Grinde Galaxy Chapter 9

 

Chapter 9

Allen crossed his arms. A fireplace appeared next to him, complete with a fulfilling warmth. “You may wonder why you’re here and not inside the psychic maw of that DNA scalper.”

“I’ve never heard that term before.”

“Right, there appears to be a lot that your government doesn’t tell you.” Allen rested his chin on his hands. “A DNA scalper is a being who scouts planets for synth conquest and engineers cults to hamstring the defense when the invasion does happen. They are, quite literally, demonic heretics.”

“I’ve never liked that term.”

A chair flew out from infinite space and slid underneath me.

Allen waved his hand. “Sit.”

I sat.

Allen snapped his fingers and a bottle of wine appeared in the same way.

“That’s Brudox. Vintage ninety-seven?”

Allen raised an eyebrow. “You know your wines.”

I grimaced. “I kind of had to. One of the major things I delt in was fine wines. They’re really easy to pilfer, but really hard to discern the true value of.”

“You were a fence.”

“Not just any fence. The best one in Altris City.”

“Hm.” Allen tilted his head. “But in any case, that does not apply now. I was able to protect your consciousness from the psychic blast of the DNA scalper. However, I was not so fortunate with your Rhymarchi friend.”

“He’s not really my friend.”

“No matter. If you end up saving him, things will turn out better for the both of us.”

“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t think I chose to travel with you without my own goals?”

“Then what are you after?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Allen stood up. “You’re about to enter the spectral realm. Nothing you have learned from your experience in the physical realm can prepare you for what is going to happen.”

“So I need to find Ang and rescue him.”

“Exactly.” Allen snapped his finger and a dot appeared in the far white distance. It rushed up until it flew past me like a freight train. When it stopped, abruptly, I saw it was a line of racks filled with weaponry.

Allen grabbed a shotgun and tossed it to me. “If you die here, you die in real life. Not that I really had to warn you about that.”

I grabbed a few grenades, a pistol, and a visor. After snapping all my equipment together, I sighted the gun. “I’m ready when you are.”

Allen nodded. “Be careful. My reach doesn’t extend into the DNA scalper’s realm.”

“Understood.”

Allen snapped his fingers. A rushing wind drew up around me, blowing my clothes in all directions. I fell into a deep, dark pit, extending in all directions for infinity. Teeth the size of buildings surrounded me. A landscape of oozing, pulsating flesh materialized out of the darkness. I landed with a splatter on a piece of meaty goo. Standing up, I checked my visor, and engaged my newly acquired enviro-shield.

The light of my flashlight swept across red meat. The walls breathed. In the distance, someone screamed in terrible pain.

I started forward. No entity made contact with me as I went deeper into the tunnel.

I found Ang. He was only half visible, covered in that meaty goo that made up the walls. His eyes were closed, and his clothing was gone.

I knelt beside him and checked his pulse. I wasn’t even sure if that translated to this psychic world, but when I pressed my fingers against his neck, I could feel his heartbeat.

I took out a pill of smelling salts and snapped it underneath his nose. His eyes flickered open.

“Squire.” He tried to move, but the meaty tendrils bound him to the wall. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re in the spectral realm.” I began to hack at the meat surrounding him.

“Why are you saving me?”

“Because you’re my commanding officer.” I managed to separate the tentacle holding down his left arm.

Ang began to assist me. “I’m sorry you had to see me in this state. You are as brave a soldier as any Rhymarchi.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” I hacked away at the meat until his right arm was freed.

With a herculean effort, Ang ripped his body free of his tentacle chains. He flexed his arm.

“We’re good.”

I tossed him a pistol. “We don’t know what’s going to come at us. Remember, if you die here you die for real.”

“Then let’s get going.”

Allen: I can only speak to you for a moment. Go north, and when you reach a fork, take the left pathway. Be careful of – The transmission garbled and cut off.

“You okay?” Ang looked at me with concern. “I don’t want my only ticket out of here to die because he wasn’t paying attention.”

“How do you know I know the way out?”

“Well you found me, didn’t you?”

“I guess.” I pointed my flashlight down the tunnel. “It just so happens that you’re right. Let’s go.” We went along the tunnel, which got increasingly disturbing the further we traveled. The whole place reminded me of a slaughterhouse. We reached the fork.

Ang’s eyes lit up. “This way!”

He started towards the right pathway.

“No, wait!”

Ang rushed into the tunnel. I ran after him. The moment I stepped into the opening a metal door slammed shut behind me. All I had was my shotgun and the attached flashlight.

“Ang? Commander?” I took a few ginger steps forward.

“This way, squire!” I heard Ang’s voice echo across the walls.

I followed his voice. After a few minutes of careful walking I came across Ang. He had his flashlight pointed at a large object, appearing like an egg made of metal and glass.

“The orrery.”

“So that’s what it looks like.”

Ang walked up and touched it. “This is what we were searching for.”

“Why would it be here?”

“I do not know, squire.”

The orrery lit up with a sudden burst of colored light. A shadowy figure was illuminated inside of the device.

“Abla pan tech no quarti.” The machine beeped.

“What the hell?” Ang took a step back.

The machine rumbled. “Dootus NonCraftica? Albative Persista?”

Ang tilted his head. “I think it’s trying to communicate.”

The machine beeped. “Thou hast understood my missive.” The machine spit out an archaic form of Royal Validian.

“Yes. I understand you.” I spoke in Royal Validian.

“Boy.” Ang also spoke in Royal Validian, though it was a bit accented. “You know how to speak this language?”

“And so does this machine, apparently.”

The machine rumbled. “It hath been long since I last laid eyes on a slave race.”

“What the hell is this machine talking about?”

Allen: You … Static Idiot more static.

“Why don’t you ask it?”

Ang grimaced. “Oh great machine. What do you mean by that?”

“Thou art homo sapiens, no?”

“Well, yes, we are.”

The machine clicked. “The stars. They have changed. But your species has not. Or has it? I sense that you are a very interesting specimen. Has your species begun the process of immolating its own genetic code?”

“I am a proud Rhymarchi, fist of the Empire.”

“Hm.” The machine squeaked. “But first we must leave this spectral realm.”

Reality flashed, and we were standing in the room we had been in before. The orrery floated above us. Tentacles rose from the ground, surrounding it.

“I request thy help!” The orrery started spinning, trying to avoid the tentacles.

Allen: You imbecile. You woke up the orrery.

Me: I’m still going to help it.

Allen: I would reprimand you, but at the same time it was not your fault. It was the fault of your idiot officer. No matter. We shall go with the cards we have been dealt.

Ang drew his power sword. “Die, you squid monster!” He began tearing at the monstrosity with his blade.

I fired off my last clip of ammunition.

The orrery blazed with an infinite amount of colored lasers, flying in every direction, coating the walls with photonic radiation. The synth monstrosity receded, flowing away into the vents.

“You fought bravely.” The orrery turned to focus its vision on Ang.

In the physical realm, the orrery was a lot less impressive. It was simply a ball of energy surrounded by three rotating rings. The rings swept past each other as they rotated, each one fitting snugly inside the last. The orrery bobbed up and down a bit as it floated.

“That is who I am. I fight.” Ang walked towards the orrery. “My mission is to retrieve you.”

“I shall not allow it!” The orrery trained a laser on Ang. “You shall not bring me to my death!”

“I can guarantee your safety.” Ang held out his hand. “The tech priests would never harm an artifact of the tolk.”

“Your backwards race has no understanding of my function. I am a proud print construct.”

“I don’t understand what that means, but I’m sure if you try to negotiate with the priests, they will understand.”

“No mere slave race—”

A shock bolt exploded from my interface device and surrounded the orrery.

Allen: Access code 10496. Force of will.

The orrery froze. “You. You cannot—” Its voice modulated. “Okay. I shall travel with you.”

Ang looked at me with a curious expression. “Squire. What did you just do?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

Ang shook his head. “We’re dealing with a mystery then.” He walked up to the orrery. “Well, it looks like I can carry this back.” He grabbed it—it was about the size of a small child—and strapped it to his armor.

I remembered his armor falling off at some point, but the warp of the spectral realm had confuddled my memory. I’m sure it wasn’t anything to worry about.

I hoped.

We returned to the spot where the tunnel ended, opening into the gigantic shaft. The anchor I had placed was still there. Ang went first, carrying the orrery on his back, and I followed. When we returned Isac and the other Rhymarchi and squires were waiting.

“Captain!” Isac saluted. “I felt a disturbance in the psychic field. Are you all right?”

“I am, thanks to your squire.” Ang clapped Isac on the shoulder. “You made a good decision with this boy here. He’s going to go places we can’t even imagine.”

Isac looked at me with an interested expression. “I knew you were more than you appeared, Mythe.”

“His name is Mythe?” Ang looked at me critically. “I will remember that.”

Isac nodded. “He’s my squire, though. Don’t try to poach him.”

Ang chuckled. “I would never.” He lifted his chin. “Let’s go. We have the orrery. It’s time for extraction.”

The entire trip to the surface, Allen was silent. I thought about asking him what had happened, but thought better of it. He would tell me when he was ready.

We reached the surface and were extracted by a landing craft. The craft left the planet’s surface and we docked with the Atlas half an hour later. The whole while, Ang was zealously guarding the orrery.

Before we docked, I ventured the question that was on my mind. “What does the orrery do?”

“It’s a map, squire.” Ang shook his head. “That’s all I can tell you.”

“To where?”

Ang looked into the long distance. “I cannot tell you, squire. Even if I knew, I would not tell.”

Isac cracked his knuckles. “It’s something the higher-ups are going to deal with. It’s not our problem.”

Me: Allen? Do you know what that thing is for?

Allen: I do.

Me: Will you tell me?

Allen: I won’t.

Allen didn’t say anything else. I left the conversation at that, and when the ship docked with the Atlas, I followed Isac back to his cabin.