064: The Rock, Rolled – One
Their Kith armour was designed to get into and out of quickly, and so the crew of the Pelekys were dressed the part for a vengeful assault against the Briddbragnan well before they tore out of subspace and into the Usgaisjan system. That they were going to broadcast this assault live was a given, as they wanted this showdown as badly as they knew their audience did.
So it was that Queen Kaizoku was sat on her throne as she ordered, "Bring us into the system."
The view screen, awash in the pastels of subspace, was overcome with the black of the void as the Pelekys emerged from subspace, their Hyttan ship in tow. The black then extend across the walls of the bridge as General Grim activated combat mode, and the screens in the walls activate to give them all an unobstructed view of the battlefield.
In orbit around the indigo gas giant they were rapidly approaching were the raider ship that had nearly killed Bathory, and a Hyttan cargo ship identical to the one they'd pulled with them through subspace.
"Program, get the Hyttan vessel somewhere safe, and Grim, get us close enough to board."
Its red axe avatar burning on her console, the Program told Kaizoku, "A scan of the Hyttan ship has revealed to me that it's the same layout as ours. This makes dematting viable."
"I'll drop you in the cargo bay in that case," Grim said as she bore down on their targets, "No doubt our target will be found there."
"Make sure that ship doesn't escape." Kaizoku said as she stood, "The rest of you, with me."
With the Hand, Bathory, and Augury falling in behind her, Kaizoku charged out of the bridge and down the hall, through a darkened room before entering another, the unmistakable chartreuse of a demat zone etched in light on the floor ahead of them.
The Pelekys roared and shook around them, her guns launching salvos and her shields deflecting hits. They'd finally engaged the raider vessel.
Once her group had scrambled into place, Kaizoku called out, "We're in position."
"Bringing us in closer. A moment, please." Grim responded over the comms.
"No idea what we're going to find down there, so better safe than sorry." Bathory said as she sealed up her suit, her helmet forming into place as her combat shields flickered across her form. The others were quick to make themselves ready for combat as well.
The ship rattled as it took more hits, but before the weapons had a chance to respond, the darkened interior of the Pelekys was replaced with the stark white interior of a Hyttan vessel, a cargo bay identical to the one on the ship they'd taken.
Kaizoku's crew broke apart immediately, and it was well that they did, as blaster fire peppered the spot where they'd dematted in a second later.
"Kill them!" Shouted who could only be the captain of the raiders, a russet fuglaz at the far end of the hold, standing in front of another Storlayacas.
Unlike the Odazaen packed hold of the ship the Pelekys had found, this one was full of containers, all of which were most definitely not of Hyttan make, given their state of decay. Time ravaged as the assorted crates and boxes were, they were still able to provide cover for the crew of the Pelekys as the raiders tried to keep them pinned down with weapons fire.
Even to the untrained eye, the raiders were putting in a sloppy effort, shots coming in fast but scattered, an intimidating display that drained their weapons quicker than they could recharge.
And the second that the weapons fire dwindled out, the crew of the Pelekys charged.
Taking advantage of the cover provided by the cargo, they began picking off raiders with quick and controlled bursts that had the rest scrambling for cover. Kaizoku and her cohort made it halfway to where the raider captain was frantically going at the controls of the equipment that lay at the feet of the Storlayacas before their crew were able to return fire.
Her crown glinting above the blank face plate of her helmet, her artificial left arm formed into a cannon, Kaizoku tried to line up a shot on the raider captain, but the containers and raiders firing away prevented her from doing so.
BATHORY: What the hell are they doing? Do they think that they'll be able to activate, let alone control a Storlayacas with that equipment?
KAIZOKU: I haven't the slightest, and I care not at all. We shan't be giving them the chance to enact whatever they have planned. Move up.
Bathory made to stand from where she was crouched behind cover, picking off targets as they emerged, but the Hand was quicker, pushing off her shoulder to keep Bathory in place as she herself darted diagonally across the cargo bay to another set of containers, the drawn fire skating across her shields as she lured the raiders to pop out of cover, allowing the crew of the Pelekys to take them out instead.
Their numbers thinned, the raiders were forced to pull back in order to defend their commander, and the crew of the Pelekys advanced on them, taking out even more.
Now only a single line of containers lay between them and the raised platform the Storlayacas was stood on, but before they could do more than duck into cover, the hiss of something unsealing followed by a sharp cry of laughter from the raider captain broke through the din of weapons fire.
Kaizoku was moving in an instant, vaulting over the containers, her shields screeching as she came under fire, her crew quickly following after, taking down those trying to stop their Queen.
Rounding onto the platform, Kaizoku only had an instant to take in the tableau before her: the handful of raiders left turning to get her in their sights, their captain turned away from her, facing the open door of a pod, an obscuring mist gushing out of it and filling the space. Her arm cannon only had the chance to get halfway to targeting the raider captain before a figure stepped out of the pod, out of the mist, drew their weapon and blasted the raider captain through the skull, the booming retort of their weapon thunderously jarring against the high pitched sting of the energy weapon fire scattered around them.
At the sight of their captain falling dead at the hands of this stranger, the fight left the remaining raiders, some staring in confusion, while others threw down their weapons and dropped to their knees in surrender. In an instant, only Kaizoku and the stranger were left standing.
The stranger lowered their weapon and turned to face Kaizoku, their form hidden behind a full suit of body armour that looked like it had been bleached white due to sun exposure. Kaizoku didn't move, trying to gauge what this stranger's next move would be as they stared each other down. The last thing that she expected was for the stranger to bend the knee, reaching up and taking off their helmet as they recited, "I am your sword, your shield. Your word is my law. My life is your tool. Thus bound, V'tala Fext will serve."
Kaizoku flinched as some soundless force reverberated through the hold, the stranger looking up at Kaizoku's helmet obscured face. The stranger - V'tala - was usgaisjan, strikingly beautiful, but unlike the shades of green her people were normally pigmented in, this woman was completely white. Her hair, her skin, her eyes, the crown of horns along the back of her skull, it was as if something had bled the colour from her.
The rest of the crew of the Pelekys rushed the platform then, and V'tala stood, weapon drawn again, but Kaizoku called out, "Wait!"
V'tala did so, but her brow pinched in confusion, turning back to face Kaizoku.
With a thought, Kaizoku had her helmet receding away in a fractal cascade, only her crown remaining as she locked eyes with the pale woman.
V'tala's eyes darted between Kaizoku's crown and Kaizoku's face, her expression hardening as she demanded, "Who are you? What are you?"
"I cut the broadcast." Elytra said as the face plate on her helmet slid up, taking a tentative step forward, and V'tala aimed her gun at her the moment she did.
Elytra immediately took a step back as she raised her hands, V'tala demanding, "What did you say?"
Pryseia and Elytra shared a look of confusion at that, but Rhea stepped forward, hands raised as her helmet vanished, and she asked in a language not her own, "Can you understand me?"
V'tala trained her gun on Rhea, and Malakh was in front of her wife before anyone else could move, her helmet gone and her stare intent. A tremor ran up V'tala's arm, her eyes darting between Malakh and Rhea before she said, "How do you speak my language?"
"I studied it in school," Rhea told her calmly, briefly touching a hand to Malakh's shoulder before she carefully stepped out from behind her, hands still raised, "My name is Doctor Rhea Marinos, and I think you've been in stasis for longer than you realize."
One of the Briddbragnan survivors shifted loudly where they were crouched, and V'tala levelled her gun at the unlucky former Kith, who flinched away in response.
Still in the language V'tala could understand, Rhea nodded towards the cowering crew, saying, "They're no threat, and neither are we. Please lower your weapon."
"Take me to the Coalition first." V'tala said, arm shaking as she pointed her gun at Rhea again, "To Churel, or Basty, anyone in charge."
"I don't know who those people are, but I can look them up," Rhea kept her voice calm and even, "I'll need to touch the device on the side of my head, however."
Blinking dazedly, V'tala waved her gun at Rhea, voice unsteady as she snapped, "Be quick, but any sudden movements-"
V'tala's threat remained undelivered as she stumbled, eyes unfocused as her gun slipped from her hand and clattered noisily to the ground, her legs giving out beneath her an instant later. Rhea lunged to catch the unconscious woman before she struck the ground, and that was how the others found her when they came rushing back at the noise of the firearm falling.
"What happened?!" Malakh breathed, skidding to her knees next to Rhea, eyes frantic as she took her in.
"She just passed out," Rhea told her, V'tala limp in her arms, "If she's been in stasis as long as I think she has, then I'm amazed she was able to stay conscious as long as she did."
Nevara's voice coming in over the comms startled them as she said, "The Briddbragnan is disabled, Quartermaster ships inbound. Status update?"
"Lauter's dead," Pryseia replied, her eyes never leaving V'tala, "And we've found another Storlayacas. As well as its pilot."
It didn't take long for the Kith forces to board the Hyttan vessel, and they had the remainders of the Briddbragnan's crew rounded up and hauled away in short order, the bodies of those who had fallen soon to follow.
"Just gotta make sure they don't have any proprietary Kith equipment on them, and then we'll chuck their bodies into the nearest star." Maca’innechuntojan, the commander of this Quartermaster force told Pryseia, nodding as a pair of her subordinates hauled Lauter's body away, "As for the rest, they'll either be executed or exiled, depending on if they have other outstanding crimes against us. You're the ones who tracked them down, however, so this ship and the Briddbragnan are yours to do with as you will."
"We've no interest in anything the Briddbragnan has to offer, but we'd like to take a look around at this Hyttan ship." Pryseia told her.
Nodding, Maca said, "Of course. It'll be a couple hours before we head back to the main fleet, so if you want us to take this ship in for your bounty, let us know before we depart."
"How about a bounty on two Hyttan ships?" Pryseia asked with a laugh, "We came across another in our travels already."
Maca grinned at that. "For Freebooters not yet a cycle in our ranks, your crew has certainly proven to be more Kith than this sorry lot ever was!"
"One has to make a living somehow." Pryseia replied.
Rhea returned back to the Pelekys with V'tala in tow, while Malakh and Elytra stayed behind with Pryseia to comb through the ship, Viatrix aiding them with her swarm of drones.
"The Storlayacas has been successfully dematted to our hold," Nevara announced over the comms.
"That's probably the only thing that's going to be worth bringing over," Malakh told her, peering into one of the containers that hadn't been ravaged by weapons fire, "Everything else seems to be antiques that a mild sneeze could pulverize."
"Tag anything worthwhile if you find it, then." Nevara said before she cut the comm.
Brushing away the tarp that had disintegrated when she tried to pull it aside, Pryseia scoffed, "I'm tempted to skip out on the Kith bounty and offer this up to an Usgaisjan museum instead. This appears to be a trove of equipment from their past, after all."
Malakh opened her mouth to respond, but when a shout rang out from Elytra, she and Pryseia were off an running towards the living area of the ship.
"Sorry," Elytra cringed the second they were in sight, "Didn't mean to scream that loud. I just got startled by that."
Peering around the door into the crew cabin where Elytra was pointing, Pryseia and Malakh were greeted to the sight of a dozen mummified usgaisjan arranged in a ring on the floor of the cabin, their skulls shattered, and the guns that fired the bullets that did it in the hands of the bodies lying to their left.
"They all killed each other?" Malakh breathed, aghast, "Why?"
Pryseia could only shrug, at a loss for words.
Combing through the ship revealed little else, until they arrived at the bridge, where one of Viatrix's drones was working.
"I think I've got something," she said as they entered, "Age hasn't been kind to it, but I've salvaged what looks to be the last logs."
The drone was hovering over a bank of devices that were most definitely not Hyttan make, a series of archaic computers that had been hardwired into the power grid of the ship. After a few frames of glitching video footage, a recording began to play, showing an usgaisjan woman in the cobalt uniform of some military force none of them recognized, looking exhausted and haggard.
"The last of the food's run out, and there's only enough water to last us a day or two more, so if any Coalition forces hear us, please, pull us back out! Our hold is loaded with arms and ammunition bound for Lichhaemleas, but they're no longer responding to our signal for an evac. I don't know who has the recall device for this ship, but that's the only thing that can get us out of here. The Great Machine is secure, and we're keeping the pilot in stasis. It's a dregil, so if I'm not… Make sure your commanding officer is the one to wake it up, as it's been trained to dlegh the first authority figure it sees if the previous pledge has been dissolved. We'll try to hold out for as long as we can to be rescued, but if not… we've agreed that we're not going to wait for an end. We hope to see anyone before then."
"Well, that explains that." Malakh whispered.
Within the hour, the crew of the Pelekys were back home, while the Quartermaster vessels were heading off with the Hyttan ships and the Briddbragnan in tow.
"We've got you listed as the salvage recipients for these three, so once the appraisers back at the Quanvengier have a chance to go over everything, your account will be forwarded the finders fee." Maca told them over the view screen.
"We appreciate you taking them off our hands. May your journey be uneventful." Pryseia told her.
"And I hope yours isn't," Maca grinned back, "Gotta keep your audience entertained, after all."
And with that, the Quartermaster signed off.
Elytra slumped in her seat at the gunner station, saying, "I don't know, after all that, Rhea's idea of a vacation is sounding very appealing."
"Talking about me behind my back, are you?" Rhea joked as she stepped onto the bridge, shooting Elytra a teasing smile.
"Only the most heinous of lies." Elytra grinned back.
Rising out of the other gunner's seat so Rhea could take it, Malakh asked, "So how's our guest?"
"Still out of it," Rhea sighed as she sat down, reaching for Malakh's hand, "I've got her on a mild hypnotic to keep her under, with a fluid and nutrient feed, cuz she's in a real bad state, worse than the pair of you when we got you off of Iromay."
"I recovered a log from that ship that was referring to her like an object, not a person," Viatrix said, her floral avatar popping up on the console at Rhea's gunner station, "They called her a 'dregil', but I haven't been able to dig anything up on the term just yet. The Usgaisjan archives on it are not giving their secrets up willingly."
"I just hope she's not so trigger happy when she wakes up," Malakh grumbled, her hand tightening around Rhea's, "I'm grateful she gave Lauter what they deserved, but I don't relish the idea of her delivering the same to us."
"Well the audience certainly enjoyed that turn of events," Elytra said as she brought up the information on her own console, "I'd cut the feed before she pointed her gun at us, so the audience just saw her pledge her fealty to you. And with how she came out of that stasis pod, they're calling her the Knight of the Tomb."
Rhea let out a bitter laugh at that. "They might be jumping the gun there, pun intended. Storlayacas or not, I have no idea if she's going to want to stick around long enough to become a reoccurring character. My scans on her… She's been in stasis since before her people had first contact with any of the other races out there."
"But that's more than a thousand Cycles ago?!" Nevara gasped.
There was nothing in Rhea's voice but bitterness as she replied, "Yeah."
"She hid it behind aggression, but she was terrified of us," Elytra said sadly, "And that certainly explains why."
"She's had everything taken from her - her time, her society, anyone and anything she ever knew, her health, hell, even her pigment! So if she's disinclined to remain in the here and now, well," Rhea shot them all a grim look, "I'll help her find a gentler exit than her contemporaries back on that cargo ship found."
Horror, fury, and a deep, aching melancholy struck Elytra all at once at that announcement.
"You'd assist her in killing herself?!" Nevara snapped, mandibles flared as her anger prickled like sand in a windstorm.
"If it's a route she wants to take of her own volition, I'm not going to suggest it out of the blue." Rhea replied calmly, a sadness sitting heavy in her like rain soaked leaves on a forest floor, "But imagine it for yourself - you're thrown a millennia forward in time, we're all dead, everything you know is long gone, would you want to stick around?"
Nevara let out a harsh breath, her jaw working, and Elytra could feel the denial wanting to burst out of her being held back by the threat of dread that this hypothetical spun through Nevara.
Eventually she replied stiffly, "A heavy question to be sure."
"And as a doctor, one I have to weigh." Rhea returned with a sad smile.
A sombre silence settled around them at that, eventually broken by Malakh as she said, "Well nobody's killing anybody anytime soon, especially after the week we've had. We need to take some time to get ourselves sorted before we make any plans."
"I can bring us into subspace so we can sleep without any unexpected surprises landing on our doorstep." Nevara replied, turning forward in her seat to do as she said.
Rhea stood then, going over to Nevara and squeezing her shoulder. Nevara reached up to cover her hand with her own, squeezing back, and together Rhea and Nevara left the bridge, Elytra following a moment later.
Once the Pelekys was tucked safely away in an eddy of subspace, Nevara turned and stood from her chair, shocked to see Pryseia still sitting on her throne.
"I thought you'd left already." She said, shooting her a concerned look.
Pryseia gave her a wry smile, replying, "My thoughts are too cacophonous for sleep at this juncture."
Nevara sighed at that, clapping Pryseia on the shoulder as she walked past the throne to leave the bridge.
Pryseia didn't move for quite some time, staring out at the pastel swirl of subspace beyond the view screen. But when she did move, it was to raise a hand to her chest, clutching it as if trying to pull off a weight that had unexpectedly settled there.