Chapter 642: The Spoked Offensive

"It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye." - Anonymous

"When it happens to you, it's goddamn hilarious!" - Anonymous Sergeant, Resource Conflict Era, Pre-Diaspora Terra, speaking to a medic during medivac.

Natraya was a Puntimat. She had grown up in the Core Worlds of the Unified Civilized Systems, a servant to a wealthy Lanaktallan mare that had cared for her servants and allowed no abuse by anyone of any rank. The Lanaktallan mare, on A'ama'arya had been an abolitionist, speaking frequently and passionately against the debt peonage system.

Twice people had tried to assassinate her.

Natraya was proud to serve her Ladyship. She was a personal servant, a lady in waiting, and even though she knew she lived a life of ease and comfort, she knew that Lady A'ama'arya chafed at the fact that Natraya would always be little better than a slave.

Then the Precursor Autonomous War Machines attacked, and Lady A'ama'arya agitated and did fundraisers to help refugees and tried to convince the Unified Military Council to protect the Far Reaches.

Then the Terrans had arrived. Natraya had no believed it when Lady A'ama'arya had told her that she was sure that the Unified Council would betray the Terrans.

To Natraya's surprise, Lanaktallan betrayal had led to the Confederacy/Council Conflict, AKA the C3 War. Lady A'ama'arya had led the charge to create the EPOW services, to make sure the casualty and prisoner lists were kept updated, and arrange for relief for refugees.

Then it was all over.

When the C3 War was over, the lady had offered to allow Natraya to leave her service.

Natraya had refused. After all, being a lady in waiting to A'ama'arya was the only thing she knew.

Still, the Lanaktallan High Lady wanted to Natraya to accompany her on trips to various places, doing charity work and trying to make the universe a better place.

Lady A'ama'arya had wanted to visit the N'Kar homeworld, to see how they were doing now that over twenty million of their people had been released from a POW camp and sent back home. The Lady worried about the N'Kar people, so she boarded a liner and headed to the planet in person, taking Natraya with her.

During the trip, Lady A'ama'arya had convinced the captain of the liner to host several dinners, so the Lady could get acquainted with her fellow passengers.

Natraya had noticed the lemur during the first dinner. She pointed out the lemur, where it was eating alone at a table, to her ladyship. Her ladyship had sent Natraya over to the lemur with an invitation to join the Captain's Table for dinner.

The lemur had politely and regretfully refused, citing medical issues.

When her ladyship had inquired, quietly, about what was ailing the lemur, the only answer was that the lemur was some kind of archeologist who was traveling to one of the tomb worlds where the Unified Military Council had sterilized to deny the Atrekna victory, way out on the periphery. Natraya and her Ladyship were told that for some reason the lemur had to be in a body that had been specially grown just for the purpose of examaning something called "Crusade of Wrath" relics.

Her ladyship had been disappointed, as she had been eager to learn more about the lemur. Natraya agreed, as most of the lemurs had fallen down dead over two years prior, even if the Confederacy did fight on.

Natraya often wondered if it was a trick of the light that made the lemur's eyes glow bright crimson sometimes.

The liner had been forced out of jumpspace and into realspace by an artificially generated gravity well in a crash translation that had left the ship damaged and drifting. A large ship, shaped like an ammonite, with a shell of neutronium, moved in quickly. It gathered the liner close with its tentacles and it used a tongue-like borer to rip into the passenger liner.

Atrekna and their servitors, often looking like Lanaktallan fused with arachnids, quickly took over the ship, killing most of the crew and taking the remainder prisoner.

Unlike the exterior, the interior of the ship, inside the shell, was not a living organ, but rather machinery and science.

The cell that Natraya found herself inside of was a simple cell with a rippling phasic force field. She could see the cells across from her, could see that there was a smattering of other people.

Including the lemur, who was face down in a pool of blood that was widest around its head.

She sat in her cell, weeping.

Lady A'ama'arya had been torn apart by horrible creatures right before Natraya's eyes when her Ladyship had attempted to defend the small Putimat. She had been able to feel the joy and pleasure from the purple skinned robed figure as it had approached the dying Lanaktallan matron.

Then used its psychic powers to rip apart her hide, tear open her skull, and pull her brain free.

Natraya had watched in horror, grasped by spiderlike appendages, as the purple creature had devoured the brain in one long swallow.

She had been numb, shocked and traumatized, as she was taken to the cells. The purple creature several times had lifted her up and wrapped its mouth tentacles around her head, pressing the conical teeth in its mouth against her fur and skin. Each time it had exuded pleasure at her terror.

She had seen the lemur brought in. Dragged by four servitors.

The lemur had left a streak of bright red blood behind it.

She could tell that the four purple things overseeing the lemur being put in the cell were pleased, ecstatic, about the fact they had a lemur in the cage.

Natraya felt a cold burning hatred at the sight of the creatures that had killed her mistress.

One of the creatures came up to her and mocked her by pushing its thoughts into her brain, by making her relive her mistress's death several times. She could feel their amusement as they gathered by her cell and mimicked her screams of rage and horror.

They left, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Natraya felt the stomach turning wrench of the strange ship moving into jumpspace.

Four times she was fed. She was given sponges with water in them to suck on.

When she tried to resist, the creatures used their psychic powers to force her to eat, force her body to do what they wanted even while she screamed inside her own mind.

They wanted her alive. Why, she didn't know, but Natraya was sure that whatever the reason was, she wasn't going to like it.

The fifth time they came in to give her food, she saw them set down meat and vegetables on the floor, with sponges of water, and use a long stick to push the food and water into the lemur's cell.

The lemur was still face down where they had left it. Only the rise and fall of its back from breathing gave any hint it was alive.

The sixth time, the purple creatures went into the lemur's cell, pulling on it, trying to get it to sit up. They used glowing purple energy to lift it up but quickly dropped it and fell back, shrieking, at the same time as Natraya heard a whisper.

don't touch me

Two of the purple creatures pulled free long wands adorned with twisting crystals. They began striking the lemur with it.

One hit the back of the lemur's head, right where the heavy skull met the thick neck.

The lemur gave a gurgling screech. Its arms went straight out, its hands pulled back so the palms were out, the fingers twitching and wiggling. Its legs curled and its mouth opened.

Natraya could hear it making a horrible gasping, gurgling, screeching sound.

Natraya could feel disgust as the purple creatures tried to move it and only succeeded in rolling it over onto its other side. Its body jerked and rocked back and forth.

On the back of its neck, at the base of the skull, three little lights kept blinking on and off, flashing between red, amber, and green at random.

The purple creatures left in disgust.

For a long second the top two lights were flashing green. She could feel a faint pressure from the lemur's cell as she pulled her food up next to her. The top two lights stayed green for a little while, then the middle started flashing amber.

The body suddenly relaxed and Natraya wondered if the lemur was dead.

All three lights went steady red. The lemur relaxed and ended up on its back, staring at the ceiling with open eyes. To Natraya it looked like the lemur had quit breathing, its face covered in dried blood.

She sucked moisture from the sponge and ate the greasy meat and vegetables and fungus.

She watched as the lemur suddenly shuddered, its arms went straight out and its back arced so far that only its heels and head touched the floor. She could see its jaw clench hard enough to make the muscles stand out on its neck and jaw. It collapsed, then repeated it.

There was a three toned beep and the lemur just laid there, breathing.

Done with her meal, she laid down, staring at the lemur's cell, knowing the purple things would be back to torment her more soon.

To her surprise the lemur rolled over and sat up, looking around and frowning.

"Hey, you," the lemur said in accented Unified Standard.

Natraya sat up. "Me?"

"Yeah, you, furry girl," the lemur said.

"What?" Natraya asked.

"Uh," the lemur looked around. Natraya could see the lemur's face was covered by dried blood. "Where are we?"

"Aboard a ship," Natraya said.

"A ship? Like a spaceship?" the lemur asked.

Natraya nodded. "Yes. We were on a liner. We were attacked and taken prisoner," Natraya hung her head. "They killed her Ladyship in front of me. Ate her brain."

The lemur frowned. "Ate her brain? What? They're cannibals?"

Natraya shook her head. "No. They're something called Dwellers, I think."

"Dwellers? What the fuck is a Dweller?" the lemur asked. It stood up slowly, moving its arms slowly as if to limber them up. "OK, I've got to be dreaming."

"If so, then this is a nightmare," Natraya said.

"No, seriously, this has to be a dream," the lemur said. It raised an arm and made a fist. "This isn't my body."

Natraya gave a slight scoffing laugh. "It is the body I've always seen you in."

"No. Seriously , this isn't my body," the lemur said. It looked at the brown skin and poked its forearm with an extended finger. "I'm not African descent."

"You've been brown as long as I've known you," Natraya said. "You kept to yourself though. Something called an archeologist."

The lemur laughed. "An archeologist? Me?" It laughed again, still staring at its arm and hand as it opened its fingers and closed them again. "Sister, the closest I've been to college was standing next to an commissioned officer."

Natraya frowned. "You were going to examine something called Crusade of Wrath relics on a tomb world," she said. "Terran artifacts from the See-Three War."

The lemur frowned. "Huh."

"What's wrong?" Natraya asked.

"The last thing I remember was being on Mars. The Defiance of Sol was undergoing refit. I was on the surface enjoying R&R," the lemur said. "Then there was a white flash and I'm here."

Natraya shook her head. "I don't know what to tell you. You've been in that cell for a long time."

"Huh," the lemur said. It looked around. "So, I'm a prisoner?"

"Yes," Natraya said.

"Damn, I'm thirsty," the lemur said. It picked up a sponge. "This safe to drink?"

Natraya nodded.

She watched as the lemur ate all the food, sucked the sponges dry, then just sat there, staring at the phasic curtain.

They were silent, although Natraya could hear other beings crying softly in the cells around her.

The door opened and Natraya watched as four of the Dwellers moved in, floating on discs of purple energy, accompanied by spider-like servitors.

"Hey, let me out!" the lemur yelled, jumping to its feet.

The Dwellers jerked back. Natraya could feel amusement rolling off of them as they turned and stared at the lemur.

"Let me out," one of the Dwellers mocked the lemur.

Another made a motion and the phasic curtain parted. Two of the servitors rushed in, half the size of the lemur, and grabbed at it with claws and hands.

"Hey, get off, don't touch," the lemur started to say.

One of the servitors grabbed the lemur by the throat with a heavy grasping hand.

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" the lemur roared out. It brought one hand up, grabbing the forearm just behind the wrist, the other came up, over the lemur's head, and smashed down, striking the servitor's forearm with its own.

It all took place in less time than it would have taken Natraya to blink.

The servitor's hard chitin forearm shattered, gore and ichor splattering out.

The lemur stepped forward, slamming a clenched fist into the servitor's torso.

Natraya stared in shock as the lemur's fist erupted from the servitor's back, sending shards of chitin flying.

The lemur yanked its arm free and swept aside the dying servitor, even as it took a half step forward and swept out with one of its legs at the other servitor.

The servitors legs shattered and the servitor went down screeching.

The lemur grabbed the servitor's head with both hands and twisted it off in one wrenching movement.

One of Dwellers began backing up, reaching into a pocket, as the other three just stared.

The lemur lunged forward, slamming into the phasic curtain, which strengthened to an almost opaque purple, only the lemur's shape visible.

Natraya could see the lemur's burning red eyes.

Two hands pushed through the curtain, the fingers curling, grabbing the phasic energy as if it was solid. There was a tearing sound that Natraya could hear inside her head and the curtain parted enough for the lemur to lunge through.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" the lemur screamed.

It gave an odd twist at the waist, ducking slightly, its hand lashing out behind it, the knuckles striking one of the Dweller's in the side of the head.

The Dweller's eye popped out as it went down without a sound.

It continued the twist, spinning in a circle, and its bare foot lashed out, striking one of the servitors in the torso.

The chitin shattered, caving in, and the servitor flew back in a heap.

Two of the Dwellers leaned forward slightly. There was a FWOOP sound that made Natraya's head twinge, like a sudden cluster headache.

The lemur's skin rippled slightly as it finished the spin, planting its feet on the ground. It snarled, baring meat tearing omnivore teeth as its eyes burned bright red.

The lemur made an odd motion with one arm, a circling motion that ended with it holding its hand out, the edge of the palm toward the Dwellers. The other arm drew back, the hand balled into a fist, the forearm perpendicular to the floor. It had one foot slightly in front of the other, knees slightly bent.

The light in the room flashed red and Natraya could hear a screeching sound repeating over and over in her mind even though her ears couldn't hear anything.

"Come get some," the lemur snarled through gritted teeth.

FWOOP!

The lemur moved, dodging strangely, its knees bending even as it bent backwards, one hand moving in a circle as it swung its arm, somehow staying upright despite the fact that Natraya thought it would fall to the floor. The dodge smoothly moved into a spinning kick that crashed through the purple nimbus surrounding the Dweller in a shower of purple sparks. The kick hit hard enough that Natraya heard cartilage and bone shatter.

The Dweller's nimbus and the platform it was on snuffed out as the Dweller flew out and slammed into the purple tinged field in front of Natraya's cell. It was thrown back on the floor as the lemur kept moving, planting both feet, both fists coming forward one after another as the lemur drove a handful of punches from each fist into the other Dweller, moving with the Dweller as it was pushed back by the force of the punches.

The Dweller collapsed and the lemur spun in place, facing the last remaining Dweller.

"Your turn," the lemur snarled as it moved closer.

The dweller pulled its hand out of a satchel, throwing something in the lemur's face before it spun in place. The lemur pawed at its face, spitting and snarling.

"Ants? What the fuck?" the lemur snarled.

"WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!" the Dweller screeched out as it fled out the door.

The door slammed shut and the lemur stood in the hallway, carefully brushing small insects out of its face.

The lemur moved up to the field, kicked the Dweller out of the way, and pushed one hand into the field.

It collapsed in a shower of sparks.

"I'm going to take this ship," the lemur snarled. It stared at Natraya with burning crimson eyes. "Even if I have to kill every fucking one of these weird things."

It gave a terrible smile full of omnivore teeth.

All of the teeth.

"You coming, sister?" the lemur asked.

Natraya heard her mistress's death scream in her mind.

She nodded.

"Yes."