Cyprus

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  Cyprus watched the Hokkonian Novawolf reverse direction and fly away. She could still hear the deadly edge in the male’s voice. She shuddered at the reality of his ominous threat, and wanted to run to her quarters and bury her face in a pillow.

  Pull it together.

  She wasn’t a child anymore. She was the acting captain of Terminus 14, and she would lead with pride and courage.

  Once she was sure the Hokkonian wouldn’t return, she typed his name into the console. Her screen was immediately flooded with news sources, union documents, and publicly shared Sovereignty records. Most of the articles sang the alien’s praises, but if the source came directly from the Sovereignty, the tone of the reports was much different.

  “They do not like you very much,” she muttered, scanning through an article from several years prior.

  Regardless of the Sovereignty’s opinion, it was clear that the HWND pilot was formidable.

  She slumped back in her chair; she still wasn’t sure what he was talking about. She wasn’t aware of any strange ship, and she would have seen one on her way in. She had only just arrived a few minutes before the Hokkonian hailed the station. She would have at least picked up the unknown vessel’s signature on the scanners when she docked.

  She chewed her bottom lip; if there was something out there that had killed two HWNDs, she would have to be careful.

  “Thanks a lot, Granddad. Sure is super safe out here.”

  If she did get in trouble, there wasn’t anything the old man could do. There really wasn’t anything the Union could do either. She was too far from any Union-controlled planet to rely on their assistance. Terminus 14 was a glorified scout vessel, anchored on the border of enemy territory.

  You haven’t been on this station for five minutes, and you’ve already made an enemy.

  She got out of the black, cushioned chair and grabbed her bags. Her crew would be arriving within the week, so for now it was just her and the two engineers.

  She decided to unpack and discovered her cabin to be surprisingly lavish. The floors were dirty, but at least the sheets on her queen-sized bed had been changed. Beside her bed was a large wooden desk, and just beyond that was the bathroom.

  There was a night table on the other side of her bed, with an incandescent lamp that filled the room with a comforting glow. It was cozy to say the least, and she sighed in relief. She had been expecting a lot worse. At least she could retreat to a place of comfort at the end of the day.

  Once she was done setting up, she decided it was time to look for the engineers. It would be rude to ignore them for much longer, and besides, it was probably a good idea to know who she was living with. The Union hired a lot of people—they couldn’t all be model citizens.

  Terminus 14 was large, with six different levels. Her cabin was on the highest floor, along with a large restroom and the control room, which nearly spanned the entire length of the station.The other levels were a combination of basic living requirements such as exercise facilities, entertainment units, and agriculture.

  The Hangar was on the second lowest level, filled with a cache of dated ammunition and rusty weapons.

  It was the lowest level she was going to—the mechanical floor. It was also where the engineers spent most of their time.

  The elevator door slid open, and she was met by a maze of narrow corridors that made up the mechanical floor. The level was brightly lit, but the complexity of its halls sent a chill down her spine. There were too many corners; too many hiding places.

  Pull it together, you’re a grown woman. These people work for you. They’re not trying to scare you.

  A loud noise echoed down the hall, followed by a softer thud.

  That’s just the engineers. See? They’re down here probably just doing their job.

  She forced her feet to move and chastised her child-like fear. She strode down the corridor with fake confidence, seeking out the source of the noise while peeking into every cramped room she passed. Everywhere she looked was a concoction of mechanical devices, wires and plumbing. She wasn’t an engineer, but she understood some of the basics. It was all there to keep the station functioning.

  After a few minutes of exploring, it became apparent that the workers weren’t there, or at least they weren’t on that level.

  Then what was the source of that noise? Surely something had to be down here. The longer she kept looking, the more her skin started to crawl, and the shadows started to take shape. Maybe there really had been a strange ship that docked on board. Maybe it let loose a monster or a ghost.

  A ghost, really?

  She couldn’t bear the silence any longer, “Hello? It’s Councilor Atik. I’m the new captain.”

  She strained her ears for a reply, but the mechanical ambience was deafening. The hiss of steam seemed to drown out her thoughts, and she could feel the hum of electricity in her teeth.

  She fumbled for the small sidearm that she had strapped to her hip. She had never even held one before leaving Gasaan, but Granddad had insisted. Anything could happen in the outer layers he had said.

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  She felt the cold steel of the weapon's grip and pulled it out of its holster. It felt too light to be capable of taking a life. It did little to help with her nervousness.

  “Hello?” She turned a corner and froze; the lights had been turned off here. “I just want you to know th–that I–I’m armed.”

  She crept down the hallway but stopped when it got too dark. She wasn’t going to walk in there blind.

  Ghosts weren’t real, but men were, and she knew they could be just as monstrous.

  A sudden scraping noise from the darkness caused her to squawk in fear and she stumbled backward.

  Something launched itself out of the darkness and hit her across the chest. The weight of it knocked her to the ground and sent the sidearm spinning from her grip. She felt drops of liquid splatter on her face and the metallic stench of coagulating blood stung her nose.

  She wriggled out from underneath the thing that had struck her, and in the dim light she recognized the logo on the dirty jumpsuit.

  She screamed and pushed the engineer’s headless corpse away. She scrambled to her feet, terror restricting any intelligible thoughts from her mind.

  She tried to run but slipped in the puddle of blood and fell hard on her face. Her vision exploded with stars, and the ringing in her ears drowned out the hammering heartbeats.

  Dazed, she rolled over, and for a moment she couldn’t comprehend what was looming over top of her.

  It was a monster.

  Animalistic horror returned, but she couldn’t move. She was paralyzed like a cornered rabbit before a wolf’s snapping jaws.

  The monster was reptilian and covered in hard scales the color of copper. Its body was lined with hard ridges and spines. Two massive, curved horns protruded from underneath its jaw and traced its elongated snout. Its bright, orange eyes stared at her with cruel cunning, and in the very core of her being, she knew that this creature would be the death of her.

  “Councillor,” he spoke in Universal, but he spoke with a strange accent and a drawn-out hiss.

  Cyprus wanted to scream, but she couldn’t even blink.

  You’re going to die.

  The alien hacked a cough into a large claw. Mucus splattered through his talons and added to the soup of blood on the floor. He dropped to his haunches and brought his face close to Cyprus. His breath smelled foul, and a milky substance leaked from the corners of his murderous eyes.

  “Did I hear you correctly? You’re a Councilor?” She had to strain to understand him.

  You’re going to die. You’re going to die.

  He narrowed his eyes, “I was expecting impressive warriors in this star system, but all I smell from you is fear.”

  “I’m not– not,” terror constricted her throat.

  The lizard monster leaned even closer, and Cyprus’ heart skipped a beat at the size of his fangs.

  “Not what?”

  “A–a w–warrior,” she sputtered.

  The monster leaned back, and the disappointment was evident on his alien features. “I expected more from T-91.”

  T-91?

  “You’re useless to me. Goodbye, rodent,” the lizard hissed.

  He lifted a taloned hand, and the sudden realization of her impending death cleansed the paralyzing terror from her system.

  “Wait! Wait, I’m a Councilor, not a warrior, but I can help you!”

  Guttural laughter reverberated in the monster’s throat, followed by a body-wracking cough. “I doubt that.”

  “No, I can. Please. I have a lot of power. What do you need? Are you hiding from the Hokkonian? He came here, but I turned him away.”

  A strange gleam passed over the monster’s eyes, “Hide? No, I don’t hide from anything. Everything hides from me.”

  You’re going to die.

  “Then I’ll tell you where to find him. You destroyed two of his comrades, right? I can tell you where to find more.”

  The monster studied her, “If you’re lying, I will take pleasure in removing your head.”

  “I’m not lying! I’m not, I swear! I’m a councilor for the Dromedar Union. I have power, political power.”

  For a long moment, the monster stared at her, and she had the creeping suspicion that he was debating her death.

  Finally, his jaws parted in what she suspected was a smile, “I think we can help each other.”

  Cyprus took a few deep breaths, “How?”

  The alien tilted his head, “I wish to destroy the protectors of this place, but I need certain preparations.”

  “I–I can help.”

  Another rumbling chuckle, “You would sacrifice those who protect you?”

  This is it, the moment that I’ve been waiting so long for.

  “Yes, without hesitation.”

  The rumbling chuckle turned to raucous laughter, “Excellent! Perhaps you will be useful after all. In return, you can live and govern at my side.”

  Cyprus carefully brought herself to her feet. She blinked in the dim light and readjusted her eyes on the monster. He truly was massive. His hulking frame barely fit in the corridor.

  “I’m Cyprus Atik,” she stammered.

  The lizard snaked out a forked tongue, “You can call me Recli.”

  “How can you understand me?”

  Recli lifted his head and revealed an implant under his throat, “Tech that my empire… acquired.”

  Acquired?

  Cyprus chewed on the inside of her cheek, “And you killed two HWNDs—that means you can kill more.”

  The alien’s nostrils flared, “I ambushed them, but yes. I can kill more.”

  “Good. You’re going to have to.”

  Her heart thumped so hard in her chest, she thought it might burst through her rib cage. This wasn’t real; it couldn’t be. It was a dream—a nightmare. She glanced down at the headless corpse and immediately regretted it. A wave of nausea threatened to drop her back down on the floor. Was she really about to partner with a monster?

  “What do you need?” she asked.

  Recli’s face grew serious, his smile vanished, and his bright yellow eyes narrowed. “A way my people can come here undetected, and a place for us to gather.”

  She chewed on her lip, “I might be able to find a place, but a way in…” She gave him a helpless look, “I have no influence over the border.”

  The reptile’s eyes grew dark, “That’s not good enough.”

  Think Cyprus, what can you actually do?

  “I need time. There are allies nearby that hate the Hokkonians. If I can rally them to war, we can take control of the perimeter.”

  Recli shook his head, “I don’t have that kind of time.”

  If you don’t figure this out, he’s going to kill you.

  “I don’t need much; this star system is balanced on the tipping point.”

  The alien’s reptilian eyes narrowed, “You better be right.”

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