#012 - "Tense Introductions"
Chapter 2: The Catalyst
A little over two-hours has passed since Anna left to go shower off the blood, and treat her wounds. The DRAC envoy has undoubtedly arrived at the obliterated remains of the station by now.
Apart from Ionna’s bottomless well of tears, it’s been almost completely silent inside the helm. The tension and unease permeating the air has been palpable. I’ve been too uncomfortable to try and talk to Liz, and Ionna’s mental state is in tatters.
Liz had put the ship on autopilot about an hour ago, and left without saying a word. Leaving me alone to try and comfort Ionna.
Ionna finally wore herself out, and ended up falling asleep between my legs; using my lap for a pillow as I gently stroke her head to try and comfort her. My pants are so soaked with her tears it looks like I’ve soiled myself. But the way that her cute blue fox ears twitch in her sleep is honestly adorable.
This poor girl.
From her perspective, this has probably been the worst day of her entire life.
First her Master throws her away. She’s beaten, and thrown into a cell to be sold off like some kind of reject. Then after hearing a flurry of gunfire, feeling the entire station lurch sideways, followed by screams of unimaginable anguish – A crazed madman breaks into her cell, wearing a full face mask, his hand covered in blood, and his other hand holding the grotesque severed arm of her captor.
Then, without saying a word, lunges at her neck, terrifying her even further. The madman forces her to become his slave, and is made to watch as the rolemodel of all therians brutally maims and tortures her captor – Leaving his mangled body behind to slowly expire.
Then the madman forces her to kill one person, then savagely cripple the other, and hold her cellmate at gunpoint. Only to find that her rolemodel and idol, somebody she and her sisters put their full trust and faith in, is a traitorous psychopath.
She is forced to watch in horror as the only home she has ever known is completely destroyed, the people she considered family all murdered, as the traitor responsible for the massacre gleefully laughs.
Then to add insult to injury, the madman who forceably took ownership of her forbade her from taking revenge on the traitor.
Now she’s stuck serving a new master she knows nothing about, alongside her sister’s murderer, unable to do anything to harm her.
I’m so, so sorry Ionna – I truly am.
I promise that I will do my best to make sure you’re able to live a happy, healthy life.
I understood Anna had a vendetta against Hellman and the HMC. I figured she wanted revenge, that much was obvious. But her actions went far beyond anything I could have imagined.
She indiscriminately slaughtered thousands of people – And from the sound of things, she doesn’t actually believe Hellman is dead.
It's true that when I looked at the Auroria, the only place that didn’t seem to have half of its windows blown out was at the top of the spire. Which is where Hellman’s party was being held. Perhaps, like the scenic glass promenade Anna showed me, the penthouse of the Auroria was also equipped with automatic emergency release shutters. Or maybe the penthouse was simply reinforced. She did say that Hellman is notoriously cautious in his preparations.
Which if that’s the case probably means that (assuming DRAC recovery efforts aren’t finished yet) Hellman, Berrick, Rubrum, Beryl, and Fey are all currently trapped at the top of the Auroria, and royally pissed off. Hellman is undoubtedly seething with rage, and panicking at his impending doom. There’s no way for him to pay off his debts now, so he’ll innevitably get turned into a slave.
As for the others, I have no idea what’s going to happen to them. Berrick was the second-in-command, not the leader. Anna never mentioned Berrick being turned into a slave.
Unless Hellman’s debts are going to be transferred to Berrick, the HMC’s remaining assets are undoubtedly going to be liquidated. Which probably means that any surviving therians, or therians currently living in other old HMC stations are going to be sold off since they’re considered company property. As for any gold tags like Rubrum, Beryl, and Fey - They’re considered Daylin Berrick’s private property. So unless Hellman’s debts are transferred, they’ll remain in Berrick’s hands most likely.
I won’t be surprised if I get a visit from a very angry Rubrum eventually…
Anna got her wish – And I got stuck holding the bag.
I genuinely don’t know what to think of her anymore. She showed me a side of herself I never knew existed. Thinking back, a lot of things she said and did up until now make a lot more sense.
As far as I know, it’s true that she *technically* never lied to me. But that doesn’t change the fact she flagrantly manipulated me in order to take revenge on Hellman, and “burn the entire organization to the ground.”
More and more, I have been able to sense – No, *feel* the emotions radiating off Anna with near perfect clarity. When she begged me for forgiveness, those words and feelings were genuine – I’m certain of it.
But how many lives did she just take? How many lives did she just destroy? All for what? Justice? Those therians were innocent victims in her “Justice”.
The fox-tailed therian sitting in my tear-filled lap is a perfect example of that.
Although her life was already about to radically change as she was thrown out by Hellman, she loved her therian sisters. Therians seem to possess extremely powerful feelings of loyalty towards those they consider sisters. Ionna undoubtedly shared happy memories with her sisters, and Anna snuffed them out in an instant.
But… Despite everything she’s done… I can’t help but still care about her...
Why have I gotten so attached? Is this another effect of Symbiotic Synthesis?
I’ve only known Anna for less than a day, and in my mind, she’s become a vital part of my life. It genuinely feels like I’ve known her all my life.
Which is probably why seeing this side of her hurts so much. Like finding out the kindly old neighbor lady had bodies in her basement after she died.
I genuinely don’t know what to think anymore…
The door to the helm opens, and Liz returns with a medical box. She walks over to me, crouching down next to me. She silently holds out her hand, explaining nothing.
“W-what?”
“Let me see your hand genius.”
I hesitantly give her my left hand, as she grasps my palm in one hand, and my ring finger with the other – Which sends a shockwave of sharp pain shooting up my arm.
“I’m going to re-align the bones in your fingers. Get ready, this is going to hurt.”
I nod, and grit my teeth.
*CRACK*CRACK*CRACK*
She forceably re-centers the bones in my fingers, causing my legs to squirm and waves of pain to crash throughout my body. I force myself not to yell in order to not wake Ionna, but air still hisses through my teeth.
“Take your shirt and armor off. I need to see your upper arm.”
I hesitantly acquiesce her request, carefully taking off my armor, mercenary disguise, and flannel shirt underneath.
She rolls up the sleeve of my t-shirt, and takes out two tiny syringes filled with teal blue liquid from the box, a larger vial filled with orange liquid which she loads into a small gun looking apparatus, and a small packet of pills.
She stabs the two syringes into my fingers, causing them to rapidly swell up, and presses the gun up to my arm, injecting me with the mystery liquid. She then hands me the small packet of pills.
“W-what did you just do??”
“I injected your fingers with Vitagel. It expands and stiffens around broken bone, and temporarily fuses the bone back together. You should be able to use your fingers normally now, but don’t overdo it. It isn’t as strong as properly healed bone, so any sudden impacts may cause your fingers to become misaligned again. As for the other vial, that was Retrogen. It’s an all-purpose rehabilitation supplement. It will accelerate the healing process, and strengthen your immune system.”
“And the pills?”
“Basic painkillers. Take them – You’ll feel better.” She says as she stands up and heads back to her seat.
I put my flannel overshirt back on, adjusting my collar and buttoning up my shirt.
I look down at my two, now very fat fingers.
I see, so Vitagel is like an injectable cast. But instead of being a stiff, hard outer shell like a normal cast or splint, it’s like a semi-malleable gel which expands and permeates the affected area. Allowing for semi-normal use, rather than having a useless appendage for weeks on end.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. So are you a doctor?”
“While I do know an extensive amount about the field, no, I am not. That was just basic field care.”
“I see. So hey… Anna… How is she?”
“She’s currently sleeping in the clinic. Her body was more messed up than it looked. Especially after Ionna attacked her. She was trying to bring you the Vitagel and Retrogen herself, but after I realized she was tracking blood all over the place even after her shower, I made her lay down.”
“She was bleeding!? Is she okay!?”
“She’ll be alright. I’m guessing that up until now, she had been running on adrenaline alone. Now that it’s worn off, she could barely walk. She had a lot of shrapnel stuck in her feet, and a few spots around her body. Not to mention the busted teeth. So I put her under anesthetic, removed the shrapnel and broken teeth, and gave her some Retrogen. She just needs to rest now.”
I exhale in relief.
“Thank you.”
“Mhm, no problem.” Liz casually replies.
The helm once again falls silent between us. I think that we both want to keep talking, but find it difficult to broach any topics given the awkwardness and tension of the situation. I can tell Liz is a genuinely decent person, albiet a bit blunt and rough around the edges.
I finally take this opportunity to take off these damn boots, and can immediately feel the blood returning to my asphyxiated feet.
I look to Liz, and our eyes briefly meet, before she quickly looks away. She keeps glancing over at me as if to say “Well come on! Say something!”
She’s struggling to start a conversation just like I am.
Screw it, just say whatever comes to mind.
“So, uh – how does she handle?”
“The Ford? To be honest, like a tub of shit.”
“Seriously? This ship looks so advanced though!”
I say that, but I have no idea what I’m talking about. This is the only spaceship I’ve ever seen in person apart from old museum spacecraft back on Earth. So when you're comparing this beast to the charred and permanently discolored remains of the 1971 Apollo 15 Command Module – Yeah, this thing looks pretty fucking advanced.
“She wasn’t able to be completed. So a lot of necessary refinements on her systems aren’t finished yet. The Ford’s got a lot of ass, too much power, and not enough yaw and pitch stabilizers on the front. So she can’t turn quickly without risking going into a full-on tailspin. I’m going to start modifying her when we get to our destination.”
“And where might that be?...”
“The capital city of Libertalia – Roachdale. I have allies there who will help fund the project.”
Ah yes, Roachdale – Sounds like a lovely place.
I can just imagine what our seaside villa will look like: White sandy beaches, bright blue-green waters, colorful coral reefs, sweet and tangy tropical fruits, and refreshing drinks underneath a palm-leaf cabana.
That or sleeping on a piss stained mattress, complete with rats in the pantry, and a chalk outline of a body in the hallway.
“And why wasn’t she able to be completed?...”
“Considering the plaque in the War Room, and the size of my bounty, I think you already know the answer to that question.”
“You stole it.”
“Mm.” She subtly confirms, redirecting her gaze forward.
I’m fairly certain that’s not the full story behind her bounty, but she doesn’t seem inclined to tell me any details.
Fortunately she doesn’t seem opposed to talking. We’re both feeling each other out.
I’m guessing her opinion of Anna is pretty damn poor. But when it comes to me, she’s probably in the same place I am when it comes to her.
I had thought that she remained silent all this time because she might have been angry with me. But after she just voluntarily chose to tend to both of our injuries without being asked, I’m getting the impression it might have been out of consideration.
Ionna was a wreck after everything that just happened. While their time together was short, Ionna and Liz undoubtedly got to know each other in that cell. I wouldn’t call that enough to be friends, but they’re at least familiar with each other by now.
She just watched as I sat here on the floor for two-hours, comforting Ionna. So she probably thinks I’m a decent enough person at heart, but undoubtedly suspicious.
Okay, I got to try and keep the conversation going.
“So… ‘John B. Ford’ – Where’s that name come from?”
Liz chuckles, “It’s a bit of a stuffy name, isn’t it?”
I smile in return, “Yeah, I thought the same. It felt kind of old fashioned for a ship like this.”
“Well your gut was right. Daniel Grimm, this ship’s chief engineer, named her that after a very old antique cargo ship named the 'John B. Ford' was scrapped. He was so outraged by the loss of such a historic vessel, he named her the ‘John B. Ford’ purely out of spite. Now as to who John B. Ford originally was, I have no idea.”
I laugh, “I like this Grimm fellow already. So… Do you plan on renaming her when you start modifying her?”
“Oh yes. All of the old identifiers need to go. Now as to what I’m going to call her, I’m not sure yet.”
Good, good – We’re making progress. Just got to gradually ease into the big questions.
“So – It sounds like you knew this Daniel person?”
“We were colleagues. While we worked on several projects together, I wouldn’t necessarily call him a friend. A bit too stubborn and opinionated for my tastes.”
So she worked with a ship engineer. Okay, okay, now we’re getting somewhere. She’s still being rather tight lipped with me. But she’s at least giving me something to work with.
“So l take it that you’re an engineer?”
She gives a wry smile.
“I suppose you could say that. Engineering is certainly a part of the work I do – Or did. I think ‘multi-field researcher’ might be a better term to use though.”
Okay we took one step forward a two steps back right there, but no big deal.
“So, what kind of research did you do?”
“Oh – All kinds of things.”
“Like…?”
“Various subjects.”
Looks like she isn’t willing to talk about it. Should I just stop beating around the bush and bluntly ask her? That might be the best approach here.
Screw it – Going for it.
“Who exactly are you Liz?”
Liz smiles – Apparently she’s been waiting for me to ask that.
She turns the ship back on autopilot, and turns towards me.
“You first – Considering my current situation, you understand why I’d be hesitant to tell you anything potentially compromising. You’re even more mysterious than I am. You’re wearing mercenary armor, yet you don’t know what an EMT is. You say your name is Max, but your armor says Tony. You don’t possess a central neural implant, yet you look to be in your mid to late 20’s. You can somehow overwrite a slave’s registered owner using nothing but your blood. You say it’s due to you not possessing a central neural implant, but I know for a fact that shouldn’t be the case. Not having a central neural implant should have no bearing on whether or not somebody can overwrite a slave’s owner. Therefore it must be a phenomena unique to you.”
Wow, I didn’t expect a full on barrage, but okay.
“Look, that’s just how I understand it okay? That’s what Anna told me.”
“So you say. But using this ability, you and your little ‘Princess Massacre’ back there just started an interstellar war trying to escape that place.”
“Wait – Interstellar war?? What are you talking about???”
“You two just handed the DRAC enough just-cause to formally declare war on Libertalia and then some. All they need to do is claim Libertalian spies caused that massacre.”
Oh fuck.
She’s right.
The whole purpose of the HMC’s campaign was to harass Libertalia into committing an “unprovoked attack” on the DRAC territories, so the DRAC could claim self-defense, declare war, and thus move their official military fleets in to subjugate and annex the whole region.
If I was the DRAC, I would absolutely claim that Libertalian spies committed an unprovoked terrorist attack.
We didn’t just kill the thousands on that station.
We just killed hundreds of thousands – Possibly millions.
“Ahhhh…” I groan in my sudden realization.
What have you done Anna!?
“Don’t tell me you’re just now realizing what you two have done?”
I can’t even respond.
I just look down in horror realizing the impending carnage we’ve just wrought.
Liz bursts out laughing, slapping her knee in pure amusement at my gloomy reaction.
“Well based on your reaction, I can at least extrapolate that you aren’t a foreign spy looking to instigate a war.”
I say nothing.
“Hey… Look man, think of it this way – It was going to happen eventually no matter what. If it wasn’t you, it was going to be me who caused it. Or something else entirely. At this point, we’re all in the same shitty boat.”
“Yes but!- Wait, why would you have caused it?”
Liz wags her finger in rebute.
“Nuh uh uh – That’s not how this works. I just healed both you and your slave’s injuries, despite the fact she was the one who got me into that mess. You had Ionna there stick a gun to my head. I let you escape that place on MY ship, AND I’m letting you stay here for free. Anna wouldn’t tell me anything, but at this point I think I’m entitled to some transparency.”
I can’t even argue with her on that. She’s absolutely right, she has more than earned the right to some clarity.
I don’t really have a problem with telling her who I am and my current situation. Liz doesn’t strike me as a malicious person. But if Anna chose to withhold information about my situation, she probably thinks it strategically wise to do so.
I never really thought about it before, but I suppose my ability to overwrite a slave’s registered owner is actually quite dangerous. Unless there’s a limit to the amount of slaves I can own, I could theoretically create an army of genetically enhanced slaves – Thus destabilizing the government’s position of power. Or at the very least, endangering their perception of power.
Assuming Liz is right, I don’t think Anna intentionally lied to me about my ability deriving from my lack of a central neural implant. More likely that was simply just her understanding of the situation. She did say it was all just old therian word of mouth afterall. Come to think of it, it wouldn’t make sense for the DRAC to adopt such a dangerously unstable system. All it would take is one person without an implant to potentially destabilize the entire government. So Liz must be right – It must be something unique to me.
Wait, now that I think about it – Is my ability even limited to just therians? If everybody has a central neural implant, and everybody has a CS, doesn’t that mean that anyone could potentially be affected by my ability?
As expected, Anna made a smart call. Even when injured and in a stupor, she’s extensively thorough and pragmatic.
I should keep this ability as secret as humanly possible.
But in the case of Liz, Ionna, and Anna – They already know I have this ability. Sharing what I know about my history won’t change the amount of danger I’m already in. I absolutely cannot let this ability leak out.
Should… Should I try to use it on Liz? Considering the threat I potentially pose to the DRAC government, Liz’s bounty will look like small beans compared to mine if this gets out. I’ll be deemed the most dangerous man alive.
Anna said that her original goal was to push Hellman and Bradley into slavery. I don’t know if Hellman was a human, but Bradley most definitely was. So is Liz. So if it was possible for Bradley to become a slave, then it should be possible for Liz as well.
…I really don’t want to do that to Liz though. While granted, I have no intention of treating her like a slave. I just want to order her to never tell anyone about my ability or history. But frankly Liz has shown us nothing but patience and hospitality, despite Liz’s and Anna’s estranged relationship.
For now, I’ll try and redirect the conversation. If I can’t, I’ll just give her what she wants, and take the wait and see approach. Meanwhile I’ll have Anna and Ionna keep a close eye on her.
If I absolutely have to try it on her, ultimately at the end of the day – She’s outnumbered on this ship.
I sigh outwardly.
“Are you sure we have the luxury of time to be talking like this? The DRAC military could be on us at any moment.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.”
“And why’s that?”
“This is a state of the art fusion powered rapid-response stealth frigate. With our current speed and rate of energy production, we have approximately two-weeks before we absolutely need to dump our heat sinks, and by then we’ll have already made it to the Dark Tide. Unless they ping us on their short-range ODSS, we’re effectively invisible to them. Even if they do find us, unless they already have a full on armada ready to blockade and encircle us - We’re a hell of a lot faster than anything they got.”
Rapid response frigate? So it really is like the Valkyrie…
It’s designed to travel so fast it can’t be intercepted, probably launching a swarm of warheads or those big ass heavy hull cracker missiles I saw in the Surplus Depot. After it launches all of its payload, all it needs to do is turn on its stealth drive, and retreat faster than the enemy can respond.
It's the perfect guerrilla hit and run vessel. I now understand why the DRAC want it back so bad. It’s extraordinarily dangerous in the wrong hands.
It’s basically the spaceship equivalent of the Red October.
But wait…
Fusion powered?
As in nuclear fusion?? Not fission!?
When it comes to nuclear fission, I have a general understanding of how it works. It effectively takes advantage of radioactive decay by utilizing the heat energy generated when two atoms crash into one another and split. This heat is then converted into steam, which spins a turbine, which in turn generates electricity.
With nuclear fusion however, I’m more or less ignorant. I know that, instead of splitting atoms apart, it somehow combines atoms to make a new element. I know that the sun is a naturally occurring product of nuclear fusion. I also know that it was virtually impossible to successfully replicate back home because of a plethora of reasons. Such as producing way too much heat and pressure to actually be feasibly contained.
Wait… Is that what HELIOS is?
Ahh, I get it now. Helios was the Greek god of the Sun. Given that this ship is powered by a fusion reactor, it’s an apt name. So HELIOS must be the name of either the program which designed the reactor, the name of the company contracted to supply the reactor, or the name of the reactor itself.
But if this ship is somehow able to block all of that heat energy from leaving the ship, thus making us invisible, those heat sinks have to be insane. We effectively have a literal miniaturized sun in the core of this ship. To be able to store that much heat energy without bursting into flames is technology lightyears ahead of anything Earth has.
Not to mention the size of the ship. While this ship is not small by any means, it’s also not as big as say – An oil tanker.
To be able to fit a fusion reactor in this thing is no small feat. In fact it’s mind-blowingly impressive. I genuinely can’t figure out how it’s even possible. Nor can I figure out how it’s possible to not only design insulation capable of protecting us from the heat expelled from a *fucking sun*, but to store it inside heat sinks for two weeks.
I should be looking like I just opened the Ark of the Covenant right about now. But instead, the helm is nice and comfortable.
So comparing their fusion technology to Earth’s understanding of fusion power is probably like comparing modern day medicine to humanity’s understanding of medicine during the Black Plague. Back when doctors wore bird beak masks filled with pleasant smelling herbs in order to protect themselves from catching their patient’s symptoms.
While the mask may have mildly protected them from airborne transmission, they completely missed the mark on why it protected them.
But wait… If they know who Helios is and what he was the god of, does that mean I’m not actually in another universe, but rather the future?...
No, that’s not necessarily for certain. The fact the rumor that people without central neural implants can overwrite a slave’s registered owner even exists implies that I’m not the first person to be sent here. That is, assuming that’s the cause of my ability. So knowledge of Helios could have come from these other Earthlings.
Not to mention that Anna didn’t recognize who Dracula was. Which admittedly could have been due to the age of the story. But the Greek god Helios predates the fictional story of Dracula by over a millennia.
It sounds like silly reasoning. But if you really think about it, Dracula is a Hell of a lot more known than Helios is. If you took 100 people from Earth, and asked them whether they recognized who Dracula or Helios is: At least 90 will recognize Dracula, and maybe 15 or 20 might recognize Helios *at best*. In truth, I’m probably being pretty generous with that estimate.
So it could honestly go either way.
For now, I am going to try to not think about it. There are too many variables to consider, and frankly, thinking about it stresses me out. If it isn’t helping me, then it’s just a waste of time.
“What’s the Dark Tide?”
“Yet again, you say something strange. Stop dodging the question, and cut the crap already. Just tell me who you are.”
Liz has her arms and legs crossed now, with a stern expression on her face.
Damn, she’s not going to let me wriggle out of this.
Well… It’s true that she’s been patient with us thus far. She even waited two hours for Ionna to calm down before having this conversation.
As far as she knows, this entire time she could have been in great danger just having us here. We could be bounty hunters secretly broadcasting her location. Or we could be plotting to hijack the ship for ourselves.
Come to think of it, that might be why she left to check on Anna.
I sigh, and give a small nod.
Trust is built on transparency.
“Yeah alright… I’ll tell you everything – On one condition.”
“…And what’s that?”
“Never tell ANYONE what I’m about to tell you.”
Liz pauses, her arms crossed, as her lips tighten in contemplation.
“…Fine.”
I turn towards Liz with a serious expression.
“Okay – What I’m about to tell you is going to sound like utter nonsense, but I swear it’s the truth-…”
