by A. R. Knight
Sax catches Bas’ eye from across the ring, and goes low. He launches himself from the outer ring, aims for the ground and catches the floor with his left foreclaw, then his left midclaw, pulling hard to whip his body and, more importantly, his tail around towards the two Oratus. Kah, watching Sax, sees the strike coming, but the one watching Bas is busy ducking from her own leap, her high strike. Sax’s tail sweeps the other mirrored Oratus to the floor, while Bas slams Kah, who jumps to dodge Sax’s tail. Bas tackles Kah from behind and drives him forward into the outer ring, her claws and mouth putting in work.
It’s a mad scramble then, as Sax tries to take advantage of the downed mirrored Oratus, grabbing its shoulders as the creature tries to get up and, using his talons to grip the ground, wheels and launches the Oratus into the outer ring, next to where Kah has just shoved himself away from the wall. Kah’s trying to pin Bas back to the ground, but Bas disengages, sidesteps the push-back so that Kah stumbles with no resistance, allowing Bas’ follow-up tail strike to slap Kah left across the face.
The blow pushes Kah towards Sax, who delivers a talon-kick to the mirrored Oratus’ right knee, knocking Kah to a kneel, then Sax bites in with his left claws and funnels the mirrored Oratus into its companion, just peeling itself off the wall. The two of them collapse into a pile against the outer ring.
“I forgot how nice it is to fight with you,” Sax hisses towards his pair.
“Because you’re always going off on your own.”
“I’m here now.” Sax says the words as they both turn, claws ready, while the two mirrored Oratus extract themselves from each other. “Ready?”
Bas nods. Sax tenses to leap.
And the floor explodes beneath them.
25 Broken Rescue
Through the gateway is a deep red and violet section. At first, I think the light’s a cause of some alarm we’ve set off, some Sevora security mechanism alerting anyone here that a pair of rogue specimens are loose.
Then I see the vines.
They’re cased in huge tanks; glass enclosures that rise from the floor and halt well short of the ceiling, where each separate tank joins with its fellows to create one large space where the vines snarl and twist among each other, an occasional large, purple flower blooming out. The red and purple lights crisscross between the thick stalks, casting shadowed versions of the plant patterns on every surface.
“Look,” Viera says, pointing her miner at the base of one of the tanks. Each one is lined with a silver basin, and each one is full - some have overrun their sides, spreading the deep purple liquid across the black-metal floor. “Nutrient goop. Seems like nothing in this galaxy eats real food.”
For now, I’m happy not seeing Flaum. Even though this space is big enough to match the entertainment and residential sections combined, there’s not a single Sevora running through towards us. No miner shots coming our way.
“If you’re worried about food now...” I start, and Viera waves my words away.
“Just joking, Empress.”
“Then let’s keep moving. The Oratus have to be on the other side of this section.”
I don’t know for sure, of course, but it’s a feeling. It’s a hope. Which is all I have right now.
Walking beneath the giant plants, I find myself re-evaluating a little about the Sevora. They clearly don’t hate all life, and they’re cultivating food here for their hosts. They have an entertainment district, and places for their species to live that seem viable, if not luxurious.
If it wasn’t for the whole ‘take over your mind’ aspect, I’d find the species similar to our own.
We’re getting close to the end of the section when I feel a sudden burst of pain from my abdomen, right where Ignos stuck its spear. I press my miner-wielding left hand to the spot for a moment, and the feeling subsides.
Viera, though, notices. Her nervous eyes give something else away.
“What are you hiding?” I say.
Her eyes flick to my wound. “T’Oli asked me not to tell you. The Ooblot said half the treatment relies on the person believing they’re going to be all right. I, for one, think it’s better to know.”
“Know what, Viera?”
“It’s a patch, Empress. T’Oli’s boosted you with something it called stim, it found a packet on one of the Sevora Flaum and said it would keep you together for a little while.”
Her words clear things up. Viera didn’t argue when I suggested Malo go with T’Oli. Even the Ooblot didn’t put up much of a fight. They know Malo’s going to need to rally humanity if we fail, not because I might die, but because I’m going to.
“How long do I have?”
“T’Oli didn’t know. It’s never done this to a human before.” The dim light makes it hard to tell, but I think there might be tears in Viera’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter, Kaishi. Let’s focus on the mission.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“No, it’s not easy for me to say.”
I believe her, and respect her, so I turn away from the conversation. Shove away thoughts of a fragile mortality and reach forward with my staff. Go one step and then another. If my life’s ticking away, then I plan on making the last moments of it useful.
The next gateway, like the one we went through to get here, is open. And again it stands clear, without sentries. Either the Sevora that escaped Vimelia with us are not soldiers, or Ignos took the only ones who were.
“Or it’s a trap,” Viera says as we head up the crescent steps towards the entry.
“The last section had plenty of good spots for an ambush. If they’d wanted to kill us, they could have attacked then.”
“Maybe they’re waiting for the perfect moment.”
“Maybe you’re giving the Sevora too much credit. Haven’t they been losing this war since it started?”
Viera concedes my point as we reach the top of the steps. Here would be the ideal point for a stream of miner fire to cut us both down, but instead all we get is a great view of something I’ve seen before, though because this section is so empty, it takes me a moment to fit the memory to the place.
When we escaped Vimelia the first time - that I have to add that qualifier makes me shudder - we did it through poisoning a Sevora hosting center; a place for hosts to be given up and new ones gained. This new section spreads forth in white and blue, a hard change from the darker shades we’re leaving behind, and the colors pair, illuminating various pools. Each one, whether lit in sky blue or white, has metal poles leading to and from it, the angles making it obvious which direction is preferred.
Almost all of the pools, though, are empty. Except one, right in the center.
“They’re not hiding very well,” Viera whispers.
A dozen Flaum and Whelk, including our escapee, surround the pool, the only one full of the inky liquid I’ve felt too many times on my own skin. Nearer to us, splayed out inside the Sevora ring and still, apparently, stunned is Lan. Gar is nowhere.
Which means the Oratus is probably beneath those purple waters.
All eyes are on the pool. Given how many fighters they’ve sent away towards us, I’m not all that surprised. Who could imagine a couple humans and an Ooblot would stand a chance against the almighty Sevora?
From here, though, neither side will be doing much destroying. Viera might be able to land a couple of shots this far away, but I’d probably hit Lan. Or shoot the ink and zap Gar. Instead, I gesture with the staff towards the only other things in the room; racks and racks of clothes, armor, and weapons.
What’s the first thing a Sevora would want to do with their new host? Outfit them in the right gear.
There’s hundreds of miners lining tall stacks, and dozens of hanging robes, vests, and shells clinging to hooks on spindly structures whose base struts sport control panels that, I’m sure, could rotate a preferred item to Flaum height. A central gap leads through to the pools, and it’s what Viera and I stared down when we first entered the section. Now we form up on the left s
ide of it, on the backside of a miner rack. Viera takes point, peeking around the corner.
“Gar’s still not out,” Viera whispers to me. “We have a chance.”
“Then let’s take it.”
Strategy sits back and lets instinct run with our attack. Viera slides around the rack, lifts her miners and opens fire, red bolts blitzing off towards the Sevora pack. I follow, my left hand aiming, squeezing the trigger, and adding to the chaos without hitting a single soul.
But that’s fine, because what our onslaught buys us is panic. The Sevora try to scatter, but Viera’s picking them off, or at least she is until one clips her with a return shot. My breath catches as the right side of Viera’s chest burns, but my friend never stops shooting.
If she can fight through her pain, I can fight through mine.
One of the Flaum breaks to my left, heading towards one of the empty pools and fires wildly along the way. I set my staff on the metal floor, brace my arm against it, and rest the miner on my right forearm. The Flaum reaches the next set of railings as I settle my sights, and the Sevora’s choice to scramble over rather than dive under gives me the target I’m looking for.
This time, I’m blasting red. This time, I strike true.
Viera pushes me to the side and we both tumble behind a line of hanging battle suits not unlike the one Viera’s wearing - all different sizes, all looking artificial and stiff.
“Are you all right?” I push myself back from Viera, keeping my eyes hunting for movement. I don’t know how many Sevora are left, or whether they’ll try to attack us, but I’d rather not die for lack of attention.
“I might be joining you in death’s corner,” Viera says, and there’s plenty of tight pain in her voice. “But I’m not there yet.”
“Then why did you push us?” I settle onto my chest, ignore the cutting sting my abdomen gives me, and aim beneath the vests. There’s feet moving out there, looking like they’re circling around us. Between the clothes we’re next to and the rigid miner rack to our right, it’d be easy to trap us. “I’m counting at least four of them left.”
“Because we were about to get torched.” Viera gets up to her knees, still holding miners in both hands. “Setting your staff and standing still isn’t the way to survive a firefight, Kaishi.”
“Shooting the air isn’t going to help either.”
“Then go for the Oratus and leave the Sevora to me,” Viera replies.
I’m a little surprised at the heat in her voice. The stress. She thinks I need taking care of, watching over. Heat hits my face as I realize here, well, she’s right. I’m not going to be much help, but I can, at least, take care of myself.
“They’re all yours.” I crawl beneath the vests, get to the other side, and with the clothes hanging above me I set the miner against the ground and pop off a couple shots at the only Flaum I can see.
I miss, striking the white-washed far wall and leaving burned circles as evidence of my spectacularly bad shooting.
The Flaum raises its own miner, and I reach up with my staff, snag a pair of the vests and pull as the Sevora gets ready to shoot. The clothes fall over me as the bolts slam in, the heat sifting through to my right shoulder but not quite getting to my skin.
Chitters and screeches echo from elsewhere in the section, so at least Viera’s doing work while I hide beneath the vests. Hoping, waiting... and there it comes, the telltale clacking of claws on metal as the Flaum comes closer. The vests laying over me shift as the Flaum pulls at them, and as soon as the last one goes, as soon as I see the furry face peering at me, I fire.
Turns out even I can hit at this range.
Lan looks untouched, still and perfect on the floor, her green scales glittering against the white tiles. Her eyes are open, and they track me as I walk up. Before I left the cover of the vests, I waited until the shots died down, until the squeaking shouts stopped, and until Viera wandered back into view, her eyes casting about with her miners following.
“She’s still alive?” Viera asks me - she’s keeping away from the Oratus, staying where she can cover both the gateway into this section and the spaces between the other racks.
“Still alive.”
“You can’t tell if she’s infected, can you?”
“Because I had one in me once?” I crouch down next to Lan, look hard into those eyes. “No, I have no idea.”
“It would be easier now, you know,” Viera trails off.
Execute Lan before she gets her potentially possessed self back. It makes sense, if you’re heartless. Or hurt, tired, and fighting for survival.
“No.” I straighten, turn to the pool. “We’re not giving up that easily.”
I expect Viera to protest, but she just wheezes out a laugh. “You never really change, Kaishi.”
Any reply I’m thinking of goes away when the pool shows signs of life. The deep purple-black ink shifts, ripples going towards the edges. I back away, and briefly consider dragging Lan with me, but my wounded self issues a pang in protest, so I leave the stunned Oratus where she is. Viera levels her miners towards the water.
“Don’t wait,” I say. “As soon as it’s obvious Gar’s taken, you have to kill him.”
“No sympathy for this one?”
“Not this time.”
Lan’s still a question. A hope for the future. I know Oratus can be controlled by Sevora, and if Gar’s been down there for that long, he’s probably well in the hand of whatever parasite won the lucky lottery to take his mind.
A pair of thin claws appear over the edge, their points biting into the floor and leaving silvery scratches. Then a head. Gar’s. Eyes open and blazing as the ink drips off of his scales.
“Stop,” I shout to him. “Come up any further and we’ll shoot.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Gar hisses. It sounds like him, but Sevora don’t change a host’s voice. “Hang here forever?”
It’s a sudden riddle - how am I supposed to determine whether a Sevora’s inside of Gar? Is there a giveaway? Ignos could dig into my mind, my memories, and build up a knowledge of humanity. There’s not a question I could ask that would give it away. I had hoped some plan would come to mind, that there’d be an obvious way, but I can’t think of one.
So I go with the only sure thing I have.
“Viera, stun him.”
The Lunare doesn’t give any tics or tells, doesn’t announce her shot with some battle cry or flourish, but Gar explodes out of the pool, leaping high enough that Viera’s shots skate by beneath the Oratus.
But the gravity that gave Gar the boost betrays him now - the fall back is slow, and the Oratus is helpless in the air. Viera slides her weapons up, aims, pulls the triggers.
They click. Harmlessly.
“Viera?” I say.
“I knew I was getting low - you’re up!” Viera says to me, then turns and starts back towards the other rack of miners.
I think mine still has power, and level the miner as Gar hits the ground. My shot goes, but Gar twists on those talons and I miss to his right, over the pool and into the section’s back wall. I think Gar’s going to come for me, but instead the Oratus darts towards Viera.
“Watch out!” I yell, stitching a line of blue bolts behind Gar and cursing myself the entire time.
Then Gar’s gone from my view, down that center line. I get there with my staff, in time to see Gar catch Viera as she pulls miners from the rack. In time to see those claws dig into Viera’s armor and launch her, flailing, across the section until she slams into the wall above the gateway we came through.
Gar turns to me, then. Stares my way, his mouth spreading in a razor grin.
“You’re not Gar,” I say, aiming the miner straight at the Oratus.
“But you know me, Empress of the humans,” Gar replies, his hissing voice a rasp.
“I do?”
“I invited you into my home, once,” Gar replies. “A home that you tried to destroy when we offered you peace. Now, we will go to your
s and take what you would not give.”
Jel. The Sevora leading the faction opposite to Nasiya, someone Ignos said was also on the ship. Of course, Jel’s rank would give it first choice of new hosts.
“We should’ve killed you back on Vimelia.” I fire the miner again.
This time I hit. Strike and burn into Gar’s chest. The Oratus stumbles, but Jel keeps Gar on his feet. I try again, but, like Viera’s, my miner clicks. Nothing, and I can’t get past Jel to the miner rack. The Oratus is stumbling towards me, Gar’s right side twitching and dragging as Jel keeps the body moving.
I’m hurt, I don’t have a miner, but I do have a staff.
“Your species is a mistake,” Jel rasps through Gar’s mouth as the Oratus comes towards me. “You were meant as a cure to our ‘problem’, but the Amigga failed. You saw Ignos. We learned how to take your kind, and we will take all of you.”
“You tried that already.” I shift the staff to both hands, holding it across my body. “You failed.”
If Jel is crushed by my words, the Sevora and its Oratus host don’t show it. Instead, Jel leaps at me, four clawed arms set wide, as if the goal is to crush me in a sharp, deadly hug. I can’t match the Oratus for strength, I’m not faster, so I set my legs and jab the staff forward, trying to keep those nasty claws away from me.
Jel simply barrels through the charge, grabbing my staff and pushing me back until I trip and fall to the floor. Me, the staff, and a looming Oratus mouth, all teeth and leering anger. Jel hisses low and slow, giving me the full glimpse of my soon-to-be-doom.
All I can think of doing is buying time. Hoping that Lan or Viera will get up and fight. Even if I die, that one of them will finish Jel off.
So I push the staff between us. Fix my arms against its gray-metal line and interrupt Jel’s snapping mouth. Until Jel bites the staff and snaps it in two. The bite comes through hard, and for a second the Oratus is right up against my face, Gar’s smooth scales rubbing my skin.
