062: Trust In Skill – Four
"Well, the audience is losing their minds over Bathory and the Hand even more now." Elytra chuckled from where she was curled up in the corner of one of the couches in the rec room, two data pads open in her lap, "The videos we put out last night are doing numbers, but the one of you two is the topic of a lot of new threads in the forum."
"What, the mysteries of the Program and the threat of the Bernetigan not that entertaining?" Rhea joked from her spot on the other end of the couch, grinning over her own data pad.
"Oh they were, just in different ways," Elytra told her as she brought something up on one of her data pads, "The mysteries of just what the Program's plans are have really gotten the theorists going. Some were big fans of the suspense of the Bernetigan encounter, although a lot weren't. The majority of those seemed to be stressed about the thought of us ending up caught and converted. Some were even disappointed that we weren't."
"Seriously?!"
"Yeah, looks like there's quite a few people out there who watch Kith works specifically for the promise of snuff content."
Rhea let out a low whistle at that. "Damn, I guess there's an audience for everything, huh?"
"I'll say," Elytra snorted, "There's quite a contingent out there hoping that the pair of you are going to start producing smut content."
That got a cackle out of Rhea. "Are they now?"
"Along with a xenophobic minority throwing tantrums over the thought of an interspecies relationship."
"That tracks."
"They're being drowned out by those who are very keen on seeing this on-screen romance play out. They've been bombarding the xenophobes with fan edits." Elytra told her, sending over a link with a swipe of a finger.
Her curiosity piqued, Rhea opened it immediately, and found an entire playlist of clips stitched together of the Hand and Bathory's moments together. Some were nothing more than highlights of every charged moment between the two of them, while others were elaborately edited together with music and other effects.
"Holy shit. And here I was thinking we were being subtle with it." Rhea's laugh was somewhere between chagrin and delight.
"The love you two have for one another burns as brightly as two suns orbiting one another," Elytra told her with a small smile of her own, "The audience doesn't need to be koleopteran to see that."
"Oof, embarrassing." Rhea said, sounding anything but.
"But since the subject has been broached, would smut be something the two of you would be interested in pursuing?" Elytra asked, genuinely curious.
Rhea hummed thoughtfully, tilting to the side so she could lean her head against the back of the couch before answering. "I'd have to talk to Malakh about it to be sure, but I'm leaning towards a no. I feel... really possessive over her. I don't wanna share her, even if it's just with observers."
"Fair enough." Elytra smirked, feeling that possessiveness writhing across Rhea like creeping vines, "If you do change your mind on that, let me know. We'll need to update the tags on our content."
"Oh now that's a mood killer," Rhea snickered, "Bureaucracy in the bedroom."
"You'd be surprised," Elytra said, eyes bright with mirth, "There's a lot of people out there who enjoy the negotiations that go on behind closed doors more than they do the sex that its building towards."
Rhea laughed at that. "There really is an audience for everything."
The journey to their destination had thankfully, blessedly been free of other encounters with the Bernetigan. And this was a good thing, because they ended up having to slow back down to sublight speeds well before they made it to their destination, as the debris field encompassed more of the system than their sensors had been able to pick up at long range.
"It almost looks like a snowfall from this far out." Elytra said, staring at the view screen in wonder. Like a shaken snow globe, the system was choked with particles gently drifting on solar winds. The "particles" in some cases were kilometers long, but from this far out it just looked like so much dust.
"Wonder what caused all this chaos?" Malakh mused, seated at the gunner station across from the one Elytra was seated at, "This looks more like the results of something being broken apart, rather than a world coming together."
Rhea scoffed at that, saying, "Could have been the Bernetigan for all we know, testing out some weird fuckery to bring about their ends."
"We shan't be staying long enough to solve the mystery, regardless," Pryseia said, whacking her tail against Rhea, leaning against her throne as she was and all, "Retrieving the Storlayacas with all expediency is our only goal, after which our swift escape from this territory will be our top priority."
"We'll be entering this system's sphere of influence shortly, so we'd best get underway." Nevara announced.
In short order, the lighting in the bridge had been dimmed to something a little more ominous, and everyone arranged themselves to be more in character. Nevara sat up straighter, tossing her capelet over one shoulder so that her arms were unobstructed. Rhea swept her own cape back, fluffing out her hair before she casually leaned against Pryseia's throne. Pryseia leaned back, crossing one leg over the other while she fanned out her cape before resting her hands casually against the arms of her throne. Malakh ran a hand through her mane, making sure it was slicked back, before her gauntlets pooled into place down her arms, hiding her wedding band from view. Across the consoles of the bridge, Viatrix's axe avatar glitched into view.
Once everyone else was ready to go, Elytra slid the face plate of her helmet down, resettling her hood around her head, the camera control HUD popping into her field of view a moment later.
"Alright, broadcast goes live in ten seconds." She announced, timers popping up in their own Longan Units to count them down. Settling into their positions, and their characters, they prepared to take on their most nerveracking mission yet.
"Report." Queen Kaizoku's order rang out through the bridge, the crew staring intently at the view screen in front of them.
"No sign of any Bernetigan presence. Beginning approach on the signal." General Grim said, maneuvering the Pelekys into the pervasive debris field that shrouded their target.
The going was slow and careful, the General skilfully weaving the ship between the larger asteroids, her console flaring like firelight as it registered the shields shrugging off the pebble-sized debris that that filled the spaces between their larger compatriots, far too small and numerous to avoid.
From her seat at the gunner station to the General's left, the Hand tapped away at her own console, bringing up her readings on the main screen. "That's where our signal is coming from."
It was a sizeable asteroid, around a half kilometer in length, large enough for them to land on if it weren't for its pockmarked surface making the terrain anything but level. There was a trail of debris coming off it, one particularly large piece still yet caught in the gravity of the larger part it had been struck from, the severed sides the powdery white of a fresh break. The Hand frowned, zooming in the feed, bringing in to sharp focus what appeared to be some kind of artificial bulkhead within the asteroid itself.
"Scanning," the Program announced without prompting, "It appears to be of Hyttan make. Given the obvious newness of its exposure, I surmise that this break coincides with when I picked up the Storlayacas' signal."
"How fortuitous for us, in that regard." Queen Kaizoku smirked, "Bring us into range."
Grim did so, swiftly and deftly, swinging the Pelekys into a geostationary orbit with their asteroid as close as she could safely manage in minutes.
Kaizoku gave Grim a nod as the other woman stood from the pilot's seat, tucking her helmet under her arm. "Your Storlayacas awaits. We will maintain radio silence in order to prevent any errant signals from catching the attention of the Bernetigan. If we need to communicate, we will do so through the Program, who will accompany you in a drone. Take the Hand with you as well, for there's no telling what you may encounter down there."
Grim nodded back, shooting a glance in Augury's direction before asking, "Any foresight to impart?"
Madame Augury swayed slightly before she said, "Only that your success is impending…"
The General allowed herself a slight smirk before she marched from the room, the Hand rising to follow after her. She didn't slow her pace, but she locked eyes with Bathory for as long as her walk from her station to the door would allow.
Bathory allowed her gaze to linger on the door a few seconds after it closed before she turned back to face the view screen, her expression schooled into something perfectly neutral.
In the hall beyond, the General and the Hand made their way silently to the port personnel ramp, the seals on the General's helmet hissing as they locked into place, while the Hand's helmet bled into shape from within her collar. As they neared the exit, a shape detached itself from the wall alongside it, the small drone hovering in midair before them, a red axe appearing on its main display screen.
"Opening ramp. Do hold on." The Program's voice came from the drone, the staticky flicker of environmental shields flickering to life behind them as the area by the door was pressurized to match the vacuum just beyond the ramp.
Once this procedure was completed, the two organics grabbed onto the railing that ran along the walls closest to the ramp, which yawned open before them. Beyond lay the pale, pockmarked expanse of their destination. Shoving off from the railing in tandem, the pair of them drifted forward enough to grab onto the drone, which began to fly them over to the exposed bulkhead.
Drifting through the void with no tether, these two larger than life figures seemed so small.
Thankfully it was a quick trip, and a scan revealed that this wasn't just a bulkhead that had been unearthed.
"This is a door." The Program announced, something almost like awe in its voice, "A moment. I will try to open it."
Grim and the Hand shot each other a look but said nothing, their grav boots keeping them anchored to the surface of the asteroid while they waited.
It wasn't a long wait, at least, as a deep, grinding rumble echoed up through their bones as the dust of untold ages sloughed off the door, drifting like a fog as it began to open for the first time in eons.
The moment it was fully open, a row of lights running along the ceiling of the interior bloomed illumination into the space, and the Hand let out a laugh of disbelief.
Before them lay a pristine Hyttan ship.
The vessel was long, easily double the length of the Pelekys, if the same width. What appeared to be the cockpit area had the same sloping, almost organic look that Hyttan tech was known for, while the rest of it had a boxier appearance, reminiscent of modern cargo starships.
"The signal is coming from within. Let's go." Grim said, marching into the hangar.
"Holy shit." Rhea breathed, watching the feed that Viatrix was transmitting to them, "The Thalatte would kill for a find like this."
"Would they risk the journey out here to get it?" Elytra couldn't help but ask.
Pryseia scoffed at that, bitterness coating every word as she said, "They would send teams of slaves out here to retrieve it until one managed a successful return, uncaring of how many lives were lost in the process."
"Well they're never going to get the chance, because that ship is coming with us," Rhea said, bringing up some information on the nearest console, "The Kith will pay out a hefty bounty to anyone who brings in Hyttan tech, because their ships are as easy to get up and running as their mechs are."
"We could take the ship as our own?" Pryseia suggested.
"An option, but we've got no idea what the stealth capabilities of that thing are," Rhea pointed out, "And we've been relying a lot on sneaking around for our Kith career so far. Plus, we've really made the Pelekys a home, and I don't know that I feel like moving just yet."
"A valid point," Pryseia conceded, "We can discuss it with the others when we aren't in such dire straits. Viatrix, would you be able to relay our request to take that ship as our prize?"
"You got it," came her reply a moment later, "We're just entering the ship now."
Like with the hangar, the interior of the ship lit up the moment they stepped inside. Finding and opening the door to the ship had been just as easy as opening the door to the hangar, which boded well.
VIATRIX: Just had a chat with the others, and if at all possible, they'd like you to try and get this ship up and running.
MALAKH: If this thing works like the Hyttan tech I've dealt with in the past, that shouldn't be a problem.
NEVARA: Let's see what this place has in store for us, then.
A quick peek into the cockpit revealed exactly what they'd expected: the standard control layout of a Hyttan ship.
It also revealed something unexpected: a device identical to the one the Briddbragnan had stolen from them on Lichhaemleas.
"Well isn't that interesting," the Hand muttered as she stepped up to the device, "I wonder if these come part and parcel with all Hyttan ships of this class?"
"Have you a hypothesis as to what it could be?" Grim asked as she stepped up beside her.
The Hand hummed in response, tilting her head slightly. Lights along her helmet flickered, indicating she was scanning the device. "It's hooked up to the ship's systems in a way that looks like it could be used to activate something within the ship remotely. I'd need to run proper tests on it, but at first glance it seems to be something along the lines of a homing beacon."
"Once we get out of here, we can run all the tests you desire," Grim said, nodding back at the rest of the ship, "For now, let us lay claim to what we actually came here for."
Directly behind the cockpit was an area reminiscent of the sparse living quarters found on most modern cargo vessels - an area for communal dining, room with bunks in them, and what could only be a lavatory. As with every Hyttan discovery in the modern age, there were no signs of organic material, no clue as to what the Hyttan would have eaten or drank, or even what they looked like, just the implication that they were roughly the same size and body shape as the majority of the other races in the galaxy.
Beyond this living area was the bulk of the ship, the cargo space, still loaded up with its last shipment.
A squadron of Odazaen, and one Storlayacas.
"That's a fortune if I ever did see one." The Hand breathed, taking in the sight before them, but Grim paid her no mind, her sights set on the Storlayacas.
She only managed to take a single step forward when the Program exclaimed, "A Bernetigan ship has just entered the system."
"Is it headed for us?" Pryseia shouted as she threw herself into the pilot's seat.
"Confirmed," Viatrix replied, an edge of panic to her voice, "They're on a direct trajectory."
"Fuck me running!" Rhea swore as she leaped into the empty gunner seat, her hand moving to open the comms, but she caught herself, pausing long enough to push down the panic and fall back into character as she called out, "Grim, we have company. Take the ship if you can. If not, get in that Storlayacas and get back here. We're done with this place."
"What's the ETA?" Grim demanded, already running back to the bridge, the Hand hot on her heels.
"Five minutes at most," the Program informed her, "It's a bigger vessel than ours, not as manoeuvrable, so they have to take it slower or risk being destroyed by a collision."
"Time enough to get out of here." The Hand said as they entered the bridge again, "Grim, get us airborne. Program, get the subspace engine ready. Pelekys, we're about to exit. Ride our wake into subspace."
"Confirmed," came Queen Kaizoku's reply, "Do make haste."
A deep, resonant hum sounded as the ship roared to life, the docking clamps that had held it for millennia falling away as the Hand rushed through the pre-flight check. Whatever training the assassin had, it clearly involved the use of Hyttan tech beyond their ubiquitous mechs.
Grim, too, had no issue in controlling the alien ship, as she had it out of the hangar in moments.
"They're launching smaller craft, we're out of time!" Bathory called over the comms.
"Jump engines ready." The Program announced.
"Open a tear. Pelekys, let's move." Grim ordered, as calm as if this were nothing more than a pleasure cruise.
The view screen of the Hyttan vessel lit up with dozens upon dozens of blips, each one a Bernetigan fighter craft weaving through the debris field to get to them. But before they could clear half the distance, a fissure opened up in the space before the Hyttan vessel, the pastel radiance of subspace illuminating the surrounding area.
"This is going to be somewhat turbulent. Hold fast." Grim said before she rocketed the ship forward, and it was all the Hand could do to clutch the nearest console to remain upright.
The Pelekys swung in close to the hull of the Hyttan ship, weapons fire from the incoming Bernetigan vessels skating across her shields as it ducked into the tear into subspace, the Hyttan vessel howling alongside it.
The Bernetigan ships, in their haste to catch up to them, overshot the one way portal that had been torn through reality, and had to overload their thrusters to make a turn sharp enough to catch up to their quarry.
But it wasn't enough.
The tear into subspace fell shut behind the Pelekys and the Hyttan ship, cutting them off from pursuit.
"Were we followed at all?" Kaizoku demanded from the helm of the Pelekys.
"Negative, none made it through." The Program confirmed.
Sighing in relief, Kaizoku said, "Excellent. Let us make haste to gentler territories. It is time we claim what is ours."