Chapter 6, Old Blood

Shizuka tried to remember how many times she saw her friend Yamano Eiko's face since the unexpected resurrection. Eiko had the abysmally horrifying luck to be the first human not only killed, but assimilated by a Gauna after more than a century since the unliving abominations invaded the ship. It was an unforgettable downturn for everyone's mood when an enlarged picture of her face was put on the cemetery plaza; a typical Sidonian resident's normal uneventful life suddenly annihilated by an unspeakable space monster. She wanted an officer job after pilot school because it would let her enjoy stargazing. And then, exponentially more people started dying, even Shizuka herself shouldn't have a chance of survival not for Nagate putting his own life into a double gambit.

When she was still Benisuzume, was she able to detect any trace of Eiko's existence in the Gauna's collective database? The communication methods used between Gauna was a mystery her firmware failed to elaborate. She had a sliver of hope that a form of afterlife could exist for every human soul assimilated, judging from her own dubious individuality within the Gauna Mass Union Ship. Every Gauna core had the same potential to become a perfect killing machine, what did the core that upgraded into Benisuzume gain from having a pilot?

"Why did you have the privilege to be born again?" A voice that sounded like both Eiko and herself asked, "Was this what you meant by wishing to understand them and finding a way of coexistence?"

The price of Gauna conversion and reconstruction was paid in blood, dozens or even hundreds dead in every fight Benisuzume took part in, not all of them assimilated. Holding remnants of her destructive powers in her human-sized new form, no matter how small, no matter the use, was sickening.

"Do you enjoy killing, now you're allowed to kill?"

The mutants and reanimations have received an official label from Dr. Kyne and the science department: Necromorphs. Dead and changed, the name sounded very relatable. The medically recommended combat method was to cut off their limbs.

"What else am I allowed to enjoy?"

"Talking to Nagate?"

"He's afraid of me. Eiko, if it's you coming back from Gauna assimilation, how much will I be scared of you?"

"It wasn't fair you were the Gauna with the most humanlike face. Do you want to assimilate him? Make him yours, because he always belongs to the whole ship. Make you two whole."

////

"Congratulations on fixing the fuel issue, Temple." White said as the remaining or acting chiefs of the ship's assorted departments communicated in a secure channel, "In the mean time I've done some calcs with the navigators and Kyne, it turns out we can't fly on our own even if the landmass is dropped. It will prematurely destroy the planet and spray rocks into our orbit."

"Well, fuck... You're right. Our boost is crippled, can't make it to Shockpoint range in time before debris hits. What's plan B before we bleed out even more people?"

"Don't be surprised, I suggest dropping the Marker. Long story." Kyne answered, "Though now there's always dozens of people trying to find refuge nearby, because it seems the closer to it, the less Necromorph activity. Both science and clerical are torn about it."

"Better not to stir this tension." Alissa nodded, "We need outside help. The communication system was overloaded because our fearless captain spammed it with duplicate messages to the church."

Temple sighed: "I see, the pulse doesn't mix well with a softlock. Let me grab my space RIG and anyone with EVA training."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"You see that thing?" White sent a picture from an outboard camera. It was a formless organic cluster that sported a gooey light show of bioluminescence, "Must have climbed here from the landmass. ADS is broken, too, just a while ago another shuttle full of fucking psychos crashed into our hull.

"Hanson and his squad is on the way to check them out." Alissa said, "If they aren't infected, I'm willing to learn how they managed it."

"Okay, okay, I get it. This slow death when everything is just one shock away... Highest priority is getting the word out. We just need to not use our own antenna. Make a radio relay beacon, put it in space, call it. White, please give me a roll call on manpower and resources, once I make my pick, send them all to the mining deck."

This gave Alissa an idea, too: "How about a backup plan to this? Barrow's shuttle still has its emergency beacon. We'll send two beacons, let me get my crew too."

"Give it all you got, ladies and gentlemen." White agreed wearily, "Anything to add, Kyne?"

"On my research on our visitors... They're both immune to the infection, via different ways. The slime mold found in Subject T's spacesuit could suppress ex-vivo pathogens. I will need help from Dr.Cross and the medical department in replicating the effects. Now, where's Mercer?"

"Can't see his RIG. At least he's not a flatline, I hope."

////

The operation in hydroponics was a failure; the section's stock of plants, fertilizer, water, even oxygen and nitrogen were all taken over by the rapidly growing Necromorph organism. It attracted smaller mutants, polluted the air, and even launched biomechanical projectiles at anyone who dared to approach.

Nagate could only help the staff there evacuate. He wished he still had his Guardian, see how the Leviathan would do against a body of metal ten times his size. Let it burn under a Hyggs particle beam!

He was jealous of Shizuka keeping her alien weaponry. Why wasn't she here to lend an armored, clawed hand? He took a deep breath and stopped himself, jealousy was very rare among all his limited range of emotions before.

The spear was good, his experience in cutting off Gauna tentacles translated well to cutting off Necromorph tentacles growing off walls; though, he would need a spacesuit with real boosters instead of his old Sidonian suit, the only modification being a spinal RIG replacing its survival backpack.

After some calm, wordless minutes on the tram, his squad and Dr. Cross arrived at the medical deck. Mike waved them in, then asked Zoe over for a few words on the situation.

Kyne waited for them in Shizuka's room, alongside Irons. Both men looked tense, somewhat depressed. Neither Nicole nor Anne was in the room.

"Brother Samuel, sister Elizabeth. You two have done justice to your work on this ship that would make Altman proud, before or after the outbreak. This is why I need you to read my notes." Kyne passed them two surface tablets, "You will reach your own conclusions about our experience with the current Marker, but all I can say is, it isn't the first time."

The room fell into worse silence than the tram, and Nagate looked at Shizuka. Her bloodied patient's uniform was replaced by a white CEC crew bodysuit, almost reminding him of the Sidonian uniform. Her red-and-gold eyes, also lacking a proper subject to stare at in the room, ended up resting on him too.

She smiled, like a machine that didn't fully understand the context of humans doing so. She awkwardly made a reserved wave.

"I'm not whole." A gentle, apologetic voice sounded like Shizuka or Tsumugi said. He blinked, seeing no sign of activity on her... Benisuzume's lips.

Nagate found a wall to sit down next to, and closed his eyes.

"You left me to die. Gauna drilled holes in my head to look inside."

The bleak, unforgettable picture taken by his Guardian's camera flashed before his eyes. He gripped his spear tighter, its blade tapping on the wall above his head.

"You failed to kill Benisuzume again. You're no hero, Nagate. She doesn't have a Mass Union Ship to escape to this time, though..."

He felt the spear slip in his hand; opening his eyes, he saw it has idly changed direction, pointing at Shizuka. He blinked again; Kyne was kneeling next to him, a scalpel in hand.

"Hey, easy, little big man. I just need to borrow some more organic lining from your suit."

He nodded and unzipped his collar, the organic lining's bacterial smell making the older man feel. It was comical, like reliving his own first day as a pilot! Until a Gauna ate Eiko and took her face.

The humanoid Gauna in his spontaneous strike of memory suddenly morphed, it's face changing into Shizuka's.

"Tanikaze... Activate the mining rig... Kill me."

Back then, he had a dream of stomping on a tiny Eiko in Gauna form, which kept regenerating. He gulped and coughed.

"I can imagine how bad it felt wearing this into battle every time." Kyne packed the scraped artificial bacteria into a sample bottle, "Cheer up, we'll start reproducing this in the lab next door and use it on the alien biomass."

"Thanks, Kyne-san."

"Time for payback from the living manure monster for ruining hydroponics!" Cross slapped Kyne across his shoulder, "Brother Terrence, let's get to work."

Irons took out a disassembled device from his tool belt, then clipped them onto the connection and handle of the artificial Kabi spear: "This is a stasis projector I took from the broken stasis chamber. For safety, i set it to only activate on contact, but it can recharge itself if you don't have charge packs ready. The will of us all is with you and our Messenger, protect her well."

"Thank you, thank you."

"Nagate, Shizuka, we have an important mission for you two, and only you two have our confidence." Kyne helped Nagate onto the office chair in the room and pushed a tablet across the table, "Take 90 minutes of rest time, read the instructions, go over them together, relax."

"Copy that, sir." For the good of the ship, he would carry out every mission as the order required. The Operation was simple: Protect Benisuzume, conserve her energy, then step 3, then step 4.

"Hoshijiro, mission received."

"My deepest thanks. See you then, until Zoe Hampton picks you up. Once this is done, we will have a lot more breathing space on the ship, no offense to Dr. Cross."

There was a sting of urgent light taps on the door. Irons opened it; it was Anne, a RIG communication window floating in the air from her arm terminal.

"Dr. Kyne, it was the new shuttle crash. Director Eckhardt was onboard and he survived, he wants to see you."

"Altman be praised! Let's show him the security videos first."