Chapter 11 A Man of the Sea and Space
Hello! My name is Silver the Hedgehog! Many of you may have forgotten about me since I left back in Sonic's story. Though it has not been so long as for you to forget that I was the reason we started this adventure. I had been two and a half weeks since I departed from the rest of our company on my search for Blaze. My first objective was to find Alfred Nightbaron, who I suspected would know the whereabouts of Blaze since he had found Maria when she first arrived here. In order to find him, I joined the Gaelturi. However, I was disappointed to find that Nightbaron had died in an accident with one of his experiments three years ago. Despite this, I did not give up my search and did what I could to gather information on where she could be during my assignments. Three days after I joined the Gaelturi, I received word that Gael had been captured by Tails. This meant little to me, though I was surprised to find that Tails had joined the Matriarchy even if it had been for such a short time. After Gael was captured, I was ordered to travel to a planet known as Carellium. This was the location where all of the remnants of the Gaelturi were assembling, though under whose order, I could not guess. I felt no loyalty toward the Gaelturi, but obeyed in hope of finding clues to Blaze's disappearance.
I spent two weeks on Carellium as a part of the surface patrol. The planet was an arctic world with constant blizzards. The only structure on its surface was the Arthenhold, a massive steel complex and factory. We would take thirty minute shifts in order to prevent hypothermia. It was quite boring being stationed there. I spent most of my time searching the data records for any clues about Blaze. However, one night someone must have discovered my clandestine acts for I was called into the general's office. It took me a very long time to find the room for I had rarely journeyed into the interior of the massive complex. When I entered the general's office, I was surprised to find it completely empty, or at least I thought it was. The room was so dark that I couldn't see anything. However, there was a presence within the room like a shadow or a force that surrounded me, enveloped my very soul until it felt as if I was beleaguered by darkness itself.
"What is this? Who's there?" I called out, my breaths coming in short gasps.
It became eerily quiet until I heard a sound that grew increasingly louder: laughter. The voice was sharp and twisted, filled with evil and malice. It came from all four walls of the room and burrowed into my thoughts to where I could not ignore it.
"There is no need to explain yourself, friend. You are Silver and you seek that which is lost to you, an old friend, a memory. I am Alfred Nightbaron, the presiding leader of the Gaelturi while my master is away." Nightbaron said composedly. He seemed to be a very proper person and well disciplined.
"What... What are you?" I muttered.
"What am I? I am the Darkness Incarnate, an omnipresent evil. It is what I became after my successful experiment with the Omega Point." He explained.
"Yes... I understand, sir. I came wishing to ask you questions about Maria. Where did you find her when she first arrived here?" I said, mustering the courage to speak.
"I did not find her. A hedgehog named Neo discovered her first. He dwells on the planet, Aradonia. If you have questions about Maria, then go to him first, that is, if you can find him. He has been in hiding since the war began." Nightbaron explained.
"Neo. I'll find him." I said hastily as I ran out of the room.
The relief was incredible. I felt as if I had emerged from a pool of suffocating darkness. I went to the hanger and left Carellium on my ship. I set in the coordinates for Aradonia and took off. When I exited warp I saw, before my eyes, a blue planet, covered entirely by water. I checked the navigation charts to make sure that the coordinates had been accurate. They were, to my displeasure. When Nightbaron told me that Neo had been hiding, I had not expected it to be under water. I landed my ship on the surface of the water. I got out and stood on top of it. The air was fresh and the water calm. I stared out at the horizon wondering how I could find this Neo. Hours passed by while I stared at the night stars. I jumped up when a tremor rocked my ship. I looked over the edge into the water. There was a shadow within its depths that continued to grow larger. I quickly backed away from the edge just before a massive vessel emerged from beneath the ways. My ship was thrown over and I was tossed into the sea. I quickly swam up to the surface. What I saw amazed me! I first thought it to be some sort of sea monster, but it was in fact a submergible vessel made of black steel. The monstrosity made my ship look like a mere toy. I stared at the beast, waiting for the slightest movement. I small hatch then opened on its top. A hedgehog emerged from it. He was not wearing a Gaelturi or a Matriarch uniform, but simply a blue sailor's attire, coat, pants, and boots along with a hat that had the letter "N" printed on it. I hoped that this stood for Neo. He looked at me and then shouted something back into the vessel. Two other hedgehogs surfaced and threw a life preserver out to me. I was pulled in and dragged into the hull of the ship. I then felt us descend beneath the waters. I was escorted to a dining room that contained a large table, several art pieces, and even an organ. There were also windows that lined the walls, revealing the creatures that swam through the currents that the vessel created. There was a hedgehog playing the organ. He turned around to face me and motioned for the other three hedgehogs to leave.
The stranger observed me up and down as if sizing me for an experiment. His fur was black with purple stripes running down his quills. his appearance and stance reminded me of Shadow in a way.
"I do not mean to be blunt, sir, but what were you doing trespassing in my sea?" The stranger asked, placing his hand on his chin.
"I was looking for someone named Neo the Hedgehog." I said confused.
"It's Captain Neo, my friend. You were searching for me. I must say that no one has ever been looking for my whereabouts since this war began. That is, if you could even call it a war." Neo said in shock.
"Yes, I was, but I must ask. What are you doing down here at the bottom of the sea?" I asked confused.
"I am here because I have given up on society. Beneath these waters I am not subjected to your rules laws that are required for your so-called liberty." He spoke the word with much disgust. "These men that serve me think likewise, but tell me. Why were you searching for me?"
"I heard that you knew a lot about Maria. I want to know where you found her." I said impatiently.
"Found her? Sir, I brought her here in order to save her life. When I brought her to this dimension she was in fact, already dead, but I was able to revive her. Then, a month later, she was taken away and imprisoned by the old empire. Her fate then caused the schism and this war, as you know. There is little else I can tell you concerning her. She is currently imprisoned on Carellium if that means anything to you." Neo explained.
"Carellium? I was just on that planet!" I said in shock.
"Really? And you were not aware of the fact that she was among the one thousand women imprisoned there within the Arthenhold?" Neo said surprised.
"No, I didn't even know that it was a prison!" I said, appalled.
"Then Gael's plan is still in motion. The Matriarch sells their unwanted citizens to the Gaelturi as slaves, any woman that isn't a fox. They all go to the Arthenhold some way or another. The Matriarchy and the Gaelturi are not as bitter toward one another as you might think, my friend." Neo said laughing.
"What do you mean?" I asked inquisitively.
"Gael and Miranda have been using this war as a means to establish their own individual wars. Before the Empire separated, we were ruled by one large council with representatives from each planet. Gael and Miranda however, wanted to subjugate the galaxy to their own rule. After I brought Maria here they collaborated together to create this war, making a pact that they would both equally share halves of the galaxy. Well, you can see how that turned out. Now Gael is powerless and Miranda is taking the entire galaxy for herself. Gael always was and still is a fool. He is getting what he deserves." Neo explained.
"How do you know all of this?" I asked apprehensively.
"Because, sir, I have reached the Omega Point. I know all that passes throughout this universe. How did I reach the Omega Point, you might ask? I did so through a mishap that occurred one hundred years ago, a thousand years in your reckoning. It happened when I was created. My consciousness somehow became linked with the universe. I believe that it almost happened to you all when you entered this dimension, but you awakened to reality before you could fully reach the Omega Point. That is why you have all been acting so strangely. All of you have been somewhat exposed to the true nature of the universe meaning that each of you came close to reaching the Omega Pont." He explained.
"Wait. Who created you?" I asked confused.
"It was a being, a being known as Black Doom. The same that took part in the creation of Shadow. Yes, Shadow and I are brothers. However, when I was created, I ran away to this dimension in order to escape Black Doom who had planned to use me for his wicked purposes. I have been watching over Shadow since his creation, keeping him safe, and yet all the while keeping my identity a secret from him." Neo said proudly.
"Wow! That's amazing! I wonder how Shadow will react to this." I laughed.
"I'm sure that he will be pleasantly surprised." Neo said smiling. "By the way, sir, are you planning to rescue your friend Blaze from within the Arthenhold? She is there as well as another one of your friends. She only recently arrived however." Neo asked concerned.
"She's there too! Oh, I can't believe how stupid I was!" I said angrily.
"It would not matter. You would never be able to free her on your own. I can teleport us there and we can return them to the Ark. However, it would be more efficient to simply liberate the entire prison." Neo said smiling.
"How do you suppose we do that?" I asked laughing.
"Carellium is not naturally so cold and inhospitable. There is an atmospheric control unit in orbit around the planet. My vessel, the Vulitan, is capable of transform into a fully functional battle cruiser, though I had never expected to use it for something like this. Even in space I must answer to the authority of others, and it has been quite some time since I have set my feet upon terra firma." Neo explained.
"Really? You can do that?" I asked amazed.
"Yes, of course. The Vulitan is powered by a Zithonium crystal. It will be able to warp to Carellium. It can hold all of the prisoners though rather uncomfortably. Come with me. I must speak to my helms man." Neo said as he left the room.
I was taken to the bow of the ship where several of the crew were operating the ship's systems. A hedgehog approached us and saluted Neo.
"Lieutenant, prepare for warp. We are going to Carellium to liberate the Arthenhold. Do you know what must be done?" Neo asked sternly.
"Yes, my captain. We will arrive there shortly." The hedgehog said before bowing to Neo and returning to the helm.
We walked back to the dining room and stared out one of the windows as the Vulitan rose to the surface. We took off into space and soon the stars were before my eyes once again.
"This is amazing!" I laughed.
"Some say that the engineer has more trust in his ship than the builder, and the builder has more trust than the captain. I tell you that I am the engineer, builder, and captain of this ship. You can imagine that I have a great deal of trust in it." Neo said smiling.
We warped to Carellium and were immediately intercepted by several Gaelturi vessels.
"My crew will be able to handle them. Let us go to my personal fighter and search for the atmospheric control unit. Then we can go to the planet and find your friend. It would seem that we will be unable to liberate the prison, I'm afraid." Neo sighed.
"My friends and I can do that later. Once we find Blaze we can return to the Ark and plan an attack." I assured him.
He nodded and took me up the main stairway that led to a small hanger. Within was his private ship. We quickly seated ourselves inside of it and took off. The atmospheric control satellite was not far away. Neo destroyed it and we headed down to the planet's surface. Our presence above the system was still unknown to those within the Arthenhold. Due to the weather still being hazardous, Neo teleported us into the complex. It was very quiet which unnerved me. Fortunately, Neo knew his way around the corridors. We ran into two guards who, instead of trying to apprehend us, simply laughed at Neo's outfit. he responded with a singular kick that slammed them both into the wall, knocking them unconscious. We continued running down the corridor until we found ourselves at the cell blocks. Fortune was with us that day as we ran into Rouge. I was very shocked to see her.
"Rouge, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Did you finally get caught stealing something?" I laughed.
"I can't believe my luck, Silver! You came to save Blaze and Shadow came to save me! Though, Shadow, that outfit is very... interesting." Rouge said happily.
"My name is Neo, Captain Neo." He said proudly.
"Neo! You're that guy Amanda was talking about!" Rouge said in shock.
"Amanda... What did she say about me? And it's Captain Neo." He asked smiling.
"There's no time! Blaze is in trouble! They took her away. I'm not sure what they're going to do to her." Rouge said urgently.
"Nightbaron. He's using her for one of his experiments. That is the reason Gael built this. It was so that Nightbaron could create weapons for him. I fear what he could be doing now. We have to stop him!" Neo said hastily and ran off.
He was very fast, especially to be wearing such a cumbersome suit. Then I remembered that he was related to Shadow. Rouge and I tried to keep up with him. We stopped outside of Nightbaron's office. Rouge kicked the door down and we ran inside. It was no different than my first visit. It was empty save the presence that loomed over us.
"She's not here." I said confused.
Neo laughed and held his hand in the air. The room was then flooded with light to reveal an expansive laboratory. However, Nightbaron was indeed a living darkness as he was not destroyed. There were several attendants throughout the lab, working on several physical tasks that he could not perform. I saw Blaze strapped to a table in the center part of the room. She looked at me and gasped in shock. The scientists grabbed weapons and began firing at us. I quickly used my psychokinesis to throw them into a wall. I then ran to Blaze and freed her.
"Silver, I can't believe it! I thought I would never see you again!" Blaze laughed as she hugged me.
"Blaze, I'm so sorry that I let them do this to you." I sighed.
"There's no time! We must return to my ship and leave before the other Gaelturi are alerted to our presence." Neo said urgently.
"Wait! What about Maria?" Rouge asked confused.
"There is no time. We will return later to liberate this prison once you are all back on the Ark." Neo said hastily.
We ran through the corridor to the exit. Once again, I was surprised at how well Neo knew the building's layout. It was not as cold outside as it had previously been, but it was still cold enough to be quite dangerous. We hurried through the snow storm to Neo's ship and took off. Once we had returned to the Vulitan, Neo ordered to set a course for the Ark. We then had some time to speak with one another.
"Rouge explained to me how you were all able to come here and find me. It was quite impressive." Blaze said admirably.
"Well, Tails did most of the work." I laughed as I began to blush.
"What was Nightbaron doing to you, madam?" Neo asked suspiciously.
"I'm not sure, Captain. I believe he was testing some sort of biological weapon for Gael. I sounded terrible. It was a weapon that he thought would turn the tide of this war." Blaze said warily.
"I see. Then Gael's peace throughout the galaxy will soon be accomplished. I suggest that you all return to your world as soon as you can before this situation gets even worse." Neo sighed.
"Well, we're not leaving without Maria any way, and while we're at it, we might as well put a stop to this." I said smiling.
"So, Neo, how did you know Amanda? You spoke as if you did." Rouge said inquisitively.
"We were friends once. We shared a fascination with the sea. However, after Nightbaron did what he did to her, we stopped talking. I never understood why. She simply did not want to see me anymore. My days without her have never been the same. I do not feel complete." Neo said sadly.
We did not speak to him again. He sat down at the organ and began to play. Once we had found the Ark, Neo established communications with Tails. We were then able to teleport onto the observation deck. Everyone was there except Shadow. Though, a girl that I had never seen before was now with Tails, I guessed that it was Catharine, his partner that had aided in his capture of Gael. They were all very happy to see us return. Knuckles ran up to Rouge and embraced her. Tails and Catharine immediately began speaking with Neo about the Vulitan.
"Wait. Where's Shadow?" Rouge asked confused.
"He left earlier today to continue his search for you and Maria." Knuckles sighed.
"I must go to him. Miles, sir, I am aware that your warp drive has been damaged. you can use the one from my ship. Go to Carellium as soon as you can. Shadow and I will meet you there. The last days of this galaxy are drawing near. We must act now and stop Gael and Miranda before they destroy each other. Silver knows the coordinates for the planet. Do not delay. Each moment that passes is a last, desperate gasp of air for our race." Neo said urgently.
He then disappeared in a flash of light.
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