Zhadersil
Grznk had decided to seize the moment. He had no longer wanted to put off until tomorrow what could be done today, if only because he thought he might lose his nerve. It was a terrible plan, an awful plan, but it was just illogical enough that it might actually have a chance at working. At the best part of it was that, if it failed, the human wouldn’t feel the need to kill him. Probably.
It had been hard to limit his surprise, then, when instead of coming face to face with the hairy human as he’d expected, he’d instead been confronted by the Gaoian male who had been a prisoner, and informed that the humans were both currently away on some sort of Death World picnic. Lacking any other options, he’d tried the plan anyway, and discovered it had rather less success against a normal sapient such as the Gaoian.
That was why he was now in prison, and had much more time to reflect upon the decisions and false beliefs that had brought him to this point in his life. “Maybe I should have just gone into Engineering after all,” he said to the empty room regretfully. “Surgery can be like engineering, after all… and Engineering wouldn’t have put me in this position.”
“Talking to yourself, Corti?” the Gaoian asked, startling Grznk with his abrupt entrance. “That’s a sign of madness, you know?”
Grznk looked up at the Gaoian male in disdain. “It is the best conversation thus far available to me. Why are you here? To gloat?”
“I need a doctor,” the Gaoian male said simply.
“You look fine,” Grznk replied sharply. “The very picture of good health! You should be in medical journals! Why do you need a doctor?!“
“I’m taking a crew to a Celzi mining operation,” the Gaoian male explained coolly. “It might get a bit violent, and if it does we could use a doctor who knows what he’s doing.”
“You’re attacking mining operations now?” Grznk asked in confusion, although he was determined to remain belligerent for at least as long as he was in the cell. “Not satisfied with the end product?”
“It’s for their equipment,” the Gaoian male told him. “You don’t need the details, you just need to do your job when I tell you to.”
Grznk stepped back from the heavy bars and considered this. It was dangerous, but this whole enterprise was dangerous, and it would be better to be outside of a cage if everything went bad. It was a strange mission the Gaoian had in mind, but the actual mission wasn’t his concern, and if they all died then he might be able to get away and let the Directorate think him dead. Maybe he could open an independent practice on a heavily populated world. A Corti could dream…
“Fine,” he said, his decision made. “I shall join you on this venture. Good luck to us all!”
+++++
Hunter Vessel, vicinity of Affrag
The Alpha of Brood Procui considered the results of the scans. The Procui had been dispatched by none other than the Alpha-of-Alphas to investigate this system. This system where one thousand of its brethren had been destroyed. Destroyed in humiliating wholesale slaughter by a single human.
To the Brood Entire this was almost a holy site. Few other places had ever held as much importance – few other events had ever held enough significance – and as far as Alpha Procui was aware, there should not have been any other Brood anywhere in the vicinity.
+<confusion; intrigue; question> Why, then, is a transport vessel on the surface of that world?+
Its own records showed this world as unremarkable, a death world without sapients that could be ignored. It would still be ignored if five whole broods had not been destroyed in its vicinity. There was no reason for a Brood transport vessel to be on that planet, no reason for it to be anywhere around here.
No reason for it to not be answering Alpha Procui’s messages.
+<concern; suspicion; statement> Something does not taste right…+
Alpha Procui gave the order for a Hunting group to assemble, and its most skilled subordinates began preparing to immediately form a group capable of attending a Deathworld. The issue must be investigated, after all, but this Hunting group would not include Alpha Procui itself. If there was, for whatever reason, a human down there, it would need to be properly prepared. The fewer members of the Brood exposed to that surprise the better.
A dozen should be enough, it decided. Twelve Hunters to uncover the truth, twelve to protect each other from the dangers of a Deathworld, and twelve to keep watch for a human.
Twelve who could no longer challenge the Alpha for leadership if the human was encountered.
Alpha Procui was deeply pleased with its cunning. With this choice, there was no way for it to lose.
Tropical Island Paradise, Affrag
“We need to hurry!” Adrian told Jen, already striding purposefully towards the Shopping Trolley. There was every possibility they wouldn’t make it in time, and he had no idea what kind of force the Hunters might bring to bear. Under normal circumstances, it might not be so bad, but with Jen here…
He had to protect Jen.
“If we need to hurry, shouldn’t we run?” she asked, and started to do so.
He caught her by the shoulder. “Walk,” he said. “Walk quickly, but don’t run. In a forest there are hazards everywhere, and if you run you’ll trip and maybe sprain your ankle.”
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Alright,” she said, fear slipping into her voice. “We’ll walk quickly then. Is there something I should know about these things?”
“You already know they eat sapients,” he told her. “And by now they’ve probably learned how to take out humans. We have to expect the worst.”
“You can fight them though, right?” she asked him. “If they come?”
On some level it pleased him that she relied on him like that, and he knew the part that felt that way was that selfish part that wanted to make her his, the man who had held her and helped her aim, who had kept her company when she was going into surgery, and who had unabashedly stared at her tits through a sweat-soaked top. The other part, the soldier, grumbled at the fact that she was putting her life entirely in his hands, like any other civilian. The soldier wanted her too, as an ally rather than something to simply defend, but Adrian had relied upon the soldier in his marriage and look how that had turned out.
“Probably,” he said, “but I’m not sure-“
The flash of two lines of fire interrupted him, burning their path across the sky. A pair of Hunter assault capsules wrapped in fire and thunder were descending towards the Shopping Trolley. Within minutes they’d land, and moments after that their occupants would swarm out looking for blood.
Adrian’s gaze was fixed on their descent, his soldier’s mind already trying to map out some sort of plan. He could see two options, and he didn’t much like the sound of either of them. Both involved an unacceptable level of failure.
“If I were them,” he said, and this time he was treating her as a comrade rather than a potential lover. “I’d inspect the Trolley first. Then I’d go looking for whatever it had contained.”
“If they do that, you’ll give them a nasty surprise, right?” she asked, and toted her gun. “After all, we’ve got these.”
“They have a ship in orbit,” he replied. “If we do that, they might try and destroy the Trolley from there. It’s what I’d do.”
“You mean they’d ‘nuke us from orbit, it’s the only way’?” Jen asked, quoting Aliens but without any of the usual humour, just a desperate attempt to conjure some. She was afraid, and maybe he was making her feel that way, but he’d only beaten these guys the last time by nearly killing himself in the process and that made them worthy of a little healthy fear.
“If we let them into the Trolley,” she said, “they may take it. We’d be stuck here.”
“It’s possible,” he replied. “I know for sure that if they discover they’re being attacked by a human, though, that they’ll rain all kinds of shit down on us. It’s hard to describe how much they hate our kind, Jen, but they’ll do anything to see us dead.”
“Then should we try and hide?” she asked, trying to think of a plan of her own. “The worst that could happen then is that we’re stuck here until the others come and rescue us.”
“It’s a big planet, Jen,” he said. It was possible that they might never be picked up, but would be considered lost by their friends. Not the worst thing that could happen to them, since they’d at least have each other, but what if the Hunters were still out there when the others came looking?
“We have to take care of the problem, Jen,” he decided. “I have to take care of it. How good are you at hiding?”
She stared at him for a moment, then her face darkened in anger. “You’re just going to leave me somewhere and go off and fight them by yourself? What happens if you lose? I’m stuck here, alone, for the rest of my days! I won’t have it, Adrian! I won’t be alone again! We either both hide, or we both fight!”
That part of him that simply wanted to protect her let go then, and with a wave of dark resolve the soldier had him fully once more. With the soldier his gaze hardened and his resolve became steel. She didn’t want to just be protected – that was a good thing – but right now she would endanger the mission and herself. The decision made itself.
“I saw a small cave over there,” he said, pointing deeper into the jungle. “We can hide there.”
She nodded eagerly. “Alright, we’ll hide then! Thank you, Adrian.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, letting her take the lead and directing her towards the cave that would serve for one. She trusted him, and she didn’t look back as he drew closer. She barely realised as his arm drew around her neck into a sleeper hold, subduing her struggling form in moments with practiced precision.
She slumped into his arms, breathing weakly but still breathing, and he carefully stowed her out of sight in the little cave. She’d be uncomfortable, she’d wake sore, but they shouldn’t find her. Not before he was done.
And whatever happened, she’d still be alive.
He looked at her one more time, his heart feeling like a heavy lump of cold stone in his chest. He was afraid, he was desperate, and the soldier had him.
He stalked off into the jungle.
“God help the Hunters,” he grated, “because they’ll fucking well need it.”
+++++
Celzi Mining Base Qrkv
“We are pirates, and this,” Chir told the miners, “is a robbery.”
They did not seem to be understanding the concept. Sure, they’d been willing enough to cower in fear when his soldiers had accosted them, but they’d felt the need to resist instead of simply giving up, and had injured a number of his own men.
A number of theirs were now dead or injured as well, and Chir, who had just been acting according to Adrian’s instructions until now, finally realised the value of dealing with people who expect to live.
“We do not intend to kill you,” he told them. “Not if you comply with our demands. Once you have complied with our demands, we will let you all go.”
The miners looked at him dubiously.
“Dominion scum!” one shouted. “Why should we believe you?”
“Because,” Chir replied icily, “I haven’t had you all shot yet. We are the crew of the ‘Zhadersil’! Remember that name! Tell everyone you know that name. Because the crew of the Zhadersil do not kill those who do not resist. We are here for your goods, not your lives!”
“You’re pirates!” another shouted. “You kill, you rape, you pillage! Say what you will, but I won’t believe you until you’re gone!”
“You’re right,” Chir said. “Pirates do do those things. Pirates who are too stupid to know how things should be done! Pirates who make themselves our enemies as well!”
Adrian hadn’t agreed to that, Chir knew, and he wasn’t even sure what he was going to say next. He was just going with what felt right, and he wondered if this was what it felt like to be Adrian when the human was going off half-cocked. “From this day forward,” he continued, “any pirate found wantonly killing his quarry will be marked for death should we ever meet them. We’re businessmen, same as you, if a little rougher, and it does none of us any good to have you dead. You can’t reap a field you’ve burned!”
He was pleased to see that some of the doubt was leaving the faces of those miners. He was surprised to see that his own crew were standing with a little more pride in what they were doing.
On the whole, everyone seemed a lot more cooperative.
“Now then,” he said, striking while the iron was hot, “let’s talk about where you keep all your explosives!”
Hunter Vessel, vicinity of Affrag
Alpha Procui had received the report regarding the abandonment of the vessel down on the surface of the Death world with considerable disappointment. It had been hoping for some ingenious trap to fall upon the team, or perhaps even a human assault. Instead they had reported it empty, but with signs of recent use. There were logs as well, of places the vessel had been, and Alpha Procui had made a special effort to keep those to itself. The Alpha-of-Alphas would be pleased but information of that variety, but it was still important to be rid of those that would claim its glory as their own.
Alpha Procui had commanded the team to split and begin a sweep of the area. It had suggested caution, in case a human was in the area, but that was a matter of course. These days the Brood always acted as though a human may be in the area. That terror was the final humiliation of the Brood, and as it also benefited the Brood it was also the one they were least inclined to desist.
Under Alpha Procui’s orders, Team Prime was to sweep the coastline, while Team Secundi was to investigate the heavily vegetated region. Neither was a problem for a seasoned team of Hunters – the Brood homeworld was itself heavily forested in many areas – but they had expressed some reservations at splitting their number. Alpha Procui had been very convincing when it had explained that if one team were to come under attack, the other team could be brought to attack from another direction. It was a good tactic, provided that both teams survived long enough to execute it.
If there was a human down there, survival was far from a certainty.
It had not been long before the first casualty was reported, called in by Team Secundi.
+<confusion; worry; statement> One Brood member is dead. Suspect environmental accident.+
Alpha Procui clicked to itself. That was unexpected, it was rare for an experienced Hunter to succumb to the environment, although this was a Deathworld and exceptions had to be made. +<curiosity; command> Explain.+
Secundi Leader responded immediately. +<fact; statement> Member was struck by tree branch. Lethal blow to skull. No sign of enemy. Executing spread search.+
That was standard procedure, to spread out and search to locate something more quickly. In this case they weren’t even sure what they were looking for, but moments later Secundi Leader was contacting Alpha Procui again. +<Trepidation; statement> Second Brood member dead. Head missing.+
Alpha Procui found the chances of a coincidence very unlikely, but it was also unlike any kind of incident regarding humans it had knowledge of. +<suggestion> Possible native threat?+
Secundi Leader responded again, almost before Alpha Procui finished. +<alarm; statement> All other team members dead. Massive head trauma. Unknown cause.+
Alpha Procui was also confused, although it seemed more likely than ever to be some sort of native creature. It would not be unusual for a Deathworld to have incredibly dangerous wildlife, but it was important to learn what it was. If it was known, and if it could be harnessed, it may even be useful in future. +<command> Seek cause.+
Secundi Leader did not respond.
That told Alpha Procui everything it needed to know about Secundi Leader’s status, and that meant that there was no time to spare. It turned its attention to Team Prime. +<information; command> Team Secundi destroyed. Unknown cause. Seek cause. Sending coordinates. Exercise caution.+
There was no response from Team Prime. That did not bode well, and a second attempt yielded an identical result.
Alpha Procui considered its next move. It had already disposed of all Brood members that might cause it problems in future, although it was far from certain as to how this had actually occurred. It was reasonably likely that a human had taken the Hunter craft to the planet, but was it the human that had destroyed the Hunter teams, or had something taken both Human and Hunters?
Alpha Procui could not simply leave without answering that question. It could not simply destroy the other vessel without having some reason behind it. It would be fine if only Alpha Procui could confirm the presence of a human, otherwise it would look like the actions of a coward.
It spent some time scanning and re-scanning the area while a new team assembled, ready for the order to go and investigate, although quite reasonably more reserved in their outlook. There had to be something more to go on…
A notification appeared. An assault pod was returning, its automated systems guiding it on a docking course to the main vessel. Alpha Procui was no fool, however, and it ensured the pod’s systems were entirely slaved to those of the main vessel. And then, when it was reassured that no assault pod was going to be crashing into the main vessel, it scanned the content of the pod, and picked up organic content.
Alpha Procui clicked excitedly. It had to be the human! The human was attempting to board the main vessel!
The human would die!
Alpha Procui vented the atmosphere of the pod, and then it went to the docking bay to wait for the tasty flesh to arrive, surrounded by a heavily armed Hunter team in case the human had somehow managed to survive.
It didn’t take long for the pod to arrive, and the whole Brood gave the door a wide berth as it opened. They were ready to fire on anything that might come leaping out at them. They were ready to taste the rich, delicious flesh of a human being.
The doors opened to reveal three heads instead, all severed recently from brood members sent down to the surface. There were chitterings of confusion, of anger, and of pure outrage. Alpha Procui, however, seethed in a silent fury.
This was another humiliation. Another human attempting to shame the Brood.
Alpha Procui would not abide it! It would turn the ship cannons against the island and-
The heads began to lift into the air in slow, shuddering movements, floating silently into the room like horrors from beyond death itself. All chittering was silenced, all eyes were on those floating severed heads.
Then the severed heads exploded, and Alpha Procui’s own did a fair effort in joining them.
+++++
Shopping Trolley
Adrian Saunders was one fucked up guy. He knew it all too well; what else could you say to describe a man who was currently filthy with the blood and brains of his enemies? What else could you say to describe a man who had filled their skulls with floating pipe bombs and turned them into the most horrifying weapons he could ever have imagined? What else could you say to describe a man who had knocked his love-interest unconscious with a sleeper-hold so he could run off and kill monsters like the goddamn Predator?
He wondered if he had completely cracked yet; he had been really fucking close back on Earth, especially in the days before his abduction, but with the whole galaxy spiraling out of control around him, the sheer madness of everything else in the universe, he’d gotten used to feeling like he might be normal. He had been, after all, the only point of normalcy in the entire affair… at least until he’d met Jen.
And then Jen had been the normal one, the reasonable human being that made him feel like the savage he was. She’d made him remember how people were supposed to be, how they weren’t supposed to be psychotic killers of small armies, how they weren’t supposed to be willing to do incredibly dangerous things to satisfy their own egos, and how they weren’t supposed to be evil as all fuck. She’d reminded him, she’d made him want to return to feeling like a real fucking human being. She’d made him want to be whole.
This was how he had repaid her.
Jen was still unconscious, and he had double checked her breathing repeatedly as he had carried her from the little cave to the Shopping Trolley. She was slumped in the passenger seat now, her own clothing slick with sweat and the gore that had rubbed off his own clothes. He felt bad, awful in fact; this was just about the worst thing he’d ever done, and he hated to think what she’d be saying to him when she finally woke up.
He put that out of his mind for the time being. Now it was time to get the fuck out of there, firstly to get up into orbit and to send over one more parting gift before punching the warp button.
He clenched his damned teeth together for every moment of the ride into orbit, waiting for the moment of obliteration to come. Waiting for the moment when he discovered that they’d gotten their shit together in time to completely fuck up his godawful plan.
Waiting for a moment that didn’t come.
The Shopping Trolley burst free of the atmosphere at speed, free and clear of any form of orbital bombardment, but not yet free and clear. He scanned the system, picking out the Hunter vessel that still drifted in orbit. Drifted there doing nothing.
“Alright, fucksticks,” he said, locking on with the pair of small coil-guns the transport vessel had come with, “this is for fucking up my chances with Jen.”
He pressed the button, a virtual button on an adaptive interface that gave him none of the satisfaction of an actual button. The Shopping Trolley shuddered from the recoil, and half a moment later two large holes punched their way through the enemy vessel, venting clouds of atmosphere.
It would have to do.
He engaged FTL, and Affrag disappeared.