U.S.S. Corsair - NX-011979
Nebula II Prototype
“Sic Parvis Magna”
(Greatness From Small Beginnings)
“Foxes & Hounds – Part 8”
________________________________
Ramius pulled himself from the sand wiping his bleeding lip with the sleeve of his uniform. Contempt for this being known to him only as Gabriel burned in his eyes fueled by a heart, mind, and soul determined to eradicate the curse of an ancient civilization long since gone from the Galaxy. Their genetic legacy had the potential to bring ruin to the universe. If it had not been for Ramius’s parent’s undying love for their children then the universe would be safe from the horrors that swam within his blood and the blood of his identical twin brother.
Each twin, two halves of the whole, held the genetic keys required to resurrect an ancient harbinger that the NeoDyne Defense Corporation so desperately sought. The alien genetic code could turn normal humanoids into terrifying biological weapons with immense speed, strength, and endurance. A genetically enhanced and augmented humanoid armed with the genome of a long, gone alien race would easily outclass the Galaxy’s best warriors. Armies of such being if manufactured and used would be nearly unstoppable. Ramius feared that NeoDyne was quietly working to develop and build just such an army to unleash upon the universe fulfilling the mad desires of its leader to seize absolute power and dominion over all.
Was it possible NeoDyne and its limitless resources had reconstructed the genetic keys of the extinct alien race required to augment a humanoid? NeoDyne only had half of the puzzle. They had blood samples of his twin brother Aiden due to his capture as a child, but they did not have Ramius’s half of the genetic puzzle which he had fiercely guarded for over thirty years. Was it possible they had succeeded with only half of the equation? If they had and this Gabriel was truly the product of such research then all he had fought against for so long had been in vain.
“Do you believe that an artificial being created by human hands and spawned in a test tube can best the genuine article”, Ramius stated regaining his composure. Gabriel was indeed fast, but Ramius hoped his intelligence and cunning ended where his strength and speed began.
“Artificial? I am standing here before you am I not? I am as real as you Ramius. What do I care from whence I came into being? Do you remember your birth? No! What is a mother, father, or childhood compared to possessing powers that men can only dream of? My lifespan is double perhaps triple that of a normal human. I am faster, smarter, and stronger! Injuries heal in half the time. I am resistant to disease and immune to many sicknesses. Artificial! I am the template of what is to come! Humanity will clamor to possess my abilities.
You are only a mere shadow of what I represent. Your abilities were an accident, a side effect of therapy that was only intended to cure a childhood disease. Don’t look so surprised Ramius! I know everything about you and your pathetic brother. You are an outdated and irrelevant medical accident and I intend of rectifying your doctor’s mistakes tonight by ending your meddlesome life.”
“Those are large words coming from a puppet! If you are superior to humanity then why do you allow yourself to be controlled and utilized by such inferior beings? Why bow to their petty demands? Why submit to their will?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Nice try Ramius. Nice try. NeoDyne is not my enemy, you however, are.”
“Are you sure”, Ramius quickly countered. “They will use you and your abilities to advance their own positions and when you are no longer needed or are replaced by an even more advanced manufactured being you will be discarded and cast aside. They care nothing for you!”
“LIAR”, Gabriel shouted back. “He would never let that happen! Without my father, NeoDyne would have nothing! They would not dare attempt to move against either of us!”
“Once NeoDyne has what it wants you and your so called father will be as good as gone. I can guarantee such a thing will come to pass.”
“Enough talking. I grow tired of you and your lies.”
Anger, hatred, and fear combined and compressed inside Ramius to form a key he was again forced to use. Locked deep within was a door Ramius kept tightly sealed and behind it were the unnatural abilities that had been woven into his soul. He had no choice but to unleash his demon to protect himself and the universe from NeoDyne’s latest abomination. Gripping the key, Ramius pushed it into the lock and unleashed his other half.
He sucked in a breath as power filled his body as it rode a wave of adrenaline. Strength, power, and confidence flooded his human frame as alien cells rapidly awoke and asserted themselves. Mental acuteness increased. Sight, smell, touch, and hearing sharpened. Ramius exhaled and glared at his doppelganger from behind eyes that had changed from blue to red.
His phenomenal abilities were not without a price. They were limited in duration. Ramius had at best fifteen to thirty minutes before his alien half began overwhelming a human body that was ill equipped to deal with alien abilities. The blessing that had saved his life as a child could easily kill him if he pushed himself too far.
“It is time to end this Ramius. Show me what you have!”
With inhuman swiftness, Ramius dashed to one side narrowly avoiding Gabriel’s equally rapid and powerful assault. The man’s swiftness and ferocity surprised even Ramius who was seldom touchable in hand-to-hand combat.
“You are slow old man”, Gabriel shouted wearing a large grin. “This should be fun.”
Dodging another attack, Ramius felt an unrelenting fist slam into his torso its force knocking him into the air. Hitting the sand, Ramius quickly regained his footing only to see Gabriel charging his position as a cloud of dust rose up behind him. He rolled down a sandy embankment coming to a stop at the bottom of a steep sand dune only narrowing dodging another attack. Gabriel was indeed fast. His speed was a match if not superior to Ramius’s own. For the first time since his childhood, Ramius felt the unfamiliar pang of fear.
Nearby were the ruins of ancient Vulcan buildings. Their stone remnants still resisted the shifting Vulcan sands and Ramius quickly made his way for them hoping tactics and surprise could best his enemy. If they could not he could take solace in the knowledge that the Corsair and her weaponry were the endgame scenario should he fail.
________________________________
Captain Taverain Ramius
Commanding Officer, USS Corsair
Gabriel
???
http://usscharon.com/index.php?title=USS_Corsair
http://usscharon.com/index.php?title=Taverain_Ramius
