“Why?” Marcus squeezed the words through the blood and oil sipping out of his mouth.

Indeed, that was a very important question and Alexandra would love to answer it. The problem was that she had no idea what to say. The tech had been a loyal servant for such a long time, the least she could do was give him an explanation.

“You allowed my enemies to ambush me and nearly kill me.” She helped him lean against the wall. “Lucas informed me of the truth.”

“No… It was supposed to be… the Investigator… Infera…. Not… you… Mistress…” Life was slowly draining from Markus. It is all Lucas’ fault. I loved you, while he is only going to use you.

“I suspected you did, but the fault is solely yours, Markus.” Alexandra shook her head.

She had suspected that there was more to the man’s loyalty, but she had always thought it was because of Scolia. In all the years of service, the tech had not shown any interest in women or men, only machines occupied his mind. That was why she had used her ceremonial blade to deliver the fatal wound. It was the only honour she could bestow in this place and under the current circumstances.

“You… are a… psionic… an abomination…” A wave of disgust hit her as the dying man struggled to speak.

Alexandra was surprised at how powerful and honest the emotion was. With a single realisation, the man had changed so much. From loving her, in his own secretive way, he wished her dead. Marcus hadn’t felt that, even when she stabbed him through the heart. This was the final emotion to occupy the tech’s mind. And it hurt her. She understood she was a psi-witch. This and more she had taken from Lucas’ mind in the brief moment she connected with him. Alexandra had seen what that Demon had done to her, through his very memories, but she also understood why he had done it.

The Knight Protector’s thoughts returned to the image of the man sitting on the throne, the Blessed Saint. She couldn’t understand the words He spoke, but she understood the words His shadow whispered. Those you cherish will fear and hate you. But I will not. Do I have your loyalty? At that moment Alexandra had pledged herself to the Blessed Saint and in turn His proxy Helix. She had accepted what she was, yet hoped that those around her would accept her in turn. Marcus had shattered that delusion. In a single moment, he had shown her, how deep the hatred went.

In a way this freed her. It lessened the guilt she felt at what she was about to do next. All she had to do was wait for Lucas’ order. Alexandra hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait. Despite the calm, she felt now, she was sure that her consciousness would start tormenting her sooner than later.

Donovan awoke to pain spreading through his body. The last thing he remembered was making all haste to the one-person escape shuttle, he had prepared in case of an emergency. Stored in one of the many abandoned and unused docking bays, there was no chance someone could find it. He had made sure of it, by restricting the access to that particular portion of the station. A few words here and there and a couple of false reports of radiation shield malfunction had been enough to convince people that it would be quite sometime before this section could be used.

After the mess Monic had made, the Chief had thought of hauling up in the Security quarters, but that would have been a mistake. Helix could find him there. Now that King and that damnable AI were monitoring every square meter of Last Hope, there were scant few places Donovan could hide. As such going for the shuttle and risking the void for Jack’s gang to pick him up was the safest option. At least, it was supposed to be. He had gone to great lengths to avoid being tracked. It had taken Donovan a day to worm his way through decrepit utility corridors and a damned flooded level of what had to be an auxiliary reactor. Swimming through the irradiated chemical soup surely was detrimental to his health, but it was nothing any proper medical facility on any urban world couldn’t deal with.

However, the Chief had a few more pressing issues. Where was he and how did he get here? By the looks of things, it was some sort of extremely damaged room. A sleeping quarter of some sort, if the ash-covered husks of beds and slags of metal were anything to go by. The problem was that it could be anywhere on Last Hope. There was just too much of the station which was an unknown. Judging by the cables binding his wrists and legs, Donovan could assume that exploration was not something his captor would allow. If he was to think of a way to escape, he had to know where he was, for that reason the Chief took the risk of connecting to the mainframe and get an update on his position. True, he would be like a bloody flare for Felix or the AI, but there was scant little he could do about it. The moment the feed came to life, his worst fear came to pass as a message popped in the corner of his eye. At that moment he knew how they had found him – the feed. As the Chief of Security, he had a passive connection to the mainframe at all times.

Donovan wanted to scream and beg for his life but found the task impossible. The messages had kicked his senses into high gear and he could taste blood in his mouth. A moment later he realised his tongue was gone. This left him with nothing else to do but squirm as footsteps echoed to his left. Fighting through the pain, the Chief managed to turn his head. The Knight Protector stood at the edge between darkness and light. Something about her posture made Donovan shiver. It took his brain a moment, but he realised what was wrong. Fresh blood dripped from the damned woman’s fingers and ruby red tears decorated her cheeks. Donovan had not been alone here and he could only hope that Monic had suffered before Alexandra von Eisstahl was done with her.

“I do not know who that is.” The Knight Protector whispered, her voice sounding distracted. “If it is any consolation, I do not wish to inflict suffering.”

“No, I cannot let you go.” She looked at him with glazed eyes. “Nor can I spare you the suffering.”

How, you ask? It took Donovan a second to realise the woman had not spoken. She was a bloody psionic. Yes, that is correct. No wonder Alexandra had sided with that damned monster.

“That is not correct. Lucas… No, Helix, he did something to me. Made me… It does not matter.” She gave a tired sigh. “I entered his mind. It was only for a fraction of a second. But my cerebral implant recorded what I found there.”

“I speak because using my powers is… problematic.” The Knight Protector hissed at him before adding in a calmer voice. “For now.”

“It doesn’t matter what I saw.” Alexandra snapped at him. “The only important thing is, that he is favoured by the Blessed Saint of Hell.”

Donovan knew the woman was insane form the moment she had admitted to being a psionic. But he had not expected that she had gone so far into madness. If only he had killed the Knight Protector when he had the chance. Instead, he was about to be tortured to death.

“Perhaps, killing me would have been for the best. Before, I would have preferred death to become this.” Alexandra shook her head. “But no. I will not inflict physical pain. I was ordered to shatter your mind.”

The Chief felt pressure at the back of his head and terrible images and visions rushed at the back of his mind.

“For your sins, I condemn you to damnation.”

The alarms going off should have tipped her that something had gone terribly wrong, but Zoë was caught in the moment. Now that she had some time to reflect, it became obvious why Helix nearly broke every bone in her body. Oddly enough, injuries like this no longer worried her. Dislocated joints, cracked ribs, bruises, it was all healed in a matter of hours. Although, again that damnable man had warned her that it was all superficial and she needed medical work done for the more serious fractures. Nonetheless, she hadn’t felt this better in, well, ever. Get a grip girl, pretty boy over there still whipped the floor with you, the voice of reason smirked at the back of her mind.

This was another thing she had come to terms with. Helix might have had drugged her and she could use that as an excuse all she wanted. However, Zoë knew that somehow, somewhere along the line she genuinely was attracted to the young man. Perhaps it happened the moment she saw his face… That line of thought had to come to an end as she nearly collided with the thick reinforced door the HQ.

The inside of the spacious room was the definition of madness. Felix was shouting orders as the guards around him erected makeshift barricades. Commodore Neverok, in turn, was shouting at the tech, demanding answers. His cronies doing their best to look menacing trusting the protection the proximity of the propaganda officer provided. The twin chain-guns on the ceiling were cycling down as they tracked the entrance. At the back of the room, Mistress von Eisstahl stood detached from the chaos. The trio of eggheads a few steps to her right, darted worried gazes at almost everyone else, intentionally avoiding looking at the Knight Protector.

What had Zoë worried was, first the absence of the Chief and second, the fresh blood dripping from the Hero of the United Republics’ fist. Before the Second Officer could figure out what that might imply, a klaxon blared forcing everyone to instinctively cover their ears. Just like that, all the activity and shouting had stopped.

“One hundred and seventy-nine minutes ago, a Xith battle frigate was detected. Attack on Station 37-4H, designated by local residents Last Hope, is imminent.” The AI’s calm voice boomed from the speakers.

“Under Imperial regulation one-six-dash-seven-a, control of the station, personnel and defences has been seeded to the highest-ranking active member of His Holy armies. Demon zero-eight, Helix, I recognise you as Command. The faithful await your orders.” This cause an entire new explosion of shouts.

“Silence!” The Commodore roared over everyone else. How the old man managed to do this amazed Zoë. “So, this is a coup! Loyal guards of the UR, arrest this Imperial sympathiser and all his supporters.”

A wicked smile spread across Neverok’s face as he looked at Helix, the Knight Protector and finally herself. Several days ago, this would have Zoë cursing her fate, but in the absence of the Commodore, things had changed. His cronies were the first to realise this when the guards in the room did not react. Instead, Felix and two others stepped closer to them, their intentions quite clear. Zoë smirked, amused by the whole thing. Yes, everything had changed.

“Traitors! The lot of you will hang for this…” Spit covered Neverok’s mouth as the coin dropped and he understood that he no longer held any power on Last Hope.

“Hold your cursed tongue Commodore.” Helix spat the word as if it was poison. Zoë saw the young man take a breath and that damned smile of his return on his face. “Mr King, would you kindly deal with the disruptive elements?”

“With pleasure, boss.” There was glee in Felix’s voice.

Within a second Neverok’s two cronies were flat on the ground as the hulking man a sequence of jabs. The tech then placed his hand on Alexei’s shoulder, pinning the old man on the spot. Zoë noticed that despite everything, Felix was afraid to attack a Commodore. The training and propaganda of the Academy kicking in and staying his hand.

“Now. I hope I have everyone’s attention.” Helix smiled at the gathered people. “As of first contact, the Security force on Sigma 37-4H has received its orders. Most of the active staff have been deployed to prepare kill zones near the identified breach point. Loyal forces have been instructed to prepare an improvised minefield in the case the first line is breached.”

That was a lie if Zoë had ever heard one. They would face Xith raiders. There was no chance those people would hold or, for that matter, survive. A holo-map of the station was projected in the middle of the room. Markers indicated the positions of the kill teams. Behind them, a new set of ID codes showed where the traps were being set. She did not need to be a tactical genius to see that Helix was securing the approach to the HQ. The map also explained why the young man had left her waiting for almost two hours in the medical room. True, the kill teams and the traps, would take a toll on the Xith, but hoping to break them was naïve. The girl rocked her mind to try and figure out what the man was thinking, but all she could think of was that Helix planned this to be their last stand. A new series of alarms made her pause.

“Helix, Xith frigate has breached the hull.” The AI’s calm voice only fuelled the fear Zoë felt. “Pushing real-time video to main monitor.”

“There is no need for visual confirmation. The number of boarding units will do…” Helix interrupted.

“I am sorry, Helix, but you need to see this. My sensors have identified the codes of Daeva one-one-seven Kyla Blaine and Daeva two-six-three Oksana Rusten amongst the attacking force.”

For the first time ever, Zoë saw the man stunned. His amber eyes were locked in shock and the smile was gone, in its place, there was nothing that could be described as emotion. A heartbeat later the data lists and techno gibberish on the monitor was replaced by the video capture. It showed a parade of horror as Xith after Xith swarmed from the wound their ship had inflicted on the station. Their large spider-like bodies passing over the jagged metal scraps and equipment of the hanger they had rammed into. Each of the four arms on their upper halves held some sort of weapon. Be it a gun, a shield or the dreaded ion lance.

However, Zoë allowed herself a moment of relief, once twenty of the monsters had cleared the breach. Humans, Ul-Battyr slaves of various races followed after them. It was not a small number, but those were foes the Security force stood a chance against. This was just a pirate vessel and not a true Xith raiding party. Last emerged the individuals the AI had identified, they had to be.

Two women clad in a white and red advanced combat armour. Sigils and lines of text decorated the plates and broken ornaments hung from their backs. Each one had a Hurshian Death-masks tattooed on their face and Zoë could see the mindless rage burning in their eyes. The women had fashioned Xith ion lances into claws which shone bright blue on their fists and their hips were strapped Veridia pattern submachineguns. The Venoms, as the weapons were referred to, were a really good choice for void combat, as they could not damage a vessel’s hull. Zoë was not sure which was more preferable, being cut into pieces by the ion claws or being turned into a puddle of protein by the bio-acid bullets. Luckily for her, Helix chose this moment to yell in anger.

“These parodies are no harpies!” The young man stormed to the connection half-pod and retrieved the Ripper rifle hidden underneath it.

“Change of plans.” Helix spoke as he tossed the weapon to Zoë. “Zeti, inform everyone outside this room to switch to Search and Destroy protocols.”

He then faced the gathered people and almost smiled, but this time it was a cruel smile.

“Mr King, I leave in charge of the defences here. Kill anyone who dares to enter this room. While I’m gone.”

“And what will you be doing?” Zoë asked, putting a bit too much accusation into her tone.

The fear of being left to die, here alone, was taking hold of her. Unlike him, she could not trust the people in here. For the girl knew, they saw her as a traitor and getting shot in the back was not that farfetched of a possibility.

“I will do what I was created for.” He snapped at her. “I am the Demon. I am His wrath made manifest and I shall bring bloody slaughter to the unclean and the tainted alike.”

“Blessed be the Holy Saint of the Garden of Hell!” A chorus of voices answered Helix’s chant from the speakers hidden in the room.

Zoë couldn’t hide her fear as she observed the change happening to the man standing in front of her. No, that was wrong. It was not simply fear which engulfed her heart, this was something else, something utterly primal. He took several deep breaths and the blood drained from his face. The girl could swear that his amber eyes had become so bright, they literary glowed. But the worst part was the web of tar-black veins covering his neck and face. Helix hadn’t lied, after all. The assumption he was human was incorrect.

The Second Officer did not need to look in a mirror to know what her expression looked like. She could see it etched on the face of everyone in the Command room. All except for the Commodore. The old man had utter revulsion written upon his wrinkled visage.

“What manner of alien filth are you?” Alexei demanded and pulled the gauss pistol from the holster hanging on his belt. “A Vataar infiltrator? Or perhaps a Genovia Skin-changer?”

“Tell me, Alexei, where did you get that pistol?” The monster asked seemingly unperturbed.

Zoë could see Helix’s eyes locked not on the man, but on the weapon in his hand. She had spent enough time with him to have picked on a few of his moods and how to recognise them. The narrowing of the eyes, the slight tightening of jaw muscles and the emotionless tone of his voice, even after the change they stayed the same. The Demon next to her was angry. She saw him clench his hand in a fist for but a moment before relaxing it again. She was wrong, Helix was not angry, he was furious.

“This has been a family heirloom for generations.” Neverok’s wrinkled face twisted in a grin as he tightened his grip on the weapon.

“That is very interesting.” Helix did not move, however, Zoë felt cold sweat run down her spine. “And that must be your family’s crest under the barrel?”

“You could say so.” Alexei shrugged. “Though we never adopted it officially. It is believed to have belonged to one of my ancestors.”

“I am sorry to tell you this, but that is Athena’s mark.” There was nothing charming in the medic’s smile, instead, she saw it as something evil and it scared her.

“Say what you want, but you won’t be able to escape me. I am still going to end your sorry life with it.”

“Escape? Oh no. No, my dear scion of Neverok. I don’t plan to do so. Actually, I am really glad, because now I can fulfil a promise made a long, long time ago.”

“Threaten me all you want filth. Nothing can dodge a slug from this distance.” Alexei gently placed his finger on the trigger, yet Helix continued to smile.

Zoë held her breath, knowing that the Commodore was not one to hesitate. All it would take was a moment and the Demon would be dead. What was left of his chest, would decorate the wall behind him. The propaganda officer would not risk aiming for the head, a wise choice considering he had a modified heavy gauss pistol in his hands. Yes, Helix had his armour on, but Zoë doubted it would do any good. That left her with only one question. Why wasn’t the Commodore shooting?

“What the…” Neverok’s eyes darted from his target to the weapon in his hand. “You… You are a psionic abomination!” The old mean nearly cried as his gaze returned to the Demon.

“Almost correct, Alexei.” Helix laughed and shook his head. “Almost.”

The Knight Protector stepped forward and gently stripped the gun from Neverok’s trembling hand. A thin tear of blood ran down her cheek, Zoë noted, as Alexandra turned and offered the weapon to the one true monster in the room.

“You should have jammed the feed before you dared pull a gun on me, heretic.” The Demon took the pistol with reverence, the girl had not expected from him.

“But… You were talking to me!” The old man was on the verge of hysteria.

“Did you think I had the same cheap implants such as you?” Helix laughed, the evil smile never leaving his face. “Please hold this for a moment, Miss Kurtz.” He passed her the gun.

With shaking hands, Zoë took the weapon, shocked that she had forgotten that the Knight Protector was psionic. Demon produced a black auto-injector.

“Consider yourself privileged scion of Neverok. Only eight of these have ever been made and this is the last one to exist in the galaxy.” In one swift motion, Helix produced a black auto-injector. “Your death will be long and excruciating. Once you have suffered enough, I will tear your beating heart and use your skin as a banner while you still draw breath! Demons keep their promises.” He jammed the needle in Alexei’s neck.

The monster tapped Alexei’s cheek softly, almost lovingly. Without warning, he slammed the heel of his boot into the old man’s knee. The joint turned backwards and a moment later a bloody splintered segment of the bone jutted from the Commodore’s calf.

“Zeti, kill anyone who tries to help Lilyana’s cursed kin.” Helix shouted over Alexei’s screams of pain. “Come with me witch. It is about time those pests infecting my domain are dealt with.”

The Demon snapped the pistol from Zoë’s hands and left the Command room. She watched as Knight Protector von Eisstahl followed a step behind him. The girl glanced the mewling form of the Commodore and the horror Helix had unleashed in seconds. No one dared come close to the wretch. Most looked at the old man with perverted satisfaction seeing him suffer. She couldn’t blame them. Alexei Neverok had tormented Felix and the other guards for years with his re-education programs and constant interrogations. As the newest member of the Security team, she hadn’t experienced those, but she had heard the rumours. Like that she had made her mind.

“I must be insane. There is no other explanation.” Zoë mutter to herself as she picked the Ripper rifle Helix had given her and sprinted after the Demon.