Something had gone wrong in the mind of the Pirate. An essential component that had been holding together the fragile psyche of the Leader of the OPG had snapped. Gentle looked down at the blood on his hands and smeared his face with the gore. Gentle pulled the entrails from the dead guards stomach cavity and inspected the contents. "Synth paste...hehe. You worm. This is what you deserve." The corsair guards body twitched one final time as the Pirate King stood from the bloody mess covered in the mans blood. The cybernetic frame of the pirate proppelled him toward the door of his first wife at a frightening rate. A proximity alarm sounded and the sound of it halted the pirate in his tracks.
*flash* Falling to his knees a memory of a transport on fire came to him. The boy Gentle ran down the corridor while burning plasma conduits fell around him. A knife in hand he headed for the door to the pilots cabin and opened the door. The old man piloting the ship looked worried and more so when he saw the look of fury on the boys face. "Its not my fault lad I thought your mother would be safe in there" explained the old man. Gentle had pulled his mother from the sleeping quarters next to the shield generator only minutes ago. Half dead and badly burned. The scars would never leave her she was marked for life and it was the old mans fault. Refusing to move her to quarters so that he could protect his cargo of luxury food. Gentle incensed by the stupidity and greed of the man lept on him and cut his throat so deeply that his head lolled backwards almost to 90 degrees. Satisfied the man would never make a mistake like that again Gentle took control of the ship and headed for Yanagi Depot. *Flash*
The visions had been coming more regularly. An insane grin spread accross the Pirates face. "Humanity is sick and those of us who live do so in a nightmare. Its time....time to deliver humanity from its nightmare. Death is the release." Blood dripping from his hands Gentle approached the door to his first wifes apartment.
The door exploded in with a single kick from the pirates cybernetic leg and a barrage of blaster fire errupted toward him. Several rounds impacted on his torso with little effect as his shield generator absorbed the energy. The cold fusion reactor powering him whined as the energy was dissipated throught the shield. The lucious woman snarled at him "Husband...what are you doing. Why...... are you doing this" Esmerelda watched the Pirate approaching. "I have a gift for you darling something you have desired for a long time...." Gentle thrust a human heart at her. "See its a heart... the heart of my second wife...haha.. you have desired she was gone for so long." Esmerelda recoiled at the sight of the Gore and the manic look on the pirates face. "Your insane Gentle... I did not desire her death.. What is wrong .... I ... Dont understand."
"Your part of the problem you see. Your petty manouvers for power and killing of those who stand in your way. Your a murderer too Esmerelda. Face it you sent our son to his death. I can never forgive you. There is a sickness in humanity and where we have been the problem in the past I am now the solution. Dont you see it now? Dont you feel ready to die?"
The pirate moved so fast Esmerelda saw only a blur before the blood covered metal hand closed around her ivory pillar neck. gentle hoisted her two feet from the floor and watched as she turned blue. With a final crush the neck of the pirates wife snapped like a twig.
A simple laugh escpaed the pirates lips. "Clean now....free... You see now esmerelda you are free I am your salvation. Your saviour has delivered you."
gentle collapsed on the floor and stared blankly at his hand.
Sand swirled majestically around the feet of the cybernetic figure. A heavy cape swung like a curtain from clips fashioned in glass in the shape of skulls from the gleaming shoulders of the Pirate. Gentle watched the torquemada approaching and sent a docking sequence to the ships Navicom via his neural net processor. Gentle had received the upgraded neural net enhancement from the doctor and scientist he had employed 2 years ago. Sven Jorgmundsen was a first class neuro and cybernetic designer who had failed to meet the grade of the major houses because of his dubious moral fibre. Gentle had taken a liking to the man the instant he saw his experiments in action grafted onto slaves captured in the war against the hessians. Those failed experiments usually caused a rejection by the host of the cybernetic enhancement that inevitably lead to a gruesome death. Later Gentle ws impressed when subjects began to show prescience and the ability to read information from distant satelite networks and could link this directly to Navigation systems of ships.
The old pirate closed his eyes and saw a network of satelites in his minds eye. Millions of shining dots and sparkles that represented an information node. The scientist had been disposed of on delivery and a nuclear device detonated in his laboratory. The only working prototype now existed within the body of the King of pirates.
The dreadnought Torquemada apporached on a steep vector. Its sudden undocking from the tripoli shipyard where it was undergoing removal of the old armour system had taken the engineers by surprise many of the ejected into tthe void as they worked in airlocks connected to the shipyard. More deaths on his hands. All the better thought Gentle. The less of humanity there is the better. Humans feast upon the wretched and grow strong by their greed. Gentle wondered what percentage of his original body remained. His Brain and certain organs required for reproduction and a section of his spine that was required to provide pineal fluid. Maybe 4 percent.
The torquemad pulled up 100 yards from the pirate devoid of crew. All airlocks had been opened before entry to Cretes atmosphere. The crew were burned in entry or dead from exposure to the void. Gentle stood and watched the gigantic vessel landing bereft of any armour.
*Flash* "Old man. You need to rmemeber every piece of yourself you replace you lose a piece of humanity. You have always been a little skittish be carefull how much of these enhancements you take on" The Friendly middle aged doctor lifted the Pirate from the recovery table. "Yes yes I know. But the legs are required amigo without them I cannot lead the foray in battle. The risks are greatly outweighed by the benefits. gentle replied.
*Flash*
The vision clearing Gentle opened the cargo bay doors of the torquemada using the Remote Navicom Enhancement. "Now for my titan" gentles custom titan appeared and smoothly drifted into the cargo.
"My time here is over. When I return I will be as the saviour and despoiler. Now one more thing.....MOTHER!"
The pirate with grimmace on face stepped aboard the torquemada and prepared to fly to Cadiz base and the hidden suite near the reactor. Word would have reached her now of his attrocities and he grinned showing his diamond and titanium filed teeth.
Gentle was old. Approaching a hundred years old Gentle felt less and less each moment that passed. His humanity was now a grain of sand in a barren desert that represented the slaughter and pain he had enfdured and dealt out over his time in life. Standing beneath the reactor core at Cadiz base Gentle entered the security protocol and used his enhanced cybernetic eye to register his presence before the nuclear blast proof room. A hermetically sealed and completely restricted room lay beyond. The room housed the pirate kings mother. As blast doors fell back the psychic waves and force almost buckled the metal legs of the pirate. Something had mutated his mother many years ago shortly after the reactor scarred her once beautiful body. The radiation had mutated her brain giving her a unique sense of prescience and foretelling. ***I KNOW WHY YOU COME HERE MY SON*** The message arrived in gentles mind and he looked at the bio tank at the back of the room. The grotesquely deformed figure floated in the tank suspended in fluids that preserved the organs and body of the ancient woman. Tubes emmitted bubbles occasionally and the woman shifted to watch the approaching pirate. ***It is time. Vengeance taker your time is now. I have a gift for you son. COME....*** Gentle compelled by the force of his mothers mind approached the tank unwillingly. He had been torn many years ago when his mothers 'Gift' had become evident as to wether he should allow her to live. She had fortold his building of the OPG and his rise but had also caused the deaths of several hundred corsairs by expending their life energy in the fortelling process. A hunder and twenty had dropped lifeless to the floor. Pysicians and medic concluded some kind of untraceable virus had been released in Cadiz as a terrorist exploit. Gentle knew that was not true. He had commissioned the sealed room to house his failing mother and to protect people from her awfull ability.
Gentle fell againt the glass of the bio pod. Helpless to prevent or resist. ***Now it is my time to die boy. And the gift is yours. When i lay this upon you you shall have the weight of humanity on you. All its greed, sorrow and pain will be yours. What is left of your mind im going to make into the ultimate machine to exact my revenge. Im going to turn you into the ultimate cybernetic machine with the sight of the stars and the ability to see the future. And what lies at the end..... Death***
The old pirate felt the womans mindforce slam him like a dreadnought and his body convulsed in agony as his cybernetic frame tried to resist the incoming barrage of humanities thoughts, feelings and greed. Gentle's head seemed to errupt briefly with emotions until his fragile mind blocked them out. A brief feeling of loss for his mother carressed his conscience. Then...RAGE!
Standing from the floor Gentle looked for the last time at the decrepid from in the bio tank. Gentle opened the tank and fluids spilled out and the form of the old womanflopped onto the floor like a stranded fish.
Gentle took the body of his mother who was coughing up fluids as he carried her. He stood outside the security blast doors an looked down into the reactor core cooling vents. Operating at 1000 degress celsius the coolants provided heating for the entire Base at cadiz.
"I am your salvation and you have cursed me mother. I give you my gift now. Death."
The body fell into the void for what seemed like an eternity until a faint flare could be seen as it entered the coolant system. The base light briefly dimmed as the reactors systems dulled to allow the excess heat to be vented into space.
Images began to arrive in Gentles mind. The murder of his mother now only a faint memory.
Now. Time to leave the corsairs. Time to find all those who bring about suffering and DESTROY. TIME TO KILL.
Gentle watched the activation of jumpgates via the Neural Net Processor's connection to the navisys. Each jumpgate winked briefly as disturbance in space time registered on the Matrix generated in the cybernetic implant. Each wink of light brough a feeling of urgency, expectation and in some cases trepidation from the humans abord the ships making the jump. Gentle chuckled at the pathetic emotions of the worms of space and reched out to touch the mind of a smuggler carrying cardamine to Liberty. A gentle touch from the pirate and the pilot decided the nearby sun was pretty.. so pretty. Minutes later the ships burned in the corona and 4 lives were ended. Gentle felt the release of the soul from its torment of cardamine abuse. 'I am the saviour and the reaper'.
Somewhere in the matrix a darker shape plotted its route through omicron Minor. The ghostship torquemada was under the subconscious control of the grim pirate and was making steady progress through the rock fields past Toledo. Gentle engaged the cruise engines and ensured the dreadnough remained out of visual and scanner range of patrols sent out by the order. A pair of small flashes were moving toward the Torquemada. Gentle reached into his psyche and felt for the humans soul pattern. Discovery of the intention to observe and report on the Dreadnought came as no surprise. Gentle touched the Captain of the bounty hunters mind and urged him to comm silence. Another urge to power down wepaons. Another gentle push to move the gunship in to the pretty structure. The toquemadas guns opened fire on the Gunboat and its crew of 7 were vaporised seconds later. Their souls floating free of the intention to slaughter they were released from their murderous ways. Gentle tried to register satisfaction and found nothing.
The pirates Titan floated near Skiros. Patrols nearby ignored him after his suggestions that his ship was a satelite registerd in the pilots brain. Providing only a couple of ships passed he could deflect attention. Almost as good as a cloaking device Gentle awaited the arrival of the support vessel carrying the superconductors required to install the dynamic armour on the torquemada.
Gentle watched the approach of the supply vessel and scrutinised the escorts. Damn! Skyelius and Montoya. Difficult minds to influence. Old and strong and confident in decision making. Gentle touched the mind of Skyelius and felt a wall of resistance. Pushing any harder would alert them to his intentions. Too late. Teh agile min of the murderous worm had sensed him and a twitch in his ships flight pattern moved the ship toward the Titan. Gentle powered up the weapons of his titan. "Hermano...haha. Remeber that Sky once upon a time that is what we were. Brothers of death. Murderors and killing machines. Its time for me to leave this stinking hole I have work to do. Humanity is sick and the corsairs are part of the sickness. Dont you see Sky? Dont you realise now why it must be so haha..hahaha...."
The battle with his old comrades had ended badly. Outnumbered and outgunned the titan had disintegrated around the Cybernetic body of the pirate. Synth Skin covered his face as he hit the void. Gentle watched the fusion reactor whir to 50% activity to maintain his life support. SKyelius turned his ship and anchored the tractor beam on the floating body of the pirate. A massive electric jolt passed down the emitter beam. The lights on the pirate went out.
Gentle awoke. Dim lights showed a spartan cell with one door and no windows. Leon... thought Gentle. Fools... this place cannot hold me. Gentle approached the door with the firm intention of smashing it with one punch from his hulking cybernetic frame. Adjusting the spectral filters and flicking through the unseen infra read and ultra violet highlighted a force field. "Damn it....again you prove your resourcefulness Sky. Or was it you Montoya. One day ill take your skins for a coat."
Gentle sat.
**Flash** gentle floated in space to the gaping maw of the hold of the torquemada **Flash**
"Ha haha. of course." Gentle swithced his sensor unit to maximum range. Several scanner blips showed human activity at the end of a corridor. His Cell lay at the end of the block closest to the outer skin of Leon. "Your not infallible at all I see hermanos."
A sweep of his neural net processor and a quick connection to the satelite systems nearby provided the metal monster with the location of the torquemada. Minutes later the dreadnought appeared only a few clicks away. Gentle began the business of dismantling the wall. Lumps of plasteel melted beneath the crushing power of the inhuman hands and alarms began to sound. Gentle upped the pace as his hands came to the reinforced stanchion that connected the outer skin to the bulkhead. "Thats it now for some extra juice" Gentle altered the output on the fusion reactor to %110 and gripped the stanchion. Bracing his feet against the bulkhead he began to prize the stanchion from the outer skin. Behind him the door opened and blaster shots richoched off the armoured skin of the pirate. "Too late fools....time you died hahaha haha" The Stanchion collapsed and the outer skin exploded out into space carrying the pirate and the two guards with it into the void. Gentle noted the beauty of the collapsed star and watched as the bodies of the two guards began to boil. The bodies expanded briefly until with an inaudible pop their bodies in almost perfect synchronisation exploded in a mass of boiling particles. Gentle smiled as their souls went free.
Turning over and over his body floated. A minor adjustment to the nav com of the torquemada and the gaping maw of its cargo hold opened and swallowed the minute figure like a hungry whale. gentle patched himself directly into the navicom and gunery computers and began a bombardment of Leon. Moving out of range of the station it was time to make good his escape.
The torquemada was gone. Gentle floated in space still recovering from a huge EMP overload. Basic life support functions had been maintained by well insulated secondary systems. Whoever or whatever had removed him from his ship had taken him utterly by surprise. *flash* Temple *Flash* The image appeared again as the one time pirate floated toward the jump hole. Beginning a reboot of his internal Navicom Gentle awaited the information to discover the nature of the Jump hole and its location. His body inexorably drawn toward the gravitational annomaly. Would his cybernetic body be able to cope with the gravitational pull if he entered the hole. Time would tell. *Flash* Your master awaits..... at the temple *Flash* Rage began to swell in the human remnant of gentle. By the seven hells humanity would suffer for this indignity. Bereft of his beloved torquemada and not even his favourite titan he was a machine with no purpose. Navicom systems came online and identified the approaching anomaly as Omicron.. Omicron.... a glitch thought Gentle. Whats wrong with this thing why is it malfunctioning. *Flash* Your limited to what we allow you now.... your purpose will be ours.... Temple...New master *Flash* ........ Something or someone was controlling the precience he had hoped would give him ultimate power. Could something out there have the ability to control his minds eye better than him. The rage swelled.... fury... helplessness. For the first time in a century Gentle was powerless to a force that was drawing him into an unknown system. All of his prior powers were broken and he was helpless to prevent a potentially lethal dose of gravity as he floated into the Jump hole. An erruption of colours and a sensation like he was being filed away to a point caused another bout of unconsciousness.
Large metal hands lifted him down from the elevated platform. Gentle viewed the dizzying heights of a temple above him. Dim purple and red lights glowed eerily in the distant roof and holo images painted the walls with past vicories of what seemed to be an unstoppable force. A glowing image of a planet with a massively devastated landscape flickered briefly on the wall to the left and pictures of huge piles of human bodies being burned en masse followed.
Gentle was slowly righted and stood for the first time since he lost consciousness. He looked down at his cybernetic frame. He had recieved armour enhancements and polyfibre plasteel upgrades to his vulnerable joints. An imaging array popped up in his minds eye showing a number of figures.
"Welcome to the temple of the Eidolon Gentle" A deep an heartless voice spoke from what seemed to be a viewing gallery hidden in shade and smoke.
"We have watched you for along time now. Your a despicable remnant of your former humanity. Your despise for all things is now our domain and you are subject to our control from this point onward. Your existence is our purpose and without our purpose will will not allow you to continue to have an existence."
"I serve no man...." Even the words seemed futile and the thought that these were not humans he was dealing with seemed immediately apparent to the cybernetic psychopath. "I am ..... not used to this and my understanding is that you have something you wish me to accomplish. I will decide if i want to do this thing." Gentle defiantly stood and faced the dark hooded figure.
"NO! while you were unconscious you were fitted with a device. I can shut down your reactor core at any time. Additionally i could overload it and blow you up like a nuke mine. At any point in the future or present know that i hold your frail humanity in my hand. You are MY servant now. Your purpose is to kill. To destroy and maim and kidnapp and torture when I tell you to do it. Your purpose is ours and we welcome you as a brother for we are so alike we could share the same soul. You will find the Phantoms a blessing and a release. Madness and rage will now be your allies."
Gentle pondered the words. It didnt seem to bad and any host that could provide this level of technology would be worth learning from... for now.
"I will serve you and myself until i know more"
"All is well then" the cold voice rumbled.
A door opened to a hangar and a Praetorian bomber stood in the landing deck. "I believe you are familiar with this vessel. You will be required to take down a target later today. The ship will be your quarters for now. You will be provided with other facilities as we see fit. Kill well and disrupt the houses supplies and break their supply lines in liberty for now. Further details of missions will be given to you soon. SHould you die then dont worry. Ill make sure you go out with a bang."
The dimly lit figure faded into the darkness and the minders who had taken him from the platform moved out of sight.
The enormity of what had been put upon the old pirate hit him like a nomad battleship gun.
A phantom... he was a phantom...
A grin spread across the face and his filed diamond teeth glittered with spittle as he laughed long and hard.
Humanities sickness could be expolited and destroyed. now he had the support to take on everything he despised in humanity.
Months had passed and Gentles degraded humanity had inflicted death and toruture on many innocent humans. Over 400 pairs of eyes had been collected. Gentle surveyed his collection. The kusari woman with the almond eyes and lovely brown iris had shrivelled into a warped fig like parody of its former beauty. gentle carefully set the eyes back into the skull of the lovely woman. Kileld in her prime with a crushing blow to the ribcage. gentle had watched the life seeping from her as her diaphragm had failed from the shocking blow. Fond memories of her pleas for life had amused Gentle.
Gentle looked around the room and looked at the two struggling Junkers. Bound with the entrails of his previous victim terror and pain was evident in their eyes.
gentle looked deep into the eyes of the struggling captain. Such a deep blue *Flash* A boy swimming in the sea at a resort in Kurile *Flash* A feeling of joy plucked from the soul of his victim gentle smiled at the captived remembered pleasure as the life drained from the veins of his neck. Blood pumped from the gaping wound made by the sacrificial knife. *Flash* The birth of a child *Flash* So this one had a family. In time Gentle would find them and free their corrupt souls. *Flash* The junker vessel was opening fire on a phantom near beaumont *Flash*
"AAAAGH! There now the truth at last..... My pretty sweet your guilty and charged and I have administered the revenge of the temple upon you" The Shining metal face closed on the twitching body of the Junker as the last dregs of blood seeped from his neck. gentle watched with satisfaction and felt the junekrs soul go free.
"Peace manthing.....peace......I am your saviour....you are free my trophy....your eyes and skull my keepsake and devotion"
proximity alarms sound and the Phantom smiles as the temple of the Eidolon appears on the view screen.
*Welcome destroyer and lost one we have awaited your return*
Gentle feels warmth and glory spreading as the ship takes a pre destined route to the docking port.
*Your efforts to disrupt the junkers and houses recently have been noteworthy....you have gained power and glory for the temple my devoted servant where will you spread our message next*
"masters.....i have a thing I must find. My toy. My lost puppet. Angelfire....the nomads are shielding him........... their experiment he is of value to us and we must have him. He is the candle and the spark and I have seen and felt his pain. Its beautiful. I will find him and bring him to you."
*You have done well......pusue this plaything and take the temples blessing.....begone destroyer*
Gentle punched in new co- ordinates and emptied the cargo hold contents with its gruesome aspect into the contained assigned to him.
Alaska......I feel you Angelfire......Your aura is shining again. i will find you and make you mine.
A wake of destroyed ships lay just outside of the hijacked lane to Planet Denver. Several mammoths and a couple of escorts ships had left flotsam floating just outside of the gravitational grip of the tradelane like a necklace of smouldering metal. Gentle absentmindedly unscrewed the head of the escort ships pilot as he checked long range scanners.
System gabble came across on the open comms. "This is liberty Navy Alpha 21 Illinois Cruiser reporting. Civilian Traffic be aware we have an extremely hostile vessel between New York Jumpgate and Denver Avoid the lane at all costs......"
Gentle chuckled and engaged cruise heading and headed for the jump hole to Kepler. Before long Colorado would be swarmed with bravos looking to give his armour a polish. For now Ames would provide a brief respite and gentle deided to have a few drinks. Looking down at the newly separated head....he decided to wash too.
No one asked any questions when he docked. his presence silenced the docking crews and he slipped into a quiet area in the bar. A bottle of whisky was left at his desk and the barman slunk away without speaking a word.
gentle proceeded to annihilate the bottle of whisky which was replaced again without a word. Turning down the strength of his cybernetic blood filters Gentle began to experience the beginnings of a drunken stupor and burst into song.
Fire ripped across the bar in a stream of crimson and umber tongues. A man fully alight ran toward gentle and collapsed at the entrance to his private booth eyes smouldering in his head. gentle turned his head to appreciate the agony of the fire encrusted victim as the impending corpse kicked its last life. A beatific smile spread across the phantoms face as he appreciated the gruesome death.
Another jet of fire erupted in a stream and soaked another two victims as they surged for the exit. A screamed curse in...kusari came from ... a womans voice. The limited view from the booth amused Gentle. He appreciated the tease of not knowing as much as the destruction being brough down on the victims. More curses and screaming.....how delightful such a pretty scene...fire everywhere burning people running around in frantic panic.....truly wonderful.
Filtering sound gentle intercepted the accelerated heartbeat of the woman. Closer...closer.....A slim frame and a kusari strut she came into view..holding a plasma fire thrower. The Kusari woman clad in flight suit and Plasma packs turned to watch Gentle. gentle smiled. Fire erupted toward him and licked him like a loving puppy. Gentle stood and bathed himself in fire as his clothes burned away to reveal his cyber frame. The cold fusion reactor barked into life and began venting excess heat.
Like a coiled Cretian mountain adder Gentle sprang. Within half a second Gentle covered the 15 feet and stuck his finger into the barrel end of the Plasma thrower.
"hello there pretty eyes. Such lovely almond eyes you have. And such an interesting outlook on life." the phantoms free hand shot out and grabbed the woman by her breast. Lifting her from the floor she began to squeal obscenities.
"Shhhh now no need for that......tell me your name.....tell my why you appeal to me so...... pretty eyes.... woman.. explain yourself before....I kill you"
