The Broken Engineer

by M10m gas mask soldier

Following their escape of Titan Station, Isaac and Ellie find themselves against not only the ever-tightening grip of the corrupted EarthGov but also against an ancient menace that cannot be satisfied until it consumes all traces of humanity in the Universe. Seemingly alone, they must find a way to not only survive but also stop the extinction of the human race. AU post DS2.

3. Chapter 3: Broken but not defeated

Ch. 3: Broken but not defeated

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the long wait. I normally don't take so long but I have been sick. I am better now and the waits shouldn't be so long anymore. I typically do a three week cycle between my three main stories.

Anyway,

So, I added a few things to Ishimura. I made her A.I. somewhat like ANTI from Dead Space 2. That and I took some liberties with her Gravity Tethers.

I hope the readers are a little familiar with Dead Space: Salvage and Dead Space: Severed. Otherwise, you might be a little lost when I introduce some of the main antagonists for the story.

Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of this story.

Read and review if you want.

---

As we proceeded towards the ship's Engine Room, I began to inwardly question my reasons for having faith in the old mining ship and her engines. After all, the old girl was not exactly known in the CEC circles for being a spring chicken. In fact, the recent engineering crews affectionately referred to her just prior to the Aegis VII Incident as "The Rock" on part of her size, namesake, which translated as "Stone Village", and the age of her design. Ishimura was indeed a technological marvel when she was first built and still was even now in her twilight years.

Going on nothing less than faith, I continued towards the Engine Room. The massive hole just beyond the first airlock had been repaired during her refit but it only appeared to be a quick patch because it consisted of several large metal plates that had been welded into place. A temporary bridge had been put into place to allow easy access to the matching vacuum-sealing hatch on the other side of the space. It had been years but, to me, it only seemed like hours since I had used my gravity boots to jump past the floating, bleeding corpse of one of the ship's engineers as I made my way through this very same area.

Beyond the second door, I found that the usually noisy three-story storage area was eerily silent. Moreover, the thick putrid growth was gone. With only the work lamps and rapidly fading emergency lights being functional, I used my stock Plasma Cutter's built-in flashlight to illuminate the partly cleaned up path to the bottom level. The ship's systems continued to monitor our progress and activate the cargo lifts for us as we neared them. Ellie remained silent until we reached the bottom level even though we passed several remnants of the bloodbath that had transpired all those years ago.

As we approached the previously malfunctioning pair of massive doors on the bottom level that were now locked in the open position, she suddenly asked me, "Her name was Nicole wasn't it?"

I paused for a moment as I looked back at my partner. She stood about an arm's length away. Her Advanced Suit's V-shaped eyes stared a hole through me as they also cast a bright blue light along her slender feminine frame. I cringed behind my Engineering Suit's protective face plate. What would she think of me if I told her about my guilt-driven obsession to "save" Nicole inside Ishimura above Aegis VII? My growing dementia that had manifested a Nicole both on the stricken mining ship, the Aegis VII Colony, and then on Titan Station?

I tried to avoid the unpleasant conversation when I replied, "Ellie, this isn't the ti…"

However, the stubborn woman interrupted me as she demanded, "Damn it Isaac I saved your life! You owe me an explanation for why you sent me away like you did. The way you looked at me when you said that you couldn't save Nicole but you could save me and the way you said Nicole…she was your wife wasn't she? She was the one that you came here to save and you couldn't…so…you saved me in her place...didn't you?"

Realizing that she was not going to be satisfied until I told her the truth about Nichole, I gave in and explained, "No, Nicole wasn't my wife but I had hoped that she would be someday. She was the Senior Medical Officer aboard Ishimura. I received a message from her just before contact was lost. So, when CEC started asking around for volunteers for a repair mission, I signed up so I could make sure that she was safe. We had been having problems in our relationship but I still loved her. The Marker manipulated me by giving me hallucinations of her. I thought that she was alive and that we had returned the Marker to its pedestal on the planet. However, one of my crew members revealed that she had been dead before I had even set foot inside the Ishimura. If I had just been strong enough to watch the end of her message, I would have known that. Perhaps I did but I was too obsessed to remember that she was actually dead. On Titan Station, the Marker that I had created kept manifesting her to torment me until I gave in. When I did, it betrayed me and nearly killed me. When I defeated it, I somehow destroyed the Marker along with it. That was when you came back."

My earlier worry about having to reveal my obsession and dementia was proven unfounded when Ellie simply nodded before she replied, "I'm sorry Isaac. I know it must have been heartbreaking when you couldn't save her. Especially after everything that you went through to try to save her."

I replied, "I survived."

She finally pointed out the elephant in the room when she asked, "How did you manage to survive? A Systems Engineer with no military training or background yet you survived the Aegis VII Incident and the Outbreak on Titan Station?"

Again, I replied, "I survived." Her questions seemingly satisfied for the time being, I continued towards the silent engine core. Luckily, it was a very short walk from the bottom level exit of the storage area to the entrance of the Engine Core. As I entered the silent room, the massive shaft loomed above me. At the far end of the room, I saw the control panel for the engine. All I had to do was divert all remaining power into a chance to restart the old but very potent and massive engine of the Ishimura.

As I approached the blue holographic control panel, Ishimura announced, "Warning! All on-board power nearly depleted. Please restart Main Engine to prevent total system failure." The heavy thud of my gravity boots impacting the metal mesh floor beneath me was the only sound that I could hear over the pounding of my heartbeat as I moved to the control panel. Finally, I found myself standing before it once again.

I set my Plasma Cutter down onto the floor and got to work. The blue screen had various warnings in small pop-up windows. I cleared them and then worked through the codes to divert the power from the ship to her engine. With her power down to nearly nothing, I would have to manually restart the engine rather than merely using the auto-start program. One at a time, I began to shut down all of the various systems including the artificial gravity. With my gravity boots keeping me standing upright, I turned and looked at Ellie. There was an unspoken confirmation that she was ready. I nodded in response and then turned back to the control panel.

I hesitated for a moment as I stared at the confirmation for the ship's life support to be purged and the power diverted to the Main Engine. There would be no going back once I purged the life support. There was not enough power to restart the life support once it was turned off. It had all come down to this one single leap of faith. Either this would be the end of our story or it would be the beginning.

Suddenly, I felt another hand on top of my own as it hovered above the confirmation pop-up window. I felt Ellie's slender frame against my back and left shoulder as she stood against me and put her left hand on top of my left hand. The side of her armored heard rested against my own as she leaned into my frame. Without a word, we both mutually confirmed the purge of the ship's life support.

As the entire ship became a lifeless tomb as indicated by the blue hue of the air, the female voice of my RIG announced, "Warning! Entering Vacuum!"

Meanwhile, Ishimura announced, "Warning! All life support has been purged! Personal oxygen supplies are now required!" Then, she continued in a different voice that again seemed suspiciously akin to Nicole's gentle voice, "All power has been diverted to Main Engine. Please restart now."

Before me on the screen was the question, "Activate?" Below it was the description, "START THE ENGINE SEQUENCE." Together, Ellie and I pressed the screen to start the engine sequence. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, there was nothing. The control panel's holographic projection suddenly disappeared as the remaining power on the ship was depleted. Pitch black darkness overwhelmed me as the ship became as silent as a tomb. I felt Ellie's arms wrap around me as if she was trying to reassure me that it was not my fault. The realization that this was the end of our story hit home. I had gambled one too many times and now I was going to pay for it with my life. The only reassurance was that the nightmare, for Ellie and I at least, was finally over.

However, just as all hope seemed lost, several loud sequential bangs erupted through the pitch black interior of the Engine Core. The ghostly voice of the dead ship announced, "Ignition sequence initiated. Please stand by." Hope returned as I heard the Main Engine restarting. It would take it a moment to warm up before it would turn over but a faint glimmer of hope returned to both of us as we waiting in the pitch darkness that was now filled with the sounds of heavy machinery. Only time would tell if our RIG's reserve oxygen supplies would last long enough.

The warm up sequence seemed to last an eternity. The engine seemed to be laboring and I quickly realized that traces of the soapy sludge that was the remains of the Necromorphs must have found their way onto the exterior of the Main Engine. A faint orange glow appeared above us as the massive shaft began to spin. Nearly a minute later, the control panel's holographic projection returned as Ishimura announced, "Please confirm ignition sequence." Our hands still intertwined, we confirmed the ignition sequence. A loud whoosh filled the air before an ear-shattering roar rocked the entire ship. In an instant, the massive multi-story engine thundered to life.

Ishimura announced in an almost proud manner over the mechanical thunder, "Engines firing."

I could see it all in my mind: the lights on the ship turning back on one section at a time as a loud bang accompanied their progress, the infamous ventilation system once again pumping fresh air throughout the ship, the enormous Gravity Centrifuge spinning in its mount to provide the ship with its own gravity, consoles and displays once again informing the now non-existent crew of the status of various systems, and the ghostly echo of the ship's former glory filling the air in the form of announcements through the intercom system. It must have been a very strange sight to behold for all those present when the old Planet Cracker came back to life while she floated amongst the death and destruction of Titan Station. Death had come for Ishimura nearly three times in only a few years. However, like me, it seemed that Fate had other plans for the beaten and abused workhorse.

In mutual celebration of our survival, Ellie and I wrapped our arms around each other. A few seconds later, as if we both suddenly realized what we were doing, we retracted from each other. I turned and went to retrieve my Plasma Cutter. As I bent down to retrieve my tool, Ellie asked me with her weathered British-accented voice, "So, what now?"

Having retrieved my mining tool turned weapon, I stood back up, turned, and then looked at my partner before I explained, "Ishimura surely just attracted the attention of the EarthGov Blockade. We need to get to the bridge."

As we made our way back through the now well-lit corridors, she asked, "How are we going to get past the blockade? This is a Planet Cracker, not a warship. The only sizable weapons are the ship's ADS Mass-Driver Cannons. Even if we could get them to target the warships, there is no way that they are going to punch through the ships' deflector shields. Ishimura doesn't have shields of its own. We'll get ripped to shreds if we try to run past them."

Leading the way to the shortcut back to the control room of the Engineering Deck, I replied, "There is a far more powerful weapon that Ishimura has on-board."

Ellie asked me with a suspicious tone, "What do you mean?"

I replied, "I'll explain when we get to the bridge. Let's hustle, the tram is offline so we will have to hurry to get to the bridge in time."

Sure enough, by the time that we reached the Bridge Deck via the short Zero Gravity trip from the Medical Deck, Ishimura announced, "Warning! Numerous unidentified vessels approaching!" I broke into a run as I rushed to reach the Crow's Nest in time. I hardly gave a second thought to the cracked windows of the Security Check-In Station as I ran towards the Main Atrium.

As we ran through the maze-like path in the Main Atrium, Ellie called after me, "You still haven't explained what other weapon Ishimura has that can get us past the blockade." Through the giant reinforced windows just beyond the stairs that led down to the elevator on the far side of the atrium, I saw three large warships similar to the USM Valor approaching Ishimura through the debris field. I also saw nearly a dozen smaller gunships similar to the one in which Ellie and I had escaped Titan Station. We could reprogram the ADS to deal with the smaller gunships but the warships would require something with considerably more firepower.

As we descended in the elevator, Ishimura announced, "Incoming transmission…"

The ship's A.I. transferred the transmission to my RIG. The holographic projector of my RIG emitted the image of a helmeted Marine wearing a Level 6 Advanced Soldier RIG. The soldier ordered with a cold, distorted tone, "USG Ishimura, this is the USM Vengeance. In accordance with Earth Government Maritime Law and Earth Government Quarantine Order Number: One Hundred and Five, you are in violation of multiple restrictions and laws. Cut your engine and prepare to be boarded. Any attempts to flee or resist will be met with pre-authorized lethal force. This message will repeat every ten seconds until you respond."

By then, the elevator platform had reached the bottom level. Ellie followed me as perplexed as she had been for the past half hour as I ran to the entrance to the Crow's Nest. Upon entering the room, I saw the control panel for the Gravity Tethers on the left against the far wall and the Navigation System's control panel on the far right. The Captain's Chair was directly beyond the entrance and looked out beyond the holographic projection of the ship's surroundings and through the five glass panels that afforded a breath-taking view of the star-filled space in front of the massive mining ship.

I pointed towards the controls for the Gravity Tethers as I instructed my confused partner, "Ellie, operate the controls for the ship's Gravity Tethers."

She stared at me in complete silence for a moment before she said, "Isaac, you can't be serious…"

I replied, "Come on, Ellie. We don't have much time before they reach us. The ADS can deal with the gunships but we need the power of Ishimura's Gravity Tethers to get through the warships."

Ellie argued, "All that will do is draw them in closer to us."

I laughed darkly before I explained, "Yes, but not before it tears their hulls apart bolt by bolt, hatch by hatch, and soldier by soldier. She was designed and built to rip apart planets hundreds of times her own size. Some man-made piles of scrap metal will be child's play...deflector shields or not."

Without a better alternative, Ellie moved to operate the Gravity Tethers. I sat down in the Captain's Chair and then addressed Ishimura's A.I., "Ishmiura, Captain Benjamin Mathius and all on-board CEC Officers are deceased. Confirm."

The A.I. responded with its soft female voice, "Confirmed."

I continued, "As the highest ranking CEC employee on-board, I hereby appoint myself as the new Executive Commanding Officer. Confirm."

Ishimura was silent for a moment before she replied, "Confirmed." Then, with a chillingly uncharacteristic knowing tone, the ship that was both my greatest ally and my greatest nightmare continued, "CEC Engineer…Isaac Clarke…is now the Executive Commanding Officer of USG Ishimura. You have come a long way from when you were clawing your way through the dark, haven't you Isaac? I hope you are well."

I replied, "I've never been better."

To my surprise, the A.I. remarked, "We shall see how long that lasts."

Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I ordered the ship, "Ishimura, I am issuing a no-fly order. All incoming objects are to be destroyed by the ADS. Divert all non-essential power to the ADS, Gravity Centrifuge, and Damage Control."

The A.I. replied moments later, "No-fly order confirmed. All non-essential power has been diverted to the Asteroid Defense System, Gravity Centrifuge, and Damage Control."

Ellie asked me with a worried tone, "Isaac, are you sure that you know what you are doing?"

I laughed before I replied, "Absolutely. I am about to take on the most powerful military in the entire Universe with a sixty-five year-old Planet Cracker and a one-eyed heavy equipment operator. I know exactly what I am doing, Ellie."

The USM Vengeance, which was likely the twin sister of the USM Valor, and the two other destroyer-class warships carefully closed the distance as they attempted to navigate the debris field that still surrounded Ishimura. I noticed a few of the small gunships suddenly explode in bright flashes of light as they were unable to avoid colliding with debris. As they did, I began calculating in my head. The Ishimura was an enormous ship at more than 1.6 km long and nearly 0.5 km tall. She had the tonnage for a heavy weight fight but not the weaponry. The ADS would be able to counter any projectile-based weaponry but the ship would be helpless against sufficiently powerful laser weapons. The Ishiumra's reinforced hull, while not protected by military-grade armor, was significantly thicker than most commercial vessels due to the hazards associated with planet cracking. She may not have been a warship, but she was certainly not a lightweight.

My thoughts were derailed when Ishimura announced, "Incoming transmission…"

The holographic projection changed to be the uniformed Marine that had contacted me earlier. The soldier stated with the same icy tone, "USG Ishimura, this is your final warning. Cut your engine and deactivate your ADS. Failure to comply within the next thirty seconds will result in destruction."

It was now or never. I pointed towards the USM Vengeance as I said, "Ellie, hit the Vengeance with the Gravity Tethers!" My partner selected the warship on the screen before her and then held down the option to activate the tethers. As she did, a loud alarm siren filled the Ishimura's Crow's Nest. As I watched, multiple large beams that resembled the one that my kinesis module projected traveled from Ishimura to the USM Vengeance. The staggering extent of Ishimura's formidable might was displayed for all to see as her Gravity Tethers took possession of the USM Vengeance. The holographic projection of the Marine became distorted as the soldier was thrown off his feet.

Just before the transmission was lost, I heard another soldier yell in a panicked manner, "Command, Ishimura has hit us with its Gravity Tethers! All units open fir…agh!" A bright flash appeared as the transmission was lost. Meanwhile, through the glass panels, I saw the Vengeance quickly succumb to the power of the Planet Cracker's Gravity Tethers. Numerous small explosions erupted along the warship's hull. Seconds later, the explosions were joined by what looked like rivers of fire that spread along the ship's armored surface at such a rapid rate that it was clear that her end was near.

Sure enough, seconds later, the Vengeance was torn apart into several large sections. The small victory was short-lived as the gunships closed in on us through the debris. However, as the small vessels neared the Planet Cracker, her ADS cannons began to track and open fire upon them. Lacking any defensive measures other than their lackluster agility, the gunships were no match for the thick hull and automated mass-driver turrets of the Ishimura. Compared to her immense size, the gunships resembled a swarm of mosquitoes attacking an elephant. Clouds of small explosions soon surrounded the vintage workhorse as her ADS proved its worth.

Meanwhile, Ellie targeted a second warship and then fired the Gravity Tethers. Again, the man-made machine was no match for the staggering power of the Planet Cracker. In less than a minute, the warship was ripped apart as if it was a mere toy. Seconds later, Ishimura vibrated slightly. The A.I. alerted us, "Warning! Collision detected in Hanger Bay 3!"

I quickly ordered, "Ishimura, purge the life support in Hanger Bay 3!"

The A.I. replied with its haunting female voice, "Purging life support…life support purged."

Ellie asked, "You think any of them survived the crash?"

I replied, "Doubt it but we cannot afford to take any chances."

She nodded in response. Then, she asked with her weathered voice, "How long do you think we can keep this up?"

Before I could reply, the sight of an enormous warship appeared behind the remaining destroyer-class warship. I had never seen a warship of such a large size. It was roughly the same size as the Ishimura with a pill-shaped hull that was shaved off at the top where there was a large superstructure. At the aft of the warship, I saw a large fan-tail structure that easily towered over the highest point on Ishimura. Along the massive warship's dark olive green and jet black hull, I saw a formidable array of massive cannons that would easily be able to rip the Ishimura apart. In addition to the massive cannons, I saw batteries of torpedo tubes and nuclear warhead launching ports. Adding to her offensive capabilities, the starship had numerous landing bays that were likely filled with gunships. Moments later, four more destroyer-class vessels joined the much larger warship.

Ellie remarked, "Shit! Isaac!"

Before I could decide what to do, the A.I. informed us, "Incoming transmission…"

The holographic projection changed to be a strange-looking yet robust man that appeared to be dressed in some kind of white uniform. There was something sinister about him that I could not quite understand. His expression never changed as he addressed us with a frigid, professional manner, "Two of our Highly Valued Targets…Isaac Clarke and Ellie Langford. In another situation, even we would commend your resourcefulness. However, this has gone on long enough. Now, deactivate the Ishimura's engine and Asteroid Defense System. Then, proceed to the Flight Deck and await our arrival."

Shocked that the man knew who we were, I demanded, "Who are you people?!"

The strange individual remained unmoved as he informed me, "You are in no position to make demands Clarke. Our superiors want you alive and in one piece. We are your only way out of this. Face it Clarke: this is one fight you cannot win. Every Earth Government soldier from here to the ends of the Universe will be hunting you. There will be no safe haven for a terrorist like you. You will be shot on sight unless you come with us. We will give you two a moment to reconsider your position. We trust that you will make the sensible decision."

The projection returned to being Ishimura's surroundings once again. Ellie and I looked at each other for a brief moment before she remarked with a sarcastic tone, "I don't suppose that they are doing this out of the kindness in their hearts."

I laughed darkly in response. Whoever these people were, their thinly veiled hostility was not something that we should trifle with. Out of the two of us, only I would have any real benefit to whatever new EarthGov program they intended to use me for. The Marker Codes were still in my head but according to the data that I had uncovered in the Government Sector's Marker Facility, I had outlived my usefulness because now, where there was an EarthGov colony, there was a Marker Facility. Meanwhile, someone like Ellie was just another witness to be executed to prevent a contradiction of the official story.

I paused as I realized something. Ellie had been exposed to the powerful signal of the Titan Station Marker. The Marker's power easily surpassed the one on Aegis VII, but Ellie had yet to show any signs of dementia. She had not had any violent episodes, paranoia, or even any hallucinations that she had mentioned. I had to make sure. I asked her, "Ellie, have you been feeling strange lately?"

She cocked her helmeted slightly to the right as she asked in response, "What do you mean?"

I explained, "Ellie, exposure to a Marker imprints a signal into a person's brain. The intelligent individuals begin to suffer from headaches and violent paranoia. They begin seeing and hearing things that aren't really there. Everyone else just hears noise that slowly drives them mad. Have you been suffering from anything like that?"

She shook her head before she replied, "Aside from the headache that I have from having my eye forcibly removed by a rusted screwdriver, no."

I was stunned by the revelation that Ellie had an immunity to the Markers. Now I realized that it was not me that they were after, it was Ellie. An immunity to the Markers would be worth its weight in gold. I could build them and interpret their "language" but I was affected by their degenerating signal though less so than most. Someone that was immune to them would be able to approach and handle them without suffering any adverse mental disorders. The thought of what they would do to my partner filled me with resolve. I would be damned before I let them do their profane and dehumanizing tests to her.

I remarked, "They want your immunity…"

Sounding as though she did not think that she had heard me correctly, my partner asked, "What?"

I explained, "You are immune to the Markers, Ellie. That is a very rare gift…rare enough to kill for. Trust me, the things that they will do to you…you're better off dead."

If the tough young woman felt any fear, her voice never betrayed her strong front as she asked with a calm tone, "So, what is the plan? I don't think that we can destroy them all before they rip us to shreds."

I shook my head as I replied in agreement, "No…there are too many now." Thinking quickly, I continued, "Unless…"

She asked me, "Unless what?"

Looking at the warships surrounding the large behemoth before us, I said, "Target as many of the smaller ones as you can."

Ellie argued, "But individually, the tethers aren't strong enough to destroy them. All they will do is drag them."

I explained, "Yes and once we have them tethered, if we draw them together…"

Ellie finished, "…they will collide with the larger one."

I said, "Yes. Even if it does not destroy them, the damage will be enough to make them shock out of the system for repairs. It will buy us enough time to shock out of here."

Ellie nodded and then turned back to the control panel for the Gravity Tethers. The holographic projection had just changed back to the image of the strange man dressed in white as my partner activated the Gravity Tethers one final time. The man started to say, "Time is up. Now, we trust that you made the right decis…" However, he was interrupted as the tethers snared the destroyer-class starships that were around the large warship. Under Ellie's control, the tethers began to drag the small vessels inward. The man momentarily lost his composure as he furiously yelled, "CLARKE!"

The transmission was lost as the warships collided together in a spectacular cloud of light and fire. The smaller destroyer-class starships were severely crippled if not destroyed as their hulls made contact with the deflector shield of the much larger warship. What remained of the smaller ships began to rapidly disintegrate as their ravaged hulls proved to be no match for the vacuum of space. Meanwhile, while the larger warship had been spared by its powerful deflection field, it had not escaped unscathed.

Despite the vast distance between us, I could see the shield of the now lone vessel. The normally nearly invisible deflector shield was flashing with a hellfire red tint. I quickly deduced that it was the ship's reactor. The collisions of the warships had caused power fluctuations that were now overwhelming the reactor. If the crew did not get a handle on the situation soon, the reactor would suffer a meltdown.

Our bold assault was rewarded moments later as the holographic projection changed to be the mysterious man once again. In the background, we could see that the ship was in a bad way. Electrical panels were sparking dangerously, faint fire alarms could be heard, and several strips of the ceiling were hanging down. Multiple crew members that were dressed in normal EarthGov soldier uniforms were rushing about around the man as they fought to contain the damage done to their ship.

However, despite the chaos around him, the strange individual calmly remarked with a once again professional manner, "We are truly beginning to admire your spirit, Mr. Clarke. It is a shame that things have turned out this way. You would have been a valuable operative." At that moment, one of the soldiers approached him. He said apologetically, "Excuse us..."

The white uniformed man turned and looked at the helmeted EarthGov soldier. The grunt informed him, "Sir, Engineering reports that the reactor has suffered critical damage. They have had no choice but to disable all primary defensive measures to prevent a complete failure of containment." Then, as the man nodded his head slightly to show that he understood, the soldier continued, "The captain reports that the main cannon battery is locked onto the Ishimura and that he is awaiting your instructions."

My breath caught in my throat. They had us dead to rights. With just a word, this man would have us killed. Ellie moved to stand next to me as she too was convinced that this was the end for us. We had come so far only to die here and now. The man replied, "Tell the captain to stand down at once and prepare to shock back to Earth for repairs. Have our remaining gunships withdraw and report to the nearest base for reassignment."

Our shock and confusion was shared by the EarthGov soldier as he objected, "Sir, the targets…all the Marines that we just lost?"

The man replied, "They will not get far. We have agents and informants in every colony. They will turn up sooner or later. After all, the Ishimura's Hydroponics Deck is devoid of vegetation. Contingencies are in place…cover stories ready to hit the news…if you have a problem with this, I will give the tragic news of your death to your loved ones in person." The soldier nodded and then saluted the man before walking out of sight.

The strange individual turned back to us and continued, "We apologize for the interruption. You have nowhere to hide, Mr. Clarke and Miss Langford. You will run out of oxygen and food in less than a week. We trust that you will turn yourselves in to the nearest colonial detention center after you have finished your childish fit of rebellion. Please refrain from inflicting any further damage to the Ishimura. The CEC is attempting to return it to service upon the completion of its retrofit. We are confident that they would appreciate it if you returned their Planet Cracker to them in one piece."

As we watched in shocked silence, the few remaining gunships limped away from the Ishimura while the large warship began to turn to face away from us. For a moment I worried that it was all a trick; a cruel joke on EarthGov's part to give us hope for survival only to rip it all away in a dramatic fashion. However, my worry was proven unjustified as the powerful warship shocked out of the system leaving behind the burning wreckage of what had once been the blockade.

Ellie was the one that finally broke the silence when she remarked, "I…I can't believe that we are still alive."

I looked at her and then said, "It doesn't matter. He was right. We have nowhere to go. If we dock at a port, Ishimura will be recognized. Without the food crop in the Hydroponics Deck, our oxygen will run out in a few days. No matter where we end up, EarthGov will find us eventually."

To my surprise, Ellie reassured me cryptically, "I know where we can go and not get reported to or found by EarthGov."

Confused, I asked, "Where?"

My partner replied, "Just trust me."

She moved over to the control panel on the right side of the Crow's Nest to begin inputting the coordinates. However, as she started to type on the screen, I stopped her when I said, "Wait, Ellie. There might be other survivors. We should broadcast a message and stay here in case anyone responds."

Ellie looked at me as she replied bluntly, "Not a chance Isaac. The people where I am taking us are very distrusting of outsiders. They trust me but I am going to have a hard enough time getting them to allow you to stay. Other survivors would be a deal breaker. Now, do you want to have a place to go and not have the military might of EarthGov crashing down on you within minutes of arriving or not?"

Horrified, I objected, "But EarthGov is hunting them just as much as they are hunting us, Ellie."

Pointing out the windows at the destroyed warships, Ellie said, "And we have opened the way for them to escape. They are on their own now." Sensing my disgust of her cold attitude, she sighed and then addressed me with a warmer, sympathetic tone, "Look, Isaac...it is not that I don't care or don't want to help them. It is them or us and even if there were any survivors that managed to get past the blockade, they are probably already on the other side of the Universe by now."

I realized that she was right. If there were any survivors left, we had already opened the route for their escape. If there had been any survivors before us, they were already dead due to the blockade or had managed to shock as far away as they possibly could. On the flip-side of things, any survivors would be very wary of us and would believe that a large Planet Cracker offering aid was too good to be true and was instead a trap.

Relenting, I said, "Ishimura, cancel the no-fly order and resume normal power distribution."

The ship's A.I. replied, "No-fly ordered canceled. Normal power distribution resumed. Shock coordinates locked. Maneuvering out of debris field to reach acceptable surroundings to activate shockpoint drive. Please stand by." With as much grace as one would expect from a vessel the size of a city, the autopilot began to maneuver the Ishimura out of the debris field. As the Planet Cracker moved through the remains of Titan Station, I contemplated our next step.

EarthGov was going to blame the catastrophic loss of life and property on us. Our names and pictures would be broadcasted across the entire Universe. Our assets would be frozen and our property seized. There would be no safety for us until we were dead, captured, or somehow cleared our names. Worse still, the Ishimura was an icon that every man, woman, and child would instantly recognize. However, there was a silver lining to this workhorse.

Properly outfitted, the Ishimura could remain in the far reaches of space for months if not years at a time. Logistics prevented an indefinite stay in space as eventually there would be accidents and malfunctions that overwhelmed the on-board means of repair and containment. Such a scenario had befallen the great vessel above Aegis VII and I was determined to ensure that such a nightmare would never happen again within her reinforced walls.

If Ellie's trust in the of the inhabitants of whatever colony or spaceport she was taking us to was founded, we could finish Ishimura's refit and then return to space. EarthGov's child-like wonder of the Markers had put the entire Universe in danger. The Unitologists were convinced that their insane beliefs had been proven true and were likely about to begin openly clashing with EarthGov to "free" the Markers. Hell was about to descend upon the Universe and Ellie and I were about to be caught in the middle of it all. Without allies, we were not going to last very long.

We had come this far, however. We needed to capitalize on the small mercies granted to us by Fate. A seemingly impossible task loomed before us but every journey started with a single step. Until my body turned cold, I would not stop my quest to stop the Markers one way or another. I had nothing to lose anymore. My career was effectively destroyed. My reputation was ruined. My mind had been shattered twice in rapid succession. My body was beaten and carried the unnatural scars of surviving two Necromorph outbreaks. Like Ishimura, I was broken but not defeated and I was not going to stand idly by while humanity destroyed itself. Moments later, having navigated out of the debris field, the Planet Cracker activated its shockpoint drive and we shocked out of the system.