Vai

I knew the Corruption wanted me, but had never expected them to get by Esther and Warpaint. They obviously didn't know I had the light yet as the pink smoke rushed towards my face.

I suddenly remembered my fight with Thrissko - the pink smoke that was all around - how he lifted the smoke to my mouth - how I had screamed and screamed. Papa and his crazy minions standing around me chanting things I couldn't understand while I was wrapped in pain and screamed. Papa and his people weren't really crazy though. The Corruption had control over them just like Alessandra in front of me and the K'thaktrans during the K'thaktra war. Maybe having the Corruption inside did make one crazy. Alessandra would have never done this to me if she had a say.

I formed a shield around me with the light right as the pink smoke reached me. I had seen Esther's video of the Lion of Judah Research Station. None of their shields had lasted long against the Corruption. Of course there had been thousands, tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, there. Here in front of me were only a few handfuls and I assumed there were more that stayed inside Alessandra to make sure she obeyed them. Why did so many of the Corruption enter one person? Did it make it easier for them to control them? Thrissko had lifted the pink smoke to my mouth handful after handful.

"What is this?" Alessandra asked as she watched the smoke hover above my skin.

I could feel the tiny cuts in the light shield as the Corruption tried to get inside almost as if it were my own skin. It didn't hurt. It was just a sensation - an awareness. The light closed the cuts as quickly as they formed.

I couldn't form fire like Owen or power like Esther, but I scooped up a handful of the pink smoke. I could feel the tiny aliens move around. They tried to cut through the shield around the palm of my hand. I wasn't sure how they were cutting it - with their teeth? Maybe little knives? Maybe they had a power similar to the light that could cut. I focused on the green light and tried to turn that cutting sensation back at them.

I felt it as they died. It wasn't that they just stopped moving - although that was part of it. Their little lives in my hand disintegrated. I opened my palm. There was no trace of them left. No little body parts, no pink smoke. Nothing.

There was a loud bang from the maintenance hatch.

"Open it," Owen's voice said desperately.

"I'm trying," Esther replied with equal desperation.

A quick glance at Warpaint - he was still stiff with that electric current running over him from the disruptor on his shoulder. But he blinked his mechanical eyes and I don't think he was supposed to be able to do that from the look on Alessandra's face.

The remaining pink smoke retreated back inside Alessandra. She shook her head and a wave of pain washed over her face.

"I'm sorry," she said to me. "This is unexpected. I have to."

She threw something at me. It was small. It landed by my feet. An electric charge came out, wound around my shoes, up my legs and body before I realized it. My shield kept some of the charge out, but not all of it. The shock slithered through me.

I heard a strange mechanical sound come from somewhere. Maybe Warpaint. Maybe back behind me from the maintenance hatch. Maybe both. I couldn't concentrate as my body tingled-burned-shocked from the charge. It wasn't a strong charge and it died away quickly, but it stunned me enough to let Alessandra get close.

She charged me with her right hand closed in a fist out forward coming towards my stomach. I stepped light on my feet to the side and boxed her hand away. That was when I realized she held a vibroblade in her hand.

The Corruption knew they couldn't take me over so now they were trying to kill me.

Warpaint slightly moved his head, but that was all. I didn't know what was happening in the maintenance hatch and why Esther and Owen couldn't get out of it, but I couldn't worry about that now.

"I'm sorry too," I said. I punched her in the face.

She staggered backwards. She's trying to kill me. I didn't want to do this, but it was why I called her out in the first place. I grabbed her head between my hands. Her head seemed so tiny compared to my large hands - miniscule. She's trying to kill me. The Corruption is trying to kill me. I twisted hard like I saw Esther do. Her neck popped and Alessandra went limp in my hands. The vibroblade dropped and clattered. I let her go and she fell hard to the ground. Pink smoke came out of her. More than the first time. I wasn't sure my shield could keep them all out.

Warpaint moved his arm and ripped the disruptor off his shoulder. Red spread throughout his chrome body. The air changed like it had on Brist when the black predators had tried to get us. Warpaint's Aether Shield rushed out from him and wrapped around the space between him and me. It encased all of the Corruption. The pink smoke wisped away into nothingness.

"Use your power and blast it open," Owen said. I hadn't realized they were still talking.

"No," Esther said. "It's okay. Vai's okay."

Warpaint released the shield. The red retreated back into the lines on his white body. He walked passed me to the maintenance hatch. I went with him partly because I wanted to know why they couldn't get out, but mainly because I didn't want to look at Alessandra's dead body.

There was a homemade mechanical lock on it. It seemed similar in make to the disruptor that had been placed on Warpaint. Warpaint dismantled the lock and opened the maintenance hatch. Esther stepped out gracefully. Owen stumbled out after her.

"You did well," Esther said to me.

"Thanks," I said. I wasn't sure that was an appropriate response to killing someone.

Warpaint walked passed us, opened his front and put Alessandra inside. He closed himself and the heat wafted off him.

"You didn't even need us," Owen said. There was a cheerfulness to his voice, but it wasn't his true voice. His blue eyes avoided the spot Alessandra's body had just been and the fallen vibroblade.

"If I had you by my side," I said, "I probably wouldn't have been electrocuted."

"True," Esther said. She picked up and pocketed the vibroblade. She also picked up the device that had been thrown at my feet.

Owen didn't say anything as he looked up at me, but I could tell from his expression he was grateful for my words.

"Sir," Warpaint said, "I really must tell your father this time. Alessandra knew how to get passed me. I never expected that to happen. I wasn't prepared enough. My programing isn't enough."

"Warpaint," I said, "I don't think you were supposed to get that disruptor off yourself. She seemed surprised. I think you are remarkable."

My mechatronic bodyguard seemed to stand up straighter, but that was probably just my imagination.

"It is true, sir, that another mechatronic would not have been able to do it. My programming is special. But I still am going to tell your father."

"Let's get back to Owen's quarters," I said, "and clean you out and then call El. She can tell us if the best course of action would be to tell my father."

Warpaint didn't reply right away.

"We'll meet you back at Owen's quarters," Esther said as she grabbed Owen's hand and led him back to the maintenance shaft.

"But I was just in there," Owen groaned. He followed her in though and closed the maintenance shaft behind him.

I stared at Warpaint and waited. I heard Owen and Esther as they shuffled away in the maintenance shaft.

"Very well, sir," Warpaint said. "I will wait until we have talked with the Jo-Dinun."

We made our way back to Owen's quarters. We passed a few people in the corridors. I watched them closely, but of course no one was suspicious of us. Why would they think the chief science officer's son had anything to do with the disappearances on board?

Music greeted us outside Owen's quarters. I didn't know a lot about music, but I knew there were more instruments than Owen's father's viola. Maybe it was just a recording. I knocked. The music immediately stopped and there was a lot of shuffling behind the door.

The door slid open and Owen's father greeted me. Behind him were three other people, a Starwatcher with a violin, a human with a bass and a Bundu-Jo with a cello. We weren't going to be able to sneak Esther inside.

"Hello," I said.

"Hello, Vai," Owen's father said kindly. "I don't think Owen's in right now. I tried knocking on his bedroom door when I got back home, but there wasn't an answer. Do you want to come in and wait?"

"No thank you. Maybe he's at the gym. I can call him." I hoped I was as good at lying as Owen claimed he was.

"Stop by anytime, Vai. I'm glad to see Owen has a good friend like you. You've really been a good influence on him."

If only he knew I just killed someone with my bare hands.

I nodded and walked away. The door slid shut. I quickened my pace and sent a message through my okulus to Esther and Owen.

«Owen's dad is home with company. Come to my quarters instead.

I made my way quickly to my quarters and went inside. The living area was empty. I knocked on my father's bedroom door. "Father, are you inside?"

Silence.

"He isn't home, sir," Warpaint said.

There was a knock at the door. I went and opened it. Esther and Owen were on the other side as it slid open.

"Come in," I said.

They stepped inside and followed me to my bedroom.

"It always makes me nervous to be here," Esther said once safely inside. "I can't access the security cameras here. It makes me wonder if your father has access and can watch us."

I wasn't sure he needed to since he could just spy on me through Warpaint anytime he wanted. I should ask El how to best handle that situation. Maybe I would send her a private message about it. Even if I could somehow dismantle it so he couldn't spy on me through Warpaint, then he would know Warpaint had been tampered with and might increase his watch on me even more. But how long could I keep running around doing what I was doing and be lucky enough each time that there wasn't a moment my father spied on me while I killed someone or sparred with Esther.

"Well, we can't just walk you passed my father," Owen said.

"Open yourself up, Warpaint," I said. "I'll clean you out." I retrieved a cloth from the bathroom and wiped him out so he was free of ash.

"Here." Owen handed Warpaint a volo. "You seem to be collecting these."

I hadn't really registered it, but Warpaint had been collecting the volos of everyone we killed.

"Why?" Esther asked Warpaint.

"Perhaps the lieutenant commander can watch their histories and figure out how to best fight off the Corruption."

"Lieutenant Commander Ma'amaloa you mean," Esther said. "Don't tell him anything."

"I will wait to get the advice of the Jo-Dinun," Warpaint said.

"Let's call her then," I said. I called her. She immediately answered. Shel was with her. Minmin wasn't. It was starting to get late though, so Minmin was probably in her own quarters. We told her everything that happened.

"The miasmids will know they can't simply take over you now," El said. "Your mechatronic might be right. We might have to tell your father, Vai, but there might be repercussions to that too. Especially for you and you've proven yourself tonight. I think we need you with us and not locked away like your father would like to do for your protection. Let me think on this a bit more. I'll get back to you." She ended the call.

"I'd better get going then," Owen said. "My dad will be expecting me."

Esther and I were left alone. Well, not completely alone. Warpaint was there.

"You did do well today," Esther said. "Honestly, I was more worried about you than Owen, but you proved yourself. I don't need to worry anymore."

I wasn't sure I would go that far. There was a lot she didn't know about me and my father. Maybe she should still worry about me.