Capítulo 26: Chapter 26: Kill the Chicken.
Collecting the crew and returning them back to their stations was easier than I'd thought, but they seemed… different? I couldn't quite place the odd looks I was getting ever since we came back. It almost felt like they viewed me in a higher regard for some reason. I assume it had to do with my background, except I didn't know what specifically made them more… accepting of me?
I was sure they had backstories, tragic or not. Maybe my own backstory to some extent made them feel I wasn't much different from them? Interrupting my thoughts was the navigator yelling out.
"We should be seeing the derelict in 5… 4…" All eyes glued on the main bridge window. Leaning in as she counted down. "3… 2…" Even I found myself leaning forward curious, and unsure. "1… and…" With a sudden lurch we came to a stop. Space around us focused in and what we saw took our breath away.
A massive sun sat in the middle of an empty solar system. The system filled with debris and asteroids. The way we entered was one of the few openings in the surrounding belt. Orbiting the sun, it wasn't a planet, nor a moon. It was a massive pyramid, its edges glistened yet reflected nothing.
"Can you sense anything cap?" Helmsman asked as he steered our ship from his place in the center. I stood, taking my place on the orator stand. Almost as if reacting to me I felt the rails shudder out, the simple keyboard before me appearing.
"No life signs in our near vicinity, but space is huge, and my range is limited."
"Understood," Something crackles as I hear the low thrum of an alarm echo out. "This is not a drill; all personnel be on alert for possible combat. Combat personnel to their stations." I felt the ship shudder, I could feel the masses of bodies within the ship take up position. The ship, like a sleeping giant grumbled awake as the reactor grumbled from all the defenses coming online.
I felt it. The thrumming of life as it coursed through the ship's frame. All of it focuses on me. Like I was the core of a world, I was the heart of the ship. My range expanded, an intoxicating sense of omniscience filling me as I let myself sync with the ship. Its eyes were mine. Its senses mine. But… It felt like a cage, a coffin.
With a push I shoved myself out from the sensation, only letting myself vaguely connect with its sensors. And I felt something. A ping. "Incoming!" I said it a moment before the one responsible for the sensors could. I felt the ship crackle with power. Like a woken giant.
"Put the sensors on the caster!" I barked out, following instinct ingrained in me as my words were followed. The center of the bridge filled with a massive globe like map. It shook and crackled, but it showed our position with us at the center whereas red dots appeared.
"Any idea what those are?" I ask.
"Looks like automated scavenge drones." The Helmsman replied back as the ship began tilting. I gripped the handles as his voice echoed out.
"Brace for combat maneuvers!" A tad late, I thought as he had already began turning. The ship shifted, bringing us to our flank. Monitors lit up with various sensors and cameras. It was frustrating trying to parse together the image, but I could feel it as our point defense systems barked out lancing fire of bullets and flak. The swarm of drones were ripped to shreds. I could almost feel the ship warming up. In a way, it felt like my own burning blood. The ship was demanding blood.
And blood it would have!
"Picking up ghosts on the sensor!" Someone yelled out.
"Bring the main guns to bear!" My voice commanded. Surety filling me. I didn't get to ask, didn't need to as I saw them light up on the caster light up and fill up. Ships, ripped to shreds, barely awake thrummed online as they oriented towards us with failing thrusters and barely functioning weapons.
"Main gun lined up!" I gripped the rails; I could feel the crew waiting for my command. Our armaments were limited, but… Sometimes you have to kill a chicken to scare monkeys. I could feel the ship rumble in anticipation. As we lined up our firing solutions. I could almost feel them filling in, but oddly the source wasn't from the bridge.
"ALL GUNS FIRE!" There was no question. Only action. Our whole ship rocked and bucked as our main guns fired. A dazzling array of weapons fired eviscerating the ship in our sight. Metal groaned as the ship absorbed the shock, I could almost feel its pleasure like stretching out kinks.
"Line up for the next target!"
"AYE AYE CAP!"
For an instant I swore the ghosts faltered. And as a crew I felt all of us bear our fangs. The ship hungering to kill and maim.
"Lined up!" I almost felt the ghost shudder as our sights were locked. "Give'em hell!" Another shock ran through the ship. The whole crew laughed and cheering as we obliterated another ship. I could almost feel the bloodthirst in our ship emanating out. Hungry, devouring. "Open for an all broadcast!"
It was a futile effort, but I felt it necessary. "Broadcast open!" No, it felt right.
I took my position. Grinned out, ready to yell out our name. Engrave it into the emptiness of space.
"This is Rettas, Captain of The Spite! Back off or face oblivion!" I stomped my foot to emphasize the end of the statement, as if to state I'd crunch them underfoot like a bug. For a moment I felt the whole of the area flicker to life. A single pregnant pause took hold as we hung by a string over a meat grinder. The seconds ticked… Our breaths held. Our bloodlust ready to carry us over to its conclusion. We would not relent. They would open the path or be crushed under us. Such was our conviction. Such was our intent.
Only now did I understand, or perhaps better know, the crew under me. We were pirates. We fought for what we wanted tooth and nail. What made me any different from them? Being chased as a child, fighting and killing for scraps. Taking what I want, what I need! Everything I am, was paid in blood and iron. That was why they had looked at me differently. I wasn't just some random nobody or well to do child like I had been. No, I was now one of them. A monster. A beast with bared fangs.
As if sensing our intent, the ships moved and went back offline. Unwilling to contest or test our will. A tired ragged sigh filling the bridge. Our ship went silent. Like an alpha proving their supremacy to its rivals it calmed. I heaved, sweat soaking me as I came down from the high. It was only after a few deep and slow breaths that I felt calm enough to sit and when I did it was with a plop.
"Someone mind explaining what just happened?"
"Hell, if I know."
The navigator said, but her wide grin was in contrast to her confusion.
"I heard rumors… but…" The comm officer spoke, and we all looked to him. He coughed nervously under all the stares. "Sorry, just… Ghost ships are ships with basic AI that took over. I had heard it was possible to make them back off, but… Normally they just keep coming like damn zombies." A round of nods follow.
"These many ships though, what's your take Helmsman?" He folded his hands, letting the ship drift as he thought.
"It means we weren't the first here… The models and makes are wildly different too…" He trailed off.
"And what about that pyramid? Is that the research facility?"
"It should be?"
"Why's it so big though?"
"It's likely a war tier ship."
"War tier?"
"Mm… Tiers are generally how ships are evaluated. You have civilian grade, which is what most of this junkyard contains. You have military grade, which is like our ship and a few of the bigger more active ghosts as you saw. And you have war tier.
To better explain, civilian tier is made emphasizing speed, armor, and fuel economy. Military tend to focus more on firepower and armor. Whereas War types are made with only the most advanced tech. What this means is that the various tiers differ massively in size and capability. Civilian ships tend to be around half the size of their military counterparts. Whereas war tier ships can be anywhere between two or three times the size of a military tier ship."
"Wait… that freighter? Or that previous science vessel?"
"Freighter was civilian tier. I've only heard stories of war tier freighters and they tend to get… big. The research station was a civilian tier without a doubt too. Probably started by some idiot that thought they could use a zombie virus to make a super soldier serum or some shit."
…I bet that happens more than advertised.
We didn't end our combat station alert. I could feel the caution in the crew as we steadily made our way through the mass of wrecks. We just needed one of them to act funny and it would encourage the rest. We would survive, but the damage would likely be catastrophic. We moved slowly, steadily, with purpose like an apex predator waltzing through its territory.
I folded my hands together and leaned forward on my knees. I almost wanted the fight. The ship and I both dismissive of the cowards afraid to question us. Though, I imagine they found it difficult to go all in with a massive predator nearby. The research ship, if it could be called that, was an eyesore. If we were a sleeping giant, it was a titan. A massive moon eating monster. It wasn't fear of us that prevented them from going all out, instead it was fear of it. Its very presence pushing down on everything here.
They had moved to try and prevent us from carelessly waking it. Only when we proved our resolve, and the sharpness of our fangs did they relent. Like a crowd watching a fool, they must be delighting in our folly. Likely waiting, waiting for when we too joined them. Another ghost in the parade.
Not a pleasant thought. Nor was I happy with letting them go like this, nobody was, but we had bigger fish to fry. Only when we crossed through the wrecks did we relax. I leaned back in my chair as a collective breath was released.
"Right, after action report?" I asked. Helmsman stood up to stretch, everyone taking the second to work out nervous kinks.
"We used up a good portion of our munition in those two attacks."
"How much more do we have?"
"For an all-out blast like that? Maybe two or three?"
That's not good… Was it right to use so many munitions so soon? I was letting myself be dragged by the ship. But it felt right.
"Don't beat yourself up cap. You acted just like a pirate captain should. Fuck the consequences and show them all we are. Hiding your capabilities only causes more problems. And in this case your aggression and announcement probably saved us a pyrrhic fight."
I smiled at the compliment. "I did well then Helmsman?"
"Like a true captain, cap." The others didn't say anything, but I could tell they agreed.
"That's good to hear. Didn't know if I could, but it just felt right when we got into battle stations. Mm… like the whole crews' hearts and minds were all focused on me."
He gave me a wide grin at that. "And that's how you separate the captains from the true captains. Theory and knowledge won't help you when the chips are down. Instead, it's all about heart and grit. Just like in a real fight. Nobody wants to fight a feral dog. Which means you just need to be more feral than a feral dog."
"Heh… well good thing I have that in spades." A round of laughs follow.
"What now then? We crossed the junkyard."
"Mm… Well, the number of ships is concerning, but I imagine that many of the combat vessels were part of the science vessels original escort."
I nodded to that as I listened to a likely expert.
"The rest were opportunistic treasure hunters or idiots. We might see more ships in the vessel's hangar. Which means we need to gain access."
"And how do we do that?"
He shrugs.
"We circle it and see if we can't find an opening or weakness."
Which is exactly what happened. Our ship slowly circled the pyramid. Essentially licking it down with all our sensors as we looked over surface with a fine-tooth comb. Our team took shifts as the hours stretched. Combat stations were reduced to high alert. Which meant people were supposed to hang out in their defensive positions but didn't need to be actively on them.
Even I found myself sleeping in my room despite the tension in the air. We had dedicated monitors to watch the belt of junk, the ship graveyard as the minutes ticked on. It felt strange every time I collapsed onto my bed or took a shower. The strange juxtaposition of comfort in such a high stress situation.
The days stretched, but crew morale stayed high. The occasional trips around the ship for inspections revealed the crews' thoughts to me. I found myself unwilling to use my mind reading powers, no, I found it frustrating and annoying. The feeling of foreign thoughts wriggling into my mind was annoying. Especially as it got harder to discern them from mine.
Which meant I was reliant on word of mouth. And apparently the new crew was shocked by the balls I had, not that I had any. Combined with my occasional training spars with instructor at half intensity, the word of my prowess made the rounds. In a way, perhaps because I had voiced the words in all their hearts, I felt like the way the rest of the crew looked at me had changed.
They knew my strength. Heard about my power, but now, in a way I spoke for them. Spoke the words burning in their hearts as we faced off those ghost ships. We had been scavenging for some time, but ultimately, we were pirates. Strange to consider myself as one of them. But the burning in our blood, the lust for a fight was something we all carried. And now I felt myself more closely linked to their own bloodlust. That glint in their eyes as they joked and laughed.
Even the armorer carried a bloody aura around him as he checked over our weapons and armor. He was relishing, looking forward to the bloodshed. Almost disappointed that the ghosts had backed off like everyone else. It was obvious in their gazes as they looked at the monitors or out the point defense systems view ports. But that was nothing compared to the greed and thirst when they looked at the pyramid.
If this carried on longer, perhaps I would have to punch open an entrance for us. It was odd, but I felt like I would have serious trouble doing so. Maybe two or three full powered kame's would punch through it enough for us to enter. And that's if I went all out. It made me feel weak, inadequate, but it also made me frown. It was a vague sensation, but when I circled my ki at night. I had the vague notion that I was getting weaker.
I wasn't sure if it was true, but I was looking forward to testing it out on whatever may be in the pyramid. I couldn't sense much from within, but I felt a massive signature around the center. Its lifeforce gushing out like a fountain, a singularity sucking in everything. And I couldn't wait for the fight to come.
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