by J. S. Fields
Rage welled in Neek as she surveyed the flotsam: Terran, Minoran, Oorin, Alusian, and Risalian. Bits of ships she didn’t recognize. Mmnnuggl. But no Neek.
“Chen’s ships are out there,” she whispered to Nicholas. “The Minorans, Captain Tang, everyone we know. Everyone who cares enough to protect the Systems.”
Nicholas gripped her hand. “You don’t know for sure that the Neek aren’t out there, too.”
She shook her head. “The elite pilots of the Heaven Guard can’t be bothered to leave our world, it would seem.” Neek paused and looked at the floor. “I wonder if my uncle is addressing the planet about it, right now. I wonder if the president…”
“Neek,” Nicholas said, his voice pleading. “This isn’t your fault.”
The pilot ignored his comment. The president, her uncle, the fucking Heaven Guard, fucking Ardulum. Thousands, maybe millions of sentients were dying because of a goddamned planet that didn’t even exist.
The Llttrin jerked to port as a bright streak of yellow shot across the viewscreen. Neek watched the hydrogen bomb impact the Risalian government ship, which slid in front of a cutter just in time to take the hit. The Markin’s ship exploded in a wide ring, debris scattering so forcefully that several pieces smacked into the reinforced glass of the hangar window. The small impacts reverberated throughout the empty, metal corridors and rooms of the Llttrin and assaulted Neek’s ears with thudding, low echoes.
Neek stood rigid and silent as she and Nicholas continued to watch what was left of the battle. Neek began to follow the bright line of another hydrogen bomb when something caught her eye.
In the corner of the hangar, where the dim, green lighting failed to adequately illuminate the space, stood a tall figure. It was bipedal, of that she was sure, but the gloom masked all but a vague outline.
She was unwilling to risk calling attention to the form, but Neek guessed at its identity. Run, she thought, trying to aim the command into the small section of her mind where she had hoped Emn might someday return. Stuk congealed on Neek’s fingers, but she knew that, without reinitiating physical contact, it would be impossible for the girl to hear her.
“Neek?” Nicholas asked as he wiggled his now sticky hand in hers. “What’s wrong?”
“They’re dying,” came a clear, strong voice from the dim corner of the hangar. The Mmnnuggls bobbed in agitation, and Captain Llgg let off a series of high-pitched whistles.
Neek watched the tall, humanoid female step out from the shadows. She had Emn’s face, but the features were extended, the cheeks hollow instead of puffed with youth. Her hair had darkened, seeming nearly black in the poor lighting.
Neek couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. The facial markings were still present, but now every vein on her body appeared black under the too-pale skin, arcing and angling into complex geometric patterns.
Pale and dark and etched like stone. The line repeated over and over in Neek’s head. She couldn’t form a new thought, emotions circling the recurring words. Her Emn was gone, replaced by…by what?
A quick series of tick clack tick’s came from Captain Llgg. The other Mmnnuggls scattered. One joined the captain in hovering a meter away from Emn while the other connected with the interface.
“Remain where you are,” the captain ordered Emn. “Under orders of the Eld, you are to be transported back to our headquarters for evaluation.”
Emn turned towards Neek and smiled. They were almost the same height now, Emn just a bit taller. Neek wanted to speak. She wanted to run to Emn and pull the girl—rather, the woman—onto the ship with Nicholas and get away. Did Emn even know who they were? Would she consider Neek and Nicholas as friends or foes? What was she even capable of?
“Emn,” Nicholas called out. The word echoed through Neek’s ears, but no emotion chased them into her mind. “You have to run. They’re going to sedate you and take you with them whether you want to or not.”
Neek needed to act. She needed to do something, get Emn and Nicholas to safety, but her feet wouldn’t move. She couldn’t take her eyes from the woman in front of her. Decades of ethos assaulted her, battering the already tortured walls of her mind, overwhelming her senses. Rational thought was a luxury, and she was emotionally poor. All Neek could think was that she had been wrong. Wrongwrongwrongwrong. And she was about to pay for her arrogance with their lives.
“She won’t be mistreated,” Gglltyll said, floating into the room. Four other Mmnnuggls followed. All of them were covered in a shiny liquid that dripped onto the floor as they continued forward. Neek identified the smell as a powerful sedative commonly used on titha before slaughter.
The Mmnnuggl medics surrounded Emn and, still, Neek couldn’t move. She watched the smallest rush Emn, goo splattering onto the floor as it accelerated. Emn sidestepped at the last moment, a move that appeared so calculated, even the Mmnnuggl paused before reversing for a second pass.
“Didn’t you take the Heaven Guard vows?” Nicholas whispered into her ear as a second Mmnnuggl attempted to back Emn into a wall. “Vows to discover or protect or something like that?” The goopy Mmnnuggl began bouncing near Emn’s legs, the thick liquid spattering in a wide arc that Emn was still managing to avoid. “She’s right in front of you, Neek. Your Ardulan. Your answers. Don’t overthink it.”
Nicholas’s words finally hit home, breaking through the jumbled, chaotic entanglement that was her memories. None of it mattered—not the ships, the robes, the religion…hell, not even the science. It was stupid to remain hung up on the past when her future was right in front of her—if they managed to stay alive.
Neek threw her knife at the other Mmnnuggl. It spun three times before contacting, the side of the blade embedding deeply into the sphere and sending it crashing to the floor.
The effect was satisfying. Action was good. Action she could deal with. Neek recovered her knife and, setting her sights on Gglltyll, pulled her tunic from her body and stretched it taut between her arms. The three remaining medics headed towards Emn while Gglltyll sped towards Nicholas. Neek intercepted Gglltyll at an angle and tossed the tunic over the top of the sphere.
Gglltyll emitted a series of high-pitched whistles and slowed her speed. As the sphere began to rotate to dislodge the fabric, Neek threw herself underneath, gathered the edges of the tunic together, and yanked down. Caught by surprise, Gglltyll slammed into the floor.
Neek looked up to see Emn surrounded, staring intently at the Mmnnuggls. The three medics spun in a tight circle around the Ardulan before attacking all at once. The mysterious liquid flowed off their round bodies as they made contact with Emn’s skin, absorbing immediately.
“Get away from her!” Nicholas yelled as he tried to swat ineffectually at the spheres. They zipped gracefully out of his way and headed towards Neek.
Gglltyll struggled against the fabric binding and tried to regain her height. Neek punched the sphere three times in rapid succession, hefted the tunic-wrapped Mmnnuggl from the floor, and threw her over her shoulder. As the medic spheres dashed towards her, she spun the tunic in a wide arc. She struck the leading sphere with Gglltyll’s chirping body, releasing the tunic at the highest point in the arc. Gglltyll and the medic flew into the nearby wall and slid to the floor with a satisfying crunch.
Nicholas was on the two remaining medics before Neek had a chance to collect herself. He shoved the first off its path to Neek and wrapped his arms around the other one, wrestling it to the ground and pinning it with his body. The first medic recovered its course and slammed into Neek’s stomach. She lost her wind as she landed on her back, the sphere spinning in tight circles on her pelvis and shrieking.
“Neek!” Nicholas yelled. Gasping for breath, the pilot grabbed at the Mmnnuggl’s ears, pulling them in opposite directions as hard as she could manage. The shrieking turned into chittering, and the mouth slit opened widely. She heard scuffling sounds from Nicholas’s direction but nothing from Emn, which concerned her even more. Frustrated with the delay, Neek broug
ht her left knee up into the back of the Mmnnuggl, holding tightly to the ears as she did so. The Mmnnuggl surged forward as Neek braced her arms against the tension, keeping the sphere in place. She heard a quick ripping sound, and a thick, purple liquid began to drip from the Mmnnuggl’s ears. The mouth slit opened wide, nearly separating the Mmnnuggl in half, and Neek found herself staring into a fleshy, purple mouth.
“I don’t know how to subdue it!” Nicholas yelled. “I keep punching, but nothing is happening!”
A thick, wet proboscis began to extend from the slit. “Go for the ears,” Neek shouted back as she tried to pull the Mmnnuggl to the side. “Get off me,” she hissed. This time, when she brought her knee up, she released the ears. The Mmnnuggl, expecting to again be held, overcompensated and was sent spinning over Neek’s head. Momentarily free, she sprang to her feet and dealt several quick kicks to the left ear of Nicholas’s Mmnnuggl. The sphere emitted a high-pitched whine and, on the fourth kick, lay still.
Nicholas stood, and both he and Neek looked around. The medic she had flung away stayed back, and Captain Llgg and her guard remained off to the side, watching. They had a few moments of reprieve. Neek turned and slowly approached the young woman.
She was still standing, but weaving, her eyes fighting to stay open. Nicholas reached out, put her arm around his shoulder, and tried to move them both towards the ship.
“Come on, Emn. We have to get out of here,” he said, dragging her slumping form. Neek wrapped the other arm around her shoulder and tried to help them both to the ship. Their mental connection flickered as their skin touched, but the sedative kept the link nebulous.
Captain Llgg moved directly into their path, preventing them from continuing.
“If you stay this course of action, we will be forced to sedate you as well,” she informed them, her tone even and crisp. “Your actions against the medics were unwarranted.”
Emn’s body drooped farther, and Nicholas lost his grip. The sudden change in weight distribution caused Neek to lose her hold as well. Emn fell to her knees on the metal floor, the impact forcing a harsh exhale from her lungs.
Terrified at what it would mean if they couldn’t get on their ship, Neek dropped down and tried to figure out how best to move Emn. Nicholas feigned leaning down to assist Emn but came up quickly, bringing his fist in contact with the Captain Llgg’s right ear.
The captain sputtered to the floor and rolled, a loud stream of high-pitched whistles echoing through the chamber. The guard advanced and surrounded Nicholas, taking turns in attempting to attack while he jumped and dodged.
They couldn’t do this alone. Neek turned back to Emn. Stuk running freely from her fingertips, she brought a hand to Emn’s shoulder, determined to make their connection work. Then she hesitated. Emn’s breathing was shallow, but there was another sound coming from her. Neek listened as a crackle hiss began to build in intensity, Emn’s body starting to form a white corona. The sound and light built until Neek had to cover her eyes or risk being blinded. She heard Emn forcefully exhale, and the crackling quieted to a dull hum.
“Neek?” a lower version of Emn’s voice asked, at least, lower than what Neek had heard in her head. Nicholas spun around to face them. Neek could only stare. Emn was speaking. Emn was speaking and she was an adult and the markings…
Emn tentatively rested a hand on the arm across Neek’s face, the touch sending a gentle vibration through the pilot. Neek lowered her arm. The strange liquid that the Mmnnuggl medic had transferred to Emn lay in a puddle on the floor. When Neek looked back up, the eyes that met hers were clear and focused.
“It’s all right, Neek,” Emn told her, smiling. “I haven’t forgotten. I will protect the Systems’ ships. It’s just taking me a bit to get used to this body, these abilities.” She removed her hand and stood.
Speechless, Neek watched as the light around Emn began to grow again. The walls and interface panels near them seemed to come alive and glisten, and Neek got the distinct impression that the floor was getting softer. Metal particulate began to flake, first near Emn and then in a growing concentric ring as her luminescence grew brighter by the second. The black veins on her body gleamed in the dim, green light and her straight, dark hair lifted slightly with the energy she was generating.
“Let’s deal with the Mmnnuggls first,” Emn said quietly to Neek. Confused, Neek let Emn push her gently away and watched as the young woman headed towards the remaining spheres. Nicholas had finally tripped and lay prone on the floor. Llgg accelerated towards his head. Emn reached out her hand and caught the captain just before impact. A loud pop filled the air, followed by a long series of sizzles and clicks. Llgg drooped and fell to the floor, just missing Nicholas’s body. Smoke curled up from the open mouth slit, and the room filled with the smell of burning metal. The Mmnnuggl at the interface detached and went to Llgg’s aid.
The remaining medic and Llgg’s guards rushed Emn. She arced her arm wide and caught each in turn, a loud smack emanating upon contact. Each dropped heavily to the ground, rolled a full rotation, and then lay still.
Another high-pitched whistle sounded through the bay. Neek looked over her shoulder to see Gglltyll shake off the tunic and bob drunkenly to the interface, her body trailing thick lines of purple. Emn followed but, instead of touching the sphere, she placed her hand on the black panel. The lighting in the hangar surged momentarily. Gglltyll began to vibrate up and down as yellow-white energy arcs hopped from the interface into her round body. The vibrations intensified, and this time, Neek was certain the floor was getting softer—although whether it was from metal and plastic detritus, loss of cellulose, or both, she couldn’t be certain. She was certain there had been a ceiling above them only moments ago. Technically, there still was, but now it was to the deck above.
Emn pulled her hand away. The lights dimmed, and the sphere dropped to the floor, unmoving.
“The battle,” Neek managed to get out as her heart and mind raced. “Can you stop it?”
“I can stop the ships,” Emn replied, “but not the beings. The Alliance ships are linked through a single network, which I can access through this panel. I can begin a chain reaction that will transmit to the other ships. They will be unable to counter.”
Emn closed her eyes and placed her hand back on the interface. Nicholas crawled over to where Neek continued to kneel, and the two stared fixedly at Emn. The hissing sound of an electrical current rose as the lights in the hangar again flared and then went out completely. It took Neek a moment to realize that the only reason she could still see was that Emn hadn’t stopped glowing.
Neek counted her heartbeats in an effort to calm her racing pulse. One. Emn was alive. Two. Emn was talking. Three. She wasn’t a child anymore. On four, Emn’s head jerked up and her face pointed to the now-absent ceiling. Tendrils of what looked like electricity began to whip and snake off her body, the wall next to her folding into a dangerous convex curve.
“What is she doing?” Nicholas whispered to Neek. “If she takes much more from this ship, it won’t stay together!”
“You’re assuming she is limited to this ship,” Neek whispered back.
“That’s terrifying.”
Neek didn’t respond. Stillness took hold of the hangar, and Neek realized that the humming had stopped. Emn’s glow was fading from her right side and feeding into her left, traveling up her legs, through her torso, and coursing out of her left hand and onto the interface. The energy collected there, a snapping and hissing ball of radiant yellow-white. Emn allowed the energy to build until she had a writhing orb twice the size of her head. She then took a deep breath and moved it into the interface.
The hangar went dark. Light streaked back in almost immediately from the window at the opposite corner of the bay. Neek and Nicholas spun around to see every Alliance vessel stop dead and begin to glow. The light around each ship increased to an overpowering brightness, and then, at exactly the same time, every Alliance ship went completely dark.
“Fastest computer virus ever,” Nicholas breathed.
Neek watched as the battle became decidedly one-sided. Risalian ships saw the opening and drew together, massing their firepower on one listing Alliance ship after another. The Risalian cutters targeted the ships with denser hull plating, their powerful lasers more than capable of slicing through the hull when the other side wasn’t attempting to counter.
Alliance ships exploded. The number of combatants on each side leveled.
“This isn’t much better!” Nicholas called back to Emn. “Can you do something about the Risalian ships?”
“No,” she responded, and Neek realized her voice sounded strained and tired. “I…it doesn’t work like that. I can’t access Risalian systems through a Mmnnuggl interface.” Emn opened her eyes and turned to look at Neek, her hand remaining on the interface. “I’m sorry, Neek,” she said softly. “Even if I could access one of the Risalian ships, the structural integrity of this ship is too low to keep removing cellulose. We’re adrift, just like the rest of the Alliance fleet. I only left enough power in each ship for environmental maintenance.” A smile crept across the woman’s face. “See? Not a god. I’m just…”
Nicholas cut her off. “You’re a target. We all are, sitting here in a dead Alliance ship.” He grabbed Neek’s arm and began pulling her to the small pod. “The Risalians have no way of knowing we’re on here, and they probably wouldn’t care anyway. We have to go, now, before someone…”
All three were thrown from their feet when a blast rocked the Llttrin. Neek silently cursed the loss of power to the stabilizers, as anything that wasn’t bolted to the floor, including them, suddenly smashed against the starboard wall and then hurtled to port. The floor started to crumble around them, and anything that wasn’t affixed to a wall crashed into the deck below.
