The boy was already in a bad shape, unconscious, when the lieutenant was tying him to the binding wires.
"Well, this business is done; we have captured the complete family of theirs." His foggy eyes glistened in contempt.
"But, sir, we killed the man."
'That's not an issue, Thar, the bloodline follows through the mother."
He adjusted the cube crest on his chest and, with a sharp inhale, said. "Well, now I must rest in my cabin, while you be on your guard, I will ask all the other captains to regroup here as well."
"As you wish, sir," the Lieutenant struggled to bow his bulky body.
His stern eyes caught the movement in the pale girl that Thar brought with the boy. Due to his habit, he studied her body; she was near death, poisoned by the batons. Blood flow slowed, and the body was experiencing a fever. Her shoulder had turned purple and swollen.
He squinted his eyes, his fingers playing with the crest.
"I will take this one for my use; she will not go to the Dome."
"But sir…"
"I didn't ask for your opinion."
He signaled a Bionen, and the Bionen carried the girl on his shoulder and followed the Aurelion.
He climbed back into the Tetrapod and signalled the Bionen to place her in the recovery pot. Well, Bionens are just a combined junk of rotten flesh and metal controlled by a CHMS(central hive-mind system). They cannot understand the orders given to a individual. So, Bremos must send commands in signals to the CHMS of what work he wants to be done by a certain Bionen.
The bionen obliged the order and put the girl into the recovery pot. He opened the holotab panel and clicked on some options, and a white fog erupted inside the chamber, which he was seeing through the glass.
"Well, by the time we reach the Kanderis, you will be completely healed."
Bremos reached the control panel of the ship and started contacting the other captain. He could have done the same thing with the comms installed in his brain. However, it was a common practice to use traditional methods to discuss confidential matters.
"Attention! All the captains hearing this telecast respond." Bremos said, adjusting his voice to a commanding tone.
After some rustling in the mic, different voices registered on the comms service.
"Aye, Sir," said the first Captain.
"Aye aye, sir lieutenant." Second Captain.
"Aye, sir." the third.
"Aye" and the fourth.
"It is I, Bremos Vestoran, Lord Arbiter's Administrator," said the Aurelion with his usual prideful demeanor.
Silence came over the comms.
"Uh...um…Pardon my foolishness. Lord Bremos"
"Mhm, Sir is fine. Are you all done with your respective tasks?"
"Yes, sir."
"Yeah, we are done here."
"Affirmative."
"Sir, I might take some more time."
"Those who are done shall go to our orbiting flagship, and ready a report and a list of every human you captured and any data you found necessary. And those who are not done, there's punishment waiting for you. Is the order understood?"
They all agreed in sync.
The captain, who had unfinished work, gulped.
A transmission came from the flagship
"Sir, would you mind making your return faster?"
"What's the problem?"
"An unidentified ship, pure black in color, a surfer type."
The tetrapod shook violently, a blast sound overwhelmed the ship, and Bremos landed on his back. Alarms started to go out in the entirety of the ship, and the control panel showed red. His transmission was cut short. "Later, Major."
He smacked his forehead and shouted, "THAR, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"
He stood on his legs again, shouting to the lieutenant through his neurocomms, "THAR, RESPOND YOU HUSKBRAIN." He passed the recovery pot, making his way outside.
His steps halted, not sure what he was seeing, the whole settlement was on fire. He had lost connection to all the bionens posted there, and Tharmenes wasn't replying to his call either.
For the first time in his life, such fear of the unknown gripped him. How could such a disaster occur? He had only seen such power in the Dome-grade weapons. His artificial self kept him grounded, as he kept analysing. He got down from the ship. These flames were far from normal; they were too bright, too aggressive, leaning more toward white than yellow. and had no smoke at all.
He had few bionens left to him, so he must be careful on the treading from here on out.
When he arrived at the central building, it was a ruin. Stone walls melting flames encircling it. When he made his way inside. He found only the burnt carcass of Bionens, and at one place lay a bulk of metal, white clad now blackened. The armor was still intact, but the man inside was burned to a crisp, pus leaking, giving a view of an Aurelion's biology; his body was severed from the waist down.. It was impossible. How could fire travel through the armor? It was made with precautions for such situations.
He kicked the late lieutenant."FOOLS! ALL I HAVE WORKING FOR ME ARE FOOLS"
He ordered the bionens to take care of the body.
A figure moved in the corner of his eye. He rushed behind it outside, small stature, burned rags, gold hair.
"The human pup….? It survived?" Bremos tried to run behind it, but the kid was faster. He ordered the bionens to catch up to him. While his mind was a thousand times finer than a human's, his physical body had taken the toll for such augmentations.
His mind whirled with possibilities, and he knew the boy was the key to it all, the explanation to this phenomenon; the crazy scientist had now taken a liking to the boy. He made his way back to the tetrapod.
"All Personnel's attention! I am hereby changing my orders. All the captains are ordered to look for a human boy whose genetic data I am sending you. Alive! I want him Alive! "