She looked at the gathered people. Only five of them, but that was more than she had ever hoped to call friends. A faint smile formed on her lips as she saw Florance gingerly squeeze Jack’s hand, and behind them, she could make out the tears in Illiana’s eyes. The poor girl thought she was hiding them, but even with the gloomy lighting of the chamber, such a detail couldn’t escape the Demon’s eyes. As if sensing her gaze, Illiana turned to the man standing a step behind her and whispered quietly in his ear. Ren Taz nodded and placed a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder.
Yes. You made the right choice. He will protect you while I’m gone, she thought to herself as the needles pierced her legs and one organic arm.
“It will be ten minutes before we can move to the next phase,” Cardinal Zhu’s soft, almost whisper-like voice betrayed his fragile state.
A hundred and ninety-two years old, it was a miracle that he had survived so long. In a way, it was a shame that old age would be the one to claim his life. The man made it out of Station 37-H without so much as a scratch and the crash of the escape pod that followed. As if challenging the universe itself, Alpus Zhu remained by her side for the last seven years as she was dragged from one battle into another.
“That’s longer than usual.” She managed in a phlegmatic voice, looking into the Cardinal’s piercing eyes. Despite his worsening health, his colossal intellect showed in those dark-brown orbs, refusing to be snuffed. “The last time, it took a minute.”
“I’m sorry, Carnage,” Alpus placed a trembling, slender hand in her own. “The mutation your body has undergone is unknown territory. I have already increased the dosages by a factor of ten to compensate.” A tired smile wrinkled his leathery face. “I do not know if I should praise Helix or curse him for creating TZ-2.”
“Both, I suppose. He would appreciate the symbology of it.” She fought back the pain that came every time one of her dead kin was mentioned. “He was an oddball, but I doubt he intended for anything like this to happen.”
Alpus chuckled to hide his own pain. “I am most certain of that. You know, he was the only one of you to ever threaten me when the defect came to light. It took both Rage and Hornet to stop him from tearing my heart out and feeding it to me. His words, mind you. Not mine.”
“Sounds about right,” Carnage nodded as she felt the drugs coursing through her veins, slowly but surely clouding her mind. “But he respected you. We all did. I still do. To us, you were more than our creator. We thought of you as our father.”
“I…” Zhu cleared his throat, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, turning his face to the side. “I think the others would like a word or two while you’re still lucid.”
At that, the old scientist let go of her hand and stepped away. Unsurprisingly, the first to approach her was Florance. The former Nephilim always preferred to deal with uncomfortable situations as quickly as possible.
“Ma’am,” the soldier greeted her with a crisp salute. “I’ll make sure Lieutenant Herzog doesn’t scratch your ship in your absence. I give you my word.”
“That’s Acting Captain, Flo. Get it right. You’re supposed to be my second in command.” The polar opposite, Jack, chimed behind her. Nothing about the man’s demeanour would suggest that he was a veteran soldier of the same squad as Florance. But they all had their own ways of coping with the harshness of reality, and Jack’s was to hide behind a joke and a smile. “Ten years, right? After that, the ship is mine.”
“According to Cardinal Zhu, that’s how long the treatment would take.” Carnage nodded and turned her attention to Florance.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I know I’m not Command, but…” She opened the palm of her cybernetic hand to reveal the small emblem of St. Malius she had carved from one of the few remaining pieces of her armour. “You’ve earned this.”
“Ma’am… I can’t. Such an honour is reserved only for the heroes of the Holy Empire.”
“Oh, Saint’s mercy!” Jack snatched the item and attached it to the woman’s uniform. “Private Third-Class Florance Kurtz. As your commanding officer, it is my honour and personal privilege to bestow upon you the mark of St. Malius. Earned by your exemplary conduct in the flames of battle and unwavering faith in the Blessed Saint of the Holly Garden of Hell and Emperor of the Holy Terran Empire Constantine IV Rütter. There. Done.”
“Sir. Ma’am.” Florance saluted each of them in turn, her expression torn between pride and disbelief.
Carnage motioned with her finger for Jack to come closer and whispered. “Continue to support Illiana from the shadows. If we are to bring the heretics to judgment, we’ll need the resources of this new nation she’s created. The rest of the fleet cannot know about our involvement in installing her as the new Khan.”
“Understood.” With a nod, Jock stepped back before being dragged away by Florance, who appeared to be in the mood to share a few choice words in private regarding his conduct.
A moment later, they were replaced by Illiana and Ren, with the latter urging the former to step closer to the bulky machinery connected to Carnage.
“I don’t like this,” the pale girl tried to hide her shaking voice as she spoke. “It feels too much like a funeral.”
“There is a good chance that it is.” Carnage did her best not to scold her. Illiana was no longer the teen pretending to be a smuggler they met seven years ago. “It’s possible that I’ll not be the same person when I awake.”
“It’s not fair! You did your best… Sacrificed so much…” Heavy tears began to roll down the girl’s cheeks as her emotions overwhelmed her. “You deserve a happy ending! I knew it should have been me in the fighting pit—”
Carnage’s cybernetic arm shot forward, tearing away the primary restraints holding her in place. Thankfully, the secondary ones stopped her before she could reach the snivelling girl’s throat. At the same time, Ren pulled Illiana away, his psionic presence brushing against the edges of her mind, trying to calm down her burning rage. As endearing as the girl’s naivety was at times, it was equally frustrating, especially when Carnage barely controlled the murderous impulses that the mutation brought.
“Issak would have torn you apart!” She screamed at the scared Illiana. “Never show such weakness again! You are the Khan of the Nomad Fleets now! Act like it!”
From the corner of her eye, she could see Cardinal Zhu manipulate the stasis device’s control console. A second later, Carnage felt the flow of sedatives increase, and with that, the rage subsided.
“You are Khan Illiana now,” she repeated in a calmer voice.
“It’s Monika, remember? Illiana the Smuggler got herself blown to bits when she sabotaged the Overlord’s engines.” The girl responded with a forced smile, keeping her distance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” The girl took several deep breaths, regaining her composure. “As your Khan, I order you to come back to me when you wake up. Not as Carnage but as—”
“Illiana,” Ren stopped her.
“Right… Sorry.” The girl lowered her head in an apology. They had all agreed that they wouldn’t use her real name to keep her as calm as possible. “But the order still stands.”
“That’s better.” Carnage nodded in approval. She could feel the drugs were doing their job. “I’d like one last word with Cardinal Zhu if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” Ren spoke instead of Illiana as he gently pulled her away.
“Carnage?” The old man appeared in her fading vision.
“The others… If by some chance you find their remains while I’m asleep…”
“Do not worry. We will never stop searching for them. They will be enshrined according to Osiris’ protocols. My new assistants have been properly educated on how to do that.” With every word, Zhu’s voice became more distant.
“Alpus… It is unlikely… you have ten more years in you… For us… This is… goodbye… I just wanted to… before…” Carnage closed her eyes, aware that she was slipping in and out of consciousness.
“Thank you… for everything.” She managed to mutter before the nightmares of her fractured mind claimed her.