MILO

Drained and the hot coffee made little effect on it, but at least he felt more comfortable. Almost cozy. A few hours had passed after their escape from the city. He tried to sleep, but he could not relax. His body tensed and sweating. Hands trembling when he closed his eyes. Images flashing before him. How Beth had punched Dad...no, Jacob. Commander Meyer, but the man had been his dad, he had raised him. Blood splattering, bones breaking. He stopped, steadied and calmed down his breathing. Drops of coffee splattered on his arms because his hands trembled. And then those people who had been killed by the residual tendrils after he had fought Carl. They convulsed as they died. He had to live with that.

He regained his composure and entered the med bay.

Sam was awake and sat up on one of the room’s tables. Diego stood on the side, leaning forward and inspected the Captain’s stump. The wound had been sealed, but now a translucent bandage was wrapped around the top. It was clearly colored sickly green. Milo had seen these types of bandages before. Synthetic tissue. Soldiers wore them. They helped the body heal, entire limbs could not be regrown.

“You are lucky, Captain,” Diego said, inspecting the bandage. “She could have gouged off your head. A missing arm is easily replaced with cybernetics and a head is not.”

Sam chuckled, he seemed in a good mood. “How will it interface with my rig? I am thinking both about the delay and any machine-to-machine interference between the arm and rig’s internal systems.”

They were cut off from the human society. Did the Final Sight even have the resources and machines able to print a cybernetic prosthesis? Milo had not wondered how they would fare with only their ship. How about fuel and food? Spare parts? Materials and sustenance were finite. They would need to discuss it later, now they needed to rest and accept their new situation. Set a plan.

“Hi, Blue. How are you holding up?” Sam asked. Diego also turned to him.

“Truthfully?” Milo replied.

Sam nodded in return.

“Scared shitless,” Milo said, his hands trembled.

“New beginnings are like that. We should talk. But after I feel better,” Sam said. “Doc’s drugs make me feel weird.”

At least they were alive. There was that.

Sam turned back to Diego. “How about that arm. I have some adjustments I would like to suggest.”

Milo left the two of them alone to continue their deep conversion about cybernetic upgrades.

-

Before he retreated back to his personal quarters he would need to look Beth in the eyes again. Her cell was located mid ship and as close to the outer hull as any other room. A prison cell. If foul play was detected from the inmate the whole prison cell would be detached and launched into space automatically by the ship’s AI. Even Beth, with her strength, would not have the time to break out and into ship before the AI acted.

“Hi, Beth,” Milo said. “How do you feel?”

“Beaten up,” Beth said.

Her skin was still not normal. The metal skin used to be shiny before. But now there were scratches and dents across her entire body. Also, the scorch marks Carl had applied were all distinct, especially the burnt mark on her face. Were those injuries in the metal skin or in her actual normal skin?

“Chin up. We got through it alive,” Milo said, leaning against the cell’s transparent wall. “And we stole the alien data. And their top scientist is working on it. I feel that we sit in a pretty nice spot.”

Beth looked up. “Where are we going? I mean, where is this ship heading?”

“Along a random pattern right now. Just trying to avoid confrontation before we have a plan,” Milo said.

“You did not notice?” Beth asked.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“What?” Milo said.

“The alien orb activated upon contact with high levels of radiation. It drank it as fuel. There could be a trail right through space as it moves back to its ship or planet,” Beth said.

Milo’s eyes opened wide. How could they not have thought about that before? Saif must have already seen it. But would he rush towards the enemy? He must have sent scout ships.

“We could do that. But we do not know where it is going. You encountered the alien ship 15 years away from here,” Milo said.

Beth sighed. “If we would ever have a chance of stopping this war we need to make contact with the aliens before Saif. This is our only move left.”

“What if I tried to build a special communications array derived from the research data? And not actually flying over to meet them,” Milo said. “We just have to be first.”

A pause. What options did they really have left? Stay in hiding until Saif left? He might never leave humanity, it could just have been a hoax he played. Try to sneak deeper into the system, to Earth maybe? But to what end? The war would reach every corner. Milo took a deep breath. Follow the orb.

“How long will you keep me here? I guess that Dr. Birgitta is kept under similar circumstances?” Beth asked. “You should take every precaution possible. Burn out Saif’s influence from my mind when you have rested enough. If I turn on you outside this cage I will do some serious damage.”

“Yeah. That is the plan,” Milo said. “But there is one thing we can do in the meantime.”

Milo gestured towards the a box-like thing which interacted between the two sides of the cell. One could pass items through it.

“Put your thumb on the small device I send through. Then put it back in the box,” Milo said. “We need to know.”

“I don’t think that device can extract anything through my skin at the moment,” Beth said. “Will a drop of blood do?”

“Yeah.”

He watched Beth follow his instructions. She grabbed the small device and from one of the cuts in her metal skin she squeezed out a small sample of blood onto a fingertip sized area on the device. She put the device back into the box. Milo picked it up and readied it for a second sample to be extracted. Thumb down onto the area. With a quick sting the device carefully pricked his skin and extracted a tiny bit of blood. His hands trembled and sweat pooled coldly on his back.

Was he surprised by the result?

“So, am I going to have to be called Jonathan now instead?” Milo asked.

Beth held a tired smile.

“I am not really sure about that,” Milo said.

SAIF

Saif leaned back, the inside of his head throbbing in agony. The smooth and warm hands of a woman stroked his temples. Rachel’s manifestation soothed the pain and slowly repaired him. He let out a gasp of relief. The pain faded as another set of his mind healed.

“Time and patience. You will be healed, my love,” Rachel said eyeing him. Her gentle fingers massaged the sides of his head.

Saif breathed deep. “Thank you. I cannot understand how he fueled his manifestation with blood. We have never managed it. But if he can, we can too. We just need to push harder.”

Rachel knelt down in her red dress, her face calm. How could she not be upset? The little brother, Jonathan, had been able to do something which they had never achieved and they had been at this for many years.

Rachel’s hands stroked his forehead in silence.

How had the girl been able to figure out that the alien orb needed the radiation of space to restart itself? Another day, another revelation.

“They have fled now,” Rachel said. “A threat no longer. They put dents in your armor, but fled all the same. They are afraid. We cannot be stopped.”

Saif met Rachel’s eyes. She had turned even younger. Was this use of her manifestation a sign of stress? Anxiety, maybe?

“We will save humanity,” Saif said. “No matter the cost. They cannot see our dream. Or understand the threat. They fled because they are blind.”

The chamber door slid open, catching his attention. Carl stepped inside and Amanda limped in after him. Their faces down, not wanting to look at him. His proud vanguard, their resolve shattered in pieces.

“At ease,” Saif said. “Don’t blame yourselves. We were all surprised by their might.”

They perked up. Yes, there was still the fire inside them. Saif dove into their minds, but retreated quickly again, the pain was unbearable. They needed the hunt.

“Go after them. Take a few ships, assemble a team and crack up their pods while you are on the way,” Saif said. “I will conduct the war from here while you hunt.”

After Saif saved humanity he would be hailed a hero, a saint. He smiled. Vault the hurdles. Failure was not an option.

TERN, DEVOU CLAN

His core bristled with new energy, his shell drunk the radiation of space. Those dreadful two legged creatures hurt him, and had held him captive. He had been forced to resort to cannibalism, eating his own flesh, just to survive. His own flesh! Their first instinct at first contact: dealing death and agony. They had tortured him. A primitive species in the mind, but they were mighty. Mighty beyond what they had expected.

Tern flew through the darkness, only accompanied by the twinkling stars. Nearest Clan harbored far away. The others needed to know. Clan war or not, this changed everything. All Clans needed to bond again. This contender needed to be purged.

Through space; light year after light year, Tern carried the declaration of a new war, a war for the survival of the galaxy.