So, since this part of the story involves the wreckage of an abandoned battlecruiser, let's talk about something that might bother some people. Just how big is a battlecruiser in Starcraft anyway? As far as I know there isn't any real number out there. Some say that a battlecruiser like the Hyperion or Bucephalus are around 500 meters long. But others seem to be "several kilometers" long. So what is it? Hell if I know. So the ship in this story will be pretty damn big. Call it "artistic freedom". The thing with size in Starcraft is something that many people seem to confuse. At least that's how I see. I always thought that, for example, one unit in the game only represents a bunch of units. Let's take a Space-Marine. I think that one Space-Marine in the game stands for at least a whole company, maybe even more. Otherwise, why would you storm a world full of Zerg with only 200 marines in total? The opening scene of "Heart of the Swarm" shows endless numbers of Zerg, and the last mission of the campaign actually takes place on Korhal. So I guess one Zergling in game actually represents several hundred Zerglings. Like said, that's how I see it. What does that mean for this story? Well, basically that I have decided to pick a size for the derelict battlecruiser based on the one you see in the opening scene of Heart of the Swarm, that giant thing that crashes into the city. Why? Because it's more epic, that's why.
And before you say: "But a battlecruiser in the game surely doesn't represent 30 or more cruisers!"
Yes, I know. Every unit represents a different size and number of units. That's how I understood it. Because I seriously doubt that Sarah Kerrigan used 200 Zerg to storm Korhal. Maybe 200.000. Probably even more. Much more.
Chapter 3
Left is the new Right
„Uhnnnn..."Marshal Bowski groaned and rolled on his back. What do people say? It isn't the fall that kills you but the sudden stop at the end? Well, he couldn't really agree with that. Oh, the sudden stop at the end had hurt. It had hurt like hell! Unfortunately, the fall hadn't been much better either. Bowski felt as if he had managed to smash into every bulkhead on his way down. And then some more.
"How many bones does the human body have?" he groaned and placed his hand on his chest. He heard a soft THUD! and then how a weak vibration moved through the ground beneath him.
"Between 206 and 214, depending on how you look at it. It's more when we are still children, but the bones fuse over the course of growth." a young female voice explained. Bowski blinked a few times and looked up. Above him was the hole in the hull of the derelict. A bright light was falling through it and almost blinding him. He could, however, see the lithe figure standing right above him.
"That's surprisingly specific." he groaned. "Don't tell me you studied human anatomy."
"No." the young woman replied. "My mother taught me that."
"Your mother is a doctor?"
"No, she just has a lot of experience when it comes to breaking bones." There was an awkward moment of silence. And then... "Well...she used to do that when she was younger. Way younger. Wait, did I just call my Mum old? That's totally not what I wanted to say. I wanted to-"
"I get it, Kerrigan!" Bowski snarled and rolled on all fours. "Mother of-! If you want to make yourself useful..." Instead of finishing that sentence, he reached out with his hand. Thankfully Paula Kerrigan understood what he was trying to tell her. She grabbed his hand and helped him back on his feet. And once he was back up, the Marshal groaned again and checked his body for any serious injuries.
"So? Everything still where it belongs?" Kerrigan mused.
"Yeah. I guess. Seems like I was lucky that I didn't break my neck." Bowski growled and looked up at the hole above them. "Quite the fall."
"Ah, don't worry. I'm sure there was no danger involved at all. I think it's safe to assume that nothing can go wrong whenever I'm around." Paula boasted.
"I swear, Kerrigan, if I find out that you pushed me through that hole then I will-"
"Please, I would never do something like that! Also, I was meters away when you slipped and fell."
"Ugh..." Bowski growled and turned away so he didn't have to look at that smug grin on the young woman's face. He then looked around and took some time to finally study their surroundings. "...well, guess you got your wish, Kerrigan. We finally set foot in this thing."
"You don't sound very happy about it." Paula mused. "Also; you can stop calling me Kerrigan. I have a first name, you know. How about Paula?"
"I'll keep that in mind, Kerrigan." was Bowski's answer.
"Tsk, have it your way." the young woman mumbled and turned away. Was she angry? Hard to tell. Bowski had never truly considered himself a ladies' man but he was no dud either. However, Paula Kerrigan was a weird person, one that he had no idea how to address or judge. Sometimes she showed signs of wisdom that were uncanny for someone so young. Other times she acted like a three-year-old who didn't get what she wanted.
One day he would ask her about that.
Maybe.
"Wait a second..." Bowski mumbled when he looked around. "...what happened to all the dust we saw yesterday?"
"Uhhhh...maybe some ghost whisked it away! Uhhhhhh..." Kerrigan teased him.
"Or maybe grave-robbers followed us and already did their job." the Marshal mused, something that caused Kerrigan to chuckle.
"Seriously? Come on, no one would come out here. And for what? You're just paranoid."
"No, I'm careful. Let's get the hell out of here and hook up with the others. I will then call for some backup from the capital and we will-"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Paula groaned. "Are you for real? We just got inside and you want to get out again? Aren't you curious about what this place is? About its history? Its relevance?"
"No." Bowski replied truthfully.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're boring as hell?"
"Occasionally. Now, let's check out those bulkheads. Maybe we can use them to climb back up again." the Marshal mused.
"I got a better idea." Paula replied. "I will go and check out this place!" She then looked left, then right, then left again. "Left it is!"
"Kerrigan, you will not just wander away! I don't care how smart you think you are! This is a potentially dangerous situation and we have no idea what's waiting ahead of us. This is no game and I-"
"You can either follow me or stay here and continue to be boring. I want to see what's ahead!" And with that, the young woman simply walked past him.
"Kerrigan. KERRIGAN!" Bowski barked. "Paula, please!"
"Come on, Marshal! This will be fun!" And then she added something that caused him to frown. "I waited so long for this!" And when she vanished into the darkness, Bowski knew that he had only one choice. And that was to make sure that this frustrating woman wouldn't kill herself by accident.
"So, this is a battlecruiser..." Bowski mumbled. "It's bigger than I imagined it would be." The corridor they were walking through was filled with darkness. Good thing that the Marshal always came prepared, and so his flashlight illuminated the path ahead of them. What seemed odd was Kerrigan, who was walking right next to him, didn't seem to be bothered by the darkness one bit. She was acting a bit too sure of herself for Bowski's taste.
"Have you never been on one?" Paula asked. "If I remember correctly, there's a battlecruiser-exhibit in orbit around Korhal that's part of the naval museum."
"Yeah, well, I always wanted to check it out, but I didn't want to waste an entire day just standing in line with thousands of others and squeeze myself past parents and their children while everyone is blocking my way."
"You sure sound like a people-person." Paula mumbled. "Also; a-ha! Got you!"
"Say what?" Bowski asked.
"You said you've never been to Korhal. That was a lie." the young woman beamed.
"Tsk...I prefer to call it "None of your damn business." Just sayin'." the Marshal growled.
"Heh, a fair warning; I can see through any lie!"
"Sure, whatever." Bowski replied, not really eager to continue this conversation. Instead, he focused his attention on the corridor ahead of them. The Marshal didn't even try to hide his astonishment. His reservations of coming down here from earlier had all but evaporated. Now that he was actually inside this derelict, he could barely contain his excitement. Paula noticed that and flashed a smile when she saw the childlike excitement on his face. It would seem that she had picked the right guide for this journey...
"The size of this thing is absurd." Bowski mumbled. They continued to walk through a corridor that felt like it would go on forever.
"They sure liked to build 'em big back in the days." Paula mused. "Also, keep in mind; this thing is several kilometers long. Battlecruisers back then had a complement of up to eight thousand crewmembers, depending on the class. And that's not even including the troops one of these babies could carry into battle."
"Tsk...a crew that large." Bowski chuckled. "It must have been hell. I mean, the biggest ship that I've ever been on was a snotty frigate, and that had only like 200 people on board. Guess the past wasn't always better than the present."
"It wasn't that bad." Paula replied. "Sure, it was cramped. But the people didn't consider it unpleasant. On the contrary, serving on a battlecruiser was considered quite the privilege. Compared to the rest of the spaceships available at the time, they were considered pretty spacious. I mean, not every ship back then had toilets and showers on every deck!"
"Man... they sure knew how to have a good time back then." Bowski sarcastically replied. "Please don't tell me that you wish you could have lived back then." Just when those words had left his mouth, Bowski noticed how Paula suddenly stopped and stared at the floor in front of her.
"Kerrigan? Is something the matter?" the Marshal asked, worried that she might had injured herself when she had jumped down the hole in the hull. But then he noticed the sad smile on her face.
"Once, when I was young, I actually wanted to do that." she whispered. "The past seemed so exciting to me. Hearing all those stories about the legends of old. I thought it must have been glorious." Bowski wasn't really sure what to make of that statement. Was she trying to make fun of him again? Or was she trying to tell him something?
"So..." he asked, deciding to take her statement seriously. "...what changed your mind?"
"The reality." Paula simply replied and looked over to him. Her smile was still sad but at the same time, there was something else in her gaze, something Bowski couldn't quite put his finger on.
"The reality?"
"Yeah. It's easy to judge others as long as you don't know anything about the hard choices they had to make in their life. About the mistakes they made. And how they tried everything to redeem themselves." Paula mused. Her sudden outburst of wisdom caused Bowski to stop.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" he wanted to know. That's when a surprised expression appeared on Paula's face, one that was replaced by an embarrassed one almost immediately.
"I was just...sorry, nevermind. I just had to think about something my parents taught me." She then shook her head and decided to move on. Bowski followed her, but not without feeling slightly curious about one thing.
"You seem to be very close to your parents." the Marshal stated.
"Isn't anyone close to their parents?" Paula replied.
"Uh..." Bowski grunted and didn't really answer that question. There was an awkward moment of silence and the Marshal felt no urge to pry any further. That's when Paula decided to throw him a bone.
"I guess you could say that I'm close to my parents." she told him. "They are actually the reason why I'm out here."
"That sounds like they kicked you out and now you're trying to prove yourself or something like that." Bowski muttered. When Paula heard that, she suddenly stopped again and blinked a few times. And then...
"Hahahaha! Oh, you're right! That totally sounds like I'm trying to get away from them. Hehe...eh, good thing that they can't hear me right now. That would be awkward." And then she sighed. "It's just...have you never felt like you wanted to do for your family? To put a smile on their face? To show them just how much you care for them?"
"No." Bowski replied with a straight face.
"Huh?" Paula muttered in disbelief. "Wait, what?"
"No." the Marshal said again.
"Are you saying that you don't like your family?" the young woman asked with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"No." Bowski said for the first time. "It's more like I don't care about what they're doing."
"That...sounds rough." Paula muttered. "Want to talk about it?"
"Nope. Look, I think there's something up ahead." And with that, this conversation was over, at least as far as Bowski was concerned. Thankfully, there was no reason to continue this conversation. Not with them finally reaching the end of the line. Or, to be more precise, the end of the corridor.
"Huh...guess we should have gone in the other direction." the Marshal mused. Right in front of them was a heavy and reinforced blast-door, the kind used on warships in order to make sure that even in case of a catastrophic event like a hull breach the entire atmosphere wouldn't be sucked out into space.
"Look at that..." Bowski whispered when he placed his hand on the cold steel of the door. Next to him, Paula couldn't help but chuckle.
"What? Have you never seen a door before?" she teased him.
"Not one like this, and certainly not on a spaceship." Bowski replied. Ships nowadays were a lot more sophisticated then they had been one thousand years ago. Using doors made out of metal was so vintage. Nowadays vessels made by humans used forcefields that were able to keep the atmosphere on the inside. It was a reminder that they were actually walking through a remnant of the past, one that belonged to a time long forgotten.
"Huh...guess this is the end of the line for now." the Marshal muttered.
"You're not telling me that you're about to give up now!" Paula protested. "It's just a door! You know how to open a door, don't you?"
"Don't know how to open this kind of door." Bowski admitted. "It's a few hundred kilograms too heavy to just push it open. And..." He walked up to a big button right next to the door and pressed it. Unsurprisingly nothing happened. "...seems like the keys aren't working. And I didn't bring my blowtorch."
"How did you manage to become a marshal?" Paula wondered. "You are giving up way too fast!"
"Your concern for my professional attitude is noted." the Marshal growled. "Anyway, we already went further than we should have. The best course of action would be to return to the entrance-point and hook up with the rest of the team. Then we-"
"Ugh, gimme a break!" Paula interrupted him. She walked over to the button next to the door and hit it with her fist.
"I do know how a button works, Kerrigan." Bowski growled. "You don't have to try it your-" That's when the door suddenly screeched and sprung open. There was an awkward moment of silence and when Bowski looked over to the young woman next to him, he could see the smug grin on her face.
"If you want something done right, let a woman do it." Paula cooed.
"Must have been some energy left in the system. My first attempt probably caused it to be released." Bowski mused.
"Uh-huh. Sure. And here I thought you lacked imagination, Marshal."
"Ech...great, so the door is open. At least now we can tell the others where to start and-" Bowski started, which caused Paula to groan in frustration.
"You gotta be kiddin' me!" she yelled. "The door is open! Do you know what you do with open doors? You go through! Here, let me demonstrate." And with that, Paula moved forward. Bowski tried to grab her wrist but she was a slippery one. All he could do was to watch how the newfound bane of his existence decided to make his headache worse by stepping through the door and vanishing into the darkness.
"Kerrigan! KERRIGAN!" he screamed in rage. But just like so many times before Paula seemed to not care at all about Bowski's frustration. The Marshal groaned and looked around. "Why can't things be easy for a change?" he growled and looked back in the other direction. Perhaps he should just go back to the entrance-point and wait for Sirella and the rest of the science-team to look after them. With any luck they would be smart enough to bring a rope from the camp with them that he could use to climb back up. The only question he had to ask himself now as what to do with Kerrigan. She had vanished into the darkness without even a flashlight. For all he knew she was now stumbling through the darkness while smashing her head against one bulkhead after the other.
Perhaps then she would feel the same headache Bowski felt right now.
"Ain't gonna run after her, no way!" the Marshal muttered to himself.
However, that conviction only lasted for roughly twenty seconds, after which Bowski realized that his ass would be turned into fried bacon should anything happen to this woman.
"I swear, Kerrigan, you are the most frustrating person I have ever met!" And so, he decided to follow her. Again.
Darkness...
Silence...
Nothingness...
A dreamless sleep, not by choice, but by necessity. How long had he slept? He didn't know. All he knew that when he awoke that he was alone. Gone was everyone. Not that it mattered. They had perished a long time ago, fallen victim to the abyss of time.
He wasn't sad. Not really. Death had been a gift to them. Finally, they had found their freedom. In a way, he was even happy for them. If he would remember how happiness felt like.
He tried to move his head in order to look around. He tried to open his eyes in order to see what was going on around him. But in both cases, his body refused to do it was supposed to do. What...what had happened?
With his body not responding, he had to use his other senses. They were dull, weak, atrophied in the centuries that he had rested. Still, when he reached out, he could sense something. It was faint, almost like the sound of the beach from the distance. Yet at the same time, there was so much power. It was calling him...
He recognized the sound. Or was it a taste? A familiar sensation, one that he had felt before. In another life. Something was odd. That scent, it was her. There was no doubt about it. Yet...there was a hint of someone else. He couldn't tell what it was, his mind was still clouded by the centuries of dreamless sleep.
However, even then he was able to remember the name that had burned itself into his mind. A name that was known to strike fear into the hearts of men. As he spoke, he did so not with one voice but many. All of them were speaking the same name over and over again.
"Kerrigan..."
It was time to wake up.
The Queen had arrived.
And wherever the Queen went, war was to follow.
"They did WHAT?!" Professor Allagan gasped in disbelief. He was surrounded by most of his students and looking up at the tallest member of this expedition.
"They entered the derelict." Sirella explained. "Not intentionally, I might add. Well, at least the Marshal didn't want to enter the wreckage willingly. As for Paula, well..." The Protoss sighed and dropped her head. "...she decided to stay behind."
I promised my grandfather to not lie for you anymore, Paula. I swear you will be the death of mine one day! she thought.
"Unbelievable. Unbelievable!" Allagan moaned. "This is a nightmare! This is not how a professional expedition is supposed to be like!" Seriously, this trip to Flemmington had been one big nightmare so far. And it would seem that the bad news was not about to come to an end anytime soon.
"Professor, what should we do next?" someone asked. The Professor rubbed his closed eyes and thought about their options. Unfortunately, he was a goddamn professor, not a marshal or an inspiring figure with a natural aura of authority. And so he did the only thing that seemed to be reasonable.
"We are going to wait." he declared, which earned him a few disbelieving looks.
"Uhm...Professor?" another student asked. "Shouldn't we, I don't know, help them? What if they are injured?" A fair question.
"Screw them! What if they touch or break something by accident!" someone else interjected. "This could be the most important archaeological discovery since Schliemann found Troy! We cannot allow some buffoons to ruin everything!"
"Hey, it's not nice to call the Marshal a buffoon." Sirella said. As for Paula? Well...
She was a big girl, she could take it. Besides, Paula still owed Sirella something for dragging her all the way out to Flemmington in the first place. Against contrary belief, not every Firstborn was eager to prove herself out in the field. Sirella was no warrior, no templar. She had never learned how to focus her mind and couldn't even summon a psi-blade even if her life depended on it. Then again, the Protoss hadn't fought any major war since the end of the only one that mattered. Sure, there had been skirmishes, even large campaigns against pirates and Tal'darim. But aside from that?
The age of the Templar had come to an end many centuries ago. Some complained about that. They were talking about the "good old days", even though they were too young to remember any of this. There was just one Protoss still alive who had actually fought during the Great War, and he wasn't really sad that nowadays there was no need for young Protoss to focus their entire life on learning how to fight.
No, wait. There were actually three Protoss who still remembered the Great War. But the other two were...
Ah, let's just say that it was a complicated matter.
Everything connected to Paula was complicated. Unfortunately, she was the only one who didn't care about that and acted as if everything was just peachy all the time. And since Sirella didn't even have a mouth, she didn't know how a peach tasted either. Which mean that pretty much everything her friend did was a mystery to her.
"Perhaps you are right..." Professor Allagan mused. For a second Sirella thought that he was talking to her, but then she noticed how he looked over to the student that had complained about Bowski and Paula messing up the dig-site. "...neither the Marshal nor Kerrigan know how to handle something like that. It would be irresponsible to just let them roam freely."
"Yes..." Sirella muttered. "...allowing Paula to roam freely is irresponsible."
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" the Professor asked her. "I didn't catch that."
"Nothing! It was nothing!" the young Protoss stuttered. Allagan frowned and seemed to be confused for a moment, but then he just shook his head and turned his attention back towards his students and the other members of the research team.
"Young Mister Everton is correct. We have to concentrate on the reason why we came here in the first place. And we can do this. The Marshal said that he wanted us to stay together. And that is exactly what we are going to do. However, I also believe that we have an obligation. We came out here in order to uncover the past. And I think that everyone here agrees with me that the scientific importance of this discovery outweighs any risk we might encounter out here..." Professor Allagan fell silent for a moment, giving anyone who might disagree with this statement, to speak his or her mind. However, no one did so. The only one who was actually thinking that this was a bad idea was Sirella, and she was just fidgeting her fingers like a little girl. A very big girl.
Perhaps the only good thing about this situation was that her grandfather wasn't here to scold her for being so indecisive. The only reason why Sirella had accepted coming out here with Paula was because he had asked her to do so.
Oh, and because her teacher and the man that had taught her more about art than anyone before happened to be Paula's goddamn father...
"Next time they can come out here themselves and try to keep Paula on a leash." Sirella whispered to herself.
"Pardon me, did you want to add something?" the Professor asked her and only then Sirella noticed that everyone was looking at her as if they were waiting for her to call the shots. Why was everyone assuming that she knew what she was doing just because she was Protoss?
"No, don't mind me. Just...just say what you want to do and I will help as much as I can."
"Splendid!" Allagan beamed and patted with his hand on Sirella's arm. "There are a few heavy crates that we have to get to the dig site. They are too heavy for a human to carry, but you should be able to do that." And when Sirella heard that, she groaned on the inside.
From the heroic warriors that once saved the entire cosmos all the way down to furniture mover. she thought. Good thing that grandfather can't see me right now.
"Man, so many corridors." Bowski mumbled as he and Kerrigan reached another junction. "Is this ship made only out of corridors?"
"Fun-fact..." Paula declared. "...the length of all corridors combined is a bit over 600 kilometers."
"You're making that up."
"Maybe."
"Uhhh..."
"Aw, quit your whining, Marshal. We are almost there!" the young woman said.
"Great. And what exactly is "there"?" Bowski wanted to know.
"You'll see soon enough!"
Well, didn't that sound promising?
Not really. At least not to Bowski, who was coming to the realization that he had been drawn too deep into this whole mess.
"So, where exactly are we heading? Please, no cryptic nonsense. I think I reached my quota for unwanted surprises for one day."
"Ugh, fine..." Paula sighed. "We are heading to the main bridge."
"Why?" was Bowski's question. "There is no power left, all systems are dead. So, unless you just want to stand there and draw in stale air, I don't see what's so important about that place right now."
"You have no sense for the dramatic." Paula muttered. "There's something I need to check. And I can only do that on the bridge."
"And what would that be?" the Marshal wanted to know.
"Uh, could you quit pestering me with your questions? This is an adventure! You are supposed to enjoy the ride, not let me spoil everything for you!" was Paula's answer.
"I prefer not to walk into a situation with my pants down."
"Ha, now that's a sight I would pay money to see it!" the young woman chuckled. "Also, suck it up, Marshal. We are almost there. If I remember correctly, then the next junction will be the last one, and after that it will be just a few more meters to the bridge."
"You seem to know your way around an ancient battlecruiser. Which is odd since I'm pretty certain that you don't belong to the other eggheads. What's with that?" Bowski wanted to know.
"Oh, now someone is finally getting curious!" Paula teased him. "Yeah, you're right. I'm actually a loan."
"A loan?"
"Yep. Remember my aunt? The one I told you about?" Paula asked.
"You mean the expert on Zerg?"
"That's the one. Well, she and the Professor worked together on a project regarding Koprulean history. They were responsible for a big exhibition and shared a lot of information. And that led to some interesting questions."
"Questions? What kind of questions?" Bowski wanted to know. My, wasn't he in a talkative mood.
"Well, after going through all those files and documents they realized that there were a lot of things that didn't make any sense. Some of the historical documents mention names that they don't know anything about but seem to be of some importance."
"They?" Bowski muttered. "Sounds like you are no part of them."
"I ain't." Paula admitted.
"Huh?"
"In case you haven't noticed it yet; I'm not exactly egghead-material." the young woman explained. "I'm just here in order to make sure that the Professor and the students don't get lost."
"By leaving them behind? You have a weird definition of "not getting lost"."
"Trust me, I'm awesome when it comes to finding things. In fact, I was the one who figured out where to find the big girl." Paula declared with a proud tone in her voice.
"Sure." Bowski replied dryly. "You strike me like the person who's highly capable in finding stuff that has been lost ages ago."
"I do recognize sarcasm when I hear it, Marshal."
"Gosh, did you notice that I was being sarcastic? Oh, that was so not my intention!" Bowski muttered.
"I'm a lot more competent than you think. Trust me, once you get to know me better you will never doubt my skills again."
"Like Sirella who's constantly doubting you?"
"...smartass." was Paula's only reply.
"That from you? Sounds like a compliment."
That marked the end of their conversation. At least for the time being. Bowski did notice a faint smile on Paula's face, which was proof enough that she was actually enjoying this sort of bickering.
"Must have been quite the sight." Bowski muttered after a while. "Seeing this thing when it was still in one piece and working."
"She was a beauty." Paula declared. "Although she was always about to fall apart. But she had a good crew, and a great chief-engineer who knew how to treat her right. It's good to see that someone carrying that name are still around. Still, I wonder if the Magistrate is actually related to him. She sure has the right size. And there is a resembles."
"Just what the hell are you babbling about?" Bowski asked.
"Nothing. Just remembering something from way back. Like...really way back."
"Hmm...if you say so. Still, what's with that "always about to fall apart"-stuff? This was the flagship of the Dominion, right? I know that space travel was a lot more dangerous all that time ago, but they sure knew how to keep a ship in good shape."
"What?" Paula asked and stopped. She looked at Bowski with a confused expression on her face.
"The Rebel Heart." the Marshal said. "I mean, this is supposed to be the flagship of the Dominion, right?" When Paula heard that question, she blinked a few times as if she had to gather her thoughts.
"Oh...yeah, right. The Rebel Heart. Of course." she muttered. "Well, things were a lot different a thousand years ago. Let's just leave it at that."
"Kerrigan!" Bowski growled when he realized that she was doing it again. "You know something, don't you?"
"Oh!" Paula suddenly shouted. "Look, there's the door to the bridge!"
"Don't change the topic, woman!" the frustrated Marshal barked.
"All your questions will be answered once we are on the bridge. Trust me."
"You don't inspire confidence, Kerrigan."
"Aw, quit being a party-pooper. Come on, you will like this!" And when they finally reached the heavy door, Bowski decided to give her one last chance to prove that she wasn't a complete dud. Which was probably a pointless exercise anyway but it wasn't as if the Marshal had anything else to do anyway. Paula looked for the button to open the door and rubbed her hands against each other when she found it.
"Haha! Open Sesame!" she said and pressed the button.
…
…
…
"Guess your luck has run out, girl." Bowski mumbled when nothing happened.
"I told you to not call me a girl, boy." Paula growled and frowned. Bowski noticed her confusion. It was as if she didn't understand why the door wasn't working.
"This thing had been out here for centuries..." he mumbled. "...you probably were just lucky with the first button."
"No..." Paula whispered to herself. "...this is something else." She then looked over her shoulders and squinted her eyes. "Still there, eh? After all that time. I wonder..." But then Paula shook her head and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess we have to do this the old-fashioned way."
"Meaning?" Bowski wanted to know as he watched how the young woman walked over to the door and looked for something.
"These old things used hydraulics. I doubt there's still some pressure left in the system. I'm sure we can push this thing open if we put some grease into it." she explained.
"Sounds like fun." the Marshal mused. "Not my kind of fun, though."
"Aren't you going to help a lady?" Paula gasped. "What has become of chivalry? Opening a door for a lady should be your second nature!"
"I'm a firm believer in equality." Bowski replied and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Also, I'm not seeing any lady right now."
"Oh, hu hu! You are a big meanie!"
"Yeah, cry me a river."
"Marshaaaaaaaaaal!" Paula whined. "Come on! I promise you that all your questions will be answered if you just help me open that door!"
"So, wait, behind this door is the answer to the question how I avoid that damn tax filling?"
…
…
…
"Okay, I get it, you are annoyed." Paula sighed. "Please, dear Marshal Bowski, could you help me open the door so we can enter the bridge?" Bowski took his sweet time until he sighed and walked over to Paula. A victorious smile appeared on her face and-
"Wipe that grin off your face, Kerrigan." Bowski growled. "Once you got what you came here for, we are going back topside. And then we will have a long conversation that you won't like."
"Now that's a promise any lady likes to hear!" Paula mused. That's when she grabbed one side of the heavy door while Bowski did the same with the other side.
"One. Two. Three. Pull!" she said and they both used their combined strength to pull like crazy. But even then, the door put up one hell of a fight. All that rust had locked it in place and Bowski felt as if he was about to rip his arms off when a loud, metallic screech echoed through the darkness.
"Come on!" Paula snarled. "Don't stop now!"
"Sunnoffabitch!" Bowski gasped. It took all of his strength to force the door open, and even then, they only managed to get there halfway. But when they did...
"Whoa...quite the workout." Paula groaned and shook her hands. "Man, that door sure doesn't like to play nice." Bowski looked at his own hands and could feel how his fingers hurt. Maybe he should have put on some gloves first.
"Well, here we are. The bridge of the...ship?" Paula said and her voice trailed into nothingness when she looked through the door. Bowski followed her gaze and frowned.
"That's not the bridge." the Marshal noted.
"Uhm..."
"That's a damn elevator shaft."
"Uhhh..."
"Which means..." Bowski concluded. "...that you have no effin' clue where the bridge is. Isn't that right?"
"Uh...say, Marshal, remember that junction a while back? Maybe if we go left, we might...hey! Marshal? MARSHAL!" This time it was Paula doing the yelling, yet it didn't do her much good.
"I'm going back to the entrance point. This thing has been going on for far too long." Bowski growled as he stomped away. Behind him, Paula sighed and looked down the empty elevator shaft.
"Guess this will take a bit longer than I thought it would. Bummer." Then she turned around and followed the Marshal in defeat. When they were gone, the half-opened door remained behind. And when silence returned to this place, a voice echoed through the darkness, a voice filled with pain and despair...
"...Kerrrrrrigannnn..."
Amidst the darkness, a thin tentacle emerged from the open door...