CAL rose from his bed slowly, time became inconsequential as he surfed the endless horrors of his own mind. Repressing the trauma and coming nightmare far into the recesses of his mind, he rose to his feet, groggily walking to the door in a manner akin to a drunk zombie. With a twist of the handle, he entered the plaster white halls. Practically hovering through them, following the signs, until he finally reached a pair of sliding double doors.

Opening with a graceful sleekness, the world unveiled behind them instantly snapped CAL out of his broken stupor.

The vast towering expanse, a technological marvel unlike anything he had ever seen before, was laid bare for him to see. He was not on some mere spaceship, but an enormous space station. Reaching several hundred stories above him and nearly a dozen more below his very feet. The structure of the station was like a shining marquise diamond, with an entire city rolled up within its elegant walls. Entire traffic lanes filled with flying cars and transport vehicles were scattered across the great expanse of the station. On various floors CAL could see massive advertisements for a plethora of stores, from food and weapon shops to insurance and security companies. The chatter of thousands of people filled his audio receptors, and the electronic buzz of powerful turbines filled the air with a palpable thickness. It was a complete culture shock to CAL, who’s familiarity with the simplistic relative silence of the jungles of Durst, left him barely capable of speech, let alone movement.

“It’s massive…”

The only words CAL was able to sputter, would not go unheard.

“That’s a new one!”

The motherly voice from before snapped CAL out of his shock.

“They normally say ‘It’s way bigger on the inside!’ But I guess you have the advantage of seeing the inside first.”

Standing in front of him was a robotic woman, not too different from himself. However, instead of a helmet, or face mask like his own, Her face was a digital, LED screen, currently displaying a smiling face with heart shaped cheeks. She wore a multi-layered thin headdress veil, which wrapped neatly into the old fashioned blue and black dress adorning her body. Complete with a perfectly rounded crinoline, obscuring her legs. Legs CAL almost immediately realized were nonexistent, replaced by a pulsating, bright blue light, seemingly keeping her hovering several inches off the ground.

“So what do you think?”

CAL still unable to hear properly over the raucous ambience simply asked:

“What?”

She repeated the question, receiving the same response. Holding her finger up, telling him to wait a moment. She reached up to CAL’s right Audio node, and tapped it. Immediately the Ambience of the station became heavily muted, allowing CAL to hear her perfectly.

“What did you just do?”

“Switched your audio filter, it’s an adjustment all Sanctus naturally have built into their systems.”

“Sanctus? What is a Sanctus?”

She looked at him, with a shocked expression.

“Wow, Naught wasn’t lying when he said you don’t have any memories.”

CAL returned her shock with confusion

“Uh, now that I think about it… I’ve heard a couple of the raiders refer to me as "The Sanctus?”

She Laughed. “Bingo! Don’t worry about it, Naught will get you all sorted out. Come with me and we’ll meet up with him. Oh and by the way, I’m Pious.”

“CAL.”

“Nice and short, I like it. I guess I should give you the proper introduction to the place. Welcome to Vigilus Station, the last Skyfather Class Armada War Station still fully functional in the entire galaxy.

CAL followed her though the main floor and deep into the crowded pathways of the station. Passing a multitude of races in the crowd, big and small, humanoid and not so humanoid, and technology so advanced it looked like magic. All the while still feeling the crushing awe of the station itself, he could barely believe his own eyes.

“For a War station this place seems awfully… Um, what’s the word I’m looking for, commercial?”

Pious laughed lightly, turning a corner and ushering CAL toward one of nearly two dozen massive elevators. Looking at the 30 or so people within, she politely held a finger up to CAL.

“A moment please.” Turning back to the Elevator. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this Elevator is heading to the Golden Mile, please vacate the elevator.”

Most of the passengers were apologetic, asking for forgiveness and setting themselves aside for them, others fell to their knees in adoration and worship. Pious gestured for CAL to enter, and the two began ascending rapidly in the rocket propelled Elevator.

“What was that all about?”

“Oh, many of the citizens hold us in extremely high regard. Some even worship us like gods, it’s extremely awkward, but has its uses here and there.”

“G-Gods? Why? Just how powerful are you?”

Pious lightly snickered, “Me personally?”

She thought for a moment before speaking, “Since I’m not a combat type, not that powerful. However, given your current abilities, I’m fairly certain I could drop you pretty easily in a one on one.”

CAL stared at her smiling expression sternly. Yet she never wavered, with every fiber of her body she truly believed… No, she truly knew she could beat CAL.

“She’s not even joking. She really thinks she can beat me easily. I don’t even detect any power fluctuations emanating from her. Is she really that strong?”

The thought slightly unnerved him, someone so powerful yet so benign standing in a tin can no larger than a couple meters, just a handful of feet from him. The sinking feeling of a big pond fish entering the vast ocean swept over the entire room. Threatening to drown him with the enormity of the vast difference in power before them. A power he couldn’t even detect, and hidden behind the most innocent of smiles.

Pious turned to look out the front doors of the elevator, looking down as the various floors came and went. The bottom floor they just left looked like a small platform now.

“To answer your question from before, yes, the station is very commercial. That’s what decades of galactic peace will do to a War Station. Something or someone needs to keep those bills paid and those toilets flushing, and who better to do it than a few hundred corporations.”

Pious looked on with a longing smile.

“But I can’t really complain too much, this place was an utter wasteland of MTG Equipment and drunk soldiers when renovations started. You can’t even tell half of these platforms were ship bays now.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Once again scanning the vast expanse of the station CAL wondered aloud.

“How big is this place?”

“From tip to tip it’s about 20,000 meters.” Pious answered eagerly. “A bit more than 12 miles in length. While at its widest point, the Central hub, it is close to Five miles in total radius. It’s the fifth largest station ever created and current estimations list the total population at 20,000.”

“Fifth? Why would you even need one bigger than this?”

“Ego stroking mostly. The Largest one was called the Erection of Prestige, for very obvious reasons.” The two shared a laugh before being interrupted by Pious’ commlink going off.

“Oh, Let me take this.” Turning back to the glass doors, she answered the Comm. “What seems to be the problem dear?”

CAL couldn’t hear the other person she was speaking to, thus continued to watch as the Elevator ascended to the golden ceiling. Entering the golden ceiling, the elevator slowed gradually, rising at a standard pace, leaving the space glowing with golden light granted by the pulsating illuminance of the golden material of the ceiling. CAL, no matter how hard he tried, was unable to identify the specifics of the material. Merely upon observation, it moved and flowed like a gel, pulsating and breathing slowly, yet steadily. However, it was clearly a complete solid, otherwise the weight of the Elevator would crush it, or the rocket thruster would melt it. His mesmerized wonder would be cut short as he heard the tail end of Pious’ conversation.

“...corral them toward the Entrance.”

Returning her attention to CAL, she smiled eagerly. “Seems we are about to have some company.”

“The good or the bad kind?”

The Elevator crawled to a stop, a satisfying ding ringing out, signifying the last stop. “That depends on how she feels about you right now.”

CAL jumped as six massive blades ripped into the doors, prying them open like a plastic container. Revealing the raving beast behind them, a cloaking mist of nanomachines covered the instantly recognizable figure of…

“Anaya?!”

“Warrior CAL!!!”

She screamed with utter shock and elation. Grabbing CAL by the chest for what he thought was a hug, only to be forcefully yanked out of the elevator and thrown across the massive white hall outside of it. He crashed several dozen meters away, barely able to catch himself and regain his bearings before Anaya landed on his chest with the full force of her weight.

“You stupid Zetyugo!* You had me terrified of losing you like everyone else. Everyday I tried to see you to make sure {you were safe and these buzzbots captured} me everyday. I swear on the {ancestor’s great spirits} if you ever do that to me again I will kill you myself!”

She was switching heavily between natural English and her translated language as she screamed at CAL, punching and kicking him repeatedly as he lay on the ground.

He merely returned her worry, concern and rage with a caring smile.

“I missed you too, Anaya.”

Those five words halted her rant, breaking her as she fell onto CAL, crying uncontrollably.

Pious looked upon them endearingly as they embraced one another. Survivors of a tragedy, both losing so much, yet still able to find comfort and safety in one another’s embrace. It was nearly enough to bring a tear to her cybernetic eyes.

The two rose to their feet, hugging each other once more as a deep well spoken voice intruded on their loving embrace.

“Were I still organic, I would find this embrace heartwarming, if not a touch cliche.”

“Nice to see you too, Dr. Kilo.” CAL said as he held Anaya in his arms, glancing at the near lifelike figure next to them. “I guess you helped her survive the explosion.”

“Quite the contrary my binary infused friend. Miss Anaya has adapted to the KingTaker in record time. Granting her exquisite knowledge of the vast array of capabilities within its matrix. I’m merely here to assist and advise where necessary.”

Dr. Kilo walked toward them, tapping Anaya on her shoulder.

“Isn’t there something you meant to give him?”

Her eyes grew wide with excitement, digging through her pockets, and pulling out the tiniest of data chips CAL had ever seen.

“A gift for Warrior CAL, I found it in the wreckage while hiding from the great green clouds.” She handed it to him gently, carefully appraising his reaction.

Without a second thought, he inserted the chip into his head. A sudden wave of data flashed across his visor before a familiar Pink avatar appeared before him.

“B-Bella!?”

“Oh joyous day! Master, it’s such a relief to be reconnected with you!”

CAL was utterly flabbergasted, “I thought you were lost forever!”

“So did I Master, fortunately for both of us, Anaya found my backup core in the ruins. And now I have the honor of being connected to you forever! Never again, will I fail to be of service to you.”

“Thanks for finding her, Anaya.”

Anaya hugged him again, as Dr. Kilo and Pious watched on.

A sarcastically whimsical voice commented on the sight of them. “It’d seem the wild cat has found her master once more.”

A second morbidly sardonic voice followed. “Good, I was getting tired of playing babysitter for a jungle rat.”

“Cold as ever I see, eh Zav?” Pious shook her head in disappointment as she walked over to CAL and Anaya. “CAL, this is Zavorn and Wahno. Our resident Gunslinger and mad man respectively.”

Standing before CAL, were two warriors who could not look any further from one another in style and format. Zavorn, on his left, was the most machine-like of all of the people he had met so far. A Gundam-esque appearance clad in royal purple armor, with white accentuations and stripe patterns scattered across his entire body. It was nearly impossible to tell what was armor and what was an actual part of his body, though it was clear his basic physical frame was the gray metallic techno-flesh beneath the armor. Two large cannons, one, a rail cannon, the other a gauss cannon, sat mounted upon his back, hovering over each shoulder. A grenade belt was strapped tightly around his waist, ammo packs and combat knives were strapped to his forearms, hips and calves. However, the most notable detail of his appearance was also the one that seems the most out of place. The only article of clothing he wore, a long crimson scarf, tattered and damaged, floated ethereally in the air. As if an invisible and intangible wind held it aloft in the air.

His far more palatable partner, Wahno, was far less jarring to the eyes. Easily mistaken for an actual organic save for his head and hands, Wahno “sat” cross legged, hovering several feet above the ground. Clad in gray and brown shaolin inspired robes, and white caped draped over his shoulders, CAL was unable to sense even the smallest ounce of hostility in him, in fact, he felt an aura of peace surrounding him. His two most notable features, began with his head. Fully mechanical, with a single, glowing cyan, T shape carved into his face, two large horns protruded from the sides of his head, angled downward toward where his mouth would be. Dozens of coiled wires extended from the back of his head giving the appearance of dreadlocks. While many of the outer ones were tattered and frayed, hanging loosely upon his head, the inner coils plugged in tightly to a multitude of sockets within the base of his neck. The second notable feature of Wahno’s was the broken ring seemingly hovering behind him. Made of pure tarnished gold, it appeared mechanical, as the broken upper right chunk of the ring held a multitude of singed and damaged machinery jutting out of its broken golden husk. A singular translucent, purple dragon head gently orbited the ring.

“Nice to meet you CAL, I look forward to seeing your potential as we get to know one another.” Wahno hovered over to CAL, shaking his hand graciously.

“Yeah, what he said.” Zav half heartedly gave a nod before, walking away.

“Zav, where are you going?” Pious quickly moved in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. Which he batted away immediately, continuing to walk away.

“My job‘s over, the jungle rat is with sleeping beauty over there. So I’m done for the day.”

Pious shook her head, letting Zav walk away. Stopping for a moment to look back at her.

“If you need me I’ll be recalibrating the station’s defense array. In other words, don’t need me.” He jumped off into the distance, as the others approached Pious.

“He’s a ray of sunshine isn’t he? Didn’t even stick around to properly say hello!” CAL laughed as he watched Zav fade into the distance.

“Don’t take it personally, Zav is an antisocial loner on the best of days. You just happened to meet him on one of his worst.”

“Agreed! Zav’s a good man with not a stick, but a tree rooted firmly up his ass. Pray you never see him angry enough to rip it out and use it as a weapon.” Wahno chimed in as he began floating upside down around the party.

“Anyway, Naught needs a bit more time before the meeting. What do you two say to a proper tour of the Golden Mile? Our personal home on the Station.”

CAL looked at Anaya, who was still wrapped around his arm like a sleeve. Their eyes met and both smiled, with Anaya being the first to speak.

“Better than being chased through this place all day and night, let’s do it!”