Chapter 11

Glix limped urgently towards the center of the Engineering bay, aiming for the expansive spherical dome at its far end. The holographic image of Grubnash beckoned her forward with increasing urgency. “Buun-Grak, let the son of an Ogre Zhag die for all I care,” she muttered under her breath, pushing herself to move faster despite the pain shooting up her leg. Each step intensified the ache, but she persisted until she was within five strides of the central dome. There, a panel slowly slid open at Grubnash's direction.

As Glix approached, the AI's digital image of Grubnash took full Goblin form and pointed at the now fully open panel. Inside, she saw a glassy pad similar to the displays lining the walls, but smaller. Below it, a small metal wheel protruded slightly from the shadowed gray surface.

Glix stepped up to the dome, and the AI spoke urgently, “Place your hand on the panel. There will be several questions you must answer ‘yes’ to. Then you can access the Core chamber and retrieve Raknak.”

Uncertain of what these questions would entail or how they would manifest, Glix hesitated. The ship had only just begun revealing its mysteries to her, but so far, she had encountered nothing threatening. In fact, Hoshi seemed intent on aiding their survival, even if it was driven by self-preservation.

With a firm resolve, she placed her hand on the smooth, cold panel, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Her hand made contact with the glassy surface, and Glix waited for the image of Grubnash to change, anticipating the AI’s questions. She hoped the questions would be spoken aloud, as she was more of a hands-on learner and not fond of words. Still, she didn't fully grasp what these questions would be or why they were necessary.

But instead of the AI’s display changing or its metallic voice asking questions aloud, something incomprehensible occurred. Words appeared—not on the display, nor in a physical manner, but directly inside her head!

Glix had never encountered anything like this before. Her life had always been about external experiences. She had heard of telepathy and psionics but had never desired to experience them herself. Thus, when the words appeared in her mind's eye, she jumped back in alarm, momentarily forgetting the AI’s instructions.

So startled by the sudden appearance of the words, Glix hadn’t taken the time to read the prompts, and the message vanished as soon as she withdrew her hand from the panel. Hoshi practically yelled at her, “Keep your hand on the panel! You must select 'Chief Engineer' if you truly want the position and wish to save your friend.”

‘Friend’ was a bit of a stretch when referring to Raknak, Glix thought, but she understood the AI’s intention. She steadied her nerves and pressed her hand against the glass panel once more, the pain in her leg reminding her of the urgency. As she did so, the prompt reappeared in her vision, accompanied by a faint voice that echoed the words aloud, or at least aloud in her mind.

Proper identification required to access the Dark-Matter Cyclotron Core. [ ERROR ] No personnel on file.

Would you like to register as one of the following?

* Chief Engineer

* Engineer (Lv. 1)

* Engineer (Lv. 2-5)

* Entry Level Engineer

Glix discovered she could actually decipher the script in her vision, despite it being a language foreign to her. Goblins typically had little use for written characters, but she had studied some common tongue words from her home planet. This script, however, was entirely unfamiliar—uniform, angular, with each character adorned by at least one small circular orb along its linear form.

Nevertheless, Glix grasped the question quickly. In fact, she understood it almost instinctively, as if the words were a part of her, making reading them more reflex than conscious effort. It was an odd sensation, one she found strangely compelling.

But now wasn't the time for fascination. Glix selected 'Chief Engineer' from the prompt and confirmed with a 'yes.' Instantly, a new question replaced the first, the words arriving in her mind almost before she could register them.

Chief Engineer

In order to be recognized as Chief Engineer, the following must be completed:

* Bio-scan

* Training module

* Functionality test

Do you wish to initiate bio-scan?

Glix understood what a bio-scan was in a way that her mind could comprehend, but not what the test actually did. In her mind, the scan was like a picture taken of her body, both inside and out. She had no idea what the scan would be looking for or how the ship would take the picture, but she decided it didn’t sound too bad, so she chose ‘yes’ as prompted by Hoshi earlier.

Before her mind could think beyond choosing ‘yes,’ Glix felt a pulse of energy enter her from the hand touching the panel. It didn’t necessarily hurt, but it wasn't pleasant either. It felt like hot liquid, just below the temperature where it would cause actual damage, coursing through her entire body. But that wasn’t all. There was also a sensation of vibrating, as if the entire universe shook very fast, so fast that if you weren’t paying attention, you would assume everything was normal.

To complete the trio of strangeness, her mind felt as though it were stopped. She couldn’t form a thought or interpret anything she was seeing or hearing. She felt everything, but not in a way she could understand. Time seemed irrelevant and as though it stretched on forever, but internally her heart beat only twice. Then she snapped back to the moment, reeling from the unusualness of what had just happened to her.

It took her a moment to recover from the scan. Her hand still lay on the panel, and the words changed in her vision to ask if she was ready to begin the Training Module. Before she could think to choose ‘yes’ again, the words disappeared, replaced by a small voice—one that Glix wasn’t sure if was in her head or coming from the speaker. It hurriedly said something about not having time for that.

Then her vision abruptly shifted. A darkly framed window appeared, replacing the previous words. Within the window, images began to flash rapidly, almost too quickly for her to process. The accompanying voice spoke at a dizzying speed, making it impossible for her to understand anything being said. It felt as if everything in the window was moving in a blur, the scenes merging together and leaving her dizzy.

The images seemed to depict various parts of the ship's interior, but Glix couldn't make sense of their locations or purposes. Panels in walls and under workstations opened and closed rapidly, their contents a blur of motion. Multi-hued wires were connected and disconnected, and strange diagrams flashed by in brilliant colors.

She observed networks of conduits, pulsating cores, and interconnected systems, yet she struggled to grasp their exact functions or how they interconnected. Each image came with rapid-fire explanations, the voice detailing complex procedures and protocols at a speed that made comprehension impossible. Everything moved so swiftly that she couldn't keep pace, leaving her more bewildered than before.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the window vanished, replaced by a single large word.

FUNCTIONALITY TEST

Once again, before she could grasp what was happening or even consider choosing ‘yes,’ the words vanished. This time, instead of a window showing rushing images, paragraphs, equations, and diagrams emerged.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The words scrolled down methodically, each entry marked with a small set of circular symbols along the edge. As one of the circles lit up, the words would shift down to reveal the next section.

Complex equations flashed by, their intricate symbols and numbers forming patterns she couldn't decipher. Then small pictures began to appear, each accompanied by multiple smaller images below the central one. Each time a circle along the edge illuminated, the next question would appear.

Diagrams and charts followed, detailing components and systems with lines and arrows indicating connections and functions. Glix remained uncertain about the questions being asked, but she could tell the AI was swiftly processing and answering each one, allowing the test to proceed uninterrupted.

The stream of rapidly changing text and images overwhelmed Glix, leaving her feeling disoriented and struggling to keep up with the torrent of information. She began to realize that mastering all this knowledge was essential to becoming the Chief Engineer. The sheer volume of information she needed to absorb was daunting, and watching it fly by at such speed left her unsettled.

Then, after processing what would have taken an ordinary person hours, but completing it in mere seconds, the scrolling script abruptly halted. Instead of her vision clearing once the test was over, a small explosion of light and color burst forth at the center of her sight, momentarily blinding her. When the light subsided, a brightly highlighted phrase remained, floating in her mind's eye.

Congratulations! You scored: - 100%

Glix was left bewildered by what had just transpired. Her mind spun, and the disorientation extended to her body. Feeling herself sway backward, she braced for a fall, but her hand instinctively grasped the small wheel just beneath the glass panel she had been touching.

The cold metal beneath her fingers grounded her, helping to clear her mind. “Turn the knob and the door will open. Raknak is on the other side,” the image of Grubnash instructed, urgency and a hint of annoyance coloring the words.

Blinking several times to regain her senses, Glix twisted the wheel. As she did, a faint, almost imperceptible hiss filled the air as a previously unnoticed sliding door adjacent to the small panel holding the wheel and glossy tablet jolted outward, then smoothly slid aside, revealing an open door to a dull gray room. Glix's hand remained on the wheel, poised beside the newly opened doorway as she peered inside.

Before she could move away or even call for Raknak to come out, an acrid odor assaulted her. The smell was sweet, but acidic. It had a pungency she immediately recognized.

"Raknak! Did you piss yourself?" she screamed, her annoyance evident at having to retrieve the bullheaded brute.

There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Glix waited for a response, but Hoshi's metallic voice rang out before Raknak could even sputter a reply. "Raknak, if you do not exit the chamber immediately, you will be disintegrated. You have five seconds."

The AI's tone brokered no nonsense. It wasn't intended to frighten Raknak into a hustle, but to simply state a fact. Although the simplicity of the statement was almost more of a threat than if it had been filled with urgency.

Wrinkling her nose at the stench, Glix used the short window of time to crane her neck and peek through the still open door. Five seconds wasn't much time to take in the entire room, but she took the opportunity while she could.

Inside, a curved tunnel with slick gray walls stretched ahead before curving slightly. As she studied the metallic surface, small grooves began to open up in a spiraling pattern along the corridor. Tarnished patches were interspersed along the walls, which she assumed was why Raknak was there in the first place, to do the repairs.

A disquieting thought wormed its way into her mind as she watched small metal fins begin to stretch from the grooves, making the entire tubular area look like it was starting to spin. ‘What if this whole thing activates before he gets out?’

Her knowledge of the ship was still shaky at best, but the urgency to get Raknak out, Hoshi's threat of disintegration if he wasn't quick enough, coupled with the gravity anomaly she had just experienced, all pointed to something triggering the ship to activate prematurely. This meant something was seriously wrong, and she had no time to mess around.

Raknak was going to take his time in responding to Glix’s call, just to let her get a full sense of the masculinity he was drenched in. He didn’t "piss himself"; he just happened to be pissing when the ship went sideways. It wasn’t his fault he had been drenched during the incident, and besides, it was kinda fun sliding around all wet in this big tube thing—the moisture made everything even slipperier.

Then the AI said he only had five seconds or he would be—“What was that word? What did it mean?” he asked himself. An image of him turning into dust and floating away without being able to do anything about it passed through his mind’s eye. He wasn’t sure where the image came from, but if that were actually the case, then he needed to move.

He sat upright and twisted, placing his hands on the bottom of the tubular corridor to push himself up, but his wet hands slid out from under him, and he face-planted back down in his own puddle.

The bonk on his head wasn’t so bad, but the fact that he had slipped and wasted one of the precious seconds left to him hurt. Luckily, as he tried to push himself up again, small cracks opened up in the metal surface, and the rest of his urine rapidly drained away.

Raknak pushed himself upward again, this time taking care to set his hands more securely. He was counting down in his head; the small amount of time he’d been given had frightened him more than he thought it should. His mental tally was already down to three.

Once his arms were set, he brought up his feet, kicking twice as they slid along the still slippery metal. On the second kick, he hit something new—a small fin or blade rising from the grooves in the metal, which had just opened up along the walls and floor. Raknak was fascinated and almost paused to watch what was happening, but mentally he counted the number two, which brought him to his feet.

With a lurch, Raknak propelled himself forward. Luckily, he was only a few steps from the door that had opened up. He made his first step forward without a problem, but his left foot—the second step—happened to land directly on one of the fins rising from the ground.

Goblin feet are tough; they are extra thick from walking around in caves and over rocks for their entire lives. Normally, a small obstacle like the one he stepped on wouldn’t be a big deal, but with the moisture from his urine bath still clinging to him and in his hurried exit, the small surface of the blade held less than adequate surface tension. Rather than accepting his weight, Raknak’s foot slid forward as if the fin were made of ice.

Luckily, the sliding didn’t stop the momentum he had built up, and Raknak fell forward, the upper half of his body landing on the exterior of the metal room, the sill at the bottom of the door hitting directly under his ribcage. The hard landing immediately expelled all the air from his lungs.

Due to this, Raknak’s mind stopped, his body and brain disconnecting from the abrupt change in altitude and loss of oxygen. He froze momentarily, unable to move or think, and somewhere deep inside his mind, the number one echoed.

Glix watched with both humor and annoyance as Raknak clumsily made his way to the exit of the tunnel. His body lurched through the doorway, only to be caught by the sill at the bottom. She saw the air forced out of his lungs, his eyes bulging wide with pain. With a sigh, she sprang into action, her mind filled with irritation rather than concern.

"Raknak, you idiot," she muttered, quickly dropping to the ground and grabbing his arms. She pulled the overly wide goblin with all her strength, the metal sill at the bottom of the door digging into his midsection almost as though it didn’t want him to get out. "Of course, you get yourself stuck," she muttered through gritted teeth.

She grunted with effort, her muscles straining. "Why do I have to save your stinky ass?" Raknak's eyes fluttered, barely conscious. She knew time was running out and that she needed to remove him fast.

“Time is up,” Hoshi’s metallic voice said, the image of Grubnash taking on a dour look.

"Come on, you big oaf!" Glix growled as she shifted her grip and braced one foot against the doorway. She pulled again, harder this time, knowing that the ship wasn’t going to wait for him to come back to awareness. His body shifted, and she could feel the tension in Raknak’s body release as his large gut finally slid over the sill.

The door started to slide back into position. "Oh, no you don't," Glix hissed, pulling once more with all her might. She really wasn’t a fan of Raknak, but she understood that he was one of only six goblins here. He, she, and the others might very well be the only remaining members of their tribe, and the thought of losing another brood member like this spurred her on.

Her mind worked differently than most Goblins, and she knew that; it was always methodical, almost detached, especially in moments of crisis. While others might panic, she saw patterns, and processes. The AI’s countdown was a cold, ticking clock in her head, and her focus sharpened with each passing second.

But the door was relentless, its mechanism oblivious to their struggle. With a sickening crunch, the metal slab caught Raknak’s legs as it sealed shut, its force seemingly undeterred by the obstacle. Blood spattered the floor as his legs were severed just below the knees. Raknak’s scream of agony was more of a gurgle than a sound, his eyes rolling back as he passed out from the pain.

Glix didn’t let herself dwell on the injury; she couldn’t afford to lose her wits now. The sight of Raknak's mangled legs and the spreading pool of blood registered in her mind, but her emotions were compartmentalized, tucked away for later. The fact that the AI had set such a strict time limit and allowed Raknak to sustain such a grievous injury was proof of the real danger they were all in.

"Focus, Glix. Process and execute," she murmured to herself, her voice a low, steady anchor in the storm of chaos. She quickly assessed Raknak’s condition, noting the rapid blood loss and the sickly paleness spreading across his green face.

Her mind calculated the odds, the steps needed to stabilize him, and the urgency of their situation, her thoughts seemingly faster than they had ever been before. All she could do now was stop the bleeding and hope the ship, or Daegnon, or maybe the human could save him.