ADA PETREEKO · PORTER
THUNA · SQUELGIAN BLOODHOUND
The Grasp
Thuna's four powerful tentacles coiled around Ada's body like constrictors, squeezing the breath from her lungs. Thuna's skin shifted to a deep, menacing purple as she tightened her grip. Ada gasped as she felt another rib nearly crack under the immense pressure, pain lancing through her chest.
The two females were face-to-face now, so close Ada could see her own reflection in Thuna's inky black eyes. Ada's mind searched for a way out of the Squelgian's crushing grasp. Suddenly, a memory from her early ORG education flashed through her thoughts. Squelgians have dense brains, but no skulls to protect them.
Mustering the last of her strength, Ada reared her head back and then slammed her forehead into Thuna's with all her might. Stars exploded across her vision from the impact.
Thuna reeled back, her tentacles instantly releasing Ada as the Squelgian staggered on unsteady legs. She blinked rapidly, shaking her elongated head as if trying to clear it. The forceful headbutt had compressed Thuna's unprotected brain lobes, leaving her dazed and disoriented.
The Dijits
"Didn't see that coming, did ya Squelly?" Ada taunted, rubbing her own throbbing forehead. She seized the momentary advantage, knowing it might be her only chance. Ignoring the stabbing pain in her side, she fumbled the dispenser from her belt and popped it open. Five glistening silver capsules, each no larger than a grain of rice, tumbled into her palm.
Without hesitation, Ada threw the handful of Laevole dijits into her mouth and swallowed. For a breathless instant, nothing happened. Then, like a bolt of lightning, energy surged through her body. Ada could feel the microscopic machines swimming through her bloodstream, repairing damaged cells and amplifying her natural abilities.
The agony of her cracked rib faded as the dijits knitted the bone and surrounding tissue back together. Exhausted muscles suddenly pulsed with renewed vigor. The fog of fatigue evaporated from her mind, replaced by razor-sharp focus. Ada flexed her hands, marveling at her body's astonishing restoration and enhancement.
She flashed Thuna a fierce, predatory grin, her eyes blazing with barely contained power. "You ready for round two?"
Round Two
ENCELADUS · ROUND TWO
The Squelgian had recovered herself, fury twisting her features. With a shrill cry, Thuna lashed out, sending all four tentacles streaking toward Ada like whips.
Ada was already moving. To her dijit-enhanced reflexes, Thuna's attack seemed to unfold in slow motion. She nimbly sidestepped the first tentacle, allowing it to whistle harmlessly past. The second and third struck glancing blows, but Ada barely felt the impacts. The fourth never landed, as Ada deftly caught it in her hand.
She wasn't this fast before, Thuna thought, jet-black eyes widening in disbelief as she beheld Ada's impossible speed and resilience. The human was no longer the same battered opponent Thuna had been toying with moments ago. Ada had transformed into something far more dangerous.
Ada drove her fist into Thuna's midsection with piledriver force, the blow landing with a sickening thud. The Squelgian's fluid-based anatomy rippled and deformed around the punch, unable to harden in time to absorb the impact.
Thuna wheezed, her breath driven from her lungs. Before she could recover, Ada was on her again, raining down a flurry of punches with ruthless efficiency. Left, right, left, right. Ada's fists rose and fell like pistons, each one finding its mark on the Squelgian's unprotected body.
Protect Erick, protect Erick, the mantra pounded through Ada's mind in time with her punches, the Laevole dijits flooding her system with aggression-fueling hormones. Her world narrowed to the purple-hued form before her, the source of the threat to the boy she had promised to defend.
Thuna staggered back under the onslaught, her tentacles flailing in desperate defense. But Ada was relentless, slipping past Thuna's guard to hammer blow after blow home. Blood began to ooze from a dozen different cuts and splits on the Squelgian's battered hide.
With a final, crushing uppercut, Ada sent Thuna crashing to the floor in a tangle of bruised tentacles. The Squelgian lay there, groaning, her fluid-state body struggling and failing to reassert its shape.
But Ada wasn't finished. She pounced on her fallen foe, pinning Thuna down as she continued to rain punches on the Squelgian's unresisting body. Reason fled, replaced by a red tide of rage and protectiveness.
"Eatch thoz ack'mari!" Thuna gurgled through split, swollen lips, all four tentacles extending out to the sides in a gesture of submission. "Eatch thoz ack'mari!"
The Squelgian words pierced the veil of Ada's fury, their meaning registering dimly in some still-rational corner of her mind: I yield to the victor.
The Yield
Chest heaving, Ada looked down at her blood-spattered hands, at the broken form beneath her, as if seeing them for the first time.
Ada stumbled backwards off of Thuna's battered body, a wave of shame and revulsion crashing over her. The Squelgian's dark red blood glistened wetly on her knuckles, already beginning to congeal.
"I'm sorry," Ada whispered, her voice cracking. She stared at her trembling hands in growing horror. "I'm... I'm sorry..."
What had she become? The last six months had changed her, warped her, transforming the musician she'd once been into... what, exactly? A porter? An escort? Or just another thug, lashing out with violence at the slightest provocation?
Unbidden, memories flashed through her mind. The concert halls and galleries of her youth, replaced now by illicit packages and code names. The soaring joy of creation, curdled into the base thrill of destruction. Was this really what she'd been reduced to?
No. She couldn't accept that. She was still Ada Petreeko, whatever else had happened. Still the same woman who'd stood on stage and brought audiences to tears with the power of her music. That had to count for something.
Clenching her jaw, Ada seized hold of Thuna's limp tentacles and began dragging the unconscious Squelgian toward the waiting transport vessel. After a moment's hesitation, she did the same for Setoni and Garth, hauling their weight across the cold ground of the conjugation tube with a strength that surprised even her.
The Laevole dijits, no doubt. She could feel them coursing through her system, enhancing her muscles, accelerating her recovery. A part of her rebelled at the idea of being dependent on the capsules... but a much larger part couldn't deny their effectiveness.
The Transport
Within minutes, she had all three of her erstwhile captors secured in the ship's hold. She made her way to the cockpit and sank into the command chair with a sigh, studying the unfamiliar controls.
One thing at a time. Activating the shield to seal off the cockpit was simple enough, and after a few false starts, she managed to maneuver the prized pod into the rear of the transport vessel.
Ada leaned back in the chair, breathing hard. She didn't feel tired, exactly. The dijits saw to that. But the events of the past hour were starting to catch up with her nonetheless. So much violence, so much pain... and for what? A mysterious passenger she knew nothing about?
A low groan from behind her made Ada spin the chair around. Thuna was stirring, her purple florets shifting to a sickly green as she struggled to sit up. Setoni and Garth remained still, but Ada knew it was only a matter of time before they came to as well.
She stood and walked over to tower above the groggy Squelgian. "You guys aren't too good at your job," she remarked, planting her hands on her hips. "Vrax should hire better bloodhounds."
Thuna blinked up at her blearily, confusion and anger warring on her alien features. Before she could muster a retort, Garth let out a muffled curse and pushed himself upright.
"What did you do to Trebor?" he demanded, rubbing the back of his skull.
Ada crossed her arms. "You gotta be kidding me. You actually care about that piece of shit? He's fine for now if you must know." She jerked her chin at the cockpit. "It does seem like I can't get this ship started without some kind of biometric combination, though."
Turning on her heel, she strode back to the pilot's seat and tapped at the holographic display. A cube, pyramid and sphere materialized in mid-air, slowly rotating. She reached out to touch them experimentally.
"Access denied," an inflectionless computer voice intoned. The shapes winked out.
Ada swiveled to face her captives again. "Are you guys going to help me fly this thing off this ice ball or what?"
Setoni had managed to prop himself into a sitting position, though he still looked dazed. "Why... why should we help you?" he mumbled. "Once you get where you need to go, you could just... blow us out into space before landing."
Ada huffed out a breath, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. The navigator had a point. From their perspective, they had no reason to trust her. Heck, after the beating she'd given them, they'd be justified in spacing HER the first chance they got.
"I think we'll just wait right here for our boys to send another transport vessel," Setoni said, his voice growing steadier as he regained his wits. He glanced at Garth, who nodded in agreement.
"My man is right. You got the drop on us last time, girly. We were in your little train car before, but this here's my boat, ya understand?"
"Our boat," Thuna whispered, her tentacles twitching.
Garth turned his head sharply. "What?"
"It's our boat, not just yours," the Squelgian repeated, rubbing her bruised chin with a tentacle tip.
"She's got a point," Setoni chimed in, his lips quirking.
Garth's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, she's got a point? I'm the one who retrofitted the fusion drive and recalibrated the computer which adjusts the deuterium pellet regulation system." He jabbed a finger at his own chest. "This thing wouldn't even fly without me!"
"Yeah, but I installed all of the weapons and the deflector," Thuna shot back, her color shifting to an irritated orange. "We wouldn't even be able to leave Sol if not for that."
The Bickering
Ada bit the inside of her cheek, struggling to hold back her laughter as she watched the three pirates descend into bickering.
"Garth, I love ya brother, but you wouldn't know how to chart the uncharted without me," Setoni said, shaking his head. "Vrax has sent us to some pretty off-the-map destinations."
"I don't believe this!" Garth threw up his hands. "You guys actually think we're equals on this ship? Sure, a navigator helps, Toni, but a good senticom can do your job any day."
As the argument grew more heated, Ada folded her arms, leaning back against the bulkhead. Garth whirled on Thuna, eyes flashing. "If Vrax didn't order me to..."
Thuna cut him off with a sharp gesture of her tentacles. "If, if, if... it's always something with you, isn't it, human? There's a reason why all three of us are needed to get this bird to..."
Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Ada, who was now laughing so hard she could barely breathe. The human woman's shoulders shook, tears streaming down her face as she clutched at her sides.
Thuna's purple skin flushed a deeper shade of violet. With a snarl, she lashed out with two of her long tentacles, aiming to wipe that infuriating grin off the woman's face.
But as the appendages struck the shimmering forcefield separating the cockpit from the rest of the ship, a jolt of electricity crackled through the air. Thuna yelped, yanking her tentacles back as the mild shock stung her sensitive flesh.
Ada's laughter subsided into chuckles. "You gotta be kidding me! You guys are worse than my parents were when they caught me playing with dolls!" She shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "Honestly, it's like watching a bunch of squabbling siblings."
The Battle Above
An ear-piercing alarm cut through the tension, the shrill sound causing Ada to jump in her seat. The laughter died on her lips as she glanced around, heart pounding. "What's that?"
Garth leaned forward, his earlier animosity forgotten in the face of this new development. "Turn on the long-range viewer. Now."
Ada scanned the unfamiliar controls, biting her lip. Where was the damn switch? Garth let out an exasperated sigh. "It's the switch right above the communication array panel. Even a caveman knows what that looks like, porter."
Heat rushed to Ada's cheeks, but she bit back a sharp retort. Now wasn't the time for snark. Rolling her eyes, she reached up and flipped the switch.
A grainy image flickered to life on the ancient CRT screen mounted on the cockpit wall. Ada leaned forward, squinting at the fuzzy display. Was that...?
Two SF-11 fighters danced a deadly tango with a quintet of sleeker, more advanced SF-15s. Missiles streaked through the void, explosions blooming like hellish flowers against the starry backdrop. Thorium rounds stitched glowing trails across the black as the ships traded fire.
Garth cursed under his breath. "They're using fission warheads up there. The high-velocity neutrons must have been picked up by the satellite sensors. That's what triggered the alarm."
THE TRANSPORT VESSEL · COCKPIT
Ada watched the screen with growing concern, her earlier mirth forgotten. The SF-11s were clearly outmatched, their movements sluggish and desperate compared to the graceful aggression of the SF-15s. As she observed the unfolding battle, a sinking realization settled in her gut.
"I'm assuming by the looks on your faces that the two fighters getting their asses kicked are your boys," she said.
As if to punctuate her words, one of the SF-11s took a direct hit. For a heartbeat, the stricken craft hung motionless, a plume of flame and debris jetting from its ruined fuselage. Then, with a silent flash of light, the fighter exploded, reduced to a cloud of expanding shrapnel.
Despite the vast distance separating them from the battle, the flash was clearly visible from the surface of Enceladus.
Thuna's tentacles writhed in agitation. "It's just a matter of time before we lose our last fighter up there." She turned to Ada, her expression grim. "Let us in there. We need to get the engines running."
The Truce
Ada hesitated, torn between the desire to escape and the fear of what might happen if she relinquished control. She met Thuna's gaze, searching for any hint of deception.
"Once you guys have control of the vessel, how do I know you won't just blow me out of the airlock? Setoni here already suggested that I'd do the same to you."
Garth met Ada's gaze, his expression deadly serious. "I know that whoever sent those other fighters wasn't your hero, Nicolas."
Ada bristled at the implication. "He's not my hero, okay? Just my boss."
"Well, those fighters up there are probably not friends of Vrax's either. They'll kill us all and take the package for themselves." Garth leaned forward, his eyes intense. "Take a chance with us or stay here and die. Your choice..."
The ship shuddered beneath Ada's feet, a reminder of the battle raging overhead. With a deep breath, Ada made her decision. She reached out and tapped a panel on the cockpit wall, lowering the electromagnetic shield.
Instantly, Thuna's tentacles lashed out, wrapping around Ada's throat in a vise-like grip. Ada gasped, clawing at the rubbery appendages as spots danced before her eyes.
"Easy there. Let her go..." Garth's voice was calm but firm. He patted Thuna on the back, a gesture that might have been reassuring if not for the circumstances.
Thuna hesitated, her tentacles tightening fractionally. Out of the corner of her eye, Ada saw Setoni reach into a compartment on the side wall and pull out a sleek vertikron pistol.
"I said let her go, Thuna. That's an order." Garth's tone hardened, leaving no room for argument.
"Why should I?" Thuna snarled, her florets pulsing with agitation.
Garth's reply was matter-of-fact. "Because she's the only person on this vessel who knows how to operate the magnetic lifts on the package."
Garth pressed on, his voice urgent. "Before she shot Setoni, I noticed the transport lifts on the pod. Someone has encrypted the magnets attached to the pod, and I don't know how to separate them without damaging the stasis chamber. We need her to do it."
Thuna's grip loosened slightly, but her tentacles remained coiled around Ada's neck. "We have our own scientists. They'll figure it out," she growled, her words laced with venom.
Setoni, still clutching the vertikron pistol, chimed in. "She's also the only person who knows where Trebor and the boy are."
Ada knew she had valuable information, but would it be enough to save her life? The seconds stretched on, each one an eternity as she waited for Thuna's decision.
Garth's next words caught Ada by surprise. "Besides... Vrax is gonna want the woman who killed his brother. He's gonna want her alive. You know what I'm saying?" There was a hint of amusement in his tone.
A slow smile spread across Thuna's face, and she released her grip on Ada's throat. "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts... Ada Petreeko," she hissed, her words dripping with malice.
Ada gasped, drawing in lungfuls of precious air. Her throat ached, and she knew there would be bruises, but the near overdose of dijits hastened her recovery. She was alive. For now. As she caught her breath, Ada looked around at the motley crew surrounding her. They were her enemies, but for the moment, they were also her only chance at survival. "I let you guys in," she rasped, her voice hoarse from the assault. "Now get us spaceborne while there's still time!"
The cockpit burst into a flurry of activity as Garth, Setoni, and Thuna took their positions, preparing the ship for takeoff. Ada slumped back in her seat, her mind whirling with the implications of what had just transpired.
She had bought herself some time, but at what cost? And how long would this uneasy truce last before they turned on her once more?
Thuna reached out one tentacled appendage and pressed it against the holographic sphere floating before her. At the same moment, Setoni's finger touched the glowing pyramid, while Garth's hand contacted the shimmering cube.
Instantly, the dormant cockpit sprang to life. Lights flickered on, illuminating the space in a wash of cool blue. The deck plates beneath their feet began to vibrate as the primary fusion reactor at the rear of the ship hummed to life, sending pulses of power thrumming through the vessel's frame.
Garth slid into the pilot's chair on the left, his movements sure and practiced. He donned the control helmet, the neural interface visor sliding down to cover his eyes. His hands danced over the console's flicking switches and dials.
"Plotting a course now," Setoni announced. "We'll skim along the surface first, stay low and out of sight. Then, once we're on the far side of Enceladus, we'll punch it and head for Titan."
On the screen before him, a glowing line traced the proposed flight path, hugging the craggy, ice-encrusted surface of the moon before arcing up and away into the void.
"With any luck, those fighters will be too busy tearing each other apart to notice us slipping away." Garth glanced over his shoulder at the others. "Better strap in and hold onto something. The inertial dampeners on this bucket of bolts aren't exactly top-of-the-line."
Ada sank back into one of the passenger seats, fumbling with the restraints. Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline still surging through her veins from the confrontation moments before.
As the ship lifted off, the fusion thrusters flared to life, and the icy surface of Enceladus began to blur past the viewports. Ada felt herself pressed back into the seat, the g-forces tugging at her body as they accelerated.
This is insane, she thought, watching the alien landscape recede at a dizzying pace.I'm in a stolen ship, with a gang of cutthroat pirates, fleeing a battle in orbit around Saturn's moon. How did my life come to this?
But even as the doubts and fears swirled in her mind, Ada knew there was no turning back now. For better or worse, her fate was now intertwined with these dangerous outlaws. All she could do was hold on tight and pray they made it out of this mess alive.
The Question
After two minutes of burning thrusters, an uneasy silence settled over the cockpit. Ada stared out the viewport, watching the curvature of Enceladus fall away as they ascended. Tension hung thick in the recycled air.
Thuna finally broke the quiet, her tentacles twitching. "You put the boy inside the stasis pod, which means you saw who was already in there, didn't you?"
Ada remained silent, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead. She could feel Thuna's eyes boring into the back of her skull.
"I normally don't ask questions. I just do my job and get paid," Thuna continued, undeterred by Ada's icy demeanor. "But I must say, I am curious. Who's in there?"
Ada crossed her arms tightly across her chest, sealing her lips. Even if I knew, it'd be none of your damn business, she thought, jaw clenched.
"The silent treatment?" Thuna scoffed. "On Squelgia we call it 'Sushen vas unethiias'. It basically translates to..."
"Tight as a borishvune's jaws," Ada snapped, cutting her off.
Thuna's eyestalks swiveled in surprise. "You've been to Squelgia before," she said slowly. "You know a bit of our language."
"A visit to my homeworld explains why you're so clever," Thuna mused, tapping a tentacle against her chin. "Kicked my assets, that's for sure."
A dry chuckle escaped Ada's throat despite herself. "It's 'kicked my ass', not assets. And compliments won't get you anywhere with me, by the way."
"Maybe it's a compliment you don't even deserve," Thuna shot back. Her gaze flicked down to Ada's pocket. "I saw you pop those capsules before you almost pummeled me to death. What are those things exactly?"
Ada's fingers unconsciously brushed against the dispenser in her pocket. Why does she care? Ada wondered, a prickle of unease creeping up her spine. She shook her head and remained silent, her gaze fixed resolutely out the viewport. Saturn loomed larger by the minute as their vessel accelerated away from tiny Enceladus.
Thuna huffed out an exasperated breath. "Let me give you some free advice, human. Power like what I saw back on the train, it always comes with a price. Is it really worth it? Whatever it is you're getting out of all this?"
Ada didn't reply, but Thuna's words churned in her mind as she watched the icy moons drift by, stark and forbidding against the blackness of space. Is any of this worth it? The question gnawed at her. Getting mixed up with gangsters, nearly getting killed, not knowing who to trust...
She turned to face Thuna, studying the Squelgian's foreign features. The smooth head, the keen eyestalks, the muscular tentacles folded casually across her midsection. "Do you ask yourself that question? Is all this worth it to you?" Ada asked quietly.
Thuna blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. Then a smile curved her mouth flaps. "Okay, I gotta give to get, is that it? Fine, I'll play, human." She settled more comfortably into her chair, draping a tentacle over the armrest, as Setoni ran a diagnostic on the nav systems in the background.
"Squelgians have many fathers, as I'm sure you know already," Thuna began. "My dads were all long-range Heb'thiards. You'd call them freightmen, I believe that's the closest analogy."
Intrigued despite herself, Ada turned fully to face the alien woman. "Where are they now?"
A shadow passed over Thuna's features. "Two of them were captured by Kaizoku pirates while transporting ore from a moon orbiting KELT-9b."
"And the other?" Ada prompted gently when Thuna fell silent.
Thuna exhaled slowly. "He's the only one I have left. He lives on Earth of all places. A city called Kakata."
"Lots of Squelgians live there, but why become a... a hired..."
"Criminal?" Thuna interrupted, her tentacles twitching. "It's okay, you can say it. My yatuson. My only living father. He was also a criminal." Her voice lowered. "You see, my other yatusons did everything they were supposed to do. They worked hard, they played by the rules, stayed out of trouble. What did it get them?"
A heavy silence filled the cockpit. Ada glanced uncertainly between Thuna and the others.
Thuna continued, eyes distant. "They're certainly dead by now. The only one left alive is the one living his dream life on Earth because he played by his own rules. Not by the rules of society."
A sudden beeping made them all jump. The quantum communications array flashed an incoming signal. Setoni, Garth and Thuna exchanged wary looks.
This can't be good, Ada thought, her pulse quickening. "Is that Vrax?" she asked, dreading the answer.
Garth swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I don't think so..."
