MILO

With a distinct click Sam attached the acid shotgun to his rig’s right arm.

“Here.” Milo handed Sam the feeding tube.

Sam attached the feeding tube between the shotgun and the ammo reserve. “Beautiful. Blue, winch up the cannon.”

Milo held down the icon on his hand terminal. The multiple barrel laser cannon rose from its table, right off its maintenance cycle.

Sam aligned it and used a power tool to bolt the weapon onto his rig’s left arm. “Dazzling. Blue, you do the spare fuel cells and I will attach and link the lightning rod.”

“The weight of these always surprise me.” Milo grabbed and clicked the fuel cells onto the rails that ran along the rig’s back.

Sam pushed the lightning rod in place and bolted it down besides the acid shotgun. He took a step back and smiled. “The savagery, the violence. I am in love. Don’t you think, Blue? Savagery.”

Milo met his eyes. “It’s a lovely piece of machinery.”

“Yes, it is,” Sam said.

“Beth’s new component will let you power it with Milo’s power.” Claire tapped on her hand terminal before putting it away. “And one to my suit.”

Claire’s rig stood still, as if it was a metal man. Dashes of red and black were painted across its outer hull plating. The differences between Clarei’s rig and Sam’s were distinct. It seeped of speed and agility.

Sam’s face told it all, he lit up, seeing one of his crew fulfilling her goal, Claire was a butterfly testing her wings for the first time. “Go ahead.”

Claire activated the rig’s back plate, it opened like the others. She stepped in, feeling around its insulation, triggers and functions. The motor muscles warmed, whining up. The helmet rose and turned to them.

“I feel awesome,” Claire spoke through the rig’s speakers.

Sam smiled. “It suits you, it suits you very well. You stocked and charged up?”

Claire nodded. “Yeah.”

“Weapons attached and locked?”

Claire nodded, lifting the rig’s arms, showing of the laser cannon on the left and the sword on the right.

“Nice. Motor muscles flexing?”

Claire swung the right arm, the sword cleaving through the air making a distinct sound.

“Good,” Sam said. “Blue, I will get into mine, then we get going.”

“Yes, sir,” Milo said.

Birgitta stepped inside the workshop. “This will not do. Your suits will not work inside the suppression field.”

Milo nodded. “That’s correct. How could I have forgotten?”

“Bulldozer,” Sam muttered under his breath.

Beth stepped up to Birgitta’s side, with Tern tightly behind, and the corded mace rested on her left shoulder. “Juice them up, Milo.” She turned to him and placed the mace on the floor. “It is alright. We are doing this together.”

Milo placed a hand on the Claire’s rig and a hand on the open access hub which Beth had opened. His fingers trembled, the electricity surging in the exposed cable. “You really think I should do this?”

“Do it.” Beth urged him on. “Just don’t fuel with blood just yet. ”

Milo clasped his teeth down and grabbed the cable.

Sweetness exploded. The world slowed down, his mind sped up. Electrical energy pumped into him and his body drank it greedily. He was in control. His mind raced across the Final Sight’s careful wiring. The electrical tendrils raced across his body and funneled into Sam’s rig.

“Perfect! Do Claire now!” Someone yelled in the background.

But nothing or no one was as important as the power surging through him. He, a conduit of excited electrons.

“Move on!”

Milo grunted and reached without seeing his hand towards the second combat suit. His fingers grabbed onto something. Energy rippled through him and passed into Claire’s rig.

He let go.

...Empowered. The barriers of hesitation and fear obliterated. His very breath electrifying the air.

He fought back the urges to fuel with blood, the deposit vibrated with distinction in his mins. It wanted him to tore into it, his fingers trembled with anticipation. The taste of iron was a thought away, it would be so easy to tap into it.

Someone grabbed the sides of his head and turned him. “You are okay?” Beth asked. Her skin had already turned into metal. “You are not fueling with blood.”

Milo stepped back, tore himself free from her grip. “Not yet.”

“It’s working! Beth’s solved the transfer. The rigs are juiced up,” Claire said.

Beth locked her gaze at him. “Then we move out. To the shuttle.”

-

The shuttle was cramped, they had elected to use the alien-made for human use shuttle. It might have been more practical to use one of the Final Sight’s standard issued crafts, which were made to deploy marines in combat suits with. But the aliens would recognize the alien-made and landing with it would be accepted. Sam and Claire walked with their rigs into the shuttle and parked close to the rear hatch. Tern was in his hollow in the floor. Milo and Beth occupied the front seats. Her mace with the long cord leaned on the arm rest of the third front seat.

If this mission failed they would be toasted.

Beth placed her hands on the controls. “Are you ready for this? There will be no turning back now. We are committed.”

Did she doubt his dedication?

“Go. Let’s turn the tide in this war before it breaks out,” Milo said.

“Together,” Beth said.

“Leopold, keep the Final Sight close, we never know when we will need a bailout,” Sam said, through the shared communication channel.

“Roger, Capt’n!” Leo said.

Pressure alerts rang through the shuttle bay and its bulkhead hatch slid aside. The alien-made shuttle rose from its docking berth and flew forward. The distance to the planet was cut quickly and the descent through its atmosphere went smoothly. Beth took their shuttle down carefully and landed on the designated pad.

Milo exited the shuttle first, Beth and Tern behind him, and Sam and Claire in their combat suits.

A lone alien orb waited for them in the middle of the tunnel, but its size was not like the last time they had met him.

“Chieftain Argus,” Milo mumbled.

Beth and Tern pushed him aside, moving up to their chieftain.

“You are okay, Argus,” Beth said. “But why are you so small? What happened to you after the anchor disappeared?”

Chieftain Argus shoved at Tern and turned tail, leaving them in the tunnel.

Beth grunted. “Goddamnit.”

“What? Tell us,” Milo said.

“We are clanless. The Devou Clan has been dissolved,” Beth said. “Goddamnit.”

Sam stepped up, his hulking rig taking up extra space. “This changes nothing. We proceed as planned.”

Beth shook her head. “We really have to win this. We need a new clan. Tern needs it, I need it. You don’t know what this means. We are shunned. They will come down hard on us. We are clanless, we are below all of them. We will have to challenge and fight our way through it.”

“We will solve this,” Milo said.

“I hope you are correct,” Beth said. “Because I don’t know how Tern will take it if we fail.”

Milo took the lead, leading them inside the opened mingling room. Orbs and their companions were floating around, of all sizes and shapes. No one paid them any attention.

Rahgon and Freet of Celeste Clan.

The space dragon and its orb moved through the room as they owned it. As they should. A space dragon with claws the size of men and breathing fire through its nostrils.

“This is why we are here,” Milo said.

Sam stepped up in his rig with Claire on his side, the difference in size of the two combat suits was distinct. “Blue, you really described that dragon well. The fire streaming from its nostrils and the size of its claws. Rahgon was it?”

“If we challenge them, Tern cannot join us. It is only between the companions,” Beth said.

“Are you having doubts, Beth? Don’t be like that now,” Milo said. “I am rested and juiced up. We know what we are doing.”

Beth pulled at the cord on her weapon. “I know we planned to do it this way, but I am not feeling it anymore. Maybe it would be better to challenge smaller clans instead and build us up slowly?”

“No,” Milo said. “We agreed to this.”

“Let’s do it,” Sam said, backing him up.

Claire stepped forward. “Yes. But we all need to go in for it. No doubts, no second guessing. Beth, what do you say?”

“Alright, then. We will do this,” Beth said, testing the tautness of the cord. “Tern, will you open it for us?”

Tern bumped into her and with a distinct series of clicking sounds his armor enveloped his shell. He flew ahead of them. He came to a halt in front of the space dragon, which had to lower its giant head to get Tern into view. Milo couldn’t understand what was said, but as soon as Tern turned tail and returned to them, it was decided.

“We have a go,” Beth said, her skin flowed into metal underneath her vacuum suit and she grabbed a better hold onto her giant mace.

The blood deposit was still distinct inside Milo’s mind, it wanted him to tore into it. “Be the conduit,” he whispered to himself. He tore into the deposit and the iron taste of blood rushed into his mouth. Electrical tendrils crackled to life inside his fists and exited through his Birgitta-designed vacuum suit, spreading across and above his body. As his vision was tinted blue his barrier became absolute.

Rahgon turned its protruding head towards them, it towered above them and its shadow was cast over them. Scary, how size changed with the relative distance. Rahgon roared, liquid fire streamed out from its nostrils.

The bitter taste of adrenaline flooded Milo’s mouth and pushed away the blood, a flash of electricity flowed across his body and he folded into lightning. He thundered at the dragon’s body. Tendrils exploded along Rahgon’s body when he impacted. He transformed back into his human form, his boots landing on the floor. The dragon reeled back from the impact, confusion spread on its face. Laser beams and droplets of acid slammed into the creature. It shielded itself. Beth’s mace came flying, cracking back the dragon’s head. Claire’s sword gleamed in the light of the fire as she moved to attack with speed and agility.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

They had taken it by surprise.

Bitterness was exchanged for the iron taste of blood. His barrier went up again, he ran along the dragon’s side, discharging lightning bolts on the move.

They were winning.

Streams of liquid fire sizzled against his barrier. It struggled, heat bled through, enough to make him stumble, but he didn’t fall.

A scattered, unfocused lightning bolt struck the creature’s face. It had originated from Sam’s lightning rod.

By holding only on the cord Beth spun the mace up and launched it. Rahgon swiped the weapon to the side with its larger claws. The claw came down on top of Sam, but the rig’s legs were too sturdy for him to be toppled.

Milo duck and slid under one of the streams, with Claire moving alongside him. His lightning bolts striking against Rahgon’s scales and Claire’s laser beams were aimed at its throat. The dragon exposed its eyes and the inside of its mouth every time it roared.

He transformed into lightning again and thundered against Rahgon’s throat. At impact he transformed back and grabbed onto one its jutting scales. Rahgon roared, shaking its head, but Milo held fast. A lightning bolt thundered from his palm, crashing down Rahgon’s opened mouth.

Rahgon reeled back and threw him off. Milo rolled along the floor when he landed. The dragon’s tail came around and launched Claire to the other side of the room. Beth’s mace slammed into the side of the dragon’s face, it turned to the side. But Rahgon roared and turned back to them, seemingly only angrier from their attacks, showing no signs of taking any real damage.

The fight dragged on. Spectators gathered around, the unlucky ones were burnt by dragon fire or a stray bolt from Milo, or were launched away as Beth’s mace spun around.

Something hit him and Milo went flying away. He bounced twice before sliding to a halt on the floor. Pain shot through his back. The dragon’s claw had struck him through his barrier. His suit’s display warned him of microfractures, but the pressure was stable. The fight had to end sooner rather than later, if they wanted to survive.

Milo struggled to his feet, the pain shot through his legs and he stumbled again.

“Get up,” Sam yelled.

Claire ran along the side of Rahgon, blasting with her laser cannon and swinging with her sword, but the dragon looked unaffected. Streams of liquid fire flooded across her rig, she leapt away and rolled across the floor, the burning subsided.

No way. They had failed. Milo had given it everything he had, but he had not been enough. They had to disengage. He came to his feet.

“Attack!” Sam yelled, his laser cannon spinning and spewing beams against Rahgon.

Beth leapt through the air and slammed her mace down, it impacted on the dragon’s back, but the scales were simply too hard to penetrate.

“Here,” Sam yelled, raising his right arm.

The fuel cell sailed through the air. Milo stepped forward and down on one knee, his fingers reaching for the fuel cell. He caught it and his body surged with energy as it drank its electrical energy. His breath grew electrifying again, his confidence returned. The drained fuel cell landed on the floor. He tensed his hands into fists and leapt forward. With the bitter taste of adrenaline flooding into his mouth, he transformed into a lightning bolt. He crashed into Rahgon’s face and transformed back, grabbing a scale again, pumping lightning into the dragon through its very scales.

The swing of a claw came at him, but it stopped.

Sam stood by his side, holding the giant claw with his rig, its motor muscles whining in struggle underneath the weight.

The other claw came swinging, but something pulled it down and held it down.

Beth stood on the claw, slamming her mace down on it over and over again.

Claire leapt up to its face and swung her sword, a bleeding gash was sliced across it’s tough snout.

“Yes!” Milo yelled, landing with his boots on the floor. He looked into his mind, the adrenaline deposit was almost depleted.

Rahgon stepped back, blood trickling down its chest.

A rumble went through the entire room.

“What is happening?” Beth yelled.

Milo stumbled to the floor. Gravity shifted, sending him sliding across the floor and bumping into orbs and companions. Gravity shifted again, sending him floating off the floor. Flailing his arms made no difference, but he tried anyways. Still drifting out the ceiling, heading into space. Had to get away, no effort made any change. His heart pounded hard. He turned and clawed at the air, but nothing. Everyone else would be too occupied with not drifting into space without having the time or reactibility to save him. His body would continue to drift through space even though he was long dead. Adrenaline! He reached into the deposit and fueled. Transforming into a lightning bolt, he thundered back down to the floor. He grabbed a handhold when stepping out from the transformation, letting blood flow into his mouth again. The adrenaline deposit had enough juice for one more transformation.

Rahgon flapped its wings and maneuvered, the dragon could fly in the vacuum of space. Milo rolled over and extended his palms forward, two lightning bolts discharged and struck Rahgon straight on. He barely missed the gash that Claire had cut into it.

“Look up!” Sam said.

Milo lost his grip and floated off again. A loud cracking sound echoes through the room and the ceiling shattered, the pieces slowly falling down. The nose of a dreadnought jammed into the place where the ceiling used to be.

Claire leapt and grabbed Milo, pulling him down. “It’s The Breach.”

Gravity stabilized, they were lighter but at least they were not actively floating away.

Carl was covered in dripping molten rock and jumped out from The Breach. Claire pulled Milo further away. Carl stepped forward and extended his palms towards them, liquid fire streaming from them. Lisa Rands landed besides him, covered in a barrier of crystalized cold, drops of liquid ice dripping from her hands. Soldiers in combat suits rushed out from the stranded dreadnought, their laser cannons spinning up.

Milo got up to his feet, Carl’s fire sizzling against his barrier. “How are we going to fight them too? A goddamn clusterfuck.”

“Capt’n what’s the play?” Claire said, stepping out to Milo’s side.

Sam’s laser cannon spun up. “Leo, you still around?”

“Yeah, Capt’n!” Leo yelled, but the comm channel sounded broken.

Beth leapt forward and launched her mace. “Die!”

The mace impacted against Lisa’s barrier, aimed for the head, and deflected to the side, leaving a crack in the ice.

“Attack,” Sam said, his cannon spewing laser beams.

“I am fire incarnate!” Carl yelled.

Rahgon roared in the background.

Milo discharged lightning bolts, which sizzled harmlessly against Carl’s barrier.

The dragon claw came from the left, Carl dodged under it, but stepped right into the line of the dragon fire instead. Liquid fire burnt against his barrier. Milo came forward, discharging bolts. Beth’s mace flew in, striking Carl in the chest, making him stumble. She withdrew it with the cord and slammed it down again.

A barrage of ice shards struck at Rahgon’s head, the dragon reeled back. Carl came loose and leapt away, molten rock dripping from him.

Tern bumped into Milo. A different orb hovered behind him, its shell crackled and it emitted a beam of light. He threw himself down just in time, before the beam sliced above him. Tern had saved him.

Milo stroked Tern’s shell. “Thank you.”

Beth’s mace came down, shattering the offending orb. She spun around, pulling the cord and slammed the mace sideways into another one of the alien orbs.

“This is a disaster. A full free for all,” Beth said, an ice shard shattered against her mace. “You frozen cunt!”

“What are we going to do?” Milo asked, discharging another series of lightning bolts.

Beth swung around the mace in the air and slammed it after Carl, but the mace barely missed its target. She swore under her breath. “There is no way out.”

Claire came up to them, his rig had been burnt on the side. “We could reach the shuttle. Or the ship.”

“Leopold!” Sam said. “Leo, land the ship. We are leaving.”

“Right now?” Milo dove down another slicing beam, his barrier struggling against its heat as it glanced off him. “We cannot leave without new allies. Then all of our efforts are lost.”

“Both Tern and I agree. We cannot leave yet,” Beth said.

Milo discharged lightning bolts at Lisa, who was fighting with Rahgon. “Blowing up The Breach could earn us the grace we need. I am going for it.”

“Wait…,” Beth said.

Milo launched himself upwards, the lighter gravity making it possible for him to make the jump without transforming into lightning.

An ice shard struck his side and sent him rolling through the air.

“I have you.” Beth grabbed into him, making them float back towards The Breach’s airlock.

An explosion of fire and heat sent Beth and Milo in different directions. He went rolling through the air. Some of Carl’s molten rock had penetrated his barrier and burnt his vacuum suit. It was leaking oxygen and the pressure was dropping. He placed his gauntleted hands over the damaged suit, his fingers worked frantically to cover the area properly, but the leak was just too great.

“My vac suit is leaking!” Milo yelled, hoping that the suit’s communication link was still stable.

There was no reply. His vision faded. Numbness took over. The blood retreated.

“Te...gi...de! Hol...n,” crackled across the comm link.

Beth rode on Tern with the bubble half engaged, they flew towards him. She reached after him. “To the ship!”

The airlock ran its cycle.

Milo’s helmet was removed and he sucked down the fresh air. His senses grew clear again. It was crowded in the bridge, the entire crew stood around him. “I am fine.”

Diego stepped forward. “He is dehydrated and he has lost a substantial amount of blood, but I concur with Milo’s own prognosis, he will be fine. His adrenaline levels look to be shallow, too.”

“No worries.” Beth winked at him.

“Lift off, Leo!” Sam said, his rig was burnt and the helmet cracked enough to expose half his face.

A terrible rumble went through the ship.

“Capt’n! They hit our drive cone, we are on the float,” Leo said. “And we have taken on stoways. Carl, Lisa and combat suits. Also, why is there an angry space dragon flying after us?”

“Goddamnit,” Sam said.

“We are not getting away, are we?” Claire leaned on the wall, her rig mostly intact but her sword had broken in half.

Birgitta leaned in, putting a hand over Beth’s shoulder. “No more tricks, Captain Samuels?”

Sam shook his head.

Milo struggled to his feet, a headache bloomed. The blood deposit was almost emptied, draining anymore might kill him. But he was not out yet. The sweetness of water trickled into his mouth, the deposit was almost depleted but not dangerously low.

“We cannot run from them forever,” Milo said.

Sam grabbed his arm and helped him up. “Goddamnit.”

The ship rumbled again.

“Railguns,” Sam mumbled. “They are eating through the ship.”

Beth checked her mace’s cord, pulled at it, it still held. “Let me jump across. I can mess them up.”

She walked in front of them, Tern floating behind her.

“Capt’n! The stowaways are inside the ship. They are moving towards the bridge,” Leo yelled through the speakers. “You have to challenge them.”

Milo swallowed. They had failed. They had not gotten away. He leaned on the wall and slid down.

“Get up!” Sam yelled. “We cannot afford to stay down. Bulldozer, you sure you can make it across?”

Beth nodded, stepping out of her vacuum suit. “Tern and I will go. We can overload their reactor core.”

Another rumble went through the ship.

“Will that stop those railguns?” Milo said. “Will it? It will take too long and how will we survive against the stowaways without Beth and Tern? I am almost spent and Sam’s rig is severely damaged. Claire cannot take on them by herself. It will not work.”

Sam looked afraid. For the first time ever, his old friend Samuels Adam looked afraid.

“I don’t know,” Sam said.

“So we will fall on our knees and die?” Beth said, giving her mace a spin.

This was it. The moment. Where the little agency they had left to change their faith was too slim, too small.

But it didn’t have to end.

One transformation of adrenaline left.

One jump.

But no way of transforming back.

One last toss of the dice.

Milo used the wall and Sam’s arms to get back on his feet. He limped towards the bridge’s airlock.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked.

Milo stepped between Beth and Tern. “The floating spaceman.”

“No. No, you are not going out there again.” Sam stepped up to him, standing in front of him, between him and the airlock. “No. I goddamn order you to sit down.”

Milo shook his head. “In lightning form I can enter their electrical grid and blow their reactor, without them having the chance of ejecting it. It will be quick and Beth and Tern are staying behind to fight the others. We win.”

Tears trickled down Sam’s face. “No. I am not losing you. No. No.”

“Brother, I and Tern can go instead. We will just have to figure out how to deal with Carl and Lisa,” Beth said.

Milo shook his head. “No.”

Another rumble went through the ship, exacting his point.

“You are coming back. I am not letting you die on my watch. I promised your dad to keep you safe,” Sam said.

Milo activated the airlock, the inner door slid open. “Ha. I have barely enough adrenaline left to transform once, I am not going to be able to transform back even if I survive. The EMP shockwave will fry all circuits in the explosion’s vicinity.”

“No! No. No,” Sam said, grabbing him.

“I have failed you and the crew. But this time, I will correct all those failures,” Milo said. “Let me at least have that.”

“Please!” Sam pleaded.

Milo shoved him away as the door closed, Beth placed her mace in between them, holding Sam back. “Let him do it,” Beth said.

“I am sorry it has to end like this, sis. Stay safe,” Milo said, his voice crackling. “Sam, take care of the crew, right? Please. And don’t let Saif win. Goodbye, old friend.”

Milo leaned into his hook, the adrenaline deposit grew distinct, its supply almost depleted. He tore into it, its bitter taste raced into his mouth and through his body. Commit! The outer door slid open. He roared, his physical form folding into light. He was beyond human, he was lightning.

Milo thundered out the airlock.

No vision, but he felt The Breach’s electrical presence. He was drawn to it. To its surging electrical grid.

He slammed into its hull, his body, his tendrils spread out, diverging all across its metal hull. Jumping and merging, prodding for a way in. A weakness. He found a damaged hull plate with an exposed access hub and sliced cable. His body crackled as it entered into the grid’s electrical network. His mind darted across the dreadnought’s systems, all of them. Excited electrons moved at the speed of light. Nothing could hinder him.

His target, the reactor chamber’s nuclear core.

There!

His body, his tendrils converged. Lightning struck without mercy. He surged into the coolant system, it cracked. He surged into the core’s main safety controls, they shattered. He surged into the core, all resistors and all protections blew in his wake.

The core overloaded.