Imperial Guard – 003 The Infinite Depths of Space
Chapter 4 Our Destiny
"Ship's log supplemental. With the Hytharians and Xhi'tha on the brink of gate activation, I have ordered the crew back to the Myr'shala for a matter much more urgent. Nami and Jetreycka, two members of my crew have been kidnapped by a criminal organization, the exact reason still unknown. I believe we are destined to cross the boundaries of our galaxy and explore what's beyond, but it'll have to wait. I have asked everyone to gather in the mess hall to plan an operation to get them out of there as fast as we can."
"All right, let's go over it one more time, real quick," Trezka grunted. "We're wasting their time."
Raeth appreciated the speed and efficiency with which the crew handled the situation. In less than half a cycle, all of them had returned to the ship. More than half had gathered in the mess hall. All the insights, station schematics and sources of information, no matter how small their significance, were used to devise an effective method of infiltration and extraction. Their most promising tactic was trying to get in as far as possible while avoiding the main routes to delay a confrontation until they had almost reached the target, which was the last known location of the two women.
The projection along the bow-side bulkhead highlighted the basic idea. Instead of going through the station, they would take a shuttle and use one of the old docking bays for maintenance craft in the lower sections. There was no doubt that these were guarded, but it would take them a lot closer to where they wanted to be while avoiding the maze of tunnels leading down to the same spot.
As chief of security, Trezka would lead the team, composed further of Norgu and the four gunners. Adjusting the torso part of her body armor, she nodded at Freya.
"Freya will pilot the shuttle to the docking bay. Depending on how things go in there, it'll also be the pickup point. Expect heavy resistance from the moment we barge in. We'll be looking for any kind of holding cells. Those sections were used by construction crews when the station was being built, but they'll have repurposed them for all kinds of uses so be on the lookout. Our job is to get Nami and Jetreycka out and nothing more, unless an opportunity presents itself."
"Sounds solid," Raeth agreed. "Protect yourselves and those girls first. Minimize risk and get out as fast as you can."
Trezka nodded with another grunt.
"If there are no more questions, let's not wait any longer."
"We've prepared an extra dose for all of you," Moa said, stepping forward while opening a case of immuno-boosters. "Might be nasty in there."
They all applied the dose, including Freya and Syrran, the latter having offered to be her backup. Moa also handed Masai a first aid kit with a number of tools for onsite treatment. If either they or the two captured women were injured, they could do a quick patch up to increase their chances of making it out alive.
"Let's move people!" Trezka barked, while taking the lead.
The beating of her own hearts inside her chest. The smell of blood, both fresh and stale. The clamoring of a vicious, bloodthirsty audience. The coarse sand scrubbing between the three toes of each foot with every move. There was pain too. Her right leg bled. Her ripped pants stuck to her skin around the cut, a burning sensation spreading between her upper and lower knee.
"This is not what I signed up for," Jetreycka thought, trying to stay focused on the danger in front of her.
Her opponent was one of the other prisoners. A male Lecathian. A feline race known for their rich warrior culture and impressive hunting skills. Although they casually walked around on two feet, they often hunted on all fours, using the natural weapons at their disposal. And this one was hunting her. Circling her like a predator circling its prey, looking for another opening to attack. One kick could shatter bones, crush organs and end his life, which he was very much aware of.
Jetreycka now found it hard to imagine they had exchanged words before the pit. No names. That would only make things more difficult, for they were here for only one thing. To fight for the right to live. And there could be only one winner. But it was enough to see a person through the feral behavior of the beautiful creature in front of her.
Their short fur coat came in a variety of unusual color patterns. His was white, with long streaks of purple, which would be very disadvantageous in most natural environments. She knew however that the more primitive creatures they evolved from used to be nocturnal, and the azure blue crystals growing out of their backs helped them blend in with the bioluminescence of the forests on their home planet.
Her hands shook. Her teeth ground together. The anger she felt was not directed at the being in front of her. It was directed at the vile people who forced them both to do this. They demanded blood. She would've refused to give it to them, if she didn't have to pay with her life. From the corner of her eye, she saw Seylah standing in the crowd, her arms crossed. She didn't show the same enthusiasm. In fact, she couldn't read much emotion on her face.
Her opponent hissed, baring fangs long enough to bite straight through any part of her arm. He had tried to attack her once; they both wore the scars of that. His claws had struck her leg. He missed the brunt of her kick, but her foot claws struck his flank, blue blood staining the white of his fur. His prowl had changed, the pain of the injury hampering the gracefulness of his moves.
The crystals glowed with the increase in ferocity in the shadowy light created by the static spots targeting the pit. Kicking the sand up high as he sped toward her, he covered the distance between them with a jump. The claws and teeth glistened. The deep orange eyes sparkled and showed no remorse, for he could not afford any. She could not either.
One set of claws missed her chest by a finger's length. The other set buried itself into the flesh of her left upper arm in her attempt to jump to the side. She heard herself scream as she stumbled. The wounds were deep, stinging with the same ferocity as the intelligent cat's attack. He weakened her and he knew it.
The crowd cheered as he twisted around to plan the finishing move. Panting, Jetreycka fought against both the pain and the sudden wave of nausea hitting her stomach. The arena spun, reducing her focus. Droplets of red painted the sand between her feet. She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the feeling.
"I've got one more chance," she thought, watching her opponent prepare another jump.
Her next stumble was deliberate. She could only survive this if she could anticipate his next move. The glow of the crystals were her cue. The difference between a pounce and a feint. He came at her once more. This was it. He fell for her trap, attacking as from above, so strong were his hind legs.
Within the same critical moment she let herself fall. She saw the realization in his eyes. His mistake. Unable to correct it. Caught in the forces of gravity and gained momentum. She retracted her leg. Calculated the exact spot of where her foot had to be. And then, throwing every bit of strength she had left into it, she thrusted her foot into the area of what would be the middle of the Lecathian's chest and his stomach.
The sound upon contact was sickening. The cracking of bones. A gargled roar as he doubled over in midair. The impact was so powerful that it turned the forward motion into a backward one. With a dull thud his body hit the sand afterwards. His proud form now near motionless, the only sounds she picked up from him were moans of agony. The crowd cheered. The fight was over. Lying on her side, Jetreycka planted her elbow into the sand to look at what she had done.
The only thing she felt was regret, as she scrambled back on her feet, not leaving anything to the chance that he might still get up, even though she knew she was kidding herself. He would not survive a kick like that. The Lecathian let out a weak howling as the cheer of the audience seemed to die down, only to swell into a single collective command.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Louder and louder it got. The audience demanded not only blood; they demanded a life. Jetreycka felt helpless, fearing what would happen if she disobeyed. What she did was defend herself. What they encouraged her to do next was take the life of a defenseless intelligent being.
"I'm not like that," she thought, feeling her claws sting into the palms of her hands. I refuse to be like that.
Hunting an animal, killing it, preparing it and eating it. It was as far as she went in taking a life. Her choice to be a scientist had been a very conscious one. In this role, she could satisfy her curiosity while exploring the unknown without having to hold a weapon.
You can't make me.
"Is this what you want?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Is death all you wanna see?"
To her surprise, her words seemed to quench the thirst for blood somewhat. The cries faded to murmurs. It appeared she did the thing they did not expect. For a split tick she made eye contact with Seylah, who still stood at the exact same spot. She did not budge, nor did she avert her gaze.
There was little movement in the crowd. Until one large Gvort rose from his or her seat. The slimy aliens with their toad-like appearance and moist skin in swamp green and dark brown colors were without doubt responsible for much of this operation. Considered repugnant by many, their main qualities were trading in lives and controversial forms of entertainment, this being an excellent example. The creature made a low grumble deep within its throat, before making a hand signal.
Jetreycka's instinct told her to duck down, but she froze to her spot instead. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide in the open pit filled with nothing but sand. The pain of her injuries faded to the background as the images flashes through her mind. Her mate, with his kind voice and sweet smile. Her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
Her ears picked up the sound of the shot, but she had trouble localizing the source. Squeezing her eyes shut, caught in fear's merciless grip, she felt how her hearts skipped a beat. The energy bolt zinged through the air, then struck its target with a light thud. Feeling a trickle of sweat across the side of her face, she opened her eyes, then let out a breath she had been holding for a while. Trying to figure out what happened she looked around.
Standing on a raised platform between the rows, one of the Togrothian guards pointed a rifle at the center of the pit. The shot had ended the life of the Lecathian, a wispy curl of smoke rising from the cauterized entry wound. Her vision blurring, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as a pair of doors opened up in the arena wall. The guards came to bring her back to the holding room. They were joined by lower ranking members of the organization, whose job it was to dispose of the bodies.
Biting her teeth, Jetreycka prepared to let herself be taken back by the guards, until the large Gvort made a sound that resembled the scraping of one's throat. With a deep rumbling voice, the creature spoke in a warning tone, while seeking direct eye contact with her.
"Next time… it'll be a draw."
"Everyone ready?" Trezka asked, the shuttle floating a few thousands steps from the landing zone.
The distance between the docking bay they were about to use as an entry point and the Myr'shala's position truly emphasized the station's size. It had grown according to need, with more and more sections being added over the cycles as its importance in the sector increased, and with it the number of visitors and permanent residents.
The bay looked deserted, the landing platform empty except for a few scattered containers. The atmospheric containment field was active and according to low-level scans there were no leaks. His training to be a security officer taught Norgu to be prepared for anything. Booby traps in the form of hidden explosives or automatic weapons. An ambush by either real guards or drones. After everyone confirmed, Freya hit the throttle, focusing on piloting to get them in as fast as possible, with Syrran standing by to pull the trigger if necessary.
The shuttle rushed in, penetrating the containment field without triggering any visible alarms or defenses, making a one-eighty degree turn above the deck before dropping on its landing gear. The tip of the tailgate had barely hit the platform as the team rushed out. As they scanned the area, spreading out to cover every angle while using the containers as cover, Azdar signaled he was about to try the controls of the upward sliding door through which they could gain access. Only to meet with failure after three tries.
"Locked by an access code. No surprise there."
"Get the cutting beam," Trezka ordered.
Taking the initiative, Norgu placed his rifle on his back and returned to the shuttle. For these kinds of operations the craft was equipped with a powerful cutting beam, tied into its power supply, which could be fired from the back entrance. Deploying the tool, he used its holographic interface to draw the future cutout on the surface of the door. Activating it, the bright yellow beam started its controlled penetration of the entrance gate's surface, melting through the metal to create a square opening.
They could've used the shuttle's pulse cannons to blast a hole, but an explosion like that would alert the whole station. It was safe to assume that their current activities hadn't gone unnoticed either, and therefore Norgu retrieved the rifle from his back and aimed at the door like the rest of the squad.
"Ten ticks!" he bellowed, checking the estimated time to finish on the display.
The metal of the door sparked as the beam cut through it without much effort, tiny glowing droplets of molten material splattering on the deck around the target area.
"Wait for it!" Trezka warned as the countdown timer approached zero.
"Freya, take off as soon as that door goes down," Norgu called over his shoulder. "They may be waiting for us."
"Got it!"
Unsure what to expect he walked down the ramp, leaving the beam to operate on its own. Trying to make himself smaller didn't do much for someone with his stature, so he took cover behind one of the containers instead.
The beam stopped firing, having cut three sides of a square in the solid metal surface. The tailgate began to close in response and the shuttle's engines, which had been on hot standby, whined louder as Freya prepared for takeoff.
Not willing to wait for a response, Trezka adjusted her gun's setting and fired a wide pulse at the sizable piece that had been separated from the rest of the reinforced gate. The heavy piece of metal fell inward, hitting the deck with a loud metallic bang. Right after that, the opening began to spit out energy bolts and beams in an indiscriminate pattern, forcing the team to take cover.
"Figured they wouldn't just let us walk in without a fight," Norgu thought.
Watching the energy bolts ricochet off the shuttle's armor, scarring the deck and bulkheads of the docking bay, he waited for the initial barrage to die down before attempting to return fire. It was apparent that their adversaries had trouble identifying their targets because they didn't want to expose themselves by entering the bay.
"Stun grenade!" he heard Masai yell.
As the shuttle took off, its engines blowing a rush of air through the bay, there was a loud bang that left him with a slight deaf feeling in both ears. The container he used as cover blocked most of the effects.
But they had the greater incentive, made evident by the response of his crewmates. After all they were well equipped for this mission too. The explosion created a temporary gap, exploited by Thylun and Weyan, firing a series of shots as they counterattacked. A pair of explosions followed after they threw their own grenades, followed by yelling in the corridor behind the opening. And then, an eerie silence, which Trezka and Azdar used to press their backs against either side of the gate.
Norgu covered from a distance, like Masai, Thylun and Weyan did from their positions, on the lookout for any signs of movement. He couldn't be too sure, but he was almost convinced that he saw those signs right after the door went down. Light reflecting off moving objects. Shadows trying to find cover in the recesses of the poorly lit corridor. Now, these were absent.
Trezka, dauntless as she was, signaled that she was about to go in and needed cover. Using his long stride, Norgu covered the distance in little time as she disappeared, following the other members of the team in. The corridor was wider than expected, to allow for the easy transport of cargo in and out of the station through the bay. It appeared their opponents had killed the lights on purpose to make themselves more difficult targets to hit.
The searchlights mounted on their weapons swept across floors and bulkheads, hitting the occasional body of a fallen adversary. As Norgu passed Trezka, keeping his rifle pointed down the corridor, he watched her use her foot to try to shake some life back into them.
"Keep your eyes peeled for fakers," Azdar warned. "These types always fight dirty."
"Looks like they got some heavy equipment too," Masai called, her rifle pointed at the disabled body of an Enforcer-type security robot.
The machine had collapsed in a kind of defensive position, the armor scarred by rifle fire, a hole blasted into the chest plate.
"And more," Thylun added, pointing his rifle at what turned out to be the remains of a small sentry drone.
"Oh c'mon!" Trezka grunted, giving the third body she came across a not exactly soft treatment. "We can't have killed them all. Did anyone bother to use the stun setting?"
"Wait, there's a stun setting on this thing?" Weyan asked. The silence lasted for a mere two ticks, but enough for Norgu's ears to pick up the sound. "I'm kiddin'. I'm kiddin'."
"Quiet," Norgu grunted, stepping in the direction where he thought he heard something. His sharp hearing never lied. His heavy steps droned out whatever it was, but he was sure he heard something further down the corridor. Although the bodies had piled up close to the gate, there were several more recesses in the bulkheads until the first junction. Someone's hiding. "You can come out," he grumbled. "I won't shoot."
"I will."
"Shuddup Weyan," Trezka hissed.
The creature dashed out of the shadows but caught in the lights of their weapons revealed itself as a Togrothian. There seemed to be a lot of them on the station, both upside- and down below. Despite his Logri bulk, Norgu reacted fast by stepping forward and tackling the alien before he or she could get away. The canine creature hit the deck, making a sound that held the middle between a bark and a howl. Rolling him over, Norgu planted his massive foot on the creature's chest, pinning the Togrothian to the deck with such force that its breathing turned into gasping.
Around his ankle, Norgu felt the in comparison puny hands trying to lift his massive weight to no avail. There was genuine fear in the yellow eyes as he gazed into them from above. A shot had grazed the right shoulder and seared the tan brown fur around the superficial wound.
"P-Please. Please!" the creature wheezed. "I can't breathe!"
"Norgu, no offense, but your weight is kinda killing him right now," Trezka said with a frown, after joining his side. She flattened an ear. "At least I think it's a 'he'."
"No sudden moves," Norgu warned
Being intimidating in every conceivable way did the trick. Even after lifting his foot, the dog-like creature did not dare to get up. Coughing a few times, it took him some effort to catch his breath, but now they had at least someone to pry information out of. As he and Trezka prepared the quick interrogation, the rest of the team covered both ends of the corridor, in case reinforcements showed up.
"I'm gonna make this simple," Trezka began. "You lot kidnapped two of our crewmembers among a bunch of other people. You're gonna tell me where they are right now, and we might consider letting you live."
"M-Maybe, we can make some kind of deal," the Togrothian said, pushing himself up to a half-sitting position, only to find the muzzle of Trezka's gun pressed into his cheek."
"I'm not negotiating with criminals," she hissed. "Where are they?"
"T-They'll kill me if I tell."
"Yeah? Well I'd start worrying about what I will do to you if you don't answer my question!"
"All right! All right. Holding cells are down below. It's not far from here."
"Good. Cause you're going to get us in there."
Clenching her teeth, Nami watched the end of the fight between her friend and her unfortunate opponent on one of the screens. The fight could've gone either way. Despite Jetreycka's pacifist nature, her survival instinct had taken over, which in this case had saved her life. Lecathians were natural born hunters and warriors and she didn't doubt that he would've killed her without hesitation, if only for the exact same reason.
She had to give Jetreycka credit for refusing to finish the job herself. They could've punished her for it, and it seemed that next time they would not hesitate. Surviving was no longer enough. They wanted their potential recruits to prove that they were capable of doing the unthinkable.
"You're gonna pay for this, you disgusting-"
"Get back in there!"
The heavy rumble as the arena-side door opened interrupted her cursing before she could finish it. The guards escorted Jetreycka back in, scanning the room for other victims. Jetreycka walked up to her with timid steps, the shock of everything that happened still all over her. Her bottom jaw quivered as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I-I didn't do it. I refused to kill him."
"You're hurt."
The wounds that were visible through her ripped sleeve and pants looked far from superficial, the way they had soaked and darkened the fabric.
"It's nothing. I-I'll manage."
Stepping forward she pulled Jetreycka into a hug, because she felt like she needed it. The way she hugged her back strengthened the idea that her instincts were correct.
"We'll make it. Hold on. They can be here any tick. And you've won your first fight. One more and they might let you challenge one of their own for a way out of this mess."
"You. C'mon, it's your turn." Nami knew the guard addressed her without having to look, yet refused to let herself be taken like some animal on its way to be slaughtered. She was going to throw in every bit of delay, every moment of stretching the time a rescue team might need to get them out before it was too late. "Stop hugging and move!"
"I'll be fine," she said after releasing her friend.
Jetreycka didn't seem too convinced. Biting her lip, she nodded, her eyes glittering moist. Shooting the guards a poisonous glance, Nami started walking in the direction of the arena. Eyeing the opponent they had picked for her, she shook her head. It was as if they had done it on purpose. She could smell the Akrennian's fear. It was also his first fight, but since they were not given any weapons, she had a huge advantage.
This is just cruel.
"We've taken one of them hostage and are forcing him to lead us to where the prisoners are being held. We're not sure if they're still locked up in there or have been taken somewhere else, but there's only one way to find out."
As she listened to Trezka's voice, being somewhat garbled as it was being relayed via the shuttle, Baika tried not to think of what her science partner and Nami went through at the moment. She was well aware that these kinds of thoughts only worked in negative ways, but while she enjoyed the comfortable safety of sitting behind the station she and Jetreycka shared on the Myrshala's bridge, those two women were in serious trouble.
Although she did her best not to show it, she had developed a mild stomach ache. While working with Jetreycka they had become inevitable friends. If they didn't have a team of experts trained for these kinds of jobs, she would've gone after her.
"Work fast," Raeth urged. "Those girls are running out of time."
"Copy that. I'll update as soon as we know more. Trezka out."
Although his voice, like his overall behavior, was calm and controlled, Raeth's face showed visible frustration. He remained standing in front of his seat, rooted to the deck, a hard stare directed at the main viewer. Activity around the jump gate had increased. Multiple Xhi'tha vessels had gathered in formation around the floating aperture. With their irregular organic shapes, not one of them was the same as another, the exact opposite of the perfect sphere that was the Hytharian hive world. The reason became apparent as a message popped up on Baika's console.
"Raeth, we've received a message from the Hytharians. They report they have finished their preparations ahead of schedule and have begun the activation sequence."
"Continuous scan. Let's see if they can pull this off."
Like herself, Raeth couldn't help being excited by this event, despite the ongoing situation on the station. After all there was very little they could do but leave it in the capable hands of Trezka and her team. This was what they had come to witness in the first place.
"Detecting massive power surge coming from the gate. It's happening."
The white energy beam transmitted by the solar collector increased in brightness, the flowing pulses travelling in the direction of the gate intensifying. The giant structure was attached to a small station responsible for catching the energy beam, converting and distributing it to the transmitters on the inside of the ring-shaped gate. Directing the energy to the center, what could be described as a kind of spherical lens began to appear, suspended in the middle, growing in size as if absorbing the input.
Baika, Raeth, Le'tan and Houn collectively held their breath as they watched the Hytharians and Xhi'tha write history, the right secondary viewer focused on what could very well be the promised portal to the other galaxy. The bubble continued to grow until it filled most of the ring's diameter, its reflective surface having the appearance of a dark liquid while also appearing to be partially transparent. Even the Hytharian's moon-sized vessel would be able to cross the barrier.
"Energy levels are stabilizing," Baika said, trying to make sense of all the sensor readings coming in. "Our sensors cannot scan through to the other side, but it does register as a kind of hole in spacetime."
"They might have actually done it!" Houn exclaimed. "Uiisa, I'm… I'm very excited."
Raeth chuckled.
"We all are, Houn. And it looks like the Xhi'tha cannot wait to find out."
A number of their bioships had moved in on the gate. On the magnified view they could see their hulls touch the surface of the sphere without disturbing it, disappearing into its massless body.
"Several ships have launched probes, including one of our cruisers," Baika informed her crewmates. "They've enabled us to tap into its visual feed. I'm putting it on the left viewer." By distributing the different feeds over the screens, they were now able to follow both what happened on this side of the gate in detail, as well as being able to catch a glimpse of the other side. The probe followed a straight line toward the portal, its feed showing nothing but the surface of the dark bubble as the device approached it. "Contact in three… two… one…"
As the probe penetrated the barrier, there was a bright flash. Then nothing, as if the probe had stopped transmitting. It lasted for a mere two ticks. Then the feed reestablished itself, transmitting the blurry image, as if being filmed through a body of water. Baika recognized the dim orange circle in the middle as a star. One of the larger blue circles could be a planet. As the image began to clear up, her assumptions turned out to be correct.
The image cleared up like coming up at the surface of the ocean after a dive, with only a bit of static distorting it now and then. She recognized the Xhi'tha ships that went through before it. Another Hytharian hive world held position at some distance from the expeditionary force, surrounded by several smaller copies of itself.
"Very impressive," Le'tan expressed his admiration. "It must've taken a long time for their ships to get there and build the opposite gate. Doing that and connecting the two successfully over this distance is unbelievable."
"There're only a few examples of jump gates in the known galaxy." Houn added. "The Cairano Phylex pair does the same thing over two thirds the diameter of the galaxy, but that's nothing compared to this."
"Looks like one of ours is ready to take the leap as well," Raeth said with a nod at the screen. Among a group of other ships was an Imperial Laeisia class cruiser, heading toward the gate and disappearing through the aperture without slowing down.
"The Un'thara reports they've made it to the other side without a hassle. I am getting a strange reading from the gate though." Getting caught up in the incoming sensor data, Baika didn't notice that three pairs of eyes focused on her. Had the power input of the gate been stable until now, apart from some minor fluctuations as ships crossed the border, the dips and spikes had become more intense. "This is weird."
"What is it?" Raeth asked.
"Energy levels are becoming increasingly erratic. And the sensors are detecting particles with a signature that's not in our databanks. They can't make anything of it. The Hytharians are signaling all ships to abort travel. They're veering off."
As all vessels pulled back from the gate, the erratic sensor readings that Baika tried to make sense of began to manifest in bolts of energy arcing over the sphere like lightning. The beams of energy feeding it, as well as the main line coming from the solar collector, increased in brightness.
"What's happening?" Houn asked.
"Massive energy buildup!" Baika warned. "It looks like it's emanating from the inside. We've lost contact with the probe."
"It's… changing color," Le'tan remarked.
Had the bubble been almost as black as space itself, a blue light began to emanate from its center, glowing brighter and brighter.
"Sensors are picking up unknown signatures coming from the gate."
"From the other side?" Raeth asked.
Baika shook her head.
"We've lost all contact with the other side. Whatever is coming, there's no way to tell where it's coming from."
"Go to full alert," Raeth ordered, stepping back to take his seat. "Warn the shuttle. See if they can get a message through to the team. Le'tan prepare to separate us from the station."
"First signatures are exiting the gate. They almost look like- Is that a Drej ship?"