"We should keep moving," said Othar'a quietly.
Spiketail screeched at her. >Shadow is DEAD! Don't you care? Are there any feelings going through that Yautja head of yours? What…> The drone trailed off helplessly.
"Don't insult me, Spiketail," snapped Othar'a, and then continued in softer tones, "More Cythera will arrive any moment. Shadow was my friend too. In time, I will mourn his death. But for now, we must proceed in our purpose. The destruction of Tartarus. This is one more thing to take vengeance on that computer for."
Spiketail seemed to crumple. >We argued all the time,> she said softly. >Always fought over what was right. And now… now he's gone, and I never had a chance to… I don't know. We were friends, and now…>
"You three go on ahead," said Elysa. "We'll cover the rear." She looked at Spiketail sadly, her abilities meaning that she was the only one who had heard those last sentences. "He knew," she said quietly. "You're not alone in mourning his passing, but he was a practical soul. He wouldn't have wanted us to stay there crying our eyes out. He would have wanted us to finish what we started."
Whether Spiketail would have responded or not is a mystery, as an intense image flared through both their minds.
Moving along a corridor.
Third chamber on the left.
Press the control panel.
"…Elysa! Wake up!"
She stirred, and then sat bolt upright. "How long was I out?"
"About thirty seconds," replied Tyrion, looking relieved. "What happened?"
>I think we just found Talon,> said Spiketail. >She sent us an image. Or at least I think it was her.>
"It could be Tartarus trying to deceive us," said Othar'a doubtfully.
"It's the same 'voice' that told me what symbol would take us to this facility," said Elysa. "Not even Tartarus is that overconfident."
"Very well," said Kal'Arak'e. "Lead the way."
There was a green flash behind them from the armoury.
"More bloody Cythera," groaned Tyrion.
>Run!>
They reached a junction, and Spiketail paused. >That way!> she called, and sprinted off.
Elysa had a strange feeling of déjà vu as they moved down the corridor, the tramp of Cytheran feet behind them.
Third chamber on the left.
"In here!"
Adrenalin (or whatever equivalent Yautja have) overrode any doubts, and everyone piled into the room. Spiketail pressed a control embedded in the wall, and the door closed.
The clicking from their pursuers stopped outside the door, and then there was silence.
>I think we're safe,> said Spiketail.
"How did you know pressing that would close the door?" asked Tyrion.
>I didn't,> she confessed. >I just had a feeling that I should press it.>
The room was the traditional Cytheran tan, with arrays of bulges in the walls on one side. A small control panel stood in front of each.
Elysa moved towards one of these, and purposefully pressed a control.
The bulge in front of her turned transparent, and a familiar figure was revealed.
The Xenomorph known as Talon was curled up in a foetal position. Long cables and pipes linked her to the narrow walls of the chamber, and two massive spikes were embedded in her skull.
The spikes withdrew and the piping slowly retracted. Restraints snapped away, and the now transparent cover folded away.
The Alien slowly fell onto the ground, still in the foetal position.
Spiketail cautiously approached, and the figure stirred.
>Talon?>
Talon uncoiled, looked around, and hissed threateningly. >Back off! No more games!>
>What are you talking about? It's me!> said Spiketail, puzzled.
>Why oh why do you do this to me, Tartarus?> Talon screeched to the air. >Does it give you some sadistic pleasure, giving me hope and then showing me that it's all a sham?>
>Talon, listen to me!> said Spiketail. >This is real! Whatever you have been put through, it is over now. Look at me. Look at me!>
The other turned reluctantly to face her. >Enough of this!> Talon said abruptly. >I have been through this a thousand times before. Enough times to know a sham.>
>Too many times to know the truth?> Spiketail approached, and reached out towards her protégé.
Talon slowly reached out a clawed hand to meet Spiketail's, and seemed to crumple. >Spiketail? It's over, isn't it? Please say it's over.>
>It's over,> said Spiketail sadly. >What did that thing do to you? When we saw the Hybrids, I feared that you might be changed into a mindless pawn, but you have clearly suffered worse than that.>
Talon shuddered, and looked towards the other four for the first time. >You made it, then. All of you. Welcome to the belly of the beast.>
"Not quite all," said Othar'a quietly.
Talon looked puzzled, and then realisation came. >How did he die?> she said softly.
>A meaningless death. One that he stood no chance against. Shadow died because of a… a fluke of chance,> said Spiketail viciously.
"Don't listen to her," said Othar'a. "She still feels the deep bite of grief. He died after facing a battle that would have ended a lesser being against a far superior opponent. A Cytheran caught us off guard and shot him down before Spiketail killed it."
>I'm surprised Tartarus didn't torment me with that moment,> said Talon. >It's tormented me with just about every loss I've ever experienced many times already.>
"How did you survive the wreck of the Asphodel? We all saw it get destroyed, yet both you and Artemis survived it."
Talon sighed mentally. >You saw the beam hit the ship? There was short delay before any damage was inflicted, during which anything that Tartarus wanted to save was teleported off. I can remember seeing Vathris' face as he realised that he had fatally underestimated T-T… then I was in an underground chamber, surrounded by Cythera.
>I thought they were pushovers after seeing the Hive slaughter them back on the Charon, and I attacked them. They wiped the floor with me, and then when I was a little less aggressive, I was taken to some sort of science lab. There were eight others there, mostly from the Asphodel, but there were a few Yautja there too.
>I looked around and remembered what Vathris had said about the labs in the basements of the Asphodel, that they were for some of T-T's little projects. At that point, a wall started glowing and words came up. It was Tartarus, of course. Saying that thanks to the Asphodel's research, it had produced the ultimate guardians. It just needed subjects to test the serum on.
>It was a retrovirus, of course. I saw them all change. Slowly, over several hours. Obviously this one wasn't perfect, as a couple of people died in the process. Nastily, too – one had his blood become acidic before his body could cope, and the result was a very painful death.
>They were just about to inject that stuff into me when the screen came on again, and said to leave me out of it. Didn't say why, but I was rather grateful. Changing into something else is bad enough once. Then all the others who survived the change were strapped into some sort of medical apparatus, and two objects were implanted into them. Before that, we were all fighting to escape, to get away… and then they stopped. I contacted them, and they just sounded like machines. Some sort of mind control. Then I was dragged away, and that's the last I saw of them. You saw Artemis again?>
>We did,> said Spiketail mournfully. >She was changed. She tried to kill me until I accidentally destroyed the chip that controlled her. The second implant killed her soon after that with a venom injection. She told us that you were still alive, and then died. Poor girl. As I said, I was scared that you might have the same implants, but apparently not.>
>No,> said Talon bitterly. >Tartarus had a worse fate for me. It had just discovered that you had escaped from the Yautja ship that it had attacked, and wanted to pump me for information about you. It didn't want me harmed by accident by the retrovirus, and implanting that chip might cause brain damage. So I was implanted into it, instead. In there.> She flicked her tail towards the now empty chamber. >It could read my mind like a book, and tried to engineer situations that would stump you. I just stayed like that for a long time, trying to stop it from ravaging my memories, and then I discovered that it worked both ways. I had limited access to Tartarus itself. I could see what it could see of its bases, and had a rough idea of where you were. I saw you on a Cytheran ship, about to use a teleporter, and I used the transmitters on it to send you the right symbol.>
"How did you know what symbol it was?" asked Tyrion.
>Something else I learned from hacking into T-T. I learned the entire teleporter network while linked in.> Talon hissed viciously. >Tartarus didn't like my interfering, oh no. It started playing me images and memories to keep me occupied. I fought past it and tried to send you a message, and it got angry. Started playing tricks with my sense of time, and started taunting me with images where you released me, and when I tried to touch you, you dissolved into mist… it was horrible. Then I found an opening again, and showed you how to find and release me.
>It was really angry then, as it didn't want to lose any advantages over you. That nightmare kept coming until I knew exactly what was going to happen, and it was just as bad every time. It felt like years before I was free again, and I saw you coming through that very door. I told you how to block off the door, Spiketail, and Tartarus submerged me again. And then it was over. Here I am. How long was it since I sent you that teleporter symbol?>
Everyone turned away. "About two ooman hours," said Kal'Arak'e.
>Two hours…> said Talon bitterly. >It felt like months.>
"Another crime to make the Sentinel pay for," said Othar'a angrily. "The more I know of it, the more I know in my very blood that it deserves destruction."
"Here's where I ask a stupid question," butted in Elysa. "There are who know how many Cythera outside that door. How do we get past them to take an axe to that thing's core?"
Talon hissed softly, and moved towards the wall control panel. A rapid sequence of commands later, and the doors opened.
"Are you completely insane?" squealed Elysa.
Stalkers swarmed into the room, claws flashing, but they did not attack.
The ranks parted, and another Cytheran emerged. Outwardly it looked like a Warrior, but with a larger helmet and heavier armour. The same model that had led the attack on the Yautja ship.
>Skal-e-taral,> said Talon.
The Cytheran cocked its head on one side, and moved forwards. "That is a name that I have not been called in many millennia, Corrupted One. How do you know it?"
The Stalkers moved restlessly, but froze and a hand gesture from Skal-e-taral.
>I know a lot about you. You are the last survivor of the Cytheran warship Leyestara, that landed on this planet 1,573,283,927 human years ago. The last Cythera in the galaxy after the Old One's purge. The last Cytheran in existence to have a name, not just a designation. The last Cytheran Warlord.>
The Warlord chittered softly. "An impressive array of knowledge. What do you intend to do with it? You called me by my name over the network, and through curiosity I halted the attack."
>Look at what your people have become, Skal-e-taral. You may be old, but surely you can remember what your race once achieved. Nothing stood in the way of the Cytheran Domains. Even the Old Ones themselves retreated from you until the Corrupted were created! You once had the galaxy within your grasp, and now you are used as shock troops by your own creation, a machine that never fulfilled its purpose and has no more regard for your lives than it does for the lowliest Squealer on the surface! Can you honestly say that you feel proud with your lot in life?> Talon moved towards the tan monster. >I know that Tartarus tries to control you with its chips, but I also know that there is a spark within you that resists that. What do you say, Warlord?> With that, she knelt into a curious salute, her fist resting on her bowed head.
Skal-e-taral stood watching the kneeling Alien for some time.
And then, slowly returned the gesture.
"You speak truth, little Corrupted. Perhaps when the Old Ones created your kind, they put more of us in than they realised. I accept your service, and that of your companions. Taralak, warrior."
>Kitterel, Warlord,> said Talon, rising from the salute.
"You have created hope, in some strange way. Neither I nor any Cytheran will now stand in the way of your quest. When you destroy the Sentinel, know that you have freed a people from their own folly. You will not encounter us again. The Sentinel has bound us to it so tightly that its destruction will take us with it, but do not let that stop you. I… and what spark of individuality that remains in all of my race… would prefer death to this unceasing slavery." Skal-e-taral made the curious kneeling salute, and pressed a switch on his arm.
Green flashes erupted around the room, and the Cythera vanished into the ether.
>Kitterel, Warlord,> repeated Talon sadly.
Her four companions remembered to breath. "What was that about?" asked Kal'Arak'e curiously.
>Something that you could not understand if you did not know all that they have been through,> replied Talon. >Come. We have a computer to destroy.> Without another word, she left the room, and the others followed.
Tyrion opened his mouth to ask a question, but Elysa shushed him. "I think that was for her alone," she said quietly. "Like she said, we have a mission to complete and a computer to slag."
They walked through the eerily silent corridors. There was not even the distant sound of activity that had always been there in the background since they entered this level.
"Where are they?" asked Othar'a, puzzled.
>Skal-e-taral teleported all the Cythera to a buffer zone where they exist as pure energy,> said Talon. >When Tartarus is destroyed, that buffer will disintegrate and all that remains of their race will dissipate. The last Cythera will die, at our hands.>
Spiketail looked at her companion, puzzled. Aliens cannot cry for a multitude of reasons, but Talon sounded on the brink of tears. >What's wrong?> she asked. >The Cythera are killing machines that forced you into that chamber, were responsible for building Tartarus to begin with. Even that Skal-whatsit realised that it was better if they were to die.>
Talon spun, claws raised, and then relaxed. >I suppose that you have more experience at almost getting killed by them than me, and you have not seen their history from their own eyes. They are memories that I cannot share. That you cannot understand. Just… leave me to my grief, and say nothing more about it.>
Spiketail mentally shrugged, and stayed silent. Talon was right, it was something she could not understand, but it was something she could respect.
At that moment they heard a distant humming sound.
The rounded a corner, and a massive door blocked the way. Talon went to the control panel at the side, and tapped in a complicated sequence of commands.
The door opened to reveal a small, dark room.
The ceiling was writhing with electricity that flowed down into a small cylinder that stood in pride of place.
>Meet Tartarus,> said Talon grimly. >That cylinder is all that makes up the computer. Destroy it and the Cytheran's greatest mistake will be erased forever.>
"Simple enough," said Othar'a, and activated her plasma casters. A storm of plasma slammed into the cylinder, obscuring it in blue flashes.
The onslaught stopped, and the cylinder was still intact.
The Yautja looked at the unharmed computer core, gobsmacked.
>Energy field,> said Talon crisply. >A healthy chunk of the power generated by this facility goes into protecting that cylinder. It's more or less invulnerable to external influence.>
YOUR FRIEND IS CORRECT
The wall on one side of the room lit up with the words.
THIS FORCE FIELD WAS DESIGNED TO RESIST A FORCE IN EXCESS OF THAT OF A FUSION WEAPON
PRIMITIVE PLASMA WEAPONRY HAS NO HOPE OF PENETRATING IT
>External influences, but not internal,> continued Talon, ignoring the smug lettering. >It requires a very regulated power source. It regulates it itself, but with the appropriate command sequence it can be overridden. Thanks to the knowledge I gained while plugged in, I know that command sequence.>
The screen went blank for a moment.
IMPOSSIBLE
THAT INFORMATION IS PROTECTED IN THE DEEPEST SECTION OF MY PROGRAMMING
REGARDLESS OF WHAT INFORMATION YOU GAINED DURING YOUR CONNECTION, YOU COULD NOT HAVE PENETRATED THAT FAR
>Watch me,> hissed Talon, responding to Tartarus for the first time. She went up to one of the four control panels that encircled the cylinder, and started pressing keys.
THE PROBABILITY OF YOU SUCCESSFULLY LOCATING THAT COMMAND SEQUENCE AND BEING ABLE TO INPUT IT INTO AN ALIEN COMPUTER SYSTEM ARE NEGLIGABLE
Talon pressed one final key.
CONTROL OVER POWER REGULATORS HAS BEEN OVERRIDDEN
The screen went blank.
>In order to destroy Tartarus for good, we need to feed it an overdose that will literally fry its circuits. Four commands need to be entered, one on each control panel. The left uppermost symbol on the first three, and the middle symbol on the fourth.>
"I'll do one," said Elysa.
"As will I," said Othara.
>And me,> hissed Spiketail.
The screen flickered on again.
I HAVE EXISTED FOR 1,573,295,677.329 TERRAN YEARS! I CANNOT BE ENDED NOW!
Othar'a looked pitilessly at the cylinder. "For your crimes in waylaying and directly or indirectly killing countless millions of innocents, you will be 'ended'. Moreover, you have hurt every one of us personally in some way, and our blows will strike all the harder for it. I strike for the many Yautja that you killed for no fault of their own." She pressed the control panel, and the lights dimmed.
"This is for the crew of the Asphodel," spat Elysa, and pressed the second control panel. The electrical conduits feeding into the cylinder sparked and flickered.
>For the crew of the Charon, and for the abuse you put my mind through,> said Talon, and she pressed her control panel. A rising hum sounded throughout the chamber.
THIS CANNOT BE! THE PROBABILITY OF YOU SUCCEEDING WERE NEGIGABLE!
Spiketail pressed her control panel, and the stored charge earthed itself into the core of Tartarus. >And that's for Shadow,> she said quietly.
NO! INITIATING DIR… CANNOT COMPU… CALCULATION FAILU… CONTACT LOS…
Static arced across the screen, and abruptly cleared for a moment. Electricity streaked across the central core of the computer.
OMEGA DIRECTIVE ACTIVATING
I WILL DIE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WILL NOT SURV…
ATTACK GROUP ORD…
CRITICAL DAMA…
POWER OVER…
UNA…
CA…
L…
…
The screen went blank, and the very ground shuddered.
>Oh no… it said Omega Directive,> said Talon. >RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!>
They took off, running back the way they had come.
"What's Omega Directive?" asked Othar'a.
>Self destruct,> said Talon tersely. >Something else I picked up while linked into the thing. It'll take this entire facility with it, and considering the amount of space it takes up…>
"So the teleporters?" gasped Elysa.
>Talon, you'd better have been right about knowing the Cytheran teleporter codes,> hissed Spiketail. Electrical arcs played across the walls, and the ground shuddered again, violently enough to knock Tyrion off balance.
>I got you here, remember? Shut it!> Talon stroked the screen gently, and the view changed. >There. Get ready.>
The room jerked visibly, and a distant roar was heard. The teleporter screen flickered.
>No, you don't, you lousy piece of junk!> Talon hammered a symbol on the map, and there was a flash of green light…
Squeezing…
Intense cold…
Stretching…
Green flash…
The familiar dark tones of Yautja technology.
"Is it just me, or is that thing different every time?" mused Kal'Arak'e.
>We should be outside the blast range now,> said Talon.
The ground shuddered.
>…or perhaps not…>
"The bridge!" yelled Othar'a. "We need to take off!"
>But the Cytheran orbital lances!> objected Talon. >If they're set to shoot anything that moves, we're toast!>
"I'll take that chance," the Yautja replied grimly, and vanished down the corridor.
The entire ship rocked, and an ominous cracking resonated through the very air.
They reached the bridge, and the two Yautja began hammering controls. The Man'Daca lurched into the air, still vibrating from the effect of the ground shaking.
"This is going to be nasty… the sensors are picking up fires in seven locations within five kilometres," said Kal'Arak'e.
"Then it's time to move," replied Othar'a grimly.
The ship jerked forwards, accelerating rapidly away from the surface.
"The ground is cracking!"
The front of the Man'Daca glowed from atmospheric friction, and Othar'a made no response. Stars began to appear through the windows.
With a roar that was deafening inside the bridge, the ground exploded upwards.
The shields screamed as a shockwave of heat, giant chunks of ground and molten rock pounded into the ship like a clipper caught in a hurricane.
Othar'a tapped the control panel like a pianist, and the vessel leapt forwards. The vibrations slowed, and then stopped.
It slowly turned at Othar'a's command, and they saw the planet.
Half of it was gone. The explosion had destroyed the crust on the visible side of the world, leaving the molten core exposed. Even as they watched, magma was ejected into the depths of space.
"Thus dies Hades," said Kal'Arak'e sadly. "A planet cannot last like that. The imbalance of heat and cold on the core will cause it to obliterate what is left within days. With it goes the last remnants of two proud races, the Cythera and the Pilots." He paused. "In some strange way, I will miss that world. You had to live with purity of purpose there in order to survive."
"I won't," replied Elysa with a small smile. "But the death of a world is always a sad thing."
They watched in silence as fragments of the crust spiralled around them.
>So what now?> asked Spiketail.
"Let's go," said Elysa.
