Havok Bringer

Chapter 26. Meats back on the menu boys

The Bloodhound crew was sitting inside the main hab of the camp contemplating what they had just seen. A heavy feeling of helplessness had settled over them after they had watched Kaj disappear without knowing precisely what had happened to him.

Tiff and Matty, now thrust into the role of leaders, understood the weight of their responsibility. With Captain Dawes and Kaj gone, it was up to them to ensure the crew's sense of purpose and direction, a task they knew was crucial for the success of their mission.

“So, Captain Dawes has been drawn into a mysterious trial, a quest to retrieve an artifact that holds the key to the universe's salvation?” Matty's voice was tinged with intrigue as he reclined on one of the small sofas in the hab, absentmindedly toying with his newly grown beard.

“That is how I understand it. Andrew… ugh, Captain Dawes contacted me a few hours after being transported. Time seems to work differently where he is and it had been much longer for him. He seems to be in some sort of trial tower.” Tiff said as she blushed slightly at her slip of the tongue when referring to Captain Dawes by his first name in mixed company.

The slip hadn’t gone unnoticed by Matty. He was aware that Captain Dawes and Tiff had built a strong bond. There was nothing to indicate that it had progressed beyond a strictly professional relationship, but there were hints that it might be progressing, slowly, into something else.

“Based on what he told me, there are ten floors that have to be cleared. Once the floors are cleared he will be granted access to the artifact and given instruction on what to do from there,” Tiff leaned forward in her chair, hand clasped as she spoke, “These floors are not what you might imagine though. Each one seems to have a fairly expansive pocket dimension within the floor. The first floor alone would have taken Captain Dawes multiple days to clear if he has even managed that task by now. It was a swamp land with a multitude of dangerous enemies. Captain Dawes does have the assistance of the localized AI that Elvis was able to program into the Havok Bringer armor, as well as access to a safe zone where he was able to contact me. Other than that, he is alone and outnumbered.”

“Andy is getting used to operating under those circumstances,” CJ said from the corner of the room where he was leaning on the wall, listening with arms crossed.

“Elvis, why the hell do you keep staring at me like that?” CJ said, aggravation apparent in his tone.

Elvis was standing directly in front of CJ, aggressively invading his personal space. He stood with clinched fists, directing an unflinching stare in CJ’s direction.

“I am sure that I killed Kaj with my anger. I need to test it again to be certain. You are useless so I have decided to test it on you,” Elvis responded while not taking his eyes off of CJ.

“Elvis, you didn’t Kill Kaj. Tiff said he disappeared just like Captain Dawes did. Why don’t you come over here and sit down? We're all tired after New York,” Loren said as she patted the seat next to her from across the room.

“I have no time for your seductions, woman! I must get stronger to help the Captain. If we lose one CJ in the pursuit of greater strength, it will be worth it. Captain will understand, and for once, CJ will bring value to the group,” Elvis replied.

“Bro, I don’t care if you are some murder robot; if you don’t vacate my personal space, I am gonna jam my fist up your ass and pull your batteries out!” CJ stepped closer to Elvis until they were touching chests.

“Ahh, the clown has found his spine. Take another step, and I’ll rip it from your body so you may see it for yourself…” Elvis clenched his fists as flames began to engulf them slowly.

“That is enough, you two!” Matty shouted, “ Elvis, go finish the inspection of the Pup. We may need to move fast, and I don’t want to discover that we are grounded because of some minor mechanical issue. CJ, you know Captain Dawes folks, right?”

CJ and Elvis were still chest-to-chest, neither breaking eye contact. “Yes, he introduced us when we got here.”

“Then, take some of that energy that you seem to have stored up and go brief them on the situation. They just got their son back, and I’m sure they would like the most up-to-date status report. Most of all, if you two can’t find some common ground, then I will be forced to ground you both—no missions, no fighting, and no assistance with whatever is to come. We have a pile of shit on our plates right now and you two are acting like spoiled children instead of bringing any strategic value to the situation. Now both of you get out of my sight,” Matty said as he stood up and separated them.

Elvis stormed out of the hab grumbling incoherently as Matty eyed CJ. Matty was a head taller than CJ and years of military and police work had left the man hardened. It was a fight that CJ decided he would be better off not pursuing, so he took his leave and headed toward the settlement to speak with Andy’s parents.

“Well…that was interesting,” Jax said. He had been sitting in a chair with his feet propped up as things began to unravel, “I was kind of hoping to see what happened.”

Matty spun on him in an instant, anger flashing in his eyes. Jax put his hands up in surrender before getting up to leave the hab with a smirk.

Jax stopped at the door of the hab and turned back to face Matty and Tiff. “You realize he isn’t really our Captain, right? He is just a guy that got a weapon and a ship. He was in the right place at the right time, and honestly, if either one of us had gotten those things, the world would be a lot better for it. Don’t forget who your family is here, brother.”

Matty sighed and his shoulders slumped as he flopped back into the sofa. Red and Loren, sensing the mood of the room, quickly got up and headed out of the hab as well to help with whatever tasks they could find.

“Is he going to be a problem? Tiff asked.

“Jax has always been a problem. He is stronger and better with a rifle than most anyone I have ever seen. He also has a bit of a superiority complex. When you guys saved us, we were lost. Not just lost in space but lost in every sense of the word, Tiff. We had been pulled into the same shit show that you and Andrew were pulled into. The difference is that our guardian went AWOL, and we were left with abilities and technology that we didn’t understand. When we were captured after drifting in space for several days, things only got worse. Kinthragor wasn’t looking for us; honestly, we were waiting to be executed. We had no value to anyone, so it was easier to dispose of us. We all thought we would die on that prison station. So when Captain Dawes took us in and gave us a purpose, he literally and figuratively saved us. For the first time since the Drop we had a chance to fight back, a chance to make a difference. Do you understand what that means to someone like me?” Matty said as he stared into nothing, the memories of what had happened over the last several months washing over him like a tidal wave.

“Captain Dawes has proven that he is selfless. He started with nothing and has managed to shake the Universal Council to its very core. He never asked for the responsibility that he was given. Even the title Captain was something he didn’t demand; it was just something that came naturally as we spent time together,” Tiff replied.

“I know he didn’t ask for, hell, he still doesn’t want the responsibility. That is why he has to be the one to carry it. That is why I am committed to following him. I don’t see someone who doesn’t deserve it when I look at him; I see someone who is doing everything in his power to deserve it. He doesn’t think twice; he throws himself into the fire time after time to save whoever needs it. Maybe he isn’t a Captain in the traditional sense of the word, but he has proven himself to be a leader worth following,” Matty sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead with one hand.

“That still doesn’t answer my question, Matty. Is your brother going to be a problem?” Tiff said again.

“I'll keep Jax in line, so don’t worry about him.”

Tiff sat back in her chair and closed her eyes in turn,” We need to discuss what to do next. Those ships exploding up there are not going to go unnoticed. It is only a matter of time before a recon squad is deployed to see what happened. That is, if we are lucky. If one of those ships managed to get a distress signal out before Natasha took them out, then we will have much bigger problems to worry about. That is bad enough without even broaching the subject of the Lacertine occupation force that is ravaging the planet and the people who haven’t been shipped off as livestock. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Well, I believe I can help with that,” Natasha said through the comm, “ I have been doing reconnaissance on the planet and have managed to identify five key strategic positions that are primed for an attack. Defenses will be minimal due to the complete breakdown of internal structure the Lacertine force is dealing with.”

“What do you mean breakdown of structure?” Matty asked, sitting up in his seat.

“Well, for starters, they are starving. Supply lines had all but dried up even before the Rerek squad took up position in orbit. From the intel that I was able to intercept, the Lacertine Empire is on the edge of bankruptcy and is busy defending its home system from threats. All of their forces were recalled in an effort to bolster their system defense.” Natasha replied.

“So you’re saying that these troops are stranded?” Tiff asked. That is great news! We should be able to just wait them out, right?”

“Have you ever seen a starving animal?” Matty asked.

“I come from a race of AI that mostly exists inside a quantum network with no physical body. Our planet is an artificially created supercomputer. Not a lot of wildlife.” Tiff replied.

Matty sighed, “A starving animal is more likely to push the boundaries of what they would normally do. Lack of food leads to revolt, rebellion, and desperation. That is not the type of enemy that we need to take lightly. As they realize that help isn’t coming, the frontline troops will lose faith in their commanding officers and start taking things into their own hands. If they are out of food, then they will start trying to find a way to survive. I would expect cannibalism to run rampant since they don’t have anything to eat on this planet.”

“Well, that isn’t technically true…” Natasha said.

“What do you mean? I thought food from Earth was incompatible with their biology or something like that?” Matty asked.

“As they began rounding up humans for transport and storing them in internment camps, the Lacertine science officers began experimenting. They were able to create a solution to that problem. They can administer a serum that will fundamentally change the genetic makeup of a human. You have heard of the CRISPR gene editing technology that was being pioneered in the last few decades on Earth?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah, I heard of it. Something like being able to choose the sex of your baby or change their eye color, right?” Matty asked.

“In a simplified, broad sense, yes. The ability to modify human DNA or adjust genes to achieve a desired outcome. The Lacertines technology is light years ahead of human technology though. The serum they administer is lethal to the subject, but the outcome is a source of food that can be consumed by the Lacertines. They have created the serum and are currently mass-producing it in the five locations that I referenced earlier. If this serum is produced and distributed, the Lacertine troops will use it to create food out of humans,” Natasha said.

“Oh, shit. That isn’t good,” Matty replied.

“A bit of an oversimplification, but no, that isn’t good,” Tiff agreed.