Chapter 8

“Battles, wars, in-fighting, and conflict in general, regardless of their form and manner, has been an omnipresent reality of life since times immemorial.

Even the simplest of life forms engage in conflicts, and even the most complex ones get drawn into them.

It’s the source of destruction, and that of disturbance, forcing those of still minds to rethink their ways, and those of open minds to still some of their ways.

Any such disturbance is a great opportunity for improvement in all areas of life, and yet it is most often an even greater setback.

To take that opportunity, or to accept said setback, is a choice.”

(Professor Zhaernon En’Kalhurn-University of Delta Draconis year 452)

Fenicia

Aboard the Warsong, Engineering deck

Nice digs if you like glowing consoles, machineries and really dark places. I know it’s not like this normally, I’ve been to engineering decks on freighters and everything is illuminated for safety reasons. I couldn’t see the engineers; my LiDAR wasn’t active with the limited HUD my nanites gave me access to. I really missed my helmet, but it did its job by protecting my head. I wish I had infrared or a night vision mod to see in the dark, I bet its part of the hidden non-available mods in the omega centurion package. All that technology made me dependant I think, or else I would have used my senses to feel the obvious threat which struck me in the side with the force of a maglev. Pain engulfed my left arm and the base of my shoulder. That’s when the Medical health system mod of the centurion Omega pack activated, it cut my pain receptors and flooded the fractured bones of my left arm with medical nanites and immobilized it in barely one second.

I used the momentum of the hit to roll on the steel-plated ground and right myself in a standup position pistol in hand.

“Aren’t you quick on your feet, bitch,” Hissed a mechanical voice.

The voice sounded electronic.

“Come to face me, pussy,” I answered.

I have no desire to fight a foe in the dark, so I did the only smart thing since entering a dark place with a prepared enemy in it. I called mom.

“Idunn, could you put on the light in the engineering deck.” I subvocalized on the Q-uplink.

“Of course my dear, hold on for thirty seconds. Oh and this man called you a slut, destroy him.”

“What? And how do you know that?!” And I stopped, thinking. Oh, right. “Psionic, I forgot.”

“Yes, Fenicia dear. You are one too, I remind you.” And she cut the communication on that reminder. If that wasn’t a hint ... I don’t know what it could be.

I sent my awareness outside of my body and felt everything around me, platforms, consoles, huge pieces of machinery, EPS conduits, huge humanoid metallic form ... Ah!

“Found ye, Tramp head*(Irish phrase, about someone who feels the urge to be a complete Arse Weed in their everyday life... )!” I yelled in its direction.

“Ha ha! And what can you do about it, slut?”I sensed a bit of smugness in that sentence.

“I have an idea of how to open that feckin’ armor ye got like a can of spinach. Then I’m going to take possession of this ship as my personal cruise. It needs a major overhaul, ye know. Too much blood covering the corridors and walls, plus the furniture suck.”

“You bitch! That ship is mine!” A huge shadow charged toward me.

I strapped my Peace pistol in its holster and took out my Pacifier while jumping to the side and hitting a wall. Fucking light needs to be on already. The Pac energy pistol can be used to stun and kill but its main use is also to fight warbots or people in mech armors. I fired my weapon and a coherent ray of energy struck the relative position of the armored man.

“What was that? It didn’t even scratch my mech!”

“Ye speak too much.” I closed my eyes and decided to rely on my Saryan training. I forgot in my panic that I have already been in a situation like this. There was a gigantic labyrinth of tunnels in a cave system bordering my hometown on Saryna where the youngs must be tested to cull their fears. This test shows what your place will be in the Saryan clan, either a warrior or a helper (servant).

Master your will, master your demons and see!

And I saw the punch coming toward me, I didn’t panic and stepped in and fired my Pac again in the head of the mecha and disengaged. I hid behind one of the big machines with glowing light screens on it.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?! I CAN’T SEE!!!” The man screamed.

“You got the colonel good!” I heard Ell say on the Q-uplink.

“Oh, it’s the colonel,” I said not even really surprised.

“Yep totally him, he ... is a fucking rapist asshole. Be careful.” I heard the catch in Ell’s voice. Oh, I hope for that asshole he didn’t touch her.

“Don’t worry, I will finish him.” Walking toward the mech armor, I took out my monomolecular blade from behind my back.

“I was raised to be a warrior, colonel. Trained my entire life to master my senses. Where did ye train? ON A FARM?”

“Shut up you... !” I sliced the right arm of the mech while he was mid-sentence.

I fired another shot of my Pac in one of the mech’s leg and went over my limit with the strength augment given by my nanites and kicked it in the torso. I still took a glancing blow and got clocked to the side of the head. It fucking hurt! I felt blood dripping down on the right side of my face. I saw double for a while but stayed on my feet.

“That farm quips hit a nerve, ain’t it farmboy? Are ye embarrassed by yer origins?” I said.

The light went On, I could see the mecha trying to get on its feet but not succeeding.

“Finally! You took your time, Idunn!” I said in Saryan on the Q-uplink.

“Not at all. It’s been thirty seconds since you asked me for help, dear.” I felt the smile in that argument; Idunn has a weird sense of humor.

I guess time is longer when you fight for your life, seconds are minutes, and minutes are hours.

“We are coming, don’t kill him yet Feni,” Ell said with urgency. And since when did she give me a nickname?

“No promises.” I advanced toward the still struggling mech.

It is an old model but still seemed to have current upgrades. I could see this on the power packs on the back of the armor, they were downsized. It was big, black and cumbersome and looked more like a big medieval armor from the Terran medieval era. I felt insulted, this man came at me with a big armor, relying on sheer strength and had no weapon.

“You made three mistakes, colonel.” Stepping before the downed mecha I stabbed my blade in its torso and forcefully sliced it to its crotch.

“Number one, you didn’t surrender when asked.”

Using my will, I opened the mecha with my telekinesis, the creaks and screams from the metal of the armor were music to my ears and seconds after the armor parted and peeled off the man inside the machine. A bald man with a hateful glare and a mean demeanor peered at me. He wore a ship suit showing a body once upon a time athletic but that wasn’t getting any sporting activity anymore. He looked flabby.

“Number two...” The man stood up, I let him.

He charged me and attempted to punch me; I caught his fist and tightened my grip.

“Ow, ow!!” He screamed like a bitch when I tightened my hand on his fist.

I let go of his fist and slapped his face, one time, a second time, a third time. It was fascinating to see the shockwave of my hand slapping his face with my accelerated awareness. “You called me a slut.”