Chương 23: Arrival arc

Victory is as sweet as the nectar of the gods. Be careful not to get addicted to it, for like gods, victory is a fickle mistress. Found spray painted on the side of The Illuminate, a Federation dreadnought. Having super strength was… strange. It was one of those fictional powers that everyone wished for. Showy, impressive, powerful. Yet now, even though it didn't feel any different, it was. He hadn't had the perk for ten minutes, and already the world seemed fragile.

He had been extraordinarily well-balanced for a year now. Had enjoyed unnatural endurance for months and months and months. But even his speed perk didn't quite measure up to the raw, primal force that was strength. The power of the caveman, to whom all of humanity owed their lives. Stef loomed larger than life when they arrived. In her element, directing bladeslaves like soldiers. Nearly seven of them stuck close to her, Yon the only one Mat knew.

They occupied a warcamp in name and appearance both, the wide hallway ending in a bulkhead door. One that, from the look of things, couldn't simply be cut through with a moleblade. Not that a dozen people weren't still trying. More stood behind them, armed and armored.

"I heard you burned out," Noah said, appearing from behind a barricade. His tone could almost be called concerned.

"There's no shame in resting, of course. No shame at all." Mat spared the man a glance, slapping an acquaintance on the shoulder. He forgot the name, but the man was massive, and one of very few with physical techplants; a steel arm, nearly half against as thick as the other. The massive man shot forward, rounding to glare at him before recognition spread in his eyes. Mat offered a smile, knowing Noah was watching it all. Super strength, and apparently conjured from nowhere.

Another little mystery for the man's hesitation to chew over.

"Give it a rest, Noah," Stef grunted, only speaking up after the little display. She was no brute, that one, to have strength and no brains.

"The door won't open. Your AI is being unhelpful." Mat shrugged, casting Nova a stern thought.

"I wouldn't know anything about that. Let me ask."

"Alright, so," Nova began, sounding far too innocent.

"There was no plot. There wasn't, because there was no talking between all parties involved. It's just that Tobi happened to mention that either Stef or Noah killing Obedias would create… problems for us, so I kept the door shut. Sue me. I don't like that scheming bastard, and Yon's a traitor for supporting Stef over us." Yon isn't a traitor, Nova. And while it would have created problems should Noah have killed him, Stef wouldn't have simply let him kill us both.

Much more likely is that we'd be chased out, which really wouldn't be that bad.

"Speak for yourself. I fought hard for this ship, and so did you. Noah barely even got his blade wet, and need I remind you that LandTech is still looking for us? Being out on the street with neither money nor contacts would be dangerous." We would have managed, Mat hedged, unconvincing even to himself. Fuck. Fine, nevermind. What's on the other side?

"No idea. Obedias' engineers cut out everything even remotely wired to the rest of the ship when their AI seemed to be losing. It's either going to be mercenaries, explosives, or some combination of the two. Not like he has anywhere to run. Stef made very sure of that." Mat cleared his throat.

"Obedias' people have been fucking with the internals. The door should open if I interface with the panel directly." A bald faced lie. Noah clearly thought so too, though Stef merely nodded. It was, surprisingly, Yon that spoke up, his arms folded.

"You're thinking of going in there," his friend stated.

"The first through the door. That's not an honor, fool boy. It's a risk, and if you die, your AI dies with you. Unless you're going to tell me you didn't somehow manage to hide it in your own mind for all that time." Is that true?

"How do you think we're still talking?" Nova replied.

"Not like your brain has a bluetooth receiver. And no, we don't still use those. And also yes. If you die, I die too, no matter that I'm controlling most of the ship." Mat tapped the table, catching sight of what seemed to be an improvised, physical shield. Big fucking thing, too. Layers of steel and scavenged armor.

"Me and my team are going in. I'll need that, and some idea of what we're walking into."

"That's not your call," Stef responded, tone certain as stone.

"I will not have this battle turn into a pissing match between you and Noah, and I will most certainly not have specialists run headlong into danger. You qualify as a specialist, Mister Brook." Christ almighty. And now Reg was appearing alongside Bea, and god knows what those two had been talking about. At least it completed the group. But really, was this such a bad thing? He wanted revenge, sure, but so did hundreds of his brothers and sisters. It was an easy out. A convenient way to avoid danger.

And yes, Noah might try to kill him, though honestly, Mat doubted it. If not, he might be forced out. So what? With Nova's capabilities and his own power he could make a fortune anywhere. Go where LandTech couldn't ever find him. He could… he could flee. Be a prisoner again, if to fear rather than a bomb. And something just refused. Some part of him, outside logic and reason, denied it. He would not live like that. I will not let others dictate my fate. Not again.

"I'm going in," Mat finally said. He moved over to the shield, picking up the thing with one hand. Strength let him wield it easily, and securing the straps took only moments. Meant more to defend against explosives and gunfire and moleblades, it would serve all the same.

"My AI controls the ship. My medibots freed dozens and dozens here from Obedias' slavery. I started this uprising. I am going to end it. Come hell or high water, Obedias will die for what he did to me. What he did to all of us. Stand in my way, and on your own head be it." Mat lifted the shield, ramming it into the wall as hard as he could. Steel met hard plastic and tore straight through, embedding itself halfway into the wall. Another flex and it tore free, raining debris and more down at his feet. A good shield.

The mild fear that his body couldn't handle the strength evaporated, and Mat turned to Stef, the only one with enough influence and power to stop him. Yes, she had a point. Yes, from a militarily standpoint she was right, and yes, saying this was a political struggle between himself and Noah was closer to the truth than he might have liked. All the same, he was going in, and after a moment Stef seemed to realize that.

Maybe she even realized this was about more than proving that he was strong, or whatever she imagined. If she did, she was even half right. He did want to prove that he was strong, but not to his fellow bladeslaves. Mat would fight, and he would fight to prove he could stand on his own two feet. To prove that if LandTech came for him, they would have to come with more than a spook in the night. With more than a single team, or even a dozen, because he would not go quietly into their goodnight.

"There's a layer of mines on the other side," Stef finally said.

"A second wall behind them, with slits to let Obedias' people fire through. It's a killzone worthy of the name." Nova, how far are we from the sides of the ship?

"About two hundred feet?" The AI replied, confused.

"Why would— oh. Mat, no. That's a horrific idea." But will it kill us all? Nova sighed.

"No. Probably not. That doesn't mean this can't backfire in a dozen other ways, and need I remind you that you're still flesh and blood?"

"Bea, how many explosives do you have?" Mat asked. Bea's eyebrow rose, but she put a hand on the bandolier around her chest. Oh. He'd assumed those were ammo clips, for some reason. Stupid, since those didn't really appear to be a thing anymore.

"Good. Can you detonate them all at once?" Bea hummed.

"I can. The door has to open for only half a foot, and then close quickly, or we'll blow up this entire hallway alongside the enemy."

"By Toncon's light," Stef muttered. Louder, she said; "We're pulling back to staging area two. Yon, move the auxiliaries back, and make sure we don't have any soft points, just in case Obedias has a side passage we don't know about." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Noah was already gone, but Mat didn't really care. The fairly crowded hallway rapidly emptied, until it was just the five of them, though Yon offered a nod before leaving. Mat rolled his shoulder.

"If anyone wants out, now's the time."

"And miss all the excitement?" Tobi asked dryly. Jason snorted.

"Nah. You're stuck with us."

"Then check your gear and make sure you're ready. Once those grenades go off, we're moving in before they can recover." Reg walked up next to him while Bea fiddled with her bandolier, and Mat tilted his head while double checking his own armor.

"You're doing well. A little heavy handed, perhaps, but well."

"I'd rather not do anything at all," Mat muttered.

"But someone refused to take responsibility, didn't they? Heaped it all on someone else." The man smiled serenely.

"I work best with a soft hand, and out of the limelight. You, on the other hand, are quite apt at wielding your mysterious might to persuade others of your noble intentions."

"Did you just call me a bully?"

"I did," Reg confirmed.

"Don't worry, I think that, in this case, you're right to oppose Noah, and despite what anyone else might say, you are taking a significant personal risk. Risk that others now do not have to take." Before Mat could respond, Bea strode towards the door, bandolier in hand. He hurried after her, partly to help, but mostly to put his shield in front of her in case anything went wrong.

It felt kind of stupid, offering protection to the most dangerous woman he'd ever met, but high explosive didn't tend to care about skill level. Ready? Nova sent back a sense of reluctant approval, and moments later, the massive vault-like door rumbled upwards. Mat was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to rumble, but it did all the same. It was… massive. Thick beyond all reason, though he supposed with the existence of moleblades, anything less was more suggestion than security.

Bea barely waited until the door was high enough, then just kind of threw her bandolier under the door. The massive slab of steel immediately paused, going back down with a great groan of irritation. Mat watched it, one eternal second stretching into two. Not fast enough. For a single moment he imagined using his new strength to force it shut, but reason prevailed. So instead he stepped in front of Bea, raising his shield and bracing for impact.

They'd both stepped back once Bea had let go, but they needed to stay close to rush forward again. Bea seemed unconcerned, and Mat didn't care. One second he waited, then two, then— A great clap of thunder thundered through the hall, barely muffled enough to avoid rupturing his eardrums again, and the massive steel door actually bulged outwards. One section sprung free entirely, metal shafts missing them both by inches.

Through the tiny gap spewed a great gout of fire, and Mat stepped backwards even as it crashed over his shield. Forcing it against the gap was instinct more than logic, and the fire cut off. For seconds, seconds that felt like an eternity, he fought an invisible force and only barely managed to keep standing, before the massive pressure finally died down. Then it was over, and the door slowly rumbled upwards again, though it would probably get stuck.

Bea actually patted him on the shoulder, striding towards the door like nothing had happened. What in all the hells do you have to go through for this to be normal? Adrenaline pushed at his mind, but Jason, Reg and Tobi jogged up, so Mat jerked forward. Right, he was first through the door. With the shield and his strength, he could absorb fire until everyone else got into place. The door did get stuck. But Bea just flopped down, rolled, and was through in moments.

Mat stared, then scrambled after her, clearing the obstacle some five seconds after she did. Beyond was a scene of devastation. Local Omniscience told him that in great detail. The floor was gone, exposing the guts of the ship, and the secondary wall Obedias had set up had clearly been blown backwards. The mines were gone, likely detonating and adding to the explosion. He could hear some confused groaning further inwards, but nothing more.

Bea hopped over a section of destroyed floor, balancing on a support beam before finding her footing again. Mat followed, and in this at least he was superior. With one shove he sailed across, his enhanced balance aiding the landing. His moleblade flicked out, killing a woman who Bea had ignored. Behind him, the other three of their party made their way across the gap, though he could hear Tobi slip and curse. No time. Further in people were alive, and these mercenaries didn't seem like the cheap kind.

The best Obedias had left, then. Mat nodded to himself, speeding up into a run. They were almost through. The uprising was almost complete, and though god knew how many had already died, it would be worth it. He raised his shield when a pair of men opened fire, and Bea slipped behind him moments later, shadowing his frame as the others lined up behind her in turn. Mat didn't focus on that. Every pump of his legs pushed him onward, every push speeding him up beyond what he should be capable of.

Two, then four, then eight shots impacted his shield, and it felt like someone was firmly knocking on the thing. Then he was next to them, and the man who he'd been aiming for sped up to dodge. Mat joined him, wrenching his entire body sideways to still hit his mark. The man cursed, bracing one leg backwards. He honestly shouldn't have bothered. Mat impacted him and shot to a near full stop, all his momentum transferred to the merc.

A merc that snapped backwards and off his feet, his fall serenaded by a litany of shattered bones. Mat twisted, punching out towards the other guard. His shield hit a metal hand, which weathered the blow much better than flesh did. His perk ran out, and the man's prosthetic fingers inverted, gripping the shield tightly. Mat flicked his other arm, his moleblade keening to take the stranger's head. The block was perfect. Angled, stable, and away from the body.

Mat bullied through like the stranger had muscles made of straw, pushing his blade deep into the stranger's chest. The metal arm jerked him aside, but strength and balance let him counter the force, and Jason's blade sheared through the man's skull a moment later. Metallic fingers slacked, and Mat pivoted, instinct warning him of danger. His slab of a shield intercepted a hail of gunfire from deeper into the hall, only every tenth shot draining his phase shield. He grinned, advancing forwards.

If this was the best Obedias had to offer, the uprising was over. Obedias watched Mister Brook's advance and steeped his fingers, nodding once to the engineer next to him. The closed circuit cameras had been an excellent investment, he decided. Denying the usefulness of AI was foolish, but so was the overreliance that most men seemed so eager to embrace. A confirmation button sprang to life on the dataslad in front of him, and Obedias pressed it.

The hallway housing Mister Brook— and that wretched woman I should have killed months ago —vanished into a blinding flash of light, the camera damaged beyond functionality. Gort scowled, arms folded.

"You killed twelve of my people with that."

"A necessary sacrifice, and you will be compensated," Obedias replied calmly. He rewound the recorded footage, slowing it down. Ah. Mister Brook had begun moving a split-second before the explosion. If the blatantly impossible rumors of the man possessing a mental enhancement biomod were true, then there was a chance they were still alive. A small chance, but Obedias was done taking risks.

"Prepare your men." Gort's scowl turned thunderous.

"I don't have any more men, you old fool. It's just me and my team, and I don't fancy our chances against thirteen hundred pissed off bladeslaves. That bitch cut us off, you hear me? We're fucked."

"Control yourself," Obedias scolded.

"I hardly expect you to kill that many. Ensure Mister Brook's team is eliminated, then clear the passageway west. It appears to loop back to the central engines, but there is a hidden door that leads to an array of escape pods. Enough for me and all of your men." The man was silent for a moment, likely contemplating whether to extort him. He was right, but before that; "Then why the fuck aren't we already gone?!"

"Because I will not abandon my ship unless absolutely necessary, a parameter we did not pass until this moment." Gort paused, and Obedias resisted the urge to tighten his fists. He had his measure of the man, but in times of stress, people could act unpredictably. Being forced to terminate his last soldiers would be… unfortunate. Finally, Gort spoke up, his tone tight.

"Triple our contract. Now, before we fight."

"That seems reasonable," Obedias agreed mildly. He approved the pre-prepared transaction, then leaned back in his chair.

"Be on your way. If mister Brook's team is alive, I would caution you to take them seriously." Gort snorted, then turned. Obedias sighed once he was alone in his office. Not his primary office, of course. The backup's backup. The last stand. If only he'd known. If only he'd taken things more seriously. But then, if he took everything seriously, ninety nine times out of a hundred, he would be overreacting. Obedias shook his head. There was little use in lamenting the past.

Instead, he pulled up the data package he'd prepared on Mister Brook, including all of the man's oddities. A moment later it was sent to the last vestige of his AI, which would bury the package deep in the communicator relay. The moment that Mister Brook took full control over the ship, and thus connected to the outside galaxy, the package would be sent. A final fuck you, as those of more crude temperments might say.

If the man thought he could take everything Obedias had spent the better part of a decade building, and do so without repercussions, he was sorely mistaken. Obedias rose, stretching mechanically and testing each section of his enhancements. His speed biomod, though he despised such a common name. His durability techplants, ensuring an errant swipe from a moleblade did not pierce through his flesh.

Enhanced strength through adrenal and muscular fiber restructuring, enhanced flexibility, enhanced senses, and redundant primary organs. All appeared in good order. Last was his medical biomod suite, and only after that did Obedias retrieve his own moleblade. His frame had long since been adorned with armor, and so he was as ready as he could be. Pressing a simple button primed his last dozen droids, ones that he had never connected to the ship. He was ready, no matter the outcome of Gort's mission.

He would not die here. He would not be cut down by his own stock. Obedias inhaled, then exhaled. He would live, and he would rebuild. No matter what, he would endure. Afterword Patreon (No current advanced chapters for this story) Discord