Episode 75, Resilient.
29 Jun 2024Xochitl Khae
Episode 75, Resilient.
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All of the carrier’s officers and the Coterie watched the footage from the facility as it had been recorded by Lysandra’s Cobra Mk IV, my Python, and the Scarab vehicle Lianna had been using. At first, they thought the same thing I did—that there were androids inside those suits. Though their helmets' faceplates were tinted to protect against ultraviolet rays and radiation, there were fleeting snippets that caught the impression of what looked like a humanoid face.
“The guests, survivors, captives… heck, I don’t know what to call them, are all isolated in a small maintenance hangar that the droids have set up and are using to quarantine them,” I began, looking around the room.
“While our medical androids are sufficient, a human doctor would be nice,” one of the officers commented.
“Unfortunately, ours is a drooling idiot, waiting for disposition,” another added.
“We have theirs, who is assisting the androids and giving orders,” Tara said.
“Has ours or theirs detected or said anything about what happened?” Raven asked, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and concern.
“Their doctor has been standing by, waiting for us to call down to the hangar,” Lianna replied.
“Alright, get him on the video, and let’s hear what he has to say,” I instructed.
A holographic image of the hangar bay appeared above the conference room table. The doctor, a gaunt figure with weary eyes, stood amidst the quarantined individuals, occasionally checking their vitals and speaking to the androids assisting him.
“Alright, doctor, everyone is present. What do we call you and what do you have to tell us?” I asked, leaning forward.
The doctor looked up at the camera, his expression a mixture of relief and exhaustion. “You can call me Dr. Jansen,” he began, his voice steady despite the situation. “First, let me thank you for rescuing us. We were in dire straits down there.”
“Can you explain what happened at the facility?” Corvus asked, his deep voice resonating through the room.
Dr. Jansen nodded. “The facility was taken over by a pirate clan. They forced us to accelerate our research on regenerative medicine. They wanted a serum that could make them nearly invincible. We succeeded, to an extent.”
“What do you mean by ‘to an extent’?” Avariel inquired, her sharp eyes narrowing.
“The serum worked, but it had unintended side effects. It enhanced the regenerative abilities of the subjects, making them incredibly resilient to injury. However, it also caused severe psychological and physical changes. The subjects became highly aggressive and exhibited signs of extreme paranoia and delusion. Essentially, they became unstoppable but uncontrollable.”
“So those things we fought down there,” Lysandra said slowly, “were people, twisted by this serum?”
“Yes,” Dr. Jansen confirmed. “We managed to dispose of the pirates who had taken the serum by immolating them. However, before we could eliminate all of them, they had already bitten and infected some of the outside security personnel, who then changed. We ran out of ammunition and could not deal with the rest. The only way we could survive was to barricade ourselves inside the building and wait. We couldn't send a distress signal, as the original pirates had disabled the transmitter.”
“What about the survivors we brought back?” Tara asked. “Are they infected with this serum?”
“No,” Dr. Jansen replied. “The serum was only administered to the pirates and the few unfortunate security personnel who were bitten. It is not airborne, but it can be transmitted through bites and fluid transfer. The survivors you brought back are not infected, but they are severely malnourished and traumatized.”
“Is there a cure for the serum’s effects?” I asked, leaning forward.
Dr. Jansen shook his head. “Not that we know of. The serum bonds with the subject’s DNA, making it nearly impossible to remove. At their current stage of transformation, there is no reversal. The only method we found to bring them down was the complete destruction of their higher brain functions.”
“I struck one with a plasma bolt, squarely in their faceplate, and it appeared to only stun them.”
“Removing body parts or causing severe trauma, other than to the head, won't stop them. If you had continued to engage and make it through their faceplate to their brain, they would have stopped.”
A silence settled over the room as the gravity of Dr. Jansen’s words sank in. We were dealing with a new kind of threat, one that required us to rethink our strategies and be even more cautious.
“All of the data, information, equipment, and samples of the serum were left behind at the settlement,” I said, breaking the silence. “We need to go back and retrieve everything we can. We can’t let any of this fall into the wrong hands.”
“Agreed,” Corvus said. “We should move quickly before anyone else finds it.”
Nyx leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. “We need to be cautious. If there are any remaining test subjects..."
“Alright,” I said, “I have a few modules that will help out, but I am going to need to re-gun a few of your ships.”
I looked at each person, who nodded in confirmation.
“Good. Ok, Lianna, get with the engineering chief and let’s get Corvus’s Vulture rearmed with a large plasma accelerator and a large cannon, the one with the thermal cascade modification. Secondly, I have two medium plasma accelerators. Fit those to my Krait Mk II’s medium hard points. The large fragmentation cannons on top I will leave as is. One of the fragmentation cannons is already incendiary, and the overpowered beam laser with thermal venting should be sufficient to melt anything inside of a suit. The other fragmentation cannon has caustic ammunition, which might come in handy. Also, remove the Scarab from its vehicle bay and replace it with the Scorpion combat vehicle.”
Lianna nodded. “Got it. What about the ship-launched fighter? Do you want to keep it?”
I nodded in confirmation. “Yes, the fighter hanger stays as is; you will be working from there with Tara manning the Krait. I will be on the ground, working the security with you two and Corvus providing support, while Nyx and the doctor get whatever is needed inside out to the landing pad, where Lysandra can land to pick it, and them, up.”
Lianna nodded again, already making notes on her data tablet. “I’ll get right on it. We should be ready to go within a few hours.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Nyx, make sure you have everything you need for the extraction. Dr. Jansen, I’ll need you to prepare a list of the most critical data and samples we need to retrieve. Time is of the essence, and we can’t afford to waste it.”
Dr. Jansen nodded, a worried look on his face. “I’ll have the list ready shortly. We’ll need to be quick and precise.”
“Everyone else, double-check your gear and be ready for anything,” I continued. “We’ve been there once before, so make sure you have what you need to melt or incinerate. If you don’t have it, then we have plenty on board and can get you kitted out.”
As everyone began to discuss who would have what task, Tara paused, looking blankly at the table, as a voice inside of her began to speak, with images of the facilities security feed playing out in her synthetic mind.
Walking out of the conference room to get ready, I was surprised by Jabir, who was waiting in the corridor wearing a Dominator combat suit. He had an assault rifle and rocket launcher attached to his back with a laser pistol in a thigh holster.
“I won’t miss this opportunity,” Jabir said, with a new kindled fire in his eyes I had not seen before. “The whole ship is abuzz with tales of horror and survivors and of all of you returning to fight it.”
One of my eyebrows lifted on its own. “Not like that you’re not.”
Jabir took a firm stance, glaring at me. “Yes, I am…” I held up my hand to cut him off.
“Listen, ballistic weapons don’t do much, even if you dismember them. I know, I hit a group with a rocket, and all it did was knock them back for a moment.” I sighed as the muscles in his face tightened. “… but if you are dead set on going, I can see if one of the Coterie, as they call themselves, will let you ride along?”
I looked back inside the conference room at Raven. “Do you mind taking a new kid along for a ride? He’s all suited up with nowhere to go.”
Everyone’s head turned to the entrance, seeing Jabir all suited up.
“What’s it pay?” Raven fired back, as a smile appeared on my face. Motioning for Jabir to go inside, I saw a smile appear on Raven’s face too. “Damned, I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
That brought out a hearty laugh from him as Jabir walked over to Raven.
Getting ready to go get suited up myself, I looked at Tara, who was lost in whatever thought she was having. Her behavior was sometimes odd to me as I reminded myself that someone like her, evolving, was uncharted territory. I didn’t question whether she was capable of handling her part of the mission, in fact, she was the best in the room. But something about it worried me deep down, as I closed the doors.