Several days earlier…

“97.”

CAL lands gently in front of the unsuspecting pirate, his blade splitting his skull effortlessly. Not a sound is made as CAL pulls the blade out of his face, the body of the pirate making a soft thud as it falls limply to the metallic floor. His Companion continues to walk down the hall, completely unaware of her partner’s feeble last breaths. CAL runs after her, sliding between her legs and with a quick twist of his wrist, he severs them both. The lizard like pirate tried to scream in pain, and was quickly silenced, CAL’s blade passing through her neck like a hot knife through butter.

“98.”

Her body hits the floor with a thump as her pale purple blood seeps down the dimly lit corridor and under the door to the next room.

“The Boss room.”

Cal whispered as he moved toward the console next to the massive doors.

The console glowed with a familiar grey light, the word ‘Locked’ blaring across the screen. The access port underneath the screen is penetrated easily enough by a Hydra Shard, the screen flickers for a moment before a display of the lock’s tumblers appear across his visor.

“Only five this time? She’s an overconfident one isn’t she.”

Several moments pass as CAL rewires the virtual lock until the sweet buzz of an unlocked door graces his ears and the Console glows green. Pulling out the smoking Hydra Shard, he tosses it aside.

“That’s the last of those, Bella’s not going to like that, those things are expensive as hell to make.”

Pressing the button on the console, the door pops open, revealing the command room. A fairly barren warehouse style room, save for the massive computer monitors and consoles at the back end. CAL immediately dashes in, taking immediate note of his surroundings. Standing at either end of the main computer, two soldiers, a standard rifle each, both aloof to his presence. Standing in the middle of the computer with her back to CAL, the platoon commander. Her four spearlike arms and towering height easily identified her as an Allowian. One of the rarer species within the pirate band, though her thin physique and skin tight body armor may give her the appearance of feebleness, Allowians are anything but.

“Sometimes, they make this too easy!”

CAL laughed, snapping his fingers and causing green light to emit from his hands.

The soldier on the left is hit right between the eyes by one of his energy daggers.

“99.”

The other sees his buddy fall to the ground, turning just fast enough to see three more energy daggers tear into his eyes and throat. Slamming his corpse against the computer screens behind him.

“100.”

Both bodies slump to the floor, as the Commander turns to see CAL face to face with her. Panicking, she reaches for her pistol on the dashboard, feeling an immediate and sharp pain as CAL impales both of her right hands to the console with an energy blade. Barely able to react to the pain, the commander finds another blade pressed forcefully against her neck. The humming vibrations of the blade’s pure energy cutting a groove into her rail thin neck.

“The Droid?! How?”

Eyes wide in terror as she begins raising her free hands in surrender.

“How? The how isn’t as important as the why.”

The mechanical whirl of CAL’s voice slightly echoing in the lifelessness of the room.

“I’m here because you and your buddies nearly wiped out a colony of Humits last week. Men, women and children were slaughtered and enslaved by your command. So I’m here to answer their prayers for revenge.”

He pressed the blade further into her neck, blood began running down its edges.

“As for the how? You surround yourself with a bunch of half deaf, half blind Zards. Put two and two together and I’m sure you’ll figure out how the most dangerous being on the planet walked right through your front door.”

“W-Wait, Droid! I have many riches and know a great many supply caches. I even know of Negas’ future plans, I will tell you of them if my life you spare.”

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She begged as her static filled voice began to resemble something like fear.

“Hmm… A tempting offer, tell you what, answer this question and I’ll spare you.”

A sick toothy smile began to form on her face, as he spoke.

“Did you spare any ammo as you aimed your ship’s ATG cannons at the Humit school?”

The smile quickly faded from her face.

“I didn’t think so.”

As he brought his blade back to end her, she side rolled out of the way, ripping her hands through the blade in doing so, she slammed a button on the opposite side of the console. Two man-sized balls emerged from the floor on either side of the room, their front panels opening to reveal two tri-barreled guns each.

“Well, that wasn’t in the plan.”

The barrels of both turrets began spinning, unleashing an unending volley of bullets. Shredding the computer, they just barely grazed CAL as he backflipped out of the way. Landing in the middle of the room, CAL glances at the turrets.

“Two twin barrel Heavy Gatlers. I guess this won’t be as easy as I thought.”

Crossing his arms two strands of green light appeared in his hands, as the turrets halted fire to realign themselves on their target. Solidifying the instant he grasped them, the strands took the form of bladed, dual ended flails. Both turrets open fire once more, unleashing a torrent of rounds upon CAL, each deftly deflected. With each sublime movement CAL left two or more afterimages, appearing to the common onlooker as if he split himself into various clones.

“Ten rounds a second, easy enough to handle. Too much to return to sender. But more importantly…”

CAL carefully scanned his surroundings, taking small glances back as he continued deflecting bullet.

“There you are!”

Catching a glimpse of her in the corner pulling out something out of a chest.

“And it looks like you have a…”

CAL sighs in disappointment as he realizes what she just placed over her shoulder.

“...Helo Cannon. Great.”

“By Calica’s hoard, may it be plentiful and shiny, this will be your grave Droid!”

The commander fires a beam of superheated plasma at CAL, rolling to his right, it grazes his shoulder as he barely dodges it. CAL takes the momentary cease fire as the turrets began readjusting to run toward her. Firing again, CAL rolls to the left, as the beam bores a hole straight through the metal plated flooring. CAL closes the distance between them, launching himself at her. Moments from decapitating her, he hears the whirl of the Turrets begin again.

“Oh boy, miscalculated that one didn’t I?”

He turns mid air, barely catching the oncoming storm of bullets as he grounds himself, several rounds shredding through his body. Overwhelmed by the sudden assault, he can do nothing as the Commander charges a point blank shot.

She does not miss.

The beam sends CAL flying straight into the wall, collapsing the majority of it upon him.

“Calica watches me this day! The Droid lies dead!”

Setting the Cannon beside her and jumping for joy, she turned back to the console to deactivate the turrets.

“Negas shall reward me handsomely for his corpse!”

“I’m not dead yet, you insectoid freak!”

An energized chain fires out from the rubble wrapping around the Helo Cannon and ripping it out of her hand. Sensing the movement the turrets open fire on the rubble, only for CAL to launch himself to the ceiling. Pulling the Cannon to him, he fires a shot at the left turret vaporizing it. The second turret realigns opening fire as CAL throws the Helo cannon at the incoming volley. The resulting explosion is blinding, scrambling the turret’s sensors and blinding the Commander.

CAL drops to the floor, a beam of energy in his hand. It solidifies into a Spear, which he launches with all his strength. Ripping straight through the center of the turret, leaving it mostly intact. The blinding light of the explosion subsides, granting the commander the precious few seconds she needed to witness CAL ducking in front of her. Confused, she looks at CAL and then the Turret, its barrels spinning and its “friend or foe” chip ripped straight out of it.

CAL looked her straight in the eyes as she looked back at him.

“No! No! Noooo!” The sound of a camera clicking, the last sound she hears as the turret rips her to pieces.

Stopping to realign, the turret begins to erupt from the inside as it’s coolant tank explodes.

CAL hops to his feet, his lower face mask opening and folding into the sides of his face. Revealing a massive smile stretching across his electric blue face.

“The look on her face! A keeper for sure. Pure catharsis baby!”

With the final turret exploding completely, CAL dusted himself off, walking to the console. Wiping the commander’s blood off the screen, he looked at his reflection. Soaked in blood, riddled with new holes, part of his shoulder vaporized, and covered in cuts and scratches.

“Not the cleanest run I’ve had. But not too shabby either. I did get a bit overconfident on that one, but it’s to be expected from the apex predator of the planet.”

Walking to the collapsed wall, he looked out through the trees and man sized vines toward the rising morning sun. The twin moons fading behind the brightness of the sun’s rays, and the multicolored planets in the far distance.

CAL sighed heavily at the sight, as if lamenting a life long gone.

“I just hope this is good enough for what they have lost.”