Origins of an Icer

Chapter 21

Thalassos's bridge

Wren sighed softly, taking a deep breath as he settled into the bowl shaped chair, leaning his head back as the cushions glowed and thrummed with energy, his senses awakening as the ship, flushed in the cold of the Void once more. His "eyes" picked up the Iron Maiden's fleet scrambling, the hangar bay opening wide to emit hundreds of small ships, none recognizable to him thankfully. He felt the cloaking move over like ice water, keeping them invisible to radar, sonar, and other monitors before steering the ship close enough for him to jump and access inside the hangar while it emptied and scrambled with life. No one thankfully noticed a faint shimmer from their cloaking, so Wren opened his real eyes, disconnecting from the chair as he turned to his second in command.

(Pollux, Castor, keep in control of the ship until I get back. Launch the decoys.) He commanded through the telepathy as the twins responded immediately, rushing off to open the chambers along the hall. Though faceless and essentially "blank" copies of Wren, they had his powers, strategic thinking, wings, and tail. Moving as one unit, they turned and left to the airlock, expelling themselves quickly and moving up to the hangar as Wren checked on the twins, patting their shoulders as they bowed their heads.

(Come back, please?) Pollux's voice was quieter, more empathetic as Wren offered a small smile.

(I'll try my best, you and your twin keep command and move to the lines so the Nevermore can work with you. Good luck.) He sped past the twins, grabbing the airlock one last time before going out into the void, his wings opening wide as they launched him faster towards the hangar. Landing carefully on the edge, he pulled himself in where the clones were waiting in the shadows, their suits outfitted with the same cloaking as he sent telepathic commands, some moving down to the wall that led to the engine room while the others went out among the pilots, placing badges on the Mad Queen, Kawaii-hime, but no Aaru. That made his stomach knot as he went off into the halls.

It got tricky with pilots still barreling past as he and the invisible clones tried to dodge and make sure no one noticed their presence, though a few tripped over tails and long limbs but thought nothing of it. Wren sent some off to the engine room through the corridors the sentry robots used while the last few were sent to look for Kimi and Camulus. Heading into an elevator, Wren placed his old, beaten bracelet up to the pad, gaining access as he hit 13. As the lift rose through the levels, his heart pounded and seemed to convulse, his brain racing a thousand miles an hour as he desperately tried to contact his friends.

(Could be dampeners... could be too preoccupied. No one's dead...) He kept reminding himself as the doors opened, the dorm hall completely silent as he went over to the room, almost knocking on the metal as the door slid open. His senses immediately faltered as a strange new smell emitted from the room, causing his vision to suddenly tunnel, his nose too full of roses and sweet scents, the suit quickly becoming stuffy and too tight.

(Aphrodisiac...!) He snarled, flexing slowly before sealing his nose close, his gills filtering the air better with the suit's protection as he crept in slowly, noticing the only light source was candles, something Akifa only saved for his rituals. The door to the spare room was open, showing the altar was smashed and ripped apart, the totems and idols on the floor in broken pieces. Wren's heart sank, glancing up as a figure crept up to him from the shadows.

Covered in the same, sweet floral scent, it looked like Akifa, but it definitely wasn't his pilot. He'd never wear anything like this at least, until after a few more dates! Wren's mind sadly blanked hard at the sight of Akifa wrapped in red silks and gold jewelry, his tattoos thrumming crimson and black against the dark brown skin. His eyes narrowed in on Akifa's face where small starburst scars covered the temples, and tiny scratches appeared at the edges of Akifa's eyes, revealing failed lobotomies performed in senseless ways. Wren's eyes filled with rage as he snarled, standing up slowly to de-cloak himself away, watching for a reaction.