Frozen Soul, and other works: July 2020

(Unknown)

Admiral Threkzi Akoh slowly returned to wakefulness. What in the Abyss’s name happened to her? Did they win? Win. That’s right, they were fighting the Black Stars. Upstarts who thought that money and technology could substitute for tradition and the status quo.

Things began coming back to her. She had been commanding her ship, the Dynasty Builder, and they had… they had been boarded. A strange thought. People didn’t do boarding operations any more, not until a ship had been disabled, so that the fragile landing ships could easily force their way into a convenient shuttle bay.

She opened her eyes, but it made no difference. She was in total darkness. The room was in utter silence, as well. Not even the faint hum of an engine in the background. Was she not on a ship, then?

When she tried to move, however, she got a shock. She could not feel her limbs. She thought she was moving her limbs, but she didn’t feel anything, just a heavy weight, as though she were buried under sand she could not feel, could not touch, but that was there all the same.

There was no floor under her, but she didn’t think she was falling. That suggested a microgravity environment. But it was silent. Even the quietest part of a ship or station had a constant background sound. A low hum from the engines, the constant motion of air through the recyclers, the sound of people moving, breathing, carrying out their tasks.

You couldn’t make a ship or station so silent. Not unless life support had failed, and the compartment was open to the void. But she was still alive, still breathing, so that couldn’t be the case, right?

And then the memories of the fears she’d had as a young officer, barely out of the training academy rose unbidden. Every spacer feared a death in the void, trapped in space with nothing but your suit, left to slowly suffocate as the icy void closed in on you. They said that the last moments were the worst, and time stretched into an endless moment before your death.

Was that it? Was she dead, but her brain simply hadn’t caught on to the fact yet? Was this darkness the Dark Stalker hunting her, relishing the way his prey danced at his command? Was Death toying with her?

She forced herself to breathe, to stop the panic before it started. She’d interrogated prisoners before, and she knew what was going on. Sensory deprivation was a common tactic, since most people relied more on their senses to keep their mind in check than they realized.

Akoh liked to think she was made of sterner stuff than the simple fools who made up her crew. She’d been given a course in how to resist interrogation, of course. All Yathru officers had. But how long ago was that? Five years? Fifteen? Twenty-five?

The Admiral couldn’t help but shudder as she remembered a truism: sensory deprivation was a common tactic because it worked.

(Ship’s Brig, BSN Shinokage, Tsk’neth system)

The brig was a fairly normal affair, for the most part. Two meters by two and a half, and thee meters tall. Simple grey walls, a cot, and basic waste facilities. No computer terminals, televisions, or other entertainment devices, not even a book. No sharp edges or other things a prisoner could use to harm themselves. The primary threat to any prisoner contained inside was terminal boredom.

In this palace of dullness was one member of the species Homo litigatorem corporatem, otherwise known as the abhuman monstrosity called a ‘company lawyer’. It was fitting that, even though the Yathru Corporation was primarily owned and operated by Ihm, their corporate counsel was human. The Ihm didn’t have the malevolent wickedness to be a proper lawyer. Any with that skill set typically had an ego that forced them into trying for the executive track.

“As you can see, we have complied with all the standard provisions of the Unified Mercenary Accords regarding the capture of prisoners. We are, after all, simply conducting business here, in accordance with our corporate charter. Likewise, you will be pleased to know that the paperwork signifying the official change in ownership of the Tsk’neth system from Yathru to Black Star was filed prior to your arrival in the system, making Yathru’s unprovoked attack on our ships a clear-cut act of corporate war.”

The lawyer looked up from the legal brief in his hands, the only thing more boring than the room it was contained in, and nodded slowly. “Two minutes before we made entry? Really?”

I chuckled. “You may check the records when you have access to a Yathru corporate system or another system that you trust for secured transmissions. As a legal representative of the Yathru Corporation, we are not allowed to monitor communications between you and your offices without your consent. However, all communications with Black Star ships and facilities are monitored and recorded for security and legal purposes, so I am afraid I cannot give you access to our communications array unless you consent to your communications being monitored.”

I paused, and then said, “As for the files, they were officially notarized and time-stamped as required for visual records of corporate claims. All filings were formatted and submitted according to the standards required by the Unified Mercenary Accords and the Interstellar Corporate Court, prior to the Yathru fleet’s entry to this system. Naturally, as Owner and CEO of the Black Star Company and Admiral of the Black Star Navy, I have been informed that there are now several suits that have been filed against the Yathru Corporation, compiling our grievances against them.

“Furthermore, I have been informed that, on behalf of the people of Tsk’neth III, a class action suit is being filed against the Yathru Corporation as an entity, and the corporate officers personally, for redress of grievances stretching back for the entire tenure of Yathru’s stewardship of the system. As well, another class-action suit for reckless endangerment and wrongful death has been filed on behalf of the populations of Tsk’neth IV, and the orbital stations located in the Tsk’neth System, due to the Yathru Corporation’s criminal neglect in seeking to acquire ‘research specimens’ for biological warfare weaponry. Finally, the fate of all freighters that were found compromised by the bioweapons has been transmitted to their corporate lawyers, as well as the next of kin of all individuals identified from crew manifests, so I wouldn’t be surprised if more cases are filed once their lawyers have the chance to go over the information.”

The lawyer breathed in heavily. I could see the wheels churning through the slime in his head, trying to find a way through this. “I believe I need to consult with my corporate office.”

“As stated, all communications from Black Star ships may be monitored for security concerns. Do you consent to this monitoring, or would you prefer to wait until secure communications facilities can be arranged? Note that this conversation is being recorded, so that your consent, if given, cannot be disputed later.”

“Yes, I consent.”

“Excellent. I’ll have someone bring you a communications tablet. If you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.”

(Unknown)

Admiral Threkzi Akoh could feel the blackness clawing at her mind. It had been far too long since she’d had to deal with such things, even in training. No one had dared do something like this to her. Things like this simply weren’t done.

She was an Admiral for the Yathru Corporate Security Fleet, damn it! She could decide the fate of thousands of beings, sentencing them to life or death at her whims! She was one of the most powerful people in the Free Worlds Alliance! She deserved better than this!

You deserve this.

What the hell? No, this was the kind of thing that only those low-class minions of lesser corporations deserved. She was better than them. She was smarter than they were, and her genes were purer. In every conceivable way she was superior to the trash that got put in places like this.

No, you aren’t.

Wait, that didn’t sound like her voice. Where did it come from? Who was it? Damn it all, she wanted answers!

You are a petulant child.

Child? CHILD? Akoh was furious. She was no mere child! She was an admiral! She earned her place, cutting and carving her way up through the ranks to get the position and privileges that she deserved, that were owed to her.

“WHO ARE YOU?”

I am the one who has trapped you here, in your tiny, empty little mind.

A psy user? But how was it—no, he, it was definitely a he. How was he doing this? She was equipped with psy blockers to prevent just this kind of access to her mind.

Your defenses were adequate, for most psy users. However, a device worn to ward off psychic influence is useless when you are no longer wearing it. And your personal defenses were useless without you being conscious.

Right, she was unconscious. She remembered now. The battle had been going badly, and the Dynasty Builder had been boarded. There were gunshots, louder than anything she’d heard before. “So, we lost?”

Your ships were fifty years out of date. Your crews were incapable of outfighting or outthinking anyone but pirates. And you are, frankly, an idiot. Of course, you lost.

“Who are you, then?”

I am the one that beat you so completely that, the odds stacked in your favor, you did not do more than scratch the paint on my ships.

“Admiral Mollen, then?”

Indeed.

“Then you should know that this is a gross violation of my rights as part of the Interstellar Corporate Court regulations! I demand to be released from this mental prison at once!”

Oh, dear, it seems you are confused. You see, to the outside world, you are simply in a medically induced coma. Unfortunate, but necessary, as you suffered some traumatic injuries while being apprehended for your attack upon my ships.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

It seems that you had the severe misfortune to be on the receiving end of one of Black Star’s new bolter pistols. The explosive ammunition did not leave much of your limbs, I’m afraid.

“Explosive ammunition for pistols? Used on sentients? That’s illegal!”

Black Star Corporate and Legal codes say differently. And since the Tsk’neth system was under Black Star authority, as of two minutes before you entered the system, it is quite legal for the Black Star Marines to use them on any target they see fit, sentient or not, provided they are on an official mission or defending Black Star personnel or territory. Which they were.

“No, I don’t believe you.”

That’s fine. Here, let me ease back on the mental blocks a bit.

“AAAAAAGH!” PAIN! Why does it hurt so much?

Oh, yes, your body currently undergoing cauterization on the wounds, so that, when you are returned to the Yathru Corporation, they can give you whatever extended medical care you qualify for, or can afford. We simply are doing our part to provide the minimum necessary care to ensure you do not die before then.

The pain died away, as suddenly as it started. Akoh’s head swam at the sudden transition. “That was… awful.”

Yes, I can imagine. Having all four limbs and your tail explosively amputated would definitely not be something most people would like to experience.

All four limbs? And her tail? So she was, what, just a torso, a slab of meat lying on an infirmary bed?

Quite right.

Oh no. Oh no no no! There’s no way she could afford the expensive cloned regrowth limbs, not for five limbs at once! And cybernetics were looked down on, low-class. They were brute force options. The generic force-growth limbs were better, but still not the same as having her own limbs. And the forced regeneration treatment would leave her in the hospital and rehabilitation for months. Her career would be dead!

Your career is dead anyway, you know.

He was right. Akoh knew he was right. After being so soundly defeated by Black Star, despite having the advantage in numbers, there was no way that she would ever see the command of a fleet again. She’d be lucky to captain a garbage scow.

All because she had just been following orders.

About those orders. I would really like to know who gave them, and where they are. I need to schedule a ‘meeting’ with them, you see. So, if you could just tell me everything I want to know, that would be great.

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Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X