Chapter 26 - Arthros

  Psychosomatic Output: 10,000 Units

  Synaptic Rank: unbound

  There was no stopping the staff from striking Jericho across the head, but Arthros could tell that Sto'ram tried her best to lessen the impact. The blow still knocked him prone, and he twitched in silence.

  “Commander-” She started.

  “Drop the staff,” He commanded.

  She hesitated, and he didn’t blame her. He had never intervened before; it went against the very nature of their program. Jericho wasn’t strong enough; he should be dead.

  Yet theoretically his strength should exponentially improve, until he’s strong enough to take them all on, maybe even stronger than Arthros himself.

  It was that future that Arthros was investing in, and he was using the respect of his comrades as currency. He could only hope that they’ll understand, one day.

  Sto'ram was transfixed by Jericho’s still form, and he could tell by the tension in her muscles that she longed to deliver a killing blow. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t dare disobey a direct order, but her judgement was inhibited from her own impatient frustration. He would have to take irritation-fueled unpredictability into account from now on.

  When she tightened her grip on the staff, he barked an order at the twins, “Scor, flux, take him back to his quarters, I want him prepped for recovery within the hour.”

  The sudden sound of his voice had the intended effect, shaking Sto'ram from her trance. The staff slipped from her grasp and clattered harmlessly to the floor.

  He heard the slow scuffle of hesitant footsteps and turned to see the twins gaping at Jericho’s unconscious figure. The others were doing the same, even Graito who’s sneer was replaced by slack jawed bewilderment.

  “What in Tril’s name was that?” Fydither broke the silence, a disconcerted look in his slanted red eyes.

  Graito slowly shook his head, “Like watching a rat chew its own arm off.”

  “Well?”

  Randrea shook her head, “I know why you let him live, but we have our rules for a reason.”

  He met her fiery gaze, “and they don’t apply to this one.”

  Fydither kept his eyes down, but Graito met his eyes full on.

  “Don’t apply? Graito stood on his two hind legs and raised himself up to his full height, still barely reaching Arthros’ chin. His torso rippling with corded muscle as he did so. “But they applied to her, you had no problem watching her die.”

  Arthros walked up to the Myrd, there was a pained expression on the alien’s face. He felt his heart go out to the pilot, but now was not the time to deal with it. The Myrd had to know his place.

  “Did you not watch that fight?”

  Graito was silent, and for a few heartbeats, they stared at each other. The Myrd’s resolve eventually crumbled, and he sank under the weight of Arthros gaze.

  “Do any of you understand what happened?” Arthros asked the others.

  They all kept their eyes down except for the silent giant Dight, who only shuffled uncomfortably on his massive legs.

  He let out a sigh and shot a look at the Titulonist, “Then maybe Sto'ram will have to explain things for you again.”

  The black-scaled alien was still staring at her staff, a furious look on her face. “He’s different. I saw it when his brain rejuvenated, and we all saw it now. If he possessed more stamina, who knows when he would have stopped.”

  “He fights until his last ounce of strength.” Arthros said, “Now combine that with his affinity for neural integration.”

  “He’ll surpass us,” Randrea said in a quiet voice, “he only needs time.”

  The other pilots said nothing; it wasn’t hard to decipher their thoughts with the look of betrayal in their eyes.

  “I need you all to trust me,” Arthros said.

  “We do, sir,” Graito said, staring mournfully at the floor, “but don’t expect us to trust him.”

  Randrea placed a comforting hand on the Myrd’s shoulder. An awkward silence fell on the group, and he felt his own resolve start to crack. He was losing their respect with every broken rule. He didn’t blame them. He just had to believe that it would all be worth it. He had to trust his instincts.

  Movement in his peripheral caught his attention, and he glanced to see the Admiral standing at the far end of the training facility by the exterior door.

  “You’re all dismissed.” He growled.

  They dispersed immediately. Randrea and Graito headed for a space to spar while Fydither flew over to Dight and rested lightly on the back of his head, yelling orders for the big beast to march. Dight paid no attention to the Ordanian and lumbered at his usual pace for the exit, probably on his way to the mess hall.

  Arthros smoothed his white wraps and realized he wasn’t wearing his Commander's uniform. The needlessly bright blue and gold colors were harsh on the eyes and brought unwanted attention to himself. Not to mention the stiff material was extremely uncomfortable. Admiral wouldn’t care for that excuse.

  “Admiral!” He called and strode confidently over to meet her.

  The admiral raised her eyes and swept her gaze up and down. “Commander. I would ask if you just got out of your HWND, but I’ve been here for the last half an hour.”

  He blinked, “I-”

  The Admiral held up her hand, “I don’t want to hear it Arthros. Proper uniform attire is the least of my problems with you.”

  She tightened her lips in a small smile, and they both knew that it was true.

  “What can I do for you Admiral.”

  The Hokkonian female gave him a long look and her stern features faded, “I have bad news.”

  His heartbeat quickened, “what kind of bad news.”

  “Two more HWNDs were destroyed, and their pilots killed.”

  A shiver ran down his back, and the familiar cloud of dread returned to hang over his head. “Tell me.”

  “It’s not good, Arthros. The high table is meeting right now to discuss. You know that intel they tried to hide?”

  How could he forget. When he returned from his guard duty, they had denied the intel again. Claiming it was punishment for his bad behavior. Zludikai had to drag him out of the cathedral as he thrashed and spit at the pompous idiots.

  He grunted and the Admiral grimaced, “I managed to get it. A few territories beyond in the neighboring systems have been obliterated by a reptilian war-driven species known as the Shadari. They’ve systematically conquered each star, planets and all before advancing to the next.”

  Arthros frowned, “Is there any pattern to their attacks?”

  Zludikai shook her head, “If you count linear as a pattern.”

  “Conquering linearly,” Arthros mulled the words, “that would imply that they’re searching for something, an ideal world maybe?”

  “No idea. They’re a shamanistic civilization, they’re probably looking for some deeper meaning, magic or a lost god?”

  Arthros snorted, “Maybe it was magic that helped them cross the Storm.”

  The Admiral sighed, “The two pilots that were killed. They were protecting a representative of the high table. Because of your discovery on Reloculan, they were sent to accompany her. It was a routine meeting on Ordan to discuss the increase in tariffs. ”

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  He tapped the tips of his teeth together, “and the representative?”

  “She lived, and she saw the entire thing. She use the word ‘lizard’, said the monster was a little bigger than us. Get this, the lizard had a companion.”

  A darkness swirled in his core; he knew exactly who the companion was. “A human female.”

  Zludikai nodded, “Your union woman. She was there.”

  It was happening, sooner than he ever could have imagined. The Union had just declared war. The Sovereignty was not prepared.

  “What is the high table thinking?” Arthros tapped the tips of his teeth together as thought about her words, “we need to act quickly.”

  Zludikai hesitated, “They called for the mass withdrawal of all Hokkonian troops from Union space, that includes our stations along the perimeter.”

  “And?” A mass withdrawal could mean a gathering of troops somewhere else. Along the Storm’s edge, maybe to hold the breach like a choke point.

  She bared her teeth in a frustrated grimace, “That’s it. They’re scared. They know we’re weaker than we’ve ever been. They’re pulling them back to Hokku.”

  He physically recoiled from the shock, and he didn’t bother to hide the disgust on his fast, “No, we’re not doing that.”

  Zludikai grimaced and made a helpless gesture with her hands.

  “No! You can’t let them do that Zludikai. We have to strike before it’s too late. If we pull our troops from the perimeter stations, we’ll have no idea if the Union brings in more of those lizards.”

  “I tried to tell them, they won’t listen.”

  “They don’t have to listen!” He bellowed, “The Navy has always had it’s autonomy- “

  “I told you that wasn’t the case anymore!” She snapped, “Even now Admiral Zlaydoss is transmitting the command. He’s always been in their back pocket.”

  Arthros pounded his forehead with clenched fists and didn’t bother to stop his spines from standing on end, “They’re going to flatten us! It only took one of those freaks to kill four HWNDs! Imagine an entire army. An entire army with the Union’s financial support! We don’t stand a chance.”

  He glared at Zludikai, and to his surprise she looked defeated. The uncharacteristic look of weariness did more to unsettle him than the news of the coming war. There was more, news she was unwilling to tell him.

  She could barely hold his gaze. “Hokku won’t fall. Not if we pull everyone to the surface and generate the shields.”

  The shields? The impenetrable planetary shields that would ensure Hokku’s survival while simultaneously dooming the rest of the star system. That option was a last resort, not a kneejerk reaction to the loss of four HWNDs.

  “Obviously they won’t be able to breach the shields, I was talking about our ability to protect Dromedar.” He spoke.

  She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, and his gut twisted like he swallowed rotten meat. They wouldn’t possibly dare make that call now.

  Recognizing the horror on his face, Zludikai’s expression only grew grimmer, “the shields will go up in three days, Admiral Zlaydoss figured that would give allow enough time to pull everyone to the surface. Stragglers…” She shrugged, “Stragglers will have to do their best in orbit, but they’ll be caught between the Shadari and our guns.”

  So that was the real reason why she came to speak with him. Why she had looked so shaken as she approached. The Soverignty ordered a death sentence. Not just for those too slow to react to the order, but to the rest of Dromedar.

  “We promised to protect them.” Arthros whispered.”

  Zludikai spines trembled, “They’re allied with the Union, if anything this could save lives.”

  She was coping of course. She knew as well as he did, that the invaders would simply turn on the Union the moment they were no longer useful. Dromedar would become a blood bath, and it’s planets conquered. Civilians would be slaughtered, and those left alive would be enslaved. He almost laughed at the irony. Slave masters fighting against slave masters. Killing each other over possessions like children arguing over toys.

  His oath to protect Dromedar was the only thing he truly cherished. The Shadari wouldn’t take that from him.

  “Send my division out to Kleth’altho. We’ll find the invader, and we’ll kill the Union woman.”

  The admiral shook her head, “the order already went out- “

  “To withdraw from Union space. Kleth’altho is not apart of the Union, and Terminus-14 is anchored in their orbit. They allow the station there in an agreement of good faith, that’s all.”

  He stared into her eyes, and watched hope slowly return.

  “We would risk ruining our relationship with the Corpos.” She said slowly.

  Arthros snorted, “we don’t have a relationship with them. They hate us, trust me I was just there. Besides, there won’t be a Corpos if we don’t do anything.”

  She tapped the tips of her teeth together thoughtfully, “you don’t have much time.”

  “I don’t need a lot.” He said definitively.

  She studies him with her pale eyes, weighing the options and coming to the same conclusion that he did. If she didn’t allow him to go, she would effectively be breaking her oaths.

  “We need to scout the Reloculan surface, and make sure things are as dire as they seem. Perhaps this is all an overreaction.”

  An overreaction was an understatement. The shields hadn’t been raised since the crusade. To generate them now, after a few dead HWNDS… the thought made him sick to his stomach.

  “I’ll go to Reloculan, I’m tired of delegating and watching. If we’re all going to die anyways, I’d rather do it in my HWND.”

  For a moment it looked like she was about to argue, “fine, if you find the invader don’t engage him yourself. We just need to locate his position.”

  “You don’t think I could take him?”

  “I think you’re the only one in the galaxy who could, but I don’t want to test that theory. In 24 hours mobilize you’re division, I’ll give them the intel on Kleth’altho. Contact me as soon as you can.”

  Arthros took a deep breath. It was no small matter to authorize a mission of such importance, especially to division eight. Zludikai caught the look in his eye, and grimaced.

  “An honor that must remain secret, were risking a court martial even discussing this mission let alone carrying it out.”

  Arthros’ face cracked in a crooked grin, his attempt at a smile, “well it’s a good thing you’re sending us. If we fail, you can just blame it on our reputation.”

  The admiral didn’t disagree, though the sentiment made her uncomfortable. She clears her throat with a quick and subtle cough. “I would prefer if you didn’t make me do that, so don’t fail.”

  “I never do.” He said with a respectful incline of his head.

  With that, she turned on her heel in perfect military fashion and marched out of the room. Back straight, shoulders square, and chin lifted as if she didn’t just commit treason. As if she didn’t just agree to a suicide mission.

  A loud victorious shout shook him from his thoughts, and he turned around to see a weaponless Randrea pinned underneath Graito.

  “What’s the record?” He called over to them.

  “784 - 783” Graito gurgled excitedly back, “for me of course.”

  Randrea rolled out from underneath him, and with an acrobatic jerk of her hips, she launched herself from her hands to her feet.

  “Forgetting about Siphel again?” She dusted off skin tight pants.

  Graito’s smile melted into a sour frown, and he cursed in his native tongue.

  Despite her loss Randrea let out a belly laugh and clapped the Myrd on the back. “784-786” she gave a pointed look at Arthros, “for me of course.”

  He acknowledged the statement with a curt nod, and hurried out of the arena. Behind him he heard Randrea ask for a rematch, to which the Myrd emphatically accepted.

  He strode quickly through the brightly lit corridors that zigzagged like a maze. He scowled at all the turns and unmarked doors and cursed Hokkonian architecture for it’s needlessly confusing building style.

  He finally arrived a door marked engineer’s emblem. The room was massive, to the unexpected it would be incomprehensible. Its high arching ceiling nearly matched the cavernous architecture of the training arena and its length extended to the limits of Arthros own vision. The air was thick with the smell of burning oil and smoke. The sounds of crashing metal and the high pitched whine of power tools instantly filled his ears.

  Though the room was immense, it felt congested with various mechanisms, and the shells of HWNDs. A workstation was laid out every 20 yards, giving just enough room for an engineer or a team to work on a HWND.

  Everywhere Arthros looked the massive mech suits could be seen in every stage of development. Some were in the process of being built, while others were undergoing repairs. As he marched across the room he could feel eyes on him, but he paid no attention.

  His reputation here was quite polarizing. Some loved him for the innovative and unique challenge he brought to them, while the others despised him. Though that wasn't anything out of the ordinary, his requests went above and beyond their responsibilities, and they feared the consequences of working with him. But there were still a handful of engineers who were crazy enough to build HWNDs for aliens. They were a rare and strange bunch of engineers who could care less about the political integrity of their culture. They shared a burning desire to push the limits of their craft and any unique request Arthros brought them they accepted with an eagerness that almost made him uncomfortable.

  “Ah Commander!” came a raspy voice, “come to check on our progress?”

  A thin looking Hokkonian appeared through the haze, his navy blue overalls were covered in soot and grime. He was grinning from ear to ear, and the spines on his head quivered but remained flat.

  “Benetrosh,” Arthros dipped his head, “yes, I’m afraid the deadline has been shortened once more.”

  The engineer’s smile faded as he tapped his teeth in an exaggerated thoughtfulness, “how much time do we have?”

  The truth was devastating, he knew they would never be able to complete the HWND in time, but it didn’t have to be completed it just had to be serviceable. A lie would be better.

  “If Tril is good to us, four months.”

  “Neuro bridge testing alone will take over a year, not to mention the bio-mechanic hydraulic system, we're talking about human physiology here.”

  “Four months Benetrosh, maybe less.”

  The engineer gave him a long stare, slowly flicking his tongue off the tips of his teeth. The skinny Hokkonian cracked a deranged smile and clapped a dirty hand on Arthros shoulder, “you love to make life difficult for us Commander, don't you.”

  He gently pushed the hand away, “can it be done?”

  The engineer let out gasping croak of a laugh and beckoned for Arthros to follow him. “I put that Aopriordian in a HWND didn't I? And everyone in the shop thought Tril was going to drop you dead for that abomination. Me along with you!”

  The engineer cackled again and ducked under a thick cloud of steam, before appearing a few feet to the left, his eyes brimming with mischievous pride. “There's a reason I was excited to see you in the shop.”

  Through the haze Arthros could just barely make out the silhouette of a HWND, one much smaller and slimmer than usual Hokkonian piloted rigs.

  “After you told me of your dream for a much smaller pilot,” Benetrosh winked, “I designed this shell and had it constructed for just this scenario. Once we heard you had arrived with the new cadet, I dusted it off and got to work.”

  “Benetrosh…” Arthros murmured, staring in wonder at the HWND.

  “We’ll have it ready in time, Commander.”

  Arthros looked at the gangly engineer, a newfound appreciation in his heart for the strange fellow.

  “On to the more important question, weapon modifications.”

  Arthros didn’t have to think about the answer, “Two ARC blades. Get those completed first.”

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