Chapter Thirty-Five
Explanations and Complications
It is an awful thing to be completely in terrified awe of someone, only to realize you haven’t seen even a tenth of what they are capable of. That was the feeling Edwards got as he watched the creation of not just a new ship but a whole new definition of what a ship was.
Paren was not willing to risk leaving the planet on the ship they had arrived in, even if they could fit all her people in it. For one thing, she would have to leave her Dart Raptors behind, and she was not willing to do that when she was unsure of when she would be able to come back.
Her pets, Edwards realized, were very important to her.
It made him feel secure for a moment until he realized he had mentally added himself to the list of pets. That was not a great sign of his mental state.
The end result of this was that Paren decided she needed a new ship, one capable of defending itself.
Of course, that meant that she needed a cruiser or better, but she did not exactly have enough crew for that. The grey skins were all ship-born and skilled, but that was only ten people. The Nameless were more suited to scouting and attack but had no actual ship-based skills to draw on. The sisters had the skills, as did Robot, but that was still way too few people to staff a cruiser.
Nanite automation was an option, but again, they would need more.
Plus, Paren had a fun idea she wanted to try.
A living ship.
Sort of.
Edwards watched the design come together as the nanites manipulated the metal into shapes that were filled with the muscles, tendons, and organs grown according to the will of their creator, Paren.
It was… well, it was honestly a nightmare made of literal flesh, but it was also kind of amazing. That was a pretty good definition of his entire time with Paren and her sister so far. A non-stop nightmare full of traumatic events packed so close together that it was difficult to tell where one stopped and the next started. The thing was, it was also the most fantastic time of his life. Every day was something new, something mindblowing, and he never even knew what shape he would be by the end of the day.
Okay, he could admittedly do without the last bit, but everything else was just… beyond words.
Their captive, Munro, sat next to Edwards, shivering in constant terror, his eyes closed, and mouth pressed firmly shut as he tried to avoid watching the flesh stretching and attaching to machinery and metal plating.
“You should watch this,” Edwards suggested. “You will never see anything like this ever again.”
“No,” Munro whispered. “No, no, no, no.”
“Okay, no need to be all intense about it,” Edwards sighed. “It was just a suggestion.”
“That flesh,” Munro shivered again. “Do you know what it is?”
“Of course,” Edwards said, “I helped to make it.”
“That is people,” Munro whispered urgently. “That is people twisted into that… stuff.”
“Actually, no,” Edwards explained. “It is kind of an interesting process. What they do is take the cells from dead bodies and break them down and then use the materials to make healthy, living cells that are bonded to the main mass before triggering shifts to the exact type of cell it needs to be.” He coughed. “I admit the process looks a little suspect, but it is basically just recycling.”
“That is not recycling!” Munro hissed, pointing angrily, only to go pale and close his eyes again. “That is an abomination!”
“Try not to get excited,” Edwards suggested. “Also, that was a bit rude.”
He stood and watched as an engine walked over to the building site on legs of glistening red muscle with flashes of the rough metal used as bones beneath. He knew that it was being controlled by the woman who stood on the hull, her eyes closed as pieces gathered around and marched over to their final placement before the nanite-infused flesh bound it in place.
It was unusual, sure. Creepy? Absolutely. But it was also magnificent. She seemed to sense his attention and waved.
Edwards waved back and turned to see Munro’s eyes on him.
“They have done things to you,” Munro said, his eyes brimming with tears. “Twisted your body and mind. You poor soul.”
“They certainly have,” Edwards chuckled. “I am probably pretty badly fucked in the head by now.” There was no use in denying it. At this point, would he even know if he had gone insane? They said people who were insane never worried that they were, but he wasn’t sure that was a real thing. It sounded like something a lot of people said to reassure themselves they were not—in fact—insane.
“One day, if we survive this horror,” Munro said fervently, spittle showing in the corner of his mouth, “I will end your suffering and lead an army of just nations against these people.”
“I really think you should stop talking now,” Edwards said kindly.
“None can see or hear us now,” Munro whispered, his hand grasping Edwards’s gauntlet. “I promise, as long as I live, I will work to end that thing’s life.” He shot a glare at Paren.
“I’m really sorry you said that,” Edwards sighed and pulled his pistol, shooting the man between the eyes with a sigh.
“Hey!” Paren’s voice came from his ear again. “What gives with shooting the guy with the answers?”
“He was rude,” Edwards sighed, pushing the corpse off the seat and sitting down.
“That is not an acceptable reason to kill someone,” Robot chimed in.
“He threatened Paren,” Edwards added.
“Oh, in that case,” Robot left the comm line.
“What?” Edwards asked, the open comm line to Paren hissing slightly in his ear.
“Thank you,” Paren said quietly and closed the line.
Edwards nodded and got back to watching the ship being built.
It took Paren almost an entire day to finish her creation, but it was something to see when it was done. The engines flared from the back before the long hull ended in an elegant curve. Spherical turrets set into the top and sides could rotate to show either laser arrays or large-bore kinetic guns.
It was beautiful, but the inside was where it really shone.
Metal gratings over living flesh provided the floor, while thin membranes filled with shifting light patterns formed the walls.
In all, he only had a single complaint.
“I’m not getting in that,” Edwards said plainly.
“For once, I agree with Edwards,” Leah said.
“It is… disturbing,” Robot agreed.
“It’s just a bed,” Paren insisted. “The mattress even adjusts to support your back!”
“It’s a cube of flesh,” Edwards argued. “I am not even going to talk about the sheets.”
“Don’t be a baby,” Paren sighed.
“I am not getting in that,” Edwards insisted. “Ever.”
“Fine!” Paren gestured, and the thing slowly began to melt, running in disturbing rivers through the grating. “What about the sheets?”
“No, thank you,” Edwards said, looking at a sheet of living flesh.
“Please?” Paren asked, her face briefly pleading before she broke into fits of laughter. “Oh, wow. Your faces.”
“Wait, that was a joke?” Robot asked.
“Of course,” Paren laughed. “Who gets into a flesh bed?”
“I tried mine,” Robot said sulkily. “It was… not pleasant.”
Paren erupted into more laughter as she led them out of the quarters and up to the bridge.
To everyone’s surprise, it was a reasonably normal bridge.
At least, as long as you didn’t consider the Captain’s chair, made of metal and rubber and held in pulsing cords of muscle.
“Right!” Paren said, clapping her hands happily. “Let’s get the others and head home.”
===<<<>>>===
Nellie wondered if it was normal to want to strangle a child. That was what Paren was, no matter how intelligent she was, as had just been proven by what passed as her report.
She tapped her fingers on the table in irritation as she stared at the three people sitting across from her.
“Admiral, I have a report—” A Sec model entered the room and took a look at Nellie’s face. “Nope!” It ran back out the door.
“Maybe I should excuse myself,” Robot said, getting slowly to his feet. “This seems like a—”
The tapping stopped.
“Perhaps not,” Robot sat guiltily back down, getting glares from the two women.
No, two girls.
“The problem,” Nellie said eventually, “Is that I forgot you were children.”
“I am not!”
“As if!”
“I have no idea, actually.”
“Shhh,” Nellie said quietly, and the two girls shut up immediately.
“This really is a family matter,” Robot tried again.
“You are family, but since you seem in a hurry, I will deal with you first,” Nellie said, leaning forward.
“Uh, thank you?” Robot said uncertainly.
“I expected better of you, Robot,” Nellie said, unleashing the ultimate trump card of parents with not a shred of guilt. “You were supposed to be the responsible one.”
“Sorry,” Robot looked down.
“That being said, I loved the pictures of your collection, and I can’t wait to see the real thing.”
“Thank you!” Robot said.
“Okay, you can go,” Nellie waved, and Robot did his best not to flee.
“Now, who wants to explain this to me?” Nellie asked as a holo appeared. It showed a certain Mister Edwards in various stages of ‘upgrade.’
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“Hey, I just beat him up! She cut all the bits off!” Leah said defensively.
“Oh, you little traitor!” Paren growled.
“And this?” Nellie asked, playing audio recordings of Leah referring to Edwards as their pet. The last one involved her suggestion that his armor included a leash. “If anyone could appreciate how it feels to be treated like a pet, something to be controlled, it should be you.”
Leah flushed and looked at her lap.
“Aside from that,” Nellie sighed, " you did very well training our new assassin squad. Alternative Tactics, was it? Salem has a plan to establish your own department, so report to her immediately.”
“Fine,” Leah stalked to the door but stopped for a second and said a very sulky sorry before she left.
Paren and Nellie glared at each other across the table.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Paren said eventually.
“The new Dart Raptors are nice,” Nellie said. “And those armor designs are fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Paren narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why am I getting the good stuff first?”
“Paren,” Nellie got up and walked around the table, sitting down next to Paren and taking her hands. “I’m worried.”
“What?” Paren looked panicked. “Why?”
“Everything you did down there was amazing because, of course, it was. Everything you do is amazing.” Nellie said sadly. “But we need to talk about this Carl Edwards person.”
“Why?” Paren protested. “You said I was amazing.”
“Paren, I need to know that you can tell the difference between people and things,” Nellie said slowly. “Edwards is a person. You can’t just cut bits off for fun.”
Paren glared, but tears were leaking from her eyes. “I was helping him!”
“Why did he need all that?” Nellie asked, waving a hand and showing all the ‘upgrades’ Paren had done. “An eye, a hand, additional limbs, and that was only the exterior stuff. You made him into a drone, yes. But you did a lot more than that later.” A list of organs removed and upgraded started to scroll past.
It was a long list. “Does he even know you did half of this?”
“Not my fault he passed out so often,” Paren looked away, crossing her arms.”
“Paren, why?” Nellie tried, but Paren refused to look at her. “WHY?”
“Because! Because he’s too soft. Soft gets you killed.” Paren yelled, “Banjo died because I didn’t upgrade him enough!” She was crying openly now. Her face, a mask of pain, held in too long. “I won’t have that happen again! Not to someone I like!” Paren’s eyes widened, and she slapped both hands over her mouth.
“Wait, you like him?” Nellie asked.
Paren shrugged.
“Tell me, please,” Nellie said gently.
“Yeah, fine. I like him. Happy?” Paren sniffed, “But he’ll get killed if I leave him all flesh and blood and stuff.”
“Honey, you can’t just replace all his body parts,” Nellie said gently.
“Actually, I can,” Paren gestured, and a list of operations appeared. “Look, I have it all worked out!”
“Paren,” Nellie groaned.
“Look! It’s his fault, okay?” Paren huffed. “He turns up all cute and kind and looks at me like I’m this terrifying angel. What am I supposed to do?”
“He’s kind?” Nellie asked, unable to hide her smile.
“Oh, wow. He is just so polite and generous and…” Paren huffed. “Probably really, really traumatized by now.”
“Hey, I survived,” Nellie shrugged. “But you can’t keep this up.”
“I know!” Paren yelled. “Don’t you think I know? I’ve been terrorizing the poor guy! But every time I see him, it’s just…”
“You can’t use terror and pain to make someone like you,” Nellie laughed.
“You can, as it happens.” Paren sighed. “It’s called Trauma Bonding, but it is SUPER unhealthy.”
Having a long overdue heart-to-heart with Paren was enlightening and slightly terrifying. The things a teenage girl with a genius level of intelligence could do were something more people should be warned about.
It certainly made giving advice a challenge.
“I don’t see why not!” Paren protested again. “He needs to be where I can keep an eye on him.”
“He needs some time to adjust,” Nellie insisted.
“I’m not letting him get hurt!” Paren said again.
“What about if we keep him on the station?” Nellie offered.
“In my lab,” Paren nodded. “I can make him his own enclosure.”
“Paren, what did we discuss?” Nellie frowned.
“Boyfriends or potential boyfriends are not science experiments. I can not keep them in my lab.” Paren parroted. “Then where?”
“How about Logistics?” Nellie offered. “Our new Logistics Officer could use a hand.”
“So, just loading ships and stuff?” Paren asked.
“Right,” Nellie nodded. “Just for a few weeks. Then we ask what he wants.”
“Fine, but Leah is not allowed to hang around that department all day,” Paren growled.
“Why would she?” Nellie frowned.
“You saw how she kept beating him up,” Paren sneered. “She likes him too.”
“Oh, that poor bastard,” Nellie mumbled.
“What?” Paren asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Nellie sighed. “So, we can send him to logistics, then?”
“Okay,” Paren said. “But I tell him. I don’t want him to be confused or thinking I’m angry at him.”
“Agreed,” Nellie said happily.
===<<<>>>===
“Okay, do you have everything?” Paren asked, checking Edwards over again.
“Yes, Paren,” Edwards said. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening at the moment. Paren seemed worried and a little scared, which was mildly terrifying when you considered everything she wasn’t afraid of. “I still don’t get why I’m not coming with you?”
“The Queen said logistics need help for a few weeks.” Paren almost growled. “Do you have your buddy?”
“Yup,” Carl raised his wrist so she could see Ben wrapped around it. “Hey, by the way, how come I don’t go to the toilet anymore? I did last week. Is that normal?”
“Nanite stuff!” Paren flushed. “Come on, we have to get moving!”
Following Paren through the station was a bit of a revelation. If anything, this place was even better than the base on the planet. They went on a lift tube—nanite floors didn’t bother someone who regularly saw it dissolve dead bodies—and through what looked like a big shopping center full of almost entirely empty shops.
“Right, we should get you some HyperDrive for your first day,” Paren said. “Go get a cup while I let Salem know you are going on shift soon.”
Edwards went into the shop and saw a strange creature behind the counter. The only other person in there was a woman sitting at a table alone. She had datapads spread all around her and looked somewhat harried. She had an empty cup next to her.
“Two cups, please!” Edwards asked the creature. “Hey, that’s a nice hat!”
It screeched at him and held out the cups. “Thank you very much,” Edwards said, taking them. Then he saw the woman watching him.
“He didn’t try and bite you,” she said.
“I guess he likes me,” Edwards shrugged. “I noticed you were out.”
The woman watched him put down the cup and smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem, have a good day,” Edwards gestured at all the work. “If you can.”
“You too,” she waved as he left.
As he was leaving the shop, he thought he heard her mutter, ‘Oh, boy. No wonder they like him.’ But he decided it was rude to eavesdrop and ignored it.
Paren then led him to the Logistics department while he drank his HyperDrive, which was surprisingly good. As they approached, Edwards was trying to figure out how to make a good first impression, but that went out the window almost immediately, thanks to Paren.
“Hey, you!” Paren yelled to the woman behind the desk. “This is Carl Edwards.”
The woman jumped out of her skin, paling as she saw Paren.
“Princess! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming, or I would have prepared something of a welcome.” She came round the desk and bowed. “Logistics Officer Cheape, at your service, Ma’am.”
“Huh, wait one minute.” Paren looked off to one side and mumbled, but thanks to his boosted hearing, Edwards heard her side of the conversation…
“Is it weird if I say he can’t work for a woman?” Paren muttered. “Are you sure, though?” She huffed. “Fine! Fine!”
Paren turned back to Cheape and sighed heavily. “Just try not to get him killed, okay?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Cheape bowed again. “We will be glad of the help.”
“Yes,” Paren said flatly, “That’s what I’m worried about.”
“Pardon?” Cheape asked.
“Nothing!” Paren smiled. “Well, I better get to work saving the system.”
She left after a parting glare at Edwards, although he had no idea why he was being glared at.
“Carl Edwards, nice to meet you!” Edwards said nervously. “Officer Cheape, was it?”
“Yes, sorry,” Cheape ran a hand through her hair, “we really did need help.”
“Just tell me where to start!” Edwards said brightly.
===<<<>>>===
Cheape was actually going out to get a cup of HyperDrive on her break! It was her first time ever. The new guy certainly made a difference to her little office. Not only was he polite, but he really threw himself into his work.
In the last few hours, he had learned her system and dashed to and fro all over the station, making deliveries without a single complaint. Cheape blushed a bit at remembering the awkward moment she caught him sorting items with his hands while the tentacles held tablets out for him to see. It had been the first time he used them, and she had kind of freaked out at first. It was silly, and she had apologized immediately.
As for Carl—he said it was fine to call him Carl even though he always called her Officer Cheape—he had made light of her reaction, made her feel relaxed about the whole thing, and even let her touch one.
It felt surprisingly nice, actually.
“Hello, Cheape.”
Cheape whirled to see a young woman leaning against an empty shop, tossing a nanoblade from hand to hand.
“Hello, I’m sorry, do I know you?” Cheape asked politely.
“Leah,” the woman said. “My name is Leah. They used to call me The Girl.”
Cheape paled a little. She had heard stories. Lots of stories.
“Nice to meet you, Ma’am,” Cheape said, bowing quickly.
“It could be,” Leah smiled at her. “It could also not be.”
“Pardon?” Cheape asked.
“Be very careful about how you treat Edwards, okay?” Leah said, looking off into the distance. “Try not to be too friendly.”
“Ma’am?”
“You heard me,” Leah said and vanished around the corner.
Well, that was strange.
Logistics Officer Cheape, please report to Administrator Salem immediately.
The message appeared on her tablet and any display screen she could see at that moment, which meant it was urgent.
Cheape hurried for the stairwell as quickly as her legs would carry her.
She was halfway up the emergency shaft when the crawler suddenly stopped. Cheape looked around but saw nothing wrong.
“What’s the matter, boy?” Cheape asked, but it merely mewed and stayed where it was.
“Oh, hello, fancy meeting you here!” Paren called.
Cheape whirled, almost falling off the crawler. Paren was standing on the wall opposite her.
“Princess, is everything alright?” Cheape asked.
“Good question,” Paren said with a laugh.
“Ma’am?”
“Don’t touch him again, okay?” Paren said brightly.
Cheape looked across and saw… death. Paren’s face held the blank, expressionless look of a predator staring at a meal.
“Ma’am?” Cheape squeaked.
“You heard me,” Paren said. “No touching.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Cheape nodded frantically.
“Great!” Paren beamed, the previous haunting look evaporating like mist. “Glad we sorted this out!”
The crawler moved on.
Cheape flew out of the emergency shaft like she was on fire, gasping for breath before she sprinted for Salem’s office.
Collapsing against the wall, she pulled in great lungfuls of air until her vision stabilized. Then she knocked on the door.
“Come in, Cheape,” Salem called. “Before you pass out.”
Cheape winced and went in.
“Thank you for coming,” Salem said calmly, gesturing a grateful Cheape to a chair. “This is an awkward situation.”
“Ma’am?” Cheape asked.
“It would seem that your new assistant is something of a magnet for the princesses of the Imperium.” Salem smiled a little. “Stranger things have happened, I suppose.”
“Ma’am,” Cheape said carefully.
“The threats will stop,” Salem said sternly. “The Queen is seeing to that now.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Cheape said. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“It isn’t you,” Salem laughed. “It’s not his fault either, I imagine.”
“He seems very hard-working, Ma’am,” Cheape said. “It would be a shame to lose him from the department.”
“He’s staying,” Salem said happily. “He is that greatest of all things.”
“Efficient, Ma’am?” Cheape asked.
“Exactly.” Salem smiled. “Okay, you can return to work now.”
“The threats, Ma’am,” Cheape asked as she left. “They wouldn’t actually…”
“They would not,” Salem reassured her. “The Queen would be angry, and even they do not want that.”
“Thank you, Ma’am!” Cheape said brightly.
Cheape made a point of using the lift tube this time. It was time to stop being so afraid; it seemed to have made people think she was a pushover. Life had taught Cheape early and often what happened to pushovers.
She was slightly worried to see the two women waiting outside the Logistics department but didn’t allow herself to slow down or hesitate.
“Princesses,” Cheape bowed.
“Sorry that I threatened you,” Leah growled.
A high-pitched chirp sounded through the speakers around them.
“I'm sorry. I promise not to do anything to harm you. It was childish of me,” Leah said through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t actually threaten you,” Paren grumbled. “But I’m sorry if it seemed that way. I promise you don’t have anything to fear.”
“Thank you, Your Highnesses,” Cheape bowed again. “I am sorry for any misunderstanding.”
“Fine,” Paren said.
Cheape walked past them, feeling both girls glaring at her back.
“Hey, Officer Cheape,” Edwards said, coming to the doorway. “I got that requisition mix-up sorted.”
“That’s great work, Carl!” Cheape said with a wide smile. “Well done.”
“Oh, hey!” Carl waived to the two women outside.”Is everything okay?”
“Great,” Cheape said happily. She slid her arm around his waist and gave him a one-armed hug. “You’re a lifesaver, you really are.”
“Happy to help,” Edwards said awkwardly and moved back to his desk.
Cheape turned a beaming smile on the glaring sisters… and closed the door to the office with a flick of her wrist.
She would not be pushed around.
Sitting in her apartment on the upper level of the Bly’s Rest, Nellie laughed at the viewscreen image of Logistics Officer Cheape hugging Carl and then slamming the door.
That was a hell of a brave move and showed that Cheape had a lot of guts.
Now, all they had to hope was that, somehow, they all stayed inside her body.
“Salem?” Nellie opened a private comm line.
“I saw it,” Salem groaned. “This is going to get difficult, isn’t it?”
“Not really,” Nellie smiled. “Not for long, at least.”
She looked at the stills of Edwards. In each one, he was staring at one of the women now interested in him.
In the one where he was looking at Paren… Well, she just had to hope Leah got bored before she got her heart broken.