TIME:
20 MINUTES LATER
LOCATION:
CIC OF THE VOID SHIP 'O.R.V. IGNOBLE SWIFT'
POV:
Liza Velsent
I sit rather I am forced to sit bound to a chair as my kidnapper and the captain of this ship stares in disbelief at the screen. I was a nobody who they thought was someone else who was actually a somebody. When I realized they would eventually realize that my gaze could only sink down back to the ground in despair. My kidnappers called me Allina, they were wrong. I wasn't my best friend, but if they knew that they would just kill me as a result. So I kept my mouth shut; only responding to the name out of a desperate—probably vain—attempt to survive this.
"How, how did they break our shields so quickly? They didn't even use kinetic weapons! What sort of stupid laser could possibly do that! That thing is the size of a destroyer, not a battleship!!"
I shrink into my chair as I feel the gaze of my captor snap towards me. I hear him rapidly click keys into the console and I look up to see the words "Communication connecting. please wait a moment... Communication connected with Void ship R.E.V. Astro Dawn."
Suddenly I am greeted by the view of a bedroom, everything was colored red and black and gave simple function over form aesthetic. But I could also see a simple bed built into the wall, on top of the antithetically luxurious bedsheets were a dozen cutesy and adorable plush animals. One looked sort of like a bat and another like some lizard with an adorable oversized head.
But what immediately drew my attention was a woman checking something in her closet with her back turned. She had hair the color of snow, and a build that looked completely opposite of what I expected someone who must be the void ship's captain to be. She looked delicate. What I could see of her arms weren't covered in scars and looked like they hadn't even seen the sun in years. What skin she showed was pale like she was sick, but her movements showed no sign of being tired; they almost looked excited.
"You wanted something?" The woman asks apathetically without turning her back, or for that matter even turning her head.
My captor seemed nervous though eventually he started talking slowly gaining confidence as he went, "What would it take to make you leave, I know someone who'd be willing to pay you a lot if you just let us complete our mission. He might even hire you, you're clearly very skilled. How about this we'll give you one million units and you leave happy; I'll even recommend you, how about it!"
The woman stopped fiddling with something in the closet. I hear her humming quietly while tapping a finger against her hip. I start imagining that she will take it and leave me to whatever awful fate awaits. My blood turns to ice when she speaks with an answer I don't want to hear.
"I'll allow it on a different condition it's a rather small, but vital one in my opinion."
She begins to fiddle with whatever she was messing with, uttering some words I can’t decipher. Though it quickly comes to the end with something opening to surround her. She takes a step forward into what I think can only be power armor. Though I can't believe how small it was I couldn't even see it from how she was standing.
Captor seems to lose his earlier confidence, speaking like every second costs him money, "Okay I–I'll see what can be done, what do you want!"
The armor smoothly turns around revealing a frame that looks like an overly geometric mannequin; though it smoothes over with a single pulse, shifts to fit tightly to her body. "Good! I would hate to have to use this. But then again..." The armor raises an arm and starts tapping its finger on its chin making an annoying tinking sound. "–Actually nevermind negotiations are cancelled. I just realized, I could get what I want by attacking!"
"But wait, we have a hostage! If you board I might kill her, she's really important! She's a system governor's daughter!"
The man yelled his final pleas, I felt my heart begin to race as my life was threatened. The woman stopped her tapping and just sighed almost like she was sad.
"Truly is a shame, but I'm not very worried about 4 liters, that would only last me a few days, maybe two weeks if I ration. Anyways see you soon, and keep that hostage alive, or I'll use you instead for an experiment. Now I'm on a tight schedule bye bye!" She waves her hand like she's telling a close friend farewell, but the malice in her actions were as clear as day.
"Connection lost."
"What the hell did she mean by 3.5 liters? Oh shit if she's wearing power armor that means!" He rapidly starts inputting codes and lights start flashing red and an emotionless voice repeats warning about boarding actions.
I close my eyes, after a few minutes of practiced breathing to steady my heart, I open them again. I see multiple different cameras recording empty halls, almost everyone was congregated in major hallway intersections. Everyone looked nervous, some were still checking their weapons trying to distract themselves. The attack could come from anywhere, or she could just blow up the ship killing us all.
Suddenly a camera expanded; it showed an airlock opening and four shapes gliding onboard as a squad, only slowing down when gravity returned them to their feet. The airlock's lights turned on a second later, detecting the motion and the door closed behind them.
The squad had in it the woman, and three bipedal robots that looked like bulky, well armored versions of the power armor and stood a fraction taller. They all carried firearms that I could immediately tell were not weakened for boarding. The captain immediately tried to lock the airlock down but kept getting errors, but the ship's crew were already running in its direction. The airlock finished its cycle and they casually walked into the ship. All of them carrying strange oversized bags, despite it looking ridiculous on the girl in power armor.
Suddenly the captain realizes something and grabs an intercom microphone, "The ships systems have been compromised, I need time to reset them, radio silence is mandatory! Don't you dare talk by radio or you're going to be airlocked after this you worthless pigs!" Then he input a code and I felt nothing happen, but the screen turned off.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm my heart. But fear and panic returned between practiced breaths. I felt my eyes grow watery, I could only hope she succeeds. She was my only hope as much as I didn't want to trust her.
TIME:
3 MINUTES LATER
LOCATION:
O.R.V IGNOBLE SWIFT
POV:
Lilith Runethari
I fired a pulse from my Aeth hybrid rifle into the last defender enjoying his scream as the bullets crippling his arm but kept him alive. I start jogging over to the rest of his screaming friends. A single automaton followed behind while the other two rushed to secure engineering.
'I really should have thought about making nonlethal weapons. I'm losing so much blood with this mistake.'
I quickly reach into my bag and pull out multiple different extractors stabbing them into throats; replacing bags as they are filled. Eventually after the last corpse stopped twitching I was left with half of what I expected.
I put the filled bags in my guard automata's bag and continued forwards. 20 minutes and 26 people later I arrived in front of the CIC, which was locked down.
"Um Mother, how are we supposed to enter?" I mumbled into space, dazed as I stared at the door. I never once thought of what I would do to try and break into the single most secure room on a vessel.
"Don't worry Lilith, it's still possible you just need to be a little creative. Say, how are these doors usually secured?" Mom's words managed to drag me out of my daze and I started thinking.
"Umm... a metal rod is usually used when they need a simple and effective lock, and I would say they use hydraulics to open and close it." I answer feeling unsure of my answer.
"Correct. But there are always circumstances where a CIC needs to be entered even if the captain locked it. Maybe a medical emergency prevents them from unlocking it or maybe something else. What matters is there's always a way."
"Okay but how does that help, it could be anything and the little vermin shut down the system."
"Lilith, give me a minute and I'll have it open."
I sigh but nod staring hatefully at the door. Exactly a minute later—down to the second—I hear mothers voice.
"Okay I can open it now if you want. Before you ask I was able to access it through the forgotten and underappreciated art of hotwiring. I just forced a reset of all the hydraulics on the ship. So give it a moment to start draining and disengage the locks."
"Mother, how do you know how to even hotwire you're an AI? Also is that why you had 2 robots go to engineering?" I question my mother as I hear a hiss of equalizing pressure escape as the door slowly begins to be pulled upwards.
"Did you honestly think all of my Geases were digital, some were also physical. And to answer the latter, yes; though one of your automata will be scrapped I pushed it a bit too hard."
'Sigh Anyways let's not keep our meals waiting.'
"Oi stay back or she dies, drop the weapons!"
Sigh
I reached into my belt to grab something that would hopefully work, but froze remembering a small detail of this armor. Through my connection by my MID I selected active camouflage and disappeared. Immediately my visor turns black as sensors are hidden for the camo to work. Then a moment later I can see—though it feels off and simulated. I realize this is because it's guessing based on what the robot is sensing. I immediately throw down my completely visible firearm, and have my robots do the same.
"Good, now enter the room one by one and if that automaton even twitches wrong she dies! Don’t think about calling for support!" He yells almost like he forgets I'm in the hallway and the door is open.
'Why does he even think I care about the girl anyways?'
Shrugging at this nonsense I send in the robot following closely behind it. He stares at the robot warily as he just barely presses a knife to some random human's throat. As I exit from behind the robot he shows no sign of noticing I quickly start walking over.
I step behind him and disengage camouflage, that little feature drains a lot of power from the inbuilt batteries. I reached for the knife hidden on the thigh of the armor—well it was more a shiv than an actual combat knife.
"Now step in slowly without your helmet! I want to see your face or her blood paints the room!"
I took that moment to jam the shiv directly between his T3 and T4 vertebrae, slicing his spinal cord in one single moment. Sadly he seemed to have unfortunately not instantly died, so I was forced to hear his annoying scream.
He continued screaming but it quickly shifted to cursing me and calling me all the usual overdone insults humans use on their women, along with some more creative ones. Overall his willpower was the only thing somewhat appreciable about this worm. The hostage remains standing frozen in fear; I look at her almost gagging as I notice a dark stain running down her pants. I ignore my intense stomach churning disgust and the accompanying urge to gag. I stretch out my hand to the robot that quickly walks over with a nearly full bag containing my extraction kit and a lot of meals.
The woman suddenly comes back to reality and slowly looks behind her. The moment she sees my armor she launches herself into me while sobbing and generally being a headache. A few seconds after she latched herself around me I remember the state of her pants and desperately attempt to pull her off me, but she's basically glued to me. I gritted my teeth and slowly hugged her back feeling like I would vomit at any moment from the shame. I luckily restrained my anger at the insolence as I'd rather not hurt my first thrall—especially since Aria is hogging my Medbay.
"Waaahhh! Thank you so much... sob thank you for saving me! Waaaaahh!"
I reply with a voice that I assume sounds nice and caring, but I'm not sure if my frustration has snuck into it. "Yeah your welcome~, now can you get off me, your piss is going to get on my armor."
She seems to freeze then rocket away from me while her face turns a slightly pale red; I think this means she's embarrassed, but I'm not sure. I finally retrieve the extractor and look down.
The man grinning like a deranged lunatic shouts bloodshot eyes staring straight at me, "Ha! She covered you in piss! Bet you're enjoying it you whore!"
I freeze, repressing the urge to stomp on his head and look down at him, a grin spreading across my face, "Well, at least I'm not laying in it. Now you better not fight this and make it difficult for me."
He looks confused for a mere instant sanity returning as he realized something was wrong, I take that moment to stab his throat and start draining his blood. He tries to speak but manages nothing as I forcefully keep his jaw closed with a free hand.
Now what to do about little miss human, and how do I explain why I have so many blood bags that are completely full... eh I'm making her into a thrall so there's no need to be convincing. Anyways, that can wait until we're aboard the Astro Dawn. 'Probably should tell mom it's okay to dock,' just at that moment the ship shudders and I get an alert that Astro Dawn is docked.
"... Anyways come with me and clean yourself on my void ship, question can wait until then."
She stares with mixed emotions at the corpse of her boorish fellow, numbly nodding as I slip the needle that had pierced out of his throat. Truly, humans are really easy to deal with if you just treat them like slow, emotionally sensitive children.