Chapter Text
My heavy boots thudded down the stairs, even in the microgravity their weight clanged against the cold metal of the ship's floor. It echoed in the steel walls of the warship along with the general quarters alarm. Other crew members were running to their stations in something akin to organized chaos. I was panting hard as I entered the Combat Control Center. I ran past the other watch-stations to get to mine and leapt into my control chair. The low gravity made the maneuver quick and easy. I buckled my harness and slid my interface helmet on in an eager panic. An electric knife stabbed the base of my skull, the data spike driving into my neural socket. I clenched my teeth suppressing a scream. I hated this damn thing even if it made me effectively a part of the ship's weapon system. My vision flooded with exterior camera views. I could move, zoom and focus with a mere thought. Hell, I could damn near feel them. Weapons system data filled my peripheral sight showing me available rapid railgun and missile systems and ammunition statuses. “Weapons Coordinator, manned and ready.” I reported in over the comm system.
Other watch-standers reported their statuses in short order, “Tactical Officer, manned and ready”
“Radar Operator, manned and ready.”
“Sensor Management, manned and ready.” There were some absences since the surrender a few weeks back. The Combat Control Center was running with four people, down from the normal ten. The entire ship was running on a skeleton crew and we were branded ‘rebels’. It sounded cooler than it was.
With the Combat Team ready we only needed...“Bridge Team, manned and ready, all airlocks and bulkheads set to combat status. The ship is now at general quarters.” Now we were ready to fight.
“CNS Hade’s Fury, this is your Captain. This is no drill. An affini ship has been detected at 7000 kilometers away. They are heading straight for us.” I felt cold sweat form beads on my skin. The feeling was distant with my mind merged with the ship. “This is what we trained for, armed for, and sent to war for. The Terran government may have given up, but we did not. Let’s make these damned weeds pay for every bloody inch.” Cheers echoed in my headset. I did not join them. I was laser focused.
“Affini ship in visual range,” The sensor station reported. “187 degrees and closing from above.” I slewed my cameras and saw the writhing tentacles,...vines,...whatever at the edge of the camera's range.
“Weapons Coordinator confirms,” I reported. “In range for phoenix missiles.”
“Launch,” Captain Silverstone ordered with authority.
I obeyed, my thoughts translating into raw data coursed through my surgical interface and into the Hades herself. A salvo of missiles leapt in an arc from one camera, the other still fixated on the growing enemy ship. It was rather pretty watching the orange-yellow trail of thrust illuminate the black of space. “25 missiles away.” I watched intently as they streaked towards the strange, organic looking craft. With about 50 kilometers before missile impact my missile status changed from a cheery green, to a blaring red. I swapped my attention back to the exterior camera and watched in abject terror as all 25 missiles sputtered out and drifted harmlessly around the still inbound ship. “All missiles lost, preparing second salvo,” I reported calmly, but my insides were turning to water.
“Launch second salvo!” the Captain boomed.
“Second salvo launched,” I watched fingers crossed, palms sweaty, but it was the same. The missiles simply stopped before impact and became more space debris. “All...all missiles lost.” I stuttered out. “We are out of Phoenix missiles.” I cycled up the Mjolnir missiles, the ingrained training overriding my fear and hesitation. These were shorter in range due to the larger warhead. Probably not going to work either if they can just kill them before impact, I thought to myself. After these it’s just the railguns and intel says they do nothing to affini ships. A light bulb suddenly went off. “Captain, I have an idea.”
“Go ahead, Weapons.” I told him. I could almost see him smile as I did.
With the Captain’s blessing I began overriding the internal guidance systems of the Mjolnir’s. I had a graphic projection in my visor showing the Hade’s and the enemy vessel. Which was big. Really, really big. Focus, Reva. Then I overlaid the point in which the Phoenix missiles went dead in space in relation to the affini’s ship. Using that data I manipulated 40 different missile flight paths into the most destructive design I could. This was over the course of 30 seconds. The socket began to heat and burn the back of my head with all the data I was processing. I pushed through the pain. This was our last shot. My suffering was insignificant in the long run. The affini ship started to enter my predetermined range. I started to spin up the Mjolnirs. They started to feel eager and hungry as they came online; my organic emotions and weapons data bleeding over in my brain. I switched to the exterior camera, the vine like maw writhing of the enemy closing in. They were hungry, too. A tentacle crossed my launch point. “Ship in range, firing full Mjolnir salvo!” I shouted as the large, bulky Mjolnirs lurched from their tubes, their payloads heavy with fusion material. If anything might damage the behemoth, it was these. Once again as the missiles neared they abruptly shut off. As soon as they did I pulled up the drift path of each missile and watched my pattern form. As each one glided into place, a green halo surrounded it. “Activating railguns!” the ship shuddered with each rapidfire hypersonic shot. I didn’t target the ship, I targeted the now floating, but still deadly Mjolnirs.
My world turned a painful blue white as the missiles detonated. I lost complete visual of the affini vessel in the camera blinding explosions. Whoops and cheers echoed through the ship, and this time I did join them! There’s no way 40 Mjolnirs that close to their hull would fail to at least damage their ship. We might survive to fight another day. We could keep our freedom! A sudden jolt rocked the Hades and jerked me into my restraints. My visor now showed me nothing but a mass of vines.
Dread filled my veins, my stomach dropped out and I had to force down the feeling to vomit. We had failed.
“Crew, prepare for boarding! Gasmasks on! Eliminate as many of these stardamned weeds as you can. We are free terrans and we will not give up!” Captain Silverstone screamed into the announcing system from the bridge. I ripped my interface plug out, ow, fuck, tossed my helmet and hit the harness quick release. Next I grabbed my gasmask, sliding it over my face, the sealing rubber pressing uncomfortably into my stubble reminding me I was in desperate need of a shave. My dysphoria was the least of my worries right now. Besides, the mask was somewhat comforting; I could hear my breath echoing through the valves. I used that to slow my breathing conserving my limited oxygen. I took a few more breaths to reclaim feeling in my limbs and build a mental wall to keep the fear out. Ready, I rolled out of the console chair. I grabbed the small external O2 bottle and clipped it to my belt. The visor HUD read 30 minutes of air. Gasmask fixed and ready, I drew my weapon from my pocket, a standard issue slug pistol. The rest of Combat was doing much the same.
My hands shook as I removed the magazine and retracted the slide in a quick weapons check. Three rounds was all I had to protect myself from these walking abominations. Weapon supplies were laughably inadequate and the security teams got dibs. I didn’t even have a proper holster.
I waited by my console, hoping the security teams could repel the boarding. I could hear distant gunfire and screams and...cooing? What the actual fuck. We had heard the affini kept humans as pets, as well as other things, but cooing? We were actively shooting them! A faint, pinkish mist started coming through the vents. Intel said they used gas and pheromones. Most completely ignored filters hence the fully sealed gasmasks. I idly fingered the round chain and lock at my neck to keep me grounded and keep my mental wall intact.
“Um, hello, terrans. Can you hear me? OK, I’m Sele Efee, 4th Bloom.”
“Oh, fuck me,” Petty Officer Schane, the big sensor operator exclaimed. “They took the bridge!” The rest of the watch team grumbled and cursed as well. The bridge was the most guarded space for the captains sake, and they took it in less than five minutes.
I put my hand on his large shoulder. He looked back at me, terror in his eyes. I wanted to tell him so badly that we had a chance, that we could make it out. I wasn’t a liar, though and I owed my sailor more. “Be strong for what comes next,” I whispered to him. “The most important thing is to survive.” He nodded back shakily, his pistol wavering in his thick hands.
“Yes, chief, I mean ma’am,” he corrected, breath heavy in his mask.
The affini continued, “I am the leader of this planking party.” The watch team shot each other an incredulous look. I could hear some whispers in the background of the announcement. “Oh, OK, boarding party. Anyway, I am begging you, as adorable as your struggles are, please stop shooting at us. Two of your fellow crew mates have been shot by…” more whispers, “friendly fire. Wow, that’s a weird term. All of you are in violation of the Human Domestication Treaty. You will be found, good, new homes and well cared for by a loving owner.” All of Combat screamed in outrage at that little nugget. Fuck that, nobody owns me! A small voice crept in, the Cosmic Navy does. I waved the intrusive thought away and listened to the rest of the affini’s announcement. “Judging by a few of you, you could use some medical treatment and real food. Wouldn’t that be nice? We just want…”
“OK team,” shouted the Tactical Officer over the announcement. He was a Lieutenant Commander named Brandt. And he was a reedy little tool bag. “These botanical nightmares are coming for us, but we are terran! Stack up by the door. As soon as you see green, you shoot.”
The rest of the watch team nodded in agreement except for me and Schane. “Sir, they took the bridge. Security team had actual rifles. We need a better plan.” I countered.
Brandt wheeled on me in fury, “Listen here, Kimber, you’re not in charge here. We are going to stack up and when the time comes...”
I interrupted, “and, what annoy them?” I motioned to a corner hatch in the deck. “Let’s get down to engineering, it's a maze down there. We can find a more secure location and buy us some time.”
“You’re out of line, officer ,” he sneered, the voice box on his gasmask making him sound tinier than normal, “and I don’t tolerate insubordination.” He cocked his arm back, pistol in hand ready to strike me. I cringed away and braced for the heavy blow, but it didn’t come. The bulkhead doors flew open and a mass of vines snatched up Brandt.
Bye, Bye Brandt I thought self-satisfied for half a second.
“Now, now that looks dangerous. Lemme just take that away. You could hurt yourself,” the tangle vines said disapprovingly wrapping the human into a nice tight bundle, the gun clattering harmlessly to the deck. The thing had a human-esuqe head perched on top of body bursting with foliage and writhing limbs. It had to stoop through the doors.
I shook myself out of my stunned inaction and let my fear turn to pure adrenaline, I sprinted towards the hatch. Long, calculated strides that propelled me there in short order. I frantically jammed the button to open it, “Let’s go!” I called to my team, hoping they could follow and escape the affini. I saw the thing wrap up another sailor. Schane ran towards me, I waved him when a vine whipped out and grabbed him a meter from me and drug him back towards the alien. “No!” I shouted. Normally in low-g you could practically float to the next deck. I needed to be faster, so I pushed myself down. In my panic I pushed too hard and hit the deck with force. I felt my left leg buckle and snap beneath me. “Fuck!” I howled in pain. I looked back up, no one else was making their way down here. I turned and limped painfully to the nearest door. A supply closet. I dragged myself into it and locked the door. I slumped down, my head hitting the steel bulkhead with a quiet thump. That knocked my neural socket just right to give a small shock. Fucking implant! I never wanted the stupid thing. My breathing was heavy and loud in my mask, the remaining oxygen had dropped to 12 minutes due to all the exertion. I looked up at the vent. Pink mist still flowed. “Fuck, fuck!” I cried quietly, not wanting to attract the things attention. I left my shipmates up there and all because Brandt wanted to play martyr. It didn’t matter, I’d be next, no way it didn’t see me slide down here. Just have to hope it overlooks this clos...
Something rapped on the door, the whole compartment reverberated at the strength of it. It set my ears ringing. “Knock, knock,” the creature said, pulling me out of my spiral.
“That wasn’t a knock, ow.” I responded out of habit, the agony from my broken leg stealing energy from the terror.
“Oh, sorry about that,” it genuinely sounded remorseful. “You, OK in there?”
Why not have a conversation with a three meter alien that wants to put a leash on me? Not much else I could do at this point. “No, my legs busted and,..” I started to answer before realization dawned on me, “hey, you can just come in and get me, right?”
“I mean yes, but, we got everybody else, so I have time to spare.”
“OK, why have a conversation with me first?”
It paused for a moment, “You seem a nice terran, thought I’d give you the chance to surrender, gives you more options on the other side of this.”
“So, you’re not going to eat me?” I asked, “that's what all the media told us you’d do.”
“No, of course not. Sele already said you'd be taken care of. Maybe domesticated to make good pets. You’d make a good pet, little one.”
That should have freaked me out more than it did, instead my brain dialed in on ‘little one.’I touched my necklace again, something panged in me that I hadn’t felt in years. “Please don’t call me that.”
“OK, what's your name then, petal.”
I twinged at the pet name, “Reva, Lieutenant Reva Kimber. And you?”
“Vilus Virillia, 1st Bloom. She/her, please and thank you.”
“Wait, you introduce yourselves with pronouns?”
“Seems polite to do so. What are yours?”
I sighed. I was given more validation by an invading alien than most of my crew. “She/her and thank you for asking.” I looked at my oxygen, seven minutes left.
“So, Reva, do I have to come and get you?”
I looked around the closet for an exit, or a magical portal, or some random super-weapon. It was fresh out. Only some dust mops and sponges Well, I’m fucked. I dropped the magazine, ejected the round, and tossed the gun from my pocket onto the deck. It clanged loudly on the metal lattice. “No, no, I’ll open the door.” I started to get up to reach the panel and white hot agony exploded in my leg. I grunted and screamed still trying to reach the damn panel. The door burst open as soon as I started howling and Vilus filled the entire doorway and more. Despite scaring the shit out of me she had a strange, pleasing face for a plant monster Except for the thorn like teeth, those were unsettling. She was hunched over to even see me. Her eyes glittered an interesting blue flecked here and there with gold. She looked, amused? Concerned? Both, probably. I fell back to the deck.
“Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” she smiled warmly and in a somewhat placating manner. Her arms reached towards me, reddish brown bark covered the limb with bright green foliage decorated with distracting patterns of electric blue. The patterns had me trying to trace their graceful loops and swirls. I turned my attention to what looked like her hand. It was covered in much the pattern, different shaped leaves taking on the function of the palm and fingers.
I flinched away. “Wait, I surrendered. That means I can negotiate somewhat, right?”
“As much as a rebel on a feral ship can.”
Answer, not much. “Let me keep my boots and my co...necklace.” She smiled at the slip, “and my stuff, if you can. I don't know if you get personal items before scrapping the ship. Hell, I don't know if I can have personal items anymore. I mean I’m about to be a pet, maybe…” I trailed off noticing my anxious rambling.
“I’ll see what I can do, petal” Once again she reached out towards me. I saw thorn like needles protruding out her not-fingers and recoiled. “They’re painkillers for your leg, nothing bad. I promise.”
“I don’t like needles.” I complained. Which was true, but I also didn’t want xenodrugs in my system having been told they melted your mind and erased your personality.
“Well then,” her needles disappeared into her foliage, “we’ll put those away.’ She knelt down, her strange arm-like appendage cradling me, cautious of my leg. “Aaand scoop!” I was super glad of the gas mask since it hid my blushing. Until she knocked it off, the mask tumbling and clattering on the deck. Impossible to reach from her arms, I still reached weakly for it, the thick, cloying scent of whatever they pumped through the air vents now entering my lungs. My limbs grew, oh so heavy. Now instead of terrifying and humiliating, it simply felt sooooo good to be in Vilus’s arms.
“Now something for the pain. She plucked a pretty sapphire blue flower from her shoulder and held it to my face. I tried to turn away. She wasn't having it, “Ah, ah, ahh.” Her arm contorted, forcing my face towards the descending flower. The petals shifted, conforming to my face. A different scent flooded the organic mask, it was a lighter scent then the agent they used on the ship. I giggled a bit as it tickled my face and made my head feel light and floaty. The pain from my leg melted away to almost nothingness, and then, I slept.