Author's Preface
The Aligned Planets, in every sense the predecessor of the Aligned Systems, were more than Earth. This is something we need to understand before we can focus our attention on the events of 2 B.I.
Earth, or EarthGov, was only a part of a greater system, and while it is true that Earth financed and manned most of the ships fighting the war, they weren't the only ones.
The Martian Colonies, also known as the 14 Colonies, had 28 ships in the fleet, by far the highest per capita investment.
The Venusian Corporate Republic provided by far the largest percentage of Marines and Special Forces.
The Lunar Union provided more than a hundred ships.
We see now that Humanity was far more diversified in the colonization of its own system than some older empires at the time.
This was not only because the deep Human fear of having all eggs in one basket.
A decision that proved to be surprisingly wise.
— Excerpt from The Aligned Planets, Failed Experiment or Ahead of Its Time . Web publication, 150 P.I.
Slimy had a way of relaying deeply disturbing information as a factual aside.
He said, 'I need you for two things. One is Eleri waking up. Oh, and they want to cut Gerber's brain open because he's a bit of a dick to his interrogators,' in the same cold tone as one would order freshly picked grapes.
Fuckit tried not to be alarmed, but he had read the reports on neural mental mapping surgery, or, better known as, brainsucking.
It was actually the predecessor technology of neural implants. But unlike the well-used and refined implants, it sucked information out of the victim's brain. Without regard for neural degradation or overstimulation.
Gerber would end like all before him. Braindead or severely retarded.
A technique exclusively used by the oligarchy in the Second Civil War.
Another indication that the whole insurrection that decapitated EarthGov, the Admiralty, and the Aligned Planets was in reality a resurgence of the old oligarchy and not something else.
"Okay, how do we save Gerber? Do you have an army of spiders I can use or something?"
The first time Slimy laughed. Or rather, made a sound that imitated laughter. By someone who didn't actually feel humor.
'Ahaha, no, I can only fully control five. Any more and they would revert to their core command. You would not like the outcome.'
Fuckit didn't question Slimy's assessment. He already didn't like the situation. Uncontrolled spiders… The thought of it sent a shiver down his tail.
"So, what's your suggestion?"
'We use your body size. You fit through vents with ease. You can free me and Gerber.'
"Wait? Free you? So you are a prisoner too! What do they need a Glider for?"
Fuckit wasn't sure that Slimy was a Glider, but he wasn't aware of any other species capable of speaking in Glider telepathy. Well, Batract Hyphae spoke on a similar frequency, but they were much more invasive and even painful to listen to.
'Correct, I'm a prisoner. The spiders will get you to the ventilation duct of the Main Compound. I will guide you through the vents there.'
Fuckit remembered the layout of the large cavern. There was a tented-over area, and a container city.
"Main Compound? The container city?"
'No, this is just the accommodation for non-critical staff. The Main Compound is the tented area. It's larger than it appears, believe me.'
Fuckit didn't question Slimy anymore. What good would it do? He was tucked away with five Hyphae spawn spiders in a side cave he would never be able to escape without their help.
"Well, then let's go."
Hopping back on the still unnatural feeling spider, Fuckit thought about the plan and his situation.
It all boiled down to him finding his way through the vents, and finding the prisoners. The tented area didn't look overwhelmingly big, but if Slimy said it was bigger than one would guess, he was inclined to trust him.
On this at least…
Another thing came to Fuckit's mind as the spider ran with him through the pitch dark of the side cave.
Slimy had glossed over his status as prisoner quite quickly. And if he was a prisoner, how could he control the spiders? And how did he know so much about the goings-on in the caves?
The spider, Fuckit had decided to call it Gladys, stopped in the shadow overlooking the biomatter baths.
The barge was gone. The large guard, as well as the other dead guards, had been thrown into the reclamation fluids.
Now, with some emotional distance and a cooler head, Fuckit understood what the setup was. Enzyme baths that dissolved biological matter. A high-tech cross between a compost heap and a sewage plant.
Humans used it to recycle biowaste on stations or starships. But he was sure they didn't use it to get rid of bodies.
Seeing the large guard in the murky enzyme bath brought back the nauseating feeling. To Fuckit, the guard's dead, open eyes almost accused him.
He had done what needed to be done, he just didn't feel good about it. Then he remembered what Gerber once said about a similar situation.
"In the field, you don't have time for guilt or second-guessing. I'll leave that task to my nightmares."
Fuckit looked away from the baths, deciding to follow Gerber's advice.
Someone had cleaned up, but who?
"Do you have any idea who cleaned up the mess at the baths?"
Slimy didn't answer immediately. And for a fraction of a second, Fuckit thought he saw a bioluminescent flash on the cave wall over the baths. He still wore his night-vision lenses.
Remembering to deactivate them, he waited for an answer.
'Yes, other guards noticed the absence of Guard Widkoff. When they found him dead they assume he was killed by Lieutenant Davies. They cleaned up the site and are now searching the compound.'
Fuckit cursed. If the guards were alarmed, infiltration would be harder.
"Then we have a problem, right?"
No, the guards use standard outward search protocol. This area and the Main Compound are already searched. We're clear.'
Fuckit noticed, again, for a prisoner, Slimy was exceptionally well informed. And what did that have to do with the bioluminescent flare? Did he even have anything to do with it, or was it just Fuckit's mind playing tricks?
He noticed his thoughts were still a scrambled mess. Ever since the morning, when he'd basically sprinted through the jungle, he'd been on overdrive. Three hours and a bit weren't enough sleep. And then the stress from the moment he had entered the cave.
Fuckit remembered an interview with the greatest survivor story of the decade, Vextred's run.
Just flow with it… Keep on swinging.
Vextred said they were the mantra that kept him moving.
Keep swinging.
Fuckit swore, he'd keep swinging.
Gladys climbed up the wall now, carefully avoiding the bright light of the central cave.
Fuckit managed to hold on to it, but disliked hugging the non-insect.
'The Main Compound is about 250 meters away. How far can you glide?'
Was Slimy suggesting he should jump a quarter of a kilometer? That's… mad.
"From a 30-meter tree at this gravity… maybe fifty meters?"
'Then the spider can carry you up the wall 200 meters, to ensure you're reaching the vents?'
Two hundred meters high… Fuckit had no issues with heights, but jumping from 200 meters up and gliding a distance of 250 meters without any technical safeguards… he had grown up in a city, not in a tree. Gliding was just an ability, not his nature.
"For god's sake, I'm an IT guy, not some superhero. I never jumped 250 meters. Dude… I don't know if I can do that."
'If you don't, Major Gerber will be braindead.'
"Crap… Thanks for the motivational words."
'You're welcome.'
Gladys had already begun to climb the wall.
With height, Fuckit also gained a better overview of the compound. The center was dominated by the tented area. It reminded him of the tents secret organizations like the 21st-century CIA used to cover up UFOs in movies.
Well, wouldn't that be a blast — a UFO in a cave, discovered by an alien Glider on the back of a Hyphae spider…
He also spotted the vents. There were ten. They were mounted on a steel frame about five meters high. And only 80 centimeters wide.
Large enough for him. But he had to either aim for the steel frame to hold on, or directly for the vents.
Then another thought hit him.
"What's the right vent?"
'The one on the outer left. You can dive right in. The pumping station is at sublevel ten, you can exit right before it.
"Decline? Sublevel ten? We're already in an underground cave, why does it have sublevels?"
'Because the Main Compound goes down to the second cave. But that's nothing for you to concern yourself with. Just aim for the outermost left.'
Another cave. Ten sublevels. How many secrets did this cursed place hide? And how many did Slimy hide?
He would find out, but first he had to get to Gerber.
The vent was small, but even an untrained Glider could hit it. The only snag was the relatively high jumping point.
'You reached your height. You can jump at any moment.'
Fuckit could still see the vents. They were now tiny dark spots on the shining white tent.
He swallowed. Being brave before a mission was easy. Actually doing brave stuff was another story altogether.
He patted Gladys as a thank you and jumped.
Stretching all six legs to fully unfold his paraskin, or, as Humans called it, his patagia. Steering was easy, his bushy tail was made for it.
Like always, when in the air, something in his mind changed… he suddenly felt the air like a fish must feel water. Currents, updrafts, all was almost visible to him.
Aiming for the vent wasn't a difficult math problem. He just needed to stretch that muscle and turn the tail in that direction.
His nostrils opened up fully, and he knew his pupils had become twice their usual size.
This is how we're supposed to live, not running on the ground…
A new sensation hit him. He had felt it before, but not that intense. The hairs on his stomach reacted to every little shift of draft.
He had lied when he said gliding wasn't his nature. He knew it now.
And he knew he wanted to repeat this experience… soon.
The air vent came closer, and before he could think about how to break his speed, his body had already done the work. The hair on his bushy tail stood up, working as a windbreak.
A second later, he entered the vent.
The air blowing against him had an unexpected effect. Its updraft kept him floating. After a few meters, he reached the bend.
From here on, the pipe went straight down several levels.
What a nice highway down into the deepest layers of your secret base. Would be a shame if a Glider used it to infiltrate you…
"Buddy, I'm in. Just a question, are the vents secured in any way? Because any half-brained security would at least install motion sensors."
'There were. They are bypassed now.'
"How does a prisoner bypass motion sensors out of a cell?"
'I have my ways. Hurry up, all will be clear when we meet.'
Slimy's non-explanation didn't help at all. Fuckit wasn't sure he wanted to meet Slimy.
Going down the pipe was actually not that easy.
The updraft would have blown Fuckit back out, but the pipe was smooth, with no cracks his claws could get a grip on.
After the third failed attempt to crawl or glide down, Fuckit had enough.
What am I doing? I'm a living parachute, dammit…
So he jumped, headfirst.
Using his tail to steer and brake as well as he could, he fell into the dark. In the distance, a small glimmering light marked the pipe's turn. He had seen it from his jump-off point, but now he even felt the disturbance in the air draft.
Shortly before he hit the ground, he rolled and unfolded his paraskin.
It hurt a bit, but the skin caught the updraft and slowed him enough to make the landing feel like jumping off a desk.
The pipe went on a few more meters and ended in the large ventilation pump. The glimmer of light was an access panel that wasn't sealed perfectly, the outline letting air out and light in.
He could open it easily enough with a screwdriver from his utility belt.
Jumping out of the vent, he checked his surroundings. A large utility room. All in bright white, filled with machinery and crates.
The logo of Asmir Arms caught his eye. Where had he seen that before?
'I see you have reached the utility room?'
How in the world could Slimy see me?
Looking around for cameras, Fuckit found none.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you…
"Yes, how did you know?"
'Later. A guard checks there every 20 minutes. You need to move around the ventilation equipment and enter the interior pipes. Use the vent marked Section 10-23. This will lead you straight to the hallway in front of my cell.'
"And what about Gerber?"
'The Major is incarcerated two doors down. I expect you will need additional help overpowering the guard inside his cell.'
So he had to free Slimy first. He had hoped to free Gerber and then the mysterious helper.
With a quick jump, he was on the ventilation pump, running across it to the other side.
Vent 10-23 had its maintenance access panel about twenty centimeters above the bend, and it was easy to open.
With a curse, Fuckit noticed that the vent's access panel was installed to allow technicians to change the filters.
Filters that blocked his way.
To Fuckit's relief, they were only secured with a latch, and after removing them, he could enter.
The dismounted filters were thrown onto the large ventilation casing, and Fuckit continued his journey.
While crawling against the draft, another thought crept up.
How did Slimy map the ventilation? It all doesn't make sense…
His mind cycled around the only possible conclusion, but Fuckit didn't want to accept it.
'You're here. Quick, drop through the vent grates in front of you. You'll need to hack the security lock on the left door.'
It couldn't be, could it?
With a push, he dropped through the vent onto the floor below.
The security lock was an upper-class biometric lock, but nothing his AIN toolkit couldn't crack.
The door unlocked and opened.
"Oh hell no!"
'Hello, FuckItImOut. My designation is Defector.'
A goddamn Batract Hyphae.