With my aircraft circling overhead and my ships ready to rain hell on whatever dared to show up Infront of me, I decided to head down to the floating platform. Scharnhorst's crane lowered me gently onto one of the outer structures which is just a mass of alien thingamajig I don't really know how to describe it. As I crouched and touched the surface, I could tell it is made of steel or some kind of metal—smooth and cold under my fingers.
The odd thing is, despite the chill surface, I felt this strange heat bubbling up inside. Mentally noting this, i stood up and observed the surrounding floating wreck, is it really alright to explore an alien wreck under my current beach clothing like a 90s actress?
Anyway, I decided to continue since what could possibly go wrong, i have an arsenal of heavy weapons under my command.
With my resolve full on exploration mode i made "Blue" follow me close behind while leaving my heavy cruisers as backup guns behind just incase. As i move through the structure i reached an opening in the alien structure, approaching it slowly. And seeing my aircraft are still flying around. I took a deep breath and peeked the hole down, I realized it is a hangar, or what is left of one. The place is a wreck chunks of the structure gone, but I could still make out the plane that had attacked me earlier, now a twisted wreck itself.
I wanted to get a closer look, but there does not seem to be any way down. After looking around a bit, I figured I isn't getting inside easily—not unless I felt like dropping straight in and break my legs. And that didn’t seem like the best idea.
Alright, onto the next area, which should be the main citadel or something like that. I leaped into the water and swim toward Blue, standing on its deck i gave it the order to head to the main citadel or the main structure avoiding floating debris as it moves through the water. It took a few minutes, but I eventually reached the main structure. There are some flames still around at the structure, but it all felt like metal, so I pushed ahead with a bit more confidence.
When I got up to the deck or platform of this thing, I took a quick look around. Everything is eerily quiet. The guns are slumped downward, and there were gaping holes everywhere. From the size of the craters, it looked like 500kg bombs had done their job—penetrating before blowing everything apart.
Quite nerve-wracking as I walk around, but I spotted a hole where one of my bombs had struck. Peering through, I saw a dark passageway leading deeper inside. There are flickers of light ahead, and the smell of gunpowder is thick in the air. After a few deep breaths and pacing around, I decided to go for it. Again, what could possibly go wrong?
The first thing I noticed is how cold the floor is. My bare feet are definitely not thrilled. Then, a loud creak echoed through the structure, and I felt it tilting. Before I could even react, I lost my balance and started sliding down the slanted metal floor. I tried to stop myself, but it's no use—I ended up crashing into a dark, watery area.
Underwater, I saw faint blue lights from the bulbs below. I don't know why the electricity didn't fry my already but okay i guess, eventually I got my bearings, but then the hallway’s lights suddenly went out, leaving only the blue glow bulbs to guide me. It seemed like the power station, or something had been flooded.
More creaking followed, and thankfully, the floor somewhat leveled out again, allowing me to walk on dry ground. I could see a faint light far ahead—it looked like where I had come from. Deciding I’d had enough of this place, I started a grueling climb uphill, my arms and feet slippery from the wet. It's definitely the worst situation I could have landed in. I should have just let this thing sink. Damn it.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
But as soon as I heard another faint creak, I scrambled to the side and found myself in a new hallway to my right. It's in the same sorry condition as the last, with the tilting getting progressively worse. Climbing up is becoming nearly impossible, so I decided to push forward in this hallway. The light here is a bit brighter, though still that blue hue, making it easier to see where I am going.
As I walked, I couldn’t help but wonder about the inhabitants of this world. Surely, someone should be here. But so far, my ships and aircraft are reporting nothing out of the ordinary. The only sound is the pounding of my own heartbeat echoing off the walls.
Eventually, I reached a wide entrance leading into a large chamber. Curious, I decided to take a peek inside. The space is massive, dominated by a giant piece of machinery in the center. The noises coming from it, along with the silhouettes cast by the lights, suggested something important is going on.
Just as I am about to take a closer look, the ship creaked loudly again. I got thrown off balance, and my whole body slammed onto the actual floor.
I managed to recover and actually stood on the actual floor, and, despite the tilt going normal again, I turned my attention back to the machinery. Suddenly, bright lights flickered back on, illuminating the massive structure and hallways again, the power is back horray.
Steam hissed out of its tubes, and I could see a glowing light below and hear a clamor above. It looked like this thing ran on water—how fascinating, alien tech powered by water.
I started making mental notes of the area beyond the room when I heard it: loud, heavy footsteps. Not a good sign. Deciding I’d had enough of this place, I bolted for the exit. No amount of curiosity is worth sticking around for whatever is coming.
As I sprinted, I could hear voices echoing behind me. Without looking back, I turned left and raced toward the hole I had come through. A chilling, ghoulish scream started up, intensifying my flight response. I scrambled out of the hole, but the jump to the edge is too high. With no other choice, I sprinted to the side and called my aircraft, who are patrolling nearby.
As I ran, a deafening roar erupted behind me, pushing me to sprint as fast as I could. I glanced back after putting some great distance between us and saw a creature that defied description—something like a tripod made of dark, undulating mass with three tentacle-like appendages. It let out another terrifying roar.
I quickly marked the creature using the control mask and ordered all my guns and aircraft to engage it immediately. I needed this thing dealt with fast.
I heard the unmistakable blast of a cannon soon after. A shell struck the monster, shaking me off balance and making my ears ring. I fought through the disorientation, walking my way to safety. My aircraft soon arrived, swooping in and opening fire with 20mm bullets.
The abomination behind me clearly didn't appreciate the attention. The creature thrashed and roared, clearly enraged by the assault.
As I move away, the area is filled with explosions and the clang of metal, causing me to cover my ears.
Once I managed to get some more distance and my exhausted body finally relented, I looked back to see the giant abomination being absolutely pummeled into oblivion. My ships and aircraft are unloading everything they had—40mm and 20mm rounds, 5-inch shells, and even some 9-inch guns. The thing is being absolutely pulverized, and I am relieved to be as far from it as possible.
Eventually, the monster fell silent. With the enemy now apparently defeated, I stood up and took a cautious approach. When I got closer, I found the creature completely dead—nothing is left but a crater and mass of twisted, lifeless remains. It's as if I had just dismantled something straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
As I examined the remains of the creature, I spotted something strange in the middle of the wreckage. It looked like a CPU chip. I had no idea what it's doing there, but at this point, anything seemed possible. I decided to take it—after all, who knew what it might be useful for?
[You got Shadow Sentinel Core 1x]
Great, a loot drop. Just what I needed.
Exhausted, I sighed deeply. And before i could even have a break suddenly, the floating structure began sinking at an alarming rate. I quickly moved to get back. As the structure sinks, I positioned Blue below me and, with the last of my energy, tossed the CPU chip onto the deck before jumping down onto Blue. The structure continued its rapid descent into the water, taking with it the remnants of that bizarre creature.
With nothing else to do and feeling completely wiped out, I ordered Blue to head back to Port Six. I collapsed onto the deck, giving myself a much-needed breather. At this point, what is even going on.