AN: Side project I'm somewhat intend on doing. To put it simply, this involves Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru, a series that I've... more or less accidentally stumbled upon. It has a pretty straightforward plot, with a group of mercenaries getting sick and tired of being ordered around by a bunch of skimpy-clad women, and they initiate a nation-wide Sex Empire with all females subservient to men.
Most, if not all, of the episodes were extremely one-sided, and the ending was kind of disappointing. So I thought, "Hey, would a lone, once-forgotten ship change anything?"
Slightly inspired by Wimblegurk Brigade's "The Celestial" challenge. T Rating might change next chapter.
Exitus Acta Probat
Prologue: Something has happened
Official Status: Lost with all hands
Location: Enroute to UNSC-controlled space
Date: [March 28, 2559] [06:00 UNSC Standard Military Time]
Deep within the recess of the vast darkness, a lone warship drifted through the void, passing by a nearby body of rock. The pitch black environment around the ship casted the long repaired Titanium-A hull with a dark, cold blanket, and the six fusion drives it was using constantly pushed the old vessel at a leisurely, sub-luminal speed.
The two and a half kilometer ship, the UNSC Spirit of Fire, had sacrificed its slipspace drive to deny a powerful enemy of a fleet of even more powerful relics of war. It would cost the ship and its crew the advantage of FTL travel, but it was a small price to pay for the survival of humanity as a whole.
Now, after a twenty-eight year period of drifting through space, the Phoenix-class support vessel still had a long way to go before it could even come close to UNSC space. The crew had been put into cryo-sleep, and most of the onboard systems were shut down to conserve power with the various weapon systems idle but at the ready. It was a long and tedious journey, but considering the lack of options, it was a brutal waiting game the crew would have to endure.
The sensors onboard the Spirit of Fire remained operational throughout the slow interstellar trip, sweeping the nearby stellar bodies for something even remotely interesting. Unfortunately, nothing had been detected, and the sensors continued their long-range sweep without incident.
Planetary data collected by the sensors traveled into the empty bridge's computers, processed and stored for any relevant information to be reviewed. It was a procedure that was capable of operating without human supervision, and with no naval personnel available, it was a system that proved to be efficient.
A few hours passed, and the UNSC ship had finished passing by an asteroid field when one of the Spirit's sensors had detected something. A loud ping echoed throughout the vacant bridge. It was faint, but the ship's sub systems began locking onto it before the anomaly had the chance to disappear.
Next, they began scrubbing and cleaning the oddity, with the systems processing the relevant data they could quickly gather. After a few moments, the results became rather clear.
It was a signal, coming though on a UNSC frequency. The broadcast was messy and rough, but it was coherent enough for the ship's communication system to understand.
"May, *day, *ay* - Th* * UNSC E****** req* imme* r* - S*s *rd, Priori* c: V* Z* *e *h T*"
To say the least, the subroutine systems may be nowhere near as intelligent as a dumb or smart AI, but they had enough processing power to realize the presence of another UNSC vessel. Immediately, the Spirit of Fire's systems began activating a series of directives left behind by the ship's late AI.
Rerouted power from the deuterium fusion reactors began to spread throughout the inactive vessel, with a speed that would be too fast for human perception. Lights that were powered down for decades reactivated, providing the dark and vast hallways with some much needed illumination.
Weapon systems that had been laying dormant within the ship's hull for a long time started to function once more. Bow mounted Archer missiles, 50mm point defense turrets, and the vessel's ten quad-barreled deck guns aimed in every direction, with the three primary MAC batteries the Spirit of Fire contained on her upper bow slowly warming up for combat.
At the rear of the ship, the six main fusion drives began to flare with a flash of bright light, promptly moving the support vessel towards her intended destination.
Within the ship's bridge, the passive atmosphere that had stayed faithful to the quiet status quo started to change. Monitors that had been offline for so long reactivated, showing various lines of coding and data streaming throughout the systems.
The pair of blast shield plating that covered the main observation window from the outside, in conjunction with other smaller shield plating, slowly opened up, revealing the vast darkness of space, and a vague light that illuminated the compartment like moonlight from a bedroom window.
Deep in the interior of one of the vessel's cryo bays, the cryo pods that held the sleeping crew inside started the thawing process, directed by one of the ship's sub systems. After a few minutes, multiple crew members stumbled out of their pods one by one.
They coughed violently and gathered their senses, while some immediately hurled out the bronchial surfactant from their lungs. Those who were not quick enough to recover from the wake cycle would often fall nearly face first onto the ground until a more conscious crewman or a technician would catch them, and settle them down to regain their senses.
One of the said individuals was Captain James Cutter, the commanding officer of the Spirit of Fire. The older man found himself feeling the brief sensation of falling, a numb and weightless cloud messing with his senses. Mere seconds later, the semi-conscious man felt a pair of arms catch him before he could hit the ground, and found himself slowly being lowered down on the floor.
Cutter curled over immediately, regurgitating the clear liquid that had been residing in his lungs. He felt a hand gently pat his back.
"Take it easy, Captain. The disorientation should pass quickly."
Cutter blinked his eyes, finding it difficult to see through the foggy haze. "Who?"
"Lieutenant Commander Vallum, sir. It's good to see you again." The individual stood up.
The Captain nodded, grimacing at the foul taste of the medical fluid flowing down his throat, "Likewise Commander. What's the situation?"
LCDR Vallum shook her head, "I'm not exactly sure, Captain. Everyone else is starting to wake up from cryo-sleep, so something must have happened."
The fifty-two year old man silently agreed with her, running a hand through his greying hair. Something must have definitely happened to have prompted an emergency response for the crew's cryonic thawing. But without any proper insight, the Captain was just as clueless as any of the other personnel.
Hopefully, Serina would remedy that. The AI's snarky personality and dry humor would make any situation more interesting, even in the face of perilous danger. The crew, including the Captain, shared a special fondness for her as a result.
"Has anyone received word from Serina yet?" Cutter asked. He received a thoughtful frown in response.
"Not since the thawing process had begun," His subordinate sighed, either from weariness or from her recovering lungs, "I'm sorry, sir, but I have no idea what's going on. This is a really confusing situation."
The Captain recuperated partially enough to stand up on his recovering legs, groaning from the pain of freezer burn. He patted the Chief Engineer on the shoulder, "You and everyone else, Commander."
Cutter began a light jog to the senior staff's locker room adjacent to the cryo bay, with the LCDR not far behind.
"Get everyone else situated, and make sure the ship is fully operational by the time I get to the bridge."
The officer behind him saluted, "Yes, sir."
Vallum turned into an opposite hallway, leaving Cutter to enter the locker room by himself. He opened his personal locker, and snatched the naval uniform from the rack.
Taking a moment to inspect his outfit, he slowly looked over the olive, double-breasted tunic, brushing over the black shoulder padding. His thumb caressed the golden insignia of a UNSC Captain, a golden oak leaf with four chevrons nesting underneath it, and his eyes fell to the ship's emblem that would be resting on his left breast and right shoulder.
A black bird, bearing a red and golden shield on top of a light blue background — the fiery Phoenix.
A wave of nostalgia washed over him, and Cutter let out a short breath before starting the process of putting on his uniform. Latching the last strap on, the weary man gazed at the final piece of the puzzle. He reached inside the locker and pulled out his cap, eying the seal that gleamed from the room's overhead lights.
Printed proudly on the fabric was a silver eagle, spreading out its wings with the banner of the UNSC wrapped around a globe of Earth in a resolute grip. A formidable symbol, which demonstrated an equally formidable force.
The lines of his mouth rose briefly as he donned the cap, adjusting it over his greying hair. After a moment, Cutter stood there and inspected himself with a nearby mirror. Straightened posture, confident eyes, and the combat-ready uniform smoothly completed the picture.
He felt like his old self again.
Turning around, he left the room and began the journey to his intended destination. Cutter made sure to take slow but stable steps, so his recovering legs wouldn't give out during the jog. Passing Marines and crew members would respectfully salute him, and he often made sure to return them before continuing onward.
It slowed him down on occasion, but Cutter felt obligated to show the same respect his crew had been giving him. They were his people, his extended family, and he had no doubt that they had felt the same way ever since the battle on that strange planet decades ago. Their unwavering determination and skill had been put to the trial on that faithful day.
In the end, his trust in his crew had been well worth it. He practically owed his life to them.
Now, that same trust will once again be tested in this new, unfamiliar scenario.
After half an hour of purposeful walking, he stopped at a pair of massive doors. Guarding abreast to each other, two Marines gave him crisp salutes to which he immediately returned before the doors to the elevator began to open up. With a small sigh, Cutter collected himself and casually stepped inside.
He turned around as the doors closed off the lift with a simple click.
The ride down didn't take too long, but the eerie silence and the stark darkness of space outside the lift's window made it seem to stretch on forever. Although, only thirty seconds had actually past, and the elevator finally finished its brief downward descent to the Spirit of Fire's observation deck. The lift's doors opened up, and the Captain was immediately rewarded with a sight that brought a small smile to his face.
Stepping inside the room, Cutter's weary eyes tracked Professor Ellen Anders, the ship's resident genius, who was swiftly pacing around the transparent floors of the deck.
In Anders's hands was a tablet, her eyes absentmindedly reading the contents inside. The brightness of the screen illuminated her attractive face, contrasting the blackness of space that the observation deck's glass surfaces provided to stunning effect. The ONI civilian was dressed in her normal Arcadian clothing, which consisted of an orange and black shirt, dark cargo pants, and a white lab coat that hung around her shoulders in a comfortable embrace.
Around her, numerous amounts of scientific equipment lay around the room, supplemented with a chaotic mess of wires and other supplies spread on the floor in a disorderly fashion. From the corner of his eyes, the Captain could see the small samples of 'Forerunner' technology collected from Harvest, Arcadia, and the shield world, sitting in their respective specimen tanks scattered across the room. Silently, Cutter couldn't help but feel relieved that the alien artifacts themselves weren't tampered with during their long interstellar journey.
He turned to Anders, who didn't even notice him by then, and brought a closed hand up to clear his throat.
"Ahem."
A loud cough announced his presence, and interrupted the oblivious woman out of her distracted state. Caught off guard, Professor Anders sharply turned her head towards the perpetrator, her brown eyes widening in brief surprise.
"Oh." Anders had the grace to blush slightly, "Good morning, Captain."
"Good morning to you too, Professor." Cutter couldn't help but chuckle, "How was your sleep?"
"Like any other, to be honest." Anders couldn't help but snort faintly.
She rubbed her arms with a slight shiver, "Although, I could do without the freezer burns."
"You and everyone else." The Captain nodded with a slight grimace.
The initial pain that had been pouring over his skin finally receded into a slight itch, but it still made Cutter no less uncomfortable. It was especially difficult with his tight, combat-ready uniform regularly scratching the bothersome blisters all over his body.
Hands behind his back, he began to walk around the makeshift lab. His blue eyes inspected the various equipment around him.
"Do you have any clue to where we are?" Cutter asked with a raised eyebrow.
Anders shook her head as she leaned over the main holo-table, "I have no idea."
With a wave of her hand, a multitude of holographic data was projected from the terminal, "Our astronavigation systems can't pinpoint a location. We're still not on any charted map." She said, manipulating the display with precise ease.
"Either we're still a long way from UNSC territory, or it's something else." The woman pinched her nose in brief frustration.
The Captain made his way next to Anders, giving a comforting pat on her shoulder, "One problem at a time, Professor."
He turned towards the holo-terminal, his hand manipulating the holographic display in a manner not too dissimilar to the scientist. A dossier of the sensor's records appeared, and Cutter began to inspect the files with narrowed eyes. With each thread of data read intently, the Captain's mouth slowly settled into a grim line.
"Sensor logs don't show any evidence of Čerenkov radiation, and the ship's still missing a Slipspace drive, so FTL travel is out of the equation." Cutter turned to Anders, "Now, that begs the question of how we got here."
Anders shrugged her shoulders, "Any ship can still travel long distances at sub-light speeds, if granted enough time. It's possibly the same situation for us, given the circumstances."
"If that's the case, then where did the ship go? Where are we?" Cutter tilted his head.
The woman gave a puzzled frown, and let her eyes drop down to the floor. Suddenly, her jaw found itself hanging slightly in astonishment, "I think we may have already found our answer, Captain."
Confused, Cutter steadily followed her stare. And almost immediately, he felt his eyes widen in surprise, and his gaze became transfixed at the unexpected object of their bewilderment.
Below their feet was the spherical shape of a terrestrial planet, treating them with an array of exotic details. Vibrant colors of blue, brown, and green were reflected through the observation deck's glass surfaces.
The two could easily make out the vast continents placed asymmetrically all around the globe's surface, as well as the broad bodies of water that surrounded the large land masses. From their position, they could even see the immaterial forms of delicate clouds spread across the atmosphere, with the northern and southern ice caps placed in their respective end of the equators.
The stunning sight almost left the observers in complete awe.
Anders didn't bother to hide her amazement as her baffled mind began to race with hundreds of possibilities and theories. Cutter, on the other hand, was more conservative with his reaction, but he still felt no less astounded than his civilian counterpart. His analytical mind took in the planet's rich, untouched appearance like an eager sponge, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the world's natural beauty.
He also didn't ignore the creeping sense of suspicion that rose from the corners of his subconscious.
"Why did we stop here?" The admiration in his eyes was replaced with a cautious glint, and his face wrinkled into an expression of skepticism.
A moment later, Anders tapped on the screen of her tablet for a moment before she promptly threw it on the holo-table. Once the device made contact with the terminal, a rotating projection of the planet appeared before them, giving the pair a better detailed view of the world's pristine surface.
"It's possible that something down there had drawn the Spirit of Fire to this location, but the question of why is something I do not know." The woman studied the hologram with the precision of a microscope, "Without any more information, it'll take some time to triangulate its origin."
Anders gave Cutter a succinct look, "I'll start working on it immediately, but anything useful would help in the long run, sir."
Cutter stared at her evenly, "Dutifully noted, Professor." He replied.
Once Anders nodded and shifted her attention to begin her work, Cutter continued to shift through the sensor logs as he searched for anything of good use. So far, nothing of relevance had been found, and the lack of progress was evident through the growing expression of slight irritation on his face. The logs had an unusually large amount of data in them, he noted in concern.
Cutter couldn't help but let out a small sigh at the inconvenience, waving his hand through the holograms as if he was skimming through a large piece of literature. The personal search would have gone longer than the Captain originally liked, had not it been for a crackle of static that diverted the attention of the preoccupied pair.
"Captain Cutter, sir." The artificial voice of one of the bridge crew, Lieutenant Green, flowed through the lab, "Apologies for the interruption, but I have something that you might want to see."
The calm and professional tone of the junior officer carried a subtle urgency with it, and Cutter felt his interest rise along with one of his eyebrows.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" The Captain inquired.
The response was almost immediate, "We found two packages sitting in one of the systems: an isolated sensor log, and—" There was a brief hesitation, "—an audio message, from Serina, sir."
That caught their attention immediately. Both Cutter and Anders looked at each other with worried glances.
The Captain, especially, didn't expect the latter statement. Why would Serina leave a message? Did something happen to her? Looking back down to the holo-table, Cutter didn't fail to notice how Anders's brown eyes seemed to steel by a notable fraction. He frowned faintly, wondering if she somehow knew something that he did not.
"Send them both to my location. I want to her what she has to say."
"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Green closed the comm channel.
A moment later, the holographic representation of the detached sensor log and the audio message was brought up, both ready to become opened. With narrowed eyes, Cutter touched several keys on the display's touchscreen. A few seconds later, the audio clip opened up for him and Anders to listen attentively. There was a moment of silence as a brief delay made them wait for a bit.
INCOMING COMMS:
SHIPBOARD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
SNA 1292-4 SERINA
Eventually, a voice came through, permeating the observation deck with a familiar British accent, "Good morning, Captain."
Both Cutter and Anders didn't bother to hide their smiles, more than glad to hear the AI's voice once again.
"If you are hearing this message, then it means something has happened,"
Serina paused for a moment, "It probably also means that I wasn't there to give you a good slap in the derrière when you wake up."
A brief chuckle was shared between the two at the farcical jab, but they opted to continue listening to the recording.
"However, digression aside, I'll try my best to keep this brief. Knowing you, Captain, you wouldn't want to waste time with something as mundane as a mere recording."
Cutter couldn't disagree more, and the undisguised frown on his face showed how much he felt otherwise. The implications of what Serina was saying began to put the perplexed Captain on slight edge.
From the corner of his perception, he saw how Anders had a similar reaction. However, there seemed to be a subtle, underlying sense of understanding behind it.
What was she hiding?
"If the date is correct, then we've been adrift for just over twenty-eight years, and the Spirit of Fire is in a situation I—" Once again, there was a brief hesitation, "—could not anticipate. I'm positively sure that the good Professor would enjoy that little admission, so for the sake of my dignity, let's keep this between us, shall we?"
Anders snorted indignantly. It was already too late for that.
"I've made quite a few repairs while you were sleeping, so most of the damage done at the shield world is gone and the ship systems are at one hundred percent. Cryo worked well and medstats on all remaining crew are green. As for me, well..." Cutter could imagine the AI stopping to take in a deep breath, "...regulations are clear about final dispensation at the end of AI's seven year lifespan."
At the last statement, the Captain felt a sinking feeling begin to grow within him. But for his sake, he forced himself to continue listening.
"I took care of my own arrangements rather than wake you. I didn't want to..." Her tone became resigned, "...well, I hope you can forgive this final breach of protocol."
Serina seemed to steady herself for a moment, "It was a pleasure and an honor to serve with you, sir. Do look after everyone for me, would you?"
Suddenly, the AI's somber voice began to crack, as if she was catching herself from crying aloud. Cutter felt his hands tighten around the edges of the holo-table, his expression becoming unreadable. Anders lowered her face to the ground, her face curling with no hidden sadness.
"Goodbye, Captain. Serina out."
With her final words, the audio message finally ended with a solemn click of static. For a few seconds, nothing but silence filled the darkened observation deck.
Lifting her head, Anders bit her lips, almost afraid to face the oddly silent Captain, "Sir, I'm—"
However, the Professor was interrupted before she could even continue.
"Ellen." Cutter's use of her first name startled Anders into a quiet stillness, "If there's anything you're not telling me, I need to know now."
The stern glare from the stone-faced Captain left no room for any argument, "What happened?"
For a moment, the brief silence became palpable enough to be cut by a knife. Finding herself trapped in a corner, Anders met his flinty eyes, sighing as she shook her head slightly.
"About six years after we went adrift, in 2537, there was an—" The woman paused to find the right word, "—incident that happened on the ship. Do you remember the alien parasite that we encountered back on the shield world?"
Cutter nodded, shuddering slightly at the memory of the abominations' grotesque appearance. Vaguely remembering the parasite's unsuccessful boarding attempt on his ship, the Captain could never forget the appalling mutations afflicted on his men, their horrified faces captured vividly from the live cameras of the surviving ground forces. Cutter felt a brief chill go done his spine.
"I...do." A puzzled eyebrow was raised, "What about them?"
Anders sighed, rubbing her temples, "It turns out that the 'cleansing rings' you told me about wasn't able to clear out all of the aliens. At least one of the pod creatures somehow stowed away on the ship for six years before it managed to infect one of our technicians."
The horror on Cutter's face was clearly evident, and he began to open his mouth until Anders raised her hand to stop him, "That said, the parasite did have a chance to spread briefly before it was contained, and we haven't seen a single trace of them ever since."
The Captain's worried expression died down for a bit, but the frown on his face showed he wasn't at least done with the topic yet.
"And are you sure that they aren't any more on my ship?" He questioned.
"We're technically still here." Anders shrugged her shoulders, "Otherwise, the Spirit of Fire would be a floating nest for those things by now."
Cutter nodded begrudgingly, "I see your point."
The older man had no choice but to be satisfied with her answer, although he knew it wouldn't hurt to be more careful. His cautiousness wasn't entirely unfounded, given how incredibly dangerous those parasitic aliens were firsthand.
"And Serina?" Cutter asked with a raised eyebrow, "What does she have to do with this?"
In response, Anders looked down, reminiscent of the memories that seemed to have happened yesterday. She knew this was to be the hardest part for her to explain.
"By the time the incident happened, Serina was already in the final stages of her rampancy."
She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Instead of taking appropriate counter-measures, she quarantined the area to study the alien's behavior and accidentally allowed it to breed more of the pod creatures. To say the least, she realized her slip-up the hard way, and she had to wake me up from cryo-sleep so we could eject the damn things into space."
The professor sighed, "Everything after that, Captain, is left to the imagination. I don't know what happened after I went back to sleep, but I wouldn't put past Serina to amend for her mistake somehow. She's smart enough to not think otherwise."
Cutter took it all in wordlessly, his face unreadable to the awaiting civilian. Anders swore she saw a tinge of something in the Captain's eyes before it was eventually masked by his distinctive, calm professionalism.
There was a brief moment of silence between the two. Then, a moment later, Cutter turned his head to the holo-terminal.
"I see." He said finally.
Suddenly, the Captain's entire posture began to change. Standing up straighter, he twisted his slightly hunched back into the paradigm of a stone statue, shifting his hands from the table to behind his back.
His previously stoic expression morphed into one of determination, not undeterred but fueled by the loss of a close friend. With the subtle change of his figure, Cutter looked more like a soldier awaiting the posthumous burial of a fellow comrade.
"Regardless of her actions, Serina was still a important member of this ship and she will be regarded as such." His eyes locked onto Anders's own, "Her legacy will become our own, and we will continue to fight on to honor her sacrifice. That, I promise."
He regarded the stunned professor with a calculating stare, "Do you agree?"
Anders didn't have anything to say at first. She remembered the first time she met Serina. It wasn't a bad first meeting, but it wasn't a pleasant either, given the sardonic remarks they would often throw at each other.
However, she appreciated the AI's efficiency and competence when it was necessary, but not so more than the surprisingly human nature that belied her indifferent, almost apathetic character. In a way, the professor missed Serina a lot more than she was willing to admit.
"I do." Anders's expression was resolute.
Cutter nodded, "Good."
Turning around, he changed the hologram once more until it replaced the audio message with the the object of their shifted interest: the isolated sensor log. Cutter opened the package, revealing to the observers a weak but recognizable signal, coming through on a UNSC frequency.
"Now onto the business of our mysterious signal." He murmured.
Anders studied the holographic message throughly, "Like I said before, it will take some time to triangulate the signal's origins without any sufficient surface details, although I can give a rough location if that's enough for you, Captain. It'll be easier to pick it up once we have boots on the ground."
Cutter nodded, relieved that something was going on now. For better or worse, they had taken their first steps of finding out what was on the planet below, mysteriously reaching out to them.
"In the situation we're in right now, rough is better than nothing." He pressed a button on the terminal, opening up the comm channel, "Cutter to Jerome."
The stoic voice of Jerome-092, leader of Red Team, responded over the channel immediately, "Reporting, Captain."
"Prep Spartan Red Team and a small recon squad. Professor Anders will send you coordinates."
With minor taps of her finger on the holo-table, Anders sent the coordinates through the established channel without a single moment of pause.
"Find out who's sending that signal. Be on the ground within the hour, travel light." Cutter ordered.
He could imagine the Spartan nodding in response, "Roger that, Captain. Recon only."
The comm channel ended with a click of static, the glowing light of the holo-table disappearing along with it. Cutter turned to Anders, letting out a tired sigh that was more befitting for his age.
"Twenty-eight years, Professor."
His eyes dropped down to the transparent floor of the Observation Deck, "Let's see what kind of galaxy we woke up to."
Anders nodded mutely and followed the Captain's example, mirroring his gaze. The both of them observed the untouched surface of the planet below their feet, unaware of the impending future that will await them.
Their journey, along with the entirety of the Spirit of Fire, had only just begun.
Celestine Lucross didn't know where she was.
Looking around, the confused and nervous woman found the massive fog that covered her surrounding to be quite unnerving. A chilly gust of wind blew all around her, causing Celestine to subconsciously wrap her arms around herself to stave off the cold.
It didn't help much at all, given the sense of dread that began to grow within her. Swarms of butterflies pounded the walls of her stomach.
Pursing her lips, the woman took a few tentatives steps forward, realizing that staying in one spot wouldn't help solve the mystery of where she was. One step from another, it didn't take too long before the fog began to clear away. Celestine smiled with relief, hoping that she would have a clear view of where she currently was.
Then the fog vanished, and her smile instantly disappeared into a gape of shock and horror.
The scene before her was the absolute pinnacle of destruction. Multiple buildings she could tell that had been the shining examples of beautiful architecture were now reduced to smoldering shells of their former selves.
Blazing pockets of fire lingered around the foundations, like vultures picking away at the bodies of the dead, with Celestine's eyes becoming assaulted with tears from the dust that permeated the noxious air. A speck of ash landed on her bare shoulder, and she let out a pained grimace before wiping away the offending speck with a quick swipe of her hand.
Celestine looked around more carefully, taking curious note of strange metal debris littering the ground around her. She gazed down to see the soles of her sandals slightly pressing down on the soft mud that was her purchase, and promptly stepped forward so she wouldn't have to sink down any further.
The devastation made her feel nauseated, her knees nearly weak with disgust. A feeling of anxiety began to bite at the woman, so she brought her hands up in a move that most desperate people would have done in her situation.
"Hello!" She called out loudly.
No one answered her. Gritting her teeth lightly, Celestine took in another deep breath of dusty air.
"Hello!" She yelled again.
Her voice echoed through the ruined field to no avail. Celestine, nervous as she was, didn't let the mocking silence deter her efforts.
"Is anyone there?!" She cried out once more.
In an unsurprising repeat of the previous two attempts, her shouts were only met with the still quietness of the ravaged field.
Celestine sighed with resignation, letting her arms drop to her sides. She should had known better than to go on a fool's errand.
With nothing else to lose, the woman began to walk further forward, eventually finding herself within the vicinity of the devastated buildings. Massive walls and pillars create an eerie maze of some sort, and Celestine found a sense of fascination overcoming her disgust as she scanned the infrastructure for any sign of activity.
Then something on the ground caught her eye.
Celestine bent to her knees, reaching to pick up the strange object from the wet mud. Caressing the smooth, slightly dented texture with her thumb, she inspected the item in her hands curiously.
It had a light brown color with a large opening that revealed the hollow space within, unusual cushioning placed in every corner. A pane of orange glass covered the upper half of the opening, which she perceived to be some sort of protection. She juggled it in her dainty hands, noting the slight heaviness in its weight. A helmet, Celestine began to realize.
Against her better judgement, she was about to place the helmet on her head when a sudden blur of movement flew right past her.
The startled Celestine whipped her head to the side, unaware of the discarded helmet falling from her grasp. With wide eyes, she saw an armored man race towards somewhere, seemingly oblivious to her presence. The woman immediately felt relief, moments away from calling out to him when another surge of motion caused her to frantically turn her head again.
Then there was another.
And another.
Even more began to fill her vision.
It didn't take long until an entire wave of armored individuals rushed past her, as if she was a rock in a flowing river. They were all encased in bizarre armor, with the same design and tan color scheme, and unusual black objects tucked in their hands. The quickened pace of their dash showed that the armored newcomers were in some sort of hurry, and Celestine was quick to realize that every single one of them have the same destination.
With a fascinated gaze, the woman watched all of them eventually stop at the devastated buildings, taking cover behind the stone foundations.
One of the armored individuals raised a closed fist. In response, the rest of his comrades began to tense, scanning the environment with their barreled rods. Then the man with the closed hand released his fist into a directing gesture, and his compatriots quickly began to move from their cover.
From behind them, Celestine tilted her head, questioning the reason for their movements when her ears picked up a strange sound.
It sounded like a low pulse, growing slightly louder with each passing second. The armored men seemed to take notice as well, with a couple of them facing the direction of the unusual noise in bewilderment. Unable to take her eyes off of the scene before her, Celestine held her breath in without even realizing as she brought her hands up to her chest with intense dread. For a second, nothing seemed to happen.
Then the moments that followed became the most terrifying thing she had seen in her entire life.
Time seemed to delay into a snail's pace, and Celestine could easily see one of the men's mouth slowly open into a gape of shock when the wall he faced seemingly shattered into many pieces. The man was thrown like a rag-doll from the sheer force of the flying stones, and then something came barreling out from the moving debris. The rest of the fallen man's comrades turned in slight panic, aiming their black rods to confront their new adversary.
The slowed perception of time allowed Celestine to see flashes of bright light produced from the barrels of their hand-held objects, and she jumped with a startled cry when her ears picked up sharp cracks of thunder. Under the barrage of flying metal, the strange creature let out a feral snarl before it swung a massive hammer.
Bodies of stone and men were sent flying into the air with ease, and the massive being let out a roar of rage before it continued on its devastating rampage. More of the same creature began to join the fight, charging through the walls and blasting away the armored men amidst showers of rock and debris.
Frightened, Celestine couldn't help but stay rooted to her spot as she watched the scene with horrified eyes. Then she heard the crunch of pressed mud, suddenly feeling a presence approaching from behind her.
The woman turned her head to see a lone man slowly walk up beside her, watching the chaotic battle with a stern gaze. The man's strange outfit, consisting of olive clothing, black boots, and a small hat, was an obvious mystery to Celestine, although the glint in his eyes was an entirely different story. It was sharp, almost analytical in a sense, and smoothly complemented the man's wrinkled but calm features. The woman could easily tell from his expression alone that he was a leader of some sort.
Celestine opened her mouth for a question, but suddenly felt her breath hitch when the man's penetrating gaze fell upon her.
Soft green eyes met the orbs of rigid blue, with both individuals beginning to stare down each other for what seemed like an eternity. Celestine shook slightly, daring not to let out a sound in front of the strange man. Then, for a brief moment, she found the courage to do so.
"Who are you?" She questioned nervously.
The man didn't respond at first, seemingly interested in making her more uncomfortable. Celestine felt the heat of frustration build up within her.
"Where am I?" She cried out.
The analytical gaze only seemed to deepen even more, mocking her, but the woman was not to be undeterred. She began to feel the pressure of her clenched fists.
"What am I doing here?!" Celestine nearly screamed, "What do you want?!"
Either oblivious or unresponsive, the man watched her like a hawk, his eyes unwavering to her desperate pleas. Total silence filled the area, and even the nearby sounds of battle momentarily fell mute. A few seconds later, Celestine felt a feeling of excitement when her ears picked the first words to have come out of his mouth.
"What will you do next?" It was soft but stern at the same time.
The growing excitement was replaced with confusion, and the woman became mystified.
What did he mean by that?
She was about to question his words when a large shadow loomed over her head. Celestine turned to see one of the massive creatures standing right behind her, bringing its hammer overhead for a broad swing. Sheer terror gripping at her heart, the stunned woman didn't bother to move out of the way nor did she attempt to let out a scream.
She knew she was doomed either way.
With wide eyes, the last thing Celestine ever saw was the creature letting out a vicious roar, moving the very air out of the way with a swing of its enormous weapon. A mere moment later, the hammer connected to her face, and a blinding white light consumed her vision.
Then everything became silent.
Celestine Lucross woke up with a scream.
As sweat dripped down her face, she took in deep gasps of air and brought a hand up to her chest, another gripping the blanket that was loosely enwrapped around her. She looked throughout, immediately noticing that she was in a bed, contained within the confines of her personal chamber.
What that all just a dream?
She waited a moment to see if her surroundings were nothing but another illusion. Celestine felt the soft fabric of the bed with her hand, looking around the room with a stern gaze of suspicion. Then a minute later, she let out a sigh of relief and brought her head back down onto the pillow.
It would seem so, she realized.
But what was that? Celestine knew she had the power to see visions of the future, but the one she had just witnessed was nothing she had ever seen before. The vision was powerful, much more than the previous ones — and it honestly scared her to the core.
Who was that man? Those armored men? Those massive creatures? What did they mean for the future of Eostia? She let out a deep sigh and brought her hands up to her face.
It wouldn't do her much good to lament on such things.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Celestine stood up and wrapped herself with the shawl she had left on the bedside drawer. Feeling the cold surface of the floor with her bare feet, Celestine slowly made it over to the room's vanity mirror. She eyed her reflection gingerly.
Staring right back at her was the image of stunning beauty. Long blonde hair, pale skin, with vibrant green eyes that were only contrasted by the dark lines of weariness under her eyelids.
An ample chest supplemented her curvaceous figure, with a modest nightgown that seemed to accentuate her body to stunning degree. However, what really set her apart from others were a set of pointed ears hidden behind her luscious locks, indicating her status as a beautiful High Elf.
The reincarnated Goddess closed her eyes, tightening her grip on the wooden table.
Her thoughts wondered briefly to the visions she just had, with a small piece of dread she had felt in her unconscious state coming back hauntingly. Whatever the dream entailed, it would not just change the future for everyone in the alliance, but for the entirety of Eostia, she knew that for sure.
Although, the question of how exactly it would was something that even the High Elf did not have the answer for. Celestine could only hope it wouldn't doom them all, for what it was all worth.
She sighed, rubbing her eyelids tiredly. Maybe some fresh air would help.
Biting her lip, the goddess turned to walk towards the room's main balcony. She stepped outside, shivering a bit once she felt the chilliness of the air through her thin nightgown.
It was barely past sunrise, she realized, with the light of the sun casting a beautiful blanket over one of the seven kingdoms of Eostia. The city of Ken, a place and its people she had sworn to protect.
A terrible war had befallen on the country, and the vast majority of the people have begun to suffer from its effects. In a way, she could even see it from her position on the balcony. Centuries of conflict with Olga Discordia, the queen of the Dark Elves, and the inhabitants of Garan were starting to take its toll.
Even as the leader of the Seven Shield Alliance, Celestine began to feel weary of the bloodshed, which grew in amounts she could not even fathom. For one thing she knew in her heart, something must be done to stop it all.
The goddess moved her gaze towards the sky, and observed the stars that haven't been washed away by the sunrise. The tiny specks of constellations created a beautiful picture that awed the High Elf, one that she enjoyed from time to time.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to relax from the casual star-gazing. Thoughts of visions and war were swept under the metaphorical rug, and nothing but easing silence filled the chilly air. The quiet stretched on for a few minutes.
Celestine managed to let out a calm smile before a voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Lady Celestine?"
The High Elf turned to see the intruder, Claudia Levantine, standing by the doorway. Even in the early chill of the morning, the woman was already clad in the elegant armor of the Dawn Templars. Her hand was hovering over the hilt of her personal sword, a look of concern and caution crossing her fair face.
"Are you alright?" She asked worryingly, "My knights informed me of a scream that came from your room."
Celestine shook her head, giving her closest friend a warm smile, "It was nothing, Claudia. Merely a nightmare."
"More visions?" Claudia tilted her head.
The growing concern was evident in her voice. After all, the Dawn Templar was as much a close friend to Celestine as she was the alliance's second-in-command. To see the elven goddess in such trouble only brought more worry and sadness to Claudia's heart.
"I'm afraid so." The High Elf sighed tiredly, "This one was more vivid, more powerful than my previous ones."
The female knight frowned in thought, "Do you think it is important? To be that intense?"
"Possibly," Celestine trailed off for a moment, but then gave a dismissive smile, "but enough of that."
The reincarnated goddess gestured to a spot next to her, "Come, Claudia. Join me for a moment."
With a raised eyebrow of confusion, Claudia acquiesced to Celestine's request and took her place beside the quiet High Elf. Celestine looked to the stars once again with Claudia eventually following her superior's example. Neither of them spoke a word to each other, the latter daring not to out of respect for the goddess. The silence was almost palpable to touch.
"Do you think there could be people out there?" Celestine spoke out suddenly.
Claudia was caught off-guard by the sudden question, "I beg your pardon, my Lady?"
"Do you think there are other people out there?" The High Elf repeated, "Out there in the stars? We've been at war for so long that I've never really considered the possibilities of other worlds, with different kinds of people and culture. It's a fascinating thought, to be honest."
The female knight frowned in response, "With all due respect, Lady Celestine. Even if I somehow knew, it wouldn't be my place to say in the matter. I'm merely a soldier, after all."
With a small smile, she allowed her thoughts to drift elsewhere, "That line of work is more appropriate for my husband. He mostly likely knows more on the subject than I do."
Celestine put a hand on Claudia's shoulder with a giggle, "You're lucky to have him, Claudia. I'm happy for you."
"Thank you, my Lady. You bless me with your kind words." The female knight beamed, bowing down in respect.
The reincarnated goddess merely gave a gentle smile before looking out to the stars above. It went on that way for a couple of minutes, the relaxing silence giving the two women a sense of peace from their own inner conflicts. However, they both knew it would not last for long.
"You may leave me for now, Claudia." Celestine turned to the knight, "Return to your duties."
Claudia looked unconvinced, "Are you sure, Lady Celestine?"
"I'll be fine, my friend." The High Elf shooed the woman gently, "Now go."
Realizing that her persistence wouldn't change much, the leader of the Dawn Templars gave one last glance of concern before bowing her head, leaving the Goddess Incarnate to her own devices.
Once the High Elf made sure that she was void of any company, Celestine let out a heavy sigh. As much as she appreciated Claudia's concern, the knight's sheer stubborness can be quite troublesome at times.
Shaking her head, she let her gaze drift to the tiny celestial lights in the sky.
Slowly, she moved her arm towards one of the stars, opening her palm as if she was reaching out to touch it. The one she was facing seemed particularly special, blinking in a pace that would seem as if it was responding to her troubles.
The goddess allowed herself a small smile at the idea.
Maybe there were people beyond the stars, she thought. Maybe there were those who were in the same situation as she was, going through the same struggles, battling the same conflicts.
Maybe she wasn't alone after all.
The heat of the shining sunlight snapped her out of her thoughts, and she brought her eyes down from the sky full of stars to the busy city of Ken down below her. Although for now, the goddess had her own conflicts to deal with.
So in the meantime, she must remain strong for the good of not only for the people of Ken, but for everyone in Eostia depending on her. Celestine let out a weary sigh before steeling herself for the upcoming battle that was the day ahead of her.
After all, she had a war to win.