The priest didn’t seem to even notice it when he was fighting it. But it spoke to Brenvalo when he experienced the priest’s memories. It was no language that he could ever read or write. He felt that black worm wrangle his neurons to tell him —. Those weren’t the words, it spoke no words. It was an idea that carved its way through his brain like a malicious thought stream. He didn’t think it was coming. He knew it was coming.
“What is the meaning of this?” Liera’s voice came from the roof through the ship's comms system. “We only have a few minutes to talk, I’m excusing this as comms repair, any longer and they’ll find a way to hack in just to see what I’m doing. You have one minute to explain to me what happened.”
“Y-yes! My priestess!” Brenvalo croaked gratefully. Finally, he had someone that could listen to him and not think he was going mad. “The things I drew, It is a creature, a living thing. It’s coming! The priests found it beyond the frontier. There was a pillar ship near it, in an asteroid field”
“Like I said earlier, I can’t trust a corrupted memory log” She told him dismissively. “However, since you went through all of this trouble, I’m trying to figure out if you’ve gone into psychosis because of something the priest did to you”
“No, I promise you my priestess! He didn’t do anything. You’ll know this is true because, If I hate your kind, Why would I vouch for one of you?” He was stumbling over his words and thoughts. “He didn’t hurt me or anything else of the sort. He showed me a memory, a recorded experience of him fighting this thing. It wasn’t exactly fighting. It was more like he was there to provide targeting for a bigger weapon. He could never kill that thing by himself. I’m not sure even a hundred of him could. This tactic I describe, is this within your combat protocols when facing overwhelming threats?” He gulped dryly. That was a mouthful and he ran out of air at the end. But his sentences were meaningful, giving the priestess no reason to suspect a mental break. The question about tactics was to ground it further. It was fairly obvious, even though he had only ever engaged in space ship combat.
“It is a valid tactic, Yes, I should also mention that you've not been alive long enough to know what we can and can't do. The Red Sect handles threats as they come, the upper limit of operational capacity is just where things should be for the current era. This fear of yours is irrational," She told him, finally acknowledging his side of the story to set him at ease. "Your finger paintings didn't help much. You're terrible at drawing."
"M-my apologies!"
"If something is coming, Varul will deal with it. I've yet to meet a threat that a planet buster couldn't kill," She hadn’t experienced the fear that he did. She had no problem with this unseen unknown.
"I-it didn't work in the memory! It kept coming."
"Again, we'll deal with it as they come. I'm more interested in knowing how you knew about my biologics, can we get to that?" He pursed his lips about the fearsome creature.
"I was given that information, before I was directed to destroy you," He told her, carefully. He was already in the wrong and deserved punishment but he didn’t want to push it any further with a slip of the tongue.
"You've carefully omitted who, Do you need to be tortured to answer a question honestly?"
"It’s about my family, I need guarantees. Please, my Priestess, I can't betray my own blood."
"Why didn't you think about them before agreeing to what you did?"
"They started by threatening them," Brenvalo told her, his voice shaking with regret. "I'm at fault, I know that. You can punish me. I was given things. An expensive property. Eighty nine million in assets...I was doing it for their future."
"There are billions of wealthy people around in the galactic empire. your words don't narrow anyone down. I can't guarantee the safety of your family. That's not how the Red Sect works. I can tell you that I personally would never go after them. Are you willing to trade a name for that promise?"
"The Darud foundation." He mentioned the easiest name. They were the ones that funded the expedition that found the Vervid in an underwater dig.
"Ah, something I already know. You're being clever."
"The property that I was given, It came from a corporation adjacent to them."
"They're not headquartered that far, are they? If they're funding rediscovery expeditions in this sector they need to be around to reap the benefits" She was silent for a moment as she searched for this information. "Just as I thought. The main branch house is Only 17 systems away. Sounds like somewhere we should visit?"
"You might get more out of them than I ever could. I wasn't told any reasons, They bought my fleet from AUM Galactic, it was way above my pay grade to get any of my questions answered."
"I'll get to killing your buyers when we're done here," The Priestess told him with no change in her voice. It was halfway similar to the threat he received from the priest. She didn't intend it as a threat. It was just an inevitability scheduled for later. "If I'm to believe Varul found something dangerous beyond the frontier, and based on what I've already seen on both the planet and the resonator, I think someone's trying really hard to cover their trail."
"Y-yes. That is the sense I got from this as well," He agreed. He played his cards even when he obeyed his orders. He had seen enough here and there to get the sense of his overall actions. She was right, someone was desperate to cover up what happened so far in this system. "Do you think this goes that far though?" He asked.
“They designated this area safe from dark age threats of the empire. By declaring this the new frontier, they admit that they're responsible for sweeping the sector. Does this look like a swept sector to you?" Her tone was lethal. "There is a biomass gathering, sentient swarm weapon released on a population of millions. And now, Varul's replicant showed you what? A space reptile just beyond the frontier? You're telling me it can't be killed with a planet buster and it’s currently making its way here. Is this galactic neighborhood safe enough for reseeding planets with millions of refugees?"
"You make excellent points, My Priestess. But if the conspiracy goes that far back…"
"Doesn’t matter how far it goes. My point is, eventually someone needs to die for this. I've been around long enough to predict this is coming from Earth. Someone in AUM’s upper echelons knows everything that we don't and AUM has demonstrated a Materium capability for time manipulation,” He had traced it back to Earth as well. When he arranged the direct presence meeting with AUM D-Council, it was legitimate, it arrived through official military channels only AUM has access to.
“Have you connected these dots yet, Commander? Someone has the resolve to cover up their mistakes, and they have the ability to twist time at will."
"I see why you declared war, my Priestess. I regret my actions deeply."
"Good, I need your help," He stared up at the roof, bewildered.
"My Priestess? What can a man in my state do for you?" He asked, unable to even imagine what he could do for someone this powerful.
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"A lot if you try. Now listen to me."
The Vellek’s dock opened later that day. The Fifth arrived with a huge box that was identical in size to the dining room that Varul gifted Calan. The levitation platform that brought it placed it gently next to the dining room, aligning it perfectly with no gaps.
"Welcome, Fifth of Second," Liera greeted him. She had to wait for Calan to tire out with his mad running all over the ship. She didn’t have any recent data pertaining to this behavior in children. She was concerned at first but all signs pointed towards positive childhood development. The headfirst crash into Commander Brenvalo was less than ideal, but Calan was too excited to whine about any pain coming from it. “I hope this wasn't too late, The child was having the time of his life running.”
"Oh no, My Priestess. I understand any unpredictability, given your current arrangement," He replied sweetly. He was in Varul's biologics but his mannerisms were completely different from the original. The Fifth wore a very pleasant smile, unlike Varul's neutral smirk. He stood straight, just like when he used his base frame. On biologics, this posture looked rather stiff, like an overly polite military officer.
"I see you brought us a massive gift."
"The finest bedroom that I could print in a hurry. If only I knew this a few days in advance, I could've procured much better materials."
"Think nothing of it, This is merely a temporary measure. My ship really needs a new interior layout design," Liera matched his sweet tone with hers. Unlike Varul however, the Fifth wouldn't be swayed by such tactics. He had no lust, and was focused on what he came here looking for. "I'm very grateful to you for taking care of my battle-frame." She added, just to check the weather.
"I regret that it couldn't be done in time. Varul is still undecided on the compute module he wants you to have," Of course he was. He was delaying it on purpose.
"It's not a problem, I can wait a bit longer for those improvements," She lied.
The fifth opened the door, to show her what he did with his gift. It was a smaller version of Varul's very expensive one. Not the same materials, nor the same quality but it was halfway there. A thoughtful gift from a sentimental priest.
"This is fantastic. Calan would definitely like this," she told him. "I thank you on his behalf, he's a child so he might not remember to be polite."
"Oh that's fine, my Priestess. I've worked with several in the past."
"Really?"
"Yes, medical deployments, I have also helped with a couple rescue missions," He told her proudly. Although a replicant, the Varul in him came out when he talked about himself. They were charitable deeds, but Liera knew Varul wouldn't undertake anything without some benefit to himself. However, she didn't let this sway her opinion on the Fifth.
"Lira, I wanna sleep now," Calan barged in, fresh out of the shower, yawning. That shower always made him a bit too comfortable after drying. He had also spent all the excess energy running, this was no surprise. "Oh, hello!" he stopped, looking up at what he only knew to be Varul, the scary man with amazing food.
"Sleep so soon? Are you sure? I promised you can play with lasers for a bit," Liera shook one spindly arm for the effect. Calan was so much easier to control than Varul. She watched as her words reached his brain. The sleep in his eyes faded faster than anyone could blink.
"Alright! Let's switch!" he told her, excitedly. He even stood next to the ball, hoping that would switch them faster.
The Fifth watched their interaction with a kind smile on his face. This was exactly the sort of thing he enjoyed, mild emotions, wholesome relationships among individuals. Noticing his content face, Liera directed Calan's attention to him.
"But first, greet our guest first. Thank him for the gifts he got you."
"Uh," Calan groaned. He hoped to have laser arms as soon as possible. Nevertheless, he was raised to be polite. He walked timidly up to the tall scary man and stared at him for a split second. "Thank you, mister priest. I liked the food. It was tasty!"
"Oh? I shall get you more then," The Fifth smiled kindly. This was fine by Liera. Calan could extort all the replicants and they'll be better off for it. The Fifth in particular had access to a vast variety of material. Varul himself probably relied on the same supply chains for food. "I saw your drawing, excellent work."
"Really?" Calan was happy to hear it. "Wait but you were there when I showed it. You liked it.“ Normally, Calan wouldn’t have to explain this to someone that he talked with, that he had, in fact talked with them. He had noticed these absurdities in his own childish way.
"No, I was in a different body. You talked with Varul, I'm one of the three stick figures that you drew."
"What's with space people always jumping around in other bodies," Calan wondered aloud. He didn't intend to, but it was a genuine thought. It made both Liera and the Fifth laugh.
“You can’t tell us priests apart and you find our behaviors odd and puzzling. I have never thought about it from this perspective before,” The Fifth summarized to himself the core of Calan’s issue with them. ”How interesting…”
Calan already lost him by his second sentence. The priest was just talking weirdly to himself.
"He is quite amusing," the Fifth told Liera. She knew Calan wouldn't ever be able to tell the priests apart. They were identical in appearance. Calan didn’t have the internal Red Sect ID system that showed her their designations.
Few minutes later, Calan got his wish. He bounced off about six different things on his way out of the cargo bay. He needed to find a wall to draw with lasers. Liera already pointed him towards an old section of the ship where he could freely use the lasers.
”I hope you won’t mind the closing of the dock?” Liera asked politely. “Otherwise, he might go back into yours and find another wall to ruin.”
”Oh, I understand, my priestess” The Fifth replied with a smile. He gestured towards the dock to separate the ships, closing the dock behind him.
"That settles it then," Liera said, walking briskly into the new bedroom. She sat on the bed and looked at the priest. “We shouldn’t waste our time,” She extended her hands towards him with the most pleasant expression that she could muster. It was easy with a replicant. She didn’t have to battle with the tangible lust that erupted from Varul.
When Varul let him experience the interaction he had with the priestess, He felt new emotions stir within him. They were lesser approximations of chemical chaos. The ‘feelings’ came filtered through his replicant neurobits, but overall, he liked the experience. He also had the urge to seek novelty and variety after being around for such a long time, a trait that he shared that aspect with his original. This experience was far different from what he was used to as a replicant Red Priest. It helped to fill the sizable gaps in his existence with more neural connections.
“How is it? Is it good? Bad?” The priestess asked him, her arms wrapped gently around him as he listened to her heartbeat. He was too lost in his thought stream to make a sound. He noticed a minute had elapsed while he was wading knee deep in a sea of daydreams. He hadn’t moved a millimeter from the initial pose. The only movements were instigated by the priestess for him. ‘Relax’ was not something he truly understood in its biological context. He was trying to lock his pose like he did in his base frame. Varul was proud of his strength but his biologics were suboptimal in this regard. Letting his limbs and body fall limp like a dead thing was also a new experience. The priestess helped him arrange this new lifeless posture on top of herself. It was a good thing she understood what it was like to be in a base frame. “You’ve been quiet,” She whispered.
“This is new,” He whispered back, trying to keep his focus. This organ, the heart, was of particular fascination to him. It behaved like the coolant pump but it was more tightly integrated with the brain. The rate of change was proportional to chemical imbalances. Varul’s own heart was the same but hearing and feeling someone else’s was quite different. He felt her skin brush over his, it was very pleasant. The emitter calibration of his base frame was the closest approximation that he had for it.
88 seconds had elapsed.
He wanted this experience to continue but regrettably, this was all the time that he could spare for it. He brought his hand to her side.
“Oh? anything wrong?” She asked gently, her hand reaching for his. He felt that she wanted this to continue as much as he did. His hand slowly brushed over her pale skin, over the side and up her arm. He gripped her shoulder gently and let his hand rest above her collarbone.
“I like how it feels to touch skin,” He told her, raising his head off her chest to look at her. He knew from Varul’s experience that eye contact was key for distractions. Eye contact compelled reactions and with her, it was reciprocal, her eyes gazed directly into his. This was new as well, he felt his heart race under her intense gaze. Maybe this was what Varul liked about her the most, the intensity.
Varul would’ve frozen for far longer than he did.
He acknowledged her beauty, the intensity and this whole interaction in 37 milliseconds. As they maintained eye contact, both smiling pleasantly at each other, he slid the nail of his thumb under the nail of his forefinger.
A barely audible tick sound came from this action but their heartbeats and the sounds of fabric against fabric were loud enough to drown it.
This was his payload. It was carefully snuck under the nail, a translucent membrane that contained sleep in its most intense, liquid form. He was careful to crush it only with his nails, his fingers working with the closest base frame approximation of precision.
He rubbed his sedative drenched nails on the base of her neck above the collarbone. He maintained the same rhythm of motion for this to be innocuous, but he knew she could feel the cold liquid as her skin absorbed it. It was strong enough to act through a touch. Varul picked it personally. He didn’t want to harm her biologics physically for any reason.
“What did you do?” She asked in her sweet tone.
“I’m sorry, my priestess, I hope you have a pleasant dream,” He whispered as he placed his head back on her chest, listening to her heartbeat again. It was already slowing down as the sedative took the priestess back into a deep, peaceful slumber.