104: Benighted and Bedevilled – Five
Unlike the Pelekys, the Salsica was a brightly coloured ship, the reds and golds of its hull a sharp contrast to the Pelekys' matte black. Where the Pelekys was all sloping curves, the Salsica was sharply geometric, and if it weren't for the fact that it was an actual, physical ship, the Salsica gave the impression that it was instead a low-polygon render of one. In orbit docked together in the shadow of a moon, the difference between the two ships was almost comical.
The interior of the Salsica was just as different from the Pelekys as its exterior was. The inner structure was as harshly geometric as the rest of it, but that had been covered up with seemingly anything and everything the crew had been able to get their hands on - mismatched rugs littered the floor, curtains and tapestries softened the walls, while the ceilings had been tiled with images in ornate frames. Some were replicas of famous works of art from across the galaxy, others looked like they'd been hand drawn by someone with more enthusiasm than skill, while more than a few were just photos of the crew of the Salsica in various configurations getting up to assorted shenanigans. Anywhere that the actual panelling of the ship would have been able to peek through had been covered over by some sort of decoration or house plant, making the whole ship visually chaotic to almost the point of overstimulation. Yet the place felt as homey as it felt kitschy.
In a space that looked more like a fortune teller's emporium than it did a control room, Naginata and Katar were joined by Kaizoku and the Knight around a table that was projecting a holographic display of the system they were currently in. Three rocky bodies and two gas giants, their two ships were hidden behind one of the three moons of the central planet.
"The world of Kay-2 has a sizeable enough population to make it the TNF Horreum's next stop," Naginata said as she brought up the image of the prisoner ship that had taken her crew, "So we'll have to intercept them before they make landfall if we want to go through with your plan. From our projections, they should be dropping out of subspace somewhere here."
The hologram zoomed in, showing a patch of space far enough away from Kay-2 itself to avoid accidentally falling out of subspace into oncoming traffic.
An avatar of a geometric sun rose within the display, and the Salsica's AI said in an artificially chipper voice, "Estimation of TNF Horreum arrival time is… TWENTY ONE MINUTES, FORTY THREE SECONDS… Would you like to set a reminder?"
"No, that will be all, Morning Star," Naginata said, turning to Kaizoku, "I take it that's enough time for your crew to get in position?"
"More than enough," Kaizoku told her with a nod, "We will prepare and await your signal."
With a word of farewell, Kaizoku and the Knight made their way through the kaleidoscopic halls of the Salsica and back to the austere interior of the Pelekys.
The pair walked in silence for some time before the Knight asked, "I thought you didn't do acts of charity?"
"I don't, and this isn't," was Kaizoku's reply, "These Thalatte are a whetstone on which we will sharpen the blade of our skills. Aiding an ally of Sharp's will keep us in good standing with both her and Naginata, and I've a feeling that alliances would be to our benefit with the encroaching darkness coming for us all. Everything we're doing here is a sound, tactical choice."
"So it is." The Knight said, her expression once again unreadable as she let the subject drop.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the TNF Horreum arrived in the system, on a direct course for Kay-2. But it was brought up short when a ship emerged from stealth in its path.
With each facet of it flickering into view, one by one, the Salsica dropped stealth in front of the Horreum as Captain Naginata demanded, "Thalatte vessel - you've taken members of our crew. Return them at once, and you can be on your way."
"I don't know who you think you are, but the Thalatte don't make deals with those that are beneath them," was the sneering response she received, "Now lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. You can reunite with your crew in service to the Stratocracy."
"Don't say we didn't warn you…" Naginata said, sounding downright gleeful as six massive mechs dematted out of the living shadow that was the Pelekys. The shape of them all was clearly of Hyttan origin, but unlike the muted shades of pale grey, all of the Storlayacas units were strikingly different colours.
Enaruli was the most similar to its original colouration, but where there had been variations in shades before, there was only stark white now. Against the black of the void, it almost seemed to glow. Its eyes shone with a bright, pure white light.
Malra had kept the grey of its frame, but it was darker now, richer. Overtop of this was layered armoured plates in a gorgeous turquoise colour, a matte finish to its surface. Its eyes now gleamed with a cobalt glow.
Yarula's armour plating was deep golden brown now, so glossy that it shone gold along every curve of it that caught the light, the frame of it a burnished gold to match, its eyes a yellow like the sun of the human homeworld.
Castore meanwhile was in shades of red, the frame of it a dark brick, while the armour of it was a brighter vermilion colour, all of it with a more metallic gloss. Its eyes were a fiery orange, burning in the darkness before the Thalatte ship.
Lianshae, in contrast, was in cooler tones of lavender armour over a softer, cherry blossom pink frame, both of them with something just a little too shiny a finish to be truly matte. The eyes of it were a vivid magenta, standing out against the rest of it.
Zaanlaa was now had rich, deep blue armour, while the frame beneath it was a brighter gold colour, all of which shone in the darkness of space. It's eyes were a golden glow to match it, and they seemed to stare down the TNF Horreum as the six mechs hovered before it.
"Apprehend that ship." Kaizoku ordered, and the Storlayacas units jumped to her bidding.
Circling around to the back of it, Zaanlaa and Malra grabbed the ship on either side of its superstructure, their own thrusters flaring as they countered the Horreum's engines as they tried to maneuver. Castore and Yarula slammed into it from the front, ducking under the reach of the Thalatte ship's weapons, their own thrusters helping to hold it still. Enaruli and Lianshae grappled it next, amidship, and between the six of them, the Horreum had nowhere to go.
"Program!" Kaizoku called out, "Get that prison block out of there!"
"I'm trying, but they've hardened their security measures." Was its response.
"We don't have the luxury of waiting, I'll clear you a path manually!" The Hand shouted, and a moment later the cockpit of Castore swung wide, and the thrusters in the Hand's spacesuit had her hurtling towards a hatch on the exterior of the Horreum's hull.
Shockingly, Castore held its place, keeping the Thalatte ship pinned.
A second later, the Knight called out, "I have her back." before she emerged from Enaruli, who also maintained its position in holding the ship.
It was the work of a moment for the Hand to get the hatch she sought open, the Knight catching up to her in time for the both of them to dive in through the now open hole. They passed through the environmental forcefield and descended into weapons fire, their shields sparking as they deflected the shots before they dove into cover, alarm lights and sirens blaring throughout the interior of the Horreum.
"Down this way and around the corner," the Hand said with a jerk of her head, "Keep them off me?"
The Knight nodded before she stood, four thunderous roars sounding from her gun in rapid succession as she scored direct hits into the skulls of four Thalatte officers, the rest diving for cover as their peer's viscera splattered against the walls of the hall. The Hand and the Knight were up and running well before any of the Thalatte could regroup to pursue them, the Hand skidding to her knees before a panel along the wall.
Wrenching it free with one violent tug, the Hand's left gauntlet then seemed to liquify, and she thrust her arm into the exposed circuitry, where the liquid mass spread out in a network, tapping in to different ports.
"Hard link established," she called out a moment later, "Get in here and do your thing."
"Confirmed." Replied the Program, and a few seconds later, the circuitry the Hand was tapping into turned a deep, lurid red.
"Captain Naginata, I have access," the Program announced, "Prepare to receive the prison block."
"Ready when you are!" Was Naginata's reply, and a moment later the cacophony in the Horreum was added to when a sharp, shrill blast tore out of the speakers, followed by a clunking sound that rattled the entire ship as clamps disengaged.
"Prison block away!" Naginata announced, "We've dematted it aboard the Salsica."
"Time for us to leave, then." The Hand announced, pulling her arm away from the circuitry as her gauntlet reformed, a door sliding open to their right. The Knight had her gun trained on it before it could fully open, but all that awaited her outside was the empty hole where the prison block used to be, another environmental forcefield keeping the atmosphere in the ship from venting out into space.
Weapons fire raked across the Knight's shields as the Thalatte officers had finally managed to organize themselves into a counterattack, but they never got the chance to do any damage as the Hand shoved the Knight in the small of her back, rushing the pair of them out through the environmental forcefield and back out into space. They were back in their Storlayacas units in seconds, the Salsica pulling away now that it had what it had come here for.
"How do you want to deal with the Horreum?" Grim asked as its guns tried to get a bead on Malra.
Kaizoku let out a single, vicious, humourless laugh before she said, "This filth isn't worth the money we could get by taking it as a prize. Destroy it."
None of the others hesitated.
Drawing their energy sabres, Zaanlaa and Malra tore them through the engines of the Horreum, crippling it before they flew out of range, while Yarula and Castore did the same for its guns and followed after them, Lianshae and Enaruli taking care of the shields generators before they left. With the six Storlayacas units encircling it, the Pelekys swinging above them like the spectre of death, the Thalatte vessel could do nothing as the mechs drew their guns, and alongside the Pelekys, they opened fire.
The TNF Horreum did not last long under that onslaught, the blinding red explosion of it filling the void like so much blood.
"We really can't thank you enough," Naginata said over the main view screen, though it was somewhat difficult to hear her over the sounds of her reunited crew howling with delight in the background, Katar leaping up to hug Officer Cestus, the burly human already piled with the rest of the crew, "There were a hell of a lot of people in that prison block, but we'll be sure to get them back to where they belong. I'm just sorry we don't have anything else to pay you back with in thanks, what with you blowing up that ship and all."
"Payment is unnecessary for ridding the galaxy of the violation that is the Thalatte's conscripting practices." Kaizoku said, her hate readily apparent.
Naginata's expression made it clear that she couldn't argue with that. "In that case, if you're in the job market for dealing with Thalatte slavers, I'd recommend reaching out to the Gorgon. They've been tackling that little problem for decades."
From where she was leaning against Kaizoku's throne, Bathory made a noise of recognition. "The name’s from a myth back on Terra, from the country where I was born. That’s an unexpected slice of home."
"There's a lot of us out here, so you shouldn't be that shocked," Naginata said with a shrug, "Safe travels, Pelekys. We owe you one, so if you ever need help, just give us a call."
The feed cut off as Cestus rushed in and scooped Naginata up to join the rest of the crew of the Salsica in a group hug, their laughter ringing through the bridge of the Pelekys as the line went dead.
"They're certainly a lively lot." Grim said as she turned the pilot's seat to face Kaizoku, "Shall we take up their offer and see about the Gorgon?"
"We may as well," Kaizoku said as she settled back in her throne, "We've funds enough to last us a while, especially since we won't need to have a dedicated expenditure for fuel anymore, but those funds do need replenishing."
Letting out a mirthless laugh, the Hand said, "I can't even be mad at you for scuttling that slaver ship. I wanted to do the same myself."
Kaizoku let out a low laugh at that, before she turned to Augury and asked, "Does your sight tell you anything about the Gorgon?"
"It does not, which only means they aren't vital for our final confrontation." The seer told her.
Shoving herself up from where she'd been leaning against the side of Kaizoku's throne, Bathory said, "I can have a look into them the old fashioned way. I'll let you know if I find anything particularly juicy."
With a parting wave thrown carelessly over her shoulder, Bathory left the bridge.
And the Knight followed soon after.
Bathory's office was as elegant and refined as she was. Filled with mostly antique, wooden furniture, lit by golden lamps, the room had a surprisingly warm feel to it.
Sat behind an ornate desk, her cape set aside, Bathory typed away at the console built into the tabletop, frowning thoughtfully at what she was seeing. Just as she reached for the wine glass that was set beside her, the chime to her door sounded, the electronic sound harshly at odds with the aesthetic of the room.
Pausing long enough to pick up her wine and lean back in her ornate leather chair, Bathory said, "Enter."
The door slid open to reveal the Knight, who wasted no time by grabbing a nearby chair and dragging it loudly in front of Bathory's desk, then sitting down in it and staring at her expectantly.
Chuckling softly into her drink, Bathory said, "That's one thing I appreciate about you: straight to the point."
"And you're a woman who knows how to talk circles around an issue, so I'll be blunt. Why did you join up with Kaizoku. The truth." The Knight said, drawing her gun and placing it pointedly on Bathory's desk, aimed at the Chancellor herself.
Bathory threw back her head to bark out a proper laugh at that, before she downed her wine.
"Oh you would have done numbers back in my old line of work," she said as she set her empty glass down, "Mind you, those numbers would have all ended up in the morgue, but still. I could have used someone like you back in the day."
The Knight just stared at her expectantly.
"To make a long story short, my family worked in the Human diplomatic corp, and that diplomatic immunity came in handy for their smuggling side hustle. It also got them all killed when those looking to smuggle more than art and artifacts didn't take kindly to my family's stern 'no'. But I've dealt with all that, so it won't be an issue going forward," Bathory told her darkly, "But, all that artifact trade put me in contact with an odd little piece. No one knew what it was, only that it may have been a Hyttan objet d'art, because it didn't do anything. For anyone but me, that is. It was one of the few things I kept when I had to flee my old life. I'd show it to you, but wouldn't you know it? The thing fit perfectly within a hole in Yarula's console. I'd have to take power tools to it to get it out now."
"Your family just so happened to find a piece of a Storlayacas?" The Knight questioned.
Shrugging, Bathory said, "Or it found its way to me. The Storlayacas seem to have their ways. You of all people should know that."
The Knight nodded to concede that point.
Staring off as she got lost in a memory, Bathory continued, "That chunk of Yarula? It sang to me. Some echo of the compulsion that would fully grip me when I finally got into its cockpit. Due to my career, I couldn't do anything about it, but when my forced career change happened, solving that mystery was the only anchor I had after my revenge. I followed that song to Kaizoku, which led me to Yarula, and that led me to to you an all your revelations. So to answer your unasked question, I'm fully committed to this cause, no ifs, ands, or buts. And that's my truth."
The two of them locked eyes after that, regarding each other in silence, two indomitable wills confronting one another.
Surprisingly, it was the Knight who cracked first, giving the barest hint of a smile as she said, "I see."
And with nothing more than that, she stood and left the room.
Bathory watched her go with a sardonic smile on her own face, and as the door slid shut after the Knight, she said into the silence of her own room, "Thanks for putting the chair back where you found it."
Seated at the low table within her room, dressed down in her casual clothes, the Knight looked up as her door chime sounded. She let it hang for several seconds before she said, "Open."
Dressed in her own casual attire, Kaizoku didn't bother to wait for the Knight's go-ahead, she just sat herself down at the table across from her, folded her hands upon its surface as she said, "I received your summons. The impression was that it was urgent."
"It is," the Knight confirmed, "I've completed my tests."
Letting out a single laugh, Kaizoku said, "I'm glad only one of them resulted in injury, in that case. So, what is your verdict?"
The Knight took a breath as she gathered her thoughts, looking off into the distance before she said, "As Augury said, the androids the Hyttan made are as fragile as any organic. In the ones I knew, there had been a sense of… disposability that they carried. I needed to see that Augury would fight to defend herself, that she would realize how integral her continued existence is to the success of our mission. If she wouldn't stand up to me, then how could she be expected to stand up to a true threat? She passed that test."
"That was the only test I saw you administering, so I'm curious to hear your other findings." Kaizoku admitted.
"Grim was next. Her motivations eluded me," the Knight told her, "She's made no secret of how she was ousted from her position in the Apiarius navy, how she left rather than let her talents go to waste. A free agent, how could I trust her to fight alongside me when I don't know who or what she's loyal to? In our encounter with the Thalatte agent, she came up with a plan to subdue and interrogate them without hesitation, looping me into it without thought. Trust. But it ended up being misplaced. My time in stasis… it was harder on me than I'd like to admit. I'm not as strong as I should be. The Thalatte agent broke free, but Grim killed them before they could do the same to us. Self preservation or not, she showed that she's someone I can rely on when the situation is dire."
Making a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat, the Knight continued on, "The Program was an unexpected trial. They didn't have anything like it in my day, so I wasn't sure if it was on our side, even with its Hyttan programming. I went to confront it while we were on our way to the meeting point with the Salsica, only to find it in the middle of dealing with a computer virus that had found its way into our systems."
Frowning at that, Kaizoku said, "It failed to mention that."
"Because it dealt with it." The Knight continued, "It didn't want to interfere with anyone's rest before the mission. If I hadn't shown up to try and test its character, I wouldn't have known either. It said it was a problem not worth the hassle, and that proved to be the case. It proved that it cares about the well being of those aboard this ship, about those bound to its mission."
Folding her own hands upon the table to mirror Kaizoku's position, the Knight went on, "Then there was the rescue aboard the Horreum. I followed after the Hand to see how she would behave beyond the commands of her Queen. I needed to see if she was more than the tool her title makes her out to be."
"And what did you find?" Kaizoku asked.
"Someone cunning and decisive, reckless but no needlessly so. Rather than wait for a command, she was ordering me around, and it's only thanks to her quick thinking that we got those prisoners out of there as quickly and undamaged as we did. So she's not a mindless tool."
Making a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat, Kaizoku said, "It's only been a few hours since we launched that rescue mission, so I haven't the faintest when you tested Bathory."
"Just before I showered, changed, and called you here." The Knight told her.
"I'm amazed you managed to complete it so swiftly then." Kaizoku admitted.
The Knight exhaled a laugh as she said, "Given that time was of the essence, I cut to the chase and asked her why she joined up with you."
That got a louder laugh out of Kaizoku as she asked, "And you didn't fear any subterfuge?"
"I may have threatened her not to do that."
"I'm sure that went over well."
"She took it in stride," was all the Knight said on that matter, "But she did tell me why, regardless. She'd acquired a piece of Yarula long before the two of your crossed paths, enough to give her a weaker version of the compulsion that urged you all to find the pieces of Storlayacas, and that's what led her to you. And she's as dedicated to the mission as the rest of the crew is. And so all that remains is your assessment."
Throwing her hands wide, Kaizoku said, "Here I sit before you. I am at your disposal."
Scoffing, the Knight said, "I'm afraid I've already completed my assessment. I brought you here to give you my review."
Kaizoku said nothing, but motioned for her to deliver it.
"When I provoked Augury, I didn't intend on stopping her. I wanted to see how far her anger would take her, and if she could reign it in before she did any real damage to me. But you stopped that from happening, and even though I'd been the one to start it all, you still took the time to make sure I was alright. That's… not something my former commanding officers would have done."
Making a disgruntled noise, Kaizoku said, "Then they were poor commanding officers."
"I'm coming to realize that," the Knight admitted, "Then, despite the fact that you'd seen me pick a fight with Augury, you sent me off with Grim. I thought you foolish for that, but then I realized that it was as much you testing me as I planned on testing the others."
"It was no test," Kaizoku clarified with a frown, "I knew you wouldn't endanger the mission in the pursuit of your own goals."
Scoffing, the Knight told her, "I fully intended on doing something disruptive, just to see how Grim would react. Events conspired to prevent that from happening. You showed that you had more faith in me than I did in myself."
Kaizoku didn't have anything to say to that. She just crossed her arms and leaned back, her gaze intent on the Knight.
"I'd reviewed the mission logs from your missions to retrieve the Storlayacas units before you found me. You'd only agree to do something if it would directly benefit you. But something changed, didn't it?" The Knight questioned, "You went into this one fully intent on blowing that slaver ship to atoms, didn't you?"
Drawing in a breath, Kaizoku said, "Something did happen, yes. I fled my home in Zaanlaa fully intent on returning - I planned to take back my family's seat of power. But that no longer exists, and it was pointed out to me that I would have been wasted sat on that throne. Compounded with the true purpose of Storlayacas, I realized my old ways will not serve me going forward. I cannot afford to be the distant monarch that my forebearers were. And I will not stand to allow a slaver to live."
"And that's what I was hoping to see." The Knight said as she stared at Kaizoku, almost as if she were trying to see into the soul of her, "For the sake of this mission, you made yourself a better person. And you're making the rest of us better people right alongside you. I can see the way you chafe at injustice, and there's no greater injustice than the extinction awaiting at the hands of the Omega. You will fight to prevent that, but you won't fight alone. You trust that we will be there at your side, and though I can't speak for the others, I can for myself. So know this, Queen Kaizoku - whatever the end may be, I will be there at your side to face it."
"Good," Kaizoku said, quiet and intense, "Given everything we've learned of it, I do not relish the thought of facing it alone."