IGE part 2.

IGE part 2. 1

(Flare / Elvis. A slang term for the Low Velocity Incendiary Sabot. Fired from a large calibre weapon, in this case a pump-action shotgun, designed for defeating dilatant armour plates.)2

“Very good mister Briggs. If you will just sign here, and here, and initial here. Congratulations Mister Briggs, you are now officially registered. Welcome to the IGE. Is there anything I can do for you?”3

The man stood holding a clipboard and an uneasy smile, and the disposure of someone hoping the answer was no. Sullivan surveyed the decayed opulence of the suite and doubted it. The drapes were silk and the floor coverings woollen, hideously expensive even before the galactic decay set in, and nowhere near as robust as the polymer versions that would have cost a fraction. Both were moth eaten and stained. The creaky wooden furniture was shot through with worm holes and patched with discoloured epoxy resin. The room was a light year ahead of the slums of Sweet Ella May, but sat as a sign of a universe in decline. 4

Sullivan stared out the window at the hazy grey sphere below. Was nothing but a worthless clod out on the rim, circled by a broken down hotel making a buck from being out of bounds. A greasy smear in the shape of a hand sat dead centre, as if grasping the planet, Sully tried to scrape it off with his finger and found it was on the external surface. 5

Under the window sat a chipped desk topped with a cracked glass and a pitcher of water. Sullivan felt the pull in his gut and watched as the surface of the fluid tilted to one side and the glass slid slowly across the table. Without thinking Sully pressed his back against the bulkhead, and braced one foot against the cots frame. The scribe looked puzzled for a moment, then the world shook, and he was dashed across the room and smashed into the bulkhead wall by the shock. The room plunged into darkness and overhead the chandelier chimed and lost a few more crystal beads. Functional auxiliary lighting returned the room to a red tinted twilight. The functionary staggered back to his feet, blood running down his face from a cut on his head. His clipboard was gone. 6

“Can’t tell the difference between inertia and gravity, you?”7

The scribe pressed a stained handkerchief to his head. “I’m sure it’s only a minor technical problem.”8

Sully strapped on his pack and racked the shotgun. “Sure nothing, you, we been hit, and way we slowing something latched on us too.”9

A station map was next to room door. The mechanical Halo was laid out with the engineering decks at the outer edges, the crew and guest quarters above them, and in the centre at null gravity, sat the recording studio. 10

Sully hit the door release, activatered his magnetic boots, and stepped into the corridor and the maelstrom it housed. The wind howled as the atmosphere of the station vented into space, but after a moment it subsided. The functionary followed Sullivan past the elevators, down the corridor towards the stairwell. The pair came to an intersection, Sullivan pressed himself against the corridor bulkhead and the scribe overtook. 11

Steps led up to the studio proper, and down to the mechanical decks, but the decks below were already flooded with acidic bile that was already spilling onto their level to create a slick film. The howling had ceased, as the mucus became solid in the presence of vacuum. 12

Out of the bile filled decks below emerged the Mirvoan’s polyp. It was a creature spawned in the depths of space with no regard for gravity or inertial directionality. It was a collection of mouthparts and spiralling legs and clawed its way along the ceiling, walls and floor with equal ease. Impervious scales glowed with a faint blue luminescence, and behind it trailed an umbilical that attached it to the beast, and along which travelled its prey and the blood that fuelled it. Sever the umbilical and the polyp would still function to an extent, but would lacking any way of digesting matter it would starve unless it could reattach to the Mirvoan. 13

The functionary stood immobile, starting at the creature. Sully kicked him in small of the back, sending him staggering forwards for several paces before slipping on the greasy film of digestive juices and falling face down. The polyp hyper-extended in its excitement, revealing gaps in the chitin armour as it began feeding the screaming, struggling figure into its maw. Sully moves towards it, firing rounds at the exposed flesh between the plates. The first shots ricochet off the scales, the third flare embeds into the soft under flesh and a prosperous light fills the corridor and the ships shakes as the enraged beast shudders. Sully dashed past, up the stairwell and into the filming studio as the polyp flailed wildly, its sensory receptors overloaded.14

The studio housed a variety of camera operators and productions crew. A scattering of Audience members remained, watching intently. The safe housing the cash sat centre stage, and just beyond the capsules that would drop the contestants onto the planet below. The host sat in a chair, face covered with sleep mask whilst having feet massaged.15

Far distance, a suited minder fires at another Mirvoan polyp as it claws its way through the bulkhead. Close distance a second minder points over Sully’s head, and opened his mouth to speak, but before his words could hit the breeze his face was engulfed in burning phosphor. A second flare flies the length of the room and buried itself into the back of the second minder, and for a second his spastic dance ran him in circles and then sent him into the maw of the beast. 16

Host lifted face mask just in time to see a calloused fist hit him between the eyes, then he was on his back, with the boot on his chest and the red hot muzzle of a shotgun a fingers width from his eye. 17

“Here for the money, me. Open the safe and you be safe. Clam up and I crack you both.”18

“This is not part of the contract. The rules state tha-”19

Sullivan fires and Alfredo’s clumsy hand is reduced to grey ash. 20

Alfredo only smiled. Sully racked the gun and pressed the smouldering muzzle into the host’s mouth. Smoke issued from his nostrils.21

“Crack the safe eventually. Want to die just to slow me down?”22

“Mufh gwufth opth ith.”23

“Just nod or shake.”24

Alfredo shakes his head, Sully pulls the trigger. The hammer falls on an empty chamber but the host doesn’t even flinch. Threats were clearly useless. Sullivan lifted his boot from the prone figures chest, and brings it down with a wet crack that echoes around the studio. 25

All cameras are manned and pointing at the scene, someone in the audience vomits, which in near zero G isn’t pretty. No one makes a sound. Sully starts sliding shells into the breach. 26

“Did you not come here for a show?”27

Safe is a diamond shape and completely transparent, showing the metallic wafers within. A series of concentric circles mark the opening device. Turning them makes a faint musical tone, but they have no visible markings. The operation of the devise is lost on Sully. He fires at the safe the first two rounds ricochet off towards the crowd behind, embedding in seats and sending the crowd members running. The third round adheres but leaves only a grey residue and the case is damaged not at all. Sullivan changes tact, and burns holes in the floor where the safe is bolted down and manages to kick it free.28

Monitors are placed all about the studio, and all change to show the face of Alfredo.29

“You’re not playing by the rules Mr Briggs. You’re a poor sportsman and what’s more you’re in breach of contract. You will be held accountable for all damages, including the destruction of a perfectly good golem.”30

“Back already, you? Your bones on this boat somewhere and when I find where I’ll break them up and feed what’s left to the beast. You want your money back, you best be ready to come take it.”31

Sullivan dragged the safe towards the drop pods, and belted it into a capsule. He hit the release and it cycled through the air lock and dropped towards the planet below. Sully points his gun towards a camera tech. 32

“Come here you. Strapping in this thing I am, and you going to drop me. Make me get back out and I’ll kill you filthy, you know I will. Play right and I be gone forever.”33