Test of the pen-A weapon prototype

<ya-tr-span data-index="568-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Synchronization..." data-translation="Синхронизация..." data-type="trSpan">Синхронизация...</ya-tr-span>

<ya-tr-span data-index="569-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Attention, you are entering the territory of the book universe "CRYPTOR GAMBIT"..." data-translation="Внимание, вы вступаете на территорию книжной вселенной "криптор гамбит"..." data-type="trSpan">Внимание, вы вступаете на территорию книжной вселенной "криптор гамбит"...</ya-tr-span>

<ya-tr-span data-index="570-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Selected fragment: Synopsis..." data-translation="Выделенный фрагмент: синопсис..." data-type="trSpan">Выделенный фрагмент: синопсис...</ya-tr-span>

<ya-tr-span data-index="571-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Explanation: This part is the background of the first volume: "THE ECHO OF JUSTICE"..." data-translation="Пояснение: эта часть является фоном первого тома: "Эхо справедливости"..." data-type="trSpan">Пояснение: эта часть является фоном первого тома: "Эхо справедливости"...</ya-tr-span>

<ya-tr-span data-index="572-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="You can also learn more about lore before the main events from the Torsion Beacon Database..." data-translation="Вы также можете узнать больше о лоре до основных событий из базы данных торсионных маяков..." data-type="trSpan">Вы также можете узнать больше о лоре до основных событий из базы данных торсионных маяков...</ya-tr-span>

* * *

<ya-tr-span data-index="573-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value=""In a world where war is like a board game... " data-translation="- В мире, где война похожа на настольную игру... " data-type="trSpan">- В мире, где война похожа на настольную игру... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="573-1" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Where a human life is only a unit in the calculation table... " data-translation="Где человеческая жизнь-это только единица в расчетной таблице... " data-type="trSpan">Где человеческая жизнь-это только единица в расчетной таблице... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="573-2" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Where man-made titans of unimaginable power fight from cycle to cycle for the ideals and faith dictated by two gods who have descended to mortals... " data-translation="Где рукотворные титаны невообразимой силы сражаются из цикла в цикл за идеалы и веру, продиктованные двумя богами, спустившимися к смертным... " data-type="trSpan">Где рукотворные титаны невообразимой силы сражаются из цикла в цикл за идеалы и веру, продиктованные двумя богами, спустившимися к смертным... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="573-3" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="In this world, we exist ... " data-translation="В этом мире мы существуем ... " data-type="trSpan">В этом мире мы существуем ... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="573-4" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="" - the snow-white hilt of the dagger soared up, becoming one with the bloody shroud of the sunset." data-translation=""- белоснежная рукоять кинжала взмыла вверх, слившись с кровавым саваном заката." data-type="trSpan">"- белоснежная рукоять кинжала взмыла вверх, слившись с кровавым саваном заката.</ya-tr-span>

<ya-tr-span data-index="574-0" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="- "Mercenaries... " data-translation="- "Наемники... " data-type="trSpan">- "Наемники... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="574-1" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="people without a soul and free will... " data-translation="люди без души и свободной воли... " data-type="trSpan">люди без души и свободной воли... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="574-2" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="We do all the work we can, as long as it's worth paying for... " data-translation="Мы делаем все, что в наших силах, лишь бы за это стоило платить... " data-type="trSpan">Мы делаем все, что в наших силах, лишь бы за это стоило платить... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="574-3" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="We are unable to distinguish between good and evil... because we don't need it... " data-translation="Мы не способны отличить добро от зла... потому что нам это не нужно... " data-type="trSpan">Мы не способны отличить добро от зла... потому что нам это не нужно... </ya-tr-span><ya-tr-span data-index="574-4" data-translated="true" data-source-lang="en" data-target-lang="ru" data-value="Our essence is to be a weapon that meekly follows the instructions of the top management... " - after waiting for the blade without a blade to scroll around its axis several times, I caught it and immediately sent it into another flight." data-translation="Наша сущность - быть оружием, которое безропотно следует указаниям высшего руководства... " - подождав, пока клинок без лезвия несколько раз прокрутится вокруг своей оси, я поймал его и тут же отправил в другой полет." data-type="trSpan">Наша сущность - быть оружием, которое безропотно следует указаниям высшего руководства... " - подождав, пока клинок без лезвия несколько раз прокрутится вокруг своей оси, я поймал его и тут же отправил в другой полет.</ya-tr-span>

The elevator mechanism shot upward like a railgun bullet, skimming the outer rim of the planetary station's tallest spire, impassively glaring into the smoothness of its man-made skies.

Listening to the guttural whine of its gravity rails, I counted down to the moment when the view of the glossy gigapolis would be replaced by the gloom of the halls where the fates of the seven fleets were decided.

"These are the words that are frozen on the lips of those who will never see the stars shine again... The abyss took them... with my hands... I wonder how many people I've killed?.. For the sake of survival... moneys'... glory... or because of idiotic orders... Probably as many as there are starships... although... they could have crews of more than one person... Damn Imperial transfer technology!.. I constantly forget this stupid ratio!.." — slapping my forehead with my free hand, I stopped playing with the hilt, putting it back in the sleeve of the waterproof cape.

Meanwhile, the elevator passed through the light rings of the restricted area and stopped at the peak mark, its mechanized doors immediately parted, creating an echo of a thunderous pulse.

Like a fairy-tale path, the patterned palace led the wanderer straight to the goal, changing its original appearance literally with every passing moment.

The maroon prints combined with the weaving of synthetic threads, bringing a low ugliness to a place where previously there had been only beauty and sophistication. The shadows of the outer circle had finally invaded the celestials, following in the footsteps of the standard-bearer who had returned from the underworld. Their last wish was to be fulfilled.

I passed the empty secretary's desk and found myself in a large room with colossal screens that allowed me to enjoy the view of the steel jungle. There, at a table dotted with holographic screens, stood the owner of this penthouse, the current head of the "Star Storm" — Maxius Pripikula.

"Hah, look who we have here! This is my favorite! Morok! It's good to see you alive and well! Apparently, you came for your reward? " - ignoring the intrusion of an unexpected visitor, the dark-haired man was performing some manipulations with the omni keyboard,

— "I understand your impatience well, in our time network transfers can be lost periodically, after all, the hyper-pulse network is not rubber, but do not worry! Despite the loss of the assets invested in "Retribution", I will find something to pay you! Just wait for a couple of taels! As soon as our logistician is done with his business, he will definitely deduct your share of loans and scrap from the general fund... Now, if you don't mind, I have to run... corporate affairs and all that! " - hastily finished messing with the computer, Maxius put it into sleep mode and, straightening the tie of his business suit, was about to leave, but... some circumstances have made their own adjustments.

— "Em... Could you step aside?.." — finding the figure of the eponymous guest on his way, Pripikula smiled nervously, feeling a certain unease about what had happened. Fortunately for him, I was a man of high morals, so I immediately gave way to the head of the road.

"S-thank you!.. Good luck with yours... the clerk went forward, blissfully unaware for some time, but the real face of the situation gradually revealed itself to him. Slowing his pace, he noticed the bloodstains ending about halfway through the contraband palace. Maxius ' gaze instinctively followed the brushstrokes of the infernal canvas to freeze like the passage of time.

The moment the last rays of the local star left the station's protective screens, an all-consuming darkness dominated the entire perimeter of the penthouse. And only the occasional flash of broken batteries illuminated what was at the exodus of the celestial mechanism. On the floor of the elevator platform lay the bodies of four Imperial Esquires, their faces contorted in a grimace of final agony.

The defenders of the arbiter were forever released from their sinful obligations...

- "Holy abyss... What the hell happened here... Is it really ... you...? "- Maxius ' ego was bound by chains of horror. Trying to find answers to an endless galaxy of questions, he turned in my direction, seeing only the jade glow of implants with sclera blacker than space itself.

"N-n-no... why... how ... no... no, no, no!"-the head's heartbeat quickened, and the voice of reason distorted. Not wanting to put up with fate, Pripikula made the most sensible decision possible, rushing headlong to the control console.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!!! THE KILLER!!! THE MONSTER!!! SO ALL THOSE RUMORS WERE TRUE!!! BUT NEVER MIND, I WAS READY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS!!! " - when Maxius rushed past my humble person, he obviously forgot to ask why I didn't try to stop him,

- "How so... Connection... and the cameras... Do not reboot... we are cut off from the general network... " - after a moment, the head finally accepted the battle with reality, showing his true self,

"Damn Adzin!!! Come on!!! Tell me what you want?!? Let me guess, you found out the truth about that mission and decided to take revenge?! Or were you hired by the Defts?! I wonder how much the life of the head of the legendary "Storm" is worth now?! Ten million credits, or maybe twenty?! Quite enough for a comfortable life in some hole!!! " - his pretty face was distorted like molten lead, destroying the very mask that everyone wears from the day of their birth... everyone except me...

Deciding that it was time to finish with the foreplay, I slowly moved towards the goal.

When Maxius saw the snow-white hilt slip out of the assassin's sleeve, he began to implement a new plan, more improvisational. Moving away from the table, he kicked the gravel chair as hard as he could, for some unknown reason not caring about the value of it.

Taking a step to the side, I easily dodged the "projectile", not paying the slightest attention to the way it slammed into the wall behind me.

Having lost contact with the outside world, Maxius actively tried to find at least some weapons, but for some reason he did not succeed. Perhaps it was because the head accidentally left his personal "Gremlin" in the cabin of his personal transport. Remembering this fact in time, I once again proved myself to be a true knight and pulled back the edge of my cape, showing Pripikula the holster with his intact plasmer.

"Damn it... damn... damn ... look, we can solve this conflict as adults!.. If it's all about the reward, then I can offer a ransom!!!" - as is usually the case, after denial and anger, my favorite bidding always came,

- "Wait... Did I say "ransom"?! It was a joke!!! I'll give you one and a half... NO!!! Twice as much!!! So how?.. Max's offer was very tempting, but despite the subconscious desire to get a couple of million on hand, I still continued my walk, forcing the head to press against the screens in an attempt to become one with them.

— "No?.. I can see you're very angry with me... Heh-heh-heh... And who wouldn't be angry in your place?.. Agh..." — being cornered, Maxius looked helpless and stupid, irrevocably destroying the image that I had known for several hundred years.

Confident and determined, Pripikula was afraid to move, his body trembled, his gray eyes were closed, and sweat trickled from his skin. The usual cycle suddenly turned into a nightmare, which was almost impossible to believe.

"I'm sorry... no... don't kill me... I repent... The last mission... its outcome... it's not my fault... the coordinates of the lighthouse were sent by the customer!.. A very large employer... failure meant great consequences... This is politics, here you either obey or you die... they... they wanted to... to "Retribution" ... " - at the moment when the chilling breath of death itself was literally one step away from the head, he could not stand the tension and wept bitterly, submitting to the lowest of human feelings.

Without a moment's hesitation, I put the scabbard of my blade to Pripicula's throat.

Feeling the metallic cold, the fallen decider stretched out like a string, bitter tears of despair running down his cheeks, and his voice was more like the whine of a beaten blattomorph.

"I understand... you don't want to hear stupid excuses... then maybe... at least... you'll ask... Unable to swallow, Maxius made one last attempt to stop the inevitable, and lo and behold, it worked.

After easing the pressure a little, I gave Pripikula time to let his tantrum subside a little. With an effort to overcome all the horror and despair, the head still opened his eyes, finding himself on the right side of the horizon.

"Aha-ha-a-a.... so it was one big one... joke... you're just trying to scare me... Buddy, I knew what you had in you... something... good... " - my smile made Max feel an unprecedented sense of relief and still take a deep breath. What a pity that he once again miscalculated the conclusions, and did not learn that some people are simply incapable... smile...

Putting his hand on mine, Pripikula tried to remove the hilt from him, but he did not even think to change the location. Instead of getting rid of it, Maxius saw only the orange glow of the omni projection, instantly vaporizing the reagent that hit it. His face contorted in an indescribable grimace. He could no longer breathe, could no longer feel the world as it was.

The cutter was activated, it plunged into the neck of the arbiter of other people's destinies and came out from the other side, condemning the victim to departure to the bosom of the void. The pseudo-holographic blade cauterized the wound, but as soon as I removed it, the internal injuries took effect, causing the victim to choke on his own blood.

— "Why... Why do you... I did it... I thought we were — " Maxius slowly slid down, trying his best to press down on the wound that could not be healed. Drops of maroon blood stained the perfectly tailored business suit, leaving whimsical patterns on the crystal-clear screens behind.

It just so happened that in his last moment, Maxius Pripicula did not see a smile, he saw the grin of a soulless demon, which is much more terrible than any killer, marauder or pirate. These monsters will not stop at anything, in the fulfillment of their own goal, because the material good has long not tempted their spirit... an echo of an unbreakable program...

— "All in the name of justice..." - the specialized cloak evaporated all the moisture that got on it, the blade simply hid back in the scabbard, leaving no trace of my involvement in this incident.

With a heavy sigh, I activated the instrumentation, making sure that the scanners and surveillance cameras didn't pinpoint anything. In fact, in the process of hacking, I found something that I absolutely did not want to see. These were the notes that the head wanted to show me... it was about his family...

"How prosaic and funny... Every fucking pawn has its own tearful story, which you can cry over for a very long time, unless of course you have nothing else to do... It is for this reason that I have forever learned a very simple lesson... To show pity to everyone in a row is stupid, sooner or later you will either find yourself in a pit where one of these people will push you, or you will lose all concepts of humanism, realizing that they lead to absolutely nothing... " - and suddenly it dawned on me,

- "Holy abyss!.. Can I finally hear my own thoughts?.. They sound pretty good, don't they," buddy"?.. " — returning to my standard image, I stood next to the dirty screens. The Night City, oddly enough, continued to exist quietly without one of its financial pillars.

"Well, I'm sure our corporation will fall into good hands... Not really... Tomorrow it will be torn to pieces, and I will not miss any of them... including you ... " - squinting in the direction of the tear-stained corpse, I plunged into appropriate thoughts,

— "Huh... This is so weird... I usually felt relieved after something like this... well, as it always happens... But, now I feel only emptiness..." — thoughts themselves carried me into some endless wilds, where the threads of past cycles collided with the awareness of the present, generating a very strange symbiosis,

"Yeah... I'm going to the edge of the fuck... I'm talking to a corpse... although... I usually talk to myself... Very often... Only no one knows about it!.. At least from the living... So shhh!.. This secret must go to the grave with you!.. Heh-heh-heh!.. " - having made a very successful joke, I felt the time around me begin to slow down,

"It all started out so promising... A warship... Disputed territory... and a dream... To become the one who corrects the mistakes of this world, without caring about the consequences... " - the pain created from the fragments of thoughts formed echoes of a long-forgotten disappointment, throwing me back... into the past... making me remember the darkest moments from Moir's painting...

They brought me back to the place where I first knew the primal anger, the fear of death, and the desire to change at least something in this world... It was the story I called myself...

"Weapons prototype"...

* * *

- "Reactor Core: Online ..." - the energy veins surrounding the black and gold armor of the metal bird were filled with the fury of the immortal flame born deep inside its thermonuclear heart,

— "Propulsion unit: online..." - the four main thrusters roared red plasma torches, their shrill roar echoing off the walls of the colossal planetary station,

— "Shield Generator: online..." - the ghostly veil of the kinetic barrier flashed just for an instant, enveloping the body of the stormtrooper and immediately disappearing into the void,

- "Weapon turrets: online ..." - transferring power to the laser systems hidden under the armor, the onboard computer performed diagnostics of the focusing lenses, designed only for one thing — to dissect the fools who got into the sight of the starship,

- "All systems are working normally and ready for use..." - despite the fact that the AI's voice was very pleasant by default, it still caused me an instinctive irritation.

— "Agh... With a heavy sigh, I glanced at the holo-screens on the flight computer, where the standard alert from the control tower controller of the Elysium had arrived. The third runway was empty, waiting patiently for me to use it for its intended purpose.

- "Computer: initialize sync mode... I need to get as far away from this station as possible, otherwise I will definitely kill someone... " - sending the appropriate signal through the hyper-pulse frequencies, I temporarily blocked them, allowing myself to focus on the moment of eternity.

— "Accepted: I give you full control..." - the words of the artificial intelligence disappeared in the chaos of new thoughts, lost among the constantly changing lines of source code.

The contact cables snapped out of the way, digging into my spine, bypassing the special rims on the pilot's coveralls. The brain inhibitor connected to the ship's core, bringing the two minds together as one.

The cross located on the armored doors of the stormtrooper's cockpit flashed with a golden glow, merging with the starry canvas of the opened doors of the autonomous catapult. The primeval hunter awoke from his dream, wanting to heed his destiny and go to the place where infinity begins.

— "How I love this feeling..." - my consciousness seemed to crumble into its component parts, being transferred to an immortal body, cast from steel and driven by the energy of the stars. Now I could move the UVT petals even more easily than my own hands. And my Imperial colleagues didn't believe for a second that I could fit the synergy system into an imperial starship.

Like the first" Glimmer " of the angelic radiance, this stormtrooper replaced my family and friends, and thanks to the aforementioned technology, officially recognized as the most dangerous in the entire galaxy, it helped an ordinary wanderer survive in this hell and ascend.

— "Take off!!!" - the mouth of the radiator panel opened, starting to spew a fog of nitrogen cooling. The orange boosters glowed with notes of fiery azure, reaching their maximum power. The hunter's restraining mechanisms could barely do their job. When the runway was illuminated by the contour lines, the trigger was removed.

The inertial catapult caught the ship, amplifying the effect of the plasma turbines several dozen times. The Glimmer took off, rushing away from the halls of the much — needed Elysium station, the central hub of the Vanguard's audit commission, which had managed to unite all the mercenaries in the sector.

The darkness was replaced by the snow-white glow of an icy nebula, similar to the old heavens. The sudden change in the photon flux briefly blinded the stormtrooper's sensors, and as a result, myself. But the effect quickly passed, allowing me to fully enjoy the serene beauty of the silver giant and the entourage scurrying around it.

Floating in the middle of the abyss, the city was surrounded by the plumes of endless starships. Among them were a variety of models, most of which were chivalrous, with very militaristic body kits. It was for this reason that representatives of the Eforos were practically everywhere, their red-and-blue lights flashing at each of the "queues". One of the patrol frigates spotted my takeoff and ran a cursory scan of the Glimmer ,finding nothing worthwhile.

Ignoring the guards, I requested confirmation from the nearest SSCPP gate. The network accepted my request almost immediately and forwarded the signal to a nearby satellite node, allowing a good citizen to go about his business.

The Glimmer's horseshoe-shaped mandibles converged around the cockpit light, the energy flows looped, and the engine block distorted the universe, bringing the machine to near-light speed. A faint halo of angelic light appeared just behind the black-and-gold comet's tail, heralding the activation of a miniature jump rift.

The point of no return was reached, and I made a hyperspace jump...

* *

Having gathered from the cloud of particles, the "Glimmer" was in another star system-a sector with zero security priority. Here, among the coal haze and fog, a real cemetery of a lost era is spread out. Beyond repair, the metal giants drifted along the periphery of the gas giant's asteroid belt, occasionally flashing with the ion lightning of a distant atmospheric storm.

Such a sight could inspire awe even to the coldest heart, because among these monsters, you could see the witnesses of the beginning of the great factional war, marked by the ancient banners of long-vanished factions. But as I stared at the faded hulks of the battleships that were invisibly drawing in the smaller fragments of the past, something relatively unexpected happened.

Having activated the psi-sonar as a preventive measure, the stormtrooper scanned the area for anomalies and found about twenty heat signatures nearby, one of which transmitted an "SOS"signal. As it turned out, this churchyard was quite inhabited.

Switching the sensor to the telescopic mode, I saw the following picture. A few thousand kilometers away, a real space battle was taking place, or something remotely similar to it. The unmarked wing was absolutely incompetent in its attempt to break through the armor of a shielded salvage ship owned by the notorious ASKA Inc.

It didn't take a genius to guess who the pink photon tails that surrounded the lone worker belonged to. Most likely, there was a pirate fortification somewhere nearby, hidden in one of the corpses of this cemetery. Well, the representative of the industrialists himself was probably trying to earn some credit, falling into the most obvious trap of all possible.

Switching to cruising mode, I shot forward, approaching the next transfer beacon, located directly behind the unfolding room-scale drama. Noticing the presence of the soldier of fortune, the desperate worker contacted me on the general frequency:

- "My friend!!! I see you're one of the free mercenaries, and your ship is not equipped like an ordinary novice!!! You can immediately see a professional in your field!!! You certainly don't have to listen to me, much less help me!!! But, these scavengers will soon break through the outer armor!!! If you get rid of them, I promise that all the trophies will be yours!!! Oh, more!!! I will also leave a positive review in your online resume!!! Therefore!!! PLEASE HELP-AND-AND-AND!!! " - upon closer inspection, it turned out that the terrified worker was caught right next to the warp satellite, which added to the situation even more irony.

The target of the pirate raid was the skeleton-like dead fish Centiman, whose engines were deactivated by one of the Cartel's ships. It was a good move, even though the ships in the attacking orbit hit the target, give the abyss, once out of ten.

Meanwhile, the transfer beacon was already syncing with the Glimmer's systems, waiting to be activated. The decision had to be made now.

On the one hand, there was a stingy bastard who did not pay our shop for his own protection, on the other, obviously, the "green" representatives of the Cartel. In principle, the mercenaries preferred not to conflict with any possible employers, unless it was about the terms of the contract, but the screams of an industrialist who had already managed to get hoarse, addressed to a very specific person, irritated even more than the grinding of a metal cutter.

After weighing all the pros and cons, I sighed heavily, having done something very, very stupid. At full speed, he broke the petals of the UVT, the stormtrooper turned around, never reaching the communication spire.

- "Let's see what we have here... "Prince", a dozen Selachia and "Sirius"... Quite enough to warm up for the real thing!.. " - the black-and-gold comet opened its protective mandibles, transferring some of the energy to the gun block.

- "Passes the Armator wing! Mercenary, disable your weapons and get out of here right now! Our business does not concern you! " - the commander of the enemy flight, namely a tube-shaped fighter with four wings, decided to remind me of what I knew without him.

"This time, it is... Insignificant carrion ... " - though without much enthusiasm, but I still had to teach the pirates a cruel life lesson. A sniper-mode targeting ring appeared around each of the thugs ' silhouettes, ion emitters rose up from under the Glimmer's body, and when their lenses were heated to the theoretical limit, I pulled the shutter.

The fiery strings of the tungsten guillotine cut through eternity and reached the hull of one of the Selachia, separating its cockpit light from the original construct. The signature of the opponent lost its former integrity, becoming a spectacular funeral halo, adding a little more debris to the general fund of this churchyard. Noticing a cascading detonation next to him, the Cartel leader reacted accordingly.

"You bastard!!! Attention all forces, destroy this motherfucker!!! We'll deal with the catch later!!!" - as soon as the pirate said this, his link immediately changed priorities, leaving the orbit of the "Centyman". The shark-grinning stormtroopers quickly surrounded the dull yellow support frigate, aiming their sights at the innocent pilot. Their rockets belched dozens of heat-sensitive projectiles into the light, blotting out the colorless sky.

- "Well, at last I was taken seriously!.." — the Glimmer's thrusters lit up with a new glow, sharply shifting the ship's hull to the left side along the horizontal plane. A hail of metal spears swept past me, the projectiles never found a point of contact and burst into pieces, losing the meaning of their fleeting existence.

"By the way, guys!.. Don't you want to experience my new improvement?!.. " - with a demonic grin, I switched the turrets to a different phase,

— "It's called: pulse modulator..." - the fiery strings of ion emitters once again burst out of the focusing lenses, but this time the hand was intermittent, as if someone invisible decided to divide it into parts, so that each sinner would have enough.

A myriad squall pierced the void and caught up with those it sought. Shards of genuine light hit the Selachia formation directly and literally tore them into small pieces. Each ship was subjected to a massive heat wave that turned metal into plasma and flesh into ash. And despite my genuine enjoyment of my own superiority, I didn't forget one of the most important details.

The support frigate, covered with all sorts of graffiti, had already put all the systems into combat mode, its heavy gun systems were ready for a protracted battle, but this was not destined to happen.

As I rounded a bend, I found myself right next to the hulking thing that was leaving the dust cloud left by its once-living allies. The pupil of the Glimmer's cross-shaped sensor flashed with a golden glow, indicating the announcement of a death sentence.

The scan was carried out, the weak point was revealed. The four turrets turned and revealed their anger to the abyss. The strings of light hit directly into the cockpit of the pirate frigate and came out from a different direction, sending several more souls to the other side of the horizon.

"I wonder if I'll meet any idiots who skimp on cockpit reservations?.. This is the most important thing!.. How can they not understand!.." — genuinely perplexed, I flew past the headless monster, that I could no longer control my lifeless body, which flew somewhere forward by inertia,

"Okay, stop... And where did "Sirius" go?.." — I probably shouldn't have thought that this fight ended so clearly and did not begin, because the universe has always liked to show its bad sense of humor at such moments. The emptiness she created was just an illusion, a ridiculous deception that I fell for like a child.

A thunderclap caused the cosmos to open up in a snow-white ripple that closed around the "Glimmer", causing it to shudder from the most powerful inertial impulse. My ship had suffered massive electromagnetic damage, the shields barely withstood a direct hit from the hybrid cannon, and were already preparing to shut down.

- "Insignificant... a minor mistake... How dare you reject the sentence ... " those words were not mine, they belonged to a soulless machine whose mind had become a part of mine. Gritting my teeth, I subconsciously forced the war machine to open its armored plates, bristling with exposed radiator panels. The cross of the Glimmer's sensor array glowed scarlet, marking the breaking of all the original seals.

The stormtrooper headed for the target again, but this time it was different. The black-and-gold comet activated the Syntagma-class ship's ability: combat overload. The pulse of the thermonuclear heart quickened, and all systems received a double energy formation, pushing the starship to the limits of what was possible.

Without a second's hesitation, the spectral shadow struck again. The second wave of sky ripples passed more directly, trying to bury me in a plasma grave, but the enemy made a fatal mistake. He should have finished me off when he had the chance... and now...

"It's too late to dig in now... The same trick won't work a second time..." I hissed, reproaching myself for the ridiculous miscalculation.

Using the additional power for its intended purpose, the quantum analytical center instantly measured all the necessary parameters, calculating the exact direction and speed of the enemy "shells". The overloaded thrusters accepted the system's order and roared their red torches, the Glimmer once again using strafe-shading flight, giving the enemy no chance to inflict even the slightest damage.

But it seemed to me that every mercenary or any military man knew exactly how to fight a syntagma stormtrooper in a duel. When people saw such a question on the aptitude test, the answer to it was only one-to run, hiding behind the shields of a ship of large tonnage.

But apparently my opponent didn't learn the homework...

"Damn it... damn... damn... Why can't I hit it?! " - feeling genuine horror, the corsair vainly tries to squeeze everything possible out of the combat vehicle, absurdly parodying the low-flying flight. Firing in succession, the red-and-white sabotage interceptor repeatedly broke out of its disguise for several seconds.

Perhaps I should have told the idiot that I had long ago tuned my sensor to spectral detection and had seen every movement of the semi-material ghost. Using the mistakes of Sirius, the Glimmer became the leader of this deadly dance, almost reaching the firing range. It remains only to fulfill the predestined.

— "Huh... A ridiculous plagiarist... Those who made an attempt not only on my life, but also on the style of battle, rely on the highest form of punishment... " - the media told the truth, synergy changed people, some strongly, and some quite a bit, but not in my case. This connection revealed the true essence of this knight, the essence of original sin, which completely dominates the other six.

— "Now, if you don't mind..." -once again dodging the blue-white snow created from pure energy, I aimed my sights at the numb opponent. Belching clouds of icy mist, the metal comet roared with synchronized fury, bringing hell to the mortal world.

- "CHOKE ON YOUR OWN SHIT AND SDO-O-O-OHNI-Ee-EE!!!!" — the firefly born from the flame burst into a glow of the power of a thousand suns. The lenses lost their ability to contain the pressure of the ion pressure and made an emergency shutdown, but their last will came to the addressee without the slightest delay.

— "NE-E-E-E-E-E-E-E!!!!!!!!!!" — a distorted echo of pain echoed through the void. Incinerating the last grains of the "snow" ripples and reality itself, the angelic canvas divided it into two, crashing into the opponent's body and burning through it.

The plasma halo of the destroyed reactor buried the enemy ace in its insatiable maw, and the subsequent detonation scattered the wreckage of his saboteur in the graveyard of ships, telling all the dead about my glorious victory.

After experiencing a not-so-pleasant experience, the Glimmer autonomously switched to drift mode, cooling itself down and starting to recharge its class ability. The radiators on its hull continued to smoke savagely, but the danger was over, and that was good.

"How infuriating... It seems that this scum heard about me somewhere, and decided to parody the flight board... That's how it always is, you create something, and the rest of us just have to spizdit... Tfu, fuck... " - fanning myself with a tablet taken out of the glove compartment, I tried to neutralize the residual effects of overload, which could well fry the pilot using it.

- "This... it was... fucking awesome!! Ah-ha-ha!!! Buddy, if it wasn't for my debts, I would definitely hire you for security! It is simply unthinkable to destroy an entire link... and then ... " - the enthusiastic industrialist finally reached the opportunity to speak, his admiration obviously knew no bounds.

- "Yes, yes!.. Thank you for the praise, but could you please be quiet... I'm here for a crowbar... These idiots probably had some artifacts lying around, filled with expensive iridium... Or something else... valuable ... " - recovering together with the ship, I went to ten percent of the thrust and began to approach the wreckage, wanting to find out what the fuck was shooting at me.

A directional scan revealed a single-code inscription on one of the remaining fragments of the enemy turret. It was a proprietary "non-factional coat of arms", and only one organization could use it.

- "Hylus Inc... Well, yes, I should have guessed... Another prototype fell into the hands of pirates, and they created copies based on it... And as always unclear, the Hiluses themselves sold it for field testing... or not?.. I'd rather believe the former... These freaks are alien to the concept of honor... Eh... " - having spoken, I began to sort the wreckage, simultaneously calculating the value of the destroyed starships through a common database.

"Ahem, ahem, listen, buddy... I don't want to bother you, of course, but... Would you like to share your trophies with me? It's just that you have a rather small ship... and... " - which was to be expected, not even a minute later, the industrialist showed his true gut. But when he heard the sound of the holographic sight pointing, he abruptly changed his mind, because life was still more expensive than a couple of trinkets.

"Got it, got it!!! I'll wait until you're... here... and then I'll take what's left..." — yes, no wonder I wanted to help him less than to stick my head in the nozzle of the cruiser.

I'd rather let the pirates kill the goon, and then kill them and take all the loot at once, as some of my fellow greedy fellows usually do. We often said at the station: both karma in the case,and in the hold flew.

That's how it turned out. After spending some more time in the sector and collecting all the goodies, I left razumist alone with his staff and the nearby border outpost of the Cartel, whose people were probably aware of the loss of the patrol... And if we assume that the "Centiman" then remained in the same place, without having learned any lessons.. what do... the abyss is his blanket...

In any case, these twists and turns were no longer interesting to me. The time spent on the battle paid off, and I even managed to arrive at the station" Sentry-XVII " ahead of schedule, deciding to pass the extra time for the most worthy occupation.

* * *

"Hey, bartender!.. Juice for me!.. " - leaning on the counter, located in the darkest corner, I called out to the owner of the establishment, stereotypically wiping glasses with and without a reason. The bald man scratched his head thoughtfully, pretending not to hear the request.

- "Are you so deaf from boredom in the end?!.. Pour the juice, I say!.. My throat is completely dry!.. And don't forget to shake it!.. And then again, heartburn will be ... " - after just a dozen seconds, a transparent glass filled with an orange mixture and decorated with a slice of cryo-orange drove up to me.

Catching my trophy, I immediately began to use it, noting the next replenishment in my ever-empty pocket. It just so happened that there were only a few breathless drunks in the bar besides me, sleeping on the tables after a binge, so I behaved swaggeringly, being the real me.

The atmosphere of such places both irritated and calmed me at the same time, because you could have a good time, but if the cycle was particularly crowded, the chance of running into a fight, or just getting into an unpleasant situation, remained very high.

— "Agh!.. That's what I understand!.. An invigorating drink and life makes better, or what was it in the ad?.. Heh-heh-heh... " - tapping the glass on the surface, I put it down next to the others, noticing that it was time to change the live broadcast,

"Speaking of which... I have to now... Oh, the Herald of Reality!.. Turn it up!.. " - using the right of a regular, I forced the bartender to obey his greatness, although he did not understand it from the word at all.

— As expected, the well-known Hylus Corporation denies any involvement in a string of recent incidents involving the so-called 'Dispersion Gun'. The public is excited about the danger associated with the presence of prototypes in the hands of dishonest citizens... " - broadcasting from the side of the wall holo-projector, the news program host read out the text so emotionlessly that it seemed like some kind of banter, especially against the background of slides with aggressive demonstrators and destroyed ships, which were much less lucky than mine,

"In other news, the number of border conflicts has decreased by 17% over the last quadr," Admiral Deimos said. This may indicate a curtailment of Templar activity in the sector associated with uncertain maneuvers. Representatives of Equistell have not yet given any comments..." - at this point, I no longer heard the host, only myself.

- "Who the hell is interested in this border squabble... It's always the same... they're turning the tables on some bullshit... all in the name of reducing panic... Meanwhile, the "Hiluses" are cutting their credits and laughing, slapping each other's asses... " - such thoughts made me sick.

Of course, it was not for a mercenary to complain about the "bought war", where every cycle someone shot at someone stupidly because you need to justify military spending and other nonsense. For example, thanks to the recently updated battle logs and found trophies, I was able to exchange the lives of those pirates for quite a good amount of loyalty guarantees, allowing me to live relatively calmly for several more taels.

— "Agh!!! Fuck it all!.. Bartender, repeat!.. " - well, while I was emptying another glass, the front hermo-door decided to let in a new guest, or to be more precise-a young girl. A rather attractive person, dressed in a yellow technical staff jumpsuit, hesitated a little at the entrance, then decided to go inside.

I didn't know what had brought her here, but I knew exactly what had made her sit down next to me. After a moment of silence, the blonde finally overcame her embarrassment and, with a long sigh, began to speak.

"Hey, you're from the Purple Wing one, aren't you? The badge on your jacket gives you away... " - when she said this, I immediately thought that I would put it in my pocket at the first opportunity.

"..."my response was a thoughtful silence.

"I've also become a mercenary. I decided to join the team of "Retribution"! They say that the Captain there is too strict, but it is better to treat her than to that old senile man who is in charge of the Hecate... Rumor has it that he's harassing crew members! Br-r-r! It gives me the creeps! Although, without it, our fleet would have only one capital ship, and how can you call one ship a whole fleet? I think not!.. " - smiling sweetly, the girl casually adjusted her bangs, causing me a fleeting irritation,

- "Listen, tell me about yourself, what do you usually do? Well, in my spare time... " - and of course, after a conversation about nothing, a leading question followed, everything is like a textbook.

— "As our head would say when I'm not around: if it weren't for the skills of this saboteur and parasite, we would have kicked him out long ago!.. Based on this fact, we can conclude that apart from killing, I do absolutely nothing... But this does not mean that I enjoy the torment of others... I usually try to take the life of my enemies with a single blow... Professional solidarity, so to speak... " - this was my standard tactic, to shit myself as much as possible to scare off the interlocutor and make him go far away.

- "Wow... it's cool... " - unfortunately, the girl, on the contrary, became interested, which only made my irritation grow.

"Yeah... very... " - all this empty chatter, never brought me any pleasure, only continuous stress. I guess it was just that I hated people, from the moment I was born. And it wasn't just a simple dislike caused by some event from the past... no... it was almost an instinctive rage, built into the structure of the genetic code.

"Geez, you seem like a very interesting person! Experienced or something? Guys don't usually behave like that, they try to make contact right away... Just like my ex-boyfriend... " - and at that moment, I jumped. A red alert was activated on the walls of the defensive line of consciousness, and the battle turrets were ready to riddle anyone who dared to approach them.

The other woman's words were gone, lost in the void, replaced only by the voice of the mind of someone who didn't want to make a mistake, never with anyone.

He whispered: They're all the same, every single one of them. Behind the primary mask of benevolence, selfish motives are ALWAYS hidden, every word about loyalty is just ANOTHER ATTEMPT to justify your own humanism, because when you really find yourself at the edge, your nominal partner will be the one who WILL PUSH you down with his departure, his BETRAYAL AND LIES. UNFORGIVABLE... unforgivable...

EVERY person in this damned world changes partners like gloves, trying to find an ideal that does NOT exist, unlike self-deception, which generates quarrels on the basis of misunderstandings, differences in views. NEVER FORGET: only used goods are worse than expired goods...

It was because of such views, because I never cared about the majority opinion, that I decided NEVER to let anyone near me, I swore that I would remain alone, not because I would not survive the betrayal, no, because I would avenge him. If they dare to use me... THROW... subsequent losses will be insignificant. Only the death of an insignificant creature pretending to be a human being will serve as an atonement for its sins... therefore ... I can never be with someone... All for the good of my partner and myself...

— "I... a bad person... bad man... "- and when the halls of the void released their victim, completing the "reset" mode, I noticed that my fists clenched themselves to the crunch of servos, my breathing quickened, and my body began to shake.

- "Hey? You've become a little pale ... " - the worried girl certainly had no idea what kind of creature she was dealing with, but it was no longer important to me.

- "To me... I have to leave..." muttering something unintelligible, I got up from the counter and quickly headed for the exit.

- "Wait, but what about...?" - I did not hear her further words, because I again fell into the depths of my own consciousness.

* * *

"All people are selfish, and that's okay... A fragile family can't afford to make mistakes ... yes... That's right... " - I thought about everything, I strolled along the corridor leading to the corporate hangars, trying to forget about what had happened as soon as possible.

On either side of me were the same kind of private quarters occupied by the members of the Star Storm Corporation, though... for each other, we were just "socorpovtsy". Some of them were still trapped in the realm of Morpheus, and some were already wide awake, beginning to prepare for the upcoming sortie. It was just early morning on the Sentry, so it was no surprise that I didn't meet almost a single soul during my march.

In principle, the concept of time was relative in space, but even so, I personally could safely be considered a typical night hunter who specifically violates the curfew, going about his business when 70% of work shifts should be resting.

I immediately remembered the "famous" moment when the management for the first and last time forced me to wake up on the "alarm clock", because of which my internal systems did not pass the usual diagnostics, and the knee servo worked without a command. As a result of the incident, I forever refused to get up on schedule and bought a new bed instead of a broken one.

But while I was still in the midst of my thoughts, the road ended, leading me to a massive airlock, near which stood two huge foreheads with rifles at the ready. The Esquires ' representatives, clad in exquisite platinum armor, grimaced in displeasure, as they usually did when we met them.

Ignoring the rage oozing out of these primates, I fumbled in my pockets and pulled out a discarded badge-a corporate pass. The metal doors immediately swung open, flooding the corridor with a heavenly glow.

Stepping inside, I found myself in the middle of a closed port area. Numerous lifting platforms, ramps, and cranes were separated from the abyss by a translucent force field, accommodating almost the entire corporate fleet. There were also two of our giants, the pride of the "Purple" squad: a gray-red battleship of the class "Geas", aka "Retribution", and "Hecate", just"Hecate"...

The kilometer-long spears were attached to a section of the station where life was in full swing. The technical staff woke up earlier than anyone else and already started to conduct diagnostics, using the help of hundreds of drones and related equipment.

Mentally preparing for a lecture on the topic: "You're a bugger!", or much more often: "You irresponsible bugger!!!", I turned in the direction of the logistics center, passing a multi-tiered town of storage slots for personal metal birds.

By the way, the shielded cells themselves had very mediocre protection against intrusion. Someone at the interface of man and machine could crack them all with a single click of their fingers. But, despite the majority opinion, this "someone" cared about his reputation, so he never took someone else's. He only fed his ego, occasionally contemplating the essence of those with whom he has direct contact.

As the prophet Elias once said, a ship is a true reflection of human nature, and it was hard to disagree with him.

Not many people could afford such a method of collecting information, but those who could not communicate, there was simply no other way. Probably the only people I had any real contact with were the members of my team. We didn't usually talk much, but we knew everything we needed to know about each other.

The triad of our comets was located far away from all the others, and the first of them was the notorious Kaifat. This irascible Templar piloted the time-tested Ignis, a hybrid modification of a heavy interceptor and an electronic warfare platform. This unit was heavily armored and was intended for "bursts" into the thick of the battle, because it could emit a "Fenrir's howl" - an electromagnetic pulse that temporarily incapacitates the enemy's sensors and guidance systems.

The second starship belonged to a smiling Imperial named Kay-Kay. Unlike his overly aggressive friend, Alex was known for his easy-going nature. His desire to take care of the others was embodied in the form of a battered engineering frigate model: "Hephaestus". This formidable machine, vaguely resembling an arrow shaft, carried a swarm of repair drones and was constantly in the rear guard of the formation.

Naturally, my "Glimpse" also deserved special attention. Being in the center of the link, this baby took on the maximum damage for the minimum period of time. She could have smashed the cockpit of a fucking corvette, if I'd piloted her, out of the shadows.

Being practically the only Equistella on the imperial station, I was calmly fighting for the three of them, and many were afraid of it. The Legionaries generally disliked the Templars for good reasons, and ordinary civilians were constantly shied away at the sight of a "demon" with a black sclera, although this was only to my advantage.

But the most ironic thing was something else. As if trying to cheer up a surly something that has a habit of hiding in the shadows both on and off the battlefield, Kay-Kay and Kaifat dubbed it "Smybakha", although everyone else used the standard call sign: "Morok".

* * *

Sitting in the pre-battle briefing room, I was once again trying to count the number of rivets on the ceiling. But seriously, at that time, I sincerely wanted to tell at least someone about my problems, instead of speaking to myself.

— The first group will go in the vanguard, the fourth will follow the second and provide support in case the formation breaks through! If the enemy... " - the bony assault commander, as usual, shouted some crap, which I ignored, because I knew my role perfectly and did not need to be retold. By the way, this was the same captain of the Hecate, whom my young friend accused of harassment, and looking at his filthy face, I could easily make an identical conclusion.

I kept yawning, waiting for the farce to end. Scheduled flights happened quite often and usually did not end with anything interesting. I was particularly infuriated by the fact that if you missed this event for no good reason, your contract was terminated. That's why I had to trudge from Elysium to Sentry, sit in the bar, and then climb around the corporate hangar, wasting time before the start of the task.

I didn't have to say how much I hated this rusted-to-the-ground room. What could be worse than a cube with gray walls, filled to the brim with rotten people. Probably just a garbage dump crawling with terrifying rats... Although, even those rough creatures were much more dangerous than the regular "political" maneuvers, the quota for which I closed with one right eye.

Few people or anything could really pin me down, forcing me to fight seriously... Unless... Hylus Inc...

* * *

It is true that they say that it is impossible to escape from the fate of the impossible...

The part of the story that followed was not remembered as well as the rest of it, but it was thanks to it that I gained an invaluable experience that can not be replaced by anything else...

There was no sign of trouble, and the task seemed very ordinary: to go to the rendezvous point and find the necessary package. Missile-carrying destroyer class: "Hecate" was chosen as the best option for the rapid transfer of the squadron. Split into four-man units, the forty pilots circled the red-and-white spear and made a subspace jump to the desired system.

When the rift closed, everyone took their seats, all but the three of us. The guys and I were very careful to break the chain of command, as always, keeping as far away from the others as possible and not reacting to the atmosphere of horror inspired by the newcomers. Perhaps that's what kept us from being forgotten in the arms of the void.

The strings of light passed through the refractive prisms and became angelic ripples following the threads of the designators. The trap was snapped, and the thunder of a new battle reminded everyone how great the difference between a simple job and a real war was.

The nebula that surrounded us was just the snare of a monster, a nightmare of the first nations, the flagship of the Collectors ' fleet-the astronomer Hades. Escorting the god of death, dozens of experimental support frigates left the haze, creating a ripple of unscrupulousness and the cold of the underworld itself, whose vortex devoured the missile-carrying destroyer without a trace.

The captain of the Hecate had met his fate without a murmur, as befitted a plebeian bound by the chains of fear, but I was not going to die so easily in this hole.

The escape route was cut off, and there was only one option left. Following the voice of the once-silent ghost, the three warriors decided to demonstrate to the pirate spawn what a well-coordinated team work is. Kaifat and Kay-Kay believed in my power, just as I believed in them.

The legendary Astronomer ordered his retinue to finish off the impudent mercenaries, but his plan was thwarted.

Then, for the first time in my life, I went against an opponent I could not defeat, throwing away cowardice along with logic. And as soon as the electromagnetic scream created by Kaifat rolled through space, disorienting the opponents for literally a fraction of a second, a miracle happened...

A scarlet haze of anger blotted out my vision, and the machine and the man merged into one organism. Led by the divine hand, a "Glimmer" of light stabbed into the Cartel formation, drawing its attention back to itself. First, he managed to destroy the container that was the target of the "Hades", then he set about experimental frigates, systematically clearing the space from their presence.

Choking on his own anger, the captain of the enemy flagship opened fire on the annoying firefly... but... he failed to hit the target. The comet skirted the starship's main-caliber glow and struck directly into its lens, temporarily blinding the giant spear.

The task was completed. After stalling as long as I could, I made my way back to my men, who had already prepared the escape route. By combining the energy resources of all the surviving starships, Hephaestus was able to use its class ability, the warp beacon.

Having lost the last of the ships armed with dispersion, the pirates for some reason stopped the pursuit, acting not like thugs, but like real knights that let go of an opponent who showed a worthy duel...

And.... we just left... The God of death has released us from his grip...

For the first time, the silhouette of the Sentinel station made me happy. The Storm survivors cheered, praising the feat of the trio of great warriors, but one of their minds was not here...

The image created by the dispersion gun has become my new nemesis. What had happened because of Hylus ' greed could not be left as it was. It was then that the self-confident boy who came to the sector in search of a new life realized that some things can not be forgiven... some grievances cannot be forgotten... And perhaps most importantly, if you don't do justice with your own hands, no one will do it for you...

And so passed my "Mobius Day" - perhaps the only one of the remaining holidays in the centuries...

* * *

A few cycles later, the media reported that a defect was built into the contraband blueprints, which rendered the weapon unusable, having received a direct online order. Just a few quadres after the beginning of the next wave of man-made chaos, there was a lull again, but nothing ended there...

Soon licensed drawings of turrets, very similar to the "Dispersion", hit the market. Originally designed to defeat pirate ships, the weapon prototype was used by these very pirates as a favorite toy... How ironic...

Hylus Inc. has conducted the most successful tests on live targets, often simple civilian vessels... The dead numbered in the hundreds of thousands, because even experienced pilots could hardly cope with the dispersion creatures, let alone ordinary wanderers who paid with blood for someone else's greed... Unforgivable...

Of course, there was no evidence left, but everyone knew who was responsible for the numerous terrorist attacks... And no matter how strange this story may seem, it is the purest truth, because then, through the fault of the icy heart of the head of the department of research and field testing, many good guys died, people do not forget this...

A lot has changed since then... Millions of civilians have left the peripheral sector, some out of fear of a repeat of such an incident, others out of the bitterness of losing a loved one, and still others... hah, they were never able to take revenge on the soulless creatures, untouchable from the point of view of the law...

This is the end of this story... The story of the eternal war-shrouded Alpha sector...

My own... huh... it's just begun...

It's been a long time since that cycle... I had time to sink into an impenetrable abyss of despair, only to perish and be reborn again... For there, in the midst of the mist and mist, I saw a miracle that made me doubt my ideals for the first time... I saw her...

* * *

— "Mdya... That's it... shark... Made me change my own identity... just a little bit... Now I look at some things differently... For example: on relationships... You were married, too, or something... Pripukula and his half... Hah... I'm sure you two hated each other... "- crossing my fingers, I stretched contentedly, throwing off another attack of mental "reset".

"Well, it doesn't matter!.. Actually, I just wanted to say that our contract with you is terminated!.. All debts are paid... All escape routes are cut off and blah, blah, blah... It's time to make a decision!.. Probably... How do you want to drink juice... " - activating my tools, I used the previously obtained voice samples,

- "Synchronization with the main node... System: disable the gun turrets... Open the flight area and emergency exit...»

Obeying a direct order, the protective screens went completely dark, stopping the transmission of the image. The metal emitted steam from the depressurization of the vacuum holders. What had once seemed like "windows" began to spread out, letting the cool breeze of the man-made sky fill the musty room of a typical office clerk.

"I wonder how long it will take me to ride out this storm... I don't want her to get hurt because of me... for some reason... " - having knocked out the necessary lines of code on the toolkit, I went to the edge, noticing a barely perceptible glimmer of light among the night canvas,

— 'Ugh!.. Oh, this dichotomy of good and evil... Okay!.. What did you say?.. I have to run!.. " - taking one last look at the lifeless body, I stepped into the abyss, feeling the unique ease of free fall,

- "Goodbye, Pripukula!.. The Eforos forces should be on my call any minute!".. I hope they will create something memorable out of this case... Something like the prologue to a great story about a man who did justice with his own hands... " my voice mingled with the roar of the plasma turbines. The black-and-gold comet caught its rightful owner, who instantly appeared in its cockpit, which flashed with the radiance of a cross-shaped sensor.

The stormtrooper spun around, and with a warning pulse, took off from its seat... Now he only wanted to go where his master wanted to go... A soulless mercenary, a greedy demon, or just a lover of looking at himself from the negative side...

Here everyone will decide for himself, if, of course, he learns the whole story...

* * *