Chapter 13: Picking Up The Pieces Part 1

Far from the planet of Bog’Ko’Lif, the Gular’shel emerged from the same gate array that it had initially flown in before the mission ever started. It was moving quickly, with the spinning vortex quickly collapsing behind the ship.

Nothing but beautiful space and stars to shine forever...

Inside the bridge, the sounds of hard humming generated by the internal machinery had slowed to a crawl. The power was still running.

The chaos had ended. The longest fourteen minutes of Scott’s life had come to a screeching halt. It was almost as if it never happened at all.

Scott reactively pushed away the periscope. A part of him never wanted to look down that thing ever again. His breathing was staggered. His adrenaline was simmering as the pain in his head remained active.

“Ahhh...” The man groaned as he felt his head. He could feel a small goose egg where he struck his head earlier. Otherwise, he felt like he was ok.

There was a long pause. Veleshar’s eyes would dart around as the battle had come to a complete halt.

Yui’to pulled her hands away from the console. Despite her fearlessness, she remained visibly shaken. She was utterly exhausted. She reactively pulled her hands close, cradling them like she was holding a newborn baby.

The zero-g environment was prevalent. There was nothing but endless space for the ship to continue its drive forward, free from the onslaught of continuous death and nonstop destruction.

“Jump ... completed, Greater Adjunct,” Yui’to struggled to say.

Veleshar took a deep breath. “Scott?”

“I think I’m still alive,” the man replied.

Instinctively, the shark-like woman reached over and grasped the man’s hand. Even he could see the exhaustion in her face, thankful that it was over.

“Casualties?” Veleshar asked.

“Two dead, three injured,” Yui’to answered. She turned and briefly looked at Scott before looking at Veleshar. “Assuming he’s ok ... make that two. I’m picking up a hail from Greater Adjunct Siera’lara.”

“Actual concern from her ... that’s surprising. Tell her that we’re still assessing damage and that I’ll get back to her in ten minutes. We’ll maintain this heading for a little while before we start engaging in breaking thrusters.”

Veleshar looked at the interior of her ship. A serene, gentle smile could be seen from her.

“Thank you...” She said to her ship. Her hand reached forward and felt the console, knowing that they all escaped death.

“Stand down from alert status,” Veleshar said.

Scott and many of the other Itrean bridge crew began to undo their straps. The man went ahead and pulled out one of the translator devices from his pocket. Knowing that it was probably safe to put it on, he slipped one into his right ear before keeping ahold of the seat.

“All stations report,” Veleshar asked. One of her hands reached over and yanked the straps off of her. She repeated the words in Itrean.

“Running on emergency generator,” Yui’to explained. “Main generator is out. Too damaged to cloak. Ventral turret is down...”

Scott looked over at the ship’s damage on the console as Yui’to began to speak in Itrean. Other Itreans could be heard from the console as they reported what was working and what wasn’t. The damage was extensive. Portions of the armor had been scorched, while pieces of the hull had been blown off. There were still tiny metal fragments that were shedding off into space. Fires had long burned out and replaced with blackened holes. The ship’s frame looked like it had been struck with dozens of massive jackhammers. The ring, rear module, and portside wing carried the heaviest signs of visible damage. However, there was something off from the status display. There were three red highlighted areas on the ship.

Scott looked at it for a few seconds as his eyes narrowed. It didn’t make sense. Additional mass was reported on the starboard and frontal portions of the hull. Perhaps it was a glitch caused by the prior battle. Veleshar was too distracted from everything, but the engineering part of Scott was warning him of something.

Danger...

The hairs on the back of Scott’s neck were lifting. His heart began to pound. It was as if something was watching him.

The man turned his head to the left. The door to the bridge was wide open. It should have been closed during the battle in case of hull breaches. Then, he saw it. It was a brief invisible distortion wake of something standing behind Veleshar’s chair. Everyone was too distracted, thanking themselves that they were alive.

“GET DOWN!” Scott yelled out.

The Greater Adjunct reacted, but Yui’to was quicker. Scott stood up from his seat, using his left hand to shove Veleshar’s head to the side. Yui’to shifted upward and away from her chair. They both grabbed their pistols and unholstered them.

Bang!

In half a second, a gun had fired in the bridge, followed by two other shots. Just as Veleshar felt her head moving, a bullet was sent flying where her head was originally located. Instead, a small caliber rifle round slammed into Scott’s wrist. Mechanical parts from the augmented ligament were blown through instantly.

Gunfire broke out. Two Shal’rein bridge crew on opposite sides of the room were killed instantly, shot in the back of the head as portions of their brains were flung onto their consoles.

Scott’s handgun was lifting upward. The distorted wake showed hints of a small figure. Spikes could be seen. The end of a rifle barrel grew exposed, turning towards Yui’to next. Everyone else was quickly getting up as more rifle rounds were expelled. A Yutilian bridge crew screamed as her back and left breast were hit. Another Shal’rein was standing up when she took a hit in the lower right hip.

With Scott, there was little other room to react. The barrel of his handgun was almost pointed at the distortion wave when the invisible figure fired again, hitting Yui’to’s left arm. Blood spewed before Yui’to’s gun was pointed directly at the distortion.

Bang! Bang! Fired from the hip twice, the target took two direct hits. The heavy caliber handgun was able to pierce into it, killing whoever it was. Other bridge crew reacted fast, getting their handguns and shooting at another distorted figure. Two were dispatched.

Scott could barely see as the invisible shrouds on these dead individuals collapsed, revealing an Aksren completely covered in solid black wrap armor. Spikes could be seen on their shoulders and arms. They had red-lit visors where their eyelids were. In their hands was a rifle with multiple barrels connected to them. Metal knives and other sharp items lay construed upon their bodies. Their tails consisted of a metal club.

The dead Aksren remained anchored to the deck as they fell limp. Scott turned his attention to the last surviving guard. He could see that the figure was turning toward him when he pulled the trigger.

It was a wild shot. A heavy round from Scott’s handgun slammed into what might have been the Aksren’s right shoulder. It was difficult to hit something that one could barely see. Yui’to turned her pistol and hit the target as well, but not before the soldier’s right arm tossed something.

It was small and cylindrical with moving propellors that extended outward. Scott recognized it immediately as a small Itrean seeker grenade. The man had nothing as his eye could only see it fly directly towards Yui’to, him, and Veleshar.

Bang! The seeker grenade took a direct hit and crumbled in the air before it harmlessly flew past them.

The gunshot came from Veleshar’s handgun. She had managed to get her gun unholstered before finishing off and saving the three from getting blown to bits.

Three dead Aksren in the bridge ... Scott had no idea who they were and how they got onboard the ship.

Veleshar grabbed her console and pressed a button. She was placed on the ship’s intercom, speaking in Itrean while Scott’s translator conveyed the woman’s words in English. Yui’to and the remaining bridge crew quickly looked around, trying to find anything else that stuck out.

“Attention all hands,” Veleshar said in Itrean. “We’ve been boarded. Aksren Royal forces have breached our ship. Secure all vital systems and terminate the boarders. More updates will follow.”

Yui’to ordered the remaining crew to head near the door and help defend the bridge from further attacks. Veleshar tapped a few more buttons as the highlighted portions of the ship’s interior were shown on the main viewscreen.

God ... it hadn’t ended yet. Scott shook his head as he saw the dead intruders. Assassins ... plain and simple. The bridge was filled with dead bodies. The Yutilian that had been shot fell still and slowly fell to the ground. The man felt nothing but anger in his heart. Crew killed in cold blood.

The man looked at his augmented hand and wrist. The artificial ligament was the only thing that could afford to be hit from the rifle round. He couldn’t move his fingers. The damage it took severed many of its motor functions. However, he could still fire his gun with his other hand if need be.

“How did they get on board!?” Yui’to yelled out, expressing her anger.

“I might be able to answer that,” Scott replied, pointing at the highlighted portions of the Gular’shel. “I noticed that there were highlighted portions of the hull. It showed a mass increase, but I couldn’t figure it out at first. I thought it was a glitch or damaged sensors.”

“Sensors don’t show anything out of the ordinary,” Veleshar added. “I do see the mass increase.” She looked at him. “Did you see anything launch from the Royal Guard ships?”

“I don’t think so, but...”

“You don’t know,” Veleshar lightly affirmed as she looked at the bruise on his forehead. Her hand lightly reached over and briefly touched his head before looking at her display. “There was too much going on to see everything...”

“Yeah.”

“I notice a large set of embedded fragments near the dorsal port side...” Veleshar sighed. “Aksren Royal Guard Drop Pods.”

“Drop pods?” Yui’to asked.

“The Royal Guard ships were on a parallel course with us. They didn’t just engage us. They were trying to board us. One, maybe more of them crashed during our rapid maneuvering ... they weren’t able to deploy their troops, but three of them did.”

“And we weren’t able to detect them?” Scott questioned.

“The drop pods use the same stealth alloy as those battleships did.”

“Most of the cameras are down,” Yui’to said, with her hand on the console. “I got a partial visual on one of them.”

The main screen showed a hazy static image. It was broken, but it showed just enough of an image of a small dark red pod. It was almost like a large spike drill. No doubt, the confusion of the fight just meant that stuff like this could slip through.

“Greater Adjunct,” a voice echoed out on the console comms. It was Doctor Kol’da’gash speaking in Itrean. “I have wounded in Level Tess. I have the doors to emergency medical sealed, but I hear gunfire.”

“Not far from one of the drop pods,” Yui’to remarked, pointing at the digital layout map. “Their first goal is to secure the ship ... take the bridge and vent the ship’s atmosphere ... take as many of us as possible with it.”

“But that failed,” Scott replied.

“Exactly. If they can’t secure the ship, the next course of action is to cause as much damage as possible, kill everything in their path...”

“Or reach our rear module and issue a ship’s overload,” Veleshar said as she tapped the button on the console again. “Security team Veka, reinforce Level Joi. Security team Hik and Col, secure Level Bas. Attention all stations. Royal Guard are using shrouded wrap armor. Look for their distortion wakes. Shoot to kill.”

“They will definitely head aft,” Yui’to replied. “Either to the centripetal ring or the rear power module. Greater Adjunct, I would like to join the hunt and kill them all.”

“Me too,” Veleshar said.

“No! You must stay on the bridge. You were their first target,” she lifted her hand and enclosed it into a fist, clenching her teeth. “Allow me the honor of slaying them!”

It was the first time Scott had seen Yui’to this adamant about protecting her adjunct. Veleshar gave a quick nod.

“Good hunting,” she told her.

“I’ll go too,” Scott added.

“With no armor?”

Scott felt emboldened. Was he scared? Hell, yes, but the fear had turned into anger. Exhaustion and fatigue led to a second wind. He could only imagine how Veleshar felt. To make it this far, defy all the odds presented and nearly get blown to kingdom come just to have a few stowaways come onboard. When would it end?

Plus, he saw that the shot that he fired had penetrated their armor. The trace amount of slowly falling blood from the Aksren soldier was proof enough that he could mortally wound them. He still maintained a solid grip on his firearm. He could feel Veleshar and Yui’to’s anger and frustration.

“Doesn’t matter,” Scott said sternly. “Family ... together.”

Veleshar’s nostrils flared before she did her quick nods. “Good luck, Scott. Can you still maintain comms to me with your augment?”

Scott tapped the button as a blue light glowed from his hand. “I have a menu screen, but I can’t move the fingers around.” He tapped another button. “Yeah, I have communication access, audio only.”

“Good,” Veleshar said with a hint of a smile. “May Itrea’s Embrace guide both of you.”

It had been almost five minutes. The passageway of the Gular’shel was silent as Yui’to and Scott moved together. Their eyes remained glued to anything that seemed amiss. They had made it past the shuttle hangar facility and into the central portion of the warship. The chain of corridors and sealed rooms was prevalent. Unfortunately, the rest of the bridge crew had to remain and safeguard the place in case the Aksren soldiers were going to attack it again. Veleshar had to remain safe.

“How many soldiers have come onboard?” Scott asked.

“A typical drop pod of the Aksren Royal Guard are around 3 or 4 each,” Veleshar explained through Scott’s augmented hand. “I don’t really know. I’ve heard of them but never seen them used before.”

“Three pods...,” Yui’to said as she reached a crossway. “Three dead in the bridge. Six or eight left.” She hinted for the man to step to the other side and look down the left-side passageway. Both of their heads peered over.

Nothing ... just more passageway.

“Can they be completely invisible?” Scott quietly asked.

“No,” Yui’to answered. “Shrouded isn’t as good as cloak. Hard to make, but cheaper ... never really seen them used in wrap armor before.”

“It’s why I could still see them ... barely.”

“It’s good at a distance, but close up, they can still be spotted.”

“Can sensors track them?”

“Not really,” she gestured for them to keep moving forward. She walked up and ahead of him, her shark-like tail missing his magnetic boots. “Make sure to stay behind me and watch my back.”

“You’re not exactly bulletproof.”

“She’s right, Scott,” Veleshar explained. “Yui’to can handle more than you. I don’t want you to get killed.”

“A bullet is a bullet ... I can fight them.”

“I know you can, my mate, but the Royal Guard are not to be underestimated. They use every weapon in their possession. Bullets, bombs, melee weapons, poison...”

“Poison?”

“Yes, watch out for their wrist darts. They can’t really kill an Itrean; just slow them down. But, against a human ... the Eia’Tasak toxins they use in them could kill you in less than five seconds.”

“Shit...”

They reached the next crosswalk. It was impossible to walk quietly with the magnetic clanks that the boots made. Even Yui’to’s wrappings still made some sort of noise when the webbed feet would impact the deck.

Upon reaching the left corner, Yui’to came to a stop. Scott maintained watch towards the forward section of the ship.

“Security checkpoint,” Yui’to called out.

“Greater Centurion,” another deep female voice called out.

They both turned past the corner to see four guards, two Yutilians and two Shal’rein in full-blown wrap armor armed with whatever rifles they could get ahold of. It was the first time Scott saw the wrap armor up close. In some ways, they were similar to the Aksren Royal Guard armor but less menacing. The Yutilians were in shimmering green and black metal-layered skin. Everything from their heads, digitigrade legs, chests, and tails were encased in a thin, flexible armor.

The Shal’rein were slightly different, being a similar metal sheen. The T’rintar Shal’rein consisted of green- and purple-colored layers that would overlap with one another. Even their fin-like tails were completely covered. The helmet was elongated and had fin-like blades on its sides.

“Report,” Yui’to asked as they approached them.

“Corridor secured,” the unknown Shal’rein said in Itrean. “We’ve received unconfirmed reports of one Royal Guard eliminated.”

“Have you tried contacting the other teams?”

“Yes, but they are jamming our comms. Past Level Joi, we are unable to establish communications.”

The man shook his head. At least another had been eliminated, but communication seemed to be poor.

“Scott?” one of the Yutilians asked.

“Umm?” he replied.

The voice seemed familiar, even if there was a hint of the helmet’s modulator in the way of the snout’s movement. It was said in English, and it dawned on him.

“Gen’wi?” the man asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

There was a hint of relief in the man’s eyes, knowing she was alright. The dainty little Yutilian was layered in armor, and he couldn’t even recognize her at first. She was armed with what Scott recognized as a Y-6 Assault Rifle, a common firearm for Yutilian troops. It consisted of an automatic receiver, two barrels, a scope, and a large magazine in one unit. How well she was familiar with it was anyone’s guess.

“Any incoming reinforcements?” Yui’to questioned.

“Half of the crew are secured behind rooms,” the unknown Shal’rein said. “Others are armed up and patrolling to find them.”

“Good. I will leave you as you were.”

“Greater Adjunct, let us join you so we can hunt the Aksren currs.”

“No, stay here to help watch the area. We still don’t know where they are going.”

“Then take my rifle so you will have the glory of the kill.”

“I have my pistol,” Yui’to remarked. “The Royal Guard can still be killed by our handguns.”

“Greater Adjunct,” Gen’wi requested. “Please let me fight beside you. Scott has no armor. I wish to protect him.”

Yui’to looked down at the small Yutilian. “Very well...” she looked at the Shal’rein. “Do you have any wrap armor?”

“Yes,” the Shal’rein replied. They extended their hands as the Itrean pulled out two metal disks and handed them to Yui’to. She quickly tossed her gun and spare cylinders to Scott to hold as the Shal’rein slapped the two disks to her uniform.

In seconds, the disks glowed as the metal armor grew, covering her stomach, chest, and arms in a layer of metal. Scott had rarely seen the events of how the Itreans dawned their wrap armor. The devices stuck as they continued to immerse her entire body.

The Itrean women wearing battle armor did have a certain appeal to Scott. It still allowed the Itrean women to hold their figures while not compromising the protective purpose of the armor. It could still be argued that the armor was thinner than UHN marine power armor, but the Shal’rein made up for it in raw bulk. Shal’rein in wrap armor were a force to be reckoned with. In the fight against these Royal Guards, it was the only way to defeat them.

After less than fifteen seconds, the armor finished up by encasing Yui’to in a metal shell. Her face couldn’t be seen by the green and black helmet that covered her snout and eyes.

“I’ll take my gun back, thank you,” Yui’to said, grabbing the pistol from the man’s hands. “Let’s go!”

Scott, Yui’to, and Gen’wi began to head back to the crossway. They quickly looked around before heading forward, further toward the central to aft portion of the ship.

Despite the man’s fatigue, the zero gravity was welcoming. His magnetic boots kept him anchored to the deck as the armor did the job for the Itrean women. There were still light clicks and clanks as the feet would touch the metal alloy. Yui’to kept point as Scott remained not far behind her, avoiding her large metal tail in the process.

Gen’wi would stay behind, ensuring that Scott was sandwiched between her and Yui’to. She would regularly look behind her, rifle at the ready.

“We never heard the Royal Guard enter the bridge,” Scott remarked. “You, Itreans, supposed to have good hearing.”

Veleshar’s voice echoed from his hand. “It was said that the Aksren Royal Guard are equipped with the best armor that the Empress could ever provide. Shrouded armor, jamming emitters that they can activate at will. Their feet are equipped with sound dampeners as they walk.”

“Like Shish,” Gen’wi added.

“I guess I’ll never underestimate them,” Scott said.

“We never do...” Veleshar replied.

“They can still die,” Yui’to remarked.

“Is there any way that we can reason with them?” Scott asked. “Let them know the fight is over?”

“I truly wish,” the Greater Adjunct explained. “Aksren Royal Guard are selected at birth to serve the Empress and her commanders. Since kids, they are taught to follow the will of the Empress without question. Every method of survival, combat, and fighting techniques are passed to them. Some say they are brainwashed or modified to remove all thoughts of disobedience. There are rumors that their passing ceremony, the weakest of the trials ... friends and companions, are brought to them. The final test is for them to execute them without question. The ones that fail to follow the order are executed.”