Darkness lay everywhere. A black canvas upon which shone tiny dots of light. There was no warmth here, no sound, no smell, only a coldness that would still any creature that dared walk its void unaided. Out of that darkness shone a great light, warping the very space itself, from which a behemoth made entirely of metal jutted out into existence. The alloys that formed its skin glowed with a resplendent white as it exited out of the portal of light, a glow that dulled with the progress of its exit, revealing alloys of gold and pink, then a faded yellow text that read: Titanic.
Minutes passed, yet the portal showed no signs of closing, and neither did the behemoth’s length show signs of ending. Kilometers trawled on, until at last, the portal closed, and the massive rockets with which the ship sailed were revealed. Bluish light burst from behind as the ship sailed alone in the darkness, until the space everywhere behind warped, and the darkness lit up. Portals of light opened everywhere, and out of them jutted out into existence a warship each. They were smaller than the first ship, in alloys white and blue, though imposing in their own right, each equipped with an armament of big guns. They followed slowly behind the ship as though in escort, and when the last of the portals closed, a voice sounded through the comms channel.
“This is Gamma-1, confirming the successful execution of the jump. All crew members and subordinate ships accounted for and in good health.”
“This is Beta-1, echoing Gamma-1. Warp-in successful.”
“Delta-1, echoing Beta-1 and Gamma-1. Jump successful. We are a-okay.”
Reports of the like quickly filled the comms channel as all the escorts reported to the Titanic.
“Received and acknowledged. All ships confirmed in good condition,” the comms officer in the Titanic said as he turned around to face the man seated at the flag bridge. “Admiral, warp-in is successful.”
A dark-skinned middle-aged man with a head full of dark hair spoke from his seat. “Excellent. Order all ships to maintain convoy formation and set autopilot for forward cruising speed.”
As the comms officer repeated the order to the escorts, the admiral stood up from his chair and said, “Now then, gentlemen. I believe we have a party to attend.”
Three mugs filled to the brim clinked loudly. Some of the beer spilled, but not a soul cared amidst the crowd and music. One of the men spoke deliriously while swaying.
“What did I tell you, Buzz? This is the best job ever.”
Buzz similarly swayed. “You said it, Rick! We didn’t even have to lift a finger!”
The third man spoke. “State-of-the-art tech, state-of-the-art AI, state-of-the-art-everything, I almost feel bad for being paid!”
“And it’s a luxury liner too! Free money, booze, women, the finest delicacies, what more could you ask for?” Rick said.
“A drink to that!” Buzz raised his mug up high before downing it in one gulp.
“I’d agree with you, but where are the women?” The third asked.
“What do you mean where? Just look around you!” Rick pointed around him.
It was a buffet-style cocktail party in the open hall of the titanic, and well-dressed people could be seen everywhere. That included beautiful women too, but there was just one problem.
“None of these women will give us the time of day!” The third complained, to which Rick merely stared on blankly for a few seconds before burping loudly.
The third frowned in disgust, while Buzz laughed, and only after wiping his mouth did Rick say, “Why not?”
“What do you mean ‘why not’? Look at yourself, Rick!”
A beer bellied blond dressed in a disorderly suit with flushed cheeks, disoriented eyes, and a breath that reeked of liquor. He was a drunk through and through.
Rick burped again before saying, “Bah! Just watch me.”
He looked around them, and when he spotted a slender yet voluptuous fair-skinned pink-haired woman in a fine dress, he knew he’d found his target. When she noticed him looking in her direction, a suave smile surfaced on him, and he gave her his signature wink. The woman froze before openly grimacing.
She’d purchased a ticket to join this mad expedition in hopes of gathering data, but who would’ve thought that she’d find low lives like these here. Suddenly, she wasn’t so hopeful for this trip. As the nerves on her forehead seemed to pop, she grabbed a cocktail from a waiter and took a generous sip of it.
“Then again, maybe this trip was slated for failure the moment that darned clown named this ship after the Titanic,” she cursed under her breath.
“Vivian Leizas, the electronic fairy,” a voice called out to her from behind, and when she turned to it, a tall man was there. He towered over her in a suit, a monocle, and with a well-groomed head full of blond hair.
“I didn’t think someone of your reputation would hold such superstitious beliefs,” he said before taking a sip from his cocktail glass.
“Eavesdropping is a horrible hobby. What are you doing here?” She emphasized on the you, but the man just snorted.
“What? Am I not allowed to be here?” He asked, and Vivian clicked her tongue.
“Whatever,” she said before walking away when a flame suddenly burst from the podium, drawing everyone’s attention.
Three performers in wooden masks and traditional skirts spat fire into the air. Drums beat as the fire formed a wall. When the flames abated, a performer with a skull mask and staff appeared. He danced along with the rest of the performers, gathering around a performer in civilian clothes, then the skull staff tapped against the floor, and all the tribesmen caught on fire, giving their leader the appearance of a burning skull as he sang from his throat.
A tall young woman with pale skin and blue hair tied into a braided bun in a long flowing black gown watched with rapt attention when a voice called out to her.
“Enjoying yourself, Marianne?”
Marianne turned to the voice to see an older man with a head full of white hair and a majestic gray beard. With his white ceremonial clothing and the gray symbol on It, a dome over an inverted T, he seemed to be a priest.
“Adjudicator,” she said, before lifting her skirt into a bow. “Thank you for inviting me to this trip. It’s been nothing but new experiences for me. There have been so many things that I would’ve never seen had I stayed in the convent.”
The priest laughed. “Come now, Marianne, what use are such formalities between us?”
Marianne glanced back at the performance. They stomped in beat as they spun closer to the civilian, until at last, they broke form and turned completely into flames, leaving behind only the civilian. Only now he was masked.
“I’ve always been curious about other religions. So, this is how they express themselves,” she said.
“Hah! What religion?” The priest laughed.
“Is this not a ceremony of some sort?” Marianne innocently asked.
“Oh, Marianne. This is just a performance. For entertainment,” the priest pointed out.
A sinister electronic played in place of the now silent drums as the man fearfully reached for the mask. The mask of the civilian was different from the wooden masks. It was dark, purple, grotesque, and alive.
“It means absolutely nothing. You’ll find that the secular world is full of these. Expressions with no substance, pursuits without meaning, idleness given form,” the priest was smiling, but his eyes were not. “But of course, vanity need not necessarily mean nihility.”
The priest grabbed a cocktail from a waiter passing by and admired the aroma wafting from it before downing it in one gulp.
“Ah~” The priest said as though in ecstasy. “Liquor. One of the pleasures we’ve been granted privilege to. What do you say, Marianne? Care for a taste?”
Marianne wryly smiled, and the priest shook his head, chuckling to himself. “Always a stickler for the rules, I see. Might I suggest you try mocktails instead then?”
“Mocktails?” Marianne asked curiously.
“Non-alcoholic cocktails,” the priest said.
“Oh, that’s a thing?” Marianne asked.
“Of course. Though we’d have to order it, I suppose,” the priest turned his head, and Marianne followed to find the bar station in front of which sat Vivian. A pink-filled cocktail glass clinked against the counter.
“Your Strawberry Dream Delight is ready,” the dark-haired bartender said as he presented her the cocktail glass filled with that sickeningly sweet pink liquid. She eyed it curiously for a moment before eventually taking a sip.
“Not bad, a bit too sweet on its own, though,” she said before finding that a bowl of spiced nuts had already been prepared. “Very good, but how did you know I liked this combination?”
The bartender wryly smiled. “The electronic fairy has no lack of admirers.”
“Oh?” She raised her glass to admire the sparkling pink inside. “Are you one of my admirers? I reckon it’s just for my face, though.”
“It’s admiration all the same,” he said.
She poured the pink cocktail down her throat. “To not know the spirit within, don’t you think that’s too sad for admiration?”
The bartender smiled as he pondered his response when another voice spoke up.
“Vanity need not necessarily mean nihility, Young Lady.” It was the priest. “Excuse me, Bartender. Could I ask you to prepare a wonderful mocktail to introduce our Marianne to the world of vain pleasures?”
“Of course, Sir. Right away,” the bartender replied.
Marianne and the priest took a seat of their own at the counter, while Vivian looked grumpily at the priest.
“Does everyone on this ship eavesdrop as their hobby?” She asked.
“Apologies. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but my ears just happen to be a little better than most,” the priest said.
“You do radiate with somberness, Madam, a stark contrast to the people making merry,” Marianne said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vivian said.
“Your Blue Lagoon is ready,” the bartender interjected as he set the cocktail glass in front of Marianne.
It was filled with a sparkling blue liquid. Marianne’s eyes opened wide.
“My, how beautiful,” she said. “It’s just like a diamond.”
“A sea of diamonds for the Young Lady,” the bartender said with a bow, to which Marianne raised her glass with a nod, and Vivian clicked her tongue.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may have your attention please.” The MC spoke, drawing the attention of all the guests to the podium. “As the festivities continue tonight, we have the distinct honor and privilege of hearing from our very own Fleet Admiral Anderson. Please join me in giving a warm round of applause. Admiral, the floor is yours!”
Away from the festivities though still within the same ship was a group of men dressed in a completely different sort of outfit from the partygoers. Hooded fur jackets beneath which were thick armor and further beneath was an apparel meant for space, but most conspicuous of all were the masks they wore, a gray cybernetic mask that covered their entire face and glowed with six red orbs for the eyes. They were currently at the docking station of the Titanic. Most of the men hurried about their way, carrying various equipment, but one of the men seemed to speak to the air.
“H1,” the man said. “What’s your status?”
Really, he was speaking through his implants to communicate with a friendly.
“H1? Hacker one? Can’t you come up with a better code?”
The man clicked his tongue. “It’s simple and it works. Don’t sweat the small details and just tell me how much progress you’ve made.”
The person he was talking to was seated within the Open Hall and dressed luxuriously unlike him or his men. She sat at one of the tables in the balcony of the open hall and watched with a bemused smile as the middle-aged man dressed in a decorated white uniform received the mic from the MC.
“Who do you think you’re talking to, Commander?” She said. “I’m in already.”
Oblivious to the happenings in the dock, the admiral of the ship started his speech. “Thank you, Geneve,” he nodded to the MC before addressing the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, officers and sailors, distinguished guests, I am Fleet Admiral Anderson, and I am honored to stand before you this evening to accompany you in this historic moment.”
A screen surfaced on the field of view of the guests, prompting them to connect with the ship, and upon accepting, the interior of the ship vanished for them. Darkness extended everywhere until a light appeared. It was a planet.
“As you’re well aware, we began our journey this morning from Planet Novaria to make our way into the jump gate at Sirius VIII.”
The small planet zoomed out to reveal a fully mapped-out star system. A line traveled from one planet into a massive structure consisting of four cloves that opened up as a spaceship entered it.
“That brought us to Sirius IX, where we rode the trade lanes until Planet Terra Solis and cruised for the jump hole in the Terra Nebula.”
The three-dimensional image shifted to a new star system, where the ship could be seen riding the trade lane to zoom through space until it exited to find itself before a brown planet. From there, it slowly cruised for a corner of space filled with clouds of gas and electricity to enter a tear in the space.
“Bringing us to the Umbra Sector.”
The three-dimensional image shifted to another star system, but while before, the star systems were teeming with life, what with the number of planets, trading lanes, jump gates, and other structures, the map for this star system was barren.
“Or more specifically, Periphery-IX, the last system before the Unnamed Sector. Humanity has expanded rapidly since the day we departed from our birth planet. And though there remains many obstacles preventing the complete dominion of humanity over space, none has eluded us as much as the Unnamed Sector.”
The 3-D image changed to show a slide show of planets and systems, including various data from the physical characteristics to the geological features and potential for life.
“On the surface, there is nothing wrong with any of these systems or planets, yet none of our explorers have ever returned.”
Full-scaled models of various men and women in space suits appeared.
“Commander Matthew Harris, Dr. Astrid Bjornsen, Dr. Jessica Lee, to name a few; all well decorated men and women with a trove of experience under their belt, yet not one of them has ever contacted us again, much less return.”
The men and women vanished to be replaced by a grand fleet with a massive ship at the lead and a terrifying battalion following right behind.
“That’s where we come in. With a fleet of over a hundred warships in tow, we will explore these lands and bring justice to our predecessors. Though we might sit among luxury in this ship, make no mistake, we are about to make history.”
The open hall erupted into a crescendo of applause, but Vivian rolled her eyes. The admiral seemed to want to make a big deal out of this whole expedition, but the clown behind it really meant for it to be nothing but entertainment. ‘Kefka’s Luxury Adventure into the Periphery’. It was right in the flyer.
“Flyers in this day and age,” Vivian muttered to herself. “What a joke.”
The sharp sound of glass shattering interrupted her thoughts. She decoupled her AR implant from the ship’s and turned around to find the bartender on the ground, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, his shoulders quivering with the sound of his breath.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
He looked up at her for a moment, only to avert his eyes.
“I-I’m fine,” he said.
She was sure he was no such thing. Bloodshot eyes, ragged breath, and the amount of sweat that slid down his face was surely anything but fine.
“Excuse me,” he briskly walked away.
“Hey!” Vivian called out, but the man was already gone. He didn’t even bother to clean up the shattered glass.
Marianne looked curiously at the bartender as he walked away before turning to the adjudicator next to her. His attention seemed occupied by something else. When she followed his gaze, she noted a tall man with a monocle leaving the open hall.
Cold water poured from the faucet into the sink. A pair of hands cupped beneath to gather a small inlet before Zevach generously splashed it onto himself. He leaned onto the counter sink to peer into his reflection. A pair of dark eyes, a complexion that was warm and gold, and a head full of black hair that now dripped with water. It was a face that would be called handsome in most circles if not for the dark circles that plagued his eyes. Nightmares have been haunting him in the week leading up to this gig. Strangely enough, he never could recall what the nightmares were, but the fear of them was enough to keep him up at night.
He fished out a stick of Blue Dust from his pocket and turned it on. His eyes glowed blue as he inhaled its nanobots into his system. It would’ve been better were it just the fear, but alas. A cloud of blue left his lips, and he took a closer look at his eyes. Red cracks could be seen crawling on his sclera. They were thick and bloody, and the pupils themselves seemed dilated. It was getting worse, wasn’t it? Just what was it he was seeing in his dreams?
The moment he thought that, all sounds vanished to be replaced by a sharp ring. His face twisted in agony as his jaws parted into a silent scream, dropping the Blue Dust, while his hands held tightly onto the counter, the veins on them seemingly about to burst. Then just as abruptly, the worst of the pain ceased, and Zevach found himself heaving and puffing over the counter. He tried to distract himself again with the cold of the water, but the skull-splitting migraine just seemed to grow worse.
“Behold the periphery line! Just past this line is a world no man has ever lived to tell the tale of!”
The booming voice of the admiral resounding through the PA speakers did not help. With a thought, Zevach linked his AR implant, and the star map from earlier appeared before him. That was what everyone else was seeing in the open hall. There was a boundary line far away from where they’d entered that marked the Edge of the World, or to be more precise, the Edge of Human Space, and they were cruising straight for it.
“As we cruise for the periphery, we are moments away from greatness! Join me as we count down in celebration of this historic moment!”
Zevach’s head throbbed with every word that boomed out of the PA speakers, and soon the lights in the ceiling were bursting into flashes. It was a struggle just to keep his eyes open, but he knew from experience that if Blue Dust did not work, he would just have to endure it, so he tried to distract himself with the admiral’s performance and watched the ship moving on the map.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“5!” The admiral’s voice boomed with the chant of the crowd, and a fog began to fill Zevach’s mind, transforming the world into a blur, while nausea too began to set in, threatening to spill his lunch.
“4!” The world spun. At last, the act of remaining afoot proved too much, so he dropped to the floor and leaned his back against the counter.
“3!” The world seemed to grow darker, though the lights remained as blinding as ever. He could close his eyes, and the lights would sear him all the same.
“2!” There were voices now. Voices other than that annoying admiral. Quiet voices that whispered at him, though what they whispered he could not make out, or rather, did not want to make out.
“1!” Darkness lay everywhere, but beyond that stood something else before him. From the feet, was a lump of darkness in human shape. That must be the sleep demon he’s heard so much of, but he was not fool enough to look up and meet its eyes.
Then 0. At last, the ship crossed the periphery, the white line on the map turning red, and for a moment, nothing happened, but then the ship rumbled, and Zevach found himself looking up.
It was supposed to be the defining moment of his career, the moment when he etched his name into the annals of history as the one who dared venture and returned, surpassing all those before him. After all, a fleet of over a hundred warships should be able to deal with any threat that might have been waiting for them. That was more firepower than any had brought to the Unnamed Sector before. That’s why he was so confident as to leave the bridge and start a count down here in the open hall of the Titanic, yet against all odds and all common sense, that moment came, and as defining as it was, it was proving to be his own undoing.
“Admiral, this is Alpha team! We’re taking heavy fire! Hull breach on Deck 5, casualties mounting!”
“Delta team! What the hell are these things!?”
“Echo team reporting, Sir! Hostiles unidentified! They’re shooting at each other! What the fuck is going on!?”
Messages came pouring in through the comms channel as forwarded by his Comms Officer, Lt. Wilson. A drop of sweat slid down Admiral Anderson’s forehead as he realized that the situation was quickly looking dire. To make things worse, he hadn’t a clue what was going on. Connect, he said internally, and his implant immediately connected with the ship’s systems.
[Connecting…]
[Welcome Back, Admiral]
Teal screens surfaced on his field of view everywhere, but he put all of those aside with a thought to bring up a 3-D projection of the fleet and the entire space area around them. As the fleet admiral, he had access to real time data regarding all of the ships’ vital information, position, and visual information. The advancements of technology have made leading a fleet very much like a game, but unfortunately, just as he was about to catch a glimpse of the situation, a screen popped up.
[You do not have sufficient privileges.]
Admiral Anderson’s heart dropped like a rock. A part of his mind froze, and for a while, he just kept trying the same thing over and over. Just what was going on here? Had someone sabotaged the ship? His dark eyes opened so wide they looked about to burst. Then another report came in.
“Delta-1 to Bravo-2! Hold your fire! We are friendly, we repeat, we are friendly!”
“Admiral, your orders please!”
There was no stopping the reports coming in, but with his brain seemingly frozen, Admiral Anderson just slid his palm down his face until that report came in.
[Warning. Shields have been undeployed while in live combat. It is highly recommended for your safety that the shields be redeployed.]
The admiral didn’t have the faintest idea what was happening. This was supposed to be a mere expedition. A trip to some strange corner of the universe. Sure, it was controversial for never having been explored, but just what was this? Their own allies firing at them, their shields being undeployed. Have they been sabotaged? Betrayed? But why?
The questions just kept coming even as he repeatedly tried to connect to the ship’s systems. Was this how it was going to end? In complete confusion right at the starting line of the Unnamed Sector? No. Life returned to his shocked eyes. Not yet. He was Fleet Admiral Marcus D. Anderson, and he was not about to go down without a fight!
Pandemonium. There was no better word to describe the situation at hand. One moment, the admiral had fancied himself an entertainer and was flamboyantly counting down with the audience, then in the next, the whole ship shook, fire somehow caught in some of the tables, alarms blared, and all the guests in the open hall were either screaming, crying, frozen, or running about aimlessly.
“Everyone, please remain calm. We have trained staff on hand to assist you,” the MC said. “Please don’t touch that fire.”
The admiral quickly left as soon as the ship started rumbling, no doubt headed for the bridge, leaving the situation to the staff to be dealt with, but while the MC and the rest of the staff were desperately trying to keep the situation under control, it was gradually becoming evident that they were just as unprepared and panicked as the guests were.
Vivian clicked her tongue as she watched the open hall in flames. She saw most of the ship’s crew and staff partaking in the festivities, even that MC, so the only ones sober here were likely those with the kitchen and the waitstaff.
*Rumble
“Not a rat’s chance in hell I’m leaving my fate to these drunks,” Vivian said to herself as she steadied herself from the ship’s rumbling and brought up her implant’s interface. “Good thing I came prepared. I knew a trip to the Unnamed Sector wouldn’t go smoothly.”
Pink screens hovered over her visual space everywhere, and as she thought, Connect, the biggest screen floating in front of her changed.
[Connecting…]
[Access Denied.]
It was an attempt to connect to the ship’s systems with the highest authority, but it came up null despite having already prepared the legit credentials. Evidently, something had gone wrong. Either the ship’s systems were failing, or the admiral’s account had been compromised.
“Hmph,” she snorted. “Getting into a hacking fight with me? I’ll show you.”
Connect, Vivian said internally again, but this time, she did so toward a specific port she’d ensured would stay open beforehand and give access to anyone with the right key.
[Connecting…]
[Welcome back, Ms. Pink.]
“Bingo,” Vivian said as she made a small guts pose. “A girl can never be too prepared. System, what’s the ship’s status.”
A comprehensive 3-D image of the Titanic in hues of pink appeared on top of the screens. The darker the hue, the greater the damage, yet most of the ship was increasingly becoming dark.
[The ship is currently under attack from unidentified hostiles. Firefights have broken out within the ship, and hull integrity has been compromised in multiple sections. It is highly recommended that the ship’s shields and internal security system be reactivated.]
Reactivate? Has the ship really been hijacked?
*Rumble
“Reactivate it then.”
[You do not have sufficient privileges.]
What? But that was impossible. She was using an administrator account. Wait! A concerning possibility flashed through Vivian’s mind.
“Bring up all the relevant files regarding users, groups, and rights.”
[You do not have sufficient privileges.]
“Status report.”
[You do not have sufficient privileges.]
“Damn it!” Vivian cursed. In hindsight, it made sense that the other hacker would try to deny access to everyone else, but it was still too fast. Then again, hacking wasn’t her main profession. No matter. Though it would’ve been nice to be able to play the hero and save the ship, it was enough as long as she could get out of here.
“Can you provide a ship out of here?”
[No ships are available for civilian use.]
“Fine! Just give me the direction to the nearest escape pods then!”
Any other time she might have blown her top, but time was of the essence right now, so Vivian looked for whatever she could grab and copied it onto her terminal.
“Hey!” Vivian turned to the blue haired girl sitting with her earlier. “Marianne, right? Come on!”
She grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away, but she didn’t budge at all, and the force she exerted only led to her falling face first with a thud.
“Ow!” Vivian rubbed the shiny red lump she’d found herself with as she looked back. Unfortunately, Marianne didn’t even seem to notice her.
“Hellooo~ Planet Pink to Blue! Is anyone there?” Vivian got back up and called out loudly to Marianne, and only then did Marianne finally notice her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you need me?”
Vivian’s face twitched. What was wrong with this girl? Everyone else was panicking one way or another, yet here she was in her own little world. Maybe she should just leave her be? They didn’t even really know each other anyway.
“What’s got you busy?” Vivian asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking that that seemed like a bad idea,” Marianne said.
“What is?” Vivian followed Marianne’s gaze to find that creep from earlier. That blond, round, drunk had gotten everyone away from the flames and gathered pitchers full of water. For a moment, Vivian wasn’t sure what the problem was until she realized that those flames were from someone spilling liquor onto the lit candles that sat plush on tablecloth.
“Ah,” Vivian found herself saying as she watched Rick pour one into the fire. Right at once, the flame spread everywhere, setting alight even Rick’s own pants. But as though that still wasn’t enough, he grabbed another and tried to use it to extinguish the fire on him, only to spread it all over himself too.
“Yeah,” Vivian dusted her pants off and turned to Marianne. “This ship is so done for.”
*Rumble
“Hey, Marianne. Can I call you that? Let’s get out of here,” she said. “I got the map to the escape pods. This ship has some really good ones. We’ll be much safer there than with these fools.”
Marianne seemed to hesitate, so Vivian continued. “Don’t worry about the other guy you were with. He looked like he could take care of himself. More importantly, us girls gotta stick together.”
“Oh,” Marianne said with a distant look as though she weren’t wholly focused where they were. “I wasn’t worried about him.”
“Wake up, Man!”
Cold water splashed on his face, and Zevach woke up with a cough. For a moment the world was a blur, then he noticed the man above him. It was Omar, one of the cooks he worked with. When the sounds too cleared, he noticed the alarms blaring.
[Attention all guests and crew, this is not a drill! Please evacuate to your nearest escape pod immediately!]
“What’s happening?” Zevach asked.
“Ship’s under attack,” Omar said. “We gotta get out.”
“What?” Zevach said, still struggling to make heads or tails of the situation.
“Look, we don’t have time,” Omar helped him up. “I gotta get the others! Go to that storage room you love to smoke in so much. There’s an escape pod bay behind it.” Omar helped him up.
Zevach looked at him groggily, noting in particular the wolf-head necklace dangling by his neck, and asked, “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Omar said. “Go!”
At his behest, Zevach found himself running. He didn’t know the darndest thing about the situation, and he was still out of it in some ways, but he did know that the situation was urgent. Soon he found himself back in the kitchen. It was a mess. The floor was littered with ingredients, many smashed underfoot, sinks overflown, countertops cluttered, and the fridge doors have been left ajar. It was void of life too. None of the hustle and bustle he’d grown both fond of and sick of in the past week remained, the only sounds left were the intermittent rumbling of the ship and the incessant blaring of the alarms.
*Rumble
[Attention all guests and crew, this is not a drill! Please evacuate to your nearest escape pod immediately!]
Whatever was happening, this ship clearly wasn’t going to last. He pushed past the storage room and into the escape pod bay. It looked like a hangar of sort with everything made of metal. On each side was a spherical pod, but the only pod left open was the lone one at the far back.
*Rumble
[Warning! Ship damage has reached critical levels. Escape pods will soon be launched to ensure survival.]
“That doesn’t sound good.” Zevach ran for it.
*Rumble
But he was still out of it, so he could only run unsteadily, and when the ship rumbled, he found himself tumbling into the floor.
“Damn it!” He cursed. “Why is a ship in space swaying so much!?”
He was about to pick himself back up when the alarms blared again.
[Warning! Escape Bays in Sectors 4, 7, and 13 are at risk! Beginning the automatic launch of the pods ahead of schedule!]
Hissing noises filled the escape pod bay as the mechanical arms unlatched from the pair of spherical pods closest to the door. Zevach’s heart dropped as he turned around to watch them launch. He tried to get back up right away, but a heated jolt of pain shot from his right leg.
“Arrgh!”
Had he sprained his leg? The moment he thought that, another pair of escape pods hissed from behind. He clicked his tongue and fished for his pockets all over, but his Blue Dust was nowhere to be found.
“Damn it! Why!?” Zevach said.
Did he leave it back at the restroom? The nanomachines from it would’ve alleviated the strain and allowed him to run, but now what? The sound of compressed air hissing continued to resound from behind. Was this the end? Was he really going to die like this?
“No! Not yet!” Unable to run, Zevach started crawling, but another hiss resounded from behind, and it quickly became apparent that crawling wouldn’t be quick enough.
“Damn it!” Zevach cried in pain as he forced himself up. “Damn it all!”
His right leg protested with every fiber of its being as a heated pain jolted through him, but there was no other way. Zevach forced himself to move as fast he could, but the most he could manage was an unsteady walk. With a hiss, another pair of escape pods launched just behind.
“Run, you worthless leg! Run!” Zevach commanded himself as he forced himself to move faster despite the searing pain. His face winced and twisted with every step taken with his right, but the escape pods were merciless, and the most he could manage was a jog. Soon, a pair ahead of him too had launched. At this rate, he only had a few seconds left before the last pod closed and launched, yet there were still dozens of meters left to cover.
Zevach ran faster than ever, but pairs of pods continued to unlatch and launch, and soon, hissing sounds came from the last pod as its door began to close. Common sense told him that it was over, but Zevach refused to give up, and with the momentum he’d built up, he stepped firmly with his left. With a sharp exhale, he leaped. Make it! Zevach commanded as he flew through the air. Against all odds, the door closed just behind him as he landed into a slide. Laughter filled the escape pod. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Zevach realized it was him who was laughing.
“I can’t believe I made that jump.”
Weightlessness soon took him as gravity vanished. The interior of the sphere was largely divided into three sections with a vertical casket each. His fellow occupants have likely already secured themselves inside theirs and were asleep. He should do the same.
“Better do something about this leg first, though,” Zevach said as he connected to the pod’s systems with his implant. He could only imagine how bad the pain would be once the adrenaline wore off. But just as a screen appeared before him, a force dragged him down into the floor with a thud.
“Ugh!” Zevach cried. “What gives!?”
[Warning! Unexpected celestial body detected! All occupants are recommended to secure themselves in their space casket to prepare for an unscheduled atmospheric entry!]
“What!?” Zevach yelled in disbelief. “There’s a planet on the Periphery Line!?”
The Unnamed Sector was called as such because they didn’t name the planets in it and just gave them codes, but humanity was still able to map the sector out. The periphery line was supposed to be barren, yet now it turns out there was a planet right on it. However, there was currently a more pressing issue, and Zevach’s heart dropped as soon as he realized it.
“Oh, no.”
He wasn’t in the casket. Soon, the whole pod began to rattle violently. He pushed himself up with his left arm, but the pain from his right leg kept him on his knees. It was too late. Zevach gulped, and when the atmospheric forces acting on the pod sent him airborne, for a moment, there was a dreamlike sensation of freedom, but that dream quickly turned into a nightmare as he was violently launched face first into the ceiling. He crossed his arms to protect his face, but immediately after, he was thrown back the way he came from.
“Gah!” Saliva spluttered out of him as he landed on his back.
[Warning! It is unsafe to be outside of your casket during atmospheric entry!]
“You don’t say!” Zevach said sarcastically before being flipped and thrown into another wall. “Gah! AI do something!”
[This AI is not equipped to manipulate the physical world.]
“State of the art, my ass!” Zevach complained before being sent flying in the direction of the casket. He crossed his arms to protect himself again. “My arms are going to be in a world of pain after this!”
[In response to the intense upper atmospheric lightning fields and lack of information on this planet, my protocols have initiated maneuver tri-split to maximize survival rate.]
“What does that mean?” Zevach held onto the casket firmly.
[We’re splitting into three in hopes one of you at least makes it.]
“Oh.”
Blinding arcs of electricity writhed upon the surface of the spherical pod as it shot straight down through the upper atmosphere. It seemed to catch on fire as it tore through the violent winds, but then lights surfaced on the pod as though to demarcate it into three parts, and in the next moment, it split into three. The three pods maneuvered nimbly through the fields of lightning in the upper atmospheres as they made their way into the lower atmosphere.
A swarm of gray flying beasts with flanged noses, fangs, and bloodshot eyes were gliding casually in the air when a pod shot past them. For a moment, they looked blankly in the direction the pod left in, then they started crying out in shrill noises. They seemed to have taken that for a provocation of some sort. When sounds of whirring and combustion resounded from behind, they turned to find another pod just like it headed in their direction.
They swarmed the pod such that they blotted it from the sun, but for some reason, perhaps due to the traces of electricity left on the pod, they started to catch on fire, electricity coursing through them, and they fell from the air by the droves. The swarm of flying critters soon cried helplessly and fled away, swearing vengeance, until they found a third pod.
“What are those things?” Zevach asked as he watched the world outside through his implant’s connection to the ship.
[Alert! Hostile group of unknown flying creatures detected! Initiating evasive maneuvers to avoid collision!]
“What evasive maneuvers? Just zap them like the second one did!” Zevach protested.
[Request denied. These pods lack offensive capabilities.]
Zevach’s pod flew in the opposite direction of the other pods. Unable to catch up, the flying critters let out a shrill cry, and more of the flying critters appeared from the direction they were going in. The AI skillfully maneuvered through them, dodging as much of them as it could, but the critters still managed to reach it in the end to claw and bite at it.
[Alert! Hull breach detected! Implementing drastic measures to attempt occupant survival!]
Scraps of alloy flew into the air as the critters piled on top of the pod. One of the critters dug through the hull breach before finding some wires and biting on them. As sparks erupted, and the pod caught fire, the AI had no other choice but to plunge into the ocean with the critters. A resonant bass erupted at the clap of water before all sounds muffled beneath the ocean. One by one, the critters let go and floated away, leaving the pod on its own to sink deeper into the ocean.
Zevach had let go of the casket at some point, sitting himself down in the narrow confines of the now much smaller pod as water rushed loudly into the hull.
“AI,” he called out. “Are you there?”
There was no response. Zevach stared blankly into the darkness as the water filled up.
“2 out of 3, huh. Wish I hadn’t left that Blue Dust.”
The escape pod that was once his only hope to life was now a sealed coffin that ensured he would drown. Unfortunately, there was no helping it. Not anymore. Zevach closed his eyes.
But then, sometime later, he opened them again. The water rushing into the hull had stopped. He shifted his weight to stand on his feet. The pain from his right reminded him that this was no dream. Sounds of splashing water echoed within the pod as he waded through and groped about in the dark. When he found what he was looking for, light shone.
“Only my ankles?” Zevach mused. “Did I wash up in a cave or something?”
He examined his surroundings with his multitool in flashlight mode to find the water only ankle-deep. There was a valve next to the door. It was the only way to open the door in the absence of power, so with the multitool in his mouth, he reached for it, and with a grunt, he turned it counterclockwise. The valve creaked until a hiss sounded, and the pod’s door opened.
The smell of salt entered as the waters in the pod flowed out. He tried peeking outside, but it was too dark to make anything out.
“No dice, it’s too dark,” he shone the light at the environment nearby before turning it to the ground. “Looks shallow.”
He grabbed a walking stick from the pod’s inventory and prodded at it to confirm, then he stepped outside. The air was filled with salt, but the ceiling was just darkness.
“I’d need a stronger light to see anything up there.” Zevach shook his head. “It feels kind of like déjà vu, though.”
Of course, that was impossible. He reached down and touched the ground. It was smooth with a rubbery sensation. It was curious enough that were the circumstances different, he might have thought to produce a sample despite not being the inquisitive sort. There were no flora or fauna nearby too. Just what kind of place was this?
“Clearly, not a cave,” Zevach said. “The ceiling is too high. Might actually just be the sky. No stars, though.”
He lit up the escape pod he came from, making sure he knew the direction, then he walked the opposite way until he was at a good distance. Water droplets fell on him.
“Hmm? Is it raining?” No matter. He would have his answers soon. He fiddled with his multitool and configured it into a drone that resembled a small flying saucer, and through his implant, he ordered it to go up. The drone quietly hummed as it did as instructed, shining its light at full blast all around. And gradually, the surroundings were revealed - from the escape pod that was in horrible shape, to the shallow waters on strange ground, to the dark-haired man in a bartender’s outfit, and the massive object from which dripped droplets of water and hung purple tendrils.
Zevach looked up in shock, his mind a blank, while the strange ground beneath shook. Water spilled as the ground emerged from shallow waters, lifting with it Zevach until he was right before it - the colossal head of a creature on a planetary scale. On its bare crown was an oversized brain of similarly gargantuan proportions, pulsating with a sinister purple as the veins on it writhed like dark rivers. The face below, a nightmarish mockery of humanoid features, where countless tentacles extended from the nose and the chin, writhing and squirming as they exuded psionics with such power that they were blinding even to the Untapped. Then from the depths of its brain opened a pair of purple suns. They gazed into Zevach, and Zevach gazed into them.
Elder World: Become Horror
Up above was the boundless blue sky, a canvas for clouds of white, and an ornate hook for the sun up high. The land below, a kaleidoscope for the sun’s golden rays, reflecting it in hues of red, orange, yellow, and gold, but alas, it was mostly barren now. The leaves that would have reflected it most resplendently have mostly fallen to the ground, and when a cold wind blew, those leaves of yellow or brown danced wildly in the air as they made their way past a man with dark hair and sun-kissed skin, who seemingly in a trance, grabbed at them to feel and smell. Time seemed to freeze until a voice resounded.
[Transmission incoming.]
Zevach turned to the escape pod and stared at it silently for a while before saying, “accept.”
[This is Vivian Leizas. Can the occupant of this pod hear me?]
Zevach took a firm step with his right leg as though to confirm that it was fine, then he casually walked to the escape pod.
[The Superpod seems to have split into three. It does that when the AI’s predicted risk is significantly above tolerable levels.]
When Zevach was close enough, he brought up the pod’s HUD through his implant.
[If you’re fine please say something. Your pod is the closest one to mine, and it would probably be for the best if we stuck together.]
One of the HUDs was a map of the local area that must’ve been instantly produced on the way down. Three blimps blinked on it. The one contacting him was a few hundred meters away at worst.
[By any chance, is this Marianne? I won’t bite, I promise! Let’s stick together, it’ll be much safer, you know! I really don’t want to be left alone in the middle of---]
"It's Zevach, your bartender," he interjected. "Somehow, I'm still alive."