From Ashes and Dust (Book One)

Chapter 21.1

The station Tau Honnor ignited the empty expanse of space like the Las Vegas Strip. Flashing lights and floating neon signs lazily rolled around the outskirts of the massive station, directing all incoming vessels into the belly of the docking bays. The advertisements for Tau Honnor reflected all sorts of business. Signs for food, entertainment and various shops alone were as big as ships themselves.

As Vatra neared Tau Honnor, she'd forgotten how massive the station was. It might as well have been a city. A shadow was cast over the Agkistrodon as they neared the station. Weaving through the path of neon signs, they danced through an array of pinks and reds and yellows. The lights flashed and spun through the cockpit, and Vatra watched the colors play on Spyro's face.

Turning her attention back to Tau Honnor, Vatra noted the flashing, white lights in the open bay doors. She slowed the vessel down, nearing a complete halt.

"You did not speak long with our captives," Spyro said after a moment. "I had expected you to question them longer. Yet, you left the others to speak with them."

Vatra could tell he'd been holding his words. Spyro had been silent since she'd given up on Nat and Laverna and returned to the cockpit. Maybe he'd been mulling over what tortures she'd committed on them.

"I didn't need to talk to them for long," Vatra replied. She switched off the engines to the Agkistrodon and allowed for the gravity pull of the Tau Honnor's docking bay to direct them where they needed to go.

"The others have been down there much longer. Do you not think we should have checked on them at some point?" Spyro inquired.

"What, you don't trust Hisato to babysit them and keep them in line? He wouldn't let things get out of hand. Let them get the information we need. My ship needed flying," Vatra grumbled. She folded her arms and slumped back in her chair, allowing the harsh light of the tunnel-like bay entrance to wash over her.

"No, you left long before the gambol ended. I do not understand why-"

"I don't need the answers myself, Spy," Vatra interrupted him. "The shit's always hitting the fan with me. At least I got my answers with Enyalius, and it would be selfish for me to take this from them. Geb, Set and Fulgora have been prisoners because of these humans a lot longer than we were. Enyalius might get to figure out where his father is, if he even wants to. I'm not so sure where he stands on that anymore. Hisato lost Belltower. They deserve to lead this inquisition."

Spyro fell silent. But, the quiet only lasted a moment. "Then why do I sense such anger from you?"

"Sorry, Spy," Vatra exhaled slowly, "I'm not angry. I'm just on edge with everything. This entire situation with the mortals is getting under my skin. I can't comprehend all of the inconsistencies about what's going on. There's something else going on here, and I just can't shake the feeling we're about to have it all blow up in our faces."

"This would not be our first experience with uncertainty." Spyro pointed out.

Vatra smiled. "No, you're right," she agreed. "At least we'll be in this together, and we certainly have a better crew this time around."

"Did you not think the two of us were enough?" Spyro asked, an eyebrow slightly shifting upward.

Chuckling, Vatra took back the controls of the Agkistrodon once they'd been guided through the seemingly never-ending tunnel of the loading bay. "Oh, we've kicked some ass in our day. But, it's good to have an actual crew around this time."

The Agkistrodon was carefully maneuvered into a niche within the side of the tunnel. Much like a parking stall, the space was perfectly matched to the vessel's size. Surrounding them were dozens of other vessels, rotating around the docking bay tunnel. All of the ships were protected behind individual shimmering walls of white, as if displayed behind panes of glass.

As soon as Vatra lowered the landing gears, the open space they'd passed through flashed white. An alert flashed on Vatra's console. The air outside was breathable and the artificial gravity was on.

Vatra pressed a gloved finger to the speakers throughout the vessel. "We've landed on Tau Honnor. Circle up in the kitchen in five minutes, please." She leaned back in her seat with a heavy sigh.

After a few minutes, the sound of footsteps echoed through the ship behind her. Spyro and Vatra turned their heads and saw the small group clustering in the kitchen.

So, they can all follow orders together at least.

The two of them exited the cockpit and joined the others. Darkened expressions and drifting gazes passed between those who had ventured up from the holding cells.

"Did our friends not talk?" Vatra asked. She propped a hand on her hip and let her attention fall on Enyalius, who appeared the only one eager to say anything.

As she expected, the god was the first to speak. "Oh, the girls had much to say. I don't think any of us expected how much they would actually spill," Enyalius said. "Those humans that are after us are hiding behind their righteous mission of revenge for Earth, but they're actually following someone else's orders. It's unclear to us if even they're truly aware of how much they've been manipulated by the person pulling the strings."

"And who would that be?" Vatra's interest was piqued.

"Hephaestus," Enyalius replied with a grim look on his face.

Vatra froze in shock, and almost jumped from her boots when a fist pounded on the counter top. She followed the taut, gloved fingers, and noted Geb's furrowed brows.

"To think it was a god all this time," Geb said. "And the one that forged many godkiller weapons."

"Maybe his betrayal was there all along," Revna added quietly. "He made weapons capable of killing gods, and here he is hunting them down once more."

Everyone turned their attention to Revna.

"There are many gods that forged godkillers and never turned against us." Set stood up straighter as he talked. "I have met Ogun, Vulcan, and Ptah before. Their honor in their work was as strong as their bonds to their people."

"That may as well be," Vatra started, "but it doesn't change the fact that Hephaestus has betrayed us all. And now he's out there using his knowledge, and his power, to try and take us all down. There's no telling what his real plan is, but I think I'm piecing together what he's been up to."

"Care to share with the class?" Enyalius inquired, picking his fingernails.

"That ship we were on had a lot of extremely flammable pipes running through it for what I first thought was just a transport ship. But, he had a lot of godkillers collected on it. Then when I saw Mercury turned into some kind of creature I-"

"Mercury, as in, the god Mercury?" Hisato interrupted. "You're saying a god was turned into something else? I didn't even think a god's entire 'godness' could be taken from them."

"Yes," Vatra said. "I think Hephaestus is somehow reclaiming what was forged into the godkillers. He's melting it down with whatever he's got running through the pipes of those ships. It's no secret that a godkiller's creation forces the god or supernatural being into a pact. A blood sacrifice for the power it grants them. For the most part, it's that god or being's own life for the weapon, which explains why such weapons can kill them. Maybe in breaking this pact himself, Hephaestus is turning the gods or beings bound to the weapons into a beast."

"Because it wasn't they themselves who terminated the pact," Geb said, nodding in understanding. "So, you've solved the mystery of the weapons and the beast, but not why this god has turned against us."

Vatra frowned. "You want me to do everything? I just basically gave you a walkthrough of what this asshole has been up to."