Having thrown the five Protectorate orbs outside the Slipstream a few minutes before, Soren darts around inside the ship's cockpit, using her left arm to clumsily press buttons as she tries to engage with Umi's mainframe. Outside, the Admiral and Grundle fight for their lives while working to rescue Sapphire and kill the Mallali and Kraktol intruders.

"What do you mean 'you can't engage a direct link'?!" Soren shouts, as she pounds her fist against one of the Slipstream's consoles. "Work with me, Umi!"

"I am sorry, First Officer Mudrose," the synthmind replies. "An unknown saboteur locked out several of my key systems shortly before the Mallali started landing in the Bloodbearer's hangar bays, and before the fighting started in earnest. They sent an encrypted transmission to the Mallali leaders, but due to the security lockouts, I have been unable to deduce their identity. Only by traveling to the sabotaged locations will you successfully disengage their handiwork. You cannot do so remotely."

Soren's scales lose some of their redness. "Are you saying we have a traitor on board the Bloodbearer? Who?"

"I do not know," Umi answers. "They traveled within the Bloodbearer's ventilation ducts, so they must have been someone small in stature. Not a Kraktol."

"A Kessu?!" Soren asks in shock. "But what sorry sack of feces would... would do such a thing?!"

Umi beeps emotionlessly, as if sighing in resignation. "I do not know. I have compiled a list of one thousand, two hundred and seven potential suspects. However, now that the Mallali have breached my secured data cores, I have even less ability to push back against the intruders. I only possess one last-ditch failsafe in the event of a complete ship takeover."

"Self-destruction..." Soren mutters, a grim look on her face.

"Affirmative. Admiral Rodriguez should not have come aboard. He will not be able to save any of the remaining crew, given the number of hostiles positioned between him and his allies."

Soren hastily taps several buttons, bringing up a crew manifest. "How many survivors are there in total?"

Umi pauses for a moment before replying.

"Thirty-seven."

Soren flinches. "Thirty seven... hundred?"

"Negative. Thirty seven individuals. As I told Admiral Rodriguez, more than ninety-nine percent of the Bloodbearer's crew have fallen. I regret to inform you of this fact."

All of the color drains from Soren's scales. For a moment, she slumps into her seat, a look of despondency on her face.

"Who... who is still... alive?"

"My internal sensors have not functioned properly for more than three standard Terran days," Umi replies. "The actual number of survivors may be higher than thirty-seven, but I am unable to pick up bio-readings throughout much of the ship. There may be badly injured crew still holding on. As for the confirmed survivors, they have all taken refuge inside one of the Bloodbearer's armories. They do not have food or water. Here is a manifest of the last-confirmed living crew."

Umi transmits the list to Soren's screen. The First Officer skims it within seconds, then falls silent.

"...Baaru. Nyoor. They're alive."

"Affirmative."

Soren swallows her saliva. "Where's... where's Lele? She's not on this list."

"I apologize, First Officer Mudrose. Science Officer Lele is presumed dead."

Soren's eyes turn moist. "R-Rags? Is he okay? What about the Kraktol? All the names on this list are Kessu."

"All Kraktol personnel have been killed." Umi beeps. "The only known survivors are Kessu. As for crew-member 'Rags,' he is also presumed dead."

"Oh my god... oh my god..." Soren whispers. "When... when José finds out... he's going to be devastated."

"Admiral Rodriguez has already received the crew manifest." Umi says. "His cerebral implants have scanned its entirety. He knows who has survived and who hasn't. You must remember, as a member of Ramma's Chosen, Admiral Rodriguez is accustomed to death. In his life, he has lost entire platoons of allies and comrades. He will not allow his emotions to affect his combat capabilities."

Umi pauses.

"...However, after the battle is over, assuming the Admiral survives, I cannot say for certain what the toll on his psyche will be. He has suffered extreme levels of mental stress since his awakening. If there were a Terran counselor available, he might be able to recover, but for the foreseeable future, that possibility seems unlikely."

Soren stares blankly at the terminal, her eyes losing focus as she struggles to adjust to the new reality she's found herself in.

"Umi. Can... can you patch me through to the Kessu survivors? Please?"

"Affirmative. I still possess limited audio-visual transmission capabilities. I will need to borrow the Slipstream's transmitters to bolster my own internal systems, but otherwise, this request lies within my capabilities."

Several seconds pass as Umi falls silent.

"First Officer Mudrose. The moment the Admiral returns, you must evacuate the Bloodbearer. No matter your thoughts, I must not allow Ramma's technology to fall into the hands of heretics, but I also cannot self-destruct while the last Terran resides upon this vessel. Do whatever it takes to convince Admiral Rodriguez that you must leave."

"But... but the Kessu..." Soren whispers.

"For all intents and purposes, the Kessu are already dead." Umi beeps emotionlessly. "The question is whether you wish for yourself, Officers Grundle and Sapphire, and Admiral Rodriguez to join them."

Soren loses even more of her spirit as she lowers her head.

"I don't."

"Very well. I will patch you through to your comrades. Please say your goodbyes. In times like these, Terrans often lend an ear to listen to their companions' last words. The Mallali will soon break into the armory where your fellow crew-mates reside. When they do, the last of the Kessu will perish."

A tear glides down Soren's cheek.

"I'll... do my best..."

.......................................

Outside the Slipstream, Admiral Rodriguez shields Sapphire with his body. He holds up the force-field cube, altering its properties to create a forward-facing energy barrier capable of stopping or deflecting incoming attacks. However, with the cube's limited power source, the more damage it takes, the faster its energy reserves deplete. The hundred-meter dash to the Slipstream becomes an agonizing crawl as hundreds and hundreds of Mallali and Kraktol land inside the hangar and disembark from their carrier vessels.

José curses under his breath as another hail of gunfire falls upon his position. He throws Sapphire to the deck behind a small pile of bodies, letting the cadavers of his fallen friends and enemies soak up a few dozen shots, while diving atop her to minimize her profile.

"Nnn, Darling, not so hard," Sapphire groans, forcing a weak smile. "We haven't even... even mated yet."

"Quiet, woman," José growls. "This is no time for jokes."

He grabs a random gun laying on the deck and pops his head up for a split-second to fire off half a dozen shots at the Mallali commandos. A moment later, the two blade-wielding Protectorates show up, tearing through the enemies and drawing their fire.

"Come on, let's go!" José says, as he pulls Sapphire to her feet and half-drags her along. Having suffered brutal beatings from the Thülvik, Sapphire's legs wobble like Jello, making it difficult for her to walk. She trips and falls several times, slowing José down.

"Just... just leave me..." Sapphire sputters, as tears stream down her face. "You have to live, Darling."

"A soldier never gives up on his comrades!" José exclaims. He wraps an arm around Sapphire's waist and helps her along, picking up the pace as the distance narrows from 100 to 75 meters.

However, just as they start to make some headway, trouble appears! The Mallali troops already inside the Bloodbearer finally reach the hangar, firing off hundreds of shots upon the Terran's position. José curses like a sailor as he spins the force-field around, shrugging off a scary number of projectiles. The force-field weakens dramatically, making his heart-rate double.

"So many god-damned fucking furballs!" José roars. "I'll remember every single one of their faces! I swear to Ramma!"

Not far away, while José hustles Sapphire toward the Slipstream, Grundle continues battling his Thülvik. He easily keeps pace with her, showing the true power of his Terran enhancements by battling the strongest female of his species.

The more Loreen fights, the greater the number of abilities she reveals. Her lightning empowered armor, once belonging to one of the most brilliant Demon Emperors to ever exist, grants her a sizable advantage in combat. While Grundle overpowers her in strength and speed, she relies on the defensive attributes of Ose's 'demonstone' armor to absorb hits, while flinging lightning and electricity at the former janitor.

"Egg-headed bastard!" Loreen howls. "Those who raise their claws against their Thülvik deserve a thousand deaths!"

She channels lightning through her armor, momentarily enhancing her speed by a factor of three. She ducks one of Grundle's punches, coils strength into her arm, and socks his armor right in the stomach, knocking him back several feet!

"A ruler who kills her subjects is nothing more than a tyrant!" Grundle retorts. He spins on his heel and swings his tail, slapping it against the Alfras's son, Maximillian. The young Dakkit general gets brutally knocked aside, finding himself outmatched compared to the Bloodbearer's Second Officer.

"Those are the words of a Terran-suckling hatchling!" Loreen yells. "You've allowed the Precursor to corrupt you!"

Grundle narrows his eyes.

"You're god-damn right, I have."

He charges forward, using his shoulder as a battering-ram.

BOOM!

The Second Officer knocks Loreen flat on her ass. He pounces atop her and starts swinging, smashing her helmet from left to right!

"Aaargh! Get off me!" Loreen yells in frustration.

"Only after you're dead!" Grundle replies.

A hail of gunfire suddenly falls on Grundle's position, consisting mostly of armor-piercing rounds. He pauses his assault to scowl at the newly-arrived Mallali, Kraktol, and Avaru commandos as they take potshots at him from the distance. Visible chunks of armor crack off Grundle's body as the heavier rounds do more damage than the piddly pea-shooters he encountered before.

"Honorless mutts!" He yells.

"There's no honor in war," Loreen sneers. "Only victory and defeat!"

The Thülvik discharges a violent wave of electrical energy into the giant sitting atop her torso. Grundle cries out in pain and jumps away as the mana-boosted energy pierces his armor and seeps into his scales underneath.

Meanwhile, Maximillian slithers around the borders of Loreen and Grundle's fight, keeping both eyes out for openings as he waits for the right moment. When Grundle roars in pain, Maximillian's eyes widen in realization.

"Now!"

He rushes forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. He stabs his blade toward a gap in Grundle's Enforcer armor, which also happens to line up with Grundle's heart.

SHIK!

The blade impales Grundle from behind and tears through the front of his armor, making Grundle howl in pain.

"GRAAAAUGH!!"

Maximillian activates his blade's energy current, sending one hundred thousand volts of electricity into Grundle's body.

Kzzzzat!

Grundle's body locks up, seized by paralysis. Unable to defend himself, he can only watch as Loreen lunges her claws toward his exposed heart.

Maximillian retracts his blade from the back right as Loreen stabs her claws into Grundle's front.

Riiiip!

The Thülvik tears out her opponent's heart. She throws it against the ground, causing a violent cascade of blood to spew from Grundle's chest.

The former janitor gazes at her in horror for a moment.

"Y-you... cheat... cheater..."

He stumbles to the side, then falls lifelessly to the floor, hitting the deck with a thud.

Loreen sneers. "There is no cheating in war, stupid fresh-blood. There is only winning. Now then, come, Maximillian! We cannot let the Admiral get away! The Terran is our number one priority!"

The young Dakkit nods. He doesn't even bother retorting against her orders, so entrenched has her superior combat prowess placed her in his eyes.

"He's pinned down by gunfire. We can still get him!"

Loreen grins. "I have one or two tricks left for killing that Terran. Something he'll never see coming."

She steps over Grundle's cadaver with the same disdain a princess might show a panhandler.

As the Thülvik makes her way toward the Admiral, Maximillian smirks at the dead Kraktol. He kicks Grundle's helmet, satisfied by his victory.

"Never underestimate the son of the Alfras."

Maximillian turns to follow after Loreen. However, the instant he turns away, a sensation of movement brushes behind his back.

Alarmed, the Dakkit whirls around, only to find Grundle standing behind him!

The Bloodbearer's Second Officer grabs the Dakkit's neck and grins viciously, while blood drips from his mouth.

"Heh heh heh... stupid mutt. Who said I only had ONE heart?"

"Aaiiee!" Maximillian yelps. He tries to pry the Kraktol's slaws off his neck, but an instant later...

Snap.

Grundle twists his wrist. He breaks Maximillian's neck, then hurls the werewolf-looking Dakkit aside, flinging him against a nearby metal support beam. Dozens of bones shatter in the Dakkit's body as he flops to the ground.

"Loreen Kindris!" Grundle roars. "We aren't done yet!"

Loreen spins around, shock in her eyes.

"Kyargh! By the ancestors! How are you still alive?!"

Grundle's eyes regain much of their lost clarity. The nanites in his blood, though less effective than José's, still manage to quickly staunch his bleeding.

"Underestimate me at your peril!"

Like a specter reborn from death, Grundle charges toward Loreen, forcing her to go on the defensive. Without Maximillian to poke and prod at Grundle's sides, the younger Kraktol can now fight her at full power. Even the bullets rushing at him from a distance do nothing to deter the Bloodbearer's Second Officer as he unleashes a violent volley of punches. His rage and lack of restraint practically doubles his strength!

Again and again, Loreen tries to beat her younger opponent in a one-on-one fight, but she always comes up short!

"How are you so strong?!" She shouts in confusion. "What did the Terran do to you?!"

Grundle batters Loreen's face, then kicks her onto a pile of corpses.

"My Admiral only gave me a small fraction of his power! I am still nothing compared to him! If you can't beat me, don't even think of facing my boss!"

Meanwhile, José struggles to get Sapphire to the Slipstream's entry ramp. With only twenty-five meters separating them, the distance appears negligible at first glance. However, in addition to the Mallali shock troops, a pair of elites reveal themselves. Unlike the Dakkit, the Kraktol, or the Avaru, these Mallali resemble huge bulls, with Minotaur-like features. They wield a greataxe and a greatsword respectively, both of them humming with plasma-cutting enhancements along their blades.

"So you are the Terran!" The bull with the greataxe says. "I hope you will give me a decent fight! Braaaaum!"

"I am the senior warrior, so I get the first swing!" The bull with the greatsword says. "Stand aside!"

He charges at José, lifting the 500-pound sword as if it were a toothpick. He chops down at José, forcing the Admiral to grab Sapphire and dive to the side. The weapon crashes into the Bloodbearer's deckplates, ripping up the metal and spraying it forward as if it were a grenade's shrapnel.

"Darling!" Sapphire cries.

José slaps the force-field cube into her claws.

"Hold this!"

An instant later, he teleports away.

Foop.

He reappears behind the greataxe-wielding bull, then stabs his fingers forward, adjusting his nanites to turn his attack into a knife-like thrust aimed at the Mallali's heart.

However, the great-axe wielding bull instantly swirls around and backhands the Admiral, reacting purely on instinct. His clumsy attack still hits José's face like a hammer, sending him tumbling to the side.

"Argh!"

The Admiral doesn't get a second to catch his breath. More Mallali troops focus-fire on his position, clearly more interested in finishing him off than pelting Sapphire's force-field with bullets. Compared to slaying the legendary Precursor, killing one weakened Kraktol doesn't mean anything to them.

"Fuck!"

José clumsily teleports away, misjudging the distance due to his minor concussion. He ends up stepping in a slick puddle of blood when he reappears and falls to the floor.

Both of the bulls go for the kill! They leap at him, raising their weapons high to deliver a fatal blow!

Before their attacks can connect, a pair of Protectorates swivel to face them.

KZZZAT!

Twin bolts of electricity fire into both of the bulls' bodies. They explode into a horrific mess of blood and gore, spraying bones and plasma in every direction. Their weapons flop to the ground, completely missing the Admiral, even as a wave of nauseating blood soaks every inch of his body.

"Too close..." José coughs, as he staggers to his feet. The Protectorates flank him, moving protectively in tandem with his movements. They shoots dozens of electrical blasts at the distant Mallali, exploding their bodies like bombs. Horrified screams go up among their ranks, revealing the sheer terror these unblinking robotic monsters can unleash upon an unsuspecting enemy force.

José finally reaches Sapphire. He pulls her to her feet, then quickly makes his way toward the Slipstream's entry ramp. When they reach the bottom, he sighs in relief.

"Grundle! Is he okay? I haven't had a chance to check!"

The Admiral pauses for a split-second to look at his Second Officer. He quickly spots Grundle handily beating the tar out of Loreen.

The Bloodbearer's Second Officer furiously pummels his former ruler without a drop of mercy. With each strike of his fist, he slightly cracks her demonstone armor.

"This is for my friends!"

Boom!

"This is for my Admiral!"

Boom!

Grundle punches Loreen's chest so hard that a visible spiderweb crack spreads across her armor.

The Thülvik widens her eyes in alarm, as Grundle rears his fist back once more.

"And this is for our people! You're no ruler, you're a walking corpse! GRAUGH!"

In the instant before Grundle lunges at Loreen, a look of annoyance appears in her eyes.

Tch. I was going to save this for the Terran. But I guess you leave me no choice.

Grundle's fist rushes at Loreen's chest. However, as it travels, a flicker appears in Loreen's shadow. Unseen by any but the most astute observers, a figure hiding in her armor's malevolent aura pounces at Grundle from below, changing its incorporeal body into two blades consisting entirely of shadow!

By the time Grundle senses the impending danger, he doesn't have enough time to react.

SHIK!

One of Yama's shades, the very same one who stowed away on Kisa's vessel, impales Grundle's exposed chest. His missing heart provides the perfect entry point, allowing her to tear into his vitals.

Two blades stab into his chest. Grundle halts, shock on his face, an instant before the Shade spreads her blade arms apart.

She bisects the Kraktol, swiping one blade left and the other right. With a single move, she cuts the Kraktol in half, separating his upper torso from his lower.

With shock still plastered across his face, Grundle's head, neck, shoulders and arms tumble away. They fall to the Bloodbearer's deck, crashing against it with a thud. The rest of his body follows soon after.

"GRUNDLE!" José screams.

"Nooo!" Sapphire yells.

Loreen Kindris, despite finally slaying her opponent, appears unsatisfied.

"Tch. Now what am I supposed to use against the Terran? That was my best card."

The Shade slides back inside of Loreen's armor, using the aura of its former Demon Emperor to mask her own presence.

"There is still one thing you can do..." The Shade whispers, speaking quietly so that only Loreen can hear her.

The Thülvik nods. "Ah, yes. There is one thing."

She glances at José and smirks, watching as Sapphire grabs onto him and sobs uncontrollably.

"Oops. Sorry, Terran. My bad. It seems I slipped up and borrowed the help of that Demon Emperor you hate so much."

Multiple blood vessels break inside José's eyes. "LOREEEEEN!!"

The Thülvik pays no attention to his swirling rage.

"I always come prepared, Terran. That's why you lost. In the end, I'm a better predator than you."

Loreen reaches down to the side of her armor. She slips a claw inside one of its cracks, and presses a button.

At that moment, Sapphire's expression changes.

"D-Darling. I... something feels wro-"

Sapphire explodes.

A bomb implanted in her body detonates, blasting her scales and entrails with even more force than the electric-attacks unleashed by the Protectorates.

Her beloved Admiral Rodriguez ends up at the epicenter of the explosion.

Boom.

An instant later, José Rodriguez spins wildly through the air and crashes against the deck, his entire lower body and half his chest missing.

A blood-soaked crater appears at the bottom of the Slipstream's ramp.

Inside the Slipstream, Soren leaps to her feet.

"José! NOOOO!"

Loreen merely smiles.

"Kyargh! And that is why one can never have too many backup plans."