by Devin Cain
Chapter Nineteen
"Cain?" a voice rang out over my tapper. Due to a slight distortion, I wasn’t able to place it with Gremory right off. "We have a problem."
I frowned. If Gremory thought something was off, then I had to get worried as well.
"Where you at?" I asked, getting off Samson’s bruised body. I looked down at the man and offered my hand. Being the gentleman he was, Samson pulled himself up and pretended to be dusting off his smart-cloth. Feeling the two eye me, I upped the volume of the tapper and let the lovebirds listen in.
"Command center," she replied. "Say, do you remember when I told you how there was a shadow organization that kept tabs on all the Legions?"
A lump formed in my throat, as it was obvious that Gremory was about to deliver a nasty piece of news; otherwise, she wouldn’t bother acting so strange.
"No, you never did tell me about that particular-- problem," I replied, turning to Samson. "Take me to the command center," I mouthed and started walking toward the exit.
"So, they’re called--"
"Hold on, not like this in the open," I cut her off. "We’ll be there in a few minutes."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Levi whispered. "I think I read something about them during my hacking, but I’m not sure."
"Whatever it is," I said as we exit the room, "we’ll find out soon enough. Come on, hurry up."
Samson took the lead, navigating us through the winding, metallic corridors and hallways. The light overhead was restored but still flickered every now and then. At least the loud blaring of the ship’s sirens was long past gone. It sure made a difference compared to last time when I had to run in a half dark, and ear-splitting environment.
A lot of work was getting done wherever we passed. Repairs were fully underway, the floors, walls, and ceilings were being cleaned, holes were getting patched up. It looked like everyone was busy with something, and it made me proud. At least some of them had come to see this as their home, I thought. One could see it from their expressions and how hard they were trying.
It took us a while to get to the command center, so I was surprised that I barely recognized the place when we arrived. We stopped in front of four guards who stood at attention to each side of the large, metallic sliding doors. They saluted us as one of them tapped something on a control device before the door opened. Good, I thought. Not everyone could waltz in here when they felt like it.
"There you are," Gremory said cheerfully as we entered. A dozen officers stood to attention as we walked up to her.
"Commander on deck!" an MP to my side called out. Everyone present stood and saluted me. The only reason why I knew how to reply was because of my inherited memories and experience of his past.
"At ease," I replied, sitting in a black lounge chair at the dead center of the room. It looked all but a command center to me once I had the time to observe the spacious room. Consoles and screens littered the walls in a half crescent, loosely forming an inverted ‘u’ letter. There were no desks, only screens and comfortable seats for the officers to sit on. The far wall was a giant screen with a sort of camera looking device hanging from the ceiling. It was truly one strange bridge.
"So, as I was saying," Gremory started and motioned for Levi and Samson to sit next to her on a sofa. "A high-ranking Armament user has appeared out of nowhere and is currently floating outside in space. I tried to hail them, but the only thing I got in response was his wish to speak to the new Commander. Now, what you need to know about this group of-- people, is that they’re extremely wealthy and powerful through the word of god. In essence, it’s God’s response to Devil and the Steel Legion."
"But on a much larger, and stronger scale," Kris added. "The Armament users in service of The Host, they’re specifically created to be able to stand up to us with their ‘holy’ element."
"Wait, like Angels and stuff?" I asked, almost too excited for my own good.
"Something like that, yes. And there’s one of them floating in space right now outside our hull. What’s more, he’s a tier five," Gremory went on.
I coughed violently as she caught me off guard, and almost choked on the air in my lungs.
"Five?" I exclaimed. She nodded.
"It’s Mikhail," she added, barely audible.
"Oh, wasn’t he supposed to be the Angel of mercy or something?" I asked.
"And of military and war," Levi added.
"You’re not helping, Levi," I said with a raised eyebrow.
"Do I care? Read it from my lips. N.O."
I waved her off and turned to the officers behind me.
"Can someone patch me through to him or something?" I asked, standing from my lounge chair.
"On it, sir," a young woman with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail replied. I had to admit that the smart-cloth fit quite nice around her body as I waited for her to give the go-ahead. Gremory punched me on the shoulder and hissed.
"Really? Checking out fresh meat?" she said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"No, come on! I was just looking her way!"
"Sir, you can contact him on your private tapper," the young woman said, shooting me a smile. To her luck, Gremory didn’t seem to notice.
"Mikhail?" I asked, my voice deep and commanding.
"Commander Cain? It’s such a pleasure to meet you," he replied. "Say, would you mind if joined you at the command center?" the Angel asked.
"There is no way for me to stop you, so sure, be my guest," I replied, acting like I wasn’t fazed by him or his power.
"No, there isn’t," Mikhail replied and appeared a moment after before us. "Cain, is it?" He asked, offering me his hand. I shook it, making sure not to squeeze too hard, as not to hurt his soft skin. He looked down at my hand with a frown.
"Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?" I asked, taking his offered hand. To my surprise, it went right through. Was the guy some sort of hologram?
"Oh, it’s the other way around," he replied, sitting on my lounge chair. I took a seat to his right, opposite Gremory. "And Lady Death, how nice to see you again. You sure have become quite the harbinger of death, no?"
She shrugged and offered her hand, palm down to him. Mikhail took it carefully and kissed the back before nodding slightly.
"Give me a couple of years, and you’ll see, Mikhail," she replied. He put up a smile, but I knew it was fake. He wasn’t that good at acting as he might have hoped. The bastard was a cheat and a bully, I knew as much just from looking at his ugly face.
"Are you a hologram?" I asked, not able to help myself.
"It all depends on your commander if you live another day, even more, a couple of years," he replied, still holding eye-contact with Gremory before he turned to face me. "And speaking of which, Cain, was it? Yes, this is a sort of ‘hologram’ as you called it. In truth, it’s a mental projection of my true self. There’s no way I could just appear over Beta Gebradim, no? In any case, I was sent by God himself to see what your intentions were. State them firmly and don’t even try to lie. I can say if you do, even if I’m not physically present."
"In that case, Mikhail," I started, "My goal is to find Cafka and kill him. As for our plans after that, get as far away from Human-dominated space as possible and live our lives in peace."
"I see," he replied amusedly. "What do you offer in turn?" Mikhail asked. I wanted to say that I was sparing his life, but decided against it. He could probably spit me in the face and kill me with a single shot.
"A favor?" I proposed.
Mikhail’s eyebrows shot up as he stared back at me, confused.
"To what extent?"
"What do you need?"
"Nothing yet. But once I decide to call in the favor, you will comply without hesitation. Are we clear?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. We are."
"Good, good!" He cheered slapping my shoulder three times. "So, tell me what happened here. I mean, I already know most of it, but I want to hear it from you."
I sighed a
nd shrugged.
"Maybe you would like to see? A picture is worth more than a thousand words, no? And I assume you have ways to detect that the videos are untampered with?"
Mikhail nodded.
"Indeed, I do. Please, send everything you have to my tapper."
For the next five minutes, Devil busied himself transferring everything people had collected in the last decade along with his databank. The tier five looked a couple over and nodded.
"Do you need more?" I asked.
"No, no. This will be more than enough. I have to say I’m in quite a bad spot now. You see, I was tasked with doing what the previous commander couldn’t. This ship should have died over Gebradim Beta, along with everyone on it. But, and this is a huge but, we didn’t know to which extent this man had gone. At least not until now. And it’s not just him; it’s spread all over the fleets."
He stopped and looked down at the table, took a clean glass, and poured himself some Smirnoff. It dawned on me just then that I’d been rather rude to the guest, not having offered him a drink before now.
" I’m sorry, Mikhail. We should have--"
"No, it’s quite alright. You were afraid of what would happen, so I forgive you. However, there is another matter of great import. The organization wants you home for an interview. They wish to know if you’ll be able to lead a legion of your own. After all, you’re just a civilian."
Now it was my time to get angry. Did they think I’d just bend over and everything would return to the way it had been? Not as long as I drew breath, civilian or not.
"They have lost the right to govern over this legion and ship. They don’t own it anymore, nor will anyone do so ever again. In the best-case scenario, Earth government could see us as a mercenary outfit, nothing more, nothing less."
Mikhail quietly listened to me while refilling his glass, even against Levi’s protest who wanted to do it for him. Then it struck me how odd it was that a hologram could drink.
"You do understand that if you fail to appear before them, you’ll be declared an enemy of the Human Alliance?" Mikhail asked.
"I don’t see why they would risk making an enemy of us. We did nothing wrong. All of us fought bravely against the Gebradim and sacrificed our lives, limbs, and sanity to beat them off. And Cafka? He tried to blow us all up! However, there’s a way we’d visit there, and only if you and your organization promise protection."
"And what exactly is that reason?" Mikhail asked, leaning in closer. It was eerie, but I got over it pretty quickly. His mild and gentle appearance must have caught quite a few wrongdoers off guard, I guessed.
"I want to bring the people home that do not wish to join my venture, and possibly recruit those who do want to have a new start. We need supplies, food, water, clothing, etc. And in turn, we’d share-- what we got."
"I see. In that case, you can assume it’s already arranged. The families might throw around threats and accusations, but I will stand behind you, or in this case, in front of you. I will be your shield and your benefactor. However, do not forget what you promised. You will owe me, and I do not ask for small things."
"Agreed. Unless you order me to kill myself, Lady Death, some of my other friends or anything similar."
"You are bad at this, huh?" Mikhail laughed. "You shouldn’t do any more negotiations once the time arrives. People are scheming and plotting scum. Have Lady Death do the negotiations once you return. Now, there’s one last thing I’d like to know. Why do you have two Armament signatures radiating off your body?"
I grinned, finally able to show off some importance.
"I’m housing two of them. Both Lucifer and Khepri. You should see me in--"
"Never use that name again! My brother is dead to us! Is that understood?" Mikhail boomed and slammed his fist against the table. Instead of shattering, the piece of metal slammed right through the floor and down into the hangar bay."
"We won’t," Gremory interjected quickly. I could feel Devil stir in me as his brother lost it for a moment. He wanted to be let out to do battle, but we both knew it was far too weak. Maybe one day I’d witness that battle. However, that day was not today.
"I apologize, benefactor," I quickly added. Surprisingly, Mikhail’s demeanor shifted back to his former happy go lucky attitude.
"No offense taken, child. Once you’re above Earth, make sure you’re seen wielding both Armaments. It will only add to your reputation."
"Oh? How come you’re so interested in us getting the upper hand?"
Mikhail shrugged.
"That’s not for you to know, and you won’t be getting the upper hand, but it will be quite amusing to see the looks on their faces when a double awakened human shows up. Now, how about you repair your ship and come home? Earth will await you in two weeks. Until then, everyone will have seen the videos your ‘ship’ gave me. Oh, and just for the information, Cafka showed me something different, but I saw through it very quickly."
"Thank you, Mikhail," I said and offered him my hand.
"Until then," he said, disappearing from the command center with a bright flash.
"Sensors?" Gremory snapped.
"Our sensors can’t see anything. It’s as if he was never even here."
I cursed, understanding what shit we’d gotten ourselves into.
"Imagine if it had been Ariel. We’d be dead by now for sure. She doesn’t tolerate any deviations from the norm. If we were slated to be destroyed, she would have done so with her own hands."
"Fuck that. We need to become much stronger. I don’t want to live and die according to someone’s whims. Any suggestions?" I asked, staring at Gremory.
She shrugged. "How about you go and clear out the Gebradim ship. Eat whatever you can and kill whatever you can. Once you’re up to tier two, your power will skyrocket compared to now."
"Very well. Come on," I said, looking at Samson and Levi. "It’s time to show me you aren’t a waste of good parasites."
Chapter Twenty
The hole in our hull which the Gebradim ship opened up, was welded shut. Still, the sight of the enemy hull inside our ship and the groaning of metal made the hairs on my back stand upright. The round, dark brown of their ship was quite stark in contrast to our sleek and light grey build. Not that it mattered much in the end, as the better man, or race, in this case, had survived and come on top.
I was surprised to see a familiar face down there once I’d stopped staring at the strange sight. It was BC Aiden. He noticed my surprise and grinned.
"You should have seen my surprised face when my former Lieutenant assigned me this post. I didn’t know if to either feel insulted or praised," Aiden said, offering me his right hand. I shook it firmly and replied with a smile of my own.
"Her and Gremory make a mighty fine team if I may say so. They’re wickedly smart and know how to organize both people and things," I replied, pulling him to the side. "So, how’s it been here the last couple days?"
Aiden shrugged. "Good, I guess. They never tried attacking since we welded the hole shut. Which is a good thing I suppose, no?"
I nodded at his reply and looked back at the walls.
"They sure look thick. How the hell are we going to blast through?"
"What do you mean, Commander? Blast through where?"
"Through the door, BC. I need to board the enemy ship and kill everything that's left alive."
"There’s no need to blast through, Commander. For some reason, no matter what we’d tried, a port of their hull wouldn’t weld. There’s a hole big enough for you to pass over there," Aiden pointed at a hole in the plating amidst four gun emplacements. A full battalion of soldiers was arrayed around them in a defensive position. Not that they’d be any good against a tier two parasite.
"Show me," I said and beelined toward the hole. Aiden stopped me and ordered some of the soldiers to check ahead.
"Clear!" one of the soldiers shouted before dropping down the hole, followed by three more. "All clear! The enemy is still arrayed on t
he far side!" the soldiers reported over our comms.
"It’s been like this since the moment they lost the battle," Aiden whispered as if afraid someone might hear him. "They’re dug in on the far end of the ‘corridor’ as we call it. We haven’t tried to go through, but neither have they."
"Hmm. Levi, I want you to stir up some shit. Fire two HE rounds at their position. I want to see what happens."
"Wait, what? They might attack!" Aiden panicked. I turned to the man, putting my right hand on his shoulder.
"BC, we’re here to end them. Do you really think the three of us can’t handle a bunch of Gebradim?"
"Is that a trick question, sir?" he asked, furrowing his brow.
"No. But never mind. Cover the entrance and shoot them if anyone manages to sneak past us."
"I’ll go in first," Samson said, pushing past me. He disappeared into the hole, landing with a loud thud a moment later.
"You okay, baby?" Levi called after him.
"Sure thing, babe! Come on down, and I’ll catch you!" Samson yelled back. I shook my head in disapproval. Sure, I was no military leader in the sense that I had a tight grasp on what I was doing, but I still tried to look as professional as possible.
"I’ll go first," I said, stopping her. Samson’s massive arms caught me as I dropped. He gave me a strange look as if disgusted by my act, and dropped me a second later.
"Hey! What the hell, man?" He groaned. "I don’t want to feel your ass all over me!"
"Whatever. Thanks for the catch," I replied, scurrying off into the corridor.
It was a dark, long hallway about six-foot-wide and ten high. It was a good thing, or Samson wouldn’t be able to stand upright. The four soldiers had taken up a position behind some bent metal sheets and were observing the enemy.
"Get back up, boys," I said, waving them off.
"Sir, yes sir!" all four replied in unison, got up, and ran back to the opening behind. I Shrugged as they retreated. It wasn’t their fault they wouldn’t be of any use. Samson chuckled from behind me, accompanied by Levi’s laughter. The two of them needed to get it together.
