The Beast

The Beast - Part 34

Gabriel reached the top of the stairs when he remembered that he had no clue where a head mechanic was to be found. A few seconds later he decided that asking Verona was his best bet. This time he reached the red doors without noticing anything suspicious. Verona sat on the couch, watching Taro debate something with a nian in an exotic looking outfit he hadn't seen yet. He did his best to sneak by them without interrupting but Taro put his arm around the other nians shoulder and pointed at him: "Him."

Gabriel wasn't sure if that was an invitation to the conversation or a random comment about the walking bio-tank in the room. Luckily Verona stepped in and pulled him out the room before he was able to do something stupid.

"Taro's security is cared for. You can come back tomorrow morning."

"That's not why I'm here. I'm looking for Chip. Can you tell me where I can find the head mechanic?"

"She isn't a head mechanic anymore but I can take you to her if you want that."

"Yes please do. What caused her to lose the position?" Verona started walking, faster than usual but Gabriel's size made him overlook that fact.

"A dispute about her way of handling responsibility with Taro." He had almost forgotten about her way of simply ending conversations with dry responses like that but this time he wasn't stubborn enough to keep asking questions.

Verona brought him to a warehouse-like structure filled with all sorts of futuristic weaponry and it wasn't far from his room, making him feel even dumber about the long excursion to Taro. It didn't take long for him to hear a familiar call asking, who's there?'' Gabriel turned to Verona waiting for her to answer Chip only to find that she vanished, probably heading back to Taro.

He felt funny today and replied: "Your favourite bringer of Death."

"Gabriel, come here." He followed the noise to find her working on a cone shaped something, which function he couldn't figure out.

She followed up: "Did you come here to collect your surprise?"

"Yes but I have to warn you. I'm bomb free so if the surprise is malicious I can defend myself."

Chip laughed at his warning: "We both know I have my own Deadman Switch against you but the surprise will amaze you." She hopped off the cone shaped thing and directed him to a long box resting on a bench close by.

"You better thank me for this, I got demoted over it."

"I heard you were demoted for a dispute over responsibility."

"Long story short, first I broke my pet nian and then Taro demanded that I change up my suprise for you, which was stupid because the first iteration was perfect. Even you, should know that I had to tell him that, he didn't take it well and we got into said dispute."

"You did what?"

"I built you a.." Chip threw open the box, "FLAMETHROWER MACE!"

Gabriel picked up the 4 feet long mace, was heavy in his hands and the upper part was covered in spikes.

"Why spikes? I could break your neck with a slap." Gabriels mind was full of questions but this one was the first.

"Taro wanted me to focus on psychological warfare. The spikes are stupid and so is having a mace at all when you can crush your enemies beneath your feet, but he wants to use your symbolicly or something, i don't care."

"And where is the flamethrower part? Because I'm looking at a spiked mace, not a flamethrower."

"Ah yes, you see I wasn't supposed to build anything more than a glorified stick but I have fought with you before and let's be honest. You suck at fighting, so I hid it as a feature inside the mace. When you twist the staff a mechanism triggers and flames will shoot out from the top end. Two things though. Firstly, don't use it in closed rooms, I went a little overboard one the chemicals you spray and nothing organic wants to be standing anywhere near the smoke. Secondly, the inside is filled to the brim with fuel but I wasn't able to make a hidden refill option, so manage your resources." He was thankful that Chip put in the extra effort but he wasn't the type to incinerate his enemies, especially when the fuel was special, whatever that meant.

He picked up the mace, it was heavier than all the improvised weapons he had before and more balanced. The top end showed tiny rails where the fuel would come out. His hands glided over the lower, non spike covered part of the mace, it was cold, hard and filled with symbols he couldn't read.

"What does it say?" His eyes stayed on the mace as he took a few test swings. The mace whistled, he stopped to give it a second inspection and found tiny holes that forced the wind to make those noises when he swung, "And why does my mace whistle?"

"The whistle was Taro's idea, it will focus the people around you on you, plus they will associate that noise with death if you fight long enough." She stepped between his arms and scratched the symbols with her robotic hand, "This was my idea. It reads 'Pray for Death' in the most popular 51 languages."

"But why?" He looked down at her confused.

"I'm certain Taro will use his investment as much as possible and a myth about an unnatural, unrelenting, merciless Beast will only favor you. Imagine the fear in their eyes after you did one or two missions on Licharbnat."

"Licharbnat?"

"Licharbnat, the planet Taro will control."

"What makes you think I'll be on it a lot?" Gabriel knew nothing about what it meant to govern a planet in general and even less how Taro would do it.

Chip left his arms and climbed on top of a container nearby "He wants you to become a symbol of Power, his power. The guys will parade you through the spaceport like an animal. Pictures, videos and holos of you in combat will mysteriously leak to the planet and I'm absolutely sure you'll have to show why you are to be feared within a week of our arrival, maybe two if you're lucky."

Gabriel stared up at her, unable to formulate words for a response. He hasn't thought that far in the future before, sure he wanted to leave Taro once his year was over but he didn't know his job was predictable enough that Chip could predict it with such certainty.

She left him a few more seconds before continuing her monolog: "Awweee come on don't make a face like that. Think positively, chances are you won't be fighting a single well armed and trained soldier in your entire stay at Licharbnat. That's a good thing, it's painfully obvious that you haven't killed before waking up on the Spike. You wanna know what I think you are. I think you aren't modified, just a simple anomaly caught and sold to Aina."

He finally noticed she wasn't just rambling but had a plan: "Where are you going with this?"

"Smarter than I thought. I had another argument prepared but I'm fine with cutting this short. Gabriel, you need to learn to fight and I am demanding to teach you."

"What makes you qualified to teach me anything?"

"Experience and a lack of competitors. You see, nobody has ever seen something like you but I know your suit, your weapon and the technology around here. In exchange I want you to take me with you once you find a way off this ship."

An interesting proposition but he had to be honest to himself, he was not just a little scared of Chip. Would it really be worth it?