Cath

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Major smirked, then looked at Diarmuid. “Show him.”

Beams of light burst from the forest green synth’s eyes, constructing a 2D holo map in the area in front of them. It showed an intricate plan of one floor of the terminal.



“I had an organic buddy who worked there about twenty years back. His memory implant made this for us. It could be inaccurate or out of date now, but it gives you an idea. The automated freighters dock on the ‘north’ side.”

Major pointed to the segregated section on the ‘west’ side of the diagram. “That part is open to hauliers, but there’s tight security between there and the operations side. Cameras and security droids checking passes and serial numbers. Only Myrmidon staff and contractors allowed, and no organics at the moment.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Major did not look impressed by this revelation. “That does not bode particularly well for your half of the operation. Luckily for you, I have done my research. Myrmidon were part of a consortium that invested in Veppecantel. The rest of them pulled out of the planet when the Holophage first appeared, or abandoned their people completely. But Myrmidon continued with a staff mostly made up of its synthetic range. It seems the only reason the blockade fleet allowed them to continue is because of the mineral they’re extracting. Its crucial for the manufacture of starship reactors or something similar. Anyway…they operate one line onto and off of the surface of Veppecantel, and that is directly below a geosync terminal in orbit above one of their cities. However, only ships with a registered Myrmidon ID transponder can make it through; the rest are destroyed en route. All the ships with an ID are automated and completely decontaminated, which stops the spread of infection. They’re all housed in this geosync terminal, so we need you to sneak aboard one, remove the transponder and bring it back so our illustrious pilot can set us down safely.”

“Or we do it the hard way, and try to bust our way through the blockade!” Bodach boomed.

“That’s suicide – they’ve got c-beams and have made orbiting rocks into homing missiles don’cha know it?” Diarmuid said jovially.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Aye lad, a wee dram to warm the cockles of my heart. Its freezing in here!” Bodach boomed.

“While you’re at it, a pint of the black stoff would be grand. Thank you very much!” Diarmuid chimed in.

“We’re doing great. Thank you Senjen. Come, sit with us.” Major said.

The synthetics had tidily stowed away most of their gear into the cargo webbing around the room. In the one patch of free space they’d installed three lightweight docking chairs into the floor which they now sat on in a semi circle. Before them a small portable hearth that flickered with energy and heat. All three had traded their cloaks for khakis and loose fitting tops, the kind Humans wore to blend in, or obscure their hardware. All three wore a holstered sidearm.

“Please do let me know if anyone on my team is being a burden. Our aim is to be as profile as possible.” He continued, shooting a glance at the other droids.

“How are you both feeling about this trip, then? Excited? Nervous?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“It just likes you.” Seraphim said to Senjen, distractedly. Her eyes lingered on the unused lab set, as though she could see something no one else could.

“However you do that, don’t put yourself in danger. The last thing I need is you being locked in a gulag before we even get to the surface. Surely someone else on this ship can help you get us to the surface.” Ruk said, unsure.

“I think we’re all set now. Shall we go properly meet who we’re bunking with for the next 20 cycles?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“That’s about right, and it is possible. Lots of viruses can insert genetic material into our chromosomes. These damage the DNA, leading to mutations that can be passed down through generations. But again, very long timeframes involved in that process. Millions of years. This seems much faster, and different somehow. I need to go to the source of the outbreak to understand it better; those first few spreading events seem key. I hope you can help me get there.”

Ruk stared at the floor, deeply troubled by what she was hearing. “Germs have killed more people across the universe through history than anything else. By far. I’ve seen firsthand what viral infections can do to any species. And now we’re flying straight into the middle of something even our most gifted knowledge amalgam doesn’t recognise. Great.”

“My name is Seraphim, and we’re going to figure this out. Together.” The AI said, indignant at first, and then sympathetic. The floating drone returned, spritzing Senjen in the face again before returning to its dock.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“In my experience, pathogens mostly follow the same pattern. They invade the host’s body, reproduce, and damage cells or release toxins, which leads to illness. They either destroy their host, or are removed by force.” Seraphim’s voice lost its zeal, became slower and more deliberate. “The reports smuggled out to me suggest the Holophage does something different. Instead of going to war with the host, it convinces it to change on its own. Become something totally different.”

Ruk pondered this for a second. “Like the Sthrirad? It has significantly changed the Chekeri respiratory system, and rewired our brain chemistry.” Seraphim locked eyes with her.

“Perhaps. Though the Sthrirad took four thousand years to integrate with the Chekeri people – the Holophage may have managed it in just one. Either that, or it has been circulating in secret, without our knowledge.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“The big Tindrel-adjacent in the rec area? Got it.” Ruk made a mental note. At some point she would have to leave these quarters; Chekeri simply couldn’t sit still for that long. But thankfully there were thousands of tiny nooks and crannies to rediscover on this ship. Ruk would simply slow down her movements and appreciate the little things in life until they were on dry land again.

“Well, I won’t be doing much of the research. From the parts of Seraphim’s spec sheet that weren’t redacted, she seems more than capable of solving this crisis on her own.” Ruk lowered her voice at the end, so as not to attract the attention of the extravagant Chekeri bot, but to no avail. Seraphim raised her head and looked as though she had given her the first compliment of her entire existence.

“Aw, I’m glad you think so! I was designed for a scenario fitting many of the parameters of this mission. But I’m sure we can find some way for you to contribute as well.”

The little orb drone suddenly detached from its docking station and whizzed from the room. Presumably someone was doing something unclean somewhere on the ship.

“Well, thank you Seraphim. But my main role is to look after you. Make sure you’ve got everything you need…and such. Can you tell us anymore about what to expect down there?” Ruk asked. Seraphim cocked her head at them.

“I have a limited corpus of information to work from right now, but the so-called ‘Holophage’ doesn’t match any previously documented vector-borne diseases. That makes it one of the most valuable research opportunities in the cosmos.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Ruk scoffed at the thought of trusted FGC. “I know this is risky, but do we really need so much muscle? It’ll be hard to do any proper science with this many boots trampling all over things.”

Her almond eyes flicked to Seraphim when Senjen mentioned AI. The other Chekeri was humming a soft tune while swiftly unpacking a whole host of test equipment. It seemed to Ruk altogether too early to be cramping up the place with gear, but she didn’t know the how to intervene. These machines did not carry Sthrirad; they could not be read like regular Chekeri.

“Maybe its for the best. Viruses aren’t interested in artificial anything…I did some digging yesterday – this so called Holophage sounds like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Primarily because no two people seem to be able to describe it similarly. The reports seem either deliberately obfuscated, or hopelessly short sighted…What do you think of my suit?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Ruk’s suit stood to attention in one corner of Senjen’s quarters. She’d taken it off soon after Light had informed her there would be oxygen to breathe during the journey. He was notoriously stingy in this regard, only needing oxygen pumped into his suit personally. The rest of her meagre belongings had been offloaded from one of the pallets that’d followed them onto the ship from the van and tidied fastidiously away. Senjen would notice her red knapsack lying empty on the hammock she’d just finished securing between two bulkheads.

“Hey. I think we’re set, thanks. The plants make it cosy – kinda.” Ruk turned towards him and motioned around the room. Her side was clearly delineated from Seraphim’s. The Chekeri AI had decanted a miniature laboratory from the same pallets and was in the process of setting it up. Unlike Ruk’s spartan lodgings, it was a picture of organised chaos. She looked up from her work and gave a friendly wave.
“All going great this end, thank you for asking!”

The floating orb drone descended from the ceiling and sprayed a fine mist in Senjen’s face. It had already scouted the entire ship and disinfected, but this must have been some extra layer of cleanliness.

“Seraphim – you should tell Senjen and the others about your role at some point on this journey.” Ruk said, pointedly.

“Absolutely! I’ll be happy to debrief, just as soon as my workstation is operational. It is a higher priority right now.” Seraphim chirped.

Ruk sighed, before looking back at Senjen.

“What do you know of the others? I’d sleep better knowing who I’m sharing a damp space cave with for twenty cycles.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Ok then!” Seraphim replied, keenly.

“Hey, thanks.” Ruk said, eying up the other people in the cargo bay. Diarmuid and Bodach and both reappeared to help coax Omega into the hallway. The prevailing opinion was that exploring the ship would help him relax for the journey, except he didn’t really want to move. Diarmuid produced a battered old fiddle and bow and began to play it, emitting a bright and lively tune. Omega snorted happily and began to follow Diarmuid as he walked backwards through the blast doors again.

“There are more people here than I expected.” Ruk said. She took her helmet off with a hiss and cradled it at her side, suddenly self-conscious.

“Tell me about it. They’re all spread out, too, making it all feel very cramped. There’s a Chekeri called Tantō and a quad called Rex setting up camp in the engine room. There are two, maybe three bipeds in the storage room and these two might squeeze into the rec room. If not, they’ll have to sleep here in cargo.”

Light shivered. This whole arrangement was very irregular; despite how ramshackle the place was he had become quite ‘house proud’ of their little ship. These new arrivals had no idea where everything was supposed to be, and had immediately begun rearranging things.

“Anyway. This is all of us, I’d better get us in the air! Sooner we head off, the sooner we can get home.” He left them alone and headed to the cockpit. That was one room he’d forbidden anyone except Senjen to enter for now.