Heaven Saga 3: Sojourn Into Despair

by Marcus Johnson

  “Do you need any of us to come with you?” ensign Dena asked.

  “No, I think I can handle this one my own,” Myli responded.

  The orbital station was rather small, consisting of a sphere approximately six hundred vetres in diameter. Shining her light right and left Myli saw blood stains everywhere. She came into the main computer room and saw a number of fleshless skeletons. Bullet marks and bloody knives filled the room, floating around in a chaotic manner. She stifled a scream and gathered herself for a moment.

  “Is anything wrong lieutenant?” ensign Dena asked.

  “Are you seeing this?” Myli asked.

  “I don’t have the video feed on right now,” Dena answered.

  “Turn it on,” Myli instructed.

  After a moment she heard her subordinates outside gasp. Myli shined her light on all the floating awfulness once more and revealed the scene to her subordinates.

  “This place looks like hell,” Myli said.

  She headed to the main monitor and turned on the station’s systems. The lights began flashing on as the station lit up. A moment later the station began turning. As gravity returned all of the weightless objects fell to the ground. The extent of what had happened was obvious as blood covered everything. Myli turned to the station’s computer system. She noticed a recording on the screen containing the last days the station was online.

  “Please, everyone turn their coms off,” Myli commanded.

  She pressed the button to start the recording. She closed her eyes before backing away from the screams coming from the recording. She watched in horror for a minute before turning the terrible video off. She pulled out a cord from her wrist computer and recorded a copy of all the station’s data files. After she finished Myli turned off the station’s systems. Everything faded to black. She ran back to her mobile suit and tried not to vomit along the way.

  “What’s wrong lieutenant?” Dena asked when Myli boarded her mobile suit.

  “Everything ensign, everything’s wrong,” Myli said as they headed back to the Avoni.

  * * *

  Brian waited in the launching bay for a few hours for the pilots to return. The first group to return was Myli’s group. Slowly each disembarked their mobile suits with a strange look on their faces. Myli stepped to the front before handing Brian her wrist computer.

  “I’ll send you a more detailed report later,” Myli said. “What I saw in the station was much worse than I could’ve ever imagined. Watch the video I recorded while I went through the place. Then watch the last video recorded from the station’s logs.”

  He noticed the horror on their faces. “I’m sorry I sent you into such a situation.”

  “I think all of us need to go somewhere and forget this,” Myli said. She left with her subordinates. A few minutes later Meldi’s group landed.

  When the six pilots came down from their mobile suits Brian noticed something wrong with ensign Vae. Seli tried comforting her friend as Meldi came over to him.

  “I’m sure what Myli delivered to you was much the same as we witnessed,” she said while Seli escorted Vae out. The other three pilots followed. Meldi checked to make sure the engineers were on the other side of the room. “The species we encountered is one we’ve never been seen before. It was also evident that their technology was far below the level on ours. Not only did they not possess interstellar flight, but it was obvious from what we saw they had no means to produce their own food. Ensign Vae reacted quite negatively to the situation,” Meldi paused to look at the exit, “I don’t really blame her.”

  Brian loaded the images onto his wrist computer and took a look at the scene. He watched the video while trying to remain stoic. “This is madness,” he looked at Meldi, “If they had no means to produce food then I can see why this happened.”

  “The mystery is why they would be so far away from any supplies in the first place,” Meldi said. “There are no planets capable of supporting life in this solar system. So how did they create a base in this place?”

  Brian looked away from the video. “They did have a home. But it was destroyed. Stranded without any hope of survival they ran out of supplies and finally succumbed to cannibalism. But even that couldn’t prevent the inevitable forever.” He turned on his com. “Zae, run a scan again for this solar system. See if there are any terrestrial planets in the life zone.” He looked at Meldi. “Would you like to join us on the bridge?”

  “I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to right now,” Meldi said before following him to the bridge.

  Chapter 9 - In the Heart of Darkness

  Brian and Meldi entered the elevator. Once the door closed she averted her eyes.

  “What horrifies me is that I knew when I looked upon that place what had happened,” Meldi said. “I can’t accept it.”

  “I don’t think anyone can.” Brian put his hand on her shoulder. “We think we’re hardened to such things, but there are things outside our comfort zone. You and those who went with you saw something that should never happen. It’s something that shouldn’t exist; therefore we believe it can’t exist. But as much as we would like to deny it the evidence is there for all to see.”

  “What do you think happened?” she asked.

  “They were scientists on the edge of space. All they wanted was to know more, go farther and fly free,” Brian said. “But something crushed their dreams, crushed their hopes, and destroyed their home. I have a suspicion on what happened and that’s why Zae’s reviewing the inner planets again.”

  The door opened to the bridge.

  “Zae, have you found anything?” Brian asked before going to the captain’s chair. Meldi stood at the back of the bridge silently.

  “After scanning, we’ve found that there are three smaller planets,” Zae said. She put their images on the monitor. “But none of them could support life with their current atmospheric composition.”

  “Are any of them in the life zone?” Brian asked.

  “This one,” Zae said. She zoomed on the image of the second planet. The image showed a lifeless and bleak surface. “Strange,” she said before zooming in further. Although there was no water present the planet appeared to have ocean floors and continents. “The planet also has a large moon that would serve as a polar stabilizer.”

  “Can we see anything else?” Brian asked.

  “Not unless we get much closer to the planet,” Baed said. “Do you want me to fly the Avoni there after the repairs are finished?”

  “That would be perfect Baed,” he said.

  Baed stood up to join them. “By the way, what did you find?” she asked while looking to Meldi.

  “Can I tell her?” Meldi asked.

  “Yes,” he answered. “But please, don’t show her the pictures right now.”

  “Of course,” Meldi said.

  Brian turned to Zae. “Would you join me in the conference room?”

  “Yes, let’s do that,” Zae said. She followed Brian into the next room. He connected the devices to the monitor. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want you to see this with me Zae,” he said. He was ready to turn the video on.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Have you ever wondered what hell looked like Zae?”

  “Not really. Wait, what do you mean by that?”

  “What our subordinates saw was the aftermath of something awful.” He turned on the video from the orbital station. The screams and growls Myli heard for but a moment played for a lot longer before Zae turned it off.

  “What was that?” she asked. Her cool demeanor was gone. “Is that the reason you asked me to check the inner planets?”

  “Yes.”

  “Their home was destroyed,” Zae said as she called up the image of the second planet. “But how is it possible? If it was global heating it would take much longer for the runaway greenhouse effect to take effect.” She stared at the image intently. “No, that couldn‘t be because this planet has no atmosphere on it.
”

  “The Confederation needs to know about this incident,” Brian said. “From what I’m seeing, the Greys terminated the homeworld of this species by removing their atmosphere.” He stopped, barring his fists. “They didn’t even have the decency to finish off the survivors.”

  “They just left them to die like this?”

  “Of course,” he said. “Without a home to return or supplies they weren’t a threat any longer. That’s why we must see their homeworld. If there’s any evidence of life left a closer inspection will prove it.”

  “Could it be an atmospheric weapon?” she asked. “Such a weapon would be unimaginably powerful. As much as I want to I can‘t deny the possibility of it.”

  “If we survive this journey we must show this tragedy and its cause to those in the Confederation,” he said. “It’s not a matter of getting home any longer.”

  “I agree,” Zae said. The door opened behind them. Baed and Meldi entered with the usual cheery look on Baed’s face gone.

  “Is all of this true?” Baed asked. Meldi pulled out something from her pilot uniform.

  “This disc was in the pocket of what we suspect was the last living creature on that lunar base,” Meldi said before handing it to Brian. “Please, let all of us watch it.”

  “You’re right,” Brian said. He activated the ship’s broadcast system. “It’s time all of us see what the Greys have done.”

  “To all crew members of the Avoni, this is Lieutenant Commander Peterson speaking. As you already know our situation is quite dire. I’ve sent a text report to each of you and plan to hold a ship wide meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation further. But a vital piece of information has been recovered by some of your crew, something I believe all of you should see. The images may be graphic and horrible to watch, so if you wish turn it off. I’m showing this because those already exposed to it will not be able to hide it from their shipmates. I don’t know exactly what’s on this video, but I’m sure it’s something we all should see.”

  * * *

  On each monitor on the Avoni the image of a strange, emaciated creature appeared. He was about the size of a human with bloodshot red eyes. He looked into the recording device with lights on in the small room.

  “If anyone ever watches this video I know that you’re likely from a different world. The place in which you found this disc has become hell. That of course, is something I have no doubt you’ve figured out by looking around. My name is Nardin Tracker and my species refers to itself as the Mardok. We’re a proud race that had finally achieved the technology to begin exploration of our own solar system. As you can see that dream was short lived. It was nearly two years ago when the homeworld was destroyed. The Old Ones came without warning and fired a powerful energy beam into the southern pole. It burned off the atmosphere in a matter of a few minutes. With the same efficiency they left without a word. They left behind survivors on ships and bases all across our solar system. The real tragedy is not the loss of our homeworld, but the fact that none of the bases or ships had the ability to produce food on their own. If they had waited another few years this horrible result wouldn’t have happened. We began by rationing the supplies we had, but after a year and a half it was exhausted. That was when the hunger began striking all the bases and ships. Our species evolved from a carnivore. With the development of our brain we’ve achieved reason, the power that marks all intelligent species as different from the rest. But as starvation began taking hold many of us began going mad. Their baser instincts took hold and now what you have found is reality. I haven’t had anything to eat in almost four months. The oxygen supply is low because the filter system is beginning to fail. Even the heating systems are going. At this moment I might be the last rational Mardok left alive. The few of my brethren still alive on this base have been hunting me for days. I dare not close my eyes for sleep because I know I’ll not see light once more afterwards. I’ll take the remaining weapons I have and escape to the other side of the base. At least there I can die properly. I will do it myself, so I don’t lose myself to the hunger. To those who have received this disc I leave behind all the collected data of my people I could obtain in these last few months. The Mardok are dead, I know that now. But we must be remembered. I ask that you take what’s on here and please show everyone we existed. Language, culture, history, religious practices, and scientific discoveries, all of it’s here. All that we once were I leave behind for other intelligent species to see. I hope one day justice is served. The Old Ones came and destroyed us, for what reason I can’t surmise. But they’ve violated a fundamental right of all living creatures, the right to exist. Please avenge us. That’s all I can ask of you.”

  A loud banging sound began off screen. Nardin cocked his pistol and aimed it at a door off camera. Screams of a malignant nature came from behind the door. He fired three gunshots at the snarling creature banging against the door. Before the camera went black the banging stopped.

  * * *

  After the video ended Brian sat down in a chair in deep thought. The other three in the conference room did likewise.

  “Knowing it was him we found makes me feel a little better,” Meldi said.

  “I wish we could’ve appeared at a time when we could have saved them,” Brian said. Jesela entered the room with a strange smile on her face.

  “You guys really need to lighten up,” she said before sighing heavily. “What’s done is done, that’s all there is to it.”

  “How can you be so flippant about this?” Zae asked.

  “Because pouting and feeling sad won’t get us anywhere,” Jesela said. “If we don’t hurry up and fix the Avoni we may have the same scene here in a few months.”

  “Jesela’s right,” Brian said. He stood and looked out the window. “The Mardok are dead and there’s nothing we can do about it. What we can do is record everything we can and get back to the Confederation. If their stance on the Greys isn’t clear now, let’s force them to choose one.”

  “Agreed,” Zae said. She turned to Jesela. “What’s your report?”

  “Our main drive is out and has lost most of its particles,” Jesela said. “The secondary drive is solely for recharging the Raknas, so I don’t really want to use it. The Avoni has no offense or defense against the Greys other than our mobile suits, so the default answer is the Mjolnir’s drive.”

  “But it wasn’t meant to transport or power a ship of this size,” Baed said.

  “No,” Jesela answered. “But we can hook it to the Avoni’s systems for now. It’s not the best method, but it’s better than the alternative. At our current pace it’ll take us two years to reach home. That’s if we don’t find some Aldenite. The good news is we can get home, it’s just a matter of when.”

  “Start preparations immediately,” Brian ordered. “Also, make sure to install a Q-Drive into the Mjolnir. I know I’ll be commanding from the bridge, but I want every available resource at my disposal should we need it.”

  “I’ll get right on that,” Jesela said.

  Chapter 10 - What to Do Next

  Brian stood on the stage in the Avoni’s meeting hall. With him were Zae and Celi, while Baed and Jesela stood to the side with Meldi and Myli. The hundred and twenty two remaining crew quickly made their way to the front of the hall to hear their commanders speak. Once everyone was assembled Zae waved for them to quiet down.

  “As you know, our ship is now stranded far away from Confederation space,” Zae said. “What we’re here to talk about today is the general situation and listen to anything you may be concerned about. Before I go further, are there any questions?”

  An ensign from the engineering crew raised her hand to speak. “How long will it take us to reach home?”

  “Two years at our current speed,” Zae answered. “We can cut it down to six months if we can obtain some particles for the main drive.”

  “Do we have enough supplies?” another ensign asked.

  Celi stepped forward. “At the current
half ration we can last for over a year. Fortunately for us we can grow some of our own food. It’s not a lot, but enough to supplement ourselves for a while. As given to each of you in the written statement we also plan to conserve energy by halving the use of crew quarters. I know it’ll be cramped but it’ll keep the Avoni running efficiently. The senior officers are under the same conditions.”

  “What was with that video you showed us yesterday?” another ensign asked. Many behind her echoed the sentiment.

  “I made the decision to show the video to everyone,” Brian answered. “We took refuge on this moon for repairs, but while doing so we uncovered something horrible. A few of your crewmates have seen this first hand. Instead of keeping it secret I decided to show it to all of you. What happened to the Mardok is not something that just concerns us, but the Confederation as a whole.” He put the image of the inner planet Zae showed him yesterday on the massive screen in the back of the auditorium. “As you can see this rocky planet is orbited by a large moon. It’s also within the life zone of this solar system’s star. If you look closely you’ll notice wear and tear on the planet’s surface. This is proof erosion has taken place. But now there’s no atmosphere. In the video all of you watched yesterday Nardin mentioned a great catastrophe that burned off the atmosphere of their home planet. If this is true then we must find proof it really happened. That’s the reason why I want to check the planet before leaving this system. We must know if the Greys such power. But, if the crew decides we should leave immediately I’ll comply.”

  The crowd spoke amongst themselves quietly. After reaching a decision each stopped and saluted to show their agreement with Brian’s plan.

  “Good,” Zae said. “We will now move onto specifics. Each of you can choose who you’re going to bunk with. After this is done we’ll shut down all unused areas of the ship.” She pointed to herself and Brian, then Celi. “As of now, Brian’s the acting captain of the Avoni. I’ll serve as the first officer with Celi as the third in command. We’ll be in charge of operations and the bridge of course.” She pointed to Baed. “Lieutenant Baed will be in charge of the ship’s navigation and power systems.” She then pointed to Jesela. “Lieutenant Jesela will be in charge of the ships engineering systems as well as mainatence of the Avoni.” Finally, she pointed to Meldi and Myli. “Lieutenants Meldi and Myli will be in charge of the Raknas and security of the ship. I know all of this is unsettling. Each of us will be asked of much more than we expected when we signed on as the crew of the Avoni. Each of us may be put in a position we never wanted or that may cost us our lives. But survival is the game we’re playing now. No matter what happens we will reach home.” Zae ended her speech with applause from the crew.