Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The ship they boarded was different from Freiza's force uses. No, it wasn't circular. Though it was UFO-like in the ways it moved in space. Instead, it was shaped more like a needle with a bulbous middle section that seemed to host the crew rooms. The 'wings' were filled with weaponry built into them, and its jets that dictated its omnidirectional movement. It was relatively large and painted pitch black for stealth among the stars. It was definitely a small vessel perfect for a troop of 20 people. An ambush-type ship based on maneuverability and speed. Upon getting in, Genesis was given a suit of armor. It was like the Freiza's force this time around, but it was colored red and black, looking more like an extension of the jumpsuit she currently wore. Putting it on adjusted it to her size, which then tightened up to fit their body's contours.

The suit came with gloves and boots, which went on over what she already wore on her feet. It was technology that let one size fit all, very durable and protective versus laser and energy fire. She just wasn't given a helmet. The last bit was a bracelet. Hurst explained this one: "This is your ID to get in and out of the Needle. The airlock is on the lower deck in the middle. This bracelet will also give you a small personal bubble that will let you breathe air in space. Think of it like a space suit. So don't let it get damaged." She rotated her wrist to look it over. It was a deep purple with blue, green, and red lights. "If the bracelet flashes red, you're almost out of air. There's a limited amount, so don't stay in space too long." The last thing was a jetpack, only for her, though.

Hurst explained how to use it to her. "This is only because you haven't been taught how to fly with your energy. It'll be fine." With that, he left to the top deck of the middle sphere where the bridge was. She was left alone with other crew in the middle deck. Genesis didn't know what to do as the ship launched out of the bay it was situated in. So she looked out a nearby porthole. They were moving slowly at first - then the speed increased quickly. Genesis only vaguely felt the hum of the ship's engine, which would be present for the entire trip. 

As the ship hurtled out of the hangar, she could clearly see the entire laboratory. It was an incredible sight. Half of a monstrous asteroid was covered entirely in stone and machine. If there was anything Genesis could relate to, it would be the Death Egg from Sonic 2, the 3D one. How machinery perfectly melded into the rock to coat an entire asteroid in lights and colors was mesmerizing. There were numerous other hangars like this one, too; she was sure she could see inbuilt weaponry. It was sparse, but if that mad scientist was in charge, they're devastating if used.

She actually doesn't know if this base has a real name. So her machine mind whirred into action, 'Dr.Rupel's Incredible Fantastic Magnificent Castle of Science.'

No wonder people still called it The Lab, even if the lab in question was like a small moon.

Gree came over with a greeting, "Hey, Genesis. First time you're out of the lab now. How's it feel?"

Genesis looked back at the lizardman and hummed. "Honestly? Sort of liberating, but I feel butterflies in my stomach. This is my first time where it'll be them or me, after all." Gree looked confused, "What are butterflies?" Genesis realized they didn't have fucking butterflies? What were they called-

Her machine mind kicked in, and a useless jumble of information scrolled in her head like a wiki page. She sighed at the name, "I mean Spaceflies." So many things seemed to either have a generalization or were said differently in the local alien tongue if they were on specific inhabited planets. Unfortunately, the generalization was just literally adding the word Space to the front of it.

Gree nodded, "Nervous then? Don't worry, I've been on..." He paused and counted on his fingers, "About 25 of these missions? Sometimes they're pirates thinking they can hole up around here or scavs that get too close. The worst ones have to be Freiza soldiers, though. Those have casualties from us. Luckily they don't bother around here often. But, the cleanup from those guys is...difficult."

Genesis nodded. Of course, if Freiza soldiers disappear, some more might come running like flies. The alien emperor had trillions of bodies to throw at any problem. They were made up of strong alien races too. Either or, she was introduced to the team afterward. They were about on the same level as Gree. They were her equals. All of them had a melee weapon or a gun. There were two that had a mix, though. An hour or two passed as she hung out with the other soldiers, picking up tips for weapon handling. Genesis filed all of these tips away in her mind to review later. The speakers crackled on.

"This is your Captain. The enemy ship is sighted. It's not Freiza soldiers; it's a crew of pirates with a small bounty."

"We'll engage with the intent to kill and acquire the ship. Prepare, ETA in 10 minutes."

"Get below deck and prepare to drop on top of them."

Everyone scrambled in an organized fashion.

Every soldier and Genesis grabbed their weapons and magnetically attached them to their uniforms. This was going to be a real battle to the death. Genesis' heart pounded in her chest, filling her entire body with anxiety. Sure, in her past life, she's done some crime and isn't afraid of a dead body. But she's never killed anyone. She's tempted to activate Emotional Dampening again, but that'd just be a coward's way out and ruin her use of Ki.

They all stood in the hangar, which was filled with smaller attack pods, at least of the same type as the Freiza Force's. The white pods with a single window and can hold a single person. Interesting tech. Maybe she'll ride in one someday. But she shook that thought out of her head; it was time to drop down. The first airlock opened up, making Genesis' heart beat rapidly. Everyone jumped into the airlock, and the doors above them closed.

Genesis was about to be yeeted out into space with no promise other than the bracelet will protect her. The airlock cycled, and the air was siphoned out, leaving the inside without oxygen. She could still breathe, she realized. Everyone else was calm. Then the airlock opened.

The vast expanse of space was outside now. Giddiness filled Genesis' body. Everyone flew downwards into space. She was only a step behind due to her jetpack. It activated, and Genesis was hurtling through open space.

It was disorienting in a vacuum. Where you can move in any sort of direction with minimal effort. Especially if she learned how to fly, she could get lost in this utter vastness. It wasn't like standing on the ground. There was no gravity here. But far below them was the outline of a large ship. It was bigger than the Needle. It reminded her of a dark red and black variant of the N-1 Starfighter from Star Wars but upscaled to look more like a ship that could contain about 100 people on it. A good-sized ship, way more prominent than the Needle. It was attached to a rather massive asteroid.

Gree had stood behind slightly, just to make sure Genesis was fine. He waved her over, snapping her out of her thought processes. Right, mission. No need to be distracted. Activating the jetpack, the duo followed the mass of other soldiers. There were 21 of them here. Hurst was still on the ship. His voice crackled through their scouters.

"Look for a good breaching point. Take the pirates by surprise before their ship's breach defenses take over and lock you guys in. There shouldn't be any mighty beings in there. My scouter didn't pick up any strong readings." With that, the operation was underway. She shoots towards the front as the alien in front of her hoovers near the ship's side. When everyone gathers up, the one in front raises a hand and slowly counts down from five.

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Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

BOOOOOOM!!

The first alien shot their hand forwards and released a super-hot beam of red Ki. It impacted the ship's shielding but cut through it when it was joined by two more aliens. Three rays of red Ki burst open the side of the ship and sliced inwards. The sound of alarms blared as the pirates realized they were under attack. People quickly filtered into the large hole formed in the side of the ship, just in time, too, as from the inner workings of the ship, a foaming agent explodes outwards in the hole, covering it up in mere seconds.

The hallway they were in was blaring with noise and the unfortunate smell of burnt meat. Someone was hit by that initial volley. This was real; it was them or her. Adrenaline spiked through their bio-mechanical body. Their instincts took over. Her senses were heightened as her purple eyes took on a more vicious, animalistic look. This wasn't going to be her grave. This was going to be a hunt.

There was no time to think. Genesis' senses picked up the yelling of pirates. Down the hallway, a colorful array of aliens holding guns started to run down. She shot her hand toward the group and willed her mind to the ship's floor. There was a loud, ripping, grinding sound as the floor bent like a can being opened with a tab. The metal flooring was ripped up to form some cover, and the next second the volley of laser fire hit. 

"GET TO COVER!" She wasn't sure if it was her or five others who had the same idea. They all yelled. The 21 of them ducked behind the newly generated cover to avoid the laser fire. Only some of them were pinged off their armor. A mix of Ki and the armor made them pretty ineffective, but they couldn't just sit taking blows. Genesis took out her own rifle and charged it with her Ki. A quick peek over cover, and her rifle came with.

Deep breath.

Aim down the sights.

A purple alien's head was lined up...

It was a moment that stretched out in Genesis' mind. The first time she was going to take a life in both of her lives. The weapon hummed as she pulled the trigger. To hell with the mental consequences. They were getting shot at. It'd be impolite to not return the favor. A purple beam of energy shot like a fierce iron rod from the muzzle of the futuristic rifle. It was a damn good shot too.

Because her target's head vaporized.

So heavy was her focus she saw it in slow motion; perhaps she even willed it herself. The alien's skin peeled off, charred into atoms. The muscle was shown underneath as their eyes and hair exploded into flames. Then the muscle turned black and disintegrated. Then the bone. Then nothing was left other than a charcoaled black stump. There wasn't any blood - the neck was burned closed. A second later, the body tumbled down. The smell of charred flesh filled the air.

The predatory part of her seemed to grow at this moment. Her heart-thumping reached a brilliant apex where everything seemed to click into place. She did not hate it like she thought she might. No, instead, it filled her with some kind of hunger. A vicious instinctual craving. The Umbral in her seemed to sing praise at their very first kill.

But just as the moment came, she was forcibly grounded by the situation. There were a LOT of pirates. That was just one of them. Gree laughed next to her as his weapon sounded off with a thoomp. It was a thicker, larger rifle. This one charged slowly, she remembers. But it packed a punch. The next moment a red beam impacted a pirate's chest. It was a mix of physical and energy. The kinetic shot hit the pirate sending him backward, but at that exact moment, a hole the size of a fist was formed over his flesh. He died. Gree only laughed at her, "Good shot! The first kill goes to you. We'll clean up pretty easily now, eh? Good thing these guys are weak as piss. Probably only preyed on weak settlements."

Genesis wished Gree didn't try to pull up any flags for something to actually happen. Instead, the battle raged on with beam weapons vs. beam weapons. The tide of pirates from that direction slowed down, and the hallway filled with burning corpses after a few volley exchanges. Gree was right, though. They were weak. Her calculating mind found thirty corpses in total when the voices stopped shouting. She had contributed at least three corpses to the pile.

She was sweating, mainly from the mental strain. But she grew strongly in will from this. Perhaps not statistically, but she knew what kind of universe she was in. Might made right. You were either strong or a corpse. She breathed in deeply as she got out of cover and walked to the headless corpse she first shot. She tapped it with her foot while the others started to move, too, looting the bodies for any stray credits they might've had on them. Genesis didn't join in.

All this reinforced her thoughts, her new life, and her path. 

She should become the strongest in the universe.