Contessa. Open your eyes.
Ono gasped. She found herself sitting alone—confined at her upper chest, wrists, thighs and ankles—in a dark room. She was still wearing her damaged spacesuit and helmet. She attempted to free herself, but her bonds were too restrictive.
“Theriac, where are you? Show yourself!” She pleaded.
“I am everywhere.”
A few moments later, the Conesan appeared before her, looking quite apathetic. In a strange way, she felt almost as if she had disappointed him.
“If the AccuHomi is as powerful as you say, why am I still experiencing pain?”
“The pain only comes from your hesitation. You still have not fully committed. To partake in its gifts, you must. Mind, body—and soul. Until you do, you will keep cycling until the AccuHomi has broken you.”
“Please. Help me. Help me commit.”
“Unfortunately, this is only something you can do. Not I.”
He disappeared—leaving her alone once more. Ono was becoming manic. Her bonds were tightening—the pain she had temporarily suppressed was returning. She closed her eyes and went into a deep focus. If the Conesan was to be believed, the AccuHomi would do the heavy lifting from here on out.
Another few moments had passed before she noticed the bonds absorbing through her body—almost as if her physical constitution had changed in its entirety. She stood up and looked back to the chair she had been sitting in. Her former bonds were still attached to it. As for Ono, she was fluid now.
She placed her hands up in triumph as the darkness slunk away. She had returned to the StarForger’s cockpit. Oxygen was still limited inside the fighter, but still better than she had experienced on the other side. She gripped the reins and paused for a moment—turning back to Sarker’s corpse.
The lieutenant’s spacesuit had suffered minimal damage from Ono’s assault in the Cirix landing zone. Ono rose to a standing position and turned around. She pulled Sarker’s body towards her and began the process of removing the spacesuit. With her newfound elasticity, Ono would easily be able to squeeze into it. The inadequate space inside the cockpit made for a painstaking process, but still one that she would be able to handle.
Once Sarker had been stripped down to her undergear, Ono removed her own helmet and spacesuit. She noticed that her undergear was in tatters as she could see her pinkish flesh. They had injured her—albeit only temporarily.
She put Sarker’s spacesuit on—allowing her body to re-adjust to the modest size difference between the two of them. Her arms were approximately three inches longer and yet the fit was perfect. The AccuHomi was something special. A gift from the Gods.
She tossed her old spacesuit in the back with Sarker and secured her helmet to the new spacesuit. She raised the suit’s arm band and checked the oxygen levels. It was holding at eighty-seven percent.
“Beautiful.”
She looked at Sarker again. There was no need for her to carry an empty shell along for the ride. The lieutenant had served her purpose.
Ono opened the canopy and tossed out her old spacesuit. She grabbed the lieutenant around the neckline of her undergear and pulled her lifeless body forward. Without her suit, Sarker was light as a feather. She threw her body out of the fighter. Sarker landed head first against the surface. Ono sat back down and secured her harness. A moment later, she closed the canopy. She searched the display for the biodome command prompt.
Ono double-tapped it as the dome receded. Space was calling her once more. She looked around and immediately noticed that Sarker’s body was being carried away by the cosmos. It was no longer bound by gravity.
“Goodbye lieutenant.”
She gripped the reins and activated the fighter’s auxiliary power supply. The StarForger began its ascent. The higher she climbed, the more she noticed just how much damage those fusion grenades had done to the moon base. The entire section of where the quarters once stood had been blown to kingdom come.
“Hello, what do we have here?”
Ono noticed Biancuzzo’s wayward soul floating among the debris. She pushed the StarForger towards it, while still using the auxiliary power. She reached out with her left hand and waited for him to join her. This was her greatest capture yet. The infusion took place as she trembled in delight. His essence was fascinating. So many decades of Biancuzzo’s life experience were now at her disposal.
She focused her attention on the StarForger’s instruments and checked the transmitter. The Yellow Rover was a solid blip on the screen—the enduring crew had gained a sizable head start on her.
It is imperative that you end the suffering, Contessa. They cannot be allowed to escape.
Ono nodded. Theriac had returned to her.
“Yes. I understand. They will not allude me again.”
She deactivated the fighter’s transmitter. With it turned off, they would never see her coming. She maneuvered the StarForger in the proper direction and activated its primary power supply. Its rear rockets initiated as the fighter blasted ahead—leaving Evinia and its derelict moon base in its wake.