Libre observed the new crew of his ship. Definitely worthy of a pirate crew, he thought bitterly. This Hogloo, traitor to his own people, had freed the two other prisoners from their prisons. The Ktn-Ktn spoke little and seemed very submissive in front of the Hogloo, while the Cyclops showed a certain arrogance, suggesting that he had a similar rank or was part of another terrorist group, temporarily allied.

Xini did not seem to know either of these two characters but she had a satisfied smile as she adjusted the shield systems she installed on her suit. The Hogloo had not taken long to force access to the armory, which had resisted him before giving way to physical force, to equip everyone.

The Hom met Sava's worried gaze as she checked the integrity of her assault rifle. She wanted to say something but was clearly afraid of the Hogloo's keen hearing. With a fake smile, he answered her questions:

“None of these weapons will be enough against this monster, if you're wondering why he lets us take them. I don't know yet what he wants to use us for, but it's better to comply. Especially you in fact: in my case, he knows very well that this ship would self-destruct if I were to die...”

“What will happen... next?”

“Once his mission is over, he'll probably kill us... Unless he feels like sparing us...”

He looked at the monstrous creature that seemed to flow to the ground in multiple ramifications that then spread like roots through the ship. The Homtest had never heard of such a technique, but the Hogloos had many secret weapons… He didn’t know if this monster would choose to spare him, but for the moment things were going in the right direction: he would find out why he had been used for this escape, what was the purpose of these maneuvers.

He noticed the strange and worried look Sava gave him. Had he let his thirst for revenge show in his expression, or was she worried about their suspended lives. Chasing all worry from his features, he gave her a reassuring smile:

“Well, there’s no point worrying about the future: for now, we have no choice, so we’ll make do with it for now.

“Okay…”

She seemed reassured in a second, but another thought immediately worried her:

“I understand why this monster spares you, but me? Why is he taking the risk of keeping me alive?”

It was a good question. Libre supposed that for some reason, the enemies might think the young woman was an asset to their plans. Why else would they have given him the coordinates of the wreckage he had found her on? But there were so many possibilities and many truths would probably remain hidden forever.

“I don’t know. Do you have any ties to their organizations?”

“No! replied an outraged Sava. I have no connection with any bandit group and neither does my family… In fact, the first shady individual I’ve ever hang out with is you.”

She had finished with a mischievous smile. Her initial distrust of him seemed to have completely disappeared and the presence of these enemies, obviously less well-intentioned, must have reinforced this improvement in their relations.

“So, maybe he’s simply sparing you because you don’t seem to represent a danger to them.”

The common room had radically changed in appearance. If nothing had moved, if the decor was strictly the same, the strange growths generated by the Hogloo formed red cracks everywhere. When you looked at them more closely, you could see them moving, swelling and deflating…

Sava looked away: it was really disgusting. And yet, she came from a species that did not hesitate to eat live insects.

The Hogloo had generated a hologram of a space station in the middle of the central table. A fortress apparently.

“Here is the target,” he explained, “that we will reach within the hour. We will have to reach these coordinates as quickly as possible, force open the stasis case and release the objective, then escape quickly. Any questions?”

“Yes,” said Libre, “what is the objective?”

The Hogloo ignored him and turned to Xini:

“The target is an administrative prison of the highest security level: beyond the officially existing systems. Do you think you can disable the security to protect the operation?”

Xini gave a condescending look to the Hogloo who flinched in surprise. To look at a member of his species with such an attitude was a feat that few people across the universe had been able to achieve... and that's counting all those who died afterwards.

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“I designed most of the security software at the highest level of the Administration. Even if they had recruited one of my people to modify it or design others, I would have no problem... By the time we arrive, I will have finished updating the hacking software on this computer.”

She pointed to the plastic tablet she was holding. It was part of the equipment the Hogloo had given her, and the Xerinean was typing something on it, probably to retrieve a copy of her own hacking software hidden somewhere in the Network.

An administrative prison? Of the highest level? So, the goal of this mysterious Hogloo was to free a prisoner… Sava had a few ideas in mind, and they all foretold bad things if they succeeded… Not to mention the potential existence of prisoners unknown to the public, but just as dangerous.

Her heart began to beat faster and faster as her migraine returned, fueled by anxiety. She felt Libre’s hand rest on her shoulder. Turning in his direction, she saw his confident smile. He had a plan… Or was he maybe pretending?

“Everything is going to be fine, Sava.”

Oddly enough, this risky statement calmed her down. Perhaps she was deluding herself, desperate to believe that there was a way out of this nightmare, but it was nice to feel reassured.

“So,” the Hom continued, this time addressing the others, “if this is a top-level administrative prison, how do you plan to get past the Vermilions who guard it?”

This time, the Hogloo didn't ignore her question, but he answered it with a sly smile:

“Vermilions? Oh, if there's one prison where they're not, it's this one: for security reasons that benefit us in this enterprise.”

Sava and Libre briefly looked at each other, silently confirming that they had both guessed who the prisoner was, the objective of their enemy.

The ship approached the fortress without being fired upon, its identification codes apparently valid. Uncomfortable on the command seat, Sava cast sideways glances at the rest of the crew around her, out of the camera’s field of view. A smart-bubble hid her facial features, giving her the appearance of someone else.

Suddenly, a communication screen opened. A woman with three pairs of long ears appeared. Covered in thick natural fur, she seemed to be spilling out of her prison officer’s jumpsuit, which was a little too tight. She cited the name of the prison, a series of numbers and letters that she read with difficulty, then turned her attention directly to the Ham:

“Your access codes are valid. Please state your name and the reason for your visit.”

Sava didn’t answer, but a software that Xini had designed along the way did so for her. The smart-bubble added to the illusion by changing the appearance of her mouth, as if she were speaking. The software presented her as an administrative inspector sent by the Security Institution, Sub-Institution of Order, Prison Department, and with a mission concerning the Security Institution, Sub-Institution of War, Intelligence Department.

The officer nodded, her curious trumpet nose twitching strangely with the movement. Inspectors were practically the only people who could make an unannounced visit to a prison fortress of this level. She gave permission to land and the hangar opened.

Armed to the teeth, the small troop exited the spaceship. From the command centers, artificially generated information replaced the real ones that the surveillance systems would have given.

Of course, the guards on site did not have the same reactions. The Hogloo, the Ktn-Ktn and the Cyclops eliminated them before their defense software even understood the threat. The corpses were immediately attacked by some kind of gelatinous monsters that came out of the Hogloo's body.

With horror, the Homs and the Cyclops saw the creatures infiltrate the bodies and set them in motion. Xini was indifferent to the spectacle while the Ktn-Ktn seemed to swoon with admiration. Trembling with fear, Sava gripped her rifle even tighter and whispered:

“What... What is that?”

Libre gritted his teeth at the sight of these animated corpses that continued their routines, the holes in their bodies and suits mysteriously closing. The sort of Hogloo-independent growths that had infiltrated these bodies were biological weapons of the most atrocious kind. With access to what remained of the victims’ memories, they could manipulate them to maintain the illusion of life for several hours, or even indefinitely. The pirate software deployed by Xini had also taken possession of the armors to send realistic health data to the control center.

“Hogloo biological weapons,” he said, also whispering, “of the worst kind. The base’s security will eventually detect their presence, even with Xini’s hacks. Time is running out now before a general alert.”

But it was also possible that they could make the round trip without being worried…

The rest of the journey resembled a violent walk: the doors opened as they passed, the guards died before they had a chance to shoot, then their bodies rose again… If a guard noticed the presence of these zombies, potentially able to attack if the Hogloo decided to, he would feel like he was living a horror movie.

Armed as well, Sava and Libre did not fire. They had probably been given these weapons so that they would participate in the defense if the situation turned bad: their survival instinct would then override their scruples. Xini did not even glance at the fighting, seeming more awake than usual as she devoted herself to a task she found interesting, typing instructions on her tablet while observing multiple holographic screens that floated around her. She even smiled with excitement.

There were no drones or combat androids. Like the absence of Vermilions, this clearly indicated who the main prisoner of this complex was. The Homs did not know who the other prisoners could be, but there was little chance that these terrorists would come for them.

A wall slid open, revealing a stasis case similar to those found in the hold of “Lost Truth”. The symbols were different, however, combining the letters alpha and omega: the highest level, whose existence was subject to discussion.

A Hom was floating in the middle of the stasis tube, dressed in a prisoner's uniform. He was heavily muscled. Beardless, he had short red hair.

Despite the danger of the situation, the Homs felt their hearts beat with the excitement of finding themselves face to face with such a historical figure. Khajraz noticed their emotion and was amused by it. He also noticed that the Ktn-Ktn and even more the Cyclops, also shared a certain excitement in the face of this character frozen in time. The renegade Hogloo made a solemn gesture towards the prisoner:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the legendary Emperor Vector Vermilion!”