16. Krogoth

Chapter 16

Krogoth

Recruitment

M y pulse quickens in excitement as my fingers turn the lock on the hatch. Finally, after hours of searching, this has to be the place. I turn the wheel with eager determination.

As the hatch loosens with a satisfying click, I hold my breath, hoping to avoid detection. With a gentle push, I open the door all the way, the sound muffled by my careful touch.

Peering inside, I'm struck by the pristine white walls, polished to a mirror-like finish. It's a stark contrast to the dark, dank, slimy tunnels we just crawled through to get here.

My eyes adjust to the bright light, and I spot two shadows cast on the ground. A quick glance back at Xandor, and I silently signal the presence of two hostiles below with a series of hand signs.

I launch myself down the hatch. My muscles coiled like a spring. As I touch down on the ground with a lithe grace, a thud reverberates through the air, signaling Xandor's arrival.

As we enter the underground lair of the Whores Orphans, two of their members spin around, surprised by our sudden intrusion. In a flash, I am on them. My hand clamps tightly over one's mouth to muffle his screams as my other clawed hand punches through his chest with lethal precision.

The gang member slumps to the ground, his body limp and lifeless. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Xandor dispatch the second gang member in a similar brutal fashion.

My eyes dart around, scanning for any further signs of danger. The silence is deafening, and the surprising absence of any more gang members makes me uneasy.

Suddenly, I hear the muffled thuds of Logarn and Traxios as they make their way down the hatch to join us. I take a deep breath and focus, trying to decide which path to take. Three options lie before us, each one a potential danger.

Instinctively, I choose the room that the two gang members had been guarding. My gut tells me it must hold something of value, something that they were willing to risk their lives to protect.

I creep forward with cautious steps, my eyes scanning for any signs of danger. As I enter the next room, I crouch low to the ground, my muscles tense and ready to strike. But as the door whizzes open, I curse under my breath. The noise will give away our position.

Without a moment's hesitation, I rush into the room, my eyes darting around in search of any Whores Orphans members. But to my surprise, the room is empty. Instead of Whores Orphans, I find the room is filled with a series of holding cells with a control console facing them. We stumbled upon an interrogation room, and it's not empty.

As I make my way towards the closest holding cell, a strange gruff voice calls out from the corner cell. "Would you look at the size of this one!" it exclaims in a familiar accent. "I've seen smaller Mutalisks."

Intrigued, I move closer to the cell, careful not to touch the electrified bars that hum ominously. And that's when I see him- a small, squat Nebian with drooping red eyebrows and blue skin.

His large, bulbous nose dominates his face, while his small bottom teeth protrude upwards. Blood mottles his long, thick copper-colored hair and beard, and one eye is swollen shut. Signs of the frequent beatings he has endured. I stand, taking in his appearance in astonishment.

"Everything looks big to a Nebian," I snort back in retort. "So, the Whores Orphan's got one of you alive?" I ask.

"Aye, the bastards caught me unawares while I was repairing my ship's engine," the Nebian replies, his one good eye surveying Xandor and the others as they move closer to us.

Xandor sneers as he looks at the prisoner."That's a Nebian for you. Not much to look at without their battlesuits."

The Nebian doesn't flinch under Xandor's gaze. "You lads weren't much to look at either after we scraped you off our boots on Argon Six," he snorts.

"Enough!" I snap, my voice echoing off the walls. "We came here for your tech. No one mentioned anything about taking a prisoner." I turn on my heels, ready to leave the Nebian to his fate.

But he isn't finished yet. "Wait!" he pleads, hands up in surrender. "We've got off on the wrong foot. None too surprising, considering our people's current hostilities, which brings me to why I'm in this dung heap in the first place," he continues, taking a deep sigh. "I was part of a diplomatic mission that was heading to Klendathor. We were hoping to meet with your Council of Elders or the War Chieftain, Gorexius."

Xandor snorts derisively. "Fortunate for you that you didn't. Gorexius would have blasted your ship to pieces at first sight."

The Nebian's voice is determined as he ignores Xandor's retort. "It shames me to admit, but on our way to Klendathor, these junkers swarmed us." He clenches his fists, his good eye fills with anger. "We only had a small transport vessel, not equipped to deal with so many space junkers. We destroyed many. Oh yes, you can be sure of that! But even our shields gave way, eventually. The bastards boarded, executed the old ambassador Titxus on the spot." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "They captured me while I was trying to overload the ship's engine core. They dragged me out, along with some battlesuits, just in time before the ship went critical and exploded." He chuckles, his eyes filled with bitterness. "At least they didn't get the ship!"

"My condolences, little one, but I fail to see why we should care?" I ask, my eyes fixed intently on him.

"Of course you should care! We were heading to your planet hoping to negotiate a truce separate from the fallen Scythians," he replies fervently.

"You were coming to surrender? On what terms?"Xandor interjects eagerly.

"Not surrender, you block-headed savage. A truce! You know what peace means?" he retorts sharply before continuing, "Regarding the details… I know them not. Titxus was the ambassador. My job was keeping the equipment in tiptop shape."

A glimmer of hope ignites within me at his words. If what he says is true, this could be a way to break free finally from the Scythians' iron grip and reclaim our lost freedom. If we could negotiate a separate peace with the Nebians, the Scythians would be extremely hard pressed without us as their vanguard. We might finally launch a daring rescue mission to save our beloved long-lost females from their cruel clutches.

"He's coming with us," I say after a pause.

"Chieftain, you can't trust anything he says. How do we know he wasn't coming to Klendathor to drop a virus bomb?" Xandor protests.

The Nebian snorts in response. "A virus bomb? You'd bet your ass lad that we would have sent a lot more than one transport ship if that was the case."

I turn to Xandor, my voice firm. "We have to take a chance," I say, taking a brief pause. "This is our best chance to get out from under the Scythians' hold." I turn to the Nebian. "How do we get you out of here?"

The Nebian nods and points. "You see that panel on the wall? That's the power relay. If you remove the modu—"

Before he can finish, Xandor has already torn off the panel and ripped out the circuitry, causing sparks to fly everywhere and the bars to stop humming.

"Voiding madman," the Nebian mutters under his breath.

I tap the bars of the cell with my index finger claw, testing that the electric current has dissipated. Satisfied, I take a deep breath as I wedge my back against the bar and push off the wall with my legs. My muscles bulge and strain as I hear the bars groan in protest, but with a satisfying creak, the gap widens enough for the Nebian to squeeze through.

The Nebian stands in awe, his eyes wide with amazement at the display of raw power. "By the stars, you lads don't mess around," he exclaims.

"Name's Felixus, and you have my thanks," he says, giving a brief bow in respect.

"Welcome, Felixus. I'm Krogoth, and these are Xandor, Logarn, and Traxios," I say, introducing my companions as I point to each of them.

"Pleasure, lads," Felixus replies with a nod of his head. "The tech's this way. There might be a few Whores Orphans there, I reckon."

I turn and begin striding purposefully down the corridor as Felixus follows the group close behind.

"Try to keep up with those short legs," Xandor taunts, grinning slyly at Felixus.

"I'm just avoiding your stench," Felixus retorts with a grimace.

As we approach the end of the corridor, I can hear muffled sounds coming from behind the door. I signal to the others, and we ready ourselves for the coming fight. As the door swishes open with a loud hiss, I charge through with all the force I can muster, my battle cry echoing off the walls.

Four members of the Whores Orphan gang stand before us, guarding crates and boxes in what looks like some kind of engineering room. Their faces twist with terror and surprise. They are armed with ballistic rifles, but thankfully we have caught them off guard.

Without hesitation, we charge towards them, our claws bared. One of them fires off a shot, but Logarn takes him out before he can do any actual damage. We effortlessly tear through the rest of the group, their screams echoing down the empty corridor. I pick up one of their fallen rifles, examining the caliber and heft of the gun. The primitive weapon lacks the stopping power that our brutal claws can deliver, so I leave them.

My eyes scan the workbenches, which are strewn with the disassembled parts of various Nebian battlesuits. It's clear the Whores Orphan gang are attempting to run tests on them or repair the broken suits, but it looks like they have failed miserably so far. None of the pieces seem functional.

Felixus jogs around, inspecting each pile of disassembled battlesuits, rubbing his chin. "Good, the junkers didn't manage to fix them." He picks up a piece of chest armor, inspecting it. "I reckon with this lot, I could make a suit."

"No, we're taking this back to Javik," I declare firmly, eyeing Felixus. "Grab that box, load them up with this stuff,"I say, looking at the others.

The others hurry to shove the tech into the container. "Easy, you'll damage them!" Felixus exclaims as he carefully piles the tech on top.

"How are we going to get this stuff back up the tunnel shaft?" Xandor asks, suddenly thoughtful.

Felixus takes a step forward, his broad chest expanding as he speaks. "I know the way to the elevator the Whores Orphans used to bring it down here. It'll take us right to the surface."

I nod in agreement, acknowledging Felixus' plan. "Show us," I say, turning my gaze towards him. Logarn and Traxios swiftly hoist the tech container onto their broad shoulders, and we proceed through the brightly lit corridors. Each creak of the metal walls has us on edge, reminding us of the danger that lurks around every corner.

As we approach the elevator, Felixus moves to the control panel, his fingers tapping urgently on the buttons. "Voiding thing. It's in use," he mutters, frustration evident in his voice. I quickly order everyone to take up defensive positions, ready for whatever is coming our way.

Logarn and Traxios lower the container to the ground. Felixus quickly cowers behind it, while the rest of us take up flanking positions on either side of the elevator doors. We wait in tense silence, our eyes fixed on the elevator doors.

It feels like a lifetime, the silence only disturbed by the sounds of our breathing. Finally, the door opens and I hear the heavy clank of machinery.

"What in the void is this?" a hulking figure emerges, donning a yellow Nebian battlesuit. My heart sinks at the sight of it, knowing that we're ill-equipped to face off against such a formidable opponent. But there's no time to waste. We must act now or Felixus will be discovered.

My instincts take over as I launch myself onto the back of the towering Whores Orphan, determined to disable the yellow Nebian battlesuit. With all my strength, I tear at the plates between the neck, searching for a weakness to exploit. The others join the fray, frantically attacking the machine with everything we have.

The suit operator spins around, trying to dislodge us, but I cling on, refusing to let go. Suddenly, it flings Traxios with tremendous force. He crashes into the wall with a sickening thud. I watch in horror as the battlesuit raises its arm, unleashing an intense crimson laser barrage that rips through Traxios, burning hundreds of red-hot holes straight through him. In an instant, his life is extinguished.

"Get the void off me," a voice booms from within the battlesuit. I cling on with all my might as the operator frantically stomps around the room, trying to throw us off. Just as I think I am losing my grip, the cockpit suddenly opens and the Whores Orphan operator is catapulted into the ceiling at a terrifying speed. The impact is bone-jarring. With a sickening crunch, he lands on the floor in a crumpled heap.

I let go of the machine, standing in stunned silence. But Felixus wastes no time taking advantage of the chaos. He hops up the front of the battlesuit and assumes control of the machine. I feel a sinking feeling in my chest as I realize my mistake. I should have stopped him ! If he's hostile, Felixus will rip us to shreds in seconds.

Felixus' laughter echoes through the room, amplified by the battlesuit's speakers. He directs the machine towards Xandor, who is winded and struggling to catch his breath. "Look who's the small one now, lad!" he taunts. Dread grips me as I think about the danger my old friend is in. I'm powerless to stop Felixus if he turns on us.

The battlesuit moves closer to the crumpled form of the Whores Orphan as I breathe a sigh of relief. Felixus unleashes a quick burst of laser barrage into the fallen figure. "Payback, you bastard," he mutters under his breath.

I hurry over to Traxios, hoping against hope that he's still alive. However, Nebian laser fire has left him poked front to back with hundreds of charred holes. It's no use. He's gone, and we can't take his body with us. There's still too much work to do. Suddenly, exhaustion threatens to overwhelm me. We have been fighting ever since we stepped foot on this hellish station. I look at my companions and see my fatigue mirrored back. Especially Xandor. He moves sluggishly, protectively clutching his injured ribs. I take a deep breath, steeling myself to press on, so close to the end. So close to seeing Pebbles again.

Felixus pivots the battlesuit toward me. "Sorry about your friend, but you lot are crazy void sons, trying to take down a battlesuit unarmed!" he exclaims. "And this one… I guess he tried to engage the flight mode but hit the eject button instead." He points to the lifeless body of the Whores Orphan with his massive mechanical arm. "Never seen bad luck like it."

It's a sobering thought to think we only survived because of a freak accident. "Felixus, what are you going to do now?" I ask. The situation is tense. There is no way Felixus is ever going to return the battlesuit or the other parts. He holds all the power. Without our war gear, we could never overcome him.

"The way I see it, nothing's changed, lad. I'm still up for leaving this dung heap of a station with you on your ship, but only until I can contact my people and resume negotiations. But mark my words, I won't let these junkers or any others get their grubby hands on my people's technology."

Xandor chimes in, his tone cautious, "I don't trust Javik. He'll double cross us regardless of what we do."

After a moment of thought, I propose a plan."Let's take the broken parts to Javik, hiding the functional battlesuit, and get the Elerium we need for the ship. But we need to be prepared to steal the technology back from him."

With Felixus on board, we all agree on the plan and head towards the elevator to make our way up to the surface. It takes a long time passing through the intricate network system of old miner tunnels. I let out a sigh of relief, grateful I don't have to endure the rope climb again, carrying all these parts.

As the elevator doors open, the nauseating view of the station's dim and grimy surface greets us. Felixus turns to us. "See you over at Javik's." With that, his battlesuit vents explode to life, sending him flying off into the distance, barely visible at the apex of the roofed station.

Xandor chimes in, "Nice trick that. The Scythians never give us anything that good!"

"With that kind of tech, we could take on anything. Unfortunately, they don't build them for our size," I reply, half-jokingly.

Stepping out of the elevator, I take a moment to get my bearings and figure out where we are. This part of the station seems unfamiliar in the dimly lit surroundings. But soon enough, I spot Javik's large stone building as it looms in the distance, and we make our way through the dark and dingy alleyways, carrying the container of Nebian battlesuit parts.

Passing by the drugged-out residents, I can feel their strange looks on us, but I watch for any hostile intent. We are so close to winning what we need. I just hope Pebbles and the others are still safe on the ship. It feels like an eternity since I last saw her, and the thought of anything happening to her puts a knot in my stomach.

Arriving at the stone steps leading up to Javik's imposing building, the Crimson Beast on guard nods for us to go in when he casts his eyes over what we are carrying.

As we step inside the building's hallway, a group of heavily armed guards stops us. I see the defense positions and security measures scattered around the room, and it's clear Javik isn't taking any chances.

It's no surprise, really. This Godless sewer is known for its treachery and deceit. If Javik plans to meet us here, he's surely intending to double-cross us on our deal. But we're not about to back down.

After a moment, Javik emerges from his own room. Walking over confidently, his huge sharp teeth make a wide grin as he takes in the sight of the Nebian technology in the container.

"Amazing! I'm impressed," he says as he ruffles through bits and pieces.

"Is this all the Whores Orphans had?" he demands, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Yes, of course we brought everything," I reply, keeping my voice steady.

"I see…" Javik says thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the desk. "Very well, a deal's a deal, as they say." He gestures to one of his members, who places a case on the desk in front of me.

"It's been a pleasure," Javik adds with a sly smile, inclining his large horned head.

I cautiously approach the case, wary of any potential treachery, and gingerly open it. Inside, I behold several pounds of the peculiar, orange-hued Elerium, its gentle glow and swirling motion confirming its authenticity. Beside it lies the promised credit chip, just as promised.

But then Javik's words give me pause. "You must think me a fool, Klendathian! A crippled Scythian battlebarge with a handful of crew. You're deserters through and through. And what would they do if they knew I aided you? No, I think they'll pay handsomely for the return of their warship, along with the traitors who stole it. So long!" Javik turns his back and walks away.

Before he's even finished speaking, I rush to take cover behind the large stone pillar close to the door entrance. Hails of ballistics rain down, sending chips of pillar and floor whizzing through the air. I'm relieved to see Xander and Logarn have also taken cover. If Felixus doesn't show, we will have real trouble escaping with our lives.

Right on cue, a colossal form comes crashing down through the ceiling, shaking the very foundations of the building. The air is filled with chaos as debris and dust fly everywhere, and the blinding flashes of ruby laser fire pierce through the smoke. The sounds of gunfire mix with the agonizing screams of the dying Crimson Beasts, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other.

One of the heavily fortified positions unleashes a barrage of bullets at Felixus' battlesuit, but they prove to be futile against its high-velocity shields that shimmer red, deflecting each impact. Felixus effortlessly hovers by to the next level and unleashes a devastating concentrated laser burst, obliterating an entire section of the room and its walls in a brilliant explosion of red light and heat.

As the dust settles, there is only the sound of falling masonry. I peek out to see Felixus picking up the container of Nebian battlesuit parts. I come out to join him in the center of the room, checking the case and its contents are ok. My attention is quickly drawn to Javik's lifeless body, crushed under the weight of Felixus' dramatic entrance.

"A Nebian saving a Klendathian's hide. Who would have thought we'd ever see the day?" Felixus' laughter echoes through the broken hallway.

"We saved you first!" Xandor protests.

"You wanted to leave me to rot in that cell, laddie!" Felixus retorts. "So, have you got what you came for?" he asks, turning his large machine in my direction.

"Yes, Elerium, to power the ship," I explain, "We must hurry. The Psykes will be nearly finished repairing the ship by now."

Pebbles, please be ok .