PSO2: Legend of Aki [Updated 5/25/14]

[CelestialBlade]

Thanks for the props babe <3 That was a pretty awesome fight scene and the music fit it really well, specifically for the first part of the Omega fight when things weren't going so well. Akis are persistent!

I also really love fiery scenes. The lab/base in a volcano, the huge chamber with vats of molten metal, those are awesome atmospheres. Of course I like fire in general :P

[stukasa]

Part 4 is up~

@CelestialBlade: You're welcome, and thanks!

[CelestialBlade]

Spoiler!

Carry on, Aki...

So that was basically just a prequel, I can definitely see how your story got to as many chapters as it has. Your music choices did an incredible job of setting the atmosphere of urgency, and then sadness

It also totally just hit me, from seeing Aki02's portrait, that you wrote in a storyline reason behind you giving her short hair some months ago Nicely done.

[stukasa]

Updated with Part 5, now called Episode 2.1! It's the start of a new story arc, I hope you enjoy it~

EPISODE 2.1 [8/3/13]

Spoiler!

[/b][/u]

LEGEND OF AKI: EPISODE 2: DARK RISING

Location: Oracle Fifth Fleet, Colony Ship 29, a.k.a. "Orpheus"...

Aki's bangs whipped in front of her face as she stood on top of the moving levi-train as it made its route around the edge of the city within the great dome of the colony ship. Directly in front of her, to the side of the train and several city blocks away, was her target.

Darker. That was what they called its kind, but no one had ever seen a Darker like this before. Easily a hundred meters tall, with six massive legs and covered in jet black armor plates, its sudden and unexpected appearance on the colony ship had generated an immediate Class 1 emergency alert. Now it was up to the soldiers to stop it. It was up to Aki.

"Aki, come in."
She heard Zack's voice through her ear piece and replied, "I'm here."
"I'm almost in position. Get ready."
"Understood."

Aki got down on one knee and raised her sniper rifle to eye level. The levi-train's track was high enough that she had an almost-unobstructed view of the city--and the monster laying waste to it. She was ready. Now the only thing she could do was wait.

Spoiler!

* * * * * * * * *

Far below, and much closer to the danger, the rest of Aki's team was in the midst of battle. Half a block away, one of the giant monster's legs smashed through a residential housing complex. Good thing they had managed to evacuate this section already. The only people left were a few scattered ARKS teams and members of the local police force. At present they were all engaged against dozens of spider-like Dagans, a smaller breed of Darker closer in size to a human.

Zack shouted down the street at Faris and Tam'rin. "Hold them off just a little longer!"
Tam'rin smashed a Dagan on the head with his rod. "We'll do our best!"

Spoiler!

Zack hoisted his rocket launcher over his shoulder and started running in the opposite direction. Out of the corner of his eye he saw several battles being waged in the side streets. When he had gone far enough, he stopped and turned to face the colossus behind him. One of its legs came crashing down on the other side of the street, its body now directly over the center of the boulevard. Perfect. He got down on one knee and aimed the launcher at the spot where the Darker's two massive chest plates came together.

Then he turned on his radio. "Aki."
"I'm ready."
"Good. We may only get one shot at this, so be sure to make it count. I'll fire on three."
He steadied his launcher.
"Ready?
One...
Two..."

"Wait." One of the few buildings tall enough to obstruct Aki's view passed in front of her, but a moment later the train was past it. "Okay, I'm clear."

"Three!"
With incredible force, the rocket left Zack's launcher and flew straight into the chest of the beast, creating a massive explosion over the heart of the city. The Darker reared back and bellowed, caught off guard by the blast.

As the smoke cleared, Aki could see a gaping crater where the thing's chest plates had been. In the center of that crater, glowing red and still beating, was its bulbous heart. Its only weak spot. Even as she lined up the shot with her rifle, she could see its armor plates beginning to regenerate. In a few seconds, its exposed heart would be completely covered again.

She didn't intend to lose her chance. She pulled the trigger once and the round left her gun, flying an astonishing distance and striking the monster right in the heart. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the incendiary round exploded and the heart burst into flames. The Darker wailed in its death throes, thrashing about and finally collapsing to the boulevard beneath it, dead.

* * * * * * * * *

[/b][/u]

"What are you saying, Colonel?"
"I'm saying this is a new strain of Darker not seen before. Its size and abilities are not consistent with any known species. We've encountered various types with extremely hard armor plating, but this regenerative ability is something different entirely."
One of the councilors turned his head towards Colonel Richter. "And what does that mean to us?"
"I'm not sure. But it suggests to me that the Darkers may be... evolving."
"Evolving?"
"That's right."
"Evolving into what?"
"I wish I knew, Councilor. Whatever it is, you can be sure of one thing: It's bad news for us."

Spoiler!

Clearly unconvinced, Councilor Attras spoke up from the back of the assembly room. "If that were true we would have received a report from the research division. General Bartel wouldn't--"
"Wouldn't what, Councilor?" Richter interrupted. "Conceal highly sensitive information to prevent a panic? Are you certain of that?" He turned to the other council members. "Are all of you certain?"
The councilors glanced around nervously. Richter spread his hands. "Besides, the Ur is currently attached to the First Fleet. Do you really think they give a damn about us out here on the fringe? Assuming the research division is even aware of this--and that's still a big 'if'--I'm not convinced they would tell us. Are you?"

Murmurs erupted around the room. Richter looked back and forth, then continued speaking.
"In light of this recent attack, and given the evidence I have presented today, I urge you--no, I demand you--to give this Darker crisis the attention it deserves. Today's attack was nothing less than a declaration of war against this ship, and next time we might not be so lucky."
Attras cleared his throat. "Colonel, you are in no position to demand anything from us. Nevertheless, we will take what you showed us here today seriously."
And with that, the meeting was adjourned.

* * * * * * * * *

"Walk with me."
Aki and Zack followed Colonel Richter as he walked down the corridor to his office. They stepped inside and Richter sat down behind his large wooden desk. He straightened the front of his uniform and looked up at them with tired eyes.
"You did good work today."
It was Zack who replied. "Thank you, sir."
"How is the rest of your team?"
"In the hospital. Faris and Tam'rin were injured, but they'll survive."
"Good, good. I don't want to lose any more soldiers to these monsters."

Suddenly Richter burst into a fit of coughing. He leaned forward in his chair, clutching his chest. Zack took a step forward to help but Richter put out his hand to stop him.
"Colonel, are you okay?"
He coughed again, but had it under control now. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You look a little pale."
Richter's voice took on a hard tone. "Of course I look pale, the Orpheus was almost ripped to pieces by that damned infernal thing!"
"Colonel, I..."
"No, I'm sorry. It's been a long day, for everyone. I think the stress is starting to get to me."
"We can return later if you prefer," Aki suggested mildly.
"Thank you, but no, I need you here now. The crisis has been resolved for the moment, but this situation is far from over."

They waited for him to continue.
Richter gritted his teeth. "Unfortunately, those idiots on the council are too thick-headed to see the danger before us. They've grown complacent and are too eager to let other ships handle the Darker threat. By the time they decide to act, it will be too late. That's why I need your help."
"Sir?" Zack raised an eyebrow.
The colonel spoke slowly but deliberately, his words taking on an air of gravity. "Make no mistake, we are at war. The Darkers may seem like mindless beasts, but I know the truth. They are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and they have an agenda. What that agenda is, I do not know. What I do know is that we cannot wait for another tragedy like this--" He thrust a finger towards the window. "--to happen again. To win this war, we're going to have to take the fight to them. And do you know what is the most important weapon we need right now?"
Aki and Zack remained silent.
Richter laced his fingers together. "Knowledge. Knowledge is our most important weapon. If you don't understand your enemy, how can you expect to beat him? To that end, I have a new mission for you."

Richter stood and picked up a small remote control from his desk. As he walked over to the holographic projector, he pressed a button on the remote and a series of charts and graphs appeared. Colorful bars were fluctuating up and down.
"What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential. It doesn't leave this room, understood?"
Aki and Zack replied in unison. "Yes, sir."
"As you know, photon energy exists on a spectrum, much in the same way that light has waves and sound has frequencies. Different parts of the spectrum have different properties. But here is where it gets interesting. An accidental discovery by a photon researcher, Dr. Veruvias, led to an interesting observation: It seems that Darkers have an uncanny attraction to a narrow band of the spectrum. They seem compelled to seek it out. Why this is, we do not know."
"That's interesting, Colonel, but how does it help us?"
Richter regarded Zack for a moment. "Bait. Come with me, there's something I need to show you."

* * * * * * * * *

The elevator descended from the top floor of the ARKS Command tower all the way to its base--and kept going, plunging deep into the bowels of the great colony ship. When it finally stopped, Colonel Richter and his two guests stepped into an area that didn't exist on any map.

They walked past rows of tubes and tanks filled with various specimens, evidently part of some testing facility. At the far end of the room, Richter punched a security code into the wall terminal and the heavy door lifted up. Inside, Aki noticed that the walls pulsed with a faint glow. In the center of the room stood a single transparent cell, or maybe it would be more accurately called a box. The cell contained a single occupant, a Dagan. The four-legged Darker regarded them with glowing red eyes but otherwise made no movement.

"Don't look so surprised," Richter said, catching their expressions. "As I said, knowledge is our most important weapon. I intend to use every resource at my disposal."
Zack took a cautious step toward the cell, studying the Dagan. "How'd you manage this, Colonel? I mean, I thought the Darkers used some kind of portals... inter-dimensional travel, or whatever you call it. Why hasn't this one escaped like that?"
"This place is... shielded. A defense measure I had installed for safety. Now, watch this." The colonel picked up a black case from a shelf on the wall. He opened it and removed the small blue crystal that was inside.

The Dagan in the cell began chirping and pacing back and forth. Aki and Zack looked from the crystal to the Dagan, then back to the crystal.
Richter held it up. "Do you know what this is?"
"A photon crystal."
Richter turned to Aki. "That's right. But not just any crystal. This one is special, the kind I told you about. It's also rare, difficult to find in nature and expensive to manufacture. That's why I need you for this mission. I want you to accompany Dr. Veruvias to Barri'seti IV to recover more crystals."
Aki nodded. "Yes, sir."
Richter smiled back at her. "Good, I'm glad I can count on your support. Now then, the real show is about to begin."

He walked to the far side of the room and placed the crystal in a large cylindrical device. "A photon reactor," he explained. "When I turn it on, it will begin converting the crystal into photon energy. Watch."
Richter pressed a button and the reactor hummed to life.
Suddenly the Dagan began throwing itself violently against the transparent walls of its cell. Its ear-piercing shrieks caused Zack to cover his ears. It slammed into the wall again and again, the fringes of its exoskeleton beginning to splinter and crack from the damage, yet it wouldn't stop. Was it madness that drove the creature, simple instinct, or something else? Whatever it was, they needed to find out.

Richter shut down the reactor. His point had been made.



TO BE CONTINUED

[CelestialBlade]

Hah, caught the reference This is an exciting new arc, looking forward to more as always. New Darkers are something I've thought of too, looking forward to whatever other cool things you've come up with.

[Zorafim]

Reference? Well, I feel out of the loop now.

[stukasa]

Hah, caught the reference This is an exciting new arc, looking forward to more as always. New Darkers are something I've thought of too, looking forward to whatever other cool things you've come up with.

I was going to ask your permission in advance, but when I thought about your reaction upon reading it, I couldn't resist keeping it a surprise. Hopefully you don't mind me doing something like that. I figured you wouldn't since it's really nothing more than mentioning a name. Everything else that was said was just speculation and fearmongering. Plus, I thought it might be fun for the few people who happen to read both stories to think that they might be taking place in the same world (well I mean duh, since it's PSO2, but you know what I mean).

@Zorafim: I mentioned one of the characters from her fanfic in my latest chapter.

[stukasa]

Updated with Episode 2.2~

EPISODE 2.2 [8/10/13]

Spoiler!

PREVIOUSLY, ON "LEGEND OF AKI"...
After Aki's team defeats the colossal Darker attacking Orpheus, Colonel Richter sends Aki, Zack, and Dr. Veruvias on a mission to Barri'setti IV to find a rare type of photon crystal.

[/b][/u]

- Fifteen hours later -

Barri'seti IV, an abandoned colony world...

The camp ship shuddered as it descended through the planet's atmosphere.
"Urgh, this part always makes me queasy." Dr. Veruvias looked away from the viewport, his face slightly green.
Zack just laughed. "C'mon Doc, it ain't that bad!"
"Tell that to my stomach!"

Spoiler!

Aki wasn't paying any attention to the Doctor's stomach problems. She was looking out at the growing landscape of Barri'seti IV, a dusty reddish world with little to offer in the way of water or vegetation. The planet had once been a thriving mining colony, supplying the Oracle fleet with heavy metals and photon crystals. When the mines started to dry up, so did the economy. People began packing up in droves, eventually leaving the entire planet empty and abandoned. The mines were still down there, though, and hopefully so were the photon crystals they needed.

Spoiler!

* * * * * * * * *

Three bluish-white streaks shot down from the camp ship, dissolving into the three team members as they impacted the surface of the planet.

They began walking towards the entrance to the mine. Even though it was the middle of the day, the sun was hidden behind the vast dust clouds blowing across the sky. In the distance, a cluster of pre-fab living quarters stood silently, abandoned long ago. Small pebbles blown by the wind rolled across the barren ground. If there was one word that could sum up Barri'seti IV, it was desolation.

They reached the mine entrance and Zack turned to Aki. "Stay alert. We don't know what might be inside."
She nodded in agreement.
"Oh, don't worry," Veruvias remarked nonchalantly, "I've been here before, remember? We have nothing to be afraid of, I assure you. There's a metal gate just ahead, it keeps out any wildlife that wander too close to the mine."
"That gate?" Aki pointed down the passage at a gate, a gate which was clearly open.
"Oh dear..." Veruvias adjusted his glasses.
"Forgot to lock up last time you were here, Doc?" Zack smirked.
"No, I'm sure I closed that gate on my way out. Yes, quite sure."
Aki tilted her head slightly. "Then it seems someone else has been here since your last visit."
"This mine has been abandoned for years. I can't think of anyone who would want to come here..."
Zack gripped his rifle a little tighter. "Then like I said, we'd better stay alert. Just in case."

* * * * * * * * *

[/b][/u]

As they moved deeper inside the mine, the trio found no resistance or signs of anything amiss. Dr. Veruvias quickly forgot his fears and slipped back into his usual spirited demeanor.
"This area has already been cleared of deposits. We're going to have to get to the lower level if we hope to find any photon crystals. Come along, then! Onward!"
Zack shot an amused glance at Aki but said nothing.
Veruvias continued talking as they walked: "It's very curious about those Darkers and the blue band photons, isn't it? Makes you wonder what they want with it. For all we know, maybe it's food to them and they're simply hungry!"
"I don't know about that, Doc. I've never seen another creature go crazy for a meal like that, no matter how hungry it was. Plus, it didn't really get riled up until Richter put the crystal in the reactor."
"Ah, good point. In that case, your guess is as good as, uh, mine. When we get back, I'll prepare a new round of experiments. Assuming the crystals aren't stolen this time!"
That caught Aki's attention. "Stolen?"
"Yes, practically the whole batch. Strange thing about it, too. I had other materials in my lab but the thief only took the crystals. Well, I hear they're valuable on the black market, so I suppose it's not really that surprising."

Suddenly they were interrupted by an ominous hissing further ahead. Aki and Zack pointed their personal lights down the passageway in the direction of the noise, illuminating a large, menacing lizard that was staring right at them. Before they had time to react, the creature snarled and rushed forward, its tooth-filled jaws snapping open and shut.

Dr. Veruvias shrieked and jumped backward. Aki and Zack, no strangers to trouble, brought up their rifles and immediately opened fire. The hail of bullets struck the lizard, killing it almost immediately as its body skidded to a stop and collapsed in front of them.

They shone their lights in both directions but there didn't seem to be any more of the creatures, so they lowered their weapons.
Veruvias took a cautious step forward. "Well, that was, ah, exciting?"
Zack looked down at the dead lizard by his feet. "What the hell is this thing, some kind of indigenous wildlife?"
"Compter lizard," the doctor affirmed. "You can tell by the spots. Plus, it's the only lizard on Barri'seti IV that gets three meters long."
"Hmph. And do these things live in the mines?"
"No, actually. This one must have wandered in here after the gate was left open. They're also usually not this aggressive. Very strange..."

Aki bent down to study the creature more closely. "Doctor, is this growth typical for compter lizards?"
Sure enough, there was a red, bulbous growth on the back of its head. Dark veins radiated out from it. Veruvias leaned forward and adjusted his glasses. "Not at all. I don't know what this is, but it might explain why the lizard was acting so aggressively."
Zack had a sour expression on his face. "Man, that's disgusting."
A thought struck Aki. "It reminds me of something."
"What?"
She looked up at Zack. "A Darker core."
Zack stood silent, dumbfounded. It was true that many Darkers had a reddish "core," a weak point that some might even call a heart. But this thing, the compter lizard, wasn't a Darker. What did that mean?

* * * * * * * * *

They continued walking, making their way deeper into the mine until they reached the lowest level. The air here was stale and the temperature was considerably colder. They rounded a corner and suddenly there it was, a large cavern filled with photon crystals. The blue and green crystals shimmered and sparkled as Aki and Zack swept their lights across the vast chamber.

"Ah, here we are," Veruvias exclaimed as he stepped forward to examine a crystal sticking out of the ground. "From what I understand, this is the only area of the mine that wasn't completely cleared out when the last of the workers left. There were some nasty rumors going around at the time. Ghosts, demons, or some such thing. In any case, their loss is our gain!"
"Whoa, hold on there Doc, let's have a look around first. We need to make sure this place is clear before we do anything else."
"Well, suit yourself then."
Zack started toward the right side of the cavern while Aki took the left. Veruvias stayed behind, distracted by the crystals.

Aki's light caught a glimmer of something small and shiny on the ground. She bent down and picked it up, turning it over in her hand to examine it. It was a metallic button, the kind you might find on a shirt or uniform. It was probably worthless, but for some reason Aki felt compelled to hang onto it. She opened the small compartment in her forearm and slipped the button inside.

"What the hell...? Hey, come check this out!" Zack was waving to Aki and Veruvias from the other side of the room.
They trotted over to his location to see what he had found. And what he had found was... darkness. No, not exactly darkness. It was a black, tar-like substance covering part of the floor and wall. It seemed to swallow everything it touched and was blacker than the deepest shade of black, if that was possible.
"What is this thing?" Zack asked aloud at no one in particular.
No one replied.
"Hey Doc, was this... thing... around the last time you were here?"
"No, I don't think so. Though I have to admit, I didn't come to this side of the cavern."
Aki got down on one knee to take a closer look. The black substance didn't look alive, yet something about it troubled her. She reached out a hand to touch it.
"Wait, don't!" Zack cried out sharply.
Aki stopped, her fingers only centimeters away from it. She looked up at him. He seemed genuinely shaken. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Something's not right. Doc, get your samples and let's get out of here."
"Y-yeah, okay..."

Veruvias was about to turn around when the edge of the black "puddle" started bubbling. Aki leaped to her feet. Both she and Zack pointed their rifles at the bubbles. They waited, ready for any attack that might come, and then... nothing. The bubbles ceased and the black substance was quiet once again. Just as they started to lower their weapons, a head rose out of the puddle, followed by two legs and a long body. A long reptilian body. Although it was covered in the tar-like substance, its form was unmistakable.
"Hey, isn't that...?"
"A compter lizard," Aki replied grimly.

The black stuff clung to the large lizard's scales like a gooey second skin. But rather than hinder its movement, the beast seemed more agile than normal. On its back was one of those red, bulbous growths--the kind that looked like a Darker core. Whatever this black substance was, there was undoubtedly some connection between the two.

The lizard opened its mouth and hissed at them threateningly. With their lights trained on it, its pupils narrowed to slits. The trio began backing away very slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements. And then Veruvias tripped over a rock and fell backwards.

[/b][/u]

The lizard hissed again and charged forward. Aki and Zack fired their rifles at it, but it was too close and knocked them both out of the way, its attention focused solely on the hapless doctor. Aki recovered quickly and swung her rifle around, aiming at the growth on the compter's back. She discharged a burst and hit her target squarely in the center, rupturing it. The lizard screamed out in pain, a squawking noise that hurt their ears. Zack fired at its head, his shots also hitting dead center and dropping the lizard instantly.

They only had a moment to recover before a new chorus of hissing echoed through the chamber. From somewhere deeper in the cavern, a swarm of compter lizards appeared, and they did not look happy. They all had the strange growths on their bodies--some had them on their heads, others on their backs, and still others on their tails or legs.
"I think we've worn out our welcome," Zack quipped.
"Let's go, Doctor," Aki said as she pulled him to his feet.

Zack swept his rifle back and forth, the hail of bullets injuring several lizards and killing one of them. Aki joined in the assault, but there were too many to take down easily. The compters rushed forward and the trio was forced to retreat, firing intermittently as they ran.

Once in a while Aki or Zack scored a lucky hit and a lizard would fall to the ground. Even so, the swarm remained undaunted and continued their pursuit, snapping their jaws and hissing as they advanced.

The trio continued running, back up the passage from which they came. The compters were fast, slowly gaining on them. It was a losing battle and they all knew it. Still, they had no choice but to run.

Just when they thought they couldn't go on, a literal light at the end of the tunnel appeared--daylight! They didn't have time to shut the gate, darting through it as fast as their legs would carry them. The entrance to the cave was just ahead. Seconds later, they were back outside.

Zack was already on the radio, screaming at the camp ship pilot to get into range as Aki hastily constructed the telepipe pad. The camp ship roared overhead just as she finished the preparations.

Just then, the compter lizards burst out of the mouth of the cave. It took them a few seconds to spot the trio as their eyes adjusted to the natural light. Once they did, they roared and continued their pursuit.

"Go! Go! Go!" Zack shouted, waving one arm frantically in the direction of the telepipe. They wasted no time assembling on the pad, and a moment later the camp ship had locked onto their coordinates and recalled them back on board.

* * * * * * * * *

[/b][/u]

Spoiler!

"So what you're saying is that you're coming back empty-handed?" The image of Colonel Richter sat back in his seat. Only his head and shoulders were visible on the screen. The disappointment was evident in his tone, if not his face.
"Not exactly, sir," Aki replied. "We failed to achieve our primary objective, but we did obtain potentially valuable information."
"Ah yes, the... lizards and the black 'puddle' you mentioned?"
"Yes, sir."
"While that is all very interesting, it's only based on your personal testimony. We don't have any physical proof to show for it."
"No, sir. But I believe it was you who said knowledge is our best weapon, and this knowledge could help us."
Richter considered this. "Yes, I suppose you're right. When you get back to the Orpheus, I want to see the three of you. We'll have a proper debriefing and I'll give you and Zack your next assignment."
"Understood, sir."
The screen faded to black as Richter ended the call.

* * * * * * * * *

In his office aboard the colony ship Orpheus, Colonel Richter sat with a grim look on his face. He had been counting on those photon crystals to further his plan. Now he would have to make other arrangements.

A sudden explosion of pain welled up inside him and he clutched his chest in agony. "Not... yet..." He gasped for air, pulling open the jacket of his uniform. Underneath it, the bulbous growth lodged in the center of his chest was throbbing again. He was running out of time.



TO BE CONTINUED

[CelestialBlade]

Mmm, delicious Skyfall music. Great music choices this chapter, absolutely. There's quite a lot of mystery and suspense building around Richter, the Darker cores, and the photon crystals...and it leaves me highly anticipating the next chapter. Really enjoying this story arc :O

And I'm also amused that our recent chapters had such similar beginnings Great minds indeed think alike. I also really liked the doctor and I liked Zack's reactions to him, gave an otherwise tense situation a few lighthearted moments, which was nice.

[stukasa]

I was hoping I wouldn't hit the character count limit so soon, but it looks like I can't add any more to the first post, so from now on I'll be posting the latest chapters in the new posts and adding links to the first post instead.

Anywho~

EPISODE 2.3 [8/17/13]

Spoiler!

PREVIOUSLY, ON "LEGEND OF AKI"...
Aki, Zack, and Dr. Veruvias venture into the mines of Barri'seti IV to locate a rare type of photon crystal, but encounter aggressive lizards infected by the Darkers.

[/b][/u]

The camp ship returned to the Orpheus slightly ahead of schedule. Aki, Zack, and Dr. Veruvias hiked up the docking ramp, entering the familiar confines of the main lobby. Dozens of ARKS members, pilots, and various support personnel were milling around the area, carrying out their own sets of orders. To their left, a pair of Newmans were discussing the effective use of fire-based Techniques. To their right, a dock worker was pushing a hover-sled carrying supply crates. Overhead, a large display screen was replaying the highlights of a recent airboard race. The winner of the race, a man named Ryo, was being interviewed by a local reporter.
All in all, it was a typical day aboard the colony ship.

Spoiler!

Zack turned to Aki. "Hey, I'm going to check in on Faris and Tam at the hospital. See how they're doing and all that. Look after the Doc for a bit until I get back, okay?"
"Sure," she replied.
Zack strode off towards the elevator, casually waving a hand behind him.

Spoiler!

Dr. Veruvias raised his eyebrows. "Friends of yours?"
"Teammates," Aki corrected him. "They were injured during the recent Darker attack."
"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that."
"They'll be okay, it wasn't serious," she reassured him. Then a thought occurred to her, and she turned to look at the doctor. "Do you require medical assistance? There's a center up the steps to the right, they can fix any minor injuries you may have."
"No, no, I'm fine. I'm just not used to all this, ehm, excitement."
"In that case, perhaps you would like something to eat?"
"Now that," he exclaimed happily, taking Aki by the arm, "sounds like a fine idea."

* * * * * * * * *

Spoiler!

"So you're saying there's a connection between the Darkers and the growths on the lizards?"
"I believe so, yes," Aki replied. She, Zack, and the doctor were standing in Colonel Richter's office on the top floor of the ARKS Command tower.
Richter leaned back in his chair, tapping a finger against his desk. "The truth is, we don't know as much about the Darkers as we'd like. But we're learning."
Zack cleared his throat. "I'm sorry we failed to bring you the photon crystals, sir."
"So am I," the colonel responded honestly, "but the important thing is that you made it back alive. Whoever left that mine gate open put you in serious jeopardy."

Aki tilted her head slightly. "I never mentioned that the gate was unlocked, sir."
Richter looked dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly recovered. "No, I'm sure that you did."
She ran a self-diagnostic on her memory core to check for anomalies but found none. "I do not believe so, Colonel."
"W-well, I probably just assumed," he stammered. "Otherwise, the lizards couldn't have gotten into the mine."

[/b][/u]

The gate. The lizards. The crystals. The Darkers.

A sudden realization hit Aki, and all the pieces fell into place. "It was you."
Richter looked up at her, a defensive tone in his voice. "What?"
"You were the one who stole Dr. Veruvias' photon crystals. You released the blue band energy to lure the Darkers here."
Zack and Veruvias gaped at Aki, completely stunned.
Richter barked out a sharp laugh. "That's... ridiculous. It's absurd!"
"Aki, hey, what are you saying?" Zack whispered incredulously.
She remained focused on the man in front of her. "You sent us to Bari'setti IV to collect more crystals. What were you planning to do with them, Colonel?"
Richter scowled. "You are way out of line, soldier," he snarled. "Furthermore, you don't have any evidence to back up your claim."
"Actually, I do," she replied, holding up a small metal button. "I found this in the mine on Bari'setti IV."
Richter's eye twitched.
"You seem to be missing a button, Colonel."
Zack and Veruvias turned from Aki to Richter. Sure enough, the top button of his uniform was gone. The one Aki held in her hand was a perfect match.
"She's right," the doctor gasped.

There was no point denying it any longer.
"Those damned fools on the council wouldn't act, even though I told them repeatedly about the danger! I needed to make them understand, don't you see?!" He pounded his fist on the desk as if to emphasize his point.
Zack had finally collected himself enough to speak. "You put the entire colony ship in danger, sir. That's a major crime."
"I... I didn't know it would cause such a large reaction, I just needed a demonstration! But it was for the best, can't you understand that?! The council can't ignore the problem anymore!"
Dr. Veruvias stepped forward, his horrified expression turning to outrage. "You... you stole my photon crystals and used them for... for this? How could you do such a thing? You promised me the crystals would only be used for scientific research! If I had known, I never would have agreed to help you. I thought you were an honorable man, but now I see you're nothing but a liar and a... a monster!"

That last comment hit home.
"SHUT UP!! Shut your mouth right now," Richter growled angrily, waving a finger menacingly at Veruvias. His composure was gone, his face filled with rage.
The doctor continued, undaunted. "People died! People died because of those crystals. You have to answer for that, Colonel. I'll see to it that justice is done! You can't hide from this--"
His speech was interrupted by a loud bang.

The bullet was through the doctor's head before they even saw the gun in Richter's hand. Veruvias fell backward, dead before his body hit the ground.
"You son of a bitch!!" Zack screamed, reaching for his weapon.
"Don't," Richter warned, his pistol now trained in Zack's direction. He seemed in control of himself again.

[/b][/u]

With perfect timing, four heavily armed security guards rushed into the office, their rifles pointed at Aki and Zack. Evidently Colonel Richter had pressed the silent alarm under his desk.
"Don't move!" The closest guard shouted at them.
Zack glowered back but said nothing. Aki merely stared.

Richter stood up. "Guards, arrest these two at once!"
The guards did as they were told, closing in and taking their rifles away. Their hands were magnetically cuffed behind their backs.
"You are hereby charged with conspiracy and treason against the Oracle government," Richter announced gravely. He motioned to the guards with one hand. "Take them away."
They weren't given time to protest.

* * * * * * * * *

Less than an hour later, Aki and Zack were sitting in a jail cell deep in the bowels of the Orpheus. They had been dropped off unceremoniously but kept isolated from the rest of the prisoners in the facility.

Aki drew her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Did I do the right thing back there, confronting him?"
"We ARKS are a strange breed. Some people consider us soldiers. Others call us mercenaries. Truth is, we're somewhere in between. This war's got us all confused, twisted up. Sometimes we lose sight of ourselves, but at the end of the day we're still soldiers. We take orders from the higher-ups, and we're all expected to follow the same rules."
"Then you think I was out of line?"
Zack stared at her earnestly. "No way. You did the right thing, absolutely."
"But Dr. Veruvias--"
"Wasn't your fault," he interjected. "That was Richter's fault, and his fault alone. Do you understand?"
She nodded.
"Good. Now, the point I was trying to make is that it's our job to keep them--the higher-ups--in line when they break the rules."
"We have to stop Colonel Richter. I believe that if we do not act, he may attempt to lure the Darkers here again. If he does, the ship will be in great danger."
"Agreed. But in case you've forgotten, we're not exactly in a position to do anything about it right now."
"That won't be a problem."
Zack laughed. "Got a plan to bust us out of the slammer?"
"Something like that. For now, we wait."
"Waiting is something I was never very good at," he sighed.
"Don't worry, I don't think they will keep us waiting very long."
They didn't.

Twenty minutes later, two guards in black uniforms came to escort them out of the cell. Aki and Zack were led down a long deserted corridor, rifles at their backs. No words were exchanged, but it was clear these men weren't the usual prison guards. They had a different air about them, their demeanor more like hired thugs than professional guards.
Garbage men, Zack thought. Except we're the trash they've come to dispose of.

As they walked, Aki glanced at Zack and gave him a slight, almost imperceptible nod. He nodded back. A second later they both spun in opposite directions, temporarily catching their escorts off guard. Aki grabbed the gun of the man directly behind her and slammed her palm into his chin, knocking him off his feet. Zack also grabbed his escort's gun and punched the man square in the face, dropping him to the floor. Both men were unconscious in less than three seconds.

"Not bad," Zack remarked. "Remind me to get locked up with you again next time I'm in jail."
Aki smiled faintly, which for Aki was about as close to an actual smile as she ever got.
Zack kneeled down to pick up the men's guns. "How'd you know they would come for us?"
"We know too much," Aki replied evenly. "Whatever Richter is up to, we're a threat to him now. It was natural to assume he would try to have us eliminated."
"Oh. Well, don't I feel special!" Zack quipped sarcastically. He tossed a rifle to Aki. "Come on!"

The rest of the corridor was curiously abandoned. Aki wondered if Richter had arranged that, in order to silence them when no one else was around. Whatever the case, it worked to their advantage. They met no more resistance on their way to the elevator, and a few minutes later were on their way up to the city levels.

* * * * * * * * *

When the two guards in black uniforms failed to check in, it didn't take long for Richter's men to notice. A new detachment was sent to check on them and found the men still unconscious where Aki and Zack had left them.

The captain of the guards switched on his radio. "Colonel Richter, sir, it appear the prisoners have escaped from their cell."
The radio was silent for a moment. "Understood."
"How should we proceed, sir?"
"Don't worry, I know exactly where they're headed. I'll take care of them myself."

* * * * * * * * *

[/b][/u]

The elevator doors opened at the top level of the ARKS Command tower. Zack peered his head around the corner of the door frame and peeked down the curved hallway. It was empty. "Looks clear."
He and Aki stepped out of the elevator, their rifles raised. They walked quickly but lightly, aware that trouble could arrive at any moment.

"I take back what I said earlier. Next time they try to send me to jail, I'm gonna let you take all the blame," Zack whispered.
Aki shot him a puzzled look.
"That was supposed to be a joke. You know, something to lighten the mood?"
"I wasn't programmed with a sense of humor. However, I am capable of learning."
Zack chuckled softly. "You're pretty funny sometimes already, you know that?"

They crept along the curved hallway, the tension thick enough to cut with a photon knife. There was still no one in sight. They were lucky, maybe a little too lucky. Zack didn't like it when things went this smoothly, because in his experience they rarely did.

Around the next corner they finally arrived at the door to Colonel Richter's office. Aki and Zack took up positions on opposite sides of the door. Zack put his hand on the door switch and silently counted to three with the fingers of his other hand. On three, he pressed the switch and the door whooshed open.

They rushed into the office, not sure what to expect but ready for anything. The only thing they didn't expect was what they actually found... nothing at all. The office, like the hallway, was completely empty. There was no ambush, no confrontation waiting for them. What was going on?

As if to answer that question, a voice began speaking. Colonel Richter's voice. "If you are hearing this, my door scanner detected you entering this office."
"A recording," Zack murmured, suddenly uneasy.
The recording continued: "It is unfortunate things had to come to this. You are good soldiers and I hate to lose you. However, I cannot allow you or anyone else to get in my way. I have to stop the Darkers no matter what it takes."
Zack spotted a red light flickering on the colonel's desk and went to investigate, a nagging feeling creeping up his spine.

Meanwhile, the colonel's voice kept talking: "My time is running out, you see. Whatever it was you found in the depths of Bari'setti IV, it found me first. I fear I may lose myself before it's all over, but before that I plan to strike them and strike them hard."
The flickering red light turned out to be exactly what Zack feared. "Aki," he gasped, "there's a timer on the desk. It's counting down to zero. We have ten seconds left!"
Aki's eyes went wide. She spun towards the large floor-to-ceiling window and fired several bursts into it with her rifle. The glass was bullet resistant but couldn't withstand the close-range barrage and shattered with a loud crash.

They hardly heard the rest of Richter's speech: "Sacrifices are sometimes a necessary evil for the sake of progress--"
Aki and Zack sprinted towards their only possible escape route, the now-open window.
"--and though I don't expect you to forgive me, I hope you will at least understand--"
There was just one small problem: They were sixty floors above the ground.
"--that I didn't wish for things to end this way--"
It didn't matter; they had no other options left. They leapt out the window as hard as they could.
"--but now, at last, I must say goodbye."

For a scant moment time seemed to slow as they hung in the air, sixty floors above the ground far below. The city sprawled out in front of them, a view that would have seemed majestic if not for the imminent threat of death. The momentum from their jump carried them towards the nearest skyscraper, a building three stories shorter than the ARKS Command tower.

Halfway there, the timer hit zero. The entire top floor of the tower exploded in a brilliant flash behind them, the shockwave pushing them the extra distance they needed to clear the gap between the buildings and onto the roof of the adjacent skyscraper.

But instead of landing on the roof, they crashed through the skylight and into the top floor of the building. They hit the ground hard, rolling forward to mitigate the effects of the fall. Still, it was a tough landing and Zack winced in pain. The only things that prevented his legs from breaking on impact were the shock absorbers in his armor. Aki, whose CAST body could absorb shocks much better than a human's, was unharmed.

"Ughhh... Let's not do that again."
Aki stood up, brushing shards of glass from the broken skylight off her armor. "Agreed."
Zack grimaced as he pulled a glass splinter out of his cheek. "Where are we, anyway?"
"I believe this is the council administration building."
"Probably one of the councilor's offices, then," Zack commented, glancing around the room. It was well-furnished but currently unoccupied, except for the two of them. "You think anyone heard us come in through the ceiling?"
Aki closed her eyes and listened with her enhanced CAST audio sensors. She didn't hear anyone nearby. In all likelihood, the councilors were in a meeting on another floor and hadn't noticed their arrival. "I don't think so," she replied.
"Good," Zack said, finally standing up. "That should buy us a few minutes."
"A few minutes for what?"
"To find out where Richter ran off to." Zack motioned to the computer terminal on the desk.

Taking the hint, Aki walked over to the terminal and began accessing it. She bypassed the security measures easily and proceeded to hack into the ARKS' online database, searching for any mention of Colonel Richter. Sure enough, he had recently requested a security escort from the Command tower to the research labs downtown.
"Find him?" Zack asked.
"He's at SkyRing Labs."
"SkyRing? Isn't that where Dr. Veruvias worked?"
"Yes," Aki replied, "it is."
"The Doc said his photon crystals were stolen, the whole batch. Maybe Richter figures he might have some more stashed away somewhere?"
"It is possible," she conceded.
"Then that's where we have to go. Right now our best advantage is the element of surprise. They probably think we're dead, which means they won't be looking for us. The Colonel won't be expecting us when we show up on his doorstep."
"Before that, how are we going to get out of this building?"
Zack gave her a lopsided grin. "How about the front door?"

* * * * * * * * *

In point of fact, Colonel Richter was indeed looking for more blue band photon crystals. He didn't tell this to the four men accompanying him, of course. As far as his escorts were concerned, they were merely gathering evidence related to a suspected conspirator, Dr. Veruvias.

When he broke the lock to the storage room in the back of the facility, Richter discovered that the doctor did have an additional collection of blue crystals. They must have been left over from one of his earlier experiments. With a satisfied grin, the colonel reached down and picked up the crystals. He glanced behind him to make sure the four guards weren't looking, then stashed the crystals in his bag.



TO BE CONTINUED