“I heard.” She smiled with sadness still in her eyes, but was obviously content with my response.
“One of Rufus’s close followers remains imprisoned.”
I nodded. “I’ll go get him and look for somewhere to detain him until we can deal with him properly.”
“There’s more, Shaun. Astrid. After Rufus’s death, she demanded to be put in charge, and obviously that didn’t work out too well for her. Now, she’s holed up in a different section of the station with a small group of her supporters demanding that we bring her a ship. I can say that she’s now officially left the Uprising.”
“And lost her damn mind!” Mick added.
“You’re kidding me, right? What the fuck is wrong with these people! I'll go and speak to her.”
“I’m sorry for all of this, Shaun. I tried my best with them.”
“I assure you, Ember, you could have done nothing differently. We have all worked hard to get through to Astrid,” Elyek said, swiftly followed by a stream of support from the others.
“Seriously, guys, I don’t doubt Ember, or any of you. I’m just fucking furious. Part of me wants to head in there and just kill who’s left.” I was interrupted in my speech by Havok’s howl of delight at the prospect, and subsequent begging that that was what we should do. Doing my best to ignore him, I continued, “But I know that’s not an okay solution, so I’m just gonna have a quiet word. Ember, can you take me to her?”
“I will, but I won’t be speaking to her again. Someone else can go in with you.”
“No. Everyone else get settled on the ship. It’s probably best if none of you hear what I have to say.”
“Shaun,” Ogun said, “that is unwise. There are eleven of them. They may decide to overwhelm you.”
“Ogun’s right, Shaun,” Ember said. “They are seriously mental.”
“Come on, guys. Show me and Havok a bit of respect,” I said with a broad smile.
“Yeah, but eleven nutters with mental powers!” Ember said.
“Trust me, I’ve got this.” I winked and received a bunch of unconvinced looks.
“I have a feeling he will manage without trouble,” Ialos said with a smirk which made her the new focal point of the odd looks.
“C’mon, Ember, show me where to go,” I said, leading her off.
We were quiet for a little while as we made our way into the station. I could feel Ember was working up to saying something, so I let her have the time.
“I can't believe you're just taking my word for all this?” she finally blurted out.
I looked at her like she’d just served me Veiletian stew. “Why wouldn’t I? We’re Yin and Yang, baby. None of this works for me without you.” She grabbed my hand and laid her head on my arm as we walked. I felt real sadness. This was probably the most vulnerable I’d ever seen her. This had obviously been a much harder experience for her than I could have imagined.
After ten minutes we arrived at yet another set of double doors, but Ember pulled up short this time.
“Through there.” Ember pointed and finally let go of my hand, moving to one side of the corridor to rest against the wall.
I nodded and without further ado went through the doors. There sat a mix of men and women, all of whom I recognized, if only vaguely. Unreadable expressions met me as I entered. Astrid stood upright from her seat, coming over closer to me. I did detect a hint of worry.
“Shaun!”
“Yes, Shaun. What the fuck is going on, Astrid? Why have you split off?”
“After Ember killed Rufus, we could no longer give our support for her to continue in a leadership capacity. Her response was to kick us out of Uprising.”
“Bullshit! When times got tough, you all turned on her.”
“She killed Rufus!” Astrid shouted at me.
“Don’t you go fucking shouting your mouth off at me,” I shouted back, pointing in her face. “You and Rufus have both shown your true colors. What a pair of selfish bastards you’ve both turned out to be. You get one choice…”
Astrid butted in to talk over me. “No, that w…”
“You don’t get to talk over me,” I roared. “Your choice is between coming with us and I’ll lock you up until I decide what to do with you, or you can fucking fester here in your own stupidity until the Apochros decide to move you of their own accord.”
“You’re not listening…” Astrid continued, but I’d stopped listening. Everyone else remained seated, staring like weird emotionless zombies.
“You’ve all made your choice. I won’t say goodbye,” I said, walking away from them, Astrid’s voice still bleating on about injustice and fairness. Havok’s pleading was a welcome distraction.
“No, Shaun, please. I’ll do anything you want, but pretty please with a cherry on top, let’s kill them all. You won’t regret it.”
“Sorry, pal. They’re a bunch of assholes, but you can't kill your old friends just because they’re assholes, sometimes you just gotta walk away.”
“Damn it,” he sulked. “It was worth a try; I’ll have my way one of these days.”
“Yeah, man, sure you will,” I replied. I’d just reached the doors to leave when my Omni shield flashed briefly, followed by a gasp. I didn’t even look back. If I had, they would have been extremely lucky to be left alive.
“They’re staying.” I smiled, pointing over my shoulder with a thumb as I came back through the doors. “Show me this other prick.”
Ember sighed. “I won’t even ask what happened in there. I can probably guess.”
“Yup, let's just forget all about them.” I was fuming that my reunion had been spoilt by idiots. Ember seemed more relaxed after that meeting and I asked, “So, what did this other guy do then?” I asked.
“Oh, Graeme’s a real piece of work. The fucker attacked me on the first day we arrived here, after being derogatory towards the Veiletians and Torax.”
“How’ve we had people like this in Uprising and not know?”
“Graeme was very close with Rufus. The others who supported him initially aren’t so bad. They didn’t seem to care for him too much in the end.”
“Well, at least we’ve weeded them out, even if it’s the worst way imaginable to weed out wankers.”
She laughed, a beautiful sound I’d missed so very much. “I see you haven’t lost your unique way with words.”
“I don’t ever intend to lose my descriptive abilities, even when I’m max level.” I grinned.
“Good to hear,” she said with a loving punch to my arm.
“I hope this cell is closer to the docking bay than Astrid’s. I know I said I wanted a romantic walk with you, but this isn’t what I intended.”
“You still owe me though.”
At Graeme’s cell, Ember opted to stay outside once more. “I’m just done with these fuckers,” she said sadly. “I hope to never see them again.”
“What if he says he’s sorry?” I asked. “If he wants to come back on board with us?”
“Then he’s lying through his fucking teeth,” she replied and said no more.
I turned to enter and faced another problem. “Uhm, it’s welded shut.”
“Shit! Sorry, Shaun, I never even thought of that, the Torax were acting as lock and key.”
“I’ll get in, don’t worry,” I promised and then asked Havok, “Fancy a job, mate?”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he said, “After what I have just been through as well?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “I’ll admit it’s a little ironic.”
“Just get it over with,” he groaned. I pulled him over my shoulder and in the same fluid movement I hit the weld on the door. Havok flared his plasma field on. He sliced through like a hot knife through butter. Returning him to my back, I hit the door access pad and entered the room. Graeme’s eyes widened, and while I expected to see fear, I saw only contempt in his eyes.
“You did not bring the bitch with you? Was she too scar
ed to come and face me, after locking me away all this time?” he said, coming to his feet from the bed.
I punched him on pure instinct, sending him flying backwards onto the bed. His head pointed in entirely the wrong direction as he crumpled against the wall. I shrugged. Fuck it, he had attacked Ember, there was no coming back from that.
“I accept your resignation from Uprising, Graeme.” The first words I’d ever said to him were wasted, because he was dead. I looked at my fist. “Definitely stronger,” I mused to Havok. “That was just a tap!”
“You couldn’t just let me kill him, could you?” Havok said. “I’m getting desperate, Shaun.”
“I didn’t mean to kill him straight away. And I didn’t just charge you right up?”
“It’s not just about that though, is it?”
“You mean you're a maniac?” I pointed out and left the room to find Ember looking at me expectantly.
“Ember, my dear,” I said, offering an arm. “Graeme has met an unintended but necessary demise. Now I think it’s time to leave. This place is becoming rather depressing.”
“You’ve killed him?”
“Like I said, an unintended consequence of a purely instinctual right hook.”
“I wish I felt bad, but I really don’t,” she said linking my arm. “One less asshole in the galaxy.”
Chapter 19
Stockholm Syndrome
“Astrid and the others won’t be accompanying us,” I announced to the crew as Ember and I took seats amongst our friends on the transporter ship. Mick and Gus were deep in conversation. Calegg was lying back in his chair with his eyes closed, like he was on a sunny beach soaking up some rays. I guess he was just incredibly happy to be off the station. Elyek and Acclo were also chatting, but politely stopped for a moment to acknowledge me. What a difference in how I felt about these seats when they were filled with people I knew and loved.
“I surmised as much,” Ogun replied. “Their presence among your people would have been untenable.” He was sitting more upright in the worn chair than I thought would be possible, given its shape.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that, Ogun. I always thought you and Astrid were close. She was your second on the Thoth,” I said, recalling seeing them both together. To my surprise, I couldn’t actually remember seeing much interaction between them. As the thought developed, I realised that I hadn’t seen Ogun spend much time with anyone.
“I try not to get too close to anyone. Astrid was my second on her own merit. She has removed herself from Uprising on her own merit too.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Ember added as she pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her feet on the chair.
“Hey Ogun, you’ve been with the Uprising for a month now, are you still pulling all that I will not get involved in your disputes shit?” I asked because it irritated me massively.
“Yes, he is,” Ember answered on his behalf. “Don’t get me wrong, Ogun, I’ll admit you were a big help on the station. But there were times when you stood back and let things unfold that you could have smoothed over. It makes you come off like you don’t have any skin in the game, when you really do.”
“It is because I don’t wish to influence you in the ways of the Fystr,” he said solemnly. “We have discussed this before. I only wished to set you free from our bondage and put you on a path where you can rise or fall of your own accord.”
“I call that bullshit!” I exclaimed and Ialos laughed.
Ogun looked perturbed by her response but didn’t reply.
“Look, Ogun, as you can see, we’ve all been through a lot. We’re big boys and girls now. So if you're part of Uprising, I’m gonna need you to be a bit more assertive.” Ember started laughing now, and Ogun looked like he didn’t know where to put himself.
“I understand what you are saying, but it is my belief…”
“Hold up,” I said, holding out a hand to stop him making more excuses, “this is a different outfit. We’re not just a group of humans you’ve saved anymore. We have multiple cultures involved and have our own self-motivated purpose. So, if you don’t have any other pressing engagements or plans, Mr. Ogun, would you like to officially become part of Uprising?”
He looked around; all he saw were smiling faces. The other conversations had stopped briefly, and the pressure was on the big Fystr. Boy, did he look uncomfortable.
“Well… this is an unexpected position to find myself in. I’m honestly not sure what else I could do?”
“I’m sure the Apochros would let you settle with them. You’d probably fit in well.” I said.
Ialos agreed with me, “You would be welcome to join with the Apochros, Ogun. After the selfless work you have carried out with the humans, you deserve a place among us more than any other.”
He looked taken aback by that option. “That would be an unexpected turn of events in my life. The chance of a future I thought lost with my decisions. Yet, if there is a chance I can help all those billions still suppressed by the Fystr, then I have a duty to do so,” he said to Ialos. Shaking his head with a wry smile, he turned to me. “I can’t believe I am doing this, but yes, Shaun, if you will have me, I would like to formally become part of Uprising.”
I stuck my hand out to shake his, grinning. “No more being aloof, you need to make a stand in arguments and stuff. You're not guiding humans anymore, you're a valued member of a budding galactic team. Deal?”
He smirked at me. “Deal, Captain.” And we ended the handshake.
I saw Ialos looking at me in an unusual way, which had me worried. She took a deep breath and I held mine. “I would also like to join Uprising!” she announced, loudly and clearly, taking us all by surprise.
“What? Why?” I asked intelligently, prompting odd looks from everyone else.
“I believe in what you stand for. As far as I know, you do not have a physician with my experience and the Apochros do not have a great need for me. Ultimately, I have more selfish motives. The truth is, you're all a lot more fun to be around than what I am used to. Accre is an extremely boring place.”
She made good points, but I was speechless. I looked to the rest of the Alpha team to read their reactions, and in particular, Ember’s.
“You know her better than anyone,” suggested Ember. “It’s your decision as far as I’m concerned.”
Multiple heads nodded at Ember’s assessment.
“Fuck it then. Ialos, providing it doesn’t cause too much trouble with your father, you’re in. Welcome to the Uprising.”
“Thank you all for having me. I am quite excited!” she said. Everyone seemed happy with the development, all welcoming her personally.
As we settled into more relaxed conversation, Ember asked, “What do you know about this new ship?”
“Just some random Apochros ship, is all I know. If it’s better than this mule, I’ll be content,” I answered while waving my hand to indicate the battered ship.
“It will be a worthy vessel, if my father has a say in its choosing,” Ialos added. “He wouldn’t want you to have any old ship. He has an extremely high opinion of you, Shaun.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s deserved, but I’ll take it. I had my reservations about him after the mindwipe fiasco, I’m glad he really wasn’t involved, because I actually liked him when we first met.”
“He was instantly taken with you both too. He was working awfully hard in an effort to free you. Although I must say, his face when you began calling him and his friends Fystr was priceless. You understand that’s the worst insult you can throw at the Apochros?”
“Good. That’s what I was aiming for at the time,” I replied seriously.
Ember patted my shoulder, chuckling. “I’ve trained him well. What I really want to know is what have you been doing for the past month or however long? What exactly did they do to you when they took your memories?”
“They basically tortured me for a full month,” I replied. “Day after day, dawn till dusk.
”
“It was training, Shaun,” Ialos added, “and you took pleasure in some of it, so don’t exaggerate.”
Ember raised a questioning eyebrow at me.
“Training through torture,” I snapped. “Strapped into those bloody machines most of the time. They’re not much fun, you know!”
“I know very well. I had a hand in devising and testing them,” Ialos answered, folding her arms across her chest and not looking particularly impressed with me. “Also, what Shaun has failed to mention is that no one has ever increased in levels at the rate we achieved with him as a result of this training.”
“Hmm, go on… in fact, no, don’t,” Ember said. “I want to see this for myself.” Without warning she jumped into my Mindscape—or tried to, as a flare of golden light surrounded me, blocking her access.
“Ow! What the bloody hell was that?” she yelped.
All eyes were on me again. Not just those around me, but the entire damn crew. This new power was not exactly inconspicuous.
“Ah, we hadn’t gotten to that bit yet, that I’ve kinda developed a new power.” Everyone leaned forward now, staring intently at me. “Hey, stop all looking at me like that.” They didn’t. What they all did was start speaking at once, asking their own variations on ‘What the fuck is it!’
“If you all calm yourselves down, I’ll explain the best I can.”
“Make sure to add how I can go about getting it too,” Ember said, looking the most intense of all. Any traces of vulnerability long since replaced by the good old Ember I remembered.
“I don’t think anyone else can get it. I’ll start at the beginning. Shall I?”
Heads nodded; the whole damn crew was trying to overhear. I spoke louder, so no one felt excluded.
“The Apochros had me training, like, the entire time on everything imaginable apart from my Wisdom stat. The Apochros have a special technique for training Wisdom. A few days ago, they attempted to use it with me.” I paused and looked at Ogun. “It involves using the door we mustn’t enter.”
“And you agreed to go through!? After everything I told you?”
“Well yeah, I couldn’t remember anything you told me, could I? But in any case, it’s not what you said it was. Maybe Ialos can explain the door slightly better than me,” I said, gesturing for her to talk.
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