¡¯t have made it if it wasn¡¯t. Nothing came over the radio but laboured breathing.


    Finally catching up to Cormen and the dwarf¡¯s location, the group dumped their loads in a heap before bending over or collapsing. Kik¡¯s shoulder was on fire from where the load had been pressing into his back. His helper obviously had not adjusted to human pain levels yet.


    Standing straight, Kik flicked on a torch and shone it across the scene. Cormen was nowhere to be seen, as was his bodyguard. The two bikes were there and switched off, though, so he couldn¡¯t have gone too far.


    Wandering towards the camp, Kik looked around. There was a set of communications equipment set up atop a fungus colony, the only connection to the rest of the galaxy. There was a pair of small tents and ruts in the ash where a vehicle had previously been sitting. A series of different trails led away from the


    Cormen emerged from one of the tents, his head held low. ¡°There¡¯s nobody here,¡± he said over communications.


    Olaf¡¯s head shot up. ¡°What do you mean, nobody¡¯s here? Weren¡¯t we expecting someone?¡±


    ¡°What do I mean? Vanished! Disappeared! Spirited away! Vamoosh! Dorix - the archaeologist - was waiting for us here. He said so. There was no reason for him to leave before we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Could he have just decided that what he had found was worth keeping for himself?¡± Kik asked. ¡°His vehicle is already gone.¡±


    Cormen brought a thumb to his faceplate as if to bite his nail, but dropped it again once he remembered the glass before his face. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He was quite excited about sharing his discovery. And he¡¯s not the sort of person to pack up and leave all this¡­¡± he waved to the tents and communications behind him. ¡°There are meal packs still left in there, strewn across the counter. He¡¯s even got his datapad with the page saved on the book he was reading. No, nothing can be that important.¡±


    Olaf frowned. ¡°You mentioned a datapad. Could that have his notes on it?¡±


    Cormen¡¯s head shot up. ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ll go have a look.¡±


    He emerged clutching it to his chest like a baby. ¡°Let¡¯s see. No, there¡¯s no record of his findings on here. There IS a diary, though. The last entry is¡­¡± he clicked his tongue. ¡°Six days ago. That was just after the last message I received from him. No, there¡¯s no new information in here.¡± He sighed and tossed the datapad away. ¡°


    Olaf looked around. ¡°So what now?¡±


    ¡°Well, we explore the wreck, of course. Perhaps we¡¯ll find some clue.¡±


    ¡°And where is this ¡®wreck¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Underneath us. The entrance is inside the tent.¡±


    Four of the eight gathered inside the tent, just beyond the decontamination area. Of the others, one mercenary started setting up the camping equipment. Another watched over the site and Olaf went through the other tent to find anything else that might be useful. The last one took one of the quad bikes and tried to follow the missing vehicle¡¯s tracks.


    ¡°So I think it¡¯s about time I owe you an explanation,¡± Cormen said to the group gathered above the tunnel into the earth, Kik along with two of the female mercenaries. ¡°Beneath us, through that drill hole in the ground, is the wreck of an escort - approximately destroyer size - from just over four hundred years ago, before the tech wars. We weren¡¯t able to pull much out of it but we did get one potentially important device, protected enough to survive the crash and years of seismic activity. As to what it is, I was kept in the dark as much as you have been so far. Unfortunately, that is now missing, so we need to find out what happened to it. I have no idea what we¡¯re looking for, but anything might be helpful.¡±


    The pair of mercenaries nodded and rapelled down first, using their banded armour as a makeshift harness. Cormen and Kik climbed more slowly, using handholds on the walls. Kik held the strap of his light in his teeth, giving him some indication of where the next grips were from the bouncing, swaying beam.


    The dirt walls of the hole suddenly cut out beneath Kik¡¯s feet, replaced by the slightly rusted metal of an ancient ship¡¯s hull. Looking beneath his feet, there was only a little over two metres of space below, so he slid down using the rope as an aid.


    Straightening up, he looked around. Cormen and the others were already splitting up and looking for hints to their situation along the strangely-shaped hallway. Kik realised that he was actually standing on a small pile of dirt, rock and ash lying beneath the hole, caused by crumbling from the hole above. Judging by the positioning of the doors along the walls, the ship was buried at a forty-five degree angle to the surface. Most of it would be stuck even further beneath the earth.


    Peering through the doors one by one, Kik judged that this part of the ship had been picked clean. Even the electronics on the door locks had been taken apart and scavenged.


    The ship didn¡¯t seem that impressive, although it was amazing that it was still intact after four hundred years of seismic activity. Many of the hull plates were slightly buckled and there was rust around where water had once leaked from broken pipes, but the ship still retained its original shape.


    Delving further into its depths, Kik saw the other members of the search party rummaging through empty storage containers and checking behind hull plates, looking for anything that might be of use.


    Some ways further beneath the earth, the divided corridors merged again into a single passageway connecting the split fore and aft of the ship. Unfortunately, the aft of the ship was no longer reachable. The engine room and everything once further back had been crushed without mercy by the pressure from above. The roof plating along the corridor kissed the floor plating. They left only gaps too small for a cockroach to squeeze through, and no doubt the space further back was similarly squashed.


    Unsurprisingly, none of the doors in the area were removed - they were needed to support the failing remnants of the roof around the rear of the craft. A few had holes lasered through, but the two intact doors closest to the crushed metal had been left completely untouched.


    Kik felt a sudden urge to take a look inside. Who knows what he would find, in an untouched room on a centuries-old vessel? It wasn¡¯t part of the objective, but anything he found would be valuable, right?


    Going through the door was obviously not an option, so he had to figure out a way around. Each of the rooms was separated by a small amount of space behind the walls. Normally this would be occupied by machinery, storage and wiring, but the crew needed some way to access this¡­


    Pulling off a hull plate he found the entrance to a maintenance tube. It was so narrow that the edges of his loose-fitting suit caught on the edges. But he was used to cramped spaces from his own ship. This much presented little challenge.


    Sliding open a hatch on the left wall of the maintenance shaft, Kik was confronted by a maze of wires and signal carriers built into the wall itself. The level of detail was astonishing - thousands of wires covered the back of the plating, visible as lines of blue-tinted oxides insulating the streams of energy. Now, of course, the wires were dead - they had been for many years, as soon as the ship¡¯s power supply, whatever it had been, had failed.


    Shining his torch inside the space to get a better look, Kik was able to unclip one of the hull panels from the outside. It fell into the room from outside, the clatter deafening in the silent, still air.


    Shining his light inside, the first think Kik noticed was the writing. It was spattered in a brown ink across the walls and ceiling like the commandments of a mad god, or bloody markings left by a ghost. It was written in messy handwriting, too small for him to read.


    The second thing he noticed was the dried blood. Its stains were present across the entire floor, although its marks mostly remained on the join between the floor and one of the walls. It hadn¡¯t pooled where the bottom was right now - rather it was against one of the side walls. Evidently the craft¡¯s position had shifted over time, and where down had been was down no longer.


    The third thing he noticed were the bodies. Three of them lay face-down, sprawled in a heap against the wall. They were still wearing beaten and scuffed void suits. Ominous stains of dark red against the off-white material indicated that was where the blood had originated from.


    He took a moment to steady his breathing, noticing he was starting to gasp. There was nothing to fear from centuries-old corpses.


    Going over to the bodies, Kik stretched all three of them out. Judging by the spacesuits, one was female and two were male, although they could have been crossdressers for all Kik knew. There wasn¡¯t that much left of their bodies to determine by, only bone and a few wisps of skin and flesh. Bloody rips in the suits, stretching from navel to upper chest, had let in enough air to mostly decompose two of them. The injuries on these two weren¡¯t from these tears, however - large dents in their helmets indicated a crushed skull beneath. The blood leaking from these tears was due to blunt force, not cuts.


    The third body was definitely male. This one was much better preserved, although the skin on his face was jet black beneath his visor. It was unclear whether this was from decomposition or just his natural colour.


    He had been killed by the dagger thrust into his chest, just above his heart. Perhaps he had been the one to do it to himself - bloody marks on his gloves matched stains on the handle of the knife. Or perhaps the marks were left by his last attempt to pull out the blade that was killing him. It was his own dagger, for certain - the sheath for it sat upon his belt. The only tear in his suit was this, the small break left by the thrust.


    Wrenching the weapon free, Kik looked it over. The blade seemed to be made from some sort of bone or ceramic, certainly not metal. It was straight at the base but the blade thinned and took on a wave pattern towards the end, like a flamberge. The hilt was plain, untarnished metal, with a single white crystal on the pommel as decoration and weighting. When he swung the blade against the metal wall, it bounced off without leaving a mark. It seemed it was no use against armour, but at least the weapon wasn¡¯t damaged by the impact.


    Kik tried to sheathe it. The sheath held it with no problems, its metal unmarked by the passage of time, but the strap wasn¡¯t quite as durable. The leather snapped when he tried to lift it by that part. Instead he just dropped the blade, sheath and all, into his storage pockets.


    With little else to learn from the bodies, Kik moved on to the writing on the walls. He recoiled for a second, realising they were all written in blood, and then realised what he had just been doing. Now wasn¡¯t the point to be getting scared. He made out a few of the inscriptions on the walls.


    ¡°Death comes for all.¡±


    ¡°Where is the sun? Where is the light?¡±


    ¡°How many days have I sat here, talking to myself¡­¡±


    ¡°All dead, all dead. Only me left.¡±


    ¡°They speak to me, but I don¡¯t listen. They¡¯re dead and gone. I don¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    ¡°I can hear the daisies, swaying in the breeze¡­¡±


    The writing was a mess of sentences, scrambled together. There was no order or reason to them, if anything they seemed to grow more erratic the further he read. In some spots layers upon layers of writing had been scrawled over every surface. Some of the handwriting was messy, some was neat, and there was no way of telling which came first. But as he read, Kik was repeatedly drawn to one statement, in simple block letters, situated in the middle of the ceiling and separated from the other writing by a foot of space.


    ¡°REMEMBER CALATHOR¡±. And beneath it, in smaller letters, ¡°Never forget, never forgive.¡±


    Reading this over a few times, Kik suddenly felt a chill against his neck. It was probably just his imagination. Probably. But whatever the case, he didn¡¯t want to stay in that room any longer. He scrambled out the way he had came in, squeezing his way past wires into the crawlspace between rooms. Free in the hallway at last, he let out a sigh of relief and gave a quick shiver. He replaced the missing plating and moved on, forgetting that he had initially come to look for clues.


    The four met again beneath the hole and shook their heads. None of them had found anything useful - the wreck had been picked clean. There weren¡¯t even any notes left behind. It seemed Dorix had been busy over the course of his search.


    Returning to the surface, they were met just outside the tent by Olaf running up to them.


    ¡°Thank goodness I found you. We couldn¡¯t reach you when you were underground - wherever you were must block comms signals. Something bad has happened.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cormen asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well¡­ you¡¯d better see for yourself. Coloz is hurt.¡±


    The mercenaries with them stiffened. ¡°Where?¡± one asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the other tent being treated. Elana, you can head there now - she¡¯s unconscious but I think she¡¯s stable. The rest of you, come with me. We need to figure out what happened.¡±


    The marks of an explosion were clear across the ground. A blast zone several metres in diameter marked the base of a fallen fungus colony. A sheet was lain across the ground, with a small bloodstain poking out of the edge.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to look under that,¡± said Olaf as Cormen tried to approach it. ¡°There are the remnants of two legs underneath.¡±


    Cormen stepped away carefully. ¡°So what did this? It¡¯s obviously no natural occurrence - it was an explosion, not some sort of volcanic activity.¡±


    Olaf held up the rifle he was holding. ¡°Her gun. Or, more precisely, the underslung grenade launcher on it. It hit the ground next to her and exploded. She was lucky to keep the rest of her body, and she was also lucky that it was concussion and not frag or plasma.¡±


    ¡°You have plasma grenades?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Not officially, no. But either way, we need to figure out how this happened.¡±


    Looking around, the other three started going over the nearby area for hints. Kik instead went and looked at the gun.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure it was the grenade launcher?¡± he asked Olaf.


    Olaf sighed. ¡°What else could it have been? She didn¡¯t use a grenade at any other point on this trip, and there¡¯s no grenade round in there. It was definitely loaded before.¡±


    ¡°Then somebody else shot it at her.¡±


    Olaf turned to face Kik. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The rifle isn¡¯t damaged at all by the explosion, it barely even has any ash on it. The grenade had to have been fired from a distance for that to happen. I¡¯m guessing the person who shot it stood far enough away they wouldn¡¯t be hurt themselves, and left after putting the rifle beside her body. They probably erased their tracks along the way. I¡¯m just curious about how they got the rifle away from her in the first place...¡±


    Olaf chuckled, which turned into a laugh.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡¯ Kik asked. ¡°Why laugh? This is hardly a joking matter.¡±


    Olaf grinned behind his mask. ¡°Why am I happy? Why would I not be? It wasn¡¯t an accident. Somebody did this to Coloz. That means I have someone to take my anger out on. We¡¯re not alone in this jungle.¡±


    Smoke billowed into the air from volcanic vents and fungus colonies stretched to the air, the same as usual. Nothing had changed - yet everything had. Nature was no longer the only foe. The group eyed the surroundings in anticipation of approaching danger.

 14 - Unearthed Trouble

    The group looked around, but there was little to see. The sky was dark as usual. A warm breeze rushed through the black stalks of fungus, rustling the cloth covering the discarded body parts.


    Olaf stayed behind with another of the mercenaries to inspect the site of the struggle. Meanwhile, Kik returned with the rest of the group to the tent. One more mercenary still hadn¡¯t returned from his scouting trip, but he was on the way back. Everybody else but Coloz and Elana were gathered around the half built tents they had intended to sleep in to discuss their next options.


    After Cormen made a comment about splitting up and searching, though, the two mercenaries switched to a private channel and disregarded further input. Even Kik could see that splitting up would be a stupid idea, with an unknown lurker hunting the group.


    Cormen strutted off to the wreck to sulk, telling Kik he was going to search for any more clues.


    Soon Olaf and the guard, Elana, returned, carrying the injured soldier¡¯s rifle.


    ¡°We¡¯ll split into teams of two and sweep the forest,¡± he said to the group as a whole. It seemed the pair of mercenaries had been unable to decide on a course of action. ¡°Stay together at all times. There will be a group check in every five minutes and contact others immediately if you lose sight of your partner. Don¡¯t go wandering off on your own. One team will watch the injured here and the other pairs will go scout.¡±


    ¡°Who will stay here?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Miguel needs to remain. He has to look after Coloz and anyone else who might get hurt. I¡¯ll leave Elana too. She can guard them and Cormen, wherever he¡¯s off to.¡±


    Elana nodded, shouldering her weapon and entering the tent with the patient inside.


    ¡°So unfortunately, little Kik, you¡¯re going to have to move out. I¡¯ll take Sandra with me, so you¡¯re going to have to wait for the dwarf to return. And get a replacement suit from him. That one stands out too much.¡±


    Kik looked down and noted his bright yellow hazard suit. ¡°I¡¯ll do just that,¡± he said. However, Olaf had already moved away with his partner, a rifle in hand and murder in his eyes.


    The ¡®dwarf¡¯ rolled in five minutes later. If anyone didn¡¯t know where their camp was before, they did now from all the noise he was making.


    Revving down the engine of his quad-bike, he jumped off and ran up to Kik, the only person nearby. ¡°What happened? Is Coloz fine?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll live.¡±


    He let out a puff of breath. ¡°Good. Good...¡±


    ¡°We have to get moving into the jungle, so can I get a suit off you? This one will stand out.¡±


    The man looked down at Kik. Kik wasn¡¯t sure why he was called a dwarf, he wasn¡¯t that short. But then again maybe Olaf was just tall enough to see him that way.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get that for you. It won¡¯t be the best fit but it should do. Have you got a weapon in case it gets nasty?¡±


    Kik pulled out his laser pistol.


    ¡°It¡¯ll do for now.¡±


    The suit that Kik received was the same bluish-grey as the other mercenaries were wearing. It was only armoured in the body, as opposed to the arm and leg armour that the other suits had. It was too long and wide, even after sucking out some of the loose air for a better fit.


    But it was the best he was going to get on such short notice, and it wasn¡¯t as visible in the dark as his previous attire. He stepped out of the half built tent he had changed in, stretching and testing his full range of movement. It was awkward to crouch or bend forwards, as the excess material bunched up around his waist, but his other movement was unobstructed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the former owner of the suit said. ¡°I want to get to somewhere we can see a long distance from. We¡¯re on foot so it¡¯s going to be a chore.¡±


    ¡°Will that help us find anything?¡±


    ¡°More than stumbling blindly through the jungle. That¡¯s Olaf¡¯s job.¡±


    Kik nodded and they started their trek, towards the closest hill they could see.


    Their camp was in a small valley, barely a depression, between two small foothills. To the south, where they had come from, the land grew flat and the fungus colonies thick and twisted. Beyond to the northwest, the hills grew larger and the jungle taller but less entangled. Instead the confusion was caused by the effect of insects, crashing down rows fungus structures to the ground and changing the flat ground to an unstable maze. This was the place which Kik and his


    In some areas, silvery sheeting was strung between the colonies, which all stood upright untouched. The forest grew silent around here, the wind shivering over the supple structures. These were the dens of the silk dragons, and both Kik and the dwarf knew better than to approach.


    As they travelled past one such area, a scrap of silk floated past on the breeze. As fast as a striking cobra, the dwarf snatched the precious material out of the air. He stretched it between his gloves, testing its suppleness, before pocketing it. He then hurried Kik on, glancing at the white structures as if he expected a horde of creatures to emerge, demanding back the stolen portion of their nest.


    Wading through a region where the ash was knee-deep and light as snow, the pair took a breather after their regular check-in. None of the three groups had reported any findings, and Kik could hear Olaf growing more frustrated over the radio.


    ¡°So why does Olaf call you dwarf? Is that just his sense of humour?¡± Kik asked.


    The man raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s my name.¡±


    ¡°The dwarf?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Olaf¡¯s being funny again. No, my name is Dwev. He just calls me dwarf sometimes to see how I¡¯ll react. Poking the beehive, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯d be the bear?¡±


    The mercenary laughed. ¡°That fits.¡±


    Glancing up at the distance they still had to travel, Kik groaned and changed the subject. ¡°How are we ever going to get up there?¡±


    Dwev shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t need to head that much further. Two hours¡¯ walk from camp should do, so another half hour. We¡¯ll have a good enough view of the area from there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll help.¡± Kik thought for a moment. ¡°How about your search for the vehicle before? How did that go?¡±


    Dwev shook his head. ¡°I found it, I think. The tracks led to the edge of a crevasse. I have no idea whether it made the jump across or not, but I didn¡¯t see any tracks on the other side so I doubt it did.¡±


    Dwev¡¯s watch beeped and the pair struggled to their feet, loose ash streaming from their bodies. Time to move on.


    Dwev called a halt half an hour, six reports back, later. They had just reached a small outcrop of rock poking above the ash, providing something of a view beyond the jungle around them.


    Peering out into the darkness, Kik turned to Dwev. ¡°What exactly are we meant to be looking out for?¡± He could just make out the shape of their campsite from the few lights flickering around it, but the rest of the terrain was an indeterminable mass of greys, browns and blacks. There was barely enough lava in this area to illuminate its immediate vicinity, let alone the rest of the jungle. All the other details just faded into the darkness.


    Dwev, however, was looking towards the east. ¡°Something like that.¡± He pointed towards a cloud of smoke rising there, similar to the one they had spotted from their vehicle. This time, however, they were above it and could make a better guess to the cause.


    The smoke wasn¡¯t just a single column. It formed a small trail, angled inexorably towards their camp.


    Dwev pulled a pair of handheld binoculars out from somewhere on his person and peered towards the smoke.


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t see where it¡¯s coming from,¡± he said. ¡°The jungle below us is too thick. We¡¯ll need a better vantage point.¡±


    ¡°Well where are we going to find one of those with all these tall fungus things around?¡±


    Dwev glanced at the colony, then at Kik. ¡°Think you¡¯re light enough?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. No. I¡¯m not going to¡­¡±


    The fungus crumbled as Kik shoved his hands and feet into the body of the colony. It was much tougher than the fallen examples of its kind, which gave out almost straight away when touched. Its position on the edge of its peers ensured it soaked in as much radiation as possible, standing straight and tall above them.


    Reaching the upper growths branching out at the top of the colony, Kik stopped and braced himself against the trunk. With his one free arm he pulled out the binoculars, taking extra care not to drop them.


    Spotting the smoke was easy, but spotting the cause less so. The binoculars included night vision, which was a nice bonus, but it didn¡¯t help much at this distance, and especially if he was looking at the wrong position.


    Eventually he spotted a tongue of flame lick against some of the fungus colonies. He was too far to see the cause, but whatever the reason, the colonies caught alight. They burnt and toppled over in a magnificent display, burning spores flying off into the night like parachute-borne flares.


    Kik studied the spot for another minute and saw the flame lick out again, same as the last time. He wasn¡¯t able to get any more information than he had the first time.


    Climbing back down to ground level, Kik returned the binoculars. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s causing the smoke, but it¡¯s shooting out fire like a dragon,¡± he said to Dwev. ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume it¡¯s manmade. I haven¡¯t read about any creature in these jungles which breathes fire, and with the display over there I can¡¯t believe they wouldn¡¯t be spotted until now.¡±


    Dwev nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll report that in to Olaf and we can hurry back. If they¡¯re really coming for our campsite, they may be hostile. The team will need what help we can provide.¡±


    The rush downhill was only checked by the risk of injury, and the occasional report back to Olaf. Their own tiredness was secondary to the danger that an unknown force could pose.


    The pair returned just over an hour later, but they were not the first to arrive. As they snuck back to the campsite, a dark smoke hung throughout the air. Whoever had caused the fire had beaten them here.


    The scene at the camp was a tense affair. The two new and two old tents were stretched across the clearing, the four uninjured mercenaries standing, protective, before them. Their weapons weren¡¯t drawn but neither were they far from reach.


    Opposite them was a second armed group. Six soldiers stood around the fringes of the treeline, armed with swords and pistols. Their armour was a shining silver, stretching from head to toe in plating. The wings of a bird decorated their helmet from the eyes down. The intersection between two layers of feathering crafted a gleaming grin across their face, literally from ear to ear.


    To the front rode a seventh soldier. He was dressed the same, but in pure gold. Even amidst the darkness, his armour shone from the reflected light of torches. It was a wonder that he or the others had not been visible from the hill, even from the distance they had been an hour ago. He also had a sword by his side, but no pistol. Instead his blade was a longer cavalry sword, hanging from the saddle of his steed.


    He was seated astride a beast of war. Its hairless white flesh shone in the torchlight. The creature¡¯s baleful red eyes stared from beneath its silver mask, plated in gold with a breathing apparatus. This mask hid its elongated snout and mouth, perhaps a good thing as it seemed to be staring with hunger in its gaze at the people opposite. Its clawed feet scratched at the ground, kicking up ash as it stirred in restless frustration.


    The gold-armoured man jumped down from his mount and strode towards Olaf. Hands on the side of the mercenaries moved closer to weapons, but he offered nothing but a wire from the neck of his own of armour. Olaf seized it and plugged it into the wrist of his own suit.


    The two discussed, but unfortunately nobody but the pair were able to intrude on the discussion. Kik and Dwev watched each parties¡¯ reactions from the sidelines. Besides one soldier tending to his leader¡¯s mount, both parties watched their opponents with harsh intent. Fingers flexed beneath gloves and gauntlets, straying close to triggers and hilts.


    The two in the middle stared into their counterpart¡¯s eyes, heedless of the tension among their followers.


    The brief exchange between the two dragged into an eternity for all those watching. Kik was preparing to draw his pistol before finally Olaf moved.


    Stepping forward, he stretched out his hand towards the other leader. After a moment of delay, the handshake was accepted. Everybody relaxed, although Kik and Dwev didn¡¯t dare to emerge from their hiding yet.


    Disconnecting the wire between them, the gold-armoured man waved to his troops. Forming a file, they marched away from the camp. Only one or two suspicious glances were cast backwards to the mercenaries, still standing by their tents.


    Once Dwev was sure that the other party had departed, he stood up with Kik and rejoined the group. Olaf was stretching as if he had just run a marathon, everyone else waiting for what he had to say.


    ¡°Ah, everyone¡¯s here,¡± he said once he had broken the cricks out of his back. ¡°All I can say is, that was an unwanted encounter.¡±


    ¡°Who were they?¡± Kik asked, one of the questions on everyone¡¯s lips.


    Olaf thought through his answer. ¡°Their leader called their group the Phoenices. I doubt that¡¯s a real name, although it seems to fit their gear. As for what they want, I haven¡¯t the slightest clue. They claim to be after silk dragon webs, but there¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. They¡¯re missing all the equipment. They were interested in what we were doing here, though, so perhaps they want some buried treasure too. Not surprising.¡±


    Everyone waited, but Olaf didn¡¯t elaborate further. In the end the last male, Miguel, shook him out of it. ¡°So what planet did they come from?¡±


    Olaf shook his head. ¡°There was some accent there, but I can¡¯t place it. Their leader could have been from anywhere, and his men even more so. Perhaps they¡¯re mercenaries. Perhaps they¡¯re some religious group. Who can say.¡±


    He thought for a moment, then realised. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t told you the main thing we discussed. He was quite concerned to learn that there was a hostile force out there besides us. They¡¯ll be searching for the culprits independently. We have a truce until the culprit is found.¡±


    ¡°A truce?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Does that mean that otherwise we¡¯d be at war?¡±


    Olaf shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯d be able to settle matters peacefully. But who can say? Just don¡¯t get too complacent around them. They could become hostile with the fall of a leaf. Or, more likely, the drop of a body.¡±


    The uneasy peace between the two groups continued into the start of the next day. Neither side could get comfortable around the other, as neither knew all the others¡¯ cards. However much the Phoenices knew about the wreck beneath the campsite, it was not everything. And neither had Kik or his group seen something that could have burnt a trail through the forest, as their opponents had.


    Once again, the team left in pairs. Now, however, only one pair left the camp at a time. Olaf was more worried about the threat before their eyes than the threat unknown.


    Kik left on one such mission the only day, partnered with Elana, who managed to tear herself from Coloz¡¯ side. She was silent and brooding the whole trip, though, clutching her gun tight against her chest.


    The pair looped through the jungle, hoping to run into something, anything, if only by dumb luck. Their luck was not in today, though, and they spotted nothing but two bearers of gleaming armour. It was hard not to spot them.


    Perhaps the attacker had been scared off by the arrival of the second group. Or perhaps the new arrivals and the attacker were one and the same. When Kik shared this second thought with Elana, she grunted and watched the surroundings with greater fervour.


    Their return to camp was unremarkable. Nodding to the two guards and making their way inside a tent, they reported their minimal findings to Olaf. Able to take off some of their all-body suits inside the sealed tents, they stretched out and got something to eat. Kik sat by one of the transparent wall panels and stared at the smoky sky, listening to music.


    Cormen stumbled into the tent.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Olaf asked. Kik¡¯s head span around. Cormen hadn¡¯t emerged since he had disappeared into the wreck. It had been too chaotic for anyone to go down and find him, and nobody wanted to give the Phoenices any hints at the true purpose of the campsite.


    ¡°I was reading through Dorix¡¯s notes. He has to have left some clue behind. I may have found some hints, but they¡¯re in some sort of code. Once I find them all and put them together¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that. There are more than two groups in this jungle, and this place is about to get messier than any of us would like.¡±


    Cormen hesitated, his mouth half-open. ¡°Have more archaeologists come?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. But they¡¯re more soldiers than scientists. Got any clue of who the Phoenices are? I¡¯ve never heard of them until recently.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°If you haven¡¯t, I haven¡¯t. But the Phoenices, you say? Like the Phoenix¡­ I¡¯ll have to give it some thought. How many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°At least seven. I¡¯d estimate there are more than twice that number hanging around.¡±


    Kik started. ¡°Why do you think there are so many?¡±


    Olaf spared him a glance. ¡°They have too many search parties for such a small group, and we haven¡¯t even spotted their campground yet. Every one of our groups has seen between one and three of theirs. I¡¯d estimate we¡¯re outnumbered at least three to one, if you consider the guards on their campground and that their leaders aren¡¯t patrolling.¡±


    Elana frowned. ¡°We only saw two of their men on our patrol.¡±


    Olaf nodded. ¡°You were off to the west. Here, have a look at this.¡± He pulled up a chart on his datapad. ¡°I¡¯ve marked the positions that each of their patrols were spotted at.¡±


    The map was dotted with a series of stars, more than ten. They were concentrated on the east side of their group¡¯s campsite, denoted by a red dot in the centre of the map.


    ¡°Each of those is where one of their patrols has been spotted. And since they came from the west, they probably wouldn¡¯t try to move their main force too close to us in case they were spotted. I¡¯d guess their base is here.¡± Olaf jabbed his finger at some point on the map, arbitrary to Kik¡¯s eyes at least.


    Cormen nodded. ¡°So why don¡¯t we just sent someone over to take a look at what they¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Because that would give away that we know. If they think we¡¯re weak and stupid, they won¡¯t bother with us. At the moment they¡¯re more worried about the unknown assailant, and I¡¯d prefer we keep it that way.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know they¡¯re actually worried about the attacker?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t they have done it themselves?¡±


    ¡°Simple. If they weren¡¯t worried about an attack from an unexpected angle, they would have made their move by now. They¡¯ve had plenty of opportunities.¡±


    Events came to a head overnight - or as close to night as it was possible to get here. Elana vanished from her watch.


    Cormen had disappeared back underground again after taking some supplies for a day or two, so it was left to the four remaining mercenaries and Kik to pick up the pieces.


    Her partner, Miguel, had called in when she had missed one of the five-minute checks. Those on sleep shift scrambled out of the tents, dressed in a hurry.


    Elana¡¯s post was empty, the ground still flattened where she had been seated. A trail of footprints led off into the forest.


    ¡°Elana! Elana!¡± Olaf called into the radio, but to no avail. The communications channels sat in silence, quiet as the grave. ¡°You¡¯d better not have gotten yourself into something again¡­¡±


    Kik shone a flashlight into the jungle, and a few small creatures scattered from the beam and dove into the ground. ¡°She¡¯s heading northeast. Should we follow?¡±


    Olaf stared at the tracks, then looked around at his companions. ¡°Do we have a choice? We can¡¯t just let our people vanish into the night, one by one. Miguel, you stay here with Coloz and Cormen. The rest of you with me. You too, Kik. This is no time for bystanders.¡±


    Kik nodded, pulling out the pistol from his storage. He flipped the power setting to high.


    Ash crunched under boots and flashlights shone as the small party strode into the jungle. Throwing caution to the winds, they advanced with what speed they could muster. They kept one flashlight on the bootprints, the other scanning through the jungle for danger.


    Out beyond the camp, the tracks turned east before disappearing. Moving through some low rock formations, the ash lay low in this area. The path was hard to follow with little material around to retain tracks. The trail they were following was swallowed by the dark.


    ¡°Turn off the lights,¡± said Olaf. ¡°We¡¯ll keep heading east. I have a rough idea of where the trail is heading.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Straight for the Phoenices¡¯ camp.¡±


    Running headlong towards unknown forces, Kik¡¯s breath jumped from his throat like a startled hare. His legs pumped up, just keeping pace with the mercenaries around him. He was fit, Vist¡¯s training had seen to that, but they put him to shame.


    The gritty ash blew in a small trail behind them as the party moved. The beating of feet against the ground hammered a staccato rhythm. Fallen fungi blocking their way were vaulted, stride hardly being broken.


    Eventually Kik fell behind, unable to keep the pace with his shorter legs. Olaf grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and held him like a baby. Rocking in the one-armed cradle, Kik marvelled at the speed the terrain fell past them at.


    ¡°Why did we even need a vehicle to get us here? You could have just run and we would have been just as fast.¡±


    Olaf grinned but didn¡¯t reply.


    Olaf slowed the group down after fifteen minutes of their mad dash. Dropping Kik, he moved his gun to two hands.


    ¡°Quiet from here on,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re getting close. Look.¡±


    Pointing to the ground, he indicated the marks of multiple bootprints. They followed a winding animal trail through the colonies, similar to the one the party had just been following.


    Crouching low, Olaf indicated that the others should do the same. Clutching their weapons, they snuck forwards along the small path.


    Olaf took point, with Dwev and Kik on the flanks. The driver, Sandra, took the rear with her two rifles. She stayed ten metres back from the rest of the party, crouched even lower than the rest among the low growths of fungus.


    Nothing moved around them but the light swaying of the fungus branches in the wind. The dull boom of an eruption sounded, far in the distance. It was blocked out by each person¡¯s masks and the panting of their breath, not quite recovered from the run.


    They moved with utmost silence, almost crawling as they crept along the jungle floor. Their black camo shielded them from unwelcome eyes and broke up their shapes, turning the group into indistinct shadows against the ground.


    And then they realised they had been spotted long ago.


    Lights lit up from the forest around them as silver armoured warriors stood from their concealment, activating helmet lamps. The three forerunners of the party were bathed in brilliance, shielding their eyes from the sudden glare.


    Looking around, Kik could see nothing but white for a moment before the spots faded from his eyes. Eight soldiers stood around the group, with a ninth seated on a horse behind them.


    With four pairs of eyes upon him, the golden leader pulled off his helmet, heedless of the radiation around him. He shook out his straight black hair, tied in a ponytail at his neck. His skin was pale and his eyes small and squinting. The bones of his sallow cheeks poked from beneath his skin like the skull of a corpse.


    His voice rang out to every man present, helmeted or not. ¡°I would like to shoot you on sight, but I¡¯ll give you a chance to explain yourself at least. What are you three doing here?¡±


    Olaf stood to his full height, his voice booming from speakers set into his suit. ¡°I could ask you the same question. We¡¯re looking for our missing team member. You¡¯re the one who apprehended us.¡±


    Unfortunately, Olaf¡¯s full height was not enough to impress his mounted opponent. ¡°So you claim to come before us, knowing not of who you approach or what your underling has done. And yet you are attempting to sneak into our camp. When our sensors triggered for the second time tonight, I could not have believed you would attempt to attack us again. Yet it seems you are trying to prove me wrong. It would seem diplomacy fails.¡±


    He pulled a stained package from his saddlebags, fondling it in his hands. Liquid ran from it down his arms, staining his gauntlets crimson.


    ¡°And as this woman fought furiously for her perceived wrongs, we shall quiet our rage with offerings of our own. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A head for a head.¡± He tossed the package down the soft incline towards the group, its grisly contents spilling across the ground. ¡°Draw blades. Kill them all.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Olaf wasted no time barking out orders over comms. ¡°Scatter and hide! Ambush tactics! Sandra, take out their leader!¡±


    Sandra rose to a crouch from her concealment. Sliding the long-barrelled rifle from her shoulder, she lowered it to point at the man atop his beast.


    Kik and the two with him broke cover, dashing backwards away from their foes. The line of silver armour hurried after them, reading weapons and raising pistols to fire.


    The beast of war rose on its back legs, clawed feet pacing in the air as it let out a muffled shriek. It prepared to bring its full weight down into a charge.


    Sandra shot first.


    The weapon made no sound as it fired, not even a flash from the muzzle. A small burst of arcing electricity from the barrel was the only indication something had happened.


    The targets in the weapon¡¯s path weren¡¯t treated so kindly.


    The projectile travelled through the creature¡¯s body, blowing a gaping hole in its wake. Passing through and striking the rider on the other side, it punched him off the horse. He was launched backwards onto the ground, knocking over a colony of fungus along the way.


    He landed, his back bent at a strange angle and a sizeable hole punched in his leg.


    The creature collapsed backwards, its head hanging on by a mere scrap of flesh.


    Sandra ejected an ammunition canister, her eyes triumphant behind her mask. Before she could plug another one in, however, she was cut down from behind.


    Two black blades ran through her back, piercing straight through her body armour and skeleton. One struck her heart.


    The pair of phoenices, striking separately to the assault group, pulled their blades free. One moved to cut off Dwev¡¯s escape while the other stopped to remove Sandra¡¯s head. It came off with a sickening squelch as the sword slid through her flesh.


    Olaf slid to a halt.


    With deliberate steps he pounded towards the Phoenix holding Sandra¡¯s severed head. Screaming over the comms, he emptied his clip into the hapless soldier¡¯s body. The first handful of rounds were deflected, but the remaining twenty started to find their mark.


    Meanwhile the second ambusher confronted Dwev, attempting to slow him down. Dwev ducked under the first horizontal swing and bullrushed the soldier, bashing at his helmet with the butt of his rifle. Once the man was knocked to the ground he finished him with a concentrated beam of laser fire.


    Both of them managed to finish off their first enemies before reinforcements arrived, but they had to turn around in a hurry to face the next wave of threats. They were almost within reach of the attacking troops, and running wasn¡¯t an option after their desperate dash minutes earlier.


    Kik saw none of this though, as he was the first one away. As he was smaller and close to unarmed, he was given less attention.


    Less, not none. His flight among the plants was chased by a pair of bouncing and gleaming lights, giving away the two soldiers who had followed him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve drawn away as many as I could, Olaf,¡± Kik muttered to himself under his breath. ¡°Do what you can.¡±


    Pacing his way through the forest, he ran onward.


    His distraction had to come to an end somewhere, however. He had more stamina than the others in the group, as Olaf had given him a chance to rest, but it wouldn¡¯t last forever.


    The moment came far too soon as Kik tripped. It had to happen eventually, running over uneven ground in the dark, and he had been lucky with that these past few days. It was about time his luck started to run out.


    The fall shook the breath out of him, sending a plume of ash floating down above his head. He stared at the falling specks for a moment until the gravity of his situation struck once more.


    Scrambling to his feet, he turned around to face his two pursuers. They were close enough to strike if he attempted an escape. They were moving around to encircle him, taking slow and deliberate steps.


    Kik backed away at an even speed, making sure not to trip on the loose ground. His eyes dwelt on the tips of their black blades, sparkling under the lights of their helmets. His own weapon, a simple pistol, felt puny in comparison.


    His heart hammered in his chest. He panted from exertion as his would-be killers closed in, ever so slowly. They were in no hurry to strike, happy to let his worry build and for him to make the first move. Looking between them, he had no way of knowing which might deal the killing blow. Perhaps even they themselves didn¡¯t know. Perhaps they didn¡¯t care.


    Feeling around in his pockets, he struggled for something that might help him. Unfortunately, his opponents weren¡¯t going to pass up such a valuable chance.


    The one on the left stepped in and thrusted with his blade, directing Kik into the right attacker¡¯s vertical swing. He managed to block it with both hands, the pistol taking the brunt of the blow. It cracked and smashed, spilling dark blue battery fluid onto the ground to mix with the ash.


    Kik threw the broken pistol at the left soldier, before he could swing again. A few drops of blue spattered his chest but otherwise he was unaffected. Kik rolled backwards, dodging a punch from the right attacker.


    From his position on the ground, Kik struggled to find something in his pouches of tools which could help him. The knife was in there somewhere but he didn¡¯t manage to pull it out. Instead he found a weapon of a different sort.


    He pulled out his flare gun and grinned. ¡°Take this!¡± he shouted behind his helmet, pointing it in the general direction of the enemy and turning away his eyes. He pulled the trigger.


    He was safe behind closed and averted eyes, further hidden behind a faceplate. When he opened them again, however, he was half blinded by the still burning material.


    The Phoenices had it worse than him, although one had managed to close and shield his eyes in time. Kik only had a few moments before they recovered.


    Dropping the flare gun, he dashed off into the tangled growths around. He felt much more secure with a fungus colony to his back, and pulled out the knife at his leisure. Scraping the edge against the trunk, it was more than sharp enough for him.


    The two soldiers looked around once they had recovered and the light had died down. Unable to spot him, one kicked away the discarded flare gun. The flare had passed close by him, blackening his armour with its heat. Kik hoped it had blackened the flesh beneath with it.


    The two stalked around, staring into the undergrowth. One investigated nearby hiding places, while the other kept an eye out for movement further away. They weren¡¯t near him for now, but they were expanding their search area and his concealment wouldn¡¯t last forever.


    Kik regained his breath with deep gulps of air and prepared to make his move. However, before he could take action, he learnt the main problem with using signalling equipment as a weapon.


    It gave away your position.


    Three more soldiers strode up to the searching pair. A quick handwave of greeting, a moment of professional chatter, and they joined in the search.


    They didn¡¯t just stroll around looking, though. Oh, no.


    They were armed.


    One of them was carrying a black metal rod, hooked up to a backpack supply. A red flame danced on the end. When he pulled the trigger on the rod¡¯s pistol grip, the weapon spewed out burning death.


    A flamethrower.


    The same weapon had burnt down a path miles long through jungle, allowing the Phoenices to march cavalry through. It would take mere moments to burn out a single fugitive, hiding not ten metres away.


    The burning fuel from the flamethrower coated colonies of fungus, melting through their bases fast as acid. Giant structures toppled over, rumbling as they settled against the ground. Clouds of dust were kicked up by the impact, and Kik took this as his chance.


    He only got three steps before he was spotted, even among the smoke. But three steps was all he needed, as he sprang forward towards freedom¡­


    Something took a chunk out of his leg as a gunshot fired from behind. From some corner of his mind, Kik hoped it wasn¡¯t plasma, as he toppled forwards. A small hole was ripped in the edge of his suit leg, a trickle of blood flowing through it. The wound was only superficial, at least.


    The pain, however, was not.


    It started as lances of fire racing up his leg, jousting with each other. Then it turned into rival armies, clashing with his nerves as the battleground.


    Doubling over and clutching his injury, Kik wondered why he hadn¡¯t gone into shock yet. It felt like he should. Maybe that way he could get it all over and done with.


    But before he could develop any coherent thoughts, before his helper had started to patch up his injury, the world turned red. One more fireball lit up the night.


    The third party laid down their hand.


    Looking up with swimming vision, Kik was greeted by a raging inferno. Burning fuel sprayed in all directions, surrounding one screaming man. By some twist of fate, the bearer of the flamethrower had survived his backpack¡¯s initial explosion. He howled as fuel sprayed around, seeping between cracks and joints and cooking him alive inside his armour.


    Around the burning man lay the bodies of the other soldiers, caught in the explosion and subsequent flamestorm. They still clutched their weapons, their last moments etched into their corpses.


    And before the flaming spectacle stood the man who had caused it, astride a stolen steed. His mount¡¯s golden mask reflected the fire, and its head tossed with rage. Kik was unsure whether it was driven wild by the fire, or the unfamiliar rider. Perhaps both.


    The man astride the beast sat calm, the eye of the storm. In one hand he held a sword taken from one of the Phoenices, a cavalry sabre. Its unsheathed blade glowed red-hot from the reflection.


    His armour was sculptured, a work of art. Layered black plates extended down from his chest to his boots and gauntlets. Blades poked from them like a predator¡¯s spines. His helmet was pure white and misshapen, the head swept back and far larger than necessary. This may have been functional though, as wires and antennae extended from the back of his headpiece, connecting to the rest of his armour.


    Beneath his black lenses, a pair of red stripes were inscribed, sliding away from his eyes like tears.


    As he strode towards Kik on the ground, one of the soldiers rose up behind him from among the flames. Pulling off his helmet, clumps of ashen hair and skin fell away from his burnt and weeping face. The soldier paid the ruin of his body no heed, shouting a challenge as he dove towards the mounted figure.


    The beast skittered away from the first strike, its claws digging into the ground to prevent a fall. The second never had a chance to land. The figure lifted his empty left hand from the steed¡¯s reins and pointed it at his attacker¡¯s head. A gunshot rang out and the soldier fell to the floor, having found his rest at last.


    Then the mounted figure turned back to Kik, who had at last recovered enough to stand straight.


    The first charge came after a moment of peace, both sides eyeing each other up. The cavalryman armed with a longsword, astride a beast three times the size of his opponent. Kik, armed with a dagger.


    With almost no warning, the war beast struck out. A steady lope turned into a gallop, and straight away the enemy was atop him. Luckily the rider seemed just as surprised by his mount¡¯s burst of speed as Kik, and his first strike was too slow to hit.


    The creature skidded to a stop, crushing small tendrils of fungus snaking their way across the ground. It seemed to do well on the uneven terrain, better than Kik had hoped it would.


    The second charge came a second later, as Kik was still spinning around to face the cavalryman. The beast pivoted and dashed forward once more, bearing down upon the near defenceless youth.


    This time though he was more prepared. Dashing forwards at the charging beast, He attempted to strike at its legs.


    What he had forgotten was that the beast could strike back, and was more than willing to do so. Sliding to a halt, it reared up, attempting to bring one of its front legs down to maul Kik. It almost threw its rider in the process.


    Panicking, he dashed in, beneath the flailing claws. By some miracle he took no more damage than a glancing blow to his back, scraping some skin beneath his suit. He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain as much as he could. This was no time to stop.


    Once the beast had lowered down, Kik was in the perfect position to do some damage - even if he only had a fraction of a second to do it in. The biggest threat to him right now was mobility. So once again, he targeted the legs.


    Slashing his dagger across the backs of the creature¡¯s forelegs, it writhed and buckled before falling to one side. Its rider tumbled off, although one of his legs was trapped beneath the creature¡¯s lithe body. Kik rolled in the other direction, away from the injured steed.


    Once he was out of its reach, he stood up and looked around. Flashes of light through the trees indicated hostile forces closing in. Their headlamps flashed as they jogged towards the light. Kik hoped they were friendly, that Olaf and Dwev had managed to escape their opponents, but he wasn¡¯t going to wait around and find out.


    He stumbled off into the trees, leaving the injured soldier to fight his way out of the situation. Hopefully he would hold off the Phoenices for long enough for Kik to make his escape.


    Flashes of light and the clash of steel emerged from behind as Kik raced off to places unknown.


    Kik stumbled through the jungle, unsure of where he was or which direction he was heading in. Any way was good, as long as it was away from enemies.


    He walked for what seemed like hours, noting that his injuries healed as he walked. His scraped back didn¡¯t even hurt anymore, and he could walk at almost normal speed despite a bullet grazing his leg.


    When he felt he needed a break, and was certain pursuit was delayed, he stopped and had a bite to eat from his storage. When he checked the time, he was shocked to find that it was almost morning. The time was correct though, as the clouds were beginning to lighten as the sun shone down from the other side. More light was getting through. Not much more, but it was something.


    Travelling onwards, Kik chose a direction at random - off to the left of his previous path. He figured that changing course would help if he was being pursued, and if he didn¡¯t know where he was going then his pursuers wouldn¡¯t either.


    Following this path for a time, in the end he found himself at the top of a hill. He climbed a fungus structure to get a better view, to try and figure out where he was based on the lay of the land.


    The mountains lay straight ahead, so he was moving northwest at the moment. His previous path had been northeast, in the opposite direction to the base camp.


    But there was one more thing he could see. Just a hundred metres off to the north lay a clearing, jagged and artificial. And close to the top he could see the top of a structure poking up from inside it, brown against the black trees.


    Sneaking closer, Kik kept alert for any signs of danger. This had to have been that man¡¯s camp, the one with the strange armour. And there may not be just him camping here.


    Kik¡¯s fears were assuaged when he saw only a single tent in the centre of the clearing. It was tall but thin, conical, designed perhaps for a world other than this one. It looked far out of place among the tangled underbrush and ashy soil, as if it was about to blast off into space at any moment.


    There were few other pieces of equipment around. The remnants of a disassembled transmissions array stood at the edge of the clearing. Its antenna was still attached to the top of the tent, the only bit that Kik had been able to see of the camp.


    Finally there was a vehicle. A flier, or perhaps a glider. It sat in a sling, ready to be launched into the sky at a moment¡¯s notice. Most of the transmission equipment was already packed into the bottom of it, as were a few other boxes.


    The ground was patterned with prints, both new and old.


    Stepping inside the tent, he saw that the inside had been similarly cleared out. There was little left inside besides a bedroll and a few pieces of light furniture, too heavy to take on the glider. This tent didn¡¯t have a cleansing feature like the ones at Kik¡¯s camp. Evidently the owner intended to spend their entire time on this planet in their armour.


    Satisfied with what he saw around the tent, he was about to step outside before he felt unease about the outside - whether it was hearing, some other sense or even intuition.


    Peering through a gap in the entrance to the tent, Kik saw a figure who had been through hell and back. The figure from before with the bone-white mask was now mostly red. His armour was beaten and scratched, his helmet dented and marked. Two of his fingers were missing, his right hand swathed in bloodstained cloth.


    He limped along, supported by a sword with a chipped blade. Cracks ran up and down its length, marking its repeated use.


    But he was alive. And kicking.


    Sitting inside the tent, Kik considered his next move. That man had survived a brawl with at least five of the Phoenices, and from the looks of it he might have won. In a fair fight with him there was no question to the outcome, even with the man injured.


    As the man drew closer, he noticed the entrance to his tent slightly ajar. Growing suspicious, he lifted himself upright, wincing as his ribs straightened. Bringing his sword to bear, he prepared for a stab into the entrance. It was the wrong length, but he didn¡¯t have much else on offer.


    But before he could swing the door open, Kik burst out, swinging. His left fist connected to the man¡¯s stomach in a punch, his right swinging in from above with a dagger. Both blows were blocked by the armour, but they still pressed on the wounds behind, forcing the man to double over.


    Kik pushed his advantage, landing atop his injured foe. He brought both hands up and held the dagger above his head, driving it downwards with all his might and all the weight of his body.


    The dagger hit a dent in the man¡¯s chestplate and pierced through, striking a lung. He coughed out in pain as Kik twisted the handle in desperation - but even that wasn¡¯t enough to kill him. And now his blade was stuck.


    The man pulled a blade from his own belt with one hand, the other attempting to stop Kik¡¯s furious assault of kicks and punches. He flashed out with the dagger, punching it towards Kik¡¯s side, but he accepted the blow with his arm and stopped the blade. His left arm was useless by his side, but after shaking his foe away with a punch to the head he now had another weapon.


    Pulling out the blade which had almost struck him down, a stream of blood pooled inside Kik¡¯s left glove. He paid it no heed, stabbing down at the armoured man¡¯s exposed throat. His helmet was dislodged by the last punch, showing a small patch of undersuit above his gorget - small but enough to strike a telling blow through.


    The man caught the dagger inches away from his skin, but the momentum of the thrust pushed the steel further and further in. It sunk beneath the surface, blood bubbling up at the point of impact. Kik held it there and kept pushing, pushing, pushing, for what seemed like hours, until finally the man¡¯s hand fell away from Kik¡¯s wrist and the blade slid out the back of his throat.


    His enemy was dead.


    Kik pulled both daggers free and wiped them clean on the grass. There was nothing more to it - two had walked into the fight and one had walked out. He was amazed at how calm he was, able to even analyze the taste of his stomach acid as it rolled from his tongue. Huh, that was strange.


    Kik realised he had collapsed a few seconds later, clutching his left arm. Waves of pain rolled up it, no longer held back by adrenaline and the desperate fight.


    Kik passed out.


    When he awoke again the sky was dark - well, darker - once again and the wound on his arm had closed. He hadn¡¯t died from blood loss in his sleep, and nobody had come across him while he was defenceless. All up a good nap. The inside of his suit was still stained and gross, but there was nothing he could do about that for now.


    Looking around, he spotted a body lying near him. The ground around it was patterned with spurts of blood. Two daggers were stuck into him, in the throat and arm.


    Kik stared for a moment with dead eyes. He needed to retrieve a weapon of some kind, but he really didn¡¯t want to. The body made him feel ill for some reason which he couldn¡¯t quite place.


    Stepping closer with sheer willpower, Kik closed his eyes and felt around the chest. His hand bumped into the handle.


    A quick yank pulled it free, a squelch emitted from the wound. He tossed the weapon behind himself, not yet ready to look.


    The second dagger was more tricky, embedded deep in the man¡¯s throat. Finding the handle by touch again, Kik pulled once he thought he had a grip on it. Working it out with slow twists, it came free in his hand at last.


    Opening his eyes to look at the dagger, he instead saw a black stem with blood covered roots.


    His eyes were drawn to the corpse, where he saw groups of tiny tendrils growing from the corpse. Tiny insects were crawling between them, chewing on whatever they could find. The jungle was claiming the food as its own.


    Scrambling backwards, he screamed inside his helmet. He threw the black sprout away as hard as he could, babbling nonsense to himself. His hands found the ancient dagger on the floor and he clutched it before him with two hands. The hard material helped him to focus and his shaking and muttering passed away.


    When the dead body held no terror for him, he was instead filled with sorrow. It was his fault. The person would still be alive if not for him.


    Logic said that it wasn¡¯t so, the person would most likely have died anyway. They had deserved it too, after trying to kill him earlier.


    But his brain wouldn¡¯t listen to emotion. Pain wracked through his head, as real as any stab wound, as his mind fought to discover his next action.


    After struggling with himself, he finally found something to focus his mind. Repeating it within his head, over and over again, he rebuilt his strength and hardened his mind. Finally coming back to life, he screamed it out to the sky.


    ¡°This is not my day to die!¡±


    Now that he had some time to think, he had to consider his next action. He couldn¡¯t head back to the site of the wreck. If he did he¡¯d soon be lost, and there were no doubt patrols out looking for him and that person, whoever he had been. Unless enough Phoenices had died to make them think twice about wandering off.


    The comms had been disturbingly silent ever since the battle had completed. Kik hadn¡¯t heard Olaf¡¯s voice since they had separated, which didn¡¯t bode well. Hopefully they were just out of range, but Kik didn¡¯t have too much hope.


    Either way, returning was still more risk than he wanted to take. So that left the glider. It was working, and loaded with all the things he¡¯d need. What more could he ask for?


    Taking a look over it, it wasn¡¯t completely a glider. There was a small propellor built into the back of the wooden frame, attached to an equally small engine. Revving the engine, the propellor started to spin and the craft started to shake against the sling. The folded wings started to shake, straining to reach their full length.


    Looking around, he wondered if he should leave yet. Then he took another look at the dead body and decided that yes, that was exactly what he wanted to do. Climbing into the single free seat on the craft, he snapped a lever, catapulting him into motion barely above the treetops.


    The small electric motor made little noise as they powered along, only a constant whirr of air through the propellor. Looking down, he attempted to spot the campsite, but if it was there it was lost amongst the trees and darkness.


    Once away from the body, he considered returning, but he was doing his best just to keep the craft level. He wasn¡¯t confident enough to turn it yet. Unlike aboard a spaceship, the controls fought him - and it was all he could to to keep it in line and heading back to the dome.


    Looking down upon the jungle as it sped by beneath him, he felt his emotions bubbling over. A cry of pain and grief rose within his throat, but he pushed it back. Instead he laughed - not the maniacal laugh of a madman, not the savage laugh of a monster, not the joyous laugh of a peaceful mind. It was a despair-filled laugh which only just managed to keep the darkness and pain at bay.

 15 - Old Horizons

    Kik stretched as his ship glided into the Rymez system. He looked down at his new collection of scars. The stab wound on his arm. The graze on his leg. Each of them had been bad, but the surgery to remove the fungus spores from the injuries and their surroundings was worse. That particular quarantine had been painful.


    He would rather have the scars than not, though. They would serve as a mark of his first kill. Not a memory of the struggles that he had faced, nor a mark of pride. They would be a tribute to the unknown man, whose face he had never even seen behind his mask. He had fought hard for whatever he had believed in, and Kik respected him for that. He also sympathised, hoping he wouldn¡¯t be placed in the same position.


    Unfortunately he had received no word from Olaf or Cormen, or any of the other mercenaries, while he had been resting. His day of recovery, when he had intended to wait for them, had passed before it had even started, the nurses shocked at the speed he healed.


    He had brushed away their questions with misleading answers about nanomachines, but their suspicion remained even when he showed them the syringe from his medkit. It was perhaps a good thing that he had stopped them scanning his body above his neck, his excuse being the sensitive electronics behind his ears. He felt it would be bad if anyone were to learn about the alien symbiote in his back.


    His ride back to space and journey between systems had been solitary. Although it had given him time to look through the things he had taken from the packages on his escape craft.


    First and foremost was a projectile weapon, replacing the one that had broken on Icros. It was concealed, strapping to the underside of his arm on the outside of his void suit or beneath his clothing. He could fire it by flicking out a trigger piece into his hand. It carried a magazine of three bullets, and he had found two spare clips among the other equipment. It was the same model as the pistol the soldier he had killed had used back on Icros. Currently it was resting inside his waist pouches, too bulky to carry around during everyday activities.


    Beyond that was a box full of transmission equipment, although it was incomplete. It was missing an antenna and power source, and perhaps one or two other items - abandoned in the jungle during his rush to leave.


    There were a few other items, such as food and spare clothing. Kik had dropped most of the clothing already, as it was more than two sizes too large. The food had disappeared on the multi day flight back to the city, riding the warm winds from the lava vents and dodging curious or territorial insects. The other items, such as water containers, air bottles, pumps and other survival equipment, Kik had kept as spares for the ship.


    Finally was a spherical safe, the size of Kik¡¯s head. He hadn¡¯t been able to get it open, and didn¡¯t want to mess with it in case of booby traps. But it was heavy enough for him to be sure it was full. It sat, propped up, beneath the bridge¡¯s monitors, the keypad /daring him to test his luck.


    But instead of bothering with unknown technology, he turned his focus onwards, back to Supply Station Alpha. It hung in free fall amid the cloud of rocks, gazing out at the stars and the approaching ship.


    The Benefactor landed in a bay similar to its previous berth, not two weeks back. Stepping free of the ship, Kik nodded to the few guards come to escort him. After a few perfunctory questions and inspection of the transmission equipment he was carrying, they let him move on. They were far more relaxed than the previous time, with records of him and his ship landing here before.


    He arrived at Reem¡¯s quarters before he realised he had no idea what to say to him. Cormen was missing. More importantly, Kik hadn¡¯t tried to find him. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything for him either way, but he could have at least made the effort.


    Sliding open the door in worry, he thought through his next plan, but his worries were shoved to the back of his mind when he noticed who was in the room.


    ¡°Who are you and what asscrack of the galaxy did you crawl out from?¡± the woman on the other side of the door asked, looking up from her perch by the corner. She continued as he scanned the rest of the empty space. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Reem, he¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right... where do I find him then?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s off fixing something somewhere. I don¡¯t know where, he never tells me anything. Too upright and navy precise.¡±


    ¡°How long until he¡¯s back? Could I leave a message?¡±


    She rubbed the bridge of her nose through her open suit visor. ¡°Yeah, fine. He¡¯ll be a few hours. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing anything else. Shoot.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell him that Kik is back from Icros? And he wants to know what his next mission is?¡±


    She turned her gaze upon him, deep green eyes coming to bear. ¡°Oh? Perhaps I can help you. You see, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    Kik frowned. ¡°And what do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Well I hear you need a captain, and I happen to be between ships. My own is under repair, and my mortgage only gets more pricey as I wait.¡±


    Now it was Kik¡¯s turn to rub his nose. ¡°I do pretty well on my own. Who gave you the idea I need another captain?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I hear it¡¯s only to keep up appearances, and you would be captain in reality. But I don¡¯t want to work under a captain I can¡¯t respect, even if it¡¯s only when nobody is watching. I have my own pride.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not about to step down and let another be the captain of my own ship. Why don¡¯t we just work together and we could even become friends¡­¡±


    The woman stepped in and bent towards him before he could say anything further, a finger upraised. Something about her expression drove him to silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your friend, and I will not become one. Colleague, yes. Ally, perhaps. Friend? No. And before you become so adamant about it being your ship, I hear you don¡¯t own even a part share while your guardian¡¯s still alive.¡±


    Kik frowned. ¡°What do you know¡­¡±


    ¡°About your parents? One¡¯s dead, the other¡¯s in a coma. Why, I¡¯m not sure. But I¡¯m fairly confident that Erstine wants to keep things the way they are. It works so much better for him this way, after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done your research. But before you decide that I¡¯m not worthy of being captain, don¡¯t forget that I know my ship like my own body. Perhaps you know your own, and I wouldn¡¯t dream of competing with you there. But you don¡¯t know mine like I do.¡±


    She leaned back to her full height, scowling. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But you¡¯ll have to prove yourself to me soon, and I¡¯m not taking your orders until that happens. For now I¡¯m a passenger, not a crewmember. Understand?¡±


    ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    The woman held out her hand. ¡°Good. I¡¯m Aire. It looks like we¡¯ll be working together for the next few months.¡±


    ¡°Kik. But you already know that.¡± They shook. ¡°When are we leaving, and for what? I haven¡¯t been told anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Good, so I¡¯m not the only one. I do know that we¡¯re going to need some preparation. Reem should be able to tell us whenever he chooses gets back.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll have to drop some equipment elsewhere on the station. I¡¯ll be back within the hour.¡±


    Aire stood and stretched. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take a walk. I want to get a feel for this station before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you back here.¡±


    The trip to Kik¡¯s room was faster than he might have though, lugging the heavy packaging of the comms unit easy in the low gravity. Looking around the empty space, he tied the package up inside his sleeping harness. There were no other places to safely store it when it might drift around if left alone.


    The room gave off an abandoned feel, and Kik glanced around with a downcast look. Perhaps that was typical of his surroundings at this point. He had always moved away too soon to develop a proper home other than the ship, and that had been remodelled so far that it no longer felt the same.


    The only other place in the past few months he had felt at home at was with Vist and Pel. Cruising across the desert, laughing and panicking. The senses of danger and the thrills of overcoming it. Seeing the sights of the desert, mountains of rocks concealing crystal caves beneath. Waterfalls of sand, blown off the edge of cliffs by turbulent winds.


    He closed the door on his room, immersed in memories. Introspection could wait until later, as could making himself at home. First he had a job to do.


    The room was empty without Reem or Aire. He had said an hour, and it had taken him just over thirty minutes. He settled in for a wait.


    Reem returned first, munching on a ration bar. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Kik, swallowing his food. ¡°You¡¯re back? Where¡¯s Cormen?¡±


    Kik¡¯s earlier worries about what he would say flooded back. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ we were separated, and then the soldiers¡­ I haven¡¯t seen them since, and I didn¡¯t think...¡±


    Reem blew out air through his mouth. ¡°Slow down. One thing at a time.¡±


    ¡°So that happened,¡± Reem said. It didn¡¯t seem to be a question. ¡°You could have handled that better. I¡¯ll have to tell Erstine, you know.¡±


    Kik raised his gaze from the floor. ¡°What does that mean? Will he do anything because of it?¡±¡¯


    ¡°I doubt he would. Perhaps reduce your pay, or just put a black mark next to your name on some list somewhere. As long as you complete the job there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Technically your job was to take Cormen to Icros and escort him to wherever you were going. So you could say you succeeded. There are the problems with an ally who may never return, but as long as it doesn¡¯t affect Erstine directly he won¡¯t even feel the loss. I can put in a good word as well. I wouldn¡¯t be comfortable with something happening to Hala due to something like this.¡±


    Kik sighed in relief. His main worry for the moment could be set aside. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t pull anything like that again. A reputation for abandoning your allies is one of the things that you¡¯ll never live down, especially since you won¡¯t have many allies if you keep it up.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t try anything like that again.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± said Aire from the doorway. ¡°I don¡¯t want to work with anyone I can¡¯t trust with my back.¡± She floated inside, her body blocking out the outside for a brief moment like a cloud shadowing the moon.


    ¡°Listening in again?¡± Reem asked.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not like you ever tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t tell you anything because you already know more than you need to. From doing things like this.¡±


    Aire laughed. ¡°Well you can¡¯t shut me out now. The group is assembled. I want to hear what sort of job a planetary government would put out.¡±


    Reem jerked. ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°I have my sources. I assume it¡¯s something to do with the fleet that left Borgeal just scant weeks ago?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I give up. I¡¯ll start from the beginning, since I don¡¯t think Kik is as well informed as you seem to be.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, sugar.¡±


    Reem gave her a shallow glare, but didn¡¯t hold it for long. ¡°The planet of Halfex has recently come under blockade by a hostile fleet from Borgeal. It¡¯s not an invasion, just an enforced embargo. Halfex is self-sufficient, too, so it¡¯s not as if their people will starve. But it¡¯s still an unwanted action. Their embassy on Elaris has put out a request for messages to be taken to and from the planet, in a format the blockade can¡¯t intercept but the planet can.¡±


    ¡°Is there any method like that?¡± Kik asked. ¡°Any signal you send from orbit can be intercepted and decrypted, even if it takes time.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. The blockade will get a copy of any signal transmitted towards the planet. It¡¯s fine for personal communications, but there¡¯s only one way to get important traffic through without it being intercepted. In person.¡±


    ¡°What are you so surprised about?¡± Aire asked, as Kik took a moment to collect his thoughts. ¡°Hadn¡¯t you already guessed the answer to that question the moment you asked it? It¡¯s a good old fashioned blockade run. Although I understand your hesitation. I¡¯m not sure your ship¡¯s up to it.¡±


    ¡°My ship will be fine.¡± Kik scowled at her.


    Aire ignored him, turning back to Reem. ¡°What are the blockading forces like?¡±


    ¡°Two stormships and four cruisers for the capital ships. They also have twelve frigates and nineteen destroyers, and unknown numbers of attack craft. It¡¯s unknown how much damage they took from the defending fleet before gaining orbital superiority, but the planetary defences wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold them for long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be trouble in a corvette,¡± Aire said. ¡°I thought Halfex had a large fleet, or at least large enough to defend against that many ships. They seem to give everyone else trouble.¡±


    ¡°Much of it is going through a major refitting at Rasant. Many of the other ships were patrolling fringe space, and were knocked from the fight as they jumped into the system in small groups. Almost all of their forces are out of action or missing now.¡±


    ¡°So what are we to do, then? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s some large fleet elsewhere to sweep in and save the day. What are we supposed to be delivering?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know that you need to¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, these uncertain missions are the worst! If we¡¯re carrying a time bomb, just tell me and be done with it. It¡¯s better than all this worrying. How am I supposed to estimate the danger if I don¡¯t know what it is I¡¯m doing?¡±


    ¡°You could just do the job and stop complaining,¡± Kik said, still annoyed by her comments about his ship.


    ¡°Is that what you would do? Accept danger without even asking questions about it?¡± Aire turned her gaze upon him, and Reem followed suit.


    ¡°Well, no, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why would you lecture me about it?¡±


    Kik dipped his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Reem took the opportunity to step in. ¡°He makes a point, though, Aire. You¡¯re not going to turn it down, so why bother complaining so much? You could ask the questions after you¡¯ve decided you¡¯re going, like he does. Sometimes there are questions that can¡¯t be answered until you¡¯ve agreed.¡±


    Aire snorted. ¡°Stop using this as an excuse to lecture me. You¡¯d be asking the same things if you were in my position.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Any more complaints?¡±


    ¡°No, I think that about covers it. What about the gritty details? Where we land, whatever?¡±


    Reem passed Kik a datachip. ¡°The original request and all the associated details are on there. Anything beyond that you¡¯ll have to find on your own.¡±


    Kik read through the data as the pair made their way to the hangars. Reem had stayed with them for a short while before turning back, quickly consoling Kik on the results of his last mission and suggesting he not get too close to Aire. Nothing that Kik couldn¡¯t deduce on his own.


    The data held four relevant pieces of information. Three detailed locations of interest. They included Halfex¡¯s galactic coordinates, a map of the Halfex system, and the location of their target spaceport on the surface. The final piece of information was the details of their contact on the other side, a man called Elliot Torse, and his private contact details.


    The datachip also held a sets of encrypted files, the message to be delivered. While he had no idea what the files were, they were large - they took up the rest of the datachip, enough space to store a map of all inhabited planets in the sector.


    Kik puzzled over what the files might contain as they stepped into the Benefactor¡¯s hangar, but he was returned to reality by Aire¡¯s scoff. ¡°This ship won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? How is it not good enough?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too slow. This is a hauler, not a dancer. Does it have any stealth systems?¡±


    ¡°Stealth? What do you¡­¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have thought so. That¡¯s the only way that we could sneak past a blockade with such piddling engines. Ion engines can¡¯t handle bursts of speed well enough. If only my ship were here...¡±


    Kik frowned. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had it about up to here with you. I promised a ship, and a ship is what I provided. If we don¡¯t have a good enough ship, then we shouldn¡¯t have accepted the mission. And if yours is so good, why did it get damaged in the first place? Don¡¯t take out your frustration and need to be superior on me. I¡¯m not going to just stand and take it.¡±


    Aire breathed in and out, not yet ready to reply. Her squinted eyes opened, staring down the pest in front of her that she wasn¡¯t quite able to squash. ¡°You know, I was saying that we wouldn¡¯t be able to do this just a little while ago, and you disagreed with me. You don¡¯t get it both ways.¡±


    ¡°F- fine then. I¡¯m sure we can manage if we try.¡±


    ¡°Brat, that attitude is just going to get us all killed. How do you intend to get past a fleet of ships, heavily armed and actively scanning for trespassers?¡±


    ¡°We could try jumping into the system close to the planet and landing¡­¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Their forces will be patrolling as far down as the upper atmosphere. We¡¯d be going too fast to safely slow our descent.¡±


    ¡°Then we jump into the system far away from the planet and slowly drift in¡­¡±


    ¡°You need the proper stealth tech for that. Same problem as before, with going to fast. In addition, the radiation would cook us before we reached the planet, and the gravity signature of the jump would be easy to pick up. That¡¯s another failed option.


    Kik thought. ¡°Then we could try and redirect then hide in the trail of an incoming comet or meteorite¡­¡±


    ¡°Any meteorite large enough to hide our craft would be an extinction-level event. How many of those do you think happen without warning? We¡¯d be drawing more attention than if we tried to enter the system normally, and if we managed to make it far enough without the meteor being shot down there wouldn¡¯t be much of a planet to deliver the messages to. We¡¯d have a better success chance if we tried to bluff our way past the defending fleet, and that isn¡¯t going to happen in the next decade.¡±


    As Kik groaned, trying to think of possibilities, Aire moved in for the finishing blow. ¡°All the things you can think of in a few days are all things that have been done thousands of times and any prepared fleet will be expecting. One of them might be enough to give us an edge, perhaps, but not enough to overcome our disadvantages in technology and numbers. Face reality - we just don¡¯t have a good enough ship to make it past.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°Then how would we ideally get past?¡±


    ¡°Ideally? We¡¯d have thirty or so smaller ships, all racing through a single section of their defences. They wouldn¡¯t be able to stop all of them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a suicide mission?¡±


    Aire tapped the side of Kik¡¯s helmet, the sound ringing out in the still air. ¡°That¡¯s pretty standard. I mean, look at the ships you¡¯re up against. Are you really expecting to take on a battlegroup with a few corvettes or long-ranged scouts and get away intact?¡±


    Kik tried to lean against the hangar wall, but bounced off instead. ¡°Then how are we meant to do anything, with only one craft to our name¡­¡±


    Aire grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it isn''t over yet. I know where to go. And I know how to get us there.¡±


    Kik stared through the radiation-proofed glass in the cargo hold as Supply Station Alpha receded in the distance, swallowed by the mass of the red sun behind it. He didn¡¯t know how Aire had done it, but with a few words and a wave of her hand she had found them spots aboard a ship to Rasant. If he remembered Reem¡¯s tale, that was where much of the Halfexian fleet was undergoing repairs. No doubt they¡¯d be able to find some allies there.


    Kik had heard some stories about Rasant, the shipyards in its rings churning out cruisers daily. Perhaps they¡¯d even be able to find a ship, although he had little hope of that considering their finances. Maybe Erstine had some men there who could lend them one.


    Stretching and looking around the cargo hold, he noted the contents of the crates that he could see. While many were legitimate, containers of food and water, precious metals and other standard trade goods, others were less so. At least one of the crates lying at random through the space had a rifle butt or two poking from the edge. Perhaps one day he would have been surprised, but having carried such cargo himself it was no longer even that surprising.


    What he did wonder about was Aire. Who was she? Ex-navy she was not¡­ or perhaps she had been once, quitting because of her personality. She and Reem seemed to know each other, which supported the theory, but Kik couldn¡¯t believe someone so incapable of taking orders would have enlisted.


    Perhaps she had been a trader, a more airtight theory. It would support her knowledge, but somehow she didn¡¯t have the feeling. A willingness to bargain, for one, was characteristic of free traders. Smuggler was perhaps more of a fitting answer.


    Having come up with a good enough answer, now Kik had to think about why he needed to know. Why did he care who she had been in the past? She annoyed him, true, but that wasn¡¯t enough of a reason. So why?


    His introspection was interrupted by Aire bursting through the elevator doors, carrying a flask of liquor. Light flooded in from the open elevator, blinding after the dim illumination inside.


    ¡°Kid! Come get shomething to drink! We¡¯re having friendly chatsh upstairs!¡± she called out, unable to see him in the dark.


    ¡°No way in the void,¡± Kik said, standing and walking towards her. ¡°I value my brain the way it is, thanks. I¡¯m not my father.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of thoshe people. Fine, mish out on the double jump. You¡¯ll regret it, bashtard.¡± She turned around and limped back inside the elevator, flask in hand. ¡°The double drunkennesh ish shomething amashing. Doeshn¡¯t even have shide effectsh, besidesh the comet vomit at the end of the jump.¡± She thought for a moment, then corrected herself. ¡°Vomit comet.¡±


    Kik sighed as the elevator doors closed. At least he wasn¡¯t the one cleaning up afterwards. And thank the void for the navigation system, because it was doubtful that any of the crew upstairs would be capable of piloting the ship.


    The first of three jumps on the way to Rasant faded out and Kik drew in a breath again. Looking to starboard as the spots across his vision faded away, they were in quite a close orbit of a gas giant. It was a green planet of immense scale, the clouds on its surface appearing to be fixed in place but in reality moving at a speed comparable to sound of their passage.


    Scant minutes into his inspection of the planet¡¯s beauty, the elevator doors swung open again. Turning around expecting Aire to be back, Kik was surprised to see a suited crewmember disembark instead.


    ¡°Get your gear and come with me,¡± he said from his helmet speakers. ¡°We¡¯ll be landing soon, and you¡¯ll be disembarking. We need to unload the cargo as well.¡±


    Kik nodded and pulled together the few pieces of equipment that he had brought from his ship - survival gear, a spare void suit, weaponry.


    The elevator took them to just behind the bridge. The area was clean, a surprising find, although it did smell of alcohol. It was much less cramped than the Benefactor¡¯s bridge, with seats for four people than the captain around the edges of the room. Its view screens provided far more vision, too, with even the floor beneath the chairs providing a view into the outside. Aire was out cold on the floor, her chest rising and falling as she slept.


    Kik prodded her, but she kept sleeping. Instead of keeping up his futile efforts, he stepped over her sleeping body to speak to the captain. The bearded man was blinking to keep himself awake, but he kept his eyes on the monitors from his chair, ensuring that the computers were doing their jobs correctly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll arrive at XM-180 soon,¡± he said, sensing Kik behind him. ¡°We¡¯ll let you and Aire off there as we drop our cargo.¡±


    ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t we going to Rasant?¡± Kik asked. ¡°And where¡¯s this XM-180? I didn¡¯t realise that there was anyone living in this system. Is it some small space station?¡±


    The captain turned around and glanced at Kik. ¡°Have you never been to XM-180, boy? Then you¡¯re in for a treat. I¡¯ll let you stay on the bridge for the descent, although you may want to buckle yourself in. It¡¯ll be a rough ride. Get that drunkard into a seat too.¡±


    Once he and Aire were strapped into their seats, their craft began its descent. They had jumped in close to the gas giant, and soon they were touching the edges of its atmosphere, rattles coming from the ship¡¯s hull as the first fast moving particles began to strike.


    The rattling grew stronger as they delved deeper into the gas giant¡¯s atmosphere. The ship was without doubt going through a trial, bits of paint and even hull plating scratched off by the abrasive atmosphere.


    ¡°What are these clouds made up of?¡± Kik asked after an hour of the bombardment. ¡°They seem to be doing a lot of damage.¡±


    ¡°Mostly iron and a few other materials, quartz for one. And they may be doing damage, but they¡¯re also doing their job, which is slowing us down. It might be more violent than usual, but it works. Look out, we¡¯re almost to our dock.¡±


    Kik soon started to notice web-like formations spread throughout the clouds. Riding the winds with wings made of thousands of cilia-esque structures, they permeated the atmosphere. They were gone almost as soon as he spotted them, but more took their place and they gradually grew in number.


    As the storm grew into a blanket beneath them, the captain dipped the ship below the cloud level. Kik could feel the ship rumbling beneath his feet. He was pulled into the straps of his chair as the ship was slowed with jerking movements.


    The storm grew more and more intense until he truly believed there was no port ahead - they were just flying to their deaths. He wanted to ask that they turn back, but the captain was too focussed on the instruments, all traces of tiredness gone. If he lost focus, they may all be doomed.


    The ship was jerked around. The hull screeched as it was shredded by shards of metal and crystal flung at it like bullets. The engines laboured to keep them on course, against the best efforts of the skies. And then they were free.


    The eye of the storm was a mere two kilometres wide, compared to its hundreds of kilometres in depth, but it felt like an eternal land of peace. The raging clouds on all sides, even above and below, radiated a green hue, dying the inside the colour of a grassy meadow.


    And inside, far below their current position, hung an impossible station, supported by millions - hundreds of millions - of elegant structures, stretching off into the clouds. Shaped like an egg, it hung like a ripe fruit beneath an array of supporting branches. Pockmarks dotted the side, marks from ages gone, but it still held its place in the sky. Nothing was below it but a fall into the abyss and, eventually, the planet¡¯s core.


    ¡°Enjoy your first sight of XM-180,¡± the captain said to Kik. ¡°Looks like we survived once again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but aren¡¯t we going a bit too fast?¡± Kik asked. The winds which had been holding gravity back until now had reversed, plunging them downwards at dangerous speeds.


    ¡°No worries there, I¡¯ve done this at least a dozen times before,¡± the captain said. He put the spacecraft into a downwards spiral, their nose pointing to the sky. ¡°I think I needed help on the first few tries, though.¡±


    Kik was pressed against the back of his seat as the craft¡¯s engines fired, counteracting their free fall. They slid back into the edge of the eyewall, using the rising winds to slow their descent.


    Finally they broke free once again, level with the base of the installation. Falling into its slipstream, at the wide end of the egg shape, Kik spotted the open doors of a hangar bay.


    ¡°At least this is normal,¡± he breathed out in relief.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend attempting a landing without practice, though. Flying in over one and a half g¡¯s is a bit disconcerting when you first try it.¡±


    Contrary to his cautionary words, the captain performed a perfect landing, deploying his landing gear and touching down with barely a scrape of paint taken off. He managed it even without landing assistance, as would be expected from most hangars. Contrasting to its impressive outwards appearance, the inside of XM-180 were quite unimpressive. There were no deck crew watching their arrival or fuel tanks ready to top them off.


    Once the hangar doors had sealed themselves, about half the lights above managed to turn on. This increase in lighting just served to further show how decrepit the station had become, roof panels falling out of place and crashing to the floor, pieces of broken ship cast away across the space.


    After thanking the captain for letting him watch their descent, Kik unloaded a few crates with a pair of other crewmembers. Aire woke up as soon as they stopped moving, but claimed she needed a few minutes to deal with her headache. Naturally she showed up just as the last crate was unloaded, spry and ready to disembark.


    ¡°How do you avoid hangovers like that?¡± Kik asked.


    She grinned. ¡°Practice. Shall we get moving?¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°May as well.¡± He continued talking as they strolled towards the elevator, leaving behind the two crewmen as they struggled with their cargo. ¡°So now that you¡¯re awake, why did we land here instead of Rasant?¡±


    ¡°We were never going to Rasant, our ship was. Of course I can¡¯t publicly announce that we¡¯re going to a station that¡¯s not on their itinerary.¡±


    ¡°But why are we here in the first place?¡±


    Aire grinned. ¡°To find us a ship, of course. Or failing that, to find us someone who can find us one.¡±


    ¡°And we couldn¡¯t have done it on Rasant?¡±


    ¡°Rasant¡¯s the wrong market. Their ships fill a completely different role to what we¡¯re looking for. They make blades, surgical and deadly. What we want is a gun which the enemy won¡¯t even see coming.¡±


    ¡°And we can get something like that here?¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.As the glass-walled elevator rose into the light, Aire spread her arms to encompass the view before them. ¡°Welcome to XM-180, which officially doesn¡¯t exist, where the only thing impossible is you having enough money to buy everything you want.¡±


    The installation was completely hollowed out, the not completely ovaloid shape of an egg with its widest side to the bottom. Around the edges were machinery and pipes strewn across the walls, dotted with patches of light shining inwards to the centre of the space. All attention was drawn to the structure dominating the middle of the station, and its appearance did not disappoint the fanfare.


    The centre was a pillar over two hundred metres wide at its base, but it was more than that. It was a city. Buildings clung to the edges, shoving their neighbours into open space in competition for a better view, clinging desperately to the walls. Narrow lanes twisted their way between habitation units, barely wide enough for a single person to walk along. Bridges stretched across gaps, ranging from maintenance walkways wide enough for a single person to bridges large enough to land a frigate on, between the pillar and the walls around it. Crenellations, archways, tiled roofs - it was a city of strange design and almost insane construction.


    Awestruck, Kik tore his gaze from the architecture surrounding them and instead focussed on Aire. She had a tight look across her face, unfolding a light rifle from her kit and shouldering it.


    ¡°What are you preparing for?¡± Kik asked her, pulling out his own weapons. A knife and staff in his pouches and a concealed pistol against his forearm, the holster chafing against his armour as it was strapped down.


    ¡°Have you ever heard the phrase ¡®concrete jungle¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have.¡±


    Aire gestured to the outside. ¡°Well this is about as close as you can get. Your body could be lost in the maze of streets for weeks or months until someone willing to remove it comes along. There are many who will try and take advantage of that.¡±


    Kik glanced over the maze of streets, alleys and platforms. ¡°Out of the fungus and into the concrete, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Aire comforted him, patting down her weapons. ¡°As long as we keep our weapons visible, and don¡¯t piss anyone off more than necessary, we¡¯ll get through without trouble. Robbing us wouldn¡¯t be worth the risk, as long as we prevent it from being personal.¡±


    The elevator ground to a halt on the edge of an open platform. Kik noted that all the buttons above their current floor were crossed off with red tape. Looking above the glass-walled capsule they had disembarked from, the rails had been crushed into the wall not ten metres above their arrival point. The wind gusted as he stood there, blowing him away from the rusted guardrail.


    Aire hefted her rifle in one hand, bracking the foldout stock against her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go, kid. We have a few levels to climb before we reach the shipyard.¡±


    Kik looked around. ¡°There¡¯s a shipyard here?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. Why else would we come here for a ship?¡± She squeezed through a tiny crack between buildings, which soon widened out into an actual walkway. Kik followed through, the rough bricks scraping agains his back.


    He glanced around at the rusting buildings with their tile and corrugated iron roofs. ¡°More advanced than I expected.¡±


    The two continued their journey through the winding streets in silence. The buildings around them forestalled all conversation, looming above like watching sentinels. Every so often a set of eyes peered from a doorway or opened window, ducking back in when they were spotted.


    They wound their way through alleyways, edged across ledges and strode down walkways. Every so often Aire consulted her datapad, directing them onwards once she had located their position. The streets were quiet but echoey, their footfalls and breathing reflected back at them from a hundred different angles.


    Every so often they would hear someone else moving through the streets, the echoes of their footsteps preceding them. Once or twice they saw a figure slip along a path perpendicular to theirs, jumping between rooftops or crossing a bridge beneath their own. The other parties kept to themselves, so Kik and Aire did the same.


    Their next encounter, however, was not so peaceful. They stopped on a small landing halfway up a set of stairs as Aire checked her datapad again. Small windows gazed down from the buildings on each side, shuttered and boarded up. On their left the building rose far above, while to the right segments of roof sat just above head height, forming a tiered set of stairs upwards.


    Their pause, however, turned out to be a mistake. One man walked up behind them from an unseen alcove to block of their retreat. Another stepped out from a doorway ahead to block their advance.


    The pair strode towards them as Aire was distracted, taking the time to close the gap. Either they hadn¡¯t seen her rifle or they just didn¡¯t care enough about it to worry.


    They were wearing a set of ¡®armour¡¯ each, their equipment matching only in its uniqueness. One had a chestplate made from a manhole, while the others¡¯ was a scorched and battered piece of military body armour. One had chainmail decorating his arms, the other had thick industrial gloves which reached past his elbows. Beneath the exterior of both sets lay a network of power cables and pistons, powering the constructs forward with inhuman strength.


    Their weapons were even more simplistic. One carried a sword, the rust along its length more intimidating than the blade itself. The other held a simple block of metal, nails and screws melted and fused into the killing end.


    Kik banged on Aire¡¯s arm to get her attention, looking for a way out. A stairway ahead and behind, both blocked by enemies. A drop behind and to the right, down into an uncertain darkness. There was a doorway to their left, but it was barred shut. There was also a tiny gap, barely a body wide, which he instead dashed for. The powered suits wouldn¡¯t be able to fit through there.


    Aire grabbed onto his shoulder before he could dive inside. ¡°Don¡¯t run off with no idea of where you¡¯re going. That¡¯s a dead end, probably where they want us to end up.¡± She fired a three-shot burst from her rifle at the suited thug ahead, the rounds bouncing off the manhole over his chest and rest of his armour. Meanwhile the man behind them inched closer, laboring up the stairs in his heavy suit.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing any damage without a lucky shot,¡± she remarked, firing again. ¡°We need a way out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to find,¡± Kik said, as he looked around for something. Aire shot off another few shots, all bouncing off the man¡¯s helmet. ¡°Over the roofs?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do. You hold them off, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    As Aire fired off a last burst at the man on the stairs above, Kik pulled out the trigger piece of his weapon from against his arm. The unfamiliar movements cost him valuable seconds, but once it was out he was ready to go.


    Straightening his arm, he lined up his forearm with the target¡¯s body and fired. The recoil jarred against his hand and lifted up his arm, but he kept a firm grip on the trigger piece. The straps around his arm held firm.


    The weapon shot a dart from its muzzle, singing as it spun through the air. His experience with the laser pistol threw his aim off, however, as he was unprepared for the recoil. It missed the target¡¯s body, where it had been aimed. Instead it struck the chainmail on his left arm.


    The force of the impact pierced through his flesh. It drove in with a brutal impact and shattered the bone within. It passed completely through, drilling a hole in the concrete on the other side. The man collapsed to the floor and screamed silently, clutching his mashed limb.


    Aire took the opportunity to scramble away, using the tiered roofs beside the path as steps. However, without Aire¡¯s covering fire, the man on the steps above was free to charge. He barelled down the steps, a rampaging juggernaut of steel and flesh.


    Kik stepped out of the way of the first overhead blow, the floor cracking beneath the impact. The stairs groaned and creaked as they settled, reminding the combatants of their surroundings.


    The attacking thug paid the environment no heed, however, pressing his advantage with gusto. Kik was forced back and around, dodging under and around the swings as best he could on the narrow landing between staircases.


    Taking a moment to look around, he saw Aire safely out of reach, reloading her rifle. The distraction nearly cost him his life, however, a spiked fist thundering through the space where his head had been a moment ago.


    Kik needed an opportunity to run, but any such attempt would be fatal. If he took his attention off the man for a second, he would be dead. But at the same time, if he could get any distance, Aire could hold the armoured figure off for long enough to Kik to make his escape.


    The next blow came in, a back handed swing with a gauntlet - sloppy from impatience. Kik saw a chance and seized it.


    He jumped backwards, accepting the swing instead of dodging it. The blow combined with his own momentum sent him flying backwards. For a moment he felt light, floating like a feather on the breeze. Open space stretched out under his feet, tiny lights twinkling in the darkness. Then he hit the wall.


    He glanced off at an angle, his shoulder slamming into a window. Instead of stopping straight away like he hoped he would, his body spun out into open space. Pain jolted through his body, his helper driving flashes of agony through his system. He nearly blacked out. Perhaps he did for a few milliseconds.


    Through sheer force of will, he managed to keep himself awake and stretch out his arms. One of them caught on something and he grabbed on, clutching it as if his life depended on it. His momentum was arrested, and he was left swaying with the remnants of his motion, hugging the pipe that supported him.


    When the pain had faded enough for him to concentrate, he looked around and wished he hadn¡¯t. It turned out his life really did depend on his grip - he was still hanging over the drop. He clutched the hanging tighter as more gunfire rang out in the background.


    After a few breaths, he started to move. He reached hand over hand and pulled himself up the pipe, gripping with his legs. One handhold passed by, two, three, until the pipe disappeared back into the wall.


    Looking around, he spotted his next hand and foothold - a window off to the left. Stretching his leg across, he hooked it onto the very edge of the windowsill.


    With another foothold, he was more secure. Reaching up, he lifted his right leg on top of the pipe before pushing his hand up to the edge of the roof and grasping it in relief.


    Pulling his body up past the eaves, he thanked his body for saving him. As much as he disliked spending a month sitting on a bed covered in needles, he would have died multiple times if he hadn¡¯t gone through the process.


    Checking the puncture wounds on his chest where the spiked glove had struck him, he grimaced at the bloody tears in his suit. They¡¯d need some time to repair before they were space worthy. The skin beneath them had already fixed itself, but the marks of the impact remained. They still stung, too, so not all the damage was healed.


    A gunshot distracted his check for injury. Aire had pinned the last attacker in a doorway, keeping his head down with the occasional shot. Once she noticed Kik was up, though, she stepped away from her vantage point and climbed up to his level.


    ¡°You alive? Ready to go?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Is that all? I almost died out there, you know.¡±


    ¡°Then good job for surviving. Life¡¯s a struggle. Come on, let¡¯s get out of here before he decides to collapse the building.¡±


    Kik nodded quickly. ¡°That would be wise. What do you think they wanted from us?¡±


    Aire took a moment to think. She answered as they drew further from the site of the attack. ¡°Probably our weapons, or more likely our ammunition. Physical supplies like bullets are rare out here, and their supply may have run out. Or perhaps they spent all their money on the suits and didn¡¯t have enough to buy weapons.¡±


    As they hurried off into the distance a roar of frustration came from behind. It was accompanied by the sound of something large and metal smashing into another object.


    The final path led to a bridge to the outer shell of the station. As the pair stepped their way free of the tangled mess that was the central pillar, the wind gusted through their hair and clothing. Kik clutched the guardrail by the side of the bridge to anchor himself to the ground.


    ¡°So this is where we¡¯re going?¡± Kik asked, looking across the bridge. It led to seemingly nothing, just the wall on the opposite side.


    ¡°Yes. Welcome to the end of the line,¡± Aire said, grinning.


    Kik jumped away from the railing, pulling out his knife before he realised Aire hadn¡¯t made any moves. ¡°Can you not scare me like that?¡±


    Aire stared at him in confusion for a moment before bursting out laughing. ¡°What were you thinking? Is that how little you trust me?¡± Her eyes turned serious. ¡°If I wanted you dead, I would have just run away and let that thug kill you. Or left you alone in the dark with no map. Even with the luck of the void you wouldn¡¯t survive that.¡±


    She waited for a moment before growing tired of the silence. ¡°Alright, be that way. As I was saying, ahead lies the End of the Line shipyard. I believe we¡¯ll find what we¡¯re looking for there.¡±


    ¡°End of the Line¡­¡± Kik muttered to himself as they walked along the bridge. He kept a tight grip on the handrail.


    A single door was set into the other side of the bridge, a narrow alcove set into the wall providing some relief from the wind. Aire banged on the door for a minute before giving up and deciding not to wait. Turning the central wheel, its hinges screamed as she forced it open.


    The wind died down once the pair were through the door. Aire shut it again, the same screeching echoing out down the tunnel ahead. Small lights glimmered on the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the path ahead.


    They passed a series of doors on each side, Aire whispering the numbers. The doors grew further and further apart as they continued until it took a minute to reach the next one.


    Finally they arrived at one that was cracked open, an irregular light shining from inside. The sound of moving machinery stuttered and cranked beyond the doorway.


    Aire pushed it open, shielding her eyes against the glare. Kik did the same. As their eyes adjusted, they were greeted by the bare hull of a frigate sized vessel, hanging against the ceiling. All of its plating had been stripped off, exposing the electronics and machinery beneath. The metal skeleton beneath had been buckled and twisted, entire segments cut free and hanging against the walls.


    Surrounding the frigate, stacked from floor to ceiling, were layers upon layers of piled scaffolding. They held dozens of lights shining on the craft from various angles and a variety of terminals. On the screens were printed diagnostics about the ship, thousands of details from task completion to stress upon sections of the hull.


    Beneath these stacked frames was a single workbench. It was covered in tools by the hundreds - screwdrivers, hammers, cutting lasers. More esoteric ones that Kik couldn¡¯t name lay in clear cupboards beneath the bench¡¯s surface.


    Next to that workbench stood a frame to hold pieces to be worked on. Besides that stood a high power plasma torch, the size of the man who was using it. The brightness of the torch obscured his features and whatever he was doing, almost blinding Kik as he tried to look into it.


    The light died down as the torch was flicked off. Spots danced before his vision for a moment before fading away. The figure holding it pulled up his tinted glass facemask, staring over at the new arrivals. He stepped away from the giant hull plate that he had been working on. He had been cutting out a section damaged by what looked like a laser burn.


    ¡°Little Aire?¡± He called out with a gruff voice. ¡°Is that you?¡± He began to walk over.


    Kik shot a glance sideways at Aire and she elbowed him. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Why aren¡¯t you working on my ship? You could have finished it by now if you were serious.¡± She stepped away from Kik towards him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t show too much favouritism, even if you are one of my favourite customers.¡±


    ¡°Not the only favourite? You wound me.¡±


    They met in the middle of the space between them, clasping hands. When the old man reached his full height, he was half a head taller than Aire - more than a head above Kik. His dirty white hair sprawled from his head, matted with grease and sweat. A red bandanna splashed some colour through his appearance, lowered to cover one eye. His suit was an industrial yellow.


    ¡°So what have you come for today? You know your ship isn¡¯t done yet, with how badly you wrecked it.¡±


    Aire sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the best place to talk.¡±


    The other man looked around and nodded. ¡°Right. Follow me, I¡¯ll take you somewhere we can sit down.¡±


    He stepped away and spoke into a radio at his waist. ¡°Rain, I¡¯ll be stopping work for about an hour. Someone turned up. Send my crew to Victor if they arrive on time for once, and make sure he¡¯s prepared to send them back once I¡¯m done.¡±


    He put his radio away and grabbed his suit¡¯s helmet, carrying it under his arm as he led the two outside.


    The man settled them down in a small storeroom converted into a mess hall. The three sat around one of the many circular tables as Aire started introductions.


    ¡°Silfon, meet Kik. Kik, meet Silfon. You can think of him as my mechanic.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a bit more than just a mechanic.¡± Silfon turned to Kik. ¡°You can call my Silf. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Kik accepted his handshake. ¡°Likewise.¡±


    ¡°So, what have you two come here for?¡±


    Aire got down to business. ¡°We¡¯re looking for a ship.¡±


    Silf sighed. ¡°It¡¯s some ridiculous demand, isn¡¯t it. Wait a minute, I¡¯ll put tea on.¡±


    ¡°You still drink that? How much do you pay for your hobby?¡±


    ¡°No more than you pay me to fix your ship.¡±


    Aire grimaced. ¡°Yeah, I suppose you can afford it.¡±


    Kik and Aire sat in silence while Silf bustled around the small kitchen, preparing them drinks. Finally he sat down again, facing Aire square on. Her chair creaked as she shifted. ¡°So what do you want me for?¡±


    The teapot squealed as Silf cut of Aire¡¯s description. ¡°I think I have the gist of it. You basically need to get past a blockade with a single ship. Let me get the drink, I¡¯ll have a think.¡±


    He tiptoed to the kitchen and back, ferrying metal tins of boiling liquid. He placed one in front of each of the three seats. Kik expected him to start talking once he sat down, but instead he stayed there and sipped his tea in silence. The others did the same.


    Finally, Silf allowed sound to escape his lips, and it was bad news. ¡°I don¡¯t have what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Aire followed up. ¡°So you know someone who does?¡±


    But he was already shaking his head. ¡°You¡¯re asking for the impossible. I don¡¯t know of any ship on this station that can pull off what you¡¯re asking for, and with so few crew. Even a leviathan would have trouble breaking through a fleet of that size.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t need to break through. We need a faster ship with stealth tech.¡±


    ¡°That sort of tech isn¡¯t going to be enough. You¡¯ll be shot up before you even reach the atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°So we just give up?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You could hire other crews. Nobody said you had to do this on your own.¡±


    ¡°Not an option. We can¡¯t let even one copy of the data to fall to the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t mention that part. Yes, that makes it harder. Any ships from around here would just betray you at the first sign of danger.¡±


    They all sipped their tea, the liquid starting to cool. It was almost tasteless, but it seemed to clear Kik¡¯s throat, and once he had started he couldn¡¯t seem to stop drinking it.


    Silf continued. ¡°What you need isn¡¯t a good ship, but a legend.¡±


    ¡°What, some sort of ancient fleet controlled by AI to sweep our enemies before us?¡±


    ¡°No, not all legends are that big. Have you heard, for example, about a crew of pirates who boast that they have a ship which can appear without being detected snatch ships out of convoys? I don¡¯t know how true the tale is, but they¡¯ve at least been having some success recently.¡±


    Kik looked inside his mug. It was almost finished.


    ¡°So you think we can steal the ship from them?¡± Aire asked. ¡°Do you know where they dock?¡±


    Silf scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s where it would be most defended. You may as well take a two-man scout craft and try to board the blockading fleet.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could try to bluff our way past the blockade¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try it. We need to figure out where the pirates strike if we¡¯re going to take it. It was just an example, anyway. I haven¡¯t even heard any stories of ships vanishing from convoys, so I¡¯m going to assume it was just¡­¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Kik interrupted. ¡°One of the ships I was once in a convoy with vanished as we were jumping.¡±


    Silf turned to him. ¡°How long ago was this?¡±


    ¡°Less than a month ago. It happened between here, Lanos and Rymez. I don¡¯t know what system it was in.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us the details?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? The full records are back on my ship a whole jump away. But I can remember some things. We assumed the jump had gone wrong, since the wormhole opened and closed properly, but the ship didn¡¯t come out the other side.¡±


    ¡°And you were in a convoy with navigational computers synced?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Silf grinned. ¡°I think we found a trace of our prey. What class was the ship attacked?¡±


    ¡°A corvette. All of us were, except for the two escorts. The one attacked was the second last ship in the convoy.¡±


    ¡°They mustn¡¯t be that large a ship themselves, then. But still, the wormhole opened? So they had to have done something during the jump sequence. It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s an inside job but I doubt it, not with how much these pirates were gloating.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear about this, by the way?¡± Aire asked.


    ¡°Oh, there were some odd sorts down at the bar the other day. One of them was a singer, works at small scale events and the sort, earns enough to travel around between space stations. He claimed he met some people drunk and had them brag to him about their new ship.¡±


    ¡°Could it be planted information?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. What would they gain from the word getting out? More attention from other jealous groups and stronger military presence around the affected convoys. I¡¯m willing to bet that even if it is planted information, there¡¯s truth behind it somewhere.¡±


    Kik rested his elbows on the table. ¡°So what do we do? It¡¯s still a surprise attack. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to catch them in the act.¡±


    ¡°What kind of convoy were you on?¡± Aire asked.


    ¡°It was some merchant group...¡±


    ¡°Fringe Merchant Association?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°I know someone from there. I¡¯ll have to send a message to find out where the next convoys are heading.¡±


    Silf frowned. ¡°Will that work?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I know pirates. If they¡¯ve struck once and gotten away with it, they¡¯ll strike again. Their figuring out the route of a Fringe convoy means they probably have a man on the inside, but so do we.¡±


    Kik pointed out the last issue. ¡°So we¡¯ve found where we¡¯re going, but what are we going to do when we get there? There¡¯s only two of us and we don¡¯t even have a ship.¡±


    Aire grinned. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? This is XM-180, where the only thing between you and your new toy is the amount you¡¯re willing to spend.¡±


    ¡°So we hire someone?¡±


    ¡°Right in one.¡±


    The bar was grimy and run down, like many other buildings in the maze like city. It was situated at the very centre of the column, in the darkest areas. Columns and pipes ran from floor to ceiling around its walls, a small garden of infrastructure.


    Contrasting to its grimy exterior, however, warm light shone from the boarded windows and laughing and cheering came from inside. Evidently the ship¡¯s crew that Silf had directed them to were celebrating their imminent departure.


    ¡°Stay close. Don¡¯t wander off,¡± Aire muttered to him before stepping inside.


    Kik nodded and followed, but had a thought. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I meant to be the captain?¡±


    But before he could vocalise his complaints to Aire, she had already pushed open the door and entered. He hurried to catch up.


    The inside was warm and cosy. Benches and tables lined the walls in disordered rows, matching the building¡¯s shape - a rectangle squashed at one end. At the far, narrow end of the room, a bartender was minding his own business, polishing a glass. A young girl, not more than two years older than Kik, was dashing around serving meals and drinks.


    Aire ignored both of them. She checked her datapad then stepped towards a group of seated diners.


    The other tables were crowded with men and women of all types - uniformed and not, brawny and skinny. They had one thing in common - they were all loud. The group Aire approached were the noisiest of all. They were five men, dressed in an assortment of standard clothes with what looked like rags tied around various places. One of them looked up and ogled Aire as she approached, nudging the others who joined in his stare.


    ¡°Are you the crew of the Silence?¡±


    ¡°And what if we are?¡± The one who replied had just been the loudest of the bunch, sitting at the back against the wall. He grinned at Aire.


    ¡°I have a job for you.¡±


    ¡°Heads up, coming through,¡± another man said from behind. He stepped past with a platter of glasses balanced on his head. ¡°Drinks are here, boys.¡±


    The other men cheered, dropping their empty glasses in favour of the new ones. Their previous interested faded as soon as it had arrived. The one who had brought the alcohol tapped Aire on the shoulder and gestured to a set of stairs in the back corner. She nodded and followed, Kik trailing behind.


    The noise faded as they climbed a level, the previous racket toning down into an echoing beat. The floors and walls on this level looked like wood, but when Kik stepped on them they echoed like metal. The doors weren¡¯t even disguised as wood, plain metal contraptions as thick as a bank vault.


    One lay open for them. Aire was allowed inside, closing the door behind her. As it snapped shut, she got out a final line. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself into trouble.¡±


    Kik and the man were left standing outside the closed door. The other party spoke first. ¡°Need a drink? Anything? We should head back to the bar and wait. They may be a while.¡±


    Kik was about to decline, but the thought of food was appetizing. ¡°Perhaps something to eat.¡±


    The pair waited at a counter against the wall, sitting on stools. Kik took the moment to study the other man. He had spiky orange hair and fair skin with a few freckles. His mouth was etched in a permanent half-smile, and his eyes were squinted shut. He occasionally glanced over to the men he had served drinks to, making sure he knew where they were.


    Unlike those men, however, he was dressed in uniform. It wasn¡¯t thick enough to be a vac suit, perhaps an undersuit. A sky blue top and light grey pants meant he stood out from the otherwise vibrant colours in the tavern. It had the seals to connect to a helmet, gloves and boots, though, so perhaps it could help in emergency decompression.


    The man noticed Kik¡¯s gaze and glanced over. ¡°So what are you doing on this station? Getting repairs like us?¡±


    ¡°No, we were looking for a ship. Hopefully we¡¯ve found one, though, if Aire doesn¡¯t mess up negotiations.¡±


    ¡°Aire? Oh, that woman. She¡¯ll be fine, she knows what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°You could tell that quickly?¡±


    ¡°I consider myself a good judge of people.¡±


    The meal came soon after, carried by the waitress. He wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but actual produce was the last thing he had thought would be served. Bread and some sort of vegetable soup.


    ¡°Where was this made?¡± Kik asked the other man as he received his drink.


    ¡°In the kitchen at the back.¡±


    ¡°Not the food, the ingredients. Was it imported?¡±


    ¡°There are farms around. This place isn¡¯t completely self-sufficient, but it¡¯s close.¡±


    Kik bit into the bread. The crust crumbled in his mouth. It didn¡¯t even have the faint green and black tint that algae bread usually did.


    ¡°This is great.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I could do better.¡± The waitress heard him and snorted.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a cook or something?¡±


    The man turned to Kik. ¡°Right, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Devlin, the Silence¡¯s first mate and temporary gunnery officer. The cooking thing is more of a hobby.¡±


    ¡°Kik. Looking to hire your services.¡±


    Devlin returned to his cup.


    Kik spent a moment shovelling soup into his mouth before speaking again. ¡°So what does your ship specialise in?¡±


    ¡°Hunting.¡±


    ¡°What kind? Ambush? Tracking?¡±


    ¡°Deception, I suppose. The best prey is prey that walks into your jaws.¡±


    Kik was slapped in the back, spilling a mouthful of soup. He turned around to see Aire alongside an unfamiliar woman in the same uniform as Devlin. She had the same unruly orange hair and pale skin as him, so perhaps his relative.


    ¡°We¡¯re settled,¡± Aire said to Kik. ¡°Deal¡¯s made. There are still a few details to discuss, but we¡¯ve agreed on the big things.¡±


    The woman beside her spoke to Devlin. ¡°Ready the crew. We¡¯ve got a target.¡±


    Devlin nodded and stood up. The inn quieted down as faces turned towards him. ¡°Crew of the Broken Silence, hear me! Our claws have just been sharpened, yet a new prey wants to test them. Do we show them our mettle?¡±


    Half the bar stood up and shouted out, at least twenty people. A single word echoed to the rafters, even disturbing the guests in their nearly soundproof rooms upstairs.


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 16 - Familiar Foes

    The Broken Silence burned through realspace in the vicinity of an unnamed, uninhabited star. An unspectacular young sun on its own, it was accompanied by a magnificent backdrop - the Maron Nebula. The star sat in the viewport to the left and the nebula filled the right, a hand of red tendrils pin pricked with stars.


    Despite its astronomical speeds, the ship seemed to hang in space, waiting. Tension strung through the bridge like a spider web, waiting to ensnare its victims.


    Crew scurried around the command centre, arguing and fiddling with the ship¡¯s machinery in the leadup to the jump. Devlin stepped in to bang a few heads, restoring order.


    Devlin¡¯s cousin Rowena was seated in the captain¡¯s chair, inspecting the layout of the system and the ships and signals across it. A comms officer was speaking with the other members of the convoy, ensuring they were all travelling safely.


    Kik and Aire observed from their seats at the back of the bridge, shaking out their cramps from the long trip. Their job had mostly finished when Aire had secured them a place as an escort in the Merchants Association convoy. The frigate they replaced had been reluctant, but gladly accepted when he learned he could take their pay plus complete another job before continuing as escort.


    Now that they were in the convoy the task was in the hands of the Silence¡¯s crew, and they seemed up to it. They were unruly but they knew what they were doing.


    A group of unknown ships that had appeared earlier had long jumped out, gravity signatures rising as they fired their void cannons. They represented the only distraction in the lonely system other than idle chatter from the other ships.


    Now, finally, their own jump out point was approaching. They had slingshotted around the target asteroid short hours ago, angling their heading towards the destination star. They were lined up behind the prior ships in the convoy, going through final checks before jumping out. Crew were rushing about, calling out numbers and inspecting monitors. Rowena was querying the comms officer about the ship ahead of them.


    ¡°Its name is the Ready Steed, captain.¡±


    ¡°And its cargo?¡±


    ¡°Half is data. The other half is mining explosives.¡±


    ¡°Number of crew?¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Devlin stepped up, examining a copy of the ship¡¯s specs. ¡°They have nothing but a few lasers for self defence. They¡¯re ducks, ready to be plucked. The perfect bait. I¡¯d order an attack myself if I didn¡¯t know better.¡±


    ¡°Well we¡¯re here to stop that happening,¡± Rowena said. ¡°We have more valuable prey.¡±


    As the final hour before the jump drew to a close, Aire headed towards the chair for a more involved look. Rowena looked over at her as she stepped forwards, stretching. ¡°Your information had better be on the money. If nothing happens then you¡¯re paying for our fuel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it, Rowena. You know as well as I do that you get a reputation by sticking close to merchants like this. I¡¯m doing you a favour.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not earning us money. You¡¯re going to owe us one.¡±


    ¡°And how many times have I hauled your ass out of trouble until now?¡±


    Rowena subsided into grumbling as Aire retreated, and Kik began to wonder about their history. It did make sense for a smuggler to know a privateer, but he couldn¡¯t imagine what it would take for one to get a privateer in their debt. Money was probably involved.


    ¡°Alright, captain, the first ships have started their jump,¡± the comms officer called out. ¡°We¡¯re going to reach our jump point in a few seconds.¡±


    ¡°Give the head of the convoy our regards and prepare to break formation,¡± Rowena replied. ¡°Aire, time to find out if your info is on point.¡±


    ¡°Starting jump sequence!¡± another officer on bridge called out.


    ¡°Alright. Continue as planned.¡±


    Kik could feel the gravity shift as the void cannon¡¯s fuel was pulled towards the nose of the ship. He could feel the pull of acceleration grow stronger now that the gravity generators weren¡¯t counteracting it. The difference was much more pronounced aboard a larger ship with more dark matter in its fuel tanks.


    The moment of the jump grew closer. A crewman started a countdown. ¡°Jumping in five¡­ four¡­ three¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, cancel it,¡± Rowena called. ¡°Slow down and return to normal flight. That should put the fear of the void in case someone chose to attack when our back was turned.¡±


    The ship¡¯s sensors turned to static for a moment as they passed through the spot where the previous wormholes had been opened. The crew held their breath for a handful of heartbeats as the ship drifted, dead to the outside world. At last they reentered normal space and the signal disturbance cleared out.


    ¡°All sensors, give me a sweep!¡± Rowena called out. ¡°Man battle stations. I don¡¯t want to come into this one unprepared.¡±


    The small bridge crew jumped into their duties with zeal. The bridge retracted back inside the ship, the windows replaced with images from cameras on the hull. The ship itself thrummed with power as the fusion generators increased their output.


    ¡°Ready Steed remains in the system, captain.¡± The sensors officer was the first to report. ¡°No other major energy signatures. Their wormhole was confirmed closed during the jump sequence, but the ship remains.¡±


    ¡°So the wormhole closed before the ship entered. And it just happened to be the last merchant in the convoy. I think we hit jackpot.¡±


    ¡°The Ready Steed is calling, captain,¡± the comms officer said, his voice uncertain. ¡°They¡¯re requesting extra fuel so they can continue their jump to Rymez.¡±


    ¡°Tell them we¡¯re eliminating the attacker first, and to not stray too far. Then ignore their hails.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± Kik said before Aire elbowed him in the gut, winding him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start something,¡± she hissed at him between gritted teeth.


    He gasped in a breath as he desperately tried to return air to his lungs. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This is her ship, you live by her rules. You¡¯re not even a crewman, let alone an officer. Don¡¯t try and tell the captain what to do.¡±


    ¡°But she should¡­¡±


    Aire held up a single finger. ¡°Not. One. Word.¡±


    Kik nodded and she turned her attention elsewhere again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found them,¡± the sensors officer called out. ¡°Directly ahead. They increased their engine power. They¡¯re trying to get to a departure heading.¡±


    ¡°What class are they?¡±


    ¡°A destroyer¡­ no, they¡¯re a large corvette.¡±


    Aire slumped in her chair. ¡°Why not a destroyer¡­ we haven¡¯t had a good catch in forever. Gunnery, their engines, if you please. Low power. We want them salvageable, not fried.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    The generators increased their humming for a moment as the prow-mounted lasers fired. There was no other indication that anything happened - no shudder through the ship, no explosion far off in the distance, not even the ionised particles that you could sometimes see from lasers in thick atmospheres.


    ¡°One hit, three misses,¡± the gunnery officer announced. ¡°Adjusting for the next shots.¡±


    Two more calm volleys were all it took before he made the announcement. ¡°Their engines are gone. They¡¯ll need to cool down for a few hours before they can use anything but attitude thrusters. No leaving the system for them.¡±


    ¡°Good. Target the rear-facing weapons next. They¡¯ll start firing once they realise stealth is useless.¡±


    Small patches of metal on the hull glowed red as Aire spoke. The enemy lasers shone like focussed spotlights upon the hull, heating the metal to near melting temperatures. But the heat was distributed well by internal convection and the hull soon cooled down. The occasional fuel tank on the outside cracked and burst but the corvette¡¯s weapons were not strong enough to break through the plating in a short amount of time.


    The only noticeable damage was one of the bridge¡¯s cameras being destroyed. A blinding flash of white shot across the screen like a new star before the view was replaced by darkness. Another backup camera turned on moments later, covering the same patch of space.


    ¡°Their weapons are down,¡± the gunnery officer reported. ¡°Shall we close in for the kill? Cripple them?¡±


    ¡°No. Prepare boarding teams. We¡¯re taking the ship.¡± She turned from her chair to face Aire. ¡°Are you heading in straight away? Or are you waiting for the second wave?¡±


    Aire waved her hand. ¡°They¡¯re a corvette. Your men can handle them. We¡¯ll head off to the launch bays and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Rowena turned back to the bridge crew, waiting on her orders. ¡°Launch fighters to take out their weapons. And despatch the first assault shuttles. Come on, stop sitting around!¡±


    Kik and Aire¡¯s shuttle was one of the two launched in the second wave. There were four other soldiers crowded aboard. Kik would have counted the pilot but there wasn¡¯t one - the shuttle was piloted using the same remote control device as the Silence¡¯s fighters. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t go as fast. Acceleration on the level of the fighters would kill any passengers aboard.


    The ship¡¯s two fighters had already destroyed the other external weapons on the target ship. Once its rear weapons were down from the Silence¡¯s bombardment, they took full advantage of the blind spot, sweeping in from the undefended angle and taking out the rest of the defences.


    The other shuttles had just landed and commenced the boarding. Their own shuttle was starting its deceleration, five minutes behind. It was an agonising fifteen minute trip across, hoping that a stray meteorite wouldn¡¯t strike them. It was unlikely this far in empty space, but always possible.


    In the last few minutes of the trip, the passengers finished their preparations. Void suits were checked and double checked. Comm frequencies were linked with the rest of the assault team. Weapons were prepared and locked in holsters. Tools and equipment were clipped down.


    Kik and Aire checked each other¡¯s suits, and across the craft Devlin did the same with his own partner. The reason for Devlin¡¯s presence was unclear - he didn¡¯t seem to be here for fighting. His only weapon was a pistol on his belt, compared to the others¡¯ assault rifles and knives.


    Then again, why was Kik here? Looking around, he was struck by tension. They were preparing to go out and kill people. He had put together his weapons without thinking, and now the reason for it had finally struck him. His heart started beating faster, and he gripped his collapsed vibration staff.


    Aire noticed his lack of motion and tapped his helmet. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯re not doing any fighting. The first group will have cleared that out.¡± She spoke over the group radio channel, the rest of the shuttle looking over to see what they were talking about.


    Kik calmed his breathing and nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± With the single word, he focussed again.


    Without any warning, the engines cut out. The group inside swayed on their feet, their previous compensation now unnecessary.


    ¡°All helmets sealed!¡± Devlin called over the radio. ¡°We¡¯re going out.¡±


    Checking his helmet, Kik confirmed it was shut properly. Once he and everyone else aboard the shuttle had checked in, the door was flung open and its atmosphere rushed out - just one more rapid decompression in the vacuum around the battered ship.


    The ship loomed in front of them, dark and ominous. Only a corvette as it may have been, its silhouette was more than large enough to completely block out the sun, casting Kik and the shuttle he had emerged from into shadow.


    Sections of hull plating lay in pieces, cut through by zealous boarding teams. Other places were scarred and melted by weapons fire, either from the Silence¡¯s lasers or its fighters¡¯ plasma.


    Around the motionless ship sat three other empty shuttles. The ship was rotating beneath the craft near it, or perhaps they were orbiting it - he couldn¡¯t tell.


    Another team was entering from the opposite side of the ship, diving towards the ship with bursts from their void suits¡¯ propulsion units.


    Devlin led the way down to an airlock. It was right next to a gaping hole in the side of the ship, but when they stepped inside the environment remained pressured.


    A black-suited boarder met them outside the airlock, closing it behind them. He spoke with Devlin on a private channel for a few moments before heading back into the ship.


    ¡°There are two hostiles alive on the bridge,¡± Devlin told them over comms. ¡°We¡¯ve taken out another four and cleared the rest of the ship. The last two should be finished off soon, once we break down the door.¡±


    The soldiers put away their rifles, taken out as they breached the ship. They hadn¡¯t been able to communicate with the teams aboard from outside, the plating scrambling the radio signals, so they were happy to find the takeover almost complete.


    A few metres into the ship, they found the first body. Kik held back his disgust inside his helmet. The rest of the group just passed on. They ignored the man pinned to the wall with combat knives, his throat slit.


    A pool of blood gathered beneath him, turning the floor into a mess of dark red boot prints. The blood floated off the floor in drops and fell back down as the gravity generators sputtered.


    The other two bodies they found were better armed. They had managed to take hold of a blade and a rifle before being killed, bullet holes stitched in red across their dark grey suits.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Finally they reached the front of the ship, passing around depressurised sections in their attempt to get to the bridge. A team of two was slicing through the edges of the door, burning a cut through the outside. Little flecks of molten metal spat away in the low gravity. Another pair was covering the door in case the two inside tried anything.


    The door was close to cut through, the end of the cut reaching within thirty centimetres from the start. Devlin ushered their group of six behind cover, standing behind doorways or shielding themselves with torn-out plating.


    Kik ducked into a corridor, standing behind the trooper already taking cover there. Eyeing his armoured void suit, he reminded himself to stay behind him in case any fighting happened.


    As the final strip of metal was cut through, the door was kicked open from the inside. The pair cutting their way through dodged out of the way as it collapsed. One of them made it outside the impact zone, pressing himself against the wall besides the new entryway.


    The other scrambled in the wrong direction, back down the length of the hallway. The door fell on his midriff, slamming his body and head into the deck plating and crushing his legs. He lay there, shielded by the metal door but not moving.


    The soldiers watching the door took aim. They snatched a potshot every now and then when one of the two defenders showed themselves. Their trigger fingers itched to fire for suppression but they held back, aware of the damage that would cause to the bridge equipment.


    The occasional return shot flashed from inside the bridge, scoring the hallway walls or striking an exposed shoulder. The troopers¡¯ armour was enough protection against the wild shots, however. The pair inside the bridge were also unwilling to stick their heads out long enough to adjust their aim.


    As the standoff drew out, Devlin barked a few orders over the comms channel. Forgetting about collateral damage, one of the soldiers pulled a grenade from her belt and threw it inside the room. It bounced over the cooling edge of the hole and in between the two pirates. They desperately scrambled for cover behind chairs and beneath bridge panels.


    As the pair dove away from the explosive, the trooper pinned against the door stepped through with his weapon drawn. Exposing his full body in the doorway, he fired two bursts into the room.


    He stepped away, gun barrel smoking, and tossed the decoy grenade back to the soldier who had thrown it. She caught it deftly and returned it to her belt after checking the pin was still secure. People ran forward to check the condition of the man trapped beneath the door.


    The takeover was complete.


    Kik kept away from the bridge, trembling as he saw a faint trail of blood leading from it. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d see inside but he had a strong feeling that it would bring back memories that were better forgotten. In the sensible part of his brain, he told himself to pull away. He didn¡¯t need a relapse.


    He was shaken from his reverie by Devlin speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯ve opened a private channel for us three. We¡¯ll now discuss the distribution of resources between the interested parties. It¡¯s already been agreed that you would receive the ship and any unidentifiable devices aboard, but the fates of the other items aboard are yet to be decided.¡±


    ¡°Alright. What¡¯s your initial proposal?¡± Aire asked.


    ¡°We take the contents of the armoury, cargo hold and navigation charts. You can have the rest.¡±


    ¡°Not going to happen,¡± Kik said. ¡°We need charts or we may as well not be warp capable.¡±


    ¡°He means any charts outside the usual ones, Kik,¡± Aire said. ¡°Obviously they won¡¯t take the standard, readily available route charts from us. Look, if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, just stay out of the conversation.¡±


    ¡°So now that¡¯s been cleared up, these terms are acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s making you push so hard, but I¡¯m suspicious now. Show us the contents of the cargo hold and the armoury.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an option, unfortunately. We¡¯re transferring the goods to the shuttles in five minutes. We¡¯ll need to be ready for the ship to arrive, and so you need to decide quickly.¡±


    ¡°And if we can¡¯t agree by then?¡±


    ¡°Holding another person¡¯s property without permission is piracy. We just happen to be pirate hunters.¡±


    Aire gave Devlin a long stare. ¡°You have no reason to threaten me. Does this mean that much to you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t reply, and before long she gave up. ¡°Ah, fine. You get the armoury, cargo hold and charts. But we get a copy of the charts, with the understanding that we won¡¯t sell them, and whatever we can carry on our person from the armoury. And Rowena owes us another favour.¡±


    Devlin hesitated, then nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    They shook, and Aire sighed. ¡°So it was the cargo hold you were after, wasn¡¯t it? Guess I miscalculated. How much could they really be storing on a small ship like this?¡±


    Devlin switched back to the public channel and smiled. ¡°Quite a lot, it turns out. Perhaps enough to cover our repairs and buy our entire crew a drink.¡±


    The boarding party cheered.


    Kik sighed, looking through the racks of weapons too big for him to carry. A pair of laser pistols hung from holsters at his belt, shiny and new, with a spare in his storage in case one of them broke again. A concealed blade was sheathed beneath his left glove, replacing the projectile weaponry he had taken from the man on Icros. It only had seven shots left, and he wanted to save it in case he really needed it later. In that respect, lasers were preferable - with a few batteries and a charger, unlimited usage was well within view.


    Looking over at Aire, he was jealous of her as she donned a suit of armour and slung multiple rifles over her shoulders. After her strength was improved by combat armour and working in the low gravity, she was strong enough to carry the load of a full cargo crate, and she took advantage of that as much as she could. Meanwhile none of the suits and few of the weapons even fit Kik. He could take a rifle, and had fired one before with Vist, but didn¡¯t think that carrying a rifle around was worth the attention. People with comparatively oversized weapons tended to draw attention.


    Even worse was that Devlin¡¯s men had quietly moved the packages of explosives from the room before they had arrived. After all, the pair couldn¡¯t carry them out of the armoury if they weren¡¯t in the armoury in the first place. Kik would have liked to get his hands on a few of those, a fact Devlin must have been aware of.


    ¡°You done?¡± Aire called, hefting a disposable rocket launcher over her shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to take anything out, you could at least carry some more for me. Grab another of those shotguns, will you?¡±


    Kik sighed and nodded, pulling the combat shotgun and its box of ammo from its place on the weapon rack. He slung the strap over his shoulder, letting it swing behind him as he walked. Hesitating for a second, he thought back to the ambush back on XM-180. There were, he reflected, some places where he would be better off carrying guns, and obvious guns at that. He grabbed another for himself.


    The journey back into the atmosphere above XM-180 had been rough as the corvette and its escort descended. The two had jumped into the system together, the corvette piloted by Devlin as Aire and Kik wandered around and tried to understand the inner workings of the craft. Most of it was routine for void dwellers such as Kik and Aire, both of whom were used to working on ships. There was, however, one major difference.


    Half of the craft¡¯s bottom level was dedicated to machinery, but it wasn¡¯t familiar devices like fuel converters or life support of some kind. Instead it took the form of a dome, half of which was inside the ship. Wires stretched between it and dozens of other monitoring devices.


    It had luckily remained unharmed in the takeover, despite the entire lower deck of the ship depressurising, but the monitors were dead and nothing anybody did seemed to bring them back online. Aire even gave them a few ¡°technical knocks¡±, hoping it would make some difference. It didn¡¯t.


    And thus they returned to XM-180, the new ship in tow. The three ships landed in hangars up the height of the structure structure. Silf had given them permission to land in his bays, gladly yielding his docking space when he heard that they had a prize in tow.


    The shipwright in question met Kik and Aire as they disembarked from the ship. His eyes ran over the scratched, cut and melted hull while his tongue clicked. ¡°You¡¯ve sure done a number on this girl. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you get radiation poisoning with this little shielding left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as my ship, right?¡± Aire asked. ¡°And I survived that, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Silf sighed. ¡°I¡¯m supposing you¡¯re going to want me to drop everything and work on this?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. I can give you an extension on my ship¡¯s contract if this one gets fixed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the very least I¡¯m going to need. With all the extra materials, hands I¡¯ll have to hire to get this done in anything nearing a reasonable deadline¡­¡±


    Kik stepped forward. ¡°You want something, right?¡±


    He grinned. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t guessed by now, bringing back a prize like this. I want a look. And I want to get the specs.¡±


    Aire started to shake her head, but Kik beat her to it. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll get straight to work then.¡± Silf practically ran up the ramp past the two.


    Aire turned on Kik. ¡°Why did you agree? We could have gotten a better deal than that.¡±


    ¡°How do you intend to get this thing working?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Who can figure out what it does? The only people who knew how are the people who we took the ship from. Given that they¡¯re in bodybags a sector away, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to be giving us any advice. We need this ship for a reason, remember?¡±


    ¡°I see. So you want him to figure out how it works for us.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And if he¡¯s jumping at the chance, maybe we shouldn¡¯t give him time to reconsider his offer. He may realise how much we stand to gain.¡±


    Aire turned away and thought about it. ¡°Fine. You get passing marks for now. But don¡¯t mess around when I¡¯m bargaining, even if you think you¡¯ve realised something I haven¡¯t.¡±


    She turned and strode away. Once Kik was sure that she was out of earshot, he mumbled under his breath. ¡°You¡¯re just annoyed you didn¡¯t think of it yourself.¡±


    He hurried to follow after her, a few steps behind.


    Aire headed to another hangar where the Broken Silence was berthed, Kik on her trail. Unsure of what he should be doing, Kik looked around the hangar as Aire headed off to speak with Rowena.


    Fuel for its sublight engines were being pumped into the craft. Crew were standing about, a few inspecting the outer hull and fixing the light damage it had sustained in the attack. A fuel lead had been snaked into its open hangar bay on the spine, refueling the shuttles inside.


    There was a second ship in the hangar, smaller and also refuelling. It must have docked at the same time as the Silence or shortly before, although Kik couldn¡¯t see its crew anywhere.


    Besides the two ships and the crew scuttling around them, the bay was surprisingly empty. There were none of the usual landing or repair teams that he would have expected of a shipyard. Perhaps the Silence¡¯s crew were capable of fixing any external damage they had received in the brief combat and the landing.


    The wind that had caused that damage was held outside of the hangar bay by a double blast door. The silicate crystals and dust were scattered across the ground where the winds from outside had blown them in during landing.


    Kik rejoined the conversation as Rowena patted Aire on the shoulder. ¡°Our role in this job is done,¡± she said. ¡°We have our prize - from here on it¡¯s your show. Go ahead and have your glory.¡±


    Aire scoffed. ¡°We¡¯re going to need the glory with how little else we¡¯re earning from this mission.¡±


    ¡°Says the person who walked away from the bargaining table with a corvette. We¡¯ll be departing momentarily - no need for repairs. I want to get our prize registered for payment, and arriving in perfect condition would raise questions. We also need to discuss a raid on that pirate base with the navy.¡±


    ¡°Prize?¡± Kik asked from behind Aire. ¡°What prize?¡±


    Rowena gazed at him for a moment. ¡°The second ship we stole from the pirates, formerly a charter transport for the Merchant Association.¡±


    ¡°But there were no other ships around, they all jumped out. Unless you mean¡­¡±


    Aire stepped between them. ¡°Kik, go back now. Don¡¯t take this any further.¡± Her eyes met his, a silent warning.


    He stared at her for a second, taking a step back. But then he turned to Rowena. She was smiling faintly, a sight which wiped the thought of backing away from his mind.


    ¡°The only ship around was the Ready Steed. But that was under your protection, wasn¡¯t it? What makes you think it¡¯s your ¡®prize¡¯?¡±


    Rowena shrugged half-heartedly. ¡°It was boarded by pirates while we were occupied with the other vessel. The crew were killed. Since it was seized by pirates, as pirate hunters our duty is to reclaim the ship and return it to its rightful owners, in return for a deserved fee.¡±


    Kik brushed past Aire¡¯s half-hearted attempt to hold him back. ¡°So you let them get boarded by pirates and stepped in afterwards to take the ship for yourself?¡±


    ¡°There was nothing we could have done,¡± Aire said with a shrug. ¡°Our scanners only picked up their shuttle when it was too close, and our own shuttles had already been launched.¡±


    A few of the nearby crew had slowed their work and were eying the conversation. Kik, however, was too distracted to care. ¡°So a frigate full of privateers couldn¡¯t stop an attack from a single shuttle of pirates? No, you let this attack happen. And that makes you no better than the pirates - if anything, you¡¯re worse, because at least they¡¯re honest about their intentions.¡±


    Kik reached for his water canister, then rethought and pulled off his helmet. This had to be said face to face, not through speakers and headsets. Perhaps guessing his intentions, Rowena sat up straighter and looked him straight in the eye.


    ¡°You know, kid, if you do this, you¡¯re going to regret it.¡± There was perhaps a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    ¡°Tell that to someone who actually cares.¡±


    Kik sucked saliva into his mouth, gathering it. He let it sit there a moment, empowering it with his disgust and feelings of betrayal.


    ¡°This is long overdue.¡± He prepared to spit, aiming for a spot right between Rowena¡¯s feet.


    Before he could make his move, however, Aire smacked him in the head, and he slipped sideways to the floor, stunned. Aire caught his head before it could hit the deck, lowering it the last bit.


    Kik¡¯s head span as he lay on the deck, trying to regain his senses. He could hear the two talking but he couldn¡¯t hold his concentration for long enough to figure out what they were saying.


    As the world stopped spinning, he lifted his head to see Rowena walk inside her shuttle and have the doors close behind her.


    Aire helped him up once his sense of balance returned to normal, and the first thing she did was punch him hard enough he felt it leave him.


    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    Kik coughed for breath. His gut burned from the blow. Absentmindedly, he thought about how his helper¡¯s pain threshold was improving nowadays.


    ¡°Die¡­ no. But do I want to work with a pirate? Definitely not.¡±


    Aire snorted. ¡°So you just didn¡¯t consider the consequences of your actions. Typical.¡±


    He straightened up and looked her in the eye, or as close as he could get. ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°You think you can spit at a ship¡¯s captain while surrounded by her crewmembers and expect to get away safely? Maybe you¡¯re as big a pushover as your parents were, but don¡¯t expect other people to follow your ways.¡±


    ¡°My father was a soldier. He wouldn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°But he still died, didn¡¯t he? That¡¯s my point. See yourself as strong or righteous or whatever, but you¡¯re still human. And when you find a bullet on the wrong side of your skull because you were acting stupid, it¡¯s the same blood and brains that come out. If you weren¡¯t careful, we would have gotten to see just how righteous your brain matter is just a minute ago.¡±


    Aire sighed and looked around as Kik stayed silent. ¡°Either way, you¡¯d better not be found around this shipyard until after the Broken Silence departs. Rowena may have let your behaviour slide for now, but her crew¡¯s loyalty will probably not give you the same freedom. Lay low for a day or two until they¡¯re away and cooling their heads in space. They hopefully won¡¯t remember the insult by the time you next meet them. Hopefully.¡±


    Kik looked around and privately agreed with Aire¡¯s advice. A fair number of the crews¡¯ glares were on display for him to appreciate.


    For the next week, Kik hired a room at the hotel he had first met the Silence¡¯s crew at. He kept to himself upstairs to begin with, just in case any of the crewmen had stayed around on the station while changing ships. But after a handful of peaceful days he started to emerge.


    Ordering the surprisingly flavourful meals and sitting around, he took the first few rest days he could snatch.


    On the second day, sitting on a stool at the bar and drinking a glass of distilled water, he thought on Aire¡¯s words. How complacent was he being? If he had thought a bit, he could have recognised the signs. Looking back, they had been there all along. Talking about ¡°prizes¡±... really, what were the differences between pirates and privateers in the first place?


    This train of thought led him to the obvious next point - Aire, the one who had hired the Silence. How much could he trust her? He could trust her when working with him was in her favour. But what if he came into conflict with Rowena and her crew again? He wasn¡¯t sure he could count on Aire¡¯s support if that happened.


    Returning to his room from the common space, he lay back on his bed and stared at the rusty spots on the ceiling. And what if Aire was forced to put herself in danger to help him? Would she support him? Could he believe her past performance? His best option was to never force her hand either way.


    His introspection was broken by a tap on the door. Sitting up halfway, he wondered who it was. Even the innkeep rarely disturbed him, and when he did it was by opening the door a crack and calling through.


    ¡°Silf wants to see you,¡± the bandanna wearing man at the doorway called. Half of his head stuck through the doorway. ¡°Says he¡¯s done with whatever he was working on.¡±


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Kik called. He had never seen the man before.


    ¡°I¡¯m Victor. Silf¡¯s assistant. Didn¡¯t he mention me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I never met you before though. Hey, if you¡¯re Silf¡¯s apprentice, why don¡¯t you know what he¡¯s working on?¡±


    Victor shook his head. ¡°Silf has his pet projects. He¡¯ll show me when he¡¯s finished. I¡¯ll say though, whatever he¡¯s working on in there has got him excited.¡±


    ¡°I suppose he is a secretive man,¡± Kik said.


    ¡°Sometimes. But don¡¯t dally here. He¡¯ll be waiting for you, and even if you¡¯re a customer, he doesn¡¯t like his pace disturbed.¡±


    Kik sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    The door closed with a creak, and Kik swung off the bed. Despite his worries about Aire, he was interested by the potential that the new ship presented. Whatever it was capable of, he wanted to find out.


    The unnamed corvette was not pretty, but it was airtight. Beaten plates almost worn through by weapons fire sat alongside fresh layers of ablative shielding. Half of the weapons systems were still bent and broken, as Silf had judged them unnecessary. The sensors, engines and other delicate machineries were untouched, however, and the missing airlock doors had been restored.


    The interior hadn¡¯t been treated much better, but at least it was clean. The pools and sprays of blood hadn¡¯t slipped past Silf¡¯s attention. Bullet impacts and damaged grating had been filled in, but not in exactly the same style, giving the interior a similar patchwork appearance to the outside.


    The biggest difference was the lower deck of the ship. Where previously it had been dark, with silent and mysterious machinery filling the level, now it was well-lit and bedecked in small paper notes. The terminals that nobody had been able to activate were now lit with strange shapes and patterns, perhaps some kind of holding screen.


    Kik checked a few of the notes - they were written in a scrawling, rushed form that he assumed was Silf¡¯s handwriting.


    ¡°Main jump control.¡± ¡°Particle energy control.¡± ¡°Directional mapping terminal.¡±


    Stepping past the seemingly inane notes and the seemingly empty terminals which they marked, Kik pressed on into the mess of technology. He found Silf hunched over an out-of-the-way screen, buried in the lines of text and few diagrams that he could bring up.


    ¡°Silf?¡± Kik called, then repeated it louder when he didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Silf? Are you done?¡±


    The engineer nodded, half-turning his head. ¡°I¡¯m just fine-tuning the controls so they¡¯re ready for departure.¡±


    ¡°So where¡¯s Aire?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken with her,¡± Silf said. ¡°She¡¯s preparing for departure.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re ready to leave?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°More or less,¡± Silf said. ¡°You¡¯ll want to transfer over your belongings. Other than that, there¡¯s no sense in dallying. There¡¯s nothing we¡¯ll gain from waiting.¡±


    Kik nodded, then hesitated. ¡°You said we?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m coming.¡±


    Kik shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, do you understand how to activate the system right behind you?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Kik said. ¡°But I might be able to figure it out with a bit of effort.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t insult my job. I like to think it requires more experience than you have.¡±


    ¡°I definitely don¡¯t have any real reason to deny you,¡± said Kik after a moment of hesitation. ¡°But what is this device anyway? You still haven¡¯t told me.¡±


    ¡°A speed of light particle transmission device.¡±


    ¡°One of those prototypes?¡± Kik asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them before. But that won¡¯t help us then, since we have no target gate to reassemble us.¡±


    But Silf was already shaking his head. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t need a gate. The device handles both transmission and reconstruction.¡±


    ¡°How does it do that? I mean, the device has to transmit itself, which could be problematic.¡±


    ¡°It actually contains two transmission devices, one to transmit the rest of the ship and then one to pull the first device over once its job is complete. That¡¯s what the containment shielding is for. It does mean that technically the jump completes at one third of lightspeed, but since most of the ship arrives at¡­¡± He noticed Kik¡¯s blank expression. ¡°Uh, anyway, it works. That¡¯s most of what you need to know.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s that. But what¡¯s with all these blank terminals standing around?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve rigged a bypass through this terminal, but using them is beyond me. It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t get any of the crew, they might have given me a hint on how they¡¯re supposed to work.¡±


    Kik raised his eyebrows. ¡°So you can reverse engineer a matter teleporter but you can¡¯t figure out how a terminal¡¯s interface is supposed to work?¡±


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t just simple terminals. I haven¡¯t opened any up but I scanned the contents and they have some juicy equipment inside. Honestly, I want to have some time together with them later, but for now just knowing that I shouldn¡¯t touch them is enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe you just can¡¯t use software and don¡¯t want to admit it.¡±


    ¡°Look, if you want to take that attitude, I¡¯m confident I can rig this machine so it will leave behind a certain brat when it jumps¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re confident in modifying a reverse-engineered matter teleporter¡­ but you can¡¯t figure out an interface?¡±


    Glad to get in the last word, Kik chuckled and dashed off to collect his belongings. Silf returned to work, grumbling. He may have seemed gruff on casual inspection, but to a close observer, he was half-smiling beneath his bluster. Smiling despite the harsh task that lay before the ship¡¯s crew.

 17 - The Winds Gust, Part 1

    The meeting before the jump into the Halfex system was bathed in silence. The newly christened Embroiled Flash had proven its standard engines and void cannon capable on the travel from XM-180. Escape from the station and its accompanying storms had given the ship a good test.


    On the other hand, the jump equipment, christened by Silf as the Lightning Drive, had not been tested. And regardless of how much he reassured the other two crew members, they weren¡¯t convinced of its safety.


    But despite their misgivings, they didn¡¯t abandon or postpone the mission. As Aire had put it, whether they explode a few systems away or explode at the destination, the result would be the same. A test before the final approach wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    The uncertainty sunk into the crew over time, however, which led to an uninspired final meeting. They were collected in the bridge of the Flash, not talking. Everyone knew what they had to do, what they were up against, but nobody said a word. Each one was too caught in their own introspection to break the group free of their thoughts.


    Eventually time ended the meeting for them. The navigation computer indicated that they were on the final approach to their jump-out point.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s that,¡± said Silf. ¡°Head to stations. Remain in radio contact throughout the run. Let¡¯s get through this in one piece.¡±


    Kik nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± He swung around the copilot seat to face the bridge controls. Aire had the captain seat today - Silf had decided she was better suited for space combat. Kik wasn¡¯t sure of that yet, but now wasn¡¯t the time to argue.


    Aire began the final jump procedure while Kik prepared the sensors for a passive sweep. When they exited the jump, they wanted to be ready for whatever they would find on the other side.


    The ship lurched as the void cannon fired. Kik gulped and braced as the wormhole ahead drew closer, much faster than he was prepared for¡­


    ---


    Shoved from the wormhole in a spin, the artificial gravity struggled to compensate on such short notice. Kik was thrown around in his chair but his buckles held fast until the attitude thrusters evened out the ship¡¯s path.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Silf called over the radio. ¡°What threw us out of balance? Did we miscalculate the jump?¡±


    Instead of replying, Kik ran the sensor sweep out. The response surprised him. Instead of the few ship readings he would have expected of a fleet that size, he received over sixty readings. The closest was a mere twenty kilometres away in outer orbit. The furthest was within bombardment distance of the planet¡¯s surface, some twenty thousand away.


    ¡°Aire, we have a problem,¡± Kik said. ¡°They have a ship right on top of us - so close their gravity threw off our entry. I thought we jumped in further out to avoid them?¡±


    ¡°Silf, we need that hop now,¡± Aire said, leaning over to check the results.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t there meant to be no more than forty capital ships here?¡± Kik asked, desperately running through the planetary data. ¡°Why are there so many?¡±


    Aire studied the data for a second, ignoring Silf¡¯s complaints that the Lightning Drive was a delicate machine, requiring precise calibration. After a moment she came to a conclusion.


    ¡°The nearby one is a wreck,¡± she said. ¡°But with functioning systems. A recent wreck.¡±


    ¡°Then the others?¡± Kik asked. ¡°We might spot a wreck twenty kilometres away, but not from tens of thousands. Those have to be live ships.¡±


    ¡°Decoys, perhaps. We¡¯ll find out when we get closer.¡±


    The Flash pointed its nose towards the planet as Silf worked through his trajectory calculations. Looking down at the planet from the bridge, Kik took a moment to relax as he gazed down upon the planet. It filled more than a quarter of the viewing bubble. Blue seas mixed with green, brown and red land. The black wall of night was cutting into the verdant landscape, lights illuminating an odd population centre here and there.


    ¡°That large grouping would be the capital area,¡± Aire said, noticing Kik¡¯s interest. ¡°It contains about twenty of the world¡¯s five hundred million residents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re headed then?¡±


    Aire hesitated. ¡°To an extent. We¡¯ll hit the atmosphere in that area but that¡¯s not where we¡¯ll be coming down.¡±


    Kik looked out at the world again. ¡°It seems like the sort of place where I could take a holiday.¡±


    Aire snorted. ¡°This part of space is no place for that. No tourist would want to come all the way out here, so nobody out here would be expecting tourists.¡±


    ¡°Still, it seems like a peaceful planet,¡± Kik said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe there¡¯s a fleet of warships surrounding it.¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, they¡¯re out there,¡± Aire replied.


    An alert popped to life on the bridge, making Aire¡¯s words prophetic. Kik pulled it up.


    ¡°Incoming fighters and a transmission from the blockading fleet,¡± he said. ¡°Do I answer?¡±


    Aire snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t give them the pleasure of our time. Silf, how long until those calculations are done?¡±


    ¡°Rushing, rushing, always rushing,¡± Silf said. ¡°Can¡¯t you give me a minute to do some work?¡±


    ¡°Silf!¡±


    ¡°Buy me two minutes. Hey, maybe if we had tested this before, I would know how¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t want to test it! You said you knew how it worked.¡±


    ¡°And you agreed!¡± Silf couldn¡¯t resist going for the final word.


    ¡°Before you two stop work to jump on each other, we¡¯re under fire,¡± Kik said. ¡°That¡¯s what we get for staying silent. Sensors pick up projectiles heading towards us, approaching one percent of lightspeed. They¡¯ll reach us in a matter of seconds.¡±


    ¡°Then keep them off us! I need to¡­¡± Silf began.


    Aire jerked on the control stick, shifting the ship to port. A burst of swearing came over the comms, whether from Silf being knocked off his feet or his calculations being thrown off Kik couldn¡¯t tell.


    The projectiles passed the ship in a streak of fire. They gleamed as they raced by, shining light reflected off the distant sun.


    ¡°They missed,¡± said Kik with glee, before the ship was rocked by a shockwave. ¡°They did miss, didn¡¯t they?¡± Scanning his sensors, he detected a cloud of chaff dissolving into nothingness to starboard and behind the ship. ¡°What are they shooting at us?¡±


    ¡°It looks like shrapnel bombs,¡± Aire said. ¡°It will mark our position for successive shots. But of more importance, it does surface damage - destroys cameras, sensors, weapons, engines, and so on without damaging the hull. They¡¯re planning on taking us intact.¡±


    ¡°Second volley incoming,¡± Kik said, interrupting a complaint by Silf. Aire jerked the control stick again in response, swinging the ship¡¯s prow away from the view of the planet - but in return shielding the bridge from any but the luckiest shots.


    ¡°We need to do something,¡± Silf said, seizing a lull in the conversation. ¡°At this rate we¡¯ll be scrap before I can set anything up.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Aire said. ¡°What do you need to finish your side?¡±


    ¡°Full control of the engines until I¡¯ve set up the jump.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Aire said. ¡°We¡¯ll be disabled in half a minute, and that¡¯s assuming they¡¯re bad shots.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re not getting in there. Our only option is to abort.¡±


    Aire growled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you work, but I don¡¯t back down from a fight after this much preparation. We find a way, or we make one.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we hide?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°Where? We¡¯re in open space,¡± Aire said.


    ¡°That wreck¡¯s still there. We can take shelter behind that. If we get lucky, they might even lose our location.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Aire said. ¡°Silf, you get your chance. You can make your calculations without a direct view of the planet? If you can¡¯t, you¡¯d better figure out how to, because it¡¯s the one chance you¡¯re getting.¡±


    Aire turned the Flash around to face the dead ship, setting the engines to high thrust. Acceleration kicked in and the gravity dropped off to compensate. Kik watched Aire¡¯s hands, noting that she didn¡¯t hold a straight course. Instead she pushed the craft to the left or right with smaller thrusters. Compared to the ship¡¯s overall movement, the distance was miniscule, but that detail would make landing a hit more difficult. It did, however, play havoc with comfort inside the cabin.


    The most dangerous part of the transit was the last minute, when the ship was almost at safety. It had been scarred and marked until that moment, incidental damages piling up, but this was the worst of the bombardment. The blockading fleet realised their target was about to reach safety and doubled their efforts.


    For the first time, lasers fired. Despite the weapons being near their maximum effective range, the Flash¡¯s armour was no military issue. Plates started to burn from the heat, as much as Aire¡¯s manoeuvres and the distance scattered them.


    But the fleet hadn¡¯t acted fast enough. The Embroiled Flash slipped behind the hull of its unusual shield, matching its orbital path. On the bridge, Aire let out a breath and forced her tensed hands away from the controls.


    ---


    ¡°What¡¯s the ship in front of us called?¡± Kik asked Aire, peering out the viewport at the dark hulk beneath them. It rotated as it drifted, concealing its gutted side from the Flash. Kik had seen it half a rotation ago, a scramble of slow-drifting rubble held together by the few functioning gravity generators.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Aire said. ¡°But I would guess that it was one of the Halfex ships jumping back from patrol. It would have received the same reception as us.¡±


    Kik gazed down at the navy-grey hull plating. ¡°Or worse. Do you reckon there¡¯s anyone still alive in there?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aire said. ¡°If there were survivors, they were captured when the ship was boarded. The blockading fleet wouldn¡¯t leave a prize like that unpicked.¡±


    ¡°Then do you think there would be anything down there we can salvage?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget that the fighters arrive in five minutes?¡± Aire asked. ¡°That¡¯s enough time to get out of the airlock, find something interesting, and then look back at the ship to realise it was destroyed while you were gone. Settle down and finish analysing those weapon trajectories. I want to know which of those readings are decoys and which were firing on us.¡±


    ¡°Almost done.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, Silf,¡± Aire said, ¡°how long do you have left on that drive? Our temporary shield is exactly that - temporary.¡± To accompany her words, another weapon impact marked the wreck, redirecting its spin. On the prow, Kik caught a flash of an inscription. The ship¡¯s name vanished into darkness in moments, but he caught what it said.


    ¡°The Spectre of Death,¡± he read aloud. ¡°Morbid.¡±


    ¡°Give me two minutes,¡± Silf said, his voice overlapping with Kik¡¯s on the radio. ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°The name of the wreck. The Spectre of Death.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re hiding in the shadow of the Spectre of Death,¡± Silf said.


    ¡°For behind them lies unending darkness, and an end that comes for you,¡± Kik said. He considered how long it had been since he had last listened to the song.


    ¡°What language...?¡± Silf began to ask.


    ¡°Cut the chatter and work, you two,¡± Aire said. ¡°We have an appointment to make.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Kik. ¡°Computations just finished. I read four ships among the decoys - at least, four ships that chose to fire. There must be more.¡±


    ¡°How high are their orbits?¡±


    ¡°Either six or fifteen thousand kilometres, two at each. Just below geosynchronous.¡±


    Silf¡¯s tone of voice didn¡¯t betray a grin, but Kik could imagine one. ¡°We¡¯ll slip right through to the other side.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you to make sure that happens,¡± Aire said. ¡°As much as I hate to say it, we¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Silf said, the most serious Kik had heard him in a conversation not related to ships. ¡°Now be quiet and let me work. I¡¯m starting to get nervous.¡±


    ---


    The final minute was marked by an increased thrumming. But not like Kik was accustomed to. He had grown up on starships - he was used to humming, clanking, squeaking, even banging from time to time. That was just the ship letting you know it was still working behind you. This was different. It was a rattling shake that crunched through the ship¡¯s bones and the very fabric of its being.


    On the seat next to him, Aire wore a distraught expression. She had her hands resting on the viewport, sensing the tremors that struck through them. Kik knew she was feeling the same as him.


    ¡°This is wrong,¡± she murmured. ¡°Very wrong.¡±


    Her words were drowned out by a laugh over the radio - one originating further beneath, in the far reaches of the ship. Silf was laughing at his terminal as the giant orb behind him spat inspecting tendrils through the space around it. He directed the craft¡¯s engines for one final push, gliding it out from behind its crumbling shield into open lines of fire.


    ¡°Here it comes!¡± he called, as the ship¡¯s trembling juddered up another notch. ¡°Witness my power!¡±


    ¡°Stop your delusions, you crazy¡­¡± Aire began, before the comms network cut out.


    One final burst of lasers snaked up from the hostile craft kilometres below. Confused crewmen peered at sensors, wondering why the hidden ship had chosen now to reveal itself, and then by drifting out without a purpose.


    But as the last few shots scarred its hull, the craft moved inwards. It shrunk down to a point until, with a final explosion of space, it was gone.


    Except that it wasn¡¯t.


    ---


    Kik woke to a wall in his face. He blinked a few stars from his vision, shaking his head to clear it. He scrambled around in his suit before bumping his bottom and realising that the craft was stuck in zero gravity. Next to him, Aire was floating in her straps, still unaware. The silence on the radio indicated that Silf wasn¡¯t out and about either.


    After untying himself, he shook Aire¡¯s body to no avail. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know what do do with an unconscious person besides leave them to rest. Instead he gave the bridge controls a test.


    The bridge controls were unpowered too, but out the viewscreen was another surprise. The planet, previously the size of a curled-up person, had grown as large as the viewscreen itself - just the right size for him to see empty space if he leaned his helmeted head against the viewport.


    But rather than sightseeing, figuring out the power was higher on the list of priorities. Kik made his way to the back of the ship after a moment¡¯s pause to check Aire¡¯s restraints. He wanted her safe in case the gravity came back on suddenly.


    The engineering section of the ship was silent and quiet. The only sound came from the generator¡¯s low hum. It was still operating - it was just not getting power to anything else.


    His first thought - the fuses - turned out to be correct. Overcurrent from the transfer seemed to be the reason for the blackout. Pulling the fuse module¡¯s release lever, he dropped it behind his shoulder and left it to drift in zero gravity.


    The row of replacements was only an arm¡¯s length away. He pulled the top module from the row and slotted it in. The gravity kicked in without warning. Kik¡¯s legs gave a jolt as he fell from half a meter in the air. He thanked his luck that he hadn¡¯t been working upside down when it happened. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again.


    A pull of a lever, locking the module into position, and he was done in engineering. Rushing back to the bridge, he hoped Aire was awake, because once the engines started firing they wouldn¡¯t have much breathing room - the enemy sensors would pick them up straight away, if they hadn¡¯t already.


    ---


    Aire was conscious but groggy. As Kik rushed onto the bridge she turned a baleful eye upon him.


    ¡°How long was I out for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The ship clock was off,¡± Kik said. ¡°As long as I was out plus two minutes, if that helps.¡±


    ¡°And Silf?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Silf said. ¡°How could I sleep through getting dropped on my shoulder? No idea how long I was out, though.¡±


    ¡°Is the Lightning Drive still functioning?¡± Aire asked.


    ¡°Not a chance. I think it will need a few days to recharge.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s up to me now. Kik, Silf, sit down and enjoy the ride.¡±


    Aire took hold of the controls, her fingers running along the joystick, attitude control, thruster levels, before dropping her fingers into place. She settled into her rhythm, concentrating only on the ship beneath her feet and the enemies in the darkness around them.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Silf, get strapped in,¡± she said across the radio. ¡°Let¡¯s take this descent up to eleven.¡±


    She slid the thruster nozzle forwards, pressing Kik back into his seat with the comforting grip of acceleration.


    ---


    ¡°Fighters closing, estimated arrival in one minute!¡± Kik said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we lose them in the atmosphere?¡± Silf asked.


    ¡°Calm down, you two! I¡¯m trying to fly!¡± Aire¡¯s voice was just as strong, the loudest syllables of her message lost in a burst of feedback.


    The Embroiled Flash was giving its all to reach the surface, but the blockading fleet wasn¡¯t just sitting around. A wing of fighters had been launched to bring it down before it made planetfall, and while the outer atmosphere had started interfering with their lasers, they were still landing hits.


    Kik was starting to understand why they had needed the Lightning Drive to get this far.


    To make matters worse, it turned out another three of the decoys were actual ships. One of those had been a stormship hiding in a low orbit. It had launched fighters and the occasional broadside, but fortunately its bombardment weaponry were too inaccurate and short-ranged so it was reduced to the few lasers it stocked.


    At over a hundred metres long, there was plenty of the Flash to soak up the incoming laser fire, especially if Aire dodged and spun during their descent. But plasma like the approaching fighters carried was more of a threat - especially at close range, where they could target vulnerable systems with impunity.


    Kik watched the terminal as the little dots representing fighters drew closer. Interference from the orbital reentry caused the screen to go blank or sensor noise to appear, but keeping track of consistent readings meant he could tell which were the real targets among the phantom images.


    Aire¡¯s piloting had kept them out of optimal range and, as a result, serious danger so far, but that was about to change. This time they had no wreck as a shield, no sky full of atmosphere to scatter the blows - only them and the enemy¡¯s guns.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be on us in five se¡­¡± Kik started to say, before being jerked in his chair by weapon impacts. The fighters followed moments later, spinning around and decelerating.


    ¡°Where are our defence lasers!¡± Aire shouted.


    ¡°They¡¯d be useless even if we had any,¡± said Kik with a more reasoned voice. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could target anything with this turbulence¡­ oh, they took out some of our attitude thrusters.¡±


    ¡°What? We need those, dictator¡¯s arsehole!¡± Aire swore and tried to raise the prow, the ship sluggish and unresponsive. ¡°Now I can¡¯t even try to dodge!¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Silf asked. ¡°Are they starting their next run?¡±


    The ship shook again and Kik peered into the monitor, trying to make sense of the nonsensical display. ¡°No, they¡¯ve split into two groups of eight and are both making passes. They¡¯re trying to reduce our mobility then they¡¯ll go in for the kill.¡±


    ¡°Trying to reduce our mobility is the same as going in for the kill,¡± Silf said. ¡°If we can¡¯t fly, we can¡¯t land. And if we can¡¯t land¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re dead,¡± Aire finished for him.


    ¡°How dead are we now, though?¡± asked Kik, looking into the sensors again, as if it was predicting his future. Perhaps it did. ¡°I think they¡¯re pulling off.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Aire said. ¡°Check the readings again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, they¡¯re still coming. But not all of them. I only count nine fighters.¡±


    Another impact shook the ship, Kik¡¯s chair creaking as it rocked in a direction it wasn¡¯t meant to. It settled back into place with a groan, but it wouldn¡¯t be the same again.


    ¡°That came from below,¡± Silf said from his perch against the hull. ¡°How are they shooting us from below?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not,¡± said Kik with a hint of glee. ¡°We¡¯re under anti-air fire.¡± He chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s another two fighters down. They¡¯re pulling back. We made it through!¡±


    The ship shook with more violence, and Aire interrupted Kik¡¯s glee. ¡°Did you forget we¡¯re being hit by the fire too?¡±


    ¡°Not that one. That was from behind.¡± He checked the screen. ¡°New update. Six of the remaining fighters are pulling back, and the last one¡¯s still on our tail.¡±


    The ship groaned, this time a groan of pain. The air braking was working in slowing the ship, but the stress it inflicted in addition to the weapon impacts would soon cause something to give.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you shake it?¡± Silf said, fear creeping into the edges of his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy!¡± Aire half-screamed, wrenching at the controls. ¡°If I handle this badly, we aren¡¯t landing in one piece!¡±


    ¡°And if you don¡¯t handle it,¡± Silf said, ¡°we won¡¯t reach the ground except as flaming wreckage!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s targeting our engines!¡± Kik put in. ¡°It looks like a close-range shot, then maybe¡­ I think it¡¯s trying to collide with us?¡±


    ¡°How long until impact?¡± Aire asked.


    ¡°Thirty seconds. I¡¯d say it¡¯s going to shoot in the next¡­¡±


    Another impact rocked the ship, knocking two of the engines out. With the imbalanced thrust, the craft started to spin, throwing the Flash¡¯s crew around in their seats.


    ¡°That¡¯s its shot!¡± Kik screamed when he had found his balance. Now it¡¯s going to reach us in ten!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Aire shouted back. The ship¡¯s shuddering reached new levels as she span the ship around in different directions to keep the heading despite the engine imbalance.


    ¡°Collision in three¡­ two¡­¡± Kik called from his station


    Aire stopped compensating for the missing engines. The craft twisted and lurched, spinning as it fell.


    Even through the hull of the Flash, Kik could hear the scream of the fighter¡¯s engine as it closed. Even over the complaints of the Flash¡¯s hull, it screamed in pain and fury. Using up its fuel in a suicidal rush, it pressed onwards, to its own destruction.


    It struck the Flash amidships. The impact breached the hull, driving a brutalised fragment of metal and electronics into one of the Flash¡¯s storage bays. Atmosphere flooded in and out, the pressure change and interior fire causing blast doors across the ship to slam shut.


    The Flash kept spinning, trailing pieces of shrapnel and splashes of fuel thrown aside in the impact. The front and back halves of the fighter broke apart. The rear fell clear in a corkscrew as its engine gasped its final dying breaths.


    Inside the bridge, Kik¡¯s chair was leaning and creaking beyond all safe boundaries, but he was alive. Beside him Aire had the controls locked in a death grip, staring only at the instruments and the disappearing flames in the viewport.


    She started with little twists, tiny movements, with what seemed to be no effect. Yet with every twitch, the ship¡¯s spin lessened, the Flash entered a straighter course.


    Kik watched, in awe of her abilities, as she finished straightening the ship¡¯s course. It was nothing but tiny adjustments, but it achieved incomparable results.


    Finally, she leaned back in her chair and let out a breath. Deploying atmosphere wings, the ship¡¯s freefall began to take a more controlled path.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve stabilised,¡± she said,¡± gazing out upon the cloud covered surface of the planet.


    And then the latest of the explosions hit.


    The breach in the hull spouted fire into the atmosphere, along with bits of pulverised fighter and plating. A trail of smoke followed the Flash down as it reentered a corkscrew.


    Aire¡¯s moment of inattention cost her dearly, although even if she had been watching there wasn¡¯t much she could have done. The fuel supply to an engine on the untouched side cut out, throwing away her desperate attempts to balance the load.


    A piece of falling debris struck one of the Flash¡¯s atmospheric wings, crunching a third of it off. The remnants of the end hung loosely together, the material splintered and cracked throughout.


    ¡°It looks like the fighter¡¯s plasma weapon blew up. It¡¯s something of a miracle it hadn¡¯t earlier,¡± Kik said.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s best you don¡¯t talk for now,¡± Silf said, after Aire responded with a meaningless grunt. ¡°Save the analysis for later.¡±


    Aire exerted a heroic effort to get the craft straight again, but nobody on board had much hope of a successful landing. The ground beneath them was not really ground but water, water nearly as far as the eye could see. There would be no safe landing there.


    Far in the distance, beyond the layer of clouds, Kik could just make out the mountains and dark hills of land. Too far away to reach with a broken wing and only three working engines.


    Looking around, Aire grimaced. ¡°Come on, keep your eyes peeled. There has to be something. I¡¯m not giving up yet.¡±


    Kik slowly shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is. Not in the middle of the ocean.¡± The reality of the situation was setting in for him.


    Aire turned her gaze upon him. ¡°Don¡¯t. Give. Up.¡±


    ¡°Aire, what we can do?¡±


    Aire¡¯s hand grabbed the front of Kik¡¯s void suit and yanked him forward against his restraints, her other still glued to the controls. Her eyes locked onto his through their helmets, and for a moment he was no longer in the plunging death trap, but back in his parents¡¯ room on the Benefactor, being told off for leaving the engine room door open. Then he blinked and the moment was broken.


    ¡°It¡¯s never hopeless while you¡¯re still alive. Now stick your head into that window and look, or find something useful to do.¡±


    ¡°Look at what? There¡¯s nothing out there, Aire. Nothing! There¡¯s no hope!¡±


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been saying to yourself all this time? All this time that you¡¯ve been working for Erstine? I can¡¯t see a solution, so I¡¯m going to give up?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing I could have done. If my parents were in my place, they¡¯d be doing the same jobs I¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    ¡°But not willingly. They would listen, question the things they see. Where has your fear gone? Your desire? Have you forgotten what Erstine wants you for?¡± Aire let him go and gestured with her free hand. ¡°Grow some balls and think a little. Being passive will get you nowhere.¡±


    ¡°But once my mother wakes up¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll get the chance to? With Erstine¡¯s men watching over her, day and night? He gains the most from having her stay under as long as possible, and then pass away without a fuss. He wouldn¡¯t want her waking up to talk, after all. I¡¯m guessing she knows too much. That may be why she had the accidents in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You mean Erstine caused it?¡± Kik¡¯s voice raised an octave.


    ¡°You never suspected that? Not even the tiniest bit? I don¡¯t even know what happened, but I¡¯ll bet Erstine had a hand. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have let the situation go without gaining some benefit.¡±


    Kik thought back to the cryptic message he had received from Erstine. If he recalled correctly, there had been an afterthought - ¡°Your parents¡¯ suffering was not without purpose.¡± Perhaps that was Erstine gloating about his victory to someone who didn¡¯t even understand what it meant.


    Then he sighed. ¡°Alright. Fine. My light isn¡¯t going out yet. I¡¯m going to check the engine monitors, see if I can get at least one of the thrusters back online. Even though it looks hopeless, I can make sure that today is not my day.¡±


    But before he could get out of his seat, Aire was pointing out of the viewport at approaching blips of light. ¡°No need. Look, Kik. There¡¯s our hope.¡±


    ¡°What? What?¡± Silf called. ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Incoming aircraft,¡± said Aire. ¡°Planetary. It looks like we won¡¯t be abandoned out here after all. I¡¯m transmitting our provided clearance codes.¡±


    Kik peered out the window as Aire transmitted the data. The sensors gave him little reliable information. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to be changing course from their attack run.¡±


    ¡°They will.¡± Aire¡¯s voice was filled with confidence - any opportunity was a good one for her.


    ¡°Keep me updated. I¡¯m going to engineering to check up on the engines.¡± Kik had no way to escape this confrontation, but at least he could distract himself before it was concluded.


    ---


    The solitary pilgrimage to the rear of the ship was interrupted by occasional transmissions from Aire. From what he could make out, the fighters had overshot and turned around, escorting the Flash in its glorified fall towards the ocean. They had refused all communications, although Aire had picked up encrypted chatter going between them and somewhere on the land. Aire¡¯s voice grew increasingly worried with each transmission, although Kik still believed that rescue would come. There wasn¡¯t much they could do if it didn¡¯t.


    Kik ran through the diagnostics to see if any of the engines could be brought online. It was a futile hope, as the few remaining camera feeds of the hull would attest. Two of the failed engines only half-existed, the missing parts melted by plasma fire into splashes of metal and ceramics raining through the atmosphere.


    The last failed engine¡¯s fuel lines had been cut and it had already burned through its remaining supply - it was now little more than a chunk of highly engineered metal on the back of the ship, even more so than its two cousins.


    Kik banged his fists on the wall by the terminal, taking a moment to breathe. The screen flickered as its already loosened power connection juddered. The ship was a mess. He had barely made it past the warped, overheated wall twisted into the hallway further back.


    Closed bulkheads had further slowed his progression with their efforts to keep the ship pressurised. Now he found out the engines weren¡¯t fixable. Add that to the heavy scarring and assorted system strain the vehicle was currently under, and it was a surprise that they were still in the air.


    If there was one bright side, it was that the Lightning Drive hadn¡¯t been damaged. If that had been struck, who knew what exotic fate awaited them - perhaps nothing more than an explosion, or perhaps the ship would be transported inside the planet, or split into two halves and sent in different directions. And if that had broken, Kik doubted that Silf would be able to fix it for them to escape - especially not without his usual shipyard full of tools and parts.


    ---


    Kik squeezed back through the damaged wall section to return to the cockpit. The diagnostics he had run on the other assorted machineries of the ship had universally reported at least minor tune-ups required. The fuel system and sensors had been heavily damaged, but there were enough failsafes there to keep them flying and listening for now. Damage control was at work on fires in the collapsed room, but extinguisher levels were low from a tank puncture.


    All in all, it was a heavily damaged ship, but nothing was about to explode and, with some assistance, maybe they could land.


    Aire¡¯s worried face on his return changed his assurance back to concern. Her radio silence for the last two minutes, previously unnoticed, now seemed ominous.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Kik asked.


    ¡°We just broke the cloud barrier. I¡¯d put us at one and a half kilometres above ground level. At this rate of descent, we won¡¯t make it thirty kilometres before hitting water. With our speed, that¡¯s less than five minutes of flight time.¡±


    ¡°Have our escorts made a move?¡±


    ¡°Not a twitch. They¡¯re holding position as we descend. I don¡¯t like it. This smells of military paper pushing, and I dislike military at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°If it is a problem with bureaucracy, at least they¡¯ll save us after we¡¯re wrecked. Salvage laws are good for something.¡±


    ¡°With the speed we¡¯ll hit the water,¡± Aire said, ¡°there won¡¯t be anything left of us to save - and what is left will be scattered over the area of a few hangar bays.¡±


    The deadline and the water drew closer together. As their smoke-marked trail across the sky lengthened, the situation in the cabin grew increasingly tense. Aire hunched further and further over the controls, trying to convince herself that she had the situation under control. Kik scanned the sensors and the sky outside, desperately looking for something - anything that would help them.


    And then it came. A signal approaching, hidden by the interference but persistent and regular enough to be a true reading.


    When it arrived it was revealed as a four-engine propeller plane, a similar length to the Flash. Similar to the escorts before, it overshot before coming back for another pass from behind.


    ¡°I hope that thing has some serious lift, or we¡¯re done for,¡± Aire said, gesturing to the approaching waves. There was still a two hundred-odd metre grace between the water and the ship, but that was far too little room for anyone onboard to feel comfortable about.


    ¡°It should have. I¡¯ve never seen at atmospheric vehicle of that size.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s carrying a lot of weight already to be lifting us too,¡± Aire quipped, but her eyes were as hopeful as Kik¡¯s. They had both had their fill of setbacks.


    The plane swooped over directly above the Flash, slowing its pace to match its space borne cousin. The cockpit was doused in shadow as the prow of the plane blotted out the sun overhead.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Kik asked as the nose overhead dropped lower and lower. ¡°I doubt this is a complex form of attack, so why are they doing that?¡±


    The other occupant of the cockpit shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I have a feeling we¡¯ll find out soon.¡±


    As predicted, the Embroiled Flash was knocked from above moments later. The hull grinded and screeched from the sudden tension. It faded away after the initial ruckus, returning the ship to the usual groans, screams and wails of stress.


    ¡°Did they do anything?¡± Kik asked.


    But Aire was already sighing in relief. ¡°They¡¯ve attached us together. I can feel the pull in the Flash. She¡¯s responding much better now. With this, we can make it back to land.¡±


    He looked out the windscreen. ¡°About time, too. I doubt we were more than thirty metres off the surface. A particularly big wave, and¡­¡±


    Aire waved her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like dwelling on the past. I¡¯m moving on to how I¡¯m going to land this wreck.¡±


    Kik laughed. It felt good to relax for a moment and think hopefully about the future. The stressed knots in his shoulders started to ease. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have something figured out.¡±


    ---


    ¡°They didn¡¯t figure it out! They didn¡¯t figure it out!¡± Kik screamed, hanging onto his seat as the airstrip drew closer and closer. The now familiar sound of a cable breaking free resounded as a second tether to their supporting craft gave way. The entire ship started to tilt back, putting more and more pressure upon the front tethers. The craft above them was pulled forwards, its front and back halves lifting unevenly.


    The problems began when the craft above them had started to slow, approaching the final job of the landing sequence. The runway. Its rotors swivelled upwards as it tried to slow, and Aire eased the Flash¡¯s engines to match.


    But reduced speed meant reduced lift, and reduced lift meant unmanaged load - load which the accompanying plane wasn¡¯t qualified to take. It struggled to raise itself from the beginnings of a fall, and it was doing a good job until the first cable snapped.


    With a jolt that shook through the entire ship, and then a moment of near-stillness, the final tethers came away. Kik experienced a moment of weightlessness as the ship began its fall - straight down towards the airstrip.


    The ship was only thirty metres above the rolled surface of the runway, but with its tonnage it would be crushed under its own weight. Given the amount of combustibles and electronics aboard, Kik had no doubt that none of them would be walking away from the explosion inevitably following that.


    But Aire wasn¡¯t sitting at the pilot seat for nothing. As the freefall started kicking in, she shoved the accelerator forwards. Far forwards. There was no time to balance the left and right engines - she just put everything the craft had into power.


    The ion engines melted trails in the artificial material of the airstrip. If there had been anyone behind and beneath the craft they would have been cut in half by the accelerated beams of particles.


    They did their job though, and propelled the craft more forwards than downwards. The backwards drop turned into a tilting, forwards lurch, ungainly but more survivable.


    Kik braced as his world tilted forwards and sideways. There was a brief moment of security, where he almost convinced himself they might miss the ground entirely. All that filled the viewport were clouds, similar to the ones on XM-180.


    Then came the impact.


    Aire had deployed the landing gear earlier, for all the good they did. The ship landed on its right side, that end of the ship crunching against the floor. The internal stairs on that side of the ship were crushed into shards of scrap and sent flying into the bushes either side of the runway.


    As the ship slid forward, its roll petered out and it settled back onto its now flattened right side. The engines powered down as Aire slid their controls to minimum. She started going through post-landing checks.


    Kik tasted blood in his mouth. He spat it out for his suit to absorb, a stray drop marking the base of his visor. The wound started to itch closed.


    Looking around, the ship was settling into its new position. A clang or two resounded from further back as an unsecured part bounced down from the top of the ship. He considered unlatching his restraints but thought better when he saw the wall of terminals and controls he might have fallen into.


    The words came out almost before he could help them. ¡°Another successful landing.¡±