lightning bolts flying out from the impact site.
They seemed evenly matched, but the long fall and repeated
pounding were beginning to take their toll. Their movements were slowing—the
blue discharges becoming less impressive. Suddenly, Del grimaced with exertion
and emitted a blast of energy from its entire body. The discharge struck its
opponent with such force that it stunned the other Sentient motionless.
Del seized the moment to grab its opponent’s head—twisting it
violently before ripping it off the shoulders.
Damn.
An explosion of electrical discharges flew from the neck before
stopping abruptly, then red and grey fluids began to flow out of the stump and
down the torso. The body remained upright—no noticeable sag or movement.
Del looked fatigued, yet more menacing than anything I’d ever seen.
It turned to look at me, but instead of the emotionless face I’d come
to expect, there was a trace of…..regret?
“It was Woz,” it said. “I suspected it might be involved, but I didn’t
want to believe it.”
Holding the head in one hand, it stooped down to pick up the body
with the other, then walked over to one of the smaller airlocks on the far side
of the room. I rejoined Stinson and Mendoza, noticing that the mechanics were still
huddled under the ship. They’d taken refuge there when the shooting started, and
I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon.
“What the hell , sir?” Mendoza said.
Stinson was fully alert, keeping his pistol trained on Del. “It’s
just as we suspected, Commander; it appears the Sentients were involved after
all.”
I watched Del grab an EVA propulsion vest from a rack off the wall
and strap in to the corpse. Then the Sentient tucked the head into one of the
tool bags hanging off the side and adjusted the navigation controls. The vests
were used when the mechanics had to work outside the station, usually on ships
too large to fit into the hangar. What was Del up to?
The Sentient deposited the body in the airlock, then muttered a
few words over it while making arcane hand gestures. Energy pulsed from its
hands as they moved, reaching down to spark over the lifeless form.
Some type of death ritual , I surmised.
Del stepped back into the hangar and punched the door controls.
The inner door sealed shut, then the outer door released, sending the body on a
slow trip through space.
The Sentient turned and started walking towards us and I could see
power building inside its body. The energy field was so strong that its entire
form was glowing blue. I pulled out my TAC pistol, and motioned for Stinson and
Mendoza to ready themselves.
“Stop!” I ordered.
It paused. “I assure you, Commander; I had nothing to do with
this.”
“I want to know exactly what’s going on. Where is Val
Evans? Tell me now!”
“I will expl…” Its body jerked twice, then became rigid—the
powerful glow faded away.
“What now?” I asked, exasperated.
Mendoza cautiously walked over to scan the Sentient while Stinson
and I kept our guns trained on it.
“I think it shut itself off,” she said, walking around it in a
complete circle.
She pulled out her scanner and waved it over the motionless
figure. “Biologically it appears fine, but there are some incredible power
fluctuations throughout its mechanical systems.”
“Is it dying or about to explode or what?”
“I don’t know, sir,” she shrugged. “If I had to guess, I would say
that it’s repairing itself.”
Hmmmmm. I did some quick calculations in my head: One human body
on the floor, one Sentient corpse floating in space, one unconscious guard
slowly coming around, and two terrified mechanics hiding under a very damaged
spaceship.
Added together, that equaled a shit-storm of unparalleled proportions,
and a fire fight back to our ship if the Cartel owning this section finds out
before we’re gone.
“Mendoza, grab a floatpad and secure that Sentient. And I mean secure .
If it
They seemed evenly matched, but the long fall and repeated
pounding were beginning to take their toll. Their movements were slowing—the
blue discharges becoming less impressive. Suddenly, Del grimaced with exertion
and emitted a blast of energy from its entire body. The discharge struck its
opponent with such force that it stunned the other Sentient motionless.
Del seized the moment to grab its opponent’s head—twisting it
violently before ripping it off the shoulders.
Damn.
An explosion of electrical discharges flew from the neck before
stopping abruptly, then red and grey fluids began to flow out of the stump and
down the torso. The body remained upright—no noticeable sag or movement.
Del looked fatigued, yet more menacing than anything I’d ever seen.
It turned to look at me, but instead of the emotionless face I’d come
to expect, there was a trace of…..regret?
“It was Woz,” it said. “I suspected it might be involved, but I didn’t
want to believe it.”
Holding the head in one hand, it stooped down to pick up the body
with the other, then walked over to one of the smaller airlocks on the far side
of the room. I rejoined Stinson and Mendoza, noticing that the mechanics were still
huddled under the ship. They’d taken refuge there when the shooting started, and
I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon.
“What the hell , sir?” Mendoza said.
Stinson was fully alert, keeping his pistol trained on Del. “It’s
just as we suspected, Commander; it appears the Sentients were involved after
all.”
I watched Del grab an EVA propulsion vest from a rack off the wall
and strap in to the corpse. Then the Sentient tucked the head into one of the
tool bags hanging off the side and adjusted the navigation controls. The vests
were used when the mechanics had to work outside the station, usually on ships
too large to fit into the hangar. What was Del up to?
The Sentient deposited the body in the airlock, then muttered a
few words over it while making arcane hand gestures. Energy pulsed from its
hands as they moved, reaching down to spark over the lifeless form.
Some type of death ritual , I surmised.
Del stepped back into the hangar and punched the door controls.
The inner door sealed shut, then the outer door released, sending the body on a
slow trip through space.
The Sentient turned and started walking towards us and I could see
power building inside its body. The energy field was so strong that its entire
form was glowing blue. I pulled out my TAC pistol, and motioned for Stinson and
Mendoza to ready themselves.
“Stop!” I ordered.
It paused. “I assure you, Commander; I had nothing to do with
this.”
“I want to know exactly what’s going on. Where is Val
Evans? Tell me now!”
“I will expl…” Its body jerked twice, then became rigid—the
powerful glow faded away.
“What now?” I asked, exasperated.
Mendoza cautiously walked over to scan the Sentient while Stinson
and I kept our guns trained on it.
“I think it shut itself off,” she said, walking around it in a
complete circle.
She pulled out her scanner and waved it over the motionless
figure. “Biologically it appears fine, but there are some incredible power
fluctuations throughout its mechanical systems.”
“Is it dying or about to explode or what?”
“I don’t know, sir,” she shrugged. “If I had to guess, I would say
that it’s repairing itself.”
Hmmmmm. I did some quick calculations in my head: One human body
on the floor, one Sentient corpse floating in space, one unconscious guard
slowly coming around, and two terrified mechanics hiding under a very damaged
spaceship.
Added together, that equaled a shit-storm of unparalleled proportions,
and a fire fight back to our ship if the Cartel owning this section finds out
before we’re gone.
“Mendoza, grab a floatpad and secure that Sentient. And I mean secure .
If it
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