Freelancer - The Void

The searing pain in my shoulder brought me to my knees. My momentum carried me flat on my face. I tried to crawl. Nothing seemed to work right.

“YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!!!”

I heard his footsteps coming, slowly, methodically. I remembered my question…

“What happened if you die anywhere else? In any other way?”

I was about to find out…

Violet and green light flashed. The air split in a thunderous roar of terrajoules of energy spent in a micromoment. A sudden compression of air flattened me to the floor.

Then all was still.

“Is this it?” I thought. “Is this what it’s like?”

Then came the smell. Like someone had cooked the meat a little too long. No, a lot too long.  I forced myself up to one side and looked behind me.

Two stumps protruded from two boots not 10 feet away. Smoke drifted from them like two roasts fresh off the spit. Beyond that a gaping hole simmered with glowing edges in the hangar wall.

“Boss? YOU OK?”

“Annie!”

“Thank heavens you’re OK! But I gotta tell ya, Boss, I’m getting tired of bailing your arse outta trouble all the time.”

“Annie!! What the hell just happened!?”

“Bullseye, Boss.”

“Wha…?”

“Four cannons, two diamondbacks. Bullseye!” She sounded pretty pleased with herself.

Excited voices echoed from the farthest end of the hangar. Distant footfalls told me a lot of boots were heard this way in a hurry.

“We better get outta here, Boss. I’m not so sure they’re going to be very happy to see you.”

“What?” I hadn’t lost my gift with words.

“I don’t think you can trust anyone right now. We need to get going.”

“I think you’re right, kiddo.” I tried to get up. Parts that weren’t working a few minutes weren’t working any better now.

“DAMMIT! I can’t get up!” I cried and started to crawl toward her, 50 meters away.

“Boss, I’ve been thinking. Sitting here like this I get all sorts of time to think, you know.”

“Annie, not now,” I gasped as I crept along the floor

‘Seriously, Boss, I’ve been thinking about new applications for pin-point tractoring.”

“Annie…”

“No, really, Boss. Check this out.”

I felt the chill of cold energy surround me. My hair stood on end and my clothes poofed out from my body like it was inflated. Every pore on my skin felt charged with static electricity. Then the floor fell away.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh-h-h-h-h!’ I said with cool introspection.

I turned and twisted in the air as the floor sped past beneath me. I started to feel nauseous as I spun and gyrated. At one point I was turned to perfectly see a dozen chimps and a few gorillas running at me on the wall.

Then my WA1 was beneath me, the canopy open,  yawning wide, like a baby bird waiting to be fed.

Annie fed it.

I fell into the cockpit with a thump. My feet in the air, my head jammed between the pedals. My shoulder seemed to explode in pain.

I heard excited voices as the canopy snapped shut and the engines fired up.

The sound of small arms fire crackled as the G-Forces pressed me deeper into the floor.

It was a combat launch. We were free of the gravity of Primus within moments, soaring through the docking ring.

“We need to get you upright, Boss. Try this…”

The artificial gravity plating suddenly disengaged. I lurched toward the canopy and felt as if I was going to lose my breakfast. But I managed to right myself and with one hand I strapped myself in.

“Where to, Boss?”

My mind raced. She was right. I couldn’t trust anyone. I knew I had the key and I couldn't  trust anyone. What was I going to do? I needed to trust someone!

Tohoku... My mind returned to Tohoku. That was where I needed to be and I needed to be there yesterday.  I told Annie and she set the waypoints. I got on the m-wave.

It was time to call in a few old markers. Ever since I'd  left, they’d wanted me back. Now these friends might be the only friends I had. Maybe…just maybe….

The comm  buzzed and crackled. Then a voice came over, a clear light female voice.

“This is secure BRO channel, buster. You better have good reason…”

The face came into focus. Bright blue eyes framed by cornsilk hair.  The patch on the breast of her flight suit clearly displayed... "Cortana."  I smiled.

“Good evening, M’Lady. We need to talk.”

As we approached Primus we noticed a WA1 hurtle out of the docking ring, shooting past us at a dangerously high speed. I looked at the markings on it and turned to Pyro.

"That was Watchwolf's ship," I exclaimed. "Where the hell is he going?"

We tried to hail him on the coms, and got no answer. A few seconds later, and he was out of sight, running out into the stars.

"When we land, I'm going after him." I said. "If he's lost it we're all in serious, serious trouble."

"Ok. I'll talk to the Monkeys and explain what happened with Carnival and the girl, if Zebulon hasn't already." Pyro opened his com channel to Zeb. "I'm bringing Seraphear back. He needs a ship, fuilly equipped, as soon as we land."

"Ok, I'll have a Crusher prepped and armed." Zebs voice turned wary. "Is he ok?"

"I'm fine Zeb, but Wolf has just run." I sighed. "Something must have spooked him bad."

"Right. Seraphear..." Zebs voice took an unhappy tone. "Carnival's body has gone."

"What do you mean gone?" I said, surprised. "He respawned?"

"No, the Monkeys said it was unlikely he would respawn for a few days," Zeb sounded puzzled. "I mean the body has vanished, its been taken."

"Well don't look at me." I shook my head. "I'm not sorry, you know. He went too far. He was a danger to everyone."

"Yeah I know mate. You could have handled it a little better," Zeb gave a litte laugh. "But I guess theres no set standard for reactions to that kind of thing. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on whats happening."

I turned to Pyro, and fixed him with a stare.

"I might need backup when I go after Wolf. If I contact you... will you follow?" I asked.

"Of course. Im building up quite a tally of favours, what with saving your life all the time." He grinned.

"Thank you my friend."

We pulled through the docking ring, and landed gently in the hangar.....

Truth is I didn`t know why I accepted the gauntlet. But what Seraphear said made sense. I had a superior level a control over it. And although I was`t about to go the nearest Nomad Hive and try to take control of all the Nomad population there, I could use this gauntlet as a tool.

But I lied to Seraphear. Indeed I didn`t feel different from the point of view of power, or the way I saw myself or I felt about myself. But I felt different. As soon as that thing clamped around my arm, I felt a new presence. I could now understand why Seraphear acted like he did. The gauntlet was influencing him. I could feel it trying to do the same thing to me. With no result unfortunately for the Nomads. I did also feel my senses grow in sensibility. I could hear and see better. I had better balance. And also I could "see" in ways I couldn`t before now. With an inner eye.

After we got cleared of the Nomad Attackers we rushed back to Primus. I put on my fly jacket to cover up the gauntlet(I didn`t think it was a good idea for everyone to know I was wearing one. Keep the secret for as long as I could.) and I started concentrating....on the gauntlet itself. What better way to control a device than to find out what`s capable of and how it works? I felt the gauntlet fighting back. I was clear it didn`t want ME of all people(or better said races) to find out how it works. But I was the wearer. If you knew how to ask, the thing couldn`t keep anything back from you. As I concentrated further I felt every characteristic of the gauntlet revealed itself to me.

The gauntlet was primarily designed to give its wearer improved psychological power and improved reflexes and senses. It also granted to the wearer the power to control others and subject them to your will. I felt the answer in the gauntlet. The Nomads were doing the same thing in their hives, but on a much bigger scale and with instruments much more powerful that a mere gauntlet. But the next answer was unknown even to the Nomads. Why? Because they weren`t able to comprehend this. Their society resembled a bee hive, where each individual was working for the good of the hive and the queen. In effect every Nomad was the as every other Nomad(not considering different classes of Nomads that were different for other classes of Nomads.)  But humans were unique. Yes humans had traits common with other humans, but in effect, as everyone knew, humans were all unique. Unique characters, personalities, perspectives on life and the world around them. Humans were nothing like the Nomads. The gauntlet had another effect for every human wearer. It granted them other powers. In the case of Seraphear, it was the fact the only wearing that thing made him feel invincible. I didn`t know what the gauntlet granted me. But I was sure I would eventually find out. It seemed like the gauntlet was mocking me for not figuring that out by now. In effect, this device would always try to work for the benefit of its creators, whoever would wear it. I could feel that. But if the wearer had enough power, and never forgot the gauntlet would from time to time try to cheat and lie and help its creators by doing all of these things, the gauntlet could be controlled.

As I thought of all of this, we got back to Primus.

Zeb's head was in a spin.  Pyro was out after Seraphear.  He had felt nothing regarding any respawn for Carnival. He could be anywhere with Seraphear hot on his trail. After a long talk with the Simians senior Investigator, Zeb had been able to show what had happened. They agreed that the unfortunate VLF pilot was already dead by the time Seraphear had burst into the room and that the ensuing gun fire was from one source only directed straight at Carnival.  Zeb was at least clear that Serphear would get an unbiased hearing upon his return.  His next task was to talk round the VLF to this way of thinking and getting them to remove Seraphear from the KOS listing that had just been posted.

As he was about to get up from the table in the security departments canteen the Investigator walked in accompanied with the Silverback. "Oh no, what now?" thought Zeb.

"Mr Antarxes." sighed the spider monkey. If it was possible for an ape to look both frustrated and exhasperated all at the same time , this old boy did a pretty good job of it.  "We have another problem with one of your associates." He paused. "The human known as Watchwolf has just left a gaping hole in one of our hangars, used a teleportation device without authority and to cap it all we have another corpse, or should I say, a pair of boots belonging to the human hybrid called Vengeance, not only that but what remained of Carnival's corpse has gone missing. That's right, MISSING! DISAPPEARED!." Again, a pause and in a tone of deep frustration he continued, " Would you PLEASE tell me what in the name of the Great Mother Monkey is going on with your crew?"

Despite the latest revelations Zeb tried not to smile.  In Ape Language it could be misconstrued as a threat posture, but the old monkey was having a hard time keeping his composure and the Silverback was just looking for an excuse to incarcerate Mr Antarxes. It was written all over him.

Zeb answered. "MY crew? Let me clue you in here.  Whilst these people are associated with me, they are their own people. They do not answer to me, nor do I have any form of control over them.  We are linked. We are even bonded through honour, but that is the limit of our association. The last thing you need right now is my legal department screwing with your law enforcement and courts. Research this yourself, and before you ask, NO! I have not heard anything or "felt" anything since the disappearance of Carnival! NO! I do not know what Seraphear is thinking or even where he is right now and FINALLY, NO! I have no clue as to why Watchwolf would toast his best mate in one of your hangars and then take off after an unauthorised teleportation device activation or even WHERE he is going!"  Zeb realised he was standing and that he had been banging on the table, something that in ape circles was considered very impolite. Interestingly enough the Silverback had taken a step backwards and the Investigator was looking at Zeb in stunned silence.

Before anyone could move, he gathered what little dignity he had left and marched to the door. He shouted for all to hear, ".....and if anyone needs me I will be resting in my room! " He paced out into the fresh air with no one following him.  "Great. Another diplomatic success on behalf of the AoF!" thought Zeb somewhat sarcastically. Funny how you become your own worst critic.  

The comlink buzzed. It was Pyro on the m-wave. He and Serpahear were on the way back.  Zeb filled them in.
".....and Carnival's body is missing. I've got stuff to do so take care and I'll  catch you later. Zeb out."

BBD and VLF were headed for Alaska.  Pyro's FTP boys were  backing things up from the Freeport and checking the wormholes to Dresden and Alexandria as well as assisting the Corsairs in their patrols to Gamma.  Zeb m-waved the AoF boys on Crete.

"Ok chaps get ready to roll. They want us to probe into Nomad 1. The Monkey station there is in need of some support as they suspect they may be the target of a major assault. Even if its a feint, the last thing they need is to have any success as this would place Gammu and Primus direct in their sights with the Corsiars being next on the menu.  Gather the lads and meet us here on Primus. I have a few loose ends to tie up before we go and I need a bath and a rest. Zeb out!"

Loose ends. What an understatment. He paced back to the appartment, took the lift to the suite, ran a bath and poured a large whiskey. Securing the door, Zeb let himself sink into blissful oblivion for at least the next twenty minutes.......

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Detective Inspector Dixon was not happy. He entered his office to find an uninvited guest. Admiral Boniface Fletcher was standing by Dixon's desk. Not that it made any difference because, if nothing else, Dixon operated a "clear desk" policy and that included any monitors or comlinks.  Dixon was always polite, even if it wasn't meant.  "Good afternoon Admiral. To what honour do I owe this visit?" The sarcasm was, however, not lost on the Senior Serviceman.

Fletcher's rotund and corpulent frame heaved with indignity and his face flushed, giving all the "tells" that Dixon  needed to see,  and before the Admiral could even speak, Dixon took extreme pleasure in telling the Admiral exactly why he was standing, uninvited, in Dixon's office almost as if Dixon had engineered it himself.

"You are here about da Sliva the Order commander that we have in custody, aren' t you?" Albemarle waited.

The Admiral all but burst his seems. "Confound it man! How could you possibly even know that we knew? That was a top secret instruction for MY eyes only, and yes the Admiralty is interested in that cove, Whats he up to Dixon?"

Albemarle was not about to give Fletcher a lesson in police work, but the man could not keep a secret if he tried.  The only thing that kept that fat lump of useless dribbling flesh in a position of authority was his wealth and his connections to the Royal Family.  As far as Dixon was concerned he was just another parasite.

The desk buzzer sounded. "Sir, there is a Mr Anderson to see you."

"Thanks Margaret, I will see him in a moment, please make him comfortable and I will tidy up in here first."

"Admiral, if anything of any interest should come up during my conversations with Mr da Silva that even hints at a threat to Bretonia, you will be the first to know.  Good day Admiral, you may now leave." Dixon looked down at his terminal screen.  Out of the corner of his eye the very flustered and outraged sailor departed the office in a furry, muttering under his breath about rebels and republicans.  

"I guess he is not used to being treated like that." said the well dressed young man entering the office.

"Ah, Mr Anderson. Please take a seat. I am hoping that this wont take up too much of your precious time and I do apologise for the delay. I had an unexpected guest." Dixon gestured for Andrew to sit down.

Albemarle leaned back in his chair.  "I knew your father, Mr Anderson. An honourable man and a tragic death. I was encouraged by the cooperation that your company gave us in the prosecution of his assassins. You saved a great deal of lives and possibly the entire Bretonian economy." He waited to see the effect that his words would have on Andrew Anderson, now the head of a conglomerate spanning several systems within the Sirius sector. The man did not even flinch. He sat in the classic trained pose of someone about to face an interigation. Well back and rested in his chair, feet squarely apart and flat on the floor, palms of hands rested on his knees and a slow but relaxed deep breathing with a firm and unwavering gaze locking with the Inspector.  Albemarle Dixon smiled. So much like his father.

He continued. "We know, and its no great secret either, of  your connections with the AoF and your father's former war buddy and business associate, Zebulon Antarxes. Heck! It was the main source of your information and the success in hunting down his assassins and  the insurgents that threatend Bretonia." He paused. "I need to speak with Mr Antarxes on a very urgent matter.  We believe that there is a major change occuring in the politics of the Order.  My research tells me that the signs are very similar to those presented during the chaos that ran up to the First Nomad War.  I have no way of being able to confirm this other than to carry out a series of clandestine tests on one of my "house guests" a certain Alphonse da Silva. You were the last one to speak with him before we arrested him. Care to comment on that Mr Anderson?"

The question hung in the air.  The man in front of the Inspector did not waver one inch and continued to remain the picture of complete, composed clam.

The young man cleared his throat. "Inspector Dixon, Mr da Silva came to me to seek asylum. Further than that he would not say.  One thing I can tell you is that Mr da Silva is the former protege of none other than Commander Orilion of the Order and you would do well to handle this man carefully." Andy waited to see how the Inspector would react.

"Mr Anderson, that had better not be a threat." replied Dixon, pointing at Andy. It was clear that Dixon had no idea that da Silva was so highly connected. "Tell me Andrew. I can call you Andrew?" Andy nodded his consent. "I thought that Orilion was retired? Somewhere pleasant and out of the way I had heard. Not that our intelligence services always get it right.  Do you have any thoughts on that?"

"None, Mr Dixon."

"At least none you are sharing with me!" thought Albemarle. "What did you and Mr da Silva discuss the last time you spoke?"

"Mr Dixon, if this is going to be a formal interview, then please either contact my lawyers or have me arrested. I have better things to do than bandy words with the police." Andy got up to leave.

"Sit down!" shouted the Inspector. "Nice try, and we are not done yet! You have no idea do you? Its bothering you as much as it is me that we have what appears to be a fugitive high ranking Order officer in our custody and still no real reason why. Why come to you Mr Anderson and ask for assylum? Surely the Bretonian authorities should be dealing with that sort of political bombshell? Hell, I just had one of the nastiest examples of hierarchical corruption sitting in MY office WITHOUT an invitation. Have you any idea how that makes me feel? What I am about to ask you next just about crosses the line in any police work I have ever undertaken, so be very sure of your response, Andrew or you will find yourself in a cell on terrorist charges that will take your legal department years to get round!"

As calmly as he could, Andy sat back down and listened.  The look on Albemarle Dixon's face told Andy that the guy was serious.  With the best business diplomacy that he could muster at short notice, Andy relaxed as best he could, took a deep breath and then said, "Ask away, Inspector. How can I help you?"

We landed on Primus, and I shook Pyro's hand before sprinting to the new Crusher waiting on the launch pad. He turned and ran toward the hangar, trying to raise Zeb on his com unit.

I vaulted into the cockpit and put myself through to Pyro's com.

"I'll give you regular updates as to whats happening," I said. "And when I need help, you'd best come running mate."

"Of course. I'll speak to my contacts at the Freeports and ask them to keep an eye out for you and Wolf."

"Thanks friend." I smiled, and mocked him gently. "And when you catch up with me, don't blow up my ship this time. I'm starting to think I should take an insurance policy just for you."

"Don't do anything stupid like lose and arm, and I won't have to." Laughed Pyro.

"Will do my best. Tell Zeb I'll come back with Wolf, and sort the mess out I've left here."

"Will do my friend. God speed."

"Thanks. See you in a few days." With that, I hit the engines, and took off. Hurtling out of the atmosphere, I tried Wolfs com. Nothing.

"Well, looks like its just me for the moment then." I grinned to myself. "Just how I like it."

Alone, I sped through space, chasing Wolf.

I'll find him. If it takes me a hundred years, I'll find him.

It was 9 o`clock in the evening. In the great office of the Commander, Molten and Dead were sitting at the big wooden desk. The desk was made of the rare maple tree bark. Suddenly the comm link buzzed.

"Yes?" answered Molten, although he already knew who that was.

"Colonel Molten? Admiral Da Gamma here to see ya." said the lovely Melice, his personal assistant.

"Aye, make him comfortable, and send him in as soon as Dead exits the office."

Molten was ready to talk business. He was dressed in his favorite flight jacket, bearing the signs of the FTP High Command. Three starts(meaning he was a colonel) the silver thunder(the personal sign of the guild he commanded) and in the background the wall of flames(the sign of the whole organization). The jacket was his official wear. He always put it on when he was about to talk business. He felt more confident than ever? And why shouldn`t he not? He was the third in command of one of the most powerful pirate organizations in the whole of Sirius, leader of the most powerful guild within the clan itself and had the admiral at his will. The damn politician never commanded his fleet in battle. All he knew is how to obtain more power(even by less than legal ways, as the "accident" of the previous admiral of the Californian Grand Fleet clearly proved/) A worthy adversary indeed.

"OK so what next mate?" said Molten, lighting a Crete Cigar.

"Well I`m off to Crete to talk to the Corsairs about the two wings they`re gonna send to Alaska. Then back here to make sure our usual dealings don`t fall apart due to this upcoming war." responded Dead in his usual calm, but confident way. He was the second in the chain of command of the "Freelancer Traders and Pirates" and Pyro`s right hand.

"Good. I`ll see ya when you get back bud. Godspeed and good luck"

Dead stood up and exited the room.

The admiral came in with a grim look on his face. It was clear he wished he was anywhere else but there. The elegance of the room, and of Molten impressed him. He was one of those politicians who thought all pirates were unwashed and  drunk half of the time. The 36 years old FTP third in command greeted the admiral politely. His long, black hair was freshly washed and his clear green eyes sparkled.

"Admiral Da Gamma. A pleasure as always." said Molten as he pored the finest Maltese Scotch in the two glasses already prepared on the desk. "Cigar?"

"No thank you, I gave up smoking. Listen here, I have more important business than to come to Omicron Theta. drink scotch and catch up on things with the likes of you." responded the admiral, clearly annoyed by Molten`s relaxed and confident attitude.

"Perfect..." thought the pirate.

"Now now admiral. Please relax. We`re here to talk business, not 'catch up on things'."

"Oh yeah? And what business a pirate and a high ranking admiral of the Liberty Navy could have in common?"

"The upcoming war, of course."

"War? Don`t make me laugh. There isn`t going to be one. This is just the Nomads acting up. I have the Brettonians going insane, the Kusarians starting to get all tensed up, and the Rheinlanders with half of their fleet armed and ready. Why won`t these people understand that the Nomads were crushed a long time ago, in the Nomad War. The ONLY one!"

"It seems that politics doesn`t suite you, Da Gamma. You`re more ignorant then ever!"  said Molten a bit annoyed. "Now listen here. The war is coming, like it or not. The Monkeys and Robots think so, so it`s most likely true. The Corsairs and Outcasts are willing to help. I don`t know what`s happening within the Order, but it can`t be good. You navy boys better pull your heads from the sand and start seeing the light before it`s too late. And you in particular will help us. We want to sent two or three fighter squadrons to Alaska. The Robots will send other fighter wings, but I`m sure that won`t be a problem."

"Pirates?In Alaska? You`re a regular comedian Molten. Over my dead body!" said the admiral with a tone of despise in his voice.

"That can be arranged. Or worse. Don`t forget, ADMIRAL, that we were the ones who did your dirty work five years ago. I`m curious how your friends in the LSF will react when they find that out." responded Molten, sipping away at his scotch and smoking the cigar away. "Now I`m sure you`ll take care of the necesary arrangements A.S.A.P. and not a moment later. And I have a feeling that we`ll be able to count on the help of the great Liberty Navy in the war to come. Not even you will be that stupid not to send help when the storm begins." added the pirate with a clear glance of victory looking at the admiral.

"OK, OK!" shouted Da Gamma desperately. "Just don`t say a word about our little business dealings..."

"Good. I knew we could work something out. I`ll m-wave the required details when I have them. In the mean time, admiral, keep y`arself safe. We wouldn`t want anything to happen to you, now would we?" said Molten with an ironic smile on his face and pushed his hand forward to shake the hand of the navy officer.

"Right." with that Da Gamma stood up and exited the room like a hurricane, without shaking Molten`s hand.

"Hypocrite SOB" said the pirate with a big grin on his face. "Right...navy BS down. Now for our friends, the Outcasts..."

And with that sat back down and reached for the m-wave...

Erebus stood once again before his Queen. His head was bowed in complete submission. He had come with several reports. Knowing his Queen as he did, he had begun his briefing with the gravest news:

“There is no question, Erebus?” the Queen asked silently.

“None, my Queen. Our weapon has been activated and exhausted. It appears one of the objectives has been accomplished. However it also appears a targeted component may have escaped. Which is not certain, nor the extent of the damage, if any.”

The queen frowned. “We must assume the worst, Erebus. If the weapon was activated the required circumstances must have been met. If a target component has escaped it must be assumed the weapon failed to terminate the necessary target or accomplish its objective. Some, if not all, of our plan has been compromised.”

“Possibly, my Queen. However, may I draw your attention to several facts which may shed light on the situation? Things may not be as grave as they first appear.”

“Erebus, speculation is irrelevant and completely unproductive.”

“I beg your leave, my Queen. Any conclusion at this point is equally speculative.”

The Queen considered this observation. She mused at this servant before her. He was one of her newest Eclipse, bred and chosen for cunning and insight. More human in his thinking and action than any before him and specifically chosen for this particular role. It would be foolishly presumptive to not use the tool in the manner for which it was forged.

She nodded. “Continue.”

“First, our agent was tasked to infiltrate the group of which its host was previously a part. We know this was a particularly dysfunctional group, with little harmony between the components. Each component is fundamentally different from its counterparts. That it functions at all is phenomenal at best.”

“Indeed.”

“Second, we do not know which component was present when the weapon was activated. Nor do we know which objective was targeted. However we do know two facts beyond dispute. We know one component has been terminated. And we know the secondary target has been destroyed, indicating the secondary objective has been accomplished.”

The queen leaned forward. “Are you certain?”

“Beyond any doubt. All contact with the device was lost at approximately the same time the component was terminated. These events coincide with the activation and exhaustion of the weapon.  It is reasonable to conclude the weapon found opportunity to accomplish its secondary objective and took action.”

“Indeed. Pity it did not survive to continue the mission.” She considered. “Has it returned for reintegration?”

“Not yet, my Queen. We will be ready when it appears. Depending on the manner of its termination, the lag may vary by several cycles.”

“I wish to be informed the moment it appears.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

“Now, you have other news. Less speculative, I presume?”

“Indeed, my Queen. The plan has been set into motion. The enemy has responded to our stimulus as predicted within 96.5%. We have adjusted to compensate for the variance. It is well within tolerance.”

“And has our preparations been completed?”

“Yes, my Queen. All is ready. We only await them to take the bait, as the humans so aptly put it.”

“Excellent!”

Standing in bed in the middle of the night, I could not sleep. Instead I was enjoying my seventeenth cigarette so far, and thinking. Thinking about all what happened in the past twenty four hours. I haven`t been through a change this fundamental in years. I put up my sleeve and looked at the Nomad gauntlet that was clamped on my left arm. Then I watched my reflexion in the mirror. A pair of bright blue eyes were staring back at me. My blond hair was now grayish in the darkness that surrounded me. "No difference on the exterior..." I though. "But why?Why did I accept the gauntlet? Was I influenced by the gauntlet itself?" and with these thoughts I concentrated on the gauntlet itself. The answer came immediately. The gauntlet couldn`t lie to its owner. At best it could hide the truth.

But it couldn`t hide the truth from me. "Yes...influenced...but to a certain degree...your own core self wanted the gauntlet, wanted the power, the means to the ultimate end..." came the answer as a whisper in the back of my mind. "What is the core self?" I asked. "All souls in this plain of the universe are divided in two fundamental parts. The core self that remains untouched over the years. All living souls are born with it. Be it a human or a animal. This gives us the fundamental characteristics that we are born with, programmed with. But conscious beings have another part. A part that reacts to the changing environment, in a way that the core self isn`t capable of. The core self is inflexible, but determines how this second part of the human psyche reacts. This is known as the conscious self. The core self and the conscious self are interconnected. But only one of the two can be contaminated. The one that has direct links to the environment and other living beings. The conscious self. the core self fundamentally dictates how the conscious self will react, but the core itself has no control over the conscious part. There is a period when the core self has more power than the conscious one. During the sleep. The core stores all the memories it takes from conscience and runs them all over again so it can store them. It is during this period of 'battle' between our two fundamental parts that we dream..."

It took me a time to comprehend what the gauntlet had shown me. Truth is all humans know these facts, but not that painfully obvious. We know it as a feeling in the back of our heads, in our heart, but not as a certain fact, as I knew it know. I wondered if Seraphear found that out himself while wearing the gauntlet. My thought turned to Seraphear. "Why did Seraphear acted the way he did?" I asked. "The gauntlet represents, in effect, a part of the conscious self of the Nomad race. A small part, but bigger that the conscious self of any other Nomad individual, except maybe for the Queen itself. The gauntlet can not exist and be active by itself, because it isn`t a living thing. But it helps the wearer to project his own conscious self(and a part of the conscious self of the gauntlet itself) upon another living target. But, despite whoever wears it, the gauntlet will always try to act for the good of the Nomad race, and will always try to influence its wearer to do the same. That`s why Seraphear acted the way he did. In a moment of psychical weakness the gauntlet attacked and managed to influence Seraphear to its own conscious will. " "I understand now..."

My thought went even further. "Why did Carnival had his addiction, his thirst?What possessed him...?" "Possessed...yeees...a very appropriate word...When Carnival drank the blood of the Nomad who he killed, he effectively took a part of the conscious self of the Nomad into him. Although by far not as strong as the gauntlet is, that blood "inserted" the thirst into him. His conscious self was now directly contaminated. The gauntlet acts from the exterior, so it has a harder time persuading the wearer to do as is the will of the Nomad race. But the blood, the blood was on the interior, directly influencing Carnival`s conscious self. The blood itself, at first, wasn`t strong enough to control Carnival. But with every new feeding, the Nomad blade contaminated the blood of the victim, and the blood of the victim was drank by the target. That was, at first, the way the Nomad blood made its influence felt within Carnival. But after every feeding, the Nomad conscious self became more powerful. Thus it began influencing Carnival more and more often, and even further. I suspect that it was a matter of time before the full force of the nomad blood would`ve been made felt. That unfortunate young VLF pilot was the cause of the brutal reaction that took place. The conscious self of Carnival and of the Nomad blood fused together and thus creating a powerful hybrid, controlled mostly by the nomad self. I also think that the injuries that Carnival inflicted to himself in his sleep were a reaction of his core self that tried to take control of the situation, but didn`t manage to."

All these answers. It is said that knowledge is power. We will have to wait and see if that will be the case here. Will I become like Carnival and Seraphear, a victim of the extremely powerful Nomad race conscious self or would I have the power to beat the influence of the gauntlet?

"You said something about the ultimate end...what is my ultimate end?" I asked, in a way curious if the answer would coincide with my own.

"The survival of a free the human race, generally, and personally the survival of your inner sanity...and managing to obtain your own redemption from yourself...finding your inner peace..."

I flew on, trying to concentrate on the engine trail kilometres in front of me. Wolf was still running, and hadn't responded to any of my hails on the com.

"Show me where you're heading man," I muttered. "This is getting tricky."

As I spoke, my neural net chimed. The ship had changed course and was heading for a jumphole. I looked at the designation and  calculated the most likely base he would turn to. Tekagis? Could be. There was talk of turning the Blood Dragons to our cause/

"Well, its better than nothing."

I set the course and sat back in my seat, thinking back over the last few days. So much had happened. My brush with death due to the gauntlet, Pyro saving me once again, Carnival's sudden terrifying lapse into an animal hungry for blood.

Wow. I actually killed him.

The thought hit me like a thunderbolt. Yes, I had killed him. But he deserved it. He wasn't human any more, and I coudn't let him go around hurting people.

Lost in thought, I flew on toward Tekagi's.....

I had a dream that night, after I fell asleep. In my dream I saw two man. One with blood red eyes, without a pupil or whites, and another, lying down on the floor. The second one looked defeated and seemed to gave into his fate. But as the red eyed monster, a big man with powerful arms and horrific scars, approached the man lying on the floor, the one who was defeated said something. I couldn`t remember the exact words as I woke up from my deep sleep, but it was something like this: "You sink your teeth in, bite the blood that drains the life inside of me, and fills your soul with love and hate and all those things you need to breath. My body dies, but still my soul remains eternally in search of Caspian waves and shallow graves, explain why me...?" And with that the man who was lying on the floor seemed to die. The other one turned away and laughed in a demonic manner. At that same second I woke up, my heart beating like mad.

"Could that have been Carnival...?"

The next day, the feeling that something wasn`t wrong kept bugging me. It was like an itch at the back of my mind, but it kept getting bigger and bigger. I was at breakfast with Zeb. He was filling me in with the newest developments in the situation here on Primus. But I couldn`t concentrate. It was like he was talking to a brick wall.

"Pyro...you listening? Hello...?Earth to Pyro...? " said Zeb a bit disappointed because of my lack of attention.

"Huh?...Oh aye, sorry Zeb, I`m a bit off this morning." I replied.

"Go figure!What happened mate? What`s eating you up?"

"I don`t know exactly...it`s like a feeling. A feeling that won`t go away. It`s like - "

The world went black. All I could see were a pair of two black eyes that were flecked with red. And a man. Or something that looked like one. The darkness and hatred that surrounded me were immense. Then I heard a thought. "Kill Seraphear, slowly he will die. He will pay for his sins against me. For he has sinned. I shall show him what hell is like!" "Carnival..." I thought and immediately the vision ended.

I was back in the room. Zeb was staring at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence.

"It`s like what?"

"It doesnt` matter. Listen I have something to take care of...we`ll talk later ok?"

"Ok bud. Just keep safe. You seem to be a little off. "

With that I went out of the dinner and started running.

"Here we go again! For God`s sake.... "

I asked Annie to keep the AG off. The weightlessness took the pressure off my shoulder. I had no idea why I still had a shoulder left. That blaster should have taken if off, the way it put holes in the armor of those ships. Best I could figure was either I'd gotten a reflected shot or he'd been toying with me. In the end I figured that was the least of the questions I had.

I considered them while I connected the BNB first aid patch. BNB's were a relatively new technology dreamed up by those ever-innovative Robots. They'd taken the concept of Nomad nanobots and expanded on them in a very creative way. Your basic nanobot used on your basic ship does basic structural repair on hull plating and framework. They'll keep your ship together til you can get real repairs. But the Nomads had taken them a step further. Their ships were organic, more grown than manufactured. Yet they had nanobots too, that worked on the living tissue of their ship hulls. So the Robots found a way to use genetically engineered adaptive nanobots to repair human tissue. Ingenious. Not as good as surgery and if you had damage that extensive you'd still need to see the the doc, but for most non-life-threatening wounds you'd come out of it with little more than a decent scar to wow the ladies. A side-effect was the anesthetic properties of the patch. The warm tingling glow put you to sleep. It'd been a long time since I'd had to use the patch, and the last time was for a black eye and a bloody nose. It'd be interesting, I vaguely wondered, how well it's work on a something as major as this as I drifted off and the bots did their work.  

When I woke we were cruising across Tohoku. "Well, Boss. Nice to see your awake. How the shoulder?"

I tried it out. It ached a bit but it was fully functional. I told myself to remember to kiss the next robot I saw.

My mind immediately went back to the questions. Why had Vengeance tried to kill me? It seemed pretty obvious he'd been compromised, from the things he'd said. All that crap about Nomads defending their homeland and we would be destroyed. That was the Nomad party line. When I put that together with the recording we'd all heard, it got me to thinking about how he'd been turned. He'd said it didn't feel like your usual death. How'd he know? What was different that time. And what had made it different? So many questions. But you had to bet that if the Nomads were harvesting our dead they had some means to get hold of them. I tried to put it all together.

I knew he'd been fighting the same guys who'd gotten me. And I knew they had different , more powerful guns. I'd been completely disabled and was helplessly adrift. Same with Vengeance. Pyro'd found me. The Nomads had apparently found V. But how'd they turn him?

Vengeance should have respawned when he died. If he had, nothing would have been out of the ordinary. There was no telling for sure where you were going to pop back up, but it usually was in a bar or in the can of a bar. That in itself made me wonder... maybe the powers that be had decided you'd be needing a drink after the pain wore off.  Anyway, if he'd respawned as usual the odds of him being taken and turned by the Nomads were slim to none. So how'd they get hold of him? Had they done it remotely?

My mind drifted to that gauntlet Seraphear had. He'd been able to get into my head when he was wearing it. But he seemed to have to already be in touch with you somehow or at least know you to be able to do it. How could have the Nomads known Vengeance?

Were those red eyes of his a little more than met the eye, so to speak?

I was missing something.

Tekagi's base loomed ahead. Last time I'd been here I'd gotten myself kidnapped. That whole episode was what seemed to have started this whole thing in the first place. For me anyway.  So I got on the comm and made sure there would be someone there to keep me company as soon as I landed. I didn't want anyone getting any cute ideas.

I was met at the hangar alright,  by a  couple of burly guys dressed in leather and sidearms. They were polite enough, for pirates. At least they didn't demand a port tax or something. They escorted me to the bar and pointed me to a booth in the back, then took up positions where they could keep an eye on me and the door.

I made my way toward the booth. About half-way there I wondered why they'd sent me to an empty booth. Maybe I was supposed to wait for someone. But when I got there I had to smile. There, leaning back in the corner looking completely comfortable sipping an ale was the person I'd come to see. Not your usually scarred and jaded buccaneer, this was just about the most beautiful pirate I'd ever seen. Black leather, blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile greeted me as I sat down. Cortana.

"Wolfie, nice to see you again. Nicer to finally meet you in person."

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, m'lady.'

Her smile widened. "You're the only one who calls me that. I always know it's you. Most people have a few more colorful names for me."

I could well imagine. And most people only got to use those names once. She had the reputation as probably the toughest missile slinger in the entire sector. She could put one up the tailpipe of a Starflier from two systems away, she was that good. I was pretty good with a missile myself, but I knew I never wanted to be on the wrong end of her heat-seeker.

My reverie was interrupted. "Try and stay focused if you can," she grinned. With that an image of her negotiating a passage agreement with some unfortunate trader had me feeling sorry for him. He'd never stand a chance. She was dangerous.

"A-hem!" Oops. "So, tell me what it is we need to talk about that you had to come all the way here..."

"OK, let me fill you in." I told her the whole story as I knew it. From the first idea something was up to the briefing to the appearance of a trap to Vengeance's attempt to fry me. (I left out the part about his sudden and untimely demise.) She asked a few questions here and there but for the most part she just took it all in. When I was done she sat for a moment looking at something behind he about half a light-year away. The she ordered up a new round for both of us and got down to business.

"So, Tohoku's going to be the focal point? The way I see it, that's bad for business. Can't have this system cluttered up with Nomad ships. Very inconvenient. Looks like you're going to need a little help." She winked at me. I did my best to stay focused.

I catch on pretty quickly. Besides I used to be a pirate, in the same clan she was running now. The Brotherhood. Serious businessmen. "OK, what's it going to cost me?"

"Tell you what. We'll talk about that later. This is more like an investment for the BRO, But BRO really isn't what you need, Wolfie. "

"It's not?"

"No. Not by a long shot. You need a fleet."

I rolled my eyes. "Well you don't say. Happen to have one in your pocket?"

"Matter of fact, yes I do..." She went on to outline what she could do to help me out.

Just as she was getting those last words out I heard a ruckus up front. Cortana was looking past me. I twisted around in my seat and craned my neck to see.

I saw Seraphear, standing toe to toe with a big guy and his bigger friend, and no one was going to give an inch, I could tell.

My first thought was, "Uh-oh... Seraphear." My second thought was, "Uh-oh, poor Seraphear..."

"Look, friend," I said reasonably. "You either get the hell out of my way, or you get hurt. Is that clear?"

"Hahahaha! No chance." The guys friend loomed over me and gave an unpleasant grin. "Get back in your ship. Now."

I held my hands up in surrender.

"Fine!" I turned round and stalked up the ramp into the cargohold. I hit the activation panel, and stood still as the targeting laser swept my body. A ceiling mount trundled over, carrying the huge metal exoskeleton for my left arm. It fitted it in, and hit the activation stud. I grinned, and walked back out.

"Hey, I said get back in your..." The big guy looked at the construct on my arm, and his eyes widened. "Hey man, we don't allow stuff like that here."

"I don't care. There's someone here that I need to see." I started to walk past when the bigger man grabbed my right arm. I was tired of this. I reached across and grabbed his arm with my claw. I gently applied pressure, knowing that I would crush him if I wasn't careful.

"Aaaaargh ok ok ok!" The guy let go and I started walking toward Watchwolf, a greeting already forming on my lips. I noticed his puzzled, and then suddenly horrified expression and walked faster.

"Seraphear, look out!" He yelled, standing up and taking his gun out of his holster. I spun around, then collapsed as I was struck heavily in the face.

I got up.... and stared dumbfounded at the man before me. It was Carnival! I looked closely, examining his face and eyes. There were no scars! His skin was pure and unblemished, no evidence of his former sickness remaining. I looked at his eyes... and took a step back, horror filling my veins.

They were completely black, from edge to edge, but flecked crimson dashes.

"So, Seraphear, you wanted to kill me?" Carnival enquired, his voice giving a curious rasp of distortion as he spoke. "You failed. And now, YOU will die."

He stepped toward me, and I threw my claw forward into a guarding position. He laughed, and jumped forward... I brought my massive metal fist to bear and punched him solidly in the chest...

And heard a loud clang as my arm rebounded. Carnival roared with laughter and ripped his greatcoat open. Underneath the fabric was a solid metal breastplate. Except it wasn't a breastplate.

"Oh no... no..." I stammered as he advanced on me, murder in his blank, black eyes.

"Oh yes, Seraphear." I looked down at my ravaged chest. "You did me a favour, in some ways."

I stepped forward and fended off a blow from his claw with my forearm. He grabbed my right arm and tried to crush down. He seemed very upset that he wasn't having any effect.

"What happened to you?" He asked, blocking as I threw a bone jarring punch toward his face.

"What happened?! You shot me!" I snarled. "You emptied a clip into my body!"

He took another few steps back, blocking my blows until he found some cover to cower behind.

"When you left me, I had a hole where my chest should have been," I looked down at the black metal carapace that had been fused to my body. "My blood loss was total. I can only hear myself now, Seraphear! The voices are gone, my vision is dark, but there's no blood! I have clarity of thought again!"

"Then why are you doing this?!"

"Because I am very, very upset with you!" I took  a step back, and ripped away what was left of my greatcoat. I raised my hands, and flexed the muscles in my arms. "You know what happens when your muscles and tissue get no oxygen? They die."

I ran forward, and Seraphear staggered clumsily backwards. I reached the crate he had sheltered behind and barged it out of the way.

"It took the Robots and the Order 36 hours of non-stop surgery and integration to bring me back to life!" I grabbed his claw as it swung toward me, and lifted him off the ground. "It took me 5 minutes to kill them all when they were done!"

Snarling in fury, I threw him across the room. He landed next to Watchwolf, who took aim with his gun and fired 3 shots into me.

"Don't do that again." The rounds clattered onto the floor as they hit my chest. "I'm not even human any more! This skin, not mine, synthetic, these muscles, not mine, pistons and iron! Only my eyes and brain are truly mine! You removed whatever humanity I had left!"

I looked round and saw guards and pilots taking out their weapons. Shots began to fly around me, most of them missing, but some finding their mark. I was furious at this intrusion, and at the fact that these weak mortals were interrupting me.

I advanced on Seraphear and poured blow after blow into his body. I ripped off the metal construct that was attached to him and threw it away. As I did, I heard him say something.

"What? What did you say?" I shook him and roared into his face. "What did you say?!"

"CARNIVAL. YOU WILL STOP. NOW"

A voice rang out behind me. I dropped Seraphear's bleeding body and started to walk toward this new arrival, hearing pistons grind and motors whine as I prepared to rip him apart.

"I am Pyro." The man lifted his arm, a blue glow surrounding him.  "And you WILL stop!"