HOMEWORLD2: WRATH OF THE GODS
CHAPTER 12: DARKNESS
After analyzing the data we collected from the Khar-Toba's sister ship we've been able to determine what happened in the nebula.
While the Khar-Toba was able to limp to Kharak, this ship instead must have tried to hide here. They soon resorted to preying on ships passing through the nebula.
In time the nebula became off limits to all shipping. They developed hyperspace inhibitor technology to trap prey from far away without leaving the safety of the nebula.
Eventually it became the center of their existence and ultimately, their religion.
- Mothership Archives
Assaam Kiith'sid, Hiigaran Capital City:
One would have expected the civilians in the city to panic and flee in chaotic directions. However, Hiigara had been subject to so many threats of invasion that evacuation procedures were now routine to most Hiigarans. Admiral Eefrit and Captain Soban were surprised to see the people moving towards the designated shelters and evacuation routes in an orderly but quick manner.
As both Eefrit and Soban continued running towards the space port, they were surprised to see the Elders of the New Daiamid being taken onboard space shuttles headed for orbit. This was strange, as the Elders had always been evacuated to secure locations on the Homeworld in times of crisis. Something was definitely amiss.
"How much longer before we get to your shuttle?" Soban asked.
"We're nearly there, just a few minutes more…"
Both men dashed into the boundaries of the space port, which was now swarming with military personnel. The shuttle waited patiently on a launch pad. Wasting no time, Soban got on while Eefrit initiated power up procedures immediately.
Onboard the Legacy of Kharak, docked with the Second Scaffold:
Yuno was racing through the cyber world of the Mothership's computer systems, making the final adjustments to algorithms that had been corrupted by the power surges in their battles. They were out of time now, even as the repair crews from the Second Scaffold were struggling to rebuild a new Mothership Door for the Legacy of Kharak. The hull breaches and external structural damage on the left side of the Legacy had mostly been repaired, and the new Door was slowly taking shape.
Yuno completed her software diagnostics and repairs just when she received an incoming transmission on a secure channel.
"This is Yuno of the Mothership."
"This is Eefrit here, what's going on up there?"
"Eefrit? Where are you now? We need you back here immediately!"
"I'm on my shuttle along with Captain Soban. We've just left Hiigara's atmosphere and are heading for the Second Scaffold. Why did the warning sirens go off? And where are they taking the Elders to?"
"I'll make this quick. Remember the probe we left in the Coruc-Tel System to monitor the infected inhibitor station? Well, the station went active and started shredding pieces off it to build frigates and other ships. Now we have no station and a fleet of about fifteen frigates of unknown design and configuration."
"I don't see why that warrants immediate evacuation."
"The other thing is that the sensor outposts on the outskirts of Kadesh have picked up considerable hyperspace activity. Further analysis indicates that the Progenitor fleet is jumping out along with the Kadeshi fleet!"
"I see. Soban just told me about the Kadeshi. Turns out they survived our assault, only to fall to the Progenitors."
"The problem is that the Kadeshi ships have no infection signature. They are operating on their own free will!"
"Great. So they formed an alliance? Now we have to contend with Kadeshi ships as well as Bentusi craft and infected vessels…"
"That is still not all. The sensor outpost in the Eastern Outer Rim has determined that the Vaygr Crusades have started moving as one again."
"What! Have they found a new leader already?"
"Intelligence is still trying to confirm that. All we know now is that the Vaygr have a keen interest in the capabilities of our recently discovered Grand Core. They no longer seem to be worried about Sajuuk stopping them, as it seems that they will use whatever means necessary to claim the Core."
"So basically, we're gonna have to deal with an invasion of ancients from the west, and an invasion of barbarians from the east at the same time?"
"In other words, we are going to be faced with a battle that we can't win, not even with the Sajuuk. As for the Elders, they will never be evacuated to orbit unless it has been decided that…"
"Wait, are you saying that we're abandoning Hiigara?"
"The Somtaaw command ships Kuun Lan, Faal Corum and this Mothership are being upgraded with cryogenic subsystems for colonist transportation. Already, the New Daiamid has randomly selected two million people for cryofreeze."
"Two million? Out of over a hundred million?"
"I don't see why not. We are now faced with a situation similar to way back when this Mothership made her maiden hyperspace jump. We take to the stars, or face extinction."
"But our Homeworld, Hiigara, we've fought so much to claim and defend it. How can we just abandon it now?"
"Hiigaran Fleet Command's decision is final, and I regret to say that we have to carry out orders. For now, we can only retreat and return to fight another day."
Admiral Eefrit fell silent for a minute as he contemplated the sudden change in events.
"… How much time do we have?"
"Estimates indicate that the Progenitors will arrive first about three days later, the Vaygr next in five days. The improved cryofreeze processes will allow us to start transferring colonists within forty hours. We haven't got much time. Karan has already found the Pride of Hiigara and is preparing to jump both Sajuuk and the Pride back here for additional support."
"Very well. Sajuuk protect us all. Eefrit out."
Yuno closed the comm channel. She too was worried and fearful. Would they be able to survive this trial?
The Exile emerged from hyperspace in high orbit over Hiigara. The crews of the returned fleet cheered for joy at their safe return, only to see the gathered Hiigaran Navy at a level of alert not seen since the time of the Vaygr Wars.
Kiir Sjet had regained consciousness, though he still felt slightly drowsy. He watched the viewscreens as the carrier and its fleet began trudging towards the Second Scaffold.
"This is Commander Hyll of the Naabal carrier Exile. We have returned."
"This is Scaffold Control, it's good to see you again. When the Progenitors invaded via that gate we thought you were lost forever."
"Things look busy around here. What's happening?"
"Don't have time for details, all we can tell you is to be prepared for a long journey. We may not see Hiigara for a very long time. Alright, just get docked, we'll provide basic maintenance for your carrier and fleet. Scaffold Control out."
Commander Hyll turned to Kiir Sjet with a look of despair on his face. Kiir responded by bowing his head down gravely.
Ecur System, outskirts of Sea of Lost Souls:
The planet Ecur was in chaos as people struggled to get onboard the evacuation ships. Already, the bulk of the colony fleet was in orbit, standing by to hyperspace out of the doomed star system. Hiigaran interceptors swarmed the entire length of the growing convoy, providing little comfort to those who knew what was coming.
Suddenly, the sensor screens of the escorting Hiigaran carrier lit up in brilliant flashes of blue. The enemy had arrived. Quickly, the commander onboard the carrier sent an emergency message to the convoy. Responding immediately, the line of colony ships opened their aqua hyperspace windows, only to have them wither and close shut.
The commander looked at the viewscreens and saw the horror beyond. Eight Kadeshi needleships had ensnared the entire fleet in an inhibitor field. They were trapped! He roared out his orders and watched as his frigates moved to intercept the multibeam frigates and swarmers advancing on the convoy.
It was then that yellow hyperspace windows began opening behind the Kadeshi fleet, revealing the fleet of the Progenitors. All onboard the convoy gasped as they caught a glimpse of the immense World Crusher ship. The awe soon dissipated when the Kadeshi began slicing colony ships in half with their ion cannons, impaling any surviving vessels with mass drivers from their strike craft.
The commander watched from onboard his carrier as the convoy was decimated. Soon, his frigate screen went to hell and the enemy ships began moving towards his ship.
Onboard the Kadeshi command needleship Divina, Ecur System:
The robed Kadeshi high priest watched coldly as the Hiigaran carrier burned at the hands of their multibeam frigates. Much of their populace had been decimated with the cruel destruction of their city by one of the Unclean. Just when all hope had seemed lost, Kadesh had come to lead them along the Divine Path.
The revelation had been simple. The Divine Path was one that led from the Garden to the place they had originated from – Hiigara. Kadesh had instructed them to push on and vanquish all the Unclean that lay beyond. Hiigara was the source of all this filth, he had said, and that their banishment from the planet thousands of years ago was actually a liberation.
"Your holiness, we have destroyed all of the Unclean and their ships. And yet, still more of them launch from their filthy planet."
"It doesn't matter. We have opened the path for Kadesh to purify the system," came the emotionless reply of the high priest. "Order all ships to stand clear of the Great Ship of Kadesh."
The Kadeshi fleet parted before the advancing World Crusher Oblivion. The Oblivion was designed like a super massive ion array frigate, except that the whole structure looked like a terrible sword from the heavens themselves. The huge quantum arrays slowly swung open as the ship bloomed like a flower. Almost immediately, the ship seemed to pulsate as light was refracted around the ship.
The space time continuum around the Oblivion shimmered and bent as the frontal spike of the ship glowed a bright blue. The colony ships launching from the planet seemed to sense the danger and tried desperately to get away, but there was not enough time. As the glow intensified, the spike shimmered ever more violently as the fabric of space was strained beyond its limits and compressed into a singularity of pure quantum energy.
Moments later, the spike fired forth a mighty pillar of aqua light. The dimension of hyperspace had been pulled into realspace, and this otherworldly space now pierced through normal space like an unstoppable arrow. As the quantum energies of hyperspace met the Ecur's atmosphere, the entire world groaned as powerful vibrations pulsated through its interior and the sky was forced open. The launching colony ships were reduced to atoms, and the city that was directly in the pillar's path was no more.
Now a shockwave blasted through the atmosphere as the beam hit the ground, crumbling anything that had survived the initial blast. The beam pulsated strongly, each pulse splitting the earth and cracking through the mantle of the doomed planet. As the shockwave stripped away the last remnants of Ecur's atmosphere, the planet seemed to scream as chunks of semi molten rocks blasted away with each pulse. Still, the beam poured more energy into the world.
The continental plates of Ecur began to throb as the faults separating them widened, revealing the ruined mantle beneath. The core of the planet was still holding together in defiance of the pillar of light, but it was slowly being pushed towards shatter point.
When the cataclysm finally happened, the high priest had to shield his eyes along with the rest of his crew. Ecur shattered in an explosion that outshone even the primary star of the Ecur System, finally overwhelmed by the sheer might of the Oblivion's quantum pulse cannon.
Another system had been cleansed. With a wave of his hand, the high priest authorised the hyperspace jump to the next star system.
High orbit over Hiigara:
The light from Hiigara's primary star shimmered in the Sajuuk's jump window as the godly ship returned to realspace. Moments later, an exceptionally tall blue hyperspace window opened. As it slid along, it revealed the Pride of Hiigara mothership. The fleet communications were filled with cheers as all of Hiigara celebrated the retrieval of the excellent vessel.
As the Sajuuk moved away from the empty Pride of Hiigara, frigates and carriers moved forth to board the vessel and outfit the mothership with a skeleton crew. When that was done, they would move the Pride closer to the Second Scaffold for the transfer of a full and complete crew. When that was accomplished, Karan would be able to take remote control of the Pride from Sajuuk until they found another person suited for the job of being an Unbound persona.
Onboard the Legacy of Kharak, docked with the Second Scaffold:
Yuno was relieved at the safe return of both Karan and the Sajuuk. She was even more relieved to see the Pride of Hiigara back in Hiigaran orbit. The only problem was that it was missing its Mothership Door, but that would be taken care of as soon as the Pride of Hiigara could dock with the Second Scaffold.
Meanwhile, repairs on the Legacy had been coming along nicely. Except for capital ship production, every other system was fully operational. All that was left to do now was to complete reconstruction of the Mothership Door, which was now a third complete. Once at least fifty percent of the Door had been rebuilt, the Legacy could launch to complete repairs on its own, freeing up docking space for the Pride of Hiigara.
Expecting a launch anytime within the next twelve hours, Yuno busied herself rechecking system processes onboard the Mothership to make sure that everything was ready for the coming Exodus.
Onboard the shuttle Stardust, high orbit over Hiigara:
The little shuttle slowly came into view of the Second Scaffold, its boosters shutting down. After two hours of space flight, Soban and Eefrit had finally reached high orbit. As Admiral Eefrit made the final adjustments to the ship's systems in preparation for entry into the Second Scaffold's docking bays, Soban looked out the view port and sighed.
"Eefrit, somehow I can't help but feel that our race is cursed."
"Why so?" Eefrit replied in surprise to Soban's sudden speech.
"I mean, look. We found the Second Core and got our empire wiped out. Then we were exiled to Kharak, where we stayed for four thousand years. Next we nearly went extinct just because of a hyperdrive test. Even when we reached Hiigara things have been going badly. First was the Beast War, next the Vaygr Invasion, and now this. What did we do to deserve such a fate?"
Eefrit remained silent, pondering over the matters that Soban raised. He too wanted an everlasting peace, one that would not be interrupted by sudden viral outbreaks or barbarian invasions. But would such a peace ever be possible?
"Eefrit?"
"Nothing… Soban, just get strapped in, we're going in."
With that, the shuttle swerved and parked itself neatly within the confines of the large hangar.
Onboard the Cosmos, high orbit over Hiigara:
Luca awoke groggily in his bunk. Looking around, he was bewildered. Instead of seeing a white surgery theatre with the sickening stench of chlorine permeating through everything, he was back in his room in the infirmary section.
There was no more pain in his leg. Luca found this strange bent over to look at it. It was perfectly normal, with no scar of surgery or bizarre swelling. The only change he felt was a mystifying increase in strength. At that realisation, he got out of the bunk and went to the toilet to look himself in his mirror.
Things were very bizarre. His muscles had grown considerably despite his stay in bed. Had they been feeding him steroids, he wondered? He also realised that he had grown taller by a few centimetres, for he had to bend a little to keep his head in the mirror. There was also this strange feeling physically and mentally, that he was quite different, but he didn't understand how.
As Luca returned to his bunk, his hand brushed the emergency call button on the wall. Suddenly, a series of images flashed before his eyes, culminating in a severe headache. He groaned, then crumpled into the bunk as the headache intensified. He seemed to be flying through another dimension, with streams of light flowing past him. Luca became vaguely aware of the carrier's position in space, and of other ships in orbit…
The headache died away unexpectedly, and Luca gasped for air, panting vigorously. Whatever that experience was, it was definitely not normal. Then the headache came back with a vengeance. He gripped his temples and moaned before losing consciousness.
Onboard the Sajuuk, high orbit over Hiigara:
Karan Sjet rested among the interface wiring and cables in her control cubicle while waiting for Kiir Sjet's arrival. She wanted to know about what they had discovered in the other galaxy, and also to ask him about his surprising telepathic abilities. She constantly scanned the nearby regions of space around the Hiigaran System, so as to prevent any surprise assaults by the Progenitors. So far, it had been clear, but she was uneasy. With each passing second, she felt the slow but steady approach of a dark presence.
The doors to the command room slid open, marking the arrival of Kiir Sjet and Commander Hyll. They bowed slightly in the presence of the Sajuuk-Khar.
"Please do rise." Karan quickly said, "You have been through a lot. Please dispense with all that ridiculous ceremony."
"Thank you, Karan." replied Kiir.
"Now, I have many questions, the first regarding the Bentusi you encountered there."
"Why, yes. When the gate closed and trapped us there, our first encounter was with an infected Bentusi fleet. Prior to that, we had found signs of a battle between the Bentusi and the infection entity. There was also evidence of Progenitor intervention."
"And so, the battle went badly for the Bentusi?"
"Yes… Being outgunned and outnumbered, naturally so."
"I see. And the survivors, they…"
"… I'm afraid that they sacrificed themselves so that we could get back home."
At that, Karan bowed her head down, eyes closed. The Bentusi were exceptionally close friends of hers, and all of Hiigara was in their debt. They had helped them since the First Time, and now, they were all gone. After a few moments of silence in respect for the noble Bentusi, Karan raised her head to speak once again.
"The Bentusi were a great civilisation, and friends of Hiigara. I will see to it that they will never be forgotten. What did you manage to learn of the Progenitors?"
"Well, all the data we have on them, I believe you have it too, having encountered the Progenitors personally at Tanis. However, before we jumped out of the galaxy, our sensors managed to do a quick scan of this Progenitor ship."
Kiir took a small device out of his pocket and connected it to an interface port on the floor. He pressed a button and the data streamed in. Karan closed her eyes and waved a hand, summoning a hologram projection of the data. When she opened her eyes once more, she gasped at the sight.
"… This ship… By Sajuuk, what is this?"
"I'm not sure myself, but it's a very dangerous weapon." Kiir explained as he showed Karan the true size of the vessel. Being thrice the size of the Foundry Ship, it was obvious that Sajuuk would do nothing but scratch its surface.
"All we know is that this weapon is based on quantum energy manipulation. We didn't get enough data due to our hasty exit, but it seems that the thing works by focusing quantum energy into a single point." Kiir showed Karan a simulation of the energies all gathering at the forefront of the spear-like cannon at the front of the ship.
"I see. What would the estimated power of the weapon be?"
"I've run a few tests using various scenarios and variables. It all points to one thing – this ship has the power to shatter planets."
"Merciful Hiigara, so that is what the Progenitors are going to do."
"That's not all," Kiir continued, "Preliminary analysis of our data indicates that the actual ship is very much smaller, and that the huge structure is merely part of a secondary weapon. We believe that the ship may be just the holding structure of a much smaller craft."
Now the hologram turned to a wire frame image, darkening much of it except a certain section towards the front. The actual ship was just a Sajuuk-class vessel. Karan heaved a sigh of relief.
"I'm afraid, Karan, that the reduced size doesn't make it any easier to defeat." Kiir continued, "Unless our sensors are wrong, the main ship and its primary weapon are powered by an inertialess drive system. This will allow it to move as quickly as a destroyer."
"That will be bad indeed."
"Yes, but the worst thing is the primary weapon. It turns out that the focusing arrays act as some sort of amplifier for the secondary weapon, but a suppressor for the primary weapon. We're not very sure on this and will require additional data. All we can deduce about the primary weapon, is that it transcends the secondary one at least tenfold."
"In other words, we may be looking at a level of destruction that can rip stars apart." interjected Commander Hyll.
"I see. Your data has been most helpful, Kiir. Now I must ask you, Commander Hyll."
"I will try my best to answer your queries, Karan."
"Do you personally think that the Hiigaran Navy has the ability to stop the Progenitors?"
"Well…"
"I asked you for your opinion, commander. Do not be afraid to tell me the answer."
"Personally, I very much doubt it." Replied Hyll. "The Progenitors' strategies revolve around weakening the enemy with infection-based weaponry, then bringing their superior firepower to bear. That was how they… murdered… the Bentusi. If the Bentusi, with all their experience and technology, could not hold the Progenitors, I don't see how the Hiigaran Navy can do the impossible."
"Not even with the Sajuuk and Gatekeeper?"
"Well, not even with them. We'd still be outgunned nonetheless. Unless we had the power of the Three Cores on every ship…"
"Hmm? Why would that change anything?"
"You'll have to ask Kiir, he came up with a new algorithm while we were away." Hyll directed Karan's attention back to the solemn-looking Kiir.
"Kiir, your contributions to Hiigaran space sciences has been most valuable. What did you come up with this time?" beamed Karan.
"Nothing much, just a modified version of the Sync Jump Algorithm to allow hyperspace-capable ships to use quantum wave distortions when in combined numbers. It is excellent for defending and attacking, but the only problem is the limited power of our current hyperspace technology."
"If so, Kiir, you will be delighted to see this." Karan spoke quickly before dissipating the hologram before them. The hologram reappeared moments later and began forming images of a Hyperspace Core, detailing its schematics and capabilities. Hyll stared in disbelief while Kiir gasped in astonishment.
"Kiir, Hyll, I show you the Grand Core. Credit must go to Captain Soban for finding this miraculous artefact. Not only does it far transcend the capabilities of the Three Cores, it also draws an immense amount of energy from hyperspace itself. This core can thus serve as a reactor and jump drive at the same time. I believe you will have no trouble refining your algorithm to suit this core, which will be installed in the Legacy of Kharak mothership."
"Why, yes of course! I shall begin work immediately!" gushed Kiir. He was terribly excited by the existence of such a powerful Hyperspace Core. The possibilities of using such a device would be nearly infinite.
"Very well then. I'm afraid I must now ask Commander Hyll to leave this room. I wish to talk with Kiir in private.
Both Hyll and Kiir looked nervously at each other, before Hyll saluted and walked quickly out of the room. Now that they were alone, Karan decided to delve deeper.
"Kiir, I received a telepathic burst from you some time back."
"Huh? What do you mean, Karan?"
"I was in hyperspace transit en route to Balcora when your burst got through. It was only through this burst that I was able to track down your fleet and hyperspace it to safety. Now I must ask you, are you able to control this ability of yours?"
"Well…" Kiir replied nervously, "I'm not sure."
"Try, then, to speak with me without speaking."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, try to focus on getting your point across to me, without the use of speech."
"I… uh… how could I… should I…"
"Relax yourself, concentrate, visualise yourself bringing the message across."
Kiir Sjet nodded, then shut his eyes in intense concentration. He focused hard, but yielded nothing. He sighed and turned back to Karan.
"I'm afraid I can't do it."
"Never mind. You can't learn telepathy overnight. That is all then, I guess. You look like you really need some rest."
"I shall take my leave then, Karan."
With that, Kiir Sjet left the command room. It was then that Karan received vital information from the Sajuuk's sensors. An Acolyte II fighter had launched from a carrier and was heading for the docking bays of the Sajuuk. Karan found this strange, for there had been no prearranged meeting after this.
"Bridge?"
"Yes, Karan?"
"There is an Acolyte II coming onboard. Kindly maximise security when you escort the pilot here."
"Why, of course. It shall be done immediately."
Onboard the Sajuuk, Hangar bay:
The Hiigaran marines approached the strike craft warily as it landed softly. They were not brandishing their weapons, but were fully ready to do so should the situation warrant it.
As the cockpit slid open, the marines ordered for the pilot to step out in accordance with all safety protocols. The pilot stepped out slowly, then vanished as he leapt high up into the air, much to the surprise of the marines.
In a flash, two of the five marines had been knocked out. The remaining three grabbed their weapons, only to have them swiped out of their hands by precise and swift kicks. The three marines went down quickly, but not before they activated the emergency beacon. Klaxons started going off across all decks as the pilot started running at a godly speed towards the nearest exit.
Onboard the Sajuuk, Command room:
Karan was alarmed by the sudden change in events. She quickly activated all camera systems throughout the Sajuuk, focusing anything in range on the renegade soldier. As the image of the person came into focus, she sent the image to the archives of Hiigaran Fleet Command for queries. The results came back almost instantaneously – she had a match. The pilot was none other than the famous Saviour Luca Paktu.
She was puzzled by his behaviour, but wasted no time in initiating a lockdown across the ship. The doors in all the corridors began to slide shut slowly, but Luca still eluded them all with his unholy speed. He was surely running at least thrice as fast as the fastest of Hiigaran athletes. Finally, a door managed to catch him just in time, sealing him in a section of corridor.
What happened next took Karan entirely by surprise. Luca merely ran up to the console beside the door and placed his hand on it. The next moment, his hand swelled and the veins protruded as it appeared to release some crimson matter onto the console. One look at the crimson thing was all it took to send Karan into a state of horror. Within seconds, the circuits were subverted and the door whined open. Still, Luca continued to subvert system after system as the infection entity spread from the console, embedding itself deeply within any control systems it could reach.
By now, other marines had come running down with their weapons blazing. Luca ignored them and continued prying ever more deeply into the Sajuuk, in spite of the bullets piercing through his flesh. Suddenly, he took a bullet to the head and collapsed to the floor. Seeing her chance, Karan sent a power surge through the infected system, vaporising the infection entity within and knocking out remote controls across the entire deck.
The marines quickly surrounded him and were about to apprehend him when Luca's eyes sprang open. His hand shot out and grabbed the throat of a marine, who screamed like a stuck pig. The other marines fired their guns, only to have Luca use the poor soldier as a shield. The marine gurgled and died, and Luca threw the corpse at the shooting marines. The marines ducked and resumed firing, but Luca was no longer there.
The marines looked up and started firing again, but it was too late. A few quick moves sent the marines to their deaths. Now corpses lined the corridor. Breathing vigorously and bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds, Luca placed his hands on two of the corpses, absorbing organic matter. The bullets fell out of their wounds as his injuries started healing quickly. In a minute, he was good as new.
Karan knew that she was Luca's target, so she immediately called the Bridge for help. The Bridge responded by sending down another team of marines and a medic team to remove her from her cubicle. But as she watched the blips move through the ship, Karan knew that Luca would reach her first. She shut her eyes in anticipation of the inevitable when suddenly, the doors to her room slid open. Kiir Sjet and Hyll Naabal ran in, Hyll brandishing machine guns on both arms.
"Hyll, Kiir, what are you both doing here!"
"Don't worry Sajuuk-Khar, I'll protect you at all costs!" Hyll assured her.
"Karan," spoke Kiir, "You need to tell me how to extract you from the system. I have some basic knowledge in mind-machine interfaces, but I have utterly no experience with the Sajuuk's Hiigaran interfacing."
"But, we don't have time for that! You both need to get out while you can…"
"Karan, if you die, Hiigara is finished. You are everything to all of Hiigara, and your death would result in dire consequences."
"Alright then… Kiir, go to the main console and… oh no, he's here!"
Sure enough, the doors slid open, revealing Luca Paktu beyond. Veins were popping out everywhere on his limbs and head, and his eyes were staring at Karan coldly. Hyll opened fire, only to have Luca dodge his shots calmly. Within moments, Hyll had both his weapons taken from him forcefully and he was forced to the floor by Luca's unholy strength. He was about to have his neck snapped in two when Kiir gave a roar and threw himself at the wild Luca. Both men rolled off in a frenetic struggle, but Kiir was quickly thrown off by Luca's superior hand-to-hand combat skills.
Karan watched as Hyll tried to hold Luca back, but it was in vain. Hyll was thrown against the wall and knocked out cold. Luca started walking slowly towards Karan, who stared back at him with all the courage she could muster as the Sajuuk-Khar.
Suddenly, Luca stopped walking. He tried to move further, but seemed to be halted by some sort of invisible barrier. Karan glanced to the side and saw Kiir on the floor. He was reaching out to Luca with his right hand, his eyes closed in fierce concentration. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face as Kiir struggled to disrupt the signals that were being fired by Luca's neurons.
Luca yelled in annoyance and exploded from Kiir's control. Now he lunged towards Kiir, who was struggling to his feet. Upon seeing Luca moving towards him, his hands aimed for his throat, Kiir flung out both his hands in a bid to defend himself. What he didn't expect was that Luca suddenly bounced off an invisible barrier and rolled to the floor. Kiir stared in shock, but quickly moved to put himself between Luca and Karan.
Luca got up and pounced at Kiir once again, only to have Kiir block him using the same method he had employed before. Karan watched in astonishment, surely telekinesis wasn't one of Kiir's abilities too? He was disproving every theory Karan had studied on the subject. However, Kiir was starting to feel the strain of maintaining the telekinetic barrier. Each body slam by Luca only served to drain him both physically and mentally. Just when Kiir was about to faint from exhaustion, the marines arrived and started pumping bullets into Luca.
The infected pilot roared in pain and Kiir saw his chance. He summoned up all his remaining mental energies and sent a powerful telekinetic blast at Luca, sending the pilot flying out through the door. The marines ducked to avoid Luca and turned to start firing relentlessly. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, Luca quickly retreated, disappearing into the darkness of the corridors beyond.
As the medics rushed into the room, Kiir Sjet slumped to the floor exhausted, his vision fading. He heard Karan calling out to him before the darkness claimed him.
The Acolyte II fighter soared out of the Sajuuk's hangar bay with other squadrons in hot pursuit. To throw them off, the fleeing fighter pumped a few pulse cannon shots into the nearby Second Scaffold. A steel beam gave way and blocked the path of the pursuers, who banked away quickly to avoid collisions.
When the pursuers got their sights on the Acolyte II once more, they did so just in time to see it miraculously enter hyperspace. Apparently when Luca had infected the Sajuuk momentarily, he had left behind an infected program to activate the Three Cores and ensure his guaranteed escape.
The jump window closed behind the strike craft as it was whisked to an indeterminate location.