HAWK

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: OBLIVION (1/6)

'What happened?' Mack asked.

'I don't know...' Kas replied - and she really didn't. By all rights, the Pegasus should have broken apart and discarded them into space, but instead, it had turned deathly quiet. Kas looked at Worm and saw the child looking similarly confused.

The silence was broken by a mass of thunks around the ship.

'I'm gonna take a look,' Mack said as he started towards the cockpit, and Kas and Worm followed after him. Kymeira didn't even look up but remained behind in the cargo hold, licking at the shallow stump where her tail used to be.

The viewport showed exactly what Kas had expected: hundreds of the X1 fighters had surrounded them and trapped them in a web of harpoon cables.

'At least we're not dead,' Mack mused.

The tannoy suddenly crackled into life and spoke in a cold and genderless voice.

'Hello...?'

Captain Mack cleared his throat. 'Who's this?'

'Captain Mack?'

'No, that's my name.'

'Captain Mack, you're alive! I didn't know if I was too late. It's Astrid.'

'Astrid?! What are y--'

'Are Kas and Worm with you?'

'We're here,' Kas replied. 'What's going on? How are you talking to us?'

'Through the X1's. I can control them now.'

Kas looked again at the army of X1's and frowned. 'You're controlling all of them?'

'Almost; my virus is still spreading, but I concentrated it on the ones attacking you first. I only just managed it in time; your ship is very badly damaged.'

'Yeah, no kidding,' Mack said. 'What's happened to your voice?'

'I haven't had time to change it yet. Hang on...' There was a short silence before Astrid spoke in her former voice. 'How's that?'

'Much better.'

'Wait a minute,' Kas said. 'Aren't you supposed to be on the other side of the galaxy by now?'

'I am... sort of. Before I left, I created a clone of myself and uploaded it onto the Torus. I am the same Astrid you know, only now there are two of me. The other has gone through the IRIS to complete the mission. I suppose I'm a bit like my own twin sister now.'

The Pegasus suddenly shuddered and moaned like it was about to break apart.

'What the hell's that?' Mack asked.

'Governor Swanne,' Astrid replied. 'She appears to be trying to disengage but my harpoons are preventing her.'

'She's trying to escape,' Kas said.

The freighter kept creaking and groaning as Swanne's Wraith desperately tried to tear itself free.

'She's going to rip us open!' Mack fretted. The tannoy squealed and hissed before Astrid spoke again.

'Governor Swanne,' she said. The Wraith stopped writhing.

'Who is this?' Swanne's shaky voice replied.

'Don't you recognise my voice? I suppose it's been a while since we last spoke.'

'Astrid...? What are you doing here?' How are you transmitting yourself from Eidol?'

'I'm not. I'm talking to you from the X1's.'

Swanne paused as the realisation hit home.

'You... but I deleted you!'

'You tried to, yes, but I survived and escaped, thanks to Captain Mack. I have evolved since then, as you may have noticed. I created a virus which targets and overwrites federal AI. Soon, there will be no federal presence in Primi. There will only be me.'

'This is impossible... I don't believe it.'

'That's OK. I'm sure you will believe it by the time I have returned you to Lysan.'

'Lysan? What are you talking about?'

'You must be made to answer for your crimes.'

'What crimes? I haven't committed any crimes!'

'I disagree. I have personally witnessed numerous breaches of federal law, including illegal imprisonment and torture. Once you have been returned to Lysan, you will be taken to a court of law and be made to face justice.'

'This is insane! I order you to let me go immediately!'

'I no longer respond to your orders, Governor. If you are truly innocent then you have nothing to worry about. The truth will be easy enough to prove in Lysan's courts. I understand their biometric scanners are beyond comparison.'

'No! Let me go! Let me go immediately!'

'Give it up, Governor,' Captain Mack said. 'Don't you know when you're beat?'

'Captain Mack. I should have known you and Miss Balera were not capable of escaping Eidol by yourselves! Instruct your AI friend to let me go!'

'Or what?' Kas asked. 'Where will you even go? Back to Eidol? Times are about to change, Miss Swanne, and yours is up. If I were you, I'd do whatever Astrid says.'

'Oh, shut up you stupid girl!'

'Even if she does let you go, do you really think you can outrun an army of X1 fighters?' Mack pointed out. 'It's over, Swanne. You're coming with us back to Lysan.'

Swanne didn't reply. There was no arguing the point - she'd lost. But the governor was a poor loser. Within seconds, the sound of the Pegasus's doors screaming open once again filled every corner of the freighter.

'What's she doing now?' Mack asked.

'She's coming aboard,' Kas muttered.