Both enlisted and civilians alike made way wherever we went. We tried not to look too intimidating, but Samson had become a genuine monster of a man. Secretly, I enjoyed having the big guy in my company, if nothing else for the wide-eyed stares and yelps.
Once we arrived at the bay where I held the speech earlier, I attacked both of them without warning. My right fist connected with Samson’s jaw and sent him flying while raking my left claw across Levi’s chest. The gash that appeared was pretty nasty.
"What the fuck?" Levi cried as she looked down at the wound. She dropped to her knees as barely visible black tendrils started spreading across her abdomen. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?"
"That’s one of my two skills. I can inflict decay on my enemies whenever I penetrate their defenses. Both of you are tier one and can choose a skill as well."
"Just one?" Samson asked, still lying in between the crates.
"For now," I replied as I knelt beside Levi.
"And how about you heal her," he hissed once he got up. "Or I’ll beat you up."
"Yeah, yeah. I’m special, suck it up. Now, whisper the name of your parasite and tell me what you have for options. I want the three of us to become one unit, one mean fighting machine. For that to be possible, we need to coordinate our skills," I said, putting my claw up against her chest.
"Get this—off me already! It hurts!" she cried again as she clawed at my metallic arm.
"Devil? Can you recall the decay?" I asked.
"Sure, but it will hurt you in the process. I don’t think you’ll be able to cause decay for a day or so."
I groaned. It was stupid of me to go ahead and do it without asking him first about the skill effects on allies, but at least she could be treated.
"Go ahead," I replied and winced as the pain transferred to my body. Levi started breathing normally again, got up, and smacked me across the face.
"Bastard! That hurt!" she hissed, got up, and ran to Samson. "He’s a bully!" she said, pointing at me.
"But also our benefactor. Maybe you could forgive him this once?"
I sighed.
"You need to stop thinking like a Human. It’s quite obvious that you aren’t one anymore, so, go ahead and talk to your Armaments, then tell me what kind of skills they offer on tier one," I said and leaned against a steel beam behind me.
"You shouldn’t be so hard on them, boss," Khepri said, startling me from my thoughts.
"Hey, you’re back!" I replied happily. "What took you so long?"
"Might as well tell you, since I can’t hide it from him much longer," Khepri said with a mental grin. I couldn’t see him, but their feelings fully transferred to me.
"What’s that?" Devil asked. "What the hell are you two whispering about?"
"I’ve built a failsafe using my own life. It’s a counter to you, Devil. In case you get any stupid ideas which could entail the taking over of our host or something similar, I’ll kill us both. I like our host, and would like to see how far he can take us, but not if you keep radiating murder and death like a madman."
"Whatever. You might as well take care of the pain for him in that case," Devil hissed.
"Already did. You forget one thing, ancient one. We’re tools to be used as our host sees fit, not the other way around."
I could feel Devil stir inside, getting ready for a fight. But Khepri wasn’t backing down and instead, she pushed with what power she had against the brute.
"Enough. I’ll need you both once we’re in the enemy ship!" I snapped. "I have more important matters to deal with than your hurt feelings."
"Hey Samson, do you think he’s gone mad? He’s been talking to himself for a couple of minutes now," Levi said. Samson shook his head slowly.
"I think that’s us in a couple of days too," he whispered, but I could hear them clear as day.
"Come on, the enemy could invade again while we sit around doing nothing. And I have no fucking idea why they haven’t done so," I murmured.
"Spaceship Devil to Cain! Anyone there?" Levi joked as she prodded my chin.
"Cut it out you little nymphomaniac," I said, slapping her hand away. "Tell me what you got."
"Alright. I have two choices," Levi replied. "I’ve gained the ability to create a sniper rifle. A big nasty thing from what Nyx showed me in my mind. The first skill allows me to use anything for ammunition, while the second creates a shroud of darkness around me. Or should do so, theoretically. And I’m no nymphomaniac, mind you!"
"I see. And how much ammo can you carry around like this?"
"About thirty normal rounds and ten high explosive ones," Levi replied. "And if I choose the first skill, I’ll never run out as long as I can get my hands on some metal."
"Good, that’s good," I whispered thoughtfully. "See, if Nyx had been invisible earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to find her. But if she didn’t have the unlimited ammo skill, she would have run long out before I arrived. I don’t know, it’s hard to decide on this one, Levi. What do you think?"
She shrugged.
"I guess, since Samson will be at the frontline most of the time along with you, my position will be at the back, right?"
I nodded.
"Unless someone happens to catch you off guard, you should remain hidden most of the time," I said.
"Figures. But look at it this way. If we fight on Beta, I can’t make bullets from the sand."
"No, you can’t. But look, you can switch between the skills every 24 hours. We should plan our fights accordingly then. Why don’t you go with bullet making since our fight will be on a spaceship? Once they're taken care off, you can switch to cloaking before we attack the queen. Sounds good?"
She nodded.
"I guess. Still, I have no idea how to summon the rifle. Any suggestions?"
"All I do is to imagine for my arms to change, and they do. Try that if you will. Imagine a kick-ass sniper rifle appearing in your hands. Or ask Nyx for guidance. Now, how about you, Samson?"
"I also have two choices. One is a full-on defense skill which makes my skin so tough that it’s almost indestructible, while the second is a sort of attack skill. Gather energy in your hands and slam them together to form a shockwave or something like that. I wasn’t paying attention."
I rolled my eyes but knew very well that both of the skills were formidable. His absolute defense was tough, and the attack skill he used, spread through the whole training bay.
"I don’t know. You’re another hard choice. If you get surrounded by a dozen of those nasty bastards, they can pummel or shoot you to death while you chase one of them around. The second skill hits crazy hard in a large area, though."
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I’m tough as is I guess. Atlas keeps telling me how high up there he is in raw power and durability, so I’ll go with the attack skill for now."
I nodded appreciatively, just as a flash of light blinded me momentarily. A gigantic rifle appeared in Levi’s tiny arms, threatening to pull her off balance.
"Atta girl!" I exclaimed and helped her steady the behemoth of a cannon. "Now, how about you shoot something and create more bullets from those crates over there," I proposed and nodded for her to move out of the way. "Samson and I need to have a dance."
Chapter Nineteen
"Cain?" a voice rang out over my tapper. Due to a slight distortion, I wasn’t able to place it with Gremory right off. "We have a problem."
I frowned. If Gremory thought something was off, then I had to get worried as well.
"Where you at?" I asked, getting off Samson’s bruised body. I looked down at the man and offered my hand. Being the gentleman he was, Samson pulled himself up and pretended to be dusting off his smart-cloth. Feeling the two eye me, I upped the volume of the tapper and let the lovebirds listen in.
"Command center," she replied. "Say, do you remember when I told you how there was a shadow organization that kept tabs on all the Legions?"
A lump formed in my throat, as it was obvious that Grem
ory was about to deliver a nasty piece of news; otherwise, she wouldn’t bother acting so strange.
"No, you never did tell me about that particular—problem," I replied, turning to Samson. "Take me to the command center," I mouthed and started walking toward the exit.
"So, they’re called—"
"Hold on, not like this in the open," I cut her off. "We’ll be there in a few minutes."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Levi whispered. "I think I read something about them during my hacking, but I’m not sure."
"Whatever it is," I said as we exit the room, "we’ll find out soon enough. Come on, hurry up."
Samson took the lead, navigating us through the winding, metallic corridors and hallways. The light overhead was restored but still flickered every now and then. At least the loud blaring of the ship’s sirens was long past gone. It sure made a difference compared to last time when I had to run in a half dark, and ear-splitting environment.
A lot of work was getting done wherever we passed. Repairs were fully underway, the floors, walls, and ceilings were being cleaned, and holes were getting patched up. It looked like everyone was busy with something, and it made me proud. At least some of them had come to see this as their home, I thought. One could see it from their expressions and how hard they were trying.
It took us a while to get to the command center, so I was surprised that I barely recognized the place when we arrived. We stopped in front of four guards who stood at attention to each side of the large, metallic sliding doors. They saluted us as one of them tapped something on a control device before the door opened. Good, I thought. Not everyone could waltz in here when they felt like it.
"There you are," Gremory said cheerfully as we entered. A dozen officers stood to attention as we walked up to her.
"Commander on deck!" an MP to my side called out. Everyone present stood and saluted me. The only reason why I knew how to reply was because of my inherited memories and experience of his past.
"At ease," I replied, sitting in a black lounge chair at the dead center of the room. It looked all but a command center to me once I had the time to observe the spacious room. Consoles and screens littered the walls in a half crescent, loosely forming an inverted ‘u’ letter. There were no desks, only screens and comfortable seats for the officers to sit on. The far wall was a giant screen with a sort of camera looking device hanging from the ceiling. It was truly one strange bridge.
"So, as I was saying," Gremory started and motioned for Levi and Samson to sit next to her on a sofa. "A high-ranking Armament user has appeared out of nowhere and is currently floating outside in space. I tried to hail them, but the only thing I got in response was his wish to speak to the new Commander. Now, what you need to know about this group of—people, is that they’re extremely wealthy and powerful through the word of god. In essence, it’s God’s response to Devil and the Steel Legion."
"But on a much larger, and stronger scale," Kris added. "The Armament users in service of The Host, they’re specifically created to be able to stand up to us with their ‘holy’ element."
"Wait, like Angels and stuff?" I asked, almost too excited for my own good.
"Something like that, yes. And there’s one of them floating in space right now outside our hull. What’s more, he’s a tier five," Gremory went on.
I coughed violently as she caught me off guard, and almost choked on the air in my lungs.
"Five?" I exclaimed. She nodded.
"It’s Mikhail," she added, barely audible.
"Oh, wasn’t he supposed to be the Angel of mercy or something?" I asked.
"And of military and war," Levi added.
"You’re not helping, Levi," I said with a raised eyebrow.
"Do I care? Read it from my lips. N.O."
I waved her off and turned to the officers behind me.
"Can someone patch me through to him or something?" I asked, standing from my lounge chair.
"On it, sir," a young woman with long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail replied. I had to admit that the smart-cloth fit quite nice around her body as I waited for her to give the go-ahead. Gremory punched me on the shoulder and hissed.
"Really? Checking out fresh meat?" she said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"No, come on! I was just looking her way!"
"Sir, you can contact him on your private tapper," the young woman said, shooting me a smile. To her luck, Gremory didn’t seem to notice.
"Mikhail?" I asked, my voice deep and commanding.
"Commander Cain? It’s such a pleasure to meet you," he replied. "Say, would you mind if joined you at the command center?" the Angel asked.
"There is no way for me to stop you, so sure, be my guest," I replied, acting like I wasn’t fazed by him or his power.
"No, there isn’t," Mikhail replied and appeared a moment after before us. "Cain, is it?" He asked, offering me his hand. I shook it, making sure not to squeeze too hard, as not to hurt his soft skin. He looked down at my hand with a frown.
"Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?" I asked, taking his out stretched hand. To my surprise, it went right through. Was the guy some sort of hologram?
"Oh, it’s the other way around," he replied, sitting on my lounge chair. I took a seat to his right, opposite Gremory. "And Lady Death, how nice to see you again. You sure have become quite the harbinger of death, no?"
She shrugged and offered her hand, palm down to him. Mikhail took it carefully and kissed the back before nodding slightly.
"Give me a couple of years, and you’ll see, Mikhail," she replied. He put up a smile, but I knew it was fake. He wasn’t that good at acting as he might have hoped. The bastard was a cheat and a bully, I knew as much just from looking at his ugly face.
"Are you a hologram?" I asked, not able to help myself.
"It all depends on your commander if you live another day, even more, a couple of years," he replied, still holding eye-contact with Gremory before he turned to face me. "And speaking of which, Cain, was it? Yes, this is a sort of ‘hologram’ as you called it. In truth, it’s a mental projection of my true self. There’s no way I could just appear over Beta Gebradim, no? In any case, I was sent by God himself to see what your intentions were. State them firmly and don’t even try to lie. I can sense if you do, even if I’m not physically present."
"In that case, Mikhail," I started, "My goal is to find Cafka and kill him. As for our plans after that, get as far away from Human-dominated space as possible and live our lives in peace."
"I see," he replied amusedly. "What do you offer in turn?" Mikhail asked. I wanted to say that I was sparing his life, but decided against it. He could probably spit me in the face and kill me with a single shot.
"A favor?" I proposed.
Mikhail’s eyebrows shot up as he stared back at me, confused.
"To what extent?"
"What do you need?"
"Nothing yet. But once I decide to call in the favor, you will comply without hesitation. Are we clear?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. We are."
"Good, good!" He cheered slapping my shoulder three times. "So, tell me what happened here. I mean, I already know most of it, but I want to hear it from you."
I sighed and shrugged.
"Maybe you would like to see? A picture is worth more than a thousand words, is it not? And I assume you have ways to detect that the videos haven't been tampered with?"
Mikhail nodded.
"Indeed, I do. Please, send everything you have to my tapper."
For the next five minutes, Devil busied himself transferring everything people had collected in the last decade along with his databank. The tier five looked a couple over and nodded.
"Do you need more?" I asked.
"No, no. This will be more than enough. I have to say I’m in quite a bad spot now. You see, I was tasked with doing what the previous commander couldn’t. This ship should have died over Gebradim Beta, along with everyone on it. But, and this is a h
uge but, we hadn't realized to what extent this man had gone. At least not until now. And it’s not just him; it’s spread all over the fleets."
He stopped and looked down at the table, took a clean glass, and poured himself some Smirnoff. It dawned on me just then that I’d been rather rude to the guest, not having offered him a drink before now.
“I’m sorry, Mikhail. We should have—"
"No, it’s quite alright. You were afraid of what would happen, so I forgive you. However, there is another matter of great importance. The organization wants you home for an interview. They wish to know if you’ll be able to lead a legion of your own. After all, you’re just a civilian."
Now it was my time to get angry. Did they think I’d just bend over and everything would return to the way it had been? Not as long as I drew breath, civilian or not.
"They have lost the right to govern over this legion and ship. They don’t own it anymore, nor will anyone do so ever again. In the best-case scenario, Earth's government could see us as a mercenary outfit, nothing more, nothing less."
Mikhail quietly listened to me while refilling his glass, even against Levi’s protest who wanted to do it for him. Then it struck me how odd it was that a hologram could drink.
"You do understand that if you fail to appear before them, you’ll be declared an enemy of the Human Alliance?" Mikhail asked.
"I don’t see why they would risk making an enemy of us. We did nothing wrong. All of us fought bravely against the Gebradim and sacrificed our lives, limbs, and sanity to beat them off. And Cafka? He tried to blow us all up! However, there’s a way we’d visit there, and only if you and your organization promise protection."
"And what exactly is that reason?" Mikhail asked, leaning in closer. It was eerie, but I got over it pretty quickly. His mild and gentle appearance must have caught quite a few wrongdoers off guard, I guessed.
"I want to bring the people home that do not wish to join my venture, and possibly recruit those who do want to have a new start. We need supplies, food, water, clothing, etc. And in turn, we’d share—what we got."
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