"Hello," a voice crackled over the comms, "Can anyone read me?!"
Explosions sounded in the background, causing the transmission to jump slightly.
"My coordinates are: Q29. E47. S2! I repeat, Q29. E47. S2!"
The voice became clearer with the last sentence, showing that whoever it was was in definite distress. Another teeth-grinding explosion sounded before the transmission ended.
A very short being with a large, sickly-grey bald head stood on a stone throne. His dark eyes turned from the fizzling blue holoscreen. Their hard glare landed on a dark teal Ventrexian.
"You will go to these coordinates and bring back that being," the bald being's husky voice demanded.
The Ventrexian's pale yellow eyes narrowed in question, "But, Lord Commander, no one would be able to survive that."
The Lord Commander smirked slyly, "Believe me, Avocato… she is more alive than you could possibly imagine."
Avocato sighed quietly as he put his head down, bringing his fist to his chest, "Yes, Lord Commander."
His eyes didn't meet those of the Lord Commander's as he turned and walked away, but he could just imagine that irritating pleased smirk on the tiny being's ugly face.
Avocato's small Bounty Hunter ship broke out of Lightfold and into immense destruction. His eyes widened as he took it all in.
Normally, there would still at least be a large part of the original ship left from a shooting… but here… there was nothing. Metal shards of a once intact military cruiser floated in the great void of space.
There were no planets anywhere in sight.
This place was literally in the middle of nowhere.
As the lifeform scanner swept its orange glow across the debris, Avocato couldn't help but think Lord Commander was wrong. But, the light dinging of a confirmed living being detected by the scan snapped him from his doubt.
He moved his ship towards the signal. Just as a form came into sight, a piece of metal floated in front of it as he continued. By the time he reached the metal, it had passed by. What he saw made his eyes widen even more.
A small wolf-cat like being floated among the debris. A kind of forcefield glowed around it. She wasn't moving about like everything else around her; it was like she was in suspended animation.
Avocato got as close as he could before he put his helmet-mask on and opened the cockpit. He reached out to grab her. When his hand wrapped around her arm, a fairly powerful zap struck him.
He yelped, pulling his hand back. His brows creased in confusion, glancing between the being and his hand as he shook it.
He sighed.
Avocato slowly put his hand out again. He braced himself for another zap. However, when his hand met her arm, no pain came.
Pulling her in quickly, he closed the cockpit and laid her on his lap. He took his mask o . He watched her in awe as the oxygen returned to the interior. The glowing field slowly turned to colourful glitter that drifted upwards then fizzled into nothingness.
Suddenly, she gasped to get much needed air into her lungs, causing Avocato to almost leap out of the ship. Her eyes never opened, but she relaxed as her breathing returned to normal.
Avocato looked at a small photo he had on the metal wall of his ship. It was of him and two Ventrexian children. One - the boy - had orange fur and light blue hair styled into a mohawk. The other - an older girl - was a calico with bright purple eyes.
He turned back to the being in his arms. She didn't look much younger than the boy in the photo.
"Have you retrieved the asset," Lord Commander's voice crackled.
Avocato jumped and cleared his throat, his eyes darting up to the blue holoscreen, "Yes, sir."
"Good," he replied, the smirk on his face evident in his tone, "Bring her to me."
"On my way."
When the holoscreen faded, Avocato's yellow eyes glanced back down to the young child in his arms. He sighed sadly.
"I hope he's not gonna harm you." he thought as his ship entered Lightfold.
2847 groaned. She sluggishly rolled her head to look up. She went to move her arm…
Her magenta eyes snapped open. She whipped her head toward her left to find her wrist strapped to a vertical metal table. As her breathing and heartbeat quickened, she turned to her right. The same thing.
2847 looked down.
A thick metal restraint was tight against her diaphragm and legs - the same ones on her wrists.
"No, no, no, no," she thought in terror as she struggled, "Don't let me be back there! Don't let me be back!"
A dark, menacing chuckle echoed in the room. Her ears and eyes flicked around, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.
"I'm so glad you could join us… Subject 2847," a voice of pure evil echoed.
Three figures - a short bald one, a dark teal cat-like being and a huge muscular alien with robotic appendages - emerged from the shadows.
2847's heart picked up it's pace as she gulped. She froze. The only movement was the lightning fast rising and falling of her chest.
The shortest one chuckled, "Oh, there's no need to be afraid."
"What d-do you w-want," she demanded shakily, her body beginning to tremble.
"I am the Lord Commander, and I-..."
"I don't care who you are," 2847 growled as she pinned her ears back on her furry head, "I only asked what you wanted from me!"
"Well," Lord Commander sneered, glancing at the huge alien, "Maybe you should."
Her heart stopped. A visible rush of fear overcame her as the one-eyed alien strode towards the table.
The alien stood in front of her and raised his long indescribably sharp metal claws above his head. 2847 braced herself. The alien sliced his claws
downwards. 2847 let out a cry of pain. When he stepped away, the Ventrexian's heart leaped into his throat.
Blood was everywhere. 2847 had her fresh wound facing them, showing the red blood running down from over her left eye. 2847's body shook as she tried to hold back her sobs. She wasn't sure where she was, but she hated it already.
"I am the Lord Commander," the short being began as he walked up to her, "I run the galaxy. You will do well to do as you're told, otherwise," he paused and gave a sinister laugh, "This is just a little taste of what I'll do."
2847 slowly opened her right eye to see him glaring at her.
"Is that understood?"
She nodded, trying not to wince at the pain. A stray tear fell from her eye.
Lord Commander's signature smirk crossed his face, "Good."
Using his powers, he undid the restraints simultaneously. 2847 dropped to the stone floor. Breathing heavily, she looked up, placing a hand over her eye.
The Ventrexian's saddened, pale yellow eyes gazed into hers for a few moments before he looked away.
"Welcome to Terra Con Prime," Lord Commander welcomed slyly.