Unipsi, lovely entity

chapter 8: Icar

The next day Lis woke up before Idra. As usual she stared at the sleeping esterian for a couple of minutes. She didn’t know why she keep on doing so every day but nobody gets hurt so there is no issue with her actions. Then as usual she prepared and then she woke up Idra by touching her a little. It the only way to awake her without screaming in her ears.

“mmh, it’s already morning?”

“yes, but I was thinking of leaving you alone from now on”

“yeah yeah, whatever let me sleep a bit more”

Understanding that Idra was basically still asleep, Lis decide to shake her a bit.

“what, why are you shaking me!”

“I told you that I will leave you alone. You don’t need to follow me around any-more”

“really? No more babysitting?”

“you where right yesterday, so I guess I can trust you”

“oh, thanks. But I will probably keep following you around. I don’t have a lot to do.”

“well not this morning. I’m going to the interrogate the traitors a little more. You would have nothing to do for at least 5 hours. Then if you don’t mind come to the prison cells and help me out with the confiscated electronics and maybe more”

“sure. I will prepare myself and come to you in 5 hours.”

“thanks, see you later Idra”

Then Lis left the room. Idra was still in her bed covered with her double blanket and in between her two pillows. She was staring at the closed door and thinking about what to do.

Trust earned, plan going as calculated. Now what do I do for 5 hours?, I guess I will just execute some armour maintenance.

Leans interrogations are not really peaceful especially if you are a traitor and there is proof of your misdeeds. In the 5 hours before meeting with Idra, Lis tried without success to make the traitors speak. She was not really into beating the shit out of them. Can’t keep a bleeding fucker alive for 8 days without medications and she had no intention on wasting some on them. When Idra arrive at the cells, Lis asked her to hack into the traitors confiscated electronics devices. Then it was time to just use her frightening presence.

“so, what’s my job? Do I have just to make them talk?” asked Idra.

“well that is the objective of an interrogation, however I would prefer if you don’t injure them too much, don’t want to waste medicines on them.”

“yeah, I can do that. However my services will cost you”

“what are you? A prostitute?”

“shut up! You will have to play at least 1 match of space-chess against me this evening”

“you could have phrased it in a really different way but I’m in, only if they talk of course”

“better go start preparing for our match”

Then Idra moved inside the cell. Lis and others guards on the other side of the one way mirror. In the cell one of the two traitors, she was on a chair chained to it and also to the table. The instant when Idra entered the room, the traitor started to shake a little. Idra started walking around the traitor with an ominous presence.

“so, traitor Lira, guess what I want to hear”

“I.. I.. I.. I don’t know. Look...looking for other comm devices?”

then with a dash Idra moved face to face, just a few centimetre between their skulls.

“WRONG! Try again. But this time we add a little extra”

She grabbed Lira’s face with her left hand. Her left gauntlet opened a little and from within a multitude of small machinery popped out, like in a Swiss knife. Lis had seen those instruments, they are small probes and testers that Idra usually use to determinate if she can eat or not something. That cluster of machines wasn’t meant to kill or harm others, however it could be used in such way.

“every time you get the wrong answer, I will cut one of you little tentacles that run all along you cheeks. Then one by one I make you eat them all until you have no more cheeks to close and all you teeth are exposed.”

Lira was even more scared but she was determined to endure. In her mind Lis was too soft to let Idra do as she please. However she was wrong.

“I.. I.. I! Have nothing to say you bit.. (bitch!)” Lira couldn’t finish that the cluster of machine pierced one tentacle, the closer to her lips, and pulled it out. A small blade leant on it, ready to cut.

“you think I’m playing? You think I’m joking? You think Scilla is gonna save you? Well you must be really stupid.” then she cut the tentacle. A scream of pain echoed through the prison. Blood flowing down from the fresh cut. Then Idra pierced the same tentacle on the other cheek.

“now, what do I want to hear?”

Lira was in pain, bleeding, scared and trembling all at once. Lis was not coming, she was really alone with the monster. All rationality left her mind, a brutal butcher was in front of her. No way out. So she started crying and sobbing, trembling like if she was exposed to freezing temperatures.

“I will tell all you want… sob, please!!please please please don’t kill me! I don’t what to…”

good job Idra, time to go in and squeeze all her informations.

However Idra didn’t thought so. A second scream of pain and another tentacle gone. Lis and her crew rush in, in their mind Idra wasn't going to stop. In just the 17 seconds need to move from one side and the other of the mirror, 2 more screams of pain echoed in the prison. Lis was the first to get in and immediately separated the two, she was ready to yell at Idra for ignoring her commands but she noticed Lira’s face. She was no longer bleeding, where there should have been the two tentacles now there was a red burned tissue. Idra follower Lis orders so to stop the bleeding she cauterized the two wounds.

“all yours Scilla.” then she turned toward Lira that literally shitted her pants, or in a more accurate way filled her pants with slimy excrements.

“you better obey my friend, or maybe I will come in your cell at night to finish the job”

then she returned to her cabin, as if the torture she had just done had no impact on her psyche at all.

Finally the 20 days journey was ending. The Sheridan stopped the jump drive and was finally inside Icar planetary system. Lis and Idra where on the main deck. On the main screen a projection of the planet. A reddish floating ball that looked like a bigger mars. Icar 3° was a really peaceful planet in comparison to Leanira 2° the home world of the lean species. Almost of the same dimension as terran’s Terra (our Earth) with only 1,1g of gravity acceleration. Icar atmosphere is heavier than Terra and there is a lot more oxygen. The planet is 82 % water but of the total water 15,3% is fresh water thanks to some unique algae common on the planet. Icar 3° is known for making 1/2 off all leans food, and considering that the lean’s domain is composed of 4 planet is a lot. Icar 3° is also the home of the biggest lean’s corporation, the Hakavor’s heavy industries. Started as an agricultural machine factory they evolved in the biggest producer of lean’s spaceship and the biggest private army. Icar 3° is one of the 4 planet inside the Lean’s Planetary Federation or Lean’s federation (LF). The federation assembly whose head is the Liin, a lean that must have been elected by half+1 member of the assembly or to be born with a mark that makes the creature more intelligent, rule over all the planets. During non emergency times the assembly work as a republic. The member of the assembly are really different one another. To be a member you must be a plant governor, or a CEO of a massive company, or an important scientist, or military high general, or an Ittiro who is someone who greatly helped all leans with their discovery or inventions, or a Lineic warden a lean whose life is completely dedicated to historical recording. Hakavor’s Head and Dhalia, the heir, were by definition part of the assembly. Dhalia in particular, after the war, assassinated the previous liin for military incompetence that brought the death of many soldiers. Dhalia proposes the army general chief during the droxi war as the new liin. Those event brought to power Serafia Csuicha, the actual liin, a revolutionary liin and at the same time one of the most bloodthirsty liin ever elected. Lis was a member of the assembly as well because she was an Ittira (female version of Ittiro). She was one of the few Ittira that were alive and for a good reason. Those positions are usually male dominant because they are usually more intelligent and discover more scientific stuff. However she was elected as Ittira thanks to her work during the war that started the commercial route with the esterians and also allowed the purchases of the biological weapon used to win the extermination war.

Just 5 minute after the jump an incoming transmission started beeping on the main comm station. Lis press a button and started the conversation.

“Commander Scilla Lis of the L.F Sheridan, I require a route to Hakavor headquarters.”

The government space station for traffic regulation responded quickly. They were used to Hakavor’s ships request and prioritize them. The traffic officer Mira Dragva was on good terms with Lis because they served together during the war as Morea did.

“You are back soon Lis, did something happen?”

Mira’s faces was calm with a friendly smile and a small scar on her upper left lip.

“Yes. We are currently transporting and esterian that is…”

Mira jumped at the idea of an esterian, especially one that is been transported.

“how the fuck!! what happened!, are you ok!”

Well that is a typical reaction to an esterian.

“i’m fine my friend, we found some common ground and we are now cooperating toward a common objective.”

Meanwhile Morea was contacting the HQ to report the esterian presence and require military escort.

“She is not that terrifying, wanna see her?”

“hell no!, I don’t want to have nightmares for the rest of my life. I have no fucking idea how you are able to be close to them”

Mira wasn’t wrong at all. Usually esterian cause a powerful reaction in those who look at them. They are scary and machine like creature. No eyes, no visible breathing movement, never leave their suit. Speak like beast, don’t follow law, hit to death kids that look at them in the wrong way. The list of reason to stay the fuck away from an esterian was really long. If you conscious self couldn’t find a reason to stay away from them, subconsciousness usually does. Their mere appearance cause a primordial and innate fear that grow stronger the closer you are to them, or so it’s said. Neither Lis nor Morea for some reason felt than strange fear any longer, but the rest of the crew could feel it so much that they started eating at a different hour than them.

“I don’t find it that hard. Maybe I’m special”

“yeah, special like a kid who hit hard his head falling from a chair. I won’t take more of your time. All scans clear. Proceed toward your destination. I sent you your navigation route.”

“if one of those day you come down, let’s meet”

“not if you are with the monster”

“she is no monster, see ya Mira”

“see ya psycho!”

Mira smiled and close the call.

The Sheridan proceed toward the HQ, Dhalia Hakavor, the heir of the corporation was preparing to meet Lis and most importantly Idra the esterian guest. The ship landed without problems at the biggest platform, around 5 km from the HQ. As they disembark a luxurious car was waiting for Lis and Idra. An Hakavor’s bodyguard got out of the car and started to speak.

“Good morning Commander Lis, good morning esterian Idra. It’s a plea…”

“Scilla do you use that spot?”

Idra looking at Lis pointed at a field around the landing pad. It was unused because it was to close to the Sheridan landing pad.

“I suppose we don’t, why?”

“to place my spaceship obviously”

as she said so the base alarm goes off. On top of the Sheridan external hull a ship start to materialize. It was the U shaped esterian ship. It was 45 meters long ship of a greyish colour. Things that looked like thrusters on the sides pointing down. On the back of all the 3 main parts there where bigger thruster emitting a purple cone shaped light.

Her ship was attached to us all this fucking time, and it was even invisible. How the fuck was it possible. Scanner should have seen it.

“Natrix, land on this grass field. They don’t us it.”

As Idra’s command was eared a loud metallic scream came from the ship. It was so loud that you could feel you bones shaking. It was its sound and saying it could freeze your blood was an understatement. The bodyguard dropped down scared as this was probably her first time seeing an esterian ship. Other strange sound where emitted while the ship moved from the position toward the grass field. While moving a red scanner passed on Lis and the car. Then it just landed as if nothing happened. Seeing it from such short distance made the ship looks like something totally different. U shape is the faster way to describe it, however the ship is composed of two identical part long 45 meters. In between there is a different part that connects the other two. The one in the middle is 30 meter long and its probably the cockpit. Once landed the ship was 9 meters tall and 21 meters wide. There is no visible entrance but considering the esterian army robot the ship must have a small cargo bay. For a spaceship enthusiast like Lis it was a god like vision. A totally new ship so close to her face. But it was no time to drool over a ship. She called the HQ to specify the false alarm and than it was just the esterian friendly ship.

“You like it?” said Idra toward Lis.

“I would have liked it even more if you had told me that it was coming here”

“but I told you that my ship was following us”

“following is a thing, yours where attached to us”

“following, attached same thing. You ask once who was Natrix. Well this is Natrix” and she pointed at her ship.

“to be more correct, this is Natrix Demone Urlante or in your language screaming demon. It’s my ship and I don’t want to boast about it but there are only a few of her kind. She is all a scavenger needs, not like you big tuna can”

“I have to admit, your horseshoe is really cute”

“I want to argue back, but I think your bodyguard is having a heart attack of some shit like that”

“she is fine don’t worry...”

Lis looked at the trembling girl on the ground. Maybe she is not that fine. Well I can just put her in the car myself.

Lis then moved toward the girl and picked her up while she crying and begging for her life. She then put her in the car, she looked for the driver but she had lost consciousness from the fear.

“I guess I will drive. Hop in the side seat while I move the driver in the back”

“am I that scary?”

“just when you are angry, but to normal people your presence alone can be a little too much to handle”

“it’s not my fault!”

“i’m not saying it is. Just get in the car. I will drive us to the HQ. Hopefully you won’t make other faint while we get there”

5 km are a shot distance if you drive like a speed maniac. Lis was to infatuated with the space extremely high velocities that she couldn’t hold herself. Idra wasn’t having any problem with the high speed neither, so Lis totally forgot about her passengers that arrived at the HQ scared as fuck and covered in vomit. They reach the HQ main entrance. 8 armed guard where waiting for them. They were a bit confuse when Lis got out of the driving seat and then they become wary when Idra got out of the passenger seat. They didn’t start to tremble in fear, they didn’t saw Natrix moving, but they were visibly restless due to Idra’s presence. They got in and had to go trough a scanner before going in the elevator. The hall was full of soldiers and the receptionist was there waiting for the two to hand over their weapons. Lis was used to it, but Idra wasn’t at all. Esterian never let go of their weapons. The receptionist tried to speak up intimidated by her presence.

“ex… excuse me miss, you...you should hand...hand over your weapons as a s..s..safety measure”

Idra looked back, it was no longer in her “friendly” mode.

“watch you language creature before I carve you eyes out.”

That’s it the Idra I remember. I wonder why she is so hostile with others.

Lis started to explain that esterian don’t let go of their weapons but Idra wasn’t wasting time. She moved toward the elevator command, the guard pointed their weapons. Then she touched the commands and the elevator started moving.

“I’m not your enemy. Your system already recognize me as a friend.” then her voice became angrier and hoarse.

“now put your weapon down before I make you eat them”

Lis jumped in.

“don’t worry. She won’t make a mess. Just don’t get to close to her. This is fine and normal when working with esterians”

All the soldier inside the building had never seen an esterian and like almost everyone knew nothing about them. How they impose themselves on others, how aggressive they are. Then the elevator reach the ground floor and the two got in.

“which floor are we going Scilla?”

“17”

Idra pressed the button and then Lis started to lecture Idra. After all she was going to meet her boss.

“can you be less hostile with my boss? I want to keep my job.”

“I won’t eat her, there is no smoker nearby to add some flavour to such tasteless meat.”

“wait, have you ever eaten a person?”

Idra’s voice change a bit.

“nah, It’s just a way of saying, for sure it is”

“kinda specific”

“I may have tasted some strange flesh during my explorations”

“stop, I don’t want to hear any longer”

“you are the one who asked”

“yeah and I made a mistake”