Ch. 5: Lexine

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

I am terribly sorry for how long it has taken me to update this story. I have been busy with school and my other stories.

Anyway,

I had several scenarios for this chapter and it took me a bit to go with this one. I know Dead Space is very action oriented but this story might be a little slow in the build up to the heavy action segments.

Anyway,

I hope the wait was worth it!

Read and review if you want.

I wish you all Happy Holidays!

With my own rapid heartbeat pounding in my ears and with the digits of my gloved right hand firmly clamped around the pistol grip of my Plasma Cutter, I cautiously made my way down the dark, foreboding passageway before me. The pipe-lined, metal-skinned hallway of the interior of the Ishimura's Engineering Deckwould have been pitch black had it not been for the built-in flashlight of my tool, which I was holding at the ready before me with the three blue laser beams traveling through the air directly out in front of the tool's business end. My surroundings were unnaturally silent as I made my way to the door at the far end of the space. My heavy footfalls caused by the copper-plated boots of my Level 5 Engineering RIG echoed through the hall as I slowly advanced towards the closed door that was only occasionally visible because of the malfunctioning florescent lights around it.

Because of my limited field of view caused by the helmet of my suit, I was straining my other senses as far as they could go to try to make up for my decreased vision. I forced myself to ignore the hushed whispers that seemed to be coming from the vents of the air ventilation ducts that ran along the ceiling of the ship's corridors. Naturally, I had investigated them the first few times I had heard them thinking that there were survivors on-board. However, I had found that I never got any closer to the source of the whispers and had decided that they were simply my exhausted mind playing tricks on me. Even the Planet Cracker seemed to be taunting me with occasional metallic bangs as the aging vessel settled.

When I reached the middle of the hallway, my vision was temporarily overwhelmed as a sudden power surge caused the corridor's florescent lights to flood the area in bright light for a few seconds before the tubes exploded in near simultaneous clouds of flying glass and vapor. I was left in complete darkness once again and I felt nauseous as I soon heard loud inhuman growls and the telltale bangs that were clearly coming from the ship's ventilation network. The maze-like passage of exposed machinery and jutting pipes was too dangerous to try to navigate in the dark while trying to flee from the Necromorphs so I had to remain where I was and wait for the power to be restored. I began to scan my surroundings with my tool's built-in flashlight while straining my ears to try to hear the approaching abominations.

A soft noise originating from behind me caused me to wheel around while my right index finger began to tighten its grip on my cutter's trigger in preparation to fire upon my assailant. I could feel the adrenaline surging through me as time seemed to slow to a crawl. 'Aim for the limbs. Aim for the limbs. Aim for the limbs,' I repeated over and over in my mind almost like a mantra. However, I was met by the sight of a completely empty hallway.

Despite my confusion I refused to let my guard down as I began to slowly inch my way forward. The sound that I had heard had been too distinct to ignore and it had certainly not been a natural noise from the Planet Cracker. The sudden absence of the sounds of the Necromorphs was also too obvious to mean anything other than they were mere moments away pouncing. Suddenly, I realized the catastrophic error I had made in investigating the noise. Alarm bells went off in my head but it was too late and I let out an agonized cry as the Necromorph's razor-sharp organic spear penetrated through my back and exited out of the center of my chest.

Spots appeared in my vision while the inside of my helmet's visor became covered with my own blood as I began to involuntarily cough as the fluid began to fill my lungs. Rallying my rapidly deteriorating body, I attempted to wheel around and defend myself. My efforts were in vain, however, as the second spear-like appendage was mercilessly thrust through my right shoulder. I became disoriented and filled with confusion as I felt my body collapse in a bloody heap onto the hard metal floor. Just as I managed to lift my head and look at the horribly twisted and disgusting body of the Necromorph towering over me, it thrust its spear-like right arm towards my face.

I let out a cry as I bolted upright in my new sleeping quarters aboard the partially refitted Ishimura. The three of us had taken one of the officer's quarters on the Crew Deck and I had decided to get some rest while we were traveling to where the Planet Cracker's A.I. had claimed to be where we would likely find Lexine Weller. The trip would not have normally taken very long due to the vessel's Shockpoint Drive. However, as Ishimura put it, "The facility's exact location is unknown because it is not tethered and the last recorded set of coordinates are several years old. I will have to shock into the general area and then locate the facility manually."

Still shaking and feeling as if my heart was going to burst out my chest, I attempted to calm myself as I looked around the moderately-sized room. The larger room beyond the clear walls of my quarters was illuminated by bright florescent lights that created twisted shadows inside my room. The eerie silence that preceded my death in my nightmare filled the area around me in the otherwise empty Crew Deck as I finally began to calm down. When I did, I became aware of the smell of something burning and turned to see that I had fired my Plasma Cutter in my sleep. It had been sitting on the nearby nightstand but now it was firmly clasped in my right hand with its safety off and its blue aiming beams slicing through the darkness of the room.

Looking at the clear right wall of my quarters, I saw a vertical scorch mark at approximately the shoulder height of an average-sized man along its surface. I grimaced slightly as I realized that my body had instinctively grabbed my Plasma Cutter and fired in the general area of where one of a Necromorph's arms would have been all while I had been asleep. Sighing softly, I lowered my tool while simultaneously returning it to its standby mode.

I glanced at the small digital clock that was on the bedside table before I remembered how pointless localized time was without another one to compare it to when it came to traveling in space. Deciding that it was not worth trying to get any sleep, I turned and then lowered my legs over the side of my bed. I was still groggy and lowered my head for a moment as I rubbed my eyes with my gloved left hand.

"Did my suggestion not help, Captain?"

Jerking my head back up, I saw the shimmering holographic projection of Ishimura's A.I. standing to my left about an arm's length away with a concerned expression on her face.

Adjusting the five heavy copper rib-shaped plates covering my right shoulder, I replied, "It was worth a shot."

I had been hiding my sleeping problems from Ellie but apparently nothing escaped the notice of the Planet Cracker's A.I. One of her responsibilities was to attend to the welfare of the crew and she took her role of being a caretaker very seriously. Indeed, it had her aid that had allowed the ill-fated crew of the Aegis VII Incident to survive for several hours with the very last of the crew still being alive when I arrived with the repair team. Within roughly the same amount of time, Titan Station had been completely wiped out even with hundreds of EarthGov soldiers being stationed there.

Upon learning about my sleeping problems, she had suggested that I should wear my Level 5 Engineering RIG, minus the helmet, while I slept. Wearing it would, theoretically, give me a subconscious sense of safety and allow me to sleep without having to endure nightmares caused by my experiences at Aegis VII and Titan Station. However, it was clear that there were some things that the heavy copper plates and self-sealing suit could not protect me from.

After adjusting the copper plates, I inquired, "Have you found what you were looking for?"

Ishimura's A.I. smiled proudly and then replied, "Affirmative, captain. I manifested inside your cabin to wake you up and info you."

I nodded and then laid my tool down beside me on the bed before standing. I turned to face the bedside table to see the four narrow slits of the faceplate of my copper helmet looking back at me. Reaching down, I grabbed my helmet and then, after casually turning it over, lowered it down over my head. Once again, all I could see was the limited view that the four slits allowed. The projected blue glow of the four slits was faintly visible against objects in whatever direction I looked in as I turned and retrieved my Plasma Cutter from where I had laid it on the bed.

Ishimura's A.I. informed me, "The probability of encountering hostile working environments on your trip to the Bridge is minimal. I would not recommend…"

She paused as I silently looked at her. A look of guilt appeared on her partially translucent face before she flashed a small smile and then remarked, "I understand. I will await your arrival on the Bridge, captain."

The projected form of the vessel's A.I. then vanished from view and I was left completely alone in my cabin. I gripped my Plasma Cutter firmly in my right hand and then exited the dark room. The sounds of my steady breathing and heavy footsteps were the only things that interrupted the eerie, haunting silence of the Crew Deck as I made my way to the Tram Station. As I walked, I began to think about how we should go about trying to make contact with Lexine.

Given the traumatic experiences that the former C.E.C. surveyor had gone through, I doubted that she would be very trusting of anyone, let alone a group of strangers that suddenly appeared on-board the Planet Cracker that she had likely nearly lost her life several times in. Even in the incredibly unlikely event that she had known Nicole or might somehow recognize my name for another reason, it would be hard to convince her that we did not intend to harm her. However, we had to convince her to trust us or at least convince her that she was safer aboard Ishimura than she was trying to stay hidden from EarthGov and the Unitologists on her own.

Reaching the main lobby of the Crew Deck that connected to the Tram Station, I rode the small elevator platform down to the first floor. The ritualistically sacrificed crewmembers with bags covering their heads were, obviously, long gone but, as I walked towards the Tram Station, I suddenly paused as the faint sound of the creepy, haunting melody of that accursed nursery rhyme briefly filled the air. I raised my Plasma Cutter as I tried to focus on where the sound was coming from but, as soon as I did, the sound disappeared as if it had never been there at all. Bewildered, I turned to look in every direction before giving up and, with a slight shrug, I continued towards the nearby Tram Station.

I certainly did not believe in anything related to the paranormal but I had experienced several strange occurrences since I had started spending an extended period of time on-board the Planet Cracker. Of course, the vessel was not "haunted" but I could not identify the source of the strange occurrences as of yet. The Planet Cracker was more than sixty years old, which was almost unheard of for any type of starship let alone an industrial workhorse that had been under near continuous use since she was commissioned. A vessel of her size and age would naturally make unusual noises. However, the sounds that I had been hearing were definitely not natural and, if I did not know any better, I would even be tempted to think that they were "echoes" of the Planet Cracker's past.

As I entered the station and began to walk to the re-purposed industrial platform that had been modified to work on the ship's internal monorail-style tram network, I began to wonder if it was all in my own mind or, more disturbing in its own way, it was being caused by Ishimura's A.I. While all starships of sufficient size had their own A.I., I had never encountered one as unusual as her. The A.I. had been "alive" since the day that power first surged through the Planet Cracker after her construction was complete. In order to allow her to stay up to date with new cultural trends and be "approachable" to the continuously changing crew, part of her programming allowed her to modify her own behavior in response to changes in the world around her.

It was not particularly unique to the Ishimura but most A.I.'s were not expected to last more than a few years before there was noticeable deterioration and they had to be replaced. The long-term consequences of allowing an artificial intelligence program to be able to autonomously learn and adapt was unknown. More importantly, there was not any research into how a self-aware A.I. responded to traumatic experiences. Considering the unimaginable trauma that the Ishiumra had experienced both during her days as a Planet Cracker as horrific and grisly deaths were guaranteed on a vessel of her class due to the nature of what they were built to do, and the nightmares that she had been through ever since her involvement in the Aegis VII Incident, there was definite cause for concern about her stability.

I had learned that after she had witnessed her entire crew being massacred despite protecting them as best she could with her increasingly damaged systems, she had focused on helping my team. She eventually deduced what Kendra's true motivations were and that her plan was to take the Red Marker to Earth. However, with the agent in her computer core, she had to play ignorant and undermine her from the shadows.

When Kendra regained possession of the Marker after I had placed it on its pedestal, she took matters into her own hands by deactivating her gravity tethers, which were the only thing still holding the tectonic load in place since the Marker's EMP disabled the ones in the colony, so that the massive section of the planet would kill the government agent and prevent the Red Marker from leaving the system upon slamming back down into the colony.

The Planet Cracker then miraculously survived the near complete destruction of the planet below. However, with my departure, she was completely alone. Knowing that government forces would likely soon arrive to cover up the incident and that it would mean her destruction if they found her, she had attempted to get as far away from the area as possible. However, the extensive damage that she had sustained proved to be too much for her laboring systems to bear. She could not even make it beyond the Cygnus System before her systems began to go offline.

Unable to maneuver and unable to even defend herself after her ADS went offline, the Planet Cracker drifted aimlessly through the Cygnus System. With no other options, she put herself into a kind of hibernation to conserve what little power she still had. Luck was on her side as sometime later her remaining online sensors detected the event horizon of a shockring. However, with only reserve power and limited auxiliary systems online, the only way that Ishimura had been able to enter it was by purging the majority of the remaining oxygen on-board in controlled bursts to crudely propel herself into it. She had no way of knowing what was waiting on the other side but she knew that it was her only chance to reach a port.

Fortunately, fate apparently still had plans for the "Savior of Humanity" and, instead of being destroyed, her heavy hull weathered the collision with an unidentified vessel that had been part of an illegal mining operation. After the miners had boarded her and located the remaining shards of the Aegis VII Marker, they turned on each other as a result of the marker signal and their own greed. Earth Defense Force teams and a second mysterious group arrived soon afterward and briefly fought against the reanimated Necromorphs and the remaining miners but, ultimately, the only survivor was one of the miners who managed to escape just as several EarthGov vessels shocked in. From there, she had been towed to Titan Station where CEC retook possession of her and then, out of desperation, began to restore her to her former glory. However, her restoration and modernization had not been completed before the outbreak started.

I boarded the modified tramcar and the moved towards the front. To say that one was taking their life in their own hands when using the new car was an understatement. The skeletal frame allowed one to see the internal mechanisms through the patchwork of remaining metal plates that comprised the platform that the passengers stood on. While it was roughly the same size of the purpose-built tramcars that had originally been installed on-board the massive mining vessel, the derelict tramcar was a far cry from the subway car-style transports that had once graced the interior of the Planet Cracker.

Upon reaching the front of the car, I found the control panel that, despite having a flickering display as it struggled to remain operational, had a list of the stations located throughout the massive vessel. I selected the option for the Bridge Deck and, letting out an irritatingly loud mechanical screech, the tram began to travel along the track. As I waited for my arrival at the station of the Bridge Deck, my thoughts returned to my suspicions regarding Ishimura's A.I.

Since she was self-aware and could act completely on her own accord, it would be incredibly dangerous to get on her bad side. Not only was she our only refuge from the madness that was slowly spreading throughout Earth and its colonies and our most powerful ally, but she also had a devastating "ace in the hole". The self-destruct failsafe, which I had permanently disabled in fear of EarthGov remotely accessing it, was not the only means by which the Planet Cracker could destroy herself. The battery of gravity tethers powered by the new gravity centrifuge not only allowed the Ishimura to rip apart entire planets but were also capable of something far more destructive.

Gravity tethers of sufficient size and strength could create black holes if they either malfunctioned due to being damaged or if, for example, a certain A.I. decided to end it all and overloaded one. Such a fate had befallen one of Ishimura's sisters, three smaller vessels, and the nearby mining colony when one of the Planet Cracker's gravity tethers malfunctioned. The incident, known commonly as the Wanat Disaster, was a tragic reminder of just how dangerous the practice of planetary mining was and was nearly enough to turn public opinion against it. Had it not been for Ishimura's successful mining operation that resulted in the most lucrative and resource-rich haul in the history of planet cracking despite what was described as "inhospitable conditions that many had believed to be insurmountable" soon afterwards, and CEC's very public reforms to their standards and procedures, it was very likely that the incident would have been the end of deep space mining and possibly planetary mining as a whole.

However, while CEC modernized the other Planet Crackers of their fleet with the improved gravity tethers, Ishimura was almost always in demand and replacing her battery of otherwise completely functional tethers would have grounded the vital Planet Cracker for nearly a year and cost the company billions in lost revenue. For that reason, she still had her original tethers that did not have any safeguards. She had definitely been affected by what she had experienced but we could not shut her down. Something the size and complexity of a Planet Cracker required an A.I. because otherwise there would be far too many systems to monitor and operate simultaneously. In addition, as she had already informed us, her program was not centralized which made shutting her down nearly impossible. For now, no matter how potentially dangerous she was, we had no choice but to trust her.

The painfully loud screeching of the tramcar's braking mechanism tore me from my thoughts as I arrived at the Bridge Deck Tram Station. After the car finally came to a complete stop, the ship's intercom announced, "Welcome to the Bridge Deck." Remembering to avoid the missing sections of car's floor, I departed the tram and then began to make my way to the bridge.

The eerie, unnatural emptiness that plagued the Crew Deck was just as strong on the Bridge Deck as I walked past the security checkpoint completely unimpeded and entered the massive open main floor of the bridge that had multiple stations running along its perimeter with each one reporting the status of one of the ship's systems to their respective officer who was now long gone. Meanwhile, the seemingly infinite expanse of deep space beyond the large windows that comprised the majority of the exterior walls of the empty bridge only served to further enhance the sense of human loss.

As I was riding the elevator down to the Captain's Nest, I began to hear Ellie and her brother as they were having a conversation inside the nest.

Jack was saying, "…you even trust him? Do you not see the look in his eyes?"

Ellie retorted, "The day I turn to you for judgment about someone's personality will be a sad day indeed."

The veteran soldier insisted, "I'm serious Ellie! There is something off about that guy."

My partner stubbornly replied with her British-accented voice, "Isaac may be a bit strange sometimes but he isn't dangerous."

I could not help but smile briefly as the irony of their conversation did not escape me. It was natural for a group of individuals that had been forced to work together in extraordinary circumstances to be suspicious of one another. Ellie and I had seen more than enough of the nightmare caused by the Markers to know what was at stake and we had been fairly open with each other so there was a great deal of trust between us. Jack was a former Recon Marine and was only here to look out for his sister so his suspicion of me was warranted. In addition, based on the vague details that I had learned about his past, he had sufficient reason to be very slow to trust anyone let alone a complete stranger that showed up with his sister one day.

As I walked past the escape pods, I began to remove my helmet. Most less heavy duty full body and even some military grade RIG's had a helmet visor that could be raised up on hinges to allow the user to get an unobstructed view. In addition, the helmets of some RIG's were able to fold and unfold from around the user's head in a manner similar to a jigsaw puzzle. However, most robust and heavy duty helmets such as the one for my Level 5 Engineering RIG had to be manually removed.

Somehow ignorant of my presence despite how loud the elevator's badly worn mechanisms were, Jack continued, "Bullshit, he is hiding something…guy barely has a scratch on him despite everything he has survived. He's no engineer."

Ellie started to answer her brother but she stopped as I entered the room with my RIG's helmet held against my left side just above my waist. Ellie was standing over by the Gravity Tether control panel on the far left wall. She had her Advance RIG's helmet unfolded inside her suit and gave me a slight smile as I entered the room.

Meanwhile, Jack had been standing near my partner with his weathered, dented rifle, which appeared to be an assault version of the Seeker Rifle, holstered across his back by a worn black strap, his sidearm holstered to his left thigh, and a large knife with a curved blade that was sheathed diagonally across his right chest. While he had been wearing an old EDF uniform when we had first met, his actual uniform was an old Advanced Soldier RIG that was almost identical to the ones that had been worn by the marines aboard the USM Valor.

However, unlike the armor worn by Valor's marines that consisted of dark grey fatigues with white body armor plates and a vaguely skull-like white plated helmet with two small visors where the wear's eyes were, Jack's RIG was noticeably bulkier with thicker white armor plates and a few additional utility pouches around the waist. Where the Valor's identification mark had been on the left chest there was a faded image of what appeared to be a black dagger with a red snake wrapped around it. In addition to the signs of extensive use in brutal combat such as multiple deep dents and chips on the armor plates, there was evidence of fire damage that corresponded to the scars on Jack's face.

The former Recon Marine's heavier armor was understandable considering the nature of the assignments that they were given. With a life expectancy of only thirty, the Recon Marines were reserved for incredibly dangerous, if not suicidal, missions where failure would be catastrophic for Earth and her colonies. I did not know for certain if any had been aboard the USM Valor during the Aegis VII Incident. Most likely, they had either been in too few number to make much of a difference as their lesser Marine brethren were quickly slaughtered around them or they had been the group sent in to clean up after it had become clear to EarthGov that Kendra and the USM Valor had failed their mission.

When I had entered the room, he had been holding his helmet like I was, but, upon seeing me, he placed it back over his head. He looked back at Ellie and quickly remarked with his voice being slightly modified by his helmet, "Just keep what I said in mind."

He did not even wait to hear her response before he turned and then looked at me from beneath the icy blue glow of his helmet's visors as he walked to stand against the back left wall of the Captain's Nest. I met his gaze until he was out of sight and then looked at Ellie.

The stubborn brunette smiled slightly before she asked, "Did you get much sleep, Isaac?"

I nodded and then replied, "A little."

Then, I turned to look outside the Ishimura. Though it was clear that the Planet Cracker had indeed found what she was looking for, I still asked, "So, this is where you think she is?"

Before the massive mining vessel were the remains of what had likely been an Earth-sized planet that had been harvested by CNC. It was reduced to a shard roughly a quarter the size of the Moon. Anchored to the shard was a small space station that was about six hundred yards long and consisted of little more than a single structure and a group of small landing pads for shuttles. I could not be certain due to the distance between the Planet Cracker and the small outpost if it was truly abandoned or not. As far as I could see, this station was in the middle of nowhere and too small to be able to be self-sufficient.

As she cut her engines to little more than a crawl and continued to approach the station, Ishimura's A.I. manifested out of the holographic projector in front of us. The somewhat unnecessarily attractive woman nodded before she replied with a voice that sounded eerily like Nicole, "Yes, Captain. This outpost was used by CEC as an emergency station that was to be used in the event that a vessel's crew was forced to abandon ship as a refuge until the company could send rescue."

As I continued to study the station, I asked, "What makes you think she is here specifically?"

Ishimura responded, "Process of elimination. Lexine is being hunted by both EarthGov and the church. She is pregnant and needed somewhere to go where she could be safe. This station was one of many maintained by CEC but this one in particular was officially decommissioned two years ago due to its distance from the nearest shipping lane and the company's increasingly dire financial state. However, these stations were built to remain operational with minimal maintenance for up to ten years. In addition, this station is just within the maximum range of a small shuttle's capability to reach if one uses Titan Station as the starting point. I took a calculated risk and it has paid off."

She paused for a moment and then continued, "My sensors are detecting the faint trace of the outpost's automated distress signal still being broadcasted. Someone tried to sabotage the communication array's equipment to keep it from broadcasting a distress message to the company but they did not completely succeed…not that it matters because this station can broadcast all it wants to but no one is listening anymore. I am almost detecting a shuttle on one of the landing pads. However, the shuttle's power is depleted so I cannot remotely access it to confirm its origins."

From behind me, Jack commented with a bored tone, "Could just be a chop crew. These backwater stations are prime targets for the vultures."

Ellie asked him with a bit of amusement in her accented voice, "With a dead shuttle?"

The veteran replied with a flat tone, "Just saying…deep space isn't a good place to take chances."

I asked Ishimura, "Can you hail the station?"

The Planet Cracker's A.I. shook her head before she said, "No, Captain. As I already informed you, someone sabotaged the station's communication equipment. However…"

I inquired, "What?"

The holographic woman paused for a moment as if she was thinking about something. Then, she said, "RIG number: 784283…this is USG Ishimura, please respond."

When there was no response, she smiled before she said with a taunting singsong tone, "Lexine…I know you hear me. I see your RIG. Come on now, let's be adult about this."

Moments later, a static-filled screen materialized to the right of the holographic model of Ishimura's A.I. It took a few seconds for the static to clear. When it did, I saw a Caucasian woman with short black hair looking back at us. She looked as though she had not slept very well in quite a while and her hair was unkempt. With a hollow, exhausted but still Irish-accented voice, Lexine addressed us, "I know you're just some kind of hallucination. Now, please, leave me alone."

Trying to keep her on the line, I said, "Hey, wait! Lexine, right? My name is Isaac Clarke. I just want to talk…"

Her eyes lit up for a second before she said with a worried tone, "Clarke? Wait, you're…you're that crazy guy on the Wanted Posters that I saw at Titan Station."

Behind me, Jack commented, "Told you…the eyes never lie."

Ellie barked, "Shut up, Jack! Isaac was the one trying to destroy the Marker and EarthGov was trying to stop him."

Apparently now completely confused, Lexine asked, "Wait…destroy the Marker? What?"

I explained, "I was exposed to the Red Marker on Aegis VII. EarthGov found me and then used the blueprint it imprinted in my mind to create their own copies. The outbreak on The Sprawl was caused by the Marker that they created inside the Government Sector. I managed to destroy it but doing so caused a critical failure in the reactor, which destroyed Titan Station."

There was a brief moment of silence as the former surveyor seemed to study me. After a moment, a sudden look of realization appeared that quickly became an expression of guilt. She then asked with a knowing, sorrowful tone, "You were on that maintenance ship that shocked in…Kellion…right?"

I nodded as I replied, "I am a systems engineer and I volunteered to be part of the emergency repair team that was dispatched to the Ishimura."

Lexine said apologetically, "We were escaping the ship and tried to contact you but the debris field prevented us from getting a clear signal. We were in no condition to go back. Your…your team?"

I shook my head and then replied, "No, they didn't make it. I survived and tried to return the marker to the planet but it emitted an EMP that fried the tethers. I managed to escape just before the tectonic load hit the colony. I'm still not entirely sure about what happened after that but EarthGov found me and spent the next few years digging through my head at Titan Station."

There was another moment of silence before she asked, "What do you want, Isaac?"

I replied, "Actually, we are here for you."

Apparently shocked that we had come all this way for her, Lexine asked, "Me? Why?"

I explained, "EarthGov perfected the blueprint for creating Markers. According to what I learned inside Government Sector, there is a large Marker on every major colony under their control. What happened at Aegis VII and The Sprawl will happen again and, once things are set in motion, there won't be anything anyone can do to stop it."

I paused for a moment and then, after sending Lexine copies of the logs that I found in the Government Sector of Titan Station, I continued, "You have seen it for yourself. You and I both know how helpless and unprepared people are going to be against the Necromorphs. Both EarthGov and the Unitologists are being manipulated by whatever intelligence is behind the Markers. We are among the few that have survived the outbreaks. It is up to us to keep their plan from succeeding and killing all of us."

Meanwhile, Lexine's expression had gone from stunned disbelief of just how endangered humanity was due to the combination of EarthGov's blind ambitions and Unitology's blind devotion to their beliefs to an expression that was a combination of fear and anger. I felt guilty for dragging the poor woman and her unborn child into the middle of all of this. However, we needed her and I certainly did not want to leave her to either starve or suffer unimaginable torture at the hands of EarthGov.

I assured her, "I wouldn't have asked you to go through it all again if it wasn't necessary. We need your help and trust me when I say that you and your child are better off dead than being in the custody of EarthGov."

The former surveyor seemed to finally be convinced as she nodded and then said, "Well…anything beats being stranded here."

I nodded and then wondered out loud, "Hmm…it might be worth trying to salvage whatever is left inside the station to outfit the Ishimura."

However, before anyone could say anything, the Planet Cracker's A.I. commented, "I would strongly advise against sticking around here for much longer, Captain."

I let out an inquisitive mumble and she explained, "If I was able to find Lexine, chances are that EarthGov will not be far behind. I am the artificial intelligence program of a commercial mining vessel that is more than sixty years old after all."

As she started to walk out of the room, Ellie informed me, "I'll go and pick her up in the shuttle so we can get out of here."

I nodded before I said, "Alright, be careful." My partner smiled slightly and gave me a slight nod in return before she walked past me. I was somewhat surprised when Jack did not follow his sister. Instead, the veteran soldier continued to lean against the wall to the left of the exit with his gaze seemingly locked on me. I ignored him as I looked back at the holographic projection in front of me.

Lexine had already cut the feed from her RIG and was presumably making her way to the shuttle landing pads. The image being projected had returned to being an overview of the area around the Ishimura. For a moment, the Captain's Nest was completely silent as I felt Jack continuing to stare at me. Finally, I could not ignore the glare of the former marine any longer and I said calmly without turning to look at him, "If you have something to say, go ahead and say it."

Jack replied with a cold tone, "You already know what I want to say."

Continuing to look away from him, I said, "I'm just an engineer with a background in the Merchant Marines, Jack. I've got nothing to hide."

He was silent for a moment before he remarked with a tone that made it obvious that he did not believe me, "Whatever you say…"

The holographic image changed into Ishimura's A.I. as she informed him, "I can provide you with a detailed summary of Isaac's career history prior to his employment aboard me if you need proof."

He let out a short chuckle before he replied, "Not necessary. As I said, whatever you say, Clarke."

There was another moment of silence and then the former marine asked, "So, we've found the girl and she has agreed to join our little merry band of thieves…what now?"

I actually did not know what our next move should be. Now that we had Lexine, we would have to think of a way to ensure that she would be able to safely deliver her baby when the time came. In the meantime, we had to continue our investigation into both the Markers themselves and the electromagnetic signal that they were receiving from an unknown location deep in space. We also had to do so without getting caught in the crossfire between EarthGov and the Unitologists.

After thinking for a moment, I replied, "We cannot stop what is going to happen. It is too late for that. A lot of people are going to die but we can be ready to at least save our species. So, we go after the Markers."

I heard him move to stand next to me on my right. I turned to look at him and found that his cold demeanor had noticeably relaxed as he admitted, "You know, I actually don't know anything about them. So, what the Hell are they?"

I looked back at the holographic woman in front of us and said, "Ishimura…"

She nodded and then, as she held her right hand out in front of her and manifested a small scale model of one of the markers in her right palm, she began, "What we call 'Markers' are double-helix shaped objects of unknown origin and purpose. There are two types of Markers. For the sake of simplicity, we label them as either 'Black' or 'Red' depending upon their color and if they are natural or artificial. Red Markers are not true Markers but instead are artificial copies of the true Marker of extraterrestrial origin known as the 'Black Marker'."

She paused as she manifested a map of the area with the approximate location of where the Black Marker was found along with an image of what the Marker was reported to have looked like before she continued, "This 'Black Marker' was discovered on Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula in 2214. What followed is not entirely known but it is believed that Michael Altman attempted to destroy or at least neutralize the Black Marker when he realized how dangerous it was only to be assassinated by government forces soon afterwards, inadvertently becoming a martyr for a new religion that became known as Unitology."

The images were replaced by one of the Red Marker from Aegis VII before the Planet Cracker's A.I. continued, "Using the data collected from the original Black Marker, at least three copies were created in the remote systems of Cygnus, Gliese, and Proxima Centauri with the believed intentions to either harness the seemingly limitless supply of energy that they emit or possibly to simply study them far from the eyes of the public. However, outbreaks of Necromorphs caused all three sites to be abandoned and the systems designated as off-limits. All research data from the sites was lost along with the Markers until CEC happened upon Aegis VII in the Cygnus System. The planet was rich in rare natural elements so an illegal mining operation commenced during which the dormant Marker was found. This set in motion the events of the Second Aegis VII Incident and everything that has happened since."

Jack inquired with a puzzled tone, "I still don't get it. They are just fancy rocks right? How do they make dead shit come back to life and make people go completely crazy?"

Ishimura manifested an image that showed a detailed readout of the electromagnetic signal that she had isolated from her sensory data during both outbreaks and an animated model of a Marker receiving the signal as she explained, "The one thing all Markers share in common regardless of origin is this electromagnetic signal. It is this signal that both reanimates dead tissue, which creates what are known as Necromorphs, and causes the mental afflictions of those exposed to it. Those of lesser intelligence only perceive the signal as incomprehensible sounds and images that slowly drive them to clinical insanity. In the case of individuals such as Isaac, they can make sense of the 'noise' but will still develop afflictions such as dementia, paranoia, and auditory and visual hallucinations."

Again, she paused as the images were replaced by video files from the outbreak of the Necromorphs on both the Aegis VII Colony and inside the Planet Cracker herself. As the incredibly gruesome videos continued to play, she continued, "Ultimately, the goal of the intelligence behind the signal appears to be to manipulate a species to create multiple Marker copies under the guise of being a source of limitless energy to ensure that said species has no chance to survive when the Markers show their true nature."

The separate videos merged into one large one that showed an orbital view of the very brief Convergence Event that was triggered when I placed the Red Marker on its pedestal in the colony. Though the video quality was very grainy because the distance between the Ishimura and the planet's surface made her have to use the maximum zoom range of her on-board cameras, the bright red beam that was seemingly being projected out of the Marker was still visible.

The holographic woman then explained, "After all native inhabitants of an area have been killed and transformed or a sufficient amount of organic material has been reached, the Marker will then enter its final phase, which is often referred to as a 'Convergence Event'. The true purpose of this phase is not currently known because it has never been allowed to finish. Isaac is among the few that have ever personally witnessed this phase and he is partially responsible for the destruction of the Aegis VII Marker and fully responsible for the destruction of the Titan Station Marker."

Jack was silent for a moment and then asked, "And…you said these things are in almost every major colony now because of EarthGov?"

I nodded and then replied, "They are aware of their nature but they are under the influence of that signal. It is only a matter of time before more outbreaks happen at this point."

By that time, Ellie had piloted the shuttle to the station and was presumably in the process of picking up our newest ally. While I would have rather scavenged the decommissioned output for resources and parts, Ishimura was right and we could not afford to take any chances. EarthGov would not let us get away so easily if we were caught again. The former flagship of the CEC was built to take a beating and remain functional but we did not have the luxury of being able to return to an actual shipyard for proper repair if the Planet Cracker was badly damaged. The Church and EarthGov were on the brink of open armed conflict so all we had to do was wait and soon they would both be too distracted to spare many resources to hunt for us.

The former Recon Marine commented, "You know…EarthGov hasn't always been the only major political power."

I looked at him as I asked, "What do you mean?"

He explained, "As you know, EarthGov came into existence after major armed conflict and environmental disasters left most of Earth's governments unable to properly maintain order. For a while, things stabilized but, during the 24th Century, there was another major political power that fought against EarthGov but ultimately lost and surrendered."

I asked, "Wait…you're talking about the Sovereign Colonies right?" He nodded in response. Confused, I inquired, "What about them?"

Jack sighed and then explained, "Well, unless you plan on waltzing into wherever they have one of the Marker copies to learn more about them, you might want to go somewhere that no one is still around to kill or arrest you."

I asked, "They were involved with the Markers too?"

The armored soldier shrugged before he replied, "No idea but I do know that when they surrendered at the end of the conflict, they scuttled their fleet. However, allegedly, there were some major vessels that were unaccounted for when EarthGov officials did an inspection to confirm the complete destruction of the fleet. Of course, the official report denies it but it was always one of the campfire stories passed around in EDF. There may not be anything to it but, if you were in danger of losing a war and thought that some fancy rocks could be your salvation, you would probably send your best and brightest along with a fleet somewhere beyond the eyes of EarthGov to pull a rabbit out of a hat while the rest of your forces serve as a distraction."

I had never considered that there could be another source of Marker research besides EarthGov. Due to their manipulative nature, it was not inconceivable that another group had been trying to understand and harness them especially if they were in a losing conflict with EarthGov. It was better than nothing and even if we did not find any information about the Markers, despite its age, whatever equipment we found could be useful. A silver lining to the inhospitable environment of space was that abandoned equipment did not rot as it would have if it was on Earth. Even after being abandoned for two hundred years, whatever we found would be antiquated but not deteriorated to the point of being unusable.

After thinking for a moment, I nodded and then turned to look at Ishimura's A.I. before I inquired, "What do you know about the Sovereign Colonies?"

Before she could answer, from behind me, Ellie asked, "Sovereign Colonies?"

I turned to see my partner entering the room with Lexine close behind. The Aegis VII and Titan Station survivor was certainly worse for wear but seemed to be in higher spirits now that she was not trapped inside that station. I smiled slightly at her before I looked at Ellie and explained, "They might have been doing their own independent research on the Markers. If nothing else, we might find some useful supplies and equipment."

She seemed to briefly consider the idea before shrugging in agreement. Then she informed Lexine, "Oh, and this is my brother Jack." While the two exchanged greetings, I gave Ellie a subtle, questioning expression as I glanced at Lexine and then back at her. She gave me an unsure expression in response but then reassured me by shaking her head while smiling.

While I trusted Ellie's judgement, deep space was not a place to take chances. Lexine's immunity to the Marker Signal and the experience that she had gained surviving the Necromorph outbreaks on both Aegis VII and The Sprawl would make her a valuable ally. However, the fact of the matter was that she was pregnant and I was already feeling guilty for even asking her to join us in our fight against whatever it was that was the source of the signal and the Markers. If she needed medical attention, it was more than worth the risk to get her somewhere she could receive proper aid. We would have to keep a close eye on her just to be on the safe side.

I turned my attention back to Ishimura's A.I. and repeated, "What do you know about the Sovereign Colonies?"

She informed me, "It was formed in 2309 and was officially disbanded in 2314. However, most of what is known about the group comes from EarthGov sources and is highly suspect because of the need to keep sensitive information out of public record. Jack was correct when he said that the fleet that they possessed was scuttled upon surrendering to EarthGov at the end of the Secession War. Whether or not there were ships that were unaccounted for at the time of their surrender is unknown due to the absence of detailed information in public record. However, given the increase in deep space exploration during the two hundred years since then and the fact that no trace of these vessels has been found, the story is either false or they went further out into uncharted deep space than any human being had gone before or has gone since."

I asked, "So…is there anything left that we can try to investigate for information regarding the Markers?"

The holographic woman replied, "If there is, it would likely be somewhere in a restricted system in the outer regions."

Jack argued, "Whoa, those systems are restricted for a reason. You can't seriously be suggesting that we go looking through them."

Ellie taunted him, "What, is the big, bad marine scared?"

Before he could reply, Ishimura laughed and then informed the former soldier, "CEC has been harvesting planets within restricted systems for decades without any major incident. The EDF rarely guard them because of how costly it is to maintain patrols so far away from any major port. Aegis VII was the first time that we had any problems."

She smiled calmly as she placed her right hand on her chest and then reassured him, "Don't worry, I was built to be able to operate in even the harshest conditions of deep space. If I cannot protect you from it, you will be dead before you ever feel anything."

Ellie's brother gave in and replied, "Fine."

I addressed her, "Alright, let's get started then."

The Planet Cracker's A.I. nodded and then began to maneuver her massive hull away from the now completely lifeless emergency station. As the mining vessel moved to get a safe distance away from the station, I turned to see that Ellie had walked closer to me. The physically fit, stubborn brunette glanced down at where I was still holding my Plasma Cutter in my right hand. Motioning towards it, she gave me a questioning look. I could only give her a meek smile as I shrugged in response. Ellie lowered her head while shaking it in disbelief for a moment before she then looked back up at me. Giving me a soft smile, she placed her right hand against the side of my left arm to remind me that I was not alone. I smiled to show my gratitude and she turned before beginning to make her way over to Lexine. Moments later, Ishimura shocked out of the area.