Disclaimer: I really don't think I need this....
Nova
Chapter 38: Seldokas' Ship.
(Vash)
Space. It was so quiet. The blackness of the deep seemed to suck everything out of the three of us. For the four hours of the flight through the void between Gunsmoke and the Moon there was no sound at all but the low hum of the engines.
Knives stared fixated on the moon, blinking automatically. His thoughts light-years away.
Nick had fallen asleep in the back. He didn't even snore. He seemed to be a little depressed; I think he missed Milly and the babies.
As for me... I sat quietly as well, praying to any divine being that would listen that we would all come out safe, and that I would get to see Meryl again.
I examined the Fifth Moon that was nearly looming in our view screen. The large crater on the surface was like a gaping mouth, laughing at me.
A loud buzz woke everyone from their respective trances and naps.
"We've arrived." Knives said to himself.
Knives began hitting sequences of buttons and seemed to be programming something. I couldn't see what because his console monitor was pointed away from me.
"I've just done a scan for materials alien to the Moon." Knives said suddenly and punched a button on his console and a 3D schematic came to life on the Holographic Table in the back.
Knives and I left the pilot seats and joined Nick who was already looking at the schematic. Knives pointed to a yellow area on the pinkish sphere, "This is Seldokas' ship."
The yellow spots were right on the edge of the huge crater, dotted in a straight line, and longer than the radius of the crater.
"It's huge, how in the world could no one have seen it?" Wolfwood commented.
"About 90 percent of it is buried under the surface. The exposed ten percent is peppered here and there."
"How will we ever locate Kestrel in that?" Nicholas voiced the thought that must have been passing through all out heads.
How would we?
.....................
(Knives)
"I have located an opening," I said after about three hours.
Vash and I had put the ship in geo-synchronous orbit with the moon, and I had scoured images of the exposed areas of the larger ship, looking for a viable opening where we could enter.
"Where?" Vash asked leaning over my shoulder.
Wordlessly I pointed to the left-most part of Seldokas' ship, and tapped the view screen.
Vash nodded and went in the back to wake the priest.
I reached out with what psychic powers I had regained control of, and tried to see if I could sense her presence.
Abruptly, and unexpectedly I did feel something, but it wasn't Kestrel.
It was a darker sense. Like nothing I had ever felt before. In my minds eye I saw black flame framing a solitary figure. The figure was not human, nor was it one of the species that Seldokas had come from. It had no specific shape, as it seemed to twist in some non-existent wind.
Suddenly I was being shaken. I looked up and saw Vash's worried face, "Are you alright? You've been staring into space for fifteen minutes."
I shook my head, and asked quietly, "Are we ready?"
"Yeah. But--"
"Then suit up. We're going to have to walk on the surface of the moon to get to our entrance."
"Suit?" I heard the priest whisper to my brother.
...............
The suits in question were old SEEDs space suits. They looked very similar to my old plug suit, only those were made for pilots and these were made for space walking.
Vash and the priest were already suited up and waiting by the airlock. While they had been doing so, I had landed our ship about 100 yarz from the opening that I had located.
I pushed the angular helmet of the spacesuit onto my head and sealed it airtight.
"Lets go." I said over the three-way radio in out helmets.
"Right." One of the other two said, I couldn't really tell who it was.
Soon we were out side the ship and traversing the landscape towards the exposed part of the larger ship. It had looked so small on the view screen of our ship but from down here it was a big opening in the larger ship.
Upon entering the opening it was immediately clear that it was the egress of a hanger bay. There were a few undamaged smaller ships inside, connected to tubes that went further into the humongous ship.
"Get to one of the tubes," I said, "Those will lead us into the ship."
"Are you certain?" Vash asked.
"Very."
We picked a tube and climbed through it, till we reached a circular airlock.
"What now." Vash asked, pointing to the unreadable keypad.
I stared at the keypad; the symbols on the seven buttons glowed dimly. Suddenly I knew the combination. The answer was whispered into my mind by a voice deep in my mind,
I reached out and typed in the combination, and the hatch rolled out of the way.
"How..." I heard Vash say, "How did you know that?"
"I don't know." I said truthfully, and climbed through the hatch. Whoever or whatever had told me, wanted us to be inside.
I didn't let my self think it over. I would have time for that later, now we had more pressing issues. Finding Kestrel.
I pushed a button on this side of the hatch and it closed. The room we were in hissed as it filled with air.
"Is it breathable?" Asked the priest.
"Just a moment." I said as I activated the small atmospheric sensor on the armband of my suit, "Yes. It's just going to be like we're at a high altitude."
"So it's safe to take our helmet off then."
In answer I took off my helmet and took in a breath of the air. Vash and the priest followed suit.
"This way." I said, pointing to a door on the right side of the airlock.
I saw Vash and Wolfwood give each other a glance. They must have been wondering how I knew. I didn't even know how all this was coming to me. And it was pissing me off.
I said nothing to the two and proceeded to exit the airlock into a black metal hall. Not a few seconds after the three of us had gone through the door, it rolled closed and only seconds after that a door to the side snapped open and a dozen or so Saskanocs filed into the tight space.
"Shit!" Wolfwood yelled.
"What now." Vash muttered, eyeing the Saskanocs that blocked off the only way out.
"We fight dear brother. We fight." I said.
"Good thing I brought these." The priest said and pulled out three of the pistols that belonged in his Cross Punisher. He threw one to me, and the other to Vash.
Without warning the wall of Saskanocs lunged at us in a blaze of claws and teeth. One slashed out at me only to receive a bullet to its head.
"Knives--"
"Vash! Not now! They aren't--" I ducked to avoid a claw, -even alive. Remember?!-
I didn't hear an answer if he gave one, suddenly I was up in the air being thrown across the hall. As soon as I hit the ground I was up on my feet picking off the surrounding Saskanocs with the pistol.
Before I knew it the single pistol had run out of bullets and I had no means of getting another cartridge. Four Saskanocs had separated me from the other two and were slowly backing me further into the dark ship and further from my brother.
A rumble shook the floor of the hall and without warning a thick door coming down from the ceiling, began a quick decent towards the floor, cutting off the route to Vash and the priest.
I ran towards the door in some failed hope that I could make it through. But by the time I reached the door there was little more than a feel between it and the floor.
I slammed my fists against the cold metal, "Damn it!"
I heard nothing on the other side; the door was far too thick to allow any sounds to pass through.
-Vash- I called out mentally.
-Knives! What happened!-
-We're separated, Vash. I'm going to continue this way.-
-Has it entered your mind that this might have been set up by Seldokas, meant to lead you into a trap?-
-Yes.-
-Then why...?-
I sighed, -Vash it's the only way I can go.-
There was a pause. –Alright. Be safe.-
-You too.-
Turning around, I leaned against the door and sighed, a puff of my breath rising into the air. I was now separated from the others, which meant I would have to try and locate Kestrel on my own. I had only a couple more cartridges for anything hostile that might come my way, plus what little psychic powers I had regained.
Suddenly I felt a tug at my mind. I squinted into the darkness of the hallway. I knew who was behind the tug.
Seldokas.
It was painfully obvious that he was trying to lead me somewhere.
"Well, Seldokas... Looks like I'm playing by your rules now."
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and followed the tug.
................
I don't know how long I followed the pull of Seldokas' mind. I lost track of time so easily in these endless halls, twist and turns, odd elevators and staircases.
Finally the pull ended at a cylindrical door.
Hesitating only for a moment I pushed the keypad on the side of the door. The door whisked open and a wave of warm air hit me. The air smelled heavily of blood. Human blood.
Stepping into the room, lit by white panels on the ceiling, I saw hundreds of devices scatted everywhere.
The dried red blood on some of the devices led me to believe that they were torture devices.
Shaking off the sudden chill that rushed through me, I looked around once more only this time I saw... her.
She lay sprawled on the floor, the light blue summer dress that she had been wearing the day of her kidnapping was torn and blood soaked. Her eyes were closed and her face was contorted in pain.
Without thought I sprinted the distance between us and knelt by her side. Gently I lifted her head up and leaned her against my chest.
"Hey." I said quietly.
Her eyes didn't open, but her mouth twisted into a grimace, and her body stiffened.
"Kestrel... Kes? Wake up."
Her eyes fluttered open and suddenly she cried out. I shifted her body till she was in my lap, her head rested in the crook of my neck. She was shaking with pain as blood seeped out of deep wounds on every part of her body.
She silently cried, her tears falling down her face in streams. She looked up at me, and tried to speak her mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
I leaned my head down and tried to hear what she was saying.
"I—I know—his—plan—You must—destroy—his--" Kestrel gasped for air, "—body—destroy—the body--"
"Where is it?" I asked whispered hurriedly.
"It's-- " She suddenly gasped and let out a bloodcurdling scream that made the hairs on my arms stand on end and chills run down my spine.
I sensed that she was being attacked psychically, and quickly, I reached out with my mind and with every ounce of mental strength broke the last bonds that Vash had put into place to lock my powers. I threw a wave of psychic energy into the flow of the attackers mind and tore into the connection, severing it.
Kestrel suddenly fell silent and went limp in my arms.
Angrily I lashed out with my mind vehemently searching for Seldokas' mind.
Abruptly I found it but Seldokas was ready. He latched onto my mind and tore into it invading every part of my brain and shoving it into darkness.
.................
Wowness! That was an exhilarating chapter to write! I've already begun the next one... but I'm all burnt out for now. I don't know when I'll get the next one to you all. But it's going to be the last chapter, not including the epilogue.
The last chapter and Epilogue will be posted simultaneously.
I gotta say this had been one hell of a fun story to write! I'd say more, but I'll leave all my end words for after the epilogue. : )
Later my lovies!
RR:
Shadowneko003: YES! An update! XD
Hope-is-4ever: Yes, they better, or else I'm going to have a bunch of people after my head.
Otaku Sarri: Indeed! Aww, people miss me? Thanks I'm glad you like it. I'll have to check out your story, when I can get around to it. Ooo! Doughnut! Mmmm, thankie.
El Hustino: Yep sorry about that. I didn't even notice that I hadn't written nay until you pointed that out. I was in a rush to put it out I totally forgot. I did disappear! I was taken up into the mothership. The aliens zipped around the galaxy for a bit before finally realizing that they had the wrong person. They had meant to pick up their pet monkey George W. Ooo! Cheese! I like cheese!
Carri: Eeeek! Undead minions! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Desmonia: Hmm. Maybe. XD
Rosebud: Yeah, like I said to hope... if I don't, I'll be on the FFAMWL (FanFic Authors Most Wanted List) hehehe. Here's your update! Many thankies as always!
DarkFusion: Really? Wow! I'm so happy! XD I'm glad I have made an enjoyable story for you to read. Yeah I know my spelling needs a little work, I'm working on it! : ) Here's your update!