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Orion grabbed the edge of the thin curtain and flung it back, revealing the early morning sun, white and burning on the horizon, though only partially visible through the gaps in the buildings surrounding him. The glass window surface was covered with smudges and an occasional dark mark – Orion didn’t want to think what that could be – but clear enough to see through. He took a deep breath and let it out, rubbing his naked chest. For once, his sleep was peaceful. For the first time since abandoning the planet Arlia and all of its stomach turning bug-men inhabitants, he felt rested. He was surprised, considering how crappy this little apartment was and how long he had been in it. His credits were disappearing slowly but still he needed to keep himself working. Not to mention that he needed to put aside a little so he could save for a ship off this world.
He walked away from the glass panels that made up the end of his small, cramped room and sat by the round table, a tepid glass of water resting on its top. The boxy TV played on a cabinet directly across from the stiff bed. He had flicked through the channels earlier, hoping for something to distract him for a while before he had to begin the seriousness of the day, but all that seemed to be on any channel was news of a zoid gathering outside Markov’s barrier.
Would you look at that? Tristelle said. Seems to be out of the ordinary for this place.
Orion couldn’t comment either way. He hadn’t spent much time outside the Markov city limits, largely because there wasn’t much of a reason for him to leave. The presence of a huge energy barrier that shielded the city from outside threats was another – why test out the dangers of an unknown planet if he wasn’t being paid to do so? Still, he wondered where these robotic imitations of wildlife had come from, and if it was actually a concern for Markov’s government. Surely their barrier was enough to block out the incursions of a few unorganised machines?
“Do you feel any empathy towards them?” Orion asked.
What, those robots? Why?
“You’re an AI. Robots, even if they’re designed after real-life creatures, have some form of AI as well. You don’t consider yourself akin to them?”
Though Tristelle had no physical features, Orion got the impression she was frowning. Do you have a connection to animals that aren’t made of steel?
“To some extent. Sentient creatures feel pain.”
Well, I don’t. Outside of myself and my programming, I don’t really identify with anything.
Orion took a sip of water. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
Hey, do you ever wonder if someone is watching you when you’re talking to me, and they think you’re talking to yourself?
“They can think whatever they want.”
So you don’t care? Good attitude.
Orion slid into his mustard yellow pants and put on his boots. He had no job leads today so he would go out to the bars, talk to some people, and see if he couldn’t find an interview somewhere. Markov had plenty of opportunities for a man like Orion; he just had to find them. In fact, the sudden collusion of robotic creatures outside of the Markov barrier might just be the catalyst for a wide range of jobs to become available. As Orion slipped on his black battle armour and cinched up his robe, he smiled. He might even have people bidding for his services. Well, that was unlikely since he was a relative newcomer to this system, but still, this was a fertile breeding ground for a glut of jobs only someone like Orion could complete.
So, what’s your first stop? Tristelle asked.
“I think the best place to start would be-“
Orion stumbled, splaying his hands out on the table. The glass tumbled on its side and rolled off, shattering on the ground. Something felt... wrong. It was like a deep foreboding, of something dangerous and dark brewing over the horizon. It came out of nowhere and had no discernible cause. A moment before, he had felt fine.
What? What is it?
“You can’t... feel that?” Orion asked. “Normally you can read my thoughts.”
You seem... agitated. Anxious. Why?
“I don’t know,” Orion said. “I’ve never felt like that before. You didn’t do that, did you? You’re not playing with me?”
You haven’t pissed me off lately, so I don’t have a reason to,Tristelle said.
Orion stood and walked to the window. He couldn’t see it, but he felt something pulling him to the barrier. That wrongness that hung over him like a miasma urged him outside the city limits, as if the confusion would somehow dissipate as he left Markov’s protection. Buildings surrounded him on all sides, largely obstructing his view, but he instinctively knew he had to get out there.
“Something’s calling to me,” Orion said, walking to the door.
Wait! Tristelle said. This doesn’t seem unusual to you? You get some sort of psychic stomach ache and all of the sudden you’re rushing out into the wild?
Orion paused, hand on the rusty door knob. “I’m not going to be able to focus until I sort this out. Whatever I find out there, I’ll handle it.”
Yeah, we’ll see.
The saiyan warrior left the apartment complex. Ignoring the crowded sidewalk, he floated into the sky and flew towards the city limits, weaving in and out of the buildings. As he travelled, the sense of unease grew, flitting between fist-clenching anger and tear-jerking sadness, as if he were having some sort of emotional breakdown. How was this happening? How could something manipulate his feelings on this scale without any obvious stimuli?
Are you sure this is a good idea? Tristelle said.
“Stop second guessing me,” Orion said. “Something is playing with me and I’m going to put a stop to it.”
Orion laded at the edge of Markov, the translucent barrier humming before him. He found himself incredibly agitated, wanting to punch the next person he saw. A moment later, he fought down a lump in his throat as if he had just heard terrible news about a family member. Kais, this was exhausting.
He passed through the barrier and into the unprotected lands of Cevanti. The land directly outside the barrier was clear, but soon after the clearing was a line of jungle. Whatever the force that toyed with him was nearby.
Shifting through tree branches, Orion alighted on the jungle floor. He scanned the area thoroughly, but he couldn’t see anything. Nothing waited for him. What the hell was going on?
This was maddening! Orion roared and punched a nearby tree, cracking the trunk. His white aura burst around him, channeling ki throughout his body. He yearned to fight, to trade blows with something, anything! He turned and sheared through another tree with a powerful kick, toppling it to the ground. His rage still unsated, he raised two fists into the air and slammed them into the ground, sending cracks into the hard earth.
Orion! Tristelle shouted. Get a fucking grip on yourself, man! Calm down!
“There’s nothing here!” Orion bellowed. “I came out here for nothing!”
Yes! OK! So what? That’s nothing to blow your stack over!
The saiyan fell to his knees, the fury washing out of him like a passing breeze. Emptiness hurried to fill in the void. What was he doing out here? This was so stupid. There was no hope for him. Whatever was happening to him would claim him. He was delusional, thinking something was pulling strings on his emotions. Nothing was that powerful. No one could help him now. He was losing his mind.
What, now you’re giving up? Dammit Orion, what is wrong with you?
The sunlight dimmed all around him. He was truly being consumed by darkness.
“I…”
A noise like a banshee scream penetrated the gloom in the saiyan’s mind, chasing it away. The sound burned with pain and loss, almost a perfect mirror to his own intrusive emotions. And yet, though he had never heard it before, it was as if he knew the origin of the sound. It was the voice… of Cevanti’s creator? What? How could he just know that? Where did this information come from? Was this a voice of a kai crying out for help?
“Something is calling out to me,” Orion said. “This world’s progenitor. It’s… suffering.”
How in the fuck could you possibly know that? Tristelle said. What’s that got to do with anything that’s going on?
The ground beneath Orion buckled and splintered, as if sympathetic to the cry of its maker. Violet-black sludge oozed between the cracks, spilling out like cosmic oil. Orion leapt to his feet and bounded away from it as it pooled outwards in all directions, moving astonishingly fast. The earth cracked again nearby and more of the darkness bubbled out. Soon, the ground broke all around him, exploding with great force as the blackness forced its way free.
“What the hell is that?” Orion said.
I have no idea, but I’m certain you don’t want to touch it, Tristelle said. Wait! Do you hear that?
“No! I have a kai screaming in my ear!”
Look around you!
Orion did so. Robotic wolves stalked closer towards him, forming a perimeter. Their eyes dripped with the same violet-black liquid void that stained the ground, baring steel teeth. Where had they come from?
In other places, the dark void substance ran over vines that dangled to the ground. The vines shook and dislodged from the trees, falling to the earth and gaining jagged maws. They slid towards Orion like snakes, snapping their mouths. Other plants that touched the expanding darkness tore their roots from the ground and walked along with them like writhing tentacles. This nefarious substance was giving life to everything it touched, and none of that life looked friendly.
The screams still filled Orion’s ears. The sound was coming from somewhere else though. He turned away, looking to the north-west. That awful, sobering cry was coming from that direction.
“Wait…” Orion said. “The north-west. Isn’t that…”
…where the zoids are massing, Tristelle said, finishing the thought. Yes!
“Those things are… killing this world’s god?” Orion said.
That doesn’t bode well for us. We can’t escape this planet if it’s torn apart beneath your feet.
“Then I’ve got to get to it,” Orion said.
A snake-vine whipped out at the saiyan, wrapping around his wrist.
First you have to get out of this! Tristelle said.
More of the mutated vines lashed out at him, snagging around his ankles. Seeing his apparent capture, the robotic wolves closed in for the kill.
One of the metal predators leapt at Orion, teeth flashing. The eerie black sludge leaked from his mouth. Orion pulled on the vines shackling him but found them uncompromising. The other ends of the vines had burrowed into the earth, forming a strong connection. He strained against the unnatural integrity of their plant fibres, likely bolstered by the insidious black liquid that infected them. They felt closer to corded ropes than hanging vines.
The wolf was mere inches from clenching its jagged teeth around Orion’s neck. With a forceful exertion of ki, his white aura burst around him once more. He blasted all of his power into his leg, tensing the muscles and struggling against his bind. The vine skin split, and with a focused effort, tore loose. Orion’s leg slammed into the pouncing metallic wolf with no restraint, denting its side to the point that the side hit touched the other, leaving its midsection impossibly thin. The wolf rocketed across the ground, landing unceremoniously into another of its pack and sending them rolling away.
Yeah! Tristelle yelled. You got him!
The remaining wolf pack pulled back their violent fervor but didn’t disperse. They surely saw the raw power of their prey, thinking of new avenues to subdue him. They circled around him closely, tightly knit as a group, learning the mistake of the impatient member of their pack. As they closed in, another vine snake coiled about Orion’s freed thigh.
“Can’t you do something?” Orion said, swallowing hard at that deep void in those soulless wolf eyes.
Me? Like what? I don’t have a body! I can cheer you on if you want, but nothing positive’s coming to mind!
“Can’t you hack them? Take control of them somehow? You got into my head wirelessly. What’s stopping you from doing it to them?”
The NOVA unit, as cryptic as it is, is still Cold Empire tech, same as me! And me being as smart as I am, it wasn’t hard to work out how to get in. But inserting myself into these things…
The wolves growled, a garbled approximation of a carnivorous predator warped by the void-drenched speaker it came from.
“Can you at least try?” Orion said, pulling both vines around his arms as tight as he could make them.
…no, I can’t do it, Tristelle said, her voice strained. I can’t interface with them properly.
Orion grit his teeth and slowly sank into a crouch. The wolves looked far more menacing now that he was at eye level with them. Their cautious stalking turned to swift jogging, as if Orion’s movement was a catalyst for the killing blow.
Orion, what are you doing?! Tristelle said. Making it easier for them to tear out your jugular?
The coursing white light pulsated around the saiyan again as he called upon his power once more, flexing his biceps and drawing his arms towards his chest. With a powerful kick against the ground, Orion fired into the air, the wolves snapping at his ascending heels. The vines stretched and frayed, attempting to keep him anchored to the earth, but they faltered. They snapped like tense strings, slipping free of his limbs and tumbling back to the corrupted jungle.
“Time to exterminate them,” Orion said, pointing a splayed hand at the ground and firing ki blasts. The yellow balls of energy slammed into the jungle and rained explosions down upon it, felling trees and setting flame to the vegetation. The saiyan watched with interest as the fires drew close to the void sludge, wondering how it would react. Once the flames touched that inky blackness, they instantly extinguished like they were smothered in water. Smoke wafted into the air in thin lines.
Well… that didn’t work, Tristelle said.
“No,” Orion said. “That corruption… it must be tied to this world’s creator somehow.”
Why would you think that?
Orion turned in the air and stared to the north-west. “The screams of the kai led me here, though they were echoed, misdirected somehow. The god is in that direction, where the wild zoids are forming into an army. This darkness that spills from the ground must be responsible for what’s going on.”
Unless it’s a by-product of the god turning against what it created.
“You think it could be… breaking apart what it built.”
…it’s a possibility.
Orion breathed heavily through his nostrils. “There will be no answers for us here. We must go to the front lines and sort this out.”
A moment later, the saiyan warrior was gone, a rapidly fading streak of white light the only sign of his passage.
He walked away from the glass panels that made up the end of his small, cramped room and sat by the round table, a tepid glass of water resting on its top. The boxy TV played on a cabinet directly across from the stiff bed. He had flicked through the channels earlier, hoping for something to distract him for a while before he had to begin the seriousness of the day, but all that seemed to be on any channel was news of a zoid gathering outside Markov’s barrier.
Would you look at that? Tristelle said. Seems to be out of the ordinary for this place.
Orion couldn’t comment either way. He hadn’t spent much time outside the Markov city limits, largely because there wasn’t much of a reason for him to leave. The presence of a huge energy barrier that shielded the city from outside threats was another – why test out the dangers of an unknown planet if he wasn’t being paid to do so? Still, he wondered where these robotic imitations of wildlife had come from, and if it was actually a concern for Markov’s government. Surely their barrier was enough to block out the incursions of a few unorganised machines?
“Do you feel any empathy towards them?” Orion asked.
What, those robots? Why?
“You’re an AI. Robots, even if they’re designed after real-life creatures, have some form of AI as well. You don’t consider yourself akin to them?”
Though Tristelle had no physical features, Orion got the impression she was frowning. Do you have a connection to animals that aren’t made of steel?
“To some extent. Sentient creatures feel pain.”
Well, I don’t. Outside of myself and my programming, I don’t really identify with anything.
Orion took a sip of water. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
Hey, do you ever wonder if someone is watching you when you’re talking to me, and they think you’re talking to yourself?
“They can think whatever they want.”
So you don’t care? Good attitude.
Orion slid into his mustard yellow pants and put on his boots. He had no job leads today so he would go out to the bars, talk to some people, and see if he couldn’t find an interview somewhere. Markov had plenty of opportunities for a man like Orion; he just had to find them. In fact, the sudden collusion of robotic creatures outside of the Markov barrier might just be the catalyst for a wide range of jobs to become available. As Orion slipped on his black battle armour and cinched up his robe, he smiled. He might even have people bidding for his services. Well, that was unlikely since he was a relative newcomer to this system, but still, this was a fertile breeding ground for a glut of jobs only someone like Orion could complete.
So, what’s your first stop? Tristelle asked.
“I think the best place to start would be-“
Orion stumbled, splaying his hands out on the table. The glass tumbled on its side and rolled off, shattering on the ground. Something felt... wrong. It was like a deep foreboding, of something dangerous and dark brewing over the horizon. It came out of nowhere and had no discernible cause. A moment before, he had felt fine.
What? What is it?
“You can’t... feel that?” Orion asked. “Normally you can read my thoughts.”
You seem... agitated. Anxious. Why?
“I don’t know,” Orion said. “I’ve never felt like that before. You didn’t do that, did you? You’re not playing with me?”
You haven’t pissed me off lately, so I don’t have a reason to,Tristelle said.
Orion stood and walked to the window. He couldn’t see it, but he felt something pulling him to the barrier. That wrongness that hung over him like a miasma urged him outside the city limits, as if the confusion would somehow dissipate as he left Markov’s protection. Buildings surrounded him on all sides, largely obstructing his view, but he instinctively knew he had to get out there.
“Something’s calling to me,” Orion said, walking to the door.
Wait! Tristelle said. This doesn’t seem unusual to you? You get some sort of psychic stomach ache and all of the sudden you’re rushing out into the wild?
Orion paused, hand on the rusty door knob. “I’m not going to be able to focus until I sort this out. Whatever I find out there, I’ll handle it.”
Yeah, we’ll see.
The saiyan warrior left the apartment complex. Ignoring the crowded sidewalk, he floated into the sky and flew towards the city limits, weaving in and out of the buildings. As he travelled, the sense of unease grew, flitting between fist-clenching anger and tear-jerking sadness, as if he were having some sort of emotional breakdown. How was this happening? How could something manipulate his feelings on this scale without any obvious stimuli?
Are you sure this is a good idea? Tristelle said.
“Stop second guessing me,” Orion said. “Something is playing with me and I’m going to put a stop to it.”
Orion laded at the edge of Markov, the translucent barrier humming before him. He found himself incredibly agitated, wanting to punch the next person he saw. A moment later, he fought down a lump in his throat as if he had just heard terrible news about a family member. Kais, this was exhausting.
He passed through the barrier and into the unprotected lands of Cevanti. The land directly outside the barrier was clear, but soon after the clearing was a line of jungle. Whatever the force that toyed with him was nearby.
Shifting through tree branches, Orion alighted on the jungle floor. He scanned the area thoroughly, but he couldn’t see anything. Nothing waited for him. What the hell was going on?
This was maddening! Orion roared and punched a nearby tree, cracking the trunk. His white aura burst around him, channeling ki throughout his body. He yearned to fight, to trade blows with something, anything! He turned and sheared through another tree with a powerful kick, toppling it to the ground. His rage still unsated, he raised two fists into the air and slammed them into the ground, sending cracks into the hard earth.
Orion! Tristelle shouted. Get a fucking grip on yourself, man! Calm down!
“There’s nothing here!” Orion bellowed. “I came out here for nothing!”
Yes! OK! So what? That’s nothing to blow your stack over!
The saiyan fell to his knees, the fury washing out of him like a passing breeze. Emptiness hurried to fill in the void. What was he doing out here? This was so stupid. There was no hope for him. Whatever was happening to him would claim him. He was delusional, thinking something was pulling strings on his emotions. Nothing was that powerful. No one could help him now. He was losing his mind.
What, now you’re giving up? Dammit Orion, what is wrong with you?
The sunlight dimmed all around him. He was truly being consumed by darkness.
“I…”
A noise like a banshee scream penetrated the gloom in the saiyan’s mind, chasing it away. The sound burned with pain and loss, almost a perfect mirror to his own intrusive emotions. And yet, though he had never heard it before, it was as if he knew the origin of the sound. It was the voice… of Cevanti’s creator? What? How could he just know that? Where did this information come from? Was this a voice of a kai crying out for help?
“Something is calling out to me,” Orion said. “This world’s progenitor. It’s… suffering.”
How in the fuck could you possibly know that? Tristelle said. What’s that got to do with anything that’s going on?
The ground beneath Orion buckled and splintered, as if sympathetic to the cry of its maker. Violet-black sludge oozed between the cracks, spilling out like cosmic oil. Orion leapt to his feet and bounded away from it as it pooled outwards in all directions, moving astonishingly fast. The earth cracked again nearby and more of the darkness bubbled out. Soon, the ground broke all around him, exploding with great force as the blackness forced its way free.
“What the hell is that?” Orion said.
I have no idea, but I’m certain you don’t want to touch it, Tristelle said. Wait! Do you hear that?
“No! I have a kai screaming in my ear!”
Look around you!
Orion did so. Robotic wolves stalked closer towards him, forming a perimeter. Their eyes dripped with the same violet-black liquid void that stained the ground, baring steel teeth. Where had they come from?
In other places, the dark void substance ran over vines that dangled to the ground. The vines shook and dislodged from the trees, falling to the earth and gaining jagged maws. They slid towards Orion like snakes, snapping their mouths. Other plants that touched the expanding darkness tore their roots from the ground and walked along with them like writhing tentacles. This nefarious substance was giving life to everything it touched, and none of that life looked friendly.
The screams still filled Orion’s ears. The sound was coming from somewhere else though. He turned away, looking to the north-west. That awful, sobering cry was coming from that direction.
“Wait…” Orion said. “The north-west. Isn’t that…”
…where the zoids are massing, Tristelle said, finishing the thought. Yes!
“Those things are… killing this world’s god?” Orion said.
That doesn’t bode well for us. We can’t escape this planet if it’s torn apart beneath your feet.
“Then I’ve got to get to it,” Orion said.
A snake-vine whipped out at the saiyan, wrapping around his wrist.
First you have to get out of this! Tristelle said.
More of the mutated vines lashed out at him, snagging around his ankles. Seeing his apparent capture, the robotic wolves closed in for the kill.
One of the metal predators leapt at Orion, teeth flashing. The eerie black sludge leaked from his mouth. Orion pulled on the vines shackling him but found them uncompromising. The other ends of the vines had burrowed into the earth, forming a strong connection. He strained against the unnatural integrity of their plant fibres, likely bolstered by the insidious black liquid that infected them. They felt closer to corded ropes than hanging vines.
The wolf was mere inches from clenching its jagged teeth around Orion’s neck. With a forceful exertion of ki, his white aura burst around him once more. He blasted all of his power into his leg, tensing the muscles and struggling against his bind. The vine skin split, and with a focused effort, tore loose. Orion’s leg slammed into the pouncing metallic wolf with no restraint, denting its side to the point that the side hit touched the other, leaving its midsection impossibly thin. The wolf rocketed across the ground, landing unceremoniously into another of its pack and sending them rolling away.
Yeah! Tristelle yelled. You got him!
The remaining wolf pack pulled back their violent fervor but didn’t disperse. They surely saw the raw power of their prey, thinking of new avenues to subdue him. They circled around him closely, tightly knit as a group, learning the mistake of the impatient member of their pack. As they closed in, another vine snake coiled about Orion’s freed thigh.
“Can’t you do something?” Orion said, swallowing hard at that deep void in those soulless wolf eyes.
Me? Like what? I don’t have a body! I can cheer you on if you want, but nothing positive’s coming to mind!
“Can’t you hack them? Take control of them somehow? You got into my head wirelessly. What’s stopping you from doing it to them?”
The NOVA unit, as cryptic as it is, is still Cold Empire tech, same as me! And me being as smart as I am, it wasn’t hard to work out how to get in. But inserting myself into these things…
The wolves growled, a garbled approximation of a carnivorous predator warped by the void-drenched speaker it came from.
“Can you at least try?” Orion said, pulling both vines around his arms as tight as he could make them.
…no, I can’t do it, Tristelle said, her voice strained. I can’t interface with them properly.
Orion grit his teeth and slowly sank into a crouch. The wolves looked far more menacing now that he was at eye level with them. Their cautious stalking turned to swift jogging, as if Orion’s movement was a catalyst for the killing blow.
Orion, what are you doing?! Tristelle said. Making it easier for them to tear out your jugular?
The coursing white light pulsated around the saiyan again as he called upon his power once more, flexing his biceps and drawing his arms towards his chest. With a powerful kick against the ground, Orion fired into the air, the wolves snapping at his ascending heels. The vines stretched and frayed, attempting to keep him anchored to the earth, but they faltered. They snapped like tense strings, slipping free of his limbs and tumbling back to the corrupted jungle.
“Time to exterminate them,” Orion said, pointing a splayed hand at the ground and firing ki blasts. The yellow balls of energy slammed into the jungle and rained explosions down upon it, felling trees and setting flame to the vegetation. The saiyan watched with interest as the fires drew close to the void sludge, wondering how it would react. Once the flames touched that inky blackness, they instantly extinguished like they were smothered in water. Smoke wafted into the air in thin lines.
Well… that didn’t work, Tristelle said.
“No,” Orion said. “That corruption… it must be tied to this world’s creator somehow.”
Why would you think that?
Orion turned in the air and stared to the north-west. “The screams of the kai led me here, though they were echoed, misdirected somehow. The god is in that direction, where the wild zoids are forming into an army. This darkness that spills from the ground must be responsible for what’s going on.”
Unless it’s a by-product of the god turning against what it created.
“You think it could be… breaking apart what it built.”
…it’s a possibility.
Orion breathed heavily through his nostrils. “There will be no answers for us here. We must go to the front lines and sort this out.”
A moment later, the saiyan warrior was gone, a rapidly fading streak of white light the only sign of his passage.