Dark Space 49: Invasion

by G. K. Scott

  He blew out his cigar smoke. “Turn Wingates in to a trophy so you can show her skull to Jeuki wouldn’t that be more fun than just mocking him and your weak clan?” Oni Jui narrowed his gaze then flared his mandibles. “With pleasure.” He slowly eased on his black helmet with it white gleaming sockets. Oran leaned back. “Good boy.” He watched as the hunter tapped the panel at the other end of the room. Causing the wall to move back and an open ventilation shaft to appear which was about his size. Oran knew it was really an escape hatch for himself but Oni Jui had found a good use for it. He watched the black armoured hunter disappear as the wall moved back. He breathed in his cigar. How ironic the hunter was becoming the hunted. Oni Jui would no doubt win this battle he was far more skilled. Emma would never see him coming there was a chance that she might believe it was Jeuki. Only to realize to late that it wasn’t. Emma would stick to her honour codes though unlike Oni Jui.

  She wouldn’t kill children or other human women she would only kill the armed marines. Although Julia, Leo and Carlos would be seen as trophies and no more than bad-blooded prey that she’d hunt because they’d dishonoured her. Lexington was a moron and Emma could get the advantage over him where, as with Oni Jui she couldn’t. Her smiled widely. He was so looking forward to seeing how this would unfold. Was Jeuki’s teaching better than Oni Jui’s? The student was always the way of answering that question. Could she outsmart Oni Jui because she was more focused? It would be interesting to see how many more marines she got through as well. He leaned back turning on the panel listening of the marine’s radio waves.

  8

  Emma looked upwards as she crawled out in to the main ventilation the place was enormous. She could see maintenance workers moving around trying to repair things. They reminded her off her off the guys she used to see working on the iron ore rig back on Eros with their dirty looks and worker helmets although always happy no matter what they did. She could see lifts moving at incredible speed all around her some going upwards while others went down. She pulled the red lens up from her collar putting over her right eye. She loved this little device it was just part of the helmet but it meant she didn’t need to wear the helmet all the time. It worked just the same without it and was better than any marine view piece. She moved her right eye watching the infer red shadows move. She pulled up her left wrist changing the site to ultraviolet. One thing the marines might know was that if she was wearing the helmet she’d only use the inferred sight. People could use suits to stop her seeing inferred. She wasn’t going to give them that advantage. She slowly went back in to invisible cloak.

  Her gaze moved as two marines came in to view both with their guns up. She pressed her spear bringing it out fully. She’d already gotten rid of the two marines who’d tried to crawl in to the ventilation. They weren’t even worthy prey. She focused on the marines who raised their guns; she felt the shoulder gun pull up as it focused in on the target. The three beams slowly moved down the first of the two marine’s chest plate. He looked up but two late to see the plasma bolt as it fired through air. A wash of red blood hit the back wall as his dead body hit the ground. His companion pulled up in panic firing of rounds three meters from her position. She turned the shoulder gun firing. She watched as the gun fell free from his hand as his hit the ground. Her gaze narrowed that was just as unworthy prey. She watched the workers scatter in terror and panic. Her gaze moved to long drop bellow her there was rigging though, the worker rigging she could just use it to make her way down. There were also platforms and bridges.

  She leapt on to the first rig she’d climbed rigs before so this wasn’t an issue she used to climb the Eros rig just to see her father. Still going up was one thing going down was another. She leapt of the rig landing on the bridge then leaped off hitting one of rigs bellow feet first. She could do this. So long as she ignored the long drop. She kept going she was doing this for Jeuki. She just had to keep thinking that it was all that mattered. She leapt on to another bridge watching a worker who was drinking alcohol stop and gaze at her wide-eyed. He looked at her moving cloak then back at his drink before up turning the bottle so that the contents spilled on the bridges deck. Emma sighed aloud before jumping again grabbing the lower rig. Poor guy shame he’s done that it was perfectly good Jack Daniels whisky. Still if she’d have been in his shoes she’d have done the same thing. She began to work her way down ignoring one of the lifts as it shot by. She was already starting to hate the lifts why was it no one around here used ladders!

  8

  Carlos watched as the worker slowly pulled up the controlling device with chains. He tapped the panel watching the bounds around the Knopf queen tighten. She hissed angrily trying to struggle. His gaze moved as the Scientist on the crane grabbed both sides of the device slotting it on to her upper crest he smiled as the clamps grabbed her lower neck tightening. The scientist moved the crane back watching the queen thrash and struggle. Carlos tapped the panel bringing the bound back to there normal tension. He watched as Julia folded her arms. “Are you positive this will work? I mean it didn’t work on Callisto Emma Wingates stated that it didn’t.” Carlos raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t Callisto Julia!” Leo looked at the ugly alien. “Gee and I thought Jeuki was ugly, she’s far uglier.” Julia sighed aloud. “Please shut up Leo! I gave you the tour you’ve seen what goes on down here. Now be quite we are trying to work down here.” Carlos grunted aloud. “Callisto was a failure because Utro didn’t make the waves that control the brain strong enough.”

  He watched the queen try to move with the device, which was now clamped solid to her head. “I’ve compensated for it by making the waves three times stronger! This won’t fail it will be a success, the greatest success in human history!” Julia rolled her eyes. “You know no offence but you need to test it before it becomes a success.” Leo folded his arms. “She has a point.” Carlos turned sharply. “Are you just here to be a smart ass? Or are you here to do something useful?” Leo leaned forward. “I’m here not to be bossed around by you, since I’m at your level now.” Carlos raised his eyebrow. “You don’t even have the skill!” Julia coughed slightly. “He does now thanks to Oran.” Carlos growled aloud. “Well that’s nice Leo, go help the scientists who are looking after the hunter pens.” Leo smirked. “With pleasure.” Carlos watched him go. “Smug little asshole, I can’t believe you had to work with him.” Julia picked up her electronic note pad. “It was your idea that I had to work with him, and frankly he pulled off our little charade quite well.”

  She put a hand behind her back. “Lucy and Marcus really believed in him, he’s best liar I’ve ever come across.” Carlos looked at the queen as she hissed through her mouthpiece. “True but he’s still annoying plus I don’t know why Oran picked him. I mean he has no skills yet the man has had his level raised twice now thanks to his loyal service.” Julia looked at the hunter pens in the other room. “I just want to know what he did to get paid.” Her gaze drifted to Jeuki who was looking through the pens glass staring out in to space. The three other hunters were silent behind him the elder was watching quietly, while the other two very young hunters were looking around them. Carlos turned sharply as his electronic note pad began to beep loudly. He picked it up slowly it up pressing a couple of the buttons. “Hello Carlos speaking.” He pulled back as Oran’s voice hit the air. “We have a little problem.” Carlos raised an eyebrow. “We do and what might that be sir?” Oran’s voice hit the air again. “Emma Wingates is loose.”

  Julia found herself almost spitting out her coffee. “What! He’s kidding right?” Carlos blinked. “How in the hell did she manage that? No ones ever escaped from marine confinement.” Oran’s angered voice hit the air again. “Lexington’s incompetence means she’s escaped. So far she killed six marines and is slowly moving towards your position.” The voice went lower. “It seems like she’s hunting and isn’t going to let any marine get in her way.” Carlos swallowed slightly. “Please tell me she’s not in her full armour?” Oran’s voice spoke
up again. “Unfortunately she is, I’ve sent Oni Jui after her. Saying that she manages to allude him get Samantha and full unit to your position.” Julia looked up sharply. “He doesn’t serious believe she’ll get past our boy does he?” Carlos raised his hand. “I’ll do that regardless sir I’d rather be safe than end up a trophy. Tell me though why not Fern? Fern is normally the squad leader.” Oran’s voice hit the air again. “Fern is died, she died almost three quarters of hour ago from sever blood loss caused by Wingates wrist blades.”

  Julia slowly met Carlos’s horrified gaze. “Oh my god.” Oran’s voice hit the air. “There is also a missing marine who we can’t find. Eddy Ida vanished after Emma escaped we believe his dead body is hanging up somewhere but we can’t locate it. No doubt he was a trophy.” Julia put a hand on her mouth. “Screw Samantha lets get Lexington down here.” Carlos covered the talk piece. “He’s probably following Emma he’ll come down here anyway.” He pulled the pad back up. “What about the experiment sir the queen is ready.” Oran’s voice broke the quite. “Begin regardless, Emma won’t be a issue, I want the queen test to go ahead on schedule.” Carlos breathed in deeply. “We’ll begin in half an hour.” He turned the note pad off meeting Julia’s gaze. “Get everything ready.”

  8

  Lucy pulled on the chains again she tuned slightly. “Marcus do you have any suggestions as to how we can get out of these chains?” Marcus sighed aloud. “A bolt cutter.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious.” Marcus grunted aloud. “So was I.” Lucy breathed in deeply. “Okay is there anything in this room that can melt them?” Marcus looked at the two up turned tables with there contents spilt over the floor, his gaze. His gaze drifted to one of the red glass bottles near by. “That will.” Lucy raised an eyebrow. “No offence but can you be more specific I’m a cell scientist.” Marcus looked at bottle. “The red one it’s got a really strong acid in it…” He grinned slightly. “It’s called…” Lucy pulled up sharply. “You know I don’t care what it’s labelled as, how strong is it?” Marcus blinked “It’s strong it can burn your hand off and it can melt through thick floor plates. It was something Julia was working on she said it was the product of some animal’s blood which she made in to a lighter acid that could be bottled.”

  Lucy shrugged looking at the red bottle. “That’s good enough for me, not that the idea of animal with acidic blood is thrilling but I’m up to try anything.” Marcus laughed slightly. “You’re insane you know full well this could kill you and me.” Lucy grunted watching as Marcus tried to reach the bottle with his foot. “Look we are not going die here.” She watched as he flipped the bottle. “I want that dream of going through space with you flying the ship.” She watched as he managed to move the bottle a little closer. “I think you’d like the same thing so I say it’s worth the risk. “ Marcus tried to move the bottle with his foot. “You correct it is worth the risk better to try to get out than to by killed by Oran’s henchmen.” He grunted pushing the bottle closer to her watching as she got her foot around it pulling it closer to her body. “I mean this ways quicker if we screw up anyway.” Lucy grabbed the bottle with her legs. “I just need to get this into my hands then I can pull the top off.” Marcus looked at her. “You make it sound easy.”

  8

  Emma slammed the spear in to the shocked marine watching as his gun carried on firing through the air. She turned striking the other across the stomach with her wrist blades as she came at her cloaked form. The wounded female marine pulled back trying to fire only to be thrown backwards as she kicked her in the face she yanked her spear free watching the dieing marine hit the floor as the other tried to scramble away on her hands and knees. She moved towards him slamming her foot in to his back so the female marine hit the bridge face first. She tensed then slammed the spear in to the woman’s back. She pulled it out sharply before walking away. Her gaze drifted to the rigging as she jumped on to it carrying on downwards. Her gaze moved slightly as a clicking sound hit her ears, she stopped still looking around she couldn’t see anything but she knew that sound. It was mandibles clicking angrily. She listened hard as it came again. It wasn’t Jeuki the upper left mandible wasn’t clicking more than once.

  Jeuki always clicked that mandible when he was frustrated and because he clicked it in this way, when he angry that mandible tended to click more. There was another Yautja here! She turned putting her arm around the rigging while using on hand to change her eye viewers site. She moved through the sites looking around she couldn’t see him! She stopped suddenly she was looking up and around what if he was right in front of her! Or bellow her! She slowly moved her gaze letting it travel bellow she couldn’t see anything. She looked up slowly. Her gaze widened as she caught sight of a something hanging from the bridge she’d walked over were the two died marines were lying. She changed the site quickly seeing the large shadow Yautja, which was holding one of the bridges railings. It had propped it’s self up on one so it was kneeling. It looked up realizing she had seen it with her normal sight she watched the glowing white eyes flash. She didn’t think as she clicked the spear out to full again.

  She flung herself of the railing as a plasma bolt hit where she’d been. She knew the landing was going to hurt since she would hit a bride bellow with marines on it. She fired her shoulder cannon feeling it force her body in to recoil as she flew through the air. She could here the screeching as it hit close to the other hunter. She watched the hunter jump in his cloaked form coming down after her. She narrowed her gaze ignoring the sudden commotion from the marines on the bridge bellow. This was going to hurt! She had to grab hold of something! She slammed her wrist blades in to the wall ignoring the sparks as the rigging broke with the force of the blades.

  CHAPTER 14

  FALLING IN TO THE ABYSS OF DARKNESS

  Location somewhere in the galaxy, falling through the air of the main ventilation on board the Iron Year science vessel.

  This is going to hurt so much! Why can’t I stop! I don’t know what’s worse knowing I’m going to break my back on the bridge bellow because my wrist blades aren’t working in slowing my assent. Or that there’s a hunter after me, who wants to kill me! This is so unfair! Wait what am I saying life is unfair this is the shining proof of that fact. I mean marines as well! You know I get the feeling the high powers really don’t like me right now! Maybe it’s payback for hunting my own species wait what am I saying? They deserved it! They betrayed me! Hunting is part of who I’ve become I can’t change that and refuse to change it! Even if in there eyes I’m seen as a cold-blooded murder. Shame they can’t tell the difference between an honour code and a culture. You kill someone they ether have you done for manslaughter or murder even if it was an accident. You try to protect what’s yours by killing the person who breaks in to your home, which is your refuge, and you get done for it! Tell me if the person had a gun and wants to kill you is that so wrong?

  Is killing so wrong when it’s justified? All these marines would kill me first given the chance. They’re hunting me just like I’m hunting them! It’s just now there’s another hunter after me. Oh god! This is so messed up why am I even thinking about this? What am I just trying to clutch at the last strands of humanity I had before they fade away completely? Emma tried to slam her spear in to the wall only to feel the force of the blow push it away from the wall. The riggings carried on breaking with the wrist blades She winced as one of the metal pieces shot out hitting her shoulder. Even with the armour the blow was agonizingly painful. She looked up seeing the cloaked hunter getting closer. Oni Jui grunted he could see the ooman female couldn’t stop her accent. She’d jumped without thinking stupid little ooman female! He pulled out a clawed hand as he came closer. He’d slow her accent, he watched as she turned seeing him; even with the inferred sight he could see her face showing fear. He slammed out his clawed hand.

  Emma felt the clawed hand grab her armour plating, she was pulled back forceful which caused her wrist blades to break free of the wall. Sh
e turned trying to swing them. Only to have her body pushed forward causing her to take an agonizing blow to nose as her face came close to the rigging. The evil son of a bitch! He’d pay for that! Oni Jui felt the bridge as his feet made contact with it. The prey was still in his hand he had the little ooman by her back armour. Pathetic prey he watched it struggle as it was hung in mid air. What had Jeuki ever seen in this little ooman? I mean this was easy far to easy. Emma turned slamming her wrist blades across the hand that held her. She watched a little glowing green blood fly only to hear a roar of pain. She felt the force of the floor as she hit it front first. She looked up watching the marines come forward with something it wasn’t guns though. She could feel blood running down from her nose. Oni Jui watched the little ooman warriors come forward he looked at the slicing cut across his hand.

  It wasn’t deep but it hurt, he growled aloud watching as the ooman female tried to stand. He’d make her suffer for that! Emma scrambled trying to get up only to feel something hit her body. She heard the hunter behind her screech as the same thing covered him. She watched in horror as her cloak shut down instantly. She was covered with water! She turned her gaze widening as the hunter behind her became visible as well. Huge heavy plated armour came in to view as well as stripped skin black skin. The hunter was the same size as Jeuki. His armour was black as the night. Long dreadlocks hung down from a wide rimmed helmet who the hell was this guy? His whole armour looked demonic! The wide rim made it look more like horns, the white eyes of the helmet looked back at her angrily. She moved back trying to shuffle away as he got closer. The next moments caused shearing pain as he kicked her. She felt the floor as her shoulder made contact with it as she landed close to the marines.