Legion of Steel

by Lucian Knight

  "This thing is overpowered," I whispered. It was like poison to his health, and corrosion to his armor.

  "Sure is. Make sure to stay alive though, he’s far from dead," Devil replied.

  The monster cried out from the pain as its skin and flesh first turned grey, then a shade of black as rot started to set in. I could only imagine what kind of pain it must have caused. A normal cut or slash, or even a broken bone wouldn’t even come close to it.

  New shots rang out from above and slammed right into the creature’s exposed chest. It staggered backward slightly, but it didn’t topple over. Asclepius twisted his body in a strange angle and slammed me with the back of his hand, sending me flying across the room again. He knelt and destroyed the armor around his decaying side, then started ripping at the flesh. Whole chunks of dead meat flew around as he raged like a bull.

  "It won’t work," Devil said. "The decay cannot be removed even if he destroys half of his body."

  "Shit, I feel bad for the man. We just killed his woman or something, and now he’s rotting from the inside—"

  A loud thud reverberated in the back of my mind as his meaty fist struck my face and sent me crashing into the hard steel floor. I didn’t know what getting run over by a tank felt, but I couldn’t imagine it being anything less than this. I lay there, crumbled in a heap and looked on as the monstrosity slowly stepped toward me, its face contorted in a raging scream.

  "If we hadn’t evolved, you’d be dead now. That kind of blow would have decapitated you easily," Khepri offered.

  "Tell me something I don’t know," I groaned as my head showed a measly 219 points, and was flashing an angry orange. I cursed and spat blood before I got up.

  "We can always lure him in close and use my new skill. In your current state, you can only fire it once. And for some reason, the RNG gods aren’t in our favor today when it comes to Retaliation."

  "RNG?" Devil asked. "You’re viewing this as a game?"

  "What else could it be? A game of life and death.

  I sighed at their bickering and shut them both out for a moment as I tried to stabilize my breathing. Very well, we’d try that new skill and see if it would do any good.

  "I’m sorry, but I never wanted this to happen. You attacked us!" I yelled. I didn’t sound honest even to my own ears. Shit, I needed to work on my lying techniques.

  "Before you could lay waste to our world, yes!" the Admiral bellowed, spitting darkened mucus at me. "But I’ll take at least you and your friends down with me, Human. Oh you despicable creature, you attacked us during sleep. How low can one stoop?"

  "I was also asleep when you attacked!" I shot back as I stood a mere couple of feet from him. With a lunge, he grabbed me by the neck and looked down on me. I was so sick of people acting all high and mighty, even if they were a monster. Fuck it.

  "Khepri, Energy Blast his chest."

  "Energy gathering. Nine seconds to go, eight."

  "Oh no, I won’t let you," Asclepius growled, slamming his fist against my face three times in quick succession. My nose and jaw bone cracked as stars danced before my eyes, but the damage only served to make my own attack that much stronger.

  Bringing up my claws, I pressed them into its forehead and raked them down across his eyes. The balloon-like sensory organs popped, releasing a gooey substance. With a screech, Asclepius opened his mouth and bit down on my head. His long, sharp teeth ground against the metallic layer protecting my scalp, but even if it held, I felt like my head was about to pop.

  "Hey! Why don’t you take on someone your own size?" Samson shouted as he charged the Admiral.

  "Duck!" I ordered pressing myself against the mad alien, and my chest against his. The ball of energy started forming, slowly but surely. Mad screeching and chirping sounds assailed my ears as the ball finally appeared and shot right through him.

  The hole in its chest was as large as my head when transformed, its inner organs evaporated from the searing heat, leaving a perfectly round hole in the Gebradim Admiral. He looked down and back up at me, stammered forward and dropped me from his grasp.

  "We were only—defending our planet," he wheezed. "You invaded—us."

  "I’m sorry," was all I managed to say. He was right, but it was the higher-ups, the scum who had wanted us dead as well. "I’ll give you a burial on Gebradim Beta, Admiral. That much I can promise you."

  His eyes shifted down to my feet as he nodded slightly.

  "Together with—her," he replied barely audible, toppling over to his side. I nodded again and kept staring at him until his final breath. I could feel the pain well up inside, but I wouldn’t show it to anyone, not anymore. I had decided on a course, and I would need to stay true, or I’d lose myself first, and then everyone else. I finally had something worth fighting for, so why put it at risk?

  "Don’t let it get to you," Samson said as he walked up to me. "And besides, we got another issue right now. Look around us."

  "I’m not letting it get to me," I replied as I looked around at the countless Gebradim troopers who looked on in shock and awe. From all the excitement and fighting, I’d forgotten about those who got left behind in the massive chamber. But all they did was stand around and stare at us.

  "Khepri, suggestions please," I whispered.

  "I have no idea. Why would you think that I would know what to do in such a situation?"

  "Because you’ve been a Gebradim once before. Never mind, just translate."

  "Sure thing, boss."

  "Gebradim! There’s no need to fight anymore. I have defeated your master!" I shouted. They twitched uncomfortably but remained standing. "I offer to take you in my service! I am the strongest among everyone on our ships! Follow me, and you can live! Serve me, and you will be rewarded! Pledge to me, and I will find you a queen!"

  At the last statement, most of them let out a strange noise. It was unpleasant to the ears, but there was nothing I could do about it but bite through the pain.

  "How can we trust you?" said a slightly different Gebradim trooper. His arms were thicker than those of his brethren and had a more yellowish along with a more yellowish skin.

  "We will attack Gebradim Beta soon. Maybe in a month or maybe two. After we have resupplied on our home planet, we will come here again. If you all come down with me to the planet, maybe the queen will agree and become mine."

  "Blasphemy! How can a Gebradim queen become your property? You do not know your place, Human! The queen is our Mother! Our sole reason for living!"

  "Hey now, you don’t want to make him angry, do you?" Samson snapped at the yellow Gebradim. He winced and took a step back.

  "I apologize, conqueror. However, I don’t see how this could work. Maybe you should kill us all."

  "No! I won’t kill anyone unnecessarily! Join me in our fight against our enemies. You will get your chance at revenge when we attack the humans responsible. I don’t wish to be an enemy of the Gebradim race, but people who were– our queen ordered the attack. Now I am the ruler of the people on our ship. We don’t wish to fight any longer."

  He narrowed his stalky eyes at me appraisingly.

  "Will you really bury our captain?"

  I nodded slowly.

  "Together with the—lady."

  Now it was his time to nod.

  "And we will live on your ship now?"

  "Yes, you will. We need your ship for repairs. Once it’s consumed, we can rearrange the composition of my ship and create a wing for your people."

  "Five hundred of our people will join, but one hundred do not wish to. They wish to die."

  I sighed.

  "How about this. Does your ship has any vessels that can make it down to Beta?"

  "Yes, two. Each holds up to five hundred Gebradim or a thousand Humans."

  "Good, good. All of you who wanted to stay will take one of the two ships and go down to beta, and the others will remain on this ship. You have half an hour to do so."

  "What will happen to the hundred that st
ays behind, Conqueror?"

  I shrugged.

  "They’ll become food. And you will be our ambassador for when we arrive to see your queen. Talk to her, and tell her what happened, tell her about me, an Armament user housing two ancients. Go."

  The yellow Gebradim stared back at me for a long, unsure moment before he finally nodded his and dropped his weapon. It was a nice touch, I had to give him that, and something that would benefit us greatly.

  "Conqueror. Be sure to check the armory before you devour this ship. It is located on the top floor. You will find some interesting things there. But for now, goodbye."

  "Until we meet again," I replied, looking up at Levi. She lay there, staring down intently on what was transpiring.

  "What now?" Samson asked.

  "We wait until the five hundred have left, then the two of you feed on the rest."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  "So that’s how it went, huh?" Gremory asked over a drink in the officer’s lounge. "And now we’re officially the second strongest legion when you add up the tiers. Not that they matter anymore since you can do a full-body takeover and not just extensions like all the others."

  "Oh? Do I hear some jealousy?" I teased as I drank my glass empty. Gremory shrugged.

  "Not really. I’m still ahead of you. I doubt you could take me, even at your tier two dual Armament. Does it even matter, though? You’re supposed to be my man."

  I nodded slowly, taking her hand.

  "For as long as I live," I mused. "And long may it last."

  "True. So, what about Asclepius? Got any ideas for that one?"

  The door hissed open, letting in two women and one man.

  "Doc, please have a seat," I offered and stood to get her a chair. "You two, sit down anywhere you’d like."

  The doc greeted us with a weak smile and a shallow nod, but sat to our right, while Levi and Samson sat at the bar.

  "How can I help you?" Doc Ashiala asked, eyeing the Smirnoff in front of us. I took the bottle and poured her a glass.

  "Don’t gulp it down at once, it has quite the kick," I smiled, raising my glass. Gremory raised hers and touched my glass, then Ashiala’s. The Doc, knowing what to do, followed suit and clinked glasses with me as well. It was somehow fitting, as today was all about her.

  "So, why am I here?" she asked after taking a good sip, and shaking her head.

  "We would like for you to bond with Asclepius. That guy was a mad scientist and doctor. With your skills and knowledge, the two of you would be a match made in heaven."

  She frowned.

  "I don’t want to become a monster. Where the hell did you get the idea I’d say yes to your proposal? Or is this an order?"

  "No, it’s not," Gremory interjected. "We’ll never order someone to do such a thing unless they’re okay with it. We’re not our predecessors."

  "Yes, she’s right. I would appreciate it and even offer you something as an incentive. Would you like to hear more?"

  Ashiala twitched in her chair and bit her lower lip as if she sat on a fire ant hill.

  "Yeah?" she uttered.

  "How about you get your own laboratory? Your own holding cells, your own—whatever it is you wish for. You will get assistants, helpers, cleaners, guards, and a big apartment for yourself. A shower and a kitchen. Anything you could wish for."

  Her left eyebrow rose as she studied me for any bullshit she might have just heard.

  "Or, you can live with us if you’d like," Gremory offered.

  "What do you mean, with you?" she asked.

  "Nothing. We have this huge space we call our own, so I thought you’d maybe like to live with someone, instead of being alone all the time."

  "Oh, come on! We’re not trying to get you to join us in bed. I’m trying to get someone to do research and come up with new—"

  "I’ll do it," she whispered. Gremory’s face lit up, followed by her clapping hands.

  "Oh, yes!"

  "Yes, what? Did I miss something?" I asked, somewhat confused. I obviously missed some exchange between the two.

  "She’ll be our roommate!"

  "I never said that! I meant that I’d form a bond with Asclepius."

  Gremory frowned, annoyed at the turn of events. Ashiala noticed as much and turned red.

  "I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never been one for staying in a room with a guy, even if there are other girls present, so you’ll have to do with this. For now."

  "Wait, what? I think you have it all wrong, doc! He’s more than enough to take care of my needs, and I’m not letting anyone near him," Gremory laughed. Ashiala let out a deep sigh accompanied with another gulp of the vodka. "Listen, imagine if we could use the Gebradim DNA to create some parasitic substance that would change our bodies just enough to gain a couple of positive effects like their water intake needs, their tough skin or natural strength. Imagine our soldiers being able to go toe to toe with any Gebradim or alien race without the need for heavy mech-suits."

  Ashiala took another sip and leaned back against the chair, her eyes darting in between us. It was a strange realization that I hadn’t noticed how beautiful she was until today. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, there was mascara on her eye lashes, and lipstick on her lips. Had she anticipated this? Or had she other thoughts on her mind?

  "Doc, were you supposed to meet with someone beside us?"

  "N-no! Why do you ask?" she stammered.

  "No particular reason. It’s just that I finally noticed how beautiful you are underneath all that bravado and stuff you do," I commented. Gremory punched me playfully before she leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. Flustered, Ashiala coughed and looked away.

  "So, how about we get back to the lab? I find that part rather intriguing. When do we start?"

  I smiled and put my right hand on hers while putting my left around Gremory’s waist.

  "Go prepare yourself for the binding, and we’ll come by to say hi. Explain everything to Heather about what to do if anything happens. We still have to talk about some issues here, and see if we can get ahold of Earth."

  "Yes, I’ll excuse myself then. Please do not come by as I prefer to keep my nudity to myself, thank you very much."

  Before anyone could say anything, she got up and stormed out of the room. Gremory sighed and put her arm around me.

  "Devil? Sweetie? Can you tell us how long the repairs will take?"

  "Tell her not to call me like that, or I’ll stop cooperating," he growled over the speakers.

  "Holy shit! What was that?" Samson snapped and stood quickly.

  "Easy, my friend. That’s Devil, the ship. And you answer the lady."

  "Bah! I won’t tolerate such behavior! I’m ancient and unique! Either respect me, or I’ll crush you when you sleep!"

  "Wait, can he do that?" Levi asked.

  "Sure can," I replied. "And very well, Devil. We’ll try to keep in mind that you’re the ship, our main base, and our lifeline. Now, can you answer the lady?" I asked calmly, pinching Gremory under the table.

  "Hey!" she winced and pulled her leg away from me. "Really?"

  "Shut it, please," I whispered.

  "Hmm. I think you’ve learned your lesson, so as for the repair process I have some good news and some bad news, the bad is that I won’t be able to use all of the materials on the ship. About seven percent will be tossed into space, while the rest will be barely enough to patch everything up enough so we can fly."

  "Wait, what’s with the seven percent? What’s the material?" Gremory asked.

  "Felandite," Devil replied. "It’s a product that’s created by mixing certain types of metals. The Gebradim use it on certain parts of their ships, and so do we ever since we found out about it."

  "Hmm, that could fetch a reasonable price on Earth, so in that case, yeah, we’ll take all of it, especially if we can pay for our basic provisions with the stuff. Can we put it in our storage bay?"

  Devil was quiet for a moment before he replied.

&nb
sp; "Yes. We’ll need approximately one hundred people in addition to the automated drones. A lot of them were destroyed during Cafka’s escape, and even more pieces of equipment were damaged. Some people with the know-how have been working around the clock to give us something to work with, though."

  "And how are they doing that?" I asked curiously. "I mean, if most of it is destroyed, and we have no spare parts, how can they repair the stuff?"

  "Simple. We have two large 3-D printers in the workshop and another one in the drone bay. We even have one in engineering, as things tend to break down quite often."

  "So all we need is raw materials?"

  "More or less. We could get a lot from the ship and down from the planet, so you don’t need to worry about that."

  "Alright, good. Gremory, please have Kris take care of the loading. Anyone who volunteers gets double the rations and a shower at the end of the day."

  "Do you want to know more about water usage as well?" Devil asked. I could hear it in his voice, and even feel it over our weak connection. He was enjoying this, but so was I by acquiring knowledge necessary to take care of the ship.

  "Sure, hit me."

  "In that case, I’ll dumb it down for you. There is an entirely closed-loop system onboard every spaceship that’s dedicated to water and is buried pretty deep into the meat of the ship so not everyone can just tamper with it. First the water is captured, be it urine, sweat, or even the moisture from our breath, and then the impurities are filtered out of it through an elaborate process which you wouldn’t understand even if I tried to explain."

  "And you can’t taste that it’s—been purified?"

  "No. It’s far cleaner than what you had to drink down on Earth before you joined us."

  "I see, in that case, I won’t even feel bad for letting them shower. But it can’t be purified indefinitely, right?"

  "No," Gremory interrupted. "We shave some ice from bodies out there in space, but it only needs to be done once a year or so. Otherwise, the system is quite efficient. By the way, what about me? Don’t I deserve one?" she asked, pursing her lips.