Chapter 33

The Battle of Elex

Part 8: The Beasts

When I first witnessed the SA-X, it didn't feel like a doppelganger. It was like looking into a mirror. An out-of-body experience. Except some kind of parasite stole my body and was trying to be me. Or was it? Maybe it already thought it was superior. Or didn't even know it was born from my genetic code. Look at me...wondering these trivial thoughts about some space bug. No wonder it's effective as it is. Unburdened by the weight of sapience.

On Captain Kelso, Federation Cruiser - Near Absolute

One moment, Team A was right on course. The next, they were enveloped in a blinding light.

"...Captain…" "...Capt...ou read me? I can't h... " "...ain Kelso!..."

Kelso finally came to. Drenched in red. Abrasions and burns riddled his body and uniform. Where he wasn't slick to the touch in blood, he was soak in red hues of the oscillating lights above that accompanied a cascade of blaring alarms.

In a daze, Kelso was nearly paralyzed by the sight before him-

-almost the entirety of Team A had been destroyed in a single attack.

"Captain Kelso!" First Lieutenant Kaiolas continued to plead through the comm line.

Kelso gingerly tapped his receiver. "Kaiolas…"

"Captain Kelso! Are you okay?" Kaiolas asked.

Kelso moved ever so slightly, yet a jolt of pain shot up his back and left side, nearly taking his breath away once more.

He groaned. "I wouldn't say that."

Kaiolas's voice rang in his ear. "Hold on, we're coming to get you."

"Don't." Kelso clutched his side. "It's too dangerous. Get the others first."

"But-"

"Please, Lieutenant." Kelso hung there for a moment. "Trust me. I'll make it back."

Through Kaiolas' continued calls, Kelso's eyes began to flutter. His vision narrowed, until he eventually passed out entirely.

Federation Carrier Salachimorpha - Recon Deck

Colonel Myult grimaced. She didn't have an answer for this.

Team B's mission was entirely successful and the squad made it back in one piece. The same couldn't be said for Team A. Colonel Myult was helpless as she watched over two-thirds of Team A team was decimated in the blink of an eye. By a single attack. By a single individual.

The Federation had a Colonel Myult, but they didn't have a Ridley. They didn't have a one-unit-army to take on its foes.

At least, not anymore.

They should learn to treat their personnel better.

Myult had already sunk a lot of resources into this plan, and didn't have very much left over to fight Ridley directly. At this point, Myult thought only a miracle could save them.

"Colonel!" Kaiolas dashed into the Recon Deck, nearly bowling over other officers. She shoved her way to the colonel, beet-red in the face from her hustle.

"First Lieutenant Kaiolas. You did well out there. Thank you." Myult tried to distract Kaiolas before she had even gotten started.

"How are we getting out there to Captain Kelso and Team A? Have you started assembling a rescue team?"

Kaiolas caught herself, and turned redder. Questioning a higher official was not something she wanted to make a habit. But she couldn't help herself.

"It's alright, First Lieutenant. I understand your concern." The Colonel replied. "The team is being assembled as we speak."

Kaiolas stepped forward, standing at firm attention. "Ma'am, please let me join the rescue team. I was able to contact Captain Kelso. He's alive but I don't know how much time he has."

"I can't allow that, First Lieutenant," Myult responded without hesitation. "I need you here. This is where you're most important to us. Here, and that you're available on a moment's notice for another procedure, one that doesn't involve rescue efforts."

"Please Colonel, I can't leave him out there." Kaiolas begged.

Myult frowned. "Do you not trust the rescue team?"

That caught Kaiolas off-guard. But she snapped back immediately. "Kelso was there for me when I needed it most. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do the same for him."

Myult had to be the unwavering leader the fleet needed. But she knew those feelings Kaiolas had all too well.

Kaiolas eagerly waited in anticipation. Myult could feel it. But she had to be firm. "I'm sorry First Lieutenant, but I meant what I said. I need you here."

Kaiolas, furious, clenched her fists. She didn't want to show much more of the anger brewing inside her. Myult, of course, didn't need her to. She could read Kaiolas like the back of a ship manual.

She didn't say anything. She had been in Kaiolas' shoes before.

Kaiolas strode out of the Recon Deck, restraining her urge to stomp out like an sheegoth. Just before she exited, she turned back, looking at Myult once more.

Myult stood statuesque. Contemplating her next move. Or the move after that.

She tapped at her ear.

"This is Myult. Patch me through. We're executing evasive maneuvers."

Kaiolas, however, was still lingering near the entrance of the Recon Deck. And Myult noticed.

"If you go out there First Lieutenant, and you do make it back, I won't hesitate to throw you right in the brig for the remainder of your career," Myult barked over her shoulder. "Is that clear?"

On Weavel - Graveyard of Destroyed Ships, Near Salachimorpha

The SA-X latched from ship to ship, traversing the battlefield using its arm as a terrifying, amorphous grappling hook. Weavel was in hot pursuit, but wasn't as mobile with solely his EVA kit.

Weavel opened an empty comm channel and desperately called into the void.

"Ridley, come in!"

A quick click, followed by static, and somehow Ridley was connected to Weavel.

"Initiative, Weavel. I like it." The words dripped like molasses through the channel. "Ping your location."

And Weavel did. But the SA-X was losing him. The graveyard of Federation and pirate ships was becoming denser and denser. And Weavel was still reeling from the prior fight against the SA-X.

His body was barely holding together, while the SA-X had a seemingly endless supply of energy. Despite the blow Weavel had delivered, the SA-X was ready for another round.

The SA-X stuck to another ship - just as it was blown away to pieces. It quickly latched to an adjacent ship, but couldn't pull itself to its hull in time. Almost every ship was exploding into shrapnel before the SA-X could make a move.

It was Ridley. He wasn't giving the SA-X a single morsel of hope to get away. In the blink of an eye, Ridley was all over the beast, enveloping it in a flurry of swipes and strikes.

The SA-X was caught right in his maw, and was whipped around in a frenzy. Flung then into another ship, the SA-X groaned and whined, desperate to get away from Ridley. Ridley was relentless, clawing and biting at the SA-X before it could defend itself.

Finally the SA-X broke away. It wrapped a long tentacle around a wing, forcing Ridley to twist and turn, thus loosening his grip. But the SA-X took another devastating blow - an almost-lethal tail strike - in order to break free. Ridley gored the SA-X right through its midsection, and pulled back out with devastating force.

Ridley turned to Weavel, eyes glowing bright green. "Back to the Absolute." That was an order Weavel couldn't ignore.

So Weavel stopped. Except he didn't set off for the Absolute immediately. He couldn't.

His attention was entirely absorbed by the mass of ships around him. Knowing his comrades could still be alive, even just one of them, was enough for Weavel to hesitate.

As Ridley disappeared in pursuit of the SA-X, Weavel looked off at the Absolute in the distance-

-and turned back toward the battlefield. He wasn't about to leave anybody behind just yet.

Pirate Carrier Absolute - Bridge

Veron, Ulron, and Helgon all crowded a high-definition display, watching the battlefield like it was a curious documentary.

It didn't just feel like they were spectators. Their mandibles were scrunched up in thought. They weren't thinking much at all about the battle in front of them.

They were thinking about the post-game.

They were thinking of what was to come next. More specifically, how to deal with Ridley, and what that could mean for the three of them.

Ridley was just a tool. A roaming dog to bark their orders. They were the ones running the show. Or I'm sure they thought that. How could they let that dirty mongrel Ridley just walk back into their home and call the shots? Maybe those exoskeletons didn't make up for a lack of a backbone.

"VERON!" The Commander nearly jumped out of his skin. "Fire that cannon if you know what's good for you."

Helgon chimed in. "Sir, the parasites are still blocking up the cannon. We risk destroying the ship if it misfires."

Ridley roared. "If that cannon can't blast through those pathetic bugs, then I hope the ship is destroyed! FIRE IT!"

On Captain Kelso, Federation Cruiser - Near Absolute

The Captain was stiff.

His damaged cruiser was a casket hung in the void, carrying his body indefinitely.

His face was washed in a bright light, peeling his eyelids open. Kelso came to, blinking hard, grasping for his bearings. He had just enough left in the tank to get his systems pumping again.

His ship, though, was another story. Even if it had anything in the tank, the shredded heap of metal couldn't do anything about it. Kelso was lucky the cockpit was still somehow intact.

Kelso shielded his eyes from the light. He couldn't help but have a perfect view of where it was coming from - the Absolute charging up to fire on the Salachimorpha once again.

The glow was magnificent, channeled through the glistening lens of the X covering the cannon. Building and building, the energy was bursting at the seams, until the wave cannon erupted with a terrifying blast.

The wave cannon shot streaked through space like the tail of a comet, racing right for the Salachimorpha-

-but the shot missed! Myult's last-minute evasive maneivers had kicked in just in time.

Kelso could barely muster up a reaction. At least, at that moment. The next, he too almost jumped out of his skin - a metallic banging on the exterior of the ship coaxed Kelso out of his daze.

This was one of those moments when reaching for your sidearm was properly fruitless. Even if you got a good grip, and you were able to hold a line of sight, nobody worth taking out would mindlessly put themselves in the line of fire. At best, you'd take out a nondescript grunt who would've died in combat at some point, at your hands or somebody else's. But you reach for that sidearm anyway, because you should always go out looking to take your best shot.

Thankfully, he didn't have to - it was Sergeant Kaiolas, operating in an EVA harness, ripping the destroyed cruiser open with a jaws-of-life mechanism.

Kaolias smiled through her visor. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

The Captain smiled and winced all at once.

Kaiolas floated in, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Now we're even."

Graveyard of Destroyed Ships, Near Salachimorpha

The wave cannon blast nearly missed the Salachimorpha, but it skewered the graveyard of ships still near the carrier.

The wrecked Federation and pirate ships loitered in space before the grand, blue jewel that was planet Elex.

Ridley filled the gap left by the wave cannon in a swirling, boisterous frenzy. In the background, the waters of Elex encapsulated him like a fishbowl, and Ridley swam around, king of his domain.

The SA-X continued to claw its way through the ships. It was headed for the edge of the battlefield, looking to escape. The beast was at its limit.

"You should thank me for giving you a head start!: The green left Ridley's eyes as they narrowed, as he honed in on his prey. In a flash, Ridley torpedoed toward the SA-X, plasma jostling between his teeth.

The SA-X shot towards another ship, but as it tried to reel itself to another hull, its weak tentacle snapped! The tentacle morphed back into its non-arm-cannon arm, and the SA-X rotated, looking to plug Ridley with a defensive ice blast.

Ridley reached the SA-X before it could even fire. Tearing and shredding. Ridley tore a huge chunk of flesh from its side. The SA-X screeched, almost louder than Ridley could, helplessly thrashing about. Ridley cocked back and flung the SA-X into another ship.

The dragon pounced once more. A drill of a bite, the SA-X avoided it. Another swipe, but the SA-X evaded just in time. With a well placed ice shot, it was able to free itself from Ridley's grip, but just for a moment. Even still, Ridley dug another pair of claws into its back, close to tearing the SA-X right in half.

But the SA-X was able to summon another tentacle, and this one wrapped around Ridley's neck. Ridley clawed at it, but another tentacle caught up his right arm and right wing. The tentacle squeezed hard - and Ridley's skin began to sizzle, as if the X itself was burning Ridley just to the touch.

An outburst of plasma blasts, beams fired in every direction, as Ridley tried to loosen the SA-X's grip. Finally, a blast got close enough to force the SA-X to relinquish its hold, but Ridley's skin continued to sizzle even after it let go. So much so that now the membrane of his right wing was burning, too.

Ridley growled. The bastard wasn't angered by the pain, but that the SA-X had landed such an effective shot.

As the SA-X went to escape yet again, Ridley lurched back - plasma engulfing his entire jaw - and let loose an enormous scattershot blast. And again. And again. An endless rain of scorching plasma. In a matter of seconds, the SA-X disappeared among the fiery display.

And Ridley was satisfied.

The SA-X was still missing somewhere in the plasma remnants and ship debris. Ridley didn't scour the remains, but instead waiting for everything to clear. I would've expected Ridley not to hesitate in obliterating that monster the second he had the chance, but no, he held back.

Ridley was planning something. He had the forethought, the cunning, the patience.

Just like the old Ridley.

A mass of flesh shot out at him, to which he twisted away to dodge just in time.

It was a grotesque, bulbous mass, and stuck within it hardened casings, like replicas of my arm cannon haphazardly stuck into a mound of clay. It extended from a striated torso, propped up on two tri-toed legs that resembled tree trunks more than appendages. Two more pairs of jaws sat on its shoulders. A trembling bundle of visor-like eyes rested above dozens of serrated teeth.

The SA-X had evolved into its final form.

Ridley was speechless. Even he was disgusted by what he saw.

Then, he grinned. A thin, evil grin.

A storm of tentacles raced toward Ridley as the SA-X roared. Ridley nimbly evaded, building up incredible speed in a direct path toward the SA-X.

But as he flew forward, the membrane of his right wing was completely burned away, sending him into a spiral. He caught himself, just as another tentacle almost lanced him. Another tentacle lashed out, whiplashing his thigh, again burning his flesh.

At the last second, Ridley broke through, delivering a plasma-packed payload right to its chest, and then spiraled off again to avoid the aftermath.

Yet, the SA-X just shrugged it off. Then, toes pressed against another ship, it launched right back at Ridley, lunging from a complete stand-still into a blur headed right for Ridley.

He had no opportunity to dodge, and took the full force of the SA-X's charge, barreled into the exterior of a large dropship.. Several of Ridley's ribs cracked under the immense weight. Ridley held a grip on the creature, but didn't push back. Then, as the SA-X attempted to pull away, Ridley freely let it go.

The monster jumped to another ship, as if it wasn't affected by gravity at all, then positioned itself for another lunge. It was setting up for the final blow.

But Ridley didn't move. He was still planted against the ship, like a fly splattered on a windshield. Eyes shut, possibly unconsciousness.

The SA-X lunged once more. Its target was right in its sights. Ridley had no way to dodge now.

Then, his eyes opened. His jaw unlatched. Without a charge, plasma immediately built in Ridley's mouth without any chance of the SA-X being able to respond. Like it would anyway.

The SA-X couldn't change course, still fully committed to a deadly dive toward Ridley.

At the very last moment, Ridley unleashed an explosion of plasma, engulfing the both of them in its blast! The SA-X screeched as its flesh was burned away.

Each second felt like an eternity.

The debris cleared once again.

Ridley was the first to emerge, swept up in pride. He poured over the results of his work with glee. His eyes glowed green as he found what he was looking for.

The body of the SA-X was plastered against a far-away ship. Beyond being completely shredded and otherwise devastated, the SA-X had reverted to its non-evolved monster form. Ridley probably relished in the sight of the downed SA-X, pretending it was me. I know he couldn't help himself even if he tried.

Ridley spoke into the void.

"Veron, order a retreat of the remaining fleet."

"YES, A RETREAT. SURELY YOU CAN HEAR ME, VERON!"

"The Federation wants this thing as badly as I do. I KNOW IT."

"DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD, VERON. ORDER THE RETREAT."

Ridley's eyes then lost their green glow.

And with that, the pirate ships began to retreat. The remaining pirate vessels swarming the space near Absolute, Salachimorpha, and the X mass began the slow march back to the Absolute.

The Absolute began backing out of the battlefield, slowly enveloped by the remaining pirate fleet.

And Ridley joined them, propelling himself into the group with his gargantuan wings. His right wing had already began to heal. Clutched in his maw, the limp body of the SA-X.

In a daze, the Federation watched as the Space Pirates, who seemed on the edge of wiping out the Federation fleet completely, voluntarily dismissed themselves from the battle. But they knew, indeed, that the war was far from over.

And soon enough it'd be my time to stir the pot once more.