Author's Notes
Thanks for stopping by. Quick comments;
Although this is a stand-alone, it is loosely a prequel to the ongoing fanfiction „Tales of the Vjel-Amaj" and is focused upon the Taiidan Imperialist, Delophane Vamaii.
The "/watch=" links are tags for youtube, for those who may enjoy to hear the selected theme for a given situation while reading. I had applied these for the forum variant and hope these are okay. If inappropriate, please let me know and I will have them removed.
As a quick introduction, this fanfiction is roughly taking place approximately some 10 years before HW2's Hiigaran-Vaygr war, although this story takes place at a remote and rather uninteresting location for the Vaygr crusades at and during that time. Neither the lost Imperial Taiidan Mothership and its hordes of surviving fleets nor the Vaygr know of each other.
Finally, I'm sorry for the occasional quirks with dictions as well as the possibility of forgotten forum code tags due to 1:1 copy and swift editing.
Note that future chapters may contain "broken english" dialogues. This is intended.
Enjoy
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Table of Contents
Chapter 01 – Part 1 of x Scroll down, bro.
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Life on Curse – Act I - Bloodkeii and Honor
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Chapter 1 – Sealed Fate
The surfaces throughout the darkened compartment quietly vibrated as the distant power-grid periodically fused power through the veins of the vessel as well as the present sophisticated devices. The air is cool, and other than the very faint chlorine smell provided by the filters; it was rather odorless… meaningless. The compartment itself was rather small, featuring several seemingly tight chambers for any humanoid being to recuperate; and though one may sense fear in such tight compartment, the body within does not even know of its dwelling.
Calm breathing...
Groups of colored cables bulge like thick veins beneath the sheets, all leading to various regions the young woman's body. Despite all, it is clear that these are maintaining the slumbering life. As this body may appear to be tangled and to a point even subdued, the being does not sense anything.
The woman possesses a fair complexion. Her skin was rather pale, as if it had never been touched by the warmth of a sun. The straight yet short chestnut brown hair was captured in a soft cap made of some sort of thin cotton material. A transparent mask covers the lower half of her face; hollow tubes lead into her mouth. Displays on the outside reveal activity in life signs, yet nothing of which one should be concerned of. Although... various readings reveal that her mind is vivid and active despite the outward serenity of the body that had undergone severe surgery.
Movement…
Despite closed eyes, there is movement beneath. Vivid, rapid… There is a slight change in the harmony of the rhythms.
Even so, the outer world does not know what this being is going through. All but one matter is true:
She is captivated in her own mind…
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Echoes... The screaming of people and the sounds of rattling gunfire began to fill her mind. Terrified voices... The dirges frighten her. These were not memories of the terrors of the last days but of something she had witnessed many... many years ago...
Everything started with forgotten bruises to her shoulder and her cheek.
Just outside her tray lies an unusual yet dirty uniform, fully striped in the proud colors of red and yellow. Common sense will easily figure that this belonging hinted that she was once a special individual of the forgotten nation, the Taiidan Empire.
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/watch?v=XMppeOBZVLQ
Jesper Kyd - Hitman Blood Money "Secret Invasion"
(A narrative voice speaks)
During the reigning ages of the seemingly immortal Taiidan Emperor Riesstiu IV, two titanic colonial motherships and their vast armadas were dispatched to colonize the distance reach of the galaxy's arm; ensured of uncovering the secrets and treasures under his everlasting shadow. Unfortunately, underestimating the true powers of the so-called Singularity Core, the armadas had uncontrollably emerged into various unknown regions of their galaxy, never to find their way back to the Taiidan Homeworld. Every plotted course and hyperjump led them deeper and deeper into uncharted territory.
Regardless of all means of knowledge, technology and common sense; every attempted hyperjump brought the colonial fleet into yet another dreaded and unknown region of space... and all hope vanished the day one of the majestic motherships and thousands of its vessels did not emerge with the rest... The second mothership and its remaining armada could never find the truth behind the shear arbitrariness behind its propulsion technology and the search for the other mothership was logically deemed futile.
The last contact happened to be a small space-faring vessel of wise Bentusi Enclave that revealed uncertain truths that the Taiidan Empire and their Emperor had fallen. Many deemed these as lies and blasphemy... Others became lost of their existence and heritage. Matters worsened as their current location proved to be myriads of light years away from the Galactic Core. The sole Bentusi vessel had no choice but to flee as hostile intentions were provoked upon it; leaving the madness of these lost souls behind.
Over decades of blind hyperjumps, the remaining lost armada now found itself in a very dense nebular expanse. The colonial armada was now truly lost as its last means of stellar cartography and orientation was blinded by endless formations of dense gas, elements and the dust of dead dwarf stars. Hyperjumps proved to be bound within this endless realm of gas. Over this time, the psyches throughout the fleets had become decadent and untrustworthy amongst each other, soon to lead into uncontrollable feuds and disputes between those who were once considered allied and brothers in arms.
The greed for power, longevity serums, drugs and many other materials considered essential for survival slowly became out of hand. The once iron leadership crumbled as the insanity of individuals assassinated key figures. Myriads of fleets within the vast armada is now shattered as various fall into madness, despair or their instincts for survival; as well as the forming new clans and doctrines to ensure their primal instincts of the survival of the fittest. Decadency overwhelmed most of the common people and despite all... another threat soon became a serious matter.
It was then when the colossal mothership was suddenly infected by an unusual bio-mechanical virus. The true origins of this plague, coined by the colonial Taiidan tongue as the Virulency - or the Encroachment-, remained unknown but its nature was something that terrified all. The living bio-mechanical mass struck both nearby vessels as well as the living beings within, slowly twisting body and mind to such extent that they would become living slaves; entrapped in a husk of their deformed flesh and tangled microcircuits forged by the corrupted nanites.
Bizarrely, the feuds between the slivered armada continued. Little did these feuding fleets care about the severe plague, allowing it to spread throughout the mothership's realms.
The vast colony vessel since then had become a raging battlefield, covered with bloodshed and endless assaults between people and the bio-mechanical menaces. Madness was everywhere. Only a selected few armies dared to stay to protect the weak and hope for retrieval from those who were still of a common sense... but hopes dwindled with each day...
But where could one flee to? The nebula world beyond known as Curse remains treacherous and deadly...
(The narrative voice fades...)
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- Beneath a Falling Sky -
Many years ago...
For years, the survivors were able to establish and maintain a secured haven somewhere deep within the majestic Taiidan Mothership. Both civilians and armed forces managed to fortify themselves in an industrial complex not far below the habitat decks. Able to dispatch patrols, search and rescue parties and supply retrieval groups, this specific haven prospered enough for distant fleets to dispatch evacuation operations and further personnel and materials for their survival.
Over the course of these years, refugees and other terrified people learned of this safe-zone hidden somewhere throughout the chaos inside the vast behemoth. There were hundreds of such hidden havens throughout the mothership but the chances of finding others were little to nothing. Whether small hideouts or larger complexes, such havens could maintain survival though these had to be well-kept secrets most of the time.
Their initial chance of survival was always bleak though. The vast Taiidan Mothership, the Taiika Aksaii Vay, was more a less dead weight in space now and its internal realms were out of control. The thousands and thousands of vast cryogenic bays stored within the Mothership were malfunctioning and each day brought hundreds back to consciousness... or worse.
Fate was something that nobody could control.
Some of the awakened people were able to leave their previously sealed beds while others remained captured; sealed in their shelled alcove, either to deplete the last of air distributed into the previously active shell or to be consumed by the bio-mechanical menace. Even the most ill-fated were lucky as some would either remain safely in their deep cryogenic sleep until somebody would come or until they suffocate in their sealed coffin before the worse would come over them. Yet, there were still millions of colonist people hidden in the myriads of these bays...
As the mothership was extremely vast, its creators had intentionally spread the batches of cryo-chambers across the entire vessel; ensured that this would raise chances of survival should the vessel ever break apart. However, this thought was now a bane to many as these chambers were often out of reach of saviors.
With the discovery of failing mainframes and power grids, it was clear that even the self-sustained alcoves were malfunctioning. Faulty signals additionally caused them to remain seal yet seize life support as they were instructed that nobody was inside.
However, it was quite fortunate that it was usually an alcove batch that would suddenly revive groups of slumbering people rather than single ones. But once awakened and freed, the scantly-clothed people would soon find themselves in a world of chaos and madness, soon to learn that they were not colonizing any planet just yet.
Moving barefooted was not easy either as many regions were full of debris and corpses. Even children and adolescents were exposed to horrors nobody understood... and there were even occasions where families would be confronted by the living terrors or even madmen who would slaughter them at the first sight.
Each day was grim. The Motherhship was full of mysteries and terrors... However, whenever the awoken people found initial ways of survival, they soon became aware of the so-called havens – and one specific and rumored one in the region that raised all hope. This specific haven was somewhere deep within the twelfth industrial foundry area of the Mothership.
As more people were retrieved from their cryogenic sleep over the years, the importance of this retreat became greater to such extent that people have decided to give this area a name: Galis 12.
Galis 12 was vast. While its primary function as an industrial foundry continued, the survivors used its utilities for the means of manufacturing whatever was needed for their survival. Salvaged materials also supported their needs. Vulnerable accessible ducts were permanently welded, sealed and secured while other areas were committed into makeshift homes for the thousands refugees and fortified sentry posts. Focused manpower, the sense of survival and the understandings of rule and order allowed everybody to persist in a mad world beyond the thick walls. Over time, further troops from distant fleets were dispatched to further secure what was now assumed as a vital beachhead deep within the titanic colony ship.
Ironically, life somewhat became normal to the mere hundred-thousands throughout this vast zone. Various people currently resided at the open areas. The ceiling was unbelievably high and was domed. Other people walked across the heightened catwalks and passages high above. Heavy vehicles roared as they moved along through the tunnels far below .
An armed soldier noticed a woman explaining the youth of how life was under the silver sky at what appeared to be a makeshift park. A cylindrical object with various pictures of people and messages was not far from them, containing texts such as 'Have you seen this person?'. He looked up and noticed the myriads of plating above...
A steel sky...
Surprisingly, the kids were not frightened but vividly listened to the woman's speech. Other children even saluted at him as they noticed his curiousness. The woman greeted the man, thanking him and his service for the protection of all lives.
But the mirror of hope was shattered that day and moment when the peace at the considered safe haven was struck by pure terror. Although this haven had been assaulted and besieged by both man and virulent abominations throughout the years and time and again; this time, nobody... absolutely nobody could stop the worse that was bound to happen.
It all happened all too suddenly.
He was too late – By the time word had spread over the radio, it was far too late. The man had no choice but to run towards the vast hall where thousands of innocent people resided. He had ran across the entire haven to cry for an immediate retreat as the impending doom was about to strike. Nobody expected such terror to strike so suddenly. Thousands of people of the haven were caught by surprise; hundreds soon to be doomed by a terrifying hail of death.
/watch?v=ZkHcrfu3EQM
Kevin Manthei - Jagged Alliance 2 - Battle Theme 02 (Bugs)
All eyes gazed to the domed ceiling as the sound of crushing metal occurred from high above. Hundreds of pieces fell from above, burying unfortunate people under an unforgiving cloud of crushing doom. Following this event, the outer walls were ruptured by an explosion. The shockwave was so sudden and violent that it dazed many amidst its vicinity, and by the time these people came to their senses, they were soon surrounded by the waves of invading abominations.
Cries, clatter and gunfire swept across the open areas. Men, women and children screamed as they desperately tried to find a way through the mess of smoke and blood. Shrieks of unknown nature howled through the vicinity.
Aligning his autocarbine to the area where the adversaries were coming from, the armed soldier fired several rounds upon the hideous foes and rushed to aid a severely wounded man, but by the time he reached the person, it was already too late.
His senses soon noticed a figure - something was approaching him! Instincts caused him to respond at blinding speeds, but at the very last moment, his common senses stopped him from pulling the trigger. It was a young woman suddenly heading straight towards him through the dense smoke.
He recognized that she happened to be a soldier as well but was unarmed and barely to be considered combat ready judging her sleeveless shirt, the camouflage-patterned pants and boots. But much to her defense, absolutely nobody was ready for such a sudden incursion. Noticing that she was running away from something deadly, he immediately tossed her his sidearm, which she freely caught. Following a skillful roll upon the floor, she then swung her aim into the opposite direction. When the deformed silhouette of the bio-mechanical foe became somewhat visible, they continually fired until it was neutralized. Luckily, this one proved to be vulnerable and mortal.
The young woman sighed in relief and looked up at the man, but was then shocked by the very moment something struck the standing soldier besides her. The cloud of blood sprayed upon her face. Shocked of the sighting, she desperately looked around, only to spot a distant panicking Taiidan soldier spraying rounds from his submachine gun across the area.
The distant soldier frequently unleashed warcries - No, they were fearful cries as more and more figures approached his sides. What frightened the young woman the most was the fact that this man was shooting at everything that was moving... Monstrosities... Men... Women... even chil- Slugs smacked upon her vicinity, causing her to instinctively roll over and drag the severely injured man behind cover. Though exposed to the possibility of another adversary, they were at least safe from the panicking soldier who still sprayed rounds at them and everything else that was moving through the smoky fields.
Gunfire sung a symphony of madness and chaos.
She looked down. The sight of his bleeding body and the severe gunshot wound upon his chest left her speechless. A single moment went by before his hand fell lifelessly to the floor. Despite his flak jacket, it had proven little to no protection versus such a round...
Thick clouds of gray dust matter fell upon her, covering her and her vision mostly with thick shrouds. She wove her hands before her face and coughed deeply, almost choking to what also stung her eyes. Recalling this reaction from her past, she figured that the explosions must have ruptured one of the ore material transport tubes far above. The disorientated woman frequently tried wipe her eyes her wrists. When she was able to see some of her surroundings, she noticed thin tunnels cutting through the smoke - and ducked as more of these zinged through the air. High velocity projectiles smacked into the bit of cover she had, one of them cutting through and luckily missing her by a few inches.
Following this experience, she fretfully slid down as far she could until her back was almost flat upon the floor. She had no clue where to go or what to do for she was pinned down. They were everywhere - The abominations hurled their dirges through the vast area; Their warped and captivated bodies still begging the dreadful desires of death. Various sorts of weapons were fired upon them. Glowing waves of light revealed to be so-called burst throwers that launched shrouds of fiery hell upon the fiends while explosive grenade shells obliterated encroaching groups. Blast waves would soon sweep by, forcing the pinned woman to cover her face with her arm.
She looked down at the dead soldier once more.
She had no idea who this man was, but to a point, he had saved her life - even for a moment. However, he was dead... killed by friendly fire...
... The wild cries and bullet hail had stopped... The frantic soldier was apparently no more...
Her hand swept the dust off his chest, soon to find a blood-smeared tag with engraved letters she could not read at the moment. Clots of dust and blood did not make it easier to read when her thumb wiped over it several times. The dust itself simply burnt her dry eyes and lungs. She slowly grabbed the small tag and pulled it from its magnetic slot. The frame left a mark in her hand as she tightly grasped it and thought of this man. She did not know what to say for she was not the religious type of person. All her mind could do was to say that he would never be forgotten. She then looked around, hoping she could distinguish the smallest refuge throughout these atrocious surroundings.
There was once a moment she thought this could have been her new home. It was a world worth fighting for...
Her senses soon noticed the recognizable sound of static and hisses. It was low, but her sharp mind new exactly what this was. She crawled to the corpse and found the notable earplug fixed to his ear. The young woman took it and soon heeded the voice of a frantic man:
""A- Attention all units! Attention all units! Th-This is Galis Command to all units - Ev-Everybody who can receive this signal!"", the man's garbled voice shouted from the radio of the dead soldier, ""All units – Retreat! Retreat to the nearby shipyard! Enemy forces have breached through the defense lines and - and are encroaching fr-from ... EVERYWHERE! Retreat! Retreat as once! If we stay, we are doomed! Leave everything behind that could slow you down! Evacuate at ONCE! We are abandoning Galis 12 - I repeat, we are abandoning [i]Galis 12[7i]! We have no choice - Flee, before it is too late! I declare this entire operation terminated! We must return to our Ten- Bloody bagura… S-So many of them! Return at -!""
The young woman heard nothing else beyond that point as she instantly dashed away from cover. Pure fear was pulsing rapidly through her veins. It was unfortunate now that she was guided by her instincts. Even with the streaks of bullets and whatever shards that flew across her path, she simply ran for her life. As she ran, she avoided the areas that were contested by cornered Taiidan forces and vicious foes. Rounds were fired at her - once again, being confused for the monstrosities encroaching on the panicking fireteams. The abominations were many and came in various sizes and forms. However, it was clear that the majority were infected Taiidans consumed by the infectious biomass.
The smell was just as abominable as their appearances of twisted bones, smears of blood and torn tissues; but nothing was more terrifying than the hums and mumbles of their sealed mouths and the wide eyes.
"Help me! Hhrhghhglllll!Hhrrrr-Kill me!" – they kept mumbling as their disfigured bodies kept moving forth, swiping and crushing and being that stood in their way. The twisted monstrosities fired unusual spikes and whipped tentacle-like arms; either puncturing the bodies of victims or killing the unarmored soldiers almost instantly by the first swipe. Soldiers were faster than these monsters, but even the bravest were stunned by the appearance of these disgusting figures.
The fleeing woman witnessed another soldier that fell to the floor when a swipe smacked the side of his thigh, only to then be impaled by the tentacle and then frequently slammed into other floor.
When her movements caught some attention by minor fiends, she fired blind shots from her pistol until it banged no more. The sled of the pistol remained retracted. She cussed, for she had forgotten to grab further ammunition from the killed soldier. It was also unfortunate that these conventional weapons only caused mediocre damages upon these encroaching foes.
"Delo-fayne! Over here!", a familiar voice shouted from further away.
She stopped; sliding forward and almost losing her balance - followed by the necessity of coughing her lungs out. The disgusting foes were encroaching on the area, but were focused upon the fireteams that held the line. More dust swept across the area and it was already difficult to recognize anything but muzzle flashes, explosions and motions.
Delophane spotted the familiar man who desperately wove her over. Soldiers cautiously fired beyond her to offer her cover. Keeping low as she desperately rushed across the opening, the young woman was lucky that she was able to cross it practically unnoticed by the nearby fiends. Tailing the small group, she followed them to a group of high metal crates and containers that provided additional cover. Spiked projectiles thudded against the thick surfaces. The man then wove the others to lift the heavy floor plating and the grating beneath it, revealing a dark hole. Cables and other mechanical things covered the surface of what appeared to be a tunnel.
"Quickly, get inside! This is an emergency escape route that should lead us to the lower deck. We should be able to reach the perimeter to the evacuation zone. Other soldiers will be waiting for us there."
She hesitated as she spotted another distant group of people being murdered by the infected. One of the soldiers instantly grabbed her the moment she intended to charge for them. The exclaims of children and other adults terrified her so much that she even became desperate. She kicked the men but she was simply overwhelmed by their strength.
The recognizable man happened to be Lead Overseer Asulaat Ijeris of Galis 12 - or what was left of it... For this moment, however, Delophane was absolutely not happy to see this man.
The overseer coughed once more before speaking to her, "W-We cannot save them all... but we must save those who are here with us now - Do not worry. There are other escape hatches for the others. But we cannot stay here any longer! Enter, before we are all doomed! - And I have my orders", the man suddenly pulled a pistol and aimed at her chest, "We serve the shadow of the emperor - Whether one shall trust the lies of his fate or not - He would never accept indulgence - Neither would I.
Soldier or not, you are important to the survival of our people and nation as everybody else. However - if you intend to stay, I will not tolerate it. You could stay but I will not have you be infected by the encroaching fiends only for you to kill others as well. I might as well could shoot you now before such would happen..."
More screams and cries for mercy sounded from afar. She looked beyond her shoulder as the other men still had their arms wrapped upon her limbs. The howls of the virulent fiends shrieked across the fields as the crossfire of shards and tracers zinged through the smokes. Mixed groups of armed people spread out and concentrated their fire upon the intruders, but there was no doubt that this was already a losing battle. Any commander with the sense of humanity would retreat.
Delophane returned her view ahead and then looked down when she felt something. The muzzle poked against her chest. The young woman grasped her senses, slowly nodded, revealing her surrendering and dropped down into the dark tunnel...
After a very long rush through the tight maintenance tunnels and tubes, the large group of civilians and military personnel found the exit that lead to a corridor further below Galis 12. Faint tremors went through the floor. A constant draft slithered past her exposed arms. This area was definitively chilling. Despite fleeing the terrors from above, this was not over just yet...
As the young woman slid down a dark slope, she finally found the end of the tunnel. Climbing out with the others, she immediately noticed the distant cracks of gunfire and shouts. She cursed inwardly as it was now clear that the so-called Virulency was already encroaching upon this crucial deck.
"Bagura!", Delophane cursed, "Those monsters are already intruding this area as well?"
"J... Jotoheii Vamaii, is that you?!", a man's voice called the female private from further away.
"Gunsoheii Takudo - - ?! Thank goodness... ", she replied, relieved to see the sergeant and several others of his unit.
A small group of well armored men and women rushed over to Delophane. All of them wore dark blue medium armor, noticeable by the spherical yet bulky shoulder, chest and leg protectors as well as specific loadouts of marine kits. Before any further response, she knocked her heels together after a gentle stomp, straightened her back, lifted her head and swung her forehand horizontally across her stomach and then saluted.
Always the soldier, Takudo thought, and returned the gesture with a brief salute. The young man did not seem to have much left for the ol' Taiidan pride.
Takudo, Gunsoheii-Sergeant of Taiidan Empire...
The young non-commissioned-officer was one of many young bloods serving the empire's pride. Alike the young Taiidan woman, he and many others had attained training at the imperial academy as junior NCOs prior to the mothership's lost journey through the galaxy. However, just as Delophane, he awoke in the nightmarish reality full of terrors and atrocities... and this day was no different.
As usual for serving males throughout the fleet, his dark brown hair was cut extremely short. The suit covered most of his head; his face though currently free of the protective mask. The young man always had a strict gaze in his face that was iconic. While he was a formidable soldier serving the 41st Rifles Detachment, only a few could sense his dwindling belief in the higher-ups and what remained of the spirit of the Taiidan Empire. It has happened time and again where this young soldier considered subtly denying orders for the sake of the soldiers under his command.
The moment of relief vanished when the gunfire became slightly louder. Obviously, the men beyond were unable to hold the line. There was still some time though, but the first few could be seen as they retreated with casualties. He looked back at the Taiidan woman who was slightly exhausted. She continued her stare at the people far down the specific corridor.
"Wh-Where's your unit, soldier? - And where's your gear?!", Takudo wondered as he noticed her unusual appearance in such a situation.
One of the soldiers kindly handed her a canister of water that promptly used to wet her throat as well as wiped some of the smudgy dirt from her face. She needed some time before she was able to answer. Dirty pearls of water slipped from the side of her face.
"I... I was surprised by the sudden attack as much as everyb-W-Wait - They're not here? None from my unit?", she looked around and beyond their shoulders but discovered no other familiar soldiers.
"None of 32nd rifles detachment – None, but you..."
The deeply concerned woman turned around and gazed upon the entrance of the tunnel that was now being welded by others, "If they are not here - - Oh no... They must still be up there!", she said and looked at the ceiling of the corridor, "I must go back up there! I need a kit!"
"You are going nowhere. There is nothing we can do, Jotoheii Vamaii. Our command as well as the Lead Overseer already declared Galis 12 as a fallen haven. It is now one of the many that had fallen before. People have been ordered to save what they could and bear the fact that it is futile to defend the haven any further. It is being overrun even as we speak. We are to retreat and rescue whomever we can on the way without delay. There is no point in holding the line other than buying time for the final retreat. We must face that fact."
He shook his head. The other soldiers were just as grim and concerned.
Delophane repeatedly shook her head, replying in a distressed, "We cannot just leave them behind, Takudo! There thousands of innocent people up there! We are soldiers - Here to rescue and protect those people - We can't just let them die! I must -"
"We do not have time for this. We are marines... not police officers. Since I possess the superior rank, you are to support my fireteams from here on", the platoon staff sergeant ordered to the senior private as he straightened his stance, "As the current squad leader of this group, I hereby integrate you into the squad unit of the 41st rifles detachment until further notice. And as things seem, we'll need every hand we can get."
The man noticed a very brief reaction from the young woman that almost went unnoticed. She wanted to respond, if not argue about the desperate matter - but the nanosecond of anger vanished the moment he spotted the sense of loyalty and duty. Delophane's psyche reminded her that she was only a Jotoheii of the Taiid military, a lowly private.
"... Then I am... was the last of my... unit", she quietly said, "The 32nd's is done with - th-they are all... dead".
"It is not dead as long as you are alive, Vamaii", a female soldier besides Takudo added, "And I have a good feeling that other riflemen of your detachment will survive. The 32nd is an honorable detachment that had always been watching out for the 41st, Vamaii. You are a soldier. A good one. It is time that we pay back the favor by taking care of you. We need you as well as you need us. And I am certain that we will all survive if we stay together as a unit. So much is happening in such short time - Something is simply not right here. We are not sure what actually happened? How could such an invasion occur so suddenly without any warning by patrols? The Virulency cannot just have encroached on Galis 12 so unnoticed. We were told that all was calm and clear until..."
The young woman stretched her back and tried to wipe the dried blood and dust from her face; crumbs fell to the floor. Delophane gazed at the female soldier with the short straight black hair before answering, "I-I... I don't know. I was recuperating from a recent patrol myself. I must have been resting for some two... or three hours. Prior to our return, we were ambushed during that patrol and we suffered casualties. We survived and retreated but there was no sign of such an incursion- or anything so – so … BIG. I-I woke up, bumped my head upon the tight compartment of my bunk and just left the room. It was thoughtless of me to just walk out unarmed but I was simply disorientated. The tremor was quite powerful and felt like as if something exploded.
It was then when I spotted a dog-like creature that had just mutilated a civilian. When it spotted me, it charged me and I ran away. I had... serious doubts that closing that door would have done much to stop it. It was against regulations to have heavy weapons at the habitat area and my service pistol was stored within the desk. That thing chased me for a while until it found an easier unsuspecting victim... A-And then... I - I was somewhere across the wide promenade area. That was when explosions occurred and the incursion began. The sky simply fell upon us..."
The roars echoing through the corridors became louder. The distracting noise surely made even the toughest marine unease. A large number of people were rushed to leave the corridor. Thousands of steps clattered upon the plated floor. A dirty drop of blood, sweat and dust fell from Delophane's chin.
"Whatever may happen - We must stick together from here on. Although we are of different detachments, we must stick together", Takudo continued, "And you are better off coming with us. Listen. We are going to be evacuated, Vamaii. We're leaving this dreaded coffin - Once and for all... Or, at least until high command sends us on another campaign... Nonetheless, we are returning to our Tenreii... The 143rd Fleet, Tenreii Len'Tiirva Taiid."
Her eyes widened the moment she heard the familiar names, "To – To the fleet? Y-You mean we are going to leave the Mothership? I never thought that would ever happen any time so soon - or... ever! I was expecting us to retreat to the vessels to have us relocate to a different region of the Mothership to reinforce", she paused; instantly recalling the memory of a specific person.
It had been at least a year, or perhaps even two, ever since she left her Tenreii.
Like many, the Tenreii fleet had formed after the collapse of the unified armada. As of now, there were hundreds, if not mere thousand of different fleets throughout the seemingly endless nebular realm known as Curse. All of these were now considered renegade and independent splinter groups acting on self-proclaimed agendas... or worse.
Specically, Delophane's fleet was one of the few operating still under the lost empire's will and had dispatched several marine detachments to support Galis 12 as well as the evacuation efforts of refugees. As it now had seemed, it had appeared that she would be returning not only to that fleet but to a specific person she never really had the time to talk to. In fact, she never was able to actually talk to that specific person for years of her life.
"This is no joke", the man continued, "According to rumors, the fleet always insisted to evacuate the entire Galis 12 entourage ages ago but found that the bridgehead was holding the lines well and stable enough to retrieve more people and materials. Things were going well, if not better, each day. And our Tenreii did prosper as well as provide refuge to those willing to support the cause. Well I do not need to tell you that. We've all been part of this operation - but in short, the full extraction was a matter that was always being postponed. Tenreii High Command even insisted to dispatch another detachment along with transports featuring heavier units. Things were working out. The fleet was receiving a steady flow of civilians who are willing to support.
Somewhere, high command was more concerned about hostile Tenreiis intending sabotage or even an all-out assault upon the fortified haven... Men were ready for such but nobody expected such a powerful incursion of the Virulency... As for now, fleet command did not hesitate and instantly initiated all plans regarding full retreat. Manpower is crucial for survival, after all.
There are too many lives at stake if we were to simply hold the grounds. Nonetheless, there were already evacuation plans in place for emergency - Let alone the fact that precious materials and goods had always been stored at the cargo ships. These evac plans are actually the reason why you are standing here in one piece, luckily. Whatever may be: We are to get to any jump capable vessel and relocate to the emergency coordinates. And to be honest, I have no intention of staying here any longer than necessary. Like many of us, you deserve this leave."
"I'm guessing it'll be another short flight... right?", another private of Takudo's unit grumbled sarcastically as he fiddled with his heavy rifle, "*Scoffs* Not looking forward to the Tenreii, to be honest."
"You'd rather be here, on the verge of getting killed every day?", the other female soldier asked.
The other private frowned.
Life in a Tenreii fleet was not as great as one would assume. Although away from the terrors happening throughout the Taiidan Mothership, one's daily matter could easily end up in boredom and lack of freedom, especially on smaller vessel. On the other hand, the female soldier quietly recalled the days of being on a cruiser, with little chance of recreational means. The Taiidan Mothership actually had a lot more freedom; most certainly thanks to the civilians and the established havens. Yet, the Tenreii fleet was always vigilant as hundreds of other Tenreiis were always up to something. Being in a fleet deep inside the realm of Curse was nothing somebody actually looked forward to as one could likely die there to an assaulting fleet.
"Well… I suppose we'll be able to hang with a few civilians during our recreational times. Should be… fun…", she added.
"Yeah… Yeah. Suppose so. Just have to survive this bloody mess first *sigh*."
"Enough, you two", Takudo mentioned with a firm voice, "We're soldiers. This is our duty."
Delophane looked above. Her eyes stared upon the ceiling, thinking of the lost haven, "So then that's it? We're just going to... leave? But all those people..."
"Havens come and go, Delophane. Like day and night back at our Homeworld - Well, that's what they say, I guess - I've never seen that to be honest... Anyhow. Havens… Some come, some go... It would have happened sooner or later. We have already rescued thousands of lives. Now it is our moment to retreat and during that process we will serve. And orders are orders and -"
I... have never seen the day or the night on Hiigara...
Another group approached them, "- And we will obey the orders, even within the shadow of our emperor", an unfamiliar yet firm voice clearly pronounced, "And you will obey them, as well as my orders."
Takudo and the others turned around and spotted the small group led by a notably ranked officer. The group immediately saluted to the Imperial Taiidan Major.
The Imperial Major of their Tenreii Taiidi was a tall man ,who respectively wore the authentic Noroketh military exo-suit that reflected elegance, ultimate pride and honor to his Tenreii and the distant Emperor. The thick gray shoulder pieces extended horizontally and was engraved with the symbols of the Tenreii's pride. The proud colors of red and yellow stripes crossed the armored bicep and thigh protectors. An epaulette upon his left shoulder protector was connected with a golden chain that went from that side across his chest to the right side of his hip. His chest armor was engraved with the symbol of their Tenreii Taiid and honorable deeds.
It was common to see officers in such exo-suits nowadays. Every Tenreii of the shattered Taiidan armada endured researches in every field of technology, including the survivability of their units. Considering this specific piece of armor, the Noroketh series was a notable improvement of the conventional ones.
The Noroketh armor was also a standard for any officer serving upon dangerous missions beyond the fleet. The nebular Curse was a world full of treachery... and secrets. Despite the needs for survival, there was no doubt that every Tenreii spread all about Curse were infusing their resources into the development of anything that could assure their stay ahead of the packs. The Noroketh was known also for its resilience against heavy kinetics and biological substances as well as the first level against nuclear radiation. In full gear with supportive accessories, it could also sustain life within hazardous environments, including space. However, regardless of all these features, it also had flaws and weaknesses. As usual for every armor series throughout the Tenreiis, the constant mean for pride and elegance always had its price.
Both a warrior and swordsman, the Tenreii Major was one of the greatest men in the front lines of the Fleet. Marks and chipped holes revealed that he had experienced battles. Aside to his sophisticated weaponry, he also carried his honorable short sword; an antique weapon of which that was sacred throughout the Taiidan military society and mostly given to such commissioned military ranks. To possess such antique was beyond the sense of simple elegance and decorations...
Delophane frowned as she knew she would never even reach the basic of all military commissioned ranks. Connections also played a big role despite a soldier's unbelievable success in the line of duty. Aside to being a mere suggestion, one had to prove that he or she could serve by the upmost sacrifices to the Tenreii and the Shadow of the Taiidan Emperor.
His face revealed a gaze of ultimate determination. The backside of his head was covered by plates of armor and the neck guard covered his throat and mouth almost entirely. There was no doubt that he was a superior field commander whose command and intentions should never be questioned. His subordinate marines were armored and just as determined as well.
"I will be taking command of your unit, Gunsoheii, as I have command of all other detachments currently deployed in this region. We will serve in the emperor's shadow. There will be no indulgence. You all will serve the my command well."
The sergeant frowned. Takudo did not seem much pleased of the fact that this man took over what he thought to be his first real command of a squad. The Major moved on shortly to discuss further matters with others.
"Czass, Tenreii Shosa", Sergeant Takudo confirmed and briefly bowed his head, "The emperor's shadow."
The other soldier followed the honoring gesture. The Major nodded and moved away.
"We shall relocate to the shipyard nearby. The corridor beyond just beyond this sector is mined with explosives and we have prepared combat engineers to seal this passage. This will force the encroaching beasts to take a route where we will be expecting them. Do not tally too long here. I will not accept any delays. Galis 12 has fallen and there is no doubt that the Virulency will surge this sector. We will make sure the casualties are maintained at acceptable levels. I will not accept any further losses. And make sure none of these fools, these civilians, see any of the casualties. Our Tenreii does not need any further talks about such. Hold this line until the combat engineers from the other area have finished conducting their duties. They will prime the charges then..."
When the tall man and his subordinates left them behind, the group lifted their heads.
*Muttering* Bloody moron, the female marine grumbled, As if the civilians were responsible for all of this.
I don't like the looks of that man, Takudo..., another one of Takudo's marines noted, There is something about him...
Keep your mind to yourself, Madeakii. Do you want to be executed on sight for having a foul mouth? Why don't you speak a little louder? I'm sure the Imperial Major would love to hear about that... Now. Listen, all of you. We are not through here just yet, after all. Those monsters have already engaged the outer lines and they will be bashing through the hangar area soon enough. We are going to do our orders and maintain a steady fortification stance further away from this area as I have no clue how heavy the initial blast wave will be.
Okay… So I don't really trust the Major either, but you did not hear that from me. If he is not around, we will do things our way. I want to keep casualties at a reasonable level too - namely, one - and not his. We not expendable. Under no circumstance shall anybody be wandering off down those halls. If I understood our Major well, that hall could explode any second without any sign of warning... Whatever happens, we must stick together no matter what. Alright?
A short sound of clatter occurred as the other marines knocked their covered fists against their shoulder frame. However, all but one nodded.
Alright?, he repeated.
Delophane nodded quietly.
Don't worry. We will all make it out of here...
Unfortunately, Takudo's words were soon forgotten...
As the group of marines retreated to the outer segment of the hangar bay, they were shocked to discover series of devastating events. Despite the plans of the Tenreii-Major, the encroaching foes were already surging other segments of the vast hangar bay. Passages with windows frequently flashed and flickered as distant groups fired upon the bestial foes.
Far below, the group spotted thousands and thousands of panicking hordes rushing into various vessels and corvettes. Shots and tracers zipped across the humongous region as another source of intruders was detected. Delophane looked across the region. There were certainly enough frigates and destroyers to rescue the people. All they needed was time. She shrieked lightly the moment a random round smacked against the transparent shell of tubular corridor.
Before Delophane caught her breath, the young woman then heard a rush of people... and it was yet another sign of something terrible coming in.
"A-Adversaries!", somebody from the rushing group of armed men and women cried.
"D- Emperor's spit, there are still people coming from the mined corridors?!", a marine barked.
Watch that mouth, soldier, the Sergeant noted.
As the small wave of civilians rushed by, one of them stopped, almost coughing his lungs out, "D-Don't shoot! We're not infected - but there are more of those things heading this way!"
The people wore mostly raggedly clothing and were quite disorientated and exhausted. Some were even barefoot, with cuts and abrasions upon their dirty skin. It was likely that these people were part of a recently liberated alcove group that found themselves right in the thick of trouble. The Taiidan sergeant sighed, and then wove them over.
"Smart of leading them this way... But I'm guessing you have no idea what's going down here... We have no time for this. Get over here into our cover! Hurry!", one of the marines barked.
Another group of dirty civilians rushed around the corner, screaming and stumbling over each other as they desperately tried to take the turn around the corner. When the last ones managed to get to their feet and move on, the armed people then heard the slithering and hissing sounds of various fiends approaching.
There was no time to lose...
They needed to give the civilians some time for retreat before sealing this passage. Yet, every single marine was nervous as they worried about the charges. With all these people still coming, it would be a bloody tragedy if -
"Everybody!", Takudo shouted, "Attain cover and standby! Make sure you have a clear passage for retreat when the civilians have made it to the scaffolding! Do not blind fire as you retreat - and no fire and retreat! I want you to run. And for the Emperor's sake: Rear lines first - The front line will retreat as last! I do not want to see a single marine getting sliced to pieces by friendly fire - and careful, we're using explosive rounds here, men. Once you're on the run, there's no turning back until you reach a viable cover position!"
Agreeing to his tactical orders, the mixed group of armed personnel and soldiers spread across the wide corridor. Takudo's unit also split upon the groups to ensure that they would maintain a sense of order.
"Delophane!", one of Takudo's privates called as he rushed over to her, "Here!"
"What is it?", she asked.
The aside to the Sorboro medium armor the marine wore, he also carried a large utility backpack and another notable and identical heavy rifle slung his back. It was not just any rifle but a specific rifle cannon. The armored marine kneel down and placed the frame of his similar rifle upon the protective crate. Using its special accessories, he fixed the biped and other functions which gave the rifle a steady and flexible aim upon a specific coned arc. He shoved a few nearby armed men away as he noted them that the blast of this rifle would be bad for their ears.
"Take it! It is a spare rifle. We lost one of our men earlier this day. Take it and the ammo pouches from my backpack. Take as much ammunition as you can carry. You are going to need it. I'm sorry I don't have anything for your shoulder but just be careful. Do not waste any time!"
Delophane hesitated, "You cannot be serious. Just in case you haven't noticed..."
Unlike the armored marine with special shoulder protectors and the bubble-shaped frames, Delophane wore nothing more than sleeveless 'tanktop' shirt, military pants and boots.
"We don't have any reserve shoulder pieces. No time for detaching this stuff either. Private Kadonn!", the marine next to her shouted and gestured him to toss him something over.
Kadonn used his left hand to pull the desired object that was on top of his utility back and slid it across the plated floor. The marine grabbed it what was slid over and handed it over to Delophane. Unfortunately for her, it was just a standard sleeveless flak-jacket that would not even offer the slightest protection for her shoulder - certainly a Z-class piece of protection; lousy at best though protective against shrapnel.
"Thanks... Kadonn…", she noted in a disgruntled tone and frowned, as this thing would not protect her shoulder at all from the recoil. Even if she were to hold it tightly, the shock would only be more painful.
Better than nothing...
However, there was no time to lose. As everybody maintained their aim, the young woman snapped the backpack open and pulled several utility pouches - along with one that slipped out of her hand. She petrified as it fell to the floor...
*Egad*, -
She then heard the voice of the kneeling marine, "Delophane - Whatever you are doing, I hope you know how fragile those rounds are...", the kneeling man said as a sweat pearl ran down the side of his face and exhaled deeply.
Lucky for her, the round did not go off. Although these rounds were solid charges, one had to be careful with it as these were not entirely as secure as a standard bullet round. Rushed productions for explosive ammunitions were never that safe.
She grabbed the pouch and strapped upon her leg and then applied others to her belt. Pulling out another spare utility belt from his backpack, she placed upon her shoulders as a sash, allowing her to apply another two pouches upon her back. Delophane snapped the second belt upon her own, it was now fixed.
Lastly, Delophane pulled the spare rifle from the side of his backpack.
The rifle itself happened to be a very special piece of weaponry. The term rifle was truly misleading as this weapon did not possess rifling; Its interior barrel was smoothbore and with a diameter roughly thicker than the average thumb. Looking upon the rifle right side, she spotted the fixed magazine container... Empty and ready to be fed.
Delophane shortly gazed upon a magazine and spotted the row of red shells marked with a red ring: These were no other than the devastating 25x102mm heavy tungsten shell; as well as the red and black striped armor-piercing sabot variant. While seemingly cute regarding the size of the round, it easily wrecked havoc upon armored targets as well as the diversities of the bio-mechanical menaces. Such devastating round can only be found in such brute-force weaponry like the cannon-rifle she held in her hand: The Shokodai.
The high command of her Tenreii fleet issued its development and applied this to various seasoned marine detachments to counter the overwhelming fiends. Research revealed that the fiends were highly resilient and required a galore of hits from standard rifles until they would be neutralized.
The developed Shokodai cannon-rifle however offered the high command first successes and neutralizing a considerable amount of foes. Other variants of the round such as the teal-ringed concussive shock to take on the heavily armored soldiers of possible hostile Tenreiis or even protesting civilians. And it had been used time and again against revolting people.
However, little did high command care about the soldier who wielded this man-held artillery. Not only was it a heavy weapon system for a single soldier, let alone for a woman of her frame; its recoil was just as devastating as the mess it could make. The weapon itself was somewhat bulky and it was nowhere near what one would call an elegant rifle. Furthermore, it was unbalanced regarding its weight distribution. Luckily, it also came with a shoulder belt and an integrated laser pointer that allowed precise single-firing from the hip.
Aside to the many complaints of from lowly riflemen, the semi-automatic mechanics featuring the typically reverse-slide of the upper frames made it dangerous for those who did not wear thick gloves - needless to say what painful experience one would have for not keeping one's hands on the designated support grip just under the edged barrel. Due to the law of brute physics and the disadvantages of mindlessy-hasted research, every discharged round not only forced the upper frames to slide back, the recoil was extraordinarily forceful.
Soldiers using such weaponry were trained for several special tactics as well as two procedures that were commonly applied; either a single aimed shot or barrage, which was nothing other than pulling the trigger as fast and as often until the magazine of seven rounds were depleted. Using the semi-automatic function in a rapid manner, one could unleash a hail of death while maintain a considerable cone of fire upon a target. One was also not entirely exposed to the need of reloading the entire emptied magazine as one could insert single rounds and arm it the moment the chamber was loaded.
However, such barrage required not only strength to withstand the blowback, Even when fired by the hip, the recoil could easily injure its user... much to the distress of a young woman like Delophane, but being a marine of the fleet's detachment, there was no space for disobedience. Aside to strength, the user also had to maintain a decent firing position. The weapon system offered biped legs as well as other small gadgets to ensure accuracy. However, if firing from a standing position, one had to achieve the appropriate pose to catch the recoil without falling from ones' feet.
Like various weaponry of various independent Tenreiis, the Shokodaii cannon-rifle was an exclusive development to Delophane's Tenreii. While hostile Tenreiis could loot these, reverse engineering is most of the time impossible without the schematics as well as the wise minds that developed them. Another key reason why key civilian figures are often kidnapped or at times shot when secrets must be kept secret. Regarding this weapon, it was a high tier piece of equipment and likely expensive in its production.
The young woman envied the others who had the appropriate armor...
One disadvantage the Taiidan woman had to face was the fact that she did not wear the appropriate armor like the rest of the seasoned marines around her. Due to the sudden attack upon Galis 12, she had no choice but to flee without her equipment; the entire gear that was now slumbering in her makeshift quarters high above at Galis 12.
The medium armor was resistant and offered not only some mobility, it also protected its bearer from vicious blows. It was also well padded to withstand the otherwise painful recoil... but judging this situation, Delophane was going to have to ignore pain - big time.
The Sorboro personal armor series, unlike the Noroketh series, was a standard among various Tenreiis and thus was not unique. Aside to the surplus found in retrieved crates, its technical production was not as costly as the hundreds of other series above and beyond the S-class qualities. The Sorboro class was well known for its dark blue bubble design regarding its round and somewhat bulky shoulder, chest and knee protectors.
Ironically, the armor was not made of heavy components but of plastics capable of withstanding blows from small arms as well as concussive blows. Thanks to the internal padding, many soldiers are thankful for this feature as it offered decent protection against the painful recoil of their Shokodai cannon-rifles. The series was also lightweight and offered much mobility despite its medium classification.
However, this armor made its bearer more of a larger target due to its bulkier frame and it was common to dub their wearers blue bombers, rockmen or simply chubbies. While the armor can sustain several hits from small arms, its protective polymer-gel structure is easily damaged; making it harder to expand with each hit and thus can no longer provide protection on that body region. As another hit on that area could penetrate it, it commonly forces its bearer to remove it as its dented form would press deeply into the concussive wound. Also, the joint sections were well known for being exposed and known as weak spots; which was common for various S-Class armor suits.
Surprisingly, S-class armor suits are practically heat and acid retardant and, when fully sealed, water-proof. However, such suits commonly can only bear a small emergency cartridge of a CO2 gas converter as well as an internal wrist injector to infuse oxygen-enriching substances into the blood stream to lengthen the amount of time before suffocating. Without an oxygen mask, one still had to fight against the natural urge of breathing.
The slithering voices and the irregular steps of deformed figures were approaching the end of the corridor. The mumbling of crying and agonized people made the others around Delophane hush. Even though the encroaching foes had not reached the end of the passage yet, the vicious stench of decaying flesh and other disgusting fluids even caused some of the nervous men and women to vomit. Delophane did not like the sight of this. They heard hisses coming. Even she became so nervous that she could feel the pulse bouncing her aim. She lowered the muzzle so that it could rest upon the edge of the protective crate.
A moment of silence swept across the region the moment they spotted the first figures reaching the end of the passage. Many of the abominations were humanoid... to a certain point. Some of their limbs were dismembered. Others were coated by thick red and greenish biomass and unusual forms of circuits. The irregular shapes and structures of biological tissue was utmost disturbing for many people who ironically did not pull the trigger prematurely. Several of the hideous fiends had tubes extruding from their torsos and the bases of their necks; all leading to something else that was being dragged along. Others contained a small series of coated cords that dragged upon the floor and soon after began to levitate as it sensed the presences of various people.
"So I get to command a squad after all...", when Takudo assumed that the majority of the hostile group was at hand, he took a deep breath and then blared, "FIRE!"
*****
Darkness... Voices... Pain...
Delophane came back to her senses. Her head was throbbing. Her vision spun and she felt nausea. The Taiidan woman felt disorientated and could not quite capture the reason why she was being partially carried by one of the marines. Vertigo confused her senses and it took much time until her vision became comprehensible. She was running, or at least attempting such, while being supported by the man who was shouting something. Something heavy was pulling her shoulder down. When she looked to the floor, she figured she was dragging the muzzle of the Shokodai rifle upon the floor. Another marine lifted her weapon and helped the other marine carry her over.
"W-What happened?"
"You knocked yourself out when you pulled the trigger - That's what happened!", the first marine barked at her, "You were trained at using such a rifle, woman - You forgot to plant the biped to secure your recoil!"
Delophane rubbed her bruised forehead but when she looked around, the young Taiidan noticed that they were no longer in the barricaded corridor, "Wh-Where are we?"
"We, uh, we obliterated the first reds, but another wave of those blasted monsters was on the way. We gave the civilians enough time to retreat so we sealed the passage. Damn, you're heavy- You missed the blast, too. I almost forgot those damn combat engineers mined that place. At least we had time to retreat before it actually blew...
Right now, we relocated to another deck below the main scaffold. Other units are engaging guerrilla tactics to lure the reds to designated bottlenecks. We also sealed the airlocks so those monsters cannot follow the civilians into the opening of the scaffold. Who knows where they will break through next, but we have stopped them for now. The Tenreii Major has ordered us to relocate to this position with several other units. I suppose we will be evacu - Wh-What's that?"
A series of alarms went off. The buzz echoed deeply through the vast hangar bay that was full of frigates, destroyers, corvettes and frantic people. Many of the vessels still had their access bays deployed.
Delophane and the rest were still at a secured location. The buzzes of the alarms blared loudly and threateningly. She stood up upon her weak legs to get a sight of what was going on. She spotted hundreds of distant spinning signal lights glowing first orange, and then red. She looked down below and spotted the thousands of people stopping for the moment, as they appeared to wonder what was going. There were still a plethora of skirmishes and incursions going throughout the area...
Suddenly, a persisting tremor began. It was faint at first but grew in intensity. Something terrifying was about to happen. Delophane heeded an entire ensemble of cries and panic. The masses of people tried to rush into the vessel. Even from this distance, one could see how the people were trampling upon each other. When she gazed across the entire region to the other side, she spotted the source of their fear.
The colossal gateway ports slowly began to open... They opened by a barely sensible pace, but nothing was more terrifying than the sudden grasp of vacuum beginning to tear the mass of air through the initial rift. The whistle of zipping air soon evolved a persisting blare of tearing winds. As the gateway slowly grew wider, Delophane immediately slammed her fist against the transparent shell that protected them from the environment beyond.
"St-Stop this! The people -!", she cried.
The hordes of panicking people became chaotic. Not only did everybody lose their minds, the mass panic caused everybody to spread into all direction, stumbling and stepping over those who lost their balance. Many ran blindly into various directions - foolishly, as some were actually close to the entry port of the vessels - but even so, Delophane soon witnessed people were pushed or even shot at in order to close the entries to the vessels. Several access bays were slowly extracted, regardless if people were still stuck or not. She dared not to look at the ones that caught people between, only to crush them into halves. Gunfire revealed that the soldiers received the only order to ensure the sake of all other survivors…
The floor trembled harder and harder. A massive persisting roar occurred as air was violently being ripped into the decompressed realm of the Mothership. Soon, Delophane began to see how the people at the farthest edge were being swept out into the air. Within seconds, the artificial gravity slowly began to seize its service. More and more objects were being violently dragged and thrown towards the distant opening. Hundreds of people were struck by others; regardless of man, loose objects or even the infected foes - none stood a chance against the ultimate forces of decompression. Unsecured crates bashed their ways through the masses of people.
One of the massive vessel soon began to move... others followed. As the myriads of suffocating lives and hurling objects levitated and were sucked outwards, the first vessels engaged their maneuvering thrusters; blasting other helpless people and objects away. Another quake went through the vicinity as one of the frigates collided with a bypassing vessel. One vessel clashed into the main scaffold that had not been retracted, causing further quakes to transmit through the region.
Delophane braced herself but remained terrified as the screams of people slowly began to fade. As the entire air was ripped out of the vast bay, the realm beyond the protective shell silenced. Further rumbles occurred but this no longer mattered. The young woman slid to her knees while witnessing the slow countless deaths of thousands of people. The first evacuation vessels made their way to the open port, pushing whatsoever away that was now meaningless flesh. Other vessels caused further quakes as its docking clams were still locked. Some opened lastly; others were automatically detached by entire clam units as a last failsafe before ripping the deck appart. As the moments went by, the next vessels made their way into the spacious junctions of the Mothership, soon to follow the passage to outer space.
"Deka-rucha...", one of the marines said with a shocked voice, "All those people... What are we doing this for... Just letting them to die like this? Madness..."
Many of the marines and the very few armed civilians were petrified by the thousands of corpses or such soon-to-be.
"I have seen this coming... This was all necessary. More than ten thousands will still have survived - and there are still millions hidden within the Mothership. It cannot save all. But I will not waste precious time with sorrows. We are not through yet, my brethren", the Tenreii Major noted from behind, "We have one more mission to fulfill."
There was a sudden reaction that went unnoticed by the Tenreii Major. As the small crowd of men of women stood in front the superior figure, Delophane was held back and urgently told to stand down. Takudo did his best to keep the smaller woman quiet as she fought to say a word. He felt a tight clutch upon his hand, but unfortunately for the young woman, she simply could not bite through the thick glove of his armor. He knew exactly what she needed to say, even if there was no true proof that the Tenreii Major was fully responsible for all these deaths despite the confession that he knowingly let the people go into their doom.
"Brethren. It is this day we put an end to the reign of madness. It will be our duty to change the course of our fates! There is something that has been responsible for all our troubles over the past decades. And ever since its failures, our entire blood and kin have been stalled and harassed by its everlasting malfunctioning. It is an illogical function that we must neutralize once and for all... A persona that has been responsible for all our failures and to our cursed doom - I dare say ever since that day we departed from our Taiidan Homeworld..."
Finally, the fiery young woman began to calm down, much to the luck of Takudo, whose hand was about to slip from her mouth. She finally calmed down. Delophane wiped the saliva from the edge of her mouth. Gunfire and blazes still occurred in the distance. The man in the elegant Noroketh exosuit straightened his stance. His face was covered by the protective mask and the sloped helmet. Delophane slid to floor and clutched her sore right shoulder.
"There is something about Galis 12 that you should know of, brethren."
She lifted her head but did not care much.
"Many of you will recall explosions. Prior - or perhaps even during the virulent incursion upon Galis 12. You must know that the Virulency, while an intelligent and cunning abomination, was somehow lured to the weak points of that haven. Yes. You have heard right. The overseer and his staff revealed blueprints of the haven and showed that these sealed ducts were still weak spots... Furthermore, there was a recorded message of a patrol that had discovered devices placed at these spots..."
Delophane's eyes widened.
"Brethren, we must be certain that there was an atrocious scheme plotted upon Galis 12 and the fact that saboteurs have brought the Virulency into the very heart of the haven. There is no doubt. The patrol was blasted into bits... And there were slaughtered fireteams of unknown Tenreii allegiance that were reported in the abandoned transport tunnels just prior to the onslaught. It was also then when the scout patrol hurried back to the haven to report... but it was too late."
Takudo and other marines shook their heads. While it was hard to believe anything without true evidence, the fact that explosives were set at key locations was simply too obvious. All was part of a sabotage and the fact that unknown fireteams actually led the masses of infectious foes to the areas - and there was no doubt that they were sacrificed... Even now, the hostile Tenreiis would cause slaughter to gain the upper hand.
The Tenreii Major spoke clearly, yet subtly by precisely chosen words, "We must look forward. The elders and the scientists of the fleet have discovered that the Virulency is dying. It will most likely seize existence within a matter of six, perhaps five, years - Yet... We must act before the illogical persona becomes the end of us all beforehand. There are still millions of people throughout this cursed vessel. The persona is killing them off each day with its cursed mind.
But there is hope, brethren. Hope, I shall say it again. Our Tenreii has engaged a conglomeratewith other… reasonable Tenreii Fleets. Thanks to blood truce and the greater matters for a greater good, they have discovered that we can cut the lifespan of the Virulency to such extent that it would die out within days... or weeks."
Despite the worrisome gazes, many exclaimed lightly in astonishment.
"This cursed Virulency is one of the many reasons why the weak minds are losing their allegiance to our emperor. Without this biological menace, we could finally reunite the Tenreiis back to its glory and punish those who ever dared to betray the word of our emperor. The Virulency feeds each day on helpless people like you and siphon anything that generates power.
Brethren. Cooperation is our greatest deed. We must cooperate with the very few other Tenreii Fleets that are willing to serve the for the greater in the shadow of our emperor. The Tenreii High Command of our Fleet has decided to take on this vital and sensitive task that other fleets never dared to assess. The first phase is about to be completed..."
Several people looked at each other. Some were even not part of Delophane's Tenreii fleet, but it was true that the rivalry between all have fallen as the infectious mass, the so-called Virulency, struck. However, the rivalry already existed between the various hundreds of Tenreii Fleets long before the bio-menace struck and was nothing compared to the true decaying of the Tenreii High Commands...
The Tenreii Major did not mention anything about this but many knew of a small truth. The need for a precious drug and various other means were becoming out of hand. However... Regardless of what was occurring beyond the Mothership, it was the survivors and the reanimated people who forged themselves together, to look beyond the madness and aim for the survival of here and tomorrow. It was the reason why Galis 12 and other hundreds of unheard havens will or have prospered.
There were many people of different bloodlines regarding their heritages as seen by the symbols they proudly carried; either as a tattoo or anything that contained the specific insignia of pride. It was clear that a large mass of the survivors did not even know anything about the true happenings beyond the Mothership as they simply awoke in a world of death and chaos.
Even the hearsay of the marine detachments were not truthful as most of the rivaling Tenreii Fleets honorably agreed to do whatever was needed to save the lives still lost or stuck inside their cryogenic coffins deep inside the dreaded Mothership. Such honorable agreement was more of an unstable pact of neutrality; whether it was for the greater good of Taiidan citizens or simply a mean to capture more somewhat willing manpower and material for their agendas - it did not truly matter. Even though, there were still other rogue factions of the former Taiidan armada who were not trustworthy and hostile, but luckily, these learned to stay away from the Mothership for good and haunt Curse of its treachery and riches.
Somewhere deep within a distant consciousness... The psyche of a waning persona senses how myriads of life-giving cords are torn from her soul. As this psyche barely can withstand the ongoing twisting intrusion of the infection into her very mind and the madness of the outer physical world, she cannot do nothing but witness her very heart being ripped from her body. She is powerless. She cries but she cannot be heard. She screams but her agony remains unnoticed by all those who were doing this to her. Her body is fixed in a spherical liquid prison she cannot escape... and as she feels how the heart is taken from her, her entire surroundings darkens...
Suddenly, the lights began to flicker until the entire surroundings faded into pure black. Delophane felt every nerve in her body tensed and tingled, merely clutching her lungs with fear. Blinded by darkness, she swept her arms around, knocking against thick legs. Many civilians throughout the large group exclaimed and became unease until finally a series of deep green emergency lights lit the entire surroundings again. Delophane felt how her fear was forging itself onto her skin as cold sweat. Despite being a soldier, she could feel the adrenaline forcing her instincts to act and simply run away... Following the series of blue lights and red emergency diodes coming to life, the entire group heeded the sounds of failing power sweeping across the area.
A familiar yet digitalized voice slowly spoke from various PA speakers throughout the region, Attention... Main power failure throughout all decks. Primary power supply interrupted. Warning... Integrity failures. Engaging emergency protocols... Engaging priority life support protocols... Auxiliary power to maintain basic life support functions...
"Brethren - My bloodkeii. The first phase has been complete..."
"T-Tenreii Major, if I may", the nervous sergeant Takudo finally asked, "Which phase do you speak of? And what is our... m-mission?", he continued and bowed his head once more, hoping that this question was not going beyond the edge.
"Gunso Takudo, the Tenreii Conglomerate has conducted the forced ejection of the Manifold Singularity Core from the Taiika Aksaii Vay."
"W-What? I mean... What do you mean, sir -? All due respect, but I am just a simple marine."
"You heard correctly. The Core is the heart of this entire Taiidan Mothership. It is the Hyperspace Core, to be precise, that is not only a key element of propulsion but also the prime power generator. What was assumed to be impossible was conducted in a covert cooperation between our Tenreiis. We have induced our efforts and manpower into this plan for the sake of all of our survival. The singularity core is the key to all if we wish to ever survive the treachery of The Curse.
We must not let the Virulency infect and corrupt it. There is a reason why it is so desperate. It is dying... It needs to power its mass to somehow lengthen its survival. It has always been encroaching not only for biological material but also the power sources. There is evidence that it had always been making its way to the Core itself, but it always required power to somehow fuel its existence alone… This is apparently the reason why it culled on the thousands of generators and anything else that generated power. We discovered also that it found a way to encroach faster to the Core - But we will not let this happen.
Even though I do not care about other Tenreii scientists and blasphemy of theories, our High Command agreed that the Virulency must be stopped. It has always been capable of surviving because it could seize energy from power grids as well as bio-material from captivated victims. Of course, the bio-menace is not out only problem. There are other Tenreiis to do deal with, but for now, this menace remains our main and last concern.
As of now, our fleets are now conducting all that is needed to swiftly engage an immediate hyperjump out of harm's way. Rest assured that they will do their duty to the pride of our distant emperor... Regarding our critical mission, we are to fight our way to the Core Bridge of the Mothership, my brethren. It is our destiny to fulfill the true step to ultimate victory. We must ensure that nothing was at vain! This day will historical and our emperor will be proud to hear of our deeds as heroes of the empire!"
"Tenreii Major. Wi-with all respect of the Taiid pride - Th-The Virulency, there are... h-hundreds of them - if not thousands of them - and the biomass. Without that core… It should die out - N-Nevertheless, why should we fight those thousands of the biomass if it will die out anyways. All of it is between us and that region where the Core Bridge is locat-", one of the civilians stammered.
"- We will serve the shadow of the emperor! Our duty is clear! We will do what is required! We will not fail our mission! It is our only salvation! We will take the most direct passage to Core Bridge and we will overwhelm whatever shall stand in our way - We will pierce through the enemy lines, no matter the costs!"
Takudo did not receive an answer. As the Tenreii Major continued another monolog of pride and honor, Delophane's psyche forgot of the pain as it was now in a world of misery and anger. It was slowly becoming clear to her as to why Galis 12 had fallen so suddenly...
But the poor young marine had no choice. She had awoken into a world of terror and it was her blood and honor to serve the Tenreii and the emperor's shadow. It all made sense now. Galis 12 was always just a plank full of expendable people, even more for those who were there to ensure the extraction of manpower and material. Even so, the true matter of abandoning Galis 12 was only due to ensure the success of this all-in operation.
Delophane clenched her fists.
- Pursuit to Perdition -
Over the seemingly eternal course of the next three hours, the entire entourage of the Tenreii Major unified with military companies and detachments of other Tenreiis. Thousands of civilian groups joined the forces and vigorously supported the intentions of the man and other prominent Tenreii officers whose pride and will for the emperor's shadow exceeded the capabilities of these laymen. Regardless of heroic strides and the ongoing pursuit to eternal victory, the reality revealed the greatest of challenges yet that tolled by the costs of blood.
The internal regions of the Mothership was vast. Each region was almost a world of its own, each ranging at several square kilometers. The path from the region of Galis 12 to the very depths of the Core Bridge area was riddled with ongoing battles, decompressed scaffold areas, vast fields of forgotten silent cemeteries and passages full of encroaching infestations. Regardless, the Tenreii officers were in command of a vast regiment willing to penetrate the dangerous lines.
But the process was never that easy. For one, the entire mixed regiment had to fight its way through the verdant hydroponic garden. Death lurked behind almost every deformed tree that had struck roots through the infested soil. There were reports of unknown Tenreiis engaging them, but shear brute force and mass-than-class tactics simply struck through to the next region.
Losses were countered with the annexation of military units coincidentally found - but also even civilian colonists who had just awoken from their malfunctioning cryogenic beds not long ago. They were scantly clothed and even had no idea of what was going on. This did not matter to the Tenreii officers as they immediately impressed them to the hundreds of an armed and bizarrely mixed militia that supported the main forces.
One of the greatest issues of the moving regiment was endurance. The great pursuit and charge ahead met with various resistances as well as the physical limits of simple mortals. The massive wall of people had spread into a narrow irregular stream and arrow that continually pierced ahead. While the abominations were luckily not organized, the sheer numbers and randomness of attacks wore down specific flanks; and whenever a flank collapsed, hundreds found their doom...
Civilians commonly panicked and ran off from the mass, only to be slaughtered and impaled by the vicious abominations.
Delophane's lungs were merely craving for oxygen as she tripped and fell to the cold floor. Her saliva tasted like iron and each breath sung a hoarse tone. Clouds of vapor exited her mouth as she wheezed again and again. It was extremely cold and dark. Flashes frequently lit the area. Ever since the blazing regiment managed to enter the next vast industrial surroundings, the many soon discovered the fact that the air was much thinner than the hydroponic region. However, there was no time to rest. People were screaming all around her. Move, move, move!, flee!, help me!, so many voices screamed at the very peak of their lungs - It was a murderous gauntlet.
Her ear remained upon the floor, sensing every single tremor and sound transmitting throughout. Tracers, rapid-firing muzzle flashes and the endless sounds of mutilated people, chiming bullet shells and thousands of thuds and footsteps kept coming. She was about to get up, but she felt a moment of peace as she remained upon the floor. Bizarre thoughts even filled her mind, hoping she would just die here and now to finally get some sleep.
"Keep moving! Don't stop! Keep moving - V-Vamaii!", one of the marines cried.
The exhausted Taiidan looked to her side and spotted the group of 41st Rifles rushing over to aid her. Three marines covered the arc as the others went over to aid the lying Taiidan woman.
"Oh, just let me be and keep going! I need a - a...", it suddenly appeared that she forgot what she wanted to say.
"Medic! Medic - over here!", Takudo barked and caught the attention of the marine who rushed over to her, "She's exhausted - or something. Can you give her something?!"
The medic used the integrated flashlight of his armored wrist to examine pupil reactions. He also noticed her eyes moving frequently back and forth, hinting that she was suffering the effects of vertigo.
"The air is pretty thin, sergeant! She's disorientated because of that. You all already received injections - However, I doubt she had any yet as she kept letting the civilians get their's first."
"We don't have time to be staying around here. If we lose the -", the three marines fired another set of high explosive rounds, each booming so loud that it distracted his speech, "- I-If we lose track of the Taiidan Major, we will be forsaken! Now give her that medication!"
Chunks of unknown material fell upon them... luckily, mostly light pieces of metal scraps.
"Th-That will not be sufficient, sergeant."
"And just why?!"
"It would take a while until her body has produ-"
"Hell with it! Give her something to speed the process up! Now! PUMP HER UP! That's an order!"
"I-I can't just apply battle medicine just like - M-Many of these vials are experimental! Let her recover -", but the medic was simply overwhelmed by Takudo's urge.
"She... She is an I.I. marine like the rest of us, an imperial issue, of the Taiidan Empire. As awkward as it sounds as this is coming out of my mouth but... We must all serve him, whether it is him or his shadow! Inject what is needed to bring her to her feet!"
"Sergeant. I must protest... Th-This could kill her...", but the man knew he had to follow orders as he was only a medical non-commissioned-officer holding the rank of private, "Bl-blasted Tenreii... They are going to kill us with these injections long before we see the battle...", he quietly cursed as he grabbed the specific vial cocktails from the small integrated thigh compartment of his suit.
The vial and even the liquid inside were almost as thin as a hair and were no longer than five centimeters. He had various sorts coded for specific means. But there was simply no time to waste. Concerned but willing to do as ordered, he prepared two micro-vials for his integrated injector.
"Wh-Wh-wha - Wait! I -", before she could say anything else, Delophane inhaled briefly as the pain spiked for a millisecond in her neck.
Resetting his injector, he placed the head upon her thigh and fired another two shots that poked through her pants. Using the miniature sensors integrated in his suit's glove and a small portable monitor, he observed Delophane's life signs that did not respond at first... but as seconds went by, the medic then noticed a sudden increase. The man silently prayed that he would have the chance to give her the antidote of the unknown battle medicine that was designated as an aggressive stimulator.
Another group of men and women ran past them. Some looked and wanted to help but were urged by others to get on with this dreaded gauntlet.
Within the next few seconds, Delophane felt how strength was returning, but as it returned, she began to feel warm and the rush in her ears as they pounded. The medic examined her eyes once more with the flashlight, only to discover that her pupils unbelievably huge. There was no doubt that life was coming back to her.
But at what cost?
Good... gracious...
Takudo helped her two her feet, but both instantly ducked when another explosion occurred.
"Vamaii! Vamaii!", he shouted her straight into the face, "Are you with me! Vamaii! Hey!"
She looked around aimlessly before fixing her eyes upon his, "Yes - Yes..."
"Come on, snap out of it! Take your rifle -", he barked and shoved it into her hands, "Now get going! 41st Rifles! Regroup! Rush to our Tenreii Major! We must keep up with him - Better off staying close to his elite bodyguards as much as we can if we want to survive! We can do it! In group of threes - Aimed shots, only upon aggressors - Covering fire upon our right flank by the ranks! Don't waste ammunition unless necessary! Forward!"
The imperial sergeant helped her up again and the group immediately moved on.
Don't worry, we're almost through! The Taiidan Major informed me to keep up with him. There will be a diversion and a short moment where we can slip through to the next region, Takudo said to Delophane, It sounded like some kind of shortcut. I have no idea, but we must stay with him!
The first marine fireteam formed a row of three and aimed at any possible threat that tried to approach them or assault nearby friendlies. Whenever they charged ahead to the front, they then stopped and held their position until the rest of the entourage managed to move on. Armed civilians followed them on the way. The shouting and onslaughts never ended. People were frequently being severed and impaled by bio-menace that breathlessly attacked them.
The group continued the method until they reached what happened to be an irregular fleet of heavy utility vehicles. Unfortunately, all of these vehicles were out of commission and covered by bio-mechanical residues. Two marines went to the sides and fired aimed shots upon encroaching fiends while the large group rushed between the large vehicles. Although Takudo was not all too certain about this route, it was nonetheless a possibility to get around the greater confrontations all the way to the position of the charging Tenreii Major. Bullets frequently knocked against the bulky frames of vehicles. The group kept moving along between the wide fleet of trucks and heavy vehicles; several spreading along to secure the flanks.
Finally reaching an opening, the group spread out. Takudo ordered them to take a short break as he tried to set his reset his integrated electronic compass upon the current position of the Tenreii Major.
Delophane threw herself just beneath one of the wrecked vehicles and tried to recover but found herself on the verge of exploding as she feel herself being flooded by vitality.
When she looked further, she spotted a boy who rushed under the same vehicle. He covered his ears and was traumatized by all that he had seen. She figured that he was part of the group that awoke and soon found themselves right into the thick of terror. Somewhere, she understood that he was frightened of all that was happening around him. Alike him, she was also one who awoke in a cold world of absolute terror.
"B-Boy... You there?", she stuttered.
It took the boy some time until he actually noticed that he was not allow.
"Hey, you...", she said as she got to her knees after securing her cannon-rifle, "Where are your parents?"
The boy made a hesitant shake with his head; it was uncertain if he meant that he did not know where they were or worse.
"You are... alone?"
"Y-Yes"
"...Makes two of us... Hey - So, you can speak", she replied lightheartedly, "What is your name?"
"Altepoor... Riimus."
"Riimus... Hey, why don't you come over to me? It is warmer here than just hiding over their alone."
Delophane kept her arms open. The boy only wore what appeared to be some sort of raggedy poncho and short pants that revealed that he was of a colonist family. After another pause, he finally rushed over to her. She was not sure what do next other than embracing him. The boy noticed that the young woman was very hyper and anxious for unknown reasons. However, he cried as he held her. Something told her that he was certain he would never see his parents again...
When Riimus calmed down, he noticed that he was still cold, "I still feel cold here. You're not warmer..."
"I know, I just needed somebody like you to warm me up", she smirked lightheartedly and after short pause, she giggled.
Fortunately, humor was contagious and the boy actually began to chuckle as well. But the moment of delight ended abruptly the moment they heard several gunshots not far from their area. Delophane immediately looked to the others.
"What the heck was that?!", one of the marines wondered.
"Was a rifle, of course", another one mentioned, "Perhaps a group of men heading this way."
"Whatever. I don't like this", Takudo added, "We stayed long enough. Civilians, go along with Private Mitekuur - That direction! Mitekuur has the coordinates pinpointing the current location of the Tenreii Major. Get going - And not so loud. I don't think those were friends..."
Riimus -, she whispered as she felt him embracing her waist, Riimus, stay with me and the people ahead of you. I know you are frightened... W-We... all are... But we will take care of you. Come, hold my hand. Everything will be all right...
Making a promise was something that always called upon a curse. Delophane had hoped that all would turn out for the better, but due to the desperate circumstances, things went wrong. The large group had found itself at the edge of the fleet of abandoned industrial vehicles, discovering that there were still hundreds of fiends encroaching upon the running regiment. The region was dark and cold and they now stood before an ongoing battlefield. But Takudo made hopes of only opening fire upon such monstrosities that would attempt to assault them. Finally deciding to make the move, the entire group began their rush across the last portion of the area.
There was no doubt that even the toughest of these marines were nervous. They were running through the darkness just beyond the encroaching monsters and the mass of the regiment that was being flanked. There was nothing they could do as any sort of attraction would be their certain doom. Surprisingly, there were fiends at actually appeared in front of them, but they ignored them. Neither Takudo nor the others understood why they could not see them, but there was no time to waste as none really believed the good fortune would last any longer.
Whether good fortune or not, it was a miracle that the group actually survived...
Not much later, the large group of 41st Rifles and hundreds of civilians managed to cross the wide fields into an industrial complex zone. The Tenreii Major was somewhere beyond this point. Machinery and other abandoned units were found throughout the tight area. The large group randomly split up into three separate groups as they rushed their ways through. The smell of cold rusty air stung their noses as they desperately made their way through the area. Suddenly, Takudo, Delophane and many others stopped when they heard voices not far from their position.
One of the female marines ahead of the troop had raised a fist. Takudo cautiously approached her side.
Do you hear that? Voices... Or are these combat drugs -
No, you're not hallucinating. I can hear them as well. I don't know. There are people talking - I guess another one of our groups found people. Maybe civilians. That must be Mitekuur talking there with somebody. Let's -
But then, the sudden cracks of gunfire caused many of the surrounding civilians to exclaim in fear. Shortly after, they then heard people screaming in pain as more bursts of gunfire clattered across the adjacency. Several of Takudo's marines secured the flanks and moved on through the labyrinthine complex until they discovered the mess. Another series of gunfire occurred, this time having civilians fire upon the unknown foes. Takudo moved further until he spotted one his marines on floor.
"M-Mitekuur!", he shouted and immediately rushed to the end of his cover, several marines moved around the obstacles in order to reach better positions.
Takudo and Delophane discovered the taiidan marine lying upon his back as a dark puddle slowly expanded from below. When the marines confirmed that they were in position, they swung around and aimed precisely across the arcs, finding no threats within their vicinity. However, they all still heard the ongoing exchange of gunfire between the other groups. The two marines immediately rushed over and dragged the wounded man back into the small passage, leaving a smeared trails of thick blood as they pulled him by the shoulder units.
"Th-Those... bloody - *hhhnghh* S-Sorry, si-sir... I thought they were - D-Damn it... Tha-that was another Tenreii! Th-They... just opened f- They shot several civilians and -"
"Shh-Shh - Medic! Get over here!"
""He's with the other group, Takudo"", one of the female marines transmitted.
"I don't care, just -!"
But it was too late. The hand of the marine fell to the floor and there was no doubt that the medic would have been able to treat his impaled abdominal region. The rounds had penetrated the protective armor, wrecking havoc upon what was behind it. Delophane looked away in disgust and sorrow, but her eyes fell upon another corpse. It was an unknown civilian, whose body revealed much cleaner penetrations.
Apparently, the actual ammunition was designed to cause even more damage on people who wore armor than those who did not. Takudo did not waste time and took the small plate resembling his dog-tag as well as several rounds of ammunition.
"Those... bastards will pay for this! I don't care who they are!", Takudo shouted across the region, "They're frakking with wrong unit!"
Just as Delophane was about to grab the protective shoulder pad, she suddenly noticed how the man charged forward in blind rage. Something told her that he had gone berserk and that he would get himself killed. She formed a fist and nervously patted it up upon the corpse of the dead private before forcing herself to hurry behind the charging man who already had disappeared through the maze of industrial pipes and containers. She counted several different sounds of gunfire. More people were wounded and there was no doubt that the civilians who decided not to surrender to the hostile Tenreii were immediately executed.
"BASTARDS!", Delophane heard from ahead.
*Choom! Choom! Choom!*
Three blasts occurred. Something exploded and more people screamed. Battle cries…
As Delophane hurried over to the scene, she stopped and immediately ejected the content of the magazine into one of her utility pouches. The young woman nervously grabbed the standard armor piercing variant. It was far too dangerous to be using high-explosive charges in such tight areas. After loading her cannon-rifle and charging the first round, she continued, jogging forward until she suddenly crashed right into somebody. Delophane caught her balance but spotted the unknown soldier in a white and yellow S-class armor.
Atenreii, her mind shrieked; the word for a hostile Tenreii - but also easily translated for 'the other', 'the against'... 'the outsider'. But she petrified when she raised her rifle upon this dreaded antagonist.
Before the hostile soldier aligned his aim, he was instantly struck by a shot that tore him away into the passage he just came from. Apparently, Takudo was still going berserk. She needed to get her act together! The black cloud droplets disappeared after it met her face. Delophane moved on until she spotted Takudo aiming her way. Luckily, he did not fire a round and immediately grabbed into his pouch in order to feed his rifle with more single rounds. But it was then when Delophane spotted movements above his position.
Two adversaries...!
Without a second thought and the urge of a nervous trigger finger, Delophane raised her aim without the aid of the integrated laser-pointer and pulled the trigger several times. Due to her unsecured stance, the cone of fire was unreliable at best but actually distracted the two soldiers by the amount of smoke and whizzing rounds that swept past them. Three armed civilians rushed out cover to her side and did what one would call spray and pray. One of the soldiers sustained several hits but was most likely still alive as his suit caught most of the rounds. By the time the other hostile soldier returned to his senses, both of them were then neutralized by a barrage of explosive shells blasting hell high above Takudo. There was no doubt now that he was safe now.
"I think you got him", a marine shouted, "Nice shot."
"Yeah - Got those bastards! Good job, you guys over there - not bad, for civilians."
The trio of armed civilians were lesser enthusiastic about this victory. One of them fell to his knees. However, the others could not allow him to falter now.
"T-Takudo!", Delophane and other marines shouted as they noticed how some of the flames fell upon shoulder piece.
The young man instantly patted the flames out, "I-I'm fine! Just -", he sighed and coughed many times.
"Clear! - Clear...", two other marines confirmed as they came from other areas.
""Clear over here... We neutralized four marines - A different Tenreii all right..."", one of the female marines added over radio, ""I cannot recognize their insignia or their appearance, sir... But an Atenreii. Obviously.""
""Too late asking them"", the medic added with a firm voice, ""They are all dead. Nothing I can do for them…""
""That's probably for the better. There are no other ones around, sir. Looks like we stumbled upon a basic fireteam. S-Surdek armor; *several exhales* Not many Tenreiis use that one, but let us ignore that. Those… *heavy breathing* - No match for our Shokodai, fortunately"", the female marine broadcasted, ""Extracted dogtags and their equipment whilst maintaining encumbrance capacity. W-We can certainly identify them later.""
"Under-... Understood. Are there any other casualties than Mitekuur and the three civilians of before?"
""Y-You mean, he's..."", the female marine asked.
"We lost him, Illstad, right when you and others took on the Atenreii units. The bastards murdered him along with three other civilians... We must assume that this was a fireteam operating throughout this area here. I'm guessing these bastards were out on a patrol or something when all hell broke loose today... We better assume that there is a squad - maybe even platoon lurking throughout this area. Maintain full vigilance. Notify the rest on our Tenreii frequency. Lucky for us that these soldiers did not ambush us that well."
""Czass... But what about -?""
As if not enough had happen already, Takudo's entourage was then surprised by the series of alarms blazing through the vast halls of the industrial region. As the alarms blared loudly through the region, there was yet another female computerized voice sounding through the area, but area was far too wide for them to understand the muffled words.
"Oh, what is this all about now?!"
""I don't know, but I think we don't have to worry about it...""
Suddenly, Delophane turned around, "Takudo -!", she fretfully shouted as the cloud of her breath shot into the air.
"What?!"
The face of the young Taiidan woman was so pale that he could see her fretful gaze in the darkness, "Takudo! That alarm - It's that alarm again... Remember what happened at the hangar back - It's... It is the decompression alert!"
The sergeant listened carefully; she was right, "Everybody! Meet up at Illstad's beacon - We've got to make a run for it! To the Tenreii Major! HURRY!"
The lifesigns of the comatose patient were elevated. Another being in a medical outfit examined the displays of the slumbering Taiidan woman. The person did not seem worried as he gazed upon the display that revealed the possible cause for the rise. Discovering heightened neural activity, it was simple to assume that the Taiidan below was expressing a vivid dream.
- The illogical Persona -
= Somewhere deep within the Taiidan Mothership =
/watch?v=IUzq9jE3c_M
Deus Ex - Naval base Infiltration
Delophane fell to her knees, not even sensing the pain as they thudded against the solid floor. The severely injured civilian she carried with another marine unfortunately fell with her as she lost balance. Noticing that there was no reaction, the two instantly understood that the person they carried for so long was already dead. Like many throughout the dark area, she was out of breath and exhausted. Regardless of being marines or mere liberated civilians, the waves of these people were in dire shape. Many were dirty, injured and traumatized by the events of the last hours.
Three hours... If not four long hours…
The young Taiidan woman felt how each pulse rushed through her body. Still upon her knees, her arms supported the weight of her torso. She frequently spat the excessive saliva that tasted like blood. Even her teeth ached; not to mention the rest of her limbs. Her shivering arms could barely counter the weight of her torso. There were several confrontations against the vicious abominations and even decaying ones that were not much of a threat. Very cold air swept across her exposed arms and neck.
Delophane looked around.
People of all kinds were spread amidst the area; People of which who were found on the way and who were lost. There were loose marines who had been lost and who were from other fallen havens. Several were not even part of Tenreii armies that had been looming throughout Curse and this dreaded titanic mothership. Apparently, these soldiers had been acting on instincts and survival. The mass of civilians made it impossible to gauge their true status, but all certainly shared the same history - They were on the run.
Takudo had taken a hit to the shoulder. It was a severe impact from a shard but he was still alive. The shoulder piece was severely dented and he was quite shaken from the devastating blow. The combat medic insisted not to apply any meds as this pain was more or less keeping him alive and awake. The application of the powerful pain medications would only cause him to fall unconsciously.
This dark area was a lot different than the various regions they had rushed through. After clearing throughout another interior scaffold area, she discovered that this region had to deal with the primary citadel within the endless realms of the mothership. Experimental and other unusual equipment revealed that this was an executive area.
Delophane gazed upon the Tenreii Major and others of his superior unit. They did not appear to be exhausted. They took certain hits but their armor protected them. Even so, they were not as exhausted as the mass they baited and forced to run for the last hours. There was something about these people that was different than the ordinary Taiidan.
Of course, the Major and his men still required an expendable army willing to serve whatsoever agenda and intention. Something told Delophane that their heightened and seemingly inexhaustible stamina had to do with the sophisticated suits they wore. Something that affected the natural physiology. She had no clue, however, for she was just an ordinary marine with knowledge over conventional matters.
She suddenly scoffed and looked to the floor. The reason they stopped was likely because they had almost reached the Major's destination and not because the entire mass of people behind him were coughing their lungs out. The superiors did not even show the slightest damage, not even any sort of sustained psychological injuries. There somewhat hidden faces revealed focused minds.
Delophane then discovered a disgusting corpse she had not noticed before. The body appeared to be sitting upon the floor with its back against another corridor's wall. The body had been there for quite some time. There was no doubt about that as most of the flesh was mangled by time and traces of the virulent menace, leaving nothing but punctured armor and skeletal remains. She looked back at the Tenreii superiors who did not even look at the surroundings they were at.
Bastards…
Looking over towards the other marines of the 41st Rifles, several of them were obviously just as traumatized as the rest of the people around them. Before she said a word, several of them reacted to the wave of astonishment going through the groups of people. People began to raise not only themselves, but their weapons as well. They even bunched together, back-at-back as they discovered approaching figures. Beams of flashlights swept through the darkness. Delophane fought to stand up. Practically all muscles were so strained that she barely could raise the Shokodai cannon-rifle. Its muzzle frequently slid and knocked against the floor until she fell to her knees again. While a powerful weapon at the disposal of her Tenreii, the creators had little respect for balancing its weight.
Hundreds of people aimed at the selected groups that approached from the sides. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she recognized the approaching people… More Tenreii marines in exo-suits - Mixed atenreii marines!
Delophane and the others did not seem certain if any of those were part of the marines that had assaulted them, but they were Atenreii units for sure. Although the mass of civilians exceeded these approaching Atenreii units, there was no doubt that this would end in an uncontrollable massacre.
After hearing a row of light yet rapid footsteps, Delophane felt a grip around her waist.
R-Riimur! S-Stay back!
The boy was frightened and did not let go. She embraced him shortly, but anxiously hid him behind her. Two of the marines in the bulky blue armor surrounded the boy by their backs, providing him cover as they aimed at the approaching figures. Delophane felt thankful for the others coming to aid her but she clenched her teeth together as she had no idea what this was all about.
/watch?v=HpL-FwLRiXU
Xcom: Apocalypse - Alient Infiltration
"Tenreii brethren", the Taiidan Major called out loudly, "Stand down. You will lower your weapons."
Certain non-commissioned officers and even Takudo sounded waves of disagreement but the Major barked his order one last time. The NCOs then ordered the others to do as demanded. Following this rather delicate moment, they discovered a man approaching the group. The steps were audible, clearly hinting that this person was wearing an exosuit.
"The Emperor's shadow", the superior figure in the darkness sounded.
"The Emperor's shadow", the Major repeated.
Allies? Not at all… but with these simple words, they easily accepted a mutual truce. One could rest assured that truces were a matter that would remain standing. Of course, in times like these, one had to be wary about the very moment the truce would end.
The figure came closer, cutting into the faint cone of deep blue light. Apparently, it was an Atenreii Major or Colonel. His suit was different than that of the Tenreii Major; stronger, thicker, yet elegant and authentic, easily hinting that this individual was a key warrior in the line of his Tenreii. Like other serving Tenreii officers, he also possessed a notable cultural blade. Likewise, this key individual had seen much of war, as the traces and marks on his suit undoubtedly revealed. There was no doubt that this man was actually much tougher than the Tenreii Major himself. The two superiors gazed at each other for a long time.
"You cannot stop us", the Major suddenly said.
"Yes. We can", the Atenreii leader replied with a firm voice.
Even with silence reigning throughout the mass of people, one could sense the waves of fear flowing through the area. Dirges of cries sounded in the distant.
"Whatever you may do, we will be victorious. You cannot stop us. We serve the Emperor's shadow. We must do what is required for the survival of his brethren. It is for the greater good, Atenreii. Heed my words. I can sense you are not here as an adversary. You may be here for a reason, but I do see that you are uncertain. Even more, I sense you know of our intention - our duty."
The Atenreii did not respond.
"For decades have we struggled. There had always been a source to all our problems... all our miseries. A source that should had been dealt with that very first moment it failed us... All due to that illogical piece of a persona that looms in that chamber far behind you. I can see that you are here as the Honor Guard that was once assigned to protect this persona."
Honor guard?
This thought went through the minds of others. The Honor Guard was indeed one of several elite detachments that protected the inner sphere command of the Taiidan Mothership. It was true now; they were not far away from the Core Bridge chamber. However, like various elite detachments, the story of the Honor Guard was just as elusive and enigmatic as the terrors of the Taiidan Mothership and Curse. Yet nobody could understand the statement of the Imperial Major regarding this persona. He spoke as if this was the ultimate error that had brought the entire mothership to its perdition.
"Or should I say… what is left of the Honor Guard. We know of your shame."
There was something about the Honor Guard that was disturbing and mysterious. For sure, Delophane could feel how Takudo cringed, knowing - or not wanting to know - how many people had been shot into the backside of the neck by these cunning people of elite leadership. Many only heard of rumors, but it did not matter as the Tenreii Major was revealing that he knew of something and that he would take advantage of it. The situation was desperate and instable, yet for some reason, something told the others that the Major was gaining the upper hand.
"You cannot stop our destiny", the Tenreii Major continued, "We have evidence that the Virulency would still crave for something. Even without the Singularity Core… It would still crave to consume what lies behind you - and we must fulfill our destiny."
"Th-This… This is preposterous… You will kill all that are onboard this Mothership - Those who still -"
"SILENCE, Atenreii. You will stand down. You will not engage. We will fulfill what the emperor's shadow wills us. It is our duty to bring the end to all!", the Imperial Major firmly stated to his counterpart.
"WE HAVE PLEDGED TO SERVE THE EMPREROR! WE -….", the Atenreii leader shouted at the Major, but he stammered; his aim shook, "We…"
The others sensed how tension was building with each second. The other Atenreii had raised their aims, ready to unleash hell.
"We - We surrender to your word."
"B-But -", another Atenreii marine stuttered but was immediately ordered to obey his leader.
"No... It is over. Our duty is over... It had been over ever since we entered this... Cursed Realm", The masked Atenreii leader continued, "We… have failed. Long before this. The Tenreiis we now serve are too naïve! As we were. We are already living with dishonor. Standing our guard here no longer means anything."
"I hereby accept your surrender. You are to remove your weapons and hand them over to my subordinates."
After a short exchange, the Atenreii leader had only one considerable weapon left over, but the Major raised his hand, denying it. The Atenreii seemed confused.
"You may have dishonor, but I will not take what is left of you. You are reasonable and honor the way of Taiid..."
The Atenreii straightened his stance without saying a word.
"It is time. I hereby give you the freedom of choice... Either to follow us and later retreat with us... or stay and perish here. I will of course hand you your weapons, but the Virulency will sooner or later come for you - or other Atenreiis..."
The subordinate leadership of the Tenreii Major ordered all to move on. It took much strength for the exhausted people to get to their feet to continue, but ultimately, they began to move. As the last waves of people moved on, the Tenreii Major was about to move on when the Atenreii leader grasped his arm.
"Y-You know… You know that this is not necessary. This act... You will bring damnation upon us if you -!"
The Major released his arm with subtle aggressiveness. His answer was clear.
The Atenreii did not even dare to look behind. Having no choice, they slowly followed, albeit extremely concerned of the future.
From this moment on, they were an Honor Guard no more.
= The Core Bridge of the Taiidan Mothership =
/watch?v=NWxn4FNBozk
Xcom: Apocalypse - Shadows
The mass of people slowly entered the dark yet enormous chamber. Voices echoed. It was unbelievably vast dome. There were a sheer endless number of consoles, platforms and just about anything that dealt with sophisticated natures of such a mothership. Even so, the domed ceiling was far away. The limping people spread amidst the area as they cautiously moved through the area. There was a notable fog in the thick and humid air. Drops of what appeared to be slimy water constantly fell from the ceiling. Some people discovered that bits of the infestation had found its way here, but died out. It appeared that there were several attempts of the Virulency; yet its reach died out. People scared back when they discovered dried roots and veins of the menace that had consumed one of the terminals.
Despite the draft of cool air, this region was considerably warm and humid. Although there were puddles, slimy moss and whatever that actually fit to the hydroponic region, most of the equipment was undamaged. Although, certain people discovered shattered screens and bullet holes across the area, hinting that something went seriously wrong here as well. A selected few exclaims occurred, which happened to be people who were slowly suffering nervous breakdowns.
The vast amount of mortals were never here before; not to mention that it was always thought to be impossible to come this far or even to this somewhat sacred place. But the people soon discovered that they were approaching the end of their journey. As more and more people fell to their knees in exhaustion, the marines and the superiors continued until they reached the epicenter. Delophane dragged her heavy rifle along as well as her bruised leg. The boy, Riimur, kept close to her as they moved on.
"Is this…?", Illstad asked.
"Guess this' the place", one of the male marines noted, "By the smell, at least."
The smell was obnoxiously sweet and humid.
"If… That is true, then that thing we are approaching must be…"
Delophane lifted her head and stopped as the rest of the people. She fell to her feet once more, as did many others. It appeared they had finally reached the destination.
All gazed upon the gigantic spherical tank upon a platform. Hundreds of very thick cables came from all sides. The vast ceiling came down to it as upside-down colossi of monolithic mainframes and supercomputers. Humidity and whatever else of this environment had eaten away some of the frames, but all was still functional, apparently. The mass of these mainframes was simply astonishing.
But the eyes soon fell upon the gigantic spherical tank again. It was filled with a thick fluid. The lack of light made it hard to determine what the liquid itself was, but there was no doubt that something was inside… No… It was somebody! A body! A selected few dared few more steps closer, allowing their eyes to discover the faint surfaces in the seemingly thick fluid. Thick cables and other things wrapped around the body that happened to be that of a female.
It was young woman! Had she drowned within this fluid?
"O-Okay… This is getting crazy. Looks like there is a… scantily-clad woman in there - And not that I'm complaining but…", one of the marines said as he lowered his aim, "Since when do -?!"
But he was interrupted by the moment the renowned digitalized voice of the female spoke. The voice was faintly garbled, yet the words itself slithered in an unusual manner like never before, sometimes repeating terms and changing its pitch within each pronounced word randomly:
W-WhaAAt… HAVe. yoU…. D-DoNE? Wh-WhAT hA-aaave…. YOu…. DONE…
The others looked at each other with confused faces. The voice sparked memories. It was indeed the voice that was thought to be only of a computer for many - but no, it was that of the being that was inside. There was no doubt. While various people knew that there was an iconic being that was a key role of the Mothership, nobody expected her to be swimming within in this spherical tank.
How could she breathe? Why was her body submerged in this liquid?
But the Tenreii Major did appear to waste any more time. His movement revealed that he did not want to talk. It was as if he knew exactly what to do. He did nothing but engaged an approach towards the sophisticated sphere.
"S-Stop! St-Stop!", another voice barked; A voice of a frightened man suddenly shouted, "Hold it - r-right there, or I will shoot!"
Several marines raised their aim to the location of the voice. Other civilians rushed behind cover, finding terminals as solid protection. Delophane decided to brace herself with the boy.
"Who are you?", one of the Tenreii subordinates barked, "Reveal yourself!"
All but the superiors of the Tenreii maintained their standing pose as others around them hid behind cover. It was not easy to determine where this person was shouting from.
"I-I know what you are going to do, you bastards! How dare you do this to us! Y-You're going to seal the fate of millions of people! Your p-people!", the man's voice echoed, "We have come so-so… so far and y-you bastards out there in space have returned to kill us all!"
"REVEAL YOURSELF! Who dares speak to us like this!"
Shh, down- down!, one of the marines said to Delophane and others, I think I spotted him! He's armed. Stay down! Stay low!
Who is this man?, Illstad wondered.
"You… You - TENREII people. You bastards! You self-proclaimed damn heroes who think they can just lead people by an emperor that is dead! Why don't you face the truth that the emperor is dead?!", the unknown man shouted and coughed several times, "And now you say we are to serve his shadow? What is that nonsense! A-And now you are coming to kill us all! Y-You are monsters - You are no better than the V-Virulency - Tha-That… No… You… YOU ARE THE TRUE BEAST - You are the bane of what is left of our Taiidan bloodkeii!"
The hundreds of people could not understand what this man was rambling about but he was dead serious about his words. He was so certain and he was even becoming frantic as he spoke further.
"And now y-you've removed the Core! D-Don't you see what you are doing?! She has done all for the best of our people and the word of the emperor! We have journeyed through the galaxy - To seek a new Homeworld in the name of the Taiidan nation! Y-You are now killing the people who are our very own blood and soul! Don't you understand?"
"W-Wait!", Delophane shouted, "We-We're here to help! We're here to end this madness! To eternally stop the Virulency from consuming this a-area."
"What are you talking about?! Do - Do you even know what you are talking about?! I do not know who you are but you have no clue what you are talking about - or what you are doing - o-or in fact what these Tenreii people are about to do! You're being manipulated by the Tenreiis! Shut up, woman, you are nothing but a slave to these people who say they act in the true name of the emperor's shadow!"
The Tenreii Major raised his arm to his loyal bodyguards, signaling them not to interfere with this Taiidan woman.
"We're not enemies! Why don't you -?"
"We're already dead, thanks to you - Tenreii-types!"
Delophane suddenly held her breath for a moment. She did not know what was going through her mind, yet she had no real control over herself. After handing her weapon over to the nearby marine, she gently pushed the boy away as well. The marine took her weapon, but the moment he felt the boy pushed over to him, he looked at the two subjects with confused eyes.
W-What the - Hey, what are you -
The young taiidan woman suddenly stood up, "W-Wait… I'm here. I'm coming out! I'm unarmed!"
Just as one of the Tenreii subordinates was about to act, the Major raised his hand once more, gesturing them to remain silent and let the Taiidan woman respond. Delophane slowly limped on as she made her way through the low maze of irregular terminals.
"Nothing hidden... No tricks. Nothing. Listen - We need to talk. I-I know you are frightened just like the mass of the people here. I mean no harm to you. I'm unarmed", she continued with a shaky voice, "I may be a marine but I assure you am not here to do blind murder. None of us are. Yes, we are here for some mission, but I assure you were doing what is best for -"
"I don't care who you are. I only know that this is the end of all. Everybody blames her, but it was never her fault!"
"W-Who do you speak of?"
"Her-… Shodanii. Daughter of an honorable Tenreii officer - at least that is what I have heard ever since. She is the one who has sacrif-sacrificed herself her bloodkeii and sole as a sole navigator for not only this Mothership but also the second Taiika Aksaii Vay"
, the unknown man shouted back, "
She has guided the two Motherships through Hyperspace for many years! But it is not her fault that we are lost in this endless cursed nebula! Heed my words! We-We've never really understood the Manifold Singularity Core! There are many theories that prove that this was not her doing! We always thought we could understand this... technology but we were simply blinded by our own arrogance as Taiidans of a proud empire… It is the fault of those who are not part of this dreaded expedition - not her fault! I... I can prove these theories. I can finally prove them - but now... after all these years in this cursed nebula, people are now out to kill Shodanii, me and what is left of the Taiid honor."
"We're not here to kill anybody!"
"J-Just how naïve are you? First you people tear the Core right out of the Mothership, ripping all that was left that would keep the colonists' alcoves active and alive. Shodanii was losing her control over the alcoves and the rest of the mothership as command algorithms were being misinterpreted by the supercomputers each day! I have been here day and night, struggling with her to save the people. Many of the scientists of the citadel have left on expeditions
- To establish onsite locations, so we could allocate the resources. I've lost contact to them due to those dreaded Tenreii fleets and marines like you - who were just following orders or finding more of that dreaded longevity drugs or whatever resources! We thought we could be reasonable with you - but many of my colleagues were executed or kidnapped! There are hundreds of other scientists still out there somewhere... They have disappeared, nowhere to be found or heard.
The executive detachments already had abandoned us long before, who are now in the leadership of your beloved Tenreiis. The Honor Guard ensured our safety... but as I can see now... They have ultimately faltered. I... I must thank them, though... They are the last of honorable men and women to stand with us in these dark times... More and more people tried to find ways how to extend our survival here at the Core Bridge… b-but th-they are gone, too! I'm sure they found worse than the Virulency…"
"Please… I tell you. We want to end all the trouble. L-Listen, I do not understand what you speak of, but I assure you that we are not monsters. We are not part of those Tenreiis that had slaughtered anybody! I-I know that there are times where we question leadership, but… In the end, we are here to serve and protect the colonists. And -"
Delophane suddenly spotted the figure rising from an unexpected spot. She froze. Standing not much further away and to the left, Delophane gazed upon a matured man who nervously held a light submachine gun. It was not easy to determine his face, but it was clear that he had been surviving in this area for far too long. His messy hair, his beard and his awkward lab coat easily hinted that he had been struggling here for a mere eternity. The young taiidan woman spotted packages of field rations and durable water packages. A durable water bottle was knocked over as his legs unintentionally kicked them away.
"Mister… Please… Are you alone here or are there others?"
"Other than Shodanii? - I'm alone here, fool! The others left, to seek a new place to survive. I don't know how many weeks... or months - I decided to stay, for I knew my duty and place: The survival of the colonists. And now that the Core was removed, my duty is now needed more than ever!"
The man had long unkempt hair and his irregular beard easily hinted that he had not seen neither a soul nor any piece of civilization for ages. The iconic lab coat was extremely dirty and torn. As of now, the lab coat had absorbed most of the disgusting green and dark smudges. Apparently, he did not really know how to use the weapon he held at her and the group as he held the submachine gun with both hands at the grip rather than the skillfully secured manner to keep it stable. Yet, he was deeply frightened and his aim was shaking. Truly, he was nervous, but as long as nobody did anything hasty, he would not shoot. Delophane was somewhere sure about it. However, he still swung his aim back and forth.
"Look, mister… Please put the gun down. If you shoot, they will certainly retaliate. We're here to do something about the Virulency. I'm sure that we can cooperate with each other. I'm sure of it. We do not mean you any harm. Can't we get Shodanii out of here?"
"What?!"
"Th-The woman in that tank, can we get her out of there?"
"*Sigh* I've been working day and night on that. You mortals do not have a clue regarding her. Sh-She is more or less stuck in that take - physically. Removing her would kill the body, and lastly her spiritual self that is connected with to this Mothership...
I was on the verge of finding a solution! Although it would take serious dedication and consideration to detach her without killing her, I actually found a way; I only needed to access a specific terminal. B-But that was when you Tenreii people removed the Core - I could save her life, I know I can... It may take more time... but..."
"But then, by all means, let us help you! I'm sure the Tenreii Major is willing to help you. We are not like the other Atenreiis. We are not corrupted by madness. You have my word. Please, come to me. Let us not have this end in bloodshed. W-What were you actually going to do next?"
The man was still hesitant but it was clear that his concern was all about the helpless woman inside the spherical tank. Slowly moving to the side, he made his was towards the tank until it was in reach. His left hand slid upon it as he walked around to towards the front side of it. None the others reacted as he cautiously moved on whilst aiming at them and Delophane.
I don't believe it. He's actually cooperating., Takudo said, as he maintained his low profile, Damn it… This shoulder is killing me…
Keep… it… up… Delophane. You're getting through to him, Illstad said to herself.
"I… I was going to - To… What… was I going - Y-Yes, of course. I was going to access one of the terminals just before the tank. I was… going to access it. An-And open it", he said, as if he was reminding himself of something that was long forgotten.
There was a notable change in his voice. It was a lot calmer. One of the marines noticed the nearby packages of medical pills. Apparently, this man was using various mediations to counter whatever issues he had. One of the consoles had so many different packages that it was clear that he was psychologically instable.
Delophane and a few others looked towards the frontal arc of the huge spherical tank, spotting the sophisticated console that was right before it.
"B-But of course. I had concluded one of my ideas. It was a way to remove her body without severing the link to the supercomputers just yet. I-I… I figured that it was essential to maintain the link for severing it would kill not only her but all functions of the mothership. W-We lost the Core, but I could still perform it. Although I could need some… help…"
"Then let us help you. We are here. Please… Put down the gun. It is the only thing that is keeping us from helping."
He suddenly raised it at her, "Th-This is the only thing keeping me safe from the Beasts like you!"
"W-We're not enemies. Please, we're running out of time. Look, j-just opening the tank. I'm sure we can help get the woman's body out of there. H-How about this, mister", Delophane explained carefully as she lowered her hands again, "You keep the weapon. See it as a safety. Open the tank and slowly move away. We will do the rest by your instructions. J-Just assure us that you will keep your aim secured and low. We do not want anybody hurt. Too many people died already today."
His arms shook again.
The body inside did not move the lips, yet it spoke through the speakers,
FiiRkeT… PleAaASe. They. Wish… to help us… O not hARm theM, Shodanii's voice echoed through the entire dome.
He turned around, laying his hand upon the surface of what he apparently obsessed, "D-Don't worry, Shodanii. You have been captivated in this cold prison for far too long. It is time - time f-for you to be freed. I will save you. You will be free - We will be... free..."
Fiir…
Delophane fell slightly upon a nearby terminal and sat down. It appeared the man came to his senses, although he was still nervous. At least it was clear now that he would not be shooting anybody. She looked at the tank he gazed into.
So this was the so-called illogical persona?
Although Delophane did not know much about her, she did recall an event she had seen when she was much younger; about a young woman who was going to be part of something big - Something that had to do with the Taiidan Motherships. Little did she know that this had to do with something this serious. Nevertheless, the High Command and just about anything else never gave insight.
This scientist, Fiirket, was apparently one of the many who were obviously part of the former Core Bridge crew. His true field and profession remained unknown but it did not matter.
Anyhow, this was probably over. Delophane sat upon the console as marines of the 41st Rifles came to her.
"I cannot believe what you just did there, Delophane", Illstad said, "I did not know you knew how to handle hostage situations."
"H-Hostage?"
"Well, judging the situation, he was aiming at you."
"Oh… Y-Yes."
"Whatever", another marine said, "I think she did the best. Despite this guy being… I don't know."
"Whacked?", one of the others said.
"Wonko?", Illstad added.
"Enough. Knock it off", Takudo said with a painful voice, "Good job, Delophane. Just next time, don't just walk off like that."
"I promise."
She looked over at Fiirket, who shortly laid the submachine gun aside to access the terminal. After a brief moment and possibly several access codes, biometric queries and confirmations, a sequence occurred and an event occurred. All attention fell upon the spherical tank.
"Don't worry, Shodanii", the confused scientist said towards the shell, "Once we have you out of there, and once I am able to safely terminate the link, we will seek your father. I think it is time you finally receive the attention you should get from the man that is your father and not some dreaded officer."
A thought shot through Delophane's mind. Something that reminded her of her own situation…
Th…. ThaNk you… FiirKEt… YoU… Have been there - FoR mE… aLL tHIsss time...ThROUGh...
"I know, Shodanii. It was always an honor. You are a friend. I am here to help. It is my duty as well", Fiirket said as the tank was slowly opening, "It is almost done. We will get you out of there!", he happily said as he turned around with both palms upon the huge sphere whilst looking deep into it; the woman inside smiled, "It - It is open, Shodanii. It is open! I'm so happy about you, Shodanii… Finally… We can free you of your prison… And -"
*PRHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*
A sudden crack echoed many times throughout the doom. Several people ducked as they were shocked by the sudden blare. Everybody gazed at the source of the noise, not believing what was happening.
Shodanii's body reacted as it gazed upon the Taiidan man who looked down. There was a faint mark upon the shell of the tank… and droplets of a dark fluid. Looking down upon himself, he spotted warm fluid patch upon his dirty lab coat slowly expanding.
PRHAAM! PRHAAM!
More shots sliced through him, ricocheting or merely clashing upon the surface of spherical tank as the rounds sliced right through his torso. Spinning around almost uncontrollably, his weary gaze fell upon the man in the authentic exosuit who held a specific pistol straight away. His back fell upon the shell.
FiIIrkeT! NooOOoooOooooooooo - Wh-What haVE YoU doNe?!
"I serve the emperor's shadow… Always", the Tenreii Major began, "and I will perform my duty. You have opened the last gate to the monster that brought us to this cursed world. I will put an end to it for I serve the emperor's shadow!"
Everybody else who was not a Tenreii officer was more than shocked as they stared at the dying man who still stood upon weary legs. Delophane was even more shocked, for she had not expected such to happen. She stood up and made several steps forward... but she was simply startled of what she had just witnessed.
She thought the Tenreii Major was reasonable regarding this matter but she was totally wrong. He took the chance of her convincing the man of something that was needed. The scientist had opened the spherical tank that was possibly the last barrier the Major needed to bypass… and regarding his mission; the end of the illogical persona was meant to obliterate the living being inside it - not the supercomputer or anything regarding artificial intelligence!
Petrified by the happening, Delophane wanted to respond but remained frozen. Not a single word left her mouth.
The man began to spill blood from his mouth, barely able to say the name of the captivated woman behind him, "Sh-Shhhhrdnnii… *hrrlghl*"
The fall to the side left an arcing trail of blood upon the shell.
FiiRkEt! Fiirket! … FiiRHHH-KeeEEEhhhhet!
The Tenreii Major approached the platform. He stopped and looked at the dying scientist who was merely drowning in his own essence. Fiirket vainly fought to turn around, trying to speak the name of Shodanii as his hand felt the cold surface of the shell. The Major looked away and climbed the narrow passage that led him to the top and upper podium of the spherical tank. Everybody simply held back.
"I am the end of what devil has brought us to CURSE. You are the bane of all… Shodanii. And it is the sole order of another Tenreii leader, your father who has giving the order to all other Tenreiis to exterminate your life as your cursed existence and deeds to our people taints his honor. He no longer accepts you as his daughter. You are shame to him and the rest of the Taiidan armada. You are not worthy for the emperor and I shall be your executioner! WEAPON!"
One of the loyal Tenreii marines tossed his assault rifle at the Major who skillfully caught it and armed it.
Shodanii's voice screamed many things, called for Fiirket many times and begged for mercy. The woman's body actually moved but could not free itself as it was fixed by the various cables and things that held the body at its place.
"Silence… Monster", the Tenreii Marine said, "The supercomputers and other assets of it shall remain intact. There will be a time where the Tenreiis will need to siphon the regenerative fuels from this dreaded mothership. Yet, there is no point in maintaining the only thing that is left for the Virulency. You are to be blamed for your failure to the Taiidan Empire! You have brought nothing but peril to your people! You are the shame to all that is left in his emperor's shadow! I spit at you… and for your shame and those who lost their lives on your behalf, there shall be nothing but death!"
YoU… Don'T… UUUnnndEEErRStand - K-IkilliiNNNg meE wiLL uNleasH eTern-
"Listen to your voice… I can see and hear it clearly now: Y-You are already being corrupted by the Virulency as we speak! This can only mean that it is on the verge of consuming you! No, you must be terminated! For the sake of what is left in the emperor's shadow! I will purge this corruption - Once and for all!"
No… NoooOO - Fiirket! PlleeAAse- Nooo - TheRe iS hope! For s-suRvival! CalcLationS were sucCessF -
The Tenreii Major aimed downwards into the opening of the fluid. Activating the laser pointer, the thin beam broke its path as it cut through the thicker fluid, allowing him to correct his aim at best.
"You have always been giving calculations, monster. You've been corrupted long before anybody even noticed it... You have been feeding all the Tenreiis with your false numbers ever since… - Your dreaded, twisted tongue!"
Shodanii suddenly petrified… For it was true what he said. The myriads of Tenreiis operating throughout this nebula had been lost for years, relying on calculations, nebula cartography and many other things that were operated and calculated by her mind. However, ever since the Virulency had emerged, her mind was corrupted long before she even noticed it to this very day and moment. Ever since, she had been feeding vessels and everything that was reliant to navigation with false data… likely stranding fleets eternally sooner or later…
Scout flotillas would be mindlessly dispatched by the Tenreiis, only to emerge in an entirely new location... lost... and to perish as months turn into years of solitude.
Fiirket's body no longer moved. For the first time however, Shodanii somewhat revealed that it truly was her fault.
F…FaTheR… seNt... YoU... I...
Before anything else was said, three shots zinged instantly through the submerged body. Three perfect lines left trails of small bubbles that struck through Shodanii's torso. The body motioned wildly yet remained subdued at its spot. Dark clouds expanded, consuming sight of this frantic body. The agony must have been unimaginably terrifying. Outsiders could not bear the sight. Delophane and the other marines remained startled as they could not remove their eyes from the body that did not die. The Tenreii Marine was a sadist as he did not place a perfect aim to end the life swiftly. Instead, he let Shodanii suffer. The body became more and more shrouded by the clouds spraying from the punctures.
FffaaTher-NoooOooOOOoooOOooOonhghghoooogghooo….
There were sounds that one soon interpreted as a constant tone… a flatline. At that very moment, several systems suddenly began to shut down and with each second, specific regions of the Core Bridge seized their activity.
Twitches... Nervous twitches...
The young Taiidan woman opened her eyes when she noticed a metallic sound occurring from her right side.
Delophane turned around... spotting Fiirket in a massive puddle of his own blood; vainly grasping upon the last seconds of his life. His shaking arm held something straight at her.
She paralyzed as she recognized the shaking muzzle aiming upon her.
"Y-...Youuuuuu *nnnnghhh!*"
Darkness
To be continued
