Episode Two

{{Written by Alina}}

The Feisty Dragon and the Singing Nun touched down on Osiris after a stormy and unpleasant descent.

“The instrumentation indicates that we’re at the outskirts of a large city,” said Stella. “Let me contact some connections and we’ll have fuel and a warm place to stay the night.”

Cornelius lowered the gangplank and they exited the Dragon. Around them in the darkness, swirls of dust obscured their environment. Other than the wind, the city was eerily quiet. Not a single window in a single building was illuminated.

“So, there’s nobody here,” said Marie.

Cornelius shone his forearm into the street in front of them. As he did so, a handful of creatures skittered away from the light and into the alleyways around them.

“Were those people?” said Violet.

“Yes, they were,” said the Captain, “but not anymore. My instruments are picking up the residue of some powerful interference with this city’s infrastructure. Something in the air, water, or electrical systems has been tampered with, recently at that. Stella, let’s establish a new landing point, I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“No, really?” said Marie.

“Aw, $#!^,” said Stella. “The Nun’s lost power. I can’t reach my crew, or my contacts. The Dragon’s done the same.”

“It’s the interference,” said the Captain. “Our support systems are jammed as long as we remain in this area.” She turned to face the others.

“Arm yourselves, all of you. Turn on whatever lights still work, and send up a signal flare. We need to reach someone, or wait until the storm ends and try to find something on foot. Go now.”

Violet and Marie grabbed pistols, Cornelius strapped on his fire-engine red mid-range blaster, Stella picked up a stolen Anubian blast rifle, and the Captain and Arturius armed themselves to the teeth with pistols, blasters, and numerous blades.

The flare lasted a dangerously short time in the stormy night sky, and only a feeble targeting light off the gangplank remained operable. They guarded the entryway warily as the night wore on, getting only colder and darker. Once in a while, another of the beasts would flash in and out of their light, and the Captain would caution them not to shoot, for fear of startling it into attacking them.

“They won’t bother us so long as the light holds out,” she said. “They seem to have another source of food, which I don’t recommend investigating.”

“You know what they are, don’t you?” said Cornelius. “Why is that?”

“Yes, I think I do,” said the Captain, “but if I’m right, there are worse things than these to contend with. Keep your weapon in your hand.”

“Someone’s coming, Victoria,” said Stella, her ears picking up the subtle approaching footsteps.

The Captain squinted into the darkness. Gradually, a figure appeared in the distance, limping and hunched. He was wearing the garb of an Anubian officer. A swarm of the creatures appeared from an alleyway and ran towards him.

“Should we shoot?” Stella asked.

“Yes,” said the Captain after a slight hesitation. The band opened fire on the creatures, sending them sprawling into the dust. They took flight, and the Anubian, who hadn’t broken his slow but persistent pace, entered their light.

“Are you friend or foe?” Arturius demanded.

“I am Kots,” said the stranger, sinking to his knees.

The Captain’s head jerked towards him and studied his face. Arturius’ eyes widened.
“Get him some medical attention,” the Captain said.

Stella looked as though she wanted to refuse, but obeyed her captain. She gathered some supplies from inside the ship and began tending to his injuries.

“This isn’t his first encounter with those things,” she said, “they’ve taken some pretty good chunks out of him.”

“We have you in our power, Kots,” said the Captain. “Now tell us how we can leave this place.”

“The only way is to find the Instigation, and bring it to me to dismantle it. That’s how you end the interference.”

“Where is it?” said Arturius.

“Deep in the center of the Anubian camp,” said Kots, “it will be well-guarded, as will the hold, in which they keep the few remaining humans. To find the Instigation, you must travel to the other side of the city on foot, enter the camp, get past the guards and retrieve it without getting captured.”

“You come with us and show us the way,” said the Captain.

“I would only be a danger to you,” said Kots. “I was followed by guards when I escaped. As you search for the Instigation, they will be searching for me. You should go now, while some of the guards are away looking for me.”

The Captain nodded. She entered the ship and donned her old Anubian uniform. Arturius did the same.

“Stella, Marie, and Violet, stay here and protect Kots and the ships at all costs,” said the Captain.

“Captain…” said Stella. The Captain shot her a look and she was silent.

“Stella, you need to stay here to tend to Kots, and to listen for anyone coming. Cornelius, I need you to come with Arturius and I to find the Instigation. I know it will be dangerous for you because you don’t have a uniform, so try to stay hidden.”
“Yes, Captain,” said Cornelius.

The three of them stole off into the night in the direction from which Kots had come. They ran quickly but silently on the distorted, uneven ground. They crossed the city without sight of any of the creatures, and paused at the border of the Anubian camp, where some guards were posted. They slowed to a walk, making themselves as unnoticeable as possible. They walked deeper and deeper into the camp, unseen by the occasional guard. Then, their luck ran out.

“There, the tall one, it’s Arturius!” said a guard to his fellows. Suddenly they were being fired upon, and wordlessly they turned and fled back in the direction they had come, splitting up to act as a distraction. They flew over the ground, hardly noticing its many bumps and grooves. They lost their pursuers before reaching the edge of the camp. Still separated, they slowly circled back to the far side of the camp. Cornelius found himself in an abandoned branch of the city, and turned around to search for the others and the Instigation. As he reentered the main camp, he noticed a large gathering of guards discussing the arrival of Arturius. They were gathered around a prisoner, and Cornelius remembered what Kots had said about the Anubians capturing the remaining humans. Fearful that it was one of his companions, Cornelius left his hiding place and dashed to the prisoner’s side, finding only an Osirian. Startled, the guards took hold of Cornelius’ gun and led him to the hold with the Osirian. As he was being led, Cornelius searched for the location of the Instigation, but saw nothing plausible. The hold was small and cramped. The guards continued to discuss the situation, and although they didn’t give any clues about the Instigation, they revealed that they hadn’t yet discovered Kots. Even in the Anubian camp, the interference prevented the use of any electric lights, and at first Cornelius didn’t recognize the new guard that showed up at the hold.

“What are you doing?” said one of the original guards to the newcomer.

“Guarding,” said the new guard standoffishly, flashing an officer’s badge. The other guards quieted. Cornelius, however, spoke up.

“There’s a guard at twelve o’clock and another at about two,” he said loudly and clearly. “No sign of it but he’s okay. I’m right by the door.”

“Does he have a communicator?” said one of the guards.

“No, that’s impossible,” said the other, “the electricity’s out for miles.”

“I’ve been searching for Arturius,” said the new guard, “have they captured him yet?”
“No, but it won’t be long.”

The new guard moved towards the door and opened it.

“I’m taking him to interrogation, this is no Osirian,” she said.

Cornelius was taken out of the hold and led to the back of the camp. The Captain, aka the new guard, let him go and returned to the center of the camp. As she explored, she came across the Instigation, and Arturius, who was hiding in a corridor. She picked up the Instigation and began to run back towards the edge of the camp, Arturius close behind. Her dark uniform made her nearly invisible in the night. As more and more guards noticed the Instigation, she handed it off to Arturius, who ran with it as fast as he could. Three guards closed in on him from different angles as the edge of the camp approached. A guard fired at an unstable escarpment in front of him, and the building collapsed in his path. He tripped and flew through the air, losing the Instigation as he did. Right behind him, the Captain picked it up without missing a beat and continued to run. Cornelius appeared from the shadows behind them, helped Arturius to his feet, and ran alongside them. Some of the creatures noticed the sound of gunfire and ran to its source, meeting the Anubian guards head-on. Narrowly avoiding the beasts themselves, the Captain, Arturius, and Cornelius ran back towards the Dragon. Near the end of the journey, the Instigation began to make a loud whirring noise, which attracted the creatures. A pack of them descended on the Captain, jumping on her abdomen and biting down hard. Arturius took the Instigation and handed it to Cornelius, who ran up the gangplank of the Dragon to safety. Arturius took out a long blade and began slashing at the Captain’s attackers. The Anubians were fast behind them, firing fully now that they didn’t have to avoid hitting the Instigation. Suddenly from within the Dragon, there was a flash of light, and then the electricity in the city returned, brightening their surroundings to greater visibility. The creatures left off attacking the Captain, and the Anubians closed in. Violet appeared from the ship and ran to Arturius while providing covering fire. She grabbed his hand and he in turn tried to help the fallen Captain to her feet. She was weakened from the attack and fell down immediately. The Anubians reached them and carried the Captain away. Violet pulled a struggling Arturius onboard the Dragon just as the gangplank was being raised. Stella piloted the Nun away from the storm with the Dragon still in tow, and within a few minutes they were on the other side of the planet, in daylight. Stella took Cornelius into one of the back rooms.

“I wanted to talk to you out of earshot of Kots,” she said.

“Would you care to explain who he is?” Cornelius asked. “For example, is Kots his first name or his last?”

“Neither, it’s his title: Keeper of the Secrets. He doesn’t have a name.”

“And why do the Captain and Arturius trust him, and you don’t?”

“The Keeper of the Secrets is a position in the Anubian army that’s possibly the scariest #$%^ thing you’ve ever heard of. They’re trained from a very young age in experimental weaponry, in a branch of the army that technically doesn’t exist, if you catch my drift. You only bring a Kots into your mission if it is absolutely necessary, and if you don’t care how many civilians you end up killing. Victoria worked with this particular Kots and his predecessor a few times on missions, and those missions were the ones that really let her know there was corruption in her institution. There was a disillusioned Kots working with us as one of the leaders during the revolution. Or so we thought. He ended up ruining us as a double agent. If you ask me, there’s no such thing as a disillusioned Kots. They don’t have names for God’s sake, the military is literally their whole life. On the other hand, if one were to work on our side, it would be extremely valuable.”

“Do you think this one is legit?”

“Honey, I just know what I’ve seen, and I’ve never seen a Kots that wasn’t just an organic machine for the Anubian military.”

“The Captain trusts him.”

“And you can bet your @$$ that’s the only reason I’ve kept him here. Though now he might just be useful.”

“How so?”

“He’s probably the only person in the world that the Anubians want more than the Captain. We can negotiate a switch, maybe.”

“Let’s talk to Arturius first.”

Stella sighed.

“He seems pretty fond of Kots too, for some reason, but yeah, we should talk.”

They entered one of the many hospital rooms on the Nun where Kots was being held. He had perked up considerably since being medicated and was now strolling impatiently around the room smoking a pipe. Arturius left Stella to guard him and left the room with Cornelius.

“Kots is going to help us get the Captain back,” he said.

“But how can we trust him?”

“Do you know who he is?”

“Stella told me. I don’t see why we still have him around, quite frankly.”

“This Kots is different from the others. He has a brain, he’s human, despite everything they did to him. You of all people should appreciate that.”

“Didn’t you think that before, and then get betrayed at your weakest hour?”

Arturius looked away.

“This Kots is the reason there are no other Kots’. He killed them all. Nobody hates the Anubians like him. I hate to think what they did to him to cause that. They’re discontinuing the program because of him, you know.”

“What was all that back there, the Instigation and such, if that wasn’t a Kots mission?”

“It wasn’t his mission, it was meant to kill him.”

“They destroyed a city to kill one man?”

“You don’t understand the power of a Kots. He is the only one that can help us get the Captain back. We have to act fast. I don’t need to remind you that they have her as we speak.”

Cornelius looked inside the window at Kots. He was sticking his finger up the sink in his room, and watching the water explode out of it when it could no longer stand the pressure.

“I think he’s bored,” said Arturius. They opened the door.

“Are we ready to go?” said Stella. “I’ve transferred the fuel from the Nun to the Dragon. That way the four of us can take the Dragon while the others stay to fuel the Nun.”

They parted ways with Marie and Violet, and Stella sat down at the pilot’s seat of the Dragon.

“Now bear with me, I’ve only flown this thing once before-“

“Then let me do it,” said Arturius, “it used to be my ship.”

“Right.”

They switched places, and Arturius flew the Dragon back towards the storm cloud that marked the Anubian camp. The journey seemed agonizingly slow, but finally they reached the city.

“What are you waiting for,” said Stella, “free valet parking?”

They disembarked.

“I’ve put the ship under some very powerful cloaking,” said Kots, “and the same goes for us. They won’t be able to see or hear us as long as my finger stays on this button.”

He indicated a small device with a red button at the top.

“And now, we waltz in, get the Captain, and waltz back out. It’s that simple.”
“Is it,” said Stella, “why should we believe you?”

“I know where they’ve taken her. It’s where I was until just recently. Let me show you the way, and your Captain will be waiting for us.”

Stella drew her rifle and stuck it to Kots’ neck.

“You better %^$#in’ be right about that,” she said.

Kots led them through the camp, down numerous hallways, and into an interrogation complex. When an Anubian entered the Captain’s room, the four of them slipped in behind. The Captain lay looking dazed on a padded platform. The Anubian stuck a needle into her arm and left. Kots released the button, and the Captain’s eyes lit up. Kots placed a wristband around the Captain’s wrist and pushed down on the button again.

“She’s in the cloaking now,” he explained.

“How do you feel, sweetheart?” said Stella.

“Better, now that you’re all here,” said the Captain, “they stuck me with needles, drugged me, and asked me the same questions over and over, so really it wasn’t unlike a trip to hospital.”

They laughed.

“You can take that gun away from poor Kots now, Stella,” the Captain continued. Stella reluctantly holstered her gun. They helped the Captain to her feet and escorted her out of the camp, forming a square around her. They boarded the Dragon and flew off incognito.

“Well, that was quick,” said Violet upon their return.

“Yes, I think the most difficult part was the Captain’s backseat driving,” said Arturius.

“Thank you Kots,” said the Captain, “You’ve saved all of us today.”

“Captain,” said Stella, “we’re picking up a distress call from Isis, there’s trouble with Violet’s family.”

“What!” said Violet, “what’s wrong?”

“I can’t tell, it just says to come quickly, and it’s on the emergency frequency.”

“Hang on, I’m getting something too,” said Cornelius, looking at his communicator, “but it’s not from Isis, it’s here. Some old friends of mine are in trouble with a new gang that’s sprung up nearby.”

“Bad timing,” said Marie.

“Cornelius, take care of your friends, and we’ll answer the call and be back before you know it,” said the Captain. “There’s no reason that adventures should only happen one at a time, like they do in stories.”

“Are you sure?” said Cornelius.

“Obey your Captain,” said Stella, handing him his belongings, “even when it’s hard.”

{{Epilogue by Dane}}

Later, when alone:

Arturius gently took Victoria's arm and led her quietly through a back tunnel of the ship to a small lounge the two of them often conversed in.

"Captain... permission to speak freely..."

"Oh, drop the formalities. You merely wish to lecture me on the dangers of wandering alone and that I should never leave your side, is that right?" she snapped back at him in a manner similar to one mocking a sibling.

"You could have gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking?!? I TOLD you to watch yourself and to stay close to me in firefights. I'll have you kno-"

Victoria abruptly cut him off, rolling her eyes and letting a soft sigh escape her lips. "Arturius, I know you will always come for me. And if you'll remember, I've had quite a bit of military experience myself and have outranked you for quite some time now. Now please quiet your nerves. I'm fine."

He looked sullenly at her. "So you had to bring in the superiority card again. Why must we linger on that?"

"Hush now. It's time for us both to get some rest. Apologies for bringing that up, you know I don't mean it."

"Yes. I know. It just bothers me. As it always has." He gently kissed her cheek and bade her goodnight.

As he departed to his own quarters, Victoria grimaced slightly at the various scars of the day's adventure. She nodded slightly to herself, holding a grin tightly to her lips. Arturius. Never a man could she count on more than he; and with this parting thought she quietly resigned herself to her quarters.