Arthros

  Psychosomatic Output: 10,000 Bio-Units

  Synaptic Rank: unbound

  Arthros watched with disgust at Jericho writhing on the floor. He could tell by the way his movements started to slow that he had fully lost consciousness. A few more seconds and his brain would be beyond repair. With a grunt of frustration he strode over to the human and snatched the crown from his head. Immediately the thrashing stopped, and he y as still as a corpse.

  Was he gone?

  “Commander,” Randrea said quietly.

  He turned to the pilots and the saw the look of shock on all their faces. He had never intervened before, if a pilot was incapable of handling the pressure, then they deserved to die on the training mat.

  He said nothing and stalked away. They wouldn't understand his motives, and he didn’t know how to expin it to them. Jericho had to live a little longer.

  “Make sure he doesn’t die,” He barked at the others.

  There was a collective murmur of obedience as he stalked out of the arena. He knew what they were thinking, and he didn’t have the patience to deal with it right now. He needed a moment to get away, he needed some time to himself.

  It hadn’t taken long for his home world to put a damper on his spirits. If one could call the sudden uncontrolble spiral from happiness to downright despair a ‘damper.’

  From the moment he received new orders from the Admiral per his arrival, he knew that his tenure on Hokku would not be pleasant. But what had he really expected? To be received by his people with open arms and a forgiving smile? He had disobeyed a direct order, and practically spat in the high table’s face.

  As he entered his own room he sat heavily in front of the holo-computer, ignoring his inner pleas for the comfort of his hammock and the much-needed rejuvenation that sleep would provide.

  No, that would be too convenient, he had too much to think about and he hadn’t tormented himself enough with problems out of his control. He mentally woke up Zero and allowed her access to the Holo computer.

  “Well you let me sleep longer than expected.” Zero chimed. The holo computer lighting up in rhythm with her voice.

  “You would have only made things worse.” He grumbled.

  “What did the Admiral say?”

  Arthros sighed and leaned back in the chair, he scrubbed his face with his hands stared up into the ceiling.

  “She warned me that she can longer defend my actions against the Sovereignty, and if I disobey her orders again she’ll strip my rank and my HWND.”

  Zero thought about the words and then spoke in a disdainful tone, “that doesn’t sound like the Admiral.”

  Arthros crossed his arms and tapped the tips of his teeth together, “No, something or someone else is squeezing her.”

  “I did warn you against going to Kleth’altho.”

  “Don’t start Zero, you know I had to go.”

  “You didn’t have to do anything. You’re Arthros One, legendary Pilot. You should be untouchable. You spent up all your goodwill when you started bringing in aliens.”

  Arthros snarled at the computer and shot to his feet, “they’re not aliens, they’re pilots.”

  Zero sounded stiff, “Not by the Sovereignty’s standards.”

  He was starting to regret waking her up, but he knew better than to bme her programming. It was The Sovereignty who was at fault. The high families were the living embodiment of ignorance. It was his pilots that produced the best numbers, the aliens.

  He shut down the holo computer and stormed out the door, suddenly the idea of rest was not so appealing. He needed to be anywhere but here, lest another unwanted voice came prying.

  “What about Jericho?” Zero’s voice came from inside his mind.

  Arthros stormed down the corridor and towards the elevator that would take him up into the city, easier to blend in up there.

  “Possibly a corpse,” He clenched his hand subconsciously, remembering how frail Jericho’s neck had felt between his grasp.

  “You attacked him, why?”

  Arthros let out an exasperated sigh as he waited for the elevator doors to open, “I didn’t attack him, it was a warning.” The elevator doors folded out of view and he stepped in, thankful for its emptiness. “He embarrassed himself, he lost a fight to Graito.”

  “Graito, the Synaptic Rank eight? Graito the Myrd, and your best fighter?”

  Arthros rolled his eyes, her tone remained even but the message was loud and clear.

  “There is something about that human that no one but myself can seem to see, and the day I fail to trust my instincts is the day I fail myself.” He swiped a hand across his head, feeling the faint prickle of the fttened spines on his palm. “I don’t know what I should expect from him, but certainly more than what he has shown.”

  He stood in silence for a moment as the elevator shot its way up to the city surface. Whether he liked it or not, Zero was right. It was time he surrendered himself to the duties and responsibilities of a Commander, if not for his own sake then for the sake of his pilots. He would never allow them to be treated as foreigners again, as long as he had any shred of authority amongst the Navy.

  Though it seemed he was walking a fine line between militant political power and the mind-numbing pinness of a civilian. Though the loss of his HWND would certainly mean the loss of his life, at his own hands.

  “Then allow him to train, and perhaps he will live up to your standards. Hope may be beyond my comprehension but I will allow myself the benefit of the doubt that I truly do hope your efforts do not end up in failure and disappointment.”

  That got a chuckle out of him, and he smiled at his AI, she did seem to have a talent for saying the right things. That was probably because she existed within the constraints of his own mind. She was saying what he needed to hear.

  “Jericho is my st project Zero, I’m ready to bow down to the Sovereignty if that is what it will take to remain a pilot and soar the skies with you.”

  “I am pleased to hear you speak of it, and I am perhaps the only one who can acknowledge how hard of a task that will be for you. But it will be worth it.”

  He licked the tips of his teeth, “try not to sound too excited.”

  The elevator came to a stop and dinged. The doors folded out of view to reveal the st person he wanted to see right now.

  “Arthros! Admiral Zludikai excimed, “Just the person I was looking for.”

  He gave her a pained look, “Admiral, I was just about to take a stroll and clear my mind.”

  She gave him a cool look, “Zero causing trouble again?”

  He felt Zero’s synthetic anger broiling as she spoke, “I’m going offline.”

  Her presence winked out and he suppressed a sigh. Despite her constant nagging for obedience and protocol, she suffered a debilitating bout of jealousy every time Zludikai spoke. Arthros still wasn’t sure how that was even possible, she was a computer after all.

  Zludikai didn't miss a beat, “remember when I said you could debrief me on your encounter along the border ter? Well that time is now.”

  He fshed her a fake smile, “Great, let’s get this over with. The invader-“

  The admiral held up a hand and his smile withered. “Not here, you’re going to be telling it to the entire high table. They want to hear it directly from you.”

  “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me. Those bug-eyed idiots-“

  “You said you would behave.” She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms.

  It was a ‘don’t test me’ sort of look and it did the trick. Arthros shut his mouth.

  “Good,” She said with a curt nod, “We’ll head straight there.”

  She pressed the highest button on the elevator. It would take them straight to the upper levels, where the Cathedral existed.

  Arthros lip curled at the thought of going back to that pace. He’d rather spend a month on Kleth’altho then stand four seconds in front of the high table. The high families seated on a ptform strategically raised several feet off the ground. That was the only way any of those spineless fools could bear to look at them.

  As if they had any real power over him.

  What he would give to put them in the training arena with the HWND simutor snug on their heads. Sometimes he daydreamed that scenario, watching them crumple to their knees, frothing at the mouth, cwing at the air.

  The elevator chimed and the doors lid open. The upper levels stared back at them, a pristine collection of ornate buildings lined the roads. It was as densely packed here as it was on the main level. Each building had an acre of nd encircling it, and intentional move that helped accentuate the beauty and originality in each design.

  The upper level was open to the public, but few actually traveled here. Who wanted a constant reminder that they weren’t good enough? To live in the shadow of another simply was not the Hokkonian way. Better to pretend it didn’t exist at all. As a result the upper level was a ghost town, save for the handful of maintenance crews forced to be there.

  Arthros spat on the floor, wrinkling his nose at artificial air. Purposely scented with the simple aroma of garden flowers.

  “Your future home,” The Admiral said, “If you behave.”

  He shot her nauseated look, “Is that supposed to help me.”

  She rolled her eyes, “My future home, if you behave.”

  “I feel sorry for you.”

  They walked in silence the rest of the way, shadowed by the towering buildings. It was hard to believe that even half of them were filled. There was hardly anyone in the streets for that to make sense. Those who lived here kept to themselves, too self absorbed in their work or whatever else kept them busy to actually enjoy the so called paradise they bored to achieve.

  He wondered if the other major cities were the same. Hokku was dying, and the popution of Hokkonians was waning. If it wasn’t for their lifespan, Hokkonians would have driven themselves extinct by now. No one wanted to make connections, no one cared enough about another person to see the value in companionship. A pnet full of narcissists. It made him sick.

  “There it is,” The admiral muttered, “The cathedral.”

  Arthros grunted, and stared at the smooth interlocking stones at his feet. He didn’t want to give the high table the satisfaction of his admiration. He refused to acknowledge the beauty of the building.

  Their footsteps echoed loudly in the vast emptiness of the cathedral hall. The pace was just as vacant as the city though the low-toned muttering of the high table could be heard ahead. Arthros mentally prepared himself as they approached.

  The table was more like a countertop, raised several feet off the ground on a ptform. Seven Hokkonians sat behind it, each in a respective throne. Long flowing purple robes draped across their shoulders, and tall ornate hats protruded from their heads. They were old, but it didn’t show in their faces, their skin was smooth and free of wrinkles. Their muttering stopped instantly as he and the Admiral approached.

  “Admiral Zludikai,” The middle said with smile, “Commander Arthros,” his smile dropped.

  “Governors.” Zludikai dipped her head respectively, “I hope the high table is well, It’s been a while since we’ve met on such formal terms.”

  “Yes, well, we figured you deserved an excuse to travel to the upper yer,” The middle swept his arm across the room, “To see the cathedral.”

  Arthros bit back the snarky reply that bubbled in his throat.

  “It is beautiful,” The Admiral said with a diplomatic smile and a quick gnce around. “Though I’m sure you don’t intend to waste our time with pleasantries, we are quite busy with military concerns.”

  Atta girl Zudikai.

  The Governor frowned, a look shared by the rest of the table. “We would like a report on the intrusion in sector 4, a matter so grave concerns the entire Sovereignty, not just the Navy.”

  Zludikai nodded, “I agree entirely, Governor. I’m pleased to hear you say so. Ignorance is like blindness, and not as easy to overcome.”

  The old Navy ptitude rang clear in Arthros head, he knew it was for him. A reminder of his promise to behave. Don’t be ignorant of the details.

  “Governers,” Arthros said projecting his voice loudly, “A pleasure to see you all again, I’ll begin my debrief immediately.”

  He unched into the details without hesitation. Starting from the message he had received from Zludikai, all the way to the final words shared with the Councilwoman at Terminus 14. He left out the fact that he was actually on Kleth’altho, that would open him to more questions than he knew how to answer.

  Within the realm of good behavior that is.

  He made sure to highlight the destruction of the HWNDs, and the exact conversation he had with the human. Stressing the fact that she refused passage. When he was finished, the high table was sharing looks, clearly disconcerted.

  “This is… concerning information.” The middle spoke. “We knew there were lives lost, but to the extent of the destruction you describe there are far less expnations.”

  “There are no expnations,” Arthros said with a shake of his head, “I’ve never seen anything like it, Raiders didn’t do it… the Relocuns? Absolutely not.”

  he high table shared another round of gnces, there was something they weren’t sharing. The admiral too, judging by her uncharacteristic silence.

  “Unless, there is an expnation?”

  One of the Governors cleared his throat, he looked identical to everyone else. “Several months ago we received a report from Division four, their HWNDs encountered a ship along the perimeter, a scout ship.”

  Arthros narrowed his eyes, “That isn’t anything new, foreigners try to cross the border all of the time.”

  The Governor paused, “They came from the Storm.”

  Thanks so much for reading!

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