The girls were a bit surprised to see that it wasn't gonna be the Marines that had taken them over here talking to them. The dim, dark room had a central table with a few seats on one side and two opposite them. On those two seats, two people, a man and a woman clad in grey, unmarked uniforms with only their ranks on their shoulders, stared at the five. One of them looked over security footage from the moment they entered the place to the moment they were taken by the Marines to this back room, while the other simply looked at them sympathetically.
The man, the sympathetic one, spoke, "Please, stay calm. This isn't really anything major. We're here to ask you all a few questions and make sure you aren't here to harm anyone..." before casting a sideways glance at their bags and weapons. Hoshino partially understood the sentiment of fear. The random civilian, from what little they'd seen, was not packing any weaponry.
That was reserved for the soldiers and officers, like the two in front of them. Each had a heavy handgun in a black faux-leather holster on the right side, clipped to a utility belt that also had flashlights, pouches for extra magazines and some other small tools clipped to them. They weren't Police, though. Black uniformed police wasn't a thing. At least she knew it wasn't a thing in Kivotos.
Maybe it was here, on Skopje...
She was still wrapping her head around this being a different city, much more a different planet altogether. And going by the way the girls looked(like they were all waiting for someone to come steal their homework or school lunch money), they felt much the same. Just discombobulated about being pulled aside by the staff to be interrogated. When the woman was done watching the videos, she set the tablet aside, interlaced her fingers on the table and looked at Hoshi as she yawned, then said, "Well... You girls certainly surprised us. It ain't everyday someone walks in with vintage firearms painted to look like toys..."
"Vintage?" All five of'em blinked.
"Our stuff's supposed to be top-of-the-line..." Murmured Serika, looking over at their weapons. She blinked, shook her head and said, "W-Wait, why is it a surprise?"
"Because it's mostly military or cops carrying weapons. We're not on a planet with laws that allow this kind of stuff. Even if we were, flying without keeping them stowed somewhere safe, like in a gun box, unloaded, is against every agreed-upon human law," Offered the female cop. She continued, mildly miffed, "Even less so when they're painted in strident pinks, whites and blues like that."
"Oh," All five of them let out, some in a more flat tone than the others. Ayane's voice was still trembling as she fiddled with her hands and, upon seeing this, Nonomi put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder and rubbed it, trying to calm her down. The two police officers found it rather cute that the group cared that much about each-other, then looked at them.
"So, to actually get to the point of our little visitation," The male cop, or whatever type of officer he and his partner were, inquired, "... Were you girls here to commit any form of atrocity? If yes, admit it and tell us what cell you're working for, or... I don't know, why you wanted to do it. If not, well... How and why were you trying to travel with your firearms out in the open like that?"
Everyone looked to Hoshino as the girl let clicked her tongue. She noticed this, pointed at herself as if to ask 'you really want me to explain' and got a nod from the other four. With a sigh of tiredness and annoyance, she capitulated, turning to the cops and saying, "No, we weren't here to do harm. We just wanted to leave and, well... We didn't know... We come from a city named Kivotos, that has laws and stuff that allow us to carry guns. Plus, we kinda need'em for self defense, considering all the gangs and stuff there aaaaand~..." She yawned again. Damn, she was really tired. Meekly apologizing with a, "Sorreh..." she continued, "Well, you can guess."
"You come from a city where gangs are so rampant and hostilities occur so often that even the students need to be armed," Snorted the woman, arms crossed. She seemed to turn a bit melancholic, speaking, "Almost sounds like Texas. Man, I miss home..." then she cleared her throat and shook her head, turning back to her serious self. The girls smiled a bit at that, while the woman continued, "We also have your IDs. Takanashi Hoshino, group prez, Abydos Foreclosure Task Force..." pointing at her.
"Sunaookami Shiroko, second in command," She then pointed at the wolfgirl, who remained impassive, "Kurumi Serika, Secretary..." At the catgirl who furrowed her brows, "Okusora Ayane for Treasurer," at the trembling Elf, "And Izayoi Nonomi... You don't have a job description," at the minigun-toting bubbly girl. She spoke, "I would like to ask, both on-record and off-record, just what the hell you girls are... Floating Halos over your heads, animal and elf ears... Shit, the only normal ones of you are miss Takanashi and miss Izayoi, and even that's stretching it considering one carries an auto-shotgun and a heavy-duty shield and the other has a damn MINIGUN with her."
"Citizens of Kivotos," All five answered in an almost terrifyingly calm union of voices.
Hoshino chuckled and added upon that, "Our Halos keep us alive. You knock us out by overloading them through shooting, so nobody really dies in our fights. Other than that, our guns are our protection gear and... Yeah, I guess I can kiiiinda see why it'd be weird for schoolgirls to be carrying a shotgun like mine and a Minigun like Nonomi's..." and she gave an awkward smile and laugh. Though the two could tell she was faking it.
"Yeah," Sighed the woman. She checked something over on her tablet, saw a notification and flicked it away, then slid the tablet into her pocket and said, "Until we resolve some matters and find you a ride out of here, you can come stay with us at a nearby Forward Ops Base. We've got a bit of a situation on the planet, but I think we can get you out on a military transport. Find you a place to hang out 'till we find your home city. What do you say?"
The five looked to one-another, then to Hoshino, who sighed again at having to be picked to give the decision. Being prez of the Foreclosure Task Force was a busy life. Seeing no other alternative beside trusting these folks, though, Hoshino agreed, though she didn't show how careful she was about it. The man spoke, "Alright. Grab your bags and gear and let's get you moving."
Lifting their stuff, the group prepared to move. Ayane paused, however, then turned to ask the folks, "W-Wait... Why couldn't we just take shuttle out of the Terminal here? I mean, they're still flying, ri-" only to be interrupted by three pinging sounds from the Public Announcement System speakers, each a different tone, followed by a rather short pause. That'd gotten their attention.
A robotic voice spoke over the PA, the sound echoing across the Space Port, "ALL PASSENGERS OF THE SKOPJE SPACE PORT, ATTENTION, PLEASE. ALL PASSENGERS OF THE SKOPJE SPACE PORT, ATTENTION PLEASE:DUE TO UNFORESEEN ORBITAL DISTURBANCES, ALL OUTBOUND AND INCOMING FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN DELAYED FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING..."
"O-Oh..." The elven girl with the red halo deflated.
Hoshino chuckled and said, "Relax, Aya! We'll get outta here with the troops, eh?" And she patted her on the back. Grabbing their gear and following the two officers, both of whom now seemed a little more stiff and concerned, the girls exited back out onto the main concourse, to the sight of people confronting the Marines on-site. A few Marines marched over to them and started providing escort through the crowds of angry people.
They passed by one of the Marines and a woman clad in a very fancy suit, the woman arguing, "Joe! C'mon, man, you gotta let us through! My mom's back on Miridem and you know I gotta get to her! She's in the hospital!" as she grabbed onto the hands of what seemed to be a friend. Beside her, dozens of others argued with ticket vendors and Marines present on-site.
"I know, Jen... Sorry, we can't do shit," The man replied, seemingly hesitant, "Orders from above..."
"That's fucking-..." The woman growled, then sighed, "I'll get in touch with your CO, sort this shit out myself!" and she stormed off.
Hoshino felt a pit form in her gut as she saw the Marines whispering to one-another. Police in riot gear was also on-site, their orange, opaque visors obstructing their faces. Several carried shotguns loaded with rubber rounds, others carried batons. The Marines shoved their way through with the two officers. An officer, wearing body armor, stepped out among the crowd with a megaphone and cried out, "Please, disperse back to your homes! The situation will be handled momentarily and the Starliner staff will call you when your ticket to head out is up!"
Ayane was shaking. Hoshino took her hand and gripped it tightly, trying to calm her down as she held her shotgun close, but on safe. She looked at the Marines flanking them, several of them taller than the girls themselves. They wore balaclavas and opaque visors on their helmets, too, rifles held close. She noticed their guns were off of safe. The Crowds behind began to argue more loudly just as the group exited out of the front door.
Cathy ran up to them and said, "Harry, Mara! Wait!" and the girls soon saw she was wearing heavy-duty combat gear and had her rifle on her as well. She smiled at the girls upon seeing them, though it was strained. She stopped the two officers and asked them, "Where the fuck are you taking them...? They need to get off this rock, ASAP...!" while lights flashed in the sky above. The girls all craned their heads up.
"We're taking them to FOB Alpha in the castle... Our Prowler's landed there. We can get them off the planet easy," Replied the female, Mara.
"You're shitting me...! It's still got fifteen minutes to refuel, if they're here in force, we won't manage to get her off the ground!" The Logistician snapped at the officer.
Wisps of light appeared in the sky, exchanged between two points in the terrifyingly clear blue. Nonomi spoke, voice shaky and hopeful, "Wonder if it's a... Meteor shower, or something..."
"Meteor showers don't look like that," Serika's voice cracked. She caressed the handguard of her rifle to settle her nerves, "No way, no how, no matter the planet. They're all supposed to look the same... Coming down together..." And she paused. All five girls covered their eyes as a massive flash of light came from above, with several gasps echoing out from civvies and soldiers outside.
"... Must've been the Saratoga..." Whispered Cathy, "That can't be fuckin' good..."
Spine-chilling wails soon filled the ears of everyone present. The wails of Disaster Sirens, pitching up and down, reverberated into the hearts of the young women and the Marines present. Another terrifying moment later, two more massive flashes filled the sky like two new, short-lived suns. Shiroko's first emotion shown for the day was fear, her voice breaking as she asked, "What the heck was that...?!"
The alarms continued to wail as the sun, which was at the center of the sky, began to fade, then disappeared, casting a wide shadow on where they were. Cathy scowled, then said, "Mara, Harry, let's FUCKING GO!" before she ran toward a series of military vehicles parked in a row. The Marines and Officers followed behind, dragging the girls with them, much to their chagrins and screams of concern.
As the sun was blotted out, the girls stared up. Hoshino could, at first, not make out anything beside the Sun's disappearance. Then, a form slowly resolved in the blue, like a giant, pregnant whale, twisted and changed. Blue, shimmering lights appeared next, then the details, a long, craning 'neck', a wide, terrifyingly bright belly. She broke into view then. Massive, its hull resembling an ancient sea monster from old tales, a starship slowly bore down upon the planet, splitting the heavens in two with its dark form.
As the girls were brought on board the UNSC vehicles, Ayane let out a scream and pointed. Swarms of flies emerged from the belly of the beast above. No, not flies. Flyers. Starfighters. The girls covered their ears as an autocannon opened fire behind them. Looking back, they saw a dozen anti-air artillery pieces firing up into the sky at the incoming swarms. The city itself erupted in volleys of tracers and missiles that arced into the sky, followed by azure explosions. The alarms wailed louder in their ears, almost drowning out the cannons. Almost.
Swarms of teardrop-shaped fighters and skeletal bird-like aircraft strafed the city and the highway. The screams of the people filled their ears, drowning out the engines Cathy and the other UNSC troops had just barely managed to start. The vehicles roared on the tarmac, then onto the roadway as the alien fighters swept down. Flashes of azure light filled the sky, bolts of plasma coming down upon civilian and military vehicles alike.
The girls screamed aloud as a civilian car beside them was struck, exploding in a flash and washing the Warthog in shrapnel. Cathy swore, "FUCK!" as she put the pedal to the medal. The gunner on the back swiveled a minigun on its mount and opened fire into the sky, raking one of the enemy craft with fire. It flashed and flared, showing the Force Field that enveloped it as it swooped in for another strafe.
Ayane bowed her head and covered her ears, screaming bloody murder. Hoshino, to her credit, however, remained composed, drawing her shotgun and taking potshots at the enemy as they came their way. Beside her, Serika screamed, but fired her rifle, too. She reloaded as Cathy radioed, "This is Three-Charlie-Bravo, en-route to FOB with seven HVIs! CONFIRMING WINTER CONTINGENCY, OUT!" before slamming the transmitter down on the dash and barking, "STRAP IN!" at the girls.
An IFV behind them, a heavy-duty tracked vehicle, swiveled its automated turret to meet the threats. 30mm cannon fire filled the sky in rapid bursts, catching a few of the skeletal craft in its volley. One of the birds took three shots, shattering mid-flight. The teardrop shaped starcraft behind it replied in kind, its plasma cannons raking the IFV and melting its armor.
The IFV detonated behind them, holes bored into its armor and crew compartment by the guns of the aircraft. Hoshino barked, "WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE THINGS?!"
"Covenant!" Cathy replied with a whine, "Sons of bitches...! Alien fucking invaders, girl! SIT DOWN BEFORE YOU GET YOUR HEAD BLOWN OFF!" And she dragged Hoshino into her seat, forcing her to duck below the dash of the vehicle. Two more Warthogs rolled up behind her, the survivors of the Convoy. One fired a Gauss cannon at the flying enemy assets as they veered onto a dirt road. She told the girls, "Hang on tight... Road's getting bumpy...!"
Ayane screamed still. The girl screamed in bursts, barely able to catch her breath as Nonomi held her close, she herself trembling as she watched explosions bracket the city skyline to their left. One by one, she saw tracer bursts disappear. The city's lights went dark as a distant explosion sent a rippling shockwave through the area, one that reached them a second later and nearly knocked the air out of their lungs.
Serika dipped back into the car, holding onto the roll cage and hyper ventilating. She grabbed onto her chest, tugging at her tie. She finally managed to loosen it and gulp down a big gasp of air, then screamed, "What just happened to us!? What is going on!?" at Cathy. The girl looked back, staring into the red, tear-filled eyes of the catgirl. Biting her lower lip, Cathy kept driving, annoyed.
"That's the Covenant," The girl spoke more clearly now, casting quick glances at Hoshino and the others, "An Alien Hegemony we've been at war with for the past twenty-two fucking years. They've wiped the floor with us every single time we met in battle, killed tens of billions... I'd prayed and prayed that they'd never get to Skopje, thought that the reports of them coming for the Inner Colonies were bogus..." then she laughed at the absurdity of it all, raising her open left hand in an exaggerated motion, "And then there the fuckers are! Skopje isn't even that goddamn important..."
Hoshino's usual self was noticeably absent right now. She stared up at the Covenant's craft bearing down on convoys of evacuating civilians. A burst of plasma split the highway behind them in two as swarms of craft fell upon the city, its defenses waning. Two more Covenant ships also flew in, these ones smaller, also spewing craft. What looked to be Drop Ships, in fact. Bifurcated air assets with a single cannon at the base landed a few miles behind them, deploying what looked to be vehicles.
"Ghosts in the rear!" The Gauss Hog gunner reported, "We're staying behind to delay them!" and the vehicle braked, drifted about and turned to engage what looked to be manta-shaped Hoverbikes. The Gauss cannon flared and the first Covenant craft detonated, its crew pulverized. The second raked them with plasma fire, but they faded over the horizon before the girls could see what happened to the Marines.
"ONI Prowler Red Horse, this is Lieutenant Mara McKay! Captain Foucault, status on your refueling at FOB?!" Mara's voice played over the com.
"Ten mikes! Ten minutes remaining!" The man in charge replied, "Hold the line for as long as you can when you get here... Covvies seem to be avoiding this place and I think we know why, going by the Artifact we found in the main Hall of the Castle," and the girls felt the Warthogs barrel in through the gate of the massive castle, a perfect defense structure pressed against a nearby mountain. Anti-Aircraft Guns mounted in the towers filled the air with tracers, missile batteries mounted on trucks joining in. The air defense was thick. Very thick.
Cathy jumped out first, then helped the girls dismount. Ayane had to be dragged out by Nonomi, having gone completely catatonic in the run, her screaming stopped. She breathed hoarsely, holding onto herself and hyperventilating. The girls moved her out of the Warthog to one of the sandbag walls behind the base. She was still semi-coherent, with Serika tending to her.
The girls were so in a rush to get to cover with Ayane that Hoshino had almost missed the massive vessel landed behind them. Occupying most of the Courtyard where the castle's 'Citadel' wasn't, a black-hulled vessel with an almost reflective hull stood behind them, its ramps lowered. Two dozen Marines guarded the entrance as Cathy went to talk to them.
The vessel was massive, to the point even Shiroko let out a muted, "Holy crap..." as she stared at it. Hoshino, mouth agape, looked over the vessel's sleek profile and design. It bore a strange symbol on its front, drawn in what seemed to be a vanishing, self-isolated paint. A pyramid shape emblem with the letters O. N. I. written below it. She looked to Mara and Harry as they moved to the crew to talk to them. Overhead, the wails of antigravity engines filled the air.
Hoshino blinked, then jumped over her cover as Serika cried out, "Hoshino, wait!" then rushed up one of the defensive towers, gripping her shotgun tightly. One of the anti-air gun's loaders called out, "Hey, kid, the hell are you doing up here!?" as she approached the edge of the roof. She gasped as she saw the ventral lines of the ship heat up from a dull red, to a burning auburn, then to a blinding white.
She felt her hair stand on-end as the massive vessel's side lit up into a blade of heat. The volley that struck the city below vaporized ten city blocks and caused several skyscrapers to collapse. Hoshino's heart stuck in her throat, her halo flickering as fear got the better of her. She fell to her knees... If that damn thing fired at them where they were, they'd be vaporized on the spot, no chance of fighting back.
"Holy fuck..." Murmured the gunner.
The officer told him, "Keep your eyes on the prize, Marine! Keep those damn birds away from us or none of us are getting off this damn rock!" then walked up to the girl, lifted her onto her feet and told her, "Get back down-stairs! If you gotta use that gun, use it to keep your friends safe. We got the airways clear 'till the Red Horse is fueled and they can get that damn artifact outta here..."
Hoshino nodded, trembling, then ran back downstairs and toward the girls. Serika demanded, "What the hell just happened!?" to which Hoshino couldn't find the words to speak. She shook her head and swallowed her own spit, trying to still her heart. She checked if her shotgun was loaded, then topped it off with a pair of high-ex buckshot shells. The girls, seeing this, all reloaded their own rifles, Nonomi hefting the Minigun and leaning it against the wall for support.
Shiroko spoke, "It's that bad...?"
"Half the city... Gone..." Hoshino whimpered, causing the four to pause, eyes widening. She shook her head, narrowed her eyes and said, "Focus, girls... We gotta make it off this rock..." before she stood up and shouldered her shotgun. Several layers of defense, including a thick armored door, stood between them and the enemy. She looked to see Cathy and several other Marines join them, then said, "Think we can hold?"
"We've noticed a pattern in Covvies not shooting at us if we have something they want," Cathy murmured, then jabbed a thumb back and said, "We got an artifact aboard the Captain's ship, extracted from a nearby dig site. Covvies haven't glassed this castle and everyone in it yet because they want it. If luck is on our side... They won't shoot at us while we make the jump out either."
"So it's all a matter of luck..." Serika whimpered, then double-checked her gun, "O-okay, we'll hold with you."
"You should get the fuck inside, girls," Cathy told them, then paused as thumping echoed. Up above, the autocannons providing anti-air cover increased their fire, washing the sky in black clouds from their flak rounds. Flashes of light emerged through the clouds, however, shielded fighters bearing down on the compound as to distract the guns and missiles from what seemed to be landing drop ships.
The gate ahead buckled under fire as the few civvies in the area were being pulled back. Ayane trembled as she poked over the edge, watching the gate dent, warm to white, then explode open. Volleys of plasma fire and purple needle-like projectiles filled the air ahead, the first line's Marines taking bursts of weapon fire. Serika and the others immediately opened fire in greeting, focusing every single shot at their disposal at the door. The only ones not firing were Hoshino and her, Hoshino because she had a shotgun and her...
... Because she was afraid... Too afraid to even move...
She looked over to Hoshino, seeing the girl with a scowl the likes of which none had seen her wear before. She prepared her shotgun with an almost menacing aura, her halo flickering. She huffed as Serika and the others fired bursts, with Serika murmuring something to herself with tears in her eyes. She yelped, however, ducking into cover as a Marine ahead of her quite literally exploded under a plasma burst's hit. She screamed and wiped gore and viscera from her eyes. Nonomi dropped to her knees and handed her a handkerchief before poking out again and firing her minigun.
Diminutive aliens appeared through the smoke of the gate's destruction. The first wave, clad in strange armor with tanks on their backs, they were the bullet sponges. Marines fired at the little buggers, who were armed with strange-looking plasma pistols. The small aliens tumbled over when shot, their fluorescent blue blood smearing the pavement below.
Still, the small creatures fired back, bursts of plasma striking Marines. One man lost his arm, while a second lost his head. Nonomi's own heart raced, firing off like her minigun as she swept toward the grunts of the enemy force. Her bullets connected, tearing muscle and sinew and bouncing off of armor plate. The little critters let out screams of pain, collapsed and died. One's methane tank burst in a colorful explosion, wounding several of its comrades.
Shiroko grit her teeth and switched her rifle to semi-automatic, peering through her ACOG scope and going for headshots. A Marine beside her, armed with a DMR of some kind, did much the same. Doming the small aliens was easy. They waddled and were easy targets, but they came in massive packs, meaning she had to make her shots count if bigger ones were to come.
One of the autocannons above exploded. Banshees swarmed overhead, firing their plasma cannons. The second, third and fourth cannons followed suit. The SPAA around them, busy reloading their missiles, also detonated one by one, forcing the Red Horse's few laser batteries to take charge of the defense. Pulse beams lanced forward, cutting down air assets with direct hits, the crew well aware just how bad of an idea dragging the enemy's attention toward them would be.
Shiroko shifted her aim and gasped as she saw taller aliens appear. Bird-like creatures, armed with pistols and shields, charged in next, their energy shields overlapping like a phalanx as they pushed forth. Behind them, the tallest aliens pushed in next. The squad leaders, from the looks, hinge-jawed, hunchback and with double-jointed legs, they fired their handheld plasma rifles with deadly accuracy, some even utilizing strange porcupine-like pistols.
The wolfgirl yelped as a blast of plasma washed over her chest, sending her tumbling to the floor. Serika cried, "SHIROKO!" as she turned and ran toward her. She caught two needles in the side that shattered on her Halo's protective field, but still hurt. Dropping to her knees, she checked Shiroko's breathing and sighed in relief, "She's still alive...!" then gasped and looked at her clothes, "But... She's... She's got burns...!" before looking to Ayane. She called out, "Ayane! Please, help her!"
The young elven woman swallowed and nodded, taking a medical kit from her bag and crawling over to the girl. She opened it and started tending to Shiroko just as a Marine came in with his own First Aid Trauma Kit. The two started working, with the young man telling her, "Steady as she goes. She's gonna be fine..." before humming and pausing, "... The burns are surprisingly superficial."
"L-L-Long story..." Ayane's voice trembled. The man nodded, applied an anti-burn cream of some kind and showed the girl he was gonna pick her up and take her aboard. Ayane nodded.
"Cathy, wait!" She gasped as she heard Mara call out to her friend. The girl poked her head out from behind the cover they were using and saw Cathy running toward a wounded Harry, the man having caught several of those purple needles in the side. Mara grabbed Hoshino as the girl started firing at the Elites advancing their way, then said, "ROGER!" as she listened in on coms. She turned to Hoshino and barked, " SHE'S REFUELED! GET YOUR FRIENDS ABOARD, NOW!"
Hoshi paused, looked over toward Cathy with trembling hands, then back to Mara. Mara said, "GO! NOW! IT'S AN ORDER!" only for them to all nod. They ran toward the ramps of the ship as her engines roared to life. Mara caught the first blast from a sniper, dropping dead. Cathy looked over and cried out to her, then looked toward Hoshino. Hoshino felt her voice stick in her throat as she was about to yell out for the girl.
Ayane stopped to look too, yelling for her, "MISS CATHY!" only for her eyes to shoot wide open. One of the hunchback Elites appeared behind Cathy as the girl prepared to run back with the other Marines. It had appeared as if out of thin air, wearing a strangely black armor and carried a twin blade of blue, shimmering energy. Ayane and Hoshino both gasped, about to cry out for her once more.
... They watched fearfully as the blade pierced through the woman's back and came out through the front. The Elite lifted her up with one hand, time seemingly slowing around the two girls as they watched the woman draw her last breaths on the sword, staring at them with tearful emerald eyes. The Elite scoffed and lowered the blade quickly, tossing the woman's corpse aside.
Ayane's breath caught in her throat. Hoshino could do little but drag her inside the ship as the ramp closed, the girl completely blank now, staring at the Elite as it barked orders toward them. Its auburn eyes locked with hers and all she could see was fury and hatred. Finally aboard the Red Horse, the girls felt its engines kick into maximum power as it lifted off, launching off into the void, shaking as it took fire.
The ship powered its engines to maximum, veering away from the planet and through the debris field. Captain Foucault ordered, "Random slipspace solution per Cole Protocol Article 4! DO IT!" as he braced. Behind them, a planet burned. Behind them, friends had perished. Captain Tobias Foucault had always hated leaving places like that... But the HVIs and the Artifact aboard mattered too much. A horrific trade, he thought.
Lives for a goddamn trinket...
Only five saved...