“Thanaris and Geist have arrived. The Praetor is in orbit. It seems we will have some unwelcome guests. What shall I do, Wraith?” spoke a figure hidden amongst enormous humid trees. His eyes were locked upon a sprinting human, observing his harried guise from afar.
The communicator in his hand produced a single sentence, “Strike when I arrive.”
* The final unremembered dream of an uncontracted Tide-Seer.
“Why the ‘ell are we meeting with Claudius? Dante ‘eeds us!” Rejo erupted as he slammed his fist into the desk beside the starship console. Archimedes jumped in his seat, reeling back in sudden shock, but he was the only one surprised by the outburst.
Sonna wiped her face with an open palm, sitting on one of the old, rickety chairs some feet away. Then, she explained it all to Rejo once more, “We’ve been through this, Rejo. We don’t know where the Inferose is. Arch has searched every public database, and a bunch of locked private ones, but it’s a complete unknown. We made a deal with Claudius and need to honor that.”
Rejo pouted, glaring at the metallic tiles beneath their feet while a starship came into view through the clear glass window. His head twisted up as if hearing the sound. Bandages still covered the back of his head, and there was one small series of stitches across his cheek, but he had mostly recovered.
“Fuck the deal,” rarer than a blue moon, a comprehensible sentence came from the Araki’s lungs. Still, the rest of his crew could only focus on the incoming ship.
It was the Heron’s Wing.
And the day was November 1st in the Standard Calendar. The agreed-upon meeting.
Archimedes’ hands went to the ship’s controls, manually overriding the dysfunctional systems to dock the two starships side-by-side in the sea of emptiness they were in.
Gladius C was below them, but it was only their meeting point, not true their destination.
The rest of the crew stood and strode to the side exit, which was used for emergencies and docking. It was a simple, thin corridor built to attach to others of the same kind.
Sonna glanced at Lucius, and the soldier merely nodded while the clacking of the process completed without error. Then, they saw the first Judge they had met through the fogged reinforced glass of the corridor.
Claudius offered a plain smile before striding through the connector. On the other side, he stood across from the soldier and the failed spy.
He spoke smoothly but held a hidden meaning, “Thank you for coming. With our ships docked, we can head to our destination. This will... be more dangerous than I initially thought, but I have some good news.”
Sonna’s eyebrows rose while Lucius furrowed. Joan merely revolved her hand from behind them, prompting the man to elaborate.
With a nod, Claudius gave the crew the best news they had heard in weeks, “The Anacrux on Crislend is here. My Praetor sensed her unique Tide of blood. But we don’t need to concern ourselves with that,” he handed a slim slip of paper to Sonna with his words. “My mission is to infiltrate the Inferose and prevent any Dirge from claiming it. At worst, it must be destroyed. Now, the entrance is unknown, so your mission is to help me find it. Then, you are relieved.”
The crew shared looks as the word ‘Inferose’ was already familiar to them. Yet no one said a word to their informer continued on.
Lucius noted the text on the decree, finding it to be typical military jargon. His own paranoia spiked as he offered a question to the Judge, “And that’s it? You don’t need our help inside?”
Claudius shook his head before pointing to the sheet, “No. The situation inside will be... unpredictable. I only wish to go in with those I trust wholeheartedly,” the man’s eyes then flittered from each figure in his sight without shame. “Apologies... but none of you fit the bill. Input those coordinates into navigation, and we’ll fly right over. It should only take a few minutes to move through the system.”
Sonna passed the paper back to Rejo and shoved him to deliver it to Arch. Afterward, she extended a curt bow to the Judge, “Thank you for saving Joan. We will do our best.”
In return, Claudius smiled kindly, the lip of his mouth rising slightly. He retreated to the Heron’s Wing with a wave afterward, not wasting a moment. The instant his presence departed, the crew hurried back to the Skull.
Neither Sonna, Joan, nor Lucius said a word until they were within the bounds of Archimedes and Rejo. Once there, however, they found Rejo had already gotten the young boy riled up, “Dante is here!? Really? I... I... I’ll set coordinates!”
Lucius sighed at the sight, not wanting to damper Isaac’s mood. Still, he had to set expectations. After placing a hand on the navigation to slow everyone down, he spoke, “Relax. We don’t want to rush this. Claudius even said this would be highly dangerous. Scout the planet first, Arch. Then we’ll go. Just give it a minute.”
The Weren beside him nodded, chewing on her fingernail bit by bit before joining in, “Yeah. Dante’s there somewhere, but if that Anacrux is there... we’ll need to be really careful. The woman who nearly killed you, Rejo, should be nearby.”
Not even the mention of his near-death experience could calm the Araki’s excitement.
But before anyone could complain about Rejo’s enthusiasm, API slid an image onto the large screen for everyone to view. He pointed to it with one shivering index finger, unused to so much attention.
All eyes fell on the screen.
On the screen, an enormous ship, the size of a floating city, loomed above the exoplanet below. The Nova was the home of Praetor Sun, bearing an enormous sigil of her House across its enormous spine, that of a brilliant star.
The Nova moved through space with eerie grace, casting a faint shadow on the world beneath and pulling the city along with the planet’s gravity. Somehow teeming with life, the world glowed faintly despite having no visible sun or moon. Its surface was an ocean of green, illuminated from within, as though the planet itself was the source of its light.
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Not a hint of water or earth could be seen in the image.
The sight sent chills down the crew’s spines. A planet so far removed from any source of light yet filled with lush greenery? It defied all natural laws they knew.
Lucius stepped closer to the screen, eyes narrowing to a fine point, “That’s... unnatural.”
Sonna bent her head beside him, her arms crossed, “A planet without a sun, with that much life? I don’t like it one bit.”
API, sitting a little off to the side, was the first to break the growing tension with his carefully selected words, “It’s just... the one ship.”
Sonna gave a tight nod, “Then we move forward. Fly us alongside the Heron’s Wing. Let’s get closer.”
Claudius’ sleek and formidable vessel hovered nearby as both ships approached the mysterious world. The inner engines roared to life, propelling the steel capsule forward into the inky blackness of space. For nearly ten minutes, they drifted through the void, the gravitational pull of the planet gradually intensifying.
As they neared the orbit of the exoplanet, the vast size of the green-lit surface became more apparent. Glued to the controls, Archimedes stared at the visual feed in wordless awe.
“This place is three jumps from any settled star system and four from our last refuel,” Sonna noted, her voice thoughtful. “In the Lost Reaches, it’s more than a No Man’s Land. The Empires only extend their tendrils so far.”
She felt a tremor of excitement and dread in equal measure. Gladius C, their meeting point, was now far behind them, a tiny dot in the vast distance. The sense of the unknown gnawed at her.
But it wasn’t just her that was uncomfortable. Lucius’ eyes breathed in every inch of the planet, thinking of everything that could come for them. Meanwhile, Joan vibrated silently beside them, her dreams coming ever so slightly closer.
Rejo, as expected, already had his weapons prepared and removed his bandages. The light tint of blood stained them, but the Araki convinced himself he was fine.
As the ship settled into orbit, the rest prepared. They gathered weapons and tools and strapped on combat gear. Even Archimedes, who was usually more at home with a keyboard than a gun, took up a weapon with shaky hands.
The others walked toward the drop pod in silence, the weight of what was to come hanging over them. Lucius lingered behind Archimedes, watching the young man as he fumbled with his gear.
Kneeling beside him, Lucius rested a hand on Archimedes’ shoulder, “Listen. You’re not coming with us.”
The boy opened his mouth to protest, but Lucius silenced him with a shake of his head, “I know you want to help, and I know you don’t want to steal anymore. I don’t want you to either. But there’s a job only you can do.”
The soldier had thought long and hard about how he would keep the young man off the planet. And as much as it pained him, there was only one way to convince Isaac. He would find a way past any other explanation.
Archimedes frowned, clearly torn, “I... I don’t want to steal anymore... I just want to help. And... Dante’s down there.”
Lucius let out a deep sigh, his voice calm but firm, “This isn’t about stealing, Arch. This is about survival. Our ship—it’s falling apart. No matter how much work you put in, it won’t hold up for long. Now, Claudius’ ship... that’s our way out of here.”
Archimedes shook his head again, eyes welling with frustration, “But I can do more. I can fight.”
Lucius squeezed his shoulder gently, “I know you can, but this is bigger than just fighting. If you steal that ship while we’re on the planet, we’ll have a real chance,” his eyes met API’s with confidence. “You’re the only one who can do it.”
The boy bit his lip, looking down at the weapon in his hands, “I... I don’t want to disappoint you. Or him. He’ll... leave me if I...” Isaac sniffled, wiping his nose as he struggled to get the words out. “Like all the... others...”
Lucius gave him a rare, reassuring smile. “You won’t. And don’t worry, there won’t be anyone on that ship. Claudius is a Judge—he’ll get another one without even blinking.”
Archimedes swallowed hard, the weight of the responsibility settling on his young shoulders. “Okay... I’ll do it. But I don’t like it.”
Lucius stood, satisfied by the boy’s agreement, “Good. Now, stay sharp. We’ll be back soon enough.”
The soldier turned, but his shoulders sagged before he took even a single step away. Then, he faced back toward Pythagoras with a conflicted face. Retrieving a sphere from his back, he bit his lip.
Even with his concern for Arch’s safety, he trusted the boy’s judgment. So, bending down, he placed the Immortal Corpse within the tiny palm that was far too small for such a device.
He gave Archimedes a hard stare before ordering him, “Use this only if absolutely necessary. I’m going to get your captain back. But you need to be ready the instant we have him.”
Lucius then waved goodbye before joining the others at the drop pod. Archimedes lingered at the controls, his heart heavy, but his mind made up. While the drop pod’s initiation began, the young man’s eyes fell on the slim tracker on the desk, left behind by Joan.
The sight of Dante’s vitals reappearing gave the boy a smile, yet he couldn’t tell anyone else the good news.
The pod’s engines howled as it detached from the ship, edging closer to the exoplanet’s atmosphere. Through the single window, the four inside the cramped space could see the surface of the planet—an ocean of green that pulsed softly, like a living heartbeat. It was beautiful but unnerving.
While falling, they saw another similar ship fall beside them, hurtling toward the green as well. It was Claudius’ crew. Several pairs of eyes warily watched the other ship, larger and more sophisticated in nature, descend alongside them before their attention swapped to their own.
Sonna peeked at Lucius, her expression grim while her right hand held onto the handle above her. With her height, she had to stretch just to scrape it with her fingers.
“Keep your eyes sharp,” she muttered. “We have no idea what’s waiting for us down there.”
Lucius nodded, gripping his rifle tighter. Rejo, sitting across from him, was practically vibrating with anticipation. Joan, stoic as ever, checked her own bag of poisons and medicines, almost as offputting as the bubbly Araki.
Suddenly, the lights inside the pod flickered. A sharp, disorienting buzz filled the small cabin, and the entire pod plunged into darkness. The ship’s systems shut down with a loud click, and for a moment, the only sound was the rapid beating of their hearts.
Yet before anyone could react with more than an open mouth, a voice echoed ominously within the darkness, delivered straight into their ears through space.
“Domain Collapse: Ghosts of the Damned.“
The words reverberated through their minds, cutting through the silence like a blade. Joan cursed under her breath, already sliding a syringe close to her flesh, and Sonna’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the seat beside her as well as the handle. Lucius clicked the safety on his gun and drew the hatchet at his belt while Rejo’s eyes bloomed.
Then, chaos.
The controlled fall turned into a freefall as the pod’s stabilizers failed. The crew was thrown against their harnesses, the sudden jolt sending them into weightlessness. Rejo yelled out, cursing in his native Araki dialect that was near-impossible to translate. At the same time, Lucius fought to slow his breathing, for the life-support was surely out, too.
“What the hell is happening?!” Rejo shouted over the deafening sound of the wind ripping past the hull.
“Domain Collapse,” Joan rasped through clenched teeth. “Someone collapsed the Lightsea around the entire planet. And it wasn’t the same Dirge from Crislend. We’re in freefall now.”
Outside, the vibrant green of the planet’s surface surged toward them, distorted by the interference of the Domain. Shadows flickered across the landscape, and through the swirling mass of green, they could see shapes—vague, ghostly figures moving with impossible speed just beneath the surface.
Lucius’ eyes zeroed in on the figures diving through the canopy below, reminding him of Sonna’s mists, only given a more concrete form.
Sonna, despite her own horror, spoke up with a shaky voice, “Hold tight. There’s nothing we can do right now. Brace for impact!”
The pod’s descent quickened, the horizon disappearing beneath them as they hurtled toward the green-lit surface. The haunting figures they had seen moments ago were now gone, vanished beneath the leaves of the treetops.
All the light from the planet began to distort further, flickering in and out like a dying pulse, and a wave of pressure crashed into the pod, causing the entire craft to shudder violently.
A sense of otherworldly dread filled the pod as they neared the ground. It felt like the planet was watching them, waiting for their inevitable crash. It was more than just the hazy figures.
Something was here. Something was watching them.
And then they hit.
The impact was brutal. Metal screamed, and the pod’s reinforced hull buckled under the force of the treetops. Then they gave before everything went dark once again as the pod buried itself into the planet’s surface. Inside, the crew was slammed against their restraints, knocked into unconsciousness for what felt like an eternity.
Only one remained conscious at the collision.
Moments after steel hit the earth, Lucius’ ears twitched. It was to the sound of groaning metal and the taste of blood in his mouth. His body ached, and his mind was foggy, but he forced his eyes to reopen. The pod was half-crushed, wedged deep into the soft, glowing earth of the planet. The now-orange light from the surface seeped through the cracks, filling the cabin with streaks of purple.
But the Domain quickly doused the enveloping lights, siphoned away into gray.
To Lucius’ mind, it seemed like an eternal dusk.
Sonna was already awake, cradling her bruised arm as she looked around for the others, rasping without air, “Everyone... still alive?”
Lucius managed a weak nod, then glanced at Rejo, who was groaning in his seat. The Araki had lost much of his luster but was otherwise conscious. Joan was the last to stir, blood dripping from a gash on her forehead as she wiped her eyes.
“Everyone’s alive,” Sonna confirmed after a moment of checking. “We need to get out. We’re cats in a barrel.”
Rejo, wincing as he unbuckled his harness, “It’s... ‘ish.”
No one paid attention to him, instead focusing on prying open the broken door.
Lucius shifted through the even more claustrophobic shuttle before he flexed his strength and pried it open just enough to squeeze through.
As they emerged from the wreckage, they were immediately struck by the sudden loss of the Domain shrouding them. The vast darkness receded, letting the orange and violet light return.
Confusion mounted, but there were more extraordinary things to be concerned with.
Towering, skeletal trees surrounded them, their branches stretching out like twisted fingers toward the sky while the leaves blotted out the stars. Amongst those trees, however, they saw a hazy figure flitter by.
As if noticing the group, it halted suddenly and turned to face them. The Domain Collapse was over just as quickly as it had started, but it seemed its remnants still lingered.