He felt himself floating in an endless void of darkness. There was nothing. No sound. No light. Nothing to touch or sense. He had a vague sense this should concern him but at the moment his mind was at peace. There were no concerns, no responsibilities, just endless peace and silence. After a moment's consideration that puzzled him as well, for there should have been something on his mind, something to concern him. The feeling grew as time passed. There was something important he was forgetting, something he needed to do.

Suddenly it came to him. The attack! The city! The people he was trying to save!

Reality exploded into existence around him an instant later as his eyes snapped open, taking in a deep gasp of air. Vision and hearing focused a moment later as he found himself still inside the pyramid. The entirety of the room was wrecked with exposed cabling sparking fitfully as well as various pylons and other debris floating about in microgravity, the only lighting from the bright red emergency lights which highlighted the various unconscious or dead crew floating nearby.

Emergency power only but still breathable atmosphere. They managed to lock down the pyramid and the life support system is still functioning at least. Bahamut knows how long it will last though!

Orienting himself Aurelius slowly floated over to one of the crew, checking his vitals before moving on to the next. Suddenly he felt the touch of the divine in his mind but unlike Prometheus's powerful presence this one was more subtle and gentle.

Aurelius, what has happened? Arianasa asked anxiously. I felt a powerful sensation of death near your location, as if countless lives were snuffed out in an instant!

They were! He replied urgently. The city ship was destroyed by an enemy force! The pyramid is sealed but I have no idea how long the oxygen will last!

Fear not! I am coming! She insisted urgently.

Seconds later divine energy illuminated the room as Arianasa appeared in her maternal Elven form, surrounded by a burst of silver and white light. Her silvery white hair flowed about her shoulders, encompassing her wise but youthful face, her lithe body covered in an ornate robe of jade and silver. Stepping forward on thin air as if the lack of gravity were of no concern, she quickly attended to the various crew, calling forth healing magic to stabilize them as needed before she focused on Aurelius.

"I can ensure the air remains breathable and the pyramid secure against the void but I will need your help to bring the other members of the crew here so I can transport us to Earth safely." She informed him briskly.

Aurelius nodded. "It shall be done."

Aurelius quickly spun around and pushed himself off the throne towards the door, his instinctive understanding of gliding and flight allowing him to more easily maneuver through the corridors of the structure even with the various obstacles of broken equipment and masonry floating in his way. He quickly moved through each level, using his superior senses as well as various spells to locate the crew as all internal comms and sensors were down. Once located he began to either teleport them to the throne room directly or aid them in making their way back with Arianasa doing the same. Finally they returned to the throne room.

"They are all accounted for, Your Eminence." Aurelius informed her after performing a swift personnel inventory. "Are there no others that could be saved outside of the pyramid?" Aurelius asked anxiously though in his heart he already knew the answer.

Arianasa shook her head sadly. "They were destroyed when the superstructure collapsed and broke apart. Their souls have gone on to the realms of their gods or faded into their sleep of oblivion. Come, we must focus on those that still live." She insisted quietly.

Aurelius drew near to her as she began calling upon her power once more. In a blinding flash of light the room was emptied of its occupants.

Many thousands of kilometers away on Earth the group materialized outside a large complex composed of a series of gardens surrounding a multistory building. A temple of worship to the Goddess allowing for the veneration of nature as well as a house of healing, the building was constructed of white stone and soft tan wood that was moulded into various shapes, taking inspiration from not only Orethian and Earthen temples but ancient Celtic and Elvish designs as well. The interior of the temple's various areas were well lit with natural light as well as globes of divine magic that suffused the very air with peaceful healing and restorative energies. The floors and ceiling were constructed of smooth warm wood with the stone walls painted with gentle frescos of pleasant colors as well as images of the goddess in various forms, granting blessings and healing to the young and old alike. Various pleasantly fragrant and colorful plants sat or hung in every room and the temple itself was surrounded by large garden areas where those who were mobile and convalescing could sit and relax in the open air surrounded by fields of colorful flowers or meditate upon nature and the goddess in whatever way they saw fit, buoyed by the fragrance scents and invigorating sights all around them. Moving about the various rooms were clerics and priestesses of the Goddess, dressed in various colors depending on their vocation, from simple brown and green robes to silver and white, as they tended to the various patients under their care.

Suddenly many of them straightened as they sensed their goddess calling to them urgently through the ether. Racing quickly through the building or across the grounds they quickly arrived at the entrance where Arianasa and the large group of crewmen and women floated around her, Aurelius standing off to one side.

"Each of these people needs attention!" Arianasa announced to them. "I have stabilized them but they all have various injuries. They were part of the city ship's pyramid crew when it was attacked and destroyed. The pyramid itself was sealed with atmosphere but they sustained various wounds."

The various priests and priestesses nodded as they began calling upon the powers granted by the goddess to begin analyzing their injuries. One of the senior healers stepped up and quickly looked the group over.

"Right, these here, immediate deep healing in the foci chambers!" He instructed quickly, pointing out several crew that had numerous wounds of a severe nature. "The rest have non-life threatening injuries so they can be tended to in any of the main healing chambers. Quickly now!" He called out, calling on his power to immobilize and levitate one of the worst cases before moving inside the building at a brisk jog while the other senior members began doing the same to the other crew members that were in the most danger. The other priests and priestesses quickly began choosing different crewmates based on their expertise, all of them working efficiently to bring them inside and begin the healing process, leaving Arianasa and Aurelius behind. Turning to him the goddess examined him carefully for a moment.

"I sense no lasting or lingering damage from the injury you sustained." She informed him as she waved a hand, sending a small amount of healing energy into him. "You should speak with Prometheus and Davis immediately about what has occurred."

Aurelius nodded, focusing on the pyramidal palace in his mind before teleporting away in a flash of light, the goddess doing the same a moment later.

Inside, the senior priest quickly moved through the corridors with the floating patient following behind him, entering one of the foci chambers distributed throughout the temple. Within the room sat large clear crystals imbued with vast amounts of healing energy. Used in conjunction with talismans, rods, and other focusing devices, a knowledgeable priest or priestess could heal even the most devastating of injuries. Quickly calling upon the power of the crystals the room was immediately suffused in holy energies, their power purifying and cleansing the room not only of any dangerous bacteria or viruses but any malign or dark power that might impede the healing he was about to perform. Taking hold of several instruments on the nearby table he placed a headband around his forehead with a window of clear crystal attached to the front along with a slim brass wand with an aquamarine crystal attached to the end. The crystal viewing window immediately began to show him scrolls of data relating to the patient including heart rhythm, respiration, blood oxygen levels, and temperature along with the locations of the various injuries that had been scanned throughout his body and their severity. Holding the wand carefully he pointed the tip at the man's wounded temple and began to murmur spells of command and scrying. Before his eyes the bloody layers of torn skin and hair faded away revealing the damaged musculature underneath before another whispered command word made the muscles become translucent as well, revealing the man's broken skull.

"Blunt force trauma to the left temporal region." He murmured, knowing his every word was being recorded perfectly, before murmuring the command again. That region of the skull also vanished in his sight, allowing him to view the man's brain directly. Using more command words his visored sight became sharper, the brain before him zooming in to incredible detail, the site of the wound filling his vision.

"Temporal lobe damage includes impactions in the Broca's Area and short term memory regions as well as equilibrium sections. Internal bleeding and hemorrhage have been temporarily suppressed divinely." He added quietly before muttering spells of regeneration and restoration, using the rod to focus a beam of healing energy into the precise areas needed to regenerate the neurons and dendrites of the damaged areas to their original states, the crystals around the room sending flows of energy into the cleric and by extension the rod he wielded. As he worked the various blood vessels repaired themselves and the leakages withdrew, the swollen and inflamed grey matter returning to normal.

Normally such a delicate and grievous wound would require the use of a greater restoration spell all on its own. The fact that the man had several such injuries across his body, each requiring their own restorative spell, would have drained even a high-ranking cleric on Oerth, preventing him from healing anyone else while his body regained the strength and focus required to cast more such spells the following day. However, with the focusing tools and crystals at his disposal, the cleric was able to quickly but precisely heal the deadly head wound before moving on to the damaged limbs and torso, resetting bones and merging together sinew with the skill of a masterful surgeon. Some time later the man's body was restored and the healer stepped back, looking over his work one last time to confirm nothing had been missed before laying aside his tools with a sigh of relief.

As the power of the crystals withdrew he levitated the man before walking him to a free room, laying him in the bed before covering him with a blanket. Making a few notes on the whiteboard attached to the wall he left the recovering crewman in peace to sleep while making rounds to see how the other critical patients were being handled. Fortunately the other senior clerics and priestesses appeared to have things well in hand so he continued to check in on the other, less severely injured crew to ensure the priests and priestesses along with their acolytes needed no assistance. Emergencies being what they were, even a seemingly simple case could suddenly devolve into a life-threatening crisis without warning due to an unforeseen injury or chemical imbalance causing sudden organ failure. Thankfully the overall situation seemed well in hand so the senior healer returned to his quarters for a meal and a nap, allowing himself to rest for a while before returning to his duties.


Earlier…

Aurelius flashed into existence within the grand foyer of the pyramid. Wasting no time he immediately strode towards one of the elevators, entering it and pressing his finger against a specific section of the control panel. Recognizing his unique DNA the elevator doors shut before sealing themselves.

"Passcode and command phrase." A female voice requested.

"Aurelius-gold-epsilon-sigma-patriarch-0057846. Command phrase 'code Trinity, security level black'."

"Passcode and command phrase accepted." The voice stated calmly before the cabin quickly descended into the depths of the lower levels beyond the reach of all but a few who held the highest of security clearances with the military or special dispensation by the divine family.

The doors opened several moments later and Aurelius stepped out. The large room was well over thirty feet in height and at least twice as long allowing for Prometheus and Arianasa to work in their dragon forms with ease if they wished. Black panelling and a smooth metal floor gave the room a foreboding aura while around the room floated a multitude of slim screens showing vast data streams and media broadcasts from across the solar system. Given that this was Prometheus's command center in the mortal realm there were no control consoles or technicians to be found as every piece of technology from the smallest microchip to the largest data server was completely beholden to his will and could be altered with a mere thought by the god.

A moment later twin flashes of light, one of gold and one of silver, illuminated the room as Prometheus and Arianasa appeared before him. The Lord of Technology and Illumination's face was slightly wrinkled with age, his trimmed white hair, short beard, and piercing dark eyes the very picture of wisdom and strength, his muscled body garbed in robes of scintillating gold and bronze.

"Report." Prometheus instructed him.

"Where is the Dark One?" Aurelius asked, glancing around.

"Here." A cool and dispassionate voice replied from nearby.

Aurelius turned to see a dark shadow detach itself from a nearby corner, morphing into a sharp-faced young man with straight black hair, burning crimson eyes, and a sharp business suit the colors of onyx and blood.

"Dramatic as always." Aurelius muttered in annoyance. "Why you cannot take on a more pleasing appearance like the others-"

"I believe you had something urgent to discuss?" Prometheus prompted him.

Aurelius nodded as he refocused on Prometheus. "Yes my Lord, I have dire news to report. Shortly after my arrival and your communication with me we were set upon by a hostile force!"

Prometheus stared at him in surprise. "What kind of hostile force?" He prompted.

"A dark and foul one." Aurelius replied grimly. "A band of Cruiser and Frigate class ships crewed by a mix of what appeared to be enslaved or enraptured humans and undead officers!"

"Undead?" Prometheus asked. "I have never heard of undead commanding starships before."

Aurelius nodded. "These were not ordinary shambling horrors like we have seen on Oerth." He explained. "These undead were extremely intelligent, even frighteningly so. The officer I spoke with appeared to be in full control of his faculties and had lost none of his skills. More than likely they were Elder Vampires or some sort of equivalent, possibly even a Lich. He spoke of having served his entire mortal life in the navy and then resumed his post after his 'transformation'." Aurelius said with a shudder.

"This is grim news indeed." Prometheus frowned darkly. "Vampires and Liches have created their own covens and small cults of personality in the past. Indeed, Vecna had a large cult of followers that took decades to root out and destroy, but not even Vecna dared to use such technology as this."

"They spoke of serving some dark god of theirs, likely some sort of Demon Lord or perhaps even a god of darkness that has power in their realm." Aurelius continued before focusing on Davis. "Are you aware of any such thing?"

The dark god shook his head. "My powers are linked to humanity and the realms we control. I can sense things dimly in the void just beyond our borders in the outer solar system but further out into interstellar space my senses cannot penetrate. The distance is simply too great."

"Pity." Aurelius sighed.

"Go on, Aurelius, what happened then?" Prometheus prompted.

"Naturally I ordered them to depart at once since they had entered our territory without permission but the officer stated they had a mission to complete on the order of their god and they would not be deterred. As diplomacy had seemingly failed I attempted to fire upon them in the hopes of driving them away. Unfortunately, my Lord, I vastly underestimated the strength of their weaponry, believing our shields would be able to protect us from whatever attack they might attempt. Their weapons were strong enough to blast through them with but a few shots. With our shields down and several of our weapons crippled I had hoped they would consider us no further threat and depart."

He clenched his fists in fury as he shook his head. "Instead those barbarians continued to fire upon us until the entire city was destroyed!" He exclaimed in outrage. "Countless innocent civilians murdered in mere moments as they utterly blasted apart the asteroid! They seemingly had no interest in compassion or mercy, only butchery and destruction! Once they had finished blasting us apart they left via some sort of magical gateway. The pyramid's power utterly failed at that point with only emergency power and life support. I was knocked unconscious for several minutes before I was able to summon My Lady's aid."

"And the crew?" Prometheus asked Arianasa.

"They are being tended to by my clerics." She replied. "Those who still lived when I arrived will be made whole again but the death cries of so many when the asteroid was destroyed…" She murmured sorrowfully, her gaze harrowed. "It was horrible!"

Prometheus's face grew grim with anger and disgust as he considered what Aurelius had told him. "We cannot let this stand. Davis, return to the sight of the battle and see what data you can retrieve. Anything, no matter how small, may be useful in learning about this new enemy."

Davis nodded as Prometheus turned towards the center of the room. "Comm channel direct, Mars, Alpha Fabricator."

A moment later a holographic display activated in the middle of the room, forming a genderless humanoid face.

"I serve at the pleasure of the Emperor." The smooth masculine voice stated.

"Instruct the shipyards to begin production of a fleet consisting of Frigate and Cruiser class ships focused on defense and exploration. We have encountered a hostile space-faring force and will need to determine not only their location but have the capability to defend ourselves should they attack in force. Work in parallel with Davis as needed."

"It shall be done." The Fabricator replied. "Timeframe?"

"Unknown." Prometheus replied. "We are not yet on emergency war footing so do not sacrifice quality over quantity. Once Davis has completed his forensic analysis of the area and any wreckage found we will be able to provide you with more details regarding what specifications we will need for the ships and their systems. In the meantime, ensure the order is disseminated across the shipyards so that they can begin the design phase when Davis arrives."

The floating face nodded in understanding before fading away with Davis doing the same to begin his mission.

"I fear there is little that can be done until we have more information." Prometheus sighed.

Aurelius came forward and knelt before him submissively. "I fear this is all my fault, my Lord." He murmured in self-recrimination. "Had I avoided them and continued on to Terra the people who travelled with us would be alive and well. The sensor technicians informed me of a strange set of ships in the region so I thought it only proper to investigate, but had I known what would happen…" He slammed his fist against the floor in frustration, his face a rictus of sorrow. "Their deaths are on my hands and I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

Prometheus sighed softly as he rested his hand on Aurelius's shoulder. "You could not have foreseen what would happen, Aurelius." He said quietly. "None of us foresaw this. You do not have the wisdom of Istus to see the future and even our sight is clouded in such matters. This was something that could not have been predicted. I do not hold you at fault for this, for you did as I would have expected you to do, smiting any evil that might threaten us."

"Thank you my Lord." Aurelius murmured, raising his head to look at Prometheus soberly. "I will repay their deaths a thousandfold, I swear!"

Prometheus nodded. "Keep this zeal burning in your heart Aurelius, but do not let it consume you, for it will take some time before we can take the battle to them. In the meantime channel that fire into aiding my people and performing your duties with fervor. When the time comes, you shall be on the front lines to deliver the killing blows to our enemies." He insisted.

Aurelius nodded as he stood. "I shall do as you command my Lord." He stated firmly.

Prometheus nodded as Arianasa addressed Aurelius. "You have endured much heartache and tragedy this day. Go and take what rest you can. Should you need it, call upon me and I will help to ease your pain in whatever way I can."

Aurelius bowed in appreciation before departing, leaving the two alone.

Arianasa remained silent for a few moments as she watched Prometheus ponder the situation before speaking. "I suppose we always knew it was possible that one day one of the monsters would learn how to use our technologies against us."

"It cannot be our technologies, my blessings would ensure they could not use them." He replied in a quietly preoccupied tone.

Arianasa gave him a pointed look. "You cannot bless every piece of technology created in your name and even your most zealous priests and priestesses are only human. The undead could have easily gotten their hands on a piece of technology that had not been infused with your power and learned how to use it."

Prometheus shook his head as he turned to face her. "If it were only some pieces of equipment or weapons, that I could accept, but spaceships?" He asked. "No, there is more to this than that. The infrastructure required to build such ships is considerable and requires a high level of technological understanding. It requires expert scientists, technicians, large scale construction facilities and clean rooms. No, this is the work of an empire. An empire seemingly opposed to the ideals and freedoms we hold dear."

"Is there any chance this could be a tragic misunderstanding?" Arianasa asked softly. "Surely we should try to contact them again, assuming Davis is successful in determining where they are located. Even if I were not a goddess of peace and reason I could not abandon diplomacy so quickly. We know the context but not their motivations."

Prometheus sighed. "If there were merely humans aboard those ships I would fully agree with you, but never, in all of our history, have we ever known the undead to be anything other than immoral and power-hungry."

"Vampires and Liches can be reasonable!" She insisted. "You know this!"

Prometheus nodded. "Yes, they can, but the ones who attacked us were not reasonable when they destroyed the city. Any spacecraft able to travel such distances would have sensor technology sophisticated enough to see that the city was not a warship. The collection of civilian housing and infrastructure would have been obvious to them. Disabling it and then demanding surrender would have been the rational thing to do or at the very least disabling it and moving on as Aurelius suggested. There was no need for such senseless slaughter. Those who lost loved ones will bay for their blood in recompense and justice demands a reckoning. But even so, I cannot declare war on an enemy I cannot find or know nothing about. As I mentioned the fleet will be for reconnaissance and defense. I will not leave my people defenseless should they dare to attack again. In the meantime all we can do is wait and prepare while we tend to those who are in pain."

Arianasa nodded with a sigh, worry lining her face.


Prior combat region

A short time later...

Davis floated amidst the wreckage of the battle, his essence as insubstantial as the void around him. In situations such as this he preferred a diffuse non-corporeal form as any type of physical body, no matter how advanced, would do him little good here, it would only limit his investigation due to his divine senses being far more acute. Casting about with them in all directions at once he could feel the entire area awash in a multitude of various energies. Most would consider space empty but attuned as he was to the cosmic forces around him the region was anything but; each fluctuation or particle told a story if you were sensitive enough to read it. The fabric of reality was burned from the annihilating energies and ammunition that had been flung back and forth between the two ships. Further away he could sense the healed but still radiating scar created by the vortex energies the ships had used to depart once the battle was done. The bodies of the dead still floated amidst the ruins of the city ship, wedged between pieces of rock, titanium, and plastic, killed by falling debris or by decompression as their internal fluids boiled due to the immense pressure imbalance when the shielding had failed, exposing them to the vacuum. While their souls had already departed the massive amount of sudden death had created a potent and roiling sea of psychic turbulence that filled the area. Barely sparing a glance at the human corpses Davis instead focused his attention on the corpses of the ships nearby, moving towards them as he scanned them.

Confirming the ship types was the work of a few seconds, his mind analyzing their overall side and general shape. Nearing the damaged armor plating of one of the Frigates he focused his vision to examine it, analyzing the composition of the metals infused in it before calling upon his Domains of hidden knowledge and secrets to determine the process by which it had been created. To his surprise a dark veil covered his mind, preventing the information from being revealed to him as should have happened. With a mental frown he focused more of his power, attempting to pierce the energy that stymied his efforts, but after several long moments he still found his efforts frustrated. Making a mental note of this he decided to move on after examining the thickness and density of the substance as a matter of course, moving on to the main body of the ship itself.

He swiftly flowed around the perimeter, a thousand senses examining weapon bore sizes and shapes as well as their interiors, documenting how the weapons were fired and any residue that was left behind. He examined their shield emitters, noting the construction and design as well as the trace remains of energy left behind to determine the type and wavelength used. Similar examinations were done for their point defense arrays, sensor suites, torpedo turrets and missile bays, a flood of data filled his mind as countless measurements were taken, confirming the size of the munitions used and their general makeup along with spectral analysis to confirm the substances used in their warheads and propulsion systems as they shot through space. Potential weak points were examined where the shielding might be less than optimal based on emitter and point defense positioning. The engines at the rear were examined to determine the type of fuel used and their potential top speed as well as the system used to generate the FTL vortex. Slipping inside the ship he quickly moved along the various corridors, making note of not only what the interiors were made of but their design and aesthetics as well, giving him glimpses into the kind of culture they were dealing with. Moving to one of the main power generators he examined the massive machine, noting its fuel type as well as the general methods of power generation, though even here the dark miasma prevented him from learning the finer details he desired.

He continued updating the three dimensional visualization of the ship he continued creating in his mind, mapping out its maze of hallways and various decks as he went, making note of the galley and crew quarters as he briefly examined the various human bodies floating about, checking to see if anything of them were still conscious or intact. While none of them appeared alive he tagged a few for study once he had completed his tour of the ship. He briefly examined the cargo holds to see what supplies were included as well as the life support systems before moving on to the computer core. The lack of undead bodies surprised and confused him as even parts of the ship that were mostly undamaged were empty except for setting clouds of gas and dust here and there. Accessing the computer core he called upon his powers to disconnect the data drives from their connection racks. Even if, somehow, Prometheus was unable to pull the data directly from them, they could easily return and remove the computer core in its entirety before repairing it on Earth. Finally he moved to the bridge to get an understanding of its layout and the various systems monitored and controlled from there.

Exiting the ship he moved on to the others, performing the same thorough investigation of each one to confirm there was nothing different about their makeups or capabilities before scanning the region one last time for anything that hadn't caught his attention the first time before finally returning to Earth.