Voidbound 5
Issue #28 of The Universal Dispatch
The Universal Dispatch is a weekly newsletter for short science fiction.
Novo quickly raised his pistol, but didn't have a clear shot as the woman struggled with the huge, slippery bug. Quickly, he sank two shots into the shelf right above them. In response, the ugly creature perked up and scanned the room. When the five eyes on its head spotted Novo, it immediately bolted toward him, half running on 7 legs, half sliding on grey mucus.
This gave Novo the vantage point to sink a round into the creature. To his surprise, the bullet seemed to disappear with a wet plop and passed right through. A moment later, the creature was on top of Novo.
The spider-slug-thing latched onto Novo's leg with strong mandibles, he scrambled for the vibro-sword hanging from his side. He felt spikes bury into flesh and fought the pain shooting through his leg as he slashed for what looked like the creature's head, only for his sword to sink in and get buried in a dripping mass.
With an aggressive shout, the woman, who had risen to her feet, hacked off one of the creature's legs with a large machete.
Suddenly, the… skin… of the creature shifted and shimmered, before settling into a color mimicking the floor. Novo hacked at another one of its legs and managed to sever it before the creature scurried away in a jumble of crawling and sliding.
The woman wiped sweat and grey mucus from her forehead, catching her breath.
"That thing's gonna make me trouble later. The slugs are not supposed to get into the library." She looked at Novo. Her face is wrinkled yet not without a sense of nobility. Somehow, she exudes an era of wiry strength and wisdom. "Let's get out of here, Templar," she continued.
She led Novo out of the library and through the labyrinthine hallways of The Academy.
"What was that thing?" Novo asked as he wiped grey biomass off his armor.
"Oh. That was just a scholar slug," the woman explained. "They crawl through these hallways, but are usually not bold enough to come out of the shadows. Someone must have accidentally let one into the library. Thanks for your help, Templar." They were passing through a cobwebbed corridor. Ancient rotting furniture lined many walls. "I'm Dr. Zoya Talin. What brings you to The Academy, Templar?"
"I am here to find you, Dr. Talin. You are the Templar contact on Luminus."
"Indeed, I am. The Templar presence is small here on Luminus. But, Father Logan is an old friend…" Her eyes seemed distant for a moment. "I'm always happy to help out a Templar. Please, call me Zoya." She looked at Novo's chain and Templar cross. "You're Voidbound, aren't you. Novo, is it?"
Novo nodded. "I was sent to help the people of Luminus. I came across a pirate ambush only one jump from Megrez. I've been hearing this is a common occurrence."
They arrived at a heavy metal door. Zoya keyed in an access code, and the heavy door swung open, revealing what looked like a combination of an office and her living quarters. Shelves lined the walls, filled not only with analog books but also with artifacts and strange gadgets. At the end of the room, a desk stood under a circular window.
"Step in," Zoya said and gestured for Novo to enter.
She sat down at the table with a heavy sigh and looked at her hands.
"This is true. These pirate attacks have become a common occurrence." She gestured, and Novo sat down across from her. "A few months ago, we heard about a raid on Amity. Rumor has it a pirate captain has taken the outpost."
Zoya rummaged through her desk to find a map of the subsector.
"The region spinwards between Luminus and Amity has always been mostly inaccessible—it's plagued by driftstorms. That's why everything beyond Amity is unpoliced and piracy runs rampant. Up until now, that has also spared Luminus from raids—the pirates simply couldn't get here, a natural protective position."
"What changed?" asked Novo.
"We're not sure, but the pirates must have found a way to get through. They are raiding closer and closer to Luminus, and this has stopped almost all trading."
"Isn't this station under the protection of the Consortium?"
Zoya scoffs. "There are only a few Consortium Citizens on Luminus. Navigation passages to the closest settlement, Selena, were lost, and no one here has the ships to establish new ones. The Consortium is content in showing up with some enforcers on the regular and collecting their taxes, but that is about all the Consortium involvement we get."
Suddenly,y Novo was aware of the iron chain at his wrist, cold against his skin. He touched the chain on his right wrist and said in solemn vow: "It is my sworn mission to help the people of Sindri Sector. I will do what I can."
Zoya nodded. "I will get you any connection I can. They might not care about the Templar, but they still need us, here at the Academy. We fly under the radar, but we produce Luminus' most important export—knowledge."
Novo stood up straight. "I thank you, Dr. Talin—on behalf of the Templar."
Zoya touched Novo on the shoulder. "One last thing," she said. "These raids have been surprisingly successful. People are suspecting that the pirates are getting help from the inside. The powers that be are trying to pin this on the lowfolk—workers in the lower decks, laborers who aren't Consortium Citizens and who don't have a voice here on Luminus. Don't believe them. Lowfolk are an easy scapegoat to keep Citizens from being at each other's throats."
Novo considered for a moment. "I am here to protect and serve the people of Luminus. I cannot get involved in local politics."
"As you wish, Templar. Just remember to be on the side of the truth. Let me know if you change your mind. The common people of Luminus could really need an institution like the Templar on their side."
His quarters were dark, and Novo sat cross-legged on the floor. In darkness, he swore the iron vow to help the people of Luminus.