by Joe Vasicek
It was under hers.
Dammit! Isaac thought, feeling completely helpless. It was as if he were in a dream where he knew he had to run to safety, but his body wouldn’t respond. Panic rose in his chest, and his heart began to pound.
Don’t panic, Reva said to him—but it was too late. He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn’t so much as make a sound.
Reva released him, and he fell gasping to the floor. “Stars of Earth,” she exclaimed, running to his side. The blue lights scattered, and her skin ceased to glow.
“What the hell was that?” Isaac asked between gasps. He fell into a coughing fit as she helped him up.
“It’s the telepathic connection,” she said. “The alien collective. Can you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
“That sense that we’re being watched. It’s because we are, though not in the conventional sense. The energy beings are all tied to each other, in one great collective. And now that we’re connected with them, they can see into our minds just as we can see into each other’s.”
A thought came to Reva’s mind, making both their eyes go wide. She turned to Isaac.
“I know how we can get out of here.”
* * * * *
Timur clutched his seat restraints as the engines of the outrider shuttle roared through the bulkheads. His stomach fell as the shuttle dropped, shaking him to the bone.
“First combat drop, eh?” Sergeant Jebe asked beside him. “Just be sure to aim for the floor if you’re going to puke.” He chuckled and patted Timur on the knee.
“Hey, Naran!” one of the soldiers shouted toward the cockpit. “Why you take us in so hard?”
“Yeah,” another one added. “Are you afraid they’re going to throw rocks at us?”
The comment elicited a laugh from the rest of the men. They faced each other along the walls, suited in combat armor and strapped into the fold-down seats. Half of them were empty, though, with only Jebe’s squad making the drop. It was unusual for an outrider to carry only a dozen people.
“How much you wanna bet it was the bitch who sent that distress call?” Olug asked. An older veteran of the Marauders, he had a salt-and-pepper beard and a cybernetic eye implant.
“It sure as hell wasn’t Issa.”
“Think she killed him?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” said Jebe. “Not after how she killed Wolf.”
The roar of the engines began to subside, and the rattling of the bulkheads died down. “ETA in five,” said Naran from the cockpit. “Atmo is borderline toxic, so you’d better use your oxygen masks.”
“Right. Olug, Levan, Timur, Batar: I want you out first. Secure the LZ and wait for the rest of us, then we’ll spread out and perform a sweep.”
Since the airlock only held four people at a time, the squad would have to exit in groups of four while the toxic air was purged. Even with his full body armor and plasma assault rifle, Timur didn’t like the thought of being the first one out the door. He’d seen what the bitch had done to Wolf in her escape.
“That sweep won’t be necessary,” said Naran. “Looks like our friends dropped a flare.”
Olug laughed. “That stupid bitch.”
“This isn’t a rescue, is it, Sarge?”
“Nope,” said Jebe. “The bitch sealed her fate when she shot Wolf. Orders from the top are to keep her alive until Gulchina comes back, but no one cares what we do to her in the meantime.”
The men grinned and snickered. “Who gets her first?” Levan asked.
“Don’t worry. Everyone will get a turn.”
Timur’s palms went clammy as Naran made a tight circle for the final approach. He’d only joined the Marauders a few months ago, after his ship had been lost at Colkhia and the Confederacy had failed to reimburse him. “Timur” wasn’t even his proper name—it was one Gulchina had given him, just as she’d given them all new names and identities. But with all that he’d seen since throwing in with the pirates, he knew better than to defy Gulchina’s orders. The woman was batshit crazy, and most of her men were so hardened that they wouldn’t think twice about slitting his throat.
What if this is a trap? he wondered. The girl’s not stupid. She’s got to know that we’re not here to rescue her. What if she’s more dangerous than we think?
The outrider shuddered as it made its final landing. The engines cycled down, and the pirates unstrapped their seat restraints as the gun racks opened from the ceiling.
“Masks up, grunts!” Olug shouted as he grabbed his plasma rifle. Timur flipped his visor down and pulled the oxygen mask over his mouth, taking a couple breaths to make sure it was functioning properly. He then took his plasma rifle from the rack and followed Levan and Batar into the airlock.
“Three, two, one, check,” came Jebe’s voice over the helmet comm, followed by heavy breathing.
“Olug here.”
“Levan here.”
“Batar here.”
“Timur here,” he said, swallowing.
The door to the cabin slid shut, and the lights on the access panel went red, indicating that the airlock was sealed. Timur gripped his rifle.
“Look sharp, boys,” came Jebe’s voice. “We’ll be with you in five.”
The main airlock door cracked open, followed by the sharp hiss of decompression. Compared to the cabin, the light outside was blindingly bright, but Timur’s visor soon adjusted for it. The planetscape was sharp and rocky, with a deep yellow haze.
“All right, grunts, let’s MOVE!” said Olug. “Move, move, move!”
Timur ran out with his gun pointed straight ahead of him, sweeping from one side of the horizon to the next. Olug and Batar went right, while he and Levan went left. They were at the base of a small, rocky canyon, the wreckage of a crashed escape pod about a hundred yards out. The signal flare cast up its tail of red smoke not too far from there, but with all the haze, it was difficult to see any farther.
“Clear,” came Olug’s voice over the comm.
“Clear here, too,” said Levan. “No sign of the bitch.”
“Keep your eyes peeled.”
Levan lowered his gun and casually leaned against the hull of the outrider. Timur walked over to him and switched off his comm. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“Relax,” said Levan, his mask partially obscuring his voice. “There’s nothing to worry about. We’re both in full armor, and all she’s got is rocks and maybe an energy pistol.”
“What if this is a trap?”
Levan threw back his head and laughed. “You see that laser star on the nose? There are two more just like it on the tips of each wing. Trust me, kid. There’s no way she’s getting the drop on us, so relax and enjoy the scenery.”
Timur shook his head and walked back to the airlock, switching on his comm again. The flare was starting to die, the reddish smoke turning orange as it blended with the toxic haze. Even with his mask, he could taste sulfur in the air. The sooner they got off this rock, the better.
Off in the distance, he thought he saw movement. He squinted and set his helmet visor to show heat signatures. The shapes weren’t conclusively human, but there were two of them, not just one.
“Hey, Olug,” he said, raising his rifle. “I’ve got something.”
“Where?”
“Coming down the ridge at five o’clock.”
The figures were coming closer. He tapped his helmet and zoomed in on them, switching to the visual spectrum. The glow from the infrared lingered unusually long, but when it faded, he saw that they were clearly human.
“It’s them,” he reported. “What should I do?”
“Stay there.”
They were close enough now for him to see that they were naked. They shared a mask, which they passed between each other. He recognized the girl from her full-body tattoos, though he didn’t recognize the man. From the way they kept their hands raised, though, it was clear they were both unarmed.
“There she is,” said Levan from behind hi
m. “And would you look at those titties.”
“Hold the squad, Sarge,” said Olug. “The bitch is surrendering, and it looks like her partner is, too.”
“Excellent. Take them both into custody and get back on the ship.”
“With pleasure,” said Levan.
When the prisoners were just a few paces from the ramp, Timur and Levan took them by the arms and pulled them into the airlock. Timur passed their mask between the two of them as the onboard atmosphere recalibrated. They coughed a bit, but otherwise remained silent.
As soon as the door to the cabin slid open, the masks came off and the jeering began.
“Take a look at what we have here,” said Olug. He took the girl by both arms and held her out like a trophy, which the men heartily approved.
“Damn, would you look at that pussy.”
“I’m gonna take that bitch in the ass.”
The other prisoner, Issa, struggled against Levan and Batar’s grip, but Levan socked him in the kidney and made him bowl over. Issa cried out and fell to the floor, making the men laugh. One of them kicked him in the side, and the force of the blow made Timur wince.
I didn’t sign up for this.
“Hold her down,” said Jebe as he unclasped his armor. “I’m taking her first.”
To Timur’s surprise, she didn’t struggle or resist at all. In fact, she hardly seemed concerned. As Olug threw her down to the floor, she looked up at him and smiled.
“Hey, look! I think she likes it.”
“Stupid bitch. I’m gonna take her so rough she’ll—AIEE!”
The girl slapped the wall with one hand, and a dozen bright blue lights shot out of it like plasma bursts from a gun. They ran along the bulkheads and down to the floors, until they connected with the pirates’ boots and ran up their legs. It happened so fast that no one had time to react. Jeers quickly turned to screams as Jebe, Olug, Levan, and several others went down to the floor as if hit by a stunner.
“Look out!” Timur shouted, raising his rifle. Before he could pull the trigger, Issa grabbed him by the back of his neck. A sharp electric shock ran down his spine to the ends of his toes and fingers, and he lost all feeling in his legs. The last thing he saw before the darkness enveloped him was the girl, standing in the midst of them with eyes that burned with blue fire.
Hijacked Bodies
“Are you all right?” Isaac asked, ignoring the pain in his side as he rushed to Reva’s aid. She stood up without his help, though, and surveyed the fallen pirates with no small satisfaction. It was abundantly clear that his help was unnecessary.
The dark, wild thoughts of the unconscious pirates pulsated through both of them, making Isaac clench and unclench his fists. As the last of the pirates stopped twitching, those thoughts died down to a low rumble just below the surface of conscious thought, like a presence just outside the edge of his peripheral vision. He could choose to ignore it, but it was always there.
Are they going to stay down? he couldn’t help but wonder.
Yes, Reva thought to him.
He drew in a sharp breath. “They were going to rape you.”
“I know.”
Another presence rose in his mind, like the tide of an alien ocean. It filled all the pirates and lapped at the edges of his consciousness, churning and boiling with unstoppable force.
TO THE STARS.
Isaac frowned. What was that?
Reva heard it, too: the voice of the alien consciousness that now ran through her and Isaac. It elicited a sharp fear from him that puzzled her.
“We can’t let them off this planet,” he explained.
Reva gave him a puzzled look. “Why?”
“As soon as they get off this world, they’re going to infect every human that they—that we—come into contact with.”
“That’s not true,” said Reva. But inwardly, she wasn’t so sure.
“Look at what they did,” said Isaac, pointing to the fallen pirates. “To them—to us. There’s something very dangerous about this—this alien monstrosity.”
Reva stepped over to him and put a hand on his arm. You’re afraid of it, aren’t you?
Of course I am.
Don’t be. Embrace it. The collective consciousness is part of you, now—it’s part of both of us. It isn’t going to harm you.
“How can you say that?” Isaac asked, shrugging her off.
“Are you afraid that you’ll lose your individuality?” Reva asked. To her credit, she didn’t probe into his mind to find the answer.
“Among other things.”
“Don’t be. It’s possible to create a space in your mind where your thoughts only belong to you.”
Isaac paused. “How do you know that?”
“Because ‘they’ told me.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to concentrate. The alien consciousness was like the pounding surf of a stormy ocean, but if he imagined a levy, he could shut it out. He expanded on the levy to create a wall, massive and thick, running not only from the shores of the ocean but around the landward side as well. It soon turned into a mighty fortress that completely encompassed him, with enough spare room to fit a small city. The storm wailed against the walls and battlements, but inside he was secure.
Reva tried to reach out to his mind, but found that she could no longer see into it. He was blocking her out somehow, though she could still perceive his physical senses as if they were her own. And since she hadn’t walled herself out, she realized that he could still see into her mind.
“You figured it out,” she said. “Good for you.”
Isaac sighed in relief. For the first time since their escape from the Temujin, he felt like himself again.
The next thing to do was to find some clothes. He stepped over the fallen pirates and opened the compartment next to the closet for the EVA suits. Sure enough, there were a couple of spare flight suits and undergarments inside. He pulled them out and held them up for size.
Reva bit her lip as she watched Isaac dress himself. She knew he meant nothing personal by it, but she couldn’t help but feel as if he were cutting her off. Was he still upset with her? Since she couldn’t see into his mind anymore, she watched him closely, trying to read his body language.
“Do you mind?” said Isaac, giving her a sharp look.
“Sorry,” she said, turning to face the opposite wall.
Don’t take it personally, Reva. I just need my privacy.
“You don’t have to shut yourself off from me, Isaac. If you need your space, all you need to do is ask.”
“How do I know you’ll give it to me?”
“Of course I’ll give it to you,” she said, becoming exasperated. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Look around you. Do you plan on giving it to them?”
Reva glanced down at the unconscious pirates and realized that he had a point. As strong as his telepathic shield was, she had no doubt that she—or rather, the alien consciousness—could penetrate it. In fact, she was counting on that. If the pirates who were now part of the collective could shut themselves out from her influence, then her plans would all fall apart.
“You can turn around now,” said Isaac once he had dressed himself. And honestly, you should put some clothes on, too.
Why?
Because—didn’t you hear what the pirates were going to do to you? Can’t you tell what goes through their heads when they see you naked like this?
Reva folded her arms and turned to face him, not a hint of self-consciousness in her posture. “I’ll be fine,” she said.
“In any case, what do we do now?” Isaac asked. “I know you wanted to take over the Temujin, but—”
“But what?”
He grit his teeth. “Are you sure that’s still a good idea?”
Outside the mental fortress Isaac had erected, he could feel the ocean churning, the waves rising ever higher as they broke against the wall. The winds and waves pulsated with a singular desire, a furious yearning that could
not be held back.
TO THE STARS.
“Get to the cockpit,” Reva ordered. “Take us to the Temujin.”
“But—”
“Do it.”
There was no denying her. With the alien collective on her side, he had no doubt that she could throw down his telepathic shield. She didn’t even need to mind control him—with telepathic access to his mind, she could probably pilot the outrider herself.
He stepped into the cockpit and took the pilot’s seat. Next to him, Reva sat down in the copilot’s chair. His fingers flew across the controls, and the engines rumbled to life.
“Are you sure you’re the one in control?” he asked.
“Of course,” said Reva. “Who do you think is keeping the pirates from waking up and killing us both?”
“I wasn’t talking about the pirates.”
The bulkheads shook as the shuttle rose slowly from the ground. As they built up speed and began to climb through the hazy yellow sky, the engines roared too loudly for either of them to speak.
I won’t keep them under my control forever, she thought to him. Once the Temujin has been secured, I’ll let them go.
How do you know that we’re not the ones being controlled?
Because that’s not what the collective wants. They’re not parasites, Isaac—they’re symbionts. The only reason they can think or feel or experience anything at all is because of us. Without that telepathic connection, they’re just pulses of energy floating through the primordial slime.
The clouds began to thin as the outrider ascended through the atmosphere. As they accelerated into orbit, the system sun passed beneath the horizon, revealing the myriad stars in their unfamiliar constellations.
“What do they want?” Isaac asked over the roar of the engines.
“I don’t know,” Reva admitted. “Whatever we want, I guess.”
“And what do you want?”
An image of Gulchina’s quarters came immediately to Reva’s mind, with the holographic display of the concentric rings of stars. The Coreward Stars were at the center, with the Outworlds forming a shell around them, but the uninhabited stars of the Outer Reaches were far more numerous than both of them combined. She remembered how Gulchina had spoken of those stars as the destiny of mankind, and how she intended to forge a new nation beyond the reaches of any human empire.
