Chương 22: Arrival arc

"I do not fear the cackling madman spreading his petty cruelty. I do not fear the hardened pirate slaughtering for fun and profit. It is the cold, logical, efficient man I fear, for they will kill a million souls simply because it is a point on their checklist." Such was the closing statement of Metron Mulduck, accused and arrested for the crime of killing twenty three businessmen during a closed boardroom meeting.

Two months later, the company was indicted by the Federation for improper chemical cleanup, which has so far resulted in the death of eighty nine people. Front Page news on the Weeks Scoop Medibots were amazing. Mat only properly appreciated that after wrapping himself in bandages and injecting localized anesthesia across half his body. Oh, in that short, brutal fight he'd only been hit twice, but the grenade had done more damage than he'd realized.

Bruises covered half his body, two ribs had been broken, his spine was stiff as all hell and bending down too far caused his breath to seize up, which apparently had little to do with the broken ribs. A whole host of issues that adrenaline had helpfully helped him ignore. For a little while. Now it came crashing back, and all the anesthesia in the world couldn't make him stop feeling like shit. Not that they were currently on a world, technically speaking.

Docked they might be, but this was a space station, not a celestial body. Mat decided to ignore that in favor of not having a mild existential crisis.

"How can you not be wounded?" Tobi complained. Mat looked over, and a blank-faced Bea was resolutely ignoring the man. Not that something like that had ever stopped Tobi before.

"I mean, Reg got shot, Matmat is cosplaying a punching bag, and I'm pretty sure Jason is missing an ear and refuses to acknowledge it. And look, my pinkie is gone. Gone. Yet you look like you just took a damned stroll across a nice, climate-controlled park, and then had a light lunch."

"Learn to dodge." Mat interrupted by pushing off from the wall, which at least distracted Tobi enough for him to stop needling the reaper.

"We need to move. Reg, you can walk?"

"Well enough," the man replied, just about done exchanging his chest armor. Not a great fit, but better than one with a hole in it.

"Worry not about me, my friend. You took a grenade that would very well have scattered us to the four winds." He shrugged.

"Not on purpose, trust me on that. Everyone have a working phase shield? Damaged armor exchanged for new?" Nods all around, so he moved off, Untiring feeding a slow, steady trickle of energy into his veins. Walking through the checkpoint allowed local omniscience to give him a great idea of what had happened, but he ignored the gore. There would be plenty more of it soon enough. After one hallway, his body seemed to accept that movement was inevitable, and stopped trying to get him to lie down and die instead.

Or maybe that was the very slow trickle of medibots slowly putting him back together. Either way, one hallway turned into two, which turned into three, and by the fourth they were only two more hallways away from their target. Memorizing maps, useful from the dawn of time to a literal spaceage uprising. Only at the end did Mat jerk back, activating speed on instinct. He stopped a finger-length away from tripping over another trap.

Despite what Bea had said last time, a phase shield did not make grenades pointless, and now another four had been buried at their feet.

"Jerry-rigged pressure plate," Mat murmured. He pointed with his blade.

"From there to there." He stepped over it, then watched Bea do the same. Reg followed, then Jason, before— Mat flicked his blade up, and Jason flinched back, missing the edge that he couldn't see. Seconds later the man was over as well, and Bea didn't tear out the grenades this time. The powersource was an engine. Mat wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but what else would it be? It certainly wasn't in a storage locker.

The hallway expanded into a greater chamber, one where a massive, centralized contraption was partially sunk into the floor. Walkways ran around the thing, and on the other side, Mat spied more of Obedias' soldiers. Some of which were already shouting. Shit. He turned, prepared to bark out orders. Bea threw a trio of grenades down into the engine, then turned to leave. Mat stared for a long, uncomprehending second, then scrambled after her, wondering if she'd just killed them all.

If that thing exploded, it would rip the damned ship apart. Wouldn't it? The explosion was muffled. Limited. His ears popped anyway, though that didn't stop a gleeful Nova from speaking up. Not like he needed ears to hear the AI.

"Oooh, isn't that a treat? What's wrong, little spider? Did you just lose your web? Come to daddy Nova. I won't use assembly code to rewrite your identity. Why would you ever think that?" Mat shook his head, and shapes came charging through into the hallway. Panicked, armed, angry shapes. Without plentiful medibots his already damaged hearing would be slow to return, but such was the nature of things. He charged them with great lumbering steps, because doing so was better than letting them get their bearing.

Bea, for once, was a step behind him, and Mat's blade arched high. His target, a man with three fleshy arms and only a single eye, raised his own to block. Mat's attack slashed down, and his blade rebounding like hitting a damned wall. A strength mod, but his own arms felt weak. More than merely tired. The man swiped his own blade, and Mat stepped back, finding the edge coming far closer than expected. Reality slowed, and his moleblade buried itself into the man's neck.

The woman behind the man attacked the moment his speed ran out, and Mat's defence was slammed aside. He moved back, but his legs hitched, and only his armor saved him from getting his throat cut. Tobi slammed into the woman like a battering ram, and two hands pulled Mat back. Jason released him a moment later, moving up to take his place. With a moment to breathe, Mat glanced at the scene of violence. Bea was carving through four men, at least one of which was moving at supernatural speeds.

Bea didn't seem to care, and she moved almost before the man did, her weapon just in the right place to deflect the blow. Even as he watched, the man's speed ran out, and Bea killed him and another in as many seconds. Reg was fending off a pair of thin, almost skeletal women, so thin it had to be cosmetic in nature. He wasn't winning, but then Reg never really looked like he was. Not until the end. Mat shook his head, forcefully blinking away a dizzy spell. Nova, how long until those medibots fix me up again?

"Couple of hours," the AI said cheerily.

"Bit busy at the moment. You'll be happy to know dozens and dozens of people are dying in this brutal struggle for control over the ship." Mat blinked. Why would I be happy to know that?

"Not sure. Ah, I gotta go stamp down another denial of service proxy attack. I'll have the ship under control soon, not to worry." He shook his head, wondering what in all the Hells was going on across the rest of the ship.

"Send another wave," Stef commanded. The woman, Cintra, nodded rapidly, taking her group to attack. Awe-struck, like a lot of others. Stef would hate that if it wasn't so very useful.

"Yon, what news from the AI?" Yon grunted, annoyed, and tapped the dataslad.

"Obedias' forces are pulling back." Stef nodded, stepping forth. Her own unit, a proper group made up from former active service members, flowed around her, snapping back into old habits. It wasn't like Obedias kidnapped and enslaved soldiers more than any other kind of person, of course. People with military, or even mercenary, background simply tended to live a lot longer, slowly growing the percentage that they occupied. It would be Obedias' downfall. Love what you're reading?

Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. He had dared to put a chain around her neck. Had dared to take from her that which she had earned over years of struggle and strife. The debt would be repaid a hundredfold. Her command center had been close to the front, so she reached the fighting quickly. Armed but poorly kitted bladeslaves fought not fifty feet away, and already she could see two dozen dead on the floor. Including the woman she'd just sent to fight; Cintra. More blood.

More death. Stef hardened her soul, her voice rolling over the crowd.

"This is it, people. This is the moment. Fight for vengeance. Fight for family, fight for hatred, but fight. Fight until all you can see is their bodies on the floor, and their screams choke the very air itself!" She surged forward, moleblade in one hand and a pistol in the other. Her phase shield took fire not moments later, but that was alright. People who thought those were for protection were fools. Phase shields existed to buy time, and for that they served perfectly fine.

Her unit moved with her, and her charge picked up a tide of motion. The mercs, already reeling, broke completely. Stef scoffed, shooting one in the back when his shield ran out of power.

"They lack discipline."

"They're hardly soldiers," Yon muttered, his blade cutting a man open from neck to navel.

"And I expect a hardened group to cover their retreat." Stef grunted, pushing further. One of her people went down when they crossed the corner, then one more when the man broke formation. Stef didn't let that slow her, and Yon's words were proven right a moment later. A woman moved with supernatural speed, and Stef jerked back from the blade that very nearly opened her throat. With speed mods it was about moving before they did, always. If you didn't, you died. Stef did not plan to die here. Not for this.

Her instincts as a bladeslave told her to push. To keep that well-kitted mercenary on her toes. Instead she pulled back, and five of her people tore through her phase shield in moments. The mercenary turned to flee, so Stef put a stream of energy through her skull.

"Advance," she barked, vaulting over a short barricade. Her moleblade cut down an already wounded man, and her people followed, smelling blood. The fighting became harder from there, the enemy actually using proper cover and possessing some manner of discipline, but it wouldn't matter. She had momentum now, and that couldn't die." Advance!" Her unit went forward, howls of rage and fear echoing from their throats, and Stef barked out a laugh when their hallway ended in a droid ambush.

Which, not moments later, tore itself apart, two of the droids turning against the other four. The boy must have spent a fortune on his AI, for its influence to be so well-hidden. Stef took the failed ambush to direct another surge of bladeslave onwards, and she stepped over the corpses of mercenaries and revolutionaries both. Onwards.

Forever onwards, until all those who would deny her victory were dead. Mat focused on breathing, patting the massive wardroid when it offered him a drink. Nova hummed.

"I like this having a body thing. Very useful." Isn't it just. How long?

"Another half hour or so?" The AI shrugged, thankfully not translating that gesture through the droids. The fewer people that knew about Nova the better.

"Really, two hours to go from a twitching wreck to mostly whole is great. Not like there's much to do, not with Obedias holed up in his last little fortress." Wasn't that the truth. Stef had the whole place surrounded, and Noah had nearly two hundred more securing all entrances to the ship. Hell, the only part of said ship that Nova didn't control was Obedias', since the man had literally gutted the entire area shortly after the backup generator exploded.

Mat glanced at Tobi when the man moved towards them, though the staging area was rather crowded. Not that Jason let anyone crowd too close. The man seemed to take his self-appointed task as his guard very seriously. Considering how he was, and had been feeling, Mat didn't mind the extra protection.

"Stef is eager to push forward," Tobi reported, moving to sit in a nearby chair. The man accepted a bottle of water from Nova's droid, one of several in the area. All those that remained.

"Thank you, Mat's secret AI he somehow hid from Obedias for a straight year. Reg is preaching patience, but Noah is coming around. They want this over and done with." Mat grunted in annoyance.

"If we push now, dozens more will die. Hundreds. My AI will decrypt the outer doors soon enough, and then we can bring in station officials to arrest the man. No more dead bladeslaves needed."

"It isn't that simple," Tobi replied.

"You know that. They want blood, and frankly, so do I. Obedias needs to die, and whoever kills him will enjoy a boost of influence. It has to be you. Or Reg, ideally, but realistically it has to be you. If Noah wins, we're fucked. If Stef wins, she won't stop Noah from taking revenge. Until you've proven yourself untouchable, that one will needle and plot and scheme until he's wrung all usefulness from you. I know his type."

"I fucking hate politics." Tobi snorted.

"Doesn't matter what you like. Get up and get moving. If you demand to be first through the door, Stef can't argue against it. Not when you started this whole thing." Mat groaned, rising to his feet. At least Untiring ensured he wasn't as exhausted as most of the others. Nova, those perks ready yet?

"Pretty much," the AI hedged.

"You've been killing a lot of people, so I didn't get as much downtime with these. Just saying." Echo. Ever wanted a clone to do unspeakable things with? No? Good, because this perk doesn't do that. Instead, each melee attack you make will carry an echo, a copy of lesser strength and power. Careful not to get hit by it. Muscular overhaul. The human body is created from such a wasteful, unintelligent template. Don't worry, I'll fix that. Only your muscles, though. Don't get greedy. Have I made that joke before?

Don't answer that. This perk makes you stronger. Boring, perhaps, but useful, especially once you start fighting people who get to spend more than chunky cheese tokens on their kit. Fireball. Not an actual fireball. Control fire! Why? How? Stop asking questions and pretend to be a dragon! This perk gives limited control over fire. I'm sure no one will find that strange. Yeah. It'll be fine. Barrier. I like phase shields. Do you like phase shields? They're such a useful, life saving invention.

This is that, but single use. Get shot, the barrier will stop the damage, but only the one attack. After that, like most men, it needs a moment to reload. Don't look at me like that. Really? Fine, no more dick jokes. You're allergic to fun. Win Friends and Influence People. Mind control! I kind of ran out of time to make up something fun for this one, but that's fine, because you're not going to pick it anyways. Also, it's not actual mind control. Unless you count warping their perception of you as mind control?

You do? Oh. Well, then it is mind control. Great, more really fucking iffy perks. At least Nova seemed to realize that on his own. Mat looked up, finding an impatient Tobi waiting on him. Right, better make this quick. Echo would be good but probably raise a thousand questions, and the same went for fireball. Barrier would be good too, really good, but people didn't tend to wait patiently in line to shoot him, and phase shields did already exist.

He wasn't even going to contemplate the last one, and so that left super strength. Or Muscular Overhaul, as Nova called it. He doubted Obedias wouldn't have something like it himself, so even if the perk did nothing but equalize them, it would be worth it. Muscular Overhaul it is. Nova said. This won't hurt, technically, but maybe face the wall. Unless you're way better at keeping a straight face than I expect, of course. Mat faced the wall, which probably looked suspicious as all hell.

That concern faded a second later as a maddening itch grew from the top of his spine and outwards. Mat grimaced, hands tightening into fists. Scratching would do nothing. Logic was all well and good, but what was logic against the sensation of a million ants crawling under his skin? What was reason against the overwhelming, maddening need to get them out? To tear open his skin and wrench aside the muscle, all so that their tiny legs could be free and clear?

Mat closed his eyes, hoping against hope that this wouldn't last more than a minute. Any more than that, and he wasn't sure if he could stay quiet. Tobi watched Mat turn towards the wall, shooting Jason a questioning glance. The man shrugged, stepped lightly to the left. Tobi narrowed his eyes, then did the same to the right. Together, they mostly covered the man. Who, after a few seconds, tensed like he'd been set on fire.

Tobi really would like to demand what was going on, but it clearly had something to do with his strangeness, and this wasn't a private room. Best not to draw any attention. Mat has always been off. Even from that first day, though that was easier to see in hindsight. Tobi grimaced at the memory of Pabol. He was going to miss that prick. He imagined a lot of people were going to miss their friends once this was over.

It took nearly a full minute before Mat relaxed, and Tobi almost wasn't surprised when the man lightly pushed off from the wall and nearly threw himself across the room. Because yeah, he was sure there was a reasonable explanation for randomly gaining super strength. Nevermind the required doctors, recovery time, integration period and massive waiting list for high-end biomods. Just grimace at the wall for a while. That'll do it. Jason had caught the man, of course.

And any moment now, that reasonable explanation was going to present itself. Any moment now. Aaaany moment now. Aaaaaany—"Right, I'm ready," Mat said. Tobi was almost impressed by how bluntly the man bulled past the awkwardness. He clapped his hands a few times, seeming getting used to his new strength.

"Let's, uuuhm, let's just skip the questions until we're not in the middle of a battle." Tobi considered that, then nodded.

"Fair enough, but I will have answers, Matmat. Shit like that aint normal."

"You might not like them," his friend replied, "but you're right. It's not." Jason seemed satisfied with that, so Tobi turned to leave the cramped, somewhat disorganized former meeting room. It was time to end this. One way or the other, he would be free. Afterword Patreon (No current advanced chapters for this story) Discord