Chapter 11

Sharah Phis

War Song, bridge 1 hour later

Someone did a thorough job on this ship, the crew was brutally murdered, the commanding officers treated even more savagely. The one we found on the engineering deck near the wreckage of a mech-armor was funny to look at. The face was caved in and has multiple fractures in the body. From the way the body was finished I can feel that the assailant must have taken vicious pleasure in punishing that man. My com rang and took me out of my line of thought. I pushed a button on my wrist.

“Sharah Phis.” I announced in the communication device.

“Ma’am there is a situation with the computer core.”

Of course there is. But I didn’t voice my inner thought. “Report.”

“Yes ma’am. The computer core was extracted from its room, we only have recent data from our unit entering and roaming the ship. I have a strong guess that the people on the station did it. We also found the bodies of the bridge officers, they seem to have been executed.” The centurion showed her the bodies on her com, how they were slashed at the throat.

The one who did this is merciless; he or she didn’t want to bother with difficult prisoners and killed them. I can understand there are only three life signals in the housing quarters and five in the security one. We hadn’t seen them before when doing an in depth scan of the entire space station. Walking toward the communication console I enter commands on the mechanical keyboard. It’s an old console, not at all like the holo-key we have on the Sundance. The bridge and Helena Theresa Vice appear on the screen of the console.

“Ah, Sharah. Have you finally discovered what happened?” The Tyrant said with a mirthless smile.

The woman adjusted herself on her command chair, ready to listen to the news.

“Unfortunately, not enough ma’am. The computers were wiped and the whole ship is a tomb, the entire crew was slaughtered.”

Sharah waited patiently for her boss to stop laughing, a tear rolled from her left eye. The woman didn’t calm herself till two minutes passed.

“Aaah, that was a good laugh. Excuse me Sharah, it’s because of how alike the one who did this is similar to her mother. No quarter given.” Helena played with her dark lock of hair by entwining them on her finger.

“Ma’am, it’s not a laughing matter. The person who did this must be neutralized bef...”

“I’m stopping you right here, she’s dangerous. And she did this to protect her mother and the station. But I agree that you should put her in the brig till you can check if everything is alright, there is a possibility she might try to flee this place. If she does use non-lethal means to stop her from doing so.”

Dangerous? Yes, killing an entire mercenary crew by yourself put you into that category...

“Yes, ma’am! By your leave, we will now breach the station’s door and put everyone in custody!” I said loudly.

“Good, contact me when it is done.” And the Tyrant disconnected.

On my tablet the data about a certain Fenicia Kranicar unfolded, using my Stargazer connected to it, the file on that female alien showed me someone with a disturbing past. I can understand why the boss told me to put on the kid’s glove, being faced with an extraterrestrial being I cannot simply anthropomorphize her. She has clearly a different ethical code and it seems a Saryan way of dealing with foes. Those always cause trouble in our outposts and we even had to enforce the “no warrior form” on our space stations and colony. But even with that their weird tradition and way of life is well ... troubling. They actually believe in seeking trouble and strife!

Instead of leaving the station when they were attacked by the Ares mercenary outfit, this Fenicia girl actually seems to have devised a plan to take them all on. The traces of canon laser fire on the ship and the walls of the hangar show it to me. Floating in zero gravity, I await for my team to breach the hangar doors. Two teams will enter separately from the two docking bays, one will converge toward the housing quarters, and the other to the CIC where the life signals are strong.

“Entry code transmitted.” Said my second in command, Charles.

A man of Nubian origin, he is full of candor and professional. Only letting his hair down when he is not on mission.

“Entering code.”

The red LED showing that the doors are closed shined green and opened with no noise. Everyone wear the Centurion armor and helmeted tight, the first group enter the Airlock guiding to the more civil area of the giant space station, while the second one enter the security quarter’s. I follow the first group and wait for the air to cycle and permit us to pass in the pressurized environment. Everyone is armed with their recoilless rifles at the ready and deploy into position when we gain entry.

On the team com channel I gave orders.

“Jones, Simarin go secure the main computer HUB; Rhaj and Amahle the engineering deck. The rest follow me to the housing quarter.” I said.

And we marched toward the place, the plan of the station guided me. We took lot of corridors and turbo elevators which transported us vertically and horizontally through the turbo shafts between key sections of the station.

The whole station is under the control of the master code of our boss; that is why we are walking unimpeded by the security of this place. But you can never know what kind of tomfoolery someone might pull, so I sent my best men to secure important locations. We finally arrived where the life signal is, we opened the door and surprise found a blonde and blue eyed young woman on her knee with her hands behind her head. She has Asian ancestry for sure and wore a black on green bodysuit.

“You are late, people. I’ve been like this for thirty minute already!” She chirped.

In the Team com I said “Secure the apartment, Ann.” And the first class centurion went. I activated the speakers on my armor.

“Name, occupation. And I will check with the station AI, I would appreciate if you can be forthright.” I said adding steel to my voice.

“Ell Evan, engineered super soldier and ex mercenary. I have been granted VCW (Vice Corp World) citizenship by Director Idunn.” She said calmly, her face was impassive.

It made me raise an eyebrow, so I checked with the AI with my Stargazer. And yes indeed Miss Ell Evan has just joined the family. But I’m not satisfied, so I take my reinforced plastex cuff throw them to the centurion next to me who understood what I wanted.

“Ma’am till we can check if the computer core wasn’t tampered with, you will accompany us to the brig.” The centurion explained.

With a smile the young woman took her hand from behind her head and showed him her hands that the man mechanically cuffed.

“Before you send me there, be careful of my friend Feni. She’s kinda freaking out right now, and it spells trouble.” The young woman said with seriousness.

Oh, if that isn’t reassuring.

Fenicia

Should I leave? I really want to leave. But while I think about that my eyes found the form of ... mom. I weirdly cannot deny it any longer, that bond I felt between us and the way she treat me are what I always wanted in that particular familiar figure that a mother is.

“Fenicia come sit with me.” Idunn said calmly.

“I cannot, I feel trapped.” I continued walking in circle.

A sudden idea comes to mind. “ Mom why don’t we flee? We cou...”

“I can’t let you do that, my dear. My dark friend protects me from known and unseen dangers. Even though you are really strong, you cannot do it. And you have a destiny to accomplish, do you really want to squander it and stay a mediocre mercenary? In fact I don’t want you to leave me, I promised myself to...”

I stopped listening to her when left my pride in tatters and turned toward the door at full speed.

“That’s not what I meant, Fenicia. Please don’t...” She added rapidly, attempting to stop me.

I went through the door, readying my pistol and advancing without stopping. It hurts, that comment she made, but it also hurt to leave her like this. But now that I know where she is, I will keep in contact. Walking toward the secret hatch that will guide me toward the Hyperdrive capable shuttle, my mental state didn’t permit me to sense that stealthed being which put her gun muzzle on my head.

“You move, I shoot.” Said a cold female voice.

Never give in. It is a motto for my race, I guess I am more Saryan than Assurian. My hand blurred to catch the weapon and I kicked the assailant. But that female avoided it by sidestepping the move. It stunned me that she could follow my movements, but I decided to not dawdle and fired a round at her and ran. I ran to fight another day, a human precept that my old friend Alastar taught me and that is contrary to the Saryan one consisting of choosing death over chains. A prisoner can only be a victim or a traitor—never a hero. Concerning humans the two precepts can be mixed, following what I endured in the Ares HQ. Never again.

I was surprised to find the woman gaining on me, and to stop her I fired my pistol at her again. Another form blurred toward me for an instant, time slowed visibly and I could see what is charging at me. An armored person that I promptly deviated from his course with my telekinesis to send him crashing in the wall of the corridor we are in.

“Stop!” The tough female behind me ordered.

I used my power again to do the same to her as the armored man, but somehow avoided it by sticking to the wall.

“!!”

Fuck she has seen it coming, she’s a psionic! And a precog to boots. But whatever, I just have to access the secret turbo elevator. I must leave. I ran in the corridors still pursued by that woman until I entered a cavernous room that could easily contain thousands of people. This must be the central plaza; Electronic shop signs with closed wrote on it in Anglo dotted the place, it also has a park, decorated with potted plants and tree; there was also a holographic skylight. What wasn’t my surprise to find that other armored centurions waited for me. Without stopping I targeted and fired on the weapons pointed at me. And I sent an unfocused Telekinetic wave toward them seconds later.

Their rifles shattered or were knocked back from their hands and the wave slammed them on the ground. My spatial sense reminded me of the stubborn female who is trying to jump me from behind, but I was already in movement with all my speed and strength. My objective is almost there, the hidden elevator is secreted in a dark alley between the closed stores. Moving at breakneck speed I zigzag between pillars, trees, bench in the park. And when I arrived at my destination what wasn’t my surprise to see the armored woman who was behind me earlier. How she passed me is unimportant, she is blocking my way and it means that I don’t have the luxury to let her alive. I walked resolutely toward her then pointed my weapon toward her targeting her center of gravity and fired. She moved and the shot passed harmlessly to her left impacting a light. Then I passed my pistol on automatic and fired again. Three slugs were fired from the weapon, two missed and one caught on a kinetic shield of her armor.

“Shit.” I said, but didn’t lose hope.

Then I sheathed my Peace pistol and took my Freedom recoilless rifle and while prepping it I sent an unfocused wave of TK toward my foe that was sent bowling in a recycling dumpster. Then after unfolding my rifle from its compact form I begin firing into the dumpster for ten seconds with armor piercing slugs. And to be sure I threw in a BOOM grenade that goes off in it with a flash and a strident sound. Fortunately I am protected by my helmet. Without care I run toward the door of the turbo-elevator hidden behind the boxes at the side of the dumpster. I push buttons on the control pad and it opens. Before entering I am stopped by someone grabbing my neck and shoving me out of the entrance and slamming me on the ground. It made me see stars and unfocused my eyes. Her helmet was taken of forcefully from her head and suddenly my attacker pummeled my face with rapid punches. Somehow I got slammed on the ground again and I think I lost consciousness for some time.