Page 42 of Leviathan

"Exactly," he said. "Now don't forget, once it locks on, it will take about a minute for the cutting device to work, but when the control collar is severed, the Vaurelcar will have a moment of shock and won't be able to act for a few moments. Make sure you aren't in a vulnerable position. If it is holding you in that moment, it could crush you by accident."

I took a deep, slow breath as I anchored into my intentions, making sure this was what I wanted to do. It was up to me. Lyrien prioritized me over everyone else, so he wouldn't insist on putting me at risk for the sake of saving another being from captivity. If we were going to do this, it was my decision.

"What I wouldn't give for some loudspeakers blasting Hall of the Mountain King to go with this moment," I said. "Let's tiptoe closer to this group of parasitic fuckers, get as close as we can while still hiding in the asteroid field, and then at the last second, burst out of nowhere with guns blazing and aim right for the heart."

"Are you sure?" Lyrien asked, his voice full of fear and hope all at the same time.

"We can do this, Lyrien," I told him. "I can do this."

SIXTEEN

MARIA

Why did I think I could do this?

I screamed, flinching sideways and yanking on the wheel. We slid sideways, and the weapon fire clipped the edge of my hamster ball. It was too late to change our minds. We were already hurtling through space, pedal pressed against the floor. Another projectile came at my face, and I stomped on the brake, yanking the wheel to the side as I punched the gas again. It whizzed past us as we spun around. The shoulder harness did more than just hold me; when I ducked down, the whole hamster ball ducked down too. The wheel was merely a suggestion; it was the movements of my body he was reacting to. Nothing hit us dead on. The shots either missed entirely or went wide, even as my heart pounded in my chest and I made a little prayer that my bladder would hold on tight for me.

"You're doing great!" Lyrien laughed, glee in his voice as I let out another shriek and we flinched out of the way of another weapon's blast.

Not a single one hit us.

As we grew closer, the surface of the other sphere told a different story.

There were huge gaping holes in the surface, chunks torn free from the impact of our guns, exposing the white filament structure underneath. The more we hit them before we made contact, the better. To free the other being, we had to hurt it so it couldn't fight back as hard.

"Almost there!" Lyrien said as the other sphere loomed large before us. My mind spun in panic as I suddenly realized that when Lyrien said he was big enough, he didn't mean he was bigger.

"It's bigger than you!" I shouted, unable to keep my tone calm as I flinched away from another projectile.

"Captive Vaurelcars are all shelllocked. Its center will have to remain at the center," Lyrian said. "If you can't get to it, hide. I will find you after I free it!"

Then the view cut out, leaving my vision surrounded by the soft white glow of neurofilaments, as I felt a massive shudder ripple through them. Then they were shifting all around me, pressing on the soft material of the spacesuit that Lyrian had insisted I put on. A helmet was put on top of my head, latching it into place as the neurofilaments writhed around me, carrying me, and a small screen lit up in the bottom right corner of the glass, displaying a reading that showed my oxygen level as well as the composition of the environment outside my helmet.

Suddenly, the neurofilament parted around me, and my feet set down on a worn metal floor that had a crusted layer of grime on it. Lyrian's neurofilaments arched up and around me, making a cave around me, one wall of the cave a dented, dirty metal wall. Several of Lyrien's filaments came out, wrapping around my neck as if he were trying to choke me.

"I'm going to yank off the wall panel," Lyrian said, his voice coming through the speaker in my helmet. "When I do, fire the weapon I gave you to free yourself. That should provide enough doubt. Don't pull the cutter out of your pocket until you are certain you can use it. I sent it the language packet for your species, so it should be aware of what is up. We just need it to pay attention to you."

I grabbed the Calicium weapon at my hip and lifted it, pointing it at the base of the filament that was wrapped around my neck.

"Let's help it lie to its soon to be ex-masters," I said.

The wall panel ripped off the wall at the same time as he lifted me up off the ground by my neck.

I triggered the weapon, and a red light burst from it, snapping the filament and dropping me down to the ground. I turned and ran toward the newly exposed neurofilament that belonged to the other ship, putting one gloved hand on the solid wall of interlocking filaments as I kept one eye out for Lyrien's pretend attacks. A soft note of surprise echoed through me as I saw the color of the filaments behind the wall. They had a beige, peach tint to them, a different shade from the vibrant, bright white of Lyrien's.

"Take me to the center!" I demanded as another one of Lyrien's filaments reached for me. I fired at it, cutting it down.

Nothing happened.

Did it not have sensors in this area? It should be able to feel my touch at least, and listen in.

"Open up the ship and take me to the center!" I ordered again.

Again, nothing happened.

My mind raced through the possibilities. We'd hoped that I would look like a Calicium that was fighting off one of Lyrien's probes into the ship. He had enveloped me so that any other Calicium wouldn't be able to spot me, but it also kept me rooted in one place. I couldn't wander around the ship looking for a spot where it had audio or visual centers. It would have to move them over to me, and would it want to?

If I were a captive ship, I would make sure I took advantage of every last bit of malicious compliance to make sure that all possible Caliciums met a horrible death. If there weren't any audio sensors to listen to commands, why put them near any of my enslavers when they were in danger?