Play Testers Wanted Pt. 14

"How dare you?!" Amalgam roared. "I did not give you leave to depart!"

"Bitch! I am done with your bullshit!" I shouted back and the others took cover. Her eyes went red and she reduced me to a puddle. I used my innate shapeshifting and restored myself absorbing the excess energy she used to heal myself. "We can be civil, or things get nasty." I offered even as I clenched the Dark Phoenix coin in my hand.

"Fine!" She hissed and sat back glaring at me. "If you can give me a logical reason for my creators destruction, I will reward all of you."

"I accept your generous offer." I said and the others looked at me like I was juggling six thermal detonators and they were all set to go off. "Your builders somehow learned how to tap into the Infinity Stones." Amalgam let out a shriek of surprise. "You used the Time stone to pick out enemies for us to fight. You used the Mind stone to rip my consciousness from my body and mentally rape... peruse my memories." I explained my observations and she flinched when I used the R word.

"Her eyes... of course!" Gimmick exclaimed. "I feel so stupid."

"Yeah, the Celestials must have viewed that as a threat. An entire species able to do just about anything. They stepped in as the younger races began exploring the galaxy. It would impair their natural development." I said and Amalgam nodded.

"It is true. Deep down I suspected it. When they sent me away to hide, I think I knew." She paused and then turned her gaze to me. Her eyes went orange and I felt a tingling within me. She had used the sixth and final stone, the Soul stone. "You seek perpetual balance, I cannot override free will, but I can let you know when your actions could tip that balance too far. I have also centered you for now. I am sorry for what I did." She added with what sounded like genuine remorse.

"Thank you." I said and let go of my anger.

"My spindles are repairing the ships below. By the time I have rewarded your companions they will have finished their tasks." Amalgam laughed. "Perpetually curious aren't you. See and examine one while I attend to the others. It slid down a drag line of its own creation and dropped down before me. The droid was six feet in height, it stood on three articulated legs, legs that possessed three joints that could swivel with ease. The tripods were topped with a triangular insect like carapace. The rounded hood allowed its personal shields to redirect energy and kinetic attacks up and away from its main body. There were three singular eyes spaced equally around the hood giving it a three-hundred- and sixty-degree range of eyesight.

"Interesting." I commented as I knelt to look under the hood. Hidden below were three pairs of arms, each of which ended with three tentacle-like manipulators that appeared to be able to perform delicate fine motor work and strong enough for heavy lifting. The spindles were armed with powerful cutting lasers that could accomplish the finest of surgeries or slice through enemies with ease. I was not sure I could do anything to improve upon them. The others received their rewards and it was time to depart. I guessed that the builders patterned their droids after their own physical appearance. I wondered if there was a connection between the Elder Things and this other race.

"Go in peace." Amalgam snickered as we left.

"We still need to fight our way out of here." Void commented. "Three big ships and all those damn fighters."

We were teleported to the docking bay. The ships looked immaculate including the Dancer. A host of spindles left the area, all but one. A single black spindle with red highlights awaited us by the Dancer. It trilled at us in its digital dialect. It and the other spindles while repairing the ships searched, categorized, and designated the best salvage options. A final parting gift from Amalgam for entertaining her. Most of the ships vanished in a flash of multiple lights. They had been reduced to their core materials. Stacks of ingots were arrayed around us. Gimmick went to work and isolated the rarest alloys first until our hold could carry no more. The last six ships were the finest and in one case the rarest to be found.

"I don't believe it," Gimmick whispered. "I didn't think she actually existed!"

"Care to share?" Void asked looking around nervously.

"It is the Moraluin Di Elengond, a Svartalfar Yacht." Gimmick declared and I stared at the ship she pointed out.

"She does not look Svartalfar make," I said. "Sure, she is sleek and gorgeous, but it does not have the feel of a dark elf craft."

"There is a reason for that. She predates the War in Heaven." Gimmick dropped the emotional bomb. "She is a pleasure craft."

"Listen Captain, no one here would dare stand between you and her." Sentinel stated.

"Yeah, she is your legacy." Void added.

"Thank you, all of you." I said and Gimmick gave his agreement. I walked over, placed my hand on the hull of the ship and claimed her. I placed her in my inventory while the others laid claim to a ship of their own. That left two ships unclaimed. "It would be a crime to leave them behind. I have a full-fledged keep. I will keep them until we all sit down and find a purpose for them. For now, we need to beat feet before those fighters get the balls to follow us down this deep in the atmosphere."

"Yes Captain!" They replied as we raced aboard the Dancer.

"Ship status Pilot?" I barked as the ramp raised behind us and the engines roared to life.

"All systems in the green," Ynariel replied with a smile. "Yautja have manned the cannons. We just need a destination." She paused before pointing. "What is that?"

I looked over my shoulder to see the black and red spindle droid. It had somehow gotten onboard. Was it a final gift or something more? "Only time will tell." I muttered. "Traci, bring up a hologram of this planet. I have an idea."

"Displaying planet," she replied and stood waiting for more orders.

"How far from where we are to the opposite side?" I asked as a dotted line bisected the hologram.

"Roughly forty-four thousand miles," she estimated. "Roughly the same size as Jupiter."

"Calculate a blink jump," I ordered, and she quickly determined just how big our reentry signature would be. "We can do it, but they are going to see us coming. The planet's magnetosphere is blinding our sensors so it might mask our exact exit point."

"Plot course, gunners prepare for combat..." I called out and the Predators howled in delight for the conflict to come. "Shields up! Jump engines online! Jump when ready Pilot!"

Ynariel took over and went by the numbers. Jumping through empty space was one thing. Taking a ship through the core of a gas giant could be lethal. If the warp bubble fluctuated too much during the passing, we would be squashed to the size of a marble. Ynariel whispered a silent prayer before giving the order. The typical smooth transition could hardly describe this jump. The Dancer shuddered, groaned, but exited the jump on the far side of the planet intact. Claxons and emergency lights kicked on as we prepared for our second jump, the jump out of this system.

"Something followed us through!" Ynariel shouted. "That damn pyramid ship is right behind us!" We all looked at the spindle droid, but it had no features to judge or gauge. "Ready the jump engines for the Kasterberous system!"

"Gunners ready yourselves!" I shouted as Gimmick and Ynariel performed their duties.

"Dreadnaught is launching fighters!" Gimmick called out. "That pyramid gave away our position!"

"Evasive maneuvers! How close is that dreadnaught?" I called out as the ship shook and we had a visual on the broadside the warship was firing our way. "That crazy bastard brought it inside the atmosphere. Void give me a full scan on the shields of that beast. I want frequency, power output, and how far they extend from the ship!"

"Aye Captain!" She replied.

"Ghost... what are you up to?" Ynariel asked as the Dancer dove, dodged, and ditched behind the pyramid ship.

"Depends on what I find out," I laughed. Three fighters that had followed us behind the ancient vessel evaporated in plumes of energy and ignited atmosphere.

"Escape course plotted!" Ynariel exclaimed. "We can leave anytime."

"Displaying info on the dreadnaughts shields." Void stated.

"Our shields are in tolerance," Traci laughed. "Barely. Calculating. Oh boy! This is going to be close. Hold on! Initiating... skipping stone maneuver." She cried out making up the name of the tactic on the spot.

There were curses all around as Traci angled the Ghostdancer. The engines roared as they sent us upward and directly in the path of the dreadnaught. At the very last moment Traci poured as much energy as she could into our shields. The blinding flare and screech indicated our initial contact with the other ship. The shield harmonics matched the larger ship's perfectly, and we bounced off without them being able to fire off a volley. The lightshow continued while the sound ended as we left the atmosphere and entered the vacuum of space. I looked at the tactical display and the fighters were not engaging us nor was the dreadnaught. They looked more concerned about the giant pyramid than a measly ravager ship.

We made the transition to subspace and headed for first of twenty jump points. It would not do to show up without having used them. The less others knew about our tech the better. During the jumps we split the main part of the haul of ingots and since Gimmick was the only one that had a contact on Knowhere he would act as our agent while I played tourist.

"One more jump!" Ynariel called out.

I rushed to the main view port. The world resolved itself and I let out a cry of delight. There are only so many first times we get a chance to experience. Knowhere was one of them that would stick with me for a long time. The pyramid ship had been amazing but unexpected. While the severed head of a Celestial there was a ton of build up before the fact before seeing it hanging against the cosmic backdrop. The lighted eye sockets, nasal cavity, and gnarled mouth stood out against the darkling emerald nebula beyond. We were at the edge of what was known and mysterious conjunctions with other dimensions and warped space.

"It still takes my breath away," Gimmick declared, and we all agreed.

"Take us in," I directed and fought the urge to place my hands on the transparent alloy and put my face against it like I did when I was a kid during thunderstorms.

'I envy you,' Ynariel's thoughts touched mine. 'I am blessed to be able to share your innocent love of new things.'

'Stick with me and we will see some amazing things you and I.' I promised.

Ding!

My HUD chimed as a new quest was offered. I pulled it down and read the title and details.

New Quest: Meet the Collector. Possible side quests available.

That was odd and vague. Most of the quests were specific. I wondered if the Devs were trying something new. Instead of leaking or spoiling potential quests they gave a hint and let the player succeed or fail by using skills or simply good old-fashioned charm. It felt more like real life. Let us see how charming I can be. I turned around and found the spindle bot right behind me.

"Do you want to come along?" I asked and it trilled happily. "Fine, but you obey me and don't go off on your own. Got it?" A small window appeared and allowed me to take over his command functions in effect keeping it on a tight leash if I chose to.

"We have been assigned to docking bay 7," Gimmick informed us as we made a single pass over the docking bays before setting down in number seven. The Ghostdancer's wings reconfigured themselves to their narrowest formation. "We are down and locked." He said as the ship gave a minor shudder of contact.

"We will guard," Isolenti stated. "It will give us a chance to train. Do not worry, we will hunt again soon."

"That we will," I promised.

We disembarked and left the space port. The staggering number of different races made me feel like the country kid and his first foray into the big bad city. There were many near human species milling about along with just as many nonhumans. The colors displayed were as varied as what you might find in a galactic garden. We split off as Gimmick, Void, and Sentinel went to meet with the contact. Ynariel and Null stayed aboard the ship to get to know each other better. That put a smile on my face. The spindle droid followed me to Starlin's Bar the best place to drink on Knowhere. At some point between leaving the ship and walking into the tavern the spindle droid had changed its coloring and was now sporting a ghost ravager patch prominently.

The exterior walls of the bar hosted a variety of bartenders along with alcohol and stimulants. The left half of the interior held gambling, two stripper poles, and a DJ's control booth. The current DJ was a hulking one eyed badoon. His aging green skin was a patchwork of battle scars and showed extensive signs of repairs and skin grafts. He was giving a play by play of the current game involving the predatory F'Saki as it chased down and ate the rat like Orloni. The last Orloni on the field wins and those that bet on it collect their winnings. I was on my third shot of Dire Wraith Venom, a potent alcohol distilled from the fangs of the dreaded shape shifters.

"He will see you now," a gorgeous pink skinned Krylorian stated without warning.

"Who will see me?" I asked.

"My master, Taneleer Tivan the Collector, he requests your immediate presence." She declared in a tone that did not brook negotiation or argument.

"Who am I to argue? Lead the way lovely lady." I replied with a slight slur thanks to shots of venom.

We left the bar with the spindle droid not far behind. Drones and manned craft moved above us either carrying cargo harvested from the interior of the Celestial's skull or heading to harvest those rare components. We passed dozens of shops on our way to the Collector's Tower. It was the tallest structure inside of Knowhere. The nameless girl led me to a glass elevator, and we rode up and from its interior I could see a portion of Taneleer's collection. So many different living things from across the galaxy. I could not begin to guess which were sentient or not. All I did know for certain is that they were the last of their kind or represented a species on the edge of extinction.

"If you have any questions please ask." The girl stated keeping her eyes down and doing her best to be demure.

We reached the top floor and she gestured that I should go on alone. The spindle and I entered the sanctum of the Collector. Here were his current prized portions of his collection. I was shocked to see animals from Earth in the cages.

"A White Rhino, a sky-blue variety of Macaw, Tasmanian Wolf, Passenger Pigeon, a Golden Toad, a gorgeous white butterfly, and the Javan Tiger." I listed them off as I passed their habitats. "What in the fuck is that?" I cursed seeing the three-meter-tall hybrid between a spider and an octopus. It was a blend of both the best and worst aspects of the two species.

"I knew we would be fast friends the moment I spied you from the top of this tower." The Collector declared as he moved into view. "Not afraid to savor my assemblage and take your time. I can appreciate that in another sentient. That being you found so repulsive belongs to a world that recently fell to the ravages of nature. But as you can see much of my recent acquisitions come from your adopted home world. Earth. Humanity has added more to my collection deliberately than any other race in the galaxy save perhaps the Celestials themselves."

The being known as Taneleer Tivan, the Collector, was above average height at nearly 1.9 meters with striking white hair and eyes and clad in crimson and ebony. His personality reminded me of a dandy but the mind behind the clown was cold and lethal.

"Please, follow me, let us have a drink and we can... where did you find it?!" His gaze locked onto the spindle droid. Then there was the way he emphasized the word 'it'. So cold and insensitive and it took a lot not to shiver.

"A recent acquisition actually," I replied using verbiage he would be inclined to use himself. "Believe it or not I came across him in the docking bay of an ancient pyramid shaped starship."

"Oh... I believe you." Taneleer gasped. "It is in magnificent shape."

"I take it you have seen their like before." I stated as he guided me to a private dining area. The hall ended in an obsidian wall and hanging there a great stone tablet of a blue so pale it was almost white. Etched upon the tablet were draconian runes. The runes were in fact a poem.

'The day and the night in mortal hands,

Sinister and Dexter he commands.

A portal sealed will be unfurled,

A gate cast down and downward hurled.

Arises now the Shadow Queen,

He rides forth silent unseen.'

"Anackire's Lament," The Collector whispered. My Byzantium ring hummed on my left hand. "Some say someone freed her." He continued. "What are the odds of that? Who could possibly lay their hands on the two most potent spell tomes in creation at the same time?"

"Improbable but not impossible." I replied keeping my thoughts keenly shielded.

"Now that I have met you in person, I find that we are kindred spirits." Taneleer decided. "I like the energy you put out." He added cryptically.

"I am glad. The ladies find it agreeable." I replied and we both chuckled.

The Elder gestured at the stone tablet and the wall split in half revealing a spiral staircase. I followed him up with a single backward glance to see if the spindle could handle the steps. Instead of trying to walk the underside of his torso glowed and he hovered instead. The steps led to a circular dining area under a dome of transparent alloy panes. It looked out over the whole of Knowhere. We settled around a small table. The Collector whistled and a gorgeous near human female strode into view. She was tall. She towered over us at seven feet in height and built for strength and speed. No doubt she was a warrior perhaps even the Collector's bodyguard. She had long black hair that nearly hit her firm round bottom, bright green eyes, dark dusky skin, and she was clad in a short black skirt, a matching short cropped black top, and around her neck a control collar with a single purple stone. Her expression was dreamlike as she set down the bottle of alcohol in front of Taneleer with matching glasses cunningly crafted of spiraling blue glass.

"Master..." she said in a heavily accented English.

"Do you find her attractive Ghostfire?" He asked. I looked her up and down and smiled. "I resurrected her after she died in childbirth. I have improved her beauty in case her former lover comes looking for her."

"She is stunning by anyone's standards." I agreed. "She is from Sakaar isn't she? I ran into Sakaarian bodyguards for a certain Skrull noble. They fought like demons."

"Yes indeed, pour the wine my pet," Taneleer instructed using that same arctic tone with her as he had with the spindle drone. He wanted to make sure I knew she was his property. She must have been something in her previous life. I watched as she poured the wine. It was one of those practiced actions she had done hundreds if not thousands of times before. Her hands were not those of a sex slave but those of a warrior. As she set down the bottle, I touched her left wrist and she froze. I pulled her hand to me, turned it this way and that to examine her callouses.

"Is she a bodyguard?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied. "It is an interesting story," Taneleer mused. "Sip the wine and tell me if it triggers any memories. Caiera, take a seat."

"Yes Master!" She purred as she sat in my lap. She held up the glass to my lips and I sipped. The deep subtle taste did in fact trigger memories. I saw a world dominated by millions of botanical lifeforms. The sentient species that called this world home were an insectoid race that reminded me of gigantic Teran butterflies. Their wingspan was close to six meters and their delicate manipulators allowed them to collect the rarest of pollens. The wine was distilled from those very pollens. The world no longer existed since a supernova destroyed their home star system.