ABOARD THE CAMPSHIP ATHENA
“THREE. TWO. ONE. EXITING WARP… NOW,” the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker. The campship shuddered as it reverted back to normal space. Outside the cabin windows, Akasha took in a sea of unfamiliar stars. Space here seemed brighter somehow, more luminous, probably due to their proximity to the galactic core.
Beside her, Ivan remained very still. He looked deep in thought. Maybe he was nervous about the mission, or maybe he was thinking about Kira again. He hadn’t said anything, of course, but Akasha could tell he wasn’t over her yet. Neither of them had time to process her death and grieve properly. That day would come… later, after the mission was finished and they were safely back on
Ur.
The loudspeaker crackled again. “THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING. WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ARRIVED IN SECTOR PRIME. PLEASE RETURN YOUR TRAY TABLES TO THEIR UPRIGHT POSITIONS AND TURN OFF ALL MOBILE DEVICES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLIGHT. THE CURRENT WEATHER IN
TERRA NOVA IS A SUNNY TWENTY-FIVE DEGREES CELSIUS WITH A CHANCE OF HORRIBLE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION FOR US ALL.”
There was a pause. “THAT WAS MY SEVENTEENTH ATTEMPT AT HUMOR TODAY. JUDGING BY THE ABSENCE OF LAUGHTER IN THE CABIN, IT WOULD APPEAR I HAVE FAILED ONCE AGAIN. DULY NOTED, PASSENGERS.”
Akasha and Ivan traded amused glances but said nothing. Across the aisle, Sahara simultaneously shook her head and groaned. “Ugh. Can we forget the in-flight entertainment and skip straight to the part where I’m blowin’ shit up?”
“You know what they say,” commented Yoshiblue, seated beside her. “Have patience and it shall be rewarded. I’m sure there will be plenty of time for ‘blowing shit up’ later. In the meantime, perhaps you’d care for some fruit juice to sooth your troubled mind?” The teal-haired man flicked his wrist and a juice box appeared in his hand as if by magic. He popped a straw in the top and held it out for Sahara.
The expression on her face was priceless. It was halfway between amazement and horror. “Where’d you get—,” she started to say, then stopped. “You know what? I don’t even wanna know. You can keep that one for yourself, Cowboy.”
Yoshi shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he replied, and sucked on the straw.
Sahara rolled her eyes. Ivan put a hand to his mouth, trying hard not to laugh.
Akasha turned her attention back to the window. The stars out there were endless, unchanging. Eternal. Long after the war between Oracle and the Darkers was over, those stars would still be there, winking in the darkness.
And then, suddenly, they weren’t. A patch of stars completely disappeared in front of her eyes. It was like a void in the universe—a void that kept growing. It took Akasha a few seconds to comprehend what she was seeing. There was something out there, outside the campship. It was floating in space—and headed straight for them.
A blue, ghostly face materialized just outside the window. Akasha jerked back in alarm. It took all her willpower not to shriek out of pure terror. Then she looked again and realized the face didn’t belong to a ghost at all. It was a corpse. The body ricocheted off the campship’s shields and tumbled away into the endless abyss.
More bodies followed, along with charred pieces of debris. Lots of it. “So much for the blockade,” commented Sahara. “Looks like
Orpheus tore ‘em a new one.”
“Have some respect for the dead,” said Galatea Mark-5, her tone stern yet somber.
“Ah… Sorry, Cap’n. No offense intended.”
“Their battle is over. Ours has not yet begun. But if it is within my power, I will see their vengeance delivered. Count on it.”
Sahara smirked. “Hell yeah! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Taking the fight to those Darker bastards for a change.”
Athena cruised deeper into the debris field and the cabin settled into a mournful silence. No one could peel their eyes away from the windows. Dozens, maybe hundreds of frozen bodies tumbled past in slow motion. It was a gruesome sight. The campship had to slow down several times to avoid colliding with large chunks of spaceship wreckage. In some cases, the names of the ships were still visible.
Thousands of lives, thought Akasha,
wiped out in a matter of minutes. What a terrible fate…
Then they were past it. Once again, the scenery returned to an endless sea of stars. As if the blockade had never existed at all.
“E.T.A. FIVE MINUTES AND COUNTING,” the pilot’s voice blared through the speakers. “ANYONE WHO NEEDS A LAST-MINUTE BATHROOM BREAK, I SUGGEST YOU TAKE IT NOW.”
This was it. The final approach. Akasha’s heart was pounding hard in her chest. She hadn’t expected to be so nerve-racked, but those dead bodies back there suddenly had her nervous. It was all starting to feel a little too real. For the first time, she wondered if she was rushing off to her death… again.
Even so, she had to settle things with Shankar. It had to be her—and no one else. Akasha didn’t know whether that feeling stemmed from an innate sense of duty, selfish pride, or revenge for Kira. They were all plausible excuses. Back at the Command tower, she had signed up on a whim. Or maybe
compulsion would be a better description. Something inside her had screamed,
Do it! You have to go! It was only now she was starting to wonder,
Why?
She decided it didn’t matter. No matter the reason, there was no turning back. She was committed.
Outside the window, something dark flashed past. It was going too fast to be debris. Three seconds later, a brilliant flash lit up the darkness behind
Athena. An explosive shockwave buffeted the shields. The craft slewed hard to starboard as another dark object whizzed past, this one even closer than the first.
“DARKER MISSILES INCOMING!” bellowed the pilot. “TAKING EVASIVE ACTION. BUCKLE UP AND HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS!”
The campship swerved again, this time in the opposite direction. Akasha already had her seatbelt on but scrambled to secure her restraint harness. With a grunt she managed to fasten it in place—and not a moment too soon! A nearby explosion rocked the ship, throwing her forward. The harness kept her upright even as the leather straps dug into her shoulders. Akasha gritted her teeth and held on. It felt like she was riding a roller coaster at the amusement park, only this wasn’t fun and games. It was a matter of life and death.
From the corner of her eye, Akasha caught sight of the other passengers in the cabin. They looked tense but composed. There were no panicked screams or cries for help. These were all professionals used to being thrown into dangerous situations. Still, Akasha didn’t like it. Her life—all their lives—were at the mercy of
Athena’s pilot. His skills alone would either save or kill them. All Akasha could do was pray to whatever deity happened to be listening—pray they would survive the next few minutes.
Another campship came up alongside them. It was juking left and right, dodging the swarm of black, cone-shaped missiles hurtling at them. One of the missiles plowed straight into its starboard wing and detonated with a ferocious bang.
Athena shuddered as its shields were pelted with debris. When the light from the explosion faded away, there was nothing left. The other campship had been completely destroyed.
“Where the hell’d they come from?!” growled Sahara as more of the organic projectiles streaked past outside.
“
Orpheus, most likely,” Galatea replied. “The plan was to keep
Terra Nova between us and them, but clearly they know we’re here.”
“Ya think?!”
Athena put on a sudden burst of speed that pinned Akasha to the back of her seat. She could hardly breathe. The entire ship shook violently as the engines were pushed to their absolute limit. Through the speakers, Akasha heard: “WE’VE GOT TWO BOGEYS ON OUR TAIL. HANG TIGHT, EVERYBODY. THIS COULD GET ROUGH.”
“You mean this isn’t the rough part?” asked a dismayed Yoshiblue.
As if to answer that question, the campship dipped and swerved in a nausea-inducing series of maneuvers that left Akasha completely disoriented. At some point she lost track of which way was up or down. Then she remembered they were in space and every direction was relative anyway. Not that it helped with the nausea.
“I CAN’T SHAKE ‘EM!” shouted the pilot. “THESE MISSILES ARE ON US LIKE RAPPIES AT A COSTUME PARTY.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Ivan muttered through clenched teeth. His knuckles were white from gripping the armrests.
“Have faith,” Galatea responded calmly. “K-ARMOS is one of the finest campship pilots in the fleet. If anyone can get us through this, he can.”
At that moment an idea struck Akasha. An idea sparked by a memory. It was slightly reckless and hugely terrifying, but if it worked, they might just survive this. “Hey!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Pilot! K-AMMO, or whatever your name is! Do a corkscrew spin—now! Trust me!”
A slight pause. “I NORMALLY DON’T TAKE PILOTING ADVICE FROM SOLDIERS, ESPECIALLY NOT STRANGERS. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING OUR GRISLY DEATHS ARE MERE MOMENTS AWAY, I AM WILLING TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION THIS ONCE.”
As
Athena roared onward, it began spinning on its axis. The two Darker missiles chasing them had to spin to compensate. They spun round and round each other, closer and closer, until one missile struck the other and they both detonated.
Athena’s rear shields absorbed the blast and the campship rocketed to safety.
K-ARMOS let out a whoop of triumph. “HALLELUJAH! THAT DID THE TRICK! LOOKS LIKE OUR BUTTS AREN’T TOAST AFTER ALL.”
Everyone visibly relaxed at the same time. The balloon of tension hanging over them had burst, and all that was left was pure, unadulterated relief. An enthusiastic round of cheers and congratulations broke out in the cabin. The long moment of terror had passed—or so they thought.
“HOLD ON, BOYS AND GIRLS—WE AREN’T OUT OF THE WOODS JUST YET. WE’VE GOT THREE MORE BOGEYS COMING STRAIGHT AT US, SO SIT TIGHT AND LET OL’ K-ARMOS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS.”
Akasha felt her stomach lurch as the campship executed another crazy series of dives and rolls. The stars outside were spinning wildly. Black, cone-shaped missiles screamed past the windows one after another. First left, then right, then left again. Their exhaust trails looked like burning pillars against the darkness.
Just when Akasha thought she couldn’t take anymore,
Athena leveled off and K-ARMOS came back over the speaker: “ALRIGHT FOLKS, THAT’S A WRAP. LOOKS LIKE WE’VE GOT A CLEAR SHOT TO
TERRA NOVA. EVERYTHING’S COMING UP SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS NOW. YESSIR, SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS.”
They touched down in one of
Terra Nova’s hangar bays a minute later.
* * * * * * * * *
The hangar was located in one of the station’s twin docking rings. The same ring where
Orpheus was parked, but on the opposite side.
Athena powered down and its occupants shuffled towards the boarding ramp. Akasha felt like she was disembarking from any other commercial flight. The only difference was, they were all carrying photon weapons instead of suitcases filled with clothing.
This is no vacation, she had to remind herself.
The ramp descended and Team Athena filed out one by one. Akasha turned and was shocked to find the hull of the campship covered in newly-formed scorch marks. It was proof of their encounter with the Darker missiles—and just how close they’d come to complete destruction.
“DAMN SHAME,” said a rabbit-eared, black-and-gray CAST standing beside her. “I JUST CLEANED ‘ER UP YESTERDAY, TOO. LOOKS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE ANOTHER LONG NIGHT OF ELBOW GREASE FOR ME.”
Akasha didn’t recognize the man, but she knew that booming voice. “Hey. You’re the pilot, right? K-AMMO? Thanks for, uh, not killing us back there.”
“K-ARMOS. GENERALLY SPEAKING, NOT KILLING PEOPLE IS PART OF MY JOB DESCRIPTION.” The CAST swiveled his head to regard her. “YOU’RE THE GIRL WHO GAVE ME THE ADVICE. THAT CORKSCREW SPIN WAS ONE HELL OF A MANEUVER—AND PROBABLY SAVED OUR BUTTS. WITH INSTINCTS LIKE THAT, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BECOMING A PILOT.”
“Yes,” agreed Galatea, coming up behind them, “your quick thinking was quite impressive, Akasha. How did you know that maneuver would be effective against the missiles?”
Akasha felt her cheeks burning. “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit for this one. I saw Aki pull off the same stunt last week and figured, hey, if it worked once, it would probably work again.”
“A good call, nonetheless. And it appears I have another reason to be grateful to Captain Aki02.”
Akasha smiled but didn’t know what else to say. She was still a little shell-shocked from the roller coaster ride they had just endured. And… there was something else, too. Something she had only begun to realize since arriving on
Terra Nova. A peculiar sensation tugging at the back of her mind. She knew what it was, or at least thought she knew, but didn’t want to admit it yet. It felt like… like…
“Hey, you okay?” asked a concerned Ivan.
She blinked twice. “Huh?”
“You spaced out for a minute there. Everybody else is already heading out. C’mon, we have to go.”
Galatea motioned to them from a few meters away. “Akasha! Mr. Malloch! The rest of the team won’t wait on you forever.”
“Hold up!” protested Akasha. “Shouldn’t we wait for all the teams to arrive? I only see, like, half of them here. Maybe less.”
Galatea stood motionless for a moment. Her violet eyes grew distant. “They didn’t make it, Akasha. We’re all that’s left.”
“All that’s left…?” Akasha turned, horrified, and looked out across the bay. Did the math in her head. Twenty-eight campships. Twenty-eight out of sixty. Fewer than half of their original fighting force, and the rest were… all dead? Blown to smithereens by Darker missiles? She shuddered and swallowed hard, realizing how lucky they really were.
Once again her train of thought was interrupted, this time by the sound of someone clapping for attention. Akasha turned around. On the far side of the bay, a big man in red armor stood atop a metal crate. She recognized him from earlier. It was Major Helden Krauser, field commander for Operation Heaven’s Lance.
“Everyone! I need your attention over here!” he bellowed. His powerful voice carried easily, drawing the notice of every ARKS nearby. Soon there was a crowd surrounding him. Everyone waited to hear what he had to say.
“Going into this mission, we all knew there were serious risks involved. That not all of us would be going home. There will be time to mourn our fallen brothers and sisters later. But for now, we must focus on the task at hand. It is our sworn duty to see this mission through, and as long as I am able, I intend to do just that.
“Do not despair, comrades! Despite our losses, the mission has not changed. The only difference is that now we have to work twice as hard to get it done. But the ARKS have never shied away from hard work before, and we’re sure as hell not going to start now. Fight—for your teammates, your families, your friends! I am counting on each and every one of you! Don’t you dare let me down.”
Krauser took a minute to scan the faces of the crowd. Apparently satisfied, he moved on to the operational details of the plan: “You’ve already been briefed so I’ll keep this short. I will be in command of Stage One. Our mission is to keep the Darkers distracted long enough to get HELIOS back online. Captain Colton here is in charge of Stage Two. His job is to get the nuke in place so we can blow
Orpheus back to space dust.”
Akasha’s pointy ears perked up.
Did he just say “Captain Colton”? She hopped up and down, trying to get a better look. Unfortunately, the sea of soldiers blocked her view.
If only I were taller, she thought glumly. The irony was not lost on her.
Krauser wrapped up his speech and the crowd began to disperse. At last, Akasha spotted a pair of familiar faces in the distance: Arin Colton and Aki02. She pushed her way past a number of irritated strangers to reach them. Ivan followed closely behind.
“Captain!” she shouted when she was close enough to be heard. “Captain! Over here!”
Both Colton and Aki looked in her direction. Upon seeing her, Colton’s face lit up. “Akasha! You made it! We lost so many, I was worried you might be… well, you know.”
“It’s gonna take more than a few Darker missiles to keep me down. I’m just glad to see you’re alright, old man.”
“Hey! I may be old but I’ve still got it where it counts. So don’t you worry about me, kiddo. If anything, I’m more worried about you. If your brother really
is on this station somewhere, promise me you won’t do anything rash.”
“He’s here,” Akasha replied quietly. “I can sense him.”
Colton frowned, confused. “What do you mean, ‘sense him’?”
“I mean I can feel his presence. Whatever he did to me, I think it changed me somehow. I don’t know, maybe because he’s part Darker now, but I can feel him… just like I can feel the other Darkers.”
Beside her, Ivan was incredulous. He was in complete shock. “Wait, you
what?!”
“I can sense them, the Darkers. I realized it as soon as we arrived, I just… didn’t want to admit it to myself. I can’t explain it, but it’s true.”
Aki calmly and subtly slid a hand towards the rifle on her back. To Akasha she said, “If you can sense Shankar because he’s part Darker, doesn’t that make you part Darker as well?”
Ivan stepped in front of Aki02, his hands held up in a halting gesture. “Hold on just a second! Don’t forget, back on
Orpheus she saved you from becoming a Darker yourself!”
Akasha crossed her arms confidently. “Relax, you don’t have to worry about me.” She flashed Aki an almost predatory grin. “Unless my eyes start glowing red, that is.”
The short-haired Caseal paused, then nodded in agreement. “Fair enough. Despite my initial skepticism, you haven’t shown any signs of being under Darker control. Until that changes, I will believe you are the person you say you are.”
“Uh, thanks. For trusting me, I mean.”
“Your thanks are not necessary. My trust is earned, and you’ve earned it.” Aki smiled at her—in Akasha’s experience, a rare sight. “Now go. Your team is waiting for you.”
Akasha had already turned to leave when Aki called out, “Akasha! Wait.”
She looked back. The Caseal must have changed her mind, because she merely shook her head. “No, never mind. It’s nothing. Good luck out there.”
Aki and Colton left to join their own team, leaving Akasha to wonder what that was all about. The harder she tried, the more she realized it was a futile effort. There was no way of knowing what Aki had been about to say, so Akasha gave up trying.
“Thanks for sticking up for me back there, by the way,” she told Ivan.
He clapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, what are friends for? Just… next time, keep me in the loop, okay? Especially when you develop new abilities—like, say, built-in Darker radar.”
“I only figured it out myself a few minutes ago. But, um… maybe it would be best not to mention it to the rest of the team, at least for now. You know, just to be safe…”
“My lips are sealed.” He mimed zipping his mouth shut, then winked.
Akasha laughed. “You’re the best, Ivan.”
“As if there was any doubt?”
“Don’t let it go to your head, you dork.” She laughed again and socked him in the arm.
With renewed spirits, they rejoined Galatea, Yoshi, Sahara, and the others. Together, Team Athena ventured through the docking ring until they came to the entrance of the station proper. The great sliding doors parted and they took their first steps into a new world. Emerald vistas, sapphire lakes, and pearl-colored cities awaited them. Not to mention twenty thousand Darkers.
A faint breeze tugged at Akasha’s hair. She gripped the guard rail lining the walkway and gazed out across the virgin landscape. Somewhere out there was her brother... or what was left of him. Akasha was going to find him and stop him once and for all.
She took off walking and didn't look back.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author’s Notes:
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