Anarchy: Revolution

Artemis Pass

An electrical storm suddenly struck the path they were taking, cutting off the needed warp point to get to Helix. It spread across the black like a net of white-blue fire, jagged arcs crawling between pockets of charged particles that flickered in and out of sight. Each silent burst lit the cockpit in sharp flashes, washing the glass silver before darkness swallowed it again.

The sensors stuttered, warning lights blinked across the console, and the ship gave a hard shudder as stray charges skimmed along the hull. Furiously running through the schematics, Valiant grumbled under his breath about the interference.

The console’s communication light flashed with an incoming transmission as they reeled from the intense rager. Growling under his breath as Talis moved to check on his patient, Valiant slammed his hand on the answer button.

“What!?”

Misha’s face went from cross to concerned as he caught the sound of space lightening crackling in the background. “Now I know why you’re late. Trykerius said something about your freighter sending an automatic S.O.S when the storm hit.”

“Any idea how long this is going to last?” Valiant asked, gritting his teeth as he fought with the ships steering and navigation.

Misha shook his head, his eyes flicking to something off-screen. “Novidia just confirmed that you can ride it out without issues if you can get out from under the lightening net. Dive at an angle for approximately forty meters, then pull up immediately. That’ll get you out of the net. You should be able to get to the warp point from there.”

“Thank the Void that tactical demon is on our side.” Valiant replied, taking the supplied route.

Misha laughed, shaking his head. “She just said she’d use your bed for a litter box if you keep calling her a demon.”

The carnivorous feline tactician snarled in the background, her tail flicking in sharp, irritated lashes. Shoving Misha aside, she planted herself before the screen and hissed at Valiant. Small but far from delicate, she moved with the coiled readiness of a predator, all low shoulders, quick paws, and controlled tension.

Tawny fur was dotted with brown-black spots and heavier bars that ran along her legs and arms. Dark streaks cut down from her slanted yellow eyes, sharpening her fierce expression while her broad ears swiveled to catch every sound.

She raised one paw, the black fur glinting in the lights of Helix Station as her banded tail swished with barely contained frustration. “Damn weather pattern is early. Val, dive now or you’re going to miss the window!”

“Is that a Katzenfurg?” Talis asked, sitting down after checking on Solara.

“Yes,” Valiant replied as Talis locked the safety harness into place. “Diving now.”

Accelerating, he pushed the freighter to the forty meter mark and pulled up as soon as he hit it. The engines flared brighter as they barely got out from under the crackle of the lightening. A stray sliver of lightening danced across the hull before dissipating as Valiant recalibrated the coordinates to a safer path that would lead them around the storm.

Talis breathed a sigh of relief. “That was the most daring maneuver I’ve ever seen.”

Novidia chuckled, her fangs glinting like sharp, ivory blades growing out of her jaws. “Aha! The doctor appreciates my handiwork. Feed me more of that praise, if you will.”

Someone laughed in the background, making the feline narrow her eyes dangerously. She growled a soft, low rumble that came from deep in her chest before turning her attention back to Valiant.

“I’m eating bird for dinner if Axel doesn’t give it up.” Novidia said, her rough pink tongue stretching out to lick her muzzle. “Yum, yum. Roasted Avian.”

A flurry of feathers noted the retreat of the Avian as the rest of the control room broke into laughter.

“I’ll be home soon with our new recruit. In the meantime, please do not eat my feathered friend, Novi.”

“I’m not making promises,” she snapped, cutting the feed.

As the cockpit of the freighter was plunged into shadows, Talis heard the soft cries of the Weaver in the cargo bay. Getting up, he made his way back to her, grabbing another compacted fruit bar from the shelf. Stopping by her secured crate, he opened the bar before reaching in to help her sit up to eat.

“There you are. Is that better, little one?” He asked as she ate with mechanical slowness.

She nodded slowly, her mandibles clicking softly as she finished the food. Sighing, she settled back as another jolt rocked the freighter. Her eyes frantically shifted around the room, trying to see a threat that wasn’t there. “What…”

“It’s a jump into hyperspace, not danger,” Talis explained, his tone calm. “There will be another one soon. Just stay calm and let Valiant do his pilot thing.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to look directly at him, and he couldn’t help but smile when her primary arms reached for him. That’s when he noticed the tiny three-fingered hands on the end of each appendage. Each hand was tipped with tiny black nails that were cracked and chipped from crawling along the ground of Yuria 7.

Gently lifting her out, he gasped slightly as webbing Weavers were known for harnessed her to his hip. “That’s different.”

“Safe?” She asked, lifting her eyes to his crystalline face.

His purple eyes softened to a calming violet as he nodded. “Yes, I’m safe, and so are you.”

Carrying her to the bridge, he sat with her against him the silky webbing stretching and relaxing with each movement. Valiant glanced at him, his reptilian maw making a noise that sounded almost like a laugh as the corners of his mouth turned up enough to show his serrated fangs.

“Not scared she’s going to liquify your internal organs, Arian?”

Talis shook his head. “I assumed we were past calling each other by species, Concloian.”

Laughing out loud, Valiant tapped the console with a clawed finger. “We’re almost home. Just a little farther and we’re in the Artemis Pass.”

There was a pause as Talis registered that they were heading into the most violent asteroid belt this side of the galactic highway. Light pulsed through his body, the colours shifting to show just how shaken he was.

Solara studied his face, her eyes filled with a curious gleam. One hand reached up, tiny fingers tracing the lines of the pulses under the crystalline surface. “Pretty.”

Valiant snorted another laugh. “Yeah, kid. That’s a ‘pretty’ male for sure.”

Rolling his eyes, Talis shook his head as he thought about the child’s physiology. She would need the leg properly set before her molt so that the old injury didn’t affect her. Pulling out his data pad, he brought up information about Weavers.

“Interesting,” he murmured, flipping through the breakdown of the Weaver biology.

“What is?” Valiant asked as they dropped out of hyperspace.

Asteroids of every size, shape and threat level floated around what was once a planet that had imploded in the distant past. The forcefield around the ship deflected the space rocks, ensuring their path was clear to travel as the Concloian piloted them through the maze.

“They molt every two to three cycles depending on stability and safety factors. There is a sludge that builds up between the new and old carapace, healing small cracks and strengthening the overall exoskeleton. Curious, fast learners, and they attach themselves to the ones who show safety over the ones who do not.” Talis reported, his voice clinical yet soft.

Valiant’s eyes widened in surprise. “What about food?”

“Let’s see,” Talis pulled up the next page of the document, scanning it with medical precision. “Scavengers who eat almost anything that they can catch, but mostly things that are smaller than them. Children do not hunt and are often supplied their food by a parental figure or den mother until their second molt phase.”

“So, as long as the crew is bigger than she is, we’re safe?”

“Basically, yes” the doctor agreed. “Bugs unrelated to the insectoids, fruit, vegetable, meats, and water are their primary nutrition.”

The com blinked again before the display showed a human face streaked with what appeared to be hydraulic oil. “You better not have given me more work, Val. I’m already pissed that Misha tried to ‘help’ and busted another press.”

“Put the temper away, Terran. I’m not as impulsive as our Lieutenant-Captain,” Valiant stated, using the professional term for the younger brother of their leadership. “Path is clear, so send out a tractor beam, will you? I’m tired.”

“Sure, man,” the human said, turning to the wall panel to punch in a command. “Port doors are open.”

A silvery beam of light attached to the hull, pulling the freighter into the cavernous asteroid. As the rock walled panels slid shut behind them, Solara let out a sound of awe. The beam dissipated as a docking clamp finished guiding the ship into the nearby space.

Valiant yawned, tilting his head back as he slouched in his seat. “Finally.”

“Where are we?” Talis asked, unbuckling his safety straps and standing to look out the viewport at the hollowed-out asteroid. “Amazing.”

“Untraceable, undetectable, and completely safe for our little rag-tag group. Bane, Misha and I can breathe in any atmosphere, so we hollowed it out and prepped the walls with anti-scan material that shows no life signs when checked.” Valiant explained.

Stepping off the loading ramp and onto the metal plated floor of the station, the Concloian opened his arms wide. “Welcome to Helix, Doctor Dar. Welcome to Anarchy.”

The human jogged over, his grin one of pride. “Hey, welcome aboard. I’m Trykerius Xen.”

Taking the offered hand, Talis anxiously looked the man over. “The Terran?”

“Yuppers,” the blond laughed. “Hey, is that a Weaver? That’s so cool.”

“He acts like he’s not at the bottom of the food chain here.” A female voice purred from the shadows. Yawning enough that the double row of pearly fangs glinted in the low lighting, the feline padded forward. “Captain wants you rested and asked me to bring the Arian to the med bay. Shoo.”

“If I sat on you, you’d be a furry pancake, Novi.” Valiant grumbled.

She licked her lips. “I enjoy a good fight, Lizard. Besides, I hear cooked Concloian tastes like something called chicken. I wouldn’t mind trying it.”