"I know that look Asha what are you thinking?" [Zaira asked]
"I have to find him… I have to try to bring him back."
"That may not be possible Cole was a top agent like you he was trained and hardened against brainwashing if they broke him then… he might be gone."
"I can't believe that… I can't and I won't."
"That's just like you."
Asha gets a notification on his RIG, he views the message.
"Looks like the Deep Core Brigade clashed with the unitologist recently took out one of their strongholds."
"Who are they?"
"The Deep Core Brigade are a very elite cell of TEDA they're small group but they're tough mother fuckers sort of like Titan, but that also means they were very bad criminals before being conscripted… guys like them are sent there as an exile sentence TEDA and EarthGov High Command likes to keep them far but not too close."
"The same deal with me, TEDA saw some value in them so they made them work for them."
"Some would say putting conscripts into this brigade is like the ultimate rehabilitation, Dran has a way of setting even the most stubborn of belligerent minds in line… he's a cold-blooded beast."
"Who's that?"
"According to his dossier he's pretty enigmatic even his real name is a mystery."
[Zaira pulls up a bio]
"EarthGov Personnel File:
Name: [Classified] Mostly referred to as "Rick" or "Dran"
RIG ID#: [Redacted]
Nationality: [Classified]
Home Planet: Earth
Sex: Male
DOB: [Classified]
Age: [Classified]
Height: 5ft 10in (178 cm)
Mass: 131 (59 kg)
Blood Type: B
Eye Color: Grey
Rank: One Star General- Commanding Officer of the Deep Core Brigade.
Known Family: [Classified]
T.S.T: Krav Maga (Proficient), Karate, Kickboxing, Multilingual, Calculating, short tempered.
Summary: General "Rick" is described by those under his command as a severe man running his brigade harshly with a steel fist and will. He is admired by his subordinates and peers despite his cold and harsh treatment towards them suggesting they prefer it. He has absolutely no tolerance for lack of will power or weakness, Dran takes his position very seriously and because his methods being very hands-on in his leadership both in and out of the field he's earned the undying loyalty of his men. Rick has shown to have a deep disdain for TEDA Director Titan and when asked why he avoids and or ignores the question completely. Dran has had a rocky career in the military having been court-martialed seven times but has been tolerated similarly to Director Titan as his methods were disagreeable with past superiors and high command, but fruitful.
Service Record: [Classified]"
"I like him already he sounds just like Titan."
"Trust me you've never met anyone like Dran, I meant it when I said he's a beast."
"Why do they call him "bastard"?"
"What?"
"That alias "Dran" I think in polish it means "bastard" at least I think so, my polish isn't good."
"Well… that's a very involved rumor one Titan doesn't like anyone talking about but the Deep Core definitely do, of course while Rick isn't around… if he caught them talking about it or about Titan he'd likely cut their throats open."
"What's his problem, why does he hate Titan?"
"I can't talk about that… if I do I'll get into a lot of trouble and I've tested Titan's patience well enough over the years."
"Alright I won't push it."
Days pass and they finally come to the fringe of Andromeda, The USM Avalon sends out probes to survey and recon the system Isaac and Carver meet Hyperion on the bridge.
"What do we got skipper?" [Asked Ashatear]
"Long range probes report a few planets some complete rocks fewer are possibly habitable."
"Interesting."
"It'll take some time but if the Relocation team was here all those years ago they'll find a sliver they may have left behind."
"Um captain I'm getting very strange readings… it looks like it's..."
[Alarms sound off]
"Warning unidentified anomaly detected closing in at high speed from the starboard side." [The ships computer announced]
All on the bridge look to the starboard as a bright shockwave of red energy speeds towards them.
"Number one?!" [The captain yelled]
"Hang on!"
The Avalon speeds deeper into the system trying to outrun the shockwave.
"It's gaining on us skipper!"
"Give it all you can!"
The anomaly catches up to the Avalon, the ship malfunctions as the energy courses through the vessel. Everyone briefly sees marker script flashing on the holo screens, the tremors all over the ship recede as the shockwave speeds away ahead of them into deep space.
"What the hell was that?" [Asked Carver]
"I don't know but you saw that right marker symbols on the screens?"
"Yeah… does that mean that shockwave thing has something to do with the marker?"
"I think so when it hit us I got that pain in the back of my head."
"Number 2 damage report."
"Minor damages and a few system overloads reported sir nothing serious."
"Keep a constant eye on those scopes I don't want another surprise like that."
"Aye sir."
"Isaac any thoughts?"
"That shockwave is definitely marker related."
"Those symbols on the screens?"
"Yep… Day did you get anything from that anomaly?"
"Yes, it appeared to have been comprised of raw energy it was fortunate that the ship was tolerant, though I cannot discern its origin however I've detected a pattern it matches that of which we're looking for."
"We should get out there then."
"Head for the hanger a scout ship will be waiting with a team."
"Thanks Captain."
The Avalon stays behind as the scout ship travels through the system searching for the final marker, right then another much larger shockwave of red energy hurls towards them from the opposite side disabling the scout ship leaving it helpless as it drifts through space being propelled by the energy.
"Shit… we've lost power!" [The pilot shouted]
The wave speeds onward past them and the ship was suddenly caught in the atmosphere of a desert planet. The scout ship began to break up as it plummeted like a rock.
"Strap in we're going in hard!" [Shouted the pilot]
The ship then started to break in two.
"Isaac!" [Hex screamed]
The back end of the ship broke off from the rest with a few soldiers being sucked out through the breach falling to their deaths, Isaac is knocked out cold when the ship finally crashed into the deserts dunes. Isaac came to a few minutes after the crash, he whips a stream of blood from his forehead. After freeing himself from his seat he crawls out of the wreckage and into the hot desert.
"Carver, Jordan anyone read me?"
[Hears only static]
"Great..."
"Warning high temperatures detected, current temperature is 115 degrees F."
"Damn its hot… shit Day you there… Day!?"
Days hologram appears both his appearance and voice distorted.
"Ah fuck don't tell me, Day are you okay?"
Day tries to respond but his output is unintelligible.
"Day, I don't understand what your trying to say."
A holo appears in front of Day displaying information.
"Is this your code or well… you?
Text comes up on the holoscreen, Isaac reads the message."
"Severe system corruption… ah shit, okay how do I fix you?"
[Day responds]
"Source code sample required to recover and restore… your source code that's in your orb?"
[Day types "correct" on the holo]
"Okay I get it… you should shut down for now and conserve energy, we might be here for a while."
Day closes and Isaac ventures out into the barren wasteland as the sun beams down on the land, along the way Isaac had removed his suit as it wasn't made for hot conditions. For hours Isaac endured the heat but began to slowly succumb to it as he's dehydrated and sweating heavily, he eventually finds a few large rocks and a small alcove with shade that made it significantly cooler than the rest of the area.
"Okay… think I'll take a small nap… here for a bit." [Labored breaths]
More hours pass and Isaac springs awake, he slowly begins to shiver as the sun has gone down and the heat turned to cold. He puts his suit on back on to keep warm and as he does so he hears movement approaching him, knowing he's not alone he readies his plasma cutter. Isaac slowly scans the area with the targeting lasers, right then a reptilian creature lunged at him out of the darkness cast by the moonless night. It pins him down with it claws and tries biting him, he's able to resist and manages to shoot off a few shots startling the creature making it flee. Then another comes at him from his left it swings its tail like a whip smacking his plasma cutter out of his hand then bites him on his arm, Isaac kills it when he shoots its head multiple times. Isaac leans up against the wall ready for them but his vision becomes blurry and he gets drowsy, he looks at the bite marks on his arm. His breathing becomes heavy and weakness befalls him as he unable to hold his cutter up, soon four of them crawl slowly to him knowing he's weak hissing at him. Before they all lunge at him a loud ear-piercing noise sounds off, Isaac covers his ears and the creatures yelp and screech as the sound gets louder they flee the area. Isaac begins to slip away into unconsciousness, before he does a blinding bright light illuminates the alcove and a figure approaches him. The next day Isaac wakes up in a bed inside of a hut, he slowly leans up feeling the pain from his bite.
"Morning, had yourself a rough night huh."
[Isaac sighs]
"What happen who are you?"
"I'm John Barkly, I have to say you were damn lucky I came across you when I did or them black wyverns would've eaten you."
"Wyverns?"
"These over grown lizards nice shooting by the way." [Points to the corpse in the corner]
"Yeah, these guys are a local hazard on this planet, we have skirmishes now and then with them."
"Yeah one of them bite me and... ah fuck my head."
"Yeah, you'll feel that way for a few hours the antivenom has some side effects like fever, body and headaches, nausea and slight weakness."
"Thanks, so there's people here?"
"Yep been living here for a while about 16 years… come on sometimes taking a walk helps."
[Both exit the hut]
Isaac looks around a small part of a city in a large cavern.
"How'd you guys get here to Andromeda that can't have been easy?"
"It wasn't but we were determined to get away from EarthGov and those fucking crazy rock worshipping freaks."
"I can understand that."
"So, on that topic how is it back there?"
[Isaac hesitates to tell him what became of Earth]
"John I'm afraid something horrible happened."
"What do you mean?"
"The Earth is no more… its gone."
"Gone… gone how?"
"It's hard to explain… in short enormous space monsters I'm not even fucking with you we call them the Brethren Moons."
"My god I can't believe that."
"They tore the Earth apart like it was Styrofoam."
"Damn it."
"You okay?"
"A lot of us still had family there that we left behind."
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be we knew when we left that we weren't going back, some of us died a little bit inside knowing that."
[They come to the rest of the city]
"I'm impressed you guys have done for yourselves."
"When we first came here it was hard we had to learn what was what here, mostly through trial and error."
"I'm guessing those things you call wyverns were a big problem back then."
"Yep but we grew into hunting them."
"Shit um just remembered did you guys happen find anyone else who obviously is not form here, John Carver, Jordan Hex?"
"No sorry just you, though some of the other settlements might have found them."
"Others?"
"Yeah, we're not the only city here, we're one of the more outer ones from the rest."
"How many?"
"About a few dozen, I can get in touch with them and see if they found your friends."
"I'd appreciate it thanks."
"Why are you guys here in the first place?"
"Where looking for… something."
"Something?"
"A marker the one Michael Altman discovered we think it's here in Andromeda and we have to get it before the unitologist do."