Alone in her coffin, body broken and remade every second, Sadie held on by a sliver. The nanomachines would not let her die. The medication kept her from feeling the pain. But there were moments when she was lucid enough to know her body was not her own anymore. And if the body wasn’t hers, did she need it?

The entire ship was open to her. No, everything was open to her. Her eyes began to widen and the ship pulled apart piece by piece. With a turn of her head, the ship retreated back down to the planet and she was able to watch the departure flight. Turning her head the other way, she saw the freighter disappear into the skip. There was a flash of light as space was disturbed in the Amoroso System. It had arrived without her. Not sure how it was happening, she felt herself drawn there and the stars shifted. The freighter was approaching a gas giant of swirling colors.

There was something peculiar about the gas giant. There was a station there that was their destination, but she couldn’t see it like the rest of the system. There was a void in her vision, as if someone had cut out a large section of the station. Its center shifted and blurred, dragged away by a force she couldn’t understand.

She was prepared to push deeper toward that void when she felt them. Eyes where there should be no eyes. Whispers so faint that they were impossible to make out. She whirled through the cosmos, but saw no one. The stars which she’d never grown up under were so beautiful, so distracting. They sparkled and glowed seemingly just for her. Picking one at random, Sadie drew herself across the universe to explore.

*

In the center of a ship, there was a column that no doors led to. There had never been light and there never would be one. The only sound was that of dripping water in perfect sequence. A metronome dripping that never stopped and never altered. But today there was a new sound as something moved in the shallow pool.

A woman lurched forward, causing the water to ripple and the chains to clink behind her. Purple light twinkled around her so softly it would’ve been impossible to spot without the total darkness. It rapidly grew into a fire, burning ethereally around her body and across the chains, licking up the steel pillar. The woman was naked, wreathed in a dress of loose wires with a thick metal collar around her throat. Wires traced her left cheek and reached deep into her throat. Goggles were barely visible amongst the wet, greasy hair and the wires piercing her skull. The light around her expanded as two more women began to move.

They arched their heads to the endless nothing above, and screamed.

*

A man sitting before a computer screen sat up as a purple buzzer lit up. That alarm meant one thing and one thing only. Rising to his feet, he raced out of the room as fast as he could for the command deck. All the attendants who saw him cleared a path. Everyone who worked on this ship moved at a lethargic pace except for those who were in danger. A man running was a man running for his life.

It was hard to tell anyone apart. They wore drab brown military uniforms that were both professional and unimaginative. They technically had insignia, rank, and colorful tabs that represented badges earned for meritorious duty. It was a farce. They were toy soldiers moving at the whims of a bored creator. He approached the open bay doors to the command deck and froze as the guards rose to meet him.

The mechanical chimeras growled at him in alien tones. They stood on monstrous legs reminiscent of a bear with long slender arms ending in claws. Their heads were jaws of serrating metal teeth with four sets of red eyes. They carried no weapons because they were built directly into their bodies. The man knew they could fire from their chests and longer guns ran down their backs. They could kill from afar or rend flesh in a more primal manner. Everything about them inspired any living creature to run. He stood nervously, waiting for the Purvai to call back the dogs.

“You may enter.” The chimeras curled their claws menacingly, but stayed in place. The man walked as efficiently as he could while maintaining strict marching standards. Sloppiness was not forgiven.

“My lord.” The man knelt and held his head low, like a man awaiting execution. “The Rho sing.”

“I know.” The Purvai’s voice rose, filled with angry power. “It has been over three minutes. What took you so long?”

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“I came as fast as I could.”

“I have already redirected the ship to the Malleus Glacies System. If not for my attention, you would have delayed the most critical of missions.”

It was an impossible task. The Purvai was linked to every facet of the ship and knew about the Rho before the light had ever appeared on the console. Every piece of information, every task aboard the ship, was a waste of time. The Purvai didn’t need any of his human slaves to operate the ship. They were there for sport. Ants in an ant farm made to scurry about until someone got bored. Then their moment arrived and out came the magnifying glass.

“Forgive me, my lord.”

Heavy footsteps thumped across the antique carpet and stopped before him. The man looked up, ready to receive his punishment.

The Purvai was a handsome looking man. He wore a tight black suit from an era long forgotten. The vest, its buttons, and the shirt below were but a single shade lighter than the black coat. It was so perfectly fitted it must’ve been sewn directly into his skin. His chalky skin and black hair were unremarkable. He would’ve been a forgettable man if not for the eyes which told you he was not a man at all. They were black, blacker than space without stars. The expanding pupils moved to conceal his red irises that burned like hot coals.

“Pray there is enough information to distract me. For when you run back to your post, you will know I have grown bored when you feel the jaws of my dogs upon you.”

The man bowed quickly and fled. The machine posing as a man laughed and turned. In his mind, he saw the path to the Malleus Glacies System and the exact amount of seconds it would take to get there. The data from the Rho was peculiar. They hadn’t sung over such a strong signal in ages. It was a unique signature not catalogued. An oversight? A transference? He needed to know.

In the corridor, the man tripped over his foot. He never came close to falling, but his boot squeaked loudly across the floor. It undoubtedly left a scuff mark. Irritated at the distraction, the Purvai waved his hand in dismissal. The clunking of metallic feet across the floor and the sound of the man’s screaming bothered him not at all. Hopefully the cleaning crew would know to be quiet. He needed to think.

*

In a domed room far from prying eyes sat a dozen women. There was no order to the women as they lay sprawled about the room. Where one lay in a bed fit for an emperor and his harem, another sat on the cold stone floor. One sat hunched over, drawing images and symbols across a piece of paper, the pile below her growing. Another wore a white band across her eyes as she struck swiftly and silently at invisible opponents. One would not intrude upon the other’s peace unless it was required. The silence was as much a part of the room as the furniture, for these women had no need to speak. They knew where each member was without eyes and each thought without voice.

Soft lights were placed sparsely across the ceiling, weaving shades of blue and purple through the many curtains and drapes that wafted through the chamber. A warm breeze blew through the room, causing the colors to shift as the fabric danced. Perhaps the only note of discomfort to an outsider would be the smell. Many of the women had not bathed in weeks, their sweat soaked sheets clinging to them as they dreamt.

And one by one, their heads began to turn as if summoned. Sparks of blue and purple cut through the white of their eyes, burning a hole through time and space. If someone were to calculate the angle of their gaze on a galactic scale, they would notice they were all looking at the reservation in the Malleus Glacies System. Soon the room was alight in purple light, like twisted fireflies moving to consume the room.

“Malleus Glacies System,” whispered a woman.

“Reservation,” said another.

“One of power. Hidden for so long.”

“Find them.”

“Ursa.” Their words echoed through the room like a broken recording.

“No.” The voice brought all others to a standstill. A woman rose from a large chair she’d been resting in. She was a darker skinned woman, looking to be in her middle years with a face full of wrinkles that said she’d lived through much. Old, discerning eyes watched the reservation before shifting up and to the left. The invisible force moving at incredible speed through space.

“Amoroso System. A station floating above the clouds.” A hidden door nearly a meter thick in the wall revolved to create an opening with just enough room for a thin figure.

A woman entered and the others regarded her with a mixture of fear and scorn. She was tall and petite, despite being encased completely in armor. Darkened boots, greaves, and tassets grew into an armored skirt. Her breastplate was fitted perfectly with gauntlets covering her forearms to her fingers. The dark armor absorbed the light of the room, shifting to swathes of purple. The skinsuit beneath adapted even better, making her look like the wall behind her. If one could get a strong enough look, they might notice the armor on her right side was minutely thicker, adding to the distorted view. On her left hip hung three blades; a dirk, a longsword, and a claymore.

But it was the helmet that bothered all who could see. It encompassed her entire head and neck with no openings. The neck was a series of ribbed plates and the head a faceless dome. Its only feature was that of a closed sabretooth mouth.

“Go to the station. Find them.”

The faceless woman gave a slight tilt of her head and left.