Capítulo 1

Mechanical Mandibles

The city of Mercatus boiled with the bustle of intergalactic markets. Aromas of unknown spices and the shouting of merchants filled the air. Castor Pollux stayed alert. Among the crowd, his eyes scanned the merchandise stalls as he walked beside Bellatrix, who moved with the dangerous grace of a lioness stalking prey. Lotus, as always, looked like a tower of muscle and bad temper, and his eight-foot height made the crowd naturally part at his passing.

“This place feels like an oven,” Lotus grumbled, wiping his forehead as he dodged a vendor trying to place a necklace of phosphorescent stones around his neck. “All this just for a few replacement parts, Bounty Hunter?”

Castor smirked.
“Better to be prepared, Lotus. You never know when you’ll have to repair the ship… or run from an army.”

The heat of Mercatus was a tangible, suffocating weight that accumulated between the packed market stalls. Around them, the bustle of merchants and travelers created a tapestry of languages and dialects that Castor recognized only partially. It was his first time on that frontier-world, and although the objective was to get replacement parts for the ship, the atmosphere of the market kept Castor, Bellatrix, and Lotus in constant alert.

Bellatrix, with her brow slightly furrowed, swept a quick look around, evaluating the crowd.
“Something’s not right…” she murmured. “I feel something strange in the air.”

Castor had already noticed several men moving cautiously among the people, their faces hidden behind turbans and dark robes. Their hands held large wicker baskets that seemed heavier than normal, and their focus stayed fixed on certain areas of the market. They were discreet presences, but the pattern of their movements was unmistakable.

“You mean our friends in black?” Castor commented, without taking his eyes off one of the men.

Suddenly, one of them stopped, set the basket on the ground and, with quick movements, removed the lid and tilted it, dumping its contents: a wave of tiny mechanical ants that spread across the floor, moving in organized swarms that seemed to have a clear objective.

Bellatrix stepped back, her eyes widening in surprise as a few ants crawled up her boot.
“What kind of monstrosity is this…?”

Meanwhile, other turbaned men repeated the same pattern at different points of the plaza, opening their baskets and releasing more mechanical ant swarms. In seconds, the market erupted into chaos. The creatures, though not lethal, spread quickly, causing irritation and confusion among merchants and customers.

The first screams erupted when the ants began crawling up the buyers’ legs, cutting through fabrics and brushing skin with their tiny blades.

Lotus, frowning, looked toward the direction where the turbaned men were beginning to disappear into the crowd, their empty baskets abandoned among the chaos.
“Are we chasing them, or are we staying to squash insects?”

Bellatrix crushed several ants still trying to climb up her boot and shot Castor a quick glance, waiting for his decision.

“I think it’s obvious. I’m not letting them leave without knowing who they are,” Castor said.

Without further hesitation, the team began pushing through the crowd, dodging terrified merchants and panicked customers as they tried to follow the trail of the turbaned men. The plaza transformed into a field of confusion, and the screams of alarm and the metallic buzzing of the mechanical ants surrounded them as they advanced, determined to discover who had unleashed that unexpected plague.

Castor Pollux moved forward with agility, dodging the crowd that fled in all directions. Behind him, Bellatrix and Lotus followed closely, keeping their eyes fixed on the turbaned men slipping through the chaos. The market, chaotic by nature, had become a boiling mass of screams and frantic running.

“This market was already a disaster without the bugs,” Lotus grumbled as he crushed another mechanical ant crawling up his boot. “Damn things, they seem to multiply with every step.”

Castor watched closely as the turbaned men moved with precision—they were following a premeditated plan. They slipped between merchants scrambling to save their goods, disappearing into the mass of people with astonishing speed.

“They’re not staying to enjoy their work,” Castor confirmed.

Bellatrix, without breaking stride, shoved a merchant who ran into her path. The figure of one of the turbaned men blurred in the distance, turning sharply into a side alley.

“There!” she exclaimed, pointing to where he had vanished.

Castor exchanged a quick glance with Bellatrix and Lotus; his expression was tense and determined.
“This way. We can’t lose them. We need to find out what they’re up to.”

The team rushed toward the alley, but the path was harder than expected. The area was packed; merchants and customers pushed desperately to escape the swarm of ants, which continued spreading like an unstoppable wave. The creatures climbed walls, slid between merchandise, and their metallic buzzing seemed to resonate throughout the market.

When they finally reached the alley, all they found were closed doors and the long shadows of the stone walls. Castor scanned both directions, but the turbaned men seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“They disappeared?” Lotus growled, frustration heavy in his tone.

Castor pressed his lips together, evaluating the situation.
“No many options here. Maybe we can learn something if we analyze some of these ants.”

Bellatrix nodded seriously.
“Makes sense. Quintus should be able to tell us something useful.”

With precise movements, the team collected several mechanical ants, using the containment capsules attached to their belts. The creatures writhed inside the capsules, their tiny jaws scraping against the transparent walls in a futile attempt to escape.

As they moved away from the market, the metallic buzzing began fading, transforming into a murmur that felt like it lingered in the shadows. However, the sense of unease didn’t leave them. They had arrived at Mercatus with the simple intention of getting replacement parts for the ship, but were leaving with something far more dangerous than they had ever expected.

Back aboard the Centurion 1, Castor Pollux brushed the dust of Mercatus off his suit, trying to shake off the chaos of the market as well. The echo of the screams and metallic buzzing still clung to his mind. Bellatrix and Lotus followed, covered in soot, with the same mixture of exhaustion and contained fury.

Quintus awaited them amid glowing screens, his hair disheveled and his eyes wide from tension. Beside him, Aurora’s hologram floated serenely, casting a cold light over the scientist’s sweaty face.

“Here’s your gift, Professor,” Castor said, placing the capsule in front of him. “Mercatus is in ruins because of these things.”

Quintus leaned forward, trembling. The reflected glow danced across his lenses. On the laboratory table, the crystal capsules vibrated nonstop. Inside, the tiny mechanical ants writhed as if sharing a single consciousness. Their metallic legs scraped the glass with a sharp screech, a sound that sent shivers down the spine.

“This… this is not common technology,” he murmured, activating the scanner. “It’s advanced biotechnology—metal fused with synthetic tissue. Nothing a merchant could build.”

Bellatrix folded her arms.
“And who could make them?”

Aurora enlarged the holographic image of the circuits.
“I detect traces of remote-control signal. Energy pulses of unknown origin.”

Quintus straightened, his voice trembling.
“I’ve seen this pattern before!” he exclaimed, pointing at the connection knots. “It’s Drusila’s signature.”

The name dropped like a stone. Castor clenched his jaw.
“Her again…” he muttered. “She can’t stay quiet even in the depths of hell.”

Quintus nodded with a grave gesture.
“This is only a test, a demonstration. If she perfects the system, she could control full swarms from anywhere in the universe.”

Aurora projected a series of waves in the air.
“My analysis confirms it. They receive orders from a master signal… and they haven’t disconnected.”

“The signal from the ants you brought is still active. The others can track it here.”

A cold silence filled the cabin.

Then Aurora lifted her head, her violet eyes flickering with a warning glow.
“I detect movement on the hull.”

The buzzing returned. At first it was a murmur, then a tiny roar, like metallic rain over steel. Castor and Bellatrix exchanged a look. Lotus stepped closer to the screen.

“Unusual movement?” he growled.

Aurora projected the image: the ship covered by a swarm of bright points. The ants climbed like a living tide, welding and drilling through the hull seams.

“They’re trying to get in,” Aurora informed. “They have located the ventilation ducts and the auxiliary power port.”

A crack shook the floor. The air filled with a pungent smell of burnt metal. Castor stepped back, feeling the vibration under his boots.

“They’re not waiting for an invitation,” he said in a low voice.

The sound became thunder. The walls shook as the creatures drilled through the cargo bay hatch. Metal rose in incandescent shards.

Bellatrix turned to Castor, her eyes ablaze.
“Looks like the battle came looking for us.”

Castor was already running toward the cargo bay, Gladius in hand, followed by Lotus and Bellatrix.

The first breach opened with an unbearable screech. From it emerged a brilliant wave, a torrent of tiny bodies that poured onto the floor like a living tide.

The swarm advanced.

Castor struck with the Gladius in hammer mode; Bellatrix did the same, and Lotus, with his Gladius in club mode, crushed them, using his boots as well. For every one they destroyed, hundreds more arrived. The pace was unsustainable.

Lotus staggered back, arms raised.
“By all the gods!”

The ants covered him instantly. His legs twitched beneath a layer of metallic shine that climbed toward his torso. The tiny blades cut through his armor, tore leather, and bit skin. Lotus roared, shaking in vain.

Bellatrix tried to pull them off with her hands, but another current of insects launched onto her, wrapping around her arms and neck. Her breathing grew ragged. Every movement attracted more.

Castor joined the fight, ripping handfuls of the creatures off his suit, feeling the heat of living metal against his skin. The buzzing was deafening, a chorus of microscopic engines consuming the air.

Aurora confirmed:
“I cannot contain them.”

“Aurora!” Castor shouted. “Seal the compartments!”

“I cannot,” the voice replied, cold and distant. “They are everywhere.”

Lotus fell to his knees, roaring in frustration as the creatures clung to his back. Bellatrix tried to reach him, but her body was already covered up to her shoulders.

The air grew unbearable, saturated with the smell of metal and ozone. Castor felt the world shrinking around him, the buzzing rising into a single piercing scream.

The last image he saw was Aurora’s silhouette flickering in the air.

Then, nothing but the sound of the swarm.
And silence.

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Sobre esta serie:

Relatos cortos pulp dentro del universo Imperium.

Cada libro es una aventura autoconclusiva protagonizada por Castor Pollux en un planeta distinto, enfrentando nuevos enemigos, peligros y misterios. Puedes comenzar por cualquiera.