The VoidDancer’s touched solid ground, and Sylaron felt a knot of tension release from the back of his shoulders. Normally he hated the end of the missions, where his leisure time was capitalised by tedious paperwork and debrief sessions. Yet today he felt nothing but relief. There was something incredibly comforting about being home after the nightmare he witnessed on the alien ship.
For the entire voyage home he could feel the nagging presence of the specimen they had trapped in the holding cell, and the torn apart ship they had in tow.
As he made his final logs he struggled to remember how to do so. It was a stupid thing to forget, but the dread that hung over his head filled his brain with fog and he struggled to think. When he was finally done, every other officer had left. Making the bridge eerily quiet. When he left, he found Dridik waiting for him in the corridor.
“Admiral Yilros is waiting.”
Sylaron was silent, and he gave his friend a slight nod. He tried to walk past, but Dridik placed a strong hand on his chest.
“You need to pull it together, Syl. I get that your worried, but this isn’t like you.”
Sylaron frowned, “I’m fine.”
Dridik snorted, “You didn’t sleep once the whole way back, and I watched you stare out the viewport for hours like that nightmare in the brig was eating your brain. For Tril’s sake Syl, I practically ran the damn ship for you.”
The silence was deafening as Dridik stared questionignly at him. The hokkonian’s white eyes searched for some explanation written on his face. Anger rose in Sylaron’s throat, and he felt his spines tremble.
“Cut me some slack,” He mumbled.
“No,” Dridik shook his head, “no I’m not going to do that. I babysat you on the ship, I’m not going to babysit you with Admiral Yilros. Trust me Syl, this is coming from a place of love. You’re acting like some mewling child afraid of the dark.”
The insult was enough to stir the fog of dread that swirled around his brain, and Sylaron’s lips curled back in a snarl.
”Watch it, Dridik.”
The executive officer’s eyes lit up at the sudden display of emotion, “Ah, there he is. Is Captain Sylaron here to stay? Or is that pathetic coward going to come back the moment Yilros asks to see the corpse.”
Sylaron grabbed Dridik but the collars of his uniform, and slammed him into the wall. His spines flickered and threatened to rise in response to his anger. His chest was heaving as he pinned his friend, and for a moment he just held him there.
“I can’t explain it, Dridik,” He said breathlessly “but I know in my guts that there are more coming. I can’t shake this feeling that they’re going to wipe us all out.”
Dridik’s own spines stood on end, but he didn’t make any attempt to release Sylaron’s hold on him. “I get it, but you can’t leave us like that again.”
Sylaron let go, and took a step back. He smoothed his spines, and shot his friend rueful smile.
”Was I really acting like a mewling child?”
Dridik smoothed out his crumpled uniform and shrugged, “More like a brainless idiot, but mewling child sounded better. You really think there are more of those things coming?”
Sylaron nodded, and Dridik tapped his teeth together thoughtfully. “There can’t be. They got here by pure luck.”
”What if it’s not luck, what if it was sent here?”
”For what? You said it yourself: those people were trying to escape from the parasites. Their ship ended up here on random chance.”
“What if they were allowed to escape, what if the parasites wanted them to find another star system.”
Dridik itched irritably at a spot between his eyes, “For Tril’s sake Syl would you listen to yourself? You’re babbling on about nonsense.”
A loud creak echoed from a door further down the corner, and a figure appeared.
”Uh, Captain Sylaron, sir?” She said nervously.
”Yes? What is it?” Sylaron asked as he desperately tryed to inflect the appropriate amount of casual calmness into his tone.
”It’s Admiral Yilros sir, he said he’s waiting-“
”I’ll be right out, thank you.” Sylaron said, forcing a smile.
The female dipped her head left through the door, it closed with echoed clang.
“We better go.” Dridik said, “You can tell your crazy theory to the Admiral.”
The two of them walked out of the ship, and Sylaron threw a hand up to shield against the harsh artificial white lights overhead. Theskik City was more of a glorified military complex than an actual city, and the entire thing was almost completely subterranean. Massive craters were used as landing bays, the only realistic way to fit the massive warships into an underground facility. Admiral Yilros was standing by the captured enemy ship, which was still air locked and tractored to the VoidDancer. The ship looked equally rough on the outside as it did on the inside. Metal plates of various sizes and colours held it together, and the entire thing was riddled with blast marks and other signs of weapon damage.
“I never thought I would see an Alftari ship,” Yilros said softly, “It’s uglier than I imagined.”
Sylaron smiled blandly and strode forward to join him. Dridik was close on his heel.
“You should see the inside, Sir,” He said.
Yilros turned to look at him, his pale grey face hard. “The video feed you sent us was enough for my taste, I’m more interested in the… creature you found.”
Sylaron dipped his head and led them past the ruined ship, to the back of the VoidDancer. Dock workers were busy unloading empty storage crates, while the ship’s cargomaster barked orders. When he saw the three of them walking over, he stiffened and tucked the display pad he held in his hands into a pouch on the back of his uniform.
“Captain Sylaron!” He called as he hurried over to greet them. “I wasn’t expecting you back here! How can I help you? If you’re checking in on our progress I can assure you we’ll be finished soon enough. Or maybe-”
Sylaron lifted a hand, “It’s okay Thiggs, I’m sure you have everything under control. I trust the supplies are in good hands.”
“They absolutely are, sir. If you want, I can send you a manifest of our inventory.”
“No need, we’re here for non-cargo related reasons. Carry on.”
Thiggs dipped his head, shot a nervous glance at the Admiral, and flashed a toothy smile at Dridik. He pulled the display pad out of his pouch, and returned to yelling at the dockworkers struggling to push the weighted crates up the long ramp.
“Do you know everyone that works on your ship, Sylaron?” The Admiral asked in an amused tone.
“He’s almost there.” Dridik muttered.
Sylaron shook his head, “Not yet, Sir, but I’m working on it.”
“Word of advice, these people are expendable. Your life will be easier if you start treating them as such. It’s difficult to make the hard choices if you know the names behind them.”
A loud crash shook the cargo bay, followed by a string of curses. Thiggs was standing over a toppled create, shouting at a stooped worker hurrying to collect the spilled contents. Sylaron felt a flicker of pity at the dismayed look on the worker’s face, and when tore his attention from the scene Admiral Yilros was already walking away.
“Idiot, You’d think Theskik would employ better dockhands.” Dridik said, watching the poor worker pleading with Thiggs to keep his job.
“He’s tired.” Sylaron said, “It’s heavy work moving those crates.”
“We’re all tired,” Dridik snapped, “that’s his only job. The Admiral is right, you care too much sometimes.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Sylaron said nothing, he wasn’t in the mood to have that argument. The two hurried to catch up with the Admiral, who was now questioning Sergeant Braxx, the lead marine about the parasite. Sylaron tried to remember which marine he had been with in the navigation room, but they all looked identical in their suits. Except for Sergeant Braxx, who kept his helmet off to distinguish himself from the others in his squad.
“Captain Sylaron.” He greeted, stiffening into a soldier's pose.
“Sergeant,” Sylaron dipped his head and the marine relaxed. “Admiral Yilros is here to inspect the prisoner.”
”I’d hardly call it a prisoner sir.”
“And what would you call it, Sergeant.” Admiral Yilros asked with a frown.
The Sergeant hesitated, “a monster.”
Yilros’ frown deepened, “That’s encouraging, well let's get on with it.”
“Right away sir.”
The group of marines stepped to the side to allow Sergeant Braxx entry through the doorway. The door’s hydraulic locks hissed as it opened, and immediately the shrieks of the parasite infected corpse could be heard echoing through the darkened corridor.
Sergeant Braxx’s expression remained unchanged, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his step before he entered. Yilros followed closely behind, leaving Sylaron and Dridik in the back. The shrieks grew louder the closer they got, until all that could be heard was the shrill scream and the clang of metal as the corpse hurled itself against the prison walls.
“What in Tril’s name…” Yilros muttered.
Sylaron couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. The shrieks were unnatural and bone chilling. Almost as if the noise was intentionally weaponized.
Sergeant Braxx led them to the source of the noise, a reinforced pla-steel door. The shrieks went silent as they got close, as if the creature knew they had arrived. Yilros tried to peer through a barred window, but a sudden bang shook the door and the shrieking returned at even higher decibel.
“If I remember correctly there are cell viewing rooms on the Corvette’s.” Yilros said stiffly, trying to regain his composure.
“Yes sir, there is,” Sylaron nodded.
“This way, Admiral,” Sergeant Braxx said in an impressively calm tone despite the unnerving screams.
They entered the viewing room, which boasted several large monitors. Only one was powered on, as every other cell was empty. Displayed on the monitor was a monstrous sight. The severed upper half of a small, pink skinned alien was hurling itself into the walls, using its remaining limbs to maneuver around the cell. Its face was so battered it could only be described as a bloody pulp. The black mass attached to the base of its skull didn’t move, but every so often it would pulsate or squirm.
“Tril have mercy…” Yilros whispered.
“It didn’t originally look like that sir, The body was fully intact when it attacked. Blavos, one of my marines, cut it down.”
Yilros' face was grim, “what happened after he- he tried to kill it?”
“It was still for a moment, Admiral.” Sylaron interjected, “I watched it fall, and it didn’t move long enough for me to assume it was dead.”
“But it wasn’t.” Yilros said, his eyes glued to the horrific display on the monitor.
Sylaron shrugged, “Maybe it was for a moment. That thing on the back of its neck, that’s the real issue here.”
Yilros leaned closer, “You think that’s controlling the body, you mentioned a parasite in your transmission. That’s what that is?”
“As far as we know sir,” Sylaron confirmed, “Of course it needs to be examined further, but it’s certainly not a part of the corpse’s biology, and there wasn’t any evidence it’s a legitimate physiological feature based on the other bodies found on the ship.”
“No, you’re right about that captain. I studied the Altari when I was younger. I was quite obsessed with them at the time. Never once did our records indicate any sort of black growth.”
“Were they powerful people, sir?” Sylaron asked.
“Oh they were competent enough, but I doubt they would hold up much in any war. If we fought, Hokku would win every time.”
“That’s not a surprise.” Dridik said dryly.
Yilros smiled thinly, “I suppose it’s not, that being said Alftari was established long before we are. They guided us on more than one occasion, but military might, well, that’s always been a Hokkonian gift.”
Sylaron thought of the rest of the species in Dromedar. Hokkonians were definitely more physically capable than the rest of them, though there were a few who were bigger. However, Hokkonians possessed a level of intelligence that surpassed those who could rival them in physical prowess alone. Then there were the humans, smaller and dumber, but could breed faster than any species in the star system. That fact alone allowed them to spread throughout Dromedar like weeds. But this thing in the cell, there was a mindless ferociousness that seemed hungry to test the theory of Hokkonian superiority. That level of confidence was enough to shake Sylaron, and he hoped Yilros was feeling the same. This was a species that had to be taken seriously.
“Bring it to the testing facility in Theskik,” Yilros said finally.
”You want us to move it sir?” Sergeant Braxx said, the faintest hint of dismay in his voice.
The Admiral shot him a sharp look, “Well it can’t stay on the VoidDancer forever, we need to learn as much as we can about this thing.”
Annoyance flickered on the Sergeant's face. It was too quick for the Admiral to notice, but Sylaron caught it, and he didn’t blame him. They learned the hard way that the animated corpse was immune to sedation, which nearly proved disastrous for the marines when they were moving the creature to the holding cell. Now they were ordered to move it even further, through a populated city. That task alone seemed insurmountable, and there was a perfectly functioning research facility built on the VoidDancer.
Sylaron cleared his throat, “Sir, maybe it would be a better idea if the researchers came here. The creature can't’ be sedated and -“
Admiral Yilros cut him off with a raised hand, “Normally I would agree, but you and the VoidDancer have another mission.”
Sylaron frowned and Dridik stiffened, “Another mission? I think you might be mistaken sir, I requested this time off 4 months ago.”
The Admiral smiled thinly, “When you’re one of the best upcoming captains, you don’t get time off. Think of it as a compliment.”
Sylaron worked his jaw, “How long do I have?”
“You’re to report to Admiral Vlais in one hour.”
Admirla Yilros left the room, leaving the three Hokkonions to stew in their unwelcomed orders. When he opened the door, the shrieks started and he muttered a curse under his breath. The door closed, muffling the horrid screams as it clicked shut.
“Take your time Sergeant Braxx, we’re not going to rush you and your marines on this.” Sylaron said.
The Sergeant worked his jaw and his lips curled back slightly to betray his hidden frustration.
“Thank you Sir,” He said through gritted teeth.
The Marine turned on his heel, and marched out the room. When the door closed behind him, Dridik turned sharply to Sylaron.
“This is the Sovereignty, you know that right. They know you requested a leave, they’re messing with you.”
Sylaron gave his friend a somber look, “It doesn’t matter, we swore to serve Hokku.”
”I didn’t swear to serve any of those high family pricks in the Sovereignty,” Dridik scoffed, “I love my planet, Syl, but I can only patrol the Zi so many times. I know you feel the same way.”
The parasitic corpse screamed as if to agree with Dridik.
“If I take one of their names, my family’s legacy dies. I can’t do that.” He motions at the monitor, “besides, the Zi wasn’t so boring this time.”
They stared at each for a long moment, before Dridik finally dropped his gaze and sighed, “They’re wasting your talents Syl, we should be patrolling the interior borders, defending the moons, fighting in border skirmishes.”
On the monitor the creature went still, and the shrieking ceased. The mangled mess of a face contorted and it seemed like it was suddenly aware it was being watched.
”There’s more to service than fighting,” Sylaron murmured, “If we weren’t in the Zi, who knows how far into Hokku space this thing would have gotten. What if it landed on one of the moons? What if the parasite can spread?”
Dridik didn’t have a response, and the two of them left the room, no longer willing to tolerate the corpse’s presence any longer.
“Do you really think there are more coming?” Dridik asked as they walked down the cargo bay ramp.
”Yes, I have a terrible feeling that I can’t shake.”
“Then you have to say something.”
Sylaron gave him a puzzled look, “To who?”
”to Admiral Vlais, you’re going to see her now aren’t you?” Dridik said.
They walked past a growing group of bystanders. News of the strange captured enemy was spreading.
“She’s probably thinking the same thing.”
Dridik shook his head, “no, she’s not. None of them are. They have their hands full with the interior. If you think this is something worth preparing for, then you need to be the one to bring it up. They respect you, they’ll listen to you. But they’re not going to invest any time or resources into it otherwise.”
They walked in silence for some time as Sylaron thought about it. The idea that the parasites presence would be ignored seemed ridiculous, but Dridik always was able to see the flaws in the Navy better than he could.
”I’ll tell her,” He said finally.
Dridik stopped, “good, now have fun with that meeting.”
Sylaron turned to look at him, “What do you mean? Where are you going?”
The tall Hokkonian smiled, a ferocious looking grin. “You were the one summoned, not me, I’m going for a drink before we have to leave again.”
Sylaron licked the tips of his sharp teeth, and watched enviously as his friend sauntered away. A leader didn’t drink, but Tril knew how bad he wanted to. It was less about the inebriation, and more about the stress relief. He missed the freedom of no responsibility, but he didn’t miss it enough to throw everything he’s worked for away.
”I won’t be long!” he called after Dridik.
The Hokkonian hopped on one leg to twist back and look at him, “Yeah, yeah, contact me when you’re done, I’ll meet you on the VoidDancer!”
Sylaron took a deep breath, and rehearsed the words he was going to say to Admiral Vlais as he marched to her office.